#me @ non fate people : don't worry about it

[nobuverse]

"Anyone want one of these? These mini-nobus keep following me around..."

Nobu, nob!

[easy-there-leftovers]

Hiii can I just say I’m OBSESSED with ISY,D!! Amazing work truly the best ❤️

I saw asks are open so I thought I’d slip in a little prompt 👀

Astarion and Tav have a bit of a spat at camp. Tav is trying to convince Astarion that ascending would make him just as bad as Cazador, but Astarion craves the power and the freedom. Tav, upset and frustrated, ends up leaving for a walk through the late night streets of the gate to clear their head. One of the vampire spawn out looking for their next prey find Tav, recognizing them immediately as Astarion’s love (and one true weakness) and kidnaps them to bring to Cazador. Cazador, being the sick fuck he is, locks Tav away and sends a note to Astarion that he finds the next morning, saying that he had Tav and that if Astarion wants them back he has to surrender to Cazador and go through with the ceremony. Astarion loses his mind and races to the castle with the gang in tow, praying that Tav is unharmed. Will he be there just in time to save Tav? Or will he be too late, will Cazador have already turned them by the time he gets there?

Sorry for the paragraph but this has been in my mind for DAYS and I would cry if you could make this story come to fruition ❤️

-🌸

Hello 🌸anon!! Thank you so much for liking the series, I'm glad that it's something that you enjoy reading! Also, I've decided to include @simp-4-astarion's request as they were rather similar in nature!! Thank you so much for liking my work :,DDD

In addition!! Just a heads up for people who'd like to request or send an idea in, I don't just write for Astarion! Feel free to include your favorite romanceable pcs (and non romanceable npcs lol) into the mix!!

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That night at camp had been fraught with tension, like a fraying rope ready to snap. The campfire crackled, the tongues of the flame dancing and flickering about, mirroring the storm within the heated pair.

Your voice, something that he's come to find solace in as of late, quivered with frustration unlike any he's heard directed at him before as you tried to reason with him.

"I don't relish it. but my," He pauses, wondering what he should call them. "--Siblings lured thousands of people to their death over the years. I doubt Baldur's Gate would miss any of them." He seems rather taken with the idea, and you worry about what this could mean for him.

"But we don't even know if it's possible, Astarion. You're hypothesizing that you become the Vampire Ascendant at the expense of eradicating the other spawn." Whether or not they had done things as horrendous as your,-- gods you don't even know what you are,-- as the ex-magistrate, they did not deserve to be subjected to such a ritual.

He paces around you, ascertaining your reactions, and making quick work to think about how he could convince you

"And so what? I've obviously thought about it. If I completed the ritual, this evocation, I'd have insurmountable power. And--" He nears himself to you, practically whispering the following words into the skin of you neck. As if anything he said would etch its way into your skin and carve you anew.

"I could walk in the sun without fear of becoming a mindflayer. Don't you want that for me, darling? For us?" The question instills an indescribable fear in you. Not the same fear that's been riddling you as you wonder if you'd perish in one of your many battles, oh no, it was the fear you'd bear witness to when you lost something dear to you.

It's as if he's giving you an out.

Agree with him, and you seal his fate as the Vampire Ascendant with a sure place at his side.

Or disagree, allowing all those spawn the same chance he had been given all those tendays ago, and snuff out whatever growing relationship you had between you.

He senses your uncertainty.

And he feels lost.

He figured that you would be so sure to keep him at your side. Doing anything it takes to make sure it stays that way, but now you're getting cold feet with his blatant proposal of companionship because of what?

These monsters he's hunted with?

These damned spawn that represent everything you've seeked to correct about the world?

"Astarion, please, give them a chance. They were just like you once, give them that much."

At any other time, he would've admired your efforts to help them. But in this moment, he thinks you a fool who could never truly understand what it means to be a slave.

To want for power.

"You did not know them. And you do not know me as well as you may think, my dear, if you think they deserve a chance more than I do."

He doesn't know why it all happened the way it did. The way that his thoughts came tumbling out of his mouth and only allowing the worst of things to escape him.

All he knows was that it had surely hurt you and that he doesn't think he's ever seen your retreating form look as small as it did as you walked towards somewhere in the city.

And that he wished he had remembered where they were. So near to where his consanguines and he used to hunt.

So when he and the others are greeted with a letter smelling of undeath, telling them that they had their precious leader imprisoned in Cazadaor's manor, he knows not to tell them about the little argument you two had.

Knows not to tell them anything to dampen their mood as they search for you.

Knows not to tell them that the likelihood He kept you alive was slim to none, now that he has Astarion's attention.

Once they had been alerted of your whereabouts, a clear ploy to lure him back to his master, there would be no use for you anymore. They don't know Cazador like he did, and he was sure that by the time they reached their destination, you would be no more.

Stil, he's willing to take any chance he can get to get you back. No use in proclaiming you dead if he hasn't seen you, and he'd be damned if he let Cazador take any more from him.

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[1didofest]

1D I Do Fest - Masterpost 2024

Thank you to everyone who supported the fest and to all the authors who gifted us with these wonderful stories.

Twist of Fate by @freakingmeout28 / freakingmeout

Some marriages don't start with love… When his parents tell Harry that they expect him to marry Louis Tomlinson he's more than just against it, he hates them for thinking it would magically solve all his problems and make him their dream son. Louis on the other side isn't keen to marry someone like Harry either, but since it's his only way to save his family's name, he goes for it. Against their own will they get married and are sent on a honeymoon together where they don't have a chance to avoid each other. Their marriage doesn't start with love, but while Louis helps Harry fighting his alcohol addiction they find something in the other that they both needed. Through trials and tribulations, their bond strengthens, transcending the confines of tradition to blossom into a profound love story of resilience and redemption. A story for the 1D I Do fest, a very free interpretation of the following prompt: Arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, preferably larry, forced proximity. Sent on a honeymoon but it’s at the room in the Maldives thats in the middle of the ocean only accessed by boat. Featuring sharing of beds, secret pining, awkward morning wood, arguments but you cannot escape the other.

Guess What by @elmeiko88 / Elmeiko88

Harry should have done a better job of checking out the restaurant where he had decided to get down on one knee.

We Should Be Shooting For Them Stars Of Gold by @babyhoneyheslt / babyhoneyhslt

To make his dream of becoming a tour photographer come true, Harry reluctantly agrees to marry his annoying ex. Louis Tomlinson might be a big name in the music industry, but his reputation needs some polish. Neither of them expects this to end well, but maybe a two week honeymoon in the Maldives can change everything.

Who would have guessed? by SweetieR

“So why don’t we just shag?” “Like what? Like an enemies with benefits kinda shit?” blue eyes lit up in amusement, “Is that even a thing?” Harry shrugged. “It could be.” “But they always end up married when that happened in movies.” Louis made a face, clearly disgusted at the idea. “Don’t worry Louis,” Harry said, shaking his head in amusement. “I’m never ever gonna marry you.” “Trust me, the feeling is very mutual, Styles.” and then, “You’re only like an advanced sex toy.” Harry laughed at that, a genuine laugh. “Look at that.” he elbowed him, “We’re already agreeing on something.” Or - Prompt 2 / “It’s funny how I said I’d never marry you but here we are.”

he bought a ring (and he found the one) by @thefootnotes / whateverthecalamity

All Harry has ever wanted was the big white wedding with someone he loves; and he thinks he’s finally landed on it. That is, until a certain pair of bright blue eyes are looking up from the back of the chapel. Or the one where Harry Styles is looking for marriage, Louis Tomlinson is looking for closure, and both find something unexpected.

If I could Fly by @super--noah / SuperNoah

Just around the one year anniversary of their fake getting back together date, and what most people believe is their three year anniversary Louis has planned to pop the big question for real. It's his first evening off in several weeks and him and Harry had a date night planned. Plans change when Louis returns home to see Harry looking stressed about going out. Even if the evening has a few more non-happy tears than planned, the question is asked and answered. Which is how Harry and Louis ends up spending the summer holidays arguing over colours and food choices. Disagreements, hardship and tears eventually leads to I Do's and more, but very welcome, tears.

[loveydoveymonsters]

this isnt a specific monster but like a sort of humanoid praying mantis x reader?? I tried finding something similar to what I have in mind but I could only find aliens not actual mantis people, and I really want that forest-cryptid kinda vibe not sci-fi space. do with this what you will :)

Well my sweet dove lets see what I can do for you, I hope you enjoy!.

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Praying For A Miracle

Hybrid!Praying Mantis x reader

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚

You have strayed too far from your path. A little forest nymph that's wandered too far away from their God. The night is harsh and unforgiving as you stumble through the thick bramble and bushes, desperately searching for shelter in this magical forest. Creatures of all different shapes and sizes reside here. Creatures who are seeking refuge from warmongers and poachers who would rather see their heads on spikes than on their bodies. Most of them are friendly, but there are some strays that sneak in under your God's eye, corrupted creatures that go unnoticed until it's too late. Usually, they target little nymphs like you, defenseless, weak, and delicate, you have no way of defending yourself against an attacker should you face one. That's why you shakily wander the woods searching for a tree trunk you could reside in or perhaps a friendly creature that could bring you back to your home. 

It was your own fault, you realize that you shouldn't have wandered off but you saw flowers, beautiful flowers that never bloom. You foolishly got distracted and now you're in the perilous clutches of a corrupted creature that had gotten the jump on you while you were lost in your terrified thoughts. You can't even tell what it is, it's large, and snarling, and its fangs look like they would hurt if they pierced your soft skin. You shake and tremble quietly. It's not in your nature to scream or fight. Nymphs are supposed to show kindness and love to all creatures including the ones that intend to harm them. That's why you lay there, shaking uncontrollably ready to accept your fate, your brutal death at this evil beings’ claws. Your God is nowhere to be found, probably drowning in the wine that was gifted to them during the last festival of the forest. You're afraid, yet weirdly you're at peace. You've had a very peaceful life, while your death may be violent, at least you know you've never had to worry about anything. Not predators, not starving, not becoming so dehydrated you could barely move. You've been taken care of so you guess this is the end…

The creature cries out in pain when something bites its nape. It reels back and tries to swipe at the thing currently attaching itself to its spine. You catch the sight of something green before it's gone just as quickly, the creature spinning trying to whip the hybrid off of him. You can see human legs and roughly a human body but you also see antennae, wings, and large raptorial legs that act as its hands. You honestly don't know what you're looking at but regardless of that, you're thankful for the creature's aid. As the violent creature finally shakes off the hybrid and runs off completely terrified you shakily stand and make your way over to your savior. He stands as well rushing over to check on you. Nymphs are treasured amongst non-corrupt creatures so it wasn't surprising when he immediately started fussing over you and using his raptorial arms to check you over.

“What…are you my savior? You're a hybrid of some sort but I can't seem to place the creature you're mixed with. Please do enlighten me, my hero.”

You stare as his greenish-tinted skin becomes a few shades darker as he blushes. Evidently he's not used to receiving such praise from nymphs, being called a hero and a savior is new. He doesn't dislike it but he's certainly not used to it either, it takes him a moment to recover before he can speak to you without stuttering. While he is recovering you just stare at him, wide-eyed, curious, like a child staring at a brand new toy. 

“I-I'm a praying mantis hybrid…Your God created me this way when they were first experimenting with creation. I am the result of a few failed hybrids…My name is Bleez. No need to introduce yourself little nymph I've been watching you for a while. I'm well aware of who you are although I'm not a hundred percent sure why you're wandering the woods alone.”

“Oh, I strayed from my usual path and stopped to smell some flowers. I guess I walked too far away and couldn't find my path again so I guess I was just looking for a guide to help me find my way home! Or somewhere to stay for the night. I'm sure I'd have better luck if I could actually see where I was going.”

“You're welcome to stay with me, I don't live far from here, come. There are far worse creatures than that one in this part of the woods.”

Before you can respond he lifts you up and slings you over his shoulder, stumbling slightly at how light you are to him. All nymphs are light though regardless of their body type, they're essentially made of pure air and the spirit of the God themselves. You look back at him, turning your body and just sitting on his shoulder noticing how his wings stretch out and cover his body. You tilt your head, analyzing his features once again. It's rare to see a hybrid, let alone a hybrid insect yet here you are, riding on the shoulder of one, one that risked his life to save you when he did not need to. 

“So Bleez, you say my God created you? How come I've never seen you before? I've been alive for quite a long time you know.”

“I've kept myself hidden, I'm not exactly confident in my appearance. Other creatures run from me even though I'm not a predator, it started to hurt after a while so I just sheltered myself away. Plus there was no way a beautiful nymph like you was ever going to notice me.”

