#something about people as monsters that they don't recognize and beasts never being anything more than that

[saphflare]

I feel like there is something to be said about how Rat and Lux chose their final stand against Blake. Making themselves look less like people by submerging themselves in ink, letting themselves die and be reborn into something deviating away from how players would usually fight and be something inhuman.

Monsters so to speak.

And how it is when they fight and lurk beneath the ink, the world looks just as dark to allow them to fit into it, like doomsday and that something is ending. So only when finally one of them lays dead and the other unable to continue that the rains stops and the color comes back. And the one remaining becomes something more recognizable in his defeat and more human as he feels something achingly terrible for the first time since the world started.

I know there is the whole unreliable narrator thing and depending on which side you see it from, you get different mileage on each character. But just there is something so fascinating how the fight is. In how Lux and Rat, the two that have changed so much together, had started this fight with the shared intent to make things right so they can finally leave it behind them and made themselves look so alien and different in the process. While Blake and Nox, two that were never even on the same side, and who both were too unrelenting in what they want to ever stray from their own desires, had remained as they were and drew the same weapons they fought with all this time (albeit it a few enchantment changes and all that) to face this fight in front of them.

I don't think I have quite the right words to form a good and meaningful conclusion, but like the tonal and thematic dissonance goes crazy (in a good way).

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

Majexatli as a Companion

[Part 1/?]

[Questions from here]

Where can your Tav be recruited?

Majexatli can be recruited in Act 1. They are found on the Risen Road, by the hyenas. When approaching for the first time, a cutscene will play, in which the player sees a dire coyote eating one of the hyenas and being attacked by gnolls. The dire coyote races after the gnolls beyond the trees and out of sight, allowing the player to investigate the dead and dying hyenas on the road. 

After the player begins combat with the hyenas, Majexatli will join initiative, rushing into combat to assist the players from where the dire coyote has disappeared. Once combat ends, Majexatli will introduce themselves and their tadpole will connect with the players, indicating that they too were on the Nautiloid.

Your tadpole squirms in recognition, their fragmented memories becoming your own. Flashes of verdant forests, vast grasslands, kneeling before a gathering of druidic elders, wandering overgrown paths, the title of Faithwarden. With each flash, however, an undercurrent of hunger, growing in intensity with each passing memory until it erupts into something blood-red and razor-sharp.

The Dark Urge will get a unique dialogue option here, relating to the bloodlust in Majexatli’s memories. Druids will also get a unique dialogue with an insight check where they can mentally speculate on Majexatli’s druidic background and note that Majexatli’s druidic armor is very different from most druids. Druid players will also recognize the title of Faithwarden and note the high honor of the title. Rangers can notice that their armor and clothing seem more reminiscent of a ranger than a druid. Clerics can notice their lack of a holy or druidic symbol.

Majexatli will offer their assistance to the player, saying that they are an accomplished druid and alchemist and that they can help navigate the area.

If allowed, Majexatli will either join the player's active party if there’s room, or be told to head to the player’s camp.

Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

I can't imagine Majexatli being recruited before some of the origin companions, but I've included everyone anyways for the fun of it.

About Wyll: The Blade of Frontiers... I haven't actually heard of him, I'm afraid. He seems a good man, though, and rather charming...

About Karlach: It's nice to have another tiefling in camp. I imagine she's one hell of a fighter, too, anyone who's lived in the hells has to be.

About Astarion: Hm. I'd keep an eye on the pale one.

About Shadowheart: If I've learned anything during my years, it's that you should always have a healer with you, regardless of whatever they have going on. Shadowheart will be important if we want to stay alive.

About Lae'zel: Lae'zel is quite the warrior, it's wise to have her around. I don't know much about her people, but if she says she knows the cure for our parasites, I'm willing to follow her lead.

About Gale: Stranger as it is, I've never met a wizard. Gale seems quite knowledgeable. He's kind of everything I imagined a wizard would be like, if I'm honest. Very... wizardly.

About Halsin: (sighs) I suppose it's good for Halsin to finally join us, given how long he's been in our camp.

About Minthara: I think it's good to have Minthara with us, as long as she stays on our side that is. I might not agree with everything she says, but she's quite impressive in battle.

About Jaheira: Hm. Another druid.

What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

Raise approval: helping people in need, killing people who are abusing power/authority, respecting nature, some violence, survival skills (foraging, gathering plants, gathering loot from killed beasts) being kind to children

Lower approval: senseless cruelty, delighting in the suffering of others, expressing disgust for monsters, abusing authority/power, taking advantage of innocent people, neutrality, maintaining balance or status quo

[saline-coelacanth]

Not sure how much I'm gonna post about this au, but I've been really wanting some Oppo content, so bam, Beauty and the Beasts you Oppo.

Here's the design I made for Zane since he takes the role of the Beast:

I mainly wanted to give him mainly dragon and bird features while still being ice themed. Oh, and he's also based on the Ice Emperor because that was the main reason I wanted to make Zane the Beast was because of the whole Ice Emperor thing.

Btw, I have already figured quiet a bit of stuff out (my brain decided to hyperfixate HARD on this concept) and this isn't a one for one retelling of Beauty and the Beast, if anything it's more of a rewrite of s11 (specifically the ice chapter) that follows the basic plot of Beauty and the Beast. Hopefully that makes sense, but if not I will be happy to info dump about my idea.

Anyway, here's some actual Oppo for the au

Also for people who don't know, I tend to draw Zane as the same height as Kai. I know a lot of people normally make him tall, but I am in the minority there. So yeah, Beast form Zane is MUCH bigger than he usually is. But enough notes, I wanna give a basic rundown of the plot. I'll put that under the cut just because it'll probably get a little long.

So basically, the fire chapter happens like normal, Zane gets sent to the Never Realm, Vex gives him amnesia and manipulates him into becoming the Ice Emperor. But things take a turn when the scroll ends up corrupting Zane in a much more drastic way, turning him into a literal monster. And the staff itself becomes frozen in place, no longer able to be held by Zane (though he still 'channels' power from it) When the staff corrupts Zane, it also leaves a message that says something along the lines of "A strong flame from the heart is needed to melt the curse" and Zane just assumes he needs literal fire.

Meanwhile, the ninja travel to the Never Realm looking for Zane, having no idea what happened to him. Eventually, Kai ends up as a prisoner at the Ice Emperor's castle where the Emperor thinks Kai is the key to breaking the curse due to him claiming to be the fire ninja. Problem is that Kai's powers still aren't back. At the same time, Kai is still focused on finding Zane and he isn't actually able to recognize that the Ice Emperor IS Zane. And obviously the Ice Emperor doesn't know that he's Zane because of the whole amnesia thing.

And yeah, then it plays out pretty similar to the movie where they start off not liking each other, but then Zane softens up and they begin to fall in love. And if anyone is wondering who the villain is, it's still Vex. He doesn't play the same role as Gaston, instead his main goal is trying to get rid of Kai since he doesn't really want the curse to be broken since Zane is easier to manipulate when he's all depressed about his monster form.

And yeah, that's my idea for a Beauty and the Beast Oppo Au. I might make more of this au since it has been a lot of fun to think about and it also gives me an excuse to draw more oppositeshipping <3

[boredwritergirl]

Day 4 - Duel Spirits

Hey everyone, a weird one for you today. I just did a writing sprint with @sapphicdesiress and I somehow accidentally made a fanfic of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. I've never made a fanfic before and idk if I'll ever do it again, but as with all the previous stories, I'm open to make a follow up if there's a desire for it. Also, while this is technically a fanfic, i must stress that it doesn't take much show knowledge to follow and honestly, I don't believe I properly represented the show nor the Character Alexis Rhodes. I imagine many of you would claim somethings are out of character and kind of mean spirited and I completely agree with that. But It's still something I wrote, and I think it works as a standalone story, so it's likely that people with only a vague knowledge of the show would like it more than die hard fans. Maybe I will make a more faithful fanfic sometime, But I'm perfectly ok if this is the only one I ever make. Also, I did take the time to edit this since I was in a writer's sprint, making shit up off the top of my head, typing fast on a phone, so yeah, It needed A LOT of editing, but it's in a decent state to share with you all now. Thanks for reading and hope you catch tomorrow's story.

Duel Spirits

The school was never pretty, but it looked especially daunting at night time. It felt wrong, like I was doing something against nature. But as I rummaged through the principal's office, I knew I needed to find it. I couldn't leave one stone unturned. I needed to see what he was hiding.

I made a complete mess of that buffoon's office. I just know he was hiding something. I just know that he knows what happened to my brother.

I took a deep breath before taking a look out the door, making sure no one's lurking in the hallway.

It has to have something to do with the abandoned building on the edge of the campus, the one place on this island that's forbidden to attend.

That must be where I go next, into the forest, into the abandoned dorm where my brother and 5 other obelisk blue students disappeared. I'll never give up on finding Atticus, even if I do get caught.

As I began to step out, I immediately closed the door as I heard footsteps in the distance. As I listened out, I could tell who it was. It was unmistakably the footsteps of the flamboyant Dr Crowler, I almost didn't recognize it without the accompanying sounds of his entitled gloating from earning a doctorate in playing Duel Monsters.

He was likely on his way to find some other way to mess with Jaiden, but I couldn't worry about that now. Atticus could still be out there, needing my help at this very instant. 

It's a shame I have to operate in the dark like this. As the highest ranking woman duelist in the academy, a lot of eyes are on me. Not as many as are on Zane, but I can't afford to slip up, because any mistake caught will be campus gossip before I could know it.

Then I heard the sounds of Dr Crowler coming back, this time his hand trying to turn the knob on the door. 

I made my escape through The giant window behind the Principal's chair and slowly climbed my way down from the building and onto the ground beneath me.

I immediately booked it, running to the abandoned dorm, through the dark forest of the night. 

But then I got lost. I looked and looked all around, not being able to see anything other than trees, endless trees!

I had no choice but to keep running and running, until I saw something strange… winged kuriboh.

Winged Kuriboh was one of Jaidens cards, but what was it doing here? And how was it physically in front of me? I didn't see a duel disk lying around, so it couldn't have been from that. Perhaps there was an old Industrial Illusions hologram generator around but those were outdated anyways, besides there's no chance Kaiba Corp would allow another company's tech at their campus.

The little furry winged beast beckoned to me, not able to speak, but gently cooing and pointing behind it. It wanted me to follow it.

I did so, going deeper into the woods following a duel monsters card come alive.

But then I stood shocked, dead in my tracks as I saw them… my deck. All of the monsters of my deck had come alive, and there was something wrong with them. Their eyes were blood red, their skin was rotten and foul. The cute and feminine deck I used to have became perverted into this monstrosity… I immediately ran away for my life, being chased by them. Their howls echoed through the night.

Blade skater and cyber gymnast zipped through the trees effortlessly, Cyber tutu and Etoile Cyber jumping from tree branch to tree branch trying to take me down while Cyber prima and cyber petite angel chased me in mid air.

I kept running, my legs not stopping for an instant. My face was soaked with sweat and my breaths were short and rapid, my heartbeat going at the pace of an F1 formula racer.

This couldn't be real, this can't be happening. Duel Monsters aren't real, it's just a children's card game! This makes no sense.

Of all the monsters, oddly enough, it was Cyber Petite angel that managed to get the jump on me. grabbing the duel disk on my arm and smashing it into the tree, completely shattering both the duel disk and my bones.

I let out a scream of terror and pain as I came to a collision, my arm now out of its socket. 

I tried to crawl away with the one arm I had left. All of the monsters I won my duels with smashing the duel disk until it was nothing but miscellaneous scraps of metal and wires.

But I didn't stop moving… I couldn't stop moving. I crawled as much as I could, but it was fruitless. 

My most powerful monster, Cyber Angel Dakini stood before me. He held his javelin to my face, lightly scraping my cheek to make me bleed.

It was obvious what was to come, what was to happen, that I'd never find Atticus again, that this was the end of Alexis Rhodes

But then suddenly, Jaiden Yuki Showed up. He's a great duelist from the Slyfer dorms. And of course. He did what he does best, say a bunch of heroic crap, tell the spirits to “get your game on!” And starts dueling my deck to save my life.

I couldn't pay attention at all to the fight, my eyes were focused on my arm. Knowing Jaiden, he probably just used his Elemental Heroes so he can fusion summon Elemental hero flame wingman, set up his skyscraper card to boost it by one thousand attack points and win with his special effect just like always.

When he won, he took me to the nurse. They did all they could for me, but nothing was ever the same after that. 

I tried to go back to classes, But everyone looked at me differently. Before I was Alexis, the girl everyone wanted or wanted to be… but now, I'm just a victim. Status never mattered to me before, but it hits differently when you have nothing left.

Maybe I'll never find my brother, but I figured I could make another deck and go back to my dueling studies, but no… every time I saw a card from my old deck, I'd just freeze in terror. I'd lose over and over again until I was demoted from obelisk blue, all the way down to Slyfer red. 

I finally got kicked out after a couple Of years. I just couldn't go back. No matter how hard I fought, I'd just lose, lose, lose.

I felt so pathetic. I couldn't save Atticus anymore than I could save myself. I finally admitted to myself that I'd never find him, and that my career was just as lost as he was.

Atticus deserved better and I used to think I deserved better too, but now I'll settle for just a single night where I don't have to relive all of that in my dreams.

I'm sorry, Atticus Rhodes… but you deserved A better sister. It should have been me who vanished in that abandoned dorm instead of you…

[hiddenramen]

Hi Kenna! I was wondering if maybe you could explain the difference between AA and the RR stuff you were talking about in your posts? I'm a big Mike Flanagan fan and loved Midnight Mass, but I've never heard anyone talk about either in the context of the show.

so AA (alcoholics anonymous) was founded by these two super-religious guys who belonged to this religious foundation called the oxford group, which basically pushed (among other things) that everything wrong with the world can essentially be boiled down to selfishness, and that the only way to fix yourself and the world over was to form entrenched ties with your community and "surrender yourself to god's plan for you," which was essentially more about like, selflessness. you had to put love for others above yourself.

the two founders of AA were both members of the oxford group (which isn't particularly weird or anything, it was super popular in the 30s) and noticed that it helped them to get sober from alcohol, so they take the tenets of the oxford group and create this program to help other people get sober, which is why the 12 steps are Like That. it's basically literally lifted from the tenets of a religious organization.

