#i think he's also heavily implying that he wants me to cook more but i ain't your fucking wife old man

[neonpigeons]

parents get into a bad mood and somehow it becomes your fucking problem

[vivelegalite]

dear dead boy detective (especially paynland) enjoyers: have you yet heard of the biggest gift bestowed upon the fandom so far, aka jayden's charles playlist? the one he mentioned in interviews? well, he dropped it on twitter at 19th of may. and man, do i have stuff to say about it.

there's a lot of 80's bangers, for sure, great to get into the mood and character, but some of the choices...

i'm gonna focus on a few of my favourites, songs that made me go insane when i saw them. honorable mentions: - category 1 (so devoted the lines blur): ain't no mountain high enough by marvin gaye and tammi terrell, there is a light that never goes out by the smiths, inkpot gods by the amazing devil - category 2 (family life): family line and summer child by conan gray, seventeen going under by sam fender, matilda by harry styles, father by the front bottoms - category 3 (being queer in the 80s): smalltown boy by bronski beat, boys don't cry by the cure - category 4 (there's no heterosexual explanation for this one): good luck, babe! by chappel roan, yellow by coldplay, fight or flight by conan gray (is this about monty? the cat king? i need answers!), the prophecy by taylor swift, arms tonite by mother mother, sweet by cigarettes after sex, head over heels by tears for fears

this list is by no means complete or comprehensive!

and now, the songs that made me go the craziest: (they're predominantly in charles' pov as it's his playlist)

found heaven by conan gray

the only reason this song made it into the list and not the honorable mentions instead of smalltown boy is that it makes almost the same point, just so much more explicitly. i don't think i have to say much about it, it's a story of a young person griping with their queerness, being forced to leave home, a common theme of the playlist. "you're in love, you found heaven" when he chose edwin over his own afterlife, heavily implied to be heaven, and built his heaven with him on the mortal plane? ouch! (and we see this same notion repeated in another bop from the playlist, heaven is a place on earth by belinda carlisle).

2. like real people do by hozier

"i miss kissing" charles rowland, 202X romantic meaning aside, the verses show a sort of a common understanding the boys have around the manner of their deaths and their lives before it. we already know from the show they don't really talk about it, with edwin not knowing about the severity of the abuse charles suffered. it feels like one of them saying "let the past be past, we're together now, yeah?". but also, jayden: can there ever be a platonic explanation for this? ghosts can't touch, can't feel, so they wish they could just kiss like "real" (alive?) people do?

3. flaws by bastille

not the most romantic song, but i absolutely love how well it fits their dynamic. despite his edwardian brand of repression, edwin truly is the one that's more open about his feelings (recognising of course that in this case, the bar is so low it's in hell. haha, get it). edwin has worn his flaws upon his sleeve, and charles has held them buried - eg. bottling up all of his anger and resentment towards his family and his own death. the song presents a very sweet outlook, in which their flaws are brought up to the surface (for example, charles' outburst against the night nurse in episode 4), but they learn to accept them as they are, an extension of themselves.

4. a pearl by mitski

you know it's gonna get intense if there's a mitski song in the mix.

the song is about a person who finds love in their partner, someone who treats them way better than they've ever been treated - and yet they cannot bring themselves to reciprocate the affection ("it's not that i don't want you, sorry i can't take your touch") despite reciprocating the feelings themselves because of the trauma. charles is known to bottle things up ("you're growing tired of me and all the things i don't talk about"). the person in the song recognises the love the other person holds for them ("you love me so hard and i still can't sleep"), which reminds me of charles' response to edwin's confession. not a "no", but a "maybe, as time passes".

5. fair by the amazing devil

this one made me genuinely gasp when i first delved into the lyrics. it's simply so sweet, such a genuine and domestic portrayal of love. at first i thought it was way too open about being a love song (normal text instead of the subtext i'd be used to) for jayden to choose it with edwin in mind, but... there's no one else it can really be about. it's far too domestic, too "established" to refer to crystal. refers to a relationship that's laster for a longer while.

the narrator in the first verse is a person deeply in love with the other person, someone who loves to make his lover laugh and simply drinks in their presence. the "he" in the song i believe is charles, while the "she" refers to edwin. edwin promises to fight off anyone - or any feelings pulling charles down (we can see this in the first episode: "you ever think... what if death did catch us? she'd force us to go to the afterlife and split up" "i will make sure this never happens."). charles feels left behind by the world (seeing as he clings to crystal at first, refering to her as "someone their age who's still alive") and believes edwin to be so much stronger than he's ever been. i'm not going to break down the song verse by verse, but if you read it yourself while subbing out "he" for charles and "she" for edwin you'll see just how sweet (and... strangely very in character?) the song is.

6. work song by hozier

if the previous song made me gasp when i saw the lyrics, this one made me go "NO WAY" out loud when i saw the title. the first one verse is just pure toothrotting sweetness, but the chorus is what i want to draw attention to:

when my time comes around lay me gently in the cold, dark earth no grave can hold my body down i'll crawl home to her

HELLO? charles, who keeps escaping death and afterlife to be able to stay with edwin? charles, as he literally takes his last breath with edwin right there, choosing to be by his side rather than move on? charles, who keeps choosing him despite night nurse's promises and threats? charles, who literally crawled through hell for him?

verse 2, to me, can be interpreted as referring to when charles died. edwin found him at his worst, and he "woke" up with his presence comforting him. he was shivering due to hypothermia and his injuries. edwin didn't ask him about what happened or pushed him, he simply listened. the lines "i didn't care much how long i lived, but I swear, i thought i dreamed her" are pretty self explanatory.

in verse 3 we still see the same attitude of "damn the afterlife, at least we have each other" as charles portrays througout the series. they're free, and heaven and hell are simply words to him.

7. orpheus by vincent lima

i literally have no words for this one. it fits too well. if you want commentary for this one, just... i don't know, rewatch the staircase scene.

8. francesca by hozier

(cracks knuckles) this is the big one. the album francesca is from, unreal unearth, is based on dante alighieri's divine comedy, a fourteenth century poem about a man venturing into hell, purgatory and eventually heaven. the eponymous francesca is one francesca di rimini, a woman who was politically married off to a man older than her, called giovanni malatesta. francesca didn't love him, and eventually fell deep in love with giovanni's younger brother, paolo. the two carried on with the affair for years, before being murdered by giovanni upon his finding out. francesca and paolo are mentioned in canto v of the first book, inferno, as two souls damned in the second circle of hell, lust. their punishment is to be permanently locked in a hurricane, swept away by the winds the moment they manage to get close enough to touch one another.

as opposed to their portrayal in the poem, the song is from the perspective of paolo, explaining that no matter the punishment, he wouldn't change anything about his life because he got to know, and love, francesca.

the first verse brings to mind the scenes in hell, especially on the staircase ("do you think I'd give up? that this might've shook the love from me? or that I was on the brink? how could you think, darlin', i'd scare so easily?" as an echo of charles' "sorry. no version of this where i didn't come get you"). "my life was a storm since i was born, how could i fear any hurricane?" could relate to charles' tumultuous family life, an assurance that nothing he has to deal with while by edwin's side will faze him given the things he's lived through. no, despite everything he's suffered through, charles wouldn't do anything differently - because his (admittedly shitty) life led him to edwin ("i'd tell them, put me back in"). we already know charles would choose him over heaven, willingly sacrificing his own afterlife to stay with a boy he's known for hours, someone kind enough to keep him company as he drew his final breath. all of it - his father's abuse, his schoolmates' bigotry, the pain of his own death, as well as everything he's gone through since - he'd do it all again, for edwin.

"for all that was said of where we'd end up at the end of it" could be taken as an allusion to the fate the boys would meet at "at the end of it", when they're finally caught by death and separated, or as more of a general "if you sin, you will go to hell when you die" (up to you to decide what the sin itself would be - an interpretation that would work with other songs on the playlist is that one such sin would be same sex attraction). then their hearts ceased, they never knew "peace", nor did they want to find it in death. their deaths were too soon, them being ripped away from life, but even though it would break his heart: charles would ask to do it all again.

the outro, i think, beautifully pulls it all together: heaven is not fit to house a love like theirs.

to wrap it all up:

jayden, what were you cooking in there? what do you know??

[meanbossart]

I have another intense ask about bhaalist AU drow...

Would drow be “forced” to procreate? And how would Asatrion take that information? If Astarion is his consort, would he be jealous of concubines? Would this also contribute to his overall dissatisfaction during his time trapped at the bhaal temple? Or Would he be happy that his lover has distractions, so he can have time alone - maybe plotting his escape?

I’m overall curious about how drow and Astarion’s relationship falls apart in your AU

I don't think so! Not that I care about biblically following canon or anything like that, but there was nothing throughout the story that made me think procreation was a requirement in Bhaal's plan. If you take the scrapped ending into consideration, it seems to be more of a punishment first and foremost.

Not to say I don't believe it to be a part of the man-made gospel in some form or another. Sarevok seems fairly invested in this idea of generating bhaalspawn that are pure of blood, and this is an agenda that he subtly pushes onto DU drow throughout their years operating the temple: that said, like it often is, Bhaal is silent on the matter.

There seems to be a lot of conflict within the cult about what Bhaal wants and how he wants it, and I choose to interpret his failure to clarify as part of the Murder God's nature, as well as a fun nod at the (dys)functionality of real-life cults where you have several people claiming to have a direct connection to a god.

But back on topic, there IS the heavily implied Dark Urge To Multiply. A few instances where durge or someone around them suggests that, eventually, having children will be an irresistible biological necessity. There are a few ways to interpret this! But I can't help but notice that this theme is absent in a route where you do willingly become Bhaal's chosen - maybe its a failsafe Bhaal cooked into The Dark Urge in case his child became a weenie? To possess them with the need to spread their seed around until SOMEONE down the family tree stepped up to the role?

This definitely turns out to be the case in DU drow's redemned route, where he is plagued with bouts of breeding-related mania and depressive episodes that come and go as a result of a nest remaining empty, But I hadn't really considered this for his Bhaal-embracing self He definitely harbors an obsession with procreating in that AU - but... I'm not sure that's Bhaal's doing anymore. I think he just wants for there to: A) Be more of him around. B) Create a tangible, undeniable connection between himself and Astarion that cannot be severed.

A theme with DU drow is that he is aggressively monogamous. This remains constant in every possible iteration of him and it's a pillar of the character - he is devout to a partner until the end whether they want him or not, and so, Bhaalist DU drow would be violently opposed to the idea of being sexually involved with anyone besides Astarion. If Sceleritas or members of the temple insisted otherwise, he would balk and them push them off into a Chasm. If Bhaal demanded him do it, he would jerk off into a vial and hand it to whoever he deemed pretty enough to mix up with, and then probably kill the child as soon as it was born, anyway - because it's not right.

DU drow (again, in all iterations) almost believes there to be a magical component to true love that affects a person's life beyond just their choice in long-term partners. Just like he once decided that Orin was his forever-mate, he's now decided him and Astarion are intrinsically linked, that they are stronger together than they will ever be apart again. And It is particularly romantic to him (a matter of ironic fate, really) that the Murder Prince's true love would be undead. In DU drow's mind, and SPECIALLY in his Bhaal-embracing version, this is simply the universe's plan for him, and to divert from it in any way (by, for example, procreating with someone else) would be blasphemous.

Now, obviously him and Astarion can't have biological children for a plethora of reasons. But this is fantasy. Bhaalist DU drow would simply not stop until he found the best way to create someone that could be, spiritually and physically, considered their functional blood-offspring. Through Alchemy, magic, ritual, whatever it may be - as long as it works and works according to his high-standards. I suspect he would have specialists shipped in from wherever they may be in the realms to look into the issue, and probably someone who's sole job is to research the matter, though I'm not sure he would ever be satisfied with the results.

I think Astarion would be utterly checked out of the matter.

[thewinchestah]

"Chega de Saudade" - Alastor X Reader fic

Pairing: Alastor x Fem!Reader.

Summary: When Alastor breaks into the V's building seven years later he expects to find a lot of things, lot of obnoxious, enraging, tacky things. He did not expect to find you. The Radio Demon does not take betrayl lightly and you have to live with the consequences of selling your soul to his worst enemy. Better yet, you have to live with the consequences of selling your soul to Vox and Alastor finding out. The soul you sold because Alastor left you for 7 years. Safe to say, it's a mess. A pretty, angsty, dark and delicious mess.

Warnings: Alastor is in Hell for a reason,general hellish violence,general hellish creepiness,eventual smut, i carioca coded valentino bc i can and bc he is very carioca sorry everyone,blackmail, Soul Selling, author is really invested in politics and decided to micromanage hazbin hotel canon, Corruption, Extortion, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, but nothing too explicit,mature themes in general, canon divergence, Not Canon Compliant, Eventual Smut, Alastor gets insane in this one you've been warned, fear play, Possessive Behavior, posessive sex, big bad radio demon is gonna fuck up the guy who stole his girl and will make it everyone's problem, Reader-Insert,no y/n,no beta we die like men here, i feel bad for tagging vox in this fic cause i think it's a disservice i really hate him and i make it clear so vox stans be warned, it's hell i hope y'all remeber ethics are fluid, posessive!Alastor, unhinged!Alastor, Isane!Alastor

Taglist: honestly only my queen @jyoongim i have no credibility to tag anyone anymore after being away for so long. If you wanna be tagged on future updates just let me know!

