#but in this moment i literally have nothing else beyond some terrible coping mechanisms which i won't divulge

[seapasture]

i am going to sit down and draw the gentlest scene one can possibly imagine, or the pure visual manifestation of unabashed fury. there will be no in-between (unless)

[flyingupward]

critical role - vox machina chapter 4 - attack of the conclave

all sentences taken from episodes 39-56 of the first campaign of critical role. feel free to change pronouns, phrasing etc. to fit your needs!

“All this time, you’ve been trying to kick my teeth in and your true enemy was right over there.”

“That’s good. Moving is not my forte.”

“We’re in a hentai. Make it go away.”

“Not all short people look alike.”

“God, I wish I was not made of farts.”

“We live in a cold, cold world. No one deserves anything.”

“You chose so poorly. It is truly impressive how poorly you chose.”

“Stay away from all men. Forever.”

“I’m glad I came in handy for that field trip.”

“I hate your friends!”

“Little do they know I shop for everything at Home Goods so joke’s on them.”

“It’s just radioactive material in the basement. It’s fine.”

“Somehow the coffee has not been poured on your head. That’s the greatest magic trick I’ve seen all morning.”

“Everything else was dragons. Why wouldn’t it be dragons?”

“Sorry, I was so caught up in the fact that I’m literally going up against death incarnate.”

“You’re a magnificent handsome bastard. Don’t die.”

“Do not go far from me.”

“He’s just a sociopath, that’s all.”

“There are dragons outside and we’re playing rugby with a fucking skull!”

“A simple mind is looking for a simple solution to a complex problem.”

“I’m a firm believer that there’s always a way to victory if we’re smart about it and we’re quick about it.”

“We either stand now or we might as well be dead.”

“We try, we mostly fail, but occasionally we get it right.”

“It was such a bad deal I said no. Can you imagine how bad of a deal it must have been?”

“No offense darling, but you look like shit.”

“If we’re going to be roaming about the streets, I’d like you to not fall open like a can of baked beans if you don’t mind.”

“Let’s not get overexcited about the sudden realization that some of us can be a bit iffy.”

“Thank you for that smattering of applause.”

“I have one of those terrible ideas I get on occasion.”

“This is politics. You’re not supposed to like them.”

“You can talk my fucking ear off in a moment. Shut up for a second.”

“If the parasite hasn’t a host to feed on, the parasite dies.”

“I never forget that when I rule, I rule these people as well.”

“One day, you’re going to stop being afraid of me and I hope that day comes soon.”

“There’s no swinging by, that’s a caper.”

“It will be built back better than before. That’s what we do.”

“We have a lot of Pop Tarts, but not very many gold pieces.”

“This is where I live. What are you doing here?”

“I’m cold and I still haven’t been paid.”

“We’re not trying to score points. We are trying to do right.”

“This is fucking happy fun bunch over here. They bring death with them everywhere they go.”

“And to think I might have briefly missed you.”

“You have to find the no name guy who’s going to help you find the stuff that’s hidden that nobody knows where it is or what it is.”

“What do you want to do? Do you want to stay here while the world burns?”

“World’s always ending, baby.”

“It would be wondrous, after we complete this transaction, that we never meet again.”

“Oh my God, I just buy healing to save my life, what a waste.”

“I’m going to stand over here and fail to stay in character, okay?”

“Let’s all have a toast to the inevitability of the universe.”

“My God, I love other people’s problems.”

“Are we sober yet?”

“I think her foolish impulses are exactly what we’re looking for.”

“Better to die a fool for something than live in regret for doing nothing.”

“I think we want her to do her stupidest.”

“You’re… brooding.”

“I tend to glaze over when he’s talking.”

“Lead the way, shitkicker.”

“A lot of your friends are very weird.”

“I would just like to point out that I’m mostly sober.”

“That’s okay because remember, I’m me.”

“I’d like to stand up, please.”

“I’m scared to death which is why the math is so bad.”

“I’ve met few as unremarkable as you in my travels.”

“Well then, we’re in trouble. I have an attitude about everything.”

“Yeah, there’s like 37 things we have to do before tomorrow so… ”

“She’s not really gonna care about court so much as ripping the bones from your back.”

“I thought you were gonna tell me a dirty joke or something. When you say, ‘Come here,’ that’s usually what that means.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s going to be daylight if we’re underground.”

“I’m really hoping that it’s the worst decision we make because then everything’s uphill.”

“I like who we are together and I think that that’s important.”

“Dying in slow motion over here.”

“Oh good, more darkness.”

“Oh my God, you’re going into a special section of your book. That’s never good.”

“I’m very aware that my greed killed me.”

“Oh, I must have missed it because I was dead. That’s right.”

“Do you have feelings and did that hurt them?”

“I’m pretty tired after dying.”

“I think I love you too. I’m just terrified to allow myself to.”

“We are a city of seasonal affective disorder.”

“So I heard a rumor that you sort of saved my life in a really creepy sort of way.”

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you my Pokemon.”

“Your secret is safe with my indifference.”

“I always fucking hear you in my mind. It’s very quiet in there these days.”

“If it becomes a problem, just raise your hand and scream.”

“Our lives are so bizarre now.”

“Why is my brain tingling? Is someone noodling around up there?”

“You know what? It’s just fire. I will be on fire.”

“Did someone lose an orb?”

“Are we really about to pretend to do CrossFit?”

“Not enough spit takes in the world for this moment in time.”

“Beyond it being an engineering issue, it might be a greed issue first.”

"She's an adult. Deep levels of arrested development, but an adult nonetheless."

“Retroactively, you’ve never been seen in your entire lives.”

“You take everything good away from all of us.”

“It’s not one problem, it’s a very large problem and a massive problem.”

“Those that give a fuck, speak up.”

“We’ve lived half our life in the shadows. You’ve made them your home.”

“I love my reckless brother as much as he hurts my heart.”

“Duck hunt’s a bitch.”

“This is so dumb. Why am I doing this?”

“Congratulations, you’re creepy as fuck.”

“Give me this you fucking hoarder. What’s the matter with you?”

“I will smite you.”

“I was born to shove things in holes.”

“Knowledge is power, for reals!”

“Are we time bandits now? Is that what’s happening?”

“I hate time travel. I hate time travel so much.”

“No worries. I didn’t need to live anyway.”

“Perhaps it’s time to be a better badass.”

“It’s been a traumatic five minutes.”

“Like any good plan, everything will go wrong.”

“Oh well, I’m fucked then.”

“Oh, tiny dancer, you are fucked.”

“He died as he lived: Deeply unimpressed.”

“Don’t you dare die happy.”

“I like that we managed to make solving problems with violence into an ABC afternoon special.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say, ‘At dawn, we plan.’”

“I genuinely don’t understand the place you come from.”

“That is the weirdest coping mechanism I’ve ever heard of.”

“Maybe we should just sleep together and see what happens.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth after you sort of lied to me.”

“Yeah keep twitching, twitchy.”

“We totally planned at dawn!”

“Everything is terrible. Our lives are terrible. They are way worse than they were six months ago.”

“You are a fucking madman, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m fucked. I understand I’m fucked. It’s fine.”

“This was all part of the plan, the hastily smushed together plan.”

“He’s a liar and a bringer of death and he’s smiling at you while he does it.”

“Bravery means nothing. Survival and victory mean everything.”

“Oh shut up, you flying suitcase.”

“You don’t need inspiration, you’re fine!”

“If I move, he’ll kill me. So I won’t.”

“Cursed Lizard! We’re going to give all your gold to the poor!”

“Don’t be so glum you old fool! This is a day of glory!”

“We will all die. It just depends on cost.”

“Oh, wow. You just said a lot of things in a very short amount of time.”

“You are the worst of us.”

“If there’s a dare involved, that’s completely different.”

“I don’t like wanting things.”

“Is it the people or is it the fact that you have finally realized how pointless it all is?”

“I feel like I’ve been lied to my entire goddam life and it’s all crashing down upon me right now.”

“The thing is you’re not wrong and you’re not crazy, but it’s not hopeless either.”

“Even surrounded by friends, I often feel so alone.”

“Thank you for being a friend even though we just met.”

“The terrible woman may have a point.”

“Woo! Good leadership!”

“The awkward woman makes a fine point.”

“It is not about idolizing ourselves, it is about a very long story which we are a very small part of.”

“I’m doing something very stupid now with my friends. We’re going to try to save the world.”

“I admire everyone in our band of misfit toys, but you most of all.”

“You are all kinds of fucked up all the time and that’s why we love you.”

“We’re all all kinds of fucked up and that’s why we all are together.”

“That’s all we can be is ish.”

[zosonils]

What are some headcanons for you ghost Ferb au???!! I would love to hear if your feeling up for it

oughgh so basically the plot of this one is that Ferb Fucking Dies either shortly after the main series or somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 [as always going off my personal timeline where there’s a school year between those]. due to some weird cosmic soul bullshit that i’m not invested enough in an angsty phineas and ferb au to think up actual lore for, ferb hangs around as a ghost after dying, but can’t physically interact with anything or be seen or heard by anyone. after ferb dies phineas’ inability to process grief in a healthy way leads him to develop an obsession with finding ghosts, and after a few years he builds some sort of gadget that can strengthen a ghost’s connection to the living world, which subsequently makes ferb tangible to living beings for the first time in like 3 years. a lot of hugging and crying happens

from there the au kiiiiinda returns to status quo with the inventing stuff together deal but everyone involved is so emotionally traumatised that it’s impossible to just carry on like nothing is wrong [as phineas ‘i know, i’ll simply invent my way out of my years-long indescribable grief and then everything will be just fine’ flynn learns the hard way]. there is still something resembling a happy ending in there though because the thought of writing something that’s just hurt with no comfort ever makes me want to puke

there isn’t really a plot to it beyond this initial setup but i do have a couple key bits and pieces mapped out

i have no goddamn idea how ferb dies but it’s probably injury related because ghosts that have scars from where they died are sad pog as fuck. the obvious hell route is to say it was somehow caused by one of his and phineas’ inventions but i don’t know if i can bring myself to call quite that much crushing guilt down upon phineas :(

phineas predictably does not deal with losing ferb well. he has zero experience coping with grief and can’t remember the last time he had to face anything without his bro by his side and it just breaks him completely. even when he eventually pulls himself together enough to somewhat function his optimistic personality has been broken beyond recognition or repair and although some of his old self starts to come back when he reunites with ferb and can convince himself that everything is okay again forever, he’s permanently less cheerful and more stressed and he needs to go to fucking therapy

also his coping mechanisms are all fucking terrible. don’t try this at home, kids

the Gang Gang drifts apart a little after ferb dies, although they never stop being friends because that plot point is stupid and sad and i hate it. phineas’ friends all try to be there for him as much as possible, but the emotional trauma makes him feel disconnected from the people around him, and it leads to him not hanging out with his friends as much as he used to [although he periodically either decides to spend the day with them or gets dragged along when isabella hasn’t seen him leave the house in 5 weeks again and manages to enjoy himself at least a little bit]

ferb doesn’t age as a ghost, he’s physically 10 years old forever. he still emotionally matures over time to some degree but he retains a lot of childlike traits even as the years pass, putting him in a weird mental limbo between the teen or adult he technically is and Just Baby

this starts to bother phineas more as time goes on but he doesn’t say anything because he feels bad for being upset over something that ferb can’t really control

ferb knows that perry is a secret agent after deciding to follow him around one day. fortunately owca’s guidelines on host families discovering agents’ identities has some weirdly specific wording about how no living host family member can discover the truth about their apparent pet, and after a bit of kerfuffle and somehow digging out his death certificate without anyone else noticing, ferb is let off on the strict instruction to keep a secret. sometimes he follows perry on missions because it’s cool to watch and doof always gives him a chair to sit on and a juice box

ferb can’t exactly drink the juice [or anything else] but he appreciates the offer and sometimes squeezes some in his mouth so he can at least get the taste. doof doesn’t mind because staining somebody else’s carpet with juice is kinda evil-adjacent so he thinks he’s being a successful bad influence

he already struggled with it when he was alive but ferb is super prone to sensory overload after not touching literally anything for a few years. it won’t stop him from clinging to phineas every chance he gets but suddenly feeling absolutely everything he bumps into or brushes against gets overwhelming quickly

ferb learns to noclip in real life [real death?????]

