#the world is literally collapsing right before our eyes

[unumthemerciful]

I work at the park (yes, because of Regular Show) and one day, out of the blue, I decided to give up on my current monotheistic religion, picked up this oddly shaped rock that reminded me of the thumbs-up emoji, and proclaimed it my new God. Meet Unum.

[evilminji]

You knooooowwww... >.>

The only difference, technically, between a school in the Zone? And on Earth? Is the American government won't recognize your Zone diploma...

Not accredited. But like..... I'm JUST SAYING? If you didn't try to pass your school off as some Big Ivy League type? Pulled the "oh yeah, you'd never have heard of it, it's local." And the COMPUTERS say it's legit?

How many people will dig deeper?

If you legitimately have the knowledge, you legitimately have the knowledge. Not YOUR fault you left out the whole "extra-dimensional" part. It makes folk nervous! And nervous folks get stabby.

So like? If you were ALREADY planning to "Move" as you euphemistically put it? Talked it over with your VERY concerned folks and friends? Who do NOT like the look of the steady but concerning rise of Anti-Ghost Powers That Be? Who finally put their foot down and reminded you that you are a TEENAGER and it's NOT your responsibility to fix the world?

Well...

Fuck those guys, I guess. You'll miss the old house, but Team "Taking our ball and going literally anywhere else" makes some good points. Why ARE you putting up with this?

And honestly, you've never SEEN your dad have so much fun. Him and the Reality Realtor just sorta... Vibe. Himbo to Himbo communications. Smatters of advanced physics. Fudge. It's great.

They move the portal. Collapse the old one in a way that makes it impossible to recover or recreate. You... kinda don't want to ask. They had that "mad scientist glint" in their eyes.

And while everyone's checking out brochures to different realities? You? Head off to the nearest College. It's the Zone, so technically you could go to any of endless billions. But you'd like your education some time this century.

Cue! Danny Fenton! Entering?

Academia's wet dream. A sprawling CITY of a college. Where the classes are on EVERYTHING and the price is FREE. People have Obsessions okay?? They NEED to teach. Debate and discuss! Study! Right papers and read them! It's been going on a while! And what happens when you find a subject that's NOT covered?

YOU COVER IT!

It's like if New York was a College. Good fucking luck find the dorms. Sleep on the floor like the rest of us, you casual.

Danny was Not Prepared ™.

He loves it though.

Classes on aeronautics next making the perfect sandwich, shoved next to historical basketry, stacked above alien slam poetry. But only on Tuesdays! Ever shifting. Breaking his Fenton Born Adhd in to a fine PASTE to be smeared upon bread. Happy mental stimulation chemicals go Brrrrrrrr

If it wasn't wildly inappropriate, he would LICK IT to claim it as his then wrap around it and gaurd like a territorial cat. He thought he HATED school! Turns out he just hated high-school. College though? College, or at least ZONE College, is fuckin AWESOME.

He's sit in SO MANY random classes just cause.

Picked up and dropped them at a whim. When they no longer sparked joy. He's been a flighty bitch and for once? No one CARES. No one says "you HAVE to commit and stick with this FOREVER once you choose this" and? It just? It's so FREEING! He's learned so MUCH!

He's probably gonna come back!

Which? Is how a deeply, DEEPLY weird aerospace engineer from supposedly bumfuck NOWHERE, end up working at Wayne Industries. He's.... a lil crazy behind the eyes. Ha ha... CONCERNING ™!

Dude sleeps on the lab floor. Has weirdly spotty knowledge. Can be an unprecedented genius one second and not know who the current president is the next. Doesn't know what DAY it is. Forgets to eat. Tried to make a fusion reactor out of the break room toaster before Sandra from accounting distracted him with pictures of her cat.

It's like he wanders through life blissfully unaware that he is both terrifying and about three seconds from killing them all. Then FUCKING TRIPS because he forgot to tie his shoelaces again.

Who hired this man?

WHY!?

I mean, we KNOW why. Probably to put him on a watch list. But? He's like a terrifying murder puppy! Built like a tank! That's stoned out of its mind half the time. And have you HEARD his college stories? That CAN'T be legal. Was this guy raised in a cult!? Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!????

@hdgnj @legitimatesatanspawn @babbling-babull @dcxdpdabbles @hypewinter

[crushmeeren]

Hi, I know you aren’t taking requests right now but I didn’t want to forget it so I’m sending it now for Whenever you open request again.

How do you think the MHA boys would react to your new mom body and “you” being unsure about it. If can be fluffy and/or NSFW

Thank you! 🙂

hi anonnie! sorry for leaving this in my inbox for so long, kinktober was a BITCH. anywho, hope you enjoy and that I included the characters you wanted!

master list link

༝ ᭝ ༝ katsuki ༝ ᭝ ༝

Katsuki’s tired. His bones ache with exhaustion, and he wears dark, bruise like marks underneath his eyes that seem to weigh a thousand pounds. The bright light of his phone screen burns his eyes when he checks for the time.

03:30 a.m.

Katsuki moves gently as he sways back and forth in the rocking chair, his three month old furnace of a son snoozing peacefully on his chest. Finally.

One hand rubs up and down his baby’s back, the other arm supporting his butt. His son babbles softly in his sleep, and Katsuki tilts his head to press a kiss to soft wisps of blonde hair, lingering to deeply inhale the scent of new baby and lavender lotion. Red eyes start to droop, the flutter of his son’s heartbeat and his constant warmth lulling Katsuki to sleep.

His head jerks up with a start, desperately trying to stay awake, and so he rises to his feet, sweatpants falling a bit lower on his hips. With a quietness he’s never possessed before, Katsuki delicately lays his baby down without waking him. He pauses in the doorway, smiling tenderly in the direction of the crib before padding to your bedroom.

Katsuki’s ears perk when muffled sniffling greets him. Alarm bells ring in his head and he all but leaps into the bed, yanking the covers down to stare at you with wide eyes. The soft light of your bedside lamp exposes your tear stricken cheeks.

His stomach drops and then he’s crowding you, shoving himself into your personal space. “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” He asks gingerly, brows furrowing as stretches his tank top to wipe your tears away.

Your lower lip wobbles when you bite down on it, and you launch yourself into Katsuki’s chest, knocking him onto his back with an “oof.” You shove your face into the side of his throat, arms curling as you cling to him.

“I can’t stand the way I look!” You sob, lips tickling his skin as you speak. Katsuki wraps you up in a tight hug, heart continuously splintering with each one of your labored sobs. “I love our son, so much, but looking in the mirror hurts.”

“Oh baby.” Katsuki’s voice cracks, firm hands framing your wet cheeks and guiding you to your elbows. He needs you to see the serious look his eyes. “Change is hard, but change is so fuckin’ good. You may not look exactly the same as before, but there’s not a damn thing wrong with that. You created our fuckin’ son. There’s nothin’ more beautiful to me in this world than that.” There are stars in his eyes as he gazes at you, cementing his belief in his own words.

Your expression crumples and you collapse onto his chest, soaking his shirt in tears as you hug him. “You promise?” You sniffle, tone a bit more hopeful than before.

“I swear on my fuckin’ life.” Katsuki secures you in his hold and rolls the two of you, hovering on one elbow as he pushes loose hair off your forehead. “Please, will you let me show you?”

The flush on your face forces a familiar honeyed heat to pool low in Katsuki’s belly, your sheepish nod all the permission he needs.

You gasp softly when his fingers slip your panties to the side, fingers barely touching your clit. It’s effortless for him to fill you completely with his thick cock, to press sweet words into your throat as he makes love to you. His chest is sticky with sweat, and you can’t get enough of the way he whines high pitched each time your pleasure overwhelms you and your pussy squeezes him.

Katsuki quite literally shows you how beautiful you are to him, and when you’re cradled on his chest afterwards, you start to believe that you are.

⇣ ༝ ⇣ ༝ ⇣ ༝ ⇣

༝ ᭝ ༝ shouto ༝ ᭝ ༝

“Will you shower with me?”

The lingering memories of warm water raining down on his skin, steam curling up into the air and your naked body run across Shouto’s mind. You raise an eyebrow in return, lifting your daughter from her high chair when she reaches for you.

“I don’t know, Sho.” Your gaze flickers to the side, avoiding direct eye contact. Shouto’s brows pinch together, frowning at your uncharacteristically shy response.

“Why?” It’s been ages since you’ve showered together. Since you’ve had sex, really. Not that he’s upset, he’s enamored with your daughter, but he misses you. A lot.

“I just don’t want to,” you say sharply, turning your back to him and walking towards your kitchen sink. Your tone doesn’t sit well with Shouto and he follows after you. He places a hand on your shoulder, hurt welling in his chest when you stiffen at his touch.

He lets his hand fall limply to his side. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I want to understand.”

You sigh almost imperceptibly, slowly shifting to face him, and you hike your daughter further up on your hip. She giggles when she spots her daddy, little hands grabbing for him, and Shouto scoops her up with a loving smile.

“I don’t want you to see me like this,” you mutter, eyes trained on the back of your daughter’s head, softly brushing white hair behind her ears.

Shouto blinks a few times. “What do you mean?”

“You know, with the hideous scars and all.”

“Oh.” The silence is deafening. You freeze, eyes widening as your head snaps upwards with a horrified expression. Your jaw opens and closes as you clutch his forearm in a death grip.

“Sho, no — wait, that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry—,”

“Do you believe that I’m ugly? Even with my scar?” He asks, not unkindly.

You shake your head vigorously. “No, of course not! I think you’re beautiful the way you are.”

Shouto hums, hugging your daughter tightly to his chest. She grabs his shoulders, nuzzling her face into his neck. “So what leads you to believe it’s any different for me?”

“I didn’t think of it that way,” you admit, shrugging lamely, unable to come up with an answer. Shouto wordlessly laces his free hand with yours, and after settling your baby down for the night, he ushers you to your bathroom.

There’s no need to speak when Shouto helps you strip out of your clothes, goosebumps littering your arms when the fingertips of his left hand chill involuntarily and tickle your ribs. He’s bare within the minute, leading you under the hot spray of water in the next.

