#it feels like something right out of a dreamworld

[lnfours]

doll | l.n

summary: ‘i’m not even joking when i say i’ve fallen in love w the way you write lando you have me giggling every single time and i love it - i’m not sure if your requests are open rn, but cld i request a lando x reader enemies to lovers kinda vibe? honestly whatever you wanna go with is fine but i need need tooth rotting fluff rn so maybe he has a nickname for her that only he uses and there’s a lot of oblivious-ness from both of them over the fact that they like each other :’‘)’ - @mars-dreamworld

warnings: fluff, language, enemies to lovers, female!racer, just overall a whirlwind of emotions. strap in.

masterlist | ask box 💌

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊

lando norris was absolutely, most definitely, 100% the most insufferable person you had ever met.

in the beginning of the year, mclaren had announced that you’d be joining the team as a third driver, and of course people men took it to social media to express how they felt women didn’t belong in the sport. that racing was a ‘real man’s’ sport.

and now you needed to prove them all wrong, prove you were worth your spot on the team. you know you didn’t have to, that it wouldn’t necessarily change people’s minds, but you worked hard to be here. countless sleepless nights, crashes, tunings, everything, was worth this moment.

and now it was your chance. oscar had ended up with an injury after a crash in one of the practice races over the weekend, ultimately giving you his spot until he was recovered.

you and lando hadn’t really gotten along. you had found yourself battling with him on the track, the two of you going head to head in the garage after practices. you had thought his ego and his sarcasm was unattractive, whereas he simply just saw you as a threat.

but, deep down, he had a soft spot for you that he kept buried under the fake hatred. he didn’t actually hate you, who could? he admired your hard work and dedication, but be couldn’t help but feel like you were trying to take his spot.

“what the fuck, norris?!” you yelled, throwing your helmet to the ground as you stormed over to him. he wore a smug look on his face that you would’ve found attractive if it weren’t for the fact that he felt the need to cut you off in turn 5.

“what?”

“are you thinking with your brain or your dick?!” you shoved his chest, but he didn’t move a muscle. he didn’t even budge, just looked down at you with those stupidly gorgeous green eyes.

“you’d know if i was thinking with my dick, doll.”

“don’t call me that.” you gave him a hard look and he put his hands up in fake surrender, shaking them like he was scared.

and that’s where it all started, that stupid fucking nickname. every time he said it, it made your blood boil, made you want to connect your knee with his crotch. now that he knew how to press your buttons, he wasn’t ever going to let you live.

right now, your face was red as your blood boiled, sitting in the drivers room as your leg bounced. the two of you had it out again today, the crew immediately separating the two of you and telling you both to knock it off.

the embarrassment from your crew telling you to quit acting like a child replayed in your head the rest of the day and as you sat in drivers room, and slowly your anger turned into sadness. you sucked in a shaky breath, trying to keep your composure, but you failed. the tear rolled down your cheek and you sniffled to yourself.

but of course, the door opened at the wrong time, causing you to wipe your cheeks quickly before looking at who decided to barge in. your eyes met lando’s green ones, which immediately softened upon looking at you.

“can i help you with something?”

he licked his lips, his brain going a mile a minute. why were you crying? was it because of him? fuck.

“i uhm,” he stammered over his words, letting out a breath before speaking, “are you crying?”

you shook your head, wiping your cheek on the shoulder of your race suit, “no.”

he knew better, though. the door closed behind him as he sat across from you, “you don’t have to lie, y/n.”

the way your name sounded rolling off his tongue with that stupid accent made your stomach do flips, but you refused to give in. this is what he wanted, right? pull you close enough to destroy you and prove to everyone that you’re actually not good enough to be here.

“why do you care?” you asked, an eyebrow raising, “it’s not like you actually give a fuck, so can you go somewhere else with your fake sympathy?”

he immediately got defensive, “what makes you think i don’t care about you? would i have run over to you the other day at practice when you crashed if i didn’t care about you?”

you thought back to last week, your car going into the barrier on the track. lando had seen the crash, immediately following the crew onto the track and ignoring the drop in his stomach. you had climbed out, shaken up but okay when he reached you. he grabbed onto your shoulders after you tugged your mask and helmet off, your eyes distant as he searched them.

“y/n?” his voice was laced with concern, “y/n, are you okay?”

you snapped out of it, meeting his eyes before you looked down at your body, “i think so…?”

he grabbed your face into his hands gently, turning your face side to side as he tried to examine you. the medics pulled up, rushing over to you.

“it’s okay, we’ve got it from here.” the female said to lando. he hesitated before he let go, letting them lead you over to the back of the ambulance to check you over. you looked back at him, the feeling of his hands on your cheeks lingering as they ushered you in.

you looked back at the brit, shrugging, “i dunno.”

he chuckled, but it wasn’t laced with humor, more like disappointment, “okay,”

“why would i think that when you’re always trying to prove that you’re better than me?”

he didn’t say anything, looking down at the tile floor, “because i’m threatened by you.”

you scoffed, “tell me something i don’t know.”

“no, you don’t get it,” he said, sitting up again, “i’m threatened by you because you’re good. you’re insanely good. you race well, you train hard, everyone here loves you, the fans. you’re an inspiration. something i’ve always wanted to be for someone.”

your attitude shifted, looking over at the boy across from you. he wore a sad, regretful face as he played with the zipper on his suit.

“you’re an inspiration, lando,” you said, “the little boy who dressed up like you the other day? the one who said he wanted to be just like you?”

he shrugged, “one boy compared to thousands of little girls who see themselves in you. i know i shouldn’t be upset, you’re literally changing history, but seeing it makes me wish i was someone like you.”

“you’re right, you’re not like me,” you said, moving to sit next to him, “you’re lando norris, the one who got P2 in your home grand prix a few weeks ago, the one who goes out of their way to say hi to literally all the fans and take pictures with them. you’re literally someone’s ray of sunshine.”

he smiled softly, letting you continue, “be like you. don’t be like me, lan.”

his head snapped up at the nickname, “did you just call me ‘lan’?”

a smile spread across his face and you let out a soft laugh, “i guess i did.”

he smiled back, “thank you, though. i needed that. and, i’m sorry for how i’ve been towards you.”

you waved him off, the smile still playing at your lips. you tried to bite it back with your lower lip tucked between your teeth. he swore his heart skipped a beat at the sight. you nodded your head softly, “we’re cool. just pipe down the ego a bit, yeah?”

he let out a chuckle. being this close to him made you realize there was a hint of blue in his green eyes, the short stubble growing back from where he had shaved his facial hair. he was undeniably pretty and you were getting wrapped up in him and distracted. he was doing the same, his eyes scanning over every single one of your facial features as he tried his hardest to memorize them.

you smiled softly, “why’re you looking at me like that?”

he smirked, “you mean the same way you’re looking at me?”

you blushed, turning away from him but his eyes were still locked onto you. you went to stand up, smiling softly at him as it was nearing the beginning of the next race.

“i’ll see you out there.”

he smiled, “see you out there, doll.”

you shook your head, letting out a soft laugh as you let the door close behind you, the nickname no longer making your blood boil but suddenly making your stomach do flips.

lando norris was going to be the death of you.

[nataliesscatorccio]

Dead cabin guy and his technicolor dreamcoat have haunted me since the wardrobe reveal in season two, and today im going to make it everyone's problem.

Travis wears the coat first. He and Natalie take the blessing and go out to look for Javi. Travis hallucinates (prophesies?) that Javi is dead and buried beneath the snow, but Natalie shows him it's only a fox. Travis finds the strange, mossy tree stump. The next day Travis has strong feelings about which direction is best to search for Javi in, and we don't see more of him until Nat reveals the bloody pants. Not that weird, all things considered. New season, new wardrobe additions. Hiking on a caloric deficit with PTSD, you'll probably hallucinate. Pretty standard stuff.

Then Nat wears the coat. She takes it to lay Jackie's bones to rest at the crash site, and while she wears it she sees (hallucinates? prophesies? I'm not sure!) the white moose that they'll later lose to the lake (ergo the hunt, ergo Javi dies for real but more on that later).

We get to Old Wounds, the hunting competition, and Lottie wears the coat now. You see where I'm going with this but just to be thorough: she enters the realm of death dreams, talks with Laura Lee, almost freezes to death.

Episode five. Melissa wears the coat. Maybe that's not important! Maybe it's just to show that they all share the wardrobe, and that the side characters are as equally All In This Together as the main characters are. Or it could mean something that a peripheral character, wearing important wardrobe, framed in antlers (not unlike Travis in 2.01), has the line "maybe he did die, and that's his ghost." It's a little suspicious, and at this point starts to feel like a pattern.

Who wears it next, who wore it best!? That's right baby, it's Paul! For his dreamworld drifter, hallucination hunk Coach Ben Scott. Nicholas Urfe himself. Ben spends almost all of his time in a dream, until *drumroll please* Paul, very pointedly, takes the coat and walks out the door. "Where do you think you are, Ben?" he puts the coat on. "You had to have known you couldn't stay here forever. [...] What matters now is that you aren't welcome here anymore." Following Paul means committing to death (to dream), and until interruption that's the choice Ben makes. Because letting Paul (and the coat) go would mean committing entirely to reality.

Of course, the pièce de résistance is something I didn't even notice until I went looking for it. The first dozen times I watched, I thought that after Lottie's beating Shauna brought her a blanket. "Lottie's cold." But she doesn't. She brings her the coat. Lottie is laying with it when, in a fever dream, she witnesses/hallucinates/prophesies parts of the hunt.

It's there again (on the back of the chair) when she sits by the fire and speaks for the wilderness, appointing Nat their queen. Ben watches, having woken from the dream himself, as they all bow to Natalie and leave reality behind for good.

Of course, there are a lot of times when characters hallucinate strange things in the cabin while not wearing the coat, because they're all starving to death and traumatized. Mari. Shauna. Akilah. But in addition to that, it seems like a pattern worth noting that in each instance where a character wears the technicolor coat, the line between the real and the imagined seems to blur with more ease. Does dead cabin guy's technicolor dreamcoat help the Yellowjackets connect to the dream realm?

I'll be brief here with the biblical parallel: blah blah Joseph is the favorite son (you were always its favorite), his father gives him a technicolor coat (they're nothing special, they don't change color in the cold or anything). blah blah Joseph starts having prophetic dreams etc etc his jealous brothers throw Joseph down a pit (the wilderness chose) and bring his bloodstained coat back as false proof of his death (hanging on a branch. a couple miles back). You get my drift.

Does it mean anything? Who knows. But in a series where wardrobe is such an integral part of the storytelling, it felt worth paying attention to.

[cosmicdream222]

An interview with a shifter who has been “time leaping” since 2001

I found this website of an interview with a Japanese shifter known as Mr. Kanda. He figured out how to shift back in time when he was in middle school - he calls it “time leaping”.

The original website is in Japanese and can be found here.

Mr. Kanda was born in 1986, and around 2001 failed his high school entrance exam. Due to his intense regret, he shifted back in time to repeat middle school. He then made multiple time leaps repeating certain years of his life, studying different subjects in high school and pursuing different careers. At the time of the interview, he says he has lived about 70-80 years of life.

I translated some of the most interesting parts below.

Note: a Tulpa is a phenomenon that’s like an imaginary friend that actually becomes a sentient separate consciousness from you. It’s an entirely different rabbit hole, so you can just think of it as a dream character to understand his story.

My notes are written in [brackets].

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・。.。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Mr Kanda’s First Time Leap Story

Kanda: When I was meditating on my futon, I started to have a lucid dream.

At that time, Tulpa talked to me and said, "If you raise your clarity to the maximum in your dream, wouldn't it be possible to time leap, or even move around the world?" I tried it, but no matter how much I increased the clarity, it still felt like a dream.

So Tulpa said, "If you get absorbed in something you like, you won't be able to hear the voices around you, and your focus will gain momentum. You will eventually forget that you’re dreaming," so as a result of playing in the dreamworld, I spent about a week in a dream without knowing it.

At that time, I suddenly realized, "This is a dream", but I had already completely forgotten the feeling of the original world, and the dream world had become my new reality.

After thinking about why I didn't come back even though I realized it was a dream, the answer I came up with was, “It's because I completely lost my sense of the original world.”

To explain it another way, wouldn’t it be disorienting if I told you that the person you are right now is in a lucid dream of another person? That’s what it was like for me. My dream had actually become my reality, and I forgot about my old reality.

Q: What was the reason for your first time-leap?

Kanda: I think because something bad happened and I wanted to pretend it never happened.

The first time for me was probably a coincidence/accident. In fact, when I tried to do it again, I couldn't, so I started practicing with time leaps through lucid dreaming and meditation, and I got better at stabilizing and controlling them.

When people can’t do something, they hate it, but when they can do it, they love it. So once you succeed, even just once, your faith increases, and you know you can do it again!