my brain has been goop all day so that’s all i got at the moment hshhf but i Think About This One quite a bit so if anyone is interested by this feel free to ask follow up questions and i’ll probably remember some really good lore :’0

[arofili]

HURT/COMFORT EXCHANGE PROMPTS:

This is a very sketchy list of prompts for the Hurt/Comfort exchange. Feel free to ignore/adapt these as you choose. My TPP prompts are in the signup itself, not in this letter; this just has Tolkien prompts. My Russingon prompts are all grouped together despite being split into two different requests in the signup. See my signup for DNWs/general likes/canon preferences.

~~~

Fingon | Findekáno/Maedhros | Maitimo (hurt Maedhros) Fingon | Findekáno/Maedhros | Maitimo (hurt Fingon) Fingon | Findekáno/Maedhros | Maitimo (both hurt) the OTP <3 I just love em. Most of these are going to be hurt Maedhros, but hurt Fingon is ALSO very good, I love it when the expected dynamic is inverted. But the expected dynamic is expected because it’s VERY GOOD CONTENT, so go with that if you want to!!

Character discovers their friends have been defending them behind their back: Maedhros discovers Fingon has been fighting his battles for him, has mixed feelings about this

Character A reassures Character B they are still loved: this is the GOOD SHIT. fingon reassuring Mae he is still loved post-Thang ;-;

Experiencing Another's Pain Through Psychic Bond, Soul bond means A can feel B's pain even when B is trying to hide it: could work either way, but probably Mae having a flashback to Angband or his aches and pains getting to him, and Fingon can tell even when he tries to hide it

Body worship focusing on the scars and aftermath of trauma: Finno still finding Mae extremely sexy post-Thang

Careful Sex Because One Partner Is Injured/Ill: post-Thang first time? or maybe Fingon gets injured in a minor battle but is still very horny, lol

Carrying sick/hurt/exhausted character to bed: tiny but buff finno carrying his giant husband to bed!!!

Character A hurts Character B (at their request) during sex but Character A immediately regrets it: Fingon hurts Maedhros at Mae’s request, immediately regrets it - basically kink/boundary negotiation

Masochistic sub asks for more pain than they really want: the inverse of the above prompt

Character A is in despair and Character B offers hope: this is literally The Russingon Dynamic, i love it SO much!! bonus points if Finno literally shares his hope/estel with Maedhros through their soul bond

Character A made to live through/experience B's worst memory: more soul bond angst :)) Finno reliving one of Mae’s worst moments? or Mae realizing Just How Bad the Ice was?

Past Rape Accidental Reveal - Consensual Sex Causes Flashbacks To Previous Rape, Character A reveals they know something B has tried to hide and reassures B that it changes nothing: Maedhros tries to hide something that happened to him in Angband (probably sexual abuse but it could be something else), Finno had already figured it out and it didn’t mean change how he felt about Mae, but it still really bothered Mae - now Finno realizes how much it’s bothering Mae, and reassures him

Character believes they're (turning into) a monster: post-Thang orc Mae??? 👀

Character didn't want to be brought back to life: Mae committed himself to Everlasting Darkness, thought he was beyond forgiveness/redemption, killed himself so he would Cease To Be - but now he’s suddenly reborn and has to deal with that, with Finno’s help of course

Hurt A expects B to take advantage of them. Is stunned when B doesn't, Character expects to be punished but is unexpectedly comforted instead: post-Thang Mae in a fucked up mental state expects Finno to punish him for some minor indiscretion, but Finno comforts instead

Past Rape Accidental Reveal - Consensual Sex Causes Flashbacks To Previous Rape, panic attack during the first time they try to have sex after rape, Dissociating During Sex, Consensual Sex Causes Flashbacks To Previous Trauma, Character Should Safeword But Doesn't, Character has no sense of their own boundaries: post-Thang Mae struggling to understand consent and dealing with sexual trauma ;-;

Character increasingly bothered that their love interest walks so willingly into danger: Mae has a not-so-subtle death wish, Finno gets upset that he cares so little about himself

Character used to past traumatic sexual experiences is confused by genuinely loving partner: post-Thang Mae with Fingon. in this case, bonus points for them getting together for the first time AFTER Angband, so Mae only has bad sexual experiences before this...

Characters live together while one recovers from hurt: Maedhros lingers by Fingon’s side for longer than he really /needs/ to post-Thang

Coping with past rape through sex: this one probably makes more sense if they were already together before Angband, Mae learning to enjoy sex with Fingon again. Maybe Finno expects that Mae will only want to be on top given what happened in Angband, but actually Sauron liked to force Mae to be the top, so he prefers bottoming now?

dealing with grief by fucking: post-Bragollach Fingon is grieving but doesn’t want to think about it so he fucks his husband instead

edgeplay due to thin line between kink and trigger: post-Thang Maedhros figuring out his boundaries

Slow Burn - Soulbonding is the only way for A to save seriously injured B's life, healing energy transfer accidental soulbond: immediately post-Thang, Maedhros is bleeding out and Fingon soulbonds with him to save his life. could be that they were pining but not together before this, OR that they had a messy breakup and this comes at a really awkward stage in their relationship but now they’re basically married

Humor as way of dealing with pain/trauma: Mae with gallows humor that makes everyone uncomfortable...except for Fingon, who Gets It

Impact Play - inflicting pain until character breaks down in much-needed emotional catharsis: Maedhros deserves to get spanked until he can cry :)

just because they're immortal doesn't mean they can't suffer: HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA this is just. THE ENTIRE SILM. ESPECIALLY these two.

kink(s) as coping mechanism: Mae has now figured out what his boundaries are, and Finno has too, and now instead of it being scary they can just enjoy tying Mae up and hitting him and Finno being possessive

Loyal character loses object of their devotion; doesn't know what to do with their life now: fealty kink!!!! but post-Nirn :)))))))

Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury: Russingon getting together post-Thang

Physically Injured Character Comforting Emotionally Distressed Character: Fingon is extremely upset about having cut Mae’s hand off, Mae comforts him

Slow gentle hesitant touches to help character who's used to rough or falsely-gentle touches: Finno helping Mae relearn to enjoy touch

Touch-Starved - Only seeks out touch from one trusted person: no one dares touch the infamously stoic Lord of Himring...except for Fingon, who drapes himself all over him whenever he visits...is Lord Maedhros just tolerating the prince for political reasons? but wait...is he leaning into the touch???

Touch-Starved Character Having Overwhelming Tender Long Foreplay First Time Sex: first time post-Thang, Fingon is incredibly gentle and loving which is really overwhelming for Mae (in a good way)

Accidental arousal while cuddling for comfort: mutual pining (probably in Valinor)

Being bathed while mutually pining: post-Thang pre-relationship, Finno is the only one Mae trusts to bathe him

Character A Confesses Feelings Because They Think Character B is Unconscious: Finno thinks Mae is unconscious post-Thang? OR recovery period time, they’re sharing a bed bc Finno passed out exhausted from a long day of tending to Mae and Mae confesses when he thinks Finno is asleep

Character A thinks they are unworthy of Character B: Maedhros thinks he’s not good enough for Fingon - bonus points if this is BEFORE Angband, and he’s always had self-worth issues

Character(s) ashamed of their sexual desires: very similar to the above, Maedhros has always had messed up ideas about what he Should Feel

Characters Are In Love But Duty Will Keep Them Apart Forever Until Something Makes Them Do It: idiots mutually pining <3 perhaps an arranged marriage situation??

Comforted with homemade meal: Mae’s love language is food, he makes something for hurt!Finno

Comforter tries to comfort with a homemade meal. It doesn't end well: Mae’s love language is food, so when he needs comfort Finno tries to make something for him, but Finno is a terrible cook

Comforter stunned by how much comfortee trusts them: Finno doesn’t understand how Maedhros can still love him after he cut Mae’s hand off

Comforting character is in denial about attraction to other character: MUTUAL. PINING. and repressed Mae :))

Delirious hurt character & comforter are hiding their relationship from other people present: post-Thang married-in-Valinor, Finno shows up with Mae on eagleback and it’s very hard to keep their relationship a secret when they’re upset like this and Mae is delirious with pain

Estranged Characters - Injured A shows Up on B's doorstep Saying "I didn't know where else to go": This would probably be some sort of AU (like a modern AU, idk) where Russingon broke up ages ago but suddenly Mae shows up on Finno’s doorstep and they have a long and awkward getting-back-together process :’)

Fate tries to keep them apart: is this not just canon? :(

Gentle Kissing: SOFT BOYS PLS

Hair Brushing: hair kink!!!!!

A has to listen to loved one B being slandered/insulted/mocked: Finno has to listen to people shittalking his husband, he can only hold it in so long before he goes off on them

pining character thinks object of their affection loves someone else, Nervous about confessing love - Misunderstands and thinks it's for someone else: GOD TIER MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE, i love this shit, especially if it’s Mae who messes up so bad Finno misinterprets and Mae is usually very eloquent but NOT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS

Pining character reveals their feelings while not quite lucid (hurt/drunk/etc.): a young drunk Finno confesses to Mae in Valinor? Mae confesses to Finno for the first time in the midst of his haze of pain post-Thang?

A protects B despite damage to their own reputation: Finno will stand up for Maedhros NO MATTER WHAT

Refusing to Leave Other Character's Side: Maedhros and Fingon stick together no matter what - possibly an AU where things go a bit better?

A rejects B despite the pining being mutual due to insecurity/outside circumstances: this is another EXCELLENT trope for these two, especially in mutual pining in Valinor - Maitimo wants Finno very badly but is convinced the politics of it will make it impossible, Finno keeps trying anyway until finally Mae loses his resolve

Secret Relationship Revealed - Consequences Are Disastrous/Deadly: ...and maybe Mae was RIGHT and when they get found out All Hell Breaks Loose

Committing a moral wrong for the sake of other character: Finno rushing into save Maedhros at Alqualondë :)))) and knowing he’d do it again even if he understood what was going on......

Curse Breaking: TRUE LOVE DEFEATS THE OATH

Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies doesn't mean Nobody Hurt: Finno survives the Nirn...at a Cost

Falling Asleep As A Sign Of Trust: Maedhros has trouble sleeping, but he can relax around Finno ;-;

Character has to learn new way of fighting following injury: Finno helping Mae to learn to fight with his left hand

Character Can Never Make Up For Murder: Maedhros and Fingon both grappling with being Kinslayers

Hurt character who believes they don’t deserve comfort begins to accept they do and accepts comfort: this is EVERYTHING i want,, Maedhros learning to love himself!!!!! AHHHHHH

Pining A saves B's life at great cost to themself then hides it from them: pre-relationship, Finno saves Mae from Thangorodrim but keeps nobly pining all on his lonesome despite Maedhros dropping every hint that he’s madly in love with Fingon

Sharing a bed with hurt character while mutually pining: delicious at any time, but especially if they’re sharing a bed during Mae’s recovery time post-Thang

Recovery from permanent loss of limb(s); love interest builds/brings a prosthetic for them: the Noldor are a crafty people, I bet you even Fingon was a bit of a smith! he makes a prosthetic for Mae :) OR he bugs Curufin to make one and delivers it to Mae

Waking from a happy dreamworld to a painful reality: soft fluffy Russingon.........except it was a dream and when Mae wakes up Finno is dead :)))))))))))

Waking up from nightmares while sharing a bed: Mae has a nightmare post-Thang, Finno comforts him

Helping hurt character to dress/undress: erotic undressing and scar reveals post-Thang? 👀

~~~

Maedhros | Maitimo & Maglor | Makalaurë (both hurt) Maedhros | Maitimo & Sons of Fëanor (hurt Maedhros) Maedhros & Maglor & Elrond & Elros (hurt Maedhros & Maglor) Maedhros & Maglor & Elrond & Elros (hurt Elrond & Elros) I requested this with Kidnap Dads in mind, but there’s a few ideas I have for Maedhros + bros angst too :) Overall, please hurt Maedhros (and then comfort him) - even when E&E are the ones hurt, I imagine their guardians will be upset for them!

Anniversary of a traumatic experience: for Kidnap Dads, the anniversary of the attack on Sirion. for Mae + bros, anniversary of Fëanor’s death? or the Nírnaeth? or Mae’s capture? something like that.

