#plus some personal issues causing chaos

[theamazingaxleyax]

SO... On a slighter more upsetting note than my last post, um... I will not be able to get the next chapter of T.B.o.B. out this month. HOWEVER. I will get it out by February now that I'm FINALLY getting back into the swing of things. I swear to you that much.

[circeyoru]

The Only Reason

[Yandere!Sung Jinwoo x Worker!Reader]

Note: I have no idea what to call this AU, but I don't think a lot of people will read this so... Haha~ Mental AU? Chaos AU?

Update! This AU is called Mana Chaos AU! Plus there's Part 2 up!!

Part 1 (here) 一 Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4

Once, the world’s strongest Hunters were revered as humanity’s saviours and heroes for the weak and ordinary. They were once treated like celebrities and hold the highest power and authority. They were respected, praised, and idolized. They still were, now, with a hint of fear.

It all happened due to the infamous incident now dubbed as <The Outrage Incident>. It happened like any other day, in any other country, in any other city. But to only that one strong Hunter. He was an S-Rank Mage, a successful and loved one at that. The story goes like this. 

One day, this powerful Hunter was out on the street enjoying a day off, but something set him off and he used his powerful ability to set things right. It would have been the end of it since an S-Rank’s threat was enough to make the majority crumble. However, his power got out of control and caused an outrage to his being. He was using his powers in public and there was no dungeon outbreak or monsters nearby for him. No amount of justification could calm the public.

After that one incident, other countries’ S-Rank or higher started to experience a similar issue. The worst case was that even Healers of their level didn’t escape such a phenomenon. Soon, the public feared the strong protectors they once saw as shields and swords against the gates. 

Researchers and scientists were put to work quickly to investigate why and how this issue was happening now. The answer was in the overflowing mana levels within their bodies that couldn’t be contained since the human body was weak and frail for such a change. Addition to that, it correlated to the Hunter’s emotional level and their control. Institutions were built to imprison house the S-Ranks while monitoring their situation. 

Whenever an S-Rank’s mana levels and emotions show signs of <Outrage>, a term they now use to describe the Hunter going haywire with their powers on everything and anything around them, they will be sent to a dungeon alone. In the people’s eyes, it was better for that one Hunter to die in battle than kill innocents. Because at first, it was only the S-Ranks, but then some A-Ranks would fall victim to <Outrage> as well. 

The professionals have named the correlation as Emotional Mana, EM for short, which made way for the Emotional Mana Institution, EMI for strong Hunters. The Hunters were treated like mental patients or worse, forced into a straitjacket and some had a muzzle for certain Hunters. These were specially designed and created items that limit and restricts a Hunter’s use of their powers and abilities. 

It was a miracle that someone managed to create such equipment. That someone was also targetted by the S-Ranks after being announced and killed for such a disrespectful act, still the blueprints and prototypes were created and other talents that took over were able to finalize the perfect form.

“Personnel 002, you were specifically requested by SM-10.” 

You looked up from your laptop and paused in your rapid typing for just a few second before you looked back to your screen and continued typing. That code name was to protect you and everyone else that worked in EMI or have some form of connection to it, so that no innocent is sacrificed for the greater good. Still, you can’t get used to it nor do you want to. “I’m busy.”

“Please… SM-10 is way too picky with the people that enters his cell.” This person, Supervisor 843, was one of the newest employee to join the crew. Though, unlike the name of the duty, they were people that were disposable hence the frequent newcomers and high number. “Please help me.”

You sighed and glared up at the person who had a mask over their head and a voice changer to mask their identity. Though, with the way they were speaking, you could deduce this person was a ‘she’. You got up and snatched the file extended to you. Just when you thought you could rest and work in peace, trouble comes knocking on your door. “Get me a drink and some refreshment, I want to see it on my desk by the time I’m back.”

“Yes? Yes!” Supervisor 843 bowed and clapped her hands together, “I’ll do so!”

As swiftly and automatically, you made your way through the hallways and doorways, tapping your access card to unlock needed doors and lifts for your travel. On the way, other Supervisors nodded their heads and bowed in your presence when you walked by. Unlike them who wear a uniform, you only have a lab coat over your usual outfits. You don’t even have a mask or voice changer. 

Why?

You stood in front of the door that was labelled in bold ‘SM-10’, meaning the 10th S-Rank in Korea that belonged to the Mage class. The guard dressed in black from head to toe nodded their heads at you before they started unlocking the various security checkpoints and locks for you to enter into a battlefield in its own right.

“Will one hour be enough, Personnel 002?” One of the guards asked.

“Not sure, just be alert in case I need to rush out.” You spoke stoically with indifference.

Step by step, you walked in, announcing loudly of your arrival to the individual inside. The doors closed behind you and locked you inside with what everyone feared. You sighed and put away your glasses since there was no need for it right now. The room was eerily silent and cold, something you were long used to. 

You took a few more steps, walking deeper into the room where it seemed to get darker and darker even though the lights in all housed Hunters would be on 24/7 to monitor their actions and activities within the room. 

Just when your vision failed you to the point where you can’t see what was in front of you, you were enveloped in a pair of strong arms, your entire form effortlessly pulled back till your back was pressed against a firm wall of muscle one would call chest and abs. Hair tickled one side of your cheek and neck, you felt a breath cooed before a deep voice rang in your ear, “I’ve been waiting for my favourite Personnel~”

It wasn’t at all odd that your name was called as well, if it was someone like him, he’d know everything there was to know. In fact, everyone should be worshipping him right now for his controlled and well-mannered behaviour. Especially when he could have destroyed this entire facility and killed everyone in it within seconds if he so wished. 

“Jinwoo. I need to work, don’t bully the newcomers.” You sighed while looking to the side as if making eye contact with him. 

“I like it when you call me by name and not some code, thanks for that.” Jinwoo hummed as he played with your fingers. “I guess I’ll think about it. It’s a bit bored here, you understand.”

“You removed your straitjacket again.” You let him fiddle with your fingers as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “You’ll get caught one of these days and then it’ll be game over.”

“Igris helped me remove it. You know how they are with seeing me constrained and imprisoned here.” He chuckled and leaned back, but it turned out he was just taking a seat, presumably on his bed since you still couldn’t see anything in the darkness. “Don’t worry, I’ve made sure no one could see me free and they didn’t kill anyone. Yet.”

Every Hunter that was admitted into the EMI was evaluated and thoroughly investigated to create the perfect profile for reference. All their fighting style, powers and abilities, weapons of choice, gear type, and any other detail was accounted down. It was all for people to be prepared in case one would have an <Outrage> and they were needed to be countered by weaker Hunters. 

For Jinwoo, however, his profile was lacking to put it in the best terms. His mana levels were unmeasureable, yes, so he was placed as an S-Rank. Though, his powers and abilities were unknown. Since he was a Reawakened Hunter, most would assume he was the same class as he was as an E-Rank; a Fighter Class. But he exhibit <Telekinese> and <Shadow Manipulation> so he was placed as into Mage class.

That wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. 

You saw through his innocence and lie, uncovering his true powers and abilities. To be honest, even if you told your higher-ups of Jinwoo’s secrets, there was nothing they could do to counter it. Jinwoo was a league of his own and only you knew it. He was no mere S-Rank, he was definitely a National Level Hunter.

Ah, yes. The question as to why you don’t wear a mask or bother having done anything to hide your identity. It was not because you’ve been in one of the people who has been in service of EMI for the longest time or wanted something as shallow as respect from the newcomers or other coworkers. It was completely because you knew it was useless to hide when someone like Sung Jinwoo had his eyes on you.

“I’ll try and arrange a dungeon for you to raid.” You marked down on your phone while Jinwoo continued to treat you like a teddy bear.

“You have to join though. If you don’t…” Jinwoo’s voice went deeper as glowing eyes stared at you from the shadows, “I don’t know what I’ll do to get your attention…”

You nodded, pushing down the urge to flinch or jerk away from him. It was normal, something you expected but still unnerving to hear with your own ear from his lips. You swear this place made the Hunters mad in the head, it was a place that made them sick and mentally ill, it wasn’t actually helping them at all. “Yeah, of course. I’m sure everyone will be relieved to hear it.”

Jinwoo smirked as his arms tightened around you, his face buried between your neck and shoulder. “You’re the only reason I stay here. Remember that. If you leave here… Leave me… I’ll do what Thomas Andre did to America.”

Note: I can't help it, it was supposed to upload the requested ones first, but then this idea hit me like a truck (without the isekai part), so now here it is. There are like 2 requested stories written and ready to be posted, but I'm double checking and stuff. Hope you like this AU/idea.

Circe Y.

My Works: MASTERLIST

Taglist: (none at the moment)

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Riddle Rosehearts - Nightmare Suit Vignette

"Absolutely against the rules!"

[Halloween Town – Alleyway]

Riddle: We lost so much time because of that unexpected mishap. We should finish up the Halloween preparations as quickly as possible.

Jamil: Right. We should begin by checking out how the rest of the town is doing.

Riddle: I agree. While Halloween Town was mired in all that confusion, some other issues may have cropped up.

[Halloween Town – Town Hall]

Riddle: Jamil, take a look at that. The candy that we prepared ahead of time seems to have decreased in number since we last looked…

Jamil: You're right. There should have been overflowing mounds of candy in three baskets. But now, I only see one.

Riddle: Someone may have unintentionally moved it, or some ill-advised malcontent may have stolen it…

Jamil: ――Hm? I feel like I just saw something move out of the corner of my eye…

Riddle: THERE! YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME!!

[chair slams against door]

???: Waah! What's with this chair!?

???: Why'd it just appear in front of us out of nowhere?

Jamil: I see, you used your magic to move the chair to block the exit. Good thinking.

Shock: We can't leave 'cause this chair's in the way!

Shock: It's all 'cause you two were so slow in carrying the candy. You blockheads!

Barrel: I'm not the blockhead, he is.

Lock: She's talking about you!

Riddle: Oh, it's you guys… The troublemaker trio.

Lock/Shock/Barrel: URK!!!

Jamil: There's candy spilling out from the bag they're dragging. They're for sure our culprits.

Riddle: Good thing we captured them before they made off with the candy. There's no place for you three to run now.

