#too attached to the canon verse

[johnslittlespoon]

curtbucky

[wreckedhoney]

Surprise! Another horror movie cliché has emerged, and there's a third accomplice involved in Whistling Night!! If this were the case,

Some thoughts on the whole idea under the cut, with some heavy spoilers for one of the endings as well \o/ Feel free to reply with other suggestions or why you chose one of the poll options

A few things can really tickle the possibility. I think the one most players/viewers hone in on are the explosives? Then again, they could learn to make one rather than have a supplier.

Though the bit near the end of the game where The Whistling Man locks Forrest from entering the basement on his way back to the DJ Booth - it can just be a video gamey thing that's choreographed a lil silly (and i'm all for simplicity as well), but it's fun to think that maybe…Forrest could've been in close proximity to TWO whistling men that night 👀

There's also the ending where Henry shows remorse, Forrest's dialogue implying he's under the impression Henry might not have actually killed anyone yet. I don't know how likely it is that Henry hasn't?? But if Henry can actually be steered into a reluctant accomplice narrative, then maybe someone more willing to do the slicing has been working with Marie all along!

Tbh it's all just fun conjecture, not really something I'd push as close canon, but it can be cool to think about nonetheless

[deiscension]

I've mentioned before that S.hi Q.ingxuan has codependent tendencies and usually said so in a light-hearted "haha yeah watch out she'll latch onto your muse like a leech" manner but it really is a major problem that sets her up for nothing but failure.

Everything she does, from the way she dresses to the way she handles her responsibilities, cries "look at me, look at me!" Some of it has to do with vanity and having been spoiled by her ge's attention, yes; she's pretty, she's kind, she's the lady wind master, so why shouldn't she be admired and adored? A good majority of it is just naturally how she is; even when keeping face, she's never once thought to hide the heart she so openly wears on her sleeve. If it were just those two facets of her personality, it wouldn't be so debilitating. But it's not. She does not know how to exist without being seen. It's not a lack of confidence in who she is as a person (she knows who she is- she thinks she knows -and she's so very confident in who she believes herself to be). But that confidence has a foundation based in there always being a hand to hold, always a back to hide behind, always a pair of arms to catch her when she falls, and if there's just one thing she knows how to do it's to be a persistent presence. Everyone needs someone else around, so it all works out quite nicely, doesn't it? She has no reason to believe otherwise.

[unblot]

@utsubotm : the first kiss is against his cheek, then another at his brow-- his forehead- his nose-- it continues until floyd stops to rub his face against azul's hair. he can't really curl around him the way he might had he been in his mer form. but both arms squeezing him in a hug will just have to do. / woe, flaz be upon ye

The sudden smothering is unexpected, but not entirely unprecedented. As opposed to his brother's preference of toying with his food before he eats it, Floyd often favors a more direct and hands on approach. Ordinarily Azul takes measures to prevent being either of their choice of prey, but Floyd just so happened to catch him off guard this time around. Yet even with all the measures he takes to be prepared every possibility, there's very little that could have helped him prepare for this.

Floyd's touch is overwhelming, Azul feeling the air leave his lungs like a helpless human dragged into the depths of the ocean. He drowns in Floyd's embrace, momentarily frozen & unable to fight against the sudden flood of something that had simply gone unspoken between them up until this point. Just as he starts to remember to breathe again, another biting kiss sears against his skin.

Floyd's placement of his kisses are not lost on Azul. Cheek, nose, brow, jaw, & so on. Practically every inch of exposed skin is accounted for, all except one. It confirms to Azul everything he already knows. This is not affection shared between loved ones, this is the attempted conquering of a predator upon prey. This is not love. This is possession.

Here they are at an impasse. Azul does not want to be claimed or controlled. And Floyd-- Floyd does not want Azul the way Azul wants to be wanted.

Floyd's grip slackens. At last Azul is able to find his breath again.

Their embrace ends just as abrupt as it started. Floyd is strong but Azul is stronger. So it's easy to pry the other off of him once he uses enough force.

The mer that Floyd is faced with now hardly resembles the suave & silver-tongued Octavinelle housewarden. In his place is a haughty & flustered octopus possesses all the clumsiness & idiocy expected of a teenage boy his age. His sleek hat has fallen from his head, the silver curls under it now disheveled and misshapen. Azul's glasses lay askew as well, threatening to fall off his nose before he hastily pushes them back up.

However, the most notable change to his appearance now is the deep blush painted across his cheeks and ears. A blush that Azul is doing everything in his power to ignore. Floyd may have succeeded in getting under Azul's skin, but he'll die before he relinquishes the power he's fought tooth & nail to possess. He won't let himself be devoured by anything or anyone, no matter how pleasant the sensation might have felt in the moment.

“ Floyd, settle down. ” Azul's voice is crisp, yet lacks its usual command as he steadily recovers from Floyd's ambush. “ There's no need to make such a spectacle in front of everyone. ”

It's only then does he even acknowledge the fact that they're not lone in the space. They may have closed for the night, but there are still a few bus boys cleaning a couple tables away, as well as a certain vice housewarden behind the bar. Even without looking he can feel his heterochromatic gaze on him, practically hear his low laughter.

That's all this is, isn't it? A joke, a game. Floyd only wants to make a mockery of him & undermine his authority. How stupid of him to be affected by childish antic. No matter, he won't lose himself next time. Floyd won't humiliate him like that again.

“ If you'll excuse me, I have to count the revenue made from today's sales. ” Azul smoothes out the creases from his suit, huffing quietly as he desperately tries to maintain his composure. “ Have a good evening, gentlemen. ”

With that he quickly strides in the direction of his office as fast as his puny human legs can carry him, careful not to spare a glance in Floyd's direction as he exits. Azul won't let him get the last laugh, he won't acknowledge the gleeful smile he's certain Floyd is baring him with that deadly maw of his.

Therefore he's unaware of the truth that lay behind him, turning his back on it without a second thought. And with the overworked bus boys focusing on their cleaning, the only one to witness the frown that falls on Floyd's face as Azul departs is Floyd's own twin.

[theha1r]

btw the reason like three of my verses weren't on that starter call (single dad au, zombies & harry potter) is bc single dad au is just generally kind of a more selective verse for me, zombies verse is lowkey on pause rn until we get more of an idea on what z4 is doing with vampires & harry potter is basically a by request only verse -

but like - they're not off limits. just - selective - aside from zombies bc i really am probably not writing much in that until we at least get a z4 trailer or more info/a more detailed plot summary

[gloireceleste]

even though the blog is inactive, @dominiodei has left such a imprint on my dominion lucifer that i will keep the canon of that god being his father and lucifer reacting to any other god as an alternate universe one.

[ambrosiagourmet]

Rin Masterpost

Rin! Rinsha Fana! Beloved side character I think about far too much (or maybe not enough?)

I decided that it might be nice to put together an informational post about Rin, since she has some of my favorite background details of any character in Dungeon Meshi. This is partly as reference for myself, and partly for anyone else who might be interested in her but not know where to chase down the tidbits we we get of her, both in canon & extra materials. There’s also a little bit of theorizing and analysis sprinkled in for fun.

If anyone spots something I missed, please let me know and I will add it in!

Alright. Time for ultimate #rinposting

History and Timeline:

We don't have an official timeline for Rin (even in the expanded Adventurer's Bible, sadly), but we can put a lot of pieces together based on Kabru's timeline & their respective ages.

Rin is 2 years older than Kabru, and they met when he was 9. Assuming that he met her soon after she was taken to the elven capital, that means that the elves took her when she was 11.

Before that, she lived on the Northern Continent. Interestingly, when Mickbell asks about Shuro, Rin says she was born "here."

Since "here" doesn't mean the actual Island itself, it must mean simply "not the east." She is described in the Adventurer's Bible as having "no real knowledge of or attachment to the East," so maybe that's why she draws a "there" verses "here" line.

