#well doomed love in one side and toxic warped love in another but. love is love!!!! yay!!!

[szilverer]

last we saw of cinthe my girl was having an increasingly miserable time here in the Neath. have things taken a turn for the better? well, this is nemesis! of course not :p

but something unexpected... did happen.

Venderbight was horrible. She was surrounded by walking corpses and almost died multiple times, culminating in a betrayal, because of course she was betrayed. She could feel herself more prone to violence, too.

Hyacinthe is relatively, waveringly religious. She believes, wants to believe, in the Church as an institution for good and charity. She needs to believe there's good in the world and in people. And she hasn't been all that sure about God for the longest time – but she's positive there's no God down here. Why is this hole in the earth such a nightmare?

Then the 3500 honey consultation for a few words actually left her feeling quite scammed and angry. She wants nothing to do with honey for reasons you can figure.

Then... well, she's now rather aimless and beat down. Tired. Trying to find a way to the Iron Republic with little progress. But she'll persist. She has to.

Thus far, only two good things happened to her: she rescued a frightened puppy from talking cats and he followed her home against her will. She didn't want to be responsible for it, but she's compassionate to a fault. He's her puppy now. Hyacinthe then arranged him a partner so he won't be alone when she's away. She didn't want this, but the dogs are brightening her life a little. How could they not? Their love is so simple and pure, and she can't help but cherish their warmth at night.

And a little later, she met a kindred spirit.

The moment she met the Last Constable, she couldn't help but admire her. Here's a woman trying to do her damn best to do good in a place so wretched. She had that same glimmer of sorrow in her eyes and Hyacinthe knew there was something with thorns in its hands that pushed her forward by her shoulders in a most painful manner. She was just like her.

They've only met for tea a couple times. But Christmas, midnight, both were alone. The Last Constable invited her for tea. Hyacinthe invited her home so she could maybe rest a little, away from her workplace. It was the holidays. She could rest for one night, right?

(this was a 52% chance randomly enabled by airs. reisz hasn't ever met the Last Constable so all her text is new to me. i clicked it for the lulz, expecting nothing. and io and behold, rng said: let there be yuri.)

Oh.

Oh.

The quiet restrained sobbing got me AND Hyacinthe. Oh no. This is gonna hurt, isn't it?

[achtung-attitude]

CHAPTER 46: Gangsta’s Paradise – Part 4

“Let it not be said,” Dust sighs, “I never gave you a chance.”

The preacher man walks backwards and morphs into the mirrors once more. Shizuka dashes in pursuit, but is suddenly overcome with a wave of lightheadedness. She stumbles and collides face first with a nearby wall, clinging to it for support, as her arms and legs tremor. When her vision blurs, she recalls her earlier, backfired attempt to turn invisible. “ACHTUNG BABY…?” she murmurs

But she doesn’t sense her ability circulating. Something more sinister is causing her affliction. From within the mirror in the alcove adjacent to her, and also from all of the phantom mirrors, Dust renews his sermon.

However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you...

Shizuka gags and collapses on the floor. The Escherspace begins to collapse, flickering out of existence. She tries to breathe, but can only choke. 

Truly, I didn’t want it to come to this. You were so proud of yourself for bending this dimension to your will, but you have always been in my grasp. This is what I meant by giving you a chance. You have been doomed since you entered this place...

The countless Brother Dusts look down upon the convulsing Joestar from the infinite mirrors, a look of disappointment on his face.

Humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide… GANGSTA’S PARADISE reverses this. Each breath you take starves your blood of vital oxygen and floods your body with deadly poison.

To think, how eager I was to finally meet you. You are strong, Shizuka Joestar. We could have achieved much together. But I am beyond strength.

The ground beneath Shizuka’s feet begins to fade into nothing. Grunting, she forces it back into solidity before she can slip through. She clutches at her throat as it seems to clog from the inside. 

“You…” she chokes, “talk too much…!”

