#it's for my hus...fish

[isaacsapphire]

Advice on medical supplies? I (probably) need to get my first thing of quikclot, for example.

So, I started with an OSHA workplace first aid list for each household vehicle, built them a la carte with top quality and good price, and added some additional goodies; glucose tablets for diabetics, quikclot, a sharpie that I attached to the tourniquet (common practice is to write the time of application of the tourniquet on the victim). Funny bandaids. Ended up adding some flares to the kit since my husband keeps being the first one on scene to car accidents.

The thing is, the worst injuries we're likely to deal with are going to be on the road, or a gun related thing. I always have quikclot on me when I have my firearm with me, and I really should have a more complete mini gunshot kit; accidents happen, and even justified shoots ought to be followed up with medical attention if possible (this looks good to the people in a position to judge if the shoot was justified too, in addition to the whole being morally right thing).

Got a bag of charcoal for home for poisoning. There's some other stuff that my household has picked up, but it's more been what we're happened to come into possession of than the ideal assortment.

At this point, no veterinary meds, no chest wound kit, no narcan, no Mexican stuff. No Zpack, since I used mine a few years back, but all of those might be good to have. Have a rescue inhaler that I consider part of the household medical chest even though it's one of our prescriptions, considering that the only use so far hasn't been by the person it has prescribed to.

[accirax]

Danganronpa: Despair Time Chapter 2 Episode 12 Dissection

DANGANRONPA DESPAIR TIME IS BACK, BABY!!!

And in the vein of what many others have being doing since the episode came out, I will here be posting my thoughts on what this latest episode has brought to the table. This post will be a mixture of pointing out things I found fun/interesting and more serious theorizing about the murder and the events of the surrounding chapter. I also tried not to read too many other people's opinions or theories before writing my own post so that I hopefully wouldn't have my immediate opinions swayed, so I apologize if I've missed any critical easter eggs that others have pointed out or if I'm just beating a dead horse.

Let the episode commence!

SPOILERS for Danganronpa: Despair Time through Chapter 2, Episode 12!

Really important/long stuff will probably have a header-y title under it as well. I also might skip around in time a bit to put relevant pieces of evidence together? IDK, I'm kinda winging this for this first episode.

The Whole AM/PM Thing

Charles: The evidence against David-- in fact, our entire line of reasoning hinges on the fact that Arei must have been killed at around 7:30 PM last night. But the primary reason we believe the murder occurred at that time is because of the fish found at the crime scene. From that, Teruko concluded that since the killer accessed the relaxation room for water, the murder couldn't have occurred during night time. So, unless I'm missing some other piece of evidence that could explain it... Why couldn't the killer simply have taken the water during daytime and stored it for later use?

Well, by this point I think that pretty much everyone (on Tumblr, at least) was in agreement that Arei was killed in the morning rather than the evening, no matter who their personal choice of killer was. So, the murder happening in the morning isn't much of a surprise.

For all my talk of trying not to look at others' theories, I did talk with my sister @venus-is-thinking in person after we watched the episode, and she brought up a really good point that I'd like to reiterate here. Sorry for stealing something that you'll certainly bring up in your post as well! I just want as many people to be aware of it as possible.

During the investigation, Nico says that they fed the fish last night after they ate dinner, and didn't notice any fish missing at that time. To be fair, Teruko tries to press them for a specific time, and Nico responds that they don't remember at what hour exactly they fed the fish or ate dinner.

However (likely relevantly to the murder) we do have specific intel about last night's dinner to get a better sense of some timing. When Teruko is talking to Charles and Whit in the Computer Room, Whit remarks that it's "past dinner time," and Teruko's stomach growls. This is likely using Whit's internal clock and sense of when dinner time is as opposed to a MonoTV-mandated meal time, but given that no one else is in the Kitchen besides Teruko, Charles, Whit, and David when the former three enter, and we know that Nico must have had dinner before the Relaxation Room closed at 10 PM, we can probably assume that Nico also ate dinner around a regular "dinner time."

However x2, we also know that, after Teruko, Charles, and Whit go to the Kitchen, Whit sends David to the Relaxation Room, and Teruko mentions that she was planning to eat there as well. That means that we have three accounts of students believing that the Relaxation Room was open at that time, so we can assert that the terucharwhit dinner scene occurs before 10 PM.

So, what does this mean? Well, we'll start by assuming that Nico ate dinner at, like... 6:30? Hu says that she and Eden have a tradition of cleaning up after dinner together, starting at 7 PM. I'm ballparking that eating a meal might take about 30 minutes, so that would mean everyone is done at 7:00. Therefore, Nico probably fed the fish at around 7:00 as well.

We'll also set egg dinner (that's what I'm calling terucharwhit + David dinner now) at, like 9:30. Once again assuming that someone could eat dinner in about 30 minutes, that means either David or Teruko could comfortably eat their dinner before the Relaxation Room closed. It also gives the culprit basically the widest possible amount of time to steal the fish, and I like to be as all-inclusive as possible.

To return to the main point for a moment, Venus' argument was that, because Nico interacted with the fish at night and didn't notice any of them missing, the culprit still must have taken the fish at night (but before 10 PM), not just at any point of the day. Based on my time frame, that means that whoever killed Arei (or someone working with them) must have gotten the fish at some time between 7:00 and 9:30. Let's run through who that could possibly be:

Teruko: There's a small window of opportunity for her to have done it before meeting with Charles and Whit in the Computer Lab, but we didn't see her do that, so I'm gonna say no.

Xander: He was dead.

Charles: I'm pretty sure Charles and Whit have claimed to be together all day, and they were at least already together in the Computer Lab working together on something before Teruko entered. Assuming they weren't in on this together, I'm going to give him a tentative no.

Ace: So, assuming that Ace was telling the truth about overhearing David and Arei on the night of Day 7, he would have been in the Gym at ~9:30 on the night the fish were taken. That is to say, if he had just taken the fish (and potentially even hid them in the Gym fridge), he absolutely could have gone to the Gym afterwards. I don't remember him having any sort of alibi otherwise. Easy yes.

Arei: Given that, other than Ace (and David) claiming to have seen her at 9:30, no one is admitting to have seen Arei since lunchtime, Arei did have a window of opportunity to take the fish. Obviously, why she would (inadvertently or not) help her killer to kill her is still a huge question mark, but we're talking possibility, so it's a yes.

Rose: Rose has no alibi ever because she's asleep. Yes.

Hu: Hu and Eden claim to have a continuous alibi together between 7 and 10 PM. Again, unless they're in on it together, tentative no.

Eden: Same as Hu. Tentative no.

Levi: Levi was "doing his laundry," which even he admits is shaky at best. He's a yes.

Arturo: J says that Arturo was by her side from the entire time between 7:30 and 10 PM. Third time's the charm-- unless Arturo and J were in on it together, Arturo is a tentative no.

Min: She was dead.

David: David entered the Kitchen for egg dinner at ~9:30, but we don't know where he was before that. Similarly, we don't know what happened at the end of Ace's story, which leaves David a window of opportunity to have taken the fish just before the Relaxation Room closed. Either way, definite yes.

Veronika: Veronika was with Teruko at the end of the night, but we don't know where she was before that. She had an opportunity; yes.

J: Arturo's alibi goes both ways. Tentative no.

Whit: Same as Charles. Tentative no.

Nico: Nico both had ample opportunity to have taken the fish before 9:30, and could have been lying about the timing of the fish despite that. Another easy yes.

So, what does that tell us? Well, it likely means that either the killer has to be Ace, Arei, Rose, Levi, David, Veronika, Nico, or someone who has one of those seven as an accomplice, or I/the students have something wrong about the timing. Venus' other point was that it's weird that that hasn't come up at this point in the Trial, so don't be surprised if we come back to it later. Or we're wrong.

And those were my notes on... the first two minutes of the Trial! That whole ramble that probably could have been a whole theory post by itself! God, I need to pick up the pace...

Dang, what a cool detail that literally none of us picked up on (as far as I remember). Seriously, how did nobody even throw that out as an off-the-wall possibility? Anyways, if the body was still swinging, that means the murder-- or at least the hanging-- was recent recent. Sadly, given that no detail is given as to who arrives in the Motive Screening Room when, I don't think we have any further evidence to pin down who this might have been at the moment. Keep it in mind, though.

Okay, so I believe that J is right about "answering her own question" here, but that does therefore lead us to the conclusion that the body probably was drenched in water at some point. I do not know why. It'd be interesting if it was to clean blood off of Arei's body, although Artruro-not-being-the-killer pending there weren't any cuts or scrapes on her body. It could have also been a mistake, it's just weirder to have a mistake that covers the entire body in water. Or, it could be a failure in Arturo's alibi, which is obviously a major point of the episode.

I literally said exactly this while Ace was talking. Thank you Charles <3

First point that I feel people have commented on already: we now know that the DRDT cast believes that they are about 18! This makes sense, given that they believed that they were about to enter their first year of college, which, in the United States, happens at about 18.

Secondly...

Arturo: I started studying medicine when I was twelve. Twelve! All that amounts to is six years of medical training!

Arturo: I was only able to get this far in such a short amount of time because I specialized in plastic surgery, and nothing else. I neglected everything that wasn't immediately relevant to my goals.

