#the author just didn't think of it further. Even after everything that happens the existence of the children of misfortune is necessary to

[cuppasunu]

» DEOBI DAY SPECIAL REQUEST DELIVERY »

to: anon

req: eric x female reader | lilac by dept (ft. ejean)

summary: *finally* making it official with the one you're destined to be with <3

genre: soulmate au | fluff!!!

warnings: none

wc: 780 words

an: as per anon's request (and for everyone who absolutely enjoyed BY FATE) this is a bonus chapter! aka what happened shortly after y/n and eric confessed their love for each other (middle of the last chapter just before y/n and juyeon's conversation) see more at the end of the chapter for an extended author's note !

stars: @carrotsworld @winterchimez @honeybeehorizon @sknyuz @bbangbies @from-izzy @jaehunnyy | taglist

masterlist | @deoboyznet

“yes, ma’am. that was part of the performance," you say without hesitation.

eric stood there, amazed, unable to hide the astonished look on his face. you lied so well that he almost believed it was true.

half an hour ago, you ran away after completing your performance with eric in front of the whole class. now, you're in your professor’s office to explain, or at least attempt to give a half-decent reason for what happened.

“eric, you looked surprised earlier. was that intentional?” professor castro asked smiling, scrutinizing every shift in your reactions. 

but what you didn't know was that regardless of your honesty, professor castro would have taken whatever lame excuse you throw her way. 

she had the whole semester to observe your budding romance, realizing you were more involved in each other’s lives than strangers paired up for this project.

it was painfully obvious in the way your body always gravitate towards eric. 

how you were always early for class but continue looking at the door, waiting until he arrives. or how you laughed at his stupid jokes and be entranced in a whole different world as if the rest of the class didn't exist. 

frankly, eric wasn't any better. 

his eyes never left you. he probably couldn't even if he tried. anyone with common sense can guess you were the only target audience for his jokes. it's a relief you always laughed at them. 

"actually, you don't answer that," professor castro had to keep her composure when she noticed eric's shaking eyes. 

you looked at eric and shared a knowing smile. 

oh, young love—she muttered quietly, reminiscing her own memories in the past. in no time, the professor dismissed you from her office with no further questions. 

walking out the door, eric matches your steps and follows you out the building. eyeing your swinging arm, he hesitates to just go for it. to hold or not to hold. to hold or not-

"it's not like you asked to kiss me before you actually went for it," you say, playfully.

"does this soulmate thing come with telepathy or-"

"eric, your hand is tickling me and you've been staring at it for the past two minutes," you rolled your eyes. 

without wasting another second, you took the leap and grabbed his hand, "who knew mr. playboy could be so shy?"

eric was speechless. not for the lack of trying, but out of pure delight. the adrenaline from confessing everything to you slowly waned. 

meeting you has changed eric in ways he couldn't imagine, and that includes being reduced to a nervous mess in front of someone he genuinely likes. 

someone like his girlfriend?

"-wait, this means you're saying yes to us being in a relationship right?" eric starts panicking. 

eric replayed the moments after you ran out the classroom. there may have been mentions of you deserving so much better and loving you until the end in the midst of that chaotic whirldwind, but he never officially asked you out. 

“oh.”

you stopped walking. your cheeks were flushed, somehow blushing in this sunny spring weather. 

in your head, you were beyond excited at the thought of making your relationship official, but your one-word reaction didn’t help ease eric’s worries—still mistaken thinking you’re on the fence.

“y/n…” eric called you, almost as if he was whining, “i made up my mind and want to prioritize communicating with you- do you know how many times younghoon hyung drilled that in my head last night- i really want this to work out so-”

holding his hand tightly on one hand, you cupped his cheek with the other and kissed his pouting lips. 

eric raised his eyebrow when he looked at you, grinning from the sweet surprise. he blinked his eyes so rapidly, making you laugh. you showered him with a couple more quick pecks all over his face while trying to hold him still, he was squirming from your ticklish touch. 

“stop worrying and get the hint, loverboy,” you tapped his nose.

“well, that’s good- i was gonna ask you out every day until you said yes.”

“no way-”

eric brushed your hair away from your eyes and planted a soft kiss on your forehead, “i can still do that if you’d like.”

“that doesn’t sound too bad,” you chuckled.

you two continued walking hand in hand. fully accepting that you’ll be subject to your boyfriend’s antics from here on out, you glance at him every once in a while just to check if you’re dreaming or not.

you’re brought back to reality when you feel him squeeze your hand in return.

“you’re mine?” 

he asked for the fifth time.

“i’m yours.”

...

an: extremely important detail found in chapter seven! y/n only says "i'm yours" towards eric. when juyeon asked y/n when they we're still seeing each other, y/n only tells him "you're mine" instead of fully giving herself. a significant difference between what she was willing to accept subconsciously :)

this scene was previously cut from the original because i wasn't sure with the flow... but i'm so happy i was able to add these back into the narrative. thank you so much anon and again, thanks to everyone who enjoyed by fate <3

[yaut-jaknowit]

Gawtin x fem Reader

Immortal reader (similar to dark souls 2) dresses up like ancient Egyptian. Gawtin journeys to this planet to find worthy prey only to find it dead but many alive counters reader killing one of the bosses dies gawtin thinks she was was unworthy only for her to emerge from the gate of fog and fights the boss once again to succeed. They Incounter each by the reader thinking gawtin is a boss. Reader to win in the end Gaston acknowledges her they became companions then soon dating mages (?)

(Ignore this if u don’t wanna do it😻)

Life Comes Back

Paring: Gawtin x GN!Reader

Summary: Day in. Day out. Life. Death. You've experience every death possible. This is a cursed life by the gods. As you've grown accustom to this unfortunate life, you are faced with a new opponent you've never seen before.

Word Count: 4382

Author Note: I didn't know if you wanted me use this ask or the other so I decided to go with the one that's anon just in case. Thank you for responding and clarifying. I was trying my best to decphier what you wanted from me. Thanks for the ask! I'm also working on others and 'The Monarch' at the same time. Bare with me!

P.s. We've hit 1K followers!!! Thank you all for this wonderful achievement. Don't worry, I'll get to working on those smutty Vic'tao and Uihoy drawings!

Masterlist

Ao3

A cycle. An unending cycle. Life. Death. Everything between. You’ve gone through it all, experience more than ever before. You don’t know where you go nor do you remember what happens after your heart stops and the life fades from your eyes. Countless times, you’ve searched out, attempting to find your mangled remains before. Yet, there was nothing to find in the end. Not even the blood that had been spilt. All gone from existence as you reappeared once more.

Countless years ago, you remember the world as lush, green, filled with joyous life. People thrived and celebrated, happy as can be. Well, until Famine hit and ruined all to be.

Cries of despair were all that you remembered as the last sounds of your people made. Temples to the gods were starting to tremble and collapse. The upkeep far too hard for them to sustain as the mighty people of Egypt fell. Though, it wasn’t just them.

Every established colony or country fell like dominos. Just one after another before all that was left was you. The need for food or clean water was no longer desired. It felt as if your body became numb to all once you became alone on this planet you used to all home.

If you believed the loneness and never staying dead was bad, the creatures that crawled from the pits of the Duat. Monstrous, disgusting beings that killed everything in sight. Including others of their kind.

Like you, they where a never-ending cycle of kill and return. Every kill was never about food, not a single bite taken from the caresses. You don’t count when they swallow you whole as consume you for nutrients truly. It was just a way to kill you, not even swiftly either.

Despite the uselessness of it, you learned how to craft weapons from the metal of deserted cities you once lived in. Armor decorated your body and protected the best it could from any acid, fire, or smacking blows the monsters threw at you. Every time you lost, was a time to learn, to adapt further in this new, endless life. To better your weaponry and armor to protect yourself from them.

As this life went on, you wondered if this was some sort of punishment from the gods above. Why you, out everyone that had lived upon this planet, were chosen to suffer? You had no clue or a beginning to understand their reason. This was life that only gave hardships and cruelty in the wake of your existence.

When will be the day you could join all the fallen in the Field of Reeds? A peaceful ending.

The armor that adorned your body was heavy, uncomfortable. Some ends jabbing into your side as you traverse the land. Years on end have helped you study, learned the pattern of these creatures that hunted. Where they migrated, where they hunted at each time of the year or day.

Nights, cliché enough, were the absolute worse. Night is where you had to stay awake, rarely needing sleep anyhow. No wonder why your city believed you to be a goddess walking among their people. Night terrified you.

Day was okay. The light seemed to scare off the majority of the monsters back to the cracks or holes they wormed their way out of. Some didn’t seem affected by the change. Those were the blind ones. No eyes to spot their prey from miles away. Dangerous as they could be for sensing you, a tall structure or caves you or ancient people dug out helped. Anything too small for them to stick their grubby hands into and make you into a corpse. Not that you wouldn’t just reappear back on this planet in a shimmer of glittering sparkles.

As the sun fell, the ground trembled and groaned as it released the most dangerous of the monsters possible. With an exhausted, dead groan, you shimmed your way out of the hole and exposed yourself to the darkening sky.

Glittering sparkles, like the ones you create after you die, began to reveal themselves in the blackening sky. Khonsu’s moon, just a small sliver of the silver sphere. The time when the god is his high of power. You grinned lowly and stretched out your aching muscles. It had been some time since you’ve last been wiped off the planet for a short time.

Every time you were ‘reincarnated’, your body would feel like new, rejuvenated after a gruesome death. The pain that occurred every death was just annoying at this point. Yeah, it hurt. Once again, you have grown numb to this life and the suffering all it brought to you.

Dents and long scratches marred your armor. Your older skin has bright, fresh scars that will be gone the next time you reappear. You pulled on the straps of the gauntlet on your left arm for it to be firm against your skin. One wrong move can have you gone.

As the monsters all over the planet clawed and fought their way to the overworld, you prepared yourself for another night of fighting. The years have molded you to adapt to every situation possible. To every monster known to you and the gods. The quakes the earth bellowed begin to quiet and relax until all was calm. A false sense of security any rookie would fall into.

For your time alive, you believed you have seen everything. Everything humanly and monster-like possible. But the gods were cruel to you.

Either you’ve grown rusty from the lack of deaths these past few weeks, or the feeling in your stomach caught you off guard. An ambush had you trapped in the city you once lived with your family and friends.

Creatures that had big, consuming eyes stared at you. Their gnarly, inhuman arms that doubled the amount of limbs that you had carried their mishappened bodies. This type of monster hunted in packs, rare and unfortunate for you in your state.

The slight change in the air had you rolling forward. Talons, ready to sever you from the land of the living swiped at the spot you once were. You were back on your feet and facing the monster while you unsheathed your sword to defend yourself. A creature you’ve come to call the Nurok circled around you.  A move you knew. The Nurok tried to push you in the direction it just came, towards the others to jump you.

Years of experience aided you. Instead, you bullied it back towards a building on the verge of collapse. The attachment you felt to your decrepit city has long faded away from your heart. You armor protected you from the harsh attacks of the Nurok as you drove it back, back, back. All the way until it’s rump met the unstable wall. Carefully, you crouched down and grabbed the biggest rock you could fit into the palm of your hand. With all of your might, you chucked the stone at a spot that held of the majority of the wall.

Like a dam releasing water, the stone wall fell on top of the Nurok and effectively burying till it died. But, the battle wasn’t won.

Snarls and howls from its pack members were cried into the night as four other Nurok purposely lost their high ground advantage. Your face twice with a battle cry and charged at them, fed up with the beginning of the night.

Your sword, sharp and expertly sharpened whistled in the air. Each step pounded against the pathways that once filled with life and bustling people. People you loved and cared for.

Shin guards protected you in a slide underneath a Nurok and shoved your blade into where you believed to be its heart. The noise it gave would be heard for miles, drawing other monsters to the battle. You had to scramble out of the way before the thing came down upon you. The blade now coated in a sticky, black substance that reeked of rotting death. You’re numb to it.

A Nurok charged at you with its eight spidery legs that were angled at an unsettling way. You barely had time to throw up your sword to deflect it maw of razor sharp teeth and long tusks ready to gorge into you feeble body. Its black tusks clashed into the metal of your blade and pushed. Your muscles strained against its strength. The balls of your shoes slid over the stone pathway, effectively overpowering your human body.

From previous fights, your body screamed from lack of rest and constant work. It pushed you, straight towards what’s left of their pack. As a fight and survivor, you weren’t about to let them win this easily. You release a yell from the pits of your chest and rolled backwards.

It’s full weight was against your sword. At the change of force, the monster barreled over you and into one of its packmate. Both of them smashed into another building. Years of wear and tear with the force of two thunderous creatures brought the stone down upon them. Three down, two more to go.

Back on your feet, you faced off the last two Nurok that have yet to fallen. Sweat stuck to you like a skin second, armor feeling gross hugging to your body. Both uncomfortable feelings were snatched from within and shoved into the depths of your mind. Thoughts like could distract you, catch you off guard and kill you. Not that death was permanent when it came to you.

Your sword was still slick with black blood of the first Nurok. It had ran down the length of the metal coated your hands and hilt. You struggled to hold onto the leather bound hilt as you watched the two Nurok closely. Your chest heaving with deep breaths, beads of sweat falling down your face to pool around the collar of your shirt.

These things had no collective thought between them as they stomped after you. The only truly color you could spot in the low light of Khonsu’s moon was their red, distinctive eyes. Their spider like legs stabbed into the ground as they stole space between you and them.

You didn’t give them chance to attack first. Instead, you rushed them like a barreling bull. Like the goddess your people once thought you as, you dodged to one side only to feel tusks ram into the armor that protected your back. A surprise gasp tore at your throat. You were thrown into the air and crashed back down onto a stone pathway.

All the air that once filled your aching lungs was forced out. The best in the moment you could do was lie on the ground before your instincts snapped alive. You rolled out of the way of a sharpened foot and switched to a short sword. It cut clean through the Nurok’s leg, weakening it.

That wasn’t gone win you this battle though. You were back on your feet, ignoring the way your armor dug into your fleshy body more than usual. Your hands shook with adrenaline as you stared down the creatures. Then, you sprinted at it once more, ready for the battle to be over and done with.

