#well i also have a handful of npcs left to get full hearts with but thatll happen naturally by the time im done mr qis quests 😭

[asoulofatlantis]

I do not like to hear that!

But it is of course a given that wherever you go, they will somehow be better than the place the previous arc has played in. It isn't nice if as the player you have a favorite place and one were you are... uh... not so happy about, but it makes somewhat sense. The game always wants you to feel that the place you are in is the most powerful in one way or another. That is why liberl has the best bracers and was the first country with an airship like the Arsaille. That is why Crossbell is, despite his size immensely important for the economy of Zemuria at it is a a literal centerpoint for selling stuff from various different countries. And Erebonia had the strongest military-might for the longest time. Tho now that Calvards arc has started, it feels more and more like Erebonia has lost all its advantages aside from Class7 and the fact that overall Erobinia is full of strong fighters, even without the use of their strong weapons and airplanes and panzers and such. But... it seems to me this advantage is getting smaller by the day and Erebonia is left with nothing but Rean and Olivert as their trump card V.V

I said it before and I say it again, I am an Erebonian Bitch. My heart belongs to Rean and Olivert and my I will ALWAYS be first and foremost on Class7s side. Supporting Alfin as future of Erebonias Royalty and Alisa and the Reinford-Company as a great technic-company. So be aware that any word that puts Erebonia down on the latter one way or another is making me very salty.

Nadia just asked Swin for a Date and he said they can save it for another time... so... he didn't say no. That is good, although Naia is still sulking XD

That is... one way to summon the guilds faults up in one word XD

She actually meant the working-hours tho. But she isn't wrong with that either. Sometimes it feels like Bracers hardly ever have time to sleep, despite how limited their way of operating sometimes can be.

Its her! That is why I had that odd feeling about her looking special and somewhat familiar in a weird way. She is also far too pretty for a random store-NPC.

I should have know Nadia would choose that kind of "disguise" XD Pretending to be a young couple on a date is certainly perfect for her plans. Lets hope it also helps my plans to get that sidequest done soon ^^'

I hate those minigames soooo much T.T

The right thing to do would be handing them over to the police. But I kind of like what Marduk does with people and honestly? If those idiots do stuff like that again, the bracers can deal with it, what else are they good for these days anyway?

Okay, that picture is so cute ♥

BTW... Märchen Garten has called me again. I wonder if I will ever finish the mainquest of thise route ^^' (And this is only route B of this chapter, we have not done route A yet...)

Those guys kill you. Like 3 times in a row. Look forward to it!

They give me some sirious HaMi-Vibes with their "better dying together than living without each other attitude" ♥

BUT that only makes my feeling stronger that it was absolut out of character for Su- I mean Swin, to leave Nadia behind later.

That questionmark makes it look like a joke. Then again, it kinda is a joke... oh well. Next!

Zin, my man. Please look forward to getting killed with us!

I forgot about that part.

This is so damn annyoing, even if you know its comming.

I wonder if this is Falcoms punishment for the Fans screaming that they want character to die. Now we have to watch them die over and over again without any emotions (but annoyance) involved.

[kyogre-blue]

I can’t explain enough how much I liked Fecund Hamper part of the festival. I dunno, it was just very neat. 

(fecund meaning: 1. (formal) Highly fertile; able to produce offspring. 2. (figuratively) Leading to new ideas or innovation. LOL tbh I’m pretty sure EN screwed this one up, the other languages use “abundant”, not uh fertile, productive, prolific) 

Fun details: 

Most are signed, but some aren’t. Some obviously left out their name on purpose, like Stanley, but some seem to have forgotten. Some are also more into the spirit of “you never know who will find it, so let’s keep it a fun exchange between strangers.” 

They got a Fatui do to one. That’s Mond for you. 

Barbara’s note matches the furnishing you get from her chest, which is cute. Diona’s too. 

A lot of the NPCs just remind you of the on-going joke or trait regarding their character, but I recognize all but two, which says something about Mond or me. 

Playable characters!! We love to see it. 

Marjorie, the sigil shop lady, is Cyrus’s daughter???

Goth, the hotel owner, refers to his family as “house of Goth,” which is quite formal. I wonder if they were a noble family during the aristocracy days. 

