#diana x sigma

[dyplopias-art]

this meme has lived in my head rent-free ever since I played ZTD last year

[voids-colourful-creations]

Into a Lighter Dream - A Diana [Zero Escape] Fic

[Read on Ao3!]

Rated: M (16+) Zero Escape/Zero Time Dilemma Diana/Sigma (not the focus) Content Warnings: Standard Zero Time Dilemma Content Warning, Suicide Attempt, Suicide, Death of Children. Words: 2.5k

Summary: So the twins have been teleported. And then what of the four left behind? There is no one coming to save them. There is no hope of escape. They'll come to their own end, by their own hand, then.

A look into the after math of The Hope of Two ending.

–

It’s somewhat tricky, balancing a baby in one arm and holding a pencil in the other, but somehow Diana manages. Somehow Diana manages, she thinks, sums up most of her life pretty well. Somehow she manages her way through a marriage and a divorce, somehow she manages her way through a death game, and barely she manages the aftermath thereof. It’s strange though, because somehow it’s the waiting that’s the hardest. Those long 10 months, where the inky threads of death just streamed into the corners of her vision ever slightly more with each passing day. And yet, in some way, it was the most blissful she’d ever been. The first indulgence she’d truly had in an age, a love that felt sturdy when everything was rocking.

Musing on this, idly, Diana leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Phi’s forehead. She spares a moment of thought for her other daughter, the Phi sent back in time. And then again, to her son.

“Let them be safe. Let them find their happiness.” Diana whispers in her own head. It’s the same words she’s repeated to herself ever since she sent her children back, whisked away into a corner of space and time she’d never see.

But the Phi in her arms is the one who remained, still left behind. The only Phi left in this world, with her namesake having vanished. Again, Diana takes a moment to wish for that Phi’s happiness and safety, though the ache in her chest reminds her it’s fruitless.

Somewhere though, there must be a Phi living something different. Somewhere, Diana believes, she is living happily. Diana, Sigma, Phi and Delta, all peacefully in one place. No turmoil, no games, just the picture of a normal family.

This world is far far from that ideal. Diana feels a bit like an animal, laying down wounded. There’s a sense of peace washing over she recognizes as acceptance.

In a few hours, she will sleep. Following which, she does not expect to wake up.

Diana frowns down at the paper doily. It’s not exactly the best suicide note, but it’s not exactly a suicide note either. Everything’s half done here, half a life lived, half a romance she shares. What’s the point in worrying about it any more?

With the end so close, Diana finds her fears washed away. After living so much of her life in a constant drone of worry, it’s almost startling how still she can find herself.

Acceptance, even of her inevitable demise, can be a beautiful thing. The fading of her colours becomes a soft pastel, so it’s still beautiful, isn’t it?

Her pains have become nothing but a dull ache in the back of her mind. Yes, her stomach gnaws away at herself even as she tries to satiate it with water. She hasn’t eaten in a week, it’s unsurprising. But what had felt like her organs being pulled into a black hole at first has faded now. Not because she isn’t hungry, but because there’s nothing left she can do about it.

It’s just acceptance now. It’s all washing away.

The pencil slips out of Diana’s grasp as she finishes the note, rolling right off the table and onto the floor. There’s no reason to pick it up, so she leaves it. Let the lounge feel a bit lived in. Let there be prove she had lived for once in her life, even if only for a short time.

Diana slumps back against the couch, tucking Phi in closer to her chest. The baby stares back at her, bright wide eyes, taking in everything about her mother’s face. Diana smiles, giving her daughter another kiss on the head. She deserves so many more than Diana can give her. She deserves so much more than this.

They all do.

She’s too tired to mourn anymore. After the mania and madness of the past 10 months, it’s just… going to end. And it’s a strange feeling, because in some ways this had been the primary thought in her mind ever since Sigma had told her about the food supplies. Even with everything, the fights, the sex, her own children- every thought she had was accompanied by a shadow, a reminder that soon, it would all go away.

If there’s one comfort Diana can take, beyond knowing that Sigma will be there with her, is that they’re taking it into their own hands. Agency is a comfort, particularly in a place like this.

(In the back of her mind, she knows she never had any true agency. She knows everything, each step she takes, the precise positioning of each molecule of her body holds the exact space in time someone had calculated for. It makes her feel like each of those atoms are scratching up against each other, buzzing with an urge to lurch, to send reality spinning out of place, if only to be free for a fraction of a second.)

Phi fusses in Diana’s arms, somewhat restless. She’s not fussy, not usually, though Diana supposes she doesn’t have much ground to stand on with that claim. Phi is merely days old. Still, Diana just knows. She’s her baby, of course she knows. For everything she’d studied, for all the scientific data she’d memorized in college, for every dissertation she’d read, nothing compared to really holding her own daughter in her arms and knowing the power of a mother’s love was both real and magic.

She’s being far too idealistic than she has any right to be, but she’s earned the right to have a little misguided optimism by now.

A mother’s love is real. A mother’s love is magic. And with her magic, Diana rocks side to side, rocking Phi with her, and whispers her spell.

“Let them be safe. Let them find their happiness.”

Maybe she spends a few minutes in that daze, a murmured half lullaby, maybe longer.

It’s only when Sigma sits down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her in a touch closer, that she’s pulled out of reverie.

Once it would’ve startled her, but there’s something about Sigma’s embrace that she finds herself relaxing into without even thinking about it. If Diana ever mentioned it to Sigma, she’s sure he’d explain it as the morphogenetic field, her body remembering the other lives they’d had together, or such and so. And perhaps that is the case. Diana won’t rule it out. Personally, however, she’d pinpoint the cause as something simpler.