Character discovers their friends have been defending them behind their back: shortly post-Thangorodrim, Mae discovers that his brothers have been defending him against people who no longer trust him because of his time in captivity

Character draws negative attention onto themself to protect another, Fighting to protect someone while injured yourself: Mae defending E&E from an outside threat!!

Character A reassures Character B they are still loved: Mae’s bros reassure him, or Mae and Mags reassure E&E

Memory issues make character forget details about their friends: post-Thangorodrim Mae with memory issues

Character draws negative attention onto themself to protect another, Character A claims they're Character B to save B from danger: Elrond or Elros pretend they are the other one so early-KD M&M will get mad at him instead of his brother (but M&M aren’t actually mad)

Character A is in despair and Character B offers hope: E&E & Maglor giving Maedhros hope in late-stage Beleriand!!!!

character A overhears sth that makes A think character B doesn't want/like A anymore (A is wrong): Maedhros overhears something that makes him think his brothers/the twins hate him?

Character A panics/overreacts over B's minor hurt/illness: M&M overreact to E&E’s minor ailment because elves don’t get sick but the twins are peredhil!

Character A sees Character B cry for the first time: E&E see Maedhros cry for the first time

Character A's parents disapprove of Character B: I know this is meant for like, romantic interests, but the image of E&E’s two sets of parents disapproving of each other is hilarious. Please don’t have either of them be Truly Awful Parents, but animosity/tension between them (much to E&E’s dismay) is excellent

Fix-it - Character survives canonical death, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies doesn't mean Nobody Hurt, Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore. Other helps & comforts: Maedhros lives AU!!!

Character isn't used to being loved and shown tenderness/affection: touch-starved Mae who hasn’t been properly loved since Fingon died ;-; (not for Maglor’s lack of trying but he also had a lot going on, and kids are better at getting through to Mae in any case)

Character taken prisoner; expects torture/humiliation; gets kind & honorable treatment: E&E expect the worst from M&M, but M&M immediately start being their dads

Character who can't offer much comfort does what little they can: Maedhros doing what he can to comfort E&E

Character who thinks they aren't well-liked is shown evidence that other people like them: E&E help Maedhros see how much the Fëanorian followers respect him

Character who's killed before comforts character forced to kill in self-defense: OH BOY this is a BIG OOF. I was specifically thinking of magical healing here, Maedhros and Maglor trying everything they can to keep Elrond and Elros from having to kill but then Elrond does have to kill something and he’s really beaten up about it, and Maedhros comforts him

Tolkien: Healing power blocked by killing: very similar to the above prompt - Maedhros used to be a healer but can’t anymore, still tries to teach Elrond; Elrond feels powerless because to heal he can’t fight

Characters know exactly how to hurt each other emotionally: Maglor and Maedhros being absolutely vicious to each other in KD era, E&E comfort them and get them to make up

Childhood Nightmare Turns Out To Be Very Real: E&E grew up hearing horror stories from Elwing about the Second Kinslaying, now it’s the Third Kinslaying

Comforted with homemade meal: Mae who loves to cook!!!! comfort food for the twins!! comfort food for his bros after an argument!!

Comforting Cuddle Piles: Mae is feeling down in Valinor and his bros all pile on top of him :’) or KD era would also be excellent

Curse Breaking: E&E are immune to curses, and help M&M defeat the Oath?

Family Feels - Fraught Sibling Relationship: This could go for any of Mae’s sibling relationships, but specifically early days KD era Mae and Maglor have been mean to each other for a long time since the Nirn, but now having the responsibility of E&E they have to work together again

Hostage Situations, Guilt-stricken character does good deeds to try and make up for past actions: Is this not M&M adopting E&E?

Hair Brushing: ELF HAIR TRADITIONS! bonus points if it’s different/not so important for humans/Sindar elves, but Valinorean elves like M&M place a huge emphasis on hair care

Having A Difficult Relationship With A Parental Figure: E&E looking back on their time with M&M and/or the abandonment they faced with Elwing and Eärendil (please no character bashing, but complicated feelings is good)

Hurt/sick character hides their own condition to allow less hurt/sick character to be treated: Maedhros hides his hurt so E&E can be taken care of first :)))

loss of voice: Maglor loses his voice, E&E & Maedhros care for him

music used to cause harm: Maglor teaching E&E songs of power!!!

musical healing: Maglor teaching Elrond magical/musical healing

Sibling unexpectedly cares/helps: Maglor expects no help with E&E from Maedhros, Maedhros immediately goes into dad mode anyway

Sleeping in the same bed because one character is too scared to sleep alone: E&E crawl into Mae’s bed after a nightmare when they usually go to Mags instead

Smaller/Weaker Character Tries to Shield Hurt Character With Their Body: M and/or M get hurt, E&E try to protect them despite being Baby

Unexpected Mercy - Character Who Believes They'll Be Tortured/Killed Begs Mercy For Another: Elrond begging M&M for Elros to be saved or vice versa

Traumatic discovery of biological parentage: this is the odd one out here, but it’s related I promise - Russingon baby Gil-galad realizes that Maedhros is his dad, is really upset by that, but E&E help him cope

~~~

Finrod Felagund | Findaráto/Turgon of Gondolin (hurt Turgon) Aredhel & Turgon of Gondolin (hurt Turgon) These are mostly Turgoldo ship prompts, but there are a few sibling relationship ones too!

Aromantic character unsure how to comfort friend with relationship troubles: Aredhel having trouble comforting Turgon amidst his pre-marriage woes? Or even worse, her having trouble comforting him after Elenwë’s death

Pining after your best friend who just lost their significant other: FINROD @ TURGON

Anniversary of a traumatic experience: anniversary of Elenwë’s death :(

Accidental arousal while cuddling for comfort: Finrod and Turgon on the Ice, Finrod is Very Aware of his crush and is super embarrassed OR Turgon hates himself for getting aroused so soon after he lost Elenwë

after much pining & almost dying A (bloody & bruised) comes straight to B & kisses them in public: post-battle Turgon finally reciprocates Finrod’s love ;-;

Being Cared for by Their Unrequited Love Interest: Turgon being cared for by Finrod, he knows Finrod is in love with him and wishes he could reciprocate, OR Finrod thinks his love is unrequited but Turgon is really just horrible with feelings

Character A Confesses Feelings Because They Think Character B is Unconscious: I was thinking Finrod to Turgon here, but also the other way around would be 👀

Character A panics when B starts crying during/after first-time sex; B reassures/comforts A: Turgon gets very overwhelmed when losing his virginity? OR Turgon gets very overwhelmed (with guilt?) having sex for the first time after losing Elenwë? OR Finrod gets very overwhelmed because he never thought he’d actually have this with Turgon?

Survivor Guilt, Character blames self for what they went through: Turgon blaming himself for Elenwë’s death :))))

Character Finally gets a Hug: Turgon gets hugs despite trying to push people away ;-;

Character's lie has unintended terrible consequences on loved one: Turgon lies by omission about Aredhel’s death (he lets Fingon think she’s still alive)? Finrod pretends he’s over his crush on Turgon JUST when Turgon finally reciprocates?

Character(s) ashamed of their sexual desires: Turgon is massively repressed

Comfort focusing on little hurt because the big hurt is massive and unapproachable: Aredhel and/or Finrod dealing with some minor injury and not mentioning Elenwë’s death

Comforting character is in denial about attraction to other character: Turgon @ Finrod

Comforting someone who is dealing with grief and loss and has shut themselves off from everyone: Turgon is almost nonresponsive after Elenwë’s death, Finrod and Aredhel take turns caring for him and for Idril

Nearly losing someone reveals deeper feelings, First kiss after almost dying: Near-death experience leads Finrod to impulsively kiss Turgon!!

Hair Brushing: elf hair kink pleaaasseee, this is especially relevant to Finrod tbh

Trapped/Injured in a Cave-In, Snowed In - A gets hypothermia and pining B has to cuddle them back to health, Huddling For Warmth: on the Ice :))

Inexperienced Character is Afraid of Not Being Able to Sexually Please Experienced Partner: Turgon @ Finrod

Longing For Home: this is literally why Turgon built Gondolin to look like Tirion...probably Aredhel comforting him here

Losing beloved: Turgon losing Elenwë...and then maybe his reaction to losing Finrod too :(

Pining character reveals their feelings while not quite lucid (hurt/drunk/etc.): an injured Finrod blurts out his feelings for Turgon? a drunk Turgon confesses he loves Finrod? - either way they were Not Ready for that revelation

pining character thinks object of their affection loves someone else: Turgon misinterprets the situation with Bëor? Finrod bemoans his fate at Turgon and Elenwë’s wedding?

Typically stoic character breaks down and admits how ill they feel: Turgon keeps all his emotions locked up in his chest but he breaks down one day and Finrod and/or Aredhel are horrified at just how much he’s been repressing

~~~

Gimli (Son of Glóin) & Legolas Greenleaf (hurt Legolas) Gimli (Son of Glóin) & Legolas Greenleaf (hurt Gimli) Gimli (Son of Glóin) & Legolas Greenleaf (both hurt) all Gigolas is good Gigolas, and you can quote me on that, but I nominated with the & symbol because my very favorite kind of Gigolas is queerplatonic Gigolas. would absolutely die of joy if you wrote that for me!

Character discovers their friends have been defending them behind their back: this is probably before they’re good friends - Gimli finds out Legolas has been defending him to elves or Legolas finds out Gimli has been defending him to some dwarves, basically “wait he really cares about me??”

Fighting to protect someone while injured yourself: battle buddies :)

A and B have a troubled past; forced to work together: enemies/rivals to friends!!!!

A and B have to work together to help injured mutual loved one C, A and B mourn death of person they both loved: Aragorn gets the short straw here, he’s either hurt and L&G have to help him before they’re really close, or it’s after Aragorn’s death and L&G are preparing to go to Valinor

Hair Brushing, Back rubs/hair stroking to help a character sleep: elf hair kink PLEASE, Gimli discovers that running his fingers through Leg’s hair will make him zonk out :’)

Character A Confesses Feelings Because They Think Character B is Unconscious: mmmm maybe Legolas to “unconscious” Gimli? And then Gimli cracks an eye open and is like “you really mean that, laddie?”

Character A doesn't know how to comfort Character B: cultural differences are intimidating

Character A falls asleep on B's shoulder: height difference :D especially if it’s Leg falling asleep on Gimli’s shoulder!

Character A thinks they're about to die and voices their feelings for B; but oops A survives: again I think this is probably Legolas confessing because he’s Dramatic

Character A's parents disapprove of Character B: this is the GOOD shit!! Thranduil disapproving of Gimli? Glóin disapproving of Legolas? excellent shit right there

Character comforts their platonic soulmate: OK so I am Particular about soulmates but in this scenario, let’s go with the soul-bond angle instead - Gimli getting used to a soul bond he never expected to have bc dwarf? Legolas instinctively comforting Gimli through a soul bond Gimli doesn’t know how to reciprocate with?

platonic cuddling for comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling: it’s just cute

Immortal Character A deals with B's mortality: Legolas in denial that Gimli is mortal, especially in Valinor (I don’t want Gimli dying fast in Valinor, but like...he will die eventually, you know?)

