#part 7 scenarios

[bebegi]

𝐣𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐟!𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬

genre: texts | fluff

warnings: drunk johnny, gyro being a mitski fan

requested: can u do johnny bf texts pls

— request here 🐚

notes: i hope the last row of texts is not too lowq ;(

notes²: i loved making gyro a mitski fan

notes³: 1st & 2nd / 5th & 6th / 7th & 8th go together, the rest are individual chats :]

© bebegi 2024. do not crop the tag or claim it as yours in any way please, do not repost in other sites without asking for permission + credit, thanks !! reblogs are highly appreciated <3

[hinamie]

I don't want to regret the way I lived

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Seeker of Cradles.

He swore to protect them. His children, his princess, his country.

Lives are precious, and he will not see them snuffed out prematurely.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

Lilia acts before he can think.

He pays no mind to the audible gasps of the senators, to Baul’s worried pleading. The only voice he listens to is the one that draws him like a moth to a glowing flame.

It’s a shrill cry, the sound any infant makes. But the sob is filled with an overwhelming sadness, a deep desire that resonates with him. Lonely, longing for love.

It breaks his heart, makes him tear up.

“Wait for me!" he shouts. "I’m coming to you right now...!”

He thunders up the steps of Cradle Tower, bracing himself against the lightning hurtling his way. His hood is thrown off, hair whipping, slapping him in the face and standing on end. Lilia fears no man--but in the presence of such sheer, raw power, he's compelled to cower.

He soldiers through, forcing himself up another step. Right as his foot connects, a wild bolt comes down hard, striking him.

Lilia lets out a guttural cry, his small body keeling over. Every fiber of his being screeches in pain.

"Vanrouge-dono...!!"

He stays stationary for one long, awful moment. Then--a sharp intake of breath--and he miraculously rises on trembling legs.

"H-Hah..." he grits out, clutching onto himself. "Is that... Is that all you've got?! It'll take a lot more than THAT to take me out. Your mother has made me deal with tantrums far worse than this!!"

Lilia resumes the arduous climb. More lightning is lobbed at him. Wincing, he wills his aching muscles to weave as best he can around the incoming attacks.

He's nearing the top of the stairwell now, where the power is most concentrated and the wind howls like a banshee. Lilia raises his voice, calling over the storm.

"Are you upset because no one's paying attention to you? Well, you're wrong!! Everyone... Everyone is terribly worried about you!!

"You're such a spoiled child, rejecting your grandmother's magic. Do you know what will happen to you if you don't take it?! You'll die. You'll DIE, and all the people who sacrificed themselves so you could live was for nothing. You don't have the luxury of choice!! You MUST live!!"

The future depends on you.

He doesn't know if the unborn child can understand him or not. It must, to some extent, because the screaming in his head escalates to a frenzied pitch. A strong gale nearly knocks Lilia off the tower--he grasps onto a column and inches closer to its treasure.

The dark, speckled egg floating inside of a barrier.

"You stubborn thing!! Lilia scolds, pushing against the magical shield. His palms burn, as if coated with acid. "If you still refuse... then take me instead of Maleficia...!! I'll give you everything."

He pushes, the barrier holding firm. Pain climbs up his forearms, eating him alive from the inside out. He feels his energy being leeched, his flesh screaming, on fire, as it is sucked out.

"My love..."

The barrier shudders, shakes.

"My magic..."

His biceps are searing, his blood, molten.

"My life...!!"

A crack.

"Accept it all, Malleus...!!"

It breaks.

Lilia falls through, arms extended toward the egg. He entraps it, hugging it tightly against his chest. It’s warm. Malleus is warm, and Lilia can feel a faint flutter of a heart on his skin. Contentedness floods him, even as he feels the pull of magic as it is drained and hungrily devoured.

The egg gives off a green glow from within. The light grows brighter and brighter, until—

“Kyuuuuuuuuuuu!”

Suddenly, an explosion of blinding white. The shell splinters and sheds.

There is no egg in Lilia’s arms, but a lizard with raven scales and a violet underbelly and spines. It blinks up at the general through round, reptilian eyes, belching a line of emerald fire.

“A-Ah… You are…” Lilia’s knees go weak. He falls to the ground, still cradling the baby to him. “Malleus…! You’re here at long last. I… I-I…”

He doesn’t realize it, but he has started to cry uncontrollably. Fat tears dribble down his cheeks and land on the baby dragon’s hide.