RR, on the other hand, was essentially founded as the antithesis of AA, and in direct opposition to it, and specifically to the religious nature of it. it's secular, and one of its core principles is that AA sucks. which, sure.

between the two of them, there's a lot of disagreement about how to approach addiction recovery, and also just some organizational differences—AA is free, charity-based, and focused on building a supportive community with other addicts to help you, while RR is hyper-individualistic and super focused on "self-efficacy," and also it's for-profit: you have to pay hundreds (even thousands) of dollars for the program.

(more under the cut)

AA's basic gist is that you have a disease that makes it hard for you to make good decisions about alcohol in a self-preservation sense, which means you need to find another reason to stay sober that you can latch onto. god, family, love, the greater good, whatever: you need to find some motivation to not drink that isn't just you. this is something that you will probably deal with for the rest of your life, and you will probably have some slip-ups, but by forging these community ties and finding reasons to stay sober, you can just take it one day at a time.

RR's basic gist is that you do not have a disease that causes compulsions beyond your control, you have autonomy over your decision to drink, and you are making bad choices. you can just stop doing that at any time (AA sucks). you read the book and learn what AVRT is and then you can just not be an alcoholic anymore. you can choose to do that. you don't need any community ties or anything (AA sucks), you just need to recognize why you drink and isolate "the Beast," or the voice in your head that pushes you to drink, and learn to ignore it. this is a personal choice that you are responsible for (AA sucks).

i could honestly write an essay about midnight mass in the context of this, but suffice to say, after watching the show and then reading some stuff about mike flanagan, it's pretty clear to me that mike was a guy who got into RR because he resented the religious nature of AA as an atheist, and also that RR kind of fucked him up a little, as it is wont to do lmao.

a lot of the depiction of addiction-as-horror in the show (specifically the way it depicts the hunger for blood) comes off to me as literal manifestations of the way RR talks about addiction, which is that there is this monster inside of you that wants to hurt people and do terrible things, and you have to fight it. riley's arc and eventual death are (imo) manifestations of flanagan's anxiety over the "beast" being too strong, and him being unable to stop himself from hurting people, which he is admittedly deathly afraid of and would rather die than do. hence riley's choice to retain his autonomy in the face of an addiction he cannot control and kill himself on the boat rather than go through the pain of hurting people again.

[realityhelixcreates]

Boarded Up Paradise pt. 3

Compromise is difficult when you're talking to a demon.

Song: Number of the Beast-Iron Maiden

Warning: Nash is still underage and some sexual-ish things do happen in this fic. Certain non-consensual actions are implied here and there.

“~Are you hungry, Eddie~” Lust asked when he came home that evening. “~I've learned how to cook from several of my Hosts. Love's and Gluttony's too~”

“Love? Love exists? Like you do, I mean.”

“~Oh yes. And Justice, Faith, Fortitude, all of them and more~”

“And you're friends?”

“~Some of them, to various degrees. Love and I are close~”

“Really?” Nash asked, stowing his take of the cash in an abandoned picture frame. He would have enough to last a while, if he were frugal. “I thought you'd be enemies.”

The demon's expression became pitying. Normally, Nash would have hated that, but coming from a monster...it somehow felt more honest.

“~Oh dear little Eddie~” he said. “~Love and I are twins. We can exist, one without the other, but we are often found together, and have been from the beginning. No, Chastity is my opposite, and Temperance my enemy. Even so, we rarely fight directly. It's just not my style~”

“Oh. Uh, I guess I'm a little hungry. Not too much though. Do you eat? Human food, I mean?”

“~Certainly~” Lust said, hunting down a box of mac and cheese. There was a surprising amount of non-perishable food in the house, and Nash wasn't quite sure how it had gotten there. It wasn't as if Lust could go out shopping! Perhaps some of his previous meals had brought it with them. “~It is something that many people derive pleasure from. So I too, enjoy it~”

Was that how it worked? Everybody focused on the sexual aspect of lust as a concept, but if this being was somehow connected to every form of pleasure...Maybe he was a lot more multifaceted than Nash had initially thought.

“~Do you like anything in it~” Lust asked. “~One of my Hosts liked salsa in hers. How about you~”

“Plain.” Nash said. His mom had never put anything else in it, and it seemed like a waste since he was only going to eat a little bit. “How many Hosts have you had?”

“~Oh, many, many. From long ago until now. They are all my very dearest~”

“You care about them? I didn't know demons could care about people.”

“~Ah, and how much do you know about demons, little Eddie? I know there are people who study us extensively. Are you an occultist? Do they even teach that in your modern schools~” Lust scooped up a bowl of mac and cheese, setting it down in front of him.

“N-no. I guess not. I used to go to church, a long time ago. They just said demons were liars, tempters, and tricksters.” Nash took a small bite and remembered home. Those years when his mother cooked for him, and took him to Sunday school, where they told the gentler bible stories, filed the harsh edges off of war crimes and slavery, and skipped most mentions of the Devil and other demons. They spoke of love and forgiveness, but never of lust and wrath.

“~Oh, we are. But that's not all we are. How could something exist for so long, and never evolve? No, no, I care deeply about those I choose to. My proximity to Love does make it easier for me, and mostdemons do keep it secret, or show it in ways that are hard to recognize, but the possibility is alwaysthere~”

Lust sat across from him with his own food, somehow balancing his fork skillfully in his too-long fingers.

“So is that some kind of job you can have? An occultist? The study of demons?”

“~Among other things. I think it's more of a hobby now. I'm told it is more difficult to make money off of intellect unless you are in certain...oh, what did she call it? Plant? No, STEM studies~”

“Hmph, don't I know it.” Nash grumbled. “Who is 'she'?”

“~My last host~”

“Oh. What happened to her?”

Lusts intense gaze slipped from Nash and found the table.

“~A disease. It happened so quickly. I've lost many to sickness, but in this modern age...I thought perhaps that wouldn't happen anymore~”

“Oh...Geez, I'm sorry.” To see a demon mourn was so deeply strange. It was becoming easy to forget that Lust wasn't human, even as he sat across from Nash in a body made of smoke and lightning.

“~She is still with me, in a way. They all are. I mourn losing the ability to connect with them so intimately, but they will still always be with me~”

“That...sounds nice.” It kind of did. Never being abandoned, always having the care of something grand, and every lifetime or so, you got a new friend.

Lust smiled softly.

“~Many would disagree. But from those who get the chance to know, I've had few complaints~”

Nash went to bed having only eaten a few bites of his meal. He had other things to digest.

The librarian stared down at him, unimpressed.

“It's, uh, for a project.” he tried. “Um, for my history class.”

She looked back to the list he'd given her, full of occult books.

“We don't have any of these.” she said simply. “If we tried carrying these, I guarantee, we'd have parents calling us up all day and night, convinced we were running a satanic cult in tunnels under the school or something.”

At the mention of parents, her face softened, and Nash took advantage of it immediately, letting himself droop in disappointment.

“I just wanted to get a good grade.” he said sadly. “And I think about the...like, the nature of the afterlife a lot nowadays, you know?”

She wore her thoughts like a billboard across her eyes. Poor kid's lost everything. He knew the librarian didn't like him; he asked too many questions, made too much work for her. She might have even gotten in trouble a few times when he'd been caught hiding away in the library after school hours too often. But she had the weakness of pity sewn into her, and he would use it, and she would let him.

“But...if you fill out this form, I might be able to get them in through an interlibrary loan.” she suggested, sliding a paper over the counter at him. “I can't promise all of them, but I might find a few.”

“Any would be great.” Nash said, quickly filling out the form. He'd have to get back to class soon, and after that, well he knew how to pirate PDFs. It would be a poor excuse for a Riddler who didn't have multiple ways of gathering information.

He came 'home' to find Narci pinned against the living room wall.

His closest brother strained against the ephemeral power of many inky tentacles, grimacing as Lust whispered almost silently in his ear. Sweat gathered on his forehead, red spreading across his pale face. Nash heard him whimper.

“Lust!” Nash shouted. “That's my brother, let go of him!”

He rushed at the demon, grasping at the insubstantial tendrils. Startled, Lust convulsed, the mass of shadow retreating from Narci's trembling body. The other boy collapsed.

Nash shoved past him to reach Narci.

“Are you okay?” he cried. “Tell me you're okay!”

Narci, on his hands and knees, shook his head. Not okay.

“~I have not harmed him~” Lust said. “~You know him? I thought he was simply following my lure~”

“No, he was following me!” Nash said. “He always finds me. It's okay Narci.”

“~Hmm. His desires are so mundane. Do not let the false shame of this world deter you, young man. It's perfectly normal to want-”

Narci shrieked, his high voice shrill as a hawk, and he leapt at Lust, driving his knife into the demons chest.

Nash shouted. Lust glanced down at the blade embedded in his swirling clouds, then back at Narci.

“~Well~” he said, showing long, hidden fangs. “~It was a spirited try~”

Lust flung Narci back as if he weighed nothing, denting the drywall. Narci toppled, yanked himself back to his feet and lunged again.

“Nash run!” he screamed. “I'll hold it off!”

Lust filled the room, his body dissolving away into thick shadows that swallowed them both.

Whispers slid Nash's mind, promises of pleasure, of freedom, of the safety to indulge in the most secret, most obscene, most treasured desires. It drew out his curiosity about what was possible, what was allowed, what it was that he really wanted, and the answers that began to form troubled him.

Somewhere in the dark Narci howled denial.

“Lust, please!” Nash cried. “You're hurting us!”

The shadows retreated, taking the whispers with him, leaving both boys shaking and exposed in the watery gloaming from the edges of the boarded up windows.

Nash crawled to Narci, who was curled up and crying.

“~Did that hurt~” Lust asked, confused. “~It was not meant to cause any physical damage~”

“It was frightening.” Nash said. “Please don't do that.”

Lust hesitated.

“~I promised no safety to him~” he protested.

“He's my brother. Leave him alone.” Nash grabbed his phone. “Do you want me to call somebody else?”

He'd burn another bridge for Narci's sake. Without hesitation.

Narci shoved him away. His eyes frightened Nash, but all he did was run. Lust let him pass, Nash wincing at the sound of the backdoor slamming.

“Now see what you did?” Nash accused.

“~What I did~” Lust exclaimed. “~He came into my home, attacked me, and ran~”

“Don't you try that!” Nash shouted. “You hurt him! He was crying! You can't just eat my friends! Even Mons doesn't do that!”

“~This new strain of insolence is not endearing on you, little Eddie~” Lust grumbled darkly. “~His personal issues are not my fault. However...if it truly means so much to you...Perhaps I can simply ask first~”

Nash frowned, crossing his arms.

“~Ohhh, you think you have control here? I have made concessions for you, but I am the anthropomorphized portion of a deity in this room, so perhaps you should rethink your attitude~”

That phrase, the accusation of 'attitude' so often thrown at him right before something horrible happened, ripped through him and poured adrenaline into his blood. Legs tensed, ready to dash away like he always tried to do, ready to hide, ready to-

-explode into anger like never before. His father was dead, and no one else would ever be allowed to treat him like that!

Nash snatched a forgotten glass off a dusty coffee table and threw it at the demon.

“Shut up!” he shouted. “You don't tell me what to do! You don't talk to me like that! You're not my father, you're not anything! You think you're so tough, then why are you starving in a brokeass old house by yourself? Huh? Why you so small and weak? Why you gotta suck off of humans like a parasite? You ain't a god, you're a leech!”

Lust rushed him, fangs bright as lightning in the dimness, right up on him, tendrils pointed and poised to strike-

And stopped, centimeters from Nash's face.

Nash had screamed, expecting dozens of stabbing wounds, but...nothing. He snapped his mouth shut. Lust didn't look angry, he looked...pained? The fangs were gone, the tendrils softened, carefully caressing him, instead of rending his flesh.

“~Ohhh no, no~” Lust moaned softly. “~No, I won't hurt you. Never you. Dear little Eddie, I gave my word. And my word has power, that even I cannot break. I'm so sorry to have frightened you. I will ignore your friends. My hunger is making me impolite, but I will simply go hungry tonight~”

The back door slammed back open, and both Nash and Lust froze.

“Who's in here?” someone demanded, loud and aggressive. “This is the police!”

“~Or perhaps not~” Lust whispered.

This time Nash stayed to watch.

[sholven]

Hi! I already asked this question to other people but I just want your opinion on this:

What would the reaction of some Bloodborne bosses (before they turn into monsters) when meeting the Good Hunter, who is a New Game+ that somehow managed (maybe accidentally) went back in time before the event of the game starts? My impression of the Good Hunter is that they're a contracted hunter when they came out of the clinic. Due to social anxiety from not talking to sane people in their last round of killing Flora, the people of Yharnam will end up get the impression of "He's just standing there, menacingly" vibe off of em'. And to top it all off, they're blood quality is so pungent then normal blood saint, its as if they themselves is a great one (if ya wanna go with the squid baby ending then be my guest).

Hope you get well soon <3

HI, I'M SO SORRY I'M JUST NOW GETTING TO THIS, THIS SICKNESS HAS BEEN KICKING MY ASS AND I'M JUST NOW STARTING TO GET COHERENT THOUGHTS 😭😭😭

Looking at some few bosses rq that transform when we see them, I'd have to agree with how you put it! Gascoigne especially would be bewildered as to why the Good Hunter is so reluctant and shocked. Almost as if they'd seen a ghost! We know Gascoigne though revels in the fight while he's still human, so I think he'd eventually have enough of just Staredown: The Game, and initiate the fight himself if he had to.