Shouto walks you backwards and presses you to the cool tile of the wall, steam circling upwards and suffocating the two of you. You grasp at his slippery shoulders, tilting your head while he leaves biting kisses along your throat. Shouto traces the c-section scar along your belly as if it’s something precious, touch featherlight before guiding you to flip and brace your hands on the wall.

The initial stretch of his cock sends a shiver of heat down your spine. The humid atmosphere making everything that much slicker, that much hotter. He places his hands over your scar to steady himself and holds you close, rolling his hips steadily until you’re crying his name and pushing at his belly because it’s too much.

Shouto’s determined to show you everyday that scars are to be cherished. They’re apart of you, and not a single inch of you could ever be ugly to him.

⇣ ༝ ⇣ ༝ ⇣ ༝ ⇣

༝ ᭝ ༝ eijirou ༝ ᭝ ༝

It’s date night, and your fingers twitch with nerves as you finish putting up your hair. The two of you haven’t been able to go out alone for the past several months. Having a new baby is ruthless. It’s not for the weak, but you love every second of it, and you’re certain Eijirou does too.

It’s just…. You look different, now. Your body’s shifted and changed in ways you never imagined, but you wouldn’t trade your son for the world. It’s just taking more time than you expected to get adjusted in your new body.

Eijirou’s bright voice echoes in the living room, and your son’s echoing delighted peal of laughter warms your chest. With a defeated sigh, you glance at yourself in the mirror and smooth your hands over your stomach, tugging at your shirt.

Eijirou calls out to you and you tell him you’re ready, slipping on your shoes and mustering up enough fake confidence to fool your husband for the evening. When you round the corner, he’s pretending to toss your son up into the air, little happy squeals filling the air. You lock eyes with your husband and genuinely smile, halting next to them and kissing your baby all over his face.

Eijirou kisses him too, reluctantly handing him over to his mother, who graciously volunteered to be on babysitting duty for the night. Once you’re out, Eijirou’s positive energy is infectious, fueling all of his actions and tainting yours too.

Still, a voice in the back of your mind nags at you about your appearance, and gradually your demeanor wilts. Eijirou notices, but he tries to lift your spirits anyways, wanting to save the serious conversation for when you get home. He wants you to enjoy yourself for the time being.

Eijirou gives you space when you return home. He gives you space when you bid his mother goodbye and when you put your son down for the night.

But as soon as you’re alone, Eijirou’s holding your hands and walking backwards until he lands on the edge of the bed, guiding you to sit in his lap and straddle his thighs. He stares up at you, settling his hands on your hips with a puzzled look.

“What’s on your mind my love? You seemed distracted tonight.” He squeezes your hips encouragingly. You purse your lips together, squeezing your eyes shut in the face of your self loathing as you confess how you’ve been feeling.

“So yeah, it’s just been a struggle recently. I’m worried you won’t love me the same because of how different I look now.” You bite the inside of your lip, waiting on edge for his response.

“Look at me,” he demands, gentle yet firm, as always. Your eyes flash open and he places a large hand on your cheek. “Sweetheart, you’ve changed multiple times since we’ve met, and I’ve only ever thought you’ve gotten more beautiful. It’s no different this time. Your feelings are valid of course, but just know you’ve always been, and always will be, the stunning woman I fell in love with. Until death do us part, right?”

You’re can’t be held responsible for the bruising kiss you startle him with. Warm lips and the faint hint of Eijirou’s cologne filling your head with cotton and making your heart thunder. Actions mean more than words, and your husband demonstrates the truth of that statement.

He manhandles you to the side of your bed where a mirror rests on the wall across from you, bending you into some half form of a full Nelson to force you into a front row seat of your pussy swallowing his cock. Eijirou hooks his chin over your shoulder and the heat in his eyes burns you alive. He whispers filthy praise into your ear, sending you over the edge in record time.

Eijirou will remind you of your beauty each day for the rest of your lives, if that’s what it takes.

[mochinomnoms]

Scenario: Some small item from the prefect's home world ends up in NRC. For example, my brother found a local brand of soda when he was out of our country for a few years. It made his whole week.

Option 1: Octotrio finds this item and know the significance of it. How do they give it to their dear prefect?

Or if option 2, if you want jealous Octotrio: Another student else gives the item to the prefect, and they are seething over how happy someone else made the prefect.

(sorry this is self-indulgent and I think im funy)

“A bottle of Mexican coke gets launched out of a wormhole and thunks them in the head. What is it? They have no clue, it looks like a soda, but they don't recognize the brand, logo, or anything really. It says Hecho en Mexico” on the side, though...wait! Isn't that a place from your homeworld? You'll love this!

“Ain't that the soda Shrimpy is always raving about?” Floyd was rubbing the side of his head that the glass bottle smacked into. It hurt like hell, and Jade hiding his laughter at his misery.

“Stop laughin', Imma bite you.”

“Fuhu, sorry Floyd.” Jade managed to clear his throat and straighten. “You just collapsed on the ground like a rag doll, it surprised me.”

“Yeah, how about I take that bottle and smack you up the head with it? We can see who looks more like a rag doll then”

“Think you could?

“Know I could.”

“I bet you can't”

“I bet I can, you fuc—”

Azul cleared his throat, drawing both of their attentions as he held the bottle in his hands.

“If you two would like to save the Cain instinct for another day, I do believe that we can garner the Prefect's favor with this.”

Both perked up, sharing a knowing look before smirking.

“Good point,” Jade replied, walking over to Azul to admire the bottle. “They have been shyer since our last outing with them, this would be a good opportunity to—”

“Floyd swiped the bottle from their hands and started a brisk jog as he called out, I got hit with it, so I get to take all the credit and all of my Shrimpy's love!”

“FLOYD!” Both chased after him, a loud, familiar cackle ringing through Main Street and everyone's ears.

You were none the wiser, chilling in your room with peace and quiet for once, as Grim was out with Epel in the Spelldrive Club. You gave it 1 hour before Leona got tired of him and sent him back to you.

Your peace was interrupted upon hearing the banging on your front door. Groaning, you got up and made your way to the entryway.

“I swear to God! Ace! If you're crashing here again, I'm getting you a literal doghouse!” You yelled out, huffing, as you swung the door open and instead found Floyd trying to wrestle a bottle of something from his grasp.

It was quite amusing, as Azul's grip wasn't even budging while Floyd pulled with all his might. Only Jade, who was on Azul's right, noticed you and smiled.

“Hello Prefect, how are you?” Jade nodded his head with a polite smile. “We apologize for the sudden intrusion, but we have something for you—”

“No, I found it! I have something for them!” Floyd whined, keeling over as Azul finally gabbed a harsh elbow into his ribs.

“You got hit in the head, I hardly count that as 'finding' it.” Azul gave you a pleasant smile, though you were wary of what the trio wanted from you to bring you something.

“We, all three of us, have a gift for you. We recognized it as something you've spoken about, and out of the kindness of our hearts, we decided to offer it to you in exchange for your time!”

“You snorted, glancing at the bottle in Azul's hands. Yeah, sure, 'kindness'. What's the point of a gift if—HOLY SHIT, IS THAT MEXICAN COKE?”

Azul stumbled backwards as you reached for the bottle in his hands, excitement gleaming in your eyes as you did.

“WHERE'D YOU GET THIS? ACTUALLY, I DON'T CARE! LET ME HAVE IT!”

Azul let out a yelp as you managed to pull the bottle from his hands, your eyes glittering and smile wide.

“You three don't know how bad I've been craving this since I've been here.” Sighing, you pressed the bottle, nice and cool, to your cheek in bliss.

“I would suck a man's dick for this shit, you don't even know.”

You froze at the choking sound in front of you, and snickering from the left and right. You noticed the light purple blush on Azul's cheeks and the pink ones on the twins. Jade was looking away, covering his mouth, but you could still see his lips quirk up. Floyd's snickering was growing into a full giggle.

“Ahem, I, ah, appreciate your enthusiasm for the gift. I'll keep that…in mind.”

“If he doesn't, we will. Isn't that right, Floyd?” Jade chuckled.

Floyd replied, “Oh for surrrre~ Say, Shrimpy?” Floyd leaned in, smile growing as he purred, “you up for offering that thank you?”

You backed away, face growing hotter as you pursed your lips. The twins laughed at you.

“Stop joking around! It was a joke and you know it!”

You could still hear the giggles from behind the door as you slammed it shut. However, you paused, hearing Azul murmur something to the twins and them quiet down. They sounded a bit disappointed, to be honest.

Sighing, you cracked open the door again, peeking out to the three. Azul was looking at you expectantly.

“Yes?”

“…Thanks. Do you guys wanna, uh, go out again this weekend? You said you wanted my time, in exchange, right?”

Azul visibly perked, giving you a closed eye smile as he nodded.

“Yes! How about we meet at 11am this Saturday at the gates? We can visit the town, you don't get to visit often, correct?”

“Yeah,” You smiled shyly. “Sounds good, I'll see you all then.”

“You pretended to not hear Floyd's whoop!” as you closed the door, chuckling to yourself.

“Weirdos. Cute ones, though.”

[todayisawthewhxlewxrld]

"my favorite set of stairs is the one up to Your Room"

"let's tangle our legs again, the world doesn't need us to leave our heads. let's tie our breath in knots again, nothing's complicated if we pretend."

synopsis// a normal morning for you and megumi.

pairing// megumi fushiguro x gn!reader

word count// 812

contents// just pure fluff ! also not explicitly specified but you both are adults :)

requested// by an anon!

notes// i don't usually post oneshots mid smau buttt im making an exception bc this is rlly short and fluffy ! anywho this was also inspired by 11:11 by waterparks!! i was gonna use deep red by movements as inspiration but i think 11:11 fit more sigh... dw movements... you'll get ur time to shine eventually...

You blink the sleep away as you take in your surroundings, realizing you're on Megumi’s chest with your hand draped over his waist and your legs tangled together. You yawn, softly rubbing your face against his chest as if trying to get any bit closer to him, and when his heartbeat drumming in your ear starts to sound like a lullaby, you know it's time to get up. So you do.

