#i cant stop mashing them together its too much fun

[hkpika07]

Train court again.

[clockworkcheetah]

*shaking your shoulders* hiiiii tell me everything about your thought process behind writing your incredible bangfic the bad dog nerves, inspiration characters writing EVERYTHING it's so good tell us more

hiii getting to talk about my creations!!! ahhh

ok so cause its been a couple of months and my memory is nothingness aka im a little hazy on some stuff. buuuuuut i distinctly remember several things that heavily inspired TBDN im just gonna run my thoughts as they come so i apologise if its incoherent. i am also putting this under a readmore for the sake of everyone. and because spoilers for the fic

first inspo was deathmark2 cause it got its english translation earlier this year (i love deathmark but ill say everytime i talk of it its very difficult to recommend cause it needs so many content warnings). im very much the kinda person who can and will mash fandoms together- ill make those parallels. god cant stop me. basically dm is what got the ball rolling for me- spirits and possession and influenced moods. its only inspired pretty loosely by dm- very much the general concept/brainrot for both fandoms kinda deal. also more horror elements in dghda yes pls

another thing that inspired it was the doctor who ep 'midnight'. that ep was chilling- i think about how you can tell ten is fully awake and aware during his possession and it stuck with me- a+ acting from david. its a fear of mine being fully awake/aware whilst having no control of your body/immobilised and you cant do anything but wait for the inevitable. granted todd leaned more towards anger, or like the five stages of grief, than fear. but that felt more him also cause it went on longer than a few hours (or rather he expresses his fear through anger/lashing out) but i wanted that ugly rawness of it- hes nervous like a bad dog ay ayyyyyyy

(i sorta wish i went harder with it at the end with his scene with dirk, but alas he was burnt out and healing)

also tbh i just love scenes like that in media too. the character is right there! its so close and nobody is helping them so they gotta save their own ass and be a bitch about it

also i just kinda wanted more fics where dirk just fucks up?? like theres no hoops being jumped through to make what he said right (im not exactly a fan of this fanon!dirk where hes this saint who does no wrong/is always right/everyone else is to blame) so that was a goal in mind when writing this- dirk mostly, but also amanda to an extent of being wrong (not like in some horrible malicious way just. you made a bad call. u gotta live with it). also why todd was quicker to forgive farah (or at least be on better terms with her than the others- i really wish i included a convo between them aw well) granted these arent really specific to this fic- i like to have it in other fics, i need those two to fuck up. as well as todd getting to be angry/upset without this notion that he cant cause he did bad things therefore can only be bad, undeserving person forever cause thats how it works obviously (look if i wanted content of todd fucking up id watch the show lemme have something else with fics- ok ill stop being salty now asdfghjkl;)

i also really wanted the aftermath of what happened to be explored (i love the concept of possession/mindcontrol but shows kinda brush it off after the character is freed. like??? youre telling theyre all sunshine and fine now??? no way, theres gonna be a recovery period. aka todds body being weak from literally having zero nutrients, miru not taking care of the body, also learning to have control of his own body again

with the characters or i guess specifically project miru, she wasnt inspired by anything specific. i really like tragic but unsympathetic characters in media so wanted to have a try at it, and to explore the whole riggins' favouritism towards dirk and how the other projects may have felt. idk how well i pulled it off but i had fun writing her interactions with todd even if it was mostly them being dicks to eachother and being a dick to everyone

ok my brain is starting to run on empty so ill close up this haha.

im sure this is universal but when i got the idea of this fic i had the immediate The Scenes™️ for it. they were: amandas confrontation and realising that oh shit it isnt todd the whole time that scene was vivid in my head (also fave scene to write!!) and the other is the final scene with dirk and todd and todd breaking down. todds kinda the 'strong' one of the two (to dirk) and the caretaker- so someone takes care of him and lets him be upset with everyone

but yeah!!! some of my thoughts behind the creation of TBDN 💖🥰🧡 theres stuff i wish i included in the fic and ideas i had after i had already posted but im happy with it regardless. at its core i just wanted some sweet sweet todd whump i wanna traumatise that little man

[kasaneteto]

roommate posting again

so i had the Big Talk with him about how him not doing chores and not paying me back isnt okay blah blah blah, he was receptive to it and owned up to his shortcomings, all around went pretty well. he’s set a reminder thing on his phone to alert him to when its time to do chores and he does them. all should be well……but man. even with him doing the chores its just…. like how do i tell someone that when you sweep you have to move things and sweep underneath them yknow. idk if i can do this. i shouldnt have to teach a grown ass man how to clean. but thats exactly what i have to do.

its like. its the little things you know? i have these two friends who ive been in talks with about replacing him when the lease renewal comes up in august. and in this amount of time (couple months) ive noticed so many small things about them that are like. soooo thoughtful and considerate and RESPONSIBLE compared to my current roommate. take for example when we all three went out to smoke on the patio. nahale brought out the stool for thomas to sit on, and without me having to say anything brought it back in and put it where it goes. erik would sometimes follow finn & i out while we smoke to keep talking to us and bring the stool for himself to sit on… then leave it out there when he followed us back inside. or when erik watches after the cats while im away vs when tom&nahale watch them. when erik watches them i come home and the litterboxes havent been emptied for three days and they are clearly starved for attention. but when i had T&N do it the litterboxes were not only clean but they had been SWEPT around AND THEY TRIMMED PIXIES CLAWS FOR ME 😭😭😭 its the little things like that. just having someone responsible that i could rely on and will do little things like that for me because they care and want to help… thats the kind of environment i want to live in. not one where i constantly feel like im picking up after someone & need to be on guard/conservative of my energy. which brings me to the other thing ive realized isnt going to change

erik is a 100% extrovert and id argue to his detriment. like he requires constant attention and validation in order to be happy. he can’t meet your world with his world, he needs you to be in his world with him. if that makes sense. im kind of on the cusp of introverted/extroverted but lean a little more towards introverted. living with erik makes me a hardcore introvert. being in the same room as erik is seen by him as an invitation to talk, and once you give him an inch he’ll try to take a mile. that isnt to say its a negative thing about him its just his nature to he social in that way. but its also just like… the same thing over and over. like he cant stand to let the conversation die so he’ll just keep repeating himself. this is better explained via example so let me paint a picture:

the cats figured out how to bust into the kitchen cabinet that the trashcan is in, so in order to prevent them from digging through the trash i installed child locks. if youre unaware of them and yank the cabinet too hard it can rip them off so you have to be careful. erik and i both do stuff like that a lot so i put a little sign on the counter that says “DONT 4GET CHILD LOCKS” but since its on a strip of tape all the words look kinda mashed together & erik commented on this saying “i keep reading this 4 like an a and it makes me feel like an italian guy wrote this” and in response i chuckled and said “donta forgeta child locks” and he just. wouldnt stop saying it after that. he laughed much harder than i did and then just kept loudly saying that while doing things in the kitchen (clearly trying to get me to join in but truly it was not that funny to me) and that kind of thing is just so exhausting to be around. its like my dad. just talking at you, not with you.

so anyways its gotten better but fundamentally i think we are just not compatible to be living together. i love erik hes a good friend and a funny guy but he isnt someone i feel comfortable around most of the time unfortunately. he needs to be a “hang out with on occasion” friend not a “see you every single day” friend like he is now. im realizing just how many friends in my life are draining my cup rather than filling it

[kuroken-lovechild]

How haikyuu characters would play genshin impact:

//featuring me nerding out about mbti types 😔

Karasuno

Hinata

As an ESFP he would probably choose his main based on who feels good to use

Quick movements, lots of jumping, strong = XIAO MAIN (probably finds the flashiness and edginess cool and enjoys the button mashing too)

would aggressively compete with kageyama on who can beat spiral abyss the fastest and with the shortest time

unfortunately they’re both not very good (initially because kenma helps him out after)

Would try to follows the plot but dialogue goes over his head

Does not understand stats other than attack at first

Wish impulse is real and never has any primos

would attempt to talk to every npc

Kageyama

META SLAVE

Has no idea what wishing/gacha is at first and builds his starters really well

Then he found out and currently mains Ganyu, Zhongli, Hutao for the big numbers

gloats about his first 5 star to hinata

Does not talk to NPCs at all and barely digs into the story

only there for spiral abyss and to make his characters stronger

Tsukishima

Didn’t wanna play until yamaguchi dragged him in to have someone to co op with

Appreciates the story and lore more than the gameplay aspect

Eula, razor (cv uchiyama kouki) main—easy to build, easy to use

Doesn’t care about wishing either

Got Eula by accident and now holds it over kageyama’s head

Has really good artifact RNG that it infuriates kagehina (gloats about it to fan the flame 😚)

Yamaguchi

he’s infp he chooses based on characters he likes 🥺

Diluc, albedo, ayaka main

(i can’t explain why I think he’d like those three, it just Makes Sense)

Co ops with tsukki and yachi, plays both dps and support

Spiral abyss makes him anxious but he pushes through anyway!!

Daichi

Starter team king 😩

Feels bad about switching his regular team out FJDFJDJJDDJ DAICHI

Probably a casual player though

Plays to coop with suga and tanaka but they carry him through domains

he’s trying his best

Suga

Mains based on whoever’s fun to play too!!

but enjoys more of a challenge

Childe main

Waiting for Scaramouche to drop hAha 🥲 and harbingers in general

Appreciates the plot and is very interested in lore!!

Diligently does spiral abyss

Doesn’t quite wish on impulse, but if theres a character he likes he’ll spend everything on their banner

Asahi

Does not play, got too scared (see: haikyuu ova)

Nishinoya

Rolls VERY much on impulse

Similar to hinata in that he also likes playing playstyles that feel good

Xiao and/or yoimiya main

(xiao because he’s short jk)

Probably raised Rosaria and planned to use her

Plot who???? we only care about world exploration and fighting in this house

Tanaka

wished for all the women, raised all the women, uses all the women

valid

Primarily mains Rosaria, ningguang and Lisa though

sorry beidou you remind him of his sister too much

waiting for signora like many of us are

Coops with noya and has INSANELY bad rng luck

Yachi

Also chooses based on characters’ personalities

gay, mains sucrose and jean

isfj child and probably feels bad about the underrated characters :(

uses amber, xinyan and qiqi too!

Raises all characters but hasn’t raised anyone to 90

Coops with yamaguchi and uses jean (as healer, support, damage dealer)

Talks to NPCs and sympathizes with their sad backstories

Gets too anxious to do spiral floors 9-12 too (mood)

Seijoh

Oikawa

Oh boy

this ENFJ 3w2 guy? you KNOW he’s gonna be the best

As long as it doesn’t clash with volleyball of course

Very VERY competitive in abyss

Has one character hed get attached to but doesn’t limit himself to using them only

Incredibly focused on team synergy, carefully crafts teams to bring out the best in each character

Tests best damage output too

But also he’d probably use meta characters and secretly raise the ones he actually likes?

Current fave: Yoimiya

Uses strong characters for coop but uses his faves for single player domains (or coop with iwaizumi)

Likes characters but surprisingly wouldnt be too invested in the plot

does not whale out of pride

Iwaizumi

Geo user

Uses characters he finds respectable in the storyline + hard hitters

Razor, klee, jean main but unaware of the family relationship

Sometimes uses beidou although her burst takes too long sometimes

Pretty casual player, only started because of Oikawa

Hanamaki

obviously he and matsukawa would make zhongli pillar dick jokes

Kaeya and beidou main (he thinks they’re cool)

Not that impatient to wait for bursts to charge or has a lot of energy recharge

whale

Matsukawa

……. Hutao main

funeral home

Would use qiqi and hutao together for the meme then grows to genuinely like qiqi

Saves up for a really long time then spends it all at once

Kindaichi

Doesn’t play much tbh

Offline for a week, comes back to do commissions for one day, leaves

Kunimi

Hed be pretty good

but lazy and forget to do dailies

then buy welkin moon instead

Focuses more on the story too rather than gameplay and points out loopholes

Mains whoever he has in his team with good synergy (like chongyun xingqiu xiangling)

Kyoutani

Rage quits 5 minutes in after hearing paimon’s voice 😔

Throws his phone at the wall

Yahaba

Simps for jean

Mains jean

Dedicated to dailies and spiral abyss

But doesn’t wish that much

Was the one who tried getting kyoutani into it and suffered the consequences

Nekoma

Kuroo

ENTP king raises a whole arsenal of characters for spiral abyss

I cant see him really getting attached to one in particular ?

makes zhongli pillar dick jokes every chance he can get

but also uses him for utility

Wants to try using a whole bunch of characters and wishes on every banner

But uses the meta ones with good team comps

sparks twitter debates with ….. interesting takes

“_____ is completely shit”

Kenma

OH BOY HES A GAMER GAMER

Whale whale whale whale

He’s tony to

Best synergy teams, understands the value of elemental mastery, REALLY values good supports, calculates possible damage numbers

Kazuha, zhongli, bennett, venti are a staple in his teams

Helps hinata and kuroo until kuroo teases too much by deliberately playing horribly

mildom and youtube streamer like murase ayumu

Appreciates story and lore very much too

Yaku

he’d LOVE the children

Probably would use characters that remind him of family members and friends

Klee, diona, qiqi, chongyun, xingqiu, razor, bennett

does spiral abyss but not obsessively

Lev

KENMA-SAN!!! LETS PLAY TOGETHER!!!

I’m sorry he would not know how the game works

Doesn’t do the ascension quests and gets stuck at AR 26 with 500k extra points

Thinks he’s amazing but it’s because he’s stuck at world level 1

I’m sorry lev ily but ……. its the truth

Tries pulling for everyone too and mains the first 5 star he got

(childe because he’s russian AKSHDKDHSKSHS /j)

Wants diluc and xiao because they look cool but gets Mona instead (doesnt understand how to use her)

Yamamoto

Also raises the women like tanaka but + kaeya

Lev complained to him about getting Mona while he’s wanted Mona for months

Not really a dedicated intense gamer EXCEPT for during those battle events

Fukurodani

Bokuto

WANTS THE STRONG AND COOL LOOKING 5 STARS

Eula, zhongli, diluc, xiao

but doesn’t know how to build either

doesn’t understand stats

would feel really bad for qiqi

Wouldn’t like signora for hurting venti :(

Wouldn’t like childe too :( until he plays the story quest and sees the ruin guard cutscene

then starts sobbing because of what a good brother he is

“AKAAAASSHI I wanna do that too!!!” then he dies

Tries to use childe but doesn’t understand the cool down management

Mispronounces and misspells tartaglia (タルタリア)

for more info on how bokuto plays genshin see Kimura ryohei’s YouTube channel ✨

Akaashi

the true childe main (just like me)

Uses characters based on utility

but mains whoever reminds him of bokuto FJDHFJFJDKSJ

Very good supports but unlike Kenma, he chooses and builds supports around his main

also uses very good supports so people won’t realize he’s using childe for the cv kimura ryohei (everyone knows anyway)

Literature nerd appreciates the plot, writing and deep lore too

Konoha

Tries pulling for everyone but has REALLY bad luck

Has really good characters but never the one he wants

loses all 50/50s and has a c4 qiqi

Ends up maining qiqi as dps

sorry konoha i didn’t mean to slander you

Shiratorizawa

Ushijima

does not know how to play or build

Uses whoever he has (aka starters)

Only plays because tendou downloaded and made an account for him

Doesn’t know how to ascend characters or farm

Forgets about talents (me)

Weirdly good RNG and doesn’t realize it 😩

“Let me look at your account wakatoshi-kun”

“Sure”

“You didn’t tell me you had 6 of jean’s Stella fortuna???”

“What’s that?”

Tendou

this man pulls for the seiyuus

Mains childe, hutao, mona for 5 stars

childe and hutao’s instinct based quickswap playstyle works so well for him!

jokes about cosplaying mona then actually does

Knows how to build, grinds, and manages ushijima’s account for him

Probably whales too

Shirabu

Meta meta meta meta

But f2p meta

Loves setting up reactions

More into the lore too and researches theories

Remembers actual names of boss drops

Semi: so how many of those buttplugs do you have again

Shirabu: 💢stop calling them buttplugs, they have actual names 💢

VERY diligent with battle pass, dailies, achievements and spiral abyss full stars

Until he //SPOILERS gets into med school and has no time for shit

Inarizaki

Atsumu

Would have a crush on a character I just know it

Invests heavily on his faves and is great at utilizing each of them

fussy . complains about a certain unit and how they can improve

or complains about how the game can improve to osamu

Osamu: yer just saying that cuz you couldn’t get a high score

Archons main (already saving for the tsaritsa)

Wouldn’t have a main dps but several hard hitting supports

Whale and falls victim to the weapon banner

Osamu

More casual player than Atsumu but still tries to get higher than him in events and spiral abyss

If atsumu’s a whale, osamu’s a dolphin

Great at dodging

Catalyst user!!

Mains ningguang, klee, yanfei + other catalyst supports

Also uses keqing

Kita

the man appreciates routine aka VERY diligent with dailies, battle pass, farming

“if you do things properly results will follow” or whatever quote he said ✨

Starter team but raises other characters for abyss

Reads dialogue and appreciates the plot

Barely gachas

Aran

will defend TO THE DEATH the underappreciated characters

Has empathy for noelle 🥺🥺

Noelle, Barbara, xinyan, bennett, children user 🥺

Talks to every NPC and loves the backstories and lore

also would feel really bad for qiqi

Suna

Uses the tall men and women and builds them all as dps (childe zhongli diluc kaeya beidou ningguang jean lisa rosaria eula)

He’d probably make a support character a dps tbh

Disregards team synergy for the shits but somehow manages to do domains and abyss

Itachiyama

Sakusa

c6 everyone

leaves

[acaciapines]

@mallowstep

woulda sent this as an ask but uh. moth ghost au wont leave my head and this got. long. hope ya dont mind i think about hawkfrost and mothwing A Lot.

under a cut bc. again. long.

bc see the thing is. if i were to do a moth ghost au. the kids are all young when she dies (at least, i think? idk their timeline, i’m assuming they’re like, 3-4 months, so, youngish), so it’s like...ghost sister? ghost sister. sasha cant see her because it’s no fun if she can, so we get hawk and tadpole, both who feel like they’ve killed their sister, both who are kids and cant deal with that grief. but like...moth is right there! she’s right there! she’s still their sister even if shes a ghost and as they get bigger and lose their kit-fluff she stays the same. she’s their sister.

but sasha....sasha just lost one of her kittens, nearly lost the other two, and now the remaining ones are talking to moth as though she’s still there? cats dont leave ghosts behind--cats aren’t trapped like that. humans are, sasha was a housecat and she’s seen how humans pace around their houses, but cats are sneaky lil guys. cats arent trapped to the earth like people are. cats die and leap into the sky and become the world.

moth isn’t stuck, moth is the world. so sasha tells her sons that their sister isn’t a ghost with them, but she’s the world around them--the prey and wind and sky.

hawk and tadpole look at each other, at their very-much-there ghost sister, and are like....yeah sure mom.

so we get a hawk and tadpole who refuse to let moth go. it’s hawk who clings to her the most, i think--he acts as though nothing happened, as though nobody drowned. tadpole is...starting to listen to their mom, a bit. he knows moth is there, but...should she be? nobody should be trapped like this. her spirit deserves to move on.

“we should help her,” tadpole says.

“she’s fine,” hawk says, “she’s right here, and she’s fine, and i’m not going to let you kill her again just because you have something against ghosts.”

and tadpole doesn’t ask again. he was the first one out out that basement.

eventually the kits end up in riverclan, and tadpole doesnt really talk about moth to anybody. like, he still acknowledges her, but only when they’re alone or it’s just hawk. hawk, on the other hand, doesn’t care! sure he’s like, 6 moons old, and moth is still stuck at 4, but! who! cares! and so while the clan teaches them their clan ways, teaches them about starclan, tadpole listens and he’s able to find some comfort in the idea. that theres a place his sister can go, can move on to. he’s always liked the stars. moth will, too.

but hawk...

well, the thing is, hawk’s not a clan cat. he’s got a clan name, now, he’s down a mother and he’s a very young kid staring up at these riverclan cats, but he’s nothing if not stubborn, and he’s clung to his sister thus far and he’s not about to give her up.

the clans dont think much of other religions. they tell hawk and tadpole that there’s no such thing as ghosts. dead cats go to starclan, and only clan cats, at that--your sister isn’t there, why would she be? she died a loner. but dont worry, now you’re here, in the clans, and when you die, you’ll be together in starclan.

“it’s stupid,” hawk says, to moth, alone in their den, “who cares about starclan? thats not mine, and its not yours. if you’re going anywhere it’s the wind, not the stars.”

“did you see that one thunderclan med cat apprentice at the gathering?” asks moth. “i thought she was pretty.”

“never change,” hawk says, fondly.

but he starts to think. as he starts to spend more and more time alone, with only moth for company. and moth is moth but she is...a ghost. she’s trapped. she doesn’t grow and change like a living cat does--at this point she doesnt even know why she’s still around. something about...drowning, maybe? it happened so long ago. she’s just happy to have her brother with her.

tadpole worries. hawk pushes him away. tadpole tells him they have to let their sister go. that they have to move on--that he loves moth too, and he misses her every day, but they’re clan cats, now. they have to be the best they can be, so nobody else is ever hurt again.

so i dont hurt anyone again, he doesnt say.

because tadpole doesn’t think moth’s ghost is around, either. he’s stopped seeing her. maybe he never did. maybe he was just a kid who lost his sister, who killed his sister, even if on accident. maybe he never was able to cope with that.

he wont see his sister in starclan. he probably wont see his mother, either. he doenst know what happens to loners. sasha told them, once. the wind and the sky and the leaves. becoming a part of the world, again. energy that can never truly die, just change shape.

but that was so long ago. he’s nearly a warrior, now. who remembers the stories they were told as kids?

anyways.

hawkpaw becomes the medicine cat.

he’s got two sets of beliefs rattling around in his head--starclan, everything the clans are telling him, and half-remembered stories from his mother, that moth remembers best of them all, forever trapped as a 4 moon old kit. and somewhere along the line these have been mashed together, into one big: starclan isnt letting moth in, because she died a loner. starclan wont ever let moth in but they’re going to take me when i die and i wont let them. i wont let them tear us apart.

it’s not easy. riverclan says he’d need a sign to become a medicine cat, but since when have the dead done that? they’re dead. moth is a ghost at his side, and she watches the flowers, and the bees, and remarks about thunderclan medicine cats that hawk can’t help but be begrudgingly fond of, if only for her. 

but he can do this. he has to.

hawkpaw fakes a sign. hawkpaw becomes medicine cat.

hawkpaw goes to the moonpool, and the stars tell him the same thing the clans do: there is no place for your sister here. our heavens are for worthy clan cats only.

hawk is still the villain here, just...in a different way. if this were a warriors book he’d be a villain flat-out, a med cat turning his back on starclan, who lied and cheated his way into this role, who never cared about anybody but his dead sister. but this isn’t a warriors book.

tadpole is the hero. hawk looks at the stars and tells them to their faces if you wont let my sister in, then i’ll make you regret it. i’ll show everyone that you’re nothing. that they worship cats that arent even ghosts. cats that are trapped. maybe youre wrong. maybe moth isnt the one youre keeping out. maybe shes the free one.

hawk plays the long game, though. gets his full name. learns medicines, how to heal.

how to harm.

moth watches him from the shadows. tells him kit-stories about rebirth.

the clans dont believe in that. hawk doesnt know what he is. he doesnt either.

theyre all trapped. thats what he believes.

he sets a trap for mudfur. a fox-trap down by the lake. then he, hawkfrost, will be the only link riverclan has to the stars, and he won’t listen to a word they say.

tadpole is the one to find out, to intervene before mudfur dies. to say hawk, you betrayed us all!

you betrayed me first, says hawk. me and moth both.

moth is dead! says tadpole. you can’t let her go!

you follow the words of the dead, says hawk in return, thats all the clans do. all mudfur did. he didnt want me to be his apprentice. he needed the dead to tell him what to do. what kind of life is that? and if you agree with what he did, how is it any different than me and moth? at least i know she’s real. that she’s our sister. the clans would let her die.

and so tadpole kills his brother with a stake through the heart.

he thinks he can see moth for a second. a flash against the blood.

hawk dies. he doesnt die a clan cat.

was it worth it? tadpole asks.

im going to be with moth, hawk says. youre going to go to starclan.

why dont you answer that question?

...

yeah thats my moth ghost au. is this anything? who knows! its certainly not in any way fleshed out, just the barest bones of an idea. i want leafpool to still get her ‘blood will spill blood’ prophecy--maybe she and hawk become friends, somewhere in there. who knows.

ghost moth man. fun to think about.

[thehighestmountains]

evermore review and ranking:

overall, i found this album to have more skippable songs than folklore and the middle of my ranking definitely feels like the middle whereas in my folklore ranking, #14 was still a fav. folklore was a true anomaly where i was just adding the whole album to my playlist. evermore really feels like folklore’s little sister getting the hand-me-downs, who just doesnt know who she is or what shes doing with her life, what is the theme exactly. 

tis the damn season. i fell in love in the first five seconds. i love the moody mature guitar strums and drum beats amping up the entire song. the story of coming back to an old love in your hometown reminds me of the show ‘the normal people’. im a real sucker for sagas, timeless loves that pull you in time and time again, familiar feelings that just feel right because you experienced them at such a young age.  this song gets me.

There's an ache in you, put there by the ache in me But if it's all the same to you It's the same to me

So we could call it even You could call me "babe" for the weekend ​'Tis the damn season, write this down

Sleep in half the day just for old times' sake I won't ask you to wait if you don't ask me to stay So I'll go back to L.A. and the so-called friends

long story short. this is such a banger r u joking. i feel every single one of my blood cells pumping as soon as this song starts. i even love the post-chorus, a great break from the chorus and the verses. i could post the whole song as my favorite lines.

And you passed right by I was in the alley, surrounded on all sides The knife cuts both ways If the shoe fits, walk in it 'til your high heels breakAnd I fell from the pedestal Right down the rabbit hole Long story short, it was a bad time When I dropped my sword I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door And we live in peace But if someone comes at us, this time, I'm ready

ivy. hard not to compare this to illicit affairs, but this is like an upbeat version. if i didnt even pay attention to the lyrics, i would think this is so fun and catchy, it sounds good. there is no anger, there is a joy. and i just like it.

Oh, goddamn My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand Taking mine, but it's been promised to another Oh, I can't Stop you putting roots in my dreamland My house of stone, your ivy grows And now I'm covered in you So yeah, it's a fire It's a goddamn blaze in the dark And you started it

willow. im really glad this was the leading single because this is a beautiful stringy piece with a great melody. when i was reading the lyrics before listening to the song, it sounded extremely cheesy with “thats my man”, “i come back stronger than a 90s trend”, but in the song, i love it. theres a lot of heart and oompf to this.

And if it was an open-shut case I never would've known from that look on your face Lost in your current like a priceless wine

The more that you say, the less I know Wherever you stray, I follow

coney island. i wonder why she picked coney island, a very summery location with the bright lines and merry go, when the whole album is supposed to be a winterscape. i barely understand what this song is about but i enjoy the sounds.

Did I close my fist around something delicate? Did I shatter you?

evermore. i love when justin vernon starts singing with that beautiful falsetto “cant not think of all the cost and the things that will be lost”.

