#i guess I’d like to be proven wrong but I doubt it

[stuckinapril]

I'm a huge weeknd fan and hearing from ppl the episode would have worked best without him in it crushed me 2! Maybe he should have worked as a producer only 😭 he can't act sorryyyyy still love him tho

Dude it totally would’ve. The worst scenes in the first episode are easily ones where he’s in them. He’s really wooden & his character is just unlikable in general. It’s too early to tell for Lily Rose Depp, but as far as the first episode goes I was actually a fan of her performance. I liked all the intimate Jocelyn moments that brought up her mother/career/emotional trauma etc, and she’s probably my fav character rn. I HATED the scenes where she just blindly submits to some club owner w a greasy rattail bc it’s some rich guy’s twisted fantasy. It just felt like her brain turned on and off depending on the story beats. Also it’s lowkey embarrassing for them to portray a pop star as this open w some stranger bc abel is. Literally a pop star. It just feels superficial when there truly could’ve been an opportunity for a rly cool storyline

[angstywaifu]

Black Dahlia - 6. Yield

Garrick Tavis x OC (Dahlia Aetos)

One tragic day changes Dahlia's life forever. Despised by her father and brother, she's spent her entire life trying to be the child and sister she use to be. But nothing she ever does is good enough. She joins the Rider's Quadrant to prove them wrong. Garrick now in his second year has proven he is more than the mark on his skin to his fellow riders, and taken leadership of his own Squad alongside Xaden. Little does he know the girl walking across the parapet is about to send him on a rollercoaster of a year.

Black Dahlia Masterlist | Masterlist

Name after name gets read off the death roll. The names of the cadets who never made it across the parapet. Those who have now joined Malek.

None of them mean anything to me though. A few last names here and there sound familiar, most likely children of other riders I’ve met along the way.

“I know they said eighty yesterday, but hearing them read out all these names makes it really sink in.” A girl next to me whispers.

I look over to see it’s the girl who occupies the bed next to mine in the sleeping quarters. I’d never caught her name, but her bobbed hair cut made her stand out amongst the other girls in the quadrant. Well at least to me it did. Most girls had their hair cut into pixie cuts to minimise the risk of it being burned off or grabbed during a fight. She’s clearly cut it shorter than it usually was, but wasn’t fully prepared to cut it all off like me. My longer hair definitely made me stand out. Despite the messy high ponytail I’d pulled it into, it still hung to midway down my back. Something I’d have to be mindful of.

“It really does. But it shouldn’t be this long again for a while right?” The girl with dark hair on her other side whispers back.

“Least not till next year. Hard to say with threshing and presentation day though.” I say, cutting into their conversation.

Both look at me wide eyed. As I look them over it’s easy to tell they have some training behind them. Enough to get by and hold their own, but they’d still need to put in some extra work to keep up with those who have come from military families.

“Surely it can’t be that bad?” The other girl with dark brown hair tied back into a bun, asks as she leans around her friend.

“It all comes down to the dragons and if they deem us worthy.” I say with shrug as they gulp nervously.

“Surely they won’t get rid of that many though. Not with how many riders they lose each year, they need to get as many in as they can.” The one with the bob states.

“She’s right.” A slightly gruff voice next to me says. I almost think it’s Xaden, it sounds so similar to him. But there’s a slight softness to it that isn’t him. “Dragons don’t care about the amount of riders dying. If they don’t deem you worthy, they won’t hesitate. But you two will be fine.”

Bodhi must smile at them as they both relax instantly, offering quick smiles of their own before turning their attention back to the front.

“You don’t know that.” I mutter to Bodhi, hoping the other two don’t hear me.

He looks down at me and shrugs. “I don’t, but if they start doubting themselves then they’ll get into trouble. And we need as many of us to survive as we can.”

I hated to admit it, but he was right. If you started doubting yourself here and it would all go downhill. Bodhi would make a great leader one day. Not even two days in and he was already looking out for people he barely knew. Something not many here would do. A lot of people saw the Riders Quadrant as survival of the fittest. Squad loyalty meant fuck all to a lot of people here until they needed to.

“All right, second and third years you know where to go.” Xaden calls out as the second and third years break away from us, leaving us first year with Xaden. “Now I expect at least one of you has memorised your schedule.”

His eyes scan over the seven first years in front of him, probably trying to figure out if one of us had. Which I had. It wasn’t hard. But I guess when you’ve lived by a schedule most of your life it isn’t. As if he can sense what I’m thinking Xaden meets my gaze and nods at me. But he can’t have read my thoughts. Inntinnsic’s are killed on the spot, and there’s no way to pretend you don’t have a signet. Maybe he just assumes I’ve memorised it due to who I am.

”So if there are no questions, just stay alive. I’ll see you all in the gym after lunch for assessments.” He says before walking off and leaving us to our own devices.

”Please tell me one of you knows where to go?” Bodhi asks as he turns to all of us, scratching the back of his head.

By some miracle we had all found our classes throughout the day, and now we all stood around the mats waiting to be called up for assessments. We were the last session of the day due to them splitting us up for this. But once challenges started in two weeks we would all be in here. In front of us a girl I now knew as Liz stood on the mat facing up against another first year from our squad. What was their name again? Edward? Ethan? I honestly hadn’t remembered his name even after spending all day with them. Least he was giving me something to look at. Nearly every male in this room was shirtless. And I don’t blame them. It was hot as hell in this room.

Whatever his name was clearly knew how to fight, but they could tell Liz was not as confident. As could I. Her fighting stance was good so she knew something. But I could tell she was very aware of the size and power difference between her and him.

”They need to do something.” I mutter as the keep circling each other. “Need to show what they can do.”

Bodhi, who had taken what seemed to be his now usual spot next to me hummed in agreement. “If what Xaden told me about challenges is true, they use this to weed out the weak. Pair them against other cadets who are stronger.”

He was right. Xaden was right. I had been trained by Emetterio multiple times over the years. And I knew what he was like. He had told me stories about some of the cadets he had seen over the years. His method was to try push those who were weaker by putting them against stronger cadets. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. And strangely, even though I had just met the girl in front of me, I didn’t want her to be one of the ones that didn’t.

The mat next to them frees up, Emetterio scanning the crowd of cadets pointing to a female third year with copper coloured hair. “You and-” He turns his gaze to the rest of us, clearly not finding anyone he wants to put her against. Till his eyes meet mine. A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he raises his finger to me. “You.”

Around me the other first years whisper between each other as I step forward. Emetterio has so far been keeping it to cadets in the same year. The occasional first year against a second year, or a third year against a second year. But he was yet to pin a first year and a third year against each other. This fight was either going to push myself or the third year. And right now I couldn’t tell which. As she steps onto the mat across from me I can tell she knows how to fight. Of course she did, she was in her third year. You wouldn’t get to your third year if you didn’t. As we start to circle each other I note that Xaden has moved over to join Bodhi, both of them watching me intently. And it wasn’t them. It was everyone. Everyone wanted to see what the Colonel’s daughter could do.

The third year makes a lunge for me, and its then I notice her sloppy foot work. Hand to hand combat is not her strong point. This isn’t to challenge me, its to challenge her. She swings out wide, trying to hit me in the head, but I easily side step and bat her arm away. I can almost feel the anger radiate off her as she spins back to me trying the same move again. Rookie error. Instead of batting her arm away like I had last time I grab it, twisting it behind her back as she yelps in pain. Despite having some height and size on me, her attempts to get out are feeble. She’s clearly gotten lucky in her previous fights. She attempts to kick my right knee, but misses by a long shot and throwing her off balance in my grip. I use it to my advantage, applying pressure to the back of her knee with my foot, sending her down to the mat as she lets out another yelp of pain as I pin her face down. She manages to twist in my grip, attempting to roll underneath me and grab me. Instead of staying above her, I roll with her. Wrapping my arms around her neck, placing her in a choke hold. Her nails dig into my arm, a hiss escaping my lips as I feel them pierce the skin and a bead of blood rolls down my arm. After a few seconds I can feel her getting weaker and weaker, her nails no longer piercing the skin of my arm.

”Yield!”

”Yield, Nari!”

Nari pushes through, clearly not wanting to give up. Clearly wanting to prove she won’t be beaten by a first year. Let alone the Colonel’s daughter. But after a few more seconds of struggling her hand falls away from my arm, tapping the mat three times.

She yields.

I quickly release my hold on her, pushing her off me as she clutches at her throat, gasping for air as she lies on the mat. Some of her friends rushing over to her side to help her. As I stand, I realise now the fight is over the room is quiet. I look around and see everyone watching us. Emetterio standing off to the side nodding at me in approval before pointing at two other cadets to take to the mats, the room filling with the usual buzz as the fights start back up. I pivot on my heal to return to my spot on the mat. Only to be met with two pairs of onyx eyes looking right at me. Bodhi not even bothering to hide a giant smile that adorns his face. While Xaden gives me a brief nod of his head before disappearing back into the crowd to join the other second years.

@imtoanonymousforyou @simplyme-fornow @omalmal @lalaluch @wolfbc97 @leptitlu @fullmoon-94

[iridessence]

so i was recently watching Precious for the first time in years, like at least 10 years, and the scene where there is a meeting with Mariah the Counselor, Mo’nique and Gabourey came. I had no idea that the Internet had Tik Tok-ified a soundbite from precious's mother’s monologue… (“since you got your degree, and you think you know every fuckin thing”) and honestly it I’m not sure it will ever sit right with me again.