Kinda.

Your version of getting up right now consists of lazily lifting your head up to stare at Megumi, who’s still fast asleep. His eyelashes brush up against his flushed cheeks—you can't help but reach your hand up to caress his face, and who can blame you? When he’s asleep like this, looking so at peace, it’s almost as if he's begging you to hold his face in your hands, and when you do, it’s like you have the whole world sitting right there in your palm. and as if he can feel you touching him even in his sleep, he smiles, and you find yourself falling in love with him all over again.

The scene before you is just serene, and yeah, maybe you wake up to this every morning, but it never grows old. In fact, it just gets better with time, and you’re over the moon to have all the time in the world with Megumi. ...Except for right now, because you really should be getting up and getting ready for work. You drop your head against his chest and take a deep breath, silently wishing time would just pause so you could stay here, but alas, it does not.

You lift your head again and litter a series of small kisses against his jaw, soft enough that they shouldn’t have woken him, yet he stirs awake, as if you’ve effectively pavlov’d the poor boy to associate that small, soft feeling with you leaving. Megumi wraps his arms around you tightly, holding you in place. You honestly have no idea how he has this much strength when he’s literally half asleep, but you embrace it—his hold on you is as calming as a weighted blanket.

He tucks your head beneath his chin and slurs, “Don’t go.”

You hum and tuck your head further into his neck, placing chaste kisses against him, reveling in how he shivers. "I have to.”

"No, you don't.” 

You laugh softly as you pick your head back up to look at him, his eyes half-lidded, looking like he could fall back asleep any second now.

“You’re staring,” he murmurs sheepishly, collapsing under the weight of your gaze.

"Don't I always?”

He lazily lifts his head to kiss you, but his coordination is horrible due to the fact that his brain isn't even entirely awake right now, so his kiss lands more on the side of your mouth than fully on it. He groans at his failed attempt.

“Kiss me.”

"Yes, your majesty,” you tease.

You ignore Megumi's sleepy glare, instead leaning down and softly pressing your lips against his. You do this a few times, feeling Megumi smile into the kiss, yet it’s all onesided, and you pull away with a huff.

“Why am I gonna kiss you if you’re too lazy to kiss back?”

“Because you love me?”

"Sure, whatever,” you mumble, pressing your hands against his chest to push yourself off of him, but he doesn't give you that chance, instead grabbing you by your wrists to prevent you from getting up any further. "Megumi, I need to go to work.”

He doesn't say anything; instead, he opens his eyes—still lidded, but now he doesn’t look sleepy; now he just looks like he's giving you puppy eyes… Because he is, and he’s evil because he knows your conviction crumbles right then and there at the sight of them.

"Don't look at me like that,” you say, turning your head away from him.

Megumi doesn’t accept that and releases one of your wrists to grab your jaw, forcing you to face him. “Like what?”

“You know what.” 

He shrugs, feigning innocence. “Stay? Please?”

You sigh and drop your forehead against his, mumbling, "Megumi, I have to go to work.”

You hear him tut before pushing you off of him and rolling onto his side, his back facing you, as he bitterly mumbles, “Whatever.”

You roll your eyes, yet a fond smile adorns your face. “You’re such a big baby.”

“Go to work; leave me alone.”

"Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

You quickly hop off the bed and get ready for work, not leaving without littering a few more kisses on Megumi’s face, who’s already sound asleep once more. You’d be more sad about leaving him if you didn’t already know that tomorrow morning would play out exactly like this again and the next. And the morning after that. And after that—and probably forever after that.

©TODAYISAWTHEWHXLEWXRLD

[mindfulstudyquest]

starve your ego, find your peace

these are my personal thoughts, an outburst. if you want to share your opinion in the comments, i welcome it, but please be kind. if you just want to insult, go elsewhere. if you're not interested, don't read <3 i remind you that english is not my first language, so there may be a few mistakes.

ego, what an interesting word. it is a latin lemma which literally means "I", it indicates

the self, especially with a sense of self-importance.

(psychology, freudian) the most central part of the mind, which mediates with one's surroundings.

a person's self-esteem and opinion of themselves.

in a society like ours, we fight against our ego every day, the anxiety of constantly being in the spotlight, the overwhelming thought of having all eyes on us.

the idea we have of ourselves is the strongest chain that prevents us from freeing ourselves from this mental cage. both positively and negatively. if you have a distorted idea of yourself and low self-esteem, you will never be able to become your higher-self, to take that extra step that allows you to transform your daydreams into a solid reality, if you think you are unintelligent, you will tend to take this truth for granted. "i'm not smart enough for this" and you'll give up your dreams of a higher education, or of getting all A's on your finals, or of having a great and fulfilling job.

but sometimes we think too highly of ourselves too. i always joke that i make study plans like i'm a genius who studies 200 pages in a day, but the truth is, i'm not joking at all.

many of you will recognize themselves in the stereotype of the burned-out gifted kid, especially when you move to a higher level of education (from middle school to high school, or from high school to university) and at that moment all certainty of your acclaimed intelligence collapses. you are no longer in the pond with the small fish, now you are in the big tank with the big fish, relating to a much bigger world (at least in italy, the difference between high school and university is abysmal) and your brain will do everything to maintain an accurate simulacrum of your self-image.

in fact, your brain spends less energy processing two pieces of information that agrees rather than disagreeing information and since our biology is based on self-preservation, your mind will do everything to preserve its rightness. when i started university i was incredibly afraid of taking my first exam, why? because i didn't want to find out that i wasn't good enough for a more advanced education, that i wasn't the straight A's student i thought i was.

but waiting for the fear to go away will lead to you staying in the same place forever, because the fear only goes away if you face what you are afraid of, and yes, being afraid of exams may seem silly, but i'm sure many people who follow this blog will understand what it means to identify so much with your grades and to crave academic validation more than anything else.

so i did it, even though i was scared, i had to have the certainty that this was the right place for me, i studied hard, and i definitely rocked my exams. but then the spring exam session arrived, and the fear returned. tired and burned-out from the winter session i had little or no desire to study, so when the exam date approached, i was afraid of not achieving the same results as just two months before, so i postponed, i procrastinated, until the day before, i knew i had to study otherwise i wouldn't pass the exam, yet my brain continued to do everything to protect itself, to protect that completely crazy idea of myself that i could study the entire program in two days (i wish). i don't even have social media (tumblr and pinterest excluded), which is why i found every excuse possible not to study. i didn't want to sit at my desk and realize that i wasn't going to pass that exam, that i should have studied harder, try harder.

that is until i realized that it wasn't laziness or procrastination that was stopping me, or rather, procrastination was just a symptom of a bigger cause: a distorted image of myself. understanding this in my first year of university will perhaps change my next academic years, or perhaps not. i don't know how many of you have drawn these things or reached these conclusions, i just hope that you soon understand that you are not lazy, nor procrastinators, you are just humans who are afraid of failure like all other humans.

the problem arises now, how to change this image? i don't know yet, honestly, but i won't let it stop me from living my life.

uptade in the end i was so fucking lucky and got a 30/30 on my exam yesterday, but still at the cost of a lot of sanity, sleep and unjustified stress.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Can't Live it Down

While the Blur Gang were busy sorting things out in Dimensions SRB-1998 and EDU-1996, Sonic Prime stuck behind at Dimension OMT-2021, trying to make sense of things at Carnival Night.

Sonic: A version of me that's dead... How tough does the multiverse have to be on some people?

Close by, he heard another portal open up with some of EggOmega's modified robots coming out of it.

Sonic: Aw, crud... Some of that green doctor's Badniks, huh? Well, no sense letting them do what they want. (to the Badniks) Hey, tin-cans! You'd better book it before I turn you into scrap!

They ignored him and went for the attack, prompting Sonic to take them out. As he did, though, he noticed one of them was horribly malfunctioning before collapsing.

Sonic: Yeesh, that doesn't look good.

He went to investigate, opening its compartment and seeing a horrifying sight. The critter inside had been ground to mush by the inner workings of the Badnik.

Sonic: Oh, god... How sadistic IS this guy?!

As he looked in horror, EggOmega's version of the Egg Breaker leapt in to attack on autopilot, prompting Sonic to leap out of the way.

Sonic: Well, if it isn't this mech again. Bring it on!

He began speeding around to fight the giant mech off, soon tripping up on it and faceplanting to the ground.

Sonic: Uh oh...

Fortunately, before it could finish him off, Tails Prime leapt in, blasting at the mech which had trouble reacting.

Sonic: Tails?!

The mech turned around to his position.

Tails: Give it up!

It tried to crush him, but he easily avoided the attack, blasting the Egg Breaker to smithereens before landing again.

Tails: Phew! That should do it!

Sonic: Tails!

Tails noticed Sonic.

Tails: Thank goodness you're okay, Sonic!

Sonic: How did you even get here?

Tails: Well, after hearing that you went missing yesterday, I had a feeling it had something to do with the multiverse. I had some scans in my workshop, and I followed the trail left behind to get here.

Sonic: Honestly, glad I'm not the only one on the move here. That mech you just trashed belongs to this absolutely insane counterpart of Eggman named "EggOmega". Kept boasting about how he killed his own Sonic and about how he plans to conquer the multiverse, including our own world.

Tails: Okay, this is worrying... Do you know any help we can get to stop him?

Sonic: I met a team of multidimensional heroes earlier, and they're already trying to deal with stuff. I'll be headed out into the field myself a little later, specifically to the dimension based on that movie of the two of us.

Tails: Our movies are actually a whole other dimension?! Wow!

Sonic: Heh, too right!

Tails: So, where are said heroes stationed at?

Sonic: I'll gladly show you, just so long as it's kept a secret from prying eyes.

Tails: Got it!

The two prepared to head off, though some footsteps nearby stopped them.

??????: Ah, there you are, Sonic!

Sonic turned around, seeing Eggman Prime had caught up to him.

Sonic: Oh, great... It had to be you. Literally anyone else would've been better to see. Heck, even Shadow would've been more of a relief to be around!