Mr. Kanda’s Lucid Dreaming Method

Mr. Kanda recommends lucid dreams the most as a time-leap method. This is how he does it:

Before you go to sleep, first visualize in your head where you want to go. Then lie on your back and meditate. When you fall asleep, the images you were thinking about will run through your dreams. If you shift your consciousness to yourself in the dream, you will be able to act without being aware of what you are currently dreaming about.

In normal lucid dreaming, you become aware that you are dreaming right now [known as DILD or dream-induced lucid dream]. When trying to time-leap, the important thing is how much you can act in the dream in a way that is consistent with reality. He says it is important to “improve your clarity” to the point where it doesn’t feel like a dream anymore.

Mr. Kanda seems to be able to suddenly enter into a lucid dream from the moment he begins to sleep, [WILD - wake induced lucid dreaming] and he also teaches us how to do so:

First, relax.

In Kanda's case, he darkens his room 70 minutes before going to bed and drinks hot herbal tea. Adjust the temperature in the room to a comfortable level, then listen to some calming music. It's better to feel a little tired.

Once you get into bed, visualize and replay strong happy and positive memories in your mind. When you feel happy, close your eyes and calm down all at once and enter a meditative state.

Mr. Kanda recommends mindfulness meditation. Don't think about anything, just focus on the sound of your heart and breathing. When you successfully fall asleep from meditation, you are conscious but your body is asleep, and lucid dreaming begins.

Kanda meditates for 20 minutes every morning, not just when he wants to lucid dream. According to him, “conditioned reflexes” [creating habits] are important. By repeatedly performing a certain action, one eventually becomes able to enter that state without even trying.

 

Q: If the ‘you’ from another world were to time-leap to this world, what would happen to ‘you’ now?

Kanda: There seems to be a misunderstanding: there is only one consciousness.

Reality changes depending on where we place our consciousness in a world of infinite possibilities.

I do have consciousness in my other reality, but from the perspective of me in the current reality, it seems like I don't have consciousness.

In other words, my life in this other reality is as if it were controlled by a computer.

Of course, the same can be said for us. From the perspective of another reality’s consciousness, we too live our lives as if controlled by a computer.

In the end, even if consciousness from another reality shifts, the consciousness we see is always here. So no matter what they do, it has no effect on us.

[katskitoshi]

"SWEET NIGHT TIME THINGS," with OBEY ME

synopsis -- sweet things you do before bed with your lover.

characters: lucifer, mammon, leviathan, satan, asmodeus, beelzebub, belphegor x gender neutral! reader.

includes -- nothing but fluff i think.

silent praise with lucifer!

--he is pride. and he loves having his ego inflated. nothing helps him sleep better knowing that you think of him so highly.

before bed, remind him of how great he is without saying anything. hold his hand or just make him a cup of soothing tea to relieve stress. he'll most likely appreciate your actions. his pride won't let you do this to him in public, but now that you both are alone before bed, lucifer can finally let you express for affections.

sleepy rants with mammon!

-- mammon is talkative, especially around you. even as he winds down at night, mammon can’t resist talking to you about his day.

he’ll have you curled up close to him and he’ll start mumbling about whatever comes to mind. grimm, gambling, annoying punishments from lucifer. it all just escapes him at night as he has you close to him!

his favorite part is that he knows it soothes you to sleep too. so while he’s dozing off mumbling senseless nonsense, he knows you’re getting as close to sleep as he is.

as you just barely make it into dreamland, you can hear mammon faintly mumbling off about a new topic: how much he loves you.

passed out from exhaustion with leviathan!

--it's no secret or surprise that leviathan stays up late. everyone knows it, including you. in hopes to spend time with him more, you accompany him in his late nights.

you both stay up gaming or watching anime or something to the point where it's hard for you both to even open your eyes once you blink. as exhaustion weighs on you both, you lean into each other and begin the drift into dreamworld.

the game or show or something now discarded from your mind, levi holds you in his arms as you both silently enjoy each others time.

bedtime stories with satan!

—it doesn’t matter to you nor him that bedtime stories are usually for children. both you and satan find the gesture quite sweet.

he’ll hold you close as he reads a couple chapters from the book, his calming voice soothes the both of you to sleep. on nights where you read, he enjoys hearing you read the contents on the pages and you both doze off.

in the short amount of time you two are reading, satan forgets about everything. his wrath, himself, his brothers: everything. all that matters is you and the soothing sound of your voice as you lull him to sleep with your words.

sometimes before you truly fall asleep, you swear you hear satan’s voice say things about his love for you rather that the book you both were reading.

nighttime self care with asmo!

—even before asmodeus began to date you, he took care of his skin and body. now that he has you, he can take care if yours as well.

bubble bathes, face masks, massages, anything. everything he can do to ensure proper care for your body and maximum comfort while asleep he will do. you feel spoiled as he takes care of you but he feels as if he could be doing more!

after your and his nightly routines are done, you’ll find yourself lulled to sleep by asmodeus. he’ll hold you close and whisper sweet nothings into your ear as you both drift to sleep after a night of lovely self care.

brushing your teeth with beelzebub!

--as weird as it seems, this simple act of hygiene is something you and beel share every night. since beel eats a lot, he has to brush his teeth really well.

right after beel eats before bed, he brushes his teeth and heads to bed for the night. now that he's with you, he'll eat then wait for you to brush his teeth. sometimes, beel might even brush your teeth for you! as you two settle in to bed after brushing your teeth, beel kisses you with his minty fresh breath as a goodnight.

embracing each other with belphegor!

--nothing helps with falling asleep more than sleep itself. or at least that's what belphegor says. belphie happens to make people around him sleepy. so holding you before bed happens to make you sleepy if you already aren't.

he's still shocked that you'd let him hold you after everything that's happened in the past, but he's not complaining. now that he gets to hold you, he'll fully embrace his sin and drag you down along with him. waves of tiredness overcome you quite quickly as belphegor drags you into the ocean of sleep as you're held tightly in his embrace.

[rabbitblackx]

Hello! How are you?

May I request for Michael, Jason and Brahms with a S/O who is talented musician and likes to play something for them?

I personally play flute and I want to know what would they think about it and how would they react.

If you already done something like this before, that's okay, feel free to ignore it.

Thank you in advance

Have a nice day / night!

Hope u have a good day too! I added Freddy like u asked :)

Slashers with a Musician!Reader

Includes: Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Brahms Heelshire

Michael Myers💖

Michael often stood in the darkest corner of your room and listened to you play your instrument. Sometimes, you didn’t even know he was there. It was best not to acknowledge him at these times. Because he was a little embarrassed at how much your music moved him. Hearing any teasing from you instantly ruined the moment

After murdering his victims, Michael searched their homes for any instruments for you. He welled up with the tiniest bit of pride when you played the gifts he got you. It was his favourite sound

You were always learning creepy or classy songs for Michael. Any Halloween themes were his go to’s. When he came home grouchy or down, you lightened the mood with a gentle song from your instrument. He stood stiff as a board as you played, mask vacant of any emotion. Underneath it though, Michael was being soothed… and he was grateful to you for that

Jason Voorhees💖

Jason could listen to you play your instrument all day. It was as pretty to him as the birds chirping, or the lake hitting the shore. He lost track of time sitting there in your cabin. You played your instrument for him so beautifully. It was literally the highlight of his day

Jason rummaged through old cabins and junk in search of an instrument for you. They were usually pretty old timey or rusty, but you made it work. You had to. Jason’s happiness was everything to you

You asked Jason of old songs from his childhood, so you could learn to play them. You played a lot of songs from the fifties for just him with your instrument. It really did bring him back to a better time

Although Jason missed the simple life he once lived with his mother, you were a fine substitute. No, that wasn’t the right word. You were better than that. You were his new life

Freddy Krueger💖

Freddy really enjoyed listening to you play your instrument. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, an impressed smirk on his burned face. You had your back to him, mind somewhere else as you became one with your beautiful music. He thought you were just soo cute!

Freddy also found your musical side to be very sexy. He was always asking you to play your instrument, even requesting certain songs. You of course learned them all, and held little concerts for him in your living room!

When you met with Freddy in the dreamworld, he let you play all the music to your heart’s desire. He could spend the entirety of your sleep just jamming out with you

Freddy usually got you to play something slow and sexy on your instrument before you two made love. It really set the mood, you know? Plus, you were so good at it! How could he resist?

Brahms Heelshire💖

Brahms played an instrument too! He loved to play songs with you. It was one of his favourite things to do, like, ever

Brahms found you playing classical music on your instrument hauntingly beautiful. He watched you from the walls as you became one with the beautiful song. He was blind to everything else in that moment, absolutely enthralled by your moonlit form

Brahms snuck out of the walls and into the living room with you. You paid no mind, closing your eyes as you continued to play. He slowly circled around you in the dark, taking in every curve and swell of your body. The slow, alluring music coming from your instrument sent chills down his spine

Brahms was patient. He would wait for your song to be over, and for you to set your instrument down. He’d let the afterglow of your stunning music sit in the air momentarily. Then when you relaxed your shoulders in the dark, he’d pounce

[saigawrites]

"The moon sent you to me."

In which, you get isekaed to genshin, and a certain character comes to your rescue!

Platonic! Wanderer x reader

Tags : fluff, angst (if you squint), comfort, just basic kind feelings.

Warnings : mentions of abandonment, trauma.

Part two part three

Sweet hums and light breathes escaped your form as you napped peacefully. The dreamworld was embracing you tight in it's hands, not even thinking of letting go. That is, until a certain feeling deep down in your pit yelled at you to stand up. Something was quite out of the norm, but you couldn't guess what with your eyes closed. So, rubbing around the area of your eye sockets, you, slowly sitting up, blindly touched the ground and realized you weren't at home.

You worriedly shot your eyelids open. All that you could see around was abruptly unrealistic graphics of nature. Something that you would probably see in a video game. Video game... Hey. This is kinda familiar. Where have you seen this type of textures?... You got into a video game? How is this even possible? Too many questions have flooded your mind. Such a stressful situation and environment that you just simply can't comprehend any of this.

Another thing that you noticed here was that you still looked how you used to look. In simple terms, you were realistic, while the area around you was drawn-like. You felt numb and completely disoriented inside. The frustration of this setting was boiling up even higher. Great, now you might get killed for your looks. Because you don't really think video game characters could handle a creature with that level of detail.

Letting some stress and cries of despair outside was soothing enough for you to now stand up and pull your shit together. It's not like you're going to just die here, right now. No, you have to fight. You have to survive. So, you decided to explore the area a bit, gaze at the colourful leaves of the blurry trees and bushes. Carefully, step by step, you studied the environment up n down, and now were fully ready to go even deeper into the forest you thought would lead you somewhere.

Walking forward in the greenery, you noticed little details that indicated even more that you were in an imaginary world. Unrecognizable, extremely bright fruits and vegetables were growing and sprouting all over the place. Cutesy, simplified, plush-like animals were surrounding you, being way too friendly for an actual animal. You turned your head towards the direction you were going, distracting yourself from the little bird's affection.

The sound of slow, calm paced sea waves filled your ears. Your gaze fell on the round hole between the trees, where an astonishingly beautiful beach peeked out. The atmosphere of the water surface was tugging and pulling you in harshly, making you dazed in it's charms. Your body moved involuntarily, swiftly exiting the forestry to be met with the warm sand of the coast. You sat on the surface of the glowing yellow ground, bringing your knees close to your chest and hugging yourself tight.

The sight of the sky-blue water flowing back and forth made you feel an aching inside. You didn't feel comfortable wherever you were at all.

You missed your homeland.

The quiet sound of footsteps distracted you from your homesick daze. You flinched harshly, freezing in place as fight or flight syndrome settled within you. With your whole body sweating, you slowly turned your head in the direction the sound came from. Gulping a handful in your throat, you managed to get an appearance scan of the newcomer. White, blue and purple beamed in his color pallet, and ridiculously big and exaggeratedly complex clothing made your stare relevant on him.

The difference between you and him was indescribable. While he lacked basic textures, you were covered from head to toe in them. You didn't have that much of complicated clothing as he did, but you still looked way more full than he could ever. Though, he blended in the environment well, while you made an impression that you were a literal alien on this land. The expression on his face was one of a dazzled, beyond words confused and lost. He had to blink and even rub his eyes a bit to adjust to your picture.

You knew where you saw his familiar form from. The popular game in your world, Genshin Impact. You supposed he was named... Wanderer? Scara- Scarapooch? Scarasouche? Whatever his name was, it did fit with his appearance. With the realization you haven't felt a sense of relief, though. He was still dangerous, even if he is just a bunch of pixels. So, you were on alert if he decided to try anything.

Little did you know, the man in question didn't even form a thought of intending to inflict harm upon you. Even the opposite, he wanted to help you. The moment he saw your form sitting by the beach, the painfull memories of his past flooded his mind. He didn't know why you reminded him of him. Maybe because of the lost expression on your face? The surrendered sitting pose, showing vulnerability to the unfamiliar world around? The craving and desirous sad stare at the unwelcoming landscape in front?

