#but it seems they’re trying to bring back that same spirit with the new games

[rascallyrose92]

I have a theory that may help.

In the Sonic Channel Otherworld Comedy featuring the two, we see a more in depth version of the Sonic Colors DS scene. (Heres a translation if you want to read it!)

They argue a lot until the other one is in danger, then, because a lifetime of friendship can’t be erased that easily, they move in sync to protect the other one.

Even though they don’t know each other now, they realize that they did once, and it makes them see each other differently. They make amends and beat the monster by working together.

Then, they spend a month together rebuilding the Chao Maid Cafe before Sonic and Tails meet up with them. I think that something similar happened in universe w/out the Phantom Ruby messing around.

I wish this development was onscreen, but, due to the“Sonic Has No Friends” mentality, they were ignored.

If it helps, in Sonic Generations it’s implied that Blaze remembers Crisis City. If she remembers that, then theres a chance that she remembers more.

Ok, ok, I'm going to say something, here it goes:

It's kind of lame that SEGA kept Silver and Blaze's "they are a set do not separate" aspect but never explained HOW that came to be in the new timeline.

Like, in '06, their dynamic makes perfect sense—they are possibly the sole remaining survivors of an apocalypse, of course they are close and rely on each other. But that universe has since been reset, and then they stumble upon each other by chance in Sonic Colors DS and... That's it? How did they become close in this timeline?

Anyway, with the way Sonic characters have been getting more fleshed out in games lately and sorta "returning to their origins", I hope SEGA irons that out. I just want their friendship to be an actual friendship instead of just an easter egg is what I mean ;^;

[usamifriends]

IDOLiSH7 Anime vs Game Comparisons

First Beat - Episode 5

Getting a New Song! (+ Apologizing to Yaotome Productions)

Small detail, but Tsumugi actually called and was yelled at over the phone first before going to the office for round 2. In the anime, we just see leaving to go to Yaotome Productions.

Tsumugi discusses with Banri about how the overall team morale of IDOLiSH7 has increased significantly after TRIGGER's concert. Takanashi papa overhears this and tells Tsumugi to call the boys for an announcement.

They are getting a new song!!

It's funny because game Takanashi papa was much more serious and toned down. He also speaks in a lower voice. They say the exact same lines: "I've been waiting for you to be ready to sing this song." But in sooo different ways.

Game Takanashi papa was like this:

Anime Takanashi papa was like this:

Anime Takanashi papa seems genuinely excited, like a fan. It's very interesting to see the differences in direction. I think they had a better picture of how they want each character to come off as when they were producing the anime. The small changes to Takanashi papa really sets the atmosphere of Takanashi Productions: warm, supportive, and free-spirited aka the best home for our IDOLiSH7 boys.

The game has an added scene where Iori asks about the writer of IDOLiSH7 songs. Takanashi papa chuckles and says, "That's a trade secret."

The other boys start discussing the writer of the songs in the practice room because Takanashi papa's response caught their attention.

Mitsuki observes that Takanashi papa seems to be quite proud about this writer. Riku wonders, "What if it's the president? It seems like a lot of feelings were put into writing them."

Tsumugi doubts that because she's never seen her dad write songs. Then, she says that she has to go out for something.

Nagi offers to accompany her, but Yamato volunteers instead. Yamato insists saying, "I spent the whole night thinking about the schedule for this date. Let me go this time, okay?" Then, he tells Tsumugi that he will meet her on the way.

Tsumugi waits as she tries to figure out Yamato's intentions. Yamato arrives in a suit, saying he knows that she's going to Yaotome Productions to apologize and wants to accompany her. The anime just skips the whole date thing and starts with Tsumugi and Yamato outside.

We suddenly cut to the practice room with the others. In the anime, Riku immediately brings Iori outside to talk, but in the game, he just shuts Iori’s mouth. Then, they continue practicing. (The anime version is so much funnier. I love it so much.)

Then, we jump back to Tsumugi and Yamato who meet Tenn on the way back. In the game, Tsumugi actually FANGIRLS right in front of Tenn (lmao but I get her): “…Wow…. It’s the real Kujou Tenn… You have such a small face! And you’re so cute! So cool!! You’re really like an angel.”

There’s an added Tenn line when discussing about Gaku: “He[Gaku] is scary, like a werewolf who transforms under a full moon. Roar!”

It was so surprising, I had to add it.

Tenn surprises Yamato who asks Tenn to go easy on Yamato and the rest because they’re all non-aggressive people. Tenn continues to tease Yamato, and Yamato plays along.

We go back to the practicing boys with Banri bringing them lunch. Tamaki reacts negatively to Sogo’s comment like in the anime, so Mitsuki asks for the real reason. Tamaki was actually about to share his reason, but Iori started talking at the same time. He didn’t cut Tamaki on purpose. He was walking from another side to talk about Riku’s sickness to the rest of the members and Banri (as shown in the anime). Riku muffles Iori’s mouth before he could speak and brings him out.

After trying to bribe Iori with ice cream or taiyaki, game Riku actually increased budget in the game to 1000 Yen (around 6.5 USD). But Iori will NOT be bribed! In his response, he actually calls Riku "Riku-san", which does not happen in the anime.

The flow of the scene is very different. In the anime, it starts as a funny squabble with Riku's cheap bribes. Then, they abruptly shift the atmosphere into one that is much more intense with Riku's: "I'll keep dancing even if it kills me."

In the game, it starts out as an outright fight. Even Iori's "Hey. Let go of me." sounds much more angry than the anime's. Right after this, he is hit by Riku's cheap bribes. Iori tends to speak less formally when he is emotional, so I think his "Riku-san" in the game scene was because he was bewildered. He just found out that his center probably has a serious chronic illness. As he was trying to tell the others, he gets forcibly dragged out and suddenly bribed with cheap food, which kind of makes light of the situation (even though Riku does not mean that at all). After this, Riku muffles Iori's mouth a second time, which annoys Iori. The tension is resolved when Riku proves to Iori that he is taking the situation as seriously as Iori is by saying, "I'll keep dancing even if it kills me."

Side note: When Iori gets emotional, he often addresses people less formally. We'll see that in a future scene in the game.

Iori calms down and returns to calling Riku “Nanase-san”.

During the performance in a typhoon, there were some details that changed. Tenn was worried because he heard there was a typhoon, not because he noticed Riku going out of breath. Also, Riku was about to go for another song, but Iori announces the end of the performance.

Riku's Dream Scene

Game Tenn asks Riku what kind of performance he wants to see. He offers The Wizzard of Oz and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Based on this, it seems like Riku and Tenn's parents had some kind of troupe or theater that does musicals and other plays. I like this because it explains Tenn's connection to musicals. In part 1, Banri said Tenn caught the attention of Broadway people + if you know you know ;-)

Also, Riku wakes up in his room instead of a hospital bed in the game.

Teasing Riku

After Iori calls Tsumugi to talk, which happens in the anime, we get an extra scene with the rest of i7 left in the other room.

Riku observes that Iori and Tsumugi would often go somewhere together and wonders what they are talking about.

Sogo asks if Riku is curious. Yamato teases Riku for wanting to know. Mitsuki jumps in saying, "Should I teach you how to say, 'Stop right there!'" (stopping Iori and Tsumugi lmao)

Riku says, "It's not like that!"

They also shuffled some scenes. For example, the scene where Tamaki talks about being followed by HS girls and the Iori & Riku fansite comes after Iori talks with Tsumugi in the game but before in the anime.

Side Story I: Nanase "Tenn's little brother" Riku

We start with Riku worrying that i7 will treat him differently, knowing that he is Tenn's younger twin brother. He didn't plan to tell them, but because he was overwhelmed at that time (having to face the reality of his brother leaving him and not being able to sing to process those feelings), he impulsively told everyone.

He's stressing quite a lot over this that it's starting to affect his health.

He wonders if he should tell the others about his sickness too, but he's scared that they'll make him leave IDOLiSH7. In the end, he decided not to think too much about it because it won't get him anywhere. He leaves to see the other boys.

He swings the door open and greets everyone with the sunniest, "Good morning!" (There is no sound for side stories, but I can hear his voice🥹)

Yamato and Iori greet him back. Mitsuki asks him if he wants to eat breakfast. Their response makes Riku happy because they're treating him as usual. (Happy Riku, happy life ^o^)

Well... that's what they say out loud, but in their minds, they are thinking wayy differently, haha.

Yamato: "That's Kujou Tenn's younger brother..."

Iori: "That's the younger brother of TRIGGER's Kujou-san..."

Mitsuki: "That's the twin younger brother of a super idol...."

Sogo: "I'm living with the younger brother of the person whose concert I went to yesterday...."

Tamaki: "Rikkun, I heard your older brother is in TRIGGER. You know, I gave him a piggyback ride yesterday."

Riku responds saying that he heard about that and asked if the bomb thing was a joke... 😭 Tamaki frustratedly shouts that everything he said is true!

Riku asks Tamaki about what was Tenn like. Tamaki says that Tenn gives him good vibes. Riku probes for more information, asking if Tenn talked about family or more about his health condition.

Iori asks why Riku is suddenly so fidgety about the topic. Iori observes that Riku spoke with more resentment that day before the live (yesterday). Iori asks, "Didn't you want to prove yourself to the heartless person who abandoned you?"

Riku is surprised that he came off like that. Tamaki says that he won't talk about Tenn again if Tenn makes Riku uncomfortable. Iori continues, assuring Riku that he will definitely be able to prove himself. Someone with a voice like Riku will not only prove himself but also surpass that "heartless person".

Riku gets mad at Iori for calling Tenn a heartless person. He says that he's going too far! Iori defends himself, saying that Riku said that himself. Riku replies, "Well... but Tenn-nii might have had his own reasons..."

Iori asks if Riku wants to reconcile with Tenn, but Riku quickly denies it. He adds that even if Tenn apologizes, Riku will never forgive him. Iori is confused.

Sogo understands Riku's feelings and says, "I am grateful for my family and love them dearly, but that’s also why I feel such deep resentment." Listening to Sogo, Riku thinks that just might be it.

Riku thinks, "I wonder if Sogo-san understands that feeling because he also abandoned his family..." Sogo reads Riku like a book and seems a bit sad.

Iori breaks the heavy atmosphere, saying, "That sounds complicated." Mitsuki comments, "Iori is sensitive, but his motives and goals are aligned. So these kinds of conflicting feelings might be hard to understand?"

Iori responds saying, "...No, I can understand them." Tamaki jumps in saying, "Don't force yourself to understand." Iori angrily replies, "I don't want to hear that from you!"

Iori explains that he wants Riku to be clear about his goals because indecisiveness may lead to less than desirable results. Riku retorts with "It's not that easy."

Iori says that it might not be easy, but if Riku doesn't sort his feelings out properly, he will end up regretting it later. Yamato takes Riku's side.

Nagi wonders why Tenn didn't try to enter the entertainment world with Riku when Riku is so good at singing. Mitsuki adds that Riku does not have good stamina, but he can work on that. Riku smiles and promises to work hard.

Iori:

Yamato speculates that it's out of rivalry because he can't think of any other reason.

Yamato leaves to go to Yaotome Productions with Tsumugi.

After meeting Anesagi, Yamato and Tsumugi introduce themselves and immediately apologizes.

Anesagi is furious and says, "Do you think that an apology is enough?" Anesagi can't believe that IDOLiSH7 started dancing just because they were "feeling pumped". If IDOLiSH7 could dance anywhere if they felt excited, then Yamato should dance right here, right now.

Yamato says that right now he's not exactly "feeling pumped" right now. Anesagi replies, "Then, I'll make you 'feel pumped up'. GO! GO! GO! GO! Well!? How about now!?"

Yamato shocked, says, "I.... I'm at about 70%"

Anesagi furiously retorts, "70%!? Then make up the rest on your own!! Do you rely on others to get things done?"

Yamato apologizes.

Anesagi criticizes Tsumugi for just blankly observing the situation even though she's the manager.

Tsumugi also apologizes. She also starts cheering, "GO! GO! GO! GO!"

Yamato is shoookk.

Both managers are cheering now....

Yamato decides that he'll just dance. He says, "I'm sorry! I'm pumped up now! 100% pumped! I'll dance. Manager, can you hold my suit jacket?"

Just as he was about to dance, Anesagi shouts in disbelief, "What!? You're dancing!? I thought you came here to apologize, but you're dancing!?"

Yamato angrily replies, "Then, what do you want me to do!!" Yamato quickly catches himself.

Anesagi continues to express disbelief.

We cut to TRIGGER who could hear Anesagi screaming from another room. This part is in the anime!

TRIGGER catches Tenn up on their beef with i7 because game Tenn was delirious. They show Tenn some pictures, and this is when Tenn learnt that Riku is in i7 in the game.

We get a funny scene about Gaku's impression of the i7 members. At first, he thought they were talented, but because of the audience stealing incident, he started seeing them as shameless people, especially the center. Tenn chokes at Gaku's assessment of the center. Gaku adds, "Wasn't he [the center] smirking with a sinister smile?"

Ryuu doesn't think that the center was smirking. He thinks they seem like good boys. Tenn says that Gaku is not a good judge of character and shares his experience with i7.

He talks about Tamaki's cheap taxi fares, Nagi's love for role-playing, and Yamato's passiveness. He adds that if anyone has a dark side, it would be Yamato. He also says that he doesn't mind i7 dancing because it means TRIGGER's stage was that infectious.

He says but does not explain that i7 will not be able to continue if they do not change their center.

Side Story II: Confronting Yamato

Mitsuki asks about Yamato's "date" with the manager. Yamato said that it was great. Mitsuki whacks him.

Yamato teasingly asks if Mitsuki is jealous. Mitsuki says, "Why didn't you tell us? I didn't appoint you leader to wipe my ass." (to make him do all the hard stuff).

Sogo joins in and also asks Yamato to be more open with the members because they want to share the burden with him.

Yamato tries to play it off as no big deal, so Mitsuki whacks him again. 😂 He tells Yamato not to take on these kinds of things by himself more forcefully.

Then, Mitsuki cues Sogo who says, "Thank you for doing that for us. You've worked hard, Yamato-san." Mitsuki chimes in with another "You've worked hard!"

Yamato calls them idiots and then thanks them. Mitsuki says, "That's our line." Then, he invites all three of them to go drinking. (It would be their first time drinking together)

Mitsuki says that he knows Yamato often drinks in his room and asks Sogo how much Sogo could drink. Sogo said this would technically be his first time. Yamato tells Sogo that he can count on Yamato to teach him. Mitsuki is happy that they get to introduce Sogo to alcohol.

Nagi and Tamaki are watching anime together in Nagi's room. They were crying over a touching scene when Tamaki brings up how Riku and Iori has been kind of weird lately. Nagi agrees. He feels like they're hiding something.

Tamaki thinks that they're fighting, but Nagi said that he saw Riku treating Iori to some nice food recently. Tamaki suggests that they should try out what Iori did to Riku. Nagi agrees.

Tamaki puts his ear on Nagi's back. Nagi says that it feels like someone is wiping their runny nose with his shirt and that it is very unpleasant. 😂

Tamaki: Oh, you found out. (L.M.A.O)

Nagi: SHIT.

Tamaki immediately apologizes, and Nagi tells Tamaki that he should be glad that Nagi is not wearing his Kokona t-shirt.

Next, Nagi muffles Tamaki's mouth and asks him how he feels. Tamaki, obviously, can't speak properly. Finally, Nagi releases Tamaki and Tamaki says, "That was on purpose, wasn't it." Nagi admits yes. Tamaki says that this is making his nose runny, and he wipes it on Nagi's shirt... again 😭

We see Iori in Riku's room. He is still trying to convince Riku to tell the others about his sickness. Riku refuses and insists that it's not that bad of a problem. He asks Iori to leave because he wants to sleep early.

Iori refuses because he can tell that Riku is about to have an attack. Riku lies, saying that it's just a cold. And tells Iori to leave because he doesn't want Iori to catch it.

Iori gets angry and says that he is worried about Riku. He threatens to tell the others, and Riku finally admits that he is about to have an attack. But it's not a bad one. Iori asks Riku to be honest and tell him everything because he wants to help.

Iori starts asking some questions, but it seems like Riku was answering more about his resolve rather than his true physical condition. Iori restarts and asks another question.

Iori: Am I... Are my expectations for your singing putting pressure on you?

Riku says, "No." He is happy that people are happy to see him dance and sing. He dreams of being for others what Tenn was for him. He wants to stay with i7 and says, "Instead of giving up on my dream and living to a hundred, I'd rather die singing a hundred year's worth of songs."

Iori is surprised that Riku used the word "death". Riku assures him that it's just a figure of speech. He assures Iori that he won't die because Riku has become stronger and the disease is not life-threatening.

Riku says that he's really happy to be chosen as the center because he feels needed. He says, "....For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm truly living for myself."

Iori calls Riku an idiot and says, "Even if there is someone with your level of singing but with a healthier body and more stamina than you, I chose you to be the center. Because you are truly valuable, IDOLiSH7's center, Nanase Riku-san."

Riku says that he's touched but adds a question, "Did you even have a choice? Shouldn't it be either our manager or the president?"

Iori also says that it's just a figure of speech. Riku teases him a bit. Then, repeats a "Thank you."

Riku asks for details on what his value is because he likes being praised. Iori says that it's a secret for now. Through Iori's thoughts we learn that Riku's value is in Riku's ability to make people love him. Iori says that while not everyone might wish for Riku's happiness, no one is rooting for Riku's misfortune.

Then, Iori talks about his own dream, which is to be of use to another person. He is glad that he finally found someone who he can support without hurting. He says, "Even if Nanase-san has to walk down a thorny path, if that is what he wishes, I can play the role of a demon king."

[words-and-threads]

So I've been having this problem in BG3 where I try to port over my OCs from my freeform text roleplays. The problem is they're the kind of characters who make plot happen and they don't fit very well into a plot that's pre-written. What's more, I as a player want to see as much of the content as possible and I'm not going to do that if loose cannon Tommy over here starts blasting or wary Ioannis won't stick his neck out for the grove.

Making a new OC who facilitates my goals has also been a challenge because I just don't quite know where to start. There are parameters for such a character dictated by the dialogue options, backgrounds, and in-game consequences as well as the world itself. So I found myself thinking back to other RPGs where I created OCs and looking for the difference, and the answer was simple: narrow down the options.

In Dragon Age and Mass Effect, your backstory is either fully pre-written or there are a few canon events that ensure your character will be in the right position and have the right skills and temperament to continue the story. It's not perfect, to be sure, but it does help give one a direction if, like me, one is obsessive about characterization. Especially in a game like Baldur's Gate 3 where the other origin characters are so well fleshed out, I want my OC to at least feel coherent.

SO! I have written some more detailed character prompts with a few main criteria in mind. The character must be logically possible in the setting. They must be a reasonably functional adult with some understanding of the world's social expectations. They must have some interest in other people, team spirit, and willingness to get involved with the events around them. They must have enough combat experience not to freak out when there's blood everywhere. Finally, their background should explain the skill bonuses that background provides. This still leaves a lot of creative space but I think a character based on these prompts should generally be able to fit into the game with minimal difficulty.

I don't know if anyone else has had the same problem, maybe you're all better at this than me, but in case they're useful to someone, here they are.

I've done 3 backgrounds so far, the Charlatan, Entertainer, and Soldier.

Charlatan – you were working in the city when you were abducted.

You learned to lie and steal early out of financial necessity, as well as some other sharper skills. It started with picking pockets and crooked street games, but you eventually graduated to more elaborate cons. You’re still cautious, keenly aware of the risks of your work, and you keep your poker face steady and your cards close to your chest. Whether the people you meet are a useful resource or a threat depends entirely on how well you manage them.

You have always been the life of the party. You were so lively, in fact, that you were eventually cut off from your primary means of support. You’ve bounced from one party to the next ever since, living off your charms. It’s not your fault people like you and want to give you things, even if the “you” they’re giving them to is entirely fabricated. And if people decide they don’t like you, for instance because they caught you taking things they didn’t give you, it never hurts to have a weapon or a spell handy. Well, it doesn’t hurt you anyway.

You trade in information, saying, doing, or being whatever is necessary to get it. You’re a consummate professional and a near-perfect actor who doesn’t let their personal feelings interfere with their work. Those who know you for more than a day or two (and there aren’t many of them) would doubt you even have feelings. You do, however, know how to look at the bigger picture and will act on your own if it seems likely to bring long-term benefit. 

Entertainer – you were working in the city when you were abducted.

Early on, you developed a passion for stories that eventually drove you to an explorer’s life. Everywhere you go, you learn from the people there and share the wisdom you’ve found with them. You have a great sense of perspective and good advice for all situations, resulting in a measured and practical demeanor.  While you prefer to resolve conflict with an appropriate fable, you have learned to defend yourself with force when necessary.

You live for the adulation of the crowd. You have a big personality and a showy flair for your artistic discipline. Every movement screams “tadaa!” Your ambition for bigger crowds and new rapt faces has led you to a few dubious places, but you’ve learned to fight off would-be showstoppers with that same flair.

Your art is violence. Whether on the battlefield, in the arena, or in the middle of a bar brawl, you inflict damage with the grace of a dancer, the care of a painter, and the passion of a musician. Some find you off-putting, but those who can appreciate your skill and commitment are more than welcome to share in your glory.

You never intended to have adventures. You were happy to work away at your discipline, sharing with a small crowd, making a comfortable living. When disaster struck your community, you had no choice but to take up arms. You remain an unassuming, sensible person and a reluctant fighter, but you can hold your own and won’t hesitate to stand against those who threaten you and yours.

Soldier – you were on leave in the city when you were abducted.

You joined an army or mercenary company for a cot to yourself and maybe even a new pair of boots. You were inexperienced, but scrappy and committed to proving yourself. In time, you learned combat skills, strategy, and how to get along with 5 other people sharing a tent, all of whom snore. While you do know how to mind your business, the sense of order instilled in you by your training makes it hard to ignore larger problems in the world around you.

You joined an army or mercenary company to dodge the law, angry relatives, or some other dire consequence. You had some skills already, but you’re still a bit secretive and twitchy. Your commanders know better than to ask and your comrades, well, some of them have their own secrets. A squad at your back gives you the courage to take risks and you give the same loyalty to them that you get. You have a soft spot for people in tough situations. After all, once that was you.

You were already a strong fighter in your own right when you joined up with a mercenary company, but you saw the value of having someone to watch your back. There was an adjustment period as you got used to following orders, but your commanders find your experience useful even if they could do without your ego. Some of your comrades still see you as an outsider, but some, especially the younger ones, are awed by your tales of derring-do. Overall, you make it work.