Felicity is 3-4 years younger than Arturo. Therefore, she was 8-9 when Arturo started studying medicine. I don't think we have enough info at the moment to speculate as to when Arturo might have left home to pursue being a doctor, other than that 14 is generally the minimum possible age of employment in the US, while the legal age to live alone is 18. I'd love to dive into this more, but I don't think we've been given enough to complete a full timeline. Still, important to keep in mind.

A certified W for verturo shippers. "Adorable" is such a word choice.

Oh, so that's where that came from. Convenient that it doesn't seem to be relevant to this murder, because I have no explanation for it. I wonder if it'll be relevant in the future, though, or if it was just a funny gag that DRDTdev wanted to include.

As much as I've tried to refute Whit mastermind theory in the past, I have to admit that this moment was pretty suspicious for Whit. "Because it was funny" could easily be a coverup for "that's an executable offense but I'm programmed to not want to kill my mastermind so I let it go." It's still not concrete proof by any means, but I can tell that I'll be seeing this screenshot more in the future if I try to argue against Whit being the mastermind again.

Mechanisms, you say? 👀

I have been thinking so much about what the fuck this line means ever since Whit said it. Did they actually spend the night together, and Whit is just framing it in a subversively funny way? Is he saying that he's so sure that Charles doesn't have any friends other than him that there's no possibility that Charles could have been with anyone else other than him? Is he secretly the mastermind, and knows that Charles was alone through watching a security camera? Was he just saying that to be random and banking on being correct? Sir, I do not understand you. You're the best <3

Are J, David, and Veronika Telling the Truth?

Given how popular of an option J being the killer is (and to a lesser extent, David as well), I'm sure there are plenty of people out there right now wondering if this alibi, which seemingly clears J, David, and Veronika of being the blackened, could possibly be untrue. That's what we're going to attempt to examine right now.

For starters, I'm going to eliminate the possibility that all three of them are co-conspirators in Arei's death. Like, yeah, it's possible-- I guess-- but I don't understand what any of their motivations would be, or even if they did all have corresponding motivations, why any of them would have shared them with each other prior to the Trial. It also seems like a mess narratively, with three largely unconnected characters coming together to pull off an unsupported major stunt. So, I don't think this was a planned lie to conceal their teamwork.

All of them do also have plausible enough reasons for being out early in the morning. J shared hers with the Class-- she was hoping to have an Arturo-free breakfast. David makes lots of sense, as he was probably looking around hoping that there would be a body so that the secrets wouldn't be revealed. Veronika might have been awake for the same reasons; looking around for a body in hopes of having another exciting Class Trial. Or, maybe she was just so excited about seeing all the motives that she couldn't sleep. Either way, it doesn't seem too unbelievable to think that any of them would be awake in the morning, so I'm not inclined to believe it's a lie.

The only way I think you could get out of this disqualifying these three is if you say that all three of them, but especially J, are exceptionally quick on their feet.

For this to work, J has to realize ahead of time that David was trying to draw votes to himself in order to purposefully fail the Trial, bank on the fact that this is true, and throw this fake alibi out to him, hoping that he'll accept. If J could win the Class Trial as a blackened, this would also end the killing game early, which is David's stated goal. Veronika is an easier get, given that she might agree to a chaotic lie if she found it interesting enough, but it's still a gamble.

However, this situation is incredibly niche, and still really only works if J specifically is the killer. I think we can pretty officially take David and Veronika out of the running with this. Personally, trying to see things from DRDTdev's point of view, I think he just wanted a clean sweep to remove David from killer contention, and added J and Veronika as collateral as two people who aren't the killer.

I would personally take this alibi as concrete proof that J isn't the killer, but I understand if anyone still thinks there are enough holes in its suddenness to keep J in contention. My deepest condolences to J!culprit truthers-- I'm sure that alibi must've stung. (/gen)

"Harm yourself for fun" secret go brrrrrrr.

I'm making this my new tumblr header.

Yeah, seems in accordance with his actions to me.

Oh my god another "good person" name drop AAAAAAAAAA--

Being good corresponding to sacrificing something is super interesting. Whether he's a culprit or an accomplice or what, I can't help but feel like this theme might apply to Levi in the near future.

But also, David is saying that the sacrifice is being seen as a good person, not that you have to sacrifice being seen as a good person to do good things. That part seems like it relates to David's career. He doesn't seem to like being around people very much, but he's seen as a paragon of motivational speaking because he thinks that those speeches, will, overall, do some good. David would rather be a nobody, but he'll sacrifice himself to do some good for others. Or, at least, that's the charitable reading.

And, the other "good person" jumpscare. This brings our "good people" counter up to 6, including Teruko, Eden, Arei, David, Levi, and Xander.

What the Fuck is David Talking About?

David: After all, it's still unbelievable to me... That I'm the only person here who remembered him. Even if you all lost a year of memories for this killing game, there's no reason you shouldn't have recognized who he was.

Alright. So! This was one of the biggest reveals of the episode. Probably unrelated to the Trial at hand, but very intriguing for the story overall.

I went back to rewatch some of the most prominent David/Xander scenes. From David's introduction, here's everything he says before Xander runs off to grab the pen and paper for the autograph. All of these are said directly to Xander.

David: Woah! (chime sound) Sir, is everything alright? You gave me quite the scare.

David: Yes, that's me, although I don't believe we've met before.

David: Ahaha, you flatter me. But yes, it is my goal to inspire others. I wish to make everyone realize that their aspirations are within grasp; all they have to do is find the motivation within their hearts to inspire them.

David: O-oh, wow. I'm incredibly honored, I suppose? Sorry, I don't really know how to respond.

Interestingly, there isn't actually anything to directly contradict the idea that David remembered Xander at this point, if you get a bit creative with it. Just because David "doesn't think they've met before" doesn't mean that he doesn't know who Xander is, and being "genuinely honored" could have been more genuine than most people interpreted.

There are only two points of contention, the first of which being that David calls Xander "sir." That does read more as David not knowing who he is-- he doesn't call Xander "Xander" even though Teruko already said Xander's name. However, depending on how highly David thought of Xander in the past-- because he certainly seems to think highly of Xander in the present-- David might have wanted to call him "sir" at first as a sign of formality and respect, before getting Xander's permission to be on a first name basis. Even if Xander still calls him Mr. David.

(Goddamn I typed Xander so many times in that paragraph)

The other weird point is when David says "anything for a fan" in response to Xander asking for an autograph, but that's far more excusable. Like, Xander is a massive fan of his, so calling Xander a fan is reasonable. David might have been happy that such a cool guy as Xander was a fan of his, and was stressing that fact out of delight. Or, this is after Teruko caught him slipping, so he could have also reverted into default customer service mode and said that in a more scripted mindset.

Meanwhile, in the scene where David approaches Teruko and Xander after Nico flees the lunch table...

... I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FUCKING MISSED THIS.

Do you see that? Do you see where David says "in person"? That strongly implies that David knew Xander not in person prior to the killing game. Good god, it's been there all along.

Other than that, the scene is full of David being embarrassed at Xander speaking highly of him, David speaking highly of Xander, and, of course, the mutual "you're my idol" moment. Dude, I thought that David was just gaslight gatekeep girlbossing here. You're telling me that everything he was saying about thinking that Xander was the coolest guy on earth was legit? Unreal.

Anyways, I don't have the time to rewatch, like, the entire first Trial to check up on every little comment David makes, but I find that comment about knowing Xander in person definite enough to conclude that David knew who Xander was since the very start of the killing game, not that he remembered something about Xander along the way.

How exactly David knew about Xander is still up in the air. I know that Microphony has a theory that David remembered Xander from their time together at Hope's Peak, and while it's a great theory and I don't doubt that the two did go to Hope's Peak together, I have a bit of a hard time believing that. My only holdup is that I feel like letting David remember Hope's Peak would be too powerful, and having him remember being with Xander at Hope's Peak while remembering nothing else about his time there is too... like, specific? Nit-picky? I don't have the word, but I hope you understand what I mean.

Instead, I think that David might remember what Xander did in response to the North C and Chariton incident that presumably earned him the title of Ultimate Rebel. That makes more sense to me as something that would make David idolize Xander in the same way that Xander idolized him-- if David just remembers their time at school, he would probably remember Xander on more friendly terms. It would also be super convenient to have David still be alive with memories of, say, Richard Spurling, to share with the class in future chapters, now that Xander is too dead to say anything more on the subject.

Sadly, I don't remember if there's any information in Literature Girl Insane to point theories in either direction. I'm gonna have to rewatch FF's video again sometime fr.

Is David Telling the Truth?

David: We're... in a television show, after all. That's... what MonoTV said, right? "Entertainment" is an ongoing show. If Min successfully got away with the very first murder and escaped while we all died, then isn't that way less interesting for a TV show? What's the point of roping 14 other people into one murder, only to kill them all off immediately? The killer is supposed to fail and be executed. We're all supposed to catch the killer, again and again, and participate in trial after trial. You're supposed to try to survive. All of you who are trying to survive these class trials to continue living on are playing straight into MonoTV's hands. As if I'll accept that. I don't care how low I'll sink, or how despicable I'll have to become. I'll do anything to carry on Xander's ideals by ending this killing game, even if it means that I have to dirty my hands.

