#him doing anything to let his people survive including making himself a target to them

[sieglinde-freud]

this is my favorite s support in the whole game

[deckedcards]

ᝰ . . . I WANT YOUR EVERYTHING, EVERY SINGLE PART OF YOU !

⌗ PAIRING: yandere!suguru niragi x male! reader, yandere!ryōhei arisu x reader x yandere!yuzuha usagi

⌗ SUMMARY: ever since (name) had been sent to this world of murder games, he thought that nothing could get worse upon from where he was now. that is until he catches the attention of a certain rifle handling psychopath. but rest assured, arisu and usagi won’t let the militant touch what’s theirs.

⌗ THIS WORK INCLUDES . . . lowercase intended, kind’ve dark content, typical aib warnings, typical niragi warnings, typical yandere warnings, third person pov, weapons described, cursing, niragi being worse than he already is, obsessed niragi, unhealthy love, “love” at first sight, possessive niragi, one-sided obsession, suggestive content (not full-on smut tho), reader only has eyes for arisu and usagi, implied poly relationship, bisexual! reader, threatening, suicidal thoughts, mentions of niragi’s backstory, assault, drugging, reader being too “pure” for the borderlands, reader gets hurt a lot, mentions of episode 3, scars, the militants, torture, niragi seeing himself in reader, reader wears glasses, stalking??, PTSD, niragi just being really creepy altogether, niragi calls reader “rabbit,” reader just wants to go home, also slight episode 6 rewrite, fixed grammar and wording mistakes ❨ edited ❩

⌗ EXTRA NOTES: this was originally supposed to be JUST a niragi fic, but then i started thinking about arisu and so i added him in, BUT THEN i started thinking about usagi once i started writing for his part so now there’s this. enjoy!! (niragi gif, arisu x usagi gif)

━━━━ THIS WORLD was rotten, that’s all (name) knew when he was sent to this verison of shibuya. a version where he had to fight for his life in games that he never thought he’d be able to survive. he missed his family. he missed the warm comfort of his bed, the cold wind that brushed against his window at night, the excitement he always felt as he met up with his friends to hang around amusement parks that opened around the city.

why, why him? had he done something wrong in his past life to be cursed into this hell? he didn’t know what to do during his time here, he was alone throughout all this. he had survived, what—three—four? games by now. eight of spades, three of diamonds, six of clubs, and two of spades. he didn’t want to do this anymore, he didn’t wanna kill innocent people just to keep himself safe. either way, it’s not like he was given a choice. with the effects of the visa lingering over him, he had too. he was afraid of letting the days run out just to get shot down by a laser that came from god knows where.

he didn’t know the importance of the cards, he just stuck them in his pockets after he finished a game and off he went to his abanded apartment building to rest for the remainder of the day. that is … until he found the beach. he doesn’t know how he found it in the first place, but not a day goes by where he doesn’t regret it. why you may ask? it’s simple, really.

it was all because of suguru niragi.

ever since (name) joined the beach, niragi has been anything but kind to him. yes, niragi was already a complete asshole to people at the beach anyways, but for some reason (name) was his number one target. constantly degrading him, beating him till he was bruised to the pulp, even making some of the militants hold back his limbs as he dragged his (loaded) rifle across his abdomen and chest telling him how “he could pull the trigger at any moment if he wanted to”; this always stroke fear into (name)’s core. even stealing the chipped glasses off his face making his shitty vision betray him, this gave niragi a bigger advantage to the torture he indured as this made the man more helpless than he already was.

(name) was weak, fragile even and easily scared, he wouldn’t deny that, the borderlands practically ruined him. he knew that niragi could actually kill him at the slight pull of his trigger. it didn’t help that niragi was a stubborn and narcissistic man that wasn’t afraid of getting blood on his hands if it meant having more fun, the total opposite of what (name) was. he always attempted to avoid him throughout the building but alas, he always failed. especially since the militants were everywhere, always notifying him of his location or when he got back from a game. he was like a bug that always showed up around the house no matter how many times he tried squishing it. the beach was supposed to be a place where players could have fun, not stressing about the games that existed outside of it.

live your lives to the fullest was the message hatter had given everyone, but how could he do that when this maniac lingered at every corner he turned? he couldn’t relax if he wanted too, always on edge as stress ate up his body worrying about both the games and the pierced devil with an ego too big for his body. (name) prayed every night that niragi would just disappear one day, maybe even failing at a game for being too careless or reckless at it. however, no matter how many times he did so, he would always succeed. coming back even more pyschotic than the day prior and he’d have to deal with his wounds getting reopened again as the days went by.

niragi hated how much (name) reminded him of how he used to be. innocent, weak, helpless, lonely, always letting his bullies get the upper hand all because he didn’t know how to defend himself. he wanted to kill him. kill the person that reminded him of all those horrible memories. but he didn’t, no matter how many times he thought of doing so, he didn’t. he was too infatuated with him.

ever since he first caught sight of (name), he was obsessed with him, how pure he was. all the brightness he had in his eyes, the spark inside them having yet to go out considering the predicament he was put in. how everytime he caught sight of niragi, his eyes widened and his body began to shake. all the tears and whimpers that left him as he dragged a knife against his skin, threatening to cut it open and leave him to bleed out. his poor little rabbit. being forced to succumb to the rules of the borderlands, he just wanted to tie him up and leave him in a closet where only he could find him. where he’d have to be forced to rely on niragi to live. he was perfect.

of course, that wasn’t possible. he didn’t want (name)’s visa days to run out and have to come back to his lifeless body bleeding out on the floor because of that stupid laser. so he let him roam free. if you would call tormenting “roaming free.” but again, it was all he could do. he didn’t have to worry about the beach residents foiling his plan since they already knew that (name) was off limits. ever since one of them walked in on his fun time, as he liked to call it.

(name)’s whimpers were muffled as the fabric that kept him quiet tugged against the corners of his mouth. his hands jerked at the restraints that trapped them against the frame of the bed, his feet were mirrored the same way. all he did was let out tears at his situation. niragi had captured him again, after he thought he’d been so successful in avoiding him. he hadn’t seen him or the militants all day, he was ecstatic in thinking he could have a peaceful day finally, one where he could relax just like hatter promised.

oh how naive the poor thing was, did he forget where he was residing in? he strolled around the hallways of the building, playing around at the umbrella straw that was soaked inside his drink. he was finally able to visit the club that most of the citizens hung around in, a huge bright smile was plastered on his face. this was the first time he felt ever content in this place in months or however long he’s spent here (dates or calendars weren’t very accurate especially since the internet didn’t work anymore and nobody’s been keeping track of the days) it was too good to be true, but like always, his happiness was cut short. as soon as he turned the corner to head to his room he felt someones hand press a wet cloth against his nose, the smell of it was nauseous, his drink dropped to the floor staining the carpet beneath it. “shh…” was all he heard before he blacked out.

his vision was groggy as he woke up, blinking his eyes at an attempt to take in his surroundings. the room he was in was dark but dimly light by the bedside light, window curtains blocking off the outside, and wooden door closed off. attempting to sit up, he struggled, finally feeling his limbs glued to the bed he was in. realization had finally set in as he cried, obviously nothing came out and nobody would hear him anyways, so why would he even try?

“i missed you today.”

like a sixth sense, the door opened as a figure walked in, niragi. a shit-eating grin painted his face as he watched (name) struggle against the hold of the ropes, muffled screams left him as he walked over to his side settling down his rifle. niragi grabbed ahold of his face, squishing his cheeks together as he mocked a pout, “i have to give it to you, you hid yourself pretty well. i was starting to think you fell down the rabbit hole.” he spat rolling (name)’s head to the side. niragi opened the bedside table as he grabbed a small pocket knife that was hidden inside it.

he cocked the knife, revealing the sharp metal point. (name) was breathing heavily as niragi crawled ontop of him trailing the knife across from his collarbones down to the middle of his shirt. sticking out his tongue as slick stuck to the metal ball in the middle of it, lapping at his face as (name) cringed at the warm feeling of niragi’s spit mixed with the heat that filled his face. “you know better than to fuck with me..” niragi snarled, “it’s almost like you want me to kill you?” his fist collided with (name)’s face as he squirmed, dark eyes peered over him as nirgai bit his lip at the sight. the pervert was getting aroused at this.

he was too intoxicated at his movements, all of his undivided attention was focused on the screams that left (name)’s mouth as he deepened the knife into his thigh drawing blood. the door handled jiggled as it opened, a girl with long hair and bangs stood in the doorway, color left her face as she saw the scene infront of her. niragi snapped his head, sending a glare her way, “s-sorry…i-i-i’m so sorry! i didn’t see anything i promise!” she stammered closing her eyes shut and bowing her head as she left, slamming the door shut.

niragi clicked his tongue turning his head back as he smiled at the man under him, lightly bending his torso over to whisper in his ear, “there goes your savior.”

(name) was losing hope. all the pain he’s felt was bringing him to the edge, he wanted to end it all. nobody was going to save him, no one at the beach even gave him at a glance at all the agony he’s gone through. who was he going to tell all of this too? hatter, the drunkend sex obsessed lunatic? aguni, niragi’s own boss? fuck, no. they wouldn’t give two shits about how he was feeling. he needed someone more special, his own white knight or maybe even an angel, perhaps.

an angel like… ryōhei arisu.

arisu wasn’t like everyone else at the beach. he was smart, kind, caring, good-hearted, empathetic, handsome, he was the type of person who would risk his life if it meant protecting others. he was everything (name) needed. he never expressed any desires in hurting him, always protecting the other whenever they were paired up in a game together. with all of these sessions a friendship had started to build up with the two.

he was comfortable in expressing all his desires of wanting to go back to his old life, the yearning he had to see his friends and family again, even telling about him all the things niragi had done to him before he came. arisu listened to everything, never interrupting him or cutting him off, always giving him a hug or letting him cry into his shoulder as his hatred for niragi grew even more.

arisu had even opened up to him about losing his friends in a seven of hearts game. how they sacrificed themselves just so he could live on, a promise he intended to keep for as long as he was alive. (name) felt safe around him, always hanging around arisu and usagi as they gladly accepted him into their team.

arisu was his angel, while yuzuha usagi was his white knight.

usagi was just like arisu. kind, smart, beautiful, good-hearted, and protective, but unlike arisu, she was stronger. stronger than both of them, both physically and mentally. the type of person who worked independently, unless she was with someone she cared about and knew well. despite how she presented herself, she was still sensitive and emotional on the inside, especially with the grief she had of losing her father. she’d built up walls that she had never thought she’d be able to take down for anyone that wasn’t arisu. anyone that wasn’t (name).

ever since she found out what happened to him, she felt remorse for him. nobody should have to deal with all the misery he went through, nobody.

one day, during a game, she had teamed up with him. it was a spades game, something she was good at. during one of the rounds, (name) was attacked by another player while he was off guard, he tried to fight back but his strength wasn’t the best as his attacker easily overpowered him. usagi came out of nowhere, knocking the other player off of him as she delivered a blow to their face, over and over again. anger was all she felt at this person trying to to get rid of one of the only people she cared about. she didn’t care if this person was just trying to play the game and had the desire to survive like her. no, she wasn’t gonna let anybody take (name) from her.

lifting her bloody knuckles from the blow she gave, she stood up picking up (name)’s glasses that were knocked off him to return. that’s when she saw it. his shirt was ridden up as his chest heaved, eyes closed with messy hair and sweat wetting his skin. her face felt hot as she looked away, shaking her head to get rid of all the erotic thoughts that filled her subconscious. but what really caught her eyes were the pigmented lines that reached from his torso all the way to his waistband and dipped even lower than that.

his body was littered with all the affliction that she knew was forced onto him. her ears started ringing as all possible images of what could’ve happened to him flood to her. god, did she just wanna kill niragi.

