#he would kill for her without a second thought

[fireinmoonshot]

love that lasts | joaquín torres x fem!reader

Pairing: Joaquín Torres x Fem!Reader Summary: When Thanos snapped his fingers and erased half of all life from the universe, he also took you from Joaquín. Five years later, he is still trying to learn how to live without you – until the Avengers can save the world. Warnings: Google Translate is my best friend – apologies if the Spanish is used incorrectly in this fic, I do not speak it but I tried my best to make sure I used words properly. Mentions of bad mental health, nightmares. It's very angsty at the start, has a bit of fluff, but mostly full of angst. Word Count: 4.2k A/N: I rewatched Infinity War and Endgame last week and came up with this idea. Since we know that Joaquín survived the snap, I decided I wanted to write something angsty about where you didn't survive and this was born. This was the most challenging fic for Joaquín I've written so far but also the most rewarding, I think. I know everyone's really moved on from the whole Infinity War/Endgame thing regarding fics, but I really wanted to write this so I hope people will enjoy it. The title of the fic comes from 'Still' by Noah Kahan – I had his album on repeat almost the entire time I was writing this.

Joaquin Torres always knew that the Avengers were going to save the world. From the moment that half of all life on Earth had disappeared, he knew that whatever had happened, the Avengers would somehow find a way to fix things. 

He just didn’t count on it being five years later.

There had been one good thing that had come out of him not being blipped, though – the fact that his mom hadn’t been either. If he’d had to live without her, he’s sure he would have gone insane. Because it was hard enough to live without you.

He’d spent days wishing that he’d been taken too. The first few days had been the worst. He’d been unable to leave the house, having to learn to grieve you when he wasn’t even sure if you were dead or just gone. 

He remembered every moment of that first day like it was yesterday. How he’d just arrived home from going to pick up some takeout for the two of you and he’d seen his neighbour turn to dust in his front yard while he’d been outside gardening, making the most of the evening light. He thought he must have just been seeing things.

He’d walked through the front door of your home and called out your name, heading into the kitchen to put the take out down before he went to find you, feeling more than confused. Then you’d appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and Joaquin had been flooded with relief.

“I’m home, angel, I have the takeout in the kitchen, come get yours” Joaquin called, starting to get the take out from the bags. “Hey, have you seen anything weird on TV today?”

“Joaquin…”

He’d looked up at you, then, just soon enough to see you say his name as you slowly started to turn to dust in front of his eyes. The blanket that had been wrapped around your shoulders fell to a pile on the floor as Joaquin stared at where you had been standing only seconds earlier. 

“Angel?” Joaquin’s voice was small, hesitant. He put the container down that he’d been holding and walked towards the doorway, half expecting you to be hiding behind the wall, ready to jump out and scare him. It’d been a trick of the light, something like that. But all that was left of you was the blanket on the floor and your phone which had fallen on top of it.

He’d fallen to the floor, grabbing the blanket in his hands and holding it to his chest for what felt like hours as the feeling of numbness overtook him. The blanket still smelled like you and he never wanted to let it go.

Whatever was happening, whatever had happened to your neighbour and to you… there was nothing Joaquin could do about it. He wasn’t an Avenger, he wasn’t anyone special. He knew in that moment that he was going to have to live with it. That fact alone could have killed him.

His knees went numb after kneeling on the floor for so long but he couldn’t find it in himself to pull himself up from the floor. Not even when the sun finally set and the house was blanketed in darkness. The food on the counter had long gone cold. It was only when your phone, sitting in his lap, buzzed, that he’d been pulled out of his stupor. His mother was trying to ring you. She’d thought Joaquin had been taken when she couldn’t get a hold of him, but the second he answered your phone, she knew that you were gone.

Joaquin had stayed with his mother for a while after that, not being able to bring himself to be in the house without you there. There were memories of you in that house everywhere he looked. The sheets still smelled of you, all of your things were still in the cupboards, every time he opened up Netflix, your profile was there. Everything was there except for you. 

“You could always sell the house and move back home with me properly, mijo,” his mother had said. “It’s not smart to be paying your mortgage on that house when no one is living in it.”

He shook his head. “I know it’s not smart, mamá, but I just can’t. We bought that house together. We were making a life there. I can’t even bring myself to move her things, how could I sell the place and clear everything out?” 

His mother reached across the table and placed her hand over Joaquin’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Then you’ll stay here until you’re ready to go home.”

“I don’t know if it will ever really be home without her, mamá,” Joaquin said honestly, meeting her eyes. His were full of tears, as they were most days since you’d gone.

There was no hesitation as his mother stood up from the table and walked around to him, wrapping her arms around him to pull him into a hug. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “She was the love of your life. Just like your father was the love of mine. You don’t have to move on like she never existed, mijo. Time will continue to pass and she will continue to be with you, even when you cannot see her.”

Joaquin sniffed, holding his mother close as he cried. “I really love her, mamá,” he murmured, not really expecting her to hear him since his voice was so muffled.

She did, though. Gently rubbing his back, she closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh. “I know you do. I loved her too, mijo. Just like she was my own,” she hummed. “Don’t lose hope. She will return to you one day, I believe that. Your soulmate will find you wherever you are, in any life.”

As the years went on, Joaquin started to believe that this was the way it was always going to be. The Avengers had not saved the world like he thought they would. And he was going to have to learn to live the rest of his life with only memories of you. Like his mother had said, time continued to pass, no matter how much he wished it wouldn’t.

The world changed. He changed. Things became darker and he became darker with them, though he desperately tried to keep the spark alive in his chest – if only because he knew that was what you’d want him to do. You would want him to still be the same Joaquin that you’d loved, but how could he be that person without you?

He threw himself into his job, working day and night to try and keep himself afloat. It seemed strange to be doing such mundane things in a world that was so different. To have to keep earning money to pay the mortgage of your house. To have to get out of bed every morning and shave. To have to make food for himself to eat during the day. To have to go to the grocery store to get milk for breakfasts and coffees.

Five years had passed slowly. Joaquin had made it through them relatively unscathed, with a few mental scars here and there. Every day he was grateful that he still had his mom. That she was there to comfort him when the days were hard and that he was still alive to be there for her as well. If she’d been alone through all of this, it would have broken Joaquin’s heart even more.

When he eventually moved back into your home, every time he cooked dinner it was like you were in the room with him. He could feel your hand on his back as he cooked, your arms around his waist as he washed the dishes. It was like you were still there with him, but then he’d blink and the memories were gone, washed down the sink with the water he drained.

He still cooked enough food for two people before realising it was only him. For a while, he could never bring himself to eat the second serving, until times got harder and he couldn’t afford to waste anything. 

He would be laying in bed at night and he could swear he could feel your arm draped across his side. He could feel the ghost of your kisses on his lips. Your side of the bed was empty every night and yet, he could never bring himself to wash the pillowcase you’d once slept on for fear of the way you smelt disappearing entirely, forcing him to lose another part of you. He couldn’t lose anymore of you.

His friends who had survived the blip had suggested that he put himself back out there. Go on a date, find someone new. There were plenty of stories of people who had gone to support groups after losing loved ones and had found new love there. The likelihood of everyone who had been blipped coming back was slim to none, so why not? But Joaquin could never bring himself to let you go. Even just thinking about going on a date with someone else filled him with guilt. People had tried to set him up on dates but he had never gone through with actually going on any of them. 

His mom was the only one who understood. Even if it meant that her baby would never be able to give her the grandchildren she’d wanted for so long, it didn’t matter to her. She had loved you like you were her own child. All she wanted was for Joaquin to be happy and for some miracle to bring you back to him so that he could be. But even she had lost hope after the past five years that anything could bring you back to him. 