I’m not saying that tragic moments in fictional media can’t also be amusing, but usually they take agency by making fun of themselves, or the media is so badly done that it’s hard not to laugh. I would say in the case of this meme-ified moment, neither apply. And one other big issue with said meme-ification is that millions of people, mostly youthful tiktokers will take this bit and laugh and likely never contend with the heavy source material, despite having much to learn from it.

i just sincerely doubt that the person who initially pulled that clip and made it the meme it’s become is a fierce advocate for plus size black femmes and the abuse many of us are prone to experience— though i’d love to be proven wrong. likeeee something don’t smell right here, boys. sorry not sorry but I just don’t think you should make or share a meme about (fictional, even) black women going through some of the worst shit imaginable that just takes the source content so far out of context that it’s unrecognizable, unless like… you seriously advocate for that very marginalized group in general. And somethin tells me most of them don’t. But like I guess that’s just what TikTok does

[cardboardclownery]

...hi guys :]

so uhh. folie a deux posting again-

this issss the first chapter i wrote for this!! cookie and i split the chapters among

ourselves specially based on their content and when pitching the idea for this one cookie said they felt sick while reading my idea so. i was chosen to write this one for his sake -v-

SO!! sit back, relax, and enjoy the horrors my friend B]

(also sorry about the bracket bits at the start, we havent made placeholder town names yet or anything ;v;)

FOLIE À DEUX - CHAPTER 5, DRAFT 1

big tw for: graphic depictions of violence, cannibalism, dark themes(?? its freaky idk what youd call it)

I’ve once again found myself in the dark, suffocating woods surrounding the towns of Eastridge. Realistically, I could’ve stayed in [town name] for a bit longer– I had only just started living there before moving out again. Despite that, something in my head is telling me that I have to leave. Telling me how that place is too close to my old home, how easy it would be for Lankmann to find me there.

That voice has been leading me fairly well so far, so I have no reason to stop following him now.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a bit doubtful, though. I have no reason to believe he’s right or wrong, but a voice telling me to walk endlessly through the wilderness with unconfirmable reasoning isn’t exactly easy to believe. What other choice do I have, though? Stay put and see if it’s proven right, only to risk being put back into that hellish asylum?

No. That isn’t an option. We– I’m not going back there.

God, I’m hungry.

Still, I keep walking, ignoring how much my stomach growled. If I just make it to the nearest town soon, I can get something to eat. I think I still have enough money left to buy something. If not… hopefully they have a soup kitchen. I never imagined I’d end up in a situation where I would depend on something like that. I guess I never considered how people end up homeless or unable to feed themselves.

It feels odd calling myself a “person” now. I don’t know why, but it just seems… wrong in some way.

…I smell something. What is that smell? It’s visceral, almost like raw pork, and yet oddly sweet. I feel drool well up in my mouth and drip down my chin. I quickly wipe it off with my sleeve as I feel my heart begin to pound. Why am I so shaky? And why am I so much hungrier than before?

I look around for the source of the smell only to see a person walking not too far off in the distance. The trees make it hard to see them very well, but I can tell it’s a person. I know it doesn’t make sense for them to be the source of the smell, and yet something’s telling me that they are.

I find myself unable to look away from them. I don’t know why, but I just can’t.

Something about them makes me feel even hungrier.

Why am I hungrier? That’s a fucking person, what is wrong with me? Why can’t I just look away– I keep trying but I can’t get myself to look anywhere else but at them. My jaw falls open, letting more saliva spill out. They start walking farther away, I should walk away too.

But I can’t stop staring.

I can’t stop drooling.

I can’t…

I can’t…

stop…

…

…What...

What’s…going on..?

I can’t remember…how I got here…

I feel something in my mouth…I’m chewing something. It feels like steak, yet tastes more like ham. There’s so much of it, I feel it spilling out over my chin. It’s so warm… and wet… Is it covered in blood..? Was this even cooked at all? What the hell am I eating!?

I look down and–

And–

Fuck. Fuck, I–

I choke on what I was chewing, covering my eyes.

This isn’t fucking happening this isn’t happening–

I uncover my eyes and look down again. I see the same thing.

That person I saw. They’re right here, laying right in front of me. They won’t move, there’s a tear in their neck and they’re bleeding. They’re bleeding a lot.

Their leg’s bleeding too– there’s a deep gash in it. It looks as if an animal had torn it open with its teeth.

There’s blood on my hands. And my face, and my clothes.

There’s so much blood.

A sob pushed at my throat as I willed myself into looking at the person’s face. Another slipped out as I saw them staring back at me, making me look away again. I can’t bear looking at them like this. I can’t believe they’re even alive, let alone conscious.

It would’ve been so much easier if it wasn’t…

…What do you mean, “it?”

They aren’t an “it,” that– that’s a person that’s not–

I shake my head and look back down at its– their leg. The wound left in it is so deep, almost reaching the bone. For some reason, when I looked at this…

When I looked… I felt so, so hungry.

I swallow what remained in my mouth. It tastes… good.

Why does it… taste good..?

Without thinking, I lean down, hold the person’s leg in place and tear off another hunk of flesh with my teeth. The person doesn’t even resist or scream. It just lays there, whimpering in pain.

Its meat tastes so, so good.

I quickly chew up the viscera between my teeth and gulp it down along with the blood it was drenched in. I lick my lips to take in the mess on my face. It was oddly savory, even sweet. I tore off another chunk from its leg.

“I…I-I’m so…I’m sor…ry…” I choked out between chews. “I’m so… so, sorry…”

I swallowed down the mush in my mouth before croaking out another “sorry.” I couldn’t stop repeating as I ate, “sorry,” “sorry,” “I’m sorry,” as if it would do anything. It didn’t take long to notice the person stop responding. It finally died off as I sobbed pointless apologies, devouring what was left of its leg.

My sobs became incomprehensible blubbering after this. I couldn’t bring myself to eat anymore. I just buried my head in my hands, muffling the nonsense tumbling from my throat.

…It’s so odd.

In less than a week, I’ve transformed from a deer in headlights into a predator– a beast perhaps even more frightening than the one I had been running from all this time.

…

I can’t remember exactly how we- I got rid of the body. I just remember panicking, dragging the corpse for hours without thinking. I can’t remember where it is now. I think I stepped on something. Just above my ankle, there’s a bloody gash that must’ve been there for a while now. It’s from a bear trap I think. I probably shouldn’t be walking with a wound like that in my leg. I probably shouldn’t be able to walk with that in my leg. It stings, but it doesn’t hurt as much as it should, I don’t think.

I’m still damp from washing in a river. I think it was a river. It might’ve been a lake, actually. I can’t really remember that, either. I just know I was covered in blood, then went somewhere that had water and left without any blood on me. I couldn’t get the stains off of my clothes, though.

Hopefully no one noticed.

I’m in an apartment now– a small, run-down one, but an apartment. I’ll be stuck living here for a while so I need to get used to it. I’ve been staring at the same spot on the beige, hole-filled wall for a few minutes now, standing just in front of the door leading outside. My bag is lying next to me, having been dropped just after walking inside and closing the door.

I should go to bed.

I should unpack.

I should take a proper shower.

I should turn myself in to the police.

I should

I

don’t

I don’t. Know.

What do I do now?

Where do I go from here?

What… what do I do..?

I… I killed someone… I can’t even remember where they are now…

I just… hid them… like it was nothing and walked away.

I ate their fucking leg.

Why… why did I… Why…

Why…

I…

Can’t… breathe…

I fall backwards against the door. I can’t breathe. I choke on nothing. I can’t stop shaking.

My eyes start to sting from the tears forming in them. My fingers curl against the floor. My nails dig into it as they do.

Inhuman sounds bubble in my throat.

I feel something heavy wrap around me but nothing is there.

It becomes easier to breathe somehow.

The invisible weight around me grows heavier, pushing me down to the floor.

I curl into myself, lurching with each choked sob of a breath. Despite there being no source of it in the room, I swear I can hear music.

I really have lost it, haven’t I.

[yuikomorii]

Dude, why Shu and Subaru betrayed Ayato in Young Blood? I guess that's explaining why Ayato being narcissist since he's feel nobody loves him including his parents (I believe Cordelia isn't evil but extremely insane)

// To be honest, while he was directly implicated and what he did was definitely wrong, I doubt Subaru abandoned Ayato there out of malice, but I’d rather call it cowardice. When he heard that Shu really planned to abandon Ayato, he got startled and swiftly continued performing what Shu told him to do, most likely thinking to himself, "I better do my job right, or I'll end up like Ayato."

Shu, on the other hand... I can't defend him here. I believe Ayato's selfless nature made him appear an excellent bait, given that such people are frequently considered fools. You can see in the third chapter how ready he was to return in order to save Laito and Kanato, even though those ghouls were hunting him (and his brothers) down.

I'm very sure the triplets were the only Diaboys who hadn't experienced even a smidgeon of genuine love before meeting Yui. I honestly don't think Ayato is a narcissist since he basically lies to himself. It's proven that he believes no one will ever think of him as special, and he's well aware of how others ridicule him. The whole "I'm the strongest" or "I'm better than anyone!" thing is just his way of coping so as not to get depressed. Many times, he acts impulsively in order to prove others (and himself) that he is capable of doing something, so as to stop others from looking down on him, as they always did.

Last but not least, Karlheinz is actually the root of all evil and he knew Ayato would get used, abandoned, cursed, manipulated, gaslighted, ridiculed and physically + emotionally abused BUT that’s exactly what he expected to happen. In his eyes, the point of Ayato was suffering so much but still continuing to resist without breaking, which was confirmed in DF:

[shut-up-hope]

wanna talk abt that one infamous line in 5x12: “i always thought you were the bravest man ive ever met…”

followed by the heart-wrenching: “…guess i was wrong.”

the last part of this quote is, without a doubt, incredibly manipulative. arthur’s reasoning for saying smth like that was probably to get merlin to beg for forgiveness and to offer to join in the battle.

it’s understandable for arthur to be hurt over merlin not accompanying him to the most important battle of his life, however it certainly doesn’t justify the intent of his harsh words.

merlin has always proven to be a courageous and loyal servant — and obviously, friend — to arthur. merlin has risked his life for him — most cases which arthur was not aware of, however there were times he knew, times in which merlin was close to certain death because he had risked everything for arthur. a prime example is 1x04; merlin drank the cup filled with poison in front of the entire banket. granted, he was forced by uther to do so, but he did not object to drinking from the cup. arthur was there to witness this happening.

merlin has always accompanied arthur to battle or in minor quests. to arthur’s knowledge, merlin is a mere servant who does not possess magic. furthermore, merlin has never asked for nor was he given any weapons to defend himself with in times of danger, thus making him all the more brave — and possibly stupid — in arthur’s eyes.

the fact that arthur claimed to be “wrong” about merlin being “the bravest man [hes] ever met” was a manipulative statement to pressure merlin into joining him to the battle of camlann.

i’d argue that it was incredibly unnecessary of him to add such a thing when he was praising merlin; he undermined merlin’s efforts and loyalty. it’s perfectly understandable for him to be upset in that moment, however there is no excuse for him to have said something so… cruel.