Bennett’s hint for the chest location tells you to be careful on the bumpy road... our boy...

Jean’s is unexpectedly somber but determined, and I could go on for days about how much more weight it has than other versions of “preserve our traditions” we’ve seen. 

I love Mond I LOVE MOND MOND IS SO GOOD

Full text of the messages: 

Barbara: Are you enjoying yourself at Weinlesefest? Every time a festival comes along, the roads and streets are lined with all sorts of decorations, and the conversations people have with one another grow light-hearted. They talk about how they'll be spending the holiday, what they'll buy... Their happiness is truly infectious. This harvest festival, I'd like to send you some small flags that I made myself. If they can be used as decorations to liven up your day, that would be great!

Old Finch (Springvale NPC): I once heard the voice of nature here. She did not return even after many decades, yet the springwater is ever sweet. Youngster, let me share the joy of the harvest with you. I believe that if she could hear us, she would bestow her blessing upon us too."

Jotun (hunter NPC): Huh. Never thought the day might come when someone as dispassionate as me would be asked to prepare a Fecund Hamper. Still, I've yet to shake the rust off my brain, so I simply have no clue where to hide it... or what to write in this note. Uh, Happy Weinlesefest, I guess?

Mikhail (Fatui NPC): Honestly, I can't help but miss my mighty homeland Snezhnaya every time such festive events roll along. But I'm afraid I can only take time off at night to drown my sorrows in wine... To be honest, I'd recommend trying the drinks they sell here... But if you were able to find the gift, I reckon you're already a regular here, eh?

Grace (nun NPC): To whomsoever finds this gift: How do you do? I thank Lord Barbatos for allowing my gift and note to come into your hands. May His blessing be upon you. If you ever have any troubles, then stand here and pray. Lord Barbatos will surely help you find an answer.

Charles the Bartender: Whether you're a regular here, or whether you are a friend from afar... Well, since you found this gift, why not come in for a mug? I hope that you'll enjoy this Weinlesefest, and I hope that Dawn Winery's wines will be able to add some extra color in your live.

Amber: Congratulations! It probably wasn't that easy to find this place, so you must be someone with some real spirit! Well then, have a look around. Isn't the view here great? Heh, I'm glad that I was able to share that view with you. Well, just remember to follow the Gliding Instruction Manual as you make your way down using your wind glider. Otherwise, you might get your license revoked...

Noelle: The training grounds have a very special place in my heart. I've trained there many times to become a true knight and better myself... And I'll work hard in the future too! If you need stakes pared or firewood chopped, leave it all to me! If you run into any trouble at all, you can call me, and I'll be there!

Branch Master Cyrus: Hahaha! So you know my daughter well, do you? Well then, make sure you patronize her shop more often! Marjorie always loved to hear my tales of adventure, and now that she's all grown up, she's carrying the legacy of an adventurer's passion and valor in her own unique way. It's truly a wonderful thing, and she will always be my pride and joy... But don't let her hear that. It, uh, might be awkward, haha! If you wish to join the Adventurers' Guild, just contact me,

Goth: The house of Goth has always served the people of Mondstadt with distinction, and this hotel plays host to many memories. The years of my youth have passed and will not return, but at least my family and friends are still with me. Dear friend, I wish you a lovely Weinlesefest. Don't forget to spend more time with those close to you.

Beatrice: The blades of the windmill mindlessly go round and round... they're just like that childhood friend of mine! No matter how many hints I give him, he never seems to get it... but I don't want to just say it to him either! Stranger, I wish you a happy Weinlesefest... and if you would, wish the two of us luck.

Timmie: The ducks and I are good friends. They look very cute when they're swimming. My mother once told that although their movement may seem slow, their legs actually paddle very quickly in the water! Amazing, right? Why don't you try feeding them? I'm sure you'll make good friends with them too!

Guy (Knight NPC): *sigh* What a bore... It's Weinlesefest, but I still need to stay at my post. You know, at this side gate that no one will ever come over to? Ah, kind-hearted soul whom I have never met, please come at chat with me, if only because of this gift. Tell me what everyone is having fun with! Please, I need some of that festive cheer too!

