#the crow is from the video game deaths door

[dingyhongy]

the

indie game critter creatures

[biowhore]

Have this originally small moment between Lucanis and Kalliope that snowballed into a hurt/comfort-ish one-shot. All pre-release, of course.

[~2500 word count, if you need]

Kalliope was AFAB and uses they/them pronouns. They are a mage in the Mourn Watch.

~~~

The door to the Lighthouse crashed open from Lucanis's boot, nearly splintering the frame as the thick panel met stone.

Their Rook - because he was trying not to think of Kalliope as his - held most of their weight on his shoulders as he veered sharply for the sitting area. He deposited them swiftly but carefully onto an ancient settee, kneeling in front of them. Kalliope sat heavily, immediately doubling over as the toxin took hold. Based on the blade graze on their arm, Lucanis thought, it was a coating. He was betting on deathroot based on the symptoms, thank the Maker. He had the antidote already made; they would recover quickly.

A cacophony of footfalls sounded at the entrance as the whole group came stumbling in after the pair of them. Harding and Emmerich made a beeline for Rook, already squawking about treatments.

"I have them," Lucanis stated quietly but firmly.

Harding, Maker bless her, heard his tone and stopped dead, reaching for Emmerich, but the death mage kept walking and talking.

"Might be best to-"

"I. Have. Them."

That caused Emmerich to falter, allowing Harding to grab him, "Oh good, Lucanis got them inside. If anyone can treat it, it'll be the Crow. Come on, let's give them some space - toxin recovery can be disorienting."

"Ah. Yes, quite," Emmerich cleared his throat. "Rook is in good hands."

With that, their discordant little group tickled out of the foyer one by one, casting quick glances at Lucanis and Rook as they went. He knew what it looked like, but he really couldn't be bothered to care just now.

Kalliope sat up straight suddenly, their head lolling back with a groan. "Yeah, feels like getting kicked in the teeth," Lucanis murmured. And the gut. And the groin. Both hands placed gently on their cheeks, he pulled down their eyelids to check the whites and the flesh, confirming the agent. Next, he dug into one of his pouches, retrieving a roll of leather that contained a handful of tiny glass vials. With a precise hand, he plucked out the vial he needed, along with a delicate silver spatula. With it, he scooped a viscous substance from the vial and turned back to Kalliope.

Their eyes were open, watching him but not truly seeing through the haze of the agent coursing through their veins. Their heart would be fluttering at a rapid but weak pace, unable to move blood through their body as it should. That would cause fainting eventually, which Kalliope appeared moments away from. The core of their body would heat up as blood did not disperse, their extremities becoming icy simultaneously. To wrap it all up in a bow, they would hallucinate severely, dipping in and out of consciousness; doubly dangerous for a mage.

He held the thin metal up to their lips, "Apri, Rook."

Lucanis took advantage of the brief parting of Kalliope's pale lips to sneak the spatula between their teeth, scraping the congealed antidote onto their tongue.

He whispered an apology and covered their mouth with his hand, making sure they didn't spit it out immediately. Kalliope shook their head, squeezing their eyes shut tight against the bitter, metallic tang. They settled after a moment, and Lucanis pulled his hand away.

He waited, watching the minute reactions of their face. Their eyes flickered open in fits and starts, finally remaining half open and locked onto his. He watched their awareness trickle back in, the warmth sparking weakly in the amber.

He was not expecting Kalliope to roll those usually haunting eyes and flop their forehead onto his shoulder, a surprisingly annoyed groan accompanying the action. A few muffled words escaped from the fabric of his mantle, but he couldn't make sense of them.

"Better?"

Their head turned fractionally, enough to hear a couple of words, "Dragon shit".

Kalliope never cursed in front of them. In fact, he had been certain they didn't know any curses, and had never been more amused to be wrong.

"Come?"

They did not reply. Instead, they clutched both of their elbows as tremors began from their legs, cascading up the rest of their body. It was an expected response as their heart recovered and adrenaline surged, then quickly abated. In roughly 10-15 minutes, he guessed, they would crash and sleep it off for hours.

Without thinking at first, his hands moved to the outside of their arms. He hesitated, then gingerly placed them, waiting a moment for any negative reaction from them before moving them up and down, trying to both sooth and warm them. He picked up their teeth quietly clacking by his right ear, the sound cutting off abruptly as they clenched their jaw.

"You'll be alright. It will pass."

"Well it can bloody well get on with it; this is worse than when I got locked in a sarcophagus with a half-preserved corpse."

He sincerely tried not to laugh. Kalliope was soft-spoken and polite. They continued to surprise him at every turn. Despite his efforts, he was afraid he was growing fond of surprises.

"Half-preserved?"

"I had only just removed her organs."

Disgusting. He was certain he would prefer purging any poison over that, but he was biased. And mostly immune. What did they get up to in the Necropolis?

He felt the tip of their nose just barely brush against the skin of his neck as they turned their head again, causing his hands on their arms to hesitate. Kalliope lifted away from his shoulder, eyes downcast and glazed with the adrenaline crash.

"Andraste save me, he smells delicious," they murmured.

He had no doubt that they did not intend to actually voice that thought. His mouth quirked to the side with the effort it took not to smile, simultaneously shoving any mutual sentiments into a steel box, locking it, and hurling it into the furthest forgotten corners of his mind. He was certainly not feeling that barest brush of skin like a brand.

Kalliope paused, their eyes slowly tracking upward until they met his. They quickly flicked down to the floor as their hand clapped over their mouth. Again, their eyes tracked upward, and as they took in his face, both of Kalliope's hands slapped over their face, digging into their hairline.

With a groan Kalliope asked, "By the grace of the Maker, would you happen to actually be Bellara or literally anyone else?"

"Afraid not."

"So I've said that out loud, directly into your ear."

"Sí."

"Brilliant," they flopped onto the settee, covering their face with their arm, "I don't suppose it's too late to reverse the antidote?"

Lucanis barked a bemused laugh, "I regret to inform you that despite your wishes, you shall live. But at least only I heard that."

They peeked at him from beneath their arm, "That does not make me feel better."

Lucanis only shrugged, staring at them with a crooked grin. That smile faded slowly as he tracked the full awareness coming back into their eyes. The kind of awareness that bore right into his soul, read every secret carved there, and begged him to spill his heart to them. A heart he had locked in a cage long ago. The air changed between them, settling back into the heavy weight of all the things they could not say to each other. All the things he would not let them. And because they both knew he would not, that damned pain, that hauntedness, came flooding back into their eyes. It was almost more than he could take.

Their tremors were slowing, but the shaking of their arm was very apparent. Kalliope sat up slowly, looking away in true shame now.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't myself," they spoke softly, awkwardly, "I hope... I didn't make you uncomfortable."

Lucanis clenched his jaw, but managed to say, "Don't do that. It's fine."

They shook their head, palm to their clammy forehead, "You don't need to... it- I-," they sighed heavily, abruptly pushing on from the moment, "I am exhausted. You're the only one around, and I feel as though I shall fall flat on my face if I try to stand, so could you help me to my rooms?"

Kalliope avoided his eyes, resolutely staring at the floor as she asked this of him, as if it were an imposition. He hated that he was the one responsible for them feeling this way.

"Of course. Here," he took their shaky hand away from their face, guiding it around his middle as he put another hand on their back. Slowly they both stood, Lucanis pausing to let Kalliope get their feet under them. His hand at their back slid fully around their waist, supporting their weight as he led them toward the stairs.

"You were grazed with a dagger that had a poison coating. You've had the antidote, but the wound should be tended." Lucanis stated, trying half-heartedly to alleviate the tension between them. It was even more difficult with their body so close to his - he found himself wishing he could tend to it himself, if only to apologize in his own way.

Kalliope glanced at the torn fabric on her right arm, "It's barely a scratch. Must have been really potent."

Lucanis nodded, "Concentrated deathroot extract."

"Maker's breath. How many life debts do I owe you now?"

They both turned their heads to each other, Lucanis looking into Kalliope's amber eyes with all the certainty in his bones when he said, "None."

He felt their quick intake of breath, startled by his conviction. His arm around their waist contracted to hold them upright as he successfully predicted that they would miss the next stair step. Kalliope's right hand shot out for the railing needlessly, the breath they just took rushing out in surprise.

"R-right. Well... lucky me."

~~~

The remaining trek to Kalliope's rooms was quiet and without further stumbles. Lucanis shouldered open the door without pause, his charge squeaking in protest.

"I'm fine you don't need to- aaand we're going all the way to the bed. Ok."

He chuckled, "You have no legs to stand on at the moment; I thought I would make things easier for you." While the tremors were subsiding, Kalliope was weakening with the crash. He wanted to get the graze sorted before they slept for an age.

"You are mothering me. I am fully capable of getting myself to bed, even in this state," they protested. Lucanis approached Kalliope's bed, a modest thing with warm wool blankets and a singular pillow. He carefully deposited them on the edge and stepped back.

"Light the lamp, then," Lucanis gestured to the bedside candle lamp with a flick of his chin, folding his arms as he waited. When they rolled their eyes and held out their hand for a spell, he clarified, "Without magic."

Kalliope grumbled but reached for the tinder box. They couldn't even get it open with their shaking, weakened hands. They slowly placed it back on the table, muttering under their breath, "point made."

Lucanis smirked, taking the box and lighting the candle with deft fingers. He then nodded to Kalliope's right arm, kneeling in front of them again while rummaging through another of his pouches. They obliged him by slipping their arm out of the thick robe they wore. They were able to maneuver their long sleeve up past their elbow, where the graze was, revealing a pale and freckled forearm. Lucanis removed his gloves, preparing a small amount of poultice and a linen wrapping. The cut was very clean, thanks to a well-honed blade. It was the only thing he would be thankful for regarding the attack.

He kept his touch clinical, but it was hard not to dwell on the warmth of their skin. They were quiet, watchful, but their eyes followed the movement of his fingers mechanically, thinking rather than seeing. In just a few moments he was pinning the wrapping, absurdly wishing he had an excuse to be more thorough. He needed to leave, but his legs felt leaden.

"Hmm." Kalliope patted the dressing, "Passable."

Lucanis chuckled, "I think you're opinions should be limited to wrappings on the dead. Let me know when you've tended a couple hundred bleeding limbs."

They gasped in mock affront, "The principle is the same!"

Both grinned stupidly at each other and their meaningless banter. Lucanis's caged heart strained against its bars. Their pink, soft lips broke the grin, falling to a mild frown as their eyes seemed to lose focus. They tipped forward slightly, and his hand shot out of its own volition, cupping their cheek. Kalliope let out a rush of air, their eyes fluttering closed.

"Hah... the world is spinning."

Lucanis nodded, "Rest. By morning the effects will have waned."

"This isn't really what I had in mind when I said I wanted to see more of the world outside the Necropolis," Kalliope whispered.

"Oh? Taking on some gods was on the list, though?"

They shook their head and laughed, still keeping their eyes closed from the vertigo, "Oh don't do that, it makes it worse!"

He grinned, "Apologies." He wasn't really that sorry; he craved their laugh, even if it brought him as much pain as joy.

He realized their faces were very close, the tips of their noses just a breath away from touching. Kalliope mastered their laugh and peeked their eyes open, the flame of the candle dancing in their irises. Those eyes swallowed him whole, while his logic screamed at him to leave, to pull away, to end this any way he could. But he was paralyzed, and he could not decide if he was a willing captive or not.

"You're gentle for a Crow," Kalliope whispered.

"Gentle is not a word that accurately describes me."

"Yet I did."

"Rook..." He knew what they were doing. And he couldn't let them. Yet his thumb traced the bone of their cheek, his palm soaking in their warmth like it had never known such a thing.

"Kalliope," they tried to insist.

He shook his head slowly.

Again, that haunting resignation crept into their eyes, "I'm not afraid of you, Lucanis."

Oh, his name from their mouth. Like a knife in the belly, like the caress of the sea, like the itch of the Fade, like coming home, and leaving again all at once.

Their forehead met his, in pleading or exasperation or both. His hand on their cheek was seized by their own, grasping almost desperately, and he distantly registered the lack of tremors.

"But you are afraid of me," they whispered, then with a resigned confidence, "So, you should leave."

Their eyes shuttered, a wall of everite, leaving Lucanis briefly surprised. His hand fell away, and his legs finally did as they were bid, rising and stepping back. Kalliope's warmth left his body all at once, leaving him terribly and familiarly cold. Their gaze dropped to the floor, remaining where he had been and refusing to watch him leave. They simply waited silently.

His throat had closed. His hands, now back inside their gloves, clenched at his sides. His feet took him to the door, silent and detached, like he had wanted. But he managed to pause in the frame, something inside him finally deciding that he was incapable of leaving things between them like this.

Softly, simply, he bid them farewell, "Buonanotte, sognatore."*

His ears picked up the soft intake of breath and swallow they took as his feet left the threshold. It was the only apology he could offer them, the only acknowledgement he knew how to give after they had so completely sliced into the heart of the matter - in a way he didn't even fully understand yet.

He let his feet continue carrying him away from them, and his heart raged against the bars of its cage.

*Goodnight, dreamer

[selunesdreams]

Chapter 3: Sympathy is a Knife

“Are you saying my debt is now paid in full?” “I don’t know. Is breaking you out of an underwater prison an even exchange for a glass of wine I didn’t have the chance to finish?” Lucanis smirked, a huff of air escaping his nose. Her moxie rivaled Caterina’s. He shuffled out of her way as she squeezed past him to peruse another section, her long, dark hair sweeping against his shoulder, the curve of her hip just barely brushing against his- “SMELLS LIKE-” “So…was that you or Spite who had my back there with the Warden?” Rook asked, thumbing through stacks of fabric. “-ROSEWATER AND SMOKE-” “You can say it was both of us.”

Pairing: Lucanis x Fem Rook/OFC x sometimes Spite??

Summary: Lucanis asks Rook for moral support in planning Caterina's funeral, Rook asks him for a favor in return, Varric has a lot to say about chess, Davrin gets recruited, and Rook has to make an impossible choice…Link to Chapter 1

Word Count: 4.5k

Things of note/warnings: 18+ fic, MDNI! Blood, blight, decomposition, Spite smelling people an inappropriate amount, protective Lucanis and…dead grandmas? I think that covers this chapter. Please read on AO3 if you need to track warnings, they will be inevitably detailed better there (or just want to be real sweet and give me hits/kudos/comments).

─── ⊹⊱♤⊰⊹ ───

To her relief, the Demon of Vyrantium’s addition hadn’t upset the peace of the Lighthouse much, but he had a terrible habit of brooding.

With Varric still on the mend, Rook had been savoring her moments with Neve, Bellara, and Harding in the days leading up to Lucanis’ arrival. Even with almost certain death on the horizon, the four had spent several evenings lounging with their feet in the small pool, centered in Harding’s room. Lace’s quarters more closely resembled a vibrant greenhouse with trails of thick ivy cascading from the ceiling, the floor littered with potted plants from regions of Thedas Rook had never even heard of.

In more recent days, Lucanis had revealed talent in the kitchen that rivaled his expertise as an assassin, and he soon became something like a savior. He possessed an uncanny ability to transform a loaf of bread, spices, and tomatoes into a dish one would serve to impress on a first date. If she was honest, his food rivaled Rook’s mother’s and flooded her with nostalgia, but she’d never admit it. Or maybe it would, if it meant she’d never have to consume one of Neve’s oil-drenched fish again.

“So, we have the Shadow Dragons backing us, the Veil Jumpers, the Crows…now what?” Bellara, never still for more than a few minutes at a time, paced the floor of the main sanctum where the other women were gathered.

“We need Wardens. If we’re dealing with blight, they’ve got centuries of experience under their belts.” Neve said. Beside her, Harding was curled up in a way that made even the stone bench seem inviting. 

“Not to mention all that corruption they love sweeping under the rug,” Rook grumbled. 

Harding straightened in her seat. “Hey, not all Wardens are-"

The doors swung open and Lucanis strode in, his steps falling quietly on the granite floor. “Rook, do you have a minute?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Of course, is something the matter?”

He waved her on to follow him, silently climbing the stairwell to her chambers.

“Don’t be too long, Rook,” Neve said, miming a rather offensive gesture with a wink before her face turned serious again. “I’ve arranged a meeting between you and the First Warden at the Cobbled Swan at sundown.”

Rook returned Neve’s gesture with one of her own and followed Lucanis upstairs.

“You’re starting to give everyone the wrong idea about us.” She said, shutting the door behind her. “Any reason this needed to be top secret?”

“Teia wants to meet.” He said, pacing the floor with his hands clasped behind his back. “To plan Caterina’s funeral.”

“Oh.”

“If you don’t mind, I could use some backup. In case Spite gets out of hand. And I thought, since this is Crow business, and you and Caterina had…some sort of relationship...”

“Understood.” Rook grabbed her staff from its place on the wall. “Let’s not keep Teia waiting.” 

─── ⊹⊱♤⊰⊹ ───

The casino was enveloped in a heavy silence as they entered, the lights dimmed as a show of respect. Most of the non-essential staff and Crows had been dismissed, adding to the stillness.

“Good, you’re here.” Teia pulled Rook into a tight embrace while Illario idled behind her, his downcast expression mirroring his sullen mood. Among all the people she had left behind, the absence of Teia weighed heavily on her conscience. She hadn’t even left a note, yet the Seventh Talon had shown no resentment since their reunion.

Lucanis joined them, lingering near the back wall. “Thank you for making the arrangements, Andarateia.” 

“For Caterina? How could I do otherwise? I’m so sorry, Lucanis. This must be such a blow.”

Rook felt a pang of sympathy - he looked so lost. It was easy to forget that someone like Lucanis, who had grown up under the care of the hardened First Talon, could still experience such profound grief. Especially when his only remaining family was Illario, who was emotional enough for the both of them. She shuddered, reminding herself that Viago was a blessing, even in the moments when he felt like a curse.

Teia reached out, her hand gently squeezing Rook’s. “Thank you for coming with him. I need one Dellamorte to plan this. His cousin has been no help at all.”

“I’m sorry, Teia. This is just…too much right now,” Illario said, his hand passing wearily over his face. Rook suppressed the urge to dismiss his words as melodrama, choosing instead to inject a hint of levity into the conversation.

“Lucanis wouldn’t have come without me,” she quipped playfully. Beside her, he folded his arms, widening his stance and shooting her an irritated sideways glance. 

“Here for emotional support? You’re always such a dear. You certainly didn’t learn that from Viago.”

“Well, I did care about Caterina. She deserves to be honored.” Beside her, Lucanis’ posture softened a bit, but Illario remained tense as ever. “What do you need us to do?”

Teia nodded. “There’s a lot to plan, but first I need the ashes.” 

“…Ashes?” Illario’s face slacked.

“Maker help us. Caterina’s ashes … from the cremation?”

“Oh. Yes. Of course.” He let his arms fall heavy at his sides. “I’ll get them to you right away.” 

“Illario, what happened?” Lucanis asked, standing up straight. “How did the Venatori get to Caterina? When? Where? In the estate? In the city? How did they get past our people? What did they use? Poison? Blades? I need to know!”

Illario stepped forward and pressed a palm to his shoulder. “Cousin, stop. You can’t dwell on this. It will drive you mad.”

Lucanis brushed his hand away. “I’m not dwelling. Zara killed the First Talon. I have to know how if I’m going to stop her!”

“And I’m telling you, I’m handling it!”

“Boys! Enough of this. We have other things to discuss.” Teia snapped. 

“My apologies, Andarateia.” Illario said. “Please, continue without me. I’ll…get you the ashes.” He cast a final, pained glance in Rook’s direction before he left. It was obvious he wanted her to follow, to comfort him so he could talk her into taking her clothes off out of pity.

She rooted her feet firmly in place. Not happening.

“Something’s going on with him.”

“When he’s not on the job, my cousin always has his head in the clouds.” Lucanis said dismissively. 

“She’s right though. Illario can be a handful, but the only time I’ve seen him this way was when you were presumed dead.” Teia gave Lucanis an appraising look and grinned. “You’re worrying, aren’t you? What will people say if they hear the Demon of Vyrantium has a big, soft heart?” 

“It’s been an issue before.” Lucanis mumbled.

“An issue?” Rook glanced between them. “What kind of issue?”

“Remember Lucanis’ big contract for the Wigmaker? What he didn’t tell everyone is that he went rogue and freed a bunch of slaves before killing his target. Good karma, but bad for his reputation.” Teia said. “Sound familiar?”

Rook blinked. Maybe this was why he’d gone so much easier on her than Viago had. Save for her accidentally interrupting a Crow operation, their situations were nearly identical. 

“I ignored Caterina’s most important teaching - not to let emotions become involved in killing. It makes you sloppy.”

“You’re kidding.” Rook scoffed. “Only Crows could make something like freeing slaves into a shameful occasion.”

“Fiamma…” Teia warned as Viago stepped into the room. She tugged on Lucanis’ sleeve, pulling him aside. “Come, I’ll get us some drinks and we can make arrangements.” 

Viago moved closer, the sound of his boots echoing on the casino walls. “Any more complaints about how we should be running things around here?” 

“Come on, Vi. You know what I meant.”

“Illario was inconsolable at the wake.” He said, changing the subject. “He needed you, Fiamma. I had to use a mild poison to sedate him and get him to stop blubbering. Maybe you should try to be there for him this time around.”

“I owe him nothing.”

“At the very least, you could help another Crow-”

“Please. Are you upset that Illario’s alienated everyone in his life, or that you couldn’t pawn a drunk spoiled brat off on me at your friend’s wake? Who, might I mention, is alive and well in the next room.” She said, gesturing at the wall. 

“Forget Illario! I’m upset that I grieved two people at once!” Viago roars. “Lucanis was my friend, but you were my family . And you abandoned me-”

“You abandoned me!”

“You disobeyed orders!” Viago closed his eyes and swallowed hard enough that she saw his throat bob before he lowered his voice to a whisper. “You could have died.” 

“Vi-I’m going to be-”

He cut her off and pulled her into a crushing hug.

“I am a bastard. My father does not want to know me, and my half-siblings took their hush money and disappeared. My mother is gone.” He said, holding her close, “Sure, I had Teia and Illario and Caterina. But we are blood.”

The back of Fiamma’s throat burned as he broke the embrace and held onto her by her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes and glanced at his hands.

“We never hug. Is there poison on your gloves?”

“Could be. Don’t let your guard down, cousin.” he released her, clearly embarrassed by his own display of affection. “But I’m serious. If someone could take out Caterina…I’m glad Lucanis is with you, at least.” 

“I handled myself fine without him before.” 

“And you’ll handle yourself better with him now. He could teach you a thing or two about restraint. And patience.”

“Not with that demon in him.” 

“Don’t make me worry again, please. I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep in months.” Viago groaned. 

“I think the demon likes me.” Rook winked and Viago wrinkled his nose.

“I regret saying anything at all.”

“Fine. I’ll change the subject…” she lowered her voice. “You and Teia seem close.” 

“We’ve always been close. She’s a Talon.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Fi, flirting is what Teia does. You’ve known her your whole life.” 

“She is not just flirting…” Rook ended the exchange as Teia and Lucanis’ voices drew nearer. 

“Our house owes you for handling all this.” 

“Caterina was family. Can you imagine what she’d say if she saw us all like this?” 

Old Crow instincts kicked in, and both Rook and Viago eavesdropped, letting their conversation go unfinished. 

“How is working with Fi?”

Rook couldn’t hear Lucanis’ reply.

“She’ll come around. You remind her of difficult times.”

Viago suppressed a grin as Rook cursed under her breath. Teia was always spilling her secrets. 

“How…is she?”

“Too hard on herself. But a good leader. My…Spite listens her. Which is odd. He doesn’t really listen to anyone.” 

“Spite?”

“The demon.”

“I told you,” Rook nudged Viago, earning her a sharp elbow to the ribs in return. She pinched his forearm, and he took two large sidesteps away from her, folding his arms across his chest.

“Oh. And you?” Teia continued, her voice echoing off the walls.

“And I what?”

“Do you listen to her?”

“When she has something to say, sure. Usually, she ignores me.”

Rook’s mouth fell open. “She’s doing this on purpose!” she hissed. “She knows we’re eavesdropping.”

A curt “yep” was all her cousin said in return, clearing his throat as Teia and Lucanis rounded a corner.

“I’ll have my people keep an eye on Illario.” Teia said, winking at Rook as she sat down on a nearby sofa and crossed her legs.

Lucanis nodded. “Thank you both.”

Teia shooed them away with a wave of her hand. “Go on. I’ll let you know if something comes up. And Fi? We’re overdue for a chat. When you have the time. I know you’re a busy woman these days.”

Rook nodded, giving Viago’s wrist a quick squeeze before following Lucanis across the walkway back to the Eluvian. Perhaps she and her cousin hadn’t completely worked things out, but this seemed like a step in the right direction.

“Lucanis, you wouldn’t be feeling…generous, by chance?”

“This sounds foreboding.”

“I was just thinking, since I was such wonderful moral support, that you could be my backup on a little errand I have to run?”

“Fine, as long as you stop trying to charm me into it.”

Rook placated him and dropped the act.

“Are you up for a quick trip to Dock Town with me? Neve set up a meeting between me and the First Warden.”

“Wardens? Ugh. Isn’t there something I could stab instead?”

“I had to stand in the same room as Illario for you. You can bear a Warden. Come on, I’ll let you sulk across the bar. I just need you in case things go south. You won’t even have to introduce yourself.”

He mulled it over. “Is there wine?”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“Deal."

─── ⊹⊱♤⊰⊹ ───

Lucanis settled into a booth at the Cobbled Swan with a bottle of Antivan Red and a glass that he had to polish himself a few times with the cuff of his sleeve before feeling comfortable drinking from it. Rook had definitely misled him when she dragged him along, conveniently “forgetting” her coin purse, forcing him to pay for their drinks.

“Don’t pretend you can’t afford it. With all that unspent money accruing interest in your bank account while you were in the Ossuary?” she had teased him. There was a delighted laugh somewhere in his mind. 

“LIKE HER. FUNNY. NOT AFRAID OF SPITE.”

He took a long sip and grinned. If he was stuck with a demon, he could at least find a little solace in the company. 

From a safe distance, he watched Rook attempt to reason with the Warden. At first, her side of the conversation appeared to go well. She carried herself like a leader - Wardens were always receptive to that. But the First Warden - Jowin, he’d called himself - became less and less amused the longer she spoke. As he placed his glass on the table, Lucanis discreetly reached for the dagger at his hip.

“The important thing is, the gods are making the blight worse. D’Meta’s Crossing was just the beginning. That’s why we need the Wardens-”

“It’s clear whatever you did to unleash the blight has corrupted your already weak mind.” Jowin nodded to his guards behind her. “You will be taken to Weisshaupt and placed under heavy guard until the danger you caused by unleashing the blight passes-”

“No, wait-”

Lucanis sprung from his seat, and with a flash of steel, appeared at Rook’s side, daggers drawn.

“She’s not going anywhere. Try again.” 

“I was handling this,” Rook growled.

“By getting yourself a private escort to prison?”

“I should have known.” The First Warden said, “You Crows are meddling where you-”

“Adamant Fortress. 9:41 Dragon.” Someone announced loudly from across the room. “The Grey Wardens tried to raise an army of demons.”

A man strode between them and the Wardens, placing a hand on his hip. His clothes bore the Shadow Dragon mark, and there was a slight burn behind Lucanis’ eyeballs.

“MAGE. STRONG ONE. SMELLS LIKE TEVINTER-”

“Hardly the models of good judgment yourselves, are you?” He continued, examining his fingernails.

“Everyone knows Warden-Commander Clarel acted alone at Adamant Fortress.” The First Warden retorted. 

“Acted alone, you say? Imagine if everyone saw the letter I discovered where you authorized her actions…”

The First Warden scowled. “Are you prepared to risk the security of the Grey Wardens for this girl?”

“DISRESPECT! NOT A GIRL. WOMAN . LET ME KILL, PLEASE .” 

Lucanis pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep Spite at bay. High emotions always gave the demon a chance to break through. 

“You may be surprised to find I care very little about the security of the Grey Wardens.” The mage continued with a shrug. 

The First Warden squinted at Rook. 

“Stay away from the blight, and do not address the Grey Wardens again with your nonsense,” he said, motioning for his guards to follow and storming out of the bar. 

“Blackmail, really? Impressive.” Rook murmured, extending a hand. “I’m-”

“Rook. I know. A mutual friend thought you might need some support.” He took her by the hand enthusiastically. 

“Are you Dorian? Of the Shadow Dragons? Varric’s mentioned you.”

“The very same.” He turned to Lucanis and frowned, undoubtedly picking up on his demonic passenger.

“Lucanis.” He introduced himself with a bow, preferring to keep his distance.

“You’re both Crows?”

“Yes.” Rook answered.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Dorian eyed Lucanis as he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his robes. “Right, well…” He cleared his throat with a smile. “Don’t hesitate to call on me if you need assistance. A friend of Varric’s is… usually, a friend of mine.” 

As Dorian took his leave, Lucanis leaned over to murmur in Rook’s ear. “He can sense Spite.”

“Are you sure? Maybe assassins just make him nervous.”

“Really? He’s a Shadow Dragon, Rook.”

“Just trying to make you feel better.” She shrugged and looked at the empty booth where he’d been sitting. “Should we have another glass before we get out of here?”

“Viago would have me killed if I let you drink unsupervised wine.”

“Good call.” She said and tossed a coin on the bar, slipping out the door.

“I thought you forgot your coin purse?” Lucanis fell in step with her on the street, his cloak billowing lightly in the breeze behind him.

“And I thought you owed me a debt?”

She ducked into a small clothing shop, and he followed. From floor to ceiling, tailored garments hung on display, textile samples arranged neatly in long lines on battered tables underneath. Several were missing a leg, or propped up on bricks to keep them steady.

“SMELLS LIKE LEATHER AND MOTHBALLS.”

“Are you saying my debt is now paid in full?”

“I don’t know. Is breaking you out of an underwater prison an even exchange for a glass of wine I didn’t have the chance to finish?”

Lucanis smirked, a huff of air escaping his nose. Her moxie rivaled Caterina’s. He shuffled out of her way as she squeezed past him to peruse another section, her long, dark hair sweeping against his shoulder, the curve of her hip just barely brushing against his-

“SMELLS LIKE-”

“So…was that you or Spite who had my back there with the Warden?” Rook asked, thumbing through stacks of fabric.

“-ROSEWATER AND SMOKE-”

“You can say it was both of us.”

She hummed to herself and picked out a leather pantsuit, holding it up against herself to check the size before placing it on the counter. As she dispensed a few gold pieces on top of it, the shop-owner’s eyes widened as he did a double-take, confirming Lucanis’ suspicions that she overpaid.

His head began to feel fuzzy again, and he positioned himself sideways, watching the shop door out of the corner of his eye. A few hooded figures milled about, and he placed his hand on Rook’s lower back.

“You look exhausted. Best we get back.” He turned his attention to the shop owner. “Mind if we use the back door?” Lucanis asked politely.

The shop owner nodded and gestured between two clothing racks, appreciatively holding out Rook’s purchase. Lucanis guided her out, stepping carefully across clothes strewn across the floor.

Rook huffed indignantly. “I look exhausted? You look like you haven’t slept in weeks.”

“SMELLS LIKE-”

“I believe you.” He said, pushing her into the alley.  

─── ⊹⊱♤⊰⊹ ───

“So, Scout Harding glows now? Is that a thing everyone’s doing or just her?”

Rook flopped on the bed opposite Varric and sighed loudly. 

“Fuck off. I need some advice.” She let her hand fall to the side, allowing him a glimpse of Solas’ dagger in her palm. “What do you think this is?”

“Shit. That looks like the one my brother tried to kill me and Hawke for. Lyrium.” 

“How do you think Solas cleansed it of the Blight?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Ugh. This is all too much.” Rook whined and rolled over, burying her face in a pillow.

“Chin up, kid. You’ve got this.”

“Do I? I’m starting to feel as crazy as the First Warden thinks I am.” She turned her head to catch her breath, muffled voice becoming clear again. “I mean…fuck. I seem pretentious, don’t I? Masquerading around like some kind of leader, asking people who’ve known me since childhood - my own family - to call me Rook?”

“You remember when I gave you that nickname?”

“Yeah, yeah. When you taught me how to play chess, passing time in Minrathous while we waited for a contact.”

“The rook on a chessboard represents strength, stability. It’s second only in power to the queen piece.”

“Are you the queen in this scenario?”

“Funny.” Varric glared at her. “As I was saying - it’s a major player. But unlike the queen, who can move in any direction she wishes, it’s up against odds, limitations. The rook has the unique job of protecting its allies, while it also searches for its enemy’s weakness. It must move around its fellow pieces carefully, sometimes waiting for them to act before it can make its move.” 

“You sound like my father.” She whined. “All lessons and metaphors.”

“Fatherhood was never my calling. But I am a damn good mentor.”

Tears brimmed in Rook’s eyes for some reason, and she swiped them away hastily. “You are,” she whispered. 

“Hey Rook-“ Harding knocked softly on the door as she entered the room. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

She sat up so quickly she saw stars. “No, not at all.” 

“Tell us what you’ve got, Harding.” Varric said. 

“Lucanis mentioned your trouble with the First Warden…”

Rook grimaced. “How kind of him.”

“I was just thinking - I have some friends. A married couple in the Wardens who have been researching the Blight for years. I could reach out to them, if you’d like? See if they could help?”

Rook exhaled. “That would be great, Harding.”

“I’ll get on it.” 

“Hey - did Lucanis…say anything else?”

She shook her head. “Only that the First Warden was an ass to you, and he wanted to tell him where he could shove his blade. Now that I think about it, though, I’m not sure if that was him or the demon talking.”

“You’ve got to look at the eyes. Purple is Spite.” 

“Oh. Well…then I guess it was just Lucanis.”

Rook hummed to herself as Harding left, falling back onto the mattress as she looked at Varric, who was grinning ear to ear.

“What? You have something to say?”

“No, no, just…touching that the Demon of Vyrantium is so heated on your behalf.”

“Why don’t you take another nap, old man?”

─── ⊹⊱♤⊰⊹ ───

“Oh!”

Rook covered her mouth and suppressed the bile that rose in her throat. Harding’s connections had sent them searching for a Grey Warden in the High Anderfels, and so far, all she and Lucanis had found was a tent full of blight and decomposition. 

“That’s…unfortunate.” Lucanis said, before something above caught his attention. He searched the sky carefully, one hand reaching for his dagger.

“What-”

He held a finger up to cut her off, beginning to crouch low, just before a loud squawk echoed throughout the canyon and a pair of claws came barreling down towards them. Lucanis shoved Rook out of the way, and she landed hard on her knees, hands scraping on the rock as she scrambled to catch herself without plunging to her death. The creature swooped in front of them again, landing a few feet away, scratching at the earth and snapping its beak.

Rook pushed Lucanis aside and crawled forward, holding out her hands in invitation. The half-eagle, half-lion, cocked its head curiously as Lucanis lowered his weapon.

“Rook! Are you crazy?” He hissed. 

“It’s a griffon! A real griffon!”

“Trouble is, he’s not sure what you are. Neither am I.” Announced a tall elf in full Warden armor, climbing up the nearby hill. Rook rose to her feet, offering her hand. 

“I’m Rook.” She inclined her head backwards. “This is Lucanis. We’re looking for Davrin.”

“You’ve found him.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Mind telling me why you smell like darkspawn? Griffins hunt darkspawn.” 

“It’s the tent.” Rook protested. “It was like that when we got here…blighted.”

“Blight? Where are Remi and-?”

There was a sudden chorus of griffons crying out overhead, and Davrin drew his sword, bracing himself. 

“Time to go. You can explain while we run. Come on!”

Recruiting their new friends hadn’t gone as planned. Ambushed by a Gloom Howler and several darkspawn, the remaining griffons were abducted, but Davrin agreed to return to the Lighthouse with them, under the agreement that they’d help retrieve the stolen griffons in return. 

“So, you live in the Fade?” He asked as they stepped off the Caretaker’s boat. Behind him, his griffon, Assan, screeched excitedly. 

“Yep.” Rook cleaned darkspawn guts off her blade with the heel of her boot. “And the gods can’t find us here. It’s a pretty solid setup. There are plenty of rooms to choose from. Your odds on getting a good one are high since Lucanis chose to camp out in the pantry.”

Lucanis glowered. “Rook, would you please -”

As they rounded the next corner, the rest of their companions came barreling into view.

“Well…here’s everyone.” Rook gave them a skeptical look. “Everyone, this is-”

“Dragons!” Bellara braced her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. “Dragons.”

Davrin drug his hand across his face. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“Minrathous is under attack.” Neve clarified.

“Treviso too.” Harding skidded to a stop behind her.

“Mierda.” Lucanis breathed. 

“We can’t be in two places at once, Rook.” Harding said, “You’ve got to make the call.”

Lucanis seized Rook by the arm, a pleading look in his eyes. “Rook, it’s Treviso . People will die without us-Teia, Viago, Illario-”

Her stomach churned as she locked eyes with Neve. Her new friend. The one she’d grown most attached to during her fleeting time in the Lighthouse. The only other person handpicked by Varric. 

“Neve, I’m so sorry. I have to-“

“I get it. Treviso is your home. But I have to go save mine.” She fade-stepped backwards and took off running to Dock Town’s Eluvian without another word. Rook glanced around at her companions as they waited for her to make a decision.

Damnit, Varric. She never wanted to be a leader.

“Davrin, with us.” She didn’t want to split him up with people he hadn’t even been properly introduced to yet. “The rest of you go with Neve. We’ll meet you there as soon as we can.”

Rook stared down at her arm, where Lucanis still had ahold of her, expecting him to release her, but he pulled her along, as if afraid she’d turn her back on Treviso if he didn’t drag her there.

“Is it always like this?” Davrin asked as he quickened his pace, following them through the Crossroads. Behind them, Assan flitted through the air anxiously. 

“I wish I could say it wasn’t.” Rook replied over her shoulder. She yanked herself free of Lucanis’ hold as they reached the Eluvian, and followed him in, gasping as she materialized on the other side.

Her city was burning. 

[marshvlovestv]

In honor of me having so much video game music downloaded on my phone that I ran out of storage and had to buy a new phone. My favorite track from each video game OST I have!

Bastion: Brusher Patrol (Such a bizarre clash of styles, I can't help but love this one. Shout-out to the part that sounds like Darren quietly scatting in the background.) (Also special shout-out to Build That Wall, probably my favorite vocal track in any Supergiant game)

Celeste: Scattered and Lost (I am such a normie for this choice but face it this track absolutely slaps.)

Chicory: A Colorful Tale: Song of the Wielders (I love how this song has actual lyrics but I still prefer to sing along with the Simlish version that Pizza and Chicory sing.)

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: Illusion (First of all I love how every character in this game has their own theme I go feral for that kind of thing. Kurielle is probably one of the characters who stood out to me the least but by god is her theme gorgeous. I love the vocals and how a later track includes a sneaky reprise.)

Cuphead: Dramatic Fanatic (Tap dancing :D)

There are literally thirty of these so I'm doing a read more

Death's Door: The Grey Crow (A heartbreaking boss fight scored with the appropriate amount of anguish)

Deltarune: Cyber Battle (This melody is so underrated and ya know what, so are the characters associated with it. Sweet Cap'n Cakes forever.)

Elsinore: Donne, The Boat Boy (I love this song because it's associated with Lady Guildenstern, aka the best character in gaming full stop, but it's also just a fun little sea shanty that I think they made up for this game so I love that. Also has a lyrical version.)

Evergate: Police (Okay so the level with the police drones is one of the more frustrating ones in the game but the music is hauntingly beautiful so I give it a pass)

Going Under: trust fall (Marv is easily one of the most hateable video game antagonists of all time but damn if his boss theme doesn't slap)

Hades: Last Words (The rolling and the tolling of the bells bells bells bells bells)

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie: Reverie Ascendant (Lena Raine does these medley tracks so good man)

Hollow Knight: Dung Defender (By far the catchiest song about poop on my entire phone)

Ikenfell: Rose Thorns (So the insanely long final boss fight against Oxley overshadowed Aeldra's boss fight in my memory for a long time, but when I watched another playthrough and bought the OST I realized "Oh her theme bops SO much harder than his ever could")

Inscryption: A Final Duel (A hardcore remix of The Scrybe of Magicks, aka one of the only melodic tracks on the album and therefore the one every YouTube video about Inscryption uses in the background. I prefer the epic version just a bit more because honestly that Magnificus setpiece is the best moment in the game)

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass: Fun, Sunny Day (A fun and silly track as the title suggests, elevated even more by the context in which it plays in the game. The area music alternates between this and the more somber Rainy Sunday to illustrate that Jimmy mother is bipolar [very cute and silly game])

Omori: Bready Steady Go (Like the absolute dipshit I am I actually completely missed the optional Orange Oasis when I played this game myself. Every Let's Player finds it somehow, though, and when they fight the Unbread Twins I invariably stand up and dance along to the boss music.)

One Step from Eden: Perpetual Motion (It's just a good-ass track y'all)

Ori and the Blind Forest: Conundrum (In a soundtrack of sweeping orchestral pieces, this more subdued version of theme that only plays during one small puzzle section might seem a weird choice. But I've always really liked it)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Kwolok's Malaise (Kwolok's leitmotif is perfect for a giant frog and the boss remix takes it to it's logical conclusion)

Paradise Killer: Go! Go! Style (This track makes me feel like I'm having a sugar rush. The whole OST does actually but this one especially)

Pyre: Path to Glory (It's just got a really unique vibe to it. I like it)

Scarlet Hollow: Avery (Chill and really beautiful. Avery themself is kind of a sleeper character at this point but I can't wait for Brandon to remix their theme when they get assimilated into a giant plant monster)

Slay the Princess: The Princess (Okay full disclosure I've only played this game once so I don't have the full context for a lot of the tracks on this OST. Maybe hearing them alongside their respective princesses will make me like them more, but for now the title theme is too iconic to beat.)

Sounds of Sympathy (the OST for the game anthology Essays on Empathy): Zen and the Art of Transhumanism (In the Essays on Empathy documentary, fingerspit talked about how she prefers writing obscenely long tracks so the loop doesn't get annoying. Unfortunately for her my favorite track on this album is only three minutes long. It's a lovely little bop.)

Spiritfarer: Mind Palace (I played Spiritfarer before any of the character updates were released, so I didn't get Daria's mind palace sequences in my game. And I mean, they look very platforming-heavy so I'm okay with that, but god this is a gorgeous piece.)

Transistor: Impossible (I think this is Royce Bracket's boss theme? I don't know when any of the tracks on this OST specifically play in game. Regardless of all that this one gets me pumped.)

Unavowed: One Man's Power (I couldn't find a video of this one, but it's gentle saxophone solo that plays when Logan Brown is introduced. I think it fits is character really well and just sounds really nice)

Undertale: Death by Glamour (Best song for best character, enough said)

Wandersong: Moonscape (God knows this game gave me a lot of great options to pick from, but I settled on this one because it's so uplifting.)

[lil-ol-shipper]

My love letter to Death's Door

First of all, I suck at video games, I don't play them enough nor do I finish or follow through. Picture the worst person playing an RPG fighting game and that's me.

So the idea of me not only completing this game but also falling in love with it is crazy. Even when I wanted to tear my hair out every time I saw that fucking "Death" title card. I fell in love with the lore, characters, soundtrack, and it's humor. God I got so attached to the characters I almost cried so many times in this game. The characters, though they were in a fantasy world with magic and immortal souls, were relatable and had their own quirks that they stood out from each other really well. I devoured everything about this game and I'm still hungry for more. There's so much in this game that it could take one hours to go through all of its nooks and crannies of little easter eggs and details.

No other game has done to me what Death's Door has, which was it made me invested in it as a whole. It was so unnecessarily hard but still easy to play for a measly little shit like me. I get it, sometimes it stays under people's radar as it came out in 2021 and looked like every other indie fighting game. It sure did for me, but I don't what made me buy it I just wanted something new and different rather than play Hollow Knight or Animal Crossing again for the 100th time this month.

I love indie games, each has it's own unique aesthetic and you can tell the aesthetic this game goes for and it hits to a T. I was really sad when I found out that all of their vinyls and concept art that Devolver Digital had on their merch store was sold out :(

I could talk about this game's lore for hours. The same goes for the great soundtrack. No one else I know has even heard of this game. Whenever I try to explain it, they kind of just nod and look at me weird. Oh, you're fine with playing games like Zelda and Diablo IV, but this little crow with a sword and his little green friends make you frown?! What?!

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk (autistic rant).

[catboii]

← Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 → Full Thread

[Day ####]

Agent 23 didn’t fill out her journal about the day's events. She wanted to, was thinking about it the entire time they were playing chess together. Was thinking about how to write ‘I just played chess with a crow’ without it sounding like a joke… Even though it’s her journal and no one else would read it. If anyone ever did find it, it would be too boring for anyone to get far. This was the most exciting thing she’s done at work the entire time she’s been here. A lot of the previous jobs she’s had have been to watch the inanimates. The most exciting assignment before this, was the wardrobe that was said to vanish people for a short time if they stood inside it wearing a clown costume and closed the doors behind themselves. They would reappear after two to four hours, possibly depending on how colourful their outfits were, as the first set of case files proposed. The individuals did not have any recollection of disappearing, and felt as if they had stepped into, and immediately back out of, the wardrobe. 

Before it was shut up in the chamber it finally rested in, where it was when Agent 23 was assigned to ‘watch’ it, there had been an experiment as to what counted as a ‘clown costume’. 

In the experimental facility, there had been several D-class personnel that had been assigned to the experiment, mostly prison inmates that had sentences longer than the general human life expectancy. They were promised that if they assisted in daily experiments, in return they would get to live in a specific facility where they would have all the necessities they needed and wanted. It appeared from the outside to be a high class hotel with strict security to keep people out. In truth, it was a highly guarded prison, and they were each implanted with small devices which would explode in the backs of their necks, inside their spinal cords, crippling them if they tried to escape. But they did get everything they wanted, to a realistic degree. They had a heated indoor pool, state of the art gym equipment, the ability to request certain films or tv series box sets, which would be screened by security personnel and then handed over, and even several cinema rooms set up to watch the movies that they could request time in, and have a bunch of people watch the movie at once, or all by themselves. They had similar processes for board games, card games and video games, with specific game rooms fitted with a table football game, separate billiards, snooker and pool tables, a few arcade games from varying decades including a Dance Fever game, and other various amenities. They could still write letters to their families of course, and there was a courtyard in the middle of the building so they could get some outdoor time without being exposed to the actual outside. Less of a chance of them trying to run off, than if it was an actual yard on the outside of the building. 

Some D-class personnel who did an exceptional job would be offered additional opportunities to take on more risky missions, with full disclosure of what they would be getting into, and their payment would be a secret fund paid to their families upon their death, or release. Of course, there would never be a release back into society, as they would know too much, but the Foundation wouldn’t allude to this, as they needed their Disposable personnel to keep their hopes up and think they still had something to live for, a family to return to. 

In regards to the anomalous object, it appeared that even wearing the same physical costumes, as long as they were clown-like, people who appeared to be men were gone for up to thirty minutes longer than people who appeared to be women. Even if someone who was physically female, and identified as such, managed to appear as a man while wearing a costume, the wardrobe would treat them as such, disappearing them for the same amount of time as an actual man wearing the same costume, and vice versa. If the costume was sufficient to obscure the person beyond recognising a ‘gendered presentation’, then they would get an equal amount of time. 

The experiment was paused temporarily after a D-class suited in a completely black and white 1950s style mime outfit; complete with full face makeup, didn’t return after six hours, over three hours longer than anyone had been gone up to this point. They believed they may not return at all. 

Before this instance, every costume had had at least one coloured item included, even if it was just a normal civilian outfit including a white or black shirt but blue jeans, for example. Hair colour also didn’t seem to make a difference, although testing didn’t get far enough to test out wigs. 

24/7 surveillance continued, to monitor if the subject would be sent back, and after exactly 72 hours and 0 seconds, one of the doors flung open, and a desiccated corpse fell out onto the floor. Upon investigation, their costume was neatly folded and placed in one of the drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe. DNA testing concluded that the corpse was indeed the D-Class previously sent in. 

Regardless of this delay, testing continued as soon as clean up was concluded, with none of the subjects told of the event. 

It wasn't too much longer that it concluded completely, when a D-Class was sent in completely nude. As soon as the door closed, the wardrobe burst into spontaneous flames. The subject ran out, and (in some views luckily) as they were wearing no clothes, they were not physically on fire, although they did sustain significant burns over their body, even from the minimal exposure. 

Testing could not continue as the fire had damaged one of the doors and a hinge beyond being able to fully close. It was theorised and noted that this would impact the function of the Anomaly. The researchers were correct, and every person they sent in was not affected further, regardless of costumes. 

Agent 23 spent the night not being able to sleep, remembering the notes she had read from that job. There was unnecessary detail put into describing the state of the personnel who were affected, notably the corpse and the burned individual. The notes even state that this person could not receive any medical attention until the log detailing their injuries had been completed, and goes on to cruelly point out that the researcher needed, for some reason, to note the subject’s displeasure and pained groaning at having to wait, furthering the wait for treatment to an unneeded degree. 

23 lays in bed thinking about having to stand there, naked and covered in first and second degree burns, having to wait for someone to inspect her and write up a detailed list of every singed hair on her body, having to watch them scrawl every single word before she can get any help at all, and she wonders what would’ve happened if they were wearing something flammable and it had caught fire? Would they need to write up a record before extinguishing them? 

She doesn’t sleep. 

[fandomandangstlover]

*breaks down door*

Tell me about teh au,, wanna know :D

YAAAAY THANKK UUUUU

OKAY SO.

this au is heavily inspired by "A Crow's Trial" by Vane >:3 things might change as i get more ideas but this is what i have currently

(i imagined a whole music video to this song so very srry if my rumble is a bit unhinged)

"Guests line up to leave their moldy bedrooms, in a dimly lit, moonlit, motel."

Curt was already working at the SCP Foundation when the Event that involves his friends laying passed out in the field of dead people happened, so when he was informed of this Anomaly incident that involves his friends... who might be unfairly sentenced to Death with no way out, he pulled some strings to get them into the Foundation as D-Classes.

the living conditions are not the best... but it's the best he could give them.

(putting everything else under cut cause this is gonna be LONG)

"The turtles are dancing with the raccoons. A zombie joins but gets a firm "No thank you.""

Curt was a B-Class, so he's still in the dark about some things. he's in the dark on why they wouldn't let his friends go, because he's sure that they weren't the one who caused the whole...mass murder thing. he was with them after all.

they were being framed. they have to be. how else would have they all fall unconscious all at once? how else would he have woken up at his desk, even though he's sure he was at a restaurant with his crew?

he asked some A-Classes about it, to ask for a reason, but they don't give them. information's classified or whatever.

"A familiar voice cried out to me, a feathered creature that I've never seen.

The crow, offers me a smoke.

He said, "It'll take you for a joyride.""

a coworker was an underdog for the O5, Curt just knows it. they kept watching him whenever he was with his D-Squad (his friends), sometimes leaving some notes to try & keep him in line.

""No sir, I think I'll rather choke.""

he knows what will happen if he disobeyed.

""Oh I'll be fine."

"You're in a web of lies.""

he withheld a lot of information from the Foundation about himself, something told him that he'll be safer that way.

so, he may have told some...none truths

he was starting to be thankful that he did

"On a busy street, you'll see the city folk run at the mercy of the singing crows."

Curt wasn't sure if he pitied or is amused by the other D-Classes, because god this is the worst outcome of getting yourself on Deathrow.

also, he's pretty the Scientists are Sadists to some degree. not that he's any difference. Recreyo should be a clear sign of that.

"The raven ponders if he enjoys the gore, while he takes the frontal lobe and eats some more"

Curt is pretty sure he saw some Scientists bet on some D-Class's life at some point, not that he's surprised.

"Little miss, don't sit, come join the fun!

We've only got twelve hours 'til the party's done"

he has gotten to watch some Testing, ones that are within his Clearance Level of course. they sure are professionals, & are here for longer then he has, but every time he sees these... he only gets reminded of his Crew now.

those dead bodies could've been them.

"Paramnesia rules this world

So fake a smile

Take a shot, some scotch

And wait until your trial"

Curt is still acting. he can't let the Foundation get suspected of him, no, that would be a death sentence.

so he sucks it up & continued his Assignments, anxiously watching his friends go through Testing.

his act might be working too well though.

"Crows line up to greet the local mushrooms, Sticking fliers on their spotted head"

a little observation from Curt about how the D-Classes are being led to their deaths.

somewhere in his mind, he knows that his friends are next in line. even if the Foundation says otherwise.

"The turtles are eating the raccoons"

SCPs, need he say more?

"A zombie sits alone and cries "I hate you!""

Ivan isn't happy about his situation. none of them are.

Curt is getting annoyed by the lack of information. how long will this game go on?

they're growing tired.

"The mannequin's calling for a taxi

For a crow who knows we have a deal"

he has a meeting with one of the A-Classes.

"A familiar voice cries out to me A feathered creature, and he's come to see me"

of course it's with the underdog.

god he hates this guy.

"The crow offers me a smoke He says, "It'll help you kill the third eye" My, my, you think this is a joke?"

Curt wanted to punch the guy, but he thankfully managed to hide that.

the Foundation weren't gonna let them go.

that's fine.

""I swear, it's fine!"

He's in a web of lies"

the underdog gave his reports to the Higher-ups, saying that Curt was...well, not a danger. yet, at least.

they fail to notice that he might have more keycards then he should, failed to notice that the gun he has have turned into multiple.

The clocks take shots as the dolls relax under the morning sky

They wonder if time would still proceed if they were to die

Christian is convinced that they will never leave, the rest doesn't have an excuse to say otherwise. Kristen still has hope, but even that is running out.

might as well get comfy?

who are they kidding, they never will.

"The devil's work life, suffice to say, is comedy at best"

the Devil works hard but the Foundation works harder. sad that their efforts will be put to waste.

Curt smiles as he reached the Generator, or whatever power source is keeping those SCPs constrained.

"He wonders if there will come a time when he can leave the nest"

only after a few minutes, all the containment chambers open & the alarms blarred.

the Crew could only looked up at the lights in alarm.

In a burning town around inferno's court

the jail holding the Recreyo Crew in opened & reviewed Curt, his posture calm despite the clear panic around him.

Christian couldn't get a question out before he was tossed a gun, looking to see his undercover friend holding more weapons under his suit, his grin wide.

& he's handing it all to them.

"Let's get out of here."

"The crows are laughing with a glass of port"

the Crew cheered, & their escape (or massacre, depending on the perspective) begin.

The woman ponders if she enjoys the gore

Curt watches as his friends follow him to their escape, watching as they kill whoever got into their path & laughing with glee that he doesn't realize he misses, watching the chaos that happens around them & how much he finds joy in it.

he realizes he hasn't gotten any kills yet.

Still, she takes the devil's heart and eats some more

he raises his pistol & shot some of his "coworkers" that were in their way. he wasn't coming back here anyways.

""Little miss, this isn't the deal we had!""

how is the underdog alive is beyond him, but god he's annoying.

Curt could only laugh at the underdog's fear.

"Oh, did I mess it up?

I guess it's just too bad"

getting that bastard's blood on his hands was more satisfying then he thought it would. can't say he's complaining though.

he fondly smiles at his friends cheering.

"Paramnesia rules this world

So fake a smile"

they rode out of the foundation, having stolen a vehicle that Curt remembers finding in his time of working there. watching it crumble as it's getting destroyed from the inside.

Take a shot, some scotch

a joke was toss in about it & the Crew brusts into laughter.

I'll see you at your trial

they might have to live on the run now, but that's fine. Curt already has a cover for them. he... isn't sure if they'll like it though.

*musicc*

as the music sings, it shows a bunch of Wanted Posters of the Recreyo Crew on a brick wall, & there's a lot of them.

as the song near its end, a hand grabs a Wanted Poster of Curt from its place & looks at it, the shadow showing someone with a cap on.

it's Curt, wearing the clothes of Makoto Naegi.

& that's of the song!!! i still got a lot more

i think the Danganronapa 1 Crew will sorta recognize them from the Wanted Posters, but not really connecting the dots since they have changed their appearance a little. the purple detective knows, though. soo... she's sus of the Recreyo Crew x10

Chilly got placed in a different cell next to the Crew that's seen in ep.3 of the SCP Arc for some reason, then immediately placed back when the episode was over. no idea why but that's my only reason for why she isn't there lol.

yeah Chilly still exists_ for awhile at least, she disappeared after Danganronapa Chapter 1 (after telling the Crew she wanted to do her own thing) so that's why she's gone now��� she's still alive, just, somewhere else.

Raptor God powers ig

don't ask me about Chilly I haven't figured out what to do with her. ah might just leave her out entirely but ehh...

yeah that's all ah got, i hope u enjoy my rumble ^^

[yukihime242]

It is that time of the year where I start to do my annual review of the games I have played for the year. I made it sound like I have tons of annual reviews but in truth, I only did one which was last year...

(GIF Source: Imgur thru' Google Image Search)

Ahem, anyway, unlike last year where I categorised my games according to the platform which I played them on, I am going to categorise them as Completed, Currently Playing, and Anticipating. It makes more sense this way, doesn't it?

Obviously, I won't be putting all into one post because that would make it too long. I have also linked the two other posts to the respective titles above so you can just hop over to the other posts if you don't wish to read this one.

Now that's settled, on to the Completed list of games for 2023!

1️⃣ A Little to the Left

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

A Little to the Left is one of the top cozy and organising games during the Covid period and it has excellent reviews on Steam. The only complain many players had with the game is the "unjustified" price tag for the game.

The game revolves around a couple attempting to organise and keep their house tidy but their cat, being a cat, would mess things up. Each level in the game will give you some form of satisfaction after re-organising or solving the puzzles. Of course, you will have their cat coming to mess things up occasionally.

The levels are doable but there are some that are really tricky. Many of you who may wish to play it would definitely want to solve the levels yourselves, but trust me, there are some that are so tricky that I had to google the answer.

But if you are insistent on trying to solve it yourself without any help, then here are a couple of tips. First, you can skip the level you are stuck at and go back to it at the end. I am not sure what is the control function on Switch, but if you are playing on PC, you can open the menu by pressing the ESC key and select the "Let It Be" option to move on to the next level. There is no time limit, so you can take your time to try and solve those puzzles at your own time.

Second, observe every single feature in the level, especially for those which has multiple solutions. Some are easy to solve, such as arranging it into ascending or descending order, or by colours and the like. But it is usually starting from the second solution that is tricky. The tip here is to observe every single feature in the level. Take for example, the leaves at the bottom picture below.

(Picture Source: A Little to the Left Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

At first glance, you would have guessed that the solution is by the colours. Congrats, you got your first solution, but there are more solutions to discover in this level. You will need to observe every thing in this level. Since the first solution is by colour, what else can you do to solve it? Is it by the leaf shape? Or by the length of the stems?

This is just one of the many levels that is designed as such. It may be liberating for some but there are those who may rage at not being able to figure out solution. My suggestion is to not be afraid to google the answer.

If you like to watch the gameplay of A Little to the Left, I have uploaded some videos onto my YouTube channel. The link will direct you to the playlist of the gameplay I have recorded and uploaded.

2️⃣ Death's Door

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

Death's Door took me almost half a year to complete though the game system said that I only spent slightly over 20 hours to complete...

Anyway, this game talks about this crow that just got a job at the Reaper's Commission, and was assigned his first job. He successfully completed it but got his assigned soul stolen by another crow who has been trapped for years. Our crow chased after the older crow only to witness him sending our assigned soul to a long and large black door, to which the older crow explained that he had to do it in order for him to get his own assigned soul back. Unfortunately, the door did not budge and the older crow asked our crow for help to reap three other large souls to be used to open the door. Our crow reluctantly agreed to help.

The story of Death's Door is simple to follow as long as you pay attention to the dialogue. If not, you can just go google the story. Otherwise, the game mechanics, the UI and controls are all very simple. The only thing that may have you pulling your hair roots out is the battle.

Now, I am more of a casual player but am willing to try such games. I thought it was probably because my dodging skills was horrible but the online guide which I follow has a disclaimer at the homepage of the game guide that said you will die in battle a few times before achieving victory. Alas, it wasn't because of my dodging skills (it still sucks) but that the game was created in such a way.

Of course, it is not impossible to win the battle on the first try, but that the chances of it is quite low; I guess you could say it is a once in a blue moon effort.

If you are interested in trying the game, here are a few advice, not exactly tips, that if you allow me to give.

Firstly, don't be afraid to experiment. The thing about this game is that although the game mechanics and controls are the same for all, there are different playstyles that each player is accustomed to. Some probably swing their weapon like a maniac while some do it with a strategic calculation. Apart from that, there are also weapons you can collect throughout the gameplay, each with varying degrees of damage output. I have seen a player on YouTube use an umbrella to battle. That umbrella's damage output is only 0.5 (the sword assigned to you at the start of the game is 1). However, it seems to work for him, which kinda emphasizes my point here.

Secondly, and those most important advice here, is that surviving is more important than attacking. The boss battles, be it mini bosses or final bosses, including the Avarice, can be frustrating. It is at those points in the game where you will die countless times. Often times you may see an opportunity to attack but it could also be your demise. My suggestion is to dodge more and attack less. Sure, the battle will be dragged longer but it will increase your chances of survival better.

(Picture Source: EIP Gaming thru' Google Image Search)

Thirdly, you don't need necessarily need to achieve 100% completion rate to complete the game. The 100% completion rate is by levelling up your spells, visiting every shrine, and making sure that all pots are planted with a life seed.

While power ups and having a handy potted life seed is good, it is not necessarily needed to complete the game experience. It is possible to complete the game without any of those. Even so, I would still suggest trying to go for it because it will make your battle a tad bit easier to deal with, especially the fire spell (levelling up your fire spell will make your enemies experience continued burning damage after you throw a fire ball at them).

Final advice is to explore every nook and cranny of the map. There aren't any treasure chest with loads of goodies for you to collect, but because there may be some mass souls that you can pick up and exchange it at the vault in the Reaper's Commission for levelled up attack power.

While Death's Door was fun, I don't think I would go back to play it again because of the battle mechanics. It is really very frustrating which could prompt you to lose your interest in the game. However, it is also quite worth losing a few hairs.

3️⃣ Pokemon Scarlet

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

I'd be honest here. At the time of writing, I have yet to complete the game. I am very confident that I could get past the Area Zero with ease but it is the Pokemon League that has me worried. My sister who completed the Violet version a long time ago advised me to level up as many different types of Pokemon as possible before I tackle the Pokemon League.

I have a feeling that this game would very well run over into 2024, but I am not willing to put this game under the 2024 annual review since I am currently near to the end of the story. Moreover, I won't be able to play DLC because my country strangely does not support the e-shop.

Anyway, just like any other Pokemon game (to my knowledge because this is the first of such for me), you are an aspiring trainer ready to take your first big step into the world of Pokemon like Ash Ketchum, except in the Scarlet and Violet version, you got to attend the Pokemon Academy. But, of course, the whole purpose of a Pokemon game is to go out, explore, and catch Pokemon, which will be given to you after a few semesters in the Academy (time skip).

There are three quests for you to take (not optional). The first is the usual Pokemon League quest where you need to tackle the gyms located throughout Paldea. The second quest is helping Arven with his Mabosstiff by battling Titan Pokemon and acquiring some mystical herb. The third quest is to help Cassiopeia take down Team Star. All three are important quests to take on because they are located all over the Paldea region. If you are unsure of the order to go with, you can refer to this guide.

However, if you don't wish to tackle all at once, that my suggestion is to go for the Titan Pokemon quest first. The reason being is because after defeating each Titan Pokemon, your Koraidon, or Miraidon in Violet version, will acquire important skills beneficial to exploring Paldea. Afterwords, you can tackle both the Gym and Team Star together if you wish.

One thing I did to make my game experience smoother is to level up my Pokemon as high as I could. That's because I needed stronger Pokemon to battle the tougher Titan Pokemon. In order to do so, I went Tera Raiding, but that can also prove to get boring very easily.

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

The big headache for this game is trying to find which Pokemon is best to keep and which is best to release. Of course, the usual strong Pokemon like Garchomp, Dragonite, Tyranitar and the like, are the top choices. But you will still need a wide selection of different types of Pokemon. The easiest way is to get hybrid types, such as Dragonite being a Dragon and Flying type.

Another way is to get the tera types. So, for example, you may encounter a Vaporeon (water type) with an electric tera version. However, the disadvantage of it is that in order to utilise the tera version, you will need to terastalize your Pokemon which has a long cool down between battles.

Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can be quite addicting, but it can also get boring soon. I'd say that it's a double-edge sword. Still, being my very first RPG Pokemon game, it is quite an experience to behold. I do look forward to other similar games like this.

[everthewip]

Prompt: 1. "It's not too late, let's go."

Fanfiction 

Fandom: Shadows of Doubt (video game)

Rating: T

Warnings: Mentions of death and murder

Notes: You don't need to have played or know anything about this game for this to (hopefully) be understandable. Also no, this is not edited or beta read.

Banner by @fictober-event

Wednesday, Jan. 4th 6:20AM

I wake to the apartment building shaking again. Entire damn city feels like it's going to collapse into the toxic water any day now. Don't really have time to care about that, though.

Breakfast is leftover lo mein and a can of Kola. I sip the bubbly drink, ignore the way its sugary sweetness irritates my teeth, and study the case board on my kitchen wall.

Omarr Jack. Slashed to death in a bloody mess two days ago. Different colored strings and pins link his picture to photographs of the crime scene, some to sticky notes with vague details. Black string leads to the time of death, between 9:00 and 10:00am. Yellow links to his workplace address, a scrap of paper with his hours written down, a list of colleagues to question later. Green is more personal, linking to a note about his girlfriend not being home during time of murder. Red focuses on the crime scene, a picture of the body, the bloodied carpet, the business card left behind with no traceable fingerprints and only a cryptic message: Didn't have what it takes.

There isn't much else to go on; the murderer covered their tracks too well.

One more sip of the Kola and I grimace, already feeling like my teeth are going to rot out any second. Wonder how much it'd cost to buy my own fresh water dispenser and keep it filled. Only ever seen them in the office buildings around here. Probably costs a fuckload of Crows and Social Credit to keep those full.

I set the can aside and reach up, fingers poised on the pin keeping poor Mr. Jack stabbed to the board. His expression is solemn, professional some might say. He stares out with a gaze as dead as he is now.

“Sorry buddy,” I mutter. “Don't think I can handle your case.”

But something keeps me from pulling the pin and clearing the board. Maybe it's the folders sitting in my filing cabinet, the ones that whisper in the night and keep me awake, the cases still unsolved. Maybe it's a bitterness at Starch, our megacorp president that replaced me and the rest of City 46's police force with their incompetent Enforcers. Maybe it's the notice taped to my fridge, reminding me that rent is well overdue and repossession is imminent.

I leave the picture pinned, the center of a chaotic web that may never get unwound.

7:04AM

“More coffee, detective?”

Blake stands with one hand on her hip, the other holding an old coffee pot full of fresh, steaming brew. The scent is mesmerizing, almost overshadowing the greasy aromas ever-present in the Phat Model Diner. Shitty name for a shitty place with shitty food. Only good thing about this shithole is Blake.

“Hope you're ready to take credit if my heart explodes.”

I push my empty mug closer to her, smiling a little as she chuckles and fills it about three-fourths full; just enough to still add creamer, exactly how I like it.

“Maybe I should stop servin' you, then.” She places a few extra sugar packets on the table, gives me a wink, and then steps away to offer coffee to the few other diners. There aren't many this morning, but even if this place was packed, Blake would still serve me first. Never asked her to, but she always does.

I lift my coffee, take the first blissful sip, and watch her drift along the row of booths. She's a big woman, Blake is. Broad and muscular from years working as a security guard for a gambling den in her old city. She can hardly move through the diner without bumping into tables, but when you're that imposing, who the fuck is gonna call you out on it? I'd watched her toss a man out the door with one arm once. She'd just started to wear glasses and the idiot thought, “Hey, Four Eyes” was a smart way to call her over to his table.

She's finished her rounds now and I'm quick to look down before she sees me staring.

There's a newspaper someone left on the table, so I scan over the front page.

Omarr Jack's face almost makes me choke on my coffee.

“Heard it was brutal.”

Blake's returned, squeezing herself between the booth and table across from me. I almost don't register what she's said, I'm too busy noticing her arms as she crosses them, rests them on the table.

“Yeah, it was.”

“You saw it then?” She leans forward, voice lowered. The table wobbles a bit, but she doesn't notice.

“Yep, investigated what I could.” I lift my drink to take another sip and shrug. “Think this is another case for the cold filing cabinet, though.”

Blake's frown deepens as she studies me, and I have to look away so I don't blush like an idiot. If anything, maybe she'd think the coffee is what warms my cheeks. This isn't even the time to be crushing over the hot butch waitress, not when a dead man's murder stares up at me from the damned paper.

“It's not too late, Rory,” Blake says, her voice softer than the steam rising from my coffee mug. I look up, lips parted, and try to find the right words to say.

But then my old police scanner is going off in my bag.

There's been another murder.

Before I realize it, I'm already getting my shit together to leave. Blake's eyes are on me and when I look up she's got this half-grin on her face that makes the breath catch in my throat.

“Let's go, detective,” she says. “Solve the case.”

She winks again.

I can only nod.

And then I'm through the diner door and out into the rainy morning of City 46.

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

There’s No Saving Me

by Ali_Star

Two extremely large doors that made the shape of an arch, a blood red colour with plenty of scratch marks on them. In a trot he made his way to the door and took a deep breath.

In The Pit it was life or death.

He could hear the faint sound of the announcement through the doors. And introduction to anybody who may be new or might not know the fighters.

“-and so everyone please welcome, killer of 58 hybrids! The one and only!”

Tommy watched as the door slowly started to open, a blindingly bright light and wave of cheers and shout took over him. He widened his stance, holding his knife a bit tighter and quinted through the light.

“The Golden Death!”

He took the first step out into the arena.

 OR! Tommy is a little deer guy and gets saved from The Pit. Plenty of Bedrock Bros for you guys.

Words: 2226, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Minecraft (Video Game), Dream SMP

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson | Philza, Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Quakity

Relationships: Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Phil Watson | Philza & Other(s), TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) & Other(s)

Additional Tags: TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Fighting Ring, the Pit, Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Cervitaur TommyInnit, Crow Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Crow Hybrid Technoblade, Phantom Hybrid Wilbur Soot, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Character Death, Death, fighting to the death, I'm Bad At Tagging, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Bedrock Bros, Goat Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Bee Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Traumatized Toby Smith | Tubbo, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Dadnoblade, technodad

[crowfanity]

For the video game asks: 3, 9, 17, and 27!

3. 1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed

Tears of the Kingdom, Ace Attorney, and Fire Emblem! (I've been going back and forth between Engage and Awakening cuz I'm still struggling with the Future Past DLC and also trying to unlock every single one of Emblem Chrom/Robin and Lucina's supports with the new characters bc I love them)

9. A game you played completely blind with no prior knowledge of and enjoyed/loved

Death's Door! It's one of my favorite games and I got it entirely because I saw someone post a picture of one of the achievements called "Crow Gamer" and since my name is Crow I knew I had to get it

17. A game you didn’t finish but would like to get back to or restart someday

Twilight Princess; it was my first Zelda game and holds a special place in my heart but between how much I struggled with it as a kid, accidentally deleting my main save file, and losing my wii, I never got to beat it. Since I'm currently hyperfixating on Zelda now, I'm probably gonna try to replay it from the start and hopefully finish it soon!

27. A game you love the atmosphere of

I think it's a tie between Subnautica (I love exploration games, especially with a mix of beautiful and creepy areas) and NieR: Automata (which is the entire reason I built my own gaming PC! I tried playing it on my shitty laptop from my friend's Steam library and the game ran at 1/3 speed but when I got to the city ruins and saw how gorgeous the world was and the amazing music that went with it I immediately knew I had to get the game for myself and a better computer to run it!)

Thank you so much for the ask!!

[autisticandroids]

first: dreamed i and a bunch of other people had gotten stuck in a room that was haunted? cursed? and we all slowly starved to death. one element was that we had to get up on the shelves around the walls because The Creature would get us if we were on the floor. another was that this was a time loop for me, but the time loop began after we were already trapped, so there was never anything i could figure out to do

second: dreamed i was at maybe my old college, and there was a completely unfathomable bathroom setup that i tried to get into. to be clear this was just for fun, and only became scary once i got in. the toilet was secured to a wall underneath an upstairs indoor balcony, and you had to go over the wall of the balcony to get to it. there were also two polls jutting out of the wall, and then another toilet about ten feet down with a big wooden poll sticking up from it. my initial goal was to get down onto the first toilet, brachiate across the polls, and stand on the second toilet. for fun. but once i got into the first toilet i realized two things: 1) the polls were just toilet paper rolls and could not bear my weight, and 2) i had initially though that the room the toilets were on the wall of was filled with water, just below the second toilet. but when i looked again it was some kind of furnace/janitorial room, and below me was a 20 foot drop onto white tile and concrete. so you know, certain death. i had gotten myself into a bad position on the first toilet under the assumption that the toilet paper rolls were good handholds, so i was stuck for a while there. eventually i managed to haul myself in through a strange upstairs window (made of plaster and oddly angled)

third: i was somehow trapped upstairs? in some kind of upstairs crows nest? in a big white building. i wasn't particularly panicked. notably, my mom had very sweetly doordashed me some chinese food but i didn't even eat it because i had other food. a pan handler came in and was like do you have any money to help me and i was like no but i have this perfectly good garlic soy sauce tofu that i haven't even opened do you want that? and he was like okay and left. and i was like man i should have tried a piece before giving it away so i could know if i like it for next time. oh well.

oh actually, fourth: i was a 2d platformer video game version of castiel and i had not gotten my wings yet and i was playing basically an escort mission where a little 2d dean followed me around and i had to make sure he did not get stuck anywhere. and i got stuck on a few platforms. eventually i got my wings and could just fly around so it became fine.

all of the buildings in there dreams were pure white with modernisting architecture, odd angles, really high ceilings, and lots of painted plaster and tile. but i know they were different dreams because i woke up between them.

edit, more details:

for dream one, The Creature was behind a little door. also the room we were trapped in was an attic of some kind

for dream two, i was initially totally alone and potentially not supposed to be where i was. remember this was an institutional location. eventually i think some people wandered by on the top balcony/hallway and looked down at me, but its not like there was anything they could do, so they wandered away again. i was also quite surprised at my own ability to pull myself through the upstairs window. also i don't think i wanted to brachiate on the polls? i think i wanted to swing on ropes hanging from the polls but the polls turned out to be toilet paper

had at least three distinct dreams last night that involved the sensation of being trapped somewhere high up

[rayshippouuchiha]

More fic for KHR!

Still mostly on ffn

Odd-Job Tsuna by ShamelessDilettante

Tsuna decides he doesn't want to rely on his absent father's money. So he gets a job. Or two. Or twelve. The 10th Gen gets together early. And there's no way he's leaving Namimori. It will fall apart if I leave, Reborn!

Little Prince by Scheming Rabbit

Iemitsu should have had a closer look at Nana's background before he married her. Nana's father decides its time to teach Tsuna the Family Business. When Reborn comes, he's got to get Tsuna out of his grandfather's reach to make him a Mafia boss. And did I mention they're royalty?

The Epic Rivalry of Sasagawa Kyoko and Sawada Tsunayoshi by Dandelion-san

Tsuna and Kyoko are really, really good at cooking. But who's the best? Unfortunately, Ryohei and Hibari-sempai were terrorized during the Rivalry.

The Senju Brothers by Tsume Yuki

Naruto/KHR If Tsunade had known the kind of chaos her sons were unleash upon the world... well, she still would have had them. The Arcobalenco and 10th Gen are reborn into Naruto. Drabbles, discontinued

Game On! By nordiamus

The first in the series. HP/KHR for the first, FMA, YYH, 1/2 Prince, Inuyasha, Naruto and Percy Jackson for the rest. After FemHP dies, she learns the price her mother paid to save her, that Halloween night. Desperate, she accepts a deal with the gods. Guide and prepare the new Hero to his destiny. Chaos wants to make things fun and turns life into a video game for her. So, so great. Amazing series, fleshed out, lots of characters follow femHP through the series. FemHP/Reborn

Uchiha Kyōya by Tsume Yuki

Naruto/KHR Fugaku wished they'd stopped at the first son. There's nothing wrong with the youngest, it's just... the middle one. Drabbles, technically discontinued but it's good as it is.

Vigilante Tendency by Kyogre

Tsuna tries to follow his dad's advice. It does not go according to plan. At least he has friends now. If only they weren't so inclined to fight crime. Oneshot, super good.

The Varia Next Door by Renegade Warrior

After the Cradle Affair, Xanxus is shipped off to Namimori instead of frozen solid. Xanxus hates it, he can't feel his Flames, his Elements are still in Italy. And why is this brat so difficult to scare off? And why does it feel better when he's around Tsuna? Tsuna is 5 years old when the King moves in next door. What a nice man! Funny povs from the Varia workers in the mansion.

Soldier Series by Tempestes D. Uzu

HP/KHR Harry is Skull! Discontinued but really good completed fics. Shows the povs of the other Arcobalenco to the truth about Skull.

A Murder of Crows by Cyanide Lemons

Reborn is touching down in Namimori just as Sawada Tsunayoshi leaves it. Reborn had to hunt the world for his wayward student, promising death to Iemitsu all the while. So great. I love everything Reborn is put to.

The Bloody Boys by Luki Fanfic

Dark AU! Nana's family are a bunch of serial killers. When Iemitsu allows the Seal on Tsuna, rejecting him from the Vongola, Nana decides to teach him her own family traditions. The 10th Gen in this are all killers. Also, Nana does what we all wish to do.

Aeolian by Tsume Yuki

When Kyoya and Tsuna are kidnapped, Tsuna will have to shed her herbivorous skin and become a carnivore if she wants to survive. Kyoya/Tsuna

Scarily Attractive by Hweianime

Tsunas twin Giotto becomes Decimo and Tsuna is in Germany since scary people are drawn to him all over in Namimori. Tsuna/Xanxus

My Heavenly Judgement by colbub

Complete! 100/10 Downloaded to read whenever. OC Alice has to complete a task to enter Heaven after she dies. She must help Tsuna become Decimo. So amazingly good! I laughed, I cried, I shipped. BTW, endgame Kyoya/Alice slow burn. Super slow burn.. Alice is "born" into the Brighteye Family who, just like her, have to complete a task to go to Heaven in the KHR world. So many tear jerker moments. So many Soft (minorly Angsty) Feels. Wonderful looks into the family Alice left behind, the people working with Alice now and the Angel who set her her task. I can't recommend it enough.

I Hold With Those Who Favor Fire by infaredphaeton

Naruto/KHR Oneshot When Gokudera died, he didn't expect to wake up again. Definitely not with pink hair! Gokudera is Sakura

You Plus Me Plus Kids by Seito

Tsuna/Reborn are gods and they somewhat accidentally end up adopting the kid versions of the arcobalenco and more.

Mutual Hatred by exocara

Tsuna forms a vigilante group to oust the Yakuza from his town before Reborn ever comes near Namimori.

Game of Life by exocara

Tsuna wakes up and his life is suddenly a video game. Complete. Humor

Xanxus' Adventures in Parenthood Piracy by InsaneScriptist

OP/KHR Not my usual thing, since I'm really not a fan of OP but IS did so well and it's mostly just using the OP world as a backdrop. When Portgas D. Rogue finds a man who mysteriously (i.e. standed in an alternate dimension by scientists and had to swim a lot and then climbed a cliff) appeared on the island where she lived, she decided to take him home. Then she names him godfather to her unborn child. Amazing worldbuilding with Flames in this. Xanxus using his Sky Flames to build personas for himself(splitting his Flames into their components and assigning a different alias to each Flame type) to build himself a lifeline until those scientists get him back. My favorite is when he meets who he describes as an unholy combination of Squalo and Mammon as a girl, who eventually brings him home to meet her sisters who also remind him of a genderbent combo of people he knows in KHR. (All he does is hire the girls for the company makes)

Of Dreams and Hope by skyhgem

Tsuna wakes from a week long coma and finds out the last four years of his life (manga) went real. In Italy and even his hometown, 7 others wake from a coma and try to piece their lives together.

Momento Mori by exocara

When Tsuna is 13, he is visited by Checkerface and is told he can save the world by dying on his 15th birthday. Similar to the Tri-Ni-Sette, in this world, there's one more System that keeps it running. Tsuna has been chosen as rhe 10th sacrifice.

Conspiracy Theorist Tsuna by ariathal2410

Tsuna is ridulously accurate when it comes to his conspiracy theories. It's hard to keep a straight face in front of him.

The Lucky Rope by Breathless02

Giotto is jealous of his Gaurdians, of their children. He, himself, wants to be a father. One day, his life changes. 1st Gen raises 10th Gen

!!!!

[etcrow]

hi,, may i request goodnight for the 1k event, with mammon? congrats on 1k again!!🤍

1K followers alphabet event

G - Goodnight

The story of a little crow

Genre: fluff

Characters: GN!MC x Mammon

Universe: Obey me

Warnings: none

A/N: Keyword for this post is “Goodnight” Thanks for requesting

Summary: Mammon cannot sleep and asks MC to watch a movie with him. Will the demon be able to sleep?

Mammon cannot sleep. He has been struggling to get to sleep for a few days now, and the demon finds himself staring at the ceiling of his room with his eyes wide open. He has tried watching a movie to conciliate sleep, but it has not helped. Neither did playing video games or doing anime marathons together with Levi. Mammon, exhausted but unable to sleep, tossed back in bed and sighed, thinking about what he could come up with.

An unhealthy idea crosses his mind and he jumps out of bed, heading for your room and knocking on the door. You open the door and, half asleep, stare the demon straight in the eye with a murderous look. "Mammon... do you realize it's 3 a.m.?"

He grabs you by the wrist and drags you out of the room, heading into the living room. The lights are off, a sign that no one is there, and the demon suggests to watch TV together. You squint and remain interjected for a second, looking at him stunned. Did he seriously wake you up to watch TV together? You are used to the demon's nonsense, but NEVER would you have expected something like jumping out of bed to watch TV. "...I swear if it's because you're afraid to watch a horror movie alone, I'll-"

"Nothing of the sort, human! The great Mammon wanted to watch a movie and who better than his devoted servant-"

"I am not your servant but DETAILS."

"Deserves the honor of watching a movie with him?"

You know if you could, you would kill him. You look at the demon from head to toe and make to leave, but he takes your hand and looks at you with a sad puppy look that would bring even Lucifer to his knees. You sigh, letting him drag you to the couch and sit down while he reaches for the remote and turns on the TV. There's not much on TV at that time of night, but Mammon is actually looking for an excuse to have you nearby so he can talk.

The demon tries from time to time to start a conversation with you, failing miserably because he cannot find a suitable topic. You notice his strange behavior and raise an eyebrow, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. The demon turns to you and you notice his evasive look as he tries to say something. "Mammon, what's going on?"

He sighs, muting the TV and turns back to you. "I... I can't sleep."

You curve your head to the side and continue looking at him. Mammon points to the floor and you bring a hand to his shoulder. "Did something happen...?"

He shakes his head, telling you that no, he just can't sleep and that's it, and you remain silent for a moment, thinking about what you could do. A strange, stupid, idea crosses your mind and you stand up, offering him a hand. He awkwardly takes it and stands up, following you through the halls of the House of Lamentation. You stop in front of your room and tell him to wait for you outside while you go to get something from one of your drawers. Once back, you lead him toward his room and show him one of your notebooks.

The demon stares at that notebook and in his little head wonders what a notebook could be used for to make him sleep. "Are you going to beat me to death with the notebook until I pass out or...?"

You stare at him, stunned, smacking the notebook on his head and tell him that no, you are not going to do anything like that. "...Your mouth says one thing, your actions show another."

"Mammon, go lie down on your bed. I'm going to read you a fairy tale and I'm not in the mood to hear complaints."

Mammon goes to lie on the bed, confused by your idea, but he doesn't open his mouth so as not to irritate you more. You sit beside him and open your notebook, looking for the fairy tale you had decided to write some time before.

"So, once upon a time there was a little crow..."

You can hear the demon as he snickers and you give him a slap on the head, making him mutter 'ouch' as you go back to reading. "I WAS SAYING..."

<<Once upon a time there was a little crow, who lived in a bare tree in the middle of a dark and gloomy garden. The little crow had six brothers who teased him because he was still too small to fly, and although he tried hard to take flight, he could never soar in the wind.

One day, the little crow desperately tried to spread his wings, but like every time, he fell miserably from his tree, crashing to the ground. This time, however, the young crow finds a little sheep in front of him who watches him in curiosity and catches him between their hooves. "Let me go," begs the young crow, and the little sheep watches him, intrigued. "BAAAA?"

The crow stands there staring at them stunned, not understanding their arcane language, and begs the little sheep again to put him down. They listen to the little crow and sets him down on the ground and he stares at his big tree, sighing. "At this rate I will never fly."

The little sheep watches him and points to the tree, wondering what the little crow wants to do and...>>

"What is the little crow doing?"

"Mammon, let me finish..."

<<They see him desperately trying to get back to his tree, failing. The little sheep watches the bird and approaches him, murmuring a long 'BAAAAAAA' toward him. The crow, not understanding, politely asks the little sheep to help him up the tree and they put him on their head and climbs the tree, putting him back on his nest. The little crow thanks them and sadly watches his siblings soar happily.

The little sheep moves their little legs as if it wants to take flight, and the crow nods, pointing to its siblings with a wing. "I would like to reach them..."

The little sheep climbs down from the tree and picks up a kite. They tie the little crow to it and begins to run, causing the crow to hover in the wind. He, amazed, watches the sky from above and laughs happily.

As time passes, the crow learns to fly, but he does not forget their little sheep friend, who keeps him company during his days. The two become very good friends and live happily ever after.>>

You turn to look at Mammon and smile to see that the demon has fallen asleep like a baby. You walk over to him and leave a kiss on his lips, lying down beside him, dead tired. "Good night, Monny," you whisper as you close your eyes and snuggle next to him. You hope the demon will have good dreams tonight.

[artificial-condition]

I was commissioned for a custom order on my Etsy that modified the crows I already make and I’m loving it so far!!

This is based off the main crow from the video game Death’s Door. It’s been so fun to make it, I’m going to make him a sword in the morning :D

[nocturnalswarehouse]

Just Desserts

Characters: Aventus Aretino & Maven Black-Briar

Summary: Aventus Aretino, now an adult and the Listener of The Dark Brotherhood, fulfills a contract to kill Maven Black-Briar.

Content Warning: Graphic depiction of murder, mentions of blood

Masterlist

Word count: 701

A/N: Wrote this oneshot a while ago because I'm mad that Maven is unkillable in the video game XD also felt that Aventus was fitting, I love that kid. Enjoy!

Thanks to the key he had taken from Hemming Black-Briar’s corpse the week prior, slipping into the Black-Briar Manor was easy. It was two in the morning, with no guard or mercenary in sight. Maven had to be asleep, that minor detail making a significant impact on the plan. Aventus had to make sure this job looked like a tragedy and turned the attention away from The Dark Brotherhood. 

The younger assassins that were given the jobs to kill Maven’s children were sloppy. While none of them were caught, whispers of their organization were stirring up again after five years of quiet. Since Aventus became the Listener, and the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, he made it a rule to make each death look like anything but an assassination. The last thing they needed was the Penitus Oculatus finding their newest sanctuary, now beneath Riften, and lighting it on fire just like they did with the ones in Falkreath and Dawnstar. 

Aventus took this one into his own hands. He couldn't trust anyone to do the job as well, and Nazir was more than happy to let him have it. With Maven's demise, they hoped to team up with the Thieves Guild and turn Riften into something better. Something less corrupt.

It took everything in Aventus’s power not to look around and waste precious minutes. While the Manor was filled with treasures that the Thieves Guild would love to take, he had to leave it up to Vex and Delvin to plan those jobs. Leaving it alone was the best course of action. 

He snuck through the halls, and swiftly went up the staircase. Despite it being deep into the night, he had to make sure he was as silent as possible. Rumour was that Maven slept light, and since most rumours in Skyrim were true he didn’t want to take any risks. 

The master bedroom was easy to find and even easier to slip into. None of the doors creaked as he opened them, showing that the Black-Briar went through a lot of trouble to keep the Manor well maintained. As soon as his eyes settled on the bed, Maven was easy to spot. She lay in the middle, back against the mattress. Easy access to her throat… perfect. 

The Black Crow Dagger she carried with her at all times was laying on her bedside table. Aventus swiped it and gripped it tightly in his hand. He sat on the edge of the bed and moved some hair away from Maven’s face, the expression on her face more peaceful than he had ever seen. She looked more human like this, something he knew she would never show while awake. In reality, she was a monster. One that needed to be stopped years ago. Leaning in close until his lips almost touched her ear, Aventus whispered two words before sending her into the void. “Hail Sithis.”

Maven woke up as soon as those two words were spoken, but was barely aware of her surroundings before the dagger cut a clean line across her throat. She gasped for air, causing the blood that was spilling out in torrents to leak into her lungs. Aventus stepped off the bed before any blood could get on him, and he watched the woman as she choked and convulsed. He watched the scene, feeling little remorse for the brief suffering this woman was going through. If anything, he felt this was too merciful a death but there wasn't any other option. 

Once her body stilled and the air grew cold and quiet, the assassin carefully placed the dagger in Maven’s hand, and shifted her body so it looked like she had done the job herself. Carefully, he placed a note on the side table detailing why Maven ‘chose’ to commit suicide, the words expertly forged to look like her handwriting. 

Satisfied, Aventus slipped out of the house undetected and locked the door behind him. He was sure Maul would discover the body at sunrise, and report it to a Guard right away. The assassin barely had to do any of the work, with Maven's little fanboy doing the rest for him in a mere few hours.