[louvay]

Since we are talking about braids! Fee, braiding Arthur 3 lines~

“Almost finished up here Artie,” the pegasus knight proclaimed, excited to show off the braids she entwined within her partner’s ever so long hair. Arthur grumbled at the nickname she gave him yet had to keep himself seated still otherwise his initial worries would be proven correct. “You sure know how to tend to hair despite yours being short,” he stated to her sincerely, hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way. “Do you give braids to Annand as well?”

“Oh nah. Pegasi have sensitive manes so you’d be bothering them if you try to pull it in anyway. And besides… I actually used to have mine long too,” Fee responded rather awkwardly and could’ve swore Arthur chocked up from shock after she revealed that fact. “Really?” he asked as Fee hummed. “It was a long time ago, back when I was a page. See, me and the other trainees used to spar with each other as part of our training routine and I’d always trip up when my hair used to swing sideways, getting me off balance when holding a lance. Used to even cry too when I hit the ground,” she sighed, remembering the rougher parts of her adolescence. “So one day, I decided to shorten it down to where I’d look no different than Cedsy and boy did it work! Sure my mother got the jitters when she saw me like that at practice but I managed to graduate into becoming a cadet in no time. Never regretted it ever since,” she spoke with an aura of pride in her words and Arthur was impressed hearing such an act of resolve from her. “Huh, I guess you were quite the different person back then, eh Fee?”

“You can say that much but what about you? Did you always have hair that long or is it just a fashion statement you picked up?” Fee asked in return. “Oh… well…” Arthur cleared his throat before explaining himself. “I used to have short hair, it kinda looked a bit like Scathach’s now that think about it. But I didn’t know anything about maintaining it since well, someone else would do it for me…” Fee was about to assure to him that he shouldn’t continue speaking if it would bother him but Arthur tried to lighten up the mood in his own way. “Heh… it’s funny. You’d think having loose hair that covers most of your shoulders would make for some poor camouflage in the snow but it seemed to work fine for me back then. Might’ve been because of the color of it…” he stated that much as he laughed faintly. “Yeah… maybe it would. But hey, at least you’ve come a long way from that, right?” Fee remarked to him with a gentle yet peppy smile. The pat on the back from her was this time appreciated by Arthur. “I guess so. We’ve both come quite far from where we were haven’t we?” Arthur responded, this time more livelier now, as he pointed towards the rack where Fee had hung her Falcon knight armor on. Her aunt and mother would no doubt be proud of her. “Yup, we sure have!”

[urgonnaneedabiggership]

Part I Here

Part II Here

Part III Here

Part IV Here

Part V Here

Part VI Here

Part VIII Here

MASTERLIST

Word count: 2,097

Warnings: MCU typical violence, mentions of war, mentions of death and un-aliving people.

A/N: In case you feel more comfortable reading on AO3, you can find the link right here. Comments or feedback are greatly appreciated ✨

If Mercedes had been able to see him, the way Namor’s furrowed eyebrows framed his forehead would have denoted he was worried and deep in thought as he made his way through the tunnels searching for her.

His mind plunged from one question to another. He rarely doubted himself, and he took pride in that. However, the conversation that had just taken place was starting to make him comb through every word that had left his visitor’s lips lately, thoroughly looking for signs of hidden intentions.

After all, if the person whose life she had saved still had her doubts about her, why wouldn’t he?

Mercedes was, after all, still in their territory. But if some supernatural force whisked her away back onto the surface, would she keep her promise? She had given them nothing but her word to prove it.

Finally, Namor found her reading in one of the caverns. The jingling sound of his beads bouncing against each other pulled Sadie out of her reading, and before he could say anything, she stood up and pressed her lips pensively, as if she was trying to remember something.

“Ts’o’okan in xooka’….Je’el…u páajtal a meentik k’áat…k’áat chioba.”

She said between pauses, finishing her statement with a triumphant smile.

“We need to talk about something,” Namor said, walking past her and gesturing for her to take a seat.

Sadie was about to jokingly remind him to address her in Mayan. Studying those texts made her realize that, much to her chagrin, Mercedes was beyond out of practice. She remembered once being able to hold entire conversations with her grandmother, and having forgotten so much felt disrespectful to her memory. Namor had proven to be very helpful, patiently correcting her or showing her better ways to express what she wanted to say. In past trips to Talokan, she hadn’t felt comfortable enough to try and talk to the Talokanil in their mother language, but lately, her confidence had grown enough for Mercedes to ask for another “outing”. However, the tone Namor used made her have second thoughts.

“What’s wrong?” Sadie asked.

“For these past few weeks, I want to believe we have learned to trust each other,”

“Yes, I think so,” She replied somewhat confused.

“I wouldn’t want to think I can’t rely on you,” He said, leaning on his elbows so he could look into her eyes. By then, Mercedes had realized he would do that every time something was of extreme importance to him. He probably was one of those people who believed they could catch a lie by staring into the other’s eyes.

“Have I done something to make you think you can’t?” She asked, getting into the same position as he.

“Not that I know of,” He replied, softly shaking his head, “But something happened, and I need to make sure you’re on my side.”

“Namor, listen…”

“No, Xmeech” He promptly cut her off, “Please, know I’m not your enemy.”

“When you look at me like that, with that deadpan threatening look, I’m glad you’re not.” Mercedes replied, unable to fight back a reticent smile, nervously rubbing her hands together.

“I thought you’d made it very clear that you were never afraid of me,” Namor replied, a smug smirk crossing his face.

“I’m not. But I’d rather keep the madman full of himself on my side.”

“We’ll see about that after you tell me what I want to hear,” He interjected before the conversation trailed off. Namor briefed her, taking note of every subtle shift in her features as she intently listened.

“I wasn’t even aware that they’d keep looking for the fungus after we disappeared,” Mercedes said after he finished, “I mean…I guess it would make sense to send another party after the first one went missing, but knowing they’d do what they did to get their hands on more samples changes everything.”

By now, Sadie wasn’t sitting down anymore, she had stood up and was now pacing around the room with her arms tightly folded.

“See, because if their purpose was merely scientific, they wouldn’t need more than a small amount. Why on Earth would they need tons of…?” She remained silent for a few seconds before turning to look at Namor, “Do you still have all the things you recovered from the place where you found my group?”

“We do, but we kept it in the city. I could send for…”

“No, let’s get down there. I think Namora and Attuma will want to hear this too.”

Mercedes wasn’t surprised to see they had stored the remnants of her expedition in a vibranium, apparently well-sealed container. It had nearly killed one of their own, after all.

The contents of the capsule fell on a table before them. Sadie wished the suit allowed her to move more easily, but since it was so heavy and awkward, and it would be potentially dangerous to break any of the vials, Namora offered to go through everything until whatever the girl was looking for was found.

“Are you absolutely sure this is everything you found?” She asked when every single item was displayed before them.

“We checked every inch of the tunnel several times,” Namora assured her.

“What is that you’re looking for anyway?” Attuma asked, impatiently.

“It’s…” Mercedes bit her lip, thinking of the words she needed to use before turning to Namor, “Please tell him I brought a camera with me. A very small square.”

With a nod, the man translated her words.

“I took several pictures with it of a grotto inside the cave where you found me,” Mercedes explained as the Talokanil king kept translating, “It was practically infested with that fungus, and if that camera falls in their hands, they’ll probably drill down there,”

“What would they need them for?” Namora asked, carefully placing the delicate glass vials back inside the container.

“They’re harvesting them in large quantities and recruiting scientists to do more research on them in an operation that it’s secret enough for them to massacre thirty people to keep them quiet,” Sadie recounted, “In my experience with powerful governments, that can only mean one thing, and that’s making a weapon out of something. If I’m correct, and I hope I’m not, they’re using the spores to create some sort of lethal hypoxia-inducing toxin.”

“K’uk’ulkan, I think the grotto she speaks of is far enough from Talokan for us to leave this to the surface dwellers to deal with,” Attuma advised.

“That’s not your biggest problem,” Mercedes continued, “I remember seeing a weird light coming from a…sort of natural duct that ended below that level. They thought it was because of bioluminescent organisms, but think it might be located right above your source of vibranium,”

Of course, that piqued the attention of the three of them.

“Mercedes,” Namora suggested, “I think it’s very likely that your camera was washed away further down the tunnels when we launched the water grenades. It would be impossible to find in that labyrinth.”

“You’re right,” Sadie admitted, “But what if it isn’t? What if they know and come back?”

“We could destroy that section,” Attuma suggested, “Of course, it would be impossible to destroy the grotto without being exposed to the spores, but we could destroy the channel that leads to it, and send some men to explore the neighboring caves in search of more deposits,”

“Yes, do that right away,” Namor instructed. After saluting him one last time, Attuma left the room.

“Wait, that’s all?” Mercedes asked, looking at Namor. He looked at her, puzzled.

“Did you expect a different course of action? If they can’t have access to the duct that leads here, we’re safe.”

“You mean Talokan is safe,” Sadie protested, “This weapon could still be used to murder millions of people in my world. You have to let me go back to warn them!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Namor said, with that same stern tone he used whenever she brought up the subject, “We agreed you would stay here for…”

“For now, yes, I remember,” Sadie interrupted him, moving around the table to be in front of him. Even with the suit on, she still felt annoyingly intimidated under his glare. But with everything that was at stake, she couldn’t just back down. “But what does “now” mean? I’ve been down here for almost a month, hasn’t it been long enough?”

“We will wait another month and then we’ll talk about it,” Namor added in a calm voice that only angered her further.