ACHTUNG BABY flutters in and out of sight. With a wave of its hands, two new staircases materialize from the Escher-space. They swing like giant baseball bats at the mirror where Dust had entered, crashing into it, crumbling stone and shattering glass. Her efforts are futile, as the preacher’s resounding laughter proves. He is beyond her, safe in the mirrors. 

As Shizuka tries to lift herself off the ground, abruptly, she senses the preacher’s presence behind her.

“Brute force fails you. Like Job, you are helpless before divinity.” 

Shizuka turns, grinding her teeth at the sound of his smug voice as he continues, raising his black book in the air. “Behold, the hope of him is in vain; shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?”

Before Shizuka can move out of the way, Dust graces her neck with his Bible. Not a moment passes when, in her periphery, she sees something thick and blue splatter onto the ground. With horror, she dabs at her neck, feeling the slick blood running from the thick gash that has formed. “Agh…!!”

“That would be your carotid artery I’ve severed. To think, the Good Book is supposed to guide and heal. I’m not fond of warping its purpose this way. Perhaps you understand now, the desperate measures I’ve been forced to take?”

Shizuka pays no attention, as she’s lost in the pain of her cut neck. She kneels on the ground, her knees dipped in the dark puddle.

“My throat…!” her mind reels, “Can’t breathe at all now…! It’s taking all I have just to keep the Escherspace intact…! how do I get out of this... how can I defeat his Stand…?! Wait...” she stills, staring at her hands. “My hands have... Stopped shaking…! But why... no way, you gotta be kidding!”

Dust saunters towards her. “Could it be you’ve finally given up? It’s too late to change your mind, but perhaps you can make peace with-” The preacher’s pompous monologue is cut short by the rushing of air behind him. He shudders, sensing the oncoming threat, and ducks swiftly, barely dodging the staircase that swings past him. Looking back at the source of the staircase, he sees Shizuka on her feet again, stooping, blood still draining from her neck, but her eyes are as resolute as ever. From her jacket pocket, she draws the switchblade Kilo gave to her.

“I really hope this works,” she wheezes. “If not, then this’ll be a really stupid way to die.”

With that, she plunges the knife into her neck, right into the cut, and starts running the blade along the wound. Dust grimaces in displeasure at first, but then notices that rather than cutting deeper, the flesh closes along the path of the blade. An action intended to harm instead heals.

“You’ve adapted well to GANGSTA’S PARADISE…” Dust declares, raising the bible. “But it counts for nought, as long as I am in control of this world!” Dust’s book strikes her, but immediately, he senses something wrong. “You are not...!”

Shizuka smirks as the book hits her across the face. The strike blows a chunk off from the side of her head, revealing a glowing cavity. The body transforms into light, nothing more than a hard light clone. Dust turns just as the real Shizuka swings another Escher staircase at him. He guards, taking the strike, which sends him flying backward.

“How is she standing?! The carbon dioxide poisoning should still be affecting her!” As he flies, he notices Shizuka’s face, cheeks are puffed out, filled with air. “She’s holding her breath?! Of course! If breathing itself was killing her, then all she had to do was stop breathing!”

Dust lands feet first into a mirror, as he starts merging with it. “Just as I thought,” he thinks, staring at his opponent from his esoteric vantage. “She’s too strong. It’s not only her ability or her fighting prowess. It’s not even her intelligence! It’s everything! That persistent personality and her creativity; all of it makes her dangerous! Without a doubt, this girl... is the strongest opponent I’ve ever fought!” Before long, he slips completely out of view, planning his means of attack.

Shizuka glares into the mirrors. When he doesn’t reappear, she begins to sigh, then stops herself, careful not to exhale anymore precious oxygen. “Well, it worked,” she reflects. “But even so, my body’s running off the oxygen I’ve currently got left. Like a motorcycle running on gas fumes, I’ll break down sooner or later.”