And then… the Avengers saved the world.

~~~

That morning, Joaquin is sitting in a coffee shop – one that had been your favourite before you were gone. He’s missing you a little more than normal this morning and had decided that a good way to feel like he was with you would be to come out and spend time at a place you loved. He’s taking a sip of his coffee when someone suddenly appears in the chair opposite him.

Joaquin almost chokes on his drink, coughing a little as he looks at the man in front of him. He hadn’t walked in from anywhere, he hadn’t been in the coffee shop before. He’d just… appeared. What the hell was going on?

“What the…” the man says, looking around the coffee shop with a confused and haunted look in his eyes. “You’re not my wife… I was just sitting here with her… Where is Sylvia?”

Joaquin’s eyes widen. For a moment he wonders if the man is just confused, maybe there’s something wrong with him mentally and this is his way of asking Joaquin for help… but then, on the table in front of him, his phone lights up and starts to ring.

The contact photo is of you and the name on the screen is yours.

He drops his coffee, spilling a little on the table as he reaches for his phone. His hands are already starting to shake. A part of him thinks this must all be a cruel joke. Someone has broken into your house and stolen your phone, or there’s some kind of technological glitch. But another part of him, the part that is still hoping after all these years, truly believes that when he answers the phone, your voice will be the one he hears on the other end of the line. 

“Angel?” Joaquin’s voice is hopeful as he holds his phone up to his ear and presses the answer button. “Is that you?”

There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the line and Joaquin’s stomach drops. But then he hears it. “Joaquin… where are you? What’s going on?” Your voice – your voice on the other end of the line. It’s real. By some miracle, you’re home. “You were just unpacking the takeout and then…”

“Angel, just stay there, okay? I’m coming home,” Joaquin says to you, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair as he stands up. “I’m so sorry, sir. You should call your wife,” he mutters to the man still sitting on the chair opposite him, looking confused.

He takes off at a run, almost running straight into a few people walking through the door of the cafe. He doesn’t hang up the phone the entire time he’s running home, just grateful that your favourite coffee shop is within walking distance of your house. He’s grateful that he wasn’t driving – he doubts he’d be able to focus on the road properly, knowing that you’re home and waiting for him.

Joaquin runs faster than he’s ever run in his entire life. His throat hurts from his heavy breathing and the air rushing in and there’s a stitch forming on his side. There’s sweat dripping down his forehead, owing to the sweater he’d put on this morning and the pace at which he’s running. But he’s not going to stop or slow down for even a second until he gets to you.

Once he reaches your street, he pushes himself to run even faster. He can see your house in the distance and he hopes he’s not dreaming as he runs towards it. He doesn’t think he can deal with the pain of walking inside the house and not seeing you inside again. 

He’s breathing heavily as he reaches the front door, fumbling in his pocket for the key. He doesn’t even notice his neighbour in the front yard, the one he’d seen disappear five years ago, standing right where he’d disappeared, holding his wife close.

Joaquin doesn’t manage to get the key in the front door before it’s pulled open, his hands shaking too much with adrenaline. His head snaps up and his eyes fall on you, your hand on the door handle and your cheeks tear-streaked as you look at him.

“Oh, dios mío,” Joaquin mutters, instantly stepping inside the door and wrapping his arms around you. He holds you tightly to his chest, worried that you’re going to disappear from his arms for good this time. “Are you real? Are you actually here? I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming. This can’t be real.”

Your hands fist the fabric of his sweater as he holds you close. Whatever happened, you don’t really know yet, but what you do know is that Joaquin is acting like he hasn’t seen you for years. The house looks the same, you’d noticed, as you’d walked around before Joaquin came home and you heard the sound of his keys at the door. But something is off.

“I’m real, Joaquin,” you murmur into his ear. “You’re not dreaming. But I don’t know what’s going on… where did you go? You were unpacking takeout and then you were gone.”

Joaquin pulls away from the hug but still keeps his arms firmly wrapped around your waist. He can’t bring himself to let go and he fears it’s going to be that way forever now. “Angel, it’s… it’s been five years since I last saw you. Thanos… he wiped out half of all life in the universe… you were– you were gone.” Tears start to fall down Joaquin’s cheeks and he doesn’t realise until your hand moves to gently swipe them away. He leans into your palm, finding comfort in the feeling of your warm hand on his cheek. “But the Avengers… whatever they did brought you back to me. It was them, I know it must’ve been.”

He internally curses himself for ever doubting them.

“Five years?” You frown, eyebrows knotting together as you try and piece things together in your mind. For you, it had just been like you’d blinked and things had changed but for Joaquin… it had been five years. Five years without you, and yet when you’d called… he had literally come running. “I was gone for five years?”

Joaquin nods, reaching one hand up to wipe the tears from your own face. He can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for you to come back and not find him anywhere, for you to be alone in the house. He’s more grateful than ever now that he never tried to sell the house. If you’d come back and an entire new family had been living in your house…

“They were the hardest five years of my life, angel,” he says softly. “I thought that you were gone forever.”

You look at him for a moment, a little confused. “But you still live here… you still kept my number in your phone… you– Joaquin, you came running to me when I called… what have you been doing for the last five years?”

Joaquin’s heart cracks a little in his chest. “Angel, I’ve been waiting for you.” 

With that, he can’t bring himself to maintain his self control any longer. The hand that had wiped the tears off your cheeks gently holds the back of your neck as he presses his lips to yours. You reciprocate immediately. Five years of wanting, five years of waiting for something he was sure was never going to come… a kiss five years in the making. Joaquin is surprised he was able to hold off for so long. He’s never going to take advantage of kissing you ever again. 

~~~

A little later, you and Joaquin sit on the couch in the living room. Your hands are entwined, legs tangled under a blanket in front of you. It had taken a while to pull yourselves from the doorway. You were both in a little bit of shock – Joaquin in shock that you were finally back here after five years, you in shock that you had been gone that long.

“You really never dated anyone at all in the last five years?” You ask, resting your head on his shoulder as one of his fingers draws patterns on your palm that slightly tickles. 

Joaquin looks down at you and sighs. “Believe me, my friends tried to make me. They even set up a couple of dates for me to go on, but I never went on any of them. I just couldn’t bring myself to get out the front door.”

Frowning, you look up at him. “Why not?”

“Because none of them were you, angel.”

He gives your hand a squeeze and you snuggle closer into his side. You’d been insecure in your relationship at times – five years ago – but you knew you could never be insecure about it anymore. How many other people could say their partner had waited five years for them on a sliver of hope that they’d come back after disappearing from the universe? 

In his pocket, Joaquin’s phone starts to buzz. He pulls it out of his pocket and smiles as he sees his mothers contact on the screen. “I’ve got a phone call for you, mi amor.” He hands the phone to you and his heart warms as he sees your smile upon seeing who’s calling. “I think she almost missed you more than I missed you.”

You take the phone off of Joaquin and instantly hit answer, holding the phone up to your ear. “Suegrita,” is all you say and even though Joaquin isn’t holding the phone, he can already hear his mothers cries on the other side of the line. 

He motions for you to put the call on speaker. 

“Mamá, you told me not to lose hope,” he says, taking advantage of a moment of silence from the other end of the line while his mother isn’t sobbing. He’s already planning to go and see her as soon as possible – especially when she’s like this.

For a moment, there is nothing but the sound of his mothers sobs on the other end of the line, and then she speaks. “You bring her home to see me soon, mijo!” She exclaims to Joaquin. “Mi querida niña, you do not understand how happy I am that you are home with your love.” Her words are directed at you now.

There are already tears streaming down your cheeks at her words. “You must have taken really good care of him these past five years for me, suegrita,” you sniff. “Thank you for looking after him when I couldn’t.”

Joaquins arm wraps around your shoulders and squeezes tightly. 

“I knew you would come home to him one day, querida,” his mom says. “Soulmates will find each other in life no matter what comes between them. I told him that years ago.”

His mother only hangs up after Joaquin promises that he’ll bring you around to see her tomorrow. You know you’re going to need to prepare yourself for plenty of hugs and kisses from her, and even though for you it’s only been a matter of weeks since you’ve seen her, it’s been five years since she saw you. It’s going to take a while to get used to that fact. 

“Mamá took good care of me, angel,” Joaquin says, rubbing his hand up and down your arm. “I don’t know what I would have done without her here. I cried in her arms more than I can count over the past five years.” 

You frown, moving until you’re straddling Joaquin’s lap and you can hug him properly. You bury your head in his neck and one of your hands moves to rest in his hair. His arms wrap around your back. “You don’t have to cry anymore, baby.”

Joaquin chuckles a little. “I think I’m probably still going to do a lot of that. I can’t make any promises, angel,” he rubs your back. “A part of me still thinks I’m dreaming. That I’m going to wake up any second and you’re going to be gone.” 

You pull away just enough so you can look him in the eyes. “I’m real, Joaquin. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless there’s some other alien out there that’s going to get rid of half all life in the universe again.”

He scrunches up his nose. “Don’t joke about that. Too soon.” 