Sigma makes her feel safe. That’s all.

“Everything’s set up,” Sigma murmurs, pressing his words to the crown of Diana’s head. “If you’re ready.”

How do you ready yourself for something like this? No matter how much she’d been preparing for this, mentally or physically, she’d never be ready.

But the note she’d been writing was finished, and that was all that was left to complete, so in that sense…

“Mmhm.”

She can’t get the words out, but she nods anyway, humming in affirmative.

Sigma squeezes her a little tighter.

“We’re going together. Don’t worry.”

The worry has long since bled out of Diana, pooled at her feet and spilled across the floor. So she won’t worry. She won’t.

She stands, slowly so as not to disturb Phi too much. Sigma follows, bringing his arm down to help support Delta, carried on his right shoulder. It’s probably not the safest way to hold him, but it won’t matter soon.

They walk out slowly, Diana casting glances around each part of the room as she bids it farewell. It’s not exactly like she’ll miss this place, after everything she’s been through here, but in someways, she supposes she will. Contradictions like that only make sense in a place like this.

“It was a good letter.” Sigma whispers, in lieu of a farewell to the space. “You did good.”

Diana nods. She’s appreciative, and flattered, but it’s getting difficult to express it.

And slowly, step by step, they make their way through the halls until finally. The last room. The relaxation room.

Diana steps in carefully, minding the large box-shaped contraption set up on the floor. It resembles a fog machine, in fact most of it was a fog machine, but with the modifications Sigma has made… it couldn’t be called that anymore. It’s function had changed, the weight of it’s worth was altered. No going back from that.

A long black cord runs out from it, up towards one of the beds in the corner. A chunky “on/off” switch breaks off the clean line of the cable, sitting right at the foot of the bed.

Diana tries not to think about it yet. Not quite yet. She turns her attention to the dial on the wall.

“What environment would you like?” She asks, though they have already had this conversation several times, and settled on an answer long ago.

“The sky pattern.” Sigma answers, though Diana’s fingers have already begun to twist the knob. It clicks, clicks, and the walls, floor, and ceiling all distort around them until finally coming to the sky pattern. Diana’s favourite, even now.

The clouds soar past them, off into a non-existent distance. Freedom that has never been, and never will be.

“Perfect.” Diana murmurs.  “Shall we go, then?”

Sigma nods.

Carefully across the room now, Diana keeps away from the walls though she knows the sky is only fake, the drop off into the sky unreal.

(She’d tried it once, less than a month into confinement and in a drunken haze. Turned the pattern to clouds and stood near the edges. Closed her eyes and let herself tilt, teeter forward. Willed herself, begged for something to just slip. Slammed her head against the wall and sunk to the ground, sobbing. Hits her head against it again. Again. Maybe this time something will change. But it doesn’t, it never does. Until Sigma had found her, and simply carried her back to the lounge, lying her to rest on the couch. He’d been so gentle. So warm. She’d almost considered doing it again just to feel that kind of embrace.)

Sigma passes Delta over to Diana, and she settles into the hold. She clutches both her children to her chest, feeling the miniscule sound; their hearts beating in sync.

“Let them be safe. Let them find their happiness.” She thinks without even trying, even when she knows it’s got to be too late.

Sigma settles down onto the relaxation room bed, taking a moment to position himself comfortably. Carefully, he keeps the “on/off” switch tucked into his right hand, but doesn’t hit the switch just yet.

“Join me,” He says once he’s settled, “Love.” He finishes, and Diana’s heart could just break in two when he talks like that. It’s enough to make her want to slap him, try and claw her way out just a little more.

But… Diana is so tired. And so hungry.

Gently, Diana positions herself tucked into Sigma’s body, pressed so close they might as well have been one person. Her head rests on his shoulder, positioned so that she could look into his eyes. Phi lies against her chest, and Delta is shuffled over so most of his body lies on Sigma’s.

Sigma’s embrace is warm and tight, as he reaches his left arm around his family. Diana feels, if just for a moment, that everything was worth it if she got to hold this second within herself.

“Ready?”

“One second…”

Diana tucks her hand into her shirt, pulling out the necklace she’d kept tucked away. Her fingers are shaking a bit, so it takes a bit of effort, but she manages. Slowly, clumsily, Diana turns the key for the bluebird music box. And turns. And turns. She turns until the box cannot possibly take anymore, and the springs inside the device whine in protest. Then, she releases it, and tinny music notes begin to fill the room.

Sigma smiles quietly.

“Needed a bit of mood music?”

“Ha ha.” Diana deadpans, but she’s smiling at him, “I just… wanted to listen to it one more time.”

“I know.”

There’s a moment of silence, or rather, the quiet melody of a music box filling such. Phi’s eyes widen a bit as the tune goes through, seemingly enamoured by the sound.

“I’m ready.” Diana whispers, before she can change her mind. So before anyone can say anything else, Sigma flicks the switch from “off” to “on”, and the room begins to fill with Soporil B.

“This’ll keep us out for… how long?” Diana whispers, voice nestling in between the melody and the quiet fssshh of the Soporil smoke machine.

“The canister I found in the transporter room had approximately… 25 litres in it, give or take, and the machine is set to run at steady intervals to prevent it from burning out the supply.” Sigma replied, whispering the explanation in Diana’s ear, “As we are already exhausted mentally and physically, and none of us have eaten or drank in the past few days, it should knock us out pretty hard.”