Lilia allows himself to wail. It’s ugly, full of raw emotion. Less human and more like the cry of a hideous beast.

From below, cheers and praise float up to him.

“Our hero!”

“Congratulations, Vanrouge!”

“The prince owes his life to you.”

Their words sting his head. The world wavers, wildly distorting--Lilia can't tell if it's his tears blurring his vision or not.

He crumples over with a groan. "M-My head... Agggh!"

"Kyuuuu?" Malleus pads a claw onto his cheek, confused.

The senator's voices are growing louder, angrier.

"VANROUUUUUGE!!"

"What has he done?! This is going to be a scandal--a scandal, do you hear me?!"

"Oh, to think that a disgusting bat has tainted the noble Draconia bloodline...!"

The contradictory shouts mix. It feels like there are fists beating his skull in from both sides. Lilia hangs his head, pulls at his hair, tries to understand the clashing sounds.

That's when he senses the presence of a shadow standing over him.

"I’ve found you at last, Lilia.”

He slowly raises his eyes, careful to keep Malleus guarded with his arms. There is a man in black robes towering over him, his mouth fixed in a frown. A pair of horns protrudes from his head, crowning his ominous yet regal aura.

“What… Who are you?!” Lilia demands of the stranger. “That face, those horns…!”

They're just like Levan and Meleanor's.

The stranger ignores his question. His expression has morphed from displeasure to anger. "Insolent fools!! How dare they speak ill of you. There will be severe consequences for this.”

The air stirs, chilling. Thunder crashes in the distance, seemingly in response to his fury.

He regards Lilia again, his voice dropping to a dangerously dulcet coo. “Ah, but you needn't concern yourself with them."

He takes a stride forward, and Lilia shrinks away. "S-Stay back! I'm warning you...!"

"What sort of a dream would you like to have this time, hmm?" he asks nonchalantly. "A dream in which mother and father are still by your side? A dream where you can live freely with your children? A dream for you to find true love? Just say the word, and it is yours."

With each suggestion, Lilia backs up further and further--until he is nearly at the platform's edge. Wind blows from below, sending hair and fabric flapping.

Here is the devil, come to tempt, and the jaws of death behind him.

The stranger bends down, his smile serpentine and eyes iridescent, twisted with obsession. Charming as a snake. He extends an arm, palm open. "Come, Lilia. Take my hand."

“FATHER!!”

CLANG!

A bolt of silver arrives, expertly blocking Malleus's outstretched hand. He stumbles back, glaring at the two bodies that put themselves between him and Lilia.

“You are…”

“Are you alright?” The quiet question comes from a boy with aurora eyes—clear as a cloudless sky.

Silver.

“Lilia-sama, stand back!!” His partner, Sebek, barks, baton at the ready. “We will protect you!”

“What nuisances,” Malleus snarls. “Still you insist on disrupting these dreams? It is a hopeless endeavor.”

“Maybe it is.” Silver tightens his hold on his own baton. Resolution threads his voice, and he stands his ground against the encroaching monster. “But we will never stop trying until we’ve broken through your blessing.”

“Bless... ing?”

The single word is like magic. One droplet rippling in a pond, setting off a chain reaction.

Memories fire off—the departure, the packing, the party, well wishes, the thorns. Someone screams, jet black tears streaming down their face. The wrath, the hurt.

“I DON’T WANT TO LOSE YOU!!”

The fog lifts from Lilia’s head, and the world clears. The identity of the horned stranger, the same as the baby dragon he holds.

Malleus… It’s you. It was always you.

Lilia gives a shaky laugh. "This is no blessing, boys. It's a curse."

Malleus glowers. “… You’ve awakened, haven’t you?!”

“That’s right. It seems I was dreaming for quite some time too—but I’m alright now, thanks to Silver and Sebek~”

“Father…”

“Lilia-sama!!”

“You too then… You’ve decided to turn traitor on me.” He hisses it, loathes the taste of treachery.

“No, Malleus.”

“Kyuuuuuu?”

Lilia steps beside his students—a general joining his knights. Ruby meets emerald, glittering with defiance.