A/N:HI HEY BUNNY ANON IF YOU ARE STILL HERE THIS ONE FOR YOU!! Hiii everyone guess who's back. I had this fic cooking for a while now, actually i had a lot of writing cooking but in a very Ao3 author fashion a lot happened. You see i was on this writing streak and then my 15yo dog died while i was out of state. I had to go back on anti depressants and take a sabbatical. I got a new puppy and she's the light of my life. Got super sick, won a horse show. My first plan for this fic was having the first 3 chapters done and ready for debuting together because i always feel i'm lacking when i show up with only one chapter lol. After a while i realised i needed to get this first chapter out too see the light of day if i wanted to write again so here it is. This fic is a bit different from my other Alastor fics and i have a rough outline of 5 chapters so i think this beast will be more than 20k words long for sure. I decided to get a little deeper into Hell's politics and all the "no one ever thought of using heavenly weapons against hell even tough Hell's ancient and the best worst of humanity and demonkind is here". I call that bullshit sorry i'm brazilian i'm well versed in shady politicians and shady politics and unfortunatly, dear reader, you are in for this ride too. This fic kicks off right after "Stayed Gone". Also did i mention i'm brazilian and that my works are heavily inspired by brazilian media. This entire fic was inspired by one of my favourite songs of all time "Chega de saudade". And let's be real, Alastor and bossa nova are the perfect match. So yeah, english is not my first language and this isn't beta'd so sorry for any confusion or mistakes. Thank you so so much for reading my fics and always leaving the most kind beautiful and heartwarming feedback. I hope i can still deliver a nice story to my darling readers.

Click here for my other fics.

CHAPTER ONE: chega de saudade a realidade é que sem ela não pode ser.

In the first year you were calm and collected. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation to why he is gone. Is he even gone, gone? He’s coming home soon, you can feel it. 

In the second year you convinced yourself there were signs everyone explaining why he was gone and when he was coming back, you were just too oblivious to them before. But everything can be a sign when you are delusional.

In the third year you cried so much you felt you were constantly drowning. You barely left home and some thought you were gone too. Gone to him.

In the fourth year you finally gave in and took the deal. Lack of self-preservation and machiavellian schemes working together to create a trap for him. He would come home out of anger, ire. But you can't outfox the fox.

In the fifth year you decided to scour hell and beyond after him. You went to places just to taunt him. Paranoia became your best friend, blood sweat and tears as you repeat “This time it will work, I'm sure of it”. Can a lie be said so many times it becomes the truth?

In the sixth year you accept defeat. You buried him deep and went about like he never existed in the first place. Isn’t it mystifying how this city screams his name?

It’s the seventh year now. The alarm on your phone rings and rings and you feel like scratching your face off. It’s time to meet your damned executioner.

Rolling out of bed you open the curtains to let some light in. The penthouse from the V’s building has a great view of Pentagram City, looking down you get the feeling of dystopian sci-fi that is so characteristic of the technology district. Limelights, digital outdoors, and big opulent, oppressing screens greet you like a constellation of dead stars, long distorted from their original purpose and form. 

You follow processional routine as you get ready. Choose a beautiful dress, put on make-up, and do your hair. It all feels like preparation for a sacrifice. One thing you learned from Alastor is that appearances are the best strategy and you intend to greet your handmade battlefield like a roman legion. 

Alastor. Even thinking of his name hurts, especially today when you need to face the consequences of your actions, the consequences of his actions. He is gone, he left you. And now Vox owns your soul. You blame your fall from grace entirely on him, he forced your hand, he made you do it. Out of desperation, out of defiance, you sold your soul to Vox so he would come back and save you, so he would come back out of hatred, anger and ire to tell how foolish you were, how betrayed he felt.

Betrayal. Selling your soul to his sworn arch enemy should be treason worthy of him dropping anything he was doing to come and punish you, to address you. You just wanted to get a reaction out of him, proof that he still cared. That he didn’t just get bored of the empire of terror he fought so hard to build in Hell. That he didn’t, deep down, just disregard you like a shiny novelty, to be left when it got old. 

You dry the persistent tears that insist on falling with clinical coldness. You are past feeling sad now, you don’t even feel angry anymore. You are past any emotion really, you just want to get this over with and get back home.

You went about your deal with Vox in many different ways, sometimes you felt like it was a good alliance, a slap on Alastor’s face. A side quest to gather as much information from the V’s inner circle, a social experiment. The truth is, during these past almost four years you were a mental gymnastics pro to justify your new arrangements. The cognitive dissonance required to live with the decision of being forever tied to Vox was an herculean task and boy he didn’t make it any easier on you. He would never be as refined as Alastor when it came to torture but there’s something about the coldness and calculated reality of the television business that was it’s own type of Dante’s inferno.

As soon as he got word of Alastor’s disappearance the TV overlord was on your scent, and he wasn’t shy about it either. You dodged him and led him on for almost four full years before finally giving in, everything was more or less under control during the early years of Alastor’s disappearance. 

Until you saw the angel army leaving.

  Death and gore were all around you. The sky rained blood. You couldn’t breathe. You tried to take a step forward only to realize you were knee-deep in demon blood. Adam was particularly ruthless this time, he seemed to have realized the unbalance in Hell’s power structure with one of the most prolific demon overlord’s absence and took full advantage of it. You choked on the sulfur filled air while the portal closed and Adam threw a last middle finger at the Pride Ring. A clawed hand offered you support as you were about to fall, your heart skipped a beat, for a split second you felt elation. In that split second a thousand thoughts, four years of misery and confusion passed through your mind like a movie. You were sure this was Alastor, showing up after the unprecedented carnage of today’s reaping. With the next heartbeat came the delivery of the most cruel reminder: the hand reaching for you was Vox’s. Alastor doesn’t care about anything anymore, not even losing territory. 

The TV overlord was covered in thick, red blood and looked vindicated, a wide chesire’s cat grin on his face. Baptized in carnage, Vox had finally triumphed for the V’s.The V’s were now a force to be reckoned with in Hell, there’s no argument to be made.  A good chunk of Alastor’s territory was now under their control, and everything that came with it too. Including you. 

“My darling doe, be careful, we can’t have you hurt after the battle is won can we?” 

Darling doe.

You threw up at the casual cruelty of the name Alastor called you with such affection being desecrated by Vox. He still supported you as you spilled your guts, you’d blame it on the nerves, the adrenaline, the reeking smell of death. Not on the fact that you knew he finally won, that the thing that broke you was to hear your name like that, on your lover archenemy’s lips. After that it happened. You sold your soul to vox. Of course he coerced you into it, and you were so mad with grief and betrayal that you felt like betraying Alastor back was the just thing to do. Pettiness and paradoxical hope dripping from your lips as the whole thing was done. 

Every year this same flashback assaulted your mind as you got ready to meet Vox on the anniversary of your deal. It never went past the look you gave those pixelated eyes as he held you on that barren land, stopping right there when you made the decision that finalized your ruin. You still wouldn’t, couldn't face what really went down when you formalized your deal with Vox. Those memories were suppressed and tucked in under layers and layers of regret and self-hatred. 

You gave yourself a final look in the mirror. No makeup smudging this time, you were getting good at numbing your feelings. Just a few tears, no more sobbing.

The yearly meeting with the V’s after the extermination was the perfect cover actually, everything was done in a way that it seemed like you were all cooperating. After all, you did hold a very good knowledge of the inner workings of Alastor’s deals, subordinates and territory. You knew who the V’s could “call in favours” and how to keep the peace. Or as close to peace as peace came when an abrupt power transition happened in Hell. You were a valuable asset to anyone really. Articulated in politics, masterful at the art of persuasion, kind, soft, charismatic, assertive, all in perfect balance, and frankly, breathtakingly beautiful. It wasn’t without reason that Alastor fell for you and that you became his most trusted advisor. You and Rosie were able to conceal his absence and manage his affairs for good two years and the better part of the third without raising any suspicion. Of course, the bigger they are the harder they fall and now you were walking down the corridor of the V’s building carrying a bulk of important intel that would dictate the fate of the Overlord power structure for the next year, at least. 

The hallways of the building changed a lot since you first walked them. As the V’s grew in power, the building grew in grandeur. It was now an imposing beast, looming over Pentagram City. Modern corporate architecture that incorporated the savage capitalism of Vox Tech. Savage, cold, sterile, overbearing that’s how being inside the lair of Hell’s most up and coming trio felt. The tall ceilings and big glass windows were exactly what you would expect of a broadcasting network and silicon valley Big Tech company combined. As an esteemed guest, you got the privilege of staying in the coveted penthouses, with someone to attend to your every wish and demand. You also got an idea that Vox went a little extra with your treatment as a form of flirtation, he has been trying to convince you into moving in for a while, every time you stayed in, your usual penthouse had some shiny new thing that was  made just for you, as he repeatedly emphasized. 

This year’s token of affection was a makeup mirror-gadget-thingy, that looked out of a Totally Spies episode. You had to admit to yourself that this was way more thoughtful and useful than the gifts from the previous years. The thing was cute, practical and would come in handy, which was a big improvement. Vox had tried to sway you with all types of guns and high tech devices in vain. Well, there was also that embarrassing stance with the wire flowers with a hidden recording device. Needless to say that after that entire debacle Vox learned that he may own your soul but you weren’t a damsel in distress and you would reinforce your side of the bargain if he went too far. 

You reached the elevator and went in, pushing the button for your destination. 

The earlier you start this the earlier it is over, you remind yourself.

The panoramic elevator descended to the well guarded conference room, the guards didn’t bat an eye to you entering. You realized you were becoming a familiar face around here, that made you dread what’s ahead of you even more.

“There she is! Hello princesa, I missed that pretty face!” Valentino greets you. He’s the only one inside, sitting on the edge of the table.  Well, that’s unusual… you think. Vox was always the first to get to the post-extermination meetings, plus he always gave you a slightly early timetable so he could have some alone time with you. Something must be going on.

“Hey Valentino, it’s nice to see you too! What gossip do you have for me today?” you give your best chirpy tone to the love moth. Look, you know how bad Valentino is, he is despicable really, even to your standards. But ethics are fluid, to say the  least, in Hell. The acclaimed porn king was surprisingly engaging to talk to. He was fun and actually treated you like a person, which was paradoxical in itself, considering how infamous he is for exploiting and commodifying souls. You drove yourself mad with theories of possible agendas behind Valentino’s kindness towards you, but it was the simplest of answers really, for some reason Valentino liked you and he never denied himself of what he liked.

“You have no idea! We have a lot to catch up on, did I tell you about that bitch who was trying to spy on us?” a set arms gestures to you to sit down next to him. The next 10 minutes are spent talking frivolities with the moth. You’re not complaining, it's nice to get your mind off this dreadful day and you don’t get many. 

Valentino, as always, has a lot to say, little goes on in Hell without him knowing who, what, where and why. Information, gossip, rumors, facts, if a single out of context word can be weaponized  you better be aware that he knows. Pentagram city can be divided into districts and ruled by lots of different overlords, still, Valentino’s intricate web of influence and coercion stretches across all territories. Another poor soul manifests here and goes somewhere they should not be, talk to someone they should not talk to, discover something they should never know. All cases of “wrong place at the wrong time” are happily solved by a large sum of money from the moth and suddenly another thread is weaved into his web of knowledge, another secret  made his. Valentino doesn’t operate like most Overlords and that’s where his power  lies. He bribed and fucked his way into every major circle, every  overlord’s inner circle, Hell’s best kept secret. If you were anyone in the hellish afterlife Valentino either fucked you or fucked someone very close to you. 

Knowledge is power, and Hell’s gossip girl was proof of it.

You swallowed a lump you didn’t know existed, hearing the moth talk about how things changed in a matter of hours during the early post-war made you even more aware of the severity of the intel you were carrying. It was earth shattering (no pun intended) information. 

Angels can be hurt. Angels can be killed. That meant a completely different way of existing in the afterlife, if this information goes public, the consequences are unpredictable and dire.

You don’t feel excitement knowing you technically can fight back, you feel pure dread.

To be completely honest, you feel like these “news” are not really news. You were pretty acquainted with politics back on Earth and this whole “omg no one knew about this! even though this was staring us right on your faces! is total bullshit. Hell is ancient, the exterminations are not a new thing, and there are some pretty smart people down here. To think that millenia after millenia masters of torture and skilled killers never thought of using heaven’s own firepower against them is wishful thinking at best. Sure, maybe after a few generations most sinners, even those who have power, may have been kept out of the loop about the chick in the holy army’s armor… but not knowing this at all just feels like a pretty convenient case of collective amnesia. 

Convenient, that’s exactly what this is. It’s brutal, but that’s Hell. A scheduled massacre is a blessing to those who rule to maintain, reinforce and extend their power. And if you get lucky enough, empires will fall and you will make your move. 