“usagi… is that you?”

the calling of her name took her out of it, rushing to (name)’s side. “yeah it’s me.” she replied setting his glasses back onto his face, brushing a strand of hair away, “don’t worry, you’re safe now.” she cradled his face in her hands as they smiled at each other, (name) thanking her profusely before they went on to finish the rest of the game, not caring about the bloody corpse that was left behind.

yeah, safe.

the two made a deal between themselves, protect (name) no matter the cost. when (name) told them the thoughts he had conjured up of wanting to let go of himself, all arisu saw was him the day after the seven of hearts game.

lying on the street, filthy, dried blood and tears staining him. graphic memories of karube’s head exploding as his body flumped to the floor, his lit up cigarette rolling to arisu’s feet as he cried out into the air. nothing but his weeping could be heard throughout the building. he was begging for death, he wanted to be with karube and chōta again. not caring if he would be breaking the promise they had given him, he missed his brothers.

he doesn’t think he would still be here if usagi hadn’t saved him. but man, is he grateful she did. cause if she didn’t, he doesn’t think he’d have the gratitude of being with her or meeting (name). he made a promise that he’d never let anyone feel the same way he did after that. he definitely wouldn’t let (name) feel that way.

“you have us now,” arisu reassured him. the three were in (name)’s suite, he was sat on one of the twin beds as arisu and usagi were on the one across from him. tears streamed down (name)’s face as he turned his head up. the duo were looking at him with nothing but love in their eyes.

usagi nodded her head at this, standing up to move beside him, resting her hands on his shoulders, “i promise you’ll be safe as long as we stick together.” she said softly wiping the tears from his cheeks. arisu grabbed his right hand clasping it between both of his, “we’ll protect you and we’ll bring you back with us to the real world.”

(name) furrowed his brows, ripping his hand back (much to arisu’s dismay) as he looked between the both of them, “but hatter said only one person can go back to the real world? someone who has all the cards, and only he can have all of them, so how would you—“

“hatter is dead,” arisu responded coldly with no hint of hesitation in his voice. (name)’s breath hitched in his throat, eyes expanding, cranking his head to look at usagi. begging this to just be a joke. a joke where she would laugh the moment he looked at her. hatter was strong, reckless, but strong. surely one simple game couldn’t have ended it all for him, right? his eyes met hers as she nodded, her face was stoic, no sense of humor to be found on it. no. “he failed at one of his games. the game where everybody was celebrating his help to retrieve one of the playing cards,” she says rubbing her thumb against his cheek to soothe his nerves.

his pupils darted around the room at the conformation, stopping to connect with arisu’s, “so.. who runs the beach now?”

“we haven’t decided yet.” he replies, “me and the rest of the executives are gonna have a meeting about it tomorrow afternoon. my guess is kuzuryu. i mean, it’d make sense, he is second in line.”

nodding his head (name) spoke up again, “and the cards? how do you expect to get those?”

“chishiya.”

a laugh escaped him, “chishiya? the only person who works with him is kuina, how’d you get him to become your ally?”

“it’s a long story, really. it’s best we don’t get into it right now,” arisu responded, “he told me he has a plan for after the new beach leader gets chosen. and we were hoping you’d help us with it.”

(name) shook his head at the offer, this entire thing seemed sketchy. chishiya wasn’t the type of person who would just so easily let someone help with one of his schemes and hatter’s death, how would the new leader explain that to the citizens? there was definitely something going on that they didn’t know about.

“hey, listen,” arisu steered his attention away from his thoughts, “just like usagi said, you’ll be safe with us. if you’re worried about anything bad happening during tomorrow then you can just stay in my room. everybody will be busy in the lobby anyways—“

“no.”

usagi raised her brows at this, “no?” she repeated. “i wanna help.” (name) said grabbing arisu’s hands just like he had done to him a few seconds ago, “i don’t care anymore. i wanna go home. i wanna go back and maybe even have a life with the two of you.”

the duo smiled at the last sentence, having a life with him sounded nice. just the three of them, together. “yeah..” arisu whispered, if he was a cartoon character he would definitely have giant heart shaped eyes just by (name)’s actions, “okay, yeah! that sounds great, yeah!” he rapidly collected himself straightening his posture as he stood up, “well, it’s uh.. getting pretty late, i think we should all head to bed now. c’mon usagi, let’s go!”

usagi stiffled a smile at his awkwardness. he never really was good at being a romantic, “sweet dreams.” usagi said giving (name)’s shoulders one last rub before getting up and following arisu out of the room. (name) watched as they left, his stomach started to churn as he internally slapped himself, already regretting what he had just said to them.

what had he gotten himself into?

a/n: i was gonna write a lot more but i didn’t want the fic to end up being too long so i ended it right there. i have a lot of ideas that i wanna do with this, so i might expand on the story a little more. maybe or maybe not, we’ll see.

© @deckedcards 2025 all rights reserved ☆ i do NOT give permission to repost, translate, copy or share my work on other platforms.

[vigilskeep]

I’ve seen lots of speculation about how Caterina might feel about a relationship between Rook and Lucanis, some people think she wouldn’t approve and some think that she would have no reason not to considering Rook saved both the world and her favourite grandson. I’m curious if you have any thoughts about it?

Personally I think Caterina would see any romantic partner Lucanis might have as a threat to the control she has over him, but idk if she would ever be outright hostile to Rook. But I haven’t actually read The Wigmaker Job yet so I could be missing some nuance there

i got a couple asks about this. it’s honestly hard to say with any confidence. caterina’s characterisation is so limited, and different rooks and different ideas of what post-canon rookanis looks like are so varied. it kind of is whatever you make of it

i think it’s uninteresting to caricaturise caterina as like a cackling villain who just wants lucanis under her power. imo she does believe, very much, that she has his best interests at heart. i also believe there’s nothing she is not willing to do for those “best interests” and for the best interests of the family if she decides rook is not part of that. caterina wants lucanis to be the very specific person she thinks he needs to be to survive. if she was willing to hurt him to make him that person, what’s she going to be willing to do to what is essentially an external threat?

i think she’s smarter and holds her cards closer to her chest than to be outright hostile, at least at first, not to mention genuinely glad to have lucanis back and not picking fights she doesn’t have to. (he mentions her pretending not to be bothered by anything, including his possession. i think spite is as likely or more likely to be targeted as the “bad influence” if lucanis doesn’t act how she remembers or tries to leave/step down.)

i will say i personally find posts/fic about caterina approving of rook deeply unconvincing jgsjksks. or i’m like, well if she thinks you’re right for lucanis, then based on her past judgement about things that are right for lucanis, my hopes for you are not high! but then i’m a firm “we gotta get him out of there” truther, which is colouring all of this, and which not everyone is. crow canon being what it is, people have different perspectives, which is fine. just not believable from mine

caterina might give rook a chance to be the person she would like them to be. you could do something interesting with how her approval can make people feel and how she wins the loyalty and respect of people like teia, if she did accept rook but wanted to sort of mold them into the right person for the job as it were. not sure i would have the stomach for THAT dynamic but there you go

i guess in some ways it is more interesting from a “we gotta get him out of there” perspective if she DOES approve and it would be so easy to let things lie. there are things you can do with it and i feel like it almost lets lucanis’ character development down if it’s not himself he’s eventually made to stand up for. and i don’t disagree that two godslayers has got to be even better for a house’s reputation than one. hmmmm. can you all pretend this ask ended conclusively and enlightening i just had an idea for a scene i want to write bye. my final message: do whatever u want with it

[uncannydevotion]

I assume your deception of slender is that he’s an awful person/creature that ruins people’s lives and forces them to work for him. May I request how the proxies would react if for whatever reason, slender died. What would they do? Are they free? You can include reader in here somewhere since this is an x reader blog, or you can simply jsut talk about the proxies themselves

my depiction of slender is than it's an eldritch being with limited understanding of humans. it understands that it needs humans to do things it can't do, however, and knows that no human would work for it willingly which is why it goes to drastic measures to ensure absolute loyalty from its proxies and typically only targets people who are already in vulnerable situations since they're easier to break, i suppose. i think that other than the proxies, it couldn't give much care on what humans do and don't do. it's like.... a horrible boss, i think.... but there's no hr you can report it to.

i'm honestly not sure if it can die. i don't think it knows either, but it certainly does fear the thought of death. but yeah sure let's say that for whatever reason, slender just... disappeared. be it death or some other reason.

masky wouldn't outwardly show it, but he'd be thrilled that it was gone. he had always been on the more obedient side, doing as slender wants without much question and forcing himself to not get attached to anything lest it view that thing as a distraction. with slender gone, he's... free, and it's definitely a scary thought, but he had never fully left society even after becoming a proxy, and it wouldn't be that hard for him to integrate back into it.

hoodie probably played a hand in slender's disappearance. or not. who knows, because he certainly won't tell. either way, he is utterly delighted. once he realizes slender is gone, he's already making plans. he's the one proxy slender could never gain full control over. his obedience wasn't stemming from loyalty, and he was very open about how much he despised the creature. he definitely seems like the type to have been saving money, probably stolen, to ensure that he and masky can find a place to rent for a bit while they find real jobs. overall, he's going to be least impacted by slender's disappearance.

toby would probably die, i'm going to be so real. to me, i headcanon that he's sustained so many injuries in his time as a proxy that slender started to share its lifeforce with him because his body was starting to just... shut down. he became dependent on slender for survival, and if it just disappears, then all of those injuries will probably catch up to him and his body won't be able to handle it. and if that doesn't kill him, then he certainly won't be able to integrate back into society like masky and hoodie. he'd probably end up becoming a hermit in the woods, waiting for the day slender returns because without it, his life is meaningless. he has nothing. no one.

kate... i'm pretty torn on, to be honest. i think she'd be similar to toby in the sense that she wouldn't handle its disappearance well. as slender's first proxy she's the most loyal to him, and never once thought about going back to her old life. though toby might be able to function without slender, kate i think would become catatonic in a sense. she simply cannot exist without slender because it became such an integral part of her existence and identity that with it gone, she felt empty. i don't think the others would just abandon her like this, though. toby would want to take care of her, he sees her as an older sister in a sense, but he's not sure how to do it and has no choice but to turn to hoodie and masky for help. i think she'd end up in a hospital of some sort, or a psych ward.

