#happy rean day :]

[autumnally-art]

Even if he's in "disguise", he's celebrating his birthday :] Happy Rean Day

[reanbowful]

hey hey Rean, can i have a request for teddy with a pretty tall gf reader? (bcs I see how he reacts to tall people like Gerard ;)) ). And she also teases him a lot

I'm fcking inlove with ur works 👺❤️

Ahh this is so cutee! Reminds me of lovely complex (if you dk what that is go watch it rn!!) And thank you sm!! I’m so happy that you enjoy my writings hehe

Also ngl, I react the same way as Teddy whenever I see tall ppl T_T (the dread of short ppl)

if you’re taller than them

(gray, alex, teddy, eugene)

gray yeon / yeon sieun

Honestly, Gray is not that tall to begin with. He’s like 158 cm (or around 5’2).

So I don’t think it would be such a surprising thing if you’re taller than him.

Tbh, I don’t think he would mind it at all. Gray is not really someone who’s super conscious about his height or anything.

In fact, you two would be that cool short boy/tall girl couple.

He might actually even prefer it if you’re taller than him.

If you tease him about it, like for example, you ruffle his hair and pull on his cheek.

Instead of getting annoyed, Gray would get shyy. And it would be the cutest thing ever.

He would try to pass it off as annoyance, but the redness on his cheeks tells you otherwise.

He will get back at you though.

I can totally see him pulling off that, ‘Hey you have something on you, come here.’ and when you bend down, he’ll give you a peck on the cheek.

Oh and how he will be smirking to himself once he saw how flustered you became.

Payback successful 😈

alex go / go hyuntak

Hm. I feel like Alex wouldn’t really mind that much either.

He would be super impressed with your height though. He’s 173 cm or 5’8, that’s already pretty damn tall for a girl. If you’re even taller than that, that’s quite something.

Alex would make sure to make use of your height for every single purpose that he can.

“Babe, can you get that for me? Yeah, that one at the top shelf.”

“Babe? The AC’s rattling, can you check it for me?”

“Babe, we need to clean the top of the cupboard. Can you help me with it?”

Of course, if you get mad at him for always asking you to do stuff for him, he will laugh and tone it down.

Just to impress you, he will bring a freaking ladder to get you books at the tallest shelves.

“Wasn’t I so cool just now?”

Just smile and nod :)

He also enjoys those moments when you guys are at a public transportation and he can just lean against you since you’re so tall.

He also like being hugged by you. He likes the feeling of your chin on his head, and the sound of your heartbeat right by his ear.

teddy jin / jin taeoh

Teddy! Oh boy. He would be a total wreck.

When he saw how tall you were, he would just outright REFUSE to stand next or anywhere in close proximity to you.

If you show him a sad face, he will immediately feel bad. Swallowing his pride, he would walk to approach you.

“Hey.. um. Look, I don’t really mean that-“

Then you will go and put him in a headlock, ruffling his hair.

“AHAHAHA I was just kidding!”

You betrayed him.

Once you let him go, he will stomp away immediately. Face flushed and a series of curses muttered under his breath.

He wouldn’t show his face for a couple days after, you actually thought you angered him for real. But then he came to see you.

You were walking home from school when you saw a certain blonde crouched on top of a wall near your neighbourhood. (he’s just like a cat fr)

“Hey lamppost! I don’t appreciate what you did to me last time. I was caught off guard.”

You looked up at him in amusement when he jumped down, dusting off his pants.

“I’ll consider us even if you come with me to a nice pizza place I reserved.”

You crossed your arms. Smiling deviously.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Hm? HEY WAIT! NOT LIKE THIS DAMMIT!”

You walked over to the pizza place with a trashing Teddy on your arms. Yea. You carried him all the way there like the sadist you are.

Expect to not see him again for at least a week after that. Give him time. He needs it to recover.

eugene gale / seo juntae

Ahh Eugene would be the absolute sweetest.

When he saw you for the first time, he will be mildly shocked to see just how tall you are.

But after that, Eugene would be the best boyfriend ever.

He wouldn’t care if you’re taller than him or if you’re shorter. He just.. likes you.

He would be such a supportive and caring boyfriend.

You were at the mall to look for shoes to go to your cousin’s wedding and saw a cute pair of heels. You tried them on and they look so perfect to go with the dress you have at home.

But, then you remembered Eugene. You were already taller than him, so wearing heels would only accentuate on your height difference. What would the family say?

“Ah! Y/N, those heels look so good on you! You should get them!”

“But, Eugene.. I’ll be so much more taller than you if I wear them.”

Eugene would be so confused honestly. It’s your shoes and how it makes you look good. Feel good about yourself. Why should you be concerned about him when you’re the one wearing those shoes.

“Don’t mind me! I think you look very pretty wearing them!”

We love a secure man✊

He will end up convincing you to just buy the heels and wear it for the wedding.

Throughout the entire night, he made sure to compliment you and let you know just how perfect you look.

If not in the eyes of others, at least you are to him.

[sundove88]

A. A.’s First Holy Night- A MementoMori Tale

During the days leading up to the Holy Night Festival in The Duchy of Fran, everyone wants to participate in a gift exchange- except A. A. Will she ever find the perfect present for Mertillier?

Snow fell like petals from a cherry blossom tree onto the little country known as The Duchy of Fran. It was winter, and everyone was looking forward to The Holy Night Festival- a time when everyone shared the spirit with loved ones. And this year wouldn’t be any different- girls known as witches were hurrying about the streets looking for beautiful gifts to share with their friends and family.

“Oh, big sis would love that!”, said a little girl with blue hair in pigtails and a teddy bear, pointing to a massive stuffed penguin in the store window. “Master would definitely be wanting that!” Another little girl said as she pointed to a beautifully crafted sled in another window. Their names were Soltina and Nina- and they weren’t alone. They were accompanied by their friends, looking for stuff for the gift exchange.

But one girl stood at the shop window and sighed. Her red eyes shone like rubies, and she had a gear for a halo. Her name was A. A., which is short for “Artificial Angel”- and she was a Homunculus. This was to be her very first Holy Night Festival, but she had no idea on what it was. “Maybe the Professor would like this?”, she said, pointing to what looked like a chemistry kit. “I’m sure that whatever you give Mertillier, she’d love it.” Replied the Duke of Fran.

“But I want it to be from the heart.” Little A said as she held the Duke’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll find the perfect something.”, he replied as he helped up A. A. onto his shoulders and they began to walk around the town. First, they came across Rean and her friend group at a market stall. “I think we should get some new watercolors for Cherna, a new watering can for Natasha, and probably a stationery set for Amour!” Rean said as she looked through it.

“I don’t think the Professor would like any of these.” A. A. Replied as she let out a sad sigh. “Don’t lose hope. I’m sure we’ll find something that she’ll love.” The Duke replied as he and Little A walked towards the next stall. There was Queen Amleth of The Kingdom of Vyde, who had found a beautiful new chess set for Ophelia, her faithful knight. And not just that, Florence from the Holy See of Hainz had picked up a snowglobe for Fortina. “Hmmmm… don’t see anything.” A. A. said as she moved onto the stall.

Finally, they came to the fountain in the square, which had frozen over. Carol was there, working on a scrapbook that she was making for Rusalka. “Oh! Didn’t see you there, Senpai. And you too, Little A.” She replied cheerfully as one of the butterflies landed on the scrapbook. “May I see your scrapbook?” The Homunculus girl replied. “Absolutely. I’m almost done with it, though.” Carol replied as she let A. A. Flip through the scrapbook.

After finishing the currently incomplete scrapbook, A. A. Felt a spark light up inside her. “I know what to give the Professor.” She said excitedly. “Thanks, Carol! Happy Holidays!” The Duke replied. “Anytime!!” Called Carol as she wrote down what had happened in her notebook. Back at The Duke’s estate, he and A. A. Worked together on Mertillier’s present. With crafting supplies and a photograph of Mert and Little A, they worked together to make a gift from the heart.

Later that night, everyone gathered at the mansion to exchange presents. There was a giant penguin doll for Lunalynn, a brand new glittery pair of dancing shoes for Hathor, and a new fire proof camera for Valeriede. Mertillier gave her present to Little A- a brand new set of winter gear to protect her from the cold. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Little A?” Asked Mertillier. “Professor, I have something for you, too.” A. A. Replied, showing a box wrapped in shiny paper. Excitedly; the Professor opened it up. Inside was a picture of her and the Homunculus she had grown to love like a daughter, framed with rhinestones and leftover scraps of foil, it was simple but beautiful.

Not long after that, the Professor and her Homunculus daughter went outside to watch the falling snow. “Thank you, Little A. Happy holidays.” She said tenderly as she let A. A. side hug her. “Happy holidays, Professor.” A. A. Said in return. Now Little A knew why everyone loved the Holy Night Festival so much.

The End

[witchofcustom]

Yandere!Machias Regnitz Headcanons

Heyyyy it's been quite a while since I've posted anything. I don't really have any particular reason besides the fact that I've been rather busy as of late.

I realize this is probably not what my current followers want from me, but it's time I go back to my roots and write yandere stuff.

I may or may not be willing to take requests for Kiseki x Reader stuff, since I'm currently hyperfixated on the series and there is a SEVERE lack of any sort of x reader fanfiction or headcanons.

If you enjoy my work please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.

CW: Yandere, incel behavior, panty theft, degradation, non-con, forced marriage

A/N: (Y/N) is a member of Class VII and from a noble family, also these are less headcanons and more a story written in the form of headcanons because prose are my weakness.

-Machias can’t help but feel enraged! He’s been falling behind in his classes and struggling to focus on his studies. He’s never felt this way before. All he can think about is you. 

-He has to pull himself together! After all, he can’t lose to Emma and Jusis just because of some noble girl he shares a class with.

-This only makes him feel more angry. He can’t get you off of his mind no matter how hard he tries. 

-He wants to put a stop to this, so on one of Thors’ free days when Rean brings you along with him to explore the old schoolhouse, Machias stays behind, saying that he simply isn’t feeling the best. He won’t deny that there’s a part of him that feels quite mad at Rean for being with you, but he can put that aside for now.

-Making sure that nobody is in the Class VII dorm, Machias enters your room. “Stupid (Y/N).” he thought to himself. Nobles like you have no idea what kind of danger is out there. 

-He is quickly drawn to a pair of panties you left on the ground. Muttering to himself about how naive you are, he picks the panties up, a tent growing in his pants. He takes the panties back to his room. 

-Machias then begins to pleasure himself using your panties, enjoying the softness against his length. He can feel where you’ve mastrubated before while wearing them. He dirty talks to himself while doing so. “You’re such a dirty whore. It’s like you’re asking for this.” 

-He very quickly reaches climax. It’s a bit embarrassing, but he couldn’t help himself. Machias can only imagine just how good it’ll feel once he is finally able to fuck you. 

-He keeps your panties for himself, using them almost every night to jerk off. 

-Eventually Machias will confess his feelings to you. If you accept, great! He might be a bit clingy and occasionally make comments about your body, but otherwise he’s just a bit shy. 

-If you reject then…

-Machias won’t take no for an answer. He’ll threaten you to start sucking him off, putting his shotgun to your head. As you obey, he begins to feel overwhelming amounts of pleasure. He never knew just how good having this sort of power over someone could feel. Could this be how nobles feel?

-The mere thought of such a thing makes Machias push you down onto the bed, rip your panties off, and start thrusting in your tight little pussy. This is where noble girls like you belong, taking the cock of a commoner like him, the type of person who does all the work, while you just sit around all day. 

-As he cums inside of you, Machias continues to say degrading things to you. However, he assures you that this will not be the last time he does so. 

“So, do you promise to be my girlfriend?”

-You nod, too afraid of what he might do to you. 

-While you and Machias try to keep it a secret, on the final night of the school festival, he asks to dance with you. You are forced to accept. After the dance finishes, he asks you to marry him. Of course, you are forced to accept as well. 

-News soon spreads around Thors of your engagement. Your classmates are especially aware of this. Millium and Fie tease you while Alisa and Elliot congratulate you. Even Jusis is happy for Machias, thinking that he’s finally gotten over his hatred of nobles. The entire time, you’re forced to act as if you are happy. 

-Of course there will likely be some backlash from the nobles, including your own family, but Machias will do all he can to make sure that they are silent, using his father’s position to his advantage. 

-Once the two of you graduate and begin to live on your own, Machias will demand that you are a stay at home housewife. He wants nothing more than to be able to come home from a stressful day of work to be able to eat your cooking and stuff his cock in your pussy. Of course he wants you to one day have his child, but he’s not in any particular rush. 

-While not the worst yandere, as he still does genuinely love you, Machias can be rather rough. It’s best to behave and not piss him off. S just be a good little wife for him and things will be alright. <3

[vivcouslandramblings]

I finished Trails into Reverie main storyline and I'm so happy, but also so sad because only during the credits you realize that the ending is the result of a huge build up. Undoubtedly my favorite Trails and probably also my second favorite game ever. It definitely wouldn't have been the same without playing all the previous games, I'm aware of it.

The Trails series has been a great emotional support to me since I discovered Trails in the Sky, so thank you Trails for being with me to this day. Thank you for giving me characters such as Emma, Rean, Towa, Crow, Elie, Nadia, Lapis, Kevin, Rufus, Randy, Altina, Musse, the Liberl group, Class VII and SSS.

I can't wait to learn more about Zemuria when Kuro no Kiseki will be released in the West!

[asoulofatlantis]

I do not like to hear that!

