#she doesn't have to concern herself with him because he was dead the moment he chose the path of world destruction

[wereh0gz]

It's oc posting time

Rue has vivid revenge fantasies. Extremely violent ones about the many ways they'd kill Nox if they ever got their paws on him. Crushing his exoskeleton under their bare paws, tearing him apart limb for limb, ripping his guts out and eating his heart while he's still alive- you name it, they've probably thought about it

These thoughts *terrify* her. It proves what Nox has always told her right, that she is a hopeless, violent, uncontrollable *monster*. That the reason she became a beast in the first place is because she is truly evil at heart, just like him

(In actuality, it's just a symptom of their PTSD, but going to therapy and actually unpacking all of that isn't an option to them. They'd rather die than actually talk abt their struggles)

So the thoughts fester in her mind for years. She thinks about it daily. It becomes like an obsession. An impulse. A need. And she begins to think that the only way to free herself from that torment is to do it. To kill him. Even if it proves Nox right

Even if it proves *her* right

So they hunt him down, trying to kill him every time they encounter each other. And every time, Nox gets away, and he taunts them. And the thoughts, the want, the *hunger* for vengeance grows stronger

The cycle continues. The thoughts never cease. She never finds peace

(At least, she *thinks* she will never find peace, but she does. Eventually. After Nox dies from his own hubris lol)

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

(Full HC)

We've had the M6 bodyswapping with their familiars, we've had the M6 bodyswapping with each other… But what kind of antics would ensue if the M6 had a bodyswapping incident with MC?

The Arcana HCs: When M6 bodyswap with MC

~ anon, you spectacular genius ~

-- to set the scene --

You know you're in a magic-infused dream as soon as you open your eyes. Off to your right, you can see your beloved standing in the open air, staring at the glowing ball of light that hovers in front of them. You're about to remind them of the cardinal magic rule - don't touch the mystery orb - but by the time you call their name, it's too late. Imagine your surprise when you wake up to your own face staring back at you from your pillow!

Julian

He's staring at you in horror because he knew his eyebags were bad but he didn't know they were that bad

You, on the other hand, are experiencing all the physical ailments of a 6'4 human that never remembers to eat and the headache of needing a daily dose of six shots of espresso to function

He's immediately concerned about physical wellbeing and checking both of you over for any signs of injury. Yeah, he doesn't hate magic anymore, but he's still not comfortable with it

Coaches you on how to speak more like him in his voice. His voice is made for DRAMA, MC, you must PROJECT! ENUNCIATE! The people at the back can't hear you!

He's also going to encourage you to wear all of his normal getup. Enjoy wearing multiple layers of leather in a Mediterranean climate, MC, it's all for the *aesthetic*

You, however, have a secret weapon, and that is basic self care

You are going to eat so much nutritious food and drink so much clean water and get so much sleep and sunlight and exercise ...

It's also payback for how much you're sweating right now, because you won't be the one dealing with all the sore muscles later

He gets unbearably flustered when he changes clothes/bathes in your body and won't stop talking about it

Asra

They know exactly what's happened as soon as they wake up and they know it's their fault and they have 0 regrets. none.

Quick to suggest taking a lazy day so you won't have to juggle the shop with this. And then suggests sleeping in immediately after

He's very curious about what it's like to enjoy all kinds of experiences in your body, but he doesn't do anything until he knows you're comfortable with it (including changing)

Gets distracted/sidetracked every time they pass a mirror/window/shiny pot/remotely reflective surface because they like your face and it keeps surprising them to see it reflected back at them

You're about to watch yourself make the weirdest faces into the mirror as they try to document what your face looks like with different expressions

Has the time of his life picking out his outfit (to wear on your body) and watching you pick out yours (to wear on his body)

Pulls out every food item in your kitchen because they want to know if you taste things differently than they do. You're going to wake up with heartburn tomorrow

Might suggest pranking a few friends, but he's generally so averse to conflict that he won't be dead set on the idea

Occasionally taps into your bond, just to ground themself

Nadia

She's going to keep lying still for a moment or two to finish processing what's just happened and decide what she's going to do about it

And then she's going to teasingly tell you that you're welcome to help yourself to her body, and ask if she can help herself to yours

Tells a trusted Palace servant that she is indisposed and that neither of you will be available today (because there's no way she's going to try to swap jobs with you)

You might be tempted to set yourself up in front of a mirror and see if there's any pose or outfit in the world that Nadia can't look elegant in. She'll have a very amusing time watching you

Portia will inevitably hear about her absence and stop by at some point, which will only ramp up the hilarity

Nadia does suggest sneaking out at some point, your body makes for a great disguise and a day on the town sounds fun!

(You still haven't figured out how to tell her that what sets her apart more than her appearance is her bearing. You've never seen your own posture look that good)

Speaking of posture, welcome to life in a body that's excellently cared for! You can stretch in every direction and nothing hurts!

Though this much thick hair is heavy and hot

Muriel

Oh, he knows before he opens his eyes that something's off, because the furs feel unusually heavy over him and he's never shared a bed with anything bigger than he is

Speaking of, he had no idea that his body radiated that much heat. It's like lying next to a furnace (and it's more comforting than he expected. maybe you're onto something with all the snuggling)

He's violently uncomfortable with being in your body, mostly because he's assuming you'd like it back, and he doesn't want to do anything with it that you don't want him to

You, on the other hand, spend a day as the pilot of a body with unusual size and strength. You're going to have to be reeeeally careful not accidentally bump your head/break and tear stuff

What you choose to do with that is entirely up to you (and up to your body's capacity to contain Muriel's embarrassed blush)

Have fun flexing and watching yourself turn beet red

He is going to request that the two of you stay in the woods and out of sight, which certainly makes things easier

He's also going to apologize to you because he knows this was his fault (you'll have to convince him that being in his body is not a miserable experience, which he may have a hard time believing)

Inanna will be wolf-laughing at both of you the whole time

Portia

She woke up first and put two and two together. By the time you open your eyes, your face is staring back at you with this specific expression: >:3

Also, your body is buzzing (and I mean, buzzing) with energy. You feel like you could climb a mountain and still have the capacity to chop down at least 20 trees. Oh, and your hands are tiny

It's going to take a second for her to get used to your body, if only because she keeps stopping at every new movement/sensation to comment on it/experiment with it/tease you about it

As soon as you've had breakfast, she's taking the day off and dragging you into town for some good old-fashioned mischief

Because yeah, she just woke up in one of the most powerful magician's bodies in the world, she fully plans on taking advantage of that. Who wouldn't??

Long story short, your day is going to consist of running after her while she comments on your "low energy levels" (they're not low, they're human) and wreaks havoc with your magical capacity

The fountain in the town square spouts glowing orange water for a week after she passes through. Even she isn't sure how she did it, so you just have to wait it out and hope it won't poison anyone

Mazelinka saw you two at one point and cried laughing

Lucio

It takes him a while to figure out what's happened

Don't misread this as him assuming that things are normal. He knows things are not normal, because he's getting human sensations from his left arm

But his first assumption is that this is because his arm magically grew back in the night, and his second assumption when he sees his own body next to him is that he's been cloned

You wake up because he's frantically calling your name, asking why his voice sounds so weird and if you had to clone him as part of getting his human arm back and where you've disappeared to

Shrieks and falls backwards off the bed when his clone's eyes open and you tell him what's happened from his own body

You, on the other hand, are going to spend all day figuring out how to function with a metal arm. It's nowhere near as easy as he makes it look, plus it makes that whole side of your body cold

Lucio insists on doing your eyeliner (on his face) because yes, he loves you, and yes, he trusts you, but that's his signature look and he needs it to be perfect

And then you're going to accidentally ruin his face anyways when you go to scratch an itch, forgetting about the claws on his hand

It's nothing compared to his attempts to use your magic

[thefandomenchantress]

I know I predicted radio silence from me...But I had what I think is a cool idea and wanted to share it before anything gets disproven in the next episode (Brief, singular mention of the Eden!Culprit theory).

So, I saw a lot of people talking about the Arei-Eden parallels, and the Ace-Arei parallels (and differences), and the Min-Eden parallels in the hug scene...Because of that, I started thinking about how Eden and Ace relate to all the others. And then I remembered the very obvious Teruko-Ace parallels.

Ace and Teruko both trusted someone who betrayed them in one way or another. Teruko with...Well, everyone, and especially Min, and Ace with Levi. In chapter two, they're both pretty similar, being closed-off and trying to not care about others with varying degrees of success. And, of course, Ace almost dies just like Teruko did, in an attempted murder.

All those things are fairly obvious, especially them being the only participants to be almost-victims. And I'd always noticed that, but it got me thinking...

In chapter one, Teruko was the victim of an attempted murder, surviving on the pure luck of the knife just-so-happening to miss anything vital in her abdomen. Then, instead of sympathy for her life almost being taken, people are upset with/suspicious of her because they think she was the one who killed Xander. And that fact is no fault of Teruko's, she just had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime (and Min moving the evidence to further incriminate her). Barely anyone asks if she's okay or shows much concern other than Min, who betrays her, and Eden. She is then forced to defend herself in the trial almost completely alone until finally some others start to come to her defense.

