#hmm maybe i should do that art game again

[codgod-archive]

do u guys wanna see my spotify wrapped. get a peek into my psyche

[loregoddess]

ah wait, I finished Unicorn Overlord, I should update my icon to a UO character

[kxsagi]

reader telling bllk boys (i request rin, sae, isagi, shidou and whoever else you want 😉) their waxer or whatever they re called 😭 cancelled and maybe reader and bf are going on vacation so reader turns to him and asks if he could do her brazilian wax 🙏🏼

“𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 ���𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐟”

a/n: THIS REQUEST LMAOAAOAOAO

i’ve never been waxed before anywhere, but i am lowkey curious on what it’s like (i need a woman to do it for me, not even a boyfriend). and thinking about it… reader has a lot of trust if she’s just gonna ask them that straight-up i could never 😭

ft. itoshi rin, itoshi sae, isagi yoichi, shidou ryusei (definitely suggestive + saved the best for last trust)

itoshi rin

rin was scrolling through his phone when you randomly turned to him and went: 

“hey… my waxer cancelled. can you do my brazilian wax?”

he didn’t even blink. just slowly turned his head toward you with the most judgmental side-eye you’ve ever seen. 

“… what.” 

“come onnn. it can’t be that hard,” you grinned, batting your lashes. 

rin blinked once. twice. then stared at you like you had just asked him to perform open-heart surgery with a spoon. 

“no.” 

you pouted. ���why not?” 

“because i play soccer, not whatever the hell that is.” 

but you were relentless. you hit him with the puppy eyes, clinging to his arm dramatically, whining about how your shared vacation was coming up and you were running out of time. 

and like the whipped man he secretly was, he finally gave in with a defeated sigh. 

“… fine. but if i mess it up, it’s your fault.” 

so there he was, sitting on the bathroom floor with the most concentrated expression of his life, holding the wax strip like it was a ticking time bomb. 

he hesitated for a good ten seconds before muttering, “this is a mistake,” under his breath. 

and then he yanked. 

you screamed, grabbing his wrist in reflex. 

“rin, what the fuck –”

he stared down at you, horrified. 

“… did i just rip off your entire skin?”

this man deadass thought he had maimed you for life. 

he immediately started apologizing like he had committed war crimes, swearing he would never do this again. 

but lowkey? he got weirdly good at it by the third strip and started acting cocky about it. 

“you doubted me,” he muttered smugly, holding up the next strip like a trophy. 

sir. this isn’t a game show. 

itoshi sae

you brought it up so casually while the two of you were packing for your vacation. 

“oh, by the way, my waxer cancelled. can you do my brazilian wax?” 

sae didn’t even look up from his suitcase. 

“yeah, sure.”

you blinked. “… wait, what?” 

“what?” he shrugged, tossing a pair of swim trunks into his bag. “it’s just hair. i’ll rip it off or whatever.” 

you stared at him, slightly disturbed by how unfazed he was. 

“you’re… way too calm about this.” 

“should i be scared?” he asked, raising a brow. “it’s just waxing. not rocket science.” 

you squinted at him suspiciously. 

“have you done this before?”

sae simply smirked and walked off, leaving you with more questions than answers. 

when it was finally time, he showed up with zero hesitation. 

he was so calm and composed, gently smoothing the wax strip down like he was making a PB&J sandwich. 

“sae, you’re supposed to rip it fast –”

he yanked it off before you could even finish. 

you winced, grabbing his wrist. 

but sae, completely unfazed, inspected the strip like some kind of waxing connoisseur. 

“huh. smooth,” he muttered with a nod of approval. 

bro was judging his own craftsmanship like it was a professional art piece. 

the worst part? he was good at it. 

like… weirdly good. 

at one point, he paused mid-wax to squint at the strip and mutter: 

“hmm. could’ve angled it better. should’ve pulled with the hair growth.”

you just stared at him, blinking in disbelief. 

“why do you sound like you’ve done this before?”

“don’t worry about it.”

isagi yoichi

you brought it up while the two of you were watching TV. 

“baby boy… my waxer cancelled. can you do my brazilian wax?”

isagi immediately choked on his drink. 

“huh?!?!” he coughed, eyes wide as he slapped his chest dramatically. 

he stared at you like you had just asked him to sacrifice his firstborn. 

“you – you want me to what?!”

you repeated your request so casually, like you were asking him to pass you the remote. 

“come on, yoichi. it’s not a big deal.”

“NOT A BIG DEAL?!”

bro was panicking. 

“baby girl, i love you, but i don’t think i’m… i’m qualified for that. i mean, what if i mess it up? what if i accidentally rip off… i don’t know, something important?”

you laughed, rolling your eyes. “you’re being dramatic.”

“no, you’re being insane,” he shot back, already sweating. 

somehow, you convinced him with your persuasive pouting powers, and that’s how isagi ended up kneeling on the bathroom floor, holding the wax strip with shaky hands. 

“baby… i’m scared,” he mumbled, voice trembling. 

you squinted at him. “yoichi. you play in literal life-or-death matches.”

“yeah, but THIS? this is real danger.”

he counted down like he was about to defuse a bomb. 

“three… two… one –”

he ripped it off, eyes squeezed shut. 

you yelped, grabbing his wrist in reflex. 

isagi, panicking, immediately blurted: 

“I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY!”

his hands were shaking as he inspected the strip, his eyes wide in horror. 

“i think i just ruined your entire vacation.”

poor boy was so stressed that he had to lie down afterward, claiming he needed to “recover emotionally.” 

shidou ryusei

you were folding laundry when you casually turned to shidou and asked: 

“hey babe, my waxer cancelled. can you do my brazilian wax?”

he didn’t even hesitate. 

“hell yeah. where’s the wax?”

you blinked. “wait, seriously?”

“yeah, why not?” he grinned, cracking his knuckles. “i’m gonna rip that shit off with the wrath of god.”

you immediately started rethinking your life choices, but it was too late. 

shidou was already holding the wax strip like a man on a mission. 

“you ready, babe?” he smirked, cracking his neck like he was about to bench press 300 pounds. 

“wait –”

he ripped the strip off with the force of a thousand suns. 

you screamed, grabbing his arm. 

and this mf had the audacity to grin and go: 

“damn. you’re smooth as hell.” 

you glared at him, tears in your eyes. 

“ryusei, what the FUCK.”

but he was having the time of his life. 

“you got any more strips? this is fun as hell.”

he genuinely offered to finish the whole wax, lowkey getting competitive with himself, trying to make each pull smoother and faster. 

and when he was finally done, he just leaned back on the bathroom counter, arms crossed, and smirked smugly. 

“not gonna lie, babe. i kinda missed my calling. think i’m gonna open a waxing salon.” 

“i’m never asking you for anything ever again.”

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[starly-amazing]

Cover art by @mothacabra as a donation commission for Palestine. Commission them here!

A Star From the Multiverse - Ch 6 is OUT!

Fic summary: After FINALLY beating the King after thousands of tries, Siffrin is STILL sent back to Dormont. They. Just. Can't. Do. It. Anymore. They drag themself through the day and to the Favor Tree in the dead of night, begging, wishing for help...and they get it in the form of a strange creature with talons and feathers and fangs.

Chapter summary: Back in the blinding building again (again)! Can they kill the King this time?

Rating: Mature | Graphic depictions of violence & all the canon-typical warnings. Chemical burns.

[Read on Ao3]

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The void again.

The sensations seem to glow before him.

Floor two's safe room taunts them, brighter than the others.

If he just made it a little further...

Just to floor three.

...

Everything is dampened.

It's almost peaceful.

Maybe you can use this to get some rest.

Without the constant reminder of how blinding stupid you are.

Ah.

Never mind.

They feel their burning thoughts rage behind a thick curtain of fog.

Whatever.

Maybe you can stay here for a while.

Time doesn't move here, so you're not wasting anyone's life.

Maybe.

...

...

...

Just enjoy feeling

N o t h i—

Siffrin wakes up in Dormont.

The grass pokes at his face.

...

Ah.

Of course.

Of course, you can't rest!

Not even a little bit!

Why would you expect anything else?

Oh! Here come the thoughts again!

Here we go!

Tee hee~!

Ohh!

That was awful!

And stupid!

You're stupid!

They JUST warned you about that, and you went and got yourself melted into a Frin puddle! Burning spicy Frin soup! Cooked from the inside and out, sliced and diced into fine pieces, pulverized until tender! Serve with a tall glass of tears!

Taa hee~!

Just like that!

Frin puddle!

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHhA

Hahahah hahhhaha

...

Welp.

...

...

...

Mirabelle will be here soon.

....

...

...

Back to it, Siffrin. You have a... something to do...

Or whatever.

>>>

He stands before the Favor Tree. Their interactions with the Housemaiden and Fighter went smoothly for once—or maybe he was just too numb to notice anything different aside from the weird hand thing Isabeau did again.

Taking a breath, they step into the darkness.

Loop time.

At least there's still memories to recover.

For now.

He blinks a few times to adjust his eye and looks up. Loop sits in their spot in the Favor Tree, peering down at them with that same confused expression.

Siffrin clambers up to their own seat and plops down with a sigh.

Already a routine.

He looks at Loop. They blink and tilt their head.

He waits.

"Hmm, stardust, I believe. I have a feeling I should—"

"Yes, yes, you should know me, we met before. You're a rukemi. You call yourself Loop. I'm a human. I call myself Siffrin. I'm stuck in a time loop, and you forget like ninety-nine percent of what I say. We're trying to kill the King. We keep dying. Can't even blinding get back to fight him again."

"Ah. Well. Okay. Uhm." Their ears fold back, and feathers on their face puff out fully. They look around wildly and wince, paw flying to their face, over their destroyed eye. "Well. Yes. Okay. Yes, the time loops make a lot more sense now, but I still can't say I'm one hundred percent convinced I'm not just a brain in a jar or in a video game or something.”

"A what?" Their eyebrow twitches upward.

"Never mind. Anyway! I said I would help you, didn't I? I think?"

He grumbles and nods.

"Well, I seem to be failing pretty terribly at that, aren't I?" They let out a nervous chuckle and dig their claw into the bark. The feathers on their face seem to deflate, and they look off beyond the leaves.

Siffrin sighs and lowers their head.

"Well, the uh... 'chemical warfare' idea you had is pretty good if I could blinding get to the King without getting myself killed horribly."

"Chemical warfare??? Did I really suggest war crimes?" Their head seems to sink into their shoulders as their ears flatten. "Well... he is a King, so I guess it cancels out." They shrug and ruffle the feathers on their shoulders.

"He deserves so much worse."

"Right," Loop says. "So."

Siffrin sighs and hits his head on the trunk. He digs his fingers into his arm; they can almost feel their skin still burning under their glove.

"Sooo," Loop repeats. "This is where you tell me your life story, isn't it?"

"Hrm."

"Ooor we can just sit here in silence while you admire my beautiful plumage."

"Just...give me a minute." They close their eye and sigh.

They can't help themself again; they can feel the manic desperation bubble up from within them as they start to recount their time in the loops. It seems to take a bit longer for them to pick up steam, but as soon as they catch a whiff of a buried memory, they take off on their wild tangents once again.

If only Loop could remember.

If only he could just skip talking about the loops entirely.

Just have a little more time, not thinking about them.

Ugh.

As the memories taper off once again, and Siffrin slumps breathlessly in his seat, Loop simply blinks and coughs.

"Hm, well, I see now how I might have suggested spraying him with drain cleaner."

"Yes, so what other suggestions do you have?" he rasps, massaging his throat.

"Well," they open their mouth. They close it and put a paw to their head, grimacing. "More drain cleaner?"

He slams his head against the tree, harder this time. "What if it's not enough? What if nothing's enough? None of the books I found have anything useful! What if I'm just walking us all back to our deaths another thousand times? I can't keep doing this, do you know how to feels to die?" He runs his nails down the bark again and again until his nails chip and fingers bleed.

"Well...not physically," Loop mutters, poking at a beetle. "But! You said you haven't faced him again since we've met. So it's too early to give up hope, don't you think?"

"I gave up hope a long time ago. I don't even know why I'm bothering with this." Their body slumps against the trunk, and they slide down.

"Wow. Grim. And I thought I was bad."

"Huh."

"Nothing, nothing! Just keep chipping away, stardust! You can't fuck it up every time!"

"Wow, thanks."

Loop sighs. "I'm sorry. I don't want to be here any more than you do." Their voice is low, defeated, but they immediately perk up and curve their eye upward in a smile. "But I guess we're both stuck now!"

Siffrin grumbles.

Another sigh. "I'm sure your party will be more useful than I am with this. Maybe try talking to them this time. Just the once?"

"No," they say flatly. "I can do this on my own."

"You say that, yet you just said you gave up hope."

Siffrin grumbles again while ripping a piece of bark off and tossing it.

"It's getting late. I should get back." They slide off the branch and hop to the ground. Loop says nothing, but he can see them waving from the corner of their eye.

>>>

Dinner time.

Tastes like ash.

The Hous—Mirabelle says her speech. Agree to follow her to the end of time. Keep smiling.

Group hug.

Without you.

>>>

Isabeau tries to tell them that thing again. The thing he chickens out of saying every time.

At least they're acting normal enough, he's bringing it up again.

>>>

House time.