A move that would cost you this life.

Despite the aching muscles in your leg, you leaped up into the air and held the sword far above your head. In a ready to strike position to defeat the second to last Nurok, you had unfortunately left yourself open for an easy attack. A lesson you would learn once you were reincarnated.

In slow motion, you watched as the Nurok reared up with a screech that could cause your ears to bleed. With its two front, shorter limbs, it stabs them through the air and piercing through the weakened armor near your belly. The usual pain that exploded from the unfortunate loss didn’t faze you much. You still fought like a cat backed into a corner, heaving your sword into its neck before everything went completely dark.

.

From her stance on top of a structure ready to collapse from the slightest movement, she observed the fight through the dark. Her mask aided her as she took note of the way this smaller earthling fought. Coordinated but not. As if it was self-taught without a proper teacher to guide them on the way to surviving a harsh, dangerous life.

Why she was here? Like many of her kind: to hunt and gather trophies. Her hunt sisters have spread about the planet to collect what they deemed worthy. She, on the other hand, has stopped to watch this event unfold before her.

The itch of the hunt boiled underneath her thick, scaly hide. A dark green which aided her in the forest but this was a desert. Dry and desolate. That she thought of.

Not this humanoid figure that fought viciously. If only she had gotten to it first. Its skull would be a fine addition to her collection back on her home planet. Now, unable to aid it to survive, all the hidden being could do was watch and wait. Patience was something she was first instructed to learn about. If you could not wait for your prey, you weren’t destined to be a hunter. That’s where younglings were divided.

Once the battle grew to a close, she saw something that would ruin everything. It did the first thing you weren’t supposed to. This solidified that it was self-taught by this last action.

These insect-like creatures took the open chance that this humanoid figure willingly gave. Two red tipped tusks were shoved through the metal of its armor. All it gave was a shortened, airily groan… like it was an inconvenience. With one last blow, the smaller being rammed its blade into the neck of its opponent.

Disappointment filled her chest as it fell limp on the tusks. Dead. A skull she could not retrieve. It was not hers for the taking. Her mandibles clicked against one another.

She began to stand and take her leave when glimmering night that lit up the street captured her attention. Bright, sparkling lights burst from her former prey and fell to the ground. She looked back towards the tusks only to find the armor left. Not a body nor blood.

Uncertainty filtered into her neon green blood. The being tensed up and unsheathed a blade, purple eyes scanning the area around her. Had the creature actually die or somehow have an ability to teleport? Once you’ve explored the universe a few times and seen many, many different aliens, anything was possible. Her mandibles chittered.

In a bright light, noks away from the former winners, a body formed from nowhere. Like a force unlike any other, it reappeared without a scratch and ready for this to end.

D’yeka.

Of all of her years as a hunter, mother, and explorer, Gawtin has never come across something like this. Like a newly blooded, she could only stand in bewilderment as this thing rushed them again. As if it didn’t just come back from the dead like Dhi’ki-de. This got her heart thundering through her ears as she wished for that fight to end so she could start her own.

.

In a birth of glimmering light, you appeared further down the street. In this new body, the old aches and pain were wiped away. All you were left with was the tone muscles you were glad to keep. Everything else, including armor and clothing had been abandoned, stuck to the creature’s face. The Nurok wildly shook its head to get rid of the offending article. All while the other stared at its pack member in confusion.

You used the opening to your advantage. Quiet, calm, you stalked up to them and swiped the first, longer sword from the ground while moving. Before either of them had a chance to notice you, you sheathed the sword in the side of one. The Nurok without the clothing on its face gave a screeching cry, alert its friend to the trouble.

With a grunt, you twisted the blade and shoved it further in to cause as much damage as possible. The thing gave one last croak before falling at your feet, gone like a light. You pulled the blade once more from it and stared down the last Nurok.

Out of all your time upon these grounds, you’ve never seen emotion from any monster. Either it was an illusion or trick of the eye, you believed to see a flash of fear within the blacks of its eyes. A snarl crossed over you face as pounced again for the last time. You struck and left the creature unable to think. One swing after another, cutting at its skin like meat.

The Nurok bellowed out a roar that rumbled the ground before lowering its head. A move you read within a second while the next you twisted out of the way. You shoved your sword once last time into the creature and watched as its guts spilled onto the ground. A heavy smell of death wafting up into the air, one you’re quite use to.

After it fell to its finally resting place, you marched over to its head and retrieved your shorter sword and weapons. The armor was, unfortunately, unusable. You would need to start over… again.

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, your senses lighting up to another contender. The adrenaline that still filled your body rushed back in full force as you swiftly scanned the surrounding area. Yet, your search came up empty. Not another, living soul in sight. You couldn’t just shake off the feeling though.

Naked like the day you were born, you lugged your battered weapons to the smithery close by. Something stopped you though.

In a low shimmer of blue light, a humanoid figure revealed itself to the darkness of night. A monster you’ve never seen before. It’s body similar to yours in shape but its face covered by a mask of metal. Expressionless and cold. The main difference you first notice was the dark, possibly green that colored its skin.

Tonight has been dreadful, killed again. Now, with a new opponent stepping into the ring, you were irritated and grouchy. With either sword in your hands, you stared down the monster. And just stared, observed the soft rise and fall of its shoulders.

Then, it took a step forward. You reacted swiftly, like lightning. Your toes dug into the light dirt that coated the stone street as you launched yourself forward. It was your hardened instincts that drove you for survival. After the events today, you were on guard, ready to lash out on the dime at any movement.

That you did.

This thing wasn’t like anything you’ve met before. It raised its aforearm and blocked the downward lash you preformed and kicked out a leg at the same time. For the second time this day, the air was shoved from your lungs as you smashed into a structure behind you. Ringing in your ear began. You dropped down onto the ground in heap of pain and broken bones.

Blowing painfully through your nose, you rose back to your feet and gripped only one sword this time. The other lost during the flight over here. The monster looked like it hadn’t moved an inch from its spot. You huffed an amused chuckle with a smirk gracing your face.

Despite the pain this thing caused you in once kick, you marched back over to it. The creature morphed its stance to a fighting position. You stopped where you were and cocked your head for a moment before doing the same. This thing had intelligence. It was acting different compared to anything you’ve face before.

You felt the unfamiliar, cold, trickling feeling of fear run a path down your spine. The sword you welded trembled slightly, not from the adrenaline this time. Now, you had to think of strategies you hoped it didn’t know of. You had to plan this thoroughly. And survive.

It launched itself at you, faster than you could blink. A gasp tore at your throat as you rolled to the side to dodge the incoming attack. The second afterwards, you threw up the sword and blocked a deadly slash from three pronged weapons in either hands of it. The power behind its force was enough to rival the Nurok’s you just took down.

The ground aided in a sturdy backbone to keep yourself up as this figure attempted to kill you. This was nothing new. Just go through the motions.

And win.

One of your legs kicked out swift into the side of its knee. A harsh hiss sounded from its mask as the creature was forced to kneel down. A new opening revealed to you. One, you took. You lashed out with your blade without remorse. It was able to twist its body enough to only receive a glancing blow on the dark skin of its lower side.

Bright, glowing, green goo dribbled from the freshly opened wound. Your eyes widened at the sight. There wasn’t a single creature from the Duat that has ever bled this color before. What was this thing?!

Its own weapon came for you. Despite the size of it, it didn’t move like any monster you’ve seen before. This creature was better, faster, stronger than what you’re used to. You barely moved enough to only have one of the prongs jab into your side. The pain was nothing but a minor inconvenience. You unsheathed a small dagger in time to ram it into the figure’s arm.

A hiss and rapid clicks is all you got before its hand wrapped around your throat. You were lifted clean off of the ground and held before its eyeless gaze. The grasp tightened before you had a chance to even know what was happening.

This wasn’t the last time you would fail.

Like before, you appeared in a shimmering of bright glitter. Unfortunate for you, your weapons laid at the monsters feet. Deep down, you had a feeling it would not let you even get a chance to grab them. You cracked your neck and fell into a stance to entice the thing to walk away from them on the ground. Anything to let you get your weapons back. To make this a fair fight.

But… it kicked at the sword’s hilt and pushed it towards you. The weapon slid to a stop at your feet. Your eyes darted between the sword and the monster. This was a game you didn’t know how to win or play properly. You had infinite lives to survive but how long will this dance go on?

Time and time again, till Khonsu’s moon was chased away by Ra’s sun, you were killed more times you’ve ever fallen in a week alone. This last round, after you reappeared like any other time, you collapsed to your knees and looked up tiredly at your opponent. You could not die nor win against it. This would be an unending battle like your own life.

The figure walked up to you, feet entering your vision to stop in front of you. Defeated, you raised your tired head to gaze into the void of where its eyes should be. You were ready for it to bring down its own weapon to kill you all over again.

A green hand, a green that matched the jungle you’ve been too, entered your sight. The palm turned upright, its weapon gone. An offering.

After everything you’ve endured during this night alone, you just stared at the hand. A tired, exhausted look in your eyes. The creature curled its fingers in a ‘come here’ motion. Defeated, you placed your hand in its and was yanked to your feet. The blazing warmth of its scaly skin released its hold.

With both of its hands, it reached up to cup the mask it wore. Something you finally noticed in the morning light. That wasn’t it face but just a metal mask that adorn its face.

Two tubes were from the side of its mask, hissing like Nurok. Carefully, it pulled the metal away to reveal… something you weren’t expecting. From all the monsters that roam the overworld during the night, this thing wasn’t the ugliest. The purple of its eyes struck you hard. A color you haven’t seen for years.

You mouthed ‘wow’, attention captured by the beauty this figure held in such small orbs. Out of everything on this planet, this was the first time a monster stopped. Was this a sort of truce?

The longer the two of you stood there, you began to become nervous. This was different than anything you’ve ever experienced. A monster stopping to reveal its true face to you. Was this a horrible dream of peace for just a moment?

Now that it was day, the level of threat has gone down significantly. Yet, the blind, trickier critters now come out to prey upon you and each other. Then you realized, the monster hadn’t gone back down to the Duat. What was this thing? You didn’t know how to feel about this thing in front of you.

Then, it moved its arm. You reacted back jumping back and getting into a defensive position. Your heart thundered in your ears as you watched as it pulled something from a pocket. Calmly, it held out its palm with the item towards you. Timidly, you reached out and swiped it.

A pocket knife. Small, durable, and extremely sharp. You looked back up at the monster and dipped my head in appreciation. With it’s strange face, it lifted its mandibles into a smile and returned the gesture. Then, it turned and began to tapping at the gauntlet on its arm. Strangely enough, some bright and glowing red appeared. You gasped!

Magic!

As if your world couldn’t turn more upside down, something revealed itself hovering in the sky. By the gods! With the graceful leap of a cat, the monster jumped into an opening of this thing. One last look at you and it was gone.

And you thought you had seen it all.

[milktearosethorn]

Things I've read and liked since starting to read again post-graduation (Book recommendations!)

I've been wanting to make a reading round-up (+ recommendations) for a long time now, but it just never happened. That ends today! This is my catch-up post where I'm going to cover everything from since I've graduated in 2021 to the end of 2024 (with the intent of making a new post for 2025). The COVID lockdowns had put me in a major depressive slump that I forced myself to crawl out of post-graduation, and I'm still trying to prioritize reading in my life.

Despite epic fantasy being my bread and butter, I have an eclectic taste in books. I'll read almost any genre if my interest is piqued. I'm also a member of two local book clubs in my city, which further diversifies my reading.

I've excluded any book that I didn't like or was ambivalent to so this doesn't become overwhelming. While I'm an open-minded reader, I can also be critical! But the haterisms will not come out here.

If I read multiple books in the same series, I will just name the series. I'll specify if any book is part of an existing series in parenthesis.

List is loosely ranked by preference, since I would be too stressed out to try to precisely place everything.

Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler (Book 2)

One of my favorite books of all time (along with its predecessor, Parable of the Sower). Brutal, honest, and dark, but somehow a comfort read to me because this series empowers me to fight my own doomerisms and imagine a better world for us.

Xenogenesis, Octavia Butler (Books 1-3)

Can you see that Octavia Butler is one of my all-time favorite authors? This trilogy slaps. It is deeply speculative and thought-provoking in a way that made me wish I could take a seminar class on these books. I like how Butler doesn't shy away from "weirdness" in her work, because it makes her creations even more layered and intriguing.

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K Le Guin

Another all-time favorite. I first read this book in 2018, and then I reread it after suggesting it to one of my book clubs (and found new things to love about it). Deeply radical for the time period in which it was written. Layered, thought-provoking, and the book that helped my adult self transition to enjoying mature prose and books with literary depth outside of what I was assigned in school.

Rising Tide: The Great Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, John M. Barry

The best nonfiction book I've read (I've recently started branching into them). Provides incredible context for a historic period that is sorely neglected in the way we learn US history. I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in the Mississippi river and the communities built along it, the history of Civil Engineering in the US, or post-Civil War US history (covering Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Nadir, and the Great Depression).

Rhythm of War, Brandon Sanderson (Book 4)

I don't need to hawk Stormlight any more to people who follow my blog lol. Picking up this series again after not having any spoons to do so during COVID lockdowns was a healing experience. This book is my favorite entry in the series so far. Raboniel was an incredible feat of a character because she stole the show here. Despite being attached to the already large cast of characters in a series where page-time is precious, I was constantly craving more and more of her.

Trust, Hernan Diaz

This is an amazing book that challenges you to think about unreliable narration and historic accounts. Has a unique and engaging structure with layers of secrets to uncover. Incredibly written. Great for anyone looking for a challenge with a non-traditional narrative.

Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

I'm soooo glad that I picked up this book on pure gut-instinct after spotting the spine in a book store. This book is incredible. This author didn't pull any punches or play the safe route with his treatment of his characters and thus conveyed his message with fierce, ironclad conviction. I adored this book's use of rotating perspectives and experimental style (there is one character whose POV will switch to using verse and it blew my mind). Each voice is unique and conveys a wonderful depth of character.

Heavy, Kiese Laymon

This is a gut-wrenching memoir that is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Black southern experiences. I was completely drawn in by this author's voice and I think about this book often.

Circe, Madeline Miller

This book was sooooo beautiful and had a lovely ending. Deeply immersive and deserving of the hype.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (Book 1)

God damn this book slapped. It was stupidly fun (AND heartfelt) and I recommend it for anyone who likes the idea of romantasy on paper but was let down my some of the main staples of the genre. I had the privilege of meeting this author when she went on tour for this release and she's as funny in real life as she is in her prose!

The Bandit Queens, Parini Shroff

This book had a perfect balance of humor and heart. I loved how these women could be hilariously catty but also show deep solidarity for one another. A very refreshing read!

The Farthest Shore, Ursula K. Le Guin (Book 3)

Every fantasy fan should give Earthsea a try. My favorite entry in this series remains The Tombs of Atuan, but this one made me feel magical and warm.

One Two Three, Laurie Frankel

A great contemporary read (with an environmental justice lean) for those who love deep, introspective characters. I was charmed by the three sisters and their town.

Love & Saffron, Kim Fay

This book made me cry. It's a short, sweet read about how we can build relationships with each other through our relationship with food. Weirdly enough, I recommend this to fans of Dungeon Meshi.

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi

An amazing book that takes you through 200 years of a family's history between Ghana and the US. Rich in its prose and accomplishes so much in a relatively small amount of pages (300). Not a word wasted.

In the Time of Our History, Susanne Pari

A family drama about loss, lies, and what it means to truly know someone. Great book.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins (Book 0.5)

A daring book that managed to overcome the shock factor and disappointment of seeing who the "protagonist" was by providing so much depth to the setting and world-building of the original trilogy.

Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo (Book 2)

An excellent follow-up to Ninth House that expanded on multiple side characters in riveting ways. I love the atmosphere of this series and how it speaks truth to our world and academia past the supernatural.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab

Another book that made me cry. Slow-paced and reflective, and it knew just the right places to throw in the curveballs that kept me engrossed in the story.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, Jamie Ford

An amazing story that weaves through history in a fascinating, creative way. I loved how it covered a breadth of Chinese diaspora experiences, and I grew very attached to the main character.

Lavender House, Lev A.C. Rosen (Book 1)

A mystery that provides a wonderful "origin story" for our detective main character. Very satisfying to follow along and try to predict the whodunit, and I need to read Books 2 and 3 ASAP.

Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys

A fast-paced and devastating piece of historical fiction. There's no shortage of WW2 stories out there, but this book stood out with its narrow focus on a single tragedy.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson

A novella that did not miss with its creepy atmosphere and sense of mystery. There's a puzzle to put together here, which made it a lot of fun to discuss at book club!

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver

A must-read for anyone looking for books set in Appalachia. Deep and reflective, and I loved the voice of the main character.

The Roots of Chaos, Samantha Shannon (Books 1-2)

These books slapped, and Book 2 took everything great about the first and further expanded on it. I would recommend these to anyone who loves DRAGONS. The way the author incorporated multiple cultural interpretations of dragons/wyverns was great.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Hank Green (Book 2)

This book out-shined its predecessor in so many ways, making it feel more like a prequel. An excellent example of science fiction with an optimistic message.

Breasts and Eggs, Mieko Kawakami

A great read for that provides a Japanese perspective on pressing feminist issues. I wish there was more harmony between the part of the book that was "Breasts" and the part that was "Eggs", but each topic gave me a lot to think about.

The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead

Beautifully written with a final twist that hits you like a punch to the gut. Helped me learn about yet another atrocity in our history that I hadn't known of before.

The Once and Future King, T.H. White

This book surprised me with how it shifts radically in style and tone between each of its four parts, but that made it all the more an engaging read. A must-read for anyone interested in Arthurian literature.

This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Motar, Max Gladstone

If you don't like the style of the first five pages you will not like this book. But, if you're into it like I was, then this is a wonderfully creative, unique story.

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree (Book 1)

I listen to a negative review of this book that described it as a farming sim cozy genre game disguised as a book. I laughed, because I enjoyed this book for that exact reason (I love winding down with an aesthetic, cozy game). A fun, light read.

The Music of Bees, Eileen Garvin

A charming story that made me feel immersed in the Oregon valley that it takes place in. Will tempt you into picking up beekeeping as a hobby.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Jesse Q. Sutanto

Another charming read with a more humorous edge to it. Despite its light tone, the mystery remained engaging and was satisfying to see revealed in the end.

Stolen, Ann-Helen Laestadius

A character-driven thriller that immerses you in the culture of the Saami people of Scandinavia. I loved reading the main character come into her own as she grew from a child to an adult.

Orbital, Samantha Harvey

Sometimes this book overindulged in itself, but I found it thought-provoking and I loved how it conveyed the magic of the Overview Effect to the readers who will never experience it firsthand.

Razorblade Tears, S.A. Cosby

God damn the two main leads had a great dynamic with each other. I was hooked from the start, and there's one scene in particular that made me put the book down and stare at a wall for awhile (in a good way). The ending was a tad out of step with the tone of everything that built up to it, though.

The Hexologists, Josiah Bancroft (Book 1)

An interesting start to a series that merges magic and mystery. This author is interesting in how he writes genre fiction but utilizes a style of challenging prose and wide vocabulary (which I liked!). The main characters are a married couple that play off each other wonderfully.

Vicious + Vengeful, V.E. Schwab (Books 1-2)

These books are so fun and I love how committed this series is to the main character being a bastard of a man. Moody and dark. A new POV character in Book 2 was annoying AF and tested my patience with flawed, unlikable narrators lol, but the intrigue of the surrounding story still prevailed.

The Patron Saint of Liars, Ann Patchett

A book featuring a fascinatingly awful main character and containing stories within stories. Takes place at a kind of institution that we don't have anymore in the modern day, which was interesting to read about. I think it was missing some closure towards the end, but I can respect what the author was trying to do.

Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher

I took me some time to start to connect with the main character of this story (and she read as ten years younger than her actual age imo), but the second half delivered with great twists and satisfying resolutions. Very fairy tale-esque.

What Moves the Dead, T. Kingfisher (Book 1)

This book does a great job with setting the atmosphere that pervades the story. Towards the end, I felt the horror was a tad over-explained, but I still enjoyed the journey and the bits of world-building surrounding the culture the main character came from.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour, Ashley Winstead

This author is an awesome person who I've sat and ate dinner with IRL. The ending of this book made my jaw DROP. Hit a road bump in the middle, but it's an engaging read.

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo

A fascinating look at Inquisition-era Spain with a magical lean. I was glad to meet the author when she went on tour for this release since I'm a huge fan of her other works. Didn't rise as high as books like Ninth House, but worth picking up if the setting intrigues you.

The Poppy War Trilogy, R.F. Kuang (Books 2-3)

A solid debut trilogy that blended fantasy and history in fascinating ways. The author was bold in her commitment to a self-destructive main character and it paid off, but it won't work for everyone.

The Books of Babel, Josiah Bancroft (Books 3-4)

I was hesitant to include these here because I did not like the way that this series ended at all. Book 4 started strong but devolved into a letdown. But there were enough highs (especially in book 3, The Hod King, which was my favorite entry) that it's worth acknowledging. I still keep up with this author (as seen above) and I hope that he can stick his next landing.

[thelongestway]

All right, peeps. This story has finished off my brain, and I really need to actually focus on work for a while. So. You are getting a victory lap today. Two more chapters, which mean that ding-dong, the draft is done!

Without further ado...

Chapter 44: Upload

By the time Dandelion and Aspen got back from their trip, Aspen carrying a brand-new name with them (the Vivacious, which all of Thiago's informants agreed was a nice proper Arborea Cosmica ship name, and disagreed on why exactly it had been a problem to take it before Aspen ever left dock), Seth had considered ART's proposal and decided that PSUMNT would make the offer. So after Aspen had settled in with a local maintenance crew who would be putting the name on their hull and registry, Seth sent them an invitation to a small conference aboard ART.

"Dr. Vivacious," Seth said as Aspen's human avatar walked through the doors to ART's crew lounge. "Welcome aboard."

In the feed, I could see Aspen read Seth's little pause before their new name and grin, satisfied. Out loud, they cheerfully said, "Thank you for having me!" as they settled into a chair opposite Seth. Their eyes ran across ART's crew, who were all present, and they added, "I have to say, I'm very curious what this is all about."

"I'm going to have to begin with something of an apology," Seth said sheepishly. "Perihelion overheard a private conversation between you and SecUnit, and brought it to my attention, because it thought it was important enough to do so."

Aspen glanced up and gave a quiet little snort.

"Is this going to be another one of your… Interventions, Perihelion?"

"Yes," ART said. "And you will like it."

"Vaguely threatening, but all right," Aspen muttered, rolling their eyes. "All right, Captain Seth. Go on, please."

Despite rehearsing this conversation for the entire prior evening, Seth still stumbled over the words.

"Perihelion told us that you had an old crew member that's presently in chronostasis."

He gulped, because even though Aspen's expression barely changed, they focused on him so sharply that the whiplash made even Iris take a step back. (And she was used to ART's shenanigans.)

"I do." Aspen said in the silence. "Why?"

"And that said crew member was in chronostasis, because their last will and testament involved holding them in chronostasis until the technology was there to fully upload a human mind into a machine existence."

Aspen didn't answer. They just nodded to indicate a "keep going."

"Well. On behalf of the Pan-System University of Mihira and New Tideland, I am authorized to inform you that this technology does, in fact, exist. The results of its use were used to prototype Perihelion's older relatives--the first generation of PSUMNT AIs. It does come with a number of cave--"

Seth shut up. Because Aspen's human avatar flickered as they extended their hand, aimed slightly upwards.

"Journals. Monographs. Research notes. Everything you can give me. Now."

Radiating smug satisfaction, ART dumped a veritable mountain of data on them. And if they were slower at chewing through it than when they had been the station, I really couldn't tell the difference at my level, because seconds later they opened a broad connection to Dandelion and yelled, You have got to come see this! And get Iceblink, too!

I'm here, Dandelion said, alert and ready. What's going on?

It says--they say--Dandelion, I think Tal actually made it, Aspen's human avatar swallowed, like they were gulping down tears. I think ke made it. I can't believe this.

She nodded, unruffled.

I actually wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. Let's go through the data first, and as Iceblink connected into the workspace, Dandelion began sifting through the pile of papers and offloading some of them to her.

And even Iceblink didn't have to look at the topic very long with her human processing speed to understand what was happening.

no rotting way. seriously?

That's what we're here to find out, Dandelion said.

Iceblink gave her little salute and dove into the data.

Okay, Aspen said, breathing out heavily. Okay. If anyone has any misgivings, I want to hear about them now.

I looked at their hopeful human face. Saw them all but vibrate in the feed. And I hated, really hated, that I was going to say this. But I was looking at the papers as they processed them, and knew I had to.

Yeah. I've got one.

Aspen didn't stop their frantic feed activity (they could read research papers and listen at the same time), but they did give a full twenty percent of their processing power.

The PSUMNT technology isn't an upload. It's a rebuilding of a vegetative human's mind into a machine. It's not going to be them. It's going to be a different person, with their memories.

That didn't perturb Aspen for one second.

We'd considered a Ship of Theseus scenario before ke went under. That was an explicit yes.

I really wasn't going to be parsing their weird Arborean metaphors right now.

You don't understand, I said. (And felt an emotion bleed from me into the feed. I hated that. But I also couldn't do anything about it.)

You must listen to it, ART said forcefully, rising in the feed from behind me. This procedure was suggested at my behest, and I am in full agreement with SecUnit. Before you attempt it, you must be aware what you are attempting.

At that, Aspen stopped all of their processing, and so did Dandelion and Iceblink.

All right, Aspen said, taking another deep breath. We're listening. Please help us understand.

So I spoke.

First, your sleeping human isn't going to survive this, right? If they do this, they open the pod, and then ke dies. You know that. But I thought I needed to say it anyway, because it's easy to forget that.

I saw Dandelion give me an appreciative tap, and Aspen nodded. Iceblink looked very sad, and hid behind another journal article that she pretended to be reading.

Okay. We got that. But second. I said this already, but I didn't understand what it meant before I went through it, so I'm saying it again, and I'm giving you logs to match.

They were listening, and I took a pause for emphasis.

That is not going to be a copy of Tal.

Another pause.

If your procedure succeeds, it's going to be its own person. Because the PSUMNT researchers will need to add code to it so it goes live, and also because it's not going to have organics anymore.

They were all staring at me, and they clearly didn't understand, so I just sent them my logs about 2.0 and disconnected. In our private workspace, ART and I leaned against each other.

We told them, right? I said. There's not anything else we can do.

Yes, it said, unusually solemn. I believe this is a good idea. But they need to know what they are getting themselves into.

Can they even know? I asked.

ART just squeezed me tighter in the feed. Out loud, it said to Seth: "Do not be alarmed. The Trellians are processing."

"It has to be a lot," Seth agreed. "We'll wait."

Almost thirty minutes later, after everyone except Aspen had time to get starchy foods and stimulant beverages, Aspen invited me and ART back into their feed. Dandelion and Iceblink were still there, feeling very somber.

Aspen tried to speak. And failed. Before trying again, they sent me an appreciative tap, and then managed, Taproot and stars. SecUnit. That puts things in perspective.

Yeah. I couldn't say anything much either. So I just sent them a tap back.

ART spoke instead of me. We are glad you have taken our data seriously. What did you decide?

Aspen curled around Dandelion and around Iceblink like they were a weirdly mobile figure-of-eight and said, The same. Because Tal didn't think ke would be surviving chronostasis, and in all of our conversations, I didn't get the sense ke ever thought ke'd be surviving a potential upload either. But ke wanted to be a part of it. Ke wanted to try. So whether it's kem that wakes up, or a new person with kes memories--it doesn't matter. Because either way, it's exactly what ke would have wanted. We're doing this.

Then the Pan-System University of Mihira and New Tideland will help, ART said, squeezing my inputs. And so will we.

Even without a full connection, I could almost feel Iceblink swallow.

wow. i mean. oof. wow, she paused, and then resumed typing. i'm gonna tell captain Reed that we're going to PSUMNT together with Aspen, not just sticking around at Preservation, right, Dandelion? i know Maize isn't a node ship, but i guess you both are going to be connected to kem at shutdown, and--

Yes, we are, Dandelion answered in an uncharacteristically soft voice. But I don't think I'm the right person for what you're suggesting.

what? you're joking. you're Courageous emergency crew! who the heck else would it be?

Someone who's spent every shore leave for the last eighteen years visiting kem and telling kem the news?

Iceblink froze. Then she poked at Aspen. Quietly. Who briefly curled around her in the feed, then dropped logs on her. It was statistics.

You've been there for Tal for decades, they said encouragingly. You should join me.

i. i. sorry everyone i am going to go have an emotion about this. Iceblink said and disconnected.

Aspen looked out the window to give the Tenacious a fond smile, and then unfroze their avatar, which had been staring at the stars blankly for at the entire duration of their processing, and turned to Seth.

"Captain Seth? I can't express to you how grateful I--how grateful we all--are for the offer. And our answer is yes. Let's do this."

[plumblossomcafe]

Ch.105: Like the Faint Moonlight of Yesteryear

Navia: I came here several times with my father when I was little, but stopped eating here as often after growing up. I hope the food here will be to your tastes.

Paimon: Oh, don't worry, we haven't eaten at a hotel like this in a while. Hehe, Paimon's getting excited already!

Navia: In that case, I'll go order for us first. Please wait here a moment.

The four sit before a table filled with food

Paimon: Oho, everything looks so good! People in Fontaine sure know how to enjoy life.

Navia: Why, of course. Go ahead, try whatever you like. If the food's good, I'll make a group reservation for the rest of Spina di Rosula next time.

Paimon: And if it's not?

Navia: Well, ah... Then I'll still bring everyone, albeit with only one dish per table.

Paimon: You uh, sure have your own way of doing things... Oh, we called this a farewell meal, but we could also treat it like a victory feast, right? We did just win that case, after all.

Y/n: It was a pleasure working with you.

Navia: Ooh, true, very true. In that case... Boss, we'll have another two dishes!

Paimon: Huh! Paimon didn't mean that you had to order even more food!

Navia: Hehe...

Paimon: Speaking of cases, do you think that the mastermind behind the serial disappearances will get caught soon now that this all has happened?

Navia: We've certainly taken a big step forward, but I feel that's about it. We know that there is an organization that means to dissolve these young women, but we still don't know what they are really after.

Y/n: If it hadn't happened right in front of us, none of us wouldn't have ever believed that a person could be dissolved like that...

Navia: Right? Yet it was because this was such a preposterous notion that the investigation could never really move forward before.

Paimon: Ugh, if only that guy could've finished speaking... *sigh* We were so close to hearing who was behind it.

Navia: In such investigations, even the smallest step can seem like a yawning chasm if the trail of clues is cut off. To be honest, I don't have high hopes for any follow-up that the authorities might conduct... It's not that I don't have faith in their ability. It's just that a different perspective is required in some matters.

Y/n: How come?

Navia: It's easy to guard against and deceive a single, narrow perspective. A shift in thinking is required at such times in order to produce a breakthrough. Which is exactly why the Spina di Rosula exist. Those highfalutin folk are not all-knowing. That's why we exist, to seep into the cracks where filth falls through, where their watch fails them. Those are the kind of problems we solve.

Paimon: Huh. Seems Paimon thought things were simpler than they actually are...

Navia: *sigh* It's alright. Well, this was supposed to be a farewell meal, so I doubt you have further interest in this business, right? Let's talk about something else. Like... what are your future plans?

Y/n: We wanted to ask the Hydro Archon for some information... But we haven't had much opportunity to do so.

Paimon: That's true. We didn't have a chance to speak to her after the trial ended. It didn't really seem like the right time or place to do it anyway...

Navia: I see. So your primary objective — which has been foiled so far — was to have a chat with the Hydro Archon. I've heard that there's a long line of people waiting to meet Lady Furina. I suspect you'll be waiting for quite a while, considering that you missed your chance today.

Paimon: Yeah, we've heard that she's super popular here in Fontaine and that it'll be tough getting any of her time.

Navia: Hmm, well... Would you consider some more... unique ways? Perhaps even methods of, let's say, questionable legality?

Paimon: Guess that's Spina di Rosula's boss for you... Chock-full of sketchy ideas. Well, what did you have in mind?

Navia: Well, one way would be to infiltrate a performance troupe at the opera house, only to abandon your act at the play's climax and ask to speak to her after the performance... I'm sure Lady Furina would be eager to see the ending, and would agree in order to finish watching the play, don't you think?

Paimon: Uh, could you suggest something a little more... practical? This plan seems pretty hard to pull off. We'd have to go learn how to act, and acting's really hard!

Navia: Alright, here's another...find a way to conceal yourselves under her bed. Then, wake her up in the dead of night and demand answers. Don't let her go back to sleep until she answers all your questions! I can personally testify that this one works. When I'm sleepy, I'll do anything as long as I can finally get some sleep!

Y/n: Uh, that might work, but that's not really the problem. The problem is we don't want to get ourselves arrested.

Navia: Ah, valid point. I overlooked that part. I was just thinking about leveraging a person's desire for sleep.

Aether:How can you overlook something like that!?

Navia: Alright, alright, no more joking around. Perhaps you could... oh, I don't know. Cut the line when she's on a break. You did defeat her in court, clearing citizens of hers from false accusations — false accusations she had nearly upheld personally. I'd imagine that she feels quite ashamed about the whole thing...

Paimon: You mean that if we catch her while she's on a break, she might be too embarrassed to refuse? That does make some sense.

Y/n: Would someone with her personality really feel shame? *drank some Fonta*

Paimon: Why don't we give it a try after this meal? Y'know, strike while the iron is hot and all...

Navia: Huh? Y/n, did you drink my Fonta?

Y/n: Huh? Was this your drink? Sorry about that. I wasn't really paying attention, and the cup was right next to me... Would you like to order another?

Navia: No, it's fine. We're just about done here.

Y/n: Alright. *shakes her head* Honestly, I wouldn't recommend Fonta anyway. It tastes kinda salty and icky. "I feel very light"

Aether: I'd have to agree. My drink also tasted that way, too.

Paimon: Yeah, it tasted very weird for Paimon

Navia: Is that so? Well, in that case, we'll have to blacklist the Fonta here, then. If we're all finished eating, then I'll go pay...

Paimon: Yeah, we're stuffed. Thanks for the treat, Navia!

Outside Hotel Debord, night has already fallen.

Paimon: Ooh, so... full... Paimon can barely float anymore...

Aether: You could try walking, you know.

Paimon: Nah, that would be so... normal. Y'know, like you and Y/n.

Navia: Hmm... Okay, as for expenses this month, we're left with...

Paimon: Hey Navia, what are you doing over there?

Navia: Oh, nothing, nothing! It was just a meal, y'know. Nothin' the Spina di Rosula can't cover, haha... *sigh*

Y/n: "Seems that was pretty tough for her. That was a pretty pricey meal, all thanks to Paimon..."

Paimon: Let's get ready to try to meet the Hydro Archon again. Bye, Navia!

Navia: *sigh* So this is goodbye, huh. Well, if you do encounter any other trouble in Fontaine, you're always welcome to contact the Spina di Rosula — I'll give your request the highest priority. In any case, I wish you smooth sailing. I'll see you again, partner!

Paimon: See ya!

The trio decided to head to the Fountain of Lucine for the last before they left the nation.

Paimon: There aren't many people around anymore. Looks like that boat we took to Erinnyes might have been the last one...

???: "Vacher..."

Paimon: Huh, looks like we're back here again... *sees Y/n and Aether walking twords the fountain* Huh, Aether? Y/n? Are you hearing voices again?

Y/n: Yes... And it's clearer than it was during the day.

Paimon: Uhhh... That's kinda spooky. Are you sure we don't wanna come back in the morning?

???: "Vacher... Vacher..."

Paimon: Hey! Why're you still walking towards it? There might be something nasty in the water...

Aether/Y/n: "I can feel... strong emotions... Things are... getting a little blurry..."

Paimon: Huh? Hang on, Paimon can kinda hear a voice... It's calling for "Vacher," right? Hey, Aether! Y/n! Stop walking! C'mon, wake up!

Soon, Aether and Y/n found themselves in a completely blue domain with what looks like an Oceanid

Oceanid?: ...

Y/n: ...Where's this?

Oceanid?: Vacher? Are you... my dear Vacher? No, wait, you two seem to be someone else... Do you both know Vacher? Do you know where my love is?

Aether: I'm sorry, who are you?

Oceanid?: I'm... Wait, who am I...? I'm very sorry, I fear I do not know. My memories feel like they have been washed away like a flood. So many fragments dissolved amidst the tide, never to be recovered. How much have I lost? How many things that I once held dear while on land have I since forgotten?

Y/n: You were once......Human?

Oceanid?: Yes, that is what I was once. But now, I am but the consciousness of one who has lost their form.

Y/n: You lost your form...

Oceanid?: I do not know how I came to be like this either. I only vaguely remember being covered in light blue water, and then all grew dim...

Y/n: "Light blue water"... Could that have been...

Aether: Could she be one of the girls who were dissolved?

Oceanid?: Ah, I also remember going to many places. I loved adventure and loved exploring places of peril. No matter where I went, Vacher would go with me. I knew how dearly he loved me, and I also loved him equally as much. But now... We can no longer go back. The pain of such parting... I never knew how heavy it could be.

Aether: So you need us to find him?

Oceanid?: No! Our reunion no longer has any meaning — there is no way for us to create any new memories. The thought of me gives him no succor, so let it lie forgotten beneath the waters. If you meet Vacher, tell him not to look for me. Tell him to move on — that is the only thing I still remember.

Y/n: I believe it will be hard for him to forget you.

Oceanid?: Perhaps that is so... As I was submerged in the waters, losing consciousness, I saw Vacher above the surface. His eyes were filled with such sorrow, such longing. If only I could have comforted him, told him that I did not suffer. Indeed, I had felt a great warmth...

Aether: That means... Vacher was a witness to the fact that you dissolved?

Oceanid?: Is that what you call it? "Dissolving"? If anything, I consider it a form of "release." It was a state of neither fear nor frenzy, with only an endless peace, like the water's still surface. I could also liken it to being a thirsty person who drinks water for the first time and only then sees how they have lived for so long in a world of endless want and anxiety.

Y/n: It seems that after the body is dissolved... Some measure of the consciousness still remains...

Oceanid?: I think I hear your companion. It's time for you both to go, I think.

Y/n: Paimon...?

Aether: Ah, right, I wonder how much time has passed in reality...

Oceanid?: Farewell, then. I am glad that you both were able to sense my presence. Remember, if you see Vacher, tell him not to seek me out any longer.

Paimon: Wake up, you two... C'mon, hurry! Navia's outnumbered!

Aether and Y/n awake to gunfire and explosions as Navia and her attendants are fighting an army of Gardemeks

Silver: Demoiselle, look out!

Navia: Dear god... It's a whole army of Gardemeks...

Navia notices a familiar figure behind the Gardemeks

Navia: Clorinde?

Clorinde destroys one of the Gardemeks with a headslash, drawing the attention of the others

Navia: Quick, now's our chance!

The two of them quickly defeat all of the Gardemeks

Navia: I should thank you for lending us your sword there, Clorinde. But before I do so, could you explain how you managed to show up here?

Clorinde: I... followed you. It seemed to me that danger has followed you more closely as of late.

Navia: I believe that following someone without their knowledge is actually called "stalking," is it not?

Clorinde: Mr. Callas' last wish was for me to ensure your safety, and I will not betray his trust. He would do the same, were he alive today.

Navia: Do not... speak of my father.

Silver: Sorry, Demoiselle, I was not strong enough...

Melus: Thank you for your aid, Ms. Clorinde, but do keep an eye out for your manner of speech. I believe we all wish to avoid unnecessary emotional harm.

Clorinde: Sorry. I... did not consider your feelings.

Navia: Whatever. What else do you know? How did you come to the conclusion that I'd be in grave danger?

Clorinde: I doubt I know much more than you, but I believe that the mastermind behind the serial disappearances is very powerful. Your performance tonight will almost certainly attract their attention.

Navia: Hehe, I'm sure they've known about me. To be honest, I'm shocked it's taken them this long to act against me. And what about these Gardemeks? I thought only those associated with the Maison Gardiennage could control them.

Clorinde: None of these meka have serial numbers, and I was sure to check a moment ago. They are not the ones used by the authorities to enforce the law. I can only conclude that some powerful or wealthy party must have obtained them via illegal means, deploying them as a private force of sorts.

Navia: What, your point being that they're out of the Spina di Rosula's league then?

Clorinde: Yes. Be careful, and do not act rashly.

Navia: I will continue investigating no matter what. We will bring the truth to light. That's... my father's true last wish. Regardless, thank you for your help today, Clorinde. But if you get any ideas, tell me first. I don't much appreciate being followed.

Clorinde: I do not think that they'll strike again any time soon, so I shall stop following you. Good day, all. *walks off towards the Opera Epiclese.*

Navia: Right. I suppose that's the best news we've gotten today.

Melus: Demoiselle, I believe that Ms. Clorinde was being sincere with you. If we tried, we could attempt to thaw relations a little...

Navia: *sigh* I know. I just... She's...

Y/n: What just happened?

Paimon: Thank goodness! Paimon thought we were done for! Those Gardemeks came outta nowhere while you were unconscious, and Navia and her gang saved us. Oh, and there was that Champion Duelist named Clorinde who came out to save us too. We got lucky there. Paimon probably couldn't have fought them off otherwise.

Y/n: *holding her head* Thanks for the rescue, Navia.

Navia: Oh, come now, forget all that polite talk. That wasn't really a farewell meal we had back there — not for me anyway. In truth, I hope that every meal we have together shall be a victory feast. As such, we're still partners. There's no need to thank me.

Silver: It will take... fifty years for me to match Demoiselle's magnanimity.

Melus: If it were me, I would have joined the Spina di Rosula on account of her goodwill long ago.

Navia: *sigh* Alright, you two, that's enough...

Paimon: Actually, Navia, how did you know that we were in danger? You sure did show up in the nick of time!

Navia: Well, to be honest, Y/n was the one who tipped us off, Paimon.

Y/n: Huh, really?

Navia: Yes, all thanks to you grabbing my drink by mistake.

Y/n: Uh... How did that help...?

Navia: After we parted ways, I was on the way back to one of our bases when I suddenly thought of what you said... That the Fonta tasted "kinda salty and icky."

Aether: I thought it tasted strange as well, but I couldn't be sure.

Navia: Fonta only comes in sweet flavors, so how could it have tasted salty? The color of the drink, if I recall, had also been a bit off...

Y/n: So the Fonta had been spiked with Water from the Primordial Sea?

Navia: Yes. So, if you hadn't drunk that cup for me...

Melus: Spina di Rosula is preparing the grandest of awards for you as we speak for saving the boss.

Paimon: Huh, really!?

Y/n: No, that's not necessary...

Navia: Is everything alright?

Y/n: I just feel way too tired and faint. I feel like I just came from the water or something related to it.... It's probably nothing, just a small headache, but I should be fine...

Navia: Still, we should take you to a doctor just in case

Y/n: No, it's fine, besides probably most of the doctors here speak the native language of Fontaine, even if I know it, I don't want to bother anyone. I'll be fine. It'll go away

Aether: *checking her temperature* Fortunately, neither of us are from Fontaine... Otherwise, we would've been...

Navia: I sent people to Hotel Debord to investigate, but whoever did this left no trace at all. That's when I figured out that you might be in danger and hurried here as quickly as I could.

Paimon: But why would they go after us too? All we did was defend Lyney in court and help clear his name. Ugh, now we're caught up in this mess, too, aren't we?

Navia: Well, you did foil a plan that they were probably pretty proud of and almost got their name in the process. Speaking of which, did anything strange happen when you drank the Primordial Seawater?

Paimon: Well, it can't be a coincidence that both Aether and Y/n fainted just now. They said that they heard that voice calling for "Vacher" again... Oh, and this time, Paimon heard it too, but it was real faint. Does this situation have to do with the Primordial Seawater, then?

Aether: According to Lynette... The ability to hear voices like that has to do with one's sensitivity to the Hydro element.

Paimon: Does that mean the Primordial Seawater raises someone's sensitivity to Hydro when it's used on people who are not from Fontaine?

Navia: That doesn't sound like too much of a bad thing, to be honest.

Y/n: We also gained some new intel.

Paimon: New intel? While you were out cold?

Navia: Well, let's hear it, shall we?

Aether: The voice in the fountain belonged to one of the missing women. A person named "Vacher" was a witness when she dissolved.

Navia: Oh? That is important.

The two told everyone about what happened while they were connected to the Oceanid's consciousness.

Navia: Vacher... That name doesn't ring a bell. I suppose he hasn't stepped forward as a witness in court lately. Since he saw that young woman dissolve, he was at least at the crime scene. But he never gave testimony or any information regarding people dissolving in the Primordial Seawater. Could he have been threatened...?

Y/n: If he's still alive... We should try searching for him.

Navia: Yes, thank you. This is very important information indeed. We will continue to investigate.

Aether: *sighs* Alright, partner. By "we," you mean us too, right?

Navia: Oh!? You mean... You'll help us investigate?

Paimon: Well, you did say that our farewell meal didn't really count. That means we're still partners, right? And besides, we're in this now whether we like it or not. You're not gonna let these people who targeted us get off the hook so easily. Are you, Aether, Y/n?

Aether: Messing with us will cost them. This will prove to be their biggest mistake.

Melus: Demoiselle, do try not to look quite so pleased. You are the face of Spina di Rosula, after all.

Navia: Ahem! You talk too much. Well, in that case, let's head back to one of our bases, shall we? I'll arrange accommodations for you. We also have some plans to go over, and hopefully, we can deepen our bonds as partners... But we'll take that one step at a time, I guess.

Silver: Don't worry, you three. With us around, our base is definitely secure.

Navia: It's right up ahead, but... Let's make sure we weren't followed first.

Silver: I've been keeping watch, Demoiselle. I haven't spotted anyone suspicious thus far.

Navia: Very good, but let's not let our guard down for now.

Melus: I shall find rooms for our respected guests.

Navia: Thank you, Melus. Now, let's continue.

They finally approached the base

Paimon: So, uh, this is your base? It's not quite what Paimon imagined...

Melus: Your accommodations have been arranged. Under the present circumstances, I can confidently say it's the best we have.

Y/n: It's more than enough, thank you

Navia: Heh, well, our funds have been a little tight lately... After all, we don't allow illegal or unethical profiteering. In fact, our funds often come from the citizenry who support us.

Paimon: Seems like it's tough times for everyone... But if you have the support of the people, that does sound like it's worth it.

Navia: To be honest, our financial situation was a lot better back when my father was in charge a few years ago. I'm afraid I'm not quite his equal...

Y/n: Your father... He was the previous boss of Spina di Rosula, right? How did he...

Melus: Demoiselle, if you'll allow me to explain...

Navia: No, I'll explain it myself. I suppose I couldn't run from this topic forever, and as partners, this is something I hope they can understand. My father's name is Callas. Yes, the same one they call "Callas the Unfaithful" in the streets. Three years ago, he was accused of murdering his own friend, but he chose a duel to defend his honor instead of standing trial. He died in the Duelists' Ring.

Paimon: Oh no...

Navia: But I do not believe my father was a murderer. I'm sure he was set up... At the time, I believed that if he only stood trial and was duly investigated, something amiss would crop up and prove his innocence. But strangely, he not only requested the duel himself, but rumor has it......That even after being seriously injured, to the point where he could be deemed as having lost the duel, he refused to surrender, determined to die in the arena. Three years later, I still don't understand why he did that... How could he protect his honor if he's dead? If anything, he gave up his chance to defend himself.

Y/n: Do you have any clues as to why?

Navia: The closest piece of info I have is that my father had been investigating the serial disappearances case at the time of his death.

Paimon: Ah, so that's why you're so determined to get to the bottom of that case!

Navia: That's right. I've also tried to investigate the murder my father was implicated in, but I haven't found a single new clue in my countless reviews of the investigation records. However, I believe that if the murder case is related to those behind the disappearances, they must know something. I must know what really happened. Was my father coerced? Framed? Even if he really did kill his friend, I must get to the truth. *sigh* If only he'd been more open with me when he was still alive. He even hid the fact that my mother died due to complications when giving birth to me... And now here I am, investigating his death. You really are a handful, aren't you, Papa?

Y/n: Seeking the truth for the sake of your family... You know, we're all quite alike in this regard.

Silver: Demoiselle, please... If there is anything I can do, anything at all...

Melus: I also will never believe that Master Callas murdered anyone. There are none whom I respect more than the two of you, Demoiselle. Master Callas did so much good in life... yet all it took was one murder case for him to be dubbed Callas the Unfaithful... Even our supporters decreased greatly due to that incident, hence our strained finances at present.

Y/n: If Callas was such a good man, wouldn't people at least be a little suspicious when he was accused?

Navia: No, perhaps people just revel in that kind of "drama." It's not something exclusive to people from Fontaine, really. Everyone's like that. People love watching the evil turn over a new leaf, but they also enjoy watching good people fall into an abyss from one slip-up just as much.

Y/n: But how could... Never mind. If Callas was really falsely accused, we have to find the truth. He didn't deserve to have that happen to him.

Melus: There is one other thing. Master Callas' opponent in the duel... was Ms. Clorinde.

Paimon: Oh. Her? Well then, isn't that as good as saying that she was the one who killed him?

Aether: No wonder the mood was a little strange between the two of you...

Y/n: .... "But she was bound to do it because of her duty, so why would Navia hold a grudge against her. Plus, I think Callas had his reasons for deciding to fight in the duel rather than having a trial"

Paimon: Yeah, that's not the sort of thing you can just let go and move on from...

Melus: Ms. Clorinde has always placed great emphasis on the honorable nature of the duel. If her opponent doesn't yield, she will not stop, either. She knew Master Callas beforehand and greatly respected him, but seeing how he was resolute in the arena... There was only ever one choice she could have made...

Navia: It's not that I don't understand her at all, but I... I just can't deal with this yet.

Paimon: Don't worry, Navia! Paimon knows how you feel — you don't have to force yourself to do that.

Melus: Afterward, Ms. Clorinde told us that at the start of the duel, Master Callas requested that she ensure Demoiselle Navia's safety.

Y/n: Then that indicates that he intended to die in that duel.

Melus: Yes, that is our understanding as well.

Navia: *sigh* Oh Papa, what madness drove you to ask the person who killed you to take care of me... Alright, anyway... that's the information I wanted to share with you — even if it did sound like I was just complaining towards the end.

Y/n: ...I-No, it's alright.

Navia: Thanks. You three should go and rest. This was quite a day, after all.

Paimon: Yeah. Paimon's beat...

Silver: Please, relax and get some sleep. We will ensure you rest soundly.

A peaceful night passes under the Spina di Rosula's protection...

Paimon: *yawn* Paimon slept so well! This place feels almost too safe... Huh? Navia? Where did the other two go?

Navia: I sent them back to Poisson. It's Spina di Rosula's place of origin and where we have our headquarters. There's not much for them to do here at the moment.

Paimon: Paimon gets the feeling that you're just trying to get them off your back... But never mind that, when did you get back? Were you waiting here the whole time?

Navia: No, I just returned after going out for a while. I did some investigating yesterday regarding the name "Vacher."

Paimon: Wait, so you didn't sleep at all!?

Navia: How could I after having such critical new evidence appear?

Paimon: Uh, guess Paimon wasn't speaking for everyone just now, huh...

Navia: Unfortunately, this name seems to have been wiped from existence. It doesn't seem to have a match anywhere. I suspect that those behind this have already taken steps to hinder an investigation from this angle — but that does prove that this Vacher person is a key witness in the incident.

Paimon: Does that mean we're too late, though?

Navia: No, there is one ray of hope, one place in Fontaine that they would find almost impossible to threaten, no matter how much they wanted to. And that is the archives kept by Chief Justice Neuvillette. A place where detailed files on all the cases in recent years are kept. If the... Oceanid you met is one of the young women who went missing recently, we should be able to find some related information there.

Paimon: So Neuvillette maintains an archive of case files? Guess that's the hardworking Chief Justice for you...

Y/n: In that case, let's go talk to him, shall we?

Navia: ...

Y/n: Hmm? Aren't you coming along, Navia? Did you get tired?

Navia: *sigh* No, it's nothing. Let's go see the honorable Chief Justice.

[inu-yasha]

that yashahime manga strip is really so hilarious, everything kagome cares about is inuyasha LMAO. nobody or anything else matters to that woman, not even her own daughter, (and i don't take that pedophilic series seriously anyways, but still). kagome is the typical bird that only cares about her man and nothing else, i can't get mount azusa arc out of my mind, girl was creating scenarios in her mind to get angry at all while kikyo was DYING and she had better things to think about like, um, the fact she was dying?????? with limited time???? and all the while kagome was approaching her mission like "oh will i be able to do it? i get SAD and ANGRY when i see inuyasha and kikyo together 🥺🥺🥺". i just don't take kagome seriously as a person, she used to be a selfless, reckless girl at the very beginning, then she became a bird that breathed and existed just for inuyasha's sake, no dialogues, just "inuyasha..." over and over.

it's ridiculous. I understand that Kagome also did good things, I won't lie, but when it came to her hurt feelings, she didn't care about anything, not even this world that she supposedly loves so much and what was going to happen to people after what she did. Everyone has flaws and advantages, and it's the same with Kagome, and literally making her a literal goddess responsible for everything, a good and kind soul without a flaw is absurd.

this pedophile series i don't care anon, but when i saw this i couldn't believe what i read.

Kikyou is the most hated character in the universe, and kagome is the second heroine who is literally worshiped by the author. The first place goes to another heroine who i won't say because i absolutely can't stand her so much that it triggered me and i feel such cringe that i can't describe it. Despite this, cringe gives her second place because she doesn't scream out loud "look at me, I'm so fucking awesome!!!" so XD so please don't ask about this first place. Pain.

Anon I agree that at the beginning she showed personality and had potential, but then her addiction to inuyasha destroyed her character. As if a woman in love can't be her own person but changes 180 degrees for a guy in such a way that she literally loses her personality and doesn't care about anything else except him and her hurt feelings.

And here the author of this thing went much further and they always shout inukag/kagome that Kikyou is 'mery sue' yea right.

Higurashi in the original is a walking Mery Sue, and inyashahime it's already Mery Sue level 100 XD or even higher because now she is being made into a goddess.

This hatred towards Kikyou is totally absurd and an attempt to erase her existence or important role. I really want them to leave her alone. She's already dead. She died! She's not a threat to this pathetic ship, yet the hatred continues and is getting worse. I feel sorry for Kikyo because she really doesn't deserve this.

I remember how she tried to blame Kikyo on Mount Azusa when the real Kikyou was somewhere else. Naraku is not evil, that demon (I don't remember the name), how she fell into that trap is not evil, only Kikyo is evil. A disgusting person. She knew very well that it was not Kikyou, but she had to say it. And that moment when Kikyo was caught by Naraku's web and was with Inuyasha. She couldn't stand it and ran to that house falling into the trap cause Inuyasha was wiith Kikyou.

Yes!! I forgot about that!! Kagome is so wonderful that for a guy and a promise she abandoned her own daughter for 14 years giving her to Kouga and then her daughter went through hell.

Touka shouldn't thank her for being a 'great mother' to her daughter, that's what was missing XD there was Inuyasha, but Moroha wasn't. It's clear that even the author knows that Inuyasha is her pet peeve and treats her like a goddess XD

For me Kagome is meh. She has no personality. She literally doesn't exist without Inuyasha. You can't say anything about her and she's a heroine, only that she fell in love with Inuyasha and that's it XD

I'm honestly waiting for more of these delusions and making Kagome a 'god' although I literally hope that I will never come across something so absurd again.

[cdroloisms]

Ok there are a lot of things I don't understand about Wilbur and Dream's interactions, but one of the main things that I don't quite get is the whole breaking into the prison and burning the disks with Tommy , like ok why was Wilbur so convinced that by threatening to kill himself he was gonna make Dream do what ever he wants ( burn the disks)

And well we can say that Dream was just agreeing to whatever the hell the wanted because he wanted them out of his living room ( and because he didn't need the disks) but like ,Wilbur didn't know that, what made him so sure that Dream wanted him alive especially after the prison break ( Dream didn't need his help anymore) to the point that he thought he could use it ( his life ) as leverage

Did Dream want to keep Wilbur alive, if so, then why? I don't know man, seems like the only person that would be losing in this situation is Wilbur himself.

I got more questions but like this is what confuses me the most. Idk just don't get it

Honestly I'm going to assume you know about these reddit posts, but while like I think that people should be able to draw their own conclusions to a text without strictly subscribing to what is said by the authors, like, cc!Dream and cc!Wilbur did give explanations behind what happened in this stream that I think are worth checking out: x x

A lot of people perceived cc!Wilbur's comment specifically as speaking for c!Dream in a way that was uninformed and therefore dismissed the post, which I think is...unwise? Like, cc!Wilbur literally says that he's posting from the perspective of his character's thought process, not an out of character word of god on what c!Dream actually values and believes. Further, he literally clarifies that his character isn't entirely correct and is an unreliable narrator.

But looking between the posts and looking at c!Dream's behavior, I mean. What we can say, rather definitively, that c!Wilbur was right about is that c!Dream didn't want to lose that feeling that he had leverage over c!Wilbur. Like, he's pretty damn desperate not to lose it, actually. c!Wilbur "believes that Dream has nothing if not himself"--a perspective that obviously leaves out c!Punz, considering c!Dream's secrecy in terms of this one particular ally, but is otherwise I mean. Like. Correct? cc!Dream emphasizes repeatedly that c!Dream doesn't want to lose "that feeling of control over Wilbur," that c!Dream's power over c!Wilbur is "just in his head," that he's holding onto it even though "it's seemingly gone after the exile reveal." The rest of the server's story only throws this in sharper relief--c!Wilbur literally fucking leaves the whole damn server and c!Dream is cowering in the prison worrying about him A MONTH LATER.

When c!Wilbur makes the assessment that c!Dream is going to hold onto the perceived leverage he has over c!Wilbur tightly, EVEN WHEN SAID LEVERAGE DOESN'T EXIST, to the point of doing almost everything c!Wilbur tells him to? He's 100% right. c!Dream doesn't want to break the illusion. When cc!Dream gives the two examples of what c!Dream wouldn't do, he mentions that c!Dream wouldn't "kill himself" or "give over the revive book," which, I mean. Is literally just saying the same thing twice. Which, again, just goes to show how far c!Dream is willing to go in order to keep holding onto a feeling of control, that--once again! Is emphasized by both ccs AND by the literal text (as we can see that c!Dream at no point is able to actually use the "leverage" he has over c!Wilbur from reviving him to do LITERALLY ANYTHING AT ALL) as not existing in any meaningful manner. This isn't a case of c!Wilbur having an inflated sense of self-importance or a case of him pushing his way into this conflict recklessly w/ a delusional belief that his pitch will work. This is a case of c!Wilbur (as is like, usually the case with him and c!Dream) reading c!Dream like an open book and getting exactly what he fucking wants by force, literally shouting down at c!Tommy and c!Dream until they both comply.

(And it's worth pointing out that like. This whole thing does have a visible toll on c!Dream. He's extra jumpy and defensive in the stream on the same day after Inconsolable Differences, says he went for a stroll outside the prison (something he basically Doesn't Do after he gets the prison back in Daedalus) explicitly to "keep his mind wandering," he bristles at the perception that he's being accused of a terrorist--the exact wording that c!Wilbur uses against him when he makes him write the book in the prison. c!Dream's behavior, while not yet pushed to the point where he starts lashing out in self-defense, was pretty obviously off as soon as c!Wilbur started making demands--he grows quieter, more still, visibly less comfortable--honestly, not at all unsimilar to certain behaviors that we saw in the prison arc.)

And I mean. At the end of the day. Why wouldn't c!Dream want some reason to believe that c!Wilbur would work with him? Why wouldn't he want some kind of leverage? The guy is pretty obviously worried about him, if not outright scared of him. He was ranking c!Wilbur with the likes of c!Sam and c!Quackity when he mentions him in the Finale, for god's sake. c!Wilbur was the person that first called him the tyrant that c!Dream ends up believing he has always been. c!Wilbur was the originator of L'manburg, which c!Dream blames for the literal loss of his home. c!Wilbur is like. Extremely charismatic, extremely good at convincing people that he's well-meaning, that what he's saying is right, that this-person-is-the-enemy and you-want-to-stand-for-freedom and that so-and-so is a cause worth dying for, isn't it. c!Dream was The-Man-That-L'manburg-Opposed from the minute that c!Wilbur decided so and this narrative would follow him literally for the rest of his life.

So yeah c!Dream wanted to keep c!Wilbur alive out of the delusional belief that doing so would mean he has leverage over him. Why he wants that leverage (even though he never uses it and the fact that it literally doesn't exist), I mean.

[egg-emperor]

Any Canon!Eggdad headcanons you got?

I have a headcanon that when (or if, for that matter) Eggman dies, Sage will take over the empire but keep keep his logo and general aesthetic intact out of honor.

I have this funny post where I say I think Eggman would be highly against passing the empire on to anyone, not even to Sage. He wants to have the world to himself and I think that he feels that if he can't have it, no one can. I think he'd rather take the world with him in death and blow it up before even entertaining the idea of passing it down it for a second lol. He called it the Eggman Empire and Eggmanland and has his visage plastered on everything for a reason. He wants to be the center of attention and for it to be all for him and about him and nothing more or less. His ego and greed would never allow it.

I like how you say "if", because I also imagine that if he has the choice and ability, he'll want to extend his lifespan or immortalize himself in any way because he needs all the time in the world to build and rule his empire, especially as an older man already. With all the crazy shit he's survived, age is the only thing currently that could kill him. But he needs the time to build it all and enjoy it, he didn't build a throne to pass it down to someone else in matter of a few decades or so! And that can tie into his refusal to let anyone else take his place when he's not around, it can't happen if he never dies in the first place.

But if he did die then of course someone would have to take it over whether he wants it or not. But he certainly wouldn't leave anything in a will, he gives nothing to nobody, not even in death! Sage would be the most appropriate of his existing creations to take the reigns with her loyalty, devotion, and respect for him until the end. But I think she'd be hesitant to do anything without his authorization and struggle with it, while Orbot and Cubot would just be like "hey he's gone and we're free now, it doesn't matter what he wanted" but she'd feel like she's betraying his wishes so it'll always feel wrong. Pretty sad thought.

But yeah, I think she'd be very careful and strictly compliant to his orders and wishes as if he never left because her honoring of him and his wishes will remain strong forever. She'd maintain it the exact way he left it with its design, aesthetics, and all, and run it only exactly how he did. It'd make you forget you're in a world with Eggman no longer in it, when you're still surrounded by him and his ideas and rules, with his image plastered everywhere just like he wanted. It would look like he never left and is going to come back any moment and take his seat on his throne but he's never going to come back again.

While everyone gets to remember him and it feels like his spirit is still alive and they're never able to forget him, it would only constantly remind Sage of the truth after being much closer to him but she'd willingly live with never being able to move on and escape the pain, just for him to get what he wants like always. She wants to think those efforts would make him proud, even if her taking over wasn't what he wanted, but she remembers how mad he'd get when she did anything differently so she'd always feel a little bad for that. But she never stops having his best interests in mind, no matter what she does.

I'm feeling emo about this lol. If I was in the Sonic Universe and he was real and really had existed in my world, a world without Eggman in it after he died would be so fucked and not one worth living in ahakgbskgjskg

Anyway yeah! I've been thinking of further developing some more of my canon accurate Eggdad headcanons for some more posts but I still need to get started on that properly and I haven't had the time but stay tuned because I definitely want to contribute to the small amount of canon accurate Eggman and Sage Eggdad fan stuff.

But aside from this, I also have some others that I've already shared that I'll compile here:

This funny one about how Eggman would talk about Sage to other parents based on the things that specifically made him value her

Eggman brags about Sage being better and superior to Maria based on his thoughts on her in the memos

A father's day concept with Eggman, Sage, Metal, and Orbot and Cubot

Eggman shows a warning to Sage so she knows why it's important to stay loyal and efficient in subtle but eerie and unsettling way

Two posts of me talking about the chaotic villainous antics that I really want to see with them hehe

Eggman making people into robots for Sage to play with so she'll view them as toys and play things like he does

That's all of them so far I'm pretty sure, aside from my most controversial problematic fucked up short concept I shared that people got really mad at lol

More to come!

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Everything You Want

If you ever needed proof that I really love Shipwrecked, here it is: I tore myself away from Hatchetfield on NPMD RELEASE DAY (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to put down some thoughts on Greater Gatsby, episode 7. As always, spoilers below the cut.

(Before we jump into that, though, MASSIVE shout out to Curt Mega for this podcast, Nerdy Prudes, and Pulp Musicals. He's worked on almost everything that's keeping me going right now. Man of the Season. Thank you for your service, sir.)

Okay, I got to say it. Ford suggesting that Peter Lorre, an ethnically Jewish guy who had to flee Nazi Germany, isn't used to hate mail was... a choice on his part. But the running gag of celebrities taking threats as complements is genuinely one of the best gags in the series so far.

So the writer of the letters is going after adaptions. The further we get into this, the more I start to wonder if these letters are really just an old-timey viral advertising campaign. If you build up this whole, buzzy, real-world-intrigue story about beloved actors being threatened for appearing in adaptions, you know what will happen when such adaptions come out? Ticket sails will soar. People will want to be part of the narrative, to see the movie Jimmy Stewart or Wilhelmina Vanderjetski put their life on the line to make. And someone in the business threatening other people's lives just to increase profits is thematically just the sort of thing that would exist alongside Ford Phillips and his hatred of the cynical, exploitative Hollywood system.

But the problem there is, what would that have to do with F. Scott's murder? There's got to be a reason both these cases are part of the same story. Perhaps Fitzgerald somehow found out in his deep-dive into Hollywood secrets, and the letter writer killed him to keep him quiet. It's not a worthy motive, but most aren't, and the greed at the top of the ladder knows no bounds. Or maybe the letters are being sent out by someone connected to the movie but unrelated to the murderer in order to specifically market a rewritten Greater Gatsby and further capitalize on Fitzy's death--make it seem like he died for the art. But then again, the public doesn't know he was even murdered in the first place...

Or maybe I'm flat-out wrong about the whole marketing angle. Really, the most obvious answer is that Greater Gatsby was basically an adaption, and the writer of the letters genuinely hates such movies. They threatened Fitzy, then simply followed through. But that falls apart if you look a little deeper. Beyond "hatred of adaptions" being the silliest reason to kill someone, such events would imply a pattern of the writer murdering a victim before moving onto the next and that hasn't held up. So maybe F. Scott was being threatened to stop work on his film by someone who had a secret to protect. The situation spun out of control, our threatener killed Fitzgerald, and is now writing all of those threats as a distraction. That way, if the threats he/she ever sent to Fitzgerald were found, investigators wouldn't see through to the real motive behind them.

Meanwhile, all of the celebrity cameos were very fun and silly, but didn't tell us much other than give the slightest glimpse into why Ford hates Jimmy Stewart so much (still perfect character lore). We got another mention of Eugene from the Punchwhistle twins, definitely making him feel less like flavor and more like set-up. And do we think Rex's perfect recall is going to come back, or was just a device for this one scene? In Ford's personal orbit, it sounds like Bixby's quest to fix his financial issues has gotten him into real trouble. There's clearly something clandestine about the group he's renting the backroom out to, and their potential relevance to Mo, one of the few people to see Fitzy's body, is another point in favor of that group connecting back to our murdered author. I still think they're working on remaking Greater Gatsby in secret.

Speaking of secrets, we don't know where Barnaby was the night of Fitzgerald's murder, or why he's lying about it. He could be the murderer, he could have also been having an affair as well... I gotta tell you guys, Barnaby might be one of my favorites but I wouldn't trust him with a moldy piece of bread. The way he stabbed Ford in the back and then instantly came to him for help because someone else was untrustworthy? What a guy. (He's right about the cops, though. Don't trust the fuzz.)

Regardless, it looks like Fig and Ford are setting their sights on Darby. I doubt she's the one behind the letters but I'm hoping we'll start to get answers about her "book club" and whatever the hell Bixby's gotten himself into...

[queenofthequillandink]

Clark was ready for one of the more off-putting alien species. He was ready for something he'd never heard of before. He thought even some sort of time-traveling incident that resulted in more Martians would have been less surprising than this.

He'd combed through new federal legislation from the past two months. Danny had mentioned the ban as though it had just happened, but Clark would look back further if he needed to. He had no idea what he'd do if it was a state law; he knew Danny was in the Central Time Zone and almost certainly in the US, but he couldn't pinpoint it more clearly than that.

So yes, he'd prepared himself for some sort of Eldritch horror folded into human skin or violent race that was famed for massacres that Danny himself wasn't carrying out.

Clark had not prepared himself for ghosts.

"'-extra-dimentional ectoplasmic entities, self-identified as ghosts, hereafter refered to as ectoentities, are defined as any being with a physical makeup that includes 9% or more ectoplasm; or which needs ectoplasm to continue its existence. They have been deemed non-sapient and non-sentient threats to public and personal safety. As such, ectoentities are banned from all public and personal property. Knowingly harboring or aiding an ectoentity-' I mean, this is complete bullshit!" Lois hissed, cutting herself off and smacking the printout Clark had handed her. "You talk to Danny every other day; he's obviously sapient. And they folded it into a bunch of stuff about infrastructure, clearly hoping no one was going to read it. Clark, this says 'all necessary force authorized.'"

"I know," Clark responded, feeling sick. "They have a task force, apparently. One that can apparently harm these ghosts. They're clearly trying to prevent public panic by keeping this quiet, but if you searched the right things, I bet a Ghost Investigation Ward squad would show up anyway. There's a clause in there about the Patriot Act; it's on the third page."

Lois hissed like an angry cat, flipping the pages until she found the highlighted section. "You need to be careful what you email Danny. This is broad-spectrum permission to interfere when they even suspect someone's talking about an ectoentity."

"I need to find Danny," Clark replied. "His parents will almost certainly be on the side of this new law. If they find out what he is..." Some of Clark's worst nightmares come from the time he had just begun to understand how he was different from his peers and what that meant. Government experimentation was a recurring theme until well into his 20s. "I need to evacuate him."

"And that means you need to find him." Lois' eyes lit up with the challenge. "He's been cagey, right?"

"Yep," Clark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've tried to get more information out of him, to set him up with a mentor, but he clams up every time. Once, he stopped sending emails for a week. I don't think I could take the worry if I didn't hear from him after this."

"So we find him," Lois told him fiercely. "Are you an investigative journalist, or not? A young hero as divisive as this, no way he didn't make the news. What have you got so far?"

~*~

Three and a half weeks later, Lois slammed a newspaper page on the kitchen table, eyes lit up with the manic glow that she got when she was hot on the trail of a new story. "Amity Park, Illinois doesn't exist."

Clark paused, spoonful of cereal halfway to his mouth. "...okay?" he said uncertainly, lowering it.

"It used to exist, but they tried to erase it. But they couldn't erase everything." She jabbed a finger at an article in the paper impatiently.

Clark bent over it. A quick glance at the top told him that it was a copy of the Elmerton Enquirer from November of thirteen years ago. "'Elmerton Central Rams Face Casper High Ravens in Final Game of Season'?" he read. "What is this-?"

"In the article, it says the Casper High Ravens are the team from a city called Amity Park. A city I can't find a mention of anywhere else."

Clark finally started to catch on. "Is this about Danny?" They'd hit a brick wall on their search for the young hero almost instantly. There were no reports of unknown young heroes anywhere east of the Rockies.

They'd started smaller, of course. Clark had tentatively identified Danny as probably being in the Midwestern part of the Central Time Zone rather than Southern, based on his speech patterns and some of the things he'd said about the world around him. When that didn't turn up anything about any controversial heroes, they'd expanded it to all hero news in general, then to crimes getting stopped without anyone knowing how. They'd expanded the area they were looking at three separate times. Nothing they couldn't explain turned up. Clark was growing increasingly frantic, breathing a sigh of relief every time Danny sent another email. But he also knew that there was no guarantee the boy would keep being safe.

"Yes, it's about Danny!" Lois brought Clark back to the conversation at hand. "This is the only mention of Amity Park I've been able to find, and I had to have it mailed to me by a college friend in Chicago with an ex-boyfriend whose stepson has a best friend that moved to Elmerton to live with his grandmother who obsessively collects old papers that mention the charity she volunteered for. Do you know how hard it is to maintain that chain of communication without incurring the wrath of the Patriot Act?"

"Super hard," Clark guessed, mind already spiralling with the implications. "I'm assuming there's nothing online about Amity Park."

"Some sort of agent pair converged on the east branch public library 7 minutes and 36 seconds after I searched the town name," Lois told him, mouth tight. "I'm guessing that's our Ghost Investigation Ward. They wore all-white uniforms, so they should be pretty easy to spot."

"As long as they're in uniform," Clark replied grimly.

"As long as they're in uniform," Lois agreed. "I was able to find out that Amity Park isn't on any of the map softwares I could access. There was no mention on social media. No local paper online. I couldn't even find a parent portal for the high school."

"The agents didn't see you, did they?" Clark asked, suddenly straightening. "If we need to take an unplanned vacation to the farm-"

Lois waved him away. "I gave myself five minutes. And wore a wig. I still look terrible blonde."

"You look good in whatever you wear," Clark replied absentmindedly, scanning the article. There wasn't much information in it that helped them. "This says Elmerton and Amity Park are rivals. That means they're probably nearby each other, right?"

"I have the sudden urge to visit my old college friend," Lois said with a sharp smile. "Wanna come? We can leave Jon with Ma and Pa, maybe see what else Illinois has to offer?"

Clark was already reaching for his phone to call into work. "I think a bit of travel would be excellent for us."

Danny Fenton sends Superman a fan email in which he asks for advice. In it he says he is also a non-human hero (he is vague because being a ghost is illegal) Danny mentions that he is being raised by humans. His parents don't know about his activities or species and hate his kind.

Danny was mostly looking for advice on how to make people stop being scared of his non-human characteristics. But Clark really sees himself in this teenager's email. He knows he was lucky to get parents who loved him even as an alien, but he also recalls being young and scared that would change.

So they start regularly exchanging emails, and Superman becomes a kind of mentor even if Danny refuses to tell him anything about his identity.

[fatalroyale]

==> [S] Balit: Get the books

It was easy to disguise yourself as human after filing down your horns and caking on your makeup. And probably for the best that you did, considering that the task ahead of you would be much more difficult than preparing for a game of stabtag. And it was just as easy to wave at the camera as you left the house, just in case Treekat happened to be watching at that time.

It was much more difficult to overcome the mental hurdle once you were physically standing in front of the transportalizer. Were you really willing to return to the place you hadn't considered home in so long, but still felt too much like home anyways? You didn't owe this to anyone, and no one would know any the wiser if you turned back now. Despite that, you knew you had to do this. The pain of your not quite fully healed wound was tolerable, but you already hated all the aspects of your existence that demonhood brought even before the newer unpredictability of it all. And maybe, just maybe, you'd finally get the answers you'd been seeking from the angel for most of your existence.

When you snapped back into your old world, you felt… Nothing. It seemed like there should be some monumental seismic shift in your very personhood, but it didn't feel any different than traveling to Texas, or the forest, or whatever abandoned house was your latest haunt. So you relied on the triangulations you'd done to generate these coordinates and moved forwards to confirm your work. Seven steps up to the building, just like you remembered. Reaching out to touch the intricate woodwork in the door that had since been weathered down caused an itching sensation to blossom under your skin, and you pulled your hand away quickly. You weren't the same girl you'd been the last time you'd been here. So you nudged the door open with your foot to avoid further direct contact, and couldn't help the shudder as you stepped inside.

Muscle memory helped to push down the itch, so you slowly walked forward until you could slide into the fourth pew from the altar. You ducked your head down in feigned prayer, knowing perfectly well that the late hour didn't necessarily mean no one else was around. And sure enough, you were able to hear the sound of steps coming from the opposite direction of the main entrance, although it had been long enough that you were no longer able to remember what might lay ahead.

It became difficult to hold onto the memories of everything that happened after the priest showed up. You remember using the cover story you'd come up with (thanks to Treekat) about a supposed ancestor who may have authored some of the texts the church still had, and the laser focus you’d put into flirting with the priest that was just barely within the limits of what could be construed as honest friendliness. You remember being led into the back libraries of the church, where you spent an hour or so trying to mentally note down the locations of the books you wanted to take with you while the space between yourself and the priest seemed to shrink.

You don't remember thanking him for his time and leaving like you had laid out in your plan, but you assume you must have in order to end up back outside and dry heaving a short distance away. The sensation of flames was trapped beneath your skin wherever your body touched an object holier than you, but your body couldn’t purge itself of the all too familiar sensation. So instead, you snuck back into the library through the window you'd just so happened to knock the latch off of earlier.

Being inside the building the first time had been a building discomfort, but re-entering was an immediate blast of pain. You knew you weren't supposed to be here before, but now the white hot pain radiating from your stomach wound made it hard to think about anything else. You removed the collapsible grocery bags from your pockets and began throwing what you hoped were the right books into the bags, as well as any other books that were near them. The ache of your arm muscles from the weight as you squirmed back through the window was nothing in comparison to the partial relief from at least being back outside, and so you stumbled as quickly as possible towards the house that you'd cyberstalked checked on virtually to make sure you'd have a transportalizer back.

Once there though, you paused. Where were you going to go? You couldn't go back to the house right now and risk leading someone (or something) back there when you weren't in any state to fight or move everything to the new location. You couldn't stumble into Treekat's forest and risk being tracked there, and you certainly couldn't drop by Texas unannounced. But… There was one place that would still be safe for the time being, one that you'd memorized the coordinates for a long time ago.

It was easy to find the makeshift key you'd fashioned once upon a time to break into Futurekat's old apartment, and it felt familiar to be back inside after all this time. You immediately lock the door and drop your bags unceremoniously on the floor, then exhaustedly drag the table over and push it against the door. From there, you reach out to touch all the windows and make sure they're covered, which someone seems to thankfully have already done for you. The air is stale, and you can't help but wonder how long it's been since anyone was here last. Futurekat presumably hasn't been stopping in to change the bedding, but you were headed straight towards your preferred place to rest anyways. As you curl up in the empty bathtub and appreciate the cooling porcelain against the angry burning sensation of your flesh, you think about how fitting it is that you're here again. Even all these years later, you were still getting upset with him for not understanding you and yet still looking to some version of him for safety and comfort.

You were going to be better now though. Soon you would get back up, move on to your next location, and fix things.

[jacksintention]

I can't with the previous post. It's just so good applied to Levi, Lacie, Oswald and even Jack.

Levi has his hands tied by the Baskerville system that is a sort of scam by the Jurors‚ like every Glen. But he says "let's just create a change" and gives a will to the Core. And he does so with the full intention of changing the narrative, if just to avoid the boredom of spending eternity watching the same thing happen over and over again from a sit in someone else's mind.

Lacie goes along with it because of her desire to ease the Core's loneliness, but in her idea of the children of misfortune being a consequence of this loneliness and her feelings of doubt or reservations, perhaps, revealed even before the tree scene in the scene in which she talks about this with Oswald, we could interpret this as her desire to end the existence of the children of misfortune and thus the cycle.

Jack plays into this in his attempt to take the "real" world to the "Abyss" world, but when he most consciously twists the narrative the Jurors had settled was when he intently made the decision to take the power from the Baskervilles. And I do think it has to do with ending the very system that doomed Lacie and Oswald and he deemed cruel and like torture, but mainly it is so that no one would interfere with him in the future.

Oswald tries to destroy the new narrative Jack has or is creating first by trying to stop him, but later on by trying to stop Levi's schemes before everything happened, resettling the narrative he was controlled and doomed by, serving still as their tool. And then he literally faces the truth, in the most explicitly way no one ever has been told this in that "real" world before, and threatens to kill the instigators of that narrative. And then just renounces, in a lack of action that is him at his most active ("not with a bang but a whimper", how fitting is that?!!!).

Ultimately there is a middle ground but the narrative is changed for good. For better or worse. With uncertain future consequences. But it is changed, and it feels kinder. And as a thank you the source of every narrative, the ink and paper of the narrative, lulls someone who shouldn't have existed but changed the world to sleep by telling him a different story. Because that's it. They're stories, and Oz deserved to go with a kinder one, because the ink and paper of the narrative loves him. And it's so interesting how that works metanarratively too. The author tells the story, but the author tells the reader a story about the stroy telling a softer version of the story, so that the reader too will get it alongside Oz. That works on several levels and it's so so interesting.

[theneighborhoodwatch]

i have been trying to make this into a coherent post for days and have gotten Nowhere so you will have to put up with this borderline incoherent trail of thoughts instead. okay here we go:

dorelaine sounds like it was meant to be a mondegreen of darling (or vice-versa depending on what perspective you're seeing it from) which lends some credence to the WHRP's insistence that ronald dorelaine Must be the creator of welcome home (again - "must be," not "is," which is odd.)

wally as a self-insert for dorelaine? this information sponge who kind of exists to learn from his friends/loved ones on our behalf, the audience surrogate, a slate so blank he didn't know what a clown was until someone asked him to draw one. what about a character like that would cause someone to draw on their own traits to write him?

in that same vein, wally being not only a self-insert but an Ideal Self? if so, what about the above traits would have been Desirable to dorelaine? wally being representative of a desire for some kind of "fresh start"? or perhaps of flawlessness by way of (initially) not knowing there are flaws to be had? ignorance is bliss and all.

y'know. i was talking about this in a metaphorical sense and was gonna go on about how like i wonder what it will look like the further things progress and wally deviates more from this aspect of himself (assuming he hasn't already. dorelaine probably was not quite so attached to his house, for one thing) but i think this might be one of the only contexts in which a literal(ish) possession story could work - i.e. how far do you think someone would go to discard their original identity and become their ideal self?

i was gonna elaborate on that but then i realized i was just describing the season one plot twist from surviving romance.

[spoilers for surviving romance, obviously] by which i mean: yknow how it turns out that the protagonist, who is now the MC of the novel the entire story takes place in, actually used to be the author of the novel? and the whole thing was written in an attempt to justify her own suffering (without actually unpacking any of her trauma or the defeatism that was beaten into her by her circumstances) by giving her idealized self-insert (the original MC) a happy ending after a series of borderline comedic acts of cruelty - something she felt she would never be able to achieve herself? and how she only remembers this after repressing it long enough to form relationships with the other characters in the novel after being thrown into a life or death situation and realizing that they all have a lot more depth and interiority than the original novel's narration afforded them? yeah? Yeah.

that's not the Whole plot twist but it is the part of it that's the most relevant to this post.

but hey, maybe there's no literal possession/reincarnation/transmutation/Whatever stuff going on. in fact, for now i'm confident in that not being the case, at least not literally. but i still think if wally being some kind of self-insert or at least being based on ronald dorelaine in some capacity is canon, then it is worth noting bc like. wally As We Understand Him so far exists to absorb and reflect the world around him and the people in it in order to guide us, the audience. if he turns out to be a self-insert on top of that, then he also exists to reflect his creator in some form. for as much as everything seems to revolve around him (even when we Know for a fact that whatever happened had an effect on the other neighbors as well) it's kind of hard to imagine wally existing as his own guy; he always exists in relation to something or someone else.

one has to wonder how he feels about that. he seems confident that it will all work out in the end (whatever "it" is) but, well. this Is a horror story.

something about what i said a while ago, about the puppets being more affected by unconscious decisions - "things left unsaid," in particular.

still think about Metaphorical hauntings in welcome home though. that one guillermo del toro quote - "What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? A moment of pain, perhaps. [...] An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."

"ah but doesn't home also lend themself to a good possession story?" so close! i think whatever's going on with home is closer to necromancy/a state of Undeath than anything else. i will not be elaborating at this point in time <3

..... possible future holy trinity imagery with dorelaine, wally, and home? father/son/holy spirit? unlikely but Could you imagine.

ah. i think here is when the thoughts run out. thanks 4 reading.

[lilallama]

Imagine y/n being the most quietest person you know, but their secretly protective of the art club. They would silently glare at namjoon and avoids him the most out of the cooking club. They would also fight jungkook if they ever see him yelling at them, even though they know they will lost that fight.

Those damn brats! The cooking club was gathered in their clubroom. On the wooden table layed photos, letters and the members notebooks. A problem which they hadn't considered just presented itself.

"If I see one of those little brats swarm my Y/n-" Hoseok cleared his throat and gave Jeongguk a expectant look. Jeongguk snapped at him, "-MY Y/N, I will not hold back and kill a bitch. Five, to be exact! It's all day 'Y/n sunbaenim this, Y/n sunbaenim that'. Like how greedy for attention can these fucking bastards be!" Jimin nodded in agreement, "I couldn't even talk to them today! The last time I talked with them was 18 hours ago! How can I be expected to live under those conditions!"

"Fucking christ-" Taehyung glared at Hoseok, "I failed to consider that these kids might become a problem." Hoseok had become restless since he realised the severity of the problems the art club is causing. Y/n seemed to have taken on a protector role around them, shielding them from everyone else and not paying attention to the cooking club. Namjoon was equally, if not more, concerned. He never wanted to harm his younger brother before. To him Soobin was irrelevant. They didn't talk often, despite Soobin seeming to look up to him somehow. But he's proven himself to be a true threat. Under Y/n's protection, Namjoon has to be careful what he says to his younger brother. The dismissive and slightly annoyed tone he usually held when talking to his brother now made Y/n glare at him. His heart drops just by the mere thought. The first time it happened he felt like crying, like taping his own mouth shut, like ripping his hair out, like jumping off the school roof, like strangling his own brother to death. How dreadful.

Out of everyone Jeongguk was complaining the loudest. He's their childhood friend, but now these fuckers want to steal his spot! "Who do they they think they are! Just because they're tall they think they can do everything! Well let's see how they feel about that once I tear their eyes out of their sockets. First I'll knock them out by bashing their heads against the ground, and then-" "Calm down, Jeon. Or do you want the whole school to hear you planning murder." The youngest huffed and kicked his chair to the ground. "Ooh~ how threatening. You really showed that chair who's boss, eh?" The youngest glared at Seokjin's remark. "Don't hurt yourself, sweetie~" Seokjin continued to mock Jeongguk, only aggravating the youngest further. "You're only mad because they called my Prince/Princess 'hyung/noona' during fourth period. What a pathetically bland nickname." "Oh and prince/princess is any better?"

The fight went on for another 20 minutes untill hoseok threatened to withdraw both their Y/n privileges. It shut them up, for now. They tried forming a plan on how to get rid of the art club. Taehyung who had been unusually quiet the entire time was brooding over whether he was still of use to Y/n as a servant. "I am not brooding. I was merely thinking..." the others turn to him. "What are you talking about, Tae?" Jimin raised a brow at him. "Are you talking to yourself again?" After he so rudely interrupted the author, "Alright, I apologise..." he returned to thinking about Y/n. His dearest saviour. Would they no longer have any use for him? Now having five new servants... no! How ridiculous! He's irreplaceable. He is Y/n's greatest and most loyal servent. No one can compare to his devotion, especially not these over grown toddlers. That he'd make sure of.

The cooking club agreed to work together, to tolerate each other existence for the time being, but that didn't mean they'd tolerate the art club. So the next day they calmly aproached the art club just as planned- "Hey you bastards! Get the fuck away from my Y/n!" The five boys looked at him slightly confused. Jeongguk was so close to tackling Yeonjun when Y/n appeared. They eyed both clubs and threw Jeongguk a death glare, effectively shattering his heart. Huening Kai clung to Y/n's arm and stutter about how they Jeongguk just stormed towards them and was about to attack them. Which was absolutely true so Jeongguk couldn't really defend himself. Y/n's gaze got colder as they looked back at the cooking club, the youngest in particular. Usually Jeongguk would theive ubder any attention his childhood friend gives him, but not even he could misinterpret their expression. As Y/n took a step towards him, the members of the cooking club could the the amused glint in Huening Kai's eyes. Soobin just stared towards Y/n with a blank stare, observing their every move while the other three huddle together and fuzz over how cool Y/n is. Y/n stared the cooking club's youngest member right in his eyes and said, "If you want to pick a fight with them, you pick a fight with me. So if you've got anything to say, say it to my face, dumbass."

Everything stared towards them. The students around them expected a fight to break out. Jeongguk wasn't known as the guy you don't want to mess with for nothing. All the people he beat bloody, the bones he's broken, the fights he's emerged victorious from could not prepare anyone from what he then did.

Everything fell silent. Jeongguk clenched his fists and stared at the ground, his breath becoming uneven. And then... sobbing. The most feared guy in school now had tears streaming down his face as he gasped for air. "Why? Why don't you love me?" His voice was filled with desperation. Everyone, even his own members were caught off guard.

He dropped on his knees and started professing his love to them. After the original shock passed, Hoseok was furious. That kid just ruined everything. He earned himself every possible punishment they have. Originally the punishment for confessing to Y/n was death, but Hoseok will admit, Jeongguk is not a member they can afford to lose. And killing him will be more effort than it's worth. So he will be banned from seeing or interacting with Y/n for the next six months.

As if it wasn't insane enough that the Jeon Jeongguk was pleading on his knees for Y/n, Min Yoongi was the one to step forward and pull him up by his collar. Without saying a word he pulled Jeongguk away who was struggling, trying to get back to Y/n, but the others stopped him from escaping their grip. Yoongi was mad beyond belief, "What the fuck were you thinking, you moron."

Jeongguk would not only be humiliated for the rest of his school days by his peers (the newspaper club will gladly make sure no one forgets this anytime soon), but also be banned from seeing Y/n. No photos, no social media, no stalking. Prepare for six months of hell. Meanwhile the other members need to figure out how to fix this mess with the art club.

[5s-missing-eye]

Small rant about Lorien Legacies and stuff bc I wanna get it off my chest

I first heard about this series in like 2015 when I watched the movie with my dad and brother. I really liked the plot but I didn't know the books existed so I just kinda forgot about it.

Fast forward to 2017/2018 when I watched the movie again and I loved it sm but I didn't look it up any further bc I was stupid.

Then a few months later I was at my local library searching the science fiction section for something to read. And what do I see there? The mf ian4 book. I immediately remembered the movie and thought "well if I liked the movie I will love the book." I was right bc my 12 year old self was so happy with it. That book was my escape from all of the other bullshit that was happening in my life. My childhood best friend had just moved away to Germany and my friend group fell apart, leaving me lonelier than ever. Adding to that, my parents never took me seriously so I couldn't talk to them about any of that.

After reading ian4 in less than a week I borrowed po6 and fell in love with the series even more. The books made me feel special. And they made me feel like I'm not alone. Like there are people in the world just waiting to meet me and be my friends. I always felt like an outsider at my school and this series made it feel like a blessing rather than a curse. Marina and Six meeting up felt like a sign that someone is eventually going to save me from everything like Six "saved" Marina.

When I went back to the library to borrow ro9 I found out that it wasn't translated to my language. That made me a little sad but I knew I would find a way to read it. I didn't really know about pirating back then so when I found pirating sites it was like I was discovering a whole new part of the Internet. I would've ordered the books online but most of the time they're sent from the USA and the shipping is wayyyyyy too expensive. My english wasn't the best back then but I was fluent enough to read the books.

I remember thinking we would meet all of the Garde while reading ro9. I was so excited for Five bc that was my favourite number at the time. So ofc I was a little disappointed when I finished the book and Five was nowhere to be found. But that's what made him even better for me.

It felt like he was left out of everything interesting and he was missing out on bonding with the rest of the Garde. Then I looked him up and got Eight's death spoiled. I didn't really know how to feel about that so I just went to read the next book to finally meet Five.

Tfo5 made me hate Sam bc his pov is so annoying. He always has something to say even if it was uncalled for. He was so rude to Five for no reason (just like everyone else). Five is so awkward in this book and that made me fall in love with him. I love awkward characters bc they remind me of me. Five stood out to me even more than anyone else tho. It is so obvious that the authors wanted us to hate Five but he was so relatable to me that I couldn't hate him. I sometimes feel like we're the same person. I felt awful when Eight died obviously but I felt even worse for Five. He was manipulated and he was brainwashed. It wasn't his fault. He never wanted anyone to get hurt he literally wanted to protect them. But in the end it seems like anything he does just hurts others more.

I don't really have anything interesting to say about the other books. I hated how everyone treated Five with 0 sympathy. He deserved better. It was kinda obvious in Fugitive Six that it was him working with Einar. I was glad to see him actually having friends and hanging out with people the way he was supposed to with the Garde.

It's sad that he always knew he wouldn't get along with the Garde. It must've been horrible to see his worst fear coming to life. I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything is gonna be okay :((

I don't know what to say about rtz. The authors didn't even bother to write about the Garde getting a new scar after his death. Nor did they give us any hints that he might be alive. It's like they just wanted to get rid of him so they don't have to write about him anymore.

I think I read the novellas after the main series. I read Five's Legacy first (obviously). It just made me love him even more. He's literally perfect in every way. I just wish he was a little more appreciated in the series.

[one-joe-spoopy]

Yes it's a multi-planet, multidimensional universe. Originally it was limited to Earth but the further humanity spread the further the Otherworld sprawled. You describing it as the Backrooms is top-tier, it absolutely is, and I am making that official.

Juno could ask Jet to help him source organs for Peter, sure, but he's never sure which one of Jet's favors are free and which ones might cost him something he can't pay. So far Jet's been willing to help him but Juno doesn't know if it's because of Buddy and Rita or because Jet wants something in return and quite frankly he's too scared to ask.

Buddy has indeed gone to see the Warden, but with Jet because she doesn't want the Warden to possibly try and drag her into Purgatory. To her, it's dressed like one of the guards in her father's prison: black from throat to ankle, heavy boots, the same cheery, maddening tone of condescension that the voice modulator added, the certain feeling that there was nobody home behind those frosty green eyes. She never went to see it again because it couldn't help with finding Vespa, since technically Vespa never walked through its gates and she isn't dead.

The Warden is based on whatever the individual imagines an authority figure to look like (mostly related to prisons and werewolves, in Rita's case. No one knows why.)

Sarah did still call them "my little monsters" because that's what they were: her little monsters that took her real child's place, the one she truly loved and never saw again, the one that she wasn't even sure ever even existed. While she said out loud that she didn't see either of the twins as her children, she allowed Ben to have her love because sometimes, most of the time, if she didn't look at him or listen to his voice or acknowledge that he wasn't hers, she could fool herself into imagining that Benzaiten was really her baby and that the worlds didn't play a cruel joke on her already gnawed thin nerves.

I don't have any equivalents for Mag or Slip yet, but they do exist, I just have to think about them. Mick (human but there's a joke that some witch cursed his family generations ago and that's why he's such a failure and why everything goes wrong around him) and Sasha (human) (Annie still died, yeah, but "Annie" technically is still living with her family. Sasha isn't sure if she's lost her mind, or if this really was her Annie) and Dark Matters do. DM's in charge of keeping track of the Otherworlds and making sure to keep the tentative peace that already exists (with the added bonus of having handy holes to chuck people into for 'science'). The Kanagawas are magical and "blessed" and are technically all the same person torn apart over and over again to create duplicates, with a few unique exceptions (Cassandra and Cecil, for example—the same case as Juno and Benzaiten). By "blessed" I mean that someone in their family made a deal with something in exchange for magic and use it to create fucked-up monsters (like the Cameramen�� and the photocopied Kanagawas themselves).

I haven't fleshed out Juno and Peter entirely yet, but here's what I do have: Juno's been stalking Peter for two days and Peter's tired and feeling twitchy but not enough to do anything about it. Juno shoots him in the hip, makes sure he's down for a good while and then approaches. Half-human-skin Peter is pretty big at 6"5' and Juno is very impressed by the antlers (sure, Juno, the antlers. Of course it was the antlers that impressed you. Uh-huh, suuuuuure). Peter stares at him because what the absolute hell, I'm losing my touch, Mag was right and also because of the look in the hunter's alley-cat eyes, hungry and calculating. Juno carries him like a half-grown lamb, legs bundled up and Peter's blood warming his jacket. No idea what happens after but I am very much open to suggestions (this is a blatant request for suggestions, jsyk)

The rifle is a gift from someone, haven't decided who, but it's my favorite because it glows!!! And also because Rita added mini charms and her special signature! It's one of Juno's most prized possession.

Hey! So, uh, I have some more stuff for the fae-hunter jupeter au, if you'd like to hear it? Regarding some more about the background and things and the other characters and also some intrusive thoughts Juno has regarding the cannibalism?

Oh fuck yeah babey lay it on me. This is the best Steel Twin Birthday Present and no other holiday or event going on irl I could've woken up to ever! And also does it mean anything if I say I have more thoughts on my monster hunter au bc I have a lot of new thoughts about it