#it'll be interesting to compare them later on!!!

[13tinysocks]

My Dead Girlfriend

You're different, more than all of them expected. It's saddening for some, boner inducing for others. He likes the way you try to blow his brains out. The head of the GDA sees an opportunity.  [Invincible Variants x reader]

[Part one] [2] [Ao3] [4]

3 * Narcan Blues [6.4k]

"I'm tired of walking away to lose you,

I take my Adderall with milk and sugar,

I'm gonna be okay,

get the fuck out of my way."

 Alcohol - FIDLAR

  The defense wing was gone. All the engineers were sliced through. Only a handful of staff left compared to the hundreds stuffed into the Pentagon. So much blood he could taste the metal. So much death and destruction and all from one person. Now smashed into his floor. Re-animen called off. Donald hovered behind him, mechanical body exposed. 

        If one Invincible could do that and there were how many of these little bastards? The world was bent over, spanked, and properly fucked. 

        Communications with most world leaders had been cut due to death or satellites being smashed. Plan B through Z had been used and flicked aside like flies. But then, there was this very unexpected and hopefully fortunate turn of events. 

        Cecil Stedman leaned over the desk. Dozens of screens showing him the few remaining CCTV feeds of the area in question. The few living staff busted their asses, tracking the variants. Six of them converged on one singular location. They hadn't been together since they'd first zapped into reality. No portals opened and it didn't seem like one would anytime soon.

        He watched, listening to the crackling feed from the cheapest cameras business owners could afford. At first, he thought the prison-smashing, New York flattening freak was going to kill you on his lonesome. Then the rest came, one after another. Couldn't forget the one watching in the sky. 

        They didn't converge on you like hungry wolves. They spoke and then the strangest, best thing happened. One of them dropped dead. Killed himself on a whim, at your say so. 

        "I need everything we've got on her, now." He said to no one in particular, but heard the remaining staff scramble behind him.

        "You should sit down Sir," Donald said. "You're running on fumes." He held out an alcohol soaked rag.

        Cecil took it, pressing it hard to the bleeding slit in his head. A sliver of his skull was exposed to the air, blood gushing and rolling into one of his eyes. Not that he could see out of it, his vision was spotty and limited to begin with, his orbital had to be fractured. Flaxan bastard.

        "Can't, so you better get to teaching me on how to run on fumes."

        Donald didn't smile. Cecil hated himself for the jab but apologies were for later, way, way later. 

        He watched the newcomers rush in. Dog Girl, Psychopomp, Mercy, Running Man, and The Amazing Kidult. A handful of nobody scraps that surrounded his one and only hope for the planet. They were going to be torn to shreds. 

        Cecil was counting on that. 

        "How's the teleporter?" He asked.

        "Almost online, sir!" Someone shouted across the room. "I dunno if it'll be stable-"

        "Define almost." He didn't care about stable. 

        "Three minutes!"

        "God damn it." These nobodies weren't going to distract them that long. But his staff was doing all they could, fast as possible. He had to move onto the next step in the hasty plan he was gluing together with popsicle sticks.

               ***

       They waited, though the action had already started. When one is a Viltumite- so fast, so powerful- watching lesser beings run at them felt like slow motion. Not from fear, but from the monotony of it all. Waiting for something interesting or challenging, but the best they get is a punch that doesn't even tickle.

        The Amazing Kidult was a stretch of a contingency plan. He was more useful if you had to pretend to be somebody's mom, trust, the situation had arisen before. If you have to get into a preschool to kill one of the teachers, who was actually a drug runner who didn't deliver on the goods, he was useful. Nobody would let some random adult in, so Kidult would shift from his thirty-year-old self to whatever age you needed.

        Freaky, sure, but he could've done a lot worse with his powers. 

        You hadn't wanted him to answer the phone, but here he was. Throwing himself first into the fray. Thirty going on five to duck under an unenthusiastic punch thrown by Mohawk. Soon as he was in the clear, under the guy's legs, he was five going on thirty. Growing with a fist aimed straight for Mohawk's balls. 

        He was freshly twenty when Mohawk grabbed him by the throat, snapped his neck with a twitch of the hand. He dropped Kidult, cringing, "Weirdest dude I've killed in awhile." He kicked Kidult away, sending his corpse into the smoke of New York.

        Dog Girl lunged for Shoulder Pads. Going from your everyday Twitter-scrolling, Contrapoints watching, EDM mixing t-girl, to ginormous fucking werewolf. Maw open wide enough to bite him in half. Shoulder Pads isn't even a blur, one second, he's about to die, the next he's behind her.

        When shot, a dog does one of two things. Die quietly or let out such a pathetic sound it makes you want to kill. But when a Dog Girl's head is separated from a Dog Girl's body? That sound made you want to throw up.

        "Pathetic." He says, "But I'm not surprised (Y/n) enlisted the likes of you."        

        You didn't have time to unpack what that meant. Your finger shoots towards Lensless-or as you now thought of him, Boner Boy- too busy holding his suit out above his dick so no one could see the outline of his arousal.

        "Kill him!" You say, eyes locked onto Running Man's goggles. 

        Instead of looking horrified at the idea of fighting with a hard-on, Lensless grins. Running Man, a C-tier hero at best, zipped forward. Nowhere near quick or strong as the late Red Rush, but that didn't matter. He had what Red Rush didn't. An energy shotgun, so powerful he blasted straight through a kaiju last fall. Honestly, the only reason he was so high in your book was because of that gun but you couldn't tell him that- he's got a temper. 

        Round and Round Lensless he ran, a gray blur. Shotgun powering up and up and up. 

        Mohawk made his way toward you. "Look, babe, you know I appreciate a good ass-kicking, but this is just so lame; it's unnecessary! You know you can't fight me."

        "Cover me!" You tell Mercy. She's in front of you, solar-powered caduceus staff spinning in hand. 

        Round and round and round. Lensless head spun following his to-be attacker, laughing, "So are you gonna hit me or what?" 

        You blinked. Just blinked, but when you opened your eyes, Mercy's blood was shooting out of her esophagus like a fountain. Top half of her head splattered God knows where. Tongue twitching, bottom jaw pooling with blood as she fell to her knees then to the ground. 

        Mohawk stepped over her into your personal space. You stagger back, head reeling, stomach churning. You should've done this earlier, but got too preoccupied with the contingencies. With the backup plan that was blowing up spectacularly in your face. "Kill Yo-"

        You feel it coming. Your head whips to the side as vomit forces it's way out of your throat. Bitter as it was going down. You sway, head pulsing. 

        "Does being near me make you that sick?" Mohawk laughs but there's little humor in it.

        "Yes." You gaggle out, spitting out the last of the bile. Hand in pocket, cracking the top off another bottle of codeine. It was a bad idea shotgunning one, puking it out, and shotgunning another. Some of the first had been absorbed into your system. Adding onto that absorption was prime real estate for death by overdose. You had no other options. Overdose or be tortured to death by a guy with your ex's face. 

        Ker-ack!

        The top of Running Man's body sails over head. Going splat on a building behind you. His legs are still moving around Lensless, who just held out his arm and cut the guy in half.

        "Why do they never think that I can just do that and it's over?" He scoffed, running the hand that had just killed Running Man through his hair. Blood clinging to the locks like gel. "So boring."

      You see the mass coming in hot. Running Man's gun barreling toward your head. You drop the bottle, half drunk, and hold your hands out to catch it. Mohawk is too busy trying to get his fingers under your chin to notice. The Phantom was busy liberating Psychopomp's arms from her body. Others noticed, Lensless raced, followed by Shoulder Pads. In the sky, the Viltrumite watches. Interested in you and your well-being, of course, but if you couldn't handle a gun flying toward your head- you couldn't handle him.

        To his pleasure, you catch the thing. Fumbling before twisting the gun into the right position, ready to fire at will. The thing pulses with purple energy, humming.

        Lensless stops, chest centimeters from the shotgun barrel. "Whew, thought I'd be picking your teeth up off the ground!"

        Mohawk is shoved out of the way as Lensless came in way too hot, spitting a, "Watch it, dipshit."

        Shoulder Pads stops behind him. Aware of the gun buzzing, vibrating in your hands. He wasn't afraid, more so curious. Watching you tilt the barrel up, aimed straight for Lensless's head. You really were different. Daring enough to point a gun a version of him (again), any version of him, despite his royal linage, despite his power. The sight was like a slap across the face, but he did nothing to stop what was coming. If Lensless died to you and his own foolishness- he deserved death. 

        In another universe, one with a Mark Angstrum hadn't taken- the same energy crystal slapped into the gun was fired straight at Omni-man. Sending him crashing through concrete. Hurting him, even just a little, was no small feat. Something that could hurt him? Imagine would it could do to his son, not yet fully grown into his powers. But you didn't know that, none of them did. If Lensless knew, he wouldn't have moved anyway.

         "Reminds me of old times." As the gun's power apexed, Lensless smiled and leaned down. Putting his left eye into the barrel hole, his hips undulating. "I've got an itch actually, mind pulling the trigger for me real quick?"

        Blammo. 

        You fall back, hands burning, shoulders aching, gun launching itself out of your hands, clattering thirty feet back and breaking useless against the concrete. Lensless shoots back as well, five, six, feet- holding a hand to his left eye, blood seeping between his fingerless gloves.

        "Man-" His laughs are breathy, wanton, "Oh man, I think you really got me there." His hand falls away, "Is it bad?"

        The light brown of his eye had split in two. Oozing vitreous tissue down and around the exposed bone of his cheek and lower eye socket. All the flesh and fabric around his eye had singed away. Leaving a pulsing, angry chasm. Blast so hot it'd cauterized most of his blood vessels. The few that remained open bled like rivers into the sea. 

      He pokes at one half of his eye, "I can still kinda see." He hums. 

        "You asked for that one dude," Mohawk said.

        "Don't call me, dude, dude." Lensless says, though he's smiling. Shreds of eyelids twitching, trying to close around the mess.

        "See, this is why you should be wearing goggles." Shoulder Pads commented. "Look at you. What use are you to my empire half blind?"