In chapter two, Ace has been put in the position of being the victim of a murder attempt but surviving through the pure luck of Eden and Teruko just-so-happening to come to the second floor late at night. If Teruko hadn't happened to forget her clothes on the second floor, chances are that Ace would be dead. No one feels sorry for what Ace went through, because he was a total asshole to Nico and along with no one taking him seriously to begin with, they think he, in a way, had it coming, trauma and injuries be damned. Now, he is forced to defend himself, presumably alone unless Levi decides he wants to help and be the Eden equivalent. And Ace has been blamed for Arei's death not through any fault of his own, but because he had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime, where someone else tried to murder him.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would honestly be pretty cool if Ace finished this chapter going through rather similar events to the ones Teruko experienced last chapter. Some people say that Ace being her parallel will show her during this chapter that distrusting isn't the right way to go, but he doesn't have to die to show her that at this very moment. Hell, it might hit even harder if he manages to go through everything she did, since it would make them even more similar.

Plus, if Eden is the Min parallel, and Ace is the Teruko parallel, that's pretty dang cool! Of course, if Ace does all the Teruko stuff during the trial, it makes sense for Eden to have done all the Min stuff...And I mean, the episode seems to be saying that's depressingly possible, so maybe.

So yeah, I just thought Ace and Teruko's similarities continuing into the trial would be fun. After all, he's been pretty consistent about following in her footsteps so far, so you never know. Like imagine if he says a protag line or something it'd be hilarious. Especially if all his points during his defense are like Teruko's, but with an Ace-y twist that makes them more funny or stupid or whatever. Fun!

Or who knows, maybe Ace will just hire David as his defense attorney, since he's the only one to have successfully defended Ace so far. /j

[iamhereinthebg]

Seeing Akane reacts so strongly seeing Kako being destroyed was already a big shot at my heart but Mirai and Akane protecting each other absolutely annihilated me in the last chapter.

Akane is a character who is really blunt about his opinion and stands his ground, he said right away in his introduction chapter how strongly he hates the clock keepers, and insists on how much he isn't like them.

In this new arc, he is forced to face this part of him he doesn't want to acknowledge since the beginning, he has been forced to do it a lot since the grim reaper arc (and I think it's really starting to get to him but this is for another day)

Aoi Akane, the human forced to be a supernatural who hates his contract and the clock keepers so much he wants nothing to do with them. But what does he do when fighting Tsukasa? He keeps the latter's attention on him so the threat can't get to Mirai.

Akane is mortal and human. The only mortal clock keepers and supernatural, and he still risks his life to protect Mirai. The yorishiro of the clock keepers yes, but mostly Mirai.

He shifts his attention from Tsukasa to her because he knows what she represents for the clock keepers and he waits for the moment to let her free, even if it results in him getting hurt.

Akane is the character of the cast who shows the most how he loves life, he definitely doesn't want to die. We can see it in how he defends himself, his last movement in this fight being one of protection (and fear). Something he has been doing more since coming back a second time from the far shore. Even if he doesn't want to die, he is still at his core a nice person. He is distressed at the idea of death, disappearing for good, no matter who it may concern in the end. Finding a way to protect Mirai (and the yorishiro) goes before his own safety.

And then Mirai gets the blow for him. She knows it means Tsukasa will get the yorishiro. Kako has been the mystery the most alarmed about the yorishiros being destroyed by Hanako. But Mirai, n°1, who knows how dangerous it is for another yorishiro to be destroyed for the land, sacrifices their seat number, herself and what is supposely the most important thing to them, for Akane.

Akane is a proactive character who rarely stops in his actions. Even when Aoi was "dead" he was activaly searching for a way to bring her back and when he learned she was gone he was quick to try to find a way to go where she was. When he stops, it's because he is physically unable to move. But here, even if he is still concsious and has Time's power he doesn't do anything, like he is the one being stopped in time, unable to move on from Mirai's body.

Mirai may be made of gears but it's been clear since the beginning that she has a real attachement to Akane. Wearing the name he gave her like a medal, jumping on him whenever she can, having a personality where she clearly has fun when he is present, and actually being the one noticing him on his first day at school.

And what does it mean after all for a yorishiro to be sacrified to protect something else? That maybe Akane is in the end more important than what the yorishiro represents for the clock keepers.

If this follows the pattern of a lot of mysteries it may mean that Mirai and Kako have strong regrets/resentment towards the story/person behind their yorishiro.

It's kind of beautiful in the end to see Mirai sacrifiying their past and future to focus on the one representing the present.

[silentcrowsilentravens]

Apologies to whoever requested this. I deleted your ask by accident and don't remember your @ :'|

Nica Pierce, Tiffany Valentine, and Charles Lee Ray comforting their s/o after a nightmare/being comforted after a nightmare.

(Gender ambiguous).

Warnings: Implied murder

Masterlist here!

Nica Pierce

You try to keep quiet. You don't want to wake Nica.

You try to calm yourself down. You feel like you're overreacting.

You try to scrub the dream from your brain. You have little success.

Nica begins to stir beside you. "Hey... you alright?" she murmurs, her brows pressing together in concern.

You're quiet for a moment and in the end, simply shake your head no.

"Bad dream?" Nica gives your forearm a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah... Really bad."

Her other arm slowly reaches for you, giving you enough time to pull away if you want space. If you don't, you'll find yourself in her hold, your face nestled in the crook of her neck.

She rubs your back soothingly. "...Do you want to talk about it?"

"No..."

A kiss is pressed against your head. Nica simply continues to hold you.

She often doesn't remember her own dreams after she wakes up. And if she does, it's usually one of the shitty ones.

Her eyes are wet. It takes her a moment to process where she is and what's going on, that you're beside her.

Nica spends a solid minute silently debating whether she wants to wake you up and bother you.

Finally, she calls your name.

She very bluntly tells you what she just dreamt about the moment you're awake. That's all the talking she does before she's grabbing for you.

You wipe the tears from her face.

She rests her chin on your shoulder and takes in your scent.

Please run your fingers through her curls.

Please hold her really, really tightly.

Tiffany Valentine

It's the dead of night when you jolt upright in bed, breathing hard.

In her half-awake state, the first two thoughts that immediately enter Tiffany's head are "What's got you so upset?" and "Who's throat does she need to slit?"

It's only once her nail file is at the ready and the light is on that she realizes what's going on.

Tiffany returns the same energy she gets from others. If you'd comfort her, she's gonna comfort you.

"Oh, sweetface..." She frowns.

God, seeing you upset is making her upset too! This won't do.

Tiffany peppers your face in kisses.

Then, she practically squeezes the life out of you. She will not be letting go anytime soon. You are officially melded together.

When Tiff wakes up in tears, she immediately shakes you awake, frantically calling your name.

"Huh... What's wrong...?" You sit up and try to rub the sleep out of your eyes, giving her your full attention.

Tiffany deeply appreciates an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on.

Rather incoherently, she describes the dream to you while waving her hands around animatedly.

You try your best to offer soothing words.

You're still mid-sentence when Tiff launches herself at you. She cries onto your top, her tears having slowed down now.

She just wants to be held.

And listen to your voice some more.

Maybe you could make her a nice snack too?

Charles "Chucky" Lee Ray

You'll need to reach over and physically shake this man awake since he sleeps like a rock.

"Chucky?" you question softly. "Chucky, can you wake up?" You shake him by his shoulder a bit.

"Huh...?" he utters groggily. His eyes are still closed.

"...I had a nightmare..."

Perhaps it isn't much of a surprise, but comforting others is not exactly one of his strong suits.

"None of that shit was real," he tells you. "Don't get so worked up."

In Chucky's eyes, you're dating the Lakeshore Strangler, so you've got no reason to be getting scared. Especially because of things that didn't actually happen. Go back to sleep. You're fine.

He rolls back over. A few minutes pass. You continue to sniffle.

With a sigh, Chucky turns to face you. He pulls you closer, cradling your head against his chest. "Stop your cryin'," he mutters gruffly. "I've gotcha."

Chucky himself hardly ever has nightmares. His dreams are usually rather mundane... Well, mundane for him, anyway. The sort of stuff he might find himself thinking actually happened after he wakes.

"Hey, what the hell happened to that asshole I left to drain out in the bathroom?"

"...You... didn't leave a body in the bathroom?"

"Oh."

That being said, you're a bit confused when you're woken up in the middle of the night by Chucky jolting awake beside you.

He slowly lets out a shuddery breath.

"What's wrong?" you ask.

"Nothin'. I'm fine." It's a lie and you know it.

You cuddle up against Chucky in an attempt to comfort him. His immediate response is to try and get out of your grasp. "I said I'm fine!"

After a moment, though, he gives up, grumbling like he still doesn't want your touch (he does).

The tension slowly leaves his shoulders as you pet his hair.

He wraps his arms around you, gripping the fabric of your top until he dozes off again.

[viisator]

The Corpse's Bride -- PART TWO

Tittle : The Corpse’s Bride

Pairing : Nishimura Riki x F!Redear x Yang Jungwon

Genre : Fantasy, Tragedy, Fiction, (angst, fluff)

Warning : Death, skeleton, Corpses.