Vini Vidi Vici, that’s all you need to know about how Hell's politics work. 

It’s true that with every massacre the Angel Army gets more and more brutal and unhinged. What was once justified as righteous mercy killings to stabilize the ever growing hellish population now is just a display of cruelty, these angels kill for sport. There have been rumors floating around of how the disproportional annihilation tactics are preparation for something bigger for a while now , and with the demonic royal families either operating totally off Pride Ring or being completely MIA, it is no wonder those influential enough are starting to get restless. 

And that ties back to your first point, the thing that got you picking the skin around your nails while Valentino gossips. There’s a reason why this is being revealed now, you know how creating a narrative works, a few smart words and ideas become beasts of its own. A beast of its own that will tear anything on its way with the right fuel. The V’s have fuel to spare. Whose interest is that this information stayed hidden? Whose interest is that this information was allowed to be shared now? 

Hell is constructed by layers and layers of complicated militias and parallel governance, each one a locked room of secrecy that is impossible to enter without a huge amount of connections and power. 

“In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king. And, honey, you should see me in a crown” Valentino wisely said to you once. He’s a man of many many keys, and right now you are holding the fucking master key under your arm. 

Speaking of Valentino, he notices that you dozed off and snaps his fingers, grounding you back to reality. 

“My, my. You must have extremely sensitive information today to keep you from hearing the nastiest, hottest gossip of the moment babe” He takes a hit from his cigarette, an elegant and sensual move straight from an Old Hollywood film. The heart shaped smoke rings caress your face and for an instant you feel hypnotized, nodding your head profusely. 

“But I already knew that” behind the rose coloured shades, you see a playful wink from his infamous red hot eyes. 

The porn overlord quickly snaps his head towards the huge automatic doors, that open and reveal Vox and Velvette walking side by side exchanging looks between them that scream conspiracy.

“Sorry about the wait, my darling” Vox purrs on your way, stopping behind your chair and placing his hands on top of it, fingers dangerously close to your neck and shoulder. He pushes your hair to the side and lingers there, on your neck. “but as they say ain’t no rest for the wicked, am I right?” Velvette takes her seat beside Vox’s empty chair, meticulously placed in front of you, polite pleasantries leaving her mouth. She’s still a mystery, you never know her true stance on you, she keeps you on your toes. Does she like you? Does she hate you? Does she even care? 

“If you say so, boss!” you give him your best pageant smile. “So, who’s climbing up the ladder of the food chain today?” You bat your eyelashes at him. Your performance begins.

“Aw baby, you know I love when you call me boss! keep talking dirty to me” Vox lands a wet kiss on your cheek and makes his way to his chair.

 Right in front of you, so he’s always staring at you, drinking in your every move. You cannot fail, you cannot falter. 

As much as you’ve gotten used to pretending, pretending you like the V’s, pretending you don’t feel disgusting inside for being here, pretending you don’t hate Alastor for putting you in this situation with a burning passion but still missing him so much you feel someday your heart will stop beating in protest to him absence, it’s still hard. Especially when Vox touches you. Your eyes focus on cybersharks swimming behind Vox’s seat and concentrate on keeping your awarding winning poker face. 

“This year looks really promising I will tell you that! The orders for both your weapons and tragedy porn cameras doubled since the last extermination! I will give credit where credit is due, that fuckboy Adam knows how to put on a show!” he snaps his fingers graphs, stats and footage appears on the various screens. But it’s all irrelevant, it won’t matter when you spill your secret. 

“Lot’s of veeeery interesting happenings but I thought this year we might… start differently. Let’s forget the profit talk for now, change things a little. Did you guys see anything out of the ordinary? Did something stand out?!” he spins around his Big Boss ™ chair and stops with his hand under his chin, leaning in to you like a schoolgirl with the hottest new gossip. 

“Oh! I heard things -” Val also leans in getting closer to the TV overlord face. 

Vox’s grin shrinks, lifting a finger in protest 

“We know, we know, you always hear things Val” he replies in a monotone tone

Velvette, who spent this entire time typing away on her phone, interjects 

“Look, don’t take this the wrong way girlypop” finally looking at you she asks, or rather, states the million dollar question “ but what Vox means is that we know you have something  big cooking inside those files, so let’s drop the bullshit and go straight to it” 

The doll puts her phone down, she knows how important this is, how this secret will probably dictate how things will go from now on. You can call Velvette many things, but she is clever and under all that attitude and posh accent lies a brilliant strategist. 

“Plus, we all know you are contractually obligated to tell anyway, so spill, and can make this quick and painless to everyone involved” 

Right, your cartesian, empirical proof that angels can be killed.  Caught on the scene of the crime with the gun in your hands. 

You don’t waste anymore time, the words leave your lips like you’re choking with the threat they present. You tell them everything: where the exorcist was killed, how he was killed, the golden ichor blood that oozed from the wound, where the body was hidden. Everyone is silent while you speak, even the mechanical sharks seem to have stopped swimming to listen. 

After that you don’t remember much more of the meeting, it felt like you took the backseat of your own mind, the overwhelming feeling of dread making you so out of breath. Something is coming, something fucking coming and you can’t breathe. Anxiety sets under your skin like a second skeleton begging to crawl its way out and you find yourself sitting in one of the lavish anterooms of the V’s building. 

“So, the cat’s out of the bag then” you recall hearing Vox saying when, as if on cue, a few moments before the meeting was being declared over, the emergency broadcast about the reduction of the extermination date from a year to six months was issued. You four watch the transmission and you wonder if that’s what it feels like to get the news of the end of the Cold War, the doomsday clock finally hits midnight and we are nuking each other out. 

Mutual destruction assured. 

Your mind wanders back to your life on earth, if life up there is better or worse these days. You died so young, everybody told you, your Untimely Demise a big topic of conversation that you yourself didn’t know much about. But nothing, nothing in all of your living years and your years from Hell to eternity could prepare you for what comes next.

“So the Radio Demon is back in town! Why is he hanging around? What does it mean for your family?” 

The news hit your ears like a tsunami and you feel dizzy. It’s easy to find a big screen here and you are running to the closest one before your brain can even compute the words. 

Alastor is back, Alastor is back, and he didn’t come find you.

The next sound wave is even worse, dragging you ashore to your feelings without any reprieve. 

“Salutations!

Good to be back on the air! Yes, I know it's been a while, since someone with style treated hell to a broadcast

Sinners, rejoice!”

This isn’t a prank, there are no cameras and a sadistic tv host waiting for your humiliating reaction, instead all pairs of eyes in Hell are glued to the screen watching as the two Overlords fight it out. 

Thus, no one notices how your entire body shakes and your vision goes black. It’s too much, and you grip the rails from the stairs that lead to the foyer for dear life. Your heart is beating out of your chest. No one notices how you cry, how you whimper Alastor’s name like a prayer, how the tears run down your face and you feel paralyzed. You want to run, a million thoughts per heartbeat making your head swim. The best you can do is collapse on the floor. So you do, you collapse trying to catch your breath as you plan your sweet escape, how you are going to Houdini yourself out of this situation right to his arms.

“Tune on in

 when I'm done, your status quo will know its race is run”

You want to kiss him, you want to slap him, you want to tell him how much you missed him, you much your fucking hate him. You want him to drag you to his rooms and make you pay for cursing him out. You want him, you want your Alastor back. You cannot breathe.

“Oh, this will be fun.”

and then all the lights go out.

There’s a beginning of an uproar happening, the electric building dies a quick and unforgiving death, demons run around and Vox is flying down the stairs trying to do damage control. But even he is failing to keep his composure, because he knows. Oh how you know too. 

Alastor is like a natural disaster, a shattering force that bends everything on its way with the sheer force of will. The inevitable reckoning that comes to your town, that judges and executes everyone that you love. 

And now he is here. 

You see the burning red hot pair of eyes first, their predatory gaze hold the entire room hostage, looking for his prey and then they land on you. 

The piercing intensity of Alastor’s eyes, the flickering reds of damnation itself, regard you with surprise, elation and something more. So overbearing those eyes are, they make you shiver, bearing the weight of his gaze that penetrates deep into your soul. Your soul that is not yours anymore, it belongs to the man he hates, the man he despises. 

The Radio Demon’s towering frame closes the distance between you two in five long strides, you do your best to keep yourself upright and not cower at the sight of him. He looks like Rapture and righteous torture, coming to deliver your setance. Vox knows his sentence is being delivered here and now too, so he runs, runs to you.  You feel static and an electrifying pull, metal clinking. A chain. A glowing blue chain on your neck and Vox’s pulling it tight.

“What? what the fuck is going on? what’s this?” snapping your neck quickly towards Vox you whimper, you beg. The few seconds you stopped looking into Alastor’s eyes causing seething rage inside the deer demon, ire that makes the room tremble. 

‘“Talk over the radio, that way everyone can hear, baby” Vox says straight at Alastor, like it is a shooting gun. The look on the TV Overlord is maniac, a sideway cocky smile that drips pettiness. Just because Vox clearly lost this battle, with all tvs and electricity on petagram city going dark, it doesn’t mean he can’t still forever tarnish this victory. 

Alastor’s demonform covers the already dark building in opaque, thick shadows, radio static picks up around the room like a tornado chocking the majority of the unfortunate demons that are still inside, in a desperate attempt to seek shelter. 

No words leave the radio host’s lips as he grows even taller, breaking the posh entrance of the building, debris flying down causing even more damage, the tall glass windows shatter in a million pieces courtesy of his tentacles tearing down everything on their way. The sounds of destruction and despair are loud but you haven’t been listening to the world outside you and your returned lover’s radio dial eye’s for a while. A doe caught in the headlight of his eyes the best you can do in brace for the inevitable impact that is coming your way.

In a flash of his scarlet eyes a fire ignites, the flames born from it are unnatural, behaving like a hive mind to kill and destroy.

 You always knew that facing Alastor after these 7 years would not be easy, but you never imagine your reunion like this, in the midst  of pomppeian fire, a wild raw power, the oncoming storm that is Alastor when he attacks. 

Vox knows this fight is over, his ego hurt and today’s accounts always written as a victorious comeback from the Radio Demon, nevertheless, between the three of you Vox will always know who really won, who drew the last card, had the last laugh. He did, holding Alastor’s girl on a leash because he owns her. The soul of the woman the Radio Demon dared to love is his, the man Alastor despises with a burning passion, and that’s enough for now. 

The raging flames circle the three of you and without much more flair Vox drops his act, your chain disappearing from your neck. You drop to the floor, branching yourself on all fours. You consider crawling your way to Alastor, so you can explain, so you can cry, so you can beg. You don’t know for what exactly you will be begging for: your life? his forgiveness? his punishment? you just know a lot of begging and pleading will be involved. 

But the decision is made for you.

“Run, run my little darling doe” Vox commands “Run and do whatever you need to do” 

You get up on your feet in a completely ungracious move and Alastor’s out of the room instantly. The flames never touch you on the way out, the outside world greets you: a cacophony of screams, sirens, burning sounds, the infernal orchestra that becomes the soundtrack of your life.  

“Oh, and by the way” Vox screams from the threshold of the decaying building “we just got news that your place on Cannibal Town got trashed by some wayward sinners during extermination. But don’t worry you can always come home here, come home to me!”

You do your best to ignore his taunting, and you pray to whoever is listening that Alastor didn’t hear it. But it’s futile, the pavement where he is stepping cracks a dark cloud of static and shadows trail after him. He definitely heard and felt the implications of these words. 

“Al.. Al!” you scream running after your lover. 

Fuck, you’re still in heels, and those aren’t your running heels.

Kicking the damned shoes off you run faster, you cry harder and plead faster.

When you lived, your life always felt a bit surreal, weird stuff happened to you that you couldn’t really explain. People always joked that screenwriters of your life were the most creative people alive, the thing that happened to you never happened to anyone else. You died young, with a big, full life ahead of you, but you took this as gospel to your afterlife, after all everything related to your death was a mystery to you. But the things that happened to you living or dead were a raw reality impossible to make up.

 The uncertainty of your death only fuels your resolve to fight for the life you found in the afterworld. 

“Al, wait!” you are starting to get truly desperate, you need to get to him otherwise you are pretty certain you will drop dead here and now.

 “Alastor please, please listen to me” your voice failing, you finally choking from the smoke, from the suppressed tears. If Alastor doesn’t hear you now you are not sure you can carry on after him, you’re too tired too scared. You him to save you like the damsel in distress you are right now so bad.

Alastor dramatically comes to a halt. 

“I. am. Not. Having. This. Conversation. Here.”  his voice is staggered, still. Filled with static and a murderous edge to it. His long arms catch your wrist and pull you close, flush against his chest, you almost stumble but a powerful arm around your waist locks you tight to him. 

It’s the first touch in seven years, your legs shake at the realization that he’s real, he’s here. You lock your arms around his neck, the familiar fabric of his overcoat, the soft strands of his hair, they all feel like coming home.  

Something inside Alastor snaps when he remembers, when he feels how small you are in comparison to him, only one arm securing you safely to him. Some paradoxical fight starts inside him, wild wild want, wild wild rage against tameness, the docile calm you bring whenever you are at his side. 