Shock: You're so mean, cutting us off from the exit when we're trying to leave!

Riddle: Mean? You seem to be mistaking me for yourselves.

Riddle: No single person can claim all the candy for themselves. It is an unforgivable act to steal it.

Riddle: And just after causing all that chaos in town… Have the three of you not reflected on your actions at all?

Lock: C'mon, we ran around so much earlier that we're so hungry, though.

Shock: Plus, this is the first time we've seen candy like the ones you guys made, and it look suuuper yummy.

Barrel: There's no way we can wait until Halloween to eat 'em.

Lock/Shock/Barrel: [chomp, chomp] … See, it's sooo good.

Riddle: Wha… How dare you add to your crimes by eating the candy mid-testimony! Absolutely barbaric!

Jamil: They keep doing whatever they want, as if they're not to blame for any of the problems we faced in town earlier… Honestly, I can't help but be a little impressed.

Riddle: If we just leave them be, they may cause another problem sooner or later, so if I'd rather it be off with their heads…

Lock: Huh? Off with whose head?

Barrel: Probably Jack's. 'Cause he can take off his head, can't he?

Shock: Sounds awesome! I thought this guy was just a nagging bore, but he can say some fun stuff, too!

Lock/Shock/Barrel: Let's go! Let's go right now! Let's go take off Jack's head!

Riddle: Silence!! You three misunderstand me. When I say "off with their head," I am not speaking literally.

Lock: Eh, really?

Shock: Boooring, I thought it was gonna be something fun.

Riddle: Sigh… I feel a headache coming along just being around you three.

Jamil: Not only do they not show any signs of remorse, they immediately leap at the chance to start something new… They are completely out of our control.

Riddle: However, if we were to leave these children to their own devices, they may interfere with the Halloween preparations again.

Riddle: If that's the case… Jamil, the two of us should keep an eye on these three.

Riddle: And as the Housewarden of Heartslabyul, I shall ingrain into the children proper discipline!

Jamil: It's fine and dandy that you're raring to go, but you didn't need to drag me into this without asking…

Riddle: Did you say something just now, Jamil?

Jamil: …No, nothing at all.

Riddle: Well, then… Ahem! See here, you three. Listen to me well.

Riddle: From here on out, you will not run around as you please, but will accompany us. Understand?

Lock: Ehhhh! Why'd we have to be with you guys?

Riddle: That is because you all keep breaking the rules.

Riddle: In essence, this is the result of all your mischief. …Now, how do you respond?

Shock: I don't really get it, but whatever! We were bored, anyway, so we can stick with you for a tiiiny bit.

Riddle: Good! Then first, return all the candy you stole back onto the table. As soon as that's done, we'll go survey how the rest of the town is doing.

[Halloween Town – Gate]

Riddle: The first stop is the gate to confirm the state of their decorations… And already it seems that we've found the bats they have decorating it with are crooked.

Riddle: As of this moment, they are at about 160° from the ground. However, they should be kept at 180° parallel to the ground.

Jamil: You really have an eye for the smallest detail. I don't know if I should say it's too much, or what…

Riddle: I will not permit any carelessness that could ruin the perfect Halloween. Besides, adjusting the angle is easily fixed with a quick spell…

Lock: Huh? You want to fix the crooked decorations on the gate?

Shock: Then we can fix it for you… With this ball!

Shock: Hyah!

[throws ball]

Riddle: Ack!? That almost hit me! Why would you ever think to fix something like that by hitting it with a ball!?

Barrel: 'Cause we can't reach the decorations ourselves.

Jamil: Then, you should use a stool or a ladder…

Lock: We thought it'd be faster if we used a ball.

Riddle: Hmm… It seems it will be more difficult than I thought to teach these kids proper discipline.

Riddle: Listen up, you three. You shouldn't throw a ball towards where other people are.

Lock/Shock/Barrel: WHY???

Riddle: Because if it hits someone, it could injure them. It's dangerous.

Shock: But balls are for throwing, though?

Riddle: ...I see, so that's the hang up. If that's the case, we may need to begin with re-learning the definition of a ball.

Riddle: I shall start your lesson with what a ball is, and it's origins. There are many theories as to where it was originated, but at first…

Jamil: YOU'RE STARTING THE LESSON FROM THERE!?

Riddle: …And that is why you should not throw balls. Did you understand all that?

Lock/Shock/Barrel: Yup, totally!

Jamil: Liars, none of you were listening at all!

Riddle: Whether they understood the lesson or not will be apparent with how they conduct themselves from now on.

Riddle: We've finished with confirming the decoration progress. Next, we'll look in on the music…

[scamper, scamper]

Jamil: Big problem, Riddle! Those three are already gone!

Riddle: What!? We only took our eyes off of them for a second… We need to hurry and find them!

Shock: MOVE OUTTA THE WAY! YOU'RE STANDIN' IN THE WAY!!

Jamil: Hm? I hear their voices from behind… WAAH!!

[thud]

Riddle: A bathtub with legs just crashed into Jamil!? Are you alright, Jamil? Any injuries?

Jamil: …I'm fine, it's nothing.

Lock: Seeee, this all happened 'cause you're just standing there all spaced out.

Barrel: Lame-o～

Jamil: Krgh! It's obviously their fault, but they have the nerve to speak like that.

Riddle: What do you three think you're doing, now!?

Shock: What do you mean, what we're thinkin'? We were tired of walking, so we brought something to make it easier to move around.

Lock/Barrel: Yeah, it's our favorite ride!

Riddle: That may be so, but you should take care not to bump into anyone.

Shock: That's why we shouted to move out the way.

Lock: Or are you sayin' Jamil owns this road?

Barrel: You sayin' we're not allowed to use this road or somethin'?

Riddle: Well, no…

Lock/Shock/Barrel: THEN EVERYTHING'S FINE!!

Riddle: EVERYTHING IS NOT FINE!!!

Jamil: Those three don't feel any remorse at all, huh… They're so blatant that it's actually refreshing to deal with.

Riddle: Similar to the ball incident earlier, any actions that may bring harm to anyone else is absolutely against the rules!

Riddle: Furthermore, a bathtub is not something to ride in and use as a mode of transportation.

Shock: Eh, but a bathtub is totally something to ride in.

Lock/Barrel: Yeah, it's our ride!

Riddle: …What? How exactly are bathtubs utilized in this town?

Shock: So, you see, basically…

Riddle: Mhm… Mhm… I see.

Riddle: Which all goes to say that this town approves of bathtubs as transportation?

Shock: Right-o, Riddle. If it wasn't, we totally wouldn't ride in it.

Riddle: I see… My apologies, I was in the wrong on my understanding of bathtubs here. I take it back, you may ride it!!

Jamil: THEY CAN!?!?

Lock/Shock/Barrel: YAY!!!

Lock: Seee, you totally get it.

Riddle: However, you are to ride it with care so as to not injure others. And you are to apologize to Jamil.

Lock/Shock/Barrel: 'Kaaaay. Soooorry, Jamil.

Riddle: Good apology, you three.

Lock: Right, right? We did good!

Jamil: He's just letting them off with that half-done apology…? They don't look like they're sorry at all!!

Shock: Riddle! I totally thought you were just gonna yap at us non-stop, but you're actually a good guy who totally gets us.

Shock: We like you! Join our crew and play with us!

Barrel: Here, we'll even let you in our bathtub, our treat.

Riddle: Eh? No, I'll pass on―

Shock: Let's go, you two! Push Riddle into the bathtub!

Lock/Shock/Barrel: HEAAAAAVE… HO!!!

Riddle: Waaah!!!

Lock/Shock/Barrel: Nyahahahehehe! He's in, he's in! Riddle's riding in the bathtub!

Jamil: Hey, Riddle! You alright!?

Riddle: …Yes, although that shocked me slightly, I am fine.

Riddle: Actually, this bathtub isn't that uncomfortable, either.

Shock: Well, yeah, this bathtub's our pride and joy!

Riddle: I see… From my brief time with you three, I see that you have your own rules you abide by.

Riddle: I suppose I was a little too strict on you. For me to teach you all discipline, I would first need to know more about this town.

Requested by @farfalla049.

[vynxwave]

tf skybound issue 14 thoughts / analysis / connections n whatnot. spoilers for the issue 15 preview too.

absolutely gorgeous art

VERY G1 starscream vibes in some places xD... i could practically hear his voice

more of starscream's origin and a bit more of megatron! i like megatron's characterization in skybound so far plus the decepticon cause's. i think skybound's decepticon ideology's gotta be my favorite, it just meshes their violence with their believed righteousness in such a great way.

this issue gives starscream quite a different initial approach to morality than seen in previous continuities (iirc) where here in #14 he is against killing prisoners of war while being a decepticon (often he's with loose morals even before becoming a decepticon).

megatron has the ability to mentally coerce the one wielding him to bend to his will (painfully), which i think is a really cool concept.

this makes starscream's evil directly caused by megatron from prolonged exposure to his influence conditioning/corrupting him. as seen in the mini background panels, over time blasting many Autobots to scrap, starscream grows to enjoy it

i've personally always loved starscream's evil to be completely independent of megatron('s) (as it has been) so i'm a bit conflicted on this aspect of skybound starscream... but i do understand its purpose/role in the story though.

issues #13/#14 run a parallel between then starscream & megatron and present starscream & those humans: both purport to Starscream they want to help him, but in reality they just want to use him for their own benefit. with that then story running parallel to the present one, starscream's dialogue about those humans also reflects upon how he felt under megatron's control

megatron forcing starscream to wield him definitely felt like it was expounding upon a question one might have had watching G1 — "why would megatron let someone who openly covets his position wield him?" of course, skybound isn't g1 and takes the idea and angle quite differently than the show did. with this it also supplies the reason of why starscream resents megatron and wants to overthrow and kill him.

and of G1, the Decepticons siding with starscream are ones who have sided with him once in the cartoon — the Combaticons in Starscream's Brigade and Astrotrain in Triple Takeover (and of course, Astrotrain was also the one to crown Starscream in the 1986 movie).

with Soundwave having the Constructicons and Starscream the Combaticons, a cool fight between Devastator and Bruticus is sure to ensue (vol 3 [collects #13-#18 + the story from the 2024 special] is called "Combiner Chaos" anyway)

i will be delighted to see soundwave and his decepticons vs starscream and his decepticons.

soundwave looks to be a megatron loyalist in this continuity and shares a bit of his sentiments (a bit below).

neat how then starscream and present thundercracker both had objections to the treatment of prisoners of war.

not the first time there's been a similarity between them, here's panels (#1 & #8) that parallel each other:

and how they differ:

not 1:1, but megatron's words to starscream reminded me of soundwave's to thundercracker — a subordinate's objection met with a reminder of their place and that their objection is irrelevant to their superior.

also worth noting, soundwave keeps thundercracker by his side despite his continual disagreements with how things are going, which is similar to megatron keeping starscream (who resents him) by his side.

i'd guess these similarities serve to build up to thundercracker possibly eventually actively opposing soundwave (as opposed to just going along with it) — here in the #15 preview he gives the humans warning to flee before blasting the building

now, knowing megatron's gunmode has the ability to mentally coerce the wielder to bend to his will... looks like this is what's happening with optimus wearing megatron's cannon arm!! xD. "megatron's cannon arm is influencing prime" has been built up and noticed, but it's nice to have megatron's ability now explicitly shown.