Eggman: We've no time for conflicts now, Sonic. I got word on the way here that there's an alternate counterpart of me that-.

Sonic: Save the explanation, Robotnik. I'm already well aware of what's going on. I saw EggOmega's extent of power for myself.

Eggman: Okay. You're finally referring to me by my proper name, huh? No quips this time?

Sonic: After what you pulled a few months ago that almost doomed us all, can you blame me for that?!

Eggman: What are you talking about?!

Sonic: The whole thing with Sonic.exe! Are you seriously this dense?!

Eggman: What?! Don't act like you tried to pretend it never happened, you moronic hedgehog!

Sonic: Only for the sake of those mandates, Ivo! But since we're NOT where we can be seen talking, I'm gonna make it clear that I'm not just letting you off the hook just like that after you thought tampering with dangerous forces again was a good idea.

Eggman: Look, Sonic! I never predicted it would get THAT bad. And enough with the first-name basis! I wouldn't call you "Maurice" out of nowhere, would I?

Sonic: Yeah, sure. Like you "never predicted" Chaos would turn on you and blast your second Egg Carrier out of the sky, or that trying to meddle with the god underneath our planet that you awoke would get you flung into the atmosphere. The Time Eater's literally the only example I can think of where that didn't backfire in your face until me and my younger self stopped you.

Eggman: Urgh... don't remind me.

Tails: Look, are you here to help us stop EggOmega or not? Actually be honest with us this time!

Eggman: I am, Tails. Do you really think I can take over the world if some alternate of me is planning to pull that stunt first?

Sonic: Knowing you, you're gonna learn nothing from this and that it'll all be business as usual as soon as we return home.

Eggman: Can you stop assuming stuff for one minute, Sonic?

Sonic: It's literally the status quo, doctor! You're clearly going to come up with yet another hair-brained scheme to defeat me and take over the world shortly after we're done here! And knowing you, you'll double-cross us at the first opportunity you get after EggOmega's down!

Eggman: SILENCE! Do you really think I can afford to double-cross you two right now, if at ALL this time?! This is clearly bigger than both of us, and this time, we NEED to put things aside to stop Dr. EggDoofus! Besides, I don't like teaming up with either of you unless it's necessary for both our sakes.

Sonic: Like you said at the Lost Hex, only to plan to conquer what was left of our world after most of its energy was stolen. Oh, and the fact Knuckles, Amy and so many others almost met their ends! Do you not care about lives lost to reach your goals?! What kind of monster are you?!

Tails: Sonic... I think we should get moving.

Sonic: ...Yeah, agreed.

Eggman: Yeesh, okay. I'm sorry about almost dooming the entire planet back then. I made bad decisions, caused huge levels of damage, and now we're here. Okay?

Sonic: ... No. It's not okay, doctor. And I won't let you know where we're headed, either. You don't deserve to know.

He headed off, with Tails following him.

Eggman: Guess the demon Sonic incident really did a lot to his psyche, huh?

Further into the carnival, the two heroes came to a stop for a breather.

Tails: Okay. We're where Eggman can't overhear us. If you wanna say what's on your mind, Sonic, please do so.

Sonic: I guess I can't hold it off much more, huh? It's just...

Sonic: What happened to us days before the Starfall Islands trip really rattled me up, honestly. I know I'm trying to push through for the sake of you guys and help you all with your independence, but... all the mandates holding us back are just not letting me vent out my struggles, you know. First Eggman hiring all these multiversal baddies including the evil Super Sonic, and then the whole thing with EXE. I really pushed myself to the brink in just three adventures, and...

Tails: It's taking a toll on who you are, huh...?

Sonic: Yeah... Like, how dangerous does Ivo keep having to get just to stamp me out of the picture? First the war, then those two multiversal incidents I mentioned, THE END, the murder mystery case, invading dreams... there's been no scheme as of late he's been light-hearted about.

Tails: And it all led up to here, where we're trying to save the multiverse for a third time.

Sonic: Mhm. ... Can I be real with you for a sec, Tails?

Tails: Go ahead.

Sonic: I mean, I know Sonic Frontiers had been doing pretty well, but... I dunno, it's just... I guess it feels like there's just a lot of pressure on me now.

Tails: I mean, a lot of people loved it, which is a good thing.

Sonic: Sure, but it's been a while since a wide portion of my fanbase have really liked one of my adventures, especially after... you know.

Tails: Yeah... You're feeling like there's all these expectations you've gotta live up to, huh?

Sonic: Yeah... I know I don't fear much, but... I'm just scared I'll never live up to those expectations. The inconsistencies mean that people are always expecting something from me, and if things keep bummering out, then...

Tails: I know, Sonic. Harsh truth is, you really can't please everybody, no matter what.

Sonic: I get that, I really do. It's just there's those expecting me to do as good as I did in Frontiers, if not better, and that anything in-between is just gonna be met with disappointment.

Tails: Listen. You'd never disappoint me at all, Sonic. You're the reason I even began becoming a hero of my own in the first place! Even if those around Earth-0 don't think so, you're always a beacon of shining hope. I mean, we all are in our own ways.

Sonic: Heh, thanks, little buddy. I'm glad I can be open about this with you.

Tails: Heh, anytime! Even now, we're still friends to the end!

They both shared a little hug between each other.

Tails: Say, if this is part of all the multiversal madness you've seen, does that mean my alternate self, er, Nine is here?

Sonic: Yeah. Well, I'm not sure for certain if it's the exact same Nine or not, but I do hope to introduce him to you if he's okay with it.

Tails: And I'm guessing you still don't want to let Eggman know where they're camping at, huh?

Sonic: Yeah. He'd probably try to attack it later if he got the opportunity to. We should get moving, though. No sense wasting any more time with a lot hanging in the balance!

Tails: Right!

They both raced off.

[catmansquad]

“Unstable” (4)

Right, let’s sign off this disaster caused by a crazed homewrecker with superpowers. Finale of Yandere!Miguel

‘But he was you!’ The argument had been on both their minds for the past two days. A puzzling sense of unmatching pieces that never gave any sense of resolution. Like an invisible wedge that was now stuck between them. ‘I’m not lying to you, Miguel. I didn’t spontaneously decide; “Oh, my husband’s not home, let me just grab a handsome guy off the street to get into bed with for a few days”!’ You watched Miguel’s eyes go wide, his injuries were slow to mend, but at least he looked more like himself than the haggard wraith who had all but collapsed into your arms. ‘… He’s been in our bed, too?!’ ‘I’m not lying! I’m not cheating on you! He was you, Miguel! Literally you! Same hair, same face, same voice!’ ‘I… I don’t need this… I really don’t…. I get kidnapped by a fuckin’ masked maniac, have all by belongings stolen, and spend nearly a week trying to get back home. I had to live like a beggar! Pleading with people for food and money, anything I could to get back home! When I finally do get back, I find my beloved wasn’t even looking for me! Wasn’t even worried- because they’ve got it into their head that I was never missing at all!’

‘Miguel, where are you going?!’ ‘Out! To clear my head!’ ‘Miguel!’ The holographic screen was fixed firmly upon the two of you. The room was filled even more destruction than before, more shattered screens and consoles, half-built machinery that had been scrapped, covered in deep gouges and crushed metal. Calm from his fury, Miguel paced back and forth with arms folded, keeping his eyes firmly on the screen, once again peering into your world from his own. Despite his passing fury, his anger still rolled inside him. It had just been far too good to be true; you were his, he had in his arms every night, he had kept you safe and comforted, both as himself and his alter-ego. Now that pathetic, weak, other version of him had just stepped back into your life- and he was causing you anguish and distress. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, feeling another bout of fury rising inside him. ‘Lyla…’ His eyes remained firmly on the holographic screen, teeth gritted, watching you perch on the sofa, seeming despondent. ‘What’s up? You’re looking a little tense.’ ‘I want you to keep a tracker on this other me. As soon as you see an opening, let me know.’ ‘He’s out of the house now.’ ‘No. Too soon. They need time to heal…. Time to let suspicions rest- shock it!’ He grabbed whatever was close to hand, a half-built bracelet and hurled it across the room with a snarl to shatter at the far wall. ‘He shouldn’t have come back! He should have stayed away!! We would have been happy together…. We… still can be happy together…’ His gaze returned once again to the screen, watching you in your forlorn state, a hand reaching out, as if he wished to stroke your cheek, to offer comfort. ‘… I’m right here, mi amor… I’ll be back, I promise… We’ll never be apart. Not ever again.’

‘They said I resigned.’ You looked up from your food, Miguel’s plate remained untouched, his eyes firmly on his phone, you watched his mood spiral further into anger and despair. ‘You told me that you were on vacation, Mig.’ Your saw his hand tense around his phone, the casing creaking in his grasp, a vein throbbing in his forehead out of irritation. ‘They said that I came in not long after I left and resigned “with immediate effect”… How?! I was halfway across the city being beaten black and blue! By the same guy you said saved your life! What the fuck is happening here?’ You watched Miguel place his phone aside and bury his face into his hands with a low groan of frustration. ‘My partner’s convinced I never left, I’ve been kidnapped, threatened, beaten, and now been left unemployed… How could I possibly be in two places at once? How…? What am I going to do now…?’ You reached across the table, hand resting palm up and fingers beckoning softly until he reached out to take your hand, his eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. He looked like a broken man, and you felt nothing but love and pity for the man. Even as the reasons that had led to it all made no sense whatsoever. You truly believed in Miguel’s story, yet at the same time, you knew you hadn’t imagined that your husband had also been with you for his supposed absence. Miguel squeezed your hand for reassurance, and you returned the gesture. ‘We’re going to be alright, Mig… I promise. We’ll be alright.’