“We’re going to save you, simple as that 🎵”

[llutik]

i think it's not my place to speak but the way johnnys disability was treated at the end of steel ball run feels wrong

he can walk a bit... as a treat <3 (the entirety of steel ball run is his physiotherapy)

[sugawhaaa]

SEONGHWA X READER

{{Chapter 6}}

🌙The Lies in the Moonlight🌙

Warnings::SMUT INTRO! mentions of swords/ toxic fiance

Pairing::pirate!seonghwa! X princess!reader!

Genre:: pirate AU, doggystyle, wee bit of choking, cursing, mystery, dramatic ahh chapter, SECOND LAST CHAPTER!!!

Reminder‼️this isn't 100% historically accurate and should be taken with a grain of salt. This story is also set in the late 1800s to early 1900s specifically in Europe but if you want you can imagine it wherever else you'd like, it is a fictional story after all 💗 this story also takes some inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean, specifically the first movie.

Taglist:: @hi-kariii @deltamoon666 @hxpelessxcean @luvleejuyo @ateez-atiny380 A/N: WE ARE NEARING THE END AND THE STORY IS UNFOLDING‼️‼️ I PROMISE ITS A HAPPY ENDING JUST WAIT FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT PUNK ASS BITCH HERRINGTON 💪💪💪💪

Previous chapter::

"Is my little man getting tired?" You tease as you rest your hands on his chest. He cocks an eyebrow at you with a little smirk.

"Oh~? I'm your little man?" He teases back. You blush as you look down at him.

You had never really called him "yours" before. Seonghwa always called you princess, darling, his girl, pretty little thing, doll, and his love. But you had never returned that verbal gesture. Maybe that's why he was so hesitant to whisk you away from your Fiance. Maybe that's why he was always cautious with you because you never clarified that he was yours. Maybe that's why he wasn't sure if you loved him.

"Baby?" Seonghwas voice snaps you out of your daydream. "As I said, just start by rocking your hips, grinding down okay?"

“Yeah,” you blush as you start to rock against him, the sound of your juices sloshing around inside you echoed in the room. The night went on with countless orgasms, and muffled screams of pleasure.

Seonghwa had you in a doggy style position as you held yourself up by your elbows. As he pounded into you lazily you noticed the sun rising. “S-Seonghwa the sun,” you say between moans before letting your head fall again. Seonghwa was confused by your words but when he looked outside the windows he saw the same thing. The sun was already rising.

“Awe, the sun is rising yet my slutty little princess still wants more cock, doesn't she?” He taunted before bringing his hand around to your throat, pulling your head up. His other hand raised up before colliding with your ass, smacking it firmly. “Say it,” he commands in a low voice.

You whimper before speaking. “Yes, I still want more,” you gasped out and Seonghwa smirks.

“That's what I thought,” he thrusts into you one last time before making you shatter, your legs shaking as you try to hold yourself up. Your body then gave out, collapsing beneath him but his cock stayed inside you. He leaned down and pinned your wrists down to the bed, continuously thrusting inside you. The new angle made Seonghwa constantly hit your g spot. You buried your face in the bed sheets as you moaned loudly. “Shh baby,” Seonghwa whispers into your ear before biting down on your skin.

Just then your greatest nightmare came true. You didn't know how to react or prepare seonghwa for what was going to happen. You heard footsteps approaching your door but you didn't have time to alert Seonghwa before the door opened. You picked your head up to warn seonghwa or say anything really.

“S-Seonghwa,” you moaned out before squinting your eyes shut, the pleasure washing over you as Herrington stood in the doorway, unable to process the moment. Seonghwa continued to thrust until the two of you came in unison. Herrington then bursted out.

“How dare you!” He stormed up to seonghwa who, may I remind you, was still buried inside your pussy. Seonghwa pulled out and covered your body with a blanket, more concerned about hiding your vulnerability than his own. Seonghwa laughed as Herrington approached him. What the fuck else was he supposed to do? “With my wife!?” Herrington started throwing a hissy fit. You sat up as you covered your body.

“I'm not your wife!” You spoke against Herrington for the first time and Seonghwas eyes lit up, visibly proud of you. Seonghwa quickly bowed down to the floor to pick up his long tail coat that would cover his entire body. Herrington was furious and he stormed over to you, raising a hand and you flinched. Seonghwa grabbed Herringtons wrist in a tight fist. You could see red marks forming around Herringtons wrist as Seonghwa glared at him. Herrington tried to pull away but Seonghwas strength was unmatchable.