Or the violence of the dog days I'm on waves, out being tossed

champagne problems. before i get into this, i like this song, im impressed with the bridge and the chorus, i enjoy the story. just a small thing: title phrase. i just dont vibe with it, the rest of the lyrics couldve been more connected with champagne, i dont believe champagne to be any alcoholic’s choice of drink. and one more nitpick, who likes that random piano mash at the end, anyone?

Your mom's ring in your pocket My picture in your wallet Your heart was glass, I dropped it

One for the money, two for the show I never was ready so I watch you go Sometimes you just don't know the answer 'Til someone's on their knees and asks you

tolerate it - this is a good mellow song, i can relate to the deep sadness of feeling ignored, every thing you do is just dropped. i feel this could grow on me, especially because at the end we really get that jolt of energy, i can leave, i can do it.

I wait by the door like I'm just a kid Use my best colors for your portrait

gold rush. this song is a little too sweet for me, specifically “i dont need a gold rush gold rush”. its just an upbeat and repetitive pop song. i also find this specific high school energy of really wanting someone but also despising their appeal to just not relate to the headspace im currently in.

no body no crime. whoooa that blast of country. it kind of feels weird in this album. i think the chorus is incredibly boring, “i think he did it but i just cant prove it” over and over.

No, no body, no crime But I ain't lettin' up until the day I die

closure. i cant get over the constant banging of industrial pots and pans throughout this whole song lol. i really went back and forth between do i like this, no i hate it, ok i could get used to it, no no it doesnt fit with the lyrics and how shes singing. i also dont care for “yes i got your letter, yes im doing better”.

we have a large pile of songs at the bottom, they all mush together in a sad corner. these could maybe grow on me but i also would be fine never listening to them again. with folklore’s sad songs, like epiphany or my tears ricochet, there was still something that appealed to me. most of these, there just isnt anything.

happiness - similar to tolerate it, i think the lyrics carry and convey a specific feeling very well, i have definitely felt this way, but i dont feel like the instrumentals match her emotional singing. i think she really carries this song and the instruments just let me down.

No one teaches you what to do  When a good man hurts you And you know you hurt him too

marjorie - i feel like a song about her grandmother could have been so great instead we get “what died didnt stay dead” over and over and a bridge that is mostly about herself. “shouldve kept every grocery store receipt cause every scrap of you would be taken from me” is the worst of the lines, thats what you want to keep? grocery receipts? the song should be about her grandmother leaving all her “backlogged dreams” to her, and im not getting much of that.

cowboy like me - takes one... to... know... one...... this song does not embody  the type of cowboy shes talking about, perhaps a 80 year old woman singing about her tendencies to run away. im not convinced taylor is singing from a place she understands enough about. my least favorite line in the album goes to “the tennis court was covered up with some tent-like thing”. tent like thing? lol ok. although i will say one of my favorite lines is “forever is the sweetest con”, but that gem cannot save this song.

dorothea - this is the worst version of seven from folklore. its about ten times less interesting, very bare bones, hardly any story or background information. i dont particularly like the name dorothea. giving me major grandma vibes, these last three songs are major grandma vibes. 

[mysmedrabbles]

RFA Reacting to MC Growing Up an Orphan

requested: by anonymous

a/n: oof this actually turned out really cute so here ya go lads! enjoy!! if you’d like to buy me a coffee click here

warnings: light alcohol mention, but filled with fluff and comfort and kindness (saeyoungs delves more into abuse and emotions)

-somft mod alex

Jumin

-its a semi drunken night when you tell him, you’d finally gotten Jumin to loosen up after a long workday, and were now on the couch together, Jumin’s head on your chest as you ran your fingers through his hair lazily, letting the alcohol dull your mind as you listen to him rambling about his childhood

-it must have been an offhand comment you made that sparked his attention, making him rise from the comforts of your lap as he stares at you incredulously. you sheepishly tell him your story, and although he’s sensitive with you as to not upset you, he’s horrified to learn that you were constantly neglected in your childhood, growing up without a place you could actually consider a home

-he listens to you, quietly concerned as the alcohol hits him hard, and the next thing he knows he’s passed out on your shoulder.

-when he wakes up he has only a faint recollection of you telling him of your past, but he doesn't bring it up; partially because of a raging headache and partially because he didn't want to upset you, you looking so at peace reading something on your phone, a loving smile forming on your lips as you sense him watching you

-he’s not one to go in full steam ahead (well- he is, but he reAlly wants to be subtle with this) but he tries his best to make living together feel as homey as possible

-he talks to Yoosung, the Professional at all things Family, and realizes that he should tone down the money spending to ensure your comfort and instead use that time to do things together, bond over small dumb things. 

-knows that as much as he would want to go back in time and fix your childhood, give you the love you deserved, find you a home, the past cannot be changed. so instead he opts on building the sense of family between the two of you

-he takes you to ikea (Saeyoungs idea), and the two of you find new furniture, something that fits your tastes as well, to redecorate the penthouse. 

-imagine jumin trying to assemble ikea furniture 

-he gets frustrated with having to do things like a commoner, but bless him he’s trying his best to do it for you, and the way your face lights up whenever the two of you do something “domestic” or “familial” makes it all worth it. it’s a learning curve for him too, and despite his protests he cant help but admit that he was missing a lot from his childhood too but it brings him peace knowing he’ll soon be building a family with you ;^)

-he’s not willing to get rid of the giant aquarium pillars, however he lets you get them some cool aquarium furnishings and plants

-goes grocery shopping with you more often, and overall spends more time with you, even telling chef to take the weekends off from now on, opting to cook together instead, and even though most of the time things end up burnt or tasting weird, all that matters is that the two of you have fun

-everyone thinks he’s lost his mind, including for the RFA, who's in the corner crying because “What happened to our cold emotionless Jumin Why Is He SO Domestic”

-teaches you to waltz 

-the day you make an offhand comment about how you consider him your family, he stops and starts tearing up, pulling you into a tight hug as you confusedly kiss his cheek, only slightly worried about him

Jaehee

-it was one of the first things the two of you really talked about, a kind of bond forming over past trauma and losing a part of your childhood. 

-she’s a very action forward woman, knows that she can’t change the past, but she sure as hell can help you heal from it. 

-she takes you to show you all her favourite sweets from her childhood, and takes you to spots she loved sitting in as a kid, trying to share these experiences with you

-she challenges you to a race to see who can climb to the top of a tree the fastest, and it’s one of the few times you see her truly free, giggling as she watches you struggle up the branches, meeting you with a kiss when you finally reach the top, and with her it feels like nothing else in the world matters, that in that moment the only ones that exist are her and the sunset, making her smile shine, casting an ethereal glow on her face as she caresses your cheek lovingly.

-tries to take more breaks to spend more time with you, building more memories in places that most people deem “kiddie places”

-yes im saying she takes you to SkyZone and/or a ball-pit

-she gets lost in the ball-pit, slowly sinking lower and lower as you have to dramatically rescue her

-diner dates, sharing a milkshake and relaxing together after a long day of work, and although none of it can bring back the past, her devotion to giving you fu childhood related memories lessens the pain, and the memories that you build with her of course will always last forever 

Yoosung

-he’s always so excited about meeting your family, about joining two families and building a new one- with this boy its always about family, so how the hell do you bring up that you dont actually have one?

-when you do finally tell him, he stops in his tracks, trying to process how that could be

-he’s a good listener, bless him, and he listens to your story, how you were mostly in and out of orphanages and foster families and grew up a child of the System. 

-at first he doesn’t know what to do with the information, and feels the deep pangs in his chest when he realizes that you missed out on so many things growing up, things that he took for granted

-you already view him as family, (frankly its hard not too, his general attitude towards you, the constant loving gazes, the way the two of you were always there for each other, mixed with the annoying comments of the RFA on how the two of you are “so married” making it hard not to), but he still sets out to make you feel like his family is yours

-this means he introduces you to his family.

-he knows how nervous you are the day before, and calls ahead without you knowing and tells his family to take it easy and not overwhelm you

-however they still do- overwhelm you with love i mean

-his grandma is immediately sizing you up and telling you to eat more, asking what size sweaters you wear and his dad is making silly jokes at your expense, yoosung holding your hand as him and his dad go back and forth one teasing,  one protecting you. his mum is smiling, holding a wooden spoon as she steps out of the kitchen, calling yoosung to help her with the cooking

-his sisters dote on you, introducing you to their husbands as their children run around in the background screaming in happiness, yelling at you to join them in playing tag, and their gleeful laughs draw you in. stopped by yoosung as you run into him, almost making him drop the mashed potatoes, and the look on your face is priceless, making the whole day worth it

-you get along with his oldest sister spectacularly, and you have your time to joke about yoosung as you ask his grandma for embarrassing stories of yoosung. (you enjoy watching his get increasingly flustered as he tries to hide in the crook of your neck)

-you and his parents have a long chat, ending in them hugging you and telling you just how much they appreciate you and the way you’ve made his son grow. the two of you seem so happy together, perfect even.

-it’s almost one in the morning when the two of you start heading home. as the two of you walk to your car, he colds you close to his side, placing small kisses on your cheek as he watches you smile softly.

- “mc i know, i know that you,, may not have had a family growing up but know that,, know that you always have a family in us, you’re a part of my family now, and you’ll always have us. we’re not going anywhere.”

Seven

separate post [here]

Zen

-he’s a good listener, and listening to you talk about growing up poor and alone breaks his heart

-he can empathize, he had to grow up too fast, but he can’t even begin to imagine what you had to go through

-he’s there for you, always trying to make you feel better, and even though you never had a true family, he always lets you know that you’ll always have a family in him, even though you aren't legally married yet, nothing can stop him from calling you his family

-he’s not one to go all big and grand, he knows that logically you can never get that time back, but that doesnt mean you dont deserve that same childish delight that most people get 

-he’s one to treat you closer than ever, like true family, constantly reminding you that he loves you and protecting you from everything he possibly can, doing everything in his power to make sure that you’re protected from pain

-carnival date!!!!

-he takes you out to the carnival, playing all the booth games with you, making it a competition who can win more (the winner being no one)

-you get your face painted, a cliche green butterfly under your left eye, zen getting a matching red butterfly under his left

he ends up just buying you a large teddy bear, unable to have actually won you one (he’s extremely ashamed of himself but its the thought that counts)

-the two of you go on a carnival food spree, buying a little bit of everything as you walk hand in hand to the ferris wheel, (eating with a view amirite)

-please know that he’ll always do anything in his power to keep you safe and make sure you know you’re loved. you’re his family and, along with the RFA he’s yours.

[memoirsverse]

Dresden Files/The Authors of Paradise: Dark Days, Chapter 3

This is a crossover fan novel featuring my own characters and world of The Authors of Paradise, blended with those of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files. This derivative crossover work is being written for the sheer fun of it, with no financial gain. Jim Butcher owns Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files, and all associated characters. I own Evelyn Alvar, Arabella Thorne, Thornebridge Manor, The Authors of Paradise, and all associated characters. I’ve taken the two worlds, mashed them together, and whipped up this meandering thingamabob. Mmm, tasty.

This novel is rated M for Mature, because it’ll get bloody.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

iii. Evelyn

I had looked into the swirling, prismatic abyss, and had Seen what was emerging from it. I had heard the jarring discordance of its song taking shape. Its energy had blossomed inside my mind like rotting flesh melting aside to reveal the gore held within.

That was why I was ready this time when the creature hurled a wave of suffocating dread in my general direction. The whole world is made of song, if you know how to hear it. When you know the resonance of something, you can counteract it with your own tone.

I drew in a deep breath, opened my mouth, and sang out a long, loud, crystalline note that rang throughout the alley like a giant tuning fork. That single, protracted note I formed into a word, no word in any human tongue but simply a collection of syllables that danced along the threads of my intent and coalesced into pure Will.

The note reached out to the dark, pulsing energy rushing along the channel of the creature’s screech and diverted it away from myself and the man standing beside me, splitting it apart and scattering it to be carried away on the wind. Peripherally, I could see the man lifting his staff, holding it across himself with one hand, and could feel him gathering energy. 

I ran out of breath and my voice dipped to silence as I frantically reached into my bag to retrieve one of the little spherical glass containers I had carefully packed in an interior pocket with plenty of padding. The creature slapped the air with its wings and dove forward, but the man stepped forward, his booming voice echoing throughout the alley. “Forzare!”

An invisible wrecking ball slammed into the creature and sent it tumbling backwards towards the portal. Catching itself mid-trajectory with a billow of its wings, it flipped itself in midair, braced its feet on the brick facade of a building, and lunged forward again. The man moved forward, stepping between the monster and me as he hefted his staff. “Get out of here, lady!”

Instead of responding, I darted around the man and hurled the glass sphere at the creature with a murmured word. It shattered, releasing the coiled energy that had been contained within, a paralysis enchantment that immediately began to twine around the creature, immobilizing it. It struggled for a few seconds, its wings beating the air, then fell to the pavement and was still.

I glowered at the man. “You were saying?”

“Don’t get too comfy, toots,” he replied, gesturing at the creature with his free hand. He still held the staff at the ready, and had a wild, almost feral look in his eyes, his body coiled taut as if readying himself to spring into action again. Despite this, he was breathing steadily, in through his nostrils and out through his mouth. This certainly wasn’t the mage’s first battle. “It’s not over.”

“Call me ‘toots’ again and I’ll shove that staff exactly where you don’t want it,” I growled, but I followed his line of sight. The creature was shuddering in its invisible restraints, and something scarlet flickered along the surface of its leathery hide. A spiderweb of red lightning rushed to spread over its skin, and it began to stand, flexing its wings and limbs. I could feel the binding enchantment popping and breaking like so many snapped threads.

“Oh, crap,” I said, and thrust my hand into my bag again, frantically casting around for another glass sphere. 

I’m not very good at direct psychokinetic battle magic, what I’ve heard referred to as evocation in some circles. Give me time to prepare, give me time to carefully and meticulously and mathematically construct enchantments set to go off at a certain trigger, or to build a thaumaturgical link and manipulate with ritual, and I can manage. It’s usually by the skin of my teeth, but I’m still alive, so that must count for something.

But sometimes my gadgets, baubles, and carefully laid plans fail me. Darn it all to fucking heck, as Arabella would say. But Arabella wasn’t here, and the only backup I had right now was this smart-mouthed human skyscraper wielding an oversized phallic symbol and Big Thug Energy. Gods grant me patience.

The livid energy crackling over the creature’s body intensified and multiplied, and I felt the last of the binding enchantment fray and snap apart. The creature rolled its neck and stretched its wings as if it had merely woken from a pleasant nap, then lurched itself at us with a shriek.

The man, evidently still suffering from an acute case of misplaced chivalry, again moved so he was between the creature and me, staff raised as he eyed the creature and the dizzying, psychedelic whirlpool of a portal behind it. With a snarled word, he hurled another kinetic blast at the creature, this time successfully sending it tumbling backwards into the Rift. Then, striding forward a step with his long legs, he lifted his staff again and shouted, “Instaurabos!”

“That’s not going to work!” I tried to warn him, assuming he was trying to close what he likely thought was a portal to the Nevernever. 

A second later, the creature came barreling through the whirling lights which had, of course, failed to collapse in on themselves because they were something entirely different than a portal to the Nevernever. It hit the man like a missile and rode him to the ground. I heard him grunt with the impact, his staff clattering to the pavement and rolling away, and he twisted and bucked beneath the creature as it hissed and seized him by the throat, shoving him back down. 

Seemingly heedless of the sudden death-grip on his throat, the man snarled, his teeth bared and his eyes glittering with feral rage, and somehow twisted his body so his left arm and leg were leveraging to the left side of the beast. Then, in one swift, terrifyingly graceful motion, he shoved the creature so it went tumbling off him and rolled to his feet, dropping down into a crouch. My eyes widened as I felt a surge of cold, wild energy, and as I watched, ice began to rapidly crystallize around his fingertips, forming razor-sharp claws. 

The man’s lips peeled back into a savage grin, and I found myself wondering which of the two of them was really more dangerous.   

The creature started to lunge at the man, and he met it with his own attack, darting forward and raking his ice claws at its throat. The creature whirled out of the way, threw itself into the air, and dove at the man, its own claws flexed. The man caught it in some kind of judo throw, slamming the monster to the ground with enough force to crack the pavement.

His lips still curled in a snarl, the man raised his right hand and plunged it towards the creature’s chest, claws first. The monster caught his wrist, surged up, and went for the man’s throat. He canted sideways at the last second, taking its teeth just above his left collarbone instead. With a violent wrench and a spray of blood, he jerked free of the bite. He barely even seemed to notice, and the alley echoed with his furious scream as a jagged, deadly-sharp icicle extended from the palm of his right hand. With a flip of his wrist, still held in the creature’s grasp, he took the makeshift blade in his hand and drove it downward. It tightened its grip on his wrist and resisted, and then there was a flurry of violent movement and furious growling from both fighters, and the monster gave a powerful lurch and threw the man flat on his back.

It followed with blinding speed, leaping on him and driving a bony knee into the man’s chest. It grabbed a fistful of his dark hair, dashing his head once, twice, three times into the ground. Stunned, the man slowed his struggles, though he didn’t entirely stop them. The creature’s hand clamped around his throat again and began to squeeze.

A grating, raspy cough began to emit from the creature as it leaned in close to the man, the sound like broken glass crunching over stone. It took a few seconds for me to realize it was laughing. 

“The Winter Knight and the One Who Forgot,” it cackled, tightening its grip on the man’s throat even as it twisted its head to look at me. Wheezing, the man clawed ineffectually at the creature’s iron grip, and I am ashamed to say I stood frozen. The creature had effectively taken a hostage, and it would only take a small jerk of its hand to snap the man’s neck like a twig. Its black lips peeled back from huge, gleaming canines in what could have equally been a sneer or a snarl. “What a fortuitous chance of a meeting.”  

The man tried to speak, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. The creature leaned down over him, a hair’s breadth from his face, and took a long whiff through its nostrils. Its eyelids fluttered and it made a rolling, guttural sound of pure pleasure. “So much fear tearing through your veins even as you fight to the end. And yet you are ignorant of the true nature of things. Blind little sheep. Lambs to the slaughter. The both of you know so little, and understand even less. Events have been orchestrated that you cannot even begin to fathom. You play your parts well, as ever you have.”

Swallowing back my fear, I lowered my bag to the ground, lifted my hands and stepped forward. “If we’ve got parts to play for you, we’re no good to you dead.”

It grinned at me, giving me another good look at its teeth. “Dead. Alive. Alive and dead. The cat’s ever in the box, little taistealaiche.” It looked down at the man, tilting its head and crooning wordlessly, and I saw that the wizard’s face was taking a purple cast, his lips turning blue. But I also saw what the creature didn’t appear to see: his hand sliding into the right pocket of his leather Inverness coat. 

“But not for either of you,” the creature purred, and the man pulled his hand from his pocket, swung the revolver around, and shot the monster point blank in the face. It fell back and flopped around blindly, wings beating, an unearthly shriek emanating from the gaping, sludge-dripping hole that had been its muzzle.

The man stood up, his breath rattling in his throat, aimed the weapon, and shot the creature in the face again. “Well, I think that cat just climbed out of its box and fucked you right up, oh Melodramatic One,” he rasped. He glanced over at me. “Guess it’s not immune to bullets. Let’s see how it likes a little bit of ice.” 

He retrieved his staff, raised it in front of him, and growled, “Infriga.” An arctic wave of energy swept forward with a crackling, gleaming sheet of ice rushing into being in its wake along the pavement, and both overtook the creature, rising around it and encasing it like a crystalline monolith.

A beat passed, and the scarlet lightning flickered into visibility as it began to spiderweb beneath the surface of the creature’s temporary prison. The ice groaned and crackled, and a pattern of branching fissures began to appear in its surface.

The man looked at me. His breath seethed through his teeth, and he still had a wild look in his eyes that made me want to edge away from him. “I’m gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say you probably know how to send this thing back and close the portal.”

“Yes.” I was already digging the needed implements out of my bag. There was more to it than what he had said, but one thing at a time.

“Well, let’s get a move on already. What do we need to do?”

I pushed aside another spike of irritation at his words. He had, after all, successfully and competently helped to contain the creature. As much as I hated accepting assistance from strangers, I had to admit that this one would have been too much for me to handle alone. 

That didn’t mean I had to trust him, of course.

I removed a sketch pad, a stick of sharpened charcoal, and a kneaded eraser from my bag and settled cross-legged on the ground, as close to the creature as I dared. “Keep it contained for me. Can you build a circle around us? The creature and me, I mean.”

He peered at the sketch pad, an eyebrow rising on his angular, scarred face. It wasn’t a particularly unattractive face, I thought, even if he made me want to throw something at him every time he opened his mouth. “Your master plan is to Bob Ross it to death?” 

I sighed and mumbled something distinctly unladylike under my breath. As the man used a stub of chalk to create the circle around the creature and I, I took a deep, cleansing breath, then opened my all my senses to gaze into the abyss again.

[shytiff]

September 2021

1 - MTBS 0 pt. tried out kopsus from jannor coffee with gofood pickup promo (10k). it tasted nutty and yummy even though it seems to use regular milk. but its kinda hot. the ac was not satisfactory. finished up the word for Prof. bought jasuke on the way back. filled out IDI form since i still have energy. 

2 - mtbs again but this time its 3 patients at the same time. vcalled with kris. bought some snacks in hypermart. exercised a bit and played badminton with renata. watched 3 eps of nanno. 

3 - my body aches and it will be wonderful to sleep again but its already 6:40. usila today. the ac in kamar jaga was no longer cold. finally finished moms box of brownies from like 2 weeks ago. read dear benjamin. got to enjoy some silence because i napped before maghrib and the others slept early. 

4 - vaccine in GCD with teh fitri, teh fany and teh rahmi. about 440ish patients. gossiped about cibeber lmao. watched the hitman’s bodyguard. samuel and ryan was hilarious. 

5 - morning walk with renata. saw cilegon’s cfd. cleaned up the room accompanied by howl’s soundtrack. made spaghetti with instant bolognese sauce, egg and cheese. o seven with tri nagita. just saw prof’s email from 2nd sept, shit. tried to get some headspace to do ppt.

6 - bp with nessa (originally kia/ugd). except therere some patients in ugd lol. did excision for clavus (1st timer!) and hecting. fried tempe (1st timer!) using someone’s leftover oil lmaooo

7 - BP with zihan. had spaghetti combined with cheese egg and mom’s chicken for lunch. instant bloating :). drank hot matcha to curb the bloat. planked. ate muesli lol. did not do anything significant today :( started the origin of species. 

8 - vaccine today except it starts at 10:30 since we’re waiting for the mayor. so i hung out on the screening table since the doctor room was hot. vaccine with dr lutfi. watched homcha and nanno. fell asleep

9 - vaccine with bang esa and other staffs in smp 8 cikerai. its apparently the highest point in cikerai. finished at 12-ish pm and we ate buffet lunch lol. made matcha latte again. this time with almost 1 spoon of sugar so it tastes good. i missss matcha. read 1 webinar ppt so i guess thats a little but its something. rip attention span

10 - usila. tried A BIT of duren from bu Tur for dr isip but its enough to make me retch lmao. was given labbaik chicken by bu oo. Some exercise. rly tried to make some progress but my brain just cant seem to muster

11 - kia/ugd. Some ugd patients. Spaghetti for lunch yay. Originally intended to go to cafe but i ended up falling asleep :) tried to get some progress for PPT. Involved a lot of staring into nothing. Slept at like 00:30ish am

12 - morning walk slash jog. The jogging track was finally open. Went to jannor. Ordered kopsus and meatball potato dish with gofood takeaway promo (spent a total of 30k) . The staff kindly asked whether i want to eat there or to actually takeaway lol. The meatball truly tasted like meat. The mashed potato was a bit dry. The weather was grey and cloudy, exactly my favorite. First time cooking kangkung

13 - vaccine today. 20-ish patients. Alone in kamar jaga since nessa went to mass vaccine. Zoom call with Prof. Dyed my hair blue in flow salon (1200K). got free manicure, It took 5 hrs 😅. another firsts in life. both the nail tech and hair tech said my hair was dry lmao. arrived in mess at 9ish pm. ordered nasgor in front of mess

14 - mi rebus for bfast. not too much patients for vaccine so i finished at like 10 am. napped at kamar jaga. got free rice box from dr arief etc yay :)))) got mochacinno at jannor. tried to do sumn useful but cannot. still no ppt progress aaa. watched homcha ep 6 together

15 - vaccine in al hanif. tried chicken-cakwe porridge near the school. the school was an all girls school, with ppl wearing long veils. tried to fit the placement test from cakap (12-1 pm) during the vaccination lol. had to excuse myself to the ssaem during photo sesh. napped so i could see the 17 pm cakap class but i ended up napping until close to 18 :) saw the 19 am class with lukas ssaem

16 - spaghetti for bfast. usila today. this dumbass forgot to wear komin and wore her rubber slip ons. turns out theres some money from al hanif vaccine. which is great bcs there’s literally no paper money in my wallet lmaoo. rested a bit. dr eva called and she gave me a ppt and chapter book job. sheeet theres no progress yet of Prof’s ppt. a wake up call. whatsapped with frends that planned to go to cilegon this weekend, but it ended up being the next weekend. thank god, because dr eva’s ppt deadline is 24th sept. set myself up on a spot in the vanity table so i can work in a chair (i frfr find it difficult to work on my own bed)

17 - some patients in UGD. Slept while waiting for 2 pm. Held off my sleepiness for zoom with dr Eva. 5pm cakap class. Matcha latte. 7pm zoom w dr eva. Fell asleep after that

18 - bp. Turns out teh imey also dyed her hair. cakap class abt bts' spring day lol. Worked on dr eva's ppt

19 - jogged a bit. had kopsus (20K) and fish fillet rice (27K). finished dr eva’s ppt with the given material so far. napped in mess. dr eva also revised the ppt on the same day so there’s 2 slides left (patient clinical profile and conclusion). took some time for me to get the headspace to work on ppt so i started prof’s ppt at like 7-ish. only got 1 slide. stayed awake until 11ish but i basically stopped doing useful stuff at 9 TT TT

20 - vaccine today, finished at 10 am. lounged around. went to bni to check on m-banking, still system error. transferred 3mil from my BNI atm to muamalat. tried nasi goreng roa and cakalang with added chicken shreds (20K). so goood. conversed with nessa zihan. did not open my laptop at all :) stopped by at rodalink bcs nessa wanted to buy a bike. drank matcha latte in an effort to curb sleepiness. worked on Prof’s ppt. fried the frozen kebab (35K) i bought from teh Rahmi. 

21 - vaccine P3K w teh yeni teh rahmi mas oim. 3 patients. Ate some gorengan and talked lol. Did the abstract and ppt for dr eva. Worked on Prof's ppt.

22 - usila w mas oim. Had banana, bolu and protein for bfast. Ordered nasgor roa cakalang from bakuku for lunch. Felt suuuuper sleepy afterwards. Wanted to sleep again in mess but couldnt. Washed my shitton of clothes with washing machine. Heavyyy. Worked more on PPT. Too much denial this week

23 - picked some groceries @ bu rum. Kia/ugd today. Its been a while since i last checked DJJ. Successful first attempt but fail in the 2nd bcs the baby is still floating. Cooked meat and veggies with nessren. Jannor and kopsus again. Worked on ppt til my head hurts. Its a little bit more to gooo.

