#more like survived the world that helped provoke it

[flowersdiceandlove]

Please tell me about your Eminence in Shadow!SY AU, that sounds really interesting and badass

Okay, so, in case you don’t know “Eminence in Shadow” is a reincarnation, isekai anime where a guy named Cid Kageno ends up in a world with magic. He likes playing as “Background Character A” by day and being “The Eminence in Shadow” by night. I was watching this anime and while I was watching, I felt like Cid and Shen Yuan were a lot alike. (I’ve only watched the anime which only has two seasons, so anything beyond that in the manga I have no idea about)

Now, onto the idea (I og had this written out as a prompt and then thought, huh, this might actually be fun to write, so just…didn’t post the prompt. I think I’ll come back later and post an actual prompt for this though. But, I'm literally just copy/pasting what I already wrote for this.)

Imagine, Shen Yuan transmigrates into Background Character A in PIDW, and, just like Cid, throws himself into the role. He just wants to get through the plot without drawing attention to himself so he can avoid Bingge's ire. But! But! This is Shen Yuan who has always dreamed of transmigrating into this type of story. How can he just pass up the chance of becoming a cool cultivator??? He can't, that's how! So then, how does one remain Background Character A while also being a Mysterious And Cool Cultivator? By acting out his role as Background Character A during the day and growing his power to become a cool cultivator in secret! That's how!

He'll spend his days idling and playing his role as Just Some Guy to perfection, but in secret, he'll hone his cultivator abilities, slay monsters, study demonic beasts, and live out his cultivator fantasy! He transmigrates early, maybe as a baby, and uses all his knowledge of reading PIDW and other cultivation stories to work out how to cultivate in secret. He won't interfere with the plot, making sure he blends into the background so as not to draw attention to himself, and will be able to survive the merging of the realms with his cultivation abilities when that time eventually comes.

But, of course, this is Shen Yuan we're talking about. He stumbles his way into trouble and wifebeams people. He plays up his Mysterious And Cool Cultivator act like Shadow/Cid does and ends up amassing his own Shadow Garden (harem of highly trained women dedicated to Shadow and his cause, for those of you who haven't seen Eminence in Shadow) but the gay xianxia version. We're gonna get Zhuzhi-Lang, Liu Qingge, ect. But, just like Shadow/Cid, Shen Yuan does not realize he has amassed this massive harem who would literally do anything for him and have created an entire clandestine organization (that's really more of an empire) with him as the head. He thinks they're all just Really Good Friends who are helping him live out his Mysterious And Cool Cultivator dreams.

Just like Shadow/Cid bullshits the Cult of Diablo, Shen Yuan is gonna bullshit his own stuff. And, just like with Shadow/Cid's stuff, Shen Yuan's words are gonna turn out to be true. I'm thinking he ends up uncovering all the corruption and drama surrounding the Old Palace Master and Huan Hua Palace. It'll probably end up being a whole big thing and once they start digging, they just find more and more sects, companies, people, etc. involved in this. Part of the corruption and wrong-doings they find, is a lot of provoking of demons. Shen Yuan, of course, knows none of this, and always ends up on the outskirts of the investigations bullshitting some Wise Nonsense that has everyone in awe before kicking the Bad Guy's butt, not knowing what's Really Going On.

He remains oblivious to all the Drama going on and what he's leaving in his wake. One thing he is absolutely certain he must do is Keep A Low Profile and remain Background Character A, so all his Mysterious And Cool Cultivator adventures are done in secret and he makes sure that his version of Shadow Garden knows that This Is SECRET!! Do Not Tell. shhhh.

Just like in Eminence in Shadow, Shen Yuan's harem (that he still doesn't know is his harem) venture out on their own to gather more people to add to the harem join their cause.

Shen Yuan had to have met Liu Qingge before he entered CQMS. Maybe Shen Yuan's Background Family is from the same village/city the Liu Family is from and so they grew up in the same social circle. When Liu Qingge eventually goes to join CQMS Shen Yuan sighs and thinks What a good guy, playing with me all this time. Now he's off to be a Great Cultivator himself. I hope we can still see each other again sometime. Not at all knowing that Liu Qingge has the BIGGEST crush on him and once in CQMS is trying to recruit more people to join Shen Yuan's harem organization. He probably convinces at least half of the future Qing generation in time as well as many disciples from various peaks. It helps when on a couple night-hunts Shen Yuan, in Mysterious And Cool Cultivator mode, showed up out of nowhere and solved the problem like a Wise Immortal and effectively wifebeaming all present.

For Zhuzhi-Lang, Shen Yuan definitely found him hurt and cooed over him, nursing him back to health. Eventually Zhuzhi-Lang had to return to the Demon Realm and Tianlang-jun, but tells Tianlang-jun about the Nice Human Cultivator who took care of him. Tianlang-jun clocks Zhuzhi-Lang's crush immediately, and tells him that he can go woo his human all he wants as long as it doesn't interfere with work, and also, he would like to meet this human.

Shen Yuan nearly has a heart attack when the DEMON EMPEROR (and Luo Binghe's father!! Ahhh!) shows up at his house to invite him to a picnic (thankfully no one else saw this so his cover as Background Character A is still in check). He doesn't turn him down though, that would be stupid, Tianlang-jun could kill him in a heartbeat if he offended him. So, he goes on the picnic. Tianlang-jun thanks him for taking such good care of his nephew, and Zhuzhi-Lang is a blushing mess the entire time. Tianlang-jun as being Tianlang-jun keeps trying to set Shen Yuan and Zhuzhi-lang up. Shen Yuan laughs it off. Clearly Tianlang-jun is quite the jokester and eternally flamboyant (and you know how Tianlang-jun is), and thinks all his suggestive comments are just his weird sense of humor. Tianglang-jun is most definitely trying to get both Zhuzhi-Lang and himself into Shen Yuan's pants. Shen Yuan is, of course, oblivious to this.

After the picnic Tianlang-jun and Zhuzhi-Lang leave but have secured invitation from Shen Yuan to return as they please so long as they keep it hush hush. Zhuzhi-Lang will actually visit a lot and spend a lot of time in tiny snake form curled up around Shen Yuan's arm under his sleeve or in his robes. Shen Yuan idly pets and strokes him, feeling the cool texture of his scales without thinking about it. When he does realize, Zhuzhi-Lang tells him that it's fine and he can keep petting him as much as he wants. Sometimes people will see Shen Yuan, Background Character A, with a green snake on his arm, or in his robes, or draped across his shoulders, but never really think too much about it, thinking he just has a normal pet snake.

Since this initial meeting, there are a lot more snakes around the Shen Estate, and Shen Yuan's parents tell him to get it under control, thinking that his pet snake is attracting them. Shen Yuan apologizes and says he will. Zhuzhi-Lang then tells his snake underlings to hide better. They were there to make sure Shen Yuan was safe, not get him in trouble.

When Zhuzhi-Lang is back in the Demon Realm he talks about Shen Yuan. He also knows about the Mysterious And Cool Cultivator thing and is also trying to recruit demons to his harem cause. Tianlang-jun knows about this and is fine with it. He's long decided that he's gonna get Shen Yuan into his bed family service and so him having his own underlings and support of demons would only make it easier to do so down the road.

Despite Shen Yuan's meddling, the Tianlang-Jun and Su Xiyan thing still happens and the Old Palace Master stuff leading to Tianlang-jun being sealed. Even with Shen Yuan and his harem friends taking down branches of corruption, they weren't able to take down the Old Palace Master (not yet at least). So, that whole Fiasco happens. Shen Yuan feels guilty about it. Tianlang-jun and Zhuzhi-Lang had become his friends and he knew what was coming. He was confused though because Tianlang-jun did not seem like he was trying to take over the Human Realm and that was why he was sealed. Maybe the System finally decided to pop in and say he couldn't interfere in it, and that some things just had to happen for plot reasons (like with the Endless Abyss). Or, Maybe Shen Yuan didn't see it coming, thinking that he had somehow influenced Tianlang-jun to not want to invade the Human Realm, not knowing that it had always been a lie and set up, the truth never being revealed in PIDW.

Zhuzhi-Lang flees to Shen Yuan, hurt from the attack, and, of course, Shen Yuan accepts him even in his half snake, half humanoid form. It took him a moment, but then he recognized it was Zhuzhi-Lang by his eyes and tended his wounds (again). Zhuzhi-Lang tells him the story of what he and Tianlang-jun believe to be true. By the time he's well enough to do that though, Shen Yuan isn't able to do anything about Su Xiyan's situation. She's already long vanished. Shen Yuan also decides that once Bailu Forest isn't under such careful observation after Tianlang-Jun's sealing, he'll go see the man with Zhuzhi-Lang to see what his state is. Despite it all and Tianlang-jun's...unique personality, Shen Yuan still considers him a friend and wants to help where he can.

It, unfortunately, takes a while for things to cool down around Bailu Mountain and then again to find a way to Tianlang-jun's prison without setting off any alarms. By the time Shen Yuan finally sees Tianlang-jun again, years have passed. He's alive, but not in a great state what with being crushed under a mountain and all. Shen Yuan is in awe of the resilience of Heavenly Demons. When Tianlang-jun sees Shen Yuan he's like "ah, if it's the only human who hasn't betrayed me. What brings you to this place?" all casually. Shen Yuan actually brought him some trashy books and food that he knew Tianlang-jun would like and Tianlang-jun is overjoyed by it. You wouldn't even think he was being squished under a mountain with how happy he was.

Shen Yuan works with Zhuzhi-Lang to figure out how to get Tianlang-jun out, but only after he makes Tianlang-jun promise not to slaughter everyone (probably saying some Wise Nonsense, but is really just trying to get Tianlang-jun to not obliterate humanity). Tianlang-jun pouts, but does. Shen Yuan appeases him by getting him more trashy books and human paraphernalia. During this time, Shen Yuan mentions (intentionally) that he heard rumors that Su Xiyan may be pregnant—Shen Yuan doesn’t think Tianlang-jun’s as interested as he should be in this development; this is Luo Binghe after all—and also that he thinks there’s more to this than they originally thought. Tianlang-jun’s attention is then fully shifted from killing all humans except Shen Yuan, to figuring out what’s going on because hm, you’re right, A-Yuan, this doesn’t make much sense.

With Shen Yuan also working on how to get Tianlang-jun out, Zhuzhi-Lang is able to go back to the Demon Realm to keep things in order. At least to an extent. They keep the fact that they’re trying to free Tianlang-jun a secret bc you never know where there are eyes and ears. Shen Yuan helps Zhuzhi-Lang keep his more humanoid appearance since Tianlang-jun isn’t able to, so that helps Zhuzhi-Lang keep the demons under control, but doesn’t help a whole lot. Things still kinda fall apart there. Shen Yuan’s harem organization is still holding up there and work in secret despite the shakiness in the Demon Realm and the demons in it even use the political uncertainty to their advantage to gain more power.

Maybe Shen Yuan figures out how to make the Sun and Moon Dew Mushroom compatible with demonic qi or maybe he finds another solution. But, either way, he gets Tianlang-jun’s soul out from under the mountain. There is just one caveat of this new body. It must grow from infanthood again at a normal rate. They grow the body, and then Tianlang-jun’s soul pops over to it when it’s a baby, freeing him from his prison. Since the Demon Realm has grown unstable and Tianlang-jun is in a vulnerable state, they decide that the best and safest course of action is for Shen Yuan to keep Tianlang-jun in his care. So, Shen Yuan returns home with baby Tianlang-jun claiming the baby’s his. What better place to hide than in Background Family A, after all? Shen Yuan’s been doing it for decades at this point and thinks it’s the perfect way of living. Thankfully, Tianlang-jun, despite being a baby, does still know how to control his demonic qi, and is able to hide it, making himself appear like a normal human baby.

When the rest of Shen Yuan’s harem Friends find out about “his baby” they’re all seething in jealousy wondering who the mother is. (gender neutral use of the term “mother” here. That harem is definitely trying to figure out how to have Shen Yuan’s baby or get Shen Yuan to have their baby) They also start seething in jealousy over the baby itself bc Shen Yuan is doting on him to the max. He’s holding and rocking him, soothing him, patting him, feeding him, cooing over him, ect. Shen Yuan just can’t get over how cute baby Tianlang-jun is, and is wondering what baby Bingge looked like. (By this point, Binghe’s already entered CQMS)

Every time Liu Qingge leaves the sect to go on a night-hunt, he always stops by the Shen Estate to see Shen Yuan and drop off some monster head/part for him. Shen Yuan always greets him with a smile and thanks him, but asks if dropping the bloody carcass in the entry hall was really necessary. Who’s gonna clean this all up, Liu-didi, hm? Be nicer to the servants! Don’t make unnecessary work for them! The first time Liu Qingge sees the baby, he’s doing this. Shen Yuan comes out to meet him with the baby in his arms, and the sight of Shen Yuan holding a baby, smiling at him, and welcoming him back makes his brain blank for a long moment.

Shen Yuan either is super vague about the baby!Tianlang-jun’s mom or has a super detailed background story ready to go. It’s a bit of a minor scandal in the way that all bastards are, but Background Family Father A is happy to get a grandson from Shen Yuan.

As baby!Tianlang-jun grows up, he gets super smug about having Shen Yuan as his dad and attention. He’s good at playing his role as a little kid around others, but then in private just acts like his usual self, lounging around like the emperor he is, reading scandalous smut, and saying all his suggestive and lucious things. When the members of Shen Yuan’s harem Shen Yuan’s friends show up, he always plays up the act and gets Shen Yuan to let him sit in his lap, pet his hair, snuggle against his side, or something. Shen Yuan’s harem friends swear that the kid knows what he’s doing, but can only chug vinegar in silence bc it’s Shen Yuan’s son. Tianlang-jun is loving having Shen Yuan as his dad, being the only one to call him “daddy” or “baba” or “a-die” or such and has Shen Yuan curled around his finger with his cuteness. (He’s long stopped trying to get into Shen Yuan’s pants and is much happier being his adoptive son. He is still trying to set up Shen Yuan and Zhuzhi-Lang though.)

Because of Shen Yuan’s interference, Liu Qingge either doesn’t have that deadly qi deviation, or is stable enough that when Shen Qingqiu tries to help him with it, is actually able to help. So, Liu Qingge lives.

When Luo Bingge is finally out of the Endless Abyss and is working his way through conquering the Demon Realm, he starts to slowly find out about this vast and secret organization that’s in control of so much. Digging deeper, he’s able to uncover that it spans into the Human Realm and includes some well respected and high class cultivators too. Luo Bingge tries to wriggle out who the leader is, but everyone is so tightlipped and elusive that he’s actually having trouble finding info out. It drives him mad. Xin Mo is also capitalizing on this obsession. Luo Bingge can’t be the indisputable Emperor of all if there’s some shadow organization pulling the strings behind the scenes. Shen Yuan, however, is blissfully unaware that he’s caught the attention of Luo Bingge, still thinking he’s successfully flown under the radar, and tells his harem Friends to avoid getting on Luo Binghe’s bad side and to help him however they can, hoping that this will get those that would have died as canon fodder in Bingge’s rise to greatness to be able to survive it. This just drives Luo Bingge even more up the wall bc he doesn’t know why this secret organization is deciding to back him in everything and so he doesn’t know their motives and so he can’t use those motives to his advantage and so he doesn’t have absolute control! 