The world disappears for a few seconds as darkness engulfs both of you,  inside the black moving vacuum only the two of you exist, greeting each other in bloody homecoming. 

Alastor takes you back to the Hotel, landing with a low thump inside his room. For a second his hand supports the small of your back, preventing you from falling forward. After all it’s been 7 years since you shadowtravelled with him, he knows you are terribly out of practice. 

His consideration towards you only lasts this precious second thought, because he makes his way across the room, creating as much distance as he can between the two of you. Your touch disarms him, he is aware of that since the first time your hand brushed against his, the first time his lips ghosted on top of your knuckles. If Alastor is touching you he is extremely likely to get soft, to remember how much you mean to him, what you do to him, so he will be merciful. And right now the last thing the deer demon wants is to be disarmed, to show you mercy. He can feel your betrayal burning inside his veins, clouding his judgment with ire and jealousy.

Alastor doesn’t fight those feelings, on the contrary, he lets them take him by storm adding fuel to his already bad temper. That’s the only way he can face you now, that’s the only way he can make you understand. 

You don’t get any time to gather your bearings, from the corner of your eye you notice a forest. His room is bigger on the inside and has a fucking conservation area but that’s hardly the most pressing matter at the moment. The pressing matter at the moment is that you are getting whiplash from touching your demon lover for the first time in seven years and his subsequent refusal to touch you, stationing himself across the room to you.

Why isn’t he with you? by your side as you ride the shockwaves of today together? You are scared, but above all you feel overwhelming sadness. 

“How did it happen?” he finally snaps, breaking the deafening silence. It’s the first time Alastor regards you, directly, in 7 years and the weight his words bare is so heavy you wish for more of the silence. “Tell me, how did it happen?” his eyes are wild, dangerously close to radio dials. 

“How did it happen? You tell me Alastor! You left me, you fucking left me!” you wish you could be your usually articulated self, you rehearsed this conversation so many times in your mind and in none of them you started with such venom on your lips. But it has been too long, and maybe the poison from all those years alone and afraid beside Vox drips through. 

The Radio Demon sees the tears that fall profusely from your big doe eyes, and they sting more than an acclaimed torturer like him could have anticipated. Alastor finds himself still disarmed, because with every single glistening tear that falls he can see how hurt, how scared you are. He is the only one allowed to make you scared, he owns your fear.

But that’s the problem isn’t it? He owns nothing. Vox does. And that realization turns him back to feeling seething rage. 

“So my mere absence is enough to change your devotion? Is me being here the only thing that stopped you from falling into his arms?” more poison. By the end of the night you both will choke on it. 

“Al.. Al” you are sobbing now, your throat tightens and it’s hard to breath it’s hard to speak. “ I had to do it. You don’t get it, you don’t get it.” your voice breaks “hemademedoit, hemademedoit!!”. You swallow half the words, whimpering, as if you say it fast enough the action will quickly become the past, as if the memories won’t haunt you. And yet the memories flood your mind

A dim-lit room, the smell of blood and something burning.

“He is gone baby, and he isn’t coming back”

Electricity makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

A stranger’s hand pushes the hair to the side of your face, dread creeps up inside of you.

“This is the only way my dear, the best decision you can make” 

The same stranger’s hand grab you by the waist 

“I’m the only one who can protect you now, you know that right?”

eyes that make you freeze, it’s hard to think. eyes that make it hard to say no.

“If this is hard for you, you can pretend that I’m him” 

a wrong type of static pricks your lips 

“This won’t hurt” 

a shockwave hits your body and it feels like you are being split open

You have to steady yourself on the closest piece of furniture. You cower as the repressed memories from the night you finally gave in to Vox assault your mind, trying to make yourself as small as possible, like he is coming back to do it all again. Cries and incoherent words leave your lips and you don’t know if you actually said what happened or if this entire time you have just been crying. You entire body hurts as you hyperventilate “Al, I’m so sorry” you whisper 

That’s what undoes Alastor, you curling yourself in a ball, defeated and scared at the ghost of the man he hates. You looking away from him like you are undeserving of him, of his punishment, of his love. Like you are tainted. Alastor can’t make the exact words of your confession about how it happened, but he heard enough. Vox would never make you come to him willingly, Alastor knows that. Whatever Vox did - and Alastor has a lot of ideas of what he did - he will pay double for it. 

 Alastor’s blackened heart shatters when he calls your name and you don’t look up to meet his eyes, like you always do. He was always your lantern for when you were drowning. He meant to break you, hurt you like that. He just wanted to make you come to him, beg for his forgiveness, beg him to soothe the pain. 

“Mon coeur, my sweet darling doe you are safe” Alastor voice goes so soft it hurts “Don’t fret, it’s in the past, it’s over, you are safe with me now as you are meant to be” he coos.

Still, you can’t read your lover’s mind. So you don’t know his heart is shattered, you don’t know how much he loathes himself for letting this get this far. You are so caught up on your own feelings, reeling the rage and the memories that you miss the softness of his voice and his outstretched hard and you inevitably choke on the poison. 

“No. No!” you snap “You don’t get to say that. You have no right to say that!” you scream as you get up “I’m not safe, I will never be safe because you weren’t there to protect me, you promised Alastor, you fucking promised” the poison is now inside you, heartstopping waves of hurt consume your body and sprit. Right now the same burning passion that makes you heart beat for Alastor makes you hate him too. You were never good with ugly feelings, you always pride yourself for being soft to be strong. Your kindness and act of rebellion during the hellish reality you lived. You were never good with bad feelings, so you do something you never thought you’d do.

You shove the Radio Demon, that man you love so much it drives you to insanity. You shove him because the shame is too much, all the ugly feelings ball up inside, convincing you that you don’t deserve him, that you already lost him. And you won’t survive his dismissal. 

You never talked back to him, you never raised your voice. Not because you were afraid to, but because you never had to, hence the reason why Alastor is so taken aback that your pitiful attempt of violence actually moves him from where he was standing. 

Alastor shoves you back, pushing you up against the wall with a searing kiss. He kisses you like you are his last chance at salvation, like he wants to be redeemed. He licks your lips as you struggle to catch your breath, pushing his hips hard against your core, making you straddle him. Alastor doesn’t grant you a moment of reprieve, his lips come crashing down on yours again, his tongue inside your mouth dancing to a madman’s tune. He does what he does best, he takes and takes and takes. He takes your breath away, he takes all the callous words that threaten to leave your lips, aimed at him. 

You succumb to your demon lover, your nails dig into his skin and he moans inside your mouth, he bites your lips enough to draw blood. In the end Alastor is still Alastor, and of course he gets all hot and bothered when fighting. You feel delirious with the taste of his lips, your blood and your salty tears mixing together, an unholy ambrosia. His hardness press just the right way to make you sing creating a current of desire after a seven year long drought. 

His hands are quick, ridding up your shirt making he grab your ass and then your hips, strong enough to bruise. His clawed finger is already tweaking your nipple that way he knows you love. Your bravado melts, in perfect synchrony to when he sinks his teeth deep into your neck, drinking everything: that wretched poison that tarnished your words, the sacred warmth of your blood. You moan his name like a prayer that he promptly answers, he’s kissing you like a drowning man again, your blood on his lips painting your lips red like you both just drank from the holy grail, his hand cups your other breast and you vow to never speak to him like that again, only if it’s gonna get you up against the wall like that with him. 

And then he stops. 

“I hope this kiss haunts you” he says, voice still drunk with desire, low and threatening. He swiftly moves you off him, walking away and creating the same distance from when this all started “haunts your every breath, finds its way inside your every waking moment until you are mad with regret” 

You are bewildered, eyes widening in disbelief. What is he doing? How can he go from 0 to a 100 so fast? 

“I hope this kiss haunts you, so you never forget that you were the only woman who ever had me at the palm of her hand and you decided to throw it all away with that calamitous cynicism of yours.” 

So that’s what’s happening. You can never expect to beat a master at his own game, Alastor is still cruel when he is merciful. When push comes to shove he will always win. There’s only so far you can get with taunting his repentance,  playing with his heart laid bare at your feet, filled with sorrow and begging for forgiveness. He was ready to apologize, to dry your tears and soothe your fears, worshiping your delicious body and the ground you walked on. He was ready to admit that this was half his fault until your venom stung him beyond the realm of spoken word. 

“I understand it now, it must be hard for you to cope with your own decisions, your own failings, so you take it all on me. I hope you remember this when you come back to beg, on your knees for my forgiveness. And trust me, you will.” Of course Alastor would torture you with the knowlodge of his guilt and despair, the loss of his benevolence, the promise of desire and carnality. He will always be a torturer at heart, and you forgot that’s the first rule you need to always remember when dealing with him. 

“You’ve got your demons darling” never was your precious pet name said with such disdain. Static starts to gather around you, and in a flash his hand is on your neck

“and they all, Look. Like. Me” his voice is distorted when he finishes cursing you, there’s a tempest behind his eyes that entraps you, the burning red of his irises condemn you. 

The Radio demon is a raging fire, an oncoming storm. But he is also meticulous, cruel and calculating, if you dared to question him, to step on the grace he gladly gave you, you clearly were aware of everything he did to lull his absence. All the plans and contingencies he made to hush your worrying thoughts about him and bathe your threshing heart on tranquiline waters.

And you decided to mock it. To mock him and his love for you. 

You are crying again, but this time Alastor is fucking glad he was the one to hurt you, to reduce you to a mess of regret and tears. 

Tonight in Hell, power shifts from one Overlord to another. Sinners plan and freak out accordingly.

 But their machinations are all meaningless. 

The 7 years you spent away from Alastor made you sad, the three years spent on Vox’s side made you bitter. The V’s operate on poison, it’s their fuel. And maybe the poison drips through.

Tonight you drank the poison and it broke you.

Tonight, for the first time, the poison broke Alastor too.

[randomlonelymusician]

Lacey's Petshop Theory/Analysis (So Far)

So Lacey's Petshop dropped a couple of hours ago, and here's my thoughts so far after watching the video twice and doing some rough transcriptions.

Illegible text transcriptions HERE.

Warnings for disturbing imagery, abuse, blood, and animal death. Also spoilers.

So here's my overall takeaway from this entry:

There are two stories going on. The story of Lacey, who represents Rocio Yani (Lacey Game's cofounder), and the story of how the games came to be. They're very heavily connected, but not everything we're shown in the Lacey games is exactly what happened to Rocio.

In Lacey's Petshop, Lacey's uncle kills her dog. After years of abuse from him and him killing this one bit of happiness she has in her life, she kills him. She hides his remains under the bed, and is afraid to leave the room after this.

Lacey seems to be a sort of stand-in for Rocio, who has clearly suffered similar abuse. There are two directions that Rocio's connection to the "bad versions" of the Lacey games could go: they were vent pieces to she could express her trauma, or she is literally connected to the games, living out a 2000s-esque life while her trauma seeps through in the bad endings.

Now, for further explanations.

I think it's pretty evident that Lacey's uncle killed her dog. With how she constantly mentions him "taking her angel away", and how the dog's face appears while a mutilated leg/bloody eye flash on screen.

The motifs connecting the image of the dog to animal death and distress go even further:

I believe that Lacey killed her uncle after this mostly due to how images of a mangled/rotting foot and a bloody eye when she is talking about how "he is still under the bed" and that she "can't leave"

The lines about her not being able to leave also could imply some sort of guilt. The mirror scene could also reinforce this, since she sees horribly distorted versions of herself.

I also don't think every game is a direct representation of her trauma, since the timeline get a little messy if they are. Especially Lacey's Wardrobe. That's the one that sticks out as different from Lacey's Diner and Lacey's Petshop, which both focus on the abuse from her uncle. Both Lacey's Diner and Petshop do both show that she killed him, with in Lacey's diner she is cooking him and her trauma into the food and serving it to others (a representation of what what is doing with the games, maybe?"

BONUS NOTE: After you click the... substance on the left, it shows this image, which features Rocio's name.

As for what's happening in the real world. I'm actually going to go with the theory that Rocio is literally connected to the game as Lacey, and that's why there's bad endings that didn't used to be there. Everyone in the story remembers how they used to play Lacey games, and never seem to remember anything disturbing. But now that Rocio is connected to the game, her trauma is infecting it.

I think that her being connected to the wires is more literal than some may take it.

Forming a bit of a timeline, Laceygames.com / Yaniasogames started in 2004, and from the interview with Grace Asop confirms that they parted ways in 2010. This means that the "infections" were more recent, which is why no one has been discovering them until now.

Lacey / Rosio just wanted to have a normal life, so she connected herself to 2000s-esque flash games to make that a reality. But her past traumas ended up seeping into those games, creating the grotesque imagery that we now know.

I think that's all I have so far. Here are my favorite screencaps from this episode that I didn't get to use:

If anyone has any comments, ideas, or additions, please add them! This series has brought me back into the analog horror community, and it's really fun to discuss!

