#there’s already hijinks that have occurred

[the-woomyverse]

Curse of Strahd-tendo (aka, the best campaign I’ll probably ever run)

So, I’ve been wanting to run a Curse of Strahd game for years. I also have a love for anything Nintendo. Some people might say those things should never cross.

I am not one of those people.

I am in the process of running the game right now, with the following party members:

Rabbid Mario (Mario+Rabbids series, Barbarian)

Link (Legend of Zelda series, Paladin)

Magolor (Kirby series, Wizard who is going to eventually multi class into Warlock)

Croagunk (Brock’s one from the Pokémon Anime, Monk)

Needless to say, I will be chronicling their adventures (and eventual war crimes) in Barovia under the tag #strahd-tendo.

The Bad Decisions Gang is currently in Death House. Here’s hoping they all survive.

[2af-afterdark]

Who does Solomon/MC actually have pacts with?

Original posting date: June 1, 2024

I just realized something. Excuse my lack of screenshots in places but... I am not in the mood to go searching for everything at the moment. You're just going to have to trust me in some places.

Based on the order of events being established in the events, it's getting really questionable which devils Solomon made pacts with (and therefore which ones MC has to break and reforge).

Facts we know/Timeline:

Solomon met Satan and hijinks ensued.

While in Hell, Solomon made pacts with the noble devils and kings. He also become friends with God.

God played favorites and gave Solomon (and his descendants by proxy) the right to touch or have anything.

Solomon disappeared at some point, leaving all of his pacts in tact and limiting the devils' powers.

God disappeared shortly after Solomon did

Lilith also disappeared around this time, meaning no devils could have been born since.

The (at the time) 5 kings of Hell got sucked into another space, seemingly leaving much of Hell defenseless. At this time, this event has not been fully explained and where it fits on the timeline is unknown other than is occurred before Lucifer's fall.

After God disappeared, Lucifer ripped out his own wings and fell to Hell where he met the dragon Gamigin.

Two Hell years after Lucifer ripped out his wings, he would officially fall and become a devil, taking his place as king of Paradise Lost.

Some nebulous amount of time after that, Belphegor wakes up in Niflheim and starts his campaign to become king.

Three years and one terrifying, world-destroying transformation later, Belphegor is officially the king of Niflheim.

Some time after that, MC is targeted by Gabriel and is saved by Satan. Thus begins their journey through Hell.

Given that timeline, there are some devils with questionable pacts status. I have broken this list into four sections: those whose pacts have been confirmed either through MC reforging them or the in-game dialogue referencing them, those who have not been confirmed by the game but most likely have a pact due to knowing Solomon when he was in Hell, those who (due to the timeline or other reasons) may or may not have made a pact with Solomon, and those who literally cannot have made a pact with Solomon.

Confirmed: Satan, Sitri, Leraye, Paimon, Zagan, Belial, Mammon, Bimet, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Marbas

Likely: Astaroth, Eligos, Valephor, Barbatos, Foras, Glassyalabolas, Orias, Asmodeus, Phenix, Dantalian, Ronove, Morax, Buer, Bael, Amon, Naberius, Gusion, Bathin, Andrealphus,

Questionable: Gamigin, Belphegor, Beleth, Vassago, Agares

Impossible: Lucifer

I will now explain the Questionable and Impossible status characters.

Lucifer cannot have a pact with Solomon given the current timeline because he did not fall until after Solomon was already missing and didn't officially become a devil until 2 years after his fall. This means he and Solomon, though they could have possibly met when Lucifer was still an angel, could not have formed a pact. Unless Solomon formed a pact with an angel somehow?

Gamigin has a questionable pact status because the Gamigin we know is a technically a dragon, but he inherited everything from the devil Gamigin. If the devil Gamigin had a pact with Solomon, the dragon Gamigin may have inherited that too.

Belphegor was technically around when Solomon was, but he was asleep for a very long time. We know that Belphegor is acquaintances with Satan, but we do not know when this happened (either in the three years he was awake to establish Niflheim or before that). It is unclear if Belphegor and Solomon met. EDIT (7/19/24): Belphegor (Selfie) confirms that Belphegor and Solomon have indeed met.

Beleth is, like Lucifer, a fallen angel. However, we do not know when he fell. He may or may not have met Solomon when he was already a devil depending on when he fell. Even if he was a devil already, he may not have formed a pact for reasons that will be refrenced in the next section.

Vassago and Agares are technically members of the 72 but the place they live was not a kingdom at the time Solomon was in Hell. If Solomon was able to journey to the trash kingdom and form pacts with the devils that lived there at the time is unclear. If Vassago and Agares would have even formed a pact is also questionable given they seem to have a lot of resentment for those who have power but were not there to protect their home during this unknown calamity. If this even happened before, during, or after Solomon vanished, we do not know.

Realistically, this is just me trying to think through how the timeline works and who MC even needs to reforge pacts with since I noticed some weird events on the timeline.

So, uhhhhh, yeah.... If I missed something or you have information that moves a character from one group to another, just let me know.

[thomasbeyond]

Thomas: Beyond! Lost Test Archive (2022)

So, I might as well share this. Back in 2022, I wrote a script for a hypothetical first issue of Thomas Beyond, and illustrated a couple of pages to get a feel for the art style I wanted. Sketches were done in Toon Boon Harmony and Inked/colored in Photoshop. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very satisfied with what I had made, and decided to rework the script and delete the pages I had already done. Looking back I really regret doing that, but I have a couple of archived screenshots (albeit VERY cropped) that I sent to some friends for their advice.

The Issue was titled “Mystery of the Mail”.

One night, Percy is tasked with his usual run with the mail train, retrieving Sodor’s outward-going mail for an express post train bound for the mainland. However, after dropping his mail vans off in their designated siding at the big station, he is shocked to find out they had vanished in the middle of the night, and the train had to depart the Island of Sodor without collecting them. While most initially assume it was yet another instance of Percy’s clumsiness, tensions grow even higher after Sir Topham Hatt reveals one of the mail vans contained a special delivery of stock meant for a bank. With the police beginning to thoroughly investigate the North Western Railway, and all of staff questioned, it becomes evident to all that the NWR fell victim to a train robbery. Percy is shunned by most of the other engines for being so careless, with some even suspecting he and his crew were somehow involved in the heist despite pleading their innocence. Percy is utterly distraught, and becomes a disgrace. Not one for wanting to see his best friend’s reputation sink further down, Thomas (with the help of his driver, Bob) vows to solve the mystery of the mail and clear Percy’s name.

Thomas and Bob’s mishaps and hijinks in detective work end up distracting them from their usual jobs on Thomas’ branch line. Sir Topham Hatt reprimands Thomas for his immaturity, and Bob for knowing better than to give into Thomas’ shenanigans. The next day, the two are tasked with assisting the Sodor Ironworks in dumping their molten slag (this is where the conversation in the first image occurs). During their stay there, Thomas and Bob discover that the Ironworks orchestrated the heist, having sent Iron Bert out to retrieve the cars. Bert’s crew stuck off the main line as much as possible to avoid drawing any attention from the signal boxes. Upon retrieving the vans, Bert flew the express headlamps to disguise himself as the post train in the dark. Edward comes forward and swears he heard 2 trains pass by his yard at night, adding an extra layer of truth to the story. The police grow suspicious and obtain a warrant to search the Ironworks’ premises. Sure enough, tucked away in a shed, the vans are recovered, with several crowbars pathetically still pried upon the completely-locked doors.