Neither comforter or comfortee will directly acknowledge that comforting is taking place: still in the transition from rivals to friends phase :)

~~~

Kíli/Tauriel (hurt Tauriel) Kíli/Tauriel (hurt Kíli) Fíli & Kíli (hurt Kíli) Fíli & Kíli (hurt Fíli) Fíli & Kíli (both hurt) There’s a good mix of brotherly prompts and Kiliel prompts here - and quite a few where Fíli and Tauriel work together for Kíli’s sake!

Aromantic character unsure how to comfort friend with relationship troubles, Character A doesn't know how to comfort Character B: Fíli comforting Kíli about his hopeless love for Tauriel

Anniversary of a traumatic experience: anniversary of BOTFA/almost dying, anniversary of Kíli getting poisoned

Character discovers their friends have been defending them behind their back: Tauriel discovers that some dwarves (including but not only Kíli - Fíli, Bofur, Óin are good options since they were together in Laketown) have been defending her from other, more prejudiced dwarves

Fighting to protect someone while injured yourself: Kiliel in BOTFA?

A's unrequited pining found to be requited while B helps them recover from serious injury: the athelas scene!!

Aftermath of Tragedy/Catastrophe: Tauriel post-BOTFA (canonverse), Fíli and Kíli in an AU where Thorin dies, Kíli and Tauriel in an AU where Fíli and/or Thorin dies but Kíli lives

A and B have to work together to help injured mutual loved one C: Fíli and Tauriel don’t always get along but they work together for Kíli’s sake :) - this could also work with the athelas scene

Being bathed while mutually pining: Tauriel bathing a sick Kíli? Kíli bathing an injured Tauriel? Bonus points for them both being very 👀 about each other’s bodies and how elves/dwarves are different than expected

Character A Confesses Feelings Because They Think Character B is Unconscious: Tauriel post-athelas scene confessing to Kíli after he’s already said his “she walks in starlight” thing

Character A panics/overreacts over B's minor hurt/illness: little Fíli overreacting about Kíli’s injury/illness? Kíli overreacting about Tauriel because he doesn’t know how lef healing works, or vice versa?

Character A realizes their love for character B when B is hurt/sick: the athelas scene!

Character A thinks they're about to die and voices their feelings for B; but oops A survives: Everyone Lives AU where Kíli confesses everything more plainly before he dies, but then survives

Character A's parents disapprove of Character B: Dís and Tauriel angst!!

Character won't stop getting up no matter how many times they get hit: Kíli protecting Tauriel! Tauriel protecting Kíli! Fíli protecting Kíli! Kíli protecting Fíli! Or heck, even Tauriel protecting Fíli for Kíli’s sake, or Fíli protecting Tauriel for Kíli’s sake!

Dying Character Comforts Already-Grieving Comfortee: Kíli dies in Tauriel’s arms 😭

Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies doesn't mean Nobody Hurt: please hurt Fíli very badly (I have a fic where he loses a hand, something along those lines) but Kíli is there for him and unwaveringly supportive

Fake Dating While Mutually Pining & One Partner Gets Hurt: Kiliel fake dating AU!!!

First kiss after almost dying: Kíli and Tauriel finally get to kiss and it’s super emotional! ooh maybe Kiss of Life, where Tauriel’s kiss brings Kíli back?

Fix-it - Character survives canonical death: kind of basic for this fandom, but I’m a sucker for it anyway. Maybe for this exchange, just one of the Durins lives and the others have to deal with it (with Tauriel there making things complicated, especially if it’s not Kíli who lives...)

Hair Brushing: hair is very important to both elves and dwarves, Kiliel miscommunication about this :D

Immortal Character A deals with B's mortality: Tauriel dealing with Kíli aging

Refusing to Leave Other Character's Side: Kíli standing with Tauriel despite Thorin threatening to exile him? Or just “I belong with my brother” 

[ryouverua]

Trial 6 -  Oh, I am one yet many (5)

The above inspirational picture was taken seconds before disaster.

Trial: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Tsumugi is not the one-trick pony we thought she was ABORT MISSION, ABORT MISSION!!!!

NO YOU AIN’T! NO YOU AIN’T I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE HAJIMEMED, NO SIR I DID NOT!

i mentioned it during the text hellstorm I unleashed when I was mid-playthrough but the way Shuichi says ‘cosplaying’ here is ADORABLE. I love his VA she is so good -

also

oh no

oh no

o h      n o

I can’t just... express how deeply that feeling of ‘oh no’ pervaded my being. My soul.

“THIS IS JUST COSPLAY“ SHE SAYS - AND GOD, THE MUSIC, THE MUSIC IS SO WACKY LIKE THESE ARE JUST SOME NORMAL FTE ANTICS -

wait no this is the ��let’s start the killing game music’ -

ah that’s why I’m lowkey terrified right now

W-What in the world are those white smears across Hagakure’s eyes??? And oh god the first game too???

WHAT THE HELL TSUMUGI YOU’VE REALLY BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US TELL ME HOW YOU’RE DOING THIS I-I mean oh no, how dare you, this is so awful...

SHE’S TAKEN FULL OWNERSHIP OF JUNKO!PERSONA

AJSLKDF

TSUMUGI

HOLY SHIT

TSUMUGI

IS THIS YOUR FINAL FORM

ironically this got me thinking ‘this would be a really cool cosplay + prop’ once I got over the sheer terror of the situation and I starting thinking, oh, wouldn’t it be cool if you even had a sort of pinwheel mechanism (with the main body of it being hidden by her long hair) that rotated all of these pieces, and have you ever realized that there is a small piece of you that is the monster

also I just realized... she kept putting her glasses on as Junko. But I’m assuming she won’t ever wear them as Hajime. So it’s true - the moment she actually took off her glasses, we really did get to see her final form..

IS THAT KOMAEDA’S HAIR

ALL OF THESE THINGS, I RECOGNIZE ALL OF THEM OMG

This............ this is terrible, terrifying, and also really, really good

don’t say you’re jealous don’t say you’re jealous don’t say you’re jealous okay I’m a bit jealous FFU --

SHUICHI I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE TIMES WHERE YOU DON’T WANT TO PURSUE THE TRUTH I HAVE A TERRIBLE, AWFUL FEELING -

oh no oh no

here I was doing mental gymnastics to justify why she’d be able to cosplay as Junko, a real person

but I was over-complicating things as usual

even the egg has been compromised for her nefarious scheme this truly is the worst timeline

What is with me and stumbling into series that just bloody smash their fourth wall until there’s nothing but broken pieces left

thank you for having twogami right after togami it’s not something I realized I needed and among all this heartbreak is a blessing

THIS IS NOT YOUR CUE TO START PLAYING THE CREDITS MONOKUMA

I am only making it through this trial by sheer force of will and the power of Sweetcheeks’ adorable voice.

Dangan.... ronpa....?

oh god she said ‘we’ she said ‘WE’ THIS IS REALLY NOT GOOD

‘Don’t get too whacky with your theories,’ I said. ‘You don’t want to sound like a total crackpot,’ I said. DAMN YOU SELF I SHOULD HAVE LET MYSELF GO ABSOLUTELY WILD AFTER ALL

So this was invented completely from nothing??? My initial theory had them seeing themselves in someone else’s actual memories as themselves, and having their own brains play tricks on them that way - but all those scenes with them being interviewed by Makoto, of applying to Hope’s Peak, and possibly everything else about them - oh god - how powerful are these lights? How much detail was crammed into them? Can this all be done with a mere flash of a light???

‘We.’ Her use of ‘we’ is interesting, here. It really does feel like Tsumugi sees all of her cosplay personas as actual people that she can channel to ‘help her’ as opposed to just mere characters. Like entities fighting along side of her, not just through her...

also hello ibuki I forgot how much I enjoyed your VA they make me hear seagulls in the distance

aaaaaaw look at how much the art style has improved from the first game!!!

Y.......... YES.......?????? wait actually as someone who is lowkey interested in props and set design - BUT NO WAIT STILL THIS IS WAY BEYOND THAT -

How... the hell... do you cosplay the world?! The entire world?!?!

Is that possible?? If the entire world isn’t real - if it’s all being propped up by you - then -

Who - who are we playing this game for then??? Why make us play it??? Who is watching the game???

I KNEW IT

I AND PROBABLY HALF OF THE PEOPLE PLAYING WERE JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO SHOW UP

......

Did. Did you just say it takes place in the real world.

Oh no -

It... It’s real fiction... because they’ve kidnapped actual people... and brainwashed them... and then trapped them in a situation where they were forced to kill each other to get out?? For things that didn’t exist??? For reasons that weren’t ever real???

Wait - so that means they can get out and it’ll be fine?! That’s..... t-that’s not as bad as I thought, but...

‘STAFF’ OH THAT WORD IS SO OUT OF PLACE -

...............................

There are. There are people backstage. It’s not just Tsumugi. This. This is super not good.

insert inappropriately-timed comment about how I love this VA

Okay. This actually took me by surprise. And I’m kinda terrified to ask.

W.... Why not? Is - Is this actually a space separated from reality? Can they physically.... not go back....???

no wait -

what are you doing

PUT THAT KEY BACK RIGHT NOW

oH

OH UNCANNY VALLEY-LEVELS OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

NO DON’T THROW REAL FACES UP THERE -

IS THIS A BLOODY COMMENT BOARD

I mean I know in my head that this is a niconico parody but the fact is they have to translate the comments to suit an english audience so -

omfg no I cannot believe what is coming out of the screen right now

wait wait

Kyoko is my waifu

My husbando Shuichi

first

Sakura is my muscle waifu good taste anon

Bring on the spoilers

LOL are you watching?

I feel like I’m participating too!

she’s shaking

Aaaw, Himiko is still alive.

Wow it’s on? LOL!

this is what the creepy kid at the beginning of the chapter was about

this was who that Makoto kid was

WHERE IS HIS CREEPY-ASS FACE I KNOW YOU’RE THERE MAKOTO

Is this the everyone... the real everyone Tsumugi says she represents, then??? That she’s fighting for? Omg was Kirumi’s motive/trial foreshadowing all along -

Anyway, damn Tsumugi is proud of her viewership.

#humblebrag #musclewaifu

EVERYONE???? LITERALLY EVERYONE?!?!?!

SURELY... SURELY THAT IS THE CONCEITED TALK  OF A MANAGER TRYING TO TALK UP THEIR ‘BABY’.... SURELY...

I appreciate the use of Celes here. This is.... damn dark. They’ve achieved such a peaceful world that the have to manufacture darkness and blood-sport for people to get their kicks???

STIMULATION?!

first of all where’s miu when you need her

SECOND OF ALL ARE YOU SURE HUMANITY WAS BEAUTIFUL, KOREKIYO??? ARE YOU SURE?

“It’s simple economics.”

THERE YOU ARE MAKOTO YOU CREEP

oh no he was... literally... using this game to cope with his problems.... and he said that one day he wanted to be a part of it... oh no.....

..... D... Did one of the comments say that it had been years? That they had been waiting for a few years for the sequel?

Does - does that mean something, or is it just a throwaway audience comment? Why years? If Rantaro was in the last one, why would it have been years for this one to happen??? How old is Rantaro? How old is Tsumugi?!?!

FML I had been wondering how ‘Monokuma’ could exist without Junko existing since they’re inextricably linked. FML.

MONOKUMA CAN YOU STOP ROLLING THE CREDITS, THE MUSIC AND THE TITLE CARDS FOR A MINUTE PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU

Because I don’t enjoy having Saioinji’s terrifying eyes trained on me while she questions my intelligence, so I’ll sum up the next question - what season of this gameshow from hell are we apparently on?

I mean, considering Junko’s title... well...

..... yeah it looks better with a V.

the real answer to why they used V3 even though it’s technically not the correct way to say ‘53′ - it’s the aesthetic.

FFFF

I actually screenshot all the parody!title cards and they’re amazing. I’ll post them just once a bit later when it shows up again because this post is entirely too long, but needless to say, whoever designed them had fun. And the titles of the games, too - Birth of Despair? Dream Danganronpa? Sign me tf up! oh no does this make me part of the problem I’M SORRY SWEETCHEEKS

I can’t believe I was bitching about Junko being the mastermind for the third game when apparently audience members have had to sit through 53 Junkos

You couldn’t have changed it up??? Not even once??? Like, one led by Mukuro as a prologue idea or??? quietly denies the existence of the anime

Oh, speaking of which, I do like the excuse they came up with as to why the drv3 creators didn’t create new characters from the supposed other games why Tsumugi didn’t cosplay anyone outside the first two games - it’s for the class’s benefit, since they only knew those two casts, and y’know. She cares. about shock value

DON’T YOU PASS THE BUCK, GIRL

Ah, so that ‘staff’ you mentioned earlier...

why is this so funny to me

T-Tsumugi, do you have a tumultuous relationship with your managers or something

why are you airing out your dirty laundry on live television

is it all the incest plotlines

I feel like at this point it’s less ‘Tsumugi is trying to rub into the students how completely and absolutely they are boned’ and more ‘okay, it’s time to give a shout-out to everyone who put this production together! Perfect time to slap on that logo, guys!‘

oh my god that was supposed to be a trailer in-meta too alsd;kfj i’m losing it

AND AGAIN, THOSE TITLE CARDS - THEY ARE AMAZING.

SHE IS SHE’S TOTALLY ADVERTISING MID-SHOW

TSUMUGI STOP BEING A CORPORATE SELL-OUT

"NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CRAPPY SHOEHORNED ADVERTISING!!!”

oh god oh no

who’s going to tell him -

MONOKUMA DON’T YOU DARE

i’m having an existential crisis alongside sweetcheeks ngl

there are so many layers

....

we need to go deeper

So, just to clarify, there are three layers right now:

There’s us, the players. In a sense, we could be considered ‘equal but different than the tier’, but we do still operate on a plane separate from the metafiction of Tsumugi’s ‘everyone in the world’.