Miguel had tried everything, his very best to get his career back, but to no effect. Apparently, his supposed resignation had been so sharp and intimidating that it had been accepted without hesitation. Three nights later, you were cuddled up in bed together, wrapped in the blankets. His embrace was not one of security, but one of desperate comfort, clinging to you like he was afraid you would abandon him, if he let go. Your eyes fluttered open, glancing around the dark room. What had woken you up just now? You listened; the sound of traffic in the distance, the soft breathing of your husband as he slept beside you, skinnier than he had been several days ago. Certainly, something didn’t sit right about a man who could gain and shed muscle mass in a short time. You sat up with a soft gasp, there it was again, the sound that had woken you. ‘… Miguel… Miguel…’ ‘Mm… Whasit…?’ He murmured, still half asleep, eyes barely open. ‘I... I think there’s someone outside…’ ‘Hm... ‘s probably just a fox scouring through the trash… Go back to sleep…’ ‘Foxes don’t try door handles…!’ Your voice was a conspiratorial hiss and you watched him sit up with a groan, rubbing his eyes. You both sat, ears strained against the silence, not even a whisper pierced through the quiet. ‘See? Just foxes, mi vida… Nothing to worry abou-‘ Miguel’s attempt at soothing was interrupted by a mighty crash from your garden and you watched your husband nearly leap out of his skin in fright. ‘What the fuck was that?!’ He threw back the bedsheets, grabbing his clothing from the creased pile and pulling it on scowling under his breath. ‘I swear, if it’s not one thing, it’s another… I just can’t catch a break…’ ‘Miguel, do you-?’ ‘Stay here, I’ll be right back…’

He had unlocked the back door, clutching a torch in hand, stepping outside, he shivered at the bitter chill of the night and cast the beam over the garden, nothing moved in the interplay of light and shadow. He stepped out, searching and finding the source of the crash from where the recycling bin was lying far away from where it should be, cracked and dented, like it had been thrown with considerable force, with bits of would-be recycling spilling out. ‘How the hell did this happen…?’ He shivered again, not just at the chill of night, but of feeling eyes on the back of his neck. He spun around, scouring through the darkness with the beam of light. Nothing revealed itself. ‘… I thought I’d made myself clear, pendejo…’ He went tense, fear racing through his heart at that familiar growl of a voice, again right behind him. ‘I told you to stay away. You didn’t listen. That’s very unfortunate, for you…’ Miguel steeled his nerve and turned slowly, eyes wide and breath caught in his throat, his mind tried and failed to process just what he was seeing; his own doppelganger stared back at him, eyes blazing red and furious with intent, teeth bared in a snarl with sharp fangs. ‘… W-what the fuck…?’ ‘All you had to do was stay AWAY!’ His other self punched him with the force of a truck and Miguel felt the world spin, tumbling through the air to land winded on the grass, torch clattering to the grass beside him, beam flickering. He glanced around, unable to see through the gloom, unsure of where his doppelganger was. He crawled forwards, closer to the torch, if he could just escape, he could get inside, barricade the door and stay safe with you until… Until what? Until the police came, from a call that he was being threatened by himself?! You were on his mind, protecting you was what mattered. His fingers brushed against the torch, he felt something tie itself around his ankle, and you were on his mind still as he was dragged back, screaming, into the darkness.

You had hurried downstairs, phone in hand, calming when you found the back door already locked once again, your husband by the sink, washing his hands. ‘Miguel…? Are you alright?’ He looked to you with an expression that you couldn’t quite place, but the sheer intensity behind it gave you pause, then it evaporated into a calm, loving smile. ‘Hey… I’m fine. Just foxes knocked over the recycling bin.’ ‘B… But I thought I heard… I heard you scream.’ He laughed softly, nodding. ‘Ay, stubbed my toe on the step hard, coming back in… Shockin’ stung, ow…’ His smile faded as you continued to stare at him. ‘I’m fine, mi vida… Go back to sleep. I’ll be up soon.’ You silently agreed with him and turned away, grateful that nothing else was wrong. In the dim light, you missed the swirls of water, stained crimson, running down the drain, of Miguel scrubbing clawed fingers clean. He had no such issue seeing in the dark; crimson eyes watching you leave with a relieved smirk. He focused on keeping his claws retracted, drying his hands, and then returned back upstairs to where you were already half asleep. There would be no further interruptions.

You awoke warm and safe, cuddled close in strong arms that maintained an almost possessive hold on you as you tried to squirm out of them. ‘Mm… Jus’ five more minutes, mi corazón…’ His voice purred, pulling you closer against him. You sighed and agreed with him, snuggling closer into his chest. ‘Hey, you’re buff again, Miggy…’ You noticed, hearing him chuckle in response. He was so very warm. ‘… My love, you talk as if I’m not always this fit.’ ‘You were skinny last night…’ ‘You’re getting mixed up with your dreams again, mi amor… Shh, just lay here with me… Just like this…’ He hummed softly, nuzzling into hair, one leg moving to wrap around you, pinning you even closer against his body. You were trapped in his embrace and could do nothing but lay there until he finally released you. Not a bad place to be, all in all. Soon, it would all fall apart.

All day, Miguel had been not more than a few feet from you. Showering together, cooking together, and even sat down, he did not let your body touch the sofa, you were in his lap, hugged close. ‘What did I ever do to be blessed with you…?’ He murmured, placing sweet kisses on your neck. Already your skin was covered in the lovebites he had left, and he did not seem content to stop any time soon. You squirmed in his arms, what had once been devoted and delightful was starting to raise other feelings in you now, feelings of concern and worry that were compiling with other issues your logical mind had logged. ‘… Are you alright, Mig?’ ‘I’m absolutely fine…’ He purred, hands ghosting down your body to rest at your hips. ‘…. Well, the other night you were a wreck.’ ‘I’m fine… I just want to enjoy my vacation with you…’ The gears of your logical mind clicked and spun together at the contradiction that had just left his lips. ‘Vacation? Mig you told me that you’d resigned- or that someone had said you’d resigned. You were an absolute mess because you couldn’t get your job back and now…’ You felt him freeze, lips on your neck, hands firm on your hips. He didn’t resist as you slipped free and rose to looked at him as his posture relaxed, eyes looking into your own. ‘I.. I just don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense; how I can be enjoying life with you, and then you suddenly appear on my doorstep claiming you’ve been kidnapped, and then you just suddenly snap right back like nothing’s wrong…’ ‘Mi amor, don’t be like this… Just come here…’ ‘A-Am I going crazy, Mig?... A-are you?’ You watched him freeze up again, eyes narrowing a fraction and he rose quietly from where he sat, and it was a grim, sudden reminder of how much he towered over you in height and mass. ‘…. C-crazy?’ He spoke in a soft breath, hands curling tight. ‘You think I’m crazy…?’ ‘N-no! No, I just want to understand-‘ He growled, literally growled in his throat, teeth gritted, and you were scared by the sight of his long, sharp canines. ‘… You’re thinking it too, aren’t you? Hm? Go on. Say it! Crazy. Mad! UNSTABLE!!!’ You watched in horror as he grabbed the sofa, clawed fingers ripping into the fabric as he hurled it across the room with a yell. He turned to you, chest heaving, eyes blazing red, and the horror on your face seemed to snap him from his rage and pinched the bridge of his nose with a long exhale. ‘I’m... Not angry with you. I could never be angry with you… I love you, so much, mi amor, mi vida… Just come here…’ ‘Miguel-‘ ‘Just come here!!’ He demanded, temper rising again, arms open for you. Whatever you said next was cut off by the distant, terrified screaming of your neighbour. Miguel’s head tilted as he listened, eyes firmly on you. ‘…. I think they just found that mangled mess I made of the weak, pathetic man you married… That’s alright, you don’t need him anymore. You have me now…’

In the rush of adrenaline and panic, you weren’t sure exactly how you escaped, from him, from your home. Now, you were several streets away, trying to lose yourself in the city, and thoroughly convinced that he was not following you. You had called for help, all of your friends, and all of them had refused to answer in turn. All of them refused your call, some had even blocked your number. Your husband wasn’t your husband, the man who wasn’t him had killed your husband and now he was after you. To do what? Did he plan to kill you, too?! You needed help, you needed someone who could keep you safe. You flattened yourself into the dimness of a dark alley, peeking out just to double-check that the imposter was absolutely not following. You almost had a heart attack from the sheer fear and shock of the scrape of brick and you watched the answer to your prayers slide down the wall. Spider-man was here. ‘You look like you’re scared out of your mind, someone troubling you?’ ‘Oh… Oh, please… Please help me!’ You all but threw yourself against his chest, trembling and watching him briefly flinch at your openness before a comforting hand patted your back. ‘Heh. Helping is what I do, what’s the matter now…?’ ‘M-my husband who isn’t my husband murdered my husband and now he’s coming for me, please… Spider-man, please help me…’ He hushed you softly, taking one of your hands in his own with a reassuring squeeze. ‘Of course. Of course, I’ll help. Don’t worry, you’re safe with me… You always will be…’ You didn’t notice until the sharp click that he had fastened a simple black bracelet tight against your left wrist. ‘W-what is…?’ His strong arms brought you tightly against him, one hand rubbing small circles on your back as he hushed you softly again. ‘Shh… It’s going to be alright…Te amo… Te amo, mi amor, mi vida…’ The shaky breath filled your lungs as the horror of realization settled. ‘… Oh god…’ ‘I love you... I love you, so much, it hurts…’ ‘… O-oh god…’ ‘But I really don’t think you’ll be safe here anymore… It’s gotten too messy. Too many questions to be asked by the wrong people…’ Your revelations were confirmed as the mask pixelated and fell away into glittering lights, red eyes met your own briefly, before he leaned in to kiss your neck, once, twice, then you felt the stabbing of sharp fangs, the burn accompanied by something else that left your body leaden and unresponsive. ‘There you go… There you go… Shh… It’s going to be alright. It’s going to be absolutely fine. We’re going to go somewhere safe, where we can be together, where we can be undisturbed. I can take care of you there, and you’ll come to realise that you love me just as much as I love you.’ The world behind him collapsed and fractured into a gate of swirling lights, offering brief glimpses of another place altogether. ‘… We’ll have our whole lives together…’ He bundled you in his arms, kissed your forehead gently, and carried you through.