I'd also like to add a note here that the elves don't seem uh... they don't seem great about respecting the value of other cultures, especially those of short-life species. Milsiril seems to have discouraged Kabru from eating or remembering food from his hometown, at least, and that's even as an adoptive parent who cares (at least in some way) for her child. As I will touch on later, the "care" that Rin was under probably had even less respect for her history or ties to either Eastern or Northern culture.

That is all to say, considering that Rin spent many years with the elves, I'd take her having "[no] attachment to the East" as more of a comment on how she feels now, and less as a definite choice she made. She may genuinely have chosen that approach and opinion for herself, she may have been pushed towards it by the elves, and she may have had little choice at all in the matter - all are valid interpretations, though I personally lean towards the thought that it's unlikely the elves didn't have at least some hand in it.

Anyway, Rin does seem to know at least a bit about her heritage - she can presumably name and identify the specific island her parents are from, and she recognizes that "Shuro" isn't a name used there. She also knows that different places from the Eastern archipelago speak different languages, so she knows at least a little about the other islands as well.

Some additional extrapolations I'll make based on these facts: she never mentions, and probably isn't in contact with, any family from her island. This may be because her extended family died, because her parents didn't (or weren't able to) maintain contact, or because she lost contact when she was taken by the elves. Somewhat relatedly, she also prooobably doesn't speak the language, at least not fluently, though her being able to comment on the state of language in the archipelago makes me think that she at least learned a little as a kid.

Anyway, Rin's parents were refugees from the archipelago, though we don't know what specifically caused them to leave. There is this little tidbit of info we get (from the cover of chapter 48, of all places), though:

So yeah, that seems like it would be the backdrop of Rin's parents fleeing. As I said earlier, it's unclear if Rin might have any living family left back on her island. The listing she has for “family” in the Adventurer's Bible is just a dash, but so is Izutsumi's, for instance, and we know that she was taken from her family with no knowledge of who might still be out there. It's possible everyone else was killed, it's possible they were separated... it's possible that Rin's parents didn't even know.

As an additional note, and this is speculation on my part, but I think there is an argument to be made, with this tidbit from the cover as well as the Nakamoto clan's specialty in espionage and use of ninjas, that the politics of the archipelago are partially based on Sengoku era Japan. Not necessarily super relevant here, but I think it's interesting context for all... of the archipelago characters, honestly.

(Especially considering it seems like the Nakamoto clan is in a relatively comfortable position, and yet clearly are involved, or at least prepared to be involved in larger conflict. How stable is their position, really? How is Shuro's father viewed by the wider region and archipelago as a whole? What about his lord? NOT THE POINT THIS IS A POST ABOUT RIN. BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.)

Okay, back to Rin's parents.

Whatever caused them to leave, they made their way to the north, where they made their living with their magic for a time. There are no specifics about what kind of magic they used, but we know at least some examples of jobs that magic can get you, based on the flashback to Laios and Falin's childhood in chapter 26. Laios proposes that Fain could use her magic to be a priest, gravekeeper, or wandering exorcist. Though these are specific to Falin's affinity with spirits, they give some idea of the shape of the work that might be available. It's important, but it is also on the outskirts of society - not necessarily admired or appreciated by the average person.

And Rin’s parents were killed by vigilantes for that magic. It's not entirely news that superstitious villages in the area would sometimes kill magic users - we see a small drawing of people being burned at the stake in a panel towards the end of the manga:

Nonetheless, Rin is the only person in the main cast who has experienced this brutality firsthand. And she did experience it firsthand, having been found by the elves as the sole survivor within the burnt ruins of her home.

It is unknown exactly how she survived, or what happened to her parents before and during the fire. Rin lived, and they did not.

The elves came some time after the fire, intending to investigate reports of ancient magic. They (and we) don't know if Rin's parents actually did use ancient magic, or if the reports and murders were simply spurred by general fear and superstition. Rin was the only piece of "evidence" that remained, and so she was taken back to the west with the elves when they left.

We don't know much about her time on the Northern Central Continent (where the elves/Canaries are based), but it doesn't seem like she was adopted or taken in by anyone the way that Kabru was. According to the Adventurer's Bible, after being taken into custody, "under their care she was treated as a captive animal would be." I would guess that means very basic food and shelter, little to no education. Probably the most social contact she got was from Kabru, as well as maybe, occasionally, from elves treating her as a curiosity, such as in this bit in the Adventurer’s Bible:

Assuming she left with Kabru (which seems like it is the case, there's no info about them having separated during that time), she spent 9 years with the elves, and has been with Kabru on the Island in the 4 years since then.

She also stays in the Golden Country after the end of the story, apparently working as an apothecary.

Additional Details (& Speculation):

What does she remember of her family and home?

I'd like to take a moment here to explore a little of what Rin might remember of her parents and home.

For reference, we can look at Kabru. The canaries came to Utaya when Kabru was 6, and he arrived in the capital when he was 7. He remembers the events of the tragedy in his home, and has some memories of his mother and life in Utaya, including memories of local dishes.

Rin lost her parents and home at 11, so she presumably has much clearer memories of the events that lead to her being taken by the elves... or she might, assuming that they haven't been completely blocked by her trauma from the event.

Yeah, I am fairly damn sure that she's got some memory issues from trauma and PTSD. For one, this is the state she was found in:

As already mentioned, she was also treated like something of an animal by the elves. She probably didn't have a lot of contact with other people, which would further perpetuate that sense of isolation and dehumanization. What I'm getting at here is that Rin probably didn't have much to help pull her out of this place, or heal these wounds. She had Kabru, who was also a kid and even younger than her, and she had herself.

Obviously trauma leaves different scars on everyone, and everyone responds and copes in different ways. But I do think it is interesting that we never hear anything about Rin's parents or life before the elves, and there are no real details about it given in the Adventurer's Bible the way we have for Kabru. What's presented is more surface level facts: they were refugees, they made a living with magic, they were killed.

I'm inclined to believe that things are laid out this way because that's how Rin holds on to these things. She knows things about them, but possibly remembers them more as things she was told/knows to be true, rather than actual memories she can picture herself experiencing.

Rin's Magic

In an interesting counterpoint to her potentially spotty memory, I do actually think Rin may have learned magic from her parents (or started learning, and was self-taught from there). She never attended a magic academy, and actually has a bit of grudge against people who did - owing to the social protection afforded to "upper-class mages," which her parents did not have. She also almost certainly wouldn't have been taught by the elves, who not only treated her as an animal but also knew her parents may have been involved with ancient magic.

Falin began to show signs of magical talent at 8, and was sent to the Magic Academy at 10, and that was as someone who had absolutely no guidance about or exposure to magic in her home town. Raised by two mage parents, I think Rin absolutely could have been learning some things by the time she was 11.

In terms of continued learning, I'll add that Rin is able to identify Marcille's magic as being A) from an Academy student, and B) cast by an elf:

This makes me think that she continued to study magic on her own while held by the elves, and probably even more so after leaving with Kabru. They didn't form the party until two years after they left the elves, which would give Rin plenty of time to try and learn from other adventurers on the Island, or to study up on her own. She'd probably be able to pick up some dungeon-crawling basics (like the water walk spell), as well as become familiar with the skill level and expression of skill common in different people with different backgrounds (hence why she is able to comment on the "textbook" academy wards).

Much like Marcille, Rin also seems to rely on a 'one size fits all' Big Boom method of dealing with monsters: lightning. We see the best example of its power in the fight with Chimera Falin:

But we also see her cast it pretty recklessly in a few other places, including the end credits of the new anime ED, which I think provides a good example of the downsides to such an approach...

Yeah, it is very much a 'get out of the way or get zapped' spell.

Especially since Marcille's offensive magic is self-taught and works very similarly, this definitely reinforces the idea that Rin figured most of this stuff out herself.

Outfit and Character Design

Dear sweet Rin of the Red And Black... how I love her design.

First of all, her clothes are damaged. Despite the fact that Rin looks relatively well put together overall, her outfit is worn out. I have some theories on why this is that I'll get to in a bit, but for now I'll just touch on what this design communicates in general about it.

I think, just like with Kabru's horribly messy room, it creates a sense that there is something more complicated underneath the surface. Something that isn't being addressed or seen to, just as the dress hasn't been mended or replaced.

It also reflects her not caring a ton about her appearance. She's neat, but she's not concerned about being pretty, so she doesn't bother with fixing up her outfit after her dungeon crawls. This also fits with her perpetual scowl (which I will talk more about in a bit), and slightly disheveled hair.

Next: the gloves. At first I thought they might be a sort of uncomfortable-with-touch thing, but after skimming through the manga and some bonus content, I have another theory. Rin takes the gloves off to eat, as well as a few other instances, such as when working on a spell with Holm and Marcille in chapter 36

This one is especially interesting because she has them on in the next chapter, during the fight with Falin. Since she also isn't wearing gloves during some of the Daydream Hour art of her outside of the dungeon, that leads me to believe that they are specifically for combat.

What does she need them for, though? Most other casters we see don't wear gloves. Well... just look at the other half of the page where she attacks Falin with lightning:

She is enveloped by this spell. I said it before was pretty reckless magic, but maybe its not just a problem for her teammates, but for her as well.

So here's my theory: maybe the gloves are rubber, or some other electricity-resistant material? They might help protect her from her own magic. I don't know why a caster would need gloves for combat otherwise.

I also think this might be why her dress is tattered at the bottom, by the way. Especially since the Daydream Hour genderswap design doesn't have a similar problem with his outfit, since the tunic isn't as long.

I will admit this is a bit of stretch/guess, but I think it's a fun one, and I wanted to share. I do think I'm right about the gloves being for dungeons/fighting specifically, at least. That seems pretty consistent throughout all of her appearances.

I also mentioned her scowl, so I'll touch on that briefly as well. The (fairly confirmed) explanation for Rin's expression is that she intentionally wears a frown to prevent her other expressions from showing through. I think it's important to emphasize that it's not just smiling that she is trying to suppress here - it's any strong emotion:

Anyway, because I can, here is the art of Rin smiling.

Rin and Kabru

I have talked a bit about Rin and Kabru's history, but I think it deserves its own section.

I think it's very interesting that Rin is pretty much the ONLY character in all of Dungeon Meshi that has explicit canonical romantic interesting in someone. It's literally part of the main summary sentence in her character profile.

This could be sort of reductive as a way to describe a female character (and in some ways it still is), but I think in part the simplicity and directness of it actually is part of what makes it so interesting. Especially when on the very next page we see the comic about her backstory. "This mage is in love with Kabru" -> one page of a horribly traumatic event and a child frozen in shock with no one to comfort her. What does that do?

Well, in my opinion, it shows how much Rin focuses on Kabru as something to keep her in the present. In contrast with the immense loss she has experienced, her love for Kabru is current and alive. He has presumably been her anchor for years, and I think that her love is part of that anchor.

Adding to this, in contrast with how explicit her feelings are, she never seems to actively pursue Kabru. She complains about his potential interest in other women, but she doesn't really flirt. She doesn't let herself smile around him any more than anyone else, and she doesn't hide her bitterness or anger from him to present a more appealing persona.

As much as she craves Kabru's attention, and has stayed by his side for years, I don't know that she really wants to possess him. He seems to know about her feelings, more or less, and she seems to know that he knows. Maybe she believes he doesn't reciprocate and is respecting that, maybe she's afraid of what she could lose if she tried to change things, or maybe the change itself frightens her. In any case, though she's not exactly happy with the way things are between them, she doesn't seem to be trying to change that status quo.

A specific thing I'd also like to talk about with their relationship, beyond Rin's love for him, is her fear for him. As the Adventurer's Bible puts it, "she worries that his knack for dealing with whatever life throws at him might lead him to get too full of himself and end up in serious trouble."

Rin is an interesting mix of restrained and explosive, herself. Her magic is destructive, her temper seems to run hot (she gets annoyed easily, at least), and her feelings for Kabru are apparent. At the same time, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face, she is the one who bluntly states that the group has hit the limit of their abilities, and she doesn't act on those obvious feelings for Kabru. It's interesting, then, that what she fears for Kabru is that he won't restrain himself.

And a small personal idea about that as well: I wonder if she somewhat blames her parents for getting killed. Again, this is very speculative, but I think it's interesting that her fear for Kabru is that he will get too full of himself. Take up too much space. It's never really stated what Rin thinks of her parents, but it can be easy in grief to search for control, and control often means blame. If they hadn't been so confident, so flashy, would they still be alive...?

I don't know if she's ever thought like that, and it could well be that her fears for Kabru come from a totally different place. But it's an interesting connective thread between her past and present - the idea of "getting in trouble" for taking up too much space and being too confident in one's own abilities.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

On that note, I'd like to wrap up the main part of this post, and move on to a few extra things that I couldn't find another place for.

Rin plays with her hair when she's stressed

Using stressed as a pretty big umbrella here, because I think it's hard to perfectly pin down all the emotions at play, but it is a habit of hers. Best displayed in chapter 32, but it shows up in other places, too.

Her design contrasts with Marcille

This is a small thing, but I just love how much they are visual opposites.

Rin wears red and black and has dark hair, Marcille wears blue and white and has light hair. Marcille cares a great deal for her hair and puts it up in elaborate hairstyles, and Rin's is mostly loose and a bit messy. Marcille was even educated at the Magic Academy, which Rin dislikes. They both have little capelets. Also they both look very cute in each other's clothes.

Rin knows Flamela (and they meet again in canon)

Nothing much is done with this in canon, but I think it’s super interesting that Flamela's squad are the ones that find Rin as a child and take her away to the west, and then they end up stuck in the dungeon together for a bit.

Two days??? I'm so very curious what things were like between these three.

Aaaand I think that's all I have to say about Rin! For the time being at least. There's a lot more analysis that could be done about her and Kabru especially, but for this post I wanted to keep things at least somewhat anchored to canon facts, with only a layer or two of speculation on top.

If it isn't already obvious, I think Rin is a super interesting character with a ton of potential depth to explore. She mostly interacts with Kabru in canon, but has ties to a bunch of other characters: she and Marcille fill similar roles in their parties but have differing personalities and histories, she and Falin (and Laios) have been tremendously shaped by xenophobia and fear of magic common in the Northern Continent, her parents fled from conflict in the same region Shuro and his retainers are from, and she has history with Flamela and some of the second canary squad.

Her temper, her fear, her love... her repression and passion - they all inform her character, even in small ways, even with as little time as she spends on the page.

[ninjaturtlemaniac]

Part 1 Trolls Headcanons/ Theories/ Thoughts/ Ideas

Part2 Part3 Part4 Part5 Part6 Part7 Part8 Part9 Part10

Trolls - in general Trolls are pretty rare outside their usual kingdoms and it's considered good luck to meet one.

Brozone - drastically changed their looks coz they hate that they used to dress the same.

Bruce - one of those dads who would get a new barbeque and show off all the cool features to the other local dads.

Bruce - "No kids, we're not keeping that stray animal, end of story, no way..." - 1 week later and he's giving it kisses and building it an over the top kennel with a heated blanket and a water fountain.

Bruce - (canon?) carried all their eggs, indirect reason why his hair is so big. (Side note - I read somewhere someone called all their kids 'The Bakers Dozen' and I frigging love that)

Floyd - solo career after he left Brozone - all his songs were PINK FLOYD SONGS! (Maybe that could've been his stage name?)

Floyd - his hair is naturally pink but JD made him make it redder because 'we're a boyband and pink is a girls colour'

John Dory - has embarrassing baby pictures of his brothers as leverage

John Dory - over-exaggerates his retellings of stories "I fought off 30 no no no 40 snakes with one hand behind my back."

John Dory - always casually asking Poppy, Brandy and Viva to marry him, over small things too "Brandy, these pancakes are delicious, marry me."

Clay - writes long and very detailed critical reviews of restaurants

Clay - has reading glasses. Probably the ones that attach magnetically at the nose ridge.

Clay - labels everything (labelmaker is to Clay as Gary is to Branch)

Clay - very into color coded itineraries and always know everyone's business "Poppy is currently at Smidge's pod doing her hair" "How could you possibly know that?" "I have my sources."

Clay - also a notary and registered marriage celebrant

Clay - hair was always naturally green but JDs hair was already green. JD said he had to be yellow for the band, they needed that color coordinated group vibe.

Clay - has drafts for his own book series

Clay - actually plays golf

Clay - gets clumsy when trying to impress someone he admires (imagine him meeting King Peppy and he just knocks things over)

Clay - competitive af - brothers know better than to verse him at anything - has an over the top victory dance

Viva - that concept art of tiny Viva is the age she was when they escaped the Troll Tree. So like 15 maybe?

Viva - wants to make up for all the missed holidays/birthdays/parties with Poppy so she is constantly popping out from places with gifts yelling SURPRISE!

Branch - for Pop Trolls - being in a famous singing group is the equivalent of being a recognized expert in your field. So the fact that Branch is in TWO famous boy bands is like he has several PhDs.

Branch - Kismet formed inside a group home for Trollings

Poppy and Vivas mother - my theory is that they managed to keep princess Viva a secret from the Bergens. They chose the Queen for Trollstice when they discovered what they thought was her first egg. The Troll Tree escape plan came about when Chef promised the new royal trolling for the young Bergen prince.

[bookmaker-untaken]

you're ugly, you're disgusting - give me 200 horses

Suo Hayato x Reader // Mythology AU

Summary: To marry you, a suitor must beat you in hand-to-hand combat. Or do whatever the fuck Suo did instead.

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, OOC!Suo, Probably (Look, I Tried), Misogyny

Word Count: 1, 953

i. 

Contrary to popular belief whispered throughout the steppe, you do not hate men.

But, by god, are they a stupid bunch.

There is this story your Father liked to tell after a few drinks, of you, as a toddler, gripping a snake by the throat and happily slamming him into the ground, repeatedly.

So why are men always surprised when they end up in the same spot?

Your most recent challenger groans from the ground, dust settling around him. 

"Three...two...one!"

The fight master holds up your hand once more and you grin. 

Behind you, there is familiar laughter and clapping, your Father waving you back to the cushioned seat near him. 

"That's my daughter! A force to be reckoned with!" 

He claps a hand on your back and shakes you a little and you smirk.

The man with the eyepatch and expensive clothes lowers his cup of honey wine, a tranquil smile adoring his features. "Your fighting technique is quite impressive."

You look over at him, up then down. His robes make it hard to tell what kind of stature he has, hard to tell what kind of fighter he might be. 

"Most men still challenge me afterwards. I hardly receive compliments."

"Fight you?" He laughs, and the small jewel attached to the eyepatch quivers. "I would most certainly lose."

You give him a look out of the side of your face. Somehow, you know he's bluffing. He might put up a good fight at the very least, and that in itself would be a miracle. 

"You are wise, Suo! My daughter is well versed in combat!" 

You watch this Suo for his reaction. He shows you nothing, taking another sip of wine.

"You see, my daughter has one rule for suitors! They must beat her in hand-to-hand combat!"

"Oh?" He says, sounding genuinely interested. This, too, is rare.  "And what happens when they lose, as that man did?"

"They owe me a horse." You say, chin raised, daring him to speak ill of your methods as many often do.

"Huh." He says. "How many horses do you have?" 

"1,000." You say, smirk curving on the corner of your lips.

"Wow," He says, sounding genuinely impressed. "That is quite amazing!" 

"And a hassle! We hardly have room for them all," Your Father laughs.

 

ii.

The arrow sings through the breeze, hitting its perfect mark.

You're almost boring to watch with your accuracy and skill. 

The Merchant speaks to your Father under a richly colored tarp.

"You must forgive my daughter," You hear when you go to pick up more arrows. "She worries for me." 

"It's cute," Suo replies. 

Your face wrinkles in confusion and he laughs. 

"Don't let my daughter hear you say that," Your Father leans over, whispering conspiratorially. "She might bite your head off." 

"Right," You say loudly, another arrow piercing the bullseye. "Like that would be the optimal way of killing someone."

The smile on Suo's face remains, despite your dark joke.

iii.

The other girl scoffs and storms away, leaving your handmaiden and best friend Líu.

"What happened?"

Liú gives you a one armed shrug, putting another cloth into the basket at her hip. "Well, I told her I had my first time with my husband the other day,"

Your eyes widen. “How … how was it?”

“Somewhat underwhelming,”  Líu admits. “I think she was expecting more of a story?"                                                                                                              

You had the heard stories girls gossiped in the night. Sometimes horrifying, sometimes filthy, seldom in between.You supposed you had been wondering, even if you never asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my husband but ... it was just fine."

"'Just fine', huh.” You laugh, eyes crinkling. “So I suppose there really is no reason to stop throwing them into the dirt, then?”

Liú laughs. "I suppose not. But getting married wouldn't be the end of the world, either. Whichever you choose, I know it'll be true to you.”

"You have a lot of faith in me.” You say, puffing your chest.

“Of course!” 

iv.

Another day, another victory. 

The man hits the dust and you're already turning around to walk away, not seeing him scramble to grab a saucer from a plate and fling it at you.

But you do see the hand cast out before you, blocking your vision.

"Come now," Says Suo, smile taking an odd sort of edge. "There's no need to be a sore loser!" 

"You have good reflexes, Merchant," You say.

"Thank you!" Suo drops the saucer into your outstretched hand. 

"Though, you absolutely stole my thunder." 

"Sorry," He says, scratching his cheek. "My hand moved on my own."

"You're going to have to make it up to me," You say, still smirking. "Tomorrow. Archery grounds." 

v.

Suo is just as much of a challenge as you had predicted. 

You often tie. 

You await his return to visit your Father and give him a new challenge each time.

He's fantastic with a polearm, but often lets go of the arrow too early.

Your horses adore him, even the most stubborn old girls allowing him to feed them carrots. 

He tells you stories of his travels, and in exchange you regale him with your exploits.

vi.

"Your next challenger..." Your Mother says. "He's a good man."

"They often are?" You say with a quirk of the brow. You feel the trap closing in on you, even if you do not know what it is for. 

She sighs, seeing that such a method would not work on you. "I want you to throw the match."

"What?!"

You look to your Father, who says nothing. 

Your Mother continues. "He comes from a good family and - "

"What of our honor!" 

"This is honorable!"

You look again to your Father, who simply shrugs. "It is your decision in the end. I trust our judgment." 

You stand in front of the man considering the conversation from earlier.

“100 Horses.” He is saying. “I bet I could beat you.”

“The men before you said the same.”

He spits. “The men before me were nothing.”

You do not throw the match. 

vii.

On a later visit, you and Suo are returning from a hunt, when you tell that story.

You wait for his reply.

"Hm. Good."

You're surprised. 

"Hmm?”

"I just thought you would have taken more of a ... business minded approach?" 

"I think it was merciful," He said. "Any fighter worth their salt would have been able to tell if you threw a fight."

"Have you ever thrown a fight?" You ask. "Is that how you lost your eye?"

"Nothing nearly as interesting as that," He says smoothly. 

"Aww," You smirk.

"Is there an interesting reason you started fighting your suitors?"

"Because I have to," You say automatically, then seal your lips. It dawns on you that nobody has asked you that question before. "Well..."

You look up into the sky as you think. He doesn't need an answer, you know. And he doesn't deserve an explanation. But you've already started thinking. On one hand, it's instinctual - you cannot help but not go down easily. 

"My grandmother ... was taken from her home by a foreign prince, my grandfather. And on her deathbed, she longed for it."

Suo is silent, waiting. He watches you intently. 

"She made me promise as a little girl for that never to be my fate. To never let any man possess me. "

Suo looks at you for a long time. "I cannot claim to completely understand, but I do empathize." 

You make a sound in response.

“Though. It is a lot of weight to put on a child.” 

viii.

"So," Liú says. "Is there something going on with you and that Merchant?" 

You stop cleaning your sword for a second to look up at her, "You mean something other than friendly competition?"

"There are rumors,"

"You know how I feel about rumors." 

"I do!” She say, plopping down next to you. “Which is why I came to you instead,"

"Suo is great competition. More than the likes I've ever seen before."

"And that's it?" 

You pause. "Should there be more?"

"No," Liu says with a loose shrug. "There doesn't have to be." 

ix.

It's a sharp second, like a pinprick - attacks you suddenly like a bird of prey..

The sunlight hits Suo's hair just right and it's like it glows. 

A terror grips you by the back of the neck. 

You shove the feeling away and decide to deal with it another time. 

x.

And then the rumors start. 

The rumors that the reason your so object to marriage is that you are in a secret relationship with your Father.

You balk. It's ridiculous! Why would anybody believe such a thing! 

Your surprised when your Father calls you to his tent, full of onlookers.

"You must get married." 

You laugh. "You're going to let some silly rumor decide for you!? You might as well let it run your court as well!"

"No," He says. "I've let this charade go on for far too long. It's not fit for a young woman to remain unmarried like this."

"You're joking."

His face is unmoving. You realize he is not relenting. 

"Father. Father! You can't just offer my hand to some stranger! ... Please!"

He closes his eyes. "One year. You have one year to choose."

xi.

When Suo returns, he cannot find you. 

"She rides every day," Your Father tells him. "From dawn till dusk." 

When you return, you give him a smirk that doesn't meet your eyes. 

"What happened?"

You start to tell him, the emotions swimming in your eyes, but instead say, "Ride with me."

The moon illuminates your shadows.

You approach a shimmering lake, looking at its surface. "My father wishes for me to get married."

"Ah." 

"I -" You are crying. The tears that squeeze out of your eyes are of desperation. "I know of none who would wish to marry me of their own accord, so I am to be promised to a stranger."

Suo is silent.

"I have fought my whole life for my freedom and now I will be remembered for my failure!"

"You didn't fail." 

You look at him, crystalline tears still falling.

"You never lost." 

"But I did!" You say. "Because I fell for somebody!"

"Falling in love is not losing," He says. "And knowing you, knowing the decisions you make - the person you fell for would probably never have you give up on yourself. If they do, it isn't love."

"You don't understand!” You snap, fists forming at your side.”I do not know if I'll ever be able to love them like anyone else! I respect them! But what if it is not love? What if it is all I am capable of? You do not wish a life with me!"

"That is not for you to decide," Suo says, then after a moment, “Fight me.”

“What?”

“A King once told me that fighting is a conversation of one’s souls. You have something to tell me, don’t you? Fight me.”

You begin to walk from behind your horse. “You have to be serious.”

He nods. “I will.”

“Even if you think you can’t win.”

He begins to stand in a fighting position. “I’ll try.” 

You shift into your fighting position. "Then come!" 

The two of you lunge at each other. He’s faster than you are, and reflects most of your attacks, but when you finally manage to grapple him he hits the ground hard. The two of you dance along the moonlit shore to a rhythm nobody else will ever hear.

The two of you fall to the ground at the same time, panting and sweating. 

You laugh.

[cossmoluck]

FINALLY finished this

turns out soon means one week+ in my little lizard brain, that's cool

anyways!!! meg

megalo don content,,, food

also, as a treat for making myself take so much to finish this, some of my AU lore rambling thing under the cut (warning, pretty long)

in my design, most of his exterior Nitro armor is removable, being an extension of the augument inside his body, which pumps Nitro both through his lungs and bloodstream, crossing from front to back through his torso. His tubes would be attached to certain openings around his body, which could also have 'lids' put on for safe closing. Every area where the Nitro pumps directly into his body would have 'Nitro burn'- a less proeminent glow than the one in his fueled up form. I, as many others also do, like to think that his mask actually comes off (I haven't drawn him unmaksed yet, but I'll get to that too eventually). One headcanon I have is that when you take his medallion in game, what you take is actually his mask and use it.

For his body I went for a slightly leaner strongman build, as he doesn't seem way too bulky in his non-fueled form, but he's still considerably bigger than most others. I tried to give him a 'scarred shark' look, and gave him burn scars on one arm from a misfiring Nitro Fist hit accident

also his hair look so so fluffy in game and for WHAT

(note, this is all to be taken as an AU. i am by no means well versed enough in Fortnite lore to make something close to canon or actual on point headcanons lol,,, tl;dr at the bottom!!)

i feel like the whole theory with Meg and big chuggus being somehow related is true, but not necessarily in the way others present it usually i don't think they're snapshots of each other in any way, i just think that they've been basically created 'for the same purpose', maybe in the different 'realities?' I'm not 100% sure how the zero point reset worked considering Midas was technically the same and all

so let's say Chaos had created the Slurp legends and Slurp creatures back during the GHOST/SHADOW conflict i like to think that Meg might have been created sometime during then too- a more refined variant of the technology used on big chuggus, enough for him not to end up as brain dead as big chuggus himself (sorry big chuggus)

Megalo Don could have been a fleet leader for the naval forces, as he has an overall very reoccurring military theme with his insignia and stuff. Maybe he was hired by Chaos to aid him and willingly allowing Chaos to modify him into the 'perfect leader', boosted by slurp into near perfection I believe his Oasis style would be what his 'original' look was, with Slurp coursing through his pumps instead of Nitro

so how did he turn into the Meg we know? during the GHOST/SHADOW conflict, his crew got destroyed, probably, and they somehow ended up punished to the Pandora's Box, but not dead like Midas, just punished there I like to think that there is not only one Pandora's Box, technically, and that they're basically some sort of even higher security 'prison' for things deemed disasters under certain circumstances, putting mortal beings into their own personal hell. The ones imprisoned in the Pandora's Box arent necessarily 'dead', like shade Midas in the Underworld, but they're not alive in the full sense either. This particular Nitro filled Pandora's Box sprouted there, leaving behind veins of pure Nitro in the depths of the earth through which the Box had erupted.

in the Pandora's Box, stuck in an infinite purgatory loop of fighting and dying, the slurp that fueled his crew quite literally rotted into Nitro, and Megalo Don himself basically 'rusted' from the rot. The Nitro, essence of death, in a way, compared to Slurp, slowly and surely altered Meg's brain, turning him from a calculated leader into a terrifying tyrant, with nihilistic views regarding his crew and conquest, as he saw them all die over and over again… Another case of 'rotten' slurp beings being Sludge, maybe, as he could perhaps be read as a Slurp creature gone 'bad' (slurp to nitro)

Meg's mind got clouded with the only thing he could comprehend anymore- Nitro coursing through his veins, through his ship, through anything in the living hell he experienced in the Pandora's Box. (Ultrakill flesh prison sounding aah) Obtained by conquest or murder, with destruction being the only method he could even comprehend using to get it, his very life seeming to depend on Nitro at that point, and being released into the world again brought him bo purpose than to seize back all of his Nitro and keep fighting more and more

after he and his crew escaped from the Pandora's Box, Meg had intercepted a boat droning the Island from SHADOW, which had went to scout out Helios after Midas' escape from The Underworld, unaware of the Pandora's Box opening right then, and getting caught in the sandstorm. Meg had just the luck to capture Chaos (or a snapshot), the very man who had taken away his humanity and turned him into a (now) Nitro-fueled beast. From them he also took the island plans, which helped his crew settle in as fast as they did, the Redline Rig digging for Nitro the very moment they got there and the Nitrodrome building itself over the abandoned Fencing Fields, repurposing the fizz machinery there into the dome's car destruction traps

i also like to think that Meg has a father/daughters bond with Scarr and the Machinist, with the Machinist maybe being one of the original scientists on Chaos' team, whom had helped him stabilize his new equipment at the time, and Scarr being a dedicated member of his fleet since before getting banished into the Pandora's Box. Initially, both Scarr and the Machinist would have admired him for his courageous leadership and respected him as a leader, but through their decline in the Pandora's Box, their found family bond only strengthened, with the two of them being probably his only subordinates he actually cares about

i also like to imagine that he had made most of the transmissions particularly silly in hopes of having them tune in on either patrol or at the Nitrodrome and make them laugh with the over the top commentary

tl;dr: i headcanon megalo don as an ex-slurp legend made by Chaos who had rotted to nitro in the Pandora's Box. His Oasis style is what he looked like pre-Box. Also the Mechanist and Ringmaster Scarr are his found family daughters

[desultory-novice]

"Whoever said 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' left a lot of stuff out..."

[Name:] Noir Fontaine "...It's pronounced 'fawn-tan'"

[Reference Image:]

[[Tournament Asks Masterpost]]

[Notes on Personality:]

"My pronouns are he/some-kind -of-planet-invading hellspawn, I guess."

A kindhearted teen beneath the surface, growing up amidst humanity's depressive twilight hours on a hostile, frozen wasteland, plus a lifetime of tragedies no one his age should have to bear, has hardened Noir into a sarcastic, sassy little edgelord with a bitter tongue that's as sharp as his cursed sword, both of which he'll turn on anything he finds threatening with little provocation.

Noir's oodles and caboodles of twitchy paranoia combined with him having the approachability of a flea-ridden alley cat, makes breaking the thick ice to touch the heart of the scarred boy hiding beneath a task for only the most patient (or masochistic) of souls.

...And even then, he'll still sass you.

Likes: storytelling, games, the night sky, his siblings Dislikes: violence, crowds, touch, food, opening up

[Backstory and Lore:]

"...My life had way more talking plushies playing key roles than I'd have guessed."

Son of <L.D. Violet Level Access Only> and <L.D. Violet Level Access Only> Noir is a normal (?) human (?) teen from Shiver Star and Adeleine's older brother.

After the early death of his parents under very suspicious circumstances, Noir took over as sole guardian of his little sister, giving up the little-to-nothing he had to keep her safe and happy, including his own happiness, his health, and very nearly his sanity.

His preternaturally bad luck took a turn for the absolutely devastating when–while searching for a cheer-up gift for his little sister amongst some suspicious New World relics–he just so happened to acquire a psychic blade forged of Dark Matter.

As if it knew exactly who he was and exactly who he could go on to be, the Blade attached itself to him in a rather physical (:cough: and un-removable :cough:) manner and began slowly but surely corrupting him, body, mind, and soul.

Yet, he was able to use its destructive gifts to quietly rescue his sister Adeleine from Shiver Star's apocalyptic, dead-end environs and send her off into the endless possibilities waiting in the sea of stars, guaranteeing she, at least, would have a future.

The corruption devours him soon after.

In a 'verse close to that of the canon games, Noir loses his human body upon death along with (most) of his memories, and his captive soul is reforged by Zero as the eldritch entity's elite vanguard, a position which caused King Dedede to dub him "Blade."

In this form, the emotionless(?) Dark Matter drone would go on to adopt Gooey (in place of the sister he could not fully remember) and lead the invasion of Popstar for the collective, unaware it was the very planet Adeleine escaped to. She would not discover the one-eyed shadow monster was her brother till much, much later...

Noir dies a second time, in a duel against Popstar's hero, Kirby of the Stars, having remembered his human life too late to do anything about it. Noir would die for a third time after a disappointed Zero resurrects, tortures, and brainwashes him in order to force his participation in the second, penultimate invasion of Popstar.

Tragically, even after banishing Dark Matter from Popstar and destroying Zero, Noir's soul remains trapped in darkness.

...He would've liked to see his little sister and brother again...

In another 'verse, he and Adeleine swap fates and... :cough:

Favorite Dream Landers: Adeleine, Gooey, King Dedede, Kirby

---

[Notes on Potential (???) Interactions:]

If your OC has ANY ability to sense Dark Matter, is or ever was Dark Matter, or has a grudge against Dark Matter, Noir should set them off like a particularly obnoxious car alarm. He radiates Dark Matter energy, even when he's not doing anything.

If your OC is small, cute, and harmless (ie: reminds him of Adeleine or Gooey in any way) you may earn some begrudging care from the boy. He's got a terminal case of big-brother syndrome, after all.

If your OC has been through the horrors (and specifically NOT come out a better, healthier person for it) he will probably sympathize.

Address him as "Swordsman" and watch him twitch! It's fun!

[Etc:]

For this event, Noir is visually in his "last days as a living human" form, ie: purple-black patches of corrupted flesh and veins and monster hands beneath his gloves.

He's below average height and weight for his age, but being an Earth-human like Adeleine (and taller than her) generally winds up taller than most average Dream Land-type residents

As far as physical appearance goes, Noir is still 16 (the age he died at) but he spent a sizable period of time as Dark Matter and his true mental/emotional age is difficult to calculate.

Outside of the powers he picked up from the sword (teleportation, darkness control, memory-based matter re-creation, etc) Noir, owing to his heritage, has some mild powers all of his own (pre-cognition, cross-dimensional sight, etc) though he is untrained in the use of them and remains unaware they are "powers" at all.

---

PS: You can read more about Noir [HERE]

---

Well, I have done it. I have thrown my son to the Shark-Dees! XD Shall we see how The Boy Who Always Dies does at the @kirbyoctournament ?

[artisplatters]

Into the Rubi-Verse

I really like all the TADC AUs I've been seeing so I wanted to imagine what my OC Rubi would look like in them all. This has been a project in the works for at least a month now ^v^"

For reference, this is what Rubi originally looks like

And for good measure, here's Canon?Rubi's relations with the other canon cast (chart made by @p1nkiep4rasites)

Now lets hop into the multiverse!~

Boxer!Rubi is a tank with a brain and two left feet, so no matter how hard her hits are and how solid their plan is, it usually all comes crumbling down because of a trip

Differentiating features from "canon": outfit, bigger paws that mimic boxer gloves, heart tattoo on hip, can fight

The Amazing Digital Fight Club is by @burrotello

Skater!Rubi is the other graffiti artist in town, alongside Zooble, and usually only participates in the skate derby when it runs out of paint or the battery to their DS is dead. She rides a windsurfer (also known as street sailing; its basically a skateboard with a sail)

Differentiating features from "canon": outfit, tooth gap, star stickers, can skateboard

The Amazing Digital Skate Park is by @g00bergoo

Lab!Rubi is a guardian fallen angel, banished from heaven when it became too attached to the human it was meant to protect. The final straw was when it almost showed itself as a last-ditch effort to save it's human from the cultist trap she was being lead to.

It was held back by other angels before it could though, and it had to watch as she was killed. That was the first time an angel cried in almost 100 years.

Sent to earth, it wandered for a long while before finding the Incredulously Experimental Monster Lab and decided to stay there while it continues to look for her spirit. She feels so close, it'll be any day now when it finds her...

Differentiating features from "canon": Cube head is now multi-colored tesseracts, three eyes, outfit, wings, rings, and other things

The monster lab AU is by @etanow

Carnival!Rubi is a gentler AI originally coded for a younger audience who couldn't yet play the main Carnival, who was later added to the main game by popular demand.

Her "neckpiece" is a bow-tie on her collar, since she has no neck to tie anything around. Attempting to pull it off gives a choking sensation, as if being strangled, and can eventually lead to passing out.

By the time Caine appears in the Carnival, she's been keeping herself locked in her room, barring entry to everyone, including Gangle whom she used to be good friends with (and maybe more..?). There should've been no way for Caine to get in, but he does, and is met with a sorry sight [maybe he uses some coding magic idk-]

Differentiating features from "canon": outfit, is an A.I.

The Amazing Digital Carnival is by @sm-baby

Slasher!Rubi used to be a famous horror game streamer/GameTuber, before her sudden disappearance.... and now, she's stuck in a virtual slasher hell with no escape in sight.

At least in between the daily hunts she can find solace in people who are like her, for once... ironically less lonely than her life before...

Differentiating features from "canon": outfit, was a famous gamer

The Amazing Digital Slasher is by @justwantswafflefries

[deiscension]

Isn't it crazy how M.itski's Nobody is a deep dive on SQX's character development.... 'I just want somebody near me / Guess I'm a coward / I just want to feel alright'. 'And I know no one will save me.'

The heartache of realizing you never knew what it was like to be wanted, you didn't even know what it was like to be needed, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway because what you had wasn't yours and you still took it. You still took it and you couldn't give it back even when you tried because you weren't strong enough to say the right name when it mattered the most and you weren't brave or just enough to understand and condemn the one who poured blood all over your hands when he handed you a fate you were undeserving of. And really what does it say about you that you mourn what was despite the fact it never should have been? What does it say about you that even when you had it all there were pieces missing? Of course you'd never turn to resentment. That's not who you are, it never has been. It's not your right either. You'll find a way to die happy but that's not really the same as peace or contentment. Are you allowed to want after you've had? Hard to say.

[cannellee]

I really love your Tokyo Revengers a/b/o-verse very much and there’s smth about it that’s satisfying.

If possible would it be ok for you to write head canons of Draken being the alpha is in a relationship with two sweet omega’s who’s Emma and Reader. I thought that this would be very interesting to look at!

Here’s some ideas…

- An A/O/O relationship in which one Omega (Emma Sano) is very anxious and gets depressed a lot when left alone so the Alpha suggests adding another Omega to the relationship so they won’t be as lonely anymore when the Alpha is busy. Both agreeing but being nervous as the Alpha tries to find an Omega that they think will be suitable and quickly becoming attached to a very sweet and cheerful Omega (the reader) …the Alpha being thrilled when their current Omega forms an immediate attachment to the new mate that they chose

- An A/O/O relationship and whenever one Omega (Reader) gets mad at the Alpha, the other Omega (Emma) almost always takes their side because they are extremely sensitive to their Omega mate’s distress and they get very upset with the Alpha for making them unhappy

Source copied from: https://www.tumblr.com/omegaversethings/154244909092/poly-relationship-headcanons (Im also new to the a/b/o-verse so that’s why I had to look through some sources so plz forgive me 🙏)

TOKYO REVENGERS OMEGAVERSE ★

୨୧ alpha! Draken x omega! Reader x omega! Emma

— tokyo revengers a/b/o headcanons (if it's too long you can start reading after the cut, the first part is not necessary to understand the rest of the fic)

my masterlist : ☆

(I love this request so much! I hope you like it!! btw I'm sorry for the long wait😭 I'll also probably do something similar in the future bc I'm not satisfied with what I wrote, but the idea is just so cute!!)

emma and draken have been in a relationship over a year now.

draken was the one who started courting a very impatient emma and soon after they became inseparable.

both were very happy, a clear dynamic had settled between them.

emma had finished high school and planned to definitely stop her studies to focus on herself and her relationship, while draken worked at his bike shop the day and often participated in gang's meetings at night.

as emma's alpha, draken vowed to provide for his omega the most he could and to protect her until the very end.

he is very dedicated and takes care of emma the best he can.

that's why he rarely comes home, he's so focused on making sure he can guarantee emma's well being, making enough money she won't have to work herself.

and emma understands that, she's really moved by her alpha's motives, she's glad draken is here to cater for her.

but emma's stressed, she gets anxious rather easily and not having her alpha around most of the day is hard. especially since she spends most of her time alone.

sure she goes out a bit, sees some of her friends, but nothing can compares with a few hours with draken.

she desperately feels lonesome and out of things. her alpha wasn't there when she needed it and draken's absence, no matter how noble his intentions were, took a toll on emma's mood.

it didn't go unnoticed by draken though.

he was coming back from the shop, emma didn't know exactly when but only that it was pitch black outside, his hands black and greasy from fixing bikes. his white clothes only showed how hard he was working for the both of them, and this thought alone made emma feel even worse for unconsciously blaming draken's.

she knew he was doing all of that for her. draken never cared for anything else more than her.

when draken stepped inside, a sour smell straight away invaded his nostrils. so used to his sweet omega's flowery and sugary scent, he was stunned.

he immediately dropped all of his belongings and followed the scent that he was sure belonged to emma, worried sick and hoping nothing bad happened to her.

when he saw her, curled up in a messy nest, curtains and windows closed despite the heat and the horribly distressed smell she was emitting, draken's eyes softened and he relaxed a bit knowing she was there.

he approached slowly, making his presence known as to not alert his omega any further and spread his own pheromones. he hoped that would appease emma.

he then called her name quietly and carefully caressed her head. he took his time comforting her, making sure she knew he was here and was not planning on leaving her anytime soon.

and when she felt better and her crying had stopped, draken urged her to spill everything she's been bottling up. his instincts were screaming at him to resolve and fix anything that was wrong in his sweet omega's life.

and when she did, draken's whole world went crashing down. he hated not taking care better of his omega who eagerly needed him, he thought he had done everything right. sadly, he couldn't just suppress some of his work hours ; he had to make sure emma could count on him in terms of incomes, make sure he could feed her, assure her a roof and a stable life.

he was torn apart and couldn't come up with a conclusion that would satisfy his omega. draken who was ordinarily so composed and thoughtful couldn't stop his brain from fidgeting.

upon hearing his mate crying, draken came out with a solution. he didn't know whether this would please emma and he wasn't sure himself if his idea was going to work anyways.

if his omega was so lonely, what's better than a new companion? he carefully explained his thoughts, that he was busy and that it wouldn't change, no matter how much he wished he could spend his days clinging to his omega.

emma didn't appear offended, they both had often brought up adding someone to their little pack and she seemed to be seriously considering this idea.

though hesitant at first, she agreed and asked draken to find a suitable omega for them...

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

when draken first met you, you were visiting the bike shop he was working at, hoping to find a few pieces to fix your brother's motorbike.

you looked absolutely clueless and shyly asked draken to help you out.

he was tall, and strong and exuded a really strong aura that made your knees tremble.

to say draken was definitely your type is an understatement, in fact, he probably was everything you were looking for in an alpha.

you ending up with emma and draken was due to a serie of unexpected events, leading you to coincidentally meeting draken multiple times in the streets and chatting for a bit, before eventually meeting his omega, emma.

she was the sweetest and you guys clicked instantly. sharing the same interests and tastes, you found out you both had a lot in common.

you found yourself hanging out with her more often, with draken or not, depending on his work days.

draken noticed a change in emma not long after you started hanging out. uncharacteristically of her, she reached out to you and initiated your outings. having a friend to fill her lonely days seemed to lift up her mood considerably.

her alpha was so relieved to see such a change in her. his worries persisted, but he knew it was only a matter of time before you completely healed emma.

he was glad he found you and emma was ecstatic each time he mentioned your name, becoming more and more enthusiastic when the three of you met up.

the more you guys met, the more draken and emma knew you were the perfect match for them.

and now you & emma were practically always together.

wherever you went, you could be sure emma was as well. she was not leaving you anytime soon.

you guys spent most of your days inside, cuddling with each other and draken would always fondly watch the scene, happy with how well you suited each other.

emma and you were now the 2 most precious people for him, and he was glad you were there for one another. now he didn't feel as guilty for leaving you so often and knew you had each other to rely on0.

now your daily life is filled with warmth, laughter and a lot of cuddles.

draken loves scenting you both and emma especially likes it when you smell just like her. now draken has put his claim on the both of you and you couldn't be happier.

when you guys are cuddling, you're either in draken's soft embrace while emma is attached to his side, or you're emma's little spoon while draken is hugging her.

in those moments your pheromones are all mixing up to form one single scent that emma can't get enough of. she's purring so loudly and draken is just releasing the best protective pheromones you could ask for. it makes you feel so safe!

the softness of it all reminds you of your first couring gifts. you had learned emma was very strict during the courting process, she didn't let draken give you anything that didn't get her approval ; she wanted to impress you and show you that they were perfect for you & could make you happy!

emma knows how to sew, so she made you all sorts of things. from clothes to blankets, you can't even count the amount of gifts the both gave you.

even now, emma gifts you all sort of things all the time.

when the three of you are out, emma is usually grabbing at your arm and guiding you wherever. you both don't have a care in the world when draken has been scenting you for a few minutes before going out and especially since he's right behind you looking all big and menacing. he's your private guard dog and nobody even dares looking your way.

now you and emma rarely get into arguments, you both nag a little but that's about it.

however, it's a different story when draken is involved.

you remember the day of your 1st anniversary, you went out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate it. but draken had to ruin it all and leave early because of work >:(

the moment he came home after finishing his urgent matters, he was excluded from your nest and couldn't join you.

you made him sleep on the couch and forgave him a few days later after countless of apologies and gifts from him.

emma is always one to follow you no matter what.

the day draken forgot to bring home your favourite snack while you were the most sick you ever were, your scent had never been this sour.

looking back, it was a bit exaggerated but your sick state made you more sensitive than usual!

your displeased pheromones made emma upset as well and she nagged draken for you since you weren't able to.

her solidarity with you is unbreakable and you love that about her.

a life with the both of them is indeed hectic but they take such good care of you. your mates are so devoted you wouldn't trade them for anything <3

[twinkrundgren]

a weeks worth of work... for a show i love to hate, and hate to love.

over the course of getting stockholmed into enjoying the setting of hazbin hotel, i ended up liking angel dust the most. even if he's an annoying gay stereotype with the most cliche'd backstory possible, at its heart i still like him and see potential for a three dimensional character if he was just written better. i think he's a fan favorite for a reason, despite his cliches: he's charismatic, funny, and pathetic with probably the only backstory taken seriously by the story.

he's also the only one to go through real character development in a breezy 8 episodes, being probably the only upstanding member of the hazbin hotel by the end of season 1 but my critiques on pacing and writing are better left to my friend robin who's a lot better versed in analysing *why* hazbin's writing is so bad.

anyway, here's a portfolio-worthy turnaround of my angel dust redesign. a lot of it was just making him more spider like, for the most part aside from all the random spots on his body i think his design is pretty well done but it could be stockholm again. read more cause its an essay on all the design choices i made

one of the main things i did was flesh out his head shape: for a long time angel dust's head shape felt like the worst of drawing for 2d, his hair and tufts are so entirely cheated to the side no matter the angle that it was impossible to understand what he'd look like at every angle, so i simplified it to a half circle shape where his big hair tuft is just overlayed on top, cheated to the side no matter the angle unless he's looking up/down, where i drew what i think those angles would look like.

he also now has spider fangs at the sides of his mouth, with one gold to match valentino's gold tooth. since spiders don't have teeth, he doesn't either, but can be drawn with some if the expression needs it (though i noticed that stolas is never drawn with teeth no matter his expression, so maybe that's not needed.)

instead of a bowtie he has a choker with a cock ring on it. you know what its referencing.

the spider thorax is attached a bit higher up than a tail would be, not only because of actual spider anatomy but to give him enough room to get dirty as his career requires him to do. it can flip up as well, i imagine its very manipulable.

leg designs were mostly to specify the sort of rhythm and curving i want his legs to work at. it's not perfect, but i think if someone was drawing from this reference they'd have a good understanding of how i want his legs to be drawn. they're one of my favorite aspects of his design and i think specifying how they'd bend is very important.

fun fact: i thought i made his legs too long, but comparatively to the canonical design he's a LOT more leggy. i even think you could get away with giving him more leg and the design still feels proportional.

[yetanotherexhaustedalchemist]

Yandere song picks reasonings

A follow-up to my post where I assigned each of the boys (minus Ortho, obviously) a yandere-adjacent song. This list probably won't make sense unless you've read that first. My reasoning may or may not be solid, so feel free to suggest your own picks if you want!

Riddle: I like the idea that Riddle would be resistant to the obsessiveness that comes with being a yandere; not that he isn't obsessive, but that he doesn't like what he is feeling. I think he would dislike that he fell in love when he is supposed to be focused with school - but since there's no going back, he thinks he should be allowed the equally obsessive highs of love. (I also saw a animation of Riddle to this song on tiktok which inspired me)

Ace: The almost casual vibes of the song fit Ace nicely - he strikes me as the kind of yandere who'd switch between dangerously serious and joking and chill. The verses are more sinister, but the choruses are playful enough to almost make you forget the danger.

Deuce: Evil Deuce has a present father ig Delinquent Deuce = Yandere Deuce. At least yandere Deuce would at least try to put up a civil act so he wouldn't scare you off, but it goes without saying that he wouldn't be very good at it.

Cater: Out of everyone, I really think Cater would be one of the most self-aware yanderes. And he would lean into it. He knows how to show people what they want to see. He'd be the type to shower his beloved with so much affection that you wouldn't really want to acknowledge the skeletons in Cater's closet. 

Trey: I don't have much to add, honestly... The song's desperate almost remorseful themes just seemed to fit him. 

Leona: With how Leona feels like he's always second best, I feel like he could really attach to the idea that it's you and him against the world (for better or worse). Yeah.

Jack: It's called The Wolf, what do you want from me? But seriously, if someone has generally as kind as Jack was to be a yandere, it would be a primal and feral kind of thing. 

Ruggie: The vibes just fit him somehow, idk. He's a sneaky, persistent type. I also like to imagine him pestering his beloved when they're working a shift at the Mostro Lounge.

Azul: Sophisticated vibes and desperation to be loved are just Azul to me.

Jade: Jade is - and i cannot stress this enough - absolutely unhinged. He's absolutely one of the more violent/brutal yanderes, and he'd do it just to see how you'd react.

Floyd: The laid-back threats of violence are very Floyd, and it's basically canon that he's in the mafia anyway. He'll be the one busting kneecaps though. (Replace Johnny with Shrimpy, perhaps?)

Kalim: *muffled sobs*

Jamil: The sinister manipulation and cruel ultimatum feel like Jamil's style. I don't think he would be as delusional/unaware/convinced of their innocence as the singer, but I can picture him pretending to be more desperate as a manipulation tactic.

Vil: It's so refined and elegant? It's about poison?? Need I say more

Epel: 'Baby, I'm a gangster too' fits Epel's innocent appearance and unruly personality really well, I think. He strikes me as the kind of yandere who'd be jealous over most things.

Rook: It's already canon that he's obsessed with beauty, that's just Rook. 

Idia: This would be him with his beloved when he overblots and tries to reset the world.

Malleus: LISTEN Music of the Night (and a lot of Phantom of the Opera songs) are just so Malleus to me. If he sang this to me I'd be 2000% seduced. that's it, that's my reasoning.

Silver: Darling's lyrics are something like a distorted (dare i say, twisted) fairytale love song. It just works for Silver.

Sebek: Sebek is enthusiastic about things he's passionate about (cough cough Malleus) and I think that could quickly spiral into something much more unhinged in a yandere senario. That plus crocodile's status as apex predators and his large appetite... (Would he actually eat his beloved? probably not. hopefully not.)

Lilia: Loveit? Has such a... practiced insanity to it? The singer's actions are carefully executed and very premeditated, but their mind is totally warped, and I think that fits Lilia's terrifying war general/loving and mischievous faerie duality. It's a duality that would be terrifying if he was a yandere, for sure.