“Don't touch her,” he hissed before letting go of his wrist, harshly pushing it away. Herringtons eyes filled with rage as he stormed out of the room. The two of you didn't know what he was planning so you helped Seonghwa gather his things as he put his clothes on faster than he ever has.

“Go baby,” you push him to the balcony.

“But what if you're not safe?” He stands his ground not letting you push him any further.

“I'll be fine! You need to go!” you shoved him out to the balcony and prepared to face your fiance. You pick up your nightgown and when you look up you see your whole family in the doorway along with herrington. You cover your body with the dress. “What are you doing!?” You shout out to your parents and they look at you surprised.

“Apologies,” your mother cleared her throat. “Herrington said that you were with that pirate boy again,” your mother scoffs before closing the door. You relax as they leave. You prepare to deal with the rest of the day before stepping on something. You look down to see seonghwas belt with his sword and a pocket. You kneel down and discreetly unsheathe the sword. The metal was beautiful and the handle was greatly detailed with Korean ornaments hanging from it. The blade had a reflection of your face in it. Your face was red and sweat soaked your scalp. You blush and wipe the sweat away. You then open the pocket on his belt and inside were a few different things but the most eye-catching was a photo that was folded four times. You took out the piece of paper and unfolded it. It was a photo of you from the festival and inside of it was a little map.

You open up the map and instantly recognize it as the mountains northwest to your castle. At the bottom of the pocket there was a necklace. The silver and blue one Seonghwa had taken from you when you first met in the middle of the night and connected to the necklace was a gold one. The chain was gold and led to another charm. And hourglass that had res sand in it. It was the exact same as the one you had just with two different colors. You sat there pondering this new discovery before deciding to put it away but when you pick up the photo of you it slips out of your hand. You go to pick it up again and notice another photo is stuck to it. You pull the second photo off of it to see a much older photo. It was a woman with tanned skin and braided hair with a bright smile and in her arms…a child.

The woman scarcely looked like yourself. She even had a freckle under her left eye, her hair was the same texture and color and her eyes were the exact same as yours. The only thing throwing you off was the woman's outfit. She wore a long jacket, tall boots, three belts and a pirate hat.

There was a loud knock on the door and you shoved everything under your bed and stood up. “Come in!” You called out and the maid walked in.

The rest of your day felt like a blur. The necklaces, the photos, the map. What was Seonghwa doing? Who is Seonghwa really? You had so many thoughts. That night you slept peacefully and when you awoke everything under your bed was gone. You panicked thinking the maid or one of your family members found it but anytime you asked them about cleaning your room they thought you were crazy.

You hoped that they were all being honest and that Seonghwa had just retrieved it. But why didn't he wake you? Why didn't he explain anything? Weeks went by and you hadn't seen any other traces of Seonghwa. It was the day before your wedding and everything was being set up. Photos were being taken, the ceremony was planned to a T and everyone was overjoyed but you were lost without Seonghwa. That night you snuck out and ran all the way to where Seonghwa's ship had been. You stood on the ledge of the cliff and called out his name. As a last resort, you stuck your foot out past the edge of the cliff, having faith and hope that you would step onto the ship. But when you leaned forward you felt no contact on your foot. You let out a yelp before feeling someone grab your wrist and pull you back.

You fell to the ground but you were cushioned by someone.

“Are you fucking insane!?” Seonghwa groaned as you lay on top of him. Your face lit up and you hugged him tightly. He laughed as you held him in a tight hug. “Are you okay?” He brushed back your hair and you felt tears well in your eyes to hear his voice again. You couldn't reply, only hug him. “Princess?” He asked again and you sat up, your legs on either side of his thighs, your crotch placed against his. “This is a familiar sight, huh?” He chuckled with a smirk and you punched his arm. “Ow! What was that for!?” He rubbed his arm as he sat up.

“That was for leaving me!” You say before kissing him. “And that's for everything else,” you smile and seonghwa laughs.

“I'm sorry darling, I am,” he ran his finger through your hair.

“You have some serious explaining to do! That necklace? The photos, the map?” You stand up and Seonghwa groans as he stands up.

“Listen,” he abruptly grabs your face. The palms of his hands pressing against your cheeks. “I can explain everything as soon as you leave Herrington, okay?” He reassures you. “Just tell me one thing. Are you marrying Herrington? Do you want to marry him?” He scans your face for a reaction.