[deiaiko]

#22.5 Cool down

Agni shifted his focus from Ran to the surrounding scene, listening to the light chatter regarding the game and their tags. To be honest, Agni was expecting them to bombard Bam with questions now that he was nearby, but he was left alone. The air around Bam seemed a little awkward, so maybe that was why. He hoped it'd get fixed in due time.

Still, it was interesting to see the discussion unfold as he took notes on everyone's unique quirks. The swish of Anaak's tail when Isu got uncomfortably touchy as he thanked Anaak for giving him back his tag. The way Endorsi boredly examined her nails when she got asked what she'd use her tags for. Or how Hatz kept his fists clenched but shoulders slouched, a hint that he had something to say but was still waiting for the right moment. Or how the younger him kept glancing at Bam, and Rak called him out on it like the croc wasn't doing the same thing.

Agni missed this, more than he ever thought he would. To be surrounded by the people he trusted, listening to their bickering like all those early years they were together. For so long, he thought it would never be possible anymore. To relieve this distant memory that he almost forgot the feeling of. To be able to witness it with Grace felt truly liberating, like a weight was lifted off his chest as a promise was fulfilled.

This was a big day. Not only for Viole, but for him and Grace as well. They really had worked so hard for this moment of being reunited with everyone again, and Agni could say it paid off.

But of course, it was only the start. They still have a long journey ahead to survive. He'd have to get everyone prepared, lest they end up the same as his previous time. Thinking back to the game, their teamwork could still use a lot of improvement. The way they fought still clashed with each other. The reason why Agni was able to hold out for that long against those fishermen was because he was able to exploit their openings. Were their moves more synchronized and were they more skilled at handling their abilities, he'd have lost if he were to deliberately drag out the fight like earlier.

The reason why he only suggested the game to be ten minutes long was because he had anticipated that he'd be the main target, and he wouldn’t have the stamina to continue longer. Plus using too much of his ice power could be dangerous for everyone, including him.

He blew a puff of warm air into his fist at the thought. His body had finally registered the cold, and his gloves couldn't provide enough warmth to keep his hands from shaking. It was harder to help Ran this way.

He had known that consuming redan could negatively affect Ran's body, but he didn't know it'd be this bad. Highly concentrated lightning shinsu had torn his muscles and burnt his smaller circulatory system. No wonder Ran collapsed right after. Maybe he should take Ran to lay down somewhere more comfortable, while also getting himself something warm.

He scooped Ran up in his arms and stood up, gaining everyone's attention once again. "I'm going to take him to the med bay." 

Shibisu stood up from his seat. "I'll come with you."

Knowing him, Isu likely wanted to make sure that Ran was safe. He had always been compassionate like that, the self-proclaimed dad of their team. Agni wouldn't agree otherwise. However, Agni wasn’t sure if Isu could actually do anything if Agni did have ill intentions.

"M-me too." Bam stood up as well. Khun and Rak followed close behind.

Agni caught Grace's words before he was out of hearing range. "Actually, since we've finished patching up, how about we get lunch?"

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[plutolichen]

If Thranduil injury affect his depth perception how can he still fight so well? Is that the reason why he missed the arrows and his moose was killed when he enter the city? By only relying on one eye he can also have headaches and be blind. He’s too interesting and deep

My thoughts on this:

How can he fight so well with monocular vision (only one working eye) and poor/no depth perception?

I sort of touched on this in the original meta, but his fighting style is very defensive in a way that makes sense for his condition. He walks at opponents, conserves energy, minimizes risk. He basically waits for them to walk into his blades, and he holds the blades out in front of him. Potentially he uses one of the swords to judge the initial distance and the other to follow up with an actual blow. Rather than lunging at them and leaving himself open for attack if he misses, he lets them get close so he doesn't have to guess.

The Elk Thing.

I don't think there was a way he could have prevented that. The orcs were shooting at a large target moving in a straight line. Those are very easy shots and he can't do anything about them, except, perhaps, fitting his next elk with armor (impractical, they aren't designed to bear weight like that and Thranduil can probably only ride the Elk because he's and Elf and therefore light enough to walk on fresh snow like it's solid ground). In my writing the elk always lives, though.

Being blind in one eye would cause headaches.

I can't speak to this from experience as I have both of my eyes, but I believe you're correct. At least when he had recently lost it and the other eye was still adjusting, he'd have been straining it all of the time and giving himself headaches that way. This probably still happens occasionally, but it's just another on a long list of chronic pain conditions he has as a result of his injury.

I doubt getting hit by dragonfire (or rather being within the range of its blistering heat, else he wouldn't have survived and would instead be a charred corpse... like his late wife) would damage only his face. I tend to draw him with pretty severe burns all across the left side of his body where he was closest to the blast, including most of his left arm and leg. This causes intermittent neuropathic pain that feels like he's still burning, exacerbated by stress; likely a slight limp sometimes from tight scar tissue, for which he has the staff to help him walk; and a severe tremor and possibly stiffness in that hand. He's stubbornly clinging to ambidexterity by using that hand when it hurts and the pain only increases with use until he can't move it at all, because he doesn't want people to know he struggles.

I propose that this is why he drinks so much wine, as alcohol has analgesic and relaxant properties. He has a dependence on it, and definitely drinks too often, though he's not a habitual binge drinker— he's just taking the edge off of his chronic pain with the only painkiller available to him by drinking throughout the day. He's more social (and to his thinking more palatable) when lightly intoxicated, so this works in his favor socially, but past a certain degree of intoxication he becomes despondent and almost catatonic. The two main conditions under which he allows himself to cry (or more accurately cannot prevent himself from doing so) are when he's heavily intoxicated, and when he and Bard are intimate face-to-face as he finds it a very overwhelming and vulnerable act. There's the age old question of can elves get alcohol poisoning; I propose the answer is yes and that Thranduil has on multiple occasions, only some of which were accidental.

On his blindness:

Elves can see beyond the end of the horizon, they can see at great distances in perfect detail, and this is still mostly true for Thranduil. He could see an ant on a blade of grass at thirty feet, he just wouldn't be able to tell that it was thirty feet away. His peripheral vision is nonexistent on his left side— close your left eye to get an idea of his range of vision. It's a significant vulnerability.

This makes him trusting Bard enough to allow him to stand— and potentially intentionally placing him — in his blind spot a Big Fucking Deal. I think he feels a lot safer around Bard in general, given that Bard is a Dragonslayer and Thranduil has post traumatic stress disorder. Bard's presence or voice would be comforting and also anachronistic in any flashbacks, and he speaks an entirely different language than what would have been in Thranduil's dangerous memories, potentially making him uniquely well equipped to help Thranduil through episodes and attacks if he's disoriented. Bard himself is grounding for Thranduil. I sort of joke sometimes that he ends up unintentionally getting trained to do service dog tasks like deep pressure therapy and interruptions or that he's Thranduil's dual purpose weighted blanket and husband. And once he knows why Thranduil intentionally positions him to his left, he guards that blind spot fiercely. Nobody's getting past him.

Thranduil's hearing is also damaged on that side. Not totally gone, perhaps, but significantly reduced. He has to turn his head to fully face people on his left to see them at all or hear them properly.

This is a tangent, but I don't think whatever glamour Thranduil uses to hide his scar works on him. He can still see himself exactly as is at all times. Subsequently, situations that involve reflective surfaces are usually a pretty significant stressor for him, particularly when he's already distressed or having a bad pain day. Having Bard eases this— being married, he can help Thranduil with his hair or in the bath so he doesn't have to look down at himself or overuse his left hand.

Bard also coaxes him into eating, which is something Thranduil struggles with as wasting from and nearly dying of his grief robbed him of his appetite. On the days Thranduil spends as a curled up lump under the blankets because he's in too much pain to move, Bard sings to him and braids his hair so it doesn't get tangled if he ends up writhing.

Thranduil's scar tissue is still quite stiff because he hates touching it and can't bring himself to massage it, but once he has Bard and Bard starts doing this for him, his mobility noticeably improves and the scars fade a little bit more.

Thranduil sleeps in the manner of mortals more than most elves, because his body is almost always running on empty ever since he nearly died of grief. He feels safer doing this in bed with Bard, or really anywhere so long as he and Bard are alone.

Bard has nightmares, though. Bad ones. He thrashes and fights in his sleep. Thranduil has a way with all manner of creatures, and Man is just another creature, so Sindarin in low tones helps calm him down, and when he jolts awake Thranduil hums to him until he falls asleep again. Hums, not sings, because he lost the ability to sing after his first heartbreak, and only began to hum again after falling in love with Bard.

As Bard ages and his body begins to give out, Thranduil is healed enough that now he can help Bard in turn.

Thank you so much for the ask! This turned into a tangent, lol.

[erikiara80]

Byler and Will having powers wouldn’t come out of nowhere

I know I know, many people have already talked about this. But the writing process is one of my favorite things, and I love Will’s character, so... Here I am. 

I’m gonna start with Will's powers. I’ll talk about things that everyone, not just fans who analyze the show, can see. I’ll only use some of my theories to speculate about the nature of Will’s abilities (imo they’re different from El’s, that’s why it makes sense that the reveal happens in the last season)

I’ll start with this. 

If I’m right, this could be like the reveal of One’s existence. If there’s a girl named Eleven there must also be a number One. It was always there. 

And if Will has always been connectet to the supernatural plot, either he’s like Frodo, or he has powers too. 

The fact that people have found explanations for what we’ve seen so far, like Will just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or his connection to Vecna just being a consequence of the possession, doesn’t mean that they’re correct.

But that’s a good thing when you write a mystery.

If you don’t want to reveal something till the last minute, you keep leaving hints and clues but also let people find plausible explanations for what they see, otherwise they become impatient to know the truth, and get distracted. 

What the writers could use to reveal that Will has powers

Will and El are the only characters connected to the supernatural plot since S1. 

Will’s vanishing, one of the most iconic scenes of the show. It’s different from all the other attacks, something even many causal viewers noticed. 

Will is the only person who survived alone for a week in the UD. If that’s what really happened, of course. But the fact that it’s still a mystery means that they’re hiding something important. Oh, and he was definitely Vecna's target (here)

The fake body. Either the lab was able to make a perfect replica of Will’s body in two days simply because they were spying on everyone in Hawkins, or there’s another explanation. 

Nobody doesn’t really know what those scientists are able to do, and nobody asked in S1. Actually, they never asked anything. But IF Vecna targets Will again in S5, he will have to finally ask himself: Why me?