        Phantom let Psychopomp drop, still screaming, rolling on the ground, legs kicking like a de-winged butterfly. He stepped closer but not too close. He felt hot, too hot, just being on the same planet as you. Too close and he'd burn to a crisp. Too far again and his heart would ice over. 

        He knew you weren't the same person. You just looked like it, moved like it, sounded like it. He didn't believe in second chances either but still, if there was a second chance for you and him- how could he pass it up? Angstrum had made a good argument. "You miss her, I can see the loss has hit you hard." He'd thrown a punch, though Angstrom was already gone. Behind him. "Do you even remember what it was like to hold her?" Another punch. "Do you want to remember?"

        He did. So very badly. 

        Because he didn't recall the taste of your lips. It'd been so long. Five years, two months, three days without you felt like the thousands of years his father said he'd live. Being near you now, reversed time. The reveal of you, this you and your truth, was violently fast, too quick to process. It felt like a joke, like the rug had been pulled from under his feet. But he could fix it. Could make you whole again the same way you'd do for him once he got you alone.

        "You know you're not the only emperor of Viltrum here, right?" Mohawk said. 

        Shoulder Pads stiffened, pouting slightly, "I assumed we all were. I wasn't aware so many of us were weak enough not to take the throne." He shot a disgusted glance toward Lensless, who was still poking at the remnants of his eye.

        Talking like you weren't here, like they hadn't just shredded through your contingencies like cheese to grater. Your mouth screws into a sneer. Fingers digging into rubble so small it felt like sand. You rose, albeit wobbly. "Hey, pirate, come'ere."

        They stared in confusion a moment. "Oh! Are you talking to me?" Lensless pointed at himself. "Are you giving me a nickname already?" He was in front of you but you hadn't seen him move. The damage was worse up close. You could smell the burnt flesh. He leaned in for a kiss or just to violate your personal space. "Would should I call you? Sweetums? Hot lips? Babygi-"

        You shoved gravel into his eye socket. Pressing, twisting, scissoring your fingers to get the dirt in all the cracks and open veins.

        "You like that?" You snarled, though it sounded slurred. Stomach churning with sick. Head throbbing from the drugs. 

        "Fuuuck!" Lensless stumbled back a pace. "Fuck, fuck, fuuuckkk." He's moaning, groaning, in pain. Good. Satisfaction rises in your chest. "I think I just came." 

        ***

        Cecil's lips pushed in. Ninety seconds was all the distraction they got. All he could hope for was the degenerate version of the planet's strongest hero didn't snap her neck for that. He'd call on Mark for help if he could, but Mark was busy fighting off two versions of himself in downtown Tokyo. One in red and white, the other in the classic yellow and blue. He watched on split screens as the other Marks surrounded you. As their Mark fought for his, Eve's, and the people of the city's lives.

        Tokyo was the first city hit. They came out of green portals above Japan and got right to work. Mark and Eve were on a date in Osaka when this whole mess started. Just flown in after a job well done in New York. Tired from super speed, ready to get down to relaxing.

        It had been a good thing in Cecil's eyes, the kid was a loose canon these days, but he still saved hundreds at the time. All those people he saved were definitely dead now, based on how things went. The destruction was too catastrophic to contain. The other versions of him were too quick, too bloodthirsty. New York was practically defenseless with the people currently on his payroll.

        Cecil couldn't help either of them like this. Even when he could, he'd have to choose who to go to first. (Y/n) seemed like decent shot. Still, Mark was Mark, he was practically Invincible. Not going for him first would be one hell of a gamble he'd have to be absolutely sure about. "How much longer?" 

        "Ninety seconds!" A tech called. 

        A minute and a half to make a decision that could make or break the planet. Just another Tuesday. 

         "Sir," Donald shifted behind him, fingers fast on a keyboard as he pulled up the file, "That's (Y/n) (L/n). File says her and Mark used to date, sir." He swallowed. As the GDA it was their job to know everything about everyone important. Superheroes and villains top of the list, terrorists, politicians, and importantly, their connections. Dangling a husband or child in front of any one of those people could get them to do damn near anything. So the database was kept, a background thing, a backup.

        Though everyone who worked in that department thought it was useless and hated working on it- today they'd earn that paycheck. 

        "Tell me more," Cecil said, because to be honest, he had no idea who this girl was. 

        "They were together before Mark developed his powers. Very briefly after. It's likely they split after she started working for Machine Head." Donald said.

        Everyone thought the government couldn't possibly know and see everything. They could. Machine Head was a thorn in Cecil's side, but so small and insignificant when it came to the matter of the entire planet, he'd done nothing about it. Local criminal empires were for local heroes to deal with, not Cecil Stedman. 

        Cecil's finger tapped his bicep, arms crossed over his chest. He watched the battle between Mark, Mark, and Mark shift. Eve's leg was snapped like a twig, she went down hard and useless. Their Mark was on her, trying to carry her away while local heroes stepped into the fray. He broke through the atmosphere, screaming for help. Leaving just in time to see the local talent get shredded right through. 

        He hadn't killed a single one of them, whereas the city gutter rat had. Cecil swallowed, eyes switching back and forth, "Great. I'm sure his ex'll wanna work with us."

        "Probably not, but Sir, what those versions of Mark are saying implies they're not exes in their universe." Donald nodded to the screen. The Mark's surrounding her in a semicircle. Bloodied. One screaming about cum. 

        The decision was made. The bait was too good to pass up. Eve would live without immedatate medical attention.

        His fingers curled into his sleeves. "Someone not working on the teleporter- get me powercuffs, Narcan, the most noise proof headphones we can find, and a muzzle, preferably the same we used on the first re-animen, I like not killing myself."

        ***

        "Get away from me."

        He does, you wish he hadn't. Up close you couldn't see his bottom half so well. But as soon as he stepped back, you can see the imprint of his dick softening. See the wet stain on his lower abdomen. 

        The sight is... you don't know. You felt sick in a way that couldn't be from the codeine overdose or the life or death situation in front of you. Guts twisting in disgust, a disgust you had seen in others. You were unsavory to people around you, but interesting, like a pet they could discipline. Something they desired against their best interests. But the way he was looking at you with his one good eye, was beyond desire. He looked like he wanted to crawl into your chest and rut on your ribs. 

        You didn't know how to feel, but his companions not being cool with it certainly helped. 

        "Dude, what the fuck?" Mohawk said. "That is- wow, dude. Do you have brain damage?"

        "A little." Lensless eyes unfogged from your control, but not from lust. 

        "A little?" Shoulder Pads questioned. "You've just been disrespected and you've come in your pants- what do you mean a little?"

        Lensless shrugs. "Means what it means, dude."

        The Phantom edged closer. Fingers twitching. Tempted, very, very tempted to rid Lensless of his other eye. 

        You hear a meow, he comes out at the worse time. Caligula bounding from the rubble, meowing and curling himself around your ankles. You bend to grab him. A rush of wind and Lensless is in front of you, holding your cat. Stupid thing is purring with a hand ready to snap his tiny neck.

        "Will you use your powers on me if I kill 'im?" He gasps, realizing something with a grin, "Would you cry too?"

        He'd gone from lustful to violent in a millisecond. Actually, scratch that- he was both at once. He just saw another way to get his rocks off. 

        To answer he question, yes and yes. He can see it in your eyes. He's going to do it.

        Until a fist cracks his jaw, loosening his hold enough for Mohawk to take the cat.

        "Jesus, dude! Relax."

        Lensless laughs, rubbing his jaw, the punch barely fazing him. "Don't act like you care about that thing." 

        "I don't," Mohawk says, Caligula rubbing on his arms. "Killing something this weak is below us."

        "Maybe below you but not me." Lensless reaches for the cat. Mohawk jerks back. You can only watch. Scared if you say something he'll kill your sweet, idiot baby. "Aww come on, you're no fun. Don't you wanna see her cry?"

        Mohawk's gaze slides over you. Considering. Then he's gone in a crack. Returning just as fast, but without Caligula. He opens his mouth just before you start to scream, "Your ugly pet is fine. We'll get it back before we leave, okay babe?"

        You don't know if you believe him. You want to but you're stuck on the promise of 'when we leave'.

        Blood was rushing in your ears, you could barely hear yourself say, "Psychopomp, get up." She did. Balance wavering, blood spurting out where her arms should be connected to her body, pulsing to the beat of her heart. "Revive the others."

        "Hell no." She said. You'd forgotten. 

        A note about mind powers. Generally, they don't work well on other people with mind powers. Even if it's mind powers to raise the dead. And another thing that was working against you- you'd dated, very briefly, four years ago. Two months of sex and coping with your new life. Not finishing high school because of your jail sentence and your new role as Machine Head's grunt. Not going to college, not being with Mark. 

        She wanted to go the distance. Go clean, build a life together. Lesbians are fast with those sorts of decisions. You couldn't, wouldn't. You tried to force her to forget you on your two-month anniversary. Just to find out, psychics have a hard time controlling other psychics. The breakup was a huge blowout. Her calling you every name in the book. Unbelieving that she wanted to move in with you. Demanding you give her Caligula because she was the who wanted him in the first place.

        You kept the cat. Cleansed your phone of her number. Didn't cry over the loss in your life because she wasn't shit. She was a nobody grunt The Order sometimes called on. It made missions with her tense, but you dealt with it. 

        Until. 

        You'd almost died too many times to count. One of which was a deal gone wrong where your bodyguard wound up dead. Your head was next on the concrete chopping block, still dripping with the blood from his neck. You escaped with quick wit, but it scared the shit out of you so bad you redialed her number as a contact. Saved it as contingency twenty-seven. Assumed if you'd call she'd come. Another thing about lesbians, they have a horrible time getting over an ex. Then you never called or texted, forgot about her and who contingency twenty-seven was besides a panic alarm.

        She hadn't said anything today when you called, just came to where you said. Everything had gone so quick you hadn't had time to process that she hadn't been controlled. That she was who she was and somehow, even though years had separated your relationship like the grand canon, she came for you.

        "You're letting yourself die because I didn't take you back?" Usually, you kept relationships, even one night stands, under wraps. You didn't kiss and tell. Except, being ridiculously high was not your usual.

