#the whole fucked up nature of the Air Force chapel!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

i love to tell my friends horrifying facts about the american military and/or catholicism

[sulky-valkyrie]

vaaaaaaaaaaaaaal for kanders!!! 'hiding your feelings, not wanting to ruin the friendship, even going as far as avoiding each other completely, yet always ending up sharing an intimate moment'

happpy Fridaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, Ro 💙💙💙

for @dadrunkwriting

After Karl was Harrowed, Anders thought whatever they had was over.  Not that they had much, or that he didn't want more, of course; everything about Karl drove him to distraction.  But Karl was special, so special that he'd never tried to even kiss him.  He was tender and kind, and the first person in this Maker-forsaken tower who'd tried to talk to a twelve year old boy who was too scared to speak.

It was Karl who'd turned “that Ander boy” into a name, and never laughed at his rusty voice and thick backwater accent when he began to talk months later.

It was Karl who'd shown him how to mend the fraying edges on his tiny embroidered pillow.

It was Karl who’d sat on his cot and healed the bruises and gashes left by Templar gauntlets when they'd dragged him back to Kinloch, drugged on magebane and unable to do it himself.

So it was perfectly normal that Anders had become… attached.  But attachments of any kind were dangerous for mages.  He tried to ignore it, and filled that aching void in his heart with meaningless trysts.  Each one, no matter how satisfying in the moment, left him more empty inside, wishing for soft greying hair under his fingers and a beard rasping on his skin.  He told himself time and time again that Karl was too important to risk losing, whether to rejection or something worse.  

But Karl, sweet gentle Karl, didn't seem to understand.  And telling him would be tantamount to confessing to the blasted feelings he'd been attempting to rid himself of for years.  No matter how much he tried to avoid him, everywhere he went, Karl was there too.  He was in the kitchens, the library, the chapel, even the apprentice dorms, always with some reason to be there, but looking at Anders the whole time.  The tower wasn't large enough to never see him, of course, but the frequency was worrisome.  Provided the Templars weren’t involved, apprentices were granted more leeway for misbehavior.  They were the lowest of the low, so far down the hierarchy that even the Tranquil were above them.  Tranquil were useful, after all.  Apprentices were simply nuisances and, as long as nothing was actually on fire, they were just swatted away, like gnats.

Full enchanters, however, were expected to set an example.  One of cowed competence.  Karl was a natural at it, full of studious deference.  Associating with a mouthy troublemaking apprentice would get him noticed in all the wrong ways.

Distance was the only defense, but if Karl wouldn’t take the hint, Anders would have to do what he did best.  He ran.

They caught him a week later, and of fucking course, Karl was there when the dragged him in by the back of his collar.  Greagoir ordered that he be locked up below, but when Karl whispered something in his ear, he sighed and told Anders he was confined to his dorm.  Another Templars grabbed him by the elbow, but before he could struggle, Karl stepped in front of them and took his other hand.  “I'll escort him.”

The Templar paused, but at Greagoir's nod, released him.  Karl bowed ever so slightly, then pulled him down the hall without another word.

They wound their way up to the second level before Karl let go, and the absence of his touch was as painful as the quiet disapproval that radiated from him.  When they reached Anders’ dorm room, he pushed it open and stomped to his bed to throw himself on it.  “You shouldn't have done that.”  You're painting a target on your back.

Karl closed the door and walked over to sit down by his head and stroke the scratches on his neck.  “Did they hurt you?”  An unspoken again hovered in the air.

“Just a smite,” he muttered into the pillow as he forced himself not to lean into his fingers.  “Knocked me out of a tree.”

“I wish…” Karl's voice trembled and trailed off as he healed Anders’ broken skin.  “You need to be more careful.”

He bit back a sigh of longing and rolled away.  “No, you need to be more careful,” he grumbled.  “Sticking your neck out like that?  It's not worth it.”

“What's - Anders, what's gotten into you?”

Anders dug his fingers into his palm and squeezed his eyes shut.  “You shouldn't be here,” he whispered.  “Leave me alone.”

“Irving's orders,” Karl said.  “Why do you think you're not in a cell?”  He touched his shoulder.  “I'm – we're trying to protect you.  Even if he hadn't asked, I'd be here.  Like always.”

He hunched up and shook his head.  “Go away.”  They hate me already; don't make them hate you too. 

He felt the bed shift as Karl inched closer.  “Anders, look at me,” he pleaded.  “Look me in the eyes and say that again.  Please.”

Maker, it was so hard to disobey that voice.  All he ever wanted other than to get out was to make Karl happy, but happiness wasn’t safe here. Nothing was.  “I – I won't try anything until curfew,” he whispered.  “So they know you didn't have anything to do with it.”  

“Try what?  Anders, I – you haven’t talked to me in weeks and then you ran again and now you’re back and I… what did I do?  Let me fix it,”  Karl begged.  “I – we were friends, and now you won't even look at me.”

Friends.  The word made him want to shrivel up and die.  Just friends, nothing more, never anything more.  He rolled back over, still not meeting his gaze, and grabbed his hand.  “You didn't do anything.  I just – we can't.  You're Harrowed now; they're watching you, and I –” he bit his lip.  “It would kill me if anything happened to you.  So I need-”  He swallowed.  “Need you to go away.”

Karl’s fingers slipped from his grip, then touched his chin.  “And what about me?”  He asked softly.  “What about what I want?  Do you have any idea how much it scares me when you run?  How awful it feels to hope I won't see you again?  How many nights I've spent terrified they'd killed you already and I'd never know?”  His thumb slid across Anders’ cheek, trailing remnants of magic on his skin.  “Don't I get a say in this?  In what - in who is worth the risk?”

What could he say to that?  Anders looked up, finally meeting his eyes, and what he saw in them ripped his heart in two.  One half grew wings and fluttered in his throat while the other sank like a stone to the pit of his belly.  He hadn't seen it in years, but recognized it instantly: love.

Fuck it.

He sat up, afraid to look away and lose the moment (or his nerve), and leaned forward to press their foreheads together.  “Give me a reason to stay,” he breathed, willing him to understand.  Tell me I'm worth it.

Karl tilted his head ever so slightly, just enough that Anders could feel his breath ghost over his lips.  “What about this?” he asked, then closed that final infinitely long inch, the one that had been between them for years, to kiss him.  It was hesitant and slow, like he was afraid Anders might not want it, like he didn’t want to take it if it wasn’t freely given.  

Oh, but it was.  It was.  Anders sighed against Karl’s mouth and pulled him closer, kissing him back and pouring years of feelings into it, until they were dizzy and breathless and somehow he was on his back and Karl was on top of him and it was so right and he was so ready and –

“Not like this,” Karl murmured when they finally broke apart, then he pushed himself up, leaning on one arm and resting his palm over Anders’ racing heart.  “I want it to be special.  Can you wait?”  He glanced away and added, ��I mean, is that a reason to stay?”

Anders couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face.  “You’re just trying to drag this out and keep me here longer.”

“Is it working?”

He caught the edge of Karl’s collar and tugged him back down.  “Ask me next week.”

[artificialqueens]

Like They Do in Vegas, 5/5 (Vanique) - Mac

AN: It’s finally here!!! Last chapter!!! Thank you a million times over to Meggie for betaing this and being my personal angel.

Thank you to all of you who have been reading and leaving such nice comments! I never expected to make this into a full chaptered fic, but I’m so happy I did and I’m really proud of this tbh. I hope you enjoy the last chapter!!! Thanks again!!

BGM Challenge Notes: Here is the playlist I made for this fic.

Summary: Monique tries to make it up to Vanessa in an unconventional way.

Vanessa didn’t know why she agreed.

That was a lie, she did know why she agreed, but she figured if she didn’t say it out loud it wouldn’t be true.

Monique had taken her hand, smiled when Vanessa’s silver ring bumped her own gold one, and led them out the door of the casino, into the back of a sleek black car. The driver greeted them cordially and it took Vanessa a moment to register that this must be Monique’s personal car because she never gave an address; she hardly spoke two words to the driver before they were jetting across the brightly lit streets.

The leather was cold and unforgiving against Vanessa’s bare legs, but Monique’s hand rested gingerly on Vanessa’s upper thigh, still cautious, and shaking just the slightest bit.

Vanessa hated that the contact warmed her up.

They drove for a while, the city lights fading in the background as desert rock formations appeared.  If Vanessa had more sense in her she would have worried about getting kidnapped, but something in her gut eased those fears.

Something she wasn’t ready to name just yet.

Monique’s hand remained a steady reminder that this was real, that she was here. When it disappeared suddenly, Vanessa looked up to see that they had stopped outside a dimly lit building in the middle of nowhere.