In #5 Starscream comments on Optimus having Megatron's cannon arm, and Optimus has a bit to say to him before blasting him with it.

Many noticed the parallel between Megatron & Optimus's fight in the Energon Universe Special 2024 and Optimus & Shockwave's in #12 as well as his tinged eye color.

Now with #14 we can also see a a similar thing that happened to Optimus happen to Starscream — Megatron's influence practically forcing their hand, going against what they wanted. Note the green-yellow background gradient suggesting Megatron's mental coercion in Starscream's panels, and in Optimus's panels (above) when his eyes are tinged there's yellow or yellow-green used in the background.

[trippinsorrows]

10 things + r. reigns

authors note: so, a lot of this stems from convos with the lovely @fearlesschimera where one tree hill was brought up. and i loved me some nathan and haley. plus, i'm loving everything about this otc era and needed to write something about it now vs having to wait with my other stories cause we ain't there yet lmao

might be a part two. idk if this even makes sense tbh

words: 3.1k

warnings: none, really? some language? kayfabe story.

There are exactly two sides to Roman Reigns.

The good side and the bad side. 

And Nova Reigns has experienced them both with an unfortunate increase in the latter versus the former. 

She can pinpoint exactly when it started, too. 

When things started to get difficult again.

2020. COVID. While the world was an absolute mess, chaos and death occurring globally every day, her husband of over ten years wasn’t much better. He’d decided to stay home, not wanting to risk bringing home anything that could put her pregnancy with their first daughter, Arabella, Bella as they affectionately called her, at risk. 

It was also so he could figure out just what the hell he was doing with his career. Roman was frustrated. Tired of going along with what was always told of him instead of doing it his way. And it’s why when he returned back to work that summer, he came back a completely changed man. Bigger, stronger, meaner.

This was a different Roman Reigns. The likes of which the WWE had never seen.

And it’s been a ride ever since.

Up and downs along the way. 

A lot of ups up until WrestleMania 40 where after 1,316 days as the undisputed universal champion and unable to let go of a betrayal from so many years ago, Roman lost. He lost his title and something so much deeper that night.

His sense of self.

Nova did the best she could in the months he’d been off to keep his spirits lifted, to support him, often encouraging Bella to ask her dad to do stuff with her even when Nova technically could. Asked him to care for their two year old daughter, Camillia, Cami, as she worked from home, something she’s done for almost the entirety of her post college career. 

But most importantly, Nova worked to help Roman repair the relationship with their oldest son, Roman Jr., RJ, as they’ve called him since the day he was born.

To say the relationship is awful would be an exaggeration. No, it’s just…..fragile.

A fragility that Nova has tried so hard over the past couple of years to strengthen to no avail. A large part of the issue being the fact that her twenty year old son is just as stubborn as his father. Twins, she often calls them. Similar heights, build, personalities, etc. 

Great when they want to be. A pain in the ass when they don’t need to be.

A painful situation all around though, especially when she thinks back to how this all started, to how someone like Nova ended up with someone like Roman.

And it’s a simple answer, really.

He was an idiot.

Well, when it came to English, that was.

Once upon a time ago, Roman wasn’t the massive WWE superstar that he is now. He was just Roman Reigns. The typical, popular jock of their high school. A football player with the stereotypical ego to match. And she was just Nova, the geeky underclassmen who always had a secret crush on the boy she never thought in a million years would look her way.

And truth be told, if not for the fact his coach threatened to bench him if he didn’t raise his English grade, he probably never would have. Hell, she’s certain the only reason he knew she existed was because she was the best and smartest kid in class, so of course their teacher would recommend her for a tutor. 

The answer was initially no. Not necessarily because she was opposed, but more because her crush on him was too big to not get distracted. Even though his jerkish tendencies should have done just that. 

But Roman has always been charismatic and persistent, and before she knew it, she’d agreed. And that agreement changed everything because it showed her for the first time the nice side of Roman, the side that secretly loved music and was surprisingly good at math. The side that struggled with feeling like he’d never be good enough or live up to his family’s athletic reputation both in football and wrestling.

It made her realize and see that Roman was just as human as everyone else. 

It made her fall in love with him.

And that was rocky, too. Navigating his constant struggle of wanting to admit his feelings for her while also being embarrassed about her and wanting to hide their relationship. It created a fair set of conflict, and Nova shed her fair share of tears.

Especially as she sat on the floor of her bathroom, plush, purple rug cushioning her bottom but not the blow that was the two lines on the pregnancy test in her hands. But, seven months later, with her mom on one side and Roman on the other, she shed a different set of tears. Different kinds of tears.

Happiness.

Happiness at welcoming her first child into the world, Roman Reigns Jr. 

RJ

Being teen parents, especially at the tender ages of 16 and 18 was most definitely nothing like it was depicted on the reality shows. It was rough, especially as Roman started college, opting to stay local to help her raise their child as she finished her senior year. They fought, they argued, they disagreed, but at the end of the day, they still loved.

And it was that love that carried them through the rocky years of Roman trying to figure out just what he wanted to do with his life as Nova worked a job and raised their son while pursuing her degree in software engineering. She also stayed local to benefit from the help of her family while chasing her dream. It was rough, it was hard, but they did it.

Even with having to be on food stamps and financial assistance at times to take care of their child, Nova struggling to enter the male dominated workforce of tech and Roman not always having consistent income, they did it. 

And they were happy.

They still are. Just….not like it used to be. 

Nova still loves her husband with all of her heart and soul. They’ve been through too much together for her to ever really leave him, but she’d be lying if she said it didn’t cross her mind from time to time. Especially over the past four years, watching him almost revert back to that bully from high school as he manipulated and mentally abused his family, his cousins, his lifetime best friends so much so that the Bloodline he worked so hard to create crumbled right before him.

And it’s only deteriorated since he lost the title to Cody Rhodes. Solo had turned on Roman, brutally kicked Jimmy out of the Bloodline and invited in non-family. Week after week, taking shot after shot at her husband, his cousin, his flesh and blood. 

Going so far as to take the sacred ula fala and declare himself the tribal chief. An honor that was bestowed upon Roman by the elders of his family. It finally reached a point where Roman had enough, making his grand return at SummerSlam and preventing his once enforcer from taking the very title Roman still believes is rightfully is. 

He’s made intermittent returns since then, each one proving just why Roman Reigns is being considered one of the greatest of all time, even while still in the middle of his career. His aura is unmatched. The sales don’t lie. The numbers don’t lie. 

The OTC is WWE. 

But, Roman has been a bit on edge since he was unexpectedly jumped by his other cousin, Jacob, Solo’s latest dangerous addition to the Bloodline.

Nova especially knows he was even more pissed because she’d taken the girls to his show that night, at his request.

He hates looking ‘weak’ in front of him, despite the fact that both were too consumed in kids' devices to pay attention. But, she was. And if anything, it was hard for her to see him be attacked like that, all alone. 

No one in his corner.

Jey’s moved to Raw.

Jimmy is still trying to figure out if he even wants to come back.

Solo has lost his damn mind. 

Sami…..no comment.

And Paul is still recovering from his brutal assault by the new Bloodline. 

The island of relevancy has a population of one. And while that one is formidable as all outdoors, he’s still just a man.

Granted, as much as it pains her to see Roman go at this alone, it’s hard for her to feel all the way bad for him. He did this. His actions drove his family away. 

Well, not all of them.

“Game!” Bella’s soft voice pulls Nova from reflecting on memory lane as she redirects her attention to where her son sits on the sofa in Roman’s locker room, Cami on his lap, grabbing his phone.

RJ chuckles, unlocking the iPhone and asking, “what you wanna play?”

Cami gasps and claps her hands. “Cookie!”

“Cookie Kingdom?” RJ asks, clicking around on his phone and handing it to her. “There ya go, lil’ bit.”

Nova’s smile is warm as she reflects on what feels like so long ago. “I remember when you were that little.”

RJ looks up at her, and it never ceases to amaze her how much he looks like his father. Complexion a little deeper, melanin he inherited from her, but outside of that, Roman could never deny paternity. 

He sucks his teeth. “Mama, don’t start that.”

“What?” Nova pouts, leaning back into the sofa, Bella tuned out of the conversation as she watches Bluey on her tablet. It’s always a bit funny to her how uninterested these kids just are when it comes to seeing Roman at work.

At least, not until he’s actually in their line of vision.

“You’ll always be my baby.” Because he will. Twenty and over 6ft tall or not, he’s her baby boy. “And speaking of baby, what’s going on with you and that girl you been dating?”

RJ rolls his eyes and adjusts Cami on his lap. He’s so good with his little sisters. “Nothing.”

Nova smirks knowingly, picking up on the faint hit of redness on his cheeks. “Sure don’t seem like nothing.”

“Mama, she’s just a friend.”

“So ya’ll aren’t sexually active?”

RJ turns up his nose, clearly disgusted. “Ma, how you just gon’ ask me that?”

“Because I’m your mama and not ready to be a grandma, and your daddy would kill you if you were to get a girl pregnant halfway through college.”