        That gave the bickering between the Mark's pause. 

        Her lip twitched. "You killed my brother, asshole." Oh. She didn't come for you in a romantic sense. She came for revenge, first for the city, then for you. 

        The dark cracks in Phantom's heart deepen. Mohawk smirked, still getting used to the idea that Dregs was not a cute hero name. Shoulder Pad's legs flexed, ready to move, to slice off Psychopomp's head for how she spoke to his pet. The Viltrumite in the sky lowered a degree to hear the drama that much better.

        Guilty as charged. "No, I didn't." You lie, because her little junkie brother didn't pay what he owed so yeah, Machine Head had you kill him. "Multi-Paul did."

        "Multi-Paul was in prison when he went missing." She was swaying. Soon to die if she didn't do something.

        "Not every Multi-Paul." You counter, absolutely full of shit. "Are you really going to let yourself die over an assumption?"

        Her knees looked ready to give when she said, "Up n'attem." 

        Light blinded you. Made Lensless groan and fall on his ass. The light was gone soon as it'd come. 

        The dead rose. Bodies not healed, still dripping and oozing, but crackling with the anger of the recently deceased. "Mercy, fix me."

        The headless body rose her caduceus staff high before slamming its end to the ground. More light. Your headache worsened despite the codeine supposed to be suppressing it. 

        When the light faded, Psychopomp had arms again. She'd gone pale from blood loss, still staggering. She held out her arms, sleeveless and baby-skin smooth, hands glowing as brought back more of the dead. 

           Dog Girl was first to rise, blood still spilling out of her neck. Kidult stood, body facing forward, head facing back. Running Man hobbled forward using arms as legs, guts trailing behind him like streamers. Then there were the civilians. Wes and his coworkers, innocent streetwalkers, alley lurkers, anyone and everyone within a hundred food radius.

        The pièce de résistance? Seventeen, shambling to his feet, fists twitching shut.

        "You're kidding me." Emperor Shoulder Pads sneered, launching forward to put a hole through Psychopomp. "You're seriously making us kill you again?"

        But you'd though ahead, you started speaking the second Psychopomp stared necromancing. The word, "Stop," out of your lips before he could move more than two inches.

        He stills. Hovering an inch off the ground. Body shaking with effort to throw off your control. Eyes wild on you, animal angry.

        Lensless let out a whooping cackle. "Oh thank God! I thought we were already done! This is gonna be awesome, I've never killed a zombie before!" His muscles tense under his suit, weight shifting as he decides who to pounce on first.

        His yelling makes your ears twitch.

        "Be still." You tell him and he is. You turn to the next, "Stay," and the next, "Don't move." You leave out the one in the sky. He hadn't posed a threat yet. 

        You flex your fingers, telling Psychopomp to bring the troops in. Let the zombies get in their first hits before your hold weakens. Which it already was. Nose bleeding, balance wavering, you were so sleepy and heavy-limbed despite the situation. Your heart slowing and vision blurring at the very edges. You knew what it meant. 

        The dead move like a wave. Slipping past you, leaving brushes of blood where they made contact. Fists and feet and bloody stumps came down on the versions of your ex. You refreshed your hold with the same turns of phrase. Bending down to grab the half-drunk bottle and finishing it to hopefully help.

        Throat roadkill raw. Ready to puke again, but you force your stomach to steel. You could puke when they were dead. 

        Except, the zombies, superpowered or not, leave no marks on the Mark's. Save for Seventeen, currently walloping the everloving shit out of Lensless. Socking him again and again, twisting his head side to side with every punch. Jiggling bits of his remaining eyeball falling to the ground.

        You'd have to step in more. Despite the sleepiness washing over you. The blur worsening. Your lips feel slow, tongue heavy, "Hey you," You say to none of them in particular, "Kill eachother."

        The first command you'd set snaps. Lensless is first to move, lunging to Phantom with a cat's yowl. Leaving Mohawk and Emperor Whatever to duke it out. They shear through bodies of the dead. Leaving them deader than before as they move. Throwing punches, kicks and tossing each other into buildings. 

        It lasts about nine seconds before your hold is gone. The command too taxing, too much, too many people at once. 

        They stop all at once. Expressions varying from pissed to entertained. 

        He's on you in an instant. Hand on your throat, holding you feet above the ground. "You-" Shoulder Pads snarls. You kick at the air. Choking around his hand. "Fucking-" Vision goes from blurry to blackening. You hold onto his wrist for support. "Dare?" 

        You try to command him, but you can't. Voice box pressed firm to your larynx. His grip is bruisingly hard, but you know it's absolutely nothing for the likes of him. "I should kill you for that."

        The others were coming. Fists raised. Snarls tight. Even the holier-than-thou angel in the sky was going to touch down. All of them, ready to punch the shit out of him. Not thinking it'd kill their precious in the process.

        Zombies clawed at your feet. Psychopomp reached out, grabbing your ankle, trying to pull you down but only making you feel like a rubber band. Death came from all sides, it'd be quick, but man it'd hurt.

        ***

        His people met up with Mark. He and Eve were en route. One problem solved.

        "How much longer?" He shouted, standing over the teleporter. Techie's arms like blurs.

        Donald returned, holding only souped-up headphones. "The light room is ready with everything, sir."

        "Forty-five seconds!" 

        Cecil threw the headphones on. Speaking loud because he couldn't even hear himself, "We don't have that much time, send me now!" He stepped onto the teleporter platform, hitting the big red button on its side before the techies could protest.

        ***

        Everything happened so fast you couldn't register it. One second four guys were about to hit the guy choking you out so hard it'd shatter your body- the next- you were in a while room falling on your ass. Psyhopomp still holding to your ankle, both of you breathing heavy. The zombies that were touching either of you dropped instantly dead- again. Parts of them that were there seconds ago melted to the floor.

        "Good." A cool voice said, "I was worried it'd do that to you guys instead."

        A hand you hadn't noticed falls from your shoulder. Wrinkled and pale. He steps away, giving you much needed personal space. "Cecil Stedman, head of the GDA." He's tall, frail, and wearing the chunkiest headphones you'd ever seen. "We need your help."

        You move slowly, like you were moving through the same syrup you'd just drank. "Fuck you." You don't know who he is, what's going on, but you didn't want to hear it. You wanted to kill. You wanted to see the fucker who threatened your life die. You didn't want to be here. "Send me back."

        Your threat is a lot less impactful as Psychopomp almost vomits on your shoes. You scoot back with a snarl, though Cecil doesn't seem to mind. 

        "I can see your lips moving kid, but I can't hear you." He taps the headphones. "Got a look at what you can do and I don't want that pointed at me any day."

        Psychopomp scrambled to her knees then to her feet. "You-!"

        Cecil held up a hand, "There's no one to raise from the dead here, save it. I'm not your enemy."

        She swayed, foot to foot, still reeling from blood loss. "You better not be lying."

        "Still can't hear you. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you're angry. You can be, at them, not me. We need your help, the both of you, to take these Invincible's down. Can't say we'll let you go after that, but you'll have jobs working for us." His gaze slides meaningfully over you, "And not on the streets."

        In your increasing stupor, you slur, "No, send me back. I've got- I've got to kill 'em all."

        He watches your lips move but does nothing to act on your behalf. "Look kid, we're really low on options here, so do me a favor and stop scowling. This'll go a lot easier for you if you cooperate." 

        Your vision goes blacker and blacker. "Send me back." You can't even put power behind your words anymore. Arms going limp by your side. You lay back, heaving, feeling yourself trying to duck and bob the effects of the overdose, "Send... send me..." You pull a bottle from your pocket, fingers too weak to uncap it.

        "Jesus." Cecil says, "You're going blue. Narcan her, now."

        There are hands on you, though you can't see them. All you see is white, Cecil, and Psychopomp. 

        Your head is tilted back, neck supported in a gloved palm. Something plastic is shoved into your nose. The spray shoots down your nasal passage, burning all the way. A scream ripping through your throat before the plunger is all the way down.

        Bone deep. The ache is in everything. Behind your eyes, inside your marrow. You're lying on your side, vomit spewed out on the floor in front of you. Esophagus on fire. The world comes back into focus with your heart beating erratically. 

        Cecil is crouched in front of you. "I know now's not the best time," he says, voice gentle but face hard set, "but I'm really gonna need you to work with me."

        You feel Psychopomp behind you, holding you steady on your side in case you seize. The hands on you are gone. 

        You peel your face off the floor, lucky it wasn't sticky with puke. Cecil holds out a hand to help you up. "Kill him." You say.

        Psychopomp lunges over your body. Hands posed to wring Cecil's neck. "I was hoping you wouldn't do this." A gun flies out of a hidden torso holster and connects with Psychopomp's temple. You don't hear the crack, but she crumples. "Get the muzzle."

        There's an order on the tip of your tongue, before you can look to find out who you're ordering, before the words can come out, a monstrosity of a muzzle is thrown over your jaw. A rubber stopper shoved between your teeth. Leather straps pulled tight as the muzzle is locked tight around your head. You claw, trash, kick but the invisible hands hold you down.

        "I'm sorry we have to do this," he says, not looking sorry at all.

        He touches your shoulder. "Take us there." He says to the emptiness.

        You are gone.

        Then back, in a different place. Green everywhere. Clear blue sky ahead. A quaint town all around you. Abandoned.

        You're on the ground. Grass soft under your bloodstained sweats. Cecil stands over you, his invisible men holding your hands behind your back. 

         Cecil looked down at you, "Tristan De Cunha." He says, "Most remote island on the planet. Used to be a town before the US Government bought it back in twenty-twelve. The safest place on the planet to be- for now."

        You writhe, uncaring about geography. 

        Cecil lets the headphones slide down to his neck. He presses a finger to his ear, "Muscle and bone density?" He asks.

        "That of an average human," comes a flat reply. Nothing special about you. 

        Cecil nods to himself, suspicion confirmed. "Good." He nodded his chin toward something behind you. "Don't let her hands free while you lock 'er up." 

        You're pulled ass backwards. Heels dragging, the only part of you touching the ground. It's no use. They're strong, and though you can't see them, they outnumber you three to one. Cecil follows, frowning. 

