#like no gray area we either are or we aren’t

[androidboy]

Feel free to tell me to fuck off but I just wanted to say that I hope you find peace and happiness. Relationships with PTSD and disabilities are so complicated and I understand worrying that you might never find a sense of comfort or safety with another person again. It's not my place to offer advice, but I just wanted you to know that I get it and I'm silently hoping that you find a way to navigate this that's healthy for you, whatever that means. Again, sorry if this is weird from some rando on the internet

no i appreciate it ❤️ i decided that when she gets back i tell her (in a way nicer way than this) that she sucks at open relationships and i need to feel like i’m on steady ground and i’d like her to be a part of that but we either go exclusive or break up

like literally since ive made up my mind about this my head has felt so much clearer. i am already kinda mourning the relationship tho like i wish i could see us moving forward bc there’s so many things i still want to experience with her but the way we’ve nosedived i don’t think it’s gonna happen

[etfrin]

❝ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ❞ — chapter twenty-three | coriolanus snow

「ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:」 NSFW | coriolanus snow, canon typical violence, canon typical death, oral sex (m. receiving), implication of committing murder | lmk if I forgot anything

「ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ:」 young! Coriolanus Snow x fem! Reader

「ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:」 coriolanus gets more blood on his hands, he also gets his cock sucked.

「ᴀ/ɴ:」 two more exams to go!! can't wait for it to finish! Make sure to reblog and give your feedback! <33

beta read by the birthday girl @nowitsmissing

masterlist | navigation

The next days of Coriolanus Snow are spent in constant paranoia. He avoided you and refused to make eye contact. He was simply so afraid of what was going to happen. Before him, you were much closer to Sejanus. Snow briefly wondered if you interacted with Sejanus because of the power his family held. But he quickly dismissed that thought. Surely you wouldn't have been so calculating since childhood.

District 12 was in chaos trying to find out what happened with Mayfair and Billy Taupe. Spruce had kept his lips sealed. However, he knew that won't be the case for long.

Sejanus Plinth would be dead. And Spruce would know exactly who is responsible. But Coriolanus thought that he would escape to the north before it happened. Lucy Gray was in a hurry too. She was the lead suspect as Mayfair was the reason she was in the games.

Today was the day the bodies were found. Rotten. It was a miracle it was hidden for so long. He had an inkling it was due to you. Because the bodies weren't found at the original place of murder but on the outskirts of District 12. People rarely go there.

The Peacekeepers were talking about it right now. Coriolanus carefully listened, trying to see if anyone had any knowledge of what had actually happened.

“They’re both locals, but one of them is the mayor’s daughter. The other one’s a musician or something, but not one that we’ve seen. They were shot dead.”

“Did they find who did it?” asked a Peacekeeper.

“Not yet. These people aren’t even supposed to have guns, but like I told you, they’re floating around out there,” another replied. “Killed by one of their own, though.”

“How do they know that?” asked Sejanus.

‘Shut up!’ thought Coriolanus. Knowing Sejanus, he could be one step away from confessing to a crime he didn’t even commit.

“Well, she said they think the girl was shot with a Peacekeeper’s rifle, probably an old one that got stolen during the war. And the musician was killed by some sort of shotgun the locals used for hunting. Probably two shooters,” Smiley reported. “They searched the surrounding area and couldn’t find the weapons. Long gone with the murderers, if you ask me.”

Coriolanus’s nerves unwound a bit, and he ate a forkful of pancakes. “Who found the bodies?”

“That little girl singer — you know, the one in the pink dress,” said Smiley.

“Maude Ivory,” said Sejanus.

“I think that’s it. Anyway, she freaked out. They questioned the band, but when would they have had time to do it? No guns were found, no prints either,” Smiley told them. “Shook them up pretty good, though. I guess they knew the musician guy somehow or other.”

Because of the past night’s events, the commander locked down the base for the day.

He and Sejanus floated around, trying to look normal. Playing cards, writing letters, cleaning their boots. As they knocked the mud from the treads, Coriolanus whispered, “What about the escape plan? Is it still on?”

“I’ve no idea,” Sejanus said. “The commander’s birthday isn’t until next weekend. That was the night we were supposed to go. Coryo, what if they arrest an innocent person for the murders?”

‘Then our troubles are over’, thought Coriolanus, but he only said, “I think it’s highly unlikely, with no guns. But let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Coriolanus came into your room that night. Ready to confess his sins and come clean. His mouth went dry when you opened the door. Your lips stretched into a lazy grin. “Hi, Coryo,” you said, as your hand was on the shirt, getting a grip on the fabric to pull him inside of the room.

“What did you do?” you asked him as you pushed him down onto the bed. You stood at the side, towering over him. Your arms crossed in front of your chest.

“I- I didn't do anything,” he said, “I missed you.”

You raised your eyebrows. “You fucked up. Real or not?”

“Real,” he muttered.

“Worse than murder?”

Coriolanus winces.

“Do you care about Sejanus?” He asked, hoping that the answer would be in his favor. He could feel his palms sweating, and he pressed his hands onto the sheets.

“No.”

Coriolanus blinks in shock. “No?” He questions, visibly confused, “But- but-”

“Is this about you sending the jabberjays to Dr. Gaul?”

Coriolanus managed a nod. In truth, he had suspected you would find out as Dr. Gaul seems to trust you. Which was one of the main reasons he wanted to come clean beforehand.

You let out a harsh chuckle, “Yeah, Dr. Gaul told me to keep an eye on the boy. I told her he murdered innocent citizens who were against the rebellion. You presented a death warrant to her, I signed it.”

You eye Coriolanus with a smirk. “You should know you can't keep secrets from me, baby,” you shake your head, “I don't know why you try when it's so obvious.”

“Sejanus Plinth and Spruce, the leader of the rebellion, will be dead soon. No need to worry about them, Coryo. Good job, Dr. Gaul is impressed, she sees your potential even more so than before.” you add.

“Is there anything else or…?”

Your eyes turn lustful as you begin to slowly check him out. His heart starts to beat faster, his blood rushing downwards. A tent quickly forms in his pants. It was from your heated gaze alone.

You tease him with a smile, “You're such a boy.”

“Shu- shut up! It's on you- it's because you're looking at me like that,” he whispered.

“Like what?”

“Like you'll eat me up,” he replied.

“That's the plan,” you whispered, as you went on your knees in front of him.

He lets out a desperate, needy noise at the sight. You looked so pretty like this. He spreads his legs, making up space for you. You bite your lip in anticipation. Your mouth salivating for his taste.

“Holy shit, dove,” he whines when your hand presses into his bulge. You palm him through his pants.

“So needy,” you murmur. “Do you want my mouth on you that bad?”

“Yes,” he gasps out, willing to beg. “Please.”

“That's a good boy.”

You unzip his pants, dragging them down around his knees. His dick is strained against his boxers. A wet spot on the fabric. It was clear how much pre-cum he was leaking. It was pathetic too. But you didn't blame him for it. You pressed your thumb on his clothed tip, and gently slid your fingertip back and forth, letting his sensitive slit feel the slick texture of the fabric.

“Fuck,” he curses, “Don't tease me.”

“I am not teasing,” you lie.

You pull his boxers down, letting his cock spring free from its confines. The tip is red, the veins on his length popping out, just waiting to be traced with your tongue. You don't let a second go to waste as you let yourself lick his slit. You hold his cock by the base, as you make sure to enjoy his taste like it's a lollipop.

You lick all over, slathering his cock with your saliva. You make sure to trace his veins before you find your way back to his tip. You take his cockhead inside the warmth of your mouth. Coriolanus groans, it took him an iron of will not cum right then and there.

You slowly take more of his length inside and he lets out a whimper. His hand rests on your head, trying so hard not to pull you forward and make you choke on his cock like you were supposed to.

His free hand fists the sheet, as he bites his lower lip to stop a groan from escaping. He could feel that he was getting close to snapping. “Fu-fuck,” he lets out, “Dove… that's so good.”

You continue to suck his cock. You hollow your mouth and he lets out a whimper, his hips bucking up. His cockhead reaches the back of your throat. Surprisingly you don't choke. With a moan of your name, Coriolanus could feel himself cum inside of your mouth.

You taste his salty, thick cum. Letting it coat on your tongue, some of it escapes from the corner of your lips. You pull away as his cock softens and wipe your mouth.

You sit down beside Coriolanus who is trying to catch his breath. He tucks himself in. “Thank you,” he said, “that was good.” You smile at him. Your hand on his cheek. You caress his face.

“You needed to relax, after all, you need to have more blood on your hands,” you said, your smile turning cruel.

“Lucy Gray?” He questions.

“Lucy Gray,” you confirm.

Coriolanus nods, “Yeah, I understand. She will be the only witness left except us.” Coriolanus takes a deep breath. “We'll need to find a way.”

“Let Sejanus die first. I can stay here for a few more days. I'll help you figure it out.”

Coriolanus agrees with you and turns to leave. Before you shut the door, you say to him,

“I was only friends with Sejanus because of you. Because you seemed to be close to him and I wanted to be closer to you.”

After everything, that's not a surprise to him. Though he feels his heart flutter. He falls asleep on his bed with a stupid, lovesick smile, momentarily forgetting about how red his hands are.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

The next day Coriolanus was instructed to stand in a squad flanking the hanging tree. Coriolanus knew why. He had already seen Spruce being dragged into the base. Likely to be tortured for information. Coriolanus knew he was protected by you, so there wasn't much to worry about. Sejanus has been missing since morning. He knew what that meant. Dr. Gaul had nailed his coffin.

The Peacekeeper van arrived and both Sejanus and Lil stumbled out in their chains. Sejanus Plinth was accused of treason. He was caught.

Arlo, an ex-soldier toughened by years in the mines, had managed a fairly restrained end, at least until he’d heard Lil in the crowd. But Sejanus and Lil, weak with terror, looked far younger than their years and only reinforced the impression that two innocent children were being dragged to the gallows. Lil, her shaking legs unable to bear her weight, was hauled forward by a pair of grim-faced Peacekeepers who would probably spend the following night trying to obliterate this memory with white liquor.

As they passed him, Coriolanus locked eyes with Sejanus, and all he could see was the eight-year-old boy on the playground, the bag of gumdrops clenched in his fist. Only this boy was much, much more frightened. Sejanus’s lips formed his name, Coryo, and his face contorted in pain. But whether it was a plea for help or an accusation of his betrayal he couldn’t tell.

The Peacekeepers positioned the condemned side by side on the trapdoors. Another tried to read out the list of charges over the shrieks of the crowd, but all Coriolanus could catch was the word treason.

He averted his eyes as the Peacekeepers moved in with the nooses, and he found himself looking at Lucy Gray’s stricken face. She stood near the front in an old gray dress, her hair hidden in a black scarf, tears running down her cheeks as she stared up at Sejanus.

As the drumroll began, Coriolanus squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could block out the sound as well. But he could not, and he heard it all. Sejanus’s cry, the bang of the trapdoors, and the jabberjays picking up Sejanus’s last word, screaming it over and over into the dazzling sun.

“Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!”

Sejanus Plinth is dead.

It's Lucy Gray's turn now.

NEXT PART

[toxicanonymity]

Can you do manhandling Joel, like him throwing her around and also keeping her from trying to escape bc he's too horny to wait and either Tommy or someone is in like the next room or the garage or just outside the door and she's super worried that they're gonna be seen but he has his way with her anyway even though she's trying to fight him off😅🥵

Picnic Table

750 | horny!Joel x reader

SUMMARY: Free Use -> manhandling. Tommy and Maria are on their way over, but Joel is determined to get it in.

A/N: the Joel & Reader from Free Use but can read standalone).

WARNINGS: I8+ dubcon/noncon (read ask) manhandling, PIV sex in public, light degradation/humiliation. unedited

You’re having Tommy & his wife over for a Barbecue and wearing a long flowy sun dress.  You’ve finished getting ready for them to come over and take a moment to relax in a lounge chair in the backyard.  Joel creeps up behind you and kisses you on the head, slides one of his hands into your dress to cup a breast.  “Mmm,” he says, and squats down next to you.  

Joel says, “Know what we forgot to do? Put out the tablecloth and stuff.”  When you’re both finished at the picnic table, he sits down and says, “Alright, now we can relax”  and pats his lap.  