“I can’t wait another month, K’uk’ulkan!” She yelled, once again blocking his way out of the room, “People need me now,”

“It’s a large enough operation to inevitably draw some eyes out there and I’m sure somebody else will do something about it without having to endanger our nation,” He explained.

“So, you don’t think saving maybe hundreds of my people is worth the risk?” Mercedes hissed, glaring down at him.

“Those words I told you about difficult decisions, Xmeech? Now would be a good time to remember them. Namora, please, escort her back to her room,”

“K’uk’ulkan, if I may, I agree that it’s not a good…” She tried to retort, receiving a severe look from him. She looked at Mercedes and gestured for her to leave the room.

“You’re free not to attend your lesson tomorrow,” Namor said dryly as they left.

“I won’t, thank you, Namor,” She replied before crossing the door.

The silence during their stroll back to Sadie’s room was particularly heavy as the significance of the woman’s last words remained in her mouth as a sour taste. While her companion also remained quiet, Mercedes could sense she turned to look at her from time to time, as if she wanted to say something but always decided against it. Finally, just as they reached the entrance, Namora cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you stay here for longer.

“Really?” Sadie asked, “Even with the risks of me returning to the surface and all?”

Namora nodded and once again seemed to hesitate.

“Back there, you called him K’uk’ulkan,” She noted.

Mercedes sighed and nodded, uncomfortably folding her arms.

“Yes. He said…that he doesn’t want me to think of him as my enemy,”

“And he’s not,” Namora affirmed, “But I think he’s losing sight of the fact that he’s not your friend, either,”

“Trust me, he’s not losing sight of anything,” Sadie insisted bitterly, “You just saw it. He’s not going to budge.”

“That is because he still remembers he’s our leader and protector above anything else,” Namora calmly explained, “But I fear what could happen if you stay here for longer more than I fear what could happen if you leave,”

“What do you mean?” Mercedes asked. Namora pulled the tapestry over her entrance to let her in.

“Teech juntúul ko’olele’ jach na’atja’an,” She simply said before dropping the curtain, leaving an extremely confused Mercedes sitting on her hammock, unsure of whether she should worry about the disturbing discovery of that day of Namora’s cryptic words.

He’s losing sight of the fact that he’s not your friend either

Had she ever considered him a friend, to begin with? She remembered the warm feeling that spread through her chest when he openly affirmed he wasn’t her enemy anymore. And yet, his behavior a few minutes ago was far from friendly. What Namora had said was accurate: perhaps Namor wasn’t her enemy, but he certainly was not her friend either.

The mere idea of him being friends with somebody from the surface was complicated. How had she even imagined that being on his good side equaled him putting all his duties aside to free her? Then, an even more upsetting thought invaded her head. Was he even willing to do so? Was Namor capable of keeping her there in those empty, lonesome caves for the rest of her life?

She remembered his expression when she all but pleaded with him to let her go. He wasn’t angry. He just stood there, with a glint of sadness in his deep brown eyes that was quickly replaced by an impassive stare that had made her feel…

Yes. Of course he was capable.

Mercedes took a quick peek at the hall, and once she was sure no one would interrupt her, carefully retrieved a sharp stone hidden in the base of her small table. Carefully running her finger against one of the edges, she once again sighed and walked towards the pillar that upheld her hammock.

The Translations:

Ts’o’okan in xooka’. Je’el u páajtal a meentik k’áat chioba: I have finished my reading. You can ask questions now.

Teech juntúul ko’olele’ jach na’atja’an: You are a very smart woman

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Laito Ecstasy [Epilogue]

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall of Eden

Ruki: ーー I see. I suppose it has started at last. Thank you for informing us.

Yui: ...It has started? 

Ruki: Yes. Our Familiars and the Adler troops are currently battling it out in the forest. 

Yui: I see...

Reiji: I tried to convince all Vampires to band together...But that has proven to be rather difficult. 

Ayato: ...We’re only wastin’ our time by expectin’ anythin’ from those fuckers.

It’s only when they need somethin’, that they suddenly remember we exist and come butter up to us.

Subaru: Still...What other choice do we have? I mean, with our ‘leader’ (1) bein’ like that...

Shuu: ...Oi, you. Is Laito still in there?

Yui: Yes...

Kanato: Shall I try calling out to him one more time?

Yui: I doubt he’ll come out...

( Because I put too much pressure on him, Laito-kun has now isolated himself in the Chamber of Time in an attempt to flee away from everythingーー )

( I wonder if he no longer cares about anything... )

Yuma: We’re wastin’ time here. We just gotta fix this shit ourselves. 

Ruki: Right...That being said, it cannot be denied that we are at a definite disadvantage in terms of fighting power.

On top of that, we have to be wary of a potential attack from other species as well as the Founders as well...

Reiji: Unless Laito finds his motivation to fight, I have to agree that this situation is anything but advantageous to us. 

Kino: ーー Well, just let us handle the front lines and we’ll leave protecting this place up to you guys. 

Reiji: ...

Kino: Hm? Are we not good enough for you? 

Reiji: No...We are counting on you. 

Kino: ーーGotcha...! That being said, Yuuri, let’s go.

Yuuri: ...Yes, Kino. 

*Whistle* 

Reiji: ーー So they left.

Kou: Yeah. But what’s wrong exactly? 

Reiji: Well, I could not exactly bring it up with them still around but...There is something I’d like to report to all of you. 

Yui: ( ...? What could that be? )

Reiji: Actually, there is something which has been on my mind for a while, so I had one of my Familiars look into it the other day...

I wanted to know why exactly the Vibora Clan had decided to launch an attack on Rotigenberg, home to the Ravens under command of Kino as well as the other Ghouls...

ーー And it seems like the Ghouls were the ones who made the first move.

Ruki: ...Don’t tell me ーー They intentionally instigated an attack upon themselves to gain our sympathy...?

Reiji: I believe that is most likely the case. They must have been looking for a legal way to get inside Eden for some reason. 

Yui: ...No way...!? But why exactly...?

Subaru: Well...Couldn’t they be after that guy’s powers? 

Yui: ーー But...

( I thought Kino-kun’s sole purpose was to guide the Ghouls towards a new land... )

( That is why he needed those powers in the first place. In which case, they are no longer necessary to him right now, rightーー? )

???: ーー Well, I figured you’d find out eventually but...I guess you did a little sooner than I predicted. 

Ayato: ...Kino!? Where are you!?

*Whistle* 

ー An army of Ghouls surrounds them

Kou: This is bad...! We’ve been surrounded!!

Ayato: !? So that’s where you’ve been hidin’!?

Kino: Hehehe...Exactly! It was never our intention to head to the front lines in the first place. 

Yui: Kino-kun...!? 

Why...!? Why are you doing this...!?

Kino: Why, you ask? Shall I teach you? 

Yui: Eh...? 

Kino: Because my true objective has always been to become the Supreme Overlord of the Demon World by getting my hands on Laito’s powersーー 

Yui: So it was all a lie!? About wanting to guide the Ghouls to a new land...

Kino: I mean, it wasn’t all a lie. About half of it is the truth. 

But I guess you should say I simply had another goal which is even more important to me.

Yui: No wayーー 

Kino: I’ve got to thank you for everything you did for me. 

Not only did you arrange it so I could invade this place without having to do any trouble myself, but you even created a wall between the two of youーー 

Yui: ...So that was your intention all along...

Kino: What a scary face you’re making. But you know, all I did was give you a little push into the right direction? 

In the end, it was both you and him who chose this outcome, correct? 

Yui: Ugh...

( He’s not wrong...You pulled the strings but...As a result, just how much did Laito-kun have to suffer? )

( But perhaps...all of that is my fault...? )

( I trusted someone who I shouldn’t have...And got exploited as a result. )

...Ugh...

Azusa: Eve, hang in there...?

Yui: ( Laito-kun...! )

Shuu: ...Ugh...I think we might be in serious trouble.

Reiji: Yes. You might not be wrong there.

Kino: Enjoy the taste of these flames. ーー Do it!

Yuuri: Fire!

*Pang pang pang* 

Ayato: ...Damnit...Guh!!

*Thud*

*STAB*

Kanato: Aaaah...!!

*Thud* 

Yui: ...!!

ー The whole place is lit on fire

Yui: ( Everyone’s dropping like flies...Eden is being swallowed...by the flamesーー )

Monologue

Unable to dodge the incoming onslaught of arrows,

everyone falls to the floor. 

And at the same time, flames start spreading. 

All I could do was stand there and watch,

completely dumbfounded. 

And at the same time,

another voice starts whispering inside my head.

‘It’s all your fault’ ーー It says.

Yui: Ugh...

( I have to go...To Laito-kunーー )

Laito-kuーー 

ー Kino stops her

*Thud* 

Kino: You’re coming with me. 

*Rustle rustle* 

Yui: No! Let me go...!!

*Rustle rustle* 

Yui: ...!

Kino: Nu-uh. I still need you to be useful to me after all. 

Yui: I will no longer...work with you...!

Kino: That’s fine. It’s not like I need you to actively do anything, really. 

You just need to stand by my side and keep your mouth shut, simple as that.

If you just sit down like an obedient doll, that’s plenty. 

Well then, let’s go. Let’s watch together as Eden is burnt to ashesーー

*Thud* 

Yui: ...!!

Laito-kun...Laito-kun!! Laito-kun...Ugh... ーー 

ー The scene shifts to the night sky 

Kino: Don’t worry, you’ll be able to meet him soon enough. I mean, I doubt he won’t take notice of these flames. 

Yui: ...Ugh...

( I’m so sorry, Laito-kun...And everyone else tooーー )

( All of this happened...Because I was so stupidーー )

ー The scene shifts to the Chamber of Time

Laito: ( ...This sound...Fire...? )

( Those old geezers from the Adler Clan...Might have come to attack us. )

( Is Bitch-chan safe...? I’m sure she’ll be okay because my brothers are with herーー )

ー He can hear approaching footsteps 

Laito: ( Aah, the footsteps of the people coming to end my life...are drawing near. )

( With this, Iーー )

*Thud* 

Laito: ( I can be rebornーー )

ー The scene shifts to the World Tree

Yuuri: Kino, I was informed that Laito has been seized. 