Percy’s name is finally cleared-up, and he is welcomed back by everyone. As for the Ironworks? Well, the manager was VERY conveniently not present the day the mail vans were found… or the day after… and the next one after that. Many suspect that he ether successfully fled the country, or those whom he had “connections” with caught-on that his mission had failed, and were the ones to “hold him accountable” rather than the law. Just one more layer to this mystery that may NEVER be solved.

I have issues with this plot. Everyone is so quick to dogpile on Percy, including Sir Topham Hatt. Also, while I do remember that Bob does butt-heads with Thomas a lot of the time in small dialogue bits, I feel like he DOES give into Thomas’ whole detective bit wayyy too easily. I characterize him as being a lot more level-headed and dry in order to bounce off of Thomas’ impulsivity and eccentricity. Also, bleh. Of COURSE the Ironworks are the bad guys! Who could’ve guessed that it WASN'T them after the moment they became apart of this? Also, I pulled the whole “The Ironworks may or may not have ties to the criminal underworld” way too early. I like that idea, it’s funny and provides a genuinely good force for our heroes to combat against, but idk. It came and went wayyy too quickly. I’m much prouder of the narrative I have going on now for Sudric Storm, I feel it’s a better introduction to the Thomas series in the form of a comic, and provides a much more enriching story for these characters to play around in.

Welp, that was a blast from the past. Hope you enjoyed! (Also, 14 hours? Thomas… that’s… literally nothing. That’s a pretty average amount of time for being awake on a given day, what??? Amateur.)

[llamagoddessofficial]

I'm so in love with the reversed Zoo Siren AU 😍. So Sans is the researcher, Red the trainer and Skull the chef slash vet. Obviously they're all trying to be their lady siren's favourite, but it's not as though they can force out the other two as they all fulfill very different roles. So what sort of jealously driven hijinks occur?

Sans: Sans gets jealous that the other two are regular workers at the aquarium, and get such consistent interaction with the beautiful siren he adores so much. He's an 'outsider'. He kicks up the degree of his research in order to spend more time with her- sometimes, his research hours coincide with other events, like her feeding or training. It usually ends in not-so-subtle competitions between the skeletons as to who she'll respond to best.

... He and the other boys have a... testy relationship. Red doesn't like that Sans' interest isn't waning as time goes on, he doesn't like that Mc reciprocates his interest rather than attacking him like she does everyone else. And Skull doesn't like anyone near his mermaid. Sans doesn't care, though... one bonus of not being part of the aquarium crew is he's exempt from their rules.

Red: Red has a bit of jealousy toward Skull considering Skull and Mc's special, highly trusting relationship. But generally, Red isn't too jealous- after all, he probably spends the most time with her out of anyone, and there's things he can get away with with her that would require stitches for anyone else. He soothes his jealousy by being in her tank with her and seeing the trust in her eyes.

... He's mostly just possessive of the connection they do already have. He doesn't want anyone stealing her. He has absolutely sabotaged other workers at the aquarium, anyone trying to get into siren care that seems to be getting too good will find their career mysteriously handicapped. He's preventing them from becoming tank divers... preventing them from working closely with her.

Skull: He's her food guy. She'll never love anyone like she loves her food guy.

... She's his little pearl. His pretty mermaid. If he had it his way, he'd take her home with him, then nobody else can have her. But alas, he doesn't have it his way.

He doesn't like Red touching her. He doesn't like Sans staring at her. He doesn't like when she smiles for other people.

... But it doesn't matter. He's her food guy.

So long as he's her food guy, it's all okay.

[astrologysaysno]

Saw svsss as Idols and I decided to come back to the scene for even more Idol Trainee Shang Qinghua in the middle of the night only semi-coherent.

The context: 1, 2, 3, 4

So like, I already pitched to all of you the idea of Shang Qinghua being a former Idol Trainee, but let me be extremely self-indulgent and ask how do we feel about him making his own Idol Group in the PIDW world?

Shang Qinghua never got to debut as an idol, so why not be one in this life. Sure the concept doesn't exist in the way it is for him but how hard can that be?

(To no one's surprise, it's an absolute pain to recreate)

Balancing being head of An Ding AND being Mobei-jun's spy on top of trying to form and train a modern idol group essentially guarantees him that sleep will be nonexistent, but he's had worse things occur in life, he has written chapters at breakneck speeds to pay rent.

In terms of music, there's a struggle vocally speaking. Western sensibilities and pop vocal styles are quite different from ancient Chinese singing. Power belting is a rare phenomena outside specific settings and Shang Qinghua now has to train vocal harmonies. Compound this with the fact that he has to teach them multiple extra languages since it's hard to carry the same energy over translations and it's an absolute train wreck.

Choreography wise, it's hard to teach dance moves without having his peers blush at him from the steps. This is intersecting with the fact that most of these dance styles are new. Hip-hop doesn't begin until a couple of millenias later, and Jazz hasn't been invented by the people of Louisiana since it doesn't exist yet, so his students are going in blind.

If we rope SQQ-J here, we could have him get an aneurysm as he watches Shang Qinghua flub at teaching trainees and having to be a live translator so that they have a clue on what they're saying.

SQH: "I need you to give me more 'aaa' and less 'eee'"

Trainee: *Absolutely Confused* ????

SQQ: Exasperated, "He's telling you to make your vowels sound more like an 'a' sound and make it more open."

SQH teaching the lyrics: Okay, I need you to sing this next part. *Sings rapidly in English*

SQQ: Shidi I need you to understand that I don't know what you're saying

SQH: It doesn’t matter what it means, just say the line.

SQH: showing the choreo: Then you do this. *Drops to the floor in a kick move and slides his hand up his body, showing some skin as his shirt rides up*

LGQ: *Short circuiting and blushing red after watching SQH demonstrate the choreo.* "SHAMELESS! ABSOLUTELY SHAMELESS!" *Flees*

SQQ: *Smacks SQH with his fan*

MBJ: *Hides in the corner as he watches SQH dance with only a sleeveless shirt and small shorts in somewhere private* My hamster is very talented, and very handsome

__________________________________

This is the part of this dumpsterfire word vomit I have cooked up in the middle of the night where I contemplate groups I could have Shan Qingqua's Idol Group do music from.

It all depends on the size of the group really. Plus, my vision has SQH and SQQ working together for extra wachy hijinks. So these are gonna be my inspirations mostly for each group.

Plus Plus, this list isn't for all combinations, just combinations I would probably do.

Cutting it off to just the Peak Lords, I made these.

