#good GOD I can't open that can of worms‚ I still have my own worms to finish!!!

[all-lars-bars]

You listen to Prince Ali ONCE and now you're thinking about a mh Jam AU based on the story of Disney's Aladdin.

[nightingale-prompts]

Batboy is back baby!

First | Previous | Next

(Back to the regularly scheduled idiots)

Life was not quite back to normal. Danny's lack of wings meant he didn't hang from the ceiling anymore. He also started eating less, he wasn't as much of a fiend for fruits anymore. The white fur collar he had started shedding until there was only a thin layer left.

Danny slept most of the day only moving to new spots occasionally. He would choose the most inconvenient spots as well. Like the roof.

One such day Danny was sleeping soundly in the midday sun when a portal opened behind him. A hand grabbed Danny by the ankle back onto the Ghost Zone. He only managed a single yelp before he was face to face with Clockwork.

"What part of come back do you not understand?" He scolded holding the boy in the palm of his hand.

Danny rolled over in the icy blue hand and sighed. He didn't bother looking up at "Kronos" in his titan form. He knew that it meant that his mentor was in a very bad mood.

"Now look at you. You have bearly staved off going into stasis. You are not fully formed yet young man and can't survive in the physical realm without an energy source. What have you been feeding on other than your own energy reserves?!" He lectured before another voice cut in.

"Go easy on him my love. Let me." Nocturne soothed taking Danny into his hands.

Danny was thankful for a moment before realizing that Nocturne's head was that of a ram which meant he was also mad.

Its very easy to read the emotions of god-level entities. The more imposing and non-humanoid the worse they feel.

"Daniel...what did I tell you to do late time we spoke?" Nocturne's red eyes narrowed, and his horizontal pupils shrank.

Danny knew this was a trap.

"Speak boy." Nocturne ordered.

"To return-"

"To return to the realms!" Nocturne bleated "And yet you stubbornly remained. Now look, you are practically wilting away! You are still a millennia too young to be this reckless. I should ban you from the physical realm. Putting you in a dream bubble for a century would teach you a lesson."

Danny knew that this was a bluff. Nocturne was a huge softie and never went through with a punishment. Clockwork on the other hand never made false promises.

" No, my Lamb. We shouldn't. Not yet at least." Clockwork sighed "For now we should concern ourselves with helping him recover."

Danny sighed with relief as the Titans let him go for now.

He had to leave a note for Dick that he would be at his homeworld for a few days. Clockwork also left a note to assure Dick that Danny was in good hands and is also being grounded.

Recovery by ghost standards was similar to humans.

Ambient ectoplasm could heal with enough time but it's by no means fast. It would take years for Danny to get back to his old self. When Danny first came back after being torn open the recovery was painfully slow without proper care. If Clockwork hadn't stepped in then Danny would still be in that state.

The first step is food. Despite what you'd think ghosts eat. They all have to eat something to survive, but they all just have their favorite foods.

Nocturne was a desire eater.

Clockwork by nature ate everything

Danny himself is a fear eater.

Fear eaters are the most common among ghosts.

But these are abstract foods.

Physical foods also exist. Ghosts cultivate foods of their own.

Danny's favorites are a bowl of Ice Scream with Ambrosia chunks, neck-tarine lemonade, the devil's eggs, and candied meal worms.

It sure beats eating honeyed dates, bread, and cheese with Clockwork and Nocturne. But a growing ghost has to eat alter food to grow in power.

So Danny can only eat offerings until further notice.

Clockwork also sent Danny to do tasks and training.

"You need to steel your mind. Your perception of yourself is too flimsy. The more you believe yourself to be small or a child the more your body becomes so. The more negative emotions you direct at yourself the worst you will appear." Clockwork droned on and on showing Danny complex diagrams about how to properly use his powers.

The time ghost had been firm about not teaching Danny any new abilities until he got this down.

Danny was not enthusiastic. He bearly made it though the first lecture on this.

"Give him a break. How about letting me show him some examples?" Nocturne said entering the room with a tray of tea. "Come with me. We'll go to the menagerie."

For the next few days, Danny was given a crash course on biology and mental conditioning. He practiced changing his form as quickly as possible and accurately copying. Nocturne was strict but fair. Nocturne was actually one of the best when it came to shifting.

On the last day, Danny hugged his mentors goodbye for now. Clockwork made sure to fasten a talisman around Danny's neck that would keep them in contact and help Danny control his power better so he didn't lose too much energy. Nocturne handed Danny a bag of golden Ambrosia for the road.

And like that, Danny was back home. Recharged and ready.

****

Dick tried not to be worried about Danny. He understood that since he wasn't entirely human he had to recover differently. But you can't blame him for feeling anxious.

Going missing once was problem enough.

When he returned to the apartment the first thing to greet him when he opened the door was something fuzzy flying at his face.

That fuzzy thing was a squeaking sliver bat that had somehow go in the house.

Dick peeled it off his face as the bat gleefully chirped at him.

"How did you get in little guy? Did Damian hide you in here?" Dick said as the Bat climbed up his suit.

Suddenly a heavy weight pressed down on him as the albino bat turned into Danny. Dick toppled to the floor.

"Dad!! Look! I finally did it! I flew!" Danny said leaning over Dick and smiling from ear to ear. His blue eyes flashed green.

Dick was stunned silent as he took in the last few seconds.

Did Danny call him dad?

[future-ghoost]

16 and 28 for rook codex writing prompts :)

Oh hi T-aash 👋

You picked a good time to ask - I'm in the middle of writing so the creative juices (and whisky) are flowing.

16. Letter from Rook to their love interest (NeveXGreyWardenRook)

Let's pick the context of Rook having to go on a mission to clear out some of the Blight that remained post-game.

Neve,

I've never been one for cities. Growing up in the countryside surrounded by nothing but fields and gardens makes you used to isolation and open expanses of land. Being a Grey Warden for a decade makes you used to camaraderie and wary of crowds and strangers.

I've never really liked the rain. It's never been more than an inconvenience - nothing more than a sign I'd have to re-grease my armour and carefully place my socks over the fire so they'd dry out before morning.

Even so, I can't help but miss Minrathous. It's energy, the people, the streets and towering buildings, the views across the docks and the never-ending rain. I never could have imagined I'd find myself living in such a place. More than that, I never could have imagined myself happy living in such a place. Yet, out here, in places where the views go on for miles and the sun shines on Davrin, Assan and I as we clear out the remainder of the same Blight I've been fighting for my entire adult life, I can't help but find myself yearning for it.

You're the best detective in Thedas, so I won't bore you by explaining the obvious reason why I wish to come home.

But, Maker, do I miss you.

You'd never believe it, but out here in the middle of nowhere, Davrin actually makes a coffee worse than you. He tries his best, but it's hard to control the temperature of water over a campfire. And while it's nice to see the stars at night, they're hard to enjoy when I don't have you following the point of my finger when I name every constellation I can remember.

You'll be glad to know that Assan is at least happy. Unlike the city, or the Fade there are snacks everywhere for a growing griffon. You'd be amazed to see how big he's getting. We might have to widen the doors of your apartment when I get back if you want to have him stay over.

There are moments of lonliness out here that I've never experienced before, even with Davrin and Assan by my side. I haven't been injured much (please don't worry for me, a few months on the road and all the weight gained from Lucanis' food has turned to muscle), but Davrin doesn't hold a candle to you as a healer. In the moments where I'm getting a wound wrapped, I feel you here with me sometimes. Your soft hands, your warm voice chastising me for not dodging quickly enough.