She walks up a staircase and glances up. Above, GANGSTA’S PARADISE hangs in its usual position, never moving on its own accord. Shizuka glances into a nearby mirror, then another. In all of the mirrors, everything is reflected, except for the Stand itself. In the entire twisted dimension, there is only ever one GANGSTA’S PARADISE.

“I have one big advantage: While Dust in his mirrors, I can’t touch him. But the Stand is always in this space with me. If I can attack the Stand directly, then I can win! All I need to do is figure it out… What’s the source of its power?”

Shizuka rubs her stiff neck, unable to see the ominous discoloration around the scar left by the cut. She remembers the bright flash of light that beamed from GANGSTA’S PARADISE, right before the world was changed. The light that engulfed everything in sight. She pauses on the steps and stares, realization hitting her like a brick.

The light…

Before she can act on her realization, Shizuka staggers to the ground in front of the Stand, shivering like she’s freezing. A dark chill moves under her chest.

“What!?! What is this?... Why do I feel… like ice is forming under my skin!!” She inspects her chest. The veins over her breastbone bulge ghoulishly. “HOLY SHIT!! What did that bastard do now?!” 

Dust’s voice answers promptly, desperation peeking out from beneath his smugness.

This is not my doing, but your own, Shizuka Joestar! Blood is red because of oxygen! The purpose of blood is to spread life-giving oxygen through the body! GANGSTA’S PARADISE reverses everything it touches, warping its intentions! Now I ask you, what happens if GANGSTA’S PARADISE touches your blood?!

At that moment, Shizuka remembers the blue blood from earlier.

Yes! The blood cells deprive themselves of oxygen and turn blue! And now, by your own hand, that toxic blood runs through your body! Once it reaches your heart, there will be no hope for you!!

Shizuka looks down and stares at the blade she reverse-cut herself with, stained with darkened blood.

Bleed out, and I win! Heal yourself, and I still win! Every action you take benefits me! I told you: The moment you entered this place, MY place, you were doomed!! So long as I have this power, I am fated for victory!!! This is the penalty for rejecting my offer, Shizuka Joestar!!!

The girl can do nothing else but fall to the floor, as the Escherspace begins to crumble away. Dust takes out his terrible black book, leering down at her. .

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways!

The voice echoes and throbs in Shizuka’s ears, stage whispers like rusty nails scratching her from inside her ears. She can feel the thin membranes of her eardrums, afflicted by the evil sounds. The cold blood pumps through her veins, drawing closer to her heart. She knows, in her mind, they cannot endure this attack for much longer.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known!

She screams for the voices to stop, but she cannot tell if she screams it with her own voice or in her mind. Her eyes roll wildly, her heart rate accelerates, seeing the man in white surround her on all sides, sneering at her through infinity. Overhead, the chandelier swings, mimicking the sick joy of its master, the unnatural light bathing the refracted world in sickly pale blue.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love!

Misshapen light. So unlike that of the sun, which was full, warm and life-giving. The same light Shizuka drew her power from. Compared to that, this was just a pale pretender.

[captainillogical]

Distant Lands Ch.1

Stranded on a planet with toxic conditions and nothing but the clothes on your back, your only means of survival lies within the gem that got you here in the first place. 

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants​

(First chapter note: Only the very beginning takes place similar to the events in the movie, but this is canon diversion. Spinel warps directly to earth via warp pad, there is no injector, and she has no rejuvenator.)

(A/N: This is going to be different from our last one. Spinel here hasn’t had a chance to deal with any of her emotions, and this is going to be fairly.. dubcon for a while. This is your warning. My wife and I decided we wanted to explore her character growth in.. a different type of situation.)

-

Steven gives you a high-five as you toss your sandwich wrapper in a perfect 5.0 in the garbage bin across the street. The two of you just got finished eating lunch, and you hadn't seen your favorite teen in several days since he just got back from Homeworld a few hours prior.

