#sorry for the awkward break

[rakumel]

Raku Plays Her Faves, Ys VIII, Chapter 3 Part 2: The Little Badass With the Cheesy Name

aka Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Stream, Fail to Sneak Around Every F*cking Dinosaur

Dawn breaks over Mount Gendarme, and today Adol, Laxia, and Sahad begin the long climb up. Well, after we do our overnight check in with Dana, that is.

The big important hint we get from Adol’s dream this time is that weapons made from a metal called orichalcum are capable of defeating Primordials (called Saurians in Dana’s time). So the big dinosaur-like beasts that have been a lot of trouble so far? Looks like they won’t be for much longer.

Dana’s friend Sarai is leaving the temple to go back to her home, but gives Dana a nice set of new blades as a parting gift. Sarai mentions that the weapons were tailor-made for someone Dana’s size, so it would be a pain to have to take them back for something else. So here we learn that she’s very short fun sized no, you know what, let’s stick with short.

Back in the present, Adol and company start their ascent up the mountain. Aside from some giant scorpion monsters that can paralyze you and your team, the beasts aren’t too much of a problem. There will be a lot of Primordials, though, and you don’t have any orichalcum weapons yet, so it’s best to just avoid them and/or run away for now. It’s not impossible to defeat one or even two if you’re forced to, but it takes a long time to whittle down their health and you’ll probably use a lot of healing items in the process. Mount Gendarme counts as a dungeon, so you can’t stand still to regenerate health, either.

About halfway up or so, Adol and company come across the strongest evidence yet that someone’s already been living on this island:

An unmistakable cabin, half-hidden with leaves and vegetation. Laxia knocks on the door, but gets no reply. You can’t leave and come back later: the game literally blocks off every exit, so you’re forced to enter the cabin and look around. That seems a little douchey to me, but whatever. I mean...granted, they’re halfway up a mountain on a deserted island, it makes sense to be curious about a cabin. But just going in and tromping around what is clearly someone’s home? Using their stove, sleeping in their hammock? And suppose the original owner came back and didn’t take kindly to that? Maybe it’s me, maybe I’m the weird one for thinking of these things.

No one currently inside, but it’s clear that someone’s been here a while, and probably still lives here now. Laxia also makes another interesting discovery:

There’s a journal with handwriting in it that matches the notes signed “T”, that were posted in the watchtower they’d found some time ago. Hmmm....!

After a rest in the cabin, they travel further up the mountain, into a huge cave, and find that same red Primordial that’s been showing up since the first chapter. Now if I were the one writing this story, this would clearly mean it likes them and just doesn’t know how to properly express that. I mean, it seems to be following them around, and hell, it even took care of the serial killer problem for them. That sounds a lot like a dino friend to me.

But I’m not in charge, so no dino friend. Just another damn boss fight with this thing. But at least we do get....

This little badass named Ricotta, and her excellent entrance. After Adol’s party lays the smackdown on it, the red Primordial gets back up yet again. Just as everyone’s wondering what the hell it’s going to take to put the bastard down for good, Ricotta jumps in and announces herself. She does a backflip and tosses a couple of darts at the beast that actually hurt it, and it runs away.

Naturally the group is grateful for the save, but also, they have lots of questions. (None of which are, “Who the hell named you after Italian cheese?”)

Everyone heads back to the cabin, which as it turns out is where Ricotta lives with her adoptive father. Or she did until about a month ago, when he left to go observe the Primordials and didn’t come back. Naturally, she’s worried about him, and naturally Adol and company are worried about her, even though she can forage for herself (and has been). (Seriously, she even made the tea she served them, right down to picking the blend of leaves.) Especially Sahad, who goes into dad mode immediately.

Understandably, he does NOT want to leave her all alone up there. Luckily, when they ask if she wants to come back to the village with them, she readily says yes, excited to meet other people. They also agree to help Ricotta look for her missing father.

Ricotta clears up a couple of things while they’re at the cabin, though. She reveals not only T’s full name - Thanatos Beldine - but also that he’s her missing father figure. (I guess a guy named Thanatos would think Ricotta’s a perfectly reasonable name.)

There’s also the matter of the dart Ricotta used that injured the Primordial. Turns out the tip is made with a special kind of metal that none of them have seen before - aside from Adol in his dream, of course, but he doesn’t speak up about it at this point.

Since it’s a metal, the group decides to take it back to the village and ask the blacksmith there if she knows anything about it. Ricotta comes with, and she becomes a playable character in your party.

The Skills menu art is still awesome, but it makes her seem like some sort of feral child like Gau from FFVI, and that’s not really accurate. I wonder if the artist only had descriptions to go on, or something. I also like Ricotta’s weapons, which are two club-like things that can attack close up or extend to attack long distance in some Skills.

This doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but I love how Ricotta starts mimicking Sahad once they get to the village. It’s just so adorable, y’all.

Anyway...they take Ricotta’s last dart to Kathleen, their blacksmith, and she notes that the metal looks a lot like the legendary metal named...surprise, surprise...orichalcum.

Now it’s been a while since I’ve played this part of the game, so my memory’s very fuzzy on the exact sequence of events here. But if the order of my screenshots is accurate, this is the point where Adol mentions his dream, as well as where to actually find some orichalcum - in some old strata. This makes Laxia give him the side eye - she’s actually studied Primordials in books, so she knows what strata is, but how the hell does Adol know?

But Ricotta backs him up - after all, she had the darts, and those had to come from somewhere - and says she and her dad found that metal in a cave with Primordial fossils in it. Where, y’know...old strata is likely to be.

Next time, it’s back up the mountain with our mining equipment, and a roundup of other fun events in Chapter 3.

[hualianschild]

‼️spoiler‼️ (chapter 63)

uhm so that happened...

(i was NOT ready omfg)

[koinotame]

how dangerous the twst cast is as yanderes

content warnings: this is yandere stuff so plenty of relationships and mindsets of questionable healthiness. reader implied to be yuu. mentions of murder and violence (nothing explicit/graphic, but frequent. mostly not aimed at reader). most are pretty ambiguous wrt being romantic or platonic (though it’s assumed they have an at least somewhat close relationship with you). i don’t think there’s any explicit spoilers but this was written with mostly-up-to-date knowledge so maybe beware if you really want to avoid any spoilers

whole main cast is included, under the cut for length (near 4k words)! if you read ortho's section as incestuous or romantic in any other way i will shoot a laser beam at you.

fairly harmless overall ▸ i actually normally wouldn't put them together, but in either case i can't see either of the adeuce duo being too dangerous to others. yeah, they might beat someone up for getting too close to you or hurting you, but i really really can't see either of them going much farther. deuce in particular used to be a delinquent, and he does sometimes slip back into that mindset, and he does know how to beat someone up well… but he's a good boy now. your good boy. even in his delinquent phase he would've never actually killed someone, and the idea horrifies him a little too much to ever seriously consider. ace has a bit less restraint, but also a lot less experience. what he lacks in experience he does more than make up for in wit and quick learning, but… while the thought does cross his mind occasionally, he wouldn't be able to stomach actually killing someone either. he'll beat someone up if they hurt you or you ask him to though. unlike deuce, he'll probably brag about it to you if he knows your reaction would be positive.