It’s not missed upon Nova how the mention of Roman seems to completely dampen his mood. RJ rolls his eyes. “Like he cares at all.”

His comment hurts her. Deeply. “RJ….”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to upset you.”

She ignores that apology, wanting to focus on the initial comment that has her stomach knotting for all the wrong reasons. “Your dad loves you, Junior. You have to know that.”

There’s a slight delay in his answer, and that alone is enough to make Nova know she needs to talk to Roman again tonight about actually talking with his son. A below the surface level conversation. A heart to heart.

“I know that, mama. I do. It’s just….” RJ blows out a breath and shakes his head. “You know how he is.”

She does. Very well. “You can say it. He’s an ass sometimes.” She’s so grateful for the headphones on Bella’s ears and the deep infatuation Cami has with her brother’s phone.

“You said it. Not me.” Mother and son share a laugh, RJ admitting, “I know he means well.”

“He does,” she agrees. “But, that doesn’t mean he can’t do better. I’ll talk to him again.”

RJ immediately looks like he feels bad, which only makes Nova’s chest ache more. “You don’t have to—”

She lifts her finger to silence him. “You’re my son. He’s my husband. I love you both, and it kills me to see ya’ll like this. I’m gonna do what I can.” And that’s a vow. The three of them have been through too much shit over the years for her to just allow the relationship between the two most important men to fall apart. She won’t let that happen. 

She can’t.

And speaking of, the door to Roman’s locker room opens, her husband walking in looking every bit as strong, powerful, and determined as he looked when he interfered yet again with Solo’s match and especially as he closed the door of that cage and challenged Jacob. 

Nova shifts in her seat, the memory bringing up other kinds of feelings which are entirely inappropriate given the presence of her children.

Cami is the first girl to notice him, lifting up her little arms and reaching for him, nearly dropping RJ’s phone in the process if not for his quick reflexes.

He most definitely got that from Roman as well, because Nova has not an athletic bone in her body.

Roman walks over and takes her from RJ, kissing her cheek, gaze almost reluctantly falling on RJ. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

Nova starts to scold Roman for such a cold introduction to their son they haven’t seen since he left for his sophomore year of college over a month ago. “Mom asked me to.”

She’s good at reading between the lines, picking up on the fact that he’s essentially saying he’s only here because of Nova.

Not Roman.

Roman notices this, she’s sure. He’s a perceptive bastard. But, he says nothing. “How’s school?”

“Fine.” 

“RJ.” And her son can be a petty bastard. Like father, like son. She directs her statement to Roman, “I was thinking we could go to his game tomorrow—”

RJ, however, is quick to dismiss this. “You don’t have to.”

Nova’s gaze on Roman allows her to see the hurt that flashes in his eyes at the rejection. But as has been the case lately, he pushes it aside, replacing it with indifference. “You heard what he said. He doesn’t want us there, so we wo—”

“That’s not what I said.” RJ leans back against the chair and shrugs his shoulders, shaking his head, clearly frustrated. “You always do this. Always hear what you want to hear.” He scoffs, head turned, muttering, “I see why everybody left you.”

Nova gasps. “RJ!” She sees it, the hurt that’s just tripled and is about to be expressed in anger, leading to another big blowout between the two of them. Thankfully, this is the moment Bella finally becomes aware of Roman’s presence.

“Daddy!” She pulls off her headphones, climbs off the sofa and runs over to him, hugging his legs. 

Roman doesn’t hesitate to pick her up, both daughters in his arms as Nova leans over, running her hand through her fresh silk press. This. This is what she wanted to avoid. These are the kinds of situations that leave her in tears as she vents to her therapist about her ever growing stress levels, how torn she feels in what to do in moments like this. 

Roman is her husband, but RJ is her son. Neither is fully right, but neither is fully wrong either. How does one handle that?

Thankfully, it’s not long after that Roman is being called to prepare to get back out in the ring. This means a probably needed separation from the two titans in her life. Nova holds Cami this time, while Bella hangs onto RJ as they’re escorted ringside. 

It takes a bit of persuasion to get RJ to agree to come with her. She can see he’s ready to just leave.

But, reminding him of how big a help he is with the girls seems to win him over because while he’s certainly not in the best of places with his dad, RJ is a mama’s boy through and through. He loves him some Nova and would do anything to help her. 

Even if it means helping her with the two siblings that came as a complete shock to him.

It still makes Nova laugh a little as she recalls the horrified and almost disgusted expression on his face as she and Roman broke the pregnancy news to him.

“I didn’t even know ya’ll still did that.” And if his statement wasn’t bad enough, he just had to add insult to injury as the blunt almost 16 year-old he was at the time. “Ain’t ya’ll kinda old to still be freaking?”

No. 

Never that.

“Daddy!” This time it’s Cami who’s calling out to Roman, recognizing his new music before he even emerges from the back looking as badass as he always does. Nova is temporarily in a state of awe, overhearing Bella asking RJ to hold her so she can see better. 

Roman has come so far, done so well for himself, even with things with his family being a hot ass mess, there’s still no denying he is it. That he has it. It’s undeniable. She almost feels bad for Cody.

He’ll always be stuck in Roman’s shadow. 

The thought makes her suddenly curious about what could be one of the reasons behind the strife between her firstborn and husband. Nova tucks this in the back of her mind, planning to discuss it further in therapy.

As Roman moves into the ring, Nova stands on the sidelines, holding her baby girl on her hip, smiling back and forth between the two. She watches Roman move around the ring on their commercial break

And when his gaze falls on the set of them, her heart swells as he mouths ‘I love you’ before seamlessly transitioning back into that hardened, determined expression.

And this is why there’s two sides to Roman Reigns. The good side being the one that she sees in that brief, vulnerable exchange. The one that used to kiss her pregnant stomach as he confided in her his fears about not being a good dad, about feeling not ready, about worrying about failing in life. 

Failing her. 

Failing himself.

Failing their child.

The man who worked so hard and gave everything his all to prove he was someone, becoming that someone, yet somehow losing something in the process.

Nova knows it’s still in there though, knows that he is still the boy he fell in love with many moons ago. She knows that as frustrated as he makes her, as cold he can be, as disconnected he can seem, that love is still there and just as strong. 

And she’ll fight for it. 

For him. 

For their son.

For their family. 

She has to.

[zahri-melitor]

Tim Drake: Robin

So as a title, I have to say I can see what Meghan Fitzmartin was trying to get at, and I don’t mind the story as is. I think I would categorise it as a flawed story with interesting ideas, where part of the issue is that MegFitz ran out of space for the stories she wanted to tell, and part of the issue is as I’ve already said, the entire run could use the writing being more explicit and explanatory. Plus, it’s definitely suffering from its second plot getting cut off abruptly by cancellation – there was clearly 2 issues just yanked out, that would have provided some much needed pacing and complexity to the story.

Also Bernard, despite the development that finally arrives in issue 7, still remains somewhat of a cipher as far as personality goes the whole way through, and there conflict and the stakes in this story are so so low. So incredibly low. Everything is just too pat.

Structurally, I did like issue 7, framing it via restaurant meal courses, and us finally getting a peep at Bernard’s perspective on matters. And what we get is at least something, though it’s still pretty minimal. Bernard has drama with his parents, who if you read in (and this is the thing about so much of Fitzmartin’s writing, you have to read into the implications and hope you’re getting the ones she’s laying down) don’t like that he’s dating a guy, and also don’t like that Bernard is studying to be a chef. There’s a fairly oblique joke in the text where Tim says “you’d think they’d be proud that their kid is majoring in physics and biology”, where a friend read it as “Bernard is studying for a double major in science PLUS studying to be a chef on top of this” and I personally read it as “Tim is joking with Bernard over the fact that his parents are mad that he’s got an apprenticeship in food services rather than going to university as he was expected to, because learning to cook involves both practical physics and practical biology”. Which is supposed to be the correct reading? I can’t tell! Because Fitzmartin doesn’t spell it out!

Bernard’s parents basically being the Fanon Drakes who are mad that Bernard is not Living Up To Their Expectations (and also his parents are basically on the verge of divorce and living in separate rooms now and his mother had a single tear and begged Bernard to come home via text message to help shore up her marriage or whatever) is mildly amusing except for the way in which I find it exhausting because it just feels like straight fanfic tropes.

Bernard’s also clearly not over whatever it was that sent him in the direction of the pain cult and the chaos monsters, and he doesn’t want to talk about it. But our problem is that this should cause some sort of drama, and yet the only result is that Bernard’s like ‘I can’t/won’t help you’, and Tim accepts this and never inquires further.

Also as other people have said, ‘Bernard knows and Tim doesn’t know Bernard knows, and they never discuss this or have this cause any tension between them’ is honestly the most boring possible beat set up. If you’re going to play with levels of who knows what you need to give it stakes! Have Tim stressing about hiding things from Bernard and how that affects his relationship! Have Tim think about why he can’t tell Bernard! Have situations that read one way to Tim and another to Bernard! Have a reason that Bernard’s just patiently waiting for Tim to get around to revealing the secret to him! I like having characters who are playing identity porn with each other and hiding things and going “Bernard knows who Tim is and Tim sort of knows that Bernard knows but Bernard doesn’t know that Tim has realised that Bernard has clued in” or whatever.

The story very occasionally starts things that could actually cause some drama or stakes to emerge (the ‘Tim is dating Robin and does this cause drama with Bernard!’ moment. Kate and Tim having conflict over the chaos monsters and whether or not this is a Religion of Crime problem and if she’s been brainwashed. Etc) but then happily glides past them without digging in to actually cause that drama.

I’m also somewhat disappointed that the outcome of ‘when did everyone have realisations that they liked boys’ is ‘both Tim and Bernard realised this in the course of the pain cult date actually’. Which…eh. It’s very very ‘I never felt this way about someone before I met you, we’re not gay we just love each other’. Tim claims he never suspected it about Bernard when he was younger and Bernard claims he always suspected, which, tbh, in the context of things we do know Tim can be somewhat oblivious about these things (see Fitzmartin’s ‘I didn’t know what I was feeling’ about Kon’s death), but really Bernard? You when you were in full ‘compulsory heterosexuality, I just love women so much, why does Tim keep having girls be friends with him and want to date him’ mode, you suspected Tim liked boys? Because while I certainly can point to a lot of things over the course of Tim’s Robin run, the closest we come to anything in Willingham’s run is Tim telling Bernard his girlfriend goes to another school. Which, in the context of Tim just transferring into a new school is not that unbelievable, even in the classic stakes of ‘oh you don’t know her, she goes to another school’ girlfriends. It’s just…the boring path.