Summary: Y/n is the daughter of the famous dressing merchant, and she is to marry the son of the Baron in the west. But one event ruined it all when Y/n found herself wandering in the land of the dead and accidentally marrying a dead boy on the side of the river.

Inspired by the movie ‘Corpse Bride’

Not Proofread

(This fanfic I wrote is inspired and I made it so like the movie 'Corpse Bride’. I just love that movie so much, so I think It’ll be fun making an en- fic abt it … So yeah. I wrote this. And I wrote this 'cuz it’s kinda sad letting go of the things, and people we love so much, and I hate letting go of stuff/someone, so I just wrote this.)

• • • • •

"Can you tell me what is it you were running away from?" Jungwon gently asked, tilting his head a little trying to match her height.

"Marriage." He was shocked when he heard what the girl said.

"May I know who's the man you were to marry?"

"You might be shocked, but they say that the L/n's daughter runs away from marrying Baron Yang's son, so lady Yang sent a letter this morning and requested the marriage my parents and the Baron were talking about those past few years" Jungwon was shocked, and his body was frozen when he heard what the girl said.

'It can't be.'

The girl looks at him, knitting her eyebrows, wondering what was wrong, and why was he looking at her with wide-open eyes that seem like he cannot believe it.

"Are you telling me you were to marry Yang Jungwon?"

"Yes?" The girl looks at him bewildered, still hasn't realized that she was found by what she was running away from.

They stared at each other for almost 7 seconds, until Jungwon pulls the girl out of the woods bringing her to the dimly lighted streets near the Yang Manor, but before they could take a step inside the manor's gate, the girl's feet turn ice cold, when Jungwon turned around and saw how her face was paralyzed with fear and took noticed how she tightly gripped his arms, he looks at her in the eyes with concern.

"Are you afraid of going inside?" His soft voice rang into the girl's ear making her shoulders swiftly go down.

"I'm afraid to meet him, I'm afraid that my parents will look at me, and their eyes will show how disappointed they were because of me, I'm afraid that he'll be displeased, I'm afraid they'll look at me differently, I'm afraid I'll mess up, what if I mess up?" It was like wildfire, her thoughts are sprouting like wildfire lost in a forest, that do not know what to do, she was afraid.

"Don't you wanna marry the Baron's son?"

"The Baron's son?... No. No, I do not."

"Then, do you wanna help me find L/n Y/n, so you'll stay as you were before, and then the Baron's son will continue to marry Y/n, you'll never have to deal with marriage at the moment, does that sounds nice?" The offer sounds like music to the girl's ear, and her eyes once again reflect light, hope was formed in her heart.

"I would love to!"

Y/n and Riki are walking down a field. Y/n could only think of how the field looked so...so dead. It was a field of flowers, it was a field of daffodils, daffodils that has no life, the flowers, and the grasses around are brown, dehydrated, and dry.

"This is the only romantic place that I know... well, maybe not, it doesn't look so colorful, and there is no sun that would set nor rise any sooner." Riki sighed after saying those disappointedly.

"It looks lovely." Her voice, for the first time, sounds so easy, it made Riki's mood cheer up a little after hearing it.

Riki cheekily smiled, looking everywhere but her eyes, but quickly turned around when he heard small giggles come from his side. He can feel it, He can feel the fluttery butterfly across his stomach, and the warmness of his face, he feels it again, it's been a long while since that feeling was there.

"What is it? Why have you been staring at me for so long?" Y/n laughed out while Riki's eyes stayed on her way.

"Are you getting deja vu?" Her question was odd, He was taken aback, the question rang over and over again in his head until her eyes locked with his, they could feel it now, but they know they've felt this before. They've felt this before somewhere else.

______

It has been a while since Jungwon and the girl have been looking around for a grave, they have followed the river, but there still was no grave to be found.

"Kind Sir, we have been walking together for quite some time now, may you tell me what is your name?" After hours of walking side by side with each other, that question was already been expected by Jungwon, it was quite long before it was said and he was close to believing that the question -- his name -- will not be brought up. Until now.

"It's Fred--... Jespersen" His mind went blank for a second, and hastily spat out a random name he can think of.

The girl then nod, looking straight up ahead of her, and another question popped up.

"Which house are you from? As long as I've known, Jespersen's mostly are common people." The girl then looks at him, and he stops in his tracks, thinking of an answer while his mouth is hardly shut.

"Oh..." The girl then realized her mistake. "It wasn't my intention to offend nor judge common people, it was only that the Jespersen surname was mostly used by commoners. I apologize." The girl frustratedly explains while Jungwon is thankful that her explanation brought him more time to think of an answer to her question.

"It was because I am just a lowly merchant's son, whose business is hardly recognized, and only a few know about." The girl looks at him amused, and he sensed that the girl is interested in the topic he had made up. And so he continued;

"Yes, our family sells women's dresses, though I could be honest and say the L/n's dresses are more extravagant and more beautiful than ours, though I know it is affordable by those 'lowly commoner'." He made that up once again, and the girl believed it also.

"Oh don't be silly Mr. Jespersen! Calling your family 'lowly merchant' is an offense, if you merchants don't exist, then where should we buy products? We have to make it ourselves then, and I could barely hold a needle for sewing! And also, merchants are rich." Jungwon laughed after hearing those, he could only smile at the thought of him manipulating her quite well.

They walk deeper into the woods following the flowing river beside them, while they entertain themselves by talking, and asking each other's questions until they saw rocks across the said river, like a trail for them to cross it. And so they did.

Jumping there and then, Jungwon finally crossed the river, but when he looks at his back, the girl was struggling, she could barely jump, for she's not so good with these kinds of activities, and she is now stuck in the middle of the river, standing in one of those rocks across the water.

Jungwon hopped into the rocks once more, holding the girl's hand and guiding her slowly as they cross the flowing river. She could feel the warmness of his palms, he was holding her hands and the other her waist, it felt weird to her, and his face is so close, she never realized his eyes are these beautiful, she never had taken note of his long eyelashes, she also has never seen how his jawlines are wavy until now, and oh, his lips, it's gorgeously parted, she hitched a breath.

They were so close to each other, it made the girl's heart beat quite faster than usual.

Oh, what could might this be? Has she fallen in love with a merchant's son? If so, then they really should find L/n Y/n.

The girl hasn't realized the truth, but it might be dangerous for both of them if ever it was revealed.

_______

"Do you want to go back?" The log Y/n and Riki are sitting at is cold, the air in the land of the dead is no colder than the hands that are holding Y/n tight, as if afraid her hands will slip away.

"Go back to where? To your room?" She asks because inside of her, she's already half accepted that she'll be staying in the land where people who are no longer in the world are, but of course, she still misses the warmth of the day up there.

"No," Riki said as silence followed him as he stared deeply into her eyes searching for the answer to the things he was feeling. Is he making the right decision? Because in the depths of his throat, he can't seem to find his voice.

"Y/n..." As silent as a whisper, he calls out.

"Yes?" And you answered, trying to sound as warm as your breath, and hoped that he could feel that you were also trying, trying to fix the things that were messed up.

"Do you want to go back; go back to your parents-- go back to him?" It breaks your heart. You don't know, but if you were honest, the idea relieves and excites you. But the tone of his voice, the crack that his throat made, and the look on his face. His face is hard, his forehead is frowned and his lips are down.

You were silent. You could only pay him back the same look that he has. How could you ever tell him that you wanted to go back-- and how could you, if you're already up there and missed him?

"....I--"

"I know a way Y/n, I know a way to go up there, you could meet your parents again, see their faces again, and --"

"And leave you here? Alone?" It was melancholy, and your tone mirrored the melancholic swirls in your stomach and the ache in your chest. Because how could you? How could you ever crush his dreams? He only wanted to love and be loved again, but the thing is, do you love Riki?

"It's all fine. For these past years, I stayed here." He squeezes your hand.

"But all those years, were you happy?" Then his lips trembled.

"Y/n...do you think if we--" He stopped and swallowed the lump in his throat. "--if you stayed here with me--for all of those eternities, never leaving this place. Do you think you'll be happy?" It's your turn to swallow the lumps.

"Do you think we-- both of us will be happy?" A single tear threatened to fall on your cheeks, but you stared at him never blinking, never looking anywhere else but those expressive eyes of his.

"Let's try." You whispered out. "Let's go up there, I'll tell my goodbyes to my Mother, and I'll give my last hug to my Father, then let's try to live happily in eternity."

He led the way up to the tower of the "old as time"--as he called him. You've decided, you'll do the farewells and go back in here in the land of the dead once you've said your goodbyes to your parents.

You both found yourself standing in front of a long old set of stairs and up there stands an old house.

There, he said that the longest dead is in there, and they all called him Elder Gutknecht.

He guided you up the wooded stairs, it lets out a squeak whenever you take a step. His cold hands never left yours, and once you're finally up the last step, an old door greets your face. In the door, there's a sign hanging up, and it dances whenever the wind hits it.

"Old as time," says the sign. Then Y/n's eyes went down and noticed another one that said:

"FOR HEAVENS RIKI! KNOCK FIRST!" quite amusing, she thought.