24 - bp. Made myself bento with nugget and left over veggies. Finished the smol details of the ppt and finally sent it. Watched shangchi @ transmart w chillegone. The film was fun! We cooked soup at mess and tri made perkedel. Watched homcha ep7. Slept

25 - Vaccine but there was no vaccine, so I went to UKK @ villa ternak cikerai with pkm peeps. its like opening a clinic but somewhere in hills area. got treated to bakso and tempe mendoan afterwards. lazed around in my bed, with no info from jkt friends who wanted to visit but suddenly they arrived lmao. went to amaris to catch up with them. thankfully it was not hourly parking. ate at saung bonang near the billiard place with heri joining us. total bill for five was 126 lmao its rly pocket friendly. heri borrowed my motorbike bcs his friend’s place doesnt have car park. thank god we brought the bike

26 - me and racheel went downstairs to get the hotel bfast. packed fruits, tempe and bread upstairs lol. put our stuffs in royal krakatau. took maxim to pulau kecil. turns out pak asep changed his number. it was raining there, so we sat a bit and got mie rebus. had lunch at amirang (my treat). there was only us inside. the food was okay but the meat was rly overpriced for its amount. went back to the hotel. went to indomaret and mess with racheel to get my stuff. my stupid impatient ass dropped atikah’s brand new iphone while pulling the hotel towel from the bathroom rack. im sorryyyyy. racheel and i swam until maghrib. atikah told us abt her boy “friend”. slept early at like 9-10ish with the usual width but longer leg space

27 - and suddenly its time to go to puskesmas. asked nessa to bring my shoes. said goodbye to friends. BP. there were a lot of patients. kanayam for lunch. i bought shades lol bcs i commute against the sun in the morning. cakap club. watched homcha. fell asleep

28 - vaccine. finished at like 10:30. tried to go to bni to install mbanking but the queue was like 20 ppl. did the outline for the red book. liqo with kak kartika. zoom meeting with dr eva. fell asleep again

29 - vaccine in sma 3 cilegon (cikerai) with bang esa and others. finished at like 2-ish pm. got 750K hehehe. mentoring with dr. Arnadi about KKD and HHS. bought rotbak with nessa. showered and cleaned and fell asleeep

30 - cooked tempe with leftover kanayam chili sauce. bp again. saw interesting cases today, such as fixed drug eruption. bought phd from gofood promo. went to jannor and got the usual kopsus with added espresso (since the min amount for gofood pick up promo was 25k). tried to do prof’s script but cannot, so i searched the literatures needed for dr eva’s project

[brooklyn-1918]

Day 24

Characters: OC Angel Moore and Avengers

Warnings: Fluff, possibly minor language

A/N: Holy crap! I cant believe that it’s Christmas Eve. It came all to fast, but im excited that it’s here. Without further adieu, here is the second to last of the 24 days stories.

If you would like to read the previous day’s story, you can read it HERE

If you would like to read the background to the OC Angel Moore, you can read it HERE

Angel was standing in front of her floor length mirror when the first of two knocks sounded at her door. She tugged at her jeans to straighten them out before she called to the visitor.

“Coming!” She gave one final tug, and glancing to make sure her hair was fine, she left her bedroom. Her hand on the handle, she paused and took a breath. 

“Merry Christmas Eve, Angel,” Wanda greeted happily. Angel smiled brightly, moving forward to give her a hug. 

“And to you too,” She said, standing straight again. She moved back so she could let Wanda through to enter her apartment. She shut the door, and waved her hand around the living space. 

Wanda grinned at the Christmas lights and decorations strewn around the space, bringing a festive uplift to the modern madness that was her Stark Industries decorated home. 

“You know, I think we should re-decorate,” Wanda observed, tapping her toe against the couch. Angel huffed a breath, and nodded. 

“I think that would be fun. But in the meantime, make yourself comfortable. Natasha should be here--” Another knock on the door cut her sentence off. Angel nodded again and pointed over her shoulder to the door. 

“Any minute,” Angel concluded, turning on her heel. Opening the door once more, she came face to face with the red headed assassin. With her makeup on point (as always), and beautiful gold earrings, she held a bottle of red wine. 

“Oooh, gimmie gimmie,” Angel said playfully, making grabby hands towards the bottle. Natasha threw her a playful smile, and held the glass bottle out of her reach. Angel chuckled and shook her head, once more standing out of the way so that Natasha could enter. 

“Where are your glasses?” Natasha asked, giving the wine a tiny shake. 

“Over the fridge for fancy, next to the sink for sippy cups,” Angel explained, moving to collect a few loose items off her coffee table. Natasha nodded and made her way into the kitchenette, pushing herself up on her toes to reach into the cabinet above the refrigerator. 

Angel plunked down in an armchair as she listened to the crystalline clink of the wine glasses. 

“Hold up, is Wanda even allowed to drink that?” Angel questioned. Wanda frowned and snatched a glass and the bottle, pouring herself a helping. 

“I’m 22, thank you so much for asking,” She grumbled, taking a sip. Natasha took the bottle away from the brunette’s hands, and carried on to pour herself and Angel each a glass. She raised her eyebrow at the young woman. 

“Then you should know how to pour it properly. Give it a twist as you pull it away.” Natahsa demonstrated, twirling the bottle on its axis as she pulled it up. Angel accepted her glass with a smile and a raise of the crystal. 

“Prevents dripping. And smooths it out,” Angel finished. Her and the redhead tapped their glasses together. They held them there for a moment, and Wanda grinned lightly before doing the same. 

__________

The three women walked down the hallway, already with their shoes off, and carrying the empty wine bottle. They entered the common room, the tree lit up beautifully in the setting sun. A chorus of greeting and holiday cheer rose from the occupants, and the three women gave hugs to them all. 

“Hey, Angel, is Olivia coming?” Tony asked. Natasha chuckled as she set the bottle down on the already broken into bar, and Angel groaned. 

“I swear, you love my kid more than me! I’m wounded!” Angel playfully complained, dramatically putting the back of her hand to her forehead. But she glanced at her watch, and started to pull on her shoes. 

“How can we not love her?” Clint asked with a shrug. Angel chuckled and patted his shoulder as she stood. A few others laughed. 

“That's the right answer, Barton. I’m going to pick her up now, and I should be back by the time Peter swings over,” She explains, weaving her way through the group towards the elevator that will take her to the landing pad. 

__________

Angel lands with little Olivia bundled in her arms. Her wings sent gusts of wind around them, and she set her daughter down. 

“Good job, mommy!” Olivia said with a clap of her hands. Angel chuckled and retracted her wings, reaching out to take the small girl’s hand. 

“Thank you, Livvey bear.” Angel’s whole chest warmed up as she looked at her child. In her little maroon dress coat, and her forest green dress that she insisted she wore that night. Her tiny black flats that almost fell off once or twice during the flight, the look completed by her Iron Man backpack, which held her pajamas and stocking for hanging with the other Avengers stockings. 

They walked through the tower, and entered the common area after dropping off her bag. Olivia ran around and gave them each a big hug. She began telling the story of her meeting Santa at Macy’s to Peter, who listened with great interest. 

Angel sat down on the couch, propping her feet up, and watching the group talk effortlessly. She sighed, leaning her head back to listen to the carols radiating from the room’s speaker system. 

__________

Food was brought out, cooked by Wanda and Angel. Bacon wrapped candied dates, baked brie and apples, shrimp cocktail, vegetable platters, and much more lined the buffet table by the bar. 

People were laughing happily, bellies full and a sparkle in their eyes. No disagreements, minus the small political mutters that Sam nipped in the bud. 

After a much needed viewing of The Polar Express, a prerequisite on Christmas Eve, things were winding down. Olivia was curled into her mother’s lap, somewhere in between sleep and awake, face nuzzled into the soft fabric of Angel’s sweater. 

“Mommy, can you read me Jan Brett?” She asked quietly, as the room settled into silence. Angel ran her fingers through the small girl’s hair, and nodded, chin bumping lightly against the top of her daughter’s head so she could feel her answer. 

“Where is the book, sweetheart?” 

“Over there,” Olivia said, pointing to the side table, where she must have put it after she stopped back in Angel’s apartment. 

“Bucky, would you mind--” She pointed to the hardcover book, and he nodded. After picking it up, he held it to admire the art on the front, before handing it to his team mate. 

“Thanks,” She said and he hummed in response. She moved her daughter off her lap so she could open the book, the small girl quickly relocating onto the lap of the chemist. Bruce smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. 

“What one?” Angel asked quietly. WIth a yawn, Olivia replied. 

“The usual.”

“Alright.” Angel started to read out loud, drawing everyone to her voice. A soft melody of words, made even more joyous by the story on the page. She tucked her leg under herself, and continued on. 

Around her, Tony and Steve moved to sit on the floor around the coffee table, leaning their heads in their propped up arms. Wanda picked absent mindedly at the cookies in her lap, a smile creeping up her face. Thor listened intently to the tales that he had never heard, but was happy to learn.

As she came to the end of her first story, ending the tale of a girl trying to prepare Santa’s reindeer, she glanced at Olivia. She had her cheek mashed into the arm of Bruce, smiling with a droopy look that only a late night could bring. 

She read one last story. 

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Olivia made a face, a small sound of disgust escaping her lips at the mention of the rodent. A few small laughs sounded from around the group, and Angel carried on. 

After she was finished with the story, and half suspected that Olivia might be asleep, she shut the hard cover book. 

“Again!” Olivia mumbled airily. 

“Oh, no. Now we have to put out stockings and cookies so Santa can come,” Angel chuckled. Her daughter’s eyes popped open, and she picked her head up with little difficulty. Wanda stood and picked up the small girl, securing her tired body in her arms. 

“How about we go pick out a plate and glass?” The child nodded, and together, they walked off towards the kitchen. 

Angel stood with some effort, stretching out her back and legs. 

“Alright, everyone has their stockings, yes?” She asked. They nodded or hummed their answers, some pulling their cloth socks out of their pockets, others standing and retrieving them from wherever they hid them. Angel smiled.

“Good.”

__________

Olivia placed the plate piled with cookies on the coffee table, Wanda setting the glass of cold milk next to it. 

“Friday, extend the hooks,” Tony said lazily. 

“Yes, boss.” With a few small clicking sounds, 11 hooks in total were extended from the wall. One for each Avenger, plus child. One by one, they stood and hung the festive bags on the wall. The stocking waited patiently to be filled, and the entire team stood back to admire them. 

“Mom, if there’s no fireplace, how will Santa get in?” Olivia asked as she tugged on her mother’s hand. Angel looked down, opening her mouth to answer, but no response came to mind. 

“The front guards would know to let him in. But fortunately, they don’t need to know that. Hit it, Fri,” Tony said as he waved his finger at the ceiling. Without responding, the AI lifted back part of the concrete wall, where a fireplace had been hidden seamlessly. Flames danced out of the glass pebbles, causing a warm glow to envelop the large room. 

They admired it for a few minutes, before they each said goodnight to each other, and went to sleep.

24 Days Tags:

@im-a-light-child​ @nomadicpixel​

[authorsofparadiseroleplay]

Dark Days, Chapter 3

This is a crossover fan novel featuring my own characters and world of The Authors of Paradise, blended with those of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files. This derivative crossover work is being written for the sheer fun of it, with no financial gain. Jim Butcher owns Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files, and all associated characters. I own Evelyn Alvar, Arabella Thorne, Thornebridge Manor, The Authors of Paradise, and all associated characters. I’ve taken the two worlds, mashed them together, and whipped up this meandering thingamabob. Mmm, tasty.

This novel is rated M for Mature, because it’ll get bloody.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

iii. Evelyn

I had looked into the swirling, prismatic abyss, and had Seen what was emerging from it. I had heard the jarring discordance of its song taking shape. Its energy had blossomed inside my mind like rotting flesh melting aside to reveal the gore held within.

That was why I was ready this time when the creature hurled a wave of suffocating dread in my general direction. The whole world is made of song, if you know how to hear it. When you know the resonance of something, you can counteract it with your own tone.

I drew in a deep breath, opened my mouth, and sang out a long, loud, crystalline note that rang throughout the alley like a giant tuning fork. That single, protracted note I formed into a word, no word in any human tongue but simply a collection of syllables that danced along the threads of my intent and coalesced into pure Will.

The note reached out to the dark, pulsing energy rushing along the channel of the creature’s screech and diverted it away from myself and the man standing beside me, splitting it apart and scattering it to be carried away on the wind. Peripherally, I could see the man lifting his staff, holding it across himself with one hand, and could feel him gathering energy.

I ran out of breath and my voice dipped to silence as I frantically reached into my bag to retrieve one of the little spherical glass containers I had carefully packed in an interior pocket with plenty of padding. The creature slapped the air with its wings and dove forward, but the man stepped forward, his booming voice echoing throughout the alley. “Forzare!”

An invisible wrecking ball slammed into the creature and sent it tumbling backwards towards the portal. Catching itself mid-trajectory with a billow of its wings, it flipped itself in midair, braced its feet on the brick facade of a building, and lunged forward again. The man moved forward, stepping between the monster and me as he hefted his staff. “Get out of here, lady!”

Instead of responding, I darted around the man and hurled the glass sphere at the creature with a murmured word. It shattered, releasing the coiled energy that had been contained within, a paralysis enchantment that immediately began to twine around the creature, immobilizing it. It struggled for a few seconds, its wings beating the air, then fell to the pavement and was still.

I glowered at the man. “You were saying?”

“Don’t get too comfy, toots,” he replied, gesturing at the creature with his free hand. He still held the staff at the ready, and had a wild, almost feral look in his eyes, his body coiled taut as if readying himself to spring into action again. Despite this, he was breathing steadily, in through his nostrils and out through his mouth. This certainly wasn’t the mage’s first battle. “It’s not over.”

“Call me ‘toots’ again and I’ll shove that staff exactly where you don’t want it,��� I growled, but I followed his line of sight. The creature was shuddering in its invisible restraints, and something scarlet flickered along the surface of its leathery hide. A spiderweb of red lightning rushed to spread over its skin, and it began to stand, flexing its wings and limbs. I could feel the binding enchantment popping and breaking like so many snapped threads.

“Oh, crap,” I said, and thrust my hand into my bag again, frantically casting around for another glass sphere.

I’m not very good at direct psychokinetic battle magic, what I’ve heard referred to as evocation in some circles. Give me time to prepare, give me time to carefully and meticulously and mathematically construct enchantments set to go off at a certain trigger, or to build a thaumaturgical link and manipulate with ritual, and I can manage. It’s usually by the skin of my teeth, but I’m still alive, so that must count for something.

But sometimes my gadgets, baubles, and carefully laid plans fail me. Darn it all to fucking heck, as Arabella would say. But Arabella wasn’t here, and the only backup I had right now was this smart-mouthed human skyscraper wielding an oversized phallic symbol and Big Thug Energy. Gods grant me patience.

The livid energy crackling over the creature’s body intensified and multiplied, and I felt the last of the binding enchantment fray and snap apart. The creature rolled its neck and stretched its wings as if it had merely woken from a pleasant nap, then lurched itself at us with a shriek.

The man, evidently still suffering from an acute case of misplaced chivalry, again moved so he was between the creature and me, staff raised as he eyed the creature and the dizzying, psychedelic whirlpool of a portal behind it. With a snarled word, he hurled another kinetic blast at the creature, this time successfully sending it tumbling backwards into the Rift. Then, striding forward a step with his long legs, he lifted his staff again and shouted, “Instaurabos!”

“That’s not going to work!” I tried to warn him, assuming he was trying to close what he likely thought was a portal to the Nevernever.

A second later, the creature came barreling through the whirling lights which had, of course, failed to collapse in on themselves because they were something entirely different than a portal to the Nevernever. It hit the man like a missile and rode him to the ground. I heard him grunt with the impact, his staff clattering to the pavement and rolling away, and he twisted and bucked beneath the creature as it hissed and seized him by the throat, shoving him back down.

Seemingly heedless of the sudden death-grip on his throat, the man snarled, his teeth bared and his eyes glittering with feral rage, and somehow twisted his body so his left arm and leg were leveraging to the left side of the beast. Then, in one swift, terrifyingly graceful motion, he shoved the creature so it went tumbling off him and rolled to his feet, dropping down into a crouch. My eyes widened as I felt a surge of cold, wild energy, and as I watched, ice began to rapidly crystallize around his fingertips, forming razor-sharp claws.

The man’s lips peeled back into a savage grin, and I found myself wondering which of the two of them was really more dangerous.  

The creature started to lunge at the man, and he met it with his own attack, darting forward and raking his ice claws at its throat. The creature whirled out of the way, threw itself into the air, and dove at the man, its own claws flexed. The man caught it in some kind of judo throw, slamming the monster to the ground with enough force to crack the pavement.

His lips still curled in a snarl, the man raised his right hand and plunged it towards the creature’s chest, claws first. The monster caught his wrist, surged up, and went for the man’s throat. He canted sideways at the last second, taking its teeth just above his left collarbone instead. With a violent wrench and a spray of blood, he jerked free of the bite. He barely even seemed to notice, and the alley echoed with his furious scream as a jagged, deadly-sharp icicle extended from the palm of his right hand. With a flip of his wrist, still held in the creature’s grasp, he took the makeshift blade in his hand and drove it downward. It tightened its grip on his wrist and resisted, and then there was a flurry of violent movement and furious growling from both fighters, and the monster gave a powerful lurch and threw the man flat on his back.

It followed with blinding speed, leaping on him and driving a bony knee into the man’s chest. It grabbed a fistful of his dark hair, dashing his head once, twice, three times into the ground. Stunned, the man slowed his struggles, though he didn’t entirely stop them. The creature’s hand clamped around his throat again and began to squeeze.

A grating, raspy cough began to emit from the creature as it leaned in close to the man, the sound like broken glass crunching over stone. It took a few seconds for me to realize it was laughing.

“The Winter Knight and the One Who Forgot,” it cackled, tightening its grip on the man’s throat even as it twisted its head to look at me. Wheezing, the man clawed ineffectually at the creature’s iron grip, and I am ashamed to say I stood frozen. The creature had effectively taken a hostage, and it would only take a small jerk of its hand to snap the man’s neck like a twig. Its black lips peeled back from huge, gleaming canines in what could have equally been a sneer or a snarl. “What a fortuitous chance of a meeting.”  

The man tried to speak, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. The creature leaned down over him, a hair’s breadth from his face, and took a long whiff through its nostrils. Its eyelids fluttered and it made a rolling, guttural sound of pure pleasure. “So much fear tearing through your veins even as you fight to the end. And yet you are ignorant of the true nature of things. Blind little sheep. Lambs to the slaughter. The both of you know so little, and understand even less. Events have been orchestrated that you cannot even begin to fathom. You play your parts well, as ever you have.”

Swallowing back my fear, I lowered my bag to the ground, lifted my hands and stepped forward. “If we’ve got parts to play for you, we’re no good to you dead.”

It grinned at me, giving me another good look at its teeth. “Dead. Alive. Alive and dead. The cat’s ever in the box, little taistealaiche.” It looked down at the man, tilting its head and crooning wordlessly, and I saw that the wizard’s face was taking a purple cast, his lips turning blue. But I also saw what the creature didn’t appear to see: his hand sliding into the right pocket of his leather Inverness coat.

“But not for either of you,” the creature purred, and the man pulled his hand from his pocket, swung the revolver around, and shot the monster point blank in the face. It fell back and flopped around blindly, wings beating, an unearthly shriek emanating from the gaping, sludge-dripping hole that had been its muzzle.

The man stood up, his breath rattling in his throat, aimed the weapon, and shot the creature in the face again. “Well, I think that cat just climbed out of its box and fucked you right up, oh Melodramatic One,” he rasped. He glanced over at me. “Guess it’s not immune to bullets. Let’s see how it likes a little bit of ice.”

He retrieved his staff, raised it in front of him, and growled, “Infriga.” An arctic wave of energy swept forward with a crackling, gleaming sheet of ice rushing into being in its wake along the pavement, and both overtook the creature, rising around it and encasing it like a crystalline monolith.

A beat passed, and the scarlet lightning flickered into visibility as it began to spiderweb beneath the surface of the creature’s temporary prison. The ice groaned and crackled, and a pattern of branching fissures began to appear in its surface.

The man looked at me. His breath seethed through his teeth, and he still had a wild look in his eyes that made me want to edge away from him. “I’m gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say you probably know how to send this thing back and close the portal.”

“Yes.” I was already digging the needed implements out of my bag. There was more to it than what he had said, but one thing at a time.

“Well, let’s get a move on already. What do we need to do?”

I pushed aside another spike of irritation at his words. He had, after all, successfully and competently helped to contain the creature. As much as I hated accepting assistance from strangers, I had to admit that this one would have been too much for me to handle alone.

That didn’t mean I had to trust him, of course.

I removed a sketch pad, a stick of sharpened charcoal, and a kneaded eraser from my bag and settled cross-legged on the ground, as close to the creature as I dared. “Keep it contained for me. Can you build a circle around us? The creature and me, I mean.”

He peered at the sketch pad, an eyebrow rising on his angular, scarred face. It wasn’t a particularly unattractive face, I thought, even if he made me want to throw something at him every time he opened his mouth. “Your master plan is to Bob Ross it to death?”

I sighed and mumbled something distinctly unladylike under my breath. As the man used a stub of chalk to create the circle around the creature and I, I took a deep, cleansing breath, then opened my all my senses to gaze into the abyss again.

[kayawagner]

The Five Minute Bard: Resources to Create Sharp Concepts in No Time Flat

Image Courtesy of Pixabay “I’d like to teach the world to sing, but they’re all tone deaf.”

If your table is anything like mine, bards are primarily known for romancing their way out of combat encounters, only to have to then combat their way out of those romance encounters when plans inevitably go awry. There’s nothing wrong with that if your group enjoys following the exploits of your own personal pratfalling Mata Hari, but bards have a lot of potential to deepen gameplay in other ways. This article explores a few ways that bards can uniquely add to your game.

Musical Plot Lines

All over the world, since long before the advent of widespread literacy, song, poetry, and performance have been used to remember the history of nations and heroes; there’s no reason why in games such epics (and the rascals who know them well) can’t provide context for the rivalry between royal families, hints about the weaknesses of an ancient evil stirring after centuries of slumber, or even direct instructions as to how to make it through a trapped dungeon. Fantasy writers from J. R. R. Tolkien all the way to George R. R. Martin and N. K. Jemisin continue to use ancient stories, songs, and phrases in this way to flesh out the worlds of their novels (in particular, Jemisin’s Stone Lore could drive an entire campaign just by itself).

Songs are great for this purpose, as they can be scattered earlier in a campaign (or even a session) in the background, providing foreshadowing or clues for players without necessarily being obvious about doing so.

…[songs] can be scattered earlier in a campaign (or even a session) in the background, providing foreshadowing or clues for players without necessarily being obvious about doing so.

Share8

Tweet1

+11

Reddit1

Email

For a non-fantasy example, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson did a great job with his “Dead Man’s Chest” song. The few lines from the novel were later expanded into a poem/song by Young E. Allison, and it’s well worth listening to the whole tune if you ever need to populate a sunken pirate ship with a bunch of undead with distinct and gruesome wounds.

As much fun as Treasure Island is though, my favorite source for musical inspiration will always be the Roud Folk Song Index. This catalog of English-language folk songs has tens of thousands of entries tailor-made for the fantasy gaming table, though many of the songs have topics and language that you may not want at your table. These songs have the advantage of usually being just obscure enough for your players to not already be familiar with them, but omnipresent enough to be vaguely familiar — songs as recent and popular as “The Streets of Laredo” and “Scarborough Fair” descend directly from entries in this index.

…songs as recent and popular as “The Streets of Laredo” and “Scarborough Fair” descend directly from entries in [the Roud Folk Song Index]. 

Share8

Tweet1

+11

Reddit1

Email

If you want to jump in right away, my favorite songs from the early list are “Three Ravens/Twa Corbies,” “Two Sisters/The Wind and Rain,” “Cruel Lincoln,” “The Elfin Knight,” and “The Female Highwayman.” Any one of these songs can pretty much be dropped into a campaign unchanged to add a subplot or additional character, and it’s well worth diving into them — at the end of this article are a couple of resources to help you do so if you want.

Tactical Cacophony: the Music of Battle

In most if not all tabletop games, bards are simultaneously performers and magic wielders, capable of turning the tide of battle with either their music or their spells. This role is well-supported by old legends about bards, though like most low-level bards in modern games, apparently they spent much of their time insulting rats to death.

…like most low-level bards in modern games, apparently [mythological bards] spent much of their time insulting rats to death. 

Share8

Tweet1

+11

Reddit1

Email

For a more grounded approach, you can also consider bringing in more martial applications of music. Horns, fifes (single-tube pipes), drums, and bagpipe music are all well-known accompaniments to ancient battles, providing everything from marching cadence to tactical signaling. These real-world examples can be a great illustration of and justification for Bardic Inspiration and similar powers for those groups that prefer to have detailed or evocative descriptions of these powers in action.

More spectacularly, bards may have access to instruments that serve a secondary function as weapons (or vice-versa). Using real world examples, bards could be familiar with a shakuhachi or a musical bow. The shakuhachi is a nearly two-foot-long flute with a heavy, bulbous tip. Played as a form of meditation, by some accounts, this instrument could also be used as an effective bludgeoning weapon, making it easier to smuggle into areas where characters are expected to disarm.

Musical bows are either dedicated instruments or converted hunting bows that are also a stringed percussion instrument with the addition of a resonator.

Of course, if your DM is more whimsical (or forgiving), bards always have the option of a flamethrower guitar or a guitar shotgun (if your group allows the guitar shotgun, let me know if you’re looking for a player).

Extra Credit: Bringing Custom Music to the Table

Okay, to be clear, obsession with bards aside, I have all the musical and rhythmic talent of a harmonica in a clothes dryer. The last time I tried to sing in public, the guy running the karaoke turned off my mic.

…I have all the musical and rhythmic talent of a harmonica in a clothes dryer. The last time I tried to sing in public, the guy running the karaoke turned off my mic. 

Share8

Tweet1

+11

Reddit1

Email

Originally, I was going to try to learn how to play the ukulele and re-do “Twa Corbies” for this article, but apparently, you can only learn that instrument in an hour if you have some minuscule fraction of ability to begin with. I have never been so disappointed in Amanda Palmer (NSFW language in video).

If you (unlike me) know one end of a musical instrument from another, doing something cool and ambitious like writing alternate lyrics to something from the Roud Folk Song Index would probably be pretty awesome. But if you can already do that, you probably wouldn’t be reading something called “The Five Minute Bard,” so let’s move on, shall we?

For those of us who don’t already have a great deal of ability, but want to come up with fun little tunes for our gaming groups, there’s something called Common Meter or Ballad Meter “tune swapping.” Songs using common meter (and there are a lot of them) use the same rhythm and rhyme patterns, meaning they can easily be swapped out for one another. This can be a fun party trick (singing Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” to the tune of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme is a hoot no matter how you look at it), but it also means you have a library of tunes and lyrics you can swap out with one another without any of your players realizing it. Here is an interactive example. A small selection of songs or poems in ballad meter is below:

“Greensleeves”

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

“I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from “The Lion King”

“The House of the Rising Sun”

“Oh, Susanna”

“Yankee Doodle”

“America the Beautiful”

“Amazing Grace”

“The Yellow Rose of Texas”

Pretty much any famous Emily Dickinson poem

The Pokemon Season 1 theme song

So with that in mind: a super quick-and-dirty (and entirely untested) method for creating music for your group:

Identify what you want to sing about.