        You're pressed to a cold pole, moss crawling up the sides. At night its bulb used to come alive after sunset but now, on this southern island God knows where, it does not. Your arms are thrown behind your back. Something heavy is locked around one wrist. Secured so tough it nearly cuts off the circulation. You try to free your other arm, but just like the other, it is locked into the device. The pieces are sealed together in a massive metal cuff made for a berserker- not you.��

        The invisible soldiers step back. Their boots pressing imprints to the grass. "Thanks, boys." Cecil nods as they zap away. "Teleporter's fully online now." He says to himself more than you. "Look kid, I'm gonna do something you're not gonna like." If you could talk you'd ask 'more than you already have?' Reading your eyes, he says, "Things'll get worse before they get better. Just remember, after this you'll have a job with us."

        From his pocket comes a phone. He taps to the camera app and starts recording, only his face in frame.

        "Invincible, the people of Earth surrender." It's a lie, through and through, "No more military might will be sent your way. All governments are to stand down effective immediately. The planet is yours." The message could've ended there but instead he pans he camera down. To you muzzled, cuffed to a pole, uselessly fighting against metal and concrete. "As a show of good faith, we have (Y/n) (L/n) waiting for you on  Tristan De Cunha island. Two thousand five hundred miles east of Buenos Aires, one thousand five hundred miles west of Cape Town. We will make contact within the hour after she's been collected for negotiations." He ended the recording, pulled his hand through his remaining hair and sighed. "It's about the most obvious trap I've ever set but it just might work." 

        He sent the recording off. "That'll be playing on loop on every speaker and screen round the whole world in two minutes." His smile is wry, tired, uneven with scar tissue. "Don't let the fame get to your head." The smile drops as soon as appeared, "If they unmask you, don't do anything stupid. I'm sure I don't have to tell you twice, but these people are dangerous." You glare up at him, willing his head to explode. It doesn't. Your breathing is heavy. Saliva pooling around the muzzle bit. "You've got about ten minutes before they're all here so uh, brace yourself. We'll be watching."

        He disappears in a bolt of white-blue. You are alone, but not for long.

[saberdramon]

also you know what goes really hard in 0? the contrast between kiryu's naivety and majima's maturity or jadedness. i especially love them as the starting points for those traits so they can be further compared to what they'll twist into later and how they're still visible in the both of them even years later

kiryu was not stupid when he was 20 but his approach to these huge, dare i say structural problems he gets put in is short-sighted at best and childish at worst. his loyalty to kazama is similarly ridiculous, and arguably kuze had a point in bringing up the sinister tones in kazama taking in these orphans (whose parents he killed) who then grow up to think of him as their savior. kiryu's fallen into that so fucking hard and i don't think he'll ever admit to that, at least not until way later in life. there is so much naivety in the way he approached tachibana, in the way he trusts people, the way he views the world at large. it'll always be a part of him but the way it eventually gets overshadowed by experience is immensely interesting to see

im no psychologist but i wouldn't be surprised if the trauma majima has gave him much of the maturity he showcases in 0, though some of that must be general life experience as well. he's seen the worst life has to offer, and has no space in his heart for trusting people. even then im pretty sure he gets fucked by some type of trust later in the game because try as he might he has a warmth in his heart that people at that point loved to play with. where kiryu tries to bury away the naivety, majima does something similar with his maturity to become less predictable, though he rather hides it from prying eyes instead of pretending it doesn't exist. he puts on a ridiculous show to drive away those who'd otherwise feel comfortable placing their trust in a person like him

im playing 0 at a snail's pace but goodness gracious is it giving me some food to work with here

[pilfappreciator]

Brandi and Bruce’s S/o looking after the bakers dozen on their own, what shenanigans occur?

Anon this is?? Literally so cute what the hell??? Also referring to them as the "bakers dozen" is so genuis sfhjjfdadfggh—

Reader & the Bakers Dozen: babysitting solo

Includes: GN! Reader, mentions of polyamory, mentions of Vacay Lovers, slightly Parental! Reader, the Bakers Dozen

CW: Bruce Jr.

🍪 POV: your partners go off to some fancy convention to promote their business, leaving you to watch after all 13 of their kids. Chaos ensues

🍪 These little shits are already a lot to handle, so when you suddenly find yourself being the only adult in the house responsible for them? Yeah, babes, you've definitely got your hands full

🍪 Luckily, you've spent enught time at the Vacay Lovers household that things are at least a little easier for you lol

🍪 They definitely behave much better for you compared to other babysitters. Partly because you're smoochin their parents (and don't wanna get in trouble), and partly because they genuinely like you :3

🍪 But they're still little shits thru and thru, don't forget that

🍪 If they happen to have school? Chances are Bruce and Brandi already took care of their lunches and stuff before they left, so it'll be up to you to pick them up (WARNING: THE KIDS WILL TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO GO ORDER AT THE NEAREST FAST FOOD PLACE! Unless you've got money for 13 happy meals, prepare to hit em with a firm refusal). Definitely helps if you blast some music in the van! They've kinda lost interest in Velvet & Veneer after learning the two literally tortured their dad and uncles...

🍪 Play Brozone. They'll go crazy and shout-sing along with Bruce's parts lol

🍪 Later in the day you can expect a few to come up to you for homework help. They might also wanna help with dinner, but fyi there WILL be a mess. Pasta sauce on the floor, flour all over the counters, stains on your clothes— the whole shebang

🍪 Want the least amount of casualties? Just let them set the table (no worries, all the plates and stuff are made of plastic ajdjakkala)

🍪 A few of them have some dietary restrictions tho so keep that in mind!! Luckily, you can always find a list of reminders/examples up on the fridge courtesy of lovely muppet wife Brandi <33

🍪 If the kids don't have school that day, then be prepared. You're gonna have very little time to yourself ://

🍪 Like they've each got their own interests and hobbies to keep them occupied, but sometimes they'll need you to reach somewhere up high, or for you to play tiebreaker/settle an argument, or they honestly just want you to join them for a game of hide and seek which???

🍪 "Aw, you sure you guys don't mind me joining in?"

"Yeah! Just cuz you're old doesn't mean you can't have fun, too!"

"...Gee, thanks :D"

🍪 They're merciless

🍪 They've all got their own set of chores they need to do. Each and everyone will try to worm their way out of them. All of them. Everytime

🍪 Sure, they can be a little hyper sometimes, but they're like 6-8 years old so that's expected. For the most part, they're all pretty chill

🍪 It's Bruce Jr. who you've gotta watch out for

🍪 He is a shit- stirer and I WILL FOREVER STAND BY THAT

🍪 This guy won't hesitate to rally his siblings into whatever plan he's been cookin in that feral little head of his. Prepare yourself because you're MOST DEFINITELY getting pranked. It's like a requirement or something

🍪 One nice thing i have to say about Bruce Jr. is that he's actually pretty resourceful. Like this little dude is using everyday household items like he's staring in his own Home Alone movie AKSJSJAKA—

🍪 Rest assured, tho, none of his pranks are seriously harmful or anything but like... at the end of the day, expect:

1) to be covered in craft supplies

2) your clothes/skin/hair a mess

3) to have one limb stuck in a bucket

4) all of the above

🍪 Honestly I feel like Bruce and Brandi would be surprised if they came back and DIDN'T find you sporting paint-stained clothes or with glitter in your hair. Maybe a few stickers slapped on your forehead??

🍪 The trick to dealing with this little agent of chaos is to either keep him separated from his siblings long enough so he doesn't manage to rope anyone into his schemes, or strike some kinda deal with him. Considering he's got 12 siblings, all of whom you need to be watching over at the same time, chances are the second option is your safest bet

🍪 Chances are he'll ask for something semi-illegal, or at the very least something that DEFINITELY requires adult supervision

🍪 DO NOT LET THIS BOY TALK YOU INTO BUYING ANYTHING RELATED TO FIRE. Seems like an easy task, I know. Unfortunately this little shit enherited his dad's charm so watch out o_o

🍪 He'll settle for a happy meal tho. Hopefully you didn't already cave and take him and his siblings out to eat earlier, otherwise you're spending even more money ajsjakkala

🍪 If any errands need to be run during your time there, you BETTER BELIEVE they're all coming with. You'll need to be incredibly vigilant during this time cuz these kids are even more rowdy in public than they are at home. If you're smart about it, you can turn the whole thing into a game! If everyone manages to grab everything off the grocery list in a certain amount of time or if they're able to find the best quality (but relatively cheap) brand of laundry detergent, then you'll buy each of them candy or something uwu

🍪 You can count on them to be cooperative, but like... bring the family child leash just in case

🍪 Cough cough (Bruce Jr.) cough cough

🍪 MOVIES BEFORE BED! It's a bit of a family tradition in the Vacay Lovers household. Yknow, just some way for the kids to spend time together before the day ends

🍪 You're most definitely gonna be playing tiebreaker when the time comes. All 13 of them have wildly different tastes

🍪 Absolutely no scary movies tho. They'll try to argue that theyre able to handle it, but at the end of the night expect to find yourself under a pile of frightened children who've ctawled into bed with you

🍪 Their collective nightly routine is literally?? So chaotic??? Like all of them are simultaneously trying to squeeze into the same bathroom just to brush their teeth... running in and out of their respective rooms... trying to sneak some extra dessert before bed

🍪 Literally never a quite moment in this household jshskakakam

🍪 You might have to read a few bedtime stories or sing a lullaby—

"Dad does it better"

"Just go to bed, Benji"

—but once they've settled in under the covers? Out like a light. They are unconscious the moment their heads hit their pillows

🍪 You'll probably have a mess (or two... or three) to clean up afterwards, but once they're taken care of? Dishes washed? Counters clean? You're more than welcome to crash on Bruce and Brandi's bed <33

🍪 Said couple returns home the next morning...