"Wanna go check to see if they're done installing the warp pad yet?" Steven asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"We've left them alone for a while, I feel like they should be done by now." You chime in with a smile.

You both meander slowly through Little Homeworld, chatting about the more recent events that you guys have been dealing with. With the Diamonds now on your guys’ side, there has been honestly TOO much to do, and you’ve been trying to lighten Steven’s load. But the kid is just too earnest, and much too hardworking for his own good.

As soon as you guys round the corner, you see Amethyst standing near Bismuth and the newly installed warp pad.

“Yo! Over here!” The purple gem motions over to the both of you, as Bismuth walks away to deal with a couple of other things. “Just got done. Looks nice yeah?” She chuckles, and ruffles Steven’s hair. “Sorry to keep my biggest fan waiting.” Steven swats her hand away, and the two of them laugh for a bit. All of you start talking about how far the place has come, and everything you guys still need to get done.

You have known Steven since you were 14 and applied to be his babysitter through a local ad. At first it was really rough, since you know, the whole gem business shtick was really not what you were expecting out of the job. But ever since Pearl accidentally threw that jungle gym at you and you dodged it perfectly, you proved to be a useful guardian for Steven, and they recruited you for gem missions on the occasion. Pearl was the one that taught you most of what you knew, her sword fighting lessons came in very handy the few times you were in life threatening situations.

Over the last 8 years you have watched one of your favorite people grow up to be the most dependable person you know today. He doesn't really need you now - but you're apart of their family, and you never planned on leaving them. You don't know what you'd ever do if you lost this kid. You'd do whatever it took to keep him safe, and alive. He worries about you constantly - you are human, after all, but honestly? You're resilient if anything, and stubborn. It'd take a lot to kill you.

"Alright! Who gets to be the first to test out the warp pad?" You're interrupted from your thoughts at the sound of Steven's voice. You look up to see Amethyst raising her hand excitedly, and her and Steven play rock paper scissors to see who goes first.

You're only vaguely paying attention to what's going on, when you get this indescribable gut feeling to flee.

The warp pad activates - none of you are touching it.

Within a split second you've grabbed Steven's arm and yanked him to the side - just as some sort of scythe hits the ground where he stood with a loud THUNK. You move to stand in front of him, and reach behind you to grab your sword.

You grasp empty air, and curse at yourself for leaving your sword at home. Of fucking course. You let out an aggravated noise, and you see a pink arm stretch over and yank the scythe out of the ground. You follow the arm until you make eye contact with the attacker, her eyes meeting yours and a wicked grin spreads across her face. 

"Are you Steven Universe?" She all but growls out the name. 

"Um, yes?" Steven pipes up behind you. 

You turn your face slightly to him, giving him a disapproving glare. He shrugs, only looking a bit sheepish. This damn kid was way too trusting, and one day it would be the end of him. But not if you can help it, and definitely not today.

“Perfect." She purrs. You realize at this point that she’s a gem, making it all the more confusing as to why she would attack Steven. 

You don't get any time to question her though, as she launches herself at you - scythe spinning wildly. You feel a rope wrap around your waist, Amethyst pulling you out of the way as the pink gem sinks her weapon into ground where you just stood. 

"Woah, too close!" Amethyst shouts, unwrapping you from her weapon. Once untangled you quickly look for a weapon of your own, eyes roaming the ground. You find a thick piece of rebar, slightly bent at the top - it could do for now. You pick it up and turn back to the magenta-haired gem. You see Steven stepping out of another swipe from her, doing a decent job dodging the attacks while you figured out a makeshift weapon.

Amethyst and you join the fray, you running right at the mysterious gem with your piece of rebar and Amethyst distracting her with a snap of her whip. You thrust the makeshift sword out just in time to block her scythe as she arches it down on the half-gem teen, scythe and rebar colliding with a sharp clang. 

You strain against her clearly superior strength as her eyes meet yours, and for the first time since she showed up it's as if she has just noticed you. Her face splits into a similar feral grin like before. 