Will and El big parallels in S2. Now we see WILL in the lab, with Owens, his “Brenner”, who knows the truth.

Also, Will says that the evil wants to kill everyone but him. Something they could use to reveal that his possession is different from the Flayed and Billy’s.

Will drawing the Mind Flayer is so important in S2, everybody remembers it. So, this is a connection with another kid with powers. Henry.

But in S3 and S4 something changes. Will is sidelined, and in S4 it even seems that the writers forgot his birthday. I think this is what makes people think that he’s not important. Now he “only” has this mysterious connection to the Mind Flayer (and Vecna). But in my opinion this could also be a big hint.

Will being sidelined in S3 and S4 could be part of the plan

We can dislike it, but it makes sense. 

Think about it. Will is the target for two seasons in a row, but everything changes in S3. I think it's because Vecna realizes that El can also close the gate. That's when he changes his plan. He needs that power to open his own gates. He says that to El.

But he can’t possess Will again to get to her. Will would know what’s happening, and his family would save him again. And Vecna is not stupid.

Also, IF Will is important, then Vecna doesn’t want to kill him. Will is not like Billy and the other Flayed. I don’t even think he was killing him in the UD. The parallel with Sarah means that the tendril was giving him oxigen like the chestbuster in Alien? But this is just a theory.

So, the plot of S3 is to take El’s power to open gates, the plot of S4 is to open gates so big that she can’t close them. And in S5 Vecna can finally get what he wants. Including Will?

In S4 they also reveal something very important connected to Will: that the UD is “stuck” on November 6, the day Will went missing. Sure, it’s the day El opened the gate, but see how they’re always connected? They could definitely use that. And they could use what Nancy says, that when Will was in the UD lights came to life.

Will vanishing, his mind being erased, has always been his story. And so is being remembered and saved by the ones who love him

What happens when my boy is gone? That's the big question. So I’m not surprised that he’s been sidelined.

The very first episode of the show is titled The vanishing of Will Byers. He literally disappears from the world and his family and friends must find him. 

In S2, it's his mind that is being erased and they need to make him remember.

Then in S3 and S4 he's sidelined, and there are many very intentional shots in which other characters are blocking him, so it seems that he's not even there. And it starts at the end of S2, when in the last shot of the ball Will is not there (more here)

Imo, this is no coincidence, the writers arent' forgetting Will. It’s the plot. And it would be a cool plot twist, based on a truth that has been hidden in plain sight the whole time.

Will’s powers

Finally, my theory is that his abilities are different from El and Henry’s and mostly connected to the UD. Maybe they only work there. If he’s like Bastian and can somehow influence the UD, shape things, or he's like a battery, a source of power that Vecna can use, then it makes sense that they reveal his powers in the last season, when the Upside Down starts to invade our reality.

I don’t remember who said this, but I find it so interesting. The fact that maybe there’s a reason if Will’s name is WILL. Maybe he IS power. I made a post about the parallels between Will and Cerebro I also have a theory about why both Will and El have powers, their connection, but this post is already so long. I’ll just leave some links:

Theory about Willel connection

Terry and El’s memories 

Byler

Well, in this case it’s obvious that if Will was girl, people would at least consider Byler. I’m sure there would be fights between Byler and mlv shippers, but more people would see the signs.

But I think many fans or casual viewers who simply like their friendship will be ok with it once they see how everything is connected and how important Will and Mike’s love is, not just for them but to save the world. That’s smart, it reminds me of Interstellar and many epic love stories. I love it.

Anyway. Byler has been a fundamental part of the story since S1. Their beautiful friendship, their bond, their love.

This scene!

Then in S4 it becomes obvious

I love this. One of the sweetest, most beautiful things this show has done. And it’s also clever! Making Will and Mike’s love one of the keys to save the world. That’s how you know it’s gonna be epic.

So, people could say, but there are sweet mlv scenes too. And Mike is still with El. He finally told her that he loves her. That means that they solved their problems and in S5 they will be stronger than ever. That’s the story. 

I don’t think that’s what the story is telling. El and Mike have spent two seasons fighting and not getting closer. The other kid in love with Mike had to push him twice to tell his girlfriend that he loves her, and they lost anyway (and Mike didn’t need Joyce or Jon to tell him keep going in the shed in S2). Also, the only couple that broke up had the same problem. Nancy, Mike’s sister, couldn’t say ILY to Steve. 

This means that El and Mike’s relationship is not a happy relationship. And now it’s obvious and even confirmed, that Will, the boy Mike has such a deep bond with, is in love with him. Like, this is such a classic trope. 

So, what could the writers use to show that the story has always hinted at Byler?

This

[dontbooatme]

DPXBNHA

Aizawa uses Erasure on Danny but he just splits in two, Fenton and Phantom, like in the Identity Crisis episode. Sorry, plot vomit again

Once they're split, Aizawa's quirk works normally on both of them, but Phantom doesn't have a second form to change into. So it doesn't effect his appearance/give away his identity. And he's more ghost-like post-split. He doesn't eat, sleep, breath. (No pulse, just justice)

Queue confusion cause now everyone thinks they're supposed to be two separate people.

They think Danny was being possessed by Phantom.

I kind of think it would be fun if their powerset was more connected than it was in the show. Like: Phantom's using intangibility, so Fenton can't. And goddamnit, Phantom, that's the only power Danny registered for a quirk. He can't use anything else in front of the teachers.

Fenton is taken into protective custody by Aizawa, and ultimately enrolled in UA's hero track

With only Intangibilty registered as his quirk.

Aizawa takes Fenton in pretty quickly after the split. Phantom is considered a villain. And the pros think Danny needs protection from him. But fresh from the split, he notices a lot of things wrong with the teenager in his care. His reactions to everything seem pretty strange. Some things he should react to, don't make him upset.

So there's still a personality split.

Phantom is considered a villain

(Unfortunately, Fenton got his love of astronomy, but he knows nothing about space. Phantom's the one with all the facts and could care less. Danny didn't know he could be this annoying. In UA, after Danny admits how much he loves space. Izuku tries to bond with him about it. It doesn't go well. He thought he'd just bring it up and let Danny rant at him like he wishes people would let him do. But Izuku ends up info dumping more. Some of the facts he dumps about end up being inaccurate, cause he's a hero nerd, not a space nerd. But Danny can't explain it right to correct him. He just knows it's wrong.)

The personality split should be a little more subtle in this au than in the show. So, kinda crack taken seriously, I guess. When bnha characters finally meet both halves, it's like there's a sense of deja vu. The two are similar, but different at the same time.

Like Danny's need to protect, for example. Phantom's still the more heroic between the two of them. But both halves feel a sense of duty and responsibility.

Fenton is the one who embodies Danny's self-preservation. He gets separated from Phantom, and makes every decision he can to keep them both safe and not arrested until they can fix the disconnect caused by Aizawa's quirk.

Phantom on the other hand, has no sense (of self-preservation.) He throws himself into vigilantism without a care to the consequences he could face. And this leaves Fenton scrambling to pull some string somewhere in the background that'll get Phantom away from the heroes, or keep the heroes distracted until he can trap Phantom in the thermos.

Fenton doesn't feel the same duty to protect other people that he did before. Meaning he will pull some reckless stunts to lure heroes away, or to lure Phantom somewhere so he can trap him. And actually fix this.

So Phantom's assumed to be the villain, but Fenton is the morally ambiguous one between the two of them.

Fenton protects himself (and by extension, Phantom) while Phantom protects everyone, except himself (including Fenton. Fenton is the one person Phantom won't go out of his way to protect. He's the loophole in Phantom's obsession. Which doesn't help the misconception that he's a villain who's targeting Fenton)

Aizawa is proud of Fenton's self-preservation skills. The student who's most likely to survive and potentially retire from hero work. Or at least, that's the starting point of his view of Daniel James Fenton. He gets around to the idea that Fenton, like some students he could mention, might be pursuing hero work for the wrong reasons.

No one in UA knew what to make of the new exchange student.

On the surface level, he seemed like a perfectly average, normal kid with a lucky quirk. Bakugou fumed when he heard the new guy had a quirk that mimicked one of UA's Big 3. Intangibility.

Danny's skills with it weren't as finely polished as Mirio's...

But at the same time, Danny's intangibility didn't have the same drawbacks as Mirio's did. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up in the air. Mirio did find ways to turn his weaknesses into strengths in his time at UA. And he would make a first-class hero when he graduated.

Maybe it wasn't completely fair. But most people couldn't help but think this kid would show up and show out in ways that were just as impressive.

No one knew exactly what kind of trouble the new kid was in. But the idea that he was in some kind of trouble was obvious in how closely he was watched by the teachers.

Izuku, fresh out of the Hosu Incident, just wants to help the transfer student being hunted down by a villain. He knows he's not supposed to get involved. He's not even supposed to know how seriously this guy was in trouble. But how is he supposed to just stand aside? The guy absolutely refuses to so much as acknowledge he's being targeted. And he refuses to follow any of the safety measures their teachers put in place. He sneaks away constantly. Izuku doesn't think he's spent so much as one full night in his dorm room.

He has a sick feeling in his stomach that Fenton's rejecting any help from heroes to solve his problem alone. As a vigilante.

Just like Iida.

Fenton and Phantom still merge back into one person at the end, but before they do, Phantom will be tempted when the League shows up. Particularly when the offer to make Phantom a body, his own body (a Nomu, unbeknownst to him) is set in front of him.

This is especially tempting considering how reckless Fenton is with other people. Phantom starts getting the idea that Fenton is his dark side, and he's a better hero when they're separated. (This would contrast Aizawa, who's goal is to raise up good heroes with good self-preservation instincts. So self-preservation being a necessary skillset for young heroes would be a big theme here)

(Though, I'm kinda split on the idea of them merging back together, or saying they grow into their own people and Aizawa adopts twins. On the other hand, I like the idea of using the Phantom/Fenton split as a device to explore Danny's character, aka trauma boy. Danny has a whole host of self-esteem issues. And post-split that presents as a deep dislike of his counterpart. On both sides of the split. So, kind of a journey of self-love/learning to love the parts of himself he hates kind of thing)

Maybe Fenton even gets a little bit involved with the GIW in this au. So, they'd exist in bnha. Whether they followed Danny there or ghosts do actually exist in bnha, I'm not sure yet.

He doesn't join them. But in the same way that Phantom doesn't join the League. Danny doesn't set off the GIW's sensors unless he uses their powers. And after failing to catch Phantom for so long, he gets the idea that he needs better ghost hunting equipment.

So, his actions kind of mirror Phantom's in a way.

Phantom wants his own body to make his separation from Fenton permanent. And he's tempted with help from the League. Danny's primary goal is to find Phantom so they can merge back into one person. And he needs access to equipment the GIW has.

So I guess that would make this another "stranded in the bnha verse" kind of au. Starting to feel a little one track minded about that 😬 oops.