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

S͛a͛s͛u͛k͛e͛ a͛n͛d͛ t͛h͛e͛ r͛a͛i͛n͛

That day, after the Uchiha clan was wiped out, Sasuke ran away from the hospital and returned to his home. A home where no one will call his name, no more footsteps or laughter will be heard. He no longer gets the food his mother cooked with love. He entered the reality that everything he had seen the previous day was not a nightmare, but reality.

That day, kid Sasuke saw an empty town and an empty house...all he heard was the dripping of water from the kitchen faucet echoing in his empty house...

The sound of water droplets echoing in Sasuke's empty heart, and Sasuke's tears are soon drowned out by the roar of the rain. The tears are falling from his eyes, just like raindrops fall from the sky. It emphasizes the depth of his pain. His tears are not shown running down his face, but used rain as a curtain that obscures and conceals, suggesting privacy, or implying that rain shielding his hidden emotions.

``Rain'' did not appear in Sasuke's childhood memories with his father, mother, and Itachi. In those flashback, kid Sasuke (at that time) speaks from his "heart". It shows what inside his heart. But everything changed after UMC.

After "that day", Sasuke seems to have closed his heart. When he joins the team 7, he gradually begins to show his ``heart''. But it didn't last long after his encounter with Itachi.

However, around the 20th volume, Sasuke begins to close his heart again, and after the ``Valley of the End'' where he fights Naruto, Sasuke's ``inner mind'' can hardly be described in words. Even though he tries to kill Naruto, in the end, he couldn't. The rain that started to fall at the end of the fight revealed what Sasuke's "true feelings'' were.

``Rain'' has often voiced Sasuke's thoughts on behalf of him, who never revealed his thoughts to anyone...

In VOTE1 it shows a painful/heartrending rain of sadness… it gently wet Naruto's cheeks conveying Sasuke's true feelings. The rain representing of his emotional turmoil, emphasizing the intensity of the emotions he is experiencing. When he is extremely sad or wants to cry, it always raining or cloudy. The rain is the tears that are falling down representing his pain. Kishi comparing the raindrops to tears, the dark sky looks so sad that it looks like it is crying, and the raindrops are the tears it sheds. His emotions are once again hidden out by the sound of the rain that weeping for him.

After fighting with Naruto, Sasuke was seen walking in the rain with a sad and pained face. As he walks through the rain he recollects all the happy memories he had with his father, mother and brother. Also, he thinks about what happened "that night" by showing his dead parents. And Finally, what his brother told him. "To awaken the same Mangekyo Sharingan, just like me... you must kill....your (extremely) closest friend "

At that time, Sasuke said to himself, he don't want to gain power the way Itachi told him and he will gain power his own way.

This shows that Sasuke doesn't want to follow in Itachi's footsteps to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. So, he willingly went to Orochimaru's layer to gain power without killing his closest friend. The pain he suffered every time the curse seal was activated was he chosen to gain power... because the pain of losing Naruto couldn't be compared and endured like the curse seal.

The rain was falling heavily on him as he remembered all his memories with his family. The rain had already stopped as he walked into the darkness of the forest.

After his battle with Itachi, the rain caressed Sasuke who had become like a shell.

The blood (of his brother's) on his forehead slowly drips into his eyes and trickles down his cheek like teardrops. "Tears of blood". The rain was like Sasuke's empty heart, so empty that he couldn't even feel the sadness and despair that was attacking him.

This is the cover of ch. 476

The text saying: "I SHUT MY EYES A LONG TIME AGO. THE WAY TO MY GOALS LIES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, IN THE DARKNESS"

when the battle with Danzo began, and in terms of the story, Sasuke was becoming increasingly lonely and dark.

The overall color is in this illustration is gloomy, and Sasuke is standing under the eaves, staring outside with a grim expression. It looks like the rain has already stopped, but it must have been a very heavy rainfall... rainwater is still dripping endlessly from the crowded eaves. In the corner where Sasuke is staring, the word "Darkness" can also be seen. This cover art can also be interpreted as an image showing "Sasuke heading into the darkness".

In an interview for cinematoday.jp, Kishi talked about Sasuke's character.

Q: What specifically do you mean by that?

Kishimoto: Say for instance that Sasuke is a character that likes tea, so if tea shows up in a scene, he'll drink it, but if it was juice, I don't think he would drink it because he doesn't like it. But if I turn it into a setting where the story won't advance if he doesn't drink juice, I have to employ a different pattern from when tea shows up or it doesn't work. But if it is decided that he will drink juice, his character image is messed up. That's why I ended up giving so many different circumstances to Sasuke, who appears in so many scenes.

Sasuke was going on a rampage against the samurai at the 5 Kage Summit arc. Each time Sasuke gradually becomes darker and darker. This shows that he is heading straight for darkness. His hatred got to the point where he couldn't think rationally and started killing everyone. To reach his goal, Sasuke will kill anyone in his path without hesitation.

Gaara tried to stop Sasuke but he couldn't. Karin, his teammate, is caught in Danzo's grip, but that doesn't move him...not even a little bit. Sakura.... Uhh??? Oh well, never mind. Kakashi tried to talk to him, but still couldn't reach him...

As kishi says, "But if I turn it into a setting where the story won't advance if he doesn't drink juice, I have to employ a different pattern from when tea shows up or it doesn't work"

The moment Naruto came into the picture, Sasuke stopped his rampage and got distracted. A moment before Naruto's arrival, Sasuke had a murderous aura, but now it was gone. Then he started listening to him.

So, Naruto is the tea in this scene, while Kakashi, Sakura, Karin, and Gaara are all Juice. Naruto is the light in his darkness.

Rain reappeared and drenched him as he went to cut Naruto out of his life and then seek revenge. But on his way, his plan got diverted when Itachi comes into the picture and then follows his brother. In this scene Itachi becomes the tea.

Sasuke cries three times in the manga. There is no rain in those scenes when he is crying.

U̲M̲C̲

He cried when he saw the lifeless bodies of his parents in their pool of blood. He chased his brother with tears streaming down his face because he can't accept that his brother killed them. And his first awakening occurred when he realizes his brother is going to leave him.

T̲r̲u̲t̲h̲

This is the most emotional moment of his life after umc. His chaos in his mind was perfectly drawn with dusk sky, the cry of a hawk and waves crashing against the shore. When he realized his brother's love....he was no more. The pain is indescribable and unbearable. There was no one else for him in this world No Parents, No brother, No family. Once again he becomes lonely.

N̲a̲r̲u̲t̲o̲

He's lying next to the person he genuinely loves and cares about, and he doesn't mind showing it with his eyes. Sasuke shows his vulnerability towards Naruto with his eyes. Even when Itachi says goodbye to Sasuke after releasing Edo Tensei, he says his last words to his brother, stating that no matter what happens or what he does from here on out, he will always love him. And Sasuke looked sad and hurt but he didn't cry. Sasuke never showed his emotions in front of others, like crying, laughing, and worrying. When we saw Sasuke crying after learning the truth of Itachi, he was facing towards the beach...far away from the others. Letting out emotions is kind of a weakness. However, when it came to Naruto, Sasuke cried, laughed, and worried about him. Sasuke cries and it's his tears of happiness...because even after everything he did to Naruto....Naruto still and always loves and trusts him. Just as light (sunrise) defeats darkness, Naruto's love defeats Sasuke's darkness.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for bringing a fake boyfriend to my friend's party?

to condense as best i can, i (30, transwoman, city of pop. >10million) recently become the mother hen to a brood of wonderful baby queers (8 total, 17-23, boys and girls, all moved for school in the last year or so, most had never set foot in ANY city before). we live on the same floor of an apartment complex, and we've all grown very close over the past months; i help them use the metro, they tell me when they're going on dates and text so i know they got home safe, i cook weekend dinners, and they all slept in my living room for a week when another apartment on the floor was broken into. i think of them as somewhere between friends, younger relatives, or even my own children.

recently, one of the older ones (21) has realized he's also trans and come out to me, and i'm so proud and grateful that i can guide him through his early transition. unfortunately, there's his mother.

he'd first told me her response to his coming out was "better than expected", so i assumed she was tolerant, if not supportive yet. i've since learned she continually misgenders him, thinks this is a "tomboy phase" he'll marry out of someday, and has begun listening to more right-wing podcasts and news sites in order to "hear from both sides".

along with the other 7 kids, i've been invited to stay at the family's farm for his birthday in august, & while he's assured me she won't make a scene with company around, he's implied she has many opinions about my prescense, but said that i shouldn't tone myself down, and that if anything "it would be good for her to learn to be kind to you early, since we're family too now". two of the girls are partners, which the mother knows, but she does not seem to care about this and said that bringing a date was fine.

i have another friend (31) who's much more loudly queer than i am. on top of this, he's heavily tattooed (HUGE taboo here), rides a motorcycle, and is very outspoken and unshakable. i told him about all of this, and he offered to come along as my boyfriend, both to bother this woman, and so i won't be in a tiny (population SEVENTY-THREE!) unfamiliar town alone if anything happens. he's met the kids several times now, they get along well, and the birthday boy has said "that all sounds hysterical. do whatever you want."

my worry here is that the mother is already MUCH worse than he'd first lead me to believe, so i don't know that i can trust the kid's judgment that everything will be fine. i don't care about hurting this woman at all, and both i and my friend have dealt with even nastier people before so i'm not afraid of her, but i DO NOT want to do anything that could put this boy in a difficult position, especially since he'll likely be living with his family every summer until he's finished school, if not longer. i know what i can personally tolerate, but i don't know what he can, especially from a mother.

would i be an asshole to bring my "boyfriend" along? is it best to just go solo? or should i stay away entirely until he's back in the city?

What are these acronyms?

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Propaganda:

For Orufrey: "They're tragic wlw who have devoted their lives to each other since they were kids. They live together, they cook together, they're raising four girls together and they're doing the best they can. Olruggio would do anything for Qifrey if Qifrey would just Let Him 😭 but Qifrey is dead-set on protecting Olruggio and keeping him safe and in the dark no matter what it costs... i cant 😭..."

"Man I don't know they just have the vibes. They have toxic yuri energy but they are two grown men. They've known each other since their apprentice days and have stuck together ever since. Qifrey's main magic type was something he took up because Olruggio proposed that he learned to control the water he feared. They live together away from most of society with Qifrey's four apprentices, living the sapphic cottagecore (ateliercore???) dream. Qifrey, due to the fact that his eyesight is very much failing, something which is very problematic when it comes to witches, who need their eyesight more than most, is getting very desperate to get all he lost to the Brimhats, the witches who took one of his eyes and his memories, and Olruggio ends up noticing this pursuit and is implied to have done this more than once. Qifrey does not want Olruggio to know about both his failing eyesight and his goals, so he ends up completely wiping Olruggio's memory of those things, and laments that Olruggio is a kind person, and one who would most likely forgive him again, but also one who would try to save him, even when he didn't want to be saved. He also apologized right up until the moment Olruggio's memories of his secret were gone. In general I think chapter 40 is the somewhat toxic guy yuri chapter ever. I'm very tired so I do not know how to explain any of this, I just thought "wow Orufrey reminds me of this one poll I saw on Tumblr" and then spent three days straight hunting for your blog before completely forgetting my reasoning for Orufrey being yuri right before I submitted this."

For Joongdok: "Well first of all Yoo Joonghyuk has a whole arc that is transfem coded as hell (has a power/technique that can technically only be used by women but somehow he can also use it, for a time he even turns into a woman to wield it and it's. Actually just let me get the quote "The ines of the face had changed but it was clearly Yoo Joonghyuk. No, it was even more than before.") that just kinda happens,, and doesn't get brought up again but anyway. Second of all just look at them. You see the vision. Also a bonus observation is that these two often get shipped in a poly ship with Han Sooyoung and whenever I see people make a "regular couple, yaoi couple, yuri couple, I see no difference love is love" meme with them the combination of which pair among these three is which of the categories is always different"

Note: This submission also mentions Han Sooyoung, but I decided to count this polyship submission as guy yuri as well.

"They love each other, they pretend they don't care for each other but all their actions prove they care too much, if you remove someone from the trio then the resulting duo is extremely dysfunctional, as evidenced by more than a million words of canon. Is it technically guy yuri? Well, Han Sooyoung is a woman, but in a way she's one of the guys. Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are men, but the text heavily hints that Yoo Joonghyuk is a trans woman who's just too busy and stressed out to transition yet, and Kim Dokja has just never thought about his own gender a single day in his life. They made the world for each other, they went back in time countless times and waged countless wars for each other, they wrote and read and lived a story, their story, for each other and that's what saved them all. The way Han Sooyoung writes Yoo Joonghyuk's story to save Kim Dokja and loses herself in the process, the way Yoo Joonghyuk voluntarily lives the story to the point of losing himself too and even forgetting why he originally decided to do it, the way Kim Dokja read Han Sooyoung's story which was Yoo Joonghyuk's life and that's how he found himself, they all took so much from each other and gave so much of themselves to each other, this is all very yuri."

"they're so yuri you have no idea. they have every staple of a yuri ship. unwavering devotion. waiting dozens or thousands of years for each other. dooming themselves and the world for each other. so much yearning. i also see them genderbent a lot (including inn canon in the case of yjh) and they're right both of these people are women. i genuinely can't even see them strictly as men at this point they're just yjh and kdj and they are yuri do you understand."