Fischl: Ye who are blessed by dictum divine, and who bear in your breasts earnest hearts that yearn for endless knowledge, browse through this treasure trove of endless wisdom! Here, in these halls that link your realm to the Immernachtreich, lies a paradise in which your Prinzessin finds repose. Now, now, thou needst not rush to seek an audience. When you have witnessed the rise and fall of countless worlds and deciphered the truth behind all enigmas, the ladder to the highest of royal courts shall appear before you.

Klee: Wow! Hehehe, so you've found Klee's present! Awesome! Does that mean Klee's made a new friend? Psst, next time I can slip out, let's go fish blasting together! It'll be fun, I promise!

(Bonus, her hint: So, there's this old battered cart at the place where I usually go fish blasting, right? I hid my present behind it! If you can find it, it's allll yours! Uh, by the way, I didn't blow that cart up. alright? Really! Razor can vo— um, vouch for me!)

Bennett: hanks for finding the gift that I left here! Solving puzzles, avoiding traps, completing challenges, collecting precious rewards... These are my favorite things! It's quite rare that I get this kind of chance, so I hid my treasure somewhere out in the wild before designing a little quest around it. I hope it didn't bring you too much trouble. This treasure is yours — good luck in your future endeavors!

Diona: Hmph, and here I was looking to come and retrieve my gift, but you know what? I guess you're pretty good after all. Well, this wind chime is yours to keep, but remember: don't drink too much wine — not even if it's Weinlesefest! If not, the wind chime will ring, and I'll hear it — don't you underestimate the hearing we Kätzlein have! And when I do, you'll be in trouble! Seriously though, when will they just rename it to the Harvestfest, or the Fruitfest, or something like that...

Kaeya: Well now, I imagine that this one wasn't too difficult. Don't worry, I'm not pulling a fast one on you. I just want to spend more time on drinking festival-exclusive wine, and you don't have to run all over the place looking for the present, so it's a win-win for both of us. Of course, if you would like to savor some drinks or have a chat, I'd buy you a glass any time.

Pepe (Springvale NPC): Hello there, you who are the bravest and most skillful person in the world! Call me Pepe! Mr. Draff placed this Fecund Hamper here for me. I'm not tall enough to climb cliffs this high right now, but I'm training every day! I wanna become an awesome hunter as soon as I can! Once that happens, I'll be able to place these gifts myself!

Brook (Springvale NPC): Come on, it's a festival! Just having fruits and wine isn't going to cut it. And that's why, apart from the usual little tokens, I've also left you some steak I made myself. I don't mean to brag, but I used the freshest meats and the greatest care in making these — it would be no exaggeration to call them the best delicacies in Mondstadt. I even matched them with the best wine at this festival. You'll know it once you try some. Happy Weinlesefest!

Jean: I know by heart that neither the peace nor the harvest are easy to come by. Only by steadily moving forward can we remember those who went before us. Unknown friend, I ask of you, should you be willing, to raise a glass to the winds — to toast Mondstadt, and to toast its resistance in the past, and its freedom today.

“Stanley”: In the past, I would often go camping with my friend. We would watch the stars and talk about our dreams... When I look at the wine in my cup, I cannot help but think back to those wonderful times. I know... I will try looking into the future... Ah, Stanley... How I miss you...

Connor (Winery NPC): As a winemaker at Dawn Winery, getting to watch the fine wines that I made myself get loaded into carts and shipped to places all across Teyvat makes me proudest of all. If you are willing, do come to the stall run by the Angel's Share at the Wine Market to try our festival-exclusive non-alcoholic drinks.

Tunner (Winery NPC): Thanks be to Lord Barbatos! Not only has the grapevines been laden by his protection, but my son, Guy, is also putting in his best for Weinlesefest as a valued member of the Knights of Favonius! Now, though we are both very busy people, I believe that our feelings cross the distance between us, connecting us both together...

[bunnhop]

Trying Out Different Job Classes in Ragnarok Origin!