And I think that sums up a lot of this run. It’s got some interesting potential hooks. But almost without exception, whenever there comes an option between a choice that would cause drama and character development potential, or there’s a pat boring noncontroversial path, the story picks the latter. And there’s only so much nicey nice ‘don’t do anything that might be controversial, two boys dating is already controversial enough’ that I can take.

I wouldn’t have minded it if the run had been given more space, but honestly what I think it needed was getting handed over to a new writer to have a go and give a different perspective. And we haven’t had that.

[justwriting]

THK episode 1 rambling thoughts

I am obsessed with this show. I have watched episode 1 five times! And I am absolutely in love with all 4 main characters.

I am not good at writing in-depth analysis or meta of any series as I tend to take things to literally sometimes. However, several things that strike me:

Kant and Fadel are more similar than we (I) think: Fadel with his job as an assassin by night and chef by day is precise with whatever he does. One only needs to see when he cut those tomatoes perfectly and carefully prep the burgers. Similarly, Kant as a tattoo artist means he needs to be meticulous and patient when he designed + apply those tattoos on his clients. Both also clearly love their brothers and willing to do die anything for them - including letting said self being blackmailed multiple times by a shady cop or moving your entire life hood/business to another town cause your beloved baby brother went bonkers during a drunken karoake session. Both also internalised their problems and project calm externally - although Fadel comes across as broody (but handsome) while Kant appears more affable (also handsome!) because of his flirtatious nature. Nevertheless, this is one of the reason why I think Kant & Fadel clashes (apart from Kant wanting to boink Fadel's baby brother) - they are too similar in nature and knows how the other operates.

Style and Bison are chaos incarnates and gremlins to the core. While Style may come of as ridiculous and bold, he is sharper than he looks. The fact that he can get under Fadel's skin so quickly means he clocks on what irritates Fadel and just roll with the punches without fear. Similarly, when Style told Kant he will only hit on Fadel if Kant gives up his precious car? That is him checking out Kant's interest in Bison because he knows how much Kant adores that car. Bison despite his sweet look is cunning and knows how to play to his strength. We know he has Fadel wrapped around his fingers. And while Kant may be the one flirting (at this point), Bison is the one pulling the strings. Even from their first one night encounter, Bison sets the pace (and tone) - from declining to give his name to boldly stating "You're not doing this solo, you know?". Plus while he seems receptive towards Kant's flirting (later on), Bison is constantly watching Kant's moves and calculating in his mind how much he wants to trust him.

Fadel and Bison relationship as brothers - they are polar opposites. However, it is obvious Fadel loves Bison even though he does not truly understands his lil brother. Similarly, while Bison may rebel, he ultimately obeys his big brother. After all, he wouldn't have asked Kant to win Fadel over if Kant ever wants to date him. May I also add that both Bison and Fadel are broken in some ways and it will be interesting to see their background story as the series progresses. I also personally think while Fadel is more stoic on the outside, he also has the gentler/fragile heart when compared to Bison.

Kant and Style are crazy - the former knows Bison is a hitman but still decides to seduce him (even with him being blackmailed, you can't convince me that is enough reason to proceed with the seduction). Style does not know Fadel is a hitman - however, the fact that Kant does not feel the need for his best friend to know of this important fact tells you a lot about how bold and fearless Style can be.

Kant, Bison and Fadel have control issues - in some ways they are all powerless and have no say on how to live their live. From Kant being frequently used by the police to do their dirty job to Bison/Fadel being raised as assassins. So, it certainly will be interesting to see how the 2 couples face their lack of control - some people have already theorized the BDSM scenes we will be seeing from KantBison stem from the need to have/give up control and it certainly seems to be heading towards that direction.

Either way, I am enjoying the cat and mouse game both couples are playing (although Fadel is clearly an unwilling participant at present). Both sides are convinced they have the upper hand, but I think all 4 are actually on a more even plane than they themselves realised.

[just1cefor4ll]

Hmm, something zestial x reader?

omg I love Zestial I need more fics of him!! Hope to see more of him in future seasons

warnings: swearing, bad grammar, most likely inaccurate old english, mentions of k1lling

genre: fluff

——————————————————————————

Appearing in hell, you quickly rose in status and became an Overlord, collecting your fair share of souls and have a good amount of territory. You didn’t want a huge territory, not wanting to deal with so many sinners that like to cause chaos.

You were content with what you had and you liked it that way. Your territory was one of the more peaceful sides of the pentagram, the souls you owned weren’t tortured or murdered, you made deals for souls to help the sinners but you owned their souls in case they wanted to cause harm to your territory. You had a “border” with the Overlord Rosie and you got easily aquaintanced and had no issue with each other at all! You would gossip about the recent events happening in your territories and you just got along since you met and had each others back.

You were recently invited to an Overlord meeting and to say you were nervous was an understatement. You came over to Rosie a few hours back and you were a nervous wreck, coming up with every possible bad scenario in your head. “Oh come on dearie, it won’t be that bad! Plus it will be a good time to finally introduce yourself and show you deserve that Overlord title.” She says with her kind smile and boops your nose, placing a cup of tea in front of you to calm your nerves.

You nod and sip on your tea, careful not to burn your tongue. “I know Rosie but what if i embarrass myself? I’ll be a huge joke to the others.” You say and groan, your leg shaking as if a thousand bolts just shocked your leg. Rosie chuckles at your nervous state, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder and looks down at you; “Don’t think too much about it okay? I’ll be there if anything happens and no one will dare try laugh at you when it’s me you’re coming with.” She smiles at you and goes to prepare herself for the meeting. You sit there and drink your tea, thinking about the stories and myths about the other Overlords you’ve heard. Yes, you were a feared Overlord as well, but you weren’t exactly feared so much that a person would rather light themself ablaze then walk anywhere near you! You look at the clock, you had about 45 minutes to get there, you stood up, having already finishing your tea and look in the mirror Rosie had in her back room. You looked presentable enough in your perspective, but was it enough for the other overlords?

You shake the negative thoughts out of your mind and head out of the shop, waiting patiently for Rosie to arrive. She ushers the rest of the people that were left inside and locks it behind her since there still were some untrustworthy people in her territory. You link your arms and walk together, chatting and gossiping about anything that came to mind. You arrive at the building where you were supposed to meet up with the other Overlords and go up an elevator, walking down a hall and walk through big doors and enter a room with a long table. There were already some Overlords there, chatting and laughing together when all of a sudden all eyes were on you.

Even though you were a nervous wreck before you managed to keep your composure and have a neutral expression on your face. You sit down next to Rosie and look at the clock, you still had about 10 minutes before the meeting starts so you chat with Rosie and another Overlord you found out was named Alastor. You found them both similar and smiled at the two interacting. “They really are good friends aren’t they?” You think to yourself and let the two chat, your eyes wandering around the room, studying the other Overlords, one specifically standing out. He had a black coat with spiderweb details on the inside of the coat,a black hat, and a spider-like “bow tie”. He had green eyes and was sipping on some tea and speaking to Carmilla Carmine, another Overlord that has been quiet friendly during your time as an overlord. One last overlord enters the room and the meeting starts, though you didn’t really pay attention to the endless blabbering even when Rosie tapped your shoulder to make you pay attention, you just couldn’t focus. You thought about the green eyed demon and wondered what time-line he was from. He spoke a bit at the start of the meeting and his english wasn’t like english most people use now, it was shakespearean english, which was more used in the 1500s. “What an interesting time.” You think to yourself and pay attention for the rest of the meeting, sneaking glances at the man.

After the meeting finally ended you were free to chat and leave whenever you liked. A girl with doll-like features left without a second thought, some overlords following behind but you, Rosie and Alastor and a few others, including the Overlord you’ve been wondering about the whole meeting; “Dear I couldn’t help but notice you looking at Zestial over there for the whole meeting! I truly wonder why?” Alastor radio voice echoed through the room and your face goes red, you hush the old Overlord and see that we’ve peaked the green eyed Overlords interest.

You glare at Alastor and calm yourself when you hear the man speak up; “I couldn’t help but notice i’ve been mention'd in thy conversation, may i joineth in on thy dram chat?” He asks, sitting down next to you and places his tea down, eyeing you closely. “What might thy name beest?” He asks and you stutter; “Oh um, my name? It’s Y/N more commonly known as (your overlord name)” He takes your hand and places a chaste kiss on the back of it and smile’s thinly. “'Tis quite a pretty name for a pretty lady such as thyself.” Rosie and Alastor share glances and smile, standing up and leaving you two alone to chat.

You smile at the Overlord next to you, blushing at his compliment. He offers you a hand and you take it. He leads you out of the building and to his territory, Zestial looks down at you and asks with a hint of curiosity im his tone; “And thou art what? A new overlord? Art thou quite aware of the challenges and expectations of thy role?” He raises a brow and leads you to coffee shop you haven’t really seen around the pentagram. People stare, some leaving instantly because they didn’t want to be in the presence of two strong Overlords. He sits down in the corner of the room and orders some tea for the both of you. “Oh I figured it would be best if I had some power so I wouldn’t get bothered as much. Yes it is quite a big responsibility but I manage, I have a smaller territory than most so it’s slightly less pressuring.” You say and smile, placing your hands in your lap, your thumb tracing the spot he kissed. He nods and puts down his tea; “I see. 'Tis a rather good situation for thee. I hope this peaceful state shall continue, but we never know if Heaven comes marching to our door. If that does come to pass, will thou be ready?”