“No,” you reply and Seonghwa hides his smile.

“Tomorrow I will take you okay? You want to be with the crew right?” He asks again to be sure and you nod. “I promise everything will work out baby,” he kisses your forehead. “I promise,” he hugs you tightly and you're taken aback by his sincerity and the desperation in his voice. “I promise,” he says before kissing you on the lips. You hold him close as his tongue slides into your mouth, the two of you making out in the star and moonlight. You press your body against him before hearing a familiar voice behind you.

“You two love birds done?” Hongjoong sighs and you jump. Seonghwa holds you close as he separates his lips from yours.

“One more,” Seonghwa puts his finger up to Hongjoongs face before dipping you down with his arm, kissing you one last time. Hongjoong sighs. Seonghwa swings you back up to your feet. “I'll see you tomorrow my dove,” he runs his fingers through your hair one last time. “I love you,” he kisses your forehead before running off with Hongjoong.

There were still so many questions lingering in the air but you had faith in Seonghwa and you knew that he would tell you the truth about everything

[nonokoko13]

Me when the first coherent thought I have in the morning is that Grim was either abandoned or his biological parents died and the only family he has ever known are three ghosts everyone was afraid of so everybody left them alone for centuries and a human who doesn't belong who doesn't entirely fit there just like them so they were all alone until they found each other.

Ghosts tied to a space which is unsure whether they can leave or not and a human who may have somebody waiting them back home and may leave with no chance of return. Who can't take Grim with them because where they come from things such as fantasy creatures and magic only exist in fairytales so he'd either live hidden from the world or in danger of being treated as a monster and experimented on because when faced with what it's new and different the world reacts with anger and fear and want to control it and tear it apart until nothing it was before is left.

He doesn't know or understand this but MC does and that's why they would have to leave him behind. His dream of studying magic and be the greatest mage wouldn't come true on Earth, that's the reason they would tell him. It's true even though it's not the main reason why. But Grim would understand they just don't want to stay with him and prefer to leave and forget him because if they did love him they would stay.

Then again he could try to dig up in his origins and find his first family but what if time travel exists and MC from a previous timeline was who gave him the ribbon, his first gift and only possession before arriving at NRC? Meaning MC was the person his world revolved around before he even knew who they were and there was no other family he had.

Doubting the trouble squad has ever have a heart to heart conversation about Grim and MC's fates if or when they depart either because they have forgotten or pretend they aren't aware but deep down Ace and Deuce and all of MC friends know but prefer to keep ignoring it instead of confront their feelings. Grim and Malleus being the only ones who may have never think of it until the moment arrives nor accept it. Just like young children who believe their parents, their pillars, their everything that makes them feel safe, would always be there until death knocks at their door. Because MC have friends and a home in Twisted Wonderland and they need them so why would they leave?

They know MC keeps searching a way home and wondering if their loved ones misses them as much as they do and how much time have passed on their planet without knowing MC wishes they could have it all so they didn't have to choose between their previous family and the one they found there. And neither Grim or Malleus won't admit they know because thinking of it brings back the feeling of abandonment and losing everything that make them feel completed.

But the prince will have both Silver and Sebek and his grandmother for the rest of their lives with him once he returns home, people who was there from the beginning. Time to grow with them and accept they'll leave too. Everyone will graduate and go home and except special occasions each one will go their own path.

Grim will stay with somebody else but it won't be the same for him because he already had a family he wanted to keep together and failed to do so and without the dorm ghosts and MC the only thing left for him is the wound he carried before finding them opened once again that will remember him that nobody in this world can stay by his side forever so he'll stay and search a way to reunite with MC again and wonder if they miss him as much as he does and wishing MC have had everyone they loved in twst so they didn't have to choose or if they had to they had chosen him instead in the end and thinking of how all the future plans they shared and promises they made of growing old together were empty and the words that made him happy about how they loved him now hurt and they failed him and he failed to have everything he wanted and they left they left and he's thinking of them even after promising himself he wouldn't anymore a lie just like theirs and he's crying again and it hurts it hurts and

[lpn3rd]