[halfmouse]

Last time I went to the library I returned old stuff I had checked out before, checked out a whole bunch of new stuff, put a few coins into the money donation thing (which, by the way, the branch of my local library system that I’ve been going to most often lately has a really cool one), and spoke nicely to the librarians and told them how glad I was that they had all the nice things they had. I also recommended a CD that I actually own at my house to some other patrons because I saw the library had it and that the family next to me was looking for some CDs to try out.

I don’t expect a cookie or anything, I promise. I’m far from the perfect library patron. I talk loudly without meaning to because of my autism. I’m frequently late bringing stuff back for a variety of reasons, admittedly some of them selfish. But I can tell the librarians I interact with still welcome me. They’re always so helpful when I ask questions. And I find most librarians have a way of making me feel better when I’m having a hard time.

And right now, I think it’s really important to show them the same kindness they give us. I imagine many librarians didn’t think they’d be signing up to get threats, calumny, and other abuse. I imagine most librarians certainly didn’t go into the job thinking they would have to deal with people who want to reenact the book burnings Hitler used to do. No, they probably figured they were in for a safe, comfortable job where the biggest problems are overdue materials and that one lady that seems to talk in crecendos without realizing.

So to all librarians out there, thank you for always being amazing. Thank you for supplying me and others with awesome books, movies, music, and video games. Thank you for being understanding when four-year-old me just wasn’t quite ready to return Toy Story 2, even after you had to call my mom and ask when I would be ready. Thank you for all the renewals, including the one renewal one of you allowed me on that Toy Story 2 DVD. Thank you for having a nice place for me when I was homeless and my bus left me stranded, and for the Sonic comics you helped me find that day. Thank you for all the help for the homeless that you provide. Thank you for the books about queer people. Thank you for the books about fighting racism. Thank you for the books about everything. Thank you for the endless supply of music. Thank you for storytelling circles. Thank you for maker spaces. Thank you for computer catalogs in your libraries so we can search for just about anything. Thank you for holding things for me. Thank you for lending me a basket to carry my books and CDs and DVDs and Wii game in last time you saw me and I was almost ready to bring all that stuff home but I just wanted to browse the American Girl book section one more time while you finished checking in the last round of stuff I got. Thank you for putting up with me when I’m a little much. Thank you for lifting my spirits time and again. Thank you for the stickers you give to kids and sometimes adults. Thank you for having toys to play with. Thank you for all the community support. Thank you for everything you do for me and every other patron. You guys deserve the best.

Lovely people of tumblr, if I may speak with my librarian hat* on for a moment:

If you are in the US, you may be aware that librarians are Going Through It because some malicious people believe in fascism and have decided to make that our problem. Whether you are in the US or not, there is something you can do to help your local librarians out:**

Say something nice to us.

You can post on social media and tag your library, you can find the library’s main phone number and call, you can go in person, you can send a card (we display cards in our break room)! I guarantee you that you will make the day of the person you talk to, we will immediately go tell all our colleagues how lovely you were, and you will help us live to love and fight another day.

*it is a fetching piece of millinery in purple silk

**I propose we make this an international group project. Whether your librarians are going through it or not, we all appreciate a kind word.

[suhtorus]

𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 — olympic team / fem reader

[ atsumu, sakusa, suna, kageyama, gao, bokuto, hinata, iwaizumi, oikawa ]

the stress of the first match seems to be taking a toll on the team's spirit, and you refuse to sit and watch them fail when you know you can be of help. but can you really handle all of them?

(or, where you end up having a gang bang with 8 professional volleyball players, and 1 athletic trainer)

⥅ word c. 7,928

⥅ warnings. sub reader, gang bang, foursomes, voyeurism?, fellatio, cum play, vaginal penetration, anal, unprotected sex, creampie, facial, size + stomach bulging kink, praise kink, mild degradation, double penetration, pussy job (for like, one second), double vaginal penetration, fingering, squirting, overstimulation, someone passes out, aftercare

⥅author n. brought to u thanks to this tweet + @kmorgzz​ who suggested adding iwaoi to the mix

special mention to my wife and love of my life, runa. @tsumue​ u had me laughing at 4am as i read ur comments in the google doc. i don't know what i'd do without u, tysm for beta and putting up with me for the past week ♡ 

ps. im v sorry if ur fave didn't make the cut (╥_╥) i added the ones im more familiar with, in terms of writing

if someone had told you you’d be attending the olympic games not as a spectator but as part of japan’s team, you’d have never believed them. but here you are, sitting in the same room with the most skilled players in the country as none other than their personal assistant.

“iwaizumi-san! do you think kageyama and i could pull off a quick attack right at the beginning of the set?”

“shoyo-kun, if there’s someone you’ll be doing the quick attack with it’s me,” atsumu’s eyes land on kageyama, smirking at the other setter from across the room, “right, tobio-kun?”

“you’re a disgrace.”

sakusa’s statement earns an offended scoff from the blond setter, the rest of the team rolling their eyes and sighing at the all-too-familiar scene.

“oi! we don’t have time for petty fights!”

after iwaizumi gets everyone’s attention back on him, he barely finishes explaining tomorrow’s match opponents and their plays without losing the team’s attention. he might be there to train them and make sure they’re on top of their game, but he knows when the team is lacking morale and, sadly, today’s one of those days.

the meeting is over and all of you go to the dining hall, fetching your dinner and sitting on your respective table with you right next to iwaizumi.

since you took that part-time job at the msby jackals, you quickly caught onto their small tics and tell-tale signs when something isn’t right. atsumu becomes a complete asshole which makes sakusa lose his temper sooner than usual. meanwhile, bokuto and hinata become very fidgety, often causing a bit of chaos around them as clumsiness radiates off of them.

when the national team was announced, you were offered the job as the trainer’s assistant—all thanks to the jackals who recommended you to their superiors for said position. your pay-check might say you’re just iwaizumi’s assistant, but you’re basically there to cover the needs of the entire team—all of them.

“iwa-chan!”

your head snaps to the side as a good-looking man takes the last free seat next to iwaizumi.

“aren’t you supposed to be sitting with your team?” iwaizumi asks him, taking a bite of his food while waiting for an answer.

the unknown man huffs exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes as he too starts to eat, “thought you’d miss your best friend.”

“hanamaki isn’t here.”

the stranger opens his mouth to reply, clearly offended by iwizumi’s words, when he notices you peeping at him.

“oh? hi! i think we haven’t met,” he shoots you a charming smile, bringing out his remarkably handsome features, “oikawa tooru, it’s nice to meet you.”

you introduce yourself, bowing at him and focusing back on your food.

both friends start to discuss tomorrow’s events, which inevitably brings out iwaizumi’s concern for his players.

“they seem off,” he’s playing around with the food as he stares at the players sitting in the table in front of yours, “i don’t know if i should talk to them or let them be.”

he’s clearly concerned for them, you can see it in his eyes—the doubt, wondering if he has been doing a good job with the team.

“iwaizumi-san, i-i… perhaps i could aid them this time?”

his head snaps in your direction, a mix of surprise and worry taking over his face, “no way, that’d be too much for you.”

oikawa’s eyebrows scrunch up as he observes you two but says nothing, choosing to listen attentively at you trying to convince iwaizumi while the latter sighs and reminds you that it’s not just the jackals this time.

it takes a while for iwaizumi to accept your offer, pondering the pros and cons, but he ends up accepting it; for everyone’s sakes.

“i’m lost.”

oikawa’s words make your insides flare-up, looking down at your hands in order to avoid looking at him, his curious eyes switching between his best friend and you.

iwaizumi ignores him, standing up from his seat and walking to the table in front of you with you and oikawa watching closely. the team turns to look at him, waiting for him to speak since it’s obvious it has to be something important by the severe look on his face.

“seeing as some of you are clearly out of it, our assistant here has very kindly volunteered to help you guys for tonight.”

a few heads immediately perk up, looking at you with bright eyes once you answer their silent question with a smile.

“please, be good to her. i’ll be there supervising anyways, so don’t think of trying anything funny.”

“oikawa-san! you’re coming with us, right?” hinata looks expectantly at said male, excitement clear in the redhead’s eyes, “she’s the best!”

both iwaizumi and you freeze on the spot, gauging oikawa’s reaction who only looks more confused.

“you’re welcome to join us, if you so desire,” it’s you who’s offering it this time, surprising iwaizumi and earning a worried glance from him.

oikawa can’t deny he’s dying to know what everyone’s so excited about, and after thinking about it for a few more seconds, he has made up his mind.

“shall we go, then?”

—

“alright, ground rules.”

just a handful of the team sits in the room, the ones who know what’s happening waiting eagerly for the green light while the rest wonders what the fuss is about. as much as you want to help them all, it’d be impossible; which is why iwaizumi picked the ones he thought needed the morale boost the most.

with a nod in your direction, he lets you know you’re free to speak.

“the jackals already know this,” you say and atsumu snickers from his seat, winking at you as hinata and bokuto nod excitedly, “but i’m not too strict about the entire thing.”

you can feel the pairs of curious eyes burning holes in you—trying to decipher what’s going on. so, after taking a deep breath and getting an awkward, encouraging smile from iwaizumi, you start voicing out the rules.

“please, be patient. there are so many of you and only one of me. i promise you’ll get your turn,” you give atsumu a pointed look, and this time it's sakusa who snorts while the blond setter rolls his eyes, “which brings me to the next rule, no seconds.”

a hand raises in the air, making you advert your attention to its owner. 

“i still don’t get what’s happening,” suna’s eyes narrow down at you, noticing the embarrassment and hesitation in your posture.          

“don’t worry, suna. we’ll show ya.”

“shut it, miya.”

clearing up your throat, you smile coyly at the middle blocker, “it’ll make sense once i finish explaining, suna-san.”

he shrugs but stays quiet. taking into account the jackals’ reactions plus the cryptic rules, an idea has already formed in his mind. but it couldn’t be that. right?

“uh, again, only one round. all entrances are fine,” you pause, going through the rules in your head to see if there’s anything you might be forgetting, “oh! and you’ll be paired up in teams of three to make things faster.”

“one more thing,” iwaizumi speaks up, this time looking at you instead of the awaiting men, “don’t forget to let us know how you’re doing.”

two loud claps break the tense atmosphere, “well, we should get started then,” atsumu raises from his spot and walks towards you. his hands cradle your face between them and lift it so you can face him properly, “what do ya say, princess?”

his lips land on yours before you can reply to him, a small squeal getting stuck in your throat when his hands travel down your body until he’s squeezing your ass.

you’re too caught up in the kiss to notice the new presence looming behind you.

“i’ll take your pussy before anyone can taint it with their dick.”

sakusa’s words make you shudder. you break apart from atsumu’s mouth to turn around and face him, his dark eyes alluring and drawing you towards him.

“oi, newbie,” atsumu calls out to suna who scoffs in return, “c’mere and join us.”

meanwhile, sakusa guides you to the bed, making you sit on his lap as you wait for the other two to show up. once they do, atsumu immediately settles behind you while suna stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed. it’s hard for you to read his expression since you’re not too familiar with him, so you offer him a reassuring smile and pat the spot next to you. 

the rest of the team watches from their seats as the four of you get started. 

suna lifts your chin, his eyes staring down at you before leaning down and kissing the corner of your mouth. he trails down your neck until he reaches your chest, sucking on the skin gently before running his tongue over the delicate area. in the meantime, atsumu unbuttons your blouse, taking it off and playing with your breasts while sakusa busies himself with taking your pants off.

“i get the hype, now,” suna whispers in your ear, blowing air on it and then biting down on your earlobe, making the hairs of your body rise.

his lips capture yours in a slow kiss —savoring your taste— and one of his hands goes to the back of your neck to keep you in place. his teeth play with your bottom lip, biting it softly and pulling away, his hooded eyes calculating your reaction.

“don’t get too excited, suna,” atsumu says from his spot behind you, pinching your nipples between his fingers and prompting a whine to escape your lips, “you’ll only get her mouth.”

“mhm, is that so?” suna’s question is directed towards you rather than atsumu, tilting your chin up and smirking at the dazed look in your eyes, “can’t wait to see that pretty mouth bulging with my cock, then.”

his lewd words earn a few coughs and clearing throats from the rest, which he chooses to ignore when your hand cups his growing bulge.

“enough you two, let the poor woman have a bit of pleasure too,” sakusa’s dark eyes look at you questioningly, silently asking if you’re ready to continue.

in return, you cup his face with your free hand and kiss his cheek—knowing he wouldn’t appreciate a kiss on the mouth when you just finished making out with another man.

they finish getting you out of your clothes until your bare cunt is hovering over sakusa’s lap. he’s quick to undress and ease his cock into you, suna and atsumu observing as they get rid of their clothes as well.

“fuck,” sakusa groans in your ear, the position allowing you to hide your face in his neck and wrap your arms around his shoulders, “always so tight.”

“scoot over, i need to prep her ass.”

suna snorts at atsumu’s words, pumping his cock twice before kneeling on the mattress—right next to you. he pats your cheek with the swollen head, looking down at you with a faint smirk.

“open up.”

your eyes immediately focus on his length, your mouth watering at the sight. you open your mouth and stick your tongue out, looking up at him and observing as he rests the tip on your tongue. 

“looking so pretty with a cock in your mouth,” he slowly slides in, guiding your head down until half of him is inside, “so warm.” 

a cold liquid dribbles on your backside, making you flinch forward and causing suna’s cock to slide in even more.

“relax, baby. it’s just me,” atsumu rubs the liquid on your asshole, playing with it with his finger before finally sliding it in.

your muscles contract involuntarily, making sakusa groan as he keeps still inside your pussy, waiting for you to grow used to the multiple things going on around you.

“hurry up before i start fucking her.”

a second finger slides in and you moan around suna’s cock, spit running at the corners of your mouth which reminds you to swallow. you hollow your cheeks and retract your mouth until only the tip remains inside, running your tongue over the slit and making the middle blocker shudder.

“someone’s hungry,” he muses.

you hum around him, bobbing your head back and forth and pumping the rest of his length with one hand.

“i’m gonna try get in now, okay?” atsumu taps your ass with his cock, lining it up with your asshole and thrusting in. he watches as the head of his cock finally slips in, groaning when the familiar tightness engulfs him, “that’s it, baby. doin’ so good for me.”

you have to remove your mouth from suna’s cock to avoid biting down on him, the stretch slightly more painful than pleasurable which eventually leads to you tensing up even more. 

“you gotta relax,” atsumu says under his breath, strained by the way you feel around his dick.

it takes you around a minute to calm down, taking deep breaths until you feel yourself loosen up and, with one last push, he’s finally inside.

“omi?” you say against his neck, “could you move a bit, please?”

said man grunts as he starts to move his hips, your slick helping his cock glide in, “color.”

it takes you a few seconds to understand what he meant.

“oh! uhh, green.”

atsumu’s thrusts are slow —testing the waters— since the last thing he wants is to get yelled at for being too rough, too soon. but you’re growing impatient, moving your hips backwards and trying to get more of him inside of you.

“m-more, ‘tsumu. i can take it,” you say and he immediately complies, his muscular thighs now slapping against your ass.

suna remains kneeling next to you, cock in his hand as he waits for you to bring your attention back to him. but he doesn’t have to wait too long, your hand wrapping around his cock and guiding it back into your mouth once you’ve set a steady pace with the other two men.

“thought you had forgotten about me.”

he pushes your hair out of your face, watching your lips wrap around his girth. it’s taking all of his willpower to not hold your head and fuck your face until you’re gagging around him, afraid it might be a big ‘no’ from you. and since it’s the first time he’s getting to experience this, he decides to take whatever’s given to him.

“you’re so wet,” sakusa points out as he looks down at where you two are connected, observing his cock slide in and out of your cunt, covered with your slick.

“‘course she is, she’s being stuffed by three cocks.”

“feels good…” your manage to say after releasing suna with a pop, pumping his shaft with your hand, “a-am i making you feel better?”

a hand lands on your ass, causing you to yelp and tighten your hold on suna’s cock. 

“what do ya think, hm? we’re getting our dicks wet in none other but our slutty little assistant's holes,” atsumu plays with your ass, squeezing it and humming when the imprint of his hands appears on the soft flesh.

“mhm, quite the slut you are,” sakusa whispers in your ear, kissing your neck afterwards, “as long as i get to make a mess out of that cunt of yours before anyone else, i will always enjoy these little sessions of ours.”

your eyes land on suna, waiting for him to say his thoughts on the matter.

his gaze drops to your hand, covered in his pre-cum and your spit which sends a jolt to his cock, making it throb in your hand.

“can’t say i hate it.”

you smile at his words, recognizing the challenge hidden behind them. your mouth wraps around the flushed tip, eyes closing when both sakusa and atsumu thrust up into your holes at the same time. you try to keep your hand steady as you suck suna off, but the lewd grunts and moans coming from them, plus their cocks filling you so nicely make your rhythm falter every once in a while.

a hand starts toying with your clit, causing you to moan around suna’s cock. the vibrations make him shudder, scowling at himself when he realizes his orgasm is approaching faster than he expected.

“fuck, fuck– princess? do you mind if i cum inside?” atsumu grunts.

your muscles clench at the thought of being filled with his cum, imagining the thick liquid oozing out of your sensitive holes only to stuff it back in with your fingers.

“y-yes, ‘tsumu. cum inside me,” you pant as your hands squeeze suna’s cock, pumping it faster as you notice his hips jerking towards you. you turn your face to look at sakusa, who has his eyebrows drawn upwards and his mouth open slightly as he too feels overwhelmed by the pleasure, “omi, you can cum inside as well.”

and he doesn’t need to be told twice, his large hands holding you by your hips so he can thrust his cock into your drenched cunt faster.

moans and squelching noises echo around the room. atsumu picks up his pace as he feels his orgasm approaching, his deep grunts fanning over your neck and taking over your hearing. the drag of sakusa’s pubic bone against your clit has you cumming shortly after. your head rolls forward as both men keep thrusting in and out of you, only stopping once their cum fill your clenching holes.

“shit– look at me,” suna orders you, and you barely have time to process what’s happening.

his cum lands on your face, his hand helping you pump his throbbing cock as the ropes of cum cover your skin. he exhales heavily once he’s done, brushing the flushed head of his cock over your swollen lips, and smearing the white liquid around them.

it’s silent for a few seconds, save for the heavy breathing and pants coming from your mouths.

“holy shit,” oikawa’s voice breaks the silence. his cock strains almost painfully against his pants at the sight of what awaits him.

“yeah, holy shit,” atsumu laughs off, brushing his hair out of his face with one hand as he massages the flesh of your ass with the other, “ya never disappoint, princess.”

with a grunt, the blond setter removes his softening cock from you, his honey eyes —plus a few curious ones— observing the way his cum dribbles out from your stretched hole. the same thing happens with sakusa, who lifts your hips off of him, his cock falling on his stomach and the mix of your slick and his cum dripping down on his length.

atsumu’s fingers immediately go to your cunt, pumping the juices back into you, “god, you love this. don’t you, baby?”

all you can do is whine, your hands clenching the sheets until he removes his fingers from your sensitive pussy, and stuffs them inside your mouth. 

“we all get a turn?” kageyama whispers not so discreetly to hinata, who only nods eagerly in return.

you lick atsumu’s fingers clean which earns you a radiant smile from him.

“here.”

suna has his arm outstretched, handing you a tissue so you can clean your face.

“thank you,” you take it from his hands as you climb off of sakusa’s lap.

you’re cleaning the residues of cum on your face when a hand falls on top of your head. 

“drink some water before you start the next round,” sakusa’s dark eyes suddenly seem warmer and kinder to you, patting your head before disappearing into the bathroom.

after tossing the used tissue away, you turn to iwaizumi and give him a firm nod.

“who’s next?”

your dazzling smile has the rest of the men in awe, silently praying it’s them who get to feel your body with their hands next.

“bokuto,” the wing spiker’s immediately perks up at the sound of his name, “you, kageyama, and hakuba are next.”

the three men raise from their seats and make their way towards the bed—towards you.

“hey, bo,” you offer a loving smile to him, “you ready?”

his strong arms wrap around you, kissing your cheek loudly and making you giggle, “it feels as if i’ve been waiting forever. of course, i’m ready!”

meanwhile, kageyama and gao stand at the foot of the bed, waiting for any instructions or a signal from you that could tell them when to start. luckily, you’re quick to notice their hesitation.

”is there a particular place where you want to be?” you ask them, looking specifically at kageyama and gao, since you want to make sure they feel included.

“dibs on your mouth!”

you blush at bokuto’s enthusiasm but accept his request, stroking his cheek as you wait for the other two to answer.  

“i’ll take whatever,” kageyama says and scratches the back of his neck.

“me too,” gao smiles and takes a few steps towards you, making bokuto move away from you. his large hand tucks one piece of your hair away, his eyes staring at yours before dropping to your lips, “although, i think i’d like it better if i had your pussy gripping my cock. wouldn’t you like that?”

he presses his front against yours, his erection poking at your belly which earns a small gasp from you. you have to stop yourself from taking a look at the tent in his sweatpants, trying to figure out how much of him there is hidden inside the fabric.

“o-okay.”

the middle blocker smiles at you before diving down to your lips. his hands grab your waist, lifting you up from the ground and making you wrap your legs around his torso. he gently places you down on the bed and kisses his way down your neck until his mouth is right above your erect nipple.

“hey! i want to kiss her too,” bokuto complains, “you can’t hog her like that.”

“s’okay bo, come here.”

he doesn’t have to be told twice, immediately climbing onto the bed and leaning down to kiss your lips.

you grab the back of his head and run your fingers through his soft hair, pulling on it gently which causes a groan to rumble in his chest.

a pair of hands slide over your legs, pushing them apart until your bare cunt is spread wide open for everyone to see.

“you’re dripping, babe,” gao murmurs over your nipple, giving it a light tug before flicking his tongue over it, “do you want my cock that badly?”

you can only moan and nod, your lips still busy with bokuto’s.

but there’s someone who still has yet to join you.

“tobio-chan, if you’re not going to do anything then let me take your place instead.”

oikawa’s words snap you out of your daze. you pat bokuto’s cheek signaling him to let go of you, and the same thing happens with gao as you try to sit up. your eyes fall on kageyama who stands at the same spot with a conflicted look and an obvious erection in his pants. 

“hey,” you crawl your way towards him and sit on your knees, “are you uncomfortable?”

his mouth opens but nothing comes out of it. he can feel the weight of everyone’s stare on him, making him look away from you. 

a few seconds pass and there’s still no answer.

“you don’t have to do this, you know?” you say in a small tone, slightly confused as to why he’s rejecting you, “i just thought… i could help you relax.”

he nods, still avoiding your gaze.

you take a look at iwaizumi –who looks as equally as puzzled as you– before looking back at the setter.