Still, the new scars are worth the work we're doing out here. You'd be so proud to see what we've accomplished. Killing Darkspawn isn't all being on our own in the middle of nowhere. We've been to new places, new towns and met some incredible people. The Blight is much more complex than it seems - it worms its way into their lives in ways you can't imagine unless you've been in our position. Without the Gods to command it, it's not quite as brutal, but its effects still persist. But because of the work we've done, people are alive - their houses still stand, they've rallied together as communities and its incredible to see. I understand how you must feel helping people with Rana.

How is the new Detective Agency going? I can only imagine how you and Rana are getting on each other's nerves, but I'm sure you're doing fantastic work.

There are only a few more villages assigned to us to clear out. Once they're done, Davrin and I are thinking about hanging up our swords. With the Taint removed from our blood after killing Elgar'nan, and with the Blight mostly dealt with, there's nothing left for us out here. Minrathous Murders and Monsters has a good chance of going ahead!

I never imagined my life as anything more than doing my duty as a Warden and eventually succumbing to the Blight, but I have a real chance at a life now. I'd love nothing more than to spend it at your side.

I love you, Neve Gallus.

Stay safe. If you can't stay safe, stay alive.

Always yours, Rook

28. Propaganda against Rook - by the First Warden

Warning!

A discredited Warden by the name 'Kyra Thorne' aka 'Rook' has been attempting to contact members of the order to join her cause against so-called 'gods'.

There is no evidence that any gods beyond the Maker exist and any attempt at stating otherwise will be seen as a slight against the Order. Furthermore, any attempt to contact 'Rook' will be met with exile.

The Blight has not changed.

In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilence. In Death, Sacrifice.

[justpoppystuff]

Pigprime fluff and a bit of smut at the end <3

Names uncensored under the cut

“That's my shirt." Techno commented as Tommy entered the kitchen of his small cabin. He stared for a few moments, then returned his attention to the breakfast he was making just so it didn't burn. He was sure that Tommy was well aware of the distraction he was being.

The way too big shirt hung off of Tommy's scrawny frame so perfectly with one shoulder left exposed. It was just long enough on him to hide his ass from Technos' view. It was much too early for this sort of temptation, but that had never stopped either of them before.

"So?" Tommy asked as he leaned against the counter near Techno to watch him finish the food he had been making. The shirt lifted up, leaving nothing to the imagination. "It's comfortable," he added.

Techno sighed. He had long given up on keeping anything of his to himself. The protests weren't worth it when Tommy would just do or use whatever he wanted, anyway. Though, the younger man was just too cute to resist to begin with, having long since wormed his way past Technos' walls and into his arms.

"Just make sure you return it," said as he set the food he was cooking aside now that it was done. Techno moved so that he was standing in front of Tommy. "I make no promises," Tommy answered as he turned to face Techno. As good as breakfast sounded at the moment, the older man's appetite had shifted to something else.

He planted his hands on either side of Tommy, then pressed their lips together as he pinned him firmly against the counter with his hips, his hands moving to slip under the shirt to trail over smooth skin.

Breakfast could wait an hour or two. Him and Tommy were not going anywhere.

-

"Tommy. What are you doing?" Techno asked as he stepped into the kitchen to wash his hands of the dirt from his garden. The boy had seemingly just climbed onto the counter when he entered.

"Getting the cocoa..." Tommy grumbled with barely a glance as he opened the cabinet to get what he wanted.

"You could have just asked, you know," Techno said as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He was just drying them when he realized Tommy was beside him, still perched on the counter.

"You were busy." Tommy said in return as he crouched down to press a kiss to Technos' lips. "Stop putting stuff where I can't get it."

"Never."

-

"I can walk on my own, you know," Tommy grumbled as Techno carried him towards the cabin they shared. This was not the first time that Techno had decided to just carry him rather than slowing his pace or just leaving Tommy behind to catch up later.

His instincts would not allow him to just leave his mate. The forest and tundra around his home were dangerous, after all. Who knew what would happen if he just left him.

At least, that was the reason that Techno always gave when Tommy complained and reminded him that he was more than capable of fending for himself.

Which Techno knew. But sometimes he just wanted to hold Tommy close and protect him from all harm. The younger man had already been through enough pain and heartache.

Even if it was just a simple scrape from a monster that was unfortunate enough to cross paths with the Blood God and his mate.

-

Techno sighed in contentment as he set his chin upon Tommy's head, his gaze focused on the book in his hands. Content to read through the adventure of some long passed adventurer while Tommy knitted god knows what in his lap.

He was sure it was a sweater, but it could be something entirely different knowing Tommy. Techno would just have to wait and see what he was turning the dark red yarn into.

The only sounds were the click of knitting needles, the crackling fire, and the occasional page being flipped.

There was nothing Techno would trade for quiet moments like this.

-

Tommy made such a gorgeous sight when he was perched on top of Techno, head thrown back in pleasure as he chased his orgasm on his cock. Feverishly moving as Technos' hands held onto his hips to hold him steady, helping him along when it seemed he needed it. He was so small that Technos' fingers could touch when wrapped around his waist.

Techno would eventually take control and give Tommy everything he seemed to need desperately, but for now he was more than content to merely watch Tommy tear himself apart.

It was an image that he wanted to immortalize in paint.

[queer-reader-07]

don't mind me i'm just dropping my review of dune part 2 here because i really really really loved this movie and it changed me on a molecular level and i can't stop thinking about it and everyone should watch it it's so good i'm not joking it's literally one of the best films i've ever watched. ok anyway, review:

I remember very clearly the day I finished Dune. I remember how I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating rice & beans with a spoon in one hand, and holding my dad's battered and loved mass market in the other hand. I remember how I read the final words and closed the book slowly. How I got up to go sit in my dad's home office and stare into space in disbelief at what I'd just read. I remember how I looked at my dad and I said "I can see why it's your favorite. I think it's mine too."

I saw Dune Part 2 on opening night, in IMAX, with my dad. And to say it was a night to remember is an understatement. I can say with full confidence that seeing this film is sure to become a core memory.

The sheer power of this film is something to behold. I don't think there was a single moment in those 166 minutes that I wasn't entirely immersed in the film, my eyes were glued to that screen like never before.

There were moments during the movie where I was genuinely frightened, moments that had me on the edge of my seat. I know how this story goes, I know how it ends, I know who lives and who dies. And yet...

Paul Atreides is a scary man by the end of this story. The transformation he undergoes after drinking the Water of Life is unsettling, and Timothee did a fantastic job of portraying it. Paul's speeches about how he is The One- The Lisan Al-Gaib- are damning. You can see how much he believes now that he must be the messiah and how deeply the Fremen believe in him, but you can also see how dangerous he is. The power in his words is scary because I know how much damage the search for one person to save us all can cause. His final speech instills a sense of breath-stealing deep in the audience. It's frightening and disturbing because I know that this kind of religious zealotry is not being played up for the sake of theatrics; it is very, very real.

Jessica's religious indoctrination is scarily accurate to the indoctrination I've witnessed in my own life. The way she talks of "converting the non believers" reminds me a little too much of how I was taught to share the Word of God with those who didn't believe in Christ or God while I was in catholic school. And while her own indoctrination is terrifying to witness, what is worse is watching how she spreads her propaganda amongst the Fremen. By the end, they believe that Paul will save them; rather than being saved by their own people.

Despite knowing that Stilgar's faith is largely due to Bene Gesserit propaganda that speaks of a messiah, I still find him to be an admirable character. His unwavering and unshakeable faith mimics the faith of many religious people I know in real life. I've always envied that kind of faith, the kind that prevails regardless of hardship or pain or loss. I sometimes wish I could have that kind of faith, I wish I could believe in something that strongly. Stilgar is not shaken by anything Paul or Chani or any other Fremen say. He believes with his whole being that Paul is the Lisan Al-Gain, and that he will save them all.

"I don't care what you believe. I believe!"