Whatever it was, his inner urges didn't seem to care about those facts enough, as he rushed towards your direction with a worried expression. Seeing just how out of this place you were, he knew you would face the same treatment as he had. And he didn't want that. He didn't want anyone to go through the torture and the pain he experienced. He might seem uncaring and unbothered to some, but he is sure the antonyms of those terms regarding someone like you. Abandoned, lost, betrayed, thrown away after used.

He couldn't stand seeing yet another person turn out like him. In order to prevent that, he sat up on one of his knees and held out his hand for you. He wanted to save you. To see you grow happily and experience a healthy life. He simply smiled at you, with half closed eyes in a relaxed state. He didn't want to scare you away, how he seemed to do with others. He felt pity towards you, at how you raised your hands when he came close, at how you looked around unsure when he held out a hand for you to grab. His chest became warmer when you hesitantly took his hand.

No matter who you are, how you came here, he will make sure to give you a kind treatment, even if it required to lower his ego. He will make sure you are safe and sound in his arms, relaxed and pleased with your state.

Ahhhh, this was LONG, and I'm sorry 😭. Also sorry if the writing is too flowery, I'm too lazy at this point to edit it😶.

[noyasaur]

Hi, I was wondering if there was a way to better view my DR as a reality and not a "dream"? And how to strengthen my intention/assumption of waking up in my DR?

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

hellooo! i do have some things that will hopefully help you :)

🪐 HOW TO VIEW MY DR AS A REALITY AND NOT A 'DREAM'

first off, just a reminder that when we shift realities, we merely just become aware of a reality that we already exist in. we are experiencing another real reality out there- not some dreamworld, not a dream-like world, and not a daydream world; but it's real. real life.

if it helps, when going about your daily life here, take a moment every now and then to pause and really think about how life feels here. analyse your senses and think to yourself of what you're feeling, touching, smelling, seeing, tasting, and hearing. just like how we live here and how real everything is, that's how real it is in your dr. the realness of everything you feel here, is how it will feel in your dr. for example, if you're brushing your teeth and you pause for a moment to really take in the moment of you brushing your teeth and everything your feeling with your senses, remind yourself that this is how it's going to feel like in your dr, if you're brushing your teeth, for example.

do your daily tasks and compare the two. take a moment and do a little sense-check. remind yourself of everything that you're feeling right now in that moment, is how you'll be feeling it when you do it in your dr as well.

another thing you can do is try instead of thinking about all the cool things you're going to be experiencing, things that might be super different and unattainable in this reality, think of the boring, mundane things you'll be experiencing. think of the simple things: the simple things that make you happy, the simple things that you'll get sad over, any mundane or boring tasks you might complete. the boring days in your dr.

you're going to have moments where you're going to be bored out of your mind, maybe even mindlessly scrolling on your phone or even watching television. you're going to have moments where nothing extraordinary is happening at all, and you're left there by yourself to try and feel the void of boredom growing within. you might even have a moment where you drop your ice-cream on the floor :(

in your dr, the weird and spontaneous will happen. the boring and mundane will happen. you will experience moments of adrenaline. you will experience moments of happiness. you will experience moments of sadness. think of these other moments that will happen in your dr, aside from the exciting and extraordinary to help you realise that these things will happen in your dr, just as they do here :)

🪐 HOW TO STRENGTHEN MY INTENTION/ASSUMPTION OF WAKING UP IN MY DR?

setting intention is honestly a lot easier than we let on. it is something us just mentally deciding to do that thing, and then doing that thing later on. however, sometimes we can run into bumps where we don't exactly fulfil our intentions.

this can come from a place of hesitation, procrastination, or even just having weak intention setting from the beginning- especially if you're the time of person who tells themselves they'll do this specific thing and then they never end up doing it 😭

luckily, it's quite easy to strengthen your intentions and assumptions!

for intention, i recommend during the day, you practice intention setting. just simply set intention for something any ordinary daily task you'll do, and then get up and fulfil your intention!

for example, if i set intentions through affirmations, i'll mentally speak out: "i intend to go and make a cup of tea," and then after saying that i would wait a bit (you don't have to), then go and make my cup of tea! ta-daa! intention fulfilled 🥰

for strengthening assumptions, you could also do the same thing above for strengthening your assumptions. you could just assume something really basic that you know is to be true, and keep doing that as 'practice' so when you assume you'll wake up in your dr, it'll become a natural assumption because you know and have seen how your assumptions are true, and so will this one.

you could also practice using the law of assumption on 'small' manifestations. incorporate the law into your daily life. for example, if you have work that day but you don't want it to be busy, you could assume that it is going to be quiet all day and then boom! when you see for yourself that your workplace actually was really quiet, you'll be able to gain some trust and confidence in your assumptions (btw i've used this and it works like a charm for me! all my days at work for have so far, been sooo dead and quiet hehe).

also, developing some trust and confidence in yourself can help you to trust yourself and the intentions you set! doing all of the things above can help you develop this too, but working on your own confidence and trust in yourself is important too. trust goes a long way.

affirmations help as well! don't be afraid to affirm your confidence and trust in yourself, affirming that you will fulfil your intentions, or affirming and persisting in your assumptions too! affirmations are a good way to remind you of what you already have or what you will fulfil, and you can use affirmations to life yourself up and develop confidence in yourself!

it may require a little bit of effort, but it's sooo worth it in the end!

to be honest, i'm not fully satisfied with my answer but i hope this helped regardless! and if not and you're looking for any more tips or information on these things (strengthening intention + assumptions) then check out the resources below!

good luck on your shifting journey and i wish you well :D

- saturn ♡

🪐 RESOURCES:

setting an intention - https://aminoapps.com/c/desired/page/blog/setting-an-intention/47Wq_PwtYu23jZnmgBpB7VdV131epvN4ga

all about intention - https://aminoapps.com/c/realityshifting/page/blog/all-about-intention/pXXz_34NHQuqJJd45zdQ7P3gGE6KQ8WJwJd

the law of assumption + how to use it to shift !! - https://aminoapps.com/c/desired/page/blog/the-law-of-assumption-how-to-use-it-to-shift/Ypvl_8Mtbu4J78YxmMv3n1xBLGg10gboa

an exercise to strengthen your imagination and experience the "assumption" STATE (loa neville stuffs if you're interested) - https://www.reddit.com/r/NevilleGoddard/comments/vc9iy8/an_exercise_to_strengthen_your_imagination_and_to/

[sixeyescurseuser]

(Headcanon)

Satosugu really out here being two 6ft+ tall guys sharing a twin bed. Their bodies are contorted into the most uncomfortable positions - long limbs tightly folded, one of them always half on top of the other - in order to fit.  

They spend more nights in Geto’s bed, which Gojo revels in because Geto's natural, masculine scent relaxes him. And in his sleep, Gojo always manages to wiggle his way over to share Geto’s pillow.

But the most important thing is Gojo’s plushie that he MUST bring when he’s sleeping over at Geto’s. 

It’s an old, dusty, and worn-out thing - an albino tiger. Geto had gifted it to him when they started being friends. 

(“It looks like you,” Geto had said.)

Since then, Gojo kept it close, hugging it to his chest in his sleep. 

(“I’ll kill you if you tell anyone about this,” Gojo mumbled sleepily as he held the plushie tight, eyes fluttering shut. Geto sighed fondly. 

“Yeah, yeah, just shut up already and go to sleep.”)

***

At first, Geto doesn’t realize how special the plushie is. After all, Gojo had insisted the tiger did NOT look like him and just said he’ll drop it off in his room.

The truth is, Gojo genuinely has trouble sleeping without his plushie - which he named “Shiroi.” Don’t get him wrong, he can! He is certainly capable of closing his eyes and letting dreamworld take over without a dumb stuffed animal.

But alas, Shiroi brings him so much comfort. Her fur is very soft too. Gojo loves the feeling of the small weight pressed to his chest. 

So yeah, maybe he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night if he’s suddenly lost his grip on Shiroi. 

One time, the plushie got stuck underneath Geto at some point during the night. The first emotion filling Gojo’s fuzzy mind upon realizing this is anger. He’s ready to push over the dead weight of his best friend as hard as he can so he can rescue Shiroi from her prison. 

But one look at Geto’s peacefully sleeping face, so cute and complacent, and the anger dies down immediately. Instead of shoving Geto out of Earth’s orbit, Gojo settles for carefully tugging Shiroi free and cradling her to his chest. 

Facing Geto, who is dead-to-the-world deep in sleep, Gojo easily drifts into darkness. 

***

Gojo’s plushie dependence becomes more apparent during a mission assigned to the strongest pair, one that unexpectedly lasts over two days, meaning they have to spend the night at a motel. 

When they prepare to sleep for the night, Gojo begins to fidget. 

“Satoru, quit moving,” Geto mutters tiredly. They’re sharing one bed, this one a little bigger than the ones in the dorm. They have both more space and blanket, so Geto isn’t sure why Gojo can’t keep still. 

Surprisingly, Gojo doesn’t retort back. He just exhales heavily, as if nothing was right in the world. He burrows himself under the covers.

Of course, Geto senses something is wrong.

“‘Toru? Everything all right?” Geto questions.

Gojo is silent for a moment, long enough that Geto thinks he won’t answer. But then, Gojo let’s out an annoyed (annoyed!? Geto just breathed) huff, and flips over to face the other boy. 

Wordlessly, Gojo tucks his face into the crook of Geto’s neck. Gojo’s hands finally find something to grasp onto: Geto’s arm.

“I sleep better holding something,” Gojo quietly says, lips smushed against the soft skin of Geto’s neck. 

Of course. The answer clicks right in Geto’s mind.

(Most things about Gojo do.)

“You miss Shiroi?” Geto softly asks. Light puffs of air fan out on his neck. The mop of white hair tickles his jaw when Gojo slightly nods, up and down.

“You better not tell any-” Gojo starts, but Geto pinches Gojo’s shoulder.

“Yeah yeah, I won’t tell a single soul. This is between you and me, Satoru,” Geto says gently. Gojo seems satisfied with that answer because his body finally relaxes, melting into Geto’s side. 

He doesn’t let go of Geto’s arm either, even as the two of them drift off into dreamland.

***

w/ @no-one-says-hi

[batboysoneshots]

Dreaming

Thought of this idea, from season 2 episode 2 of BAS perchance to dream.

Summary: Bruce finds himself in another dreamworld curtesy of Jervis Tech. This time its with his sons.

Third person pov...

In the ethereal realm of Jervis Tech's dreamworld, Bruce Wayne awoke to a reality both familiar and foreign. He was met with the sight of four young boys, they were sitting by his bedside.

Groaning at the dull pain in his head the man started to sit up, he held his aching head still looking at his four sons, confused as to why they were there.

Dick was on his left, Jason on his right, Tim was next to Dick and Damian was next to Jason, He looked around at each of their faces.

To further his confusion they looked younger and happy, the air around them felt relaxed and not at dark. Dick still had his signature hair style but looked 16 again.

Jason of course still had his short black hair but didn't have the white strike from the lazarus pit nor any scars, he looked about 14.

Tim's hair was shorter and held in place at the bottom of tims neck with a hair band, Bruce had never seen him with his hair tied up like it before. He looked around 12.

Damian looked alot younger than Bruce ever remembered seeing him, his hair was the same the spikes were the same, his face was rounder and less sharp, he had an air of joy like a child should, he looked around 8.

All the man could do was sit and stare at his sons, they'd not woken up when he moved which of course surprised the overly paranoid man, by now the boys would have noticed him awake.

A feeling of unease settled into the man's stomach, he then decided to wake up Dick first, he reached over and shook the teens shoulder, the boy gave a sleeping grumble before rubbing his eyes.

As he did he froze, before looking at the man. His jaw opened in shock before a wide smile broke out across his face. "Your awake!" He yells effectively waking the other three up.

Jason was up next leaping a foot in his seat. Tim was to his feet and leaning over dick in seconds and Damian jumped onto him and was trying to superglue himself to the man.

Bruce's blue eyes widened as he was grabbed by the four boys, each were worried as they held him, Dick was gripping his hand, Jason was holding his bicep gently.

Tim was gripping his leg tightly while Damain has wiggled his way up and was hugging his waist, he absently ran a hand through the boys hair feeling the child relax under his hand.

'Somethings wrong here' he thought in his mind, he'd been more hurt than this before but he'd never seen his sons act like this before (though dicks reaction was normal anyway).

Then to his luck the door to the room opened and in walked Alfred, the Butler had a gentle smile on his face he saw that Bruce was awake. "Alfred" he spoke the Butler nodded his head before putting down the tray.

He then clapped his hands effectively gaining the four boys attention. "Now boys, I know you were worried about master Bruce, but I'm sure he would like to get dressed, ans he cant very well do that with you hanging on him like a couple of monkeys can he?" he tells them motioning towards the door.