But it is of course a given that wherever you go, they will somehow be better than the place the previous arc has played in. It isn't nice if as the player you have a favorite place and one were you are... uh... not so happy about, but it makes somewhat sense. The game always wants you to feel that the place you are in is the most powerful in one way or another. That is why liberl has the best bracers and was the first country with an airship like the Arsaille. That is why Crossbell is, despite his size immensely important for the economy of Zemuria at it is a a literal centerpoint for selling stuff from various different countries. And Erebonia had the strongest military-might for the longest time. Tho now that Calvards arc has started, it feels more and more like Erebonia has lost all its advantages aside from Class7 and the fact that overall Erobinia is full of strong fighters, even without the use of their strong weapons and airplanes and panzers and such. But... it seems to me this advantage is getting smaller by the day and Erebonia is left with nothing but Rean and Olivert as their trump card V.V

I said it before and I say it again, I am an Erebonian Bitch. My heart belongs to Rean and Olivert and my I will ALWAYS be first and foremost on Class7s side. Supporting Alfin as future of Erebonias Royalty and Alisa and the Reinford-Company as a great technic-company. So be aware that any word that puts Erebonia down on the latter one way or another is making me very salty.

Nadia just asked Swin for a Date and he said they can save it for another time... so... he didn't say no. That is good, although Naia is still sulking XD

That is... one way to summon the guilds faults up in one word XD

She actually meant the working-hours tho. But she isn't wrong with that either. Sometimes it feels like Bracers hardly ever have time to sleep, despite how limited their way of operating sometimes can be.

Its her! That is why I had that odd feeling about her looking special and somewhat familiar in a weird way. She is also far too pretty for a random store-NPC.

I should have know Nadia would choose that kind of "disguise" XD Pretending to be a young couple on a date is certainly perfect for her plans. Lets hope it also helps my plans to get that sidequest done soon ^^'

I hate those minigames soooo much T.T

The right thing to do would be handing them over to the police. But I kind of like what Marduk does with people and honestly? If those idiots do stuff like that again, the bracers can deal with it, what else are they good for these days anyway?

Okay, that picture is so cute ♥

BTW... Märchen Garten has called me again. I wonder if I will ever finish the mainquest of thise route ^^' (And this is only route B of this chapter, we have not done route A yet...)

Those guys kill you. Like 3 times in a row. Look forward to it!

They give me some sirious HaMi-Vibes with their "better dying together than living without each other attitude" ♥

BUT that only makes my feeling stronger that it was absolut out of character for Su- I mean Swin, to leave Nadia behind later.

That questionmark makes it look like a joke. Then again, it kinda is a joke... oh well. Next!

Zin, my man. Please look forward to getting killed with us!

I forgot about that part.

This is so damn annyoing, even if you know its comming.

I wonder if this is Falcoms punishment for the Fans screaming that they want character to die. Now we have to watch them die over and over again without any emotions (but annoyance) involved.

[siemreapbesttaxidriversblog]

siem reap taxi driver , cambodia taxi driver , car taxi driver in siem reap  !! My Name is Lon a car , mini van taxi driver in siem reap and angkor wat temple tour , we are 4 friends was working different city , Mr Men is private taxi  in phnom penh / Mr Ley Hour a taxi driver in Sihanoukville , Mr Norea car taxi driver in battambang city ,, keep our information & booking our service around Cambodia , cambodia taxi driver

siem reap best taxi driver , my name is Theng Thana Called Lon a private taxi driver in siem reap and tour to angkor wat temple in siem reap but we are 4 friends was driving different city around Cambodia , we have the best & good condition Car such as Lexus rx 300 , Highlander Car , Seana 7 Seat 2004 , mini Van 12 / 15 seat and full safety seat belt inside our Car , we have got driving experience more than 10 years . Mr Men sophal is a car taxi / mini Van driver in phnom penh , Mr Lon is private car taxi / mini Van / siem reap tuk tuk , siem reap taxi driver and tour guide explore to angkor wat temple in siem reap . Mr Ley Hour is car taxi driver in sihanoukville but he offering transfer in sihanoukville , Mr No Rean car taxi driver and mini Van in battambang.

PENH

phnom penh taxi driver , car taxi in phnom penh , Mini Van driver in Phnom penh  !! My name is Men sophal a car taxi driver & mini Van driver in phnom penh city , world you like to hired a local car taxi driver in phnom penh and the tour around phnom penh , i have got experience with tourist transfer & tours more 10 years ,  i am waiting you in phnom penh , i am happy to help you all the time , daily car taxi transfer from phnom penh to siem reap and taxi siem reap to phnom penh 

 car taxi driver to angkor wat temple in siem reap , i arrange the private car taxi / mini Van from siem reap to phnom penh city and best tour around phnom penh , please contact to me if you need my helping

the daily private car taxi from siem reap to phnom penh

the Day car taxi from phnom penh to siem reap

[l0ad-s4ve]

Overworked

Writing type… Headcanons and a short scenario

Pairing… Rean Schwarzer x Towa Herschel

Category… Fluff

Gift to… @iloyd-bannings! Happy birthday Aponi! I’m sorry this is so short and that it’s not a full fic ;-; Still, I hope you enjoy this despite how rushed it is! ^^; (This is Zilver’s writing account btw, in case you didn’t know :D)

Trying to balance teaching and saving the world left Rean very stressed out. Luckily for him, he wasn’t alone. Towa made sure to help out and fill in for him every time he was too tired to teach.

This backfired on him though, as the swordsman eventually noticed the growing bags under her eyes. He tried to confront her multiple times about it, but the constant nauseating headaches he’s been getting always made him backtrack. After all, he didn’t want to worry the already overworked Towa more.

It took New Class VII’s intervention for the couple to realise how much they were straining themselves. They were smart kids—maybe a bit too smart sometimes, but they weren’t about to ignore the sickness their instructors pushed themselves into (even Ash was worried, but he’d hunt you down if he ever heard you saying that).

Juna convinced (more like forced) them to share their workload with New Class VII. They gave in to her demands but tried not to give too much work. The deal ended the moment Ash and Altina snatched and dashed off with big piles of paper from both of their desks. They sat in pure shock and silence before chuckling it off together.

The couple eventually decided to work together with New Class VII and made a plan to make things more efficient.

“Good job out there, Rean! I’ll take over for now, if that’s okay?” Towa says, walking over to his desk while carrying a stack of paper. It was her load of work for the day and she had finished it all.

Rean puts down his pen as he yawns, stretching his arms above his head after a few hours of constantly writing in the same position. He turns to Towa and lazily waves a hand at her. She chuckles and returns the wave.

Gently putting the pile on his desk, she puts a hand up to her boyfriend���s forehead to check his temperature. He stares up at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Lukewarm… doesn’t seem to be hot enough for a fever,” she mumbles, “maybe you should take a nap for now.”

Rean’s eyes widen after her words. He pushes her hand away hurriedly, but gently. “No no no! It’s okay, Towa! I’m fine—“

A stern glare from the short instructor causes him to stop talking. A cute pout slowly makes it way to her face and his rushed expression softened to a smile.

Towa sighs and takes off her instructor’s coat. She drapes it across his arched back then nudges his head towards his desk.

“Wha—?”

“Sleep! You need it after working so hard everyday!”

“I should be saying that to you!”

Rean puts his arms up in surrender as his head is squished against the desk, courtesy of his girlfriend. She relents and ruffles his hair up—no doubt revenge from all those times he did the same to her.

He crosses his arms on the desk and lays his head down on it. He takes one last look at Towa before closing his eyes.

“Mmmm… goodnight, Towa…”

He’s fast asleep before he even knows it, and misses the hug Towa gives him from the side.

“Sweet dreams, Rean…”

[convxction]

Rean had been intending on leaving his gift at Chrom's tent, but just as he was about to leave it there, the man himself walked in. He had no way out of it — being inside his tent and carrying a box with wrapping paper around it. " Ah, Chrom — " He started, but it was hard to really explain, so he handed the box over to him. " This... is for you. A token of my appreciation for what you gave me. " Inside the box was a coat — as it was starting to get colder and he was concerned with Chrom.

white day | feel free to send | @fieldroses

Coming back to his tent, he noticed the flaps slightly open. Did someone came looking for him? But everyone should have known of his whereabouts--in the strategy room so, why would they enter when he is not around? Strange but it is not something he disliked--it could be urgent matter after all. Still, the shepherds would have waited for a  permission to go in so .. Gods! Is it Lissa!? It got to be her.

With an exasperated sigh, he walked in, bracing himself to uncover what sort of surprises his dearest and lovely little sister had placed around his tent when his eyes fell on another figure. Unexpected person but his surprise was not unpleasant--he CARES...for him. 

“R-Rean?” he paused after moving the flaps to the side. “Is something wrong?” he made his way towards him but the young man handed him a box. “Huh? For me?” eyes darted between the box and Rean. “You really didn’t have to ...” a gentle SMILE curled his lips as he looked back at Rean, “Thank you. Can I see what’s inside?”

Sitting the box on the desk, he opened the box to see a coat. “--That’s! That got to be expensive!” a frown knitted his eyebrows. “I hope you didn’t spend your wage on this ...” but still ..why was he happy? He is happy ... This is a gift from him, after all. Rubbing the back of his head, he titled his head to the side, away from Rean’s view to obscure the b l u s h  on his face.

Taking the coat out, he wore it. “I take this is a subtle HINT for me to take care of myself?” That one time they had to quickly venture into Ferox for a report of risen attack, Chrom did not have proper covering. What else would he have done? Stop to get a coat when people are in danger? He just couldn’t.

“Heh, thank you, Rean.” hands pressed down at the coat to straighten it. “I’ll use this well.” 

[houseisekai]

House Isekai: Shadowbringers Act 2, Part 3 - Crossroads

House Isekai Shadowbringers AU Masterlist Here

—

Lahabrea, the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, Ashen Wolves, and House Isekai have finally arrived at Derdriu, awaiting the Golden Deer and the Investigation Team.

Only now does Lahabrea give them the answers they have been waiting for, and the war to finish before time runs out...

[No Greater Sorrow - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

Byleth slowly opened his eyes, the light from the windows blinding him.

(Byleth) “Where in the hell...?”

(Minato’s voice) “Oh hey, you’re awake.”

Byleth turned to his side and saw several of the Persona Users in the beds next to him.

(Minako) “Oh, thank god you’re alright!”

(Akira) “Hey, Byleth.”

He slowly sat upright on his bed, reaching for his head.

(Byleth) “Where are we?”

(Mitsuru) “We’re in Derdriu. The journey took a day or two but now we’re just waiting for Claude to arrive in order to discuss our next course of action.”

(Byleth) “And where is everyone else?...Actually, why are you all in the Infirmary with me?”

(Ryuji) “Those voices or whatever is effin’ with our heads. We almost passed out but we seemed to see the same thing...Some kinda tower?”

(Junpei) “That Lahabrea guy better have some answers, I’m sick of being left in the dark.”

(Byleth) “...You may not like what you’ll hear.”

(Minako) “Did he tell you what was happening?”

Byleth hesitated at first, but he responded with a nod.

(Akechi) “That’s just damn great...”

(Akira) “We should probably let the others know you’re alright.”

The Persona users got up and left, though a few stayed behind.

(Minako) “Um...i-it’s good seeing you again, Byleth.”

(Minato) “It’s probably the best news we’ve gotten in a while.”

(Akira) “We’ll see you outside.”

(Byleth) “...Thanks.”

Byleth couldn’t look them in the eye as they spoke. He wasn’t sure he could look at anyone, making him anxious to face House Isekai again.

...

(Claude) “Home sweet home.”

The Golden Deer and Investigation Team finally arrived back in Derdriu, and walked over the hill to the gate.

(Percy) “Milord!”

(Claude) “Hey, Percy. Open the gates for us?”

(Percy) “Of course. You’ll be pleased to know your guests have arrived just last night.”

(Claude) “Go on ahead without me, I’ll be telling the guards to prepare for the worst.”

Everyone nodded and did as he asked.

...

Doomguy and the Ashen Wolves strolled around town due to the lack of having anything better to do.

(Balthus) “Man, anything would be better than just calmly waiting for the Church or Those Who Slither to get a drop on us.”

(Yuri) “Patience big guy. We can’t afford to go hunting when we don’t even know what the hell’s going on. Our time for fighting will come soon enough.”

(Constance) “And what a fantastic time it will be! Fodlan’s fate will be back where it belongs, us!”

(Hapi) “Well we also gotta worry about what the three nations will do after this without Teary and the others keeping them in check. Am I right?”

Hapi turned to Doomguy for at least a nod or shrug. She got neither as he stared to their side.

(Doomguy) “...”

(Hapi) “Hey, Teary, everything alright?”

Doomguy frowned. He thought he saw something move out of their field of vision.

He would have left it alone, but knowing their situation...

Doomguy held up a hand and brought out his shotgun, motioning the Ashen Wolves to head back to the building.

(Yuri) “That’s...discouraging.”

(Hapi) “We should get back to the others.”

They nodded and broke out into a light jog.

...

Byleth staggered out the door of the infirmary to see a few familiar faces.

(Sharon) “Master Byleth, it is good to see you.”

(Cocytus) “WELCOME BACK.”

(Sara) “Jeez, about time.”

(Towa) “Instructor!”

(Angelica) “Yo.”

(Megumi) “Thank goodness you’re awake.”

(Sitri) “Byleth...”

(Byleth) “Thanks. Where is everyone?”