And it's just such a well crafted movie. Shai-Hulud looks so good in this film (the sand worm riding scenes were breathtaking). The cinematography, the soundtrack, the acting; everything feels so intentional. I'm so grateful this film exists.

This movie will stick with me for a while, if not forever. It so faithfully portrays not only the story but the themes of Dune. This film was clearly made with love, care, and adoration for the source material. I couldn't be more grateful.

As the film came to a close, as Jessica's final words rang in my ears, as I watched Chani prepare to ride Shai-Hulud, I did not know what to do with myself. As the credits began to roll everyone around me stood up while I stayed seated. As I peeled myself out of my seat to leave, the music that played rang throughout the theater. I was breathing heavy, I turned to my dad, and we concluded that this was a truly wonderful film.

in conclusion, i can die happy knowing my favorite novel of all time has been so perfectly adapted.

[luke-hughes43]

dani coming to the boston game?

you're my favorite little rascal toast

yes yes yes

~

dani works it out with her coach to go to boston for yesterday and today with the promise of being back for classes tomorrow. and as soon as she heard that, she texted mack and ryan:

dani: hey so i got permission from my coach to miss the sunday and then monday of the boston game. i haven't told will and was thinking of surprising him. interested in helping?

ryan: hell fucking yea dani. can i tell the boys? god they'll be so excited to see you!

dani: don't tell isla, i wanna surprise her for her bday

ryan: i can do that.

mack: what do you need from me?

dani: i already booked a flight i just need will to not find out.

ryan: we aren't staying in providence overnight saturday, i can send gabe or fowls or one of our boys to get you at the airport?

dani: ok! if they can't, don't worry about it! i can uber.

mack: i'll send you the hotel info. when is he finding out?

dani: the dinner that's planned with the boys and isla for will being in town and isla's bday. i'm gonna surprise will and isla there.

mack: ok. if you need anything text me. and i'll keep lover boy occupied.

dani: i don't doubt that mack.

ryan: lover boy?

mack: don't start leonard.

dani: as long as will and isla don't find out, everything is all set. i texted grace and his mom so they know i'm coming and i'm excited to see you guys.

ryan: sounds good.

ryan and mack keep their word and will and isla have no idea that dani is in boston. until dani shows up in the north end with gabe and fowler for dinner with will and the boys. and will shits himself, "what the hell are you doing here? i thought you had practice?"

dani giggles and walks over to hug him. he holds her tight, as if he didn't see her last week. fowler chirps will, "damn smitty, you'd think you haven't seen her in a year with how tight your hugging her."

"you're just jealous fowler."

"actually i'm not. i got my own thing going on right now thank you very fucking much asshole." jacob fires back. unintentionally, opening the wrong can of worms. isla is still in shock that dani is here.

dani and eden are the closest thing that isla has to an actual big sister, being hated by her own sister, so isla pries will's grip off of dani and hugs her tight. isla says, "oh my god. i can't believe you're here."

"believe it babe. it's not everyday your little sister turns 20. couldn't miss it." dani says and lets isla let go and sit with ryan. everyone is so excited to see dani and will is excited to have his girl with him for his boston homecoming.

[scribe-of-stories]

Get to Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Was poked by the wonderful co-writers of Sunset @sunset-a-story and @touloserlautrec. Go read their posts here and here!

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? A short eternity (first post is mid 2022)

What led you to create it? Was very bored at work and wanted to share some recent stories. Also I had never tried social media before, it this looked like the most interesting place to try it.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community? Getting to see other people's imagination unfiltered. I've read plenty of great works before, but it was definitely an entertaining first to see the author later publicly say "this is my favorite little guy, can't wait till the next time he suffers."

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you? I constantly feel like I'm bothering people and or feel self conscious when talking about me/my stuff, so bare with me hah.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash? Just some really unhinged stuff about y'alls stories. I want to open my phone and see someone discussing the seven major heresies dictated by some cabal of priests only to later realize "oh, this is someone's fever dream, not a history lesson".

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today? Interact more, take up the offer of "open tags" on other people's posts. Also throw your ideas onto the table for other's to look at, we all seem to love just watching someone go off about something they love.

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately? Been in a bit of a writing drought. Lexical is always getting worked on, more so the TTRPG stuff than any story right now though. I've had a few projects pop into my mind and leave over the past while. Have a cluster of characters I can't get out of my head, but no narrative or setting to properly put them into. A god of violence and the man that cut her out of himself, a cultish vampire philosopher and his favorite little guy (little guy has a knife). Surely something will come of this, or they'll continue to just exist in one-off stories in my own head. Amber Hill, specifically The Lawman, is still somewhere in here but it's been struggling to come out for a while. Been trying to find Lars' voice as a POV character.

How long have you been working on them? I've been working on something based in Lexical since mid 2022 (huh, exactly around I first posted here); the other guys are new and only a few months old at most.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started? Lexical is a can of worms. The short answer is that my irl DnD group wanted to play something more free form and creative leaning than what our 5e campaign was allowing, so I said fuck it and started homebrewing a system based in a world I have vague ideas about. The long answer is that Lexical is a sequel to a Pathfinder campaign titled "Demis", which was about fantasy super heroes. It was heavily inspired by My Hero, Worm, and inescapably Homestuck. So when it came time to make a whole new system for these same players I took some concepts that worked in Demis, applied some occult-adjacent philosophy I was/am into, and ended up with my years long passion project. Atem and Sadaf were born out of my growing need to explore violence as a concept, philosophy, and inescapable existential crisis. The Vampire and his thrall Ish spawned out of a desire to have a toxic romance to think about. And AmberHill was inspired by a desire to create something cozy and occulty. Ended up being SCP adjacent but maintained the idea of a small community that cares about itself.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them? Lexical- not enough, I'm lucky I have at least some productive thoughts throughout the day. Atem- too much, his tired ass sat down in my head and I've been too polite to ask him to leave.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say? "Urban Fantasy with science fiction elements"

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)? "My dissertation on the semi-real building blocks of both physical and social reality, also wizards punching people."

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created. We've got the original Lexical boy Samuel Smith, Atem and Sadaf who you've already heard of, Lars DuPont from Amberhill.

Who’s the most unhinged? Sadaf.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write? For whatever reason Samuel's self-loathing PI perspective just comes very natural and is maybe someone I should write more about.

Do you ever cringe at them? Nah

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? Depends, my mind does not wonder so much that I don't feel like I am ever not in control. But who I am able to focus on tends to be a matter of debate.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? Yes absolutely. Characters, worlds, magic systems; I'll rant about any of them given the chance.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? A combination of preferred genre (urban fantasy), shared interest (books/games/table top). Also if they have Scribe as part of their name it's just an auto follow.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle? There's a few. The telepaths from Sunset and their many ways of being terrifying are the first that come to mind. Since I already mentioned the scribes I'll go ahead and tag @scribe-cas , @covenscribe and leave the rest of the tag open. Here is an empty template

[yakool-foolio]

Okay, now on the other end of things

Morality wise, what about the NDA? Like they're the "good guys" in the story but who's the morally best and worst in your opinion? Also Kurumi as well if you want, because she kind of counts as am honorary NDA member ig?

Ooooooooh man this is a whole other can of worms, isn't it? Ranking the peacekeepers on their morality is much more cut n dry, but there's a whole lot more to think about when discussing the much more nuanced ethics each detective has. So to not devolve into too much chaos, I'll once again only be basing my ranking off of what is seen in canon in the game, so no talk of Number One Yuma (though that is definitely its own decisive topic, which will become evident soon). And as usual the list will go from best to worst, so we'll ease ourselves in before really diving into the nuance.

To start us off is the lovely Fubuki! Oh, you sweet summer child. The most morally sound out of all the detectives. Not a single bad bone in her body. She may be uneducated about many things in the world, but that doesn't stop her from being inherently kind and sweet, even with her unconventional compliments.