“do you want to leave?”

at this, his head finally snaps towards you, “no, i-” he pauses. his eyes are immediately drawn to your mouth, making him involuntarily wet his lips, “i want to stay.”

relief washes over you, a timid smile spreading on your lips which is quickly mirrored by him. you take his hand in yours and guide him to the other side of the bed, urging him to join the rest of you. there’s a hunger in his eyes that has your pussy dripping with your slick, a sigh leaving your lips when your back hits the pillows as you watch him take gao’s previous spot.

“kiss me, tobio.”

and he does. it starts slow, hesitant, but it soon turns desperate. his tongue strokes yours before sucking on it, spit coating your lips thanks to the messiness of the kiss. the strain of his cock inside his pants becomes too uncomfortable to his liking, causing him to start humping against you, trying to relieve himself.

noticing his predicament, you move your hand between your bodies and palm his hard-on. he groans against your lips, his hips jerking forward seeking more of your touch.

in the meantime, both bokuto and gao pump their cocks with their hands, having taken their clothes off while you talked to kageyama.

gao squeezes the head of his cock between his hands, pre-cum oozing from the slit as he imagines the way your cunt is going to grip him, “babe, you’re making us suffer.”

“get in line!”

“atsumu, shut the fuck up.”

“baby?” bokuto asks from where he stands, his own cock stiff and ready to be inside your mouth, “we don’t mean to be pushy, but do you think you could get to us soon?”

“bokuto-san, you’re going to break a rule!” hinata says, clearly concerned for his teammate, “be patient, remember?”

the rest of the team laughs and you can’t help but join them.

at this, bokuto pouts playfully at you, “you’re just teasing me, baby.”

“then come here,” you gasp when kageyama’s mouth sucks at the base of your neck, “y-you wanted my mouth, right?”

bokuto kneels next to your face, patting the leaking tip on your lips.

“i’m going to fuck that pretty mouth of yours and you’re going to take it like a good girl,” he says, his tone leaving no room for questions, “open.”

you comply immediately, lolling out your tongue and waiting for him to rest his heavy cock on top of it. 

the lewd sight in front of him makes bokuto shudder. his hands grasp your head, pushing you down his length until he feels your throat constricting around him.

“fuck– baby,” he grunts and gives a shallow thrust, “i know you can do better than that.”     

you try to relax your jaw so you can fit more of him inside of your mouth. but as you are about to graze your nose against his pubic bone, a finger runs between your folds causing you to flinch.

“i’m still here.”

gao’s tone sounds stern, even if a playful smile tugs his lips upwards, you can see the seriousness swirling in his eyes.

kageyama sighs and leaves your side, stepping away momentarily to take his pants off. 

the middle blocker takes it as his chance to settle between your legs as bokuto keeps your mouth busy.

“you’re drenched, sweetheart,” he muses, running his digits over your slit, “don’t worry, i’ll fill this pussy with my cock so well that you’ll be cumming in no time.”

your eyes travel to his shaft, watching as he pumps it twice before running it between your folds. your brows furrow when you notice how heavy it feels, making you wonder if it will fit in.

he lines himself up with your hole, pushing the head inside which is enough to have you whining around bokuto’s cock.

“you look so sexy,” bokuto groans, pushing your head away from him and watching your spit run down your mouth. he looks at kageyama who stands awkwardly with his cock in hand, “i guess we’re sharing her mouth.”

the setter’s eyes widen slightly before nodding, mimicking bokuto’s position and nudging his cock on your lips, “suck.”

your breath hitches at his order, caught off guard by his demanding tone. you grab his cock from the base and guide it into your mouth, pumping bokuto’s length with your other hand. you hum around kageyama, running your tongue over the head of his cock before hollowing your cheeks and sucking harshly on it. 

but your attention on them doesn’t last too long, the sudden feel of your pussy getting split open by gao’s cock taking it away.

“so tight,” he grunts, one of his hands running over the skin of your inner thigh until he reaches your soaking cunt. he pulls your folds apart, watching you struggle to take his cock inside you—no matter how wet you are, “i bet those jackals haven’t been fucking you like you deserve.”

“oi!” “not true!”

you free your mouth from kageyama and use both hands to pump his and bokuto’s cock, “s-so big, ugh-”

gao pushes more of him in, half of his cock already inserted in you. but he’s just so thick, so big, that you can’t help but clamp down your walls around him. his thumb starts rubbing circles on your clit, trying to relax your walls, as his other hand settles on your abdomen.

“you’re going to be so full of my cock that you’ll be able to see it,” he gives a gentle pat to your belly, “right here.”

your grip on the other two men tightens as gao finally bottoms out, a whine breaking through your lips at the stretch.

“if only you could see yourself,” his thrusts are lazy, mesmerized by the way your belly bulges when he pushes his cock inside you, “so fucking sexy with my fat cock inside your cunt.”

your lips wrap around the tip of bokuto’s cock once more, closing your eyes as pleasure clouds your head. he thrusts in, hitting the back of your throat and making you gag.

“good girl,” bokuto exhales, “taking my cock so well.”

you quicken the pace of your other hand, looking at kageyama as you obscenely suck bokuto.

the setter’s eyes refuse to leave yours, “who would’ve thought our assistant could be so naughty.”

“as if you’re complaining,” gao says, lifting your leg over his shoulder. the new angle allowing him to press his hips closer to yours.

“i never said i was.”

bokuto curses under his breath when you start sucking his balls, pumping the rest of his length with your hand and squeezing the head of kageyama’s cock with the other.

“you’re going to make me cum,” bokuto groans.

giggling, you lick your way up and run your tongue over the slit, “cum in my mouth.”

the sound of collective groans echoes in the room, a fair amount of players finding your words arousing.

“what a slut, let’s see if you keep talking when you’re covered in our cum.”

gao’s threat goes straight to your pussy, making you cream around his girth. the pace of his thumb on your clit quickens once he notices your walls spasming around him.

“ngh, fuck!” you’re breathing heavily by now, barely managing to keep the pace of your hands consistent, “i-i’m gonna… i’m gonna cum.”

“let go, baby.”

one of gao’s hands travels up your body until he’s pinching your nipple between his fingers.

“shit, shit, shit,” you’re thrashing underneath him, your cunt fluttering around his cock thanks to your orgasm.

kageyama’s way too focused on the way your face contorts in pleasure to notice how his hips have started to jerk faster. that is until the familiar coil suddenly snaps and his cum lands on your chin and part of your chest. 

“h-how did you get even tighter- hah!”

warm spurts of cum fill your cunt, the sense of fullness intensifying as gao frees his load inside of you.

“i’m cumming, baby. fuck, fuck–” bokuto chants your name as he too reaches his orgasm, quickly shoving his cock into your mouth and releasing his thick cum inside of it.   

you make sure to keep sucking him, milking his cock dry. once you remove your mouth from him, you bring his and kageyama’s cock closer to your face and pucker your lips, letting the mix of cum and spit fall on their cocks before giving a few kitten licks to the flushed heads.

gao starts to remove his cock from your insides, cursing at the state of your pussy once he’s finally out.

“holy fuck, she’s tightening around nothing.”

you let out a low moan when his fingers spread your lower lips, “t-too sensitive.”

“i think that’s enough,” iwaizumi intervenes, pushing him away, “color?”

“yellow,” but you continue as soon as you see his face become stern, “relax, i just need to calm down a bit.”

kageyama offers you a towel before awkwardly thanking you for your help. and after receiving a kiss on the forehead from bokuto, the three of them leave to go clean themselves.

“iwa-chan, why don’t you give her a massage?”

you let your body fall on the mattress, extending your arms above your head and moaning at the stretch.

“mm, that’d be nice.”

iwaizumi rolls his eyes playfully when he sees you pouting at him, “get on your stomach, i’ll be right back.”

in the meantime, oikawa and hinata take the spots next to you, eager to finally have their turn with you.

“you’re so pretty,” oikawa runs his hands over the skin of your shoulders, “those idiots are lucky to have you.”

your eyes start closing up, focusing on the feel of his fingers on your skin and making goosebumps appear all over your body.

“shoyo, we should help her relax too. don’t you think?”

you catch the suggestive tone in his voice, but his touch feels so good that you choose to ignore it.

both men start caressing your body, hinata’s hands paying special attention to your shoulders while oikawa pets your hair, murmuring sweet nothings. 

“you ready?” iwaizumi pops back into the room, a bottle of oil and a clean towel in his hands.

“mhm.”

the towel rests on your ass, iwaizumi’s warm hands spreading the oil on your back and rubbing at the sore muscles.

“does that feel good, princess?” oikawa asks when he hears you sigh. you are about to reply when iwaizumi hits a sore spot, a groan slipping past your lips and making the setter chuckle, “can you tell me your color now?”

“green.”

oikawa looks at iwaizumi and both men seem to communicate through their eyes, the latter smirking before going back to work.

at first, you don’t pay too much attention to his movements, choosing to focus on the pleasure. but then you notice how his hands seem to ghost lower and lower until he’s kneading your ass, the towel long forgotten.

before you can comment on it, he moves them to your thighs, massaging the soft flesh. it all goes back to normal –or so you think– until his hands reach higher and his digits start grazing your slit.

“hajime…”

“shh,” oikawa coos in your ear, pushing your hair out of your face and kissing your temple, “let him take care of you.”

iwaizumi inserts one finger inside your pussy, curling it until he’s teasing the spongy walls.

whines escape your mouth, your hands gripping the bedsheets which are quickly replaced by hinata’s hands.

“so cute.”

another finger slips in and makes you open your eyes, looking at oikawa helplessly, “o-oikawa-san-”

“tooru,” he interrupts you.

“tooru,” you try his name and he hums, letting you know he’s listening, “could you… uh, k-kiss me?”

“of course, princess.”

he leans down to capture your lips, swallowing your moans when iwaizumi curls both fingers and massages your spot. 

you open your legs, allowing iwaizumi to finger you better as you rut your hips on the mattress, rubbing your clit against the fabric of the sheets and chasing after your orgasm.

“iwa– faster, please.”

he complies immediately, causing wetness to gush out of your cunt and making the distinctive squelching sounds fill the room.

“i’m gonna– ah! i’m c-cumming!” 

“cum for me,” he encourages you, and that’s all you need.

you gush around his fingers, your slick coating them as you squirm under the gaze of the three men.

hinata tugs at your hand, pulling you underneath him and kissing you sloppily. you gasp on his mouth, caught off guard by the sudden movement but quickly melting into the kiss.

he blushes once he pulls away, “s-sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“it’s okay, shoyo,” you breathe out, caressing his cheek, “want me to help you?”

he beams at your offer, nodding eagerly as he watches you climb on top of him. you straddle his hips and run your cunt over his cock, shivering when his length grazes your clit.

“do you want me to ride you?” you whisper, playing with his hair. 

“wait- i think i have a better idea.”

hinata lifts you from his lap and moves until he’s sitting on the edge of the mattress. he pushes your hips with his hands, turning you around so you’re facing away from him. 

“you can sit on my lap now.”

your ass rests right on top of his cock, but he hooks his arms on your knees, spreading you open, as he lets himself fall back on the mattress.

“what are you–”

“oikawa-san, doesn’t this remind you of something?”

said man laughs, “how could i forget? we had quite some fun back in brazil, huh?”

you’re visibly confused, looking at oikawa with furrowed brows, “what do you want to do?”

“say, princess,” his tone suddenly sounds too sweet for your liking, “have you ever had two cocks in one hole?”

your eyes widen, looking back and forth between oikawa and iwaizumi—who has ridden himself of his clothes and sits next to you, his thick cock in his hand.

“i’ll take that as a no.”

“can we do that?” hinata asks from behind you, his breath fanning on your ear, “we’ll be gentle.”

“there’s literally another free hole for you to use!” someone yells, clearly annoyed they didn’t get the chance to do it.

oikawa clicks his tongue, “where’s the fun in that?”

after taking a minute to think it through, you agree to their offer, “okay… uh- iwa?” you turn to look at him, “what about you?”

seeing as there’s no room for him to take your ass, his eyes land on your mouth. and with two taps of his finger on your cheek, he lets you know his decision.

“think you can suck me off?”

they’re all given the green light when you answer his question. hinata raises you from his lap, aligning his cock with your entrance before letting your weight fall on top of it. you groan at the familiar thickness stretching you nicely, missing the flash of hunger in the setter’s eyes.  

“my turn.”

oikawa presses the tip on your entrance, pushing forward and making room for his own cock.

the burn of having two cocks in one hole is new to you, but it’s surprisingly more pleasurable than you thought it’d be. you lift your eyes to look at oikawa, his gaze already locked on you, and you feel your pussy cream around their cocks at the lust in his eyes.

“enjoying yourself, princess?”

you moan when he bottoms out, watching the muscles of his abdomen contract and feeling his cock pulsing inside of you.

the thrill of being stretched by two cocks, at the same time, has your head spinning; your thoughts becoming lewd as you picture both men cumming inside you and globs of cum dripping from your abused hole.

“oikawa-san, did you feel that?” hinata asks. half-amused, half excited, “she’s squeezing us so well.”

“naughty, princess,” the setter grunts, “don’t forget about iwa-chan.”

you turn your head to face him, catching the irritated look he sends oikawa before looking down at you.

iwaizumi’s eyes immediately soften, but a smirk slowly tugs at the corners of his lips, “you seem busy.”

“there’s always room for japan’s national team athletic trainer.”

he can’t help but laugh, shaking his head at the silly title. he raises from his seat and settles himself above you, his cock hovering on your face and making your mouth water.

“whenever you’re ready.”

you don’t need to be told twice. grasping his thick cock with your hand, you lean forward and flick your tongue on the head, looking at him through your lashes with faux innocence.

“start moving,” iwaizumi hisses, the words directed at the other two men, “seems like she needs a little reminder of who’s in charge right now.”

oikawa and hinata look at each other with smirks on their lips. as hinata said earlier, they’ve been in this position before, so there’s no need for words between them since they both know what’s coming next.

hinata moves his head slightly to the side, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder and, at the same time, granting him the view of your cunt being filled with their cocks.

“look at her, oikawa-san” his eyes are locked on your pussy, captivated by the way you suck them in, “she looks so pretty with two cocks splitting her open.”

hinata’s lewd words prompt you to involuntarily moan, the vibrations landing on iwaizumi’s cock.  

“hmm, you like it when you’re reduced to nothing but a slut. don’t you?”

you blink up at iwaizumi as you keep bobbing your head up and down his shaft, opting to hum to let him know you’re not ignoring him.

but his words catch someone else’s attention.

“is that true?” oikawa asks, amusement clear in his voice, “you like being reminded you’re a whore? how much of a greedy slut you are by fucking an entire volleyball team?”

you’re speechless, his words –matched with his and hinata’s harsh thrusts– causing your eyes to roll to the back of your head.

“answer me.”

oikawa’s hand wraps around your throat, barely applying any pleasure but it’s enough to send your mind into a frenzy.

after releasing iwaizumi’s cock from your mouth, you take a second to swallow down your spit before answering him.

“y-yes, tooru. i like being treated like a slut.”

his eyes sparkle with mischief, pleased by your words.

“good, because that’s how you’re going to be treated from now on.”

a hand travels to your throbbing clit, rubbing circles on the sensitive nub.

“s-shoyo!”

“shh, it’ll make you feel good.”

something wet slaps against your cheek, “don’t get distracted.”

you nod and go back to sucking iwaizumi off, moaning every time hinata or oikawa hit a spot inside your cunt. you dare take a look at where your body connects with both men, and you catch yourself becoming entranced by the way their cocks slide in and out of your pussy so easily.

you are familiar with hinata’s cock, but it’s nice to see the contrast between the two of them. while hinata’s length is thick and veiny, oikawa’s leans towards the slimmer side—but still with a considerable length. either way, both men manage to hit those sweet spots inside you and make you see stars. 

“shit– princess,” oikawa falters a bit when he feels your walls fluttering around him.

“we can cum inside you, right?” hinata asks, sensing his orgasm approaching. after all, he had been waiting for his turn for around an hour.

you pull away from iwaizumi, a string of spit connecting your lips with his cock and causing it to twitch at the sight.

“you can cum wherever you want.”

“oh? the team’s cocksleeve,” oikawa adds, “i see.”

iwaizumi chuckles, combing your hair out of your face and pushing his cock back into the warmth of your mouth, “you like that nickname, sweetheart?”

with his length still in your mouth, you manage to hum in affirmation.

hinata’s pace on your clit quickens as his hips jerk faster, your cunt squeezing their cocks even more in return, “i’m cumming, ah– i-i’m gonna cum!”

he manages to say before you feel him twitch inside you, pumping his cum into your walls. the fullness plus his rapid movements on your clit cause the familiar warmth to take over your body. but it’s your fourth orgasm of the night, and before you can warn anyone, liquid spurts out of your cunt.

you squirm on top of hinata, gushing around his and oikawa’s cock while your mouth remains occupied with iwaizumi’s.

“holy shit.”

both oikawa and iwaizumi cum at the sight of you squirting before them, observing the wetness soaking oikawa’s abdomen and running all the way down onto the bedsheets. they groan as they feel their load releasing into you, oikawa filling your tender cunt while iwaizumi fills your mouth.

you try to swallow a bit of iwaizumi’s cum but it’s useless. your chest heaves in exhaustion, your eyes closing involuntarily as you’re being hit with wave after wave of fatigue.

“hey,” oikawa winces when he removes his cock from you. he shoots a worried glance at iwaizumi before he’s leaning forward so he can take a closer look at you, “princess? how are you feeling?”

iwaizumi nudges hinata with his knee, wordlessly telling him to let go of you.

the following moments become a foggy mess, your mind barely registering the pair of arms wrapping around you and carrying you somewhere else.

all you can feel is tiredness, and the dampness between your thighs, before you finally pass out.

—

consciousness slowly makes its way to you, replacing the sleepiness and making you aware of your surroundings as a familiar soreness sits heavy on your body.

in an instant, flashbacks from the previous night run through your mind.

you grip the duvet and push it away from you, only to notice the set of clothes you’re wearing: an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweatpants that clearly don’t belong to you. but you don’t have time to dwell on it, the sound of your ringtone blasting all over the room and making you scramble around the bed so you can answer the call.

but it’s of no use when it goes to voicemail—you were a bit too late.

when you manage to find your phone, you tap on the screen to see whose call you just missed.

‘hajime’

your fingertips hover on the contact name, debating between returning the call or wait for him to call you again. but a few notifications pop up at the top of the screen signaling you have three text messages from him.

hey, i guess you’re still asleep. don’t freak out when you wake up, you deserve the rest so it’s okay if you stay in bed. i left your breakfast on the nightstand and you can always call me if you need anything else.

and i thought you’d like to see this.

there’s a link attached at the end of the message.

you click on it and wait for the page to load, tapping your nails on the back of your phone anxiously. a headline in big bold letters takes over the screen and you have to stop yourself from squealing.

‘japan men’s volleyball team makes it past the first round.’

you start scrolling down the article, reading how spectacular the match was and how the entire team seemed to be in their best shape. you feel your face heat up when you read the argentinian team won their match too, with multiple comments praising oikawa’s performance.

with a smile on your lips, you go back to your messages to type a quick reply to iwaizumi. only to notice you have one more text from him.

it’s our turn to take care of you.

[books-and-catears]

Welp, since I’m a regular now; I’mma just park my chair here and spin the idea wheel. And so the idea wheel has decided!

Let’s have the Brothers and Undatables react to MC just barging in unexpectedly while they’re busy doing whatever. Everyone’s just vibing together at Diavolo’s talking about things, playing games, and all dat jazz and suddenly MC comes in with a blank face before they get a sad expression (they’re this close 👌🏾 to having a breakdown, it’s so sad).

MC:....Can I have a hug? 🥺 *says weakly as they were seconds away from crying*

Bby needs comfort! (Let’s just say they recently lost a loved one and they want some affection)

My first ever regular. You have no idea how much I cherish you. Thank you for the funniest and angstiest asks ever. This hits too close to home. I've lost two very close people to disease and suicide in the last few years and the feeling is horrible. So this might end up being a bit self indulgent... apologies.

Please if any of your friends seem not okay, check up on them regularly. Even the adults in your life. And most importantly check up on yourself. Take care okay?

I will do my best to do this justice too. Sorry if it's a little late college and extra classes are a pain sometimes.

It was not news you were prepared to receive. Not that day. It was supposed to be a day of celebration.

Lord Diavolo had announced a small party just for Council and the exchange students. Asmo had taken hours to get you ready. Everyone was excited and in good spirits, clinking their glasses and cheering for a joyous reunion. There was music, dancing and laughter so loud, it felt like it was echoing all across Devildom.

And yet here you were in the bathroom, bent over a sink, staring at yourself in disbelief. You had received horrible news from the human world.

A last message an old friend had left for you.

"Hey MC, thanks for being kind to me. Although we have a long and sweet history, it felt good to reconnect and feel wanted in my last few days. Thanks for the last hug, MC. It was the best one I've ever had."

What kind of bittersweet message was this? What was the point of making them feel wanted if they still left anyway?

No you must keep your composure, you think. The laughter keeps echoing louder. While internal screams creep up your throat. You have to go back before they start worrying about you.

The doors to the ballroom feel heavy as you push through. "Hey look! MC's back! Now we-- MC...?"

You don't know what face you were making, but everyone went quiet. Some looked horrified, some worried and some panicked. You felt your head go dizzy with the pain, tears stinging the corners it your eyes.

Looking directly at one of them, you croaked out the first thing that came into mind.

"C-could I have a hug?"

Lucifer

This man isn't a hugger. But for you he'd make an exception every day.

Especially when you asked for it so desperately.

Walk up to you swiftly, holding the back of your head and pressing it to his chest, while his other arm wraps around you.

"Would you prefer to spend some time in private?" He whispers as you break into soft sobs in his arms and nod.

"Excuse us. We'll be back shortly. Anyone who follows us will face consequences. MC needs some time alone." He calls out to the rest and whisks you away to his room.

Makes you sit in his lap as he cradles you while you cry. Keeps telling you it's not your fault and you tried your best.

Mammon

Someone save this boy, he is a mess himself.

He feels guilty already. He can't stand to see you this way. What couldn't he protect you from??

Aren't you the one who rushes to give people hugs?

He returns the favour. Sprinting towards you and engulfing you instantly in his arms.

He feels your shaky breath as you cling on to him and goes bezerk.

"Oi. I'm taking MC home." It's the most serious he has ever been.

Doesn't hesitate to bring out his wings and fly you home as soon as possible. He cups your face as you cry, his fingers wiping down each tear. His eyes are pained looking at you like this, it wasn't even your fault. You tried till the end didn't you?

Leviathan

This man's protective trigger has been switched. Who dare be the cause of this?