Kino: I see. Good job.

Yuuri: I shall tell them to bring him here. 

Yui: ...What are you...going to do with Laito-kun...?

Kino: Isn’t that obvious? I’m going to kill him and take his powers. 

Yui: ...Why would you do such a horrible thing...?

Kino: Let me think. That’s a difficult question, but if I had to give an answerーー

Because I want them. 

Yui: ( ....I doubt Kino-kun will have a change of heart at this rate, no matter what I say. )

( Laito-kun will end up getting killed... )

Please, kill me as well. 

Kino: Nope. 

Yui: ーー Kill me...! I don’t want to live any longer.

Kino: Even if you feel that way, I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive. 

I told you, didn’t I? What I expect from you is to be alive and be here with me. That’s all. 

Yui: Ugh...

Yuuri: They’ve brought him here. 

Yui: Laito-kunーー 

Laito: ...Bitch-chan, you were...safe, huh? 

Kino: In case you’re curious, your brothers somehow made it out of that fire and they’re still alive and kicking as well. 

Laito: Says the guy who will kill them after you’ve ended my life...

Kino: Oh? You saw through me? Oh well, whatever. 

Well then...Let’s leave the chit-chat at that. ...Shall I guide you towards the afterlife? 

They’ve temporarily retreated out of fear of the fire, but I’ve still got those Adlers to deal with afterwards.

*Cling* 

Laito: ...

Kino: I’m envious. You get to take your final breath underneath the World Tree which is regarded as the beginning of all life. I bet that must feel amazing? 

Yui: ( Laito-kun... )

Kino: Well then, let’s get the fun started!

Yui: ( It’s my fault...He’ll die because of me... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Subaru uses the term ボス or ‘boss’ here, which is often used to refer to the leader of a gang or even the yakuza/Japanese mafia. 

[eaeulfl]

My mom just finished watching episode 18 of season 3 earlier and I’m very satisfied with the result and with our discussion. When I asked her if she would revive erwin or armin she didn’t even hesitate and said Erwin. Thank the heavens. Because if she had said armin, I would’ve had to question myself and then subsequently my life again. I already went through so much of that the first time I watched the series and while I’m not completely averse to second guessing myself I’m also not really looking forward to doing it all over again because it is so exhausting.

I’ve already made several posts about this before but I honestly cannot relate to people who swear by Levi’s decision. Can I understand it, yes, most definitely, but I have never felt and will never feel the same way. There was that one time when hange said something like Erwin only ever made one mistake in his life and that was making her the next commander, my immediate thought was the one mistake erwin made was entrusting Levi with the injection. No doubt erwin isn’t perfect and as a human being he’s made many mistakes in his life for sure, but I’m specifically referring to what hange said. If I had to think of just one major thing that he did wrong, it wouldn’t be making hange commander or anything else. The injection was his biggest mistake. And by the way hange is a great commander, and I’d take her over armin any time any place. Heck I’d take jean as commander over armin any time any place.

This has become redundant but the first time I watched the series I kept myself hopeful. I wanted to be proven wrong so badly. Maybe armin was the right choice after all, maybe there was no right choice, maybe it would become the right choice eventually, maybe maybe maybe. I held onto that hope all the way to the end. Unfortunately I now know for certain that I’m never going to get over Erwin’s death. I’m not going to go so far as to say armin becoming the next commander after hange didn’t hold any weight, but said weight was really next to nothing. Virtually nonexistent. Completely negligible. If anyone Jean should’ve been the next in line and this is the hill I will die on.

Do I hate armin? Just for the record, no. Absolutely not. I’ve said this time and time again but he was my favorite character during the first half of season 1 and I still liked him even after finishing the series. Do I find him becoming the next commander completely unacceptable? Also no. He probably would’ve never been as effective of a commander as erwin, or hange, or pyxis, or even jean, but he definitely would’ve done his best and I believe eventually he would’ve done a decent job. My problem is really more with the process and not as much the result. How did we get to him being handed the seat? Largely through Erwin’s and hange’s deaths. Frankly their deaths were so senseless I don’t think I’ll ever recover. And the whole erwin/armin parallel drawn from time to time? Imo that was the worst thing about this. Armin is not erwin, and vice versa. Stop this stupid propaganda. Did I not feel sorry for armin? Of course I did. It wasn’t his fault his friends were being stupid, nor was it his fault that Levi made the wrong decision. It was a crappy situation to say the least and he didn’t deserve to go through any of that. When he nearly threw up after hearing about what had happened, I felt sorry for him. When floch was going on and on and on right in front of him about how erwin should’ve been saved instead, I felt sorry for him. When he was going through his breakdowns dealing with mikasa and the rumbling, I felt sorry for him. Armin had to go through so much crap because of plot armor and he deserved better. But this still doesn’t change the fact that erwin was the right choice.

[ca-8]

❝𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭... (❤️📖𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐨 𝐘𝐚𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐮📖❤️ 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)❞

From time to time, a little silence is necessary. It goes hand in hand perfectly in a setting with bright, crisp lighting drenched in the clean scent of literature dancing on freshly printed paper.

Momo sat a third stack of books down on the table. Walls of valuable knowledge surrounded her freshly picked corner, and dozens of covers snuggled up together as they gazed down at the future hero. Carefully, she eyed each and every one of them, checking to see if they were going to be useful for her independent study hour.

She didn’t have anyone to tutor this afternoon. Good thing, too; it was getting a little exhausting hosting her classmates and teaching subjects she already knew. Though it was an excellent practice to demonstrate her understanding to the peers she loves, a little silence is necessary from time to time.

Once Momo was done examining the books, she sat down and grabbed the book on top of the first stack. Hero Laws–a subject that has proven to be strenuous more times than she was comfortable with. ‘But as long as it’s vital to our goal of protecting lives, I’ll memorize each deed to the letter!’

She flung open the book and glued her sights to the first word.

Or, rather the small outline of a person.

An impeccably animated person who was blinking and smirking and staring RIGHT UP AT HER FROM INSIDE A BOOK-?

“KYAH!” Momo yelped and jumped up. The chair flew from her and crashed into the bookshelf, earning a hearty ‘SHH’ from behind her little corner. She looked over to the entrance that gave her a peak of the rest of the library and saw a few concerned, annoyed faces staring at her. Momo blushed and mumbled a quick “sorry”, then quickly pulled the chair back to the table, brushed off her school uniform, then sat back down with a face confidently saying nothing was wrong.

Now, back to the magic book hallucination. Momo cautiously pulled the book back up to her. The outline was still there, except they were now smuggling a laugh.

“Who are you and why are you in my book?” She was whispering, but she made extra sure they could hear the venom weaving through her words.

The outline stopped snickering and flipped their hair to the side of their face so the playfulness in their eyes shimmered properly. Yes, that really did just happen. Momo was even surprised that flirtatious music didn’t suddenly play like in those teen drama movies Mina practically forces her to watch.

“If it caught the attention of such a beauty, figured it’d be worth my time,” they said, giving a quick wink. “Name’s (Y/n). I hope you’ll grant me the honor of remembering it.”

‘You’re kidding me.’ Momo frowned. “Let me guess, is this your quirk? As annoying as it is right now, I can’t say it’s not impressive.”

(Y/n)’s smile grew. “Gorgeous and savvy? It must be my lucky day!”

(Y/n) (L/n)! Quirk-Page Wander!

It allows a person to transform their body into a 2-D form and shrink down to where they can fit into any page! This makes their body have a transparent, pencil-drawn outline and even form certain words depending on their height, but that can only work if they’re inside a page. The user can easily travel from page to page without any drawbacks, but they have to make sure their destinations aren’t at risk of being ripped up!

Momo rolled her eyes. “It’s pretty obvious. Now, if you would be so kind as to leave. I happen to be in the middle of studying.”

(Y/n) looked up at her with wide, curious eyes, and an expression she actually couldn’t read. They sat there for a long moment before rubbing their eyes and putting that irritating grin back on their face.

“Of course. I’d hate to be the reason that U.A.’s famous Creati wasn’t able to ace finals. Although, I doubt you’d even have much trouble with them in the first place.” They walked to the end of the page, and a (f/c) light glowed at its edges before seeping out into the air. A mini, blinding sun warped into the shape of a (y/h) person, then sat its feet down on the pristine tiles. They reflected their oddly hypnotic glow as the light slowly vanished from their form, revealing their true (s/c) skin, shining (h/c) hair, and lidded (e/c) eyes.

In a slightly deeper voice, they said, “I’ll see you later, Momi Amor.” Gazing at her trance for a few more seconds, they turned and trudged out of her corner.

Momo blinked, once, then twice. She thought she was used to the strange normality of the world, and though the performance wasn’t too dramatic, it was certainly bewitching enough to keep her hazing gaze fixed in front of her.

…Wait.

‘“Momi Amor??”’

A heavy groan deflated her awed posture. Trying to ignore the tacky atmosphere that tiresome sun left behind, she leaned her head against her hand and put her focus back on the book. After checking to make sure they hadn’t tried sneaking back in, of course.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

This is a long read. I apologize in advance for having so much to say.

Anyways, I read the article and the audio right before it was pulled. The nanny said she had never seen Jason act like that before in the 3 years she worked for them. And when nanny said she was afraid, she was referring to losing her job.

Also, I don’t see any mention of this - Jason saying he was going to call the police. Him recording Olivia all the time after and also having his sister be witness tells me that he didn’t think anyone would believe him how Olivia was and what she was doing.

As we’ve seen, she’s very good at twisting words. She lies easily and has no hesitation making herself look like the victim at the hands of Jason, Harry’s fans, people who don’t like her being older than clown, people who hate women, and Shia and Flo, etc. I added Flo because I think Olivia saw her as a threat so she started the rumors to make Flo look like she was jealous of Olivia and she’s the unprofessional one for judging HO. There’s also deux moi patting herself on the back that Harry/Flo was first mentioned on her podcast but no one noticed. Who could the source of the rumor be, I wonder. 👀

The nanny low key said Olivia walks around all smug and smiling because she truly isn’t bothered by anything. When the nanny reached out to her, Olivia was so blasé and uninterested. How many times have we seen her just ghost until things cool down and then it’s back to smiley pap walks like nothing happened.