Next in line is Halara! I was honestly a little conflicted on whether they would be placed above or below Desuhiko, but I after some thinking, I believe Halara has the moral high ground. Obviously their stinginess and greed lowers their score, but the road is paved with good intentions. The reason they ask for so much money is so they can put it toward a program to help save cats! Even though they have trust issues with people, they care deeply about animals. And once they do gain some trust in human allies like Fubuki and Desuhiko, they say that their companionship is considered enough payment for the time being when partaking in casual investigations.

Climbing down to the next rung is Desuhiko. He's definitely got some issues with his ethics regarding his flirtatiousness. He is not afraid to flirt with any woman he meets and that is not good. Thankfully, he doesn't necessarily force any interaction and does back off when scolded or ignored enough, but that doesn't make his words any less uncomfortable. He needs to learn some self control or else he's gonna get a boot to the head.

Now here's where things get really interesting. Vivia takes third place in moral deviance. This is without going into the possible meanings of the teardrop tattoo, god forbid I bring up the idea of him murdering someone or being part of a gang; things would get much worse if I did. Even then, Vivia's overreaction to Yuma's determination to expose the truth definitely sits him firmly on the lower end of the ranking. He threatened to kill Yuma just so they could go back to living in blissful ignorance of Yakou's involvement in the case. He only resigned from his murderous intentions after hearing Yakou's spirit, calming him down and making him realize that he can't turn away from the truth and has to believe in his heart (kinda gay ngl). Vivia as a whole is harder to exactly pin down with his moral grayness regarding honesty, but ya can't really ignore the intention to slit someone's throat open, can ya?

And now we reach the actual murderer: heyo Yakou. Despite all the manipulation pulled by Yomi and Makoto, Yakou didn't have to kill Huesca. He did it for vengeance and atonement, leading all his detectives into the lion's den in order to execute his plan. Despite taking advantage of his allies, he undoubtedly had good intentions and is a very good soul overall. He wanted to bring justice to his wife who died because of an absolutely awful man and make up for not being able to save her. But murder is still murder, regardless of motive (I would say to put a pin in this, but I don't need to when the topic is coming up again right around the corner).

And here's the actual mass-murderer: Yuma! Now I know this may come as a shocker (or not depending on how much this game has been rotating in your brain like it has with mine), but Yuma is far from innocent, as much as we love to call him 'baby.' With the help of Shinigami, Yuma has killed many culprits. It can be argued that the very first reaping of Hitman Zilch doesn't fall under the same umbrella of awareness of his crime, but he still killed him! And afterward, Yuma made the decision to enter the labyrinth knowing that the culprits would die. He didn't have to use the labyrinths. It's especially egregious in chapter 3 when help was already on the way and would've put a stop to Dominic smashing Yuma to bits since they had the culprit with them! A death could've been avoided, but hindsight is not Yuma's Forte. And like I said, this isn't even talking about the corrupt fuckery of the WDO and what Yuma might've done as Number One.

[lucky-berry]

No, you cannot just fucking say you represent everyone of a certain group. Especially with a multi-decades long religion with branches upon branches of belief.

No, a religious state has no place in the modern world. Religion and state should stay seperate lest we want another pope war situation.

No, hurting people for the simple fact of not wanting their livelihoods to go poof is bad. You wouldn't want that either now would you?

No, I do not care for the ones that are neutral. Their opinions don't matter to me as I will stay firm even if they try to convince me otherwise.

No, how are you so dumb to think carpet bombing is a good idea?

Yes, it is rather similar to the blitzkrieg isn't it?

No, I do not want Judaism to die, I want your hate to die and for you to realize your faults.

Yes, I hate politics with a burning passion because I have learned no one in the current political power could care any fucking less about the people that helped them gain the power that they have.

No, again, I do not want a religious state. It is a stupid idea. Like how is that bs gonna work in this current society?

For fucks sake, is it that hard to not want to hurt people that are different from you?

No it doesn't matter what happened in the past when you are currently doing something as bad and even, dare I say, worse than what happened.

I think Hitler would be jealous of how more effective you guys are at killing the opposition. That is not a good thing to those of you who didn't get it.

No, you cannot condemn someone for their perceived sins. You are not God. You are a human with a God complex.

No, I will not change my opinion.

Yes, it is an inevitable tragedy when people die in a battle regardless of which side, but that doesn't mean I can't grieve for the lives lost and be angered about it.

Yes, I do believe that war is a stupid dumb dick measuring contest by greedy people.

No, I do not understand why people insist on sending defense armies out to fight a threat that's not in their own homeland. That is aggression, not defense.

Yes, the world is fucked.

No, I will not give up on it.

Yes, I want to give a chance to Israeli people. Continuing the hateful cycle will only repeat this whole boffunery all over again.

No, I don't want to. They are hateful.

Yes, I still will try. For the sake of a better world I want to give love a try.

If that does not reach them, then may the devil find your company more pleasant then I have.

Yes, pirating is good in this economy. Give it a shot.

Yes, I think celebs should not say their political opinion. They've opened a can of worms and are surprised that it is a can of worms.

Yes, the world will be a better place if grudges are handled by world leaders duking it with fists boxing style. No need for sending people into battle and no need for civilian casualties.

Yes, I hate war.

Yes, I hate guns that go kill this fucker.

Yes, I love history about war.

No, I would not like a repeat of war.

It is only February but many people of the world has given us a reason to believe God truly has abandoned us.

[dark-elf-writes]

ROUND TWO! It is still technically tomorrow so yeah.... 😁

-(Remus. Safety. A port in the storm while everything shattered around him.)

Oh honey, hugs all of the hugs. This whole passage is fucking beautiful. The moment of Harry realizing Shouta is testing him and appreciating it. Recognizing where the adults in his life failed him and seeing that the man in front of him won't fail his students in the ways Harry was failed. AAAHHHH

-(Dark eyes looked him up and down. “Take ten. No need to traumatize them by throwing a zombie at their feet.” 

Harry scoffed, edging around Shouta to open the door he hadn’t bothered locking (anyone who could break into UA and get past all of the staff to a top floor flat and could get around Bill’s wards deserved to steal his shit honestly) and shooting the man a rather unimpressed look even as he nodded for him to follow. “I know damn well you own a mirror being married to Yamada so the only other options are you’re blind and just a very good actor or you’re so deep in denial you truly believe you don’t look worse than I do and I’ve literally died four times.”)

AAHAHAHAHUENJDSAKGNR CALL HIM OUT! but for real I love this. We see sassy Harry and Shouta, sir, pot kettle. ahahaha

-(Twenty teenagers looked back at him, eyes bright with suspicion as they shifted their stances to cover the little girl in their midst. The little girl who had no problem popping her head around a massive shoulder to beam at Harry and Shouta as they approached. 

“Hi, Harry-san!” The white haired girl waved. “Did you bring more cookies?”)

Leave it to the tiny human to relieve the tension of the room. And sassing Bakugou to boot. Love it.

-(With a shriek of laughter Eri launched herself from the green haired kid’s back and wormed her way between the protective gathering of teenagers to collide with Harry’s leg, going up on her toes to check the container. “Where’s Teddy?”

“With Weasley-Sensei. If your dad is okay with it you can come over for dinner tonight to see them.” 

She didn’t so much as look at Shouta. “Dad says yes.”)

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 THIS SWEET HILARIOUS CHILD! I CAN'T SHE MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS! The only thing that would have made this better is if Hizashi had been present to witness it.

-(This time, Harry did smile, letting every shattered piece of himself show in the lopsided lift of his lips. Let them see the boy he was: fifteen and so fucking angry at the unfairness of everything, sixteen and terrified of the monsters that lurked around every corner, seventeen and tired down to his very bones. Let them see the reflection looking back at them. 