Second pillar on the right.

Crash!

Keys. Doors. Spike trap. Go around. Get poison. More traps. Keep smiling.

Safe room. Sit and rest while friends talk about—

"BECAUSE IT'S SNACKS TIME, BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!"

Huh?

Siffrin blinks away their stupor and sees Bonnie rush off to the corner of the room. He rubs his eye as they pull out a massive amount of snacks from their bag.

He tilts his head.

Okay, this is definitely new.

Everyone else is sitting in their usual spot. But Bonnie never made snacks before. Right? There was just the candy and snack they had on the only loop they defeated the King... Oh, and those fruit slices they insisted Siffrin try whenever he caught them eating in the classroom.

The ones that killed him.

Several times.

What were they again? Apples? No. Pineapples.

He scratches his throat.

"...Oh, I remembered something." Odile reaches into her pocket. "Isabeau, heads or tails?"

"Huh?" He pauses, wiping a small scuff on his shoe. "Um... Tails!"

Odile flips a coin high in the air; everyone but Bonnie watches it spin an impressive number of times before she catches it and slaps it down on the back of her hand.

"...Huh. I lost," she shrugs and gives the coin a quick spin before pocketing it.

"Yay!" He cheers and claps for himself. "What do I win?"

"The sweet taste of victory and nothing else."

"I don't even get congrats? Wow m'dame... I thought we were friends..."

"We're not friends," she huffs and rolls her eyes with a smirk.

What?

Siffrin raises their head.

"We're associates."

His blood runs cold. They lock on to Odile, eye wide.

"Not companions?" Isabeau pouts, fluttering his eyelids.

"Colleagues. Allies, at best."

Allies?

"Not even..." Isabeau and Odile's voices fade into background noise. Siffrin freezes. His breath stutters. He—

Allies?

They think of you as just allies?

This whole time?

Not friends.

Just allies.

Just.

Allies.

Allies!

ALLIES!?

...

...

...

They take in a sharp breath. His lungs burn. He can't—he can't—

Of course.

Of course!

Why would they think of you as more than an ally?

You should be grateful they even think of you as that!

If they knew—if they KNEW how many times you failed them. How many times you brought them to their deaths!

If they knew!

They wouldn't even think of you as that!!!

Failure!

Useless!

Selfish!

Manipulative!

'Allies' is more than you deserve.

But still...

He digs his nails into his chest.

Still!

You actually thought!

This whole time, you still thought you all were friends!

Allies!

Just!

Just allies!!!

...

...

...

"SIF!"

"HUH!?" Siffrin nearly jumps out of his skin as he's torn from his mind. Catching himself with hands slamming hard on the tile, he focuses back in to see Isabeau, Bonnie, and Mirabelle crowding around them with Odile close behind.

Isabeau holds his hands up and backs away. "Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you like that but you were breathing really hard and not responding to any of us." He pauses to catch his breath. "Are you okay?"

Siffrin blinks.

What? Where are you now?

Oh, right, first floor safe room.

...

Allies.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" they smile. "Is everybody done with their snacks? We should probably move on."

"Uh, Bonbon hasn't handed them out yet." Isabeau exchanges glances with the others. "Sif, are you—"

"Yep! I was just thinking!"

"About?"

They open their mouth...

...

"I forgot!"

Everyone frowns. Isabeau clenches and relaxes his hands.

"Anyway! Let's eat! I feel good about this fight!"

At the very least, you'll get to burn his blinding eyes out.

Odile sighs. "Okay, Boniface, what snacks have you prepared for us?"

"LOTS! I HAVE LOTS OF SNACKS!!!! Guaranteed to make you full and boost moral!"

"Morale, Boniface."

Allies.

"That's what I said! Anyway! Today, I have..."

They dig into their bag and produce...

"Some PLANTAIN CHIPS!!!!"

"Oooh, did you use the last of those not-bananas to make them?"

"Yes. Yes, I did." They nod proudly. "Crunchy. Delicious. And full of potassium.” The snacks rattle in their hands. “That's plantain chips!!!"

Everyone begins to clap. Siffrin joins in absentmindedly.

Just allies.

"Second snack is..." They dig into their bag again. "Some boring but delicious cookies!!!

"Cookies!!!"

Their allies ' voices start to fade into nothing.

"Great sales pitch, Bonbon. 'Boring but delicious. Cookies, the taste of home.'"

>>>

"FRIN!"

"HWAH???

"YOU BLANKED OUT AGAIN! WHAT SNACK DO YOU WANT?"

"Oh! Uh!"

Stars, what was the third one? Or the second, or first?

Boring but delicious.

"Cookies, please!" They smile.

"Okay! Here! You! Go! Get your moraaaaaaaaale up! Up! Up!"

"Thank you!" They take a small bite of the cookie. It doesn't taste like nothing, at least. In fact, it tastes halfway decent!

"Siffrin, are you sure you're okay?" Mirabelle leans a bit closer to them and bites at a bit of dead skin on her lip.

"Yep!" he says while spraying cookie crumbs everywhere. "Just hungry! Feeling better already with Bonnie's amazing cooking!"

"Really!? It's that good? I mean of course it's that good! If it can cheer Frin up when they're feeling like crab, you know it's good!" They cross their arms and give a triumphant nod.

"It is good, Bonbon!" Isabeau takes a big bite of his rice triangle thing. He jumps. "Are these apple slices?"

"Yep! I saw Dile put plum in some a while ago, so I figured I'd try putting another fruit in there!"

They turn to Odile, who had just taken a tiny bite from hers.

She stares at the rice triangle.

Just...allies.

"It's okay, Dile. I know you're old and don't like change, so I have one with a plum if you want."

"Thank... You."

Just...

>>>

They're at the door to the third floor.

Siffrin removes the key from his pocket without dropping any of the caustic chemicals.

But...

There's still that sadness up ahead. Even if they don't get ambushed like a blind idiot, he still could break some of the bottles in the scuffle.

They should hand them off to Bonnie, but...

"Wait here."

"Huh?"

Siffrin dashes back to the nearest room.

Nope.

Next.

Nope.

Next.

Ah!

He spots a few coats hanging by the door. They swipe them all and rush back.

"What was that all about, Siffrin?" Odile narrows her gaze.

They start pulling bottle after bottle out of their pockets and line them up on the bench.

"What."

"Uhm, I was thinking. We should probably use any boost we can get in our fight."

"And you thought of using caustic chemicals?" She taps her book. "That's actually not a bad idea, Siffrin."

Bonnie squints at one of the labels. "You're gonna put soaps and stuff on the King? That's so funny! But why?"

Odile pulls out her notebook and scans the bottles. "Some of these, when mixed, can be incredibly caustic and can potentially blind him or cause respiratory distress."

Bonnie gasps and scoots closer to the bench. "Whoa. That's so cool!"

Isabeau already begins rearranging the bottles. "Yeah, some of these can burn! Great thinking, Sif!" He smiles at Siffrin for a brief moment before quickly turning back when they notice his darkening cheeks.

"Just want our fight to go as smoothly as possible!" They smile wider.

Mirabelle picks at her fingernail. "I don't know, that seems a bit cowardly to fight him like that."

"Mirabelle." Odile looks over her book. "This is The King we're talking about. The one who froze your home and country in time. The one who locked himself away at the top of the House that had to be opened with orbs spread across the entirety of Vaugarde?" She readjusts her glasses. "

"Yeah...yeah! You're right!" Her expression hardens with determination. "Let's burn his gross face right off!"

"That's the spirit, Mira!" Isabeau pats her on the back. She seems to relax and let her hands fall to her side.

"Yeah! Burn it right off!" Bonnie cheers with their fists raised high.

Odile chuckles. "Let's be careful not to influence our gentle Mirabelle too much. We don't want her entering her villain era just yet."

"Hee hee!" Mirabelle covers her mouth with a hand and bats her eyes cutely.

"Evil Belle! What evil things will she do!?"

"Haha, yeah Mira! What are your plans for world domination?"

"Uhm..." She looks a little unsure again. With a little gasp, she looks at Isabeau and Bonnie with a smirk. "Secret~!"

"Aw boo!" Isabeau and Bonnie say in unison.

"Okay, okay, reigning this back in, children. We still have a ways to go." She ignores everyone's pouts and nods at the coats Siffrin gathered. "I'm assuming you grabbed those to prevent any accidents?"

He shrugs and nods. "Wouldn't want to turn into a Siffrin puddle if a sadness hits us out of nowhere!"

Bonnie scrunches their nose. "Hahha, eww, Frin puddle!"

"It would probably be best if Boniface were to carry the bottles. We can make a makeshift bag with this coat here so they can easily drop it and run if need be."

"Yes! I get to hold the poison!"

>>>

Huh?

Oh!

Okay!

They're moving, finally!

Through the door.

Don't zone out!

There's the sadnesses nearby!

Don't! You! Forget!

They slow down as they near the hall they were ambushed in last time.

As expected, they hear faint shuffling from ahead.

Holding their hand out, they pull out their dagger. The others catch on and prepare.

And there they are. Not even looking at them!

They look weird, though, like two halves of a person.

Siffrin locks onto the paper type and just attacks.

It wails and thrashes around—the other one, a rock type, whips around and barrels forward, but Odile is ready with her Paper Craft.

The shorthaired one lashes out and hits Isabeau square in the chest. He stumbles back with a wheeze but manages to stay on his feet.

They're strong.

The long-haired one hits Odile with a rock move. It still sends her flying against the wall despite her resistance.

Bonnie darts in and out with tonics, bag of poison tucked safely behind a pillar.

Stronger than any other sadness they've faced in the House.

By the time they've finished, they're all shaking and out of breath and down half of their tonics.

"Please tell me there's no more of these before the King."

Well, if the House is what you remember, then...

"I hope not," Mirabelle mumbles while healing a big scrape on Isabeau's arm. "We should move forward and collect ourselves. I feel like there's a safe place to rest up ahead."

They all nod and hobble on forward. Bonnie nearly forgets the bag.

Just as Mirabelle assumed (and as Siffrin remembered!), they arrive at the same room that's been etched into his mind after every single time they died to the King.

The four of them lean against the wall and sink to the floor.

They all take turns tending to one another, Mirabelle with her healing Craft and the others with wash cloths, medicine, and bandages.

He starts to...

>>>

"Okay! ARE WE READY FOR SNACKS TIME!?"

Again?!

They blink to awareness as Bonnie once again runs off to the corner of the room. He forces himself to focus as their allies talk about their (forever impermanent) deaths, as Bonnie hands out their selection of snacks, as he nibbles on a madeline, which doesn't taste completely like ash, still.

It's new. It's new. They know there weren't snacks here or in the last safe room. But why???

Ugh. Why does it matter? Snacks! Enrichment!

What else are they supposed to be expecting from now on?

They brush off all the crumbs and head out.

Okay. Nothing too weird yet.

Just...

THE ROOM WITH THE WINE IS GONE!

Ughhhhhh.

Whatever. It's not like you remember to drink it half the time anyway.

Okay, sadness again. A little easier to kill after the experience from that last fight.

Kitchen looks different.

She didn't get upset over the plates. That's a plus.

Even more sadnesses.

Ah, the torch, at least this room didn't vanish, too.

Okay. Hair time.

Fwoosh!

>>>

Siffrin is ripped back into consciousness at the sounds of clinking glass.

They're in the final safe room.

Odile takes inventory of the bag of tonics. "I'm more convinced Siffrin's idea was the right call after the sadnesses we've encountered."

Nobody's asking—demanding to know what's wrong with him.

"Yeah! Brutal but effective!"

They envision Isabeau holding onto his hands, warm grip like steel, sweat soaking through their gloves in a weirdly comforting way.

"Hopefully," Mirabelle adds.

Isabeau pats her on the back. "It'll be okay, Mira. We've got this!"

Siffrin nods automatically.

They imagine her hands cupping their cheeks, her fingers brushing just below his scarred eye.

"Yes. I am feeling optimistic about this battle, despite our roadblocks on the way up."

He thinks about her ruffling his hair and struggling to comfort him in her own way.

"Yeah! And I've got SNACKS for one last SNACK TIME! WOO!"

Well...at least there's that. Though it's not exactly personal anymore.

They smile and nod through Bonnie's spiel and—

His nose twitches.

"And, um, the last snack..."

Bonnie cautiously collects the next option.

Another aromatic wave hits Siffrin and he salivates for the first time in Universe knows how long.

"Okay, I've never tried it before, but—"

"Ma—!" He... can't remember their name but can't forget that smell!

"Malanga fritters!" Bonnie says.

"!!!" Siffrin reaches out, and without another word, Bonnie hands him a napkin wrapped around a large helping of them.

They stare.

So crispy and greasy! Just like they were back—

There's a twinge behind their missing eye.

<<<

So crispy and greasy. They look so good!

He fishes out the biggest one and brings it to his mouth.

He takes another long sniff.

And pauses.

They're going to taste like ash, aren't they?

No. Not completely, the other snacks didn't!

But...

Bonnie is watching them intently.

You can't disappoint them!

Just pretend you dropped them in the dirt, but still are going to eat them because they're so good!

"What's wrong, Frin? Are you worried I messed them up? Because I promise I worked really hard on them! So they'll have to be good!"