It’s not the Soporil that does the killing, Diana knows. It’s the starvation, and primarily, dehydration they’re banking on. Collapse the internal organs, let heart failure kick in. Sleep through all of it. That had been the plan ever since Sigma had managed to find the canister of Soporil in the transporter room, tucked in a lower cabinet. It was strange how they hadn’t noticed it before. Almost as if it had been placed there deliberately after it had been clear there was no chance of complete survival. Even when the plan had been to transport themselves, not their children, they’d worked to set this up for those left behind.

If it was deliberate, just Zero cleaning up close ends, then Diana supposes she’s grateful it’s something cleaner like this. Slow, maybe, and even in a haze of drugged-up dreams, she’s sure the pain won’t completely vanish… but it’s better this way. Better to go together, to dream anything, and simply slip further into that dream until nothing remains.

Diana blinks.

It’s a slower thing than she’s used to, the weight of her eyelids grows stronger with each moment.

“Ss-Sigma.” Diana says, words starting to slur slightly, “I love you.”

Sigma just hums quietly, for a moment. Then,

“I love you too, Diana.”

“I love you.” Diana repeats. “I love you. I love you. I wantta be the last- last thing… I say. You… and Delta and Phi, I- I love you. I love you.”

It’s such a messy love. She’d call it broken, but that would imply there was ever a time that what they held wasn’t tattered. It’s always been like this. A bit charred and melting. Like a moment frozen in time, like a snow globe, like a bird in a cage, the sort of love captured in this bubble. But it’s really love. The details are blurring away in the Soporil fog.

The music box notes distort and shift, they twirl into birds songs on the breeze. Diana doesn’t feel the weight of Sigma’s arms, of Phi lying on her chest. Her body dissolves along with them, until they’re all nothingness together.

Maybe she’s dead now. Maybe she’s still dying. It’s all a fog. It’s all fog.

The play is over now. The story is done.

It was all for nothing, and yet it was so integral, to everything.

The actors have bowed; said their goodnights. The lights on the stage have all shut off.

One day, Diana thinks, someone might find them. Four bodies in a state of decay, find their bones all on top of each other and not be able to tell who is who.

But for now, for the rest of her life, Diana listens to that music box. To the sound of her family breathing.

Her thoughts don’t make sense anymore. Her mind is a cloud, the room is a cloud, it’s all a harmony of abstractions.

It’s a field of white.

It’s the absence of anything.

It’s over now.

…

Goodnight.

[End]

[spectralarrovv]

finished zero time dilemma yesterday

[randoimago]

hi kat! hope you're having a great day! :D

may i ask for sigma, diana, junpei & akane (seperately) reacting to their s/o dying during the nonary game?

i hope you don't mind the angst, i just saw zero escape on your fandom list and had to request something for it :')

Fandom: Zero Escape

Character(s): Akane, Sigma, Diana, Junpei

Note(s): I don't mind! I don't remember fully how ZTD did the "these players are dead" so sorry if there are some mistakes in here!

Akane

When the announcement comes on and she sees that you have died on the board, she stays quiet. Carlos and Junpei are talking behind her, but she's tuning them out.

Perhaps this is what she deserves for what she's done. She's messed with the future and past before. She's ruined her relationship with Junpei and you ended up stuck in the middle. And now you're dead. This is what she deserves.

Akane continues on, however. She's silent as she does, lost in her thoughts that get louder and louder with pointing the blame at her.

Diana

She's always the one trying to stay positive. She tries to be optimistic for everyone, wants to keep the others going. Diana believes there's a way out for everyone, it just needs to be found.

But her resolve is shattered when she learns about what happened to you. She's confused with the information as the screen displays that you're dead. It doesn't show your body, just your face crossed out.

Diana refuses to believe it. She can't believe it. There's just... There's no way it's true! She won't even sit down to process it, she pushes Sigma and Phi to continue. She makes them keep going. Because she will not believe that you're gone.

Junpei

Junpei just stares as he hears the names of those that have died on the other teams. He is silent when he hears your name, his brain not processing what he heard. And then he starts to laugh.

Because of course! Of course you died! He finds his childhood friend, Akane and gets stuck in this "game", and now you're dead. Because why should anything good happen for him?!

He's understandably very temperamental. Doesn't even let Akane or Carlos say anything as he's just trying to find the next fucking puzzle to go through. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll die too so he can be with you.

Sigma

Sigma has a mix of emotions as he hears that you've died. He doesn't want to believe it, but with everything that's happened so far, he knows it's true. That you're dead.

He's pissed off and wants to punch something. But he also knows that the true culprit behind this game is still out there. So he takes a deep breath and calms himself for Phi and Diana's sake.

Once he gets out of here, then he'll mourn you. He'll become a cynical bastard like Junpei is, but for now, he has to stay strong and save who he can.

[meowsticmarvels]

who else up thinking about the 3-4 month gap between ZTD's D-END 1/C-END and the reactors going off. it isn't rly elaborated on much but i think whatever happens there is very obviously extremely horrific and tragic the whole time. it makes me crazy to think about. there's probably timelines where sigma and phi and anyone else vital to the project didn't make it to april. more in tags. it is crazy and i need to know peoples thoughts

[frickingnerd]

Zero Time Dilemma Masterlist

Junpei Tenmyouji

playfully avoiding junpei's kisses - headcanons

Akane Kurashiki

lovers to exes with akane kurashiki - headcanons

Carlos

carlos comforting his s/o - headcanons

Sigma Klim

lovers across the multiverse - drabble

Phi

being caught kissing phi - headcanons

Diana

yandere diana - headcanons

Eric

date gone wrong!? - drabble

Mira

all the things i can't say - oneshot

[miriasuu]

So true though!! I'll even admit it, I could NEVER expect Mizuki's little discourse about LGBTQ+ people like, happening. It's so uncommon seeing it in JP media, and that was so... Wow. Very much to my face, but I liked it! Lots!