Smiling, you lean in and touch the tip of your nose against his gently. Joaquin takes advantage of the closeness of your face to lean up and capture your lips with his. He can feel you smiling into the kiss. Maybe if he does this enough, he can make his brain realise that this is real. That you’re here in his arms, your lips on his. That against all odds, you’re home.

~~~

He knows the nightmares aren’t going to go away any time soon. They’ve been plaguing him for years at this point. He’s lost count of the amount of times he’s woken up from a dream that you were alive, or a nightmare where he had you back only to lose you again. It’s why, when he wakes up later that night, his heart racing and sweat drenching his body, that it’s not a surprise to him.

What does surprise him is that he forgets you’re here now. It’s not until he hears your soft, sleep filled voice speak his name and feels the mattress move underneath him that he spins around from where he’d moved to sit on the edge of the bed to see you. 

“Baby, are you okay?” You ask quietly.

Joaquin takes you by surprise by pretty much launching himself at you. He places a hand on your cheek, another one on your thigh. You’re sitting up, legs crossed, staring at him full of worry. 

“Baby?” You try again.

“You’re real,” Joaquin mutters. “I’m not dreaming. It’s not a nightmare.” 

You reach up a hand to rest on the one on your cheek. “It’s not a nightmare. I’m real.”

Tears fill Joaquin’s eyes again. He’s still haunted by the nightmare, one where he’d lost you again, and his brain is just sleepy enough to make him think that this is all a dream, even after trying to convince himself that it isn’t. Even after hearing your words confirm that it isn’t. 

“Please don’t leave me,” he murmurs.

You shuffle closer to him until you’re face to face, until you can feel his unsteady breaths on your face and your noses are almost touching. “I’m not going anywhere, Joaquin.”

He brushes his lips against yours softly, barely even a kiss. “Don’t leave me.” 

You squeeze your eyes shut and kiss him properly in an attempt to wake him up a little. It’s almost like he’s still in the midst of the nightmare, that he can’t manage to pull himself out of it completely. The fact that he’s had to deal with all of this alone for the past five years makes your heart hurt. 

“I’m home now, baby,” you mutter against his lips after you pull away. “I’m not leaving you. I’m home.”

Joaquin’s arms move to pull you closer to him until you’re almost sitting in his lap. “You’re home,” he says softly. 

“I’m home,” you repeat.

He takes a moment to just breathe, then. Focusing on the feeling of your hands on him, the feeling of his hands on you, trying to ground himself. You’re home. You are really home. And for the first time in five years… Joaquin finally feels like he is home too. 

[soilology]

the first of my hazbin and helluva redesigns starting with my favorite character, NIFFTY!!!

pre-death story and inspirations below the cut!

before she died, niffty was a housewife, residing in the fukuoka prefecture in japan. she was married to a man for a little over 4 years. their lives were quiet, yet happy. almost. niffty had her fair share of misfortunes; she was diagnosed with OCD and had constant instrusive thoughts of aggression/violence, either towards herself or others. though her and her husband had a stable enough income, she refused treatment, afraid of the cost and it interfering with her fixed schedule. on top of her diagnosis, she also was infertile and could not have children. this saddened her, though she convinced herself it was for the best due to the fact she thought her condition would be detrimental to any kid she might have. her husband didn't like this however. he desired kids, and niffty's infertility became a source of growing resentment. her husband started to cheat on her with another woman. what began as a secret affair eventually turned into a second life- one niffty was never meant to discover. but she did. and when she did, her intrusive thoughts became far more than fleeting visions. they became consuming, vivid fantasies she could no longer suppress. the images of inflicting pain- the ones she had spent YEARS trying to silence- now felt like a promise of justice. one evening, she made their usual tea, just like she had countless times before. but this time, she stirred drain cleaner into both cups. the stench was foul. she sat across from him at the table, her hands trembling slightly as she lifted the cup to her lips. he drank without suspicion, despite the disgusting, rotten odor coming from his cup. for a brief moment, they sat in silence, just like they always did. then, the coughing started. the retching. his throat burned, his voice strained with confusion and pain. niffty watched him struggle, her eyes dull and distant. she didn’t move to help. she only stared, feeling the same searing pain clawing at her own throat. by the time anyone found them, they were lying cold on the kitchen floor. their tea cups were shattered nearby, the sharp scent of chemicals still lingering in the air. to everyone else, it seemed like a tragic accident or a suicide pact. but only niffty, now down in hell's depths, knew the truth. she made sure they left this world together, bound by the same pain that had quietly torn them apart.

niffty's design has bothered me for many reasons, the main being that: 1. she looks like a child 2. she barely looks like a bug, what her motifs are supposed to be. 3. her hair is not 50's at ALL, which is when she supposedly died (which seems to be a major problem with vivzie's designs, the sinners do not match the era they died in.)

to combat these problems, i have her a more mature and period accurate hairstyle, as well as some lipstick! her pilot design had colored lips so i always thought of it as red lips. her original hairstyle looked more like some sort of shaggy bob, while female style's in the 50's were much more curly/wavy and well-kempt. i'm going with a 7 deadly sins motif for each of the main characters. of the sins, niffty represents ENVY.

she is now based off an asian lady beetle, which are commonly mistaken for ladybugs. lady beetles have a foul smelling odor, which i'm giving niffty as a nod/punishment to the smell of the drain cleaner that killed her and her husband. they're also known to bite as a defense mechanism. along with her buglike limbs and her spotted dress, her headband is supposed to mimic bug antenna.

as nods to her heritage, her teeth are similar to an oni (a japanese demon), and the top of her dress is crossed over like a kimono. instead of the normal correct way to wear a kimono where it is folded left over right, it is right over left, which is for dressing the dead.

if you came down this far, thanks for reading !! i really hope you like her, i think even after i re-do all of the other characters she'll be my favorite design. reblogs and constructive criticism is appreciated! <3

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Have you ever thought about a ride the cyclone au for the Animorphs?? I just got back into rtc and just wanted to see if someone else was thinking about it lol

First: Ride the Cyclone is amazing. I hadn't heard of it until this ask, but I just watched it and holy bananas it's good.

Second: For everyone who hasn't seen, it's a musical about six kids who are killed on the same fairground ride, who each then have one chance to persuade the Magic Zoltar machine to let one of them come back to life.

Third... Let's assume this AU picks up just after the kids ram the Blade ship, at the very end of the series.

Rachel would sing about all the things she never got to do. She wanted to marry Tobias, she wanted to see the world, she wanted to make a difference. Not just through fighting and hurting, but through building bridges and organizing activism. There's a whole version of Earth, filled with aliens, that she hasn't had the chance to see. Plus, she's had the least time alive. She's the obvious choice.

Marco would sing about the dream, now that he's dead, of being whatever kind of guy he wants to be. And what he wants is to be big and strapping and strong, big enough to fight off bullies, big enough to grab any girl or guy he pleases and swing them around, big enough to never be ashamed, big enough to live up to his parents' expectations. Death is whatever, when you think about it, the biggest cosmic joke in the world. Who cares.

Jake would sing about needing to look after those he loves. He'd explain how much his parents need him, how they can't lose a second kid. He'd sing about his hopes for his students, his desire to help them grow. He'd sing with rage, and love, and vulnerability. And then he'd concede. It should be Rachel to win. She deserves it, after all that she sacrificed.

Tobias would have the weird song, of course. About spacemen and cats, birds and transformations and it all being on you. He'd be idealistic, hoping for a future better than anything humanity has yet known, one without war and sickness, one where equality is possible and people give each other love. But death is a chance to rest, a chance to break free from the body he was gifted at birth. He chooses Rachel as well.

Cassie wouldn't sing about herself, because she isn't important. What's important is the hork-bajir nation, and her own United States. Everyone's given only one life, and does their best to use it with meaning, but that doesn't make it fair and that doesn't make it right. Every person, human or not, is just stumbling through the dark hoping to leave something behind that's just a little better than the way they found it. Which is why she votes for Rachel.

Ax would sing that he never knew how much he loved Earth, loved life itself, until he'd already lost those things. Maybe he was trapped there, but he was trapped among cinnamon buns and lush grasses and people that he loved. He spent too much time longing to leave, not nearly enough appreciating what he had.

At which point Toomin declares: looks like Rachel's the winner. They've all made compelling cases for her to go on living. He waves a hand and opens a door, and she glimpses life itself on the other side.

"That door will get me home, alive, on Earth?" she asks.

Toomin nods.

