#i was prepared for the worst case scenario and somehow it was even worse

[priapussdick]

what the fuck was that????

[chemicalreal]

They have such a hard time accepting that Rhaenyra's children are bastards that they make up that Rhaenys had brown hair and that Rodrick, of whom there is no official description, had brown hair too, probably based on some fanart they've seen. In any case, the excuse might work for one, although it would be very unbelievable, plus it's not just the colour of their hair and eyes, it's that their facial features were identical to Harwin's, who was even present at the birth of Lucerys, as we have Rhaenyra was very discreet. The dance is a conflict that makes no sense at all and George chose the worst scenario to develop it, it's not credible that a woman with three legitimate brothers inherits ahead of them in a medieval context, even less so with three bastards that the author for some strange reason makes not be a much bigger scandal when it should be, even in his own universe being a bastard has serious implications. From a political standpoint Viserys' decision makes no sense for a man of his time where what was most valued was the legacy, they literally want me to believe that a medieval king would let the ruling dynasty change so that his daughter's bastard ends up ruling? laying the groundwork for a generations-long succession crisis without any need whatsoever? It's not credible. Even if the dance hadn't happened, Rhaenyra's succession itself was unstable since she intended for Jace to be her heir having two legitimate sons with a better claim than him.The dance of dragons would have been more realistic between Viserys and Rhaenys, or between Daemon and Rhaenyra, but between Rhaenyra with some legitimate brother? NO. And okay, it's a misogynistic thought because she had "preparation" and Aegon didn't, I honestly think neither of them had the makings of a good ruler, but that doesn't matter in this context, medieval society was a misogynistic society, the fact that there are people who analyze things in a context doesn't mean that we defend these ideas in the 21st century. It is simply exposing a reality.

The strong boys case can be summed up in "one time is an accident, two times a coincidence, three times a pattern". The premise of GOT was built on a very simplistic notion of genetics but somehow now we have to look at it with a modern genetics lens even though it becomes a stretch.

And they should not bring up this mystical training to become queen because it's only making Rhaenyra look worse in hindsight. She either didn't pay attention during her lessons or she just wasn't cut for it, since she didn't seem to shine compared to her "untrained" brother.

I agree with you that Viserys/Rhaenys had a far more credible rivalry for a possible conflict meanwhile Rhaenyra/Aegon presents far too many narrative stretches.

[vechter]

vech this is gonna be a weird ask so brace urself but im on some new brainrot so please bear w me.. (im watching too much suits on netflix..)

and because of this new development and my talent for shoving my favorite characters in every piece of media i see (always rotating them in my brain like rotisserie chicken) i was consumed by the idea of lawyer dick grayson. ive always preferred the idea of EMT/social worker dg but let's say this is an au or whatever circumstances fit best. just thinking about his insane competency which is extremely undervalued these days and his need for absolute perfection in everything he does. thinking about his ability to put on a show (let's be honest when are we not thinking of that) he is manipulative, it's one of his biggest strengths and more importantly biggest flaws! most of all he cares so much about people and community.. i know being a lawyer can involve corruption and dirty work but so did being a cop and he fought against that!! (might not be the best example but still) like you can't tell me he wouldn't absolutely kill it in court. his talent of reading people, seeing them, understanding them and knowing just where to press to make it hurt. (also often shown as a flaw) and of course he's a detective at heart. a way he can take all those abilities and use them for good ughh. also dg as a diplomat wjsje but anyways.. i digress

im probably gonna end up thinking this is stupid later but for now i'd love to hear ur thoughts!! <3

omg suits... i remember when one of my exes and i were obsessed with it... it was so promising and then the quality progressively got worse with each episode lmao. what szn/arc are you on?

but to answer ur question, hmm, i think one of the most compelling things about dick is that he's usually pretty good at everything he tries or does. he's just That Guy, you know? so for a potential lawyer au, you're right, he would be a pretty good one. couple of thoughts on this:

would it be his day job or a full time commitment? because the balance between vigilantism and being a lawyer would be difficult to maintain... he'd be burning the candle on research and prep from both ends. plus, being a lawyer does involve a fair amount of public interaction— with judges, other lawyers, juries, clients, etc so it would be an added source of stress with protecting his secret identity bc it would be hard work to hide his injuries from patrol (like just consider marvel's daredevil if you want a more detailed insight into this)

as for the things that would make him a good lawyer, we already know he's a great detective, an excellent tactician and he's extremely adaptable so if there were any potential scenarios in a courtroom/case that he had somehow not prepared for, he seems capable of improvising... and improvising well.

plus, his instincts about people are generally good— he knows how to reach people and he's got a pretty magnetic presence. he's good with reading body language and also having an inkling of when someone is lying to him... which would be incredibly helpful when he's dealing with people who are trying to skirt the law or have been forced to give a certain type of testimony etc

and like you mentioned, not only is he capable of manipulation but he's also very good at it. when you combine it with his uncanny ability to throw baring truths about people like gut-punches, it's a good set up for him able to hone in on weaknesses and exploit them to his client's benefit. but this is a bit of a double-edged sword because i think one of dick's most valuable traits is his empathy. i think he'd struggle with harsh consequences for what he considers crimes of circumstance. he'd be able to rationalize some offences, even when they've inadvertently harmed others and he'd probably be unsettled about how unforgiving the law can be.

it would also war with his belief that no one person is their worst day.

moreover, like you said. there's often a fair bit of politics and corruption involved and while i think he excels at undercover work, being a lawyer full-time would probably chip away at him because there'd be a lot of compromises involved. backroom deals, servicing people in power to get what you want— i don't think he'd have the patience to handle it.

i think he prefers doing the work himself which is difficult when you involve what he could potentially consider intermediary third parties (parole officers, the law, government, etc). it's why vigilantism is what he does and very often, who he is. gordon and amy may be people he trusts and respects, but i think the foundational element of him chasing after zucco because law enforcement essentially failed him... that's pretty important.

like maybe the most important insight into this— if you take dick's time at the juvenile centre in gotham after his parents fell into account and how pervasive the consequences of that time could be— especially when you're a traumatized, grieving orphan surrounded entirely by strangers... and you're placed in a centre for young criminals, othered by your 'peers'... not to mention the racial element of otherness with his romani heritage... yeah, i don't see him ever being comfortable with being a lawyer.

it could be a fun arc for an undercover stint but long-term, i don't see it working out. moreover, if he's able, i always envision him doing something intensely physical as a way of staying connected to his earliest legacy... though i could definitely see him being a social worker... be for others what bruce was for him. hope this answers your question, ivy!!!

[crimeronan]

Hunter trying to track down his family history on the down-low? Possibly to prepare himself for the most worst-case scenario his brain keeps telling him where Luz makes a life where he isn’t necessary to be in anymore?? Which is a literal mirror what Luz keeps feeling when Hunter is getting closer to new people like Willow, Amity, and Gus???

Anyways, the idea of Hunter doing all this research and finding fuck all and eventually having to make certain leaps in attempt of finding any leads and just… A return of teens asking Darius vague and leading questions about his mentor for their own research and Darius being left internally freaking the fuck out because of drawing the wrong conclusions and it being tied up with the majority of his own bullshit and hangups.

(In reference to the ask about Luz asking Darius questions about the previous gg when she was trying to find out as much as she could about the grimwalkers before Hunter but Darius freaking out because he thought she was on to him being a rebel. Don’t know what wrong conclusions he would come up with Hunter’s questioning while Hunter’s grasping at straws of where he might have come from but the idea of Darius thinking he has an idea of what these teens want from him and being extremely wrong about it is so funny to me. I also don’t know if the fact that Darius knows about how Luz killed Belos means that he knows about the grimwalker situation yet or not??)

MMMMMMMMM

i was THINKING that if hunter was having trouble tracing his own lineage, he'd probably go to darius first. he knows darius was mentored by the prior golden guard and hunter wants to know more about him, because the timeline doesn't match up to him being hunter's father, but apparently he was Also related to belos...? maybe also half-human, somehow, or maybe a key to figuring out what belos lied about.

as for the conclusions darius would draw, i actually think darius would know Exactly what hunter was asking, and that that would kind of be. worse. for him.

i don't know whether darius knows the word "grimwalker" but he's definitely put two-and-two together that the golden guards are something other than witches. and that belos killed all of them. and that luz knows it.

there's the inner luz having referenced the "others" in her mindscape, and darius Knowing belos must have killed his mentor, and the fact that darius has now seen what went down right before luz killed belos. which means he would have seen:

“He has always been sick!” Belos roars. The fury is a driving knife, an explosion, a shrapnel blast. Luz flinches back, hard, and slams into her chair, too startled to stand her ground. But the Emperor isn’t finished. He sweeps everything off the table with an earthshattering crash, objects scattering haphazardly across the floor, the vibration rattling through Luz’s shoes. Even that’s not as frightening as his voice, though. “Do you think that it matters whether the body falls apart?” he snarls. “Do you think that I care whether he could malinger for a witch’s normal Godforsaken lifespan? Do you think that I care whether any of them could? Never for a moment should I have let him live past infancy, and if you weren’t such a softhearted coward, you’d understand the same!”

like. darius knows.

and obviously he's in a position where he can't explain how he came by this information, but even if he COULD, he still wouldn't want to tell hunter. he and luz are both firmly in the same camp as far as "protecting hunter from information that could fuck him up forever" goes. no matter how much darius pretends that he doesn't care or he's not invested

so it would be more like. hunter can Tell that darius is hiding something. bc darius is being cagey about more stuff than usual and blatantly trying to distract hunter and getting snappier than he usually does.

and it's really weird. bc darius has never been less-than-trustworthy before.

so. what gives.

[gabessquishytum]

OMG, the god!Hob and Dream of the Endless immortal being age difference! What if they actually see it that way? What if Hob really is the equivalent of a barely legal vulnerable little immortal and Dream is the equivalent of a rich, influential old guy who prefers way too young lovers. Do the other minor gods even dare to ask Hob if he's ok, not being taken advantage of? Or do they keep their mouths shut because Dream is Dream and even gods have dreams and nightmares?

Power fantasy? What if Dream has influence over Hob's domain. Maybe Hob is like a muse, provides inspiration, and that falls within Dream's domain too, and it's different flavours of inspiration but there is an overlap. In a scandalous bit of godly BDSM Dream makes Hob almost powerless during sex, almost human, and Hob totally gets off on that powerlessness.

Fjdkajjs Dream showing off Hob on functions like arm candy. Brings him to a family dinner. Destiny... saw it coming. Death, Despair, Delirium and potentially Destruction are scandalised. Desire is having the time of their life. (Hob totally sets his eyes on Destruction and thinks "I need that!" Dream is/isn't having it, your choice.)

Sometimes (often) other supernatural beings forget that Hob is a god, although minor, and they try to start shit with him only for him to either erase them from existence or do something even worse because he totally can protect himself and his function. And no matter how easy the fight, Dream always fusses over him afterwards. "Are you hurt? Are you exhausted? Should I help you get a hundred years of sleep? Maybe inspire humans to prepare a sacrifice? IS THAT A SCRATCH ON YOUR FINGER?!" (Hob totally summoned the scratch himself.)

- 🚒 anon (still waiting to see if that's taken)

Yes for ALL of this.

Dream and Hob dating is like... the CEO dating a summer intern. Scandalous. If there are supernatural gossip magazine then this is front page news!

Consider: fertility god Hob.

Desire is mad because Hob kinda belonged to them in a way and now Dream has gone and stolen him, ugh. And the rest of the gods/eldritch beings totally treat Hob as a gold digger/sugar baby. Obviously he must have SOMEHOW used his powers on Dream to seduce him.

(Nah, he totally didn't. Dream just saw him one day and was like yes I want that one immediately.)

Hob’s "day job" mostly involves making people horny and helping them make babies, so he's not exactly powerful in a traditional sense... so he totally runs to Dream whenever one of the other gods is mean to him. If Dream isn't available, Hob goes to Destruction, who is always happy to help out his cute little brother in law. But in the worst case scenario, Hob’s final solution is to throw an aphrodisiac at whoever is bothering him.

(And yes, he has used that on Dream. But only with proper prior permission and consent 😌)

[heckthis-heckallofthis]

CaWF characters and (in my opinion) their cooking skills

Squad leader: The food he makes is absolutely amazing, very good and very healthy. He does not compromise on his nutrition as it's important to him. 10/10 he only eats outside if he's lazy to cook

2145: He does not care at all for how good, healthy or appealing his food is. It's whatever. He would eat a raw egg whole for breakfast, he would ask you if you want one too. Worst case scenario 2/10 best case scenario 5/10

IM1235: Decent, she could make a meal and it would be pretty good. As a red blood cell her sweetness tolerance is higher than most, so her dishes are probably very sweet. 8/10 kinda dishes if you don't mind the glucose

Reg T: Doesn't cook a lot but she probably wouldn't mess up if you gave her a recipe. She doesn't really know what to add to a dish to make it any better or what to avoid so it doesn't become worse. 6/10 at least it's edible and you won't hate it too much

HT: His taste for food is insane. He can make food that he enjoys but if you tried it you would question everything you know about him. 2/10 order your own food than rely on him.

B Cell: Surprisingly good, he would get infinitely more maidens if he were to show them his cooking skills rather than invite them to parties or the like, he can do both baking and cooking, very good for him. 8/10 in general

Memory Cell: I'd imagine he was the one who taught B cell his skills, prefers bitter tastes over sweet ones, 7-9/10 depending on how similar your taste is to his

Mast Cell: Terrible. He can only do cup noodles. All his effort goes into Cellor-sun, not self preservation. 1/10 if you were to make him make an actual dish.

Eosinophil: I like to imagine she can bake pretty well, but her cooking is more or less average. Baking 10/10 cooking 6/10

NK: She is prepared for every scenario her little head can think of, taught herself cooking because what if she gets stranded and lost out in the wilderness?! 7/10 She will not risk herself dying from food poisoning

Dendritic Cell: Surprisingly horrendous. You do not expect a sweet guy who has good sewing and knitting skills be this bad at cooking, so it makes it all the more worse. 0/10 always eats with his colleagues who can cook or goes outside to eat.

M cell: A bartender who sells food on the regular definitely knows how to do it. Maybe his depression dampened his skills but it's very good, the bad reviews on his shop never mention the cooking, only his personality after all. 10/10 KT is on par with him which is why he only asks KT to help him at the bar sometimes.

3033: If you gave him the recipe, he'd find a way to mess up something (he doesn't even know how it goes wrong). He gets frustrated at it so he doesn't do it that much, at least he can make instant noodles with a few extra bits here and there. 3/10, he wishes he could do something about it.

Cross: Surprisingly very good. Maybe it's a hobby of his, maybe it's just him trying to imitate his squad leader, who knows. Good at improvising with ingredients, especially since the budget at the T cell station is so limited, he has to make whatever work. 9/10 he could somehow make bacteria taste decent

[densesindealer]

Neo World: Pacification Program

Hello everyone, Dense here! This story, Neo World: Pacification Program, wasn't a solo effort. @thelewdpokemanik and I have been working, and intend to continue working on this story together. We're writing each chapter as a pair, so forgive us if you sometimes notice some differences between our two styles of writing.

You can also find this story, and stay the most updated on it, on AO3, which can be found here.

The idea for this story was born out of the desire to work on a story together, and after brainstorming we came up with this! We found the idea to be fun and unique, and decided to just throw ourselves at it and enjoy the ride.

As always, comments, kudos and whatever else you desire are never required, but we do love getting the feedback.

Without further ado, Poke and Dense present, Neo World: Pacification Program! We hope that you all enjoy this journey with us. <3

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

Chapter One: Problems, Planning, Pacification

“How the hell did this happen?” Mondo screamed, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair, making the metal creak painfully. His voice bounced off the walls of the mechanical operation room housing the Neo World Program computer, which really, was a gross understatement. It was a true marvel of technological advancement, including all the monitors, storage banks, the pods containing the sleeping members of his senior class- and many more things Makoto couldn’t even hope to understand.

The biker was hunched in his seat as if he were prepared to lunge if he didn’t like the answer, though Makoto knew better.

He still grimaced in his seat. “We- aren’t sure? I mean, obviously, one of the Remnants must have brought the virus with them, but…”

“We don’t exactly have the Ultimate Programmer here with us to follow along with the Neo World Program’s code,” Celeste said, ignoring the way Mondo twitched at her words. The biker had never gotten over Chihiro’s death at Toko’s hands, and honestly, there was a very real chance he would never move on. Well, it's not like Makoto had any room to talk, of course. 

The only reason he could count the number of deaths he hadn’t gotten over on his hands was because only ten students had died during the Killing Game. Their Killing Game now.

Because there might very well be a second one soon.

“No doubt, that Izuru fellow had ulterior motives in helping us. I said he wasn’t trustworthy from the start, but of course, someone wouldn’t listen to reason…” The gambler said, shooting Makoto a look many would call venomous, but Makoto could see that while frustrated, there was next-to-no anger there.

“We wouldn’t have been able to find and capture all the Remnants without his help, Celeste, you know that. And Chiaki vouched for him, didn’t she?”

Indeed, Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer and former Class Representative of Class 77, had vouched for the mysterious Ultimate. She had also been the one to approach Makoto, asking for his help saving her classmates, though he couldn’t say he understood why she trusted him in particular with this. It could have been that he was the Ultimate Hope, or maybe that he was the unofficial leader of the surviving class of Junko’s game. He didn’t know why she chose him over any of his other classmates. He did however know that the rest of Future Foundation would have categorically refused, if not outright arrested her for even proposing this, where he was eager to help.

Of course, things had escalated since then.

And that was before Monokuma came back, somehow.

Celeste clicked her tongue. “That girl is too much like you, Makoto. She would vouch for her killer as she bled to death.”

Makoto laughed awkwardly at that, though he hardly felt jovial. This was worse than what he’d thought the worst-case scenario would be.

“So, what do we know?” Kyoko’s calm voice sounded through the laptop’s speaker.

The detective was working in concert with Sakura, helping keep the heat off the other survivors as they went MIA with the Remnants- no, with Class 77.

“Well, things were working properly in the beginning. Usami was taking care of the students, and as expected, Izuru was replaced by his former self, Hajime Hinata. Chiaki did warn us that this would happen, so...” Makoto explained half-heartedly, his mind still focused on the issue at hand.

“So the likelihood that it is relevant is minor,” Kyoko nodded along, also focused on the more pressing issue. “What then?”

“Well, Monokuma appeared.” Makoto explained, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach he’d felt at the sight. For a moment, he’d almost thought it a nightmare if not for the way Celeste’s clawed hand had been digging into his shoulder like a talon.

“But wasn’t Usami supposed to be armed to deal with viruses and attacks?” Sakura’s calm voice asked from Kyoko’s monitor. “What came of that?”

“Monokuma overpowered her, somehow. He stole her administrator privileges and, uh, repainted her and is calling her ‘Monomi’. As far as we can tell, her actual AI hasn’t been affected in this process, probably for him to enjoy her suffering.” Makoto explained, only for Celeste to jump in.

“We’ve confirmed that Monokuma was attacked by the rabbit in some fashion, but none of us here can actually decipher what Fujisaki and Gekkogahara’s work does.” Celeste shot Makoto a smirk then. “I suppose all we can do is Hope it’ll be enough.”

The Ultimate Hope groaned. Ever since Celeste had called him that on live television, it had, effectively, become his official title, and the gambler was more than happy to tease him about it at every opportunity. Not to mention teasing him in other ways…

Makoto shook off his blush and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Usami seems to have done something during their fight, but what exactly, we really can’t tell…”

Kyoko hummed for a moment, before continuing. “Monokuma took over the program, but to what extent?” 

Makoto grimaced again. “Almost completely. Usami’s been completely depowered, we can’t interfere at all with what’s happening inside- Though, we still have access to the cameras and can import stuff in-”

“You. Will. Not. Enter that simulation, Makoto Naegi. I forbid it,” Celeste said, her voice cold as ice, and Makoto felt his blood run cold. “No doubt that bitch left those untouched expressly to make you jump in like the self-sacrificing idiot you are.”

Yeah… Celeste still hadn’t forgiven him for not throwing Kyoko under the bus during Junko’s staged trial. At least, she hadn’t tried to kill him.

Makoto could still clearly see the scar Celeste had left on Kyoko’s face with her claw on her monitor. The pale line went from the corner of her mouth, and stretched out to just under her cheekbone, pulling slightly whenever Kyoko spoke.

Kyoko didn’t seem to bregrudge Celeste for it however. ‘I have worse scars’ she’d once said, ‘and this one I deserve.’

Celeste’s choice of words had been a lot less…diplomatic. ‘Should’ve taken the lying whore’s tongue with it.’ or, something to that effect��

Makoto chose not to linger on it, honestly. He had lost too many friends to begrudge those that had survived.

“I agree.” Sakura said, followed by Kyoko’s silent nod.

“Guys…” Makoto tried to plead his case, that he wasn’t actually that bad-

“If he tries, I’ll tie him down to his chair,” Mondo promised, making Celeste scoff. 

“You won’t touch him, you brute. No, if Makoto does anything stupid, he’ll answer to me.”

The luckster couldn’t quite hide his wince at that. Celeste could kill a man with her words, but never did they cut so deep as when she tried to imprint on Makoto that she was going to find a way to stop him from passing on before the rest of them. It always hurt to know he worried her so much, especially when he could see the tears held back tightly just behind her mask.

And it’s not like Makoto wanted to sacrifice himself or anything. He’d be perfectly happy never putting his life in danger again, thank you very much.

But on the other hand, he was incapable of refusing to offer his help when someone needed it. Not that he wanted to be the kind of person who would, in all honesty.

Anyway.

“Celeste, you said ‘that bitch’ earlier?” Kyoko asked, bringing the conversation back on topic (thankfully for Makoto). “Then, do you think…”

“That this is one of Enoshima’s ploys? Obviously. It’s got her name written all over this.”

“But- she’s dead, right?” Mondo asked, and Makoto nodded definitively. 

Though he hadn’t seen her corpse himself, well…

The Remnants had brought enough pieces back to remove any doubt he might’ve had.

“Yes, but I don’t think she was stupid enough to actually stop her planning at her death. No, Enoshima is far too clever for that.” Celeste said, a note of begrudging respect in her voice that Makoto could only agree with.

Junko was many things. Insane, sado-masochistic, cruel, self-destructive-

But most of all, she was intelligent. Incredibly so.

If she wanted to plan something like this, even something that would only come to pass after her death, she definitely could.

“But how, is the question.” Sakura said. “Fearsome as Junko is, she cannot rise from the dead.”

Hopefully.

“No. But she has spent many years in the same class as the Ultimate Programmer as he developed Alter Ego technology, and was familiar with the Ultimate Neurologist.”

Kyoko’s voice almost seemed like it deafened Makoto for a moment as her words shot through him.

“Are you saying- Junko…”

“Made an Alter Ego herself? I don’t know. But I think it is a very real possibility, especially since she has been known to be very adept with technology in the past. It would explain how efficiently she took over the simulation. If Usami wasn’t fighting one AI, but two…”

Mondo’s jaw was tightly set. “Then it was two on one, and Usami couldn’t fight back.”

“She did manage to infect the Monokuma AI with something, so to say she was powerless would be false, but whether or not she was effective…” Sakura let the sentence hang.

She didn’t need to say it for everyone to understand.

“All we can do is wait, regrettably.” Celeste finally said, and Makoto found himself squirming slightly.

Yeah… Nothing anyone could do.

“Well, I suppose we’ll have to see. Makoto, Celeste, please keep us abreast of the situation as it evolves. As of now, it seems like the Killing Game has yet to begin, but that could change at any moment.” Kyoko said, and Makoto wanted to jump up and say there was no chance it would begin at all-

But he knew better, sadly.

“I’ll make sure Yasuhiro is informed about the situation discreetly.” Kyoko added, and Makoto nodded absent-mindedly.

Hiro was still in the heart of Future Foundation, working and acting as if nothing was wrong at all.

He was ideally placed to learn about Future Foundation’s movements, but it also meant that all of his communications were heavily scrutinized- no doubt Kyoko would need to sneak the message to him somehow. It also meant that, under no circumstances could Hiro hint at knowing Jabberwock Island even existed, and especially not send a message here.

After a few perfunctory goodbyes, Mondo stomped back outside the room, no doubt looking to take out his anger on something or other, while Makoto sagged back in the chair he’d been occupying a few hours ago when Monokuma first appeared.

God, what a nightmare…

Makoto looked into the screen in front of him, jumping from camera to camera and observing the 16 students who were now stuck inside the game he’d only just escaped with his life a few months ago.

And there was nothing he could do to help except hope for the best.

…

Unbidden, Makoto’s eyes drifted to the second monitor, the one showing the drives of the Neo World Program.

He’d gone through them wildly when Monokuma first appeared, but he could barely understand what was in it, let alone figure out what had changed.

Though, there was one thing he’d recognized, if only because it was possibly labeled explicitly for him, or whoever was using the program when something went wrong.

“So? What’s your backup plan?” Celeste asked from the seat next to him, making him jump.

“Gah! C-Celeste!? Wh-What are you talking about!?” Makoto tried to deny it, but Celeste only smiled at him.

“You’re hiding something, Makoto, and not very well. Not that you can hide anything from me of course.” Was that a note of smugness in her voice?

But it was true that Celeste could read him like a book. Maybe that was the price to pay for him to be able to see past her mask himself.

Makoto sighed, before navigating the drive back to the simply named folder he’d found earlier today.

‘In Case Of Usami Failure!’

And inside that folder was a single program, and a text document, which Makoto opened, before sliding his chair out of the way for Celeste to read herself.

“Thank you very much~” Celeste said, leaning over Makoto and making him blush as he felt her body pressing into him lightly as she read.

He looked away, though his eyes struggled to find where to land for a moment, before he eventually closed them, not needing to read the file again.

He’d done so again, and again, and again already.

‘Hello! If you’re reading this .txt file, then this must mean something went wrong that Usami failed to fix! Depending on what or why, you might need to take matters into your own hands! If you do, here’s what you need!

In this folder, you will find a .exe program! It is functionally the same thing as the Pacification Program Usami carries with her, except you can direct it yourself, should the need arise. To do so, all you must do is boot up the .exe, and navigate through the island using the 3D render the program offers.  Simply select a target, and focus the Pacification Program to whatever intensity may be needed. 

This does of course come with risks, so please take care to use this responsibly. The subjects inside of this program are treated as ‘rogue code’ by the Pacification Program, and this can affect the Rehabilitation Program the Neo World Program’s foundation rests on. As it is designed to do in the worst-case scenario, the program will first move to pacify the malicious code to prevent it from further harming the Neo World. From there it will attempt to alter the base coding of the target into something more useful for the system moderator.

The Pacification Program is relatively untested, and it should only be used in the case of an extreme emergency! If at all possible, contact technical support before resorting to this option. Love love &lt;;3’

Makoto only had to wait a moment before Celeste’s eyes turned back toward him, the rubies glinting with intelligence as she took her seat again, her hands folded in her lap primly.

“So?” She asked, and Makoto grimaced.

“I tried using it on Monokuma, but it couldn’t select him as a target. Maybe it’s because he’s not an original part of the program, or maybe it's because Usami did manage to infect him and he can’t be targeted again or something. I tried using the 3D map to search the island, but it’s literally changing as I navigate it, and some parts are completely closed off and inaccessible, like the ruins. As far as I can tell, it isn’t really useful in this situation.”

Celeste’s smile widened a fraction. “If you believed that, you wouldn’t be so bothered by it.”

Makoto smiled shakily. “You know me too well…”

“Fufufu~ Oh, Makoto, you couldn’t be more wrong~” Celeste slightly teased him, but her eyes were still serious.

“Well, I tested the program for a little bit. It all seems focused on calming people down, making them more compliant, less aggressive, etc. I can target everything on the island with it, except for Monokuma, as I said. I think it works just as it's advertised, making sure conflicts don't happen on the island.” 

Makoto paused for a moment, staring back at Celeste’s pale face.

“If- the worst came to pass, I was thinking maybe I could use it to stop things from- happening?” Makoto winced at his own words as he tried to tip-toe around actually saying what he was worried about.

“You think you could use this Pacification Program to stop a murder, should it come to that?”

“It shouldn't have to, but- I know better than that. My hope is that if one of them does fall to that temptation, I can stop it before it's too late, save them where I- '' Makoto choked on the words before they finished leaving his mouth.

Where I couldn't save them before.

The words were left unsaid, but both knew what he had been getting at. The loss of their friends still weighed heavy on all of the survivors, and him more so than anyone else. 

His guilt cut him deeper than anyone else’s did, his heart almost bleeding out of his chest sometimes, and Celeste no doubt recognized the pain he felt so vividly still. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, always had, and now was no different. 

He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out, letting his shoulders fall with it. “Like I said, I hope I won’t have to use it, and not only because I want to believe in them, but also because, well, I’m not a genius. I think I can figure it out, but I’m sure there’s a reason it's supposed to be for emergencies only. On the other hand…”

“If this isn’t an emergency, then what is, hm?” Celeste finished the thought, a clawed finger resting on her chin, her eyes still drilling into Makoto.

For a moment, the pair sat in silence, only disturbed by the simulated ambience coming through the cameras and the sound of machinery all around them.

It was strange how things happened. 

When Makoto had first met Celeste, he had only felt deceit and danger coming from her, and had actively feared being left alone with her, lest she somehow manage to talk him out of all of his worldly possession, or worse, into a game of mahjong.

But now, sitting next to her, on the run from what now stood as the government, harboring fugitives on a deserted island and hoping they would survive, he wasn’t sure there was anyone he trusted more.

O-Of course, he trusted all of his friends from Class 78! No doubt about that! Mondo had sworn to protect him more than once, and Sakura had been ready to lay her own life down to save them all. Hiro might act like a doofus, but even now, he worked at the heart of Future Foundation to help them, and though Kyoko might act cold, he knew that she cared for all of them deep down.

Though she might’ve not trusted him as he trusted her in the past, it was the past, truthfully. Kyoko had changed, and seen the error of her ways. Even now, she was trusting them with this project, when all of their lives may very well lie in the balance.

But still, sitting here with Celeste, he felt, at peace, almost.

As if anything was possible.

Even beating Junko for a second time, and stopping a tragedy from repeating itself.

Makoto took another deep breath. “Thanks for volunteering to stay with me here, Celeste.”

The girl’s pale face split into a smile. “Well, if you do feel so grateful, maybe you’d like to pay me back~”

Makoto’s face exploded into a blush as Celeste teased him, again, and he turned away from her to instead focus on the monitor.

Another round of camera checks told Makoto that all of Class 77 was sleeping in bed. Which was normal, of course. The simulated time matched the time on the real island, and it was approaching- wow, two in the morning?

Well, Makoto had been very busy thus far, of course, but still.

He swallowed a yawn and blinked, hard. 

“Are you planning to stay here all night?” Celeste asked, only half-surprised.

“Well, night time is dangerous, right? You’re the one who introduced the night time rule, Celeste.” Makoto said, but Celeste only rolled her eyes.

“Of course you are. What, are you planning to stay awake forever?”

Makoto looked away. “Of course not, but…”

But Makoto simply didn’t know when to leave. What if the moment he abandoned his vigil something happened? Should he sleep when the students went to bed? But that would also be when they were at their most vulnerable, wasn't it? Should he sleep during the day then? But that didn't seem right either, wouldn't that be when most of them were out and about?

“You are ridiculous, Makoto. The worst possible outcome is you falling asleep unexpectedly.”

“No, the worst possible outcome is me failing these people and letting the Killing Game start again.” Makoto snapped, only to immediately regret his harsher tone.

For a moment, a more uncomfortable silence reigned in the operating room, and Makoto felt as if he had something stuck in his throat, at least until Celeste stood up, and laid her hand on his shoulder.

“Go to sleep, Makoto. No one will make a move so soon. We can arrange a schedule tomorrow, and make sure one of us is always watching in the future.” Celeste said softly, and Makoto felt his unknowingly tense shoulders sagging.

He wanted to try and justify staying up, but he was cut off by another yawn, making Celeste giggle.

“As usual, your body is incredibly honest~” Celeste said, and Makoto felt a blush rise to his cheeks as her fingers rolled on his shoulder for a moment, before pulling at him lightly. “Come on. Walk me to my room, hm? You’d be a failure of a knight to not escort your lady.”

Makoto couldn’t stop his tired chuckle. “Alright, alright. I’m coming.”

As Makoto stood up, he couldn’t help but agree with his earlier thought. 

He really was glad Celeste was here with him.

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

They'd won, but it sometimes didn’t feel that way. He bore the pain of ten lives lost, the grief that came from losing them. Though unlike his fellow survivors, he even mourned the final loss of their game. For as much wrong as she did, he had wished, still did in many ways, that he could have saved Junko from her own pit of despair.

Her laugh, even if it sounded hollow, the proclamation that despair made Junko everything she was, all before she sealed her own fate. She'd never given him the chance to argue against it, and sometimes he chose to believe it was that she knew he would have succeeded. Makoto never had that chance, and she put herself through a gauntlet of despair, every execution she ever inflicted on their classmates, all in one bundle for her to face.

Yes, even her death hung heavy upon him, though not the heaviest of their losses, not nearly the heaviest. 

When Mukuro took Byakuya's life, it pained him the same way. He'd never managed to break through Byakuya's shell, not as much as he wanted. He'd never really known who Mukuro truly was, but he always saw glimpses of the true girl buried beneath the disguise she wore. 

She'd told him once she held out hope that he would stop Junko, though she never said her name, she never had the chance before she was dragged away to her own punishment. He still couldn't understand why she chose Byakuya as her victim, what of his demeanor screamed a traitor even Mukuro didn't know of. 

He always blamed himself though, like Mukuro was protecting him from Byakuya's consistently cruel comments. Every time they visited him at night they didn't hesitate to remind him of that.

Makoto would never claim they were alone, they all blamed him, just as much as he did. Kiyotaka, Hifumi, Leon, they visited on occasion, not as much as the others, not that he felt the bitter sting of their loss any less.

He should have noticed the way Hifumi was breaking down, the longer they stayed, the lessening grip on reality. Yet he didn't, he spent less time with Hifumi than any other member of his class, and that was something he could have, no should have changed.

As Hifumi broke down, his reality became incomprehensible, a merge of his stories, his adoration of all things 2D, and utter despair of not having his crutch. He supposed Alter Ego had been the boy's tipping point, nobody there to ground him, he fell into the trap of viewing Alter Ego as a living, breathing person, and refused to let go.

Asahina suggesting they use the AI, sophisticated as it was to break down Monokuma, was the final nail in both of their coffins. She had become a threat to the only thing keeping Hifumi's fragile hold on his own sanity, and it took more than just the pair down with him. Kiyotaka was just an unfortunate accident to make everything worse.

Long after Asahina had lost her life, after Hifumi had bloodied his hands, Kiyotaka found him. If Makoto had known, if he had been there to stop him, he'd still be here. He could have stopped their fight, talked them down, Hifumi would never have fallen, and Kiyotaka wouldn't have faced execution.

The moral compass that man possessed would never have allowed him to let it lie. A simple confrontation to stop Hifumi from doing what he didn't know had already been done. It was far too late, and Hifumi was far too gone. 

Makoto may not know exactly how it happened, but he certainly knew the outcome, a single fall down a staircase, the wrong landing on a bannister, and an execution of a man who hadn't intended any harm. Three lives lost because he wasn't there when he needed to be.

Toko was always the one who found humor in that, despite Makoto finding none. She always found the death of a friend funny, well not Toko precisely. Her crippling case of a split personality found twisted enjoyment in it, or Makoto imagined she did. Her hands weren't clean of blood, and she didn't think twice about reminding him that he had stained his own with hers.

If he had just been more understanding, pushed harder for Chihiro to trust him. If he had just truly befriended the scared boy, she never would have had such an easy target. If he had been able to show that their secrets were always safe, Toko would never have sunk into herself further than ever, her other self never would have been let free.

Toko finding out that her perfect prey was right in front of her, no longer in control? It was a spark in the powder keg, and she was never coming back from the explosion that ensued. No, he had failed them, and they paid the ultimate price for it.

Yet still, they never hurt the worst, no they never could. While he had believed he could have done more, he knew that in truth, it was always a pipe dream. Blaming himself for what was mostly out of his control.

They weren't. That was his failure, the trump card of his nightmares. Whenever he saw that fiery red hair, or heard that sickeningly sweet laugh, that was when it hurt the most. Why shouldn't it? It was the first of his many failures, but more than that it was the only one that he knew he could have done more. 

Yes, Sayaka Maizono was his biggest regret, his biggest failure, his most painful memory. The videos were such a simple motive, yet they were the most effective. He remembered it clear as day, holding her in his arms as she shed every tear she could, and he didn't even say anything that made it better, not truly. 

Yet he didn't pay for that failure, Leon took on that debt. 

If Makoto had stayed with Sayaka that night, neither of them would have been hurt, they'd be safe. He knew she was scared and he left her, yet that wasn't what truly sealed their fates.

No, it was still Sayaka's plan. He believed he'd helped her, but he should have known better. He should have known from the way she spoke that she was lying to him. Of course he didn't, he was too blind to the truth, he cared too much, trusted with too much, and left as she had asked.

Their fate was that which haunted him the most. The ring of a doorbell, a plan set in motion, a shower to dread cleansing himself in. 

He could never truly know what happened that night. He could deduce, extrapolate, hope, imagine, fear- but never really know.

Still, he’d seen the scene in his nightmares so frequently he could almost believe it was undeniable truth.

Sayaka’s fear, her guilt, her resolve as she played him for a fool, planning to make him take the fall for him.

Was it relief she felt when Makoto agreed to switch rooms? Or maybe resignation?

And when she wrote those words, invited Leon to his room- did she know she was starting the Killing Game? Did she care?

She could’ve stopped there, couldn’t she? Could’ve tore the letter to shreds and flushed it down the toilet in the morning, and no one would’ve known.

Or maybe the moment she began writing, she had already chosen her path. 

Maybe it was the moment she met Makoto deep into the night.

Maybe it was the moment the Killing Game rules were announced.

Makoto couldn’t know. He would never be able to know. That was the cruel finality of death.

Still, the thoughts haunted him, and nightmares regarding Sayaka, not to mention all of his other friends plagued him.

But this wasn’t a nightmare.

This was reality.

A cruel trick, a tragedy repeating itself right in front of his eyes.

Makoto stared unseeingly at the monitor as Nagito walked away from the Ultimate Impostor’s cabin, having just slipped a note under his door, an hour before the morning announcement.

His fingers felt numb as he gripped the desk in front of him like a buoy, the only thing stopping him from falling off his chair and drowning in a sea of despair.

“Makoto. Breathe.” Celeste said next to him, her hand digging into the flesh of his arm, and Makoto’s lungs felt like they would explode as he breathed in shakily.

“Wh-What-” Makoto’s voice broke for a moment, and he cleared his throat. “What does the letter say?”

Celeste paused for a moment, hesitating, before navigating the cameras, though her hand never left him, for which he was thankful. He needed the anchor, desperately.

Celeste found the Impostor’s room camera, and paused again.

“Celeste?”

She grit her teeth.

“‘Be careful. The first kill will happen tonight. Someone will definitely kill someone.’”

Makoto could almost smell the faint smell of lavender in the air, and for a moment, he was back on those trial grounds, listening to Kyoko explain Sayaka’s plan.

Celeste’s nails bit into his flesh through his suit.

No. No, he couldn’t allow this to happen.

Numbly, he navigated the drives, and found the Pacification Program folder once more, only to pause when Celeste pulled at him.

His eyes met hers, only to come face-to-face with her full trust, and Makoto couldn’t help but relax, just a little bit.

She didn’t say anything. Only nodded, once, seriously, which Makoto returned, first tiredly, but then resolved.

No, he would stop this Killing Game from starting. He had to.

His free hand left the desk, and instead settled on Celeste’s own hand, feeling her cold fingers under his.

“I can't let this happen.” She hadn't questioned him, but he provided an answer anyway.

“I would never suggest you did, I know better than that. Always the noble knight.” Her soft tone was a warming comfort he needed, even if only a few words.

With a tightened determination settling in his chest, he drew his eyes back to the computer screen. The debate they could have had about this decision was solved before it ever truly began.

He wouldn’t allow Nagito to kickstart the Killing Game. He wouldn’t allow anyone to do so.

And when he opened the Pacification Program, it was with resolve and hope bolstering his heart.

[rxvonna]

"We've located him, but…" The way that Mobius glanced at Ouroboros and trailed off, Ravonna knew that he was about to break something to her very gently that she wasn't going to like. She steeled herself for it against the workshop counter, but she was pretty sure she already knew what was coming.

"He's in a branched timeline. We sent an agent in. He…won't remember you."

There it was.

"I don't care." Her response was out almost before he could finish his sentence. It was pretty much the worst case scenario. The smile she felt herself forcing was extremely tight, but it was all she could do to keep from crying in that moment. "I don't care. I'm not leaving him there. He doesn't belong there."

Mobius nodded, and she wasn't sure which was worse—his sympathetic expression or the fact that he couldn't seem to meet her eyes. He'd never really had that problem before. He also didn't immediately come up with solutions or suggestions, which was his usual way of handling things. No doubt he and OB had already discussed everything before she arrived for the update and they felt there was no good way to fully get her husband or his memory back since the TVA itself had been unkind and sent him away.

If there were even memories left within him to retrieve. That was the difficult part of a broken down TVA, wasn't it? The uncertainty of what happened when it glitched somehow, no way of really knowing if it wiped minds thoroughly or left remnants behind like He Who Remains did.

But him not having his memories wasn't going to stop her from going to his branch and doing her best to bring him home. In the past, her more insecure days, she might have left him there for his own good; her mind would've made her believe he was better off..and maybe he was, all things considered. It was no secret he was the best of them both. Everyone thought so.

But now, she owed it to him to go. He would've never given up on her if the situation were reversed. She wasn't about to give up on him.

"Give me the information."

Within hours, she was down on the timeline. His branch. From a bench across the street, dressed in appropriate clothing for the time, she watched him arrive at the building she had been surveilling for about an hour, heart leaping into her throat when she saw him stop and talk to someone just outside the doors and then laugh. There was no real concept of time in the TVA, but she knew it had been entirely too long since she'd seen and heard that laugh. Weeks? Months?

Could she even possibly get through this? She was beginning to have her doubts. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest and a before she knew it, she was fishing in her bag for a tissue. It didn't hurt to be prepared, and it wouldn't exactly be out of place where she was going.

By the time she looked up again, she realized he had already disappeared into the building and she cursed under her breath. She didn't want to be late. It was imperative she not be late. She jumped up and crossed the street quickly and without warning, much to the chagrin of the drivers who nearly hit her. She ignored the vulgar hand signals and yelling hurled her way by the motorists and hurriedly passed into the front doors of the building, reading the signs for her destination.

Once at the correct room—139 | Group, it read— she took a deep, shaky breath before turning the handle and opening the door. Eight sets of eyes swiveled to look at her, but only one of them mattered, and for a long moment she just stared into the blue of them, frozen. But she did just manage to get herself together and somehow smile weakly as Steve looked at her curiously. Curiously and without recognition.

Thank goodness she already expected that, not that it made her soul ache any less.

"I'm sorry. I'm a new sign-up," she explained quietly. "Is it too late to join?"

@herosquandary

[th3houseofleaves]

answering the prompt from @birds-of-x prompt of the day in the quotev community <3

"🌵 what is their dream road trip? alternatively – if they don't care for road trips that much – what are they normally like during road trips? if they have yet to go on one, then how do you imagine their first road trip to be like? would they thrive, would they just care about reaching their destination somehow, or would they just wish they had stayed home instead?"

answering this for KIT, DOVE, and THE VASILYEVS

CHRISTOPHER WARREN:

kit loves road trips. he doesn't have a dream road trip per say because he cares more about the quality time, traveling, and views + sight seeing than he does the actual location. when he does get to go on a road trip (say, for a mission or for fun), he's the most excited and the least prepared. he was never taught how to pack appropriately for trips so he always underpacks and he'd run out of clothes on longer trips unless they stop or someone let's him borrow clothes (which is easier said than done bc he's tall and has long legs so pants are always the most difficult bit). like he'll pack maybe two days worth of clothes thinking that'll be enough and his other necessities like a charger for his phone, his computer, a notebook, maybe a switch or something, so he'll have things to do when / if they stop and stay the night somewhere. and he'd never go on a road trip alone. ever. he might be a skilled hero who's been doing that shit for awhile by this point, but he still isn't about to travel between states or anything by himself. he knows how dangerous that can be. his favourite person to travel with is roy tbh, they vibe together so hard – if they're with other people, they try and keep kit and roy from controlling the music lmao. bc kit will play the worst music ever and roy will encourage it. dick, until they start working their issues out, is one of his least favourite people to travel with bc they get on each other's nerves. and dick won't always let him drive. which he hates. his very first road trip was with his godfather cole! he was maybe seven and cole picked him up from school that day and decided they were gonna go on a little road trip, it wasn't a long drive or anything, but it was nice. probably just to a nice beach somewhere outside of star city. it was, at that point, the most fun he'd ever had. bc they went somewhere new and cole was singing along to the radio and making him laugh and they stopped to get food n ate in the car and kit was so excited bc cole let him sit in the front seat while they ate. it's his most treasured memory.

DOVE BAEK:

dove has technically not been on a road trip... unless you count the time they ran away and hopped on a bus to central city. which was not the most pleasant experience ever. like kit i don't think they have a dream road trip destination, but i do think they've made a list of places they've heard people go to on road trips so that they could do that one day. when sparrow is a little older probably. if you count their bus trip as a actual road trip than their first one was awful. it was hot and kind of loud and they were so carsick the entire time. plus people kept looking at them weirdly bc they were a young teenager traveling on their own. they couldn't even try to lie about that if anyone asked, their behavior (& obvious lack of adult) gave them away. they were so fidgety and nervous and trying so hard to look like they weren't doing anything wrong that it was pretty clear they weren't supposed to be there. they also ran out of snacks before they got to central city and that SUCKED so bad. if you don't count that, then their first road trip is gonna be a little bumpy but overall fine. they overprepare and try to account for every worse case scenario. they bring extra everything (most everything, reenie and jason talk them out of going totally overboard). they're making sure they have an actual map in case they lose cell service and their phone won't work to get directions. they cannot read a map. they're anxious and excited all at the same time and they'd keep having to pull over so that dove can get out and see the sights or let out some energy which they can't do in the car. if they're driving (especially if it's just them n jason) they're gonna hold jason's hand bc they are sappy sometimes and they like doing that. they're most anxious if they travel anywhere with sparrow, not because he's difficult to manage or anything, but because they're a little overprotective and scared of anything happening to him. if their son is coming along then they've gotta bring someone else too. sometimes reenie, sometimes avis, jason if they can. they care about reaching their destination safely, they don't really mind where they're going as long as everyone ends up there in one piece.

VASILYEV FAMILY (sam, noah, aeron, milan, logan, thea)

this family would have the most chaotic road trips. we're talking full chaos. they're renting an rv or driving multiple cars, they're getting lost, someone is getting left behind around least once, someone loses their luggage, they get banned from at least one restaurant, aeron terrifies everyone when they drive, they almost get into an accident, and someone breaks their phone. multiple anxiety attacks ensue, at least 2 panic attacks, thea logan and milan spend part of the trip confused bc there's no subtitles when their brothers (cousins in milan's case) are talking and those assholes forget that english is the common language sometimes. milan defaces public property while sam is losing his mind trying to get everyone back together. there's one (1) arrest and it's never who they think. they make a tally every time sam looks down with their shit. thea has to wrangle logan and aeron. arson is accidentally committed. basically it's a mess. a fun, exhausting mess. all of them have gone on road trips, both together and alone or with other people. thea used to love going on drives with her other younger siblings and when she went away for college she drove with a friend and had a good time. logan didn't rlly do road trips until they met the rest of their family but she'd been on one or two, her family was more about big vacations honestly. noah and aeron used to go on trips all the time, usually to one of the next cities over to go to concerts or just get away from their house. milan didn't do road trips before meeting all of them but he did take cars for joyrides which... he considers the same thing much to his family's horror. noah is the one who jokes about wishing he stayed home when really he loves it the most. thea is the one who actually wishes she stayed home once the chaos starts. aeron is the one who keeps adding stops because they wanna see everything. milan goes along with it but he's also trying to get them to stop at bars & clubs, he's moderately successful. logan usually teams up with the two of them and causes chaos, she's almost certainly the one who almost hits something when she drives. sam is the oldest and he's trying to keep everyone together and safe and hopefully out of jail. he is so tired. sam and logan are honestly the ones who decide where they're going and usually it's a vague location instead of a set place. like maybe a national park but they also wanna see other stuff in the area or whatever. but logan's responsibility ends there.

[thirstyforleviathan]

A Rainy Day

Summary: Maybe the rain isn’t so bad if you have Belphie with you.

You sigh, looking out at the downpour. It’s hard for there to be gloomy days in Devildom, what with no sun all year round, but today is absolutely dreary. The sky had been almost pitch black all day and it would stay this way for a while. The soft pitter patter hitting the roof did not comfort you today, not in the way it usually does.

Your father will probably have set out the buckets to collect water as a way to conserve on the water bill and prepared for any possible electricity shortages. Your sister will definitely have already brought out the blankets and pillows to the family room and picked out what true crime videos from the human realm to watch. Yet, not even the familiarity of this routine brings you solace.

Perhaps it is less the rain that is the issue and more you, but today, you will blame the rain.

Another defeated exhale escapes your lips and you rub your hands together in an attempt to warm them up. You could go back into the academy and wait out the rain, but there wasn’t any guarantee that the rain would get better (or that it wouldn’t get worse). But you truly, truly did not want to walk in the rain either. Normally, you always have an umbrella prepared with you - you always try to prepare for the worst case scenario on any given day. Somehow, you’d managed to wake up late, and it’d thrown your schedule off course for the rest of the day. Not only had you forgotten your umbrella, but your homework was nowhere to be found in your backpack, and your hair had looked like a mess the entire day.

Straightening up your shoulders, you smooth out your uniform - this behavior does not befit you. You will brave the rain, and you will do so fearlessly. As you steel yourself for your first step forward, you hear slightly scuffed footsteps behind you.