Because then you see how much Uchikoshi really cares about this topic and its community. Even Mama, who you can notice very quickly how they're an "okama stereotype" in appearance, Mama is a character on their own. They're a person. Beyond whatever they identify as, and everyone respects them. And I like Mama a lot in AITSF (AINI... Well... That's Surely A Game Huh!)

Same with our two beloved gay men (to avoid spoilers). Love love love them so much. That one scene when one of them says it was all for love? You know that one. So good!!!

It's just so nice to see. And I love how close Uchikoshi is to his community. Still not over the "do you think Snake is gay?" poll 😭😭😭

Guh, I just like AITSF so much...

I feel like aitsf is a good example of

A bit confused but but god they got the spirit regarding lgbt topics

There is no subtle wink wink moments of are they aren't they gay

The game's text is straight up, she is trans, he has a male lover, this character is in lgbt-support groups

And yeah some stuff is worded wonky or sounds weird when translated to english/passes through the cultural divide

But idk, you can still see that the heart is in the right place

[odetteeternia]

Just out of reach

My favourite ship in Zero Escape is Sigma x Diana, but I love the dynamic between Junpei and Akane. People say how Akane’s kind persona is only a lie in the first game, but they forget that both Akane’s younger self experienced that event too. I like to think not only is her personality but relationship with Junpei complex. She clearly likes him, yet she chooses her mission over her love for him. It’s sad to imagine those millions of failed timelines where she is forced to leave Junpei to stay at the moon.

Right now, I feel like there is something missing with my artwork, but I don’t know what it is. I hate shading clothing and avoid it so maybe that is the issue. I might experiment in the future, but right now I’m happy-ish with my art style. It’s a little awkward that I changed my username so my previous posts look possibly reposted… Well, I hope not, at least.

[autisticwriterblog]

Fic Requests!

Send me a character or a ship (platonic or romantic), and a one-word prompt, and I'll write you a 100-500 word drabble!

Fandoms I'll write for (and if applicable, the specific games I'm interested in writing about):

Alan Wake (both games and AWAN)

Control (plus both DLCs)

Life is Strange (1, 2, Before the Storm and True Colors)

Zero Escape (all games)

Horizon (both games plus DLC)

The Dark Pictures: the Devil in Me

Rules:

Only request smut if you’re 18+

No x reader fics (I find them really hard to write)

No adult/minor relationships or smut with underage characters

My favourite characters (although of course feel free to request something different):

Control: Jesse, Darling, Emily, Trench, Marshall, Ahti

Alan Wake: Alan, Saga, Ilmo, Jaakko, Casey, Rose, the Valhalla Nursing Home residents, Old Gods of Asgard

Life is Strange: Max, Chloe, Alex, Steph, Sean

Horizon: Erend, Aloy, Varl

The Dark Pictures: the Devil in Me: Charlie, Jamie

Zero Escape: Junpei, Ace, Lotus, Eric, Quark, Luna, Clover, Snake

My favorite ships (although of course feel free to request something different):

Control: Jesse/Emily, Darling/Trench

Alan Wake: Alan/Alice, Ahti/Norman, Alan/Alice/Barry

Life is Strange: Max/Chloe, Alex/Steph, Alex/Ryan, Chloe/Rachel, Max/Kate

Horizon: Aloy/Seyka, Aloy/Erend, Aloy/Erend/Varl, Erend/Kotallo, Aloy/Kotallo, Varl/Zo

The Dark Pictures: the Devil in Me: Erin/Jamie, Kate/Mark, Mark/Charlie

Zero Escape: Junpei/Snake, Alice/Clover, Hongou/Nijisaki, Junpei/Akane, Sigma/Diana, Lotus/Seven

[zecretsanta]

Fic: Shrapnel

[AO3 Link]

To: @dcomexperiment

From: @lightphieric

Happy holidays from one Eric appreciator to another! The prompt was Eric going through horror and angst, and what could be more horrifying for him than dealing with his own guilt in the aftermath of that infamous grenade launcher ending?

Some content warnings because this is rather dark: Canon-typical violence, death, and gore, mental breakdowns, vomiting, references to past child abuse, and implied sex.

—

Eric dropped the grenade launcher as Mira pulled him out of the way, and with it, he let go of the power and confidence it made him feel. That was a high he would never achieve again. Cowering behind the staircase, he plummeted back down to small and powerless. The explosion left his hands buzzing with numbness; his ears whined and his vision was hazy. None of that seemed to fade as the dust settled.

“Now announcing the current casualties.” The mysterious voice warbled distantly. “C-Team: Carlos, Junpei. Q-Team: Q. D-Team: Diana, Sigma, Phi. These six are now deceased. As a result, six X-Passes will now be revealed: Fight, Jump, Bro, Red, Milk, Blue.”

Eric stood on unsteady legs. He felt weightless and too heavy all at once. Behind him, Mira pushed herself up. He was afraid to look at her, terrified to see her furious expression. Meanwhile, as he looked upon the destruction he’d wrought, the corners of his mouth automatically lifted in a smile, and he couldn’t pull them down.

“What an idiot!” he said thoughtlessly, before floating into the center of the ruined library.

There wasn’t much left of Q or his chair. One leg was twisted in the spokes of the wheels, and the rest of his limbs didn’t seem to be around. Eric averted his eyes from the flayed red void that used to be the old man’s face, swallowing down the smell of blood and burnt paper behind his smile.