When he does finally get a member of the harem organization to talk to him, they just say “Our master is wise. He sees potential in you. Do not squander our master’s good will.” because when they asked why Luo Binghe, Shen Yuan said something like “I believe he’s destined for greatness. I want to see the world he creates.” or “He has great promise. I want to see what he does.” all sage like while internally panicking, hoping that that was vague enough so they don’t continue to ask why he wants to help this random demon that he’s never met. This answer does not help to assuage Bingge’s unease at this secret organization and their secret leader, and only makes it worse bc how does this man know Luo Binghe well enough to know his POTENTIAL!?!?! But he can’t ask the person more bc they vanished from their cell after Luo Bingge was called away on urgent business. And, they also somehow have a way to counteract his blood parasites. Bingge is seriously losing it over this. (He doesn’t know about Zhuzhi-Lang and Tianlang-jun, and I’m sure they both know a lot more about Heavenly Demon abilities and how to counteract them than Bingge does)

Shen Yuan and his harem friends end up leading Bingge through the Demon and Human Realms with mind games and wild goose chases, every adventure leading to Bingge gaining more power. Shen Yuan eventually learns that he’s caught Bingge’s eye and hopes that this all will show that Shen Yuan is a friend and not a foe. See! He’s helping you gain power, Bingge!! We’re not enemies!!

Luo Bingge is not put at ease by this and every encounter with the harem organization is just leaving him more frazzled. Eventually Shen Yuan and Luo Bingge meet on one of these crazy adventures when Shen Yuan had to get involved, Shen Yuan in his Mysterious And Cool Cultivator act, and disguised so that even a Heavenly Demon and the protagonist won’t be able to recognize him. (Zhuzhi-Lang and Tianlang-jun helped him test his disguise out) Shen Yuan spouts more of his Wise Nonsense at Luo Binghe to make Luo Binghe see that they’re on Bingge’s side before vanishing without a trace. After every time, Luo Bingge screams and levels some stuff in frustration. He still doesn’t know what these people are after! How are they so elusive!? 

Because of all this, Luo Binghe’s plans to infiltrate Huan Hua Palace and destroy Cang Qiong Mountain Sect are put on hold. He doesn’t know exactly how far this secret organization's power reaches, but he can’t go in blind with such a big power behind the scenes. He does know that the secret organization has reaches in CQMS, but doesn’t know how deep (Liu Qingge’s been hard at work there and all of Bai Zhan is under Shen Yuan’s command along with over half of the other peaks. Shang Qinghua is freaking out because he didn’t write this!!! Who the fuck is that guy!?!? Why is he rivaling Bingge!?!?! And, WHY IS HE WINNING!?!?!? Bingge’s supposed to reign supreme, not some rando he never even wrote! He’s wondering if he maybe wrote out this idea while high as fuck and delusional with sleep depravation which is why he doesn’t remember it, but he knows he wouldn’t do that even at his most addled bc Bingge is supposed to be unrivaled. That’s why he scrapped the Tianlang-jun vs Bingge idea.) 

Bingge gets so caught up in paranoia over this secret organization and not knowing whose a part of it and who's not and what they really want that he’s not negating Xin Mo with dual cultivation bc are the women part of the organization? Are they in on it? What do they want? What do they gain by sleeping with me? So his control is slipping.

It’s also during this time that the harem organization start getting closer to Huan Hua Palace and the Old Palace Master. Their progress is helped when Shen Yuan, during a friendly get together with one of the high ranking members of his harem organization his Friends, he accidentally slips that he’s wondering the validity of the Old Palace Master’s claims of Tianlang-jun wanting to invade the Human Realm and the story of what’s really going on there. The harem organization takes his words as Shen Yuan telling them to look into this matter, so they set their sights fully on Huan Hua Palace and the Old Palace Master.

Not long later, they uncover the Truth, and clear Tianlang-jun’s name, dragging the Old Palace Master’s through the mud. Tianlang-jun, hearing about this, swoops in and kills a whole bunch of Huan Hua Palace high ranking members and the Old Palace Master along with a bunch of other powerful people involved in the cover up and mess. The organization, at seeing the gruesome slaughter, are at first horrified bc who has this kind of power to slip past the organization's defenses and do this? But, then someone spots Tianlang-jun slipping away, recognizes him as Shen Yuan’s son, and concludes that Shen Yuan was the one to do this. Later, at another friendly get together with Shen Yuan, one of them vaguely mentions the slaughter, subtly asking if Shen Yuan knew of it and even more subtly inquiring if he was the one to do it. Shen Yuan, knowing that Tianlang-jun was the one to do it and just got finished burning the bloody robes Tianlang-jun had come back in after reprimanding him to be more careful what if someone saw you???, doesn’t pick up on this at all and is instead trying to divert attention away from them, says something vague back which only confirms in the organizations mind that Shen Yuan was the one who did it. With their firm belief that Shen Yuan knows what’s best, even if they initially thought the execution was horrific, they believe that they had deserved it if Shen Yuan would resort to such tactics.

The organization sweeps in and helps clean the mess up, CQMS and other sects and businesses affiliated with Shen Yuan and the organization distribute Huan Hua Palace’s wealth and territory, gaining more influence. Luo Binghe hears about all this, and poking around some more, finds that the organization was behind this. The fact that this clandestine organization was able to take down such a well established and reputable sect like Huan Hua Palace only sets him more on edge about them. If they can do that, they could also dethrone him too, couldn’t they?? Just because they haven't outright opposed him yet doesn’t mean they won’t. He cannot trust such a powerful organization.

Eventually, Bingge tracks down Shen Yuan and, in a great show like in Hua Yue City, Shen Yuan has to pull the “self-destruct for you” card to stop Bingge’s qi deviation while saying more Wise And Meaningful Nonsense that has Bingge realizing that this guy was really on his side. This entire time, this guy has had unwavering faith in him and his abilities. This entire time, he’s had his whole organization working to help him in any way possible simply because of that. That this entire time, his only motive was to see what Bingge would become, see the world he creates, and for him to be happy. And now he can’t even do that. Because he’s dead. For Luo Binghe’s sake!!

And, Binghe…

Binghe just can’t take it. He hasn’t had someone so staunchly on his side since his mother died when he was little. He starts bawling. He can’t help it. He hasn’t cried in so long, and he just can’t stop the tears. They just keep coming, a heartbreaking wail from his mouth, while he hugs the dead body to his chest.

Other members of Shen Yuan’s harem organization that watched the whole thing stay standing around this scene, some tears falling from their eyes too, not able to believe that Shen Yuan is really dead. Liu Qingge, and others, are getting ready to fight Luo Binghe for Shen Yuan’s body, but before more fighting can break out, Tianlang-jun struts in with Zhuzhi-Lang following meekly behind him. The harem organization members that don’t know about the truth are shocked and scared bc they were supposed to get Shen Yuan’s son away from this chaos and protect him from Luo Binghe. But, Tianlang-jun (whose like a teenager or something by this point) just ignores everyone’s shouts and deftly evades their protective grabs for him, waking straight up to the still bawling Binghe.

See, Tianlang-jun is not nearly as oblivious as Shen Yuan is—he’s the exact opposite really—so he clocked Luo Binghe starting to fall for Shen Yuan a while ago, captivated by the challenge and mind games that Shen Yuan was playing with him, and is staunchly knowing that Luo Binghe won’t attack them again.

“Luo Binghe, do not fear,” he starts seriously, then breaks out in a massive grin and gives him a thumbs up, “we have contingency plans in case of death! Many of them!” Because of course they do. They’ve long secured the Sun And Moon Dew Mushroom Seeds and started growing them to Shen Yuan’s body. Tianlang-jun also still has access to the Holy Mausoleum and the Resurrection Chamber. And, with both Shen Yuan’s PIDW knowledge and Tianlang-jun’s and with his resources, they have a vast variety of back up bodies and plans for many different circumstances. It is also revealed that this is Tianlang-jun and literally no one is surprised by this development. Of course Shen Yuan’s son is the last Demon Emperor who’s supposed to be sealed under a mountain. It also made some of them “understand” why Shen Yuan had been so ruthless in his execution of the Old Palace Master and others since they now knew he had a personal interest in the matter.

When Shen Yuan wakes up, he’s immediately tackled by a sobbing Luo Binghe who places a big, fat, wet kiss on his mouth. He tries to reel back, but Luo Binghe has him in a death grip, so he can only stare wide-eyed at Luo Binghe until he pulls back to keep sobbing against his chest. Those of the harem organization that were there were furious at this bc barely any of them have kissed Shen Yuan and they’ve been in his harem service longer!! And, instead of shoving Luo Binghe away, Shen Yuan hugs him closer and pats his head, trying to calm him down, whispering that “No, Binghe, I won’t go anywhere. Yes, I can stay with you. Please don’t apologize, Binghe, this isn’t your fault. I should have done better to make you see I was on your side. You’ve done nothing wrong.” and so on.

After this, Shen Yuan is no longer able to maintain his cover as Background Character A, but that’s okay because he only kept it so he wouldn’t get taken out as Bingge’s rival or something. Since Binghe is on his side, he can live his whole life as a Mysterious And Cool Cultivator, living out his transmigration dreams unhindered! But, Binghe, what do you mean you’re making me Empress of the Demon Realm? I’m a man! I can’t be your Empress! Pick a pretty girl for that if you want one! Tianlang-jun, why are you laughing!? Why are you supporting this!?

Binghe convinces Shen Yuan to marry him by presenting it as a political marriage since Shen Yuan is in control of so much, and if he wants Luo Binghe to be the Emperor of it all (which he knows Shen Yuan wants) then they really need to be married and Shen Yuan made Empress for his reign to be undisputed. Shen Yuan eventually figures it out, and by that point he’s also figuring out that he actually has feelings for a lot of his “friends.” Well, it’s a good thing they all want to marry him too.

There are a long line of weddings after this as so many of Shen Yuan’s friends harem demand to be formally married. Binghe fights for position of First Husband. And wins. Because of course he does.

Luo Binghe has pretty much lost interest in his own harem (which was still pretty small and shrinking when he decided to kick women out for fear they were part of the organization), and becomes nonexistent after his marriage to Shen Yuan. It’s not a problem though, because Tianlang-jun, Shen Yuan, and Shang Qinghua pull resources and knowledge to nullify Xin Mo’s effect on him, so his harem is obsolete anyway.

—Later, once things are settled, probably:

SQH: bro, wtf? You haremed my harem novel.

SY: 🤷

I just feel like Shen Yuan and Cid are so similar. They both curate their role in their new transmigration life, bullshit through so much by spouting wise nonsense, and making people fall for them left and right while being totally oblivious. Shen Yuan just gives Cid levels of oblivious vibes.

I’m not super feeling my svsss fics right now, so I don’t think I’m gonna write on them and just close the tabs for now. Idk. I’ll prbly come back to this later at some point, but 🤷‍♀️ Hoped you enjoyed this 😊

If anyone has any ideas for what to call sy's version of Shadow Garden, let me know. I was feeling stuck on that part, but like I said, I don't know when I'll come back to this.

[kikitakite]

@fantasyfictionfables

I was going to reblog some of your posts because I wanted to discuss your takes on Mystra, but then I found out you're a Christian conservative who hates gay people.

No gay person thinks their sexual orientation is their identity, but it's absolutely PART of their identity, just as being straight is part of yours. You can claim otherwise, but it determines who you might love and marry and that person will one day become a part of you and your identity. It's inevitable. As a wife and mother of three, you should know that better than anyone.

But people from groups like yours shame gay people for exploring that part of themselves and that's why Pride Month exists. Pride isn't "propaganda". It's about marginalized people showing the world they exist and they're not ashamed of it. Parades are also a great way for gay people to meet each other. My bestie met her wife at a march 15 years ago and they've been together ever since. It's beautiful. They have two happy, gorgeous children who wouldn't exist without Pride, because their moms never would've met.

Pride also raises money to help gay teens who've been cast out of their homes and gay refugees who've had to flee their country because being gay is illegal there. It also provides support for gay people who need medical help, therapy for abuse, suicide prevention and more. It's a safe space for people who are often discriminated against and even KILLED just for being who they are. So sorry that seems to bother you.

Your take isn't brave, it's just ignorant and hateful. You didn't have to write that post. Nothing provoked it. You just WANTED to to air your allegiances. And then you turned off comments and reblogs lmfao. For the majority of the year, gay people survive just like us straights. They go about their day and don't even mention being gay. You picked the one month in the entire year that's dedicated to them to complain about their existence and call them "deranged". And then you have the audacity to say you "bear no ill will" towards them? Bullshit.

I can only assume the word "pride" scares you because you're a Christian and it's a sin, am I right? Well here's something ironic: lust is also a sin, yet your entire blog not only consists of Gale thirst posts, but you're also stealing Tim Downie's voice to make audio clips using AI. Hmmm, I wonder if God would approve of a married woman posting NSFW content and using a man's voice for her hedonistic writings without his consent. 🤔

And by the way, as a veteran DnD player I can tell you right now that Mystra has done some absolutely VILE shit to her followers. She's not perfect. None of the gods in DnD are. They're flawed and often cruel. I've seen you compare Mystra and Gale to stories in the Bible, but that almost feels blasphemous. Mystra has a history of evil deeds. She orchestrated Elminster's rape, made sure he had kids and never told him about them. She turned Volo into an anchor without his knowledge. She tortured a peasant because he refused to sleep with her, then killed his wife and punished him for crying about it. And don't even get me started on the "daughters" she created. The third Mystra (who has Mystra and Mystryl's memories) is cruel to Gale as well and the game gives so much context for that. Plus ALL the companions agree she's unreasonable and tell Gale to reject her, and if he does it leads to one of his most satisfying endings. He's happy, he's a teacher, he marries tav and everyone approves. Your way of playing isn't the only right way and people aren't wrong for criticizing Mystra. There's plenty about her that deserves to be criticized, as is the case with every god in the pantheon.

Speaking of, I have nothing against Christians, but I do when they use their faith to shame people and act like total hypocrites.

[crustyfloor]

Luka is very good at keeping himself composed on stage, mostly with the help of maintaining track of his heart rate, but during Mizi's attack in ROMH he seemed to slip up, not only was the red background a tell-tale sign of Mizi's violent intentions but it was a more symbolic way of showing Luka in quite visceral fear. Even if for only a second.

I'm not convinced Luka will be as continuously calculated as he normally comes off, it all seems too fake to me. Because it is. It’s a similar case to Ivan who can't feel, isn't normal, isn't human enough so he makes a persona to blend in. So Luka, whoever he is, makes this version of himself to cope with what he has to live through, pretending like he's on top of it all to survive in this world.

So in round 7, I think something drastic will happen to make him 'snap' in a way.

It's safe to say that we don't know Luka. We don't know who he really is. We don't know his real desires. But we do know one thing--he is scared. he is afraid of the aliens. That's why he appeases them--being their trophy. He's only kept around for his purpose as an entertainer and nothing else and he's very aware of that. He knows very well that a dented trophy will be discarded; with that mindset, he's been able to get so far, and he's scared of losing. That's why he holds any little thing he can get his hands on close. And an important extension of that fear is his fear of losing power.

Till should be the more likely in this position, given he's such a rebel. But isn't that just too predictable? Keep in mind, that Till is a strong person. Even after all he's been through, even after he's been beaten into something more manageable for the aliens--He still hasn't lost his spark. Till is a raging storm. subdued but nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.

Round 6's effect on Till is greatly ambiguous for now but at this point when the time for round 7 comes, Till has been put through so much hell. Whatever Luka does to provoke him probably won't work, he and Luka are equally talented individuals and will make for an intense battle, and at the end of the day, the numbers won't lie. Exactly that is what Luka is ready for but scared of--a worthy opponent for the throne. Someone capable of stripping him of his power. (Is fear what makes Luka so dismissive?)

It would be so aggravating that this 'pest'. who is so indignant, so rebellious (in a way Luka envies.), could so easily destroy everything Luka has worked for, disregard every pain Luka has been through to get to this point, and Till doesn't value this throne as much as Luka does, and Luka doesn't want to feel the pain of death anymore. If his facade is as destructible as I think it is, that will be what ultimately brings out Luka.

This idea may be flawed. Luka is so perfect, too perfect and confident and experienced for something as little as that to break him, just think of all the training Luka went through to get to this point. I'm positive he's very aware of what playing unfairly will lead to. But isn't there always room for a wild card?

Just remember what happened to Hyun-woo.

What happened here isn't fully explained (and probably will be in round 7) but imagine Luka: "Trophy child, goody two shoes" Luka possibly killing another human. Whether by accident or not, what happened?--what and how did Luka feel in the moment for the repercussions of whatever happened to be that bad?

A Luka that is secretly greatly insecure, pliable, and defensive enough that in a spur of emotions, he can’t help but lose his cool in a way he hasn’t in a while because he’s afraid—just to try and prove he is still valuable. That is the type of character I theorize we'll come to see in round 7.

[yuna542]

[1.]

~About Kooks and Pogues~

Pairing: JJ Maybank × Reader/Oc

Genre: Fluff, Enemies to Lovers, Smut, Angst, Drama, Action

Warnings: Alcohol, Mentions of Drugs, That’s it!

Taglist: Open

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: The Kook princess is back after a year after a family tragedy and reignites the war between Pogues and Kooks on Kildare. But she quickly realizes that after this year, nothing is the same as before. Lies, dark secrets from the past, and dangerous conspiracies sweep across Kildare, leaving her no choice but to work with the Pogues and her personal nemesis to find the truth and maybe even $8 million. A dangerous treasure hunt begins that turns her world upside down.

Notes: That’s a series I’m working on and off for like three years now. I hope you’ll enjoy it

……………………………………………………………

Ain't shady baby, I'm hot

Like the prodigal son

Pick a petal, eenie meenie minie mo, and flower

You're the chosen one

The music was loud, the sound of the sea was pleasant and the sun warmed the faces of the young people who were on the large beach of the Outer Banks. One of the typical beach parties was held there this Wednesday. The vacations had begun and so the beach was full of Teenagers, tired of sitting still all day in a grey classroom, eager to have fun and forget about homework, exams and pressure on choosing the right College.

You didn't understand the Outer Banks if you didn't know the structure, as there were distinct differences not only among the Outer Banks youth. While some needed three jobs to survive, others owned three houses.

The Pogues, as a group of young people called themselves, had organized the ongoing party and quickly the beach had been filled by young people of all background’s. With the warm weather, most of the Teen’s were magically drawn to the sea and on the small island there were not that much other options to party and spend the night.

"Stop it!" exclaimed Pope, as a cloud of herbal smoke was blown in his face by his buddy. Pope was the most intelligent of the group and sometimes really strange. But that didn't bother his friends. Quite the opposite.

The blond who was now laughing and taking another drag on the joint was JJ. He was an excellent surfer and the troublemaker in the group. In fact he got very often into trouble and loved to provoke. But his friends always helped him out of it. Literally out of anything.

John B toasted the girl sitting next to him in the sand. He was the free spirit and adventurer of the group. He always came up with new ideas on how they could pass the time, even if they were not always so legal.

The girl with the dark curls and sun-kissed skin was Kiara. She was the only one who did not come from a poor background, and even belonged to the richer families. Still, she much preferred hanging out with the Pogues and didn't care much about possessions and wealth. Instead, she was a do-gooder who preferred saving turtles over going shopping. She loved to smoke a joint on the large glazed patio of the Chateau, that has a view of the backyard and the marsh with the guys, instead of talking about the newest season of the new reality show with her girlfriends.

The four of them laughed and teased each other as they drank beer and gradually more and more people came to the beach to party.

"Guys, I swear it will be incredible! We should really go out and surf on the other side“, JJ started the same topic as the day before all over again. His eyes were filled with energy and he couldn’t sit still.

"No, that's way too dangerous. The storms there are unpredictable and in the end no one will find us if we get in trouble," Kiara fended off and Pope immediately agreed with her.

"That's the thrill of it, isn't it? Dude the waves are going to be huge for sure! John B, you're up for it, aren't you? Don’t let me down, Bro!“

It sounded more like a statement than a question. Waiting, he looked at his best friend, who took off his cap, then put it back on, a gentle smile on his lips. The freckles on his cheeks glowing.

"Well, I’m in. Sounds like fun."

"Nice!" escaped JJ, while Kiara just shook her head in annoyance. Then Pope suddenly raised his eyes and seemed to spot something at the edge of the dune. As JJ and Kiara continued to argue, John B also noticed what he was looking at.

"Guys, the Kooks!" he muttered, clearly annoyed.

"That's exactly what we needed..." sighed Kiara sarcastically, and JJ stood up, beer in hand, to get a better look. Already tense and ready to throw himself in a fight. John stood next to him while Pope and Kiara remained seated. Both were already dreading another confrontation between JJ and the hated rich Kooks.

"That's Topper and Sarah," John B stated, to which Kiara just raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"Someone else is coming," Pope remarked, and sure enough:

Behind Sarah Cameron, the current Kook princess and her boyfriend, two more people appeared.

"That's Rafe, but who the hell is that girl?" now asked Kiara, stretching her neck curiously.

"I don't know, but she's hot," JJ muttered, staring with John B in the direction where the Kooks were now walking across the beach.

"Hot as hell," John B added overwhelmed, continuing to watch the girl.

She had raven black hair that fell in many small curls over her shoulders, shimmering like wet ink in the sun. Her skin was tanned and possessed a bronze glow. She was not particularly tall, but slender and of athletic build, so even Pope looked curiously in her direction.

JJ's gaze was still wandering over her body when she had already turned to face them.

"Isn't that Skylar?" gasped Kiara, who was now staring in disbelief.

"Sky Diaz?" asked John B, elbowing JJ in the side as the Kooks moved closer to get him to stop staring. Topper had an arm around Sarah while the new girl chatted boisterously with Rafe. Her unusual appearance made her stand out from the blonde Kooks, and her style of dress was also quite different.

She wore a plaid pleated skirt that reached halfway down her thighs and loose white top, barely covering her belly and slim waist, with her black bikini top peeking through. She looked like she had been pulled straight out of an 80's rock and roll movie. JJ instantly was reminded of those musical-films Kiara forced them to watch, in which all of the guys had ridiculous hairstyles but the women always looked mysteriously beautiful.

"Is that really her? Diaz moved to Nassau over one year ago, didn't she?" pondered Pope aloud.

"Maybe she's vacationing here?" speculated John B.

Kiara shook her head.

"No, not after everything that happened. You don't take a vacation on Kildare after an incident like that. She must be living here again."

Now the Kooks were within range and looking around. Rafe gave the Pogues a disparaging look and Topper also stared warningly at JJ. Up close, it was now clear that Skylar Diaz was indeed standing in front of them. The amber eyes and full red lips were unmistakable. Even though she had changed considerably and her figure had become more feminine.

Even back then Sky had been pretty, but now they could see she had grown into a unbelievable beautiful young woman. JJ always hated the fact that she had everything. She was rich, adored and freaking beautiful. It wasn’t fair.

"Looks like you're going to have to give up your throne again, Cameron!" now JJ called out to Sarah, who just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"The same rats as before," Rafe remarked, pointing at the Pogues as if they were animals behind a glass in the zoo.

Sky smirked mildly and regarded the Pogues briefly. Her gaze lingered a second longer on the cheeky blond, and it was then that she recognized him.

"What are you doing back here?" now asked Kie coolly, who had now also stood up. Back then Sarah, Sky and she had been best friends. But then she had moved away after the incident and the friendship between Sarah and Kie broke like thin glass.

"I'm living here again. My stepfather found new work on Kildare," she explained tersely, trying to ignore JJ's piercing gaze.

However, he put on an uninterested expression. Yea she was fuming hot and seemed to be even more confident and charming, but after all, she was still a stupid Kook. Her family was even richer than the Camerons and she was even more arrogant than all the rest thrown together, so she had been the leader of the Kooks back then and JJ's personal nemesis. The hatred between the Pogues and the Kooks had been current before, too. All Kooks thought the Pogues were filthy scum and the Pogues had the same opinion of the rich Kooks.

She tossed her hair back and turned around without saying another word to them. As if they weren't worthy of her attention. Then she walked over to the rest of the Kooks and was greeted with delight.

The evening took its course and there was drinking, laughing and dancing. Music blared from several speakers brought in by a couple of Kooks.

The sun beat down mercilessly on the sand, so that it was still warm even when it had long since sunk into the sea like a long lost wreck.

The Pogues were chatting animatedly with others from the Cut and JJ was drinking with a couple of tourists. A typical evening, as it had been so many times before, but the arrival of the Kook Princess, the royalty of Kildare, soon stirred up more than just a lot of sand, and JJ had a feeling that this summer was not going to be as ordinary as they had originally thought.

⬇️

© Yuna542 - all rights reserved.

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

Marauders AU in which Voldemort is more intelligent and he creates a massive spell to erase people's memories to his convenience.

Sometime in 1979, Voldemort released a spell that was like a bomb, that created an explosion and chaos. Families were separated. Friends were separated. Lovers were separated.

He invents a "perfect world" only for Purebloods and manipulates their minds to make them think muggleborns and halfbloods are savages that want to kill everyone, because the lack of magic had corrupted their minds and they are practically wild animals.

So he builds a wall around Hogwarts and other parts of the Wizarding Community where purebloods and very selected wizards live inside a bubble. Like a dome. Outside the dome, everyone else stays behind left to survive in the forest and the ruins of the wild.

So obviously a very small selected group of death eaters (like Bellatrix, and Snape) know the truth, and work to maintain the order inside the dome, the rest are brainwashed.

Inside the dome, there are characters like Sirius Black (pureblood), Marlene McKinnon (pureblood), Peter (pureblood and very manipulative to use as a lapdog). Plus Lily Evans (who is not a pureblood but was spared because of Snape. He begged his master to let Lily be included in this new world) All of them with their memories wiped out, and new lives and personalities created for them. They are told that savages out there are dangerous. They live a comfortable life of rich people. Bellatrix is the public figure of this system, like the president. With Voldemort being the mastermind from behind.

Outside the dome, are the ones who know the truth. The rebels and survivors. James Potter, is the leader of the resistance. He was captured to be inside the dome but managed to escape before they brainwashed him. Remus, obviously considered not worth it for being a werewolf, but wanted to be killed. Mary, a muggleborn. And I am thinking other characters like Emmeline Vance and other characters from the original Order. They don't know what is inside the dome, they think at first that death eaters were torturing their friends.

Regulus is obviously selected to be inside the dome but at some point he wakes up and acts like a double agent and a spy from inside to help the rebels and protect his brother. Regulus along with Dorcas and Barty are brainwashed to be guards which their job is protect the dome from savages and hunt them down. They are the only ones allowed outside the dome to hunt more savages. The government told them to look specifically for the ones from the resistance like James or Remus. Regulus keeps sparing their lives a lot because he knows the true of who they are.

James and Lily were a couple before the explosion. And were separated. Lily doesn't remember James or thinks he is a murderer. Snape invented the story that he was the one who killed her parents and he is dangerous. But inside of her, she feels something for him still and she cannot explain why she is curious about what's outside the dome. James, on the other hand, is crazy in love with Lily and wants to get inside the dome to rescue her. He knows the truth.

Also, after the explosion, nobody knows who is alive or not. Who is outside the dome or not. After months of looking for his friends, Remus finds James with his little group of rebels but he is told that Sirius is dead. Wolfstar wasn't a thing before the explosion like Jily. But Remus loved Sirius in secret and never dared to tell him about his feelings. He griefs Sirius and wants revenge for his supposed dead. James doesn't lose hope that Sirius is alive somewhere inside the dome. He has hope that he can get his friends back.

So the story is the confrontation from the ones inside the dome lead by Voldemort, and how some of them start waking up. They don't understand why they feel things for those savages and why they provoke things on them without knowing they are actually their friends or lovers. Especially Lily and Sirius who feel things for James and Remus respectively and are confused because they shouldn't, they are dirty savages, aren't they?

And the other side of rebels resisting, surviving while they can with plans to get inside, discover what is inside and rescue their friends, make them wake up and realize who they really are. Of course led by Albus Dumbledore himself.

[sonic-oc-showdown]

ROUND 2

Coke belongs to @lunapegasus

Zenyx belongs to @grimsdeadb0nes

Find out more about them below!

Cocaine "Coke" the Bear:

Cocaine the Bear, formerly known as Cain, grew up with parents who were crippling addicts and after seeing what drugs did to them he vowed to make a difference. When he was old enough he became the president of the D.A.R.E. program and inspired others to stay away from drugs. …But then one day, he found himself lost and hungry in the woods with little chance of survival. That is until he came across a large duffel bag of "sugar", desperate and delusional he ate all 70+ pounds of it. And he's never been the same since.

Zenyx:

Zenyx is a(n Offcolor) Zeti hailing from the Lost Hex, hidden from the eyes of all but a small handful for her own safety.

Described as exceedingly versatile and a fairly composed wild-card, she acts as The Deadly Six's secret Seventh member! The full extent of her outwardly behaviors is dependant on who she may be around or the situation at hand. She can be quite sweet and very caring to those she likes or is loyal to (which is a very limited list), but can otherwise be just as malicious as the rest of her Pack tend to be towards outsiders. However, unlike the other six, she won't always go out of her way to cause harm or misery UNLESS given proper reason to or provoked. She can be alittle hissy at times, but she's not inherently hot-headed like some; she just doesnt like her buttons being pushed or being lied to- or worse yet, her Pack being messed with.

Zenyx is extremely loyal to the Six and may be described as "caring alittle too much", as she enjoys keeping an eye on/spending time with each and every one if possible and making sure they're okay. She's very keen on stealth and being observant, a quick thinker that thinks ahead, and maybe a slight bit of a people pleaser towards certain individuals- but she isn't afraid to give her two cents either and often lacks a filter at times, offering a touch of sass and attitude. She can be very performative (to an extent) and likes trying to make things fun, being ultimately much more (surprisingly) pleasant than the rest of the Six.

In my Lost World Rewrite (currently still being worked on as of this Poll, yet to be properly revealed!), she is the main inclusion-difference and is by all means another rough obstacle for Sonic and Tails to get through. She managed to remain hidden while the rest of the Six were "conquered" by Eggman for a time, staying out of sight and scheming or helping behind the scenes- as well as working on a way to aid in their freedom before Sonic inevitably kicked the Cacophonic Conch from Eggman's grasp, speeding up that plan tenfold. Eggman was none the wiser to her existence until much later in the story, even going as far as aggressively denying the existence of a seventh in the stretch of area he had taken over when asked about it by Tails, because "If there was, I would have conquered them too!" or something.

She appears in much further stuff planned but thats all hush hush rn ;3!

[dying-brb]

desolation / an ellie x f!oc fanfiction / tlou universe

!slowburn !angst !subreader !domellie !fluff

tw: this is a heavy fic. mentions of sa, violence, gore, etc. 18+

(oc starts off 14 but only for backstory)

click if you haven't read chapter 1

chapter 2: 1900 words

⋆⭒˚.⋆ Natalie  -  14 yrs old  ⋆⭒˚.⋆

The leader of the cannibalistic cult that had captured me, David, began making regular visits to my cell.

Every morning. Every night.

Initially, I tensed at the creak of the door and his heavy steps echoing through the confined space. He would slip into my cell at dawn, before the sun even rose, and again at dusk as twilight fell. I assumed he chose these times to avoid detection by others in the community. If they were capable of consuming their own kind—people they had known, and enjoyed it—what regard would they have for their "Father" assaulting a young girl?

At first, I fought. I screamed, kicked, begged, bit, thrashed—anything to stay alive.

But after 22 days in this grim cell, my will to fight ebbed away. This wretched place drained my hope like a reverse transfusion.

The hope I once clung to was grounded in the possibility of a cure, believing my immunity could make a difference. But what kind of world would my immunity even be saving? A world where girls are confined like animals in cages? Where desperate pleas are met with cruel, heartless laughter? It was a world too far gone.

So I simply let go, releasing my tight grip on life. It seemed easier that way.

They fed me once a day, enough to sustain me if I had actually consumed what they served. Each time dinner arrived, delivered by a young girl much younger than myself, I refused—knowing full well what they were disguising as 'just venison.' I would gag and swiftly retreat to the farthest corner of my cramped cell, desperate to distance myself from the plate. I would sooner embrace death than stoop to this dehumanizing level.

David noticed my refusal to eat, observing my breath growing more ragged each day, my shirt hanging looser on my small frame. His displeasure was palpable.

"You know, if you don't eat, you'll just die. Starvation is a slow and miserable death. Is that what you want?" His eyes squinted in my direction as he spoke.

I chuckled weakly. I may not have had any fight left in me, but this defiance was the one thing I could still wield against him—something he craved but would soon lose.

"So? Let me die. I don't care. I won't have to endure you anymore," I whispered, my voice cracking, lungs wheezing with each word. A pained smile crept across my extremely chapped lips.

"I know they're tired of me taking up space in this cage. They want me gone. Your community needs food. But you don't want that, do you?" I scoffed, laughter tinged with bitterness. "You're deluded if you think you can keep me here forever. I'll die soon enough, with or without your buddies butchering me first."

Sometimes in my dreams, I glimpsed the light—the one they say appears before death. Yet, every time, just as I approached it —my hand reaching out desperately— I'd awaken to the cramped confines of my cell.

Disappointment flooded me each time.

Please. Make it stop. Let it end.

I silently begged myself and any deities who might hear my cries for help.

The sinister man—the false prophet—simply stared at me, his expression devoid of emotion.

"If you just eat, it doesn't have to be that way. You can survive this. You could join us. If you behave, of course."

Behave.

My fingers twitched at the word. He had used it incessantly during his visits. It pricked at my eyes and pierced my skin, much like the frigid air on my first night here. My stomach churned. Was it hunger, disgust, or perhaps fear?

"Never," I choked out, tears streaming down my cheeks as he grinned, evidently pleased to provoke a reaction from me.

Now, death was the escape I sought out, death was my vengeance. He would no longer hold my life in his hands, and I would finally be free of him, this place, this cruel torturous world.

A young girl interrupted my thoughts, entering with dinner and placing it on the floor outside of my cell.

"Ravioli today. Mommy said not to waste it or you'll be punished," she chirped, nudging the plate so it slid beneath the bars of the cage. With a skip in her step and a faint smile on her lips, she hummed her way out of the room.

Punishment was reserved for disobedience, escape attempts, or failure to answer David and the others. They'd burn the soles of my feet to ensure I couldn't flee. It had been over a week since I last endured it. I hoped to keep it that way.

I didn't comprehend how they could subject a child to witness a prisoner like this: innocent, naive, and impressionable. This young girl bore daily witness to my battered body. I frowned, contemplating her upbringing, silently hoping for a better future than that of the other corrupted souls trapped here.

Aware that the ravioli came from a can, I crawled over on hands and knees, trembling as I ate the cold concoction with the spoon they provided. Normally denied utensils, I suspected it was the young girl's oversight. David remained oblivious.

"Good. You're eating," he remarked, rising and casting a glance in my direction. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it, Cupcake?"

I recoiled at the nickname. Throughout my time in confinement, they had never managed to pry my real name from me. Instead, they relied on pet names or simply calling out "Hey, you!" to get my attention.

I mechanically stuffed the ravioli into my mouth, despite my stomach already feeling uncomfortably full from days of only sips of water. Every bite was a struggle, but I forced it down, knowing I would need my strength for what lay ahead.

They left the spoon behind. It was a mistake.

After finishing every last bite, I slid the plate back under the barred enclosure and carefully tucked the spoon beneath my makeshift bed—a bundle of newspaper and a thin blanket, but enough to hide my newfound tool.

Tonight marked David's final visit. Tonight, I would make my escape.

—

The night sky gleamed through the window directly opposite my cage, a constant reminder of freedom just out of reach. Tonight, though, I vowed to step into that moonlit world, to feel the crisp outdoor air on my skin once more. Never again would I have to gaze hopelessly at that window.

David had left some time ago, granting me a fleeting sense of security to plan my escape. The night watch continued their rounds, checking on me sporadically. As the weeks of my captivity drew on, the intervals between their visits stretched longer. Perhaps they mistook my subdued demeanor for resignation, believing I had surrendered any hope of freedom. Maybe yesterday they were right, but today, they would be proven wrong.

Mentally calculating, I estimated the next check-in was approximately 45 minutes away.

"Plenty of time," I muttered to myself, retrieving the spoon from under my pillow. This small oversight, this spoon, was my ticket to freedom.

Pressing the spoon against the cage's lock, I heard the bars lightly clank as I leaned into them. Damn it.

I prayed no one had heard the noise emanating from my confinement; now was my moment to slip away unnoticed. This was my sole chance, my final opportunity before the end. I knew it. The lock securing the cage door wasn't intricate—a simple, rusted padlock with a cord wrapped multiple times around the door and cage. In another time, perhaps it had been a bicycle lock.

With determination, I wedged the spoon's end between the shackle and its base, bending it toward me, shaping it into the tool I required. Straining with every ounce of remaining strength, the spoon bent into a U-shape, exerting pressure on the lock's shackle. The metal groaned, protesting against the strain until finally, with a snap, the rusted shackle yielded, freeing the old lock.

I exhaled a long sigh of relief before slipping out of the cage, my limbs trembling with adrenaline, my mind racing. Glancing at the butchering table that had loomed in front of me for so long, I smirked and quietly seized a cleaver as I tiptoed from the room.

"David, you're dead," I thought to myself, the rush of adrenaline keeping me alert and steady. A frenzied sensation prickled my skin as I navigated the dark corridors, hunting for him.

Yet, instead of David, I encountered someone unexpected—the young girl who had dutifully brought me dinner every night since my arrival. The 9, perhaps 8-year-old pointed up at me, her finger trembling with what seemed like fear. "You're out. The Father won't like this," she whispered.

I gazed into her eyes, my expression pleading silently. I didn't know how to beg a child for my freedom, but I couldn't risk her revealing my escape either.

"Hey, kiddo. I'm going on a little adventure, okay? It's our secret," I whispered urgently.

"I love secrets! I hide them from my mommy all the time!" the little girl chirped, twiddling her fingers and scanning the room.

I chuckled softly, enough to comfort her nerves. "Me too. How about we play hide and seek? You hide, and I'll come find you," I suggested, seizing the chance to divert her attention and buy myself time.

I burned with the desire for David's reckoning, but survival drove me more.

The girl beamed, nodding eagerly and clapping her hands once before scurrying to a nearby corner, starting to count aloud. "Okay! 1, 2, 3..."

I moved cautiously past her, quickening my pace once I was out of earshot.

I swung open the front door of the building, bracing myself against the biting winds of Colorado's unforgiving winter. My hands instinctively wrapped around my body, seeking warmth that was elusive in the frigid air. This wasn't the liberation I had envisioned—feeling the cool breeze on my skin, my clothes fluttering in the wind. No, this was harsh, cutting against my weakened frame.

I recalled vividly the night when David had dragged me here, barely alive, teetering on the edge of frostbite and hypothermia. The memory made my skin crawl with the same chapped numbness as the icy winds whipped around me now.

In the distance, a horse neighed, its sound cutting through the cold night air. I pushed myself to move faster. Escaping on horseback would increase my chances of survival, offering a chance to find shelter far enough away from David and his followers, yet close enough to navigate through the wilderness.

Tears streamed down my face, turning to ice on my chilled cheeks. If I managed to escape on a harsh winter night like this, survival seemed improbable. Yet, the thought of taking control of my fate, even in such brutal conditions, ignited a flicker of hope within me.

With trembling hands, I finally reached the stable. I approached the horse cautiously, shushing her gently to signal I meant no harm, then stroking her neck to earn her trust before attempting to mount. The touch of the icy metal and the warmth of the horse's flank provided a stark contrast against the freezing air. As I settled into the saddle, the once extinguished fire within me surged back to life. This moment, seated firmly on the horse, marked the start of my battle for freedom on my own terms.

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack is Now Available For Pre-order

You can preorder The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack now to start playing immediately when it launches on October 31, 2024 on PC via EA app™, Mac® via Origin, Epic Games Store and Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems. The expansion pack will be released on October 31, 2024, and costs $39.99. 

EA and Maxis have just dropped an official asset pack for their upcoming The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack.

The screenshots showcase the new Grim Reaper Career, brand new World called Ravenwood and unique ghastly interactions coming in this DLC set.

Peel back the veil to uncover the secret to richer Sim lives and beyond in The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Achieve your dreams in life by ticking items off your Bucket List or pursue them as a Ghost with Unfinished Business. There is a ghastly new world to haunt, a career that’ll bring you closer to Grim, Wills to write, Crypts to explore, and even ghostly skills to master. There are no real endings — only transitions — as you move between life, afterlife, and even rebirth.

Official Description and Features

An Endless Journey

Build your Bucket List by collecting goals throughout your Sim’s life, starting as a Young Adult. Items will appear on your list based on your Sim’s traits and family relations, and you can also choose your own. Removing items is possible, but completing them yields powerful rewards. If a Sim’s life ends with items still on their list, they can devote their afterlife to completing their Unfinished Business. The ultimate reward for experiencing everything on their list is the option to be Reborn, though you can still choose to Move On or remain on this plane as a Ghost.

A Ghastly, Gorgeous Life

Make death your life’s work with a career of reaping souls, helping Ghosts, dispersing hauntings, and more as a member of Grim’s team. Or, you could become a Mortician and deal with death more from the perspective of the living. Outside of work, you might spend your days exploring Crypts and building your Thanatology skill for the new Ghost Historian Aspiration. These things – among other dark diversions like bonding with your Pet Crow (careful, provoking it could be deadly) or collecting and reading the lost Tarot Cards of Lady Ravendancer Goth – will have a special appeal to Sims who are Macabre, one of 3 new traits.

Goodbye (For Now)

Different Sims will grieve in different ways. There are 4 types that will tie in with both Sims’ personalities and their relationships with the deceased. Grieving Rituals are customizable and unscripted, allowing you to hold whatever type of event (or events) fits your story. In life, Sims can create Wills which can be used to pass down Heirlooms, assign guardians for surviving dependents, distribute their Simoleons, and more. Sims can honor the departed with a memorial display featuring their portrait, and by interring their urns in Crypts or with Custom Caskets and Gravesites.

Friendly or Fiendish?

Linger on as a Ghost and spend your afterlife helping or terrorizing the living. Ghosts will grow in their abilities as they do everything from assisting with household chores to levitating living Sims and hanging them upside down (fun AND profitable - they may drop Simoleons!). Their interactions with the living can earn them Fear or Goodwill essences, which can both be sold for Simoleons. There’s a lot to do after death; Ghosts can even pair up for a special, spectral Woohoo.

Official Sims 4 Life & Death Screens

Life & Death Pre-Order Bonus

If you purchase The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack by December 12th, you’ll receive the Macabre Mementos Digital Content set! This three-piece set contains two new Build items and one CAS item, including:

Lasting Legacy Family Portrait

Mournful Melodies Music Box

Plumed Elegance Mask

Macabre Mementos Digital Content —Wonder at treasures that have endured time’s passing, witnessing the come and go of generations with ghastly grace. Look upon those who came before in the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, listen to the haunting lullaby of the Mournful Melodies Music Box, and masquerade in fowl finery with the Plumed Elegance Mask, available when you order through December 12**.

[rwtimejuncture]

Rained World Rascals - About the Slugcats

So, I figured since I've seen one or two AU's do this by now, I should toss my hat in the ring and show off what I've got. I've got a little bit of time to kill before I sleep, so I'm gonna write about my beloved little alternate-universe slugcats here.

ALL INFO UNDER THE CUT

(All slugcats use they/any)

SURVIVOR

Age upon arrival: 19 moons

Known as "Viv" only to their closest friends, Survivor is a painfully average slugcat, even average to ENOT. And NOBODY is average to ENOT. Assertive and opinionated, even when they don't intend to be, Survivor is nothing short of a very natural slugcat. Even in their own biological family, they're the most average one. Despite their brutal honesty, Survivor still strives to protect those who are close to them, especially their younger sibling Monk, and their auncle/guardian, a 67 moon-old Gourmand.

Living in a grand tree in Outer Expanse, Survivor grew up with a grand and expansive family. After a tragic incident deep in the expanse led to young Survivor and Monk being orphaned, old Gourmand took them in as their own. Despite having everything they needed, Survivor still felt it a major responsibility to be there for their younger sibling, even when the going got rough for everyone. In a twist of fate involving an attempt to conquer their fear of heights, Survivor plummeted into a pipe which led to an unknown area beyond the retaining wall, after which they ran into Hunter.

MONK

Age upon arrival: 13 moons

As the youngest of the bunch, Monk is a youthful and spritely spirit who savors the world around them. Against all odds, Monk always finds a way to appreciate the world around them, be it a Squidcada or a Red Lizard. They're so intensely appreciative of the world around them that it's not uncommon for them to have made a new wildlife friend when they're out and about. Despite them being a friendly and social person normally, however, they tend to bottle up their emotions to an unhealthy degree, becoming cold and even volatile when provoked about emotionally difficult subjects. They take it upon themselves to never show emotions and be strong, just like their older sibling was when they were younger. They show a great resolve and work as hard as they can every day to contribute to their group.

Monk had to cope with the loss of their parents at a much younger age than Survivor, which led to them walking in their stride of not showing much emotion in difficult moments. Monk's version of this was pushing away those who cared about them and seeking quiet, lonely places to not be seen crying. Regardless, they still grew up moderately happy with love and support from Gourmand. The real damage came when they thought they had lost their sibling to the massive gaping hole that was the pipe. Late at night, after overhearing a conversation between the colony elders including Gourmand about potentially surviving a fall into the pipe, Monk raced out on their own and jumped in after their sibling. They sustained a black eye, but they survived and ran into a strange, younger version of Gourmand in the Outskirts.

HUNTER

Age upon arrival: 27 moons

Hunter is a lively, spritely person, always looking to have fun and enjoy life. They're also a greatly skilled and acclaimed fighter, always discovering new and creative ways to deal with opponents. Out of the whole gang, they are the most childish, petty, and hot-headed. They're prone to angry outbursts, but they're rarely ever actually fueled by anger--more so by passion than anything. Their humor is rarely mean-spirited, though it can reach a paramount of genuinely dubious intent. It's never malicious though, and is certainly a facade for a deeper, darker existential dread that they refuse to put upon anyone else, lest they try to help...

Hunter seldom talks about their past, but they do volunteer the fact that they were one of the few in the group raised, partially or wholly, by an Iterator. Given NSH's temperament, however, "raised" is a generous term. "Crashed with" is more appropriate. While NSH did indeed raise Hunter, they treated them less like one of their own progeny and more like a roommate. But in the end, NSH was still there for them, even in their darkest moments. But still, nothing could save them from what was yet to come. When time was finally reaching its end, Hunter decided to use what little power they had to commit a noble act. At least, that's how it was supposed to go...

GOURMAND

Age upon arrival: 34 moons

Gourmand is a champion of relaxation. Tied tighter to the material plane than any other member of the group, Gourmand takes great pleasure in finding new ways to enjoy their existence. Whether it be a new food or a new sunbeam to lie in, they always find ways to indulge in the new whilst also appreciating the old, and they take even greater pleasure in sharing these experiences with anyone willing to engage in them. They rarely ever raise their voice or get angry, only getting sad or disappointed. They are still honor-bound to defending those they care about, and have the ability to do so. They are not as skilled of a fighter as the other two leaders of the pack, but they still earn their mainstay as a strong and unyielding defender of the group.

Gourmand's past is possibly the most normal one out of everyone in the pack. When they were younger, they were an explorer, searching out places beyond their own expanse to widen their worldview. They found themselves mostly alone for their whole life, helping guide the occasional slugpup to a safe and bountiful location for them to sustain themselves. But just when they were headed home, thinking they had seen everything there is to see in this world, one strange step in Outskirts had them waking up in Shaded Citadel. Continuing mostly unfazed back in the direction they were headed, they eventually ran into another slugpup--a small, yellow one. But unexpectedly, this one seemed to know their name.

ARTIFICER

Age upon arrival: 38 moons

On the other far end of the age spectrum, Artificer is a much more jaded, violence-oriented, earthbound spirit. They're abrasive, rash, quick to annoyance and anger, and truly assert their dominance as a leader of the pack. To say a soft center lies at their heart would be a cruel lie--their soft center is guarded by numerous layers of rock-hard trauma and moons of horrors. Despite all of this, it's still not wrong to say there is one. It's just that... well, it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. And much like a camel passing through the eye of a needle, you need to play your cards right. Someone succeeded, after all. Their outward attitude may be cold and quiet at best, but their desire to keep what is sacred to them safe is unmatched. They will go to great lengths to protect those they consider to be important to them, using their strange combustion-controlling powers to assure that no foe lays a finger on whatever they hold dear.

Artificer is highly cagey about their past. It's all so traumatic to them that they'd rather not remember a second of their life from moon ages 20 to 31. But the evidence they left behind is still there--a new despotic ruler of the scavengers on top of the superstructure without a drop of royal blood in them, a building missing from the metropolis, the strangely large shelter hidden in Outskirts with evidence of numerous slugcats having lived there once, the occasional mutter of their "apprentices" that they always seem to emphasize in such a way that indicates they caught themselves from saying something else, their "ex"... it all fits together, like pieces of a puzzle piece. But lest their redemption in a moral sense be of any concern to you, they'd do everything they could to keep you from finding out.

RIVULET

Age upon arrival: 25 moons

Rivulet is a strange character, simply put. They're dormant for most of the day, sleeping for longer periods of time than anyone else. But when they're awake, their agility and speed are second to absolutely none. Their speed is comically fast, and they can stay underwater for longer than anyone else. They're also highly intelligent, knowing how to work with Ancient-level technology and how to fix Iterators, a talent that landed them the role of pack nurse. Despite living life in the fast lane, they still appreciate the moments when they get to relax and be immature for once. Monk is a good friend to them and enjoys getting to play games and small sports with them. Their inner child truly gets to shine through, and to them it's a much needed break from the constant maturity life demands from them.

Rivulet comes from far, far away, descended from lands still yet to be discovered to most lifeforms on Five Pebbles' side of the world. Their upbringing was natural, with their bodily modifications appearing over hundreds of thousands of moons of evolution. When they came across the Retaining Wall, the rains were harsh and frequent, which led to their slumberful sleeping schedule. With their experience, aiding the surrounding Iterators was no difficult task, with their abnormally high capacity for speed and their gathered intelligence from their experiences across the world. The hardest part was what happened afterward, as they travelled into Outskirts and took one wrong step...

SPEARMASTER

Age upon arrival: 29 moons

Spearmaster, the self-proclaimed master of spears, is... a genetic nightmare, to say the least. Without a mouth, their speech is muffled and they often have to resort to slugsign to make their voice truly heard. Fortunately, Artificer knows pre-collapse era slugsign the best, and can account for this difficulty. While the objectively disgusting ability to excrete bone-like spears out of their tail is an interesting hallmark of their character, they make up for this weird factor of themselves by being an all around pleasant person to be around. They're a good listener, and they make sure that everyone gets what they need. They offer support when anyone needs it, and they make sure that not a soul goes unhealed, alongside their compatriot Rivulet. They're also insanely physically strong despite their gangly stature, using the incredible autonomy over their body to enter hysterical strength mode at will. These valuable qualities enable them to be the third leader of the pack.

A dutiful soldier, Spearmaster was the seventh in a line of genetically-weaponized slugcats who functioned as expert messengers. In a time where communication was severely limited due to a certain Iterator's desperation, Spearmaster helped deliver a message to the culprit, earning a now barely-visible scar on their chest, thanks to their abnormally quick healing ability. Even though the mission didn't go as planned, they still chose to see it through to the end, determined to be the messenger they were always meant to be. However, as they completed their mission and were on their way home, they found themself in a place they didn't quite recognize. It was certainly somewhere they had been before, but everything looked... different. After a run in with a strange, angry maroon slugcat, they looked off in the direction of their former mission goal only to see that there was one less Iterator than usual.

SAINT

Age upon arrival: 22 moons, but... it's complicated.

One of the most enigmatic slugcats of all, Saint is an omen of cycles and moons yet to come. Their speech is often very verbose and elongated, asserting themselves as a rather intelligent slugcat, maybe more so than even Rivulet. They seldom show emotion, and are barely ever seen opening their eyes, only doing so when using one or more of their wide array of powers. The only special powers they have consistent access to are flight, ascension, and teleportation. The powers which remain outside of their control, though, are plentiful, and include but are not limited to powers such as telekinesis, time control, gravity control, and karma manipulation. The names of the regions they use are strange and don't make sense to any of the other slugcats, expressing great shock that "Silent Construct" doesn't seem to exist as they know it.

Saint's past is one shrouded in mystery, but it's no greater mystery to anyone but Saint themself. They can't recall ever being a pup, nor anything about their life since the loop began. They do, however, recognize every other slugcat from images recorded by an old blue robot's overseers. They especially liked the white one and the dark one covered with blue and orange spots. However, after being trapped in the loop for so long that they not only went completely insane, but then became sane again after becoming bored of being insane, they were hoping, praying, wishing that something, anything would be different on one of their loops. It was not a great prospect, but it was the only thing they had left in their life anymore. They were a broken, mentally-scarred, omniscient anomaly who was unable to die. The least they could've hoped for was a change. And to their credit, after billions of loops, leaving them mentally millions of moons older than any other living thing, a fateful trip through Suburban Drifts would leave them waking up in the warm, wet lands of Sky Islands. Out of all the slugcats who "arrived," Saint was the only one to react to the world around them with tears of joy. Something was finally different. Something was new around them. Something was unfamiliar. And just like that, they had a reason to live again.

ENOT I. SOFANTHIEL

Age upon arrival: 21 moons

In a pack full of anomalies, ENOT is weirder than the others by miles. Covered with brightly-colored spots and donning a pair of thick eyelashes, ENOT is a peculiar-appearing slugcat. But the strangeness doesn't end there. ENOT suffers from hallucinations due to a chemical in their blood acting as a hallucinogen, which presumably was given to them as a defense mechanism against predators. But when they're not being attacked, they're forced to wade through landscapes of nacho cheese and rainbow pipes, while having to take refuge in a shelter full of demons and monsters, the most terrifying of which being a pup-shaped and pup-sized black mass with a red face. Fortunately, this little nightmare's older sibling Survivor is far more attractive. ENOT has a tendency to be consistently flirtatious with their colleagues, vainly hoping to form romantic connections. They don't seem to be aware they're doing it, however, and are even more effective as a romantic being when they're simply being genuine. It is very odd that they seem to be unaware that they're flirting, though. Very weird. What's even weirder is that the period they come from on the timeline is completely unplaceable, whether that be due to their unreliable testimonies on account of their hallucinations, or something else...

????

Nothing makes sense.

NIGHT

Who is "Night?" Why, nothing more than a slugpup's cautionary tale. Right? Surely, the story of a rogue, zombified slugcat who sits outside of the cycle and steals any slugcats' arms for the karma symbols stuck on them in a vain attempt to re-enter the cycle is nothing more than a tall tale written to scare young slugpups into sticking with the pack and going to sleep on time, right? Yeah. That's all it is. Nothing more than a tall tale. Nothing more than a spooky campfire story. Nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, that doesn't stop anyone from being afraid. Some even say that in the dark of the night or the rain-filled clouds, they can spot something moving. Nothing like a lizard, or a lost scavenger. Nothing like anything they've ever seen before. A pair of eyes, maybe a glint of teeth or two. Nothing confirmed, but it's troubling to say the least. Still, nothing but a rumor, right?

...hey, anyone else see that?

[repo-net]

EO5-Styled intros for the stratums from EO1 and EO2!

I finished playing EO5 a while back, and one of the things I really liked about the game were the short narrated sequences that played when you reached a stratum for the first time. The voice actress kills the role, and just the music slowly kicking in as she introduces just what you're about to get yourself into - aaahh, it's so good.

To help practice a bit of my description writing when it comes to locations and short tidbits of lore, I decided to try my hand at doing my own renditions of these sequences for the EO1 and 2 stratums! Hopefully they look alright, eheh.

Spoilers under the cut!

EO1

Every adventurer has a dream: whether it be for glory, for riches, for knowledge, or for purpose. Without fail, all of them flock to this mighty tree.

Regardless of the purity in their heart, the first step into these vast greenlands is filled with ambition.

That very same ambition is what has led to the end of so many. And yet for you, it may just be the start…

The legendary story born from hope blossomed here.

The first stratum, Emerald Grove

Descending down the stairs, a new layer of the labyrinth welcomes you.

Darker than the last, the tropical wilderness buzzes your ear with the sounds of trickling water, and cries of a new set of beasts.

Those who basked in their success of survival of the basics; learned far too late…

… That here, nature reigns supreme.

The second stratum, Primitive Jungle

Conquering the lord of the jungle, a mesmerizing sight shines against your eyes.

A moist scent wafting in the air, with a cobalt hue that makes one forget you’re still within a forest.

A queen of the insects lies in wait here, and below even her grasp is a mystery only a handful have seen, yet one question continues to prod.

Has that secret been forgotten by age, or has it grown into something more?

The third stratum, Azure Rainforest

Layer after layer of blooming life, comes to a harsh, arid halt upon this new arrival.

These wastelands filled with long stretches of beige and grains scraping against skin, is the very home of an ancient race.

They speak of a century-old pact, fully ready to defend their turf. To hide what’s below, and to see what’s below.

Wills even in the face of death are about to be tested here.

The fourth stratum, Sandy Barrens

Only the cursed king on his throne in the abyss remembers that golden age.

A world overwhelmed by verdure and promises of revival. A time and tragedy that only one man can tell the true story of.

Structures and mechanisms that you have never seen the likes of, with memories so distant, but so near all the same.

The mysteries that have been kept under for a millenia, it is your destiny to unravel them and see for your own - the secrets of Yggdrasil.

The fifth stratum, Lost Shinjuku

Below even the origin of creation is a place past the naked eye. 

A system of organs solely out of the blood dripping from stratas above, drenching the pulsing and veiny walls with a sickening red.

Screams and wails of agony from a creature tortured by its purpose, engulfing itself in this cavern to take its revenge on trespassers that were never meant to reach here.

For descending to the roots of this labyrinth, its very core will stop at nothing to engrave you into it.

The sixth stratum, Claret Hollows

EO2

The second saga of a legend already born, or the first for the arisal of new ones.

Whoever the author may be, this story begins all the same, with an invitation from a new land to ascend to heights yet to be reached.

These grassy woods that surround the bottom of the mighty tree…

Mark the intro for an adventure unlike any before.

The first stratum, Ancient Forest

Pushing through the daunting beginning trials, an opening paves way into a new flavor of woods.

These orange lands filled with prickly tails and segwaying paths; they provoke the explorers with a dilemma.

Will you grit your teeth through thorns for instant gratification, or will you dance with the roars of beasts seemingly undentable?

Be decisive, lest you go a route that leads to a pitiful end.

The second stratum, Auburn Thicket

Biting through fragile flesh, as soon as getting past the heat of the thicket.

Grazing against the adventurers, a stinging test from the polar opposite on the journey up north.

This icy surface, disrupting the pursuit towards the top, has spelled the end of many tales thought to be on the road of destiny.

Pass by these freezing storms, and at the peak awaits a tragedy long foretold; yet this is only one of his many, many failings.

The third stratum, Frozen Grounds

Lagaard knew not what was past those snowy acres, until they arrived; and now - they continue to soar.

Like the monsters and curious souls that reside here, these pink, rosy blossoms mark the start of heights never been reached.

Through echoes heard upward, each footstep through this cherry territory serenades the adventurers.

Keep on climbing, recite a long lost grail, and you’ll be one step closer to the heavens. But tread carefully - the war ahead may overwhelm even those chosen by fate.

The fourth stratum, Petal Bridge

The world was once overtaken by Earth itself. Those fortunate enough, built a stronghold to survive.

Centuries passed. And eventually, not even the stronghold could hold its strength. 

The one constant… was him. 

Renewing it to his liking, a phenomenal palace not even fairy tales could mold. A castle glistening with gold, proudly idling above the skies where no one could reach him. No matter how long it takes. No matter how many will be lost.

Despite all the years, he’s always kept one promise burned into his mind.

“Humanity must survive.”

The fifth stratum, Heavenly Keep

Eternity - a word no mortal could understand the true weight of. 

An eternity of mistakes. An eternity of lives lost from obsession. 

An eternity of abominations created by his hand. Yet not one was worse than his first.

Over his created heaven, was a forest so eden, so seemingly tranquil; yet nothing was more dangerous. It’s a sanctuary with just a singular purpose.

A forsaken prison, to house his darkest criminal.

The sixth stratum, Forbidden Wood

[thecreaturecodex]

The Great Game: Outer Gods and Great Old Ones

As the deities that are most physically tied to the Material Plane, it is perhaps unsurprising that the various entities collected together as “Outer Gods” and “Great Old Ones” have been paying attention to the Great Game. The allegiances of some of the prominent members of these pantheons are as follows:

Abhoth The Unclean God is patron of disease and fecundity, and knows how these two things are tied together. More are born than can survive, and many of those that die fall to disease before anything else. As such, Abhoth is well versed in ecology, and knows that Lamashtu is overpopulating Golarion with her monsters. Abhoth’s followers seek to spread plagues among monstrous species in order to keep their numbers down, and as such, Mormo counts Abhoth as an ally.

Azathoth The Primal Chaos does not seem to have noticed the Great Game, or much of anything that has happened on Golarion in centuries. This is probably for the best. If any of his attention were to be turned onto the conflict, it could easily become a disaster for both parties…something that Nyarlathotep is hoping for, and working to make happen.

Bokrug The Water Lizard fondly remembers Mormo from before the evolution of true mammals, and they have hunted and sparred together and even mated in the past. Bokrug may be difficult to rouse from his slumber, but his ire is terrible when provoked, and is likely to be directed at the followers of Lamashtu.

Cthulhu The Dreamer in the Deep has dreamt of Golarion, and one or two of his star-spawn have come there. But he cares not for the Great Game; he has his own stars that need to be right once again. A star-spawn of Cthulhu is a dangerous agent of its own right, and one more likely to support Lamashtu than Mormo.

Hastur The King in Yellow respects Lamashtu and her ravenous appetites. Although he has his own plans to absorb chunks of Golarion, or the whole world if he can, into the Nightmare Kingdom of Carcosa, he is at least nominally on the Mother of Monster’s side. As long as their cultists can keep sharing the same sybaritic festivities.

Ithaqua Ithaqua is more concerned with consuming anyone on either side that he can sink his talons into. The Wind Walker is slightly more favorably minded towards Lamashtu than Mormo, but any relationship between their cults is likely to be a tenuous one that could break down into ravenous hunger at any point.

Mhar Mhar wants off of Golarion. He sees a change in the status quo as the best way of achieving that goal, and is resentful of lamia clerics of Lamashtu for helping Karzoug the Runelord to build a palace on his surface and deface him. Mhar’s release would likely be devastating for Mormo’s goals of making Golarion a richer and more diverse ecosystem. But on the other hand, volcanic ash and lava rock makes for excellent fertilizer, and his eruption might not be as destructive as he hopes it will be.

Nhimbaloth As a devourer of souls and a corrupter of wild things, Nhimbaloth is an ally of Lamashtu. Of course, she does respect Mormo’s goals of eating Lamashtu as a fellow apex predator. But Nhimbaloth thinks that the Goddess of Predators is too arrogant and needs to be taken down a peg. Nhimbaloth would happily eat Mormo herself if given half a chance, and for that reason, Mormo keeps a wide berth of Nhimbaloth’s home world, Voidbracken.

Nyarlathotep The Crawling Chaos is delighted by this galaxy spanning conflict, and on the surface is playing both sides. Lamashtu is his real dog in the fight, as he views Lamashtu as being more likely to lead Golarion to ruin, cracking open and releasing Rovagug. That would be a fun show to watch, seeing how the Rough Beast would react after eons of imprisonment. The Mask of Nyarlathotep that is most actively involved is the Black Pharaoh, whose cults are pushing technological advances into the hands of demon cultists and dangerous maneaters.

Orgesh The Faceless God is technically on Lamashtu’s side, although not by any direct aiding or abetting. Orgesh wants to fight Mormo himself. And is sending his chardra to pick fights with her worshipers, and is gunning for her most powerful servitors himself, in the hopes of getting Mormo’s attention. Worst case scenario, Orgesh will be killed and be able to respawn on another planet. Unless Mormo gets sick of his interference, and starts doing research on a way to kill him for real before setting her sights higher.

Shub-Nugganoth* The Goat of the Woods views Lamashtu as a kindred spirit, and the two of them have indeed collaborated on the spawning of horrors in the past. They are doing so again, notably through the personage of one of the Goat’s most powerful mortal worshipers in Avistan, a fleshwarping-obsessed alchemist named Doctor Agatha Shiny. Doctor Shiny and her creations are actively hunting down Mormo’s allies in order to transform them into blasphemous horrors, or just murder them.

Tsathoggua Saint Toad knows what it’s like to be forgotten and abandoned. He is a supporter of Mormo, if only because she’s the underdog in this fight, and Tsathoggua has a soft spot for underdogs, as much as he would deny that. Mormo knows that the Father of Night is a fickle and somewhat dangerous ally, so doesn’t rely on his help, but does appreciate his guidance and wisdom.

Yig The Father of Serpents calls Mormo “sister”, and the Goddess of Predators calls Yig “brother” in return. This may be an actual genealogical relationship, it may not be. But Yig is among Mormo’s closest allies, and the two are active collaborators. Those colonies of serpentfolk who worship Yig are hotspots for burgeoning cults of Mormo, as they see the two ophidian Old Ones as a way to reclaim some of the lost glory of the Age of Serpents without relying on the increasingly unstable Ydersius.

Yog-Sothoth The Key and the Gate views things on a vast, cosmic scale, even more than the other Outer Gods. As such, the safety and long term stability of the galaxy is his highest priority (after all, it has to collide with another galaxy in approximately 1.2 billion years, and then enough of it has to be around to decay into degenerate matter as the universe shifts past its stelliferous era. So anything that dramatically accelerates that process, or might get large portions of the galaxy pulled out of the Material Plane altogether, are not ideal outcomes for Yog-Sothoth. As such, he supports Mormo, but is doing so in a subtle way—opening portals in the right places, weakening planar boundaries—rather than sending his children to fight en masse.

*This is the name I am going to be using for that particular Outer God in the future. Clearly the same entity that has been developed into a character by Mythos authors over the last 100 years, but doesn't have a racist slur built into the name.

[jkl-fff]

what was your inspo for the daily asks? i love them btw

Thanks for the ask and the interest! I'm delighted to hear you and others enjoy them so much. Makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.

As a general project, Silly Game Time was inspired by a few things.

First, for a while before I started it, I would see a certain kind of post lamenting deteriorations in Tumblr's culture over the years. In particular, how there used to be a much more vibrant and fun practice of sending asks to each other (whether it was numbers or symbols based on a list of questions someone reblogged, participating with someone's fandom-based and roleplay-driven ask blog, copy-pasted bits of positivity and encouragement, and so on). These posts always made me feel a bit nostalgic. I would think, "Yeah, I miss those days, too. Wish they would come back ..."

Second, was a desire to find something I can actually do to make the world a little bit better. You may have noticed that things aren't particularly fantastic on this planet right now (what with several active genocides, extreme weather disasters driven by manmade climate change, pollution and extermination and deforestation ravaging nature, a rise in rightwing ideologies across the globe leading to a resurgence in violent prejudices, mega-corporate exploitation causing the quality and length of life to decrease, AND studios keep canceling all the good shows while streaming services delete them). But I am only one man living below the poverty line. Which begged the question of what I really could actually do.

Third, numerous people in my life remark fairly frequently that I'm a funny, thought-provoking guy (why, yes, I shall toot my own horn, thank you kindly for the invitation to go off on an extended, jazz solo). That I've a talent for making others laugh and giving them something interesting or creative or even profound to consider.

Then one day (186 days ago, to be precise--I know with precision because I've kept a list of all the SGTs I've posed, and have managed to keep SGT running consecutively since then), all these synapses fired at the same time. And the ideas clicked together:

Tumblr wasn't going to change back on its own, and as they say, "Change starts with me." I had to be the change I wanted to see in the Tumblr world by sending asks myself (a bit like if you want to see more people reblogging art and commenting on fics and all that, you have to make sure you're doing it, too). Something I could actually do in the face of so much doom and gloom in the world was to use my talent for humor and profundity to spread some light-hearted, mind-engaging fun. At least in my own little corner of the world, as far out as I can reach. Like a single ray sunshine on a cloudy day, it might not change the overall weather, but at least it might make things a bit more bearable emotionally in the meantime for those who see it. It's a little thing, perhaps inconsequential ... but then again, perhaps not so inconsequential for the people who feel they have nothing. After all, we're a species that uses little things to survive hard times.

What is hope if not a little thing?

ANYWHO! For specific asks, inspiration comes from anything and everything. Whatever sparks an idea, I'll immediately try to make note of it to use later. It certainly helps that I not only can be silly with it, but am indeed striving to be silly with it. For silliness has infinite variety. That's why it might just save humankind.

Thanks again for the ask! And if you like the idea, feel free to take part in it. Copy-paste the question and ask others who you think might enjoy it, too. I certainly won't object to this rippling outward. Or send ones that you think up yourself. Why the heck not? Everybody could use some more light-hearted fun, right?

[themoonitselff]

Love Letters | Kurapika x Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: Slightly mentions of depression, just angst and fluff. THIS WAS MADE WITH TRANSLATOR, BE GENTLE. Any suggest is fine💖

Summary: You always send poems to Leorio, but they arrived to his best friend.

You lived on the other side of the world, you were a writer known for your novels who worked in a bookstore to support your few earnings in your works, you had several friends, among them, Leorio Paradiknight, you knew him for a long time, since you were teenagers, but you took different paths, he was a doctor who helped those who could not afford his treatments, and a hunter who survived the dark continent, while you went for the artistic faculties side and a more peaceful life, but what could never be erased since you met him were your feelings for him. You usually write to each other from time to time, he tells you about his adventures with his friends and the reckless things he usually does with his money, and you respond by telling him about your new ideas for new stories, you were so close but yet so far ....

This time, you found yourself determined to write him poems anonymously, with your writer name, because he thinks you put your real name on your books, but you didn't. You took a pen and started writing, every word was aligned with your heartbeat, every sentence seemed to be taken out of a fairy tale, and the way you expressed yourself was different from how you used to talk to him, you were cordial, polite, kind, and flattering, you finished the letter and when you read it, you were surprised with your own words.

"My dear, your beauty resembles the luster of a pearl.

Delicate, brilliant, unique.

Let me be the golden chain that complements you, because from me you will never fall, golden prince."

Short, but ethereal.

You put it in a beige envelope, and sealed it with red wax, next to a daisy, finally you added perfume as a detail, and wrote his address, your heart almost coming out of your throat. The days passed, and became weeks, and the weeks became 2 months, and he still didn't answer, but he kept writing you normally and he didn't answer your anonymous letter... Did he get it? Did he like it? Did he know it was you? Does he like you?

2 months before

He was in his room, a depressing room with four walls and little light, next to the mess that all his discomfort was causing, he was rotting in the agony of revenge, the thirst for power and seeing the face of those who took his family away from him in silence. Suddenly, a ding dong chimed at the front door, Kurapika felt a strange feeling in his stomach, since no one knew where hr was staying, not even his friends.

He got up from his dying bed and opened the door.

"Good afternoon, this letter has been sent to you a few weeks ago, from [Your continent]." mused the delivery man, he seemed rushed by his tone of voice.

"A letter? "Kurapika took it, it had a postcard and it smelled quite nice, you could say the scent made him wake up.

"That's right... Well, I have to go, I have more things to deliver!" and he ran off, leaving the young blond behind him at the door.

"Wait! ... Damn!" Kurapika exclaimed, he went inside his apartment and closed the door, looking carefully at the letter.

It had vintage details, and it was in perfect condition, it had no Nen on it, it was a harmless letter and not a trap from any of his enemies looking for him: The Chain User.

He sat on the couch in front of a short legged table, and opened this letter carefully, unfolded the sheet and read the text carefully, it was very short, but the words embodied provoked a different feeling in him.

Warmth in his chest, tickles in his ribs, butterflies in his stomach. He was enraptured. He saw the author's note and his eyebrows went up, his favorite author of novels was writing to him. To him!? It couldn't be, because they didn't know each other.

"I have to return this letter, this is a mistake" He muttered, he was about to leave his place when, again, that feeling in his chest attacked him, it's like when fire embraces you with its burning embers, but it didn't burn, not at all. His intrusive thoughts wouldn't let him give it back, even if his morals attacked him, an internal struggle with himself not to be nosy and steal something that isn't his, use the identity of the author's lover, maybe.

But how bad could it be?

His feelings and illusions ended up winning over his brain, and he went to a table to write in response to that beautiful poem that caught his attention.

It sparked an interest in them.

You didn't think he was going to answer you, but he did, week after week waiting at the letter carrier's office for his message, and viceverse, both were in love with each other, but without knowing each other yet, you thought he was Leorio, and Kurapika didn't know who you were. But what you both knew is that soon, that was going to change, you were planning a flight to Japan just to see him and reveal him your identity, who you were, you never thought that Leorio could be so serious, mysterious and charming, you could say that even the writing was different(MAYBE BC HE'S NOT LEORIO👹), but it doesn't matter, you fell harder for him, you were going to meet in Yorkshin specifically, on an iconic bridge of the place, you couldn't wait to meet his lips with yours, his eyes pierce your soul and connect both of your bodies.

The day came, you got your bags off the plane and went to your reservation at a luxurious hotel, at this point you were already loaded with money from your excellent sales, it was no problem where to stay, you dressed up as best you could and 10 minutes before you were already on site.

When you arrived, no one was there yet, you sighed with relief, you didn't want Leorio to notice yet, you ran the risk of losing the relationship you had with him for a long time, but a part of your heart said it didn't matter, we were all born to die.

Minutes passed and, he still didn't arrive, you stared at the lake below the bridge until the Sun set and you gave up, your crystal clear eyes ruined your facial routine and your feet were tired of waiting, telling yourself what a fool you are for believing that someone like him would set his eyes on you.

Then, a tall, blond, pale-skinned man stood next to you, you didn't notice him, it was as if he had appeared out of nowhere, you jumped in fright and then realizing you were crying, you wiped your tears and looked away.

"Excuse me, do you know where [xxx] is? "You asked him to leave at once, your foreign accent was noticeable for miles.

"It's six blocks from here." He answered dryly, without looking you in the face, his eyes were droopy, empty, they didn't shine despite the evening illumination, his aura was mysterious, dim, interesting.... But you already loved someone else.

"Thank you." You thanked before you left.

Before you turned around, the stranger turned to see you, your appearance looked similar to him, he searched in his memories who you looked like until he realized that you were that famous writer, he didn't hesitate to go behind you to take your arm and stop you.

"Excuse me." He said, you turned to look at him confused, tilting your head slightly waiting for him to explain himself. "I... I know you."

"I don't know who you are.." You said, still dumbfounded.

The stranger looked lost, as if he was searching for an excellent answer, he was silent for a while, you just rolled your eyes and disengaged from his grip, going on your way.

Then, you heard his voice again behind you.

"Wait!" You saw him again. His eyes unlike the first time you saw them, they were bright, flashing red pigments, you could feel a good feeling from him, from his very formal dress, his long straight hair, his style so.... Hungry for life.

"Yes?"

...

"I'm your prince... Your golden prince."

THIS WQS MESSY I KNOW I MEAN I DIDN'T EVEN MADE A MASTERLIST HAAHHAJA IDK HOW TO MAKE ONEZ ANYWAYS

[thesorcerersapprenticeu]

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Playground (1)

Finally, the story really gets going! The break-in into the Academy apartment and the way there, at the same time a little background knowledge and some lore.

---

5 years have passed.

And you have adapted.

Adapted...

Kind of weird, your parents always said that only people born in the city below could survive there. The air is far denser than up in Piltover and the whole town is a huge pile of garbage.

But that was all true. You could feel the difference almost every night. Your lungs often felt like they were going to collapse, on the verge of just giving up and accepting your fate. In the event that you did manage to fall asleep, you always tasted it in the morning... The blood at the corner of your mouth. It was a sign that you didn't belong here.

But you stayed.

Because of him...Vander. You remember like it was yesterday when he asked you. In the middle of this calamity caused by the Enforcers. All the fire, smoke and death that was on the bridge. But when you think back, you realize that one thing is still very clear in your mind.

[ "Hey Kid...Do you believe in the Impossible?" ]

You had changed since that day. You've grown a little, but you're still below average. You haven't really gotten any stronger; a toddler probably had more strength in their arms than you. You preferred to bury your nose in books, read a lot and started drawing. Vander had lots of books in the cellar, you used to spend the whole day looking at them at the beginning.

And you spent the rest of the time with the others. The "others" were your new siblings. Powder, Vi, Mylo and Claggor. They were all incredibly different: Powder was like you, small, shy and clumsy. Vi was the complete opposite, she was taller than both of you, she was tough, cocky, and hot-headed which meant she often got into fights. They were the two girls on the bridge, Vander had taken them right in with you.

Mylo was... Well, the born thief. Confident, always showing off and someone who had no problem standing up for himself, unlike you. However, he often provoked arguments with Vi, in such matters you usually hid under the covers. He always had an incredibly big mouth and picked fights with everyone. Then there was Claggor, he remained very calm in every situation and often tried to talk to you.

However, your character has changed a little. You didn't like to talk much anymore, mostly because of the fear that you would say something wrong. The only person you talked to a lot was Powder, she always told you about her family in the beginning...though her parents were killed by Enforcers on the bridge. She didn't talk often either, but she shared a lot of traits with you, her imagination for most things was really on another level. She sometimes cut your hair when it got too long and hung in front of your eyes like a shield from this world. She was there for you, just as you were there for her.

Vi had often spoken to you, well, rather nagged and teased you. She always told you to eat more, work out and beat her high score on that stupid boxing machine. Most of the time you listened to her, sometimes you even tried to change things, which ultimately didn't help and sometimes made you hide. But despite everything, you looked up to her like a role model, no matter what, you could talk to Vi about anything.

Mylo was worse. When Vi teased you, he always went one better. He had a new nickname for you or for Powder almost every day, which he always liked to show off to the whole group like it was some kind of experiment.  Whether it was your height, your strength or the fact that you preferred to read books instead of messing up, he always put you down for it.

Claggor was in the middle of everything. He always said you were smart because you read so many books. Even in front of Mylo and Vi, he often said that physical strength wasn't everything, but that brains were the most important weapon. It was easy for him to say, he was the broadest of the group and also the one who always had a plan. But he also enjoyed connecting with animals when you were sitting in bed reading a bed. You often had to listen to things like "You look like a dog with its ears in front of its eyes right now" or "Sit wider on the couch Y/N, you look like a scared kitten right now".

But although you always enjoyed being alone, you liked doing things in a group. Even if you hardly talked and rather listened while they made up some plan or talked about the people in the Undercity.

And when you were alone, somewhere hidden from the filthiness of this world... You always looked in the magic book you took from home. Even if you didn't understand the language, the contents only built your imagination and made you hope that you would be able to do magic one day.

But the flow of things will always lead to calamity.

---

"We're almost there"

There you were, hanging on the edge of the huge wall that was before your eyes. You were at the very back, Vi at the very front and Powder only slightly above you. You followed her path, otherwise you probably wouldn't make it up. Claggor was next to you, also far back, but only so that he could catch you in case you fell.

"Aw Man" That was Mylo, holding on to a pair of pipes on the far left and not climbing any further. He prefers to make comments about your climbing, that he thinks it's weird that you can climb at all, or why you come along at all and don't just read a book at home or something.

Vi was the first to reach the roof. You could no longer see her, but you were almost there anyway. You see the blue hair disappear before your eyes, she had reached the roof right after Vi and you were still climbing. Your arms already hurt, your own body weight wasn't really much, but you don't have much strength in your arms anyway.

"Hey, Powder. Come take a look"

You have to swing your feet over the edge of the roof, you would never manage to pull yourself up with your arms alone. You also have to be careful not to slip, because if you fall quickly, Claggor might not catch you after all. But now that you've reached the top, your foot slips off the roof. You're about to make a sound, but you don't get the chance.

Claggor had put an arm on your waist, saving you from falling and giving you a push that brought you to the roof. With that, you stood behind Powder, who slowly walked up to Vi and stopped next to her. You actually wanted to look behind you, at Claggor and Mylo. But you were tied up, in the way Powder's blue hair made small movements in the wind, but at the same time got held in place with her collection of small metal hair clips. Then you felt yourself getting a little warmer, even out here in the wind that blew past you.

"Stop staring or you'll start drooling" Mylo walked past you, jabbed you in the ribs with one arm and kept walking.

Asshole

You run after him, feeling numb in your arms and legs from climbing. One look at Mylo and he's grinning at you like you've messed up in some way. Claggor is already walking behind you with heavy steps and you just look ahead.

"Wow"

You inwardly agree with Powder, the view was...Wow. The city could be seen in its full splendor from up here. All the different buildings with all their different colors and construction. Small alleyways that all looked nice and clean, rooftops with no one hanging around and chimneys with smoke coming out of them.

And all roads lead to the kingdom in the end.

"Its nice getting above it all, huh?"

It was a rhetorical question. You'd grown up here for the most part, and whether you wanted to say it or not, you liked Piltover more than the Undercity. The reason why was right under your nose.

The air is normal, unlike in the lower city. Not dirty or thick like any chemicals.

I missed this air.

Then the roof starts to shake slightly. You were startled, but the sight took away your fear. It was a blimp flying over your heads. White sides, huge sails above and behind for gliding and a direct flight path to the giant kingdom. The thought of being in one of those things, at such a height, gives you a sick feeling in your stomach.

"One day, im gonna ride one of those things"

If Powder did that, you would do it too.

You think about what it would be like. She sits on the pilot's seat and you next to her, giving her directions for steering, how you would try to land together. Your mind slowly gets caught up in this scenario, but it's not because of your fear of heights, or the fact that the only way to fly it would be to steal it. It's because you would be doing it together.

Just you and Powder.

"And one day, im gonna shot one of 'em down"

You wouldn't even hit the thing if it stood still.

Mylo stands forward, in front of you all. He raises his arm and forms a pistol with his right hand, aims it at the blimp and pretends to shoot. Before he can finally make a shooting sound, VI steps forward and lightly knocks his arm out of the way.

"Vi are you sure about this?" Claggor starts to look around in panic, a glance to the other rooftops that are becoming our path to our destination. Another look down, at Piltover's paths that were filled with people. "Look if we get caught-

"We're not gonna get caught. We'll be in and out before anyone notices." With that, she jumps down onto the low roof that connects us.

Where are we even going?

That strange feeling spreads through your stomach again. As if you were waiting for the enforcers to show up in one of the alleyways in the Undercity. As if you were half asleep and woke up with a fall in the Traun.

Vi runs on, ahead on the roof. Then you're all at the end of the roof at once, with a big gap and a height that makes the feeling in your stomach even worse. You're already mentally preparing yourself for Vi's words, if you have to cross the gap here, it means you'll embarrass yourself in front of everyone again.

"Alright everybody, follow me. Just don't look down." With that she slides off the roof, holds on to one of the small terraces and places her legs on the metal grating. Then she jumps so far that she lands on the next roof, which is directly opposite the one you are standing on. She lands with a thump, turns towards you and has a daring grin on her face.

I'll never get that right.

Your eyes look at the situation. Not only would a fall here be insanely dangerous, there are people and enforcers down there. It's not everyday that a child falls off a roof here in Piltover.

Crack

Mylo cracks his hands in front of his face, which was his cue to say "Watch and learn". Mylo does it just like her, but a little clumsily. He tries to show off a little as he jumps, unlike Vi he waits a second and then jumps as high as he can over to her. This brings Mylo and Vi face to face on the roof.

Before he can turn around and show you that filthy grin, Claggor lands next to him. He is crouched, and to show that it was no problem for him, he has one of the cupcakes that were displayed on the terrace in his mouth. A little dust even flies up on the other roof from the impact, causing Mylo to hold his right arm in front of his face so that none of it hits him.

Now her eyes land on you and Powder. You both look into the abyss in front of you, one slip and you'd end up there. Powder is already raising her head again, looking at her sister. However, you can feel everything around you blurring. Your hands have started to sweat and your heart is beating so fast that you can already hear it in your ears.

"Called it. This is on you Vi"

Shut up.

Vi starts groaning loudly, turning her gaze to you and looking like a sister who has to take care of babysitting. Claggor sees her look and steps forward a little.

"I'll get them"

This brings a reaction, Vi turns to him and holds out an arm. She stops him and turns her gaze to Powder.

"Hey, look at me."

While you are still looking down into the abyss, Powder turns to Vi. With a nervous look and eyes that seem to have no destination, she listens to her.

"Powder, what did i tell you?"

Powder looks straight ahead, no longer merely at the others, but rather at the sky. Her hair flies up slightly and she starts talking.

"That...I'm ready."

This is exactly what Vi apparently wanted to hear, as she takes a loud step forward and looks at Powder with fire in her eyes.

"That's right! So?"

That was a nasty trap, an incitement of the worst kind. If Powder overestimates himself and falls off, then what?

With that, you look over at them. They are standing there, already waiting, but you don't pay any attention to them. You look at her, Powder. She takes a deep breath and starts sliding straight down the roof. Your eyes follow her form as she balances herself on the metal gate and then... jumps.

You don't know what it was, with everyone else it didn't come, but when Powder jumped you were suddenly worried.

She landed perfectly on the edge of the roof, as if she had practiced it before. But then she is pulled back slightly by the wind, or maybe she is standing on something wet and has slipped. It doesn't matter, after all Vi is standing right next to her and holding her tight.

You were the last one.

Vi looks over Powder's hair and immediately meets your gaze. Your knees felt like they were about to give out, no, you're pretty sure they're about to give out. What doesn't make it any better is being last in the order. Claggor is already taking a step forward, but still looks at you with a message behind his eyes: a challenge. Mylo has that look on his face, raised eyebrows, arms stretched wide and a slouch.

You read his look, if you had to guess, you'd guess "If she makes it, you can do it too Dude". The second choice would be "Don't embarrass yourself in front of her". Maybe you should go for the second one?

And then you see them. Those dark blue eyes that were full of fear just a moment ago but are now trying to encourage someone like you.

That's stupid, I'm not jumping over there.

And then you meet the final gaze. Pure blue eyes that stare at you with intensity. If Mylo's and Claggor's gaze was a challenge, this is a declaration of war. As a bigger sister figure, this was now a test. There was always a connection between the group, apart from you. That was because you either preferred to be alone or only with Powder, or just didn't fit in because you weren't born in the Undercity.

But this was the moment. Right now you had the chance to show that you were worth it. If you could cast spells right now, you would wish for an invisible bridge in the air on which you could walk calmly.

But in your body it seems impossible, if you had to bet based on data you would be under Powder in body strength. Your knowledge from most books won't help you in this situation, this was pure instinct. You're in a really bad position, both mentally and physically...

[ "Do you Believe in the Impossible?" ]

Your body moves automatically as these words reach your mind.

Was it crazy? Yes.

Was it fatal? Yes.

Do you not care? No.

You are proving something here, the impossible.

Something that nobody believed in, something that didn't exist, something that was closer to zero than to infinity.

Time passes in slow motion, you are literally floating in the air, above all the people hanging around down there in Piltover. Nobody is looking up, but the glances of the others meet your floating figure. Worry, fear, pride and enthusiasm.

The moment feels like an eternity, your brain rewinds and lets you see it in your mind's eye. You didn't go to the terrace and jump from there like the others...you just ran forward and jumped off the edge of the roof. But it was brilliant, because your body is weak and you wouldn't have been able to jump off the metal railing, you needed energy. Energy that comes from movement, energy that gives your body a temporary boost.

You are brought back down to earth with a hard thumb. You landed on the other roof, where the others were standing. You were in front of them, pulled together with your legs bent as if you were going to jump again.

"Wow"

"What a show-off"

"Cool jump Y/N!"

You did it... Somehow. Your body acted automatically, did the impossible. The impossible does exist, you just need a way to show it to the world.

But you rejoiced a little too soon.

You landed at the same point as Powder, on the wet edge of the roof.

Shit

It happened so suddenly, gravity caught up with you and you slipped off the roof. Not being able to get your useless, too-short legs to the edge was bad.

You fell

It was slow, the vision in front of your eyes was getting worse and the only thing you could see were the silhouettes. Even if it was only a second or two, your brain was running at full speed at that moment: the impossible is an exchange, an exchange that no one can influence.

But then you felt it, your salvation.

Vi reacted faster than you would have thought possible, as you hung down with your body, your eyes were locked on her as she stood over you, giving you a confident look.

At first you didn't realize it, too much adrenaline was affecting your senses and the fear of falling off the roof was far too great. But when you feel this gentle, warm hand on your right arm, you realize it.

That Vi wasn't the only one holding you, Powder was holding your right arm.

Powder's eyes met yours directly, her gaze was...enthralled. It was as if she had seen you just float through the air and land perfectly at her feet. It felt like a cliché scene from one of Vander's books.

"Now pull him up or the Enforcers will see him" Mylo interrupted your seconds long eye contact with Powder, she looked at Vi and with a tug you were suddenly standing next to them on the roof.

"Th-Thanks" You stutter, your heart still pounding like crazy and you felt like you were going to puke. You stood up straight, as far as your trembling knees would allow and your lungs would let you breathe.

"Good jump But You're so Light, are you really eating enough Y/N?" It was Vi, standing next to you she looked at you again. You can't really tell if it was meant in jest or seriousness, ignoring it and pretending you didn't hear it is probably the best choice for now.

You no longer pay attention to the others, and so you all keep walking. Slow steps on the roofs while you are lost in thought.

Have I really just made this leap? Why did I follow like that? Did my movement really generate so much energy? And why was Powder's hand so warm...

Vi stops, just like your thoughts.

"What if Vander finds out we're all the way up here?" It sounded like Concern, of course, getting caught committing a crime here in Piltover usually ended up in jail, or worse. Besides, Vander would probably be disappointed if he found out what we were doing here, and you don't really know yourself.

"Look around you. You think anyone topside's going hungry? Besides, this is exactly the sort of job Vander would have pulled when he was our age" Vi speaks too confidently, it felt like this wasn't going to end well sooner or later. But despite your bad gut feeling, you take a step forward and come to a realization.

We are on one of the Academy buildings. We can never do anything here, we have to go back, and fast.

Vi makes a loud step, walks around the corner and looks down onto the balcony of the building. Then she stands back up, turns to you as a group and starts talking.

"I'm going. Are you with me or not?"

You turn to Claggor, he just gives you a weird look, turns to Mylo and gets a shrug in response. He starts sighing loudly and starts talking.

"Vander's gonna kill us"

Vi just looks at him, not really with any emotion but more of a challenge. You know exactly what that look means.

Only if we screw up, she will now say that: one hundred percent.

"Yeah, only if we screw up. So don't screw up"

I hate being right.

She swings down from the corner, straight onto the roof. While she's still looking around, you continue to the corner to follow her, your gaze landing on Powder instead of the streets of Piltover. You don't realize that Mylo is already downstairs saying something to Vi, and you don't notice the group of weirdly dressed guys standing against a wall a few streets away.

"Come Y/N" Claggor, already standing in front of you, goes down. While you and Powder are still at the top, he's already climbing down onto the balcony and holding his hands out towards you. Having no choice, you bend down and get as close to the edge as you can so he can grab you with his arms and put you on the balcony. Powder has, you don't know how, somehow managed to do it herself.

Mylo was already at the door with his strange tool for picking locks. Claggor stands at the edge of the balcony and looks down at the streets with a tense expression. Since you grew up here for the most part, you can already guess what he's going to say.

"There's a ton of enforcers down there"

We're in Piltover, they're everywhere.

"That means we're in the right place," Vi seemed a little nervous, despite her confident stance. Probably because Mylo was still sitting on the door lock with his tongue out and couldn't get it open.

"You gonna get that door open anytime soon?"

Please don't kick the door open, Vi.

"Working on it"

Mylo turns his tool back, takes another look at the lock and starts waving it around wildly again.

"Seeing as I'm the Only one who knows how to Pick Locks, I suggest-

He didn't get any further with his statement, he reacted quickly to the foot that spread out in his view and opened the door with a bang.

I hate being right so much.

Vi wastes no time, she goes straight in and you follow her. While Mylo is still crouching in front of the now broken door.

This apartment was...weird. There were things everywhere, papers, inventions you hadn't seen before and various formulas painted on a large blackboard. While you're still looking around, Vi goes ahead and puts a large bag in the middle of the room.

"You know, Claggor, for once you're right. We are definitely not supposed to be here." Mylo has finally come in, probably still slightly injured because Vi kicked the door open, but with a clear mind. After all, he rubs his hands together like a fly and goes to one of the tables in the room. He picks up a few strange pieces of metal, looks at them and walks to the center of the room, where he simply throws them into his pocket.

Claggor opens other boxes, takes out the parts and throws them all into the bag. Your eyes follow Powder, who was standing by a shelf, you move closer. She was trying to reach a bronze horse that was quite high up, neither you nor she could reach it, so you looked at what was on the lower levels of the shelf. Actually, there were only books, but you felt so weird just staring at Powder.

"Oh yeah? What about this?" It was Mylo, with some weird device in his hand. Two pincer-like arms on the end that had opened and closed with each press of the button Mylo was Pushing every Second. You turned to Powder, she turned to you, and with an aggrieved look on your face, you turned in sync to Mylo.

"That's a nose hair trimmer"

ugh, does he always have to touch everything?

Mylo simply throws the small device back onto the table behind him, turns back to the table and takes the papers from a bump. There was a device lying there, a triangular device that looked quite precious.

"Uh, Guys?"

There was something about this device, something that triggered that feeling in you again. This anxious feeling, as if you were falling. What exactly was that?

Mylo pushes his hand through the air and just grabs that blue crystal, not a good idea as he immediately pulls his hand back as if he had just been electrocuted.