Vanessa’s door was opened for her and she thanked the driver with a wary smile. Before she could exhale, Monique appeared once again, offering her arm to the younger girl.

They walked slowly toward the building, giving Vanessa ample time to admire Monique in the low light.

The respective silver and gold color palettes of their outfits clashed, but in a way that wasn’t wholly unbearable. Vanessa had on another silver-white dress that hugged her curves, while Monique had opted for a gold top, matching gold belt and accessories. The black of her pants accentuated her color choice.

A sudden gust of wind and a loud chopping sound cut into the still desert air. It was then that Vanessa noticed the shape of a helicopter just past the dim lights of the building.

Monique noticed her shock and smiled gently. “You aren’t scared of heights are you?”

Vanessa shook her head, eyes wide as Monique continued to lead her toward the helicopter.

An older gentleman greeted the two of them, or at least Vanessa thought he had, the loud beating of the blades of the helicopter was too loud for her to properly make out the words he said. But he opened the door for them to climb up into the aircraft before closing it behind them solidly.

Monique smiled at Vanessa and helped the still shocked younger girl into her many seatbelts. She tried to ask what the hell they were doing, but the noise made it impossible. Monique shook her head, motioning to the headphones next to Vanessa’s seat and placing her own pair over her ears.

Vanessa followed the silent instructions and suddenly the oppressively loud noise made by the blades was blissfully quiet.

“That’s better.” Vanessa heard Monique’s voice in her ears, staticky over the mic. She nodded, still unsure of what exactly was happening.

“Are you ready, Ms. Heart?” the pilot asked.

Monique continued to watch Vanessa as she answered, eyes never once leaving the younger woman’s face. “Yes, thank you, Don.”

Vanessa gripped the seat as the aircraft began to lift off the ground. Monique noticed her white-knuckled grip and carefully unclenched Vanessa’s fingers and to interlock them with her own.

The reassuring gesture just made Vanessa’s already racing heart beat that much faster.

As they ascended higher and higher up, Vanessa could no longer make out the building they had come from, the expanse of the Nevada desert overtaking her vision.

It looked achingly peaceful at night, the usual heat-red rock dark and smooth. The dunes almost seemed to be rolling the longer she looked at them, the dust and rock and earth shifting and tumbling over itself.

As they reached cruising altitude, the helicopter jolted forward and began their journey back toward the glimmering Las Vegas. The city started off as only a small point of light and soon magnified to a world of color.

Vanessa felt the lights of Sin City draw her in as they always did, only the feeling was amplified impossibly by the sheer scope of the city. As they soared above the twinkling expanse of life, Vanessa pressed her face to the glass in an effort to look closer, makeup be damned.

She pointed excitedly at places she recognized, hotels, casinos, shows, street names, places she hadn’t even registered going. Monique paid attention to each tangent Vanessa went on, asking questions, covering her mouth to hide smiles, shaking her head in disbelief.

And Vanessa loathed that it felt natural to be so vulnerable.

As soon as Vanessa stopped talking though, the aircraft went silent with the sort of tension that made the palms of her hands sweat. She was suddenly reminded of their situation.

Monique coughed awkwardly. “I figured since you liked the view from the hotel, you’d like this even more.”

Vanessa looked over to her, their eyes locking for the first time since the casino. Monique looked as nervous as Vanessa felt, worrying the skin of her hands.

“It’s beautiful,” she said seriously.

And it was. Breathtakingly so.

But the whole of Las Vegas was nothing compared to Monique.

“So are you.”

Vanessa couldn’t hold eye contact at that, opting instead to stare at her fidgeting hands on her lap. The sudden weight of it all falling onto her exposed shoulders, making her shiver at the feeling.

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” Monique practically whispered.

Vanessa fought the urge to dismiss her worries. To say ‘the hell with it’ and kiss Monique within an inch of her life because no one had ever cared this much before. It felt too personal. Vanessa felt too exposed.

And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t last. That this overwhelming sense of being cherished was temporary.

She was reminded that the pilot could hear their conversation, so rather than say all the things she wanted to in that moment, she settled for simplicity, and hoped her eyes would communicate the rest.

“I know.”

They soared silently above the city for a while longer, Vanessa lost in thought.

When they touched back down to the ground hours later, Vanessa felt exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. She hadn’t registered in the moment how on edge she was and how the anxiety had essentially zapped all her energy.

She rested her head against Monique’s shoulder as they got back into the car and sped off toward the city. With Monique’s arms wrapped securely around her, fingers carding through her hair gently, Vanessa had never felt safer.

When they came to another stop a bit later, Vanessa blinked her eyes open blearily. Monique took her hand this time and helped her out of the car and onto the bustling street. They stood there for a moment, Monique still holding Vanessa’s hands in her own.  

It was only when Vanessa lifted her head to see where they were that her stomach dropped.

“What the fuck,” Vanessa blurted.

Monique bit her lip nervously. “I figured you probably done all the fun touristy stuff before except this.”

Shock was an understatement. “This is a weddin’ chapel.”

Open 24-hours! The sign boasted. Legal Marriages!

“Yeah.” Monique nodded. “You wanna get married?”

She offered so nonchalantly, so casually, that if Vanessa didn’t know any better she could have mistaken her words for a conversation about the weather.

“This is crazy.”

Monique shrugged. “Well, I’m crazy ‘bout you, so it’s fitting.”

Vanessa was speechless, brain still trying to comprehend what was going on, if this was happening. “You-you don’t even know me.”

“I do though,” Monique insisted.

“Not well enough to marry me!” Vanessa exclaimed.

“I think I do,” she responded simply, as if this was totally normal.

“I’ve barely known you two days!”

“And that was enough time for me to know that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Are you…?” Vanessa shook her head. “You not serious.”

Monique just smiled. “I love you.”

Vanessa’s whole body tensed. “You can’t mean that,” she whispered, worried that if she spoke too loud Monique might say it again.

Vanessa’s brain kept replaying that one little word over and over again in her mind.

Love. Love. Love.

Was that what it was? Was that the reason she went out with Monique that first night? Helped her win at Blackjack? Let her pay for dinner? Went back to her room? Was that the reason she had been willing to hear Monique out? Had given her another chance?

Was love the reason it felt so risky to be here? So exposed? Was love the reason that even now, when confronted with this insane idea, that a part of her wanted to say yes?

“Tell me I’m lying,” Monique spoke softly, taking Vanessa’s hands and placing them on either side of her face, forcing their eyes to meet. “You read people so well. Tell me I’m lying,” she breathed.

Vanessa sighed and looked, really looked at Monique.

The older woman’s eyes were deep in their softness, vulnerable and open, holding nothing back. Vanessa felt a full-body shiver take over as realization dawned on her.

There was no trace of anything malicious in Monique’s eyes. No trace of anything other than raw adoration.

She looked at Vanessa like she was the lights on the Vegas strip.

Like she had never seen anything more beautiful.

Vanessa nearly took a step back at the intensity of emotion staring her down. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, Monique’s eyes never ceasing in their openness, the joy and fear and love pouring out threatening to drown her.

And yet it didn’t.

Every crash of emotion against Vanessa’s chest that edged on too much eased a moment later, the same emotion that held her captive freed her in the same breath.

“Monique—” Vanessa started, unsure herself of what she wanted to say.

“I know.” Monique nodded, taking Vanessa’s hands in her own, the two of them fitting together as if they were always meant to. “I know this is crazy and I know you have your doubts and you’re fearful of the world because people have hurt you in the past. I know even though you’ve never said it, that you’re waiting for me to do the same.” Monique gave her a small smile and stepped that much closer. “I’m not perfect, not by half. But I am in love with you. So let me. Let me love you imperfectly.”  

The sheer amount of feeling Monique conjured in Vanessa, the confusion and elation and fear and comfort and love… It was overwhelming.

It made her want to let her guard down.

“Why do I wanna say yes?” Vanessa shook her head in spite of the smile on her face. “God, you make me crazy.”

Monique chuckled, and Vanessa’s heart leapt, pressing itself against her chest in an effort to get closer to Monique.

“So I guess the feeling is mutual.”

It was Vanessa’s turn to laugh, the sound echoing in her own ears the longer she let it. Monique just grinned at her, only leaning in to capture her lips when Vanessa paused to take a breath in.

The air around them felt so light, Vanessa swore she could float out of her skin. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here, lips pressed against Monique, body sparking at her touch, smile set in the corners of her eyes.

“So what do you say?” Monqiue held her close, hands planted firmly on Vanessa’s waist. “Will you marry me?”

“Aren’t you already married?” Vanessa quirked an eyebrow up.

“Divorce papers were sent to him the moment you got in the car.” Monique smiled. “They should arrive tomorrow.”

Vanessa shook her head with a chuckle and leaned back in Monique’s arms to take her in.