------

So, there we are. Unstable. I do enjoy writing some darker takes on Miggy, only so I can then go to Looking Glass and counterbalance it with him being an absolute ball of wholesome, healthy love and fluff for being absolutely head over heels with his LI (See: Excerpt “Doughnuts” for example). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about getting kidnapped by a crazy man from another world who developed an unhealthy obsession with you and couldn’t grasp why killing and replacing your husband with a buffer, better version of himself wasn’t something you were too keen on...

If memory serves me @oscarissac2099 wanted to be tagged, too. So, there’s that.

[rainyweeds]

Roxto X reader..

You and Roxto were awfully close but once the sully’s arrived and Roxto got the task to teach Kiri he almost spent no time whit you, and that made you very sad. You started to ignore him because you thought he didnt like you anymore but one day Roxto comfronts you. A fluff end whit a little kissing and fluff words?? Basiclly angst to fluff🫶 <3

Of course! This idea is so cute!! Thanks Anon ❤️

Always you, never her

Pairing: Rotxo x Metkayina!Reader

Summary: You and Rotxo grew up together, always around the other. Until the Sully family arrives and you, Rotxo, Tsireya and Ao'nung are tasked with teaching them your ways. You begin to think Rotxo is drifting away from you.

Contains: Childhood Best Friends to Lovers, Crushes, Angst, Fluff, A little jealousy, Confessions

A/N: My first ever request! I'm so happy someone asked me to write this! Rotxo is such an underrated boy I love him so much. He seriously needs more love. I really hope this turned out how you wanted Anon.

You and Rotxo had always been by each other's side. Joined at the hip, never further than 10 meters away from each other. Your parents would always say that the two of you were inseparable. If one of you went out, the other would follow closely behind. Just the two of you against the world.

At least, thats what you used to think. Lately, Rotxo has been spending all his time with the Sully siblings. Not that you minded per say. It wasn't the fact that he didn't have anymore free time to spend with you. And it wasn't the fact that he always brushed you off when you asked to hang out alone. Well, maybe a little. But it was more so the fact that he hung around Kiri more than you.

Now, you understood that he was literally tasked with teaching her the ways of the Metkayina, but you just couldn't get over how close the two of them became over the few weeks that the Sully family spent in Awa'atlu.

"Rotxo! Let's go collect sea shells! I saw some cool ones along the shore earlier." You ran up to your best friend. It's been a couple of days since you were able to see the Metkayina boy since he was busy helping Kiri and the others adapt so you thought it would be nice if you hung out again. Just the two of you.

"Not right now. I said I'd go with Kiri to go see the cove of our ancestors. Next time?" He offered an apologetic smile.

"Oh... That's fine I can go with Tsireya or something." You quickly walk away, tears filling your eyes. In the Metkayina, na'vi only take others that they want to mate with to the cove of ancestors. So why was Rotxo taking Kiri? He never expressed interest in taking a mate just yet.

Thoughts begin filling your head as your walking quickly turned into sprinting. You ran and ran until your lungs felt like they were going to collapse. Finally taking a break by the docks.

In the distance you could see Rotxo and Kiri riding their ilu's. Getting ready to dive under water. Your heart ached at the thought of Rotxo no longer being the best friend who was always by your side. And you'd be lying if you never hoped for him to become more.

Because before the Sully family arrived, Rotxo would spend his free time with you. Never with any other girls from the village. He always made sure to spend quality time with you. And you thought that just maybe, he felt the same way you did.

You sigh, getting up from your spot on the docks, instead deciding to help your mother instead. "Do you need help with dinner ma?" You sit down next to her.

"No dear. You should go spend time with your friends and enjoy your youth." She smiled sweetly at you. "Where's Rotxo? I haven't seen him in quite some time."

The name brought tears to your eyes. Your mom immediately picked up your mood and brought you into a hug. "What's wrong my sweet child." She rubbed gentle circles on your back.

"Rotxo brought another girl to the cove of ancestors." You quietly sobbed.

"Shhh I'm sure he's just showing her around. He's always been a kind soul." She hugged you, continuing to comfort you until you fell asleep, the exhaustion from crying finally took its toll on your body.

You could barely get up the next day. Your eyes were red and puffy from crying and all your energy had been drained. Outside, you could hear Tsireya and Ao'nung talking with your mother. Right, you had lessons to teach today.

Rotxo was already waiting for you by the docking station, his ilu patiently waiting for its rider. His eyes light up at the sight of you. He'd been looking for you all morning, but you were nowhere to be seen.

Lessons went by so slowly for you. You kept looking over to Rotxo, only for him to be looking over to and guiding Kiri. Guiding her breathing and placing a hand on her diaphragm.

You'd be lying through your teeth if you said you weren't jealous. The way he touched Kiri was how you wanted him to touch you. Instead of staring, you quickly shifted your attention to the rest of the group. Who cares if some stupid boy didn't reciprocate your feelings.

When the session was over, you quickly dove into the water, swimming away from Rotxo and Kiri as fast as possible. They had already discussed plans about exploring a coral reef that lay just beyond the shoreline.

It pained you. You felt like you were losing your best friend. Rotxo was spending so much time with Kiri and away from you. You began to wonder if he liked her more. Maybe he wanted to mate with her? It made sense. Spending more time with her, the side glance Kiri would give you when all of you were together, it hurt.

You think back to the looks Kiri would give you whenever you would talk to Rotxo. Maybe she was jealous because you were still technically his best friend. Kiri was a sweet girl and you didn't want her to feel threatened more than she already did.

So maybe all you needed to do was back off and keep your distance from Rotxo? If it meant Kiri felt more comfortable within the clan then you would give them all the space they needed.

The next time you saw Rotxo with Kiri was on the beach, collecting shells and pretty rocks. The Metkayina boy spotted you and immediately waved you over to him. But instead of joining them like you usually would, you walked away.

Rotxo watched you grow smaller and smaller as you walked away. He didn't know why you suddenly didn't want to hang out anymore. Was it because he waved you off last time? Surely not.

He sighed as he turned back to collecting sea shells with Kiri. She was the first to pick up on his feelings for you. So instead of just keeping to herself like usual, she decided to help him get his message across.

Kiri really enjoyed your company and was thankful that you'd help her when Ao'nung and his friends would try to tease her and her siblings. So when she finally got Rotxo to confirm her suspicions, she was quick to offer him help. After all, you felt the same way he did. So when she learned that you liked making jewelry from Tsireya, she knew just the thing for you.

The two of them spent a fair amount of time collecting shells and rocks to weave into colorful accessories for you. Rotxo felt excitement rush through his body. He would finally be able to ask you to be his partner and express all the feelings he had kept hidden for so many years.

You stood outside your marui with Tuk and Tsireya. Tuk had taken quite a liking towards you. You were like another older sibling to her and you loved watching her. The three of you were playing a beach game where you had to throw your rock into the hole in the sand. The youngest Sully said she learned it from her dad.

"So close Tuk!" Tsireya watched as the little girl threw the pebble a mere inches away from rolling into the goal. "Next time!"

After many failed attempts from all of you, Tsireya was finally the one to successfully throw her rock into the hole. All of you cheered as Neytiri came to collect Tuk. Both of them waved goodbye and headed off towards their own marui.

You and Tsireya slowly cleaned up the game as you saw Rotxo approach. He waved to you and then to Tsireya before taking a deep breath. When you saw him walking towards you, you panicked. Quickly excusing yourself from your friend and running off in the other direction.

After that, you start to notice how Rotxo would keep trying to talk to you. Way more than before. Usually he would just wave to you and continue on with whatever he was doing. But now, he was going out of his way to try and get more than a simple greeting out of you.

It was weird. Kiri was still acting the same despite Rotxo constantly trying to talk to you. It just didn't make much sense to you. Regardless, you still ignored conversation with either of them. Or at least you tried to.

At some point over the past week that you had avoided Rotxo, he had somehow managed to talk to Tsireya without your knowledge. Which you don't know how, seeing as you were always with the girl when she didn't have her duties to complete. But he had managed to learn your new schedule. Wake up, lessons with the Sully's, go for a swim, and then hide out in the cave the two of you used to hang out in until eclipse.

You sat on the edge of the cliff. Watching the waves roll in from the entrance below you. When you were younger, you and Rotxo would often swim past the reef and hide out in the cave until it was time for dinner. But now, it was just you. Hiding out until everyone went to bed. Tsireya had duties to complete as the daughter of the olo'eyktan, so you were left alone.

The sound of the waves was peaceful. Until you heard an ilu screeching. Your eyes snap open to see who disrupted your peace and quiet. Below you, Rotxo dismounted his ilu and hoisted himself onto the a rock.

You quickly pulled your legs up, sitting further back on the ledge. Maybe if you didn't make a noise, Rotxo would just stay down there and not climb up higher. Yeah right, you both knew how uncomfortable it was to sit anywhere else besides the flat area on rock that you were currently hiding on.

"I know you're up there." You hear Rotxo call out from under you. If he knew you were here, then why wasn't he climbing up. Did he have Kiri with him and wanted to be alone? "I just want to talk." Maybe not.

"Nope nobody here." You respond. Rotxo chuckles. He slowly peeks up at you before climbing up onto the rock and sits beside you.

"Why have you been ignoring me? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." The boy mumbled the last part. You think back to the past little while. You'd always hang around Tsireya and when you weren't with her, you were avoiding Rotxo like crazy.

"Sorry." You whisper. "I thought maybe you just wanted more time alone with Kiri."

"Kiri? Why would I want to spend more time with her?" Rotxo looks at you. Cloudy blue eyes met yours.

"Well I just thought that you had some sort of interest in her ya know? You spent so much time with her." You begin. "Then I thought that maybe you guys just needed space so I just though it would be better if I left you guys alone."

"Hold on." He cuts you off. "You thought I had something for Kiri?" You look down in shame. Sure, it was a little stupid to think he'd develop something for the Sully girl after only knowing her for a little while. But then you thought of how Tsireya and Lo'ak clearly had a thing for each other the moment they met.

"Well, yeah? You spent so much time with her and you guys were collecting shells together." The memory of him and Kiri on the beach together flashing through his mind.