You stare at his face for a minute, just now noticing the extra long mouth parts coming from the corner of his lips. It must help him eat meat and prey if he does decide to become a predator. You don't see anything wrong with him though, you don't understand why other creatures are afraid of him. Then again you don't understand why creatures are afraid of predators either. You're designed to love all creatures equally and you find them all equally beautiful, equally handsome, yet there was something about this one, perhaps it's the fact that he saved you. That made you just a little bit more loving.

“What are you talking about? You look amazing. My hero is the handsomest hybrid in the world!”

He nearly drops you when you say that but thankfully he arrived at his home in a tree trunk, the tree is as wide as a small cabin. He opens the side of the trunk and sets you down on the soft padding that he uses as his bed before shutting the trunk behind him and lighting a lantern as well as a fire to keep you warm. The magic of your forest amazes you sometimes, the fact that a small home can fit into the trunk of a tree without any worry of the tree being set ablaze by the fireplace makes you stare at it in awe. He awkwardly stands beside you, before sitting on the floor and pulling out a cast iron cauldron to make you some soup. He's taking care of you, nymphs are precious, nymphs are everything, that's what he's been taught since he was little. He sees why, you're so innocent, so pure, you must be protected at all costs and he wants to make sure you're fed and kept warm and you enjoy your stay for however long you reside with him.

The soup is good and healthy, and you remain nice and warm throughout the night. He slept on the floor and gave you a ton of wool blankets to keep you comfortable while he slept with a small sheet that you could almost see through because of how thin it was. About halfway through the night, you woke up to his teeth chattering, looking over the makeshift bed to see him shaking and trembling. You weren't having that at all, you were a guest in his house but that didn't mean you had to be treated like royalty. You knew he would argue if you tried to get him to climb into bed with you so instead you joined him on the floor. Wrapping all of the large wool blankets around both of you before curling into his back, hoping your body heat would be enough to comfort him, the human in him must be ice cold. You flinched when you brushed against his arm and felt the true temperature of his body. Regardless of how uncomfortable you were you went back to sleep and you slept well, especially when he stopped shivering which reassured you that he was finally sleeping peacefully himself.

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The next morning came soon enough, you awoke to the smell of eggs as he once again cooked for you. You realized you were back in bed and you looked out of his window in the trunk only to see chickens, cows, a bunch of barn animals outside. He does absolutely everything he can not to go into civilization which means raising these animals to get the ingredients he needs for food and nourishment. You find that impressive, he's built his own little world just outside of the outskirts of the center of the forest where most of the creatures live. You turn to him taking note of his abdomen and the scars over it and you watch as his antennae twitch before he turns to you having sensed your movement. 

“Good morning little nymph! I've made you food and here’s some milk to drink. I figured we could start heading back to your home as soon as you're done eating. People are probably worried about you.”

You eat your food, staring at him in awe. He's so caring, so kind. 

“Oh, no one's worried about me. Nymphs go missing all the time eventually we all wind up getting replaced. Hey, how'd you get those scars? Have you fought very many predators out here?”

“I would rather not discuss that with you nymph. Doesn't that bother you? That nobody would miss you if you were gone? I'd be so concerned I'd search the entire forest before even thinking about “replacing” you.”

“Aw that's sweet, are you starting to like me yet? Sounds like it.”

“H-Hardly…let's get going, you certainly did stray far because we're not exactly close to any nymph nests. Would you like to ride on my shoulder again? You were quite light so I don't mind.”

“Actually I think I'd rather stay here so that's what I'm going to do okay?”

He stares at you for a little while, a strange smile on his face as if he didn't really register what you said. When it did click though he looked at you completely shocked, he's dead quiet as he tried to ponder what to say next, he's got nothing, this was such a strange situation for him, no creature had ever flat-out told him they were going to stay with him before. This little nymph just pushed him straight over the edge into a massive pit of anxiety and confusion. 

“......Huh?”

“I want to stay with you! You have such a beautiful home and I'm sure I could be of use to you and helping to tend to your creatures! Plus you said you'd miss me if I was gone.”

“No no no no no. I said I would be worried if you randomly went missing. There's a difference there. Why would you want to stay here?...No it's absolutely out of the question I'm bringing you home now.”

“You absolutely are not. I'm not going with you willingly so you'd be forced to hurt me if you're trying to transport me. I will scream Bleez don't test me.”

“You are absolutely infuriating, if you insist on staying here then stay here! I highly doubt you'll last more than a day without any type of socialization. Nymphs are social creatures, I know all about them you need to be around people. You'll be begging to go home within a day.”

“Why would I need to be around people when I have you?”

He groans in frustration before storming off, leaving the small home in the tree trunk to go tend to his barn animals. Yet he did not argue with you after that, in the coming days, he found himself enjoying your company, willing you to stay longer even if you started getting bored. You didn't start getting bored, like you said before you don't need other people when you have him. As long as you can socialize with one person you won't become lonely, you won't start craving that social attention that most nymphs need. You thought eventually he would get tired of you and force you to leave yet he didn't. He in fact encouraged you to stay and cheered you on whenever you helped him reign in his sheep and cattle. He was proud of you, of how far you came in such a short amount of time. Little did he know you would only continue to grow, no longer weak and defenseless. You wanted to protect your new home so he started teaching you how to defend yourself, how to defend your creatures. Eventually, he found himself wanting to sleep with you more, wanting to be by you, craving you more than anything. His antennae twitch whenever you're around, and his wings stretch and hug you tightly whenever you're close enough. He's falling for you, and he's falling fast, his large eyes stay locked on you whenever you're out in the fields that surround his tree. His long mouth parts rub against each other in an attempt to stimulate him at least a little bit…This is starting to be quite the problem. 

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It all comes to a head six months after you started living with him. He climbed into bed with you and for the first time in his life, he felt, hard, insanely hard. Painfully erect as he pressed against you. There's no way you didn't feel it either, the way your eyes widened and you turned to stare at him. It was obvious he had no experience, he'd been isolated since the day he was born. He had no interest in ever acting on whatever urges he had so eventually he just didn't feel them anymore. But now that he had the potential to have a lover, someone to mate with it was driving him insane. The mantis in him was also worried, aware that females tend to eat the heads of the male once they finish their mating ritual however he's aware you aren't a mantis so he should be just fine. He doesn't even know if you want him though, he's not exactly attractive to most people, to most beings that is. However, you never once shied away from him, you always treated him like he was special and yet also normal. You've seen so many creatures that you probably are attracted to him in the way he's attracted to you, he shouldn't be afraid but he is. He can barely stutter out the next words that leave his mouth. 

“H-Help me…P-Please.”

You smile, gently kissing one of the mouthparts. This beautiful nymph couldn't possibly be trying to comfort him yet you are. You shift between his legs rubbing your thighs against his slacks, knowing that he's hurting. You kiss his lips gently, reaching behind him to stroke his wings, your other hand moving to his antennae. You're stimulating every single part of him, he's losing his mind in pleasure, his hips moving erratically. He can't control it, he's sorry but before he can stop he finds himself spilling all over your thighs making them sticky as you continue to stroke his most sensitive spots. You don't stop until he's hard again until he's needy and aching for you. Begging for you to touch him, begging you for more and more until he can't take it anymore. Then without you having to even do anything he cums again completely untouched. Just a thought of being inside you was enough to stimulate him to the point that he was a panting, blubbering mess. 

“F-Fuck…Fuck more, give me more please I need it. I'll be good I promise. Please please please-”

He moans desperately when you lift your leg, keeping him on his side and letting him slide between your thighs. You don't want him to roll over and crush his wings. You traced the patterns on his wings as you took his hard cock and positioned him at your slick entrance…He moved on instinct, shoving himself inside of you, nearly finishing right then and there but not wanting to disappoint you. He forces himself to stop moving, panting into your neck, licking up the column of your throat before using his long mouth parts to bite down on you remarkably hard, making you bleed. You cried out in pain and he apologized but he bit you again. He needed to do something to anchor himself or he was going to lose his mind, he started moving. Slow grinding thrusts that had you feeling every single inch of him. His wings flapped and slapped his back, the sound distracting you but you're brought right back into the moment when he suddenly starts moving fast, hard, he once again can't control his hips.

“I'm sorry, fuck I'm sorry. You feel so fucking good so good I'm gonna-”

He spills inside you, his raptorial arms wrapped around you tightly as he prods at you, that's his way of checking on you, trying to show that he cares. He pulled out of your slick a mix of your juices falling out of you. The both of you lay there panting, it was quick, it was needy, it was absolutely perfect. He stares at you for a long while before suddenly breaking the silence, wanting to talk to you, wanting to hear your voice, wanting to know if you enjoyed him even though he was fairly new at this. 

“Are you…okay? Did you enjoy it?”

Your giggling was music to his ears. Your smile is his sun.

“Yes I enjoyed myself thoroughly…who knew your antennae would be so sensitive.”

You caress his head right around the base of his antennae and he shutters.

“D-Don't do that.”

You pull your hand away and kiss him softly, caressing his cheeks and then reaching down to caress his scars. 

“Do you still want to know what happened? How I got these scars?”

“Only if you're comfortable with telling me.”

He hesitates for a moment before sighing, caressing your hair, and finally speaking.

“I told you how your God created me right?”

“Yes, although you didn't seem too happy about it.”

“I was a nymph once. I used to be just like you until I stole from your God so they turned me human and kept me imprisoned until they decided to fuse me with a creature. I had a choice but I didn't choose the creature they wanted so they fused me with the mantis. It was painful, agonizing. I suppose I deserved it. I knew what would come if I got caught stealing from a god. The torture I endured is something I would never wish on anyone little nymph.”

“...I'm so sorry Bleez I don't know what else to say.”

“There's nothing else to say, my love. I simply wanted you to know because you were curious. Rest now when you wake in the morning I'll make you some breakfast and we'll go for a walk on the same trail we met. How does that sound?”

“That sounds nice…Goodnight, my love”

“Goodnight.”

From that moment on everything changed, you were his and he was yours. All the trauma, all the agony, all the abandonment you worked through it together, and eventually he was able to overcome the fear he had of your God and rejoined society long enough to get officially wed to you. That was all he needed you. A little nymph that got lost in the woods, a little nymph that was praying for a miracle. He just so happened to answer.

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[fandoms-are-my-friends-1321]

Clueless is an Understatement

This may not be the original idea for Rayne that I had, but at the same time, it is an extremely adorable request that I could not refuse! Plus it allows me to try and write a character that is similar to Mash (I love his brainless antics). I hope that you enjoy this fanfic @jennapancake! Thank you again for the request! Gifs are not mine.

Summary: Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling, followed him to Easton Magic Academy to help protect him on his quest to become a divine visionary. Along the way, they caught the attention of Rayne Ames, who is absolutely smitten by Y/N. The only problem: Y/N does not know how to take a hint.

Warnings: reader has some small injuries, mentions of blood, otherwise none (but if I miss something let me know!)

In a world where magic users dominate the population, there were two non-magic users who were hoping to change their fates and prove that magic was not the only thing that made a person worthy in the eyes of higher powers. The first one was Mash Burnedead: a boy who relied only on his powerful muscles in order to become the divine visionary and allow his family to live in peace. The other is Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling who is also a non-magic user and just as strong as their younger brother. Y/N knew that Mash would face a lot of dangerous challenges and potentially evil foes during his time at Easton Magic Academy, so they took it upon themselves to take the entrance exam as well and help Mash on his quest.

At first, many of the other students wondered why a person as old as Y/N waited so long to join the academy, but they made up the excuse that they were simply too nervous to participate in the entrance exam until now. Of course this was far from the case due to Y/N's trust in their own muscular strength, but it was a necessary lie to keep people off of their backs. Y/N and Mash only allowed trusted friends to know their non-magic status, or the more accurate truth, they all found out after the battle with the Magia Lupis.

"Dude, I still can't believe you have no magic power at all! That is total side character ener-," Y/N smacked Dot across the face before he could finish his sentence.

"And yet you let a side character show you up," Y/N said as they dusted off their uniform. Y/N walked over to Mash and ruffled his hair, causing him to mumble as he tried to fix it. "Come on, you know I don't like my hair being messed with, Y/N."

"I couldn't help it, little brother. You are just too precious sometimes," Y/N said in a monotone and yet excited voice. "Don't forget we have our workout scheduled for 3 today after my classes are finished, and I can't wait to out rep you today."

Mash shook his head from side to side. "Only in your dreams, sibling."

Despite being a first year, Y/N managed to be placed in some upper level courses at Easton, one of which being the Study of Magical Creatures. Rayne Ames, a current divine visionary and the older sibling of Y/N and Mash's friend Finn, also helped to pull some strings for the older Burnedead. It's not that he doubted their prowess, and if anything, it was their power that Rayne admired along with their beauty and talents. However, some of the professors were still skeptical of Y/N and Mash when it came to their "magic" abilities, so he offered his support in their favor.