“Ask me again tomorrow.”

[advernia]

this is for that anon who asked about the danganronpa!ikerev au Σ(･口･) thank you for having an interest in this au, by the way! (´∀`) the format’s not exactly lore-ish per se since when luci and i talked about this, we plotted it out to be game-like - but still, here you go~ it’s like a prologue of sorts, i guess!

the tea party

everyone’s invited - red + black + neutrals + alice - except the tweedles + mousse, whoops. tho i was amusing myself with the idea that they could be something like ndv3′s monokubs, lol.

but since it’s also alice in wonderland themed, maybe the three are like some odd guides popping out randomly now and then??? they say they’re helping but dean’s too cryptic, dalim cycles between being vague or being an unhelpful bastard, and mousse... yeah.

the killing game tea party is set in the ikerev gardens / the civic center and in true danganronpa fashion, they can’t leave the premises. new rooms + places for exploration are also only unlocked after certain events. sometimes if they feel like it, the tweedles or mousse could open areas themselves, which makes them even more suspicious.

they claim not to be working with monoamon, but everyone calls bullshit bc how the fuck can they move so freely + open areas then??? they don’t answer that question at all, but eventually there’s the inkling that even they themselves don’t know why they’re granted that freedom too.

there’s no strict stuff about the time, but somehow everyone knocks out unconscious come midnight and wake up exactly at seven. food’s readily available at the tea party table, looking always fresh. they can see the outside, but some odd invisible barrier’s keeping them from going too far.

guests: red & black

no set protagonist, lol - let’s imagine everyone having their own routes!

the red + black main five wake up seated on their respective seats on the table. not simultaneously, mind you. the ‘protagonist’ wakes up first and when he does, he’s greeted by the sight of an odd stuffed rabbit with a monochrome pattern staring at him, wtf. 

“finally awake,” it says and protag’s like no shit sherlock but wait wtf - talking stuffed rabbit???????????????????????

it ignores all the basic questions (where am i, who are you, why can you talk etc.) but responds to the why am i bound / chained to this chair, and it says:

‘if you want to break free, you have to remember your title.’ and with that the rabbit hops away, leaving the protag either a) even more confused (kyle, zero, luka, fenrir), b) agitated (jonah, ray, seth), or c) thinking about the title (lancelot, edgar, sirius).

eventually after a moment of mental + physical struggle, their title hits them in the head and it spills out from their lips and hey presto, the chains on ‘em are suddenly lifted! by this time, their ‘rival’ chara wakes up.

‘rival’ chara can vary, pure (black vs. black) or cross (red vs. black). let’s say that the pure rivalry is your normal game mode and more centric around the chosen protag’s dynamic with his group (black or red) + a little with certain neutrals. the cross is your hard difficulty, probably filled with more bullshit, and has a storyline that involves everyone (with an ending that more or less still leaves you with tons of questions).

for pure black, luci likes the matchups of ray vs. seth & luka vs. fenrir. red, kyle vs. jonah & edgar vs. zero. lancelot and sirius are faced off with a rival from the neutral group, blanc and loki respectively.

for cross we have: ray vs. jonah, lancelot vs. fenrir, sirius vs. edgar, luka vs. kyle, and zero vs. seth. note that the rival chara isn’t exactly antagonistic by nature, results may vary depending on game difficulty lol.

anyway, eventually everyone wakes up and they get to remembering their so-called titles. it’s only after they’re free that they realize they can’t remember their names, much less anything else.

but by simply looking at each other’s outfits + introduction of self through titles... the other group aside, it’s logical to first assume that they know each other. their clothes have similar colors, their titles end with the same symbol, and they’re seated on the same side of the table... question is, why can’t they remember each other???

the rabbit pops up when the mood’s gone quiet, and it’s oddly chipper as it introduces itself as amon. it answers and ignores questions on a whim, and when it finally has enough it informs everyone that there are people still missing - without them, the tea party can’t start.

what the fuck is this tea party about, someone tries to say but amon’s gone away. left with not much of a choice, everyone decides to search the area for these missing people, with this ‘tea party area’ as the rendezvous point after maybe thirty minutes or so.

guests: neutral

these guys have a harder time bc unlike the red + black that are already grouped together, the four are located in separate areas and are also chained to something (a certain cat’s been chained to a damned tree). 

the protag will always encounter amon first, and the remaining three will meet dean, dalim, or mousse. tho instead of being told the remember your title phrase, they get a remember who you are instead.

they eventually remember, break free, and set out exploring the place in hopes of finding anyone else / jogging their memories. but before they’re found by either the reds or the blacks (or both), the white rabbit meets the mad hatter, and the cheshire cat meets the joker.

the neutrals at first are hesitant to go along with whoever finds them, but eventually they comply when they hear that these strangers also went through a similar experience as they did. when the four are brought to the tea party table, a round of introductions go on and now they’re fourteen in total - but there’s still one seat left open.

since the neutrals are obviously different / don’t pose any similarities with the two groups in any way, suspicion floats in the air. that mood is diffused immediately by the white rabbit, who everyone doesn’t mind actually listening to. he points out that maybe they should try finding that last person before really engaging into a proper talk.

everyone’s sure they’ve checked around, but there’s not much places to go when some barrier-like force holds them back from going to certain areas. but suddenly the cheshire cat hits the jackpot, discovering a path hidden by the rosebushes in the gardens that lead to... a chapel???

the moonlight shining down + the surrounding rosebushes makes the chapel look pretty, but that’s not what they’re there for anyway - when everyone walks to the chapel doors, they see that there are two large chains crossed together binding the door shut, the links of one chain all colored black and the other red - thinking that those chains follow a similar formula to those that bound them, the white rabbit suggests that they try confirming if someone’s inside first.

they shout, rattle the chains, peek through the windows, look around for any other entrances, but nothing. no one replies, no other entrances, the windows are made out of stained glass so you couldn’t see inside. someone suggests breaking the windows, but suddenly the tweedles + mousse appear out of nowhere, standing by the chapel doors.

majority go wtf who u and how’d u get here??? the three that suddenly appeared don’t care about that though, and instead stare at the kings. mousse holds two banners in his hand - dean takes the red one, dalim takes the black one... and go to the king of hearts and king of spades respectively.

the twins hold out the banners to the kings, expressions equally serious. they ask: who are you? and while the kings don’t answer at first, they regain composure and speak out their titles, taking the banners in their hands.

the moment the kings speak their titles the banners change form and take the shape of swords - suddenly weapons appear before the rest of the army people too, and while the whole thing is odd; the weapons are actually... sort of familiar to have by their side.

dean and dalim say nothing more and go back to where mousse stands - the quiet man looks at everyone with a strange glint in his eye, and like a whisper, he says: never forget - and they’re gone.

now everything’s just downright confusing again, but the kings decide to use their swords to take down the chains of the chapel, for starters. hey presto, it works! and with those gone, they could walk into the chapel...

guests: alice

the chapel looked pretty from the outside, and was equally pretty from the inside. intricately designed stained glass, neatly arranged pews, simple yet elegant tapestries, a grand cross by the altar, a body lying facedown by the altar... yeah, pretty.

...................... a body!?!?!??!?!

chosen protag gets to the body first, and surprise surprise, it’s a girl! the moment the protag shifts her body to see her face, a sharp pain pierces his head - she’s familiar, she’s familiar, but not a single concrete memory takes form.

everyone goes through this when they see her face, and when the last person who sees her has recovered a bit from the sudden headache, the girl starts to stir.... and when she focuses her eyes on the protag, his title comes out from her mouth and.... what the hell?

she’s not wrong, but how the hell does she know??? before anyone can get to asking her that, amon suddenly pops up from the chapel’s entrance, bathed in moonlight and looking extremely pleased. 