Then it clicked in his mind. He was spending time with Kiri more than he was with you. Sure, he was really just talking about you whenever he was with Kiri but still, he should have thought about how you would feel about it.

"No no. You've got it all wrong." Rotxo grabs your hand. "I'm not interested in Kiri like that."

"You're not?" You give him a quizzical look.

"The reason I was with her was because she was helping me make this." He pulled out a small necklace from the bag he had brought. It was a simple braided string with shells across the front. Rotxo opened the clasp to put the necklace around your neck. "I'm sorry that I hadn't spent as much time with you as usual."

You felt a blush make its way onto your cheeks. "I thought it was because you wanted to mate with her."

"No. It's you. It's always been you. Never her." He cups your face in his hands. His eyes trail down to your lips and back up to your eyes. "May I?"

A simple nod was all he needed. He brought your face closer, slowly closing the gap between your lips. The kiss was sweet and passionate, neither of you pulling away until your lungs burned for air.

"Nga yawne lu ore." He whispered into your ear.

"I love you too, Rotxo."

I really like requests now that I've been able to write one so feel free to give me some! Also I absolutely suck at writing kissing scenes since I have never done it before but I really hope I was good.

Thank you for reading I hope you have a good day <3

[uhohbestie]

There Are Monsters Nearby [Chapter 9]

🏜 Pairing: Grian/Scar

🧟‍♂️ Tags: zombie AU, zombie apocalypse, lovers to exes, slow burn, eventual reconciliation

📖 Summary: The day after Scar breaks up with Grian, the dead come back to life. Knowing that venturing out alone is a death sentence, the sudden onset of the apocalypse forces them to stick together despite the tensions between them. In the wreckage of the world, they're forced to survive side-by-side, coming to terms with the fact that—try as they might—there's still no one they trust more than each other.

Chapter 9 - The duo endeavour to overcome some (literal) obstacles by proceeding cross-country on foot. The view at the summit of their hike is worrisome, and neither of them are prepared for what awaits them on the other side.

📝 Words: 7,381

🔗 Link: Read Chapter 9 on AO3

—

The city stretches out below them, wrapped tight to the base of the mountain and stretching out until it disappears into its own haze. Scar’s seen a city sprawl before, but he’s never seen anything like this. Parts of it are blackened, still smouldering from uncontained fires run amok. Other parts look cratered, homes, buildings, and entire blocks having crumbled back on top of themselves, leaving concrete skeletons standing in their absence. Smoke trickles up towards the sky in thready columns, signs of occupation or encampments, maybe, or just society continuing to collapse in on itself.

It looks like a war zone.

He feels sick.

“This isn’t a small hiccup, is it?” Grian asks as they both stare, his voice flattened and low. “This isn’t just going to blow over in a week.”

“I don’t know.” It’s not a lie, but deep in his gut Scar feels the permanence of their situation making itself clear. An irreparable shift in the way the world works.

They continue staring in silence, just the two of them, alone on the edge of the wreckage of what used to be. Mourning, not for the first time, and not for the last.

“Have you noticed there are no planes?” Grian asks after what feels like hours, though has only been a handful of minutes, at most. “No highway sounds, no industry, no sirens. It’s so quiet.”

It’s true. Their last days have been crushingly devoid of sound, all the usual background clamour of their lives absent. Scar has tried not to dwell on it much.

It scares him.

“We should keep going,” he says instead, even though every one of his limbs protests at the thought. “The hard part’s over, right? All downhill from here.”

“Right,” Grian says, slowly tearing his eyes away from the scene spread before him. “Hard part’s over.”

—

Another Friday another chapter of zombie au! This is the end of the first arc of the fic, which we're really really excited about! But also nervous! But also excited! A world of emotion in our hearts.

You can read the whole story thus-far linked below!

You may not rest now, There Are Monsters Nearby (on ao3!)

[theplotdemandsit]

In Which Five is Loved

Finally got the second chapter uploaded! Here is the first half. Writing this was way too much fun—that classic Hargreeves banter though. Takes place during 1x07

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58295359/chapters/148458604#workskin

The floor seems to be moving, so Five’s first thought is, I’d better sit down. 

But when he lifts his arm to balance himself against the wall, something grabs him. 

Five tries to tell it off, but all that comes out is, “…think you’re doin’?”

There’s a strange huff of laughter. 

“Funny. I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

Wait. Five knows that voice. It’s sounds far away, but he definitely recognizes it. He tries to pull his eyes open, but every time he gets close, they shut against his will. 

“Geez, Five. Next time, say something, would ya? What is wrong with you?”

Five squeezes his eyes shut even tighter. “The floor…’s moving.”

“What?”

Nausea swirls in his stomach. “I think I need to sit down for a second.”

The voice doesn’t respond for a moment. Then, “Five. You are literally horizontal right now.”

That gets his eyes to open. Bright light makes all the images fuzzy, but he can see enough to note that there’s a ceiling and a face staring down at him. Wait…

A burst of clarity ignites his nerves. “We’re in the car? Did you get a new lead?”

“What? No—Five, we’re taking you to the hospital.”

Five can’t mask the confusion in his voice. “Why?”

“Hmm, let me think. Because you’re a 58 year old man with the common sense of toddler?” 

He doesn’t have the energy to respond to nonsense, so he starts to sit up but only has enough time to see his legs propped up on Diego’s lap before getting pushed back down with disturbing ease. 

“Don’t even think about it,” his loving brother spits. Distantly, Five realizes that Diego is pressing down on his stomach. He wonders why. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you were injured, huh? We could have dealt with that first and then gone to the crazy’s house instead waiting ‘till you collapsed.”

“Geez, Diego. Take it is easy on him,” comes a voice from the driver’s seat. Allison, his mind supplies. 

But as much as Five loves explaining himself, he’s still confused as to what these idiots are thinking. He huffs out something like a laugh. “Whose…brilliant idea was to go to the hospital? There’s no way the ER will look past a shrapnel wound.” Speaking so much turns his voice into a whisper by the end. He can’t seem to get enough air in his lungs. 

“Shrapnel?” 

Pressure lifts from his stomach, and even though the movement should hurt, it doesn’t. Diego swears. “He’s right, Allison. We need to take him back to the Academy.”

“The Academy? I’m sorry, Diego. You want to take our brother—the one who just came back after 17 years and is bleeding out—to the Academy?”

“Oh, no I’m sorry. Did you want to get held up by the police at the hospital?”

“That is not what I’m saying. I just—“

“No wonder the world ended last time,” Five cuts in with a groan. “You all were prob’ly too busy arguing,” he adds. At least he think he does. Everything is starting to sound like he’s under water.

A hand plants itself on his forehead, and Five realizes he must have closed his eyes when he doesn’t see it. “His body’s in shock. Can’t you drive faster?”

He doesn’t quite hear the response, but it doesn’t sound happy. Good thing he doesn’t really care. 

The hand suddenly clamps back over his injury with unexpected force that it elicits a strangled gasp from Five’s lips. 

There’s a four letter word on his tongue, but he’s not sure he quite verbalizes it before a cold wave of water pulls him under. 

Full chapter on Ao3

[darkmaga-returns]

When I write about “the collapse of society”, a lot of people out there think that I am exaggerating.  Sadly, the truth is that I am not exaggerating at all.  The United States was once the greatest country in the world, but now we have become one of the most self-destructive societies that the world has ever seen.  We have turned our backs on the values of our forefathers, and we are literally destroying everything that they worked so hard to give us.

Earlier today, I came across a quote from historian Arnold Toynbee that really resonated with me…

In the mid-20th century, historian Arnold Toynbee, who had studied the varying fates of 28 societies, said: “Civilisations die from suicide, not from murder.”

He is right.

Most great civilizations throughout history have been destroyed from within, and now the exact same thing is happening to us.

The following are 16 signs that America is literally committing suicide right in front of our eyes…

#1 Our suicide rate just keeps going higher and higher…

According to new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the United States recently reached its highest peak since 1941.

#2 Meanwhile, our birth rate just fell to the lowest level ever recorded…

In 2023, the US fertility rate fell another 3% from the year before, to a historic low of about 55 births for every 1,000 females ages 15 to 44, according to final data published Tuesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Just under 3.6 million babies were born last year, about 68,000 fewer than the year before. Since 2007, when the fertility rate was at its most recent high, the number of births has declined 17%, and the general fertility rate has declined 21%, according to the new report.

[bestworstcase]

https://www.tumblr.com/bestworstcase/740325676221120512/i-feel-like-we-disagree-about-specific-details

I frankly figured part of that resistance is driven by a number of people only wanting the most surface level interpretation of media. For all of the ways people have become more "critical" of media, they don't really like it when a story expects you to dig any deeper than what they're explicitly being told to them.

i don't think that's entirely the case tbqh—it's a contributing factor in fanon interpretations of salem because jinn's narration is widely presumed to be objective and reliable—but with regard to the huntsmen academies and the way ozpin's circle operates, rwby DOES explicitly portray these things as part of the problem. ozpin says twice that he's made more mistakes than anyone else on the planet, the second time clarifying that he isn't exaggerating. "it's all my fault."

the fandom widely interprets this as self-hatred and shifts all the blame to salem—but the fallout of 'the lost fable' is centered around ozpin's deceit and betrayal of everyone's trust! after learning the truth qrow says ozpin's circle is the reason for the mess the world is in, and ruby doesn't deny that, just asks him to stop wallowing and help fix it! ozma begins an explicit, unambiguous atonement arc in V8, in tandem with atlas—his crowning achievement—self-destructing because ironwood sacrifices his humanity on the altar of stopping salem! V9 is all about how the pressure of being a huntress, being the chosen one, breaks people! three out of four academies have collapsed, two of them literally!

the narrative has been really quite clear about this. the resistance i'm talking about in the op isn't the resistance to interpreting salem as anything but pure evil, it's the resistance to imagining any ending that does not simply replicate a system that is catastrophically failing right before our eyes and also would not have any reason to exist after salem's hypothetical defeat anyway. in a story that has turned the narrative status quo upside-down like three or four times already and kicks off with "hope you're ready for a revolution."

it's not refusing to think deeply about the story or engage with subtext, it's outright ignoring the actual text.