(Sara) “Doomguy went out with the Ashen Wolves to just take a look around the city while the others are here and there in the building.”

(Byleth) “And Lahabrea?”

(Angelica) “In a room upstairs, alone. He said not to call him until Claude was here.”

Knock knock!

(Yu) “Hello? It’s the In-...!!! Oh!”

(Towa) “Yu!”

The rest of the Investigation Team and Golden Deer came through the door.

(Hilda) “Well, well!”

(Yosuke) “Hoho MAN, you guys are a sight for sore eyes!”

Yu took Byleth’s hand and shook it firmly.

(Yu) “Good to see you again, sir.”

(Byleth) “Likewise. Sorry it took so long.”

(Leonie) “Better late than never!”

The other staff smiled as they caught up with the Investigation Team.

(Megumi) “Yuki and the others will be so happy to see you again!”

(Cocytus) “SO, WE HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN. WHERE IS CLAUDE?”

The door opened once again as if on cue.

(Claude) “Kept ya waiting long?”

He smiled as the rest of House Isekai started to come down the stairs, followed by the Blue Lions and Black Eagles.

(Dimitri) “Claude!”

(Edelgard) “For once, I am relieved to see you.”

(Claude) “Jeez, you’re gonna make a guy blush with compliments like that.”

(Yu) “Long time no see everyone.”

(Yuuri) “YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!”

(Rean) “Hah, I don’t think we had to doubt that, Yuki.”

(Akira) “You guys are more stubborn than us.”

(Minato) “Hey.”

(Minako) “House Isekai is all here again!”

(Ainz) “Unfortunate that we cannot celebrate...”

He examined the room and did a mental head count.

(Claude) “All that’s left should be...”

(Yuri) “That would be us.”

The Ashen Wolves and Doomguy showed up behind Claude, waving.

This was the first time Sitri had seen everyone together like this. It made her smile, knowing how big the family taking care of Byleth was.

(Sitri) “The gang’s all here now.”

(Lahabrea’s voice) “So it would seem.”

[Tears in the Rain - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers]

Everyone looked up the stairs to see Lahabrea leaning against a wall, with Sothis floating beside him.

(Sothis) “Well, you all wanted answers? We’ll give them to you.”

Lahabrea nodded and looked at everyone. Part of him wanted to smile, seeing everyone united like this.

But they were far from being in a happy mood.

(Kazuma) “First of all, just who the fuck are you? You know our past and have your own Sothis, yet we only know our Byleth!”

(Lahabrea) “My name is Byleth Eisner. I am the real one. The real one you’ve seen in all those flashes when your voices echo in your heads.”

(Minako) “That would explain why it feels so real but...We’ve always known our Byleth to be the real one, what makes you so different?”

(Sothis) “Those voices are your past memories. With us two. Up until just this time, you had always been with us everytime you appeared-”

(Aqua) “Woah woah woah, hang on! We’ve only been here once, what are you going on about ‘everytime we appeared’?”

(Lahabrea) “Some of you are aware of the ‘Divine Pulse’ ability, right?”

(Emma) “That time reversal that Sothis and Byleth do?”

Lahabrea nodded. Most of House Isekai looked confused but those who weren’t affected by it could follow.

(Lahabrea) “You all first arrived individually. First it was only Kazuma’s group. We went through 6 years of hell together, and when the war was finished, we were sent back right to the beginning, when Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard arrived to Remire Village. Then taking Kazuma’s place at the next loop was Class VII, and so on. Time forcefully resets everytime you go home...and I cannot begin to fathom why.”

(Yu) “So, how is Sothis here? If that’s the case, every loop Sothis would have fused with you, right?”

(Sothis) “It’s because I fused with him that I am here right now. I was not truly gone the first time we fused, but it seems whatever force is at work keeps bringing me back.”

(Lahabrea) “And it was during the final loop we did, we reset time ourselves using the Tower at Zanado.”

(Rean) “But, there wasn’t a tower when we were there.”

(Akira) “No I...I think there was?”

Yu turned to Akira.

(Yu) “Was it half made out of what looked like stone and scifi tech?”

(Minako) “Yeah actually, how did you?-”

(Claude) “We confirmed the tower’s presence ourselves. Had a nice visit in it too...”

(Yuuri) “Um, what actually is that tower?”

(Lahabrea) “For now, it’s best to hear it yourselves. Honestly, not even we understand it.”

Lahabrea pulled out a crystal and it began its playback.

“I don’t know if anyone will be seeing this message, whether that be myself or anyone else who comes into this godforsaken tower but…My name is Byleth Eisner. Son of Jeralt Eisner.”

...

Everyone listened to the entire message, and when it finished, most of them were left in a state of shock.

(Lahabrea) “Since you went into the Tower, I can only assume you saw the skies turn a pale white?”

(Claude) “Something like that. Even in Inaba it followed.”

(Miki) “Inaba? As in-”

(Yu) “Our town, yes. We were wanting to say that tower in Zanado started showed up and is releasing shadows onto the real world.”

The Persona Users turned pale.

(Yukari) “S-Shadows are loose right now in all of our homes?!”

(Lahabrea) “So far, just the Persona User’s worlds. But that won’t be for long. Which brings us to why we have you all gathered under a single banner.”

(Sothis) “You all were NEVER meant to be here. At all. Whatever our previous selves did, it caused a catastrophic rip in reality, at least that’s what we’re guessing.”

(Lahabrea) “And we only made it worse by using Divine Pulse ourselves. It’s why House Isekai exists.”

(Megumi) “S-So...our existence here was a mistake?”

It pained Lahabrea to do so, but he nodded.

(Lahabrea) “Yes. And since you all have been here for so long, it’s now starting to affect your worlds.”

The crystal Lahabrea was holding quickly shifted into a reflection that displayed Tokyo, Tatsumi Port Island, and Inaba, the tower being the most noticeable thing in the reflection.

(Lahabrea) “The longer you are here, the worse this effect will become. Our worlds are merging. All of ours.”

(Naoto) “That...makes sense! It’s why Dojima was able to understand Claude and the others!”

Now, it was the School-Living Club’s turn to feel sick.

(Kurumi) “Then...that means...?!”

(Yuuri) “The infection...!”

(Lahabrea) “Will be in Fodlan, yes.”

(Miki) “W-What can we do to stop it?!”

(Sothis) “We honestly don’t know. Our plan right now is to stop whatever remnants of the world we destroyed. Those Who Slither and the Church has technology from that time, and is whats making them able to wage this war.”

Sara turned to Byleth.

(Sara) “...So where’s our Byleth come into this? He’s been quiet this entire time.”

Byleth looked away.

(Lahabrea) “...You saw the Angels at Enbarr. What their infection does to people. It’s affecting Byleth as well.”

(Everyone) !!!

(Sitri) “T-Then that means?!”

(Byleth) “I’m slowly turning into an Angel....”

(Lahabrea) “I’ve done what I can to delay the process, but its why Byleth is able to permanently kill Inquisitors. But...”

(Byleth) “So far we haven’t been able to find a cure. I will die if it is not found.”

(Megumi) “WHAT?!”

(Lahabrea) “Which is why we need to strike now. If we can stop Those who Slither and the Church before his transformation and our worlds merge.”

Yuri frowned as the light from the window blinded him.

(Yuri) “Looks like we’ll get that chance faster than you think.”

[Will and Reason - Tales of Berseria OST]

Cyril and Alois walked towards the gate as the skies turned into a pale white, soldiers rushing to the gate.

(Percy) “Hey, what’s the meaning of this?! You are not authorized to be in Alliance territory-”

(Cyril) “By order of Lady Rhea, we are to execute the Warrior of Darkness! Any resistance will be met with force, do not interfere!”

The church soldiers kicked open the gates and stormed Derdriu, surrounding all exits.

(Alois) “If we do see him...let me speak first, Cyril.”

(Cyril) “Fine. Make it quick if you are able.”

Everyone looked out the window, grabbing their weapons.

(Claude) “Get Judith and the rest of our forces ready. I don’t think I can talk my way out this one.”

(Edelgard) “I don’t think there’s much point hiding your involvement with us. Perhaps if the three of our forces went out and confronted them, we could buy some time.”

(Yu) “That could work.”

(Rean) “Whatever we’re doing, just make it fast!”

(Claude) “Edelgard, let’s go with yours. Just follow my lead though.”

Dimitri and Edelgard nodded. House Isekai and the Ashen Wolves snuck further into the building as the three classes marched out the building.

(Cyril) “Claude von Riegan.”

(Claude) “Hey, Cyril, Alois. Been a hot minute since we saw each other, yeah? I take it you got promoted to Inquisitors-”

(Alois) “Where is Byleth?”

(Claude) “...Byleth? What makes you think he’d be here-”

(Cyril) “DO YOU THINK US FOOLS?! WHERE IS HE?!”

Dimitri and Edelgard looked to their sides to see soldiers closing in on them, weapons drawn.

Hubert held up a hand to not retaliate just yet.

(Alois) “Lord Dimitri, Emperor Edelgard...I was under the impression you were fighting one another.”

(Claude) “They are here in neutral territory to call a truce, so to speak.”

(Alois) “...And I was also under the impression that his highness was kidnapped by members of House Isekai. Clearly I was mistaken.”

Cyril frowned and grabbed his weapon.

(Cyril) “You are aware of what the Church’s sentence is for treason, correct?”

(Claude) “Sure am.”

No one made a move, both sides were waiting to see what would happen first.

(Alois) !? “What in the...?”

Edelgard noticed a bright light coming from her and realized a blue flame surrounded her and the other Black Eagles members.

Before they knew it, their clothes transformed, all the members wearing a mask and costume.

Edelgard was now in her Flame Emperor outfit, with the bottom half of her mask gone.

(Dedue) “Isn’t that just like...?”

(Hilda) “Akira?!”

(Cyril) “The Phantom Thieves?!”

(Edelgard) “Well, I guess that’s as good as a cue as any-”

[Tempest of Seasons (Rain) - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

Edelgard unsheathed Aymr and swung it at the two, causing the debris beneath them to explode.

Everyone else followed suit and began their assault as Alois and Cyril barely dodged Edelgard’s attack.

Before any of the Church knights could respond, many of them were picked off by the gun wielders of House Isekai, who drove them further up the street.

Alliance Soldiers intercepted them and attacked with swords and bows, leaving Alois and Cyril to the classes.

Claude fired an arrow at Cyril, but was deflected by Alois’s siheld.

Dimitri and Edelgard charged in and tried to attack from the sides, but Cyril blocked Dimitri as his wyvern swooped in and knocked back Edelgard.

Hubert snapped his fingers and a massive black fireball fired from his tome and blew up a group of knights, as Dedue and Hilda crushed ones that came too close into the floor. 

Another group of church knights came around the corner and were about to charge before being blasted into the wall by a light spell.

One of them tried to get back up before his leg suddenly in the opposite direction, making him fall over as blood burst out of his throat.

Kazuma became visible, taking his knife out the Church Knight as he turned behind him.

(Kazuma) “DARKNESS!”

Darkness charged in and swung her sword at the knocked down soldiers, hitting the pillar nearby, making it tip over and crush them.

(Darkness) “Wha-BUT I HIT THEM!”

(Kazuma) “Fuck it, doesn’t matter, keep going!”

Aqua and Megumin followed behind Kazuma and Darkness, causing mayhem for the Knights.

Several Alliance soldiers were outmatched by the Church knights, injured on the floor about to be killed.

Only a few of them were able to be saved as Lorenz, Lysithea, Caspar, and Sylvain killed the knights attacking them.

Lorenz and Lysithea opened their tomes and fired several Thorons, piercing through their helmets and blasting their heads off. Their bodies quickly dissolved into white dust, with Caspar punching a hole through a knight and Sylvain ran over one with his horse.

(Caspar) “Hey, we need a medic over here!”

Mercedes, Linhardt, and Marianne ran over and began to heal the soldiers they could as the others ran in from behind.

Linhardt raised his head and saw a few of the group running on top of the walls surrounding the city.

The Denizens of Nazarick, Class VII, and the Phantom Thieves looked around them to see the fighting continued on the outside, the advantage being on the Knights’ side.

(Ainz) “We cannot afford to retreat and lose the only city where we have refuge! Do whatever it takes!”

(Albedo) “Yes, Lord Ainz!”

Ainz began giving directions to the rest of his group as they ran, giving himself and two others a necklace of flight.

(Ainz) “Cocytus, Pandora’s Actor, with me, we go after any reinforcements that may be on their way!”

They flew off far past the main gate, leaving the Phantom Thieves and Class VII on the walls.

(Elliot) “L-Look, some of the knights made it to the walls!”

(Rean) “Class VII, take them out!” 

(Sara) “They’re only monsters now, so aim to kill!”

(Class VII) “Yeah!” “Got it!” “Understood.”

(Akira) “Leave closing the gates to us. Joker, out.”

He winked at Rean and gracefully leapt off the walls and onto the roofs, the Phantom Thieves using their Personas to get around.

Lahabrea and Byleth saw the Phantom Thieves hop over their head as they looked at the battle.

(Lahabrea) “You know the deal. Captains first, then get away before you’re spotted. No witnesses.”

Byleth nodded as they moved across the shadows, though Byleth couldn’t help but take a second to glance at the group near them.

The Ashen Wolves and School-Living Club, and Sitri were helping the civilians evacuate as S.E.E.S, the Investigation Team and Doomguy protected them from incoming knights.

(Kanji) “How do these assholes even have these many soldiers?!”