“took you lot long enough. now... let’s have a mad time, shall we?”

fourteen men, one woman... how many can survive this tea party?

miscellaneous stuff

hours before oliver is tragically murdered, alice and the protag will have a conversation in the chapel - it’s like alice is gauging the protag’s resolve, and at the end there’s a promise. alice leaves first after that, and as he watches her leave the protag gets the odd feeling that he’ll never see her again... which proves true, since he’ll be condemning her to death come the trial. oof.

first trial always ends up with oliver as the victim and alice as the executioner, lol... but luci and i like the idea of anyone could’ve murdered oliver granted that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time - in any route, it always happens to be alice. was it by accident, or by choice??? hmmm....

her memento item changes depending on the protag! so for example, if zero or fenrir, the item is a pair of earrings. loki or sirius end up with a choker. ray with a necklace, edgar with a wristwatch, etc... the item proves useful on the last trial.

it’s actually a shame that oliver and alice are cut off immediately??? the former proved to be knowledgeable of the machinery present in the building, and the latter was actually like blanc in the sense that she could get everyone to calm down and listen... plus since she was familiar to everyone and vice-versa, she might have been helpful in regaining their memories. so much for that.

amon finds their deaths very convenient himself, stating that the mad hatter + alice were going to be a pain and would spoil the tea party if they lived any longer. to why that was, no one’s quite sure yet. amon seems to dislike blanc, too.

each executioner’s punishment is recreated through a unnervingly realistic diorama set up in that one place they frequently go to... thus alice’s can be found in the chapel. the actual bodies of the victims + executioners are actually nowhere to be found, though... that aside, why exactly was this being done??? was it because amon was simply a sick bastard??? or as morbid as it was, were the dioramas meant to send a message??? hmmmm.....

murder cases & themes also vary throughout routes! usually, the victims or executioners are related to the character’s route theme in the sense that they’re the opposite of it or are burdened differently about it as compared to the protagonist...

so say for example, zero’s theme is purpose / duty.... chances are the victims / executioners on his route are people who are also strongly related to this theme. whiiich means that ray or luka could play a role on his route lol whoops spoilers or for ray, who deals with guilt... people who deal with certain burdens are of interest. whiiiiich means that edgar or kyle are probably involved whooops

danganronpa itself has philosophical + psychological themes, so add that up with lewis carroll’s alice in wonderland which is philosophical by nature... and you get a shit ton of questions about judgement + morality + causality + life + death + truth + deceit that recurs on every route.

delivery and angles vary - for example, loki’s route takes a bleak perspective on causality through his flippant decision-making at the beginning. though quite the unreliable narrator, one can get the idea that kyle is obviously haunted and gravely affected by the deaths he witnesses, whether a victim’s or an executioner’s.

big question: is there a mastermind, or is this all in their head??? has everything gone mad, or was this an inevitable reality??? curious indeed...

[sleepwalkersregime]

Day 2- Neil’s frienship with Renee

Here’s my second (late) fic for Neil’s birthday week. Read it on Ao3 or under the cut.

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/17502065

     None of the foxes had ever heard Renee swear before. It simply wasn’t in her vocabulary. Neil had yet to understand Renee as a person, and he still had his observation skills ingrained into his brain from years of needing them to stay alive. From watching during games, parties, and the school semester, Neil noted that Renee had the most self control of anyone he had ever seen before. His mind changed during one scrimmage. 

It was finals week before Christmas break, and everyone was tired from the double practices that Kevin insisted on to make up for how much he knew they would slack off during break. They had been at it for an hour, and everyone was getting testy and tired. The scrimmage progressively got faster and more violent. 

Neil made a particularly tricky pass back and forth with Kevin, relishing in the fact that he didn’t mess it up, before shooting at Renee. She tried to block the ball, but she wasn’t fast enough, and the goal behind her lit up red for the sixth time. If Neil hadn’t been so close, he would have missed the strained “Fuck!” come from beneath her helmet. He glanced around, but no one else was surprised, so he must have been the only one to hear. He raised his eyebrows at Renee. She exhaled. “Sorry. Long week.” Neil nodded before returning to half court. As usual, Andrew and Neil were the last to leave the locker room. They got back to the dorms and Andrew packed his things. He, Aaron, and Nicky were already going up to Columbia for the break, but Neil had one more final on Monday he needed to stay for, and Andrew was going to drive back down to get Neil afterward. Neil and Andrew said goodbye inside the dorm so that they wouldn’t have to do so in front of Nicky and Aaron. “I’ll miss you,” Neil said against Andrew’s mouth. “It’s just two days, idiot.” Andrew let out a hiss of air as Neil responded by trailing a line of kisses down his jaw. Neil pulled back and smiled. “Don’t fail your test,” Andrew said before turning to leave out the door. Neil accompanied them to the car and waved as the Maserati pulled out of the parking lot before heading back inside fox tower, going up the stairs to the roof. He nearly slammed into Renee when she opened the door from their floor. “Sorry Neil!” she quickly said as she continued around him without making eye contact. Normally, Neil didn’t like to get into any business he didn’t have to, but this was extremely out of character for Renee. “Is everything okay?” he called out. She stopped and turned to face Neil. Her face was red and her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. She took a deep breath before speaking, her voice coming out surprisingly steady. “I’ll be okay. Thank you.” Neil caught her arm before she spun off again. “Do you want- I’m going to the roof if you want some fresh air.” He felt awkward- he was rarely alone with Renee. She looked at Neil for a moment before nodding slightly. They went to the roof in silence. Renee followed suit as Neil sat down on the edge (on the opposite side of where he usually sat with Andrew). He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, taking a single drag before letting it burn on its own.

Unsure of how to comfort a distraught Renee, Neil settled on keeping quiet until she decided to speak up. After a few minutes, she did.

“Allison’s parents want her to visit for Christmas. She said she wouldn’t go if she can’t bring me, and they aren’t happy about that.”

Neil remembered the time he found out that Renee and Allison were dating- he had been oblivious to the whole thing, and when his eyes lit up with surprise when he was told, Matt had slid Dan a twenty dollar bill.

“I told her we can always go to Stephanie’s. She’d love to have us. But Allison’s settled on bringing me home just to spite her parents.”

Neil looked at Renee and noticed her fiddling with the cross around her neck. “I left before it got too heated. I don’t want to start a fight right before Christmas.”

“That sounds tough.” Neil had never been good at knowing what to say to comfort others. “Allison seems to always choose the most dramatic option.”

Renee chuckled at that. “Yes, she does. I think she hopes that her parents will forgive her, but she won’t say it out loud. It’s great that they even invited her home, but it will take more time for them to accept us dating.”

Neil thought about his shopping trips with Allison, and how the very first time they went to the mall, she bought him a sequined crop top and impossibly tight leggings. “From what I know, Allison likes to throw everything out there at once, not wait for people to adjust slowly. Her parents know her, and if they’re willing to take her back  for leaving to pursue exy, I think they’ll get over the initial shock of this soon enough.”

Renee eyed Neil. “You’re not as apathetic as you want people to think.”

Neil shrugged.

“Thank you, Neil. I think you’re right.” She squeezed his hand once and stood to leave. “Do you have plans for tomorrow?”

Neil shook his head.

“Would you be interested in coming to church with me?”

Neil’s mouth fell open. He had only been to a church once in his life, and it was used by him and his mother to hide. Organized religion was never something he had taken in interest in. The only thing that stopped him from saying no immediately was the fact that Andrew was gone. While they would normally spend Sundays together in their room and on the roof, he would have free time this week. It couldn’t hurt. “Sure.”

She smiled. “We’ll leave at 9:00. Dress nice.” And she left.

On Sunday morning, after his usual early run, Neil stood before his closet and realized he had nothing church-appropriate. His nicest shirt was a black turtleneck that Andrew had bought him for going to Eden’s. Figuring God wouldn’t mind, he paired that with his newest pair of jeans and put on a pair of black vans that Andrew had left behind. A knock on his door signaled Renee was waiting for him, and he met her outside. Neil looked at Renee’s bright shirt-skirt combo and down at his own outfit. “Sorry, it was the best I had…”

Renee shrugged it off. “It’s perfect.”

They walked about fifteen minutes to a small chapel nearby, filling the time with Neil asking Renee about her religious background and trying to understand why something so abstract brought her peace.

Walking in, almost everyone greeted Renee with a smile as she introduced Neil. The service was an hour and a half. A lot of it was singing hymns, which Neil opted to sit out on and just read the words instead. A priest gave a sermon about God’s love and sharing that love with others, no matter the differences between people. It began and ended with a prayer by someone from the congregation, and Neil was impressed by how everything was attributed to God. The prayers thanked God for everything they had, and asked for things like comfort and understanding.

“So what did you think?” Renee asked Neil as they walked home.

“It was… different. I’ve never believed in God because I never had a reason to. My life was always in someone else’s hands, and I never had any divine intervention that saved me.”

Renee nodded. “That’s how I felt too. Why would God just let these horrible people go around killing others? But, from how I connect with Him, it’s not about that. He gives us the tools we need to be good people, and it’s up to us to take it. When I was in a gang, God didn’t stop me because it has to be our own choice.”

Neil mulled that over for a minute. They were back on campus now, with fox tower in sight. “I can see why believing in a higher being is… reassuring. Like all the shit that happens here isn’t just it. God, or buddha, or mother nature, or whatever it is… there’s an outside force that can give us a second chance. And it’s worth it to try.”

They were back on their floor now, and Renee stopped with Neil outside his dorm door. “That’s exactly it.” She leaned in to hug Neil. “Thank you for coming with me. I hope you can understand why I’ve made the choices I have.”