Distracted by the sign, a loud bang startled her concentration when Riki harshly opened the door with the absence of mercy of knocking.

"I'm here again!" Greeted Riki at the old skeleton walking down the stairs.

"How many times, Young Man!" Elder Gutknecht started. "How many times will I have to tell you to knock, or just casually open the door without banging it!" Riki let out an apologetic laugh.

"Um, well, I guess that's my bad, forgetting about that--so, I'm here to ask for help." Says Riki.

"I am guessing that involves your living bride?" Says the old man.

"Well, yes."

Elder Gutknecht sighed and proceeded to get a book, dust covered the book like plastic wrap. Then turned to look at Riki, then shifted his gaze to Y/n. His nonexistent eyes stayed on her for a second.

"What is it, young man?" Finally, he looked at his book with disappointment--or perhaps sadness in his voice.

"We want to go up there. My wife wanted to see her parents." Warmth spread through Y/n's chest after hearing him say those. But Elder Gutknecht felt the opposite.

"You do know that it'll be dangerous for you, for all of us when you go up there and disturb the balance between the living and the dead. Don't you?" He looked at Riki with threatening eyes.

"Quite--I guess..." And Riki answered with nervous laughter.

"Alright...just say "Hopscotch" if you've decided to go back here." Says Elder Gutknecht. But in the pit of his non-existent belly, down to his non-existent stomach, he felt very wrong. Something will turn out the wrong way once he sends them up there.

_______

Y/n didn't have to say the joy she felt when they stepped foot in the dark forest as the cool wind blew her hair out of her face.

Riki could see her eyes shine with the moon. Then it hits him suddenly, realizing that she looks happier up in here than when she was down there. It must've been hard on her the most...what is he supposed to do? Can he let her go? Why would he want to let her go? He finally has someone to spend all of his eternity--

Usually, cold air doesn't bother Riki so much, because his own body is cold--literally--but whenever her touch leaves him, the cold of the wind makes him shiver; so when Y/n pulled him out of trans, he could only hope she'd not let go.

Note: not exactly like the movie , huh? Forgive me. This from my Wattpad btw, so it's kinda my draft too...

PART ONE | PART THREE

[harocat]

The way Lost You Forever says, 'the trauma never fully goes away, but we find happiness and live anyway.'

For me this is best exemplified in two physical manners:

Xiaoyao's (assumedly quite high) cultivation and power was severely damaged by the thirty years she spent being tortured by the fox. Over and over when I read people talking about the series, people wondered when she'd get her power back.

And I get it. It would have been an amazing moment to see her powers return, to see her bursting with what must have been so much strength as the daughter of two extremely famous warriors.

But instead of that, Xiaoyao makes do with what she has. She learns how to defend herself with archery. She makes poisons. She fights in her own ways. Even in this xianxia world, she can't regain what she lost, but she does her best to make up for it.

One thing I was worried about when hearing about Tushan Jing's death is that I thought he might come back unblemished by scars, totally able bodied again. Often in xianxia when someone comes back to life, they reappear somehow, cultivated from an object or just in a flurry of sparkles and flower petals. There's not usually a dead body, so the body isn't revived; the spirit is. And this isn't a criticism of that trope.

I was just concerned that if applied to Tushan Jing, it would be done in a way that made him 'whole' again. Because a lot of pieces of media can and have done this. Magical healing and rebirth? Time to remove disabilities.

And that would have frustrated me, from a narrative perspective. But the show didn't do that! It's hard to overstate the mark trauma has left on his body; 90% of it is damaged and scarred. He is handicapped in his leg. His cultivation is also damaged. And that's still there. All of it is remains.

But despite that, despite everything, they not only move on, but they find a happy ending. They will never stop carrying that with them, but for both Xiaoyao and Tushan Jing, it doesn't matter. I like this a lot.

[wandixx]

Dani gives people heart attacks and brings down a lot of trafficking rings, making friends along the way. Everything by accident, really

Dani traveled around world, hadn't she? While doing it, she had to meet a lot of interesting people.

Like heroes or villains.

In civies or not or both who knows.

But to actually learn things about someplace you have to spend more than one night there. Like, idk? Month? Probably more but I doubt she would be able to sit in one place for any longer. In many places she is shorter.

Month is long enough to create some connections though.

Enough to get someone to realize when you disappear...

Yeah, Dani on her way of gremlin and self discovery ghosted bunch of people without second thought. They'll probably forget her in few months anyway. And she was everywhere in USA. She didn't left American soil only because she didn't want to be too far from Danny in case of emergency. Before anyone tells me he was in space so he could fly to her wherever on Earth she would be, Earth's atmosphere ends about 100 km above sea level and officially this is border of space. Telecommunication satellites are between 8000 to 12000 km up. It's about how wide Atlantic Ocean is.

Plus y'know, time. If she needs help, she probably can't quite wait until he flies all the way to Hong Kong, Wladywostok, Rio de Janeiro or wherever she is.

So America it is. For now at least. When they're 100% sure she is stable she'll fly elsewhere.

Anyway people who she ghosted are used to batshit crazy stuff but "this tween is alone on her road to self discovery and just left for new city" isn't first thing anyone thought about. Maybe outside of Martians. They know. Everyone else? No idea what happened to this tiny, chaotic, snarky, probably meta child.

First thought though?

She got kidnapped.

So now 3/4 of Justice League, some individual heroes and bunch of less intense rogues are scrambling around their cities tracking every trafficking ring they found glimpses of, trying to find Dani.

Flashes work with Captain Cold on this and seem to slowly descend into madness. At the same time, Dani eats ice cream with nice museum lady from Washington who introduced herself as Diana. Then she helps at animal shelter with kind stuck up boy called Damian. Oh, Danny likes aliens, let's visit Martian Manhunter. Maybe she'll manage to get autograph for her template. Wait Space Cops? Kinda sucks but Danny would probably like their signatures too. Let's go. Oh, Superboys are fun mess with and older one is like her! This Nightwing guy puns like Danny but she always feels like he looks at her weirdly. Billy should eat more, magic or not, fighting is tiring. Good thing she has Sam's money to buy him burgers.

She has time of her life while people she met are slowly dying.

She probably doesn't even hide that she is traveling but for whatever reason they don't think she actually left.

They don't bring it up on any meeting because no matter how concerned they are, it's not really whole league type of business. And Martians just discreetly enjoy chaos.

There is a lot of ways it can get resolved (or not) but I kinda thought about Jon introducing his old buddy Damian to his new buddy Dani because he thinks they would get along and they just stare at each other for long moment before:

"Dani..."

"Dami!"

"WHY DID YOU LEFT WITHOUT A WORD! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED OR DEAD!"

Some screaming and revelation that Killer Croc was looking for her too, Dani hits moment of realisation.

"Wait, is this what people think when you just up and go?"

"Honestly? Yeah"

"Oh, Ancients I did this to so many people. So many..."

Idk, just Dani traveling and leaving people behind.

Do with it what you will

[elasticitymudflap]

you think your boy Simon is gonna come back for season 2 or is he all arced out?

LISTEN *GRIPS U* SORRY IM ALL CAPS IM JUST BEING VERY NORMAL RN

SEASON 1 WAS BASICALLY ABOUT GETTING HIM TO THE POINT WHERE HE WAS SIMPLY NO LONGER LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO THROW HIS LIFE AWAY, AND RECOGNIZING/NOT ROMANTICIZING THE CONCEPT OF SACRIFICE IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH BETTY BECAUSE OF HOW DISPROPORTIONALLY SHE SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR HIM IN WAYS HE WASN'T COGNIZANT OF.

IMHO:

SEASON 1 BARELY TOUCHED UPON ADDRESSING OR WORKING THROUGH HIS ICE KING TRAUMA. THIS IS MY FIRST MAIN THING I NEED THEM TO TOUCH UPON.

IT CONCERNS ME THAT SIMON DIDN'T EVEN COMPLETELY CONNECT THE DOTS IN THAT ALL THE CRAP WORLDS THEY WENT TO WERE HINGING ON WHO HE IS AND THE IMPACT HIS LOVE AND SACRIFICE (OR THE LACK THEREOF) HAD ON THE WORLD (DID SORT OF FOR A MOMENT IN THE STAR BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH IMO)

HE'S OBVIOUSLY STILL PROCESSING HIS YEARS TAKING CARE OF MARCY IN THE APOCALYPSE???? THERE WAS NO FOLLOW-UP WITH HER PHONECALL EVEN IN THE FINAL MONTAGE???? WHAT HAPPENED IN OOO WHEN HE DISAPPEARED??? THESE TWO NEED TO FUCKING TALK FOR REAL

WHAT DOES SIMON'S LIFE LOOK LIKE WHEN HE'S NO LONGER AN EXHIBIT?? HOW THE HELL DID HE BECOME/CONSENT TO BECOMING AN EXHIBIT IN THE FIRST PLACE I MEAN WHAT THE FUCK?? HOW DID HIS LIFE CHANGE SO DRASTICALLY (OR DID IT NOT) FROM OBSIDIAN??

