#seth: no longer suspicious

[witchysethharper]

"Hm. I see," Seth mused, narrowing his eyes slightly at Nahim for a moment. He already had an issue with Roland doing something similar with his boss, mentor, and father figure and now another councilman made it his business to come in here and bother Rhys as well? For what purpose? Although the mention of the other councilman in question had the tribrid's features softening just a touch. He scoffed out of habit and rolled his eyes. "No, thank fucking god for that," he said unashamed of his honest reaction whenever it came to Roland. "He really does hover around here relentlessly and it's obnoxious as shit. But... wait." He turned back on Nahim, brows raised. "Why are you asking?"

seth’s assessment was anything but subtle. not that it bothered nahim, not necessarily. he’d crossed paths numerous times with those inherently suspicious of those with his sort of standing. marcellino had accumulated a dedicated array of dissidents throughout his time; most of which nahim had been sent to ‘deal with’ to silence any opposition once and for all. now that nahim had inherited the position for himself, he could understand why not all were pleased about the perpetuation of the council’s dictatorship. covering his mouth as he laughed out of sheer habit, nahim shifted his gaze from the other to the door of rhys’ office and gave a curt nod, his attention returning to seth as he returned the smile and clasped his hands behind his back for comfort’s sake. “uh huh. taking up a few hours of his precious time as requested. it’s good for him, i think. even if these sessions were supposedly designed for my betterment, he’s been opening up more and more. who would’ve guessed that it’d be a mutually beneficial arrangement?” glancing over his shoulder to listen out, nahim contemplated his options before turning back to face seth properly, his head cocking curiously to one side as he studied the other. “you haven’t seen roland around, have you? i know he tends to hover around rhys rather… relentlessly.”

[sethsclearwater]

request: “Hey I love your work and wanted to make a request! Reader is Jacob’s little sister and has been best friends with Seth her whole life (definitely harboring feelings for each other lol) and basically once Seth phases and learns about imprints he is terrified to see her and not imprint so he avoids her but since she grew up hearing Billy tell stories about the legends and his grandfather she figures it out and she shows up to his house and refuses to leave until he sees her and of course he imprints and its cute and fluffy and happy!”

warnings: so much fluff

notes: short one but so fluffy

word count: 1.32k

…

you had grown up on the reservation with your family, always hearing the legends of the tribe from your father, billy, and the other council leaders harry and old quil. so when the boys of the reservation suspiciously started disappearing for a while and returning all buff, you knew something was up. 

you didn’t pay too much mind to it though until your brother, jacob black, and your best friend, seth clearwater, had both gone through whatever transition the other boys had gone through in the months prior. billy wouldn’t budge when you asked him about it so you had opted to head over to seth’s house, figuring you’d have an easier time getting it out of him than you would your father and brother.

you and seth had an interesting relationship since you were babies. sue and your mom had you two around the same time and the two of you were attached the hip for as long as you could remember. once he got hit with whatever the rest of the boys got though, it was like he dropped off the face of the earth in an attempt to avoid you.

it was a small town though and you knew he could only hide from you for so long. you adored him and be absolutely adored you but neither of you would admit your feelings for the other for fear of ruining your friendship. 

when you pulled up to the clearwater’s house, you hopped out of the car, running up to their porch in an attempt to dodge the pouring rain outside, and knocked at the door. you saw the light in seth’s room on and could also see that he was at home from the tracking app the two of you had on each other’s phones for emergencies. 

when seth didn’t answer, you knocked again, this time a bit harder, “seth open the door.” you called, knocking again.

you pressed your ear up to the door to see if you could hear anything, and sure enough, you heard his familiar footsteps heading down the stairs, “seth i can hear you - open the door.” you groaned, knocking again.

“y/n i can’t see you right now i’m sick.” seth called back and you rolled your eyes, letting out a huff as you mentally decided to not leave until he opened the stupid door.

“seth i know what’s going on. can you just open the door?” you asked again, sighing when he didn’t answer you, “you know i heard the legends too. you’re not the only one who knows what’s going on you know.” you said softly, sitting down on the porch as you started to realize this would probably take a lot longer than you originally anticipated it would. 

“i have no idea what you’re talking about.” seth’s soft voice came from the other side of the door, and from what you could tell, it sounded like he had sat down on the other side as well.

you rolled your eyes at his stupid attempt at a lie, “jacob already told me what’s going on.” you lied, praying it would convince him to listen to you. 

seth seemed to pause for a moment before responding, “jake told you?” he asked and you hummed in response. 

“told me everything this morning.” you lied again, getting up and leaning against the door so he could hear you better, “now can you please open the door? i miss-” you started but were cut off when seth pulled open the door and had you falling inside. 

by some weird work of luck, seth caught you before you hit the ground, pausing as he stared at you. “i missed you.” you whispered, giggling when he pulled you into a tight hug, holding you close to his chest as he rocked you side to side.

“i was so worried it wouldn’t be you,” he mumbled into your hair, holding you tightly against him and you giggled again, peeking up at him confused.

“what wouldn’t be me?” you asked softly, listening to his heartbeat as you patiently waited for his response. 

“my imprint. i was worried it wouldn’t be you.” he mumbled into your hair again and you scrunched your eyebrows together, not having any clue what he was talking about. 

“imprint?” you whispered, pressing your hands against his chest as you looked up at him. 

he looked down at you seeming just as confused as you were, “didn’t you say jake told you everything?” he asked softly, still holding you close to his chest, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles against your lower back.

you shook your head, “he didn’t tell me anything. jus’ didn’t think you’d let me in otherwise.” you admitted, cheeks a bright pink as you admitted your fib, “i figured out the whole shapeshifter part on my own.” you added softly, tightening your fists on the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

his lips curled into a smile, “you’re something else,” he whispered teasingly, “you know the legend about taha aki and the third wife?” he asked softly and you nodded, all too familiar with the legend seeing as you’d heard it a million different times now from your father. 

“she was his imprint.” he explained, sliding one of his hands up to cup your jaw, gently brushing a piece of stray hair behind your ear, smiling when you leaned into his touch.

“like soulmates?” you asked softly and he nodded, pulling you back to his chest so he could press his lips to your hair as the two of you took a deep breath, “i think i always knew you were mine.” you whispered, peeking back up at him after a moment of silence.

“you’ve always been smarter than me.” he whispered back teasingly and you giggled, allowing him to cup your jaw in his hand, gently prompting you to look up at him as he rubbed gentle circles on your cheek with his hand.

you offered him a small nod of consent before he was leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. you ran your hands up his chest, tightening your fists on his t-shirt in an attempt to pull him closer to you as he held you tightly to his chest, both of you incredibly relieved to finally admit your feelings for eachother after spending so long in denial. 

after a few moments, seth pulled his lips from yours to let you catch your breath, resting his forehead against yours, “‘m sorry i wouldn’t let you see me.” he whispered and you just offered him a small smile, “i was worried i wouldn’t imprint on you.” he admitted and you giggled, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. 

“imprint or not i was planning on keeping you around for a long time.” you whispered back and his lips curled into a smile, “can we watch that movie now? i’ve been waiting for you for 2 weeks.” you added, both of you letting out breathy laughs at your comment. 

“‘course we can pretty girl.” seth mused, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead before letting you go so he could get the movie set up for you two to watch in the living room.

[celzarts]

"The Answer Was Love."

"I'm very happy to be Seth's friend... until that day comes." SethBelle angst based off that last line in the trust/companionship box. hope you guys like it!

“I’ll come over after my shift. Looking forward to another movie night!” Seth’s text read. Belle tossed her phone aside as she lounged on the couch in her room, a lingering smile on her face. Wise came out of his room and passed by her open door. Her smile caught his eye.

“Seth’s coming over again?” he asked. Belle nodded.

He gave her a knowing smile. “Alright. Don’t stay up too late. You’re opening up the shop tomorrow.”

“I know, I know,” she waved him off. He chuckled and heads downstairs. Belle could hear him opening the door to the staff room downstairs and Fairy greeting him with her robotic voice. She allowed her thoughts to drift again back to her boyfriend, Seth.

How was it that they had met, again? Like all of their other friends, he had stopped by the video store. His optimism and energy were perfectly matched for Belle’s, and it was just so easy to talk to him, either talking about movies, or when he’d invited her out to visit the florist at Lumina Square.

He was so easy to like. His pure ideal of justice, his passion for righteousness, his straightforward personality… Belle found herself constantly texting him and asking him to hang out together after his shifts. Getting him to finally realize that she wanted to be something more than friends was the hard part.

She giggled upon remembering his flustered face that evening as they were walking by the river along Lumina Square. “Wait- you- wh- huh?!”

“I like-like you, Seth. Could we go out together? Like… as a couple?” She fiddled nervously with her fingers as the gentle river breeze tousled her hair.

“Wh- you? And me? Wait, really? Hold on, does your brother know about this?” Seth’s panicked voice raised a pitch as his tail started to sway from side to side.

Belle laughed. “Yes, of course he does, silly. You come over to watch movies all the time!”

“I- yes, but I thought you did that with all your friends. And you watch movies with Wise too!” He looked away, a blush creeping onto his cheeks, his ears pricked upright.

“Yes, but not as much as you!”

It went on back and forth for what felt like an hour. Seth would get flustered, and then distracted, and Belle would have to pose the question to him again - it reminded her too much of those cheesy ‘will they, won't’ they’ rom-coms, except that this was very much real life and she just had to fall for the most innocent PubSec officer in the precinct.

Eventually after flailing her arms almost in rhythm to Seth’s wagging tail, she took his hand and hugged him close. While they had sat together on the couch many times before this, they had never been this close to each other, not even to Seth’s long tail which commonly draped over her cushions. He froze up, not moving a muscle. But as he finally relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, he sighed, “Yes, I… this is nice. I would very much like to be with you, Belle. I don’t know who… who else I’d want.”

Back in the present day, Belle kicked her feet. Not that she had much experience before, but Seth really had been the dreamiest boyfriend she could have ever asked for. And it would have been a perfect dream, except for what she did on the side.

Phaethon. Whenever Seth came over, Wise would take on the commissions so that Belle could wrap up on running the store, so as not to seem suspicious. But this couldn’t go on forever. She knew that as she and her brother got closer to the truth about Hollow Zero, their secret identity as Proxies would come to light. And well, hopefully by that time, proxies would no longer be outlawed anymore.

But would Seth be able to take such a betrayal? Knowing him, the very fact that she had lied or hidden anything from him would lead to a break of his trust. The thought that Seth might arrest her himself was a thought terrifying to Belle more so than any horror movie in Random Play.

As Seth’s arrival drew closer, Belle headed downstairs to tidy up the video stock and fully close up for the night. She thought to maybe head over to 141 to load up on some snacks for the movie session later, and to also get some supper for Wise. There were a bunch of commissions he had gotten from Shepherd, so it was going to be a long night ahead for him, and she knew her brother was not much of a night owl.

“Hey Wise, what sort of noodles would you like for dinner?” Belle asked as Bangboo 6 obediently pulled the door open for her. The blue glow of Fairy’s AI across the screens showed that Wise was currently piloting Eous through a Hollow.

“Hmm?” he hummed, his gaze fixated on the computer, glowing brightly as his eyes flickered around, clearly scanning his surroundings through Eous.

“If you don’t answer soon, I’m going to get pumpkin soup~” she sang, stepping in towards his seat, leaving the door open. Normally, she would never dare to do this, especially when the store was open. But the video store was closed and no customers were left. And Seth wasn’t due to arrive for another half an hour. 

“Ugh, ew! Spare me.” Wise made a face. “Uh, not you, Billy. Sorry, I’m talking to Belle.” He leaned back in the chair and turned to face her, eyes glowing. “Just get me a sandwich from 141.”

“What are you doing?” Seth’s voice rang in from the door.

“I- Seth?!” Belle jumped up, and so did her brother. Wise immediately tapped a few keys on the computer. His eyes dim, and Fairy disappeared from the screen, having the good graces to keep silent on this upcoming confrontation. Belle knows that Billy and the others were muted, but not left alone. Wise could still direct them through Eous, even if it would only be through gestures.

“You… What's going on here? What’s that?” Seth walked in, looking suspiciously at the computer set-up. “I thought this was a storage room for your videotapes? What’s all… this?”

“It is!” Belle laughed shakily, trying to point towards the shelves of tapes next to the television. “We also keep a computer down here, cos sometimes we get lazy to go up to our rooms just to search something up, right, Wise?”

“Uh… yeah! What’s wrong with a computer, Seth?”

“Hmm… nothing, except about the way your eyes were glowing. And what I saw on those screens up there was definitely Hollow data.”

“Um… that’s… research! Some movies are about Hollows, we’ve seen those together, Seth. Come on, I’m about to go get some snacks, let’s go to 141.” She tried to drag him away, tugging on his arms. But his tail was swaying slowly from side to side, ears flicking periodically. Belle knew he was thinking. Seth may be dense, but he wasn’t stupid. 

Her worst fear was about to come true.

“Belle…” Seth began, his voice almost a low growl. “Wise. Are you two… proxies?”

“I…” Belle faltered. She didn’t want to lie to him. Not anymore. Wise and her share a glance. He opened his mouth but closed it, raising his eyebrows. He was letting her make the call. It was Seth, after all.

She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “Yes. Wise and I… we’re proxies.” 

“Unbelievable,” Seth snapped. He pulled his arm out of Belle’s grasp. “All this time?”

She didn’t dare to return his glare. Wise kept silent and looked down at his feet. Seth could feel his fur prickling. His hand twitched on the bag he was carrying. His officer gear was still in there, including a pair of handcuffs. But this was Belle. He wouldn’t arrest her, would he? All her chirpy conversations with him, the way she had offered comfort when he talked about his brother, all the silent moments by the river when they had just looked out at the Hollow with her head on his shoulder…

“Seth…” her quiet voice pierced through his thoughts. “Please. I.. I can explain.”