🍪 Just to find their kids drawing on your face with marker. Cross your fingers that none of its permanent 💀💀

Hope this was good! I know I call them all little shits BUT I MEAN IT AFFECTIONATELY OKAY AJSJAKA

Ngl I feel like this could have been like... more colorful? Like I was very general about the kids and their behavior as a whole, but now I'm super tempted to make a post describing each of them and all their little quirks! Just something fun to do that'll help me write them better in the future ;3

[ivfrankenstein]

DEATH CHERISHES YOU | nuada silverlance x fem!reader;

the bloodstains on the stairs that had brought him here could be compared to breadcrumbs. step by step he was moving away from the original destination, consciously choosing to approach a new one. this one may not have been such an urgent matter for the prince, but another opportunity might not present itself for a long time to come.

farther on, the traces went away from the stairs and into the depths of the hall, from where a familiar dripping sound reached his ears. even at a distance it was effortless for nuada to hear all the breaths in and out of the person in there, so anyway, by the time his presence was noticed and all sounds suddenly stopped, it was definitely too late.

“you are easy to find, even when you're hiding.” he spoke first and purposely omitted the greeting, “shouldn't someone be watching you?”

“do they have to?” the voice from the darkness answered him with a question, “all my caretakers are busy at the moment. why don't you come visit me later?”

he stepped unobstructed around one of the columns on his right side and could now see the one talking to him from the back. it would be a pretty vulnerable position for another even without a bleeding wound on her arm. but he had more than once been able to see that she was not much bothered by this dangerous proximity. y/n was judged to be reckless and at times just a less skilled member of the team, which, nuada could tell, was hardly the truth.

“with seven nannies the child still loses an eye. are you familiar with that saying?”

“i am.”

it was very polite of her to answer him first, and only then to immediately clamp the end of the cloth with her teeth to tear it in two. the injury was deep enough that blood trickled from her hand to the floor, but y/n handled it with a dexterity that a less skilled member of the team could only envy.

“it's all a total waste of your blood.” he remarked, watching the small puddle below where she was sitting. there was all sorts of junk scattered everywhere. and the smell… it alone could suffocate a human victim.

“that troll has eaten over a dozen teenagers, in case you're wondering.” she forced herself to turn around and look at the expression on his face only to see nothing but a slightly raised eyebrow.

“one more ogre, one less.” he also gave her a nonchalant shrug, “there's not enough of you to catch them all anyway.”

“i’m not surprised you're more than okay with that information.” she said to his face before turning away again, continued to bandaging her arm and willfully badly playing the part where she wasn't dying to know what he was up to, “it just proves that an ogre as the only reason would hardly have caught your attention. so in that case, what brought the prince here?”

“the same as you.” it didn't cost him anything to tell her the truth, knowing there was probably nothing she could do about it, “it took me a lot of time and resources to find anything about this place myself.” except that what she wanted to get from him was different from what he'd come to share, “you did a great job, honestly. but it's for sure not the one that impresses me the most.”

it lasted less than a couple seconds, the way she stopped moving altogether, as if one single hint from him had paralyzed her to the bone. it was clear that the slightest interest shown in her ability would be met with the utmost wariness, which proved she was many things, but certainly not reckless.

“do me a favour, given my situation, and instead tell me if i should start worrying or not? it'll take me a while to remember where i left the gun.”

“oh, a gun, how uncivilised,” he said in a bored tone, “you have more delicate weapons with you. but i doubt you'll resort to any of them.”

“and why is that?” she asked, trying to stay focused, “i kept you from dying once because it was fair to your people. but for the second time, i hope your sister will forgive me for my non-interference.” her last words came out floating in a trembling voice. she was for now done with the bandage and turned to his side, with her hand clasped to her chest.

she seemed kind of particularly susceptible right now, and his years of being a corruptor suggested this might be a good moment to get close to her. but nuada's choice was to stay where he stood. from the beginning he was carrying this belief that y/n would want to know more without him seducing her into it. that's why he came. so he could see it for himself.

“by letting me live, you risked the fate of mankind by putting the interests of our race first. it's only fair for me not to fight you.”

“what a noble act. i know a few people for whom to take that chance would be enough to keep them happy for the rest of their lives.”

it might have seemed like an unnecessarily rude response, but it was clear to both of them that she was simply using the language of facts.

“and i will put my sister's name on that list with my own hand.” he confirmed it, “but as we've seen, that's not an acceptable outcome for you.” he paused to allow her to dispute it, but y/n only raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, willing to hear his explanation, “i'm going to guess that you've thought about the possible consequences of this decision of yours so often that you're now equally afraid of it and eager to discover it. you,” he pointed at her with an open palm, “already have so much of me in your thoughts that it's easier to let me go just to finally see.”

for a few seconds they looked silently into each other's eyes, almost like examining that gaze for recognition.

“if so,” then, as nuada assumed she would, y/n found an answer way too quick for someone for whom what she'd heard would be new, “i think it won't sound too presumptuous that to come to those conclusions you must have thought a lot of me yourself.”

the next thing the prince heard was his own laughter. how she succeeded in making a fool of him so easily by saying it caused him to laugh about it absolutely sincerely. it was so human, he couldn't even be prepared for it.

“that was a dirty trick.” she admitted before he could, “in my defense, it's getting hard to keep my attention, so..” she reached for the walkie-talkie fixed to her belt, but before she pressed it, she looked at the prince once more, “if you'll excuse me.”

“please.” nuada only said.

“death jr. to red.” y/n switched, bringing the radio to her lips, “death jr. to red. we have a royal guest in the neighborhood. over.”

he smirked and nodded in understanding, “as a good team member should.”

y/n said nothing more and just watched him escaping casually into the darkness again. from there he added, “i hope by the next time when we get a chance to finish our conversation, you don't have so much blood on you, my dear. although i must say that red suits you well.”

—gif: @amatesura 📿 also, english not my first language. so, i beg you pardon.

[xuune]

how do you find motivation to draw ? ( besides hyperfix ofc ) :3

tl;dr it boils down to:

i'm not an assignment/deadline based person, i innately want to draw for myself and finish my drawings bc it creatively fulfills me

i like being inspired by/learning from/studying other artists and their artworks

i like telling stories through my art. if someone didn't draw a story idea i've been thinking about, i might as well draw it myself

i still experience burn out, art block, imposter syndrome, but i know how to take care of myself to navigate around that

i ramble for a bit, but what i say might be insightful for you or anyone else reading this:

rn i'm busy being shackled to drawing art/animation/storyboards for university, which only increases my desire to draw personal art. its different for everyone and their relationship to art, but mine is a situation of "i want to keep drawing bc it fulfills me." ik a lot of artists around me who are extremely project/deadline based, meaning they can only draw and find the motivation to draw if it's assigned to them. they rarely draw for themselves outside of that. that kind of motivation works great under a school/job based reasons for drawing, but for someone like me who's insanely personally driven to want to draw for myself, it becomes difficult when my energy is poured for an assignment that may or may not be as creatively fulfilling for me.

i feel like when i get time to actually draw for myself, that's when i grow as an artist the most and learn from other artists the most. getting inspired by other artists is also another major motivator for me to keep drawing. i'm usually interested in how other artists make their work and study from them, and it's far more beneficial to be in that mindset than constantly comparing how mine doesn't look good enough.

drawings become interesting for me to do if it's also an opportunity to make a story out of it. i have lots of drawing ideas that explore a "what if" situation or imagine characters in certain scenarios. if no one's done an idea i had yet, then i might as well draw it since i want to see it realized.

this doesn't make me immune to burn out, art block, or imposter syndrome tho. its happened before, idk when it'll happen again, but i feel like i'm at a point where i know my personal relationship to art well enough to know how to take care of myself whenever that does happen. those things can easily break my own motivation for drawing, but sometimes i just need a short break, play a video game, watch a film/anime/show. time spent on looking at other art is also beneficial in building up the motivation to draw later

past few years i've been telling myself to keep staying curious, in awe, and admire the art around me. skill wise, i might not be in a place where i want to be, but knowing that i can always learn and get better over time is important. i've already proven that to myself before when i look back on my older art compared to now

hope that was interesting to read and if it helped you in anyway! perhaps you asked other artists this question too and they might've said something similar, but this is what came to mind for me

[possiblylando]

HTP 5.1 thoughts after first watch

wow what an episode jeez so this is our first major set up for a future arc huh? I wonder if it'll end up dragging D-Clan into it or if it'll just be a Kevin & Guy adventure? I could see it going either way. Potentially since Door and Boy have been split off at O'Tolleys they could join? Make this is a weird 4 group adventure but I don't know if Door actually knows if Kevin is alive?? Ahem- anyway I have noticed now how heavily Chapter 2 has been leaning into Werewolf lore. Matilda (obviously) now Pentex shows up along with one of their little mutated freaks. So we have some names this time atleast but- Realizing it now, why was blue man in the intro? HE didn't even get mentioned in the episode itself. Is he related to Pentex? I've always assumed he was just some fae or vampire but the fact he got brought up in a Pentex focused episode... Odd! Anyway- just to establish everything our new characters are Palmer (He's kinda..... Hm. Yknow?)

Blair

Ross

Alright so the biggest mystery here is Palmer. He could be any number of things so we'll come back to him last. Blair is pretty easy she's clearly a human- Atleast that seems to be it. The fact guy and her are compared implies she's a ghoul which also implies Palmer is a vampire. This is probable? But I'm not sure. Ross is clearly LEMAN FUCKING RUSS wow he's back. Russ, Ross, Giant fuckin dude. Given how interested he is in the "innards" of Bennings I think we can make an assumption that he's one of D's kids. (Also the fact he's seemingly based on a Primarch like-) anyway. I think Ross here is probably a werewolf? Given Leman whole thing was the Space Wolves it's not too crazy a guess especially considering how hairy Ross is compared to literally every other man in the cast. Alright so Palmer.. He could be anything at point really? My first guess is vampire but his fangs aren't visible. It's possible he's just hiding them though. I'm not sure if Pentex would world with a vampire? Probably right? I'm not versed enough in Werewolf so lmk if you know. His weird phone trick is weird it could be some sort of technocracy gadget but I dont think just having something from the Technocracy means he's apart of them. The fact Blair seems to be a ghoul implies to me atleast that Palmer is a vampire. He's allied with the regent so- Thats where my guess lies for the time being. No clue on what clan. Also no clue what that lantern was about kinda gave me wraith vibes but it's probably not that since what good would a wraith object be to people not trying to get rid of one? Yeah no clue here someone smarter will probably cook something up. I hope we actually get to SEE the suitcase being opened instead of just being told about it later like with Kevin revealing the traitor we never actually got to see Kevin say it we're just told he said it and it bugs me just a little bit!!