Rachel grins, and shoves Cassie through.

[shopwitchvamp]

I'm sorry to report that Xena season 2 is really not treating me as well as season 1. I hear season 3 is the best tho, so I will soldier on. Spoiler-filled whining under the cut

General season 2 complaints:

-I hate Joxer, lol. Gross annoying Xander-esque character. I feel similarly about them both that their "comic relief" isn't funny and their respective shows would be more enjoyable without them around at all. Maybe he'll improve later, who knows.. Not hopeful tho. -There's already been some "let's rehash a previous episode and not really have this new one add much of anything" (ie: season 1- the lookalike princess/xena swap episode. season 2- let's do that again but also there's a third lookalike) -The whole thing where Gabrielle accepted her hometown guy's proposal, got married, got busy, and then he was instantly killed all in about the span of 8 minutes. (it happened so fast that at first I thought the wedding was surely a bad dream Xena was having) -The vampire episode ??? what kinda Bacchus was that? why were "dryads" flying skeleton zombie things?? why did the vampire ladies explode if they hit a wall or the ceiling or whatever. This one was at least mostly enjoyably not good though, haha. -The "I wish I was never born (into being the warrior princess)" "oh wait it's all worse this way! turn it back!" episode. just a frustrating and awful trope that i hate -Christmas episode... I watched half last night and got so bored that I went to bed. Getting through the rest of it tonight was like pulling teeth and I kinda wish I just skipped it (this is what put me over the edge just now to make this post) Well, hopefully things turn around for me soon.. Wish me luck. I'm sad 'cause I really liked the first season, but so far I only maybe half like the second season ;[ Edit: went to the next episode and it's indiana jones now. why is this happeningggg i'm groaning and suffering

[binomech]

not to be a hater but innie mark is stupid only bc gemma could have absolutely been recaptured on her way out lol. and lumon is gonna beat his ass

to gemma being re-captured: not off the table, although i doubt that cobel and devon aren't prowling around the building. but it's a fair enough concern, his ass did not consider logistics. admittedly, he has never been outside a building for more than 3 seconds, ORTBO hike notwithstanding. still, impulsive plan will continue to be poorly thought out, because that's the mark special.

to lumon beating his ass: he knows. he knows, because when he asked to be sent to the severed floor, she asked devon if she loved her brother and she said yes. because devon said that if gemma got out, they would use any dirt she had on them to destroy lumon. because when he asked "so what happpens to the innies?" he got an "i don't know" from devon, an "i'm already reintegrating" from mark scout, and a whole lot of nothing from cobel and realized that whether he leaves and mark scout reintegrates or he stays and burns with lumon, he's on borrowed time. they cannot stay in the equator forever.

he goes back because he knows mark scout will come out but chances are mark s. probably won't. he wishes he had more time, he knows his outie will live on in either scenario, so he makes a selfish decision (selfish lover, selfish griever, this is both of them, and is that so wrong?) to get what looks to be an impossibly short amount of time with helly and dylan and whoever may remain on the floor that could help or kill them, including jame eagan and dr. mauer and all the ghosts of gemma's innies that were people, not parts of people, that died for her to get out, inculding ms. casey, whom he knew and searched for and still killed. when he dies, mark scout can get out, can go to gemma, to devon, to all the people he has that love him. but these are his loves, right here in a building that became a continent, a whole world, that they cannot leave without dying in some way. a life not only "to be had", a life that they have. present. whole and alive and dying like any living being that's been born, ever, and cannot cease to exist unless it's through death.

like, i don't think this is a honeymoon, i think this is mark s' moment of marching to his death with his head held high and hoping he won't have regrets, whatever may happen to him, or to helly, or to dylan, wherever irving b and burt g are, where ms. casey and all her sisters are, where petey k went, whatever happens to their gone. he stood in a hallway that lit up the same red the first time helly was sent to the break room and took her hand and they both turned their back to the world and ran headfirst into hell, which can be a hearth too, and it was not out of naivety.

[azukanacrown]

“About my promised treasure”

Pᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Bᴜʀɴɪɴɢ Sᴘɪᴄᴇ Cᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ / Gᴏʟᴅᴇɴ Cʜᴇᴇsᴇ Cᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ

Sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Bᴜʀɴɪɴɢ Sᴘɪᴄᴇ Cᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇs ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ Gᴏʟᴅᴇɴ Cʜᴇᴇsᴇ Cᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ ᴀ ɢɪғᴛ ɪғ sʜᴇ ғɪɢʜᴛs ʜɪᴍ.

Tᴀɢs: Fɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ (ᴀs ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs), Eɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ Fʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ Lᴏᴠᴇʀs, Gɪғᴛɪɴɢ, Pᴏsᴛ-Cᴀɴᴏɴ

Wᴏʀᴅs: 2340

Lɪɴᴋs: AO3, ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ, ᴄᴀʀʀᴅ

Golden Cheese Cookie scoffed at the idea, looking down at Burning Spice Cookie, who was sloppily kneeling before her. A sardonic smile playing at his lips and a mocking glint in his eyes. This had been his 100th plea by this point, for another fight, of course. Their time in Beast-Yeast had been… eye-opening, at least for Burning Spice. After their last battle, where she had left his body crumpled under rock and dust, he had been MIA for several months. Only to recently have popped up with even more passion than before, but not for vengeance—oh no. He yearned for nothing more than Golden Cheese’s dedicated attention, he followed her everywhere she went and where he kept appearing from, who knew, but it was becoming excessively bothersome. She was far too busy, and he had nothing better to do.

It felt like every other day, every other hour at worst, that he was in her business. Asking when they could fight, when she was done being busy. Hell, he even started offering to help her with her duties if it meant she could get more free time. It was difficult to believe that this was the same beast that had stolen her Soul Jam and torn off her wings not too long ago. Unfortunately, it was more difficult to forget.

“Well, do we have a deal?” She couldn’t fight the eye roll at the sound of his deep, gruff voice.

“And what could you possibly offer that would convince even a decent answer from me?” She crossed her arms, resting on one hip.

He smiled. “Well, your Radiance,” she shivered at the way those words fell from his tongue, “you wouldn’t want me to spoil your surprise, would you now?” He stood up. “But, if you were to grant me a worthwhile battle, I shall leave you be till my boredom once again becomes… unmanageable. And of course, you’d earn a new treasure for your hoarding.”

Golden Cheese Cookie exhaled, giving it some thought. “Hm, I’m still not so convinced. You get bored the second my eyes leave your visage.”

He laughed, running a chill down her spine. “Right you are, but I swear on my Soul Jam, I will truly leave you alone. For a little while. I promise.” Holding a hand to his Soul Jam he bowed ever so slightly. Though she still wasn’t sure she could trust him with that sly grin on his face. But some time without his hovering would be ever gracious and were he to pop back up early, she could probably find some time in her schedule to send him off again.

“Fine. Let’s make this quick, I have much more important matters to attend to.” Taking her spear from her back, she dusted off a few strands of her hair from it. “But first, some ground rules.”

He raised a brow at her. “Oh? Afraid I’ll tear your wings off again?”

Her grip tightened on her spear, she glared at him. “We are not battling to kill; this is but a… friendly spar.” Gesturing with her spear, she pointed towards the colosseum. “And we shall fight in there, so you best be careful with your rabid swinging. That’s worth centuries of history and I don’t need to rebuild it again. Furthermore, I don’t want even a chipped nail by the end of this, and certainly no plucked—”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Your figure shall remain intact, and unscathed. Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin such pretty wings again. Although, they would make a pleasant trophy above my bed.” A sharp smile stretched across his face. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but he raised a hand, stopping her. “I’m joking, of course.”

She turned from him, crossing her arms over her spear. “Tch, you best be.” Why over your bed of all places? Golden Cheese fought the urge to ask, instead side eyeing him suspiciously as he made his way to the colosseum.

He stopped to turn back to her. “Hm, are you having second thoughts?”

“Course not, I’m just letting you enjoy the scenery.” Keeping her distance, she followed behind him.

Parmesan delicately dusted the air around them, the sun heating up the sands so hot any regular cookie would’ve long passed out from the intensity. The two stood at either end of the arena, the difference in enthusiasm being notable. Golden Cheese Cookie positioned herself, pointing her spear at him while Burning Spice continued to watch her.

“Well, are you ready? Is this a battle or a brawl?” she shouted at him.

He held his arm out before him. “Patience, Little Bird, I was just enjoying the scenery, as you put it. Although I wouldn’t mind either one.” With a snap of his wrist appeared his parashu, he closed his eyes taking a deep breath in. He started to laugh; Golden Cheese shifted her feet uncomfortably in the burning sands but remained otherwise still.