Proxies were outlawed. They took on the shady and dirty jobs that the HIA would never do, which usually meant illegal mining of Etheric matter, gang fights, and everything else, everything against what he stood for in Public Security. He was here to uphold the law, and here she was breaking it.

“I don’t want to hear it. There’s no explanation, no excuse, for knowingly breaking the law,” he said through gritted teeth. “We’re done.”

He almost ran out of the store, ignoring Belle’s cries behind him, a million thoughts in his head. His own voice berating him - you’re a fool, a fool for believing that she was just a sweet girl. You couldn’t see through people again. She played you like a chump and all this while you realised nothing. 

Was none of it real? He thought back, and somehow the voice in his head had no answer for him. The way she first took his hand, her kind words of comfort after he had another argument with his brother, her laughter every time he got flustered and mixed up his words… Was all of it just for show? Just to lead him on, to keep him preoccupied, so that he would never notice her illegal actions just right under his nose? They did always say that the safest place was always the most dangerous, and what better way to conceal her proxy activities than to distract an up-and-coming PubSec officer?

He shook his head violently, his tail flicking irritably back and forth as he continued on his way back to the PubSec dorms. So much for finishing up training earlier today. Seth walked through the dark and quiet office when he noticed a light still on in the office he shared with Captain Zhu Yuan and Officer Qingyi. He peeked in to see Qingyi still at her desk, scanning over the documents placed in front of her.

“Senior Qingyi? You’re still here?” he asked.

“Seth?” she looked equally surprised to see him. “I’m just scanning through some evidence while I charge a bit more. But didn’t you leave training earlier to meet with Belle? What are you doing back here?”

“Ah…” he looked away. The pain in his heart was still fresh.

Qingyi raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen how your ears droop when you’re upset. Did something happen?”

“I… We… She…” Seth struggled with the words. Should he tell Qingyi about Belle’s true identity now? Or just tell her that they were over and there was just nothing more to it? Sure, it’s not like Qingyi was someone he would consider a close enough friend to spill his feelings towards, but she knew Belle too.

He sighed. “Senior Qingyi… What do you think of Belle?”

She looked at him in surprise at his question, but her expression changed into a knowing one as Seth slid into his chair at his desk opposite of hers. “Did you two youngsters have an argument? That’s normal for relationships. Just give it some time and talk through it after.”

Seth groaned, slumping over onto the table. “Please, I don’t want any lectures now. Could you just answer the question?”

“Belle, huh… positive and easygoing. She’s fun to talk to, and pretty game for anything. Did you know she joined me when I told her about that hotpot challenge?”

“Oh, really?” This wasn’t news to Seth. Belle had told him all about it, and how they had both just failed the very very spicy challenge, and she was complaining about how much her mouth hurt that day. Remembering her pout and how it led to them sipping on boba tea while on a walk around Lumina Square, fingers interlocked, brought a wisp of a smile onto Seth’s face. 

But no. That’s over now. He hit his head on the table with a thunk. Qingyi paused in between her own sharing of that hotpot event and looked over. 

“You know…I think she’s hiding something. Her and her brother,” Qingyi quietly said. 

Seth jolted up. “You think so?” When Qingyi looked over in puzzlement, Seth realised his reaction and averted his eyes. “I mean, I just… ugh, I don’t know.”

“There’s that righteousness of yours again, Seth.” Qingyi tapped a finger on her desk and pointed it at him. “I scanned her Bangboo. It’s clearly modified beyond even what we have here at PubSec. And… I’m pretty sure it’s the same Bangboo as the one belonging to that Proxy that saved me and the Captain in the Hollow.”

“And you… never thought to investigate?”

“Why should I?”

“Didn’t you think it was… suspicious? Or that it needed reporting?”

“Sure, but she saved me and Zhu Yuan. I don’t know about what you think, but that to me is enough to not warrant an arrest.”

“But, but…” Seth sputtered. Qingyi rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Seth. You’ve worked for a while already, surely you know that justice isn’t always black and white. If she’s using it for good, then isn’t that good enough? It’s just a means to an end.” The twinkle in Qingyi’s eyes told Seth all he needed to know that she already had the siblings figured out. But it was in no one’s best interests to reveal anything.

“Plus,” she continued, “did you hear her out on why she was supposedly doing such illegal activity?”

Grudgingly, he shook his head. His tail drooped in defeat. He knew he had let his own sense of justice and his emotions get the better of him again, much like that case with Jane where he almost jeopardised the investigation.

“You see? I told you, just take some time off, then talk it out. You’ll work it out,” Qingyi said.

Now it was Seth’s turn to roll his eyes. “Uuuugh.”

Belle pressed her knees close to her chest. She had already gone through an entire box of tissues, but the tears were still streaking down her cheeks and she was still sniffling. The movietape lay unopened on the coffee table in front of her. She had been so sure that Seth would enjoy the action flick she finally managed to get her hands on after telling him about it for months. He was probably never going to get around to it now.

“Belle?” A soft knock on the door and her brother’s muffled voice came through her sobs and sniffles. Seemed that he managed to wrap up the commission with the Cunning Hares earlier than expected. She could hear his sigh and the awkward shuffling of his feet. “Look, take all the time you need. But I’ll…I’ll start packing tonight. I’ve already called on Caesar and the rest of the Sons of Calydon, and they’ll help to pick us up. I’ll help you out in the morning, okay?”

She doesn’t respond, and Wise doesn’t wait for her to do so, and she hears him shuffle away to his room. Packing. They would have to move, again. And after all these years at Sixth Street, she had wanted to call it home. It was home. They had built Phaethon here, and even after losing that account, they were building back the new one just fine. They were getting so close to finding out the truth. But for their own safety, they would need to move, move to somewhere where the rules of Public Security were looser, where it would be safer for them. It was already risky living in the city right under PubSec’s nose. But now that an officer like Seth knew the truth, the risk was too great. The truth about their mentor took precedent.

Belle wished it didn’t have to. Life almost felt… normal, with Seth. Just running a videotape store recommending quirky movies to regulars, eating noodles down the corner, going on coffee dates by the riverside, she actually felt like a regular citizen. A citizen kept safe from crooks and criminals thanks to Public Security officers like Seth. And now thanks to PubSec officers like him, they had to become fugitives. Again.

She threw a cushion at her television in frustration, letting out a strangled cry. 

The next morning, Wise picked up the boxes from his room and carried them downstairs. Noticing the pile of boxes already there, he placed them down and peered into what was left of their staff room, to find Belle already sitting on the sofa, staring listlessly at the television news broadcast, and holding a coffee cup.

“Belle…” he said softly, his eyebrows furrowing. As he slid onto the sofa next to her, she flung her arms around him tightly and began sobbing into his chest. “Silly girl… you should’ve let me help you with your packing,” he said, embracing her tightly as he gently ruffled her hair.

Her eyes puffy and her cheeks still pink, Belle and Wise load up most of their boxes into Steeltusk. She was very thankful that Piper was the sole driver from the city; she wasn’t sure if she would be able to speak on things to Burnice and Lucy, and she didn’t know how much Wise had told them about why they had to suddenly move to Blazewood. 

As Wise loaded up the HDD where Fairy resided into their car, Belle spent one last lingering moment in the video store. The empty shelves that were once full of videotapes, the bustling counter where they had met their members, the staff room where they did all their commissions.

And upstairs, her cosy, comfortable room, where she had once watched many movies with Seth.

“Do you both really have to go? We all saw you as part of our family here on Sixth Street.” Belle remembered the conversation she had with Elfy when she had popped by Bardic Needle to say goodbye.

“Yeah, and so far out of the city, all the way to the Outer Ring?” Enzo had chimed in.

Belle could only smile sadly. Elfy and Enzo had shared a glance, and did not press further. General Chop, however, was a bit more blunt.

“Pah, I guess that’s what happens when you get too close to a police officer,” he had grumbled, earning him a sharp elbow to his ribs from Tin Master.

“You’re always welcome back here,” Elfy said, taking her hands. “We’ll hold on to the store for as long as we can. We… can’t bear to see you go.”

Belle’s eyes had watered, again, as she nodded before heading back to the store, its storefront now empty, its lights off, its interior dim and empty.

“Belle…?” Wise’s voice took her out of her memories. “Shall we go?”

He waited patiently, a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder. If anything, Belle was glad that her brother would always be standing by her side. “Mm,” she nodded, leaning in to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked her to her side of the car. 

“Would it help if we stopped by…” Wise’s voice trailed off. Belle knew where he was suggesting - their true home, now in the depths of Hollow Zero. She nodded.

Seth ran through the streets. His chest was burning, his muscles flaring, his fur unkempt. His conversation with Qingyi had kept him up the entire night, reflecting. Ever since he became a practicing investigator, he had seen many more cases that he had learnt about in the academy. Many cases that ended up with no straightforward answer on whether or not justice had been served.

In most of those cases, he had managed to find a reasonable answer for himself. An answer that he could live with. But now faced with this broken relationship he had with Belle, he needed to get an answer from her. He knows that he had spat out yesterday that there was no explanation for knowingly committing a crime. But if it was Belle… he wanted to hear it now. He berated himself for letting his emotions and his mouth run before him.

He ran straight from training all the way to Sixth Street. Feeling his feet pound the street might have eased the pounding of his heart. He would hear her out. For her. For her. He arrived drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Now that he was here, Seth began to wonder if he should prepare something to say. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to apologize. If he had to apologize. Okay, yeah, maybe he had to apologize for some things that he had said.

As he walked down the street, it was hard to ignore the way the shopkeepers stared at him. Tin Master had turned to his coffee instead of giving him a wave, and General Chop had looked at him in disdain. Seth started to feel almost ashamed, ever since he became a Public Security officer. They were meant to be protectors, and yet here he was feeling like a criminal. Probably something he had made Belle feel when he had walked out on her yesterday. Ugh, now he felt like a real chump.

The storefront was empty when he approached it. The records box they left outside, the tapes in their window... The lights were out when the store should still be open at this hour. Seth felt a growing pit in his stomach. He ran towards the store, almost crashing through the door, and he heard his own voice crack as he shouted out, “Belle!”

His shout echoed through the now empty Random Play store. His eyes darted around. All the tapes were gone, even all their posters and decor. He ran into the archive where he had caught them, and it was cleared out, with some of the locker doors even left ajar. It was clear they had packed and left in a hurry. 

“No… it can’t be…” his voice trailed off as he dashed upstairs, taking two steps at a time, to see that their rooms had been cleared of anything that had made it theirs, leaving only the bare furniture behind. The cushions that had adorned the sofa in Belle’s room, her little trinkets, her photo wall… all gone. But he was relieved to see that she didn’t leave the photos they had taken together behind. She might have taken it with her.

“They left just a while before you arrived,” Elfy’s musical voice drifted through the ajar door as Seth ran back downstairs, panting. He blinked at her, mouth agape. Belle and him had gone on a date in her store before, listening to music and relaxing the day away. Elfy was no stranger to him, but now she looked at him with bitterness.

“I… where did they go?” He could only ask.

“To the Outer Ring,” she replied. He gasped. In all his missions, he’d been to Hollows, but never a place as… well, as seemingly lawless as the Outer Ring, where biker gangs and bandits appeared as though they ran amok without the arm of Public Security to wrestle them into order. That Belle would go to such a place? Just to avoid him?

Whatever her explanation was for being a Proxy was looking to be even more important to her and Wise than he had realised, if they had to leave to such a place to ensure they could continue with their work. And from the way that Elfy was looking at him now, it was also clear that she had known what the siblings were up to.

“...you knew as well?” he asked.

“Are you investigating me, officer?” Elfy shot back, a warning note in her voice.

“I… no. I don’t know.” He fumbled with his hands on his baton and his cuffs. She eyed him warily. Finally, he shook his head. “I just…I just want to see her again. And tell her I’m sorry. I just want… to know why she’s doing this.”

Seth and Elfy stood in silence for a long while. He looked up slowly, expecting her to have just left him in the darkness of the now quiet Random Play store that used to be playing movie trailers of all kinds, but was both glad and surprised to see her still standing there, leaning against the doorframe, chewing on her lip. Elfy turned away, and Seth thinks that now she is going to leave him in the dark.

But she gave him directions. “They went to Blazewood. They have some friends there from a…commission.” Her eyes flickered to him, and he knew what she meant. “We… The neighbours here on Sixth Street are holding on to the store for them, for a while. Until the precinct has to claim it back because the owners aren’t residing here anymore.”

Seth swallowed. Elfy looked him straight in the eyes.

“I hope you can convince them…convince her to come back. Despite what they seemingly do outside of the law, they’re our treasured friends that have helped us more than once. That surely outweighs their supposed crime, don’t you think?”

She turned and left, returning to her own store, leaving Seth to look down at his feet and ruminate on her words. Considering all the people that the siblings had helped, even saving Captain Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, plus he had heard that they had also supported Section 6, it got clearer and clearer that they had never intended to work for evil. Even more so, all these just proved that clearly, they were good at what they did as proxies. Perhaps even the best, much like what he had heard about a previous legendary proxy named Phaethon that was the talk of Inter-Knot and that had given Public Security a headache in trying to track them down.

Seth fired off a text to Zhu Yuan, letting her know that he needed to take an emergency leave for the next day as he jogged back to the dorm to pick up some extra clothes. She replied back just as quickly: ‘I heard something happened between you and Belle from Qingyi. If it’s an emergency, then please do go. Take care. It would be a shame to see the both of you turn sour.’

If even Zhu Yuan would say something like that… Belle and Wise were clearly cherished by the people around them. This wasn’t something justice could answer. He had to find something else, a different kind of reasonable suggestion that he could accept for himself. But now the main problem was… how was he going to get to Blazewood? He had never ventured far out from the city, much less to the Outer Ring. He was completely at a loss.

That is, until he saw a familiar biker walking across Lumina Square.

Belle sputtered as Caesar gave her a heavy pat on the back, causing her to almost drop Eous’ charging station. “Your brother told us that you guys were at risk of being found out as proxies and needed to relocate for a little bit. I’m sorry to hear that you had to move so quickly, I’m sure that’s always difficult. We’re here for you, eh? I’ll see you at Cheesetopia for dinner. Nitro-Fuel’s on me tonight, and we’ll talk it out, yeah?”