Two Member Group:

SQH &:

SQQ - Irene and Seulgi

LQG - DubChaeng

YQY - AKMU

Three Member Group:

SQH, SQQ, LQG - Odd Eye Circle and MISAMO

SQH, SQQ, YQY - FLO

Four Member Group:

SQH, SQQ, YQY, LQG - aespa and kiof

Five Member Group:

SQH, SQQ, YQY, LQG, MQF - Red Velvet, Loossemble, and ARTMS

SQH, SQQ, YQY, LQG, WQW - ITZY, (G)-Idle, and Le Serrafim

Six Member Groups:

SQH, SQQ, YQY, LQG, MQF, WQW -

NMIXX

IVE

STAYC

Everglow

So uh, yeah. These are the K-pop groups I'm working with. As you can see, I mostly just listen to girl groups, I don't really listen to boygroups, which may be to my detriment, since they are all men.

[kusuokisser]

terusai go apple picking but of course hijinks occur

kokomi has a basket filled with literally the most perfect apples you could ever find but then she fucking. trips. and like other people offer her their apples (because she is the perfect pretty girl) and shes like "nono its okay, i can find more!" and kusuo has already made his way to the other end of the orchard. in his mind if he were seen with a better basket of apples than her the entire population of japan would be out to kill him or something so hes looking for the shittiest and least desired apples he can find. just ends up giving kokomi his average basket so he doesnt have to eat gross wrinkled apples for the rest of time.

kokomi buys kusuo apple cider and donuts from the place and suddenly she is invited to every future apple picking adventure! yeah sure kokomi you can come any time (dont forget your wallet dont forget your wallet dont forget your wallet dont forget your wallet dont forget your wallet dont forget your wallet) <- kusuos subliminal messaging

[ofstarsandflames]

Hello all! Congratulations to all participating in RobStar week, both creator and audience!

Also, remember yesterday when I said I'd participate in every prompt this week? Guess which idiot decided to get covid!

This gal!

Luckily, it's not too bad! I have my Vaccines and was told I'd get better in a few days. Unluckily, I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

Thankfully, I already have drafts written up for this week! Unfortunately, a couple of them were unfinished and so I had to complete them in a hurry to meet the schedule.

This is one of two fics that were incomplete. If it is not up to par, I sincerely apologize!

Anyway, I decided to go for a more angst-y approach to today's prompt, heh-heh. Some of the content below may differ from what we are familiar with in the show, but fret not! I will expand on my ideas more once RobStar week is concluded!

With that, please go right ahead and jump right in! I hope you enjoy!

RobStar Week 2024, Day 2

Power Swap

Robin might have to kill Cyborg once he got a hold of him. 

While a majority of the cybernetic teen’s inventions had delivered positive results, there were often some that proved more difficult than what they were worth. 

The ‘Ability Monitor’ and ‘Flash Teleporter’ proved to be the latter. 

A series of hijinks occurred, resulting in both Robin and Starfire getting caught together by both inventions. 

And now here he and Starfire were, powers and clothing swapped with the other’s with broken communicators (and by definition GPS’s), as they tried to navigate the endless labyrinth that was Jump City’s National Park. 

They must have been out there for hours, seeing as the sky went from beautiful day to stark night. 

It did help that he was able to fly over the trees, gaining a better view of their endless landscape. Unfortunately, having trouble staying afloat mixed with being unable to find a definitive landmark certainly made things more difficult than they needed to be. 

Yeah, it was no longer a maybe. He was DEFINITELY going to kill Cyborg once they made their way back to the tower. 

“Everything okay?” Star asked from below. 

Robin lowered himself from the air, hoping the action looked natural despite his trouble doing so. 

“Everything’s great!” Robin landed next to her, internally cringed at how overly-peppy his voice sounded. “Perfect, even! Why, I’d go so far to say I've finally perfected your powers!” 

Suddenly, as if fate itself decided to call out his bluff, Robin’s left hand glowed an intense bright blue. That hand, leaning against a nearby tree, caused the poor timber to instantly light up in blue flames. 

“...” 

“...” 

Nothing, at least for the first couple of seconds.

“Huh, look at that.” Starfire said in a strangely calm tone. 

“AHHHH!” Her partner was the opposite, his features displaying pure panic. “WE HAVE TO PUT IT OUT!” 

Robin ran around in a panic. He needed to find something that could keep the fire from spreading throughout the forest! 

What to do, what to do, what to d- 

HISSSSSSSSSSSSS

A loud hissing sound pulled him back to the present. The poor tree was now covered with a white foam, the last of the blue flames flickering out of existence. 

There stood Starfire, a mini fire extinguisher in her hands. 

Ah, right. One of the many useful tools stashed inside that signature utility belt. 

“Oh, uh…” Robin let out a light cough, cheeks warming up in embarrassment. “Nice work.” 

Starfire’s mouth curved into a small smile, her eyes obviously filled with mirth despite being covered by one of the Boy Wonder’s signature masks.

“Well!” Star said in an impressed voice, putting the fire extinguisher back in ‘her’ belt. “Looks like you weren’t lying about perfecting my powers.” 

Though his eyes were also masked, Starfire knew he was throwing her an embarrassed glare. 

“Not funny.” 

Though his hand no longer glowed blue, Robin still shook his hand in an attempt to “chase away” any lingering Starbolts. Star giggled at the sight (resulting in another glare) before she continued leading the way to their intended destination. 

“Oh, do not be so hard on yourself.” The now human girl called out to him. “I know firsthand how difficult my powers can be to manage. You are actually doing quite well, despite what you may think.” 

Even though he knew she was just trying to cheer him up, it wasn’t like Starfire was necessarily lying. 

Robin remembered the Titans’ first month as a team, having to learn about each other and how to work together in-tune with their abilities. Starfire in particular had more than a few moments where her powers flared up out of nowhere, most likely a response to how she was feeling according to her. 

On the bright side, thanks to her they managed to find better ways to fire-proof the whole tower. 

Her powers, being somewhat fire-based, often had the unavoidable side effect of rising heat.

Rising heat… 

Robin blinked in confusion. It was the middle of August and a relatively cold night, why was he so hot all of a sudden? 

And why did his stomach start hurting out of nowhere?

Intense… 

Suddenly, Robin felt his throat closing up. He tried to take a deep breath but found himself unable to. If anything, his breaths were coming out in short, heavy pants. 

Burning… 

“Robin?” 

Starfire turned, uneasy at how quiet the other suddenly was. 

She gasped at the sight before her. Robin was doubled over, one hand clawing at his throat while the other clutched his head. 

“ROBIN!” 

Starfire immediately ran to his side. She tried to place a hand on his back in an effort to calm him, maybe help him up to examine his condition. However, and much to her shock, the second she made contact with his skin she had to pull away. 

He was hot. Burning hot. So much hotter than was supposed to be physically possible. 

Starfire’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

‘Why…’ 

She shook her head, utter distraught and confusion filling her head. 

‘Why is this happening to him as well!?’

A loud, strained gasp filled her ears and brought her out of her stupor. Robin was now kneeling, purple and silver clothing sticking to his skin as he continued to burn from the inside. 