(Akihiko) “The fight they’re putting up is a lot fiercer than 5 years ago!”

Their personas killed the knights with ease, though with everyone they got rid of, five more seemed to take his place.

The School-Living Club felt out of their element here as arrows whizzed by everyone's’ head, but still they persevered.

(Megumi) “Get to the main capital building, you’ll be safe there!”

Kurumi did what she could to slow down any of the knights with her shovel by getting the jump on them, but she could already feel eyes on her. Her luck wouldn’t last forever.

(Yuuri) “P-Please keep your head down and move to that building over there, we’ll protect you!”

(Woman) “T-Thank you dear!”

(Hapi) “Shut up and get moving.”

The woman nodded and did as she was told. 

Yuuri and Miki were the farthest from the group, helping out a child who was hiding underneath the carriage.

(Miki) “No knights are around right now, you have to get moving!”

(Yuki) “We’ll protect you, take my hand!”

The child nodded and took Yuki’s hand. Once he was out, his eyes went wide as he pointed behind them.

(Child) “W-WATCH OUT!”

Yuki and Miki turned around to see several figures in black fire a spell at them.

They were too slow to react and took the hit directly, sending them flying back into the carriage.

Megumi got distracted when she saw what happened to them, causing her to panic.

Megumi ran over to the two, grabbing a nearby board to attack the hooded figures before she stopped moving entirely, feeling something go through her stomach.

(Sitri) “MEGUMI!”

[Those Who Sow Darkness - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

An Agarthan took the dagger out of her as he filled the gap with some dark magic, causing her to scream in pain.

Doomguy spun around at the noise and saw what was happening and immediately jumped into action.

(Yu) “Huh?- NO!”

(Minako) “Where did they-?!”

(Minato) “GOD DAMN IT!”

(Yuri) “BEHIND US, AGARTHANS!”

Doomguy cleaved the Agarthan in half with his wrist blade and threw his body at the mages who were getting close to Yuki and Miki, about to do the same thing to Megumi.

The Persona Users began engaging the ones who weren’t hit as the Knights backed off.

(Alois) “Those who Slither as well?!”

(Cyril) “Tch, the heretics developing the powers of House Isekai?! We have to go back and warn Lady Rhea, KNIGHTS, RETREAT, WE ARE OUTMATCHED!”

The knights immediately began to pull back. Alois sighed, hoping to see Byleth, but held his tongue and followed orders.

The skies turned back to a normal color as the Church withdrew, though it was far from good news.

Doomguy ran over and grabbed Yuki and Miki and set them next to Megumi.

(Yuuri) “No no no no!”

(Kurumi) “W-What’s happening, how did they get behind us?!”

(Sitri) “Is she alright?!”

Doomguy didn’t respond as he immediately began scanning the three for injuries.

For Yuki and Miki, it appeared worse than it actually was, the worst being a few burn marks, but for Megumi...

Something was spreading throughout her body, but it didn’t look like anything he’s seen.

Everyone stopped fighting when they saw the knights pull back and saw the Agarthans teleport in.

(Agarthan) “There you all are...Saves us the trouble of hunting you down individually.”

The Agarthans went to the dead and raised their hand to them, deploying a black fog that went into the bodies that made them shake violently, dissolving into a black goo as their essence went to the center where Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude was.

(Agarthan) “I see the Church has their own version of our spell. Interesting, but inferior. Honestly, we have no idea how they got their hands on this, but thank you for bringing it to our attention.”

He began laughing as all the black substance was forming into a colossal shape behind him, even ones from outside the gate were getting in.

Some bits and pieces were left off from bodies that were too far, and began rising from the dead.

(Kurumi) “Not again!”

Kurumi raised her shovel and attacked one of the creatures by dislodging the shovel’s head into its neck.

The creature’s neck twisted 180 to face Kurumi, making her back off.

Doomguy gave Kurumi a pistol as he cocked his shotgun and blew the creature into pieces.

They looked around them and they were starting to get surrounded.

(Kurumi) “Do your thing, I got us covered!”

Doomguy nodded and began rip and tearing into the creatures, leaving Kurumi and Yuuri to deal with the stragglers. Yuuri grabbed Kurumi’s shovel while Sitri grabbed a sword on the floor.

She had no idea how to use it, but that wouldn’t stop her.

The Persona Users and Ashen Wolves were too busy trying to evacuate the citizens and were holding off the stragglers on their own as well.

Megumi slowly opened her eyes and saw what was going on. There was no way anyone could spare the help in time before they got overrun.

(Megumi) I have to...!

She got up, though every fiber of her body was in utter pain doing so.

(Megumi) “Kurumi....h-hand me the pistol.”

(Kurumi) “What?! But-”

(Megumi) “It’s...not, a request!”

She grabbed her and Yuuri’s shoulders.

(Megumi) “Get Miki and Yuki out of here, now...! Sitri, watch over them for me?”

(Sitri) “Y-Yes.”

They reluctantly nodded and did as she told. As they ran, a few of them tried to chase them before Megumi caught the creatures attention by blasting their heads off.

(Megumi) “Everyone...please, be safe...”

Clenching her teeth in pain, she thanked Doomguy for having a pistol that didn’t have to reload as she gave cover fire to her students.

...

(Dimitri) “YAAAAGH!”

Dimitri stuck his lance into the blob before it could form anything, but when he pulled it out nothing happened.

(Agarthan) “HAH! Your feeble weapons will do nothing to our creation! Accept your fate and die like the dogs you are!”

The blob finally formed into a bipedal monster, it had massive claws on its hands, and spikes on its back. Six eyeballs covered the left and right side of its body and It’s head was something akin to a bull as it used the horns to charge into the fountain, sending the three and concrete into the air.

They landed next to each other, and got up quickly, trying to find any weak spots.

(Claude) “Any plans? Edelgard, you seem to have Akira’s power, can you do that crazy Persona thing?!”

(Edelgard) “N-No, it only affects the clothes, I’m a bit faster and stronger but other than that, nothing!”

(Dimitri) “I have nothing on me!”

The Agarthan continued to laugh until he saw something out of the corner of his eye walk in from the shadows of a building.

[Boss Theme #2 - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

(Byleth) “You’re going to pay for what you did.”

(Agarthan) “T-THE WARRIOR OF DARKNESS?! KILL HIM, KILL HIM NOW!”

Before the Agarthan could do anything, his vision suddenly went flying into the air, and as it landed, he could see his own body on the rock, headless.

The body fell onto the floor as Lahabrea stepped into view, deactivating the whip function on his sword.

(Lahabrea) “Everyone else is currently dealing with the Agarthans. Big one is left to us, no objections?”

(Byleth) “None at all.”

Byleth and Lahabrea struck as one, going for the legs which only made their weapons bounce off.

Claude fired several arrows at various parts of the body, seeing what would connect.

The arrows that seemed to have any affect were ones shot at the eyes on the body. 

Only one arrow pierced through one of the left eyes on its torso as it screamed in pain, and used its massive arms to block the rest.

(Dimitri) “Seems a lot smarter than the one at Enbarr!”

(Edelgard) “Let’s hope its not as stubborn!”

Dimitri and Edelgard charged head on to the bull-like creature, with it charging in response.

Combining their strength, they were barely able to block its charge, driving their feet deep into the concrete, making every muscle in their body burn from the sheer force.

Lahabrea and Byleth hopped onto the arms and plunged their swords into the eye sockets of the head.

It screamed in pain, but didn’t stagger it as much as they were hoping to, in fact it didn’t at all.

The bull rose its head, sending Dimitri and Edelgard into the air as it grabbed Byleth and Lahabrea.

Before it could do anything, Sothis teleported behind the bull and summoned a meteor above it, the meteor smashing it over the head making it drop the two in pain.

Dimitri plunged his lance into the head as he landed, holding on for dear life as it swung violently around trying to get him off.

Edelgard barely managed to catch herself as she landed, trying to figure out how to get close without being crushed.

Claude seized the opportunity and fired arrows into the eyes on the body.

He managed to get three on the right side, but the creature was quick to block the rest.

(Byleth) “DIMITRI, DRIVE IT INTO THE FLOOR!”

Dimitri roared with rage as took out his lance and smashed the bull’s head, the impact of his hit forcing the bull to slam onto the floor.

The eyes blinked with confusion as Edelgard, Lahabrea, and Byleth took out the remaining three eyes, this time making the bull flail violently, its limbs akin to a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Edelgard was hit by the fist and was sent flying into Claude while Byleth and Lahabrea jumped out the way in time.

Dimitri got to its left side, and was about to strike one of the eyes before all five looked at him and a fist almost crushed Dimitri.

He fell onto the floor after narrowingly dodging the attack while Byleth and Lahabrea ran behind him.

The bull covered its left side with both arms, circling around them.

(Lahabrea) “Don’t think we have anything!”

(Byleth) “How about your Sothis?”

(Sothis) “If I did, would’ve done it by now!”

An explosion suddenly struck the side of the bull, making it tumble over and almost fall again before it was pelted by more explosives.

Doomguy came into view with a rocket launcher, firing rapidly into the bull.

The bull was ready to charge into Doomguy before a massive shadow enveloped his own, causing it to look up.

Valimar dropped from the sky and dug its greatsword into the bull’s chest.

(Rean’s voice) “INSTRUCTOR BYLETH!”

Byleth and Lahabrea immediately hopped into action activating the whips and swinging violently at the eyes, carving them into pieces.

Finally, the bull stopped moving as it exploded into black fog, with the other zombie-like creatures that spawned following suit.

They took a deep breath and sheathed their swords at the exact time, in the exact same way. If anyone had any doubt about Lahabrea being Byleth, it was quelled then and there.

(Byleth) “We need to do a head count and check if everyone’s okay-”

(Sitri) “Byleth!”

Sitri ran up to him, with the School-Living Club in tow. The two noticed that Miki and Yuki were hanging onto Yuuri and Kurumi’s arm, the injuries very apparent.

(Lahabrea) “What happened!?”

...

(Aqua) “TURN UNDEAD!”

Another spell blasted apart the creatures, but still more kept coming.

(Kazuma) “HOW MANY FUCKING THINGS OF THESE ARE THERE?!”

(Darkness) “Aqua, how’s your mana looking?!”

(Aqua) “Getting a bit drained here!”

Megumin hit a few back with her staff, looking extremely angry.

(Megumin) “GO AWAY DAMN YOU!”

(Kazuma) “Megumin, we may need you to-”

The creatures suddenly all dropped dead, and faded into a black fog.

(Kazuma) “...Do nothing.”

Everyone took a sigh of relief and looked at the plaza.

(Kazuma) “Let’s see, Valimar and Slayer are there. Pretty safe to assume whatever it was over there is super dead.”

(Darkness) “All the civilians were taken care of correct?”

(Aqua) “Yeah, a good chunk of us saw to that-”

cough cough!

(Megumin) “Heck was that?”

(Kazuma) “That sounded like...”

His heart dropped.

(Kazuma) “Megumi.”

[Yasashii Megu-nee Arigatou - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

The four of them quickly ran to the source of the coughing and saw Megumi laying against the wall, coughing violently as she dropped the pistol onto the floor.

Parts of her dress had holes and blood marks over it. Her blood.

(Megumin) “MEGU-NEE!”

(Darkness) “Aqua!”

Aqua smiled as she put her hand on Megumi’s arm.

(Aqua) “Don’t worry, we’ll have you right as rain!”

A healing spell emitted from her arm, but it had no effect.

(Aqua) “H-Huh? Why can’t I-”

Megumi grabbed Aqua’s arm and smiled, tears running down her face.

(Megumin) “I...don’t think your healing can fix me up this time...”

(Kazuma) “Hey, don’t be playing the hero, you’re way too nice for that shit!-”

Megumi moved her arm to reveal a hole in her stomach. It was then Aqua finally saw what was happening.

The infection was spreading throughout her body. It was some unholy combination of her original infection, the agarthan’s, and a third light-like source she couldn’t identify.

(Darkness) “H-HELP US, OVER HERE! WE NEED A HEALER!”

The rest of House Isekai and the three Houses finally got to the scene and saw what was happening to her.

Sara, Byleth, the School-Living Club, and Sitri ran to her side, while making way for the healers.

(Sara) “Get to helping her already!”

(Byleth) “Do what you can, please!”

First, Marianne, Mercedes, and Linhardt tried using their best healing spell to no effect, then the Persona Users tried.

(Morgana) “Damn it, why isn’t it working?!”

(Yukiko) “T-There’s got to be something we have that can!”

(Yukari) “Can anyone get a sense of how bad the-”

Yukari stopped when she saw Emma tearing up, covering her mouth.

(Kurumi) “H-Hey, Emma! You can see magic crap right, what’s happening to her?!”

(Emma) “She’s...not going to make it.”

(Everyone) !!!

(Miki) “T-THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT! PLEASE, CAN’T SOMEONE DO SOMETHING?!”

(Ainz) “I used magic detection and...there’s nothing we can do. No amount of healing can stop the infection. I...I am sorry.”

Doomguy scanned Megumi with his visor, but it came up as red.

Lahabrea and Sothis looked on with regret in their eyes.

(Yuuri) “Come on, you know something about this right, why aren’t you?!-”

Megumi grabbed Yuuri’s hand and caught everyone’s attention.

(Megumi) “Don’t worry...This was going to happen either way.”

(Yuki) “But, I don’t understand! Why?! We finally got to see you again and-”

The School-Living Club reached for their head as a sharp pain overwhelmed them.