Olivia’s brazenness at using the excuse of the hotel not allowing kids. Yeah, she was going to do anything to be with Harry. She wasn’t going to let anyone or anything interrupt their HO times.

Please know that I do not, in any way , condone abuse. If it’s proven that Jason was abusing Olivia then I will come back here and admit I was wrong about him. That being said, the one occasion of the nanny witnessing Jason having a mental breakdown is one moment in time and does not speak to the entirety of his and Olivia’s relationship. Jason’s world was destroyed that night.

Even if he suspected something, Olivia confirming she was fucking Harry and all her future salads belonged to him, must’ve been a huge shock to Jason for him to act out of pocket. People calling him an abuser for that one time, act like if it was them, they would have discussed things calmly over tea and scones. That they wouldn’t feel hurt, anger, rage, betrayal. I’d guess these are the same people who act like getting cheated and cheating on your partner is a normal and regular part of their daily schedule.

And if Olivia was truly scared, why leave her kids with Jason? Why continue to leave the kids with him? Why not bring it up in the custody case? She said she felt he was threatening her and she practically called him a monster. She made herself look like a hero for staying calm when she got served papers she was trying to avoid. But in the two years since she left Jason, she didn’t produce evidence of anything that would have would have given her the slam dunk win. She would have got the public completely on her side and she’d be on every magazine and talk show talking about her bravery.

She has both the financial and emotional resources to leave him and take their kids at anytime. She has friends who’ll back her up and make the thinly veiled accusations for her. And we know that if she had any evidence on anyone, she wouldn’t hesitate to use it to make her look better. She’s proven she’s the one who goes for the jugular and initiates the attacks. But somehow, people still give her the benefit of the doubt despite her track record of continuously lying and gaslighting, even now.

.

[exghul]

HEADCANON 011. DAMIAN & NIGHTMARES.

hi hello i'd like to talk about the dream sequence from RSOB 01. for context, this happens in damian's mind as he's free falling from goliath while flying too high to breathe. under cut for tall panels :)

damian: mother. dick: nope. nobody out here but us. ghosts. right, kid? damian: as usual, grayson, you only think you know what you're talking about. dick: oh, right. i guess you're considered "the expert" now, is that it? damian: pretty much.

they're standing over talia al ghul's empty grave. important to note, the grave next to hers has a crumbled headstone & both stand empty. the grave next to hers is damian's. he was buried next to her after he killed by the heretic.

dick: so... what was it like, kid? being dead. before batman brought you back from apokolips? what was waiting for you in the dark? you told him that there was nothing, right? that you didn't see anything? after all the horrible things you've done, damian, i find that kind of hard to believe. damian: what are you--? dick: oh sure, i once wore the cape & cowl but did you? do you actually think you'll ever be worthy to answer the call when it comes?

this is where the tone shifts. dick starts to explain exactly what damian feels guilt for. he has a sense of remorse for his own body count, his bloodlust. for these sins, he does not think he's worthy of becoming batman. he wants it badly but the doubts pile high.

a wild bruce appears. bruce: what have you done, son? damian: father! i-- bruce: tell me the truth! before it's too late! what is the year of blood? damian: no! i-i can't! i don't know what you...

this is just setup specifically for the issue's run as damian goes through the year of blood. we'll circle back to that in another post ;3

finally, the dream becomes a nightmare. the heretic appears to kill both damian & bruce. bruce gives damian his final words: really? more lies, damian? you and i both know there's only one place for liars to go, don't we?

again, this highlights damian's guilt. this time, instead of his guilt of the blood he's spilled, it's guilt for what he keeps from bruce's side of the family. he has a loyalty to the al ghuls to keep their family secrets: the year of blood, the splinter groups of the league, the existence of his great-grandmother, etc. this is doubly proven as it is talia that rises from her grave, chains him, & drags him into the grave with her.

at the bottom of it is an ambiguous demon that we can safely assume is supposed to symbolize the devil as he's pulled into then lava. at the very top of that panel, we see the tiny hole in the earth that is talia's grave. she's nowhere to be seen, only damian is punished for his guilt. bruce, despite standing in the grave below talia ( as if he's waiting for damian ), does not follow him into the hellfire.

damian blames himself & only himself for his past. this is recognition and understanding of taking of life. damian understands the weight of each kill, understands who he was & who he still is. this is opposite of the concept that children that do not understand morality ( and therefore do not differentiate right from wrong ) will simply go to heaven. damian knows his own morality, he dreads hell as a concept.

he did tell bruce he didn't remember anything, like it was waking from a dreamless sleep - one minute he existed, the next he was nothing, and the next he woke a year later in a rejuvenated body.

damian knows he will die again ( as has, twice since then ). knowing that his time while dead was simply ceasing to exist, to be one with the stardust, gives him a sense of recklessness. he no longer fears death but what would become of him should it be permanent. he has blood in his past, present, and his doomed future (batman in bethlehem). no matter how much he repents or feels remorse for his actions, the bad outweighs the good.

damian is doomed & he knows it.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 172: The Other Side

After Okumura’s press conference, SIU Director Ono was on the phone. “WHAT HAPPENED?!” shouted the voice on the other end. “You gave him the formula, correct?!”

“Of course sir,” Director Ono. “I gave him the cake with the formula in it. He should have had a mental shutdown. I don’t know what happened.”

“Grrrrrrr,” the other person hissed.

“However, we aren’t done yet,” Ono said. “After all, chess is only won when the king is taken, and I am not the king.”

“True…” the voice on the other end replied.

“We just have to keep them off your trail,” Ono continued.

“And how do you propose we do that?” the other voice asked.

Ono chuckled. “Well, we just need to lead Miss Niijima down the wrong path.”

“How?” the other voice said. “As much as I detest her meddling, I have to admit she’s pretty cunning.”

There was a knock at the director's door. “OPEN THE DOOR SIR!” Sae shouted.

“Unfortunately, this conversation needs to continue with a surrogate serving as my lawyer,” director Ono said. “Although I assume you have some thoughts already.”

“Of course, but I’d prefer we have our stories straight,” the other voice said.

“Very well,” Ono said. “The lawyer and I will have this settled by morning. ” He hung up. “Come in!”

Sae barged in. “YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MENTAL SHUTDOWNS?!”

“Now, who said I was?” Ono retorted.

Sae was shocked at her boss’ indignant response. Still, she persevered. “Okumura did! On live TV!”

“Oh right. That,” director Ono said, more annoyed than displeased.

“I DEMAND ANSWERS!” Sae shouted.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the time right now,” Ono replied. “I’m going to turn myself in.”

“Wha?” Sae said.

“Now now, you may question me in jail,” Ono said, “but first I need to talk with my lawyer.”

Sae glared at him. “You can represent yourself just fine.”

“Perhaps,” Ono said. “But in a situation like this, having another party is beneficial. Besides, I doubt people would believe I’m innocent if I decide to represent myself.”

“You claim to not be guilty?!” Sae said.

“Of course,” Ono said. “Innocent until proven guilty.” Sae scowled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to head down to the station. I believe they’re expecting me.” Director Ono walked out of his office, leaving Sae standing alone.

He walked down to the station, turned himself in, and then made a phone call. “Hello sir?”

“They’re on their way,” the voice on the other end said.

“Thank you,” Ono said. He hung up, and waited patiently in his cell until his lawyer arrived.

Once director Ono was face to face with his lawyer, his lawyer said “It seems we have much to discuss.”

“We do,” Ono replied. “Why don’t we begin with how to deal with Miss Niijima?” Ono and his lawyer began their discussion.

Meanwhile, Sae walked back to her office in defeat. Riko looked at her, worried. “Are…are you alright?” she asked.

Sae let out a long sigh. “The director is turning himself in.”

“That's a good thing, right?” Riko asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sae answered.

“How do you mean?” Riko inquired.

Sae pondered a bit. “He didn’t seem all too bothered that he was implicated in one of the biggest cases in this nation’s history. I think he's planning something.”

“But what could it be?” Riko wondered.

“I don’t know,” Sae said. “But as long as I am on the case, I WILL get to the bottom of it!”

“Of course,” Riko said. “Do you want to stay longer? Or maybe get a bite to eat?”

Sae looked at Riko. “I guess getting something to eat wouldn’t be so bad. But I don’t know what I’m in the mood for.”

“I know what always cheers me up,” Riko said.

“Of course,” Sae said. “Lead the way.” The two women left the office to get a later dinner.

Meanwhile, Akechi was watching the press conference and was stunned. “Huh. I’m guessing that that wasn’t intentional.” He smirked. “Still, you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” He got out his phone and made a call. “Hello?”

“Make this brief,” the voice said.

“I take it you’re busy trying to get a handle on the situation,” Akechi said. “Very well, I’ll be brief like you asked. I’m thinking of publicly investigating the director. After all, it would be suspicious if I seem to know more about what’s going on than I should.”

“Very well,” the voice said. “We do need a public face like yours once things settle down.”

“I appreciate your kindness,” Akechi replied.

“Pretty soon, all of Japan will,” the voice said.

“Of course,” Akechi said. “Good luck.” He hung up. He began laughing. “On the one hand, things are more complicated, but on the other hand I get to speak a little more freely about the company that that piece of human garbage keeps. Silver linings, I guess.”

The next morning, Sae arrived at her office to see a group of officers waiting for her. “What's going on?” She asked.

One of the officers presented their badge. “You’re Sae Niijima, correct? You’re in charge of the mental shutdown case?”

“Correct,” she replied, uncertain of what was happening.

“And you know that your boss was implicated in that case?”

“Of course,” Sae said. “What is going on?”

“Unfortunately, we need to freeze your investigation for a bit to go over the evidence,” the officer said.

“WHAT?!” Sae said, getting angry.

“Now now,” the officer said. “We just need to make sure he didn’t tamper with the investigation in any way.”

“This is RIDICULOUS!” Sae protested.