"they're so yuri. the abscense of yuri is the presence of yuri etc etc. these two guys are all ABOUT abscenses. also one of them is a part time woman. the other guy is a guy but like in the same way a square is a rectangle. anyway they're so guyyuri to me. bonus points also because they have a mutual girlfriend and when she's present they're girlyaoi but that's not relevant to this specifically"

[subbyp]

I have this idea for an AU wherein Sanji’s physical Germa modifications kick in during his time starving on the rock, and when he’s like 14 Judge finds out and decides to take him back by force, because if the physical modifications took then surely the mental ones will too and if not there’s always psychological conditioning like what he did to Reiju, right? So Germa rocks up to the Baratie, burns it to the waterline, slaughters the crew (almost) to a man, and drags Sanji back. they don’t realize that Zeff survives, and they probably wouldn’t care if they did. (more fool them)

the mental modifications never kick in, but Sanji learns to act like they do, developing this false persona as a vicious shallow hedonist. he also leans hardcore on his growing resemblance to Sora to get Judge to indulge his whims (no, there’s nothing actually sexual about it, but it is deeply uncomfortable and it’s supposed to be). this is because he’s waiting for a very specific kind of opportunity…..

five years later, the Straw Hat Pirates are in Loguetown, getting ready to scale Reverse Mountain when Luffy fucks up the storefront of a shabby little seafood shack off the main square where Roger was once executed and is enlisted into chore boy duty. he gets to talking about dreams and piracy and sailing with the owner.

“do you have any dreams?” he says, failing to mop the floor.

“I used to have a few,” says the owner.

“not anymore?” says Luffy.

“none of your business,” says the owner.

“you should be my cook!” says Luffy.

“not a chance in hell,” says the owner.

then the shit goes down that leads to Luffy being put up on the block and almost executed. when the Straw Hats flee to the Merry they find the owner standing there waiting for them with a book under his arm.

he explains that he can’t be their cook—he’s too old and too broken, he’s had enough of the Grand Line, and besides staying in Loguetown is the best shot he has at achieving his dream (“I knew you had a dream!” yells Luffy. everyone ignores this), but he’s got a cookbook and nutrition guide he’s been working on and the Straw Hats can have the first draft so they don’t totally die of scurvy and shit if they swear to do him one favor—to, if they ever, out there on the sea, meet a nineteen-year-old kid called Sanji, tell him that Red-Leg Zeff is alive.

“yeah! of course!” says Luffy. “if you tell me what your dream is.”

“to see him walk free,” says Zeff.

—

Zeff’s cookbook keeps the Straw Hats properly nourished. but they barely make it to Sabaody in canon, and here they have one less combatant, so Kuma decides to split the team at Thriller Bark, and instead of sending Zoro to Kuraigana, he sends his unconscious just-bore-Luffy’s-pain ass right onto the Germa 66 flagship.

Judge wants to vivisect Zoro to figure out how a regular human non-DF-user could be so freakshow strong and then turn his head in for the bounty, but Sanji recognizes him as one of the Straw Hats (and thus, one of the liberators of Alabasta) and improvs on the spot that he wants him as a swordsmanship coach (“after all, sir, you want me to improve my swordsmanship”) and, he heavily implies, bed-warmer. thus Zoro wakes up in a Germa 66 infirmary, wounds bandaged, swords gone, and explosive collar on his neck, as the third-born Prince of Germa demands to be allowed to see his new toy alone. (“yes, I’ll be careful with him. I don’t want to break him when I’ve just got him!”)

zoro, having deduced what sanji is alluding to, is about ready to kill him with his bare hands on the spot, but as soon as they’re alone in the room together sanji starts immediately and profusely apologizing for being such a creep. he says he’s not into men (“especially not unwilling ones”) but it was the only way he could think of to get them even occasional privacy, and btw he is probably going to have to claim that he’s doing some unsavory stuff or else Judge might possibly have Zoro killed, but he’ll never lay a hand on Zoro without his consent besides what is strictly necessary to fake it around the Vinsmokes—

at this point Zoro starts to wonder what the hell he’s going on about. Sanji explains the whole thing and says that he’s planning on somehow getting Zoro back to the Straw Hats as soon as he can, and in the meantime he’ll make sure Zoro gets food and medical care and that nobody sells off his swords or anything, but he needs Zoro to do something for him in return:

“I’m going to feed you every bit of knowledge I have about Germa 66, and when you leave here, you need to give that information to someone who can destroy us until not even memories remain.”

[yuri-is-online]

What are your ideas on Yutu’s Unique Magic?

Maybe Riddle!Yutu having a countering UM to his father, or Cater!Yutu having one that allows him to see the true in people, etc, etc…

Also, what if Yutu has a sister/brother back in his OG timeline? Did he bring them with or they just got left behind?

for context, check these posts (1) (2) or look at the Fyuuture kid section under series on my masterlist.

oof I have a lot. Unique magic strikes me as something that is supposed to be reflective of who the mage is as a person as well as the Disney character/concept the boy is based on.  Since Yutu is not based on anyone really, we are more free with inspiration for his unique magic, with two exceptions. Idia and Kalim both have lines suggesting that their unique magics are passed down in their family's, though I imagine the incantation is different to each person; it makes sense for their Yutu's to have Gate to the Underworld and Oasis Maker respectively.

Before I really get into the weeds, I do like the idea of Yutu having (a) sibling(s) in the OG timeline, again because that can happen in Fire Emblem Awakening but also because it adds to the angst somewhat. As for whether or not he would bring them back in time, the answer to that is yes. Yutu has a few friends he traveled back in time with that are scattered around Twisted Wonderland with no way to contact each other, and if he had a sibling (with the exception of Malleus! Yutu whose sister is a bit... special) then they would be among that group. If you want some extra angst we can steal even more from FE: Awakening and make it so Yutu's sibling died before he arrived, maybe they turned into a blot monster that follows Grim's overblotted form as a replacement for his hench human.

We could even make it so Yutu's sibling doesn't have any magic, just like Yuu. You know. For the parallels ψ(｀∇´)ψ

Riddle! Yutu

Riddle! Yutu having a magic that counters his dad is such a good concept, especially for someone who initially hates him. There are two types of magic that we have seen counter Off With Your Head: Trey's Doodle Suit and a strong shielding spell used by Leona.  I can think of a few directions to take this line of thinking, so let's start with the most grounded.

A strong shielding spell, one that can be applied to multiple people, sounds like a spell that thematically fits Yutu.  We don't know a lot about how these spells function, but they're important for combat magic and shielding multiple people seems to be implied to be difficult.  Let's say in this case it's natural for Yutu and essentially the same for him as shielding himself.  This sort of spell feels like it should have a card themed name, Big Blind maybe?  It's a term that refers to the minimum bet required to continue a poker game if I understand what I read correctly. The only card game I know how to play is yugioh

The less grounded approach could be a sort of spell that creates an anti magic field… it's a concept I did toy around with mostly because I was thinking about more Alice in Wonderland themed names for a unique magic, and thought up “Everything is Nonsense” or something along those lines.  My one sort of caveat to this concept is that I think a spell like this would be heavily stigmatized, probably cause a lot of blot build up for a caster, and I'm uncertain of how it would work mechanically. Well that and I have an idea for a different Yutu who this spell would fit a bit better... but that would require me to cook with a different type of fire.

I did mention in my post about Riddle! Yutu that I liked the idea of his unique magic allowing him to shrink or grow because of Rule 42 in Alice Adventure's in Wonderland saying all people more than a mile high must be rejected from court. If Riddle is the Queen of Hearts, well then any time they argue all Yutu has to do is grow and then he won't be allowed to yell at him any more so there. As a side note do you think this logic could apply to the Chimera in the Prologue? Because I could see that being darkly funny if it comes up in game in that context.

Cater! Yutu

I had a really well thought out idea about Cater being able to see a limited amount into the future before I realized that I was describing the sharingan from Naruto so fuck me I guess.

So just hear me out, you know in twst battles you can see at least one of spells the enemy is going to use? That's sort of what I thought Yuu's unique magic would be if they had it, but I also like the idea of it being Cater! Yutu's. It would function more like an instinct than an actual vision (*clenches fist* just like naruto) but he can use his magic to tell what a person intends to do before they fully think it. Cater is skilled at divination so a unique magic that lets his kid see a little bit of the future feels like it could work for him.

Speaking of divination, I sort of also like the idea of Cater! Yutu having a magic that has something to do with stars and starlight. Maybe he can turn into a void like being made of cosmic energy, similar to how Cater's Split Card is symbolic of his many faces, Yutu's void form could be symbolic of how he feels displaced in the world.

Ace! Yutu

We don't know what Ace's unique magic is (yet) but there are a lot of theories. Time travel, something that steals another person's spell, something related to optical illusions?

I think it would be fun if Ace! Yutu could do something with reflections/mirrors. As in he can reach through mirror and attack, similar to how Hanged Man works in JoJo. The further the distance the more magic it takes, it can also work with things like water but that takes a lot more magic too.

Either that or he's able to travel between mirrors on his own without the dark mirror. That might be a much more difficult thing to do though...

Jade! Yutu

I have a very clear idea for what I wanted to do with Jade! Yutu's magic, but it's a bit complicated to explain because I'm not a physicist.

The basic idea was that Yutu is able to exert magical force on an object, so long as he knows it's exact dimensions and what it is made of. I called it "Crush the Heart" because I wanted both his and Floyd's Yutus to have magic to follow their dad's naming theme. To activate it he has to be looking at where the object should be and picture it in his mind, the more precise the crush the more concentration, control, and magic it takes.

The name could in theory be quite literal, but Yutu isn't quite there yet in his knowledge of biology or magical control.

Floyd! Yutu

Like I said, I want the twin's Yutu's to have a name that is similar to their dad's. Floyd's Bind the Heart uses Kanji that literally translates to "coiling tail"... which I guess is more similar to the magic I gave Jade! Yutu than the "gnawing teeth" that Shock the Heart does, but that magic is supposed to be something that requires calm collected control, which Floyd and his son simply do not have. Still, lets play off that and give Floyd! Yutu a magic that has something to do with shocks and teeth.

I think Floyd! Yutu should have a taunt. Floyd already loves the idea of a good fight, his son is really good at combat magic, and they both talk so much shit that the idea of that literally being his unique magic just sort of works.

Functionally the spell would work similarly to Jamil's, where the person has to look him in the eyes for it to work. The name of the spell could be something like "Reveal the Heart" but that does sound sort of stupid to me so I'm not sold on it. The spell makes a person unable to focus on anyone other than Yutu and wares off after a certain amount of time, it can fail in fashion similar to Riddle's if the enemy mage has a protection spell up.

Azul! Yutu

Another Yutu who I know exactly what I wanted to do with, I got the idea while playing Darkest Dungeon of all things. I feel like it's a bit lame though.

Azul! Yutu can create phantom limbs out of cosmic magic. When he is in octopus form those limbs take the form of human arms, and when in human form they take the form of tentacles. He says when asked that what he is doing is manipulating shadows because he likes to keep people on their toes (or fins take your pick) and he finds it very funny to watch people squirm when they realize there really is no escaping his grasp.

It is a very difficult magic to use, he needs physical strength to use those limbs because they are only as strong as his real ones, so he works out and a lot to make sure he doesn't hurt himself while using it.

Ruggie! Yutu

Laugh With Me is a perfect magic for a hyena to have, and it suits Ruggie's personality really well. Actually... I did write that his Yutu shares his laugh and I think it would be so painfully cute if that extended to his Unique Magic too. Ruggie makes a big deal about how he's kind of a crappy mage, how he has to do a lot of extra work to make up for his low mana pool and poor upbringing. Can you imagine how embarrassed, proud, and awed he would be if his son inherited his spell? That's something only great mages are supposed to have, not little guys like him. Good thing neither Yuu or Yutu care about that huh?

Vil! Yutu

I haven't done a post about Vil! Yutu really beyond this bit about him bonding with Vil, but I did mention what I think his unique magic would be.

I can't find it but I read a myth once about a painter who drew animals with a magic paintbrush that would bring them to life if he gave them two eyes, so he only ever gave them one. I thought it would be neat to have a spell like that and it feels like something that would fit Yutu Schoenheit very well. His magic allows him to create temporary familiars similar to Lilia's bats, bigger creatures take more magic and focus.

I wrote the name for this spell as "Technicolor Dream" since I thought it would be nice for the name of Yutu's magic to nod towards his father's job and his dreams about having his family back.

I have a lot more Yutu's chilling in my inbox, so I'll revisit this topic (lilia! yutu has a whole ask about his um that I really like) once we are done with round 2 of Yutu posting.

[cocainegoth]

🦇 Johnnie and Maria (RANT)

*Their relationship is so strange and confusing I don’t even know what’s going on but I would like to give my few cents on what I THINK happened (please note that the things I say in this post might not be cannon)*

(1) Maria Flores is the sister of Ana Flores and allegedly romantically involved with one of the victims named “Danny” who she had met presumably in college? Their relationship is described as “having a very deep and inseparable connection”. She went to college and was then kidnapped and tortured by Johnny who was romantically interested in her at the time and judging by his voice lines STILL IS.