Very scattered thought here hopefully this made some modicum of sense

[shatcey]

Villain's night

I should probably post about this when this event starts in English, but I might forget, so I'll just re-post it later. This event is Halloween themed, so it'll probably start in about a couple of weeks.

I've read all the stories with at least one ending (I've already finished all the endings), and I wanna warn you just in case. This event is very hot and twisted. What else can you expect if from the very beginning you are told that the cursed abilities are significantly accelerated and the boys literally cannot control themselves.

(17/10/24) Added information about the bitter endings of Jude and Ellis

(21/10/24) The announcement of the event on EN was published. Repost.

Ellis's story begins very sweet and cute. But the closer to the end, the more obvious how much of the yandere he truly is. He'll just tie you up and never let you go. Almost literally. There is no mature content in the bitter ending, but there is a lot of talk… I was surprised how well Kate understood Ellis. It feels like we're already in the middle of his route. He's so clingy here… cute. The premium ending contains descriptions that leave no room for imagination, and a rather dubious consent. However… it doesn't seem so perverse compared to the other two stories.

William's story begins with an absolutely ordinary thematic assignment, but suddenly turns into a bizarre, but at the same time funny scene. Both endings are extremely hot (in a semi-public places). But in the bitter ending, the most interesting part happens under the black screen. In the premium - everything happens before your eyes. And the fact that Willy is true to his desires makes him the most attractive (at least in my eyes). He's acting like a prankster kid here… surprising hello from Clavis. I think this event is even hotter than a drunken one. A completely unexpected discovery.

Jude's story also begins quite normally. But… Alfons and William played quite a big role, and the story took a completely unexpected turn. On the common part of the event where is a disctiption of blood and turture. There is no mature content on bitter ending, again a lot of talk. Unfortunately, I was very sleepy when I read this, so I couldn't pay as much attention to it as possible. But based on that was on Ellis's route… there must have been some hints to Jude's route. The premium ending Kate getting pleasure from pain and humiliation. After all, she's is a masochist. Now I see why the devs said that if we like Jude, then we have terrible taste.

Epilogues are a short versions of the premium endings from HIS POV.

I realized once again that I really like bitter endings. They are more about boys, their past, explaining their thoughts and actions, sometimes even emotions… This enriches our experience and allows us to understand them better.

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🔝 Start page 🔝

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[chungledown-bimothy]

lou specifically saying jammer's at a d2 school is getting to me. d2 schools are still good schools, and for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which being however you put the gowpenny time on a college application, it makes sense that that's where he's at.

but also it's really, really hard to go pro from a d2 school. not impossible, but a bit of googling and i found that, as of the 2021-2022 nba season, there have been 136 nba players from a division 2 school, compared to a total historical player count of about 4400. (grain of salt on those numbers, although i did get them from sources that seemed fairly reliable- a paper from missouri university of science & technology and stathead- a basketball statistics database)

it'll be interesting to see how the knowledge of the pretty overwhelming odds that his time playing basketball is gonna end sooner rather than later, is gonna affect jammer and his decisions this season.

[neomechanicaldoll]

Beast yeast episode 8 spoilers!

So. I've been going a little bit cuckoo bananas over the new update and its happenings, and I just cannot get this stupid game out of my head. and thus to cope I have made

The pure vanilla conspiracy

Basically just a bunch of things both big and small that I find kind of strange about pure vanilla cookie and associated things

Starting small we have: the pure vanilla kingdom and my first thought is, how is it floating? Just... how did it get there. I don't think it's natural and even if it were how would cookies of gotten up there. In the story gingerbrave and co get up there by using a teleporter and I can't think of a way anyone could of gotten up to the floating island to build it if it were a natural structure.

And speaking of that teleporter, the pure vanilla kingdom is surprisingly technologically advanced. Of course the golden cheese kingdom has all its stuff going on but that place is the exception to everywhere else, the only other places with automations and/or machines I can think of off the top of my head is creme republic, city of wizards and whatever was going on in the summer music festival story(I haven't really played much of that so idk) there could be some I'm missing that I'm just not thinking of right now but point is the pure vanilla kingdom is surprisingly advanced compared to most other places

Quick another thing is the pure vanilla kingdom possibly being responsible for the valley beneath it being so baren, there's something to be said here but I don't remember remember what so uh

Moving on to actually important stuff, I wanna talk about pure vanilla cookies design and the design motifs associated with him.

Basic stuff out of the way first, pure vanilla cookie looks like an ice cream cone and I think that's pretty cool

Next I've got to talk about the eight pointed star which if you haven't noticed important characters (pretty much just exclusively the beasts and the ancients) have certain symbols or sets of symbols tied to them (basically like a visual leitmotif) when these symbols show up somewhere it signifies the characters connection to that thing and pure vanilla's is an eight pointed star (specifically an eight pointed one not a six pointed star those show up everywhere) and so here are some places where I have found said star

Predictable places are of course on pure vanilla cookie's design, the pure vanilla kingdom some and episodes 7 and 8 of beast yeast (only in the background though). More interesting possibly lore important places for this to be is his soul jam (I know this one seems obvious but I'll get to why it's interesting later), on the avatar of destiny's design (and I WILL be talking about this one just you wait), both dream station and eternal city of wizards (I'm not totally sure if this one holds any implications or if devsis just wanted more shapes for stars but they are there and if it is intentional than, oh my does it make things interesting)

There is 100% more places than this since I've mostly just looked through the backgrounds of the world maps, I'm just not bothered enough to look through the whole story and the level backgrounds and decors, maybe I'll do it another day

So- avatar of destiny

I am admittedly a little confused about this thing I really thought it might come into play in these past few updates and it kind of just hasn't, it wasn't even really hinted towards. I am an avid pure vanilla cookie will be avatar of destiny theory enjoyer and I still think that it'll be involved in the story but now I'm not exactly sure how. I originally thought that pure vanilla cookie would become the avatar of destiny a la dark cacao cookie in episode 14 which I still think is a possibility for it to happen I'm just not sure exactly how now. Although there is that one strange line shadow milk cookie has in his interaction with candy apple cookie that has some very fun implications.

But all that aside let's look at the design!

All this considered I feel like there's no possible way that the avatar of destiny and pure vanilla cookie aren't related in some way. I would compare the attacks avatar of destiny and pure vanilla have but aod isn't in guild raid right now and I don't have super sparkle pure vanilla yet so I can't (also I don't want to)

Ok now it's soul jam time. I can't really say alot about this bit because there's no that much information so uh. Pure vanilla cookie's soul jam is kinda really strange, like why does it look like this

It's so strange, pure vanilla's soul jam is the only one that looks different when in its non physical form. There's not really much I can say about this since nothing in the game ever comments on this, although there is something interesting where whenever the light of truth talks to pure vanilla cookie his soul jam appears on screen in comparison whenever shadow milk cookie talks to pure vanilla whilst pretending to be the light of truth this doesn't happen which means me think that shadow milk is unaware of pure vanilla's soul jam being like it is, just some food for thought

Now we finally talk personality and in terms of character the new updates have been a all you can eat buffet, but we're here to talk suspicious things incase you've forgotten which you probably have by now. It was mentioned in a post by piromina that pure vanilla is being mighty suspicious especially during that ending part of beacon of truth and it has made me think a little. When the other golden cheese and dark cacao cookie awakened they did so by denying the ideology of their counterparts (I think, I don't remember completely) but pure vanilla doesn't. Instead of doing something like I dunno just believing real hard he tricks shadow milk cookie, something that shadow milk would do himself. Also that lie shall vanquish a lie line was pretty concerning, I don't think pure vanilla cookie is entirely ok (I hope he isn't, I hope devsis puts him in the metaphorical torture blender again \affectionate)

Oooo suprise shadow milk section. Uh "why is this here? Isn't this supposed to be the pure vanilla cookie conspiracy?" don't worry about it, I just discovered some stuff during my crappy research and thought I should bring them up

So fun things I found, shadow milk eye motif on the walls of that one cave, y'know that one cave with the tapestrys of pure vanilla, it's that one and the weird blueberry eye plant things in city of wizards so that's cool

Uuuhh ya tgis was uh fun definitely helped with the brain worms I would do more character analysis stuff but I'm too tired to, maybe I'll come back another day, who knows

[terry-perry]

Questions About Hell’s Cutest Couple Answered:

Who was interested first?

Y/N. She had a crush on Alastor since she first saw him at an Overlord meeting. She found him charming and funny but never thought he’d give her the time of day. You can imagine her surprise when he approached her one day to ask her out for coffee. His feelings developed a little later, but when they came, they came strong! He didn’t even realize how bad he had it until it was too late.

Who said I love you first?

Surprisingly, Alastor did. It was for all to hear during a radio broadcast. They finally went public with their relationship, which meant the press trying their hardest to get a closer look at them as a couple. Both despised the unwanted attention (it was another reason they wanted to keep things hush-hush in the beginning), so when someone had the nerve to get a few shots of them on a date, Alastor used this as an opportunity to send a message:

“Before we get to our next song, I'd like to announce something: those who choose to involve themselves in my relationship will receive an exclusive look at the Radio Demon. Just ask this aspiring journalist who stopped by to not only take photos of our private outing but also ask very in-depth questions about our activities in the bedroom."

Cut to the guy’s pained screams pleading for forgiveness and for it all to end.

"Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this ballad to my beloved Y/N. I love you sugar, and I can't wait to see you tonight. It'll be just the two of us!"

Who's more protective?

Both are protective in their own ways. As we know, Alastor always wakes up and chooses violence, and ensuring no harm comes Y/N's way is no exception. If anyone says anything uncouth towards her, flirts with her, or threatens her, they'll have him to answer to.

Y/N, meanwhile, has inherited the Carmine composure and doesn't let too many things bother her. However, she doesn't mind whacking a few heads regarding people she cares about. In the past, she's done so for business purposes. She's more than willing to do the same for Alastor.