I like the drama of Phantom pursuing his humanity in any way but merging with his human half again. While Fenton just wants to go back to being one person.

There would probably be a scene where Danny uses cryonkineses against Endeavor in a way that leaves the man hospitalized. It's the first time Fenton does something to protect someone else. And he does it because he knows Todoroki, and knows all the trauma Todoroki has because of his father.

Phantom's never met Todoroki though. All he sees is Fenton going overboard against a pro-hero. And this would probably be the scene that cements Fenton as Phantom's darkside, in Phantom's mind. And out Fenton as someone with multiple quirks, to Aizawa and class 1-A.

If we go with the idea that Fenton and Phantom remain separated in the end, that would probably also mark the point where they start growing apart/into distinct individuals.

[ryawinters]

An AU Idea I had

So I have heard from some people that if friendships last more than 7 (or 10 - I forget which), it lasts a lifetime.

The Marauders met on the 1st of September, 1971. While it is difficult to say whether they became friends instantly (like James and Sirius did, but I am not sure about the other two) or not. But it is safe to say that they did cross the 7 year mark right after they left for Hogwarts. (And assuming they became friends instantly, September of 1981 would have been their 10 year anniversary.)

So let's take the wizarding world. The whole friendship for a lifetime thing. Love and friendship are important themes in the Harry Potter saga, so let's take it a bit further. If you have been friends with someone for a certain period of time, you are bound to be their friend for a lifetime. You can choose the number - either 7 (the number with the most magical significance in the series) or 10 (a special number, which feels more significant when specifying the length of time spend together)

With 10:

For the 10 year friendship thing, I figured that they'd have to be friends instantly for their 10 year anniversary to fall before James dies. Now this gives us a period of 2 months - all of September + most of October (or even all). Let us consider 31st October to be the actual date their friendship started (like Harry, Ron and Hermione)

For the 10 year thing, idk I just figured Peter is really content with being friends with them. He still does spy, but he tries not to let his friends be the ones in danger. (The list eventually also includes Lily and Harry.)

Until the prophecy.

Until Harry Potter is Voldemort's newest target, and there is no way Peter can convince James to just hand over Harry. Peter knows, that James would die for Harry, if it came down to it. But it's okay, he figures. They'll go into hiding. He just doesn't have to know where, so Voldemort wouldn't find out either.

Enter Sirius and the brilliant plan.

Exit James and Lily.

Wait, wait, a whole bunch of stuff happens in between.

Peter doesn't want to betray his friends, not really. He doesn't want James, Lily and Harry to be in danger, because he does love them. But he loves living more.

So, when he becomes the Secret Keeper, and Voldemort asks him for the Potters' location, he gives it. Belatedly, he remembers, that their 10 year anniversary is coming up. That it is tomorrow - Halloween. If James dies on Halloween, the 10 year pact wouldn't really have kicked in, per say. Peter would be fine. He hopes.

He prays that James and Lily just let Harry die - atleast they'd survive. But he doesn't dare ask Voldemort that.

Now we're back to the 'Exit James and Lily' part.

But of course, the bond doesn't kick in - not really, not until the 31st of October is over. Somehow, Peter ends up cursed anyway.

Sirius Black confronts Peter on the 1st of November, 1981. Hours after the 10 year anniversary of their friendship. Peter betrays Sirius. Peter blows up the street. Sirius goes to Azkaban. Peter ends up cursed.

James seems to haunt Peter - a ghost only he can see. Keeps haunting him, keeps guilt tripping him, keeps blaming him, and most of all, keeps wanting to be with his son. It drives Peter crazy. He is unable to do anything about it because as far as anyone else is concerned, he is dead. So if he makes a reappearance to get help, he is dead. And he is worried that if he stays like this, he will kill himself.

(Ofc James is not really there. James cannot be forced to spend the rest of his existence haunting Peter. James is wherever dead people are - not with the living. Peter's magic, having bonded with the other 3, seems to be going against him for what he did to them. James is just the only one who could reasonably haunt Peter, so his magic (or head) conjures up images of James.)

(Or it could go a different way. Maybe they become friends on Sirius' birthday. Maybe Peter had James killed and framed Sirius right before their 10 year anniversary so he wouldn't be bound by the promise of a friendship lasting a lifetime (it did last a lifetime for James). Maybe Peter planned out the day. Maybe.)

With 7:

The same story really. Except, in this case Sirius is also haunted by 'James'. Yes, yes, I know Sirius did not betray James. But Sirius thinks he was (atleast partially) responsible for James' death. That guilt is enough to convince his magic that he broke the friendship pact.

The dementors ........................... do not help.

I admit, I got this idea from a Coco fanfiction called The Bedside Ghost by the amazing PengyChan. It is an amazing story and I 100% recommend everyone to check it out.

Anyway idk where I am going with this.

Ugh maybe I will write something like this one day when I have the time.

[justatalkingface]

WTF happened?!?

Alright, so for context? I took a break at... *checks bookmark* 395. And looking at that chapter really quick, I'm reminded why I stopped reading for all this time!.That's ten chapters behind, for the record, and from what I can tell from my occasional glances at the critical tag? Those ten chapters were... something.

Welp. I read them. And then experienced instant regret.

Let's start with the first big thing: Armor Might. Somehow, looking at Armored Might, my first thought isn't WTF, because I've seen the spoilers, but the way that mask frames his smile reminds me of Redestro? Like, what the hell, he actually looks villainous like this. Still, though, the way powers are supposed to be the students isn't just cringe beyond belief it's... actually really dumb?

Like, step back from the ham handed metaphor for a minute, and look at this as a set of powers that someone decided to put in one suit. Ignoring how they stuffed so much shit into a suit, which even for MHA tech breaks my SOD, much less how this is surviving hits that causally blast through buildings, but it's just... inefficient? Let's ignore such choices as 'talking to animals' and 'powered by sugar', which are clearly relics of a different manga and don't make sense to use at all, but just these powers as a package. Does it make sense to put something like, 'make acid' with super strength'? Or 'sound waves'? Etc, etc? Wouldn't you want things that synergize together, so the suit is... I don't know, sturdier, or more effective, rather than having to build in a bunch of random devices just to do a reference? That explains why half of them aren't even same powers, it's just pointlessly pasting the names on things built to counter literally this situation, a reverting AFO, even though they had no possible way to know it would happen. Like a Uravity 'thruster'. Which has fuck all to do with canceling gravity.

Seriously. Cellophane and Blackwhip are literally the same damn thing, as in, literally they're the same tentacles. He's 'using' 'different powers' to retract them. And the sugar power is a... rocket kick? I. Can we just admit this doesn't actually have the entire class in it and move on?

Also, the fact that AFO is apparently super predictable and apparently has never adjusted his tactics once since beating Nana? Bitch please. He's been leading you by the nose since day one, and the only reason you ever beat him is because you out-powered him because you're bullshit and he's nerfed.

As a side note, AFO isn't controlling his reversion. He's not 'choosing' to rewind faster to heal himself, it's just happening, and Eri's Quirk just doesn't give a shit about anything, the acid would just be gone. Eri's Quirk has literally never given a shit about anything, ever, including but not limited to it's target, the person using, or the laws of nature because it's not a healing Quirk, its reversing fucking time.

Honestly, reading this, I'm not even angry about how bad the writing is anymore, I'm just cringing. Both All Might and All For One sound like complete morons, the fight is stupid, it's just.... this is just pathetic and it hurts to read.

I. Is AFO the shining baby. I pretty sure a bunch of people made jokes about the baby coming up but. Is AFO the shining baby?

Why is Stain even here? Why is the suit talking?! Like, they didn't even do anything, it didn't even buy any time, it just dragged out the chapter so we could another cliffhanger!

...Finally. Finally, Momo gets a fucking gun. I guess at this point Hori thought it couldn't harm anything to let her actually be competent, and it looks like a copy of Bakugou's new gear because of course it is, but I don't care just let me have this.

What the fuck is even the point of AFO's mouth ripping open? Like, what is the in-setting reason his cheeks tore apart?

Bakugou: fucking dies.

Bakugou: gets his heart patched together with jeans and a prayer soap bubble.

Bakugou: is instantly jumping into high intensity combat.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Are we really bring back the 'wishing energy' bullshit? Are we bringing back wishing energy and Bakugou is using it?

And now we have Nighteye. Nighteye.

...

You know what? I'm angry again.

Holy fuck. I read the posts, but I didn't believe they were real. Bakugou restarted his own heart. Like. What even is his Quirk, at this point. Like, what is it actually supposed to be, Favoritism Sweat?

All Might, solemnly: Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Me, vomiting:

God, I pity whoever eventually has to voice act that and say that line at all seriously.

And, to the surprise of absolutely no one except the people who actually thought Bakugou died and were angry about it, Bakugou gets his heart impaled and came out the other end with a power up.

Let me sum up my thoughts on that with one simple sentence: The Lion, The Witch, and The Plot Armor of This Bitch.

Here's my impression ten chapters later, after a month or two without reading: I... I did not miss this story.

[terracomets]

mattias solis! i think out of all the main 8 truenorth characters he got the biggest palette change / visual update. weirdly he reminds me of big mac ?? every time i look at him im like what apple family humanization is this.

little blurb below the cut!

Mattias Solis

Scottish / Dutch, He / Him, 26 A burning fire     Hotheaded and loyal. Mattias’ whole world is his friends, and he would do almost anything for them. Ashamed by his past association with some of Caesar’s most well-known Guardsmen– including Abe Bruley–Mattias does all he can now to help people like himself and his friends by picking up any odd job he possibly can, though his hotheadedness and tendency to speak his mind before using it to think makes him both incredibly popular with the younger and poorer Campfolk and extremely unpopular with the older and richer Campfolk. He’s considered a problem by the Guardsmen and Caesar, and while most would find the targets on their head horrifying, Mattias instead flaunts this, using it to show that if one young man terrifies Caesar so much, just how strong is he? He doesn’t seem afraid of anything; nothing can get under his skin. He won’t let it.     Tim and Emmett are his inspirations, along with Trond, who he hopes to change the mind of. While his look towards the world is much more bitter than hopeful, feeling that the injustices done to people who’ve done nothing but try and survive are needlessly cruel, he hopes to change it.

[mochiwrites]

Life series Grian is cruel because everyone in the life series is cruel. There’s killings and betrayals and thefts. Everyone in the life series is kind, including Grian. There’s jokes and alliances and trades.

ANON YOU ARE OPENING A FLOOD GATE. I AM SO SORRY IN ADVANCE

(also I feel like I should preface that like. I'm not claiming to be c!grian expert and my own interpretation may not even be fully accurate to his character??? aka if anything seems out of character I am Sorry fjgfhgf)

ANYWAYS -- right so when I say the word “cruel” I’m talking about it in an,,,, emotional sense??? like, he doesn't go out of his way to target people and bully them emotionally, I guess??? he isn't cruel with their emotions???? I have no idea if that makes any sense. I'm not gonna go out my way and claim that grian is a "perfect uwu innocent boy" because he's not. no one in the life series is (and that's not even grian's character outside of traffic LMAO). the entire purpose of the game is to be the last man standing, and that means killing. that means betrayal.

but there is a fine line between being cruel to survive and being a villain.

and traffic!grian is not a villain.

traffic!grian is kind, and loyal. he feels guilt for his actions. grian plays to survive, but if you have his loyalty, you have it for the entire game.