"What? No! No, I know they're good, it's just..." Think, Siffrin. "It's been a while."

A long, long, long while.

Bonnie's head tilts.

Siffrin shoves an entire fritter in his mouth and bites down with a nice crunch.

Ignore the ash. Ignore the ash. Ignore the ash!

It's good. It's good. It's good!

"Well!?" Bonnie leans forward.

"Mmmmpphfhfh." Siffrin nods.

Malanga fritters.

It's been so long.

They chew slowly and focus on the surviving flavor.

They feel like they're going to cry.

Something new—something...

Not at all like the previous time in that room. Nothing like the time that led to them finally killing him.

Everything's different! There's no way you could have replicated last time anyway!

But it's fine! It's not like you have to when you won't ever be close enough to get hit with that one attack tee hee~!

They look at their hands to see nothing but crumbs and a thin shine of grease.

The lingering flavor slowly sours into an aftertaste.

They're still hungry.

>>>

"Okay. Do you all remember the plan?" Odile taps on the largest bottle.

Bonnie furiously nods. "Yeah! We go up to him and pretend we're going to have a fair fight, then BOOM! ACID IN THE FACE!"

"Technically, most of these are bases, but yes, essentially."

"You're a bases."

"Boniface ." Odile pinches the bridge of her nose. "Anyway, yes, aim for the face or anything exposed, throw, and run. Isabeau and I will be waiting right behind this door as backup if things go sour. Do not taunt the King. Do not converse with him. Do not give him any chance to turn it back in his favor."

Bonnie is nearly bouncing on their feet. "We’re gonna crab him up so bad he won’t know what hit him!!!"

Both Siffrin and Mirabelle take a deep, slow breath and nod.

He pats the bottles under their cloak, picks his head up high, and walks through the door.

As always, the King kneels before a nest of his own darkless hair.

Don't forget. Don't forget. Don't forget. MIRA has to deal the final hit. SHE'S the chosen one, not you.

You just have to make sure there's a first hit.

The walk to the King is long and tedious, as always.

Breathe in, and out.

Don't get your hopes up.

But.

It has to be.

It has to be it.

But.

Don't get your hopes up.

It is hopeless, after all.

But it has to be it!

It has—

"Ah...... ah......"

They stop before the King and glare. Their fingers twitch.

"Oh...... Young ones......"

He lowers his fists to scan the party.

"Are you...... here to kill me......? With just two of you............? And a child........?"

"Yep." Siffrin whips the bottles from his pockets with zero fanfare and chucks them directly into the King's face. They both make contact with a satisfying shatter. Bonnie's hits immediately after—before he even has a chance to cover his face.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH WHAT IS THIS?"

He doubles over as Mirabelle's bottles shatter at his feet. He takes one step before crashing to the floor with a resounding slam. The sounds of his rattling armor echo throughout the room almost as loud as his wails

"Run!"

The three of them take off as the King screams and flounders like a newborn fawn on ice. He hurls curse after curse at them, fumbling to regain his footing, remove a gauntlet, and wipe the chemicals from his eyes.

Closer, closer. Odile and Isabeau wave them on and slam the door behind them.

Everyone stands there, panting heavily for a moment. Even Isabeau seems winded.

Bonnie runs in place and waves their arms. "Hahah, oh crab! That was awesome! And scary! Scary awesome!"

"I can't believe that worked!" Isabeau peeks through the door. "He's still thrashing around out there. I don't even think he can follow us if he tried; his hair's tangled in everything!"

"And he keeps slipping!" Bonnie points and laughs.

"Oh, I hope he doesn't collapse the floor." Mirabelle worries.

"It is possible, but..." Odile glances out. "He's sitting back down trying to wipe it off now."

Siffrin's back hits the wall, and they slide down with a slow exhale.

It worked?

They take another breath.

It worked!

Hahaha! Was it really that simple?

No. No. Don't get your hopes up, Siffrin. That's when everything falls apart.

But...

He scoots closer to the door and peeks out.

Just like Isabeau said, the King is on his knees, furiously wiping his face with a massive hand. One gauntlet is discarded by his side.

The smile that creeps on their face is not forced, for once.

Even if they don't kill him this time...

At least there's some joy they can glean from making him suffer just a fraction of what he's put them all through.

Hahah! Burn till you're nothing more than a pile of regolith dust!

They want to watch him melt into a King puddle, but Odile closes the door and clears her throat.

"If the curse wasn't only a few hours away, I would have suggested waiting it out and letting him succumb to infection. But as it stands, I wouldn't want to gamble on us being frozen and leaving Mirabelle on her own if he does manage to recover."

"Right." Mirabelle clasps her hands to her chest and nods.

"It'll be okay!" Isabeau smiles. "It'll be an easy peasy fight."

"Lemon squeezy?" Bonnie's eyes seem to sparkle with hope.

"Lemon squeezy!" He gives them a thumbs up.

"Then we got this!" They cheer with their fists in the air.

"Don't get too brash," Odile chastizes. "He's still dangerous even blinded and burned."

Bonnie grumbles, but the others nod slowly.

"You okay, Sif?"

"Huh?" They blink a few times and see Isabeau hovering over him.

"You okay?" He tilts his head.

"Yeah!" They realize they have their cloak bunched up in their fists. He lets go.

The others have stopped talking and are now looking at them.

They smile wider. "Really! Hey, he's not thrashing so much, we should probably head out now before it gets too quiet."

Odile narrows her gaze. "Right," she sighs. "Everyone caught their breath?"

The party nods, Siffrin a little too forcefully.

Odile, Mirabelle, and Bonnie slowly creep out the door. Isabeau puts his hand on it and turns back to Siffrin, voice low.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course! A-okay and ready Freddy!" They whisper-yell.

Isabeau's smile wavers. He studies them. Scrutinizes him. But then he exhales, nods, and heads out the door.

Siffrin gives his aching cheeks a quick massage and follows.

The King is up ahead, looking like a mess. They can hear his ragged breathing from halfway across the room. Every few moments, he lets out a set of wheezing coughs. He's still sobbing like a child, like he didn't freeze an entire country and kill Siffrin and their friends allies a thousand times.

Closer. Closer.

The King doesn't seem to notice them. They hold their weapons at the ready.

Closer.

The party reaches the border of his trembling shadow and line themselves up along it. They silently power each other up, mouthing the words in order to channel some of the Craft energy out.

Odile raises a hand.

Three.

Siffrin grips their dagger.

Two.

Isabeau clenches his fists.

One.

Mirabelle raises her rapier.

GO!

With a practiced synchrony, the four of them let off their strongest attacks all at once. They all connect with his mottled face and hands, tearing into his skin and splashing blood in every direction.

He wails again and thrashes out at them, but the party dodges back with ease.

"Saviors!" He bellows. "DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE YOUR COWARDLY TACTICS ARE ENOUGH TO DEFY THE UNIVERSE’S WILL?”

Siffrin attacks again before anyone else is close to ready with theirs.

"Ohhhh... ohhhhh............... You know........." He stops to cough and cough.

He's still not attacking.

"It still won't be enough..."

Wait.

He raises both hands, dark splotches etch his fingers and palms, raw and weeping.

Of course.

Siffrin lowers their dagger.

It's never enough.

The King snaps his fingers.

[ Y o u   s e e   a   v i s i o n   o f   t h e   f u t u r e ]

Every cell in their body alights in fire as their mind is smashed in from every direction.

Everyone hits the tiles with nothing more than a grunt.

Why, why, why?

Siffrin can't move—can't even make a sound.

We're so close!

We—

Of course, he could still use that attack! It hits everything! He doesn't need to aim!

Stupid stupid!

"Ohhhhhh ohhhhh Saviors........... You thought it was enough." He flexes his gauntlet. "All you have done was prevent me from viewing my perfect ending. I will still rest easy knowing Vaugarde will be frozen in eternal perfection............... even if I can no longer see it.............."

The others lay there silently. Isabeau and Odile both hold their finger to their lips.

Oh.

There's still a chance.

Mirabelle's fingers twitch.

If Mira can just recover enough to...

Yes. Yes, you just have to hold on long enough.

Isabeau is smiling at them. His eyes are hazy, and blood slowly trickles from a gash on his brow.

Siffrin blinks slowly, his lips twitch upward just a fraction. It's all they can do.

Just wait. Just wait.

Breathe in. And out.

The sound of heavy footsteps makes their blood run cold.

Shit!

"Boniface stay back!" Odile screams.

SLAM.

The wet sound of shattering bones echoes through the cavernous room. They can't see her body over Isabeau, but they can picture the scene perfectly.

No! No, no, no!

No!

Stars. Stars blind it all!

Even if we win this time...

Bonnie skids to a halt and freezes. A tonic tumbles from their grasp and shatters in front of them. Their hands slam over their mouth, nails digging into their skin.

"Dile?" they squeak.

Odile can only manage a single wheeze before she goes silent. The King's fist drips a trail of blood as he pulls back.

Bonnie! They're still out of range. Please, please don't move, don't move, don't move.

"Ohhhh............... Saviors.............. Some of you are still breathing........? Ohhhhhh... What a pity for you all.........”

Isabeau squeezes his eyes shut and bites his lip. Blood trickles from his mouth as he breathes deeply. Opening them once more, slowly, he pulls a despairing smile back on and mouths something Siffrin can't quite make out.

There's no point now.

He has to end it... Start again.

But they can't. Blinding. Move.

Mirabelle is facing the King, glaring right through him. Just like every time before her. Yet this time there's no satisfaction of angering him in her final moments if he can't see the look of brave defiance in her eyes.

She clenches a fist.

Gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut, she rolls to her side.

Siffrin's eye pleads with her to stay still. If she understood his message, she chooses to ignore it.

Mira, please no.

Not without Odile.

She takes another breath and slowly slides her arm under her.

A small flash catches Siffrin's eye.

On her chest is—

No.

No, no, no!

Siffrin tries to take in a deep breath.

Mirabelle pushes up and rolls to a crouch.

Ding ding!

SLAM.

...

Ha! Ha h hahahahha hahahah!

HAhahaa!

Hahahah!

This is what you get for being hopeful!

More of the same!

At least it's quicker than it could have been.

Isabeau grimaces again, teeth grinding on each other. He chokes back a sob the King might have heard were he not shaking viscera from his gauntlet.

But his smile is back. Even with tears in his eyes. Even with his body trembling.

He always does this.

Every time.

No matter how hurt he is or how scared.

As long as he can see them, as long as he can move, he gives them his full attention and smiles. He hides so much fear and pain behind his eyes, but thousands of loops have Siffrin seeing right through the mask.

They thought they were numb to the death by now, but of course, that one sliver of hope rips the wound wide open again and sprays it with the same chemicals burning through the King's skull.

"Ohhh............ ohhh............ Saviors......... That was the Housemaiden, was it not..........? Your healer............ I see now you were waiting for her to recover, were you not...........? Even though you so violently defied My Will, I will offer you a quick and merciful end if you speak up now........."

Go blind yourself, King.

Oh, wait!

Hahha!

We did that for you!

They almost don't want to bring attention to themself now; that would give him what he wants.

And yet...

They can't let Isabeau's smile fade. They can't let their last memory of him in this loop be as a pile of viscera and bones. His body still blocks the majority of the gore behind him.

Of what used to be their friends allies.

Stars. Why can't you even make one blinding sound!? Scream! Hit the floor! Throw your dagger!

The unsteady drip drip of Mirabelle and Odile's blood is the only sound in the room outside of their weak breathing. Bonnie continues to stand, trembling, in the corner of their vision. Even then, it's hard to miss the tears pouring down their face. Hard to miss them fighting every urge to sob and scream and curse the King and say sorry, sorry, sorry and beg the gruesome remains of Odile and Mirabelle to reform.

“Ohhhhh....... Ohhhhhhhhhh..... It does not matter in the end....... You will be frozen in time soon enough..... Child.............”

Bonnie flinches and gives the King the most piercing glare they can muster through the tears.

It twists something inside Siffrin. He still can't make a sound.

“If you care for your fellow Saviors........... You will grant them mercy and allow me to give them a quick end.......”

Their whole body shakes, and they seem to fight the urge to scream.

Stars. Stars!

Why now? He' always had enough energy to taunt him one last time.

Bonnie turns their gaze to Siffrin. Slowly, slowly, they begin to sneak toward him. Their hand carefully reaches into their bag.

No, no, no. Bonnie please!

Please just let me die! I can do it again!

Closer.

Closer.

Their eyes flash between Siffrin and the King. They can't stop blinking away the tears. They refuse to look at what remains of Odile and Mirabelle. Siffrin can see them wringing their hands on the bottle, fighting the urge to look.

Please. Don't look. Don't look.

Just make a sound, Siffrin!

One sound.

One move.

Massive tears spill forth from the King's eyes as he continually wipes at his face.

Bonnie squeezes their eyes shut and bites their lip, pausing for a moment.

"Ohhhh............... Child.......... please........... I would rather not have to reduce myself to blindly slamming my hands on this floor to finish the job.............."

They're on them, sinking to their knees and taking his head in their hands. They take great care to pop off the cork, cup his face, and hold the opening to his lips.

Squeezing his eye shut, he swallows the thick, sour liquid.

The warmth radiates out from their stomach to the tip of every limb. Their fingers twitch. Breath hitches. Everything begins to tingle as their body slowly, slowly, starts to stitch itself back together.