There’s the ‘audience’, the outside world. This is the space that’s been breached at this point. And this... this is the level where the students are from, too - aka the reason I think we and the audience should exist as separate entities.

And there’s the domain of the Killing Game, a space created to play out this story, using real people - a place separated from reality... how? If Tsumugi is talking about a set, it could easily be the real world, which means they’ve been isolated somewhere. At the same time though, when they managed to reach the end of the escape tunnel and saw the outside world, they all started to choke and suffocate. So... could this be VR still? Or no? Can these existences known as Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Assassin, Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Robot, K1-b0, the Ultimate Robot, and even Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, leave this space in any way, shape or form... or not at all? Is them suffocating ^ like that a sign that they literally cannot exist outside of this space?

She is literally throwing the same question back in Shuichi’s face ghdfkgh

NO I’M ON SHUICHI’S SIDE I COULDN’T HELP IT I HAD TO CHOOSE REAL PEOPLE

no!!! no!!!! NO!!!!

no seriously I still chose real people because I am stubborn

sweetcheeks et al. do not deserve any of this

Of course they brought out despair!Mikan for this. Of course.

I have to say, I do like these little character touches - the decisions that have been made as to which ‘cosplay’ says what. I mean, it’s supposed to also act as a way to throw our known and loved favourites in our face too, but having Celes comment on how boring ‘peace’ is? Having Ibuki smashing through the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience, Gundham remarking on their abnormal existence and Leon commenting on how cool the ‘aesthetic’ of the title card is? It’s such a nice touch. also horrifying. butalsonice

Oh we really are addressing the prologue now??? And - I’m assuming Tsumugi is referring to Hajime when she says ‘me’, but is there a chance she isn’t?

Just as I initially suspected, though - they really were normal when they got in. So how did they decide who got what personality/talent, or was that random? I mean, that might be the case - it was potentially hinted by the motive video switch of Chapter 2..

............. Huh.

But..... in what sense? Like the 16 talents were stored in those lights and they were ‘picked up’ by the most suited participant? How could you make sure there were no doubles? Or - and this is possible because of the vague language - did the talents build on what the student knew already? In which case, how would they know what the talents would end up being and plan the labs around them?

No, it would... have to be... the first one. Talents had its own selection in the flashback creating machine, though without verifying what the subcategories are it’s hard to confirm or deny anything... but I also can’t shake what Maki said at the beginning of the game? How it felt like their talents were given at random?

So... so they’re not only back where they started - completely isolated with everyone they’ve ever known and the world they knew completely out of reach (in this sense, dead/not actually existing are functionally the same), but they get a helping of a totally warranted existential crisis on top of that.

And... their bodies are real, so everyone else really is dead. No happy sdr2 ending. Well, unless I mental-gymnastics that to read ‘they have physical bodies to return to, but as manufactured personas it’s pointless.’

Me too, Sweetcheeks.

We can’t go 5 minutes without a WHAM line.

B-But they were kidnapped weren’t they -?!

fujisaki does not deserve this slander

Return of the hat!!!

..... is it bad that I miss his hat. I. I really liked his hat. I know that it was representative of the way he held back and used it to hide himself, but - but I liked his original portrait. And I liked the way it was incorporated into his sprites and all the movements he makes with it and without it, like it‘s a phantom limb. okayI’llstop

Why... are we not getting a name here? Was Shuichi Saihara a made-up name too?

oh -

oh no

D: A... Anything...

H-He’s.... a complete fanboy too.................... holy shit. cute but terrifying he looks like much more of a schoolboy super!fan than real Shuichi

S-So wait, it’s not even autosuggestion then - he asked for it? How - how does this work with the flashback lights? It can be targeted like that??? god I’m going to have so many questions after this is all over

I think this may be the death knell for his psyche oTL I certainly wouldn’t be able to take this if I was in his position.

LOOK I KNOW I GET EXCITED ABOUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TOO

but this is a bit much c-can you please keep that drool in -

asdfkjlsdf w h a t

was

was this omitted or something

I - I swear they were kidnapped they seemed a lot more freaked out?!

Even Rantaro, who seemed to know more than he let on at the time - ?!

I... I think I really need to go back and replay the prologue.

ME NEITHER K1-B0 I FEEL LIKE I’M BEING GASLIT

d-did

did you use it on me too

That... that I can believe. No matter who they were before - if they were consenting or not - it might not even matter, if they can’t return to how they were. In a sense, the Gopher Project story was practically preparing them for it - the idea that everything they knew and loved were gone, and would never come back. Oh... oh that’s bad....

TSUMUGI IS ACTUALLY TERRIFYING

SHUT UP NAEGI

wait why is seeing him say that worse than seeing Junko say her normal despair stuff

it’s the insincerity, probably...

YOU NERFED KAITO?!?!?!

YOU NERFED KAITO!!!!!!!

okay I take back what I said Maki you have my enthusiastic blessing to recklessly murder as necessary

RIP Tsumugi and all of her new depth

“I’m also the one that kept sneaking all of the death flags into his room while you were out training every night!”

Y O O O

YOU NERFED HER CHARACTER TOO?!?!?! YOU GOTTA LET THAT HAPPEN ORGANICALLY!!!

LMAO

Souda will never show this much awareness in his actual every day fictional life and that makes this 100% funnier

Everything has a writing credit.... every single thing? Every bit of development?

Even Kokichi’s coup and Kaito’s cooperation? And Kokichi manipulating Gonta? You just seemed so - so angry about that after the trial. Surely those, if nothing else...

At this point they’re just kicking a sad, beaten-down puppy. What more could you possibly do at this point - ?!

oH GOD I DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS

WHAT THE HELL WHO EVEN SAYS SOMETHING LIKE THAT

nNOOO

NO LET ME REMEMBER HIM THE WAY HE WAS

DON’T YOU CROSS THIS BRIGHT RED LINE SHIROGANE

NO

NO THIS IS ILLEGAL I’M CALLING THE POLICE HE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY MAD -

GHGHGGHGHGHGH

GHGHghghghghhh

ghghgh

sdkflj

n o  o o o oooo o o o o o o o

gggkghk

I-It’s not a lie! Even if it was manufactured, even if it was coded into them - their feelings were real to them! It might be by design, but - oh this sounds so hollow. It’s one thing to talk about ‘fate’ and ‘this was the work of a higher power’, but having it brought down on you in such a trivial way must be absolutely soul-crushing.

this is the saddest iteration of hangover!Shuichi that I have laid my eyes on in the entire game

nihilism.

tbh I never found Izuru that intimidating as a final villain in the last game - but here? Terrifying. Maybe it’s in contrast to Junko here, who has the overbearing destructive personality of a tornado, but the quiet emptiness and lack of a higher purpose, of absolute futility that he stands for here - that scares me a lot.   Maybe it’s just because it seems to bring the concept of DR’s despair to a place that I can personally understand?

I keep saying ‘this is terrifying!’ but I mean, to be fair... it... kind of is. as always, fantastic use of text DRV3!

also can someone please shut up the peanut gallery for five minutes

well damn Monokuma that one felt aimed right at me

It reminds me of what Komaeda would say about his own motivation: it was watching everyone struggle with adversity, or the ‘despair of the killing game’, with the end goal of them ‘reaching hope’ - of seeing them overcome and grow stronger for it, that drove him forward. From the outside that makes sense; seeing other people overcome struggles, even ones so terrible, give us the mental strength to overcome our own problems. But for someone on the inside looking out... how perverse would that feel, to think that your suffering is basically being used as inspiration!p0rn? Knowing that there were voyeurs getting a kick out of your struggle?

What happens to game pieces after the game board is closed and put away?

Do they go into stasis? Do they just... exist, outside of time? Frozen forever, until they’re taken out to be ‘played with’ again; left to rot?

If they ‘win’.... they have no future. There’s nothing for them to move forward to reach. A piece learning that they’re a piece, and knowing their dreams after their trials will always stay just out of reach... how can anyone move foward like that?

“love that reaction” OH SHUT UP LUDENBERGxLUVER37

Fight for yourself! They fought to get you this far - Kaito and Kokichi died to give you this chance, even if they are a ‘lie”!

But Shuichi has never been able to fight for himself, only for the others...

Tsumugi, after spending the last hour verbally beating them down and shredding his and everyone’s sense of self to shreds: wow lol what a weakling

Everything is terrible and yet her saying this still got a laugh out of me, damn it.

S-SHUICHI? SHUICHI?

I-IS HE EMOTIONALLY SHUTTING DOWN -

OH GOD

HIS

H-HIS POV - IS GONE -

And nothing but despair left...

Did - did we just lose Shuichi...?

SWEETCHEEKS!!! SWEETCHEEKS, NO!!!

SWEETCHEEKS I’M SO SORRY!!!!

[legisaskerator]

vent vent vent

buckle up bastards this is gonna be long as FUCK

holy fucking shit my life yhas been so goddamn hard recently and i’m not handling it well

first and foremost on my mind at this second is the fact that i am in so much fucking pain right now i do not know what to do. my EDS is acting up really really badly and i’m super bedridden right now. i took my last vicodin and i have no idea when i can get more, or how, and i have like nothing to help. i had to leave class today to weep in the fuckin bathroom because i can barely walk and even sitting up is a struggle. if i felt this sort of pain three years ago i would have likely considered doing something VERY rash to stop it and i’m amazed i’m still, almost functioning. i can barely think i’m in agony i want it to end

i’m so scared this is just the next turn that eds is taking. i know i wont ever get better but fuck, i dont want to need a mobility aid yet. i’m only fucking 22 i have to be a teacher!!! how can i fucking teach if i cant write on a board?? or maneuver around classrooms? how will i ever get a job? or even just. live in the house of my dreams. i wish there was some help for me because i am tired of ehlers danlos running my life. i am scared for my future. i cant imagine who i will become if this level of pain becomes my “normal”. someone move me to mass so i can get legal weed to try to numb myself

on the same path of injury, my mother recently injured herself very badly and was hospitalized for a little w hile. ended up needing surgery to put rods and screws and plates in her leg/ankle, and as a result, she’s not functioning for the next 12 weeks. i’m doing my best to help out aroudn the house and i’m filling in for her at work. she does advertising for a newspaper and brings the papers to subscribing businesses,, which i’m taking over now. at least i like driving?

i love my mom and i will do anythign to help her, but god it’s such a load on my shoulders. i’m  upset and frustrated because i’m strugtgling to balance my life around this sudden responsibility. it’s definitely not her i’m upset about, it’s not like she did this purposefully??? she needs the help and i am willing to give it. but i am also allowed to feel these emotions. i am upset at the /situation/. her boyf and my sister are barely helping and they’re neglectful and distant. i’m the only emotionally present one in the family and also (aside from mom) am the only nurturing, caring one in the household. i keep her from having panic attacks, i keep her anxiety down, i’m warm and i try so goddamn hard to make sure shes ok. but it’s exhausting. i’m keeping my family together it feels like, everythings crashing down and i’m the only “sane” one. which is sad because ive been a depressed wreck for weeks and have been working on scraping myself off the fucking pavement, trying to get out of the spiral. i’m scared that my mom relies so much on me. she tells me everything, things i don’t want to hear. relationship troubles primarily. i know i give great advice and am ~wise beyond my years~ (thanks trauma) but, that’s what her therapist is for. i’ve told her i wish she would, tell me less, because as her daughter it’s uncomfortable, and she always overreacts like “oh i’ll never tel you anything again if it’s so terrible then” and i end up feeling fucking awful, and it’s a nightmare. but if things keep going the way they are in their relationship (i’m not gonna spill deets because, privacy still) we might lose our house!!! and everything we’ve finally worked for!!

so i feel like, if i can’t fix this problem, it’ll be my fault our lives come crashing down.

i know that’s ridiculous. it’s not my job. 

but it still feels like it

i never feel like i’m doing enough. just in life in general. i’m not good enough i’m not working hard enough i just am not enough. i was very saturated with child prodigy shit when i was younger and that fucked up my psyche so much. it’s still thrown at me by my father, americas got talent and movies where the protag is a ~genius~. i hate it. ill never be that and i know that’s what my dad wants of me. i’m not the next bill gates i just want to be a teacher and live my life!!!! i don’t want to start a band and get famous!!!! i dont want to run a business!! i don’t want to revolutionize the world!! just let me please! follow my heart!!!!!! i can’t fucking stand it when he tries to tell me what to do with my life it makes me want to scream and wail and sjafkl; fd fjasfg;akldf