Each if the boys gave a longing look to Bruce before he gave them a smile which settled all of them, one by one they reluctantly left the room though Damian didn't want to leave his father.

After a little bribing and coercion by his two eldest Damian was dragged out and downstairs.

Once the door was shut Bruce let out a long sigh, his head was still aching. Alfred handed him the glass of water from the tray.

"Thanks Alfred"

"Of course. Sir"

Once he was finished with the drink he turned to Alfred the man had just opened the curtains up. "Alfred, what happend to me?" He asks the question he'd wanted to know since he woke up in bed.

Alfred finished with the curtains and turned back to the Black haired man. "Why sir don't you remember? Last night you were playing basket ball outside, when the ball got caught in the net so you climbed up and grabbed it, you lost your balance and fell backwards hitting your head rather hard on the ground" explained Alfred

"Basketball, who was i playing with?" Asks Bruce, the question surprises Alfred. "Why your sons of course master Bruce" he tells the confused man.

The man's blue eyes widened. "Basketball, why would we play that  I haven't played since Dick was a kid" this makes the Butler raise his eyebrows in surprise.

It was true, he hadn't set foot in the Basketball court since Dick was Robin, they'd played a game together both enjoying it.

"Why sir, it was Saturday afternoon, you always play basketball with the young masters, arw you all right sir?" Alfred asks visibly concerned for the man as Bruce turned paler paler every minute.

Bruce shook his head trying to clear his head. "I don't know Alfred, maybe I hit my head harder than I thought" the billionaire muttered more to himself than Alfred.

The old man looks at Bruce in concern before nodding his head. "Very good sir, I shall be in the kitchen making breakfast" Alfred closes the door as he leaves.

Bruce stares at the place Alfred was lost if thought. "What the hell was that" he muttered to himself, he couldn't remember anything that happend yesterday.

Shaking his head he pushed himself from the soft mattress and over to his wardrobe, he then git dressed in a black tshirt and grey trousers once dressed he walked out of the room and into the manor.

"I wonder if anything else has changed" he wondered outloud as he walked down the long hall.

The end!

Hope you liked this long oneshot, might do a part 2 if I feel like it bit we will see  sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Requests are open!

Word count : 1057

[sidekickjoey]

"Hi Chrissy."

Sitting in the cool grass in Hawkins Memorial Cemetery, Eddie watches quietly as the sun shines down on the stone before him. Radiant is the only word that comes to mind as it glistens and stands tall. Then again, no better word could've described Chrissy Cunningham when she was on this Earth, or her smile. It's fitting it would also apply to her grave.

He picks a nearby dandelion and rests it at the base of the stone, just below an engraving of a sunflower - her favorite, he's learned. A few of the fluffy white seeds float up and wisp around the carved petals, giving it life. Motion. It makes Eddie smile.

"I'm sorry I've been sorta' shit about visiting ya'," he says after a moment, a shy little drawl to his voice making him sound quite endearing. Forgivable. "Wayne and I just moved into our new apartment last week and the whole moving in thing's wrecked us. Did you know that man had even more mugs hiding in storage? At least thirty, the maniac!"

He imagines Chrissy's own smile at that one. Sure, she had been scared out of her mind the night she entered his trailer, but Eddie can never forget seeing Chrissy's eyes comically widen at the sight of Wayne's collection of various mugs from around the globe. Most people do as such - even Wayne on some occasions, when he's tired and not prepared to remember his own expensive vice.

Eddie's finger traces the sunflower.

"I wish you could see the place. It's a lot cleaner and bigger than our old shit hole at Forest Hills. Plus, it's got this super big backyard with a tree that I'm thinking of putting a hammock under. I think it'd be a nice spot for writing songs. Isn't that just something, Chrissy?"

A brush of cool air past him has Eddie believing that yes, it is.

He picks another dandelion. Blows the seeds her way.

"I've actually got another something to tell you," he hints, waggling his eyebrows to no one. "It's even crazier than us having a whole house to ourselves, Wayne and I. It might've actually just about blown your mind if you were still around. It's been blowing mine for the last few days, if I'm being totally honest."

The sun brightens on Eddie's back. He takes a deep breath. Steadies himself.

"I, uh...I'm dating Steve Harrington."

The sun continues to shine.

The cool breeze returns.

Life goes on.

Eddie releases his breath.

"I hope you're not like, rolling in your grave below me right now," he chuckles, voice tight and nervy. "I know I'm the biggest hypocrite ever for falling for him, a known jock AND popular kid. It goes against pretty much everything I've stood for or yelled about at lunch. But, it's kind of like what you said about me, Chris. He wasn't what I thought he'd be like. He isn't."

He's way more, as a matter of fact. So much more that it hurts sometimes for Eddie to think about. Makes him question how he got so lucky to meet him, really meet him, in the first place.

"I wish you could see it for yourself," he says softly a minute later, now tracing her name with his pointer finger. "You two probably would've been great friends. He likes sports and doing his hair and goofing around. He's also weirdly good at baking. You were in the baking club, right? I swear I saw you selling gingerbread cookies before Christmastime. The little ones with the candy canes? Right?"

No one answers, but something in Eddie's bones makes that assessment feel right. He looks up to the sky, lets the sun soak into what skin isn't covered up by leather and denim for a minute, and imagines the dreamworld he described. He imagines Chrissy side-by-side with Steve in a kitchen, maybe with Robin if she stuck around or visited during college. He watches them as they get too messy, covered in flour and sticky from dough and icing, and smiles at the fact none of them seem to care. They're all so proud of their work and wanting Eddie to try everything. He can practically hear their laughter, their joy, their lack of care or fear as he does. He lets himself drown in it, just a little. Basks in it.

Stares back at Chrissy's grave seconds later with a piercing twinge of sadness.

Grieves.

Whimpers "You should be here still, Chrissy" to the stone.

Sniffling, he tries to laugh away the tears that have suddenly appeared like a tidal wave. It does no good, though. Not even the sunshine, the beautiful stuff that usually makes Eddie feel so seen and comforted, can whisk them away now that they've begun. He grips tight at his thigh. Desperately tries to ground himself.

"Steve's been reminding me that there was nothing I could do. Says I've been placing too much blame on myself for it all. Maybe I am. It's just that..." he takes a deep breath, "shit, I hate that you were the one made an example of in all of this mess. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to stop it and protect you from Vecna and the Upside Down and all that horrible crap you had no reason to be swept up in because of me. I'm sorry you can't be here and getting your own new boyfriend, or your own degree. I'm so fucking sorry."

A full-on sob hits Eddie then, knocking him off whatever ledge he had been teetering on right into a pit of anxiety and bottled-up sadness. It renders him shaky and a bit blubbery, and as another sob gears up in the pit of his chest, he starts to feel guilty he had shown up in the first place. If he'd just kept his news to himself, hadn't let himself dwell on all the milestones Chrissy would never reach, maybe he would've been okay. Maybe he would feel a little less broken, a little less wrapt with survivors guilt, a little less-

"Hey."

Eddie flips around in a fright to find himself face-to-knee with Steve Harrington.

The boy's face is gentle when he finally works up the courage to meet it. It's the same gentleness that had been there the first time Eddie confessed to wanting to visit Chrissy, and the same that had coaxed him out of the car when his nerves got the best of him. It's also the same that had gazed upon Eddie when he confessed to having a crush, and when he proceeded to say he'd be fine if they never spoke again because he gets why that would not be happy news to hear.

His gaze is somehow never pitying. Always achingly empathetic.

It tears another sob from Eddie.

Carefully, Steve sits down at Eddie's side and wraps an arm around him. His hand soothingly begins to rub up and down Eddie's arm, grounding him the best he can. Eddie leans into it. Hopes Chrissy is okay with having their private conversation shared. Sobs again.

"Hi Chrissy. I dunno if you knew me, but I'm Steve."

Eddie shuts his eyes and buries his face into Steve's shoulder.

"I'm sure Eddie probably already told you, but we're...we're a couple now, so I hope you don't mind me intruding. I know uh...I know he's kinda private about this stuff."

He means Eddie's feelings about Chrissy's death, about Chrissy in general. The whole lot of it. Eddie knows it in an instant - feels the way Steve's grip nudges them closer together in understanding.

"I'm not sure what you were chatting about, but I have something to tell you if that's alright."

Steve pauses.

Bless him, he pauses for the answer that won't come.

Eddie could - no, plans to love him forever for doing something like that for his sake. For Chrissy.

"He's been pretty torn up about you. We all are, but...well, it's hard. I've been through this four times now and that first time is still a lot to think over. But...uh, Robs told me that in movies, ghosts are always like, torn up and stuff about people being sad they're gone. Want them to live their life to the fullest. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm gonna make sure our guy here does that. For you."

Blinking up from Steve's shoulder, Eddie sniffles. "W-What?"

"Yeah," Steve says, keeping his eyes on the stone. "I'll make sure he has reasons to smile and...and reasons to get through the hard times. I'm gonna' be there to remind him what all that's like, okay?"

"Steve..."

"And I know it won't be easy, but...I think it'll be good. For all of us. Ya' know?"

Tears threatening again, Eddie places a small kiss to Steve's cheek. He feels Steve's grip bring him in even more, almost keeping Eddie in his lap. Comforting him. It's more than he could ask for.

The sun shines on him. Eddie feels it again - wills it to help.

"I can't do it all on my own, though. I could use a little divine intervention here and there, if you could spare some."

Eddie almost corrects Steve. He almost says ghosts aren't divine, how that's reserved for angels and God and stuff. But, on second thought, he figures if anyone from Hawkins was granted an angelic afterlife, Chrissy probably was first in line.

Instead, he listens to the beat of Steve's heart.

"But, I'll try. We'll both try. We promise."

"Y-Yeah," Eddie hiccups. "We promise."

Steve smiles into his hair.

"Got anything else you need to say, Eddie? Or do you want to go grab milkshakes somewhere before we head back to your place?"

Blinking his bleary eyes back open, Eddie gazes at the tombstone. Commits it to memory. Pictures Chrissy giggling and telling them to go have fun.

Really, who is he to tell her no?

"Yeah, I think we're good here," he says, finally. He nods once more to Steve and lets him pull him up to his feet, the shaky thing he is. His arm ends up around Steve's waist as they give a final look to Chrissy, and for a moment, he wonders what she must be thinking. He wonders if she is grateful for their promise, or if she is wishing she could have a milkshake with them, too. Eddie hopes, wherever she is, she can go grab one. Enjoy with them, and above them. He'd like that.

And, after today, he thinks Steve might, too.

They hold each other's hand tight as they leave the cemetery.

They hold hands even tighter when Eddie gets a tattoo of a sunflower the very next day.

[2-lines-and-a-circle]

Simple days

Notes: Just simple little scenarios I wrote that probably won’t get finished. Character x reader, includes all the boys from twisted wonderland, gn reader, relationships vary

Riddle Rosehearts:

Tapping on the door of the marvelous Riddle Rosehearts you made sure to show off your test results. After studying with Riddle for the past two days you had finally gotten a rather fair score on your test retake. If not for the help of Riddle you surely would have been at the mercy of Crewel’s strict study sessions. When you showed off your hard work to the dorm leader you were shocked to hear small words of praise. It wasn’t much, but hearing “You did a good job” was rather pleasant.

Ace Trappola:

Holding onto your origami paper you showed off your talent to Ace as he watched you fold the red paper. There you shaped the square into a heart, tucking it into his shirt pocket you instructed him to keep track of it. That had been a week ago, when you were searching for Ace, you were shocked to see it still tucked into his pocket. At first you assumed it was because he had forgotten about it. When asked about the heart, a soft glow of pink tinted his face, turns out he kept it like you asked.

Deuce Spade:

Glancing over at Deuce, you watched him set off onto the track as he ran over and over again. There he was trying his best to win, not just for himself, but for NRC. Holding onto your phone as you recorded the match you made sure not to miss a moment. Getting to the end of the match you saw how bright Deuce’s face turned out to be as he realized he won. The smile was so dazzling, just looking at it filled you with joy. You finally realized this was what people mean when sometimes seeing another’s smile will bring one to you as well.

Trey Clover:

Reaching out for a red water pail you searched the bed of the strawberries. Today was watering day and it just so happened to be the day Rook was off duty. So, in order to fill out an empty spot you were inducted to his position. It wasn’t all too bad though; you did get to see something rather unusual. Right to your left was Trey who had been so focused on watering his plants he tripped and set off the sprinklers. As of now Trey was soaking in the water as you let out a chuckle. Offering a hand to help him you were instead greeted by the ground as he pulled you to him. Never again were you going to fill in this position.

Cater Diamond:

Throughout the morning sun you could see absolutely nothing, you had broken your glasses last night. Being the broke fool, there was no backup plan other than to fix it yourself. While you could make out blobs of color an orange one came to you, only when it spoke did you discover it was Cater. Explaining to him your situation, he took hold of your hand to guide you to his dependable first year. Saying he couldn’t let a fellow classmate stay this way would be wrong. Or maybe he was fed up with you asking him what was on the board.