Belle nodded and managed to squeak out a ‘thank you’ under Caesar’s pats of comfort. As Caesar left the room to continue taking out the boxes from Steeltusk, Belle continued to plug the charging station in and straightened up, looking around the little house that they were now going to call home for the next few… days? Weeks? Months? She didn’t know. As much as she loved Blazewood and the Sons of Calydon, she still wished to be able to go back to Sixth Street.

Her new room was a lot smaller, for one. It was much more… rustic, as Wise had called it. The wooden boards would occasionally creak under the footsteps, and instead of the ambient sounds of the rumbling of traffic in the city, it was replaced with the roar of bike engines and the heavier rumble of trucks. 

She looked at the memory board she had put to the corner of the room. Her polaroids taken with Seth were still pinned on it. When she had packed she had just lifted up the whole thing and threw it in. Now that she was looking at it, filled with fond memories that she had with each of the friends that they had made since starting the new account, dotted with the photos she had taken with Seth on their dates together, everything seemed to hurt.

She had half a mind to throw the entire thing into the burning oil can outside. As she felt the tears burning in her eyes, she picked it up and began to drag it outside. Wise and Caesar were still back at Steeltusk, deep in discussion. They didn’t notice Belle’s shaky breaths and trembling legs carrying the board to the fire, until-

“Woah there,” Lighter’s voice reached Belle’s ears and she stopped in her tracks.

“You sure you wanna be throwing that away?” he drawled, his intense gaze peering at her from under his sunglasses.

“None of your business what I want to keep and what I want to throw away,” she mumbled.

“That’s fair.” Lighter raised up both his hands in mock surrender. “But judging by what’s on there, I think it’s his.” He stepped aside to reveal Seth, who had been waiting behind him, mouth slightly agape, dressed in his casual clothes. 

Belle froze, a tear rolling down her cheek. Definitely the last person she expected to see out in Blazewood. He was wearing the same thing when they went on their first official date together as a couple. Was it on purpose?

“I’ll take that,” Lighter stepped in and easily lifted the memory board from Belle’s grip. “You two have a good chat.” He nudged, or rather shoved Seth forward, and then left to put the memory board back into the house.

They both stand in silence for a while, fidgeting uncomfortably. Belle played with the zipper on her jacket, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Seth’s tail swaying from side to side. She tried to peek over to where Wise was standing, trying to think of a lame excuse. Unfortunately, such a thing wouldn’t work on a brother who knew exactly what she was up to. Wise caught her eye and shook his head violently, raising his eyebrows. He mouthed his reply, “Talk it out.” Slightly annoyed, all Belle could do was to continue looking at the grains of sand beneath her feet.

As the silence got too much for both of them to bear, they both spoke at the same time. “I can explain.” “Can we talk?”

Seth cleared his throat as Belle quickly looked down again. “Let me drive you somewhere,” Belle finally said, and gestured towards the minivan. He nodded, and they walked in silence to the car. As they drove down the highways, looking out to the Outer Ring where the Hollow churned in the distance, Seth let out a long sigh.

“I’m… I’m really sorry for my outburst. I should have at least let you explain. I spent these past two days reflecting. Most of the time, when criminals, no, when people do… criminal activities, they tend to have a reason that drives them so strongly to do it. I saw parents kill for their children. Siblings steal for each other. Friends that would throw a riot just to stand up for their buddy. I should have known better than to lump you of all people, and Wise too, together with those truly evil people who genuinely wanted to harm others just for fun.”

As Seth rambled, Belle remained silent. In the past it was usually the other way around, where she was excitedly sharing about her day, or a new movie that came in, Seth was happy to just sit and listen, or to chime in with his own perspective. Even after just a heart-wrenching day where she thought she would never speak to him again, Belle realised just how much she had missed his voice.

“...so I’m really sorry. I’ll listen to your explanation. I know you probably have a really good reason for all this. Will you… forgive me?” Seth asked, looking out of the window.

“I already do,” Belle found the words slipping out of her lips even before she realised it. “Does that also mean you won’t give us up?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly, causing her to look at him in surprise. She had expected him to wrestle with it, maybe even hesitate a little. She didn’t want him to compromise on his own beliefs for her sake. After all, it was what she really liked and admired about him. He noticed, and his tail swung nervously. “I mean… I don’t think I could bear to do it, even after saying all that. And plus, I think whatever your explanation is, is a good enough reason to let you continue your research. I’m sure of it.”

Her mouth twitched, tempted to break out into a silly grin. But she bit down on her lip to not get too ahead of herself yet. Belle knows he picked up on it, as his eyes flickered ever so slightly down to her lips, but he looked at her with those lavender eyes, encouraging her to share.

“Here,” she said, as they arrive on the outskirts of The Chasm, the edge of Hollow Zero. She got out of the car and he followed after her in confusion. As she lightly touched the scarf her, Eous, and Wise had tied on their previous visit, she told him everything. How her and Wise were students at Helios Academy, how their mentor had trained them as proxies, how she was framed as the cause of the Hollow Zero disaster. How their Proxy work was all in a bid to clear her name, so that they could find the justice that she deserved.

How ironic that Belle would be speaking of justice like this. As Seth listened to her story he almost wanted to laugh bitterly or even slap himself for it. He looked at the churning Hollow in the distance, and how Belle’s real home was swallowed within. They had managed to carve out a safe place for themselves on Sixth Street, and because of him they had rushed to leave it all behind.

Seth thought back to the conversation he had with Lighter when he had approached the latter in Lumina Square asking for a ride. He never would have thought he would approach the biker, much less with a favour to ask. But being an officer meant dealing with all sorts of people, and Seth acknowledged internally that he still had a long way to go on judging books by their cover.

Lighter’s eyes had narrowed. “And you want me to bring you to see the Managers at Blazewood?”

“Yes, I know I messed up, and I want to apologize to Belle properly.”

“How do I know you’re not going there just to bring them both back in handcuffs?” Lighter had asked.

“I don’t have any on me, see?” Seth patted his jeans and even opened up his bag to show Lighter, who had rolled his eyes and averted his gaze. “Plus I did a lot of thinking. I don’t think they’re bad people. I don’t think I want to arrest them.”

“Hmph,” Lighter scoffed. “You know they left in the first place because of you?”

Seth wrung his hands. “Yes, and I feel terrible about it. I knew they were happy here. Not that they didn’t like Blazewood, of course.”

“Well then, I hope you have a damn good apology to bring them back,” Lighter had said after a moment’s pause, and tossed him a spare helmet.

“...that’s why I have to be a Proxy. I have to continue to find out the truth.” Belle dug her fingers into the fence, her eyes looking out with determination at the inky blackness of the Hollow. Her determined voice snapped Seth back to reality, and he blinked his eyes, looking at her. 

Slowly, he approached her, then he gently took her hand from the fence and pulled her into a warm, tight embrace. She had tensed up, much like that very first hug back at Lumina Square when she was trying to show him how she felt. And just like that time, she returned his embrace, clinging to him tightly. His warmth, his strength, his smell, she wanted to take it all in.

They held each other like that for a while when Seth finally spoke, his breath tickling her ear. “It must have been hard… everything you’ve been through. I’m… sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know one day I’ll get to the truth with Wise,” she replied, her voice coming out as a muffle against his chest.

Seth gently let her go, looking firmly into her jade eyes that still shone wet with tears. He slowly caressed her cheek. “And until that day comes… will you let me help you and be by your side?”

Her mouth curved into a smile, one that he would like to keep on her face for as long as possible. Where he would never need to brush away any more tears. “Will you do that for me, officer Seth?” she asked teasingly in return.

He huffed, his face getting warm as he briefly broke eye contact. Even now, she was the only one who could truly fluster him. “I will.” She giggled, pulling him in for another embrace, and only now does Seth also allow himself to smile in relief as he held her close.

In most of the cases that Seth had completed where it was hard to say if justice had been served to the victims of the crime, Seth had managed to find an acceptable answer for himself. And now, for this case of his relationship with Belle, he had finally found a reasonable answer to overlook her and her brother’s unlawful Proxy activities.

The answer was love.

[wingedsublimeland]

Adam’s Therapy Session

The room was simple, almost inviting, with neutral colors and soft lighting. Adam sat on the worn leather couch, one leg crossed over the other, casually strumming his guitar. He wasn’t playing anything coherent—just a series of soft notes filling the air as Dr. Caroline Harlow, his assigned therapist, quietly scribbled notes.

“So, Adam,” Dr. Harlow started, pushing her glasses up her nose, “how are you feeling today? Last week, you mentioned you were feeling... tired.”

Adam chuckled, a low and rumbling sound. “Tired is my baseline these days, doc. It’s a different kind of tired, though. Not the kind where you can sleep it off.” He plucked a melancholy chord. “You ever try corralling a being with rage issues, another who’s a literal black hole for any sense of organization, and then the baby who—bless his heart—finds trouble like it’s his life mission?”

Dr. Harlow tilted her head, smiling slightly. “It does sound exhausting. How do you manage all of that? Not just the chaos, but the... emotional weight of it all?”

Adam set the guitar down, leaning forward, his expression shifting from lighthearted to something darker, heavier. “You know what’s funny? It’s not the chaos that gets to me. It’s the silence that comes after. When they’re all asleep or off in their little corners of this facility, I sit there, and I realize something: I’ve been alive longer than most people can comprehend. I’ve seen worlds rise and fall. Families crumble. Universes end.” He paused, his olive-toned face lined with an exhaustion that no amount of sleep could fix.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you stop asking why things happen. The Garden, the exile, the centuries of wandering... they teach you there isn’t always a reason. Sometimes, things just are. And when you realize that, it eats at you. You’re left holding this... this void where answers used to be. And then I look at my kids—these little pieces of chaos, who somehow still look at me like I have all the answers—and I wonder... How long can I hold them together before they realize I don’t?”

Dr. Harlow’s pen froze mid-scribble. “That’s... a heavy burden to carry. But you do. You’ve been doing it. Even if you don’t feel like you have the answers, you’re still there for them. Isn’t that enough?”

Adam leaned back, his head tilting to stare at the ceiling. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just delaying the inevitable. They’re strong—too strong. One day, they won’t need me, and I’ll be left with... nothing again.” He chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “You know, sometimes I think the universe keeps me alive just to watch me squirm. Every time I get close to peace, it throws another curveball. It’s like some divine comedy I wasn’t invited to laugh at.”

The air in the room grew thick with the weight of his words, a silence stretching between them—until the door burst open with a bang.

“Dad! DAD!” Abel stormed in, his gray eyes blazing with energy and his voice already at full volume. “Cain tried locking me in the box again! And Seth just—”

Before Abel could finish, a much smaller figure darted in behind him. “I didn’t do anything!” Seth squeaked, holding what looked suspiciously like a piece of foundation tech that absolutely shouldn’t be in a three-year-old’s hands.

Adam sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to look at Dr. Harlow. “And there it is, the curveball. Right on cue.”

“Dad, are you even listening?!” Abel shouted, stamping his foot like an indignant teenager.

Adam stood, towering over both his sons but somehow still radiating calm. “First of all, Abel, stop yelling. Second, Seth, what is that in your hands?”

Seth hid the gadget behind his back, looking up his dad weary. “..... nothing.”

“Seth...” Adam’s voice was low and tired, but Seth immediately handed over the device sheepish.

Dr. Harlow cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should continue this session another time?”

Adam glanced at her, one corner of his mouth tugging upward in a faint smirk. “Might be for the best. Parenting never clocks out, you know.” He turned back to his sons, herding them toward the door. “Come on, both of you. We’re going to have a long talk about boundaries and not bothering your old man during therapy.”

Abel huffed but followed, muttering under his breath. Seth, bless this little baby's heart and soul, walked along holding his father's hand a bit nervous.

As the door closed behind them, Dr. Harlow leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly. “Parenting an immortal god-being and his chaos children... They didn’t cover this in school.”

[levinbolts]

i was tagged by @mexipoopy & @neriney to specifically do this for valen, so here we go !

Rules: Tag people and name a character you want to know more about! If you want to let the person you tagged decide who to showcase, then don’t name a character and they can pick somebody. Easy! The person who is tagged will then bold the remarks below which apply to their character &, if they want to, include a picture with their reply!

i'm gonna tag: @peonypyxels (give me elf rn 🔪), @crsentfairy (you have done this so many times but um...i miss seth can i have him 🥺), @rottengurlz (enzo 🤲🏽), & @pralinesims (so like...you've been tagged but can i have vale 🫣)

[ PERSONAL]

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other

✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other (this is a hard one because while they aren't stupid and know the basics, they didn't exactly get a formal education)

✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed

[ FAMILY]

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

◔ Affiliation: orphaned (murdered their birth father at age 14) / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent / not applicable

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between

♦ disorganized / organized / in between

♦ close minded / open-minded / in between

♦ calm / anxious / in between

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between

♦ cautious / reckless / in between

♦ patient / impatient / in between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in between

♦ leader / follower / in between

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

♦ traditional / modern / in between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown (this one is hard also; it depends on who it is and what kind of relationship they have)

[ BELIEFS]

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / spiritual

☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

❀ Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic

☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication /some medication needed / frequently / to excess

☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

[dcviated]

@sercphs sent: "Based off of the information that the Immernachtreich Office provided, it seems that the collapse of Shi South occurred as a combined effort between the Star of the City 'The Blue Reverberation,' and Thelma - the Section 1 Director, someone who was acting heavily in his own self interest instead of following rules and code." The Shi West Section 1 Director stands before the Hana Fixer, old-fashioned clipboard in his hand as he glances over the information on the list. "Projected complete recovery time is suspected to take several months, upwards of over a year. With only a small portion of South Section 2 being returned after the second White Nights, I am personally coming to you as a representative of Hana to aide myself and Shi South in their recovery."