One child soldier to twenty. )

god fucking damn the absolute beauty in the writing here. dsjabcim I'm speechless. 10000000000/10

-(“You look like a fucking fetus.” Bakugou hissed. “How the hell can you be a Top Ten?” )

Cackling at this. Just the phrasing. Hit me right in the funny bone for some reason🤣🤣

-(“Dormant.” At the kid’s surprised blink, Harry shrugged. “I have a no slur policy when it comes to my students. That includes against themselves.” Which had been developed the exact moment Aoyama hissed the word. Not that Harry was going to tell them that. )

Yup good policy, timing don't matter. Nope not at all.

-(they are in my top five most terrifying sisters)

Who's number one? Ginny or Hermione because I feel like that could go either way lmfao

-THE ENTIRE END NOTE OF CHAPTER SEVEN HAD ME LAUGHING TO TEARS

-(“Welcome to the world, cub,” Harry breathed, pulling back to press a kiss to Teddy’s temple. “You hungry?” 

Teddy let out a jaw cracking yawn, rubbing at their eyes with the back of their hands, and blinked at him uncomprehendingly. After a second, they nodded. )

AAAAWWEWW The mental picture of sleepy little Teddy is just javirughdxkwiaiurytlh;iwo I CAN'T

-(Harry shrugged. “Bragging rights, mostly. I’m in a new country at a new job with very little of my reputation carrying over and only to a select few people who already knew about me anyway. All of you are the next generation of heroes and will more than likely make up a second chunk of the Top Fifty in the next few years. I need something to prove to my kid that I’m still cool when they inevitably decide one of you is their second favorite hero.” 

Disbelieving eyes came from all around the room. Well, except for Asui and Sero. As the two with the most experience with young children, there was not so much as a flicker of doubt in their eyes that street cred with a seven year old was Harry primary motivation. Harry smiled back  at all of them, unrepentant. )

Believe him guys. Believe him. 🤣🤣🤣And he's not wrong, room full of the future? He doesn't stand a chance at being his kid's favorite if he doesn't work for it🤣🤣🤣🤣

-(“If your ghosts try to convince you that dying is fun, just know that they are liars and it absolutely is not.” 

______

From the moment they had first met their new sensei, Izuku had been pretty sure that he was, on some level, completely fucking insane. )

THE PLACEMENT OF THESE SENTENCES IS FUCKING PERFECT👩‍🍳💋 🤣🤣🤣

-(One singularity recognizing another. )

I'm going to keep sounding like a god damn broken record but this entire passage is fucking poetry. Like fucking hell, 'it was more than their shared green eyes. more than the bruised eyes and too thin cheeks. more than the massive scar that took up half of the man's face that seem to glow with an eerie green light." jdfaiuhganfvjfdkalghr Fucking master of words you are.

-(“ Excuse me? ” First hissed, materializing at Izukums shoulder with the same pissed off cat expression he had given Second after he broke Izuku’s laptop during movie night. 

“You’re excused.” Potter-sensei shrugged. Shrugged. Like dealing with angry ghosts was normal for him. )

ahshasjiafownejwlafnuju SASSY HARRY!!!!!

-Okay death calling Harry a disaster twink in the end note completes my entire existence.

-(There was a snort and Harry lifted his head enough to see an unmasked Snipe grinning at the two of them. “Ah yes, the first day ‘how did my teachers ever put up with me’ guilt. Bright side, you didn’t have a single broken bone in your class and there was no Nezu level threat against humanity as a whole so y’all did a damn good job.” 

“The bar is so low,” Hermione whispered in horror, setting Harry off in half hysterical giggles.)

Nezu level threat is the most terrifying thing to happen on a teacher's first day, bar none. nothing else. nope.

-(Harry blinked. “Since when are you on a first name basis with Aoyama?”

“Like two minutes ago, dad, keep up. They’re Aunt Fleur’s cousin and that makes us cousins so Yuuga is family and last names with family is weird unless it’s for a joke.” He didn’t have to look to know there was a duh expression on Teddy’s face,

“Did you ask Aoyama if you can use their first name, or did you assume?” Teddy’s silence was the only answer Harry needed. “Teddy—.”

point two seconds later

“Can I call you Yuuga because we’re cousins?” 

Teddy turned back to Harry, still wearing Aoyama’s face, and pointed at the teen over their shoulder. “See. Cousin.”)

KIDS ARE A GODDAMN MENACE AND I'M FUCKING LIVING FOR IT

-(A familiar snort had them turning to see a grinning Hizashi leaning over the back of the couch where Shouta was attempting to appear asleep. It would have been more convincing if the man wasn’t grinning into his sleeping bag. “That’s just parenting. If it helps, they can keep up with Eri so I highly doubt Teddy is going to cause too much damage.” 

They were probably right, but…

“Doesn’t one of those kids have shark teeth?”

“ Fuck.” )

Crying laughing oh my fucking god yes this is perfect

-There is something so special about how this moment between Nemuri and Hermione is written. True connection, not unnatural, just two women who have fought to protect their families and came out scarred and hurting relating and commiserating, stunning writing.

-(“If you stretched more, you could do it too.” Harry pointed out, slowly rising out of the stretch before bending backwards, more to annoy his brother than out of any real need for the stretch. His palms hit the mat behind him as he held the back bend without too much effort. 

Ron shuddered. “That’s horrifying to watch have I ever told you that?”

Harry took a few too-quick shuffle-crawl steps towards him, just to make Ron lurch back with a shriek. The shorter man hit the mat a second later, laughing too hard to keep himself up. )

NOT THE HORROR MOVIE IMPRESSION ahahahahahahahhahahahah

-(In the ring, Hermione missed the leg sweep sent from Hizashi and hit the mats hard. It didn’t seem to stop her as she turned to gape at him. 

“Harry James Potter are you telling me you saw Tom Riddles’ penis?” 

“No I’m telling Ron, Shouta, and Kayama. You just happened to be eavesdropping.” )

CACKLING!!!!!!!!!

-(Honestly, there were worse ways to go rather than being murdered by a beautiful woman. )

Glory, Glory, what a helluva way to die!

-Shouta totally handed Ron his own ass, repeatedly and with glee

This is seven through nine! I'll be doing more tomorrow! I totally love this and want to keep going. I'm also interested in doing this with some of your other fics and maybe some tagged aus on here? if you're okay with it?

I’m loving this so much it’s such a delight to see all the parts you enjoy if you want to do it with other fics/aus as well I’m totally down just be aware that I will probably tell you that I love you platonically more than once.

[psychewritesbs]

different anon here but i came across your evil post when i was perusing the tag — i loved seeing your thoughts as someone in the psychology field! i think you only watched the first season (based on the comment of watching 13 eps in 3 days), but if you were to continue watching seasons two and three (and four this summer!) i think you would find that the framing of the catholic church does get a little less "good guys"-y. this is probably in part due to the shift from being a cbs air-on-tv show with season 1, to a paramount+ online streaming show in seasons 2+. it's not a massive difference, to be fair, but they def start discussing some discriminatory aspects of the church, esp in regards to race & a bit in relation to sexuality and views on other religions. there is actually a very interesting plotline in season 3 regarding the catholic church that i would love to see your thoughts on, should you keep watching!

HOLA different anon. THANKS FOR THE ASK!!!! I love nerding out with others about psych. It's my thang.

Ok so, I just finished season 2 and these are my thoughts under el cut'o:

First I want to get this out of the way.

The Leland storyline... you know, where he gets to worm his way into everything that is convenient for the plot? I'm so over him.

I just want to punch him. Mrs. O'Brien and Thomas from Downton Abbey are far better at being cliché villains.