Firstly, I'm so glad that we're returning to the fact that this is a televised killing game! It seems like it has to be really important to whatever the lore is, so I'm glad that the students haven't artificially forgotten that fact until Chapter 6.

Secondly, I phrased this part as "is David telling the truth" because, initially, I thought that David had a different reason for lying about killing Arei. My thought was that he thought that pathetically advocating for himself would only make himself look more guilty, so he switched up tactics by making it look like so easy of a victory that people like Teruko would wind up proving his innocence themselves. Because that seemed plausible, I wanted to examine if David could have come up with this explanation on the fly. He's known for lying and should be socially savvy, so it's possible that this argument was just a red herring to conceal his true intentions.

However, given the prior section in which I argued that it really does seem like David knew and admired Xander prior to the killing game, I'm more inclined to believe that this was the true reason. Furthermore, this was a really interesting scene, and it'd be a shame to introduce such a fascinating character idea to toss it away for an "actually, he was just trying to lie about this Chapter 2 Trial."

There's also the good ol' Literature Girl Insane, for real this time. This plan reminded me so much of the "tallying votes" scene that I had to check it out for myself.

[12] “Majority rule” is known to be the fairest method of making decisions for a group. That's why murderers never complained when we voted for them to die.

The voting results definitely sound like David's plan. If he successfully made himself the killer, everyone would be executed, and while he would have "victory" over the killing game, it would certainly be a hollow one.

The 16 vote tally is still a bit more confusing, but I think you could relate it to David's plan as well. If you assume that David is the one getting all of the votes, you could say that his plan to end the killing game no matter the cost (throwing away his career, being hated by everyone, possibly even killing someone himself) might make him guilty of a crime/worthy of being voted for, whether he literally kills someone or not. Therefore, if the majority hates him and he achieves the closest thing to "victory" that he can, there's no reason for him to complain if it means he has to die. It could be his justification for why he has to fill out his mission, even if, in his heart, he doesn't want to.

I don't know if that's the explanation of footnote 12 or just an explanation with the new scenes given, but I think it's a possibility. There's also certainly far more to dive into regarding both David's worldview and the motivations behind the killing game, but if I started looking into that now, I wouldn't publish this post until way later. I'll have to leave that analysis for another time and/or another person.

Love Hu for this. At least for someone like me, who finds David's mindset sort of relatable at times, it's important to have someone around to point out the flaws of compulsive martyrdom and give a reality check that doing something wrong in the pursuit of what you think is right is still (sometimes) an utterly fucked up thing to do. They're both such good characters, and they work off each other so well.

Furthering the above point, even if David is doing it for what he believes to be "good" reasons, he's still ultimately manipulating people! You know, like his secret said!!! You don't have to believe that everyone is stupid to believe that you're smarter than them and you know what's best. But there's also the delicious irony that, despite Hu being the one to say this to David, she's also the one talking over Nico.

I am so sorry to all the whitvid shippers in the crowd. Unless this is the dynamic you crave, idk.

I wish that this line was voice acted just so that I could hear Ace's "uhh umm" Nico impression.

Are Hu and Nico Lying?

We're back at it again.

Needless to say, this is way more suspicious than J, Veronika, and David's alibi. First of all, Hu and Nico are only two people, which makes it far more believable that they could conspire on the murder together. Second, unlike the former random group of characters, this latter pair are very intertwined. And third, this supposed breakfast occurred in a private location that only Hu and Nico could have possibly seen, as opposed to J, who said she was in a public location. If Ace or whoever had been in the public Dining Room at 7:30 AM, he could have called J out for lying, whereas no one can contradict the idea of Nico and Hu being in Nico's room.

However, for Hu to be lying and for Nico to not oppose her (despite pointing out the fact that they were interrupted) would strongly imply that they'd have to be in on the plan to murder Arei together. The easiest way to get there would be to assume that they were also in on the plan to murder Ace together. Understandable enough; I'm sure we're all aware at this point that Nico and what appears to be Hu's wire were both found at the scene of the Gym crime. They could've tried to murder Ace, got caught, and then switched targets to a different bully because Ace was too on guard? Nico would have been able to grab the fish, so there's no issue there.

I'm inclined to believe that Nico and Hu are telling the truth just because I personally don't believe either of them to be Arei's blackened, and I don't understand what either of their motivations to be an accomplice specifically would be in this situation. It would be pretty hypocritical of Hu to go off on David for trying to control whether everyone else lives or dies if she was currently the blackened trying to get everyone else to die so she could live. Or, even worse, if she was an accomplice trying to get everyone else to die so that Nico could live. That'd basically be what David was trying to do with a different coat of paint!

However, this could easily be a lie, especially given how suspiciously late it was compared to what J said. We had a whole David monologue in the middle. Those things last for ages.

WHAT THE FUCK!!!

Okay, so, obviously, I could try to go over the implications of this, but with the next episode only a week away (I cry tears of joy), I think it's in my best interest to leave whatever I'll have to say about what Levi is doing until we have more information about his mindset. What a cliffhanger, though. Levi accomplice nation, it's currently looking... iffy.

Anyways, that was a fantastic episode! I loved getting a chance to learn more about Arturo, David, Xander, and the rest of the gang, with promise of more interesting things to come in the near future. I can't believe that they still haven't talked about the actual murder method at all. And that there were literally no trial mechanics in this video. Who needs 'em?

I hope you enjoyed my perspective on the episode. If you have any additions or questions, feel free to send me a comment or an ask. There's also a chance that I'll add onto this myself after seeing other people's ideas to respond to them. But for that, I'll have to read other people's ideas. I'm off to see what my mutuals have to say >:D See ya!

[do-you-know-this-queer-character]

Do you know this queer character?

Li Yu is MLM and uses he/him pronouns!

[catamaurrr-star]

what the FUCK do i do with these

[shameless-sol-apologist]

i will never stop being mad at this fucking line

thats one way to fuck up your ONLY GOOD ANTAGONIST

[salsflore]

been almost 3 yrs and i am still struggling with the whole mikachi first meeting thing. bye

[staryarn]

Where's she going

[hua-fei-hua]

alright whenever you have time (and also the energy) I would love to hear your thoughts on the lantern rite epilogue! Have a good day <3

we're going to pretend that people following me will care abt genshin 3.4 lantern rite spoilers so we're gonna put my entire deranged mess under a cut hahaha

*gently holds* MY XVS......

truly this lantern rite had EVERYTHING although truth be told, like, the way venti was kind of shoehorned in was a little disappointing. i felt a little bit baited by the way the 3.4 TRAILER HAD THAT ONE CUT RIGHT where it goes from VENTI PLAYING THE LYRE in the harbor to XIAO LOOKING UP AT THE FIREWORKS outside of wangshu inn, and then we see the xiao bit in the actual cutscene on day 2, but absolutely none of venti until the epilogue. and also we never see venti playing the lyre during the event story so it's like. whoever edited that pv absolutely had xv on the brain. like. what the hell was that it was magical i feel higher than a boat right now

BUT ANYWAY like i don't even care how obviously shoehorned in venti felt bc the interactions were all SO PERFECT i love love loved them. i loved the way hu tao just RAN INTO WANGSHU INN and started shouting for xiao, and then talked death to him until he was like "yeah sure i'll go to your dinner". they are so besties i love them their friendship is everything to me.

THE WAY. XV INTERACTED. IN FRONT OF US. xiao just like "well. um. there's this. um. um." TOTAL PANIC MODE n venti had to SAVE HIM with like "huuuh? did you forget already? i'm a bard!" like HELLO why do they need a COVER STORY why are they making up COVER STORIES TOGETHER WHAT WERE THEY DOING TOGETHER IN THE MARSH EARLIER like what kind of GAY SHIT--

also i'm pretty sure when xiao started explaining his relationship to venti, venti fluttered his lashes at him. like, i recorded the whole quest (bc i didn't last year with the final part n i REALLY WISH I HAD bc i STILL remember the dRAMATIC GASP i had when we had that one beiguang moment in the cutscene), and when i rewatched it earlier i was like. "HANG ON. DID HE JUST FLUTTER HIS LASHES" n rewatched it like three times. maybe my game was just stuttering BUT IT DEFINITELY LOOKED LIKE IT and maybe i'll gif it when i get home from work tonight

BUT ANYWAY (2) point is that the expression work this time was ON POINT like whoever's doing all that over at mhy hq needs to get a raise pronto. venti going (¬‿¬) at all the other immortals was so immaculate. you aren't subtle little man!!!