As for the next one on our list, Amelia, I feel like she'd be more sensitive to the presence of the Good Hunter's blood. If she has the chance to pull herself away from her prayer when approached, all of this plus the hunt and her impending transformation would probably make her even more afraid at that moment. Who is this hunter she's never seen before? Why is their blood something akin to Old Blood and maybe something stronger? And more importantly, why are they staring at her in such as way, almost as if they are as scared as she is at that moment? I think she might also take it as a sign from the Great Ones themselves. Unfortunately, I don't think she will have the time to ponder why...

As for some other bosses throughout the main game, most I think will not have that important of a reaction, but others like Ebrietas, Logarius, and Wet Nurse will definitely take some notice. Mostly the same between them all. Considering the other Great Ones we encounter are stronger than Flora, they could also most likely have knowledge of the events from before and recognize the Good Hunter as well. As for how they'd react to the blood? I'd say either cautious or inquisitive.

As for the DLC... Ludwig is an interesting one, being the opposite of most cases in Bloodborne. He turns from a beast back into a man. I feel like that experience along with being in the Nightmare plus his connection to the Moonlight Greatsword would give him an idea of sensing other powers. He is a very caring individual so I feel like he would take notice of the Good Hunter's reactions and body language in this situation, and might even ask about it. Whether or not he gets an answer, I feel like he would have some suspicions as to what's going on. Maria might be the same, as well

And as for Endgame...

Gehrman catches onto everything the second the Good Hunter sets foot into the Dream workshop (again). He's dealt with enough shit to understand the Hunter has something otherworldly about them in some way. But I also feel like he knows about the reset, being forced to relive imprisonment, and fighting the Good Hunter all over again. If anything, I think he'd react to it all with pure sorrow. (Why can't peepaw ever be happy 😭)

Flora would obviously know. And she would be fucking. Pissed. The Good Hunter's strength with the ascension by just its presence would probably weaken her. She knows they got the better of her before and she is going to make sure it doesn't happen again. One thing I do think though, could some of the power be taken from Flora in the past experience? And if so, does she lack that power still in this current run?

BONUS

Micolash would of course sense everything and might even be aware. Is he gonna do or say anything about it? Fuck no. He's probably going to be the exact same. Might even jump through EVEN MORE mirrors. What good research it would be, to see how much you could annoy a Great One!

[smellsfaintlyofvanilla]

Hi, I have this super specific idea so feel free to ignore this one lol. So basically, Annie and the reader have been dating for a while, like at least a year. And the reader is in the survey corps right, so during one of the missions she ends up getting injured in an explosion and she's like all burned up and covered in injury's that'll scar really bad. And so the reader gets taken to a hospital or med bay or whatever, and she's been out for days, and like Reiner, Eren, Mikasa, etc. are all there, ya know her little gaggle of friends. And like she's been unconscious for days but sometimes she'll wake up for a few minutes and pass out again. So when Annie gets the news and comes to see her she like starts to wake up, and when she's coherent Annie is holding her hand and says "I'm glad you're alive" or something, then the reader just kinda stares at her for a minute and says "are you one of my friends from the cadet corps" and everyone's shocked and Annie kinda runs off. And ass the reader gets better she's allowed to walk around town and shit as long as someone's with her because she he's trouble walking, and she like can't hold things in one of her hands without shaking like she's about to fall apart. She basically hos no memories of absolutely anything so if someone says that their friends she just believes them and wants to be with them, which is a contrast to how she was in the cadets because she was always super short tempered and would pick fights with everyone, but she always had a soft spot for Annie and would follow her around and shit while being an ass to everyone else. So now she has no memories, blind as shit, can barely walk, and is super kind and polite to just about everyone. And like she insists on Annie seeing her and wants to go with her wherever she goes and is all smiles and happiness while Annie is kinda having a crisis. Because they were both very closed off people and they opened up to each other and built unwavering trust and loyalty but now one of them doesn't remember, Annie wants to help her but at the same time she feels that it's for the best if they stay apart, uh spoiler they don't stay apart it's just gonna take time. I'm really sorry this was so long dude. Also please tell me this made sense I haven't stopped think about this for days

I- It’s a little confusing but I think I get it.

Let me know if I get anything wrong!

I also included a lot of platonic AruAni because it’s cute.

Unbearable

(Annie Leonhart x Reader)

AU: Canon

Warnings: Implied season 3 spoilers

Category: Both angst and fluff (somehow)

Summary: After getting seriously injured in a mission, Annie’s s/o doesn’t recognize anyone, and is left very weak. Still, Annie and her S/O stick together through the recovery.

Words: 5.5K

It’d gone wrong. It’d all gone horribly wrong.

A freak accident—only preventable by, perhaps, closer gear inspection, but it was far too late for that. The damage had been done.

The most recent Survey Corps mission was just concluding, and you managed to call yourself one of the lucky ones who survived this far. Erwin led the charge back to the walls at full speed, having completed the objective by the skin of his teeth, but an abnormal titan was tagging dangerously close behind.

The towering beast approached closer and closer, until it kicked the horse you were on, sending you and it abruptly flying through the air and away from the Scouts.

It took you a minute to regain your senses and realize the gravity of your situation. Your horse lay dying 40 feet away from you. Clearly, it would be of no help. The abnormal lurched towards you unnaturally, and your eyes widened in fear.

A quick movement of your upper body caused a jolt of pain to shoot up your chest, and you were positive you must’ve broke a few ribs when you collided with the dirt.

Still, you had limited time before the monster reached you, and you weren’t about to die that easily. You bore the pain in your chest as you stood up straight, beads of cold sweat rolling down your face as you surveyed your situation to find the easiest way out.

You were too far from your horse, and the rest of the Scout formation, and you were in no shape to run. Your head turned towards the walls, and an idea popped into your mind—you were going to scale the wall.

You broke into a quick sprint before you shot your ODM gear into the wall, flying towards it at lightning speed. Your back took the brunt of the impact, and you groaned in pain.

Still, it seems as if the abnormal wasn’t going to let you get a moment’s rest, as it caught up to you and tried to jump and grab you, but narrowly missed your boot. The rush of adrenaline kicked your body into gear as you shot the grapple of your ODM gear onto the ledge of the wall and hauled yourself up, a garrison soldier helping you before turning to man one of the cannons.

You stood up triumphantly on the wall, the titan below you still trying in vain to reach you. You could hear the distant shouting of a commander—and what you could out assume was the foreboding shout, “FIRE!!!”

And that’s where everything went wrong.

The cannon, no more than three feet to your right, exploded into a supernova of sparks and flames, and the last thing you saw was fire as blinding pain shot through your body.

And then it all went black.

---

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but only family members are allowed to see her at the moment, you’re going to have to wait until she’s discharged.” The poor receptionist sighed, staring up at the distressed woman in front of her.

“I don’t care if ‘only family is allowed’! I’m her girlfriend, I should be allowed to see her!” Annie shouted, dressed in a simple white hoodie and grey pants. An outfit too casual for her to wear outside in most occasions, but when she heard the news of your admission to the hospital, she didn’t care to change.

“I’m sorry, there’s really nothing I can do-”

Annie leaned in closer, grabbing the receptionist by the collar of her shirt and pulling her in, a dangerous look gracing her face. Her voice came out in a threatening growl.

“Look, I’m a part of the military police, so if anyone asks, I’m just her older sister,” She glared daggers the woman, who shook like a leaf at the intimidation, “Got it?”

The woman nodded urgently, sweating bullets at this point, and Annie was thankful the intimidation had worked. “R-Room 302...”

She didn’t bother letting out a response as she ran to the wing of the hospital you were in. She didn’t know quite where the room was, but she would find out soon enough.

After a painful few minutes of searching, her eyes found the plate outside of a closed wooden door, the number reading “302″.

She walked up to it, and took a deep breath in before twisting the doorknob and pushing her way into the room, but her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped at the sight.

She knew it was bad—after all, nothing good ever came out of being so close to an explosion like that—but she couldn’t have been prepared for what she saw.

You were laid down on the bed, clearly unconscious, and sweltering burns covered at least 60% of your body, especially your right side. Many limbs were elevated and covered in taunting white casting, and you let out shallowed, labored breaths.

She mentally cursed the primitive healthcare the Eldians seemed to have, and the lack of a doctor in the room. She was no professional, but you definitely didn’t look to be in a state to be alone.

She though you were alone, that is, until her rationality returned to her and she noticed many figures in the room, though none bore the staff uniform.

They seemed to notice her before long, and a few stared at her quietly with pity in their eyes. She scanned the faces that surrounded her; Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Connie, and Reiner were all present in the room.

“What in...” Her voice came out short in her throat; the words were just as powerless as she was, “What in God’s name happened to her...” It was hushed, almost husky, and it sounded like she was about to cry. Maybe she was, but she didn’t notice.

Mikasa seemed to be the first one to speak up through the heavy silence, stepping forward to grab Annie’s attention.

“It was on the recent scouting mission yesterday. She narrowly escape a titan by climbing over the wall, but one of the Garrison’s cannons blew up.” Mikasa looked to the side, clearly troubled by the situation as well. “Of the four people caught up in the explosion, she’s the only one still alive.”

Annie didn’t process quite what Mikasa had said at first, her mind was more focused on a pressing question that suddenly arose in her mind.

“The only one still alive?” She echoed. “Why did you phrase it like that?”

Mikasa sighed, covering her mouth with her scarf—something she often did when she was troubled. “Well, the doctor is doing all he can at the moment, but she’s been drifting in and out of consciousness nonstop for the past hour. Even when she is awake, we can’t seem to get a coherent response out of her.”

She froze.

Her eyes moved back to your battered form. She hadn’t taken in exactly how bad it was until now. Shattered bones, burnt skin, compromised organs—you were nearly unrecognizable. Not in the way that you were scarred beyond recognition, but in the way that she never imagined to see you in such a state. You looked like you had, quite literally, went through hell and back.

She let out a pained sigh, slinking down in a chair next to the bed and staring at the floor in defeat. She reached out and grabbed your limp hand at your side, running her thumb delicately over your burnt hand, as if the slightest mistouch would cause you to shatter like delicate porcelain.

“Please...” She knew you couldn’t hear her, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to pretend, for a brief moment, that you could, and that you’d bounce right back up. But, you stayed limp on the bed, unmoving. “Please wake up...”

The others were able to read the room and came to a silent consensus, filing out of the room wordlessly.

She continued to hold your hand, sitting silently on your bedside for hours.

You never regained consciousness once.

---

Dreams flashed through her mind, the inner turmoil she faced was too fierce to not have such vibrant, nonsensical dreams. Dreams of you, spending late nights with her, or eating with her in silence. Dreams of your broken and bloodied body being sent flying from a hellish firework of flames. Dreams of visiting a newly dug grave. Dreams of—

A loud banging startled her out of her sleep, and she opened her eyes with a start, the dreams stopping abruptly as her brain pieced together the fragments of reality. Right, they were just dreams.

The banging—what was it? She looked around for a source. Nothing had fallen, nothing had moved, the room was still.

*BANG BANG BANG*

She jumped at the loud so, before facepalming internally. Of course someone was knocking on the door, what was she thinking?

A quick glance at the clock showed the time; 3AM. What is going on?

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she threw on some sweatpants, just presentable enough to answer the door.

She twisted the knob open and was greeted by...

“Armin?” She slurred, confusion and tiredness laced her voice.

“Annie...!” He had a strange look on his face, like he was in a hurry. Yet, it didn’t look like desperation, nor was it excitement. “Y/n woke up!”

---

She had never run faster. She didn’t care about leaving Armin in the dust at her front doorstep—hell, it didn’t even process until minutes later that she didn’t even close the front door. She just ran, ran, ran all the way to the hospital.

She made it to your room again, panting and desperate to see you again.

She went inside, and an immense wave of relief and joy washed over her face. It was true, you were conscious. Sitting up in the bed, talking to someone at your bedside, likely a nurse or a doctor.

Her loud footsteps and heavy breathing brought the attention of both you and the staff member to her, and you locked eyes with her.

She froze. There they were. The beautiful E/C eyes she had fallen in love with, and the same ones that filled her vision when she first awoke next to you in the morning. Except, something was off. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was disarray in your eyes. A storm.

She paid no mind to the rotten gut feeling, though, and rushed by your side to grip your hand tightly. A spark of sympathy arose in her chest when you whimpered in pain at the motion, but that was the last thing on her mind. Tears of happiness sparked in her eyes and threatened to roll down her cheeks.

She bowed her head—a sign of vulnerability that only you were ever able to see.

“Y/n, I...!” She choked out through the tears in her eyes, the back of her throat tightening with emotion, “I’m so glad you’re okay...”

You didn’t embrace her, you didn’t squeeze her hand back. No, you were still. Still as you were when your battered body was first admitted to the hospital. She looked up at you, and the same misguided look was in your eyes.

“Sorry... do I know you?”

---

She slammed the door behind her, locking it as she slid down the wall of her house, sobs wracking her body.

Her mind had neglected to process it until just now, but the truth was inescapable; you didn’t know who she was anymore. You didn’t know anyone or anything anymore.

Amnesia.

She couldn’t bear to see you like that. Seeing you so physically broken was bad enough, but seeing you confused and lost, years of memories and connections and friends just out the window? If there was a god, he sure as hell must’ve hated you.

She had no idea what to do. You weren’t going to just magically remember her. No, the Y/N she knew and loved all those years was gone. You were just a blank slate. She no longer meant anything to you, she was a stranger in your eyes.

She laid down to go to sleep, but she couldn’t even bring herself to close her eyes. She didn’t sleep that night.

---

She chose not to get up the next morning. She stayed in bed, staring at the empty space next to her where you usually slept. She wanted you to be right there next to her. God, she wanted you back.