You turn around and your eyes widen slightly, “Belphie?”

“Number Two?” He twirls his hair with one hand, the other holding an umbrella.

“Please stop calling me that. You and your brothers are completely insufferable with that nickname.”

“But it’s true, Number Two,” Belphie emphasizes as he approaches you.

“You’re at least fifty spots below me, you cowbell,” you pluck his umbrella out of his hand,”and I will be taking this as your apology.”

“Hey!”

Side stepping his attempt to reach for his umbrella, you smirk, “Too slow, Sloth.”

Belphie lets out a grunt and settles next to you,”There would be horrors happening to you right now if I wasn’t so sleepy.”

You roll your eyes, choosing not to respond. The rain is now pounding against the railing above - the wind has managed to pick up even more. His arm brushes against yours and the heat radiating from him was more soothing than you’d like to admit. Suddenly, you are much more aware of your close proximity to Belphie. You feel your breath hitch - it’s getting harder to ignore that warmth that blooms in your chest when he touches you, but you’ve managed before, and you will manage this time.

“Walk me home,” his voice breaks you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?”

“Walk. Me. Home. There is only one umbrella. I doubt you want walk in this weather without one,” Belphie twirls his hair and shoots a lazy smile at you, “Besides, I know you’re dying to have more time with me anyway.”

You clear your throat in hopes of avoiding heat rising to your cheeks. Wrapping your arm around his, you quickly start making your way to the House of Lamentation because he’s right - if you’re going to spend this miserable day with anyone, you’re going to spend it with him.

[obsessivecreechur]

short summary - t/ar/t/ar figures out the body he made for himself is capable of sustaining life, by accident

It'd been 2 or 3 months since Gr/izz was defeated. T/ar/t/ar was preparing everything for his return, extremely exhausted from everything going on, lately. This whole project had been a mess, somehow worse than what he'd tried to do only a few years prior.

The phone looked around, trying to find its Al/ternan counterpart, OR/CA, who'd been equally as busy, when he suddenly got... an odd sensation in his abdomen. He didn't stop, but he... did pause, getting a strange look of mild concern on his face... This wasn't a sensation he'd felt, before.

He tried to ignore it, but after a few minutes of walking, it suddenly turned into a sharp pain. This wasn't right... "O-OR/CA? Where are you? I-I think something's..." he trailed off, leaning against a wall. He had no clue what was going on, but... it suddenly felt as if there was something within him he couldn't control. Something that wasn't his own inner mechanisms, which kept him alive. This wasn't right...

After taking a few minutes, allowing the pain to ease, he ran to his room, nearly slamming the door behind him. He nervously went over to his mirror, staring at himself for a solid few minutes... He wasn't going to see anything unless he opened up his torso cavity, which he did NOT want to do when there was some chance of someone else walking in on him... He decided to lock his door, so he could be completely alone, for this.

Taking off his shirt proved to be strangely difficult... Hell, doing anything that required movement suddenly felt a bit more difficult. He felt... sensitive... in a way he'd never experienced, before... He didn't like it.

Staring at his middle, he hesitated, scared to see what might've been wrong with him... Best case scenario, a small, easy to replace part had broken. Worst case scenario... the compartment he'd made to store the rest of the primordial ooze - the gunk he initially made to take over the world and create a new, perfect lifeform - had somehow broken...

He shuddered at the thought.

After several long moments, he finally opened up his torso cavity, and... what he saw was rather startling.

Specks... Three tiny little glowing specks, floating around within the ooze... He stared for several long minutes, trying to figure out what these things were. Suddenly, it hit him like a brick...

Was the ooze still trying to fulfill its purpose...? Was it still trying to create the perfect lifeform?

T/ar/t/ar shook his head. No, that couldn't be the case, right? Was it even possible, in this small of an amount of the stuff? If it was, wouldn't it need a lot more space, at least?

Even if it was possible, now was not the time to worry about something like this. He still had a friend to worry about... This whole ordeal could wait to be dealt with. It had to.

He closed up his torso, putting his shirt and lab coat back on. This would hopefully not become much of an issue for a while... Hopefully.

Somehow, he already knew that was wishful thinking...

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: By Your Powers Combined

Many adventure-type stories center around survival, and by default most survival books and methods you run into are created with the core idea of, “what can you do alone?”

Because the worst-case scenario for survival is that you are alone, with no one else to pick up tasks you falter at. And you have to be prepared for that, or possibly die.

But if a writer just uses these for their adventure research, I think they introduce a critical weakness into the story. As in, even if they have a cast of characters together fighting monsters, evading space aliens, or wandering through the zombie apocalypse, somehow they all seem to be fighting alone.

This is not how humans work. Humans form groups. For better or worse. Divide up tasks, generally with good reasons behind it. Mary’s a better long-distance shot, let her snipe the most dangerous zombies from a distance. Bill’s half-blind without his glasses but a great axeman, put him into the best leather we’ve got (human teeth don’t tear that well) and have him work clean-up. Sarah falls apart with even a hint of adrenaline, but she’s got great concentration and attention to detail; have her handle the medical supplies, sterilizing instruments, dosages. Dave’s got the head for numbers and maps, let him take point on suggesting where we might go to resupply....

And on, and on. Surviving alone is worst case. Surviving in a group, you rely on each other to cover your weak points. And you learn theirs, so you can move in and start picking up the slack before anyone gets so tired or scared that they forget to ask for help. If you’re writing a group of characters, yes, you have to think of how to portray each person so they stand out in the reader’s eyes. But you also have to think of how they interact as a group.

Maybe this is a rag-tag bunch of misfits you just threw together, and they don’t know each other’s strong and weak points yet, or how to fix them. Okay, doable. Leverage might be a good show to check out, as an example of a group learning to work together as a group. Or any buddy cop show that starts with an unlikely pair thrown together. X-Files, definitely.

For real humor I recc the ep “Bad Blood”, where we get a “he said/she said” version of the events that took place, and then the finale shows bits of how they were both wrong - and right.  I still get a cackle of the usual “location typing at the bottom of the picture” printing out “Davy Crockett Motor Inn” at Scully’s annoyed voice.

Mulder: “Actually, it was the Sam Houston Motor Lodge.”

Cursor: Stops, backspaces out the first, types in “Sam Houston Motor Lodge.”

Ahem. Think of your group of heroes. Think of what each one can do alone... and what they can do if two or more of them work together.

One fireman can’t hold a hose and run a ladder and watch for falling debris. Two? Three? Now you’re talking....

[d010811sh]

gratitude

The other day i watched a video about how happiness works from a Harvard lecturer, his name is Arthur.

There was a question from someone that said “how do i feel grateful? because all i can think or feel is sadness, fear and pain”.

It reminds me of a lot about the people who often feel this way too.

It's hard for them to be simply happy for something that happens in their life. It’s hard to face their vulnerable side, always try to act tough and putting others’ needs first before their own.

Well, Arthur’s answer is more of a textbook-style response,

Where he said that because we have three parts of the brain :

The Ancient part or motor function - the one that basically controls every major activity in our body like breathing.

The Limbic System - the one that receives signals from outside and turns them into what we feel.

and last but not least, The Neocortex - the one one that not only receives informations, but also orders our body what to do and how to react.

He continues that based on these facts, the only one who can decide whether we want to feel grateful or not is ourselves. 

To be honest, not surprising at all.

For instance, we are so focused about the negative feelings instead of the positive ones, which might also be the reason why it’s hard for us to feel grateful or even happy with what we have.

In another case, we are also busy comparing our lives with others, so we may “forget” about everything that we have, simply because what they have seems more glamorous or shining than ours.

Someone once said to me that it’s hard for them to feel or want to feel happy because of the fear that happiness is only a temporary feeling and it will go away so fast, eventually making them sad again.

Or happiness is something that is so rare in their life that when it happens, they basically forget how to react to it.

Even worse, someone can think that their life is not worth of happiness at all, so they decide that whatever good things happen to their life is just a coincidence.

This leads to resentment and, in the end, it's hard or even impossible for them to feel grateful.

It's pretty hard for me to say that feeling that way is a right thing to do, (a reminder for my self too not to make so many excuses for certain thing because not gonna lie, i still struggle with this too).

Because for me, if we are still living, then everything that happens to our life is exactly like a hospital monitor. You are not going to be on the upswing forever, just like the downswing too. If its a straight line, then its a different story.

However, i have shifted my mind a bit when i read something that explains this behaviour of always thinking “worst scenario” or “negative outcomes” first before anything else is actually a way of self-defense or self-protection.

You imagine these negative situations first because you don’t know what might happen to you. So instead thinking about garden full of flowers and butterflies but in the end, the outcome is totally the opposite, you immediately think about a field full of angry kangaroos that are ready to punch you in the face and piles of pig poop that you need to clean up, because if that’s really the situation, you are prepared for that. But if its the opposite, you’re not going to feel disappointed.

Because of that explanation, i think now it’s reasonable for people to be this way. But something that is too much will do harm more than good to you.

Think about it, if you keep behaving this way, without you realizing it, you manifest those situations to happen.

You constantly think about the worst, and somehow under your subconscious mind, you start to feel less and less optimistic about the situation, and somehow it affects your actions.

Moreover, if you believe in the power of prayer and you believe in god and the angels, they can also hear you and your thoughts. Don't you think they would feel "offended" by the way you think? It's like not believing that they can send good things into this world for you. Also, what if because you’re extremely focus on that, they basically said “well if thats what you want, then okay i guess” wouldn't it be too bad?

Besides, don't you think that it's so tragic that your body, soul and brain have to feel that negative affirmation that you feed yourself without giving them a break to feel that light of sunshine?

I know it's tremendously hard to try to be happy or think about positive things that might happen to your life.

NOBODY EVER says its easy.

but perhaps, try to open yourself up for that, try to appreciate little things in your life.

Like being able to see, hear, taste and feel,

Having a place to sleep and eat,

Having loving 1 - 2 friends or family members that you know you can always go home to and they will open their arms as big as they could to welcome you,

Think about that energy-sucker and draining job that can pay your bills, foods and other things that satisfy you,

That one person that you know will always be there for you no matter what you are going through, far or near, happy or sad, ups and downs,

Even when you are reading this and you have a phone and brain to think, you should be grateful about that because it means that you have the privilege to see this writing.

If it's so hard for you to feel it for yourself,

Then try to do that for some part of your body. Like your eyes ; do you think it's easy for them to stay open for almost more than a half day???

Or your tastebud. Everyday, if you are in a case where you eat the same thing everyday, don’t you think they deserve to taste other foods?

Or even your brain who has numerous systems that work for YOU non-stop, yet you still think that it’s too much to feel grateful or happy for yourself and every systems or aspects of your body

Start from little things,

Anything, as long as it’s from you and to you.

Good things actually happen to us everyday, hours, minutes, even second, it’s us who is hard to look at it that way.

So just like Arthur said, we are the ones that have control over as well as we are the ones who decide to feel that way.

Because no matter how much shoes you have,

Designer clothes you own,

Five-star restaurant you visited,

Makeup that you never used in your drawer,

Or the lates device you upgrade yourself to,

You will never feel satisfied and happy if you, yourself choose to feel that way

so start from you.

[dreamkidddream]

I’d like to request hc’s of the Brothers and Diavolo reacting to an MC that’s so cute, she could pass off as a doll. If she stands perfectly still, she could pass off as a full sized doll until she moves again. She has adorable doe eyes, wears cute clothes (Lolita fashion or just has an anime girl style), and even makes cute desserts. If the usual MC was weak and frail to them already, Doll!MC seems so dainty, precious, and fragile; these guys would ban paper if she ever got a paper cut.

Oooooo this is really interesting! I can just imagine Doll!MC just making everyone so scared every time she moves because they could probably hurt themselves just bumping into a wall because they look so fragile lol. These were short, so hope you enjoy!

Update: here’s part 2 with the other Undateables!

The Brothers and Diavolo Reacting to Doll!MC

Lucifer

...maybe he made a mistake in picking you for the exchange program after all

You just look so delicate, and just so pure. 

You have definitely made cute little snacks and brought it to him while he locked himself in the office with paperwork

He lowkey highkey likes it no matter how he brushes it off with the usual thanks. Keep doing it, MC, he really appreciates it

When you get in trouble and he gives you the usual lectures, he can’t look into your eyes for long

Geez, he already can’t stay mad at you for long but now he can just feel his resolve cracking

If you get hurt oh Diavolo prepare for helicopter parent Lucifer

As soon as you accidently cut yourself in the kitchen (it would be the tiniest cut, barely noticeable),  you’re no longer allowed in the kitchen unsupervised and can’t handle anything with a sharp end (whether its a butter knife or kid proof scissors that would be safe for Luke to use unsupervised)

“Let me do it for you, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Lucifer, thank you but I’ll be okay. It’s just a frosting spatula it’s not sharp-”

Will punish his brothers 10x worse and demons 100x more if he finds out you got hurt (doesn’t matter what the injury is, could be so much as a paper cut there will be hell to pay)

Constantly checks on you when he can’t see you in person

Handles you so lightly that you barely feel his touch

Move over Belphie, you’re the baby of the house now 

Mammon

Protective x100000

Is still tsudere around you, but doesn’t insult you as much

Who are you kidding as soon as he looks into your cute doe eyes, he forgets what he’s saying 

Complains about having to do stuff for you but doesn’t mind at all really. He loves it because it feels like you’re depending on him, and that makes him feel worth something.

“C’mon human, let the Great Mammon carry your books! You’re gonna hurt yourself and I don’t feel like hearing Lucifer’s mouth today!”

It was just your planner and a small recipe book that Luke gave you, and it weighed less than 10 pounds but okay. You don’t complain either when you see that he genuinely wants to help and do these things

Basically your loud guard dog and secret service agent rolled into one

He’s gotten into trouble more than once for “protecting you”. A student barely bumped your shoulder and Mammon already tackled him. Lucifer was not pleased (but he secretly understood)

He can’t help it that you’re weak and surrounded by hungry demons! It’s a pain to go through this much effort to just protect you, since you look so helpless

MC he’s just worried that you easily break if a demon so much as breathes on you but he likes that he can protect you because he knows that he can keep you safe. You’re just too cute and sweet okay??

Also stand in his room after watching a horror movie to freak him out and he’ll be sounding like Mariah Carey lmao

Leviathan

RURI-CHAN IS THAT YOU??!

Is for sure having an otaku/weaboo freakout moment

You blend in with figurines so well, every time you come into his room he asks you to stand next to them so he can feel that his collection is complete 

He does it sometimes when he streams so people can think he has a rare limited-edition life sized doll that they can’t get. Makes him feel superior 

DRESSING YOU UP IN COSPLAY 100%

You’re like an anime character but in real life and he does not know how to handle it 

Can’t stare into your eyes, it makes them too flustered because he’s used to seeing it in his otome games and not from an actual person that he likes

Who needs maid cafes when he has you? You even dress and make anime themed desserts (once he built up the courage to ask you to make it for him)

Has to calm his beating heart every time he talks to you, you’re too precious for him MC! 

Your like his very own idol, minus the singing and dancing. However, if you can sing and dance....

Levi.exe has stopped working 

Satan

Thought you were a real doll until you introduced yourself

He really thought that someone brought you to life Pinocchio style

You looked like a princess from the many stories that he read, and he was smitten

Treated you so graceful and elegant like until he had his rage moments, which he told you to stay far, far, far away from him until he calmed down completely

Secretly placed a hex on you to where if someone tried to attack you or touch you with harmful intentions, they would be somehow be subjected to looking at their worst fear

You were wondering why that random stranger was just staring wide at you with extensive terror, but then you saw Satan grinning, so you left it alone. You thought it was just some weird demon thing

Loved when you made him cat-themed desserts

If you wore cat ears while doing it, he will turn extremely red

If you meow for him, he won’t know how to handle himself 

Asmodeus

You are just the cutest thing he has ever laid his eyes on!!

Besides from himself of course, don’t get it twisted he’s still #1

He has most definitely had more than one photoshoot done with you both. And you guys have been trending on the Devilgram a couple of times already

Really you guys trend at least twice a month, and his fans love you!

They always ask where he got the doll from but he always laughs and says that “it’s a secret”

Imagine their shock when they see you walking and talking at RAD, some are amazed and some are downright scared

Fashion shows! 

He lives for dressing you up in cute clothes. Your style already suited you and he had great tastes so the new outfits he got you were just *chef’s kiss*

The cute little desserts that you made for him, he always posted it on the Devilgram before he ate it. They were just so cute MC and he couldn’t not show his fans!

Is the most careful brother when it comes to keeping you out of danger. He refused to let his body or skin damaged, and he wasn’t about to let it happen to you either! You are both way too dainty and fragile to let anything happen

Also spa days and self-care nights weekly!

You’re the perfect match made just for him MC

He finally has someone that can understand his struggle of being beautiful, bless you MC

Beelzebub

Soft boy is scared of touching you :(

He towers over you, and he’s scared to even be near you

It takes some time, but he starts to warm up to you

Is always gentle with you, no matter the scenario

Holding hands? He is hardly gripping your hand, said hand fitting loosely in his

Getting hugs? He’s meagerly holding you, not wanting to crush you

You once complained to Beel that it wasn’t fair to get half done hugs (if you were hugging, you were getting a real hug, not a scared one). 

He made you swear that if he was hurting you to let him know, so now you have your very own signal to use for him just in case

He was very tempted to wrap you in bubble wrap and just carry you around like that

He LOVES your sweets, even more than Luke’s and Barbatos’

No matter the size, he loves them, mainly because you made them and it was made with love, just for him

It always makes him feel so warm inside, and he doesn’t feel his appetite gnawing at him like usual

No one is dumb enough to try anything with you both in his presence and not, unless they want to end up either a: deep into the ground or b: into his stomach

You just make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and he just loves everything about you. He just loves you

Belphegor

Hm, you look cute 

For a human

Acts like he doesn’t care, but you’ve caught him blushing before (he still does it too)

Won’t outright admit that you’re charming in your own little way, but he does in his sarcastic way like usual

“MC, you’re such a half-pint. You’re like my personal sized teddy bear.”

Has cuddled with you like you were his personal teddy bear (and still does, but you don’t complain at all)

Has a secret sweet tooth and eat your desserts whenever you make it just for him (and he doesn’t even share it with Beel, that monster)

Demons just have to look Belphie in the eyes, watch him flex his claws, and they all of a sudden forget about whatever they were planning. Good

He hates that you look so fragile, but at the same time he kinda likes it

You just look so soft, and you’re just so kind

It makes him feel like he’s protecting and caring for you, and that makes him feel calm and peaceful 

Please make sure that he’s okay MC, he’s scared that he’s gonna mess up again

Diavolo

The Prince of Hell is both surprised and pleased at your appearance

Do all humans look this charming or is it just you??

If someone as soft as you can survive living and going to school with demons, then this is great

Knew that you weren’t a doll, but still liked to admire you like one

Has asked more than once for pictures, you are just too enchanting!

Wants to have a portrait painted of you so he can hang it up in the castle

LOVES you baking for him! Loves when Barbatos does it too (even though it is kinda part of his job), but it feels different with you. It feels...domestic in a sense. Makes him feel like Diavolo, your friend and very interested in being your boyfriend, instead of Lord Diavolo, the prince that will be residing over Hell in the future

No one would be foolish enough to hurt you. If someone was, they wouldn’t even get the chance to lift a finger before they were directly dealing with him. Don’t take his kindness for weakness, he still is a demon after all, the future King of Hell to be exact

Was scared of touching you at first, but quickly grew out of it! He can handle his own strength, and you guys also have a signal to use just in case he does squeeze a little too tight

Will want to dress you up in royal clothes (if you were okay with it). Nothing is wrong with your current style, as a matter of fact it suits you! He basically just wants to play a fancy game of dress up/have a fashion show with royal clothing

Will take 100s of photos, no exaggeration

Asmo will be jealous, so be warned

Plus, he wants to know how his future lover/ruler would look in a crown so he can start taking measurements. You can never be too ready, right MC?

[leviackermansbrat]

hii :) how about a little request of levi x reader where they are both in love with each other but havent really ever acted upon it much and one day the reader gets badly hurt and almost dies, while their recovering levi realizes how close he was to losing them and they finally confess their love and be together (hope this is ok!)