▸ don’t you worry! your cay-kun would never kill someone! in fact, cater is very unlikely to get violent at all. when he gets jealous (which happens pretty often), he turns that bitterness inside. what do they have that he doesn’t? do you like quieter guys? is he too obsessed with magicam? do you not like the way he doesn’t let you in unless you push, because he’s too afraid you won’t like what you find and leave? is he not affectionate enough? do you not like his hair? it doesn’t matter what it is about him that you don’t like, about others that you do like. he’ll fix the problem; he’ll fix himself. he’s already used to putting on acts around others—this isn’t that different. even if it’s not him you like at this point, as long as he can stay by your side, it’ll be fine. there’s a desperate edge to his actions that’s hard to spot, but once you have is impossible to unsee. as long as you continue liking him, he’ll throw away who he is—just. don’t throw him aside once you’re bored of him, okay? keep him around forever. please. ▸ jack is another that’s fairly harmless. it’s in his nature to be overprotective, and he doesn’t see much wrong with that, but he has no issue with your friends and he’s pretty reasonable at telling apart actual threats from things like jokes. he’s much like your guard dog… or maybe he’s more like guard puppy, with the way you doubt he’d ever actually hurt anyone despite his big stature. he’s embarrassed when you tell him this, but the wagging of his tail gives away just how much he likes knowing you’re okay with—even like—his constant presence. he’s not… completely against going behind your back when someone is actually about to hurt you to deal with he issue, though. just… just occasionally, when it’s really necessary. he won’t make a habit of it. he just… doesn’t want you to see him like that. he’d never want to scare you. that’s all.

a bit less harmless but not by (too) much ▸ riddle is good and well behaved and refuses to resort to something as drastic as violence or murder, or at least he’s trying very hard to convince himself so. he’s definitely somewhat tyrannical to everyone around you even after he mellows out after his overblot, and he has no hesitation in punishing those who hurt or displease you, especially his own dormmates. even once both of you graduate, this habit of his never quite vanishes. he gets a little frantic if you show disapproval of his actions though, especially if you seem scared of him. he’s desperate to prove that he’s good and loves you and would never hurt you, and if that means toning down his ardour, he’ll try his best. the stress of possibly losing you just makes him all the more overbearing to everyone around him. he’s trying his best for you though, so… don’t you love him as much as he loves you? won’t you turns your eyes back to him and only him? ▸ kalim would never kill someone! nor would he have someone be killed. but his family's wealth and influence extends far, and anyone seeking to hurt you (or him through you) would be a fool to think otherwise. he'd never kill someone, but making sure they end up rotting in prison for the rest of their life is just doing the right thing! he might be a little blinded by his panic, sure, but— they tried to hurt you! if he's really jealous (something that doesn't happen often—he only has eyes for you, after all, so he tends to not think too much about others), it's not hard to just have them transfer. or be fired. or something. he won't tell you outright, but if you ask he sees no point in hiding it from you. if you don't react well, he gets a little frantic and insists that he really really really wouldn't ever go farther than that…! probably. ▸ epel getting into yet another fistfight for you is something you’ve grown unfortunately used to. you’re frankly convinced he outright wants you to see at this point, maybe in some misconceived idea it’ll make you think he’s tough, with the way he runs up to you like a puppy expecting praise afterwards. he’ll be torn if you fuss over him afterwards—on one hand, he wants you to think he’s tough and your coddling doesn’t really give the impression that you understand that, but it feels really, really nice when your attention is focused on only him. but as unrestrained as epel is, he’s not particularly dangerous. if you seem really put off by his actions, he might even rein it in a little (vil is glad for your cooperation, even if that wasn’t your intention). he’s more preoccupied with earning your attention and approval than he is with stuff like keeping other suitors away from you. ▸ i just think it’d be really funny if despite everything about him, rook is one of the most harmless. he’s the type of yandere to have a shrine (it’s not in his closet because he has no shame) and have his room covered in notes about you but who’d never actually kill someone. he’s also… the type who enjoys and loves everything about you. to rook, the journey is more important than the destination, and that includes you. the you on your own, the you around your friends (not that they’ll stick around too much once they notice rook), and the you around him are all different and equally worth loving. he’s not exactly shy about his stalking either, but once you get used to his constant presence, it doesn’t really get worse. maybe a little more intense, but not worse. he’s fine with pretty much any way you want to treat him, too—whether you treat him like a beloved pet or a plaything or act like you don’t know or notice him, he’ll love you all the same. forever.

holds themselves back… but not because of ethics ▸ when trey thinks about the future he wants with you, he allows himself to imagine what it would be like to be so wholly engrossed in each other that everything else might as well not exist. unfortunately, the two of you live in real life and not in a fairy tale, so he’s settled for the idea of eventually settling down and growing old with you. it’s… not entirely ethics that holds him back. he’s aware that most of the urges he gets when he sees you around others or when he sees you get hurt in someway are immoral, and he reigns himself in. aside from some people in your life suddenly finding it odd how the ever dependable senior suddenly doesn’t seem to like them much and has been giving them the cold shoulder, most people are very unlikely to realise there’s anything off about trey… including you. just let him be your normal (if fairly fussy) boyfriend, okay? and if he occasionally slips a bit of a sleeping potion into your food and masks the taste with his unique magic so you end up staying the night just so he can spend a little more time with you… that can be his little secret. ▸ it's definitely not ethics that holds ruggie back, but it would be a serious problem if he gets caught killing someone. or even just gets particularly violent with someone else. he'd do it in a heartbeat, especially for you (especially if you asked him), don't get him wrong, but, well— if he goes to jail, he's fucking his family over. if he goes to jail, he won't be able to provide for you in the future—or have any sort of relationship with you. his resolve might waver if you were to actually ask, but even then he’s determined to stick to actions he can reasonably get away with. it's not uncommon for him to use laugh with me to embarrass any guys he thinks are getting too close to you though, and it's not too hard to be discreet with his unique magic when someone really deserves to fall face down a flight of stairs. or three. oopsie. odd they don't remember it, huh? well, he had nothing to do with that. ▸ jamil is a bit more restrained. murder is fine (it’s definitely not his first resort, but it’s there as an option if he really needs it—he did kind of try to kill five people, even if it was during his overblot), but using snake whisper is just so much more convenient… most of the time. due to his position as a servant of kalim, he has to carefully consider any actions he takes unless he wants there to be dire consequences for his family. unfortunately for him, this means he can’t just beat up anyone getting too close to you no matter how much he may feel like it. his unique magic does work well for him here though—and he’s not opposed to using more force if there’s a good reason (like impressing you and getting complimented by y—ehem. making sure your bullies won’t bother you again). the one person he’d rather not use his unique magic on is you. what he likes so much about you is that you’re choosing him of your own volition, and that’s worth more than any force could get him.