Identify a tune you like, or a couple of them from the list above. Mash them together or hum them until you’re comfortable with the results.

Shamelessly raid the lyrics of the other songs in the list for turns of phrase you like, and shoehorn them in.

Where necessary, swap out words to hide the source of your song or create new rhymes. If you’re looking for a quick and dirty way to hide clumsy rhymes, be sure to use the word you’re trying to rhyme with as the second word, and the clumsy imperfect word as the first one. So if you’re trying to rhyme with “mockery,” but can’t think of anything to rhyme it with other than “crockery”, you would do something like “The battle raged among the crockery/until the villain lost through vicious mockery” (Thanks to Rachel F. for that hot tip).

Bask in the admiration of your gaming group. Or dodge thrown shoes, depending on your level of ability and the patience of your adventuring party.

Bards aren’t everyone’s favorite character class, but for those of us prone to a certain amount of mischief and scenery-chewing, they’re just too much fun to pass up. Hopefully some of these tools make it to your table, whether in the form of new tools for your bards to use, or in musically-themed adventures.

For those of you who play bards in your own games (or cringe at others who do), what do the bards in your home game bring to the table that no one else does? How do you make your games more musical?

Resources:

Every Folk Song: a podcast that promises to go through every song on the Roud Folk Song Index until the host gets tired of doing so — even though it only gets to song 11 (“The Baffled Knight”) it’s still a darn good podcast.

My personal Spotify playlist for the Roud Folk Song Index. This is a selection of my favorite versions of some of the first songs in the Roud Folk Song Index.

Learn to Play the Ukulele: Maybe you’ll do better than I did? Let me know your secret if you do.

Rhyming Dictionary: Because most of us can’t rhyme “the elves are attacking” without a little bit of Internet help.

The Five Minute Bard: Resources to Create Sharp Concepts in No Time Flat published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[smoothshift]

In 2004 I was 19, I worked for a Dealership. I got fired for loosing control of a C5 Corvette @ 120MPH causing an accident that involved 2 other cars and a bridge. AMA. via /r/cars

In 2004 I was 19, I worked for a Dealership. I got fired for loosing control of a C5 Corvette @ 120MPH causing an accident that involved 2 other cars and a bridge. AMA.

In this album is pictures of the car after it was taken to the scrap yard, also is a map that demonstrates my terrible MS Paint skills, but I thought it would help paint the picture. The little white blobs on the red rectangle is to show where the front of the car was facing.

http://ift.tt/2u4XyPw

After I graduated High School I started working as a Lube Tech for a Cadillac dealer, pay was decent for an 18 year old high school grad in 2002. After about a year of working there they made me Lube Tech / Used Car tech. Finally I got the opportunity to take on more technical jobs and prove I was a capable mechanic. I really liked this because changing oil all day was getting boring and I got to road test, diagnose, and repair most of the vehicles that got traded in. Fast forward to February of 2004. It was a cold morning, the temperature was around 10F. I walk in and go through the work orders of used cars that need inspected. There were some Devilles, Sevilles, an Escalade... OH HELLO! 2002 Corvette with 13k miles. "I'll start my day with that" I thought, after all what 19 year old lead footed male wouldn't jump at the chance to drive a sports car. As I make my way to the used car lot I pass my Service manager. "You getting ready to grab that Vette?" he asked. "Yep!" I replied. He told me "I've already driven it, its basically brand new. So just bring it straight over and give it a LOF (Lube, Oil, Filter), no need to road test it, we want to get it out on the lot today.". I continued to the lot thinking "it's 10 degrees, I need to get that oil warmed up for the LOF to be done correctly" and that was going to be my excuse if he asked me why I took it down the highway.

"There she is" I said to myself as I approached the car. I get in and fired it up, and start going through the interior as I would any used car. Everything functioned like brand new, as I expected. I sat there debating on putting on the seat belt (at the time I wore a seat belt about 50% of the time driving anything, it was a random decision and little did I know that morning that roll of the dice would most likely determine on if I would live to see another day), I decide to put the seat belt on.

I turn off traction/stability control and put her into drive (yes it was an auto). As I start up the entrance ramp I roll into the throttle and the back end steps out. This is where some people are smart enough to make the connection that 400hp sports car, summer tires, and 10 degrees are a recipe for disaster. Not this guy, all I could think is how much fun this is and roll into the throttle a little more to see how far I could go with the rear end stepping out. Alright I'm on the highway just before rush hour, which in my mind was the green light to open her up. The stretch of highway I was on had a long sweeping right, then long sweeping left, then a short straight with a slight bend at a bridge then it had a long straight (you'll see what I'm talking about on the map I made). The speed limit there was 55MPH so I was doing around 90MPH waiting on my opportunity to go WOT, I pass the only vehicle I see, a white van with some graphics, I didn't pay attention to what the van said. Alright coming onto the short straight I give her all the beans and off I go. Watching the road and HUD I see my speed climb, 100, 110, 120... At this point I was at the small bend on the bridge, going from the concrete bridge back to blacktop there was a bump. "I'm sideways" I say to myself. At this point I'm calm cool and collective, I roll out of the throttle a bit and start correcting. I start to bring her back straight and I say to myself (I talk to myself a lot when I drive) "Holy shit! I can't believe I just did that". I was fully confident that I had just recovered from a slide at 120mph in a Corvette. How many people my age can say that! Just then the car whipped the other direction. When you realize that you have just fucked up and you are sure that you are getting ready to die time really does slow down just like you see in the movies. The rest of the slide and crash all happened in seconds, but in my mind I can still play through it remembering every little detail. It seemed like it took minutes, not seconds. I am spinning to the left now, steering wheel is full counter lock, but it is too late. I have lost 100% control of the vehicle, but I haven't given up. As I go through the grass median backwards with the leading rear tire not even touching the ground (according to the police report) I have my right arm on the back of the passenger seat looking through the rear window, my left hand is working the steering wheel because at this point I am going towards the oncoming lane and all I can think is I need to avoid any other cars. No matter what I do with the steering the car is not responding, there is to much momentum and not enough grip, I realize at this point that I am just along for the ride. I turn back to sit straight in the seat, and mash the brake as hard as I can. Remember how I said time slowed down? I look at the steering wheel "that air bag is coming out" I thought. I reach down and recline the seat just before I slam into the drivers front of a Cadillac (talk about irony). CRUNCH! I don't even know how to describe the sound it made, but it was horrific. I see white front the airbag and everything goes dark. IDK how long I blacked out for, but it couldn't have been more than 10-20 seconds. I come to, steam and smoke billowing out of the front of the Corvette, the dash is a Christmas tree. I put the car in park and turn the ignition off. The road I am on runs East to West, I am facing North. I look to might right (on coming traffic) and see a semi truck stopped in each lane, "I'm glad I didn't hit them" I thought to myself. I look left to see a steaming trail of car parts and fluids... "Is that?... FUCK FUCK FUCK!" I try to get out of the car not even knowing if I am injured or can even walk. The door is stuck, I start slamming my shoulder into it and finally get it opened. I go to get out but I can't... I'm trapped!... Nope I just needed to undo the seat belt. I get out of the car and start running. I'm crying at this point, there sits the car I hit up against the guard rail. Another new feeling that I hope I never have again, I may have killed someone. I run up to the car and look inside, 2 ladies sit there looking like they have just seen a ghost. "Are you okay?" I asked them. They did not say anything, but just looking at me and shook their head yes. "I'm so sorry" I reply. Then I turn around and look back at the disaster I have created. I lean up against the guard rail and take a deep breath and feel like puking. Just then someone approaches me. "Hey buddy, you okay?" The stranger says. "Yes, I'm fine, get back into your car and go about your day, you don't need to involve yourself with this." I said to him. He informs he that actually he cant go anywhere because I also crashed into him. I look over to see a Blazer sitting in the median with heavy front end damage. "I'm so sorry, I'm such a idiot... GOD DAMN IDIOT!" I say. He tells me to calm down "everyone makes mistakes, don't beat yourself up" he tells me.

At this point police cars start to file in, I lean back against the guard rail and stare at the cars on the other side of the highway, they were letting people through one lane over there. Just then I see a coworker drive through, he looks like he has seen a ghost as he sees the Corvette and realizes who was driving it. I yell and wave my arms to get his attention so he at least knows I am alright, but he is fixated on the pile of what used to be a Corvette. Roll back shows up and the driver starts sweeping crap off the highway. I walk up and take the broom from him "Go sit down, it's my mess" I tell him. I can't even explain the level of guilt I have at this point, I felt terrible for everyone involved from the people I crashed into to the police who had to handle it. I give the police a statement and they tell me "alright sir, we are going to take you back to your work now" I ask them "can't you just take me to jail?" They laughed and took me back to the shop.

As we pull into the parking lot everyone in the whole dealership files out onto the sidewalk. I didn't want to get out of the car. I was so ashamed. I get out and look at the ground as I walk into the service drive. Time slows down again as I start hearing everyone asking questions. "Are you okay?" "what happened?" "how did you do that?" "what is wrong with you?" "do you realize you could have killed someone?" "do you know how lucky you are?" "did you learn your lesson?". All of these questions seemed to run together, yep tough guy here is crying for the second time today. I get back to my tool box and start to lock it up. "We thought you were dead" one of the shop guys said. Then more guys from the shop come over "are you sure your alright man" "we heard and we all stopped working, we didn't know if you were even alive" "we couldn't go back to work until we knew you were alright". That was the third time I cried that day, but that was a mix of shame and joy that they cared that much. Then my service manager walks up "come with me" he says. We sit down in his office and talk. He was cool about the whole thing. Then he says "Jon wants to talk to you.". Jon was the general manager, he was known to be a bit of an asshole. I had never talked to him in the near 2 years I worked there even though I seen him almost daily. My service manager knocks on his door and tells him I'm waiting to talk to him, then my service manager walks out of the room. Jon walks in, his face is bright red. He walks up to me, takes a deep breath and turns to walk away. At this point I thought I was off the hook for this conversation when he turns back around unexpectedly. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? DO YOU KNOW YOU COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE? DO YOU EVEN FUCKING UNDERSTAND HOW BIG YOU FUCKED UP TODAY, DO YOU? GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SHOP, NOW!" He was inches from my face during this ass chewing. I thought for sure he was going to punch me, and I had no plans to do anything but except said punch.

I actually had to do one more thing before I could go home, I had to go take a drug test. No big deal I knew I'd pass that, but I just wanted to go home at this point. The service manager told me he take me so I didn't have to drive. We get in his truck and pull up to the first traffic light. He says "Eh, you gotta watch those Vettes, they ain't no Mustang, they'll get away from you.". He had a Corvette almost identical to the one I crashed and would always given me shit about my Mustang.

That's pretty much the main story. The others involved were all okay, they had very minor injuries. I could type much more but I figure it will just get too long, so AMA.

[49scribes-a]

Cursed Castle Chatzy 2 [Archive]

Icarus is placing his portion of potatoes and mushrooms and such on a stick by the fire

Junior is still kind of being a pillow for Deak

Smolma hes just chilling in his corner

Deak is still using junior as a pillow while also avoiding interaction and speaking still :I

Lavi busying himself making food

Allen is humming and trying to lift this stick and impale a potato with his powers. They seem to be shaking in the air and keep missing each other. The stick even snapped in half. Allen eventually reached out and impaled it by hand.

Junior: omg Allen lol } Junior kind of half-asleep but also idly watching Allen try to magically impale potatoes Junior like wtf Allen why you gotta be all mysticy they're just potatoes Smolma hes making small shards of ice appearing near him

Allen wants to practice gdi. He's humlifting another potato and slowwwwlllyyy bringing the stick and potato together but he runs out of breath and they both drop to the ground as he gasps for breath.

Smolma hes practicing in case more of those monsters come

Icarus: (i read humlifting as humiliating and imagined a potato in a gimp suit getting whipped.....)

Junior nudges Deak a little Junior: Hige no }

Lavi humming quietly, he's fine with Allen practicing since he needs it as well as Alma Lavi: || w h y

Icarus: ((THATS WHAT ID LIKE TO KNOW))

Junior: gonna be honest I read it as "humiliating" too but I stopped those thoughts short xD } Junior bro look at the sideshow trying to magically skewer a potato Junior brooooooooo

Allen magically skewers the potato and it just. Turns to mashed potatoes. Both of them just press against the stick like a long potato ice cream bar with some potato peel sticking out. That works.

Junior snorts

Allen holds it over the fire this didn't look too bad

Icarus raises eyebrow but continues munching on his own unsalted skewer

Lavi writes in fire by Allen 'You tried' and gives the other an amused smile before looking back at the cooking food.

Junior isn't starch flammable...?

Smolma tummy growls real loudly Smolma falls over ded

Deak no Deak leave me alone smh

Allen his stick turned into a torch great. Looks dully at Lavi before trying to blow it out without success. Runs around waving his stick like stop burning plz

Lavi snaps fingers and puts the flame out for Allen

Junior bro don't be like that to your pillow its v rude

Deak shush pillow just shh Deak moves away though and just lays on something else then

Allen thinks he put the fire out and cautiously takes a lick. It's hot! Ow!

Junior is gonna just follow and use Deak as a pillow then Junior squish

Lavi: Food's ready. Lavi grabs a potato stick for Alma and peels it for the small one before going over to him.

Smolma he just gets up and follows where he heard lavi

Junior kinda wants to say he's not hungry but is actually starving otl

Smolma and he runs into lavi- Smolma: Oof-

Lavi grabs Alma's shoulder to keep him from falling over Lavi: Woah, there, gotcha

Smolma: Thank you!

Lavi takes Alma's hands and puts the potato on a stick there. Lavi: Careful you don't burn yourself when you bite it Lavi: Okay?

Smolma: Okay~

Smolma holds the potato and lets it cool Smolma doesn't want to freeze it by blowing on it

Lavi goes back to grab another two potatoes on a stick and goes over to his moody brothers that he still very much cares about even if they're not speaking to him. Lavi crouches down next to them. Lavi: Eat, you two.

Junior: ......................

Smolma feels round for allen so he can sit by someone

Junior takes the potato

Allen eats his potato popsicle that's the opposite of ice, really. All burnt and stuff.

Junior he can't remember the last time he ate tbh

Lavi: Deak.

Junior between being here now and the getting chased by asshole humans

Smolma cold hand finds allen! Allen !!!!!!???!!! Smolma sits by him

Allen didn't hear him coming lol

Junior nudges Deak in the ribs Junior you should eat bro

Smolma writes 'i was trying to find you!'

Allen sits down too Allen: Ooo 'cared me! *he chuckles*

Smolma 'Sorry'

Junior just gonna take that second potato Junior and wave it under Deak's nose tbh

Lavi sighs and moves on to get himself his own food to eat as well

Allen: S'okay. Allen nibbles around stick

Smolma starts eating his potato

Lavi slowly starts to eat his potato after a quick glance around to make sure everyone's eating.

Deak takes the potato thank u

Junior lets the potato cool and then starts eating it once its not ready to scorch him from the inside out

Deak juggles the potato

Allen chews on the stick tbh it wasn't very tasty but he's hungry

Smolma finishes potato then plops cross allens lap

Junior ye its a pretty plain potato but whatever he hasn't eaten in days

Allen ice pack on his legs felt nice. They were walking for a while. He reaches out for Alma's hair and tries to mess with it. Smolma Allen's lucky he loves it when his hair gets played with Lavi finishes eating his potato and just scoots over so he's sitting by Alma and Allen

Junior finishes eating his potato Junior gets up to stre-- aaaaaah fuck its really hard to get up from the ground when your tail bone hurts fuc--

Smolma Almas slowly dozing off

Junior just grin and bear it Junior ow ow ow Smolma hair pets are the best

Junior hair pets ARE the best

Allen is gonna hair pet Alma's and his own worries away tbh

Junior don't get frostbite on ur fingers

Lavi knows that you're in pain even if you're trying to hide it, Junior

Junior is totally not you saw nothing

Smolma his hair ain't cold tho

Junior has been avoiding contact with the smol so doesn't really know where or when he is or is not cold Junior isn't very fond of the cold honestly

Icarus is gonna go doze after eating his food

Deak stops juggling the potato

Smolma he can't control how cold he is without sight to know if hes cold

Lavi reaches over and pets the small one's hair a bit.

Smolma its warmmmm

Allen starts braiding Alma's hair.

Junior are you gonna actually eat that potato Deak or just juggle it

Deak i was planning on just juggling it tbh im not hungry Deak would you like it

Junior how are you not hungry Junior have you been holding out on us on food Junior have you been sneaking food and not sharing

Deak what no im just Deak not hungry

Junior squints

Smolma 'have I made your legs too cold?"

Lavi squinting at Deak

Junior: you should hold onto that for when you are Junior: No telling when we'll find anything edible again in this place

Deak shrugs

Allen: no...

Deak continues to juggle the potato then

Allen can't feel his legs anymore

Junior: RIP Allen }

Smolma: Lavi is he lying....

Junior is gonna go investigate the open gate then Junior you coming?

Smolma misses being able to lay on peeps without making them cold

Lavi: He's lying

Smolma but sits up and hugs his knees

Allen casually rubs feeling back into his legs

Lavi: You can lean on my legs, Alma

Deak gets up to follow junior

Lavi reaches over to rub some warmth back into Allen's legs Lavi: Oh...

Junior idly hums and heads to the open gate for a look-see for what's waiting for them on the other side

Smolma plops cross lavi's lap

Lavi: Actually, we should continue on, we won't get out of here by just sitting around-- Lavi stands up and picks up the small on with him

Smolma tilts head curiously but nods

Lavi 'Allen, c'mon, we should keep moving'

Smolma: Mh, okay

Allen It's kinda weird to have someone else rub his legs, but Allen's accepted the help. He stands up at the message and shakes out his legs.

Icarus was ready for a nap tbh, but gets up to follow

Junior stepping through the open gates and looking around

Smolma lays against lavis chest

Lavi follows after Junior and Deak

Allen follows Lavi

-- -- through the open gates is another, narrower courtyard. Ahead is another large gate, this one near-identical, but closed. On either side looks to be a stone crypt with a dark, open doorway, and iron-wrought fence with spikes along the top. Past the fence looks to be a grassy graveyard, on both sides. In the very center, a black statue, this one looking skeletal, but the bones are a big mangled looking and the face looks like a dog's skull. -- -- a very big dog skull

Smolma puppy!

Junior you have strange taste in "puppies" Junior tilts his head and circles around it a bit at a distance

Icarus: Looks happy to see us. We should go pet it.

Smolma since he feels better, his body feels warmer

Junior: Then go pet it

Smolma: What looks happy to see us?

Junior: Maybe it'll wag its tail at ya Junior: Roll over and let you scratch its tummy

Smolma: ????

Lavi describes to Alma what the statue looks like, it's definitely not happy to see us.

Deak casually kinda gets a bit closer to it

Lavi swear to fuck, Deak, if you get in trouble

Smolma shivers because it sounds creepy

-- -- oh woops now that everyone's through the gates, they're closing behind you

Deak: .................

Lavi looks behind the at the closing gate

Smolma: ...... Smolma: G-good thing we all left?

Deak oh well just gonna kinda slowly move closer to the statue

Icarus only one way out and its probably forward anyway

Smolma does not want to get separated

-- -- there's a bit of a cracking sound

Lavi tenses

-- -- the statue moves a bit and then its eyes light up

Lavi: Deak, move away from it

Junior just grabs Deak and yanks him back a few paces

Lavi: Move away from it ​right now​

Allen: Gonna... figh'... a cer. ber. us?

Smolma perks up as he tenses up

Deak jhggh Deak rude af

-- -- shadows form around it and the skeleton rips itself free from its pedestal mounting and snarls

Lavi to Allen 'let's not jinx it'

Junior um excuse u I'm saving your life

Allen smirks nervously

-- -- its a very big wolfish shadow on two legs

Smolma he heard growls

-- -- have fun

Lavi: .......

Smolma getts down from lavi

Icarus: (the furry it cometh))

Lavi lets Alma get down

Icarus: Maybe it wants to play, anyone got a stick? Icarus is wishing it hadnt left his at the fire

-- -- howls loudly and lunges towards the closest person(s)

Deak waIT I STILL CANT FIGHT SO Deak rUN A WAA AAAY

Icarus is furthest away of course....

Lavi BLASTS THE SHADOW WITH A HUGE FIRE BALL

Smolma judging on the sounds HAS SPIKES STAB UP AT THE MONSTER

Lavi bETTER NOT FUCKING ATTACK HIS BROTHERS

Allen takes deep breaths, ready to use his magic to push it away if worst came to worse. He didn't want to hurt anyone's ears. He's a bit in the back, by Icarus

-- -- howls and staggers a little but instead just turns and lunges towards Lavi now barely slowing

Junior was kind of following Deak but is also looking around for a weapon of some kind fuck fuck fuck

Lavi kind of facing the consequences of using his powers because his hands really hurt but he still shoots another fire ball while dodging

Icarus decides to make himself useful by rushng in to jump ontop of the furry to...idk...poke its eyes??

-- -- fireball just kind of staggers it and slashes at Lavi with a snarl

Smolma heres a new idea

Junior there's a... um... a... brick?

Smolma an ice spear appears in his hands

Deak thrOW IT

-- -- howls and shakes itself violently when Icarus leaps onto it

Smolma then HE THROWS IT AT THE MONSTER

Junior thROWS THE FUCKING BRICK

Allen sees the bricks flying and lets out a shout to make the brick go faster

-- -- gets hit with a brick and shakes ow did you really just throw a fucking brick bitch ur next

Lavi throws a mini fire ball grenade into the shadow's mouth

Allen hopefully it doesn't hit Icarus lol

Smolma did... did he miss?

Icarus is trying to poke the monster in the eyes..if it actually has them..at the least hes getting in the way of it seeing

Deak hey good job @ junior & brick

-- -- shakes off the fire and flips around to its back to attack Icarus with claws and fangs both

Lavi: You didn't miss, Alma, it just didn't really feel it

-- -- nah sorry its eyes are pretty much just like little fires or w/e -- -- clamps down on a limb

Lavi doubles over, clutching his hands to his chest because that really burns

Junior oh look another brick

Lavi yells directions to Alma SO HE CAN IMPALE THAT WOLF

Junior motions to Allen to do the sound thing again when he throws it and then just fucking hurls it

Icarus tries nt to scream, winds up saying ouch really loud

Allen oh no, uh, he does the sound thing Allen tries to shout louder this time to accelerate that bit-I mean brick faster

Smolma this could be dangerous but its needed Smolma 'keep it distracted for a bit allen!'

-- -- staggers a little from that hit ow that hit fucking hard but nah just gonna kinda shake its head and try to take that limb off that limb belongs to it now you can't keep it

Lavi buRNS THE SHADOW'S FACE

Smolma then he begins to make ice lotuses starts to appear all around

-- -- scREECHES AND LET'S GO -- -- okay, just gonna take one of YOUR limbs then

Junior ohshit

Lavi try and get it, bitch

Smolma once theres enough the petals breaks apart and fly towards the sound

-- -- leaps straight for Lavi

Allen picks up another brick himself and throws it with a shout-acceleration

Lavi FUCKING DODGES OUT OF THE WAY AS FAST AS HE CAN

Junior fuck throwing, just gonna pick up a brick and chase that bitch down tbh

Deak stays away bc he'd just be in the way

-- -- twists around and snags his leg

Deak is smart

Smolma sharp shards begin to stab said beast

-- -- just gonna YANK and pounce on top of him

Lavi shouts in pain as he falls Lavi thinking 'I'm gonna regret this' as his hands begin to glow

Junior jumps on top of that fucking thing and just tries to cave its stupid black skull in with the brick

Allen runs back and forth trying to find an opening, carrying another brick.

-- -- keens as ice shards impale in its ribs and mc-Jerk-Face here rams a BRICK into its skull

Lavi shoots a fire blast from his hands at the monster.

Allen gonna be merciless and throws a yell-amplified brick at one of the side of the ribs

Smolma since the petals found the monster Smolma they gonna keep slashing him

Junior keeps bashing that brick into its stupid skull

Icarus is glad to have his limb back but is going to try to keep jumping in the monsters face then leaping away using his wings, playing keep away and dodgeball all at once! Icarus since, you know, he left his stick and only actual weapon apparantly

-- -- ow, ow, ow, fucke--

Icarus can kick it too though, and he does.

-- -- shakes the fire off and just twists around to snap onto Junior's arm

Icarus inthe face

-- -- your limb will suffice

Lavi: MOTHERFUCK--

Smolma all that ice stabs the monster at once

Junior oWWWWW

Lavi ANOTHER FIRE BLAST AT THE MONSTER Lavi screams in both anger and pain

Junior just Junior SLAMS THAT FUCKING BRICK INTO ITS JAW HINGE

-- -- jaw hinge fucking bREAKS EXCUSE U ASSHOLE

Allen runs to get more freggin bricks to throw at this thing and then keeps throwing them

Icarus kicks it in the same jaw that just broke

Junior rips his arm free and scrambles back

Smolma tries to find the monster with his hands out stretched to freeze him

-- -- jaw snaps off okay fuck you

Allen with a side dish a sound telepathy of course, hopefully it doesn't hit anyone as Allen is forced to git gud quick.

Lavi has to stop using his fires because the pain is too much right now.

-- -- ow, ow, ow, more -- -- fucking -- -- bricks

Smolma guide the smol lavi

Lavi tells the small one the shadow's location

Smolma runs to said monster and freezes part of him

-- -- okay now cannot move b/c there's ice wtf

Smolma ‘hit those parts with the bricks!’

-- -- is struggling and howling

Smolma finds its face tho and uses ice knife to stab em

-- -- keens and slashes at the smol -- -- motherfuck-- -- -- you're all so VIOLENT

Allen gonna throw some SOUND PAIN TIME brICKS AT THE ICE THEN

Junior just fucking kicks one of its frozen legs and snaps it tbh

-- -- screams and the lights of its eyes go out -- -- goes limp

Smolma barely manages to throw self out of way of slashes Smolma no more getting his wounds burned shut pls

Lavi: .....Is it dead...

Smolma thnk Smolma: G-good.....

-- -- it ded

Smolma feels round for lavi Smolma his cold will help him!

Icarus: Sorry ol yeller~ Icarus not sorry at all

Allen throws a couple more bricks at it for good measure tbh

Lavi heavy pained breathing and he passed out.

Smolma trips over lavi Smolma found em!

Junior just gonna collapse for a moment and regain his bre-- Junior oh shit Lavi

Smolma sits up Smolma makes light frost cover lavis chest to cool him down

Lavi pained breathing eases up some

Junior crawls over to Lavi, kinda hard with one arm bleeding but w/e, standing back up hurts too Smolma freezes some of lavis arms too Allen coughs a bit and runs over to Smolma and Lavi.