‘No!’ Starfire internally yelled to herself. ‘This is no time to panic!’ 

She may not have known why this was happening to him, but she did know how to relieve it. 

Starfire placed herself in front of Robin, kneeling to meet his level. She held his face in her hands, ignoring the intense pain as his skin burned her hands. 

“Robin, listen to me!” Starfire commanded in a voice fit for a leader. “You need to manifest some Starbolts. Right now.”

Robin was more than confused. Why did he feel like his insides were on fire? Why was Starfire commanding him to produce a pair of Starbolts? Why was she so calm? 

But regardless, what else could he do except listen? 

He closed his eyes, trying hard not to think about the pain enveloping his whole body. His mind worked to recall as many rage-inducing thoughts he could muster. 

‘Nothing but a sidekick.’

A different, more controlled heat began forming in Robin’s palms.

‘My last night in Gotham City.’

A small blue flame, bursting with energy, slowly manifested in each of his hands. 

‘Slade.’

That did the trick. 

A fully formed blue Starbolt, bursting with immense power, appeared in each hand. 

“Nicely done!” Starfire’s voice was filled with relief. “Now, keep them in place for as long as you must. In just a moment, you will feel the burning sensation fade.”

Robin’s eyes widened, his masked eyes displaying a fair amount of uncertainty. 

“Star, what-” 

“Please Robin!” Starfire pleaded, never once releasing him from her hold. “Trust me!” 

Robin trusted her. Though he was still unsure of the situation, that much he knew to be true. 

Suddenly, Robin felt a wave of cool relief washing over him. The intense burning sensation slowly went down, his insides going from a painful boil to a subtle simmer. 

They were both still for a moment. Not a sound could be heard, other than Robin’s labored breathing. 

His breathing followed that pattern. His breaths went from difficult, painful huffs to the simple, mindless action it had always been before that moment. 

Almost as quickly as it began, Robin was back to his not-so-normal current self. 

“Thank goodness!” Starfire let out a sigh of relief as she helped the other to his feet. “I was so worried it would not work!” 

Robin watched the Starbolts in his hand slowly fade away, trying his best to process what just transpired. 

“Star?” Robin asked, his eyes never leaving the flame in his palm. 

Starfire’s body froze. His voice, it’s tone… why did it suddenly hold so much weight? 

“Y-yes, Robin?” 

The dancing blue flame, once brighter than the moon shining in the black sky above, flickered when the hand it stood on closed. 

Even if it was dark, Starfire could not miss the heavy stare directed her way. 

“guys…” 

Ears perked up, Starfire quickly snapped her head in the direction of where the sound came from. 

“robin…”

“starfire…”

The others! They must have been locating them with Cyborg’s heat sensing technology! 

Starfire was relieved, thankful for their perfect timing. 

“R-Robin.” Star pointed up ahead. “Did you hear that? The others, they must be nearby!” 

Grabbing his hand, Starfire tried to listen for the direction of where the voices were coming from. 

“They must be over th-”

She tried to walk to where the voices were, but was halted in the process. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Robin planted firmly in place.

“Robin?”

Another tug of his hand. Like before, he wouldn’t budge. 

“Why are you…?” Starfire tried pulling him with her, but without her super strength it was no use. “What are you doing? We have to go find the others-” 

 “What was that, Starfire.” 

Starfire stopped pulling. Her eyes widened behind the mask. 

“Wh-what do you me-” 

“You know what I’m talking about.” Robin was now the one to hold her hand, keeping her from running away. “What happened earlier?” 

Starfire held her breath, more nervous than she had been when she discovered her powers had been transferred to the team leader. 

She needed to be careful how she worded this, lest she makes things worse. 

“O-oh! You mean that.” Starfire giggled, attempting to diffuse the situation. “You needn’t worry about that! It simply happens whenever I go for long periods of time without releasing my Starbolts!” 

“Wait!” This revelation shocked Robin. “Are you saying you’ve felt this on multiple occasions!?” 

“Well… yes.” Starfire admitted. “I hadn’t used my Starbolts since we defended the city last week. However, I did not think my condition would pass to you.” 

“Forget about that.”

Robin grasped her shoulders, forcing each other’s masked eyes to meet. 

“How long have you dealt with this?” 

Starfire grimaced, unsure of how he would take her answer.

“Robin…” 

“How long, Starfire.” 

She considered lying for a moment. The last thing Starfire ever wanted to do was make things difficult for her friends, as it was her personal duty to aid and make things easier for them. 

Unfortunately, Robin knew her. He would know if what she said was untrue, especially since he was refusing to let this one go. 

“Since I first landed on Earth.” Star answered truthfully. “I noticed it after I first flew away from you all, and I also discovered how to relieve it soon after.” 

Robin’s eyes widened, the revelation striking him more painfully than the sensation ever felt. Seeing his reaction, Star knew she needed to resolve this problem as quickly as she could. .  

“Robin, please do not worry about me.” 

Starfire squeezed his hand in reassurance. She removed the domino mask she wore, wanting him to see the sincerity behind her words. 

“I promise you, I can handle it. It is not so bad once you are used to it, and it helps that I do not recall a life where I do not experience the feeling.” 

Robin could not believe what she was saying. 

How was he not supposed to worry, when she had just revealed that she had been experiencing that awful burning sensation since she first arrived on Earth?! 

Even if she’d had it for as long as she remembered, which was proven to be short due to the loss of her past, Starfire shouldn’t have to experience such a painful feeling on a constant basis! 

Robin wanted to say this. He knew the alien was hiding more than she let on and he wanted to know why. 

But, even if that was what he desired, it would not matter. Starfire’s eyes, while showcasing her sincerity, also displayed her resolve. 

She was not going to reveal more than she wanted. 

“Fine.” 

Robin finally released her. There was a tension in the air, so thick and heavy it needed to be hacked with a knife. 

He nodded his head to where the voices continued to shout out. 

“We shouldn’t keep them waiting. Cyborg’ll restore us back to normal once we reach the tower.” 

Starfire nodded, not wanting to risk him questioning her any further. She was not sure if she would be able to resist had he continued to be persistent. 

Star just hoped Robin would no longer look into the setbacks of her powers, for both of her sakes. Even if she did not know why, or maybe on the chance she could not remember why, she knew the answer would only lead to trouble. 

Unfortunately for her, Robin was not finished. If anything, he was just getting started.

He was going to get answers, for both their sakes.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buddie: Bad Cop vs. Good Cop Series

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

Bad Cop vs. Good Cop Parents

102K Words; Currently 10 completed works.   A multi-part fanfic series about Eddie and Buck parenting their teenage son Chris. Usually, Eddie's the bad cop parent and Buck's the good cop parent but occasionally, their roles will reverse similar to the way they did in part 1 of this series, as different situations occur.

Becoming the bad cop parent - 7.3K words; Rated General Audiences:  Or Buck gets a call from Christopher's school and for the first time he has to be the bad cop parent.

“Growing as Good Cop Parents” - 8.8K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences:  When Chris makes it home after hanging out with his friends, Buck smells and unmistakable scent and everything that happens afterwards, helps him and Eddie realize they’re growing as good cop parents.