Leona Kingscholar:

Holding on close to Leona you laid your head onto his chest as his breathing slowly moved up and down. In the warmth of the bed the two of you watched the sun fade into night. It wasn’t anything special, but the simplicity of everything gave you comfort. A simile formed as you watched the sleepy lion drift off into his dreamworld.

Ruggie Bucchi:

The sky had been a scarlet red as it stretched across to cover the entire school. In the hands of Ruggie was a bouquet of carnations which he picked specially for you. A tint of shyness crept across your face as you made your way to him. Reaching out to caress Ruggie’s face you smiled back at him in thanks for the flowers. Following his bright smile was a rusty red color along his neck as you left a small kiss mark.

Jack Howl:

Cuddling in close to Jack you traced his outline over his clothes as the two of you slumped into the soft bed. Feeling Jack’s hands comb throughout your hair sent shivers down your spine. Looking up at him you saw that you did the same to him as he felt your electric touch. In the heat of the moment, you propped your head up to ask Jack for a kiss.

Azul Ashengrotto:

Feeling the smooth touch of Azul’s hair in between your fingers as he finished on the last piece of paperwork was a sin. You were well aware he had been struggling on this piece of paper for hours on end, yet you hadn’t caved into his troubles. Azul on the other hand, constantly fought the urge to push you away to get everything done, but he couldn’t. Just this one time he thought to himself as he indulged in your little mischief.

Jade Leech:

The current of the river had carried you and Jade far off course. Although the two of you were following the closeness of the map, nothing seemed to work. Where it said to go right the two of you ended up on the path of the left side. Looking down the river there seemed to be a growing worry inside of you. Well, the reason, there was a waterfall heading up and instead of swimming away, Jade swam towards it. Holding on tight to his eel form you prayed for the best for the two of you on your wild ride.

Floyd Leech:

Playing with his dark blue streak of hair you started to braid the last bit of it together. Whipping out a shrimp hair clip you attached it neatly along the ends of Floyd’s hair. Oh, it didn’t just stop there either, you had plenty more to add to his hair. As you messed around with Floyd’s hair, he sat there in the reflection excited to see what was going to be next. Could it be a shell clip or perhaps it was going to be a cherry patterned ribbon. Whatever it was Floyd wasn’t going to leave halfway, he wouldn’t let you know, but there was a real reason he sat there. Truth is, he enjoyed seeing your face contort into the many different facial expressions you made as you arranged his hair. There was nothing more interesting than seeing you.

Kalim Al Asim:

Staring at a bed of pure white hair you had been wondering if Kalim noticed anything strange. There on the side of his head were several strands of hair that flipped up and away. Of course, you weren’t going to relay this information to the unknowing otter, it would be too boring that way. So, when Jamil finally came to visit class and noticed you enjoyed the little scene which played out. At least you did till Jamil noticed you.

Jamil Viper:

Whipping out your notebook you presented to Jamil your recent gameplan. NRC was mediocre when it played basketball, which never quite sat well with you. So, it was about time you became manager to help them rise to above mediocre. You weren’t blind though, you knew the major faults of the team, but you still wanted to push them a little. Handing off your notebook to Jamil you showed off new sets of gameplays to try out. There was one for every possible scenario you could think of. Looking at it closely Jamil studied everything word by word. However, at the end of the day the two of you both knew it was nearly impossible to get the team together. Still, you enjoyed the time you spent talking with Jamil, maybe even a little bit more than your love of basketball.

Vil Schoenheit:

Shifting your feet to a faster pace it wouldn’t be a lie to say you were struggling to keep up with Vil. The hallway was as crowded as ever, which was to be expected as everyone rushed to the cafeteria. Looking down onto Vil’s hand you took a hold of it, saying it was to prevent each other from getting lost. Despite giving a small scoff to your remark, Vil interlaced his hands with yours.

Rook Hunt:

Shooting a heart arrow at Rook you made your attempt to shoot him as your role happened to be the hunter. With just the slight tip of your arrow Rook immediately fell to the floor crying out in pain and spilling out fake blood. It was far more than what you had signed up for. Yet, the sight of such unusuality caused you to let out a chuckle a t the boy who had been playing dead.

Epel Felmeir:

Epel’s fingers skillfully moved across the apple to peel away at the skin. Then, taking hold of the knife he started to cut away at the shape. You watched in awe as the apple quickly transformed into the shape of a mirror. Once he was done Epel proudly handed it to you, but when you did touch it, the magic seemed to fade. Since you only ever saw such work in photos you didn’t expect the results to be sticky with apple juices. Some of it even started to drip down to Epel’s elbows. Before you could even grab a napkin Vil came into view with a look of distaste towards the situation.

Idia Shroud:

Shuffling a bit closer to the Shroud brother you whispered over to him if you could switch places. Taking a quick glance at you he immediately shifted his entire body to the other side of the room. Although, it was nice of Idia to move, he didn’t need to shift his whole being. Stepping closer to Idia you made an attempt to explain you just didn’t want to be near the window. After explaining for the second time, Idia came back to exchange seats with you once more.

Ortho Shroud:

Following Ortho, the two of you skipped down to Idia’s room, today was a big day for him. Well, maybe not for Idia, but it was an important meeting day for the dorm leaders. This was an absolutely mandatory meeting which discussed an upcoming festival the school hosted. When you and Ortho entered the room the two of you quickly made work of Idia’s surprise. With the two of you carrying Idia out of the room in a hurry you ran into the meeting covered in sweat. After delivering Idia you and Ortho slumped down to boast about your accomplishment.

Malleus Draconia:

Carefully walking forward, you made an attempt to give a surprise hug to Malleus, which ended up in dismay. Malleus was well aware of you before you could even touch him. In that instant he turned around to give you a big hug. Once he released you from his touch, it was time to try again. In your quick movement you gave Malleus a tight hug of your own. A little surprising as he had just given you one, but the boy wasn’t complaining at all.

Lilia Vanrouge:

Delivering a pat to Lilia’s head you made a comment about how cute his hair was, in fact you wanted it too. Taking this chance, he rushed you into Diasomnia’s lounge, where he made his barber shop. Pulling out his hair dye he smoothed it randomly across your hair. Finishing up the last bits of your hair dye you waited in excitement for the results, but to your surprise it didn’t look like Lilia’s at all. Instead of simple pink streaks, there were blue, green, and white all throughout your hair. Lilia claimed it was to enhance your adorable features.

Sebek Zigvolt:

Marching over to Sebek you peered into his face as you gave a mischievous smile. A confused look crossed his face as he wasn’t sure as to what you had planned. The truth is, you wanted to see Sebek’s face as you felt a little lonely without him beside you. Smiling to yourself you told him just that as it slipped out of your mouth. Sebek was caught off guard by your blunt remark, through his embarrassment he made sure to tell you the same. Turns out you both were a little lonely.

Silver:

Stumbling onto the floor of Silver’s room you stared up at the ceiling as Silver stared down onto you. Today you were enjoying the comfort of the floor because for some odd reason it always felt more comfortable down there. Sitting down near you Silver too started to lower his back to see if it was true or not. Shifting to face Silver, you expected him to have been asleep given how silent he was. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. A pair of aurora-colored eyes stared back at you with a relaxed smile across his face. It was such a small action, but it caused your heart to leap out of your chest. Silver reached out to touch your hair, saying you were correct, it really did feel comfortable to lay here with you.

[clairdeluneeeeee]

Perfectly Imperfect - An analysis of Mari and her portrayal in the Manga.

It’s no secret that the new manga has been a hot topic of discussion ever since the first chapter was released.

I, myself, harbour very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’ve really enjoyed the way some parts were arranged to make the story more entertaining to follow, together with how some secondary characters got more compelling motivations behind their actions and better development (primarily Kim), on the other, I can’t ignore the strange pacing and the way some of the main characters were portrayed.

I’m not going to expand on this point further, given that we’re still on chapter three and I need to see how things will turn out from now on.

However, there’s a character in particular who gained my curiosity, specifically right after the second chapter came out. I’m talking about Mari, the “muse” of the story herself.

Under the cut, I will analyse further the possible reasons behind some writing decisions concerning her, and I’ll try to make some predictions over how things may go in future chapters.

Keep in mind that this post is not spoiler free, so, uhm, MAJOR SPOILERS under the cut about both Omori the game and the manga.

Right from the beginning, Mari is presented as a rather strange figure, surrounded by an aura of mystery, even more than she was in the game.

The manga starts off with coloured pages featuring every single main character during their youth. Except for Mari. The only page in which she isn’t in black and white is the initial one, and in that one, her face is being obscured and we can’t really see her expression.

Furthermore, once Mari introduces herself, everything suddenly turns grey, like if she stole the colours from Sunny’s peaceful world.

As we’re already aware of, the manga begins on a total different note than the one the game started with. Instead of reassuring us with a playful and childish world, we’re thrown in the middle of its psychological horror elements right off the bat.

We see Sunny’s most prominent core memory: the day his friends gifted him a violin to allow him to play alongside his sister, Mari. A joyful moment that will turn out to be the beginning of a tragedy.

So, our first impression of Mari isn’t the protective and kind older sister that Sunny idealises in his dreamworld (like she was in the game), but that of a pushy, perfectionist individual who wants to keep everything under her control. Basically, the embodiment of Mari’s worst traits, something that Sunny is trying to suppress due to the way they’re directly connected with the accident.

Here Sunny is experiencing a flashback. Mari’s words look like a distorted version of what she may have said to Sunny during their argument on that day. Desperately, she’s trying to understand why he would waste the thing they all worked so hard to get him, confused and angry at her dear little brother for ruining everything, rendering all their efforts useless.

And then, Sunny wakes up, and Mari is nowhere to be found.

Next time we see her, it’s her dreamworld-self, eager to help us and ease our fears. However, here the way we’re meant to feel towards her is reversed.

We’ve already seen Mari’s “dark side”, so we’re more than aware that this “perfect girl” isn’t totally loyal to who she was as a person.

She’s described as the “glue that holds everyone together”, foreshadowing the reason why the friend group fell apart after her passing. Without her warm smile and attempts to make everyone get along, the kids grew more and more distant, forgetting the special bond they all shared with each other.

Now, chapter 2 is where we get more interesting pieces of information about the dreamworld version of Mari, more specifically, the impression she left behind and how Sunny highlights her positive traits in a desperate attempt to run away from his trauma.

For anyone who is familiar with the game, this is nothing new. We all know about Sunny’s coping mechanism and how this affects his headspace.

However, what I found fascinating is the contrast that was built between the dreamy version of Mari, and her real world counterpart.

When she gets talked about there, she almost feels like an haunting presence. Someone that came back from the death just to disrupt the others’ (and in particular, Sunny’s) peace. Despite this, when Sunny closes his eyes and gets transported in another dimension, he can still relish the warm and caring side of his deceased sibling’s personality.

Mari is seen as perfect, someone who is good at everything and can do no wrong, to a degree where she stops feeling like a human being, and instead turns into an idealised individual with little to no agency.

The characters give long speeches about how Mari is unique and special, they idolise her, to the point where they feel less like her dearest friends, and more like fans of hers, who know her superficially because of the image she built upon herself, and not for the complex and nuanced human being she actually is.

Of course, this is just Sunny projection this belief in his imaginary world. I do not believe that the other characters saw her in this manner, at least definitely not Hero, and I’m also 100% sure that even Sunny didn’t have such a distorted view of her when she was still alive. This is just his twisted way to cope with the grief.

Another thing that I feel like it’s important to note, is the way Mari acts so meek and defenceless.

This is already explained in-game as Sunny’s way of protecting her from “anything that could possibly harm her once again”. But here, I feel like we have a really interesting scene that expands on Sunny’s guilt and his desire to pay his sister back for all the good she did to him.

When Boss is holding Basil hostage, he starts harming his friends in an attempt to get revenge since they didn’t invite him to their party. In the heat of the moment, he even goes after Mari, who is incapable of fighting back due to her bad knees. That’s when Omori steps in, defeating Boss and saving her life in the process.

Omori’s final strike is enough to bring Boss to finally give up, and for a moment, he’s able to come across as Mari’s hero.

Mari, who is nothing but a sweet and pure angel, the person who sacrificed so much for his sake. She helped him in more than one of occasion, she literally was the reason why he didn’t lose his life drowning in the lake. And yet, he kept failing her, by being a failure, by not being good enough for her. This probably caused him to develop an inferiority complex of some sort, which only got worse once they started practicing together. No matter how much he tried to meet his sister’s standards, he simply couldn’t, the pressure was too high for him, and playing the violin wasn’t even his biggest goal or passion. This eventually will bring resentment to build inside Sunny’s heart, and he’ll end up snapping at her, causing the catastrophe of Omori to ensue.