I love cliché machiuvelically tacky evil villains, but I have high standards because of Mexican novelas.

No one can ever trump Soraya Montenegro at being fabulously tacky evil.

Anyways, your comment totally reminded me about how in s1 they address the issue with children in the church and its stance on homophobia. So I love that they continue the theme with the exploration of how the church is racist, and my least favorite--sexist.

I have yet to see beyond the first couple of episodes in season 3, but I can appreciate that the church is framed as not such a good guy after all.

It's just that even if Evil is framing the church in not such a positive light, Evil still frames the Catholic God as "good", and the Catholic Devil as "evil".

At least from what I've seen... perhaps there's more surprises in s3 regarding that idea--the opening has been awfully similar to Westworld's opening since s1 so I get the sense the producers/writers are interested in delivering a similar feast for brainiac types like myself.

Um... ok so... everything comes back to Jujutsu Kaisen 😂.

Feel free to skip this section for more thoughts about the show.

Good vs. Evil

When I said that I preferred morally gray stories, I was specifically thinking about a liveblog post I had written about one of the chapters in the manga Jujutsu Kaisen. I'm not sure if the anon who recommended I watch Evil was thinking along the same lines, or if anon has read my jjk nerderies, but jjk puts a nice twist on the good vs. evil trope that Evil explores.

The mangaka, Gege Akutami, introduced a little symbol that I traced back to William Blake who had taken inspiration from Milton's "Paradise Lost" in his own understanding of the question of good vs. evil.

I haven't looked too deeply into either of their work, so read this with a grain of salt since I also can't confirm the accuracy of what I've read about them online, but I understand they both considered themselves to be Christian men who did not necessarily agree with the traditional interpretation to the problem of good vs. evil.

Regardless of the differences between Christianity and Catholicism, my understanding is that Blake saw "evil" as instinct free from reason, and "good" as reason (instinct may or may not be the right word).

Along the same lines, you have Jung's definition of libido.

Again, it's been years since I've read Jung's collected works, but if I remember correctly, the way Jung spoke of libido was as if it were psychic energy. In other words, unlike Freud, Jung did not necessarily see libido strictly as sexual desire, but rather our aliveness, our will, our desires, our instincts, etc.

Our neuroses, Jung thought, were often the cause of conflicts in the flow of said energy, like say, curbing your desires with reason.

From this perspective "evil" is not necessarily, you know... stereotypical selfish villain who is evil for the sake of evil evil...

... but rather the expression of libido unchecked by reason for self-serving purposes.

This all relates to jjk because jjk explores the idea that the stronger the ego sense of self, the stronger the character, which inevitably means that the character in question is selfish af and has no regard for others.

This is where it gets complicated because... how to say... is it truly evil for Kristen to have killed that serial killer dude when she was doing it to protect herself and her family?

I don't have the answer to it. All I can say is that Kristen had an impulse and acted on it without applying much reason outside of "I am doing it to protect my daughters and I will be careful not to incriminate his wife".

The show, however, explains this away as demonic possession (?) which doesn't sit right with me because it reduces her impulse to something "dark" and "undesirable" that only God (reason) can heal.

But like... reason devoid of instinct is basically artificial intelligence. In the end, you need them both. That is why people like Jung and Blake and even Buddhism advocate for a marriage of opposites, or walking a middle path.

It's really complicated and I feel like I am oversimplifying the whole thing lol. It's like Kant's trolley problem.

Maybe you have some insight about it or some nuance I may be missing that you'd like to share.

Anyways... it is the IRS episode that most felt like what good vs evil is from this Depth Psych perspective. And it kind of sucks because it only got such a brief mention with the Satanist t-shirt guy saying that he likes to do what pleases him as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

So my over-thinking brain can't get over the fact that Evil still frames the "devil" and "evil" as inherently bad. It reduces the concepts to black and white terminology when there is a lot of nuance to be had.

Evil

That out of the way... I was honestly getting bored with s2, ESPECIALLY with Leland, but the way it ended was so powerful. It's like they were saving the best for last.

Between Kristen's emotional confession and how s3 begins, I think I'm going to keep watching, just probably won't be as invested.

By the way, I LOVE Nun Andrea. What a fun and relatable character.

Ok, that's that. Thanks for reaching out! Looking forward to hearing from you again.

[ask-the-determined-river]

"I..."

Asriel, Chariel, the Angel, Mr. Fancypants, whatever, pauses and then chuckles.

"Funny, it has been so long, the boundaries between what was once Asriel and what was once Chara have vanished, and I am what remains.

"I, or rather, the part of me that was once Asriel, did try to stop myself from killing the villagers that wronged my other half. But his bond with his other half won that day, and I retaliated in self-defense.

"In a sense, it was inevitable. Chara got her vengeance, and Asriel got the souls to free his people.

"Of course humans would think to cast blame upon the whole instead of the few. I was content to leave with just a village's worth of souls, more than enough to break the barrier and have the power to defend the Kingdom. But then humanity escalated with soldiers, then tanks and airplanes and what I would learn to be nuclear bombs. I had more power than any god humanity had imagined, but monsters were still so few, so fragile. For all my omnipotence, I could not guarantee my ability watch over them forever."

The monsters closes his eyes.

"So if humans sought to make this an existential war, then I thought it only appropriate that I respond in kind."

They open with their irises contracted into thin vertical lines.

"By killing them all."

All those people...

It's becoming increasingly clear that this god is more unhinged than you'd ever want to imagine. Either they were always this way, which is a horrifying can of worms to open, or they became so consumed by their LOVE from so much death that even if they were once innocent, they would have reached the same conclusion.

Chariel sighs in contentment, as if they did not just confess to committing xenocide of an unimaginable scale you didn't know existed thirty seconds ago and never wanted to know.

"And for a time, we had won. Monsters finally had the surface to themselves, and we built a utopia. Happier and safer than any human kingdom that came before or would ever have existed had I not intervened. With time, the distinction between my first two identities worse away until they were one. And with my power, nothing could ever stop us."

He stops, then slowly turns to Fen, and his serene face twists into an unfathomable rage.

"But then he. Ruined. Everything."

At the news of Chasriel's story, Frisk can't help but be reminded of Flowey...

They still had a few good years left to be stuck in this mountain with him and he was only going to continue to get much worse from here on out....

Why were these two always destined for violence?

They wondered what The Fallen thought of this piece of work-

They could feel their thoughts rolling away- no, no, no, they had to focus, they had to stop him.

"I know you've never considered it before, but have you thought that maybe you're ruining everything? Before I got stuck in the past, I came from the future where humans and monsters were getting along, becoming great friends, falling in love even,"

"With you being here, you've been stopping that future! But I'm- I'm wasting my breath, aren't I? You don't care at all, you'd kill monsters from a different timeline just to save your own, you're a selfish, broken, mess,"

"But I also understand you did what you did for love for your monsters, you want to keep them protected at all costs, I feel the same way, so... I'm willing to hear more of your side of the story, how has Fen ruined everything? A billion points to you if you can tell it without hurting anyone in a blind rage,"

"Maybe talking it through like a civilized adult might make you feel a tiny bit better,"

They're using all of their Determination to keep standing tall and visibly unbothered by the Void, especially after Chasriel's story.

[necrostar]

@ancientgoldboundspirit asked:

🔮

See into my muses past! Send 🔮 and I will write a drabble of a memory that your muse gets to see into.

Everyone had gone and left. The apartment was silent, now. Yuugi and his friends had claimed victory against him in his own domain. The blood soaked spire on the castle had almost dried. The blood on his own hand had dried, but yet he couldn't stop staring. It... it felt bad. It felt so bad. This... thing radiated at the center of his palm and shot up his arm. Blue eyes were fixated on this nearly perfect hole, eyes beginning to brim with tears. After a long period of silence, a soft voice broke the silence.