You're his cheery best friend. He simply won't stand to see you like this.

Runs towards you and hugs you as tight as he can, like you've done for him so many times. Embarassment be damned.

You asked for a hug, he will definitely give you one. You grab onto his jacket with trembling fingers and lean into him.

"MC would you like to go home ?" He asks softly, patting your head. You nod softly.

Takes you home as fast as possible, and lays you down in his tub. When start crying violently he starts to tear up alongside you. Losing a friend isn't easy afterall.

Satan

His first instinct was violence. His fist tightening, about to murder whoever did this to you.

But the moment you raised your arms, asking for a hug in that small voice, it was like looking at a helpless kitten in pain.

Another one who sprints towards you to hold you close. His hug feels gentle yet urgent at the same time.

He cupped your cheek, and stared as your eyes grew misty. "Don't worry we're getting out this instant." Slammed the doors behind him as he left. A subtle message to leave them be.

He took you to common room, near the fireplace to warm you up, one of his arms always around you, as you wailed and choked on your tears. He presses kisses on your head too and tells you how kind you were. You did your part. You weren't responsible for someone else's actions.

Asmodeus

He is gasping and tearing up at the sight of you. Oh you poor thing who dare hurt you?!

How could he ever say no to your hugs? Especially now when you needed him most?

He comes at you with such speed that you both almost topple over. He rubs your back and arms trying to calm you down with his touch as he hugs you.

"Would you like to be alone with me MC?" The moment you nod, his wings are out and you're soaring through the air until you find yourself in his bath.

You lean against him and cry your heart out, he holds you from behind, pressing kisses on your head whispering it's okay.

Beelzebub

Baby boy is heartbroken. Why do you look like that? Where are you hurt?

He immediately hates that look on your face. He must do something to fix it immediately.

Runs and lifts you up in his arms and holds you so close to himself, his arms providing endless protection.

"MC will food make it better?" You shake your head so he takes off. He doesn't care about the feast he missed, he just wants you to be okay.

Flies you into his room and gives you plushies to hold onto while he gets you all your favourite food. Will hold you tight as you sob into his chest and will feed you later on cause he knows how exhausting crying can be.

Belphegor

He knows that face. And he knows the pain behind it. And now he's feeling it too.

Who did this? Who dared? Tell him their name and they're gone.

A hug, huh? He's ready to give you much more than that if you ask.

Walks towards you and wraps you up in his jacket and then his arms. His hug is so warm and soft you could fall asleep right there.

"Let's go lie down together." He will take you home and put you down in his bed, bundled up in his blanket, his soft pillow under your head. Pulls you flush against him as you sob and scream into his pillow.

Solomon

He is human. Of course he knows the face of ultimate pain. He's been through it so many times he's made himself immune.

But he wasn't immune to yours. Your ever smiling face - that was what he liked. This irked him, made him restless.

He's next to you in the blink of an eye, wrapping his arms around you, cloak and all, his mouth pressing down on your head.

"Let's take it to the sky shall we? Don't worry I've got you." He says softly. You nod, your fingers grasping at his shirt.

And in mere seconds you are soaring above the clouds, the gentle air cooling your burning heart as you cry into the wind. He holds you close and whispering to make you feel better.

Diavolo

He has seen this face only once before. When Lucifer came to him Lilith dying in his arms.

He saw the look on yours and he was determined to help you however he could. And if it started with a hug so be it.

Takes big strides and hoists you up in his arms, as you wrap your shaking arms around his neck and press your face into his jacket.

"The party is over. MC shall stay with me tonight I'll send them back when they feel better." Gone was his usual cheery tone. He seemed distraught, angry almost.

Took you to his bedroom and laid you down softly, still holding onto you tightly, keeping you from falling apart as you sob into his arms. Takes the next days off to be next to you.

Simeon

His emotions mirror your own. Seeing you in such pain, makes him feel the same.

His heart is breaking seeing you this way. He can't hold you fast enough.

He swiftly runs to hold your hands first. He feels them tremble in his own and he wraps himself around Immediately, cradling your head delicately.

"Let's get you away. You'd like that won't you?" He says running his fingers through your hair. You let you a breathy yes and he's off.

You land in Purgatory hall, curled up into him on the couch, freshly brewed flower tea on the table. He holds you close as you cry into his arms. Tells you that your friend is in a better place because you healed their soul before they left.

Barbatos

You made the usually composed demon crack. Even if for a moment, he felt the need to do something extreme.

What was causing you this much discomfort? He was ready to eliminate it.

A mere hug? Is that what would make you feel better? He is ready to deliver.

He's there before you know it, holding you like delicate royalty. You could crumble at how soft he was for you.

"Would you prefer somwhere more quiet?" He asks. You only need to nod once and he's already sweeping you off your feet and into his chambers. Picks the most calming teas for you as he sits by your side holding your hand.

Luke

He knew the demons were no good. Of course it was a matter of time before MC got hurt again.

He was about to cry looking at you, ready to throw hands at the whoever caused this.

A hug? A hug will help? YES OF COURSE.

He flies straight into, wrapping his little arms around your neck. Like a baby brother comforting a distraught older sibling.

"Come on MC! Let's get away from here!" He says and flies you off to purgatory hall. He brings you to the kitchen and starts whipping up your favourite desserts to cheer you up.

[wallflowerimagines]

Hello! Um... I don’t really know how to start this but say I love your hc! I think you do a fantastic job on them, there all very sweet but being the s.o.b I am I’m here to ask for some angst. How would you think the lords act if their S/O died?

...I'm feeling mean. 😈

Warnings: Angst, Death, Horror Game villains making bad decisions/not coping with tragedy, suicide.

Alcina Dimitrescu

Denial, Denial, Denial

You can't be dead. There has to be something, anything that she can do to save you. Alcina scrambles for a solution, attacking the problem from all sides, despite the reality of the situation staring her in the face.

Immediately injects your body with Cadou in a desperate hope to save you. Any possible chance that he has to save you she's going to take it.

It's not likely that your corpse reanimates, but it does mutate. At the end of the process, what's left of your body hardly even looks like you anymore, and she can't bring herself to look at it.

She builds a gilded crypt for your body-- it's stunning. It's inspired by you, all your favorite colors, styles and hobbies are incorporate to make the room feel full of your spirit. Alcina is an artistic woman, and she throws herself into the project like she's possessed.

It might take years, even decades to complete. It has to be perfect. When it's done she feels accomplished, but twice as empty. It might be one of the most beautiful dedications she's ever made, but it can't replace you. She has the room sealed off with no way to get to it, so she can't be tempted to visit. She just needs a piece of of you still in her home, or she can't get through the day.

...If your corpse does reanimate, it's actually worse for Alcina. Whatever she brought back was a shambling, horrifying mess of mold wearing your face. It couldn't think for itself, or even follow commands--it just wanders in circles and attacks anything that gets too close.

She keeps your reanimated corpse in a cell, unable to bring herself to destroy it completely. Sometimes, she'll go down to the basement and talk to the thing like it is you, telling it about her day, having one-sided conversations and thinking of all the wonderful memories the two of you shared.

When its dead eyes meet hers, her lungs seize in her chest and tears gather in her eyes. Alcina doesn't cry often, but when your corpse meets her gaze she starts to sob. Those eyes used to look at her with life and love and now...

Still, she can't stop herself from visiting it. It's a compulsion she can't stop, and it tears open the wound every time, but some irrational part of her deep, deep down thinks that one day, she'll descend those steps and you'll be there to greet her with a warm smile.

In either scenario, she will never have another partner. You're impossible to replace, and she feels truly, genuinely empty without you. Rest well, Darling. You'll never be forgotten.

Donna Beneviento

There is such a thing as a last straw, and this is it for Donna.

Please remember: this is a woman who has lost everything. Mother Miranda might have given her a new "family", but Donna is not nearly as attached to these new members as she is to her original family. And the loss of her original family has shaped her in such a way that if you died? She would be absolutely devastated.

It's not fair to put this kind of pressure on you, but in a very real way you were her last hope for normalcy. She had all these plans to fix her family with you. You were so instrumental to her hopes for the future that now that you're gone, it feels like she has no hope at all. You were her missing link, her one true love, and now that you're dead...

Donna screams until her throat is raw when she finds out you're gone. Angie can't help her, nothing can. She just can't cope with reality anymore.

She'll build a life sized Doll of you to try to help herself cope, but the minute she tries to implant of piece of her Cadou in it, she is filled with such a vehement hatred of the thing that she starts scream-crying before she takes an axe to it's face and hacks it to pieces. How dare it pretend to be you?!! It's not even close to the real thing, she shouldn't even have tried--

She might try to induce a hallucination of you to help her get through the day to day, but it's not the same. She can't perfectly mimic your laugh, or your smile, or the way you tuck her hair away from her face. It's so obviously not you, and Donna is... alone.

I do hate to say it, but she will absolutely try to kill herself if you died. You were the one person who understood her, empathized with her, and you were her best friend. You were her support system, the one person who could carry her through the worst times in her life, but you're gone. Donna can't believe that anyone else could be there for her like you were.

Salvatore Moreau

Absolutely, irreparably broken.

When the two of you were in a relationship, you busied yourself not only with smothering Salvatore in all of the love and affection that you could, but you also did a lot to help his self-esteem and mental health.

You made sure he knew that he was loved, that you could never hate him, and even on your death bed you make him promise never to forget how wonderful he is.

Once you're gone, though, Salvatore cracks.

He clings to every bit of you felt behind. All of your jewelry, clothing, pictures and sentimental items are preserved to the best of his ability. Your living space is transformed into a shrine dedicated to you.

It's not healthy, but he also deifies you in his memory. Mother Miranda is no longer the only person that he worships-- the memory of you is now sacred to him. You become something holy and perfect in his mind's eye. It doesn't matter how many flaws you had in reality, your death has turned even your worst flaws into traits to be admired and praised. His perception of you is totally twisted.

Speaking of Mother Miranda, he regresses a lot. His adoration of Mother Miranda was something you were helping him work through, but now he's right back at square one, and even worse off than before.

Moreau can't make a decision on his own anymore--from what to say, to what to do, and sometimes even what to eat. After all, it's his fault that you died, isn't it? You were his partner and he used to be is a doctor. How could he possibly trust himself with anything when he couldn't manage to save the most important thing in his life?

To the rest of his family, he's more pathetic than before. His obsession with his Mother was usually limited to when she was in the room, but now it's constant.

If he ever hears the quote "It's better to have loved and lost, then never loved at all," he gets supremely, violently angry. No. No, that's not true, it's bullshit, how dare you even say that to his face.

If he hadn't loved you, you would be alive. He would be alone, but you would be safe. You would be happy.

Now he's alone, and all you are is dead. He can't ever come back from it.

Karl Heisenberg

Rage. Unending, earth shattering Rage.

Whatever killed you better start to fucking pray, because Karl Heisenberg will not quit until it's suffering.

He doesn't kill who or whatever it was. He let's it sit there, mangled beyond belief, and uses his knowledge of mechanics and biology to keep it alive in constant, unending pain.

It's cathartic for him, but not in a healthy way. The more he hurts it, the better he feels, but at the end of the day, you're still gone, and he's still alone.

He's... lost.

Heisenberg should be angry, fuck he wants to be angry more than anything, but the longer he keeps the thing alive... emotions seem like they're too far away anymore. He wants to scream, he wants to cry, he wants... you.

He keeps something of yours in his pocket at all times, just to run his fingers over it and remember you. Your eyes, your laugh, your smile... It's almost like a stress ball, and these days sticking his hand into his pocket to wrap his fingers around the thing is the only way he can calm down.

Sometimes he turns to ask your opinion on something, or tell you a joke with a big smile on his face because this one is going to make you laugh for sure-- and then he freezes when the reality sets in once again. You're not here.

Remember, Heisenberg has idealized the two of you as this perfect partnership. You were the first person who looked at him and loved everything that you saw. You weren't just his first real relationship, the first person that he implicitly trusted, but you were also his very first real friend.

He wasn't the most friendly person to begin with, but he did get better because of you. He was still spoiled, a little socially awkward, and maybe his dark sense of humor would slip and get a little too much, but he grew as a person.

Now that you're gone, he can't even remember what it's like not being a cruel, empty shell of rage. All he has left is his hatred of Mother Miranda.

After a while, it doesn't matter if he's ready to take her on or not. He's going to face that bitch head on and kill her, or die trying.

If he wins, he's finally free. If he doesn't... that's not so bad either. Karl doesn't really believe in an afterlife, but there's something appealing about joining you wherever you might be.

[astaroth1357]

More undateables with a demigod hades mc???

By request, have yourself a part two!! 

Demigod MC Series: Hades Pt. 2 (Un)Dateables Edition!

I will ask that y’all please don't ask for continuations of other gods unless I say it’s okay to do again. This series already fills my inbox something fierce and this is a one-off that I allowed for during the request window.  If I have to make ideas for new gods while continuing a bunch of old MCs, it'll burn me out fast...

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2

Diavolo

Oh, he has no problem at all hosting a child of the Underworld, hell he even throws them a welcome banquet when he finds out! Hades is a dear friend - and practically a parental figure to him growing up - so he's more than happy to take in one of his children for a year.

Diavolo is actually one of the few people that the MC can talk to about their home with any kind of fondness. Usually when they bring up things like the comforting wailing of the River Coctyus, the brothers will give them weird looks... but Diavolo knows where they're coming from!

He spent numerous summers in the Underworld growing up doing things like pestering Charon on the River Styx or playing games with Cerberus (the other one) in the Asphodel Meadows... His beach house is actually modeled after his childhood summer home in the Isles of Paradise! Really, it can be a lovely place if the gloom doesn't bother you!

So in the spirit of his fond memories, Diavolo really tried to make their time in the Devildom a fun one!... in his maybe trying a little too hard way…  

Poor MC found themselves offered pretty much everything under the moon… Tickets or exclusive passes to different cultural events/festivals, invitations to gala events, and tours of nearly every inch of Hell by the Prince himself - it was… it was a lot for the poor introverted thing…

It didn’t help that Diavolo would have a hard time gauging if they were having any fun due to their naturally melancholic nature, which only pushed him to try harder… He means well, he does. He’s just not the most in touch with what would make an anti-social doom child happy...

It took Barbatos and Lucifer stepping in for the mortal to actually start getting some much needed space and that improved their experience significantly. Sometimes less is more, Dia… Less is more. But they appreciate his efforts anyway.

Barbatos 

Also has a pretty amicable relationship with the Ruler of the Underworld, though his is much more professional compared to Diavolo’s. He actually has a good deal of appreciation for the man for taking good care of the Prince during his visits, so he sees this as an opportunity to return the favor.

Like Diavolo, he’s rather focused on making sure the MC is having a good stay in the Devildom, but he’s much more subtle about it. He’ll come by the House often to check up on them and make sure everything is to their liking... 

Even the brothers notice that he treats them like anothering visiting Lord/Lady in that way, which he would argue they very much are and should be respected as one. It’s the least the Devildom can offer their father at this point.

His visits may also be an excuse for keeping an eye on the brothers to make sure they don’t do anything to inconvenience their “young guest…” To be honest, the entire House is a little paranoid about that… Nobody wants to know the punishment for hurting MC if Barbs is the one dishing it out...

Apart from watching out for them, Barbatos tries to encourage the MC to accept the Young Lord’s gifts (while also actively advising Diavolo to go easier on them at the same time). It would be so disheartening to him if his Prince feels like he hasn’t offered them the best experience that he could… He’s sure they understand.

Any time that he invites the MC to tea, they usually end up talking about their father in some way. Barbs knows a surprising amount about the god… He’s been around about as long as Chronos - preceding the birth of Aether and Chaos themselves - so he has some stories to tell.

The MC did once ask him why he doesn’t just run everything if he’s really been around for so long... his answer was: “Kings and their kingdoms will rise and fall… Worlds upon worlds are born, then cease to be. But time is what brings about all changes… So, I think I’m perfectly content with the power I possess. Wouldn’t you be?” 

Annnd they never asked Barbs another question like that again… and people think death is scary… 

Simeon 

He was honestly a little worried for their new companion for quite a while… It’s not like there’s never any sadness in the Celestial Realm or anything, but they seem to have something else entirely…

He’s heard stories about the Underworld. He’s never been himself, that’s usually a job for the Seraphim due to the… dreary nature of the place - but he’s heard it would make the Devildom look downright festive…

If he were being honest, he had half expected the MC to be obsessed with skeletons, ghosts, and other elements of darkness but that wasn’t the case. They certainly knew a lot about those things, but they appeared to have a healthy interest in the afterlife in general, so they asked him a lot of questions about the Celestial Realm, angels, and how the souls of the blessed are treated up there… It was surprising to say the least.

Of course he did the same and, frankly, Simeon found it incredibly wasteful that so many Greek followers find themselves just wasting away in a field of nothing for so long… but that’s neither here nor there.

He was also surprised by how gentle of an influence the MC ended up being on Luke as well. He had always suspected that the little angel just needed a bridge between him and Devildom to start finding appreciation for it, and the MC fit that bill perfectly - nothing he was used to, but still approachable enough to make everything less frightening. He thanks them a great deal for that… but...

It’s just that… Well they’re just so… depressing sometimes…! He doesn’t want to blame them because it hardly seems like their fault! They’re a very kind person, it’s just an atmosphere around them… It brings him to tears if he isn’t careful…

He’s invited the MC to Purgatory Hall on multiple occasions to chat and try to make them smile… When they do, the gloom is dispelled - even just a little - and they’re a truly beautiful creature regardless. It’s just so unfortunate that their life brings so much sadness...

Even so, he actually likes the MC enough to consider basing a character on them if he ever wrote another book. Something about a gloomy but sweet protagonist at home in a world of darkness sounds appealing… doesn’t it?

Luke

He didn’t know how to feel about the MC when they met. At first, he actually thought they were just as unhappy as he was to be there due to how depressed they looked but when they told him that wasn't true, he was really confused...

The Devildom is a dark, brutish, and dangerous place. Why would anyone feel at home down here??

But… well… He would spend time with them at RAD between breaks (partially to help scare off their many, many demonic suitors) and it might be weird to say, but they really made the Devildom look beautiful… literally.

The world just looks better when they’re around! It’s really hard to describe because it’s not something you notice much until they leave, but when the MC is around everything looks more vibrant and inviting! The grass gets greener, flowers grow bigger, and butterflies/birds hover around wherever they are like they have their own gravity - the realm loves them!

It started getting hard for Luke to hang onto his disdain for the place when they made it look so appealing… And then they started talking to him about the Underworld and the creatures they’d befriended there… creatures a lot worse than any demons he’d seen there...

Like. If the MC can be good friends with a bunch of rude walking corpses, then he could probably make friends with a demon right? There’s nice ones… kind of… 

Beel. He can make friends with Beel.

Like Simeon, he does feel bad that they seem so sad all the time… but unlike the older angel, he’s a bit more understanding that this is just how they are and enjoys his time with them regardless. (It helps a lot that just being around this little bean of a boy can lift their spirits anyway).

And you know what’s even better for him? When Lord Diavolo gives the MC tickets to things that they don’t want to go to, sometimes they’ll invite him along or give them to him instead! 

He’s gone to the Devil’s Coast with MC and Simeon sooo many times by now and he loves it!! Maybe the Devildom isn’t so bad after all, I mean, it can be a lot of fun when you go to the right places, anyway.

Solomon

Oh, he finds them both deeply fascinating and utterly terrifying - so just his sort of test sub-er, person!

He kids (somewhat), Solomon isn’t that dumb/lacking in self-preservation instinct. Experimenting on a child of death in a land of the dead (even if it’s not their “home turf”) would be asking for trouble. They’d have more than enough ammunition to fight him off and if their father found out? Immortality wouldn’t even begin to save him...

That being said, questions aren’t necessarily experiments… and oh boy, does he have a lot of them.

If the MC isn’t being pestered by Diavolo or the brothers, then they’re probably having to put up with Solomon nipping at their heels trying to get them to use their powers or answer all sorts of “innocent” scientific questions…

“MC, reanimation of Greek dead requires a blood offering, correct? Do you have to sacrifice animals for that process or do you allow them to feast on your own?”

“MC, when you’re controlling a skeleton do you move the body as a whole or do you have to animate each individual bone due to their lack of ligaments?”

“Think fast!! Oh look, you just caught the skull of my good friend, Richard! Could you bring him back from that, or should I fetch the rest of him?” 🙂

They put up with it because, believe it or not, he’s not nearly the weirdest person they’ve ever met (a lot of crazy people drift in and out of the land of the dead…) and well… they’re a pretty lonely person too so it’s not like they have a lot of standards when it comes to friendships anyway.

But the second they breathe a word of this to Barbs or Diavolo, this boy is on his way to a royal restraining order… Where does he even get those skulls…?

[sasuhinasno1fan]

How Lukadrien confessed when Chloe took matters into her own hands

@etherealxgenie I’m your secret santa for the @lukadrienvault gift exchange! I decided since it was at the forefront of my mind to do a Yu-Gi-Oh! au fic for our favourite King of Games and CEO. I added in a few of my own headcannons into this for the au, so I hope you enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Chloe took Adrien in, watching as he flicked through paperwork, seamlessly checking his laptop. Nathalie would no doubt be back in a few minutes, ready to answer anything Adrien had questions on.

“Where’s Rose?” she asked, glancing at the framed photo Adrien had of the two. From the background, she guessed it was on his jet, though Adrien seemed to always gain new ways of transportation, so who knew?

“With Juleka.” He answered, pulling something up on his laptop.

She thought of the girl with purple hair, the one Adrien shelled over a massive chunk of money so she could have a surgery. Adrien would constantly say he got paid back when the bank finally put Luka’s winnings from Duelist Kingdom in his account, but still. For the longest time, she was sure the only person who could pull Adrien from his CEO wall was Rose. She and Nathalie would get lucky at times but Gabriel got his claws into Adrien, keeping him a certain way. Then this blue haired duelist who seemed to switch personalities at the drop of a hat appeared and someone break down Adrien’s walls.

“When are you gonna ask him out?”

That got a reaction, pulling him from his work and looking at her. She didn’t know why he was surprised. She’d joined in a few of their adventures in understanding the simple looking jewellery that usually had a spirit connected to them and she wasn’t blind. Adrien was sweet on Luka and he was the same on Adrien. When he got genuinely angry when her scathing remarks were starting to rub Luka the wrong way, it was so obvious. He never cared much before, telling her to relax and continue later, but he actually yelled at her then. Rose had gotten mad too which meant Luka was really important to them.

“C-Chloe!”

“What? I’m not wrong, am I? I’m sure Plagg agrees with me.” The spirit in the ring didn’t take Adrien over since being released with his God Card, but she knew she was right. “Seems like blueberry likes you, so what’s stopping you?”