“Don’t touch,” Mira said with a cough. She grabbed Eric’s arm. She had never touched him so forcefully, although it didn’t seem to be in anger. He thought he liked it, even though his arm was too numb to feel the pressure of her fingers. 

“Why would I touch them?” Absentmindedly, Eric took another step forwards. Mira pulled him back before his shoe glanced the blood.  

“Come on,” she insisted. “Let’s get out of here. Better not give Akane a chance to beat us.”

Akane. That was the name she noticed was omitted from the death count. Someone who was still a threat to them. Of course.

Eric stared at Sean as they escaped the library. He was drenched in Q’s blood, and his helmet was charred, with a piece of Q’s wheelchair having lodged itself in an eyehole. The kid had never counted as an actual participant in the Decision Game. His death meant nothing, but there he was, twitching with the last shreds of life he had.

Eric rubbed his eyes with shaking hands when he thought he saw Sean reach his arm out to him. When he opened them again, the library door was shut, sealing the dead behind the facility’s walls.

—

Eric’s fingers kept slipping off the keys as he tried to plug in the X-Passes. After misspelling the word “blue” three times, he needed Mira to sub in. She did it without complaint; what a relief that she didn’t seem to hate him. 

He dictated the passes for her, reading them off the scoreboard on the wall. Seeing the names written up there in that cold, clerical font, it hit him that six people had really died here. A bitter lump rose in his throat, but he swallowed it down as the rumble and shriek of the X-Door opening reminded him what that meant.

Mira took a step back as the door opened, and Eric caught her hand in his. She looked over at him hesitantly. He smiled back. It was okay. Six people had died, but it was all so Mira could escape.

Everything bad that had happened, had happened for her.

He ran out the X-Door once it was open, laughing with glee, and Mira struggled to keep pace. Their bracelets unclasped and clattered to the floor behind them as they ran, leaving all evidence of their ordeal squarely in the past. Now, the future was waiting for them. In the antechamber before the lift, they found duffel bags containing their wallets, Mira’s favorite necklace and other valuables they’d brought to Dcom, a change of clothes for both of them, keys to a truck, two plane tickets home to Nebraska and two keycards to a room at a nearby motel.

“Are you tired?” asked Mira, leafing through her wallet to make sure nothing had been taken.

“Nope!” Eric lied.

“Good. That means we can head straight to the airport.” She placed the keycards in her wallet and hid it in her back pocket. “The motel is probably meant to be a secluded place where the winning team can clean up. But you didn’t touch the bodies, so there’s no need for that.”

“What bodies?”

Mira smiled slyly. Beautiful. “Keep that attitude up and we should be fine.”

The night sky was cool and dry and huge and oppressive. Eric scrambled to get inside the truck when they found it waiting for them not far from the exit point. Something about the enclosed space was comforting.

Mira insisted that Eric drive. “There’s debris in my bra and it itches like hell. I’m getting in the backseat. To change.” She reached over him to angle the rearview mirror down and gave him a long, lingering look before slipping into the back of the truck. 

Despite how intently Eric focused on the path before him, there were no roads or signs in sight. Zero had prepared them for the endless desert with a map and a compass, but their directions scrambled into alphabet soup in Eric’s mind. Eventually, Mira begrudgingly hopped into the passenger’s seat, taking over navigation. After what felt like hours of aimless circling, they happened upon a road.

The hour was late and the road was barren. Cars still passed them occasionally, signs of human life that sent a shiver through Eric; under the eclipse, their shiny metal roofs looked soaked in blood. Eric could almost smell it.

—

The TSA were the reason Eric hated flying. They had a way of making him think he was guilty of something. He would always sweat under the metal detectors, convinced he’d somehow forgotten about the automatic rifle he was carrying or the dead body stuffed into his carry-on.

And now, it wasn’t just paranoia. He really was wilting under the airport’s fluorescent lights, and he was sure the agents could see that. He was shaking, like he had been ever since he saw another person step out of their car in the parking lot. And he was sure there was something, something staining his clothes that would make him unfit to be seen by human eyes, much less to fly.

Luckily, he had that unyielding smile to carry him. He stepped confidently through the metal detector, grinning so hard it dragged an eyeroll from the agent operating it. She waved him through after the beep and he barely kept himself from toppling forwards as he passed her, bowled over by a sense of relief. A sound like rushing water filled his ears, drowning out most of the airport’s ambient noise, and he could only stand there recovering until he noticed that Mira was still talking to the agent inspecting their bags.

Why would they be hounding Mira? She was the picture of innocence. Eric tried to look intimidating as he stormed towards them. His face was hot and red, but he feared his smile was undermining his image. Mira turned at his footsteps and gestured towards him with a chuckle. “My boyfriend. Can’t stand getting to the gate any later than three hours early.”

The agent gave a salute as she gathered up their duffel bags and beckoned for Eric to follow her into the terminal. “Enjoy Nebraska, folks,” he said with a grimace.

Mira offered Eric his bag, and when he didn’t take it from her, she frowned and slung it over her other shoulder. “We were just making small talk,” she said. “It didn’t mean anything.”

“But you didn’t do anything wrong, Mira!” Eric sputtered. “You’re innocent!”

“Yeah, and making small talk can help convince people of that,” said Mira. She spoke slowly, like she thought Eric’s hearing was impaired.