They—they think they can move again.

Bonnie tilts the bottle just a little higher, arm shaking even harder. Tears and snot cover almost every inch of their face. Siffrin can almost hear their teeth groaning from the strain of their jaw.

The tonic spills faster into their mouth, too fast to swallow.

It slips into his lungs.

He coughs.

The King's head snaps toward him.

Finally.

He raises his fist.

They smile at Bonnie—at Isabeau. With the hint of strength they regained, they shove Bonnie away.

Just allies.

SLAM!

[sageofgrief]

i can't remember your rules but i would like to request krisis getting flustered? thanks. i will llose my mind 💛

from brisquad-unit-4402

flustered krisis!?

︱ gn reader , teasing reader , flirty , established relationship with wilson

divider by cafekitsune

art by papercider (twt)

vezalius bandage

you and zali throw around flirty remarks at each other all the time, whenever one of you tries to catch the other off guard with it, the other just hits you with one right back, its definitely an amusing relationship for an observer.

zali was tending to your wounds after you trip and fell and took a pretty good bruise on your knee caused by the rocky ashy road. "you really need to be more careful, my dear.." he said as he laid the bandage on your soft skin, to which he noticed. despite being a medic healer, he's never had to heal you that often since you were really a careful person, which is why youre confused how this even happened. "your skin.." zali noticed "..what? whats wrong?" you looked at zali then down at your knee, which now was a better sight to be seen than before. "..nothing, it's..so soft" zali caressed the area around the bandage, you chuckled softly as you thought this was another one of zali's flirtatious gestures he was trying to pull on you to finally see you blush. you put a hand on top of his hand and it felt...warm. "youre warm, zali" you took notice, looked back at him and smiled, a smile that stung his heart and the memories of it ringing, bouncing back and forth in his head. he thought of all the happy memories you two had with each other up until this moment and started to form a faint blush on his cheeks. "zali?" "hmm?~" "youre blushing." you said, "am i now? well thats unfortunate now is it?" he chuckled softly, zali didnt care now that he technically loss their little game 'cause all he wanted is to tell you how he was really feeling, and by the look of it, it looked like you felt the same way.

vantacrow bringer

vanta always act so tough but this man will melt if he stares into your eyes for even 5 seconds, maybe even less. you knew this was his one weakness so you decided to challenge him to a staring contest.

"hah! i win once again!" vanta cheered as he released his arm from yours, you two were having an arm wrestling contest, you already knew you'd lose so you just gave up. "what should we do next? ive been winning every challenge so far~" vanta teased you, "how abouuut.. a staring contest?" you suggested. "easy!" he confidently obliged.

you two sat down on a chair across not that far from each other and began. you stared into his purple eyes that windowed into his inner soul. you were doing great, but vanta's eyes seem to be shaking? "why you shaking, bringer?" you asked, "...im not shaking youre shaking...." he nervously murmured.

the man eventually blinks and you declare your victory, but just before you said so, you take a look at vanta who broke the gaze and it looked like the man was out of breath from running a marathon. he had a hand on his chest, he was blushing, and he was sighing. "looks like i won.." you declared. "y-yeah.. you win" he admitted defeat and looked back to you, "are you blushing?" you tilted your head to the side. "uhhhhh..." he tried to come up with an excuse before looking down at his phone, "hey zali's calling, lets meet up with him...!" vanta quickly whipped up a quick excuse just to get you to stop teasing him about his flustered state. while walking though, you could tell that he was still thinking about that moment by the way he smiles randomly from time to time.

yu q wilson

he's a simple boy. just hold his hand and you'll have him hiding his face from you. he also enjoys when you ruffle his hair, when you sit on his lap, oh he also loves when you give him nicknames.

you were in the drivethru at a local fast food restaurant, you were in the driver seat, wilson being your passenger princess. you pulled up and requested your order to the worker, "that's it for me.. you want anything, yu?" you asked wilson if he wanted anything, he told you his order and you told it back to the worker. you decided to pull a little prank and call him your husband instead of your boyfriend. it's a silly prank that you saw on the internet and you knew instantly that you had to try it on him "my husband just wants fries" "HU- hus..band...?" he nearly yelled but covered his mouth before doing so. "yes, thank you" you thanked the lovely worker and drove away from them. you drove up to the window and waited for your order, you decided to look back to wilson and he just had the most confused smile on his face with the most obvious blush on his cheeks. "whaaat?" you acted clueless. "HUSBAND?...husband???" that time he yelled to which you just laughed. right before the worker opened the window to hand you your order, wilson pulls you into a kiss that nearly turned into a makeout session in the car...you freaks.

im SO sorry this took so long 4402!!! but at last, i deliver

intro • masterlist • general rules • detailed request rules • main acc @sageofgrief • nsfw acc @sageofmarionette

[thehollowwriter]

Summary: Slaving away in the bowels of Octavinelle as an anenome, Ace finds himself desperate to find a way out of his mess. Being put under the watch of a quiet Octavinelle second year thrusts an opportunity at Ace. Ace decides that, yes, Finn Clearcove would definitely be a help in this situation. It goes about as well as expected. (It does have a part 2, but I'll see how well this goes before rewriting that XD)

This is a rewrite of my first ever Finn fic, over a full year later. Please stick around to the end, I've got some special words for ya'll. (Here's the original, but pls don't look DON'T LOOK it's embarrassing/hj) Art for banner by @authoruio

Warnings: Swearing, forced labour, mentions of blood, that's about it Word count: 5239

(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤️)

Anenome-Free Gaurauntee! (Hopefully)

Ace Trappola had fucked up. Now, this may seem unsurprising to most. Ace could never keep himself out of trouble. Whether it be running his mouth mouth or acting brashly, his actions often landed him in hot water.

This time, though, Ace had really fucked up.

The ghastly purple and blue anenome protruding from his head like some vile fungus was the bane of his existence. Not only did it look ridiculous and showcase his failures to anyone with a pair of eyes, but it turned him into a living puppet that bastard Azul could pull and contort as he pleased.

Ace was so confident when he made that contract. He never once thought he'd be kissing his freedom goodbye when he scrawled his signature onto that damning page.

Ugh, if only he'd known how many other poor souls had also made contracts and that he wouldn't have a chance. Maybe then he wouldn't be in this mess.

"Or maybe you wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't make a contract at all and asked Riddle for help or something." Yuu had said pointedly, and Ace could only groan in frustration and regret.

Now, Ace was standing in the VIP room in front of Azul's polished and tidy desk, wondering why he had been called here.

He didn't do anything wrong, did he? Floyd wasn't going to squeeze him again, was he? Oh no, anything but that, his ribs still hurt from last time-

"Don't look so terrified," Azul said, his smooth, suave voice laced with amusement. "You haven't done anything wrong. This time. But you're cutting it awfully close. I decided it would be best that I be generous and warn you that you're riding a fine line, Trappola. Your next punishment will be much harsher if you continue fighting against paying your dues. You're almost worse than the Savanaclaw anenomes."

There was a brief silence, and Ace quickly nodded, his gut tightening as he wondered what could possibly be even harsher than what was already dished out.

Azul checked his watch. "Your break ends soon. You best get going. But while I have you here, I'll let you know we're holding an event to commemorate the sports tournaments this weekend. Further details will be announced in time, but Floyd will be playing for the second year's, and Jade will be working front of house. You," Azul pointed at Ace with his cane. "Will be in the back because I can not have your abysmal attitude ruining the experience for the guests."

"Wait," Ace spluttered. "I have basketball games on the weekend too, I can't-"

"Your games are midmorning." Azul interrupted calmly. "You can work in the afternoons and evenings."

"But I'll be exhasuted-"

"Then you're lucky to be working in the kitchens and not running around for customers. Aren't I just so benevolent?" Azul's smile was stupidly smug as he spoke. "Of course, you will need someone watching you and the others while Jade and Floyd are absent. Hmm, I think Finn should be up to the task. He can keep you all in check."

"Who?" Ace blurted. Finn? Who was Finn? The name was vaguely familiar, but there were so many students in Night Raven that it could be anybody.

"Finn Clearcove. One of my second years."

As Ace eyed Azul wearily, that feeling of recognition sparked again.

Finn Clearcove. He'd heard that name before. When did-

Ah. Ace remembered now. When he and the others were helping Yuu and Grim investigate the strange freak accidents orchestrated by Savanaclaw, Finn was one of the students on their list of possible targets.

They found him in the library, reading silently in a dark corner. Ace almost couldn't believe that such a tiny, though definitely not light, guy was on their list at all. Sure, the dorm leader was small too, but he carried himself in a way that demanded respect and let you know he was powerful. This guy didn't give that vibe at all.

Their attempts at talking to Finn failed drastically as Finn's piercing eyes stared right through them, and he told them into to leave in a way that hinted at consequences if they did not listen.

Ace didn't really think about Finn after that. Finn wasn't scary, and he didn't do or say anything particularly striking, like the twins or Jack did.

Now, though, Ace's mind was running a mile a minute, trying to scrape up any other memories of Finn that may have been buried under other things weighing on his mind. Nothing.

What was Finn like? Was he as bad as the twins? Did he also relish in people's suffering? Did he play around with the emotions of others, too? ...Did he need a stepstool when getting stuff from a shelf?

Ace was drowning in these thoughts even as Azul ushered him out of the VIP room and back to work, forcing him to slave away under the watchful eyes of the twins until the skies turned dark.

Ace collapsed into bed, exhausted and woke up sluggish and filled with dread. Although he was confident in his skills, the damn anenome prevented him from practising when he wanted and left him tired and grumpy even when he did have time.

Unsurprisingly, this affected his gameplay. Cut to the aftermath of that morning's game and...they lost horribly. Sure, NRC lost a lot anyways, but even as Ace wiped sweat from his forehead and chugged down water, his heart was pounding in a mix of exertion and fury at the fact that the damn anenome made this loss worse than it ever could have been.

He made so many dumb mistakes. Mistakes a beginner would make! It pissed him off and embarrassed him to no end. And that wasn't even covering the fact that the stupid thing sticking out of his head was visible for all to see! They kept pointing and laughing at it!

Ace's mood was sour, and a storm cloud might as well have spawned above his head as he got changed and stomped to Mostro Lounge.

Somehow, Ace's heart managed to sink further when he saw just how many people were there. Not just students but families who came to watch the games. Parents, siblings, extended family, the whole place was packed to the brim.

When Ace arrived at the kitchen doors, Azul and Finn were already there, quietly conversing with each other.

Ace couldn't hear what they were saying, but he wouldn't have cared anyway because he was too busy biting back a snort at the sight of Finn. The guy was even smaller than Ace remembered, probably shorter than Epel.

Finn's face was set in a blank, unreadable expression as he quietly listened to what Azul was saying and occasionally murmured a reply. The conversation came to an end when Azul caught sight of Ace and that enraging smile spread onto his face.

"Ah, Ace, I see you're on time for once. Good." He said. "Finn, this is Ace Trappola. You'll need to keep an extra eye on him today and tomorrow, I'm afraid."

Finn nodded but didn't say anything in reply. He gazed silently at Ace with bright, light purple eyes that would make one think of an amethyst stone.

Ace met Finn's gaze and was suddenly overcome with such an overwhelming feeling of dread it startled him.

Azul must have noticed because he smirked and said, "I'm sure you'll behave, Ace." And left.

Ace didn't answer, still locked in some kind of weird staring contest with this tiny second year.

Finn suddenly turned and motioned for Ace to come inside the kitchens, where the other anenomes had already started working; preparing ingredients, cooking, washing dishes, and more.

Finn pulled a kitchen uniform from the small rack near the entrance and began putting it on, then pointed to where a Pomefiore student was frantically washing an ever growing pile of dishes consisting of both kitchen equipment and dishes from the Lounge itself.

"You're on dish duty, Mister Trappola." He said, and Ace realised this was the first time he'd ever heard him speak since the library encounter. His voice was so soft that Ace almost didn't hear it, but it was firm and commanding all the same. Sharp teeth just barely poked out from his lips. Was he like the twins?

Ace nodded and forced a smile, goosebumps rippling across the skin as he looked back at Finn. When he looked away to go and start on the dishes, the feeling of dread vanished.

Ace looked back at Finn. He caught his eyes, and while Finn gestured at him to get to work and feeling returned. Ace looked back to the dishes. The feeling vanished again.

Ace frowned. Weird.

"Get moving, Trappola!" Finn, well, it was too quiet to classify as a shout, so... called. He called, and Ace hurried to work.

Ace hated dish duty. There was always more than he could keep up with, but he didn't want anything to slip out of his hands and break, so he had to take it slower than he wanted. He was always hurried and run ragged, and then those damn twins would tell him he "missed a few spots" and make him do it all again.

Ace much preferred working front of the house, charming customers, and carrying drinks and food to and fro.

Well, at least he could see the rest of the kitchen from here since his station was at the back and out of the way. Ace found himself focusing on Finn.

For someone with such chubby fingers, Finn was nimble and efficient with knives. He wielded them with an ease and familiarity that only came from years of experience.

Though Finn was small and soft-spoken, the anenomes and other staff listened to him whenever he gave those quiet but firm commands.