“Oh no need to worry, I didn’t become an overlord for nothing. I am powerful myself but i’m not sure if I am powerful enough to beat the exorcists.” You say truthfully and finish drinking your tea. He nods and finishes his own tea, placing his hands on the table. “'Tis good to see thou art trying. But do not let thy guard down no matter what. Even with little territory, thou art still at risk of some danger. Be wary, okay?” You nod and smile softly at the Overlord. You were glad he was “looking out for you” even if he wasn’t he at least gave a slight warning. “Thank you Zestial, you’re too kind.” You say as you both walk out of the coffee shop and just walk around the outskirts of hell. You walk in comfortable silence when suddenly a question pops up in your head.

Zestial just observes the scenery around him, something you noticed he did often. His gaze wanders to your curious one and raises a brow; “Didst thou wish to ask me something?” Your eyes widen slightly and you look away, your face feeling hot. You stutter out a quick question; “I.. I was wondering if you know anything about the overlords before me? The ones i’ve killed?” You say and look back at him, mentally face palming and look at him hoping for a response.

“I am well aware of the previous overlords, of which thou murdered. However, 'tis not a matter that one should dwell on.” He says and stops dead in his tracks and look down at you with a darkened expression. “Their deaths were deserved. Now, why do tha wish to discuss such matters with me?” You panic slightly and stutter out a response, stumbling over your words. “Oh I was just curious. I wanted to know a bit more about them, but I won’t push the subject anymore.” You say and bow your head slightly as a sign that you’re sorry. You look back up and him and see Zestial smiling; “If 't be true their deaths haunt thy mind, thee should ingnore that and move on. Those gents were unworthy of the position of overlord, and thee were worthy enough to taketh their lodging.” He says and puts a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

“I couldn’t bethink of having a better Overlord at mine own side at this moment” He says and takes your hand, kissing it gently and dissapears into the shadows of the night, leaving you stunned and love sick in the middle of hells streets.

[jovieinramshackle]

Hii Harry~!💕💕 I'm interested to know what your first impressions of Rollo were!! And what do you like about him?🤗💖💗 Without pressure!!! 🔔💞💞💞

Funnily, I answered a similar question here once (when I used to go by Jovie before she became an oc that's how old it is LMAO), and I ended up writing a mini analysis on him LMAO (so normal about him)

I actually first saw Rollo all the way back when glosmas was first announced! As the first Halloween event with a whole new character I was obviously excited, plus The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of my top favourite movies.

At first, I joked and thought "okay he's gay and in denial about it," but then I went into thinking about how they'd interpret Frollo into twst. Ultimately, I'm happy with what they did (duh)

I expected his general attitude and disdain for (fun things) chaos, and unruliness. But I was not ready!!! For the pain!!! So much pain glosmas why!!! The scene with him and Idia will always be one of my top favourite moments in the whole game IT BROKE MY HEART.

Now, one of the biggest things that make me like him is how different he is from other characters. Most of them do bad things while knowing they're bad (some exceptions, obviously), but Rollo doesn't. On the contrary, he thinks he's the good guy! A "saviour from magic" even, he outright pities the Prefect for being used/liking magic. This dude caused mass panic throughout the city, and he thinks he's RIGHT for it.

But the thing that pulls me the most is the fact he DOES have a good reason, even if it's not a justification. After watching his brother die because of magic, combined with the guilt of being unable to do anything, he copes by deluding himself into the idea only he knows the dangers of magic and that it's up to him to stop it.

It's an extreme form of coping mechanism... that I can kinda relate to. After being wronged so extremely by something, you may build walls so high and refuse to listen to other people and their perspectives. Because doing so can feel as if your trauma is being invalidated, so you shut everything else out and only listen to your own thoughts, for better or for worse, because that's what feels safer.

And idk there's something about him presenting himself as a very well put together person while in reality he struggles with a lot of serious issues (personal headcanon, like PTSD) that I love, I want to tear his walls down and give him a hug.

His brother isn't even the only thing. His whole attitude and behaviour are SCREAMS conservative and strict upbringing (Rollo yes toddlers SHOULD be playing with letter cubes HOW WERE YOU RAISED???) that makes me feel his parents aren't... the best (Please twst give me more Rollo backstory, please begging you).

Idk how to end this HELP I have way more thoughts about him that aren't coherent at all because I struggle with putting my thoughts/feelings into words (curse you dysgraphia </3) but I think you get my main points

[quirkwizard]

Do you think One For All and All For One combined together to make a new quirk that was passed on to Deku? Yoichi said that Midoriya wanted to complete One For All the right way, maybe this was what he meant. Plus, I saw a post on how this would make the most sense as AFO bred chaos and OFA bred complacency and neither were beneficial for a true peaceful society, but a quirk that has aspects of both powers carried by Deku would be perfect in helping to rebuild society.

I'm mixed on this idea, though I'm leaning more towards the negative on the idea. I do think this would be an interesting direction for things to go and works on some levels. It's a way that can give Izuku a Quirk without him just giving him back "One For All". And I know that you're focused on the completion line, I always go back to Yoichi talking about how "All For One" had the potential to be a kind power. So having that with Izuku could be a nice follow up to that. And with how much the series talks about inherited will, having Izuku carry on Tomura's dream through the usage of "All For One" would be a neat way to tie them together.

However, there are more problems with it then actual merits to it. For starters, "All For One" is not Tomura's Quirk. It's All For One's power. So the idea of inheriting Tomura's will kind of shoots itself in the foot. Second, the problem wasn't just that what these two powers bred chaos or complacency. It was that any one person having this much power causes problems no matter how you use it. It's why "One For All" and "All For One" both being destroyed was such a popular idea among the fanbase. Having whatever new version of it come out in the hands of one person would not be a natural follow up to that. This solution still causes problems. I can't exactly imagine how these two coming together could make anything good.

And how does this solve the issues of the series? The series hasn't been about any Thesis, Antithesis, Syntheses nonsense where both sides come together to make something better. Tomura has always represented the issues with the society as it is. It's not "We need to understand and incorporate the other side into how we do things". It's more like "We need to stop something like Tomura from ever happening again." The series pushes the idea that cooperation and understanding is the key to rebuild society and prevent something like Tomura from ever happening again. With this, it just puts all the pressure back onto Izuku. Isn't one of the major points of his arc learning to share the load? That he cannot and should not take on everyone's burdens?

[pomrania]

If you don't already know, @prokopetz is hosting a thing this month, where people are making 200-word RPGs. Here's some I thought were cool, and my commentary on them; in order of how they showed up in daily compilations. Disclaimer that I'm finding these entirely based on the compilation posts, which only show the title and the creator, so there's a chance I'm missing something I'd thought was really cool, simply because I didn't remember what it was called.

Bun Chaos by @nyalaholic This one just seems delightful. I always love stuff where the literal premise is "you are little creatures, and causing problems on purpose"; and everyone loves "stats that rhyme" (or at least I do, and that's what's most important when we're looking at my opinion). A thing I particularly thought was cool, was using a d20 to put a "time limit" (really more of a "rounds limit") on the game. Also, how the points are for the group total, because what really matters is "how much chaos was caused" and not "who did what".

Crushing It by @writemeasandwich I would never play this game myself, because folding paper into any shape more complicated than a basic paper airplane, makes my eyes glaze over, and also I have slow reflexes. However, I am glad that it exists, and it seems like it would be tremendous fun to watch; probably also to play, for people who don't have my particular issues. I enjoy the bit about "more dots shown is better, unless it's the most dots shown, in which case you want to avoid it".

Knock Knock, Cthul-Who's There? by @bookoramaenderteeth This one goes on the list because I absolutely ADORE the premise, it's just so GOOD. And also I like the mental image of just calling up some unrelated person and having them listen to the stuff you came up with.

Raccoons and Goblins by @kaninchen-reblogs Honestly pretty much ANYTHING where you play as raccoons and goblins would prolly make it on here. The gameplay seems pretty generic, which, there's only so much you can put into a thing when you're limited to 200 words, but 'generic' also means 'functional' (absolutely not a given with these kinds of weird games). Within that though, I love how the "goblin" actions all start with G, and the "raccoon" actions all start with R; incredibly basic stuff that just makes my brain happy. I like the bit about most of the 'actions' you choose are from your own list, plus one from the other list.

VAMPIRE DANCE FLOOR (not sure if it's supposed to be all caps, or if that was just to emphasize the title) by @danacarajb First off I always love stuff where there's various 'traditional' monsters; that's like a cheat code for my brain. But aside from that, the STRUCTURE of this is fascinating, how each type of monster has a different win condition, and WHAT the win condition is for each of them; they're all things that make sense for that type of monster, AND work within the mechanics. I think this is my favourite of the games from the first day, but I genuinely can't say how much of that is from its own quality, and how much is because it aligns with my tastes.

And I think that's where I'll stop for now, to post it, because I don't want this to just stay forever in my "I'll finish it eventually", and also there's a nice clear cut-off point of "this is the stuff from the first day".

[an-obligatory-blog]

theoretical post-forces infinite that caters to my specific tastes

i'm too lazy to render this, so just deal with my messy sketch and om level foreshortening

I've been mulling lately how I would want Infinite to return and although I can't see it actually happening (it assumes settings regarding Infinite's past that I basically made up, see: my jackal squad hcs), I do want to jot some these ideas down somewhere so here it is.

Me after several edits: ok uh a lot of yapping happened bc I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm going try to keep this as tl;dr as possible

Me after even MORE edits: holy shit it's still long

The premise is as follows (I wrote this messily, but I wanted to finish this thing asap):

After his defeat, Infinite was trapped inside the real Phantom Ruby in a space is akin to Null Space. Contemplating Sonic's words, who told him that his illusions cannot match the real deal (the power of friendship om), he attempts to create illusions with "souls" on a whim (he had nothing better to do), and only succeeded when he created imitations of the Jackal Squad, who he knew inside and out. Believing that breaking out was impossible and that his captivity was somewhat deserved anyways (for failing the Doctor), he grew complacent in this new fantasy, creating not only his squad, but their ideal world. He re-adopts the name "Zero", interpreting this space as the "afterlife" and thus had no issue of taking the name of a "dead man".