it's probably just shipper goggles on to an extent, but i feel like the xv implications were really strong this time around, with the parallels to that fontch guy's ancestor, and the guiping n everything... i'm kind of disappointed that we don't get to actually hear any of venti's unobstructed thoughts on xiao; like the ribbing n implications at the dinner are a lot of fun (like, they were totally making out in the marsh before dinner. we all know this. it's very clear imo), but it kind of makes me wonder why we can hear xiao like... do his Very Heavy Implying abt venti's importance to him (though again, he doesn't outright say anything-- we know the full extent n depth of xiao's feelings abt venti (romantic or not) bc we can read his character stories, so technically really he hasn't told us jack squat in the current canon timeline), but the best we get from venti are smug expressions. those expressions are very telling, ofc, but a very unhinged part of me wishes that mhy didn't feel the need to wrap up the xv in layers of allegory and metaphor and just outright heard one of them say, "this person is very dear to me." i know it's just the rabid shipper in me, and i need to be sedated, but i was really kind of hoping that we'd see the allegory w/the fontch guy's ancestor n madame ping lifted away at the end n, like, see or hear it be bound to xv outright. just for purely self-indulgent purposes o(--(

but anyway (3) i also love love loved all the playful ribbing, witty banter, and prev event callbacks btwn the characters!! hu tao n venti canonically making a pact to be poetry friends was SO GOOD you just KNOW hu tao is gonna commission venti to compose a JINGLE for wangsheng advertising purposes later, while zhongli n xiao are like, "this meeting never should have happened. we are all doomed." somehow i legitimately forgot that xq n venti know each other from irodori n was like, "...huh?" when xq mentioning knowing venti for like, a FULL two seconds. the way venti was like "damn you know i was right outside this entire time. can you believe the way some people ignore the wind?" n zhongli was like "hahaha (✿◡‿◡) the harbor is very busy this time of year (✿◠‿◠) it is very hard see or hear an individual person's whereabouts (^人^)"

AND ALSO. PAIMON BEING ELECTED AS THE "MOST DISTINGUISHED GUEST." PAIMON YOU GOT IN THE WAY OF MY DERANGED SELF-DELUSIONMENT MANY TIMES THIS LANTERN RITE BUT THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY. i thought it was interesting how no one nominated venti. like i was kind of expecting xiao to do it (but ofc he nominates traveler) which is fair honestly, n then i was like "IS LUMINE GONNA NOMINATE VENTI????" but then she nominated paimon n paimon was like "wait... me?????" n it was just EXACTLY like a bunch of adults telling the little kid they are the most specialest ever n they should have the honor of doing The Thing. as that little kid growing up, i know the feeling very well lol

there are other bits i'm just,,, rotating around in my mind, like venti and kazuha hanging out on the alcor, the way xiao goes "i can't taste the difference in xiangling's special almond tofu" when you go visit him afterwards, ALL THE GANQING THAT HAPPENED IN THE MAIN STORY I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM I'M SO HAPPY FOR ME I WON VERY HARD THIS LANTERN RITE, n like,,, yeah!!!!

[theinfinitedivides]

that was one of the most awkward car rides i have ever seen in my life and i have been part of awkward car rides

[genshin-impact-updates]

Happy Birthday, Hu Tao!

Oooh, you knew it's my birthday and brought a kitty to play with me, didn't you?

Aww, running away so quickly... Did I really scare you? Don't be afraid, little kitty~

The weather is just so nice today, wanna go fishing with me?

I'm going to wow you with my amazing fishing skills, hehe!

Thanks to めふぃすと for the fantastic artwork!

[ladybirdswritings]

sweet thing - dbf!joel miller x reader

Summary: Your life is in disarray. Your father is overbearing, your boyfriend is unkind— and blooming into adulthood is just about the most difficult season you’ve braved. Things only become more complex when feelings begin to develop between you and an old friend of your fathers. DBF!Joel Miller (dad’s best friend). Alternate universe as well, there is NO APOCALYPSE.

Notes: Girl I have been radio silent but this picture awoke me from my slumber because oh my God??? Look at this beautiful, haunted man. Pls enjoy the ideas that came from this still. Idk how well this will do but if u guys enjoy, lmk (I LOVE comments / interactions) and I will add to it <3

A03 | masterlist

sweet thing…

Your father did the best he could. You knew that very well. Charlie was a man respected and adored by his humble community. A hard working father turned single parent when your mom fell ill and god— you were his little flower. His sweet thing. His angel.

Flowers are fragile, though. Gentle, moldable petals and stiff, snappable stems.

It is why he kept you so close to him, so prized like painted porcelain just ready to crack.

It is why you were here. Here at Jackson’s golden hued dance with more powdered, jam-filled pastries and red, roasted meats then you could count on one hand. Here. Instead of the alternative option which was the party your boyfriend decided to attend without you.

You got the invite, sure, yet even as a legal adult— what daddy says? Goes. So long as you remain under his roof, at least. It was infuriating, though. The freedom of all your dear friends, the spontaneity. If only that could be you…

Your eyes drifted to the moustached sponge of all fun and joy in the world, wrapped in a flannel with bourbon in hand. Your dad was seated next to Joel, as he often was. His presence was a newfound thing for these recent years and though Joel would never say it, you had an inkling that he wanted to stand by his friend’s side after your mother… well.

You didn’t know Joel well. No, not at all. His visits were always the occasional dinner or drop in for fishing or some awfully manly thing. You knew well that your mother adored him, though— so that was enough to make him alright in your book.

Neighbor Betsy told you once that Joel had lost his wife and daughter too, and that maybe he was trying to keep your father from going through what he went through alone.

You only laughed at that.

Joel Miller was gruff and cold. Could he have such a warm heart beneath his sherpa coat?

You dazed out, the fingers snapping in front of your eyes made you blink back into the golden hues and roasted sausages on pointy little sticks.

“You alright, honeybee?” Your father asked, laying a heavy arm upon your shoulders. Joel was slower in his approach, eyeing you up and down with confusion and something else in his eyes.

“Peachy.” You only muttered, taking a sip of your freshly squeezed lemonade. Jackson’s finest.

“Oh come on now angel… now you know I can’t have you runnin’ off with that boyfriend of yours. I always told you he was trouble. Member’ when he ditched you down by Church Road during mosquito season? Well you were ripe as a red tomater and who had to pick you up?”

You were riper, redder now. Your cheeks an embarrassed hue not even on the color wheel, not even identifiable. You bowed your head, huffing out your frustrations before simply muttering: “you did, dad.”

He nodded proud, squeezing your shoulder. “That’s right, I did… what?”

Your eyes drifted up to see your father’s oldest friend with an odd kind of expression on his face. Brows pinched and raised, wrinkles plaguing his forehead deeper now.

Joel only cleared his throat, shifting on his boots and taking a sip of his bourbon in preparation. Then? He spoke.

“You ain’t lettin’ her be.” He gruffly offered, eyes set and sure. Your father only stilled for a moment, wondering if it was even Joel’s place to have an opinion… maybe it was.

“Why’s that?” He asked Joel, and the rough looking man only took another swig.

“Mm. We were both young once. We both made mistakes, y’gotta let her make her own— can’t hide her from em’. Just ain’t how it works.”

Poppies blossomed like springtime had finally begun in your eyes. Finally— someone understood. You didn’t expect him to be so… wise?

Your father only huffed, taking a long glance your way as he mused.

“Even if I wanted to loosen the leash tonight, Joel, I can’t. Maria needs me here to keep an eye on crazy old Arthur.”

Joel’s brows relaxed at that, a purpled hand running along the zipper of his flannel coat. His eyes were a chocolate kind of brown, dark and quietly encasing his thoughts within them.

He hummed, gaze drifting back to you.

You wanted to shrink. Perhaps it was because you were on the spot, perhaps it was because the way he stared would make anyone feel small.

It seemed like centuries before he cleared his throat again.

“I’ll take her.”

What?

You didn’t understand it, not one bit. Why was he kind enough to offer you an out here? Kind enough to test your father’s words.

Discomfort radiated through your father’s coat, tension molding its way into his already stiff bones. A long sigh, a glance back and forth as he truly considered. His expression was far too plagued with worry, and you knew well that it was now or never.

You had to slam down the last nail in the oak wood coffin.

“Please, daddy? I’ll check in every half hour, I promise.”

Tension eased, slightly but— still. Your eyes were doe-like and sweet, and he gazed into them for a moment far too long before allowing his arm to drop.

“Every fifteen minutes and you’ve got a deal. Miller, you make sure my daughter gets in and out of that bastard’s house safely.”

Joel only nodded once, jaw tense and expression stoic. Your grin was wider than a field of flowers, and you immediately wrapped your father in a hug. Your thank yous seemed endless, and it made him laugh.

When you parted, Joel had keys grasped in his rough hands. You realized for a moment that you had no idea why he was doing this. What did he owe you? Maybe it was pity. You were half an orphan, after all.

With a cautious glance, your eyes met his own. He nodded once as if to urge you closer, and you stumbled his way. Before you knew it? You were out the door, trailing behind him like his shadow.

Of all the people who cared enough to convince your father to let you go to this party tonight? Joel Miller was the last person you expected it to be…

¿to be continued?

[the-travelling-witch]

𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

summary: there's nothing quite like being pampered by your partner after coming home from a fight... at least in childe's eyes

pairing: childe x gn! reader

warnings: fluff, a smidge angsty towards the end, mentions of fighting/ wounds; just a scene i had to exorcise from my brain since i'm ridiculously down bad; this is either a modern au or a 'teyvat has blow-dryers now' au, pick whichever one you fancy

genshin masterlist

“Watch it,” you threatened, though your voice lacked any sort of real bite. How could you be truly mad when Childe was grinning up at you, all boyish and playful, a strand of his wet bangs stubbornly falling back into his ocean-hued eyes?

“I wouldn’t have to if you just joined me,” the ginger hummed with no remorse, wet fingers dancing along the hem of your already soaked shirt, itching the creep under it. No doubt, he had already thought about just pulling you into the bathtub with him. “Or you could just take off your clothes if you’re so worried about them getting wet.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re proposing that, huh?” You cocked your eyebrow at him, gently sweeping his hair back again. Even after you shampooed and conditioned it, it was as unruly and wilful as the guy it was attached to. “No ulterior motives whatsoever, I presume.”

“No ulterior motives whatsoever,” Childe echoed, though his voice carried the same mischief as it did right before he splashed the first wave of water over you. “I’m just looking out for you, darling.”

“The only thing you’re looking out for are your best interests,” you snorted, grabbing the body wash and sponge, motioning for him to turn around. “Now sit still, you literal child. I don’t want to accidentally reopen the wounds I spent so long dressing.”

“You got it,” the ginger laughed, clearly not as concerned with the deep scratches littering his back. Though you really didn’t want to meet whatever had caused them, Childe had excitedly told you all about his scuffles as he came home, still high on adrenaline as you ushered him into the bathroom and peeling off his many layers of clothing.

You shook your head, dispelling the thoughts that started clouding your mind. It was a conversation you have had plenty of times before. Instead you concentrated on the way his lithe muscles flexed and relaxed under your touch, his skin as always pleasantly warm and smooth despite the faded scars littering it. You knew the origins of most, having spent many nights tracing them as you listened to the stories behind them. Sure, some were from thrilling battles, but there were also smaller, odd ones like the one where Teucer accidentally nicked him as he taught his younger brother how to prepare a fish they caught together.

When you were certain your boyfriend was all clean again, you got some fluffy towels as he clambered out of the tub, purposefully not meeting his smug expression as he caught you eyeing the water droplets running down the dibs of his abs. You were also sure there was no need for his arms to flex as much as they did as he towelled his hair dry, leaving the white fabric to rest around his neck. 

Though there was a shirt set out next to his sweatpants, he forewent it completely and you sighed as you followed him out of the bathroom with the blow-dryer in hand. Idly, Childe sauntered over to the bed, sitting down with his back to the frame waiting for you to take your place behind him like you always did.

Gingerly, you rested your legs over his shoulders, feeling his calloused palms wrap around them, his fingers tracing random shapes into your thighs and calves as his bare body radiated heat. Watching the stream of hot air tussle his fluffy strands, your thoughts couldn’t help but circle back to the bloodied wounds on his back. None of them were too deep this time, but…

There was a tap against your calf.

“What are you thinking about?” Of course, Childe would pick up on your dip in mood; he always could. He could probably also guess the direction your thoughts had turned, it wasn’t an uncommon point of discussion. “And you’d better not say it’s nothing.”

“I know I tell you all the time and you always tell me not to worry. And I do have more faith in you than anyone else, but can you be at least a little more careful?” In that moment you were glad your boyfriend was turned away from you, certain your voice would shake even more if you were to look into his eyes right now. 

Running your fingers through his soft hair, you busied yourself with parting the sections to resemble a somewhat orderly hairstyle in order to keep your hands from trembling. Still, Childe easily caught your wrists, sliding his fingers between yours as he twisted to face you.

“You really do worry too much. I’m fine, right? See, everything still attached and working,” Childe smiled, drumming his fingers across your knuckles.

“Yeah but what if something happens? Something that is outside of your control and you don’t—“ You cut yourself off, not daring to speak your worst fear into existence. It would make it seem so much realer. “Just… Ajax, if you won’t do it for yourself, do it for me. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you, if the other side of the bed was cold—“

“Hey now, none of that,” Childe soothed, reaching up to smooth out the crease of your brows. “You’ll never have to go to sleep alone or wake up to an empty bed. I’ll always come back home to you, I promise. Nothing could keep me away from you.”

The heat of his kisses spread from your knuckles all the way up to your heart, warming you from the inside out as his words soothed your frayed nerves. The logical part of your brain knew he couldn’t actually prevent all bad turns of events from happening but you willed those thoughts away. 

As you curled up under the blanket with him that night, his arm draped securely over your waist to pull you close to him and into his safe embrace, you reminded yourself Ajax had never broken his promises before. So, as the moon bore witness to his vow sealed with more kisses, you decided to believe him.

© the-travelling-witch 2024 - do not repost, translate, copy or edit and do not feed my writing to ai

if you like my content, reblogs, comments and asks are always much appreciated (also, yes, there will be second parts for the characters) ♡

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[emmyrosee]

MEGUMI YOU SAY????? LOML????? LITERALLY MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER IN THE WHOLE SHOW?????????? THAT MEGUMI????

he brings out his shikigami for you to play with/cuddle regularly.

also: museum/aquarium/art gallery dates <3

I’ve said this before in a drabble thing and I’ll say it again: i imagine a relationship dynamic with him is very “you wanna kiss me so bad” and “omg shut up but yes”

YES MEGUMI, THAT MEGUMI YES 🥺🥺🥺

HIS SHIKIGAMI ARE BETTER CUDDLERS THAN HIM I STG. They just curl against you to give you a warm pillow to nuzzle into, to the point even he gets a little jealous bc you look so cozy and it should be him that you're nuzzled into okay??

One time, when you fell asleep against it, he went to move you and it had the nerve, the audacity, the gumption to raise its teeth at him???? HIS OWN SHIKIGAMI??? It did not go over well with megumi for an assortment of reasons.

GOD aquarium (I’m an ocean girly shush) dates with him would be so fun, you demanding him to win you the giant penguin in the arcade, ignoring him when he tells you it would be cheaper to just by the thing but ultimately WINNING IT BC HE JUST LOVES TO WATCH YOU SMILE AND BEAM OKAY EVEN IF IT DID COST HIM AN OBSURD AMOUNT OF MONEY!!!

But just the way he’d look in the blue-hued-lights of the aquarium, casting the same hued shadows over his face, he just looks otherworldly, so pretty and when your jaw slacks to stare at him, he’s quick to use a finger to close it back up. “You’ll catch flies,” he mumbles.

"But I want to kiss you so bad," you whine.

"Later."

As if he's not more than eager to kiss you under the fluorescent lights of the fish tanks, penguin wing in your fist while your free arm wraps around his neck needily, and you rise just barely on your tiptoees to reach him, and-

You nudge him playfully, "you want to kiss me too, don't you?"

"You, stay quiet."

[yestrday]

do u have any more crumbs abt crazy, tiny, will scratch and bite me if provoked (kinky....) housewife scara? 🙏 LAWDDD ABOVE, ur writing is too good.

notes: anything for my babygurlll 💪💪

( jealousy, masochism <- reader, sadism <- kuni, slight blood, slight nsfw mentions, mentions of cheating, no one cjeats, possessive behavior )

"... what else do we need? fish, chicken... ah, we ran out of sichuan pepper just yesterday too... hm, i think our rice is running low too. hey, [y. name], run over to the rice section and get us some—" kuni turns to you, and a scowl etches on his features as puts his hands on his hips. "wipe that stupid look off your face, we're in the grocery."

you don't know how being in the grocery is relevant to anything, but you do kind of know about what stupid look he's talking about. maybe he's referring to the way you're slumped on the grocery cart handle, grinning widely with a hand cupping your cheek as you stare all moony-eyed at your pretty husband. straight from the house with a lilac apron on and clutching a hurriedly written grocery list, he was the perfect image of domesticity. your partner, glaring at you right now through those bewitching purple eyes and—

SLAP! "cut. that. out!" kuni growls under his voice, pulling your hair towards his height and looking all menacing like despite the red blush on his cheeks. "you're embarassing me in public!" you stop the slight moan coming from your mouth, as well as the comment to point out his hypocrisy. some onlookers look like they want to interfere, but one look at your heart eyes and blushing face makes them deter at the realization that you're both freaks.

"sorry, sorry~" you coo, bringing him into a hug and nuzzle your face into his neck. though his hands lay limp at his sides, he doesn't squirm and only buries a pout into your skin. "you're just super duper a thousand times cuter today than usual, y'know~ i couldn't help myself!"

"you said that yesterday and the day before that and everyday before that!" kuni grumbles softly. "now i'm starting to wonder if you actually mean it."

you gasp softly, pulling him away by the shoulders and looking into his eyes. "now how can you say that?"you ask, feigning hurt. "you should know how deeply and madly i'm in love with you, right? my darling cute kuni, who makes me lose all rationality whenever i stare at him..."

kuni rolls his eyes at your dramatic confession. "oh, please—"

"... [y. name]?"

an unsure voice cuts him off, and the two of you quickly glance at the wide-eyed man staring at the both of you with a grocery basket hanging off his shoulder. a spark of realization lights up in his eyes when he finally takes a better look at your face, and he grins happily at you. "[y. name]! it really is you! fancy running into you here!"

anyone talking to you should ready themselves for a beating from kuni, who already has a scowl deeply etched on his face, but you quickly step forward before things can escalate. he glances up at you, and he furrows his brow at the relatively normal demeanor you've put up. "kyle!" you grin with a tone that makes kuni bristle. "good to see you here. your girlfriend got you running errands?"

"h-how'd you know?"

you laugh. "just a hunch. from the way she's been ranting to her department about how she does all the chores anyway." you slap a hand to his shoulder. "help your girlfriend out too. sharing chores is quite a great way to bond. why, i'm actually here with my hus... band..."

your voice trails off when you see kuni staring daggers into kyle. you chuckle a bit nervously, afraid that he might materialize an actual dagger out of nowhere (he was in the habit of being a tad murderous). "well, currently not in the best of moods, but my lovely wife's here with me."

thankfully, kyle's not the brightest man, so he's quite unaware of all the homicidal thoughts running around kuni's brain as he offers a respectful bow. "hello, mr. [l. name]! i'm [y. name]'s junior. they've been a great help to me and sadie ever since we entered the company!" he offers out a hand for a good ol' shake, but kuni only sneers at it and hides behind your back. kyle is left dumbfounded, stretching his hand towards air.

"inazumans... don't shake hands," you smile as you make up a reason. you can feel kuni burying himself in your back, his sharp nails digging into your hips as a warning. you try to maintain your composure and suppress the blush on your face. "anyways, we've gotta run. kuni's still got cooking to do!"

"n-no worries, [y. name], i'll see you this monday. a-and..." kyle nervously fidgets with his basket and avoids eye contact with you. "you can come over for dinner after work with us anytime. me and sadie do owe you a lot... really. it's..." kyle's blush deepens and he bites his lip— a nervous habit you're familiar with. "... it's the least we can do."

when kyle dashes off, you and kuni finish the rest of the groceries in silence. that make syou a little nervous, especially since you were half-expecting (awaiting, more like it) for him to just pin you to the nearest wall as soon as kyle was out of the picture. you two load the groceries in your car in silence, all while you give kuni nervous side-glances.

finally settled in the driver's seat, and kuni stormily cross-armed beside you, you try to catch his eye. "kuni...?" you ask in a breathy nervous half-laughter. "what's wrong?"

hyou flinch at how much venom is in his voice and ignore how it's making you feel down there. "someone tried to ask you out in front of me!" his voice is shaking. "and you're gonna have the fucking audacity to ask me what's wrong?!"

"they're just my co-worker, kuni, i promise," you try to soothe him. "it's not like i was gonna take them up on their offer anyway. why would i, when i got y—"

"liar!" you wince as his voice shrills in your ear. "if you weren't planning to, then you should've just turned them down, right in front of me. no, you were planning to, weren't you?" he leans over and jabs a finger into your chest, glaring up at you with those sharp purple eyes. "you were planning on going with them after work, huh? then what?"

"i had no plans, kuni." you try to reach a hand out to stroke his hair, but he quickly grabs it and digs his nails into you. you stare into his eyes. "i promise."

kuni scowls, and you don't even know why you bother. once he gets into this possesisve, irrate mood, nothing can abate him till he lets all the stress out. "liar," he growls, and reaches over and pulls the handle to lay the driver's seat flat.

you fall back with a hard thump, and kuni wastes no time in straddling you in your seat and grabbing you by the collar. "you filthy, fucking liar. how dare you play around with me, your husband, huh? what the hell were you gonna do with them, anyway?! eat dinner, then what? let them fuck that slutty mouth of yours till you go stupid?" he sneers "i know how good you look doing that. i bet everyyy guy and his wife in your office is itching to get a taste of you."

oh. ohhhh. oh gosh, car play? your heart is beating a thousand miles per second, and your blush deepends as kuni's other hand digs into your torso painfully. oh archons. kuni mistakes the blush on your cheeks for something else, and his eyes become positively stormy.

"filthy bitch," he spits, digging even deeper until he draws blood. you whimper in arousal as you feel the familiar warm trickle from your torso. "what, you get off to fantasizing about your whole office fucking you?" you try to shake your head, telling him that it's him making you like this and no one else, but he swoops in to steal a kiss before you can say anything.

it's nothing like the sweet kisses you steal from him when you walk out the front door. it's feral, animalistic. he's biting on your lips till he draws blood and sucking on your tongue until your brain goes numb from the tingling. he lets out a haughty smirk as he pulls away, the trickle of drool connecting your lips till it breaks.

"thaat's better," he sighs, slumping back and getting a good look at your blissed out face. "just a little kiss and you're all fucked out for me just like this.

"just like how it should be."

[kisses4kaia]

based on this .. hehehehehehehehehe also corio is very joe goldberg in this one. (dedicated to my baby 🤍. @casualhedonists)

coriolanus snow had many a screw loose, and you were not oblivious to that fact.

the thing about power-hungry psychopaths, is they are aware that their greed will never be fulfilled if they reveal their true intentions at the jump. coriolanus snow was dangerously good at playing the game, and he was not used to losing. you had almost let it go over your head, the red-like-blood hued flags, but something inside you had signaled, more like alarmingly blared, that something was very, very wrong with the boy you thought loved you.

and so, on a storming and unbecoming night, you packed up your whole life, leaving behind your people and all that was familiar, and you moved to district 4 and set up residence on the beach. you’d met a man, a gentle, caring, fisherman. no, he could not afford to buy you diamonds, but he could string organic pearls on a chain and that was enough. you ate all the fish your heart could ever desire and you let the sun kiss your once pale skin; which was due to the constant cover of clouds and gloomy mist in the capitol. you were content with your little life, truly, up until you received word your mother was sick and needed her next of kin to help her sort the affairs that would allow her to move peacefully onto the afterlife that awaited her.

the trip was short, but every second of it was spent with a worry for your mother gnawing at your heart, and apprehension to see a certain white-as-snow haired boy. you’d brushed off all thoughts, and figured since the capitol was a big city, the chances of you seeing him were slim—especially considering you’d seen in the newspaper that he was making a name for himself in the political world of panem. he most likely was much to busy to care or even become aware of your returning.

you were wrong. the second you stepped through the gates of panem’s state of the capitol, you felt eyes on you. even after checking over your shoulders and finding nothing but stone architecture on display all over the city, the uneasiness of it all still twisted your gut.

nonetheless, you spent your time in the city of lights and glamour as intended, caring for your mother until she succumbed to a painless, peaceful, death. you saw to the funeral details with a heavy heart, and it was there you felt your heart drop to your toes. the man you’d spent so many years away from, standing in all his haughty glory. his ultramarine, icy, eyes containing nothing but a crazed longing within them. he’d stood across the cemetery in a long, black, fleece, trenchcoat. his hair was no longer a mess of ruddy, gold, curls, but now a styled as a contained, important, slick back—hauntingly, he resembled a ghost, and in a way, he was. a ghost of your past, the scariest one. his eyes glued onto yours as the pastor spoke a few words in honor of your late mother, and you had to swallow your fear for what would follow after the ceremony.

the second the final ‘amen’ left father glenndon’s lips, you turned on your heels, whispering a quiet goodbye to your the soil your mother laid beneath and made a break for it. he was so tall, legs so long and graceful, he caught up with you within a moment. as his cold, ring cluttered, fingers brace the sides of your arms, forcing you to a halt against the tallest stone grave in all of the graveyard, obscuring you from anybody’s view—which only fed your terror—you had to focus on your breathing so as to not let fearful tears slip from your eyes. “get your hands off of me,” your voice was shaky, because you knew just how unpredictable he could be and right now, all that you knew for a fact was that he wasn’t above tearing apart your life right here if you made the single wrong move. he did have the money, influence, and power for it, after all. coriolanus’ voice was sickeningly sweet, gentle, akin to your man back home. “hey, hey, i won’t hurt you, i promise. just wanna talk, that’s it, hm?” his hands move from your shoulders to your face, caressing his thumb against your tear-stained cheek. you shake your head, to deny the request and to get the feeling of his skin off of yours. “no, no. please, coriolanus, let me go home. i have a fiancée, who loves me and-“ your rambling is cut short but a wide-eyed, almost concerned, interjection from him. “he doesn’t love you like i do! i would kill for you, do you understand? he wouldn’t go to any lengths necessary to keep you safe—can’t you see that? i mean, there isn’t a line in the world that i wouldn’t cross for you! i’m not mad, i forgive you for leaving, i know you were just scared, just wish you talked to me, is all. please, dove, come back to the capitol. i haven’t been able to manage since you disappeared. can’t live without you, dove, i won’t,” you wince at the nickname, not having heard it since you left. “i can’t. i have a life in four, snow. i can’t just leave,”

there’s a pained flinch at the use of his last name, having been so used to your sweet, little, pet names you once used just for him. you probably call your fisherman back home those things now, and that thought made his blood boil more than any other. suddenly, almost as if stepping into a role, a character, his eyes deepen, like a bottomless pool of sorrow. “you didn’t seem to think so all those years ago,”

his devastating voice, his despaired, tragically blue, eyes distorted your judgement, and all of a sudden, he wasn’t coriolanus snow anymore. he was corio, your corio.

somehow, in some weird, twisted, round-a-bout way, that’s how you ended up here, writhing on his fingers, his venom-slick sweet nothings spilling into your ears as praises as you come undone on his hands. then on his tongue. and finally, after he’d spent so long giving himself orgasms with only the memory of you spurring him, you’d unraveled on his cock.

and he knew, he had you. he knew, baby came home.

[gleamingtempest]

DRDT Chapter 2 - Murder Theory Crafting

👋Hello. I would like to share my perspective(s) on the murder of chapter 2.

Spoilers Below. CWs below.

CW: Suicide, Hanging, Murder, Death

Here are some basic statements about the case.

The victim is Arei Nageishi.

Arei died in the playground.

Arei died during the morning after 7:30 AM and before 8:00 PM.

Arei died by having her neck snapped.

All theories here will be operating under the assumption that all of these statements are facts. It's helpful to understand that this post will be trying to most closely align itself with what has been established so far, and will not challenging commonly held beliefs about the case. As such, gently, I request that no discourse be held over the validity of these statements on this post; or more specifically, that you express disagreements with grace & without being confrontational. Thank you. ^^

Now, let's move forward: Who? Who has the capability of doing this. Some characters have alibis which make it impossible for them to have committed the murder in the morning, so let's assert who these characters are.

(Teruko will be discounted from all lists, implicitly.)

J

David

Veronika

Hu

Nico

This means that:

Charles

Eden

Ace

Rose

Arturo

Levi

Whit

Could have murdered Arei. Problematically, this is 7 people. How do we distinguish which of these 7 are the murderer?

Let's return to the crime scene. On the scene of the crime, there's fish. These fish came from the relaxation room. Knowing this, someone had to take them. We know that the fish were last seen on Day 3 by Nico, after they fed the fish, after they ate dinner. This does not give an explicit timeframe, however it does reveal that, because the Relaxation Room closes at 10 PM, and doesn't open again until 8 PM, the killer had to have taken the fish after Nico last saw them.

Because we do not have an exact time for the last time Nico saw the fish, we cannot assert that this is true, but - if this was some time around 7:30, we know who could not have taken the fish. That being, anyone who had an alibi during night time. This brings our list down even further.

These people could not have taken the fish:

Charles

Eden

Hu

Veronika

J

Arturo

Whit

Those who could have are:

Arei

Nico

Ace

Rose

Levi

David

Cross referencing this with the previous list of alibis, that makes those who have no alibi at all:

Ace

Rose

Levi

Here's a graphic:

Let's Recap:

Teruko, J, Hu and Veronika could not have collected the fish or committed the murder.

Eden, Whit, Charles and Arturo could not have collected the fish.

David and Nico could not have committed the murder.

Rose, Ace & Levi could have both collected the fish and committed the murder.

The question we have now is: Does the murderer need to have collected the fish?

The answer is no. There can be an accomplice (knowing or unknowing) who collected the fish. In the scenario that the accomplice is knowing, they need to be willing to die for the culprit. In the scenario that the accomplice is unknowing, they did not choose to pursue the fact that somebody in the group asked them to collect the fish in spite of this being related to the crime. Also, assuming that the murderer did not collect the fish, those who do not have morning alibis need to be murderer. This means we are back to suspecting 7 people, and that cross referencing the alibis does not help.

Who can be an accomplice:

Nico

Arei

Ace

Rose

Levi

David

All combinations of accomplices & murderers are as follows:

Eden-Nico

Eden-Arei

Eden-Ace

Eden-Rose

Eden-Levi

Eden-David

Whit-Nico

Whit-Arei

Whit-Ace

Whit-Rose

Whit-Levi

Whit-David

Charles-Nico

Charles-Arei

Charles-Ace

Charles-Rose

Charles-Levi

Charles-David

Arturo-Nico

Arturo-Arei

Arturo-Ace

Arturo-Rose

Arturo-Levi

Arturo-David

Rose-Nico

Rose-Arei

Rose-Ace

Rose-Levi

Rose-David

Ace-Nico

Ace-Arei

Ace-Levi

Ace-David

Levi-Nico

Levi-Arei

Levi-David

This is a total of 29 combinations of accomplice-murderer routes. Let's remove ones in bad relations or with no relations for the sake of simplicity:

Eden-Arei

Eden-Levi

Now we're left with 2 combinations. Hooray. 🎉

These combinations conclude that Eden is the murderer. This means that Eden has to have asked Levi or Arei to collect the fish, either directly with the known intent that she was going to kill or indirectly, without any given intent at all. Regarding the former scenario, Arei can not have been knowingly an accomplice because her wrists were bound. Let's disregard that scenario. In this case, we've reached the first three possible theories regarding this case:

Theory One 1 I

Eden Tobisa murdered Arei Nageishi. Levi Fontana willingly chose to aid her in this process by collecting the fish for her. Levi Fontana is willing to die for Eden Tobisa.

Theory Two 2 II

Eden Tobisa murdered Arei Nageishi. Levi Fontana chose to aid her in this process by collecting the fish for her, without knowing the intent. Levi Fontana is not saying anything about Eden asking him to collect the fish.

Theory Three 3 III

Eden Tobisa murdered Arei Nageishi. Arei Nageishi chose to aid in this process by collecting the fish for her, without knowing the intent. Arei Nageishi could not have said anything because she is dead.

Under both of these theories, the following pieces of evidence remain unaccounted for:

Missing Tape

Missing Glove

Broken Light

Starch Ball

Floor Scuffs

Missing Turpentine

Note Spelling Errors

Stalking Eden

In order to account for these pieces of evidence, let's assume that both of these theories are false, or flawed. If we discover that they still work with these pieces of evidence, they they will be reaffirmed. If we discover they do not, they will be false.

Missing Tape

Let's begin with the Missing Tape. In episode 6, a roll of tape goes missing from the background of the Ace Markey Assault scene. The only two people capable of taking this tape are Eden & Ace. Ace could not have taken this tape because if he could, then Teruko could have as well, and during the trial, it will not be possible to distinguish which of the three took the tape. By having Ace account for Teruko and Teruko account for Ace, Eden becomes the only possible individual who could have taken the tape. The tape was used directly during the murder so whoever had it had to have been involved in the crime. Because Eden could not have been an accomplice (collected the fish) this means that she can only have been a murderer. The tape reaffirms both Theory I, Theory II & Theory III.

Missing Glove

Ordinarily, Arei Nageishi wears a bowling glove on her left hand. Her corpse lacks this glove. Someone had to have taken it. We do not have a reason for why it would be taken, or what it would be used for. This piece of evidence has no effect on any established theories.

Broken Light

A light above the rafters in the playground is broken. Something on the level of the rafters had to have hit the lights and broken them. We do not know what this would be. This piece of evidence has no effect on any established theories.

Starch Ball

A ball of Teruko & Hu's old clothing was bound together using a sticky substance. We do not know what the function of this ball is. We do not know what substance was used to bind the clothing. This piece of evidence has no effect on any established theories.

Floor Scuffs

There are scuff marks on the floor of the playground. The floor was damaged by something which scraped against it. We do not know what scraped against it. This piece of evidence has no effect on any established theories.

Missing Turpentine

The turpentine used to knock Ace unconscious is never accounted for. Arei's body has no signs of a struggle or injury. The turpentine could have been used to knock her unconscious before the murder. If true, the murdered had to have been in possession of the turpentine in order to murder Arei. This piece creates some friction with Theory I, II & III because Eden has no access to the turpentine - Ace's attempted murderer does. This however does not prove any of these theories false, and is not an impossible truth to coincide with.

Note Spelling Errors

The note has several spelling & grammar errors. This suggests that the killer either has poor literacy skills or that the killer was in a rush while writing the note. The note was placed into the trash intentionally with the intention of framing Arturo and Eden. This piece of evidence has no effect on any established theories.

Stalking Eden

On Day 2 before Teruko & Eden find Ace's body, Eden remarks that someone has been following her. Applying this to both Theory I & Theory II creates some friction. There are two scenarios here: Eden is being stalked by a third party who is unrelated to the murder as a whole or Eden is being stalked by an established party in this case. In the former scenario, the existence & participation of a third party has to be justified in the case's structure. In the latter, two people could have been stalking Eden: Arei or Levi.

Let's consider both of these possibilities:

Arei is stalking Eden and she ended up the victim of this case. Eden murdered her.

Levi is stalking Eden and he ended up the accomplice of this case.

In the former, the justification of this stalking would have been that Arei stalking Eden eventually culminated in Arei's murder. The flaw with this is that Arei's murder premeditated, not spontaneous. Also, Eden collected the tape, so, if she was planning on killing it would have been before she discovered who was stalking her. Let's disregard this scenario.

In the latter, the justification for the stalking would have been that Levi stalking Eden eventually culminated in Eden forming an alliance with Levi for the murder. This is an issue because, the fish were used to create an alibi for the murder. This necessitates the existence of an accomplice who can collect the fish for you. The murder is premeditated, so this element was also, premeditated. Eden had already conceived of the plan because she was collecting the tape. If the accomplice did not come into existence before Eden conceived of the plan then Eden's plan does not work. This dissuades the possibility that it was Levi stalking Eden.

Let's return to the third party - why?