Some anenomes were stubborn, but Finn's withering stare got them to shut right up. If they continued to resist, well, a harsh tug on the blue and purple monstrosities on their heads was enough pain to get them in line.

Ace wondered if he missed something because, sense of dread aside, Finn was pretty hard to take seriously with the way he strained his neck to look someone in the eyes and how he needed a step stool to grab anything a bit far off the ground and the way the buttons of his uniform seemed ready to snap right off with the way it strained against his middle.

When break came around, Ace was ready to bolt and embrace his brief moment of respite when he realised the room wasn't completely empty.

Finn remained alone in the kitchen and busied himself with making two cups of tea and a small snack.

"Pretty sure we aren't allowed to do that." Ace commented. "We have to bring our own stuff. Azul's gonna take that out of your pay, you know."

There was a long stretch of silence before Finn quietly said; "It's for Jade and Azul."

Ace furrowed his brows. "Why? Are you like their assistant or something?"

Finn didn't reply. Ace decided to take that as either a yes or a maybe. He watched Finn disappear into the VIP room, where he didn't come out until the very end of the break.

When Finn returned to start prepping for the next slew of orders, Ace found himself paying a little closer attention to him and his appearance.

Well, he didn't see anything new at first. Just the same details as before. Finn was very short, very chubby, and had curly green hair pulled back into a painfully tight bun. His eyes were like shining lilac amethyst gemstones, the colour only accentuated by the... dark circles under them.

Huh. Ace didn't notice that before. Now that he really looked, though, Finn looked really exhausted. He didn't really show it in his actions or voice, but it was prominent in his eyes.

"Work, Trappola." Finn hissed, and Ace nearly jumped out of skin. How had Finn noticed? Nevermind, he had to get to work before he got in trouble.

The rest of the night went by surpsingly quickly, the pace becoming calmer as the number of customers dwindled and the sky darkened.

At 9pm, Mostro Lounge closed its doors to customers. At 11pm, Ace was finally allowed to leave now that every bit of cutlery, crockery, and cooking utensils were cleaned and packed away, and the work surfaces and tables were wiped down, and the floor was swept and mopped until the place was sparkling clean.

Ace was the last anenome to leave, exhaustion from his game and full day of working slowing him down.

However, before he left, Ace paused at the doors when he realised Finn was still there, bringing tea to the VIP room.

"You do know that Azul's not gonna pay you overtime or give you special treatment for doing all that, right?" He called. "Your shift's over."

Finn stopped walking and glanced at Ace, his usually deadpan face crinkling to form an irritated expression. "We don't tolerate loitering, Mister Trappola. Leave."

Ace felt a sudden spike of pain at the base of his anenome and laughed nervously. "Hah, right. Yeah, I'll go. You keep doing... whatever you're trying to do." He said, backing away and out of the Lounge.

When he was out of sight, Ace heard the door to the VIP room open and close.

Just how long was Finn going to be in there this time? What was he doing in there? It didn't take an entire half-hour break to give someone tea.

...Well, going out of your way to make someone tea when you aren't obligated to is pretty nice.

Ace sighed. Poor Finn. If he wasn't an assistant or trying to gain something like Ace first thought, and instead acting out of the kindness of his heart or whatever, then the shortstack was in for a nasty surprise. Azul would take full advantage of someone like that.

The next day was Finn's second and last day of watching over Ace and the other anenomes. It passed by without incident, more or less the same as the previous one.

After Finn's time there ended, and things returned to normal, Ace found himself paying attention to his presence anytime he noticed him.

He wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was that sense of dread. It did pique Ace's curiosity. He's never experienced something like that. Maybe it was Finn's unusual dedication to the finely dressed tyrants that made Ace's life hell.

Whatever the reason, Ace's observations carried on enough for him to recognise Finn had a routine that repeated day in and day out, a routine that he rarely broke from.

Finn was always at the lounge early, before any of the other staff or anenomes arrived, either talking to Azul and the twins or beginning prep for the upcoming shift.

He worked quietly and efficiently at the bar, which seemed to be his usual workstation (how had Ace not noticed him before?), methodically mixing drinks and avoiding people's eyes. He rarely spoke aside from a passing word or two to customers and co-workers.

In his brief moments of respite, when he had nothing to make, Finn would close his eyes and listen to the live band always performing at Mostro Lounge, or gaze out the large glass wall into the sea of vibrant corals and fish with a tired, melancholy expression. Or at least, that's what Ace guessed it was, Finn's face still looked more or less the same as always.

When Finn's break came around, he would busy himself with making tea (the number of cups depended on if either of the twins were there or not), then disappear into the VIP room until his break ended.

And that wasn't all. Even when Finn didn't have a shift, Ace would occasionally spot him around. Most of his time would be spent in the VIP room if he did show up, unless there was a "client" seeing Azul.

When he left, sometimes his clothes would look just a bit ruffled, and other times, his face would look just a little pink. Weird.

Ace wouldn't dream of giving a fraction more of his time to those bastards outside of what he was forced to give. He couldn't imagine willingly going in there in his free time (that is, if Finn was willing at all), but it seemed Finn didn't stop there.

Sometimes, but very rarely, Ace would catch sight of Finn having lunch with Azul and the terror twins at the cafeteria. His plate would be piled high with food, and he'd quietly eat while the other three spoke.

Finn would join in from time to time, but he only really seemed to say a word or two. Sometimes, he'd even laugh. At least Ace assumed that's what it was, if Finn covering his mouth with his hand as his shoulders shook slightly and his eyes crinkled was anything to go by. Ace wondered what they were talking about.

It was... weird. Watching Finn. Ace couldn't for the life of him figure out if Finn was a secret addition to Octavinelle's infamous trio, or some poor soul somehow forced into the role of assistant or secretary and made to follow them around.

"Is Finn... always around those three?" Ace asked another Octavinelle student during his break, gazing at the firmly shut door to the VIP room. He wasn't a creep, he wasn't going around following Finn everywhere he went! He barely knew anything about him!

The third year he was talking to shrugged. "Not always. But Finn's been hovering around them since they arrived together in their first year. No idea what he could want with them, nor do I care.. He's a weird little creep that keeps to himself, and I'm happy with that as long as he doesn't come near me."

Ace glanced back at them to ask another question but stopped when he saw them holding their hand out expectantly.

Ace growled a curse word and dug through his pockets to slap a few madol in their hand. He didn't say anything, though. It was on him for asking something from an Octavinelle student. However, he didn't entirely regret it.

Finn Clearcove was definitely... close to Azul, Jade, and Floyd in some weird way. Ace wouldn't go so far as to say they're friends, but they weren't simply strangers or acquaintances either. Ace knew Azul would rather die than let just anyone enter the VIP room as they please. There were also a few occasions when Ace witnessed Finn sway Azul's opinion in one way or another or convince him to do something.

However, Ace swore he saw Finn with Azul's study guide once. He would have thought Finn was actually an anenome too, but the second year was very much lacking the presence of an anenome on his head.

The best guess Ace could venture was that Finn worked for those three, running around like a personal assistant making tea and everything, and being run so ragged he had eyebags.

Ace mulled over all he had learned, and then, well, an idea began to form. Would it work? He had absolutely no idea. Probably not. But it was worth a shot to get out of this hell.

Trying to convince Finn to help get rid of the anenome shouldn't end too badly... right?

***

After another gruelling half shifted at Mostro Lounge, Ace sacrificed the momentary relief that was his break to instead stop Finn before he could leave with his teatray to enter the VIP room.

Finn was busy fixing a pot of tea as always when Ace came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Finn!" Ace said, coming over to stand next to him. Finn didn't reply, simply busying himself with placing the teapot onto the silver serving tray with the teacups and their matching saucers and the milk and the sugar.

Ace frowned.

"Finn! Hello, I want to talk to you!"

Finn continued to ignore him. Ace reached out to tap his shoulder, but what whatever he was going to do or say next was interrupted by Finn suddenly grabbing his hand and wrenching it back before he could even react.

Finn clutched his wrist so tight it hurt. Ace yelped and tried to pull back, but the older boy's grasp was far stronger than expected.

Finn's eyes seemed to pierce right through him, and that horrible sense of dread came crashing down on him once more.

Ace paled. One of the reasons for Finn's placement on the list of Savanaclaw's potential targets sprang forth, finally clambering free from its place buried underneath other memories.

"He has a knack for spotting weakness."

"Mister Trappola," Finn said slowly. He didn't loosen his hold. His knuckles started turning white. "I'm busy. What do you want?"

"I, uh-" Ace swallowed before continuing, deciding his freedom was worth the shortstack's wrath. "I wanted to- to ask if you could do something for me."

Finn's expression didn't change, but there was a brief flicker of interest in those creepy, iridescent eyes. "If you want something, Azul-"

"No!" Ace snapped. Then he took a deep breath and continued again. "No. Stop with the Azul advertising! Please? I want a favour from you, Finn."

For a good few minutes, there was no reply. Ace would say Finn was in a state of disbelief, but it was impossible to tell.

Finally, Finn raised an eyebrow and looked Ace up and down, then said; "Is that so?" In a tone that almost made Ace take his words back. "Well, what do you want, then? I want to leave while the tea's still hot."

To emphasise his point, Finn gently tapped on the teapot with his pointer finger.

"Uh, right. So, you and Azul seem to hang around each other an awful lot. He must trust you quite a bit, right?" Ace said quickly, silently cursing at himself as every single word came out the entirely wrong way than intended. "Well, I mean, of course he must, you're always in that VIP roon of his and- and you've changed his mind about a few things more than once. That's quite impressive, right? A guy like him doesn't seem interested in what other people have to say, unless-"

"Get on with it, Trappola." Finn interrupted, his soft voice cutting clean through Ace's own much louder one somehow.

"Right, sorry. What I'm saying is, you and Azul have some weird situation going on, and I won't pretend to understand it at all, but I do understand enough to ask that perhaps you would have mercy on this poor freshman and convince the boss man to get rid of this anenome early..?"

Finn blinked at him, and for once, Ace could actually read his expression. Disbelief. 'Better than anger, I guess..?'

"You want me to... what?"

"Get rid of this anenome!" Ace repeated, a little louder. "I can't stand being a puppet! I want this damn thing off my head! Look, I'll even help you get out from under Azul's thumb yourself in return, just please get it off!"

Finn crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Ace, contemplating his words. Something... shifted in his eyes, though Ace couldn't really describe what it was.

On the inside, Finn wanted to laugh. He didn't know Ace all that well. Their interactions were few, and conversations, fewer. He didn't like Ace and didn't care to spend much more time around him than he needed to.

Now, though... now, he had an interesting opportunity presented to him, an opportunity in the form of an overworked and desperate freshman who did not seem to understand that the person he was talking to was not some sucker contorted to Azul's whims.

"Fine. I'll humour you. You want me to question my own housewarden for you, then? Me, not even the vice housewarden, asking Azul Ashengrotto to free a stubborn little first year from the terms of his own contract? The 'payment' you just offered me?" Finn made a noise that sounded far too much like a haughty scoff for Ace's liking. "That is bottom of the barrel scrap. For what you want me to do, I just might take your services for myself."

"I can do that!" Ace squawked, trying and failing not to sound as desperate as he felt. "As long as I'm not slaving away for that guy, I don't care!"

Finn regarded him with a bemused expression.

"And why would I want that?" He asked. "You slack off and put up a fight, Mister Trappola. Why would I agree to this when I could make the same deal with someone more obedient?"

"I- Well, I- I'll listen to you!'

Finn cocked his head to the side. "Can you prove it?"

"Yeah! If you just give me a chance, then I'll-"

"A trial period, then?" Finn asked, humming thoughtfully as Ace frantically nodded his head. "That's not a bad idea. How about this. I'll give you, ah, about a month. Do what I ask of you, and if you behave and meet my expectations, we'll negotiate further terms from there, and I'll see if I can convince Azul to release you. Deal?"

"D- wait. Do I have to do all that on top of my work as an anenome?"

Ah, so he wasn't that stupid, then. Finn hummed. "Yes. I won't be unreasonable, but you will be giving up more of your free time. Of course, whether it's something worth giving up is up to you."

Ace went quiet, quite an unusual thing for someone like him, as he pondered his options. Although Yuu was confident they could somehow find a way to get rid of the anenome, Ace wasn't too sure. He certainly couldn't get rid of it himself, and Jade and Floyd weren't going to help him unless a miracle happened.

The other anenomes and Octavinelle students didn't want to risk coming under fire, and his own dorm leader was a bit too enthusiastic at the idea of him suffering the consequences of his actions. The professors seemed uninterested in doing anything about Azul at all.

That just left... Finn. Ace could either A. Slave away until Azul completed his education at Night Raven, losing sleep and energy and the will to live, or B. Slave away while also doing things for Finn for one month, and if he impressed Finn enough then maybel he'd have a chance of losing his anenome and just doing stuff for Finn, who was quite notably not running an entire cafe, instead. Ace much preferred those odds, slim as they were.

Ace looked back at Finn, wincing at those piercing eyes, and nodded. "Deal."

There was a brief pause, and Ace became painfully aware of the fact that Finn still hadn't let him go.

"Uh-" Ace pulled, though it was futile against Finn's iron grip. "You can let me go now-"

Finn tightened his hold and pulled Ace down so they were eye level. "We're not leaving it at that, Mister Trappola." He hissed. "Hold still."