Mari and Sunny loved each other deeply. They cared about the other’s feelings and wanted to see their sibling succeed. Yet, their bad communication was what ruined them in the end. Sunny refused to tell Mari how he really felt, both because he always had major problems communicating his thoughts, but also because he really didn’t want to disappoint her. Mari wasn’t aware of any of it, and she assumed that his brother was fine with their practice routine, when in reality, the pressure of it was becoming too much to handle, and he ultimately couldn’t take it anymore.

This single event will forever plague him, and I think that this simple moment truly shows it in the most heartwarming way possible. If his existence only hurt Mari when she was still alive, at least here he can be the person she looks up to, who protects her and tries to keep her happy. He may have been the reason why she tragically lost her life, but at least here, in the darkest corner of his brain, he can be the one and only who allowed her to survive.

This is also why Mari always looks so physically fragile. She gets exhausted easily and can’t go much further from her picnic zone, so Omori must be the one to take on the role of her protector.

Thing is, none of this can be healthy in the long run. Sunny can’t keep treating Mari as a flawless individual, demonising himself in the process, he needs to come to terms with the fact that they were both two very flawed people who ended up hurting each other, but their faults don’t inherently make them irredimibile, either, and the chance to forgive themselves and one another is still there. Only once he’ll realise this, he will be able to let go of his past.

He needs to see Mari as neither an haunting presence who wants to punish him for his sins, nor a perfect creature who’s incapable of any malicious thought.

The two Maris need to coexist to give a more balanced and realistic portrait of who the girl actually was.

The game already does this masterfully, but I truly hope that we will get more flashbacks featuring RW Mari, stuff that will allow us to come to a more three-dimensional conclusion of her character.

So yes, in conclusion, while I’m disappointed with how certain characters got portrayed, Mari is not one of them, and I’m truly eager to see more of her in future chapters.

[walker-extended-universe]

4x11 Review

Let's Go, Let's Go was an interesting episode with a lot of twists and turns, cryptic messaging, and a lot of social media hype. As much as I love Walker and I support Anna Fricke's foray into directing, I'm not sure this episode quite lived up to what it was trying to do. It was a fine episode that served it's purpose, but I do have some critiques. I'll try not to get too bogged down with those in this review but I will be honest. So, here we go.

I'm going to split this recap/review into two sections- one covering Cordell's dream world and one covering the real world.

Let's talk about Cordell's confusing dream world first.

This episode picks up right where the last one left off, with Emily coming down the stairs into the farmhouse kitchen to see if everyone is ready for August's graduation.

Cordell is floored by seeing her again, unable to speak initially. But we breeze past it easy enough as Cordell gets caught up in preparing for August's big day. Emily takes them back to their bedroom- noticeably different than the room he just came out of- and helps Cordell pick what he wants to wear, something that Emily treats as a big deal while Cordell is just ready to get the ball rolling.

Side note: This is the longest they've been on screen together and I absolutely love them <3 I'm glad we got this before the end.

The story continues with everyone going to the ranch house to meet up with the rest of the family. In this dreamworld, Liam is at the ranch after flying in from New York. Despite this version of Liam not having nearly as much mileage with the kids, Cordell still decides to ask him for help with Stella as he's noticed his daughter isn't really talking to him. This concern is swiftly brushed off and forgotten as the front door blows open, leading Cordell to his next odd introduction.

He steps into the blinding sunlight, mirrored by a flashlight in his face in the real world, and runs into none other than Hoyt, in from OKC with Geri and Sadie. While everyone celebrates their arrival, Cordell finds himself missing details and his attempts to get answers are rebuffed with almost flippant comments from the rest of his family.

Side note: Did anyone else feel like some of the characters were written out of character this episode? I got that feeling with Bonham especially.

The women of the Walker family get together to clean mushrooms and we get some cryptic dialogue while Cordell "catches up" with his long lost best friend. He's surprised Emily is so emotional over the day- and himself too. But Hoyt reminds him that that's what life is all about, reaching for this bog moments whether we're ready for them or not. Which he segues nicely into talking about the new event business venture he's working on with Geri and Abby.

The rest of the time spent at the ranch is filled with more cyrptic dialogue from all the characters. From Emily and Bonham cornering Cordell about retracing his steps and not taking the people around him for granted, to Hoyt telling him a somewhat unrelated story from their childhood, Cordell is confused about where exactly all this is going- and so is the audience.

Then, the moment is here. We arrive at August's graduation- which is being held at Ranger HQ. Emily, Cordell, Stella, and August walk in together and we get some more confusing dialogue as everyone but Cordell seems to be in a somber mood. As we enter the hall where the graduation is being held, we get more hints that something is wrong. Kelly is there but James is not. Abby tells Cordell he doesn't have to go up to the stage just yet. Emily tells Geri and Cordell everything will be okay. All the while, Cordell is just trying to enjoy this day with his family.

Then, the mood shifts. The graduation podium is replaced with a coffin and the white chairs are all switched out for black. And August starts delivering a eulogy that the rest of the family slowly joins in on. We're not here for August's graduation; we're here for Cordell's funeral.

Emily approaches him again as Cordell realizes what's happening. She encourages him to wake up, to go back to the world he knows, to be there for his family and make up for what he missed before it's too late. But Cordell doesn't want to go. He wants to stay here, with Emily, with Hoyt, with his family whole again. He doesn't want to go back to a world without her. And maybe they would all be better off without him, since he only ever seems to ruin things. As dirt falls on him, Emily begs him to let "us" go and just wake up.

Side note: I loved the line about there not being a universe without Emily in it. Even if she's dead, she was still there. It's perfect.

And then, he's awake, just in time to get to work.

I'm going to be honest here, I'm not a big fan of the storytelling in this section. I understand that confusion was kind of the whole point of this part of the episode, but I feel like there's a point where it's just too confusing to even make a point. I understood the main message: Cordell needs to make up for all the time he's lost with his family while obsessing over things like Emily's death and the Jackal case. His family needs him. I understand that. But in the moment, watching the episode, I was too bogged down in the cryptic dialogue and out-of-character interactions to fully get the emotions at the end. Maybe this episode just wasn't written for me, or maybe it will make more sense on a rewatch, but I really feel as if this story could've been delivered better.

Now, let's talk about the tragedy of reality:

At Ranger HQ, Jams, Trey, Cassie, and Luna discuss Cordell's disappearance. From the beginning, Cassie is convinced something is wrong, that Cordell went off on his own and got kidnapped by the Jackal. James hears her concerns but reminds them all that there could be anything happening at the moment.

Then, Trey finds on his credit card data that he booked a motel room- aka, he never went home when he was ordered to. This seems to confirm Cassie's fear that something bad likely happened to her partner. Armed with this knowledge, they decide to retrace Cordell's steps and see what they can find.

Side note: I just want to take a moment to appreciate that Cassie is angry in this episode- rightly so- and the show lets her be. It's just nice to see her feelings being validated for once.

At the motel, they find Cordell's room empty, but perfectly in tact. This gives them confidence that if Cordell was grabbed, it was outside the room, and they head to the front office to check the security cameras.

While Trey sorts through the footage, Cassie fumes at Cordell's idiocity. This isn't the first time he's run off on his own and caused trouble for everyone else and it doesn't help that she just had a conversation with him about this a few days ago. Luna is a comforting shoulder for her to lean on, assuring her that they'll find him alive.

Shortly after, they spot a mystery laundry truck blocking the camera's view of Cordell's room. Not only that, it's there on a day that they don't usually come to the motel. James orders them to track the license plate and they get moving- hopefully to let the Walker family know what's going on.

The next time we see them, they're suited up and ready to rescue Walker. Once they're armed, they clear the abandoned laundry truck and James orders them to split up and look around for clues.

During the search, Luna finds an empty grave and sends it to Cassie. He calls her to make sure she got it and assure her that they're getting closer. They got here in time to stop it happen. Cassie, excited, says she's on her way. And... she almost says something else.

Just as they hang up, Luna is attacked.

Later, Trey, James, and Cassie all find the shallow grave where Luna was. Trey and James start digging Cordell up and Cassie notices a bloodstain. She leaves them to follow it, growing more concerned as she sees more and more blood.

Then, she finds Luna dying on the ground. She rushes to his side and tries to help but.... It's too late. He's lost too much blood and all she can do is hold him in his final moments.

I've gotta be honest, I take issue with their decision to kill Luna. It just seems unnecessary and needlessly cruel to remove Cassie's Big Plot for the season right before the finale, with no room for her to really expand past this. It just seems unfair that all the other characters are getting concluding arcs in the finale except Cassie. And there was no real reason to kill him off, even if they didn't intend for Cassie/Luna to be endgame. It just seems like a setup for Cassie to have a revenge plot in the next episode, which just seems really unnecessary. Maybe they'll handle this better than I think they will, but I'm not holding my breath.

As usual, I'm left with a lot of questions following this episode. Where was Cordell being held on the gurney? Is it the same place where the Jackal has taken their other victims? How did the Jackal get the drop on Luna? How will the family react to finding out Cordell was almost taken from them? Will Cordell be able to fix the relationships he's missed out on in the next two episodes? How will Cassie handle losing Luna? Will there be time to give her plot the resolution it deserves? Will everything truly be wrapped up in time for August's graduation?

Hopefully, all this and more will get figured out next week. See y'all there!

[animeyanderelover]

Hello! I really liked your Happy Death Day posts and I've wanted more of them so I have two request with that concept. 1) Happy Death Day with dazai, ranpo, fyodor, atsushi, akutagawa, chuyaa (and if you have read the manga) teruko, saigiku, tetchou, sigma. if you haven't read the manga then you can write for the first 6 mentioned with gin, kenji, yosano, and kunikida instead. 2) Happy Death Day with chiba, karma, asano gakushu, itona, isogai, nagisa, kaede, maehara, and human koro sensei.

All with gn reader please! Take your time with this request, there's no need to rush Take care :D

So, I already did this concept with Karma and Koro a while ago so they won't be included in here. Also, those Hc's won't be as long as the ones I've written for the Bungo Stray Dogs cast since I've spent approximately 10 hours+ on those due to the storm of inspiration. Hope you forgive me for that...

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, stalking, protective behavior, manipulation, blackmailing, sabotage, mentions of abduction, isolation, paranoia, violence, death

Happy Death Day

Shiota Nagisa

🐍Nagisa is the type who latches quite onto his darling, might just be a bit dependent on them due to his insecurities. So finding out that they died and he wasn't even able to do the bare minimum of protecting them shatters the poor boy. He holds back the tears stinging his eyes until he's alone though where he lets them freely cascade down his cheeks, sobbing silently. He goes through extreme withdrawal for the rest of the day as he locks himself up in the room you two used to share, doesn't eat and barely drinks something as he just stays in bed. There's still the scent of his cherished s/o clinging onto the pillow and it serves to only push him further down his agony. You won't come back tonight after all. There will be no warmth next to him when he falls asleep and wakes up, no sweet words of affection nor your arms holding him close to you. With you gone now, he feels terribly vulnerable as you were almost his comfort blanket who soothed him and calmed him. If you're gone, what's left for him?

🐍You're still somewhat sleepy, even after that agonizing dream of yours, when you're shaken gently and are able to make out Nagisa's soft and shaky voice calling you gently. It's still very dark and you're only able to make out his figure sitting in the bed. You don't need to see though as your hearing is sufficient enough to tell you about his condition. Uneven and slightly erratic breath and the occasional choked back sob tell you that he isn't in a good state right now. Asking him what's wrong is fruitless though, the only thing he wants to do is clinging onto you, listening to the steady beat of your heart. So you do the only thing you seem to be able to do in that moment, embracing him and trying to soothe whatever nightmare caused him to be so desperate. You hear him mumbling after some time where he was able to at least calm down a bit that he's sorry for waking you like that to which you reply that it's all fine. Your own dreamworld wasn't that nice to you either after all...

🐍Your senses are slightly on edge thanks to the unplesant nightmare as it is so you're more aware of what's happening around you than you'd normally be. Even your heightened state of awareness can't beat Nagisa though. The guy is already so exceptionally observant and vigilant of everything around him on normal days, thanks to the nightmare he only turns more cautious and wary though. Even smallest things like the songs in the radio or the people passing by the window are noted down in his mind. So when you start feeling creeped out by the uncanny similarities in your dream and your reality, Nagisa is already silently freaking out. Are you going to die today? No, you won't. Because this time he knows better. This time he knows what he has to do. The potential of you dying today switches something inside the normally shy, insecure and friendly boy you love. You already feel his gaze intensely drilling into you, flinch when you see the changed look in his eyes.

🐍Nagisa is capable of things you didn't think he'd do when the danger of you losing your life is dangling above his head and messes with his head. Don't forget though, darling, that this is still the same Nagisa you're seeing here. What you witness right now is merely a side to him you've never seen before simply because he had no reason to show this part of him to you. Sure, there might be guilt knocking on his mind when he forcefully locks you away in the bedroom and you hit the door and beg him to let you go but the burning desire to protect you outweights that guilt for now. You hear him muttering through the door that he's sorry but has to do this for your safety before he leaves, the aura around him predatory and hiding his bloodlust. In such a state he's truly someone to fear, even if he isn't the tallest nor the most outspoken person. He has his target locked already, they can't run for they're already trapped and can only wait for the assassin to show his true colors.