Neil nodded. “Thanks for taking me. I… I’m not sure if Christianity is for me, but i’m glad to know more about it. And about you.”

She gave him a warm smile. “I’m always open to talk if you have questions. Good luck with your final.”

“Good luck with Allison. I hope Christmas goes well.”

Neil thought about church for the rest of the day. He really was happy that he got to understand Renee a little better- she had been a mystery to him every since he came to Palmetto. He wasn’t sure if he would ever believe in a god of some sort, but now that his life didn’t have an expiration date, he found comfort in the fact that he could explore this again whenever he wanted.

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E08 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 368 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 352 Responses

84% of total respondents gave the episode a 4 or 5 star rating. The episode this week was overall considered very enjoyable!

kinda average,some cuts didnt make sense,lets see if the next one is good.

This episode was so great, I really enjoyed it! But there are still things that are bothering me.

This episode was fricking amazing.

All in all, one of the best episodes in the season for me, hands down.

I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next ep.

Amazing as always! ❤️

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES WERE YOUR FAVORITES? 356 Responses

Eren making his move in order to protect his friends was the overall favorite scene of the episode. Closely behind is Squad Levi showing up to save Eren and Historia. Despite some upset about the change, the scene where Levi tells Historia she has to become the queen ranked third.

The hardest question for me to answer was what my most favourite scene was because frankly speaking, none of the “big” and “impressive” scenes made an impact on me. I just rewatched S2 and was blown away by how the last few episodes especially were so well done. I wish this season makes me feel the same way later on.

Historias Speech before Levi squad gets there had so much feels

WHICH CHARACTER INTERACTION WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 354 Responses

There were lots of good character interactions this week. Most shippers seemed quite happy with theirs. The most loved moment of the episode, however, was Mikasa joking with Historia that she should punch Levi in the face. Closely behind was Levi lamenting having to tell Eren to make a choice again, and in third was Historia’s speech while saving Eren.

ALL OF THE ABOVE. YOU CANT MAKE ME PICK ONE HOW DARE YOU

They cut it out T.T

Oof, too many can't chose. Historia and Eren, Mikasa saving Historia, Jean and Historia motivating Eren, Levi apologizing to Eren, Sasha and Eren, Eremin hand touch <3, Levi and Erwin, Hange and Historia, Jean and Connie stepping in for Historia.....

Historia refusing the plan to let Eren be eaten by Rod-EREHISU4LYFE

That beautiful "Danchou" made me WEAK.

I like two: Mikasa x Historia and Mikasa telling Historia to punch Levi.

Every Levi & Eren interaction! So many Ereri moments in this episode ~

Kenny

MikaHisu is sailing hard

Levi and Eren interactions were amazing ♥

bjitch you think I'm neutral enough about snk to pick one think again

Character moments and interactions are what truly make this series for me.

I really enjoyed Hange's contribution to the discussion about Eren's and Rod's fates. The music, the flaming titan in the background, Hange pointing at it, and the overall drama of the conversation was on point!

BEST TITAN STEAM WINDBLOWN HAIR: 357 Responses

Levi won this overall, but plenty of voters appreciated that we put Connie in the rankings despite being bald! ;)

ROD REISS’ TITAN IS ALL CGI - HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS? 356 Responses

Nearly half of voters were surprisingly content with the CGI and thought that it added more disgust and hugeness to Rod’s titan. Looks like WIT utilized the CGI well this time around!

Hi WIT what the fuck

I didn't really like the CGI in season 2, but to be honest I expected it for the turkey titan and holy hell does it look big 10/10

I don't mind it too much, but i think traditional animation would be better.

I remember this feeling of absolute horror and disgust when I first saw Rod Reiss' titan back in the manga but the memes over the years made me forget. Wit has very successfully brought those feelings to the fore again, and goddamn I get shudders even now and I've rewatched the episode twice already.

I'm halfway though... A part of me wanna see turkey titan moving. A part of me actually prefer worm titan coz it is more disgusting. Anyways CGI are overdone in this scene. Wonder if the face reveal will be as disgusting as the rest of the body

I was worried about it at first glance as the Colossal Titan in season 2 was too out of place, but it worked and probably helped that Rod’s Titan can’t stand upright.

It’s tacky but I’m here for it

Looks great in some scenes... kinda shitty in others :/

MEEEAAAAAATTTTLLOOOOOAAAFFFF

The cgi is disgusting but I like it like that. It's like your ugly child, you still like it. Plus if it's allows them to reduce the time and the cost of the animation I'm fine with it. I'd rather have an aime with a bit of cgi every year than no anime at all or a season every 4 years.

im scared

Yummy yummy meatloaf.

DO YOU THINK KENNY CARED FOR HIS SQUAD? 357 Responses

Overall, the majority of voters agree that Kenny cared about his squad. Only slightly less than half of those voters believe that he still valued himself more, though.

He was concerned for their safety but was also probably like "do you guys not have any self preservation?

Maybe? I don't know, lol. We didn't see him interact with them much.

Kenny probably cared about them a bit but didn't feel any deep bonds with them.

I think he mostly cared about Traute because she was his second in command, not to mention her nihilistic nature was exciting for him.

Idk

WHOSE PEP TALK TO EREN WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 355 Responses

HIstoria’s words to Eren while he was certain they were all going to die won for the best pep talk. Not far behind was Levi telling Eren to make a choice. Jean’s commentary about Eren never being able to do anything by himself also got a decent amount of votes!

YOUR REACTION TO EREN’S DECISION TO BELIEVE IN HIMSELF? 355 Responses

Overall, voters had a positive reaction to Eren’s decision to believe in himself instead of his friends.

EREN WAS GREAT AND I M SO PROUD.

Attack titan's big dick energy saved them all.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT JEAN AND CONNIE’S COMMENTS DEFENDING HISTORIA? 351 Responses

73% of voters were happy to see Jean and Connie sticking up for Historia. 17% weren’t invested, while others think that the scene was shoehorned in and unneeded.

Connie and Jean are definitely best boys (and underrated imo) and I loved that they gave them this filler scene but I feel like it would've made even more sense if they would've animated the wall scene from Chapter 51. Still loved this though. <3

Poor Connie, he didn't know what words to use. I'm glad Jean helped him out :) They're great friends.

I felt like they (WIT) messed up a great scene from the manga and didn't add anything of a value to that scene

It makes a lot of sense that Connie would jump in Historia's defense to prevent her from taking another role given that he was there to witness her shedding one during Utgard. And while Jean's is great, it works better at cementing his tumultous relationship with Levi and how he works as the voice of Springlestein.

While I like the concept of the 104th kids showing their concern for Historia, the dialogue pretty much spelled out Historia's character arc and felt incredibly forced and on the nose

It's a decent part of a scene that shouldn't have been changed.

On the fence because it seemed very filler

Connie and Jean r protecting their wife

WHICH OF LEVI’S DOUBLE ENTENDRES WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 352 Responses

It was a hard choice, but the majority of you appreciated those classic double entendres--with “That’s what I call hardening” taking the lead while 34.9% of you made us feel really attacked.

EREN MENTIONED INVESTIGATING HIS OLD BASEMENT IN SHIGANSHINA - WHERE’S THE KEY? 353 Responses

41% of voters believe that Eren is still in possession of the key but that the detail is simply overlooked Because Anime™. 30% believe the key was stored away for safekeeping due to the potential of Eren getting kidnapped. A small percentage believe that either Levi, Mikasa or Armin had it the whole time. A few of you think Eren is hiding it in less appropriate places and make us very concerned.

Shit. Fuck. I completely forgot about the key...

Erwin has it

I never noticed that even in the manga LMAO

Hell if i know

I didn't even care before this question and I won't start caring now lmao

Plothole

Stolen by Rod when they took his shirt. He just hasn't realized it yet.

this question is going to haunt me for eternity

Eren hid it in his asshole. No one would look there, that smart guy!

He keeps key in his ass

In his ass

up dat booty

HOW’D YOU FEEL ABOUT JEAN CALLING EREN A “TOPLESS WIMP” INSTEAD OF A SHIRTLESS WONDER? 356 Responses

The votes on this question were relatively balanced. Most voters just see it as a translation difference with no other meaning to it, while closely behind are those who preferred “shirtless wonder”. A small amount are looking forward to hearing how Funimation chooses to script this in the dub.

DID YOU MISS LEVI’S SALTY COMMENT - “JUST HOW SHITTY CAN THIS DAY GET”? 357 Responses

The majority of voters agreed that salty Levi would have been nice to keep around. 33% didn’t even realize the quote was missing!

more salty levi is required

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM ANIMATING THE COLLAPSE OF THE CHAPEL AND THE GROUND? 354 Responses

Nearly 77% of voters were thrilled to see the chapel and ground collapsing. 12% didn’t think it was all that special.