Published: September 4, 2021 Last Updated on October 9, 2021

(Reposted from bunnhop.com)

It’s another fine week and we’re back with another episode of Let’s Explore Ragnarok Origin! Tutorial. We’re (finally!) close to completing the tutorial and leaving the Adventurers’ Academy for good. It’s so exciting to think about what sorts of adventures we’ll have once we leave the beginners’ area!

Sprakki’s Career Assessment Test

Today, we pick up where we left off in the previous episode. We’ve just received our newbie gifts from Sprakki after formally graduating from the academy. She gives us an option to take a short test–much like in the original Ragnarok Online PC game, but much shorter and simpler–to have an idea of the Job class that suits us the most. It’s like an in-game version of a real-life career aptitude test. We answer three very simple questions and she tells us the Job that we’re most likely going to enjoy based on those answers. I got Acolyte…

…which is the exact same result I’d always get in Ragnarok Online. I probably didn’t expect it because I was a little surprised.

Since this is just a career assessment test, we’re free to choose a totally different Job from the result we got. When we speak with Instructor Brade who’s in charge of handing out letters of recommendation to the different Job Guilds, he reminds us to take this seriously. Unfortunately, unlike in real life, we can’t change Jobs. We have to fully commit to the Job we choose… or make a different character and start from scratch?

Previewing Each Job

Before we make our decision, Brade gives us a Job Notebook where we can check the specifics of each class. Aside from the Job descriptions, it also shows the recommended Stats (or status points allocation) and two to three main Skills.

I decided to try all six Job classes to show what combat is like for each of them. It’s good to note that some Jobs have Skills that aren't available in Ragnarok Online. Two examples of this are the Dancing Dagger for Thieves and the Full Swing for Merchants.

Another noticeable difference is in what some of the Skills actually do. The indispensable Heal for Acolytes does not only recover the HP of a specified target, unlike in RO, but also heals your character at the same time. This goes the same for Blessing and Kyrie Eleison which are now both Party Skills.

The previews for each Job may be basic but not boring. I actually enjoyed interacting with each of the instructors and noticing their unique personalities. Orbis Thea is a mighty warrior who cares about his students and the well-being of the entire Midgard continent; Pamela is calm and kind-hearted; Emily is passionate about magic and the elements; the mysterious Quis is quiet and stern; Barbase cares more about wealth than his students; and Cecilius has a keen sense and encourages independence among her apprentices.

They may be stereotypical, but it’s definitely better to have tutorial NPCs that feel alive than sitting through bland Job previews that only let you use Skills against monsters on your own. And there’s also that strange little boy who keeps dropping and touching Dead Branches! Who is that, really?

An Archer Heads Off to Adventure!

In the end, I chose to be an Archer! Actually, my main character the very first time I played RO back in 2004 was an Archer too! However, I decided to switch to Acolyte after a few months since I… sadly kept running out of arrows.

Once we’ve decided on which Job to change into, Brade instructs us to go to our Job Change destination (in my case, Payon) via a very adorable Poring hot-air balloon! We start it up, hop on it, and fly away from the Adventurers’ Academy island onto a brand new world of adventure! In the background, we hear Sprakki wishing us the best and a very nostalgic guitar version of “Wanna Be Free,” which if you remember is the well-loved BGM for War of Emperium (WoE) maps.

This part was quite heartwarming. Bidding your instructors farewell and setting off on your own journey to the tune of a BGM that brings back the memories of all the fun and the drama of playing guild wars with friends… This scene evoked a sense of both nostalgia and hope. Nostalgic of the good and the bad times in the original RO, and hopeful of what’s to come in Ragnarok Origin.

How about you? Which Job did you choose? Did the unexpected “Wanna Be Free” scene also made you feel “the feels?”

[slusheeduck]

4, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 30 for Tav? I love the weirdo

HAHAHAHA, don't worry, he answers to Tav too

4. If your Tav was a companion, where would they be found? He'd probably be found in the ship wreckage near the start being bullied by that big group of intellect devourers. You'd bring him on for his feylock abilities and softspoken contrast to the Goth Fundie, Mean Vampire, and Gale you picked up, then keep him around for the "stoplickingthedamnthing" banter.

11. Weapon of choice?

Staves and glaives! He's a big, big fan of Sorrow. He also used Blood of Lathander for a while because if you're going to explode a creche with the full concentrated power of the sun for it, you might as well use the damn thing.