I've seen so many people look at grian's actions in the previous session (where he laughs off joel's death and joins up with pearl and bigb) and say that grian was evil for it. but let's actually look at what grian was doing leading up to joel's death, shall we?

he didn't look for other teammates until he was certain that joel wasn't going to survive. they had already lost jimmy, so he knew he was going to be alone. he offered joel an hour. he kept telling joel to take his life so joel could survive just a little longer. he straight up tells pearl and bigb that he has to go check on joel, that he has to say goodbye or else he was going to regret not getting the chance. everything grian did in that final episode was to keep jimmy and joel alive for as long as possible. and when he finally lost joel? there was silence. he stood there and stared. "I didn't even see it." he sounded so remorseful as he said it.

did he laugh off their deaths? yes. but come on people! grian's entire character is downplaying his emotions! he laughs things off and hides his emotions! he gave us, the viewers, plenty of clues to his true feelings! he has to say goodbye to joel or he'll regret it. he makes graves for jimmy and joel. he was more than willing to give them some of his time to keep them alive. he laughs off their deaths but that's just a wall he's putting up between himself and everyone else. when looking at traffic!grian, you can't just look at his words. you need to look at his actions as well.

he makes a joke about keeping joel alive but you need to look deeper than that. you need to look at the "I couldn't do anything more to help him." that's hidden in there. with grian you need to read between the lines!

and if you STILL think that traffic!grian is a villain, don't worry, I have more examples.

let's take a look at the most obvious depiction of grian's tragic character.

third life.

whether you ship them or view them as friends, grian's story with scar is still a tragedy! he spends the entire series following scar around because of his debt, and ends up sticking around after his debt is cleared because he wants to see scar win. he wants to help scar still. he's chaotic and a menace and full of bloodlust, but that doesn't make him a villain. he's playing the game. the same game that everyone else is playing.

look at the final scene of the third life finale. grian wanted to win with scar. he wanted them to win together. they planned to die together. and then the cactus ring happens and grian wins. look me dead in the eyes as grian says "Oh I don't feel so good." before jumping to his death and tell me that grian is a villain. that's one of the cases where grian's guilt is the most clear.

let's also not forget all of the deals he makes in every series? the promises he tries to keep? returning scar's things to him in last life even though he didn't have to? giving skizz a totem? setting an ender porter with him so if skizz needs him he can come help? because he wanted skizz to stay alive for as long as possible?

grian is kind. and he cares about people. neither of these things are the qualities of a villain!

he's playing in a death game, just like everyone else, and he's playing to survive. of course he's going to betray certain people (not his allies though. never his allies), he's going to steal and kill. he's going to laugh as he pulls off a successful kill because yes he may not be a villain but he's chaotic and bloodthirsty just like everyone else.

grian is not cruel because he laughed off jimmy and joel's deaths. he is not evil because he joined pearl and bigb after he lost the bad boys.

this is just a personal frustration but too many people in this fandom are quick to jump on calling grian a villain in the traffic series when every other character is doing the same thing as he is. but yet no one else gets called evil for it??? some people are so quick to make grian out to be an asshole when he's not. can he act like an ass? yes, absolutely. but that doesn't make one. I've seen some absolutely wild characterizations on grian, and some of them are just.... Yikes

some people are so quick to make grian out to be the bad guy that they don't consider the actions that lead up to that moment.

THAT BEING ASIDE.... tldr, grian isn't a villain, he's playing in a death game and the aim is to survive. he's a loyal teammate and is more than willing to fight for his allies. please stop calling him a villain thank you

[purple-link]

Alisaie and Purple Link

FFXIV Write 2024 Story Entry

Spoiler: Story takes place after WoL reaches Garlemald in Endwalker, but but before the Tower of Babil dungeon. Story will be largely sfw, but will adhere to FFXIV's level of mature storytelling.

Chapter 30: Two Heads are Better Than One

“And so,” Alphinaud was finishing up, “While we were being assaulted by Akimitsu and his group, our friend, the Wolf Burglar, had informed me that he knew about Akimitsu already.”

“Gee, you could have let us in on the joke,” said Alisaie, looking irritable, “We had death staring us in the eyes, didn’t realize it was a staring contest.”

“Ah, but, that’s the thing,” said the Wolf Burglar, “Akimitsu was never dangerous, he was just looking out for his people. Senryaku was the real danger.”

“Thankfully, it was just one person,” said Alphinaud, “Originally, the plan was merely to bluff our way out, and try to make it so that the Wolf Burglar could continue his espionage on both sides, but when he informed me that the name ‘Senryaku’ meant ‘Strategy,’ I endeavored to get arrested.

“I sort of made it up after that,” said Alphinaud, “But thankfully, I was able to transplant myself as a strategic middleman, and instead of Doma being ambushed, I timed it so that we could arrive at the same time.

"I made a couple of quick guesses, but as you can see, everything went according to plan.”

The festival was a huge smash! After the seal was applied to the document, and Hien commenced the festivities, all groups came together for conversation and food.

Purple Link and Alisaie,  started off doing what they were hoping to do since the moment they heard about the festival: visit as many booths as they could!

Their status as Warriors of Light and Scions of the Seventh Dawn allowed them free retries of every game and free food at every booth. Tips were still encouraged, however.

Purple Link was beside himself with joy. One of the first things he got was grilled squid on a stick, or ikayaki. Moving along, there was a shooting gallery, using a gun he obtained through his machinist's lessons. He almost got all the targets.

“I just started a lot of these new classes,” said Purple Link, sheepishly, “It’s going to take a while.”

“You’re still a dynamo with Red Magic, Purple Link,” said Alisaie, nudging him with an elbow, “I think you’ll be doing just fine in the long run.”

There was the bouncing yo-yo game, as he hoped, but there was also ring toss, coin dropping and goldfish scooping. Alisaie shook her head with that one.

“I’m sorry, Purple Link, but you’re an outdoor cat,” said Alisaie, “I don’t see any room for pets in your travels.”

“Well, ones that don’t already breathe and float in the air,” said Purple Link, “I have plenty of pets, they’re merely enchanted for survival in harsh environments. These fish are just fishbowl stock.”

“Suit yourself,” said the vendor, “They are young now, but they’ll mature into fine fish!”

As the evening was wearing on, the end of the festival included a massive feast, one that included all the bandit Lupin who wanted to mingle with the Domans.

While some had splintered off and returned to banditry, as expected, most who had been exhausted and pushed to their limit accepted the terms of Hien’s policies with anticipation.

They were so excited they didn’t have to struggle for food, they all began to chat with denizens of Doma, including those Lupin who had already lived in the Doman Enclave.

Friendships were being struck, love affairs were just beginning, and a lot of the tension that was felt at the beginning of the day melted away, the moment they realized they no longer had anything to fear of becoming Doman.

Any bandits living in the Glittering Basin would be very few, but for the most part, the southern settlement of Lupin would become a designated sister city of Doma.

There were even talks of installing a new aetheryte crystal, so that travel to the southern shores of Yanxia would be made easier.

Purple Link couldn’t have hoped for better. Not only did the Lupin have a new beginning to look forward to, but they would be spared a lifetime of persecution and live without fear of extermination.

Peace won out, and it was everything he could have hoped for.

The dangers of Garlemald, Zenos, and Fandaniel would have to wait a little longer. The destruction of his homeland and his family felt like it was beginning to heal.

All it took was a few thousand smiles, some warm food, and Alisaie, a friend to him if there ever was one.

Alphinaud, for the most part, was explaining his end of circumstances, with blanks being filled in by the Wolf Burglar. Hien and Akimitsu were also listening in, with Hansha by his side.

They hadn’t expressed any interest in dating, Purple Link discovered, but as loyal a solider as Hansha ever was, he was pleased to find that she took comfort in Akimitsu’s company.

As they talked, Purple Link noticed the dining table was occasionally decorated with vases filled with Lupin flowers. He glanced over at the Wolf Burglar who blushed and looked away as casually as he could get away with.

“So, all this time, you guys were just…hungry?” said Kurobana, feeling a little mollified in his own end, “I have rice, we have plenty to spare.”

“Oh, sure,” said the Wolf Burglar, “Just open your home to any criminal. You didn’t think that was one of the first things they could have tried?”

“Matters were complicated,” admitted Akimitsu, “Our history with the Rijin have not been exemplary. With Garlemald’s occupation receded, now seemed like a perfect time for change.”

“Yeah, but all out war is usually frowned upon,” said Alisaie.

Akimitsu grimaced.

“The Lupin in the Glittering Basin had been ignored for a very long time,” said Akimitsu, “Long before Garlemald’s occupation. I saw no reason but to force our way to a solution.”

“Force can be a wonderful solution for certain situations,” said Hien, “But now that peace is starting to assemble again in Doma, we have to put the solutions of the past behind us.

"Peace between our people can be achieved, but we have to find new ways of doing so, ones that don’t include hurting our brethren.”

Akimitsu looked humbled by this statement.

“I apologize most sincerely,” said Akimitsu, appealing to Hien, “When our worlds are one, and we have nothing to fear from our neighbors, I would be more than happy to live by your side.”

“So long as it’s your decision to make,” said Lord Hien, “A good hunt never lasts forever, but the rewards can be gargantuan.”

“Riches beyond belief,” said Akimitsu, nodding, “More than any thief could ever wish for.”

The Wolf Burglar nodded, and then his expression fell. His plate already cleaned, he stood up and walked over to the shoreline that spread across the river and looked out towards the walkway that led up to the previous kingdom of Doma.

People surrounded him, little picnics, some of them in boats, and not all of them were purely Lupin couples.

One Au Ra and Lupin were kissing so passionately, they were getting complaints from those nearby. Not because it was disallowed, but because they were being noisy.

Purple Link arrived and stood nearby him. He smiled at the Lupin.

“I take it that you’ve had your fill of espionage?” said Purple Link.

This felt less like an accusation and more like a innocent query. The Wolf Burglar shrugged.

“Being a thief will always be lucrative,” said the Wolf Burglar, “But I’ll admit, I would not wish to play both sides of a Lupin conflict ever again.

"I sympathized with Akimitsu’s plight, but not at the risk of destroying the lives of those in Doma. I have been more than satisfied with Hien’s solution.”

“Y’know, he wanted to pardon you, too,” said Purple Link, “I don’t know if Hien’s word carries weight in Kugane, but I’m sure he could put in a good word.”