She would’ve stayed in her depressed, hibernated state for hours, or even days, had someone not stopped by to check on her.

She figured it would be Armin. The sympathetic blonde man would always stop by to check on her. Not just now, but throughout their days as cadets. He was always the second person—after you, of course—to check up on her and ask how she was doing.

But when she opened the door and saw Mikasa, she was a little confused.

“Mikasa, what are y-”

“Y/n wants to speak with you.” She stated flatly, and Annie physically recoiled at the mention of your name.

“She... what?” Annie muttered, confusion enveloping her tone.

She understood the statement, on a surface level at least. But she didn’t understand why. Why did you want to talk to her? She meant nothing to you. What was there to talk about anymore? You probably didn’t even know her name.

She complied silently, though, and before long, she had trudged herself all the way to the hospital.

302. Such a depressing number to her now. But it was unavoidable. You were on the other side of the door, awaiting her for some odd reason.

She pushed the door open, and her eyes met yours silently. You were sitting up with your hands folded neatly in your lap. Your eyes followed Annie as she wordlessly shut the door and took a seat next at your bedside.

“Annie.” The blonde women flinched at the sound of her name, eyes staying fixated on anything but your face. “Annie.”

She finally shifted her head, meeting your gaze. There was a pitiful look tracing her features. It would look like indifference at first glance, but being so close to her allowed you to notice small features on her face, like her sunken in eyes, and her lips, tucked into a frown slightly tighter than normal.

She looked like she was about to cry.

You moved your arm slowly, wincing internally as your wounds burned and ached, and took her hand in your own, rubbing your thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing manner. Annie didn’t want to enjoy it—she knew this wasn’t the you she had fallen in love with—but she couldn’t stop herself from remembering the simpler times, where small affectionate gestures like this were normal to her.

“Mikasa told me just about everything I’ve forgotten.” You finally spoke up. “About the Scouts, about the accident, about us.” A painful silence filled the room for a moment following the word ‘us’. Surely, it meant more to her than it did to you.

“Annie.” You squeezed her hand despite the pain shooting up your arm, and your hand trembled involuntarily. “I know I don’t really know you,” You chuckled lightly, “or anyone for that matter, but I want to spend more time with you. We can just restart, fall in love all over a-”

“No!” She snapped, the sudden outburst causing you to jump. Her distressed eyes softened when she saw you, almost as if she thought you were made of glass, and that you would break at any moment. “No... please...”

She stood up abruptly, dropping your hand to lay dormant by the side of the hospital bed. “You don’t even know me! What’s the point?!”

Despite her angry appearance, her bottom lip trembled, and her voice shook as she spoke. Pricks of tears appeared at the corner of her eyes, but she wiped them away desperately.

“You forgot me, so I’ll forget you in return.” She turned towards the door, grabbing the knob firmly. Despite her desperate need to get out of the room, her hand trembled and shook, refusing to turn the knob.

“I’ll...” A small sob wracked her body. “Find someone else...”

---

Contrary to what her heart truly desired, she refused to see you. She forced herself to cut off all emotional ties to you—after all, you didn’t even know her. It was painful to even speak to you. Somehow, the loss had felt like you truly had died in the explosion. Sure, you were physically here, but all that was you was gone.

It was Armin who finally brought her out of her depressed slump. He saw the state of her after weeks of staying huddled up in her room. It was so unlike Annie. Her room was a mess, and so was she. Her hair was unkempt and unbrushed, and she hadn’t even showered at all. Clothes lay scattered across the room, and the trash can in the corner of the room had started overflowing.

It wasn’t a pleasing sight, but he couldn’t blame her.

He had offered to meet him at a local café to talk—albeit, after she showered. She hesitantly agreed, and went into the bathroom to get ready. While she showered, Armin absentmindedly picked up some of the scattered clothing, putting it in it’s proper place, and even emptied the trash can for her.

He saw the slight shock in her eyes when she came out, surprised, but internally grateful for his help. She didn’t show it verbally, but she gave a thankful nod, and he understood.

---

Armin brought the cup to his lips, the steam flowing from the cup blocking his face as he sipped his tea silently, and Annie took another bite of her glazed donut.

“So, Annie.” He turned to face her, setting his cup down. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She sighed internally. Nothing yet had been spoken, but she knew it was about you. Her silence beckoned him to continue.

“I... No, we all noticed how you’ve been recently, and we understand it. Who knows what you’re feeling right now...” His sympathy went mostly unappreciated. She really didn’t want to be reminded of the depressive state she had fallen into.

“It’s completely up to you, but... we think it would be better for you if you decided to talk to her again.” Armin didn’t need to say who this ‘her’ was. Annie already knew.

She raised an eyebrow and considered his statement for a fleeting moment, but regained her stance. She wasn’t going to talk to you. No convincing from her friends would change that.

“See, the thing is, Y/N has been discharged.” He spoke, bringing the cup back to his face to preemptively fill the silence he anticipated.

No amount of emotional cover-up could hide the shocked look on her face. Part of her was ecstatic, deep down. She was glad you were well enough to leave. But, the other part reminded her that associating with you would only bring her more hurt.

“But, there isn’t really going to be any recovering from what she experienced, unfortunately.” He brought the cup back down onto the table, now empty of all it’s liquid. “So, the doctor advised that she be under careful supervision from someone at all times.”

Annie wasn’t stupid. She knew where this was going.

“So,” he huffed a breath of heavy air, “We decided that if anyone was going to take her in, it should be you, Annie. We want to take her back to live with you.” She could feel her jaw slack at the proposal, and a full-fledged war had just started in her mind. She registered he was still speaking, but was too conflicted to listen.

Once again, part of her mind was desperately trying to reach you. To take you in and care for you, and to ensure you have a safe and comfortable recovery with her. She could restart with you, and make new memories with you, and everyone else.

But she understand it would be painful. Unbearable, even. She might as well be taking care of a stranger. You didn’t act like Y/n, you didn’t look like Y/n, hell, you hardly even knew who Y/n was at this point. It would just hurt her even more, all she needed to do was get away from you—!

“Annie...!” Armin spoke firmly, slightly leaned over the table as if he had been prying for her attention for a while now. He reached across the table to grab her hand, causing her to gasp. His hand was warm. It reminded her of you.

“I know what you’re thinking.” His voice was soothing and inviting, and she was reminded once again of what great friends she had made in the 104th.

“You think it’s gonna hurt, and it will, I’m sure. I understand too. She doesn’t quite act like she did before, we all noticed. It’s...” He paused, leaning back in his chair and looking to the side. It had hurt him, too. “Strange. To see a friend like this.”

He leaned forward, pulling his hand away to place it back on the table. “But you have to do something! Separating yourself from someone you care about so deeply isn’t good for you.” He brought his head up slightly, staring daggers into her eyes. “And don’t lie to me. I know you still care about her. You wouldn’t be so conflicted if you didn’t.”

Tears pricked at her eyes once again. She didn’t want to get emotional, and certainly not here of all places. But she knew he was telling the truth. She still cared, and it wasn’t good for her to ignore you.

“Besides,” He stood up, turning to leave. “She misses you too, Annie.”

---

She made up her mind that day. She was gonna bring you back home.

It wasn’t easy. Both the emotional aspect, but also cleaning up her filthy room in such a short span of time. Still, she prepped it perfectly for your arrival. She cleaned up the room, organized her things, made the bed, and even bought a second pillow—surely, you two couldn’t share just the one.

Picking you up from the hospital was bittersweet. You managed to stay standing, although only with the help of a wooden cane. Your hand gripped the handle tightly, and you leaned a large portion of your body weight on it, just to not fall over.

You had changed out of the raggedy hospital clothes, finally getting to wear something comfortable after so long, but even with the cloth, the purplish-redish burn scars coated much of your body. It reached from the very fingertips of your right hand, all the way up your neck and part of your face.

Still, you smiled weakly and brought your hand up to wave at her.

She approached you hesitantly, but as soon as you tried to stumble over to her, she rushed up to support you with an arm around your shoulder.

“Easy, now.” She muttered. “You should be careful.”

“Right,” You chuckled nervously. “Sorry.” You breathed out a sigh of relief, having seen the outside for the first time in weeks. It didn’t stop the stone walls from towering forebodingly over you, though, but you felt at least some freedom.

“Where are we headed?” You sighed, and started walking. Annie guided you for the most part, but you managed to get your injured legs to cooperate, somewhat. You hand trembled as it gripped the cane, and even step on uneven ground caused you to stumble, but Annie’s grip kept you upright.

“We’re going...” She hesitated. “Home.”

---

Early morning birds chirped their greetings through the open windows, and the sun shone rays of dawn down from the sky. A typical wake-up call to her.

That, and your snoring.

She opened her eyes and stretched, easing up the tension in her muscles, which had laid painfully dormant for the past eight hours. Yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her attention shifted to the mass attached to her side.

Your arms were wrapped tightly around her torso, and your head was buried in her chest. Despite having lived with you for a few weeks now, she hadn’t gotten used to the change. In the past, neither of you really cuddled in your sleep. You gave sweet goodnights and passed out on opposite sides of the bed just like that.

It was a welcome change, though, and seeing you tucked so comfortably into her side brought a smile and blush to her face. She ran a hand through your messy h/c hair, smiling softly as you stirred in response to the affection.

“...Mm?” You let out a groggy noise, having been woken up a little earlier than you were used to. Annie was always the morning person in the relationship.

“Good morning.” She cooed, removing her hand to sit up and get out of bed. Once she tried to stand, though, she felt a frail hand tug at her wrist. You grip was weak as a result of your injuries, and she could very easily wiggle out if she wanted to, but she faltered.

“C’mon...” You muttered, face down in the blankets, still halfway asleep. “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

Annie huffed in defeat, climbing back into the bed and shuffling back under the cotton sheets. You were back at her side in an instant, and she smiled once again. Even after everything, you were still just as cute as always when you were sleepy.

“We can’t stay like this for very long, you know.” She sighed, placing a warm, calloused hand on your back.

You groaned in annoyance at that. “Why’s that?”

“Armin and the others invited us out to get lunch. It’s been a while since the Survey Corps has had a day off.” She looked to the side before muttering quietly. “I also have to go to work with the military police... I’ve used up all my paid leave.”

“Oh... yeah, we should probably get ready.” Contrary to your tone, you were actually quite happy. Annie had been quite a bit overprotective of you since your injury, so you hadn’t gotten the chance to get out much. You couldn’t blame her much, though. You could hardly walk, eat, or do just about anything without assistance. You were glad she took good care of you, but it got a little overbearing sometimes.

“Let’s get up, then.” She said, slinking out of bed. You watched wordlessly as she slipped out of her night clothes into something more presentable, sliding her shirt over her head effortlessly. You couldn’t help but blush as your eyes trailed down her toned stomach.

She looked back at you with an unamused expression as she slid on a plain white shirt. “You shouldn’t stare, Y/n.”

“R-Right.” You looked away flustered. You had only technically known her a few weeks now, but man were you lucky.

Annie’s warm hand enveloping your own brought you back into reality, and you accepted her help wordlessly as you got out of bed.

She helped you out of your clothes and handed you something nice to put on for the day. It was a comfortable ritual the two of you got into, helping you get dressed in the morning.

She sat you down in one of the chair’s in her room, ordering you to stay put while she went to the military police mess hall to pick up breakfast for the two of you.

She came back into the room only a few minutes later, carrying two trays of food, and sat them down in front of both of you. It was a boring meal, typical of any military ration, but you didn’t complain.

“So, Annie,” She looked up from her food, still digging her fork into the baked potato on her plate. “Tell me a story.”

She smiled longingly, staying silent for a moment as she recollected her memories for a good story to tell. Ever since you lost your memory and started staying with Annie, you often spent mealtimes getting her to tell stories about you, her, and your other friends. About what happened in the 104th, and the Survey Corps, and sometimes, you’d ask Annie about her childhood and time before the military. She seemed very hesitant about the last one, but she still told you bits and pieces. You could easily infer that she didn’t have a very pleasant childhood, so you didn’t push the subject.

“Well,” Annie finally spoke, swallowing a gulp of water from her glass, having seemingly found a story she felt like telling. “One time, in the 104th, Sasha had managed to convince you to steal food from the pantry with her.”

You listened intently as she continued recounting the events, a sad smile on her face. “So you and her snuck in late at night, but Shadis heard both of you because of how loud Sasha was. So then, you two had no where to go but a tiny cramped pantry in the kitchen, and then—”

*CRASH*

You sat there like a deer in headlights as the glass shattered into hundreds of transparent shards on the floor, startling Annie out of her nostalgic trance.

“Y/n!” She exclaimed, standing up from her seat swiftly. She spotted the broken glass, mixed with the water it had held, and looked back at you. Once she pieced it together, she facepalmed.

“Y/n...” She sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you to not to try and pick up things right now...”

“Sorry,” You muttered. “I just wanted to see...”

Despite the severity of your injuries, you were quite stubborn. No matter how much Annie insisted that you not hold things in your state, you did so anyway. It seldom worked, since, like now, you always dropped it within seconds.

“It’s... It’s fine,” She sighed, leaning down to carefully pick up the larger fragments of glass. Once she got the larger pieces, she dumped them in the trash and knelt down in front of your chair on one knee, grabbing your hand in her own. “But you need to remember, your injuries haven’t healed yet. Nowhere close. I know you hate it, but you need to let your body rest.”

You nodded sorrowfully. Yet, despite how much you promised, you knew you’d never really stop trying to push your body. Even if your skin was scarred, and hands were shaky, and the muscles of your legs atrophied and partially-paralyzed, you would never stop trying to live a normal life.

Annie had finished sweeping up the smaller shards of glass in the dustpan, and dumped it into the trash can, before returning to the table.