(2) It is heavily implied that there might have been some (sexual) abuse taken place during the period of time of Maria’s abduction some of her voice lines include“please don’t be Johnny” and “I hope it’s not that thing”. In one of Cooks voice lines he talks about how he doesn’t want Johnnie to bring a love child into the family. Allegedly one of Maria’s old concept art contained her “original” outfit as just her in underwear and a shirt which is pretty weird and obscure judging by the context and situation she is in. Knowing that GUN describes Johnny as a traditional serial killer who tricks women as to lure them into his families home to kill them also described as “narcissistic” it would be no surprise he would be capable of such things. (I am not saying this is true) it gives us a weird one sided love story of a psychopath who is attracted to one of his victims.

(3) this man is definitely not a sweetheart and I feel like fan girls water down his character because of the fact he is good looking to empathize with him. This man is not an angel he will kill you if he had the chance. As regards to this he is a literal stalker who followed Maria everywhere and finally got his hands on her when she was corned into the family home.

If you have more information of both of them or if I’ve said something wrong please let me know!!

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

I’m sorry but I’m just a really huge Yves stan. Like listen, Yves would freak me out so bad that I would probably be sweating profusely every time he is within a 6 feet radius, but like as someone who went through parentification and was essentially a glass child with unmet needs when I was younger , the motherly vibes that Yves exudes,,, I’m sorry but I would be hooked, addicted even. Hell I might become the yandere too who knows LMAO.

Like Monty would be cool because I wouldn’t be as intimidated by him, well aside from his sheer size but he’s just a bit sleezy to me I dunno but Yves has this sort of lithe, vampiric, serpent like essence to him that would make me nervous but excited. Hell having someone pour into me in THAT fashion would have me excited.

Also and like correct me if I’m wrong (this is my interpretation) but I feel like Monty is the type of guy that would’ve folded for any person that gave him attention during that time. Like reader was just caught up at the right (wrong) time and now has him following them everywhere, when this literally could’ve been someone else (I think this was already addressed in the story, either this one or the first Monty story I can’t remember) but like YVES, I feel like he has a specific reason why he chose the reader, we would never know but there’s probably something really unique about his darling that makes him so enamored, maybe it a combination of things, who knows. But I feel like his love is more unique and special, to me.

I dunno man I just want someone to check up on me like Yves, I’m down bad.

tw: implication of suicide

YES I BE FUKIN DOWN BAD 4 YVES TOO CAUS HE IS SO MOTHERLY

okay so like the reason why Yves is so into you has been a hot topic on this account, originally i planned to be like some sort of reincarnation shit but that wouldn't hold much water and it would be a little too creepy to imply that he was watching even before ur birth, kinda like preordering a partner and that's already grooming

so i left it vague and up for interpretation and just said he's the allegory of a perfect parent (one link within the link) like i promise i do not condone grooming n incest shit but like, something about having someone knows you deeply and wholly like a fucking parent is really hot, not hot in the "i want to fuck my mom and dad" kinda way, but more like "OH GOD PLEASE I FUCKING WISH YVES IS REAL I WANT TO BE TAKEN CARE OF SO BAD AND I WANT SOMEONE TO SEE IM SUFFERING AND TAKWE IT AWAY FROM MEEEEE PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE PLEAASSSEEEEEEE"

these themes literally show up in almost all my works esp Yandere older brother, Yandere best friend and heavily in my Language Barrier series

Whereas for monty, that was my attempt of like trying something new, stuff that I' don't necessarily fancy but it's a nice change of pace, the exact opposite of Yves; the stereotype of the man of the house: dirty, manchild (cant cook), fixes shit his own, doesn't even own a house to handle its affairs, uses dishsoap to wash himself, sex fiend, financially irresponsible, inattentive but trying his best beer is my best friend

Whereas Yves is a stereotype of the woman, cooks, clean, has a 20 step skincare routine, takes care of his looks, hygiene, dress up well, proper etiquette, makeup, handles the finance, saving himself after marriage, more research than the FBI, loves fashion, fitness, live laugh love

and like i get it im not surprised , there will be those who prefer monty over Yves and Yves over monty. just like there's this anon who said something along the lines of Monty are for those who want to fix him, while Yves is for those who wants to BE fixed.

i did have a lot of anons disliking both sides of the yin n yang which was expected n shit

and yes ur right, Monty would have fallen for anyone who saved him not necessarily you, you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time- but his saving grace is that once he latched on , he's never letting go there is no one that could replace you. Mans is going to off himself if you're gone

in conclusion, im also downbad for yves

sauryy montyy

[ari-a1357]

I was bored so I did this for vanlock lol

In summary, these two are polar opposites in most areas, so they complement each other quite well IMO. If you wanna see more of my brainrot, read my vanlock fic on AO3 :D

For explanations + extra headcanons, keep reading (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DGS2):

Barok being 4 inches/9 cm taller makes me think that he has to be the big spoon by default, at least most of the time. That’s also why I thought he was slightly more likely to lend his clothes to Herlock. Also Herlock likes to steal Barok’s cape and pretend to be a vampire.

Herlock canonically calls Barok, “Mr. Reaper” in the games. I don’t know if that counts as a pet name, but it’s the perfect mixture of playful and insulting which I think encapsulates their dynamic pretty well.

One thing some people might not realize is that the original depiction of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is canonically queer. Yeah, it’s explicitly stated that Sherlock isn’t into women so none of that queerbaiting shit with Johnlock (looking at you Moffat) which is pretty progressive for the late 1800s. Many people speculate Sherlock to be aroace, and since I’m aroace, I like to believe Herlock Sholmes is also on the spectrum.

Obviously, the previous point ties into the horny levels. In my mind, Herlock constantly craves affection, both emotional and physical, but that doesn’t always translate to desiring sexual intimacy. It shifts frequently, much like his moods. Hence, the aceflux orientation. Barok’s horny level is more straightforward, which is the only straight thing about him lmao.

Barok gives off the vibe of a deeply repressed homosexual man with religious trauma, you can’t change my mind. That played a factor into some of my decisions with the sliders, especially his little relationship experience and dislike of PDA.

They’re from Victorian era London there are no cars lmao

I think it is canon that Herlock sucks at cooking or at least it’s heavily implied by the fact that his ten year old daughter does all the cooking. But he’s gotta be somewhat better than Barok who was raised in nobility and has likely never touched a stove in his life.

Barok isn’t scared of bugs (he’s been through much scarier things) but he also doesn’t like squashing them because it gets his expensive shoes dirty. Herlock screams about bugs not because he’s scared of them, but because he gets excited and wants to use them for his inventions.

I think some people might assume Barok is more overprotective since that’s what his character archetype typically falls under, but I’d argue that Herlock is far more overprotective, even to a fault. I mean, he kept so many secrets for ten whole years just to protect his daughter from the pain of knowing her biological father was a mass murderer. Also, he went all the way to Asia to prevent Kazuma from getting assassinated even though he’d never met the man. I rest my case.

The awkwardness level could be changed honestly. While Barok is an introvert, he’s also a highly skilled prosecutor so he is good at public speaking. On the other hand, he is probably terrible at socializing beyond polite conversations with coworkers since he likely doesn’t have friends other than Albert. Meanwhile, Herlock does and says a lot of awkward things, but he isn’t embarrassed about it in the slightest.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

To Keep Fighting Epilogue

Part One Part Two

@estrellami-1 @goodolefashionedloverboi @wonderland-girl143-blog

A FEW MONTHS LATER. . .

It was still a long road ahead, but Hawkins was slowly recovering. The physical scars were healing, but it would take a lot longer for the others to heal, and some may never. To go through something as horrible as they did, one couldn't expect to come out the other end the same. . .

"Eddie, what did I say about narrating at three in the morning?" Steve asked sleepily.

"I am also journaling, Stevie, and it's supposed to be therapeutic," Eddie said.

"And you can't do it without the narration?" He asked sleepily.

"Nope!" Eddie said cheerfully.

"You should come back to bed. I'm a little cold, and the Buckleys are coming over for breakfast in the morning," Steve said.

"In a minute, dear," Eddie said as he scribbled away. "Hey, have you noticed that Robin's parents and your parents are spending a lot of time together?"

"What are you implying?" He asked.

"You know what I'm implying, baby," Eddie said. "Now, hold onto your boxers. I'll be there in a minute."

"Hmm, let's get rid of these. Oops, I seem to have lost my boxers, and there's nothing between me and these sheets. I also, I seem to have a little problem. I guess I can take care of it myself. . .," Steve said.

"I'm still a vampire. . .blah, blah, blah! Okay, done!" Eddie slammed the journal closed and pounced on the bed. "Precious blood bag, naked you are very."

"Please, tell me that you are not going to speak like Yoda while you fuck me back to sleep?" Steve asked and Eddie grinned. "Your accent is terrible."

The next morning, Steve and Eddie woke up early. Steve, who didn't mind waking up so early, was grinning. Meanwhile, Eddie was scowling and mumbling under his breath as he leaned heavily against Steve while they walked downstairs.

"Steve, why did you let me stay up so late?" Eddie grumbled.

"I told you to get some sleep. Don't make me slap you," Steve said.

"I'll just have Hopper arrest you for domestic abuse. We have an in, I used to sell him weed," Eddie said.

"Yeah, right," Steve said, slapping him on his ass.

"I'm awake," Eddie jolted up.

They stumbled into the kitchen to find John and Maggie moving about the room, already preparing breakfast.

"You need any help?" Steve asked.

"No, thank you, love. We figured we'd cook and then leave the cleaning up to you kids," Maggie said.

"Seems fair," Eddie yawned.

Steve pulled up a chair and smiled when Eddie plopped down in his lap.

"Besides, it looks like your boy there might need some extra sleep," John said in amusement. "He's looking a little dead."

"He is not a morning person," Steve said fondly as he rubbed his back.

Eddie slumped down and buried his face into Steve’s neck.

"It's too early to mock me," he mumbled.

"You two are rather adorable," Maggie laughed.

"I think you might be a little biased there, Maggie. You did make the very lap that I'm sitting in," Eddie said, lifting his head.

"I didn't make you, dear, and I still think you're very adorable," Maggie said, pinching his cheek.

"I think I'm going to need more convincing, Mags, if you want me to be your son in law," Eddie said, smirking, and she laughed.

Moments later, the Buckleys entered the kitchen with Robin bouncing in front of her parents. She bounded over to Steve and Eddie while her parents greeted the older adults.

"Oh, Steve, you have something on your lap!" Robin exclaimed.

"What is it?!" Eddie shrieked and jumped off his boyfriend's lap.

"Oh, it was just a metalhead vampire. It's gone now, though," Robin said.

"Oh, very funny, Buckley," Eddie hissed, baring his fangs at her.

"Ooh, I'm scared," Robin said, deadpan. "I'm shaking."

"Steve, tell her how scary I am," Eddie said.

"You're very scary, baby," Steve said, and Eddie preened proudly.

"Told ya," Eddie said.

"Breakfast is done. Robin, go set the table," Melissa Buckley told her.

"Why me?" Robin asked.

"Because you're being a menace," Richard told his daughter.

Once they settled down to breakfast, Steve made note of his parents' interactions with Robin's, trying to see what Eddie saw. He did notice that they seemed more inclined to talk with each other than the three young adults. Melissa seemed to make sure that she was always touching his mother's arm. Richard, meanwhile, seemed to pat John's shoulder, letting it linger longer than necessary. He also seemed to lean in to his father's space a lot. Steve shook his head. No, he didn't see what Eddie was talking about.

"I don't get it, Eddie," Steve said.

Breakfast was now over. The parental units had retired to the living while the others cleaned up in the kitchen.

"Get what?" Robin asked as she dried a dish.

"Early this morning, he said something about how our parents are spending a lot of time together," Steve said. "I still don't get what he meant."

"Come on, Stevie," Eddie grinned, tilting his head at him.

"Oh my god!" Robin gasped.

"Someone gets it!" Eddie exclaimed.

"I didn't tell you yet, but I came out to my parents. They were perfectly fine with it, and guess why?" Robin asked.

"Because they love you?" Steve questioned.

"No! Well, yes. Apparently, I just missed it because, of course, I did. Before they got together, they dated other people. My mom's ex was named Alex, and my dad's ex was named Jamie. They didn't use any pronouns. How was I supposed to know that Alex was a woman and Jamie was a man? Apparently, they've always been very open about their sexuality and I just didn't pay attention very well. Also, they told me that they're open to polygamy. . .if they met the right couple!" Robin exclaimed. "Oh my god!"

"Oh my god!" Steve exclaimed. "Do you know what this means?"

"That there's a lot more queer people in this town than we thought?" Robin asked and Eddie snorted.

"No! I mean, yes, that too. If this works out, not only are we going to be sort of siblings, but we're going to have four parents!" Steve exclaimed, grinning.

"Well, five, if you illegally marry me, then you get Uncle Wayne too," Eddie winked at Steve.

"You didn't count the other parents that we also have," Robin said.