“No ma’am, it’s protocol,” the officer responded.

Sae seethed for a moment, before shouting “FINE!” She marched in her office. A little bit later, she came out with a bucket of papers and harddrives. “This is EVERYTHING I have. Are you happy?”

“Thank you,” the officer said.

“Good,” Sae huffed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

“Um, I told you your investigation is frozen, right?” the officer said.

“I have other cases!” Sae protected.

“Such as…?”

“Fraud, embezzlement, and if you don’t leave in the next five seconds, obstruction!” Sae answered.

“Yes ma’am, the officer said. “Let’s go.” The officers nodded, and headed off.

Riko arrived just as they were leaving. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

“No,” Sae said. “Just…leave me be for now. I have cases I have to work on.”

Riko was hesitant. “Very well.” She closed the door, and sat down at her desk.

Meanwhile, inside of a house, director Ono was on the phone again. “I see…Well, Niijima is nothing if not diligent. It’s a shame we couldn’t get her out of the office for a few days, but no matter, we’re still ahead in this game. I have my bail posted, and once we’re done stringing her along, we’ll give her what she wants…Along with a special surprise, of course…Of course, we just have to make everyone focus on this battle, while obfuscating the rest of the war. Win or lose, the King will remain unscathed…Well thank you. It will be glorious…goodbye.” He hung up. He sighed, content. He picked up a book and started reading it. He chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to read this for a while. Sometimes, the strangest opportunities give you the time you need to do what you’ve always wanted.”

At work, Sae was listless. She had been working on her other cases, but she couldn’t help but think of what was going on. Finally, she’d had enough. “GAH!” she screamed, slamming her desk. “I HATE THIS!” She stood up and flung her chair away.

Riko cautiously opened the door. “Um, do you…um…?”

Sae looked at Riko. At first it was a glare, but the more she looked at Riko, the more it calmed down. After all, this wasn’t her fault. She sighed. “I guess I could use a break…”

“How about sushi?” Riko offered.

Sae smiled. “I’d like that.” They left the office to grab some sushi.

As they were eating, Sae was surprised. “Wow, for this price, this sushi cannot be beat!”

“Hm hm,” Riko chuckled. “I know it’s not better than some of the more expensive places, but you do get a real good bang for your buck.”

Sae smiled. She took another bite. She then pouted. “Say… What do you do when you don’t know what to do?”

Riko looked up at her. “You wanna know what I do?”

Sae was stunned, but pleasantly surprised by Riko’s answer. “Sure.”

“Close your eyes,” Riko instructed.

Sae did so. “OK.”

“Now, imagine yourself looking in a mirror,” Riko continued.

“Alright,” Sae said, as she began imagining it.

“But this is a special mirror,” Riko said. “This mirror doesn’t show you as you are, but how you see yourself. Now tell me, what do you see?”

Sae began focusing on the mirror. The image of herself as is didn’t change so much. But the scenery changed drastically. “I’m…outside of the office…taking questions from reporters.”

“Ms. Niijima, how did you do it?”

“They’re calling this ‘the crime of the century’, and they’re saying you solved it.”

“I’m…a hero…And after that…I’m the director of the SIU…I’ve made several changes, and influenced policy…”

“How are you influencing it?” Riko asked.

“Well, that’s easy…” Sae replied. “I talk with the new Prime Minister often...”

“Hey sis,” Makoto said.

“Prime Minister,” imaginary Sae replies.

“Stop! You don’t need to do that, you know,” Makoto said, slightly embarrassed.

“Your sister…I see…” Riko replied.

“And then..” Sae continued. “...I’m touring the country…giving speeches…inspiring others to be the best that they can be…becoming a figure for young women to look up to for decades to come.”

“Well that sounds wonderful,” Riko said. “Now, I need you to tell yourself that that is you.”

Sae was puzzled. “Why?”

“Are you questioning me?” Riko asked.

“No, no,” Sae replied. “Alright. That…is me…” Sae was then overcome by a feeling of elation.

"Hm hm, see?” Riko said. “No matter what, the you you aspire to be is always with you.” Riko took Sae’s hand. “And so am I.”

Sae smiled. “Well thank you.”

“Hm hm, you can open your eyes now silly,” Riko said.

“Huh,” Said said, opening her eyes. “Right.” They shared a giggle together. “Let’s finish this sushi OK?”

“OK,” Riko said. They started eating.

Sae took another look at Riko. “Thanks.”

Riko swallowed the sushi she was eating. “You’re welcome.” They finished eating, and headed back to work.

Later in the evening, Akechi was over at the Minamoto residence. He was sipping some tea. “Ah! Your tea is magnificent as always, Tamako,” he said.

“Why thank you,” Tamako replied. “If I’d have known you were coming over, I would have saved you some dinner.”

“That’s quite alright,” Akechi said. “Not that I don’t enjoy it, but I’m not here for long.”

“Places to go, and criminals to arrest?” Lena joked.

“Well, I mean…” Akechi said, somewhat flustered. “That’s not entirely untrue.” Lena giggled. “However,” Lena noticed his more serious tone, “it’s a lot more than that. As you may be aware, Mr. Okumura’ got a visit from the Phantom Thieves. And during his confession, he made a bold statement on the ongoing endemic of mental shutdowns. And the person he named is…a very big name to say the least.”

“Right…” Lena said. “I saw the conference.”

“I thought you were out with friends?” Tamako said.

“Well, we still watched it,” Lena countered. “I mean, it’s pretty big news.”

“I suppose,” Tamako relented. “But maybe you should focus on having fun.”

“We did,” Lena said. “I even brought you back some stuff.”

“And I appreciate it,” Tamako said.

“Anyways…” Akechi interjected. The Minamoto women shared a small giggle before returning their attention to Akechi. “Because of all of this, things are going to get complicated. So I’ve just come here to explain that…I might be less…available…”

“Oh,” Lena said, somewhat disappointed.

“However,” Akechi continued, taking Lena by the hand. “I want you to know that you are always at the forefront of my mind. And that no matter what happens…I love you.”

Lena’s face turned beat red. “Eh, uh, wha…” she said in a stupor.

Akechi chuckled. “That said, things have freed up on my end in a different area, but with everything going on now, it won’t be enough to make up the difference.”

“You know,” Tamako interjected, “you could just leave this to the authorities. I know you’re a smart cookie, and, well, I don’t entirely trust the authorities, but…”

Lena shook her head. “That’s not who Goro is. He seeks justice, no matter what it takes. It’s part of the reason…I love him.” Tamako was surprised.

Akechi was blushing now. He then laughed. “Right. You understand me. Of course you do.” Lena smiled. “However, I have been keeping a secret from you.” Lena was stunned. “And with what’s coming next being so up in the air, I feel like I can’t keep it from you anymore. You need to know.” He took out a picture and handed it to Lena.

Lena, heart beating a mile a minute, looked at the picture. She was confused. The picture was that of an ordinary young girl, no more than eight, wearing a pink dress and sporting a yellow bow in their hair. “Who is this, and why do you have their picture?”

Akechi smiled. “That’s me.” He took a sip of his tea. Lena was confused. Once Akechi finished sipping his tea, he concluded “I am trans.”

Lena looked at Akechi and the picture again in disbelief. “Huh…”

“Are you perhaps disappointed?” Akechi asked.

Lena collected herself. “No, just surprised. I…didn’t know.”

“Well, I’ve been careful not to tell many people,” Akechi said. “In fact, I believe one of the few people that knows is you, right Tamako.”

Lena turned to her host mom. “You knew?”

“I was the first one he told,” Tamako said.

“She was really helpful in changing my records, and setting me up with some of the things necessary for me to begin transitioning,” Akechi explained.

“I see…” Lena replied.

Akechi stood up. “Well, this has been nice.” He walked to the door. “See you later.”

Before he could open it, Lena shouted “Goro wait!” Akechi looked back at her. “Um, well, uh, you see, I know you’re busy and stuff, but if you don’t mind putting things off, well, some of my other friends and I are going to watch another friend of ours at a gymnastics meet tomorrow. So, do you want to come with?”

Akechi was a little stunned, but smiled. “Very well. I suppose if it’s tomorrow, I can make it. Besides, I wouldn't want to miss a chance to spend time with you.”

Lena smiled. She walked up to him and said “Thanks.” She gave him a kiss, and then put her head on his chest. “You’re the man of my dreams.”

Akechi smiled back. “And you, the woman of mine.” He hugged her gently. Slowly, they loosened their embrace, and Akechi headed back home for the night.

Meanwhile, Sae arrived home. As she entered, Makoto asked “How was your day?”

Sae thought back on tre frustration of her being sidelined, but then thought about the lunch she had with Riko. “It was fine.”

“Glad to hear that,” Makoto said.

Sae sat down. “It was stressful at first, but I just needed to recenter myself.”

“I know what you mean,” Makoto said. “Sometimes you just get lost in your own head and have to start again.”

“Of course,” Sae said. The Niijimas enjoyed a nice dinner, and then they headed to their rooms.

Into the night, Sae was dreaming of the mirror trick Riko had taught her. Every passing moment made her more and more happy. She reached out to the mirror, only to notice that the hand she was reaching out with was covered in a black glove. “Huh?!” She said. The Mirror switched over from Sae’s ideal self to a reflection of something she wasn’t quite sure of.

It was Sae alright, but she was dressed in a skimpy black dress with a set of fishnet stockings and matching corset that, were it not for the dress, you could see everything. At the top of the dress was a black choker with spikes on it. She had a black hat adorned with gold roses and playing cards, and her face was heavily made-up. She had tattoos on her arm, and as she turned, she noticed that she had tattoos on her back, which the dress did not cover. She grew concerned. She looked around and saw that she was in a casino that looked malicious in nature. “What’s going on?" she demanded.

Sae woke up in a sweat. She was breathing heavily. “You OK honey?” Riko said.

Sae looked at Riko, who was in bed next to her. “Just a bad dream.”

Riko put her hand on Sae’s face. “It’ll be OK. Just go back to sleep.”

“Aright,” Sae said. They shared a kiss, and fell back asleep.