In the scenario that Eden murdered Arei on Day 4 during the morning, and that Levi was her knowing accomplice on Day 3 or that Levi or Arei were her unknowing accomplice on Day 3, what would be the purpose of having a third party involved in this case?

Or more specifically, what evidence would there be that there is actually a third party involved, at all. Going through all the evidence, there is nothing to suggest that any third party is involved other than Eden being stalked. So - Why? Why was she being stalked? Who would have a vested interest in stalking Eden?

Initially, at the start of the trial, Eden is framed by the note which is signed under her name. This note is also significant because whoever wrote it had to have been aware of the infirmary conversation which happened on Day 2. If it was Eden who wrote it, then there would be no issue because she would have been present for the conversation. If it was a third party who wrote it, then we suddenly have a reason for there to be someone stalking Eden but we now don't have a reason for them to have known about the infirmary conversation. So, basically, in order for the third party to justify their existence, assuming that this 'third party' is actually the true killer, we need to justify why they would be aware of the infirmary scene to begin with.

For now, let's say this: Theory I, II & III are now dubious as a result of this evidence and we now have a fourth theory.

Theory Four 4 IV

The party stalking Eden killed Arei Nageishi.

Who stalked Eden?

Assuming that whoever stalked Eden killed Arei Nageishi, and assuming that, because Eden and Levi were the only two reasonable people to have been paired as murderer and accomplice with the current alibis, there cannot be an accomplice, that means there can only be three murderers: Ace, Rose & Levi. Let's discuss each of these stalking parties.

Ace

Ace stalked Eden. Ace collected the fish on Day 3. Ace forged the note which framed Eden and lured out Arei. Ace killed Arei on Day 4 using the turpentine to knock her out for the murder.

The flaws with this are that, Ace does not have access to the grip tape which would set up the murder and Ace does not have access to the turpentine which would be used to knock out Arei.

Rose

Rose stalked Eden. Rose collected the fish on Day 3. Rose forged the note which framed Eden and lured out Arei. Rose killed Arei on Day 4 using the turpentine to knock her out for the murder.

The flaws with this are that, Rose does not have access to the grip tape which would set up the murder and Rose does not have access to the turpentine which would be used to knock out Arei.

Levi

Levi stalked Eden. Levi collected the fish on Day 3. Levi forged the note which framed Eden and lured out Arei. Levi killed Arei on Day 4 using the turpentine to knock her out for the murder.

The flaws with this are that, Levi does not have access to the grip tape which would set up the murder, Levi does not have access to the turpentine which would be used to knock out Arei and Levi would not need to turpentine to knock Arei unconscious.

???

Why do none of these possibilities work? And, if they don't work, then what's happening? The key flaws here are that, only Eden could have accessed the grip tape, and none of them could have accessed the turpentine.

Disregarding Eden & the grip tape for a moment, let's discuss the turpentine because as is, this is the wild card - we don't know who does have access to the turpentine.

Or, supposedly we, do - Nico.

Nico Hakobyan

Nico tried to kill Ace.

How did Nico try to kill Ace?

Nico knocked Ace out with the turpentine, hung Ace to the ceiling fan using metal wire & a similar mechanism to the one which snapped Arei's neck and...

?

Took him down? Why? To strangle him after hanging him?

Also, there's another issue here. How did Nico access the metal wire? Or more specifically, from where did Nico access the metal wire There is one metal wire which has been set up in the story. In chapter one, the custom items list reveals that one person was given a metal wire: Hu Jing. So, the necessary progression from here to ask is - how did Nico get the wire from Hu? Would she have just given it up if asked unprompted? And, if yes then, how did Ace fall & why didn't Nico flee the scene after he fell? Why did Nico remove the wire from his neck?

To simplify things, I'll just say this: I do not believe that Nico set up the murder intended to kill Ace.

So then - who did? Things have been set up so that there's only one other person who would have access to the resources needed to make Ace's murder attempt. This person is Hu Jing herself.

Let's address the turpentine again.

Missing Turpentine

Nico had the turpentine. Nico had the turpentine because, they painted with Rose in the dress-up room. Rose left the turpentine out, unaccounted for, and does not know what happened to it. Teruko is the one who suggested that Nico stole the turpentine to begin with. Turpentine is a sticky substance with a foul odor which evaporates several hours after use - it's primary job is to be a binding agent. The turpentine was left out in dress-up room. Nico could have taken the turpentine; we however, do not know this. The turpentine, left alone by Rose in the dress-up room is, almost entirely unaccounted for. Let's assume for a moment that Nico was not actually the one to take the turpentine. Who else is capable of getting the turpentine that we would know about?

"Starch" Ball

The ball of clothing bound together by a sticky substance in the dress-up room is bound together using turpentine. This tool was used to knock both Ace & Arei unconscious for their respective murder attempt and murder. The person who made the "starch" ball got the turpentine by going to the dress-up room and finding it there. The starch ball was made shortly after this connection was made in their head. Who is an individual with a motive to clean up the leftover clothes as well as to use the turpentine to make an attempt on Ace's life? Who made this "Starch Ball"? Hu made this "Starch Ball."

This piece of evidence now suggests that the killer had to have known about and made the "Starch Ball" before Ace's murder attempt, during Day 2, after Nico and Rose painted together - so, after lunch time and before night time.

Floor Scuffs

There are scuff marks on the floor of the playground. The floor was damaged by something which scraped against it. If Arei was called out to the playground to meet with the killer, and the "Starch Ball" was used to knock Arei unconscious, then the scuffs (at the entrance of the room) would be from Arei scraping her feet against the ground in a struggle. This point of evidence now suggests that the killer had to be aware of the "Starch Ball" in order to knock Arei unconscious.

Missing Tape

This is the biggest killer of theory IV. Actually, this is the biggest killer of any theory which doesn't suggest that Eden killed Arei. Eden took the tape - almost unambiguously. We know that Teruko was close to Ace, and that Ace was close to Teruko, and that Eden was directly behind the two of them, and that Eden has a container which she could immediately hide the tape in. Not only does this interrupt the how of the case, because we know need to know how the murder could be set up if Eden did not kill Arei but we also need to know why - why take the tape to begin with?

Here's a suggestion: Somebody was stalking Eden. Somebody had reason to care about where she was. Eden, if she used the tape to set up Arei's murder, was already planning on grabbing it to begin with. By being put in a place and time where she was set to grab the tape, she was always going to find Ace's body first. Eden was asked to grab the tape so that she would find Ace's body.

Hu Jing

Let's review.

We're assuming the following:

The victim is Arei Nageishi.

Arei died in the playground.

Arei died during the morning after 7:30 AM and before 8:00 PM.

Arei died by having her neck snapped.

The party stalking Eden was the one to write the note framing Eden

Hu set up the murder mechanism which was used to make an attempt on Ace's life

Hu went to clean up the old clothes left behind in the dress-up room and found the turpentine left over from Nico & Rose's painting session.

Hu created the "starch" ball.

Hu knew where the tape was, because she set up the murder

Hu asked Eden to collect the tape so that Eden would discover Ace's body.

Now, there is one pretty major flaw with this. That being, Hu has an alibi - right?

For both the morning and the night she was with someone. During the night, with Eden, and during the morning, with Nico. We discarded the possibility of anyone other than Eden having an accomplice a while ago, since only Eden has had positive relations with any of the possible combinations of murderers & accomplices so far. So, Hu couldn't do it, right?

Hu is the only one who claimed she has an alibi for the morning time. Nico did not corroborate this claim. Hu alone substantiated it. If all above is true, then, the conclusion is clear. Hu lied about her alibi.

What kind of person is Nico Hakobyan. How do they deal with all conflict? When faced with a challenge, what does Nico do? Nico runs away. Nico, avoids the problem.

If Nico were to realize that they have been unconsciously complicit in the murder plan of another person for the entire trial, and this person was someone who consistently talked over Nico, minimizing their perspective implicitly, how do you think Nico would deal with this problem? They wouldn't say a word.

Now, let's say, Hu lies about her alibi - what does Nico do? Say, someone asked Nico to collect fish from the relaxation room, which just so happened to be used in the murder? What would Nico do?

Theory Five 5 V

Hu Jing used to the turpentine and metal wire to make an attempt on Ace's life. Eden was set up to find the body. Hu Jing was following Eden because she wanted to frame Eden. During this time, she saw Eden & Arei's exchange in the infirmary. When Ace did not die because of Nico Hakobyan's interreference, Hu Jing switched targets. Hu Jing murdered Arei Nageishi. Nico Hakobyan was her unknowing accomplice during this murder. Nico Hakobyan collected the fish needed for the murder and gave her an alibi for the murder. Eden was framed for the crime using the note hidden in the trash can. Hu would have access to the tape and the turpentine. Hu would have, by this plan, be given an alibi for both the night and morning time.

What evidence is left undiscussed with this conclusion?

Missing Glove

Broken Lights

Note Spelling Errors

The latter two can be explained if the killer was in a rush while committing the crime. The first cannot. I do not have an explanation for the missing glove. It's usage is not something I understand in this case.

In (my) conclusion,

Hu Jing murdered Arei Nageishi

A pig never hopes to grow into a human, because it know a metamorphosis like that is impossible.