"So many fixers are inclined towards those sorts of actions, aren't they?" The ice blue gaze in the Hana Association's bears down on the Shi director. Or, up, rather. And yet despite that discrepancy in height there's no shortness of intimidation that the silver haired woman seemed capable of. Time and experience had tempered her from her own days working with the other associations. Carried in the expression are no words but a question echoes silently never the less.

And you're not like one of them, are you?

Challenging as her tone may be, the indifference and stalwart mannerism on display is itself largely unaffected. It's too early to say she's impressed by any of Seth's character, but at the least he's not a dog waiting to bark or chase something into a ditch for fun. The City had enough of those for Hana to deal with. To say nothing of phenomena. Both were sources of headaches more often than not. As prestigious as her position may be, there were those times that she missed Liu or other groups.

The climb had ended. Hadn't it? No. Of course not. Eira Kestrova still had a bit further to go before she would truly be free.

"And Thelma paid for his betrayal, before anyone at Hana had a chance to make any corrective actions ourselves." There's a hint of disappointment. Though in Eira's case it's because she knows that she wouldn't have been involved in that operation. Her team was more focused on phenomena and distortions herself. A huntress, set with the task of tracking down these villains that pose a growing threat. Cutting weeds. A dirty task.

This gives Eira an idea of why she may have been sought out by Seth. A Grade 1 fixer. An individual who came to prominence (so to speak) before her time at Hana. He was accomplished. Capable. But also with suspicious connections of his own. Eyes remain narrowed for a moment longer before she relents the undeclared confrontation and judgement. A sweeping gesture becomes a sweeping step. The white coat of her Hana attire flowing behind her as she takes up the clipboard to read for herself.

"I see no reason to decline your request. Hm. Fischl's work here even brings up what I already suspected. The Smiling Faces. What a perfect coincidence as I have my own interests in dealing with them. With Shi South weakened, they're like to try and expand their influences. And in doing so expose themselves."

A smile crosses Eira's features, perhaps just as intimidating as the glare she held before.

"I'll have my team sent over promptly. For now. How about we do some initial groundwork, Seth. I know your sort prefers cutting them down, but it's time to knock on a few doors."

[seth-burroughs]

for the ask game how about both seth and yomi?

MY BOYS >:))))))) THE BOYS

Seth:

favorite thing about them

I can't. fucking. The poncho that tricked me into believing he's a short king but he's like fucking 5'9. The glowy hood belts. How he looks like he's gonna keel over any minute. The bouquet. Him needing to use a megaphone since he just mumbles me too buddy I was pointing at the screen saying "me too buddy" when Yomi was being Yomi about his voice ME TOO BUDDY (it's fine I forgave him). Him taking bribes from the Nail Man because his boss told him to and how he saw nothing suspicious about it. Him ALSO trying to make a deal with the detectives when they get close to finding out. Him being a literal saint compared to all the other peacekeepers (what is wrong with them) and kiiiiiiiind of actually doing his job. His monocle. That shit eating smile. The green. Him existing in (and making) the best chapter in RC. Him getting hit with a helmet so hard he bleeds (guess by who). Him getting progressively less intimidating and more pathetic and cringefail with every scene he's in. The concerning Burroughs family loading screen trivia. Him being good at chess and liking wind instruments. Him hating untuned instruments. His birthday being in pride month. His winx enchantix form in the ML. Should I keep going

least favorite thing about them

How he appeared completely unannounced out of fucking nowhere to be the best character in the game in like 4 scenes total and they then just. hauled him off.

The disrespect is unbelievable I was in denial the whole game every chapter I was waiting for him to show up again. He's not even the only peacekeeper that shows up out of nowhere and then we never see them again, hello Swank Guillaume & Dominic. Dare I say MDA:RC should have been longer - not as in, more cases but like. More downtime between chapters to get to know the Guys more. Please

favorite line

"You need to get your watch repaired. Oh dear... the watchmaker is currently detained as a suspect. Just throw away that piece of trash then." you just KNOW he was so fucking satisfied with himself after that he was giggling internally the whole time. What if I killed him

brOTP

Seth & Guillaume nominated for Kanai Ward's most toxic friendship. I hope you die I hope we both die (platonic)

OTP

Seth x therapy and a different job best ship

nOTP

Seth/Yakou I just don't vibe 😔

random headcanon

Most polish man in Kanai Ward he pickles fucking everything. Goes mushroom picking every autumn and dries all the boletes and boletuses to use for pierogi filling. Always makes his own pierogi store bought are disgusting. Puts atrocious amounts of frozen dill on all his surówkas and mashed potatoes. Cucumber soup enjoyer. All of these are about food. I love food I wish I could eat it

unpopular opinion

Don't have any. I agree with mostly everything they're are saying about him here I approve of the RC tumblr community Seth opinions👍👍

song i associate with them

Hmmmmm.......... Sometimes by Nick Lutsko - You see with Yomi I could make an entire playlist, but there is literally only 1 song in the whole world (that isn't like. an instrumental lmao) that reminds me of Seth. My music taste is fucking Sethless.

favorite picture of them

I don't care what the masses say his phantom fucking slayed. People are being so cruel to him fr calling him cabbage head. I mean they're right but

Yomi:

favorite thing about them

How he's so terrible and evil and so fucking sexy about it. Every single time he appears on screen gets a fake zilch zombie esque response from me

least favorite thing about them

I legitimately cannot think of a single bad thing about Yomi

favorite line

I have three!

1. "That's even more impossible than a chance meeting between an umbrella and a sewing machine on an operating table!" what is wrong with him.

2. Not a single line but like. The conversation he had with Yuma when they were alone for a few minutes after we talked to Huesca where Yuma just tries to break the awkward silence with "umm" and Yomi just hits him with the "WHY DO YOU EXIST. WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE"

3. [after Makoto says he has a duty to watch over Amaterasu and Kanai Ward as a whole] "... What? What have you ever done for Kanai Ward? All you do is look down on it from high. The peaceful order you see when you gave upon it is thanks to my righteous justice. I'm the one guiding these lazy fools! I brought civilization to this place! I don't need you messing with the proper order of my city!" :]] I'll leave it without comment go make up your own mind about it~~

brOTP

Him and Fake Zilch. Not because I see them as platonic but because Fake Zilch was like... literally the only bro option that exists for him lmao

OTP

How dare you make me choose between Fake Zilch, Makoto & Yuma

nOTP

Yomi x Martina. I remember when he got introduced and right after he sent Seth to the electric chair, spat on Yakou then left I thought to myself "well at least he's a big wife guy" hoo boy.

random headcanon

Has two beds in his apartment. One shaped like a cool racecar where he has sex with Martina, and one three days grace themed four story bed where he has sex with everyone else. He doesn't sleep in either of them because rest is for soyboys and omegas. Speaking of omegas h- *audio cuts off*

unpopular opinion

Yomi haters are WEAK as FUCK Also he should be allowed to do whatever he wants actually I cheered and clapped when he hit Vivia right on the face with his whip you and me both Yomi you and me both.

song i associate with them

I have an entire playlist for that lmao so I'll limit myself to five: Dear Dictator by Saint Motel, Autotheist by Baby Bugs, Digital Silence by Peter McPoland + The Reason They Hate Me by Daughters. If we're talking about his relationship to Makoto then Want by Recoil and Men by The Dodos are PEAK makoyomi I beg you to listen to them. Pleas e

favorite picture of them

Sigh *pulls out the Yomi folder and starts picking them out extremely carefully*

[xkittypunkerx]

SCREAM - A Beautiful Lie

Chapter Summary and Gang Members: Punk and his gang realize that AJ Lee has returned and begin to make their plans.

Gang Members

2009 Heel CM Punk

SOA Season 1 Jax Teller

James Keenan aka Corey Graves

The Shield Seth Rollins

Jimmy Jacobs

Chapter two

-April Mendez-

Within the next week or so, any stranger would think that we've been living here for years. We installed an amazing improved stereo system, flat screen TV, and a few other needed appliances and such. I guess you could say that our parents really love us.

I groggily opened my eyes to the smell of bacon and eggs flowing through the house. Kofi must be over here showing off his secret culinary skills. I stretched as I got out of bed, and made my way down to the kitchen. "Well look who finally decided to get up," Kaitlyn laughed as she swallowed a forkful of hash browns.

I rolled my eyes, "C'mon, I didn't sleep in that late!"

I noticed that both Kaitlyn and Kofi were staring at the oven clock and suppressing laughter, so I followed their stare and saw that I had slept in until 10 AM! I was supposed to be at an illustration intern meeting in exactly 30 minutes...

"Shit!" I cursed as I ran down the hall to my room and quickly changed into a black and grey pinstriped business suit, straightened my hair, and applied just a slight amount of makeup, enough to look like myself but not so "scary."

I rushed to the kitchen again, noting I only had 10 minutes left. Good thing that this event was on campus, otherwise I'd be mega screwed.

"Ok, I should be back around one, so you guys can go to lunch without me if you want. Um...don't forget to clean up. Peace out!" I yelled as I ran out the door to the truck.

If I wasn't in such a rush, I could've had just enough time to laugh at myself. Seriously, I just sounded like their mother! All humor aside, I pressed the pedal to the metal and pulled into the parking lot mere seconds before the meeting was about to begin.

When I walked in, it turned out that they were still distributing name tags. And much to my surprise, people were still stumbling in after me. Sometimes I honestly believe I worry way too much.

The meeting itself was a great success. I ended up meeting some pretty cool people, some of which I had common classes with this semester, got brochures for internships, and even received a couple of compliments on the drawings I've gathered thus far for my portfolio. Anyone near me could tell that I was excessively ecstatic as I practically skipped back to the truck. At this rate, tonight would definitely be a party night.

I drove home to find two very strange things: it smelled like shit and Kaitlyn had left a note. I plugged my nose in suspicious disgust as I crept into the bathroom to see if I could figure out the source of the massive stench.

I groaned as I looked at the chunk of nastiness resting at the bottom of the toilet. The water was raised unnaturally high, and something told me this thing was clogged. My suspicions were confirmed after four flushes, and no success. No matter how many times I tried to flush afterward, it didn't go up or down...now that's really gross. That note better explain what's going on here.

The note was written on the back of some receipt and resting on the corner of the counter.

It read:

AJ, I'm leaving to go look for a job. Kofi said he'll stay here a little longer, but he'll probably be gone before you get back home.

Love, Kait the Great

I rolled my eyes after reading her signature, but then realized that it must've been Kofi who was the one responsible for the clogged toilet, though it doesn't really seem like something he would do...

I groaned as I pulled the phone book out from under the kitchen desk and looked for a plumber. I dreaded the thought of some gross fat man coming here while I'm helpless and alone - talk about paranoia. Remember: keep the past where it belongs.

I forced myself to dial the number and sat on the couch waiting for him to arrive.

-Jax Teller-

"Is anyone else ready to go look for new prey? I need someone to fuck with," I asked in a bored tone as I skimmed through some text messages in my cell.

All of the guys agreed in their own way as we chugged our liquor besides, as if it were water. At this point in our world, liquor was almost necessary to keep the entertainment and creativity flowing.

As I lounged back in the leather recliner, a random memory suddenly entered my mind, causing some beer to slip past my lips as I began laughing. "What's so funny, man?" James asked, eyeing me strangely.

"Do you guys remember April Mendez, from like 3 or 4 years ago? Damn, I would just love to go hunt her down and finally finish off our first project," I suggested.

Punk had a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was reliving memories, before he finally ended up cheering for the idea. He should be the one to support the idea the most, considering the fact that AJ Lee was his girlfriend at the time.

"You know, that would probably be way better than any of the kills we've done lately. It would be challenging to find her, but damn would it be worth it."

Seth stood up and walked over to the computer nearby. He was always the pro when it came to stalking people. "Don't worry, I'm on it!" he announced with a confidence-filled grin.

He quickly typed April Mendez's name in some weird college database and you'd never believe it, but we found her. It would seem that AJ Lee must have forgotten all about us, because she was stupid enough to return to the neighborhood for her college education.

It's a shame she has no idea what she's in for. And I can promise you that she will greatly regret the day she ever decided to return to Chicago. We each exchanged pleased looks as we gathered around the kitchen table, shoving all the fast food wrappers and bloody utensils out of the way so we could plan properly.

The following morning, Punk, Seth, and I decided to go gather some dirt on AJ Lee, find out where she lives, and create a reason for us to return to her new home later tonight. AJ Lee attended a rather prestigious college located right in the heart of Chicago. It was a sprawling campus, with several residential locations.

Of course, since AJ was so much classier than the other freshman, she's living in the gated community of condos. Luckily, the community was along the edges of the campus, right near a thick forest

Seth drove the van off the main road and down the bumpy, grassy hill to the right. If our calculations were correct, then we should be close to her condo...number 233 A. Once we saw the black rod iron fence, we decided to jump it and try our luck.

"Hers is just a couple feet down the street," Punk noted as we walked slowly down the sidewalk.

I decided to go ahead of the other two slightly, just to get a sneak peak inside the house. As it turns out, it would seem we weren't alone. A girl and a guy were both sitting at the kitchen table, chatting. Looks like all we can do is sit and wait until these little inconveniences disappear.

"Hmm, maybe we could snag that chick as an encore or something?" Seth suggested, nodding toward the black and blond-haired girl.

"That could work...or we could just use them against AJ somehow. I don't really give a shit what we do with them, I just want this to be the best work we've ever done," Punk said.

I nodded, "Don't worry, man. We'll use all our tricks on this one!"

We waited in the bushes until we were sure that both people left the condo. Then, we picked the back door lock and made our way inside. Seth whistled and said, "Check out this place!"

I made my way further into the condo, walking down the short hallway until I ran into two closed doors. "Which one do you think is hers?"

Punk shrugged and kicked both doors open with just enough force to get the job done, yet keep the doors' hinges intact. One room was green and the other was black and white. "This one's definitely her room," he confirmed as he stepped into the green room. Oh that's right, green was her favorite color.