The Phantom Ruby was sent back in time with Classic Sonic (Mania Plus), but Zero still remained and continued to remain even as enough time had passed for it to be the Modern Timeline again. During those years, Zero doesn't age, living out in his ideal world with his squad, who evolved to become stronger than real counterparts. Unlike Chaos/Metal Sonic/Zavok/Shadow, who were created with the data Eggman provided, Zero put a lot of thought into the imitations of his squad, using his memory as the basis to nail down their strengths and weaknesses, their habits and personalities, and more. However, this doesn't last forever, as a piece of his subconscious manifested as "Infinite", who was unsatisfied with the current circumstances and wishes to break out.

Zero and Infinite eventually confront each other. Although Infinite is representative of his cruelty, he also represented his will to live. When Zero had his breakdown about weakness back when he lost to Shadow, he tried to reach out to his squad, who he thought were just out of commission, only to find them dead in a crater. They died because Shadow used Chaos Blast as at the time, it was the most efficient way to get rid of them and overcome their teamwork. He had no hatred nor malice for the Squad and was thus indifferent to whether they had lived or died. If they had lived from the initial blast, he had no reason to run back to check on them when there is a mission to complete. To put simply, they were scrapped as if they were Egg pawns and the only reason Zero lived was because such measures weren't necessary to take out one person. This power gap instilled despair within Zero, who desired to be on top of the world.

When Eggman offered him the Phantom Ruby, a gem that can turn his dreams into reality, it was like the light of hope to him. It wasn't just physical weakness he wanted to throw away-- he wanted to start fresh, abandoning his past attachment to his squad, which was causing him much pain (this also leads him to abandoning his hatred for Shadow, since someone who wasn't attached wouldn't hate). "Zero", in his mind, should've died with his squad as they were only separated by coincidence. Even though he knew the dangers of being attached in a profession seeped in death, the squad was everything to him. "Infinite", his new identity, will be the Empire's new weapon and it's through that newfound purpose will he repair his ego. Shadow was so self-assured with his power that he had the luxury of being indifferent to whether his enemies lived or died, and Infinite wanted power where he could do the same and avoid being on the other end. It's not an exaggeration to say that "Infinite" could not exist without the Ruby.

Back to the present, Infinite threatens to tear this space apart and to take back his place as the "real" one. Zero criticizes Infinite, saying that he couldn't back up his bravado even with the Ruby, failing to end the war despite everything being in his favor. It is proof that his (their) incompetence is insurmountable and that they are better off stay here (staying dead) instead of chasing dreams that can't come true.

Infinite retorts that at least he tried. Even among "trash", those who fight to the end are worth more than those who do nothing but cower, accepting death when their cushy lives are destroyed. As a mercenary, Zero heavily relied on teamwork to establish his squad's reputation to make up for his personal weakness, even going as far as "deluding himself" for finding pride in being "a good leader", which didn't mean anything at the face of Shadow's ultimate power. Even if it all ended in failure, he was only defeated by a hair's margin-- a single oversight that allowed one of the Ruby prototypes to land in the hands of the Rookie. They could try again.

The mention of "the Rookie" gave Zero a pause. Now that he thought about it, he too was in a similar position as his past self, and yet he came out on the winning end. Wasn't it just because he had friends like Sonic to hide behind? No, he remembered fighting him alone in Metropolis, and although the Rookie was nowhere close to defeating him at the time, he drastically changed from the anxious pup he first met. It doesn't matter if he credits Sonic's encouragement because at the end of the day, you can only fight with power that you own. The Rookie didn't die because he found strength, and it would be an insult to himself to assume otherwise.

As those thoughts sit in the back of his mind, Zero argues that the Resistance wouldn't fall for the same strategy twice. Infinite still had that attitude where he thinks he's insurmountably strong and that it would always stay that way even as his enemies grew stronger. That attitude led to complacency, his illusionary imitations being the stagnant set of data it always was. Even if he escaped, would he even keep the power that he enjoyed before? The link between their Ruby prototype and the power source was most certainly broken by now.

"But we don't need that. After merging with the real Ruby, you were still able to make all of this just fine, right?"

And yet, how can he be so certain that it'll stay that way when they get out? Between Zero's pessimism and Infinite's optimism, it seemed as though the fight would never end.

Then, they both heard a familiar voice from the distance. A small pack of jackals were calling them over.

"Your attachment to them is weakness. They would just hold you back."

The phantom pain of the past was something Zero didn't need to be reminded of, but once again, the face of that Rookie came to mind. Even if he credited the support of others, didn't he have to overcome loss with his own strength? On the other hand, Infinite continues to deny that the squad had nothing to do with him, as if their deaths wasn't one of the causes of his existence.

Yes, at the end of the day, he and Infinite were the same person. Infinite was created to keep him going after being broken down and the fact that he's back means it's the same thing all over again. It occurred to him that Zero wasn't satisfied with paradise anymore. It became stagnant like the world he hated and promised to shake from the ground up. The real Jackal Squad would've wanted to break out.

Infinite is right... but not completely. Zero tried a different approach.

"So what? Even if I made them disappear, I won't ever forget them. They are coming with us, like it or not. Maybe, they can even be our strength."

"You're making the same mistake as before. The power of others isn't you own."

"No. The real Jackal Squad is dead. These people belong to me-- they are mine."

They were clumsy imitations at first, based on nothing but vague recollections, but that's not the case anymore. "He wouldn't say that; she wouldn't do that." "He would do this; she would fight like this." "He would improve like so; I would teach her like this." Sentiments like that built up after years and years and it shaped them into. No matter how hard he tried to reject his connection to his Squad, vowing to evolve beyond them, he remembered all of their quirks by heart and even the kind of people they strived to be. This new Jackal Squad is his creation, through and through.

"You can call it fake all you want, but how is it any more real than what you were doing before? Relying on power given by someone else? Using data given by someone else? Even those huge snake things we made bore a mask that was made by someone else. But our memory of them, no matter how much we hate it, will always be real."

Infinite and Zero are the same person. No matter how much Infinite pretends that Zero is dead, he was always there, just dormant. If Infinite is going to surpass his limits, then he needed to break out of that close-minded illusion of strength.

"If you're going to leave this place, don't be so sure it's going to be easy. The world isn't kind to villains like us."

Evolution isn't effortless, but there is hope. Infinite's and Zero's shared pride cannot accept that they can't do what an ordinary wolf can.

"If you don't want to fail all over again, take all of us with you."

"If that's what you want, then don't let them go. I'll keep living with or without you."

Infinite/Zero's internal reconciliation led to him breaking paradise from the inside, tearing a hole into the false sky. It was the whole-hearted will of its master, after all. Infinite/Zero chases after the light and right behind him were the illusions.

In the middle of nowhere, Infinite woke up alone.

Infinite conjured his mask and puts it on. Even after accepting Zero, he felt more comfortable like this. He looks down and notices that the Ruby in his chest changed from red to magenta, the color of the real Phantom Ruby.

Knowing what he wants, he found his way back to Eggman. He doesn't hold a grudge against him for what he did because he knew about his "Plan B" ahead of time. At the time, he wanted to rectify the mistake he made (missing one prototype he didn't destroy) with his own hands, but it was him who agreed to be Eggman's weapon and gave him the right to do that should he fail. Plus, it's Eggman who knew the Ruby best and despite everything, their goals still aligned.

The doctor was of course surprised to see Infinite walking around and Infinite was surprised to see a little girl next to him when he returned. After relaying what happened to him, Eggman analyzed his body as he requested.

The real Phantom Ruby merged with him, so he doesn't need a power source to use a fuel, however his innate powers are limited. Instead of the overwhelming army he was able to make before, conjuring his 4 former squad mates and a sword was the best he can muster. He's certainly more powerful than average and he can now truly call his powers as his own, but it's very far from the heights he once reached. Knowing that he had less promise than before, Infinite had little confidence that the doctor would take it well, but before he sacrificed his pride....

"...But even this is fine. By losing abundance, you were pushed to become more efficient-- the data I'm getting from your illusions are far more complex than what you made before. They're extremely lifelike, and yet incomparable to their real counterparts... yes, I'd be a fool to not invest in this. I'd lose next to nothing." Infinite didn't know it, but the new illusions reminded Eggman of Sage.

"Is it really fine with my track record?" Infinite said that half-heartedly, but unexpectedly, Eggman took it seriously.

"If you're going to put yourself down for that, then what does it say about me, who has yet to succeed in world domination? There's a reason why I keep Metal Sonic around and scrapped the other models. There's a difference between the two."

"Honestly, who do you think I am? The type of person who lies to comfort someone who had failed me before? Bah! I have an empire to run and a world to conquer, so if I say that you have potential, then I mean it! With my intellect, there's no way I'm mistaken."

"So enough with that self-pity party because it doesn't suit you, Infinite. You have the confidence of the world's future ruler. Shouldn't you act like it as his general?"

Eggman's acceptance made him feel something he didn't think he was capable of feeling. Once more, for a third time, they came to an agreement. The enemy that Sonic and friends thought was long gone returned.

Uno's efficiency, Deux's patience, Trois's bravery, Quatre's ambition... Zero's sense of responsibility and Infinite's stubbornness... although they all referred to each other as numbers, their lives and potential were worth much more, and they will always last as long as Infinite lived to remember them.

If names determined one's destiny, that Sonic will always be the wind you can't catch and that Shadow will always be the darkness that points toward the light, then Infinite will always be the sum everything that came before him, their undying dreams pushing him forward, marching towards a future that never ends.

[thenightfolknetwork]

Hello! I’m a road.

Ok perhaps it’s a little more complicated than that. My spirit, or soul, or inner being -whatever you want to call it- inhabits a stretch of country lane in rural Yorkshire. I think I’ve been here longer than the road itself, but if I’m honest centuries tend to blur after a while. Definitely longer than cars though. Which is where my problem comes in.

I need a change. I’m not the same person I was a hundred years ago and being stuck as the same stretch of tarmac for so long is really starting to bother me.

I can have (and in the past have had) a wiggle around. You know, try a new bend here, a bit of incline there, but this time I’m worried about the effect it will have on the local population. Some of them have been driving along me for decades so imagine the chaos when they go to turn left like they do every day and and instead find themself in a hedge that *definitely* wasn’t there before. Plus the tourists in the summer will be an absolutely nightmare when their satnavs don’t line up with what I’m actually shaped like. And goodness knows the farmers are stressed enough without hundreds of lost hikers showing up at their doors because their maps are wrong.