"...I thought you said this would work." His voice was shaking. Why was it doing that? "What am I feeling? I don't like it, make it stop." The way his host's body was reacting was enough to inform him that it was bad, but he didn't understand how. It wasn't like they were much help. Speaking of...

"That is the sensation called 'pain.'" Ah, finally, an answer from Zorc. How rare that always was.

"'Pain?' Like his chest when we dug inside?"

"Yes." There was a period of silence. "A much deserved one, considering you let that get in our way. You let one little sacrifice get in the way of victory. Unsurprising, considering the filth you are stuck with."

"Hey!" A third voice finally chimed in. "I thought it was practically foolproof! No use in a hand that we can't control! He was gonna ruin everything! You know, like you did!"

"Me?! I'm doing what you said! You said--"

"Don't you dare talk back to me, worm!"

Bakura lowered his head, silent. He was right. It was his fault. He wasn't good enough for the job; never was. He needed to get rid of the pharaoh and take his item, and couldn't even do that. It was an easy job, and he failed. Finally, after thinking it over, he spoke back up.

"I'll get him next time. They'll be ave--"

"They should've gotten their justice the FIRST time!" Of course the Thief King would explode at the slightest provocation. He should've known better than to open his mouth. "You are GODS-DAMNED lucky you get the privilege of hosting me! You're a fucking disgrace to my legacy and to my people! What the fuck are you, hm?! Worthless. You shouldn't even be here. You're a waste of a soul."

"Do not give it hope that it even has one, King of Thieves." Zorc chided. "Remember what it is. Be grateful it came with basic comprehension skills. It still has a use to us. And when the plan is complete, we can dispose of it and move on with our lives."

"I hope to the gods you're right about this. Having to acknowledge it disgusts me."

Bakura heard every word of the exchange. But to acknowledge it only meant more vitriol. It might get him directly attacked instead. It was always best to keep a head down and pretend not to listen. But it stung. It hurt. Why didn't they want him? What was it about him? He bent over backwards to try and earn their approval, but they just didn't care. Maybe, one day, it'll be him in charge. He'll have control. Him and nobody else. He'll get to experience life just as they had. Just as his host did. One day. One day he'll be in control. 

And nobody will take that from him.

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Dream Eater - Chapter 15 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

In our home, I see reminders of Dante everywhere... their favorite Carnâki liquor... gifts from their numerous 'admirers' and unfinished paintings.

Even the mess they left in the kitchen makes me expect to see them step around a corner at any moment.

When they don't, the twin worms of guilt and worry burrow a little deeper into my heart.

When I'm clean and dressed in my own clothes, Damien forces me to eat and drink.

Anxiety has stolen my appetite but he insists.

"You're no good to Dante if you've got no strength. Eat," he demands, pushing a plate of stew my way.

Somehow, I manage to finish it.

Then he pours me a large splash of Dante's treasured liquor and one for himself.

"To Dante," he says and throws it back.

"May we be reunited soon."

"To Dante," I echo faintly and drain my glass.

It burns all the way down.

Then Damien takes me to bed.

I let him undress me, then lie back as he sheds his own clothes.

He kneels over me and runs his hands over my body as though searching for some mark or sign.

"Did Azael touch you?" he asks in a breathless growl.

"No," I shake my head.

"I think he meant to, soon enough. But he'd only made me see his dreams so far. Did you know he had a daughter with Astoreth?"

Damien's hands still in surprise.

"No," he says.

"I knew they'd been lovers but I had no idea a child had come of it."

"She was a Key," I say thoughtfully.

"Astoreth used her to open the Door to the Throne."

"That's awful. No wonder he hates her."

"You have no idea how much," I say, remembering the intensity of that hate.

Damien leans over me and kisses my mouth.

He tastes like the strange, spicy liquor.

"Don't think of that right now," he says.

"In fact, don't think at all."

He starts to make love to me with gentle care, the way he might handle a precious and fragile treasure.

I feel his love in every kiss and caress, in every stroke of his hand.

But that's not what I need to feel right now.

"Damien," I gasp against his lips when he lets me come up for air.

"Fuck me. Make me know I'm yours."

He searches my eyes, brushing his fingers over my face.

"Is that what you want? You're sure?"

"Yes... don't make me beg."

He nods and then flips me over, dragging me up by my hips.

He prepares me quickly, then readies himself.

He pauses and I feel him pressed against me.

I'm shivering with anticipation and can barely hold myself up on my elbows.

"Damien... please," I breathe.

In one smooth motion, he pushes inside, seating himself firmly to the root.

I gasp and push back against him, reveling in the familiar burn and stretch, the feeling of almost unbearable fullness.

When he pulls back and thrusts again, a cry escapes my lips and he stops, hands stroking over my back.

"Alex? Are you alright?" he asks.

I can barely get my tongue to form words but manage to gasp out a few.

"God, yes. Don't stop, Damien... please don't stop."

He starts to rock back and forth and pretty soon the only sounds coming out of my mouth are incoherent moans and sobs.

Just when I can't bear it anymore, he takes my aching length in his hand and just about kills me with the pleasure that seizes me in its blinding white grip.

No wonder the French call it 'la petite mort' the small death.

At the same time, I feel him stiffen and gasp as he spills himself inside me.

We collapse together in a breathless heap and I'm barely conscious when, after a moment, he rises and returns with a soft, damp cloth and gently cleans my skin. 

He crawls back beside me and draws the covers over us both, taking me in his arms and pulling me close.

He kisses my forehead with a gentle press of his lips.

"Is that what you needed?" he asks.

I nod sleepily and sigh.

"Just the thing."

"Then I'm glad I could help," he smiles.

"Now get some sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough and then we'll figure out how to get Dante back."

"I'll save them, Damien," I mumble.

"If it's the last thing I do."

"I know you will, Alex," he whispers, arms tightening around me.

"That's why I love you. And what makes me most afraid."

********

That night, I share Damien's dreams once more.

I'm alone in a darkness deeper than any night but I'm on my way towards something more and my heart burns with a strange emotion.

After a moment I recognize it... Hope.

There have been whispers... rumors spread in the dark... for a long time now.

They say that someone... a Celestial, of all things... wants to abolish the age-old laws that keep the Fallen below and forbid us from wandering the Earthly Realms or entering the Heavens.

Some of us have joined him already and I've decided to throw my lot in as well.

I crawl and climb my way up from the unknown depths and then take flight, winging my way upward through the dark.

At long last, I arrive and I am afraid... terrified... that the person I seek will look at me and see a monster and send me back.

I approach and he turns and I feel like I've taken a spear through the heart.

I've never seen a Celestial before, though I'd heard they are beautiful.

This person is more than beautiful.

They are beauty personified.

He's almost as tall as I am and seems to be male.

His figure is almost human, except for his impossible height and perfection of form and the fact that his skin is like gold.

From his back sprout great wings but they are nothing like my own leathery appendages.

They are feathered and a lovely mottled grey like those of an owl.

He looks at me and his unearthly green eyes go wide.

"Who... are you?" he asks, coming towards me.

"I am Dantalian," I say, looking down at my hoof-like feet.

"I am Fallen."

He stops in front of me and I flinch as he raises a hand.

"Dantalian," he touches my face gently.

"I am Sakariel and we are the same."

In that moment, I fall in love and to my surprise, it hurts more than anything I've experienced so far.

Sakariel takes my hands and I watch as he gradually begins to shift and change and a moment later he's been replaced by another person entirely.

The only thing that stays the same is his eyes.

It's a weird sensation but I see myself as Damien sees me and the pain is even worse when he falls in love again.