You sit on his lap side-saddle and the edge of your thigh can feel he’s hard.  He forcefully pulls your ass further into his lap, grinding you against his manhood like you’re a toy.  

“Joel, they’ll be here any minute.  . .” 

“Tommy’s always late,” he says.  “Only take a minute.”

This always feels like gray area in your free use agreement.  You don’t mind and even enjoy when he uses your body, but you’re not comfortable with sex in public and he really pushes your boundaries sometimes.  It turns you on, but if you ever got caught, you’d never be able to go in public again.  You’d be too embarrassed.  Joel, on the other hand, doesn’t care.  He’d probably be proud.  Still, his desperate horniness has you tingling between the legs. 

Only take a minute, he says . . .hmm . . . “Promise?”

“C’mere.”  He manhandles you into straddling him.  You’ll probably have bruises.  It’s no use, you stop resisting.  Hopefully it really does only take a minute.  He unbuckles his belt, takes out his hard cock. 

“Fix your dress for me like a good girl,” he says.  You make it so you aren’t sitting on your dress, it falls in front of his knees and on top of his lap and covers both of you where it counts.  He fingers your dripping pussy and rubs his hard cock along it.  

Then you hear a car park in front of the house.  

“That’s them.”  You try to get up, but he forces you down.  His hands are huge and he’s so much stronger than you are.  He lets you stand up only enough to get enough clearance for him to find your entrance with his cock, which he does.  Then he forces you down on it almost all the way.  You gasp as he impales you and you hear Tommy’s car door open.   

“Joel, I’m sorry,” you try really hard to stand up.  You’re squirming against his strength.  He wraps his arms tight around you and pulls you down full-force on his cock and sighs in relief as he does it.  It feels amazing, you feel so full, you love how tight his arms are around you, but you’re uncomfortable and afraid.    

“Not done,” he growls.  He rocks you on top of him and God, it feels good, but no, no, this is bad, Tommy is walking up the driveway and will surely come around the house.  

“Joel please,” you squirm again.  “Whatever you want later, I promise.” 

“No shit,” he says.  “And whatever I want right now.” 

“He’s right there! Let me up!”

“Not ‘til I’m tricklin’ down your thigh, baby. Stop fightin’ and it’ll be over soon.”  

Tommy comes around the side yard, sure enough, and Joel stops rocking you the way he was, but can’t let you out of his lap.  Tommy comes right up to the picnic table.  You rest your head in the crook of Joel’s neck and say “We were just resting.”  

Tommy doen’t seem to buy it, he smirks but lets it go.  

“Yeah,” Joel says.  “After settin’ the table.  Mind grabbin’ the beers from the garage?  There’s a cooler of ice in the kitchen for ‘em.”  

“Sure bro,” Tommy says knowingly.  As soon as he turns around, Joel starts manhandling you on his cock, thrusting up into you as he moves you with one arm tight around you and a big hand on your hip.  You twitch and tighten around him, but don't quite come. Then, finally he erupts inside you with a barely audible grunt and breathes a sigh of relief through his nose. 

“Alright, baby.  Now you can go.”  

You hover over his lap for him to put his dick away, then stand up fully and feel the warmth trickle down your thigh.  A few drops of cum have dribbled onto Joel’s shorts from where you hovered, but he doesn’t care at all.  He’ll wear it proudly.  

-

[lemonmatronics]

THE POPPY PLAYTIME CHAPTER 3 TRAILER IS SOOO!,?!.?.!.

What a great treat to wake up to—Excuse me while I go insane and spill some thoughts, reactions, theories, and predictions below please

ahem

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SO LIKE FIRST OFF this chapter is gonna fuck, like this looks SO good holy shit

The setting and environment looks amazing but also the new hands mechanic along with the mask ohhhh this is gonna be FUN

Okay rambling about screenshots I took time

First off the environments look great, holy wow

The house itself looks kinda small so idk if that is the orphanage itself or some kind of set. Cause you can see fake sky walls around it, but like this is Playtime Co they would definitely do that to the orphanage also to give an illusion of outside. Either way it looks GREAT and I’m really excited to explore this setting

Just a nice shot of all the critters

I’m really curious if all the critters are gonna be utilized somehow. We know about Catnap and Dogday already, especially after the trailer itself. Though there was also the footage of Bobby running down the hall, looking like a normal plushie, and possibly seeing Hoppy in the trailer too. (I’ll touch on that later)

New Poster

Definitely looks like some company propaganda to try and keep kids from being afraid of CatNap. Judging by the files we got before looks like the results were a mixed bag. Considering the gas is there in the poster it’s definitely a company only poster, not something they could sell outside. They manipulated this kids so bad man :(

A CLEANER LOOK OF THIS THING,,,

THATS A SKELETON COMING OUT OF PUGAPILLAR’S MOUTH…Like that’s just straight up human remains.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen that before in this game. Like blood yeah plenty but BONES? They’re definitely amping things up for this chapter and I’m 100% here for it.

Besides that there’s a ton of plushies and such stabbed onto this weird thing. Is it a shrine? It doesn’t look like it could really move tbh, and if it was meant to be alive those parts aren’t doing anything to help it.

This poor mf

I’ve seen a lot of people speculate this is DogDay, which is a valid guess, but tbh my first thought was Hoppy. You can tell they have long droopy ears, which lines up with both candidates to me. Though I think the ears look a bit slimmer than what Dog Day’d would be, plus the angle on the head looks more like they’re dropping from the top of the head rather than the sides. I feel like if this was DogDay the whole head silhouette would be different because of the ears, which makes me lean towards Hoppy more.

I know her toy gives her long pointed up ears, but going off art and animation her ears can definitely fold

So I don’t think it’s out of the question that as a Bigger Bodies being her ears could fold over like that, especially while stuck like this.

Now I could be the one wrong here but I really think this is Hoppy. Won’t know until the game itself though so, I won’t treat either as divinities yet. It could just as easily be the case everyone else is right and it is DogDay, there’s evidence for that as well (Again, I’ll touch on that later).

So much happened here where do I even start

Obvious out the bat I guess, Kissy Missy is back!! And looks like Poppy isn’t ditching us alone either! Man I cannot tell it Poppy is good or not at this point, gray area? Trailer dialogue definitely sounded like she was supporting us.

“We’re coming! Just hold on!”

It’s really nice seeing Kissy back, really excited to see how she’s gonna help and play into this. I’ve been on the stance that she’s good ever since she helped in chapter 2 so this is really cathartic for me lmao.

As for what Poppy says here I found it interesting, like really interesting. Like, hearing it the first time made me think she casually confirmed something massive interesting. Granted, actually thinking about it longer, it could mean something else entirely. But was that the whole point?

“What’s happening down here is bigger than all of us. I need you. So we can revenge on those monsters who’ve tortured you, who’ve tortured us.”

“Those monsters who’ve tortured you”

Now, once I thought about it this is most likely referring to the literal monsters in the factory. Huggy, Mommy, CatNap, so on and such. But that’s not what my initial assumption was.

When Poppy referred to “monsters”, by first thought was the people working at the factory. I thought she said people at the factory tortured us.

I thought she confirmed that we’re a toy.

Once I thought about it longer, it doesn’t actually confirm that. But what if that’s the entire point? A double meaning line?

Now the player being a toy theory is something that’s been around since chapter 1, a theory I’ve fully stood by since then and still do. I like to think that’s why our character is completely silent, we’re a toy that can’t speak. Mute toys is something we’ve seen plenty of in the factory, more so than toys that actually talk. (Unless you count stuff like the Smiling Critters cartoon or the cardboard cutouts, but I’m talking purely living beings here.)

So while this doesn’t confirm the theory, this line is definitely throwing wood into the fire for me.

DogDay

Wether or not the chained Bigger Body above us DogDay or Hoppy, we have it confirmed here that DogDay is featured heavily in this chapter as an enemy. Again, I really wonder if the other Smiling Critters will show up as threats as well. Maybe a mixed bag of good and bad critters. If the chained up Bigger Body is DogDay, I wonder why he chases us after we assumingely set him free.

One note I’ll give that is to evidence for the chained bigger body being DogDay is that in the thumbnail you can see a shackle on his wrist

His arms are also long and lanky, which is why I won’t completely rule out it possibly being him there. It’s just as possible that it is him, both feel very plausible to me.

Though looking at the game footage, I’m not sure if can can see anything on his wrists. Additionally his arms look much wider than the one in thumbnail.

Additionally, the DogDay in the thumbnail looks so much like a…mascot suit? You can see seams and stitches all over him. Even other Bigger Bodies don’t look like that. Which is something I wanna give its own post to to figure deeper on.

So is this even the same DogDay at all?

It’s not completely out of the question there could be multiple DogDays, though that begs the question, what about other Smiling Critters? What about other toys as a whole?

Here’s my prediction on it. One Bigger Bodies experiment, and then there’s smaller ones approximately the size of their normal toys.

I think the DogDay in the thumbnail is a result of the Bigger Bodies testing, and the one actually chasing us is just a smaller more “normal” DogDay.

But if that’s true then it begs the question, what about other critters? We’ve seen a smaller Bobby before, does she also have a Bigger Bodies version?

Do they all have a Bigger Bodies equivalent?

Is there still a normal CatNap?

Again, all speculation but this chapter especially is really tickling my brain.

And finally we’ve got the man of the hour

Man he is so much lankier than I thought he would be. That definitely explains why his face was so high up on that one cam footage though. Here I was thinking he’d be bulky!

There isn’t too much to say here other than CatNap is definitely gonna be an imposing threat, and I’m very excited to see him in game. So far we’ve mainly seen him through silhouettes, and light peeks at small portions of his design. Seeing him better is game is gonna be a thrill and I’m so ready for it!

Additionally, just for the sake of adding on, we’ve seen these posters apparently from overseas get spread around lately

Both of these definitely look like they’re meant to be company only posters, ones you’d find in the schooling and orphanage areas.

The left poster telling kids to go inside right away when recess is up, nothing super deep here. Just a peek at the schooling that had here, and that these kids had their lives completely contained within the factory.

The second poster is CatNap telling Huggy to go to sleep, another attempt at convincing children CatNap isn’t dangerous. If Huggy is fine they will be too, right?

Anyways that’s my initial thoughts and reactions right after watching the trailer. VERY excited about this game, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to brainstorm on my own over a game like this so I’m really looking forward to what this chapter has to give.

[what-even-is-thiss]

A lot of things we think of as “religions” aren’t things you like… identify with.

Statistically speaking most peoples main experience with religion involves either Christianity or Islam. Two religions that require only sticking to their system and that anyone can convert to and have historically gone to war with people that do their religion slightly differently than they do

And while many other religions have similar situations, Sikhism aka Sikhi is another universalizing monotheistic religion for example but a lot of religions are either linked to one’s ethnicity or are entirely circumstantial.

A lot of people perform various religious or spiritual practices related to Taoism and follow their lives based on its philosophy but most of them wouldn’t consider themselves “Taoists” because to them that indicates specifically a Taoist priest or monk. Many people are specifically Buddhists but you can be a Buddhist and other things. Or you can follow various Buddhist religious and spiritual practices and not consider yourself to be a Buddhist. Shintoism and various other highly localized spiritual practices are in a similarly gray area. Anyone can follow Shinto practices or visit Shinto shrines but does that make it a universalizing religion? Idk. Most people that frequent Shinto shrines are probably also doing other things and don’t really care.

And even within exclusive religions things get blurry. A lot of old folk religion gods got reworked into being saints. I was raised by a person who follows zen Buddhism for their spiritual needs and as a result I still incorporate aspects of that practice into my life even though I’m a Christian. There’s atheist witches and Jewish omnists (and I know people who fit both of these examples) there’s people that are religious but not spiritual and there’s people that are spiritual but not religious and there’s people who if you ask them what their religion is they’ll just shrug and keep doing whatever.

Human spiritual practice and belief is… weird. It’s open to infinite types of possibilities. You can get as weird or as orthodox as you like with it in any direction. Results will be mixed.