Nathalie came in and Adrien quickly ended the conversation, focusing on his assistant.

“Adrien, we still need to talk about the release party for this Duel Disk. You mentioned you wanted to hint at the rideable duelling arenas, this would be the best time, especially since we’re nearly done with the prototype.”

Adrien groaned, flopping back in his seat so hard, the white trench coat he wore fell to the floor. “Parties mean dates. No date means beating off investors’ daughters all evening. And doing that all evening means I’ll be in a bad mood which leads to a crap party and me all over tabloids. Can’t I just do a press release?”

“Just because we were busy with finding the God Cards, causing the spirts to be released fully from the items, your dad and Felix and the insanity that was Alya and Lila doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate an amazing achievement. How is Felix by the way? Will he make an appearance at the party?” Chloe asked, mostly cause the party would make Adrien squirm.

“He’s fine, and no. He’s still got to regain strength in his body after having his mind stuck in a computer for years.”

“She’s right Adrien. The release was overshadowed by Battle City and everything else. It would do well to have this event, help increase our footprint as you will, with all the unpleasantness left over thanks to the Rare Card Hunters.”

“And if you bring a date, you won’t have to worry about investors. Mostly.” Chloe happily added in.

Adrien glanced between them both and groaned. “Fine. Nathalie, you’re in charge. I just want to go in, give a speech and disappear. I’d rather until we get info on competitors if they’re close to guessing our next venture so I know if they plan to try their hand.”

“Very well. Will I be inviting the usual list?”

“Please.”

“How about the group? I’m sure they could do with an excuse to celebrate as well.”

Adrien glanced at Chloe, like she was going to say something about what she’d brought up before. she just smirked at him, watching him silently squirm before he let out an annoyed huff.

“Yeah, you can invite the others too.”

                                                    ___________

Luka jumped when the door to his part time job burst open. A curse was on his lips when he saw Chloe standing in the doorway, looking as queen like as ever.

‘Odd,’ Sass said, floating over his shoulder and annoyingly missing the apron Luka had to wear while working. He copied everything else Luka wore, but not the apron. ‘This is the last place I thought she’d be.’

He couldn’t disagree with the spirit. Chloe worked for Adrien, as well as being his oldest friend and she took her job as a duelist very seriously, since she was sponsored by the Agreste Corp. She tended to rub him the wrong way a lot of the times with the way she acted but he was sure if Adrien acted like an egotistical tyrant to those who upset him, Chloe would take a bit of getting used too.

She walked in, her judgement of the place obvious, even from behind those big sunglasses of hers.

“Chloe. Can I help you? We have new Booster packs.” He was sure Adrien got her whatever cards she wanted, but he had zero clue as to why she’d be here. Adrien was taking school off for a week to catch up work things, Rose and Juleka were hanging out, Ali somehow nudging his way in and the others were doing things, enjoying the quite while it lasted.

“This place is pathetic.”

“You can leave.” He reminded, trying not to get angry. He was tempted to switch and let Sass deal with her. He was a former prince from what they figured out, he delt with annoying ladies.

‘I don’t think many women had a place in high society work. Though Chloe would probably have no issue. Also, I have a feeling she’d just order me to switch back.’

Chloe pushed her sunglasses up and was now digging in her purse before she slapped something on the glass counter and stood there, haughty as ever. “What’s this?”

“I’m playing messenger to all your dumb friends and dropping off your invites to the launch party for the Duel Disk.”

“But…” he glanced at where his Duel Disk was sticking out from his bag, half covered by his jacket.

“Yes, but it’s original launch was overshadowed by Battle City, which he did put together for you and your ghost friend. So, we’re doing it now. You’d better be there.”

He picked up the invite, looking at his name in cursive, the fact that it was also addressed to Sass. He’d never really stepped into Adrien’s world of glitz and glamor, the CEO more than willing to live the life of hanging out at arcades and being normal. The virtual world was more than enough of an insight to how Adrien lived before Sass broke him in a way that he needed to rebuild.

“Also, it’ll look really tacky if you don’t give him a present or something. Everyone’s going to do that, so try not to look like a hopeless mess.”

“Thanks, anything else?” he asked, glaring at the blonde, who pulled his glasses down.

“Nope. And don’t be late!” just as suddenly as she appeared, Chloe was gone, leaving Luka with an invite and bit of anxiety. Did he have a suit for this event? And what the heck did you get for a guy who had access to anything he wanted?

‘Perhaps we can get advice from your mother? And maybe ask your father for a suit?’

“Right, like Adrien is going to like me in anything the guy who kidnapped his sister puts me in.”

‘Maybe this is one of those times we dip into your winnings?’

Fair. Now what to do about Adrien’s present?

                                           _________________

“You look so pretty!” Chloe watched Rose bounce away from her brother, the tulle of her pink dress following after her. The off the shoulder and massive puffed sleeves was a direct contrast to Juleka’s purple dress, corseted tight to her body with the black lace halter. “you look amazing!”

“So do you. Ali must be losing his mind.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, hearing Rose giggle. Watching the two flirt would have been more entertaining if Juleka was actually jealous of how Ali, creator of the Dungeon Dice Monster, felt towards the CEO’s sister. Instead, they were practically in a polyamorous relationship.

Boring.

She did brighten up at the sight of Luka. Of course, he didn’t wear a standard black and white suit, opting for a black and silver mix, leaving his jacket open to show off the jacquard design of the waistcoat. Not bad for someone usually dressed in leather. She glanced at Adrien to see him staring at Luka, completely ignoring what the man he’d been talking to was saying, at least until Nathalie secretly poked him to refocus. She approached the King of Games, knowing her flowing white gown with soft flowers wouldn’t get him to relax. As much as she wanted her best friend to finally admit how he felt about a certain duelist, it was fun to wind Luka up. If he could put up with her, then he’d stick with Adrien through everything.

“Well, don’t you look nice. Didn’t think you owned anything other than leather.” Luka just side-eyed her, radiating annoyance. “I don’t see a gift.”

“I have one. Will you back off?”

“And not make you question your own sanity? Where’s the fun in that?”

She decided to actually back off when he rolled his eyes and she saw him fingering the jade bracelet around his wrist. She wondered if Sass was calling for her head or trying to calm Luka down.

“Juleka, Luka. you two look amazing.” Adrien was finally free of the conversation and walked over, his fake CEO smile replaced by a real one.

“So do you. Most guys can’t pull off a white suit, but you look good.” Juleka replied.

Adrien laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “You think so? Rose here thought I wouldn’t let my usually jacket go.”

“It looks good when you’re throwing cards like knives at Rare Card Hunters. Not in every aspect of your life. You’ve got the weirdest wardrobe ever.” Rose commented.

“Thanks. I’ll remember this when you ask for something. Anyway, the others arrived not too long ago. Nino has commandeered a waiter with hor d’ourves, so they’re most likely still there. I have to make my speech soon.”

“Oh, before that, here.” Juleka handed Adrien the bouquet of yellow roses, pulling out the only red one and giving it to Rose. “Congratulations on the Duel Disk release.”

“That’s so sweet, thank you.” Adrien said, sniffing the flowers.

“And this is from me.” Luka pulled out a small jewellery box, which Adrien zeroed in on.

“Oh, Luka, you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

Of course, before Luka could either open it, or hand it to him, an investor with a young girl – daughter no doubt – appeared and interrupted them.

“Mr. Agreste. I was hoping to introduce my daughter Fiona. She’s an exceptional duelist, best in her school. She wanted to apologise for not attending Battle City.”

“Uh, right. Of course.” And back in place as that fake smile. “If you’ll excuse me. Rose.” Leaving without taking the box from Luka, the two blondes slid back into the crowd leaving them alone.

She smacked Luka’s arm hard, nearly making him drop the box.

“Ow! What’s that for?”

“Try harder!” she stormed off, leaving the other pair of siblings alone. She put the ideas in their heads, she wasn’t going to let this night end without having the two fess up on how they felt.

The party continued, Adrien always talking to some snooty person about the business, or to Rose or Nathalie, barely going over to where his friends were. They were making quite a bit of noise as they got one waiter to bring them food over and over. Thankfully, she noticed Luka wasn’t pushing everything under the rug, watching Adrien from across the room. Of course, Adrien was accosted every few feet with a person and their daughter, one brave soul offering their son. Rose did her best to distract by inviting everyone to dance before the big speech, but she only lasted about two and a half dances before like the ball scene from the Cinderella movie 1997, with the prince dancing with every lady, switching every 2 seconds to get it over with. She just needed to get a Cinderella in there.

                                        _______________________

Luka was about to take some shrimp appetizer from the tray being offered when he was yanked away and dragged towards where the dancing was happening.

“Chloe, what the hell?”

“Shut up, and go dance with him.” She said, shoving him to where Adrien was, cutting off the girl who was about to step up to him.

“Um, uh. Care to dance?” Luka asked the CEO

“Excuse me!”

“Sure, I’d love to.” Adrien grabbed his hands and pulled him further to the middle of the dance floor. “Thank you.” he said, putting one hand on his shoulder, allowing Luka to put his free hand on Adrien’s waist.

“Of course, though Chloe helped I guess.”

“Yeah. She’s been a bit much since returning from the Shadow Realm. She’s trying to work through her time there and she’s taken a break from duelling, so she’s finding entertainment elsewhere. Don’t tell her this, but I wish I’d taken her advice for this party.”

“Oh?”

Adrien looked embarrassed, not a look Luka was used to seeing when he had to be CEO. “she told me if I had a date to the event, which I didn’t want to do because of this same issue, I wouldn’t have to deal with people throwing their daughters at me.”

“I think I saw a son in there.” Luka laughed to himself when Adrien glared at him. It was thankfully not his Agreste glare so he knew he was safe. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with all this. I wish you could come over and hang out with us.”

“I want to, but I’ve avoided any sort of big event like this since before Duelist Kingdom. I’ve changed and Nathalie said it would help bolster our image, especially since with everything the Rare Card Hunters caused, intentionally or not.”

“Yeah, causing a death via a duel probably doesn’t paint you in a good light.”

“Hey, in my defence, they had our friends hostage. Summoning Chaos God: Plagg was the only choice I had.”

“I’m not mad. Trust me, thank you for doing that. Hey.” He stopped Adrien and dug the box out of his jacket pocket. “Before I forget, I wanted to give this to you.”

Adrien smiled down at the box, just putting his fingers on it when Nathalie appeared.

“Adrien, it’s time for your speech.”

“2 minutes.”

“Now.” She ordered.

Adrien groaned and pushed the box back towards Luka. “Hold on to this for a little while longer?”

“Sure.”

Watching Adrien slip off into the crowd towards the stairs that lead to the party, Sass was the one who had to get his attention when Chloe reappeared, another smack to his arm.

“Now what?”

“Could you move any slower?”

He stared at her in confusion as she stormed off, grabbing another glass of champagne. “What the hell is her problem?”

‘It’s almost as if she’s trying to have something happen, but it’s not. Something to do with you and Adrien?’

He looked at the box and over to where Chloe stood, glaring at him. He didn’t want to think that she knew but honestly, what proof did he have that she didn’t?

                                   __________________________

“The old design hadn’t hit the shelves and had many issues, causing constraints and even making the holograms an issue to use. My hope is with newer models of the Duel Disk that the holographic input won’t need an external source to be seen. The magic of Duel Arenas is seeing your monsters come to life and that shouldn’t just be limited to a building. Duels are used all over to settle scores and understand a person and while doing it on a table opposite each other does allow for a bond to foster, you really get to know a person seeing them put their whole body into it. It’s my hope that these Duel Disks allow you to show the world the type of duelist you are. Thank you.”

Chloe swirled the little bit of champagne she still had in her glass. She was reaching tipsy and her entertainment was reaching levels of annoyance. She hoped it would have been dealt with early and then she could watch the two stumble over themselves all evening. But nope, here she was watching them get snatched away from each other over and over. It was annoying.

“You’ve been glaring at Adrien all evening.” Marinette said. “Is everything ok? Did you get into an argument? Is this about the Shadow Realm?”

“No, it’s not.” She snapped, but thinking about that place was something she’d rather not, at least not until her next therapy session. “Just, annoyed someone isn’t saying something. I wouldn’t be at this lame party otherwise.”

“I’m glad you are. Really, it makes me happy to see you up and your usual self.”

She scoffed, getting what Marinette meant. “Trust me, I don’t plan on going back ever. Did Tikki ever send anyone there?”

“I don’t think so. Her memory is a bit fuzzy too and she can’t control me like Sass does Luka sometimes. She seems too nice to though. So, who isn’t speaking? Maybe we can help them out.”

“Blueberry and Adrien. I wake up and those two are more attached than normal. I didn’t think nearly getting killed by a crazed protector of the tomb did that.”

Marinette watched Luka who was still in the crowd listening to Adrien’s speech. “I think it was during the time Felix took us to the Virtual World. We saw a lot of what Adrien and Rose went through and when Adrien went up against Felix and his dad, Luka was there for him. He tried to act like it didn’t bother him but Rose was targeted and you know how he gets when she’s in trouble.”

“Ok, fine. So why make me suffer watching those two still figure things out?”

Marinette shrugged. “Maybe after it all it’s hard to think they can have it. I mean, there’s always another shoe dropping.”

“Screw that. I’m fixing this now.”

“You’re taking this a bit seriously.” Marinette said, stopping Chloe before she could go storming through the crowd. “They’re dealing with a lot.”

“So why not deal with it together? when I was stuck in the Shadow Realm, the only thought I had was that I had people I knew were fighting for me. The only reason I haven’t gone insane is knowing I have you losers to trust and depend on. Oh, don’t give me that look,” Chloe said, narrowing her eyes at the surprised look on pigtailed duelist, “like you and your friends aren’t always spouting that.”

“I just didn’t think you’d listen.”

“I’m not an idiot. I actually listen to good advice.” She said before gliding through the crowd, grabbing Luka’s arm as she passed. Once the photographers were done taking pictures of Adrien and Rose, she quickly moved passed the crowd of people and dragged Adrien off the stairs and pushed them to one of the balconies, shoving them both outside and stood guard at the doors. When she saw the annoyed looks on people’s face, she raised an eyebrow and pulled her signature monsters from the pocket in her dress. “Try it, I dare you. I’d be more than willing to prove why they call me the Stinging Beauty.”

Meanwhile, the two duelists stood in the cool quiet.

“Well, I guess I should thank her for helping me avoid that crowd.” Adrien said.

“Yeah.” Luka said, still thinking about what he was sure was Chloe knew. “Hey. I really want to give this to you tonight, so here.”

Adrien took the jewellery box and opened it. sitting there was a hand drawn card. It wasn’t like the one Rose drew for him all those years. This one was drawn by someone with years of skill. It was the card Black Snake, the Fusion card of his Chat Noir and Luka’s Viperion. It had honestly been either luck or Jagged’s hand that the card was created and its only copy given to Luka. the two had used it during their tag duel against the Rare Card Hunters. It had given Adrien enough time to get what he needed to summon Chaos God: Plagg and win them the duel.

“Luka, did you draw this? I thought you said you didn’t draw much anymore.”

“I don’t, but Chloe was insistent I give you a gift to congratulate you. I didn’t know what to give you, I mean, you have access to whatever you want. With everything you had to deal with during Battle City, I wanted to remind I’m here whenever you need, so I drew that for you.”

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” Adrien said, Luka’s favourite smile growing as he gently picked up the card. “I…I need to tell you something. Something that Chloe was also pretty insistent on. dealing with my father, having to relive some of the worst times of my life, all while dealing with people who wanted me dead, having you there meant a lot. It would have been a lot harder to ready myself for the semi-finals if you hadn’t stayed with me. You always seem to know how to keep me going, even if I’m pushing against you. you’ve never given up on me and when you have so few people who won’t give up on you, it means a lot when your one of the people who stay. But it’s more than that. I guess what I’m trying to say is…Luka, I like you. more than just the friend you’ve been. And I know I shouldn’t force you to answer now, but I do have to stay for the rest of the party and I kinda need to know if I need to put my CEO face on.”

Luka honestly hated the CEO face. He didn’t like it when it had been directed at him before he got past Adrien’s walls and helped save his sister, as much as it helped when Adrien used it on others, he hated seeing him become that cold person again. So, he did the one thing he could think of to make sure Adrien never had that face around him. He stepped forward, took Adrien’s face in his hands and pressed their lips together. One of Adrien’s hands just brushed his when the door to the balcony swung open, Chloe yelling.

“I said wait, you brat!”

“Adrien, Nathalie is – oh!” Rose went as pink as he dress before backing away. “Never mind, I’ll take care of it.”

The two looked at each other and started to laugh. “Um, I hope that answered your question.”

“It did. As much as I’d like to continue, I try not to have Rose deal with press to keep her safe so I need to…but, tomorrow, what are you doing?”

“Nothing really. I’m not working and I think Juleka mentioned something about helping Ali with something.”

“Cool. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out.”

“Ok, deal.” Luka said, sharing a smile with Adrien, who tucked the box, card and all, into his suit jacket and headed for the door, still smiling at him over his shoulder.

‘So. That was fun.’ Sass teased. ‘Maybe you should just keep me in your pocket so you can’t hear my commentary tomorrow?’

“Shut up.” He left the balcony and was once against assaulted by Chloe. “Oh my god, what? I gave Adrien his gift and I know you were pushing for more and it did happen. What now?”

“Relax, I was just telling you good job. Now, break his heart and I’ll destroy you before he does. Or worse, I’ll leave you to Rose. She’d got some rather dark ideas for a girl who’s favourite animals are unicorns.” She walked away, leaving Luka and his spirit staring.

‘She’s very strange.’

“Yeah, but I guess I should be thankful.” Luka said, looking at where Adrien was speaking to the press.

Luka knew that there were more things waiting around the corner in their quest for answers but right now, he felt like things were going to be ok.

[xcrystalzero]

we were always a losing game

characters included: albedo. zhongli, venti, kaeya, diluc, childe

summary: not all loves are meant to be. even epic love stories sometimes fade to nothing at all. here is why is wouldn't work out.

Albedo:

He looks right through you. Even in your most intimate moments, you get the sense that Albedo isn't really here with you. His body maybe, but his mind is somewhere far, far away. You can ask him about it all you want, attempt to reach that place he leaves you for, but all you get in response to your efforts is a small smile and a gentle push away. Does he not want you to become a part of his world. By the way he looks at you, it seems he hasn't even considered that you could join him. That there could be a place for you at his side in whatever future he holds in his mind's eye. So now, even in the present, the place beside him stands empty.

Zhongli:

He thinks he is so different from you. Perhaps he even thinks he's better. He has lived for so much longer after all, has seen so much more of the world and it's people. You could never see things the way that he does. At first, his stories were strike awe into your soul, images of a world unlike the one you exist in presented with the same allure as a fantasy story. Slowly however, it begins to become something else. A world held apart from you, an experience you could never be a part of. Something to be held over you. You can't relate to him anymore, this god who wants you to be what he is, to speak to him about things you know nothing of and mold the world around you with a power like his own. It feels sometimes, as though he is comparing you to someone else, as though there was once a person who could fulfill this standard he holds you to. Even as you walk away, you hope that he can return to that person.

Venti:

He will never truly be yours. Venti will never truly be anyone's except his own. Personal space is an important concept, and one that you can easily respect, but this goes beyond that. No one is a freer spirit than him as he flows away with the wind on a whim with not even a message sent your way about his whereabouts. Sometimes he brings you back souvenirs, but little trinkets cannot replace the time with him that has been lost. Any attempts you make to address the issue are dodged with frightening ease as he hops of to someplace new, always without you. He comes back one day and you are not there to meet him.

Kaeya:

You don't know him, and you're not sure you ever will. He draws his fingers slowly down your cheek and whispers silky words into your ears and yours alone, but at their core, they are hollow. His smiles and the flowers on your desk in the morning and the drinks that you never seem to end up paying for. They are romantic gestures sure, but they're not from Kaeya. They are from this projection he has created, a man meant to be seen and lauded while its creator melted into the shadows, forever just out of reach. You give him a chance, asking just once, to be able to meet the true Kaeya Alberich. When he brushes you off with a wry comment and kiss brushed against your knuckles, you know that it is over.

Diluc:

He wants to protect you, unaware that you've been protecting yourself all your life. Gentlemanly gestures of walking you home, taking you by the elbow, and whispered guarantees of your safety turn into possessive pulls at your wrist and killing glares aimed at any who dare even glance your way. The feeling of someone looking out for you is a warm and comforting one, but you are not a helpless flower. You have been living in this cruel world just as long as him, you know how it works. His grip on you tightens day by day and you're suffocating. You tell him as much, but all he has to say is that you don't know this world like he does. You don't understand how much could go wrong. Perhaps that is true, but you're willing to face this harsh world on your own if it means regaining your freedom.

Childe:

You can't keep up with him. Not for lack of trying of course, you'll chase after him to the ends of the earth, picking him up when he falls and patching up his wounds just for him to go running into the thorns of battle once more. Eventually though, you just can't follow him any longer. You can't constantly be at his back when he falters, can't face him when he turns to you with sunken eyes and blood dripping down his face. You can't support someone who treks forward constantly, only really looking at you when he fails. He'll find a sturdy backbone, or even a twin soul eventually you're sure. It just isn't you.

note: take the sadness.

[darthfrodophantom]

Ectoberhaunt Day 5: Ouija Board

Summary: To get into the spooky season spirit, Tucker and Sam convince Danny to play a video game late at night, and Danny isn’t pleased about the subject of the video game.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34303123 

Too Close to Home

“Let me get this straight,” Danny interrupted. “I fight ghosts - real ghosts - on a nightly basis. And now that I actually have a free night you want to take up the time that I should be sleeping to fight fake ghosts?”

He shook his head as he looked at his computer screen, the only light in his entire bedroom aside from the digital clock that showed the hour: 11:45. From the first-person view of the computer game on his screen, he watched the avatars of both of his friends attempt to throw basketballs into a hoop.

“But this is way more fun,” Tucker’s voice said over Danny’s headset. “And it hurts a lot less! Ah! Dang it Sam - you messed up my throw!”

Sam cackled triumphantly. “Better pay more attention to your timing then.”

Tucker groaned as his avatar abandoned the basketball for spray paint cans, which he chucked at Sam. “Besides Danny, we’re not fighting ghosts: we’re hunting them.”

“Fine, fight, hunt, whatever. I still do both of them,” Danny argued.

“Not like this you don’t,” Tucker grinned. “God he’s gonna get creamed.”