14. What hobbies does your Tav have?

Fal crochets! Not nearly as well as Astarion embroiders, but it's a nice way to keep his hands occupied. With his heart condition, he couldn't play much as a kid, so his mother taught him to crochet when he was fairly young. Post-Absolute, he gets really into gardening--especially nightblooming flowers. Turns out spending time with fairies AND druids gives you a really good green thumb.

15: What NPC's do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

His favorite people he's encountered has been Omeluum, Lucretious, and Spaw. He loves Spaw--he would have stayed with the myconids forever if he hadn't been dragged out. Once he knows Yenna's NOT Orin, he's pretty fond of her too, out of all the children he inadvertently invites to camp. He gives her a sword. It's probably safe. He hates Orin. Not even in a "this is the bad guy" way, just in a "you are so FUCKING annoying oh my god please die" way. The moment any rando starts asking him in great detail what he thinks about killing he's just like "Oh my GOD Orin FUCK I know it's you."

He knew Auntie Ethel was going to be bad news because she looked just like his old babysitter growing up, and she was a bitch.

("Oh my god," Falerin said as they limped away from Auntie Ethel's teahouse. "What? Is it the corpse we just reanimated, or the fact that that woman is definitely going to fuck that corpse?" Astarion asked. "No, neither. I just remembered who Auntie Ethel reminded me of. I had this horrible babysitter growing up. Only boiled food, wouldn't let me do anything but sit quietly 'on account of my condition', threatened me with a switch for so much as talking so loud. What if she actually was a hag?")

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Faerûn?

Well, it WAS hollyphants, but finally getting to see one was less than ideal. Tressyms have since replaced them as his favorite creature.

30: What's your favorite thing about your Tav?

In-game, it's the fact that he's meant to be a chaotic good character, but the party keeps killing LITERALLY EVERYONE by accident. And it's gotten to the point where he's just like "...please don't try to attack us we'll wipe out your whole army and I REALLY don't want to do that again." In terms of character, he's fun because he's someone who started his life with sharp desperation--he was a rude, ambitious bastard at the outset, actually, because he literally did not have the time to care--who was softened considerably by his time with the fey. So he really does understand where his companions are coming from--he was a young hotshot trying to prove himself, he was stolen from his home, he made a pact that has its perks but came at a cost, he spent years as a toy for creatures much more powerful than he was for the sake of survival--and now he has the patience to help them, because there's nothing left for him to lose and, honestly, it's really nice to actually have friends.

Thank you for the questions!!

[ineeddream25]

Discussion plan gone wrong

 [SAGAU! Imposter Reader]

Veritas Inter Astra

[Before] 

Tw : Contains Violence

Welp, this is it. This is the continuation. Have it folks. I'll surely be updating this in the future but IDK how long. cuz currently, I'm still preparing for a college entrance exam. Hopefully, this will suffice for now. If you have any ideas, complain, or brain-rot, feel free! Oh, Ayato simps be winning in this chapter lol.

Faith is a sacred thing. It is holy, full of loyalty, and something that roots deep within people's hearts that serves as a guide. Guide on how they live their life. Guide on how they choose their morality and how to treat someone. Like how to treat a person like you! Who is mistaken as an imposter?

You are aware of the looks given to you. Those Shuumatsuban ninjas didn't even hide their glare while escorting you and Ayato. You grumbled. All this ordeal has left you very exhausted. Waking up in the middle of the storms, getting attacked, and now having to walk a long way to The Kamisato Estate. Yeah, you'd like to take a bath and maybe some warm food.

After navigating through the Chinju forest, your group arrived at the gate of The Kamisato Estate. You heard comments from the NPCs about how beautiful this place is. It seems they are not exaggerating after all.

You gasped. The sheer luxury of this place is up a notch. The soft glow of the lantern as the sky slowly turns to dark blue is beautiful. As if they are guiding you to this fine architecture. The soft blows of the wind with a hint of saltiness from the sea are also very refreshing. You stood in awe. Your ordinary self feels intimidated by the presence of this place alone. You, whom some moments ago, are just someone who tries to pay the rent of your apartment. You backed up a little, discomfort and insecurities filling your heart. Are you allowed to stay in this place? Your mother once look at you apartement and literally said “Damn you lived like this?” Once. Hey, That time it’s because exam week, you’re way too busy with your grades to care.