So, what can I do? I really can’t bear being stuck like this much longer, but I just can’t figure out how to enact the change I really need without at the very least causing a lot of confusion and at the worst, causing some serious accidents too.

I think a bit of change sounds like a wonderful idea, reader. It's easy to get stuck in old habits long past the point when they've stopped serving us. I commend you on recognising your own needs and being willing to take action to see those needs are met.

I recommend writing to your local council and informing them of the upcoming changes. Let them know in plenty of time to make whatever preparations they require and to get the word out to local drivers.

This would mean you'd have to decide on what changes you'd like for yourself beforehand. I hope this lack of spontaneity won't dampen your excitement, or lessen the satisfaction of finally having your long-awaited “wiggle around”.

Besides, you might find that there are still some changes you can leave to the last minute. Provided you stick to the basics of the plan you've submitted to the council, I think there's room for a little creativity – some bumps here, a little widening there.

Finally, your letter hits upon a rather common issue for the people who write to me. Specifically, I can't help but feel you are taking on responsibility for matters which rightly belong to other people.

I am, of course, all for taking care of your community. But there is a point at which drivers – and hikers – need to take responsibility for themselves. If someone takes a corner of yours too quickly to be safe, or fails to prepare properly for a walking holiday, that's not your fault.

Do your due diligence, and take reasonable precautions to limit the risks. Any more than that is simply not your concern. Focus on planning an exciting new route for yourself, and enjoying the changes to come.

[sonicasura]

A Pokemon Trainer gets dropped into the Godzilla/Kong Monsterverse, how much chaos will that one person cause?

People from the Pokemonverse is guaranteed to make any normal person's headspin upon comparing the differences between both worlds. Sure the kaijus close a lot of damage but they are like tidal waves about it. It happens yet not all the time. Meanwhile Pokemon are so common that getting zapped by a electric rat or your neighbors fire breathing dog keeps burning your flowers is normal.

Know that church up the hill? Well a living soul eating candle named Mr Funky lives there and has a habit of stealing people's lunches. A Pokemon Trainer would thinks normal while any Monsterverse character will have a thousand mile stare hearing about it. This is just simple slice of life shit I'm talking about here!

A Pokemon Trainer wouldn't be that surprised or scared encountering an actual kaiju. They'll probably even admire them and throw compliments when you think of it. Godzilla surfaces cause the trainer is radiating some strange aura so he's ready to fight the current nuisance.

He ain't prepared to the discover this new disturbance is just an odd human whose giving the big grumpy kaiju compliments and isn't bat shit terrified about being crushed. I definitely think Godzilla is the type to follow someone if they pique his interest so congrats to the trainer for doing it without bringing out their Pokemon. Although Big G is absolutely a possessive fucker when it comes to claims.

The King of Monsters wouldn't feel so offput by PT's team and instead just sorta feel at home. He doesn't exactly fit anywhere but neither do they. Plus they actually behave and not cause trouble unlike most kaiju he knows.

I'm also the type to indulge in the potential chaos of a kaiju being smitten with a Pokemon. (Goodra, Tyranitar, Baxcalibur are a few choices that haunt me if it involves Godzilla. Big G got two paws with Mothra having one.) MONARCH being driven up the wall as they already have to deal with potential offspring from two different kaiju species. They rather not have a third option be added to the mix.

Also the trainer in question is already impossible to track down. They could have a Pokemon like Solgaleo, Hoopa or Lunala to travel between dimensions with ease. Whose to say the trainer also has a 'mon that can use Teleport to escape every ambush MONARCH sets?

Plus dimensional travel has a habit of acting off at times. Like the Trainer could show up on Skull Island during Kong: Skull Island and then later shows up around the time Ghidorah gets freed. Only common factor is that Godzilla or King Kong is involved.

I'm not forgetting about the Pokemon throwing down against a kaiju either. When you consider Dynamax/Gigantamax/Mega Evolutions/etc exist, size absolutely doesn't matter cause a well trained Maushold can beat up Arceus(Pokemon's equivalent to God) with little issue. A Focus Blast to the face will hurt more than a missile.

Imagine how insane it would get if the Pokemon Trainer can utilize Dynamax on their team whenever and wherever. You do collect Dynamax Energy in the form of Watts, Wishing Stones and Wish Pieces in Sword/Shield. Finding a workaround is possible.

Half of MONARCH is about to quit when that small yellow electric mouse turns into a kaiju sized chonker.

[rustyvanburace]

flynn for the ask game!! or if he's already been sent, then isabeau!!

favorite thing about them: While at first I found it a little jarring, going from a completely silent protagonist to one speaking, I'm really endeared to Flynn's gentleness and soft-spokenness. And actually it suits him really well, having once been a silent protagonist. Nor is it even out of left field -- NPCs in IV comment that Flynn is very reserved and quiet. So I'm really glad that IVA kept that even while giving (the real) Flynn a couple speaking lines. I also really, really like that he (the real one) stays humble and reserved in IVA despite his celebrity status. When I first played IVA, I had only done IV's chaos route, so I found everyone praising him to be really jarring. But now having done the neutral route, I can see why and it makes me appreciate Flynn's modesty all the more. Not to mention, it makes the distinction between him and Shesha Flynn's radical "personality shift" all the more apparent. That's good!!

least favorite thing about them: Having said all that… This is more an issue with IVA's writing and pacing, but I do wish that (the real) Flynn got more moments to express himself and really show his own character. Flynn suffers from the same problem that Toki does -- we don't get to see their actual character for the majority of the game and their potential and own development suffers for it. I'm very happy with Flynn's personality in IVA, but the rest of him only serves as a foil for the plot and especially in handing Nanashi the torch.

favorite line: My favorite line WOULD be his comment on Issachar's fishing hook in the bonds route, had I not permanently missed the fishing hook in my first playthrough 😭

However, I do really like his surprised, saddened reaction when he sees Jonathan's and Walter's spirits in YHVH's Universe. I was actually surprised that he even reacts to them in the massacre route even after becoming a semi-mindless puppet, especially when…he no longer has any attachment to the fishing hook in that route aaaauuughhhhh 😭😭

brOTP: EASILY Flynn and Issachar being the bros for life and eternity!!! And he's totes bros with the whole Samurai cast, for sure for sure!

OTP: I like a lot of Flynn ships (minus my NOtp), but Flynn x Isabeau are truly best for each other. I love that Isabeau cares for and is devoted to Flynn, but without sacrificing her own convictions. I do wish though that Flynn showed some attraction to her (again, an issue with IVA's writing).

nOTP: Yeah uh, I really hate seeing Flynn x Nanashi and I hate how popular it is in the Japanese fandom. Big reason why I don't engage a lot with the IVA fandom cause I'm just so tired of seeing that.

random headcanon: I too also lowkey fancy the headcanon of Flynn being a transwoman, based on dialogue demons can give in IV~ We support trans headcanons in this house!

unpopular opinion: Like aside from how certain sides of the fandom treats him with respect to other characters, and what I've already voiced about his writing in IVA, I don't really have an unpopular opinion on Flynn? Kinda hard to when he's mainly a player avatar. He's good that way.

song i associate with them: I'm so sorry, I'm just not good with song association questions. 🥹 I listen to a lot of music but if you asked me to pick one, I'll pull a blank lol.

favorite picture of them: Def the artwork Doi did for the Sound & Design extra! It's so so good to see BOTH Flynn and Isabeau dressed in different clothes! :) Plus, I actually really like that armor Flynn has so it's SO good to see official art of it.

Thank you for the ask!

[kyogre-blue]

Chapter 21-39 complete. Stopped on 39 instead of 40 because I ran out of space on that sheet of paper for notes lol

With this, the Drachma section is complete. There's lots of little deviations between manhwa and novel, but the overall results are the same.

I'm currently spinning Lee Geon around in the microwave in my head, trying to figure him out. There's definitely some subtle differences between the manhwa and the novel, plus his character is... hm

He's described as being filled with madness a couple times, which is interesting in terms of considering what would make him actually go villainous, since he does have strong moral core that never seems to waver much (since it doesn't seem to be based on any particular beliefs).

He genuinely likes causing chaos and combat. Masochist trait indeed.

There's also two instances close to each other where he tells people to do something and is then surprised when they... do that (telling Hugo to throw Sophie into a septic tank, telling the Gemini people not to bother with the teleporter). Is it related to how he doesn't seem to understand the fairly obvious limits everyone except him has, or is it just his personality being thisbitch.jpg?

Due to the narration, there's more detail on how he chooses to do or not do specific things because he's focused on testing his own limits after his abilities were changed with the whole new body thing. It's all quite calculated, given how unrestrained he acts outwardly. He's definitely not a mindlessly charging in type.

Although it shows with varying degrees of subtlety, he does give preferential treatment to Hugo while simultaneously being quite... dude friendship about it, I guess. He gets much rougher with Aquarius when she tries to threaten the kids, and even though he says he's more interested int the materials from the calamity than in Hugo, he does seem to show up immediately when Hugo might be in trouble. Plus, he's almost hilariously determined to meet Hugo's son even when Hugo lies and says he hates "Lee Geon."

Aside from that, there's definitely a mixed bag in terms of the worldbuilding.

Some parts are clarified, again. The stuff with Big Bone is a bit better explained. It's a bone that Lee Geon made from other bones and has no special properties. He used it to lure the Berlin Wolf into water, since that was its weakness, and because he said he used it to beat that calamity, everyone assumed it was a weapon which had a hidden skill, so this misunderstanding makes more sense. Additionally, the manhwa has a weird moment where Lee Geon is surprised that an item has his magical energy, but this is all fairly clear why in the novel. And the stuff with the calamities wanting his item is a bit more consistently presented, so it's less weird.

But at the same time, there's parts where the additional details in the novel just make things more confusing. Like the stuff with "Integrated Exchange" and Drachma. This location being a floating structure gets suddenly mentioned after like ten chapters of them being there. The place was previously described as having a bunch of cliffs...? In general, I'm not even clear which part is the Integrated Exchange and which part is Drachma.

For casual reading, it's not really an issue, but it's a bit annoying when trying to reconstruct the setting for like, fic purposes, haha