"Well heya, toots." She pushes down harder on the scythe. "Didn't see you there." The pink gem mocks. You let out a growl as you shove her back, swinging your makeshift weapon at her. She dodges it with ease, simply stretching her body out of the way. She snaps back into place and leans on her weapon, sneering at you. She looks absolutely unhinged. "D'aw, did I make ya mad?" You ignore her jab, and you turn to face Steven briefly.

"Steven, I need you to get the other gems." You attempt to sound more confident and convincing than you actually feel.

"Y/N, I can't leave you to fight her alone!" The teen replies, clearly worried.

"She'll be fine, Steven." Amethyst stands by your side, jabbing a thumb at her chest. "She's got me." This seems enough to placate the curly haired boy. 

He turns on his heels to book it to the warp pad, and you and Amethyst turn your attention back to his assailant. 

"Oh, I don't think so." The violent gem growls. 

She makes a dash to get past you and Amethyst, gunning it for Steven. Thinking quickly, Amethyst lashes out with her whip, catching the gems torso and swinging her back towards you. You swing at her with the rebar in your hand - but like she could read your mind, she blocks it with her scythe instantly. 

"Guess I'll need to take you out first." The gem says, clearly aggravated. Her attention was now solely on you as she jumps back, preparing another onslaught.

"What's your problem with us!?" You yell out as she swings again at you, and you easily block the attack - it’s almost like she’s playing with you. The muscles in your hand are tingling uncomfortably from the vibrations of your two weapons colliding. 

The gem answers with only a cackle as she arches back, ready to strike again. This time her swing of the weapon is stopped immediately by Amethyst's whip, her rope wrapped around the handle. 

The two struggle for a moment while you swing for the pink gems midsection. The rebar makes contact with her body - but stretches with the swing, making you feel like you just got your rebar stuck in taffy. She turns her attention back to you and gives one final pull on her scythe, ripping it free from Amethyst's whip. The weapon comes at you fast and you barely manage to move out of the way as the tip of the scythe scratches down the side of your face as you move, cutting deep into your flesh. Almost instantly warm blood starts to seep down into your eye, causing you to shut it tight and limit your vision. 

“Y/N! Are you alright?” Amethyst calls from behind the pink gem, said gem now turning her attention to the purple being. 

“I’m fine!” You kind of lie as you rush at your attacker, bringing the rebar down fast. The blood in your eye is fucking with the rest of your senses.

The gem catches your weapon easily with her hand and turns to face you, a wicked smile plastered on her face. She pulls you forward and you stumble, not wanting to let go of your weapon. With her free hand she throws her scythe, the weapon spinning towards Amethyst. The purple gem barely had any time to dodge, sharp blade lodging into her stomach and her form dissipates with a gentle poof. Her gem clinks softly as it hits the ground. 

You stare at it in horror.

“AMETHYST!” You yell over the pink gems shoulder before turning your attention back to her. Her hand, now free of the weapon, begins to wrap around you as you struggle to pull the rebar from her grip. 

"Let me go you.. you.. PINK ASSHOLE!" You nearly scream rather childishly. The gem lets out a hearty laugh, before stopping abruptly and looking you right in the eyes. 

Before.. you hadn’t been afraid of her, not really. You were more concerned with making sure Steven was alive. But in this moment, you felt fear creep up on you as she began to speak.

"You know what? I think I like you." She giggles, albeit maniacally, pulling you flushed against her chest as she frees the rebar from your hands and tosses it out of reach. "You're a feisty one." 

Dread hits you like a brick to the face.

"Oh, we're gonna have so much fun." The last word is dragged out, almost hissed, as her face splits into another feral grin. 

Just as you think you're doomed you hear the warp pad activate. You struggle in the gems hold to look towards the pad as the rest of the Crystal Gems and Steven step off of it. 