"Ayato, are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" you asked in doubt. Sure, when you played the game, you have always wanted to visit this place yourself. Honestly, who wouldn't? If you're honest, sometimes you would think, "How does it feel to live in such a luxurious place?" The thought always made you giddy and smile from the excitement. But now, after seeing the real thing, you're not so sure. Ayato smiled, not his usual political smile, but one genuine, full of love and adoration. It makes you uncomfortable. You didn't feel... worthy.

Before he could answer, one of his ninjas, though scared, snapped back at you. "You dare refer to Lord Kamisato so casually like that? Filthy imposter, you should know your place!"

You flinched back. You don't have enough energy to bicker back, and your anxiety's spiking up. The wind blows fast and harsher. You squeezed your hand so hard it turned white. You can handle people being mean to you, but that doesn't mean you don't feel hurt. You ignore the wind that starts getting restless, the trees trashing around along with the wind.

"Look, Ayato-- Lord Kamisato. I appreciate your thoughts." You bowed, apologizing. "But it seems that I won't be received well in your place. I'll go back with Nobu and continue my travel with them--"

"Shut up." You flinched, not daring to look up. Ayato's voice is devoid of any warmth.

Did you mess up somewhere? Did your bow is disrespectful? You heard little gasps behind you as well. Oh no, you definitely messed up.

But I don't want to die. 

An idea pops through your head

Hey, I can apologize! He will forgive me, right? 

You stand up straight, expecting Ayato to glare at you.

Only to see a body stumbles in front of you and fall to the ground. His face was pale as paper. You scream and walk back. The sight of it scares you, but you can't help your sense of morality to help him.

"IS HE DEAD?!" You scrambled to him, grabbing his hand to check any pulse left. In the past, your school has given you some first aid lessons. It's time to practice your knowledge. You reached to the area on the side of his neck. You are relieved when you feel the weak pulse there. After calming yourself, you realize that the unconscious man was the one who mocked you before.

You feel someone's hand gently caressing your cheeks. You startled, whipping around your head to see Ayato looking at you worriedly. You felt relieved that he's not angry at you, but can't he sees the man being unconscious in the dirt? Sure, he is a jerk. Maybe he deserves it a bit. But he looks like he is on the verge of dying!

"T-Thank you for your concern Ay-- Lord Kamisato. But, um, the soldier, Shouldn't he get some treatment?" you asked hurriedly. Ayato squeezes your arms gently once again.

"Just call me Ayato, Dear creator." He said while longingly looking at you. He wanted your attention on him, but the man, who offended you oh so greatly, is diverting your attention from him.

Ayato glances at him. His eyes turn cold and emotionless. How dare this man belittle you, the great creator. How dare he mock you. It seems that the education instilled in them is still not working effectively. He needs to note that for his plan.

The samurais in the back are frozen stiff. They've seen how Lord Kamisato creates a bubble around the ninja's head, mercilessly drowning him, slowly and silently crushing it with water pressure whirling inside the bubble. They've seen the anger and fury gleaming in the head commission's eyes. They've seen it before, anger so primal but so concealed. They wouldn't have noticed if they'd never experienced it before.

Nobu walks forward intending to tell you what has happened. You need to know what happened. The leader, sensing one of his youngest member's intentions, grabs his shoulder harshly. Nobu jerked back, head whipped around to glare at him. The leader motions to Lord Kamisato, who is glancing at them. His eyes filled with hidden messages.

"You don't want the same cruel thing to happen to you right? Don't intervene."

The leader got that message clear. He wants to help you, but he is still powerless in front of the commissioner and his army. Lord Kamisato called you the creator, but to him, you are just a clueless person who doesn't know anything. He will make you one of the group, but now, he hopes your fate there will be lucky, even if his gut was telling him otherwise. If there's another chance to help you, he will repay this sin.