"Oh. Yeah. Sue, Charles, Claudia, Joyce, and Hopper," Steve said. "How many is that? Ten! That's ten!"

"You're not going to count the Wheelers?" Eddie asked.

"Their daughter is his ex-girlfriend. Plus, Ted, blaugh!" Robin exclaimed, making a gagging noise.

"Our family is not only large but a weird mixture of people," Eddie laughed. "I love it!"

"There is one thing that we all have in common. . . We're all freaks!" Robin exclaimed, and they all laughed. "Thank God!"

"What are you guys laughing about?" John asked as the other three parents followed behind him.

"We're just laughing at our ever expanding family," Robin said, grinning.

"Edward. . .," John said, his voice deep with a warning tone.

Eddie blinked at him. John had never spoken to him like that.

". . .Did you get my son pregnant?"

"What?! No!" Eddie yelped and then turned to Steve. "I didn't, did I?"

"What?! No! Eddie, we're both guys!" Steve exclaimed.

"Well, I don't know, Steve! I'm a vampire! Our town almost got swallowed up by an evil wizard! Anything's possible!" Eddie exclaimed.

"That's true!" Steve exclaimed, looking thoughtful.

"Great, now you've got his hopes up," Robin glared at Eddie.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try," Eddie wiggled his eyebrows at Steve.

"His parents are still in the room, son," John said. "It's bad enough that we heard you this morning. We don't need the image of you railing our son. Happy for you, though."

"Dad!"

And so this weird, intermingled but loveable family live happily ever -

"Eddie! If you ever want to have sex with me again, come back to bed!" Steve yelled.

"I haven't finished the sentence, Steve! You can't end a story in the middle of a sentence!" Eddie shrieked.

"Bed!"

"Steve, do you know how fucked - "

THE END. . .

[flightofaqrow]

[meta] vol 7 and star-crossed soulmates

Alright, it's time to talk about qrow and Clover. I humbly request that you set down the shipping goggles and sit with me for a bit. 🙏

I waffled on this for longer than I thought, because I was trying to keep my own pair on in the sense of trying to come up with thoughts about only these two, but I don't think we can actually talk, narratively, about their dynamic without someone else: Robyn. She's a soulmate and foil in this, too.

I. Color Theory

First point is how RWBY uses complementary eye colors to imply connections between characters, whether that's romantic, foils, or simply something of an influence on each other, or all of the above.

It's been difficult to dig up straightforward tertiary charts. We're going for the red-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet combo here, for Qrow, Clover, and Robyn, respectively.

[Interestingly enough, if we turn that into a quad, it creates a cross with complementary paired points of red/green and blue violet/yellow orange - otherwise known as Marigold. Giving us Good and Bad Fortune with Robin and Maid Marian or Briar. AND overall red/green, yellow/purple literary dynamic which is also seen heavily throughout the show. The tiniest tweak of rotation would also start leaning into a Schnee blue rather than violet... but these are different metas that I don't have fully formed yet.]

II. Symbolism

Anyway, back to the trio. A trio of soulmates in the sense that, if you want to believe in at least a portion of fate, met at the right time and right place to allow for some very important development with each other. Some lessons learned. Maybe to even turn to romance in places, were any of them so inclined.

Qrow is a big honking mesh of symbolism for: darkness, death, messenger of bad luck.

Robins are symbols of: dawn, rebirth, messenger of good luck.

Clovers are symbols of: faith, hope, love, and good luck.

Hmm. The foils look a little different in hindsight, huh? We can already see a tangible overlap of foiling and partnership, but also a disconnect. One pair of wow-that-fits, and a not-quite.

So, yes. They're soulmates. By design.

But they're star-crossed.

III. Foils

Qrow is not having gay panic upon meeting Clover. He's having a dawning realization that he is looking at a reverse-reflection of himself. Happy-go-lucky. Able to trust his surroundings. A leader with a place to be in his cohesive group. Looked up to, relied on.

All the things he always wanted, but could never be*.

And then he's pissed.

But he rolls with it. He starts to see it as an opportunity to be near someone who might have some immunity from his own semblance, just like Ironwood probably set this up to be (covering assets and liabilities, and all). But this is not the answer. It was never the answer. Qrow needs to learn not to blame his semblance or rely on external crutches to try and 'cure' it.

Clover learns nothing from this. He continues to be his usual self. That is a good person. He allows Qrow that opportunity to feel safe with him, encourages him to be better, explore this new sober-self. But Clover also looks at Qrow and sees everything he doesn't like about or wouldn't for himself. Cynical. Jaded. Separated from his companions. Moaning over his semblance. He offers his charisma and optimism in the hopes it might bleed over. That is also not the answer. Clover is trying to 'cure' Qrow.

This foil aspect which often sets up good conflict to turn into romantic or sexual tension that both characters benefit from is where the term "opposites attract" comes from, I think. But I also separate this into two different types of opposites: complementary and contradictory.

Complementary works. There is balance. There is a complementary strength in one character for a weakness in another. Extroverts and Introverts. Brawny and Brainy. Sun and Moon. Red and Green. "I don't like cooking and you don't like dishes, so you do one and I'll do the other and together we are happier and more easily whole."

There can still be conflict here. Stubborn and Patient. Hotheaded and Chill. Oblivious and Aware. But this is Robyn and Qrow. In both directions at different times, which is *chef kiss* even better. "I'm pulling my crossbow on Clover" and "Calm down, let's talk to Ironwood first" vs "I'm killing Ironwood" and "You don't really mean that."

Complementary is push/pull in a way that reinforces who the other character really is, and gives them the freedom to be that, even if the conflict is a tough love reminder sometimes.

A symbol for bad luck and a symbol for good luck which can come to an understanding over how their semblances can make it hard on other people, but don't define them as a person. Qrow accepting his role as a Harbinger of destruction when and where it's deserved, and Robyn accepting her role as a truth-bringer, light-shiner, even when it's hard, even when people don't like to hear it. In the theme of Vol 7, as Winter puts it, they can work on making these things their own.

Contradictory does not work. It can present with similar strengths and weaknesses, but there is mutual exclusivity woven in. There is intolerance. There is a needing of one person needing to change to validate the other's worldview. There is a mismatch of personal values and unwillingness to bend. Optimism and Pessimism (when one cannot accept and learn from the other to compromise). Lawful and Chaotic. Stoic and Communicative. Generative and Stagnant. "We should paint this wall Red." "I think we should paint it green." "We should go to the mountains." "I think we should go to the beach."

...

"We should try and save everybody." "We should give a few a better shot at actually being saved."

...

("If you were one of my men I would have you shot." "If I were one of your men I'd shoot myself.")

This is not (healthy) romantic tension, this is unresolvable conflict. This is Qrow vs Ironwood. This is, ultimately, Qrow and Robyn vs Clover. This is probably some other over-arching dynamics with others, too, but I'm trying to stay focused here.

*Qrow is 100% actually looked up to and relied on, he just doesn't realize it. And when Clover gives him credit, he has his second panic of oh, i guess you're right, sometimes i can reach my own goals, but no one's ever been nice enough to say so (or i wasn't ready to hear it).

IV. The Narrative

WE WANTED IT TO BE DIFFERENT. We were rooting for Qrow and Clover!!! We wanted it to be complementary so bad!!!! We wanted them to learn. That's why 7.12 hurt so very, very much.

Qrow and Robyn, death and rebirth, were side by side, right there, begging Clover to change; to come into his role of faith, hope, love, and good luck for his team, for his home, to make them his own with his own decisions.

But no, he gave all of those things, all of himself, up to Ironwood's command. And it was the final confirmation of contradictory, and we realized it was always going to be, and had been the whole way. He was always going to choose Ironwood. And it re-writes every interaction. It feels less like he was befriending Qrow, and more like he was trying to change him. It feels less like he was Qrow's partner, and more like Ironwood sent him to keep Qrow under control.

Clover and Qrow are not sharing secret glances with each other after Ironwood gives orders, Clover is checking to make sure Qrow's reactions suggest he's going to fall in line with them.

We wanted more of this:

But the intro handed us the real outcome on a platter:

V. Conclusion

The Fall of Atlas is a Shakespearian Tragedy, in which, by definition: a noble has a tragic flaw or commits a grave error (hamartia) which leads to their reversal of fortune.

The highlighted theme of the volume is Trust Love.

We wanted James Ironwood to change, too. He had the potential and opportunity, too. But his character was doomed by the tragic flaws of a Hero/Martyr complex (literally his theme song) and a Sunken Cost Fallacy (literally his semblance), and Salem changing her plans to send Tyrian and Watts to Atlas before Vacuo to ensure these things would get the better of him - that he would chose fear over love.

Clover is the subplot fallout of this. In which he makes the (literally) grave error of choosing loyalty over love (literally, a piece of himself).

Ergo... red/green/purple character trio star-crossed by a narrative reversal of fates, because Clover didn't learn the lesson of choosing himself and his soulmates' love.

Small wonder Qrow and Robyn then cross paths with Winter and Marrow, who have made that transformation, instead.

[myshredda]

Hi again, I'm the anon that asked about names and I'm working on my thing, but I've been rewatching both seasons a ton to get characterization right and oh my god. I finally get the implications at the end of Love. Do you have any fluffy headcanons to distract me bc I'm lowkey freaked out right now lmao. I will never be able to look at Shrignold the same again oh my god

Hello! Glad to hear you're still working on your fic 🥰 I hope it's going well! And yes. The love episode... the one with the catchiest song and the creepiest undertones :/ (I don't think there's concrete vibes of what's supposed to be 'implied' tbh, i think it's mainly commentary on how cults can prey on the venerable with a weird fucking unnerving bit at the end for some good gore/shock value shots, or at least that's what i'm telling myself to feel better lol)

A lot of my fluffier headcanons are already in a couple of my fics or are being kicked around on this blog!

Duck cooks the most (based on his curry and the lovely chicken picnic) in my AU specifically he's started to cook more carb-y foods because he wants to make sure they're all eating enough, much like a grandma immediately feeding you the second you step foot in the house, it's how he shows love

Red is the designated tall person and is always the one that has to get things down from high places. He'll also take things away from the other two and stash them up high if they're annoying him or fighting over something, and will leave it up there until everyone's calmed down

Due to the significant lack of lips in this family they can't really 'kiss' each other so Red's taken to headbutting as a form of endearment (which is something I do!) and will kind of press his forehead onto the other persons and leave it there. Duck pretends not to like it but he loves it. Yellow loves it so much he gets excited and will accidentally headbutt the others at like 1000 miles an hour and potentially knock himself and the other person out

Duck specifically preens the others as a form of endearment, and he loves playing with the other's hair in the way birds preen other bird's feathers. He'll help Red get knots and things out of his yarn and he likes to fiddle with Yellow's hair if he thinks it's too messy (all while scolding them for looking sloppy of course)

(sometimes he'll nibble at them with his beak if he's feeling especially lovey-dovey, it's all very adorable)

(Yellow really REALLY loves it when he does that and just shrieks with laughter the whole time)

Red and Duck's love language is bickering and bitching at each other, all in a very passive aggressive british way of course. Very much old married couple vibes there, but in a way where they'll tell each other to shut the fuck up with love and then make dinner together while drinking wine or whatever it is old men do

Duck and Yellow also like to bicker with each other and make jokes, Yellow loves to call Duck old because he gets all pissy about it and Duck will make him do extra chores as punishment for being disrespectful but will usually help out if he thinks Yellow is being too slow (which he always does) This relationship is heavily based on the relationship I have with my mother, everything's a joke and we're always talking shit until it isn't and then it's all love

Also 100% my mother would bite me and give me rabies if I was pissing her off I don't think that affects Duck's parental status that's like normal and also they're british so....

Red is a HUGE snuggler, especially in my AU where he's getting chubbier and learning to be happy. He uses his bigger size to kind of pounce on whoever he wants to hug and squeeze them and shake them around because he can't contain or verbalize how much he cares about them

If Yellow has any trouble sleeping he just crawls into one of the other's beds (he's in the middle so it's usually 50/50 who he'll go to) and immediately steals the blankets and puts his cold feet on their legs. The other two are usually don't care (red) or claim they're too tired to move him (but actually doesn't mind that much) (duck)

They all stim. Duck rocks in his chair or flaps his wings, Red hums and fiddles with whatever's in his hands, Yellow kicks his feet and flaps his hands, he also has the tendency to dance around when he's happy.

Yellow would 100% be that kid that loves Minecraft and slime

He tries to make slime one time and gets it caught in Red's yarn and cries his eyes out because he thinks it's going to make Red bald and bald people scare him

Duck makes Red wash his head in the sink and somehow gets it all out and then Yellow cries more because he's happy Red isn't going to be bald

Duck 100% watches old lady british soap operas and BBC murder series like Midsomer Murders or Vera or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Australian but whatever)

Yellow watches kids tv shows on PBS or HBO Family, Documentary series about animals (or any other NPR smart people show) the news, numbers stations, and british morning talkshows

Red watches whatever is on tv that the other two want to watch and I feel like he probably likes to watch footy

they all love each other very much because I SAID SO