THE MORAL OF "MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE GONE ON THAT TRIP TO AUSTRALIA INSTEAD / WHO KNOWS WHAT LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE" IS SO BAD FOR HIM TO END CONCLUSIVELY ON AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE SEEN BECAUSE THE WORLD STILL FUCKING ENDED??? MAYBE HE FOUND THE CROWN, MAYBE HE DIDN'T, BUT EITHER WAY FROM WHAT WE SAW IN THE ALT WORLDS IT WAS ALL GOING TO END IN TRAGEDY AND MAYBE THIS IS THE ONLY WORLD WHERE WE GET A BITTERSWEET END INSTEAD OF A HELL WORLD THANKS TO THEIR DESICIONS??? IDK!!!!!! I'D LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT CONCEPT I THINK

THE UNIVERSE IS OUT OF HIS NOODLE, BUT DOES SIMON'S HEAD-PORTAL STILL WORK?? CAN HE CONNECT TO FIONNA WORLD IF HE'S IN HIGHLY CHARGED MAGICAL ENVIRONMENTS??? ACTUALLY, WHAT THE HELL ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF A HUMAN HAVING A UNIVERSE IN HIS DANG HEAD

HE'S CONNECTING WITH ASTRID NOW AND SEEMS TO BE ON MUCH BETTER TERMS, IS SHE GOING TO INSPIRE HIM TO START WRITING FIONNA AND CAKE STORIES AGAIN TO COPE IN A HEALTHY WAY WITH HIS PAST THIS TIME??

SIMON'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ICE THING???

SIMON'S HUMAN PAST IN GENERAL: WHY IS THIS DUDE THE WAY HE IS??? WHY DID HE BELIEVE THE THINGS HE DID, STUDY THEM, MAKE THEM THE THINGS HE HINGED HIS LIFE AND CAREER ON???

ON THAT NOTE: FLASHBACKS. MOTHER FUCKING FLASHBACKS. MORE OF HIS ADVENTURES WITH BETTY. WE ACTUALLY SEE SO LITTLE OF WHAT THEY WERE LIKE TOGETHER WHEN ACTUALLY HAPPY, HUMAN, AND IN A RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER, IN THEIR ELEMENT, AND NOT STRICKEN WITH LIFE-OR-DEATH DESICION MAKING EXCEPT FOR HIS DUMB ASS GETTING BRAINED BY A CHERRY JAR

HIS YEARNING TO FIND BETTY AND APOLOGIZE TO HER WAS "TECHNICALLY" HANDLED IN THE SHOW, BUT YOU CAN NOT TELL ME THIS DUDE DOESN'T HAVE LASTING ISSUES AND TRAUMA AROUND THAT. ABOUT THE FIRST TIME HE PUT ON THE CROWN AND BETTY DISAPPEARING FOREVER. ABOUT THE GUILT AND FEAR ABOUT HER BEING DEAD DURING THE WAR. ABOUT LIVING NINE FUCKING HUMAN LIFETIMES IN A HAZE WHERE ALL HE KNEW WAS HE HURT THE PERSON HE LOVED MOST AND HE JUST NEEDED TO FIND HER. IT BECAME AN INTEGRAL PART OF ICE KING'S CHARACTER, HIS MOST DEFINING TRAIT STRIPPED TO THE STUDS. HE HELD ONTO THAT LAST PIECE OF SIMON PETRIKOV SOME HOW UNTIL SO MUCH TIME HAD PASSED HIS ONLY HOPE TO EVER FIND HER AGAIN WAS TO USE TIME TRAVEL. I'D LIKE SOME MORE OF THAT, IF YOU PLEASE.

HOW IS HE ACTUALLY COPING POST-SEASON 1? WHAT ARE HIS THOUGHTS ON ALL THE WORLDS THEY VISITED, THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO HIM, THE IMPLICATIONS, HIS INTERPRETATIONS? HE MAY BE IN THERAPY BUT HE'S STILL DRINKING.

ANYWAY

[elkonigin]

Inuyasha Meta - Sango's Relationships

Let's take a moment and talk a bit about the main relationships that Sango has within the story.

Inuyasha

Okay, these two are siblings that aren't actually related. Inuyasha gives her that brotherly relationship that she's been looking for after the loss of Kohaku. Especially at the beginning when she thinks that he's actually dead.

And when she discovers that Kohaku isn't dead, Inuyasha is the one to make her see reason and stops her from killing her brother to save him from doing anything else evil.

Inuyasha should be anti-brother, but he's not. Because he understands family and what it should be. Inuyasha protects Sango from doing something that he knows that she's going to regret.

But these two seem to banter and argue back and forth like siblings and I think that's what gives Sango some sense of normalcy, because Inuyasha makes her realize that family doesn't have to be blood, and that she has people who care about her here.

Kagome

Ah yes, Kagome. The ultimate best friend duo. Kagome allows her that opportunity to have a female friend. I have no doubt that Sango had a ton of male friends because of her profession, but Kagome lets her be soft and feminine, and brings her those things that define her as feminine.

Kagome offers her the duality of Sango's nature. Sango wants to be feminine; if she didn't, then she wouldn't be wearing her traditional wrap skirt all the time (which I also think Sango uses as a disguise part of the time to let people misjudge her and then BAM! she enters ass kicking mode).

Kagome also serves as a confidant, allowing Sango to therapeutically release all that negative emotion and her confusion in her attraction to Miroku. Kagome is the normal girl that Sango wants it to be, however, she is allowed to be both soft and ass-kicking all in the same sphere. Kagome lets her see that it is possible to be both AND be accepted for it.

Miroku

Now, so many people argue that Sango deserves so much better than Miroku, and I say that you're wrong.

Was Miroku a terrible person at the beginning? Yes. But a lot of this stemmed from the fact that the man thought he was going to die within a few years, and had to literally pop a baby out of some woman in the hopes that maybe he would finally get rid of Naraku.

Both Sango and Miroku were living to die. Sango was willing to die to destroy Naraku and save her brother, and Miroku was just counting down the days until he was sucked into the void.

We see Miroku's habits change towards women once he was engaged to Sango. Miroku might have been a player, but he's devoted to Sango. There's also a distinct change in how he acts. Miroku wants to live once he realizes that he has something to live for.

Sango is Miroku's reason for living, and Sango finds a reason for herself. Revenge is no longer her primary focus, and we her be a little selfish for just that one bit in her desire to be with Miroku and be a married woman. Miroku's willingness to die for Sango and her despair over the thought that he might die before her, renews her passion for fighting Naraku, not for revenge but for the life she desires to have.

Kirara

So we have the dynamic duo here. Kirara is Sango's constant companion. She is loyal and faithful, and helps Sango whenever she's in danger or needs assistance. We know that Kirara loves Sango. This much is clear.

And it's obvious that Sango loves Kirara, judging from the first scene we see them reconnect after the deception of Naraku is revealed. Sango thought that Kirara had died defending the village, and Kirara had spent the entire time attempting to defend the village, even after it fell, because Sango had asked her to.

Kirara is happy to follow Sango and group along as they travel with hardly a care or concern, even when she's treated more like pack mule and transport.

However, both are greatly respected, and this is the relationship that gives our hearts joy and makes us all wish we had a little fire cat as a personal companion.

Kohaku

These two have to be the kindest siblings you've ever seen. Our first introduction to them is where Sango is reassuring Kohaku over his place in the village and as a demon slayer. She's reassuring and motherly, and even when her brother murders everyone that she loves, she still tries to comfort him as he dies.

Even as Kohaku attempts to attack Kagome and kill her, she tackles him to the ground and is willing to him herself, because she knows that even though it would destroy her to kill her brother, she's willing to suffer as long as he's not. Sango knows what her brother would want, and she'd do her damnedest to carry out his wishes.

Because when Sango loves, it's full force 100% inescapable care and affection whether you want it or not.

And after everything is done and over, there's no hard feelings between them. Sango doesn't hold what happened to the village and her family against him. Think about it. This is a lot to just let go, and Sango immediately forgives him, because she knows that it wasn't him.

I feel like I could go on more, but I think this is more than enough. 😂

[pigmentpoltergeist]

I finished The Sunshine Court the other day and the hyper fixation is hitting, so here’s some evidence gathering for the question of what the fuck is going on with the Knox family—

Cat trips up when telling Jean how many siblings Jeremy has, tripping between the words ‘has’ and ‘3’ in a way that leaves Jean unsure what she’d had to change. This might be because of Jeremy’s boundary setting around calling his step-relatives relatives—maybe something about Cat almost not including a step sibling in the count but correcting herself because they’re in public and the Knoxs have that whole ‘public facing unity’ thing going on—but, that feels like it would be a really out of character punch for Cat to pull, especially right before insulting Bryson. I think it’s much more likely that a Knox sibling is either dead or gone—so either Cat tripped over ‘3’ and Jeremy had/has a fourth sibling, or Cat tripped over ‘has’ and there’s something going on with the other Knox brother that makes Cat double think using the present tense. But--

In the same section, when she insults Bryson, Cat says that there's bound to be a jerk or two once you pass four kids. So, my money is on there being another Knox sibling we haven't heard about yet

There are a lot of emotionally charged reactions to the way Jean talks about the Ravens/his past in the book, so this moment in chapter ten doesn't get a lot of focus from Jean's pov, but Jeremy has a big reaction to Jean’s off-hand speculation about whether or not Grayson will kill himself. Jeremy bites back at that so hard that Cat winches. (But, that’s all she does. Cat doesn’t seem confused about the reaction at all.) This reaction from Jeremy especially stands out next to how deliberately patient Jeremy tries to be with biting back his first reaction to most of the wild information Jean keeps dropping on him. This might be a misread or a jumped-to conclusion on my part, but it feels like suicide, specifically, might be a soft spot for Jeremy. But, since Grayson is Lucas' brother, it's equally possible that, if there's a nerve being hit here, it's sibling death.