WERE YOU EXCITED TO SEE EREN’S HARDENING POWER ANIMATED? 356 Responses

65% of respondents were happy to see the hardening in action and thought WIT did a great job with it. 14% were happy to see it, but felt a bit underwhelmed. 11% preferred the mystery in the manga.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCENE WITH EREN CALLING ROD TITAN A MIDGET AND PUNCHING THE AIR BEING REMOVED? 357 Responses

Nearly half of voters aren’t happy that WIT cut this detail out, because it showed that Eren can’t activate the coordinate as he pleases. 23% are confident that the scene will be moved to on top of the wall in the next episode. 14% didn’t care.

Why didn't they do the scene with Eren yelling at Rod's Titan?

I don't think that comment would've fit the tone of the scene. I'm hoping that it will be made clear that Eren normally can't use the power some other way.

I am so so angry that this scene was cut!! Not only was it HILARIOUS but it was a small moment of reprieve from the heavy atmosphere and I am so bitter about its removal!

I’m guessing they’ll be moving that scene to the top of the wall in the next episode

I’m okay with what WIT did, but it would’ve been nice too to see it animated.

I’m just salty it got removed. I personally thought it was hilarious and added comedic relief. Same goes for hange telling Erwin she’s ok - they really cut that scene down.

I miss that it was removed, but it was a bit comedic and would've added some flak to the scene

Very very disappointed. But not because it erased the hint about how the axe works but because of Levi's reaction! Goddammit wit not again!

I don't remember that one o.o I should re-read the manga I think XD

They'll probably move the scene to the next episode or have an equivalently expository scene later.

WE FINALLY GOT  THE SCENE WHERE LEVI TELLS HISTORIA SHE NEEDS TO BE QUEEN - WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? 354 Responses

With the top two options being at nearly a tie, 25.1% still believe that the scene should have been included before the kidnapping - brutality included - and 24.9% were just happy to have it although the characterization of Historia and Levi feels changed. 23% agreed that the change was needed as Levi lifting Historia at this point in the story would no longer make any sense. 17% preferred the change and felt it gave Historia more agency over her situation.

Considering this scene took place after the kidnapping it wouldn’t make sense for Levi to get angry and attack her but the scene was pretty underwhelming compared to the manga. Although I’m just glad that this means we still get to see Historia punch Levi (even if he hadn’t really done anything to deserve it in this version).

I feel like Historia accepted her fate as the new queen way too fast.

They should’ve added it before the Levi Vs Kenny fight. It was important to both of their characters and I’m still pissed WIT cut Levi’s speech out.

While it would have been great to see a little more irrational side of Levi, the change fit in very well and helped establish the relationships of Squad Levi

It should have being either included in it original form before the kidnapping or dropped all together including payoff with punching and smiling. Now it makes little sense for Mikasa to suggest something like that or for Historia to feel that way, we also lost asshole Levi moment, which would had add a dimension to his anime version. But oh well.

They should’ve added it before the Levi Vs Kenny fight. It was important to both of their characters and I’m still pissed WIT cut Levi’s speech out.

Meh. Anime wants to have a cake and eat a cake. At least they are hilarious!

Why do you guys want to see a grown man throw around a little girl so much? Gross! Grow up! I couldn't be happier with the way that scene change went! As well as Mikasa's being the one to get Reeves' line about punching Levi - I think it both fits and is unexpectedly cute.

i wish they kept the scene like in the manga because it really builds up anger in historia that she later releases by her big AckerPunchTM

MIKASA TELLS HISTORIA TO PUNCH LEVI INSTEAD OF DIMO REEVES. WAS THIS A GOOD CHANGE? 357 Responses

At a pretty even split, the most votes went toward believing that the scene was okay, but still preferring the manga’s turn of events. 24% believed that the way WIT did it was funnier. 22% feel like Mikasa’s comment is out of the blue. 21% are just happy Mikasa saved Levi’s smile.

The feeling that I got from Mikasa's smile/smirk was that she JOKINGLY suggested that Historia hit Levi, mostly because she's not his biggest fan and she enjoys messing with people (for example, eating the bread in front of Sasha, and the funny expression she elicited from Historia by saying this). Mikasa is going to be surprised (and ofc delighted) when she realizes Historia actually took her literally lmao

Why did Mikasa told Historia to punch Levi? Historia has no reason to punch him since he did nothing to her. It doesn't make any sense for her to hit him just because Mikasa told her to, or at least it has so much less meaning than in the manga…

About the punch, I still prefer the way the event happened in the manga but IM SO FUCKING GLAD THAT NOW WE KNOW WE GONNA SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SMILE

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 358 Responses

32% of voters are pumped to see Rod’s gruesome titan face looming over the wall. 25% are excited to see Eren punch the brat out of himself, 20% are ready for Smol to chat with Tol an 14% are looking forward to seeing Eren fighting in his titan form again.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

A lot of people yelling at WIT. Sure, I miss some of the exclusions too but the pacing change was needed and stuff has to be cut. The important bits of the story are still all there. I think they're doing a fantastic job and I'm almost sure Isayama gave his thumbs-up for all the changes.

Thanks wit for giving us so much mikasa this episode. My daughter deserves all that screentime ❤️😍

i get meatloaf titan and eruri. i am a happy boi.

The soundtrack was fuking amazing 😚👌 as always

Since there were no questions about the soundtrack I'll use this place to try to convert everybody to the Sawanism. God the music was a masterpiece!

The CGI worm titan was such an alienating thing to witness that it took away from the horror of the situation. It might have looked really hideous as this creepy-crawly giant thing of a titan, but sadly it just didn't work. On second viewing, it didn't bother me as much as the first time, though, so I guess one can get used to it.

I don't know if any of the music was new or not but wow!!! It made those scenes feel so much more emotional

RIP Traute Caven, our nihilist queen

Levi is a much sweeter version of himself in the anime, I've noticed. In fact nothing is as dark as it was in the manga. But Accordion Titan is way creepier animated so no complaints there.

I'm kinda disappointed that WIT remove some Frieda flashbacks, (last episode with the possessed Frieda scene missing, and here Historia not thinking about her alongside Ymir) it reduces the impact she has on Historia's life/development.

I was watching it in the night, so it gave me some double thrills :D Rod's titan was really creepy and Sawano's music made him to be even more scary. In my opinion the animation was awesome. It looked much better than I expected. The whole extreme moments in the cave was also amazing and I truly liked them.

For once WIT did eremin some justice with their reunion touch (my heart!), every mikahisu moment was perfect (yes, even the one at the end where mikasa tells historia to punch levi) and I ADORED that they gave historia so much agency in her decision to become queen! Honestly if I had to watch Levi rough her up at this point in the series, I probably would've vomited. It would've been incredibly unnecessary (which is likely why isa changed it, don't y'all think?) and this way was SO MUCH BETTER. Plus jean and conny being so concerned for her was THE BEST THING EVER, they're just like "but dad, what about my friend's FEELINGS?" and I LOVED IT. That's snk at its core tbh. Historia definitely deserves it too. And her power walk into the briefing room afterward was everything! In conclusion! Eremin is real! Mikahisu is real! And erurihan is fuckin real! That "danchou" had me FLOORED and we already know how much both erwin and levi love hange so like.. get with the winning team y'all.

Armin described the moment Rod's titan came out from under the chapel as something like "the end of the world". Between the music and his nightmarish CGI look, I was sold on that description. Oh, and since I mentioned music, Sawano's at it again, the absolute madman! Will he ever stop coming up with good tunes? The answer is never.

My ovaries are ready for wet cast in next episode!!

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 337 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again on Tuesday!

[fanfic-scribbles]

32. All Saints Day

A/N: Ho. Ly. Cats. I can’t believe we actually made it to the end. And with so many people digging it! Because my browser and Tumblr aren’t playing nice right now I want to say thanks to everyone who commented, messaged, reblogged and liked my little ficlet drabbles and chapters for this story. I decided to put this self-challenge on Tumblr on a whim, on the off-chance other people might get a kick out of it and so many more of you like this than I expected, oh wow. So, other ficlets and such will be posted on here (after, like, at least a week of vacation) but this little story-that-wasn’t-and-then-suddenly-was is at its end. I hope you enjoy this super lovey dovey conclusion.

Words: 1889

Warnings: Hop-scotching the prompt for word-and-feeling-association. Fluff. Romance. Totally not sorry; we earned this one.

    There’s an abandoned church in the woods maybe a mile or two from the bunker. It’s near an old dirt road that you’ve never seen anybody use. In fact it was probably only ever used to get to Sunday service. The church itself is very traditional: white, has a steeple, and is utterly tiny, maybe able to seat twenty people and it’d probably be filled to standing capacity with fifty. Stained glass windows line either side of the building, letting in very little actual light, but they’re still somehow intact while half the pews are broken.