Which it was. The rushing sound was only getting louder. “They should just leave you alone. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mira grabbed his sleeve with a huff and sped her pace. She dragged him forwards for a while, before stopping in front of a deserted gate and double checking to make sure no one was nearby. She leaned in, her lips by his ear. So close. “You’re doing a shit job of acting natural,” she whispered. “Try to keep it together until we’re out of public, at least.”

“You’re a good person.” Eric couldn’t stop himself from babbling. “You would never hurt anyone.”

“Tell yourself that.” Mira grasped his hand harder and started again towards their gate.

Eric followed. If public displays of affection like this were part of acting natural, then he shouldn’t have a problem with it. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that a terrible mistake had just been made, that he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

They sat down at their gate, surrounded by people working on their laptops or talking or napping while they waited for the flight to board. The people blended in with the blue of the carpet under them and the sterile gray of the walls behind them. Eric knew they were all staring at him, like they hated him. Under their scrutiny, sweat dripped into his eyes and his teeth chattered. He flashed an appeasing smile at all the blurred shapes judging him, the same smile he’d been unable to shake for hours.

It finally fell as he set eyes on two people sitting rows away.

They were the only clear image in a sea of confusion: a young boy asleep, his head resting on the back of his grandfather’s wheelchair. The old man held the boy’s hand as he drifted off to sleep as well. Both of their chests were rising, falling. Peaceful, and alive. A hallucination. An impossibility, given that they were in the room with a killer.

He stood up like a shot before he even realized he was doing it. “Mira, get away.”

Mira sighed. “Eric, stop this.” She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him back into his seat, but he shook her away like he thought he’d burn her.

“Get away from me, it’s not safe. I-I’m dangerous!” Eric swallowed painfully as the truth came crashing back onto him like a ton of bricks. He backed away from Mira into the thoroughfare, raising his voice so she could still hear him. “I killed them.”

“What are you talking about?” said Mira through grit teeth.

“Sean and Q!” He pointed at their analogues. “I killed – I fucking blew them up!” The boy and the old man remained asleep, but for the other passengers, Eric’s pointing arm drew a line straight to him. “God, fuck… I…” He brought his other shaking hand up to his forehead, wiping away the sweat stinging his eyes, then grabbing a fistful of hair. He pulled hard enough to tear away some strands, but he couldn’t feel the pain. He couldn’t feel anything but the blast of heat from the explosion on his face, the ringing in his ears as Sean screamed, a tug in his gut as he remembered the gaping holes in Q’s torso where his limbs used to be.

The only thing in his stomach was the beer he’d drank in the lounge, but it was enough. The alcohol burned its way back up his throat. Eric was thrown to his hands and knees by the force of his retching, and brown bile splattered onto the floor.

His fingers twitched against the soiled carpet, his left index finger gripping the cold trigger of a grenade launcher, the rest curling around a skinny neck, squeezing against the neckline of a helmet, snapping an arthritic spine. “Q… Sean…” He felt hard tile under his knees, vomit and overflowing water soaking into the fabric of his pants. “Chris…” Even though his legs had given out entirely, he imagined standing up and seeing his reddened face in the bathroom mirror. He saw Dad’s haggard beard and the wildness in his eyes.

Eric would avoid mirrors for the rest of his life if it meant never seeing that.

A kindly hand – thick-fingered, no long nails, not Mira – touched Eric on the arm. Eric thrashed as he brought his hands up to hug himself, shaking the stranger off. Other bystanders were not so charitable. He heard the beeps of people dialing their phones. There were footsteps, running back in the direction of the TSA. So many people gathered, ready to see him get tasered, arrested, committed, shot.

“I did it to protect us, Mira. Zero said ‘Kill one’ so I did!” He couldn’t stop himself from confessing, confessing, confessing. “But I was so angry… that little shit, he made me so mad. It was his fault!” A body appeared before him, small and covered with no blood, but lifeless all the same. Its face was blond and familiar. “It was Chris’s fault!”

His voice gave out on his brother’s name, rasping into a whisper. He’d been shouting and hadn’t even realized it, attracting a massive crowd which closed in around him. With no voice left to defend himself, Eric melted into violent sobs. The TSA arrived and he had no strength to resist them as they hoisted him up by the shoulders and dragged him away. He hung loosely in their grasp, just barely finding the strength to lift his head and catch what was surely his last glimpse of Mira, distant, disappointed and hating him.

Then a stabbing pain entered his neck, and the image of Mira turned to blackness.

—

He felt his whole body as he woke up. He wasn’t in pain, just very heavy. Denial couldn’t be the wind under his sails anymore. His voice rasped as he groaned, overwhelmed by the feeling of humanity returning to him.

“Hmm. You’re awake.”

Slowly, Eric turned his head. “Mira?” She sat next to him, regarding him coolly. The wall behind her was a warm white, the seat under her a rich cream. A small window framed her face, wisps of clouds floating by in the background. She was angelic, saintly, even; he felt like she’d saved him and taken him to heaven. “We’re on the plane?”

“Private jet, actually.” Mira gestured around her and Eric turned to look. The cabin was small and the rows were empty, besides them and a man sitting in the very back. He wore a red and black suit. It wasn’t clear whether or not he was watching them behind his sunglasses. “Pretty nice, right?” said Mira. “Free the Soul really came through. Dressing up as TSA and tranqing you was brilliant.”

“Free the…” Eric groaned and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I’m sorry, whose jet is this?”

“I’m not really sure, to be honest,” said Mira. “No one ever explained to me how these guys worked. Hell, you just murdered their leader. For all I know, this jet belongs to you now.”