Silently, she grabbed her glass, still half filled with water, and brought it up to your lips. When you had first started living with Annie, you were a little embarrassed about having to be fed like this, but you had long since gotten used to it.

Once the glass was empty, she sat it down on the tabletop once again, and checked the time.

“Shit, we should get going, it’s nearly time.” She sighs, grabbing your cane from it’s spot leaning against the wall and handing it to you. You thank her and, with her help, stand up from your spot. Her arm slinks around your waist, allowing you to lean half of your body weight on the cane and the other half on Annie.

As you made your way out of the building and down the street towards the restaurant, you finally broke the silence.

“Annie?” You asked, quietly. There was an uncharacteristic sadness to your voice.

“Yes, darling?” She inquired, keeping her eyes glued on the trail in front of you.

“How come you still take care of me? Even after the accident, you still stick with me. Why is that?”

Annie chuckles dryly. She doesn’t want to tell you that it’s still a sore subject for her, so she answers honestly.

“It wasn’t so black and white, really. It was pretty upsetting to see someone I loved so much not even recognize me at all.” Her eyes bore into the pavement below her feet. “No offense, of course.”

“None taken.”

“But a friend of mine talked to me about it. And I realized there would be no point in running from it. I decided that if you didn’t know me, I would make you fall in love with me all over again. Plus,” She looked to the side, a faint red blush on her cheeks. “I didn’t want you to feel lonely...”

You giggled at her embarrassment, opening your mouth to say something, but she cut you off quickly.

“We’re here.” She stopped in front of the doors, and you easily spotted Mikasa, Armin, and Jean already sitting inside at one of the tables, exchanging lighthearted banter.

“Hey Annie.”

“Hm?” She turned the knob of the door, stepping foot into the bustling room.

“Thanks for taking care of me.” You sighed, a small smile gracing your lips.

“Of course.” She smiled in return. “I’ll always be here for you.”

“Oi!” Jean shouted from across the room, and Armin immediately tried to shush his yelling, but he wasn’t phased. “Annie, Y/n, hurry up!”

You and Annie giggle at his boisterous attitude, walking over to find your seats.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Y/N.” Mikasa smiled warmly, tucking her scarf around her neck.

You smile at the three of them, looking so happy and peaceful. You’ve missed it.

“Yeah,” You laugh. “So, what did I miss?”

This feels badly written but I can’t place it, I dunno.

Probably ‘cause I wrote the first half like a month ago and only finished it today lol.

And no I totally didn’t reference someone else’s fic in this haha nope

[kikuism]

here are the books i've read lately that i want to talk about!! all of them are debuts too.

the witch's heart: a story about the giantess angrboda, whose union with loki produces three unnatural children: the wolf who will swallow the sun and moon, fenrir; the world serpent, jormungandr; and the keeper of the realm of the dead, hel. they live their life at the edge of the world, away from prying eyes, in domestic idyll bliss...until angrboda’s visions plague her, and she sees her children responsible for a large part of the destruction that ragnarok—the end of times—will bring about. are her children monsters? how far does a mother's love go to protect her unnatural children destined for destruction? these are the questions at the heart of the book and they really truly tugged at my heartstrings. i wasn't prepared for how emotional this book made me feel. at its heart it is a story about family, about motherhood most of all. my budding interest in norse mythology also greatly upped my enjoyment of this book. i'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more books by this author in the future. i can't believe this is her debut!

these feathered flames: inspired by russian folklore, twins asya and izaveta are thrust apart by two separate destinies: asya trains to become the firebird that keeps magic in check in the realm, and izaveta trains to be the next queen. however, tragedy brings them back together: the death of the queen. suddenly izaveta is crowned the new queen, and asya prematurely must take on the role of the firebird. tensions rise between the sisters, who not only have not seen each other in years, but whose new positions have never really worked in tandem with each other before. the sisters must navigate growing political tensions as well as try to figure out what—or who—killed their mother.

in my personal opinion this book promised more than it delivered, and i think if the execution were a little sharper I'd have enjoyed it more. i wanted to get more of a feel for the characters. it was there, but i wanted more. i admit i enjoyed izaveta's parts more than asya's—i think i have a thing for ice queens trying to navigate their new roles (god....not to bring up frozen, but i was so excited for elsa's character and....they just didn't do anything with her). izaveta reminds me of what elsa would be like. also, i'm sorry, but...the f/f enemies to lovers romance that was a big part of this book’s hype absolutely failed to do anything for me. i so wanted to like it, but unfortunately i couldn't care for it. and i know it's because i didn't care enough about the characters that i couldn't get invested in their romance. if i can't care about them as individuals, how can i care about them together? also, the pacing of their relationship was just not it. i also expected this book to be steeped in russian folklore and culture the way the bear and the nightingale was—with that book, i felt like i had truly stepped in medieval russia; it was dripping with culture. but with these feathered flames, it felt like just a little dip into what should have been a richer world. yes, there is russian food and clothing and names, but i still felt the impression i was reading about some vague european setting rather than a fully established russian one. all in all, it wasn't terrible, but it didn't really do much for me. i give it a generous 3.5/5. i might pick up the sequel.

ariadne: ariadne and her sister phaedra are princesses of crete, who have grown up hearing the thunderous bellows of their brother, the minotaur, in the massive labyrinth underneath the palace. every year fourteen tributes are brought over from athens to be sacrificed to the beast. until one year, one of the tributes turns out to be the legendary theseus, who vows to defeat the minotaur and end this cycle of violence and bloodshed (yes! suzanne collins was inspired by the myth of theseus and the minotaur). ariadne falls in love with theseus and aids him in killing her brother. but what does this mean for her—is this betrayal worth it?

i enjoyed this book. i think by now i have a soft spot for mythology retellings (thank you madeline miller 🤍), and the writing in these kinds of books is close to my own style, so i love that. i had originally thought the entire book was going to be about the maze and the minotaur, but it's just the first part! i won't say what happens, but...things happen. like all mythology retellings, this story too takes place over the course of the subject's life, so there's a sense of the passing of time. i must say that the writing is gorgeous and so expressive. it was a real treat to read. i think the overall reason i don't Love this book though is because 1) the ending was rather abrupt, and 2) the main theme, to me, really just boiled down to 'men ain't shit'. which....yeah, valid, but also i sort of wish it was a little more substantial than that. i wish it had something more to say too. i remember sometime around the middle of the book i just paused and was like, ‘okay but what's the point? what is this book trying to say?’ but regardless, i really and truly sympathized with the women in these book, mortal and immortal alike. they had it rough....we still have it rough....the universal timeless experience of being a woman.

the poppy war: *shrieks* i'm so glad i gave this book another chance. i could not put this down. it's the better 'orphan goes to boarding school' story. in fact, the first part tricks you into thinking it's going to be cutesy boarding school antics. but holy shit....no. no. this is a horrific story about war.

the poppy war is a historical military epic inspired by the second sino-japanese war and overall china’s bloody twentieth century. knowing a bit about east asian history myself i could actually recognize some of what was going on in this book. main character rin aces the keju, a nationwide exam that seeks to root out only the most talented youth—and is accepted into the most prestigious military academy, sinegard. however, tensions are fraught just across the sea as the federation prepares to make its move against nikan, her home. rin soon realizes she has an affinity for shamanism, a mythical power that calls upon the gods, and which might just be the key for winning this war and saving her people. but is this great power worth the even greater cost?

the best way i can describe the writing in the poppy war: it's a shounen anime come to life. the action is so amazingly written and explosive, from the swords to the magic, especially the way it's interspersed with the emotional moments. the way everything is written, i can see everything happening so clearly in my mind's eye. it's such a visceral experience. the writing just flows.

but this book is about war, first and foremost, and all the horrors that come with it, down to every last garish detail. it takes a lot for a book to unnerve me, but this one did and more. it made me uncomfortable and disturbed and horrified. this book delves into war intimately, not a small dip but rather a full submersion. there's a section detailing carnage in a city that's just going to stay with me forver. it's like that scene in mulan where they abruptly fall silent as they reach the massacred village, except every inch of that carnage is described in full intimate detail. it's not for the faint of heart. at one time i clapped my hand over my mouth because i couldn't believe what i was reading.

and it asks questions about war, too. who's right, who's wrong? is any of this justified? is vengeance the way to go? and the thing is....it's not. duh. venegance is Not the way to go. we all know this. but oh my god the way r. f. kuang writes, you want Nothing more than pain and death for rin's enemies. you want to see them suffer in the worst way possible. like rin, you want to get back at them in the worst possible way. and it's like...yes venegance is not the answer but you want her enemies to hurt So Badly. you start thinking, maybe it's okay, because they're so horrible and vile and inhumane, retaliation is the only possibly course. vengeance Must be served. but then.....what does that make you? what is the cost of vengeance? can you pay it? can you ever? is it worth it?

this book is insane and epic in the best way possible. i'm so glad i gave it another chance. the world building is so rich and lavish and the cast of characters is huge and i care for each and every one of them and i'm just. So Invested in what's going to happen next. SO MUCH happened in this first book, i'm still reeling, i feel like i've read two books in one sitting. i can't even predict what's waiting for me in the next book, which is a whopping 650 pages....i'm going to be fed so well.

also, here is a list of triggers. please exercise caution going into this book as it deals with some very dark themes:

[anise05]

You were wondering if Ace will bring Kat back to Heartslabyul. Here is my answer. I am sorry for my grammatical errors (for once again 😅)

Kat entered the "throne room". Leona was sitting on the rock, lost to his thoughts.

"Tell me the truth, Leona!" she shouted "Why did you bring me here in the first place? Why did you bring all the beastmen from all the dorms here? What do you want to accomplish?"

"When I was a little boy, the people were bullying me, calling me beast, monster, animal... I wanted to stop this, to prove them wrong. That's why I became a king. But, they didn't change their mind for me, for us. I requested to Crowley to bring all the beastmen to Savanaclaw. To create our own Kingdom of Beasts, a new Pride Land, against the other dorms"

"And you created a prison for all of us. A lot of beastmen doesn't want this. Take back your request, let us go!"

"I can't do that"

"Why not?"

"Crowley is the one who decides and only him"

"Then let me go to him!"

It was like we had a telepathy. The door opened and a brown-haired hyena entered the room. He looked both of us and then bowed to Leona.

"My king. Headmaster wants to speak to you and Katelyn Shadows"

"Now?"

"Yes"

"Alright" Leona stood up from his "throne". He turned to Kat and passed next to her "Let's go, Katelyn"

~2 hours ago~

Crowley was sitting to his office, when he heard the knock on the door.

"Come in" he ordered and the door opened. Crowley turned to see the visitor.

"Ace? What are you doing here?" he saw that the first-year was holding a book with a red cover. Crowley recognized it immediately. Ace approached the office and put the book on it. He opened the book to a specific page, which he had with a bookmark.

"According to the records of Kingdom of Hearts: The blonde intruder complained about the purple talking cat, during the croquet game"

"And what with that?" the headmaster asked

"That proves that there was a beastman in Heartslabyul"

"That proves nothing" Crowley shouted

"But, the cat could talk. And he vanished after he caused a trouble. Like Katelyn's powers!"

"But, still, this doesn't prove that the cat was actually a beastman. And this doesn't prove that the beastmen can live whenever they want"

"Then, I will find it. I will find the prove! There must be somewhere. There must be something!"

Ace closed his book. He bowed to Crowley, showing his respect and left the room.

Leona and Katelyn entered the headmaster's room. Crowley crossed his fingers. Kat sat on a chair, across him, but Leona decided to stand, with his back to the wall.

"Ace brought me a very good proof today. But, I had to lie to him, by purpose"

"What proof?" the girl asked

"A proof that the beastmen can live in Heartslabyul too"

Katelyn's eyes opened wide. She had no idea that Ace was trying to find a way to bring her back.

"Now it's up to you" Crowley said and pointed to the girl "Answer me, Katelyn, where do you want to live? In Heartslabyul or in Savanaclaw?"

Ace was sitting in the cafeteria of the Heartslabyul dorm. He chose a table, next to the window, looking the garden outside, lost to his thoughts.

"Everything was for nothing" he whispered "All these nights, in the library and I didn't accomplish anything" he punched the table, with both his fists "Damn it!"

"Is everything alright?" he turned to see Deuce, Yuu and Grim, approaching him. Yuu sat across him and Deuce next to him. Grim jumped and sat on the table.

"How did your meeting with Headmaster went?" Yuu asked

"Nothing happened. The information wasn't enough to bring her back" the others lowered their hands "Thank you for helping me, guys, but everything was for nothing!"

"Oh! Don't say that!" they heard a familiar voice. They looked around them, but there was none "I told you, Ace. Sometimes, you should watch your back"

He turned behind him. He saw a smile and then Kat appeared. He stood up and approached her, reaching his hand, to touch her, to be sure that this wasn't a illusion.

"I am home!" the girl said

~Flashback~

Answer me, Katelyn, where do you want to live? In Heartslabyul or in Savanaclaw?"

"My home was and always will be Heartslabyul" the girl said with a serious voice

"Very well"

"But, headmaster Crowley" Leona approached the office "The contract"

"This contract?" Crowley took a piece of paper in his hands. Leona opened his eyes wide when Crowley took it from the middle and ripped it to the half "Go home, Katelyn"

~End of Flashback~

"But, but he said that the proof wasn't enough" Ace said

"He was bluffing. This is the information that he was waiting to hear. I am back, thanks to you, Ace. Thank you"

Ace cupped her cheeks and approached his face close to hers. Yuu coughed and the two first-years looked to the table.

"Ace isn't the only one from the Heartslabyul" Deuce said, crossing his arms "After all, I was helping him in the library too"

Kat smirked. She hugged Deuce from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, guys" Deuce clicked his tongue, being a tsundere, like always.

The door of the cafeteria opened and Riddle entered, followed by Troy. Kat left Deuce neck and approached the dorm leader.