not the worst, but… ▸ azul tries really, really hard to keep everything he does behind your back, well. behind your back. he doesn't usually get his own hands dirty, but it would be a serious problem if you found out about the students he's been tricking into unfair contracts just because he got jealous. and it'd be one thing if it ended there, but more than that… if anyone hurts you, the tweels haven't amassed a certain reputation for nothing. if azul’s this fond of you, there’s a very high chance they’re familiar with you as well—and even if they weren’t, azul being jealous enough to send them after people that aren’t even remotely threatening your relationship is amusing enough for them to comply. he won’t go too far though, no matter how envious he may get. ruining someone’s reputation, having the twins beat them up or tricking them into unfair deals is one thing, but even someone like azul wouldn’t resort to cold-blooded murder. ▸ remember when vil, pretty lucid, tried to poison neige? yeah. with his unique magic and social standing, it would be really easy to get rid of anyone causing you issues. of course, with you being aware of his unique magic, he’d have to be careful to make sure you don’t realise, so it’s something he’d reserve for only actual emergencies. it’s also a lot easier to abuse his influence and fame to keep others away from you, whether it’s by threatening them himself or getting others to do his dirty work for him. when it comes to you and keeping your attention on him, he finds it much more rewarding to keep working on himself to meet your standards and doting on you even much than he already does. keep your eyes on him and only on him, won’t you? he’ll make it worth your while. ▸ idia, as a yandere, is incredibly desperate. he’s already perfectly content (well, not perfectly, but content enough) to just watch you through his screen and maybe chat with you online (with your anonymous pal who you definitely don’t know irl, of course), so if he gets lucky enough to be with you for real, there’s very little he won’t be willing to do to ensure it stays that way. in practice this means trying to appeal to you more than anything else; if you seem even the slightest bit unhappy with him, he’s desperately trying to fix it immediately. do you think he’s too offputting? he’ll cover his mouth and hair and— are you mad because he tried to convince you to ditch your friends and just stay with him again? he’s sorry! he doesn’t have an excuse, he’s just scared that you’ll realise you could do so much better and don’t like him that much after all. sometimes he thinks about how he definitely has the resources for more forceful and permanent measures, but then you smile at him, or tell him his smile is pretty, or run your fingers through his hair, or laugh at a comment he made and his mind goes blank and gives him a 404 error. there’s no way he could ever give that up just for some measly certainty… though the same can’t be said for those who he gets too jealous of or those who hurt you. not that you need to know that.

not needlessly violent ▸ sebek is… very enthusiastic about the things he dedicates himself to. this includes you. if you thought his devotion to malleus was excessive, it’s even worse when it comes to you. while he has no personal issues with fighting if it means protecting you (whether that protecting includes only actual threats is debatable), he takes pride in his position as malleus’ retainer. this means that no matter how he feels, he has to consider how his actions would make briar valley and his lord look. he also doesn’t really get jealous. instead (and this is almost worse), he has his own idea of how everyone else should treat you and he does get aggressive with others if he doesn’t think they’re treating you right. you deserve a heavy amount of respect and he finds it very aggravating when others don’t give you that (see: treat you like a regular person). he’s not subtle either—if anything, going behind your back on this would go against his values. he wants to be useful to you!!! he wants you to know how much he cares and how you’re superior and the one with all the power in this relationship!!! the good thing is he listens to everything to ask of him, no matter how ridiculous he finds you insisting you prefer being treated casually by your friends and peers. ▸ silver, while less outwardly enthusiastic, is no less devoted. he doesn’t really get jealous (there’s a dull ache in his chest when he sees you with others and thinks about the possibility of someone being more important to you than you are to him, but that’s not jealousy, right?), and he’s fairly realistic about what counts as a threat to you and what doesn’t. the problem is that as soon as something crosses that threshold, he’s drawing his wand (or baton. or sword. he’s trained and prepared with all three). it’s almost scarier than if he were enjoying it, because you have absolutely no clue how far he’s willing to go for your safety—or if he even has any limits when it comes to you. he has a rather twisted view on relationships, and that extends to you. you’ve been so kind and accommodating and caring, and he needs to repay you for that. he’s insistent on serving you, because his entire self worth (and by extension any care you’ve gracefully granted him) relies on being useful. also doesn’t really see himself as your proper equal, though he’s less aware of this compared to sebek, and also listens well to just about anything you ask of him. if it’s for you, he’d do anything. ▸ you have a very different definition of "not needlessly violent" than lilia, but it’s at least true he doesn’t go around picking fights. he's not bothered at all by baby chicks clinging too close to you. if anything, he might pop into the conversation and agree with them—you are great and wonderful and adorable and so much more! it makes the conversation kind of awkward, and whoever you were talking to might not seek you out as much afterwards, but beyond teasing you there's never any indication that he goes any further. of course, violence is something he’s been very accustomed to over his long life, so when someone actually hurts you he has no issue with getting the message across in a more… drastic way. as soon as he's done, he's right back to coddling you. they won't be repeating the same mistake again, so don't worry too much about it and stick close to him from now on, okay?

very needlessly violent ▸ violent probably isn’t the best way to describe leona, but he doesn’t hold back when it comes to you. what, you think he’s just going to sit back and let you go? you’re the best thing that’s happened to him, like hell he’s going to not put in the proper effort in keeping you. …even if you’re not sure if you entirely agree with the sentiment. he gets jealous very often, so it’s common to see him glowering and scaring off anyone he deems too close to you. there’s no need to go further when he knows they’ll leave you both alone afterwards, but the threat only works as well as it does because he has both the magical prowess and social influence to make good on his promises. he’ll insist he doesn’t see them as threats so much as pests hanging around and leeching off of you, but there’s some part of him deep down that’s scared you’ll decide you like someone else better after all. he’s not sure he could take even you leaving him. any actual danger to you is also dealt with quickly, and while he doesn’t want to threaten you into it, you won’t have an easy time abandoning him even if you try. you were the one who wormed your way into his life—you don’t get to leave now. ▸ yeah. lol. the tweels are very, very needlessly violent. perhaps not the most Dangerous in the grand scale, but almost definitely some of the most unpleasant. for their victims, at any rate—though they do occasionally (or not so occasionally) nearly give you a heart attack. they’d never seriously harm you though… probably. or actually kill anyone. right…? floyd tends to be the most immediately dangerous. he’s quick to turn to violence (and to get a little too into it) when you’re involved, even more than usual. someone’s bothering you? someone’s getting a bit too close to you in his opinion? you just want him to? you’re not paying enough attention to him and he knows this’ll get your focus back on him, where it should be? :) he’s not too hard to pacify, at least when it’s you offering to let him rest on your lap or offering to spend the whole day with him. jade is usually clocked as less dangerous than floyd, but. well. you know that line he says when he ruminates on how he’d react if betrayed? yeah. unlike floyd, who’s very open about his misdeeds, you’re not actually sure what jade does behind your back. you don’t want to know. the way some people in your life pale and flee at the sight of you, the way you don’t see some of them again at all, and the way jade smiles when this happens tells you all you need to know. what would happen if you betrayed him? fufu, you’d never do that so there’s no need to worry about it. ▸ didn't he attempt to blow up the school once… 💀 yeah, as cute as ortho is he's not exactly built with too many stop guards. the good news is he's easy to dissuade! the bad news is he's also very quick to escalate to really ridiculous levels. you're his older sibling, it's only natural he'd want to protect you! are you sure you don't need him to blow them up? chances are the threat alone worked well enough to deter anyone from messing with you again. you might want to have a conversation with idia about limiting some of ortho's abilities though because his enthusiasm… is a little very concerning… he does get a little jealous occasionally, but it's much easier to insert himself in the conversation and steal your attention that way. isn't your little brother cute? won't you focus some more on him? please?

▸ malleus is… malleus. violence isn’t his first resort, largely because it just… doesn’t need to be. he’s one of the five most powerful mages in the entire world. that title alone is enough to scare off anyone who’d mean to hurt you or is getting too close to you, so he rarely has to intervene in the first place. he also doesn’t mind you having other friends (though he does get lonely in your absence… make sure to make it up to him afterwards), so he really only steps in when you’re in danger. he’s not particularly worried about getting caught by you, because he’s so out of touch that it doesn’t occur to him that you may not appreciate him turning anyone who hurt you into ashes. if anything, he enjoys showing off how capable of keeping you safe he is. he’s defending you, who he cares about most in the world; why would that upset you? if you try to spin it as being worried about him getting into trouble for killing someone, he’ll be very pleased you’re worried about him instead. the only thing that would crack his calm attitude is any sort of reminder that he will long, long outlive you… but it’s best not to dwell on that. fret not, he won’t ever let you go.