“You know Danny, maybe we should let you go to bed. You’re gonna ruin my perfect streak,” Sam teased.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you’ll actually do better because you have a true ghost hunting professional on the team,” he defended. He had no idea why he was bragging - he’d just been given an out and given the late hour he should take it, but now it felt like he needed to defend his pride as a ghost hunter. …That thought sounded a little too similar to something his parents would say and he quickly dismissed it. “Besides, I played the tutorial, I know what I’m doing. I’m just trying to figure out why we’re doing this.”

“Because it’s spooky season,” Tucker replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“We are only five days into October, Tucker, and if you’re gonna keep doing this all month I am going to hit you with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick,” Sam threatened.

“I dunno, it might be worth it,” Tucker teased. “What do you think Danny?”

Danny shook his head, even though none of them could see it. “As the only person in this group who has actually been hit by the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, I would back off,” he advised.

“Listen to Danny Tucker,” Sam chuckled as her avatar walked over to the white board to set up the hunt. “He’s actually speaking wisdom for once. Now come over here and pick out your gear.”

The playful teasing between best friends stopped as they actually got serious and picked out the gear they would need for their mission. Since Danny had no money, he couldn’t really participate in the conversation, but it seemed like Tucker and Sam had played this enough to know what they needed to bring. Sam started the mission, and their avatars found themselves inside the trailer looking at another whiteboard.

“Alright, looks like our ghost is named Thomas Clark and he responds to all of us,” Sam informed the group while Tucker’s avatar walked over to the shelves to equip supplies.

“Well that’s a dumb name for a ghost,” Danny complained as he looked at the bulletin board next to the computer. He had to squint at his screen to read them, but the articles were fairly legible and contained ghost stories he remembered hearing his parents talk about. It also had a recent article that he actually remembered running in USA Today proclaiming Amity Park as the most haunted city in the world - he didn’t know whether to feel proud or annoyed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sam agreed, though her voice was laced with sarcasm. “He should have gone with Thomas Phantom instead.”

Danny rolled his eyes as Tucker burst out laughing. “Oh yeah, now that sounds like a proper ghost,” Tucker added between laughs.

“I knew I was going to hate this,” Danny groaned under his breath. “Can we just get this over with?”

Sam’s avatar turned to face the new whiteboard. “Alright, fine. Objective one: find out what kind of ghost we’re dealing with - standard. Objective two: witness a ghost event.”

“I am a ghost event,” Danny smirked, causing Tucker to burst out laughing again.

“Objective three,” Sam snapped, “capture a photo of the ghost.”

Tucker’s avatar grabbed a camera and snapped a picture of Danny’s avatar. “Got one!” he proclaimed, which drove both boys into laughter.

“Objective four,” Sam said louder, “get a ghost to walk through salt.”

“What? That’s dumb. Everyone knows that’s an old wive’s tale,” Danny complained as he shook his head. Did the creators of this game actually do any real research before they made this game?

“Are you regretting this yet Sam?” Tucker asked as he finally stopped laughing.

“Let’s just get in the house,” she groaned. Danny smirked in triumph, and he could tell Tucker was sharing a similar smirk on his end.

They divided up equipment between the three of them, but not before Danny could comment on the inaccuracies of each of the pieces of equipment and how useless they’d be in an actual ghost fight. From faulty science to just being plain incorrect, Danny made sure to have pithy comments about all the equipment. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much that it had to be accurate - he was not his parents - but as a ghost and a ghost hunter, it just felt a little more personal than he wanted to admit.

Because he was the newest one, Danny got stuck with the Spirit Book (“What? Are they trying to imply all ghosts can’t write? That’s alivist!”) and the EMF Reader (“...Okay that one’s actually accurate”) because they were apparently the easiest to use. Laden down with their gear they walked up to the small house. Sam’s avatar unlocked the door and they headed inside. Danny noticed the tonal shift immediately. Outside he could hear wind and crickets chirping, but once he stepped inside the doorway, an oppressive silence covered his headphones. It reminded him of the sensation on a pressurised airplane and it unnerved and unsettled him...a lot more than he planned to admit to his friends.

“Alright, spread out,” Sam instructed. “See if you can find the ghost room.”

Ghost room, right. He remembered that from the tutorial. It had been the garage in the tutorial, so he figured he should start there. He walked back through the dark house, turning lights on as he went. It wasn’t because he was scared - absolutely not, he was a real ghost hunter! - it was just much easier to see. He pulled out the EMF reader and walked into the garage. It had an eerie quality to it, and he couldn’t tell if it was because he remembered seeing the ghost there last time (a mean looking (and inaccurate) ghost covered in blood and holding an axe) or if it was because he was alone and the room was so large, but he did not like being in here.

“You know, in the tutorial, the ghost was a bloody axe-man,” Danny remarked over the walkie talkie.

“Yeah, I think he’s standard in the tutorial,” Sam remarked offhand. He did not want to admit how good it felt to hear her voice in the oppressive silence of the house. They were clearly focused on their tasks, and that was a good thing, but it felt a lot better hearing their voices.

“Red blood,” he continued, simply to trigger more conversation. He didn’t get any EMF readings, so he gratefully left the garage. “Not ectoplasm. It’s like they didn’t even try.”

“Ugh, Danny, they’re going for a horror aesthetic, not something real,” Sam sighed.

“What? Ectoplasm-stains are horrifying,” he countered as he walked through the rest of the first story. Still no EMF readings.

“Only when it’s yours,” Sam said, and the weight of those words echoed in the silence of the house that made him stop moving for a moment. “No cold spots upstairs,” Sam informed them to break the silence.

“Yeah, no EMF downstairs,” Danny added. “I’m gonna check out the basement.” That’s where they loved to hang out in the real world, so it seemed the next best choice.

“Oh hang on, if you’re going down there I’ll go with you,” Tucker spoke up.

Danny stopped halfway down the stairs. “It’s fine, I’m pretty used to basements,” he joked weaky.

“Yeah, well the last time you went into a basement alone with untested ghost equipment you died.” Tucker said it light-heartedly as a joke, and it was one they’d said a bunch of times before, but somehow it just didn’t feel the same in this tense environment. It felt too...personal.

He waited for Tucker’s avatar to appear before they walked down the stairs together into the basement. Unlike Sam’s basement or his own, this basement had a much creepier feel to it, with the foreboding worn brick walls and discolored cement flooring. Honestly he was glad Tucker went down there with him because it just felt better having another person there.

“Sam, maybe you should get down here with the thermometer,” Tucker mentioned as they both walked through the basement. “Because we’re not--”

Danny whirled around as he heard something thud hard against the ground behind him while he jumped in his chair. The EMF reader in his hand jumped up to three dots and blared at them while he stared at a box of tools now on the ground. The ghost was clearly in the room. Danny half-expected his ghost sense to go off, but he had to remind himself it was just a video game. There wasn’t actually a ghost here.

“What happened?” Sam’s urgent voice said over the walkies.

“Ghost knocked something off the shelf down here,” Tucker said as his avatar walked over to the toolbox. “Ooh! We’ve got fingerprints!” he cheered as his avatar shined a light on a glowing handprint.

“Oh that’s so not how that works,” Danny complained, just to help lighten the mood. Honestly he felt a bit jumpy knowing that the ghost was in the room...and he couldn’t sense him. He’d dealt with invisible ghosts before, but his ghost sense always gave him a vague idea of where they were...except for now. He turned in his chair to check the room behind him. No ghosts, no ghost sense. It’s just in the computer game.

“Figures that the ghost would be in the basement,” Sam remarked as her avatar walked down the stairs and opened her journal. Right! Journal. Danny opened his and placed their one piece of evidence inside. The sooner they got all of those the sooner they could leave, and he really liked that idea.

“I’m not seeing freezing temperatures, but it is a little cooler than the rest of the house,” she continued. “So let’s start setting stuff up in here. Tucker get the DOTS up and I’ll place the camera. Danny place the spirit book.”

Okay, this wasn’t so bad with the three of them in the room. He could hear them moving around and he could see them, so it made him feel a bit better. And there was still no sign of the ghost. He put the spirit book down near the toolbox and looked away from it. Maybe the ghost wouldn’t write in it while he was watching? He didn’t know.

“Ooh!” Tucker cried excitedly.

“Did you see it in the DOTS?” Sam asked.

“No - Ouija board! Oh yeah!” Tucker cheered. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“Oh I love these,” Sam agreed. Danny’s brow furrowed as he looked at the screen. Why were they acting so happy - didn’t they forget there was a ghost in this room with them?

“Hang on, let Danny try the Ouija board,” Tucker suggested. “You know, because he’s never seen it before.”

“Ooh good idea,” Sam agreed. Danny walked over to where they were and saw Sam’s avatar set down a light brown board.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sus about your motives right now,” Danny said. He had a bad feeling about this...

“No Danny, it’s fine. These are actually pretty cool in this game,” Sam assured him. She quickly explained how the Ouija boards worked in the game and what questions to ask, and against his better judgment, he walked over and activated the board. The numbers and letters glowed orange against the light color of the wood.

He decided to start with something easy, so he swallowed and forced his voice to come out clear. “How old are you?” He jumped in his chair and his avatar backed up quickly as the planchette moved across the letters.

“Y - O - U - N - G,” Tucker read. “A young ghost.”

“Oh God, I hope that doesn’t mean it’s the crawling baby ghost,” Sam sighed. “I really hate that one.”

“Ask it something else,” Tucker encouraged.

“I don’t know,” Danny hedged. For some reason the Ouija board set him on edge. Something deep in his gut did not like this. Even if it wasn’t real and he kept telling himself it wasn’t real, he didn’t like it.

“No dude, it’s okay,” he assured him. “You can ask two questions before a significant sanity drop. Just ask it one more and you can go back to the truck.”

He very much wanted to go back to the truck. He just needed a chance to regroup. He was a ghost and fought ghosts for a living and he could not understand why this game unnerved him so much. But Danny Phantom wasn’t scared of ghosts, any kind of ghosts, and he wasn’t about to show it on a video game. “Fine,” he groaned as he picked up the board again. “Who died?”

This time he knew what to expect, and didn’t jump as much as the planchette started moving. First to the D, then to the A. Over to the N, then looping back to the N. It ended on a Y.

All three of them stopped moving. The silence became even more deafening around them. Danny dropped the Ouija board and backed up as far as the game would let him. He felt a cold sweat drip down his back. Danny. It spelled Danny. How did it know his name?

“...That has got to be a coincidence,” Sam finally said after the silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

“The ghost’s name must be Danny,” Tucker suggested, voice full of forced bravado.

“...No it’s Thomas,” Sam said slowly. “It must just be reading your username to scare you,” she decided.

“No my...my username is GhostBoy,” Danny reminded them, finally feeling like he could speak.

“Is this game actually haunted? Danny, what did you do?” Tucker accused, voice bordering on hysterics.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” Danny yelled back. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He put a hand up to feel his breath - still normal temperature. He looked around his room. There wasn’t a ghost here. But how did it know his name? And that he did almost die in a basement? “You’re the one that told me to use it!”

“Okay, let’s just calm down,” Sam interrupted. “It’s gotta be a coincidence. Let me try it and see if it says the same thing or gives me my name. It could be a new update that checks the name on the Steam account or something.”

Sam moved closer to the board, but before she could touch it all their flashlights flickered.

“Shit!” Tucker yelled.

“Run!” Sam cried in a panic.

Danny followed them up the stairs to the main level. The idea of running from a ghost, not fighting it, was so foreign to him, but he had no choice. He was powerless here. No ghost powers, no weapons, no thermos. He was completely helpless against this ghost.

He bolted for the garage, the one other room he knew how to get to. Sam’s avatar was running next to him. He could hear footsteps behind him and he swore as he ran towards the garage. Sam diverted into another room, but he continued into the garage. He found a locker he’d opened before and rushed into it. He barely remembered to turn off his flashlight and he waited. Seconds passed and he realized he was holding his breath. No...not holding his breath. Not breathing. He looked down at his hands and saw the glowing white gloves. When...when did he change into his ghost form?

Sam’s voice over the walkie startled him. “What the--? Oh my G--” The walkie feed cut to static and then nothing.

“I...I think it got Sam,” Tucker’s voice said over the walkie. Danny turned on his flashlight and saw that it was no longer blinking. He threw his head back in relief. The hunt was over. He climbed back out of his locker, keeping the door open again just in case.

“Dude, she was running right next to me. It must have followed her instead of me,” Danny told him. “Ugh, well what are we going to do now? She’s the only one who knew what she was doing!”

“Wait, I thought you would be a pro because you’re a ‘professional ghost hunter’ - isn’t that what you kept saying?” Tucker teased.

“Yeah, well I lied! This is nothing like ghost hunting!” he argued as he walked out of the garage. He was going back to the trailer. “Real ghost hunters would bring some kind of weapon and wouldn’t just run around helpless! We should just call it.”

“What? No! We’ve got two more pieces of evidence to collect. And we haven’t done any of the objectives! Tucker retorted.

“Fine!” he snapped as he walked down the main hallway. “if you want to keep looking for clues you can, but I’m going back to the trailer to check--”

The front door slammed shut. His flashlight blinked again.

“Shit!” Tucker cried.

Danny could hear the footsteps behind him. He could feel a heart thumping in his headset. He started running off to a room but stopped. No, he was not running again. He was going to stare this ghost down and prove that Danny Phantom was not scared of some ghost. His image struck fear in the hearts of ghosts and his name carried respect in the Ghost Zone. He was not going to let some video game ghost get the better of him and spook him with some Ouija board trick.

He turned around to face it, camera at the ready. If he was going down, he was getting a picture of it. The ghost blinked in the hallway and Danny saw the cause of his anxiety for the first time. The ghost floated down the hallway, with white hair and a black and white jumpsuit. It...it was him. The ghost was Phantom.

He completely forgot to take a picture as his own image rushed at him. He saw two gloved hands cover over the screen and then everything went dark. He heard the crash of breaking glass, saw a strange underground cavern for a second, and then he was back in a foggy blue version of the house.

The ghost of Sam’s avatar approached him, and he heard her laughing over the headset. It sounded like she’d been laughing for awhile. “Oh my god Danny, did you see the ghost?” she asked between laughs.

“It...that was...oh my God,” he groaned. It all made sense. Spelling Danny was likely an Easter egg, a cute nod to his name of Danny Phantom. The fact that it happened in the basement was just a coincidence, because it’s a creepy spot and a commonly haunted area. He hadn’t summoned anything. He wasn’t being targeted by some ghost in the computer. It was just an Easter egg paying homage to him.

Suddenly all the stress left him and he laughed. God, it felt so good to laugh after all that panic. This game had gotten him so worked up and over what? Over a ghost that looked like himself? Suddenly it all seemed so silly that it scared him that much. He had felt actual dread and fear, enough to trigger an unconscious transformation out of a need to protect himself, but there weren’t actually any real consequences. Now he just got to walk around unhindered in this ghostly version of the house, but nothing else actually happened.

Sam laughed along with Danny. “So you did see it then?”

“It was...oh my god Sam it was me! It looked just like me!”

“I know!” she exclaimed. “As soon as I saw it I forgot to keep running and stared. So of course it killed me. I did get a picture though,” she bragged.

“Oh man. I meant to, but I was just too stunned.” Now that he felt much better, he decided to wander around the house following Tucker who, for some reason, was still trying to finish the level on his own.

Sam suspiciously stopped her laughing. “Wait...Danny, your voice sounds weird. Are you...are you in your ghost form?”

Danny bit his lip as a slight blush graced his cheeks. “I don’t want to hear it.” But the telltale whoosh of the glowing rings turning him back to his human form seemed to be all the confirmation she needed. Except, he didn’t hear her laugh.

“...Danny, I wanted to apologize,” she said, and that made Danny stop moving and look quizzically at the screen.

“What? Apologize for what?” he asked.

“For goading you into playing this game,” she clarified, her voice surprisingly serious. “While I’ve been hanging out here in the spirit world, I realized why this game set you off so much.”

“What do you mean? I never said it set me off,” Danny defended. How could she possibly know that? He thought he was playing it pretty cool.

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “You’re in your ghost form and you were panicking after the Ouija board thing.”

“Hey you would panic too if--”

“Danny I’m trying to say that I get it,” she interrupted. “Being near a ghost without your powers? Without any weapons? Being powerless? It’s one of your biggest nightmares, that your powers will fail when you need them. And this game, it’s too close to home.”

Danny stopped moving and stared at the screen, because she was absolutely right. This was too close to home. How many times did he have to check to make sure his ghost sense wasn’t actually going off? How many times did he keep thinking about how similar everything felt to his own experiences? How unnerved he was about a ghost in the basement? It was too similar to his real life...except he had the tools he needed in his real life. Not a flashlight and some dumb spirit book, but actual real tools and powers and weapons, but here they were all taken away from him. Everything he relied on to fight ghosts had been stripped from him in the game and trapped him helpless in a house with his friends. Of course that bothered him. It was, as Sam said, one of his more recurring nightmares.

“...Yeah I think I’m good never playing this game again,” Danny admitted, the closest he planned to get to acknowledging everything she said was true.

“Honestly? I don’t blame you,” Sam agreed softly. “I think it’s easier for us because we’re used to this role: when there’s a ghost in the area, we help figure out what’s going on and support you. It’s not all that different from this game,” she explained. Her ghostly avatar followed Tucker out of the house and he followed after them. “But when you’re used to doing the fighting and defending and can’t...I guess it’s probably harder to separate yourself from the game.”

He reached behind him and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. It was too similar to his daily life, and as he tried to argue at the beginning, he didn’t need to hunt fake ghosts poorly when he knew how to fight real ghosts well. “You know you sound like Jazz,” he pointed out, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

“Wow, you’re going to insult me after I tried to help you?” Sam scoffed. “See if I ever help you again!”

Danny smiled at the screen, glad to be back to the teasing. He definitely felt more relaxed and more like himself. “Oh look, Tucker’s finally calling it quits,” Danny observed as Tucker closed the door to the trailer.

“God, I can’t wait to find out if he saw you.” He could hear her grinning through the headset and honestly he felt the same. Out of all of them, Tucker would be the most excited about this addition.

The screen changed over to the menu screen, showing all their accomplished objectives. It also meant that all three party members could talk to each other again. “I can’t believe you left me!” Tucker complained. “It’s even worse when you’re in there on your own! Do you know how much more evidence we needed to collect? Um, a ton!”

Sam laughed, and Danny had to join in. “Okay so we are sorry about that, but Tucker did you ever see the ghost?”

“No, which is probably why I’m the only one that survived!” he complained.

“Oh my god Sam, he didn’t see it,” Danny groaned.

“Oh my god.”

“No wait, didn’t see what?” Tucker asked. His voice had calmed down a bit and was colored with curiosity.

“Tucker...the ghost was Danny,” Sam told him.

“Uh no, we clarified his name was Thomas,” Tucker corrected.

Sam and Danny both groaned. “No Tucker, the ghost was Danny Phantom. It was skinned to look like Phantom,” she clarified.

Tucker’s line sat silent for a long time before he finally exploded in a shower of shock, excitement, and regret. “NO WAY! No! That is so cool! I mean I knew the developers were fans, but this is so cool! Like literally the best tribute ever. Oh my god I can’t believe I missed it! No!” he cried. He was so loud into the microphone that Danny had a hard time believing Tucker didn’t wake his parents.

“It’s why both of us died,” Danny explained. “We were just too shocked seeing it.”

“We’re going back in. I need to see this,” Tucker demanded.

Danny bit his lip. He was not going back in. He meant it when he said he was done. He almost had his explanation on his lips before Sam spoke up first. “I doubt it’ll show up two times in a row. I Googled it and the skin will be here for the whole month of Halloween as a random draw, so you’ve got time to see it. But if you want to try again tonight, I’ll keep playing if you want. Danny...he needs to get some sleep.”

“What? No, it's so much easier with three people. Come on Danny,” Tucker pleaded.

“Nah, Sam’s right, I should go to bed. Gotta be rested for those real ghosts tomorrow,” Danny chuckled. “Besides, being killed by my own image was a little weird.” And also a little too close to home, considering some of his memories of Dan.

“Yeah, this game isn’t Danny’s jam,” Sam explained simply. He had a feeling Sam would talk to Tucker more about what they discussed while their avatars were dead, and honestly he didn’t mind. He didn’t want to keep secrets from Tucker, he just really didn’t want to talk about it any more tonight.

Tucker sighed. “Alright, fine, you’re off the hook. At least you gave it a try though.”

“I did, and you’re both gonna owe me one for doing it too,” Danny reminded them.

“Dude, pretty sure you’re in the negatives when it comes to IOUs from us,” Tucker pointed out with a good-natured laugh. “Testing out inventions, excuses at school, doing your homework, remembering the thermos when you forget it, distracting your parents…”

“Okay okay, I get it,” Danny groaned as he left the screen and exited out of the game. “Well fine, then I’m less in the negative now. And on that happy subject, I’m going to bed. Good night guys.”

“Good night Danny,” Sam replied. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Danny almost hung up on their private Discord server when he heard Tucker speak up. “Hey Danny, wait.”

“What?” he asked curiously, his mouse still hovering over the disconnect sign.

“The type of ghost...was a Phantom.”

I’ve never cross-posted on tumblr before, so this will be a first! I hope you enjoy!

[still-a-morosexual-help]

OBEY ME! LESSON 57 DETAILED SUMMARY AND DISCUSSIONS/THEORIES

*I wrote this days after the lesson was first posted and never bothered to go back and edit it so meaning there will be me theorizing about the next lesson as well

*I write a small para for each chapter and I write it immediately after finishing that chapter so there’ll be theorizing about the next chapter too

*I swear more than usual here

*Some of the dialogue is heavily plagiarized and a few is lifted directly from the story, the game is to figure which is which.

*Summaries and Discussions/theories for all the other lessons can be found on this blog under #obey me spoilers or #my theories or #my headcanons

MC wakes up to Belphie and Satan planning on kidnapping them, deciding to wake them up and then arguing about which small prank they should play to wake them up (satan suggests holding their nose till they wake up and Belphie says they’d have to be careful with that method cause it could kill a human). MC decides it’d be best nor to let them go ahead with anyone of this and wakes up screaming to scare them both. They complain about being reverse pranked and say that breakfast is ready. Belphie also gives them the star of diligence for all that happened last lesson. Belphie asks if once MC becomes an actual sorcerer if Solomon will teach them higher level magic. Satan say it’d be a great boost to the anti-lucifer league. Belphie wonders what the final exam would be (and I just realised these two exams will be the final exam holy shit) and satan asks MC if they’re confident, they say ‘after all the BS I’ve been through? FUCK YEAH!’ Satan says it’s good to be motivated but to stay focused, Belphie says past experience shows that MC can stand to lose a little focus and still be okay. There’s a commotion and they realise that it’s probably Beel rampaging cause he got too hungry.