[pillow-anime-infos]

jojo masterlist {part 7 ver.}

JOHNNY JOESTAR

soon

GYRO ZEPPELI

soon

LUCY STEEL

soon

DIEGO BRANDO

soon

HOT PANTS

soon

FUNNY VALENTINE

fight for the presidency {jjba month + scenario | 375 words ; nsfw}

[bitchfitch]

help people are mistaking the opening chapter of my psych horror story about a man getting trapped in a demented game of house with a personification of the US Military's rot for a cute gay romcom about veterans relaxing after achieving glory

[valewritessss]

I feel like I came out of the womb with raging anxiety

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

*MITB = Money in the Bank

(Disclaimer: treat this like the actual WWE, so no powers)

[doyoueverwonderwhy]

The insurance at my last job took Forever to process claims so I got a bill for all of my Q1 services in May (the week I got fired 🙃) and have been working at that balance since June.

Today I got notice that they just processed a visit from APRIL - it took them EIGHT MONTHS to process a routine therapy visit so now I get to make payments on that balance for Another few months and I want to cry about it.

[koskela-knights]

Hnggg, I'm just so overwhelmed by them 😩 In the good sense. Like overflowing with excitement and love for the Koskela brothers like you wouldn't believe 💙✨

Like I just have to get it out in one way or another: writing fic, drabbles, random rambles, making sketches or taking screenshots and rewatching their ads on YT and saving them on my laptop <33

Call me an amateur the way I adore them 💙💙

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Guardian of the Underworld.

To be human is to experience the highs and lows of life. It is to have joy and to suffer.

An unfortunate truth, he must face--but he holds all the hope in his heart, willing for that brighter future.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

Ortho often wonders what dreaming is like.

He visualizes it in a multitude of ways: electric sheep bouncing over a fence until one's eyelids have shut, a movie playing behind his lids, audiovisual data processing in his systems. None of the analogies, he suspects, are anything close to first-hand experience.

Androids cannot sleep, and therefore they cannot dream. That is how the logical flow works, and Ortho has long since accepted it.

It must be fun to dream.

But this is not a dream, and this is not a reality. It is the space contained within, and he walks a razor’s edge between lies and truth here.

He puts a hand upon the screen that divides him and his older brother. The barrier separating fact from fiction.

“Nii-san…! It's me,” he calls out in desperation. “I’m your little brother, Ortho!!”

"Or... tho?" Idia strains to say the name aloud. He looks so lost, so dazed. His head screams with pain. "But Ortho is right here. How can you be in two places at once?"

He holds up his phone, set to speaker. The caller ID--it reads "Ortho". The dream Ortho, the imposter Ortho, the Ortho that is alive. The Ortho that Idia had always wished for, the life without regrets and guilt.

His core burns. Ortho isn't certain if it is from frustration or anger or hurt. He knew this was coming, had been warned of it. Still, nothing could match the real thing, the face of his brother telling him that he is the lie.

“Don’t listen to him, Nii-chan. I’m the real Ortho. The other one?” There’s a faint chuckle from the other end of the line—Ortho detects a hint of condescension in it. “That’s a figment of your imagination."

"Ah... I see," Idia mumbles. He seems to sway, his eyes lidding, as if drifting off to another dream. The pain vanishes, washed away by Ortho's reassurance. "That makes so much sense."

A figment? Just that?

A weight comes upon Ortho's chest. If he were a living being, he would, perhaps, find it difficult to take a breath.

"Don't move. I'm coming there to help you," the other Ortho says sweetly. His tongue, forked as a cobra's goes unnoticed by Idia, who simply nods.

"Nii-san! Don't do it! You have to get away... w-wah!!"

Ortho flinches, his screen suddenly filled with black goo oozing up from the floor. From it, a boy in a pure white uniform and a royal blue sash emerges like a vampire from its coffin. In the place of the pale flesh characteristic of the Shroud family is skin that is only half solid, dripping in fat dark globs as his arms wrap around Idia.

"I'm here now. It'll be okay."

Idia's eyes go blank, his limbs, limp. A compliant doll, under the dream's influence.

Ortho's stomach lurches, and he launches himself at the screen. The urgency in his voice rises, hitting a fever pitch.

"NO...!!"

"You don't have to think about anything," the other Ortho whispers, a snake at Idia's ear. "You must be tired from playing too many games. That's why your mind is compensating by simulating dreams in reality. Let's get you back to bed.”