It’s old and drafty and so peaceful that it’s become one of your favorite places in the whole world. Sometimes you like to imagine how it used to be, with people dressed in their Sunday finery, either fanning themselves from the heat or bundling up to brace the cold, but always here every week, in a tiny little chapel off the beaten path that was probably packed to the gills. It is decidedly quieter in real life than in your imagination, and that’s the way you like it. This is yours, now, and in this place there is still something hopeful; holy and idealistic. You don’t have to be psychic to feel it. You take a deep breath and continue your silent vigil, thinking about nothing in the way only utter silence can help you achieve.

Wings rustle and you stiffen, losing a bit of the calm that being here has instilled in you. However you’ve been here long enough that any tears have dried and you have some semblance of control. But then your name is murmured in that same deep voice that still somehow makes your knees weak.

You clear your throat. “Hi Cas,” you say, trying to be fair and friendly. You knew going in that Cas might not feel the same and you're not going to let your feelings fuck up a perfectly good friendship. Sure, it’ll sting for a little while, but you have faith in your abilities to move on. You love Cas and want him to be happy. And Cas is generally reasonable and blun– er, up front. He will tell you he does not return the depth of your feelings (or that he may be open to finding out, though you don’t hold much hope for that) and you will both, eventually, get back to normal.

Though…given how emotional he became last night…

You sigh and slump. Who are you kidding. This is going to suck.

“May I sit here?” Cas asks, standing next to you. The stained glass window behind him casts a yellow pall that looks sickly on everything except for him.

“Of course.” You sound normal. Score one for this going in a good direction.

Cas sits next to you, not close enough to touch but close enough to still be in your space. You try not to overanalyze but you know how you feel, and he knows, and you’re not sure how to act. You shift in your seat. If Gabriel asks one more time if he can do anything, you’re going to have him take you back to October 1st so you can punch yourself in the head.

“This place is wonderful,” Cas murmurs and looks around with wide, admiring eyes. You suddenly forget why you’re upset when you see the beginning of a smile on his face.

“It’s pretty peaceful,” you agree.

You both lapse into silence. You’re staring ahead again, very studiously trying not to seem bothered by anything, and Cas seems…content. For the most part. After a few minutes he seems to remember why he’s here and he sighs. “I often wonder how you, and Sam, and Dean, manage it.”

You wait. Nothing. “Manage…what?”

“Living a life filled with endless decisions. Where you must somehow make choices and live without regret.” Cas is staring up at the ceiling, his eyes pinched back at the corners in a sort of sadness. “I have had so few decisions to make by comparisons and yet…I have so many regrets.”

You snort. What group of perfect (or sociopathic) humans has Cas been hanging out with? “That’s just life, Cas,” you say softly, trying to lessen any perceived insensitivity. “Everybody makes bad decisions along the way. Good, bad, and in between. The bad ones just stick out more.”

“Doesn’t it frighten you?” Cas looks at you and you freeze, caught in a bright blue that the sky must envy. “Having a decision to make and not knowing which choice you might regret?”

“I guess it…depends on the choice and the consequences.” You clear your throat. “You never know how something is going to turn out. You weigh your options and you make the best decision you can.”

“Like your choice to tell me how you feel.”

Your throat closes up. “Yeah,” you say and try to keep your mind blank for the inevitable next part. He studies you for several long seconds. His lips turn up in a small smile. A kindly gesture to ease the pain, you think.

But then he moves forward, connecting his mouth with yours, and you don’t have to try to keep your mind blank– you short circuit and all you know, have known, will ever know, is this. Your lips are almost chronically dry these days from the oncoming winter and you're sure Cas wouldn’t know what Chapstick was even if he carried five pounds worth of it in his pockets. Somehow his lips are still the softest things you can ever remember feeling.

Your eyes burn from the air and you have to consciously force yourself to blink. In the split second it takes to shut and open your eyes he doesn’t disappear. He does, however, pull back, and you barely suppress what surely would have been the most pathetic whimper ever released by a human.

“I know I likely do not deserve it, but will you let me explain myself?” Cas asks.

“Uh huh.” He could tell you to take a hike to Canada and you’d be walking before he finished his sentence.

That silly thought leads to the serious realization that he’s not telling you to hit the road, Jack. You blink some life back into yourself, sit up straighter, and somehow manage to tear your eyes from his lips (seriously, way softer than they look,) to his eyes.

He turns his body to angle towards you and you do the same, brushing your knees against his and waiting. Cas takes a moment.

“I have great regrets. I have done terrible things,” he says slowly. “Made bad choices and been led to do things I cannot undo.”

His eyes drift down in memory and you bite your lip to keep from interrupting. However you do slide your hand to his knee as a light reminder that you’re here for him. He responds by taking that hand in both of his, holding it, squeezing lightly. He looks at you again. “Sometimes I’m paralyzed by fear. I wonder if everything I see and think is a manipulation by Naomi or her underlings. Or I think that there is some dire consequence to what I am doing. So I busy myself by running errands for Gabriel, or helping you and the Winchesters. I focus on the things that help and do not hurt, but even then I…make mistakes.”

He grips your hand but his gaze is too intense to look away from. “This is not the first time I’ve thought of the idea. Of being with you. Some months ago I realized that what I was feeling for you might be…could one day be…” He swallows. “It was a sudden realization that I knew had been building over the years. It felt natural. Inevitable. Terrifying.” He looks at the pew in front of you. “Like I was falling all over again and I didn’t know what it meant.”

You don’t dare breathe.

“I couldn’t possibly choose that; choose to drag you down with me, so I assumed it was fate, or something else. I even made…surreptitious inquiries into the possible involvement of cupids.”

Oh no. You use your free hand to cover a small smile. You remember Lt. Castiel Columbo. ‘Surreptitious’ is not a part of his normal vocabulary.

“The cupid I spoke to was emphatic against their involvement and even advised me against taking any further involvement with you. At the time, I agreed. And so I tried to remain distant.”

Suddenly you really, really want to stab a cupid. Or pick up a bow and arrow and turn the tables.

“It didn’t work.” He shakes his head. “I can’t stay away from you, or Dean, or Sam. So it festered. It became something awful, until that night with Crowley– and I snapped. I just…I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether to be selfish, to claim you for my own and keep you from any semblance of normalcy you can grasp in your violent life. Or whether to…let you go. I thought on that so much last night. I agonized over what I should do.”

Your throat is filling with a lump of tears. “I know it would be nice but you can’t have everything, Cas,” you say and swallow. “You can’t have an honest choice but account for every possible variable. You can’t control it.” You put your other hand on top of his and grip both hands for dear life. “But sometimes, the things you don’t see coming, the things you can’t control…maybe sometimes they aren’t great. But sometimes they’re wonderful.”

“Like you.”

You blink several times to clear the water welling in your eyes. “Huh?”

Cas looks so soft as he takes his hands to brush away the tears escaping onto your cheeks. “You are the most wonderful thing I never saw coming. You are stubborn, sometimes petulant, fierce, strong, kind, protective, and so, so blindingly beautiful that your soul shines like a beacon. I care for you so much that I thought I could deny myself your presence because I hurt you, got you hurt, only to find out that I can’t. I can’t be away from you. I don’t ever want to be away from you.”

You don’t know what to say. Or maybe you have too many things to say. Either way it’s hard to breathe. When he lifts your hand to his mouth to press a kiss, for a moment you do forget how to breathe. You hold his face with that hand and he holds it there. Like you’d ever remove it.

“Of all the painful things that can come of this, not having you would be so much worse,” he murmurs into your palm. “If you’ll have me I want –Father, I want– to be with you, in any and all ways that you may want me.”

You take a few moments to breathe. You're tempted to take a few more, because he kind of deserves that after last night, but you honestly can’t stay away for long. You surge forward, wrapping your arms behind his neck, and you never, never want to take them back. He meets your kiss, just as open and longing, and his arms around your back hold you tight, just as unwilling to ever, ever let you go.

[storytelleratheart]

Dark Heresy Part One: Of Raids and a Maid

So imagine you’re Throne Agent Vincentus, you’re given the job to organise a raid on a Nobleman’s estate on the Imperial World of Scintilla, that’s easy enough, the Inquisition does this sort of thing all the time. You commandeer the local Armed Forces with a wave of your Inquisitorial Badge, you have aircraft, dozens and dozens of men at your fingertips, hundreds or thousands if you want them, tanks and artillery too if you think it’s absolutely necessary. That’s all well and good.

Noble Estates are basically lavish mini fortresses, they have private armies who are often individually better equipped than the local army, although they lack the might of your newly acquired aircraft and tanks, they do have some big walls and automated defences to hide behind.