Unexpectedly Expected

tw: mentions of injuries, near death experiences, blood

side note: this takes place during the expedition where the female titan is captured and then escapes. So SPOILER WARNING FOR LATER ON IN SEASON 2 (I also know it's not winter during that episode but for the sake of the scenario let's pretend it is)

The air was cold. Winter within the walls was dreadful for the survey corps. Fighting for humanity was never a part time job, which meant that whatever mother nature had in store for the soldiers had to be taken in stride. No amount of sleet, hail, or snow stopped the scouts from exterminating titans and venturing outside the walls to do so.

"Have you checked your gear brat?" Levi asked with a stoic gaze as he looked cadet Y/N up and down. They beamed brightly at Levi as they nodded their head and gave him a thumbs up.

Levi rolled his eyes at Y/N's enthusiasm, but on the inside he felt his heart warm just a bit. He had always admired the cadet. Their bravery and compassion never ceasing to amaze him. Skill wise, they were almost on par with him which is why he chose them as his second in command for the Special Operations Squad, also known as Squad Levi.

It was an understatement to say that Levi was infatuated with you. He had known cadet L/N since he was first forced to join the Survey Corps. They stuck up for him when Flagon was being a jerk on the day of their arrival. Since then he found Y/N tolerable and eventually began to grow fond of them. However those small feelings that he had became even more intense after Y/N became his shoulder to cry on after Isabel and Furlan died. Since then they have depended on each other and climbed the ranks.

Despite Y/N being in the Survey Corps longer than Levi, they refused to take a higher position when Erwin asked them to become squad leader. Instead they stuck by Levi's side and became content with being his second in command.

Y/N's feelings for Levi were obvious to everyone in the Survey Corps except for Levi. Hell, even the new recruits of the 104th cadets asked if there was something between them and the stoic captain because of the obvious infatuation and pining. Not only is Y/N scared to make a move because of the obvious fear of rejection, but they also fear that they could potentially ruin things between the two of them if they were to add feelings to the equation.

"Make sure to come back alive Y/N," Levi remarked as his hands tightened on the reigns of his horse.

"Only if you do the same Levi," Y/N responded with a cheeky grin.

Once again, Levi rolled his eyes. The yell from Erwin broke him out of his thoughts as they began to ride off beyond the walls.

*skip to after the female titan was captured because I'm lazy*

"Y/N, you're in charge while I'm gone. Take care of my horse. Make sure you get the brat back to headquarters safely. And if shit goes south protect Jaeger," Levi ordered, zipping away before Y/N had the chance to respond.

"You heard the man, I'm in charge. Let's secure our horses in a safe position and get to higher ground just in case random titans come wandering into the forest before the mission is complete," Y/N ordered.

The other squadmates were obviously upset and hurt. They had no idea why they were left in the dark when the plan was to capture the female titan all along.

"I mean new recruits aside, why didn't they tell the survey corps veterans like all of you? The only people who knew were captain Levi and Y/N," Eren asked, looking around.

Y/N cringed at Eren's realization which was partly true but not completely. Y/N was against not telling the entire squad about the plan but the Commander and Levi insisted it was best to keep it under wraps.

"Are you implying that we aren't trusted by the Lance Corporal and Commander? Tell him that's not true Y/N!" Petra yelled, looking at Y/N for confirmation.

"Look, it's not that we don't trust you guys at all. However, there is a traitor in the survey corps," Y/N began to explain.

That would explain why we were kept in the dark about all of this. So you, being a survivor of the attack five years ago were informed about this since it's likely that the perpetrator infiltrated during the fall of Shiganshina?" Eld asked, looking directly at Y/N.

Y/N smiled at Eld's understanding and thought about how he would make a great squad leader. He was dependable and kind, something the survey corps needed. Y/N nodded at Eld's conclusion and a wave of relief passed through the Levi Squad. Although they were upset that they were under suspicion, they knew that it was an extremely important thing to keep under wraps.

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard and the ground began to shake. A retreat flare signal was fired soon after and the Levi Squad looked at each other with wide eyes.

Y/N's attempt at a smile turned into a grimace. They had a bad feeling about this. There was a nagging feeling that something would go wrong. Quickly shaking off the bad feeling, they ordered the squad to retreat.

Was Levi okay? Is he injured? No, he wouldn't be. He wasn't humanity's strongest for no reason. Whatever situation he found himself in, he would surely be able to figure it out and come back safely. After all, they had a deal.

Small talk about the first expeditions rang through the air, but Y/N couldn't bring herself to participate in the light hearted conversation. They knew something was wrong. A flare signal was spotted which meant that Levi was nearby. Y/N saw a hooded figure and immediately knew something was off. They were way too tall to be Levi and all of a sudden their eyes widened.

The titan shifter had most likely escaped. This was the bad feeling they were having.

"Gunther look out!" Y/N yelled but it was too late.

Gunther was hanging from a tree, his body limp and unresponsive in the blink of an eye.

"Guys! It's the female titan! Retreat back to headquarters with Eren. I'll apprehend them!" Y/N yelled to the group.

Y/N was more than capable of handling the female titan. Their speed and strength was second to Levi. It would be no problem taking the shifter down, however before Y/N could pull out their blades, a strike of lightning flashed before them and they were blown away on impact, being way too close to the female titan when she decided to shift.

Y/N flew through the air and only stopped after they hit a tree, the wind being knocked out of them and their head being hit against the tree. They felt a sting in their abdomen and looked down to where their own sword impaled them, having been caught in the crossfire after attempting to ready to battle the female titan. Somehow the blade impaled them while they were flying through the air.

Y/N tried their best to stay awake, but their vision was blurred and they were slowly losing consciousness. A tear slipped from their eye as they realized they were going to die. Y/N wasn't scared of death, but they didn't want to leave Levi alone again. To put him through the pain of losing someone else that was close to him. But Y/N couldn't fight it anymore and their eyes slowly closed, darkness engulfing them.

Levi zipped through the trees, following the explosion he had seen earlier. The female titan had slipped right through their fingertips and he was more worried than ever. Was his squad okay? Of course they were. Y/N could handle the female titan without a problem. But still, he had a lingering bad feeling.

His breath caught in his throat after seeing the mangled bodies of his squad mates. Gunther, Eld, Oulo, and Petra all dead. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed Y/N and Eren were missing. Did they make it back to headquarters? Were they safe? No. A roar erupted in the air signaling that the fight was not over.

Levi soared through the air, anger coursing through his veins for his fallen comrades. He was going to avenge them and take down the female titan.

After retrieving Eren from the female titan, Levi felt empty. There were no signs of Y/N. Almost as if they had vanished. He expected them to be near Eren and fighting the female titan, but that was not the case. Eren was not conscious so he couldn't even ask what had happened to her. Levi was left to assume the worst.

It wasn't until Levi spotted a familiar figure slumped against a tree that he abruptly stopped and told the other Ackerman to continue until they met up with the rest of the Scouts.

Levi was relieved, finally being able to spot Y/N, but that relief turned to dread after he saw the state of Y/N's body. They were slumped against the tree with a blade piercing their abdomen. Levi rushed over to them to check their pulse, cursing the universe for even thinking about taking away another person that he cared for.

He was relieved to find that Y/N's pulse was still there, although in the back of his mind he knew there was no way they could survive after losing that much blood and having other injuries.

"L-Levi," Y/N called, their voice raspy.

They slowly opened their eyes to meet Levi's steely grey ones. This was one of the only times aside from after Isabel and Furlan died where he expressed so much emotion on his face.

"Don't talk you brat, you're just going to make it worse. I'm going to take you back and get you patched up. Just hang on for me a little while longer," Levi said, preparing to carry Y/N back even though his ankle was killing him at the moment.

Y/N chuckled bitterly, blood escaping her lips as she coughed a little.

"You know I'm not going to make it back Levi. This is the end for me," Y/N said, giving Levi a sad smile.

"Stop talking like that. You're not allowed to die on me. That's an order you idiot," Levi commanded, his voice wavering.

"I'm sorry. But I'm glad I got to be by your side for this long. Loving you is something I will never regret," Y/N responded, smiling sadly at Levi.

His eyes widened as he looked down at his second in command, his best friend, the person he would give his entire heart to in a flash. Levi leaned in slowly and planted a kiss on Y/N's lips, the salty taste of their tears interfering. Levi pulled away to look at the smile on their face and found himself smiling as well.

"I love you, Y/N. That's why I'm not letting you die," Levi said, taking Y/N into his arms.

He soared through the forest carrying Y/N, looking down to find their eyes closed. He was too scared to check their pulse in fear that they might already be dead.

Just stay with me a little longer. Don't leave me behind.

*time skip*

"So you love me huh Levi?" Y/N asked, giving Levi a goofy grin.

After the expedition Levi rushed back and Y/N made it by the skin of their teeth. Hange even said it was a miracle that they lived with all of the blood loss and other injuries.

"Shut up brat. Don't make me take it back," Levi responded, rolling his eyes.

During Y/N's recovery he rarely left their side. Hange realized that he might have finally confessed his feelings and teased him endlessly.

"Aww, don't be so harsh. I love you too Levi," Y/N said, giving Levi a quick kiss on his cheek before dashing off to chat with Hange about her latest experiments.

Levi watched their retreating form and smiled slightly to himself. Yeah, he loved them. And that's something he would never regret.

Hope you enjoyed! Writing this was wild lol.

[my-mt-heart]

I'm trying to prepare myself: is there a way sdcc could make things worse? I'm not expecting more than 8 mins. of Carol screen time in 11C and I do expect Daryl to take off on his bike, alone. I'm not even expecting a goodbye between Caryl, but can AMC shit on us further than that? I want to feel like women have job security and power over their own bodies, but I'm guessing things will somehow get even bleaker by next weekend? Worst case scenario, MT, what is it? (Not sure there is a best...)

Honestly, I don't think there are that many ways it could get worse, but I also don't want to get hung up on it. We're in enough pain as it is, don't you think? It might be a good thing to keep expectations low (without going over all the what ifs) because maybe just maybe we'll be pleasantly surprise one way or another. Not to be confused with letting anyone manipulate us.