[dontbesoweirdkira]

Mafia Trilogy !Yandere¡

Ranked On Insanity

A/N: This is purely my opinion on them. We all interpret their characters differently so don’t come at me if you don’t like their placements. I’m trying to be kind of accurate to their characters but also do fan service…I’m stressed so plz 😪

Requests open: 24/7

Warnings: Yandere and toxic themes.

Masterlist

I’m ranking them in three different categories…

Delulu to not as delulu

Batshit and completely delusional

These are the men who are at the point of no return….They are willing to do anything to get you at any cost. I do not say this lightly like I mean they are willing to do anything

My boy John has the entire c.i.a. at his very disposal and you think he won’t use it to find you??? He’s going to get you. Sam will too,, He’ll send out multiple men to come hunt you down if you even dare to hide from him. They do not give a flying duck if you don’t even have romantic interest in them, you are their darling. That’s the end of discussion.

Whatever they want you to do, you’re going to do it. There’s no rationalization with these two. Lincoln and Tom give them all the talks they want but they will not listen. Pushed to the brink enough and their friends are not safe either from their delusional thinking.

You already saw what Sam did to Paulie…imagine what he’d do for his darling. Not the ideal men for normal girls. You will be tormented every single step of your relationship with either one of these men.

No effort is made to hide their sinister behaviors and your eyes will bear witness to their horrific atrocities. If you push them too far they might even harm you eventually. There is no escaping or telling what their insanity will make them do.)

Sam Trapani

John Donovan

Pretty fucking crazy but is in a weird gray area between the other two

They are in the middle. Paulie is already an irrational brute and Vito is a traumatized Soldier, so they are definitely operating weirdly.

They both have similar desires of wanting a partner but have been dealt an unlucky hand when it comes to dating so when you came along…they couldn’t let you go. Their obsession comes from a place of codependency..they need you sooo badly and they cannot go back to their old cold life without you.

They really do care about their darling, truly. They’ll do whatever they can to organically win over your love and trust. Sure they will be super touchy, maybe a little too bossy or over protective of you but they mean well… they truly want to be the “chill bf” but who are they kidding??? They are cray cray in the membrane.

At any moment they can and will snap…their delusions will get the best of them if pushed to that point. If they feel like you’re going to leave or are constantly rejecting them, they will do a full 180 and turn into the previous bunch. They are extremely accusatory and feel like you’re constantly trying to cheat or leave them. Tons of arguments and unsavory punishments.

I can’t say they’d do exactly all the same things as the previous much like they’d never physically hurt you or make you watch their crimes but they are damn near close to being like them…

Paulie Lombardo

Vito Scaletta

Average Mafia Member

These men are still very much Yandere and are willing to kill and fuck shit up for you but aren’t as delusional as the rest. Like on average people terms they are very yandere but in comparison to other members of the mob…eh.

I know this is going to piss hella people off but I can’t imagine any of these three holding you against your will or being overly passionate about their darling.

Your safety comes first and they are more go with the flow kind of men. Especially Lincoln and Tommy, despite their desires, your wishes come first. Joe is just Joe, he cares a lot about you but on average he’s like fuck it…it’s your life girl-. Forced intimacy and everything isn’t their thing.

If you really weren’t romantically feeling them they’d just become platonic yanderes and make sure you’re safe from a distance. If any moment you changed your mind they’d be right there waiting to give you the world but if not they really won’t do too much about it. These men would have to have been romantically invested in you for years for them to snap and become like the rest .)

Tommy Angelo

Lincoln Clay

Joe Barbaro

[mywitchyblog]

The Reality of Age-Changing in the Shifting Community: A Response to the Hypocrisy

I wanted to answer by reblogging their post, and the one made by @starenthusiasttraveler its deleted i think) :

but I couldn’t, so let me lay it out here. The post explains the controversy brewing over on Reddit and certain Discord servers, where mods are basically playing shifting police, accusing anyone who age-changes in their Desired Realities (DR) of being predatory or, even worse, a pedo. But let’s break this down, because this argument is rooted in a massive misunderstanding of what reality shifting actually entails, and honestly, it reeks of holier-than-thou hypocrisy.

These gatekeepers are trying to claim that anyone who shifts to a younger version of themselves, no matter the reason, is automatically indulging in harmful behavior. Meanwhile, they’re perfectly fine with people aging themselves up just to live out sexual fantasies. The double standard here is laughable, and it’s time to shut it down for good.

The Hypocrisy of Age-Changing Policing

As I mentioned, these people are okay with shifters aging themselves up to 30 or 40 just to get involved in sexual relationships, but the second someone says they’ve shifted back to when they were 16, suddenly it’s a crime. For example, if someone is 20 years old now but keeps shifting back to the DR where they were 16 and living out their Hogwarts fantasy, these gatekeepers will label them as some kind of predator. But guess what? That’s hypocritical as hell.

Shifting up for sex? Fine. Shifting down to relive your youth or have an innocent romance? Suddenly you’re a problem? That’s pure moral panic, and it’s based on fear, not facts. The reality is, age-changing isn’t inherently harmful. As I’ve discussed in-depth before in this post, when you shift to a younger version of yourself, you’re not bringing your “adult mind” with you. You become fully immersed in that version of yourself, meaning your mindset, emotional maturity, and life experience align with the age you’re shifting to. You aren’t walking around in your DR thinking, “I’m actually 23 with all my life experiences” while interacting with people of that age. You’re 16 in your DR, and you live like it.

The Intent Behind Age-Changing Matters, Not the Act Itself

For the last fucking time: Not everyone who age-changes is doing it out of a desire to sexualize, exploit, or fetishize youth. Most shifters who age-change are doing it because they want to relive experiences, heal from trauma, or explore life from a different perspective. Intent matters. As I’ve previously written about in this post here, there’s a huge difference between someone scripting a harmful, predatory dynamic and someone who’s simply revisiting their teenage years to heal or explore. It’s not black and white—it’s nuanced as hell.

Shifting isn’t some Manichean concept where everything is either good or evil, “black or white.” It’s subjective, personal, and exists in the gray areas of ethics. Sure, are there people who might shift for more perverse reasons? Unfortunately, yes. But they are about as common as those who shift to bang their family members (yup, that happens, too). As I’ve pointed out before in this post, the issue isn’t the act of age-changing—it’s the intent behind it. If someone’s intentions are pure—whether they’re shifting to relive their youth, heal trauma, or just explore life in a different stage—then there’s no ethical issue. It’s when someone is using age-changing for predatory purposes that the line gets crossed.

The "One Reality" Mentality: Closed-Minded and Problematic

These Reddit and Discord mods are operating under a very dangerous and closed-minded assumption: that the rules and ethics of our Original Reality (OR) must apply across all realities. They’re acting like OR is the “one true reality,” and that all DRs have to abide by the same moral codes we follow here. That’s just not how shifting works. Shifters know that different realities operate under different rules, and trying to police them based on OR norms is narrow-minded at best. As this post on Tumblr explains in detail here, when you shift into a different reality, you aren’t bringing your OR moral compass with you. You’re living by the rules and norms of that DR.

So the idea that anyone who shifts to a younger version of themselves in a DR is somehow committing an ethical violation based on OR standards is just ridiculous. They’re not “exploiting” youth—they’re fully embodying that age and experiencing life through that lens. These mods are policing shifters from a “one reality” mindset that’s completely out of sync with how shifting actually works.

For those who wish to know what aging yourself for predatory or exploitive reasons actually looks like i reccomend my post :

So, you can check it out, but yeah, an adult aging themselves down and having a romantic or sexual relationship in their DR (Desired Reality) doesn’t automatically make them pedophiles in this reality. The intent and the reasons behind it vary greatly from person to person.

It can only be judged on a case-by-case basis.

I think the Reddit and Discord moderators are misguided in assuming that everyone who has a significant other in their DRs, where they are minors, is automatically "weird." That’s a fallacious way of thinking. There are many nuances to consider, and it’s not fair to paint everyone with the same brush.

P.S.: To touch on what @starenthusiasttraveler mentioned at the end (in parentheses), people tend to underestimate the total immersion of reality shifting. It is so intense that when you first shift, you won’t even realize it immediately.

Living and existing in your DR feels completely normal, casual even, because in that reality, you've always existed there. Then, something���a person, an event, or even an object—will trigger the realization that you’ve shifted. And even then, you won’t feel like you came from another reality; you just know that there is a different version of yourself in another reality.

So no, there’s no "consciousness retention" nonsense or anything of the sort. Some of you anti-age changers (who are total hypocrites, by the way) don’t fully grasp how real and immersive shifting actually is.

[mr-damian-s-power]

Sorry I did not mean for this to be this long.

I have two, both relating to the worldbuilding. This one is about how the visual aspect fails and the other is the written aspect, but they boil down to this: The Boiling Isles is the most bland, boring ass ‘dark’ fantasy world I’ve ever seen.

First off, even in the background it never really feels like fantasy world, maybe just a historic district with Halloween decorations.

The woods are just regular woods in autumn, Bonesborough is just a standard medieval/renaissance town with some eye and teeth iconography. The only time I felt we were in actual fantasy world was that brief scene in Latissa, the buildings look like they’re made of flesh, there’s pustules acting as street lights, the overview shots are far more natural and feel like they belong in the environment. The colors are dark yet vibrant, and it gives off a spooky, kind of Halloween-Town feel. I love that!

But we literally spend 98% of the time in Bonesborough, whose colors are predominantly shades of muted blues, grays and whites, and overall it feels too empty and tidy, like it’s not really a place where people have lived and worked for centuries at the very least. Yeah it has doors with eyes on them or roof races in the shape of teeth, but imho, they showed that one shot in the first episode and never lived up to it again, only harking back on it slightly for occasional ‘character observing the area’ shots.

Honestly I thought the Collector-controlled Isles were far prettier and more fantastical. Part of this I think is due to the artstyle, especially with the character design, bold, vibrant colors work better. And a lot of scenes just have such cold, impersonalable backgrounds. They don’t even have to be some eye-bleeding color explosion, just…not gray. There are some cartoons that have gray and muted backgrounds but they work with their art style.

And the woods aren’t much better. We seemingly only get ‘oh right, dangerous fantasy world would have scary woods’ when it’s plot convenient, but otherwise? It’s just more muted colors in a honestly pretty sparse forest. They apparently originally wanted far darker colors but it melted together too much so they opted for ‘bloody red’. I’m sorry but go look at the woods and tell me in what world is that a crimson color?

I know there’s a lot of crap that goes on behind the scenes and that with backgrounds and environments it’s especially difficult because you don’t want to muddy it up or distract the audience but I think that Latissa is a good example of how to do it right, it’s simple yet feels like it’s it’s own place with history and environment. Just a few bolder colors, make it more cramped and claustrophobic, that kind of thing.

The other thing with the environmental storytelling part of it is Dana took inspiration from Heirymonous Bosch’s paintings of Hell and illuminated manuscripts, and I just don’t get the feeling at all with the Isles we see for the majority of the show.

The second of far more agregous in my mind.

It’s seemingly stuck in the middle of wanting to be ‘like Earth but with magic’ and ‘ooh look at how different and inhospitable it is!’ For a world that’s supposed to be filled with monsters that will kill you for breathing and just stepping outside is risky to your life, the characters seem able to galavant about both civilization and wilderness without a care.

We get all these little asides in the first season about how they have boiling rain, skin-eating fairies, etc, but pretty much never factor into the story, and when they do, it’s either easily brushed off or used in the stupidest way. *coughBelossdeathcough* We have characters mock Luz and say she’s not strong enough to handle it, and even ignoring any Mary-Sue claims Camilla seemed to have no trouble with the more dangerous Collector Isles when she had nothing but a bat. When taking Luz’s OPness with sticky-note magic, it really neuters the dangers of the Isles, because it seems that half of the problems can be solved by being physically strong or clever with no magic required.

I am more forgiving of this, but the magic, especially near the end, went kinda off the rails in some aspects in power scaling, but also didn’t really stuck to the cooler concepts of that.

Abominations went from just creating and controlling golems to being able to craft anything with the material, yet we don’t get to see anything really big or flashy or even practical, Darius’s goo-form appears twice, making weapons or shields only happens a handful of times and it’s very quick and forgotten about(imagine if Amity went full on Mecha with abomination goo in the finale).

Bard magic can do completely OP things like control someone’s body like a puppet or change the molecular structure of something(put a pin in that) yet in the finale Raine just keeps flicking their bow across the strings to send out energy blasts and doesn’t use it to try and control things and sabotage Belos.

Illusion magic is able to dip into Oracle magic a bit and see memories, we even get a shot of Gus seeing Belos’s entire backstory yet this is never used or mentioned outside of Gus knowing Hunters a grimwalker. Even without that we see Gus can craft gigantic, in-depth illusions that can confuse and pyschologucally harm people, yet he never does this after Labyrinth Runners.

Plant magic, which in a fantasy world like the Isles would mean a number of poisons, toxins, and man-eating plants are at your disposal, and Willow’s only move is…vines. Granted, vines that seem indestructible and are able to take down things that likely wouldn’t be vulnerable to vines, but still…vines. (Which are also green despite the plant color of the Isles being red and it could e been a cool little aside for both Luz and the audience having to get used to seeing red for plants but oh well)

And the others…we don’t care about. The closet one is potions that seem to cover a wide variety of magic types(scrying potion-Oracle, Eda’s potions-Healing)and don’t need magic to do but whatever, why have Eda use her Potions upbringing to supplement her lack of magic when she can turn into a harpy and fly and..that’s kinda it.

Magic also supplements as variety of things, such as technology, and honestly? Not the biggest fan of how that was used just to give our quirky teen protagonists phones and computers-that they don’t even use that often so I don’t get why they were necessary except for ‘haha that Instagram right? Sooo relatable!’ It’s there just for asides and making the world confusing. Like how we can seen scrolls being used in Thems the Breaks, 30 years prior. Yet they seem to be only used for Penstagram, which also apparently only got updated to 2.0 during the second season, so what were they being used for before? And why is Penstagram so established if it’s that new and scrolls were used for other things before? I mean, as background jokes they used searching up disinformation and conspiracy theories and had characters not recognize any media site or conspiracy theories when using the Internet, so it might be a case of wanting their cake and eating it too.

Which is another issue that I can’t stand in isekai/other world type media. Regular human/person growing up it’s a regular human is able to reconfirm e the fantasy version of something, yet their mythical friends can’t understand that a car is like their horseless carriage.

Luz can catch on to the fact that scrolls and crystal balls are just our phones, computers and televisions but from a Halloween display, yet the witches can’t even tell what a shoe is (when they are 99% humans with pointy ears), or when one was made of mud. They refuse to accept animals or concepts that have the most basic information and dismiss Luz, like seriously, how hard is it to figure out what a paper clip is? Or that opposum are real when you know that animals like raccoons exist? Or the most annoying, there is a thing called a crow phone. We hear them call them ‘crow phones’ several times. But when Amity went to Willow for help about Luz? ‘I don’t know what this…pho-oo-on is?’

It’s done only for jokes and yeah it’s not supposed to be taken seriously but all it does is make the witches and demons seem incredibly stupid. Seriously Belos probably didn’t have to put that much effort into his campaign because apparently the residents of the Boiling Isles will accept literally anything at face value(didn’t even use that to make a point on propaganda smh).

This extends beyond the witches’ mental capacity and into ‘what exactly is this world?’ They don’t have technology above some steampunk blimps and automata, except for when they do because how else do they have modern western clothes like t-shirts and sweats? You can’t even say ‘oh it came in through a trash slug’ because Eda can literally customize and order t-shirts. In the literally the same episode, we see witches referring to the ‘four humors of the Titan’, which many people took as an idea that they have very limited medical and scientific knowledge, like no further than the 1600’s…only for Raine to be like ‘I changed its molecular structure!’ And it’s like what? How do you know what molecules are, or how to use your magic to change them in a way that just improves taste? You guys can’t figure out what a cheese grater is but you know about molecular properties?

Honestly I’d rather have a fantasy world just have phones and cars but they run on magic than this, because at least I don’t have to wonder how they know all these common modern ideas yet can’t figure out an umbrella even when someone tells them point blank.

Yeah, maybe it’ll be harder to explain an umbrella, but it’s not like the world tries to make any sense with he boiling rain thing. In fact, pretty much everything in the natural world in the show doesn’t make any sense because right when you can excuse it as ‘total fantasy, rule of cool’ it throws in something that kinda ruins it. In the case of the boiling rain, that’s not how boiling water works at all. I saw someone suggest it just being ‘stomach acid’ from all the titans’ giblets leaking into the sea, but even if we do that ‘it’s magic’ explanation of clouds heating the water up before it rains, it still has the thing of ‘if this is such a common thing, than why is anything vulnerable to it?’ Like the flora evolved and grew from the Titan, yet it doesn’t have natural protections against the rain? That leaf that Eda, Raine and King use in the finale seems to hold up fine so why isn’t all flora like this, or at least have it be part of their life cycle? On further note, why isn’t every building infused with a rain protection spell? Why isn’t there building material made to be rain resistant? Why does Eda have that magic barrier umbrella when we’re first introduced to it and never see it again. In fact, why isn’t that a thing? They have mass-produced clothing merch and stress toys yet they can’t make a push-to-activate protection spell for commercial use? It would’ve been cool to see how witches adapted and changed to the hostile environment, and far better than ‘lol like our smartphones’.

The ‘because magic’ excuse is also lame because it doesn’t even go that far or use it for crazy environments. Like the Titan is the size of Vermont, which is huge for a living being, but it is so tiny in the show. Apparently the Titan is based off of ‘the Earth is a corpse’ motif in several real mythologies but those corpses are far, far bigger, so big you can’t even recognize that it is a body. Yet several times characters get across the isles in minimal time, covering distances that shouldn’t be possible-not just in air, but on foot too. How did King and Steve get around the entire Titan in a motorcycle(even though the most advanced vehicles were steampunk airships) on dirt and cobblestone roads? How can something the size of Vermont(for reference, that’s about the size of Sardinia and Sicily and twice the size of Jamaica)be viewed in its entirety from a bird’s eye view and close enough off-shore that individual buildings can be seen? Or that it’s big enough to sustain several different biomes that are alluded to(but never seen)including a desert?

Then in the finale it’s big enough to reach into space from a prone position…yet we also see that the world is a globe. So these creatures, who were numerous and loved food, lived on a planet that was so small compared to them that they could reach into space by laying g flat and extending their arms straight up. This would’ve been a great spot for pure ‘because magic’, like the entire realm is a giant flat plane that eventually just falls off into nothingness and above the sky is like celestial heavens, but apparently not!

Also despite the fact that earlier it was stated that all landmass is made up of Titan carcasses there apparently was regular land just off shore, so close that the Titan is nearly touching it. Which from how much of the isles can be seen from just off-shore makes you wonder how nobody ever noticed that land or went over there.

There’s a lot of other things, like how abominations was said to be a good career path yet we don’t see evidence of that outside of Blight Industries which seems to be very exclusive, or that the ‘authoritarian’ government is completely laughable, but overall the isles feel like a bunch of people say around, said ‘hey wouldn’t it be cool if?’ And then added it in without any thought. But then both the show and fandom act like every aspect is some never-before-seen, not-like-other-shows star when it can’t even decide on its tone for the main setting.

You know, I was talking about this issue with a friend not too long ago. The Demon Realm loses its 'edge'. When it's introduced, they wanted to make it out like it's a dangerous place to live. There are vicious monsters around every corner, vegetables run away from being eaten, people have no qualms with harming or even killing children. Bump doesn't step in to stop Boscha from bullying Luz because it 'wasn't fatal' or something. So they clearly want to set this place up as a 'survival of the fittest' World.

But then, if they kept it this way, it would interfere with the story. You see, the Demon Realm is supposed to be a world worth saving, and the way it was initially presented isn't really that. If they kept everyone how it was, would the Day of Unity really have been THAT bad? "Hmm, is it really that bad that a bunch of bloodthirsty psychopaths are going to die?"

To achieve this, they had to really 'neuter' the Isles. Now, later in the series, a lot of the danger is just gone. Characters walk around willy-nilly with no threats around them. Where's the Witch-eating furniture? Where's the Boiling Rain? The monsters? Painbows? Gorenados? Where did they all go? Having your cake and eating it! This show's mantra!

Amphibia does a better job selling a dangerous world IMHO! There's a monster around every corner and the world is quite inhospitable, but the people are resilient and make due.

-

Ugh, yep! This is a world with 'magic technology', but the characters are still stupefied by our normal tech. This would have made sense if the Demon Realm were a low-tech medieval world, but it isn't. They want the characters to have magic phones, but still go "durr, what is this 'phone' you speak of?" It really does make the Witches look stupid if anything!

Owl House has plenty of issues with its worldbuilding! We could be here all day discussing them!

[whoaaaoaoo]

(WAY MORE UNDER CUT) (I JUST FEEL BAD POSTJNG A FUCK OFF LENGTH POST)

ok I haven’t seen any t_3 theorys yet but here’s mine

I do not trust the red text person. why? genloss has a track record (at least for now) of audience betrayal or the whole “I need to stop [other entity producing content here]” and then boom “I’m a bitch too”

for example: hetch. didn’t he hack showfall to get ranboo out? didn’t he stop the mind control in ep 3? didn’t he NEED ranboo to help him stop showfall? he was even killed off by showfall! right?

fuck no! he worked for snowfall, AND he freaking orchestrated the choice! (as far as we know) (i am aware there’s the “he was also just a kidnapped actor” theory but I’m taking it how it’s presented)

sooooo why should we trust red text? it’s the same trope - “idk what this is but I need to stop the founder” - this is the way the founder manipulates the audience!!!

even so, red text doesn’t necessarily have to be working with the founder. but who’s to say they don’t have their own motives. they could bad either way!

but then again, it could just be set up that way! BECAUSE tse had that audience betrayal, it could make it so red text is “trustworthy” (I USE THAT VERY LOOSELY) due to the fact hetch was not. either way, there’s no way the founder doesn’t know about red text. it’s the founders channel. they are probably letting this happen, and that’s IF they aren’t working with red text

despite that, genloss is a story of parallels (as far as we know, but through major themes of tse and meta stuff (ranboo yapping) I am pretty comfortable saying it is a story of parallels - the meaning of generation loss is basically VERSIONS, probably meaning same themes sprinkled throughout) and this hetch/red text thing seems like a pretty big parallel

AND genloss has been a very gray area story so far. there are definitely bad characters but no one’s really been cut and dry good. again reinforcing that red text probably isn’t trustworthy like… at all

[megan0013]

week 1 - dystopia

Arcadia’s defense systems are some of the best in the country. The walls around the town are high and sturdy, their arsenal of weapons well-stocked and diverse thanks to a successful raid on Area 49-B, and, oh yeah, they have advanced technology only aliens have ever seen before. Because there are aliens in Arcadia. And a coven of very capable witches and wizards. And a legion of gnomes that have sworn absolute fealty to The Town Council after some incredibly difficult negotiations involving dream houses, nougat nummies, and a full-time hat maker.

And there’s the Trollhunter

His warnings are the reason the citizens of Arcadia were able to defend themselves after Gunmar’s hoards had taken the east coast and started making their way west from New Jersey. Without him, they never would have built the wall in time or stockpiled munitions and non-perishable food. They wouldn’t have known anything about weak spots in gumm-gumm armor and how to take advantage of them, or the typical battle strategies the troll army employed. And they certainly couldn’t have designed the vast, complex system of tunnels and traps that had been used to obliterate whole legions in one fell swoop.

Of course, that’s probably because he’d once been a very prominent tactician in the Skullcrusher’s army.

Not that many Arcadians know this about him. His wife and stepson do, obviously, and a handful of close family friends, but to everyone else he’s just Walter – the guy who loves puns and used to teach history at the high school before everything went to hell. They don’t know he’s one of those scummy changelings or that his armor isn’t the real reason he can switch forms. And why should they? Most people have only ever seen him become a troll when Daylight is in his hand. If they want to believe his stone skin is just a byproduct of being named the Trollhunter, then so be it.

The trolls in Trollmarket, though... Well, they know exactly what he is.