It’s going to be bloody, but the outcome is inevitable, they don’t know you’re coming. No one expects the Inquisition.

But then there’s a strange twist of fate and your boss throws some untried Inquisitorial agents- acolytes in your lap and tells you they’re here to do the most important job of all, face down the nobleman and bring him to justice if he has anything heretical on his person or possession.

Now you have a problem. You were going to send in a couple of squads of veterans, inserted by the Imperial Navy’s finest and most ubiquitous VTOL craft called ‘Valkyries’. Now you have to send in an untested rabble, you don’t know what kind of training they’ve been given, they don’t know each other and they certainly don’t work as a team.

Although it could have been worse you suppose… Two of them in particular have some real combat experience, the Arbitrator Dwayne is a bit odd, but he’s built like he’s been carved out of chiselled stone, and Red was a guardswoman who performed well enough to get the Inquisitions attention.

But the other two, they’re savages. Jebediah makes no effort to hide his feral world ways, he wears only a loin cloth and an armoured poncho which constantly gets blown around by the wind to reveal… his loin cloth also being blown around giving you full view of something you’d wished you’d never seen. Also he makes no secret of the fact he uses this thing called ‘voodoo’ which must be heretical (and thereby illegal) in so many ways, carries around human knucklebones and most certainly EATS PEOPLE. What the fuck?! Where did they even find this guy? From what swamp was he dragged out of?

And that other girl, Malice? She’s not much better, sure this blonde is pretty in a waifish way, but that’s not exactly a useful trait in this line of work. She’s taken some effort to disguise the stink of a swamp dwelling feral worlder, using some kind of ‘handywoman/plumber’ disguise that isn’t all that believable… she still carries a spear and a fucking chainsword around after all.

But your boss is adamant, these guys are the tip of the spear. So you have to send them in.

Hopefully the more useful looking ones survive and the others don’t.

So with a sigh you attach them to the mission and try not to look into the eyes of the officers you’ve requisitioned and mumble something about this mess up ‘coming down from the top’.

 So the mission starts off with a resounding series of explosions, aircraft strafe the compound, dodging ground fire and responding with much greater effect.

There are no parachutes on this planet, the locals use the more technologically advanced grav-chute, however no one thought to ask if the acolytes (particularly the feral worlders) knew how to use them or not.

So untrained, they leap from their transport as soon as they are given the green light.

Unsurprisingly they tumble and flail a little as they fall. Fortunately they manage to fall in the general direction of their target, the compounds chapel.

Malice manages to right herself and gracefully swan dives through an ancient stained glass window depicting the Emperor and his holy saints before landing like a cat in the middle of the chapel, which is closer in size to a modest cathedral.

The rest of them tumble ungracefully to the floor in a great heap.

Go team.

The chapel was guarded by a bunch of nondescript guys in the uniforms of the noble family’s personal guard. So naturally a fight breaks out and despite being the only one on her feet, Malice fails to accomplish anything with either her spear, chainsword or that rifle that no one ever seems to notice her carrying.

Red, after clambering to her feet manages to massacre most of the guards with her sword and pistol while everyone else looks on in bewilderment.

With the chapel in bloody ruin our heroes decide to press on to their objective. Problem is the only exit to the chapel leads to a corridor that, thanks to their air support’s successful bombing campaign is now thoroughly on fire.

Taking deep breaths and the odd prayer the group dive through the flames and eventually come out safely on the other side.

There they find a servant trying to drag a wardrobe out of the fire. Dwayne being the master interrogator he is, decides to inquire as to why the man is trying to save the wardrobe out of everything else that could potentially catch fire in the immediate area, and what was inside it.

The man responds ‘Sally.’

Dwayne found this answer unsatisfying, decided the man was impeding an investigation and using his status as an Arbitrator, donned his role of judge, jury and executioner, skipped the first two and executed the man on the spot with a shotgun blast to the face.

Heroic I know.

Upon opening the wardrobe the party discovers a young maid named Sally, who they promptly drag along with them for basically no reason. I mean why not? Dwayne gave her a gun, she’ll be fine, might even prove useful!

Another ragged bunch of Household guards try to bar their way as the party makes its way towards a large dome like structure in the compound, believed to be home to the nobleman’s private menagerie, and the last place he was sighted heading towards in all the confusion.

The Household guards barely last long enough to be worth mentioning and the party arrives at the menagerie dome. Inside the dome, nothing is on fire and it all looks like they have suddenly teleported to Jebediah’s home planet, thick jungle all around, filled with funky plants that look well and truly alien.

And not too far up on a small hill, the overweight nobleman they’re hunting down. It’s at this moment the whole party find undeniable proof that he’s a heretic. One of his arms has clearly been tainted by something… inhuman, it’s enormous and unlike the rest of his bloated body, it’s corded with thick bands of unnatural muscle, it also has this unnerving iridescent colour to it and looks strangely avian in appearance. The nobleman spots the party immediately, reaches out with this monstrosity of a hand and hurls a blast of unnatural fire towards them. That’s heresy!

So here’s where things stand according to standard procedure: at best, he’s a rogue mutant psyker and needs to be executed for heresy. Or he’s done something unthinkable, made a pact with a daemon. And he needs to be executed for heresy. Either way, the only alternative at this point to killing him is to retreat to orbit and ‘nuke the whole planet’. The Inquisition does not like half measures after all.

But this brave, foolhardy party who have no concept of what a daemon is (besides perhaps Jebediah, as daemons plague the realm which is also the source of his powers), so they engage the target with gusto.

Thanks to the advice of the feral worlders, the party avoid running straight into the jaws of any man eating plants in the menagerie, but still run afoul of two slavering beasts that look like a mad scientists somewhat successful attempt to cross a hyena with a crocodile.

Malice guns one of the beasts down and finally feels like she’s contributing to the party; Red, Dwayne and surprisingly Sally take down the other one as Jebediah exchanges volleys of psychic energies with the nobleman and his heretical arm.

With the two beasts down everyone turns around to gang up on the nobleman, who despite his magic arm turns out to just be a fat rich man with no real training, and wasn’t wearing any armour. He goes down surprisingly easy, although his magical fire does scald Jebediah’s flesh a little bit more than the witch doctor would like.

The team calls in to let Vincentus know the job is done, rather than be impressed, Vincentus is disappointed it took them this long to kill one fat man in a zoo. Vincentus gives them the task of sifting through the nobleman’s belongings while Vincentus himself takes a shuttle to the surface of the planet to recover the remains of the nobleman with the ‘heretical arm’ as Dwayne put it.

By now the Household guard have been dispatched, the legions of servants are being rounded up for questioning (bar Sally, who follows the party around like a puppy with a serious case of PTSD), so the party has free reign to go and pilfer the nobleman’s things for any clues as to where he got his horrifying arm.

In the noble’s personal stash they find a couple of very expensive things, like a gun no one knows how to use with one bullet, a suit of armour made from potentially heretical animal hides and a very nice sword.

Strangely the party only takes the sword as right this moment, Red decides she wants to fight with a blade in both hands and vows to learn the art of duel wielding swords. In all likelihood if they had taken everything they may have gotten in trouble with their boss, or Dwayne who insisted they should disturb the crime scene as little as possible as if a murder had taken place in the drawing room (perhaps it did, but there’s no law against noblemen killing people in the 41st millennium, unless it is a murder of heretical nature of course).

Instead the party takes some time to go through the nobleman’s journals in case he, like every NPC from a Bethesda game decided to write every nefarious thing he had ever done down in a journal literally anyone could have found.

Considering this is an RPG it’s not that surprising he did do just that. Although he may have been supposed to confess his crimes when the party faced him down… he ended up losing his head in quite a literal fashion instead of being restrained.

Malice, being unable to read, unsurprisingly found little more than the odd drawing in the journals. But only told her team mates she couldn’t read after they were done searching through the evidence, so who knows what heretical plots could have been prevented with the knowledge in the tomes she sifted through…

Regardless the party now had a new destination, the fat nobleman had stated in some of his more recent journals that he had visited this place called the Haematite Cathedral, on a nearby planet. So naturally the party brings this evidence in for Vincentus to look through and tell him all they’ve learned.

Vincentus, presumably unhappy that they all made it through the raid without anything more than a light scalding, organises for them to go to the planet upon which the Haematite Cathedral was built before even reading a single bit of evidence he was presented with. He’ll go over it later, when he’s not surrounded by the stink of Feral Worlder.

Looks like it’s time for a road trip!

 https://storytelleratheart.tumblr.com/post/158383891355/i-said-i-would-do-this-so-i-will (Dramatis Persona)

Part One: Of Raids and Maids (You are Here)