“Bad Words and Bad Cop Parents" - 6.0K Words; Rated: Mature:  After Chris accidentally drops the “F” bomb in earshot of Eddie and Buck, they have a family meeting and hijinks ensue as they work on eliminating “bad words” from their vocabularies before they have an addition to their family.

"Grateful Good Cop Parents" - 9.0K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences:  Buck and Eddie are anxiously awaiting the birth of their daughter, Daniella Elizabeth Buckley-Diaz.

"Brokenhearted Bad Cop Parent" - 10.2K Words; Rated: Mature:  As Eddie prepares to return to work, Daniella’s reaction to his adherence of the LAFD dress code makes him feel like he’s a bad cop parent but Buck’s there to comfort both of them.

"Guys, Girls, Curls and Good Cop Parents" - 5.7K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences:  Buck, Eddie, Chris and Daniella all have thick hair but Buck’s, Chris’ and Daniella’s is curly and it tangles easily.  Since Daniella’s getting older, her hair is growing and Buck and Eddie have to find ways to not only comb and style it but they also need to find the best products to use.

"Both Being Bad Cop Parents" - 10.7K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences:  Buck and Eddie have to tell both Chris and Daniella “No” but neither child likes it.

"Guardianships and Good Cop Parents" - 14.9K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences: Another work-related accident reveals Buck’s and Eddie’s parents’ true motives regarding their relationships with their grandchildren, Chris and Liz. But how will they react when they learn legal guardianships have already been established and they don’t include them?

"Bad Parents vs. Bad Cop Parents" - 17.3K Words; Rated: Teen and Up Audiences: Buck and Eddie have confrontations with their parents again but after they’re over, they will define the difference between bad parents and bad cop parents.

"Good Cop Parent vs. Bad Cop Parent" - 11.7K Words; Rated: Tenn and Up Audiences:  Chris asks his dads to sign his permission slip for a school trip but Buck, the good cop parent, signs it while Eddie, the bad cop parent, debates whether he should be allowed to go. Is Eddie’s hesitancy about the trip warranted or is it baseless?

Parts 1-10 are available on AO3.

Part 11 will be posted soon.

[yaqamole]

Fuck it. I'm bringing back my RusAme teacher AU

So let me get into what this AU is

Ivan and Alfred both work for a chain of charter schools. Ivan teaches high school English Literature while Alfred teaches Kindergarten. Now the problem that causes them to meet is that the charter schools are a MESS.

The high schoolers were moved out of the location they were in and told they would have a new high school done and built by the time they came back in the fall. So all of the high school teachers no longer had classrooms waiting for them to get the okay to move into this new high school in the fall.

However, they did not in fact end up finishing the school by the time fall came around. But they had already moved all the teachers out so they couldn't go back to their classrooms in the original building. This leaves them sharing classrooms in another building with the elementary and middle school children.

Their "classrooms" are separated by curtains and thin walls but they are very much sharing classrooms with the lower grades until the school is finished being built (which they don't have an estimated time for)

Alfred and Ivan immediately butt heads because it is incredibly hard to share a classroom with that big of an age difference. But they have no choice so they have to suck it up for the job.

Of course, they start bonding as time goes on and many hijinks occur. From them, the other teachers, the students. They are never at peace.

But they are gay and fall for each other during this chaotic ass school year.

Also this AU is based on what actually happened to me in high school

[egginfroggin]

To the Anon who sent me an ask requesting more little Emmet content: I am so sorry, I started to answer and then Tumblr ate it when I tried to save it to my drafts.

That being said, here is the requested content:

After Emmet gets shrunk from Rift energy, Arceus quickly sees the issue with this situation and tampers with its mark on him -- rather than a subtle mark that designates their connection, visible only to the Nobles and Legendaries, Arceus adjusts it so that most pokemon are able to see that Emmet is Arceus's Chosen, and will leave him alone accordingly. This doesn't always work, but it helps make sure that the Staravias don't try to peck his eyes out, at least. Its effect is flaky when it comes to Paras.

As a continuation of the above point, this makes it slightly worse in some cases, as the frenzied Nobles can see his designation plain as day. Due to Giratina's wrath being the source of their frenzy, this makes them pursue him with single-minded intent. Additionally, some alphas choose to ignore Emmet's mark and all it entails.

Typhlosion mothers Emmet already, but she truly leans into her broodiness in this variant. Do Not Touch. Emotional support fire weasel will bite.

Akari and Rei are well aware of the fact that Emmet is possibly not supposed to look like this, but they frequently forget about this during the process of Sibling Adoption.

The Ride Pokemon (which are considered Nobles in most, if not all, of my works) are very, very protective of this little bean chosen by Arceus. He is tiny! He must be protected!

Jubilife generally treats Emmet more warmly than they do in the original fic. Most people don't know about the theory that Emmet is, in fact, a grown adult who somehow got shrunk. Those who do know about that theory nevertheless treat him more gently because he is still physically, and to some extent mentally, still a child in a very unfortunate situation.

This does not stop a sort of banishment from occurring during the red sky, but rather than chucking the boy out on his ear, Kamado outright orders Akari and Rei to go with him.

(They would go anyway; even if they were to be ostracized, by this point Emmet is their tiny brother, and they would be willing to deal with it)

Palina is not happy with the fact that the Galaxy Team is okay with this tiny child running around fixing problems.

Emmet and Vessa get along great, frankly, once they get past Vessa staring him dead in the eyes and telling him that he is a mess and his soul is blinding and wrong. After that, hijinks ensue.

Emmet is not above using his cute little face and big, shiny eyes to manipulate Akari and Rei into giving him sweets.

Akari and Rei hate distortions with a passion because they're dangerous, but also because whenever they show up, Emmet just up and freaking runs into them and then they have to go drag him back. It's exhausting.

Emmet is very good at escaping whatever measures are instated to keep him contained.

Due to Emmet's tininess, things like stun spore and sleep powder affect him more severely. He will catch a whiff of sleep powder, sneeze, and get verrrry sleepy verrrrry fast.

Akari and Rei learn sign language very fast because it is the only way to tell what the heck Emmet is saying without writing utensils, and in the field, writeable dirt is not common, nor is sand, and they don't usually carry around much spare paper.

On the plus side, Emmet can get tuckered out pretty quickly due to the aforementioned tininess, and he's not very good and pushing on after that point.

On the down side, Emmet can get tuckered out pretty quickly due to the aforementioned tininess, and he's not very good at pushing on after that point.

So, that's all for the moment! I hope this answered your question if you're seeing this, Anon, and that you have a good day. ^^

[naluwalker]

Once again he has poisoned me with ideas

Brother, why are you so mean to me? If you know that I don't really have much desire to write, especially not with this fandom.

So, Naruto x Genshin Impact AU, including Zhongli Jiejie x Boy Taru ZhongChi.