Kayano Kaede

🟩You two have known each other since her days in Class E and even if Kaede is only an alias she used to conceal herself with to join the class in the first place. You still use that name as some sort of nickname for her though. Honestly, those last few years have been just wonderful for her though. She finally learned to let go of her vengeful side, she got new friends and she got you as her endearing lover. The fact that she even saw you this morning makes it hard for her to comprehend that you're truly gone when she receives the news. Maybe she's just trying desperately to reject what will inevitably break her. They're lying! You two were just together this morning! She refuses to listen although the truth slowly sinks in, makes her more frantic and and anxious. When her last wall of delusional rejection breaks, she's just staring into space with wide eyes, hands covering her ears before she starts wailing her heart out. Why? Why does she have to lose someone precious to her again?

🟩You sit up as soon as you wake up, deeply disturbed by whatever that dream just was, one of your hands going to the space next to you to feel Kaede's warmth. Only that you notice than that it's empty although the warmth of her body still lingers. You're slightly panicked, wipe your head back and forth in search for her until you notice the light burning in the bathroom, hear the water from the tap upon closer listening and something that sounds like sobs. When you open the door to the bathroom gently, you see your girlfriend relentlessly splashing water in her face, trying to wipe away all the tears and to regain her composure. When she sees you standing in the door frame, she quickly puts a unsuspecting look on her face and tells you that you should go back and that she'll come soon after. Only when you step closer with a serious look on your face and ask her if she's alright, eyes staring straight into hers, does she break a bit and pulls you closer to her in a tight embrace.

🟩Initially Kayano doesn't wish to concern you with her dream so she is quick to act like her normal cheerful and kind self again around you, something quite easy for her thanks to her career as an actress. Neither you nor her are oblivious though and can't ignore what is going on around you. You certainly find yourself more frightened as the hours pass by. Kaede at this point acts pretty much to be able to still appear like you're used to know her but inside she's everything but cheerfel and calm. She's terrified of the murder happening at this point just like in the dream she had. What unnerves her even more are your reactions. She knows you since such a long time, is additionally really observant and obsessive so she takes notice of the little habits you have when you're anxious and nervous. She can deduce far enough to suspect that you know something too which makes everything only more ominous. However, Kaede is quite skilled to adapt to situations, something especially needed now.

🟩She rarely lies to you but right now she deems it to be the right thing to do and if only to help your tension to leave you. She's very tenacious in convincing you to change locations with a believable excuse she comes quickly up with, keeps up the facade of her cheerful and sweet personality. You can't help but think that something is definitely off with her when she insists on you to stay inside this room and wait for her as she has something to deal with, according to her it regards her work. You discover to your shock that she locked you inside when you try to open the door. Back in Class E Kaede has always taken the role of the passive and supportive classmate. Some of the bloodlust she thought she let go off all those years ago returns to her though as she envisions how you might have been killed today. Something definitely has to be done today about that person and if there's one fearsome trait on Kaede, it's her tenacity. Don't underestimate her.

Isogai Yuma

🟤It feels like someone just brutally knocked out all the air in his lungs when he sees you lying motionlessly on the ground, blood staining your clothes. His heart drops and he instantly falls down next to you, numb to the way he scrapes his knees as he immediately starts checking for your pulse, noticing with growing nausea that your blood is already cold. You're already dead though as you're neither breathing nor have a pulse. When he realizes that, he slumps down in shock, blood seeping through the fabric of his trousers as all he can do for a few seconds is glue his eyes to your twisted face, indicating the horror and pain you went through. Why wasn't he with you? He could have protected you. It feels like he has simultanously no yet a thousand thoughts in his head, a weird sensation that threatens to overwhelm him as he starts gasping for air. Tears start to blur his vision. You've always called him perfect but especially in this moment Isogai feels like that's the furthest thing from the truth.

🟤He wakes up with a sheath of sweat covering his skin, clasps his hands over his mouth to lower the sound of him slightly hyperventilating in order to not disturb your sleep. There's a feeling of restlessness washing over him so slowly leaves your shared bed to head to the bathroom where he just stares in the mirror for a while. Tears are still blurring his vision and he quickly wipes them away, stands there for a few moments to take deep breaths to collect himself again before going back to bed. The moment he steps back into the bathroom though, he notices how you've started to toss around in the sheets, slight whimpers leaving your lips. He's quickly by your side, shakes you gently to wake you up from your nightmare. You're clearly out of it when you initially wake up, frightened until you see him and nearly throw yourself at him. He winds up comforting you and holding you close to him until both of you manage to fall back to sleep.

🟤The following day, Isogai appears to have recovered for the most part from the nightmare he had. You on the other hand can't seem to get over the dream you had, the rough hand wrapped around your throat and the knife being plunged over and over again into your abdomen. You cling to your boyfriend more than normally for that reason but he doesn't mind, instead notices that you still seem to be scared. He tries to reassure you as good as he can, offers you to listen to what you dreamed about so you don't have to torment yourself alone with it anymore. You hesitate due to the sheer brutality of the dream, know how reliable and trustworthy Yuma is and that's why you tell him. Something about the way he tenses up tells you that something is wrong though. Suddenly he seems more on alert than before and surely he starts noting soon things he's seen before in the dream he had. A dream so vivid that it almost feels like it was something more than that.

🟤He isn't the only one who notices such things. You, with your senses on high alert, are bound to realize the connection between your dream and the reality you're currently in. You've known Isogai long enough to notice that something has disturbed him to his core too even if he might be able to hide it better than you do. The final push to your anxiety is the moment he ask you in a pleading tone to not go out today, to just stay at home with him even if you have an important meeting. Why is he asking this of you? The look in your quivering eyes cuts him straight in his heart and instead of answering you at first, he just gives you a tight hug and asks the same question again, this time in a far more pleading tone. This reeks suspicious to you and you confront him about it, ask if it has anything to do with the nightmare you told him about. He hesitates shortly but you already know so much so he tells you the truth about his dream too, something that leads you to staying in his arms for the whole day.

Maehara Hiroto

🔶His s/o at times still feels a bit iffy about him and considering Maehara's reputation during his Class E days, he can't exactly blame them. He's been doing his best to prove his commitment to you though, has stopped flirting with women around him. Honestly, he's someone with the philosophy to live in the moment so he's never given the thought of death, especially your death, much thought. Both of you are still young after all. Maybe it's that attitude and the lack of preparation about the topic of it all that results in his strong reaction, triggered when he finds your dead body. He bursts out in tears, storms to your side and tries to stop the bleeding. A part of him is logical, knows that you're already dead and that it's too late. The other half of him refuses to accept the truth as he tries to perform CPR on you in desperate hopes that you'll open your eyes again. Minutes of uselessly trying to get your heart to beat again finally is the last dagger to pierce his heart with the realization that you're gone.

🔶You awake partially because of the hideous nightmare you just had but also because of the increasing movement next to you. Next to you, Maehara doesn't seem to dream anything more serene than you did just a few minutes ago. He's tossing and turning around, breath heavy and erratic and when your hand smooths through his hair, you also notice that he's sweating. So you wake him up to free him from whatever haunts him in his dreams. His eyes open abruptly and his hand tightens around your wrist, startled from suddenly waking up after what he just saw. You flinch a bit due to the tight grip on your wrist, know that he doesn't mean to hurt you though. You gently remove his hand from your wrist and ask him if he's alright now. Maehara stares at you as if not believing that you're sitting in front of him before a choked noise leaves his throat and in the next moment he's pulling you down to hold you, arms wrapped around you as if you might not be real after all.

🔶You know that your boyfriend tends to be more clingy as a way to prove his loyalty and also to express his spilling fondness and adoration for you. Today there seems to be something more distraught behind all the hugs he gives and the kisses he presses against your temple and your lips. Whatver has set him off in his dream remains a secret though as he never gives you and answer when you ask him about what's causing him his fear. His whole attitude is a bit overbearing though as he constantly wants you where he can see you and always wants you to be in his arms. As the hours of the day pass by, you start feeling queasy as the events in your dream happen in reality too. It unsettles and unnerves you but you swallow it all down. Hiroto on the other hand feels like he's losing a piece of his mind because of this which serves to fuel his paranoia even more. He grows even worse and when you're about to leave the house late in the evening, he blocks the door.

🔶He doesn't budge even when you start to feel clearly angry, merely shakes his head and tells you in a frantic voice that you can't leave now. You're clearly irked right now but there's also something that slowly dawns on you. You compose yourself a bit before you ask him if he perhaps had a dream about you dying on your way outside. There's a visible tremor going through his entire body as his eyes widen and he asks you shocked how you knew about that. You reply with a grim expression that you had the same dream. Your answer exasperates him as he asks you in a slightly raised voice how you can still insist to go out even if you know that this...this will end in your death. You answer that nothing is guaranteed just yet, even with everything that happened today, and that you can just take a different path. He stares at you aghast before his face hardens and in the next moment he's pushing you back, despite your protests. Forgive him but if you won't take this seriously, then he will.

Chiba Ryunosuke

🔫Chiba has been always someone very adult-like even during his days in Class E and has kept that attitude throughout the years. He's certainly more stoic and not the most talkative but his s/o knows from the small and thoughtful gestures he does for them that he cherishes them a lot. Because of his more impassive demeanor there is no very visible reaction from him when he finds his darling. He's just eerily silent when he searches for their pulse, slaps their cheeks gently in an attempt to wake them up. He's not one to kid himself though so when he realizes that you're dead, he stops everything. He's just kneeling over your corpse, bangs covering his hair as he stares at your face. Your dull eyes unsettle him deeply, pierce his soul, so he closes them, his hand only slightly trembling as he does so. Chiba just sits like this for a while, aware that this is the last time he'll see you until his death. Eventually he stands up and finally calls the police, his hair covering the wet film over his eyes.

🔫Something soft tickles your face when you come to your senses and when you open your eyes, you let out a short shriek. Having Ryunosuke's face leaning directly over yours, strands of his hair falling into your face, is bound to startle you, especially after the dream you just had. When you manage to stumble out what he's doing, he just replies that you've been acting fidgety in your sleep and looked like you had a bad dream. You assure him in the end that all is fine but even if the darkness is keeping you from properly seeing you, you still feel his eyes lingering on you. You try to ignore it though but you keep on sensing his movement when he turns his head to look at you. Until eventually you feel how he shuffles closer to you and wraps one of his arms loosely around you. Normally he isn't that clingy so you question if there's something worrying him. He doesn't answer you for a few moments until he eventually mutters out that he didn't have the best sleep either.

🔫When morning arrives, you really notice how true that statement was. He's slightly flustered when you lean in the morning close to his face, lift his bangs up and notice the dark rings under his eyes. Apparently he didn't fall asleep anymore after waking up in the middle of the night. You're concerned but he brushes it off, reassures you that one night without much sleep won't kill him. You decide to believe him. Chiba is known to notice smaller details about the people around him and his surroundings though and especially since everything about his dream is still so fresh is he able to notice so many unusual things. Your own behavior included, especially when you start glancing around you in paranoia. Instead of saying anything though, he just analyzes and watches at first before confirming anything. It isn't until everything that happened so far this day goes exactly like in the dream that he surprises you by telling you that he won't go to work today nor let you leave the house.

🔫The way he says that in such a serious tone whilst blocking your way frightens you. What's wrong with him today? He shoots the question right back at you, points out that you've been acting skittish the whole day as if fearing that something would happen. In the moment of tension you let it slip that you've dreamed about being murdered today and that the whole day has been weird, realize what you've said instantly after and start spilling out reassurances that it's all fine though. You pause when you see the tension in Chiba's muscles and the intense stare of his. In the next moment he's storming in one of his rooms and you hear him searching for something. Your heart drops when he returns with a gun in his head. Since when did he have a gun? You ask him terrified what he's planning to do with that gun when he gives you two choices. Either both of you stay inside or he will come with you. If someone tries to attack you though, he will shoot and he certainly won't miss.

Horibe Itona

◽️Itona isn't one to be overly emotional either although his darling certainly knows that he can be rather clingy as he's somewhat fascinated with them and the emotions they cause inside of him. You're closest to his heart, Itona sees you almost as his heart that beats outside his chest. He feels his blood running cold and his body freezing in it's position when he discovers you one day, stained in blood and inanimate eyes staring into the empty space. Fear is pulsing through his veins as he eventually steps slowly towards you, kneels down and takes you in his arms. You're so cold, a piercing contrast against his own raising blood pressure. He shakes you a few times, tries to find your pulse before putting his head against your chest, the lack of your heartbeat resonating painfully in his whole chest that feels like someone just punched a hole inside of it. He feels too hollow and numb to move for a while, head pressed against your chest. What should he do now with his live when you're not here?