The gem holding you looks over her shoulder and lets out a guttural growl. The gems and Steven take in the scene before them, Amethyst poofed and on the ground, the gem holding you, and the blood still actively pouring down your face. 

“Amethyst!” Pearl shouts, heading straight for the gem, picking her up and cradling the purple gem close to her chest.  

“Y/N!” Steven makes his way past Pearl, pulling out his shield and standing ready. “You let her go, now!” Steven demands, adding on a silent “Please?” as your captor glares at him. She turns you around in her grip, and now you’re facing Steven.

“Or what?” 

“I'll ..uh ..I'll take her back.” Steven takes another step forward, lifting up his shield. Garnet, who had calmly made her way over to the curly haired boy, places a hand on his shoulder. 

Steven looks up at her and then back at you and your captor. It takes him a moment to realize that the pink gem had you in front of her as her own personal meat shield meaning that him and the gems were powerless. 

They couldn't attack her without risking your life. The realization must of been obvious on his face because your captor gives him a knowing grin. 

“You can’t hurt me without hurtin’ your friend.” Her accent lulls out as she slams the final nail in your coffin. With no way to rescue you, Steven lowered his shield. He held out his hands in defence as he approached slowly.

"You don't have to do this." He keeps his voice low and calm. The gem sneers at the teen, huffing out a sceptical laugh. 

"You don't know nothin'." The pink gem growls, her grip on you tightening. You wheeze as she constricts against your airways. 

"Steven," You cough out, struggling to breathe "Please don't do anything rash." She smiles, leaning down so her lips barely brush your ear.

"Look at you," She purrs, her breath warm against your face. You grimace in pain, causing the gem to smile wider. “Defending your little friend.” Her grip loosens a hair as she turns her attention back to Steven. 

You look at him, your eyes pleading with him to understand your unspoken words. 

"Move." She demands. 

Steven complies, holding his hands up in defeat. The rest of the Crystal Gems stay put as your captor moves past them. 

She's heading to the warp pad and you begin to panic, fear once again invading your mind. You make an attempt to struggle out of her hold, putting the last of your energy into it. Her arms tighten unbearably so, and you feel tears forming as you gasp for air. 

The last thing you see is Steven reaching out to you, before blacking out.

[voidy-classpects-blog]

how do you think a session with a maid of space, a thief of heart, a witch of time, and a sylph of blood would go with interference from a solo session belonging to a bard of void?

Ooh, first session ask! And it’s an interesting one. So, let’s look at the classpects involved first.

Maid of Space, one who creates or creates with Space. A friendly player, not likely to cause very much trouble. They’re overall the least troublesome/problematic player involved in this, with little to no chance of going rogue. The main duty of the Space player in any given session is to create the Genesis Frog. Every Space player does this differently, of course, depending on their class. But the Maid of Space probably does the best at it of any Space player, to be honest. They’re the creation class of the creation aspect. With the Witch helping them, the Maid’s frog breeding is certain to go off without a hitch.

Thief of Heart, one who steals Heart for their own use. Now here’s the problematic one. Oh boy. Thieves are bound to be a source of irritation in any session they’re in. Vriska and Meenah were both widely disliked and only had a few friends each. Of course, the Thief is also a very effective and competent player. Both of the canon Thieves progressed their session (and the overall narrative of Homestuck) in very important ways that others either couldn’t or wouldn’t have done. Thieves are selfish and egotistical. It’s all about them, all the time. The Thief of Heart wants to be the one everyone cares about. They want everyone to love them. They’re probably going to try to have a harem of all the other players, taking away romantic development of other relationships and keeping it to themselves. This is certain to cause a lot of friction until the Thief gets their act together. But they’re going to be very helpful to the session in not-immediately-clear ways, so keep them around.