Nea hey there junior how you doing pal

Junior: Lavi! Junior ...w h a t

Nea is just gonna casually borrow this body of your's if you don't mind.

Lavi still out cold but his breathing is a lot less ragged

Junior I reiterate:

Nea what did you DO to this thing holy shit.

Junior what

Icarus is trying not to showhispain, it's still coming through as a grimace as he looks at his bloody arm

Smolma non the wiser smol working on cooling lavi down

Junior who--

Icarus: (the casual body snatcher)

Lavi: || Deak's totally not worried for his two older bros

Icarus: (this should be some sort of mini series of books tbh)

Lavi: || best body snatcher

Nea blinks in Junior's body before shaking his head and looking over at the dead creature

Junior: lolwut }

Nea: || he's just. casual.

Deak: ur rite hes not ]

Deak: he's casually just juggling his potato again ]

Lavi: || w o w

Allen waves weakly with his hands at Lavi like a fan thank goodness Alma was there

Junior: Junior: Let a guy use you as a pillow and this is what he does with it }

Lavi groans as he starts to come to Smolma the groan makes him squeak

Deak: shrUGS ]

Nea: || something like thaT Nea whistles impressed

Deak: is not a fighter ]

Smolma then hugs!

Nea: You guys ​reeallly​ did a number on that thing.

Smolma: You're okay!!

Junior: Junior: isn't either but still managed to find a brick smh }

Icarus: 'you guys?'

Lavi makes a quiet 'ow' and pats the small one's head

Icarus: ?

Smolma: .... Junior, you helped?

Lavi: Thanks...

Smolma junior has confused him while hugging lavi Smolma: You're welcome

Icarus is distrcted from his pain by the odd sentence

Nea: You guys-- This guy, too

Junior they did do a number on it, didn't they?

Lavi looks Junior and immediately tenses

Junior they should be proud

Nea pats Junior's chest. his own chest. w/e

Smolma: .... you're talking funny

Deak ???????

Smolma: Junior...?

Junior also who the fuck let you in here

Lavi: Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my brother's body.

Nea: What kind of name is ​Junior?

Allen looks at Junior why was everyone looks at em strangely?

Nea I invited myself

Smolma noticed lavis tense

Nea don't be rude?

Icarus is warier than usual of most people, his feathers are all poofy like a scared cat

Junior clEARLY

Smolma: Whats going on?

Deak: D'ya kill 'im when you took 'im over?

Icarus: What brings you to the party?

Nea gets up on his feet

Junior have fun with that hurting tail bone lol Junior also that arm

Icarus doesngt know the person, isnt sure whats going on, but its best to assume a ghost has posessed someone, cause whynot at this point

Lavi: Someone possessed my brother

Nea ooooh everything hurts

Smolma: Oh-

Lavi: And he better not be dead

Nea: He's not ​dead Nea rolls his eyes Nea err. eye?

Lavi: ​Good​

Junior eyes

Nea: You guys are quick, though

Junior just can't see one of them

Smolma: ...... Who are you?

Nea eyes.

Lavi not that Nea would know with the eye patch on.

Smolma literally can't see

Allen lmao he has no idea what's going on

Junior oh woops no one's supposed to know that haha

Nea: ​Nea​. And I wanted THAT body Nea points at the beast Nea: But you all had to rip it to shreds

Lavi: Nea, a girl's name.

Smolma: .... oh Smolma: Whoops

Deak good job junior

Nea: So now I'm-- Nea: ........

Lavi: And you gripe about Junior.

Nea if my everything didn't hurt I would STEP on you, boy.

Smolma plops carefully on lavi

Icarus kinky

Lavi even if it's my brother's body, I'll slap you and apologize to him.

Deak irritated looking back elsewhere

Nea ew

Junior Junior is a perfectly valid name you hijacker

Nea: AS I WAS SAYING

Deak: 'Course y'take the only person I cared to talk with.

Junior excuse u Lavi do not ruin my perfect face

Deak: Fuckin' lame.

Nea: Now I'm stuck in... What is this, a pirate?

Lavi I wouldn't ruin it.

Smolma: Hes a pirate?

Lavi: Everyone always calls us pirates, We're not.

Smolma: Ohhh

Deak: Definitely pirates.

Nea I'm wearing a pirate

Smolma: Why do they call you pirates?

Junior that's really fucking creepy man

Lavi throws his hands up, whatever, guess we're pirates for today.

Junior get out

Smolma confused smol noises

Lavi: Alma, can you make a small cube of ice really quick for me?

Allen: mmh???

Nea I mean I can but I'll just jump in one of the others

Smolma: Mhm!

Nea are those your brothers??? Nea one of them could work

Smolma: Where?

Allen confused snowball noises

Junior good go jump inside the--

Lavi: In my hand.

Junior no not them Junior go for the Chickenstub

Nea the what

Smolma nods before holding lavis hand

Icarus excuse you? dont touch me

Nea did you just sneeze?

Junior the Chickenstub Junior the winged guy

Lavi if he wants to possess someone then he can go for me

Smolma then makes an ice cube in his hand

Junior the guy with the mangled wings

Icarus ....kinky

Lavi: Thanks, Alma Lavi: Allen, here.

Smolma writes 'junior got possessed by a ghosty goo'

Icarus posess flambo instead, I bet he's begging for it by now

Lavi hands him the ice cube, 'eat that and hydrate a bit and it'll do your throat some good.'

Smolma 'the ghosty goo's named Nea'

Allen nods and takes the ice cube. Allen: 'hank ooo.

Nea please, everyone, there's enough possession to go around

Allen put ice cube into his mouth

Icarus God no, there's more of you?

Nea: Is there anyone here that ISN'T in excruciating pain?

Junior haha that's funny Junior ...............

Smolma him but he can't see at all

Deak: Nope, I think we're all extremely in pain.

Junior oh wait there is one isn't there Junior not gonna say who tho

Nea don't you want me out of here??

Junior Like I said, try the Chickenstub

Nea fine Nea HEY ICARUS, MAKE ROOM

Smolma lays on lavi chest Smolma ultimate ice cubeeeee

Icarus you touch me and I swear to god Icarus not having nnone of that shit right now

Nea I'm not a physical entity right now so I can't ACTUALLY touch you

Lavi stands up carefully with Allen in his arms, he's feeling a lot better now that his arms are cooled down again

Junior go for it, he'd probably secretly be into it anyway

Icarus I feel like you can touch my mind, nd that's as close to rape by a ghost as I don't want to be Icarus you aint gotta kinkshame me like this

Smolma: alma not allen??))

Junior: Nah I bet they secretly eloped or something while everyone was distracted by Junior } Junior: Imeanwhat }

Smolma just lets his lil body be superrrr cold

Lavi: || yeah my bad

Deak: Does it hurt to be possessed by you?

Nea: How should I know? Nea: I've never been possessed by me.

Deak: Well, I would assume you understood how your own possessions worked.

Smolma ......

Lavi sighs

Nea: I'd say it hurts me more than any of you

Deak: That's terrible, I'm sorry.

Icarus: What do you want, anyway?

Allen crunchy crunchy ice at least he can feel the vibrations. It felt good on his ears.

Lavi adjusts his hold on Alma

Deak: Can you not permanently host with someone to avoid it?

Smolma nuzzles lavi Smolma he warm

Deak: Or do they just kick you out after a while?

Junior either pay me rent or gtfo

Smolma then pokes possessed junior to make nea cold

Junior: Its funny tho b/c } Junior: Junior was like "possess Icarus so I won't feel bad when I punch him in the fucking face for possessing me" xD }

Allen hums experimentally

Nea hey alma how you doing Junior fINALLY Junior ooooh... feelin' a little dizzy now that he's back haha

Lavi: You okay, Junior?

Nea I hope you can orient yourself fast enough that you dont fall down junior lmao

Lavi reaches out to grab Junior's arm and steady him

Junior um was sort of bleeding everywhere from his arm while he was possessed so--

Nea wait this kid can't fucking see holy shit

Junior: ....oh yeah, I feel just peachy...

Deak gOOD JOB LOL

Lavi I know all that, junior, just making sure you're alright after being possessed

Deak: Peachy is good. Deak: We should figure out where to go next since you're all alright.

Nea keeps turning Alma's head as though that'll fix things???

Lavi: Alma?

Junior going down

Lavi: Shi-- Lavi grabs Junior's arm Lavi the GOOD ARM

Deak casually walking around to look around

Junior: ...just gonna... si'down for a moment

Nea: What happened to this kid's EYES

Deak: Torture, probably?

Allen sits down. Are they talking? Okay he'll rest right now.

Lavi startles because, wow, that is not Alma's voice Lavi: Some asshole humans carved symbols over his eyes Lavi: They carved something on all of us

Junior: ...mhm... Junior well didn't actually get anything carved into... more like something carved off haha Junior RIP tail

Nea: Well I know ​that Nea: I just didn't think they'd go straight for the eyes... Nea prods his face

Junior sitting kinda hurts now that tails are mentioned so he's just gonna lay down instead

Lavi: Stop that Lavi swats Alma/Nea's hand away from their face

Nea jumps a little

Smolma ...... starts freezing himself

Nea: Who did that? Nea whoa whoa whoa

Deak rip nea

Nea: What are you doing, kid

Lavi: Get out of his body, you're scaring him.

Nea: This is the only one that isn't totally messed up!

Smolma keeps freezin Smolma enjoy the cold neabitch

Lavi not feelin' the cold really.

Nea actually really hates the cold Nea abort abort

Smolma cant breath but keeps goin

Nea jumps to Lavi because he's the closest and trying to find someone else while blind is Too Hard

Lavi !!!

Smolma suddenly unfreezes and falls on lavi

Nea oh this is nice and toasty.

Lavi you're lucky I can't burn myself since I want to protect my brothers and that requires me to live

Nea: Alright, now that THAT'S over with

Smolma takes deep breaths

Lavi oh god, this feels weird

Deak is disappointed but just gonna ignore u all instead

Smolma: St-stay... O-out.... mh body... Smolma jump into deak

Deak w hat Deak w hy

Nea maybe after I warm up a bit

Smolma hes not messed up

Deak fuck off alma

Lavi where the hell did you leave your body?

Deak fuckin brat

Smolma nah

Nea just sort of removes this frosty child from his new 'outfit' Nea I don't really remember actually

Smolma nottt a good idea nea Smolma lavi was covered in burns

Nea why n-- oh Nea grabs the frosty child again

Smolma feels round for allen-

Lavi they've cooled down a lot thanks to Alma

Smolma op. hes been grabbed

Lavi hey, be nice to the kid

Nea: You guys might've shredded that thing, but it sure fucked you all up in return.

Smolma: So.... whys mister ghost possessing us?

Lavi well you could've done something instead of waitin' for so long.

Smolma: Are you a ghost with no body?

Nea like what buddy. jump in the big monster while you all tore it up. sounds ​fun. Nea: I'm not a ghost.

Smolma: You aren't?

Deak walks up to the closed gate to observe it casually

Lavi you could've jumped into it and got the fuck out of there Lavi or, I dunno, attempted speech?

Nea: No. I was brought here like the rest of you. Nea gestures vaguely to the group

Smolma: oh-....

Nea Do you ever shut up? Nea: How long have you all been here?

Smolma feels a bit bad for freezing nea now Smolma: Donnu Smolma pokes allen and writes 'How long have we been here?'

Junior: ...hard t' say but maybe half a day? Junior: Maybe a day?

Smolma: Um, sorry for freezing you.... my ice kinda goes out a whack a bit when i'm scared

Junior: ....it was a bit dark in that dome to be watching the passage of time

Nea: Not that long, then...

Lavi hums a merry tune

Nea looks at Alma

Lavi ​loudly​

Nea is that elevator music?? just for me?

Smolma scratches his cheek sheepishly

Junior: 'said you were brought here like us. How long have you been here?

Lavi I don't like you enough for elevator music

Smolma it just you

Lavi but I appreciate your humor.

Nea: Don't worry about it, kid. I've had worse reactions. Nea turns back to junior

Smolma that gets a smile!

Nea: A while. It's kind of hard to keep track

Junior: Y'know the way outta here then? Junior hopeful

Nea laugHS Nea: If I did do you think I'd still be here?

Junior okay so that's a no

Smolma holdin onto Nea/Lavi

Junior: Hell if I know why you're still here. Maybe you like it here.

Nea annnd he's not laughing anymore

Junior is kind of salty his brother is being possessed tbh

Nea: Are you serious? I haven't stopped looking since I got here.

Junior: .......

Smolma: Well, do you have a body somewhere safe? Mister.....

Junior: He said his name was Nea

Smolma: Oh! Nea

Nea nods Nea: Somewhere Nea: It's easy to get turned around in this place

Smolma: Do you know where?

Junior: Maybe you're just not good at navigation

Deak snickers

Nea frowns Nea I don't like your friends, dude

Junior is actually his identical brother not his friend and you get one you're stuck with all three kthnx

Nea: I lost track of it a couple days ago

Smolma only the one you’re possession has been my friend so far Smolma and allen Smolma: ...... Smolma: How does one do that?

Nea: It's easier just to hop around those creatures

Junior: He's probably bad at navigation

Smolma giggles

Deak: True.

Nea: Oh, shut up

Junior has been tying up his arm with his scarf while he talks Junior its not perfect but better than nothing Junior gonna need a new scarf tho

Smolma would offer to freeze the wound Smolma but doesn't know if it'd help

Junior does not want his wounds frozen and/or burned thank

Deak: cauterize it.

Junior both suck Junior: Nah

Smolma: ... Can i help in any way?

Junior: I'm fine

Deak: You're bleeding, don't be stupid.

Smolma just nods and rests on nea/lavi

Junior: Just a little~

Deak: Have Nea cauterize it.

Junior: HELL no

Nea blinks Nea looks himself over Nea I can cauterize, huh

Smolma you'll need ne afterwards nea

Junior: He probably couldn't even hit the broad side of a barn, I ain't trustin' him with it

Deak: He doesn't seem harmful.

Nea: ​Hey Nea: I'm standing right here, you know

Smolma: Making him angry won't help

Lavi you talking to me?

Junior: That's not the point, and yes I know you're standing right there Junior: Watch where you aim-- Junior wordless motioning

Smolma gets down so nea can aim

Junior: ​anything​

Nea wow they're seriously gonna let me do this huh

Smolma just sits

Junior: In fact, just don't

Lavi and if you decide to use my powers, I suggest not using it since the symbols they carved on my arms make it so they feel like they're burning after I use my powers.

Deak: Or just switch bodies again and let Lavi do it, whatever's easier.

Nea pain sounds like the opposite of I want

Nea: That's a great idea

Deak: Regardless of whatever option, cauterize it.

Junior: I don't need anything cauterized

Nea hops to Deak Nea you suggested it

Deak i dont really care, just dont hurt me and it's fine

Smolma sittin starts crawling to find allennnn

Deak cauterize it now since it's just lavi

Nea no worries there

Allen kind wandered off at this point. It's just a few feet but he's staring at the sky.

Nea why do all these redheads look the same

Smolma finds!!! allens foot!

Junior bc we're identical triplets duh

Deak we're triplets, of course

Smolma hugs his leg

Allen !!!!! COLD HANDS

Lavi give him a moment to orient himself

Deak junior already said that

Nea freaky

Smolma don't worry hes at a close to normal temprature rn Smolma since hes calm

Allen oh, cool hands then.

Smolma yeye

Deak its a natural occurence, so i don't see how

Lavi but as soon as he's good to go, he good to go, Lavi moves to Junior to cauterize his arm.

Nea you still don't see it that often

Allen: 'ello Alm.

Smolma hugging allens leggggg

Deak fair point

Smolma writes 'hi!'

Junior backs off and holds his hands up Junior: Nonononono no Junior: I'm fine

Deak stop bein' a bitch junior Deak goddamn

Nea: Just do it

Junior um excuse u Deak next time u can fight the shadow thing

Lavi: Just, bite your scarf...

Nea: It'll just slow everyone down later if you don't handle it now.

Deak i can't fight, so um no

Allen: wass goin on?

Nea foot tapping

Deak thank u nea for being more sensible than junior

Junior: We Junior: are Junior: not Junior: cauterizing

Deak j u n i o r

Lavi grabs Junior's arm carefully and brings his fingers over where the wounds are to start sealing them shut. He really doesn't wanna do this.

Smolma 'lavi's going to burn close juniors injured arm'

Lavi doesn't wanna hurt his brother with his power that he's always used to ​/protect/​ them.

Allen nods.

Deak u guys are stupid jfc hurry up Deak its just cauterizing

Nea are they always like this

Junior just clenches his teeth to muffle a strangled cry of pain oW FUCK FUCK FUCK FUC--

Deak yes

Lavi Deak, i swear to fuck, you would be screaming if it were you

Allen: do you wan, t, to cooo ih down?

Lavi SO IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO COME OVER THERE, SHUT UP.

Deak yes, but i would understand it was for a good cause and let it happen

Allen: the woun.

Nea it's just common knowledge I mean if he bleeds out he's gonna die and if he got an infection we'd have to take the whole arm--

Junior squirming like crazy h o l y  s h I t

Deak thats true

Lavi trying to seal them as quickly as possible.

Smolma 'when it's done

Allen: okay.

Lavi annnnnd he's done Lavi: Alma, can you come over here?

Smolma: Lavi? Can i help now?

Nea claps

Lavi: Yes

Smolma: Mhm!

Nea: Good job

Junior: Jesus Tapdancinfg fucKIng christ

Deak ..............

Smolma carefully stands and starts going over, blind

Lavi tells Alma the exact spot and height of where Deak's mouth is so he can put another ice band around his mouth to shut him up.

Smolma he does this

Nea exCUSE ME

Junior just waving his arm ow that fucking hurts ow fuck shit god damn son of a--

Smolma finds lavis hand

Nea WHAT IS ​THIS

Smolma: Where's juniors wound?

Lavi leads Alma to Junior and puts his hand on Junior's arm

Smolma it be ice

Junior: yoU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE ALCOHOL FOR THIS FIRST YOU DICK

Deak you're a bitch lavi

Lavi: Right here

Allen just kinda sits on the dead beast nearby and watches

Smolma holds on before letting his hands get sups cold

Junior: I'M NOT DRUNKE NOUGH FOR THIS

Deak i fucking swear to every fucking god right now Deak and you fucking too alma like lol fuck off m8

Smolma then makes the arm cold but not too cold

Lavi You were both being unhelpful with the peanut gallery commentary.

Deak a n d? Deak you could have ignored us couldn't you? but nooooo you didnt Deak assholes, ugh

Lavi Be glad Nea hasn't left your body or else you'd be crying right about now

Nea I don't like this group anymore, I should just take my superior knowledge ​elsewhere

Deak fuck you

Lavi love you too, baby brother.

Junior winces okay the ice kind of helps but that all still fucking hurts

Deak and maybe if your ​superior knowledge​ helped with finding your body then you'd be free from this group Deak but it doesn't, so you aren’t

Smolma makes it a bit colder Smolma trying to control it

Allen if they iced Deak's mouth he must have really been saying some terrible things

Lavi watches Junior with worry.

Nea I mean I can just hop in the next shadow thing and vacate

Smolma snaps his fingers and the ice on deaks mouth disappears

Nea I'll find my meatsuit sooner or later

Deak you could Deak i dont care either way so Deak you do you, man

Lavi: You picked the most dramatic brother to reside in, Nea

Nea muffled grumbling

Smolma: Is this too cold junior?

Nea rubs his face. so cold.

Deak you should try and figure out how to get out of here while they're busy coddling one another, just saying

Junior: ....its fine

Allen rests his chin on his hands and closes his eyes, he kinda wanted to take a nap, maybe?

Nea thanks, captain obvious.

Junior um excuse u who was coddling who just a few hours ago Deak Junior remind me

Nea glances around the room.

Smolma: Um, should i leave frost on it so we can start moving>​ Smolma: ?

Deak shut up, arent you busy anyways

Junior sighs

Lavi squints at Deak

Deak oh, so NOW everyone wants to fucking move

Junior: Yeah... I'd like to get out of here

Smolma: It'll be harder to move, but you can still kinda move it

Deak whatever, im done talking anyways

Allen nearly falls off the beast and remembers that they were trying to get out of here. Yeah. No time for napping. He jumped off the beast and walked back to everyone.

Lavi Clearly.

Smolma nods before leaving a thin layer of frost on juniors arm

Junior: So which way we goin'? Looks like we got three options. Either... the gate ahead, assuming it'll move, or the crypt things on either side.

Smolma steps back and stands there cause he doesn't want to risk falling over something

Lavi picks Alma up and moves so that he can go towards the crypts.

Nea are you always this snappy, redhead #3

Lavi: Me and Alma will check out one of the crypts

Smolma lays on lavi

Deak yes.

Junior he is

Deak i have a very bad temper.

Junior we love him anyway

Lavi #1 most dramatic brother

Nea I like your brothers' heads better

Deak you can leave mine, i dont really care, like i said

Lavi with the most unhelpful or irritating commentary, yet I still fucking love him.

Nea: Alright, who wants to give me a lift, all this apathy is ​actually​ painful.

Junior: Deak giving you trouble? Junior grins

Deak see i dont think ​anyone​ does

Lavi: I'd let you hang with me, but you have to carry Alma.

Deak that's too bad isn't it

Junior good job little bro

Nea: I don't know how you put up with him

Junior: ......... Junior hums

Smolma: laviiii don't forget allen!

Nea jumps back to Lavi.

Allen rubs his own shoulders, especially around his neck.

Lavi: We grew up with him, plus I'm the one that mostly took care of them growing up. Don't know what the hell I did to---

Smolma dont leave his white haired friend

Nea: Oops

Lavi a little warning next time, yeah?

Smolma: Nea you need to hold allens hand

Nea Nah

Junior actually this might be good

Deak just kinda stands around for a second before continuing his walking to the crypt

Nea: What am I Nea: A mom?

Smolma: He can't hear

Junior: Oi Junior: Ghosty

Nea: I'm not a GHOST

Smolma: Yes Smolma: a mom

Junior: Yea, yea, whatever Junior: Listen up

Lavi Allen's deaf and he usually ends up sticking with me and Alma.

Nea So this one's bossy, the other one's dramatic. What does that make you.

Junior: Unless you really, really need to, like life and death need to, do not use any o' my brothers powers... and try not to let him use it unless absolutely necessary either

Lavi Hm...not sure.

Deak: Hurry up, we're splitting up right?

Junior: He's fire's got a recoil now, and it'll hurt him, so try not to use it

Deak: I'm going on ahead.

Nea gives a sarcastic two finger salute Nea: You got it.

Junior squints

Lavi at least one of them cares about what the hell my powers do to me. [very flat tone]

Junior I'm-watching-you motion before he turns after Deak

Allen: Alm. Can I 'ave anoth'r ice hube? A small one.

Deak leave into the crypt bc yall are slow

Smolma nods before motioning him to come over

Deak leaves

Nea is so not thrilled about being a baby sitter

Smolma a lil ice cube grows in his palm

Allen walks over to Alma and holds out his hand.

Junior um excuse u u are not going off by yourself Deak Junior is following right behind him

Smolma puts it in allens hand

Lavi Sorry.

Nea grabs Allen by the wrist because apparently he has to be a guide now.

-- -- the crypts on both sides as you enter them are very dark at first, but there's a light further down. As you go, it looks to be a wall-mounted torch bolted in, and the halls leading into the ground fork in separate directions

Allen pops ice cube into mouth. Allen looks to Lavi, he seemed angry?

Junior mmmm maybe they should've brought Allen with them now that he thinks about it

Junior: ....so... Junior: which way do you think we should go? Junior: Left or right?

Nea drags his 'crew' along

Lavi Ease up there. You're guiding him, not drag Allen, Nea. Allen why was Lavi holding him so hard? He walks closer so he's practically stepping on his shoes, and looks around alarmed.

Nea glances at Allen

Smolma writes in the air 'the ghost is possessing him allen'

Deak shrugs

Nea: So he can't hear anything? At all?

Lavi He's deaf.

Smolma 'the nea ghost' Smolma: Nope

Deak: Right? Deak: Or I'll go right you go left?

Allen blinks at Lavi. Was he trying to say something to someone behind him? He looked away in the direction and then looked back, confused

-- -- the halls of the crypt are just wide enough to walk single file

Allen wait, a ghost?

Junior: hmmm...

Allen: Who...?

Junior: I don't like the idea of splitting u-- Junior oh

Smolma 'Nea!"

Junior ponders

Nea who decided it'd be a good idea to let the man who lost track of his body lead people

Junior: We don't have to go different directions!

Lavi Well, I can guide you from in here. Lavi if you want.

Junior: You can stick with me, and still check out the other pathway

Deak: ...What.

Nea ​Fine.

Deak did not follow

Junior drags a hand down his face

Allen: oh. 'Ello Nea...?

Junior: ...you can be in multiple places at once, 'member?

Nea raises an eyebrow at Allen while they walk

Deak o shit u rite

Nea sort of waves a little

Junior: So you stick with me and one of your copies checks out the other way

Lavi Hm... Go left.

Allen waves back.

Lavi Deak's ability would sure be handy about now.... -sighs-

Deak: Alright, sounds good!

Allen Nea weren't hostile, so that was okay.

Nea: Lavi says we should go left, so remember to blame him and not me if this goes poorly

Lavi Wow. Lavi Says the guy who couldn't make up his mind.

Junior: So we'll go... right, and the copy will go left, I guess

Nea shut up.

Smolma 'lavi said to go left, #blamelavi if wrong'

Deak makes a duplicate self and sends the duplicate to the left bye bye self Deak: Okay, let's go then.

Junior nods and follows Deak down the right pathway

Lavi: || I thought for a moment that Deak would go left and the duplicate would go with Junior Lavi: || Since he wants to be on his own so much xD

Nea honestly feels like he's leading schoolchildren while taking them to the left

Deak: tBH HE WAS GOING TO SUGGEST IT ]

Junior: r u kidding Junior ain't letting the original be on his own in dangerous territory xD }

Allen gives Nea a dull look but ok

Deak rip u nea

Smolma its not their fault nea

Junior: He's gotta protect the baby bro B) }

-- -- the passageways of the crypt are narrow, just wide enough for single-file. They don't go straight for very long, turning, and turning again, and seeming to double back without much rhyme nor reason to their direction. Most of the place is dark but every so often you find torches on the wall

Junior: ......... Junior: The amount of turns in this place is ridiculous

Allen being dragged in a single file line hurrah

Nea nobody is happy about this situation

Deak: Well, it's the same in the other hallway too, so we'll just have t keep turning I suppose.

Lavi Hey, can you let me take control and still share head space with me?

Nea just keeps glancing around like he's expecting the worst

Junior: ......... Juniorsquints

Nea ...Probably. Why? You're not exactly missing much.

Junior: I feel like Junior: we're running a rat maze Junior: and there better be cheese at the end of it

Lavi Yeah, I know, but at least you won't be irritated with leading Allen around or carrying Alma.

Junior not like literal cheese he's speaking figuratively

Allen wants to hum and sing but his throat's still kinda sore...

Deak: I can make another of me to send backwards and see what happens. Maybe we'll run into one another eventually.

Smolma writes 'need more ice?'

Deak it would be funny

Junior: Maybe...