She had tons of band posters plastered across the walls, a HIM comforter on the bed, and framed pictures of her with those two other people along the shelves attached to her desk. Punk stared hard at the photos, his eyes holding a hint of resentment.

He shook his head and placed a hand over his heart and said with a tone of false pain, "She doesn't even have a picture of her and me together! I'm devastated." I humored him with a laugh as I scanned the rest of the room, memorizing every bit of it for our return tonight.

"Hey guys we don't know when the bitch is gonna be back so we better work fast," Seth pointed out, leaning casually against the white door frame.

I got up off her bed and found my way down to the basement to mess with the electric system. And just for a little bit of entertainment, Seth decided to run over to the bathroom and take a massive dump to give me a reason to return as a plumber before the real fun begins.

Before we left, Punk changed the locks around so that we had easy access to the condo tonight, regardless of whether or not little defenseless AJ thinks that the door is locked.

"How'd it go?" James asked, briefly glancing up from his Sports Illustrated magazine.

"It's perfect! We've got the whole house rigged for our benefit and Teller's is gonna head back over there in a couple hours just to fuck with her," Punk exclaimed, reaching into the fridge for an ice cold water bottle. "Also, she doesn't live alone. A girl and guy were there earlier today, so we have a couple toys to use on the side."

"The guy actually lives across the street, but the girl does in fact live with AJ. I think we should take her too for a little extra fun for the rest of us," Seth added, showing off his stalker skills once again.

"I agree with Seth. Do you think you two can keep this chick out of the house until we give you a call confirming AJ Lee's capture?" I asked James and Jimmy.

"Her name is Kaitlyn," Seth interjected.

James smirked, "Sounds hot. Besides, Teller, you know we're the best at stalking, distracting, and capturing!"

I assumed that AJ had to be back home by now, so I drove over to this plumbing place downtown that we had a special connection with. Clearly, we've pulled this particular maneuver before.

Before entering the building, I changed into the navy blue jumpsuit and pulled the hat down low over my forehead. I nodded curtly at the young guy working at the front of the counter.

"Tell... Teller, what are you doing here?" he asked, just barely above a whisper.

I stared at him intently, savoring the fear in his eyes. "Relax kid there's nothing to worry about. I'm actually doing the job this time. No bloodshed involved."

He knew all too well that in most cases I used this cover up to sneak inside homes and steal the beautiful women inside. Technically, I wasn't really lying. AJ would stay safe and sound while I fix her toilet. I wouldn't be using a disguise to take her away tonight.

Ten minutes after my arrival, the phone rang shrilly through the tiny building. "I've got this one," I said reaching excitedly for the phone, clearing my throat to sound professional. "Hello, J T Plumbing. What can I plumb for ya?"

"Um, yeah, my toilet won't flush and, well, someone...you know...emptied a little too much and it won't budge. Do you think you can come out here and fix it?" she asked timidly.

I smiled as the tone of disgust in her voice reached my ears. "Sure, thing darling, that's our job. Can ya give me an address please?"

She told me the address and even gave me the code to get past the gate. I told her I'd be there momentarily and hung up the phone. I loaded a few things into the van and headed back over to the campus.

I arrived at her place a few minutes later and had to silence a laugh as I rang the doorbell and waited to see her filthy little face. The hardest part of this whole thing would be pretending to be nice to her, but it would all be worth it in the end.

I formed a perfectly fake, business-like smile on my face once she opened the door. Her eyes widened momentarily and she hesitated to speak after first seeing me. I knew she didn't recognize me... probably assumed I'd be fat and creepy...even though I didn't think all men of this profession were like that.

But then again, I'm not really a plumber.

In the next Chapter: The Gang Kidnaps AJ Lee

[frostyreturns]

“I’ve said for a long time the gmm show/guys are satanists and have speculated that the show (which is rife with pedophilia and occult symbolism) is at least occasionally a front for sex trafficking. Remember in the wikileaks docs where we found out the elites were auctioning off children under the guise of a concert, where they could covertly put children up for sale and the auctioning was mixed in with the weird show so that a casual observer would have no idea what was going on, and would just assume it was some weird avant garde thing... but people who were there to bid would know the signs and codes and how to bid. On past blogs I’ve detailed other similar epiosdes that looked to be doing the same thing... Well take a look at this gmm episode in particular. Keep in mind Rhett has claimed previously that he does have family members who belong to a secret society and has on the show been accussed of abandoning their faith to serve the devil in exchange for fame and money and his response was “that’s exactly right, how did you guess it exactly.” But he said it in that jokey I’m telling the truth in a sarcastic voice kind of way. 

Anyway not every episode looks as nefarious as this one so this kind of content is an outlier but it’s not unique and it’s loaded with red flags.

Red flag #1: Guest is accused pedophile Seth Green who was named by a man who was shortly thereafter “suicided” who claimed Seth personally approached him and revealed not only that he was a pedophile but that Seth tried to recruit him and revealed a dungeon full of chains and childrens toys that he claims Seth said “this is where we keep the “chicken” chicken being a placeholder word for children. What was that show Seth Green did again? You know the one that opens with something being strapped into a chair...robot something...

Red Flag #2 Remember me saying chicken was a common pedophile placeholder for the word children

Red Flag #3

The use of gavels...you know like at an auction

Red Flag #4 This was one of the categories of this game they made up for the episode...a game they never played previously and have not played again.

The round also required the person to give a number, that number could be associated with a monetary value and could constitute a bid or an opening bid. And the person was also asked to detail their sexual skills, which could be the covert description of the person for sale. Also a link quote from this round was “I’m going for a 5 star review and a lot of yelping” which didn’t make a ton of sense in the context unless you see it’s more nefarious potential meaning.

Red Flag #5

In the next round they were required to read out loud their last text exchange. And what he read sounded suspicious as all fuck in the context. This is supposedly the last text exchange in rhett’s phone between him and link “How long of an adventure are we looking for?” “Roughly how many days, the longer the deeper you can go.” “(redacted name) has a lot of experience with this.” “I was thinking two full days, plus a fly day on either end to keep it to four days.” Sounds like maybe what’s up for sale includes a trip somewhere...maybe an island of sorts? Links description said somethign about having a bush removed that made no sense within the context of what he was saying...but again made sense if viewed in the lense im presenting.

This is just me speculating based on what has been exposed about how these types operate, but also keep in mind this is not an isolated thing this is just one of many examples of very suspicious content these shills have put out over years. Like when they did this episode about “products for dragons” 

That episode had them “joking” about eating babies where they make hilarious jokes like speculating that babies taste like lamb, and asking for blood to wash down the immitation baby meat and wondering if it would simulate the screams of a baby being eaten as well. Link even makes a comment about it being kosher for jewish dragons. Seems weirdly edgy for such a neutered tame youtube safe channel meant to be sterilized for mass viewing no? This is also just one of many examples of them simulating eating children over the years. They’ve also eaten ribs out of baby dolls, simulated eating the face off a doll in a separate video and “joked” about eating salt brined children as a christmas snack. So it’s not just one goofy video that could be misinterpreted it’s a pattern.

Again I’m just speculating I have no inside knowledge of these guys or of the people behind their show apart from what they themselves present. But man I feel like you’d need to do more mental gymnastics to disprove what I’m saying than to confirm it...but that’s just me.

[leporinesaber]

Getting my fix don't mind me. Seth/keru 16, ferrand/Paz 2, ferrand/masarec 23, ferrand/paz/masarec 25, paz/masarec 24, afzal/raf 14, isolde/Fenn 3

Seth/Keru - 16

“Dance with me?”

"You know I'm no good at that."

"Incorrect, I know that you are good at that, and that you're just shy."

Seth looks at him flatly, and Keru beams--he already knows he's won when Seth doesn't immediately say no.

"Just one."

"YES!"

Ferrand/Paz - 2

"...you're staring, Paz."

Pazkhal touches one hand to his chest with exaggerated astonishment. "Me? Staring at you? No..."

Ferrand rolls one of his shoulders and huffs a laugh, "Not fooling anyone, let alone me."

"I've just...I’ve never seen you smile like that.”

Ferrand is silent for a moment, most of his face in shadow. But the quiet little grin is still on his face when he turns back. "Get used to it."

Ferrand/Masarec - 23

Masarec curses colorfully as the careful draping they'd been toiling over for the past hour tumbles gracelessly to the floor. Of course, the knight commander chooses this exact moment to visit.

"Rough day?"

Masarec sniffs disdainfully in his general direction, bundling the silk in their arms, "None of your concern."

Ferrand leans in the doorway to their workshop, eyeing the sorry state of their progress. "Need a hand?"

“As if you would really do that for me.”

Ferrand steps wordlessly over discarded drafts to reach for the fallen dressform. Masarec stares at the strong line of his shoulders for only a moment longer than strictly necessary.

Ferrand/Paz/Masarec - 25

Masarec whips by Pazkhal's open study door in a harried swirl of bright red fabric and jingling beads, cackling.

Pazkhal shakes his head and dips his quill once more, just in time for Ferrand to rush by, looking stormy.

When he peers out into the hallway, Pazkhal can't help but double over in laughter. Masarec is attempting to use the hall's banner to scale up to a high window while Ferrand makes a grab for them.

“Why is he chasing you?”

Masarec grins--the cat who caught the canary--and proudly proclaims, "No reason!"

"They started something they won't finish," Ferrand huffs.

"He really does want to finish, if you catch my drift..."

Paz/Masarec - 24

There's the telltale gentle clink of jewelry as Masarec sidles up to him. They can be so charming when they want to be, Pazkhal thinks.

He does not relent, keeps his back straight and his gaze focused on his book for the time being. Barely a minute later, the fidgeting starts. Masarec shifts on the chaise. Pazkhal turns a page.

"I'm just saying. It'd be nice."

Paz hums noncommittally. Masarec huffs, then goes suspiciously quiet. With a shift of silk, they slide off of the chaise.

“Do I have to get on my hands and knees and beg?”

Pazkhal turns another page and deigns to look them over, wild curls spilling over one revealed shoulder. "It would not hurt your case."

Afzal/Raf - 14

“In case I do not come back, I want you to know something.”

Afzal immediately sets down his embroidery and comes to Rafaeyel's side, "Don't say things like that."

Rafaeyel's face pinches delicately, "I will not pretend there is not danger in any outing. You understand this well."

There's always this air of heaviness around him nowadays. Afzal would give almost anything to lift some of that weight from his shoulders.

"The book on the desk..."

Afzal leans into him, listening.

"Do not unmark my page. There would be sever consequences."

Afzal jostles him with snort, and the spark of mischief in Rafaeyel's eyes is a welcome sight.

Isolde/Fenn - 3

Fennimosa finds it harder to leave every time they do this, and Isolde does not make it any easier. She reaches for her in her sleep, unknowing, trusting, even as Fennimosa slips deftly out of her embrace and back into her clothes.

She's not as deft as she thought, clearly, when Isolde stirs awake behind her. "Sorry, darling. I meant to let you rest."

"You're leaving?" Isolde yawns, rolling over to look at her properly.

Fennimosa slides her knives back into place, hidden among her corset's boning, "Yes, darling. I can't stay the night this time."

“What do you mean, you can’t stay?”

She sighs and leans over to placate Isolde with a kiss, though when she goes to pull away, Isolde holds her there for a moment longer, one strong arm looped around her.

"Next time. Next time you'll stay."

[the-annotated-antichrist]

Act I, Track 13 - The Palace Ball

Song links: Spotify - YT Music - Apple - Tidal

This is going to be a longer post. The Palace Ball, one of the two songs in BA that were composed by Linnéa Vikström, is one of the most musical-like tracks with the most storytelling and characterization. It is full of changes of pace and mood and has a lot of dialogue and... subtext!

Linnéa Vikström photographed by Tim Tronckoe

As the title indicates, this song is about a ball in the palace that Seth, as president and emperor, now inhabits. "Lots of stylish guests are strolling around", the scene description states. "Murmurs and toasting can be heard." An opulent scene. A choir sings:

[Guests:] Light of moon is falling through the evening curtains Glittering when finding jewels, gold and all Strolling in excesses, fancy suits and dresses Raising our glasses to the palace ball

"Elegantly dressed, Helena and Johanna enter the newly appointed Emperor's residence."

[Helena:] Follow me, Johanna Join me in a toast [Johanna:] Not so fast, Helena Where is our host? [Helena:] Over there, I see him Elegance and pride [Johanna:] Let us go to greet him Look into his eyes

Helena, as before, admires Seth. Johanna is suspicious. Given that she is on the lookout for signs of the Antichrist's appearance, that she witnessed Seth's outburst in a church a while earlier and given his sudden rise to fame and power, one can only imagine what she thinks of him at this point. After all, in the Biblical Book of Relevation, the Antichrist rules the world for a while during the End Times...

They walk over to Seth. As guests of honour, they are greeted warmly, although the music sounds tense. Helena probably really wants Seth and Johanna to get along, plus Johanna has considerable influence in the Vatican, so her impression of him is important.

[Seth:] Enchanting, yes it is to meet Madame again Allow me now to kiss your tender little hand [Helena:] Such an honor, Caesar, to kneel here at your feet Next to me, my sister, I wish for you to meet [Seth:] This must be Johanna Your eyes do mine entrance May I have the pleasure to offer you a dance?

This may just be my impression, but Seth comes across as somewhat awkward in this exchange. Would you say "tender little hand" to a woman you (officially) barely know..? And he "offers" Johanna a dance, as if he's doing her a favour..? Seth has come to fame very quickly. He used to be an isolated mystic, probably regarded as a bit of a weirdo. Whether this is intentional on the side of the authors or not - he is trying to be charming, but it seems he doesn't quite get the hang of it so far.

The scene description states that Helena willingly offers her hand to be kissed while Johanna is reluctant. Seth "gets an irresistible impulse" to dance the first dance of the night with Johanna, who hesitates, being "a bit jumpy and resolute". Helena is quite socially fluent, but Johanna, much like Seth, is not at home in this kind of situation. She does agree in the end though and the two dance. The conversation, of course, quickly leaves behind the usual pleasantries.