“Ready.” His eyes shot open, and in that moment, Golden Cheese Cookie felt paralyzed. The only thing her mind could see was his dizzying gaze, those terrifying eyes. In but a second, he was behind her swinging the flat side of his axe against her back.

She spiraled forward, her body dragging against the parmesan desert. By the time she stood back up, he was already upon her. Jutting her spear forward, she countered his downswing redirecting his blade into the ground. With a quick twist of her arm, she smacked him across the face with the other end of her weapon making a vaguely bird-shaped imprint on his cheekbone. He only chuckled at the blow. She cringed at his masochism.

Dust swirled around them as the two fought. Their blades singing unpleasant notes each time they met. Golden Cheese Cookie could feel the sweat threatening to drip off her thin brows as she did her best to evade Burning Spice’s wild swings. A deep scowl etched her face, a mirror to his crazed smile and hungry eyes.

“Lighten up, Pretty Bird,” his deep voice slipped between the loud tangs of their weapons. “I hate to see such a spiteful expression on your lovely face.”

She knocked his axe away from her and attempted to kick out his leg, which he easily dodged. “Tch, I don’t want any compliments and certainly not any from you. Keep your mouth shut, you’re getting sand in your teeth.” He chuckled at her remark, heartily this time.

“As you wish, your Radiance.” Taking a moment to bow to her, he paused his vicious assault.

She groaned. “And stop that.”

They fight from sun-up to sun-down, the cool air a very mild relief from the incredibly long and still ongoing fight. Internally, Golden Cheese Cookie sighed. Perhaps she should just call it quits and let him win so she could get this over with. She couldn’t even imagine how much valuable time had gone to waste from this battle alone. And to think he will likely only want more and more after this, if it wasn’t a direct hindrance to her goals, she would’ve appreciated such greediness.

Distracted, she was slow to block an attack from his axe instead bounding into the air to narrowly escape his swing.

“Get back here!” He grabbed her wing sending a painful shock through her body. Her eyes widened and her back muscles tensed as he pulled her down onto the sand, tearing the wind from her lungs.

Mounting her, he held her down with the length of his axe, her small arms barely enough to keep his weight off of her. Small tears pricked at the corner of her eye as phantom pains burned at her shoulder blades and the dust filled her lungs in shallow, quick breaths. Burning Spice Cookie started to laugh, pressing his weight down even more.

“Hah ha! Looks the winner is clear this time. Do you yield, Little Bird?” He waited for an answer, before slowly he began to notice her terrified state. “Little Bird?” Just barely did he lean up, relieving her from his massive size enough for her to slam her knee deep into his gut. He cringed, retracting from the blow only for sharp knuckles to connect with his nose.

Burning Spice Cookie toppled off of her, crumpling from the unexpected combo. Golden Cheese Cookie quickly rose and slammed her heel into his stomach earning her a deep groan.

Pointing the tip of her spear at his throat, she took her victory breaths in heaves. “Do… you yield?” She asked, slightly breathless.

Still grimacing, he snarled threateningly but in a flash his axe shattered and dissipated. He laid his head back down in the coarse sand shutting his eyes. “Tch, you win this time, Birdie.”

With a humorless chuckle, she stepped off him. Allowing him space to get up, she checked her hands before gasping dramatically.

“You mindless brute! I said not even a chipped nail.” She ran her fingers over the coarse end of her otherwise perfectly manicured nail.

Dusting himself off, he paused to look at her. “What?”

He took a step back as she shoved her hand in his face, showing him the damage he’d caused. “Look! Look at what you did!” she continued to ramble on and on about how she was going to fix it and other things Burning Spice Cookie didn’t really care about nor understand.

“Whatever it is, it better make up for this. And my time you’ve wasted. And all the time you’ve been bothering me. So, what is it?” Using her spear as a mirror, she checked her appearance doing her best to clean up her hair and makeup.

“Hm?” He had spaced out watching her groom herself.

Golden Cheese snapped her head towards him, her deep scowl that he was far too familiar with making its return. “Hm—? I’m talking about my promised treasure, obviously.”

“Ah, right.”

Standing there in total silence, he remained deep in thought. The moon had already started to peek from behind the pyramids and the numerous torches of the colosseum had already lit themselves, draping the fighting grounds in a dreamy hue.

“You don’t have anything, do you?” As always, she crossed her arms.

“Hold on a moment.” He stared at her hand.

“Why you—!” she clenched the air, making what can only be described as a frustrated, silent scream, “—liar, you’re such a selfish, idiotic, brute! First you pester me for months, then you waste my time, now you’ve—”

“I said just a moment!” He shouted, quickly she hushed down but continued to glare at him a heavy pout on her face. With a small sigh, he turned back to her, knowing he had no other choice. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” he glimpsed at her wing, “I do not lie, so I mean it when I say I will not ruin your wings, or anything else of your beauty.”

“You ruined my nail.” She huffed.

He smiled. “Close your eyes.” With another huff she did as she was asked. Gently he took her hand and inspected the “ruined” nail. He hovered his hand over it.

Cool metal touched her fingertip, and she stiffened in his hold. The coolness slid further up her finger, wrapping itself around it, before the familiar feeling of a metal chain dangled itself over her knuckles and fitted against her wrist.

“You may look.” The sound of shuffling sand following a heavy thump as he sat down.

Look she did, eliciting a shocked gasp as she inspected his work. A golden claw ring now covered the broken nail, it cascaded in pointed layers each being lined with small diamonds along the center. Each layer was intricately designed, looking like lace spun from gold. From the last cascade a small, but thick and weighty chain hung, wrapping its way around her wrist where more diamonds dangled like charms.

Facing away from her, he watched the surrounding flames flicker and dance in the soft, warm breeze of the night. “It isn’t much, I know. I’ve been… unaccustomed to making, let alone jewelry-making for a long time. If there is something else, you’d rather—”

“No, it’s beautiful.” It took her a few minutes of admiring before his words processed in her mind. “You are… still capable of creation…”

A boisterous laugh boomed from him. “Of course I am, but there’s no fun in that… not anymore.” She watched him as he continued to avoid eye contact. Sighing deeply, he stood up.

“I will leave you be then, Little Bird.” He bowed one last time, giving her a less malicious grin than usual. “I must thank you; I quite enjoyed our little dance.” He began to walk away but stopped when she spoke.

“I would hope so, because I expect you back here same time next week.” Confused, he turned to her, arms again crossed as she watched him.

“What?” He raised a brow.

A smug look crossed her face as she took in her new accessory with great pleasure. “You’ve heard my demands, and as the victor and as your Queen, you’d best be here on time.”

Burning Spice Cookie laugh quickly dialed down when he realized she was being serious. “What is this? I believe I remember you calling me a waste of time.” She held her hand out, enjoying how the torches’ lights glittered across the ring’s several diamonds.

“Well, yes, but let’s just say I’ve had a change in heart. For I am as kind as I am powerful—and beautiful, and smart.” For once she gave him an earnest smile, surprising him. “And thus, in exchange for my generosity, I expect you here next week early morning. Deal?” She reached out her newly decorated hand, a smug look on her face.

He exhaled shaking his head but couldn’t help the smile as he met her gaze. “It’s a deal, Golden Cheese Cookie.”

ᴀ/ɴ.

Iᴅᴋ ᴡʜʏ ʙᴜᴛ I ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ 🤷‍♀️. I ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏʟɪɴᴇ, I ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢғɪᴄ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ʙᴜᴛ I ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴᴏɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇs ʀʀʀɢʜ��ʜ—!

[1moreff-creator]

What do you think about the secret quotes?

At this point, I'm fairly certain that not everyone will say theirs, seeing as Ace didn't.

Xander had a literal definition, so I kinda assumed that was the reason why he didn't say it, but now I think that maybe these quotes are just meant to give us a general idea of what X character is feeling.

And that Min saying hers might just be a coincidence?

It’s kinda crazy I’ve never done a post specifically about these things, given I tend to bring them up every other DRDT post lol. But I guess it’s probably a good idea to have some kind of thoughts on them written down lol. Let's get into it!

Spoilers for DRDT CH2. CW: Mass death due to sickness, survivor’s guilt, trust issues, murder, suicidal thoughts, self-harm

While I imagine most people on my blog will know what this is about, in case anyone isn’t aware; the secret quotes in question are quotes hidden in the source code of the characters’ individual pages from the cast list.

Look, that’s Teruko’s! 

If you’re interested in what other secrets this series holds, you can check my secrets masterpost!

For a while, it was believed that everyone would, at one point or another, say their secret quote aloud (bar maybe Xander, as his is a bit of an awkward thing to say like melownooo said in the ask). This was mainly believed during the CH2 Pt1 - Pt2 hiatus, as both Min and Arei had said theirs either before death or in a flashback. However, with Xander’s being strange to say and Ace failing to say his before death, it’s looking more likely that only some of them will say their lines (though Ace can always say his in a flashback or Bonus Episode maybe), as the asker here brings up. So, let’s see the lines, and try to figure out what each of them could mean!

Teruko: It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust no one at all. 

Very straightforward, as this is most likely the message Teruko will arrive at with her character arc. Going from trusting a little at the start of the series, then trusting no one for most of CH2, only to realize that not trusting anyone is hampering her ability to solve the mystery in the second trial, our protag is on a bit of a trust rollercoaster. Presumably, this quote shows the attitude she’ll end up with at the end of the series, and may even say the line out loud as a climactic moment!

Xander: survivor guilt(n): feelings of guilt for having survived a catastrophe in which others died.

I didn’t check all of them myself, but this seems to be the only quote without capitalization, funnily enough. A character so deadset on challenging convention that even his secret quote doesn’t follow grammar rules, truly an Ultimate Rebel!

Jokes aside, this obviously refers to what we learn of him in his Bonus Episode, Visiting Graves. He was away when his entire hometown died due to some kind of sickness, and feels survivor's guilt over that. Though if you want me to do my thing and read way too much into it...

Even beyond the irony of the character with survivor’s guilt being the first to die, this could be taken as a hint that he survived more than just the Chariton incident. That could refer to something relating to Mai’s presumed death, given the connection those two had, or even a whole previous killing game. However, that’s much more speculative, and the Chariton incident is enough to explain the quote in its entirety anyways, so. 

Charles: If you forgot it, then it probably wasn’t important to begin with. None of those memories should ever be kept, anyway.

Obviously an ironic statement, given Charles’ childhood amnesia. This is one of the ones which feels strange coming out of Charles’ mouth as a result, and would maybe work better if it’s said to Charles, as opposed to him saying it to someone else. Not that the latter wouldn’t work at all, but y’know.

In any case, the meaning for Charles is the same. It’s meant to be ironic, as Elliot was clearly important to Charles to some extent and Charles forgot him anyways. It’s been said in Q&A that Charles doesn’t like cutting his hair short, presumably because he likes looking like Elliot through subconscious stuff, and there was something about Charles wanting to learn to cook pancakes and Elliot cooking pancakes when he was alive (I think; my memory’s not perfect and I don’t feel like looking all this up. Would be very funny if I misremember anything in this quote in particular though lol). However, Charles might be resistant to that idea, because it would be a pretty harrowing thing if he’s forgotten something important. 

Ace: I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.

I mean that’s just Ace in a nutshell. I talked in my CH2 Pt2 analysis about how the theme of control over his life is an important theme of his character, so… I’ll just copy paste from there lol. 

…he feels he completely lacks control of his life, that it's all decided by a fate he can't control, the same way that a jockey doesn't walk on their own, but rather is carried by a horse to their destination. And it's no wonder that this feeling of lacking control is referenced in his secret quote, "I don’t know what to do with myself anymore." After all, it's this feeling of lacking control of himself and his situation that causes him to seek control of anything he can, be it bullying Nico because he sees them as an easy target, distancing himself from others because it's easier to control his feelings that way, killing someone because it's the only way he can control his place in the killing game, or anything else I might be forgetting. And this fear of lacking control is probably part of his fear of death, isn't it? Because no one can control what happens after death.

Yeah that lol.

Arei: Because that’s what friends do.

This is one of the two that got said! 

This line is basically the culmination of Arei’s arc (alongside “let’s be less shitty together”). Here’s the full context so we can see exactly what friends do in Arei’s opinion.

Arei [2-10]: So I’ll prove [that I’m being genuine] to you! I’m going to be your friend! And I’ll do nice things for you! Anything at all! Eden: H-Huh? Arei: Don’t underestimate me! I can be a good person too! Being a good person means doing nice things. So if there’s anything you need from me… Whether it’s defending you from scary jerks like Arturo or baking some stupid fucking cake… I’ll do it. I promise. I’ll do anything for you. Okay? Eden: I… Arei: Because…Because… Because that’s what friends do.

Being a “good person” and being Eden’s friend are intertwined concepts in Arei’s mind, and “being a good person means doing nice things” is part of the entire message of the chapter (though slightly simplified), you get the idea. The resolution of doing “what friends do” is the culmination of Arei’s development, no wonder it’s her secret quote!

Rose: In the end, the only thing I can do is watch my wretched life go on.

I’ve talked about this one a lot too… Though I feel like you can say that about quite a few of these lol. The point here is that Rose is resigned to her fate due to her situation with the Spurling Foundation, as she doesn’t feel like her life can improve. Something something her character design literally has her irreversibly stained with mistakes of the past something something. This one’s straightforward. 

Hu: I want to pay for what I’ve done. But even then, I still want to live.

One of the most cryptic ones by far, as we currently have no idea what this is referring to. We know of little that Hu has done that she’d need to pay for, that she’d also need to bring up the possibility of dying in the same breath. The main theory here is that Hu will eventually become a blackened, and that she’ll feel horrible about it but still want to survive. But of course, we have no idea if that will really happen, as this could also refer to literally anything else.

That aside, though, Hu’s steadfast desire to live is interesting in the context of her having been suicidal in the past. It’s clear that Hu is not suicidal during current killing game time, and in fact has very strong feelings towards David’s actions and how they would have led to everyone’s death. Thus, this quote more so seems to reinforce the theme of metamorphosis that Hu’s got going on with her butterfly motif, among other stuff. She used to not want to live, and now does. Yay for improvement!

Eden: You can’t go back, no matter how hard you try.

Another cryptic one! While there’s an obvious connection to Eden through her talent (time only moves forward, so the Clockmaker saying “you can’t go back” makes thematic sense), it seems like a strange thing for someone of Eden’s personality to say. She definitely believes in people’s ability to change and fix the mistakes of the past, if her desire to befriend Teruko and willingness to accept the possibility of Arei becoming friends with her as well is any indication. So, how bad did someone fuck up for Eden to say this to them? Or is this something someone else will say to Eden, similar to what I said about the Charles quote? Very unclear for now. So all I can really bring to the table for now is the thematic connection via talent :p

Levi: I always believed that a person is defined by their actions alone. But maybe that’s just a poor excuse for my heartlessness.

Do I… need to explain this one? Levi might as well have straight up said this during his 2-13 backstory drop. He feels little to no empathy, so naturally he defines people by actions alone. But he’s also admitted to not understanding people very well, so it makes sense that he’d hesitate on this belief, as he can only infer what makes a “good person” from the opinions of others. Don’t get me wrong, I do think he’s right that people are defined by actions, I’m just saying it makes sense he’s not confident in that.

Arturo: You hated them, but even that doesn’t justify what you did.

Another one that feels like it’s said to Arturo as opposed to him saying it, as the “them” in the quote could refer to his parents. “You hated your parents, but that doesn’t justify abandoning your sister”, or something like that. Without knowing the situation, it’s hard to say how fair that is, but y’know. Like with Charles, if Arturo’s meant to be the one saying this/having this attitude, then there’s still the irony that Arturo accidentally harmed someone because he hated someone else, so he’s not all that qualified to be saying this. Without more context, it’s hard to say exactly how it’ll come into play, so I’ll leave it there for now.

Min: I wanted to save you.

I actually find this one particularly interesting. One, because I’m biased. Two, because at first glance, it’s a weird thing to focus on in Min’s character. This is a line she says, so we know the full context; she’s expressing that killing Xander was a spur of the moment decision made explicitly to save Teruko, with Min choosing to cover up the murder only after she realized he’d died. 

Thing is, though… it might seem hard to call this the culmination of her character the way secret quotes like Arei’s sometimes feel like. Now, not every quote is related to the central theme of the character or anything (I would argue there’s more important things to Xander than his survivor’s guilt, for example), but… really? We didn’t have any better lines? Nothing about mistakes being corrected, per her trial 1 speech? Nothing about competition, which relates to her motive secret? Nothing about feeling like the course of her life was decided years ago when XF-Ture Tech came knocking? Just the yuri line? Alright.

However, I do think there’s some good angles you can see the line from, where you could argue it encapsulates Min growing beyond what’s expected of her talent, and those angles are why I still think this quote is pretty good overall. Mainly, you could relate it to the idea that saving Teruko is one of the most important decisions Min makes without influence from XF-Ture or Hope’s Peak. No one told her to do that, yet she decided to do it anyways. Not only that, but this represents one of the fiercest competitors in the cast participating in the killing game not to win it, but for the benefit of someone else. The quote also calls attention to her murder, which in turn leads to all her foils with Xander, which I won’t repeat here because I’ve talked like 15000 times about the ridiculous amount of ways these two foil (I’ll link to my recap foil post if you’re interested and haven’t seen it). So, despite what it may look like at first, it’s a perfectly awesome secret quote!

Yes this is just an excuse to ramble about Min. No I’m not apologizing.

David: I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I wish you could just die.

Hm… I wonder what this could possibly mean. What kind of message are we supposed to get from this quote? It’s very subtle and intricate and- yeah I can drop the bit now.

This one’s very funny because of how direct it is, but it’s easy to understand. David hates someone. There’s a couple of people who he hates, so it’s easy to imagine him going off at any of them at any given time now that he’s had his heel turn. My bet’s on Teruko, though Whit and Xander (see: "I hate the things I love and I love the things I hate" LGI scene) are good dark horses in that race, maybe. Or Hu, or I could see Arturo, maybe Charles… yeah it really could be anyone lol.

If you want a more thematic reading, just... watch LGI lol. David's just a massive hater overall, makes sense this is his quote.

Veronika: Once something is broken, it can never be pieced together in quite the same way again. The same goes for people.

This one’s very intriguing. Obviously, one must ask whether she’s referring to herself being broken, or someone else, as both are possible. I’m leaning towards her talking about herself, as we know for a fact she used to be a bit of a different person in the past, both because of her motive secret (she used to self-harm and took on her talent to stop that) and because of her comments claiming she used to be a bit more outdoorsy. Thus, it follows that there may have been some kind of event in her past that changed her in what she feels is an irreversible way. Something something recap foils with Hu something something. There’s little else I can analyze here without more context on Vero, so we’re leaving it there!

J: Please don’t call me your daughter ever again.

I wonder who she’s talking about! 

Yeah obviously this is just about how much J hates her mother. Really all I can comment on is the fact that J has never outright disowned Mariabella like this in the series yet, just expressing dislike towards her mother instead of trying to deny their relationship altogether. I imagine it’s just a matter of expression and doesn’t mean anything else, but y’know, I’ll point it out just in case it comes up.

Whit: We tend to idolize the dead.

Another one about a mom! We all know how much Whit wants to be like his mother, to the point of dying his hair to look like hers, and pretending she’s still alive to the point he forgets she’s actually dead when the secret Rose received is revealed. I could see him both saying this, and this being said to him. No idea what the context will be if and when it’s said, though; a lot of people die in this series, so there’s a lot of people who could potentially get idolized lol.

Nico: Why should I own up for the mistakes that someone else made?

Many people I think expected them to say it at some point in the second trial, with the idea that Ace was the one who made a mistake by pushing Nico's buttons and Nico wouldn’t be the one in the wrong in their mind. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. Nico owns up to their murder attempt, acknowledges it as a mistake, and outright claims not to be a victim. Thus, this cannot be the interpretation we’re meant to take with the quote, in my opinion.

Because of that, I assume this is actually referring to something else entirely. However, we have no idea what the hell that could be. Nothing we know about Nico’s backstory fits this idea, and with the Ace murder attempt out of the picture, there’s nothing in the killing game this could refer to yet. I guess maybe if someone tries to blame them for Ace killing Arei? But they all know that makes no sense, since Ace was already planning to kill Eden even before Nico tried to murder him, so probably not.

We really need more context to know what exactly this refers to, so I’ll leave it at that for now :v

MonoTV: Her name is Mai Akasaki.

This is more for ARG-y purposes, as (if I understand how this went correctly) this is how you’re supposed to get to the “All you have to do” page by typing Mai’s name in an URL, and from there the AOAVIEPKRO code for the Mai character page itself. Still, this obviously implies Mai is an important character who is likely connected to the killing game in some way; in other news, grass is green. 

Speaking of the “All you have to do” page, there is a hidden quote in that source code as well. 

Are you still searching for a secret? For some explanation that will satisfy you? There’s no answer I can give you that will make you happy. Maybe I should have lied instead. I’m sorry.

If you really want to read into it, you could argue that this implies that any truth about Mai would make us sad, presumably because her story has a sad ending; in other news, the sky is blue. 

Oh and if you’re interested in my take about the secret text which used to be in the About Page you can find it in this post here.

-

And that’s about it! These quotes are fun. Thanks for the ask! Good excuse to finally make this long overdue post lol.

[poorrichardjr]

You Will Hear of Wars and Rumors of Wars

On election day I was witness to a phone conversation. During the talk, the young man on the phone was trying to convince his friend to vote for Trump. One of the reasons he used was that VP Harris was supported by all the worst republicans who helped give us the Afghan and Iraqi wars. I disagreed with this gentleman on many points, especially his belief that VP Harris would lead us to war because of that support, but I couldn't argue with the fact that a lot of very bad people did support her.

With that being said, every republican I knew touted Trump as the peace president. Of course, none of those people really paid all that much attention to Trump's history of nearly getting us into war numerous times. His constant threats and belittling of North Korea and then the assassination of the Iranian general were close calls. Honestly, neither candidate was perfect when it came to foreign policy, but Trump was not the peaceful option that so many republicans were saying.

Now that we are two months into the second presidency of Trump, we see that he is really far away from the peacemaker that he was pushed as. He has threatened war with half a dozen different countries since taking office. This week alone we have heard that he has asked his generals to draw up plans to invade Panama and retake the canal, threats to send the military into Mexico to stop the cartels, and now Elon Musk is being invited to the pentagon to hear about the possibility of war with CHINA!

Where is your angel of peace now, hypocrites? I know none of you conservatives really care because you are salivating at the thought of killing fellow Americans who don't exactly agree with you. You will do the same things you always do, lie to yourself and rationalize his actions as the best possible option in any situation. You are in a cult. No one threatens war this often and over funds the military without finally getting the chance to use it. The question is who is he going to use it against and when.

[dioslesbianwife]

Remember the request for the partner who is like misa misa can I please request it but for the hxh guys.(the adult trio and kurapica)

Like she is a model actress and actor who has somhow got the protection of the god of death and their death note how whoud they react to her having the shinigami eyes.

For how they met I can imagine they hunted the person who took parents life's like the original story of death note whoud they use the death note or not and how would they react to the god of death treating them if they hurt their misa parents they will suffer . 🍎

sure! i hope you enjoy and thank you for requesting <33333

HxH men x famous reader that has a Death Note

How You Met:

Your life changed the day your parents were murdered. As a famous actress and model, you had everything- until someone took it away. The police failed you. The law failed you.

But then, you found the Death Note. And with it, a Shinigami who whispered thoughts of vengeance into your ear.

Now, some of the most dangerous people in the world have their eyes on you.

Illumi

When Illumi first sees your Shinigami Eyes in action, he is completely unfazed.

He was already interested in you because of your celebrity status, but once he realized you had actual supernatural power, he decided you were a valuable asset.

He tests you, casually mentioning a target’s name to see if you’ll use the Death Note.

If you hesitate, he’ll tilt his head and say, “You hesitated. Why? Are you weak?”

If you write the name immediately, he’ll nod approvingly. “Good. You understand efficiency.”

Would He Use the Death Note?

Illumi doesn’t need it- he’s a Zoldyck. But he loves control, and what’s better than a partner who can kill without lifting a finger?

He’d never fear the Shinigami, but he’d be cautious about the rules.

He wouldn’t hesitate to suggest targets, even ones you might struggle with morally.

How He Feels About the Shinigami

If your Shinigami ever threatened him, Illumi would stare it down like a blank-faced doll.

“That’s interesting,” he’d say, his monotone voice unreadable. “Can you die?”

If the Shinigami answered “no,” Illumi would drop it. If it answered “yes,” well… expect him to start experimenting.

Chrollo

Oh boy, is he intrigued. The first time he hears about your abilities, he’s convinced it’s a Nen ability.

When he realizes it’s not Nen, but something entirely different, he’s even more obsessed.

“A book that can kill? Fascinating.”

He would study every rule in the Death Note, memorizing it instantly.