Lavi: || Isn't Deak gonna start feeling the backfire of his powers soon? o:

-- -- somewhere you all hear a dull CLICK and something heavy scraping -- --: oh he will B) }

Deak: no never hes 2 go-- ] Deak: wow rude ]

Nea Fi--

-- --: He hasn't used them much up to this point tho like Lavi has }

Lavi What was that.

Nea pauses

Allen: I would lihe' hat.

Smolma flinches at the sound

Nea: Shh.

-- -- actually make that a lot of heavy somethings scraping

Deak just keeps walking

Smolma: .....

Nea puts his hand over Allen's mouth

Lavi Switch with me. Switch with me right now.

Nea tries to figure out where that noise is coming from

Junior: ....you hearing that too or am I just crazy?

Nea ​Hold on

-- -- its coming from everywhere, technically

Deak: Hmm, no I heard it too.

-- -- not like all at once but interchangably

Deak: And twice.

Smolma hands allen another piece of ice so he can use his power better

Junior: ....and three times Junior: I hear a lot of it

Nea grabs Allen's wrist again and starts walking faster

Deak

: There's no point in just standing around. Let's keep going.

Allen nods and takes the ice. He pops the ice into his mouth as they walk faster

Junior sighs and follows

Deak: As far as I'm concerned, the other me is still alright so it's fine at the moment.

Junior: Yeah you're right

Nea: Whatever that sound is, I don't like it.

-- -- and a wall starts sliding out right where Allen and Lavi/Nea's hands are joined to try and make another wall between them now

Lavi !!! Lavi ​!!!!!!!!!!​

Deak lavi use ur words

Nea YANKS ALLEN REALLY HARD. MOVE KID. Nea OR I'M LEAVING YOU

Allen JUMPS ONTO NEA PRACTICALLY

Nea JESUS

-- -- nope sorry the wall is coming in too fast to squeeze through this is a narrow passage

Lavi Shit, ALLEN!

-- -- better move your arm before it gets caught

Nea yeah no okay sorry kid you're on your own

Smolma screeches

Nea lets go and side shuffles

Deak bye allen

Smolma: ALLEN?!

Allen well shit. Pulls his hand away quickly after slamming into wall

Smolma whats going on?!

-- --: lbh here, the real victims are everyone's arms in this lmfao }

Allen: ((rip arms, literally))

-- -- and the wall slides into place, separating Allen from the rest

Junior: like literally }

Smolma his heads whipping around and op his bodys getting colder naow

Nea shakes Alma a little Nea: Don't start freaking out now, it's time to go

Deak dont shake a baby nea

Junior: ........

Deak smh

Junior: ...though I heard somethin' else

Nea don't boss me around

Smolma op that made him disoriented

Junior strains to hear but there's just lots of scraping

Deak: What?

Junior: ...dunno Junior: An echo?

Smolma but he just nods still worried

Junior: ...better not be more damn shadow things

Allen well he's gonna press against the wall to try to budge it and then scream to try to move it back.

-- -- and the scraping stops

Deak: Well, it's probably still fine.

-- -- it quiet now

Lavi Quietly worrying inside his own head.

Deak: ...

Junior: ....it stopped

Nea is only really concerned about these noises Lavi is worried about his brothers.

Junior: ...think the others are okay? Junior is mostly thinking of Lavi tbh

Deak: .... Deak: I'm sure they're fine.

Nea How important is this kid to your group

Allen since there was no response from the walls he walks back from where he came.

Deak: We haven't the time to just stop, so just keep walking.

Lavi He's important.

Nea frowns

Junior: ....I.... don't like it down here

Lavi His powers are helpful against the shadows and he helps me when my powers backfire.

Deak: Neither do I, but just don't focus on that and keep walking.

Nea grabs alma's wrist and starts walking again

Junior: I'm not saying to not go forward, but maybe we backtrack a bit

Deak stops and turns to look at junior Deak: Why backtrack?

Junior: Or at least send a copy back, I dunno?

Deak: I can send a copy back, but I don't think backtracking is smart.

Junior: Fair enough

Smolma yelps before following after Nea

Junior mumbles just doesn't like splitting up with Lavi like this tbh they should have all stuck together

Deak sighs and makes another copy that goes back the way they came

Lavi Nea, don't drag him. I get that you're annoyed with the situation but scaring Alma with rough treatment isn't the way to go about this.

Smolma hes scared, but does his best to keep calm

Deak: Okay, let's keep goin' now? Or d'you need to rest?

Junior: No, I'm fine. I can rest when we get out of here. Junior motions Junior: After you

Nea I'm barely touching him.

Deak: Okay.

Nea Besides, we have to ​move

Smolma but hes more scared that nea will leave him

Deak turns around and continues walking

Nea: Stay as close as you can without tripping me

Lavi I know that but you could tell him, nicely, to walk faster.

-- -- if you backtrack, you'll find that the pathway is no longer the same one your original followed in. Shortly after, there's another CLICK and the scraping starts up again

Nea: I'm ​not​ getting an arm stuck in one of those walls.

Junior: ...there it is again

Lavi Maybe you should carrying him on our back. The passage doesn't seem that narrow.

Deak: Wait, it changed?

Junior: Huh?

Smolma: O-okay, I'll try

Nea makes an annoyed noise

Junior: What did?

Deak is confused

Lavi sighs.

Deak: The path, it changed?

Nea You know what? ​You​ handle it.

Junior: .....

Lavi Sure.

Nea shoves Lavi to the forefront of their head

Smolma Nea hates him...

Lavi: Woah

Allen sings softly to himself because he's in a small dark hallway that can crush him. He's hella nervous.

Lavi: At least I got a warning that time.

Allen: iiii beeen... working... on the ralroad... alll the yive-yong yayyy...~♪

Junior: Are you sure?

Lavi stops walking and turns to kneel down in front of Alma. Lavi: Hey, Alma, Nea's taking a break

Smolma stops since nea? did.

Deak: Yeah, I memorized the path we took so it should have been the same but it's definitely not.

Smolma: ...o-oh

-- -- aaand a wall just behind Junior moves to cut them off from the path they came from

Junior: ........

Smolma yup nea hates him

Junior: Oh shi-- Junior: That's what that was

Lavi: Wanna get on my back?

Deak: ................... Deak: I guess that means... no turning back?

Smolma: Sure....

Lavi: That way we won't get separated

Nea Don't stop moving. Who knows what's going to happen next.

Lavi turns around.

Junior: ....not the way we came in at least...

Lavi: Climb on, quick.

Deak: ...Even so, both of the other mes are still alright, so it should be... fine?

Smolma quickly climbs on

Deak: Let's just keep going.

Lavi I had to stop to let him on my back. Lavi quickly starts walking in the direction they were going, taking long strides.

Deak just continues to walk forward

Junior: Right

Smolma rests chin on lavis shoulder

Junior follows close behind Deak

Lavi softly hums under his breath. Nea is all sorts of restless

Allen stops singing after a basic song and crosses his arms, just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking walking walking walking

Smolma: Mh sorry, i didn't mean to go so slow

Lavi: Don't worry about it. Nea's just not good at this whole guiding thing.

Junior is determined not ot get separated or have anything bad happen

Nea Oh, shut up.

-- -- a wall comes up ahead and behind Lavi and them. One to their side opens up.

Lavi Stops walking for a moment

Allen feels so fckin lost and lonely right now lmao

Lavi: Okay then, guess it wants me to go this way... Lavi goes down the newly opened path cautiously

Nea stay alert. Anything it wants you to do is probably a bad idea.

Lavi I'm well aware of that...

Smolma holds a hand out a bit

Lavi worried about his brothers and Allen.

Smolma ice knife grows in it just in case Smolma but hes worried about allen too since hes alone

-- -- @Deak you start to notice a radiating sting in your hands that's starting to snake its way slowly up your arms. Its dull for now, but steadily pulsing a little bit worse as time goes on

Nea is mostly just worried about getting out of this hallway

Deak: rUDE ]

Lavi Were you alone when you woke in this place? Or was there someone else with you?

-- --: deAK HAS TO DEAL WITH HIS HANDICAPS TOO }

Deak ignores it and just keeps swimm-- i mean walking Deak: i am fEELING ATTACKED RN ] Deak: i jUST CAME OUT TO HAVE A GODMOD TIME ]

Nea There was a whole group with me

-- -- the scraping stops. for now.

Junior: lmfao }

Lavi Friends? ......Family?

Deak: That's really annoying.

Junior: ....I feel like we're going in circles...

Deak: What if we tried going backwards now?

Junior: I don't know, maybe?

Deak: Let's just attempt it.

Nea Doesn't matter, they're gone now.

Junior: I'm guessing your copies didn't find a way out yet...

Deak: Go and I'll be right behind you.

Lavi sighs and breathes fire a little bit

Junior: Alright

Deak: ...No, they didn't.

Junior takes the lead, grumbling under his breath Junior: ...this was probably a bad idea

Deak follows right after Deak: Everything here is a bad idea, to be fair.

Junior: I mean I'm used to running around tight tunnels but this is crazy, the ones I go through don't usually CHANGE

Allen claps his hands while he walks

Deak: Well, we just gotta deal.

Junior sighs Junior: yeah

Lavi keeps walking at a fast pace. Lavi: You okay, little guy?

-- -- the scraping begins again

Deak: ............

Junior: Oh, great...

Smolma: I'm.... I'm okay

Deak: That's really annoying when you hear it from three separate places.

Smolma: Let's keep going

Junior: ....it is

Deak sighs

-- -- also the moving walls might've just caught one of the copies woops shoulda moved faster

Deak: Wa--

Deak: ........................​.

Allen puts his hands against the wall, he could kinda feel it vibrating. Whoah. Weird. He returns to clapping his hands in different rythmns

Deak: Oh that's not good.

Junior: .............

Junior: What's not good?

Deak: Other me got crushed by a wall.

-- -- in other news, a wall opens up to reunite Allen with Lavi and company

Junior: ............... Junior: Oh Junior: Shit

Deak: Poor other me.............

Junior: So... we gotta be careful Junior: Are you okay though?

Deak: I'm wounded dearly from the bottom of my heart. Deak: He was a good soldier until his final moments. Deak: Being crushed by a wall was no death he deserved.

Junior pets the bro

Deak wipes away a fake tear

Lavi perks up Lavi: Allen! Lavi 'Allen!'

Junior is a little bit anxious though that could've been the original Deak

Smolma perks!! Smolma Allens okay?!

Allen Almost passes it, but a casual glance back makes him stop. He immediately runs over to the others with a relieved grin.

Deak im the original dont say that

Lavi grins back at Allen

Deak: Let's just... keep moving.

Junior: ....okay... so we have to try and get outta here fast as we can

Lavi 'You're not hurt, right?'

Junior starts moving Junior: stay close

Allen shakes head.

Deak follows quickly

Smolma holds allens shoulder with none ice knife hand

Allen: Are you ok?

Lavi 'Good, let's keep moving. Oh, and Nea's taking a break right now so he's just....chilling in my head?'

Smolma nods

Lavi starts walking again before sending back a quick 'stay close, don't wanna get separated again.'

Allen squeezes Alma's hand with his and then follows Lavi.

Nea 'Chilling'

Lavi: This tunnel just really likes being a nuisances.

Deak ew being crushed was terrible and i just thought about it

Lavi Well, it was either that or sulking.

Junior just try not to think about it bro

Deak ewewew Deak no its too late Deak now im thinking about it

Nea I'm not sulking.

Lavi adjusts Alma on his back a bit.

Junior just breathe and focus on something else

Lavi Brooding then.

Nea I just don't like dealing with liabilities.

Deak no it was gross Deak i didnt see you get crushed Deak no it was me and it was terrible Deak i feel sick oh god it was just

Smolma: ouch))

Lavi dead silence in his mind enough to chill.

Junior bro do you need a hug or

Deak nO DO NOT TOUCH Me Deak im ok just keep walking Deak as long as other me doesnt get crushed im fine

-- --: :3c }

Nea isn't taking that back

Deak: d O NOT ]

-- --: :3c }

Deak: s t op ]

Junior okay okay Junior keeps moving

Lavi So I guess, if, say, one of your companions or a family member were trapped here with you and were blind. You wouldn't like dealing with them?

-- --: "stop" what? I haven't done anything }

Lavi So you'd just leave them?

Smolma least im trapped in someone elses body Smolma not helping at all

Lavi What if that person were a sibling or a close friend? Still gonna ditch them because they're a liability?

Deak follows a little more lethargically

-- --: I'm thinking about things tho :3c }

Nea Would you shut up?

Deak: s quint s ]

-- --: I didn't say what kind of things exactly tho }

Deak: s quints  ] Deak: what kind of things exactly :3c ]

-- --: things }

Lavi Oh, am I annoying you? So sorry that you're not happy with this situation that we're /​all​/ in.

Allen when will this place end

-- --: things that I had planned and have been foiled and trying to figure out how to do anyway lAUGHS }

Deak: squints x4 ]

-- -- a wall comes out almost right about when Junior is about to get there

Junior really quickly backtracks

Nea All I'm doing is being REALISTIC. Someone gets hurt, or needs help-- Other's get hurt trying to protect them. And then it just ​/repeats/.

Junior: shIT that was close

Deak slaMS INTO JUNIOR bc not paying attention

Junior ooOOF

Junior aaand he had a meeting with the wall anyway

Deak: S-Sorry! Deak rip junior i am so sorry

Junior kind of

Lavi And maybe we'll need their power to get the fuck out of here and then they're dead because we decided to leave them simply because they're a 'liability'.

Nea Did I fucking ​/say/​ we're going to leave them for dead?

Junior: Its fine

Lavi I'm being realistic as well, Nea.

Junior sighs Junior: Not going this way I guess

Lavi You /​sound/​ like you wanna leave them for dead.

Nea I said I don't LIKE it.

Lavi You rather not deal with them and just let them fed for themselves, which would end badly.

Nea And I don't

Deak: So turning around again?

Junior frustrated growliing Junior: Doesn't look like we have much choice...

Deak: The other one of me is fine still, so we just have to try and follow whatever path as best as we can.

Junior: Yeah...

Deak turns around and begins to walk the other way agAIN Deak: Just keep up.

Lavi Well put your big boy pants on, Nea. You're gonna have to deal with it.

-- -- aand a wall comes up just in front of Lavi

Deak rip lavi

Lavi stops and turns on his shoulders so he hits that instead. Lavi: Rude, Wall.

Nea Ugh

Lavi: I was walkin'

Nea Put the kid down and turn us around.

Deak why did you capitalize wall

Junior b/c clearly he was addressing THAT wall specifically

Allen was daydreaming so he walks into Lavi

Junior: Not too hard t' keep up

Lavi exactly what Junior said.

Deak: Are you sayin' 'm slow?

Junior: ............ Junior squints Junior: .....

Nea You can coddle him again once we're facing the right way

Junior: ...slower than usual...

Nea These halls are too damn tight.

Allen: 'orry.

Deak: This is my normal pace, bro. Deak: Rude as heck.

Junior: No you're definitely going slower

Deak: I'm definitely not.

Allen turns around and walks in the other direction.

Junior: Definitely are.

Deak: Not.

Junior: Are.

Deak: Not.

Junior: Are.

Deak: NOT.

Junior: ARE.

Deak speeds up his walking then >:I Deak: THERE.

Junior: I never thought I'd see the day they pulled this argument xD } Junior: ......

Deak: s a me ]

Lavi He's /​blind/​, Nea, his powers react with his emotions from what I've seen so far. It'd be bad if it got out of control because he got scared.

Junior: Its a good day to be alive B) }

Deak returns back to his "normal" pace

Lavi: I'm gonna put you down really quick, Alma, the hall's too narrow for me to turn around with you on my back.

Nea wishes he had eyes to roll

Deak that walking was too much effort

Smolma just nods

Lavi I wonder if I could put you in a mental box.

Nea Don't even try it

Lavi crouches down to let Alma down before moving so he's on the side of him quick before crouching down again.

-- -- aaaand up goes a wall between Lavi and Alma woops

Smolma gets down

Lavi

: Shit!

Deak oh dang

-- --: :3c }

Deak mumbles not

-- --: Sorry what were we talking about, something about getting scared }

Allen: ((o shit))

Junior mumbles are

Nea Well that's ​/unfortunate/.

Deak n o t

Junior a.r.e.

Lavi mentally swearing in multiple languages while mentally throwing a bar at Nea Lavi runs to go catch up with Allen

Deak: Am not.

Allen lmao this snowy boi didn't even notice

Lavi spots Allen and grabs is shoulder

Junior

: are too.

Allen stops and turns back to Lavi.

Smolma tenses wayyyy up

Allen: Where Alm...?

Deak: Wait, were we saying are or am........?

Lavi 'Alma's gone! The wall split us up'

Smolma: L-lavi.... Allen?

Deak: I forgot.

Smolma theres no reply

Junior: You were using "am" and I was using "are".

Lavi: || Guess this castle is gonna become a winter ice land now

Deak: Right I was right okay.

Smolma his side of the wall becomes much colder

Smolma: yup))

Junior: Yep~

Deak: I'm tired'a walkin' ugh.

Allen his eyes widen, he takes a deep breath in and out, he looks behind Lavi as if to hope he was walking down the hall

Smolma quickly starts pounding on the wall

Junior: Smolma's gonna become ElSmolma }

Deak: l eave ]

Smolma: yUP)) Smolma: SHIVASMOL))

Junior: n oPE }

Lavi: || The snow glows white in the castle tonight

Junior: NOT UNTIL I'M DONE TORTURING YOU A-- I mean... }

Nea Keep moving.

Smolma op nows theres frost slowly starts spreading across the walls

Allen: ... 'eep goin. e'll meet up.

Lavi Oh, you're still present.

Smolma keep moving, just. keep. moving

Lavi 'We have to keep moving, we'll run into him like we did you.' He hopes.

Nea Walk or I'll walk for you.

Allen hopefully he would. Nods and keeps walking forward.

Lavi Shut UP

Junior: ....y'know...

Smolma though hes scared, terrified really, he turns before quickly walking the other way, using the wall to guide him

Junior: that scraping is goin' on for an awfully long amount of time

Lavi walks as well, he's taking long strides so he's gonna end up passing Allen

Deak: Yeah? Deak: It's kinda dull noise now, but I guess so.

-- -- you mean he's going to end up goosing Allen b/c these passages are narrow

Allen the wall's too narrow to pass, Allen ends up increasing his own pace to a semi-jog

Junior: Might just be getting used to it? Doesn't sound any more dull to me...

Lavi ‘Ah, hold on, let me squeeze through to get in front of you.’

Smolma just clutches his ice knife tighter, all while hes shaking

Deak

: No, I think I'm more focused on remembering my fake organs being crushed actually.

Junior

: ...............

Deak laug h s Deak does not think its funny

Allen: op' over.

Junior: Deak, you doing okay?

Allen crouches

Deak: Yep!

Lavi hops the fuck over and starts walking hella fast again

Deak: Other than me not wanting to walk. Deak: But that's normal.

Allen jogs behind Lavi

Junior: ....then.... I'll carry you, so we can get the hell out of here

Deak: There's no room.

-- -- mmmm woops and there went the other copy

Deak: ........................​........................​..........

Junior: We can make it work, I think Junior: ......you okay?

Deak is not okay™ Deak: Yeah! I'm! Totally cool!

Junior: .......

Deak walks faster gotta go fast

Junior: You don't sound totally cool Junior follows after Deak wow someone lit a fire under his ass and it wasn't Lavi for once

Nea Walk faster. There has to be an exit somewhere. Smolma ohhhh hes shaking

Lavi I'm walking as fast as I can, if I start jogging I'd leave Allen behind.

Deak hyperventilating in small spaces is bad so calm down Deak: Okay, okay, so there's an exit somewhere right?

-- -- a wall springs up in front of Deak

Deak: We're not stuck yeah?

Deak sLAMS INTO IT

Smolma all while on the verge of tears

Junior: ...I--

Lavi RIP DEAK

Junior: You okay?

-- -- also a wall springs up just ahead of Alma

Deak just kinda l augh s Deak staggers for a second ow

Lavi: || lAUGHING

Smolma slAMS INTO IT

Deak: U GO LAUghS ]

Smolma falls back with a yelp

Lavi: || EVERYONE JUST SLAMMING INTO WALLS

Smolma: HE IS BLIND))

-- -- to be fair its hella dark in most of the maze

Deak: I-It's okay, let's just go somewhere it's fine.

-- -- except those few places where there's torches

Deak: Your way, go your way-

Smolma whimpering, he carefully gets back up and goes the other way

Allen is gonna trip over Alma lol

Lavi lights a small flame in his hand to see better

Junior: Okay...

Smolma as he walks, those walls are getting frozen

Junior turns to go the other way

Deak follows after junior quickly again

-- -- another wall comes up in front of Junior after a few turns

Junior: fuCK

Deak: ......................

Allen yeah he's still following Lavi

Nea is just getting more and more restless

Deak: I'm going to scream.

Junior: Okay, there's gotta be another branching path from here... Junior: Between where we were and are

Smolma ice shards are forming on the now frozen walls

Nea ...What's your name again?

Lavi Lavi.

Deak: Lavi Lavi ]

Lavi: || Lavi Love

Junior: So let's try to find another way

Nea And the other's? I never got a formal introduction

Lavi The first you possessed was my younger brother, Junior. The dramatic one was Deak, he's the baby brother.

Deak: Okay, what if I leave a copy here to see what happens when we walk back? The path keeps changing, right?

Junior: .......

Junior: I... don't think that's a good idea Junior: I mean, if something happens to it.....

Lavi Allen is the deaf one, he has sound telekinesis. Alma is the blind one with Ice Illusions and manipulation.

Deak: It's fine. Plus, what if the path is changing when we walk back to where we don't see?

Junior: You see and kind of feel the same thing, right?

Lavi Icarus is the one with the messed up wings.

Deak: Don't worry, it's just one. It won't hurt anything.

Nea And you have fire.

Junior: If you say so...

Lavi Yes. Deak can multiply and Junior used to have a tail that was his talisman to be able to shift into an animal.

Deak makes another duplicate to just kinda sit and wait there before turning to walk back

Lavi But they chopped it off.

Deak: Okay, let's go ​back​ again~

Junior follows after Deak shit shit they should not have come down here

Nea Sounds painful.

-- -- @Lavi/Nea feel free to slip on the icy floors any time

Smolma now the floors getting frozen from his steps

Allen is gonna slip on the ice and grab the wall

Lavi almost slips as well and barely catches himself with the walls. Lavi: Shit.

Smolma alma was there

-- -- @Deak there's a turn coming up somewhere on your left that wasn't there before

Deak

: A new path?

Lavi: Shot in the dark Lavi: Alma?

Junior: Looks like Junior runs a hand through his hair Junior: Let's hope THIS one leads somewhere

Allen: *calls* 'LIMA! ALMA!

Lavi keeps walking, trying not to slip on ice.

Deak: Wait maybe I should just-

Lavi: || Lima

Junior: lima }

Nea: || lima

Smolma: alma is now lima))

Nea: | lima bean

Allen: ((lima bean yes))

Smolma: i mean he smol enough ))

Junior: "should just"?

Deak makes one more duplicate to stay put at the new turn

Junior oh that

Nea: || deaks just droppin duplicates like breadcrumbs

Junior: seems like lmao }

Deak: thumbs up at bread ]

Lavi: || he must be feeling the pain

Deak: oh shit ] Deak: i forgot he had a potato ]

Junior: xD } Junior: of all the things to think about } Junior: You choose the potato }

Deak: does the potato also duplicate tho ]

Junior: uh??? I don't think so??? }

Deak: rEGARDLESS when youre crushed by walls three different times im p sure u kno ur in pain ]

Deak: and dang so its just w/ original that sucks ]

Junior: xD }

Deak: imagine six times the potato ]

Junior: maybe if he did something special to it idk }

Allen: ((get m a s h e d )))

-- -- op and there went another duplicate. The further away one.

Deak: wOW UNCOOL ]

Lavi: || rip to the duppy

Deak: so much for tHAT IDEA ]

-- -- also there seems to be a lot more scraping sounds than before

Junior: duppy } Junior: ....uh...

Smolma its getting harder to keep moving

Junior: why are the scraping sounds getting more numerous?

Allen quickly learns how to skate without skates. Brrr, btw

Lavi: || got lazy

Deak just gonna not die through that pain and being crushed a fourth or fifth time he forgot

Lavi: || didn't wanna write it all so duppy

Deak: Let's go, just move.

Junior: ...I'd say... Junior: Lets move fast

Deak turns the corner and just,,, moves fast

Smolma his entire body begins to tremble

Deak: That's... probably a smart idea.

Smolma small shards of ice begins to grow on his skin

-- -- btw that more numerous scraping sound is on Lavi's/Nea's/Allen's/Alma's side too

Junior follows behind fast Junior: I have my moments

Deak snickers

Lavi is just ignoring the scraping sounds.

Nea What do you think's at the end of this?

Deak: At least now we know not to enter crypts?

Lavi is actually melting the ice with each step he takes so... Lavi More fucked up shit.

Junior: ...this isn't a typical crypt

-- -- should find Alma near another wall-mounted torch fairly soon

Smolma lavi must be in pain cause the walls and floor are covered in ice

Allen decides to just use his arms to push himself forward, using his feet to just slide. This would be kind of fun under different circumstances. He ends up tripping on lavi's footprints though so he just hops into each once instead.

Deak: Hmm, true~

-- -- Deak and Junior should be passing up a torch about now too

Smolma just chokes out a sob

Nea Your brother told me not to let you use your powers

Lavi it doesn't take too much effort to give out more heat than to use his fire. Lavi Yeah, well. Too bad.

Smolma tentitively forces himself to move again

-- -- aaaand a wall comes up just ahead of Deak and Junior

Deak: Are we able to take the torch or is it stuck?

Lavi: Alma?

-- -- the torch is stuck

Lavi calling out some more to see if he's nearby

Deak lame Deak laME x2

Junior: damn it!

Deak: .....Another wall.

Junior: Its like the thing fucking knows where we're trying to go

Smolma covers his ears as he hears that voice scream in his head

Deak slides to the ground and just stays there Deak: I'm done. Deak: I'm going to die right here, I'm not moving.

Allen just keep joggin'.

-- -- and in the place where that wall came up, another one comes up again just a little closer. And then another one after that.

Junior: Um, no, we are not giving up! Junior: I'm not letting you give up!

Lavi: || At least it's just moving walls and corridors changing and not trap doors B)

Deak already gave up

Junior: B) }

Lavi: || B)

Allen: (( 'o'))

Junior: Deak, y'can't just give up, we just go back, and try again until somethin' fucking works

Deak: I'll just be crushed like the rest of me, it's okay, I've felt it seven times anyways.

Junior: No it is certainly NOT okay

-- -- and a wall comes up from the other side they came from now -- -- woops

Junior: ......

Junior: fu

Deak lauGHS

Junior: cking Junior: shit

Deak: We're dead now.

Lavi is a little fed up and uses his flames to send a long tendril of flames ahead of him along the path. It stings a bit.