[Seth:] Like wings you cross the air of our tune As night birds do when tides obey the moon [Johanna:] Deeper is your soul than a waterfall Drowning in your memory of God [Seth:] To dance among the somber shadows Pain shall be the drying sun of every rain [Johanna:] What have you to show? Powers from below Powers that are dangling from a string

The scene description states that Seth is "trying to establish deep contact" with Johanna but that she "rebuffs him politely". I don't know if this really matches the lyrics. Johanna is quite direct and reads him accurately - she sees his past as a Christian mystic in him somehow, but also outright states that his powers are coming from hell. She warns that he can easily lose what he has.

Seth does not agree with her dualistic thinking, he remarks rather light-heartedly (listen to the vocal melody here) that:

[Seth:] Light and darkness are the chords we play Two melodies will find a common way [Johanna:] Listen I will not to this evil plot, Caesar So I thank you for this dance

To Johanna this way of thinking is clearly evil. Seeing light and dark, good and evil, merely as aesthetic choices, as opposites to be reconciled, goes against all her convictions. She says so and leaves. Even though he does not express this in words, Seth is, according to the scene description, quite discouraged to have been rejected and criticized so clearly. He walks onto a balcony while the guests continue their celebration.

[Guests:] Light of moon is falling through the evening curtains Glittering when finding jewels, gold and all The silence is unbroken, a million words unspoken By sleeping ghosts awoken at the palace ball

[aishangotome]

Chapter 9-1 Memories of the Holy Shrine (聖殿往事)

Chapter 8 Rumors

.

.

.

Under the cover of night, Avro and I stealthily entered the sacred mountain. Following the route provided by Wanyan Jin, we successfully found the cave where the weapons were stored.

To my surprise, the cave not only contained weapons but also countless treasures of gold and silver. The King of Beikun was even greedier than I had imagined.

A plan formed in my mind.

Princess: Find an opportunity to casually leak information about this place to Seth.

Avro: Why?

Princess: Ugyan, Shanli, and Wute are the key forces supporting the King of Beikun. Among them, Ugyan is the most powerful and dangerous.

Princess: There's a saying in Dacheng called "divide and conquer." It means that if the enemy is internally united, it's difficult to defeat them--

Princess: In this case, we need to make them suspicious of each other and turn against each other, so that we can achieve the goal of annihilating them in one fell swoop.

Avro: Central Plains people are very cunning... Where are you going?

Seeing me turn to leave, Avro quickly followed.

Princess: There's another saying in the Central Plains called "walking into the trap." Have you heard of it?

I let Avro go first and deliberately made some noise, attracting the patrolling guards who brought me before Wurile.

The clue to the dragon vein must be hidden in that magnificent hall. I need to find it quickly.

Wurile looked at me and raised a smile, seemingly seeing through my intentions.

Wurile: Since you're here, come with me to a place.

-

I followed Wurile for a long time, gradually sensing something was amiss.

Princess: Are we... going down?

The dimly lit tunnel spiraled downwards before us. The stone walls on both sides were adorned with exquisite murals depicting gods, stretching endlessly into the distance.

Wurile: One hundred and fifty years ago, the High Priest Saran, guided by the moon goddess, built this temple.

He tapped the wall, and a series of lamps along the winding tunnel lit up, their light reaching as far as the eye could see.

My gaze fell on the murals on both sides--

The gods bestowed gifts, the priest prayed, disaster struck, the divine object was buried...

Wurile: Saran exhausted the resources of Beikun, digging here for twenty years...

Wurile: Does the princess think it takes twenty years to build a temple?

Princess: Of course not.

Based on the mural's records--

Princess: They were digging for...

Wurile: The dragon vein. Saran desperately wanted to find it, just like you and me, princess.

Wurile no longer concealed his purpose. I remembered the illusion and nervously pinched my palm.

Wurile: Don't worry, everything now is real.

Wurile, walking ahead, didn't turn around, but it was as if he could see my actions.

Princess: ... Twenty years, to dedicate twenty years to digging, shows his determination. But why did they stop after twenty years?

Wurile paused, his eyes shifting to the mural.

Wurile: Sigh... The king's tyranny faced its consequences. A massive sandstorm swept across the land, and only the sacred mountain was spared.

His words carried his usual compassion, but a hint of satisfaction flickered across his face.

Not compassion, not even divine indifference, but satisfaction... For the first time, I saw the darkness hidden deep within Wurile, beneath his holy facade.

Wurile: The current royal city was rebuilt on the ruins buried by the yellow sand.

With that, he suppressed his smile and led me forward.

I looked at the mural again--Years later, the divine object reappeared, offered to the king, overlooking the world... This must have been Saran's beautiful vision.

Finally, we stopped in front of a platform. Beyond the platform was an abyss faintly shimmering with fluorescence.

Princess: ----What's down there?

Wurile: The king wouldn't allow those who knew the temple's secrets to leave here alive. Perhaps... even their souls are trapped in this dark underground.

A chill ran down my spine. I averted my gaze from the abyss and looked at Wurile, his expression indifferent.

Princess: ... Saran sought the dragon vein to offer it to the king, for the unification of Beikun. What about you?

Princess: What are you desperately seeking the dragon vein for?

Wurile: To repay a debt to an old friend.

An old friend... A debt... I wanted to ask further, but he interrupted me with a new question.

Wurile: Does the princess know what's hidden within the dragon vein?

I shook my head. After the founding emperor obtained the clue to the dragon vein, he didn't enter it, so the "Yaoguang Record" only recorded its location...

Princess: So, you know.

Wurile: I've been searching for many years.

Wurile: Based on the clues left by predecessors, it's very likely that a map of the mountains and rivers is stored within this dragon vein.

He looked at me, his blue eyes filled with a smile. The dim firelight illuminated him, the dark abyss serving as his backdrop--

Wurile: A map that covers the entire continent, detailing every pass, every river, every mountain range.

Wurile: Does the princess know what it means to possess it?

The holy and immaculate high priest now looked like a devil tempting one to fall. I couldn't help but swallow.

Princess: ... The entire world.

Wurile laughed. At the same time, the entire hall shook slightly, and a whirlwind surged from the abyss, accompanied by a low hum.

Green specks of light in the abyss grew larger and larger. Then, countless butterflies flew out from within.

Their wings emitted a fluorescent green light, like a dancing flame. The wind they created as they flew stirred Wurile's hair and robes.

I stared at all this in astonishment, while Wurile spread his arms amidst the green flames--

Wurile: That's right, possessing the dragon vein is equivalent to possessing the entire world!

A fluorescent green butterfly gently landed on his finger.

Wurile: This butterfly has a very beautiful name--"Yeluosha." But they always like to gather around tombs.

Wurile: The people of Beikun believe they are the souls of the deceased, carrying the thoughts of the living and existing in the world.

The butterflies danced around Wurile and me, then flew towards the exit of the hall. Wurile stepped on those lights and walked towards me.

Wurile: Seeing the Yeluosha, does the princess think of anyone?

.

.

.

.

Chapter 9-2

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[princessdreamie]

DBH part 7

Character references: Na: Naomi (daughter of Kai & Julie), Bu: Bully (son of Nicole and Clayton), N: Nicole, Ct: Clayton, St: Stanley (child psychologist), Co: Cornelia (St’s assistant & Mitchell’s gf), C: Chance, E: Eric, S: Selena, Se: Seth (son of Eric & Selena), Lo: Loid (Bully’s minion/self-proclaimed bestie), Fa: Fabian (one of C’s friends & an actor from Na’s favorite show), Tt: Tigger (N's tiger bot; I know the 2nd t doesn't make sense but I don't think I am going to change it anytime soon heh), Ll: Lolly (Ferguson family's tiger bot. that's only her nickname tho), Br: Chatty/Bratty (N's Daughter, but bratty fits her wax better if you ask me lol)

Ofc there ae other family members as well but i will include them whenever they actually play a bigger part in the story parts.

I highlighted the 2 names since there aren’t many colors I can choose from lol. So that’s why I picked the current most important ones

Tt came with Na to a brand new playground, not the same place where C went to, after he refused to stay any longer with the boy at home. He recorded everything this morning but he only sent the footage with Bu & Na in it to make it shorter. The video showed a group kids playing hopscotch in the park. Mi & Na were part of them as well.

Out of no where, Lo jumped out of the bush and sprayed everyone with ranch with a water gun. Br didnt understand what it had to do with her brother. Ct then pointed out the toy he used. It was very similar to the gift he had gotten to his bday.

Bu scoffed it off and defended her little brother. This toy can be bought everywhere in shops. And that Lo could have bought it himself.

That's what they believed at first too, but to be completely sure they asked one of their maids to check if the toy was still in his room. And since Bu was sent to Fl to spend some time with him, they knew that he couldn't leave without the old man's permission.

The girl kept looking for an hour but she informed the parents that the toy wasn't in his room. Br tries to explain that his friend could have come in through the window and stole it (Bu left it unlocked b4 he left the house). But instead of agreeing with their daughter, Ct shook his head and played a different video. This time it showed Lo hiding with the toy. Seemingly after he attacked the kids with ranch. Tt followed the boy to his hideout and collected the evidence.

He called someone with his mobile phone, informing the person on the other end that everything went according to plan. Ct drilled it into her head that this kid was a typical doormat. And the only one he could have spoken to was Bu. Fl confirmed that the boy had received a call from someone roughly the same time Lo was talking in his hiding spot. The boy went to a different room quietly which made the old guy suspicious. Lv's little brother, Kenji (Ke for short), was visiting his grandfather as well at that time. So there were 2 witnesses to back it up.

Br was speechless that he gets on trouble bc of something small like that. The grown ups assured her that lo will be held accountable as well, but the prank was not the only issue. If it would have been, they wouldn't be so concerned.

The other boy eavesdrop on his little cousin and was shocked to say the least. The plan was to hit not Na, or Mi, but another kid that went to the same school as them.

Somehow he found out about that this boy was allergic to the creamy sauce and had to be taken to the hospital. There were news reports about it all over the place. The parents of the other kids didn't want to give a statement at the moment after they saw the poor boy swelling up and twitching on the ground. Ct & N left their daughter alone to process all of the information.

Still hoping that all of it is a misunderstanding, she looked up the news to this and she found plenty of articles. One video showed the boy lying on the ground. The Kids around him stood there in fear, not knowing what to do in this situation. Only Mi & Na were no where to be found. Thinking that she had something to show her parents she kept watching the video only go witness Na coming back with a first aid kit and checking her friend's pockets. She was looking for the antidote until Mi came back With some grown ups. One lady, the boys mom, was hysteric seeing her child in pain. Some of the other grown ups kneeled down to the patient while Na helped them as good as she was able to.

Small flashback

A few weeks ago, Na asked her dad if she could take first aid course. When K questioned on why she wanted to take them itfp, she responded with: „I know how it is like to be sick and my friends always have to rescue me all the time. I don't want to be feel useless if i see someone else that has to go through this and not be able to do Anything.”

Her mom was pleasingly surprised by her motivation, while K just remarked it as a waste of time. J just belittled her husband like always b4 they searched for courses online.

Back to the topic

The ambulance finally arrived and the doctors inside carried the patient inside the big vehicle and drove off. The mother was ugly crying. Blaming herself for not watching her kid and forgetting his antidote back home. Na watched the woman b4 giving the lady a hug. Telling her that everything will be ok and that nobody could have predicted this horrible prank. Mi, unlike the other kids that were crying to their own parents, watching her friend with a satisfied look on her face. Mi then started to look around trying to find something, or someone to be precise.

But scrolled around through different news articles and comments. Some ppl praised the young girls (Na for the most part). Na for trying to help the boy and the medics, & Mi getting the mom's attention. Other comments wonder how someone could be allergic to something like ranch.

Some readers recognized Na from the previous news and the whole social media went nuts over it.

A news reporter drove to the park to get an interview from the two young girls. When asked if they knew the kid with the water gun, Na was about to answer. But Mi put her hand on Na's mouth, telling the reporter that they do but that They will get to the bottom of this themselves. The wild child glared back into the camera and announced: „Yeah, we know that it was you, stinky head. That was way out of line, so you better be prepared for what's to come.”

Na was then dragged away by her friend, while talking to as if nothing had happened. Br couldn't believe what she saw/read online. She threw her phone in the closet, and tried to sleep until it was time for dinner.

Bu came home later that day and had to sit down for a talk with his parents. He obviously denied all accusations. Too bad for him that his parents don't believe him anymore. Later in the evening Ct called K asking if Tt was still with his daughter. K informed him that he was not. He only knew that the bot wanted to spend time with Ll instead.

Another Little flashback

As Na arrived back home after leaving the park, J asked her kid hundred of questions, wondering if she was alright after seeing the boy's state. Na calmed her down while she took her meds like it was a normal day. They had dinner like they always, until K noticed that his sister's robot was nowhere to be found. His daughter said that they met S on the way to the car and Tt begged her to go see his tiger friend.

Normally she would have tagged along but she was way too tired and let her aunt borrow him.

end of flashback

Ct called E right after he hung up on his BiL. E had turned off his phone for the day to spend some time on the golf course. He then remembered E telling him that a potential business partner likes to do sports very late and that he might not even be back home for his dinner. C met him 10 Minutes b4 he was about to leave, to clear up your confusion. Ct contacted S instead and she picked up right away. Ct asked if They could bring Tt next thing in the morning. The bar owner agreed to do so, telling him that Mt will bring him back home. They talked about Some other things in their lives. After both hung up, S went upstairs to get ready for her own job.

Next morning

The news from the day b4 still were not stopping. The boy was getting better, and K & J got even more attention as bc of their daughter's involvement in this. J kept her husband in check b4 he did something stupid, like posting irrelevant blogs about his new roles and such.

Na couldnt be bother with all the attention she was getting. She just kept herself occupied in her room hanging around. She already got some text messages from her 3 friends, telling her that her "keeping-a-low-profile" plan for her future, won't come to fruition. Na was everything but happy with things have gone so far.