It was a tough sell at first, being accepted, but gaining Vendel’s approval and introducing his small family had gone a long way in earning their respect. Draal loudly declaring he’d only had Jim for a day and half but if anything happened to him he would kill everyone in the room and then himself hadn’t hurt, either.

The few who remained wary of him eventually left for what they thought were greener pastures, or quickly changed their tune in the aftermath of Gunmar’s escape from the Darklands.

And now, after three years of successfully leading trolls and humans alike, the Trollhunter’s judgement has been called into question by his own wife.

At least, that’s what it feels like to him.

“Stalklings aren’t pets, Barbara! They are killing machines.”

Barbara, however, doesn’t look the least bit impressed by her husband’s outburst as she continues strolling through the stable of what was once a petting zoo but is now home to a clutch of brand new stalkling pups and their mother. “Just because you’ve had a few unfortunate encounters with them, doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I mean, seriously. Look at that cute little face.”

The stalkling in question does not have a cute little face. Not at all. In fact, she’s got blood-red eyes and an ugly gray head and terrifyingly large teeth.

“It literally tried to eat you at the supermarket,” Walter says, watching incredulously as Barbara takes the great winged beast’s beak into her hands for a scratch. “You still have the scar on your leg from where it bit you.”

“We surprised her, that’s all. Persephone would never hurt me on purpose. Would you, my sweet girl?”

“Persephone? You named it?” Walter huffs out a sigh, fingers going to pinch the bridge of his nose in obvious frustration. “Darling, you can’t name them. Now we’ll never be rid of it.”

Barbara raises a brow. “That’s sorta the point, Walt.”

Persephone snorts in agreement.

“And, anyway,” his wife continues with a gentle peck to Persephone’s beak, “Jim wants a vespa or a puppy for his birthday, so…”

Walter blinks.

Barbara bats her eyelashes.

Walter frowns. “That’s not a vespa, nor is it a dog.”

“Oh, no, babe. Of course, not. But since all the scooters have been stripped for parts and I’m allergic to dog hair, I thought, well,” she grins and gestures to the five pups chirping away in the corner of the stall, “these little guys might be the perfect gift.”

The Trollhunter whimpers, knowing deep down in his heart that he’s already lost this particular battle and he's about to become the proud grandfather of not one, but five baby stalklings.

“Besides,” Barbara pats his cheek before pressing a kiss to it, “he can’t have Persephone. She’s my pet.”

[catt-marp]

Zoroark Story (Part of a Medical Anthology)

My grandmother had suffered from severe dementia for years. The disease had rapidly worsened over the last couple of months, so I went to visit her in her nursing home in Nacrene City. After the staff allowed me inside, I started walking toward her room when I heard a sound I never expected; the voice of my deceased grandfather. I rushed down the hall at that sound, thinking I must have imagined it. Turning the corner and walking up to the correct door, my brain caught up and remembered my grandma’s oldest partner.

Peeking around the corner slowly revealed an elderly man with a thin mop of gray hair standing at the bedside of an elderly woman wearing large circular glasses who rested peacefully; my grandfather and grandmother. 

“Horace, you need to head out to the store and pick up��all the things written down on the list, got it? We got that bake sale coming up, after all.” 

She spoke with a strength I had not heard in ages.

“Of course, love. Is there anything else you need?” Horace asked in response. Spoken in a voice I had not heard in a decade.

“No, dear, but aren’t the flowers lovely today? Such brilliant shades of purple! We should have Jane over to see how well they’ve bloomed, don’t you think?”

There were flowers, an innumerable amount in the room, collected regularly from the countless lives this woman touched and set out by her loving family. Horace sat down in a chair at the far end of the room provided for visiting family members and placed his hand on hers. 

“Yes, my dear, they are quite lovely. Let me sit with you for a bit and then I’ll head out for those groceries, okay?”

They both passed the time in companionable silence while I stood outside the door awkwardly, unsure if I should walk in or not. She stirred a few minutes later and turned to look at where my grandfather was sitting. 

“Bridget? It’s been ages! How’ve you been, girl?”

Bridget was a lifelong friend of my grandmother and another person who, last I remembered, had been dead for decades. As if to scoff at that idea, my grandfather’s visage disappeared in a whirl of light, replaced with the body of a much younger woman. My grandmother did not seem surprised at all at this sudden change, only waiting for a response with a soft smile on her face.

“Oh, Millie, I’ve missed you too!” a light feminine voice said in response.

They continued for some time with idle chit-chat and gossip of neighbors no longer present. This included areas in town much further developed and changed than either of the two could have known. 

The conversation dragged on for some time before another comfortable silence filled the air. The younger woman continued to sit at the bedside while the older woman seemed to doze off. A ways away from Bridget, standing just outside the doorway, I tried to focus on Bridget's face. I imagined a series of complex emotions playing across her face; fear, sadness, hope, joy, despair, comfort. I blinked my eyes, turned away for a second, and looked back. All I saw this time was love. Simply love.

My grandmother jolted a bit as a sleep jerk awakened her from her doze. She turned her head a bit to look around as if lost in her surroundings, unsure. But then her eyes lit up.

“Trixie, my dear! How’d you get out of your ball, my love?”

It was like a firework went off with how excited Bridget looked upon hearing that name. Not even a tenth of a second passed before light once again filled the room and where a woman once sat, a Zoroark now stood. The Zoroark bounced in the seat before settling down near the head of the bed, planting kisses on my grandmother’s forehead and cuddling up with her while being as gentle and caring as possible. 

Trixie, of course it was Trixie. I knew the moment I saw my grandfather, but confirmation was still reassuring. The Zoroark was old, not as old as my grandmother, who started her journey later in life with her Zorua in her late 20s, but the age was showing. Her hairs were thin, with some of the black transitioning to a darker gray. Tricky though she may be, the fox was my grandmother’s oldest and closest partner. And here she was, doing what she did throughout her whole life, bringing love and joy to her best friend in the world.

My thoughts of their journey and the stories grandma told me played through my head when I noticed the fox looking up from the bed directly at me, finally picking up my scent a little better in her base form. The look was quizzical, but not all that surprised, before she spun back to my grandmother. 

I stepped away from leaning in and sat in the hallway to wait, giving them their moment. It was rare, I heard, for my grandmother to recognize the fox nowadays. If only she knew. The pain was clear enough for the old fox. 

She didn’t want to leave my grandmother’s side, but she was still a proficient battler who could support a Gym or a family member well. Initially, she had difficulty taking care of herself during the more severe episodes at the beginning of my grandmother’s worsening condition. My family worked out a deal with the nursing home that allowed her more frequent visits and allowances, given her gifts and abilities.

The noise of a clearing throat startled me out of my reverie and I glanced up to see a younger woman again. Not Bridget, though. Bridget had light brown hair and brown eyes and appeared in her twenties in the room. This woman had long black hair, teal colored eyes, and a bangle tied into her hair near the base of her head, with the rest flowing down past her hips. She appeared middle-aged and looked at me with friendly eyes, a set of bags under each. 

She moved again when I noticed her and sat down on the ground next to me, turning to chat.

“How long have you been here, Samantha?” she asked naturally, the Zoroark’s human disguise a perfect replica she had used for decades.

“Only about 15 minutes; startled me a bit when I heard grandpa before I realized…” I trailed off feeling awkward. It wasn’t like Trixie was doing anything wrong. Well, maybe, I didn't know. Don't know how I would have reacted if I heard and saw myself in the room.

She seemed to pick up on my feelings, though, and heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry if I scared you, and I’m sorry if that upsets anyone else in the family. I understand how that can be frustrating to hear, only…” she said as she lifted her fist up and tightened it in front of her. 

“I fought so hard for her, Sammy. She did the same for me, and we took care of each other for years. Thick and thin, humans like to say. That was us.” 

She pounded her fist to her chest, as if in confirmation of that fact.

She paused for a second before she continued, “I noticed something off the past couple of years before some of her caretakers explained it to me. To lose the ability to know who you are…you humans have it rough. And so do I.” 

She looked down at her fake human legs and sighed. I glanced at her face again and noticed moisture appearing at the edges of her eyes. Shock rocked through me. I had never seen Trixie cry before. I leaned into her and placed a hand on her leg in support.

Trixie jumped a bit, not expecting that physical support. She must get a lot less of it now with everything that happened. I felt her lean into me in response, and I saw a small smile on her face before it fell away.

“She deserves the world, Sammy. That and more. It isn’t fair that she has to lose it all yet still BE here. It doesn’t make any sense! Even with it explained to me over and over again, it makes me angry again and again,” she said, her frustration plain with the rise in volume of her words. “She did everything right and still– still , it came to this!”

Tears fell liberally from her face after those words escaped her mouth. I sat with her as long as she needed, a soul in need of love and comfort as much as my grandmother resting silently in her own room. 

“I will continue to do what I must, Sammy. As much as my body allows, as much as can be accommodated. Millie deserves my support. And if she sees her grandpa or one of her old neighbors or a random mailman? I will be whoever she needs.” 

She moved to stand up and supported me while I did the same. She looked at me, determination clear in her eyes.

“And when Millie sees Trixie, the Zoroark? I will bring the energy of a fox she remembers from our life together. And I will revel in it for as long as I still can. We both deserve that, don’t you think?”

She asked that last part with a smile on her face, the tears dried. I smiled as well. Who could resist, when you knew without any doubt your grandmother had her greatest protector and friend at her side in her time of need? 

“Do you want to go see her now? I will support you in any way I can, and give you the time and space you deserve as well, Sammy,” she said.

I nodded in answer as she followed with a flash and transformed back into her natural Zoroark form. Ready to assist and support, as always. She could fill the role of anyone my grandmother needed, but I knew all my grandmother ever needed was the fox. As we walked into the room, I vowed to make sure Trixie had the same love and support from myself and my family that she gave to our family her entire life when her own time came. It was only right, after all.

[justmypartner]

Based on the current episode (11x08) and the conversations and the ending scene, what are your top 3 theories about how it will end for Hailey?

From the start of the season, the possibility of Hailey leaving Chicago has been pretty high for me. 11x08 definitely made it seem like that’s the direction they’re going, so I’m thinking whatever route they choose will end with her leaving the city. For a minute I thought that this new detective was setting up a possible transfer to svu storyline, but after these past two eps I’m thinking it’s more of a setup and trial run for Jo to transfer to intelligence. These theories aren’t in any particular order because I can’t quite reconcile what I want to happen with what I think will happen, so these are just a jumble of both. I could also see some aspects of these theories overlapping.

1. Job Offer

The serial killer storyline is bound to factor into her exit. Whether it’s in a good way or a bad way is to be seen. A good way that I can see it contributing to her exit is through catching him or solving the case in some big brain way. Maybe she gets recognition for this and gets pursued for a job offer. Maybe the FBI decides to headhunt her again or maybe some other prestigious opportunity comes her way. We’ve seen that she’s struggling to find a way to move forward, and I think she would see a job offer as the best way to get a fresh start.

2. Resignation

The bad way I can see the storyline contributing to her exit is her reaching a breaking point after Voight goes off the rails. A Jay-esque style exit, she would realize she doesn’t want to deal with the gray area anymore and resign. Interviews thus far have alluded to this case bringing back the “old Voight.” With this killer being so slippery and Voight developing that bond with Noah, I think he’s going to start crossing lots of lines very soon. Hailey’s going to get dragged into it somehow and be forced to fall in line with his questionable tactics. Either she won’t fall in line or she will but at a cost, and it’ll end with her resigning and leaving the city for a new start.

3. Soul Search

This one is ultimately #upsteadforever propaganda. Hailey has been in limbo all season. We know that she’s not dealing with losing Jay, and we also know that the d word was not the closure she thought it would be. Something in the case or maybe a conversation with Jo makes her realize that she can’t keep living on autopilot. She’s forced to finally confront her feelings about everything and it makes her realize that the closure she thought she needed was not closure at all. In an effort to finally confront those things, she reconnects with Jay. Maybe via phone, maybe he comes back, or maybe she decides to go see him. Ultimately, she realizes that she has no purpose in Chicago without Jay, so she leaves the city to go and figure out what her next chapter will look like.

[zelphin124]

LCB-3: Chapter 12

Time to go away from the party, yipee! Masterpost Chapter 11 <--> Chapter 13

~o0o~

The generator was the dullest Jekyll had ever seen. M Corp was well known for their engineering and talent with machines, but this particular object in the center of this floor plan was duller than Jekyll’s will to live. It was a simple gray box with a gray hatch as a door, similarly designed to the light buttons she’d seen around the floor. From what she could tell, there was no button on top. Its color did not clash well with the red interior of the disciplinary floor, telling the doctor that it did not belong there. It was likely a machine brought inside by the demon syndicate. 

There was a small panel on the side Jatayu was facing earlier that day. Jekyll gently rested her hand on its hatch and opened it quietly, doing her best to not alert anyone of her presence. She didn’t want to talk to anyone; the goal was to get out of this hell as fast as possible. 

There were many cut wires on the other side of the panel. Most of them hung low, but some flew around, sparking whatever energy they had left out of them. There was only one intact wire, and it extended from the north side to the south, plugged into an outlet that read ‘C9’. Three of the letters were glowing, indicating that they were on. Although Jekyll wasn’t correct about her assumption of the room being similar to a chessboard, it definitely was a labeled grid of sorts. 

I3, E2, and C9 are done. Hyde glanced around the lights in the large room. B6 won’t be hard to turn on, and all we need is wherever H is. 

To Jekyll’s left, she could spot Mallo curled up on the floor, incredibly hurt. Mark was also close by, facing the figure of the mermaid just a step away from Mallo. Did… Did Mallo get free? Did Mark help her? 

She thought she was dreaming, but Jekyll spotted a similar silhouette to that of Lenore’s out in the shadows. Huh. Perhaps she and Pen traded places… 

Jatayu wasn’t too far off from the others, either. He walked in the darkness, pressing a few buttons. After the click, a series of childlike laughter filled the air, and hissing noises zoomed passed Jekyll as Jatayu threw the bombs at the mermaid figure, flying past everyone with great ease. 

The button next to Mallo and in front of Jekyll suddenly sprouted out spider-like legs made of metal from the slits Jekyll had observed earlier. It picked itself up and giggled, walking out of sight. 

What the hell are these things? Hyde narrowed her eyes. 

Jekyll shook her head and plugged the cord into the H column. Doesn’t matter at the moment. 

Hyde nodded and started counting the grid spaces on the floor. She laughed to herself, a sense of pride. Lenore should be next to the H button. Ask her to press it, and we can get out of here. 

We are using her, aren’t we? 

Yes, now call out to her. 

“Lenore!” Jekyll called out, hoping her voice would reach her coworker. “Can you look for a GRAY button and press it? Be sure that it is gray and not yellow!” 

Lenore’s silhouette stood still, turning toward Jekyll. There was a nod from her shadow. “Sure.” 

Jekyll glanced around again before giving further instructions. “It should be near the east wall!” 

“I don’t have a compass on me!” Lenore retorted in a harsher tone than usual. There was a quick breath, and her voice became calm again. “But I can decipher it is in the unlit area.” 

“Gage where the other lights are in the room and try to guess based on proximity,” Jekyll suggested. Surely, that makes sense…

Lenore’s shadow disappeared only for a moment. There was a soft click, and the cord in the generator-powered on, shooting electricity through its veins. The light lit up a good circle of the room, providing light to almost all the room. 

The mermaid came into view again, its broken-hearted eyes shaking in its pupils. There were also a few demon syndicate members, confused as ever about where they were. 

Lenore also came into view. She stared at the demon syndicate for a hot minute. He stared back at her, before scowling at her and spitting at her shoes. She did not take his action lightly and lunged for him. 

Jekyll would’ve watched if her attention wasn’t forced onto Mallo who picked up a box in front of her and pressed the top button. The boxes’ legs came out, giggling as they started to sizzle. Mallo grunted as she walked in between Mark and Lenore before chucking the bomb at the mermaid and syndicate’s location. 

The throw must’ve torn at her ligaments because as Mallo tried to reach for another bomb, she fell flat on her face. She grunted, her face turning red from embarrassment as she snapped at Mark, slowly getting back up on her feet. “Why did you run away?” 

“It’s not my problem,” Mark replied. 

“It is!” She glared at the mermaid and back at the prisoner. “It is our problem!”

“I’m going back to Dante to change my identity,” Mark started walking towards where Dante was last left, not giving Mallo the time of day. “You can’t beat the Piscine Mermaid with maracas.” 

Mallo struggled to her knees, staring at the button in front of her. “Can you at least throw the bombs at it?” 

“If I have the time.” 

“What do you mean if you have the time?!” Mallo snapped, finally standing. Something changed in her eyes; she didn’t look at Mark with full hatred anymore. However, the situation was still frustrating to her. “Just shout at Dante–” she stopped, facing south. “Dante! Change Mark’s ID! He’s running from a fight! I also need my ID switched and healed!” 

There was a pause as everyone–including the mermaid–stared south. There was a faint reply of ticking. “Which IDs?” 

“Use my extraction ticket! I need R Corp!” Mark barked. 

“I think I did pull that a bit ago, okay!” 

Mallo patted her chest to clear her throat before yelling as well. “I need a ranged weapon in my ID!” 

In a few seconds, Jekyll watched as Mark transformed into what she thought was a R Corp ID, and Mallo into one she did recognize: LCCB manager. 

The doctor watched as Mark immediately sprang into action. He hauled the bomb in front of Mallo over his shoulder, pressing its button firmly and flinging it toward the mermaid. Everyone else stood around as they watched the bomb hiss through the air, landing in the same grid square as the mermaid. 

There was a loud, low, resounding screech. All the buttons that were not thrown sprouted legs and started collecting behind the generator. They clicked their metal spider legs across the floor, paying no mind to any of the people or monsters they passed. One of the bombs got unlucky enough to be shot by Mark, sitting in place behind the mermaid as it laughed. 

Mark didn’t waste any time waiting for his party to take action. With his high speed, he lunged toward the mermaid, implanting his knee into the ground before firing multiple rounds of gunshots at its face. He stood, taking out two knives from his thigh gear, and stuck it into the mermaids' skin. 

The bullets and knives did real damage to the abnormality, but the materials faded into its skin, and it forced the creature to cry. She whimpered over her voice. “I thought… you loved me… I loved you… Why don’t you love me?” 

Mark’s only reply was a look of pure joy on his face. 

Hah… no wonder his relationship with Chesh didn’t work out… Hyde scoffed. Look at the way he scoffs at another’s pain. 

Jekyll narrowed her eyes. It’s an abnormality. It deserves to be punished. 

I doubt all of them are bad, Hyde shrugged. They could’ve been put to good use, somehow. The ones we’ve met are just… really clingy. 

Mallo adjusted the gun in her hands, clocking it with prepared bullets before she turned to Jatayu. “Can you change into a ranged ID?” It was more of a demand than a suggestion. “So we can shoot this thing; I have an idea.” 

Jatayu turned slowly toward Mallo after a long stare in Dante’s direction. Perhaps he was checking to see if the manager was okay. He nodded towards the former employee. “I’m all ears.” 

“Let’s shoot the abnormality when we are out of its range,” Mallo gestured to her gun, pointing it at the mermaid who was distracted by Mark. 

Jatayu nodded, changing into his G Corp ID. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” he smirked. “Do you think this will do?” 

Wait… we can change our own IDs at will? Jekyll stood dumbfounded, staring at Jatayu. How did he do that? 

…We could always try. Later, though. 

Mallo wasn’t impressed. “Is it ranged?” 

Jatayu outstretched his arm, aiming for the brokenhearted mermaid. “You tell me.” 

His arm shot forth two attacks of some type of energy Jekyll couldn’t describe. They blasted through the air with a static sound before burning the abnormalities’ skin. The creature shrank back, its eyes becoming dark. 

What the hell did the party do to break its spirit? Jekyll raised an eyebrow. What did I miss? 

It doesn’t matter, Hyde snapped her fingers. Let’s get out of here while we can. They got this fight in the bag. 

Jekyll shut the panel of the generator gently and turned north, her footsteps echoing softly on the red floor. 

“Jekyll! Hyde!” 

Jekyll flinched as she heard Mallo call out her name. Oh, no…

What does this selfish brat want now? Hyde narrowed her eyes. Ignore her–

Jekyll had already turned to face Mallo, staring at her with the most blank, stoic expression she could muster despite her inner turmoil. 

“I have an idea,” the woman took a step closer. “Do you have an ID that is a long-range weapon? Can you switch to it?” 

Jekyll glanced to the floor. “I do,” she replied softly. “The LCCB manager–” 

But we are not changing into it, right? Hyde’s voice was low and threatening. You need me to get out of here. 

“Dante! Switch Jekyll into the LCCB manager ID!” 

Jekyll stared up in fright, her arms outstretched to say no. Wait! I didn’t agree–

Dante’s faint voice could be heard amongst his faint flames in the distance. “On it!”

Jekyll clasped her hands over her mouth, feeling her clothes immediately shift into ones so familiar yet foreign to her. Her paintbrush shifted into a gun, and her mind became more at ease. 

Hyde, I’m so sorry–

There was nothing but a lingering feeling of disapproval as Hyde was flung into the back of the mind, forced to stay silent. 

Jekyll peeked behind the generator, spotting the mermaid. She zoned out as Mallo went over the plan again. Having already heard it, Jekyll adjusted the scope on her firearm before firing two bullets: one at the mermaid, and one at the bombs. The bullet sank into the mermaid’s skull, and the bullet flew straight into the slit of the bomb with careful precision. 

The bombs exploded immediately after her shot. They damaged Mallo, Lenore, the demon syndicates, and the mermaid. The light around them was almost blinding, and the stench of ash and fire fueled the air, making it difficult for Jekyll to breathe. 

The mermaid cried out in pain with an eerie screech before diving back into the floor like it was water. She disappeared from sight, but the water portals on the wall returned. It was about to soar across the grid once more. 

Lenore grunted as she got up from the explosion before walking up to the demon syndicates and conversing with them. By the looks of it, they agreed not to fight each other and focus on the mermaid first. 

Jekyll bit her tongue. Oh, so when others converse with the enemy it’s totally fine–

A certain drive filled Jekyll, and an aggravating light radiated from the pack attached to her ID back. Her eyes filled with terror as the water portals targeted her. Anxiety wrapped around her heart and neck, seizing control of her hyperventilation. She had gained too much aggro, and the mermaid was forced to target her. 

Mallo! Mallo what have you done?! She glanced around in a panic, calculating quickly what she had to do to survive. You sentenced me to death with this ID! 

The first portal summoned the mermaid, and it came flying at her with great speed. Jekyll barely managed to leap out of the way, coughing up the water that soaked her and almost drowned her on the spot. She scrambled to her feet, placing her gun on her back and running behind the generator. 

The second portal went off, splashing Jekyll from head to toe behind her. She barely stood her ground as she discovered all of the bomb buttons surrounding a box with a green button on top of it. The bombs! Perhaps I can survive this! 

As she hastily pressed the green buttons, all of the smaller bomb boxes attached themselves inside the green button box, collecting each other into one container. Jekyll tapped her foot anxiously, hoping the hissing sound would come before the next portal activated. 

Nothing happened. The box simply spun around, revealing itself to be a tool abnormality, and gifting Jekyll with an EGO and an EGO gift. 

That… Jekyll sighed, picking up the objects and equipping them. That wasn’t what I needed right now! She glanced at the portals still targeting her. I needed you to explode, not gift me! How is this going to help me?!

More shots of guns went off on the other side of the generator. She could hear Lenore and Mark arguing. 

“You idiot! What are you doing?!” Lenore shouted. “We have a bigger fish to fry, literally!” 

“It is unwise to associate with the enemy!” Mark retorted.

“Dante! Can we not have a truce with the enemy for now as we deal with the abnormality?!” 

Dante and Lenore continued to converse, but Jekyll did not have time to listen into the conversation. She dove into a separate grid with all her force, barely avoiding another mermaid swipe. Anything in its path was drenched and destroyed, planting and growing fear in Jekyll’s heart. 

Hyde, where are you when I need you?! Why did I have to be in THIS ID?!

If Jekyll knew her kit well enough from the ID memories, she knew the aggro wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. It was designed to be targeted first and deal damage first in human combat, not when facing an abnormality. 

The radio on Jekyll’s ID rang, vibrating on her chest. “Ugh Jekyll it’s me, Mallo…” Mallo drew out her words, apparently annoyed to talk to her. “Dante is telling me to tell you to stay safe or whatever, ugh… bye.” 

Jekyll’s hands shook as she took her eyes off the water portals on the walls and onto her walkie-talkie. She unclipped it from her chest strap and stared at it in her hands. She… she really doesn’t want to talk to me… Jekyll held back a few tears. Hyde… Hyde was right… She pressed a button on the radio to automatically reply before taking off, avoiding yet another close attack from the mermaid that came flying towards her. 

She rolled across the floor, going under the mermaid’s big waves. She coughed up water and wiped her face before stumbling on her feet, and taking off to the other side of the room. The abnormalities' strikes only lasted two seconds before they reached the other side, which didn’t give Jekyll proper time to plan a counterattack. She panicked, and the only thing that came to mind was to flee and get out of the room. Although that was her original plan, Jekyll felt more justified in doing so. 

The mermaid was careful to target Jekyll each time; she barely dodged each one, getting drenched in the waves in the aftermath of each attack. Her heart pounded as she ran, struggling to breathe and see. She wondered if she would make it to the other side alive, or if the mermaid would kill her before she could. Her vision became blurred and her eyes burned from the water splashing against them. The mermaid zoomed in front of her, almost knocking her off her feet as the water forced her to the floor again. Jekyll coughed, clenching her chest, Her feet ached from all the twists and turns. I’m so close!

More shots can be heard behind her, causing Jekyll’s head to spin. The radio in her hand beeped as Mallo spoke again. “Bullets are ineffective, proceed with caution,” the robotic voice echoed. 

Gee, you think?! Jekyll scoffed before ducking again, avoiding yet another strike from the mermaid. Jekyll felt her sanity drop as she continued to make her way to the unlocked door. Everything in her body ached, and she shivered from the cold as she lost feeling in her hands. 

Another portal formed behind Jekyll. She stumbled to the floor and glanced behind her, scrambling to move out of the way. However, her side ached and she threw up into a heap of coughs, her eyes widening as the portal swished back and forth, indicating that the mermaid was about to fly from it. 

Jekyll closed her eyes and counted to four, embracing for impact. However, nothing came. She opened her eyes slowly, struggling to stand on her feet as she glanced down the grid line to the portal. 

Jatayu was in the way of her and the mermaid. He was in his base ID, and one of his tanfas was on the floor. His free hand rested on his chest… no, it was in his chest. He reached into himself and pulled out what looked like to be a mechanical heart. It glowed bright blue as it hung from artificial blood vessels still hooked into Jatayu’s body. He crushed his heart with his hands, slamming the remains into the ground. As he did so, a large, blue barrier surrounded him, blocking the mermaid’s path. The life drained from Jatayu’s face as the mermaid emerged from the portal, slamming into the blue force field at full force. It was as if the abnormality had run into an indestructible wall. It cowered back in pain, crying before it plunged into the metal floor again, it and its water portals disappearing. 

Jatayu fell to the ground, limp over his broken heart, hanging onto life by a thin thread. 

“Jatayu!” Jekyll clasped her hands over her mouth, trying to find the energy to run over to him. 

Mallo got to him first, and Jekyll was too far away. Jekyll could see Mallo talking into the LCCB manager walkie talkie. “No need to shout, Jekyll. Uhh, Jatayu took his heart out? Can he do that? He made a shield with it too, is that normal?” 

Jekyll stopped in her tracks, seeing her comrade on the floor. She took shallow breaths and felt as if she would pass out. Why did he do that? Why?!

“Look, Dante will heal him. It’ll be fine, okay?” Mallo voiced into the radio, her head turned to Jekyll’s direction. 

Jekyll glanced around the generator the best she could from her perspective. The demon syndicates looked around the room, trying to find the mermaid. When they didn’t, they turned on Jekyll’s comrades, running towards Mallo and the unconscious Jatayu. 

It’ll… It’ll be fine… Jekyll took slow steps back, glancing around. They… they got this… 

Her steps led her until she was in front of the mechanical door once more. All the lights were lit up, and the door was ready to be open, the mechanism no longer prohibiting entrance. Jekyll ran into it with her back before she turned around. Now’s the time to get out of here… She stammered in her own thoughts, guilt replacing her worry. They don’t care… remember? They don’t care about me… They can do this without me… That’s what they’ve been saying this whole time. 

It bothered Jekyll that she had to convince herself to move forward. She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder back at the fallen Jatayu. Is he going to be okay? 

The doctor’s radio went off again. “Do you know how to put a mechanical heart back in, Jekyll?” 

Jekyll couldn’t leave Mallo hanging with a question like that. Everything in her resisted replying as the mere thought of talking to Mallo repulsed her. I hate that I want to help you when you only lied to me… “It’s mechanical right?” She turned on her radio and spoke as calmly as she could. “Have you tried putting it inside of the body?” 

She knew that hearts needed CPR to help pump the blood inside them, but those were for biological hearts. Beyond that, she had no knowledge of mechanical hearts. Why is she asking me? I thought Dante was going to help. 

The radio cut out, giving a scraped piece of what Mallo said. “...Off his hands… and kill… him? I don’t know.” 

…What? Jekyll paused before radioing back. “It’s mechanical… does it need to be charged?” 

“I’m just gonna put it in,” the radio turned off. There was a moment of silence. 

Jekyll sighed and eyed the door, staring at the seeping blue gas. Thankfully, she didn’t have as much showing skin so it couldn’t itch. However, it still made it difficult to breathe. Is the next room full of this stuff? 

The radio turned back on. “I got Jatayu up,” Mallo sighed in relief. “He’s slowly recovering and Dante is winding the clock back.” 

Oh. Jekyll sighed. So, they truly didn’t need me. “Roger, I’m close to the next door.” 

There was a loud silence. “...Why are you at the next door?” Mallo’s voice carried demand and disappointment at the same time. “We need to clear a way for Dante! Also, may I remind you, that Jatayu JUST TOOK HIS HEART OUT!” 

Jekyll turned down the volume of the walkie-talkie, wincing as Mallo yelled into it. But, you took care of the issue without me. You don’t need me there. 

“Come back here, NOW, Jekyll,” Mallo demanded, her voice fueled with a wave of fiery anger. “Now! That is an order!” 

Jekyll clenched her fists around her gun and radio. Anger boiled inside of her. Where were you when I was about to be murdered by the mermaid? You sentenced me to death with this ID, Mallo. You have no love in your heart, why should I show you mine? 

A familiar sense of pride built up inside her; a pride that did not belong to her directly. Jekyll could feel emotions that Hyde usually felt, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She decided to try and blow off the order by giving an excuse. “Dante instructed me to get to the next door,” she lied. “So I continued onward.” 

“No, Dante told you to stay safe!” Mallo saw right through her lies like a bullet and shot the bullseye. “That’s what I told you, but now I’m ordering you to come back here and protect Jatayu now!” 

No. A deep-planted rage fueled inside Jekyll, one that spun out of her control. Turn it off. 

Jekyll was taken aback, her eyes widening. Hyde?! She turned the radio off, feeling overly compliant to the voice that supposedly wasn’t supposed to be there. Are you there? 

There was no reply. The anger subsided the moment she obeyed.

Jekyll took a moment to process what happened before filling her actions with determination. I must move quickly… I don’t have much time before she comes after me. Her hands rested on the split of the door. I have to get the golden bough and get out of here… Leaving them behind, because… She bit her tongue again, her fingers clenching. They didn’t come to my aid. Like Hyde said… Like Hyde has shown me before, people like them are not worth my time of day. I should not protect them when they are a threat to me. 

Jekyll swung the large red door open. The blue fog filled her face and covered her surroundings, making her invisible to any outside onlooker. She coughed and waved her hand around, taking a step into the next room and leaving her party behind. 

As she stepped into the next room, the environment around her changed. According to her observations, she was no longer in a lobotomy corporation facility. All she could see was a simple plain covered in blue fog. The environment was filled with a deep aura of regret which was felt with each breath she took. The place was dark, and there was an eerie but faint smell of fire. The blue gas was everywhere, covering visible objects, unlike the shadows in the previous room. 

Slightly northeast of Jekyll flew a large, blue butterfly. It was covered in various eyes across its wings, and it stared at Jekyll with its intense antennas. It shared many shades of blue across its features, and it was as if its eyes read Jekyll’s soul like a book. 

Jekyll tried to crouch in the gas, trying to hide from its many gazes. When it followed her movements, she sighed and stood up, figuring it was no use to hide if it already spotted her. She glanced around to see a few demon syndicates amid the fog, whilst one of them ran north with a shiny object in his grasp. It was a faint, golden glow, but it wasn’t so bright that it blinded Jekyll. It resonated with her, called to her, and begged her to come close. Despite never seeing one before, Jekyll immediately knew what it was. The golden bough… 

The demon syndicate ran toward the north wall where a bunch of stairs led upward. He took off up them with great speed, leaving Jekyll and the other syndicate members alone with the abnormality. Jekyll adjusted her gun and started walking towards the stairs, but stopped as the abnormality slowly approached her. 

“Uh… Hi…” Jekyll backed up, trying to make her movements unpredictable. “...Blink twice if you can understand me.” 

“I do not need your incompetent and incompatible ways of communication.” The butterfly sneered in a cocky, stuck-up voice. “Co-co-co,” it laughed in a mocking tone as its gaze intensified, making Jekyll feel as if she was being turned inside out and read like a book. “You have a lot you wish to share, don’t you?” 

Nope, that’s suspicious, I am not dealing with that! Jekyll crouched again, gently moving to her left. Hyde! I need you right now! I need your help! I need to get out of here! 

She froze for a second, watching the butterfly get closer. She searched her mind for any information before a light bulb went off in her head. The IDs… Jatayu changed IDs all on his own, surely there’s a way to do it… Do I have a fast ID that can get me out of here? 

The fog surrounding Jekyll made it difficult for her to breathe. She coughed; it felt as if her pain and struggle to breathe made the butterfly move faster toward her. Hyde… she sighed. I know you can hear me… you have a stronger mind than I do. Take control, change my ID, I permit you! Please, help me–

Jekyll felt a chain wrap around her chain of thought. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the weight of the LCCB manager pack lifted off her back. Her clothes became more sleek and agile, and her gun transformed into a large, red katana. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and she felt her tongue disappear. 

Jekyll was thrown into the back of the mind, unable to speak as Hyde surfaced. Hyde glanced around and quickly analyzed the situation and the ID she transformed into. Huh. Shi ID. Perfect. She cracked her neck, getting used to not having a tongue. Dangit, why can’t I speak? What– oh. The memories of this ID flooded back to her, and she recalled how the current equipped ID lost her tongue. …Well, at least we know we can change IDs on the spot with enough willpower and fear, right Jekyll? 

No one answered her. 

A tinge of pain filled Hyde’s heart. Unlike the other ID from Nagul Und Hammer, this one felt as if it missed Jekyll in her world. Hyde sighed, adjusting her agile sword, and started to walk around the abnormality at a slow speed. It’s close… I can feel it… 

The butterfly waited a few more seconds before it fluttered its wings and flung right at Hyde, preparing for an attack. 

But Hyde was faster. She had gained great haste with her new abilities. She dodged the attack with ease and dashed through the fog towards the north stairs. Nothing but dust and a flash of red light was left in her previous path. She quickly stepped onto the first step, having crossed the entire room with incredible ease. She adjusted the mask over her face as she glanced back, eyeing the abnormality. 

The multi-eyed butterfly only laughed at her. “Co-co-co…” It muttered gently as it flapped onto the ground. If it had a mouth to grin, it would have. 

The golden bough was up ahead; the syndicate member was not far away from her. Hyde raised her middle finger to the abnormality, flipping it off before she dashed up the stairs. Her eyes were locked on the target ahead. It’s right there, the golden bough is so close, then we can leave this company… 

Guilt could not find a place to claim in Hyde’s mind. She felt no remorse for leaving her party behind; the thought didn’t even pass her consideration. Her feet effortlessly flew up the stairs, gaining ground on her target with great haste. She was a Section 3 assassin after all; nothing would put her between her and her prey. 

The stairs went up high until Hyde reached the surface. Despite the previous experience in the Q Corp Backstreets, Hyde found herself on top of a grassy plateau with a bright sun shining down upon her. The day was at its highest peak. The sun gleamed down on the beautiful meadow before her, and a gentle breeze tangled Hyde’s long hair. 

The demon syndicate member continued to run, having spotted Hyde chasing him. He cried out in fright and panted from exhaustion, clutching the glowing object in his hands. He looked back at Hyde, fear glistening in his silver eyes. His dirty-blonde hair bounced up and down in curls as his foot hit the ground, trying to find a direction to run. He was trying to get away and hide the object in his hands, but the golden glow on his face told the painter exactly what it was. He picked the direction of the cliff at the end of the plateau, running towards it. 

Hesitation was not a word Hyde knew. She charged at her target, her sword drawn as she caught up to him with great speed and accuracy, slicing his back. 

The sky darkened. As the demon syndicate cried out in pain and fell forward on the object he was holding, the sun started to hide behind an object that grew bigger by the second. She was more than fast enough to catch her target, however, she only had a few split seconds to book it out of the approaching threat from above. 

The sun dimmed before it disappeared, and the object blocking the sun became bigger; it was a large spire falling down to where she stood. The shadow of it covered her face, making it difficult to assess which direction she should run in. The air rumbled and the ground shook. 

Aw f–

Hyde didn’t have time to react as the spire came crashing down on her, crushing her ribs as she was flung back from the impact. The demon syndicate man and the object he was holding were crushed under the weight of the spire in front of Hyde. It loomed like a large tower, and the shockwave of its descent sent Hyde flying back into the base of the tree. 

Hyde coughed in pain, rolling on her side. She barely survived the freak accident, the incident having zapped at least eighty percent of her health. The meadow was gone; it turned into a grand monument to climb. Dust filled the air as the landscape and sky became dark. The sun looked like it had come down from the sky and rested on top of the spire. As Hyde grunted in pain, she heard a booming voice that shook every fiber of her being. 

“I’M BACK!” 

[aquanightau]

Chapter Six:

Halfmoon.

The day the medicine cats from all clans would gather and visit the Starledge.

This was the first halfmoon Shellpaw would go without his mentor. It wasn’t the same as before.

Bringing kelp to share with the other clans, Shellpaw stared up at the moon, reminiscing his memories with Rootdash. To be honest, he was scared.

He has yet to receive dreams from AbyssalClan. Omens either. He was using this as an excuse to try to get a message from AbyssalClan.

Shellpaw leaped forward, knowing that Tidepaw would help substitute if something were to happen at camp.

As he drifted forward in the water, his paws stroking him forward, the silence gnawed at him. It felt strange, leaving camp so late. And alone at that.

Arriving at the dividen, an area where no cat or clan owned, he saw a small figure waiting by the entrance ledge. He couldn’t make out which medicine cat it was before he pushed off the rock under him.

As he swam forward, another medicine cat arrived at the ledge, this one a black feline. The cat hugged the tabby cat, seeming to exchange some formalities before noticing him drifting towards them.

“Shellpaw, you’ve finally come!” The gray tabby called out with a smile.

Shellpaw awkwardly waved his paw to Darkpelt and Sharkspine, “Hey,” he spoke, dragging it awkwardly.

“Where’ve ya been? I know meetings aren’t mandatory bu’ they’re kind of important, Shellpaw.” Darkpelt meowed, his long black tail slightly whipping around in the water.

“Well, you know,” Shellpaw responded quietly, landing on the ledge.

“Yeah well…” Darkpelt murmured, “We all miss ‘er.”

Shellpaw could see Sharkspine’s smile falter as the topic was brought up. His smile, one that never twitched even an inch during some of the harshest moments, turned to a frown for a millisecond.

“Off topic, where a’ the others?” Darkpelt asked, trying his best to divert the growing sadness.

“Inside,” Sharkspine answered, his smile returning, “They asked me to wait outside to make sure you guys knew. But also I wanted to hand you some of these!” Sharkspine laid out some coral he had collected.

“Oh! Right. I brought some kelp for everyone too. Can we go inside first though?” Shellpaw meowed, picking up some coral for himself.

“Yep yep! Let’s go!” Sharkspine dashed ahead, slowly followed by the two others.

“So…how’s KelpClan doin’?” Darkpelt inquired, a sound of guilt in his voice.

“Fine. It could be worse I guess.” Shellpaw responded, his eyes focused on the cave. “Otters were oddly close though. Tidepaw got injured.”

“I see. Well, ya got this.” Darkpelt purred as they finally arrived at Abyssal’s Peak.

“Shellpaw! It's so nice to see you!” A calico cat meowed as Shellpaw and Darkpelt padded in.

“It truly is nice to see you.” A striped orange cat echoed beside the calico cat.

“Corseback,” Shellpaw began, nodding at the calico before turning to their mentor, “Swiftclaw, it's nice to see you again.”

“Shall we begin?” Swiftclaw inquired, her whiskers twitching.

“Uh before we do, I have kelp for you all to bring back,” Shellpaw replied, prying open the shells he had sealed to hold the kelp, “There should be enough for atleast 10 injured cats from all of you.”

“Thanks! And like I said earlier, I have coral to give!” Sharkspine laid the coral he had collected alongside the kelp Shellpaw placed along the ground.

Beyond sharing medicinal ingredients, the group of medicine cats chatted for a moment before Darkpelt cleared his throat.

“So, are we going to get this done?” Darkpelt meowed, indicating the Abyssal’s peak.

Slowly gathering around the pillar, the cats bent their heads down. The last to approach the pillar was Shellpaw.

You can do this. You can do this. Shellpaw urged himself forward nervously. Tipping his head down and closing his eyes, all the bustling sounds around him drowned away.

Shellpaw gasped for air as his eyes opened and he was surrounded by dozens of plants he had never seen before. They stood tall, connected to a large field of…seagrass? Was this the sea? The scorching sun felt like it was burning his skin.

Suddenly, Shellpaw heard a shout. From where? He didn’t know.

“HEY GET OUT OF HERE!”

“Not without you! Please don’t make me leave without you!”

“Just go with the group! I’ll catch up to you soon.”

“No! No! NO!”

A black muck began covering the greenery, soon enveloping Shellpaw, who in panic, froze. Memories flashed: Tidepaw’s injury, Redpaw’s concern, and the turtle shell that had hit him in the face.

“In proximity, patterns,

Stripes strike calm quiet

A tree’s secrets uproot,

Pack split, Time tells

Seen is ahead

A tree’s secrets uproot.”

“Shellshift.”

Shellpaw eyes burst open, a chill running through his spine. What…just happened?

ITS OUT. CHAPTER SIX!!!! FINALLY! THANKS MGICING BREAK IS HERE AND IM GONNA BE GRINDING THE STORY WHEN I HAVE THE MOTIVATION! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR SO I HOPE YALL LIKE IT. It would have been longer but I need to post it kinda like rn. Anyways Love yall! More updates to come!

[vi-enti]

i got a snapchat friendship flashback today, which was new, but got me thinking how radically different my friendships are from two years ago. this got kind of long and emotional unexpectedly lol

there are at least two people i thought i’d have forever who i don’t really speak to anymore. one by deliberate decision to cut them off and the other by just. drifting? or, honestly, they were a bad communicator all along and our friendship was never going to survive moving out of the same town

there are people two years ago i could barely talk to out of new friend nerves and general intense admiration. and now i can’t imagine not talking to them and i have thoughts i want to share with them all the time

my best friends in the entire world are still there. people i finally believe i’ll spend my entire life with.

there are SO MANY people i expected to stop talking to after i graduated college! and now they’re people i literally speak to every. single. day. people i am so close to in ways we never managed to achieve when we were still in the same area, which, wild. but good

i’ve got friends all over my country and even the globe now, either due to people moving or new online friends or whatnot. i’ve done so much traveling to meet them where they are and have so much more planned for 2025

sometimes i sit by myself in my bedroom, and i feel so alone like i used to when i was a pre-teen and i genuinely had nobody. i listen to the same emo music and anime songs, i rewatch the same youtube videos, i cry. whatever.

but i am so much not alone anymore?? like, i couldn’t fathom this ten years ago. i can barely fathom it now. people are staying in my life because they want to, and i have so many people i love who love me. and i am not alone

the furthest i can go in my snapchat memories is december 2015, and there’s a selfie i took with my hair pin straight in my emo bangs, pink sweater with a gray skull, hand over my mouth. classic tbh. that person was so, so, sad, and they aren’t alone anymore, and it’s so freaking cheesy, but it makes me want to cry. she couldn’t have imagined this sort of happy future in a million years

[statementlou]

I’m Jewish and Anti-Zionist as well and I respect your opinion but does it not bother you that people only act this way with Israelis? There is literally no other country where fans would be getting called ugly and racist and people would be demanding violence just because they showed up with a flag. Random citizens of a country aren’t responsible for the actions of their government and no one ever assumes they are except for in the only Jewish country in the world. Harry wrote a whole song about his love for England and no one has ever called that a ‘disgusting display of nationalist allegiance to a racist apartheid state’. You say you wouldn’t wave a US flag but people do or wear it on their clothes or whatever else and literally no one cares. As Jews maybe we shouldn’t condone hatred towards 40% of Jewish people in the world under the guise of social activism?

Okay well I appreciate you, and that the balancing act of being a Jew-- being at risk of anti-semetic violence and prejudice but also benefiting from white privilege-- is a tricky one and there ARE gray areas, for sure! Unfortunately, I disagree with pretty much everything you’ve said here, I am sorry to say. It is true that anti-semites glom onto anti-Israel talk to try to further their agenda, but that is because they are fucking nazis and that is not my responsibility- nothing I say condones their garbage and we can't just not talk about real issues because someone might twist our words. I also disagree that there is no other country regarded with such venom and think that is a narrative perpetuated by zionists and racists: I think the difference is that Israel is talked about that way by WHITE PEOPLE (and yeah lots of times it is because they're just fucking racist, but so is the 'only Israel is treated this way' narrative). As far as I know the powers that be in Iran still refer to the United States as The Great Satan and burn US flags for propaganda purposes, for example, and I think if you ask people in Africa or LATAM how they feel about various colonial powers you will find similarly hostile reactions to flag waving. You say that people wave or wear US flags and no one cares- but that’s literally just not true. A lot of people in a lot of places care plenty, and in fact US tourists wearing Canadian flags to try to avoid the worldwide hatred of USAmericans is huge thing that very much happens. But by all means, go get barricade in LATAM and wave a US flag in everyone’s face and let me know how that goes! And I completely disagree that random citizens of a country bear no responsibility for their governments actions as well. Our taxes and our silence are what make atrocities possible! Here in the US it can be hard to feel like we are complicit in the actions of a government that we ourselves are also fighting tooth and nail to survive, that also attacks and starves and victimizes us, but unfortunately we still do have a responsibility to resist what is being done in our names (in this case, $158 BILLION US tax dollars to Israel to date and that doesn't even include all the military equipment), or at the bare minimum to speak out against it. And in Israel this is even less theoretical: when they turn 18 every Israeli Jew has to choose to either actively resist and refuse military service or to literally join the army and personally participate in the genocide of the Palestinian people. These fans, who according to another anon have told people at shows that “you don’t understand we were just reclaiming our land” and have said they take pride in their flag, have picked a side, and it is the side of murder and colonization. I don’t hate every citizen of Israel simply for where they were born any more than I hate every US citizen; but I do judge and personally do not want anything to do with those who choose to support their government, in both places. This is not ‘the guise of social activism’: it is choosing to be actively anti-racist rather than silent and therefore complicit. As for the rest, I don’t think anyone has considered LOML a nationalistic anthem, but while its true that most people don’t care some people most certainly DO complain about Harry waving flags of any countries, and most especially the UK flag (as opposed to the England one); that in particular because, like the Israeli flag, it touches on colonization that is happening and actively being resisted RIGHT NOW (Scotland and Wales' struggles for independence.)