Deak just covers his face and laughs this is fine™

-- -- btw the other crypt maze should be experiencing something kind-of the same tbh -- -- walls closing in and all that jazz

Smolma op that flame barely misses alma, making him scream

Junior is just looking back and forth fuck fuck there's no other passage

Lavi stops walking because of a fucking wall Smolma ohhh hes trapped hes teapped Smolma just slowly slides down the wall and starts crying Smolma ice spikes growin all around him

Lavi

: I'm hating this place more and more

Junior just laughs a little and sinks down next to Deak

Nea is it possible to hyperventilate in someone's head becau se

Lavi rubs hands together because it's time to bring the heat. Lavi Hopefully you won't feel this too much.

Allen backs off from Lavi oh boy walls closing in

Junior: ....this is not how I pictured dying

Nea Just do SOMETHING

Smolma by now the spikes are pillars

Deak: If it helps, it'll hurt a lot?

Junior: ....it doesn't help, but thanks for the warning anyway Junior: .....d'you think that....?

Lavi FIRES A BLAST OF FLAMES AHEAD THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO BE A LASER TBH, SO THIS IS REALLY GONNA FUCKING HURT HIM.

Junior: .......... Junior: Nevermind

Nea FUCKING HELL BUDDY

Smolma: goood thing that ice was up))

Allen WHOAH LAVI

Smolma: its so cold it withstood that blast, or else it'd be kentucky fried smol))

Junior is just gonna snuggle up to Deak's side and wait for death haha Junior: I love you, bro

Lavi and that's a really hot beam

Smolma why was there weight against his pillars?

Junior: Like one comes up, then another flush against it, et cetera } Junior: I'm not good at explaining things I guess xD }

Lavi: || But shouldn't it come down like after a few of the walls are up in front of them? Giving a fighting chance if they have some strong power? Lavi: || Like centipede-ish effect

-- --: MMMM NOPE }

Smolma: yeah having them all die by wall seems sudden))

-- --: There is absolutely a way out of this but that isn't it B) }

Lavi: || trap door >​_>​

-- --: Mmmmm close }

Deak: just accept ur fates and die like deak and junior ]

Lavi has to stop because it hurts too much and leans against the wall gasping while clutching his hands close.

Smolma bet you want alma there now nea you jerk

Nea has shoved himself as far back in lavi's head as he can Nea yeS HE DOES ACTUALLY

Lavi: || You mean, accept their fate without fighting or even thinking of their beloved older brother in their final moments.

Junior: yea that } Junior: xD }

Lavi: || You know, the brother who TOOK CARE OF YOU TWO AND NOW YOU'RE JUST IGNORING, DEAK?

Deak: yes exactly ]

Lavi: || wow, one of these days, he's gonna stop caring.

Smolma more and more of his ice begins to stab the walls and floor

Deak: wow ]

Smolma its becoming violent

Deak: i am hurt : ( ]

Lavi: || Lavi's hurt

Nea Come on, come ON! There has to be ​SOMETHING

Junior: Junior thought about it but he didn't bring it up b/c he didn't want to make things even more depressing lol }

Lavi: || mentally and phsyically B(

Deak: deak is also hurt ] Deak: also mentally and physically ] Deak: i didnt see lavi get crushed by walls seven times ] Deak: s m h ]

Junior: That was his "...do you think....? ........nevermind..." xD }

Lavi: || You're the one who kept leaving so many behind

Junior: tru }

Deak: I DIDNT THINK THEYD  ALL GET CR USHED ]

-- --: :3c }

Smolma as hes sobbing, the entire halls beginning to have spikes shoot up from the ground

Lavi: || Kit's merciless, you should've known

Deak: i should have ] Deak: s m h @ self ]

Lavi slides down the wall and curls up a bit

-- --: You know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result }

Nea Get UP

Lavi in his possible final moments, he's hoping that Deak, Junior and Alma are okay. ( Mostly his brothers though. Sorry Alma. )

Smolma wow Smolma thanks Smolma always knew he was the one everyone would perfer died

Lavi ( At least he looks out for you and you actually appreciate him. )

Nea makes a frustrated noise

Deak stands up again and just looks around Deak: There's gotta be somethin' we can do to not die...

Smolma that may lessen since hes the one alone and no one really cares about

Junior just leans on Deak. Least he'll get to spend his last moments with one of his brothers. Both would be nice. Or, y'know, not dying. Not dying would be ni--

Smolma out..... let me out

Nea shoves Lavi back because if you one move then he'll have to

Lavi You're gonna hurt a lot if you switch with me now.

Smolma those ice shards are stabbing harder

Nea I'd rather hurt then fucking /​die/.

Smolma oh look, hes damaging the walls

Lavi Give me a moment to fucking recover from the crippling pain, ass hat, there's no way OUT THAT I CAN SEE I JUST MADE A HOLE IN THE WALL AND IT GOT COVERED BY ANOTHER WALL.

Deak: Junior, get up 'n do somethin'

Nea ​THEN LET ​ME​ LOOK

Lavi ​FINE​

-- -- @Deak/Junior the walls close in from both sides aaand... stop at the edges where the light from the torch starts

Deak: ................What.

Lavi SHOVES NEA TO THE FOREFRONT OF HIS MIND

Smolma shakily stands

Nea retakes contro-- ​/hooooly shit/ Nea curls in on himself Nea: ​FFFFUCK.

Lavi Enjoying yourself?

Deak was it

Junior: ............

Smolma holds his hands up against the wall right infront of him

Deak too hot

Lavi Get up and do something, Nea.

Deak: Hey, we're alive.

Smolma a hug pillar that dented that door way back when begins forming above his head Smolma streeetchhing down the hall

Nea presses his back against the wall and struggles (really struggles) to his feet

Junior

: We are?

Deak

: Yeah, it stopped.

Lavi still hissing in pain himself, he still feels it, damn.

Smolma that halls temp near him is wayyy below zero

Deak: We weren't crushed by walls for an eighth time! Deak: Er... well... first for you.

-- -- @Alma the walls are still coming up but they're getting partly jammed by the ice in the way

Nea clenches his jaw shut tight and starts look around for ​anything​ of use.

Deak: Regaaaaardless, let's figure out the way outta here.

Junior: ....why did it stop this time?

Smolma more ice forms to pust them down

Nea knows it's probably useless but he's not gonna just sit around

Smolma oh look, some frost touches the tips of nea/lavi's fingers thats on the wall

Deak: It looks like the light from the torch has something to do with it? Deak: At least, that's where it stopped.

Junior glances up at the torch

Smolma sHOOT THAT HUGE ICE SHARD AT THE DOOR

Lavi too bad we don't feel the cold thanks to my powers....

-- -- its not really a door its a wall lo

Nea more like his forearm, since his hands are too wrecked to touch anything right now

Deak: Maybe we can... pull the torch or something?

Junior: Maybe? Junior picks self off the floor and pulls on the torch

Smolma fine, ice forms on nea/lavi

Lavi I fucking hate this.

-- -- there's a Click and the torch moves off the wall just a little, then the wall where the torch is mounted starts sliding back to form a hall

Nea: I don't... I don't see anything.

Deak blinks

Lavi: || I don't think Nea/Lavi are near a torch xD

-- --: I did mention they'd find Alma near a torch X3 }

Deak: just conveniently put a torch there ] Deak: ;' ) ]

Smolma accidentally places his hand on torch

Lavi: || But the wall thing happened and I thought they were separated again Lavi: || like, blocked off

Smolma op it slips down

Lavi: || because of the damn walls

-- --: no the wall was ahead of where Alma was and behind where Lavi/Nea and Allen were XD }

-- --: CLEARLY I CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO COMMUNICATE }

Nea: || O Nea: || that makes... more sense

Deak: LAUGHING ]

Lavi: || I'm usually good at keeping up but gd

-- --: its probably my fault lbh here xD }

Deak: Well, lets go!

Junior shrugs Junior follows the hall what have they got to lose at this point?

Deak adventures forth

Nea somehow just now notices alma

-- -- the accidentally grabbed torch by Alma opens the pathway lol

Nea and that path. congrats kid you're redeemed in his eyes

Smolma flinches a bit at the noise. Did... it the path open again?

Lavi Grab him Lavi But let him know it's you.

Smolma tho that halls still frozen

Nea laughs a little Nea: You did it, twerp

Smolma like its covered in frost and ice shards

Lavi S i g h i n g

Smolma: ....

Nea slip slides his way over to Alma

Lavi At least call him by his name.

Nea he's just radiating relief. getting crushed sounded like a bad time. Nea: I mean-- ​Alma.

Deak it is a bad time

Nea Happy now?

Lavi but at least Alma will know that it's them now. Lavi Yes.

Deak its a very very bad time

-- -- the newly opened path is very long, but its a straight shot all the way through, until hitting a wider path in the center where the two torch walls come together. Lavi and Deak, you turn right, Lavi/Nea and Alma, left, upon reaching the wider hall.

Lavi since he'd never call Alma a twerp.

Smolma guess who locked himself up b/c of bein aloneeeeee Smolma this smol

Lavi: || Lavi and Deak Lavi: ||  U mean, Junior

Deak: lAugHin g ]

Nea: ...Kid?

Lavi: || Existential Crisis is gonna hit

Nea I think he's broken

Junior: I CLEARLY CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO COMMUNICARTE }

Lavi Let me out

Smolma just shaking and crying

Junior: communicate* } Junior: fml }

Smolma u b rite nea

Deak: U TRIED ]

Nea shoves Lavi forward again

Lavi: Woah

Smolma now hes like the coldest hes ever been

Deak stops at the wider part of the path and just sits down Deak: Wait, wait, I'm dead, slow down.

Lavi shakes himself off before crouching in front of Alma, radiating warmth because that boy looks way too cold

Junior is just gonna sit down and lean against Deak

Lavi: Alma, hey, buddy. It's just me....and the other guy. But right now it's me.

Junior: ...me too...

Smolma like his skins completely white by now

Lavi reaches out to rub Alma's arms, it cools his hands so him using more heat to warm Alma up doesn't hurt.

Nea Can't you just pick him up and go?

Lavi: C'mon, c'mon....

Junior: ....think Lavi's okay? Junior kinda didn't want to think about it but welp haha Junior here they are

Deak: He's tough, 'm sure he's fine.

Junior: Yea.... Junior is trying not to sound unsure but its not working haha

Smolma steam actually comes out under lavis fingers

Deak: Well, the sooner we move the sooner we can meet up with him again. Deak: Let's go, if you're ready?

Lavi ice shards have been melted, he's gonna grab the small and start running his ass down the damn hallway of jackassery

Nea The path is RIGHT THERE.

Lavi and by grab, he means, carry him

Junior: "the hallway of jackassery" lmfao }

Lavi: || Well it is

Smolma yup now theres just steam where ever almas touching lavi

Junior heaves a sigh

Lavi: Shit. He's never really been that cold.

Junior: I guess?

Deak gets back up Deak srry junior who was leaning on me

Deak returns to lethargically making his way to the right

Junior gets up with a wince. Really feeling that tail bone right about now tbh Junior: .......... Junior: I hear.... Junior: footsteps Junior: and Junior: hissing?

Deak: ...What? Deak: I don't hear anything?

Junior has really sensitive ears

Deak only has sensitive ears for being crushed by walls atm

Junior kind of a side effect of being an animal sometimes

Nea Can't you move any faster?

Lavi Bossy.

Junior: No, I hear it. Its getting closer.

Nea I'm impatient.

Deak: ...?

Lavi Goes for a run to a goddamn sprint since this one just wants movement, you're lucky he wants to get out of here too or else he'd slow down to a walk.

Junior moves in front of Deak protectively but he's hoping that's Lavi coming

Deak i will throw this potato as a weapon

Lavi makes it to the place with the wider hall

Junior !!!!!!!! Junior: Lavi!

Lavi !!!!!! Lavi: Junior! Deak! Lavi skids to a stop and jogs over to them, still holding on to Alma, who be steaming.

Junior: ....what the Hell are you carrying and why is it hissing

Deak flops to the ground again

Smolma yuuuppp be steaming

Junior op and down goes Deak

Lavi: It's Alma, we got separated and his powers went out of control

Junior: ...oh Junior: Okay?

Lavi: Yeah. Lavi: Also, I had to use my powers when the walls started closing in

Junior is just happy to see Lavi alive and well tb--- Junior squints

Nea Haha oops

Junior Nea what did we fucking talk about

Lavi: I'm fine now. Alma's helping, even though he's out of it right now.

Smolma oh look the walls are freezing over

Nea whistles innocently even though only Lavi can hear him right now

Junior #Betrayed Junior: ....h o l y hell its getting cold in here...

Deak: He needs to calm down.

Lavi: Alma. Alma, c'mon.

Deak: If hes gonna freeze everythin' up, get him outta here. Deak is too dead for this shit thanks

Junior rubs his arms holy shit

Smolma screw you deak peeps actually care bout you

Nea is very glad that he's wearing someone who doesn't get cold

Lavi adjusts his hold on Alma and rubs his back while quietly telling the small one that he's got him now, he's safe again.

Deak shut up, i wasnt talking to you

Smolma: wearing someone))

Junior that still sounds creepy Nea. Like some Most Dangerous Game kinda shit.

Deak control your goddamn ice, kid

Lavi slowly cranks up the heat to both warm Alma up and the room.

Nea: || skin suit.

Lavi: || Meat suit.

Deak just goes back to hanging his head

Junior: I'm just gonna stop you both right there }

Junior goes back to Deak and flops down next to him Junior: R-run into a bit of trouble on your side, did you?

Smolma you try being alone, being the one who can die and not really have an impact with his death, and considered being a liability after getting his sight stolen Smolma aka, fuck you deak

Deak fuck off brat Deak do whatever the fuck you want, but do it away from me

Smolma no you fuck off

Deak fine

Junior also, flopping down when you had a tail cut off from the end of your spine... not recommended. That hurts.

Deak gets back up and walks away the way he came

Junior: ......

Smolma thanks to lavi his ice isn't spreading, but hes still silent

Junior: Deak! Junior grabs him before he can run off

Lavi keeps trying to comfort Alma with quiet words. Lavi: || look man, I'm terrible with words, so imagine that Lavi's talking to Alma like he's one of his brothers back when they were younger and scared about something. He sounds very motherly tbh. Like gdi, Lavi, why are you such a  mom. But he's doing his utmost best to calm Alma.

Nea This group still has so many problems

Junior okay but did we survive longer than your group?

Smolma doesn't mean hes listening rn

Deak: What? It's cold here so I'm walking away. Let me go, jeez.

Smolma or that he believes anything thats being said

Deak scowls and pulls away to keep walking off

Nea not yet you haven't

Junior huffs and goes to follow dragging Deak with them

Lavi he's still gonna keep talking and kind of walking around. Lavi: || oh god, he's doing a baby bounce type shit. JFC

Smolma though hes not crying anymore, so progress

Junior: wow Lavi xD }

Smolma: thats so cute tho-))

Lavi: || He's such a mom.

Junior: tb fair tho he is the eldest of two brothers even if they're technically the same age haha }

Nea is stuck in a mom and his only other host options are out of range

Lavi: || he usually gets along with other little kids younger than them so he just moms them. Lavi: || Especially if they're orphans. He tries to make their day a little better somehow.

Nea See what I mean? One person ends up holding up the entire group.

Lavi I don't really see a place to move on from here. So can it.

Junior are you calling us incompetent

Lavi: || He's grown attached to little Alma. ); Lavi: || Gonna mom him.

Nea But you could be looking. Instead you're just being a mother hen.

Lavi glances around the room while 'motherhenning' Lavi Oh look, didn't see anything. Lavi Other than walls, and torches and a goddamn ceiling.

Nea :/

-- -- the wider hall, which is wide enough for six people or so to walk down it side-by-side, goes on for a ways. Its mostly dark, but likewise has some torches lining the path. At the far end of it, you come to a smallish chamber with a pedestal in the center. On top of it is a gleaming object.

Lavi: Junior

Junior: Hm?

Lavi: Do you smell anything around here? Wood, maybe? I'd feel better if you had a stick again.

Junior: ...what Junior: Oh Junior inhales

Lavi walking along the path, before Nea yells at him again, while continuing to quietly comfort and mom Alma.

Junior: ...mostly just old stone. Dust. You guys. Not a lot in the way of wood.

Lavi makes a frustrated sound at being told that. Lavi: Maybe the next room we come across. Lavi keeps walking down the path.

Smolma: hope they won’t need smol powers for a bit))

Junior shrugs Junior: Nothing more specific planned for Alma yet lol }

Lavi spots the pedestal. !!! Lavi: Junior!

Nea What's /​that?/

Junior tilts his head

Lavi: Come look at this.

Junior: Yeah, I see it

Smolma: yet/))

-- -- on top of the pedestal looks like a large gemstone or other. Its got markings carved into it. They look vaguely familiar from somewhere.

Lavi: Correct me if I'm wrong but, I think this might be a talisman.

Junior: Is it? Junior tilts head

Lavi looks at Junior.

Junior: Not the kind I typically use if so Junior: I mean, its similar

Lavi: It could help

Junior shrugs

Nea Are you sure we should touch it

Junior: Maybe

Lavi: Hm... Nea's right.

Nea Of course I am

Lavi: Shut up. Lavi: Not you, Junior.

Junior hums

Lavi Shut up.

Nea is laughing

Lavi: It could be a risk to touch it.

Deak yawns and closes his eye call me when u guys r done

Lavi hello mental box, ur old friend.

Junior bye Nea

Nea you know what?? screw this

Junior: It could be.

Nea jumps to Junior. he doesn't want control right now, he's just sick of Lavi's shit

Junior: It could not be. Junior um excuse u who invited u in

Lavi He invited himself

Nea I'm just going to hang out back here for awhile.

Lavi: If he gets too annoying, put him in a mental box

Junior: Did I say you could jump into my fucking head? Junior why can't I just evict him instead

Nea Don't do that.

Lavi: Our old man's mental training helped out great.

Nea I don't know where I'll go if you throw me out

Junior fucking watch me.

Lavi: Well, you could always just give him a mind smack

Nea JUMPS BACK TO LAVI

Lavi Welcome back.

Nea I don't like him.

Junior good.

Lavi chuckles and adjusts his hold on Alma, petting the small one's hair.

Junior: We could just... leave it here

Lavi frowns. Lavi: Wait Lavi: Did Deak ever eat his potato?

Junior: .............

Nea He has a potato?

Junior r we really doing this Indiana Jones shit

Lavi yes, we r Lavi you got a better idea, then say it now

Junior that doesn't actually work Lavi

Lavi We found some potatoes earlier and had a small lunch.

Nea Damn.

Lavi: Okay, fine, you don't wanna try it then leave it there or just risk grabbing it.

Nea Get it, it might work.

Lavi Deak and I aren't on speaking terms and if I ask for the potato he might eat it to spite me.

Nea ....

Lavi I know

Junior he really just might Junior whatever, he's just gonna grab it Junior YOLO

Deak: deak never moved since hes sleeping ] Deak: with his potato tyvm ]

Nea: || lazy butt

Deak: tRU ] Lavi: || diva lazy butt

Deak: w/e ur still not getting his potato ]

Lavi: || but they can B)

Deak: he'll punch u stay away ]

-- -- after grabbing the gem thingy, nothing happens. There's a flight of stairs and a door just ahead.

Deak: that is HIS potato ]

Lavi: || He's close enough in Nea's range Lavi: || Ah nvm, ur lucky stairs appeared

Junior: Don't steal Deak's potato he's the only one that never ate lol } Junior: rude af }

Deak: ye tru he didnt eat dont take his potato ] Deak: :' ( ]

Nea: || dang it deak, eat

Lavi: || then eat the damn food Lavi cooked for you so you don't keel over

Junior: xD }

Deak: no he is currently napping s m h ] Deak: and also still reeling from being crushed eight times smh who do u think u r ]

Lavi: || Drag h i m

Junior: xD }

Junior: We r not dragging Deak smh } Junior: not in that way anyway xD }

Nea: || drag him up the stairs Lavi: || either he wakes up or he's gonna get dragged

Deak: LAVI UR SO ABUSIVE ]

Nea: || thunk thunk thunk

Junior goes to pick up Deak c'mon bro time to go get on ur feet

Nea If Deak's just gonna be lazy then... I mean...... Nea jumps to the Drama Triplet

Deak get-- Deak srsly

Lavi a bit whoozy

Junior: LOL }

Nea If you're not going to use this, I will

Deak i said i didnt mind so Deak u do u im going back to sleep

Nea brushes himself off Nea: There we go

Junior: .........

Lavi: You just gotta deal with his 'I don't cares' and 'whatevers' Lavi: But let's move on

Junior: That.... works I guess?

Nea: It's a small price to pay

Lavi heads on up the steps

Deak also leave my potato alone Deak thats my only request thank u

Nea You better stay awake, if I need to jump you're gonna just flop over

Lavi: Trust me, he can also evict you like Junior and I can.

Nea Can I eat the potato Nea starts up the stairs

Deak no, please dont

Nea But I'm hungry.

Deak okay you can eat it

Junior follows Lavi

Deak im going to sleep dont wake me up or be stupid

Junior y'know its just gonna end up in your own stomach anyway Deak

Nea ...man you give up easily. Nea Pulls out the potato and just straight up bites it

Deak its not giving up, i jut dont care honestly Deak just

Lavi: Want me to heat it up for you?

Nea ! Nea: Yes, absolutely Nea tosses him the tater

Deak dozes off dont let nea kill me pls

-- -- up the stairs and through the door, you come into a room loaded full of just... stuff. Lots and lots of stuffy. Most of it shiny stuff.

Lavi keeps his hold on Alma and catches the flying potato

Junior oooooooh treasure trove

Nea: ...That's a lot of loot.

Lavi heats up the potato Lavi: Wow

Junior suddenly likes this castle a little bit more

Lavi: I don't recommend touching anything.

Nea: ...Yeah.

Junior or maybe like moderately more Junior: Why not?

Nea wants all this shiny stuff, but... Nea: Why would you touch ANYTHING in this castle?

Lavi hands the potato back to Ne Lavi Nea*

Nea: || ne

Deak: ne ]

Lavi: || nene

Junior holds up the gemstone thingy

Nea munches on his baked potato

Junior: I touched this and nothing happened

Nea: And you think we're gonna get that lucky twice?

Junior: I touched a torch and a pathway opened up Junior: I touched like four levers and it opened the big gates

Nea: .........

Lavi: Junior

Junior: Touching things is good

Nea: You know damn well what I meant Nea: This place doesn't want us to have good things. Nea: It wants us ​dead.

Junior: Inanimate objects have no concept of desires

Lavi sighs against Alma's hair. Yup, this castle definitely wants us dead.

Nea B|

Lavi: Whatever twisted asshole made this castle wants us dead.

Nea: You're a smartass, you know that right

Junior: I like that phrasing better

Lavi eye roll and continues on through the room, trying not to touch any of the nice shinies

Smolma oh look he leans a lil into lavi

Junior: but I still think you're both paranoid

Nea: It's not paranoia if you're right

Lavi rubs Alma's back while walking.

Junior goes and picks up a jeweled flagon and waves it around Junior: Oh look I'm touching a thing

Nea looks around suspiciously

Lavi: ............

Junior: and nothing

Nea Deak your brother is a fucking maniac

Junior: is happening

Lavi: || delayed reaction, perhaps, give it a moment

Smolma his tiny fingers curl into lavis clothing

-- -- literally nothing happens.

Nea: ...

Junior: .... Junior: mmm

Lavi: I'm still not touching anything in this room, it'd just weigh us down.

Junior: still waiting on that impending doom

Lavi: Junior.

Nea: It's not like any of this stuff matters in here

Junior: Hm?

Lavi: Enough.

Junior rolls eye Junior: Y'really take me for some greedy gold hoarder or something?

Lavi honestly, he's paranoid about something bad happening because he doesn't want anything bad happening to his goddamn brothers (and Nea) or Alma and his brother gives him fucking flack. Lavi is just gonna keep walking.

Junior is just gonna browse the room a bit lol bye then

Nea grumbles around a mouthful of potato

Lavi if Nea were in his head right now he'd hear some very dark thoughts.

Nea sorry man I gotta pilot your lazy bro

Lavi dark and negative af.

Nea: Let's just... Leave. Nea all this shit is too tempting

Junior also he's keeping that jeweled flagon it nice

Lavi if there's another door or some stairs in this room then Lavi's gone fromthat room.

Smolma look who has some color in his flesh

Lavi sees that Alma's regaining color and sighs in relief. At least he's getting better.

-- -- there is another door. The room beyond also has some stuff, all very nice stuff but less shiny. Lots of wood and cases and odds and ends. There's some weapons too, mounted or sitting inside other stuff

Lavi stares at the weapons. Nope, he's not going to touch them.

Nea exits the room of temptation. except this one isn't any better

Lavi it's something that could actually be helpful but more of a risk that some stupid shit will happen.

Nea: ...Some of those could be useful

Lavi: I know. Lavi keeps walking

Junior is just gonna keep browsing alone then I guess

Nea: .... Nea is weeeak. look at those weapons,,,

Lavi: I wish I had my knife on me.

Nea realizes that nothing he takes will actually stay with him. B( Smolma when hes in it again, he can make you guys weapons

Junior already added some coins and jewels to his pockets tbh... found some fancy dishware...

Nea really needs to get back to places he recognizes

Junior some rolled up papers that look costly

Smolma groans

-- -- the third room is much like the second room was, a little more rustic looking. Beyond that, the next door  leads out into the street outside.

Lavi: || There's a street

-- --: yep }

Lavi: || A ​street​?

Smolma the smols moving

-- --: Yep }

Lavi: || guess he's on the street then

-- --: Not a huge street, but a street }

Smolma but his eyes remain dulled tho

Lavi: Hey, Alma. You awake?

-- --: did u think I misspelled a word xD }

Junior found this cool dagger mounted on the wall--

Smolma shrugs a bit

Junior !!!!!!!

Lavi hugs the small.

Smolma just rests on lavi Smolma the hug feels really really nice, even if he doesn't respond much to it

Junior polished stones!!!

Nea is just gonna follow Lavi outta here. bye junior.

Junior gathers them all up and explore the next room

Lavi glancing around the street Lavi: || junior, you don't have a bag to carry all this shit omg xD

Nea looks around. everything looks the same.

Lavi: Didn't expect to see a street here.

Nea snorts

Junior: tbh he dropped p much all but the flagon and stones xD }

Nea: Really?

Lavi: || g o o d Lavi: || even tho I feel like that flagon will haunt him later

Nea: This place is ​huge.

Lavi: True. Lavi: Wait, how long have you been here?

Nea: Weeks, maybe?

Lavi: ........

Smolma: had to look up what a flagon was))

Lavi: Fuck.

Junior: Junior: um excuse u flagons carry stuff to drink in them and none of us have had a lick of water for like a day in a half at least }

Lavi uh-oh, he's looking concerned now.

Smolma they can make water Smolma you know, fire n ice elementals are there

Lavi: || As long as it doesn't have poison on the metal

Nea: I honestly wasn't expecting to find anyone else here, but I guess they got sick of looking for me.

-- -- in the street are a few smaller buildings on all sides. The street gets a bit wider after going around them. To each side, the streets bend around until you can't see down them and they disappear. Ahead is a zigzagging path up some cliffs to what looks like a Keep above.

Lavi: Nea Lavi: Recognize anything?

Nea: Huh?

Smolma: .... where....

Nea: Uh...

Lavi quietly tells Alma where they're currently at, describes it for him in detail.