(This bit is more blind speculation on my part, but something about the impressive amount of self control Jeremy has when receiving distressing information from Jean feels like it's going to be important. Compared to Cat and Laila needing to be calmed down/stopped from reacting multiple times when getting new Jean Lore, it’s really notable how many of Jeremy’s own initial reactions we watch him bury on page—he does react to a lot, of course, but compared to the baseline regular/not in-the-know-about-the-mafia-shit characters, Jeremy manages himself weirdly well. He seems to have an amount of practice in emotional self control that is notable, is what I'm saying, especially in scenes like the conversation in the book store where he keeps clenching his knuckles white and almost snapping coat hangers and just. Carrying on the conversation until an emotion like concern or shock stops him in his tracks. Combined with that line Cat has about how Jeremy is living proof that “the right therapist can be life changing”, my money’s on Jeremy having had some serious anger issues at some point; probably high school, considering what he says when explaining the trojans’ good sportsmenship to Jean—)

On Jean’s first night living with the trojans, Jeremy has a little monologue about how he wasn't 'born trojan’ and how his high school team encouraged competitive attitudes and insults just as badly as any other team. That monologue gets interrupted by a line about how Jeremy “clapped his hands together as if crushing his past self between the two.” That feels loaded, even if it's not out and out confirmation that Jeremy was involved in a toxic level of competitiveness/antagonism. There's something about high school Jeremy that Jeremy really doesn't like.

Whatever the big, family destroying event was, Annalise’s scene implies that it happened/came to a head at the fall banquet of Jeremy’s freshman year. (That probably means that, if any other Knox siblings were directly involved in the event, they would have needed to be invited to the banquet; either as a player or a guest.)

Annalise. Annalise has big beef with exy, and with Jeremy playing exy. Jeremy doesn’t just say that she stopped coming to his games, he says that she has gone out of her way to forget everything she ever learned about the game. That might just be hyperbole for hyperbole’s sake, but, given the fact that Jeremy says she hasn’t forgiven him for still playing the game, I feel like some of Annalise’s baggage here isn’t just that Jeremy happened to be at an exy banquet when the bad thing happened—it feels like she’s placing a share of the blame on the sport itself.

So, in terms of out and out conclusions to draw: something happened in the fall of Jeremy’s freshman year of college. This nebulous thing severed the family badly, and is also the reason that the entire sport of exy is dead to Jeremy’s sister. The Knox family lost a sibling (unless you assume that it’s specifically Jeremy’s friend group that considers him to have one less sibling, which is possible since it’s only Cat we see trip, but seems less likely to me). Finally, given Jeremy’s reaction to the Wayne/Grayson conversation, I’d be willing to bet there’s also a suicide/death at play.

(Blind guess I’m making: I think it's possible that maybe a Knox sibling killed themself because of exy. Maybe due to not getting accepted to a top rank school when their brother made it onto the second ranked school in the country off of the same high school team, maybe because of Jeremy hitting the collegent level and out performing them, maybe in part fueled by some residual animosity from a high school rivalry between themself and Jeremy. Whatever the case, it would have needed to happen in the aftermath of an altercation/argument between them and Jeremy at the fall banquet for the way Jeremy time-stamps it to make sense.

But, this is a blind guess on the heels of a first read through of the book--a book where Jeremy is going out of his way to not think about important information--so this is probably way off base. Given the way his family reacts to small things like Jeremy dying his own hair, any number of small scandals at the banquet could have been enough for them to blame him for 'breaking the family apart'.)

(Also, fully unrelated Jeremy fact that I couldn’t fit anywhere else: Jeremy’s dad is in the military and maybe alive? Given the fact that Jeremy will not call his step-grandfather his grandfather, I’m assuming his line about his dad having been stationed in Europe a few times is about his biological father, and I don’t know why he’d pick the word stationed if it wasn’t a military thing.

The way Jeremy cuts himself off in that same line is really weird, too. It’s not a period, it trails off weirdly and he shrugs. What’s that about, Jeremy?

Anyway, hope the fact that Jeremy’s dad was stationed in Europe a few times doesn’t come up in the plot line about a European crime family’s activities being investigated and possibly publicized.)

[bibibbon]

MHA chapter 420 rant

New chapter new rant it's become somewhat of a thing at this point 😭

So hori's out here deflating any stakes or tension as always. I personally hated what happend last chapter with Izuku losing both his arms but I did wish for hori to continue on the path he chose instead of completely reversing it with some bs in this chapter. Heck I don't understand how Eri even had enough energy to heal his arms considering it was stated chapters before that she couldn't and shouldn't help Izuku it wasn't her fight and neither should she be forced to watch what's going on but here we are.

Heroes are hypocrites when it comes to Eri and she deserves better. Oh Eri the ever so lasting plot device. As someone that likes Eri's character and wished for her trauma and what she went through to be explored this is just bs and shows that the heroes are incompetent hypocrites at their jobs for allowing Eri to mutilate herself (the same thing overhaul did to himself) so she can be useful to these people who she views as her saviours?!?!?! Let's not even tall about the fact that ECTOPLASM stated that he helped her with that and allowed her to do that like?!?!? You're an adult who is supposed to be supervising the child and you almost failed to stop her from running away into the battlefield but allowed her to do that to herself. Let's also talk about how aizawa horribly failed as a guardian like its clearly stated in the chapter that she did want she did because she was inspired by aizawa and how he cut his leg off so she mimicked him so she can be helpful?!?! Aizawa isn't angry, worried or disappointed but shocked and that's it nothing else he doesn't even reprimand her like seriously 😑.

Present mic and kurogiri deserves better. We still don't know where present mic is but he deserves better than this I still hate how his feelings aren't acknowledged in this bs and he is just there pushed to the side as support. Kurogiri is a mix at this point they seem to realise that oh oboro is dead he ain't coming back but kurogiri is acting on memories that haven't died and to be honest Iam sick of hori drawing the same memory panel over and over we should just get new content show us them play fighting or doing something that friends do idk 🤷‍♀️

Wasted potential aizawa at this point. I lasted made a post about aizawas wasted potential but dam does it really show and basically at this point hori reduced all the characters involved in the kurogiri situation to just that and it's sad like we could of had more and we should of. Aizawa was doomed from the start as he was hori's mouthpiece which sucks

Iam not a fan of everyone coming in to fight AFO. I already hate the fact that AFO is back but having everyone who hasn't had a big moment or can still fight yet come into the fight is horrible. Iam ok with having a few characters come in but having some endgame avengers type of thing is horrible especially because class 1A and izuku aren't shown to have a strong bond a lot of the time it's one of the reasons why the vigilante arc fails and why a lot of other moments concerning class 1A and izuku fail.

Iam a fan of the civilians trying to help however they can but no inko?!?!!?!!. I loved that we got the page of civilians genuinely wanting to help Izuku and offering their shirts to stop the bleeding also even though we don't get much from the all might guy I genuinely loved the development he has gone through. Sadly, I was expecting to see inko in this chapter and considering we had a whole page dedicated to the civilians it's sad that we didn't get any update on inko as she was probably there watching what happend to her son

Eri's dream. I loved that Eri's dream is something way outside of heroics and it's something that doesn't involve her quirk at all. It makes me remember of izuku holding her hand and telling her that he supports her dream. I wonder if Eri and jirou hang out often or anything considering that jirou is Eri's inspiration or if present mic also inspired Eri. it's sad that Eri's character is never truly explored considering what happend to her this chapter and the double standards that are with both heroes and villains.

ALSO MONOMA YOU DESERVE BETTER YALL TELLING ME THAT DENKI ALREADY QUIRK EXHAUSTED IS OUT HERE FIGHTING BUT MONOMA CANT FOR SOME REASON IS VILE

[whetstonefires]

So re: Qin Su's death, one thing I'm absolutely certain of is that she did not just conveniently kill herself due to her high level of distress, at the exact moment most convenient to a person she was super mad at.

Because, frankly, mxtx is not that shitty a writer. She doesn't sweat the details or logistics of things, characters are allowed to coincidentally turn up in the right place to make the plot work and so forth, but these novels are intensely concerned with character motive and internal life. Everyone does things for their own reasons.

People do what the plot requires, but a defining feature of her writing is that everyone is fashioned into the shape of the kind of person who would do that thing in this situation. Sometimes whole scenes or subplots exist mainly to put on display the underlying cognitive patterns that justify as individual choices the kinds of things stock characters routinely do in genre novels, for no reason than that they are The Type Of Character who Does That.

If Qin Su was going to commit suicide about the bad news, there would have been hints that this was the direction her thoughts were trending during the preceding scene, where we're introduced to her reactions. And there aren't.