To her luck, C knew his cousin very well and texted her b4 bed time. Telling her to ignore the news and just go to school like always. The girl asked for advice if the kids run up to her again like last time. But C reassured his cousin not to worry about them. They learned their lesson and if there still should be a problem, Miss Trail wasn't far from her class. Knowing that there are ppl she could relay on, Na finally took some rest. Hoping a normal day at school tomorrow.

C read about the girls little adventure, after he was about to go to bed. A notification popped up on his laptop. Curiosity took a hold of him and read the most recent posts. He was shocked but also proud at the same time. But disappointed crawled up his mind, he had a hunch of who the mastermind could have been behind this prank.

He became Annoyed as well, half expecting that the Stanton's might try to sweep everything under the rug. He was planning on texting the young girl the next day, but not b4 he messaged Br to meet him in a coffee shop close to his dad's company after school.

Next day in school

As expected, some kids swarmed the poor girl around her table. Asking to hang out side, eat their snacks together and so on. Mi got sick from an relative that visited them the day b4.

Nothing bad, just a normal fever. She will have to stay at home for a few day unfortunately. So Na had to deal with this crowd until T & Le arrived.

Miss Trail noticed the commotion and shooed her students away from her. The teacher stayed with the little girl Until Le & T enter the class together. Both were apologizing for being late to and too place in their seats. The 3 friends started to chat about their usual topics, not addressing the prank that had happened in the park. Na was glad to have them with her on this day. She just felt bad to have Mi not here with them as well.

For everyone wondering why Na's parents werent nearby, in the original novel the grown ups barely do look after their own kids. Heck most of the time Br and Fi escaped the school grounds themselves and took a ride to other places. Their parents/guardians get calls from their teachers after they noticed they went missing. So just pretend that K & J sent some of her nannies with her to keep an eye on their daughter.

And since i forgot to mention it: Mi lives nearby the park and i still need to plan out her parents stuff in the future :p

Part 8 coming soon

[witchysethharper]

"Catch? Uh..." Seth briefly glanced up towards the ceiling as he tried to think of anything that came to mind there. He couldn't blame Shade for being suspicious about this; hell, he would react the same way. Especially since there wasn't a whole plan or calendar invite on Seth coming back from the dead. "I guess I'm back to aggravate the shit out of you? Probably can do it longer since, well, not so mortal." He leaned forward against the bar, raising a brow. "Rhys and Cairo opened up a gate between planes to get me out of Hell. You wanna fucking quiz me on shit only I would know or something? Really verify this?"

Shade still wasn't buying it. If something was too good to be true it usually was. "What do you want and what's the fucking catch? What bullshit bad is coming with it?" He wasn't just a witch that was easy enough to pick up on. The way he picked up the dog with ease was a give way. Seth was never an athletic type or coordinated. That dog would have taken regular Seth to the ground, which made this one either not Seth or some other shit. Shade, who was already prone never to trust anyone, wasn't about to trust some mother fucker walking into his bar with Seth's face trying to act all nonchalant after Seth went to hell.

[tlous1mp]

Drinking the Pain Away

pairing: ellie williams x fem!reader

summary: you've always thought that ellie loved dina, your best friend.

warning: angsty with a fluffy ending

You ordered another alcoholic drink from Seth, who said, "This is the last one for the night," before handing it to you. A tight smile had assured him that you understood. If it were up to you, you would be drinking until you'd choke. You never drank unless you wanted to escape, and tonight you were escaping the pain you felt in your heart every day.

You loved someone and they did not love you back. They were in love with someone else. They were in love with your best friend. If it was someone else that you were not close to, the pain would be easier to deal with. You and Dina were as close as you could be. Almost always by each other's side. That just made it harder.

Ellie always spoke to Dina first, always closer to her than the others, always looked at her in the eyes. She never did that with you or anyone else that you had noticed. You wished every day that she could possibly not have feelings for Dina, or that the pain would be less and you'd move on. Neither of those was going to end for a while.

You took the first sip from the new glass when someone sat next to you, "Are you going to be okay tomorrow?" she asked, her green eyes stared at you as you took another quick sip.

"I can hold my liquor very well actually," you answered Ellie, "This is like my fourth glass, no need to worry about me."

"I'll be worried about you if I fucking want to be," Ellie said gently and stole your glass so that she could have the rest in one gulp. You tried not to think about how attractive she looked then. You questioned if perhaps she knew about your little secret with that move, "I'll take you home."

You scoffed, "I'd like to stay here for a little longer."

Ellie squinted her eyes, "I am not giving you a choice. I do not care if you kick, scream, whatever you decide to do, I am getting your ass into bed," she promised, "You've had alcohol and I do not trust that guy that has been staring at you this entire night."

You glanced at the man that sat in the corner and rolled your eyes, "On second thought let's go," you whispered. A shiver ran down your back, "Men are so fucking gross," you commented as you pushed through the doors of the diner.

Ellie seemed to stand next to you closely for once, maybe in case you fell over or bumped into anything accidentally. The more steps you took towards your house, the more sober you felt. "Did the drinks help your problems?" Ellie asked.

Your eyebrows raised, "That obvious, huh?"

"No. You have never been that much of a drinker. Whatever is going on with you must suck the living life out of you," she explained, "Want to talk about it?"

You shook your head and rubbed your forehead, "It isn't easy to even think about. I just wanted to have a moment of clarity for once," you said as you stared at your shoes. That was all you would allow to talk about in front of the woman that you loved. You would not be able to handle the rejection that would come your way if you were to confess.

"I'd say the same with me, but I make sure to drink during dinner and the weekends. Makes it less suspicious," she muttered. She stared down at the houses in front of her, "Thankfully we have people like Dina that can help us get through tough shit."

Your heart broke at her name. Of course she would mention her name, everything you knew were to be true. She loves Dina, not you. You cleared your throat, "Yeah, she's great. The best. I reckon you two would make a good couple honestly."

After a few steps you realised that you were the only one walking. A glance over the shoulder revealed Ellie staring at you with sad eyes, "She's not who I want," she said. You felt smacked in the face. If it wasn't her, who does she want? "The only person who I see myself with is you."

Your eyes widened, "This is you taking pity on me because I dare to spend one night drink-"

"I promise you that I am telling the truth," she took a step forward, "I want you, not as friends or whatever the fuck we were. I want you to be mine," she pleaded, "I am all yours if you want me too."

You allowed a small smile on your lips, "I have been willingly to be yours for a while," you stood in front of her, "You are just as stupid as I have been for not noticing sooner," you whispered before cupping her face to kiss her.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Have you watched twd press conference at sdcc. The cast were asked which dead character they would bring back and Norman said Hershel and Beth. Im worried now.

Yup, I did! A multitude of thoughts are below. 😁 You don’t need to be worried. That was actually a massively planned hint. (Details below.)

Okay, I know I said I would talk about the special from Sunday today, but I decided I wanted to put this out first, because it ties into what I posted about the snake and tortoise legend/symbolism (read here) and I think the weirdness of the special will make more sense if you read this first. 

Here’s the link if you want to listen tot he press conference yourself: https://youtu.be/Vf8k8AFZBHk

I say listen because, although this is a video, the video part of it is set on a weird, distracting loop. So you mostly have to just listen to it and try to discern which of the actors are speaking. Because you’re all TWD junkies like us, I think you’ll be able to tell who is who, for the most part. 

But there are some CRAZY hints they’re throwing around in this press conference. Here’s our convo about it:

@wdway:

Guy's last night I listened to the press interview of most of the TWD cast panel. I found it actually very interesting and very insightful in many ways with the actors talking about their different characters.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

IIRC, Norman mentioned Beth as one character who he wanted to survive longer. And it was interesting, bc at first, when they went down the line, he said Hershel. And he’s used that answer before. It was later, after others gave their answers, that he suddenly chimes in again and said something like “Beth would have been a good one.” And that’s suspicious to me. It was like he just wanted to throw that out there and waited until a bunch of others were talking before he did so.

@galadrieljones:

Beth would not be an “afterthought,” since after the origins episode Norman opens up about Daryl’s feelings for Beth and it’s clear that over the past year they want us to think about her. Like “Oh yeah wait that one character whose death destroyed Daryl for five seasons what was her name again? Oh yeah Beth. She would have been a good one.” Lol.

@wdway:

I felt that Norman was being very careful about answering the past character questions and put in Beth as others were talking and it wasn't as obvious but made me very happy. I think Norman thought he was going to get questions about MMB and the spin-off and was being very cautious.

I find it a bit strange that both Greg and Norman do not know the difference between an armadillo and a possum. Greg telling the story of Daryl eating a armadillo and Norman jumped in and said it was when they first got to AZ and he messed up the first porch cleaning the armadillo. I kept waiting for someone, Gimple or AK, to say possum not armadillo but no one did. As far as I know there are not any wild armadillo in Georgia or Virginia. Could that have been a strange hint/reminder of Daryl and that possums are known for playing dead?

@twdmusicboxmystery:

(This wasn't part of our conversation, but I googled "possum vs. armadillo." Turns out, there's a common joke about armadillos being "possums in a half shell." Check it out HERE.

Couple of things about that. 1) It can't be an accident that possums and armadillos are related and this is what they were substituting with. It's not like just saying the wrong thing or making a mistake in the moment. As @wdway said, they said it over and over and no one corrected them. 2) The BIGGER deal is that "possums in a half shell" is a reference to the old Ninja Turtle song from the 80s cartoon I grew up watching with my brothers. It said, "Turtles in a half shell."

So basically, in saying this, they were saying possum = turtle. And turtle = Beth. This was 100% a Beth reference. 👀 Back to the convo.

@wdway cont'd:

I really enjoyed Josh and Seth. They said that early on in s5 that there had been in a script of a discussion between Eugene and FG about God vs science, because of time restraints they never actually filmed the scene but throughout the years there have been small hints of that discussion.

I thought that Seth near the end of the interview made his points of regretting not having more of FG story developed further but he said it in a very respectful way that made me laugh and think that he know exactly what and how to get his point across with a soft voice instead of a loud and harsh angry statement and jokingly brought the interview to a close.

There was a question asked that I didn't catch but there was a long pause and thought it was a question directed at Norman but not sure but I thought it was Greg's voice being heard saying, "be careful," as in be careful how you answer. I think someone else jumped in and started talking. It was so late and I was tired and I didn't try to go back and really listen to that part. I found a lot of great insightful moments in the interview and overall was a nice way to gain a little bit more understanding of the actors of some of our favorite characters.

@galadrieljones:

Okay so I listened to the press conference, and I agree with everything you guys have said. First, I definitely agree that Norman is being kinds of "hands-off" in this press conference, which feels very much lead by Seth and Josh and also the showrunners. Norman's answers mostly seem very off-hand to me. I can't tell if he's on guard or just kind of distracted. He just doesn't seem to be thinking very hard about his answers, where I feel that Lauren, Seth, and Josh are all being much more forthcoming and thoughtful.

Perhaps that is novel to this press conference? I haven't seen enough of them to know how Norman usually approaches questioning, but I have read enough interviews to know that he IS very thoughtful when it comes to Daryl, so to me, his answers here did feel...surface-level, at best.

In terms of the question about dead characters, Daryl first defaults to Hershel, then later, he kind of quietly interjects: "Merle...Merle would've been..." but then he's cut off and doesn't continue. Much later, after the whole incredibly weird armadillo exchange with Gimple, he then comments quietly "Beth would've been good." I laughed out loud, because it was so weird. Idk how to describe why it seemed weird. It seemed like he'd been thinking about it and just threw it out there at the last minute.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

(Okay, interjecting again. Right AFTER the armadillo thing (armadillo = Turtle = Beth) Norman threw Beth's name into the mix. Guys, this was SOOOOOO planned. And such a great TD hint!)

@galadrieljones cont'd:

I feel if a more gregarious actor had been on stage with him, like JDM, he might've made a comment about it, poked fun or something, or called attention to Norman's answer, but it's not happening with this group of ppl, because it has occurred to me that of all the actors on the stage, ONLY Reedus ever acted with Emily, and the others came on after Beth was already gone. I know FG has commented on her before, but it's like nobody hears Norman's little comment except for us.

I just thought it was neat he mentions Merle off-handedly, AND THEN BETH. Like, here he is actually being sort of thoughtful. I wish I could see the footage so I could understand his body language in this moment.

Okay, my next note hasn't been mentioned yet but I found it to be the most interesting part of the panel, which is Seth's answer to this question: Tyreese. Seth starts talking about Tyreese, and then suddenly everybody is going on and on about Tyreese and his death, and how it's "one of the best episodes." Seth even asks: "What was the title of that episode? What's Happening and What's Going On?"

They keep emphasizing how good it was, and Gimple talks about how any time he goes to Georgia he drives by the sub-development they used for filming. I just thought it was weird how much they emphasized WHAWGO, given its bizarre nature, like they want ppl to remember it, they want journalists to report on it so that people go back and watch it. Idk. Okay and back to Gimple and the armadillo thing. Like wtf? That is not an armadillo. Very weird moment lol.

Again I think Norman is weird because it's like he seems to remember certain things VERY well and then plays dumb on stuff like this. Gimple also misremembers the name of the neighborhood in Richmond as "Wiltshire Estates." It's actually called "Shirewilt Estates," and I wondered if this meant anything. Like did they purposely reverse the name at the last minute or something and now even Gimple has forgotten? Idk. Anyway multiple times ppl commented that WHAWGO is one of the best episodes of the series. I also recorded Gimple and Kang's answers for the question "Was there always an ending you were working towards?" This seemed interesting to me:

Gimple: Things changed. I feel that it folded into some plans nicely. It folded into some issues because the finale is about completing TWD story, not setting up spin-offs. There’s room for those spin-offs, but full on TWD finale concludes the story of this 11 years, and we didn’t want the spin-offs to get in the way of that satisfaction. They live together I think very nicely.