Who cleans more?

Definitely Y/N. Whether it's cleaning up after they've eaten or a body one of them needs to dispose of, she's the one who always jumps up to take care of things. Alastor will find a way to help if it means less work for her.

Who eats the most?

Alastor! We all saw the deer right? He might've taken his time with it, but it was still a lot! Y/N can have a big appetite, but it's nothing compared to her cannibal cutie's.

Who spends the most money?

Y/N. She comes from a rich family, which means spoiling her loved ones. She loves buying things for Alastor like vintage radios and instruments he can play. He does his fair share of gift-giving, but she's the shopaholic who tends to ship things to him.

Who is most likely to start an argument?

Whether intentional or not, Alastor is the one whose actions lead to the most arguments. Y/N knew he could be a handful before they became a couple, but that doesn't mean she has enough patience to put up with him. He does find ways to make it up to her, be it through gifts or sincere apologies. She forgives him eventually.

Who falls asleep first?

Y/N. Alastor doesn't sleep much, if at all, and mostly spends his time lurking around while occasionally watching her sleep.

Who is more annoying?

Definitely Alastor! We already know how much of a smartass he can be and how invasive he is with others' spaces. Y/N is no exception, especially when she's annoyed with him. Eventually, he'll drop the act to be sincere with her and either comfort her or apologize if he did something that resulted in him owing one.

[feelslikefreenow]

saw your ask for YJ fanfic request, loved your Travis fic, and I can’t get these Van x Reader ideas out of my head so …

1. Van rigging the cards, and instead of Mari you pick the queen, and then Van ruining the hunt to save you

2. PreCrash! Van x Reader where you’re the team photographer with a crush on Van and you always take slightly more shots of her compared to her teammates, but on accident, and it’s mutual pining and just cute precrash teenagers because honestly I would watch a whole show about the team precrash

*ೃ༄ the click of the camera ✧.*

summary: non-specific relationship between you and the yellowjackets goalie van palmer

disclaim: umm... pretty short and not that good but i gotta keep my van palmer girls fed 🙏

the shutter of your camera was audible to only your ears, as the crowd roared on-stomping from the bleachers, screaming from the field, and another victory for the yellowjackets girls soccer team.

really-who's surprised?

no, you technically didn't have to go to every game, but as the school photographer, it's just a courtesy. you'd hate to see them win states with nothing to show for it.

still, the crowd was fairly large-even if it was only an elimination round, the school showed their support. you did, too. just quietly. you snapped a shot of the crowd, the film blurring into duplicity thanks to the jumping and cheering.

running from the net, with a ridiculously large smile on her face and her hands up in the air-vanessa “van” palmer. you sneakily snapped another picture, seeing her embrace her teammates.

for the action shot, of course.

you watched her run to jump onto the pile of girls-again, stealing another picture with a smirk on your face.

you're thumbing through the pictures minutes later when you hear a familiar voice. you glance up and meet the redhead with a shy smile.

"why hellooo, my personal photographer! you got any good pics today?" she says teasing, her voice drawing out the words.

she's peeling off her gloves, walking around you to lean over your camera.

"just the usual." you offer back, turning the camera in her direction.

“oh shit, is this new?” she says, trailing her fingers along the buttons carefully. she'd always showed some interested in what you used-even if she didn't know the difference besides the color. "looks expensive."

“you noticed.” you say back simply with a smile. you watch her nod her head in approval, tongue pushing against the inside of her cheek.

“not bad.” she says, pressing the rewind button. you bite your lip in anticipation.

“you got…” she begins, continuing to press through. “a lot of me.” she lets out a low, wolf whistle. “damn, i look good!” she jokes, turning back to you with a laugh.

“i didnt mean to. just kinda happened.” you brush off as casually as possible, feeling the blood rush to your head.

you both leaned over the camera for a few moments-hunching over the pictures, breathing falling in sync.

you prayed she couldn't hear your heart beating out of your chest.

“you got a real eye for this stuff.” she says, not taking her eyes off the camera.

you pull back to admire how her ponytail rested on her shoulders, how you could spot the freckles from only seeing the corner of her face.

“...well, it'll look better when i develop the film.” you say, the pride creeping through your voice.

van pulls back from the camera, her expression looking almost surprised, a grin creeping onto her face.

“what are you doing right now?"

you don't even think before you mouth moves. "nothing."

she grins wider-the same grin you saw when she ran off the field and towards her teammates. "let's go out."

you reach into your pocket for the lense cover, hands shaking slightly. "yeah. yeah, let's go."

“there's this really good diner downtown...” she says, beginning sway as she watches you place your equipment gently inside your tote bag.

“im buying." she says, as she makes eye contact with you. you go to cover your eyes as a laugh escapes you.

"are you seriously laughing at me?" she says, feigned offense lacing her voice.

"no, it's just...no. let's go." you say, swinging your bag over your shoulder.

"oh, and by the way..." she says, walking backwards off the field.

you pick up your head, slightly raising your eyebrows. "we have another game next week. we're in the quarter finals now. so, yknow." she lifts her head up, from where her eyes had been darting on the ground.

"let's finish the first date before we plan a second." you joke back, seeing the tension instantly alleviate from her face. she doesn't laugh back, that same smile on her face. she turns with a satisfied hum as you follow her to the parking lot, silently intertwining your hand in hers.

[eustasskiddsprosthetic]

"I trust you. I like you." — a potential fic based on this (x) Detailed notes on Sabo's design below!

For him, I initially thought of him as a shark of all things. I say that despite not knowing how to draw sharks uh. Here it is below.

I wanted him to be a big boy and have this immense size difference with Law. He's the tallest among the ASL trio and that meant he should be the biggest merman out of the three. He's not necessarily buffer but he just has a larger frame and a longer, more muscular tail.

I also wanted him to look like a freak, a huge figure with obscenely sharp teeth. I found images on Pinterest with sharks with scars that seemed to slice through their skin and I wanted to incorporate that throughout the design. A homage to Sabo's scarred eye, if you will.

He had horns too, for some reason. I just thought it looked cool.

However, what I didn't like about this design was that it didn't read like Sabo, or at least the version of Sabo I envisioned in my head. Hence, I gave up on it. It was sort of devastating because I wanted to try something new, but we move on!

Without a clear idea for what I wanted, I spent a lot of time struggling with not just Sabo's design but with what I wanted the illustration to be overall. Later that evening, I scrolled through Pinterest (again) and found images of eels and that just clicked.

They're just the right combination of cute and just downright weird. They have that snake-like look to them, which echoed my initial shark design. On top of that, they don't look as derpy from the front as compared to sharks.

I did try again to make Sabo freaky, as shown by this sketch below. It's based on a scene from that potential fan fic, where Sabo saves Law from drowning and his inner freak shines through. I imagined a dark lighting situation where Sabo's scars are the light source. It'll be quite creepy and I'd like to manifest this vision someday!

Anyways, from here, I focused on making Sabo look cool and pretty for the illustration. I retained his human face (I am not good enough for furry art) and focused on making his tail look SUPER cool.

It's interesting to me that with this revision, I found inspiration in my initial 'failed' design. I still kept the star-shaped scars and placed them on his tail and body.

They're blue because (1) I wanted to respect Sabo's colour palette and (2) I was inspired by those ocean creatures who glow underwater. I feel that would be a good plot point like Sabo would be insecure about that because it's admittedly kinda scary but Law would think it's reassuring.

That's all I have to say about the designs. I have ideas for Ace and Luffy, but I haven't sketched them out concretely yet. I'm thinking lion fish for Ace and a cute black fish species called the Pinnate Spadefish for Luffy.

The Pinnate Spadefish has one bold red/yellow stripe and I like to think that Luffy as a merman just painted it on to look like Ace. He shifts between red and blue to imitate his Cool™ older brothers.

But yeah, that's all. I needed to yap about this, so if you read this far, thank you for reading!

[chaifootsteps]

i agree with the statement of, "we shouldn't judge creative leads who are later revealed to be bad people based on their work because its unproductive and there usually is no secret messages that reveal they were terrible the whole time and everyone was too stupid to see it except for the Smartest Bestest critical analysis enjoyers who don't trust any piece of media ever if it has even slightly problematic elements, regardless of the execution or the fact that fiction is a playground meant to explore interesting and darker topics in any way you want,"

but i feel guilty becaus i also genuinely believe there's exceptions for this rule. the guy who made the room is the first one that comes to mind, but only because his depiction of women has been compared to stella in helluva boss, which leads me to the other exception in my eyes; vivziepop.

am i crazy for thinking that though? i just feel like part of why i can never take any charitable analyzing of either series seriously is because they're unaware of what kind of person she is and even if they can still come to a conclusion of, "viv has a problem writing women, abuse, coherent plotlines, foreshadowing and rape," they never seem to wonder WHY that is. it makes me feel like an insane conspiracy theorist when the way i sincerely feel is that viv just writes whatever she wants with no care of how the trials of time will age with it and no care besides indulgence and projecting whatever message she needs viewers to think about her characters so she can sell the most merch of them, thus leading to demons in hell never being allowed to be bad people or being the worst people ever thatre also loved by the writers to a ridiculous degree, without a speck of nuance or maturity in the narrative unless you squint hard with your rose tinted headcanon glasses and copium huffings that inspires statements of, "well, she'll probably address these things and make them better in the next season!"

do you get what i mean? or am i going too far down this rabbit hole? i just want people to open their eyes to this stuff when they notice these patterns, but i feel like it'll never happen until these shows end and NDAs expire so people behind the scenes making her half baked vision a reality with their actual talent go, "yeah she was bullshitting everything on the spot and just wanted to pretend she had broadway besties so that's why these shows suck lol" but i dunno if that'll even happen either. (and im not just talking jane, i mean people like sam and skye and brandon or even the expensive VAs themselves, although the last ones last likely since they gain nothing and arguably lose more by speaking out since they have successful actually professional careers they've worked their asses off for,)

Oh no, shitty people seeding their foulness throughout their works is definitely a thing. It's just when people go retroactively and say "It's obvious they were bad all along because they wrote X, Y, and Z." Because it's perfectly possible to write X, Y, and Z and be lovely in real life.