The Wolf Burglar smiled to himself for a second, delighting in the idea. To walk free again, in his home, where the kindly samurai raised and took care of him.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” said the Wolf Burglar, “My issues with the Sekiseigumi are my own, and I will work them out. Once the government in Kugane becomes less mercantile, I should be happy to stand by the citizens of Kugane, shoulder to shoulder, and make our voices heard.”

He turned to Purple Link.

“In the meantime,” said the Wolf Burglar, determination in his eyes, “I will continue to be their voice. I will be there for those who suffer in the streets of Hingashi, and to be their succor when all resources are stripped from their lives, by those who would rather fill their coffers.”

Purple Link held out his paw, a smile on his muzzle. The Wolf Burglar gladly accepted it, clapping into his palm with vigor.

“My friend,” said Purple Link, “You truly are one of the greats. A Warrior of Light if there ever was one.”

“Please don’t ever call me that again,” said the Wolf Burglar, frankly. Purple Link blinked at this. He pulled his paw back and shrugged with his hands up.

“Fair enough,” said Purple Link, “Safe travels.”

“Save travels,” said the Wolf Burglar, “Don’t get yourself killed now.”

The Wolf Burglar went back to Lord Hien and Akimitsu, probably to report to both at the same time. Purple Link took the opportunity to relax, an opportunity he didn’t always have while on the road.

Sitting part of the way in water, he looked up at the starry sky, the evening dusk turning into night, and thought about his life.

He was never the kind of person to be ungrateful, but he did consider parts of it to be unfair. When push came to shove, he never really had the right attitude for it. But he always felt like he did something right at the end.

Being the Warrior of Light seemed almost worth it.

But he did understand why the Wolf Burglar didn’t appreciate that title. Maybe, one day, Purple Link would earn it for real, but for right now, he was happy just being a normal guy.

“Purple Link, got a minute?” said Alisaie, making him turn to look behind him. He smiled.

“For you, always!” said Purple Link, “Another successful mission, wouldn’t you say?”

“I can hear a cheery tune in my head now,” said Alisaie.

She began to whistle.

“You’ve earned this one, my friend.”

“We’ve earned it!” said Purple Link, and then he drifted off for a bit, “I can’t say that it hasn’t been a struggle.”

“It’s always a struggle,” said Alisaie, “Being a hero is never easy.”

“This time, I think I might have pushed it,” said Purple Link, “I didn’t think I was the type of person who could get so…emotional…like that, with you.”

“Yeah,” said Alisie, who was simply paying attention.

“It was not my best nature,” said Purple Link, “And I’m sorry. Even if I meant the words I said, I never intended to cause you any pain.”

“What, and you would rather like to see me laughing?” asked Alisaie, “That reminds me of what you once said to me. Standing in the middle of Lakeland with all the lavender, when I felt my lowest, and having to deal with dispatching Tesleen, having had turned into a sin eater…”

She drifted off too, revisiting the scene in her head.

“The rain seemed as if to turn purple,” said Alisaie, “You had nothing but kind words for me then.”

Purple Link looked at Alisaie and then nudged her with his elbow. She smiled back, feeling like her energy had been restored.

“So, what now?” said Alisaie, “You want to go back to Garlemald, finish what we started, or do you feel like another adventure?”

“In a minute,” said Purple Link, “I feel calm and at peace, for the first time in a long time.”

“That’s the kind of peace we strive for,” said Alisaie, “Y’know, our adventures may not be over, but I can look forward to a time when we’ll be old and look at new adventurers with a wry sense of wistful cynicism.”

“Not that our adventures are going to end,” said Purple Link, “But I’m sure the two of us will think of something.”

“You and me?” said Alisaie, pointing a thumb to herself, arrogant as all get out, “We’re two peas in a pod. There’s nothing we can’t solve if we put our heads together.”

“Yeah,” said Purple Link, “Two heads are better than one, after all.”

They chuckled, and then reacted sharply when they heard an explosion.

Don’t worry, it was of the nice kind.

Off in the distance, on the ledge of the highest part of the walkway of Doma, pyrotechnicians set alight a glorious and blazing fireworks display, one that couldn’t be matched by any in the history of Doma.

Purple Link and Alisaie stood up and watched, pointing up at certain designs.

Purple Link couldn’t believe it, he thought, after all that fighting and working, after nearly losing his life and causing deleterious harm to another, the fact that he could feel this happy was an amazing thing to him.

He looked over to Alisaie who smirked, and then she began to yell out loud, cheering with the crowd. Purple Link did the same.

Together their voices raised into a cacophony so loud, it nearly drowned out the fireworks.

Things couldn't get any better than this.

The End.

[lazerswordweilder]

The only time he should have no scars is if he’s a civilian in the au or some fix it aus!

(Or have a normal amount of scars rather than none at all. And lets be honest he’s still Anakin so he probably still has some, I mean I have a scar on my hand and I don’t even remember where I got it, I have another on my finger from a TREE BRANCH, not even a big one that got thrown at me, I scraped it on twig literally! Anyways my point is I’m sure he’s gotten into a lot even as a civilian)

Sure space technology is a thing but unless you’re doing an au where it’s much better/works fundamentally differently then it shouldn’t be able to heal him to the point he doesn’t have any scars! We’ve been shown its limitations in canon time and time again. There are a few expectations to this like the previously mentioned au where technology is better, he could be a science experiment that has really fast healing, got brought back from the dead perfectly fine, be some weird force abomination that heals insanely fast, cloned a body to move into, ect. If you do it right and for reasons other than ‘hE LoOkS pReTtIeR’ these can work.

Even if we make it so he didn’t fall to the dark side, or won the duel or anything else that would make it so he didn’t get burnt, you have to consider the fact he worked with literal laser swords that could cut through blast doors as a child, he also grew up on a crime filled world and was a slave who did podracing which was shown to be dangerous, willing put himself into crazy situations, and is also a war veteran, he should have many, many scars, probably more than he’s shown to have in canon too! Like that scene where he wakes up after a nightmare and you see him shirtless and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t even a single scars. Lies. Absolute slander. The same thing should be true for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and some of the clones (others are still relatively new to the fighting or do have scars).

Also not only were prosthetics not as good as regular limbs (although they did improve from the PT to the OT) but Sidious didn’t let Vader make them (and his other systems) as good as they could be. So his limbs all sucked and he kind of only survived as well as he did with the force, he lost a lot of fine motor control and probably has really bad phantom pains (and also a LOT of other pain), also trouble breathing which is really obvious. He wasn’t aloud to heal properly or get any good crutches and it doesn’t show because he can use the force to compensate not because he is/was okay.

There are a few reasons where him not getting scarred just to look beautiful can be a valid plot point but only under specific circumstances like in an au where he’s a seductress or something because typically the targets for that kind of thing are people who would find scars disgusting which mostly means they’re a horrible person.

Also scars are/can be hot. I totally get that some are particularly bad and also that you shouldn’t want scars because they come from pain and injury, I’m not saying scars should be glorified and you should strive to get them, that would be horrible and injuries are not something to want or joke around with regardless of looks, just that scars shouldn’t be hated either (not including scars that have trauma because that’s really not a choice).

A lot of characters get that scar on their face because it’s considered hot or bad boy style, but the second you get scars literally anywhere other than the face they become something bad?? This is hypocritical!

Also you truely believe that Darth I Deserve This Torture Suit Vader would take good care of himself, his hair must be greasy and knotted he would not look like the Anakin we know.

Ok so I’m BACK ON MY BULLSHIT to say that ANOTHER reason why I’m a hater of those "post canon vaderdala BUT somehow Anakin gets completely healed and looks like he did before mustafar" fics, other than the ableism which I’ve already touched upon is that!!!!

That moment where Vader lets her see his face… his vulnerability… how he’s been scarred and destroyed… and her accepting and still loving him??? SUCH UNPARALLELED INTIMACY. Literally gnawing the bars of my enclosure about it;;;;; this is actually one of the main appeal of a post canon vaderdala au AND IF YOU ROB ME OF THAT I WILL BE PISSED

Like wdym "he just looks like anakin again as if nothing happened and him having become heavily disabled is never adressed lol" WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS

Actually FURTHERMORE I’m gonna circle back to the ableism shit, bc I got some pushback the last time I talked about this last year, and I feel like maybe at the time to struggled to properly articulate what bothered me, but basically, for those kinds of fics it comes down to:

"Anakin progressively heals thanks to space technology, representing how he stop hating himself and thinking he deserves nothing more than the torture suit" ok! 👍 while I personally have a huge preference for him remaining at least somewhat heavily scarred and disabled as he gets better treatment, you do you, and I do see the vision!

"Anakin heals entirely and looks like he did before mustafar bc clearly there’s no way Padme could fall back in love with him with Vader's body" I am mentally killing you with laser beams

[briamichellewrites]

Chester and Bria get caught outside during the Purge

“Chessy, don’t do something stupid like getting yourself killed”, Bria said.

He nodded. They had twelve hours to survive. It was kill or be killed. The New Founding Fathers called it The Purge, where all crime was legal for twelve hours – including murder. Chester and Bria were prepared with guns and ammunition. They were out on the streets of Los Angeles trying desperately to get back to Bria’s. Mike and Brad told them how stupid it was to be out that late but her car broke down. Their only option was to walk.

Everyone else had taken shelter. Where did they get the guns? He bought them before the purge started from a local gun store. Did either of them know how to shoot? No, but they were better than not being protected. The streets were quiet. Too quiet. They hoped his tattoos would make him look intimidating, even though he wasn’t.

They turned their phones off, so they wouldn’t give them away and they avoided being out in the open because that would only make them a target. Thankfully, they were both sober. Being high would not help them.

They already saw one guy getting stabbed by someone in a bloody mask. They came across a convenience store, where the manager pointed a gun at them and shouted at them in Spanish. They put their hands up and shouted they were not purging. After a moment, the manager discovered they were innocent, so he let them inside. Thank you! He closed the security gate before taking them into the back where he and the other employees were hiding.

“Thank you”, Chester said again.

“Why you outside? It’s dangerous.”

“We were on our way back to her place, but her car broke down. The only thing we could do was start walking.”

Chessy and I are hiding in a convenience store. Phoenix, Mike, Joe, Brad, and Rob all got the same text from Bria. She explained what happened and that they were safe. After spending all day in the studio, they told everyone to get home as quickly and safely as possible. It was not a time to fuck around. They all promised to keep in contact throughout the twelve hours. Bria was anxious, so Chester volunteered himself to stay with her.

Thank god! You guys stay there until it’s safe! – Mike

They would. Outside, they heard gunshots and screams. Even from behind the security door. They hated the purge because they hated murder, which most people had chosen to do. It wasn’t petty crimes but felonies. The manager offered them free food and drinks. He offered to pay because they had money, but he refused. Thank you. They quietly went back into the store and picked out some things to keep them going for twelve hours.