He asks deep, unnerving questions about the Shinigami. “Do they have desires? Can they feel greed?”

Would He Use the Death Note?

Absolutely. But not recklessly.

He’d see it as an intellectual challenge, an opportunity to push human limitations.

If you’re hesitant to use it, he’d never force you- but he’d manipulate you into realizing how useful it is.

“You’re loyal to me, are you not? Then why do you hesitate? We could rule together.”

How He Feels About the Shinigami

He wants to steal its power.

If the Shinigami ever threatened him, he’d simply smile and close his eyes.

“You may be a god, but gods have fallen before.”

Hisoka

This is a game for him.

The second he sees your Death Note in action, he’s intrigued and aroused.

“Oooh, how thrilling~! A beauty with a deadly little secret!”

If you hide your Death Note, he’ll play along, enjoying the chase.

But if you flaunt it? He’s going to test your limits, pushing you to kill faster, more creatively.

If you hesitate to kill, he will taunt you mercilessly.

“Oh? Feeling guilty? How cute~ But will your hesitation make you weak? Will you die because of it?”

Would He Use the Death Note?

Not for himself. But he’d love to push you into using it more.

He’d sit beside you while you wrote, pressing his lips to your ear.

“Ahh~ The moment before the kill… that delicious anticipation… how does it feel, my sweet?”

How He Feels About the Shinigami

Not scared at all. He has little interest in entities like that, but will mess with it.

“Mmm, you’re quite the ominous presence~ Do you watch my darling even when I’m having fun with her?”

If the Shinigami threatened him, he’d just laugh.

“If you wanted me dead, you’d have done it already. So, what’s stopping you, hm?”

Kurapika

Horrified. Power with no balance, judgment without trial.

The moment he realizes what it does, he stiffens, his face pale.

“That book… it’s monstrous.”

If you use it to kill criminals, he might begrudgingly accept it, but he still believes it’s too dangerous.

If you use it for revenge, though? Expect a heated argument.

Would He Use the Death Note?

He would never use it himself- but if given the chance to kill the Phantom Troupe with it… he might waver.

“This isn’t justice… but if it’s the only way…”

How He Feels About the Shinigami

The first time he sees it, he grips his chain tightly.

He does not trust it. Not one bit.

If it ever threatened you, he’d step in front of you immediately, no hesitation.

“If you so much as touch her, I will find a way to kill you.”

[iwaasfairy]

cause when he loves me…

caleb doing ‘just big brother things’ aka I love them I do I really doooooo. art by me

[coffeemusings]

InuYasha was admittedly surprised when Bankotsu agreed to potentially changing his ways with this second chance. He didn't expect him to agree so quickly, but then again, if he continued his old ways as a merciless mercenary, InuYasha would just stop at nothing to kill him again, so maybe that convinced him. The thought had the half demon grinning. But he'd keep that to himself. "Look, all ya have to do is not kill anyone innocent." He told him, arms crossed in each sleeve over his waist as they walked. "You can still be what you are, but goin' after demons and whatnot. There's always plenty of those to kill around here. Hell, Miroku gets paid to do that." At times, so did InuYasha, but he didn't do it for the money. Miroku did. Mostly. "You can make a livin' huntin' demons for people and you still get to kill, but for the right reasons." If Bankotsu was serious about this, then InuYasha would be willing to help him.

And he seemed to be. Huh. Who woulda thought. Though, he was right about the others... they may feel differently about turning over a new leaf if they were even alive. "I haven't picked up their scents yet. Unless they're different this time around, but yours wasn't." And at the mention of Jakotsu, InuYasha made a face. "Hard to forget him. Most annoyin' of them all." A brief pause. "Him and Mukotsu. That bastard I could do without." He growled out. That was the bastard that tried to assault Kagome and nearly killed her and the others with his poison. "I'd rather Jakotsu over him, even though his obsession with me was creepy as hell. What was his deal, anyway?"

InuYasha scoffed in disgust. "Yeah, the Saimyōshō. I hated those damned, stupid bees." Honestly probably the most annoying part when it came to fighting Naraku. Those stupid insects were always wherever Naraku was, or wherever one of his incarnations were. Miroku was lucky he didn't die from sucking so many of those things into his wind tunnel. "Seemed like anyone that worked for Naraku didn't have much of a choice. He either manipulated them into helpin' him or trapped them. Hell, even his own incarnations tried to get away from him." Kagura, especially. If he was being honest, InuYasha hated that she had to die, but... at least she was free in the end.

Now Bankotsu was free, too, and InuYasha hoped he wasn't going to mess that up by killing innocents again. If so, then InuYasha would stop at nothing to kill him. Again.

InuYasha listened to him go on about his past, but it's when he mentioned Naraku that his ears twitched. "Wait, you met Naraku way back then? And he just happened to tell you about the Jewel? Did ya go searchin' for it after her told you?" He asked. "Cause if so, it sounds to me like he set you up somehow. Like maybe he was the reason you all were tricked and killed, just so he could bring you back one day and force you to work for him." Did it sound far fetched? Probably, but this was Naraku they were talking about. And it was obvious that when they were brought back, they didn't have a choice but to work for them. They'd been under his control thanks to the jewel shards. But now, there was no jewel shard controlling him. He seemed to be free. Seemed to being the keyword because they still didn't know how or what brought him back. Or why.

"But hey, you're alive again and even though we don't know how or why, you don't seem like you're bein' controlled by anything. So try not to waste this new life 'o yours on merciless bloodshed." Both a suggestion and a demand. "Who knows, maybe we'll find some of the others there or on the way... if they're alive, too." Though to be honest, a few of them he could happily do without.

[cocolacola]

anyone in this hell pit want to discuss alucard with a sexy amount of nuance

[unnerving-presence]

went through the wesker tag and I'm losing my mind over someone saying it's canon wesker and excella had sex and goes onto say wesker fucking GROOMED her... and their reference was the concept of excella the devs spoke about saying they wanted her as an assistant(?) to wesker and to be his right hand man and parallel him until they decided to change her to a CEO. Wesker was obviously disgusted by her the fact people think otherwise baffles me

not sure if the person has a tumblr but i saw this on twitter which was what i was so irritated about. it’s a CONCEPT. not actual canon. they make another post that they don’t get why people hate excella and that “we don’t know if he was uncomfortable” and that we’re trying to justify him committing genocide

like i just blocked them after that because how are you gonna like wesker, see a scene where he gets touched without consent and think it’s okay for that to happen just because he’s a villain.

need i mention this man is fictional and has not killed real people

nobody deserved to get touched without consent no matter what. it’s honestly insulting because they assume he wasn’t uncomfortable. i say this because many people who experience things like that typically DONT show they’re uncomfortable or give any signs at all. not everybody is going to react the same to being touched without their consent and it’s super insensitive to go “we don’t know if he was uncomfortable” when there are actual victims out there who reacted the way he did. not everybody shows how they feel in those moments

he IS uncomfortable. from his uninterested “hm” to him subtly pushing her away and even to his tone of voice when he talks to her. he IS NOT INTERESTED. it doesn’t even matter if he weren’t uncomfortable, that doesn’t excuse touching people without their consent. the people who say shit like this and try to excuse what excella did clearly haven’t been in any situation like that or know people who have.

also why would he ever want to have sex with her she is so damn annoying and she talks like she’s trying to moan all the time

ms girl is NOT ms muller

[onebillionbeans]

so what if my version of chat noir was an angel and what if the angel was the angel of death and also what if she was bigender. yeah thats all.

[shiniestcrow]

I kinda have lost all motivation for drawing digitally... I don't really know why. Objectively, it's easier to make stuff look decent but it's, at least at the moment, not fun anymore. So. Paper it is lol

[beastsovrevelation]

I was looking through my notes for Good Omens fanfiction, and realized almost every damn story includes Crowley having a baby.

There's the one where Heaven and Hell decide to use an angel baby carried by a demon as a diplomatic tool, leading into Crowley being protected by Michael, and them falling in love.

There's the one where she leaves her baby with Anathema and disappears, which triggers all the following events - from the search, to Aziraphale's trial, and everything else.

There's the one where she has to supply the new Antichrist, which leads to her and Lucifer falling in love, and her being crowned the Queen of Hell. (Well, this one is really two stories set in different timelines, in the second one the "baby" is like 27)

In the one inspired by a dream, she does have a baby eventually, but that's far from the worst thing that happens to her. Gabriel's treatment of her after is... How the Hell will I write this damn thing if I can't even think about it.

There's no baby in the one where she gets tortured with diluted holy water.

I see I have no storyline with male Crowley just yet... Fine, that's not true. I do have some thoughts for Crowley x Fem!Lucifer... It could include a new Antichrist, too. And, Crowley wouldn't be the pregnant one for once. But, dealing with pregnant Lucifer would probably be even scarier.