In Viv's case, she's not a bad person because she writes certain things...she's just a bad person in general and it comes through in the way she writes.

[algerian-lady]

Listen, his clothing style is completely random and tacky, but he makes it work somehow, maybe because he's excessively handsome? Jk, I think his style reflects who he is as a character, he can dress formally too ofc, when the occasion is offered, but otherwise he's just not interested in that, and his huge coats and oversized clothes as well as his large built and height, make him appear as this huge friendly bear, intimidating as a mafia should be, but also super warm and cozy when you get to see his smile and super soft personality.

I really love Dio's character in Khr, I love so many characters so it's difficult to pick favorites, but I'd have wanted to see him more (like not as a side character, but see his work, life, powers etc as an individual and the Cavallone family in general) that's why I wanna write smth for me abt him (prob gonna share it with my sis). And while I was looking back on his appearance and fashion choice, did I really start analyzing it, like ofc all khr is like this, it reminds me in a sense of bleach with how random the fits were, it's nostalgic to the 2000's style and I love it ofc, I love homey comfy clothes, they just put you in a different mood.

But since Dino is from the few characters who aren't attending school, and he doesn't give a shit abt official wear, that's why we get to see some of that clothing style ppl were wearing at the time. I'm saying it's the fashion sense of that period yes, but the author still gives their character their individuality, like Gokudera has a very edgy punk fashion statement, despite being in school he's always popping up with a new killer outfit and it's so interesting to see. (like I'm acknowledging here that they don't only wear their school uniforms, it's just what they wear the most, but he's still outstanding outside of that contrary to the others who made made forget they wore other stuff)

This is just a rumble and if I start talking about everyone and comparing, it'll be a mess, so let's just focus on Dino. The guy is at the head of one of the biggest mafia families of his time and at such a young age, all of his men are in uniforms to give their family a decent representation as a serious gangsta mafia unite, but their leader doesn't, he just dresses up like a hipster. The thing is he can clearly afford to dress up more richly, but he doesn't.

In manga and animes, I usually make a wild guess that authors may not know if what the person is wearing is considered fashionable,( like I'm an artist and have absolutely no idea how my characters will be perceived, I could think 'this character needs to appear fashionable' but ppl online will call them tacky and messy, especially generations later, across continents ) I have also a feeling that bcz it was so old the perception of fashion was different (as I have pointed many times) and lastly, bcz the Mangaka (s) is/are prob Japanese, they could have a certain image (right or wrong) over foreign fashion, esp from a country as fashionable as Italy, so that'd explain why they wanna give an impression with characters that came from there, like Gokudera his sister Bianchi and Dino, saying like look these ppl are youngsters from Italy, they wear like 2000's magazines. All of these are speculations, to say that those could be some reasons those characters wear this specific way.

If we put these aside, and consider that the Manga artist know exactly what they are doing and it's 100% what you think it is, in this case, Dio's décontracté objectively messy style compared to his men, has a clear message, he's saying" I'm your homie clumsy big bro, fuck étiquette, i'm the boss hanging out with my fam, let me live my age, I'm tired of this mafia stuff so I don't have time to dress up so I put on this mop I found on the trash bin." or whatever. But that appearance could also be 100% intentional, maybe he wanna look approachable to Tsuna sensing he'll become the head of the Vangolla and wanting to maintain a good alliance with them so he needs tsuna to like him, he also us aware he's staying around kids and don't wanna intimidate them with formal wear again because those kids are future mafia allies and he's counting a lot on their family in general. Or he just genuinely want to give a good impression because of he's a genuine guy and his family despite being mafia, have a pretty good reputation.

In conclusion. Dino can wear suits, we saw him in them, yet his appearance is mostly casual( but still gangsta, more like street gangsta, your local drug dealer not huge corporation like) , he still looks intimidating from a first glance until you get on his good side and discover he's a good guy. He could prefer this style over the other because it's cozier and more like him or because he wanna appear cozier and thinks that's the way to do it (altho he'd have made his men dress up to if that was the case). Whatever is the case, I just think it represents his personality a lot and his character in the series (as underrated as I feel it was) as well as the time era.

[kradogsrats]

This might be spoilers for what happens later in your Lissa centric fic but do you ever see Sarai as a better leader than Harrow was in Canon?

Interesting question! I feel like when a lot of the fandom looks at Sarai, they see her anti-dark magic stance and challenge of Harrow's characterization of the magma titan as a "monster" as her most prominent character moments and interpret that as her primary character trait being compassion for all people and creatures, like a fully-matured version of "incapable of killing" Rayla.

Which like... fair! The series goes out of its way to associate them, two characters who will never meet, to the point of Rayla repeating Sarai's lines. Also "Does it think? Does it feel? Does it have a family? Is it the last of its kind?" is a real banger, hitting right at the one of the deepest core themes of the story, so it's not surprising that it's what stays in everyone's head. But the really important line for understanding her as queen in relation to Harrow as king is later in the scene: "You said you want to build a better world, to really change things, but that's going to take decades of hard work. There's no monster you can slay and solve all your problems." The novel has an additional sentence in there to reinforce the point: "There's a special kind of courage that you need for consistency and perseverance."

Both Harrow and Sarai are interested in systemic change. The novel describes them as having had "long, late-night discussions" during which they planned how they were going to solve the problems they identified. (All of this kind of says something about King Atticus, too.) However, she self-describes in narration as an "optimistic realist" to Harrow's "idealist." She believes that as king and queen, they can change the world—but it may take a lifetime, and will involve a lot of hard decisions.

Really, I think the key difference between them is life experience. Sarai married Damian and chose to have a child with him, fully knowing that he almost definitely wouldn't live to see that child grow up. Harrow, when they meet, has probably never had a serious relationship. Sarai comes from a military background (IMO), so she has both given and taken orders she might not fully agree with—something we see from her accompanying Harrow on the mission. She made her case to him, he made his decision, and she follows through on that decision without a single complaint, even though we know it's one she dislikes. Harrow, as he knows, was born a prince—for all his training, it's unlikely anyone gave him orders, and they probably took his opinion as having more weight. He's somewhat aware of his privilege compared to most of his subjects, and kind of overcompensates with his ideas of compassion and servitude.

Not to go all American politics on everyone, but it's kind of the same misunderstanding a lot of liberals have about the presidency—if we can just get the right person into that seat, they'll be able to tell everyone that [insert social policy] and it'll happen. The reality, as Sarai knows, is that big changes takes years of lobbying, boots-on-the-ground activism, and lots of little changes that still require fighting tooth and nail to get them done. She's absolutely right that it takes a special kind of courage to do that work and keep doing it without falling into despair and resentment. You also have to know how to pick your battles, something that Harrow is definitely not used to doing.

Ultimately I do think Sarai would probably be more successful than Harrow was as sole ruler, if that was a situation that somehow occurred, BUT it's important that she never denigrates Harrow's idealism or thinks of him as naive. I think she values it, and loves him for it—for things like "reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love," which is 100% pure Harrow. Like Harrow believes she makes him better, I think she believes that he makes her better. Sarai's more effective but Harrow's more inspirational. So, idk... make of that what you will.

[nameuserlee]

“The heartless are the most faithful.”

Another part of Sylus’ lines compilation, all from interacting with him at the café. He is the gift that keeps on giving. Part 4 (links back to part 3, and so forth.)

“People who don't overthink things tend to sleep well. I'll think about you more when I can't sleep.” (I might be missing a few words here, I only got the first half of the line.)

“Having more plants in the bedroom isn't always good. You don’t need to keep bringing some back for me. They don’t produce oxygen when I'm awake.”

“You got me. I do have something in my hand that will pique your interest, sweetie. Have you decided what you’ll trade for it?”

“Is this a ticklish spot? I’m checking so you don’t accuse me of sneaking up on you later.”

“I found your weak spot. Heh, I won’t go easy on you now.” (Choose “Don’t do it!") “Good. I’ll take my time finding all your sensitive spots when I make my move.” (Choose "Nope.")

“How do we compare neck lengths? With a ruler?”(I’m sorry but LMAO.)

“You want to leave your scent here [on my neck]? You’ll have to work for it.”

“Are you planning to tie a red ribbon around my neck as if I’m your present?”

“(Y/N), keep it up. I like feeling your breath on my skin.”

“Your lips almost brushed against mine. It was hot.”

“I often place my hand here [on my heart] as well. It makes me feel alive.”

“(Y/N), does rummaging through my belongings provide a joyful experience? Your tail’s standing up straight, kitten. We should get a mirror so you can see for yourself.”

“At the fashion show, I saw a dress with the night sky stitched over a river. I ordered one for you. It'll be sent once the measurements are correct.”

“The scenery on page 37 of the travel magazine you were looking at a few days ago is nice. When we’re free, let’s clear our minds. Should we make that place our travel destination?”

“Do you want a distraction? Night fishing might work. If you spend one whole night fishing, you might get things like drift bottles, tattered hats, or plastic dinosaurs. They’re just jokes that fate throws at you.”

“When you feel like night fishing next time, head straight for that shop by the sea. Should I have someone get the yacht ready? We can set sail tonight.”

“Why am I inviting you to go fishing? No reason in particular. If I must give one… I’ve never a kitten catch a fish before. I’m very curious.”

“You already have Luke and Kieran acting like they’re your henchmen?”

“Anyone who has crossed me isn't active for long. Do you think you’ll be any different?”

“Those people's tracking skills are laughably bad. I lost them by just taking a random turn.”

“Do you see those 'little sparrows' keeping watch outside the window? Let’s make a bet. Guess how many will remain after a gunshot.”

He's a menace, what can I say. A cheeky, thoughtul, playful, and secretly sweet menace. I'm still cackling about that ruler line, btw. Let me go get one actually, hold still-

I think this'll be the last part for a while, I'm trying to raise his affinity level now. I've already exhausted basically all of the interesting lines I came across. Hope these were fun for you as much as they were for me :)

edit: he then proceeded to spew like five more new lines at me what a TREAT. might be able to squeeze one more compilation after all.