Kang: I think that’s right. I think that even if there were no spin-offs, it would feel like there is a closure to the show itself, because the show itself needs its own ending. But you know doors are left open as they so often are in life and as they were even in the ending of the comic. It’s like there’s always a story that’s continuing once the story that you tell on the screen has ended and that’s the spirit.

I was glad to hear they are using the ending to END the series, not to set up too much new stuff. I was interested in the question because the journalist mentions 2020, like as if that's the year things "changed," which it is, and it reminded me of Emily's post about 2020 becoming 2022.

I liked what Gimple said about how the changes "folded into some plans nicely" and also "folded into some issues." It does seem like things changed, but that the integrity of the original plan is still in motion.

In terms of Norman's disposition, again, I feel he was flippant with the question about characters he most connected with. First of all, he misunderstood the question and named like five characters who Daryl connects with, none of whom were Beth. I thought that was a little weird tbh, since I've read many interviews where he's mentioned Daryl's strong connection to Beth, and after Origins, it seemed to be hammering her in as a very important connection to Daryl, but then he was like, confused? And sort of off-handedly changed his answer to Dog. I really thought he was just kind of saying stuff he thought ppl would want to hear, answers he had canned in the back of his mind. I also wondered if he would have said Beth, but he already mentioned Beth once, and he didn't want to mention her again.

In terms of the "be careful" remark, I didn't get that it was directed toward anyone in particular. It's interesting if it's coming from Nicotero though, because idk I just feel like he's a little unpredictable in terms of what he is willing to give away or hint toward, while Gimple is VERY buttoned down, playing cards very close to his vest. I don't know if the "be careful" is meant more like, "Be careful not to give anything away," or "Be careful not to hurt our feelings too much" lol. Anyway, Seth jumps in w his answer about Eugene and FG and I don't think anyone else really answers.

So the biggest take-away for me was really Norman's disposition, which felt very hands-off. You may be right that he was expecting more questions about the spin-off, but there were exactly ZERO. And this has reminded me that really there was zero information about Daryl's spin-off, and I'm sure much of that was not to take away from the Rick reveal, and also to protect Melissa and her choice. I doubt she wanted to talk about it. It's possible a moratorium was placed on the subject and interviewers were not even allowed to ask. So yeah, idk? It was really insightful and interesting in any case.

Oh also, per Kang's answer to the question about the ending: I thought it was interesting how she comments on the fact that there are parts of the story that continue beyond what we see on-screen. I don't know if it's meant to hint at any one thing specifically, because it's just a good rule of thumb with writing, ie: when you're writing a story, it's important to remember that where you enter the story is not the beginning, and where you exit the story is not the end. I always learned about writing stories as an answer to the question: "Into what life have we come?" Stories imply entire lives and entire universes and contexts, especially one as big as TWD. So yeah, idk, just implication that we don't have all the information.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Definitely suspicious, though. I'm super excited for all the shows (including Tales) to start up. Can't wait to see what goodness they bring us!

Btw, I agree about them maybe putting a moratorium on talk of the Daryl spinoff after what happened when it was announced. I hadn't thought of that, but that makes perfect sense. Especially if Melissa was at Comicon (she was, wasn't she?) then they would have wanted to protect her. Good for them. And I'm sure more news about the Daryl spinoff will surface as we get closer to it's release. Again, can't wait!

@galadrieljones:

Melissa was not at the press conference but she was on the main panel I believe! And I agree we’ll probably hear more as the Richonne euphoria dies down. I also am weirdly viewing no news as good news on the Daryl spin-off, because it keeps affirming our suspicions that perhaps the premise would be too spoilery for 11c, and they have to wait for more to develop within the flagship before they can meaningfully start promoting Daryl’s spin-off without spoilers…

@wdway:

I enjoyed reading your impressions of the press conference and agree with all of them. I don't know if you have had a chance to watch the full panel but there were a couple of things that you pointed out that in hindsight of the larger panel now seem a bit a coincidence and to much of a coincidence to really be one.

You pointed out that Gimple, Seth and other spent some time bringing attention to the episode from s5 WHWGO with some saying it might have been one of the best episodes in the series. A stretch in my opinion considering most people found it hard to understand because it was so full of hints and clues to future storyline. It was also the last time we would physically (not a portrait) see Beth until s9 when she was included in the characters death scene of Rick's hallucination. (Funny how Beth was in both episodes as a hallucination.)

In thinking about the attention they were bring to WHWGO made me think of the full panel when Gimple mentioned (without naming the episode) the last episode of s4. Gimple mentioned that he and AK co-wrote the episode. I believe it was AK who said that the scene at the car between Daryl and Rick was one of her favorites and Gimple agreed. They pointed out that this was the scene in which Rick called Daryl his brother.

The coincidence that I was noticing between the two panels was that Gimple and AK were drawing attention back to s4 and s5 and that in both episodes Beth was the common denominator. In WHWGO she drove Ty into the next world and in "A" Daryl spoke of her just being "gone" just minutes before Rick called him brother. Not really sure of the point I'm trying to make other than I don't think these seemingly offhanded remarks about past episodes are off-handed at all, I think they were thought out and well planned to begin attention to s4 and s5. My question would be but for what purpose?

Another mention from Seth that I'm side eyeing was when he said that he wish that FG's and Rosita relationship could have started sooner in the storyline. Now I will say that I really do like these characters together and I know that there are many who don't feel that they are a good match but I personally enjoy them together.

I have to say that it struck me as a bit odd that he brought this up. But it also allowed a couple of things to be cleared up going into 11c. There has been a question of if FG and Rosita was still a couple and I feel that this statement indicates that they are. It also brought attention to a relationship that most people was caught off guard about and didn't see coming. It also shows a relationship of two characters with a age gap. Recently I saw a list of TWD actors and their ages. Seth is like 22,23 years older than the actress that plays Rosita. It truly might just be a coincidence that they brought attention to this relationship but I just find it a bit odd that it was put out now with s11C so near.

@galadrieljones:

This is very interesting, that they mentioned “A?” I feel with so much this past season and even beyond in 10c they have been making callbacks to seasons 4-5. I will never forget how hard I laughed when in “One More,” Aaron and FG are playing poker and I think it’s FG who wins on a bluff with an 8 and a 2 in his hand.

We also still have zero true explanation for why Leah just randomly has Beth’s hair for several episodes. As for why they’re drawing us back to seasons 4-5, I don’t know why ofc but to me that’s the original D.C. al Coda, the beginning of the end, and especially per “A,” the place where all lines converge. Ofc my dream is for there to be an episode called “B,” which will answer all of our burning questions and finally set things straight but I think that’s probably wishful thinking at this point I haven’t had the chance yet to watch the panel but I will soon.

My hopes for a “B” episode ramped up after the season 10 episode “We are the End of the World” when Alpha says to Beta in a flashback, “Where there’s an A, there must always be a B.” I was like, “OMG THANK YOU I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS!!” lol

@frangipanilove:

I really liked your thoughts here. I haven’t thought about WHAWGO in a while, and I liked how you said that Beth drove Tyreese into the next world. I feel like you put into words how I see the three/tree/trunk symbolism and the “red controls the gates” symbolism complimenting each other.

I keep saying that Beth is a “controller of gates”, based off how she untied Daryl’s red rag in Still and opened the trunk (gate) allowing the, both to climb out. And really, how you described it fits nicely with that particular symbolism, that she was the one who escorted Tyreese into the afterlife, in a car/vehicle/vessel/trunk. I really really loved the way you worded it. That’s why I feel she’s a “controller of gates”, she’s literally behind the wheel and making decisions on when and where to enter the underworld, and when and where to return to the realm of the living, if that makes sense. She “acts”, she’s not “acted upon”. Subject, not object. She has agency and a certain symbolical “skill set” that allows her to “control the gates”.

I love the idea of an episode “B”. Please make that happen, TV gods!

@galadrieljones:

I also loved your choice of words there @wdway: that Beth drove Tyreese into the next world. And frangi that’s a really interesting point, that Beth has “agency,” she is driving the car. I sort of wonder if this could be explained by her being in a sort of “limbo” at this point. Like if she’s in a coma, after being shot, somewhere between worlds, she is the only one who can steer the ferry into the underworld for Tyreese, as she can pass between both worlds, since she’s neither living nor dead. That’s actually super thought provoking and helps me to think about that scene and why she is driving the car.

@frangipanilove:

Yeah, I definitely see her as currently residing in that liminal space between the realms, to use the symbolical language. Not literally, because I assume she lives and thrives in some distant part of TWDU, but as far as Daryl and TF, and also the GA, is concerned, she’s dead. Which effectively lands her “in between” being alive and dead. Not literally, but on a symbolical level.

I think a lot of what we saw with Leah in FM was a reflection of how they are both characters that have the skills to “move between worlds” if that makes sense. They both have the capacity to “control the gates”, which we saw being set up for Beth with that scene from Still. Well, Leah ultimately died, and Beth will ultimately show up alive, because they're sort if inverted versions of each other. And I really loved Ann’s choice of words above, because being behind the wheel is such a powerful metaphor for being assertive about your life and wellbeing, and I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about that scene in that way before. Sheer brilliance!

@wdway:

I was actually thinking about how the title of s6e10 The Next World fit with Ty representing leaving the old world behind and going into the next realm just as the series was leaving behind the world they had built after the fall. S6e10 The Next World was when Daryl and Rick met Jesus who showed them a whole new world that they didn't know was there. I think in someway Beth will play a part in driving TF or at least Daryl into the next world of the CRM.

@galadrieljones:

This is all really great. Makes me think of how it was essentially Virgil who ferried Michonne into the “next world” per her adventure, and his name, Virgil, even communicates that the writers are thinking about this very metaphor. It’s the poet Virgil who ferries Dante into the Underworld in the Inferno section of a Divine Comedy. Similarly, in 6.10, Jesus shepherds the ppl of Alexandria into the new world.

(Or the “new age” perhaps)

Aaron Is another shepherd or guide, leading TF to a new world, and his name is meaningful as well. Aaron was Moses’s spokesman who was instrumental in guiding the Israelites out of Egypt.

@wdway:

I really only realize after reading comments from you that Beth driving the car in Ty's hallucination possibly had more symbolic meaning then we originally thought.

This reminded me of some shots I took from s5e2 Strangers, that I've been meaning to show/remind you guys about that tptb were given us hints of a male/female Moses type leaders.

I feel the orange clothed child represents Rick and the one in pink represents Beth.

These are not anything we haven't discussed many times in the past but it is a good reminder of what they were showing us in the episode and how it might relate to the story now. The bathroom sign that we see to the left corner of the bottom picture shows us a female and male. At the same time we're looking at Glenn and Michonne an example of male and female. The sign of Amazing Grace that includes an anchor cross, waves and water in the same frame as male/female.

@galadrieljones:

Yes I remember those drawings, but I never thought of them as being male/female. That’s brilliant. Since so much of the show is guided by dualities, it makes sense that the male/female duality would be central, since it’s so essentially human. Walkers do not seem to have genders. They are mere expressions of death, so male/female duality seems defining in separating us from the walking dead.

This actually brings me back all the way to Days Gone By, the very first conversation that Rick and Shane have in the police car. It has always eluded me a little bit, because it feels SUPER IMPORTANT, but it’s so heavy, and so symbolic, I think I just haven’t really dedicated the time to trying to understand where it leads.

Rick starts the conversation by asking, “What’s the difference between men and women?” The scene is meant to establish the differences between Rick and Shane. It’s especially meant to establish Shane as this kind of brute, whereas Rick is more thoughtful. Some might even perceive him as weak here, or sensitive.

And Darabont is framing these differences between them within the construct of women. So the entire show begins with this extreme question about the difference between men and women. This ultimate duality.

Daryl and Beth will later sort of encompass this duality really beautifully in an Eden allegory, and then a marriage allegory. Daryl is hard and stoic and sad, focused on the big picture of survival, while Beth provides her “feminine touch” in his life, teaching him how to live, how to appreciate beauty, what it means to care about ppl even tho that means you could get terribly hurt.

And ofc there’s the duality of Rick/Beth as being “sheriffs,” and all the other tons of dual symbolism that connects Rick and Beth through 5a. I don’t have a grand point here or anything lol, just wanted to provide more support to the theory that the male/female duality is important to the show, and also I just really like the idea of Beth being this balancing feminine force whose loss sends TF wandering aimlessly through the desert, and turns Rick into a kind of monster.

@wdway:

I really love how you explained it above. I also just want to remind everyone that the same male/female sign that is shown above was also in Beth's hospital room. Again this is nothing new, we keep going back to these reoccurring symbols in our reviews. As Daryl would say, the signs are all there and may I add that they have been there for a very long time.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Love all of this conversation!

What I thought of when reading the male/female stuff is that this is really why they're using Judith so heavily as a Beth proxy right now. It's always a little weird to try and explain because obviously Daryl and Judith aren't romantic (that would be creepy and weird). But they're still using her as a proxy. It's just because of the male/female dynamic and she's the current "sheriff" character with both Rick and Beth offscreen.

You could even apply this argument to Sophia. I don't think anyone ever even suggested anything weird about Daryl and Sophia, but in the reverse, people try to say he loved Beth like a daughter or sister because that's how he felt about Sophia, and there are so many ties between her and Beth.

We've always said it's because it's the "lost girl" theme, and romance doesn't factor into that theme. It can be romantic or platonic. That's still true and I think what you've pointed out here just backs it up more. Even with the Glenn/Michonne example. They're represent the male/female dynamic, as you said above, but that doesn't automatically make them a romantic couple.

When Carol killed Karen and David and Ty found them in S4, they were also a male and female, but not romantic together. Beth and Daryl on the other hand, obviously are. And of could the male/female dynamic can be seen in all the soulmate couples. So yeah. Totally agree. Love it!

Phew! That was a quite a few thoughts sparked from the press release. But what can we say? We're TWD geeks!

Any thoughts on our thoughts? Which is your favorite? Xoxo!  🔥😎 💘