Ace couldn't bite down the shriek of surpise and mild pain that left him as Finn's free hand scratched at his skin with nails that seemed a little longer than they were before. A tiny droplet of blood bloomed on the surface of his skin, red against peach.

"Ow, what the hell-"

"Shut up." Finn growled. He swiped the droplet away with his pointer finger so that it stained his own skin. Then, he began to... well, Ace wasn't too sure what it was doing, but it looked like he was drawing a picture in the air.

Ace opened his mouth to ask Finn what the hell he was doing, but his mouth clicked shut as sparks of scarlet began to appear before his very eyes.

Ace watched in silent awe as Finn began to draw a circle of scarlet around the spot where he gripped Ace's wrist, then drew some weird symbols Ace couldn't recognise inside that circle

The pentragram-sigil-glyph-thing?- hovered like that, quivering. It made Ace feel a bit nauseous just looking at it.

Finn murmured something too quiet for Ace to hear, and the cursed circle thing pulsed, then disappeared.

"What..." Ace almost couldn't find his words for a moment. When Finn finally released his grip, the card soldier cradled his aching wrist . "What the hell was that?! That's no magic I've ever seen!"

"That," Finn said slowly, feeling the side of the teapot and frowning. "Is a binding. To ensure you keep your word. I don't make contracts like Azul."

"Is that some kind of second year spell I haven't heard about?" Ace's mouth was moving almost immediately. "Ugh, I knew my brother was hiding some cool kooky stuff from me-"

"No." Finn's curt response stopped Ace short and blinked at Finn.

"No?"

"No." Finn repeated. "You won't learn that here."

"Where did you learn that, then?"

Finn said nothing, and Ace, upon realising he wouldn't be getting a response, instead asked, "What does that do, exactly?"

"I just told you, it ensures you keep your word," Finn replied, tapping his pen against the teapot to reheat the now lukewarm water.

Ace furrowed his brows, tracing over the bruises Finn left on his poor wrist, red slowly turning purplish.

"What happens if... if I don't?"

Finn put his pen away and tilted his head at Ace. Then, he smiled. His teeth, still not fully visible to Ace, gleamed in the light. It was an... unnerving sight. Ace wasn't sure if he had ever seen Finn smile before. If this was his smiles really looked like then, well, he understood why.

"I don't think it'll come to that." Finn said softly. "But if it does... you'll be wishing you never spoke to me at all. Now, off you go. You've wasted enough of my time."

Ace hesitated for a moment, but the dull aching of his wrist was a good reminder to listen. He scrambled for the door, mumbling his goodbyes, and vanished into the fray of staff and customers beyond the kitchen.

He leaned against the wall in one of the furthest corners of the lounge, panting a little from his run. As he tried to calm down and tried to collect himself for the next shift that was bound to start soon, he wondered if he had perhaps made a mistake of some kind.

Unbeknownst to Ace, Azul Ashengrotto was leaning against the doors to the kitchen, smiling at Finn with that sharp smile only Azul was capable of.

"When I noticed you hadn't come, I didn't expect to find you terrorising poor Ace." He said without a hint of sympathy. "What a magnificent display, Finn. I didn't realise you finally got that binding spell right."

Finn laughed. "Hah, no. That's far too advanced for me. Papa's helped best he can, but I'm not quite there yet. Doesn't matter, though, Mister Trappola seems quite convinced it's real, and that's good enough for me. Besides, it wasn't all for show."

Finn held up the hand he'd been grasping Ace with, a large smile spreading onto his face and displaying all his teeth to his unflinching housewarden and... partner.

"I have a new voice now."

-End

...........................................

Super Special Author's Note: Over a year ago, on November 14th 2023, I wrote a story for my twst oc Finn. That's nothing too surprising, I like to write stories for my characters, after all. What did surprise me was how it all snowballed into where I am today, with so many wonderful moots and friends I never thought I'd meet, as well as their wonderful ocs I never thought I'd get to know.

It's been a pleasure to interact and draw and write with everybody, and I hope we're able to do all the more in the next coming year. Thank you everybody for caring so much about my skrunklies and getting to know me. You all mean so much to me.

Quinn <3

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

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@offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @inotonline

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[zahri-melitor]

So I've read the opening story of Tim Drake: Robin.

The opening issue is solid, highlighting a lot of Meghan Fitzmartin's skills as a writer. She picked up threads neatly from her earlier stories, showed her hand to the audience, and did do a fair amount of subtle character work. If I'd picked it up with no background knowledge of the fandom conversation about the title, I'd have been very excited for where it was going.

I liked the links back to how part of what prompted Tim to move out was Bruce being fussy over Tim having been shot in the throat in Batman #125. That felt realistic and a nice little link between titles.

As far as a story goes: I didn't mind it. Parts of it were very obvious, especially when you clued into the themes - if I'd actually been reading it as it came out and had a month between issues for things to soak in, I probably would have been tapping my toes over the reveal of who Moriarty was disguised as.

I would like to specifically dunk on both Meghan Fitzmartin and Moriarty for the detective novel writer selections, because...hmm. Kinda misogynistic there. Fitzmartin uses 6 writers for this, and 6 specific stories/franchises:-

Edgar Allen Poe – Murders in the Rue Morgue

Mark Twain – The Stolen White Elephant

Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes

Raymond Chandler - Goldfish

James Gelsey – Scooby Doo

Wilkie Collins – The Moonstone

What do you notice about this list, that I immediately noticed? They're all men. Who is an immediate name that comes to mind, who even had public domain stories as of 2022, who probably should be on a list like that and who also has incredible influence over the direction of the genre? Oh, I don't know, maybe Agatha Christie? (Also Dorothy L. Sayers is also right there and available, but skipping Christie?)

And once she'd built up this "it's all the detective stories" premise, Fitzmartin then went for a book code (cool!) from non-existent books (not cool). If you've just spent all this time glorying in how this is all related to Specific Classic Detective Stories, why not...use a real book code and refer to their actual stories? You've already done it for the plots! Commit to the bit!

Also I spent a good chunk of issue #4 staring at the page going "Carol Donovan? You mean Deb Donovan's judge daughter who recently appeared in Mariko Tamaki's 'Tec run? Tim, how are you missing something this straightforward? Also she's dead?" and then it never came to anything. Maybe do a quick check if anyone else has been using the name you just invented for the story.

"I even tried making a new costume for myself. It doesn't fit." - I did find it interesting that Fitzmartin was once again playing with the "is it time to move on" themes for Tim that were popping up around here in various conversations. Especially given she had Tim and Dick relitigate their conversation from Urban Legends #10 and similar themes in DC:YJ. It does suggest to me that she was working her way around to getting Tim into a new identity, but cancellation has once again left that in the 'not happening' basket.

In terms of the art: Riley Rossmo was the wrong pick for the title, but I do see the thought process that led into him getting the nod for the opening story, given the whole claymation villain set. It was very 2D animation style. I don't mind Rossmo (and interestingly he's developing a whole line up of detective stories he's done art for, given he's also had a Martian Manhunter book and got Wesley Dodds, he did one of the Batman/The Shadow crossovers...) but his highly malleable art style loses a lot of background detail or makes what is there harder to parse.

I did very much appreciate the way Rossmo drew Tim's detective work, though. I liked the technique for highlighting details and clues, and it actually very much reminded me of how some computer games present clues (including how it's done in Gotham Knights, in fact).

I know everyone has said this, but Bernard needs to develop a personality AND to commit to whether or not he knows Tim is Robin. Because sort of hinting that he knows, while Tim worries about hiding things from him, but not actually confirming either way is only really acceptable if you actually do build up to a big reveal moment where the whole drama has been paid off.

I did appreciate that MegFitz had clearly taken feedback and returned one of Bernard's two pre-existing personality traits (conspiracy theorist who thinks the Bats are urban legend cryptids), because one of the weaknesses of using Bernard, a side character with 6 preboot appearances, is that at lot of his existing personality was sketched in. He was a conspiracy theorist, and he desperately wanted to be popular but wasn't, so he presented himself as having a Cool Guy's Personality (see: 'your step-mom is hot'). Now, Meghan Fitzmartin wants us to read into that second trait as a facade that Bernard was putting up to deal with the fact he was gay and hiding it, probably even from himself, at the time. Which, fine, it's a perfectly reasonable reading of Bernard (and to her credit, MegFitz has Bernard spell it out a little on page in TD:R), but the problem is...you've just lost one of the two identifiable traits of 'Bernard' and it hasn't been replaced with anything else. And while 2004 in comics was still trying to hold onto the Urban Legends reading for the Bats to an extent (though it was failing), 2022 comics has so long since abandoned it that Bernard having kooky theories about Batman's connection to Mothman or whatever is very...why?

And because both of these pre-existing personality traits are under strain from the context, it really is sort of necessary to give Bernard something else about him for people to latch onto for his personality. And it doesn't really seem to be there yet (as of #6). It's the same complaint that people have about Jon/Jay and a whole host of other partners for recently out superheros: they're generically pleasant, supportive and bland, with about the depth of a mirror. Give me some of the toxic drama the 30 year old lesbians are allowed. Where is my breakup over custody fights with an ex and one of the two getting seduced by a vampire.

[fawnrats]

[Image description: Fanart of Five Pebbles from Rain World laying on his side, surrounded by rot. His eyes are clenched shut & he's wrapping his arms around himself. End of image description]

I missed day 5-7 of rain world art month u_u but I'm back for day 8!! & I'll keep trying to draw rain world fanart every day for the rest of the month ^w^ can't promise I won't fail again but I'll try! hopefully one of these years I'll be able to complete the whole event. the circumstances this year just haven't been the best for me, but I really wanted to try to participate anyways!

today's prompt was "the rot".

as for why I missed the past few days, on day 5 I had way too much trouble settling on an idea & nothing I was making was looking right to me. "looks to the moon region" was a difficult prompt for me cuz I don't have any memories that stand out to me of certain rooms or moments there to use as inspiration, except for her chamber but that feels like cheating.. I eventually decided to draw the room with the jellyfish leading up to her chamber in the lttm sub-region but couldn't find a reference of it for the life of me & really didn't wanna go there in-game (I didn't wanna interrupt the plans I already had for where to go next in-game & doubted I'd still have time to draw if I did that anyways).

I tried drawing a different room in the looks to the moon subregion but I didn't like how it turned out, so I resorted to drawing moon in her chamber but didn't like how that turned out either. eventually I just had to go to sleep & decided not to even post any of my attempts because I was in suuuch a bad mood & I hated them all too much to post. looking at them now they're not as bad as I remember, maybe I'll post the one of post-collapse moon in her chamber later! though it's very incomplete. I wonder if I should try to finish it, or if I should just post it the way I left it.. hmm..

on day 6 I did have a solid idea in mind from the beginning, but I was late to starting work on it, I hated how it turned out again & just wanted to sleep. I also wasn't sure if I should or would continue participating in RW art month either; since I missed a day I felt like I failed the whole thing & it would be wrong of me to continue participating like nothing happened. I couldn't find any rules for RW art month besides the obvious "don't steal" kind of stuff, & lots of people are taking more casual approaches to the event so it's probably not that big of a deal, but my autistic rigid thinking brain said it was. I also had to ponder, if I do continue, should I try to catch up on missed prompts or just move on & only do the prompt that corresponds to the day?

as you can see I chose the latter! though now I'm really thinking about going back & finishing those day 5 & 6 WIPs.. maybe after RW art month is over? anyway, on day 7 I just couldn't settle on an idea.

[georgiapeach30513]

Hey Peach ☺️

Mrs. Pasta checking in. ❤️

I hope you and your family are doing well. Your previous words about the holidays last year being a tough time for you made me sad, and I hope you know despite me being a random person on the internet, I wish you the best and think you and your followers are awesome people. And Shellie who made art for me! 😘

Anyways, I hear your anons like some shade 🤪

I see PR is PRing this week!!! IYKYK

And for those of you whom think I’m overthinking and just saying things, well I get paid to overthink. It is literally my job. 🤭

Word to the wise: PR isn’t only just what’s the most obvious. This goes for social media, stunts, scripted shows, public appearances, and pap walks.

No, the kind of PR that’s truly based? I like to call it organic manipulation. So good you don’t even realize you’re being duped. And BTW? Was Mrs Ryan Reynolds faking her shock when her husband made light of her recent SH debacle?

We’ll see, that’s the thing. People on Reddit all day now saying she didn’t, she’s not that good of an actress. Some say she’s in on it. Even if she did come out and say she was in on it haha good joke, how do we know that wasn’t scripted as well? See what I mean?

That’s how they getcha every time. All about the engagement. Though most people are tired of these two and their games by now. But hate watching is still a thing. Watching to find out how it ends is also a thing. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

Have a great week! 😘😘😘

Mrs. Pasta! I love when you drop by 🥰

Me and my family are doing well, despite a few that had strep 😑 and despite you being a random person on the internet, I do feel the love and warmth from you. And I think I have some great followers and internet besties 🤗🤗

This week 🤭 it’s been an interesting past few days to say the least 🫠 it seems that 2025 is shaping up to be the year of obviousness. For those who choose not to have their head in the sand. Celebrities will stunt, and they will be shameless. I think fans have become a lot smarter now than in the past. But the GP doesn’t always see everything fans do, huh?