Witch of Time, one who manipulates or manipulates with Time. Can occasionally break the rules of their aspect. I’m gonna be blunt here. Keep them away from the Thief as much as possible if you want a healthy session. Witches and Thieves do not get along. Our canon Witch of Time, Damara Megido, was warped into a bitter, vindictive person by the Thief of Life, Meenah Peixes. Even Feferi, one of the nicest trolls in canon, hated her session’s thief, Vriska. Not all Witches are going to experience such a dangerous or contemptuous relationship with a Thief, but the Witch of Time is pretty likely to. If your Thief of Heart is particularly volatile and (for lack of a better word) bitchy, they’re going to have serious negative effects on the Witch. So beware of that. Anyway, in regards to the Witch’s role as a Time player, they’ll be very useful. The Witch is second to none in terms of using their aspect and manipulating it. They’ll be capable of all sorts of time shenanigans. Especially handy to have in regards to frog breeding. The Time player (NOT the Knight) is meant to help the Space player with the Genesis Frog. You have among the most competent and skilled players of each cardinal aspect (every class of Time or Space is very useful, but the Witch of Time and Maid of Space are essentially model players for their aspects), so it’s unlikely anything will go wrong.

Sylph of Blood, one who creates/heals Blood, or with Blood. KEEP THEM SAFE. You have some very precarious combinations and circumstances in your session, and if it wasn’t for the presence of a Sylph in one of the personal aspects, I’d say it had a low success rate. But the Sylph of Blood is one of the best possible classpects to have in any session where friendships are at risk. They’ll heal the bonds between others, and keep everything from going completely pear-shaped. They’re also a top-notch healer, so if you’ve sustained any wounds where you’re at risk of bleeding out, they’ll save you. Just think of how much better everything in canon Homestuck could have gone if there had just been a Sylph of Blood…

This session in itself has a decent success rate. I’d say about 7/10, if you can keep the Witch and the Thief from killing each other or being toxic influences. But, there’s still a certain other troublesome player…

Bard of Void, one who passively destroys Void. Their presence promotes the destruction of Void. So, this player is from another session. Their own solo session. This in itself implies some universal shenanigans of some sort. Which in turn involves the Void and the Furthest Ring to some extent. On a more personal level, you’d better hope the players don’t have any nasty secrets. ESPECIALLY not between the Thief and the Witch. If a particularly bad secret comes between the Thief and Witch, I’m not so sure even the Sylph would be able to deal with it. With these potential factors in mind, the presence of a Bard of Void is dangerous. Very dangerous. Void seems to be destroyed with their very presence. Nobody can keep secrets, and nothingness just… falls apart. This is of course dangerous on both a personal and larger level, as it puts the universe/universes/area between universes (depending on the exact set of convoluted circumstances, of which there will definitely be some) as well as team unity at major risk. If you can grow past all that trouble and come out of it stronger, possibly with the Bard as a new ally, victory is almost certainly guaranteed. But if you can’t move past the trouble brought about by the Bard… It’s game over. Possibly with an actual Game Over-like occurrence happening in your session.

So, with all this said. If you can overcome the problems brought about by the Bard, and become stronger, and possibly even gain the Bard as an ally, your success rate is about 8 or 9 out of 10. The Bard of Void is a very useful player to have on your side if they’re competent and benevolent. But if you let the new factors introduced by the Bard drag you down… Your success rate drops harshly to about 3/10. In any case, the Sylph of Blood is the major MVP, no matter the scenario. The Witch of Time should be able to bring about major timeline shenanigans (maybe some combination of them and the Maid of Space could even offset the Bard’s destructive toll on the universe), possibly even twisting doomed timelines in your favor. The Maid of Space is a world-class frog breeder, so that aspect of Sburb will go smoothly. And the Thief is problematic, yet efficient. I could see them doing something like seducing the Black King or Queen. Turning them against the other ruler, or even Derse as a whole, by stealing all the love that others had for the ruler and making it directed towards them. They still need to die to win the game, but that could be easily accomplished with a bit of backstabbing.

So, long story short. Very complex session full of personal issues. High success rate if things go right, abysmal if things go wrong. It basically all hinges on the Bard.