(Megumi) “You all...got along just fine without me before...And I know you can do so again.”

Megumi began coughing up blood as she struggled to keep her eyes free of tears.

Byleth used his cape to wipe them away.

(Megumi) “Thank you...Byleth.”

She barely had the strength to laugh as she looked up into the skies.

(Megumi) “I...I guess whatever was in my body originally hadn’t gone away. It’s...messing with whatever the Agarthan transformation method is, making it way slower, otherwise I would’ve instantly turned...”

Megumi turned to the School-Living Club members first.

(Megumi) “Kurumi, Yuuri, Yuki...It was so good to see you again. Even if it didn’t last long...I’m glad we could be normal for a little bit together at Garreg Mach. And Miki...Thank you for sticking with them, and protecting Yuki...”

Megumi’s skin on her left arm slowly started to turn into a darker color. 

She turned to Byleth, Sitri, and Sara.

(Megumi) “Sara, Byleth...Y-You were some of the strangest co-workers I’ve ever had...but I would never trade that time for anything...And Sitri...? It was an honor...being with your son and husband...”

Yuki sobbed the hardest, holding onto Megumi’s arm shaking it.

(Yuki) “NO NO NO! WE’VE ALREADY LOST YOU BEFORE! NOW THAT YOU’RE BACK, YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE AGAIN! IT’S NOT FAIR!”

(Megumi) “I...Think I’m about to...”

She began coughing up blood again, which Byleth wiped away again.

(Megumi) “There’s only one way to stop the infection...Please don’t let them watch.”

Megumi looked at Sara’s pistol.

She closed her eyes and nodded.

(Megumi) “Yuki, Kurumi, Yuuri, Miki...You all will be fine. I promise.”

Sitri had to grab Yuki and pull her away, as she was kicking violently to try and get back to Megumi.

(Yuki) “NO, MEGU-NEE! MEGU-NEEEEE!”

(Yuuri) “Thank you, Megu-nee...”

(Kurumi) “Thank you, again...”

(Miki) “It was nice to finally meet you, Megu-nee...”

The three walked away, unable to watch what was coming, Sitri escorting them as well.

All of Class VII, the Persona Users, and Kazuma’s group had to follow, unable to watch.

The Denizens of Nazarick bowed their heads in respect, and followed Ainz, away from this. 

This was a private moment for the ones closest to her.

The only ones who stayed were Towa, Angelica, Cocytus, Sharon, Doomguy, Lahabrea, and Sothis.

Megumi took off her cross necklace and gave it to Byleth.

(Towa) “Instructor Sakura...T-Thank you.”

(Angelica) “...You’re too nice, ya know that? We’re gonna miss you.”

(Cocytus) “IT WAS AN HONOR FIGHTING AT YOUR SIDE.”

(Sharon) “You and your students will be my family as much as the Reinfords...”

(Doomguy) “...Thanks.”

Lahabrea had to close his eyes, alongside Sothis. Sara and Byleth stood up, and she pointed her pistol at Megumi’s head.

(Byleth) “...Goodbye, Megumi.”

(Sara) “...See you the next time around.”

Sara’s hand started to shake, unable to keep a steady aim.

Megumi’s hand held onto Sara’s, Byleth’s hand eventually joining in.

They all closed their eyes, and Byleth helped Sara pull the trigger.

...

BANG!

...

...

...

Thud...!

When everyone opened their eyes, they saw light particles coming off Megumi. Her body slowly started to fade away into a light blue dust, disappearing in front of them.

There was no more blood, or signs of rot on her, and the last thing they saw on Megumi’s face was a smile.

Then, she finally disappeared, a quiet shattering noise emitting as her body turned into white and blue dust.

When she was gone, Sara fell to her knees, sobbing, slowly joined in by Towa, Angelica, then Byleth.

Doomguy, Sharon and Cocytus bowed their heads in respect.

Lahabrea started to walk away, tears in his eyes...

[Afterglow - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

Bathed in the red of the sun What were you thinking? Filling your eyelids to the brim with tears You tried to play it off, saying, "It's so pretty".

Without a doubt I always thought that these days Would continue on and on....

The sky we look upon, Is watching us from far, far away Merely silent, without change. Grasping hands as fellow lost ones, We're no longer alone. Looking to the opposite shore of this ending world, We can see our dawn on the horizon,

We can see it We can see it So put on a smile...

TO BE CONTINUED IN:

[benisasoftboi]

Unorganised thoughts on Trails of Cold Steel III:

...I’m gonna need like a week to process that

I guess I know why people hate George now!

Could really use a good old reset from KeA right now

This is the best game in the Cold Steel series so far. Easily

I... there’s no way they’re all really dead, right? This series has been completely toothless about killing anyone who isn’t a villain until now, no way they’re permanently killing someone who’s been here since practically day 1, no way. Show me a body

And even then I’ll doubt it with all these revivals happening all over the place 

‘He’s HIDING’ I sob as I apply clown make-up 

Ben Diskin did not need to go so hard on the voice acting at Millium’s death he did not need to do that to me

My god when Angie drove into the graveyard and my PS4 popped up a little notification telling me it was a blocked scene, the tension in me... and I never saw that coming, I’ll have to see if it was foreshadowed at all by replaying CS1 and 2 some time

I saw Lughman being a baddie a mile away (a mysterious professor turning out to be evil in a Trails game? UNPRECEDENTED!) but he’s Alisa’s dad!?

Neat writing trick actually, since they probably knew we’d guess the former, they blindside us with the latter

I can’t express how happy it made me that the Rufus battle was Machias Jusis Elliot. My dream team!

Estelle and Joshua got mentioned so much I figured they’d make a surprise appearance at the end and save the day

:(

So. Characters:

Rean: Rean is once again moderately more interesting than he was before, but still the least interesting person in the game. I guess he’s got some guilt that’s actually justified now, that’s cool? 

I ship him with Crow, not because the pairing really appeals to me that much, but because being shipped with Crow would totally piss Rean off and I find that extremely funny

His relationship with Altina is the best relationship he’s ever had with a female character and it is 100% because she’s the only girl he’s never ship teased with

(I don’t have an issue with the concept of ship tease itself, I have an issue with Rean-ship tease because 1. I still truly do not understand why so many girls like him so much and 2. None of it will ever canonically go anywhere)

(Seriously I’m so tempted to write a breakdown of why every other guy in Erebonia is more desirable than Rean)

Juna: I like Juna. I realised early on that she and Kurt remind me of Estelle and Joshua, without being carbon copies, and that’s good. I also think her relationship with Rean was really interesting - ‘I don’t know how to feel about you because you saved my life, but it also wouldn’t have needed saving if it weren’t for your country’s actions, which you’ve played a major role in - but now I’m being forced to confront that you’re a human being too’ is a really complicated situation for her. It’s a lot more interesting than ‘I don’t like you because you accidentally got a face full of chest’, Alisa

I also really liked using her, I ended up loading her with the Platinum Pecky Medal and defensive stuff, and she was a wall, she took an S-craft from Arianrhod in her stride! My buff girl!

She should’ve just been the new protagonist ngl

Kurt: Kurt had a lot to live up to, seeing as his brother is my favourite minor character. And oh does he succeed, Kurt is my favourite of New VII, he’s a good straight man, he’s great in battle, I like his arc, I like his friendship with Juna, I like Kurt

Altina: I was not sure about Altina just... being a student now. But damn if she didn’t have the best character arc in the game. I only did her final bonding event on a whim, but it’s the best one I saw. My girl Allie deserves the damn world

I really, truly believe those three have a bond as well, they’re very well written as a group. This was a problem I had with Old VII, the fact that so many of them just... didn’t have relationships with each other. How do, say, Fie and Machias feel about each other? I have no idea. But this group has a fantastic dynamic and it makes that ending so much more effective

It’s like I praised Crossbell for, really - having a small core group is much more manageable in terms of giving them all equal screen time and getting me to care about them

Musse: Uh, kind of one-note and annoying, honestly. I don’t hate her or anything, but like... she’s either Being Mysterious or Hitting On Her Teacher (I hate it I hate it so much). It’s just hard to care about someone who’s clearly so fake, I guess? I’m definitely interested in her, but like... I don’t really like her

Ash: Poor boy. I thought Ash was such an interesting character (and man do I love having someone around who does not like Rean, and never really changes his mind about it). Ash is very well done imo

Alisa: Alisa is good when the issue is her family drama, and is so goddamn boring when it comes to Rean. Nothing new there

Elliot: I love his little ponytail I love it he’s so cute I want to hug him so bad

Laura: Winner of the ‘best new outfit’ award (was never that fond of her war outfit, but this one is perfect). Still good, but not notably so. I feel so bad for Laura, she tries so hard to matter, but she’s by far the character you’d have the easiest time lifting out of the game

And while I love Elliot... same situation really. You could go back to the start and have one character named Elliaura who likes swords and music and has two big-shot dads, and you wouldn’t lose much

Machias: Took down Rufus, yeah, destroy your best friend (boyfriend)’s evil family! Winner of the ‘worst new outfit’ award, AGAIN. Also winner of ‘dorkiest S-craft’. I did his final bonding event first, and according to Playstation trophies it’s the least popular one! Stop sleeping on my boy Machias guys, I know he was annoying in the first game but I love him :(

Gaius: Special award to Gaius for finally being interesting! Boy’s a Gralsritter now, did not see that coming!

And of course it happened off screen. Because god forbid interesting stuff happen to Gaius when we’re actually around

Oh also goddamn, that is a beautiful man

Emma: Don’t really like the new outfit. It’s kind of remarkable that she’s so important but I keep forgetting she exists. Exposition witch who sometimes just doesn’t deliver the exposition I guess

Fie: Still my fav girl. Wish there had been more focus on her feelings about her dad coming back to life. Like that she’s a bracer

Jusis: Wasn’t sure how to feel about his newly close friendship with Millium because I was concerned that I was meant to ship it (by far my least favourite thing about this franchise is that that was not an unreasonable concern, as it wouldn’t even be the most inappropriate relationship in this game alone). Very, very glad it was confirmed sibling-y (not that it’s stopped them before). He didn’t really get to do anything else, sadly, but he’s good as always

I did the Purebread contest with him, and he made bread from coffee beans Machias gave him, the Ferdibert Fire Emblem energy- 

“What are you doing underneath this scarlet Pleroma Grass?”

Milliam: :(

Sara: Doesn’t get much to do because this cast is bloated but like, I still really like her :)

Towa: Someone needs to check on Towa all her friends are dead or evil the poor poor girl (or uh. I guess Crow isn’t... hmm.)

Angie :(

My kids Tita and Agate are back and completely overshadowed by people teasing this almost 30-year old man about being in love with a 17 year old that he’s only ever claimed to see as a sister, I swear to god

The orbal gear looks so goofy lol

Stop mentioning Schera as just being ‘totally here, just off screen, ha ha’ give her a model! Have her be here!

Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing Josette again, I just don’t get... why? Why is she here?

Tio is back! And so is Randy, as a major character! I’m very very happy, I love them both

Michael’s fine, I guess? He’s kind of bland but I guess that’s kind of the point and I like him just fine. He serves his purpose well

I’ve never really liked Claire all that much, but she’s fine in this one again I suppose. A bit disappointed by the Lechter reveals really, I had expected more, to be honest

Aurelia is a fun character and I enjoy her as the principal. Want to see her fight Cassius

Want to see Cassius 

I love my girl Annabelle, but she’s the only reason I didn’t get all the character profiles (how was I meant to know I could even go to the highway at that point hmmm Falcom!?)

They picked a good selection of returning Thors students. Even Dorothee isn’t as annoying as she used to be. Hilarious that she’s the only one who didn’t get a profile

Juna gave a great big speech about how awesome the SSS are and namedrops everyone EXCEPT WAZY! My FAVOURITE Crossbell character! So offensive!

Oh speaking of offensive I took Machias to the Mishy show and was told he and Rean did a Mishy dance but they didn’t show it, what the hell-

Playable Olivier! Olivier back story! I could write a goddamn essay on why Olivier is such a great character. Glaring at you Falcom

I miss Mueller :(

Ada Grant is wonderful and I want better things for her

Rufus is a damn great villain just because of how much sense his actions suddenly make when you know that one little detail of him not actually being Jusis’s brother

I hate Cedric but like, in a way where I’m having fun hating him. That little bitch

Literally what do you even actually want Osbourne

I still cannot stand Elise. Something I realised playing this game is that one of the things that stops the Estelle and Joshua relationship from being as weird as it could be is that they don’t look at all alike, it’s very clear they’re not related in the slightest. Elise and Rean look like they really could be siblings, and come to think, so do Lloyd and Cecile. Which is also teased, to a lesser extent. It would be so much less uncomfortable if they just swapped Elise and Alfin’s models ngl (though still not good)

inb4 the final plot twist of the whole series is that Estelle and Joshua actually were biological siblings all along

This game looks so much better than its predecessors. Having the models being a little rounder and softer looking makes it look much more like an updated version of the original style than the complete departure that was CS1 and 2. Every time there was a flashback, Rean would be like ‘back then...’ and I’d feel compelled to say out loud ‘when we were shiny, and looked bad!’