Asmo scolds Beel for his rampage, Beel apologizes and Asmo tells him not to apologize through a mouthful of food cause it seems less sincere. Asmo asks if he even regrets it and Beel ignores him to go reheat the meat pies which pisses asmo off more. Belphie tells him to drop it and that it was partly their fault for taking so long to come back. Asmo then scolds Belphie for being too soft with Beel. Lucifer asks about MC’s star and congratulates them. MC thanks him and questions him being so happy about them nearly being done. He says them becoming a proper sorcerer is important for all the brothers and that personally Lucifer wants them to become more powerful than Solomon so that they can finally shut him up and make him stop pestering Lucifer for a pact. Belphie questions Lucifer more about Solomon and Lucifer complains, also saying that there are plenty of demons willing to forge a pact with him but Asmo says Solomon’s very particular about who he makes pacts with. Asmo says word for word, “It may not seem like it, but he’s got a very cold-blooded side to him. He probably picks his targets purely based on whether they’ll be of use to him.” (I just think it’s really interesting that asmo calls them ‘targets’ though the character relationship diagram did say that Solomon considers others his playthings). Asmo uses Mammon as an example of a demon Solomon wouldn’t want to forge a pact with but Mammon doesn’t respond instant he’s silent and distracted/worried. Asmo pokes at Mammon again asking if he agrees. Mammon distractedly agrees. Asmo’s smile instantly falls, shocked and upset that Mammon isn’t biting back and arguing or saying something mean in return (why is this my brother & I???). Satan says that Levi will also be useless to Solomon. Levi responds the same way as Mammon did which freaks out both Satan and Belphie. MC asks Mammon & Levi what’s wrong. Belphie states how weird they’re being and Asmo also asks what happened, looking particularly upset. Lucifer calls out to the both of them too. But before they get a response Barbatos calls Lucifer asking them all to come to the hotel immediately.

On the way over Satan says Barbatos asking them over this early is strange and asks if he gave Lucifer a reason, Lucifer said Barbatos had promised to explain when they got there. Satan asks if this is wise considering two of them were already acting odd. Lucifer turns to them and says he’s not going to ask what their behaviour’s about rn but when they go back home the two of them have to explain to him what happened. They both give distracted noncommittal hums as answers. Satan says they’re like completely different people rn and Asmo says whatever the reason behind their behaviour it’s probably stupid. Asmo then asks MC about how he should paint his nails next time, MC can say a mature look,  =a feminine look or a simple look. Then he remembers he’s supposed to enrol in a cooking class that makes food to “cleanse the soul” it’ll be hard with new nails. He also worries about whether food that ‘cleanses the soul’ could exorcise him. MC after all the BS they’ve gone through is extremely paranoid and says it sounds sus Asmo says the 7 of them are also pretty suspicious and that given their limited time in the human world he wants to do everything he can. Behind them Levi meows. Asmo says that though the demons are here just on break the angels are gonna be here long term (guys guys guys what if S4’s after the brothers leave and it’s an angel focused season with them bringing in Michael and Raphael and the brothers only show up for small bits??? I’d cry I’ll get Mammon withdrawal). Levi meows again. Asmo says he wants to stay and have fun in the human world for longer too. Levi meows thrice in a row. Asmo finally snaps and yells at Levi. Levi says he just wants to talk to MC for a bit (remembered the girl in college who used to meow at me whenever we passed by each other). Satan says he knows that Levi’s done something bad that’s gonna piss off Lucifer and now he’s trying to drag MC away from the others to find away to fix it. Levi tries to deny it but Satan just congratulates him and says depending on how this turns out they may invite him to the ant-lucifer league. Belphie asks what he did and Levi tries to deny it until Beel stops walking in stunned silence and Belphie asks him what happened. Beel says he just remembered something awful.

Beel wants to go back to get his abandoned meat pies, Mammon breaks outta whatever stupor he was in to say that’s insane and MC suggests heading through the market. Beel loves the idea and hugs MC, with Asmo saying he wants to hug MC too. At the market people stare at them, Lucifer says it’s natural with how big a group they are, Asmo contributes it to his beauty, I say it’s Satan’s ugly ass clothes. Mammon says people oughta pay them if they’re gonna stare, Levi says it’s embarrassing and MC tells him he’s being too self-conscious, Levi replies saying it feels like he’s being made to do an embarrassing public dare. The butcher greets all of them, surprised to see all of them at once, Beel places his order and the butchers asks if they’re friends, family…(members of a cult? Orgy?) MC can look over at either Mammon or Lucifer and get them to answer. Mammon says that  except for MC they’re brothers though he doesn’t like being stuck with them for brothers but what can ya do. Belphie says Mammon’s got that last bit backwards. Lucifer says the same as Mammon’s first part but adds on that the others can be embarrassing. Satan says ‘like you’re not!?’ The butcher looks at this back of idiots who all look roughly the same age and nothing alike and says “ah. I see.” Then says “MC is your friend or…”Asmo laughs and calls the butcher nosy and says he and MC are a couple and that they’re they love of his life (the butcher previously also was introduced to Beel & MC and Mammon & Mc as couples…), Mammon says MC’s his servant (what a dick. I love him so much), Belphie says he thought the story was they hired MC as their babysitter (and that doesn’t sound shady at all) MC can say they’re a.) family This makes Beel & lucifer really happy and they agree. b.) their master, Mammon says MC’s got it wrong and it’s the other way around. Levi says that at least in Mammon’s case they got it right. c.) their babysitter – Satan protests to being called a baby. The Butcher’s like right….I kind of don’t wanna ask for anymore details but it’s nice you’re all so close.

Up in the hotel Beel is on his 37th meat pie much to Asmo’s dismay. Diavolo greets them and apologizes for the time, MC asks ‘what kinda bullfuckery is going on now’. Since last night there’ve been rumours of an evil spirit (aren’t diavolo & Barbatos also technically evil spirits…) Last night a guest had coming running to the front desk, seeming very pale and petrified with fear insisting there was something in the room with them. Though they don’t say a word Mammon gets shocked by this and Levi gets upset. Several staff members had gone to investigate but what they’d seen had left them shaking and unable to speak. They shock was so much that everyone who’d seen it had been admitted to the hospital. Mammon starts nervously laughing, saying it must have been all in their imagination, the way he words it makes it sound like he’s implying evil spirits aren’t real which I find hilarious. Levi, stuttering, backs him up. Satan says they can’t have all imagined it (isn’t this a thing though? Wait lemme google it up. Mass hallucinations or epidemic hysteria. The first two examples are during the middle ages and they both happened to nuns which is odd. The first was a nun who kept biting other nuns and it spread till the nuns were biting each other. The other was a nun who kept meowing and well that spread. Hey you guys need to read the wiki page for the examples of this it’s really fucking interesting). Mammon ignores Satan and tries to leave citing ‘stuff’ he’s gotta do. And Levi suddenly remembers some of his prior commitments as well. Asmo calls them out for being suspicious and Mammon stutters through the whole sentence denying it. Lucifer bans them from leaving which upsets them and Satan realises that they were called to get rid of the spirit. MC (who’s a shit) asks why the demon king’s son can’t take care of it or if it’s safe for demons to exorcise evil spirits. He says he’s got meetings the whole morning and that the spirit is something he can’t keep waiting till later. He says that though to humans they may seem similar, demons and evil spirits are very different beings. He also says the spirit is the kind that’ll be hard even for demons to handle alone. Asmo asks if that means Diavolo knows what it is. He says it’s a bogeyman (Me: *snort*)

The twins are surprised, Diavolo asks MC whether they know what it is. Bogeymen are well known even in the human world, with children fearing they may be hiding in dark corners of their rooms, they don’t have their own form and instead appear as your greatest fear (and isn’t this the thing from harry potter? A boggart right?) Belphie asks how it could have ended up in Corvo and Lucifer turns to the two obvious suspects as they try to inch their way towards the door. Through stutters they try to explain that they weren’t trying to run away. Lucifer’s so pissed at this point his text has stopped appearing in bold and is now appearing in red. Mammon throws Levi under the bus, saying he wouldn’t stop adding all these new upgrades to crowe, levi says it was Mammon doing that using Levi’s account and money. Levi said Mammon wanted to try an effect called “Pandora’s Gacha” which would give you a random effect that you weren’t told about beforehand. When Lucifer yells at them to quiet his text is both bold and red so you know he’s seconds away from murdering them. He makes them explain everything properly from the beginning and there’s a flashback.  They’re both in Levi’s room, realising how badly they fucked up, as black mist starts to swirl around them (they also keep finishing each other’s sentences as they talk about how fucked they are which I thought was cute). Levi says he has no idea what they summoned but that it should definitely not be loose in the human world and Mammon cusses out crowe (which fair? Which did an update to crowe let loose an evil spirit? Maybe cause crowe’s also connected to the devildom but I can’t imagine anyone in the devildom wanting to be surprised with an evil spirit either… and shouldn’t they correct that bug before someone in the human world summons something that only crowe in the devildom is supposed to summon. But I guess Levi’s crowe is a prototype). Crowe actually answers Mammon and starts telling what it is an what it does as the mist starts taking form. Crowe congratulates them on winning a ‘super special rare effect’, Mammon asks how they could congratulate them when this sucks. The mist forms into Lucifer in his demon form resulting in the two of them screaming and panicking, Mammon’s chanting ‘no’ over and over again and Levi shrieks at Crowe to get rid of it and Crowe asks if he wants to transfer the bogeyman to another location. Crowe asks permission to use 1000DP to install an update to do that, which makes Levi hesitate but Mammon agrees. Crowe asks where they would like to send it. Levi starts stuttering saying he doesn’t know and Mammon says anywhere but here. Levi then stutters out hotel corvo. (So I have questions: Does the bogeyman appear as what you fear the most in general or what you fear the most at the time you see it? Like since before it formed a shape they were already freaking out about Lucifer getting pissed at them so in that one moment that’s what they were scared of more than anything else. Also does it transform into your collective fear? Like since Mammon & Levi met it together it transformed into a pissed demon Lucifer cause that’s the one thing they both fear the most but if it met the two of them individually would it transform into something they alone fear the most? I’m asking cause the two of them seem to piss off Lucifer so much, and despite knowing the consequences for their actions this does not stop them from doing more things to piss off Lucifer, and they’ve been doing this for thousands upon thousands of years that it doesn’t make sense that the thing they fear the most would be Lucifer.)

Back in the present mammon happily compliments Levi on his quick thinking of transferring it to Corvo, Levi happily takes the compliment, calling himself a genius and saying he’d seen an ad for corvo right before the whole bogeyman thing appeared and it popped into his head. “How very interesting…” Says Lucifer with a smile on his face and remembering where they are right now Levi gasps. Lucifer quotes back what they just said to each other before transforming into his demon form making the two of them start screaming again. Belphie says the two of them redefine stupid. Barbatos, with a smile, says he’s pleased they found the cause of all this. And Satan remarks that Barbatos seems really pissed. Beel says the way he’s smiling makes it scarier and actually reminds him of Satan (I love the smiling despite being consumed with seething murderous rage thing some of the demons do. We even saw Mammon do it in that one Devilgram where the brothers for once actually managed to piss him off enough to make him transform into his demon form.) Barbatos says he’ll leave the clean up to Lucifer and the others. Lucifer, now back to normal, agrees despite looking upset and saying he’d rather not. Barbatos drags diavolo to his meeting despite Diavolo protesting and saying he doesn’t want to leave as things get interesting and asking if he can reschedule the meetings, Barbatos says Diavolo had promised to be professional and get all his work done if Barbatos let him come and stay in the human world. Diavolo asks MC if they can have a gossip session about everything that’s gonna happen later and they promise to. Diavolo complains again and Barbatos smiles and goes ‘Young Master.’ And Diavolo immediately fold and leaves. Belphie comments on how even Diavolo wouldn’t dare cross Barbatos when he’s pissed. Asmo and Satan say Levi and Mammon should fix this mess. Mammon says as brothers they should stick together. Belphie says he doesn’t get to play the brother card at his convenience. Asmo asks if MC agrees with him. Levi gives them puppy dog eyes and asks if MC will abandon them. If MC says they should all work together Mammon gets all sparkly eyed and says he knew MC would agree and Levi gets all sparkly eyed and says MC’s the best. Belphie says he doesn’t want to be stuck dealing with this. If MC says it’s their fault and they should figure it out Mammon asks them if that doesn’t sound too harsh and Levi says he understands that nobody cares about them. Satan calls them tweedled-dee and tweedled-dum and says they brought it on themselves. Beel asks Lucifer what they’ll do. Lucifer says Mammon & Levi should deal with it, Levi tries to protest but Asmo says they should have known this would happen. They’re interrupted by Simeon and Solomon, with Solomon saying he wants MC to take care of this.

Lucifer asks why they’re here. Solomon says Barbatos told him and that the bogeyman was a perfect opportunity that they can’t let go to waste and that he wants to make it MC’s final exam. MC can say it sounds exciting or crazy, MC’s a lunatic so after they say the first Solomon is pleased and says he’d expect nothing less from his apprentice and that this is gonna be hard but it’ll make it more rewarding. Simeon laughs and says Solomon seems to have rubbed off on MC, he pauses and adds “in a good way”. Solomon smiling says that they’ll have Simeon with them as help. Simeon says he’d only come by to deliver cakes but had gotten kidnapped by Solomon. MC says they could use Simeon’s help, he’s silent for a moment but agrees though he says he doesn’t know how much help he’ll be. The others agree to come along to watch/help MC’s exam. Mammon gets all sparkly at the thought of his ‘sweet little brothers’ coming to help but Belphie says none of them are doing it for him or Levi but for MC instead. Levi says he feels like they really lucked out here. Solomon asks Lucifer if he has any protests. Lucifer looks tired and done but agrees to it all. They end up in a really creepy bloodstained hall bathed in red light. Beel asks Levi not to walk plastered on to him. Levi stutters and says he can’t. Mammon, also thoroughly freaked out, holds on to MC as they walk and says the hallway is really creepy. Asmo scolds him for using this as an excuse to hold MC. Lucifer tells them all to stfu. From the far end of the fall they hear growling until from the shadows something roars and comes charging towards them.  Mammon screams.

[dreaminpetals]

ong pls i love ur writing so much 😭😭❤️ could you do luca sfw/nsfw relationship hcs?? 😳😳

🔧 sfw & nsfw luca relationship hcs . . .

art credit

SFW ;;

♡ you're luca's favourite human being and the first person he goes to when he needs to geek out about a new invention or discovery he's made.

♡ luca isn't as social as he seems, he likes being on good terms with people so they don't misunderstand his prisoner title or fear him during matches but it's hard for him to take the next step and actually make friends. so if he ever needed to talk about anything he'd go to you.

♡ since he's so affection starved prepare to have him talk your ear off, there's so many things he's wanted to talk about but hasn't been able to.

♡ his whole life he's struggled with his side of the story being heard and he most definitely had his spirit broken in prison so to have someone who looks forward to hearing from him everyday? he gets bashful just thinking about it.

♡ if anything bothers him he loves to rant while pacing around the room, then you pspspsps him into bed and snuggle his problems away.

♡ by being his partner you've signed an unofficial contract to be his human pillow, have fun with his drooling and snoring!!!

♡ his mood changes a lot but being around you helps regulate it because he's always goofily happy when he sees you.

♡ luca is insecure about his scars and bruises, he used to be an elegant man who was constantly spotless so his look after prison + the accident has left him with some big identity issues. he needs you to compliment him!!! shower him with praise and call him handsome, charming, snazzy, whatever words you want to use... he doesn't want to feel like he downgraded :(

♡ when you're alone he lets his hair down and lets you play with it.

♡ there's so much hair.... give him a massage and kiss the crown of his head while you're at it, he loves the tenderness.

♡ sighs whenever he's content or extra comfortable, you found this out after asking why he always sighed during cuddle sessions.

♡ luca hates being cold and needs someone to keep him warm and fed, donate your body heat to him pls.

♡ he goes through random bursts of productiveness, he'll spend two days straight clinging to you like a koala then something snaps and he goes into work mode.

♡ it's hard to talk to him while he's focused so to show that you love him, drop him off food and clothes he can change into.

♡ he appreciates the silent ways you show your love, like never reacting when his electricity flairs up or scrubbing his hair in the bath before you get to yours.

♡ addicted to surprising you, whether it's a sudden kiss or a necklace he crafted for you.

♡ if something you have is broken he'll fix it for you while you sleep and have the cheekiest grin when you realize what he did in the morning.

♡ or he'll 'upgrade' something you have, like adding a self defense mechanism to your toaster and you're like 🤨

♡ the two of you go on adventures together all the time.

♡ the manor is your oyster, you're always collecting scraps to build things with each other or exploring areas with no trespassing signs.

♡ luca's quite the rule breaker and loves to show off around you but if anyone catches you he'd never let you get blamed for it.

♡ accidentally zaps you when he gets excited or surprised but he's able to control how strong they are around you, it's part of his simp abilities which overpower everything else.

♡ it's super hard to control but he ensures that you're never hurt, you can feel the zaps when you reach for his hand out of the blue but they never hurt. they're tingly and unique to your boyfriend so you've grown to love them.

♡ be careful you don't hurt yourself on his snaggle tooth when you kiss!!! there's been some mishaps with his fang before.

♡ his lips are so plump when you kiss him, they're slightly chapped but so warm and shoot butterflies straight into your stomach.

♡ does the thing where he tilts your chin up with his fingers then runs them along your bottom lip, he's addicted to seeing you blush.

♡ he acts super cocky and confident to make up for lost time and to heal his ego.

♡ asks you things like "missed me?" or "aren't i the best?" in his usual smug tone all the time but deep down that's how he asks for reassurance that he's loved.

♡ when he wakes up in the middle of the night he sometimes thinks he's back in his cell, he needs you to embrace his shivering form and tell him that you're with him now.

♡ hugs you from behind and unexpectedly picks you up because he loves to hear your laugh, it makes him feel electric.. in a good way.

NSFW ;;

♡ so. his zaps.

♡ he can control the intensity and they flair up when he's aroused or excited, meaning there's always a vibrating thrum you feel under his skin when you're intimate.

♡ what i'm saying is he's a walking vibrator ❤️

♡ lets you ride his thigh and ruts it against you, the vibrations leaving you a sobbing mess.

♡ he's okay with topping or bottoming, there's no preference he just wants to nut.

♡ inventing new ways to make you cum is his speciality but being able to lay back and let you milk him? it's a dream to luca.

♡ his moans are so rapid and breathy, he partially wants you to know you're doing a good job but he also sucks at controlling the volume of his voice.. if youre making him feel good he doesn't want to hide it. he can't hide it.

♡ he tries dirty talk with you but he's so breathless that you can barely decipher what he's saying.

♡ praise him!!! your whines are enough to keep him going but if you're able to slip some "fuck you feel so good"s in there?? he's ecstatic.

♡ refers to his cock as luca jr JDBCBDJD

♡ fixates on oral, giving AND receiving, he has a super long tongue and wants to use it on you.

♡ he's also used to handjobs from how often he's jerked himself off in the past, so a mouth over his cock is an entirely different feeling that he can barely handle.

♡ while he's giving oral he loves to make eye contact with you, flashing you his usual lopsided smile and sleazy grin except it's stained with your fluids.

♡ luca has made positions of his own and some toys of his own in his free time.

♡ if you're willing to he'd love to try out one of those fuck machines fjfnfnsbsj he wants to bring things he's good at into the bedroom.

♡ he seems like he'd love doggy style.

♡ pressing someone into a mattress while hammering into them and getting a delicious view of their body or the other way around? he dreams of that.

♡ i don't think he'd enjoy people being rough with him, degrading him, or tying him up.. it gives him bad memories.

♡ he can act like a wild animal the way he sloppily fucks you without restraint but he still gets emotional during the whole ordeal and needs to hear compliments and feel safe.

♡ something kinda cruel he does enjoy though? orgasm denial.

♡ right as you're about to climax he pulls himself away from you and snickers, taking great pride in how undone you become when you don't get what you want.

♡ it's all fun and games until you do the same to him, he'll beg you to be allowed to cum and will be so exasperated he'll ooze electricity from every pore.

♡ loves to bang on furniture or in the shower.

♡ shower sex!! when you're covered in foam and he lets his hair down he's all over you, pinning you against the glass of the shower and going to work.

♡ when he lets you take charge he always asks you to give him a strip tease, there's nothing like pushing luca down and slowly revealing your chest to him as you sway your hips, he cums in his pants nearly every time and can't take his eyes off you while he unbuttons his pants to stroke himself, chewing his lip.

♡ fav place to finish is on your body, he shoots a lot of cum and feels so possessive when he sees it stick onto you.

♡ his tongue is always out whenever he bottoms, he loses his smug aura and wholly gives himself into the pleasure.

♡ you're the only person who will ever see him like this so he can act like a brat all he wants.

♡ he still twitches and squirms even during aftercare, sudden giggle fits breaking the silence while he lovingly washes you up and threads his fingers through your hair, still damp from sweat.

[script-nef]

So why won’t you realise it '^' | Gojou Satoru

Category: fluff

1.9k words; Movie date [2/6]

Spoilers of Howl’s Moving Castle!! Beware!!

← Previous chapter | Masterlist

“Eh, Shouko! What do you mean you can’t make it?”

“I mean, another person is about to come in and they need me to heal them. By the time I’m done the movie will be finished.” Shouko’s voice over the phone is laced with annoyance and sadness coupled with lethargy. You don’t know how she pulls off such a unique combination of emotions but she somehow accomplishes it every time. “And I was looking forward to it…”

This would have been the first time you had a break with her since the trip to France. And while she enjoyed it a lot, the same couldn’t be said for the two males. Which was weird since Gojou is infatuated with sweets and Ken-chan agreed to come. So it was kind of weird when there was a tense atmosphere between them. You know your brother and Gojou are nearly polar opposites, but their animosity wasn’t usually that strong. 

They brushed it off as nothing when you asked if something was wrong, which was sort of dubious since you could kind of see the black cloud looming over the both of them, but you let it go. If it was something important, they would be able to handle it themselves or report it to you. You couldn’t sense any cursed spirits nearby so you guessed that they were just in a bad mood for some reason.

Still, you had a wonderful time and found some new snacks that everyone enjoyed. So a day well spent, all in all. 

And Ken-chan told you to tell him if Gojou ever offers overseas trips or anything similar, so he must have enjoyed it. Maybe you can ask Gojou to take all of you to Denmark one day.

“Ah… my dear Howl. Life and curses separate us again.” Her voice is full of sadness now, no doubt mourning over her chance of watching her favourite character on a huge screen with surround sound disappearing. 

“It’s okay! I’ll bring you the figurine and we can watch it again here in about… uh…”

“Ten years?” She sounds like she’s about to drop dead.