Junior oh yes he hit the jackpot

Nea scratches his head and walks around while looking around

Junior fucking s c o r e Junior comes scampering out after where Lavi and the others went

Smolma hes coming back to them

Nea: I haven't explored much out here...

Junior ....uhhh assuming he can find them RIP

Lavi: Hmmm

Nea: I've just been keeping up around the tower.

Junior did not think Lavi would really go that far ahead

Lavi pets Alma's head.

Nea: And half the time I wasn't really paying attention to where I went

Lavi: .......... Lavi s i g h s

Nea didnt expect to have to remember this shit later

Junior: LA-VIII???

Lavi turns towards the doors. Lavi: JUNIOR? Lavi turns back around with an eye roll

Junior follows Lavi's voice with a grin on his face Junior is skipping tbh Junior like hardcore skipping

Smolma leans into that touch tho

Lavi is not seeing this skipping since he turned back around to look at Nea and is petting Alma's hair.

Junior um well too bad b/c he's going to skip an excited circle around you Lavi Junior: Guess what?

Lavi: You found something.

Junior grins bigger Junior: I found ​materials​

Lavi: Daggers? Lavi: Oh Lavi: O h Lavi: To make a talisman?

Junior: Mhm~

Lavi: Nice!

Junior: Not a GREAT one, but they'll do the job for now

Lavi: Whatever works

Junior: But yes I also got daggers

Lavi nods

Junior: And a small sword or two Junior which are all tied to his belt and look ridiculous all together tbh

Nea snort s

Junior but hey he's only got so many hands Junior: So I vote Junior: We take a breather

Junior: so I can make some talismans and we can all get some rest

Lavi: I'm fine with that. But we also need to hurry up and find Nea's body Lavi: He's been here for ​weeks​

Nea: It'll survive without me Nea maybe. probably.

Smolma: it'd be funny if it was in the treasure room))

Nea doesn't actually know

Nea: || because he's a gem Nea: || ba dum tsh

Junior so like you really are terrible at navigation huh

Lavi: || HAHA, Just hidden under the coins

Nea: || haha jk he's a nasty lump of coal

Junior: lmao }

Lavi: The small buildings, perhaps?

Junior nods Junior: Maybe we'll even find a bed...

Lavi starts walking towards the buildings

Junior follows but also fidgeting. Little bit excited tbh Junior just a little

Nea follows after them

-- -- the inside of the buildings, after searching a few rooms, appear to have a lot of beds. Lavi he's gonna set Alma down on one after warning him a little that he was setting him down on a nice bed. Smolma he doesn't respond Smolma there's not enough progress for that Junior is just gonna find the biggest bed and drag both his brothers to it Nea is in one of your brothers excuse me Lavi is dragged, ends up dragging Alma too bc he doesn't wanna leave him alone.

Smolma: daww that was cute lavi))

Junior then go into some mental corner or something

Nea wow okay fine im not invited Nea retreats to a 'mental corner' enjoy your unconscious brother

Junior I will thanks that's kinda the point of sleep anyway Junior: RIP Nea }

Nea: || rip in rest Nea: || shit tho that was rad af, thanks for lettin me swoop in uwu

Junior: ye I'm glad u liked it xD }

[tanyatakaishi]

Innocent Games: the rewrite

Without a world to save, petty drama and circumstances have forced a rift between the digidestined. That is until they find themselves in a world shaped solely by their memories, without their partners, where the only monsters to face are themselves. I’m doing it. I’m posting the rewrite. I put it on A03 and after a lot of thought I decided to delete all the old chapters on ff.net. I replaced them with the rewritten version and will be reposting the entire thing over the next few months. You can read it here. Or, you can read on tumblr below. I hope to gain some new readers and have some of my favorite peeps return. :)  Post 02, ignoring the epilogue, pretending tri don’t exist. Rated M for language, upcoming violence and sexual innuendo. Dub ‘cuz dub.

Innocent Games

I've seen worlds.

Before I knew that others existed, before I was torn from mine and forced to save another. Before the Digital World, I was sure they existed.

As a child, my mind teemed with magical places: a world where I could fly, another where I constantly wore a suit of armor (even in the tub) and got everywhere by riding a horse. In one, everything was blue. So blue that I couldn't tell the earth from the sky from the ocean from myself. But my favorite world was the one formed by fading memories: where my brother and I still shared a tiny room and I didn't do much but cry. I remember it in pieces: the legos spread across the floor, Matt's foot in my face when I snuck into his bed and turned in the night, the way we'd run to shut the door when our parents kissed, pretending like we hated it.

I sometimes wonder about the world Oikawa brought us to. If there were a way to get back there, if all those worlds could exist in a world like that.

I used to wonder if I was the only one who wondered.

Now that I'm here, I don't wonder at all.

....

Chapter One Black Hole

...

i need u

The words had been sitting mockingly on his phone for more than an hour, waiting for a response.  Matt frowned, finally left with nothing to do but answer. His college essay sat on his brother's desk, covered with comments in red pen (too poetic, too vague, this should be a semi-colon not a comma) all written in skewed pillars of scratchy scrawl. His eyes slipped sideways, across piles of books and crumpled paper to the disheveled bed. An arm slumped over TK's face, but his knees were pointing toward the ceiling and every now and then he had to readjust his feet to keep them there. Patamon had curled into a nest of blankets by his side, long furry ears masking his face. Matt turned back to his phone and hammered out a line with his fingers. Hanging with my brother tonight.

bring him with

Is your sister coming?

no excuses

Matt could think of a hundred. Nope

i thought blondes had more fun  ¬_¬

With a verbal groan, Matt's fingers found the bridge of his nose. Tai's name blurred across the screen of his mobile. He set the phone face down and fiddled with a box of cigarettes nestled in his pocket, fingertips dancing along the few that remained.

“Better leave them there,” TK mumbled into his mattress. “Mom's gonna flip when she finds out you're smoking.” He lifted his head and Patamon squirmed in his sleep. “Who are you texting?”

Matt pulled out a cigarette anyway, letting it linger against his lips. “Tai.”

“You're not going to light that in here...”

“I'm going outside.”

“Better brace yourself. An hour lecture. Minimum.” TK watched as Matt stood. “You didn't tell her about Sora yet, did you?”

The cigarette bent between Matt's teeth.

“Make that two hours,” said TK.

come on! Mimis back. i told her every1 would be there b a friend and act suprised

With a sigh, Matt closed the balcony door behind him. His phone went off again.

man up. u cant avoid Sora 4ever

I'm not Matt stopped typing and his thumb jabbed into the backspace button, erasing his words. He shoved the phone in his pocket and lit his cigarette.

…

your gonna come cuz im irresitable

Does your phone not have spell check?

its not smart

Sora bit back a smile and rolled her eyes.

“Are you sexting?”

Her whole face flushed. “Omigod, no. Mimi.”

Noodles flopped in front of Sora's nose when Mimi pointed a pair of chopsticks at her. “You look like you're playing coy. Is it Matt?” Mimi grinned and the yakisoba retreated, sliding behind her pink lips with a loud slurp.

“Playing coy?”

Mimi spoke with one cheek full. “Pretending you don't like the sexting.”

“I am not sexting.”

“You and Matt don't sext?”

Sora put her phone down. “No! What if someone read it?”

“Who doesn't enjoy some steamy literature once in a while?”

“My mother.”

“She doesn't like Matt?”

“She doesn't like sexting,” Sora hissed. She hid her face behind her hand when an old couple was seated in the booth beside them. “You did hear me when I said we broke up, right?”

“I'd rather live in denial.” Mimi pouted when Sora glared. “Whyyyy? You guys are so cute together.”

That was true, she guessed. Every picture of them was gorgeous. Matt was perpetually handsome, even when he was at his worst. Did he have a worst, really? His frown practically oozed sex. That definitely wasn't his worst: the brooding crease by his cheekbones and narrowed frosty gaze. His smile certainly wasn't. It was bright and charming, even when he was all awkward and embarrassed and his cheeks burst into rosy splotches.

Sora closed her eyes when her phone chimed with a new message. “I don't know,” she said. “Maybe that's why.”

“Because you guys are cute...?”

“Because we...” A piece of chicken was speared through by her chopstick. “Because we're perfect together.” Sora concentrated on wrapping a single noodle around it. She swore she could hear Mimi's jaw drop.

“Well, that's stupid.”

Sora looked up and found Mimi's mouth had puckered, like she tasted something sour. Her eyes narrowed and Sora's narrowed right back. “Thanks.”

“Explain.”

Sora groaned. “It feels like we're always trying too hard. We never fight.” She sighed when Mimi raised her brows. “I mean about us. Our relationship. Shouldn't we fight about us sometimes?”

“You broke up with Matt because you guys don't fight about your relationship?”

“You're making it sound stupid.”

“I'm just repeating what you said.”

Sora flicked a straw wrapper at her and it barely fluttered. “I tried once. To fight with him. About the band. I acted like I was jealous of it, even though I wasn't.” She laughed and Mimi took another big bite of yakisoba. “He just looked at me, you know, like he was trying to get me and then he asked if he should quit.”

“Seriously?”

“Dead serious. He wasn't even mad. He said it didn't matter. Like music didn't matter more than me.”

“That's really sweet.”

“It's not. It's uncomfortable.” Sora poked at her food and everything seemed to rush out of her in one breath. “I'm always uncomfortable. When its just us, I get... he makes me nervous – my stomach hurts, sometimes I can't even breathe.”

“Sounds like a crush.”

“It's exactly like a crush.” Sora frowned. “For four years.”

Mimi swallowed another bite of noodles and stared at her, hard. “You broke up with Matt because you've had a crush on him for four years.”

“I just want to be friends again. I want to sit in a room with him while he plays guitar and not feel like I have to sing his praises. I want to work on a sketch without him telling me how beautiful it is. I want him to forget our anniversary. I want him to do something wrong.” Sora's eyes sunk to her uneaten meal and found a notification on her phone.

“You want someone less perfect.”

Nodding, Sora checked her messages. “I guess.”

sora you dissapoint me. i left u the perfect opening and u blew it. so u coming 2 the party or what?

“Do you want to go to this party Tai's bugging me about?” Sora asked.

Mimi beamed. “Who do you think convinced him to go?”

….

emergency meeting

“I call bullshit,” Davis grumbled.

The pew pew pew of the arcade shooter quieted when Yolei stopped her relentless button mashing to raise a brow at him. It shot up like a question mark beneath her lenses, glaring with the countless lights of electronics. “What?”

Leaning against the side of an old pinball machine, Davis lifted his phone so she could see the text on his screen.

Ken took out another couple zombies before racking up his arcade gun. Davis huffed when Ken's name outranked his in the high scores.

Pushing hair behind his ear, Ken pulled his cell from his back pocket. “I have the same text.”

Yolei hung up the gun she'd still been holding and grinned devilishly when her name climbed to the top of the screen. She flipped open her phone. “He sent it to all of us.

“It's bullshit,” Davis spat. “Guaranteed. Mimi's in town, scheming. She probably stole his phone.”

“It does say emergency,” said Ken.

“Wait. No, Davis is right. I think he's bluffing.” She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her purse and attempted to smooth it. “Apparently Tai's class is lacking in graphic designers. I think someone did this in Paint. God awful.”

She held up a flyer covered in ridiculously drawn confetti and written entirely in Comic Sans. “The seniors are throwing a graduation party.”

Ken looked at his phone again. “Why would Tai invite underclassmen?”

“Because it's Tai,” said Yolei. “He likes attention.”

Davis frowned. “He's going to beat me up.”

“Oh please, he messaged all of us.”

“I'm not going,” said Davis. Bullshit, he typed.

u got me emergency party

And then a second later, dont worry, im not gonna beat u up

Davis leaned forward, peering suspiciously around the corner to find a bunch of elementary kids gathered around the latest version of DDR. No Tai. He held up a finger when Yolei tried to talk to him. Thanks, he wrote. It took him a while to hammer out the next line. Kari gonna be there? I need to talk to her.

maybe not

“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Yolei.

Davis flinched and shrugged his shoulder into her chin, nudging her away. “Stop reading my texts.”

“You were about to show it to me anyway.”

True, but he wasn't about to admit it.  “Mind your own business.”

“Please, your business is everyone's business.”

“No it's not.” Davis looked to Ken for back up and was let down by a shrug. “Shut up.”

“I didn't say anything,” said Ken.

Davis huffed and showed Ken his phone. “What is this supposed to mean?”

“I think he's being purposefully elusive.”

“So that I come? Or I don't? Maybe he forgot to leave me out of the message.”

“I doubt that,” said Ken.

“He knows it takes two to tango,” said Yolei.

“There was no tango-ing,” Davis snapped, trying not to sound disappointed. “We had a moment.”

“With your tongues. While she was dating TK.”

Davis reached into his hair to fiddle with his goggles before he remembered they were missing. He could still picture them, nestled in Kari's hair. He crossed his arms. “I know, I know. I'm an asshole.”

“You just weren't thinking,” said Ken.  If it had come from someone else, Davis would've taken it as an insult, but Ken did this thing with his voice that was eerily soothing.

“Was that Kari's excuse?” Yolei's eyes went all squinty, the same way they did whenever she took off her glasses. Davis sorta wanted to steal them so she always looked that stupid.

“It was a moment,” he repeated.

She was already ignoring him, fingernails clicking against buttons as she hammered out her own texts at breakneck speed.

Davis pouted at Ken and returned to Tai's message. It must have taken him a good five minutes to write back, because Ken was already winning against the next round of computer zombies.  Tell her to come. I'll be good. You can even chaperone us.

His phone gave a pleasant chirp in return.

as if u had a choice

Davis started to respond when Yolei's voice squealed, “Oh! We're doing makeovers at Sora's!”

“We?” he asked.

“For the party. With Mimi. The girls,” Yolei said. Before Davis could open his mouth again, she looked up from her phone to glare at him. “Kari's not coming.”

He frowned. “Crap.”

Ken gave him a small smile. “Whack-a-mole?”

“How'd ya guess?”

…

emergency meeting

Green eyes scanned the words through thin metal bars. Ripping off his glove, Cody typed a quick reply. Where?

His fingers tapped impatiently on the end of a shinai while he waited for a response. “Sorry, sensei.”

Removing his helmet, Chikara Hida gave a wave of dismissal and kicked back a swig of prune juice. His white beard came back glistening around a smile, wrinkles kissing the corners of his cheeks. “How is the Digital World these days?”

“Peaceful.” Cody pulled off his own helmet and pushed strands of damp hair from his eyes. He looked over his shoulder to where Upamon was happily playing with his own mini shinai, his oversized ears swinging it around with strange precision. Cody's attention turned back to his phone and it felt suddenly heavy in his hand. “It's been a long time since we've had a meeting.”

“We haven't seen anyone since I've been back,” complained Upamon, suddenly dropping his weapon. He bounced across the dojo floor and flew into Cody's back, forcing him forward. “Are we having a meeting?”

“Sounds like it.” His phone chimed and he peered down at the new message.

Bullshit, it said. A tiny avatar bursting with burgundy hair appeared beside it. Davis was grinning behind his goggles and shooting up what he must have thought was some sort of American gang sign.

Cody squinted at his phone, watching as Tai and Davis messaged back and forth.

“Is everything all right?” his grandfather asked.

“False alarm,” Cody answered flatly. He gave Upamon's head an affectionate pat and typed out a quick message of his own.

Davis, you're in a group text.

His phone chimed again.

Fuck

…

Ba-ding.

Ba-ding. Ba-ding.

Ba-ding.

The phone slid under a pillow and a body slid under the sheets, further and further until it was just a ball at the foot of the bed. It gave a pitiful moan. “Please stop.”

A door creaked open. “You could turn it off.”

The lump shook, a pathetic vibrating that only ended when the smoothly tucked corners of the the comforter were yanked out from under the mattress, uncovering it.

Susumu Kamiya sat on the bed and gave his daughter's hair a rub. Chestnut strands stuck in every direction, clinging to the sheets.

Kari pulled the covers back over her head. “I messed everything up,” she moaned, wiping damp cheeks into her mattress. “Even Tai's mad at me.”

“He's not mad at you, honey. He's just brothering.” Susumu laughed, just a little snort of appreciation at his own humor. “You know, like mothering, but he's your broth—”

“Got it, Dad,” Kari moaned.

“Anyway, you didn't mess everything up. You're in high school, Kari. This isn't time for a serious relationship anyway.”

“You mean any relationship.”

“That's my girl.”

Ba-ding.

Susumu's hand reached and slipped under her pillow. He started scrolling through her messages.

Kari peeked from under the covers. “Dad!”

“You don't want to read that. Or that.” He stretched his arm away from her grabbing hand. “Protecting my daughter's virtue is my dadly duty. Please.”

Kari found her nose smushed under his palm. “Stop looking at my—”

“Definitely not that. Wow. I'm gonna have a talk with his mother about that language. Oh here.” Susumu released her face and handed her the phone. A row of texts had appeared, all accompanied by a grinning picture of Mimi Tachikawa, who (courtesy some good trick photography) seemed to be sporting Lady Liberty's crown.

“You should go have fun with the girls,” Susumu said. “Get out of the house.”

Kari looked up from her phone and frowned. “Stop fathering me.”

“Too late.” He patted her knee with a boyish grin. “Did that a long time ago.”

….

im here. ur mom made dinner. its delish

“Mmmmm, Mrs. Izumi,” Tai mumbled through a mouthful of dumplings, “dese are amadin'.” He grabbed another between his fingers and offered it to Joe, who sat awkwardly beside him, knees knocking into the Izumi's coffee table.

Joe peered over his glasses at the food, moist in Tai's palm. “Let's leave some for Izzy.”

Shrugging, Tai popped it in to join the others. The bedroom door opened.

“Iddy!” Tai swallowed. “Can I have your mom?”

Izzy's eyes, dark and lined with heavy shadows, flickered to the kitchen where his mother was putting together another plate. His attention turned back to Tai who seemed to be waiting for a serious answer. “No.”

“I have some fresh bok choy and garlic,” Mrs. Izumi said, carrying a tray into the living room. The smell preceded her and Tai's mouth started to water.

“Trade?”

Izzy ignored him and turned his attention to Joe. “I'm going to make an educated guess and conclude the emergency's a farce.”

“This is why I don't add you to group texts,” Tai grumbled. “You ruin all the fun.”

Mrs. Izumi set the bok choy on the table and Tai quickly snatched some up with his chopsticks, thanking her through a loud slurp. “Would you boys like anything to drink?” she asked.

“Could I take my dinner in my room?”

“Oh, well, of course, Izzy, but,” Mrs. Izumi seemed to hesitate, her hands wringing together, “don't you want to take a break?”

“I want to show them what I've been working on,” he said, rubbing a tired eye. “I'll go to bed after that.”

“No way, emergency meeting, Izzy.”

Izzy set his eyebrows until they looked like a big bushy V and Tai grimaced.

“Is everything all right?”

“Everything's fine, Mom. Don't worry.”

“Okay, I'll just put this all on a tray for you. Tai, Joe, are you staying for—”

“No,” Izzy said. “They have a party to go to.” He pulled open his door, motioning for them to step inside.

“Aw man,” Tai moaned, slumping into Izzy's office chair. His neck craned backwards, making it seem as if his large mop of hair was weighing him down. “Killjoy, that's what you are. I coulda boxed that up and taken it home for later. Do you know how hard it is to get a good meal at my house?”

Izzy pushed the chair so that it rolled away from his desk, Tai flopping with it. An array of screens were running in black and white, with code so tiny that Tai had squint his eyes to make out any of it.

“So what's got you too busy to make it to my graduation party? This is like a once in a lifetime opportunity, Izzy.”

“No one went to mine,” interjected Joe, stretching his legs as he sat on Izzy's bed. “Including me.”

“Wrong.” Tai snapped his fingers. “I went to yours.”

Izzy tapped a couple of lines into the screen, his dark eyes running back and forth to double check his work. He looked haggard. His red hair was long again, sticking out in every direction in greasy clumps. Tai was about to ask when he'd last thought to take a shower when he spoke up.

“I'm replicating the data that existed in the world MaloMyotismon brought Davis's team into.”

Tai sat up straight and used his feet to roll the chair forward. His eyes danced over the screens. “You mean Whoop-ass Wishing World?”

“That's what you named it?” Joe asked.

Tai gave a shrug. “Davis did. Made sense.”

“WWW.” Izzy's top lip curled with a hint of amusement, fingers still flying across the keys. “Because of it's connection to the Digital World, I've actually managed to extract a quantitative code that could potentially give us the power to create tangible spaces with the images in our brains: memories, dreams...”

Joe gave a heavy swallow. “You're kidding.”

“Not at all,” groaned a voice beside his rear.

Joe jumped, literally taking off across the room with a hand clutched over his breast when Tentomon appeared from under the covers.

“He's been working on it all night,” Tentomon moaned, green digital eyes flickering sleepily. “And all day. And the night before that and the night before that...”

“So what you're saying is”—Tai gave a big grin and rolled up, bumping the back of the chair into Izzy's legs—“he needs a break. A party perhaps?”

Izzy was already shaking his head. “I'm not going, Tai. Do you have any idea what a breakthrough like this could mean? We can dream up”—he started to look a bit manic— “endless possibilities. This could mean a world of unlimited resources... we can literally create an entire world of unlimited resources.”

“You must have weird dreams.”

“He has no time for dreams,” yawned Tentomon. “Never sleeps.”

“Izzy, Izzy, Izzy,” Tai tsked. He stood and threw an arm around his shoulders. “You gotta know when to quit. This isn't healthy, is it, Joe?”

Joe was already busy picking up an assortment of empty tea bottles from the floor. “I hope you're drinking water.”

Izzy lifted his shadow-rimmed eyes to Tai's, squinting. “Breakthrough.”

“Is this why you missed my soccer game Friday?” Tai pouted when Izzy gave a shrug. “You wound me.”

A knock disturbed them and Mrs. Izumi slowly opened the door with a tray of food in her arms. There was enough for all of them even though they weren't staying. “It's so nice to see you boys,” she said when Izzy quickly turned back to his screen. “It's been too long.”

Tai deflated. “College applications, ugh.”

In truth, they were only half the problem. It had been more than six months since he had attempted to get the group together.  The older they got, the more complicated everything seemed to get. School was a given, relationships were just, ugh, drama... heck, even soccer was crazy. A quarter of the team was stressing over college scouts. Tai was over it. He hated complicated – the stress, everything--it was easier to avoid it.

“Just wait until you're in college,” groaned Joe. “I don't even know why I'm here.”

“Easy.” Tai grinned. “Me.”

Mrs. Izumi smiled. “I can't believe how much you've all grown.” She set the tray down and the fingers on her hand twitched, just behind her son's red hair. It lowered suddenly when Izzy began to plug in another line of a code and Tai noticed the way her smile stretched when her eyes filled with tears.

Joe must have noticed too, because he started fumbling with his armful of empty bottles and excused himself, bolting out of the room to throw them into the recycling bin.

Izzy immediately stopped typing and turned to her. “I can't speak for Tai, but I'd deduce my growth has a lot to do with your incredible cooking.” He rubbed one tired eye and forced a grateful smile.

“Please speak for me,” Tai said, swiping yet another dumpling. He internally breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Izumi's face lit up, tears shining.

“I really appreciate it,” Izzy continued. Pink welled into his cheeks when she kept smiling. “Thanks, Mom.”

Her voice came out sweet and strangled. “You're welcome, sweetheart. You boys let me know if there is anything else I can get you.” The door closed after Tai caught her wiping her eyes.

He turned to Izzy. There was a brief moment unspoken between them, a concern Tai wasn't sure how to voice: What's going on? Why is your mom crying? Are you okay?

Izzy turned back to his screen and Tentomon buzzed into the side of his leg, a not so subtle nudge. He leaned down to grab a dumpling from his partner's outstretched claw.

“I'll call you when I've reached a stopping point,” Izzy said before taking a bite. His mouse clicked once, twice, and then he reached backwards without looking and rolled the office chair back in front of the desk. He took a seat and clicked again.

“Okay, I get it.” Tai shoveled a mound of food into his palm for the road. “You're on a roll. Breakthrough. Yeah, call me when you decide to be cool again.”

“A breakthrough that could theoretically save the world.”

“Meh. Already did that. Literally.” Tai put one last dumpling on his pile. “You make sure he gets a shower later, eh Tentomon?”

Izzy frowned while Tentomon gave an obedient salute.

Tai's fingers danced by his head in a weak imitation of Medusa's snakes. “Your hair, Izzy, geez. Shower! Water, food... life!” He tore into the dough with his teeth and spoke through a mouthful of pork. “You know Mimi's gonna be there, right?”

There was another light flush in Izzy's cheeks and Tai felt triumphant.

“Tell her I said hello,” Izzy mumbled before taking his own bite of food. “How long is she in town?”

“A week, I think.” Tai gave a shrug and headed for the door. “Life,” he hissed, backing out of the room. “La-iiife.” He could have sworn he saw Izzy start to laugh, just the slightest shake of his shoulders.

Joe almost ran into his back. “Where are you going?”

Tai popped another piece of food into his mouth. “To da pardy.”

“What, that's it? You aren't going to drag him out by the collar and call him a pansy?”

“Nope.”

Joe glared through his lenses. “Yet it's perfectly acceptable to do to me?”

“Can't do it to Izzy.” Tai slapped him between the shoulders of his collared shirt, hard. “He's got a backbone.”

…

The screen had gone blurry long before he finally quit. Izzy's face lowered onto the keyboard, crushing keys. Blank lines entered beneath the cursor until there was nothing left but black. It took a minute before he realized he'd fallen asleep.

Izzy peeled his sticky cheek from the back of his hand and robotically erased the lines until he was back to a screen full of code. He rubbed his eyes but the numbers wouldn't focus. Yawning, he saved his work and rolled his chair backwards.

“Shower,” he mumbled, still hearing Tai's voice chiming cheerfully in his ear.

It had been a long time since Tai had been by.

Maybe it just felt long. Time didn't pass normally when he was working. Obsessing, Tentomon would say worriedly from his usual position on his bed. The digimon spent the rest of his time in the kitchen with his mom, worrying. Izzy cast a look over his shoulder as he trudged tiredly to the hall, catching the digimon snoring beneath the covers. Guilt crawled into his belly and he slowly closed the door behind him.

Izzy tried to shake it off. It would be over soon. The program was complete. It was riddled with bugs, a million different glitches that he couldn't seem to figure out, but the essence was there. The power to create, just waiting for his fingertips.

Turning on the water seemed mundane, infinitesimal in comparison to everything he could be doing. Necessary only because he was, unfortunately, still very human.

Izzy stared at himself in the mirror, his red hair was greasy and wild from endless frustrated tugs and long enough that it looked a miniature version of Tai's gravity defying mane. He attempted to smooth it and it stuck to his scalp in kinky waves. He gave himself a small sniff and his nose crinkled with disgust.

Sighing, he stripped and stepped into the shower. Code danced across his closed eyes, burnt permanently into his retinas, while the screen in his room slowly ate it away.

Inside his computer, the numbers collapsed. Code slipped from all sides of the monitor, funneling to the center of the screen. The whole room flashed, a distortion of a pixels, just a glimpse into the world beyond. Then everything went silent.

Months of work lost and in its wake, a black hole, just waiting for something else to come close.