Organic manipulation is an interesting term 🤔 I like it. Maybe not the action. But again for the GP it will mostly go unnoticed. They’re not looking quite so much, don’t care, and easily forget. The Mr. And Mrs. Of tone deafness 😬 they probably should have stayed at home. That lacked awareness and humor.

Blake isn’t a great actress, but maybe in times of desperate need she could be? Hmm.

People are definitely hate watching these two. I think sometimes people get glee out of others downfall. Or maybe people just didn’t like them as much as their egoic brains though. Alas, he’s a rich white man and he’ll be okay. Not sure his wife will fair as well.

I hope you have an amazing week as well 😘

[honeyjars-sims]

3.16 Mr. Sensitive

After Johnny had his talk with Lucy, she made good on her promise to trust him with more tasks. For a bit, he worried about what he’d gotten himself into. Gone were the days of lazing about on set—Johnny was following in Lucy’s footsteps with the amount of running around he was doing.

As much as his feet were aching by the end of the day, the productivity actually helped to boost Johnny’s confidence. For once, he felt useful. The things he did at work contributed to the content they were producing, both directly and indirectly. His co-workers appreciated his efforts and Lucy was grateful to have more time to focus on the bigger picture.

He was distributing call sheets when he heard Lacey, Lilly, and Clara discussing an idea for a video.

“We could all dress up as a different Voidcritter when we play the new game,” Lacey was suggesting to her cast mates.

“Great idea! I think I would really serve as Avesu,” Lilly offered. “I just need some feathers and some gold jewelry.”

“Ooh, I want to be Cyprin! They’re the cutest Voidcritter in my opinion,” said Clara.

“Hmm, you kind of look like Cyprin,” Lacey told her. Clara pursed her lips like a fish and crossed her eyes, making her friends laugh. “I’d like to be Nimbus,” Lacey continued. “I don’t know how I would make the cloud part, though.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Johnny broke in. “The art department has some foam sheets. If you cut them into strips you could arrange them to look like a cloud without it being too heavy.”

Johnny flipped over one of the call sheets and began sketching out his idea. “Like this. You can sit on one of the ottomans and it’ll look like you’re perched on the cloud.”

“Wow, that’s really great, Johnny!” Lacey exclaimed. “It’s perfect. Do you mind if I keep this to show the art department?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Johnny agreed.

“Who knew we had another artist in the building?” Lilly enthused as she peered at Johnny’s drawing.

Johnny shrugged. “I’m not really an artist. I just do silly little drawings in my journal sometimes.”

“You have a journal?” Clara asked.

He could feel his face grow hot. That wasn’t something he usually told people about. “Well, I used to when I was younger,” he explained. “I haven’t written in it much lately.”

“Well, I think that’s cool!” Clara reassured him. “I like to journal, too. I never thought about drawing in mine, though.”

“Yeah, I think it’s attractive when guys are in touch with their feelings.” Lilly clasped her hands to her chest and smiled sweetly.

“You should pick up journaling again if it’s something you enjoy,” Lacey suggested.

“Maybe I will.” Johnny thanked them for their compliments.

He started to distribute the rest of the call sheets when Damien entered the room and requested everyone’s attention.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I just got out of a major meeting and there’s something I need to discuss with everyone.”

Everyone gathered around, murmuring to each other about what their boss might be getting ready to tell them.

“As of today, I'm no longer the CEO of Rainy Day Entertainment.”

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[deedala]

🗝️ random tag game wednesday 🗝️

thanks for tagging me!!! @blue-disco-lights @lingy910y @mickeysgaymom @thepupperino @jrooc @mybrainismelted @suzy-queued @kiennilove @energievie @spookygingerr 💖💖💖

it's that time again…

what weather would you use to describe you current mood?

hmm cloudy, kind of rainy, soggy and muddy, kind of mild temperature but a chilly oppressive wind

have you ever had braces?

yes i had braces in middle school and maybe a lil bit of high school? that was the 90s my babies. anyway my mouth still said haha fuck you because after i got them taken off one of my front bottom teeth went ahead and took a step back behind the other guys lol. should i have worn my little clear retainers more? perhaps. but also...snaggle tooth okay?? snaggle tooth cute?? maybe??

do you celebrate halloween?

yeah i guess, though celebrate doesnt feel like the right word. provide halloween? oversee halloween? i have little kids its all about them. (though if its cold i may put on my sloth kigurumi.

best halloween/fancy dress costume you've worn

i think my favorite thing ive ever worn was when i was in my 20s and i spent a couple years putting together the perfect gothic lolita little red riding hood costume. it was perfect. i was so cute 😌

last song you listened to

nirvana by elliana (im very obsessed with it right now)

last thing you googled

hrmm..unsure. i have recent searches turned off so i cant go look. probably googling the definition of a word lmao

dream car

uuuhhh, my current subaru forester except i can OPERATE THE FUCKING TRUNK MYSELF AND NOT HAVE TO LET IT OPEN AND CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY IM GONNA FUCKING LOSE IT ONE DAY I STG

what's your favourite type of cheese?

my current fav vegan cheese is the little babybel things num num. back when i could have real cheese uugggh fuckin love smoked gouda.

what colour are your socks today?

white and grey fuzzies

what was your favourite subject in school?

art

has your mood weather changed after answering these random questions?

no lol

and if you'd like to come play PLEASE DO!! and i will tag these particular little nuggets today!! @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @darlingian @heymacy @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @sleepyheadgallavich @captainjowl @the-rat-wins @loftec @wehangout @mmmichyyy @crossmydna @spoonfulstar @gardenerian @palepinkgoat @echotrees @callivich @sickness-health-all-that-shit @sam-loves-seb @samantitheos @creepkinginc @transmickey @ian-galagher @sgtmickeyslaughter @konaiiro @catgrassplantdad @gallapiech @rereadanon @vintagelacerosette @iansw0rld @whatwouldmickeydo @themarchg1rl and anyone anyone else xoxo!!

[cyarsk52-20]

The biggest protest in Super Bowl history happened on the Stage tonight and folk screaming it's boring or trash because it went over their head! This what you didn't see. . Then again the message is Blacks have always been here to entertain THEY (Who are not like us) so they aren't bored. . They rather have Wayne up there high, who has backed Drake (The system) to push the agenda. . The messages Kendrick just sent to America could not use Wayne.

It even started with the American Flag being built out of black people as America being built on the backs of black people. . Before I mention how being cool in our culture has always been stolen, no matter how many people try to steal it, they not like us. . WAS NOT ABOUT WHITE PEOPLE.. IT WAS ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL THE MEDIA AND LABELS WHO CREATE DIVIDE. OK HERE GOES! . It started with Dead Pres intro beat and flow "Bigger than Hiphop" I'll put the video in comments. . First song: WHEN I HEAR MUSIC, IT MAKES ME DANCE (SQUABBLE UP). Puppet Strings of music making us dance vs pay attention. . Uncle (Sam)uel L Jackson started it off with the rules of the game of historical White America America. . Then Said when a bunch of blacks hanging out on the corner is too deep for the culture. Somebody gotta die. Deduct a life and create an environment to cancel each other out . The Squid games start which symbolizes the rich killing the poor for entertainment. Hmm. Imagine rappers beefing and killing and the media benefitting from their deaths. . The system allows Drake to push the Sexxxy Redd to taint the culture and empowers him . The dancers in Red White & Blue representing the American flag. Been Dancing to the drums of the system. And we want entertainment and to be able to dance than be educated. . The main Stage was a Playstation. Squid Game card 🔻🟥🔴️ and the system is a game designed to keep us dancing and imprisoned which is why it was in a prison yard. . Protecting black women like Serena Williams after the disrespect from Drake . Notice he brought out SZA as a black woman and she did not have to be half naked on display for the world letting her voice shine? . And once again reminding the system of Drake and America "They (Plants) are Not Like Us" and can't infiltrate the culture. . Game Over.. TV OFF. Been under their control. Revolution. . Drake Been used to further sour the system and be a plant for the same system Malcolm X warned about from the music execs who own media and use it to divide us. . This is bigger than rap! And women who feel disrespected should see it.

People who are tired of being divided should see it. Notice the American flag divided? . But most of all, those who didn't have a lens to see it just shows the system has worked and you're the type it's been working on. . Dude is the most creative genius in hiphop history. . But go off. Maybe we can see more well respected entrepreeurs and family men leading for once. . Here is the kicker: Look at your fb friends who say they wish it was more entertaining. Yeah, they were who it's been working on. The system rather keep you choosing entertainment over being educated . Watch the first 10 secs of his rap. Dead Pres reference Bigger Than Hiphop. True Art! . Rappers sent as plants to hurt us will no longer be tolerated. WE ARE WOKE. If you're mad at it please don't complain about being looked at a certain way. . Because if you keep praising the entertainers who promote killing each other and degrading our women. I guess America will think it's OK too. . Watch the comments fill up with "Nothing will change" from people who are ok waiting for it to change vs doing their part. . The point he was making was… Come to this post in 24 hours and watch how many of us are fighting the message and messenger vs thinking of positive growth to move forward . You don't expect shucking and jiving and twerking from an artist who was the only rapper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. You appreciate ART. And Art is sometimes boring but changes cultures.

Them: We watch Super Bowl to be entertained . Well it's 2025. The Super Bowl performance goes on Youtube and we can talk about it for weeks and hopefully lead to Unity and Change. .

[blackjackkent]

OK, another stop on the latest Lighthouse tour - there's an exclamation point not directly attached to anyone in the Lighthouse atrium, which I'm a bit curious about, and then Taash also wants to talk. So let's check in on both of those.

Emmrich and Neve are chatting in there when we go in!

Emmrich> "You call Manfred 'Fred'?" Neve> "Sure. He walked into my office. I said, 'Fred. Can I call you Fred?' He nodded. Seemed happy about it. If he doesn't like it..." Emmrich> "Oh, Manfred doesn't mind. He quite likes you. Does the diminutive imply a certain level of comfort with the necromantic arts?" Neve> "It shows a 'certain level of comfort' with your friend. The rest of it - well, that depends." Emmrich> "On what?" Neve> "On what the mage using it is up to."

The exclamation mark itself is pointing at a random document in the atrium:

Hmm.

Interesting. This opens a new faction quest called "Cabin in the Blight," which we'll go check out later. The way this letter is phrased feels to me like this physician is meant to be someone I know and some fan service is in the offing, but I can't really think who it would be, so maybe not. We'll see.

Let's go talk to Taash.

Taash is in the storage room where she usually hangs out, sitting on her knees with a pile of rope next to her.

As Helena watches, she slowly untangles one of the coils, begins binding it around one arm and up to her shoulder.

"Hey," Helena says cautiously. "Am I interrupting?"

(A/N: You are so obviously interrupting, Rook. XD The game has you just blunder straight into the middle of the moment, but I like to think that Helena hung out by the door and waited for Taash to gesture her in before coming closer. She may be a bit foot-in-mouth at times but she's not THAT bad. XD )

"Done in a sec," Taash mutters. "Morning ritual. The dar-saam."

A pause, and then she jerks her head to indicate Helena can come in. Helena edges forward, her preoccupations for a moment forgotten in a brief burst of curiosity as she peers at the ropes. "Those are the ropes people who follow the Qun wear?" she asks.

Taash nods. Her expression is drawn tight with concentration as she manipulates the threads around her arm. "We bind ourselves to remember who we are," she says, and though her tone is flat as usual there's a hint of something else to it. Maybe reverence, maybe disdain, maybe simply nostalgia. "Tie down the stuff that's too dangerous to leave loose."

A pause. Helena doesn't push, gauging that this is a sensitive subject - and probably a complicated conversation. But to her surprise, Taash keeps talking, unprompted.

"My mother made me do it every morning before breakfast." She snorts. "I had big fingers. It used to take me forever." A pause. She ties off one of the knots with a jerk, and then speaks again, her voice a little higher this time, mimicking Shathann. "'Evataash. Shokra toh ebra. Only a beast is confounded by knots. A girl masters herself and the dar-saam.'"

She rolls her eyes. Helena grins. "You do a pretty good impression of your mother."

Taash blinks. "What? I don't sound anything like my mother!"

"Okay," Helena says, amused.

Whatever Taash might shoot back in answer, though, is lost as the door to the storage room crashes open again.

"Rook! Taash! Glad I caught you both." Harding strides in, her expression alive with the look that it gets when she has sniffed out a lead. "The Grey Wardens found a cave that one of the blighted dragons uses as its lair."

Taash's eyebrows shoot up. "Where?"

(A/N: I love how taaaaaall Taash looks standing next to Helena and Harding, rofl.)

"In the Hossberg Wetlands," Harding answers promptly. "There's no sign of the dragon itself, though."

Taash shoots Helena a look. "I should check it out," she says, suddenly all business, her eyes narrowed with determination. Helena gets the sudden impression that, although she didn't show it the way the others did, Taash too has been feeling the weight of their failure at Weisshaupt, and eager to find a way to keep it from happening again. "We need to know how different the blighted dragons are. They might turn into something like Ghilan'nain's archdemon did. If there's a clue..." She trails off, squares her shoulders. "I have to be ready."

[no-shxme]

OKAY so i have all the pieces im gonna go full lunatic ramblings and talk about the new talon skin.

The skin in question:

(spotlight video)

and his bio:

“Talon doesn’t remember much of his past anymore; all he knows is the sorrow and regret etched deeply within his soul. These emotions have transformed into hues, dying him and making him what he is today. Others revere the power he wields, but to Talon, it’s no different from shackles binding him. Refusing to be a pawn in destiny’s game, he fights desperately, determined to rewrite his unfinished tale even if it means only darkness awaits his blade at the end, where all the colors shall eventually converge.”

Additionally he has vo in br portuguese as well as spanish. i've taken the liberty of translating the spanish vo as i know some, even if my english is better >_> you can find the english translated lines here. and if you're a fluent speaker feel free to throw ur two cents in the ring.

i am going to also ramble a liiiiil bit about the other skins in the line in connection with talon, and also go into sett a bit more and at the end i'll talk about a talsett lens. ofc this is all just my opinion blah blah im yapping. this will be a very long post.

OKAY SO FIRST OFF LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN.

I think splendor opus talon's design is... probably his weakest aspect of him... like imo his design falls into a line of 'there's too many things going on.' too many bells and whistles. i know there was some contention about his colors but i personally like them, tho i dont really like the swirly stuff he's got going on by his shoulders. and idk if i dig his anglerfish lure like hmm. his outfit is kinda a mess but that's okay i forgive him. i wish he had visible eyes always and its interesting that you can see them sometimes they're just super fucking yellow.

like wow hello!

imo his splash art is also great!! compared to his last skins, primal ambush on pc and stargazer/prestige on wr (we dont talk about the prestige) this one just gives off a better vibe to me?? the pose is better than stargazer imo.

and his EXPRESSION is so good here. it's cool neutral, and if you squint then yeah maybe he COULD be smiling just a tiny bit, or maybe he could be frowning. its so GOOD.

(once again not a fan of the wispy shit but blah blah)

in terms of model animation, like the wild rift entrance visible in the spotlight intro,, i don't like it as much? just in the starting animation, when he's on the boat all the way up to looking at the camera, i think he gives off yone energy there, not talon energy. i think its because he looks too put together. i think talon should be noticeable for his less than stellar posture lol. he's got some grime i think they should let him keep it.

wild rift offers several poses and there are several that i think do a better job. i dont think his default screams much talon, tho i understand that he would keep good posture sometimes. (i reference it while writing too.)

he breathes fire in his animated performing pose, which is fun. i think poised and the end of performing are his best poses. idk i just think dignified is a strange word to associate with talon, personally. i wouldn't even associate that with enduring blade.

extra side note about his model i love the lil thing that ties his fuckass hair back.

as a side note (but generally more unimportant compared to other apsects of his skins) the animations and in game of him is also very good, but that's a given bc of the better wr models. i love his e, and sometimes ingame he pulls out his fan for a sec? the way his cape moves almost reminds me of rakan.

EDIT: FORGOR to mention that sett is LITERALLY IN HIS RECALL??? AUGHHH

anyway, model aside, let's talk LORE/THEMATIC:

now full disclaimer there's gonna be an event ingame so if there's more lore revealed i'll have to make a summary post or smth, but we'll find out later.

lore/thematic is what i was most wary about, especially because wild rift was handling it, and their last entry (stargazer talon) was so brutally boring in terms of thematic. ive said this before but it gave him no real texture, just someone who was 'secretly working for the enemy.' when i refer to narrative texture i'm more talking about complexity. talon is such a complex character, so if there isn't a layer of complexity in his bio then its shrimply not as good. i always consider skins to be a 'translation' of the character. so painting talon as a flat villain is a poor translation of the character. there are a couple champs that suffer with this tbh, getting reduced or translated to other skinlines poorly. (yone. for example. sett too. maybe some other day i'll make a post about it going into my thought process.) all this to say that i dont really trust wild rift's quality when it comes to character interpretation? like i trust lol pc much more. i think wr gets away with things that wouldnt get through on pc. stuff like putting heels on all their women models, etc.

anyway.

i was VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THEN BC the lore isn't actually one note or flat or leaving little room (primal ambush for example, was a filler line that didnt really give lots to chew on). but this line not only interprets talon but also gives a fair amount of texture!!!

but basically it boils down on first glance to 'sett and the others have to defeat talon (and mundo technically who is like, following behind talon) i'd assumed talon would be a villain from the teasers and i was scared of him being just a flat villain. but that's actually so opposite to the case, because once you look at talon's bio and voice lines he's a tragic and textured villain fighting to choose his own future.

there is admittedly a lot of haziness in regards to the actual world context. even the cinematic they released (here) is set very non-specifically. we know that teemo is Literally Destiny and 'is [trying to] ensure that the chosen ones walk their destined paths.' in sett's bio it mentions being chosen by the 'Paints of Providence, being chosen to take on the mantle of The Gallant Hero' and defeat talon. are the paints different from teemo? uhhhhhh... dont really know.

there are some instances in riot lore where im like 'they totally didnt mean to do that' but i think they very much intended talon to be seen as 'correct' in his motive (though prolly not his actions.) trying to achieve his goals in the wrong way.

i think from all the lore (as in the bios and voice lines) its implied that fate gives you a role to play and erases your past memories? im really not sure about that last part because sett references his ma in his legendary lines... but at the very LEAST fate gives you a part to play. and in talon's case he doesn't want to play it. he's got lines about deciding his own destiny and its fucking sick and on brand. there's even an animated emote (which i'll post separately) explicitly called 'i define who i am.' and YET he's portrayed as someone who 'needs to be defeated.'

ITS TRAGIC. in a talsett lens it really is peak enemies to likers, and FINALLY we're back to themes of control/loss of control that we have with talon's best skins (thematicwise.) and its more tragic if you push it further and think maybe teemo (destiny) knows that him 'fighting his destiny at any cost' is just him cementing himself in his predetermined role of antagonist.

HE IS FIGHTING FOR HIS OWN AGENCY LIKE. HELP.

like high noon also has the same reoccurrance, of things happening to talon outside of his control and him struggling to deal with it. enduring blade: loses his POWERS? (irelia, chill) and suddenly being cast down to mortality. i thiiiiiiiink i've said this before but thematically across (most of) his skinlines talon has two major vibes:

struggles with control

themes of being pushed too far to the point that he doesn't care if the whole place burns down/anarchy. (withered rose and blood moon are two notable examples.)

if you pair this with the idea of him loving perfection and also the idea of 'the edge' you get a tragic portrayal of someone who is just pushed too far (edge) to the point where they snap. feast or famine, all or nothing. and i think that's SUPER interesting because when you look at like, his base/lore that stuff is very much under the surface/not as evident. (imo this is because he's just not at that breaking point yet in story.)

splendor opus is thematically very good because it covers both of his major vibes. it's kinda what i was missing from the stargazer skin. (my criticism was that it's a missed opportunity to put talon in a story about fates and futures without adding his struggle with them.) it also portrays him as a foe but sympathetically, which imo is 90% of the time how it should be. high noon was: yeah he's a devil but he's going through it. enduring blade was: yeah he's a prick but he's going through it. KATARINA COMIC was: yeah he tried to kill her but he's being manipulated. she even let him live like she knows this!!! AGH

as an added note, because this is peking opera themed, i havent ruled out the idea that this is all a stage play and that irl this isn't actually happening. but idk if that can be determined yet. unless i've missed smth, we'll have to see if anything else is revealed.

in summary: i personally rate this thematic VERY high tbh, though still under like, high noon at the very least. i wish the setting was more established but the lore/theming surrounding talon is quite excellent imo, even if his design leaves stuff to be desired.

ALSO, a note on splendor opus sett:

i like his skin a lot tbh! (mythic chroma not as much) and the model/animations are great ofc, but as a legendary skin released alongside another legendary skin this is definitely the lesser of the two. the voice lines are very nondescript and add little thematically compared to talon, and he only has 1 alternate pose? (and a different alt pose on his mythic chroma) so it seems like unequal quality? strange. i think they could've added a tiny bit of doubt to his bio, personally, because a lot of sett's theming is around fighting for those who need it, and talon kinda... needs it? (well, he doesn't need it, but he could USE it.) but this is once again dipping into my opinions on how sett's character is often reduced. though talon actually DOES have a voiceline with him where he calls him stupid, so maybe its something that clicks later for him.

that being said i still like his skin. i'll take what i can get.

if you read this whole stupid thing then thanks for humoring me lol. this is all just my personal opinions, if you wanna discuss feel free!!! yayyy talon

now i must draw them together....

also im not even rereading this so if there's mistakes ill uhhhhhhh fix them later.

[spiritsglade]

HIII REVEK <3 5, 10, 19, 25 for the ask game?

[fic writer asks]

HI HAVEN !! thank you for the ask :D

5. first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

this is from suicide watch. there are like three different beginnings to this fic at this point and i no longer know what is happening but uh. yeagh.

The colors the man wears are artificial—too pure a black, in a way this place never gets, too bright a blue, blue like the thick plumes of smoke that always surround the little bald boy.

the ellipsus draft this sentence is from is titled 'sobbing into my hands' because that is where i am emotionally with this wip

10. what is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

hmm in terms of drafts that actually get finished i think it'd be PROVE YOU LOVE ME (WITH A BATARANG THE THROAT). it is done but i'm saving posting it for jason's death day. for reasons that are probably easy to surmise from the title. i finished it like... two week ago or so? draft's been sitting there since early december. so around 3.5 months for that one.

otherwise i have a couple outlines floating around from october/november that have been dropped from wip hell to the category of probably never getting worked on again. i miss you, something shaped like brotherhood, but maybe you should have been easier to write. that's on you.

19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

blast injuries & the effects of explosions on the human body. how much psi it takes to do damage. i've uh. retained zero information. but it is very interesting!! jason buddy there was no way you were surviving getting blowed up at 15. i'm sorry.

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

ART. DRAWING. i love drawing it is so kind and nice to me even when it is cruel. here's my 2023 art summary :3 i don't think i made one for 2024 whoopsies. (did not draw for like 3 months straight because i was on the jason todd fanfic writing grindset.)

other than that i play video games. i also have not been doing this because fanfiction. hollow knight, rain world, hades are the biggest ones i think.

i specifically love social deception games way too much for someone with friends that do not appreciate them the way i do. blood on the clocktower my beloved i am thinking about you all the time. (<- i am forcing the batfam to play this game because i recently remembered i can do whatever i want forever) project winter i miss you. among us.... oh. among us. my dearly beloved <3 does anyone want to play among us with me,

singing is also a big one :] i'm in a choir and it's a lot of fun!!

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A couple of replies about our anniversary drawing, and a couple of random twst ones.

Anonymous asked:

Happy 14th Anniversary, you two! 🥳🥳

Thank you very much, Anon!! 💕💕

tardigrade-misfit asked:

Oh wow! The murder mystery art is just… WOW

I love how its like one of those pictures where the longer you look the more you find. And is that a gun in Floyd’s pants?

Also, Lilia holding the meat cleaver and with that hairstyle is strangely hot?? I feel like I shouldn’t be looking… 🫣

And happy 14th anniversary!

Thank you so much for your kind words!! 💖💖

I’m very happy to hear that; we put a lot of effort into that one, so it’s amazing to hear that you can look at it for a while and discover new things that are hidden on it! There aren’t much, we couldn’t come up with anything super smart, but some of the elements ended up being quite sneaky lol

It is indeed a gun in Floyd’s pants :3c And I’m glad you like this sexy grandpa and his meat cleaver! Hehe.

In a way it’s a shame that their outfits ended up being hidden for the most part. Maybe I should draw them in this universe again at some point.

thestarlightfae asked:

Who did they kill? Did Ortho help?

This is a mystery for Idia to solve 🥰 All of them look so innocent though, including Ortho! Not a single suspicious bone in their bodies.

maximumalmonduniversitysports asked:

Is Night Raven representative of Twisted Wonderland as a whole? Like how their students act and interact with others?

Hmm, do you mean Twisted Wonderland as in the universe or as in the game? Regardless, I don’t think so 🤔 Depends on what you mean though.

There are all kinds of people in Twisted Wonderland, including Neige and the other boys from RSA, so the “good guys” are also a big part of Twisted Wonderland. So I guess not everyone is petty and annoying to each other lol

But then again, it’s not like NRC boys are only petty and annoying and nothing else: they are capable of all kinds of feelings and interactions, and are mostly viewed as “villains” by us the viewers/players because we know who they are inspired by… They can have their dark hints and moments and express negative emotions without the threat of being a “bad example” to the audience. It feels wonderful to have a piece of media like that.

Anonymous asked:

Would Meleanor be a top or a bottom? Or would she be the first switch in this franchise?

To be 100% certain we’d have to look at her first, buuuut I’m almost sure she’ll end up being a bottom mainly due to my own feelings for her lol Plus, due to her similarity to Malleus!

Anonymous asked:

Are you going to draw Crowley soon?

Depends on whether Crowley is going to make me want to draw him soon or not; or if someone from Ko-Fi requests him lol We rarely make plans like that, so if I draw Crowley sometime in the future, it’s probably going to be spontaneous.

I don’t mind drawing Crowley, I love his design, but I don’t have any plans for him right now.