Today's class would be taking place outside in one of the open pastures by the school, with today's lesson involving herding and calming wild Wrivian's, horse-dragon hybrids that were the size of a small cottage. Rayne was waiting patiently for Y/N to arrive for class, and he caught himself checking his robe for any stray crumbs from lunch. He never used to worry about his appearance since he is usually well-kept, and yet ever since he met Y/N, he felt the need to look even more pristine when he knew they would be around.

Not that Y/N would notice the small details to begin with...

Y/N arrived a few minutes before class began, and Rayne waved at them as they approached. "Good afternoon, Y/N. Are you ready for today's class?" Rayne stated with a slight smile.

Y/N clenched their fist as they took on a fighting pose. "I was born ready, Rayne. Any challenge that these Wrivian's bring, I will take each one down with my fist."

Rayne let out a chuckle as he moved to stand beside them. "I thought you would say something along those lines."

The professor explained the task to the students, making sure to reiterate that no harm should be brought to any of the Wrivian's or they would fail the assignment. All the students broke off into pairs, which would make wrangling the beasts an easy task, but Y/N and Rayne faced more difficulties. Rayne used frontal attacks with Partisan to deflect the fiery breath from the Wrivian, the creature's emerald scales flexing as it weaved expertly through the air. Y/N took more of a distraction approach as they waited for the right time to strike.

"Y/N, they have a blind spot if you move to the right! Now is the time to tame this beast! Remember, avoid harm at all costs!" Rayne instructed as he launched the silvery swords of Partisan one last time.

"Kay', taming magic activate!" Y/N shouted the fake spell as they squatted and leaped into the air, easily reaching the Wrivian hovering in the sky. Y/N grabbed the Wrivian around it's broad neck, the rough texture of the scales cutting into their hands as their weight brought them and the creature back down to the ground. The cloud of dust and the immense crash had Rayne worried, not so much about failing the assignment but for Y/N's safety. I really have fallen for them, Rayne thought as he dashed to the scene. He expected to see the Wrivian knocked out from Y/N's brute strength, but Rayne was shocked to see that the creature did not have a scratch on it. If anything, it seemed quite happy as it expertly stole a cream puff from Y/N's cloak.

"Hey, that's my afternoon cream puff," Y/N whined at first as they looked up at the beast with a minor frown, but as the Wrivian let out a whinny at the sweet treat, Y/N sighed in defeat as their head drooped. "Then again, it seems to be making you pretty happy too."

Rayne gasped as he knelt down by Y/N, who was too distracted by the loss of their cream puff to notice the crimson liquid dripping from their hands. Rayne placed his hands on Y/N's forearms and lifted them up, his cheeks dusting with pink as he felt the muscles under their cloak. "You're hurt, Y/N. Please, let me take you to the infirmary and help bandage your wounds."

Y/N looked down at their hands and blinked. "Oh, looks like I am bleeding, huh? Oopsies." Rayne playfully rolled his eyes at Y/N's unawareness as he helped them to their feet, an arm wrapping protectively around their waist despite Y/N's ability to walk. Y/N's brows furrowed as they looked at Rayne. "Why is your arm around my waist if I can walk?"

"Just a precaution to make sure that you have no underlying injuries," Rayne replied.

"But you can see me walking, Rayne? Are you sure I need assistance?"

The two students finally arrived at the infirmary, and Y/N sat on one of the medical beds while Rayne treated their wounds. He started by cleaning the cuts and applying alcohol to the wounds, causing Y/N to flinch. "Ouchie, that burns a little." Rayne only smiled as his golden eyes remained filled with adoration. Once Y/N was all bandaged up, Rayne laid a kiss on each of their hands. "There, you should be fully healed in a few days."

Y/N tilted their head. "Was that a magic healing spell? Can you teach it to me?"

Rayne smirked as he ruffled his blonde streaked hair. "I could probably teach you the spell over dinner. Would you care to join me?"

"Well I would, but Mash and the others always go to dinner with me on this day of the week. I am making cream puff this evening, if you wanted to join, and the others would be happy to see you." Y/N rambled as they tapped their chin.

"We can bring the cream puff to them when we are finished, but I need your full attention to teach you this spell," Rayne said as he tried to find a way to spend time alone with Y/N. He adored the others yes, especially his brother Finn, but he had longed to ask Y/N on a date for some time now. There was something about them that was charming and adorable, and Rayne could not resist them. Y/N's eyes widened as they absorbed Rayne's words. "Ohh that makes more sense. I will see you then, Rayne." With that, Y/N hopped off the medical bed and left with a brief wave as Rayne started to devise a game plan for tonight.

............................................................................................................................

Rayne arrived at the dorm kitchens around the time Y/N had specified, a bouquet of their favorite flowers in hand. He entered the kitchen and was greeted by Y/N wearing a frilly apron that matched the one that Mash typically wore. They were currently whisking the eggs for the cream puffs with calculated precision. Rayne smiled as he leaned over the counter and presented the flowers to Y/N. "I brought these for you, Y/N, and I hope that you will enjoy them."

Y/N halted their whisking and took the flowers from Rayne, eagerly sniffing the fresh blooms. "These smell like the flowers back home, but I don't know if they will taste good in the cream puffs."

"They won't be going in the cream puffs, you dork. They are for you to look at and admire from afar." Rayne explained as he conjured up a glass vase. Y/N let out an exclamation of excitement as they tapped the vase to see if it was real before going back to whisking. Rayne rested his head in his hand as he watched Y/N make the cream puffs from memory. While the cream puffs were baking, Rayne took this as a sign to make his feelings known. "I am excited to try these delicious cream puffs, but I have no doubt that they will not be as sweet as you are."

"I always put four cups of sugar into the dough, and along with this custard cream, they will be the perfect amount of sweetness." Y/N assured as they plopped down in the seat next to Rayne. They perked up as they remembered the conversation they had with Rayne earlier. "Oh, you said you would teach me that healing spell? Unlike my brother, I can learn things pretty quickly."

An idea materialized in Rayne's head as he pretended to pop his knuckles. "Luckily, this spell does not require a wand like most spells, and I believe that you have the abilities and strength to master this spell in no time. Firstly, you take the hands of the person that you want to heal." Rayne turned to face Y/N as they took their hands in his, the bandages from earlier soft to the touch, but Rayne wished he could feel Y/N's actual hands instead. Y/N continued to absorb the instructions like a sponge as they replied with a "got it".

"Next, you approach the subject closer so you can determine the state of their injuries." Rayne closed the gap between him and Y/N until their face's were inches apart, allowing him to admire all of the amazing features of Y/N's face. He swore that no deity could be more gorgeous than them. Y/N nodded as they maintained eye contact with Rayne and made sure to process each step clearly. "Finally," Rayne started as he placed a hand on Y/N's cheek, "You perform the healing spell." Before Rayne could complete his plan, the loud ding of the oven interrupted him, and Y/N shot up from their seat faster than a lightning strike. "Cream puffs are done!" They shouted excitedly.

Y/N finalized the delicious treats and handed the first ones to Rayne. He bit into the pastry and hummed with delight as Y/N ate their portion of the cream puffs in a few gulps. "These are perfect, Y/N, and I must admit that this would make for a perfect date," Rayne said as he smiled more than he had in months. Y/N was once again confused.

"Isn't that a type of fruit?"

"Yes, you are correct, but it is also the time spent between two individuals that care about each other as a way to show affection for one another. Y/N Burnedead, I care about you more and more each and every day, and I would destroy every evil force in this magical realm if it means that you are safe by my side. I would be yours if that is what you wish, but if you need more time, I understand completely." Rayne blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, but Y/N still could not see the full picture.

"I could help you beat up the villains instead, but I would need to focus on more bicep training first. Maybe Mash would know-," Y/N's sentence was cut short as Rayne gently pressed his lips against theirs as his hand returned to caress their cheek once again. Y/N did not fully understand what to do, but they did enjoy the feeling of Rayne being so close to them. When Rayne pulled away, the realization of his words and actions finally set in, and Y/N turned as red as the strawberries they used in the cream puffs. Y/N's brain started to short circuit as the affection became to much. "I-I-I guess that t-t-this makes us a, makes us a..."

Rayne kissed Y/N's cheek as a genuine laugh rumbled in his chest. "Yes, this makes us a couple, if that is what you desire. There is no one in all of Easton that would make a better match for a divine visionary."

Y/N could not help but smile as they fiddled with their hands. "I-I would like that very much."

Bonus:

"Did you save some cream puffs for me?"

"Of course, I always save the perfect ones for my favorite little sibling." Y/N handed over the cream puffs to Mash as he excitedly munched on the pastries. Lemon and Finn had just entered the room, and Lemon could not help but squeal as she nudged Y/N with her elbow. "And I heard that Y/N made cream puffs with the Rayne Ames last night!!! So, did anything exciting happen?! I must know!!"

Y/N shrugged as they took a bite from their own cream puff. "Rayne taught me a new spell while I made the cream puffs. We also kissed, and now we are dating. Nothing too exciting though."

Lemon screamed with joy as she nearly fainted at the news, but it was Finn whose jaw dropped as he flailed his arms in the air. "YOU'RE DATING MY BROTHER?! AND YOU KISSED?! I did not need to know that!!" Finn dashed from the room as his face flushed with embarrassment, but Lemon wanted to hear more.

"So, do you want to go over wedding plans with me?"

Tag list: @mayurin17, @thebasicbword, @kemis-world, @sereniteav

[yugsly]

I really like the be kind my neighbor comic as it is and I'm all interested in a movie adaptation of it but personally I would be a little scared if things completely changed... By that, I mean regardless of storytelling... I just love how a lot of plot things are let up to interpretation and I would be a little worried if some things drastically changed, like by example: any of the characters plot... <:)

It is likely to never happen. Non-known-IPs just do not get funded, let alone a 2-D animated movie featuring trans people. It's sad but that's just the world we live in. Nearly impossible even though I have "ins" at a lot of studios that like me. I was just day-dreaming. But the thing about adaptations is: it doesn't change the fact that the source material still exists and can be enjoyed as is. It'll always exist. A comic and it's movie version can exist as different-but-related entities. To me it is weird to adapt something into a movie verbatim. There's no real reason to tell the exact same story in the exact same way twice. It's cool to explore alternate ways things might work out, it's nice to see other sides of characters you might not have gotten to see yet. For example, it might be nice to explore Glenn as a character a bit more. Learn to know him a bit better. What if his fate was different? We already know how one course of events might go. Giving different plot-beats more breathing room could be nice. I have a lot of ideas I think people would dig. You know how I tell stories. I'd never give all the answers, I still love leaving things up to interpretation. That's never going to change about my work. That bit of audience participation is extremely important to me. Personally, Be Kind My Neighbor exists best as a comic, I don't find it necessary for it to become a movie. But it would be fun. It would be amazing to have a 2-D animated movie like this. I'm just day-dreaming.

[boolger]

The werewolves of Stonemill ☆2☆ COD

[Chapter 1] ☆ [chapter 2]

MDNI ☆ MDNI☆ MDNI ☆ MDNI ☆ MDNI☆ MDNI ☆ MDNI

(These first two chapters aren't too dark, so they will be posted here. The rest of the fic will only be updated on A03)((unless I decide something else))

☆ Fem!reader x Poly!TF141☆ explicit ☆ wip ☆ 2/12 ☆ 2.7k words.

☆summary: You had been living your best life in Stonemill for a little over half a decade by now. A lone shewolf living in the town and working at the local bar, surrounded by a lush nature to roam through at night, a perfect piece of Paradise in Montana. A place you DO'NT want to share with any other werewolves. So, when a group of men turns up, buying a big house and stinking of alpha werewolves, you're territory is threatened - and these men doesn't seem to get it into their thick heads, that they need to leave. In fact, the assholes become rather interested in you, trying to get you to join their pack. You just want them to leave, one way or another - but it seems like they won't take no for an answer.

☆tags: Dead dove don't eat, werewolves, mention of graphic violence, dark!141, poly!141, afab!reader, omegaverse, dub-con, non-con, werewolf AU, foursomes, fivesomes, heat, scenting, hunting, killing animals, chubby reader, forced bonding, kidnapping, non-con touching, non-con drug use.

(These first two chapters aren't too dark, so they will be posted here. The rest of the fic will only be updated on A03)

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

“Fae!” 

Luna barely made it inside the bar before she was yelling your name, making you jump at the sight of your friend, almost spilling the beer, worried for just a second - until you saw her grin. Oh, that kind of grin meant she had news, or well, gossip to be more exact.

You finished filling up the glass for one of the regulars, smiling at the older gentleman who went back to watch some sort of sport show at the small television in the corner with the others. 

“Faefaefae-” Luna didn’t even stop, almost crawling over the desk, as you gave her shoulder a gentle tap.

“Calm down,” you said, before turning around and getting her a bottle of sparkling water as you knew she preferred, “tell me then, what is so important that you’re screaming my name?”

Technically it was just your nickname, but those tended to stick in this town. Not that you minded. First halloween in Stonemill, where you dressed up as a fairy and your fate was sealed. 

“Somebody bought the Johnson family house,” her voice was in a dramatic whisper, eyes wide, “full price even.”

That did make you pause and blink. The Johnson family house was at the edge of the town and had, in fact, been owned by said family for generations - until the last one, who ended up being the only family member left, elderly and without kids of her own. Miss Johnson had tried selling the house for years, but Stonemill wasn’t well known, nor was a lot of people interested in buying a giant house that needed well, a lot of love. In the time you had lived there, Miss Johnson had lowered the price three times.

“Full original price?”

Luna nodded, like an excited pup.

“- And Miss Johnson?”

“Over the moon! She got enough money to get that lil two bedroom apartment near the Franks and Hales, and there won’t be any stairs there and enough space for her to use her walker too.”

You felt yourself smile. You weren’t close with Miss Johnson in any way, but it was hard not to know each other at least vaguely in a town like this. She was a big part of the elderly community but after falling about a decade ago, she had struggled with chairs - moving closer to the other elders would be good for her. 

“That’s good, bless her heart,” you answered, “I’m really happy - do you know who bought it?”

“Yes! well, no I don't but–”

“- but you heard gossip?”

“Excuse you,” Luna touched her chest with a mocking, horrified expression, her red curls almost bouncing “I am a good christian woman, I never gossip.” You rolled your eyes as you picked up a glass, beginning to clean it.

“Tell me then, oh great Christian woman, what didn’t you hear then?”

“Well, Miss Johnson said that it was a lot of handsome strange men,” the words made you frown but Luna merely waved her hand at you, “yeah, I was confused too, but I talked to the couple that lives nearby and the guy said that it’s a group of four men, all veterans, apparently used to be a squad.”

“That doesn’t make them weird–”

“They’re British, Fae.”

“... Ah. I see Miss Johnson’s point.”

“Anyways - neighbor said he is pretty sure some of them is gay, but his wife said it probably wasn’t all of them and that we shouldn’t judge, but that they all seemed very polite and nice, but that they probably wanted to come here to retire, ya’ know?”

“Luna,” you took a deep breath, having to stop yourself from pinching the bridge of your nose, “how do you even know all of this?”

“Mailman - and the butcher.”

“Hah. Of course.” you wanted to roll your eyes at the ridiculousness of the entire situation.

“BUT! you know what this means, Fae?” She almost lit up again and you raised an eyebrow, putting the glass away. 

“That we’re officially 154 town folks now?”

“Yes! SO! New people to date!” Luna sounded incredibly proud of herself.

“I - Luna you’re a lesbian,” you pointed out, your friend just rolling her eyes, grin not faltering for a moment, “It’s not for me, you idiot! For you!”

You wanted to deny that the thought didn’t catch your interest. Your cheeks felt warm and though you let out a huff, trying to not seem bothered, both you and Luna knew it was a lie. One of the regulars, further down the bar giggled at the two of you and you sent him a stern look.

Why did they care about your dating life? It bothered you. 

Looking back at Luna, her head resting in her hands, freckles standing in a stark contrast to her sunburnt skin, her green eyes shining in the unnatural light of the bar.

“No.”

“Ya’ haven’t even seen ‘em!” Arguing with Luna, on a night like this, where she was full of energy, had been out in her garden half the day without enough sunscreen, was almost impossible; after several years of knowing her, you knew that. Yet, here you were.

“Neither have you, dipshit.” A part of you wished that there would appear more thirsty bar goers, just so you wouldn’t have to defend your singleness. Finding a partner that wasn’t a wolf and wouldn’t ask too many questions was tough to say the least. At the same time, finding a partner who was a wolf, meant letting another wolf, a stranger, into your territory. The urge to gag overwhelmed you for a moment.

“But-”

“No - now, do ya’ wanna talk about something other than planning my dating life?”

The ginger pouted.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Hours passed, you returned home from your shift at the bar, taking the usual walk home, smelling slightly of beer and cigarettes as always. It was like a rhythm that had settled in your body after living here half a decade.

Cars passed, lights illuminating your body for mere seconds, a person or two greeting you as you passed them, wishing you a good night. Stonemill was considered a rather safe place. There was the occasional bar brawl, but they were often nice enough to take it outside and figure it out on their own. 

Whenever you walked home on nights like these, bathed in the last colors of the sunset, you liked to imagine you were in a music video, like the ones you grew up watching repeatedly on youtube.

The thoughts of the newcomers had drowned in your mind, by another local drama, then by a heartbroken lady who came in not too long after Luna had annoyed you about being single.

No, you just enjoyed the air, much nicer than the big city air you had grown up with. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

It was two days later when you stepped out of your door, to go get groceries, that the scent in the air made you physically gag - gripping the door frame, to stop yourself from falling over. 

Wolves.

There were fucking wolves in the area. Strangers, in your fucking territory. 

How dare they?? For a non-human, it was clear that this area was yours - you made sure of that, making sure it stank of your scent. You rubbed your muzzle against house corners, against trees, hell you pissed several places on the regular, too. 

You had to close your eyes, breathing through your mouth for a couple of seconds, building up your courage to take another sniff. You needed to know who the hell this was, how many, whether they were alphas, betas or omegas like you.

You took a deep breath, this time with your nose, wrinkling it at the scent. It stank of alphas, definitely more than one, if you had to guess by the mixed scents.

Right. You wetted your teeth with your tongue, the urge to let your wolf form free overwhelming for a second. To find the intruders, as quickly as possible, attack them, show them that this place wasn't open for them. Groceries afterwards.

Hopefully it was just a pack passing by, though they had definitely been in the area for a couple of hours, if the potent scent was anything to go by.

Following your nose wasn’t quite like following the maps app on your phone. It forced you to use an instinct you mostly used when hunting. It was like the world  around you didn't matter, though you tried not to look too weird as you sniffed your way towards the unknown goal. Smiling and greeting as familiar faces passed you, either on foot or in their cars.

The house at the edge of the town was a dull green color, worn by the weather by the years, begging to be fixed - but it needed more than just a new paint job for the house to look nice again. It was a fixer upper, as Luna had described it once. With the stream nearby and the forest curling into the backyard, it was a big and beautiful house, where a big family could live. Usually you wouldn’t even be hesitant to get close, because Miss Johnson would always be sitting in the window, watching the street - waving at you with her boney fingers and big grin, her little poodle always next to her.

No more.

The scent was overwhelming, even as you stood around 20 metres away. A big truck was in the driveway, getting unloaded by several big men. They were chatting among themselves and you didn’t need to be a genius, to know that these men were the ones mentioned by Luna. British veterans. 

Hiding behind a tree wasn't your proudest moment, but you needed to be able to look at them in peace, just for a bit.

Tall, all four of them, clearly strong as they easily carried the bigger furniture pieces and moving boxes. Some of the neighbors were helping, chatting. One of the loudest of them wasn’t even British, if the Scottish accent was anything to go by as he chattered away. He wore a knee-brace, blue shorts and black t-shirt, hair in a fucking mohawk. A big grin as he argued to another one of them that it was his knee, not his arms that were broken, as he took another box.

The one who looked worried - or well, his upper half of his face looked worried - was wearing a black facemask, short clipped dark blonde hair, scars littered all over his body and face. A pair of pants and long sleeve shirt, despite the warmth. You couldn’t hear what he said exactly, drowned out by all the other voices and noise from their moving.

A black man appeared, wearing a cap with the british flag - and the prettiest face you had seen for a long time. Smiling politely as their neighbor asked about something, wearing a gray t-shirt that was a tad too tight on his arms and a pair of long shorts. You already knew all the housewives and older ladies were going to try to marry off their daughters to him.

Then, finally, the last stranger appeared. 

He wore a boonie hat of all things, t-shirt too but an open flannel over it that was folded up to his elbows, exposing his tattooed arms. He was big too, but looked much older - mostly due to the beard that looked like it had stepped out from a history book.

The wind had been hitting your face, letting their scents come to your hiding spot. Alpha. All fucking alpha, potent with their wolf scent, which meant they had probably changed yesterday. 

The urge to create a scene, to snarl at them, humans be damned and get them off your territory was overwhelming.

At once, the wind changed. Before you realized, it was too late, the wind curling along your short hair.

The man with the beard was the first one to quickly turn his head, your gazes instantly meeting as he sniffed the air. Fuck. As if on cue, the three others froze, their faces instantly turning towards you too, but you were stuck in some sort of staring contest with the first man.

The moment he grinned, like he knew something you didn’t, you slipped away into the slim alleyways of the two houses near you, escaping to the back of the enclosed gardens, away from the gazes of the four alpha wolves. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to fight you did - but it wasn’t the right time.

You barely remembered what you bought in the grocery store - bringing home the oddest mixture of things that you didn’t care about either. You barely ate, just sat around your house… waiting.

Watching the sun going lower and lower on its travel across the sky.

It was dark when your wolf had you get up, howling and snarling in your mind, begging you to let her come out, so that you could go to the house and scare the alphas off.

But you didn’t. Reason with them, you told yourself, try communicating before going directly to violence… Besides, the more logical part of you feared not winning the fight. Your wolf didn’t particularly like the idea of communicating.

Pulling on your boots, your thick jacket since it was cold and you weren’t - hopefully - going to shift, you needed to keep your warmth. A dark knitted beanie pulled down to your ears, a scarf and you were off. You didn’t look scary, you knew that. You were smaller than them, chubby and had short hair, but according to Luna, a mean stare. Your wolf form was more dangerous with her teeth, but alas.

You didn’t go through the town this time, foregoing the usual streets, in the hopes of not catching unwanted attention. Instead you crossed through the forest, the trip a little longer, but the scents familiar and shadows easier to hide in.

The closer you got to the Johnson Family house, that wasn’t the Johnson Family house anymore, the more their scent began to return, making you wrinkle your nose - and this time a small growl left you.

Minutes passed as you calmly walked in between the trees, knowing the place like the back of your hand. Maybe you ran your bare fingers along a couple of trees, to leave a little more scent behind, who knew.

It took a little while, time almost slowing down the closer you got. As you got closer, you began to mind your sounds, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was easier in your wolf form, but you made due, making it to the stream in their backyard - you didn’t cross it, keeping it between you, since it would give you a good head start, in case it was needed.

You stood there for a moment, watching the usual dark windows, lit up, picking up the vague sound of laughter and moving. For a moment, just a short moment, you imagined what it would be like to have your own pack. To have somebody to rely on, someone to spend your life with, to run free with, letting your wolves free and enjoying nature. The next moment, you wanted to hit yourself for even thinking about it.

You let out a little howl, giving away your position, letting them know you were near. Everything stopped within the house. Only because of your non-human genes, you were able to hear rough talking, though you couldn’t pick out the words. You waited. A few moments later, the backdoor opened and you braced yourself, ready to turn and run for your life in case it was wolves that barged out.

Instead it was the man with the beard, hat forgotten in the house, bare feet and a hurriedly put on leather jacket. His eyes ran over the garden, before it landed on you.

The stench from the house of male alphas hit you like a brick wall, but you stood quietly, waiting, even as the anger grew inside of you with every second that passed.

The man turned towards you, having the audacity to grin at you as he stepped down from the wooden back porch, down towards the stream.

God you wanted to rip his throat out.

[prev]

[bangchansgirlsblog]

My Biggest Regret

Part two:

**

Fate was on her and Chan's side. She knew it. She felt it and she could taste it. Even if It had been 3 years…

3 years.

The calls were now non existent and the texts were now disappearing. She knew the only way to know if he was okay was through social media so she kept checking all her socials to watch over him.

She had accepted the fact that he was now a busy idol. He was making hits and creating a big name for himself and his group. He was now basically non existent in her life.

Don’t get it wrong, he would try to call her here and there but it was so awkward that she just stopped picking up once and for all. He also saw that they had nothing in common at all so he also stopped calling.

They had grown apart. It was painful but that was reality.

She still visited his parents and his sister once in a while just to check in but it would end up with a lecture about how they are very upset with Chan for not keeping in contact with her but they would eventually get over it by the end of the evening after some tea and cookies.

Hannah on the other hand was so upset and angry at her brother but Y/n couldn't blame her. He had missed every important mile stone in her life (not intentionally Ofcourse) but still how "dare" he be so busy and lie.

Y/n knew she had to be her rock though. She knew she had to step in and take care of her.

"My love, you'll get wrinkles on your forehead if you continue to be upset," Y/n tells the young girl as she slowly helps apply Hannah’s makeup for prom. They were sat in her room on vanity.

"I don't get it! How are you so okay with what he has done?" The younger one whines like usual. To be honest Y/n was a mess inside. She was constantly sad and even though it had been years she still felt really sad and upset. She had lost her bestfriend and she didn't know if she would even be around when he came back.

"Hannah, you should be proud of him and not upset. Look at how much he has accomplished. He has grown so much and made a big difference in the industry. We should just be patient with him and we shall all be back together again." Y/n smiles as she finishes the makeup look. "There you go, so beautiful!" She claps and admires the work she had created.

“Let me see! Let me see!” She squeals and turns. Hannah gasps when she looks into the mirror shocked.

"I love it so much Y/n! Thank you!" She squeals again and held out her phone to take a few selfies.

Y/n loved seeing her happy. She was like her little sister and she since she didn't have siblings of her own she put her everything into Hannah.

"Here let me take a picture! Turn around and say Cheese!" Y/n takes a short video of her beautiful dress and posts it on her instagram. She had a few followers not as many as a normal teenager would but she was satisfied with her small account. It consisted of people she loved only.

"Oh I think my dates here!" Hannah smiles and grabs her purse then Y/n's hand. They all walk down stairs where Chan's father had the camera out.

"Oh my girl! You look beautiful!" Her mum coos and stared at the both of them. Hannah and her date took a few pictures and finally left, Ofcourse after Y/n gave them a long lecture about protection and drinking which left Hannah completely embarrassed.

"Thank you for helping her Y/n, you really have her wrapped around your finger," Chan's mum says while pouring some water for Y/n in a cup.

They were sat on the dining table having some dinner since his dad had insisted.

"Oh it's no worries! I love her like my own little sister," she gives them a genuine smile before grabbing her chopsticks and starting on the meal.

"How is medications going? What has the doctor said?" Chan's dad asks turning the atmosphere all so serious. He always had a soft spot for Y/n ever since his bestfriend (Y/N's mum) pushed her out, he had admired her, loved her and cared for her like his own. He was the only father figure in her life.

"It's okay, just trying to push through everyday. The doctor says that the tumor has decreased but he isn’t sure by how much or if it'll stay like that," Y/n shrugs and continued to eat her ramen. This topic wasn't new for her. She was used to the question. She was used to the usual nagging from both Chan's parents and her mum reminding her to take her medication or to go for her appointments.

She was now used to it all.

"That's good sweetheart. Keep taking care of yourself please. I don’t want you to end up in the hospital again.” He tells her softly almost as if he was scared to bruise her with his words.

“I will uncle-“

“Speaking of that,” Chan’s mum interrupted the small conversation. He groans knowing exactly where the conversation was going and he automatically felt bad for Y/n because they had been through this for the 50th time, “Did you ever tell Chan about it? He keeps asking me about you Y/n and I want you guys to get to talking again. I feel bad for lying to him.”

Y/n let a sigh out. She hadn’t told Chan about when her condition got worse. She hadn’t even told him about her ending up in the hospital for months and she wanted to keep it that way.

“No I haven’t told him yet, I just don’t want to put a lot on his plate plus I’m fine now and out of bed rest,”

“I know sweetheart but-“

“My love! Don’t get involved in their love life, I keep telling you this,” Chan’s dad interrupts his mum. Y/n had always admired and craved their love. They were such a cute couple, such a happy couple.

“I know darling but if they won’t even talk, how will they get married?!” She exclaims causing Y/n to choke. Married?

“Look at what you’re saying now! You’ll chase the poor girl away. Let them be please!”

“Fine, Fine. More dumplings?" She asks dumping a few more dumplings on Y/n’s plate.

**

[soullessdianthus]

Soft!Bo Sinclair X Fem!Reader | Headcanons

>> PART 2

Author's note: Basically, how Bo's heart softened and spared you from death. And yeah I'm kinda fucked in the head for writing him this way, but HEAR ME OUT━ I consider doing a part 2 to extend the topic hihi (like, what life in Ambrose with him later looks like or smth + NSFW obviously), but these are my first headcanons, so please be considerate. <3

Warnings: it's a bit lenghty, sorry, canon typical violence, SFW (lot's of comfort)

Word count: 1.1k

Before your first "visit" to Ambrose, you and your friends set up a camp in the nearby woods - you were on a camping trip around Louisiana, for fun I guess or maybe during some break in your school/work

Bo watched your group from the tree line that night, he saw how poorly they treated you, how ignoring and demeaning they were towards you, why on Earth would you spend time with them?

He formed a strong opinion about those people right then and somehow took a little, tiny bit pity on you

When the car mysteriously broke down during the night, you along your companions took a walk to the small town nearby, searching the local mechanic

He was quick to find you, sitting on a pavement in front of a gas station

The man was charming, you admitted to yourself finally, especially when his bright irises traced your every step around the station

Bo looked enchanted, amazed by your personality, the way you talked, your appearance or all at once

But when some of your friends began to disappear few hours later, the true horror began

You stuck between the weirdly abandoned houses with two of your companions who were quick to seal your fate

They used handcuffs they found on the policeman wax figure to strap you to the metal pipe on the gas station - as a fucking offering to the killers chasing after the tourists

"Wh- THE HELL YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Creating a distraction I guess" they responded, trying to justify their actions, before running off, abandoning you to die alone

No matter how hard you struggled against the tube or the handcuffs, there was no way you could escape this without cutting your palm off

Obviously you wanted to avoid that option

And then, out of bloom, he appeared - dressed in a blue coverall, sweat drops shining over his forehead, tousled hair sticking to his temple - clearly running after your "friends"

Bo noticed you in an instant and a wide smile twisted his face - such a prize as you, being placed (offered even) in front of him like a gift? best day ever for our man Bo

And if you are considerably way younger than him, let's say early twenties - he would take an extra intrest in you (being more vulnerable for manipulation *COUGHS*), also extra points if you have daddy issues

Come on, this guy just wants to be worshiped by younger girl and tells her what to do, okay?

"My, my, what do we have 'ere?" he asked rhetorically, slowly lurching toward you "Little fuckers left ya behind? Tsk, tsk"

You froze in place petrified, but... he didn't seem to want to hurt you

Bo swooped your loose hair behind your ear, before carefully examining your form - all this time you stood still

Because what else could you do? You were immobilized, ffs

"Don't worry darlin', Imma take care of 'em, yeah? Just stay right here"

He placed a goodbye-kiss on top of your head, before returning to his "duties", the hunt wasn't over yet

So you stood there helpless, bound to the metal pipe outside of the gas station for God knows how long, wondering what will happen to your friends and what will happen to you

You took a peek inside the wax museum and soon enough you found out the town was in fact empty - there had to be a correlation, right?

Besides you saw the man with a weird mask and long black hair stab one of your companions in the neck - so the conclusion was quite simple

When Beauregard came back with a pair of tiny keys looped on his thumb, you gave him a merciful stare with glossy eyes, non verbally expressing the thought "please, don't kill me"

"You're a smart girl, ain'tcha? Gonna be good, yeah? That means 'no troubles', got it?" Bo spoke softly, his voice enchanting you with sweet venom

He unlocked the handcuffs and set you free, while you gently nodded your head, agreeing to being "good".

"T-Thanks" you massaged the bruised wrist, devouring feeling of "freedom", before he placed his big palm on your lower back

It was so warm

"Come, you must be tired, huh?" Sinclair guided you to walk along him, heading to the house on a hill

His house

Bo invited you inside, opening the doors and guiding you once again with his hand

If he only could, he would hold you, touch you, fondle your flesh all the time - you were fucking magnetic

You politely entered the house, feeling his presence on your back - at this point you wanted to punch yourself in the face for thinking that you're safe now, that he wouldn't hurt you - he probably just killed your friends

But the man took a weird liking to you, maybe it was your bargaining chip to survival?

It was already dark outside when Bo led you to his room upstairs

He caught a clean t-shirt from the drawer and placed it in your hands

"Why are you doing this? Why are you kind to me?" you kept your head down, fingers digging into the material of his shirt

There was a dead silence for a seconds before he responded

"Such a girl like you doesn't deserve to be treated like trash, yeah? You had shitty friends, doll"

You finally looked up at him

He was smiling, it was a gentle smile, a caring one

"Now, maybe we should finally rest, hm? It was a long day"

You did not protest when he pointed with his finger to the bathroom, where you could change into the clean clothes

Neither when he changed into his pajama and guided you towards his bed

The adrenaline and emotions from the whole day kept you on a constant survival mode - but of course, you thought about escape

Yet you didn't

Somehow you made it this far

But now you were lying in bed beside him, under one sheet

You tried to remain calmness, but the tears overfilled your tired eyes - you started crying, trying to remain as still as possible

But Bo felt your curled up form shaking and a few weeps could be heard though you tried to hide it

"Come 'ere" he spoke through the darkness of his room "come, sweetheart. There's no need to cry"

When you turned around to face him, his arm was already opened, inviting you into his embrace

And you foolishly succumbed into his touch

This should feel wrong, but it didn't

He was so warm

Bo brought you even closer to his chest, letting his heat radiate through you

Oh, to have him take care of you &lt;3

You melted into his touch and soon after fall asleep in his arms

Bo never wish for his precious girl to cry like this again

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

I love you 3000 writing bonanza!

I’ve hit 3000 followers!!!

Now if you remember a while ago I asked how you guys would like to celebrate and this is what I’ve come up with! If you remember my 2.5k Followers Writing Challenge and Exchange its kinda similar to that but I’ve made some improvements!

What is going to happen is I am going to open up my askbox/dms for requests!

To make this manageable and allow me to complete as many as possible I will only be accepting requests in these following forms:

1) A question about a character or series

For example: How would X characters feel about Y character doing XYZ?

2) A What If…. For one of my series

For example: What If the character for X series met 10 years prior

3) A request using a maximum of 3 of the prompts below (the list is hella long so I’ve put it below the cut!)

For Example: Ari Levinson / Mob AU / You won’t get away so easy

If I receive a request that does not fall into one of these three categories then I will not fulfill it!

And because I like for everyone to be able to get involved if you yourself are a writer/want to give writing a go and you like any of the below prompts feel free to use them (the max of 3 doesn’t apply to you guys) all I ask is that you tag me, use the hashtag Niamh Loves You 3000, use appropriate warnings and let me know which ones you’re using so I can keep my eye out!

If you are writing a fic using the below prompts I ask you to follow these rules:

No sexual relations with minors, no somnophilia, necrophilia, incest, toilet stuff, snuff, or beastiality!

Dark Fics are allowed (Non-Con/Dub-Con) but they MUST BE APPROPRIATELY TAGGED!

Any creation MUST BE ORIGINAL! No stealing, stealing is bad!

The creation if part of a series must be able to be read as a stand alone!

No word limit! If it’s over 500 please use the read more function!

All the prompts are below the cut, remember its a max of three, but you can mix and match as you like so the possibilities are endless!

Characters:

Chris Evans

Steve Rogers

Andy Barber

Frank Adler

Ari Levinson

Curtis Everett

Johnny Storm

Jake Jensen

Ransom Drysdale

Any other Chris Evans character

Trope:

Fake Dating

Only One Bed

Enemies to Lovers

Friends to Lovers

Cuddling for warmth

Trapped together

Mistaken Identity

One night only

Love Triangle

Fated Mates

Childhood Sweethearts

Grumpy x Sunshine

Forbinned Love

Forced Proximity

WILDCARD! (You can pick an Trope not listed!)

AU:

A/B/O AU

Mob AU

Sports team AU

College AU

Emergency Service AU

(Medieval) Royalty AU

(Modern) Royalty AU

Pornstar AU

Fairytale / Fantasy AU

Biker AU

Soulmate AU

Band/Musician AU

WILDCARD! (You can pick an AU not listed!)

Dialogue:

"I told you not to touch that"

"I'm tired of answering that question"

"Why didn't they come?"

"I'm so sick of pretending everything's okay"

"don't just stand there! do something!"

"do you remember that night in [insert place]?"

"is there a problem here gentlemen?"

"what on earth happened here?"

"there's blood everywhere"

"Get in the van!"

"I'm not saying you're a bad cook, but even the flies in the kitchen wear gas masks."

"I may be a terrible dancer, but I've got great moves in bed."

"I'm not high maintenance; I'm just low tolerance for mediocrity."

"I love the sound of your voice and the way you say my name."

"Being with you feels like coming home."

“You're not the person I thought you were."

"I never imagined my life without you."

"I never got to say goodbye."

"I'm so glad you're here to point out my flaws. I would never have noticed them on my own."

"Oh, don't worry about being late. We'll just sit here and wait for you forever."

"I'm sorry. Did I ask for your opinion?"

"Why do you always insist on seeing the worst in people?"

"It's not my fault you can't handle the truth."

"You don't know what I'm capable of."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want."

"You think you're better than me, but you're not."

"I'll use anyone I need to achieve my goals."

"You've made a huge mistake, and now you're going to pay for it."

"Don't you realize how much you've hurt everyone around you?"

"you have no idea what you do to me"

"don't you dare go slow"

"I don't think I'll be able to walk tomorrow"

"move and you won't be coming tonight"

"hands behind you're back"

"Beg for it"

"you can take it, you've done it before"

"I'm going to fucking ruin you"

"do you think you deserve a reward/punishment?"

"show me how much you missed me"

"Are you holding back? don't"

"shall we put your mouth to better use?"

"Slowly, I'm not going anywhere"

"I said I'd take care of you"

"Please, I can't sit still"

So there’s absolutely so many to pick from covering fluff, comedy, angst and smut 😉 don’t forget to follow the rules I’ve set out above!!

I love you all 3000 🩵🩵🩵

[watatsumiis]

I honestly adore your bitey series, and saw your suggestions were open. Do you mind if I suggest Arlecchino, Beidou, Hu Tao, Rosaria, Yanfei, Kuki, and Ganyu for the Bitey Series? I'm super interested in your hc ideas gkjddfgkl (Don't feel bad if you wanna not write for some of the characters I just listed gjkfdkfjgljk I just went with six because each of your bitey posts also have six so I used it as a baseline jkfgjkdgjk) I hope you're having a good day/night!

Thanks so much for the request!! I’m more than happy to do this, I really had a lot of fun writing the bitey reader series, something about it just makes my little heart happy <3 It seems like you actually submitted seven here, which is alright!! Thank you for noticing about the number of characters i usually have per post, it means a lot to me kjdkdfs

I think i may have to give Yanfei, Shinobu and Ganyu a miss for now since I’m not familiar at all with writing them, but I’ll keep them on my list, don’t worry!

Content: Gender neutral reader who bites as a sign of platonic affection. 

Arlecchino is used to being bitten. She works with children who will bite for a large myriad of reasons. She may not like it, but she understands it comes from a place of not being able to verbalise a certain emotion. At first she’ll be concerned that there’s something wrong, and will try to pinpoint what it is. Eventually, she’ll move on to being mildly annoyed, shooing you off, and then finally just settling for it and realising it’s just a way of you asking for attention. If she’s busy, she may brush you off and move away, but she’ll make a note to give you the affections that you’re pining for when she has a moment. If you have a particularly close relationship with her she’ll let it fly if she knows you’ve had a bit of a rough/long day.

Beidou finds it kind of funny, though she doesn’t entirely understand it. She’ll just laugh like you’ve told her some kind of hilarious joke, shaking her head and tutting her tongue as she pats you on the head and jokes that some kind of shark or something must’ve gotten on board while her back was turned. Though if you consistently do it, she may ask if you’ve gotten into the liquor (she’s got a few crew members who get a little… bitey, once they’ve had a few drinks), or kind of semi-awkwardly try to redirect you onto something (or someone) else. Eventually she just resigns to her fate though, and you get to nibble on her to your heart's content! She’ll just sort of phase it out after a while.

Hu Tao kind of adores it - she lives for non-traditional acts of affection and the like, so will almost immediately try to get you back. She’ll turn it up a notch and just CHOMP down on you, giggling all the while. She thinks it's a very silly and fun way of communicating affection, and it feels strangely natural to her, as do most ‘unorthodox’ ways of making people know how much she likes them. She’s fairly well known for doing things like this in her own unorthodox way, and once she knows you're open to it, you'll often find yourself on the receiving end of one of her rather 'quirky' ways of showing affection, which include tying things to the ends of your hair (usually ribbons, feathers or charms for warding off spirits or bad luck), pocketing some of your belongings while you're not looking or just grabbing ahold of you or your clothing and clinging tight.

Rosaria is entirely baffled, and maybe even a little offended. She’ll pull away sharply and give you a stern look, but won’t directly say anything about it. If you try again, you’ll earn an annoyed sigh. Repeated attempts will reward you with progressively more annoyed reactions, eventually escalating to you getting bopped (mostly gently) on the head with a book or paper she has on hand. After that, if you do it again, she can and will just walk away. She doesn’t understand and doesn’t really have a heavy desire to try and understand - all she knows is that it’s bothering her and she doesn’t like it. If you're in a situation that she isn't able to walk away from, you'll likely find yourself getting scolded or grumbled at - don't get too upset though, she isn't really that mad, and will forget about it pretty quickly.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites.

[valsurfav]

Fem!Reader x CultLeader!SuguruGetou

You and Getou have been dating for a while now, both of you having lost track due to the busyness of your lives. Getou was slowly finding out how difficult owning a cult really was, and you were simply there to watch it all unfold.

It was painful, to say the least.

The sleepless nights he spent awake trying to make ends meet, the meetings with clients that left him tense and the neverending arguments that were slowly eating at the both of you.

You just needed a break. A break from the cult and, more importantly, a break from Getou. You loved him, that was for sure, but you couldn't handle his incessant rants about how he hated non-curse users anymore. It was all too much.

So, on one fateful night, you left. You crept out of your and Getou's shared bedroom while he was sleeping and didnt bother to leave anything behind for Getou. You were sure he would understand, you were sure he'd know that you just needed time alone.

But he didn't take it that lightly. The morning he found out that you had left he called for a search party to be sent out. Getou couldn't tell if he was angry at you, or worried for your safety. All he knew was that he needed you back, even if it meant it would allow the vicious cycle you both had created to repeat itself.

I mean, he had everything here for you, why would you run away in the first place?

——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———

It took a week for you to be found by Getou's search party, which hadn't been enough time for you to get your head straight. When you were practically pulled back to the main cult building, you were livid. Getou had no right to send people to find you, he had no right to drag you back to the one place you needed a break from.

All you wanted was to kick and scream but you did no such thing. You knew it would be futile. It wasn't like the people around you were weak and you couldn't hurt others just because you were angry at one person. No, that would go against your morals.

When you finally come face to face with Getou, he looked equally as frustrated. His face was in a permanent frown and his posture was tense, like he was expecting to be attacked at any second. He was stood up, rather than being sat like he usually was. You didn't know that your absence would cause such discomfort for him.

Getou was first to talk out of the both of you, his voice echoing around the empty room as the last of his ‘servants’ — as he liked to call them — left the room.

“Well? Are you going to tell me why you left?”

He was met with an awkward silence. A silence that left the both of you itching to leave, to seperate yourselves from the situation. But you stayed put and so did he. You couldn't bring yourself to run again, to hurt Getou more than you clearly already had.

“I won't ask you again, [Y/N]. Why did you leave? Don't you enjoy our life here?”

With a sigh of reservation, you reluctantly answered his question. Your voice sounding like the most angelic thing to Getou – he had missed you for the week that you were gone.

“I needed a break, Getou. Does that answer your question well enough?”

Hearing his name, his last name, being spoken by you was like a stab to the heart. He expected a pet name, or at least his first name, but he was met with nothing of the sort. And your voice lacked love, something that sent chills down Getou's spine.

He couldn't handle the thought that you had lost feelings for him, that you didn't want him anymore. He wanted to deny it. And badly.

Another awkward silence fell on the both of you while Getou tried to reason with his mind. You had no idea of the inner turmoil he was going through. On the outside he looked normal, albeit a little more stressed than usual, but he didn't feel normal.

Getou cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the feeling of dread, and broke his gaze from you. He felt lost, how could you be so calm about this when you were so furious earlier on? He hated that about you. You never showed a reaction until it was too late. Perhaps that was why he didn't understand why you had left the morning he found you gone.

“That gives you no right to run away from me. You should've told me before things got bad.”

Getou's words were devoid of anger, despite the demeanor he was trying to put up. He was... defeated, to say the least. He didn't even want a response from you, he just wanted to turn back time and redo all of his mishaps. Maybe then both of you wouldn't have to go through this.

“Shut up.”

Your words cut through Getou and snapped him back to reality. He blinked back at you, he was in shock. The look you gave him told him all he needed to know – he was in trouble.

“When do you ever have time to listen? And how would you have helped? All of your excuses always lead to you explaining how our pain stems from the existence of ‘monkeys’, like I care about your hatred.”

When you fell silent once more, Getou took a step back. You almost reciprocated the action, surprised at your own aggravation. You hadn't snapped at him like that in a while.

At least it was clear that your point had got across to Getou, his face clouding with disappointment. He felt his hands beginning to shake, but he didn't allow it to show. He didn't want you to know the effect you had had on him.

However, instead of walking out like Getou had expected you to, you took a few tentative steps forward. And another. And then another. Until you were stood right in front of him, your bodies inches away from eachother.

You hesitated for a moment, or two, before wrapping your arms around Getou and pulling him into a hug. You felt bad for snapping, for running away, for causing him so much stress.

Your hug was almost immediately returned, Getou's own, strong arms wrapping around your waist. He didn't know how to feel. Should he be angry that you talked back to him, or should he be happy that you didn't leave him on the spot? He didn't know. He had so many questions but, for once, he'd leave them to be unanswered.

(( Hi carina :3 I know i promised smut but I'll make a pt.2 or a seperate fic for that i wanted to write angst so badly ))

[kafkaoftherubble]

185.2章：放下？还是压抑？可贺，抑或可悲？

// Chapter 185.2: Detachment v. Repression

This ramble concerns To Your Eternity manga Chapter 185.2. It is edited from a conversation between (yea you guessed it) @bestbonnist and me after the chapter dropped before I had to hastily run off because sorry gotta see shits with my Besto Furrendo! Lisan al-Ghaib! Lisan al-Ghaib!!!

Although this chapter is devoid of hype moments—unlike C184.1 where plenty of us were sent into a frenzy— and good old macabre, this is genuinely one of my favorite chapters to date.

Because it became a really nice philosophical discussion between friends. Sounds a tad cheesy when I say it like that...

(1) Two Different Perspectives on Fushi's Latest State of Mind

Ray expressed dismay that Fushi's coping mechanism seems to gave become even more terrible because they are essentially repressing their emotions. They are telling themself not to feel anything and to be detached. In the Wish Era, Fushi seemed to have become more resigned to their fate, which became starkly apparent when contrasted by the Doll and Andy's loud, outward desire to see Abel live.

That dismal observation actually stunned me—because I happened to see this development in a positive light. What better state of mind should Fushi aspire to attain apropos to their immortality... if not a state of non-attachment? After all, if they don't learn to be so, then the sheer impermanence of life will torment them forever. To me, non-attachment—or in a more English-natural manner of speaking, detachment—is a goal worthy of pursuing, even if it is often fraught with erratic instances such as mistaking "repressing one's emotions" as similar to "being genuinely unperturbed."

----

(2) The Benefits of Attachment

In this story's universe, attachment keeps a person's faie (their soul) around.

Hence, to Ray, Fushi's loss of attachment implies their death (which I agree is a reasonable projection for the end of this story). When they no longer have anything to do—no goal—then it is time for them to move on.

But more than that, there's this other thing Ray is worried about. The manga asked whether Fushi is human, especially in its earlier exploration. Whether they think they are human. Therefore, it's hard to see Fushi's detachment as anything other than dehumanizing themself ("I'm not human so I don't deserve to be attached/feel bad when people I care about die.") It's one step to Fushi's progression into becoming a deity at the expense of their humanity.

This prospect is upsetting because they wanna see Fushi leave as a human being, as someone who dies after living a satisfying life like Yuuki did.

Ray also argued that there's a difference between acceptance and detachment. "Acceptance is acknowledging that something is out of your control and acknowledging that the way you feel about that." To them, Fushi seemed to have acknowledged that something was out of their control, but they hadn't yet acknowledged their feelings toward it.

Then, they conceded that while Fushi was frank about being pained by people leaving, ultimately, the dude seemed deadset on trying to ignore that pain altogether. "Fushi isn't good at being 'above' feeling things!"

I agree with this. Of course, they aren't! One of Fushi's powers is supernatural empathy. They can't ignore the sensation of pain or (occasionally) love in their vicinity even if they try. Feeling shit is what they do, willingly or not. And from an emotional connection like that, one easily forms attachments.

---

(3) The Common Error: Mistaking Detachment with Apathy

Strangely, at that point in our conversation, it became clear that Ray thought Fushi should not be detached because it stops them from accepting death—while I think Fushi should learn to be detached because it helps them to accept death. Same destination, but different ways of assessing detachment as a path.

Now, of course, when I use the term "detachment" or "non-attachment" (preferred), I'm once again drawing it from a Buddhist philosophical perspective. Because dude, it's me, 睿得失。You fucking signed up for this the moment you talk to me, bwaahhahahahaha!

Even Buddhists, born and raised, often make the mistake of conflating "equanimity," which non-attachment encourages, with "apathy."

One of the four sublime qualities (brahmavihārā), equanimity (upekkhā) is the state of being unwavering and unperturbed even in the face of loss and gain [1], good-repute and ill-repute, praise and censure, and sorrow and happiness. Its far enemies—as in, its direct contrasting vices—are greed and resentment. But its near enemy—the quality mendaciously close to equanimity—is apathy.

[1] Just a little aside: this is why I joked that Fushi should take up my self-given Chinese name in our conversation. 睿得失 means "being wise (about one's) gain and loss." The hope of attaining some semblance of upekkha is built into the name already.

Plenty of people think being detached means being uncaring and indifferent, and that it has some elements of dehumanization to it—be it to other people or to yourself. But it's not. Being detached is to keep a balance between concern and coercion. It's expressing compassion while being mindful not to conflate your genuine care with your desire to will things and people to bend to the state or situation you wanted.

Fushi and us mortals could easily realize one fact about life: it is truly impermanent. The desire to impose our will on the universe—as if there is some supernatural feature to our will that can influence things to happen—is a source of agitation. Life doesn't bend to our will; it indifferently stays impermanent even when we demand it to be permanent in some sort of personal bliss.

In Buddhist thought, it's our actions and intentions that impart changes. Our will (and our demanding desires) don't. We'll revisit this in our 5th Chapter later.

In other words! Contrary to Ray's interpretation, I see being detached not as imposing a limit on your compassion but liberating it from constraints. Now that you're detached, your mode of compassion is centered around the situation and people as they are, not as you hope them to be. True compassion asks for nothing in return—not because you suppress your demands, but because you genuinely have none to begin with.

----

(4) Fushi's Laudable Baby Steps

What really made me think that Fushi had grown here was their insistence that whether Abel lives or dies is "his decision to make."

Not Fushi's, despite their god-like powers. Not Doll or Andy, despite their love and attachment to Abel. It's Abel's choice. All Fushi can do is to accept whatever the man says—and that acceptance is only possible if they begin practicing detachment. After all, attachment results in the reactions Doll and Andy expressed.

To me, Fushi is taking a step in the right direction already. This is the kind of wisdom I think an immortal, most of all, should gradually pick up (I also think mortals like us should, too, but that's beside the point).

Here is where I think Ray's criticisms warrant merits in my interpretation: Actually practicing detachment/non-attachment is hard as fuck. I wouldn't deny that though it doesn't make you an apathetic non-human, you're not gonna be very normal-humanlike if you manage to be equanimous either. While learning to be detached, one often takes up a lot of problematic tactics and mistakes it to be detachment.

One such misguided tactic? Suppression of emotions. You force yourself to pretend you're not feeling anything instead of facing them and realizing their falsity while believing you're being detached. So Ray's concerns are completely warranted, because I don't believe Fushi has consummated their learning either. They wouldn't have lied about the massacre if they were really that detached.

Repressing your emotion, as a tactic, is wrong, but it is the hallmark of someone who's trying to get there, especially when you compound it with the philosophy Fushi was articulating. They care. But they are also being clear-eyed about the limits of their demand.

I don't think they seem resigned here. I think they are being wise. Baby steps, and their method is imperfect, but good nonetheless.

----

(5) Yuuki the GOAT and His Biggest W Yet

Fushi grappled with wanting to impose their will to make others live as long as they in the Modern Arc, right? That's one of their biggest and most constant sources of dukkha (dissatisfaction/suffering). But Yuuki's satisfying death and life... actually steered him in the right direction!

Fushi didn't come to earn detachment because of some horrible, tragic death turning them jaded and cynical. They learned because Yuuki's life and death were that fucking good.

Learning philosophy from pain is all well and good. It is usually how people learn it (few would give a fuck about existentialism or Buddhist philosophy or stoicism or what-have-you if they weren't in a personal crisis). But learning philosophy from joy is a whole other thing. Whatever you learned from that instance has no hint of jadedness and cynicism to corrupt your thinking; it's like making a decision when you're at the most optimal state.

This is Yuuki's victory. He influenced and taught Fushi without giving him pain or trauma to live by. He was not some main character of a tragedy despite outwardly looking like a bumbling normie.

Think about it: none of the Immortals who were attached to Fushi, until now, had been capable of influencing and teaching them without accidentally leaving some grief, pain, and trauma!

Why does Fushi take on Yuuki's form so much lately—if not because Yuuki is the only one who managed to teach them without the use of pain or trauma or anything like that?

And as Ray pointed out, Yuuki was the form embodying "Peace." Even his death was offscreen and peaceful. On a bed, unpoisoned and unhurt. Fushi remembers him constantly because he makes them feel at ease.

"It's our actions and intentions that impart changes," that was what I mentioned in Chapter 3 of this long-ass ramble. Here it is exemplified. People inherit the fruits of other people's actions (and you yourself are one of those who will inherit your own actions, too). And well? These are the fruits of Yuuki's actions that Fushi continues to reap even now.

That's how complete Yuuki's W is. He managed to leave just the kind of food for thought for an Immortal that eventually set them up to grasp the kind of wisdom they lacked. Who says the Modern Arc has no lessons?

----

(6) Conclusion, or The Abrupt Ending of a Conversation

As you can tell, I really don't think Fushi's latest development is bad. Bittersweet and a bit of a mixed bag, sure, but I ultimately think it's commendable rather than worrisome. Of course, my ass interpreting things through a Buddhist lens has a lot to do with it, but brutha, this is exactly my niche! You should have seen me talk about non-self vis-a-vis Fushi in a YouTube comment section!

Ray did leave this paragraph that had eluded me because, again, the Muaa'dib was calling me and I really gotta go:

"I have a potential counter-argument for you, which is about how Fushi's ideal person to follow is kind of a mix of Yuuki (as you explained) and Kahaku (bag of mess and you haven't read that part of the present era anyways), which is putting the concept of detachment together with a really selfish kind of selflessness (as we talked about). But I'm not clear on whether that's still there after their fight with the left hand. I feel like it's lingering a little but I haven't seen much evidence for it in the wish era."

Now, I don't really know what that whole bit was like because I didn't actually read all of the Modern Arc—just the latter half. But again, "detachment" and "self-lessness" are complementary and forward-feeding to one another in Buddhist Philosophy, so on this concept alone, I don't see a clash.

I should probably clarify what Ray's "selfish kind of selflessness" meant here, but... I'm kinda tired now. And I've briefly touched on this in my essay about... Gojo Satoru, goddamn it.

Or maybe Ray should explain it themself! I distinctly remember someone owing me like, 3 essays or something. I'm such a kindhearted person I'm willing to give them a discount and accept just one essay for this week, though. Don't squander it, you!

Thank you for reading my ramble.

----

Did you enjoy this? If yes, wouldn't it be really fucking cool if you get to read essays and commentaries like these, alongside fanfic and fanart and other interesting bits, in one place?!

BECAUSE! We are thinking of starting a To Your Eternity zine! It's merely in its Interest Check phase, but you gotta fill this form up so we can see just how many people in our modest little fandom want this! Be a supporter or a contributor, it don't matter at this stage! Support is the currency here!

[vacantgodling]

I don't remember the actual term for what OOMs do but tell me what weddings/wedding equivalents are like in tcol?

haha no worries! unfortunately this wip has a Lot of acronyms 💀💀 but Ooms are short for "Oracle of MUINENS" and that's exactly what it sounds like; its pronounced "oo-mh" lol. Not to be confused with Oomis, which are short for "Oracle of MIRANKA" the "mi" is the important part lol, and that's pronounced "oo-me" :)

when it comes to weddings... they're called bonding ceremonies. now, overall, bonding ceremonies don't have to be only romantic; the tl;dr version is that in terrae theres 3 types of 'bonds': kinship bonds (so biological, blended or adoptive family), bonds generally (what we would consider romantic ties, marriage, qprs, friendships--literally anything non family can be in this category), and pleasure (which is sex lol. basically to have a bond doesn't mean you have to have sex, and pleasure seeking is pretty fluid even among bonded pairs; its not considering cheating really. unless you're in eros. but that's a convo for another day).

anyway--there's a difference between a capital B Bonding ceremony (aka before the god MIRANKA) or little b bonding ceremonies in front of legal authorities, Oomi, or peers.

for a little b bonding ceremony its kind of no different than a courthouse wedding situation. people will go to their local government entity and register themselves as together, and have an Oomi sanction the bond and then you're on your way. by sanctioning the bond i mean, basically the Oomi gives the go ahead unless they get some divine intervention that says the union shouldn't be allowed for some reason. but that doesn't happen too much At least not with little b bonds. then most people will hold banquets with their families and celebrate in some way; the cultural traditions are something i'm still developing so i don't know all the nuances... YET.

however, when it comes to BIG B BONDS that's different. why? big b bonds have a magical binding component to them. if your Bond is granted before MIRANKA, you are bound for the rest of your life to it except in exonerating circumstances (ie: your partner or friend or kid dies or something happens idk man) and there is a chance that MIRANKA will refuse it. but should he grant it, that means that you are tied for life and will be killed or tormented with misfortune if you break your oath.

Big B Bonds also again aren't restricted to just romance. anyone can bond with anyone for any reason but i would YKNOW STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU NOT or at least think about it a lot bc if you fuck up like.... yikes for you.

there's actually a bonded group of friends in tcol--contingent 5 or the "what could've been" foil for the main characters -> moira, jagoda, kiba, eryn, and karenza. even though moira and jagoda are dating and will eventually have a bonding ceremony/kids/etc, they'll get little b bonded to each other because they're already Big B bonded as a group.

The reason big b bonds have magical components is because when you go to an Oomi and say that you want this, they'll usually assess you to ensure its something all parties want, and then they'll help you draft your prayer to MIRANKA, which states why you want this and the history of the relationship with this person. if MIRANKA accepts your oath, the Oomi will fall into a trance and they will provide you with your Bonded Script (or something i gotta think of what to call it). its basically a prophecy thing stating the rules of your bond, what benefits you get, and any draw backs. the bond for contingent 5 looks like this ->

“your strength is my strength your weakness is my weakness any pain unto you i share your triumphs, your victories your defeats, your shame i will reach my hand out and help you bear it nothing will separate us but the hands of fate for when Cerullius calls one home we all as one will join it”

and saying it as one to the Oomi will cement it in stone before MIRANKA. and it comes with magical benefits! one of the reasons team 5 is so formidable is because of the magical benefits they got from this bond.

so i hope that kind of makes sense? bonds are a newer idea in this world so i don't have all the kinks fully hammered out and with how fist my mind has been whirrling about this lately, i'd say that this could be subject to change.

[hyrulescarlet]

@rebornofstars hi hello!! answering this ask on my zelda sideblog since it's loz-related but yes!!! it would make so much sense, considering in skyward sword when the reincarnation curse starts, the skyloftians don't really re-use names all that much (small island and all that), but then once they settle on the surface and grow there starts being a lot of ppl with the same name - and after a while, a lot of links, since I don't think the name would've been used much in the beginning when link was, yk, king of hyrule - and the curse can only strike when the original conditions are met again: a princess zelda and a single link

and you're not bothering me at all!! don't worry, my ask box is named that for a reason :D have a great day as well!!

(image text under the cut)

[ID: an ask from tumblr user rebornofstars that reads: "your ask button says infodump on me so IM HERE TO SAY HI AND ALSO i have this theory about how has the name link survived for so many thousands of years and how the reincarnation curse works for link - its not exactly a holy/royal name like zelda, so a lot of people must call their kids link, right?? so what determines hero links from non-hero links??! i think that in the context of the game, it's not naming the kid link that seals their fate. rather its when there is only ONE link in all of hyrule. THAT spells doom. self fulfilling prophecy!!! and when a hero link saves the day & people start naming their children after him, he gets plot armour and his adventures stop… it explains why so many links start young and then. spend the rest of their lives not saving the world when they are perhaps better equipped to do so!!!! anyway I hope that ramble was okay, sorry to bother!! have a great day!!!!" The text is followed by two yellow heart emojis. End ID.]

[becauseplot]

Last night I finished Ordem Paranormal: Calamidade Episode 2! A five hour episode---lots of things to think about lots of things to talk about, hooooo boy.

Second set of characters! Second set of characters! More little guys for me to rotate!

Going into this season, I already knew that there was going to be another team of players/characters moving through the story, but this doesn't make it any less of a delight! So happy to see Luis, Triz, and João back in action, and now we have a couple new players, Mount and Zero. Exciting!

I suppose this is what Cellbit meant when he said at the beginning of the season that even he doesn't know how this story will end. Since we have our "good guys" team and "bad guys" team, the success of their respective order's missions is going to depend directly on the players' actions. The fate of the story has been almost entirely put in the hands of the players. And now whatever happens, happens.

This episode wasn't particularly plot-heavy: mostly just a bunch of fights one after the other. But that's not to say this episode wasn't without its moments. And it certainly didn't feel like it was lacking on the character-front, no sir. It was a pretty fun episode for me, because I love watching fights---not as much as I love watching character moments, but the fights are fun as well. And they can also lead to character moments!

Depicted: the Escripta crew demonstrates all five stages of grief simultaneously as T-Bag takes 38 damage in a single round from Signore Leone.

Alright let's go down the list.

Demir and Boris! Lumping them together because I. I'm sorry I don't have any major feelings about them right now. They exist! They seem to be twins! They had a brother whose name I can't quite remember but presumably died to something to do with the Devil, if I remember correctly. All the more reason to want to do away with the paranormal. Could they be the same brothers that the previous case was about? Probably not, but interesting that we have some characters with a direct history with the Devil. I just really think it's funny that this is the second time Luis has played a character with a "body double" if that makes sense. I don't quite know how to articulate it but out there exists some sort of Venn-Diagram between Damir and Luci/Fer with a non-zero middle part.

Anyway very interesting combat strategy they have, with Damir using rituals to buff Boris' weapon and defense for combat. They both care deeply about each other, as is obvious with the ways they try to stick close and protect each other. They're not just siblings, they're a functional duo! Also I believe it was Demir who said, when "the Devil" showed up, "This is not our fight." Something like that. Do I sense a hint of reluctance to fight for the Escriptas? To lay down your life for them? Why join in the first place? Is it better to cut your losses? Incheresting... (I could also be completely making this up, but I'm too lazy to go back and check.)

T-Bag! The rabid feral dog of the team! Auto subs hated whatever the hell he was saying about killing his dad but I'm convinced that 50% of what was coming out of his mouth was unhinged nonsense so it's...alright, I suppose. I find it infinitely hilarious that this guy has one of the largest sanity stats of the whole team. Yeah he might be crazy but he's not crazy, you know? His craziness is not a detriment to him, it's just how he is. Just a hungry little cannibal guy <3 Just looking for his next meal <3 Eating Artemis' possum for a snack to tide him over <3

Artemis! Firstly her personality is. So funny? Whenever shit is going down she always seems annoyed, like, "Man, now this is happening? Come on. 🙄" And meanwhile the "this" that is happening is a bunch of people are beating the shit out of each other and trying to murder her. When Gal (we'll get to him a second don't worry) sat down on that table in the front room to do his typical postering bullshit, Artemis just rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the way so that she could level her sniper on it. And that endeared me to her immediately <3 So sorry Triz's little possum friend got eaten two seconds into the season. 2 for 2 on dead animal friends, I'm afraid. Funny to think about how the Marcados are (theoretically) connected to each other by their players, and Triz's characters unfortunately inherited the link of "Animal friends who perch on your shoulder get their necks snapped." Sorry :T

Oh yeah and she's a cannibal too! Diversity win! There are two cannibals on the team and they are very different people who come from clearly very different walks of life and have a different style of cannibalism! That really caught me off guard. When she started to eat the dead body beside T-Bag I was shocked and absolutely delighted. Oh, she's a little fucked up too! And she can shape-shift, apparently! Artemis always kept me guessing this episode. Love her <3

Teammates <3

And of course, we now come to Gal. The bastard. The melodramatic sadistic motherfucker who's been here since the beginning of this shitshow. I've said this a billion times in the discord but GOD I love how João plays him. João's performative playstyle is absolutely perfect for a performative, arrogant character like Gal. Ever since his first appearance in OPD, João has put his heart and soul into making this character fucking rotten and wrong and sick, and it works. so. well. Like I said, you LOVE to hate this guy. Gal is a fantastic character, expertly crafted to be the perfect villain. Even on a meta level---João will sometimes go as far as to interrupt Cellbit just to keep being evil (cutting off the closing narration of OPD ep 6 to continue describing how Gal goads at Joui and co about Liz's death, to keep counting up his dice on the attack on the first Leone even after Cellbit has told him the guy is dead) and even goad the players (OPD finale, at Guaxi: "Might want to start thinking about a new character, eh?") to make sure that you hate this guy's putrid shriveled guts. No joke, when João showed up on the screen and Gal's little icon appeared on the tabletop, I just about foamed at the mouth.

My genuine reaction on discord.

GOD I love Gal. I want to rip his throat out with my bare hands. I would do unspeakable things to this character and I do NOT mean in the sexy way.

But! We got to see a little more of Gal as a person this session, which I really loved. Seeing him outside of combat and interacting with his subordinates was so much fun. He's fond of some of the Escriptas under his command (when they're not annoying him), especially his "son" Dagan. The way he treats Dagan is almost pet-like and sickly sweet, emphasis on the sickly. He ruffles his hair, brings him gifts, smiles fondly at the thought of Dagan having fun murdering a bunch of people in the rooms upstairs. Honestly it's kind of cute? In a fucked up way to be sure. Still cute though. That's Gal's little guy! Everyone needs a little guy!

I think at the heart of Gal's leadership style is that he has no patience for dealing with people who he thinks should know better. Otherwise, he's chill with you---or as chill as this sadistic bastard can be---and will even try to care for you.

POV: you have to explain to your stupid lackey for the second time that the evidence needs to be translated because you don't speak Italian.

Because on some level, he cares. It shows in how he treats Dagan, it shows on how gently he treated that one soft-spoken girl with the dyed hair (whereas Damir just snapped at her for not making eye-contact when she was talking to him, the dick), it shows in how he tried to do something stop Signore Leone from advancing when Signore Leone used his lionhead mace to throw Artemis against the wall, and it shows how when "the Devil" showed up, Gal looked to Kian and said, "Don't let them [the Escriptas upstairs] die." Even if he knows that all of them will have to die in the end to achieve Kian's goal of destroying the paranormal, some part of him still cares about his team. Sure, it could be that he just wants to make sure that they maintain enough man-power to see the job all the way through, but...no, it's not entirely that. There's something under the surface there, as twisted as he may be. He is not immune to giving a damn.

Kian. This guy. Fucking nerd. I don't dislike his character but I don't have any super strong feelings about him, probably because we haven't seen him as a character very much at this point. His reasoning behind destroying the paranormal is still some whack-ass shit. Over 4000 years to come up with a plan and THIS is what you arrive at? You're kidding. For a guy who """knows everything""" how could you POSSIBLY miss the detail that massacring thousands of people would, I dunno, CAUSE AGONY AND FEAR, which would, I dunno, WEAKEN THE MEMBRANE AND THUS MAKE THE PARANORMAL INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD WORSE. Chopping heads off hydras is what he's doing. Idiot.

It's talked about during Gal's conversation with Signora Leone in the office upstairs. Interesting for a character to understand and possibly even sympathize with the Escriptas' motivation. Signora Leone wants the paranormal to end too! She would do anything to rid the world of it---anything, that is, that doesn't require murdering thousands of innocent people. Gal tries to justify the mess downstairs as "it's the paranormal that's killing your family" like no bro I'm pretty sure that was you?? I get what he's saying, but if the paranormal no longer exists, or if the world was somehow reformed so that it's like the paranormal never existed, who's to say that the Leone family still wouldn't be involved in some sort of dangerous, non-paranormal dealings? It's such a subjective argument. Second grade level of critical thinking. Guess that's what happens when you get indoctrinated into a cult. "Kian sabe" oh please Kian doesn't "sabe" shit.

Anyway, that's about all I have about this episode. The NPCs were cool, watching Gal babysit his gaggle of weirdos was fun, and I liked the part where they nearly blew up T-Bag by firing a bazooka into a (closed) safe. They're so good at this.

Huh, feel like I'm...forgetting something...

OH WAIT.

JOUI IS BACK! MY BOY! MY BESTEST FAVORITEST BOY IS BACK AND HE IS PISSED.

Good lord. I actually screamed when this happened. I just. Okay how do I manage to take the chanting of jouijouijouijouijouijoui in my head and turn it into something intelligible by other human beings.

Let's start with the fact that I LITERALLY posted my Joui sword OPD rambles when I was less than an hour of episode away from this fight. I was over here angsting over the loss of Joui and missing him and talking about how fucked up it is that Mascara-Joui still has his sword, and then I get hit with this. I just. Okay! Sure! Why not!

To be clear: yes, I had seen Joui's OPC character miniature online before, both with and without the mask, and I knew from friends on the discord that Mascara-Joui had a stat sheet and he was STRONG. But, I figured that because Joui is still technically hanging around, it would make sense that maybe he could be like, a fight-assist NPC that would show up at some point to help the Ordem crew. Still an NPC, still emotionless, still masked, still not really Joui. So to see Luba return and play a version of Joui that CLEARLY retains his Joui-ness had me falling out of my chair. It was the last thing I expected. I really thought Joui's fate would be final, a no-going-back deal, since that's a pretty common theme with Ordem---permanent, inescapable consequences. I really thought that everything that made Joui Joui would be lost forever.

But no. Despite everything, Joui is still here, and he is not empty---he has his hate.

So many fucking questions. Most important of all: how is Joui here? He seems to have retained his memories from before he got masked (some of them, at least) but doesn't recognize who Kian is, mistaking him for Luci/Fer. I've got...one theory. Bear with me now. We know that the Devil is some sort of big-shot paranormal entity thing* who seems to thrive off of making pacts with humans. So, the Devil would not be too happy with people who are trying to stop the paranormal. This would include both the Order and the Escriptas, and especially the Escriptas since they're seeking to end the paranormal for good. So, perhaps the Devil used its power (made a pact with Joui somehow?) to restore Mascara-Joui and send him after the Escriptas. The Devil HAS to have something to do with this, considering the walls began to bleed when Joui showed up upstairs---something we know from ep 1 signals the arrival of the Devil---and the mention on the radio of someone claiming to see the Devil (perhaps it made a brief appearance before leaving Joui to it).

*A correction to the previous journal post: this is not the first time we have encountered a seemingly sentient paranormal entity! The God of Death from OSNF was clearly intelligent as well! I have other thoughts about this but they're kinda meta so I won't put them here.

Also, Joui is a very Death-coded character: his pensiveness and the fact that he often thinks back on what has happened when he meditates, the motif of death hanging over him since that night in the graveyard where his friends died, being frozen and helpless to the inevitable as Liz was killed in front of him, his dead-set motive to kill all of the Escriptas following said death, his fate being taken out of his hands and sealed when he made the deal with the Mascaras (more inevitability) and being in a downward spiral trying to kill himself in combat over and over leading up to the deadline. There's probably the more, but that's the gist. I do believe Joui's NEX is well beyond 50%, and he's got to be Death.

Here, though, I see both Death and Blood. Death is in his single-mindedness in this fight. He's like a force of nature, unstoppable, inescapable, inevitable. Given enough time in that fight, he would've killed them all, there's no doubt about it. Blood is in the hate, the sheer hate, he has for Gal and the Escriptas. It is potent. Death is often distinguished the absence of emotion and the inconsequentiality of the flesh, so the hate and violent rage Joui feels cannot be from Death. It has to be Blood, and the Devil I'm sure would be happy to help fill in those gaps. Joui's hate and anger brewed for a majority of OPD, so the Devil has plenty to work with. I love to see my boy cranked up to an 11.

And the fight. Needless to say, it was incredible. Every line out of Luba's mouth was a banger, every attack and action he did had me losing my mind. What I loved the most was how Cellbit, Luba, and João worked together to make Joui Jouki the scariest motherfucker ever. Both João and Luba can be pretty descriptive with their character's actions, so they complimented each other perfectly. João's RP skills really shone here, playing into the choices that Joui made and making it clear how affected Gal was by this fight. If you've got the guy who revels in pain fleeing from the fight, you know it's serious. When Joui cut off Gal's arm and Luba apologized to João ("sorry, friend") João just smiled, nodded, and respected it. God that is. PEAK RP right there. Genuine appreciation for other players' decisions, even if it's at the expense of your own character.

And actually---who says it's an expense? Gal has clearly been shaken up by this fight. Like João said, he's in shock. He lost his arm, the Escriptas are being slaughtered all around him, and Kian has seemingly abandoned him. There's plenty for João to work with here. I'm excited to see what he does with Gal, now that Gal's façade has finally cracked.

A final note about Joui... He really has changed, hasn't he? Yes, the anger is his. As I said, it's been brewing since OPD, but here, he is just out of control. No more of that self-discipline. He doesn't care anymore. He's angry. His hatred is beyond words. He has nothing but fury living inside him. Maybe that really is all he has left. I love the detail that his sword now heals people, but heals them wrong: a painful, twisted scar, leaving the flesh "rotten." That's what Joui kind of feels like now. A scar that healed wrong. A man restored but twisted by his pain and anger. And he will kill them all, one by one.

[FOLLOWING CONSTAINS SPOILERS FOR QUARANTENA]

And to finish it off: Joui tearing Hanna apart, limb from limb, furious, not reveling in it but dead-set on making her suffer just as he has before finally, finally killing her. Not really Nidere-core (Nidere definitely reveled in it fhdsk) but it is in my heart. Ouppy <3