Eric cringed as he remembered. He was a monster. He’d ended the Decision Game by killing two people. Some would say it was the right thing to do; someone had to have died or else none of them would have ever gotten out of there. But now he was out, and for the rest of his life, he was going to be a person who had killed. With that guilt weighing him down, his breakdown at the airport would not be his last.

He hoped she was kidding about the jet being his. The seats were the softest things he’d ever sat on and it looked like there was a fully stocked bar. Not to mention the beautiful woman in the seat next to him. All things he certainly didn’t deserve.

He looked at Mira with a pleading grimace. “Mira,” he said, “do you hate me?”

Mira exhaled through her nose and rolled her eyes. A laugh. “Hate is an awfully strong word for me,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever hated anything.”

“But are you mad at me?”

“I mean, I’m still a little annoyed.” Mira sighed and flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. “But really, it’s on me. I have practice making myself look guiltless. You don’t. I should have coached you before we got to the airport.”

“The airport?” Eric bit his lip. She couldn’t have forgotten already, could she? “No, that’s not what I mean. Mira, I…” Now that he was lucid, it was harder to get the words out. “I killed two people.”

“One.”

“Huh?”

“Sean isn’t dead,” said Mira matter-of-factly. “Maybe ‘broken’ is a more appropriate word. He’s a robot, Eric. I put it together.”

She was inscrutable. She’d said a lot of weird things like this before, things that Eric had assumed were jokes. He’d genuinely thought she was the funniest person he had ever met, with her imagination and deadpan delivery. After the things Eric had seen the day before, he was starting to believe she had never been joking at all. “Oh,” he said. “That does kind of make sense.” It didn’t.

“He might be worth going back for, actually. See if he’s at all salvageable. And I guess Akane doesn’t deserve to be trapped there either… Stop pouting, Eric. I’ll spell it all out for you in simple terms later.”

Eric bit his lip and turned his head. He’d been so afraid of Mira despising him, but at least that would have made sense. She was looking at him with this calm, gentle, almost pitying look, and his brain couldn’t reconcile it. “But Q… Q is definitely dead, though,” he muttered. Did she not believe that either? Did she love Eric so much that she could ignore it? Or was she just that heartless?

“It’s funny that you’d think I’d care.” As Eric was starting to worry about what kind of woman he’d fallen in love with, Mira’s hand shot out and landed on his thigh. The touch was new and intriguing, the last thing he’d expected. And it made all his worries flicker out of existence. “You’re certainly not the man I thought you were. But the most surprising thing is that I think I like it.” Her other hand went under his chin, moving his head to meet her gaze. “You’re ruthless,” she said with a glint in her eye Eric had never seen before. “It’s quite something to see.”

Mira kissed him then with more passion than she ever had. Tongue, too. Eric worried for a moment about the man sitting in the back row, but eventually the world around them melted. Their surroundings didn’t matter anymore. The past didn’t, either. He smiled against her lips and let himself forget once again.

—

They got back home and made love for two days straight. Mira was commanding and intense, everything Eric had ever wanted. At the same time, her stark lack of experience eased his own insecurities. She tested out several pet names for him; as she purred them into his ear, he felt like he was worth something for once. They paused only to cook breakfast together, watch the new episode of Mira’s favorite reality show that she had missed while in Nevada, and sometimes just to rest and chat. Mira would lay her head on Eric’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, and mention things like Q or Sean or the Decision Game. 

But none of that mattered. The past was all a dream. Nothing existed but her and now and domestic bliss. Eric would just laugh when she tried to bring up anything else.

“What happened to you?” Mira asked him. “How did you get to be so… happy?”

It wasn’t happiness so much as it a delirium. But it was a good one. In Eric’s eyes, Mira’s apartment was awash in pinks and gentle yellows and she was haloed in a soft, hazy blur. His head felt stuffed with cotton and he could hear those distant waves behind his eardrums. It was a trance. It was wonderful. He never wanted it to break. 

As their two perfect days wore on, Mira’s eyes dulled with boredom. She lamented, “You have more important things to teach me than this.” Eric supposed he knew that this couldn’t last and that soon they would have to get back to their lives. But that life would be perfect, too: booming careers, a happy family, and so much love, forever and ever and ever. They were happy, and nothing would be able to stop them.

Not even a knife across his throat.

[colourful-void]

hi yes sorry to send you anon like that but tumblr won't let me reply to posts so. I get where you're coming from but (presumably) Seanbots disabled the bomb, so Diana & Sigma can't blow up the X-door. In the twins ending they explore D-ward once again and Diana says that she remembers the bomb having balls, but they were obviously removed since. Also going out on a limb here, but it's not a stretch to assume that since Delta made sure the bomb would be disabled, he would ensure that his parents don't wander off where they're not supposed to as well. Maybe by making the door in the Locker room unopenable or something, but that bit is just a theory, of course. Sorry for nitpicking like that once again!

Yeah no problem!! I wanted to discuss it so thank you!!

I’d totally forgotten the bomb had been disabled , thank you! And yeah if the bomb was disabled, then the door being perma shut or something makes sense too! HOWEVER!! My point about the pantry still stands! They may not be able to escape but they could delay their starvation for longer than 10 months!

That is of course assuming the pantry ever has real food behind the jello puzzle to begin with.

And knowing that the bots do disable the bomb (but not the walls of the relaxation room, the drain remote in the lockers) makes me wonder what exactly does and does not have functionality in the twins ending! It’s super interesting to me, even if my initial speculation is wrong, I just like to think about the world of thst ending!!

Thank you!!