Her primary reaction is anger. She's scared to death when her husband paralyzes her and puts her on his dismemberment table to interrogate later for the name of her informant. She is contemptuous of his caring almost exclusively about what all these horrors could do to their reputation.

There is nothing in the scene to suggest she would, given the opportunity to denounce him to the cultivation world, choose instead to escape by knife.

The interpretation of this sequence that says she Just Did That really annoys me, because it requires ignoring basically every single piece of information about the character other than the fact that Wei Wuxian always thought since they were kids that she wasn't very bright.

Furthermore, it would be out of character for Jin Guangyao to have knowingly arranged a situation likely to go so badly for him, and wildly unusual for him to get so lucky if he had. This man has shit luck normally.

The sensible thing for him to do, in a universe where Qin Su just conveniently opted for suicide instead of ratting on him, would have been to take the ten to twenty minutes of prep time he had to work with to disappear her the same way he did nmj's head.

This might have required killing her first, since we don't know where he put it, but while I'm sure he didn't want to do that I'm equally sure he was entirely capable. He had a convenient scapegoat handy to blame for her disappearance.

He had no reason to allow her to be visible and capable of independent action when his cavalcade of guests arrived. But there she was, dazed but unrestrained. And then...cursed knife time.

Super convenient! She's dead and can't blab, and lots of important people saw her do it and saw how horrified he was and are disposed to be sympathetic. Works out much better for him than the risk of being blamed if she disappears.

So Wei Wuxian's assumption that jgy set the suicide up and compelled her somehow is the most logical inference. Neither of their characters is really compatible with the other scenario.

If Jin Guangyao had actual mind control powers he definitely would have used them a lot, so the most straightforward version of what happened is he used some technique or drug that would confuse her and suppress her cognition, then deliberately put 'cursed dagger that preys on your negative feelings and makes you kill yourself' within reach just before everyone entered.

I'm sure if it hadn't worked, and she'd just kind of stared into the distance while he talked his way out of the unproveable allegations and weaponized Mo Xuanyu's bad reputation and so forth, he'd have been happy with that outcome too, since it would still have meant a lot of important people saw her alive and not freaking out, and then he'd still have been able to torture her for information later. (Again, something I'm sure he didn't want to do, but absolutely would have.)

But this worked out well and got rid of two exposure threats at once while buying him sympathy points.

Although considering his shit luck, I wouldn't rule out that his plan only went as far as sedating her so she couldn't make trouble and he could show everyone how not paralyzed on his murder table she was, and he'd forgotten he had an evil dagger that compelled you to kill yourself lying around in reach of a woman whose ability to exert force of will he'd just reduced to nothing.

And he wasn't expecting that result at all.

[that-blue-vault-dweller]

Hello I hope you are doing well. Are you still doing Fallout 4 companions react? If you are I got a funny one for you. How would the companions react to someone telling the Sole Survivor to act her age, and she immediately plays dead.

Thank you! I'm doing quite well, and I hope you are, too! I hope you enjoy this one! 🥰 I know I loved writing it 😂

Cait - Despite the fact that she is utterly fuming at the person who had dared tell F!Sole that, she cannot help but snort in amusement when she understands the reason she fell to the ground. F!Sole's sense of humor is undyingly (no pun intended) awful and literal, but it is a nice way to put the person in their place.

Curie - Misses the joke at first and is immediately at F!Sole's side, worrying for her health because people don't collapse for no reason. However, when she understands the joke, she does find it rather funny, but only after she has ensured Madame's safety.

Piper - Almost immediately falls to the ground laughing with her Blue because her naturally smart-mouthed self INSTANTLY gets it. However, she manages to hold herself together long enough to make a sarcastic quip to the rude person saying something along the lines of "Ask and ye shall receive."

MacCready - Takes him a second to get it, but he cannot help but find it extremely funny when he does. He laughs a little as he gives the person the stink-eye until they go away and leave him and his "dead" friend alone.

Deacon - Falls to the ground with her before he fully understands the joke. No explanations or anything, he just goes and plays dead alongside her just to further mess with the person that had told her to act her age. He's always in for a good prank.

Codsworth - Laughs happily. The joke doesn't take long to occur to him, and he is more than eager to support her attempts to ward off the haters. He scolds the person, making sure to make a few clever comments himself.

Hancock - Would have just assumed stab them as look at them for saying something like that to F!Sole, but when she fell to the ground in response, he waits for just a couple of beats, trying to figure out what she's doing. As soon as it dawns on him, he is instantly cackling loudly and unashamedly at her clever way of putting the person in their place.

Danse - Is somewhat embarrassed and terribly taken off-guard by the display. He is instantly dragging her up and leaving because this is not an honorable sort of way to represent the Brotherhood or if it's Post-BB, it's not a way to conduct oneself in public regardless. -5/10, not outstanding.

Preston - Is somewhat shocked that his general is behaving this way, but it is slightly funny despite his reservations about how this must represent the Minutemen. He just sort of looks away awkwardly until she is done.

Valentine - Just sighs tiredly and he gets it instantly. However, he can't help enjoying the joke despite the ridiculousness of the entire thing. After a few moments, he asks her if acting his age was dead, too, and if he should go ahead and join her.

X6-88 - Is terribly unamused. This is a waste of time. It would have been more fitting to simply threaten the person or skip the formalities and simply shoot them. But he lets her have her fun despite how silly it is.

Dogmeat - Does not understand the humor and is instantly confused and a little concerned when she falls over. He sniffs her carefully, trying to figure out if she is alright. However, when he sees she's okay, he barks excitedly, taking the opportunity to lick her face now that she's more conveniently at his level.

Strong - Is instantly confused and he kicks her side a little to see if she's really alive or if she just fell over dead for real. When she quickly comes back to life to assure him of her livelihood, he gets angry. "Why tiny human pretend to be dead when NOT dead?!!! MAKES NO SENSE!!!"

[bravevulnerability]

What if 3x13 happens during the 47 seconds arc?

Her knuckles are white around the steering wheel, the binoculars tossed aside in her lap. The tension in the Crown Vic is palpable, the concern for their friends and the discomfort of sitting in the small space together causing a bead of sweat to form on the back of her neck.

They're parked outside the building they traced Maddox to, where Ryan and Esposito are being held, possibly tortured. A guard stands posted outside the entrance, posture relaxed but eyes alert and ready.

"That guy'll spot a S.W.A.T team from a block away. He'll warn Maddox." Beckett sighs, chewing on her bottom lip. "They'll both be dead in seconds."

Castle is quiet beside her and she doesn't have the courage to look at him in that moment, to see his steely blue gaze not just angry with her, but further disappointed too.

"I'm open to dumb ideas here."

A shaky breath exhales from the passenger side. "Good, because I've got one. But you'll have to trust me."

Beckett turns towards him, holds his gaze. For a second, it feels normal again - not like he's replaced her with a shoddy excuse for a detective or a blonde stewardess. In the moment, they feel like partners again.

"I do."

His lips part, as if he's about to say more, but instead, his fingers close around the door handle and he's pushing it open.

"Castle," she growls, reaching for her own door.

"Just play drunk and follow my lead," he hisses, slamming the car door and circling around to her side of the vehicle in a lazy stroll.

The guard notices the second they exit the car, body shifting in their direction.

"Loosen up, lean on me," he murmurs, catching her hand and spinning her into his arms.

He makes a show of laughing loudly and she does as he instructed, staggering with a giggle into his side, snagging her fingers in his coat to keep her balance. Castle's hand is roaming her side, slipping from her shoulder to her waist, dragging her in close, and she tries to ignore the sharp flutter in her stomach.

The guard leaves his post reluctantly, approaching them with a critical eye.

"He's not buying it, Castle," she hums into his shoulder, heart beginning to pound as the guard comes closer. She keeps her smile in place while she shifts in his grasp, continuing the airy laughter even as her fingers graze her gun.

But then Castle is snatching her hand with his own, dislodging it from the piece. His fingers are smoothly moving to the small of her back, pulling her in close, while the other catches her by the cheek.

The laughter comes to an abrupt halt.

The blue of his eyes glows in the darkness of the parking lot, holding her attention as they flicker to her mouth. Her fingers are shaking as they grasp for the sides of his coat, her head nodding at its own accord when he drifts in, touches his lips to hers for the first time.

The electricity stuns her, crackling across her lips. He's tentative, his mouth soft but unmoving against hers, barely a kiss, but his hands roam her back, make a show of having her body pressed to his.

"This okay?" he mumbles, nudging his nose against her cheek, and she feels a tremble of need ripple through her.

She answers with the part of her lips, the sweep of her tongue to the seam of his mouth. Castle startles back for a moment in surprise, but his eyes slide toward the guard, and he's leaning into her, accepting the fuse of her mouth to his once more.

Her heels are high, but she still finds herself rising up, arching into him as she sucks his upper lip into her mouth, laves her tongue over the tender flesh. Castle groans, scraping at her lip with his teeth, digging his fingers into the coat at her back. Her fingers scrape through his hair, nails scorching his scalp, and he grunts into her mouth, sucks her tongue into his.