"I learned the news" Riddle said

"I am back"

"Katelyn..." he said with a very serious face "Make me a tea, like you always used to"

Katelyn smiled and a tear ran to her cheek. She bowed to Riddle.

"I am happy to be back and serve you, again, my King of Hearts"

"Have my tea to my room, in ten minutes, Katelyn" Riddle said and turned to leave. Troy smirked and touched his hat, acknowledging Kat's return. The girl lowered her head and Troy left the room, following Riddle.

"Everything is the same as I left it" Kat whisperer. Grim ran and felt to her arms. She turned and smiled to the three boys, who were standing behind her

"Let's go to the kitchen, shall we?" she said

"Now that we are going to the kitchen, will we eat tuna?" Grim asked

"Of course! I missed eating tuna with you"

"Kat! I need help with the History" Yuu said

"We will study together" the girl said

"Will you help us with the painting of the flowers?" Ace asked

"If you don't paint my favorite tree, yes"

"Hey!" Deuce shouted "We never painted your tree!" Katelyn laughed

"I am happy being back to you, guys"

My question is DID THEY KISS??!!! You know the part where Ace cupped Kat's cheek👁👄👁

Anyways this is too wholesome and I really love it!!♡♡♡

I am glad that Kat came back to Heartslabyul😌 I really love and enjoy their friendship.

You make good stories. Hope you make more😊😊😊

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Of Ice and Blood

Part 2

Hello there! I present to you, part 2 of my orc x fem!human series!

I still don't know what to name this fic of mine

I should've thought about the title in the first place lmao

Anyways! I'll try updating constantly if I can. Enjoy reading!

Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: Cursing, lots of cursing. Mild violence and mentions of injury.

UD 01/10/21 : CLEANED AND PROOFREAD PROPERLY (hey I did my best)

(reference to the mask she's currently wearing //her hair is still braided// )

*

Even with the tedious introduction the professor was on about, I couldn’t help but pick up the whispers of my human classmates, and the unmistakable nasty odor they were giving off.

“Hey. Look at that orc over there.”

“Tsk. Beast. Why is it even here—”

“I bet it’s gonna get suspended from breaking someone’s arm.”

“It looks like he’s gonna kill somebody soon.”

Snickers and clicks of disgust went around the group.

The professor shushed them, not quite knowing what they were talking about before he moved on.

I cursed, feeling my blood boil from their words. The orc wasn’t even doing anything! And they slander him like that? I would love to break their fucking ne—

No, damn it! No violence! Mama will go crazy if she finds out I broke someone’s spine. Behave and endure. Remember your training.

...but seriously though, I'm going to fucking snap their legs. Nah, perhaps use pepper spray on their eyes until they go blind, even though the mixture inside my spray bottle wasn’t made to have permanent effects on someone, but it would still cause great discomfort.

I hugged my backpack, the thought of my dusters inside somehow comforting.

I didn’t notice Tai'chi was taking glances at me out of concern while I was imagining how I’d smash those jerks’ faces.

************************************

My mind wandered around the interaction by the gates earlier, and how... contradicting... it was when I entered the building.

Everything passed like a blur as I continued daydreaming about other things, hardly paying attention to what everyone else was saying. Plus it takes a lot of concentration to survive their pungent scents.

A bell rang, bringing me back down to Earth. It was lunchtime already.

Everyone seemed relieved as they started filing out of the area and headed towards the cafeteria. [a/n: Ooh that rhymed] I failed to see the lingering glances of barely masked distaste in our direction.

I glanced at the or— Tai'chi, whom I found out was looking at me already, stunning me at how he stared for a moment before I broke eye contact and stood up, which he also did. I almost fell back down my chair when I scented him.

Wha—

How the fuck did I not smell him before?!

I must’ve focused too much on the awful odor surrounding me that it didn’t register this—

This, oh my God.

To describe it, it was simply so— manly (or is it Orcish?). Like the scent of fresh earth and the warmth of a fireplace in the midst of a cold night. Embers crackling and sending sparks up into the sky.

He doesn’t smell one trace of a beast at all! In fact, I’ve never smelled someone so clean, so pleasant, all the while exuding masculinity, and was that a tad hint of vanilla?

For the first time in a while, I couldn’t place what the feeling was exactly. He simply smells so— good. Which is a positive sign?

I looked up to his eyes once more before I blurted out, probably a little too high-pitched;

“Lunch?”

Seriously? That’s what comes out of your damn mouth?

“I mean, do you want to go grab some lunch? At the cafeteria?” I clarified to sound normal and unaffected, (even when I clearly am).

Was the last part necessary? You’ve broken noses, dealt painful blows like a skilled warrior, but you’re embarrassing yourself.

I was busy reprimanding myself that I nearly missed what he said.

"Sure.”

He straightened up, and I was then faced with the reality of how damn tall he is. Or is it because I’m short? I barely reached over 5 feet, and he is standing there, almost three heads taller than me. Was he hunching for my sake earlier?

Wowie…

I scented a hint of pride, and was that a small quirk of his lips for a second there?

Huh. My mask is a lifesaver, or else he would've seen my jaw dropping.

I followed him out and headed straight for the campus’ cafeteria, all the while trying to converse here and there.

****************************

'Trying’ was not the right word.

Definitely not.

It was surprising, how easy and nice it was to talk to him. I could scent his apprehensiveness when I talked to him at first, but he relaxed not long after I introduced myself properly.

It felt... natural.

I learned that he came from the Northside of the country and moved to the city last year to pursue his dreams and to find a better future for his clan. I also told him about my family and home, along with my reasons for being here, leaving out the… violent part.

“My family and my entire clan wanted the best for me and my brothers. Up in the North, education is… very limited. Although ever since we were young, we were taught everything from our clan’s history, how to hunt for food, what herbs and plants were poisonous, what were medicinal and edible, how to stay alive, survive and so on.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“But we were cut off from the modern world. Times are changing, fast. Global warming being a major problem, leaving a huge impact on our living. So, when my clan heard about a school in the city, open to all races, they turned to us, the youth, and we took this chance.”

I looked down and thought about how disconnected the others were, only given the freedom to modern society eight years ago. Eight years is a long time, but I guess it’ll take more than that for everyone to get used to the change. That doesn’t mean they should treat them poorly!

As I realized I’ve been quiet for a while, I shot up and apologized for not replying.

“No, it’s okay. You looked like you were in deep thought. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Y-yeah… I was—”

“Thinking about how the majority of the human race still see us as beasts?”

There was a bit of spite in his voice, although barely noticeable. Or was it because I caught a whiff of it? No one was paying much attention to us while we were walking. But I noticed many of them hastily stepping aside and felt their glares at my back.

“How did you know?” I asked, curious.

“I could tell from your- I could tell, from the way you frowned earlier when one of those humans said something.”

Oh. He was looking at me that time?

“Frowned? But my mask—”

“It’s easy to tell if you are frowning when your eyebrows scrunch up like that. Believe me, my father does that a lot.”

“Ah. Well. It was just very rude of them. To talk shit about you and your kind like that, as if they were any better. You weren’t even doing anything, and they judge you based on your race. Orcs are civilized and intelligent just like any other, and I don’t understand why there’s still so much prejudice after eight damn years—”

I stopped and restrained the urge to go wild and curse every single human who smelled so foul every time we pass by.

“Sorry. I was...rambling.”

Was I this talkative? Maybe it's because I never had anyone to talk to.

He didn’t reply, which I found strange, so I glanced over at him and saw his eyes wide open and brows shooting up in surprise. It was almost comical.

“Uh, Tai'chi?”

Before he could even utter a word, we arrived at a huge hall where students were chatting and enjoying their lunch. Still, I noticed some humans were giving unkind looks to a gathering of goblins eating at the far left side corner of the cafeteria.

And of course, I didn’t fail to smell that wretched odor coming from a group of girls on my right when we walked in. I also recognized the one who pushed me, (No doubt it was intentional). I had to pinch my nose over my mask just but I could only block out half of it.

Ah shit, this mask doesn’t have proper air filtration.

I groaned as I tried to cut off the noise and thickened scents. For real, I wasn’t expecting it to be this harsh! I could literally smell discrimination and hate in the air!

Fuck. I should’ve worn my other mask. I swear I’m gonna burst if I stay and inhale more of that any longer—

“Pearl, are you okay?”

I groaned again and didn’t reply, busy controlling my sense of smell to even open my mouth. We were standing there like a pair of street posts, blocking a small part of the main entrance. That is if there was a 5ft- tall post. I’m more like that foldable caution sign.

“Pearl—”

“Hey, you there! Freaks! Move out of the way.”

Great. Another awful fucking odor. And what a coincidence! It was the one I smelled this morning!

“Are you deaf? I said—”

He shouldn’t have grabbed my shoulder, shouldn’t have tried to shove me aside, for the second I felt his hand reaching for me, and before Tai'chi could pull me away, my reflexes kicked in.

What did I do exactly? Oh, I simply grabbed that damned arm of his, threw him over my shoulder, and slammed him down on the tiled floor in front of me, finishing a one-arm shoulder throw.

The people in the area halted what they were doing and a short-lived silence came over, broken by whispers.

So much for keeping a low profile.

The guy I just performed basic self-defense on was spitting curse words at me. He was still on the floor, trying not to voice the pain in his back.

“Freak! You’re a monster, aren’t you?! How dare you do this to me. Don't you know who I am?!" he yelled.

Did he mean me or? Either way, what he said was not true.

I tried to calm my anger down and gave him a forced smile, under my mask, and mustered up the voice and tone I always used when I’m annoyed.

But right now, I am pissed.

“Now, dear, fellow, human, what you said was clearly untrue. I am entirely human and this person beside me is an orc. Or were you blinded by your overgrown ego and disgusting attitude to see the obvious in front of you? Surely that must be it. The entrance to the cafeteria is wide enough for two people to not serve as a hindrance to the ones coming in, but still, you chose to try and shove me aside yourself. Well, I won’t apologize but I’ve had enough pushing for one day. And lastly, no, I do not know you and I don’t care.”

I gritted my teeth, my face hurting from smiling forcefully. The cafeteria was quite silent enough all the while and no doubt they heard every word I said.

Fuck.

I twisted around and bolted out of the building.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! I blew it! Fucking blew my chance to have a normal college life! Now everyone will think I’m some crazy person and would, without a doubt, avoid me forever.

I was too busy cursing and walking away, planning to hide in a hole for all eternity that I didn’t feel the presence of someone following me.

Without thinking much of where I was heading, my feet led me to a secluded part of the uni. Tall trees lining up before and around me looking like an entrance to a forest, and so I tried hiding behind one. Hoping that the guards wouldn’t notice and detain me or something.

I sat down between the great roots of an oak tree and rested my head on top of my knees as I took deep breaths and listened.

Nature always had a place in my heart. How could it not? When you can hear the chirps of little birds, the soothing sound of leaves rustled by the wind. And the peace that comes with it all.

Not to mention it smells so relaxing.

“Hello there.”

************************************

Haha! What will Pearl do next I wonder, and who is this person who followed her??

Had to cut it off at that part because my dearest self just loves cliff hangers—

And because I wanted to post something as soon as possible.

Hope you enjoyed! I will be working on the third part asap.

Tags: @kokokatsworld @crackinanutshell

[bichlordstories]

17: Turning Point

You were going to kill Todoroki when you find him.

Fucking running off and making you follow after him... what the hell does he think he's doing?

Just 30 minutes ago, you, Endeavour, and Todoroki were on patrol when the attacks began. There was screaming left and right, filling the air along with inhuman sounds that belonged to these mutant beasts with brains showing.

Fires and explosions went off and there were pro heroes dealing with these abominations that seemed unkillable

Endeavour was the first to react and quickly burned the thing to a crisp and you were quick to follow his lead.

Once activating your quirk, you punched one of the monsters to the ground and started beating it up, tearing it's limbs off.

The thing slowly regenerated, which brought you frustration.

You bit into it's brain out of rage and pulled its chunks out as it screamed at you.

"Blood God. Move."

You recognized the voice as Endeavour's and slowly got up. You hesitantly looked at the writhing beast beneath you before moving out of the way for Endeavour to burn it.

"You did quite the number on it." He said before fire left his fist.

The man let out a grunt as he roasted the thing alive before turning to you.

"I need you to go after my son and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Is that understood." He said and proceeded to tell you where to find him.

You grew confused and infuriated when you realized that Todoroki was gone.

What the fuck is he doing? There are villains to fight here!

You had a moment of clarity and spat the brain bits out of your mouth.

"Yes sir."

Before he could respond, another monster came into view and tackled the man. Endeavour shot fire into its face, making it lose its control over the situation.

And thus here you were, trying to find the stupid bicolored brat.

You nearly passed an alleyway before a noise and a flash of yellow and orange caught your eye.

There he was, fighting a deranged looking ninja and... and the greenette brat. For some reason, when the man licked his blade, Todoroki fell to the ground, laying on the ground.

Just as the man was about to strike the bicolored moron, you leapt into action, quite literally.

Your body rammed the man, making him tumble back and rip up his clothes from the pavement. He was caught in a daze before shaking it off and searching for who was responsible.

"...All Might?" The man said breathlessly before narrowing his eyes.

"...no... you're not All Might."

You ignored this as your brain was registering who this man was. You knew he was familiar, no one can forget someone with his ugly mug. You heard of his ideas and his rants about society a few times before. Everyone has.

You especially heard of what he did to a pro hero by the name of Ingenium.

"So... you're the hero killer: Stain."

The crazed man slowly stood up held his sword out, pointing at you.

"You... you're the fake that nearly killed the bicolored one." He spat.

You simply ignored this and looked past him to see Deku, Iida, and a man in a Native American themed costume. Midoriya locked eyes with you and immediately yelled to you in desperation.

"Don't let him lick your blood, His quirk will paralyze you!"

Stain shifted in front of you to block your view from the greenette, which you were thankful for.

"So you've come to save your fake hero friends..." he said.

"They're not my friends." You stated.

"Hm... doesn't really matter anyways..." he said before shooting forward.

He was fast, you wouldn't lie, but you were also quick on your feet.

You ducked down really low and grabbed his feet, which took him by surprise, and pulled them out from under him.

You didn't hesitate to drag him and spin around the ground before making him go airborne for a quick second and having him make impact with the wall. Hard.

He should have passed out. Should have. But he didn't.

This infuriated you more as you quickly went to grab his face, only for him to lift his sword up just as quickly.

He left a shallow cut on your shoulder, to which you quickly grabbed the blade and pulled it away from him. You weren't about to leave the blade with him since it caught a bit of your blood.

You backed away from the slightly dazed man, who slowly walked towards you.

"You dare... take my blade... you damn fake."

"You dare take my blood, you murderer." You said back to him in a mocking tone, holding his blade in your now bloodied hand.

The man smirked, narrowing his eyes at you as he started walking forward.

"Heh... you're skillful and intelligent... I'll give you that."

He lifted his bloody hand up and licked it, which confused you for a moment before you fell limp.

The sword that you once held clattered to the ground along with your body. Stain approached you slowly like a predator ready to strike.

"...it's a shame your quirk makes you bleed out naturally."

He picked up the blade and pulled out another before standing over you.

"Any last words, fake?" Stain said while placing his two blades on both sides of your neck.

"...of all the things..."

The man's nasty smile fell and he cocked his head to the left in confusion.

"What was that?"

"Of all the things to go after... you chose fakes that still did their jobs of saving lives...? You... you could have used your skills... your fighting experience to kill pedophiles... rapists... human traffickers..." you glared daggers into the now expressionless man's eyes.

"You could have taken the hero's jobs and still make a god damn statement about how unreliable fakes are... but instead you chose to target corrupt politicians, people with shitty fucking opinions over... over actual murderers." You spat out a bit of your blood as your quirk was still activated.

"There are people you could have saved that the frauds failed to do, but instead you go after a bunch of stupid kids who wear their hearts on their sleeves, one of which had his older brother sent to the damn hospital because of you." Your voice cracked as you grew both fearful and angry each second.

This man was going to kill you, you realized. He was going to kill you, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Everyone else was paralyzed including you.

Oh god.

You were going to die.

You never even got to save anyone and become a hero.

Fresh blood and tears trailed down your cheeks more and more, staining your (h/c) hair.

The man still stared down at you with no emotions on his face. His smile was long gone, replaced with a slight frown.

Just then, a flash of green knocked the man away from you, which caused one of the blades to leave a shallow cut into your neck.

You couldn't move your head, only your eyes and mouth, but you knew who it was.

The greenette held up against the man while the rest of you laid there paralyzed.

Soon, the ingenium kid, Iida, got back control over his body and joined the battle.

You were paralyzed both physically and mentally.

You almost died. You were about to be decapitated.

You were still in danger, after all, he isn't in cuffs yet.

But you were staring your death in the eyes.

In all of your 16 years of life, you had never been faced with something as severe as your own death.

You seen death before, you do visit the hospital and you have gotten to meet patients with terminal Illnesses.

But never have you battled your own death.

Is this what helplessness is like?

You didn't like it.

Not one bit...

You stayed laying there until someone came to pick you up.

"...No..." you croaked out, not realizing that it was the ingenium kid.

"(L/n)-san, I'm here to help." Iida said while giving you up into a piggyback ride.

"...Stain." You said, growing weaker as your quirk slowly deactivated itself.

"We took care of him..."

You could have sworn you saw tears collect in the kid's eyes.

"You all did..."

You couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer and slipped into darkness.

You woke up to the smells and sounds of a hospital, finding odd comfort in the familiar environment.

A formal voice was talking in the background followed by a woof. You didn't open your eyes but instead listened to what he was saying.

It took you a couple minutes to realize that he was talking about the legality that was the battle against Stain. A whole bunch of junk about how todoroki, Iida, and the greenette brat should be punished for initiating a fight against the villain.

"...they're the only one who was given permission by a pro hero to help keep you out of trouble and did what they were told."

It was obvious he was referring to you.

After chewing them out more in a professional way, the mutt finally told them that they have an option to pretend it was Endeavour who took out the hero killer and avoid punishment.

Although reluctant, they were forced to agree.

The police chief muttered his thanks to the kids and then left.

"...is he gone yet?" You said out loud, wincing at your dry throat and the scratchiness in your voice.

Your eyes were closed the entire time, so you didn't see the dog-headed man leave.

You heard a bit of gasping near you and some shuffling.

"You're awake!"

That annoying voice. That damn annoying voice you hate so much is talking to you.

There was a moment of silence, which made the three boys believe they were just hearing things before you spoke.

"...I believe I should give credit where credit is due..."

While you refused to open your eyes while saying this, you could still hear everything around you.

"You saved my life... Deku... and I... appreciate this second chance at life and shall cherish it..."

You could feel the shock radiating off the greenette. Tch. So obvious.

"...but don't think that for a second that I'll be picking daisies with you. I still fucking hate your guts." You said.

"Eh? How is that being appreciative???" Iida asked in a bewildered tone.

You didn't answer, which made the blue haired gentleman start making chopping motions with his broken arm before yelping when it let out a crack and pop.

"Iida!"

~~~~~~

Old habits die hard, aye? Iida couldn't help but try to scold Mc, which didn't work out for him since he just made his arm worse.

Looks like Mc is slowly gonna respect Izuku... until they find out about All Might being their secret dad.

And when they learn that Midoriya knew before them.

[yandere-daydreams]

Yay requests open! If you don't mind was wondering could I request prince Dabi claiming a beloved prince of an invaded kingdom as his prize

You guys really do like your Todorokis and overdone metaphors, don’t you? I can’t say I’m much better, but I might as well have a little fun while I’m at it. Dabi’s not exactly the poetic type, though…

TW: Slight Dehumanization, Slight Violence, and Abuse of Power.

~

You couldn’t help but wonder if you’d played a little too far into your role. Your tribe was nomadic, sure, following flock migrations and moving whenever survival deemed it necessary, but war paint seemed like a little much. The look wasn’t helped by the cape of feathers that’d been draped over your shoulders and the leather plating weighing down on your chest, making it harder to breathe the longer you were stuck in that costume. It felt wrong, unnatural, too much to be anything but see-through.

But, you were lucky. Dabi and his clan were just as theatrical as your little get-up.

Your imprisonment was as swift as it was sudden. One moment you were in the chief’s tent, preparing for the oncoming invasion, and the next you were being dragged out of your home and into a circle of soldiers, hands tied behind your back and legs in shackles, the chain between your ankles just long enough to allow you a few stuttered steps. Although you’d never seen the man, you could identify Dabi the moment you saw him. Scars from head to toe, burning blue eyes, hair as dark as soiled ash..

You couldn’t have asked for a better monster to face, even if you’d wanted to.

“Is this it?” He asked, as soon as you were in front of him. His underlings released you, remaining an arm’s length or so away, but there was no need for the insurance. You were frozen the moment his eyes met yours. “You’re hardly the great leader our communications made you out to be. A couple heads too short, if you know what I mean. Is that why our lion felt the need to bare its claws early on?”

The crowd jeered, both in laughter and insult, and you went stiff, holding yourself a little taller. “I never claimed to be a lion,” You started, pushing your shoulders forward defensively. “Maybe you were just startled, General. Not all of us can recognize a housecat’s shadow at first glance.”

You expected his smile to fall, for your comment to be met with pain much harsher than anything words could inflict, but Dabi’s smirk only seemed to broaden at the small show of resistance. You hadn’t been sure what to expect from Shigaraki’s make-shift country, if you were being honest. They were a collection of villains, of thieves and murderers and brutes only looking after their own survival, but you supposed Dabi made a good face for that sort of chaos. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, a medal hanging from his waist being the only display of his rank, but he held himself as if he was. The sheer amount of confidence that radiated from him was enough to make standing your ground difficult, the options of trembling and running becoming more and more tempting as he took a step forward, then another, until the space between you was all-but closed.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” The question was simple on its own, but there was a mocking undertone. Anger melded with your fear, forming something much darker than either emotion could ever hope to achieve. “Your little pride made itself at home in a territory claimed by my master, and refused to pay the justified price we asked to smooth-over such an intrusion. Tender warnings never go far with beasts so feral.”

“Oh, so I should’ve been more forceful while explaining our customs?” You didn’t try to mask the venom in your voice. Why would you? More frustration on Dabi’s part would only mean a faster death on yours. “We move for the seasons, nothing else. No force on the part of you or the gods could possibly change our path. No one is harmed by our actions. Your ‘master’ is simply too paranoid that someone will try to play with his toys, and you happen to be the idiot he sent to guard them.”

Dabi grinned, baring his teeth. “You little bitch--”

He was cut off by two figures breaking through the circle, a shorter girl just as malicious as the boy in front of you and an unremarkable man, the expression painted across his face nothing short of anxious. She didn’t waste time, not seeming to fear the consequences of her announcement. “There’s no one here,” She said, plainly, not particularly interested in the statement. “Not a soul. The whole village’s empty, and there aren’t any tracks, either. It’s as abandoned as they come.”

Dabi’s attention snapped towards you, but you were lunging before he could act. It wasn’t hard to retrieve the dagger strapped to the inside of your cloak, the weapon ripped free in a matter of seconds, your bonds cut through in the blink of an eye. You weren’t a warrior, you weren’t strong, but you didn’t have to be. He was standing so close, so unarmed, all you had to do was find his heart and carve--

You were on the ground in an instant, rocks and gravel digging into your cheek. A firm hand pressed into the small of your back, your knife in its twin, the edge of the blade ghosting against your neck. His hold was crushing, heavy and suffocating, but his silence was more oppressive than the humiliation could ever be. Fortunately, it was broken as quickly as it’d been brought on. “Where are your people?” He snarled, bringing the dagger a little closer when you failed to answer. “I shouldn’t have to repeat myself. Tell me, and I might think about sparing your miserable life.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, even if the sound was muffled by your own grit teeth. “They’re gone. I’m the only person you’ll find within a day’s travel. Everyone else is somewhere safe where you’ll never find.”

“Damnit.” The curse was mumbled, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. Still, you let yourself relax. His failure could only mean wonderful things for your tribe. “Who are you, then? An honorable hero who refused to run? The self-sacrificing heir?”

“The self-sacrificing heir’s younger sibling,” You corrected. “My father decided he loved his second-born less.”

You expected a retort, but Dabi only let out a breathy laugh, sitting up and pulling the knife away from your throat. He addressed his men with the same authoritative facade he carried with him, as if it’d never slipped out of place. “Check the tents for supplies, then burn whatever isn’t useful. I don’t want to see anything but a cloud of smoke by the time we leave.” Holding your breath, you waited for Dabi to release you or kill you or do something, but the blow never came. Instead, thin fingers tangled themselves in your hair, jerking your head to the side and forcing you to meet those terrible, fiery, predatory eyes.

“Make it quick, too. I’ve got a new kitty to train.”

[mwolf0epsilon]

If you had to go back to it, what do you think would happen after that demon summoning fic? And what happened to Daniel???

[[MORE]]

  "He's asleep, for now at least..." Simon mutters as he locks the basement door with a padlock and key. North can barely see anything inside the room through the metal slot on the reinforced door, and she doesn't think to ask why Simon had the basement level remade into something like a prison cell. She has a feeling that she doesn't want to know the answer.

 "I..." She starts, bruised face and bloodied cracked lips so painful that it hurts to speak. She's tired. She had fought for her life, knowing she couldn't win against a 9 foot tall beast that knew she had a black belt and called her name with her lover's voice. "I didn't know y-you owned a gun..."

Simon pauses, key in hand as he looks at her.

She watches him pocket the item before he shakes his head and slumps his shoulders.

 "...I didn't." Simon's eyes are sad and just as tired as her own. He holds a weight on his shoulders that tells her he's seen too much. Suffered a loss just as great as her own. The bad feeling intensifies, and she can only think of one thing to blame:

That book. He'd recognized it the moment she showed it to him.

 "What happened to you...?" She asks, knowing full well that something had gone down before she and Josh moved back. And it had to do with Daniel.

"...What can you tell me about Daniel, North?" Simon asks rather than reply, confirming her suspicions.

She doesn't answer, because she knows Simon had a brother, but she doesn't recall ever meeting him. She knows he must have been close to Simon if his death had shaken him up so much that he'd begged for their support, but honestly she doesn't know what to say.

"I...Don't think we ever met."

Simon's reaction startles her. He laughs.

He laughs an ugly broken laugh that breaks her heart even more than it already is. Turns each shard to dust.

 "...I hoped... You could remember I had a brother, but I g-guess it was wishful thinking that you'd know who he was." Simon looks so very hurt. He hugs himself tightly and shakes.

"Simon?"

 "He was my twin... We were insepperable the four of us... F-fuck I..." Simon ran a hand over his face and sobbed "I...I fucked up badly North…"

---

     The bakery had been doing poorly ever since the new supermarket had opened up on the other block. A lot of the smaller shops were losing clients and closing down, since people thought the new place was a lot more convenient.

Simon and Daniel's tiny store quickly lost sales and the two were not meeting their quota at the end of the month. Rent was becoming difficult to pay and they had been desperate.

  "If we don't find a way to turn this whole mess around, we'll end up living on the streets…" Daniel had fretted as he looked over the bills. They had piled up so much that they weren't sure where they'd get the money.

  "I talked to Mrs. Stern, but she's not one to give more than a second chance. She expects the money by next month…" Simon sighed miserably. "I'm sorry Dan...I tried…"

  "I know...I just… I'm scared Si." Daniel looked at him, concern and fear of the unknown clouding his eyes in such a way that they looked like a stormy sky. "I… I'll go talk to Connor… see if he can lend me an extra buck…"

  "You hate asking for handouts."

  "Well what choice do I have?!" Daniel grumbled "Unless you can think of something better, I'd suggest you pick up some books on how to make money real quick…"

---

  "...You took his advice seriously, didn't you?" North frowned.

Simon shakily nodded, face buried in his hands.

  "Yes…"

  "Simon...What happened?" She looked over towards the door when she heard soft shuffling inside. The monster that had been Josh had probably shifted in its sleep, just as her beloved tended to. He was a restless sleeper.

  "...I went to the library. I tried looking for business books but…" the blond shook his head "I found that fucking thing instead."

His desperation had lead to a very piss poor decision on his part. 

The promise of having his greatest desires given to him by the many spells and rituals. 

It had been so tempting.

Too tempting for him to resist.

If he could just pick the right one, do it right and get enough money to save his and Daniel's tiny little bakery…

But it had all gone so wrong!

  "I just wanted to help." Simon sobs "I never meant to be so selfish!"

He'd not done it right.

The spell he chose called for one to clear their mind and choose their one greatest want in life.

Simon had to focus on saving the bakery, but instead he'd been greedy.

The thought of how easy it would be to get anything he wanted…

The bakery had all but left his mind as he'd let himself fantasize.

What would it be like if he were more? If he were as interesting as his twin? Knew all the things Daniel had taken the time to learn in their youth?

Be the kind of guy people wanted to get to know?

He'd been a foolish selfish idiot for thinking such thoughts. And he'd paid for it, just as North had paid for mocking the book.

  "I… Its like… It's like I had absorbed Daniel in the womb." He whispers.

  "What?" North stared, uncertain if she'd heard him right.

  "The ritual… I wasn't supposed to think of anything but getting the money to save the bakery… But…" he sighed "My insecurities…"

  "You were insecure about your ability to help?" North asked.

  "No. I just… I always considered Daniel to be the stronger, better twin. I just wanted to be as good as him… instead I erased his existence and… I guess rewrote my life so that I was Daniel but not." Simon grimaced, before looking back at her. "And I know it goes beyond just… Just him being gone."

  "I… How?" North dares ask.

He doesn't reply, instead he takes her hand and puts it against his chest. She raises an eyebrow before she feels it.

A twin thumping of two separate hearts, inside a single chest cavity.

  "...Oh my god…"

  "I didn't just kill my brother. I became him, and now I have his heart to remind me that I'm a selfish monstrous fuck."

---

     Josh doesn't eat much for a large beast. Simon feeds him liver, hearts and other assorted parts he gets at a butchers. They rarely go inside the basement and, when they need to clean it, they use Daniel's tranq gun to knock him out.

North sits by the door most days. She talks to her fiancee for many hours, letting him know she still loves him and that she's sorry for getting him into this mess.

Sometimes he moans her name, the chain around his neck dragging against the floor as he tries to reach her.

She knows he'd sink his teeth into her throat if he ever got the chance.

     Simon hid the book better this time. No longer in any of the public sections of the library. It's locked in a safe in Daniel's old room, where no one else would think to look.

Whenever he's not at the library, he's reading those damned pages in search of a way to fix Josh.

So far, he's found nothing 

So North bides her time and speaks to her lover.

  "Simon can shoot guns now, and do rock climbing… His back pains are gone and he can chat up Markus now…" she recounts through the slot. She can see the glimmer of four goat-like eyes peering over at her in the dark. The rumbling growl is unsettling. "He wasn't kidding… He really did absorb his brother… He has two hearts now. Says it helps him sleep when he feels the heartbeat on the left. It's like Daniel's still here…"

  "Nooooorth…." The mournful rumble makes her pause. She shivers but carries on.

  "You remember Daniel don't you? No one else can… And I don't… Fully remember…" she confesses "But he knew a lot of stuff. Simon was jealous of him, but he loved him… He misses him a lot. Like… Like how I miss you."

The chain rattles closer, she can hear hooves and claws scraping along the floor. Her eyes prickle slightly.

  "Josh… You know I've always been shit with words. I've been an angry unpleasant person for most of my life, and somehow you never felt put off by my attitude." North laughed bitterly "Guess you got the short end of the stick here… But… What I'm trying to say is…"

She looks at the slot and her skin crawls as the muzzle tries to force itself through. A mixture of a wolf, and a Chinese lion dog, with curled fangs and a snake-like tongue that writhes and slithers in all directions. Thirsty for blood.

  "Is that… I'm sorry." She lets the slot rest against the beast's maw, shivering when the serpentine tongue catches her fingers. The saliva is hot against her skin. "I shouldn't have been a dick. I shouldn't have read out of that stupid book… I never wanted anything. I thought what we had was plenty… and if I had to ask for anything… I'd just ask to have you back."

The beast shuts its jaw sharply.

She can't hear him breathing heavily anymore.

  "... I want you back Josh. That's all I want…" she gets up, looks down at the monstrous muzzle and presses a quick kiss to that ugly squashed nose of his, and turns to leave.

  "NoRtH…?"

She stops.

  "Josh…?"

The muzzle pulls away from the slot, replaced by a clawed set of digits. On one finger Josh's ring gleams in the low light.

  "North…" his eyes peek through the slot. There are still four but they're his.

Her heart skips a beat.

[mister-maiden]

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. A love letter to metroidvanias

Betcha thought I was gone.

Guess again, Cultists.

From the faint sound of a piano in the background to the delicious plates of meat and apples hidden in the walls, Bloodstained just screamed Castlevania at me and I simply couldn't be more overjoyed. Just..UGHHNN man, this game scratched a certain itch that was lingering on the tailbone of a mildly neglected butt that is my Castlevania pants. And man this just DID it for me.

For starters. The graphics are absolutely stunning in most areas. From your roaring ships on the seas to your books flying from the walls. Nothing ever seemed out of place for its unique animation style. The only game I could really say it reminded me of was Castlevania: Symphony of the night.

It has this gorgeous atmosphere to it of Victorian style that played throughout the game, throwing a twist to every trope it could find. Water areas, fire areas, gearpunk are- you get the shebang. It's a wonderful adventure...however, this could be seen as a bad thing.

Several rooms made me feel like I was just...*going through* them you know? As in there was simply absolutely no substance to it besides having it be a room for a mid-weak level enemy. This made it worse having to go back and farm enemies for certain items and drops...Looking at you Dragon Eggs and Beast Milk...though honestly, this gripe may just be due to my personal tastes. Though this can be easily avoided if you use Johannes the alchemist to destroy certain items for their components...but this is hella expensive.

Speaking of ememies!...um...Well yeah.

Bosses were cool! Well. Some bosses. Half of the bosses made me feel like I was just smashing the attack button and standing in one place while the better bossfights forced me to change my playstyle, spells, hell even my equipment. They did a great job with the bosses that interacted with my own placement, but did a poor job with bosses that could be beaten without even moving.

There are many enemies as well. Several I recognized. The walking grunts that walk at you viciously. The giant that does tons of damage but is easy to read and dodge, the smalll....ANNOYING ENEMIES THAT DO DAMAGE AND ARE IS NIGH EKEHRJ-

The enemies were nicely done. All with their own weaknesses and strengths according to the abilities and weapons you used. A small enemy could be dispatched quickly through a broad stroke of a great sword or a bigger enemy with armor pierced with a spear, ect. I don't have anything good or bad to say about the enemies because they just feel...*alright*. I mean there's just really nothing special to these enemies compared to enemies in other games. They were just there to be there..nothing wrong with that though. The only gripe I had was the lack of diversity in demons. They were just three different stages of the same demons I face in the beginning: Weak, mildly strong/strong, Giant. That tactic of making the player feel like they are progressing felt sort of cheap. A darker enemy of the same model isn't different enemy

What was far more important and interesting was the ABILITIES each monster gave you.

See, through the game, every monster you face has the chance of dropping a shard which bonds to your character's body, giving her several abilities. Ranging from fireballs, bats, and burning acid to shadows, increasing your strength, and more.

You may equip up to four regular spells called conjure shards

A passive shard which passively increases a stat or provides some benefit

A directional shard which allows you to point the spell with your hand via the joystick.

A manipulative shard that manipulates objects and spaces around you.

Skill shards, which gives you passive skills you can turn on and off. These are probably some of the most important shards in the game which are generally found after a boss fight.

My FAVORITE shard: Familiar shard! Allows you to have a familiar along the screen! My favorite being this cool little silver Knight that blocks projectiles c:

Each shard has their own circumstances to be used and best creatures to be used against which is great. Just the rediculous wide range of spells allows the player any range of choice and playstyle. My favorite is flooding the screen with bats. You may upgrade.

Weapons and armor are always in supply. Some found in secret areas while others are only unlocked via finding recipes for the alchemist to make. All have their own merits with some holding special skills you can use on monsters (example: a specific spear or set of spears allows you to sprint forward at rediculous speed). Sometimes I felt like I wasn't doing any damage before realizing I had to move on to the next weapon tier. Sometimes this can workout poorly for games since the progression relies on how well you do damage instead of how skillful you are with how you use your weapon, but I didn't seem to mind at all of Bloodstained's usage of the tiered weapon system.

Now, with over 100 of spell choices and weapons to use against a wide variety of enemies, it can be a hassle to constantly switch between spells and weapons in the menu...which is why the game introduces the quick select wheel!..later...in the game...which was a huge issue for me personally.

The quick select wheel came a bit later in the game which was strange since I had quite the number of spells and weapons I had. A problem I saw immediately with it was that I had to actually unlock more quick select slots by finding them, hidden and scattered through the game. I think this was a poor choice due to how the game encourages the player to play with their setup yet constricts them by locking these slots that didn't need to be locked in the first place. Maybe it was to give more incentive to the player to experiment with their mobility, but I still don't enjoy it. They should have had all options unlocked.

So now that we have combat and art out of the way, I'll talk about the TOWN features.

As in other metroidvanias, we have a homebase like area which holds several quests and people of interest to talk to. A farmer which can be given seeds to grow crops, a nun which gives you fetch quests to find items in the field to say goodbye to the fallen, an older woman whos hunger knows no bounds. Another nun who is a merchant for you and will also buy your leftover shards, and a fellow alchemist who will transmute items into weapons, armor, and whip up a nice plate of food for permanent stat boosts.

The merchant Nun, or Dominique, will sell you potions, alchemy items, and ingredients. Generally these items are...fairly overpriced, but rightfully so so the player doesn't progress too easily. The prices never change too which makes her interactions pretty concrete. It was nice not having to farm for basic items for potions c: so thank you, Dominique.

Then we have Johannes, our resident alchemist which is where a lot of our time is going to be spent.

Johannes takes the items we find from monsters, and puts them to good use my transmutation. He's the man who helps us make our ultima keyblade!..well, stronger weapon. This can be a tad annoying as some enemies take quite some time to farm, but it wasn't a hassle as I could teleport to the room and kill them until I got the item.. honestly this felt...a tad tedious? Then again, not a huge farming fan of repeat killing a monster, but it was needed to get some items.

Johannes also has an option to make you food from the ingredients you find from monsters! (Great idea to cook meat from demons) these meals give you permanent stat boosts after your first bite, but subsequent meals of the same food won't give you anymore bonus stats.

A special interaction is the ability to upgrade your shards! Using items from the monsters you kill (generally the same demon that gave you the shard), you can upgrade your shards to give them a new effect and make them stronger! The shards can be leveled to level 9 and are maxed out from there. This is one of my favorite parts of the game because how ridiculously numerous these spells are in effects. Hell, I can summon a dragon so he can just SMACK the screen like a fly swatter. Nothing makes you feel as powerful as watching a dragon head you summon just spew fire on a defenseless boss.

Now quests. These are...pretty underwhelming and are accomplished simply as you walk along to be honest. You'll finish these without even realize it because of how simple they were. These felt pretty weak in comparison to the rest of the game, but I mean hey, gave me some cool items. These could have been more fleshed out or maybe given the player some better quests that weren't just *fetch this*. Quests were the weakest part of the game.

Story was..uh...well. I'll be honest. My girlfriend even witnessed as I called the plottwists one by one and it was sort of sad. Don't play this game for the story. Truly don't. There isn't a good story here. The story is only here to drive the action and gameplay which is what the developers focused on. The game comes with multiple endings, the true ending being a tad cryptic to get to without knowing a certain secret of what to do with a weapon, but regardless, the story atleast made sense...has just been done before.

Now. Should you buy it?

If you're a fan of metroidvanias...I'd say the price is worth it. About 20-30 hours of gameplay for the avid metroidvania fan..I think (I'll start recording how long it takes me to really finish something hah)

If not a fan: wait for a sale. It's something great to have and pickup. With some gripes about quests and enemies while also having praises for the enhance system and spells, I enjoyed myself. I really did. It was fun. I put it down a couple of times because it was just too much with how large the map felt sometimes, but after getting the hang of mobility and the teleport system, it really felt like a castle to run around in.

-------------------METRIC-------------------

Pros:

• Spell system is EXCELLENT. I wish games had this many spells.

• Combat was nice with weaknesses and different strengths to each setup and creature.

• Map is widely varied.

• Artstyle felt like a callback to Castlevania as well as the music

• Long and worth the pricetag.

• Repayable

•Freakin familiars, man

• Decent amount of weapon choice (even if all do the same weapon attack as a weapon in their same category, each weapon felt like an upgrade.

CONS:

• Reskinned monsters are not good replacements for different monsters. Please don't do that...it feels cheap.

• Story was uninteresting

• The quickslot should be available from the very beginning so I can customize my character. It shouldn't have been a skill.

So that was my review on Bloodstained c: I really enjoyed it after getting used to the controls...also fun tip...USE the backdash. It helps so much in certain boss encounters where every action counts.

Have a nice Sunday, Cultists c: