#this seems like the work of an insane person

[hearts4mica]

I can’t fix you

Yandere Batfam! x Neglected Reader

Masterlist

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“How can a person lose their self control?”

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Request!: Hello friend! May I request neglected reader x batman except they break and become the next Joker?

Let's say that Jason killed the original, but given the neglect and outright hatred put onto reader (you can expand on this however you wish!), they run away from the manor without anyone noticing it.

They stumble upon an old warehouse where he stored the Joker toxin, except this version of it was meant to be used on Halloween (as another statement from Joker) and was so incredibly strong that, combined with all of that anger and grief in their heart, reader goes insane and begins to laugh... a lot. Since it was still a very bad hazard to leave out, Batman tasks Nightwing (and a reluctant Hood) to enter the warehouse a few days later, only to find that there are signs that point to Joker being back and having collected a lot of henchmen and a lot of toxin, planning something. So when these two go to confront who they think is Joker, they see reader instead, with the same bloody, scarred smile and hollow eyes.Queue a battle (that reader narrowly loses, taunting both of them with hurtful words that they can't even retort to), and now batfam is trying their hardest to bring the old reader back, except they don't even know what they were like, truly. The only one that did was Alfred, but not enough to know if their rehabilitation is working.

Meanwhile, Batman interrogates reader and the conversation heads south where they go "You never thought of me, Bat. I was invisible, hated and never once given an ounce of attention. I never knew if you loved me. You loved your villains far more... so will you, now? Now that I am like him? Am I finally worthy of your attention?" they laugh, even harder at the horror in his eyes, the grief in his voice while he denies it, and all that the Asylum can hear are spine-chilling giggles and the words of a broken man who's too late to save his one and only normal kid.

Also can I be called 🍌 anon? :D

(Hello Anon! I have no idea why it wouldn’t let me answer your request so i just copied and pasted it here! Here’s your story!)

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Ever since you said no the chance if becoming a hero like them you felt ignored? Like they were disappointed in you.

You were just normal in their eyes. Your family didn’t care about you.. they never did so as soon as you turned 18 you ran away and no one noticed. You’re sure they didn’t even remember or cared about your existence.

You stole some money from Bruce to rent yourself a department in a not so bad place in Gotham but ended up getting scammed so all your money went to waste and now you were homeless.

While laying down on a bench you debated about going back to the Wayne Manor and live a sad life there again but you couldn’t! Your ego wouldn’t let you.

So without any hope left you got up and started walking to an abandoned warehouse. Maybe there’s stuff you can take from there and sell? It’s not stealing if it’s abandoned. So you decided to go in.

While exploring the place you found a so called “Joker Toxin” it was probably a fake one but his fans would pay anything for this. You grabbed the small glass but it was slippery because it was stored in a freezer and it feel to the floor breaking the glass and the liquid fell to the floor.

“Aw shit.” Well it was fake after all so you didn’t need to worry right?-

The moment you inhaled that toxin you started grinning your eyes widened open and your eyes they became red as if you were intoxicated. You feel onto the floor in pain it hurts so bad but you can’t help but- feel happy?

Ha, ha ha HA HA HA HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!!!

You can’t stop no matter how much you cover your mouth trying to quiet down not wanting to attract unwanted attention it seems impossible to you. It feels like someone’s tickling you. You can’t stop.

You pass out a few hours later from exhaustion

When you wake up it feels like something has changed with you. You want revenge you need it.

Now you had to set a trap to kill two birds with a stone.

Comissioner Gordon had notified Batfam about some weird noises coming from an abandoned warehouse that citizens had told him about so he sent Nightwing and Red hood.

He told them to be careful since the Joker might be back because of some signs and to notify him immediately if it was the case.

He knew Dick and Jason weren’t children anymore but be still couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong and it felt wrong to send his children to investigate this. He was trying to become a better fatjer for all his children afterall.

Now Nightwing and Redhood were outside the warehouse. You we’re watching them through a small window getting ready for your grand entrance.

The went in and everything seemed fine. Until you appeared instead of the Joker.

“Hello there!” You say as you step out from the shadows.

They both freeze for a second.

“What? The bat ate your tongue?!”

“Name?-“ Dick says surprised that his- sibling? Was here. Weren’t you 8 years old? You were when he- last saw you?…

“Well yeah but no! I’m now the Joker! I’m his greatest succesor!” Your smile was creepy. It went from ear to ear and it was painted with red lipstick. You had dyed your hair green (and failed awkwardly-) so now it was just black and looked green fungy.

“What the heck is wrong with you?! You know how much harm you’ve been causing? Are you stupid?!” Red hood says.

“Let’s both calm dowwn! [name] come back home! We miss you-“

“Oh stop being a fucking hypocrite Dick! No one even noticed i was gone until now! No way in heck i’m going back to that place!” You hold up a gun.

“Oh so that’s how we’re playing?” Redhood takes out his gun.

“Let’s dance.” You smirk as you shoot your gun towards them.

You end up loosing and they drag you back to the manor. You insulted them in every language you knew.

Now back in the manor you got tied up and Batman was infront of you.

“What a nice family reunion isn’t that right Bats?” You tell him taunting him.

“[name] don’t call me that. I’m you father-“

“HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA since when Batsy?! When did you ever parent me? When was the last time we had a real conversation?! And don’t call me [name]! I’m the joker now!”

“I-“ for the first time to you Bruce Wayne your ‘father’ had looked at you. Stared at you regretfully.

“When was the last time you thought of me? Was i not worthy of your attention like them?! Is it because i didn’t want to become a hero like you? Are you jeaulous cause i picked a normal life?!”

“I was just busy [name]” his face was full of regret. But it was too late.

“But you were never busy for your villians right?! Now that i became a villian it’s the first time in years that you’ve payed attention to me!” Your smile started fading you’ve couldn’t look weak infront of him! Never again.

“We can change that! How about you quit this nonsense you’ve got going on? We can start this over again.” His child. You were his child. He lost you once. He’ll make up for this wether you want to or not.

Damian watching in the background “This psycho needs therapy.” He mutters to himself and leaves the Batcave.

Now you were forever trapped in this place. Your family was not stopping until you became what you once were.

Honestly they didn’t even know you. They just molded you into what they ideally thought you were.

Your makeup was wiped off. Your clothes changed. Your hair well they tried to save it but since the dye ruined it it had been chopped off horribly.

Daily your ‘doctor’ (Alfred) prescribed you sedatives to keep you in line. If you misbehaved you got a dosis. In the morning a dosis, at night another one.

They told you it was for your own good. They were helping you. You couldn’t harm yourself anymore!

Now everyday felt like on autopilot. You were a zombie in your own body. Your mind was foggy.

And they’ll keep doing this until you become the perfect Wayne they imagined you once were.

“Ha! Joker? What a stupid idea [name]! You never became the Joker! Pftt! Babybird we would never neglect you! You were always a part of us!”

Those small lies. Daily. While being weak. You started believing them.

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Thanks for reading!

My masterlist!

Requests are open!

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[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 3

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville

Endorsement from submitter:

Ishmael & Quee(r)queg do it better than your OTP ever could. "[W]hat's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself—the man's a human being just as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him. Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian" “ How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg—a cosy, loving pair.” “ At length, by dint of much wriggling, and loud and incessant expostulations upon the unbecomingness of his hugging a fellow male in that matrimonial sort of style, I succeeded in extracting a grunt; and presently, he drew back his arm, shook himself all over like a Newfoundland dog just from the water, and sat up in bed, stiff as a pike-staff, looking at me, and rubbing his eyes as if he did not altogether remember how I came to be there, though a dim consciousness of knowing something about me seemed slowly dawning over him. Meanwhile, I lay quietly eyeing him, having no serious misgivings now, and bent upon narrowly observing so curious a creature.” “ I drew my bench near him, and made some friendly signs and hints, doing my best to talk with him meanwhile. At first he little noticed these advances; but presently, upon my referring to his last night’s hospitalities, he made out to ask me whether we were again to be bedfellows. I told him yes; whereat I thought he looked pleased, perhaps a little complimented.” Plus, the entirety of “A Squeeze of the Hand” Insane work.

"It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."

So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

Classics, American literature, nautical fiction, adult

Wayward Children series (Every Heart a Doorway, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, Beneath the Sugar Sky, In an Absent Dream, Come Tumbling Down, Across the Green Grass Fields, Where the Drowned Girls Go, Lost in the Moment and Found, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, and other stories) by Seanan McGuire

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

[nebuliix]

​im very late to this but i’ve been reading the notes on this for a while and ive not really seen anyone talk about my favourite ship, temenos and hikari, so far so im gonna yap about them for a bit. (this is basically my first time formatting a tumblr post (it ended up being way too much to keep in the tags) and im scared so i hope the cut works)

i really like the parallels between temenos and hikari about how they both lost absolutely everyone and never had time to confront or process that. in their pasts, with hikari losing his mother and temenos losing his brother, roi; their first chapters, with hikari losing his father/king and temenos losing the pontiff (also a father figure and leader) but neither of them getting a chance to grieve because they’re both put on their journeys so quickly afterwards; then, later in their stories, hikari losing ritsu and a whole lot of other cherished people throughout the war, alongside temenos losing crick in stormhail because of a conspiracy he got him involved in. i personally subscribe to the headcanon that temenos is a descendant of the kal people, so to me his crackridge chapter contributes to that personal sense of loss too. then, later, when both of their stories are complete and things seem to be settling down for both of them, the endgame comes along and rips kazan (oboro) from hikari and sister mindt (arcanette) from temenos, both with no warning and a strong sense of betrayal that they never get closure for.

both of these characters simultaneously get their worlds torn from them in extremely similar ways again and again and again as the game goes on and, what with hikari fighting a war and taking on the leadership of his entire kingdom afterwards as well as temenos uncovering the church and the sacred guard’s corruption and working to stop a death cult from literally ending the world, neither of them ever truly sit down and take care of themselves or process their grief as it happens.

i love pairing them together for this because they both care enough about each other as fellow travelers that they’d help each other get through it all and hold each other accountable. temenos is ignoring his grief and pushing it down, but hikari won’t stop being so gentle with him and before you know it they’re having a heart to heart about it. hikari doesn’t think he deserves to treat himself to his favourite foods amidst his responsibilities, so temenos asks him to treat him instead and now they’re sharing. temenos is pulling ANOTHER all-nighter trying to piece together this cult situation, but hikari’s having night terrors so they cuddle and oh would you look at that now they’re both sleeping great. amazing gorgeous stunning you’re doing incredible i love you both.

this is already so long so i won’t go into details (and i don’t have the poetic language to do it justice anyway) but i haven’t even started on the ‘guy raised in divinity but kind of shuns it a little bit because its done nothing for him’ vs ‘guy with a bloodlust shadow curse that keeps making him kill people but still maintains his connection to the light’ themes like COME ONNN im obsessed with them. i like to imagine shadow hikari comes out with a vengeance only for temenos to say something so absolutely insane-yet-profound-yet-baffling that it just stops him in his tracks. then he gets put in shadow-timeout like a naughty cat. go think about your actions young man. also special mention to the endgame scene where they were the last ones back to the camp. its very funny to imagine they were late because they were making out but as an aroace i also like to imagine it was a petting session (since i played with hunter hikari please give this lad some ear scritches PLEASEE he deserves them)

ok. im done now. if anyone took the time to read it thank you. my other favourite ships, in no particular order, are primrose/h’aanit/ophilia, alfyn/therion, therion&h’aanit platonically (beast tamer vs feral cat vibes letsgo), therion/cyrus/olberic, therion/primrose (she is absolutely on top. throw h’aanit in there with her animal-trainer energy as well for maximum effectiveness. im begging for literally anyone to see my vision), throné/agnea, and the very specific dynamic of every ot1 traveler in a polycule except for tressa who makes fun of them for it

[holding up catboy hikari] you all will look at him and pet him

I miss octopath yapping with people so uh yknow what! We’re gonna play a game!!

Explain in the notes what y’all’s favorite ships are and why you like them!!!

Only rules are

1) do not explain why everyone should think your ship is canon, as that is not the point of this post 2) do not put any other ships down bc that is also not the point of this post 3) ALL games are included (yes including cotc) 4) ANY SHIPS ARE ALLOWED!!! GO NUTS!!!!

[pinkgvts]

belated boothill anniversary

close up without the extras, plus my very long and cringe message below the cut. (tw: suicide mentioned)

i intended to have this ready for boothill's drip marketing anniversary (3/12), but ended up being too short on time. feel free to completely skip reading the rest because it's a lot and i'm a crazy person.

anyways, my life was forever changed on the day of his very first leaks. i can't seem to track down the exact date of when they were first posted, so for now i'll just use his official drip marketing date. i never expected to love a character so deeply, and i genuinely believe he's one of the two main reasons why i'm still alive today. a few months prior to his leaks, i was severely depressed and an active suicide risk; i felt so lost and dissatisfied with my life, it became nearly impossible for me to regulate my emotions. my passion for art was barely holding on by a thread after being absolutely obliterated in uni and it showed. i was having weekly meltdowns because work left me so emotionally drained that basic daily tasks and hobbies felt like the most dreadful thing to do. all i wanted to do was rot and never leave my room.

and then a certain cowboy came into existence. suddenly, all i wanted to do was draw, and in doing so i met some of the most amazing people. but more than that, i found my love for life again. i haven't had a genuine desire to die in the past year because i'm just so insanely happy to engage with the community i've found, and to consume and create as much boothill content as humanly possible. i used to wake up with an empty pit in my stomach and covered in a cold sweat, but now i wake up and my first thought is "hehe i can't wait to see boothill". like, i'm not even the same person that i was a year ago, and for that i am eternally grateful. and also huge thank you to you all for supporting me even as i shifted to more yumeship focused stuff. i'm so grateful it honestly makes me tear up. i owe you my life. i don't think i'll ever escape his clutches, so you can always count on me to make boothill art for years to come.

i will always love my dearest silver cowboy.

[oraclemoontarot]

what type of streamer would you be and what would you get cancelled for? | pac tarot reading

from left to right, top to bottom -> pile 1, pile 2, pile 3, pile 4

pile 1

What type of streamer would you be?

cards pulled: four of wands, page of cups, sun, eight of wands, knight of swords

As a streamer, you would be quite successful and have such a wholesome bond with your chat/fans. There is this sweet, childlike and fun character to you that immediately draws people in. You may play fantasy or chill games, maybe some indie or a game like inzoi. At most, you may play games like valorant, final fantasy and stardew valley. Overall, you would bring so much positivity, warmth and energy - you may remember people from your chat and engage with them, creating a loyal fanbase. You'd always be excited to try new things and it would be so contagious. I also got that you would have a special name for your fanbase that just sticks - you would be insane at branding your streamer identity, making you easily identifiable and memorable, leading to a steady progress in gaining traction and fame.

What would you get cancelled for?

cards pulled: king of swords, five of wands, eight of wands, four of pentacles, seven of pentacles reversed

oops. It seems like you might have drama with a popular streamer. You were too impulsive when you should have kept your thoughts to yourself - maybe saying something out of pocket or an attack which doesn't end in your favour. You wouldn't be patient when you should have been, causing you to get cancelled. It doesn't help that this streamer was well respected and popular, so people easily jumped the bandwagon, not hearing you out, and choosing to defend them instead.

pile 2

What type of streamer would you be?

cards pulled: page of wands, two of pentacles, six of cups, moon, page of cups

As a streamer, you would be so fun, witty and energetic. You would create such a loving, friendly community, always exchanging conversation with your fans and they would appreciate you so much. It reminds me a little of the original youtubers who have their old fans look back on them with a sense of nostalgia. That's what you would have, you would leave such a gentle, lasting impact on your fans. You would be quite a mystery too, someone who doesn't share too much about their life, maybe even working full-time whilst being a streamer. Everyone would be so intrigued by you, possibly even theorising what kind of person you are outside of streaming. You may be popular in the just chatting category - reacting to things, doing q&a's, trying out recommended games - I am thinking someone like CaseOh, but more chill, or a genshin-like streamer, where they explore a game but spend most of their time interacting with their chat because, for you, building those connections with your fans is way more important. It's like you want to give them a nice experience and hope to brighten their day.

What would you get cancelled for?

cards pulled: seven of wands, five of wands, three of wands, moon, three of cups

Lowkey, this really is giving genshin streamer with the amount of friendship drama that happens online rather than in private. You may escalate the conflict and be a little hard-hitting, which drives people to feel a little uncertain about you. It doesn't help that you were already a mystery, so now people are confused further after seeing this new, unexpected side. People online would be a little hypocritical as these conflicts are normal amongst friends, though they did wish, despite it being entertaining, that this was kept in the DMs... Once this all blows over, some fans will either terrified of you or have a newfound respect towards you.

pile 3

What type of streamer would you be?

cards pulled: king of swords, page of pentacles, ace of pentacles, judgment, ten of cups

You would be very intelligent, detailed and witty as a streamer. You may be someone who gives people advice, maybe creating guides and completing games from back to front, getting all the achievements. If you do play games, then you would also be quite skilled and people would look up to you - you may join an esports team. Something of that level, where you would just continue to level up. Out of all the piles so far, you would have the biggest community of fans, someone who is well-loved and respected. You may donate a lot to your supporters, and receive donations back. You would be quite successful in the money department overall. You would also be the best communicator here.

What would you get cancelled for?

cards pulled: wheel of fortune, four of swords, nine of pentacles, page of wands, hierophant

Rather than getting cancelled, it seems like you would want to take a break from fame, finding it draining and preferring to just move on and enjoy the fruits of your labour, which would make you super excited. You would be happy when telling your community you want a break from streaming/content creating and your fans would be sad but would ultimately respect your decision. It seems like you would want to just enjoy your life, home, and maybe even pursue education or a traditional career path of some sorts. You may even settle down with a partner which is what gives you confidence in your decision.

pile 4

What type of streamer would you be?

cards pulled: eight of pentacles, knight of cups, ten of cups, nine of pentacles, high priestess

Can I just say, you would be the ideal streamer, pile 4. You would put in so much effort, possibly streaming every day and uploading content across various platforms. You would be consistent and that wouldn't go unnoticed by your community. Your fans would support you so much, finding a deep bond with you, like a family. Just like pile 1, your branding would be top-notch and recognisable. You would be the streamer everyone wishes for, the one who does all the little things for their fans. This could be acknowledging as much of the chat and donations you can, regardless of fame - as some streamers may start to ignore it due to it being too much. You would intuitively know what to do, what to say, how to act and what content would bring you the most success. It seems like, out of everyone here, you might be the most open to various games and content. This could be from cosplay, to different genres of games, maybe even doing things outside of your home, like irl streaming/vlogging.

What would you get cancelled for?

cards pulled: wheel of fortune, sun, king of swords, six of wands, page of wands

oops... Something unexpected, like from the past, may resurface for some of you. For others, fame may have negative consequences towards your overall image. You may end up saying something a little too bold, maybe a political take, or a personal opinion of sorts that rubs people the wrong way. Some may mistake you as being arrogant when that just isn't the case, it simply breeds from a place of jealousy. But, because of your success and strong, loyal fanbase, it seems like this cancellation wouldn't be of much significance, if any. You would bounce back and continue on with your streaming career as though this had never happened. Some people may bring this up again occasionally, but most people would be tired about it and start attacking those who won't let it go (which would be amusing to you lmao)

[witchygagirlwrites]

Bandit-Part 2

Jay Halstead x Reader (nicknamed Bandit)

You’re getting used to Rixton as a partner, even if Jay still isn’t used to not having you at his side

“So, how are things going with Rixton?” Jay asked. You were curled up on one end of your couch while he was sitting on the other end. He’d come over to watch the Blackhawks game since Will was with Nat and the conversation had somehow circled around to the fact of your new partners.

“How are things with Upton?” you asked with a smirk and he rolled his eyes “She’s been with us a couple months. She’s already a part of the unit” you nodded “Kenny’s decent police I think. He seems like a pretty chill guy. He listens to my opinion on shit and doesn’t fly off the handle so I think it’s gonna work fine”

You turned your attention back to the screen then realized he was staring at you so you slowly turned to face him “What? He raised an eyebrow “Did you just call him Kenny?” you shrugged “That’s his name? I call Hailey, Hailey” “So you’re getting adjusted well to having a new partner” you grinned “Aww do you think I’m replacing you honey?” he scoffed “Like hell. I know you aren’t getting rid of me any time soon. Who else is gonna put up with you? 

You shook your head “See? Why would I want anyone else when I have you? My loving partner” he grinned “True, I am pretty perfect” so you threw a handful of popcorn at him in turn. 

“You little shit” he cursed and tried to grab you but you snatched out of his grip “Naw uh” he laughed when you slipped off the couch, grabbed a cushion and managed to smack him with him all in the course of a commercial.  “Why am I pissed I don’t have you during the day?” he asked and you froze in front of the couch, the cushion still in hand and grinned “Because of my winning personality of course” 

He sat his beer down on the coffee table and you started to put the cushion down but he moved a little too quickly and was up on his feet and had you in his arms and your feet dangling off the floor before you could react. “Put me down you asshole!” you grunted so he dropped you to the couch. “Jackass” you cursed and he winked at you “Miss me yet?” you flipped to look up at him and he gave you a grin. “Just a little” he shook his head “You’re so mean” so you pointed at the screen “Look, we’re winning” he cut his eyes up “Damn, we are” 

“So, where did the nickname Bandit even come from?” Rixton asked you as he followed you up the stairs in intelligence. You looked back at him with a grin, “First undercover I did. Long story, Olinsky was my handler. It kind of stuck” he nodded slowly “Ok then” you shrugged “Any more I go by it more than my actual name” 

You got to the palm scanner and laid your hand down then when it popped you opened it and held it out for him. He eyed you, a small smile working its way onto his face “I was thinking it was that raccoon tattoo you have on your shoulder” you shook your head “Nope, that came after the fact. My brother was going to the tattoo parlor, called me to meet him and it was a spur of the moment thing” he shook his head “Is all of intelligence half insane?”

You nearly got offended before you actually thought about it. “You know, you have a good point there Kenny but our rates speak for themselves. Just don’t look at any of our on duty injury records”  he shrugged “Active cops bust their asses” “And everything else” you added with a laugh. 

You would admit you were hesitant when Voight first told you that you had to work with Kenny but so far you and him were getting along pretty well. No, he wasn’t Jay but he wasn’t that bad either. Maybe Voight had been right about you and Jay needing to figure out how to work with others, because honestly? You and Jay were getting a little too close at times. 

When you and Kenny made it to the top of the stairs to the bullpen you headed for your desk and he headed for his. Jay cut his eyes up when you walked past his desk and you smiled “Morning” “Morning” he greeted. 

You sat down and put your stuff away. Ruzek was due back in a few days but you didn’t know when Voight was planning on doing a once over of partners again. You were all in the middle of a case so he may very well wait until it was wrapped. 

_____________________

Jay could hear you and Rixton talking on the way up the stairs. How the hell did he even know you had a raccoon tattoo? You were getting mighty close with Rixton. Hell the last time you and him hung out was the blackhawks game and that was nearly a week before. 

You were supposed to meet him for coffee this morning but rain checked to ride with Rixton to talk to one of his C.I.s  He didn’t like it. He didn’t like you being partnered with Rixton, you getting close with him or how any of that made him feel.

He looked up to see you were laughing at something Rixton was showing you on his phone and had to fight the urge to break the guy’s jaw. It was harmless. You didn’t even date cops. You were one of the few out of the unit that had never once dated another cop. Firemen? Yes. Doctors? Yes. You had never once dated another cop. Then again you could have very well slept with another cop and not told him? That thought made him see red. Rixton’s hands on you, touching you. 

No, it was innocent. It was just you playing nice like Voight had warned both of you to be so you could ride together again. That was it. He looked up again and you were shaking your head at Kenny. Maybe he could break his jaw just a little?

“Jay, you good?” Hailey asked, walking up beside him and he jolted “Yeah, I’m good” she nodded slowly “Ok, you seem a little out of it” he shook his head “I’m fine” she stared at him for a second then smiled “Ok. keep acting weird and I’ll sic Bandit on you”

That made him grin “God no, she bites” “She does not!” Hailey laughed and you leaned back in your chair “I do actually! I just only bite Jay and Adam once” Hailey raised an eyebrow “Ok then” and laughed when you shrugged “In my defense Adam deserved it and Kim told me I could”

“And Jay?” She asked, you looked at Jay so he explained “It was actually my fault. I dared her to” Hailey coughed out a laugh “Never dare Bandit to do anything, got it”

You winked at Hailey “For you? I’d be gentle” then turned your eyes to your computer. Hailey watched you for a second then cut her eyes at Jay “She’s something else” she spoke in a voice low enough only he could hear. “Yeah, she is” he replied and felt his heart flip. He wanted you in every way he could want a woman but he refused to cross any lines that could result in you walking out of his life.

He’d take you being in his life by whatever that meant. He just didn’t know if he could watch you and Rixton get any closer. 

“We’ve got to get some sort of in on this guy” Kim muttered and you nodded, eyeing the board. You were after a guy with ties to two different cartels. He owned a club in town but he was only there a few nights a month. Voight had word out on the street, trying to get some sort of idea as to when that may be. If he could, that would result in an undercover assignment. 

“When’s Ruz back?” you asked and she sighed "Tomorrow” you grinned “Bet you’re happy” she nodded “Very” undercovers where you had to do deep, moving into a u.c. apartment were a bitch to everyone involved.  You knew that all too well yourself. “So what’s the plan if we do locate this guy?” you asked Voight and he nodded to you “You and Rixton will go in as a couple, Ruzek will be back by then so he’ll go in with Upton. Atwater will go in as backup. Halstead and Burgess will be on overwatch and we’ll have major crimes waiting in the wings”

“So our job will be to make positive ids so everyone can move in?” you guessed and he nodded. “Ok then. When’s your people supposed to call you back?” he shrugged “I should know something by the day after tomorrow. We’ll go from there” “Ok”  

___________________

You were walking to your truck when you heard Kenny call your name so you stopped walking and turned to face him with a smile “What’s up Rixton?” he rubbed a hand across his neck “Us having to do under as a couple?” you nodded “Yeah?” he shifted his weight so you laughed lightly “Kenny?”

He sighed “I’m just gonna ask here, is Halstead gonna kick my ass for having to be up on you a bit while we’re under?” your eyes widened “What?” he nodded “You and him are together aren’t you?” you shook your head “No, we’re just friends” 

He gave you a look that didn’t seem like he believed you “Are you sure? Cause there’s been a few times the last couple weeks I would’ve sworn he was gonna kill me” you laughed, your heart flipping but you shoved it down “He’s just  a territorial little shit is all. It’s like taking the last of the coffee and not refilling. You’re good. I swear” “Ok” he replied and you held your fist up so he bumped it “See ya tomorrow partner” you told him and he nodded “See ya then”

When Jay’s phone rang and he saw your number he wasn’t sure if something was wrong, it wasn’t too late but you normally had a habit of texting “Hello?” he answered and your voice hit his ears “Hey, wanna hear something funny?” “Sure?” he replied and you laughed lightly “Kenny asked if you were gonna kick his ass for having to touch me while we were under because he thought we were together”

“What?” he asked with a laugh that he hoped you didn’t pick up was forced.  “Yeah, swore he was gonna die by your hand” “Naw, I won’t kill him unless he crosses lines and you send up the help signal then I might” you laughed lightly “My hero. Want to get coffee in the morning since I rain checked you?” “Sure, meet you there?” he asked and you replied “You know it. See ya there” the two of you told each other goodnight and hung up. Jay stared at the phone and now had to remind himself that he was going to have to watch Rixton’s hands on you during that undercover, rather he liked it or not.

Part 3

@desimarie12

@allisonargent144

@nevaehstreater18

[ka2ki2]

AN UPDATE TO THIS POST

so, we've learned MUCH more than we knew before. a lot of these expies no longer hold up. i'll make a badly-formatted dump of some of the places where i've changed my mind:

castorice seems most like an expy of seele, specifically seele as the herrscher of rebirth. i know we already have a seele, but we also have 2 bronyas already, so... whatever.

similar appearance & personality

association with butterflies

castorice is already associated with death, which is intrinsically connected to rebirth

castorice is said to have 'another half' which was taken by thanatos; seele has 'another half' (velonia)

castorice's purple is like a mixture of seele blue & velonia red

cerydra is an expy of fu hua. they look very similar in silhouette. i'm also pretty sure she's going to carry the coreflame of law

it's said the Chrysos Heir bearing the coreflame of Law has been doing their duty off the grid. it fits how dutiful fu hua is.

Castorice: Talanton surrendered their Coreflame, though the Chrysos Heir taking over their legacy is... nowhere to be found today.  Phainon: At least the laws that govern our world are still in place. So that demigod must be performing their duty still, no matter where they are.

in tribbie's lore, it is said that "time [...] shaped cerydra". fu hua, too, had been alive since the previous era.

"Tribbie: Until Cerydra found us. It was she who united the Chrysos Heirs and turned the prophecy into law."

hysilens is confirmed to bear the coreflame of Ocean via protean hero stuff.

I actually think hysilens might be an expy of eden.

they bear a physical resemblance. same exact hairstyle is really notable

phagousa, the ocean titan, is heavily associated with drinking / drunken revelry. Eden is notable for drinking wine a lot.

phagousa is called the 'chalice of plenty'. eden was very rich and very generous as well, fitting the idea of 'plenty'.

eden was an extremely popular singer. phagousa's blessings in protean hero are called things like "swan song"- often associated with music.

of course, this probably means aglaea is not connected to eden at all.

as for hyacine- the griseo connection is basically nonexistent, but they do both have a celestial connection-- griseo = star, hyacine = sky. however, this one's under severe doubt.

tribios as mobius actually works really well, it turns out! she's like an inverted-colors mobius- her hair is red where mobius is green, her dress is white where mobius is black, and her eyes are blue where mobius's are pink-tinted. additionally...

adult tribios's dress and hair give her similar silhouette to mobius. not to mention that mobius had the signet of infinity & tribios is the demigod of the gate of infinity...

mobius is also named after the mobius strip, which is like, you twisted a strip and now people can walk from one side of the strip to the other. which somehow works "passage" in my head. i may be insane ahaha

plus, mobius has klein, which is adjacent to how all the tribbies are mini little guys now.

and most importantly, THEY HAVE THE SAME VOICE ACTOR!!

phainon, mydei, anaxa, cifera, and cyrene were obvious from the beginning. nothing has changed there.

i have other theories and thoughts, of course, but i'll leave it here as they're all irrelevant to this particular topic

Chrysos Heirs

people who play both hi3 and hsr are WINNING rn

anyway. i've determined likely flamechaser parallels for a majority of the chrysos heirs. most of them do not actually look like their flamechaser counterparts, which makes me think they're not direct expies but merely parallels.

I also sprinkled some minor analysis of what little lore we have on these guys. Amphoreus is massively inspired by greek mythology.

watch this before reading!

Aglaea = Eden (both associated with gold)

Eden owned the Elysian Realm previously, but at that time it was called the Golden Courtyard

Eden is also called the Bearer of the Gold Signet

Aglaea is called the Goldweaver

You're not going to believe this-- Aglaea is named after the Charis called Aglaea.

The mythological Aglaea basically runs errands for Aphrodite, which would explain why HSR Aglaea bears the Coreflame of Romance.

HSR Aglaea is from the city of Okhema. In greek thought (plato I think?), Okhema is an intermediary between the body and the soul. I did as much research as I could and the best I could figure out is "it carries the soul through rebirth". SORRY IF THAT'S WRONG-

HSR Aglaea has the "divine authority of mnestia". After lots of research, I think mnestia can be loosely translated to Remembrance, so perhaps that's the Amphorean way of saying she's a pathstrider of Remembrance?

Aglaea's drip marketing references the myth of Prometheus, where Prometheus stole fire from the gods and returned/gave it to humanity.

Tribbie = Vill-V (multiple 'selves') [edit: i now think it's mobius]

Tribbie is called the "three-faced messenger"

We see Tribbie adopt multiple personas in the video. She can even take multiple forms at once

Vill-V has partitioned her personality into 8 different segments

EDIT, it's probably mobius. mobius has the signet of infinity; tribbie's divine authority is the gate of infinity

tribbie is from Janusopolis and her divine authority is also called Janus, which is absolutely perfect for someone connected to messengers/passage. Janus is the roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, doorways, etc.

Anaxa = Su (both associated with knowledge/enlightenment)

Anaxa is said to have "enough knowledge to refute faith, and to stir up a torrent capable of slaying gods."

Su is called the Enlightened of Bodhi, Enlightened One, and other similar titles.

These two have lots of physical similarity

Anaxa's namesake has some interesting connections with Nous actually

Hyacine = Griseo (both Asleep)

In the video, when Hyacine is on-screen it says "let the sky become the slumbering cot from which she wakes".

Due to the 8th Honkai Eruption, Griseo fell into a deep sleep.

Could be named after Hyacinthus

Mydei = Kalpas (fire in battle)

In the video, Mydei is seen in a post-battle poise surrounded by fire.

Kalpas is constantly surrounded by fire during battle.

Both characters constantly seek out fighting/strife.

Mydei is likely related to the greek god Deimos

He is from the city Castrum Kremnos. Castrum = a fortified military base; Kremnos = a steep place or precipice. so picture a fort on a cliff ig

His divine authority is "Lance of Fury, Nikador". My thought is Nikador is related to Nike, goddess of victory?

One of the unnamed people has a mask too though, but these guys are too similar in aesthetic and personality

Cipher = Pardofelis (...come on.)

Cat girls.

Same eye and hair color

Castorice = Aponia? (butterfly theming)

Castorice is pictured with butterflies both in the video and in the twitter art. These butterflies look highly similar to the butterfly motif in Aponia's design

Aponia is very strongly associated with butterflies. Her dress is patterned like one and she has butterfly wings in her ult

Both seem to have devastating levels of power

IDK about the greek origins for this one. Castor? Kratos (who is actually a child of the Styx)?

Phainon = Kevin (deliverance)

Yeah they're both related to deliverance. They literally outright said deliverance in the video, and Kevin bears the Deliverance Signet.

Also they look EXACTLY THE SAME

Also both seem to be the 'leader'

In mythology, Phainon is the star of Cronus/Saturn (cuz they thought saturn was a star)

Cyrene = Elysia (...COME ON.)

They look identical and have almost the exact same personality

i have yet to figure out the two unnamed ones, Hysilens, and Cerydra. nor can i find their name origins... the closest i found, after ages of digging, is this for Hysilens

the remaining flame-chasers are Kosma, Sakura, Fu Hua, and Mobius. only one of the unknown people seems to be male ("unknown 2"), so that one's probably Kosma.

And yeah that's the culmination of me losing my mind for the past 6 hours. lucky you, you didn't have to watch me try and fail to decipher what the 12 titans might be connected to. (greek titans, 12 olympians, and HSR aeons all didn't line up easily waaaaaa)

here's the failed attempt to figure out the aeons if anyone else gets ideas from this

OK thanks for reading. normally I post my loredumps in discord servers with my friends. this is my first time posting it anywhere abfiushdliueh

EDIT: after recent drip marketing, it's clear that tribbie is actually connected to mobius. as mobius has the signet of infinity, and tribbie's divine authority is called "janus, gate of infinity".

I also added a small amount of info to both tribbie and mydei about their greek/roman inspos

[heavens-crown]

And They Were Neighbors Pt.10

Master List

prev / next

CW: Some angst, mentions of injuries, insane amount of fluff

Tag List: @starkgaryan @gabsgabsvaz @happyfestpanda-blog

A/N: Remember if you want to be added to the taglist either comment on here or shoot me a DM!

When Robby arrived home from his shift he saw Delilah finishing up dinner. Seeing her moving around his space with no qualms put something in him at ease. It was still hard to believe that they had only known each other for almost two months, but he wouldn’t change it for anything. Spotting him near the door she smiled brightly. 

“Dinners just about done, I'm just waiting on the rolls.” She explained, handing him a water bottle when he made his way over to him. Wrapping his arms around her waist Robby pulled her flush against his chest. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head and another one to her nose when she looked up at him he smiled softly. 

“Thank you baby girl, you didn’t have to do all this.” He murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Kissing his cheek she pulled away to fetch the rolls from the oven. They chatted as they set the table, asking about each other's day. He had almost called in to work not wanting to leave her alone but she was apparently just fine. When they sat down to eat he saw that she looked almost nervous. 

“Can I talk to you about something?” Delilah asked. She wasn’t looking at him, instead staring at her plate as if her food was the most interesting thing in the world. 

“Of course, everything ok?” He asked, curious about what exactly she wanted to discuss. Delilah took a deep breath before beginning. 

“So I know we said that we would do the situationship for as long as we wanted so we could see where we wanted it to go. Well I would like for us to make it more permanent, whether we call it dating, courting, or any other thing. My feelings have gone past simply friends,” She took a deep breath and when it looked like she was going to continue rambling Robby cut her off. 

“I would love to be your boyfriend Delilah,” he said. She blinked at him in surprise, seemingly not knowing what to say. “I honestly didn’t think you’d want to expand it further, especially considering the fact that you’re 29 and i’m 47.” Delilah simply frowned at him. 

“Why would your age matter? You’re a good person, you care so deeply about all of your patients, and you treat me way better than anyone else has.” She seemed genuinely puzzled on why he found the age gap concerning. Robby chuckled a bit, taking a sip of his water. 

“How is your family going to take the news that you’re dating someone 18 years your senior?” He asked curiously. Delilah pondered the question for a moment while finishing a bite of her food. 

“Grandma Rose will be happy since she mainly worries about our happiness. My uncles will be a little more wary, especially Uncle Todd since he’s the oldest at 57.” She said. 

“How many Uncles do you have?” Robby asked, wanting to know more about her family. A small smile spread across her face as she thought of her family. 

“I have 3 uncles and 3 aunts,” She replied between bites of her dinner. “Todd is the oldest at 57, Mary is second oldest at 55. Her and my dad were twins. Marcus, Trisha, and Sammi are 50. And Shawn is the baby at 45.” She ticked off each family member on her fingers. Robby’s head swam a bit trying to remember names and ages. 

“A set of twins and triplets?” He knew some families were prone to multiples but was a little shocked at just how many were in her immediate family. 

“Oh ya, my Grandma is actually a triplet herself,” Delilah chuckled. “My mom was the youngest out of 5 but I haven't heard from that side of the family since I left Spencer.” Her voice was sad as she talked about her maternal family. Robby frowned, not liking the look on her face or the sadness in her voice. Reaching across the table he squeezed her hand, lacing their fingers together. 

“Why don’t you talk to them?” He asked, his tone light so as to not come off as if he were prying for information. She sighed, putting down her fork and bracing her chin on the palm of her hand. 

“My cousin Cassie is married to his brother. They’re why we met in the first place. When things reached their peak and I attempted to leave none of them believed me,” Delilah said softly. “Even when I was covered in bruises and even had a broken rib they thought I was lying for attention.” Hearing how her family had treated her pissed Robby off to no end. He had to take a deep breath to calm the anger that was quickly rising. 

“I’m so sorry baby,” he said struggling to find the appropriate words. “I take it your paternal family believed you?” She let out a small snort, nodding her head with a smile. 

“They were furious, I had to convince my cousins it wasn’t worth the jail time if they tried to kill him.” She said laughing. Robby felt better knowing someone was on her side. It pained him to think of her hurting all alone. Changing the subject she pinned him with a questioning look. “I know you have your step son Jake, do you want biological kids at all?” Not expecting that question Robby choked on his water. Coughing a bit he managed to clear his throat. 

“I’ve thought about it,” he said, wiping his mouth. “But at this stage in my life I’m a little more ‘if it happens it happens’ you know?” Delilah nodded in agreement. 

“I’m the same way. I honestly could care less if I have kids,” She paused for a moment. “The only thing I know that I want eventually is to get married. Even if its just a courthouse wedding.” Robby nodded in agreement. 

“I’m old school so I agree on the marriage aspect,” He paused while she laughed. “Though honestly I’d rather date long term and then eventually get married.” Delilah looked relieved at his statement. 

“Oh thank god, people look at me like I got four heads whenever I say I want to be with someone for a minimum of three years before getting married.” Delilah then stood up and gathered their plates to take in the kitchen. 

“I take it we’re now good to move forward with dating?” he teased. He watched as she laughed, throwing him a bright smile.

“Yes sir, you aren’t getting away from me now.” 

As Robby strolled into work the next morning he spotted Santos, Whittaker, and Javadi huddled together near the nurses station. As he got closer he could make out what they were saying. 

“Do you think it’s like a sugar baby thing?” Santos asked curiously, not noticing that Robby was approaching them. “She was wearing a super short skirt when she came in here. Plus I swear I could see them hugging in the staff lounge.” Whittaker shot her an unimpressed look. 

“If he had a sugar baby why would she come anywhere near the hospital?” He asked, Javadi nodded her agreement. Before any of them could say anything Robby cleared his throat loudly startling them. 

“Good morning guys,” He said, watching as they looked at him nervously. “Just a tip for the future, conversations regarding your coworkers private lives should not be handled in the pit while you are on the clock.” When he indicated they were to return to work they scattered. Spotting Dana he made his way over to her.

“Good morning Robby,” She greeted cheerfully. Robby smiled as he greeted her back. “If you need Abbot for anything he’s up on the roof getting some air.” Sighing quietly Robby set his backpack down and headed toward the roof. Thankfully when he got up there Jack wasn’t standing on the ledge, he was just leaning on the railing looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. 

“What’re you doing Jack?” He asked as he approached the other man. Jack sighed before leveling a look at Robby. 

“Having my daily existential crisis,” he deadpanned. “You seem more chipper than usual.” 

“Well waking up to my girlfriend making me coffee in only my shirt tends to do that,” Robby chuckled. Jack turned his full attention now on Robby with a raised eyebrow.

“So you finally manned up and asked Delilah out?” He asked. Robby smiled and nodded not missing the ‘fucking finally’ look Jack shot him. 

“Though technically she asked me out,” Robby said. Jack simply shook his head pushing away from the railing so they could head back inside.

“At least one of you is smart.”

[0wlettie]

based off this tweet that kind of just hijacked my brain and now i’ve gotta jot something down for it, with my own added spin ofc; warning, messy asl and incredibly self indulgent idk man i just love reader being down bad and unhinged for the boys ;;;;

professor!rafayel x obsessed stalker!reader

you love art. though your own skills are mediocre at best, you still find joy through creating and observing.

your love for art leads you here now, in your final year of high school and on a field trip to a nearby pop up exhibit filled with rookie artists looking to showcase their works. and, as one of the few kids actually engaged in the different mediums shown and being the only senior in the class, your teacher allows you a bit more freedom to wander on your own. so you casually meander down the different exhibits, fascinated by the sculptures and different paintings you come across. there are even a few of the artists loitering about, and you have a conversation here and there with them about their pieces and other things like that. eventually, you find yourself in a small corner of the pop up, drawn in by the red velvet ropes blocking off people from getting closer, as well as the few envious and awed whispers you can pick up from nearby gossiping rookies.

curious, your eyes sway over to the area. your breath hitches and your mouth drops a little in shock at what you see.

stretched to fit the wall from top to bottom, it’s the largest painting at the pop up. half the painting is cut by dark, rolling waves, the other half covered by a jagged cliffside. moonlight reflects off the top of the ocean, the stars dotting across the sky in abstract patterns. you even think you can make out a few constellations nestled among the sparkling white dots.

you can almost hear the gentle ‘whoosh’ of the waves as they crash against the bottom of the cliff. can almost feel the sea breeze as it brushes against your cheeks, cool and akin to a lover’s caress. can almost smell the sea salt rising on the cold dark of the night. there’s a profound feeling emitting from the painting, one that surprises you in its intensity.

‘loneliness.’

the beauty you see is absolutely breathtaking, but the loneliness stands out to you the most. there’s a sorrow buried within the dark shade of the ocean, empty despite reflecting the brilliant light of the moon. a yearning found within the jagged strokes of the cliff, like it’s sitting there and waiting for someone they know won’t return. the differing shades of blue that make up the piece echo out strong notes of melancholy, and your eyes burn the longer that feeling lingers around you. tears prick the corners of your eyes and a lump forms within your throat. its visceral, the ache you feel looking at this painting. you understand intimately how crushing and all consuming that feeling of loneliness can bring.

you instantly fall in love with the painting.

your eyes flick to the plaque sitting in front. there’s no name for the painting you can see, but the artist name is printed in flowing cursive script that you easily read. ‘rafayel’ sprawls across the starch white of the card, and you have the sudden need to meet this person. to see them and figure out just what made them create such a painting like this. a painting that seems to speak directly to you.

it doesn’t take you long to search up the artist online.

rafayel qi is a few years older than you are and hails from verona. he’s a newbie in the art scene, a nobody really, but his natural talent and skills quickly make him somebody. you understand why, seeing one of his paintings first hand. what you don’t understand, however, is the lack of information about him besides his name, age and his birth city. there’s basically nothing about him on the web; no pictures, social media, no interviews or q&a’s, not even a website for him to showcase his art. nothing! it drives you insane that you can’t seem to find out anything about him, and for a week straight you try your damndest too. even begging/bribing your nerdy techie of a classmate to try and dig up something, but even she can’t find much more. which leaves you out of two hundred dollars and with no answers.

so you desperately keep your ear out while weeks turn into months and you graduate from high school. when you get the barest of news that rafayel signed with an agent and is now doing more galleries, you nearly cry from joy. you try your best to get tickets to his future galleries, but they’re all so stupidly expensive and high class that your poor wallet can’t afford to spare the money—not when you’ve got to pay for the university expenses that your scholarship can’t cover.

(and yes, you did manage to skirt by just well enough to snag the art scholarship you have. you don’t personally think you have what it takes in terms of talent, but your hard work pays off when you really set your mind to it and buckle down. your medium of choice is a bit old fashioned and tricky to maneuver, but you like the feeling of charcoal and how pretty you can make those dark smudges look. you even experiment a little when it comes to adding color to your sketches, though your various attempts are abysmal and you vow to never show anyone how bad they look.)

so you try and wait for another opportunity, stalking forums and art news websites for any other information you can possibly get your hands on. it’s here, one random wednesday afternoon while scrolling through your social feed in the university library, that you come across an article. they’re talking about up and coming artists, and your fingers are already clicking on the link before you can even think about it. it takes a moment for the page to load, but when it does, you choke your spit.

there’s a picture there to greet you, one that sets your face ablaze and makes your chest throb with how fast your heart is beating. in the lower right hand corner, you can see in tiny text words that frazzle your mind. ‘rafayel qi (left) posing with interviewer lea smith (right) in front of his newest piece.’

your eyes bounce back and forth from the painting you see to the ethereally beautiful man shooting the camera a slight smirk. his arms are crossed, one hand buried within the crook of his elbow, the other almost playfully clutching a paintbrush. his hair looks artfully tousled, colored a pretty purple that compliments the strange color of his eyes that you can just barely make out from behind the screen of your phone. you still aren’t sure what color they are, and no matter how many times you crop and zoom in, you can’t be certain if they’re purple or blue. fitted in an unbuttoned white shirt and tight black slacks that emphasize the length of his legs and the tight shape of his waist, with flawless pale skin and an unfairly pretty face, you know that you’re immediately gone.

the need coursing through you to finally meet this man is intense. you feel as if you’re about to shake out of your skin the longer you look at the photo, and you don’t hesitate to download it and crop out the lady, until it’s just rafayel staring back at you. you immediately switch back to the article and read through it, taking your time to admire the newest piece to his collection before rereading the article a few times—just to really cement the information in your mind. as lame and bland as the questions are, you feel as if you’re accomplishing something anyway. the little information you get paints a picture of the artist that’s captured your attention so thoroughly. of rafayel, who is hands down the most gorgeous person you’ve ever come across.

it becomes sort of a…compulsion, after that. you use that picture you’ve gotten as your home and lockscreen. and your idle time outside of school work and your part time job is spent endlessly searching for more crumbs. as the months morph into a year, then two, your collection of rafayel pictures grows exponentially. the artist chooses to somewhat engage with the outside world more, and you honestly can’t be more grateful. you don’t get many interviews after that, unfortunately, so your information is still limited even now. but still! any piece you gather feels like a win, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

you know he’s a pisces and that his birthday is march 6th. you know that he never officially went to any art school, and that he’s got a natural gift for picking apart color swatches and shades. you know that he’s charismatic enough to carry conversations, and while you can see someone playful peak through his aloof demeanor every now and again, he more often than not stays distant when being interviewed. you know that he truly has a passion for art of any kind, and that his own speaks deeply for him. he continuously paints about lemuria, the recently discovered ancient ruins of a civilization long thought to be a myth. you know he holds that place close to him, based off the haunting and sorrowful energy radiating from his works, but the why of it still escapes you.

you think you know him as well as a certified stranger can, and it gnaws at you that you don’t know more. you feel like a beast, really, with how much you hunger for more of him. with how strong the desire to meet with him, to speak to him is. it frightens you, these intense feelings you have. but that fear easily gets pushed to the wayside whenever you catch a glimpse of rafayel’s picture in your phone, or when you happen to catch sight of a lake or ocean wide enough for the reflection to glimmer underneath the sun. there’s just something about him that captivates you entirely, and you have no choice but to give in to that desire to be near him. but he rarely makes physical appearances outside of private galas and exhibits. so you’re stuck watching him through your screen, constantly checking for updates or idly staring at his pretty face captured in various subtle expressions.

you glance at your phone screen as you stick close to the walls of the university hallway. it’s a picture of him, caught in a side profile and wearing an expensive dark blue suit. a candid caught by a fansite you’ve been following—a fansite that takes commissions for a hefty price. a price you were more than willing to pay two weeks ago. as bad a financial decision that was, it still makes you happy regardless. you’ve got two brand new pictures of rafayel, two pictures that only you have access too. it’s like you were the one to take those pictures, if you really think about it.

because you feel like it, you flick open your phone and look at the second picture you paid for. rafayel’s face is turned to the side and some of his hair is obscuring his eyes, so you still can’t determine the damn color, but the visual of his defined and exposed collarbone more than make up for it. you sigh a little, a smile curling up the corner of your lip as you click your phone closed. you shake it a little and wait for it to briefly light up, sighing again when you get another glimpse of the first photo.

looking at rafayel so early in the morning is like a shot of espresso for you. this particular course—art theory & critical studies—is one that’s criminally early, and you’re dead fucking tired from being up the night prior reading the latest article about rafayel. nothing new for you was found, but it’s hard for you to ignore things like that, not when there’s a chance you could find out something new. you notice the time and grimace a bit, picking up your slow walk to more of a power walk/light jog mix.

you’re on your way to class now, and while you aren’t exactly late, you will be if you don’t hurry. it’s the beginning of your third year at university and while you feel like your artistic sense has grown, you still don’t feel super confident in your work. not enough to want to deal with professor kim and his harsh critiques and boring lectures. but, unfortunately, if you want to continue being in school at such a steep discount, you have to follow the rules and guidelines to your scholarship. so here you are, power walking into class with a grim look on your face more suitable for a soldier rather than a uni student.

you walk so fast in your haste that you actually end up tripping over the lip of the door to class. your phone slips out of your hand like it was especially greased for you to drop, and it clatters to the floor with a loud noise. the sound immediately draws stares to you, and you can feel your face burn from embarrassment. and because your day can’t get any worse, you watch as your phone slides across the ground until they land at an unfamiliar pair of loafers. you frown, eyes trailing up mile long legs clad in brown slacks. up, up, up your eyes go until you land on a face you never imagined you’d see in person.

you swear that everyone in the room can hear how your heartbeat stutter and stops, like the dying engine of a motor as you stare into the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen. you understand why you’ve never been able to place the color now, the bright blue of rafayel’s iris mingles with a soft pink, producing a hypnotizing effect as he blinks. you’re suddenly reminded of sunsets; of those moments right before the sun fully peeks over the horizon, the sky blazing in various hues of purple, pink and blue.

embarrassingly, you find that your throat is completely dry as you watch him glance down. with a raised eyebrow and a decidedly unamused quirk of his lip, he bends down and picks up your phone. your jerk forward, but it’s already too late because as soon as your phone jostles, your screen lights up and rafayel is faced with your lock screen.

he freezes in place, the look in his eyes going unreadable as he stares down at his own photo.

your entire body tenses, and you feel like the entire class is staring at you two, which only serves to make you even more nervous. you didn’t think this day would come. never in your life would you have imagined seeing him here if all places, in your uni class. and dressed like that? a smart brown suit that molds to his lean figure, black leather gloves, sparkling silver glasses and small black gauges to top off the look. you think you might actually just keel over and die—either from the fear, embarrassment or the sudden wash of horny thoughts flooding your mind. you honestly don’t know which one you’d prefer.

he finally moves what feels like years later, but was in actuality only a few moments of awkward silence. you’re expecting him to be grossed out, maybe even a little scared and uncomfortable. it can’t feel good to come across a complete stranger and see that they have you saved as their lockscreen, like some creepy fan. what you aren’t expecting, however, is the smug curl of his lips. his eyes flick to meet yours, and your rapidly pounding heart stops at the look he gives you. full of something dark and hot enough to make you twitch.

‘you dropped this, miss…?’ he easily hands over the phone, bending down slightly like…like he wants to get a better look at you. the musical lilt of his voice turns the slightest bit playful as he lightly cocks his head to the side. it’s a cheeky gesture, and you awkwardly fumble for your phone, keeping his stare the entire time. your fingers brush against his skin and you can’t fight off the shiver that travels down your spine and up your arms, goosebumps raising long your skin. you go to take your hand back, but you freeze when you can feel the slightest hint of resistance. he raises an eyebrow, and you nearly short circuit at the sight of his pretty eyes staring at you over the slouch of the silver frames hanging low on his nose.

right, your name. he’s asking…oh my god fucking rafayel qi is asking for your name—

‘[✦].’ you shakily tell him, and your phone easily goes with you next time you pull. he hums, eyes giving you a full once over before standing to his full height. he gives you a smile, the expression polite and distant as he nods. his entire body language screams professionally cold, but the stare he gives you is the complete opposite.

‘alright then, have a seat miss [✦]. class is about to start.’

your brain turns to complete mush, and you move on autopilot as your name in his voice echoes in your mind. before you realize it, your seated in the front row of the lecture hall. it’s only after rafayel introduces himself to the class, after he begins a powerpoint on art theory and what it means, after you’ve been dazedly staring at him for nearly half the class, do you finally understand what this means.

rafayel is here, teaching your uni course on art theory.

rafayel is going to be your professor.

yah so, uh, this is a thing i hope ya’ll like it >_< i really like how this turned out and am v proud of it so maybe this will get a part two ??? we’ll see, but for now enjoy this lil bit !!

i am a 18+ blog so if you follow and are a minor/ ageless you will be blocked

[xo-adeline]

"I have you in mind, so it won't take so long..."

⋆°• ☁︎ - Playing Split Fiction with them!

Feat. Idia Shroud, Pan Nikos, and Peyn Algos

AN: Pan Nikos and Peyn Algos are both owned by @kokii-omii !

The new game, Split Fiction, had just come out, and knowing that your boyfriend had dabbled in these types of games you had decided to google about it, and eventually ended up getting the game so the both of you could play it together. As you quickly figured out it was by the same people who had made another game, one that was described to be a game where the person you played with would be with you forever. And with that thought in mind, you asked him to play, assuming that it would follow the same cute yet sad storyline, and would ultimately be something that would end up bringing you closer than before. Little did past you know, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

Idia Shroud

Of course when there was a mention of the new game he was a little intrigued, it wasn’t like the normal gacha games that he played, but it had been something that many of his online friends were raving about and even the amount of posts he saw online of people trying to get somebody to play with them. The next time that you had saw him there was a subtle, but also persistent tone when he came up to you and asked about potentially playing the game with him. He had seen some of the scenes online and had been waiting for the right time to ask you and play it together. Along with the research he had done on the internet, saying it was a really great multiplayer game to play with somebody that you cared about. All would’ve gone good in the end, right?

Wrong.

You had finally gotten to a side story in the game, one where you had to work together and throw a bomb back and forth before it exploded. Which would have been fine, if you didn’t keep dying every time Idia needed to throw the bomb, or vice versa. It seemed every time one of you was ready and at a part where you could throw it back, the other person had exploded into blue sparkles on the other side of the map. Leaving you/Idia alone with the bomb in your hand. This had gone on for at least 15 minutes. And now you both were trying to come up with some way that this would work, and yet low and behold it only ended up in you both yelling at each other when you needed to be ready to pass it, did it work?

No.

But luckily before long you two realized how stupid you must’ve sounded yelling at each other about a fictional bomb and ended up just laughing it off and working out a much easier strategy to be able to make it across and finish the side story before you two murdered each other. You both decided to take a break after that, maybe get a few snacks and just calm down while laughing about the whole experience.

Maybe that side quest wasn’t the best for couples, or maybe it was, just as a blessing in disguise.

Pan Nikos

There was a tension in the air already from when you had started the game, having to rely on each other was not something that went very well in Pan’s book, yet you had made it this far. The game so far was pretty serious, mentioning even sad topics and while still in the beginning part of the game there was a lot of unanswered questions as the two of you had found a place to get away from the main world and into one of the other characters side stories. It was the second one you had come across and were excited seeing the outside, noticing the farm like features both your minds started to wander into thinking you could have been cowboys or something of that sort. Nothing could have prepared you for the absolute insanity that you were about to face.

When you had loaded into the story it had taken a minute for both of you to realize that instead of people both characters had taken shape of pigs on the screen. You had started laughing as Pan looked confused, and it only got worse when you had started to move around the area enjoying the new characters just to realize that there was new abilities as well. The shock on Pen’s face and your laugher only became more prominent when you had realized that out of nowhere Pen’s pig could become a spring and yours, for some unknown reason, could fart rainbows. Was this game even serious???

Only to finally start to explore more, getting through the main part of the story and where you two thought that you were finally finished only to both gasp as the pigs had been killed and turned into… hotdogs.

There was no way this game was serious.

Pan had an even more defined look of shock as you fell over laughing, there was no way that what you thought was gonna be a tragic death just turned into another part of the story. And not only was this the most ridiculous thing you had even seen the story had even found a way to make it more ridiculous. Cooking yourself, and putting condiments just to be eaten as the ending was what really took the cake.

It's safe to say Pen had to take a break after that one, and maybe you did as well. There was no way you could laugh this much, as both the game and the blue-haired male's facial expressions were good for you.

Peyn Algos

This was one of the first times that you and Peyn had ever been able to actually sit down and play a video game. Despite being in Ignihyde there wasn’t an interest in Peyn’s eyes to sit and waste away a bunch of time on video games, of course here and there he wouldn’t mind but there was so many other things that he could have been doing that there really was no reason. So the shock that not even you felt when he had made it this far into a video game with you. I mean hours upon hours had been spent playing this and yet here he was, still willing to sit and play with you just because you had expressed an interest in it and needed somebody who would play it with you.

Luckily, at this point both of you had been getting a little to sidetracked with the dragons and when you had noticed a side story at one of the stops you couldn’t help but check it out. Peyn had liked more of the sci-fi stuff so he was more excited when he realized that it would be one of those side stories. When both of you had loaded into the game you were expecting something hard and as crazy as before, mostly using teamwork to get through it, but low and behold, this one was an independent challenge, and before even looking at each other you both had one thought on the mind.

I need to win this.

And then it started, the constant trying to flip more times then the other person, watching the scores, and even some sort of sabotage - whether it was Peyn trying to cover your eyes, or you grabbing the controller out of his hand - but in the end, you had still won.

Of course, much to Peyn’s dismay, which then brought up another point.

“Woah, woah, woah, why are you only good when trying to beat me?! You’ve been failing left and right the whole rest of the time!”

To which you could only laugh as the both of you were teleported out of the side story, and back into the main story. Your characters picking back up their dragons as you tried to get Peyn to be a little less upset.

Maybe was there a fact that he wasn’t trying as hard as he possibly could have to give you a chance. He was pretty competitive after all but maybe he liked you more then he liked winning.

[pangaeaseas]

I reread GoF recently and I can't help but wonder if Sirius and Moody had some sort of backstory in the FWW, beyond working for Order? Harry directly compares them in the book, saying that Sirius “sounds exactly like Moody”. They have other vague parallels – they both highlight the need of constant vigilance, the trio use both of them as sources of information and advice (in different ways), and both of them spend a lot of the book in disguise – Sirius with his animagus form and Moody because he was impersonated by BCJ.

Sirius also praises Moody in the cave with the trio, highlighting his ability as an Auror and his wartime ethics. He’s also the first/only one to point out that Moody may have genuinely been attacked the night before he was about to start teaching – which we later find out is exactly what happened. Which says a great deal about Sirius’s intuition, given that he’s relying on abandoned newspaper scraps to get his information.

I also thought that Moody’s comment about Sirius in the OotP photograph (“Sirius, when he still had short hair”) was somewhat more personal/humorous than what he says about everyone else.

I also think it's pretty interesting that both of them are the ones to specifically concoct plans to defy and deceive Voldemort: the Secret-Keeper switch and Harry’s escape from Privet Drive in DH respectively. Their plans are very similar in nature: both Sirius and Moody use themselves as decoys, painting a target on their backs and expecting Voldemort to come after them. Both display an awareness of Voldemort’s psyche – they expect Voldemort to come after them because they’re the most powerful friend + the toughest Auror respectively. They both also rely on misdirection – Sirius convinces Lily and James to make Peter their Secret-Keeper, believing Voldemort would never suspect him, while Moody sends Harry with Hagrid instead of himself. They both tragically place faith in the wrong person and are betrayed – Peter is the spy and reveals Lily and James’ location to Voldemort, while Mundungus disapparates in the thick of action. Both Peter and Mundungus’s actions were said to be primarily motivated by fear. Their plans ultimately result in the opposite results: Harry successfully gets away from Privet Drive but Moody is killed, while Lily and James are murdered but Sirius survives.

I also love that the remaining group praises Moody for being able to perceive and outsmart Voldemort … because it (indirectly) highlights how insanely impressive it was for 21-year-old Sirius to come up with a very similar strategy, way before Moody.

I sort of headcanon that they had a mentor-protégé relationship during the First Wizarding War? Not in the sense of Sirius becoming an Auror – there was no time, and since he was clearly disgusted with Crouch, there’s no way he would actively join the Ministry – but within the Order specifically. Moody favoring Tonks in the Second War is a clear indication of the kind of person he would find promising and engaging, and Sirius (teen runaway and “much-admired rebel” with a flying motorbike who came from the same family) is the perfect fit. Or maybe it wasn’t a clear mentor/protégé dynamic – Sirius doesn’t really seem like the kind of person to actively place himself someone else’s guidance, he seems to be more-or-less independent – but I like the idea of them undertaking several missions together and developing a particularly strong bond. After all, Lily and James were in hiding, I don't think Peter would have been sent on high-risk combat missions, and Sirius eventually came to suspect Remus (for whatever reason) so they couldn't have been working together. So Sirius has to have worked with someone during that time, at least on some occasions, and I hc that it was Moody.

Idk, I don't think this was intentional on jk/r's part and it may be an overreach. What do you think?

it makes a lot of sense! I would gladly read fic of this. And that's a really interesting parallel you point out, which may be intentional especially as both Sirius and Moody are mentor figures to Harry, which makes the idea of a Sirius-Moody mentorship situation especially poignant.

Your reasoning for why they might be on missions together makes a lot of sense, since yeah, James and Lily would have been in hiding and Peter is unlikely to have been in a combat role (considering Sirius completely underestimates him as a fighter hence the street incident). And Remus was not only distrusted but also spying on the werewolves so busy with his own tasks. Sirius seems to have been a pretty-combat focused person, and Moody might well have been in charge of training recruits and also was likely sent on combat missions. So he could have trained Sirius and then worked with him on combat missions. They probably would have functioned well together: Moody has the experience, Sirius has raw talent and knowledge of the enemy.

And if Moody was Sirius's mentor, which I agree seems likely, it might have deepened Moody's paranoia. After all, he never noticed Sirius was a Death Eater....and then never noticed he was innocent after all. It's really juicy.

Thanks for the ask!

[sublimati0ns]

As my favorite KOSS artist I want to share an idea of an AU I came up with while talking to some people on a discord server and hear your take on it because I know you’ll have some very interesting thoughts.

So I’ve very quickly become very attached to the idea of an AU where after Starscream goes solo Knockout joins him, I was thinking after Breakdown dies because I personally also ship KOBD but the idea of it being before that also totally works, it’s a very loose idea. In my mind they stay solo until the movie, where in the end they join the autobots because they’ve both slowly gone through a redemption while on their own. I’m very interested to hear if you have any specific thoughts about an AU like this or how you would approach it.

With this AU in mind I’m also currently writing a short fic about KO getting injured and while loopy from energon loss hitting on SS repeatedly instead of walking him through what he needs to be doing to treat his injuries lol

AHHH firstly I am so honoured to be considered someone’s favourite KOSS artist—thank you so much! It is a privilege to be entrusted with your AU thoughts ;//u//; <3

This is a fun scenario!! I love the idea of Starscream being the one to have to patch Knock Out up for once, but it’s going bad because KO is on the verge of conking out 😂 My personal interpretation of Knock Out tends to run more selfish—as much as he likes Starscream, defecting with him is usually out of the question when he has a decent setup for himself aboard the Nemesis; he’s not going to risk his finish for a traitor with no prospects! (Also if Starscream ever calls him begging for medical help, it is sooo gratifying to lord their new power imbalance over Starscream’s head…)

But thinking on it, I can totally see him weighing the pros and cons of staying vs leaving if Breakdown is the one who floats the idea first 🤔!! His warming up to Bulkhead in s01e16 lives in my head rent-free—the way he defended him against Starscream twice and hesitated before following the order to attack… The way both Breakdown and Bulkhead seemed to be unhappy with the return to status quo, but both had to dismiss those feelings in lieu of maintaining “how things have to be”…

I’d love to imagine a universe where Breakdown dwells on this and becomes unsure of his place among the Decepticons—maybe he and Bulkhead have another team-up together? Maybe Breakdown survives Airachnid’s attack, and without Starscream there to cover for him, he gets lambasted by Megatron for failing again? Maybe Megatron’s deranged actions in Season 2—fuelling the Nemesis with dark energon, lashing out at his subordinates (chiefly Knock Out) during the relic hunt, simply being a guy who invites multiple assassination attempts, etc—start to change his perspective on the cause?

Unsure! There are a lot of options! Breakdown could even maybe feel a little bad for the exiled Starscream, considering he saved his life and got no thanks for it (at his own request, but still). But I feel like if he’s the one who caves first, Knock Out would be like ‘What?! First Starscream and now you?!’ and the idea of being stuck on that warship surrounded by the amazing company of Dreadwing, Soundwave, and Megatron with neither Breakdown nor Starscream around—when they’re both out cavorting TOGETHER—would piss him off sooo bad.

He’d probably fight tooth and nail to convince Breakdown he is being INSANE and they should stay in the nice comfy warship instead of scrounging around in the dirt with an ex-commander who CAN’T EVEN FLY ANYMORE (BD being like ‘What? Can’t you just fix him though?’ and KO being like ‘…’), but Breakdown seems like someone who commits when he sets his mind to something, so Knock Out would have to either seethe or fold.

It does seem like the three of them (SS, BD, and KO) would fly solo from then until Rising, though, as you said—and if Starscream was able to get the Apex Armour, red energon, and omega keys ON HIS OWN, having a mad doctor and his lackey would make the operation smoother, I think 😭 It’d also mean SS would have no reason to return to the Nemesis again, since he only does so in canon cuz it’s the best option for his survival. It’s also fun to imagine these three as a team of rogue loose cannons—maybe aligning with the Autobots more than not, just to spite Megatron LMAO

But in terms of it just being Knock Out and Starscream, post-Breakdown’s death, I can imagine if staying on the Nemesis became dangerous for KO, he’d leave. REAL WINNERS QUIT!!! JUST WALK OUT! Maybe it’s a timeline where Shockwave returns on his own, and Megatron finds out about KO’s attempt on his life in collusion with Starscream while the latter is still MIA… With another mech who can act as a doctor on board, does MG really need the conniving one? 🤨 KO is never taking things seriously anyway, and he’s not loyal like Dreadwing, Shockwave, Soundwave, and the insecticons are. Perhaps it’s time to simply throw him overboard and leave his continued function in Primus’s hands…

(KO could “IF IT SUCKS HIT THE BRICKS!” before that happens, but it could also lead to a funny scenario where he gets injured cuz he does, in fact, get tossed off the side of the Nemesis, and Starscream has to catch him before he hits the ground—either by frantically calibrating his groundbridge with the right coordinates, or maybe his t-cog was repaired in the interim [either shoddily at his own hands or by KO / Ratchet] and he just like. Slams into KO at 800 km/h as a plane.)

A lot of scattershot ideas, but hopefully you found some use / inspiration in them! :D Thank you again for the lovely ask ♥️

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Adventurer's Bible Characters Part 4

Kabru and his party

Kabru

Kabru is a major character in the story, but there were still so many things in his section that were new surprises to me.

His birthday is May 28.

First thing of note is his real name is unknown. Kabru always puts on a fake personality to get close to people. It's no surprise he'd also be using a fake name. There are moments in the flashback in chapter 61 where Milsiril said his name. That could either mean he lied to her about his real name, or he told us a slightly altered story similar to how Mithrun's backstory was actually Kabru's retelling of events.

His birthplace is the western continent. So he's from somewhere near where the Canaries are from as well.

He doesn't like elf cakes. Milsiril fed him elf cakes. He probably just doesn't like them because of the association.

Got surprised to learn he can use magic. Aside from the wildcard stat, they're exactly the same as Laios's. The parallel would be better if Kabru's wildcard was also "People skills".

Kabru's magic repertoire is the same as Laios's. The only time he ever used magic was chapter 83 when he mentions he'll need to use waterwalk to escape. The notes say he gets worn out from casting magic.

His mother was suspected of infidelity because of his eye color. I never paid any mind about his eyes. Their shade tended to be somewhat inconsistent especially early on when he was portrayed as a far more sinister and antagonistic figure.

A lot of details about Kabru's combat skills and stats seem to emphasize that the reason he can't make it through the dungeon while Laios was able to conquer it was the lack of experience, knowledge, and ingenuity needed to do so. Kabru's stats are the same as Laios's, and he actually has formal training in sword use. Kabru knows how to properly wield a two-handed sword, unlike Laios. But Kabru's combat experience is entirely about fighting people. He doesn't know enough about individual monsters to fight them efficiently.

And despite their magic potential being the same, Laios is able to use magic without wearing himself out too much. He only just learned to cast but he's able to cast healing magic on himself a few times before getting sick.

And of course, ingenuity and creativity are what ultimately helped Laios the most. He's the only adventurer who considered eating monsters and foraging in the dungeon would work. He takes bits of information and can concoct plans that no one would ever consider and would call him insane for trying.

Recall that when Kabru encountered mermaids, he went with the standard solution of using earplugs and that got his party wiped by a fishman ambush. Laios instead decided to sing with the mermaids and it kept him and Chilchuck from being hypnotized.

I said it multiple times when we first saw him in combat, and I'll say it again. Kabru is an assassin. He's not an adventurer. Kabru knows how to kill people, but the moment he's facing something that doesn't have the same weaknesses, he's out of ideas. He doesn't have the creativity needed to survive in a dungeon.

There's a year between Kabru reaching the island and forming a party. That was probably the time where he tried getting in contact with Laios and it would have been before Marcille came to the island and joined Laios's party. I kind of wander how things would be different if he'd managed to talk to Laios and potentially get into his party. He was with Rin at the time so she could have potentially gotten to join as a mage, but there wouldn't have been room for Kabru.

Several of Kabru's notes on others are just observations. In particular, he doesn't seem to have any opinions about Daya, Holm, and Kuro. Also, Kabru can apparently speak kobold, and Rin is tsundere for him.

Kabru's mantras are "I've been waiting for ages for somebody to unmask them", "Was she worth going to such lengths to revive?" and "I have a really bad feeling." I'd some his mantras up as "Always assume people are hiding something. Know them enough that you can disarm them with words."

And the Kabru comic just adds another big surprise about him. He had a childhood fear that he was part monster.

He only mentioned his eye color and the trauma surrounding how it caused his family to fall apart as part of this. The notes on him mention his mother sometimes drunkenly complained about the situation. I think some of his fear is also rooted in what happened in Utaya. The dead turned into monsters. He's seen people change into monsters, so maybe he was afraid that might happen to him as well.

Genetics is more complex than what you're taught in biology 101, but it's enough to explain Kabru's eye color. Brown eyes are dominant genes while blue eyes are recessive. If Kabru has blue eyes and both of his parents have brown eyes, then that would mean both of his parents had a brown eye and blue eye allele and Kabru inherited the blue eye gene of both.

Milsiril's attempts to assure Kabru implies that elves and Tall-men have the same genetic rules about inheriting eye and hair color.

Milsiril taught Kabru how to fight. And she specifically taught him how to fight humans. Since the Canaries are tasked with conquering dungeons, there probably has to be someone specialized in human-to-human combat so they can quickly kill the Dungeon Lord (or anyone who gets in the way). Mithrun is probably the person with that role in the story. When fighting monsters, he preferred to immediately teleport them away. And when they faced Marcille, he said he'd kill her and ordered the others to handle the monsters.

Helki did not like being used as a training dummy.

We've seen succubi in the story and they're capable of turning into men or women. The succubus demons being the ones that look like women means that the exploration teams that discovered them were all men (or lesbians).

Knowing Laios, this childhood story makes Kabru cooler in his mind.

Mikbell

His birthday is February 22. And he is correctly gendered here. It probably helps that the bio says he's male. He kind of hasn't been referred to by name since chapter 56.

His bio opens up with the most important thing about him: Why he hates Chilchuck. And it's because he thought Chilchuck's guild was some sort of scam.

Mikbell's relation to Kuro is a bit toxic. He's afraid Kuro would abandon him if he didn't have anything Kuro needs, which really says more about Mikbell's past experiences and thoughts. He saved Kuro from a slaver and Kuro killed the slaver when he threatened Mikbell. If Kuro became self-reliant, he would still stick with Mikbell and help him.

Kuro

Kuro was born September 22.

His bio says he wanted to see the world when he was captured and sold to slavers. His bio says he is from the Western Continent, but Mikbel found him in Kahka Brud in the Eastern Continent. He's been taken far.

Kuro's real name is Yodan. He probably has trouble saying his real name in common. I thought I'd look up the characters in his name to see if there's anything interesting, like maybe a barking pun. His name is entirely in katakana, and "wan" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog barking. Da (ダ) and wa (ワ) look kinda similar I guess so maybe?

And yeah, he was snarling at Izutsumi because he sensed her chimera-esque body. I didn't find him interacting with Lycion. I'd like to know if he'd hate him because of the beastman magic or if he'd like him because he's a fellow dog.

Kabru can indeed speak kobold and Kuro is quite eloquent in his native tongue. And here's a fun detail about kobold speech in Japanese: The kanji are laid out and have to be read left-to-right, top-to-bottom like in most western styles. Kobold is also mostly in katakana.

Daya

The party member with the least focus through the story. She was born January 7.

She's from the same tribe as Namari. But based on some backstory info, it's probably more like she joined the dwarf community at the Island rather than being related in any way. The two of them probably would not get along.

She's currently betrothed. That's interesting.

Her real name is Diamond. Daya is probably just the first two katakana that would spell diamond.

The Shadow Lord is Daya's first cousin once-removed, which means he's the cousin of one of her parents. He introduced Daya to Kabru and I have to question why he did that? Did Kabru get into the Shadow Lord's good graces and he thinks Kabru is going to conquer the dungeon? Or was it more like he knew Kabru was trying to form a party and he just passed the notice to her?

And another interesting thing about the world that is a thing but is irrelevant to the story.

I want to know what Dungeon Keepers are. Do dwarfs live in the dungeons and the keepers are border security? Are they guarding a dungeon that previously grew too big like Utaya and making sure that doesn't happen again? Are they doing this because they don't want the elves to muscle in on their territories? Does every dungeon in dwarf territory have dungeon keepers?

Holm

Birthday is August 3.

What do you mean he researched ancient magic and has been previously arrested by the elves?!? Ancient magic research is kind of a big deal in the story!!! Does he know anything about the nature of dungeons? He didn't show any interest in Marcille knowing Ancient Magic even as Laios and Shuro were screaming at each other because of it.

I'd pointed out that he has what appears to be a sylph in the chapter 38 title image, and now it's confirmed that he does indeed have one of every elemental spirit. Fire spirits are called a salamanders and Holm's is named Catzie. His sylph is Clarier.

I'm curious how Holm would feed his other spirits mana, especially the salamander.

The joke at the end is that the undine is made up from all sorts of bodily fluids and Mikbell and Kuro using it as a shower is actually really gross. But honestly, water is water. Holm's words imply it only absorbs the water from whatever bodily fluids it eats. An undine is probably the cleanest water you could ever wash yourself in.

Rin

Her birthday is July 8.

She's ethnically an east islander, but she was actually born in the Northern Continent. She's probably from somewhere near Laios's village since her parents suffered an even more extreme persecution for magic use than Falin did. Falin was probably "safe" because she was the daughter of the village chief. Rin's family didn't have any such status and they were foreigners on top of that.

Kabru met Rin in 501 so that's likely when her parents were lynched and she was taken into Flamela's custody. And I 100% believe that the rumors about Rin's parents using ancient magic was false. It was just a bunch of superstitious people spreading rumors and inciting violence against foreigners with strange customs.

Helki was still part of the Canaries a few years after Utaya. And he's the one who told Milsiril about Rin. So he ultimately was responsible for Kabru and Rin meeting.

Rin's experience with elves is probably far more common than Kabru's. They're both refugees from a tragedy related to a dungeon, but Rin was taken in as a prisoner to interrogate. Flamela straight up called her an "impounded article".

Honestly though, Kabru and Rin's situations are two different results of the same mindsets. They were both treated more like animals than people by their caretakers. The only difference is Kabru was treated more like a kitten taken in by a cat lover, while Rin was treated more like a stray animal caught by animal control.

Everyone in Kabru's party has died at least once. Kabru, Daya, and Holm all died to things on the second floor. Rin and Mikbell's first deaths were to traps. Kuro's could have been anywhere.

Here's what I imagine are the series of events:

Kabru and Rin tried to run the dungeon by themselves and Rin got killed by a trap on the first floor. Then they decided to hire Mikbell and Kuro came along too. And then Mikbell screwed up disarming a trap and got killed on the first floor. Then Kuro tripped and fell on the way back. Then they got Daya and Holm. The party managed to reach the second floor and they suffered a total party wipe.

back

[drivestraight]

i think kod is the kind of crazy so many layers type of fic that needs a reread (and not just because it’s like electrifyingly good) because upon my first read of kod i felt bad for lando but not THAT bad for him but then on my reread when i started noticing more parallels and making more connections and stuff, it really hit me what kind of place he is in.

obviously the most significant thing being racing, his wdc chances are getting slimmer and slimmer because of max which is always difficult to reckon with (who he anyways has kind of complicated feelings about) and then the only place away from all that is his personal life, where his best and closest mate is also drawing away from him because of the exact same person??

like everything important in his life is slowly tearing away and on a basic level, it is all because of max but then he also has to deal with the fact that he’s partly got himself to blame for it too, because at the end of the day he’s driving the car and he hasn’t been treating maxf as nicely as he should have which is a whole internal battle on its own. and he is a dog and he wants and he doesn’t get and he barks and he bites. and then the way the maxes (who he is both so weird about in general) act about it makes it even more difficult. but he’s not entirely a victim and the maxes aren’t villains abs everyone’s just kind of (metaphorically) getting fucked and (metaphorically) fucking each other and everything’s greyer than it seems but everything in this guys life, professional or personal, is really sucking and he is just Going Through It for a good while there so yeah it was a bit insane!

got a bit long but i think you wrote the whole fic like really brilliantly, balancing all the themes and weaving the plot points together very neatly. imo the lando of it all was a bit more subtle but like geniusly done considering how you managed to convey it through the obliviously unreliable maxv narration very awesome work from you thank you 👍👍

THANK YOU ❤️❤️

i've said this before, but i really do think that kod is probably the best fic i've written, and also like the most full of intent/careful fic i've written, in that nearly every single scene was fully thought out in the grander narrative of things even if i hadn't been actively intending it/despite the lightning speed in which i was writing it. it just all came together

re: lando. the complicated relationship he has with both maxes being noticed but glossed over in max's perspective, max noticing all of the physicality of lando but not taking the extra steps to figure out what it might mean to him on an emotional/mental level, her being a big part of his career, but also on a personal level, the first scene setting them up to be good friends, but also a sort of uncomfortable friction with how much they know about each other/how much they're willing to sort of cross boundaries with that knowledge (re: lando making fun of max with charles, re: max making those insensitive quips about lando and maxf).

and max the whole time keeping tabs on lando's points, how he's doing in the races, also keeping tabs on his mental, but not really going any further, again, to consider how he's feeling. always just keeping it impersonal - he's the competition, after all. it's not her responsibility to worry about how all of this is affecting him, and max's whole insensitivity toward just how stealing maxf from lando is a bad thing, how everyone sees it but her, but she's constantly wondering why everyone cares so much. it's the sort of refusal to see things from other people's perspectives, at least at the start, because she wants what she wants, and is it so bad that she's brave enough to go for it?

the lando of it all was something i was trying to carefully thread. while this fic came really easily/fast to me, one thing i sort of struggled with was how much of it to make lando's fault. i didn't want to make it all max just stealing maxf from lando for no reason other than the fact that she was into him. i wanted there to be some sort of catalyst, like her seeing the opening between lando and maxf, how lando wasn't really being a great friend to maxf, but i also needed there to be a reason for lando doing that (re: maxf Confessing his Undying love to lando and lando just not feeling the same way/not knowing what to do with it). and then also the comments made in austria which WEREN'T some sort of misogynistic statement that lando was making, but just actually what he said irl, but with an opening for it to be INTERPRETED that way (but really, he didnt mean it that way), and the sort of conclusion that anyone would come to, especially in a gender-mixed grid, that would elicit the sort of hurt response that max eventually came to. he was just in a bad place for a lot of it, doubled down by the fact that he was losing his best friend to the girl he was losing the championship to, so yeah.

SO THANK YOU ❤️ you fully got what i was going for. the lando of it all indeed was more subtle, because, again, this is max's unreliable narration. it's all there in the open and she NOTICES it, but she's not making the extra efforts to figure out what it means, but as a reader, hopefully, you see that lando was quite hurt by what was all happening, and then in chapter 2 especially, with all the comments about how maxv and lando, really, are quite similar in how they lash out/react to things when they're hurt and scared, it all coalesces

thank you for this lovely ask and thank you for giving my maxmax rarepair a chance ❤️🥹

[licorishh]

so uhhh happy valentine's day i suppose !!

shoves this in your face and runs away

so. uh. yyyyyeah. when i said i liked all interpretations of their dynamic equally i uh. i lied. and to be totally and completely and 100% honest with you it speaks volumes to the state of the internet that i have been legitimately afraid to say that like i've genuinely been debating and turning it over in my head and arguing with myself about it for days because i don't want people frickin' YELLING at me and telling me to off myself because i like a dadgum fictional ship but it's valentine's and my friend has been hyping up the crap outta me so i'm past the point of having a reasonable excuse to chicken out (and i know myself and if i don't do it today then i likely won't do it at all)

anyway words actually cannot express how obsessed i am with post-o66 aus in which they stay together (largely because i so completely refuse to believe they'd be willing to split up after THAT, ESPECIALLY that soon) so yeah shoutout to the softest fluffiest gut-punch-iest pair in the galaxy to whom everything bad has happened but who stay silly despite the horrors

[moeblob]