◽️You abruptly sit up from the mattress as soon as your consciousness has escaped a very gruesome dream. You attempt to take a few long and deep breaths to calm down, don't want to wake up your very sensitive boyfriend. When you turn around though, you almost jump out of your skin when you see Itona sitting in bed too, golden orbs glowing in the darkness and staring straight through your soul. How long has he been sitting like that and given you that look? God, he scared you just now. Is everything alright? He blinks, doesn't answer your question and just continues to look at you with such intense eyes, something that might just creep you out a bit. Then he just crawls over to you, pushes you down and lays on you, ear pressed right against your heartbeat. You try to push him down since he minimizes your ability to move properly but he just tightens his grip on you, refuses to budge. You give up after a while, know how intractable Itona can be.

◽️From the moment you leave your bed, Horibe behaves like a duckling. He follows you everywhere in the house, almost walked into the bathroom with you when you wanted to use the toilet and even without having to turn around, you can sense his eyes staying glued to your form. Really, what is wrong with him today? He slightly annoys you with his behavior but doesn't listen when you ask him to stop it. Your annoyance is soon replaced with a lingering feeling of fear and queasiness as the day progresses and you see how things evolve around you. You've heard those news before, have heard those song playing in the radio already. All because you've experienced it already in your dream. Something feels fundamentally wrong with the way this day shapes to be but also Itona gives off weird vibes which only get worse with each passing hour. He's a really observant individual too, you know? He'll also notice everything you've noticed, probably even mundane things you've missed.

◽️You have a problem with him the moment he hinders you from going to work. Honestly, you don't want to either but what choice do you have? You're not someone who believes in supernatural things either so there's also this stubbornness to prove to yourself that you're unnecessarily worried. All your angry words fall on deaf ears though until you finally snap and ask Itona what the heck has gotten into him. It better be a good explanation too! Golden orbs pierce through yours for a while before he tells you everything in his typically very direct and brutally honest fashion. Your anger fades away then, replaced by anxiety and dread. How likely is it that both of you have had the same dream about today? The change of attitude is noted by your boyfriend, you're acting weird now that you've heard his story. When you still decide to go, he knocks you out and catches you before you collapse on the ground. He's sure that you won't like what he did but he's delusional enough to believe that he's in the right.

Asano Gakushu

🟠Gakushu is someone who has a lot of influence and money and is on top of that willing to resort to low methods such as manipulation, bribery and blackmailing. A life with him is not one where you have too much freedom as he's someone who likes to have control and monitor what you're doing throughout the day. So how ironic it must be that he still miscalculated something, doesn't know about your murder until he's informed. He's a prideful individual who isn't prone to admitting too often that he's at fault so at first he lashes out at all the staff working in the household for not looking out for you, trembling in anger and also grief. Even the police doesn't get better treatment as he low-key threatens them to better prioritize finding the killer or else he will find a way to make them lose their job. The moment he has no one to get angry at besides himself anymore, his facade crumbles as he starts to hyperventilate slightly, your death shaking him to his very core.

🟠Upon waking up, you're surprised to find Gakushu sitting on the edge of the bed, face buried in his hands as he takes deep and shuddering breaths as if attempting to prevent himself from overreacting. When he notices that you're awake and look at him, he instantly puts on a facade though to hide any sign of emotional weakness from his side. He tells you to just go back to sleep and upon your question what he was doing just now and if he's fine, he shuts you down by telling you to not worry. His tone indicates that he doesn't want you to dig deeper so you let it be. You know better after all. He doesn't talk with you afterwards and you feel too awkward to start a conversation again. So you just lay next to him awkwardly, unable to fall asleep because of your dream though. Not like Gakushu is in any better position than you are. When he notices that both of you aren't able to fall asleep, he orders someone from the staff to prepare some tea in hopes that at least you will fall asleep again.

🟠It's not like he's going to admit it if someone were to point it out to him but Gakushu's patience seems strained today, not to mention that he's more sensitive. The staff adjusts instantly since no one wants to get on the nerves of Asano Gakushu and become the target of his displeasure. To your great sadness you also notice that he seems more keen to keep you confined in his house for the day, tells his staff to keep an better eye on you. You express your unahppiness and ask him why he's doing this since you can't recall doing anything to displease him. You don't get an answer out of him though as you're left in the darkness, stuck in his house. Gakushu is normally not an irrational person and by all means not someone who believes in preternatural things but this dream left him with a deep sense of disturbance. Not to mention that he has noticed from the very early morning already things he recognizes from his dream which leaves him with tension and unease.

🟠He's taking merely some precautions just in case this all means more than he'd like to admit. He can't help but be curious and find out whether his dream really was some otherwordly phenomenon so he informs the police about his suspicion that someone might try to attack people in the location where you were murdered in his dream. For the rest of the day he tries to put his troubled emotions back in order to focus on work although he calls you twice that day just to check on you. It isn't until later that day that he also receives a call, from the police this time. They tell him that his information apparently was right since someone was indeed attacked by a person in the location he told them about, luckily survived since the police arrived in time. The criminal was arrested too. Gakushu represses the shock that pulsates through him when he hears that his dream was actually right. As soon as he ends the call, he drops down his chair in shock. He wonders if you perhaps know something too...

[suuez]

Random Prompts ~

• A is a outgoing ray of sunshine, while B is your typical "emotionless" person. Somehow, A catches feelings for B, wanting to stay by their side and giving them affection nonstop. Little do they know, B is actually a drug dealer that doesn't know how they're supposed to react to A's approach.

• Once B gives up on seducing A, A starts falling for them. How does B react?

• While traveling through the world, A meets B in a hotel. Both are very fascinated by each other — Unfortunately, A is from a different country from B and both of them only speaks their native language. How are they going to communicate? And what about their cultural differences?

• B is a neurodivergent who just started dating A. After some time, A discoveries they're neurodivergent too, but having something different from B. Now, both of them have to learn how to adapt to each other special needs.

• At first, A starts dating B as a challenge from their friends, but as time goes by, A seems to be catching feelings for B's unique and exquisite way of being, even trying their best to see the world on their vision and try doing the things they like.

• B is a lonely artist that lives far away in a country house. One day, B creates their best art piece ever — An statue. They get fascinated by it, how could them have created something so beautiful and delicate out of dirt/rock? They name the statue A, and one night, A comes alive. Now B has to deal with this delicate curious statue, taking well care for it to not 'get hurt' or get lost in the woods from snooping around.

• Whenever A goes to sleep, they travel to the "Dreamworld", where every phantasy and ever imaginable world exists. In this "Dreamworld", A meets B, who starts appearing in every other dream they have. Once they wake up, they can't wait to get to sleep again to get into wonderful adventures with B.

• B is a vampire who is searching for a new victim. Suddenly, they meet A, who is young, full of life and the most interesting and unique human they have ever met. B approaches them and is very tempted to have them as their lunch, but their other side refuses to do it since A is so unique. How does B deal with it?

• A is a time traveler who is enjoying their adventures through time. They can go to whenever and and when they want, with the only rule being that they cannot interfere with the past. Unfortunately for A, in one of those travels they meet B, who catches their heart by their simplicity. Now A has to make a decision — Interfere with the past or leave it as it is to not change the future. If they do interfere, what are the changes that will occur?

• B is a cupid, who is always trying to find someone to A. Unfortunately, things never go right and A always ends up alone. Out of guilty, B decides to approach A to at least show them what love is like...

[ink-flavored]

Purgatory

BTS Series: ⬅ Table of Contents Also available on Neocities! P&J Taglist (Check out my Google form to get added): @elegant-paper-collection @auroblaze@zeenimf @vacantgodling @foxys-fantasy-tales Banner art by @auroblaze

Traditionally in Christianity, Purgatory isn’t a place, like pop culture depicts. It’s actually a “cleansing ritual” that some people have to go through to be worthy of Heaven. Sometimes it involves literally being cleansed in fire! However, I’m going with the more pop-culture-y depiction of Purgatory because it better fits the tone of the story, and allows me to do a little more sociopolitical commentary. Which I love, and will always do. Anyway, here it is!

The Structure of Purgatory

In the quilt of the universe, Purgatory is a fascinating square. It holds a mirror to Earth, reflecting it as a plain, unchanging, eerie dreamworld. There are things that look familiar to the souls that wander there, but with a distinct alien veneer that reminds them they are not in the same place they left.

Souls who aren’t worthy of Heaven, but aren’t sinful enough to be sent to Hell, are prescribed time to think and to repent in Purgatory. God gives them a second chance after death to reconcile their sin, and once they’ve atoned to His satisfaction, they’re permitted to take their place in paradise. Those that aren’t forgiven wander until their souls eventually fade to Hell.

Those wandering Purgatory cannot enter or exit of their own volition. The process of forgiveness or fading can take centuries. Hundreds of years of circling in the same empty plane with other souls, just as aimless. Simply put, Purgatory is a holding cell, for those souls who have nowhere else to go.

Wandering Souls

Though they certainly can, the immortal beings of other realms rarely appear in Purgatory. Angels and demons can travel in and out whenever they wish, but angels appear only to bring souls there or relieve others of their roaming, and demons have little use for souls that can’t be further corrupted. The souls of Purgatory have very little company outside each other.

The souls that wander are given little direction as to how they’re meant to appropriately repent. They have not broken their relationship with God, they’re assured, only injured it, and that injury can be repaired with time and atonement. However, many souls in Purgatory are confused as to why they’re even supposed to be repenting. Lying, gossiping, drinking to excess, failure to pray, and suicide are all on the list of venial sins that these lonely souls are meant to be making amends for.

For those confused, they have plenty of time to work through the feeling. Souls in Purgatory are meant to consider their mistakes in life, atone for them, and God would recognize the way they’ve held themselves accountable and offer forgiveness. Eventually.

Some souls, though, become frustrated. Some felt their sin was unavoidable, some felt they didn’t have a choice. Some had no idea they were sinning in the first place, they thought they were doing the right thing. It’s difficult for many souls to capitulate to a God they had never believed in, or to apologize for something they couldn’t have averted.

But even among those that atone as best they can, the resounding silence from above becomes disheartening indeed. After centuries and centuries of wandering, plenty expect that they’ll never be forgiven, no matter how long or how many times they repent. When the angels appear to usher the scant few forgiven souls to Heaven, leaving countless others behind, the demoralization drives them deeper and deeper into despair.

Forgiveness and Fading

The process of being forgiven is, in writing, very simple. Once God has decided a soul wandering Purgatory has repented to His satisfaction, He orders an angel to bring them to Heaven.

In practice, the qualifiers for “satisfactory repentance” are vague. The criteria for one soul might be wildly different from another, regardless of their sin. Some are waiting for a short amount of time compared to the souls that wander the longest, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to which souls are accepted and which aren’t. God seems more determined than ever to smoke out the unworthy, and the length of time it takes for any one soul to reach forgiveness stretches far longer than many of Heaven’s agents think is justified—though these angels are wise enough not to voice their criticisms.

Part of the unspoken concern lies in the fact that souls in Purgatory don’t stay there for eternity. The longer they sit, the more they despair, the closer they are to giving up on the chance of being forgiven altogether. Many don’t see a point, after waiting for so long. God had abandoned them, left them to rot and tread the same ground over and over, waiting for a forgiveness that would never come. When these souls turn their backs on Heaven, there is only one place for them to go.

Hell doesn’t “claim” souls from Purgatory. Demons aren’t sent up to collect them, and it’s not as though the souls from Purgatory are itching for damnation. Instead, God watches these souls slip farther from forgiveness, and eventually He lets them go. Like a fishing line, He stops reeling them in, and releases them to the depths.

And though Hell doesn’t necessarily gather up these lost souls on purpose, Lucifer will accept them happily. After all, what better way to motivate his army than with more fodder to be made an example of? What better way to show them how pointless God’s plans are, than with the very souls He claimed to love so much, abandoned at their doorstep? The constant churning of Purgatory’s lost souls are the perfect talking point—remember how much God loved His creations? This is what He thinks of them now. The only option becomes overthrowing Heaven, and proving themselves righteous.

The angels in Heaven who are brave or foolish enough to speak of this problem openly, do so in whispers. They wonder why God is so concerned with keeping out every soul with even a sliver of impurity. They wonder why so few souls get brought up from Purgatory these days, and even if they do, why they stay there for so long. They worry about innocent souls going to Hell under their watch, suffering needlessly for the sake of holy paranoia.

And then they’re decisively hushed, for fear of joining the unholy ranks.

There it is! Those of you who read Justice’s backstory on Tumblr might have found some of this familiar.

I’m not sure how much of all this lore, from Heaven on downwards, will make it into the full story, but I’m glad I got to share it with all of you to make sure someone other than me gets to hear my thoughts!

Thanks as always for your support!

— Annika