‘Evil ancient magic corrupts people into making them do bad things!’ is... honestly a bit of a cop out that I did not expect from this series 

I found Rean telling Patrick ‘leave room for Aidios when dancing with my sister’ extremely funny. Rean would totally be a Christian summer camp counsellor in the real world

I honestly would have enjoyed it a lot more if Alfin decided to cause a scandal and have her first dance with Elise, but we can’t have such luxuries I suppose

When you get that book on dystopias, very clever to put the author on the last page. Seeing the name Gideon gave me such a start

Racquel was easily my fav new location

Leeves > Trista no doubt, maybe I’m just biased because it looks a lot like the village I grew up in but it’s just such a nicer design

Also the branch campus > main campus purely for being smaller, making the filler segments between field trips more bearable 

I prefer the longer but fewer chapters set-up, I think

There’s so many sad faces in this write up :( 

Back when I played Sky SC, I said something about how one of the themes is ‘you are not defined by your trauma’. I now think it would be more accurate to say that the theme of all the games (but especially the Sky arc) is ‘don’t let your worst experiences define you’

Because there are characters who define themselves by their traumas and worst experiences - and those characters are all villains, or miserable, or both. Like, they don’t phrase it as such, but the requirement to be an Ouroboros enforcer is ‘have trauma and define yourself by it’

And both Joshua and Renne’s arcs are about learning not to do that

Equally, the idea that ‘it’s much easier to not to define yourself by your trauma when you have a good support system that wants the best for you’ is a big theme as well

I just think that’s a really interesting idea for a JRPG series to tackle, idk

I can’t believe I’m at the last game! This series has been my life for the past near-half a year, what do I do when I finish it?

...go back and play Sky FC, maybe?

[autumnally-art]

happy birthday, Rean!

[razeluxe]

Razeluxe’s Top Ten Male Characters

So I’ve been thinking about doing a particular list for my favorite characters across anime and games for quite a while and with some advice I decided to break it into my favorite male and favorite female characters. Most people that know me can probably guess at my top three favorites but if you don’t know me... well you ‘bout to learn lol. This was harder than I thought to compile...enjoy my fanboying of the boys lol.

By the by, I’ll do my best to keep spoilers to a minimum.

10) Apollo Justice (Phoenix Wright Series)

I’ve played only two games that this character was in (Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies, slowly working through Spirit of Justice) and this character particularly in Dual Destinies struck me even more than Edgeworth who is another amazing character. Apollo has an amazing spirit and it was only through playing Dual Destinies that I really got to understand Mr. ‘I’m Fine’ and his stupid ‘Here comes Justice’ puns. I feel his original game didn’t allow him to shine (still a great entry in the Ace Attorney series I don’t care what anyone says) and Dual Destinies allows him the development he deserves. He gets hurt during a trial and it allows a deep dive of his character even if his personality shifts for a while. Damn he’s savage. He’s considered the underdog in the Wright Anything Agency but he’s to me the hardest working person there who is also the most factual in court.

9) Gokudera (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Or as I like to call him, Scowludera since he’s scowling like 90% of the time. This Ichigo ripoff’s character development is insane. And I think that trend follows most if not all the characters in this list. His relationship with his sister is interesting and he’s pretty explosive in terms of personality and intelligence. His fights are all really interesting too, he has some of my favorite interactions in the series thus far (haven’t read the post anime manga chapters yet sadly, but he’s more than earned this spot on this list). He butts heads with people a lot and he can be ignorant but he grows from his experience and you get to see it bit by bit. This dude is loyal to the bone. RIP if you aren’t Tsuna or Reborn. Also, I’d like to shout out this anime as one of the few to do the shounen genre proper justice. Go watch it. Also his sister Bianchi is <3. Oh wait. Male list. Oops. Can we also talk about his weapon? Not gonna say spoilers but that thing is dope and probably one of the best ever designed weapons. And his kitty Uri <3

8) Joshua Bright (Trails in the Sky)

This will be short as I don’t want to spoil anything, but Joshua is a very easy character for me to connect to personally. His feelings, actions, development probably relates more to me than a lot of characters on this list. He’s got good people around him...I’m very happy for his ship and support it 120%. Also the Trails Series, both Sky and Cold Steel are probably my favorite series of anything period. Go play it. There is more to this character that meets the eye and has broken my heart more than once ;_;

7) Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends With You)

Neku Neku Neku. Another very relatable character for me (see the theme here? lol) He initially shuts out people and over time, through his experience in the Reapers Game, he starts to open up and bring people into his circle. He goes through some crap, like a lot of trauma. When you learn of him it’s no wonder he wound up disliking people and society. He’s extremely creative and that creativity manifests itself in different ways. Kinda like me. It’s worth mentioning I used to roleplay this character back in the day, the very first canon character I used to write for. 

6) Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)

One of the only blonde’s on this list. Shulk is a character that is driven by revenge but eventually changes. He goes through some pretty traumatic stuff that I absolutely will not spoil. His personality when he encounters a certain characters shifts big time and it’s kind of scary considering how early you see this. Also he gets points for being a notably intelligent character. I mean, the dude has his own lab...and is able to fix and adjust stuff. He’s really a great and well balanced character despite all the crap he goes through. Also I used to make fun of this character and dislike him a little bit, but then I grew up. 

         The list gets real starting...now. Not that it was fake before. :o

5) Jaden Yuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Anyone who has actually watched the entirety of GX might know why he’s here. His character development in the latter seasons so unreal and interesting. I’m not spoiling crap but there is a lot more to the character than meets the eye. Like a lot lot. Over the course of the series he loses his innocent eyes and his personality changes a lot...His character is probably one I can relate to in terms of the reasons for his actions, the way he gets down about himself, the way he acts in the final season...it hits me hard...he’s too dang relatable...just like..

4) Rean Schwarzer (Trails of Cold Steel)

Surprise surprise. Rean is here. -hears crickets- Guess you’re not surprised. I wonder why. I think I relate to this character more than anyone else on this list. Except number one. Number one is in his own league. Rean is a character who generally carries a happy disposition...he has a unique power but you can see he is actively scared of it. It’s something I actively deal with...he’s so scared of himself that he puts distance between family and friends. He never feels he’s good enough. He’s made headway through this, but...

One thing that’s extremely interesting about this character is his selflessness. You may think this is driven to the ground in character stereotypes but for Rean it’s different...his selfless has been described as abnormal by characters in game, and it’s not for positive reasons...Rean deals with some real unhealthy stuff. This is getting long.

As of this post Cold Steel 4 comes out in one month and I’m extremely worried for his character. If you’ve played 3 then you’ll know why. Also if you haven’t played the Trails series, go play it. No buts. Heck I’ll even buy the game(s) for you if I can.

--

Oh look we’re at the top three. I want to say that while numbers two and three here are pretty interchangeable, these characters have been in my top three for over a decade and a half and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. Rean I love you but you have your work cut out if you ever want to breach the top 3. I wanna post a few honorable mentions here. They didn’t get into Smash but they do get Mii Costumes at least! -shot-

Davis Motomiya (Digimon Adventure 02) 

This character was everything I was when I was a kid. The way he tries everything to woo Kari is too cute. Also his unwavering faith in Ken. Also Davis Cries Veemon.

9S (Nier Automata)

Not mentioning any spoilers. Just watch this character and see how his vision of the world changes over time.

Okabe Rintaro (Steins; Gate) 

Okabe’s shift from his ‘persona’ as things get real and his efforts to fix everything is too relatable for me ;_;

Yosuke Hanamura (Persona 4) 

No, I do not ship him with Yu. They’re great buddies for sure, and he’s pretty cool. Really likable character for me personally save for a few moments in the game...he’s also the main in the Arena games. “Let’s do this, Jiraiya!” He’s so cool lol.

                    Top 3 time. Fiercely dedicated to these guys.

3) Robin (Teen Titans Go! 2003)

Robin is such a raw character that carries his past and tries so hard to move from it yet it embodies him to his core. He has since gained a softer side from forming a team, and has been doing normal teenager stuff...which is good for him. However at times that Batman side impacts him so hard that he can only concentrate on his mission, and starts shutting out everyone and everything to do things himself. It actively gets in the way of his interactions. He deals a lot with moving on from failure and acknowledging his friends more, which he does get better at over time. He is also represented by the color red. My favorite color. He’s badass and yet carries so much crap. I connect to this character a lot even now. Third canon character I ever wrote for.

2 Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia)

I love Lloyd. I love his voice, I love his attacks, I love his stupid double sword logic. He says wielding two swords makes him twice as powerful lol. I love his development. I love his idealism and how it matures over time. I love everything about Lloyd. It was legit love at first sight. I remember being 15-16 and seeing him on that Gamecube boxart and saying “I wanna play that guy” Most people I feel (guys in particular) probably looked up to certain characters growing up as a child/teen. Lloyd was mine.

1. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)

While it was love at first sight for Lloyd, that was not the case for number one on this list. I was 13 when I first played FFIX. Zidane upon encountering him, I always thought he was a cool character, but he was nothing special.  Even at Zidane’s lowest point I thought he was an okay character at best. I had not finished the game.

Fast forward a few years and I decide to play FFIX again, this time determined to finish it. I had went through some things, grew up a bit before turning this game on. This damn bandit...I remember writing this bit years ago: “His infamous mantra labeled above describes him well, but under his ability to console others with a smile, to cheer people up and meet them at their point of need with his abundant optimism lies a blonde who masks his pain and keeps his issues to himself. Despite his many friends and buddies he harbors a deep loneliness that, like his problems, he keeps to himself. One would have to look carefully to notice his character flaws for Zidane does an impressive job of hiding these problems. Whether it be through his energy, his theatrics, or focusing on other people, Zidane can cover things up quite well.”

Zidane has an absurd amount of depth to his character that I was never able to comprehend as a kid, beneath his flirting, his playful attitude, he hides a lot of feelings, a lot of anger, a lot of sadness. It used to boggle me how he’s able to uphold his sense of virtue despite what goes on in his life and the end of disc 3 answers this for me. It goes without mentioning that this was the second canon character I’ve ever written for, and I still love writing him. I could and write walls of text about how Zidane is so amazing, a chivalrous thief, a lover and a flirt but I think I can let you go lol. Hit me up if you really want to hear me ramble about any these characters, also play FF9.

...So I wrote all of that and forgot to write about Zidane’s ship...have to give it its own paragraph because I love these two together and she does wonders for Zidane as a whole as does he to her. She’s a princess and he’s a thief, they take their time to show them together through different things, different ordeals...particularly the ordeals. Its interesting seeing them both at their worst moments and the many funny moments..Man, that boat scene gets me every time...If I ever write a top ten couples list this couple would no doubt be in the top two if not number one. And I’d probably write way more than this about them because they’re great. Also they’re canon. A healthy canon. Also Dagger’s hot. Oh wait wrong list.

Okay finally done. Not editing this anymore :P

[crackimagines]

Class VII Supports

TOCS AU Masterlist Here

—–

Class VII was greeted with open arms in the monastery, and the general opinion of them are high, mostly.

The most liked students are: Rean, Elliot, Gaius, Laura, Emma, Millium, and Towa.

The most students who seem to be at odds are: Crow, Machias, Angelica, and Alisa.

The universal supports for Class VII is each other, and Byleth.

Closest Friends: Byleth, Jeralt, Alois, Catherine, Manuela

Sara is noted to be one of the strangest out of the group. While she is more drunk than Manuela, she is by far the strongest of them. Those who have seen her in combat put her up with Jeralt and Byleth, if not more skilled. She gets along with all the students, even if she is more than a bit lazy. 

Sara is extremely suspicious of the church, but keeps these doubts only to herself and Class VII.

“That woman can go from completely plastered to absolute bastard in just a few seconds...”

Closest Friends: Dimitri, Leonie, Yuri, Annette, Mercedes, Byleth

Rean is said to be the unofficial leader of Class VII, and anyone who hangs around him long enough knows why. He is said to be a very trusting individual, and always seems to go out of his way to help others. He is also a very skilled swordsman, and is the most mysterious individual. With his Divine Knight, Valimar, and skilled fighters around Garreg Mach state that he seems to be holding back, people want to find the answer, but have been unable to. Rumors state he might be hiding something dark within him. 

Rean gets along with mostly everyone, but is suspicious of Rhea like Sara.

“He’s a really nice person, but by the Goddess he’s oblivious when someone’s hitting on him.”

Rest of Class VII under the cut!

Elliot

Supports - Golden Deer, Ashe, Annette, Caspar, Dorothea

Closest Friends: Ashe, Dorothea, Hilda, Caspar

Elliot is one of the most liked students of Class VII. His soft personality makes him very easy to befriend, but seems to be easily intimidated by the standoffish students. That being said, he is surprisingly brave, moving up to the frontlines with the rest of the class despite his less than ideal physique for a military academy. People constantly asks if he can play his violin for them, which he is more than happy to oblige. He can be found near the church, playing for the choir or with Dorothea.

“Elliot’s nice. Though, too much so for his own good.”

Machias

Supports - Golden Deer, Dedue, Ferdinand, Constance, Dorothea, Ashe, Edelgard

Closest Friends: Ignatz, Raphael, Dorothea, Ashe

Machias is hands down the most problematic student when it comes to relations. He hates Nobles with a passion for their “holier than thou attitude”, and is not afraid to state these sentiments to their face. He has the most hostile relationship with Ferdinand, Constance, and Lorenz. However to commoners, he seems to be far nicer and patient with them. Hatred for Nobles aside, he is quite gifted in both academics and combat.

“As long as you aren’t a noble, he’ll talk to you. Otherwise you’re better off talking to a wall. Plus you’re less likely to get shot at.”