Sae woke up for real this time, pale as a ghost. “Wha…?” She looked next to her. She was alone. She flopped back down. “...Probably too much sushi…” she rationalized. “...Yeah…” It took a few minutes, but she went back to sleep.

[moonrisecalamityretreat]

Hail Mary Tactics | Mikazuki | Trial 5 | Re: Yuriko, Loic | Attn: Tsuneo

Oh.

Mikazuki’s initial thought had been ‘well, there’s no way Hanji’s theory is right’ when they said it could be Yuriko. 

But then Yuriko pulls out the blueprints and shows off her injuries. 

“Yuriko-chan…” 

Of course the world is going to be unkind, and pick the worst kind of punishments for people who had done nothing but be kind, and love. 

♫♫♫

Yuriko had just wanted to be kind and help others, and Mio had done the same. It makes sense that it would help Yuriko without hesitation, this place had proven over and over again that people won’t hesitate to help people they love no matter how stupid. 

But this just isn’t fair. Why should an accident count yet again? Why should Yuriko have to die simply for trying to help? 

Mikazuki tries to wrap her head around the rage she feels, and the creeping resignation that if people who don’t deserve it are going to keep dying, what’s the point of continuing on?

Yuriko and Mio deserved better…

Yuriko and Mio…

Mio…

“--I don't know, I feel like I should pay you back if I get the chance. So I guess...I'll remember this later when you do need something."

"I'll keep this for now and give you Tom and Jerry! And if I wanna, I can cash it in later?"

…the IOU. 

Mikazuki realizes what there is to cash in on now.

“Yuriko-chan. Could you…explain what went wrong with the trap that caused it to collapse on both of you?” 

They tap their fingers on the podium in thought. 

“It’s just a possibility I thought of…what if we’re wrong about how an accident wouldn’t have brought us here?” 

“I mean, last time they said that just because ‘there wouldn’t be a case if Rowan fell on her own.’ There wouldn’t have been room for us to make a mistake and get killed. But…in this case, there could be room for doubt on who triggered the part that killed Mio-san, maybe?”

They grit their teeth a bit. Who knows, they could just be talking out of their ass to deny the inevitable, but they’re tired of letting the rabbits kill people who don’t deserve it. 

“...remember what happened last time we took a show of blood as the only possible truth? There could still be a chance on this one.” 

"And I think...Loic has a point. But..."

They were scared of the risk of a mistrial and losing Tsuneo, but…they don’t want to keep playing this game either. 

 "Tsuneo. You could die from this, and so could I. I promised I'd protect you, but...you're a grown-up now. What's your call?"

[luminari-mc]

4 Female with satan

Late Night Rescue (Satan x f!MC)

Prompt 4: “I know it’s 2 in the morning, but do you want to...”

Genre: Fluff, Slice of life

Warnings: N/A

A/N: First Satan piece! Coincidentally enough, he has been growing on me a lot more lately. I hope I get to work more on him in the future so I can explore other parts of his personality (I just think he's neat).

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

It was with a long, deep groan that MC's forehead met with the surface of her desk. Three long hours on this homework, and she still couldn't see the end of it. When the teacher had first said that the entire class was about to "taste true suffering" for getting a low score on the previous assignement, she didn't think he would actually be this serious. But what was she expecting, really, when it came from a demon teacher?

With a hand that had turned stiff from writing down notes since the beginning of her study session, MC grabbed her phone and slid it close to her face. She sighed upon seeing the time flash on her screen, reminding her of her grim reality.

2:13am.

"Aaah, and we have to wake up in 5 hours..." the hard truth fell from her lips as she painfully straightened herself in her chair. If Lucifer knew she was still awake at this hour, no doubt she would get a full-blown lecture after coming home from RAD tomorrow. She ran her hands over her face in an attempt to wake herself up as she groaned. She wasn't about to get any sleep tonight, was she?

"What's this coffee made out of, seriously?" Frowning, a pout birthed on her mouth upon looking down at her notes. The pile of books next to her only let her see how much more she would have to write before finalizing her assignment, and giving it back to the teacher tomorrow afternoon.

"It's not doing shit." MC propped her elbows on the desk- maybe a bit too loudly given the time-, and placed her head into her hands. If only she hadn't made a detour to the store with Asmo after school! But she had desperately needed new skincare products, and Asmo's puppy eyes had proven to be way too effective against her. Ugh, she could have been in bed already...

She felt her heart skip a bit when the phone under her hand began ringing, the soft ringtone she had set for nightly calls much welcomed to her ears. Although, a small knot took form in her throat as she began to wonder who could be calling her at such an hour. Maybe a wrong number?

She instantly placed the phone against her ear, her tired mind making her forget to check the name appearing on the screen. "Huh, hello?"

"Ah, so I was right. You are still awake after all." The voice, warm and affectionate in its tone, gave MC the impression that it was the first person she was speaking to in a week.

"Satan?" She asked, rubbing a wrist over her eyes.

"You know, I had a hunch it was going to take you some time to finish your work, after you've left dinner so quickly to close yourself in your room. But to still be going at it at this hour..." The demon clicked his tongue. "Did you even take a break since then?"

"No... I mean, I've finished most of my regular assignements. But I've been stuck on this one for a while now." MC replied as she turned around on her chair to stretch her legs, before curiosity took over her. "How did you guess?"

"I went to the kitchen to grab some water." The blonde answered over the phone. "That's when I noticed the light from under your door. I didn't want to bother you, in case you had fallen asleep with the lights on, so I didn't dare knocking."

Looking back at the door, MC felt lucky it had been Satan who called, and not another one of the demons. The Avatar of Wrath had always been one of the few men in the house who had always respected her boundaries whenever she asked to be left alone, especially more when it was to work on something. Yet, she couldn't help but clutch the phone a little more against her ear, feeling grateful that he was checking up on her in the middle of the night.

"Well, I'm definitely not sleeping right now." She giggled slightly. "But what about you, though? Were you asleep before going to the kitchen? I wouldn't want you to stay awake because of me."

Satan's laugh brought a warm feeling in her stomach as it entered her ear. "Actually, I wasn't. There's been a particular problem that's been keeping me awake, you see. So I've been trying to find an idea as to how I can resolve it."

"A problem?" MC blinked, her eyes opening a bit wider.

"You left dinner relatively early today, so you didn't catch up on it." Satan explains. "But I've recently noticed the presence of a kitten in the cemetary. It's been there for a few days now, and as far as I know, it doesn't seem that it left the area to return to a home, so it's just been taking shelter in one of the mausoleums. I told Lucifer about possibly bringing it inside to give him in a warm place so it can sleep and eat, but of course, he refused on the spot."

MC arched an eyebrow. "I thought you of all people wouldn't care about Lucifer's rules when it comes to cats."

The demon laughed in response.

"Oh trust me, I'd love nothing more than to defy his rules on a daily basis. But I've sneaked cats in the house in the past, and it usually doesn't end well for me, and the cats eventually have to leave. It also wouldn't be easy to bring this kitten inside, now that Lucifer knows about it." Satan sighs loud enough for MC to hear over the phone. "No doubt he would be on my tail if I were to try anything."

She mimicked the demon, letting a puff of air escape her nose in frustration. Lucifer was very stubborn when it came to having animals in the House of Lamentation, the only exception obviously being Henry 2.0 since he was a small goldfish. Even Mammon had been yelled at whenever his crows would enter through the windows to drop freshly stolen goods at his feet, but they'd usually only stay for a couple of minutes. So convincing the first-born to let Satan take care of a kitten... would prove to be challening, no doubt.

MC didn't have the time to offer her support, than Satan immediately started speaking again.

"But you know, MC." The smile in his voice seemed to have doubled in an instant. "I think I may have found a solution to this problem of mine. Now, I know you're still stuck on your homework... And I know it’s 2 in the morning, but do you want to..."

Satan let the end of his sentence unfinished, probably waiting for MC to guess it. Her mouth stayed agape for a few seconds, until she finally took the hint.

"Do I want to... help you?"

"We all know Lucifer has a soft spot for you." MC could hear Satan move around his room as he continued to explain his plan. "I take that if you and I were to go and bring this kitten to one of our rooms, he would be a bit more mellow than if I were to try on my own. Would you be up for it?"

MC weighted the ups and downs in her mind. On one hand, getting caught by Lucifer could result in a punishment her exhausted body wouldn't probably be able to take. But on the other hand, she was the only one at this hour who could help Satan with this predicament. And MC would be lying to herself, if she said she didn't want to see this kitten and give it a better home than a cold, damp mausoleum.

"Ah, and if you need a bit more convincing-" Satan's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, "I'll help you finish that assignement of yours tomorrow morning. Whatever it is, I can assure you we'll be done before lunch."

"You would?!" She found herself gasping as if she had just heard the best news of her life. "Satan, that would help so much!"

"It's for Curses and Hexes, isn't it?" Satan's chuckle felt like honey to her ears. "That teacher really is as sadistic as Lucifer, so no wonder you're having a hard time with it. Don't worry, I'll even complete the assignement for you if we need to."

"I'll help!" MC declared, practically jumping out of her chair to go grab her shoes near the door. "B-But, I was going to accept even before you offered me your help, just so you know!"

"Haha, I know MC. You are truly kind." Satan's words felt sincere. "Now then, shall we meet by the entrance? Be careful not to make any noise on your way there. This rescue mission depends entirely on our discretion, after all."

"I'll be so silent, Lucifer might as well think I turned into a ghost." MC grinned while crouching to put her shoes on. "See you soon, Satan. Let's help that kitten together."

"Thank you, MC. I'm really looking forward to do this with you. I will see you there." As Satan hung up, MC could swear all of the exhaustion she had previously acquired in the past few hours vanish in an instant. Who cared in the moment if her back ached a little? Something much more interesting than taking notes was about to take place.

As MC grabbed her jacket and flipped it around her shoulders, she found herself smiling upon stepping out of her room, this innocent but sneaky rescue mission with Satan making her the most excited she had been in weeks. And with him getting to help her tomorrow... it seemed like, for the first time in a while, her stubbornness had worked in her favor.