i can’t do this, man. 

i’m so alone. i’m sick of the slut life. i’ve been hoeing around for a year and it’s taking a massive toll on my self esteem and sanity. i’s a terrible coping mechanism and i’m very very not healthy about it. i only have sex when i’m heavily under the influence of something and use it as a way of getting attention, which is, awful. i often forgo protection because it’s ~inconvenient~ and the second a guy protests, i’ll cave because i ~live to please~ and don’t want to start shit. i can’t keep doing this. hooking up is the only time people ever touch me. i just want a fuckign hug sometimes

i keep seeing so many posts like “you can’t love another if you don’t love yoursel!” and “people aren’t your medicine” but what if??? they can be to an extent?? part of being uber depressed is self-isolation and i’m so, sick of it. i need some fucking comfort because right now i am suffering through my life alone and it’s so difficult. it’s not as easy as just, settling though. i’m picky with my lovers because?? i deserve someone good? everyone that’s been coming through my life like, has a fatal flaw that i just can’t do. like long term compatability is risked for me with that shit.like, too introverted, too emotionally distant, people who just aren’t smart, i can’t do it?? i just want someone who’s going to comfort me when i need it, who i can have a healthy debate with, and someone who respects my life choices and things i do. 

i’ve been talking to one guy recently who, i was hoping maybe could have been a potential. he’s super nice and considerate/respectful, hes HELLA smart, adores a bunch of the same stuff i’m into, we talk really well together, i feel comfortabgle around him, gotta say he’s hot as fuck too...and he just wants friends with benefits. I respect that. i was in a similar spot literally last semester, there was a pretty great guy but i just wasn’t in the right space for a relationship. so friends with benefits. i don’t blame this new guy for not wanting a relationship he has every right!! but oh god it hurts a little. i worry that it’s me, that i’m just a good pussy for him, or a convenient lay who’s down to clown like 99% of the time. he’s been talking to me less recently and i’m worried that he’s...done with me. idk if that’s true or if i’m just reading into it but i’m in a VERY vulnerable place right now in my life, and i really need someone by my side for it. i need the support and warmth. 

i wish my warmth would comfort me. i wish i could turn my nurturing attitude around and help myself. i wish i didn’t need smoene else for comfort. i’m a fuckin libra tho i live for romance

this guys’ great though. i hope he sticks around at least for a little bit longer. i want to learn more bout lovecraft.

my sluttiness is my biggest qualm with myself right now. it’s definitely a huge problem in my life, it’s actively causing me problems. my one friend (because, i have only one fucking friend i can actually talk to. that’s it i hAVE ONE i’m so goddamn l,onely) has been like, coaching me through making better decisions? i’m very impulsive and he’s got great advice and is quick to be like “then don’t” and shit. i’m trying really hard to make sure i dont use him as a therapist though, that’s unfair to him. i’m respectful and all that shit don’t worry bout htat. he’s a huge help to me and has been my absolute rock through college, idk where i’d be without him. he also introduced me to his friend group, who are all really amazing people? they welcomed me with open arms and no ones ever done that before. i’m always super outcasted cause i’m weird and i wont hide it because it’s ME goddamnit! but these people, they’re weird too, they’re freaks and outcasts and, while they’ve all been very close friends since they were wee tots, they still welcomed me in. they still wanted me to be part of them. i’m getting to know all of them still, but i’ve got hope that, maybe i’ve got some lifelong friends now. at the very least, i’m sure i’ve got one. 

onto phase 4 of my fuckin monologue i guess, topic SHIFT

my thesis is a mess and it’s due in three weeks, i’ve barely gotten anything done because my teacher is awful and i’m worried i’m gonna fail the course

which would be SUPER bad because, i’ve had this teacher too many times and we do not get along, she loathes my existence, and i really just need to get out. shes partly the reason i need an extra fucking year at school and i always DREAD going to her class. it’s humiliating and discouraging to spend three hours every monday there. no one else likes this professor, they’re only here becuase the school loooooves the researchers and writers. complaints dont matter. all of my other classes are fine but this one has been probably the worst, most emotionally devastating class i’ve ever taken

i don’t even get to write about a topic i want. i was forced to write about the play i was in, instead of Monty Python like i wanted (it’s a fucking comedy class!!!!!) the play is about SCHOOL SHOOTINGS (we won some national awards teehee it’s an outstanding play). yes it’s a “black comedy” but not really? it’s a drama with comedic moments? and i KNOW THIS cause i’ve been studying comedy with this professor for like three cumulative years at this point. i’m struggling beacuse there’s zero research, zero information, and has to be over 20 pages long??? like fuck? i’m so fucked

anyway thanks for coming to my TED talk. i’ve been wanting to make a vent post for like weeks but i haven’t had the time or energy and , i really needed to just....get this out. i feel a little better having all the words down. there’s still so much else going wrong in my life that i could talk about, all the car troubles, my other classes, dorm shit, but, it doesn’t matter in the light of these issues. i can get through this. i just gotta keep fighting. 

oh and if anyones like, worried, i’m not suicidal, i’m not going to do that, there’s no chance of that hpapening. i’m in a very bad place but i’m never gonig back there if i can fucking help it

[star-going-supernova]

What if demon!Henry became human?

@liliflower137 asked me put this stuff out there from some of our discussions about my Inky Eyes, Golden Heart AU. These are answers to theoretical questions, and I haven’t decided whether or not these events can be considered canon to the AU. This is very long, but it’s separated into sections through specific questions. Hope you enjoy them!  :)

What if Henry became human for a week without knowing that it would only last that long?

Okay, I'm not going to go into how this might've happened, but we'll leave it at this: he's turned completely one-hundred percent human, something that lasts a week but, like you said, he doesn't know that going into this. For all anyone knows, he'll be human forever.

So first of all, Henry was never disdainful of humans. In fact, he does things the human way more often than not, meaning as far as his powers go, he's not totally reliant on them. This is good. He won't be completely lost, given that he's been living on earth since before he even met Joey. In terms of that, while he'd really freaking miss his powers, he wouldn't be lost without them.

But then we get to the bits of being a demon that he was never consciously aware of being different, mainly: his aura.

~ Let's talk about demon auras real quick.

A demon's aura does a lot of things. With it, they can read emotions in the people around them, they can sort of scan their surroundings for fellow non-humans, they can check on their human friend's wellbeing; it can essentially be this additional, intangible limb that gathers information beyond what humans are capable of. We'll call it a Sixth Sense, in addition to sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

But then there are other things, more demon-type things, that an aura can do. It registers the Seven Deadly Sins (although that can be better controlled with age), it warns them of nearby religious symbols, it can manifest itself in unnatural ways (as seen in The Demon that Wasn't), it can affect the emotions and thoughts of those nearby (as seen in chapter 3 of Dreams Come True), detect summonings, alter/switch between physical forms, and so on. 

The demonic aura is, simply put, a power source. It’s The Thing that differentiates them from humans. Literally, give a human an aura, they're a demon; take one away from a demon, they're a human— technically speaking, nothing else is necessary to switch back and forth. It's within them, it surrounds them, they can curl it close and stretch it out.

When Henry becomes human, all that happens is his aura is removed. No harm comes to him, there isn't a twisting of limbs or screaming or anything like that. And that's what's so devastating about it: he just lost something that was so intrinsically him, and the world keeps turning, as though no one noticed.

Within seconds of it happening, Henry collapses, everything feeling muted and dull around him. He's gasping, he can't breath, he can't feel anything. He's not Henry anymore. There's no doubt that he would've gone absolutely completely mad, bonkers, cuckoo, insane— whatever you want to call it, he would've been it within a minute or two. If, that is, Joey hadn't been there.

It takes Joey over an hour to calm Henry down enough to be able to breathe and talk. That first day is a nightmare for both of them. Henry can't stop shivering, he's distant, lost, empty almost, and Joey's never felt so useless in his entire life.

Before the first 24 hours are even up, Henry almost absently tries to kill himself. It's not even a true, conscious decision. His body feels dead already, because it wasn't made to be this way. Joey's mind can't comprehend demon antics; Henry's can't comprehend being aura-less. Like a wounded animal, he's given up.

Joey freaks out. He refuses to so much as leave Henry's side after that, going so far as to handcuff them together. The day after, Henry just trudges along behind him, still not fully aware that he's actually still alive. That's how traumatizing it is.

~ So the almost killing himself thing. Immediately after losing his aura, Henry's body basically shuts down on the intellectual level, leaving only the most basic parts of him functioning. He's not fully aware, is what I'm getting at. Think of it as a sort of defense mechanism on his mind's part, like some people do with trauma. He's just sort of... sealed away. “Henry" is basically comatose, while his body and basic instincts run the show. His body then decides that an even better coping mechanism would to be just putting him out of his misery. Joey's apartment/house (who even knows where they live) had a mouse problem a few months earlier, and he still has rat poison in one of the supply cupboards in his kitchen (not near food or cooking utensils though). Joey's just making some lunch or dinner or doing the dishes, whatever, and he absently notices Henry rummaging around a bit. He doesn't think much of it, until he glances over his shoulder and sees Henry about to drink something— but Joey never heard the fridge open. Gut instinct has him race over there and wrench the bottle away, thankfully before any damage could be done. Henry doesn't fight or anything, because he's not aware enough for even the full ramifications of what he'd almost done to hit him. Joey still breaks out the handcuffs, 'cause no way is something like that happening again, not on his watch. Even after his aura returns, Henry doesn't really remember doing it, and Joey doesn't worry him with saying anything.

But then, he sorta starts to 'wake up,' in a sense. He becomes more responsive, takes the initiative on a few things, eats without prompting, and it's when he makes a joke about the handcuffs ("You just couldn't stand to be apart from my shining personality, eh, Joey?") that Joey knows his friend is coming back to him.

By the beginning of Day Four As A Human, Henry's mostly functioning. He still has these sort of blank moments, when his eyes go dead, but the handcuff comes off and he's able to make a true effort.

The worst part to Joey is that he can't give his friend a silver lining. Henry was already doing human things, so it's not like Joey can take him on some grand adventure to show him the Perks of Being Human.

Over the next few days, they learn just how many mundane things his aura provided for/prevented from happening: Henry is abysmal at reading body language, has a tendency to walk into walls when he's not paying attention (which is often), ends up covered in bruises and scratches and scrapes from many little accidents, somehow manages to get lost four times in the studio, and ends up being allergic to peanuts and shellfish.

But the worst is something he doesn't tell Joey about. It's his drawing. No, his aura didn't make him better or anything. On a technical and professional level, his animations haven't changed a bit. But Bendy and the others don't feel real anymore. Every time he drew them, his love and happiness and passion for his work combined with his aura to give his characters the closest things to emotions and thoughts that not-living, 2D drawings could have. They weren't alive on the page (not in the 2D Bendy AU sense) but he could almost feel them in his soul. This is why Joey saw that longing when Henry looked at them; they were already semi-real, but he never thought they'd ever leave the paper.

Overall, Henry would be okay. He'd never be fully over it, never forget what it felt like to be whole, never completely recover from the absence of an integral part of himself, but with Joey's help, he'd be able to survive. The biggest loss to him would be the drawing thing, because it was the equivalent of if they had died overnight or something. He never got to say goodbye.

Naturally, he comes to resigned terms with his new state of being at the end of the week and then wakes up whole again, aura returned. He freaks out, overjoyed, and probably accidentally makes all the plants in a ten mile radius flourish (which pisses him off, to be honest, because he can't even do that when he wants to, what even) with the sheer force of his happiness.

To celebrate, he teleports himself and Joey to Italy, because Joey's always wanted authentic Italian food, and what better way to thank his best friend for being there for him during those trying times than to pop them over to the other side of the world for some good food.