Gaius

Supports - Golden Deer, Petra, Dedue, Cyril, Ashe, Flayn, Mercedes

Closest Friends: Petra, Dedue, Claude

Gaius is the most calm of the entire group, seemingly never letting anything get under his skin. He is a caring individual, and his homeland is a topic that fascinates everyone, seeing how different he is from the rest of Class VII. He doesn’t have any problems when it comes to talking to the people of Garreg Mach and is a reliable friend.

“Gaius is cool and everything, but sometimes I wish I understood what he was talking about. Especially about the winds.”

Emma

Supports - Golden Deer, Annette, Flayn, Mercedes, Constance, Sylvain,

Closest Friends: Claude, Lysithea, Marianne, Annette

Emma being the actual representative of Class VII, or in their terms Class President, she speaks with Rhea and the other house leaders the most, though she is joined by Machias and Rean. She doesn’t seem to be particularly noteworthy according to others, saying she is booksmart and fully capable in combat, but seems a bit off. Her magic seems to be far greater than what she uses, but it seems that’s kept under wraps.

“She seems nice enough, but it’s kinda hard to read her sometimes, ya know?”

Jusis

Supports - Black Eagles, Flayn, Felix, Lorenz, Constance, 

Closest Friends: Ferdinand, Hubert, Bernadetta, 

Jusis is the second quietest of Class VII, and seems very intimidating. However, he just doesn’t have much to say and has a bit of trouble saying what he truly thinks. While seeming rude and condescending, a lot of the time he does not mean for it to come off that way, and is acting a how he thinks a noble should. While he finds Ferdinand and Lorenz obnoxious with how much they boast, he shares the sentiment that it’s their duty to protect the common people. His fencing style is stated to be very elegant and deadly.

“Man, he’s so cool looking! I wonder what goes on through his head when people like Felix and Constance talk to him though...”

Crow

Supports - Black Eagles, Sylvain, Yuri, Claude, Shamir, Seteth, Rhea

Closest Friends: Edelgard, Sylvain, Yuri, Claude, Byleth 

Crow is referred to as “yet another Sylvain”, seemingly careless and always trying to hit on any pretty woman he can. He is shockingly very skilled in combat, and can hold his own and sometimes displays his responsible side, though that is very rare. This side comes out the most when he is with Towa and Angelica. He is notorious to be very bad with money as he constantly gambles and usually loses it.

“Never give him any money. Ever.”

Fie

Supports - Black Eagles, Annette, Mercedes, Lysithea, Ashe, Raphael, Shamir, Jeralt

Closest Friends: Dorothea, Bernadetta, Raphael, Hubert, Caspar, Byleth

Fie is the quietest of Class VII, and somehow outsleeps Linhardt. She has even less to say than Jusis and rarely engages conversations on her own. That being said, people love speaking to her due to how “cute” she is, much to her dismay. She is extremely skilled in combat, and agile to boot. She has been seen to jump around constantly during battle striking at precise enemy locations to disrupt them without breaking a sweat. The second deadliest of Class VII, right behind Sara, she has been known to be friendly with very few people.  

“Fie is adorable! But, man she scares me sometimes.”

Alisa

Supports - Black Eagles, Sylvain, Ignatz, Leonie, Mercedes, Ingrid

Closest Friends: Caspar, Mercedes, Leonie, Ignatz

Alisa is notorious for holding grudges for an insane amount of time, leaving people doing their best to avoid her. While no doubt gifted with a bow, people state she has a very quick temper, making her the second most disliked of Class VII. However those close to her would defend her, they have a hard time denying what people say. Despite her problems, she is fiercely loyal to anyone who sticks by her, and seems to be a reasonable person. Most of the time.

“She’s a bitch sometimes, but she’s a good person...I think.”

Laura

Supports - Blue Lions, Leonie, Raphael, Caspar, Balthus

Closest Friends: Annette, Ingrid, Ashe, Felix, Balthus, Dimitri

Laura is the most physically strong person in Class VII, as she is known to be using a greatsword that’s almost bigger than her. Aiming to become the strongest, she is constantly challenged by those of similar mindset in the Monastery, and can be found in the training hall for a majority of her freedays. Despite being so intimidating, she is friendly with those who approach her, even being friends with those weaker than her. Though, she is known for no knowing what to do when it comes to doing “girly’ things.

“I’d say that her sword is comically oversized if I hadn’t seen her cleave armored knights in half with it.”

Millium

Supports - Blue Lions, Bernadetta, Hubert, Lysithea, Flayn, Cyril, Alois

Closest Friends: Alois, Flayn, Bernadetta, Dedue

Millium is the youngest of Class VII and seems to act very childish. Underneath her youth lies a fiercely intelligent girl, having been trained in covert operations and intelligence divisions. However, despite this training she seems to blurt out insensitive, rude, and important details as if everyone else had figured them out already, shocking anyone around her. Rudeness aside, she is very friendly to those she deems she wants to be friends with. The person in question has no choice in the matter, and better like them, cause she is known to pester them to no end.

“Millium is so cute! She’s like a little sister! Though, she’s everything good and bad about a little sister...”

Angelica

Supports - Literally every female in Garreg Mach, Dimitri, Claude, Yuri

Closest Friends: Dorothea, Edelgard, Ingrid, Hilda, Byleth

Angelica is a terror among the females of Garreg Mach as she is constantly hitting on all of them, even moreso than Sylvain. Libido aside, she is friendly enough with all students, even the guys. What shocks people the most about her is her form of combat, which is purely hand to hand. For someone who is relatively small, her punches have killed, even though she’s hitting people in heavy armor. She is known to be the most friendly with Towa and Crow.

Towa

Supports - All Three Houses

Closest Friends: Dimitri, Edelgard, Annette, Yuri

Towa is the friendliest of Class VII. She is a workaholic to those who can see her, and the kindest girl anyone has ever known for those close. She cares for everyone in the monastery and takes the time out of her day to make sure everyone is okay and if she can help them with anything, acting as an unofficial school counselor. No one has been able to abuse her kindness for helping with work and get away with it, thanks to Angelica, Crow, Sara, and Rean.

“That poor girl needs a break, I’d buy her tea everyday if she would stop working herself nearly to death each night...”

[lonewolfel]

Fictober 2020, Day 6

Prompt: 30 - “just say it”

Fandom: KOTOR 2(Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords) 

Rating: G (Mentions of death, torture, and violence) 

Pairing: Unrequited Atton/Jedi Exile 

Third part of Fictober 2020, Day 3

Kora was meditating in the cargo bay. She couldn’t get Atton’s words out of her head. Different circumstances, but you have a bigger body count than I ever did. And I’ve been with you only a short time, enough to know that as soon as someone signs on with you, they don’t have long to live. Atton was right, everyone she got closed to died. Tredshe, Alek, Rean, and so many have died because of their closeness to her. Not for the first time she wondered if she should have joined in the Mandalorian Wars. The Republic might have been better off. 

“Can we talk?” Atton asked startling Kora. She looked up and nodded. “We didn’t finish our conversation.”

“I believe you were telling me why you left the Sith.” Kora said not wanting to discuss her part of the conversation. 

“Well, there was a woman. A Jedi. She..she gave her life for mine.” Atton said and he looked away from her in shame. Kora stood up. She wanted to reach out for him, but decided against it. “I never knew her name. She sought me out. She said she had come to save me.She was lying, of course - or I think she was. It doesn’t matter - she told enough truth to get my attention. She said that Revan was doing something terrible to Jedi within the Unknown Regions. That when we captured Jedi, they were sent to a place designed to...break them. And anyone in her service who showed any ability with the Force was sent there, too, to turn them, to break them into Dark Jedi… or assassins trained to kill Jedi. She said that’s what would happen to me - that I had the Force inside me, that’s why I was so good at killing Jedi. And that when the Sith learned of it, there would be no escape, no turning back. I would become an instrument of the dark side, forever. I had heard talk in the ranks, troops vanishing. I knew what she meant, but I didn’t believe her - or want to believe here.” Atton said and Kora couldn’t help but wonder what he did. Her death was obvious, but whether or not she was killed by Atton or someone else. 

“What happened?” Kora asked

“I did what I did with all Jedi. I hurt her. I hurt her a lot. And then, right when I thought she couldn’t take anymore - she showed me the Force in my head. And I felt everything she felt, and I heard just an echo of what the Force was. And how what I was doing…” Atton said and he stopped seeming to be choked up. Kora placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.” Kora said and Atton shook his head. 

“I think I loved her, but it wasn’t that kind of love. It was the kind of love where you’re willing to give up everything for someone you don’t even know. I killed her for crawling in my head, for showing me that. But before she opened her mind to mine, my only thought was that I would love to kill her. And at the end, I killed her because I loved her. In the end, she sacrificed herself to keep my secret, to prevent the Sith from knowing about that touch of the Force inside me. She wasted her life to save me. Me. And I felt her die, when she opened her mind. I’ve killed Jedi like I said, but I was never there to feel it, to be on the receiving end. And after that, I couldn’t stop feeling things - before, guilt, lust, impatience, it had been orchestrated  to get close - now, it all just kept tumbling out - and I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing. So I left. I fled with the displaced war veterans to Nar Shaddaa and I lost myself there, until the war came to the end. I wanted no more of Jedi, or Dark Jedi, or the Force. I just wanted to be left alone. And then I met you on Peragus. And I thought, maybe, maybe she had saved me so I could help you. And if I can’t, then I have to try.” Atton said

“I welcome any help you have to offer.” Kora said and she removed her hand from his shoulder. She felt disappointed to increase the distance between them. She tried her best to hide it. 

“I didn’t want to tell you any of this. But...I had to. Because if something happens, I can’t let you think I was doing it for something other than the past.” Atton said and Kora felt disappointed in a new way. He was with her to make up for his past mistakes not her. The Jedi in her was pleased, but that part of her was nearly extinct. “Once a Jedi showed me the Force - I heard it, I felt it. At the time, there was too much pain to confront it - because if I did, it meant I would be changed into something else.”

“It doesn’t have to change you.” Kora said and Atton smirked slightly. 

“Now, I’m not afraid of it anymore. And I think that by learning how to use it - I can help protect you. Or at least buy you some time when disaster comes screaming in.I want to learn how to use the Force. I want to learn how to use the Force to help you.” Atton said

“If it is what you want to be trained in the Force then I will be happy to train you.” Kora said 

“What must I do? Is there some… some ritual, or…?” Atton asked 

“Close your eyes.” Kora said and Atton did as she said. “Feel it around you, feel its currents, its eddies. Listen to the echoes of your thoughts, your heart - separated from war, seperated from hate. Think of what you felt when you felt the need to help me. Atton, open your eyes.”  Atton opened his eyes and frowned. 

“I still feel like me.” Atton said and Kora laughed.

“The Force doesn’t change us. It strengthens who we are.” Kora said

[unofficialkfamtranscripts]

King Falls AM - Episode 5: Night of the Living Dread

View on Google Docs

Summary: July 1, 2015 - Sammy & Ben learn of some breaking news regarding the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe, but not everyone is as pleased as the broadcast duo.

[Podcast intro music]

Announcer Dear listeners, please note that the following program may contain views that do not reflect that of King Falls AM, its management, or its subsidiaries. Listener discretion is advised.

[KFAM intro music]

Sammy You’re listening to King Falls AM, that’s 660 on the radio dial. I’m your host, Sammy Stevens, and as always we are joined by producer and co-host extraordinaire, Ben Arnold.

Ben [trying not to be amused] You’re so- you’re so happy, aren’t you? You’re a child. Getting so giddy over that message.

Sammy Listening to a warning before a radio broadcast I’m on has literally been on the bucket list for a long time. Thanks Merv!

Ben *laughter* Ridiculous. A glutton for punishment.

Sammy What can I say? I enjoy a nice game of hard ball! Uh, y’know, but enough about what Merv doesn’t want you to hear, let’s talk about what he does want you to hear. And what do we have cooking tonight, Ben?

Ben Dude, it’s stacked alright? Stacked. We’ve got the- lovely Miss Emily Potter from the King Falls Library giving us her picks for enlightened summer reading.

Sammy Terrific! We always love speaking with Emily!

Ben You and me both.

Sammy I said “we,” Ben.

Ben Uh, I know. I- *breathes in* [stilted] I- We-We-uh, We’ve got some really cool news! here. We-we are announcing the line-up for the first annual King Falls Ambient Music Festival. That’s coming up the second hour.

Sammy Wait a second. The King Falls Ambient Music Festival? Is this town even big enough for a festival?

Ben Oh yeah! It’s like Coachella[1] but for hipsters that just want to relax. It’s all about “setting the mood.”

Sammy You know, I’m wondering if they’re gonna make it to a second annual.

Ben And then, um, [reluctant and slipping into mumbling] opening up the show we-we’ve got the- doctor *mumbling*

Sammy I-I’m sorry, Ben, what was that? You’re trailing off, buddy.

Ben We have that umm, *sniffs, lets out breath* one… guy. You know that- fo- w- talking about that *deep breath* one thing—

Sammy [trying to cut him off] Ben—

Ben —from a month ago or so—?

Sammy What? What are you talking about?

Ben You know— May- maybe we should start it with Uh, callers first! [mildly frantic] Just-uh-Give us a call at 424-279-3858 and let’s talk about… *tsk* anything! Let’s uh, whats your-whats your-whats-whats on your mind King Falls?

Sammy Ladies and gentlemen, put down your phones for a second. What Ben is trying to say is we’ve got a scoop here this evening on King Falls AM. We’re gonna be speaking with—

Ben [cutting Sammy off]Or you can tweet us! @kingfallsam. I-I-I will literally talk about anything right now. Even to Mr. Derschwitz about that weird toenail thing. Let-lets-lets go, people!