[rarepair-competition]

Round 1, Matchup 18

[fictionkinfessions]

For the fic counts ask game: There's 1,193 Zero Escape fics on Ao3. 296 that have Sigma (which is pretty funny how low it is, actually, I guess people are mostly focused on the cast of 999?). Most ZE fics aren't ship fics which is pretty cool, but of those, that are, there are 120 for Sigma/Diana, and only 7 for Sigma/Luna (and they're all under 2k words. Half of them are under 1k). Technically I'm canon-divergent enough you could make a case that I'm not even in any fics at all, though, I guess. Still kind of a bummer that everyone ships me with somebody I never actually met.

- That one very canon-divergent VLR Sigma

x

[carleybenazzi-blog-blog]

eaun

  BODY SKIN  | Bare – Autumn skin EVOX – HEAD | LeLUTKA – Ora Head 3.1 EVO X HAIR | Nonnative  – Babygrl v2 hairbae BODY | Reborn – OUTFIT COAT | MOGUL – Eaun  fur jacket  – NEW@Treschic TOP | ROWNE – Alix Deep bodysuit CORSET | Dernier – Diana Corset size 2 BOTTOM | DIRAM – Bella pant – NEW! ACCESSORY | Studio Exposure – Renaissance – Diamond Sunglasses – NEW! ACCESSORY | Sigma  – Pebble…

[randoimago]

could i request cuddling headcanons for sigma, diana, junpei and akane (zero time dilemma)?

Cuddling Headcanons

Fandom: Zero Escape

Character(s): Sigma Klin, Diana, Junpei, Akane

Type of Request: Headcanons

Warning: A tad suggestive for Sigma's part. Nothing explicitly said, but if you read between the lines, you'll know.

Note(s): I love these four very much, I'm happy to write this!!

Akane

She raises an eyebrow at you whenever you want to cuddle. She's not against it, but it just depends on what she's doing at the time since she can be pretty busy.

Akane likes to keep busy and so she's happy to let you cuddle next to her, but she usually has a book or journal in her hands to write on. You can convince her to put it away and just hold you, but she usually has something to do if you fall asleep on her.

If she is just holding you while cuddling then she likes to talk about different things. Might have fun bringing up different conspiracy theories or logic puzzles just to talk them out. If you end up with a headache thinking about any of it then she giggles and apologizes with a smile.

Diana

Diana gives a bright smile anytime you want to cuddle with her. She knows that there is a time and place, but if she's able then she's glad to curl up next to you instead.

She likes to hold your hand while you cuddle and talk about your day. She just likes cuddling and talking with you softly about all kinds of different things.

She's fine if you both end up falling asleep cuddling. It's not often she's so relaxed that she can just sleep, but she doesn't complain. There's a few time when she panics a tad when she wakes up because she did have plans and lost track of time cuddling you. She's not upset at you, but can't help but feel guilty.

Junpei

He lazily throws an arm around you just to hold you close. If you wrap your arms around him to cuddle more, he rolls his eyes playfully and teases you.

Junpei does like to cuddle, but he's got to be cool and edgy so you're get lots of jokes and teasing from him. You might have to tell him to shut up, which causes more chuckles but he does stay quiet as he holds you.

Honestly, he grows very soft as he holds you. He can't help but just stare at you, getting lost in thought. It's a tad scary with how quiet he gets, but he can't help it. This is a moment of peace that he really needs and treasures.

Sigma

His brain freezes for a second when you request cuddles before you get a big grin and he opens his arms wide for you. A big fan of physical contact of all forms.

Probably the type to hold you close to his chest, letting you cuddle on top of him as he massages your back or smells you a little, wanting to take in your scent.

Sigma actually tries to keep his perverted comments to himself, but it's rather hard since you're on top of him. If you say anything, then he teases you with, "Cuddling time is sacred and shall not be spoiled." But he's happy to oblige to any other suggestions that might be made.

[meowsticmarvels]

sorry okay i've ranted about this on twt before but phi's role in ztd is just... odd to me. the reveal with her being related to delta (and also sigma and diana) is placed as one of the biggest ones like literally one of the reveals that delta says during final decision is phi's status as a double clone. and i do like her having a fucked up existence being a living paradox and being not meant to exist and all that. its fukcing interesting and i love it and talk about it a lot. but it's also just. for someone who's positioned as one of the most important characters to the plot as to WHY a lot of things happen she's also.... barely in the game? she's basically just in the game to be dead or To Be Born which is like. okay. something could be said about her lack of agency in everything but it ISNT said so like? and plus her not being there for that much of it takes away a bit of the weight of the reveal imo. like it's not as powerful if she had a bit more development/screentime to justify it and have a good payoff in my opinion i think. clearly im abnormal about phi so it was crazy for ME but it's just. i don't know. even for me it doesnt feel strong without that. from a writing perspective it makes a bit more sense to put the weight of a reveal as great as that on a character who already got substantial development or buildup to justify it. the most i CAN say is the existence of the fire fragment because that part is genuinely one of my favorite parts of the game (and also the flashback with phi and diana @ dcom) but it jsut. i don't know!

i've always thought and interpreted from her dialogue in both games that she's got a really weird sense of identity (calls herself "not a normal human being" in ztd, compares herself to a variable or an x-factor in vlr, also seems to believe diana and sigma's lives are worth more than hers) which could be interesting!!! and how her existing situation with her parents is when combined with the NEW information - did they keep the fact that she was an experiment as an infant from her for her entire life? like it couldve been INTERESTING. and still kinda is imo but it's just a weird writing decision to write her out of so much of the plot while ALSO wanitng her to be important at the same time. id ont know if this makes any sense to anyone but its just like. Okay? Sure?