So after the whole Tsarista VS Celestia mess and the traveler and they sibling taking off outside of Teyvat, Tartaglia has achieved godhood out of sheer spite and is enjoying an incredible married life with Zhongli (male at this point), where despite having retired from Fatui himself, he dates, travels and fights to his heart's content.

One day he comes up with the wonderful idea of leaving Teyvat in a similar way to the Traveler and going on a second honeymoon with his husband somewhere in the multiverse, and after much effort, he has convinced his husband that his idea is incredible and they should do it.

Many hijinks later, they end up in Naruto's world. Zhongli (at that time Zhongli-jiejie, because I consider him gender fluid) and Tartaglia, or rather Ajax, land in Uzushiogakure where they are received as a kind of divine envoy and stay there for a few decades, and then say goodbye to travel further afield from the Shinobi Continent.

For this reason, unfortunately they cannot help during the fall of the village and the news reaches them almost half a year after the event, that's how far away they were.

Anyway, they both continue traveling until they finally stay in the Snow Country for a while due to Ajax's nostalgia for Snezhnaya. There they meet Minato who is on a diplomatic mission as Hokage and mistakes Ajax for an Uzumaki and extends an invitation to Konoha. Zhongli and Ajax decide to think about it.

Unfortunately while Zhongli and Ajax are traveling to Konoha, the Kyūbi occurs. By the time they arrive, two weeks have passed, Minato and his wife are dead, and the village is in very bad condition. While investigating what happened, Ajax learns everything and also about Naruto's existence and what the villagers think of him. He gets pretty pissed off, because he lived for decades with the Uzumaki and learned the difference between container and content, so he again convinces his spouse that infiltrating the village and taking care of the child of the deceased Hokage and his wife is an incredible idea.

Zhongli, Prime of Adepti, decides to follow his mischievous spouse and begins to modify some memories and falsify papers so that their move took place a little before the Kyūbi and they were already there during the event.

They pose as a somewhat eccentric marriage of a half-Uzumaki and a woman from outside the continent, Zhongli again begins to work in a funeral home as a consultant and Ajax throws himself into the life of a merchant and mercenary.

Anyway, knowing that they couldn't approach Naruto in plain sight due to the Hokage's ban, Zhongli begins to approach Naruto when the orphanage's nannies and the ANBU neglect him (which is often) and he dedicates himself to taking care of him.

Feeding, diaper cleaning, sleep and "maternal" care, Zhongli takes care of everything. Naruto, despite the orphanage's nannies, is a cheerful and well-cared for child. You are not neglected or malnourished and your room is starting to look incredibly stylish. Rumors of a ghost begin, especially when the boy starts saying "Mommy" into the air.

All thanks to Zhongli making everyone "forget" about his existence, even when he is next to a shinobi, to the point that he is invisible to everyone around him. Ajax laughs his butt off on the other side of the village when the Hokage himself visits to see the ghost and ends up mistaking it for Kushina.

By the time Naruto is five years old, and the Hokage gives him his own apartment, he begins to spend less time in it unless it is his allowance day. The rest of the time he spends with Zhongli and Ajax, whom he sees as his parents despite knowing that they are not. The Hokage is unaware of this until years later when Kakashi informs him of this when he accidentally sees it.

The rest of the time it's married shenanigans as they take care of a child and prepare him to be a powerhouse while gleefully mocking the Hokage and his shinobi.

Anyway, the plot of Naruto being cared for by different characters from other worlds is something that has been seen and read in hundreds of other fanfics, but I have never seen one from Genshin, so here we are.

I've been obsessed with Zhongli-jiejie turning off the lights on BoyTaru for a couple of weeks, so we're implementing it here. So in fact, yes it is a ZhongChi, no, I don't want to change it Jedny, don't make me repeat it.

PS: Does anyone want to adopt this? I really don't feel like writing

[snowdice]

So, I know that Logan’s parents are gone already in SLF, but would they have been around at least for a little bit in the Shadow Crawler AU? Because I can see some pretty hilarious hijinks occurring with them. I can just imagine their confusion when their son who is

a)very gay

b) in his 40s

and c) Logan

Somehow accidentally acquired a baby.

They would have still been alive! They would probably have been the same level of surprised that they were when he brought home a romantic/sexual partner. They were very aware he was ace (and assumed aro, but Logan doesn't actually identify with that). They did not anticipate the demi part of that ace. XD

Of course, when he (very badly) explains that it was an accidental baby acquisition, that'd track.

[video-game-kids-tournament]

MEET YOUR CONTESTANTS!

TWDG spoilers under the cut! Along with a TW for murder and child endangerment!

Name: Clementine

Age: “8-9 (season 1) - 11 (season 2) - 13 (season 3) - 16 (season 4)”

Gender + Pronouns + Sexuality: “female - she/her - bisexual”

Video Game: The Walking Dead - A Telltale Game Series

Backstory: “When Clementine was 8, she was staying home with a babysitter, while her parents traveled to another town. Then the zombie apocalypse happened. The babysitter was turned, and she hid in her treehouse to stay safe. Then Lee, a former teacher convicted for murder, found her while running away from zombies. He ended up taking care of Clem while trying to survive, and promised her they would look for her parents. He would soon become a father figure for her, having to make tough choices to protect her. ===== HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 1-2 BELOW ===== Clem had her innocence sacrificed in order to survive in the zombie apocalypse (the kind where the zombies are far from the worst thing around). She had to see Lee kill zombies and sometimes other survivors to keep both of them safe. A young boy who was part of their survivor group was bitten and had to be shot by his father (or Lee, depending on player's choices). She was captured by a guy who lost his own family and wanted revenge on Lee while trying to impose himself as a better caregiver for Clem. She eventually found both her parents - already walking corpses. And after Lee was bitten she had to leave him behind to turn into a zombie. Or shoot him herself, if he asks her to (depending on player's choices). Later, at 11, she was traveling with another group of survivors, as they looked for a safe place. She had to gain their trust, prove herself, and stitch a very bad dog bite wound on her arm *on her own* because the others wouldn't believe she wasn't going to turn into a zombie. Disinfectant, needle and everything. And she was attacked by a zombie while doing it. And she still found the energy to yell at the others when they accused her of stealing the medical supplies ("I'm still. not. bitten!"). She had to be the sole emotional support for a guy who lost his entire family, and was subject to frequent bursts of anger. While she was by far the youngest of the group, she was frequently one of the only mature one as the others would dispute authority between themselves. At one point, she can (depending on player's choices) dive into a frozen lake without a second thought to save one of the survivors, resulting in the others pulling her out of the freezing water and getting her blankets and a fire to prevent severe hypothermia. Clem eventually took care of the newborn baby of a member of the group who died shortly after giving birth. Depending on player choices, she can do so with one member of the group, or, disgusted with the lies and petty quarrels of the adults, take care of the baby all on her own. That was a summary of seasons 1 & 2. I could go on with season 3 & 4 (there is SO MUCH) but that's enough text here and her wiki biography would mostly speak for itself.”