Henry spends an entire day doing nothing but drawing his characters, because they're alive again, just like him.

More humorous take, inspired by Lili:

Hypothetically, lets say that Henry experienced whatever curse or illness or whatever it was that briefly took his aura away before, when he was a kid/teenager. His parents ended up taking him to the hospital since he was so messed up, but after a week, he was back to normal. The doctors were baffled, but oh well. So Henry finds out more about whatever it was, and learns that short of a deal to sell his aura, it can't leave him permanently.

Jump to adults Henry and Joey, and this happens again, and Henry does one of those full body Ghibli shivers and races to Joey's house despite knowing that he'll be okay soon.

Joey screams when Henry literally kicks in his door and shouts, "JOEY, SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MY AURA AND I'M HUMAN NOW."

And Joey's on the verge of an aneurism ("NO DON'T, I CAN'T HEAL YOU") until Henry finally gets around to the part about his aura returning in a few days time. Cue massive amounts of amusement for the entire studio ('cause you bet they'd let everyone know) as Henry proves to be a perfectly normal human, just with terrible human sense (aka, all that walking into walls, getting startled easily, somehow ends up lost for several hours at least four times, and so on).

What if the toons were alive when Henry got turned into a human? Or if it was during a time when the rest of the studio knew about him? Is there anything they would be able (or at least try) to do to help?

If the toons were alive, they’d all stick to him like glue, just as distraught as him over it. Because we might joke about the Dad Thing, but there’s a connection that’s forged between a Creator and Creation with the way they did it, and with Henry losing his demon aura, that connection would vanish, for all of them. There wouldn’t be a soul in the entire studio capable of separating Bendy from Henry during the entire duration, and in a way, that would help Henry massively. Joey’s awesome, and there’s no way Henry would’ve survived that week without him, but Bendy would help in an entirely different way. All three of them would. 

(When Henry gets his aura back, there’s a celebration, but at the end of the night, he does exactly what his and Bendy’s auras have been aching to do, and teleports them to a quiet peaceful place. Neither of them are ashamed to admit that they cry pretty hard over it. The loss had been great and terrible for both of them in ways none of the others would’ve been able to understand. They’re both demons whose main personality trait is kindness, and having each other was a dream come true. Henry losing that nearly destroyed him, and Bendy losing that almost sent him into off-model despair on multiple occasions that only Henry had been able to coax him out of. Being brought back together like this would set off All the Emotions, and they’d need some time to themselves to work through them.)

The rest of the studio wouldn’t really know what to do. They mourn the loss, of course they do, because they know what it means to Henry and they can see how destroyed he is. He’s lost a piece of himself, and they offer space and comfort as needed. Towards the end of the week, there would’ve been secret discussions held between the main employees about possibly making a deal with a demon to get Henry his aura back, no matter what it cost them. Because that’s what you do for family, and Sammy hadn’t quite been as ignorant of that budding lung cancer as we thought, and Norman noticed when he stopped seeing dark and dangerous things on the edge of his vision, and Wally knew that a previously shaky wall was magically sturdy, and countless others. Henry might never have mentioned anything, much less asked for something in return, but that doesn’t mean his Acts of Kindness went unnoticed. After everything he’s done for them, of course they’d be willing to do something so potentially dangerous in return. Thank goodness he got his aura back before they could go through with it.

(As a note: that part listing things Henry has done for them in secret was from another question of Lili’s about deals that Henry made with the studio workers. Let me know if anyone wants to see that part too.)

If Henry had stayed as a human forever, would he have eventually told Joey about the drawing thing?

Not on his own. If he ever did, it’d be because Joey noticed that something was really wrong, and kept pushing until Henry spilled.

After that heartbreaking conversation, Henry would go home, but Joey would stay in his office, thinking.

Maybe… maybe he could bring them to life for Henry. Maybe, with a little bit of magick and— and a Machine…

Besides. What could go wrong?

What about when Henry realizes that he’s not immortal anymore, in the permanent situation?

Immortality was never a super important thing to him. He can get over the fact that he’s not going to live for something close to forever now. Worse for him would be the growing old part, and all the helplessness that comes with that. As discussed, he’s rather accident prone without his aura, and he regularly gives Joey little mini heart attacks because gosh dang it Henry, things can actually hurt you now!

One of the reasons losing his immortality doesn’t really phase him as much as it might’ve is that he knows he and Joey and all their other friends will get to live and die together.

On the other hand, though, if the toons were already created, Henry would go a little bit insane from the thought that he’d be leaving them behind, and in that case, well… he might take some drastic measures à la something akin to the Ink Machine. Someone with all that demonic knowledge suddenly determined to cheat death one way or another? Yeah, that would probably be the worst case scenario.

[tyranttortoise]

The UT/US/UF skelebros at their first human fair! Complete with funnel cakes, deep-fried everything, Ring Tosses, shooting games, pony rides, face-painting, trinket-selling booths and make-you-puke roller coasters! Bonus points: Who drags their SO to the Tunnel of Love? Who doesn't even fully grasp what that ride is for?

UT!Sans:

Sans enjoys the gentler rides–the kind that can lull you to sleep.  The swings that lift into the air, the swinging pirate ship, anything where he can just sit back and relax.  There’s a ride (Spaceship 3000?  Gravitron 3000?  Apparently, putting 3000 after something makes it futuristic) where you stand against a wall and it spins super fast, flattening you against the wall to the point where your feet can leave the floor.  Well, that’s his favorite because he can show off.  He gets into various poses, all the while keeping his eyes closed and pretending(??) to doze.  

He’s not much for sweets, but he devours the hot dogs after smothering them with ketchup and at least tries a bite of your funnel cake and deep-fried oreos.

When it comes to the games, he’s got skills.  In fact, he’s too good.  The games are supposed to be rigged, but he’s winning every one of them.  You get whatever toy/plush you have your eye on and the satisfaction of watching the carnies try to figure out how to call him out for cheating without outing themselves for rigging the games.

You’re the one that drags Sans to the Tunnel of Love.  He’s full of hot dogs and tired from walking around/standing in lines all day, so the gentle rocking of the boat lulls him to sleep.  Opportunity missed!

UT!Papyrus:

WOWIE, THIS IS EXCITING!  LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE LIGHTS AND ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE!

Papyrus talks to everyone.  Everyone.  He can’t contain his excitement and anyone standing in the general vicinity of him while in line is going to hear all about it.  He asks you questions about everything, too, and you’re definitely riding everything.  Everything.  He makes the mistake of scarfing down an entire funnel cake because it’s “HUMAN TRADITION” and then riding something that slung the two of you around and went upside-down.

Yeah.. he totally threw up all over the place.  Funnel cake bits rain down on the people waiting in line.  Both of you are beyond mortified.  He “NYOO HOO HOO"s in a public restroom for half an hour straight afterward.  You finally get him to calm down by marching in and literally dragging him back into the fair.  You turn the games into a competition, and well, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS NEVER BACKS DOWN FROM FRIENDLY COMPETITION!  YOU’RE ON!  JUST DO NOT CRY WHEN YOU’RE CRUSHED! .. IN A FRIENDLY WAY, OF COURSE!  BECAUSE I’D NEVER.. CRUSH.. YOU.”  He’s babbling.  The two of you play every game and you somehow beat him.  Oh, he’s letting you win.  Now he’s blushing and shouting about how skilled you are.

You have to drag him to the Tunnel of Love because he’s SO DONE with rides.  But he actually enjoys it, and while he doesn’t really understand the purpose of the ride, he does admit that it has a “ROMANTIC AMBIANCE BEFITTING THE CAGE OF PASSION” that you’re in with him.  His arm goes around you, and the two of you cuddle while he nuzzles you temple with his teeth and blushes.  What a sweetheart.

US!Sans:

He’s just as excited about everything as UT!Paps, but he doesn’t talk to anyone else but you about it (and his brother if Stretch happens to be around).  His hand is constantly in yours, and he wants to ride everything.  You take him on a ride that goes way up high, then drops the platform quickly, and he’s so scared that his bones are rattling.  However, he’s not about to let you see him as a scared little babybones, so he goes through with it.  This ignites some sort of daredevil adrenaline-junky side of him, and he wants to go on it again and again.. all of the roller coasters, too.  

He eats giant pretzels and deep-fried oreos and twinkies.  Now he’s hyped up on sugar and is pretty much uncontrollable.  You can’t keep up.  You’re starting to feel sick.  You end up sitting on a bench and watching him ride a few rides while you wait for your stomach to settle.

Blueberry realizes you’re not feeling well and moves on to games.  He pours his energy into them, but doesn’t realize that most are rigged.  He ends up getting teary-eyed when he fails, and he’s super-dramatic about it.  You try winning him something, but all you get is a consolation prize–a small, colorful stuffed snake.  It doesn’t cheer him up; he wanted to win YOU something.

He suggests the Tunnel of Love when the two of you come to it, but he’s blushing a bright blue and twiddling his fingers together when he asks.  Once inside, he keeps scooting closer until he’s cuddled into your side, and he admits, “I’VE HAD A REALLY GOOD TIME TODAY.. WITH YOU.”  He’s so adorable that you shower his skull with kisses, and he ends up in your lap for the rest of the ride.  

US!Papyrus:

He rides everything you want to ride and doesn’t show the slightest inclination of being scared or phased by anything.  No, instead he’s watching YOUR reactions, trying to see what excites and/or scares you.  His lazy grin is the same, and whenever you shriek, he chuckles.  If you look unsure about the ride, he’ll tease you.  

Papyrus is all about the nachos, the funnel cakes, and the candied apples.  You already know he has a sweet tooth, and after he finishes the candied apple, he spends the rest of the afternoon twirling the stick between his teeth.  You suppose that’s because he can’t smoke on the fairgrounds.  

He watches you play the games instead of playing them yourself.. and holy crap, you’re good!  You’re hitting every target, you’re popping every balloon, you’re nailing every hoop..!  You’re excited, and Stretch is grinning.  Oh.  Right.  He’s cheating with his magic.  Welp, you’re not even mad.  You got all the stuffed animals you wanted.

The Tunnel of Love gets blown off.  Instead, Stretch takes you to the ferris wheel, right after the sun sets and the lights are bright.  At the very top, he pulls that cliché line “you’re beautiful” when you claim the view’s beautiful.. and yeah, you fall for it because he’s wearing the cheesiest grin you’ve ever seen on him.  The multi-hued lights are washing over his skull in a way that makes the moment feel so surreal, and when you kiss him, you feel like your heart’s going to burst out of your chest.  

You had a nice time.

UF!Sans:

When it comes to the rides, Red is all about the roller coasters and anything that goes upside-down.  He wants to see you scared, and he wants his adrenaline to be pumping at the same time.  He eats hot dogs and giant pretzels and covers both with mustard, and he’ll try a couple of bites of the deep-fried food you pick out.  When he goes back to the rides, he starts to feel queasy, so now it’s on to the games.

He blatantly cheats at all the games.  He doesn’t even hide the fact that he’s using magic.  The carnies try to call him on it, but he just smirks and suddenly the dart he was about to magically impale over and over again into ALL of the balloons hits the space right beside the carnie’s cheek.  They’re terrified.  Red gets whatever prize you pick out, and if you get annoyed by the fact that he’s scaring the carnies, then he’ll just pick out several.  He’s unapologetic.

Ultimately, he gets banned from the games.  But, oh hey, is that a mechanical bull?!  He’s only seen them on TV and wants to try it, so you both make some silly bet to see who can last the longest.  Red enjoys the sight of you riding the bull way more than he should, and you feel yourself get righted when you know you should have fell, but it’s still a ton of fun!  He beats you, of course, by cheating.  The show-off even rides it standing up by the end of it, and when he jumps off, it’s by choice.  Well, now you have to do whatever it is that he wanted for the bet.  But that’ll come later.  

(*Seriously, though, you guys should send me imagines for what the S/O has to do for the bet!)

He doesn’t do the Tunnel of Love and rolls his eyelights when you suggest it.  Instead, he drags you through a haunted house in hopes that you’ll get scared and cling to him.  He takes advantage of every jump scare to cope a feel in the dark or lick your neck.  Huh.  You didn’t think it was possible to feel turned on and scared at the same time, but hey, it is.

UF!Papyrus:

Edge hates crowds, and now you bring him here.  Waiting in lines suck, and he lets you know it.  He dictates which rides you go on, and should you accuse him of being scared of the faster rides that go upside-down, he’ll cross his arms and declare “THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS DOES NOT FALTER IN THE FACE OF SUCH CHILDISH RIDES!” and take it as a personal challenge.  Oh yeah, he’s riding all of them.  He’s actually scared and locks up, giving the bar/harness/whatever a death-grip, and screaming through his closed mouth the entire time.  You can show him Mercy and suggest food, or you can keep going until he finally snaps that “THIS IS STUPID!” and stomps off toward the food anyway.

Nothing is up to his tastes.  He samples from whatever you get, but ultimately, he’s just not into cheap (yet still overpriced) food like this.  He compares you to Sans, and then you move on to games.  Even though they’re rigged, he’s still excellent at them–even without magic!  Nope, the Terrible Papyrus doesn’t cheat.  When it comes to accuracy, he’s got serious skills, and he’s intelligent enough to figure out how to account for the way the carnies have rigged the games.  While he does lose a few times, he still gets you whatever you want, and he won’t be satisfied until you’ve thanked him over and over.  

From the name, he can deduce what the Tunnel of Love is for, and he avoids it like the plague until you actually suggest it.  His face turns red.  "WELL, I SUPPOSE IF YOU’RE THAT DESPERATE TO RIDE IT WITH ME..“  He begrudgingly agrees, and he blushes the entire time.  The ride is cheesy–so cheesy!  Are you riding in a swan boat?!– but it’s dark and you’re both sitting close together.  You’re going to have to make the first move here; he’s not one for PDA.  But hey, if you go for it, you get a rather long kiss as a reward.

Bonus– Gaster!Sans:

G!Sans prefers the relaxing rides, too, but hey, he’s happy to watch you go on the roller coasters if you want.  He wants to see you having fun, and he’s likely to tease you if any of the rides intimidate you.  Likely, you can pull him onto a faster ride or two, but he’s mostly content on the swings that suspend in the air.  He can smoke up there without anyone telling him to put it out.  

He eats hot dogs and funnel cakes, and even decides to feed you some funnel cake just to see if he can make you blush.  If you let him, you’re bound to get powdered sugar on your cheek, and he’s going to wipe that off with his thumb and then lick it off.  He enjoys trying to make you as flustered as possible.

Like Edgy, he wins whatever games he plays without resorting to magic.  He prefers to watch you play the games, however, so he can alternate between giving you tips and poking fun at you when you lose.  He’s not afraid of PDA, so you spend the entire time walking around, hand-in-hand with him, and he seems relaxed.

He’s down for the Tunnel of Love.  In fact, he’s the one that suggests it.  He cracks jokes about the cheesiness of it all, though has his arm around you as soon as the two of you sit down.  G!Sans will guide your head to his shoulder and toy with your hair during the ride, and as much as he makes fun of the experience, he seems to really enjoy it.  The only way to stop his jokes is to kiss him, however, and you’re definitely up for that.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

#26

Short opinion: This is the best book.  Not the best Animorphs book, just the best book of all time.  Period.

Long opinion:

This is one of those books where plot and character are difficult to sort out, because the plot is so character-driven and the characters are so influential to the plot that they are irreparably wrapped up in each other—and the entire story is driven by the protagonists’ agency.  This book opens and closes on Jake’s dreams, and in that first dream sequence he’s this tiny, helpless human in the face of this ginormous cosmic power.  I love that this scene draws attention to the fact that Jake first encountered Crayak under circumstances when he was literally the most helpless he’s ever been in his life: Jake is literally paralyzed because of the dying yeerk inside his brain when he suddenly finds himself facing down this malicious all-knowing deity.  In that scene Jake describes himself as the “keeper” of his brother’s memories (Have I mentioned the Cain parallels recently?), foreshadowing both the fact that by the end of the book he’ll be the only being with Howler DNA or memories in the whole universe, and the fact that by the end of the series he’ll be the only being with Tom’s memories in the universe.

The next scene with the kids watching a production of Lion King (funny how that plot hinges on the villain killing his older brother…) in a way that makes them utterly themselves: Rachel is pretty much daring a guy to try and hit on her so she can release a little pent-up frustration on a harasser, Marco is pulling ridiculous stunts to get Jake to laugh, Cassie is totally zoned out because let’s be real she doesn’t give a crap about the fine arts, and Jake is enjoying the peace and quiet for a bit while also not giving a crap about the fine arts.  When Ax shows up he’s totally confused but goes into hyper-protective mode toward his team anyway, and when Tobias pops up he figures out in two seconds flat what it took everyone else a few minutes to catch on to: this is the Ellimist at work.  

One of my favorite subtle moments in the series is when Marco snarks at the Ellimist about the pinnacle of ketran evolution being the ability to look like a teenager with braces, and then almost immediately has a silent freak-out because he just sassed a divinity.  I really love how Marco’s quick thinking gets him in trouble almost as much as it gets him out, and how it shows that even his clever one-liners are a coping mechanism rather than a calculated attempt to appear cool.  His inability to get through a stressful situation without making dumb jokes literally almost gets the kids killed in #30 and #42, and here he has the good sense to realize that the Ellimist is the absolute last person he should be mocking—about ten seconds after he’s already gone and done it.

Also, Jake and Rachel’s relationship in this book is heartbreaking and awesome.  When the kids first learn about the conflict with the Iskoort they’re understandably reluctant to get involved in yet another cosmic war but Rachel especially argues that they shouldn’t get themselves killed needlessly in a conflict that has nothing to do with the yeerks… Until Jake admits that Crayak has been harassing him in his dreams.  Rachel does a one-eighty to “No Crayak space monster is gonna beat up on my cousin” the millisecond she finds out (#26).  Marco also jumps sides of the argument immediately with an eye to defending Jake, and before they know it they’re already off to the races.  Later on, just before the final battle, Rachel literally holds Jake in her arms in grizzly morph while he becomes a Howler for the first time, because she’s the only person Jake trusts to kill him without hesitation if he loses control of the morph.  These two share a level of trust—Jake trusts Rachel to defend his life, but also more importantly to know when to end his life when the cost of defending it would be too high, and Rachel has exactly the same level of trust in Jake—that we don’t see with any other pair on the team.  It goes way, way beyond their simple shared willingness to get their hands dirty; it’s about trusting each other with their lives but also with their deaths.  

This is also the book where (if he didn’t already have it) Jake definitely earns the title of “war-prince.”  Not only does he fight a battle against two infinitely more powerful beings and win, not only does he outmaneuver the most deadly alien species the kids ever face using the power of love, but he also plays the part of Team Mom throughout this nightmarish field trip while just as scared and lost as everyone else present.  He takes the time to check on Cassie in the middle of the night while also terrified the Howlers will attack at any moment.  He gently talks Marco down when Marco’s about to panic at the sheer foreignness of the situation.  He not-so-gently calls Erek on the fact that Erek is lying by omission for large parts of this book.  All the while he also weighs and balances everything he knows about the Howlers and the Iskoort, constantly gathering more information (frequently at risk to his own life, as with that awesome-nutso gambit with jumping off a cliff to acquire Howler DNA) until eventually he figures out the motivations of everyone else jerking him around.  He describes himself as “an ant on a chessboard,” but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn how to play.  By the end of the book he’s thinking on the same level as the Ellimist and Crayak, while also viscerally understanding the ordinary Howler or Iskoort.  As Rachel’s bulletin board says:  ’“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.’ - Sun Tzu” (#4).  

Jake also verbally embraces the title of “prince” for the first (possibly only) time in the series during this book, twice ordering Ax to defend his own life against the Howlers.  Jake doesn’t totally get andalite culture, evident in the fact that he’s not sure why Ax cares so much about having run from an unwinnable battle.  But he also knows and understands (and cares about) Ax, enough so to grasp that what Ax needs is the reassurance of his prince that he didn’t do anything wrong.  Jake has to practically step on Rachel’s toes to stop her from volunteering for the suicide mission (because of course) but he does it, aware that Ax will view this as a chance to reaffirm his place on the team and regain what “honor” he lost by running from the Howler.  Jake is never comfortable with the leadership role, and least comfortable of all when someone puts a formal title on his leadership.  However, he also understands that when Ax is literally ready to die in order to affirm his place on the team, the whole “prince” bit is not about him; it’s about helping Ax.  And so he calls himself Ax’s prince, not once but twice, in order to save Ax’s life.  Because it’s what needs doing in order to keep the team alive.  

In addition to the spot-on characterization and the mind-bogglingly huge plot, this book also has some vicious commentary on philosophy of war.   Marco actually calls Erek on the fact that, when the Animorphs are about to be slaughtered by a far more powerful enemy, Erek’s decision not to act is an action in and of itself.  Maybe Erek doesn’t have a choice about not causing harm, even at the expense of preventing a murder, but Erek also sure as hell does not have the moral high ground.  Pacifism is not a righteous course of action in the face of atrocity, and Erek standing by to watch his friends get slaughtered—knowing all the while that the entire Iskoort species also hangs in the balance—is not the moral high ground.  Jake actually feels loathing for the Pemalites as he frantically flies back toward the hopeless battle that might have cost Cassie and Rachel their lives, thinking that he’ll never forgive them if they got his friends killed with their short-sighted, obsessive nonviolence when they programmed the Chee.  

The social comment in this book isn’t a particularly comforting or comfortable one (but then when are they ever, in Animorphs books?) but it is an important message: that the world is an ugly place in which simple neutrality is the prerogative of the privileged.  One cannot call oneself moral simply by standing by and refusing to fight back while evil triumphs (X).  As Cassie points out to Jake, only slave owners and Nazis have ever had the luxury of branding entire groups of people as uniformly evil and one’s own cause as uniformly good (#26).  In order to stop a terrible wrong, the kids have to commit a terrible wrong.  The war is not won through anything as easy as standing on principle, because no lofty abstract principle ever works in 100% of cases in the real world.  Erek is no better or worse than any of the kids because he is held to a certain standard of behavior by external constraints; even an idea as pure as “do no harm” does not stand up when one has the chance to stop genocide and cannot.  

Crayak understands the idea better than the Pemalites did, when he designs the Howlers: the opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference (X).  The Chee aren’t programmed to hate—or to love—any other species.  

More specifically, this book also calls Erek out on his tendency to consider himself above the Animorphs because of his nonviolence.  Erek is every bit as vengeful (bloodthirsty, even) as Ax or Rachel throughout this whole conflict, but he also refuses to acknowledge that fact.  He conveniently forgets to mention the fact that the Howlers are innocent (relatively speaking) in their childish indifference to death and ignorance of failure until Jake also discovers that fact.  Years before the Animorphs use Erek to do their dirty work in the fight against Tom’s yeerk, Erek uses them to do his dirty work through setting up the fight with the Howlers and letting them annihilate another species without even having all of the facts about who they’re fighting.  

The motif is writ large throughout the series: war is won through sacrifice, and most of those sacrifices are not as clean or glorious as simply dying for one’s cause.  Erek stands by, choosing to give up the fight after only one battle turns too ugly for his liking (#10), and as a result the entire species of Howlers gets wiped out by Crayak.  As a result of his later actions, both Tom and Rachel get killed and the Blade ship remains free to conquer another planet (#53).  And yet this is a being who (allegedly) never hurts anyone for any reason.  Erek is self-righteous, vengeful, and morally hypocritical.  That fact gets a little lost in books like #20, #32, or #45, but here Jake makes the contrast between his friends—who are running headlong into a deadly battle for the sake of some yeerk-descendants—and the Chee—who are forced to stand by and risk nothing with nothing gained—painfully clear.  

This book offers no simple answers, and it shows that in war, there are no simple answers.  However, it also ends with Jake surrounded by his friends, taking triumph from the fact that he’s just a helpless little human facing down a malicious all-knowing deity whose ass he just kicked.  USING THE POWER OF LOVE.  Have I mentioned that this is the best book ever written?