[ant1quarian]

because the kustard thoughts are wild:

consider Craftverse Dust, Horror, Classic and Killer having dated Fell before, and now he's been recruited into Nightmare's multi-planetary gang.

and has to deal with all of his exes.

[lala-blahblah]

I absolutely cannot sit down and write a nice version of this bc my brain says no, but i would like to let you all know I'm thinking of a fanfic where older Edgeworth is moving back to the US (or japan, whichever universe you subscribe to) and runs into Nick in the store while buying mass produced art to hang on the walls of his new house.

And Nick is like "dear god do you want your house to look like a dentist's office. Please do better" (in a friendly way, they are too old for rivalry at this point) and so Nick invites Edgeworth to come over and take any of his old artwork from college, since it is just sitting in a portfolio in a closet somewhere. And Edgeworth agrees to come over and look through Nick's old stuff together. There are themes of 1) growing older and like reflecting on the past and 2) Nick's character trait of finding meaning in challenges vs Edgeworth's tendency to stick with what he does well. In my head I imagine that Nick was good at art and it came somewhat easily to him and that bored him, and he was drawn to law in part because it was hard and it excited him and made him want to try harder. And i think tying that in with fatherhood, like it being unexpected and hard but something he thrives at because he feels good when there's a challenge. Potentially also touching on how like, when he lost his badge he felt very listless and depressed because he wasn't being challenged anymore, there wasn't anything to drive him and motivate him. And I think Edgeworth would be impressed by seeing Nick's old pieces (I assume he hasn't seen much of his art before) and wondering why he didn't choose to pursue art further. He also thinks about how art had always put him off personally because he couldn't get it "right" right away, and on the other hand how the structure and logic of law came easily to him, which led him to become a lawyer. I think he measures his self worth by his success in his field because he never had the support to believe he had intrinsic value as a person and maybe wasn't so good at making emotional connections with people. So that big contrast between them is so interesting... I think Edgeworth would be jealous of Nick's bravery in pursuing something he was bad at without giving up and Nick would be jealous of Edgeworth's success in law, but in a subdued way as they've grown older.

A far as actual scenes in the fic, I think I would use Nick's art as a conduit for my own agenda to have them talk about topics that are of interest to me... I would like Edgeworth to feel out of his depth for once and for nick to be the confident one as he talks about something he is well versed in, and for edgeworth to have to face that discomfort and also be a little impressed intellectually with Nick. I think I would do that by having them look through some abstract art Nick did (my intro painting classes were all abstract so we could focus on color mixing and getting comfortable with the medium). Edgeworth compliments Nick on a painting with a bunch of colored squares in gradient clusters and then gets embarrassed when Nick tells him those were just color mixing swatches. Alternatively, in my mind they are both asexual and I think even though this feels like a hallmark cliche I would have Edgeworth flounder and be very embarrassed over Nick's old figure drawing piece. I feel like Nick would be like "no you don't understand it's all very professional and normal when we draw them, like it's just about learning the shape language" and Edgeworth would be like "this is very improper and I don't know how to react can we please not look at naked people!". I don't think i would do both, but something to upset the power dynamic for a moment would be interesting! Nick is always the awkward one I want to see him shine for just a moment enough for edgeworth to go "wait what... i've known him for so long but perhaps i don't really know him at all..."

I would want Edgeworth to end up taking a series of 3 canvases Nick did in an oil painting class that were still lifes of objects the teacher had set up around the classroom. I headcanon that Nick actually far preferred drawing people to objects and rebelled against the assignment by hiding his reflection in one of the objects in each drawing- the top of his head is hidden in an ornament on a christmas tree, his eye is reflected in the shine of a china vase, etc. So it's a little secret, and Edgeworth kind of likes that... it is sweet in a way to see a much younger Phoenix captured in time like that. Something Edgeworth will be reminded of when he sees the paintings but nobody else will catch onto

I would want to layer this with a fatherhood storyline... I think i would frame it as nick inviting edgeworth over to dinner with him and Trucy and Edgeworth stepping into this domestic family life as a visitor and witnessing how its transformed Nick, like seeing him from a different lens. I think after they pick out paintings and have dinner they sit around talking. Trucy had been sitting with them, earlier she showed off some magic tricks and gave Edgeworth a picture of hers from the fridge to add to his new art collection (it's a rainbow dolphin and a sea turtle wearing top hats. Nick says she's in her Lisa Frank era). But she's been quiet for awhile and Nick realizes she's fallen asleep and it's like 11. He's like, crap, i screwed up i should've paid attention and gotten her put to bed, I'm a bad father and I have an audience for this failure. And on top of that, I already failed at being a lawyer, no matter what I try I always disappoint everyone. It's an unexpected moment of vulnerability there... like he's seemed so put together and grown up to Edgeworth this whole time like a whole different person, but he's not a different person he just has different sides to him. And this moment is one where edgeworth can be like hey, no, you're a great dad, and I'm impressed by you and everything you achieved. And I think that could lead into vulnerability from Edgeworth about his relationship with his dad and how he misses him/how he feels like he hasn't really been loved by anyone since his dad died, and how Trucy is lucky to have someone like Nick in her life.

Nick excuses himself to carry Trucy to bed and Miles starts cleaning up the kitchen. I would give a moments pause here to talk about the strange intimacy of going through someone else's kitchen cabinets and drawers, you feel like a stranger there trying to put yourself into someone else's shoes to understand how they live in this space. Maybe he guesses the right drawer for the silverware first try and he feels a little spark of connection. like "we are different in many ways but we are alike enough that we look in the same place for our spoons". Details on the kitchen too about the kid safe plastic bowls and knives that indicate a child is part of the household, that the household has been built around the child, in fact. Edgeworth lives alone and I imagine things are kind of fancy for him (he's a man who wears a cravat so he probably has fine china right). It's completely different from this shabby mismatched cutlery that Nick has, but this kitchen has personality. Maybe he wouldn't mind having a kitchen like this so much. This is a hint at him being lonely, being included in this family unit just for a day has given him this curious sense of longing, for what he isn't sure... does he want kids? Does he want Nick? Does he just want to be part of a family? These are confusing questions and he would much rather not feel anything at all, but unfortunately it is late and he did have a glass of wine with dinner so emotions are Happening.

He hears Nick sigh tiredly as he comes into the kitchen, and Edgeworth starts to ask him where his tupperware is when suddenly Nick is wrapping his arms around him and Edgeworth is Very Tense because he's never good at knowing how to act in situations like this and he and Nick have never been on a hugging level before and he's not sure what this is even for. Then Nick is like "I keep thinking about what you said earlier, about feeling alone ever since your dad passed away. I didn't know, that's such a long time to feel alone. I don't want you to think you're on your own". Edgeworth relaxes a little bit because now he knows what the hug is for and what he's supposed to feel from it. Its very kind of Nick to worry but its unnecessary and he says so. He has colleagues he's friendly with and people from law school he keeps in touch with, he's alright. And Nick says he knows but he also knows it's difficult living the way they do, and what he means is single and in your thirties. Because everyone else is getting married or living with a long term partner or at the very least dating and their lives are focused on that relationship as the center of their being. And when you don't have that, not only is it harder to relate to the people around you but it is harder to feel like you matter in people's lives, because they all prioritize their partner before their friends. And maybe their situations aren't exactly the same (Nick has a daughter while Edgeworth lives alone) and maybe their choices were made for different reasons (Nick used to date and didn't mind it but didn't see a need to prioritize it. Edgeworth found himself unable to distinguish with certainty whether or not he was actually romantically interested in people, and rather than make the wrong choice he decided he would rule out error by choosing no one at all). But regardless, they both know first hand the isolation that comes with trying to carve a path for themselves that does not include a life partner in a world where everyone else comes in pairs. And Nick is reaching out across that emptiness saying hey, we might both be building different lives, but there's room for you to be a part of mine if you want.

Outloud, Nick says "Really, Miles. You aren't alone in this." and Edgeworth says "Well, Phoenix, neither are you". And he stands there and lets his friend hug him, and it doesn't feel like butterflies but it does feel solid and warm and good. And he doesn't even worry about whether he's supposed to let go by now or not, because it's nice, not being alone.

They stand there in comfortable silence for a long moment before Nick speaks again. "hey, remember when you used to hate me? And look at us now." Edgeworth turns his head sharply. "I never HATED you, Wright. I simply thought you were foolish and a waste of my time." He realizes a little too late that this is probably a rude thing to say to the person that just gave you a pep talk, but Nick just laughs, his head still resting on Edgeworth's shoulder. Looking at him from this angle, face almost fully hidden, Nick could be any age at all. It's easy to imagine for a moment that he's the same nervous version of himself that stood across from him in the courtroom for the first time all those years ago. The only thing breaking the illusion is the subtle streaks of silver that cross his temples. Not entirely sure why he does it, Edgeworth kisses the top of Nick's head. He feels odd about it the moment he does so, realizing it comes across not as a platonic or romantic action but as a gesture suited for a dog or pet of some kind. Nick looks up, looking confused but not displeased. "What was that for?" "It was a thank you I suppose". Miles steps away now, still uncomfortable with perceived failures even if those failures are just in social interactions, and begins to gather his things while Nick gets down a tupperware from a cabinet. "Thank you, for the dinner and for the paintings." Edgeworth continues. "I'd like to repay the favor once I get settled into the new house. Trucy's invited too, of course". As he says it, he realizes he genuinely is looking forward to seeing them again. Nick walks him to the apartment door and they say their goodbyes while Edgeworth tucks the paintings (and Trucy's dolphin drawing) under his arm.

He gets halfway down the hallway when he hears Nick calling after him. "Hey! Miles! Take an art class with me sometime" Newfound friendship or not, Edgeworth just looks at him in disdain. "what, so you can show off your superior art skills? No thank you, Wright" "No, for fun. You can make things of your own to hang on your walls. We can do something I've never done before so we're evenly matched. Like printmaking? Origami? Um, pottery?" Edgeworth bristles at the suggestions but takes a moment to acknowledge why he's feeling that way; again, it's that fear of failure. But he's enjoyed himself today and deep down he thinks it could be fun to try something new, not with the goal of being perfect at it but with the goal of spending time together. Nick surprised him today. Maybe he can surprise himself. "... I would consider pottery" Edgeworth admits. And Nick looks really happy about it. "Great. I'll book us a session then. It'll be fun, you'll see. Edgeworth shakes his head, but there's no malice behind it. "Have a good night, Phoenix" "You too. Get home safe Miles".

Edgeworth gets home a little before midnight and props the three canvases against the moving boxes still stacked up in the foyer. Tomorrow, he'll figure out where he wants to hang them. Right now though, he walks over to the bare fridge and carefully pins up Tracy's dolphin drawing. There's a lot more work to do, but it's already starting to feel like home.

[skkpaws]

after all the hunting dogs character pages came out it makes me so sad thinking about how much of a family they were so now i just pretend all of the events that made the hunting dogs last laughed happened at the same time.

teruko, jouno, tecchou and tachihara all hanging out together after practice when fukuchi sneaks in and decides to tickle jouno. everyone laughs at his reaction and at how ticklish he is except tecchou, which results in fukuchi then trying to tickle tecchou. after he doesn’t react, a little challenge starts where everyone tries to see if they can make him laugh (which devolved into tachihara and teruko having fun messing with jouno, hoping tecchou would laugh in the process. he still doesn’t crack).

after a little bit, a conversation comes up between tecchou and jouno where they are going back and forth about who’s the stronger hunting dog between the two of them before fukuchi chimes in and claims he’s stronger than both of them combined. jouno and tecchou, not accepting this, challenge fukuchi to a 2v1. it ends in both the young men on the floor while fukuchi sits back down proudly and teruko is left dying of laughed at the two’s miserable defeat.

later on, tachihara tells the story of how he accidentally cut into the military police’s internal audit department (don’t ask what this means idk) and how funny it was at the time, but everyone just ends up teasing him for all the mafia knowledge he’s learned and the shenanigans he gets up to there.

they will forever be the best found family in my heart and i will continue to tell myself in another universe they’re all happy and healthy together :,)

link to the translated character sheets

[heuldoch7b]

acolyte of khorne

[deus-ex-mona]

did aizo really switch the hand with which he was holding his microphone just to hold hands with yujiro like that?

[tswwwit]

This recently completed snippet goes out to 16% of you!

Warning for vaguely described gore and general unpleasantness of that sort.

One second before it happens, Dipper already knows how he fucked up.

There’s one shield version for energy, another for physical stuff. Different mechanics for different defenses, they aren’t the same spell structure in the slightest. 

When the monster bared its teeth at him, he thought it was going to shoot lightning again. Not pounce. He’d known that both attacks were possible - but damn it, he should have put up both shield versions, simultaneously. That’s a thing he can do now, with Bill’s power behind him. 

To be fair, Dipper thinks as the fangs close in, and hot breath ghosts on his cheek - the signs are basically the same. 

The monster leaps right through the barrier he put up against its lightning breath, a huge claw dragging down his shoulder, sending fabric shredding underneath it. The fangs right in his face, showing an open, gaping mouth. Feeling himself fall backward, as if time has been slowed. Somewhere distant, Bill’s shouting something -

Dipper hits the ground, hard enough to drive the breath out of him as the paw rakes down, jaws snapping shut just beside his head.

It shoves the breath out of him, there’s a tearing sensation down his chest - he’s already shoving fire out of his hand, as much as he can manage. A blast from the side joins it, much, much larger than his own - and the knockback heaves the creature off him, sending it tumbling to Dipper’s right.

Dipper tries to roll onto his side - his body lets out a screaming protest - and he settles on his back. Matched only by the hot, steamlike scream next to him.

Okay. Bill’s handling it. There’s fire. There’s smoke. Buying him some time. And space enough to breathe for a moment. 

Dipper clutches at his chest, feeling it rise and fall. His shirt is damp under his fingers - sweat, probably, he’s run around enough for that - it feels like a couple ribs are broken.

Breathing. Right. That’s a thing he needs to do, even when it aches like hell.

That’s normal. That’s fine. Not the first time he’s been hit bad, he’ll be okay in a minute. Two minutes, tops. He’s just a little dazed.

Why can’t he breathe right? It feels like there’s too little air. 

He tugs on his shirt, like loosening it would help. It flops loosely open, like it’s been cut, so. Not constricting. He squeezes the fabric tighter, and feels something wet drip between his knuckles.

If it’s a broken rib, he could manage that by taking shallow breaths. Calming down. But. He can’t do that this time. He needs the air - and the pain, if anything, is almost blinding. Literally, because his vision’s kind of blurry, even when he blinks. 

Dipper presses harder on his chest, even though it hurts. Kind of. Weird for a broken rib, though. This time, the pain this time is lower. And building. 

And it’s not. Centered, either. Not in his chest. The burn of it creeps through his torso, down into his legs and up to his neck..

Though his hand feels warm, and his chest and his stomach - hell, even the growing agony is a kind of heat  - 

Dipper feels a cold chill run up his spine.

He sucks in another shaking lungful of air. Letting it out, slow and controlled. Another, over the protest of what seems like his entire torso. 

He can hear Bill swearing loudly nearby, and see the smoke rising into the treeline. An almost barbecue smell lingering in the air that he needs to take another lungful of. And his husband, stomping around the presumable corpse beside him. Another ‘thump’ as the tail gets viciously kicked aside.

Dipper listens to the comforting sounds of Bill’s grumbling, concentrating on another agonizing breath. Then another.

“Stupid lousy-” Bill’s eye meets Dipper, and his voice cuts off. 

There’s a beat of silence. 

“Hey.” Dipper waves with his free hand, a quick greeting. It’s oddly tough to make that motion, so he lets his arm fall. Since he wants to keep. Y’know. Focusing on vital stuff. 

Which is. He shakes his head, coughing. Why is it so hard? 

Bill’s throat bobs, once. Dipper watches his eternal smile drop, as well as his arms. He takes one, unsteady step forward.

Dipper offers an awkward smile, since that first greeting didn’t work. He moves to sit up - 

And oh. Shit.

 Pain blossoms, bright and sharp. A wave of it, rising high and washing over him, leaving Dipper gasping this time - 

But he’s been gasping, hasn’t he. For a while now. 

How bad - ? A surge of worry jolts him to attention - but when Dipper clenches his arm around himself, he nearly gags. 

Everything’s. Very hurting. 

He blinks at Bill for another moment - then lets his head fall to the ground. There’s a sharp sound, and a scuffle.

He lets go of his shirt to tentatively pat, just lower, and feels it warm and wet. Very warmly wet.

Adrenaline, Dipper thinks, distantly. A delayed reaction. 

The rush got him through the worst of it. But it couldn’t carry him through all of it, because he’s hurt. Really hurt. and hurting, with pain coursing through his whole body like heat. Like the fire he uses, or his magic but. Really, really bad.

How did this…? 

But. Right. He got hit. Claws, not great. Falling. The fight went well until it really didn’t, though the timeline’s hard to track because he hurts. Has been hurt. He can’t tell how much.

Dipper doesn’t dare touch any lower, it makes him dizzy simply thinking of it, so he keeps his grip on his shirt tight. His fingers feeling sticky.

Damn it, he knew that getting injured sucked, but this isn’t like any of the times before. Those times he could suck it up, push through. Force his burning muscles to move even over his mind’s complaints. But this. 

Now his whole world is filled with pain, as sharp as the sun in his eyes. Like the fuzzy feeling of having too many drinks with Bill, except awful. 

Up above, the pine trees are swaying in the light wind. They seem to be having a good time, at least. And come to think of it, he never did learn where that nickname came from - 

“Hey.” Bill’s patting his face, now, nothing near a smack. He turns DIpper towards him, a little sharp in the motion. Dipper blinks back - he doesn’t know when he turned away.  “Hey, sapling. Look at me.”

Bill seems worried, and that’s super weird. Or maybe not, because everything is ow and hurt and very unpleasant - 

But Bill’s here, and he’s holding Dipper’s hand, and that helps. A different feeling to concentrate on. A distraction. And Dipper’s lying down, and that’s okay. A thousand times better than even thinking about standing. 

Dipper blinks up at him, letting out a groan, grimacing briefly at Bill’s achingly brittle smile. He scuffles with Dipper’s shirt, palms slipping down his chest - and sudden pressure makes Dipper go limp from simple hurt. He’d curl up against this, normally, even instinctually - but instead, his vision blinks red for a moment. 

Huh. He thought that part was just like. Something in books.

“Took a bit of a hit there, huh?” Bill’s grin isn’t nearly wide enough, it wavers - or maybe that’s Dipper’s vision, which has gone a bit blurry on the edges. He swallows, or tries to - why does his mouth feel so dry - “Hey, hey! Take it easy, kid. How’re you feeling?”

Dipper should say something. Make that face stop, that’s bad to look at - but. It’s. Like an immense object has taken up space in his brain. leaving the rest of his thoughts with no space to worm around it. Dipper didn’t know how much he wouldn’t be able to think until he suddenly couldn’t

“I don’t like this.” Dipper says, though it comes out so. Whiny, god. He sounds dumb, even to himself. Only the words that keep repeating in his head are just. ‘Bad’ and ‘ow’ and. Stuff.

Bill’s eye darts down, then back up. His lips draw into a thin line.

“I think I hate this,” Dipper adds, with such incredible insight. Only a genius would have added that. And it’s about all he can manage at the moment.

“Yeah, me too,” Bill mutters, without any snappy retort. His eye darts up and down, his teeth bared in a grimace. “Hold still.”

Hearing Bill like that. Not hearing Bill mock his dumb responses. Dipper swallows, and shuts his eyes. 

That only happens when things are bad. 

Like when Dipper twisted his ankle, only Bill had a frown on his face and it turned out it was broken. Like the gash on his arm that Bill stitched up while cursing him, or the thump on his head that he had to stay awake for. Like when he’s lying down and doesn’t want to move, and Bill talks him back up - 

“Things are gonna be just fine,” Bill says, voice bright. None of the tension on his face shows in the timbre. “Few stitches here or there, it’s nothing. Flesh melds back.”

Though sitting up seems like a type of impossible hell, Dipper can’t ignore that comment. 

He tilts his head up, chin against his chest. Where there’s blood, of course. He knew that he was harmed. That things weren’t going to be great -

But there’s so much of it. 

Dipper blinks dumbly, unable to put the pieces together. He sees. Lots of red. Some flashes of white. And below, Bill’s hands soaked nearly to the wrist as they hold pressure tight, forearms tense, while he pushes things back in- 

“Oh.” Dipper lets his head fall back to the ground. Staring upwards, for lack of anything else to do. “That’s not good.”

Bill lets out a loud, cackling laugh, higher than his normal. “It’s fine! It’s totally fine. Just need to.” Dipper sucks in another gasp of air. Whatever Bill’s doing, he’s oddly glad he can’t tell the specifics -  “Rearrange things back where they were! No problem at all! They practically do it by themselves!”

Dipper nods, very slightly. There’s probably a lot of dirt in his hair at this point. That sucks.

“And blood? Oh, I can get blood. Gallons of it. Showers of it. Entire floods of the stuff.” Bill continues rambling, with a tone that sounds like it’s on automatic. “We top off that tank of yours, and there’s no problem.” A pause. A single, shaking breath. “Now. Hold. Still.”

But Dipper’s already holding still. He can barely move. 

But he nods, again, and Bill lets out a shuddering breath before glancing up, and around. His teeth are bared in a grimace, and Dipper can see all of the white around his eye, darting back and forth. 

He’s… really upset. Genuinely upset, visible even to the untrained eye. Through everything else, that almost sucks the worst. 

Dipper reaches up, and cups the side of Bill’s face. His expression twitches, then goes blank. One of Bill’s hands comes up to press it tighter against his cheek, holding it so tight Dipper’s fingers ache.

Dipper’s mortal. He knew that, in an abstract way. It’s not like Bill hasn’t reminded him, time and time again over the years, that he’s a fleshy meatsack full of soft and fallible organs. That one day, inevitably, it’s going to fail him - and Bill - and nothing can take it back.

“Hey. Bill?” Dipper rims a thumb over his husband’s cheek. It leaves a streak on Bill’s face, but. He’ll be okay with that. He likes blood.. “I love you.”

“Don’t say that,” Bill leans over him suddenly, eye narrowed and glowing red. He’s dropped Dipper’s hand to grip his shoulder tight. The vaguest sense of a shake. “Not now, you little bastard. You can’t do this to me.” 

Typical Bill. Thinks he can control everything. 

It’s not like Dipper likes that fact. The inevitable approach of non-existence used to keep him up at night all the time when he was a kid. It seems so big, when you’re little, and he was never one to pass on an anxious existential crisis. But he’s going to die one day, it really can’t be stopped - though given the choice, he’d have passed on the pain. 

Dipper sighs, letting his eyes shut. 

Terror that… isn’t there, at the moment. Vaguely he knows he should be panicking, or something. But he’s so, so tired. Cold, too, a chill that’s oddly welcoming above all the rest. 

“You can’t do this to me,” Bill repeats, voice coming out like a hiss. Another smack to Dipper’s cheek makes his eyes open, blinking as Bill struggles out of his suit jacket, ripping the shoulder in his quick movements. “I won’t let you.”

The jacket is draped over Dipper’s torso, which, wow. That stain that’s never going to come out. Goodbye, suit jacket. Dipper doesn’t know where Bill gets half his clothing. Maybe he just makes them in the Mindscape, but they look expensive. Thousands of dollars worth. Stan would -

Dipper gasps, again, this time with sharper pain. Like lightning, like he’s being torn in half. Again. 

Is he in half? Or just in quarters. In one piece or in pieces, in peace. Bill’s tying something around him, and Dipper can’t track it, really. Thoughts are. Hard to put together? Maybe because he’s not all together at the moment.

Another jolt sends him gasping, again, feeling oddly tender and torn and definitely not great. He reaches out for Bill, and feels a shoulder? Under his arm. With a few taps he proves himself right, and throws his arm around Bill’s neck, gripping hard onto his other shoulder. 

Okay. He’s been lifted. He can feel Bill’s arms under him, strong and tense and their warmth comforting - along with the jostling, steady, rapid-fire beat of ow-no-bad as Bill starts running. 

Carrying’s annoying. Stupid habit, Bill never stops. It’s also never felt worse. 

Dipper clasps his other arm over his stomach. Vaguely wishes he didn’t, at the squelching feeling, but things. Should be in, not out. Bill was trying to do that - the steady beat of footsteps doesn’t help, he chokes back a groan.

The world spins around him in myriad of colors. Brown-green-grey. A jolt of yellow, when his head jerks towards Bill. Everything blurs together, it makes his head hurt too much to look at; Dipper shuts his eyes instead. 

Bill’s here. That’s good. He’s smart. He can do basically anything. Even when he can’t do it, he knows how to work around it. He’s holding Dipper tight, a warmth on his side and under him.

Pressed against him like this, Dipper can feel Bill’s heart, he concentrates on that instead. Wow. Super. Really beating fast. Pounding, almost, along with Bill’s breathing as he runs. It goes on like that for an indeterminate time, until the chest expands for one huge intake of breath. Then Bill’s shouting - 

Something. Dipper can’t tell what he said. Maybe it’s the wrong language. But yeah. Loud. Really way up there. Nearly inhuman.

Kind of impressive, honestly. Bill’s volume’s always been set to one hundred, and somehow he’s found even more reserves.

Dipper feels his head fall back. His arms drops from his stomach. Bill’s saying something, and it’s very rapid and low in tone. It sounds bad. Dipper doesn’t like it.

Bill shouldn’t be mad. Besides, when it’s colder like this, it doesn’t feel as bad. Bill shouldn’t worry. Weirdly hard to smile, but he’s got to. Reassure him that things are really… going to be okay. 

Lifting his other arm’s too hard, so Dipper’s hand drags against the back of Bill’s neck. Touching his face again takes. A lot.

And the sudden blankness is almost like sleep.

[kaatiba]

share a line(s) from every wip you have

aka a tag meme i just made up bc i need to work on SOMETHING & sharing is a great way to get me rejuvenated about my wips.

rules: it can be an old line! many lines! from a draft or wip you're not really working on anymore! something you write specifically for this! be free!

tagging: every person who sees this post. no pressure of course. but spread the game! like a benevolent virus! but also gently tagging: @philosophika, @malglories, @malimaywrite, @satohqbanana, @tabswrites,

@zmwrites, @faytelumos, @innocentlymacabre

lofm - in which halah has friends and is a moody nerd :3

Fool, fool, fool, she hisses at herself, blinking past the sudden burning in her eyes. She must not do a very good job of hiding her low mood, for there’s a pause and then Aliyah changes the subject, asking after her studies into the legends and histories of Mourra and how she is finding her tutelage under the Keeper of the Great Library of Qahtan. “The woman frightens me,” Aliya confesses. “She has such a forbidding expression all the time!” “Lalla Zuleikha is really very sweet,” Sirin argues, though her eyes are bright with laughter. “You’re the queen, dear Sirin,” Aliya says. “Everyone is sweet to you.” “I wouldn’t describe her as sweet,” Halah interrupts diplomatically. “Lalla Zuleikha is very different from Grandfather, but just as passionate about studying and preserving history, great and small. She almost trusts me alone with the older books now!”

rivener - in which wren is cavalier about death

By then, the rain has slowed and somewhere behind the clouds, the moon is high. It’s late and she’s exhausted. Eyeing Ark, who is a ball of brown fluff on his perch, she mutters, “If he kills me in my sleep, no more treats for you, hm?” Ark ruffles his feathers and runs his beak through them, the picture of unconcern.

oracle - in which you should never trust mirrors

you know you should be careful, but when you pick up the largest shard it immediately cuts you…and your blood disappears into the glass.

vote for the next choice 'you' make in this wip!

glitch - in which etienne causes problems first by accident, and then on purpose

He doesn’t plan to run away. But when the shimmer has faded from his system, when he’s plucked out the implant and let it drop to the ground, when he’s idly rolling his tongue back along the pinprick left behind, when he realizes that somehow, against all odds, he’s managed it… He decides not to be found.

reaper - in which someonething is hangry

She swallowed the tulips, she swallowed the vines, she swallowed the grass, she swallowed the light.  Reaper looked on impassively as the spirit ate and ate, bloating itself, desperate for life, sapping it from everything near the rift. This was what happened when a spirit lingered. They became a hole in reality, a black hole that took all it could to maintain itself, but always needed more. 

bo & eve - a wip i keep forgetting i have

"You're a cold thing, right down to the core," it drawls in its horrible voice, and that's when Eve realizes, belatedly, that it's standing where the old man was, but there is no more old man, and there never was.  But she's not afraid. Not then. She doesn't yet know that she should be, and nothing in the world scared Eve any longer, back then. She lifts her chin—it takes every scrap of will she possesses to do so—and meets its stare head-on.  "Cold, cruel, and vain," the being continues, "You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you? You live to sharpen your claws on everybody who has the misfortune of crossing paths with you." Eve doesn't answer. She couldn't even if she wanted to, tongue glued to the roof of her mouth. "You're practically inhuman." The being smiles, revealing sharp teeth. "I should know." It cocks its head—an awful sight, like it has too many joints in its spinal cord. 

[mad-hunts]

here comes a list of the different levels of friends that you can be with barton, because i said that i would explain what being a ' level 2 friend ' to him would mean and i fully intend to keep that promise! so here we gooo.

level 1 friends: you're the type of friend to barton that he would wave to whenever he sees you. he would also complain about his work with you, but NEVER about his second 'business.' ( his organ trafficking && dollmaking. ) and in turn, he would let you complain about your work to him as well, or anything that might be bothering you. barton isn't really serious about your relationship emotionally, but he will encourage you and praise you for accomplishments / achievements. you two also may share a few interests, which barton enjoys talking with you about.

level 2 friends: you're the type of friend to barton that he is now moderately emotionally invested in. barton will DEFINITELY share his number with you at this stage, so expect him to call you if he needs something, or even if he just wants to talk with you. he also trusts you to a medium level and will help you reach your goals without ever being asked for it. barton does subconsciously have the expectation that you are willing to do the same for him, however, which is really neither a good thing nor a bad thing. you two go beyond just having similar interests... you share certain values with him and/or ideals, and because of that, barton sees you as someone he can depend upon. he would also save you in an emergency situation, BUT i can not say for sure that he will be willing to die for you.

level 3 friends: barton is now FULLY emotionally invested in you, so don't expect to be getting rid of him anytime soon! because you're stuck with him now, MUAHAHAH. barton will do things like raising a toast to you just because you're friends and will reach out to you himself whenever he sees that you're struggling with something. barton also lets you take a glimpse at what's really going on in his head sometimes, and in return, he'll be there for you as well whenever you need him. at this stage, literally, all you need to do is be around barton to make him smile. expect him to feel safe enough to be as silly as he wants around you and do things like give you unprompted hugs + allow you to cuddle with him. barton trusts you with his life, and he would put himself at risk of dying to protect you. so, yes, he would be willing to die for you.

[harbingersglory]

according to a random online quiz i'm a stem not a butch, but i am a fellow miko simp! 😌💞 also i'm feral over your hc of switch kafka or any switch woman switches have my heart, and ei being flustered and cute <3 my degrader ass would be trying so hard not to tease her for it though

out of curiosity, if you could date any genshin woman what would your top 3 be and why? 👀 (i'm gonna hazard a guess that ningguang might be on the list)

lesbians just gravitate towards miko its verifiable fact 99% of her fans are lesbians (source; me) good 2 know ive reached my target audience

if i had to pick ohh....yeah ningguang is definitely up there i love her so much. pretty femme whos a bit snarky oh i am weak in the knees. also massive pillow princess vibes which as a stone butch is just. chefs kiss. furina is probably my number one though i am a sucker for pathetic sopping wet cat women. she leans more towards masc to me but i have enough hands for butches and femmes sooo. i can fix her. i can make her worse too. also super self indulgent but zhongli..i see her as a woman* (*its complicated) but i am a yapper and shes a listener its made to be /j also im a monsterfucker obviously im gonna fuck the dragon. is that even a question.

[lloydfrontera]

i just realized how delightfully ironic it is that javilon rebelled because he thought it was shameful for the king and adeline to grant rakiel's request when just a few weeks later javilon will be fully enamored of him. completely gone for the man. like. yeah babe adeline had to live in his court for a couple weeks but you're gonna kneel at his feet and beg him to stroke your hair. you are not the same lmao

[apollos-boyfriend]

tag wrangling is great because i get to make shit like “discord moderator kusanagi nene” a canon tag and no one can stop me. i am feeding my children (projecy sekai fandom) food they Absolutely did not ask for

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 16: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should offer to help the travelers with their broken wagon.....

~

After much internal deliberation (and some zoning out staring at butterflies), The Adventurer decides it would be best to offer his assistance. Technically, he IS still following his goal of not getting distracted, because theoretically it would make his journey much faster if he were able to catch a ride on a carriage. So really, this is all an ultimate big brain genius strategy for maximizing efficient travel.. Or, at least that sounds like a good enough justification to him.

Gathering up all of his social courage, he approaches one of the travelers fiddling with a broken wheel near the far end of the carriage and meekly asks if there's anything he could do to help.

The man was so focused on his task, he seems initially startled to look up and find someone near him. "OH..! Oh, uhh.. help? With the wagon?", he smiles pleasantly, gesturing towards a few wooden boards that are just out of his reach, "Sure, kid. If you could just hand me th-"

"Apologies, but we actually won't be needing your assistance, stranger." A taller man, surprisingly almost matching the stature of the Adventurer, suddenly slinks out from somewhere behind the carriage, sternly placing himself like a barrier in front of the man working on the wheel. Wheel Guy nervously averts his eyes, making himself smaller, silently resuming his work.

The Adventurer tries his best to maintain composure against the weight of the tall man's bitter gaze, but can't seem to muster much of a response "Aeughh,,, uh… b-but, h- Bu--HHHh,,?.."

"Look, disregard whatever my father told you, he's old, never has any clue what he's talking about. It'd be best for you to simply move along." ('Father'? They don't look alike at all, and seem to be nearly the same age..)

"W-well.. he.. he didn't really tell me anything, I me-hhH,,.. I mean, I literally just got here, s-so...."

"Good. Even more reason to be on your way."

Placing a gloved hand firmly on his shoulder, the tall man begins to motion the Adventurer away from the wagon, but a strange noise interrupts, echoing from inside. Perhaps some sort of animal sound? Or a person faintly yelling about something? Or… both?

"WH-wHggg… whAT was t-that???!!" The Adventurer immediately stops in place, pausing to listen as the tall man keeps trying to push him ahead.

"I didn't hear anything, stranger."

"No, t-there.. was dEFinitely, UHH, a-"

"Likely something in the forest."

"Wh--aah... d.. do you think it was an animal?"

The tall man continues a dramatic struggle to 'subtly' drag him further down the road, whilst the Adventurer mindlessly digs in his heels, too distracted to even notice he's being so strongly prompted to leave.

"Many animals do, indeed, exist within forests. This should not be suprising."

"...It's just.. ..eughh… s… so weird…"

"I assure you, it is not."

"I-it really sounded like.. like it came f-from insid-"

"Yes, from inside the forest. Now, please, if you would.."

The noise interrupts again. It's definitely someone, or something, in some sort of distress.. And definitely from inside of the cart.

"wHoAAGH, aa!!! T-tHat's NOT from the f-forest, that-"

The tall man fully just shoves him now, sending the Adventurer toppling across the dirt, clumsily rolling and landing just past the other side of the carriage. A mother and young child who seem to be part of the traveling group simply stare down at him with empty blank gazes, wholly unconcerned about helping him up.

As the Adventurer fumbles back to his feet (still confused as to why he was even pushed in the first place), the tall man looms by the carriage, diligently watching to ensure that he leaves.

"Travel safe, stranger."

Despite his initial obliviousness, the Adventurer begins to piece the situation together as he stares back at the man, now fully convinced something suspicious might be going on...

…What should he do next??

~

~

~

Additional Information

the adventurer's current main quest: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

[toasteaa]

"really ? with the dragon ?"

- niko after he wanted to invite eclair to have breakfast with him before slowly closing the door seeing neuvi staring back at him (he left her meal at the bottom of the door in case she still wants it tho)

LISTEN SKJDUGNVDJGVNH OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BEFORE ESPECIALLY SINCE NIKO PROBABLY HAS A KEY TO ECLAIR'S HOUSE AND KJDVNHKDJVGKJVG

The ONE time they stay at her house for the night. She's probably not even fully awake, just hears her door open and then Niko's voice. WKAJFHNAKJF SHE CAN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING BACK BEFORE HE CLOSES THE DOOR AND NOW SHE'S JUST LIKE, "great, now I have to talk to him about this and I don't know where to even start".

This is why they exclusively stay at his house in the evenings now. Well. That and the headboard ripping incident -