"Okay... Whatever you say, Ortho..."

“Nii-san, don’t go there…!”

The darkness creeps like vines up his legs, slowly swallowing Idia up. He sinks into the floor, an inky pit of quicksand. Bit by bit, piece by piece, Ortho is losing his brother.

His connection grows fuzzy. Static consumes the screen.

It's no good. My voice... It can't reach him!

His vision burns, but does not become slick with tears. His processors must be overheating, going haywire. He cannot cry, cannot let his overwhelming emotions spill over like a human can.

The ground beneath Ortho shifts. It, too, turns black, as if rotting away. Gooey tendrils reach for him, threatening to drag him under too.

Ortho struggles against his restraints, cries out in defiance.

A voice comes from the monitor, greatly warped and distorted. Then a second, a third, a whole slew of them, spewing vile things.

You are not needed. You are not wanted.

You are worthless. You are nothing--less than nothing.

He is happier without you. He would be happier if you never existed. You could never hope to be his real family.

A massive pair of poisonous verdant eyes opens in the void. They're reptilian, pupils slit against a backdrop of emerald.

"Begone," Malleus hisses, the command coiling around Ortho like a snake. His oppressive presence pushes on the boy, forcing him to kneel. "You do not belong in this world, young Shroud."

"N-No, you're wrong!" he protests. "I... I'm...!!"

A substitute, a spare, the shadows cackle. A hunk of junk. Scrap metal.

His core goes quiet and cold as a terrifying dread sets in. It smothers his circuits, silences his systems, locks his limbs.

The darkness wriggles with delight.

Electricity crackles.

A transmission comes to life. It comes from Ortho himself, from a speaker embedded inside of him.

"Sorry, Or-kun! Mama's going to override...!"

Suddenly, a great heat generates in his chest. Light gathers, piercing the black surrounding him, then fires. The laser is explosive, easily slicing the goop, which erupts into sludgy bubbles.

Ortho comes free, the rockets at the soles of his feet kicking on to propel him into the sky. In a blaze of brilliantly blue fire, he's airborne.

"Mom...!" he gasps.

In response, she simply giggles. "Hehe, I'm not going to just sit on the sidelines and watch my precious baby boy be deceived! There's no wrath like mama's love~"

"Dear..." his father sighs. There's a pause, then he clears his throat. "As your mother was saying, this is but a clever deception. A false reality. You have always been our true son and always will be."

True son.

His dwindling energy reserves shoot through the roof. He's been hit with a thousand suns, reinvigorated.

"Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. I'm okay! You don't need to worry about me, I understand now."

This was never a dream to begin with. It's not even close. This is... a nightmare that twists the truth, even to intruders!

He places a hand on his chest, feeling the blue flame that perpetually burns there. His brother had lovingly placed it, powered it, protected it. The fire pulsates, proof of his existence.

Proof of his life.

Do you remember, nii-san? You promised we'd go out and play heroes. Now... it's my turn to play hero for you.

I will surpass my limits... break through this illusion... and save you!

Hang in there, Idia. Your little brother, Ortho, is coming to bring you back to your senses! Just leave it to me.

"Shoot for glory among the stars and soar like a comet! Ready or not, here I come...!"

Summoning all of his strength, Ortho furiously plunges into the darkness. It pushes against the interloper--but he burns red hot, flies too fast. He's a shooting star in the shape of a child, filled to the brim with determination.

In the black, black, black, a speck of white appears. It grows steadily, forming a mirror to another world. Its face, staring down at Night Raven College's courtyard.

A familiar trail of blue flames hurries past an apple tree, meeting with a horned man in matching robes.

There you are.

Ortho braces himself--

--and shatters the second sky.

[avillainousmagician]

YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!

[waywardworldhopper]

I... don't know how I feel about this statement. I mean, the statement itself is well written, and I like how they gently go "hey if you want to do activism there are better options than harassing some internet comedians."

But just... validating the complaints with this kind of response seems dangerous, especially given Dropout clearly recognizes they're tenuous at best. Like, I'm all for them taking an explicit stance on Palestinian liberation and directing fans to charities, but it feels like giving these accusations the time of day is encouraging more harassment.

🍉🍉🍉

Additional resources to support the people of Palestine:

Demand a Ceasefire in Gaza

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

UNRWA

UNICEF

Gaza eSims