She's watching the guard, she swears she's devoting some of her attention to the guard, but she can't help the way her knees dip, the way he supports her with the thigh between her legs, the moan he drags from deep in her throat.

The low chuckle of the guard from behind Castle has her eyes fluttering open to see the other man turning away, shaking his head at them.

She sighs, hating herself for wishing he had taken a little longer to fall for the ruse, and then she's snagging the gun from her waistband. She uses her hold on Castle's shoulder and her own momentum to swing forward, knock the guard out cold.

"Holy shit," he's gasping from behind her.

She spins on her heel, finds Castle gaping at her with kiss swollen lips and wide eyes, hair disheveled and chest heaving.

"That was... a lot." Her face flushes, ears burning with heat, and he stares up at her in disbelief. "You - Kate, you didn't have to kiss me like that."

"I didn't?"

"I mean, yes, but the way you - and how you-"

"Later," she stops him, jerking her head towards the building. "The boys."

"Yeah, yes, of course," he nods, blinking furiously and trotting up alongside her as they approach Maddox's hideout.

-

Castle is hidden behind a wooden beam, crouched atop a crate of ammo as Maddox drifts into his line of sight. Rick's had his eye on Kate the entire time, ensuring that she wasn't shot amidst her exchange of fire with the sniper. She's reloading her weapon, hidden behind a beam on the opposite side of the garage, when Maddox situates himself directly below Castle, Kate in his sights. Again.

He doesn't think twice this time.

Castle leaps onto Maddox, tackling him to the ground, knocking the gun from his surprised grasp, and taking a fist to the sniper's face. Over and over and over again. Until he stops seeing Kate bleeding out underneath him.

"Castle!"

He jerks his attention to the call of his name, the sound of her voice.

His knuckles are throbbing, Maddox's face is a mess of blood, and Kate is holding out her hand to him.

"Rick," she says softer.

He releases a shaking breath and takes her outstretched hand, lets her pull him off of the sniper. The guy who tortured Ryan and Esposito, who put a bullet in her chest, upended her entire life.

The S.W.A.T team is swarming in now, shouting commands and racing to the boys, checking pulses of the men Kate took out. She draws him away, off to the sidelines as the team ascends towards Maddox's unconscious form.

"You okay?" she asks, her voice gentle. He tears his eyes away from the activity all around them and looks to her.

He flexes his fingers unthinkingly, winces. "Never better."

"Good," she whispers, nudging him towards a back entrance. He can hear the squawk of squad cars arriving outside, the siren of an ambulance. He reaches for the exit's door with his good hand to lead them out into the night, but Kate is stilling him, catching his shoulder and turning him towards her.

He doesn't have the chance to question her. Too quickly, she's stepping into him, shaking hands on his cheeks and fervent lips bruising against his own. Laying siege to his mouth and taking everything he has, and he lets her.

Castle moans quietly, burying a hand into the thick curls of her hair, clinging to her nape as her chest presses flush against his.

"I'm so sorry, Castle," she breathes, stroking his cheeks, his jaw, with her fingers. "I'm sorry for whatever I did, however I hurt you."

"Kate," he sighs, but her head is shaking, nose bumping against his, every touch of her skin like a spark lit against his own. He can't think straight, can't come up with anything to say to refuse her, can't bring himself to want to.

He's missed her so damn much.

"I just want you." The words whisper over his lips and she seals them there, dusting a kiss to his cheek, the corner of his mouth, hovering over the home of his lips.

"I love you," he mumbles, waiting for her eyes to widen in shock or shame, but she only gazes up at him, her eyes hazel and wide. "If that's not what you want, I can't-"

"It is," she swears, fierce like the kiss she places on his lips. His back is pressed against the door and he uses the leverage to spin them, her hands knotting in his hair as he seals her spine to the metal door.

Her leg curls at his thigh, possessive, and he scrapes his teeth along her jaw, her throat, sliding down the lithe line of her body until he meets the barrier of her turtleneck.

She yanks him back to her, nails scratching at his coat as she sighs into his open mouth, angles her head to deepen the kiss he fits to her lips. He can feel the wild throb of her heart, the way it accelerates when his hands steal beneath her shirt, soak in the heat radiating from her flesh.

"Uh, Detective Beckett?"

Castle tears his mouth from hers, checks over his shoulder to see a guy in a S.W.A.T uniform and a clipboard looking awkwardly between them and the floor.

"We need your statements."

"Sorry, yeah, be right there," Castle gets out, breathing totally uneven.

The guy nods and hurries off as quick as he can.

Kate groans and buries her face in his throat. Castle huffs a laugh and knocks his forehead into her temple.

"Careful, Beckett," he murmurs into her hair, dusting his lips to the hinge of her jaw. "Everyone's going to know."

Her lips part over his jugular, tongue laving over his pulse, and he gasps.

"I don't care," she says, drawing back to look at him, eyes hazy and lips red. "I just need you to know."

"Know what exactly?" he tests, pushes, but she doesn't hesitate.

"I'm in this," she says evenly, but there's a tinge of sorrow in her eyes, a mournful expression on her lips as she stares up at him. "I know there's - I know you don't want to work together anymore, but please, can I just - can I have you?"

Shit. They so need to talk. A lot. But her lashes hide her eyes as they fall to his mouth and his resolve crumbles.

"Everything?" he breathes, cradling her jaw in his bad hand, ignoring the pulsating ache reverberating through the bones.

She's nodding, leaning in to brush a whisper of a kiss over his lips like a promise. "Just want you. Just want to love you."

He kisses her once, twice, and traces his thumb over her swollen bottom lip. It's all he needs, more than enough for now.

"Come home with me tonight."

Kate grins shyly, reaches up to cradle his throbbing knuckles in the bed of her palm. "Yeah, Castle. As soon as we're done here. Let's go check on the boys and I'll wrap your hand."

She bumps his hips with her own, nudges free of his grasp, but keeps his hand cradled between both of hers.

"And thank you," she adds as she pushes open the door, spills them out into a sea of red and blue lights. "For having my back in there."

He hooks his fingers through hers, their hands a tangled mess.

"Always."

The pain in his hand is so worth it. It's all so worth it for her.

[torchwood-99]

One saving grace for Colin's treatment was this season was how it was clear everything Eloise did in part two, she did out of love for him.

Even when Penelope and Colin first announced their engagement, and Eloise was reeling, when she confronted Penelope her driving motivation was fury and concern on Colin's behalf. She was enraged that Colin didn't know, but gave Penelope grace to tell him herself. Eloise could have torpedoed their relationship by outing her there and then, but she instead she agreed to keep quiet as long as Colin knew, because that was the best way for Penelope and Colin's relationship to succeed. And she only put a time limit on when the threat of the queen and Penelope's own dithering made it a matter or urgency.

And then after hearing that speech from Colin, she decides to let Penelope keep quiet, provided LW is dead and gone. This was a misguided choice, and Colin still should have known, but when Eloise stood on that staircase and said "my heart was broken and I wanted to spare your heart getting broke too" with tears in her eyes, it was obvious that truly the one thing she wanted above all else was Colin's happiness. And in going to Penelope and getting her to drop LW, she was trying to take care of him, trying to spare him as much pain as possible.

I am glad that Colin got to tell Eloise she should have told him, but I am also glad Eloise got that moment to tell Colin straight just how much she loved him.

Eloise doesn't show her love for her siblings through great declarations. Few people do. Like most siblings, she shows it through teasing, through mucking around, through giving the odd moment of vulnerability or advice, such as with Benedict and Daphne, but tears in her eyes, weeping that she was trying to spare him the heartbreak she went through, that was Eloise's most dramatic and emotional shows of love for her siblings, and I'm so glad Colin got it.

And then during the wedding, we see Eloise going off quietly to cry, and we have Benedict tell her how love isn't finite, and it's clear that Eloise is truly frightened that Colin and Penelope will move on from her and leave her on the side lines. And yet at no point did Eloise try to ruin things for Colin. Neither her anger at Penelope nor her fear of abandonment was enough for her to try and ruin things for her big brother.

And then when Penelope and Colin are on the outs, while Eloise shows empathy for Penelope, despite everything, again Colin is her main priority. That scene with all the siblings together, and Eloise is sat there, watching Colin, looking so concerned for him, unable to keep her eyes off him because she can see he's suffering and she hates it. When Eloise tries to patch things up between them, yes she wants Pen's happiness, but it's Colin who is at the centre of things for her. It's Colin she is talking to about her own hurt and her own heartache. She is gentle with him in a way she rarely is with anyone else.

I guess I'm just so relieved that things didn't go down how I was scared they would, and how I knew certain fans wanted them to.

Either Eloise was going to be angry with Penelope about LW, and Colin was going to "put her in her place" and declare Penelope innocent of all wrong doing, or vice versa and Eloise was going to see Colin on the outs with Penelope and dress him down because she just cannot stand to see Penelope suffering.

In a fandom, in the Polin fandom, where Colin is so often seen as an accessory for Penelope, a reward for Penelope, a voice piece for praising Penelope, it was so nice to see Colin put at the centre of something, it was so nice to see Eloise put her brother first. And not just ahead of Penelope, but ahead of her own fears and heartache as well.