Sammy I thought we agreed—

Ben I know. Sammy, I’m sorry it’s just, [slightly more frantic] I’m-I’m not feelin’ the best here. Alright? my stomach, is all… knotted up, just thinking about this.

Sammy That is journalism. That feeling is journalism—

Ben [speaking over Sammy] I think it might actually be an ulcer! It Tastes, like Fear and Feels, like Cancer . It’s way more than anxiety. I-I’m gonna call Dr. Raúl, at break.

Sammy He’s a chiropractor!

Ben Maybe he can refer me?

Sammy Power through it, buddy! Look at this folks, we got somebody dialing into the hotline right now! You ready for this Ben? Come on.

Ben Please, be Reverend Hawthorne so we can talk about the Revival next month.

Sammy Oh stop it. You know he isn’t even scheduled!

Ben I just thought— maybe that’s how prayers work, I don’t know, I’m not a reverend!

Sammy King Falls AM, you’re on the air.

Dr. Rosenblum [Dr. Rosenblum’s voice is measured and monotonous and mildly creepy at all times] Good evening, this is Dr. Jeffery Rosenblum, with the, King Falls County Coroner’s Office.

Ben C-can I please just say—

Sammy Dr. Rosenblum, it is a pleasure to speak with you this evening.

Rosenblum Excited to be here, Sammy. Ecstatic even. We listen on slow nights.

Ben That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever heard.

Sammy Much appreciated, Doc. Now, as fate would have it, you were the overseeing physician working on the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe, is that correct?

Ben Doc? Can you just, hold on for- one- moment- please?

Rosenblum Of course, Ben I—

Sammy Don’t start, Ben! We agreed to see this through.

Ben All I’m saying i- lemme finish- a- i-is that maybe it’s not our place *deep breath* to break this kind of news.

Sammy Fine. You know what? You’re right! Let’s just give this to our friends down at Channel 13 and let them be the ones to alert the public about this.

Ben [journalist voice] Doc, Ben Arnold. Tell us about cracking open the mystery body.

Sammy [quietly] Oh.

Rosenblum It’s true that I was the operating physician on that particular John Doe, y-es, irrefutablyy

Sammy Now, as I understand, your official report was released yesterday morning, doctor, but amazingly enough, not one publication or news station in our town- including King Falls AM- reported on it.

Rosenblum You are correct. Busy news day- one would assume.

Ben So, that means, you are— free to talk about it on air.

Rosenblum I would be elated

Sammy First and foremost on everyone’s minds: were there any signs of, uh, y’know, the lake mo- *sighs* I can’t.

Ben Did Kingsie make the body, bite the big one?

Rosenblum There was no evidence that a creature large or small had anything to do with the deceased.

Ben *sigh of relief* That- I knew Kingsie didn’t have it in her.

Sammy Now, Dr. Rosenblum, can you tell us if there was any foul play involved at all?

Rosenblum During our first autopsy we were not able to distinguish with certainty the cause of death. But there were no signs of foul play

Sammy I’m sorry, did you say “first” autopsy?

Ben [confused] Is that normal? Did you- find out the cause of death during the… second autopsy?

Rosenblum Indeed. It was six individual gunshot wounds to the victim’s head. Three shots to the temporal lobe, two to the mendulla oblongata—

Sammy What?! Six gunshot wounds?!

Rosenblum To the cranium, yes. One to the frontal lobe, another to—

Ben So the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe was, murdered?

Sammy I can’t believe this! This is big! Why didn’t one news outlet report this thing yesterday?!

Rosenblum Well, the cause of death was inconclusive and with no signs of foul play, it was not exactly a juicy story.

Ben and Sammy Wait a second.

Rosenblum …yes?

Sammy I’m sorry, doc. I’m not in the medical orrr criminal fields but, how is six gunshots not foul play?

Rosenblum Well, that was between the first autopsy and the second. The gunshots were self-defense administered via Deputy Kreighauser at my behest.

Sammy Ben, we’re gonna wanna get Troy on the phone and see what he’s got to say about this.

Ben “Things Ben Arnold would never think under ordinary circumstances for 800, Alex.”[2]

Sammy Doc, while we’re getting Deputy Troy on the line, would you mind if we took a quick break to hear from one of our sponsors?

Rosenblum That’s just- Dandy.

[light bg music]

Greg Frickard After a long day’s work or a tough day’s play, you probably just wanna come home and relax. No need to slave over a hot stove for hours on end. Well that’s where we come in! Here at Granny Frickard’s, we know that the less time you spend doing the things you don’t like, is the more time you spend with the ones you love. So come get some of the best frog legs that money can buy. Granny Frickard’s French-fried farm-fresh never-frozen filleted-and-fricasseed fried-and-flambeed frog legs. Mm-mm-mm. So get on down to Granny Frickard’s Froggery at the corner of Main Street and 7th Avenue. We’ll put some pep in your step and some hop in your heart.

[KFAM intro music]

Sammy And we’re back on King Falls AM, here with King Falls County Coroner, Dr. Jeffery Rosenblum.

Rosenblum A Pleasure.

Sammy Do you have Troy, Ben?

Ben He’s booking one of the Williams boys for mooning. He’ll call us in a few.

Sammy I’m a little out of sorts here, doc. Can you explain what happened between the first inconclusive autopsy and the point where Troy filled the cadaver full of lead.

Rosenblum Of course. As I was finishing the initial post-mortem, it came to my attention that the deceased began to emit a hissing sound, fluctuating between the lower thorax and the larynx.

Ben Oh my God.

Rosenblum I called for Deputy Kreighauser and he entered, as I wanted someone else to see this- phenomenon. That’s when the John Doe began a slight, thrashing about the upper torso.

Ben Um… are you saying—

Rosenblum The deputy began to fumble for his sidearm while we both discerned that something was wildly- amiss. The deceased opened its eyes and instantly grabbed for the lapel of my lab coat with voracious tenacity.

Ben Wh- ah- go on.

Rosenblum It gnashed its teeth as I emitted a terrified, albeit, high pitched, scream. And that’s when Troy unholstered his sidearm and administered six lethal shots to the reanimated corpse’s cranium.

Ben A zombie.

Sammy Alright, is there- [fumbling] Let’s just say- is there-

Ben We’ve got Troy on the line.

Deputy Troy [in bg] I don’t care if he was only joshin’. You can’t show your G-D derriere out in public! [car door slams] [pleasantly] Hey boys, what’s goin’ on tonight?

Sammy You tell us, Troy, holy geez! Uh, we’ve got Dr. Rosenblum on the line here and—

Deputy Troy Is this about the zombie?

Ben Yes! So-so you’re confirming this story, Troy?

Deputy Troy Well, hell yeah I’m confirming! I had to do three hours of damn paper work from unloadin’ my pistola into a corpse! Sheriff Gunderson was not the happiest of campers.

Ben [excited and awed] This is amazing… This is unprecedented .

Sammy [skeptical] This is a little unbelievable, Troy.

Rosenblum It is a first in my profession. Believe you me. [still tonelessly] Wowzers.

Deputy Troy Honest engine[3] boys. I capped the all get out of that thing! It had the doc by the face ‘bout to start chewing!

Rosenblum You’re my hero, Deputy Troy.

Deputy Troy Shucks, wasn’t nothin’ special.

Ben [slightly sullen] Except killing the first instance of a zombie in King Falls since—

Sammy Don’t say “since”.

Ben … Well… Since that one time at the mall in the '80s.

Sammy No, that’s not a real thing, Ben. That’s a film.

Ben [worked up] Sammy? How many extraordinary things are gonna have to SLAP you right in the face to make you buy into this? KING FALLS, MAN.

Deputy Troy You know me, Sammy. I always shoot ya straight. But it was the craziest sh[bleep]t I’ve ever seen. I mean it was like my-ex-wife-needs-alimony-money crazy.

Ben See? Even Barney Fife[4] saw it.

Sammy *sighs* I just—

Rosenblum I don’t want to cause an uproar here, but since that exam, there have been, other cases.

Ben Of frickin’ zombies?

Rosenblum Of reanimation among corpses… yes.

Deputy Troy Doc, you just give me a call if you need. I’m more than happy to go Clint Eastwood if the situation arises.

Rosenblum Will do, Deputy. Thank you so much for your- assistance. Without you, there may not have been this- interview.

Deputy Troy [proud] To protect and serve.

Sammy I can’t take all this in right now, Dr. Rosenblum I- e- Thank you so much for your insightful information.

Rosenblum As they say, [still monotone] “you got it, duude.”

[click, dial tone]

Ben You okay, Sammy? You… don’t look so well.

Deputy Troy Ah, hell, boys.[siren whoop] I gotta go. I’ll call you back later tonight! One of the Williams boys is tryin’ ta saw through the bars outside the jailhouse? [sirens in bg] [through megaphone] Jacob Williams put your hands UP and the file DOWN.

[click, dial tone]

Ben Alright King Falls, you’ve heard our story, let’s hear yours. Have you or anyone you know experienced anything like what the doctor spoke of? Reanimation? The walking—

Sammy Don’t.

Ben You know what I mean. Give us a call or tweet us.

Sammy Looks like the board is lighting up!

Ben Um…

Sammy What’s up? Okay, it can’t be any crazier than what we just heard, Ben.

Ben Line One, Sammy.

Sammy Welcome to King Falls AM, you’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Line 1 [female, almost sounds automated] Good evening, Sammy—

Sammy Do I know you ma'am?

Riley — please hold for Mayor Grisham.

Ben He… Probably just wants us to— mark these tapes as, evidence. *nervous laugh* Right, Sammy?

Sammy Or burn them.

Riley Sammy Stevens, Mayor Grisham.

Sammy Mayor?

Mayor Grisham Sammy… Ben.

Sammy You’re on live on King Falls AM, sir.

Mayor Grisham [commanding] Take me off and go to break. We need to chat.

Sammy No can do. Ben says we aren’t scheduled for break for another- uh- at least ten minutes.

Mayor Grisham Ben. Cut. To. Commercial.

Ben Uh- uh- uh- the thing is- I- I- I can’t- do that. Sir.

Mayor Grisham [threateningly pleasant] You boys want to talk live on air? We can talk live on air.

Sammy [challenging] Nothin’ to hide on this end of the phone, Mayor Grisham.

Mayor Grisham I hear your snide remarks, Sammy. I’ve read the transcripts.

Sammy Which! let’s be honest, is pretty weird. We’re a late night AM talk show, why are you bothering with us?

Mayor Grisham Oh, I don’t bother with you. I try to keep up to date with all the local news and entertainment. I gotta say, I was really happy a big city radio guy decided to come play host at our little radio station.

Sammy Well, I’m more than happy to—

Mayor Grisham I wasn’t finished… But I have to say, I’m a little less than thrilled with [accusingly] all the excitement you brought with you.

Sammy I’d hardly call reporting the news “excitement”, sir—

Mayor Grisham It’s interesting to me that I don’t see Channel 13 breaking these crazy stories.

Ben [quickly] No offense, your honor, but those idiots don’t know their a[bleep]holes from their elbows.

Mayor Grisham And you boys being on site when these “events” happen? [softly, still accusing] It’s a little bit of a coincidence don’t you think?

Sammy Are you insinuating that we are staging these events, Mayor?

Mayor Grisham I’m stating facts. I’m sure your ratings are way, way up there since all these sensational events seem to coincide with your broadcast. Why do you think that is? Furthermore, I mean who’s up listening to you at this ungodly hour of the night?!

Sammy Seemingly most of the town, Sir. As well as whomever you’ve hired to keep an ear on us.

Mayor Grisham I’ve tried to be nice about this… And I tried to be civil… but I think it’s about time that you troublemakers changed formats. No more of this funny business. It’s not good for the listeners. It’s not good for the residents. And honestly? it’s not good for me. I don’t appreciated being painted in this light, gentlemen.

Sammy Oh! You mean the light where you as a public service,[sic] try to quell the voice of the people.

Ben It’s not your right to tell us what we can and can’t report on, sir. All due respect.

Mayor Grisham [rudely] All due respect, Ben Arnold. Just a couple of months ago you were digging up old records on eBay for Chet Sebastian to run on about. Now you’re a media star?? That’s worrisome! Seems you fellas have All the reasons in the world to fabricate these issues, and I have to say I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this, while you LIE TO THE GOOD PEOPLE OF KING FALLS.

Sammy Well, when we start “fabricating” and “making things up,” you can come throw the book at us. But until then- [click, dial tone] Whoops! Looks like you just got disconnected. I’d wait for you to give us a call back and all, but with it not being an election year I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.

Ben Line One iiis lit up again, Sammy.

Sammy [insincerely] Oh, sorry about that Mayor! I must have fabricated accidentally dumping your call when-

Esther Rollens [heavy metal music in bg] [voice old and wavering] Did you boys fund a lavender ball of yarn in there? Been looking for it all week! [click, dial tone]

Ben [shaken] Sammy, I think that commercial might do us some good right now.

[KFAM outro]

[CREDITS]

References

[1] Coachella - The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called Coachella or the Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert.

[2] Reference to the TV game show Jeopardy!

[3] I honestly can’t tell if he’s saying “honest engine” or “honest injun” but i’mma go with the one that’s technically incorrect but also not super racist.

[4] Barney Fife - Deputy from the Andy Griffith Show. Calling a police officer or authority figure "Barney Fife" has become an American slang term for gross ineptitude or overzealousness.