[redd956]

Vivid Detail & Description

Today in class while reading off part of a non-fiction journal I was asked both by a curious student and teacher where I get my vivid description from, and if I had any advise.

I’ve been thinking about the moment all day, since I especially couldn’t get my words out of my mouth properly to want to explain what I wanted. So maybe by adding it to my blog I could instead give someone else some good tips, tricks, or inspo.

A few of my own favorite descriptive sentences pulled from my own writing

I bet Jaxon himself was playing imagery in his head of me tearing Audrey’s place to shreds like a Kaiju in an old movie from the sixties, raring claws and everything. I can’t imagine how wild my eyes instantly looked. (CNF Guilt as Charged)

She made it out of a piece of abandoned towel. It’s vibrant color has long since been bleached by the sun, and the threads are beginning to come apart. Yet Candy holds it tightly against his skinny body (Dwarvish-Gnome Piece 2)

 Light rain turns into violent splatters before we know it. White streaks of lighting fractal across the sky, loud booms of thunder shortly following. Destroyed pieces of a fence stand in front of the yellow field. I quickly climb over their collapsed remains, them sinking deeper into the mud underneath our feet (Usarin’s Chronicles Child Sector)

Here’s things I do (Isn’t guaranteed to work for you, just things I do)

Put yourself in the reader’s shoes

By that I mean pretend you are trying to force someone else to imagine the scene, fantasy world, or characters without them ever being there. Bring attention to things only someone literally in the scene would experience.

Think about what the reader doesn’t know, and paint them a picture so that it’s as if they’re there, detail and all.

Show emotion and story through detail

Don't tell me she is depressed

Try: Her room looks like it hasn't been touched in weeks, yet there's no dust on her bed. The pillowcase to her favorite pillow is still dampened with tears, and she lays next to it drearily staring at the wall.

Don't oversaturate

Break up paragraphs of description and detail with anything and everything. There's more to writing than detail. Frequently those are really good at writing description and utilizing vivid detail lose the charm of their works and writing through oversaturation, where they do not know the stopping limit for description.

Use everything in moderation, which is a great piece of advice for anything and everything, but also applies to writing. This goes for prose, dialogue, jokes, and also description. Practice! And learn what works, what’s too much, and what isn’t.

Professional advise that I like & How To Achieve

Use those five senses!

Sensory details are incredibly helpful in making a scene read vividly. Never forget your five senses, they can make any boring description feel more alive.

Use descriptive words (and the right ones)

This is a much more difficult one to keep up with, but it is often the problem at hand. There are thousands of words in just English alone, but this applies to other languages as well. Although some words are synonyms, each of them are still descriptive in very different ways.

Take for instance:

Cold, Freezing, Icy, Frosted Over, Cool;

The woman felt her fingertips against the cold surface.

The woman felt her fingertips against the icy surface.

The woman felt her fingertips against the cool surface.

These three sentences are using these synonyms, however each of them convey a different tone and idea. One has ice on it, another is cool maybe even nice feeling, while one is simply just cold.

Descriptive words alone are helpful to practice with, because some bring in a lot more imagery.

Less descriptive words are fine, they can work, and this doesn’t just apply to adjectives. I might make my own series of posts for descriptive words.

[voidsentprinces]

I read a translation and was like, Warrior of Light is both a terror and a savior. And Emet-Selch got to them in action in full form as Azem. While he continues to work for his great plan, he recalls back to times he witnessed Azem go full out. Striking awe, terror, and admiration in his heart just as if someone had seen the sun up close. Burning, radiate, but if it was coming right at you, fucking horrifying. Now the sun has set and the work moves on, "Azem" is gone but we, the Source's Warrior of Light is still out there. We strike terror in the hearts of many, Thordan and Lolorito but are also awe inspiring to Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Estinien while being a beacon of hope, bringing a new sun rise to lands we travel through. Our smartest enemies try and work around the Sun coming RIGHT at them by either trying to delay it or constructing a plan that demands we burn them away with it. Our dumbest enemies don't know what they've gotten themselves into, just like you probably wouldn't realize the Earth is flying towards the Sun until its suddenly REAAALY BIG in the sky, and those who fuck around, FIND OUT how big of a grave they dug themselves.

Gaius thinks we're just a stronger than usual adventurer, with Pandaemonium as context, Lahabrea first sends a powerful beast after us before understanding we are at the start of our journey and believes he can work around us and kill us (he does but Hydaelyn rezzes us and we become stronger and proceed to banish him for a time), Teledji is arrogant as well as blinded by greed and power that he is lucky that Raubahn bisected him, Lolorito understands the danger we pose and is smart enough to work with us and around us,

Thordan actively sends us off to distract us with various chores before he makes his move and then spends the rest of the narrative actively fleeing from us until he has the power of what he believes is a God and then is indifferent only to be defeat by us and horrified by our power, Nidhogg believes he too is too powerful to contend with and so consumed by vengeance doesn't realize the danger of fighting with us after we've been empowered by Hraevelgr's eye, Ilberd actively works around us, planning fifty steps ahead to achieve victory through his own failure, even fighting us to buy enough time to kill enough souls to summon Shinryu.

Zenos is also a force of nature, a storm of blood who initially has the power to drown the sun but we eventually over power him, Asahi also has to put us in a diplomatic head lock and is REALLY lucky Yotsuyu turned him into a kebab.

Vauthry is like Teledji, blindied by his power and majesty to not see the power headed his way until he too is defeated. Emet-Selch knows how dangerous we can be and plans around it in a way. But even then he just accepts that this is the end, setting up a fail safe for Elidibus to pass on quietly too. Elidibus is focused on his mission and doesn't recognize us and is convinced he can become the "Sun" and goes against us over and over until he's sealed away.

Fandaniel also just plans around us, knowing we'll literally burn through all his plans. So he makes us burning through things PART of his plan. And delays us as long as possible before letting us kill Zodiark and unleash the Final Days. Meteion is also a force of nature of Absolute Despair. So fighting her alone is literally a battle between trascendent light of hope and bottomless darkness of despair. And at the end, Zenos's Nihilism vs our Hope leaves us on the verge of collapse but that was AFTER a long battle with Meteion.

So yeah, I like to imagine the song is about Emet-Selch reminscing about the terror and glory that followed in Azem's wake, the memories of their being and their eventually "setting" and how the world continues to move on or worships WoL in the same manner, "she would not go down tonight, and the world counts aloud to ten".

[aquadestinyswriting]

How It Ends

Summary: Meredith can finally start to think about what happened right before the final battle against Ionah once the mother-in-law from the hells is Banished to the Pit.

Words: 705

Warnings: off-screen character death, grief, trauma.

Tags: @flashfictionfridayofficial, @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes , @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @writeblrsupport, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @blind-the-winds, @philosophika

Note: this is another one based on events that happened during a d&d campaign session and is a dramatised version of what happened.

It was finally over. Ionah had finally been Banished to the deepest level of the Pit that I could manage to get her to and she wasn’t coming back. At least not for as long as I lived at any rate. 

My heart squeezes painfully as Elowyn looks over to me,

“That… thing she did with the symbol. What was that?” She asks quietly. I take in a shuddering breath, not wanting to acknowledge what that velskvinne had done as my already shattered heart broke further. I hate the way my voice cracks when I finally reply,

“That was – That was a connection to – to him.” I reply softly, not daring to look up at the literally angelic features of the woman kneeling next to me. I flinch a little as Elowyn’s Polymorphed form shuffles closer,

“And is he alive?” She pressed. As much as I know I can be vulnerable in front of her, I can’t bring myself to break. Not entirely. It’s probably because she’s so tall at the moment. The form isn’t right for the voice that comes with it. I close my eyes and shake my head. 

“I don’t – I don’t know.” I reply, my voice cracking some more as the reality of what happened at the beginning of the fight finally hits. I know I’m trying to deny it, hoping that somehow not seeing Yoruk die in front of me means he might still be alive somehow. The walls I was trying to hastily build up around my heart crumble as Elowyn reaches out and pulls me into a tight hug. I collapse into the warmth radiating from this angelic form, holding onto it as tightly as I can manage as my world finally shatters.

“You know that I would go back and beat her in the Pit a second time if it would bring him back.” Elowyn murmurs. The feathers of her borrowed wings tickle at my nose, but I pay it no mind as I try, and fail, to compose myself. It didn’t matter now that Ionah was gone. She’d got what she wanted. Yoruk was gone. Forever. His soul was obliterated, and not even a True Resurrection was bringing him back. We’d been married all of four months and now I was a widow.

I suddenly feel a smaller hand, brimming with arcane power, gently land on my shoulder. I jerk my head up and look over said shoulder, only to come face to face with a smiling Felix. The symbol on the back of his hand flares from blue-purple to white as he speaks,

“I Wish for all things to be well with you and all those you love.” he says, voice quiet and calm. His smile widens as a pulse of arcane magic washes over the three of us and out across the shoreline of Celestia. My breath catches in my throat as I feel the magical weave react to the gnome's desire. A Greater Wish. A spell so powerful it could reshape the very fabric of reality. And Felix was using this power to…

I immediately let go of Elowyn and grab Felix into the tightest hug I can manage, sobbing and hiccoughing into his shoulder,

“Thank you.” I finally choke out, relaxing my grip a little so my gnomosh friend could breathe. I feel Felix shake his head and pat me on the back,

“Well I know what it means to have a true love.” he murmurs, “And I know that you’d do the same for me if you could.” he adds softly. Of course. Had our situations been reversed, I would have done everything in my power to bring Dwena back for him and Felix is exactly the kind of person to put the needs of his friends above his own. I give Felix another squeeze and let him go, wiping my eyes on the sleeves of my vestments. Now that things have been set right, I can return to the Material Plane with my head held high. Well, there was one last awkward conversation to have to finally end this chapter of my journey, but first I’ll need to have words with Snotgrut about dropping the Polymorph he put on Elowyn…