[iguessitsjustme]

Hi! I'm back. Sorry your week was full of horrors, although it looks like there were a lot of upsides, so it couldn't have been that bad. (I'm not a look on the bright side person, but I'm trying) And it's friday so there's that. I don't know if this will make your week better but I'm hoping it will. So I gather you're a Stray Kids fan. I only know a couple of songs. Can you tell me 5 of your favorite skz songs for me to listen to and see if I like it? Thanks 💛

Hello my dear anon!

I don't even know what this week was but it wasn't...good. But I survived it. Wish the lord would stop testing me though I am strong enough goodness (jokes). Weirdly I am very much a look on the bright side kind of person if only for spite. The world has dealt me some shit hands throughout my life and I refuse to let that turn me into someone I don't want to be. I am going to be happy and enjoy life to spite all the shit.

I've been a fan of Stray Kids since around last March when I saw one music video of theirs and I've been in that rabbit hole ever since. I'd be happy to tell you my 5 favorite songs, but I have not listened to their entire discography because it is so fucking huge and I'm still slowly making my way through it. Also my top 5 songs change day to day cause I love so many of their songs. So today my favorite songs are:

God's Menu - always at the top of my list regardless of what day it is

Back Door - this song grows on me each time I listen to it. It's got me in a weird stranglehold

Maniac - my beloved. First song of Stray Kids I heard that opened this whole can of worms. The music video is so much fun.

Super Bowl - I also can't explain this one. I just love it. Though I love and adore every song on the 5 Star album (the music video for s-class might be the most insane thing I've ever seen)

Maknae on Top - again this song is just fun for me to listen to. the skz replay album is also underrated

Honorary Mention to their newly released album. It's got some good ones, but it's not my favorite album I'm not gonna lie. I don't dislike any of the songs, but I personally prefer 5 Star over Rock Star and that's just a matter of my own taste. I recognize how good the newest album is.

This did make my week better. I always enjoy talking about music, not necessarily just Stray Kids though they are my favorite band. Thanks anon. I'm gonna go watch a million shows now while eating my dinner.

[full-of-mercy]

Vash settles in, holds fast, and there is something compelling about just entangling like this, arms wrapped, thighs over thighs, torso to torso, regardless of sensual friction between them. It is warm, solid, reassuring in a way Wolfwood can't quite put his finger on.

Or rather he can, even if he is perhaps not ready to make the logical leap or the admission. Or maybe he is ready, squashing down the shivery anxiety that comes with something so new, that comes with asking something of someone, offering something to someone. Particularly someone so important.

Now that the doors are open, now that they have breached that boundary hand in hand (and lip to lip and more, so very much more), he has come to crave it. Touch. He wants. Like a person. Like a base, cursed, writhing thing, he wants.

The warmth and steadiness of heartbeats and proximity serve as a stark contrast to the bizarre squamous cold curdling in the pit of his stomach as he listens to what Vash actually has to say spaced out between the words he speaks. The blond can feel it, the way tension stacks in Wolfwood's torso, but for once - for damn once - he refrains from barking. Something about the tenor of it, something about the tone, stills his tongue, striking at something, resonating in his brain like the toll of a bell.

Like the ache of bullet wounds that simply won't close.

Breathe.

They've already discussed forgiveness.

Vash knew. Even standing in the gullet of a grand worm, he knew. Eyes of a good guy, yeah right, but… someone who could be swayed. Someone who wanted to be swayed, who wanted to know, who wanted to see for certain. And sure, sure, Wolfwood had his suspicions from jump, but it became clear that Vash was nothing like his brother before he ever saw any of the similarities. And most of those revolve around stubbornness.

Vash - in all his unbroken resolve - forgave him. He hasn't forgiven himself, but God does he want to try and see whatever the hell it is that Vash sees, even if he fundamentally disagrees with his absurd pacifist gunman philosophy. He disagrees but he commits. He tries. Has been trying. He defended himself without killing anyone today.

"You better take your own damn advice. I'll hold you to it," he rasps, surprised at how thick his voice is pressed to the top of Vash's shoulder, at how much easier it is to speak on things he has kept locked behind his teeth. Vash has already said he'd stick around. Not run. Maybe it is a promise he can keep, maybe not. But they are in motion again. In motion, languid and honey-sweet, and their lips cling, warranting softness in so many aspects. In most aspects, even if one reawakens beneath the pressure of slow, slow rocking. "…I left you once. Spent two years hopin'. Not doin' that again, I can't—"

I'm not sure my heart can take it.

He hears. He comprehends. He understands. He wants and wants and wants and it is clear that Vash wants too and there is only one way they can be closer as afternoon swelters outside beyond the cool stone walls. Please punches him in the gut, prompting a stuttered murmur, hands unbuckling belts and peeling fabric with tactile urgency, and all without pulling away. It won't be possible, of course, but they are magnetized. Apart, together. Closer. Breathless. Pitch-shift, vulnerability for vulnerability, they crack open their ribcages and bare themselves as they quest for skin. For contact.

"God, please."

There's a chirp not unlike an upwards glissando as Vash's eyes twinkle with unshed tears. He blinks with dewy eyelashes, then holds his eyes shut as he butts his face against Wolfwood's. He kisses, then kisses again.

"Hmm, was that eight? I think I lost count, better start again," he teases, knowing exactly what he's doing. Vash's lips are already sore from all the kissing, but he can't help but want more. He's still greedy, he's still selfish—most of all, he's happy to be alive and here.

He does notice Wolfwood's persuasive hands guiding him onto his lap, legs spread. The kisses naturally provide a bit of friction as they push and pull like the sway of the moons, but Vash hadn't put much thought into the position he's in until now.

"I'm not usually one for sticking around, you know? Don't really have the luxury..." The blond nestles his face into the side of Wolfwood's neck, still holding him tightly around his abdomen, "It's different with you. Doesn't feel right if I go anywhere without you there. I tried to do it a couple of nights after we got my arm fixed up and everything... but I couldn't."

...Wolfwood probably knew that already.

Sighing, he continues, "You know me, I... I can leave people, places, when I gotta. Even if someone would hate me for it, if it saves them then..."

He pauses. Hopefully, sharing this doesn't come across the wrong way.

"I can't leave you. I don't want to leave you. There's nothing out there that could make me willingly leave your side. It's like a... it's like a voice telling me to stay and warning me by telling me that if I left then you'd be in danger."

With a chuckle, he digs deeper into the embrace. His coat creaks as his arms bend around Wolfwood's back, "All that is to say that you're stuck with me too. If you run, I'll follow. I have to. If I don't then..."

If he doesn't, then he might not find him in time.

(You never find him in time.)

"...You don't need to do everything on your own. Not anymore. I don't care if you don't think it's any of my business—I go with you. I won't run away from you either, okay? None of this selfless solo-battle kind of mentality... we're a team. We work better together."

Finished with his thought, getting all of the worries out of his system, Vash returns nose-to-nose with the priest—face slightly soggier than it was moments ago. Again, he manages to make eye contact as he slowly presses their lips together again. Vash is the type of man who can snap quickly from one thing to the next—the type of man who enjoys speed, whether it's from one emotion to the next, or physically.

This is slow. Languid.

He breathes into Wolfwood, plush lips touching just barely at the dark red surfaces—an open Cupid's bow resting against Atlas. Vash rocks slowly—molasses slow, sweet—into the lap he rests on. He craves intimacy, craves the intensity of heat to heat, heart to heart... Especially after exposing such a large piece of himself. He feels vulnerable, and part of him finds it thrilling, but he's terrified. It's scary and it's like falling into a bottomless well, and he wants to hate it.

But he doesn't. He wants it, even.

"Wolfwood," Vash whispers into his lips as the seam of his jeans sits atop the threads that hold the undertaker together, "Want you closer. Please."