“Uh… yes… But maybe five years? Hopefully? You know, I shouldn’t watch it without you. I’ll come back to school.” 

“No, no. Watch the movie. At least you’ll get to see it. Ah, they’re coming now so I have to go.”

“Ah, okay. Bye, Shouko! Stay positive!”

A non-committal sigh accompanies a small “Bye” before the call clicks off. A frown takes over your face at the lost opportunity for her. She was looking forward to this for a long time and you leapt at the chance for another girls’ day out. Being able to watch a childhood favourite is an added bonus. But now you’re standing in the movie theatre, the ticket desk just across the room and an extra on your hand. 

It’s a shame because it cost quite a lot. Shouko is definitely going to mope about this when you get back and maybe start smoking again. She always has a pack on her even if she said she quit, and smokes one if she’s stressed or angry. You should call someone and make sure somebody takes it away from her.

You should probably hold onto the ticket and give it back. Or maybe that would make it worse for her, serving as a reminder of this day. Conflict rages inside your head. There’s a high possibility of either decision breaking her heart. Again. A buzz from your phone saves you the trouble of deciding.

Shouko: I sent someone as my replacement. 

A tap on the shoulder makes you turn as you type in a reply and you come face to face with a black jacket. Gojou’s head pops down.

“Hey there. I think you called for a replacement!” He seems to be in a ridiculously good mood, even more so than usual. Maybe his students successfully finished another mission. Which is great. It also means more paperwork for you. Which is not so great.

“How did you com—ah. Teleportation.”

“Ding ding ding! Correct!” He's been using the skill more frequently lately, popping in and out of places like one of those Whac-A-Mole games. . It gives you heart attacks all the time and you’re sure he gets a kick out of it. You saw how his smiles widen when you flinch or react. Thankfully it’s when you’re alone so other people never see you jump what feels like a metre into the air.

“Do you want popcorn?” He breaks you out of your thoughts. “I think they have the new caramel flavour. Apparently it’s way too sweet.” So perfect for Gojou. Even though he’s asking if you want it, there’s a spring in his step which definitely means he’s getting some. Probably the biggest option they have.

And you’re proven right because he comes back with two huge buckets which look impossible to finish. When you try to object, he cuts off with “I’ve eaten three buckets before. Alone.” With the smile he’s giving you, it really doesn’t sound like he’s joking. You try to take one to lighten the load but he says it’s alright. 

He signals the way to the theatre rooms with his head, walking beside you as you find your way.

“So what’s the movie?” Your head snaps to him in confusion.

“You don’t know?” A shake and a shrug. “It’s Howl’s Moving Castle. This was Shouko’s idea since she loves it and this year is Studio Ghibli’s 40 year anniversary. The cinema is having an exclusive showing of their movies this month. Only one session per movie, for some reason. Surely they would make more money if they played it over multiple days, but. I dunno. Executives make weird decisions.” A light scoff from him to tell he knows exactly what that’s like. His hatred for the higher-ups runs deep. You don’t push it.

“So she wanted to come but got held back at the last minute?”

“Yeah. Ah, here are our seats.”

You’re placed in the very middle of the room and you both make yourselves comfortable. Shouko went all out for this movie, upgrading the seats and making it a recliner. Your poor back, abused after sitting in chairs and hunched over computers for so long, practically melts into the plush cushion. It’s so comfortable that you might fall asleep in it if it isn’t Howl that’s about to start. 

Feet dangling in the air, you look over to Gojou to see him on his phone. It looks like he’s in a chatroom and you catch the words ‘Shouko’ and ‘favour’ before looking away. You didn’t mean to peek, but it’s not like you can consciously not read something. It was in your line of sight and you averted your eyes as soon as you realised what you were reading. Your brother brought you up better than to pry into other people’s businesses, even if it’s really, really tempting.

“Phones need to be placed on silent, you know.” The ads are coming on the screen. He smiles at you, slipping it into his pocket.

“Just talking to Shouko. She says she hasn’t even started properly.”

Disappointment fills you. Gojou is a good friend to watch this with but you hoped Shouko would somehow miraculously finish in time. She would be devastated.

“I’ll have to make this up to her when we get back. Give her the figurine and keep her hap—ah! I forgot! Gojou, I was supposed to ask someone to take her ciga—” He cuts you off with a light pat on your hand.  

“Don’t worry, I did it already. All of them are safe out of her reach and I gave her packets of hot chocolate instead. When we get back, she’ll have drunk at least half of them and be in a good mood.” What a Gojou-like replacement. He smiles like a child wanting pats on the head for a job well done. You just barely catch yourself from moving. 

Gojou gets a rep for being aloof and neglectful, but he does take care of the people he holds dear to him. His friends, members of the school, his students. You hope you’re included in the list. 

Actually, the more you think about it, the more you realise he’s different from initial perceptions. You learn more and more about him as time goes on, in the most delightful sense. He’s somewhat like an onion, new characteristics being revealed every time a layer is peeled. A snicker escapes at the thought of Gojou dressed up like an onion, just waddling around. He shoots you a questioning head tilt which you wave off.

In the years that you’ve known him, he made himself into a trustworthy friend. One full of laughs and ridiculousness. Maybe it’s his childishness that puts you at ease, but he’s incredibly comfortable and easy to relax around. Thoughts trail and the words fly out of your mouth before you even think.

“You know, I think you would make a wonderful boyfriend.”

He freezes completely, like somebody’s zapped him in place. You stare at him, wondering what’s wrong, but the lights dim and by the time he gathers coherence, your concentration is on the opening sequence.

“Ah, that was so good! Ugh, I love Howl. Isn’t he so cool?” You skip out of the room, remembering to take the figurines provided at the exit, with Gojou trailing behind you. “You know how she asks him to wait for her in the past? The first thing he says to her in the movie is ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’ He searched for her the entire time! This is modern poetry. This.” 

“Do you think Howl would be a good boyfriend?” The question stops you. It’s different than usual for some reason, the voice asking the question and the intensity of it. He’s still his aloof self, all smiles and grins, but there’s something you can’t quite place that’s wrong. It’s unnerving, but you diligently answer his question.

“Um, I mean, yeah? Look at how cute he is with Sophie. See?” The figurine is a frozen shot of Howl and Sophie dancing in the rain with an umbrella that’s not being useful at all. They’re both incredibly detailed, so much so that you can see their clothes and skin drenching wet. Wow, this is actually a phenomenal job. Shouko will be so happy. It makes your heart lighter knowing that at least something might light up her day. 

“Why is he cool?” Gojou seems to be invested in Howl. It confuses you since he just watched the movie with you and he saw how awesome Howl is. 

“Hm, well for one he can do magic.” He opens his mouth but you shush him with a finger to his lips. “Yeah, I know, what we have is kind of like magic too. But theirs is just… different. He just makes it seem kind of elegant. And he overcame his fear just for Sophie. Remember the scene with Sulliman and in the cluttered bedroom? He still found the strength to protect her even though he was so scared before. It’s admirable. I guess I like strong guys.”

“Hmm~” His tone is contemplative. “You know I’m stronger than him, right?”

A question mark forms over your head. He’s being really weird today. “Yeah? You’re the strongest in the universe, silly. What’s up with you?” Gojou just chuckles and ruffles your head.

“Nothing, nothing. Just making sure you know.” He slings his arm around your shoulder, the intensity gone and the light spring in his step back. “Who else do you think is strong?”

Next chapter →

[felikatze]

give me the a brainworms i am deeply invested in this man

(0) (2) (3) (4)

okay first of all you asked for this. second of all if i am a little off track from the game that is explained by me just building thoughts like building blocks without looking back. third i was supposed to be studying for an exam but this counts as practice right? it's character analysis anyway lmao.

buckle the fuck up, my dearest anon, because I have sub headings.

1. A as the Player Character

Let me begin with why I am obsessed with this horrid little guy in the first place: he's a silent protagonist. I am always obsessed with protagonists. It's a law of nature. I love taking hollow characters and dissecting them for scraps. It's a long standing practice of mine.

Being a silent protagonist, A, as X, does not have a set personality. However, there are patterns. Firstly, as any semi-silent protagonist, A is a reactive character. He does not start incidents, he only responds to situations, presented by the Sephirah, as they arise. He does not actively seek out new information, merely going about the routine of expanding departments, but expresses curiosity when information is presented to him.

I'm aware fandom likes to characterize X and A differently, likely because they are initially presented as different characters. I, on the other hand, would like to pose the theory that they are more similar than expected.

I believe that A is also a reactive character, rather than active. Despite the fandom wiki describing him as stubborn, the goal A pursues with such fervor, the completion of the Seed of Light, is not actually a goal he set for himself. Carmen is the one who set this goal for him by leaving him her legacy.

Throughout the backstory we get relating to the Cogito Project, A is Carmen's assistant, whereas Carmen is the driving researcher. This is how many of the City's inhabitants seem to be; going with the flow of goals set for them by superiors. Yes I will get into his attachment to Carmen later.

The above is not to say A isn't stubborn. Once he has accepted a goal as his own, he will pursue it at all costs, as is obvious from any and all flashbacks leading to horrible deaths. But the point isn't his pursuit of the goal, but where that goal comes from. Even Lobcorp itself supports this, despite what Hokma may say; A as X follows the "simple" task of managing the Corp's day to day activities, and executes any mission given to him by the Sephirah. He outranks them, and doesn't actually need to do their missions, but does so anyway. Players are driven by the reward offered by those missions, of course, and A might be the same in that regard. Nonetheless, at no point in gameplay do you do anything somebody else hasn't told you to.

The overarching narrative of the Script would be the most obvious example. Every single person in the game follows the script, whether they know it or not.

Lastly on this note, a phrase we hear attributed to A, "Machines must behave as machines." Now, Angela may be attached to this phrase because it bears significance to herself as a machine, and informs most of A's unjust treatmeant of her. However, what if it doesn't just apply to machines? The phrase reads as such, "Everyone must act according to their own role."

2. A, Carmen, and the disease of the mind

So, A will at any cost pursue goals Carmen set for him. Question is, why? The obvious answer would be saying he's in love with her, which like, true. But also, how did Carmen come to be so precious to him?

Let us return to the comparison, "This is how many of the City's inhabitants seem to be." We don't really know why exactly most characters joined Carmen, excluding mainly Daniel and Benjamin. But this does not mean we can't have theories.

Carmen's ideal was curing the "disease of the mind." What is the disease? Complete hopelessness. The inability to form aspirations and dreams, to think of a better future. A is a very reactive character who does not set goals for himself. Therefore, I personally conclude, that initially, Carmen's ideology resonated with him because he could identify with the disease.

This is the point where I start rewatching Lobcorp story clips. Dear god.

So, by briefly binging day 27 onward, I've come up with lines that very much support this lil theory of mine:

First, from Carmen, a description of the disease, "People lock away their own potential."

Second, a line from Angela, after the memory synchronization, "You've locked yourself in this prison without bars."

Carmen describes A as humble, and Benjamin thinks he is warm. If I suppose A was one of the diseased initially, Carmen would be the catalyst for this change. Carmen was someone with big aspirations, with plans to heal what is wrong with the City, and it gave him hope. He was one of the diseased, but through time with Carmen, with that relentless optimistic spirit, he may have been cured, for a time. It's not a stretch to say that she was his light.

But lor shows us what happens when the seed of light sprouts wrong, doesn't it? It distorts. A grasped hope for the first time and then it is ruthlessly crushed. Carmen was everything. Yes, A is described as a jack-of-all-trades, as a genius in all pursuits he puts his mind to, but what does that matter in the face of someone who can unite people? Who can give them hope of a better world? Who can inspire them to actually use the talents they have?

And what kind of pressure is it to put the legacy of a messiah in the hands of the diseased?

3. A and the Perception Filter: A is weak to White damage

No, I am serious about that. He's extremely weak mentally. Obviously death of a loved one is a changing experience for absolutely anybody, but Carmen's death destroyed him.

Not only did he refuse to confide this grief to anyone and bottled it up, now everybody looked to him to lead the project, but he just isn't Carmen. He isn't an ambitious person, he doesn't have the same optimism, he can't bring people together, but people expected him to, and he failed. Hard.

While he was without a doubt talented in science, he was also just an average guy.

After her death, A grew to hate humans. He lost trust in them. He refused to confide in anyone, and be confided in by anyone. Thus, the team fell apart.

In both lobcorp and lor, we get interesting tidbits about precations taken to protect the manager.

Firstly, Lobcorp's perception filter. The cartoony art-style of the game is a result of the game being in first person. Through the eyes of the manager, everything is cartoony!

This is a measure undertaken to specifically protect the manager's psyche. Angela tells us that, before it was deployed, the manager would frequently go insane, one notable incident including the manager trying to hang himself. When we first hear this, the previous managers and X are still separate in our minds. However, they're all A! A went insane multiple times without it.

This is understandable, considering that employees also frequently go insane and try to kill both themselves and others. But they're there in action, confronting the Abnormalities directly. Just watching them made the manager go mad. They could not handle the responsibility for the employees' deaths.

In lor, Angela explains why she picked the Rabbit Team from R Corp as their main contractor instead of any other team. One team was simply too big for L Corp's narrow hallways, and the other team... dealt in psychic damage. It was simply too big of a risk for the manager. But the manager is always secure behind the cameras. Would that teams methods just be that brutal visually, or would their attacks have reached the manager?

Combined with his immense grief at all of his friends and coworkers dying in part because of him, A cannot bear to look at death.

4. A's greatest flaw: Avoidance

A common thread during Core Meltdown flashbacks: A refuses to look at suffering. He just can't. Whether it be looking away from Elijah writhing on the floor or hanging up on Daniel's panicked report of death.

This is actually the thing Angela takes the biggest issue with, and what hurt her most. A would never look at her, acknowledge her, and she did not understand why. But I think A did not refuse to look at her out of maliciousness. Rather, it was out of grief over Carmen. He could not look at her without being reminded of what he lost.

Angela's creation came about because A wanted someone to guide him, someone like Carmen. He threw himself into the project to the point it made Benjamin happy that A was passionate about anything again. But as soon as the project he distracted himself with is complete, he is filled with regret. Carmen cannot be replicated, and he breaks again.

Furthermore, tying this back to my first point about A being a reactive person, we see Angela take charge over A. She's the one recruiting employees and leading the business. It was likely a relief for him to be able to step down from the leading position.

But avoiding it made everything worse. He did not act when he saw Elijah's unchecked ambition, he did not act beyond a simple check at Gabriel's decay, he gave Giovanni the same hope he clung to to no avail, et cetera et cetera.

Avoiding his problems is making them worse and sending everything down the drain (including his psyche), so he deals with it the only way he knows how, avoiding them more!

Biggest example of A's big avoidance problem as his psyche crumbles: the memory wipe. A, in perhaps his one singular moment of acknowledging his emotions, recognizes that he is incapable of fulfilling the Script in his current state. His grief is just too much.

By erasing his own memory, he could start fresh without his grief, because he might've really killed himself otherwise. His suffering became bigger and bigger, and he coped by avoiding it.

The memory wipe allowed him to distangle his problems. Through his interactions with the Sephirah (which I will not individually detail for the sake of my sanity and because I dumped all this on a friend on discord already), he can deal with and actually process his issues one at a time.

As the motto describes, only by facing the fear can he build the future. Only by finally facing his grief and acknowleding it, seeing that the past cannot be changed and he has no choice to move forward, can he actually do so.

5. The Sephirah as ghosts

Lobotomy Corporation feels like a ghost story. I've touched upon this in my previous A post.

As you reach the Corp's lower levels, there are less Sephirah. First there are four. They act like normal employees, and do not breach into the story's underbelly until you reach their core supressions and the facade breaks. Second, counting Tiphereth as one, there are three. They still go about their duties, but they know what they are. Third, there are two, and the facade is gone. They know what they are, and they will tell you about the sins of the past.

And finally, you reach Keter, and there is only one.

This gradual decay of the facade is what really gets to me. I said that by interacting with the Sephirah, A deals with his issues one by one, but that's what the Sephirah are, in this case. Representations.

The people the Sephirah used to be are dead, and the Sephirah are their ghosts. The core supression involve putting these ghosts to rest. Doesn't it match the progression of a typical ghost story? Find the ghost, find what they used to be, and help them move on.

So, if everyone is a ghost, then A is alone.

But, behind the scenes, the Sephirah are still there. They are still people, and they have changed for the better, too. As always, A simply does not look.

(Does he even see the good others see in him? Does he look away from praise, too? Did he even realize Benjamin's admiration for him? Will we ever know?)

6. A's end.

A's progression of moving on would be fine and dandy if it did not end as thus: A does kill himself.

A sees himself beyond the point of no return. Everyone is dead. He is alone. Carmen is never coming back. He can't call it quits now, or else everything has been in vain. (Even if the last days show us a part of him wants to just quit, so badly.)

So, there's only one thing left to do: follow the Script to its ending. Fulfill Carmen's legacy at all costs. Death as the ultimate release.

This is the point where I admit I do not like the death as release trope. But the game does a good enough job as presenting it as the only option A had, or the only option he saw himself as having.

However, I've mentioned it before, I'll mention it again: A was not alone. Death was his release, but he left wreckage. In order to end his own suffering, he inflicted the same pain he went through on others.

Throughout the game, he moves on and pushes through. The ending shows that in reality... he didn't.

At least in lor the characters stick together and help each other heal.

This has been most of my thoughts on A, amounting to my longest analysis post ever, having taken me approximately two and a half hours to complete, and clocking in at 2337 words including up to this paragraph.

Thank you anon for giving me the incentive to verbalize all of this, so I can finally be at ease having inflicted my thoughts on everybody else.

[sleepymarmot]

Dragon Age: Absolution liveblog

1

“The Herald of Andraste sealed the breach. They killed Corypheus.” It’s hilarious that instead of trying to be vague the writers straight up addressed the Inquisitor personally as they/them. Assigned nonbinary at netflix.com

“Because people like you never try!” Bold words from a white human to a brown elf

“I’m not a rebel”, says a Qunari mage walking around and doing whatever she wants. Girl, do you know how lucky you are?

*wife appears silently on the background for two seconds* *I cheer*

“You have to stop running from the past, Miri. If you can’t do it now, I worry that maybe you never will.” Stop trying to put a good face on a bad game, this is no therapy and you know it!

“The Templars don’t protect people from mages who turn evil.” AS IF THAT’S WHAT THEY DO IN OTHER COUNTRIES LMFAO “Instead, they act as enforcers for powerful mages called Magisters.” Yeah and in the South they act as enforcers for a powerful church called the Chantry, huge difference Is this monologue strictly for the benefit of the viewer unfamiliar with the setting?

Is Miriam seriously reviewing her super secret plans in public?! In a tavern where magisters go?? What

I had to look up who Sumalee Montano played, this is very far from the Inquisitor's voice

“If you don’t come back, I’ll kill you myself.” How many times can you use this stupid phrase

Oh, I thought she’d actually have to pose as a slave and it’d take one or two episodes. Okay

Well all of this is extremely childish and generic on every level possible. Not that I expected much more, but Tevinter Nights and the recent comics were certainly better.

2

Ooh, finally some useful new lore! A spirit of wisdom in what seems to be a normal form, since the mage instantly recognizes it! Look at the number and placement of the eyes. So Pride demons have seven eyes, and Wisdom spirit have eight symmetrical eyes? So when wisdom is corrupted into pride, it loses an eye? Interesting.

“The last and greatest work of Magister Amelia Pavus.” Huh! Will we get a cameo from Dorian if it's his family business?

Oh no he’s going to turn this spirit into a demon in front of our eyes! “You dare command me, like some common shade?” That sounds like Pride already! Welp, of course. Lol, dude, this is literally spirits and demons 101. You trap a spirit and force it to act against its nature, it becomes a demon! I’ll give the writers props for this, it’s a good showcase of this Extremely Relevant to the Plot and Main Lore process.

Can a single mage in the show use a spell recognizable from the games?! The designers were aware this is based on a video game and should maintain some semblance of visual continuity in combat skills, right? Yes, we know the combat abilities in the games don't look exactly the same in-universe, which is exactly why it would be interesting to see what they do look like for the characters!

Oh, is Rezaren the childhood friend from the flashbacks?

I don’t understand what happened (was he a traitor? possessed? is he dead?) but either way it’s really stupid they're wasting Fairbanks like this

3

This guy is supposed to be our first Lord of Fortune in the visual media? What a shame.

It's one (1) Rage Demon... How hard can it be it’s literally the weakest demon category

Holy shit, Qwydion used Wall of Fire! Fucking finally! Looks like Chain Lightning, too. Is she our representative for DAI magic?

Huh, last flashback he was horrified Miriam killed everyone in the room, I thought he’d want revenge instead of welcoming her. And is she actually an illegitimate child of a magister?

4

Was that an Energy Barrage?

Ooh, so that’s why the camera focused on the guard’s helmet and his constant silence.

“Blood magic is not the answer.” Btw I still don’t understand why Hira didn’t just use blood magic like her expected her to do and instead decided to bring the entire castle down.

Uhh I’m not sure that's how you safely remove an arrow...

Dude do you have to use blood magic on her at the exact same time someone else is trying to use healing magic on her lol. I mean in the games these two types are incompatible for the caster, not the target, but I guess they decided to extend that rule for drama.

Didn’t expect this guy to get so evil so fast lmao

5

Hira went into a heist mission with her last name right on her chest?!

“I knew exactly what that artifact was, and it’s the last thing we need to make sure all of Tevinter will burn.” Uhh I’m not sure she is with the Inquisition... And the Agents of Fen’Harel have a different agenda and usually are elves.

6

“The Crimson Knight” Oh is this about the spoiler I saw before I blocked the tag? Not Fen’Harel then.

Lmao I thought this was going to just be a bromance situation. I guess they had to quickly canonize another gay pairing after the main one got destroyed so that people wouldn’t complain. (Btw I don’t even see who kissed whom because these guys are fucking identical and I can only tell them apart by height and weapons.)

“Help me take the Circulum to what’s left of the Inquisition and we can try again” Nooo fucking way, I thought this was the day of getting rid of toxic people in your life?? Well I’m glad Hira made it easy for her because that was really dumb of Miriam. I know she had a rough day, but girl...

Well, not very excited about the sudden announcement that the Red Templar faction is back for DA4 and Meredith who was one of the most interesting and realistic villains in the franchise is back as a cartoonish shade of herself.

Alright, due to the plot being interesting the rating in my head went up to 6/10 or even 7/10. Still, the dialogue remains awful and the body language/expressions are tiresome cliches. How old is the target audience for this, about nine? Since the Dragon Age games have the Mature/18+ rating due to all the dark and sexual content, the quality of writing and directing should be adult level too...