They then went back into their hiding place. The band were all hiding at home with makeshift weapons. Just in case they needed them. Fuck the purge! Mike had asthma as a child, which he felt coming back. Emergency medical care wouldn’t come out if he had an asthma attack. He tried calming himself down, so he could breathe. But, he was too scared and anxious.

In. Out. In. Out. Misty stayed with him. She sat on his lap. He focused his attention on her, which helped his breathing. Gradually, he felt better. He petted her and called her a good girl! Yes, she was! Thank you, human! The lights in his house were off to make it appear he wasn’t home. The sun had gone down, so it was dark outside. Their neighborhood was supposed to be safe, but he could hear cars and gunshots outside his home.

Neither he, Bria, nor the band had ever done anything worthy of being killed during the past year. They treated people with respect, paid their taxes, and didn’t owe any debt to anyone. Why would anyone want to kill them? Because they were in a very successful rock band? If they wanted to steal from them, they would give them whatever they wanted.

It was better than getting shot at. They would do whatever it took to avoid getting killed. Until the purge was over, they had food, water, cell phones, and chargers to keep them going. They could not turn any lights on. Everything would have to be done in the dark with as little noise as possible.

A group of purgers found their hiding spot in the convenience store. White supremacists. They threw everyone out and had them stand outside by a wall. Everyone did as they were told. They walked slowly in front of them. The manager and employees were all Hispanic, while Bria and Chester were white. They all begged for their lives as they separated them.

Bria had her gun in her pocket. Chester read her mind. They looked at each other and he subtly shook his head. They were outnumbered. Before they could shoot, the purgers were shot in the back of their heads. They all screamed before running away to escape. Bria was splattered with blood. Chester grabbed her hand and they both started running. When they got far enough away, he asked her what the hell she was thinking!

“I don’t know, Chessy. I don’t know.”

“Don’t be a hero, Bria. Don’t fight back. You’re covered in blood.”

He took his shirt off and handed it to her. She used it to wipe herself off as best she could. They then started walking again. It had been a few hours since they were stranded, but it felt like longer than that. They needed a new hiding spot. Where the hell were they? They were disoriented by the darkness. Finally, he recognized where they were. They were only a block away from Brad’s.

Let us in. – Chester

Brad got up from where he was hiding and slowly walked to the front door. He looked outside before quietly opening the door. Chester and Bria! He had them come inside quickly. Once they had, he closed and locked the door behind them. They then followed him upstairs to his bedroom closet. The light was on, but he stuffed clothes underneath to block it out. He also closed the bedroom blinds and curtains.

“What the hell happened? Where did you get the guns?”

“We bought them. Thank god we didn’t have to use them”, she said.

He nodded. “You guys are fucking insane! You’re both lucky you didn’t get killed!”

“It’s a fucking war zone out there. You don’t want to know the shit we saw tonight. I’m going to have fucking nightmares for the rest of my life”, Chester said.

Seven in the morning. The purge was over. Everyone checked in with each other. They were all still alive. They survived. Chester and Bria just wanted to get home, so Brad gave them rides. He reminded them to store their guns up high and with the ammo stored separately. They would do that. Get some rest. They would. Thank you.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon @fiickle-nia

[chromatophorium]

How to play Stanley and The Narrator in D&D 5e part 2!

I split the build up, since I learned Tumblr thinks 20 LVL builds are too powerful for one post. So here is the link to part 1! 

LVL 11, Bard 10

Features: Bardic inspiration die improvement: The bardic inspiration die is now a d10. (The Narrator is even more inspiring now, even to himself! Which enables him to create/remember more kinds of tales!)

Expertise: The Narrator and Stanley become experts in two more skills. Which means that proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check he and/or Stanley make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. Choose: Arcana (The Narrator has read up on the lore of the world to make his story better), Survival (Stanley has learned to survive the Narrator’s story, in more ways than one)

Magical secrets: The Narrator learns two spells from any list. Choose: Spells: 5th level: Wall of Force (The Narrator sometimes makes walls to prevent Stanley from going somewhere. Flavor it to have a brick texture like in the game!)

3rd level: Blink (The Skip spell. Or at least the best way I thought to include it. Not being there when stuff happens is basically a skip, right? For extra drama points, flavor it so that only Stanley blinks away, and the Narrator is still there, but he can not do anything because Stanley is not there. Can you see? Can you see how much they need one another?)

Spells: (Just normally learned spells) Cantrips: Dancing Lights (The Narrator needs some happy floating lights after learning the Skip spell. Let’s just hope Stanley appreciates them too.)

LVL 12, Bard 11

Spells: 5th level: Modify Memory (Literally rewriting memories. The Narrator changing the story to his whims) (Honorable mentions: (I think Modify Memory is uncharted territory for this build and also fits the themes a lot, but I just couldn’t leave these alone) 6th level: Programmed Illusion (a forever lasting gameobject/entity without collision) Mass suggestion (More narrating what people should do))

LVL 13, Bard 12

Features: Ability Score Improvement: Take a feat instead. Choose:

Feat: War Caster - Advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain your concentration on a spell when taking damage. (Better focus on keeping the story going the way it should be) - Stanley can perform somatic components of spells even when he has weapons or a shield in one or both hands. (Keep the spiritual focus safe) - When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack, the Narrator can use his reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than Stanley making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature. (Useful, for example casting Command to make them creature stay in range)

Additional notes: Because it scales with total level not class level, the proficiency bonus increases to +5 at this point. (For better performance in basically everything and for 5th level Spirit session spells)

Spirit session spells: 5th level: Commune (Just like Divination, the Narrator reluctantly asking a higher power or the DM questions) Legend Lore (The Narrator just calls this an exposition dump, because that’s what it is) Scrying (maybe the Narrator briefly disconnecting from Stanley to go look at other things) Raise Dead (The Narrator bringing some back for the purpose of the story. He can't stand important characters dying permanently.)

LVL 14, Bard 13

Feature: Song of rest improvement: The song of rest die increases to a d10 (With spending as much time with characters other than Stanley, the Narrator has learned to adapt to his audience and his rest-soothing-horizons have been broadened)

Spells: 7th level: Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (Making the office! Maybe make the servants unseen) Switch something to Mirage Arcane (The Narrator changing the environment to his desires)

LVL 15, Bard 14

Features: Mystical connection: Whenever there is a roll on the Spirit Tales table, you can roll the die twice and choose which of the two effects to bestow. If you roll the same number on both dice, you can ignore the number and choose any effect on the table. (The Narrator remembering/creating more specific stories, to fit the situation.)

Magical secrets: The Narrator learns two spells from any list. Choose:

Spells: 4th level: Deathward (No dying of main characters allowed! Also allows for cool narrative moments like dramatic last words or an ‘all is lost’ turn around)

6th level: Mental Prison (The Narrator trapping someone in a prison of his own design. Where have I heard that before…)

LVL 16, Bard 15

Features: Bardic inspiration die improvement: The bardic inspiration die is now a d12. (The Narrator is even more inspiring now, even to himself! Which enables him to create/remember more kinds of tales!)

Spells: 8th level: Glibness (Just makes the Narrator immune to failing at some things, which he definitely would want)

LVL 17, Bard 16

Features: Ability score improvement: Improve CON with both points, to 16. (For better concentration on his stories and making it harder for Stanley to die. It’s a win-win for both of them.)

Additional notes: Because it scales with total level not class level, the proficiency bonus increases to +6 at this point. (For better performance in basically everything and for 6th level Spirit session spells)

Spirit session spells: 6th level: Find the Path (The Adventure Line™! Finds the way to the story!) True Seeing (Sometimes an author needs to take a step back and see the objective truth about what is happening in their story instead of getting caught up in it's world and characters) Harm (The Narrator narrating a creature suddenly being stricken by a deadly disease (this was the only remotely in character necromancy spell this level…))

LVL 18, Bard 17

Features: Song of rest improvement: The song of rest die increases to a d12 (...The Narrator has gotten better. I’ve run out of unique commentary for this. If it improves again I will just repeat dialogue.)

Spells: 9th level: Foresight (The Narrator gets the ability to know exactly where the story will go for a short amount of time)

LVL 19 Bard 18

Features: Magical secrets: The Narrator learns two spells from any list. Choose:

Spells: 7th level: Plane Shift (This one is here because it’s the best analouge for the Narrator being able to bring Stanley to different games)

9th level: Wish (The ability to do almost anything. Complete control over the story, only the DM can stand up to)

LVL 20 Bard 19

Features: Ability score improvement: Take a feat instead. Choose:

Feat: Metamagic Adept: The Narrator learns two Metamagic options from the sorcerer class. He also gains 2 sorcery points to spend on Metamagic which are regaining all spent at the end of a long rest. Choose these options: - Distant Spell. When casting a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, 1 sorcery point can be used to double the range of the spell. When casting a spell that has a range of touch, 1 sorcery point can be spent to make the range of the spell 30 feet. (For extending the Narrators field of control) - Extended Spell. When casting  a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, 1 sorcery point can be spent to double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours. (For making the Narrator’s ‘story adjustments’ last longer)

End of the build!

So yeah, this is my idea for a Stanley and the Narrator build. If you play it, customize this however much you want. This here is just one way to do it.

For example: You could do this with just Bard, and variant human with the feat telepathic. You would have bigger telepathy range and Detect thoughts. But then you wouldn't get the great spells Hex and Mind Sliver, wouldn't be able to talk to any language-knowing creature and wouldn't be able to recover one spell slot on a short rest (always awesome to recover spell slots on short rests). And you would get the anticlimactic cap stone ability of Bard. I think ending this build with a feat is way more satisfying. Lore bard would have worked pretty well too.

Oh no. I forgot about the levitation in the insane ending. Uh… that's just more Phantasmal Force stuff! Yes! But you could use Lore bard to get that pretty easily. Use Additional magical secrets to get Blink and Levitate, and use the Bard 10 magical secrets for Wall of force and Creation.

I would maybe replace Plane shift with Word of Recall, if your DM allows you to choose a place for you to teleport that doesn't have to do with a god. This could be a good analogue for restarting the game.

I did not find a way to properly make an analogue for Stanley coming back from the dead when the game resets. Revenant could work maybe, if unearthed arcana is allowed by your DM? Contingency with Revivify or Raise Dead could work.

There are many ways to improve or change this build, but this is what I've settled for right now. 

Anyway, my plans for now are to make a post with example dialogue for spells and feats, because it’s fun. And also a summarized version of this build, without explanations and just titles of spells, features and choices each level. Those'll take a bit, just wanted to get these posts out.

I split the build up, since I learned Tumblr thinks 20 LVL builds are too powerful for one post. So here is the link to part 1!

Also thanks for reading. If you want you can look at my other DnD builds, you should find them somewhere on my blog. I made on for Simon from SOMA and some short potential ones for Ginko from Mushishi. Also the Bucket from The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe.