#the spinal staircase

[ultrakill-ost-showdown]

[onlineviolence]

THE GLUTTONY LAYER IS NOW MORE GROSS AND DISGUSTING 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[gearsofmetal]

HOW PREEETTYYYY THE TERMINAL RAAAAGHGHGHGHH

[devicecontact]

I feel like there’s something to say about how the very first song you hear in Ultrakill when you start the game is called “The fire is gone”. like right from the getgo even if you don’t get what it means yet or even are aware that’s the title it’s telling the player about it. Idk! It’s just cool to me and I feel like it could be better said but I hope you all get what I’m aiming at here

[stairstare]

Reminds me of those whale skeletons at the natural history museum.

"Cadenza staircase"

NEST building’s STEP2 unit in Dübendorf, Switzerland,

Created by ETH Zurich and ROK Architects,

It reimagines concrete construction with 3D-printed formwork and dry-joint assembly, this helical staircase comprises 16 prefabricated steps, each connected without permanent binding materials, allowing for easy disassembly and reuse.

Reinforced with post-tensioned memory steel, the design minimizes material use while ensuring durability, embodying NEST’s commitment to sustainable and experimental building techniques.

[shit-ultrakill-imagines]

imagine tripping and falling down the spinal staircase and landing perfectly right side up at the bottom

.

[aegagrusscholarship]

familiarity, the lack thereof, and the only way it could have ended.

the thing is, ultrakill is a very diegetic game. near everything, from the style meter to the bottomless arsenal to the shitass graphics themselves, are explained in some way by some in-universe fact.

so, what with violence and the implication that V1 was designed to counter earthmovers

what with 7-4 and the fact that it is a culmination of this implication

i wonder. when V1 looked up at that earthmover, did it know, with whatever passes for instinct in a machine, exactly what to do? and if it did, then, how is this conveyed to the player?

diegetic as the game is, how does it engineer a situation in which the player, themselves, knows exactly what they have to do?

the biggest factor, i think, is the fact that the earthmover's health bar appears the moment you lay eyes (or camera, or whatever) on it, and it does not leave until you have finally killed this colossus.

but this factor is much more subtle than it appears at first glance. yes, big honkin' boss healthbar on screen for the entire level, what more to it. there's a good deal more, it turns out.

first off- this is the shortest leadup by far to any bossfight in the game. you slide through a single vent, and you are greeted with benjamin right out in the open. even P-1, devoid of any other hazards as it is, gives you a long trek down the spinal staircase before you reach the flesh prison. 7-4 has none of it. you enter the level, you enter the stage, and there you have it. you know exactly what you are up against right from the outset, and it's not quite a feeling of familiarity but it tells you exactly what you have to do. which is the point of this all, isn't it?

7-4 is also... not a bossfight! it is a full level! it is a full level framed as a bossfight. the health bar frames this full complete level as a bossfight.

and on one hand, this is not new news. on the other hand, i think this is the crux of it. the thing is, most bossfights are near-to-entirely new. you do not know how the boss acts. you do not know their attack patterns. you do not know their capabilities. you are learning something new. levels, though, you have done a thousand times over and so the player knows how they need to play through this bossfight in a way that is not quite present with any other boss in the game.

the content of the level is new, of course, because that's how it goes. but you know the motions. you have done this for two acts prior, you know the motions. you know exactly what to do.

also! this level does not exist in a vacuum. what i am saying is this: the rest of violence layer shifts its storytelling and its tone and even its graphics. it is something completely new in contrast to the rest of the game. 7-4, though, returns to environments and graphics more akin to what you have experienced before, bringing you back to familiarity and again knowing what to do here in a way the rest of violence hasn't let the player experience.

one more thing about this level: it plays directly into expectations. which is something that the rest of the game actually does not tend to do.

the game, at base, is just not a typical FPS. it gives you movement like a roguelite or a platformer, it takes guns you expect to know the mechanics of and goes utterly wild with how far the archetype can be changed.

in a smaller scope, here is a comparison of the earthmover and the corpse of king minos as two separate colossal bosses foreshadowed in similar ways. and i mean, minos's bossfight isn't unprecedented in other works. but i think the thing that matters here is that you are not, in fact, the underdog as is the case with so many other bosses of its ilk. riven of many voices, destiny 2, similar bossfight similar scale. you are hiding from her you are a fireteam of many you are triumphing over a dragon larger than life. project gestalt, madness project nexus, you are pulling out every stop you can to take down something so far over your head (both literally and metaphorically). corpse of king minos- V1 looks up, stands its ground, and parries his god damn fist.

and the thing is, the earthmover plays into a different expectation, but it's playing into an expectation nonetheless. you look at this thing and you climb it and you dismantle it from within, like you have done in many games prior. you know what your goal is from the moment you see that healthbar and you hook onto the conspicuously placed hookpoints that tell you- you will climb this machine; you will fight your way up to whatever its core is and you will kill it. you play through the entire level with this expectation and you get exactly this expectation. you destroy its core and it begins a countdown, and so very many games have countdowns before the collapse of whatever level you have just beaten, and you know exactly what you have to do.

i don't know. i love diegetic storytelling. i love this level.

it's just familiarity, i think. this level runs off familiarity. it gives you, the player, things and tropes and designs you are familiar with. it signals to you that you should know what to do, and it lets you do exactly what you expect to do.

if i were any more cheesy i could absolutely end this by restating something about the only way it could've ended, but uh. i am not that cheesy. this time.

aw crud now i don't know how to end this oh well goodbye then

[miiilowo]

i do genuinely adore horror that has environments made out of organic material. theres a certain unknowable terror about it. is this thing im standing in alive? is it sentient? does it know im here if so? how did this get here? why is it here? how can there be so much flesh and bone if its not attached to an actual living creature? bonus points if none of it structurally resembles anything that could exist. spinal cords functioning as bridges and staircases, eyes pointing inward at the person within, teeth lodged in random places, all growing like some kind of tumor in a place that feels manmade but never could be. breathing. pulsing. ill never ever ever ever EVER get tired of it

[nyaagolor]

What's going on with Nemona's wrist?

this is mostly just me putting down all my thoughts about this hc I have. Below the cut bc it's long as usual but read on if ur interested in like. orthopedics

I think Nemona has fatigue and some kind of wrist Issue because 1. She implies she has decreased motor function in that arm (can't throw pokeballs well, supports her arm with her other hand during battles) 2. She wears a brace 3. She gets winded easily / needs to catch her breath more than other characters / hates stairs So that got me wondering what the cause could be. I work in an orthopedic office and my shifts are 12 hours so sometimes when it's slow and I'm bored this is what my mind wanders to

Option 1: It's carpal tunnel and she's out of shape This is the most obvious answer since carpal tunnel is a repetitive stress injury and she's wearing a brace that looks almost identical to irl braces for that problem. Throwing pokeballs over and over, especially incorrectly, would be the most likely cause of an asymmetrical injury like that, and is actually reasonable for someone of her age and activity level. The winded thing is just because she's out of shape and has no underlying cause. Or maybe she just has some kinda chronic pain / fatigue disorder. That's not my department idk

Option 2: Oligoarticular JIA (juvenile idiopathic arthritis) This very long name is just describing chronic joint swelling in children that affects less than 5 joints. It's an autoimmune disease, and actually not that uncommon all things considered. It causes stiffness and pain, which would explain the stamina issues and motor skill issues. Plus, the constant flexion and extension of the knees from staircases certainly would explain her distaste for them in particular. That shit hurts. Occasionally people will use a brace for JIA-- it's highly unlikely her wrist would be the worst considering the typical presentation patterns (it usually affects bigger joints first like the knees) but hey. It's possible! This condition also affects young girls more often than other groups so. Math checks out

Option 3: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hypermobility type) Figured I would include this bc I've seen a few people hc this and wanted to give it a fair shot myself. This is a heritable connective tissue disorder that causes hypermobile joints, chronic pain, fatigue, and a whole host of other things. Specifically tho, this disorder used to be called EDS type III and is now considered part of the Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders, but that's a can of worms for a post that's not this one. While the symptoms do match, and honestly quite well (a brace for stabilization makes perfect sense and the fatigue symptoms feel pretty on the nose) the disease usually causes very stretchy skin and vascular issues that she doesn't seem to have so I'm a tad on the fence

Option 4: Cervical spinal stenosis Despite this being the first thing that came to mind for me (since I see it a lot in the office) I'm now less convinced this would be the case. This disorder is basically a narrowing of the spinal canal that pinches the nerves in the neck. It can cause pain, weakness, numbing, and pain that radiates down the body. If most of the compression was on the C4 and C5 nerve I can see it affecting one arm / wrist especially rough (since the pain is typically bilateral but asymmetrical) but also this occurring in people under the age of 50 is SUPER rare so eh. It's possible it was congenital or caused by an injury but I wouldn't bet on it. As for the stamina issues, the neurological issues caused by the compression would likely be the cause of that, especially radiating down the back and legs. Felt worth it to include even if I'm not 100% convinced

I'm saying "options" here bc these symptoms are super vague and there's like 80 billion things that could cause it, I'm just racking my brain for different possibilities. If anyone has other hcs for the underlying causes of Her Whole Deal lmk I'm curious

[imagineandwrite]

𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘝

Death

Word Count: 1.8k Words Warnings: Past death mention, Y/N's sad, Ramonda approves of their relationship but is suspicious, Y/N's ancestors are tired of dealing with her shit

A/N: READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE STORY SO YOU KNOW WHAT READER'S TRUE FORM LOOKS LIKE: Reader's True Form

Water ripples as blue hands break the surface and place themselves on the water. With a gasp, Y/N lifts herself out of the water. For a moment, Y/N forgets to breathe, mesmerized by the land around her. The sky is dark, the clouds somehow darker with a bright moon. Giant trees create a barrier around the lake; the smaller trees are covered in flowers. White, blue, and green.

The air is clean and calming as the water softly trails toward a small waterfall. A long staircase leads to a giant castle, and a dragon blocks the stairs. Its scales are black, its horns and spinal plates fade into white and red, and its eyes are a smokey red.

"I didn't want to climb those stairs anyway," Y/N mumbled as she slowly backed away from the curious dragon. 

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤," A voice coos. So familiar, and yet so far. Breathing is suddenly a struggle, and the rock in Y/N's chest stops her from crying. Beating at her chest doesn't move it, instead, it strengthens. It causes her to take a deep breath that sounds so painful, even the dragon coos in worry.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢."

The ghost of hands cups her face and lifts her head. Y/N's grandmother looks down at her, and the blue on her skin shines as the light flows through her. Her hands are soft, like silk, and they wipe Y/N's tears.

"𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨."

Closing her eyes, the first thing Y/N sees is darkness, so she waits. And with a soft whistle, she can hear and see through the eyes of another.

"Hey," Riri muttered, slowly walking towards the women, one in a chair and the other asleep on the sand table. Shuri hums in acknowledgment, her eyes still trailing Y/N's face.

Y/N is taller, her legs hanging slightly over the table even after they extended the end. Her skin was blue, her ears pointed and longer, and her canines had just stopped growing. Y/N had finished her transformation, so why wasn't she waking up?

"She'll wake up," Riri assured, though it sounded like she was assuring herself more than Shuri. 

"I know," Shuri replied, grabbing Y/N's hand to nuzzle into her palm. "Her heart rate is stable, and nothing is wrong with her. She'll be fine after she rests. Once her mind is ready, she'll wake up."

She closed her eyes and could hear Y/N's heartbeat through her palm. She was uncomfortable watching Y/N slip further into a coma, occasionally withering in pain. Just a few minutes ago, her body stilled, and her chest slowly moved as she breathed in her sleep. 

"Do you know if she's still transforming?" Shuri questioned, aware of how uninformed she was about Y/N's species. 

"Uh, Y/N said it depends," Riri responded, cautiously sitting on the other side of the table. She watched as the Wakandan laid her forehead on Y/N's thigh.

"Since she's slipped into a coma, it means her ancestors wanna talk to her," Riri continued, "I don't know how long it takes, but usually, they're giving them a lesson on a major issue."

"Like with the Black Panther," Ramonda concludes, slowly trailing into the room with sad eyes. Standing at the end of the table, Ramonda chuckles at Y/N's legs handing off the table.

"Y/N is young, and if she's been in the United States for long, then she missed her ceremony," Ramonda concluded, ignoring the confused looks from her daughter and Riri. Instead, her eyes favored the figure of the sleeping Nymerian.

Y/N's body would occasionally stiffen, but her breathing was calm, and the veins on her arms were green. Looking over at Shuri, Ramonda sighs at the glint in her eyes. She was confident it was love, but something was lingering. She wasn't sure what it was but was convinced of something. 

"Shuri," Ramonda coos, smiling when her daughter looks at her expectantly. Reaching to cup her face, Ramonda sighs with a soft look. "I want you to promise me you'll follow your heart. Do not let others' judgment cloud your thoughts."

Deep down, Shuri knew what her mother was talking about. She was slowly falling in love with Y/N, she'd already been attracted to her when they met, but something about her drew her in. She didn't feel like a Princess preparing for a potential war with a winged Fishman. With Y/N, she was just Shuri, and everything was normal.

"I promise, mother," Shuri said, smiling back at her mother before looking back at Y/N. The other pair slowly trailed out of the room, not wanting to disturb her peace.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚," 

Everything was blurry when Y/N opened her eyes. She could make out the giant black blob with glowing red dots and knew the dragon was staring at her.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙉𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣, 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣."

Her soulmate is Shuri.

It was why no one showed up. Nymeria was partly above water while the rest was submerged in the ocean. Nymerians had adapted to live on land and in the sea. The people were happy on their island, the barrier around it keeping outsiders from knowing of its existence. So if you aren't Nymerian, you can't find Nymeria.

"Where am I, grandma?"

The older woman, Aisha, waves her forward, wrapping an arm around Y/N when she stands. If Y/N were to walk any slower, Aisha's arm would phase through her. She directs her toward the dragon, and the earth rumbles as it moves. It huffs, and the breath knocks Y/N to the floor.

"𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙞, 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚," Aisha explained as she chuckled when the dragon grumbled at the panicking Nymerian.

"Am I dead?!"

"𝙉𝙤-" Softly shaking her head, Aisha giggled as she watched Y/N struggle to stand. "𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚."

"Are you dead?" The hesitance was evident in Y/N's voice, and Aisha's silence was enough to answer.

Blinking away tears, Y/N sighs, "When?"

"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧," Aisha snaps, glaring at the floor as her chest glowed a dark red. Taking a breath, the color disappeared, and Aisha became a transparent blue as she calmed down.

Aisha sighed, lifting her hands as the water followed to show a water figure of Ramonda and Namor speaking with each other. "𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙉𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖'𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥, 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝."

"She didn't- she was just trying to get her kid back," Y/N faltered, shaking her head as the image turned to Nakia shooting the guard. "He would've done anything to get his last family member back."

Aisha sighed as she waved the image away, sharing a glance with the dragon. Turning to look at Y/N, Aisha spoke softly as she gestured to the dragon, "𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

"How the hell am I gonna sneak a dragon into Wakanda? Is she gonna shrink?" Y/N groaned and vaguely gestured to the dragon before closing her hands to mimic squishing something.

"𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚," Aisha shrugged, raising her hand as a yellow, glowing ball appeared in her hand. Ignoring the panicked mumbles from her granddaughter, Aisha poured a purple liquid on the ball and watched as it created swirls of colors.

"I don't even know its name! How am I gonna call it?" Y/N shouted, backing away from the growling dragon. Aisha shrugged as she backed Y/N into a hollow tree before grinning at her.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩," Aisha hummed before slamming the orb into Y/N's forehead.

A gasp woke Shuri as Y/N's body shot forwards. She unhooked the machines from her body and stood up, flinching when she hit her head on a support beam. 

"Hey, calm down. Your body hasn't shifted back yet," Shuri ordered, voice soft as she raised her hands to calm the Nymerian down. Aneka pulled her back as others held their spears up to the Nymerian.

Stepping back in panic, Y/N knocks her leg into a desk sending objects crashing to the floor. Yanking free from Aneka's grip, Shuri pushed between the Dora Milaje to stand protectively in front of Y/N. "Stand down! She won't hurt me!"

Y/N's groans of pain drew Shuri's attention behind her, and she gasped in worry. Shifting to her human form, Y/N groans when her bones contract and her teeth retract. Her legs give out, and she collapses to the floor, her arm hanging off the desk to break her fall.

Shuri grabbed the blanket off the sand table and stepped forward to wrap Y/N in it. Gently guiding Y/N's hands to cup her face, Shuri smiles softly, "See me? It's Shuri. You're safe, I promise."

She gasped softly, watching Y/N's eyes change to hazel, the lime green fading to specks. Y/N nods softly as she tilts her head, gaze bouncing around Shuri's face. Sighing in relief, Y/N smiles softly, "I see you."

Shuri sighed in relief as she wrapped Y/N in a hug. Sniffling made her pull back, and she frowned at Y/N's tears. Y/N shrugged at the unsaid question, "I saw her, my grandma. She told me she thinks you're pretty."

Shuri chuckled as she tightened her hold on Y/N's waist. Tilting her head to the side, her lips grazed Y/N's ear. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course-" Blaring and red lights stop their conversation and they're forced to pull away. After helping Y/N stand, Shuri grabs her oversized hoodie and a pair of her brother's sweatpants and hands them to Y/N.

"Put these on," Shuri said, jogging up the stairs and over to a table. "You grew during your transformation, so I'm sure my pants won't fit you."

"Griot, activate the sunbird," Shuri ordered, looking up at the sound of footsteps. Aneka nods before turning to look at the approaching Nymerian. Buzzing on her wrist drew Shuri's attention to her Kimoyo Beads.

"Shuri, where are you?" Ramonda asks, voice heavy with worry.

"Making my way to the city," Shuri replied, handing a confused Y/N a Kimoyo bracelet. Aneka sighed as she helped Y/n put it on and showed her the basics of the beads.

"Stand down! That is an order!" Ramonda shouted, and Shuri froze.

"I'm with Aneka, we can provide air support," She argued.

"What of Taraji?" 

"She's awake, I'll send her to you," Shuri said, mumbling to griot to activate a guide to the throne room on Y/N's beads.

"Aneka, do not let Shuri leave the lab!" Ramonda ordered.

"Mother, you- I'm sorry, you're breaking up! Can't hear you!" Shuri lied, shaking her head at Aneka when she went to speak. "Love you, bye!" She quickly hung up.

"You just hung up on the Queen," Aneka said, disbelief clear as day.

"I just hung up on my mom. There's a difference," Shuri defended and pats the warrior's shoulder as she ran past her.

"Shuri!" Y/N called, and the princess ran toward her. Cupping Shuri's face, Y/N looked down at Shuri, "Quickly, what were you going to tell me?"

"I like you, romanticly. When this is over, I want to take you out," Shuri rushed, grabbing Y/N's wrists when she went to pull away. Y/N pressed a quick peck to Shuri's lips before squeezing her in a hug, "I like you too. Yes, I'll go out with you."

"Keep her safe," Y/N ordered, glaring at Aneka as she ran out of the room. Pausing slightly, Aneka nods before shouting, "Of course!"

Taglist: @rxcently, @kgao, @6-noir, @youralphawolf72, @naomis-daydream, @ddb667, @shuriislut, @ziayamikaelson, @sakurayuki8655-blog, @lppriceisright, @niyah1101, @oracle-code, @aiden-presscott, @k3nn3dyxo,

The next chapter will be short cause you get to interact with it.

STORY MASTERLIST | NEXT PART

[ciggycat-art]

She minos on my prime til I ultrakill **LOUD BUZZER** sh she king on my minos til i prime **LOUD BUZZER** she p my rank til i minos prime **LOUD BUZZER** she soul my survivor til i spinal staircase **LOUD BU

[sylkiddsey]

B.

He grabs her forearms hard and shoves her down the half-flight of stairs. She tucks her head as she rolls, landing in front of the door on the second floor.

She hits the concrete with a thud.

Ouch.

She groans, curling up on her side. The supposed arsonist whizzes past her.

She’s in pain. It might’ve only been six or eight stairs, but they’re made of concrete. Her hip throbs in the same spot from when she fell out the window.

She screws her eyes shut, holding a hand over her sore ribs.

“Sylvie!”

Of course it’s Matt.

She hears him rush down, boots thudding. She feels his warm hand on her waist before she even sees him.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asks.

No. She’s sore and needs a second to recover.

“Sylvie?” Matt asks, brushing her hair away from her face. “Are you hurt?”

As good as it feels to have his hand on her waist and head, this isn’t about her. That guy could kill someone if he keeps this up.

She lifts her head, meeting his wide stare. He looks worried. “I’m fine. Go. You gotta stop him.”

He doesn’t make a move. Instead, his eyes and hands search for injuries.

“Matt, go. Seriously, go,” she requests. “Catch up to him before he kills someone.”

He looks torn, but her pleading tone finally does it. He starts to stand, rubbing circles against her back. “Okay. Okay. I’ll be back. Try not to move.”

“Go,” she nods.

He leaves and she hears him run down the flights. His thudding boots fade in the distance.

She didn’t hit her head, but her body is sore. She pats her legs to ensure she still has feeling. She does.

She rules out a spinal injury.

“Ow,” she whimpers. She might’ve dislocated a rib which is something her chiropractor can fix.

She doesn’t move right away. Her body hurts too much, and she landed on her wrist wrong.

She rotates it slowly, verifying it’s not broken. She probably just sprained it. She put on a brace when they get back.

She doesn’t know how long she lies there on the concrete step, but at some point, she hears footsteps coming up.

She knows it’s Matt without even having to look. He drops in front of her this time. “Can you move?”

There is absolutely no way he could’ve caught that guy so fast. Did he give up and choose her?

“Matt, the guy. I told you to…”

“Mills tackled him when he got outside. The cops cuffed him and he’s in the back of a patrol car,” he explains. His hand rests on the side of her face just like that first moment outside the burning house. Only this time, he strokes her cheek with his thumb.

This is new. Yeah, they are close, but the physical touch thing has been for the most part, untouched. If it does happen, it’s brief.

Now, it lingers.

“How badly are you in pain?”

“I’m okay,” she replies. She rolls onto her back, wincing a little. “I’m good.”

He scoots closer, moving his hand to her shoulder. “You fell down a concrete staircase. How are you…”

“I’m sore,” she interrupts. “And absolutely bruised to hell, but really, I’m okay. I protected my head during the fall.”

“And your spine?”

She wiggles her toes for him. “Everything is intact. I’m okay.”

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

wait, cyrus borg didn’t have a prosthetic arm before the overlord operated on him? i was certain he had the robot arm the whole time, i thought it was just hidden under his clothes 😭 you’re making me question everything i thought i knew lol

i’m going to have to rewatch those episodes to get a better understanding of what happened. i can’t believe i’m just now finding out it’s possible he still had both his arms right up to that point

Yeah no he had two yellow hands initially in the first episode of season 3 I can actually show you with the screenshot below

From that point of him 'Laughing' and being operated on by the Overlord he has his Black Hand like seen in this shot

Indicating The Overlord probably amputated it as punishment for the Techno Blades. The little part of his wrist that is black is what leads me to believe that it was actually his whole arm and not just the hand.

Also off topic but on as well to help give you a little something extra to learn, he's a Canonical Ambulatory Wheelchair user (Unheard of in Childrens Animation hes the only one I can recall I've seen ever) he can fully move his legs we've seen indications of him even being able to stand and walk you can see that one foot is turned up and he was using his legs to push himself towards the time blade (S7 Ep 3 if I remember correctly it's when Kai and Krux clashed just after Cyrus was kidnapped)

Even in crystallized with that one moment Pixal runs in if you look in the background you can see a moving staircase indicating he can probably walk up the stairs but that's probably the limitation of him and also he has assistance to walk as he has the railings to lean on and use

I always commend the Ninjago crew with Cyrus Borg because they had to do their research on wheelchair users in general only about 15% of wheelchair users are actually paralyzed. The rest of the 85 percent are like me Ambulatory we can stand and walk but due to our conditions, it can be a struggle for some it can even be a safety hazard.

This is actually what led to my theory that he suffers from a condition called spina bifida it's a condition where the baby's spinal cord at Birth is exposed due to an opening in the back that doesn't close, leading to many health problems but one of them being the weakening of the legs so a person can require a wheelchair to get around but also can stand and walk to a certain degree.

Cyrus Borg if people would give him another glance and dig into what little we have of what has been shown it they actually managed to put a lot of complexities with him in the subtle details.

If you need further proof of the ambulatory as well I know there's a second moment in crystallized if you look very very closely he's pushing himself using his feet it's a blink and you miss it moment but I sure didn't haha,

My inbox is always open and like I said I am the Cyrus Borg Aficionado around here I have dug and studied this man hard core for years so if you have any further questions always happy to answer!

[portraitsofguilt]

oneshot where kiriko notices that you’re feeling uncomfortable at a party, so she pulls you aside to get your mind off of things?

— ✮ ( 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑 )

minors dni; nsfw ! — lowercase writing intended, sub! reader, dom! kiriko, semi-public sex, mirror sex, fingering, hair pulling, cum play, mention of alcohol, no real end :/

moss' notes; LEGS MOSS IS SO HAPPY YOU REQUESTED FROM THEM AHAHA hope you enjoy, and thank you and mage for the mirror sex headcanons, heavily inspired it here is the link

⠀⠀( pairing . . . ) — kiriko kamori + f! reader

you knew that coming to this party would be a mistake but kiriko was far too persuasive and insisted on you tagging along with her. the two of you arrived late, when the party was already in full force so her arrival made bigger of a scene than when she would arrive in time. a bunch of people who you could hardly remember the name of dragged her away, leaving you to figure out what to do.

there was a calm corner at the party where you could stay, where the music wasn't too loud and the drunk people seemed to not look. so you headed there after a few times filling your drink, looking above everyone else's shoulder to see kiriko downing her drink and leaving the ping-pong table before disappearing into the sea of drunk people.

"uncomfortable?" kiriko popped up next tot you, questioning as she takes your hand.

"i... maybe a bit. it's a big crowd..." you look at the people dancing in the middle of the room before your gaze shifts to your hands hanging next to your thighs. you look up at kiriko who has a little blue spark behind her eyes, whipping your head away you clutch the red cup in your hand before downing it all at once.

kiriko expected you to not be too fond of the party she brought you to, but hoped with her keeping tabs on you and with your friends also there you would be more comfortable. she didn't want to let genji down because nothing beats her watching as genji going out of his mind after she beats him at beer pong. well, nothing... except maybe you and certain features of yours.

"come on, let's go somewhere quiet. promise it's gonna be good." she says sweetly as her hand takes the cup from you and settles on the small stand next to the two of you. her fingers laced with yours before pulling you through the tipsy, dancing people towards the short staircase that led up to the second floor's small corridor. "so good."

"y-yeah?" you don't mean to stutter, following her without a doubt into the bathroom on the left.

"yeah." she hushes tenderly after you are through the sill, closing the door behind the two of you and the darkness eats the room up. her hand lets go of yours, instead an arm wrapping around your waist and pushing you up against something cold. you gulped, feeling kiriko's chest rubbing against yours as she leaned into you. the small bunch your panties were in your pants felt cold and wet, suddenly your spine felt like soda was replacing the spinal fluid and you could hardly contain your head from moving side to side. your thighs rubbed against each other as you tiptoed, one fold of the scrunched-up damp fabric caught onto your clit and you tried fighting back a groan that choked in your throat, but your hands slipped and it got out.

click !

the lights were finally on, bright and burning your eyes. "kiriko..." you breathe, and you wonder what was taking so long with the lights because she seemed like nothing had changed from before the two of you waltzed inside.

a small groan left your throat as her tongue delved into your mouth, eagerly swirling against yours. your arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her impossibly close to you, relishing in the heat of her body on you. as her lips trailed a line down your neck you rolled your hips against her, begging for more. kiriko's teeth sunk into your skin and you whimpered, groaning at the feeling of her fingers digging into your hip, tugging gently at the waist of your pants. your breath hitched as you felt her other hand running up your inner thigh, a gasp escaping your lips at the feel of her cold hand palming you through the fabric.

"kiriko...." you practically moaned at her teasing. this party was hectic, she completely abandoned you to compete with the shimada brothers and now you were absolutely aching at the thought of her fingers.

"turn around for me," she murmured, her lips coming up to take your lips between hers for a short kiss. you gave her a somewhat puzzled look, still trying to make a sentence in your head in the middle of a fog that your brain was. "promise it will be good." she repeated for the hundredth time it seemed and you once again just silently nodded, complying with her request and turned around.

multiple things run through your head when your eyes catch hers in the giant mirror on the wall, expecting her to embrace you from behind but what you haven't expected was the force which she did it with. you gasped when she pushed you back up against the cold granite counter of the sink, bracing yourself on your arms in front of you.

kiriko played with the golden button of your pants for a minute before ripping it from your pants and slipping her hand inside. your head hand as her fingers slowly traced your folds, teasing you, drawing your witness out as she tormented your clit. you heard footsteps outside of the room, and realizing someone might just step inside and see you two kicked you back into the same anxious mindstate before, causing you to panic. the shrine maiden's free hand clasped over your mouth, muffling any panic word that was about to come from your lips and have you forget about the party once again. you bit down on your lips when she buried a finger into your pussy. her pace was torturously slow, her thumb tracing around your clit as her fingers pumped in and out of you.

"look at you, such a pretty mess." kiriko whispered, hand slipping down to grip your chin, and forcing you to look at your reflection in the mirror. her eyes found yours, a smirk taking over her face as she plunged a second finger in, you let out a breathless gasp, doing your best to stay quiet as her fingers curled against your g-spot.

oh, you were a mess, tears of drool slipping from the corner of your mouth as she twists her fingers inside of you, her knuckles assaulting your clit. your chest was heaving, breath still heavy from kiriko's hand silencing you. and she, she was staring at your lust swollen face while her fangs sink into your smooth skin. "it's so g-good... kiriko!"

she wished she could wrap her lips around yours as her fingers continued to torment your cunt, but instead used the chance to torture you. she rutted light against your hips before thrusting a third finger into you, pumping it quickly, putting more pressure on your clit, rolling her harder and faster than before. you continued mewling, whispering half-audible words of application. your head sank even lower, sobbing as your walls clenched around her fingers and your arms shot backward to grab into her side. you caught her jacket, your knuckles turning white as she rubbed you through your orgasm, an army of choked-back moans erupting from your throat.

you whine once again, moving your hips to meet her trust like an impatience child while riding the last of your high, your arms giving out and having to resort to keeping yourself up by your elbows. she tutted you softly, relishing in the wetness wrapping itself around her as you tried to gather yourself. her finger pads collected your slick as she pulled out of you before bringing her soaked finger up to her lips. you finally opened your eyes again, catching her reflection's gaze as she stuck her tongue out, placing her fingers on it and deliberately licking your juices from them.

"hmm, you want a taste?" she coos into your ear, forcing her finger back deeper inside of your sopping cunny. you didn't even really know what you were saying to make her laugh before she was sticking her hand into her own pants and offering it to you.

"good girl." she kissed your neck as you wrapped your lips around her fingers, your tongue slithering between the three fingers to clean and suck on them lightly like a baby.

kiriko was pleased and you seemed to be worrying about anything but the party and all the people around, the fact pulling a smile to her face. her hand that wasn't in between your lips found its place in the middle of your back, soothing a spot between your scapulas.

[ultrakill-ost-showdown]

Welcome to the Ultrakill OST Showdown!

Ultrakill is a good game. It also has good songs. But what is the best Ultrakill song?

Today, we will find out! (Probably!)

We are pitting every* Ultrakill song against each other and seeing which song will come out on top! *Not including the unlisted tracks, [Insert Disc 2], and P-2's intro.

Inspired by:

@splatoon-song-tournament @bangerbattlethemes @finalbossthemethrowdown

You can find the matchups below the cut <3

[ID: The tournament bracket. Round one is:

A Complete and Utter Destruction of the Senses vs Spinal Staircase

WAR vs Disgrace. Humiliation.

The Fire Is Gone (Trumpet, Piano, Saxophone) vs The Fire Is Gone (Music Box)

Requiem vs Beethoven: 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement: Allegretto

Panic Betrayer vs Cold Winds

CHAOS vs Death Odyssey Aftermath

He Is the Light In My Darkness vs The song that plays in the level colloquially known as 4-S

PANDEMONIUM vs Chord of the Crooked Saints

[red line separator]

Bach: BWV 639 "I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ" vs Lakeside Songbook

Dune Eternal vs Take Care

Death Odyssey vs Cerberus

Guts vs The Abyss and the Serpent

Dancer in the Darkness vs A Thousand Greetings

Unstoppable Force vs Sanctuary in the Garden of the Mind

Debussy: Clair de Lune vs Sunshine (Mirage)

Ultrachurch vs Silence. Introspection.

Round two is the victor of round one against:

The Cyber Grind

Sands of Tide

Divine Intervention

Castle Vein

Glory

Fallen Angel

Altars of Apostasy

A Shattered Illusion

[red line separator]

The Death of God's Will

In the Presence of a King

Into the Fire

Duel (Versus Reprise)

Versus

Tenebre Rosso Sangue

ORDER

Deep Blue

Round three to round six are blank. /end ID]

The red line separates them into side A and side B; The victor of Side A will face off against the victor of Side B in the final round.

[gmax]

i love how slow and heavy and oppressive-feeling the abyss and the serpent is. not the same gloomy drone as in the presence of a king or spinal staircase that gives you the feeling of something massive and yet ultimately empty but the slow, methodical stop and start of something that puts a lot of effort into moving against the push and the pull of the tide. the little half beat pauses work to such a good effect. i love you ultrakill soundtrack