"Just leave it guys, come on"

Even though Vi said so, you don't. There was something strange about this device, was it the glow? Was it the fact that this crystal moved minimally? What exactly was it?

Your thoughts are interrupted when you feel a warm, tender hand on yours. You turn directly to your left and once again meet those dark blue eyes that had a special place in your mind. It was Powder.

"Come"

She pulls you along like a small child being pulled away from its mother in the playground. But before you leave the room completely and enter the hallway, you hear Mylo's voice from behind.

"Look, our favorite couple is going on a trip"

You didn't want to hear it, but when you heard Vi's answer, you did.

"Shut up, Mylo"

So, there you were, a study, at least that's what it looked like. It was even more disorganized than the big room from before, books, paper documents, glass containers and metal pieces for building were really everywhere. There was something in every corner of the room.

The person who lives here really needs to tidy up.

There was a bed against a wall that was directly connected to a window. At the same time, there was an instrument lying angled next to it, it looked quite new, it probably hadn't been used once.

Powder lets go of your hand, the warmth on your face and out of your palm disappearing. She looks around, glancing at every corner of the room until they land on the table. There were two sandwiches, apparently freshly made and untouched. Just as you look, you hear a-

"Woo-hoo!" With that, she drops some book on the floor. Even though you were hungry and there were perfectly two sandwiches for both of you, your eyes landed on the book she dropped.

It looked like your magic book.

Powder suddenly stood in front of you, sandwiches in her hands and red paint on her cheeks. She holds her left arm out to you, apparently wanting you to take one of them. You take it, but don't bite into it like she does, instead keeping your eyes on the book. You bend down and pick it up. It was closed and the material on the outside felt exactly like that of your magic book.

What the?

Experimentally white, you open the first page, while Powder opens a box a few meters away at the table and looks inside. Your eyes open as if by magic, on the very first page was a drawing, underneath was text...hieroglyphics.

They were the same signs as in your Magic book.

But it wasn't that directly that shocked you, rather the drawing above the text.

It was a corpse divided into nine parts. There were only four words underneath:

The Holy Wizards Corpse.

---

-Holy Wizards Corpse? Why does Jayce have a drawing like this in one of his records? -What nine parts of the corpse? - You really managed to just jump over the roof, not bad! - But what's that weird feeling in your stomach that comes up when you see those blue crystals? - Why is Mylo so annoying? Well, this was just a list of some of my thoughts while writing. Thanks for reading this chapter! Please leave your opinion in a comment!

[jeanette-luminia]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞? || 𝑵𝑨𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑰 𝑲𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑶

Synopsis: You smiled and said, “Love is…” you paused, looking up to the moon, then to his eyes. “The person you want to be human with.” You smiled. “That’s how I viewed it though.”

Prompt: Love is... the person you want to be human with.

A/N: I have been unmotivated for the past few days so I browsed through my writing inspo on ig and found this post by @artbyastronoht and it made me think of Nanami. No use of Y/N.

The simple, bare minimum thing makes love humane.

“What is love?”

It was a stupid question, He thought. Everyone knows what love is. Love is something deeper than everything. Love is something that you’d sacrifice to get it. It was something more that people cannot explain in words alone. They express it in different ways that feel almost normal—yet it has different meanings.

He doesn’t know why.

He doesn’t know how to approach this topic to anyone, so he kept it. Years have passed, and many have professed their love to him—yet he didn’t feel indifferent to it. Entering a relationship, in hopes that he’d understand what it means; what love means.

He stopped looking for it. It was a waste of time. In this society, money is the only thing you need to survive, love is just a benefit of it. So, he decided to forget about it. He spends his time working, earning money to live. He wakes up, eats, works, and sleeps. The cycle continues for years.

But, whenever he sees a couple, high school sweethearts, or a family passing by—something in him provokes him. The question he long asked himself lingered again. What is love?

The work was shit. Being a Jujutsu sorcerer is shit. Die with regret, and there is a chance that you can become a curse. Being a sorcerer does not benefit anyone. You die with your comrades, you get hurt on a mission, you fail to save people, and you’ll feel like your youth is robbed.

But, the more he thought about it, the more he saved innocent people, it allowed him to build up small bits of appreciation from innocent people. It was enough to die without regrets.

So he came back.

And there you were. As if you’d been waiting for him this entire time. He’s happy to see you, always has been. You’re still the kind person he knew. You were still the same person all those years ago. You greeted him with a smile—You weren’t mad that he left the Jujutsu world. If anything, you understand him more than anyone.

That's what he loves about you—

Love?

Is this love?

It felt different from all the love he has received. It felt warm and right. It felt like love. It radiates between them. The aura was seen in others' eyes. Yet he wasn’t sure if it was love, maybe it was his thoughts messing with him. He’s been deprived of the thought of love that he thinks that this feeling is love.

You can see something bothering him. He was a reserved man, but this is something you can’t shake off. You asked him what was bothering him.

Naturally, he was surprised. People around him couldn’t see if something was bothering him. Or if he’s having trouble over something. Though some do notice, they usually brush it off. Nanami is a reliable guy, he’s smart. He Can figure it out on his own. He knows everything, he can do it.

It was always “He can do it” but never “Let me help you.”

For him, it was weird. He wasn’t used to it. The care, the way you notice him. It made his heart leap. This feeling is new to him, he was 24 for god sake. Feelings shouldn’t be a problem for him. It shouldn’t bother him, especially now he has returned to become a Jujutsu sorcerer.

The more he stayed silent, you just stayed by his side. Waiting patiently for an answer that may satisfy both of you. You heard him sigh, and he looked up and stared at the moon that shines above. 

He finally said it. “What is love?”

Saying it felt a sort of relief, yet nervousness. Are you gonna laugh at him? It was all unfamiliar to him. He wasn’t the one to be desperate, but he was getting impatient at this point. Soft breaths filled the air of November, soft dim light from the lamp post. Autumn has been getting chilly, it was the evidence of winter once again.

He heard a soft hum, then he turned around to look at you. He stared at you for a while, he stared as you thought of an answer. He can hear the thud of his heart, his nose was starting to flare with pink, along with his ear. He was embarrassed. Rightfully so, he thinks.

You fluttered your eyes open, feeling the cold wind hit you.

You smiled and said, “Love is…” you paused, looking up to the moon, then to his eyes. And he swears something happened. Something definitely happened. His heart couldn’t stop beating. There was a lump in his throat. In this cold November, his hands begin to sweat. This wasn’t him.  What is this feeling?

“The person you want to be human with.” You smiled. “That’s how I viewed it though.”

To be human with. Was it that simple? He wasn’t disappointed by your answer. He was more surprised that he didn’t even give it a thought. To be human is to do mundane routines. Groceries every Sunday. Baking pastries with your beloved. Embracing them in bed. Waking up in their arms. Coming home with your other person, hugging them, and exchanging “I'm home” and Welcome home.” The I love yous every time you’ll leave the house. Cooking each other food. Taking care of each other when one of you is sick. Sleeping in on weekends because both of you miss each other. Enjoying each other’s company.

To be human is to embrace the emotion inside you. Being happy when little things happen. Getting upset over small yet significant things. The feel of anger bubbling inside you. The way jealousy feels. Whenever you felt your heart drop. Feeling every significant feeling that a person can feel. Joy, sadness, love, hate, envy, lust, jealousy; and much more.

That is what it means to be human. The simple, bare minimum thing makes love humane.

All of the things he feels, it was love towards you. It was the love he wants to experience with you. He wants to experience things he hasn’t experienced with you by his side. He wants to be with you.

All the things he have been feeling when you were around, was love. It all makes sense. He wants to spend his lifetime with you. That was love. This is love.

© 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐀 - all rights reserved. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my work.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Dancing 'Til the Break of Dawn - Pt 13

<Pt12

(TWST Zombie apocalypse AU where Yuu beast tames just a little too close to the sun)

His heart pounded in his throat. He struggled to swallow around it.

Slowly, Trey lifted his hands in surrender, giving a nervous smile.

Yuu took a long, deep breath. He realized, abruptly, that he had actually stopped breathing for a second there. Thought that that was probably a bad thing. He took another breath, just to get more oxygen in his system, so the black dots dancing in his vision would stop annoying him.

And then he smiled back, dragging the knife away. “Whoops! Sorry! Didn’t mean to do that!”

“You – you didn’t mean to threaten him?” Riddle asked, incredulously.

Yuu lifted his hands in a shrug. “Everyone has moments where they strongly consider murdering someone. It’s just easier when you have a knife on hand. You know how it is.”

“I don’t, actually,” said Riddle.

“That’s the problem,” Yuu said, cheerfully.

“The prob –?! You’re unstable,” Riddle said.

“I mean, I disagree, but who isn’t these days anyway?” Yuu shrugged.

Riddle’s face flushed. “I’m not.”

“You’re living in a simulation of what the world once was. It’s an illusion. And illusions can be shattered. What happens then? That’s literally a textbook example of instability. You like textbooks, right? You should know this!”

Riddle’s grip tightened on his knife.

“Yuu…” Cater said, slowly, a quiet warning.

It was nice that he was trying to help, Yuu supposed. It was unfortunate that the person Cater was trying to advise was him, though.

“You’re not better than us,” Yuu continued to say, smiling. “In fact, you're currently worse than us in pretty much every way. We can all survive on our own, for months, but you? You’d die immediately. How does it feel, knowing all those years of learning what’s ‘polite’ and alllll that pain was worthless, in the end?”

Riddle lunged for him, knife pointed outwards.

So died Riddle’s mental stability, according to his own standards.

Yuu had plenty of time to appreciate the irony, because he had been entirely prepared for this outcome, and dodged the incoming attack with ease.

“You're too easy to provoke,” Yuu commented. “Not a great trait to have during the apocalypse. Things that can be settled peacefully should be. It’s best to play it safe wherever possible.”

The butterfly knife slashed through the air.

“As for your actual fighting prowess. You telegraph your moves too much,” Yuu said, watching the blade flash by his face with a muted kind of boredom. He looped around Riddle, kicking him in the back, watching him stumble. “Don’t even get me started on your form.”

Riddle’s lips pulled back in a snarl.

He whirled around.

Only to find Ace standing over him, a knife pointed directly between his eyes. The momentary surprise was more than enough for Deuce to kick the weapon out of his hand.

The knife skipped across the floor, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

Yuu crouched down, briefly, to pick up the weapon, flipping it closed. He stuffed it into his pocket for safekeeping.

(Free knife! Ace was going to love him.)

“And, of course, your situational awareness could use work,” he finished, crossing his arms over his chest. “Basically, you’re not suited for this world. If I’m able to beat you in a fight, then anyone can. Trey is the only reason you’re still here today. I’d say you should thank him, but it’s partially his fault you’re like this, soooooo...”

Riddle scowled. "So, let's say I'm bad at fighting."

"I just did," Yuu said.

"My talents lie elsewhere. Is that really such a big problem?"

“You would have done great in the corporate world,” Ace said. Then, he shrugged, grinning. “This isn’t that.”

This will probably never be that again.

(Not that Yuu and Ace would say that aloud. Not in front of Deuce, at least.)

Deuce sighed. “What my friends are trying to get at, I think, is that rules are nice -.”

Ace snickered. "I have never in my life tried to convey that rules are 'nice'."

“... and it’s good to have a moral code. But adaptability is important.”

“But – but I –!”

“No one wants to be in the apocalypse,” Deuce said. “But we’re here, now. All you can do is try your best to come out the other side in one piece.”

It was silent as Trey and Riddle took in the new perspective. Considering Yuu had risked a stabbing to explain his point of view, he really hoped that he'd gotten it through their skulls. If that hadn't done it then, frankly, Riddle and Trey could die as victims of their own stupidity. Yuu had done enough to fill his 'good person quota' for the month. He was officially done.

Yuu clapped his hands together. “Anyways!” He said, brightly, as if the argument had never happened. “Do you guys know where the nearest subway entrance is?”

“You’re – you’re just going to say all of that and then leave?” Riddle said, incredulously.

“Yep!” said Ace, popping the ‘P’.

“Aren’t you scared I won’t listen to your advice?” Trey asked.

“Not our problem,” Ace shrugged.

“Besides, Cater’s staying, so even if you do relapse, at least Rosehearts-senpai will have company.”

Cater blinked. “How do you know that?”

“Cater. You had a whole broadcasting station. It's pretty obvious you were dying for some friends,” Deuce said, rolling his eyes.

“And our friend group is already full, so don’t even think about coming with us,” Ace added.

Cater raised an eyebrow. “In the nicest way possible, you three are the most stressful people I’ve ever met. Pass. At least Trey here can bake.”

“At least one of those stressful events was your fault. You shot Yuu,” Ace reminded him.

“Get over it. That was, like, last week.”

“Yeah, honestly, Ace, it’s not like you haven’t tried to kill me, too,” said Yuu. Mostly just for the sake of annoying Ace – it was unlikely that he would ever see Cater again after this, so there were no downsides to pretending he was above holding a grudge.

Trey frowned. “Am I the only person that hasn’t tried to kill you here?”

“Ehhhhhh, Cater wasn’t really aiming at me, so I don't know if he really counts. But, either way, no, Deuce hasn’t tried to murder me. He did try and keep me captive for a while, like you did, but…” Yuu snapped his fingers, turning to look at Riddle. “Oh! Before I forget! Rosehearts-senpai! Cooking oil makes a great accelerant for fire.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Trey asked.

“I be in situations.”

~

“Grim!” Yuu cheered the moment his eyes landed on the zombie, which had been pacing just outside of the apartment complex. He hugged his child to his chest, beaming. “Look at you,” he cooed, scratching him behind the ears. “You’re just as cute as the day I last saw you!”

“It’s been, like, a few hours,” Deuce said.

Yuu sniffed. “Ignore him, baby, he’s just jealous he doesn’t have a super cool zombie cat of his own.”

Ace pulled on his jacket, the tension in his shoulders melting away as he hugged himself. Or maybe he was hugging the knives taped to the inside of the jacket. It didn’t make that much of a difference either way.

“You’re both sick,” Deuce complained.

“You’re our friend! Sick by proxy!” Yuu said, pointing and laughing at the idiot who had allowed himself to be contaminated.

Deuce rolled his eyes, hefting his bat over his shoulder. “I’ve recently learned that you forgive murder attempts. Care to test it out?”

Yuu squeaked. “What, you want to kill me? Then you’d be giving the title of 'least dangerous' to Trey of all people, and I don’t think you want that.”

Grim growled.

Yuu smoothed his bristling fur. “Shhhhh, don’t, you’ll get your teeth dirty if you kill him.”

“Prick,” Deuce complained.

Something occurred to Yuu. He looked at Grim. “Hey, Trey gave us directions and a few recipes, so you can’t kill them.”

Grim sulked in his arms.

Yuu shook his head, something fond tugging at the corners of his lips. He pressed another kiss to the top of the zombie’s head. “It’s just three people. If you’re that desperate for food, you should downsize your army.”

“Yuu, are you a communist?” Ace teased.

“No, I just believe that if you can’t afford to give everyone a livable wage you shouldn’t be in business.”

“... that feels like communism,” said Ace.

Yuu considered this. “Maybe? What is communism?”

It was then that the three teens realized: they had no clue.

“Uhhhhh… bad?” said Deuce.

“It’s that thing Americans hate,” offered Ace.

“I love communism,” Yuu decided.

And, since his plan was to retrace his steps in hopes of finding the convenience store again, and he would therefore be going past his old high school, he might just get the chance to look up his newfound political ideology.

“Everyone ready?” Deuce asked.

Yuu hummed, glancing back towards the apartment complex. No one was in the window.

No one would see, then.

Yuu retrieved Cater’s gun from the bush.

He exchanged smirks with Deuce and Ace.

And then they took off running, laughing evilly to themselves.

~~~~~

Pt14>