• “A smart girl, abandoned by her parents (though not intentionally) in the zombie apocalypse. Lee Everett, the protagonist of the first series, takes the poor child under his wing. Keeping her safe and teaching her what to value and how to survive are a big part of the moral core of the first series; she becomes the protagonist of the later Telltale Walking Dead games. Honestly she rules and is the best part of the games so I really don't want to spoil much about it.”

• "She survived a few days alone in the zombie apocalypse, then was taken care of by the protagonist, Lee. During Season One, she was mostly focused on finding her parents (who were out of town when the apocalypse started) and contributing to the group of survivors she was in.”

• “Parents were out of the house when the zombie apocalypse happened. Rescued by dude, sad and terrible hijinks occur.”

Why should they win the tournament?: “Clem is one of the toughest and most tragic video game character. Ever. After being protected by Lee/the player, she loses her innocence too quickly, but struggles to protect the rest of her humanity. When all the adults lose their minds, she is the one beacon of hope and reason. She can be kind, and tough as nails. At 11 she can work through the pain and stitch her arm on her own. Eventually, she herself become a parental figure, and in turn has to teach the hard lessons she learned (which is even harder than learning them in the first place!). With infinite love to give, and infinite pain to anyone who would hurt her or the ones she protects, she is like a diamond in the rough, forged by immense pressure and never breaking.”

• “she's a survivor and I love her”

• “She's awesome, but in the first game she's especially kind-hearted and you just want to protect her from everything. Clem acts as the protagonist's moral compass throughout the first season, and everything you teach her is reflected throughout the story. In the sequel games you see her become her own person and eventually learn to survive on her own, even raising a kid in the Final Season - her character development is one of my favourites in fiction.”

• “Their ability to think and act under pressure from their zombie ridden experiences would help them survive in a tournament-like setting.”

[the-peddito-and-doise-show]

🅱️oise, you've got to stop the "🅱️oise's Doise and Peddito takeover" or whatever!

"Why should I? Those suckers didn’t deserve a show! I’m on a roll expanding my lil’ old 🅱️usiness—🅱️Y USING THIS CHEESE DRAGON TO FLAME ALL MY COMPETITION AWAY! 🅱️OAGAGAGAGAG!"

—————————————————————

> As the aforementioned cheese dragon continued making the city go up in flames, Doise & his friends watched it all unfold—trying to figure out what to do.

"I suggest we look for its weak points; that way we’ll have an easier time defeating it."

"Every part of it looks like-a its-a weakpoint, how are-a we-a supposed to-a know which one is the-a weakest of them all?" "…Uhhh, just keep senselessly attacking it?" Doise-Chan: "Well, that would work, if only if it wasn’t made of cheese—our attacks against it might as well go through thin air!" Dorigin: "Looks like the writing has really gone bad now…"

> While all this arguing occurred, a familiar face slowly crept to them from behind. > Having a sign that showed a question mark on the top of their head, Doisey was the first one to notice the shadowy figure, turning around—instantly emitting mechanical and robotic sounds that were reminiscent of a scream; alerting the others along with it too.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"—Pizzamancer?" Doise said, just as the group recovered from a sudden spook like that. "What the HELL do you want? Weren’t YOU working with that bastard over there in the hot air balloon?" Doisette then interjected, clearly angry at the pizza-faced sorcerer—obviously being in the right. Doise-Chan: "Wait, Pizzamancer was working with him?" Dorigin: "I thought that you already knew, Doise-Chan, since you did tell Doise that ‘it’s a long story’ after he asked what was going on." "Yeah, what’s up with that?" Doise-Chan: "…Well, I, er—" "NEVERMIND THAT NOW! Give-a us one-a GOOD reason why we-a shouldn’t beat you to a PULP." "Look, look, look—I only worked with him, because he knew a way to revive the dragon I had alongside me in the medieval ages!" "And what was that ‘way?’" Doisette said, being suspicious. "…Using the power of taunting in a ritual by repurposing Doise’s clones to do so." "So that’s why we felt so weak…" Both Doise and Dorigin said in unison, hearing about the truth now.

"Well, why couldn’t you just have asked Doise himself to see if he’ll let you use his clones?"

"I barely had any time to do so, since I was busy trying to hold the TV network that Doise owned together with RIDICULOUS ‘wacky hijinks’ happening almost EVERY day! Plus, he asks me to use my magic to do such nothing tasks and not anything else! I couldn’t bear to be with him any longer! But then he came… and promised me that I’ll get the respect I deserve, as long as I served under his rule. So I did." "…Isn’t he-a annoying as Doise-a is?" Doisette: "Peddito, again—NOT. THE. TIME." "He had tricked me by showing an interest in what I did; being my magic beyond the crust of human dreams. After all, he seemed to know more about ‘taunting’ more than I did, and he perfectly adjusted it just so that I would agree to his deal. Yes, he was indeed annoying at certain points, but he was otherwise more focused onto executing his own plan that he didn’t have the time to be annoying all the time in the first place. After the taunting done by the Doise clones now repurposed to look like him, the one thing I treasured the most was indeed revived as he had said—only for him to betray me by kicking a bomb towards me just as my cheese dragon flew off so that it couldn’t turn on him because he had turned on me first. Now he’s commanding them to whatever he wants! And I want revenge!" "Hell you are! After we’re done dealing with him and your cheese dragon, we’re dealing with you NEXT!" Doisette said, threatening Pizzamancer. "I know, I know, I KNOW! Do that, and I’ll fix everything; I swear on it! The only way to defeat my cheese dragon is to use brains against its brawn, as, admittedly, they aren’t very… smart in the least sense. Just don’t hurt them too bad—PLEASE!"

"…Alright, fine, but you need a good beating up too after all the shit you did. Peddito, you wanna do the honors?" As you could probably guess, it was Doisette saying this—again. "Of course." Peddito himself said, cracking his knuckles in the process. Seeing that there was nothing else left to agree to, Pizzamancer sighed a deep breath, both cautiously and dreadfully preparing for what was about to come. (At least, for him.) "…I suppose so. Let’s get it over withAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!"

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Abducted by Demons Chapter 2

After how tense the last chapter ends, we need to get back to lighthearted hijinks. Cue the titties.

And I'm absolutely certain the girls were plotting to get Keiichi in that outfit from the start.

I get why Rena had a moment here. It was genuinely cute.

If anyone's interested in the game they played, Rich Man Poor Man or Daifugō can be played with a standard French Deck. You use the standard 52 cards and a joker. It's best played with 3 - 5 people.

You deal the cards evenly to all players. Whoever goes first can play one of six starting sets: one card, a matching pair, a three-of-a-kind, a four-of-a-kind, a five-of-a-kind (requires the Joker), or a set of sequential cards. The Joker is a wild card and can be used in place of other cards.

Players then attempt to play the same type of set but they have to play a set with a higher rank. If you either cannot play anything better or don't want to, you can pass your turn. Once all players either cannot play anything or don't want to play anything, the round is over and whoever played cards last gets to play a new starting set.

The winner is whoever empties their hand first while the loser is whoever is last to do so.

Extra note: Card ranks work like most standard card games except 2 beats an ace and 3 is the weakest rank.

This arc really pushes the Keiichi-Rena romance angle.

The lighting from this panel is because of the flash from Tomitake's camera.

Keiichi and Tomitake are surprisingly good at handling guns.

It's still the first arc and the story still has to introduce everything and get us to care. So that's why Tomitake is hanging out with everyone during the Cotton-Drifting Festival. The story needs to establish who he is, his goals, his dreams, etc. so that it hits harder when he's found dead the next day. Later arcs won't need to do this since we'll already have rapport with them.

This chapter also introduces the basic premise about the bigger mystery going on. Rena mentions Oyashiro-sama, the guardian deity of Hinamizawa. Then right after, Tomitake and Takano tell Keiichi about the series of murders and deaths that have occurred and which are the crux of the whole series.

It feels kinda strange rereading the description of each incident because they're all so bare-bones, especially the one about the woman who was beat to death.

And at the end of the chapter, we meet Detective Delicious Oiishi. Notice that when he shows his badge, the actual prefecture name is hidden so the author doesn't have to bind the location of the story to anywhere real.

NIPA BEAM!!!

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Spoiler Discussion

This arc pushing the Keiichi-Rena romance stuff is likely because it has to speedrun so much as the first arc. The tragedy at the end won't hit as hard if we don't establish how close Keiichi is with Rena.

As I mentioned, Keiichi and Tomitake are good at handling guns. Keiichi had bought a gun and would shoot things to destress and he got in trouble with the law when he intentionally hurt people with it. Meanwhile, Tomitake is a sniper.

I think the Cotton-Drifting festival serves an unintended purpose for the people of Hinamizawa. As we learn later on, everyone in the village and people who frequently visit it are infected with a localized brain parasite. While it is generally benign, the host will often suffer paranoia and hallucinations when under heavy stress. This is called Hinamizawa Syndrome. The symptoms can be reduced or even reversed when the victim has a sense of security and trust with their community.

The festival is a time when all the villagers come together to celebrate and affirm their ties to each other. Throughout the chapter, Keiichi is actually experiencing just that. He's been stressing out because of what he's learned, but spending time at the festival with his friends relieves that stress for him.

Meanwhile two of the previous incidents were caused by people suffering from Hinamizawa Syndrome who felt entirely isolated from everyone. In fact, Keiichi will develop symptoms in this arc because he believes himself isolated from the village as well.

And Rika's ominous comment is the first hint that she knows more than she appears. She knows this is the last day they'll be able to enjoy in this world.

And the message she wrote on Tomitake's shirt was "Let's do our best next time." She's probably already given up on this world and that message is meant for the next Tomitake she meets.

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[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Spending Halloween with Lydia Deetz would include~

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

- If there was ever a perfect person to spend Halloween with, that person would undoubtedly be Lydia Deetz. Not only is she just generally strange and unusual but the entirety of the world she lives in, outside of your relatively normal private school, is also strange and unusual. It’s like stepping out of the real world and into a gothic version of wonderland.

- The most haunted and horror filled day of the year is nothing short of fantastic when you spend it at her house. You think a regular haunted house is scary? You’ve got a real one all to yourself, and the occasional ghostly prank you experience during your weekly visits is nothing compared to the way the entire house comes alive on Halloween.

- Haunted hijinks are sort of just something you’ve gotten used to as the green around the gills girlfriend of the resident goth girl in town, but you’ve never really grown tired of them. It’s why the idea of spending Halloween with Lydia is so exciting. You never know whats gonna happen on a normal day: let alone a day that’s already wrought with horror, blood and gore.

- Lydia’s parents are undoubtedly going to some kind of avant-garde Halloween party; and her ghostly parents probably have business elsewhere, so you’ve got the entire house to yourselves: meaning that the two of you get to have a private and supernatural sleepover without any interruptions; at least not ones that aren’t fitting for the holiday.

- Because of this, you take your bikes to school and ride home together, pointing out all the amusing kids costumes you come across while taking in the seasonal atmosphere of your autumnal small town. That bike ride becomes a well loved core memory: one you can remember in detail like the back of your hand.

- If you’re anything like me; or her, this one will occur days before Halloween, but nevertheless: once you get home, you’ll dig through a multitude of boxes up in her attic or the various closets that litter the house, trying on different dated accessories and clothes in an attempt to create whatever idea for a costume you came up with in your head.

- She’s absolutely going to dress up as something pleasantly morbid or really odd and obscure: like Joan of Arc mid execution or some long dead poet that went mad; either that or a really subjective concept that you’ll just have to smile and nod along to while she awkwardly holds out her arms and explains.

- Speaking of oddness: she’s got a ton of weird clothes and makeup/hair tricks that she can let you borrow for the night; unless the two of you want to go as table cloth ghosts in order to avoid the “aren’t you a little too old to be trick or treating” questions. That is, if you are keen on trick or treating.

- If you aren’t interested in gathering candy from your neighbors, then Barbara and Adam will be extremely happy to have you at home so they can watch the two of you pass out candy to all the little kids that come to the door. It’s a lot better than just watching from the window as they take from a bowl on the stoop; even if the two of them only end up sticking around for a little while.

- Although, Barbara and Adam would make pretty great Halloween night chaperones. They’re like your cool aunt and uncle/grandparents who let you do all the fun stuff while acting vaguely protective over you and bashfully showing you their scary ghost tricks. They might get a little worried while watching you go to town on a jack-o-lantern or go out late in the night but they still let you do it because they know better than anybody that you only, truly, live once.

- Before her real parents head off to their party, they probably have dinner with you; or at least tell you that there’s something in the fridge/oven, and while Delia’s cooking doesn’t taste awful and certainly visually fits the horrific aesthetic of Halloween, you might just order a pizza and call it a night.

- You guys definitely go out late at night and walk the streets alone together: enjoying the crisp night air and looking up at all the stars in the sky, occasionally stopping to rate all the different Jack-o-lanterns and decorations that you see.

- Photos are her love language and though she has a strange taste in aesthetics, she’ll still wind up with an entire photo album full of pictures she took during your day; and night, together. Don’t be surprised if she stops you or directs you to do strange things at random throughout your time together: you’ll see the purpose when the film is developed; even if you don’t quite understand the “artistry”.

- Making a pillow fort/nest. Even though you’re undoubtedly in her bedroom; and have access to her large enough bed, you’ll still wind up on the floor; most likely with a bunch of lit candles which are undoubtedly a fire hazard but that’s besides the point.

- Trading candy. Lydia either has a total sweet tooth or despises 90% of sweets; there is no in between, so you spend half the night sliding over different types of treats and smiling at each other between tugs of licorice and caramel strings.

-  Any time you sit down to watch a film with Lydia, she’s bound to pick a horror movie and Halloween night is no exception. Even if you hate scary movies, you appreciate the fact that you can watch her and the way she smiles at the screen instead.

- The two of you definitely fall asleep on the floor after your sugar highs crash and you wake up in the morning with your costumes still on; hair sticking straight out and makeup smudged, and it’s still considered to be one of the best sleeps of your entire lives.