You are still waiting for Ayato's response. Quietly tugging his arms, you called out to him. Ayato's attention is back to you now. His eyes change forth between fury and adoration, which unsettles you. He looks at one of your hands on the unconscious soldier's head.

"No worries, My grace. He is a little bit exhausted from today's mission and hasn't been resting. I'm sure enough rest will make him better the next day." He lied smoothly. The ninja gets the messages and takes their friend back to their living quarters.

You stood up awkwardly. Ayato is still holding your arms. His eyes are still soft with adoration and another emotion you can't pinpoint.

"You can let me go, Lord Kamisato." Ayato looks partially hurt. "Just Ayato, Dear creator. Call me Ayato, like how you used to call me before coming here."

"But, I just met you! What do you mean how I used to call you?"

Ayato looked confused. It seems that something happened when you were transported here. Ayato once again invited you to come inside. You tried to deny it because you don't want to see or hear other people mocking you again. Ayato reassures you, but you still doubt it.

You looked back, but the samurai group was already nowhere to be seen. Your feel your hearts break a little. They don't care about you, huh? You have no other choice but to go with Ayato.

You glanced at him. His expression brightens when he realizes you're looking at him. His lips go full of smiles and his eyes crinkle with mirth.

Maybe, living here for a while is not so bad.

You are guided to the front door of the estate. The Zen garden stretched beautifully across the manner. The white sands look soft and fresh. The lanterns glow warmly in the dark.

You felt yourself relax a little. The guards salute in their Lord's presence. They can't help but notice another person who is tagging along with their Lord. They wanted to converse but their Lord send them a warning gaze while covering the mysterious person's face with his sleeve, resulting in him half hugging the figure to himself.

Ayato suddenly feels his heart thudding fast. Warmth spread all over his body and he feels so bashful. Who knows being this close to the creator feels so comforting. It's similar to the aura enveloping him when he's in the vessel mode but way more powerful.

You are clueless. When Ayato obscures your vision with his sleeve and hugs you, you feel flustered. He smells of wood and weirdly, milk? It is soothing, but still, you're flustered.

"Ayato?! What are you doing?" you squeak. Ayato looks even more bashful. His face flushed even redder. The guards look stunned. Is someone calling their lord on a first-name basis?

"A-Ah I see. it's some important guest to you. I'll call Thoma my lord." The guard rushes inside the manor. While Ayato, who now couldn't hold his desire anymore, decide to embrace you as a way to hide your face.

"Oi, Ayato. Is this necessary?!" You look up to him. Face red and flustered. Which led to Ayato feeling even more overwhelmed.

My creator is way too cute. How can I be calm?!

Trying to reason with himself. Ayato said, "Of course, we wouldn't want to see your face now, don't we? You don't want the same thing to happen again. Right, dear?"

Your confused expression is endearing, per se. One of his hands slowly caresses your cheeks. Both of your faces flushed red because of the situation. Ayato cups your cheeks. His smile is full of love.

"I'll explain everything to you later, dear. We need to find somewhere private--"

"Shall I prepare a special room My Lord?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly joins in. You and Ayato jolt in surprise. Ayato hides your face and you hug Ayato even tighter.

Thoma stood there looking awkward. Ayato is a little bit unhappy someone disturbs him, but he is also relieved that Thoma has arrived.

"Ah, Thoma. Prepare one of the most secluded rooms in the estate." It's a question with many meanings. But, with Ayato's flustered face and his wavering voice, its meaning took a big turn.

"Are you going to do that My Lord?" Thoma asked bashfully. You, who are frozen from meeting another cast of Genshin so quickly took alert at the question that Thoma gave.

"Do what???" Your question is left ignored. Ayato quickly replied. "Yes, Thoma. We will do 'that' private thing. So you all better don't disturb me for the rest of the night. You don't want to interrupt our... 'private' moments. Don't you?"

Thoma stood straight and almost saluted, which you think is funny. "O-Of course My lord! Er- Enjoy your time in intimate moments!" He stuttered.

You choke.

Intimate moments?! What is Ayato going to do with you?! You look at Ayato with a horrified expression. He looks panicked and quickly mouthed you "Trust me" before bridal carrying you through the halls and quickly ran to one of the rooms that has been recently prepared by the servants.

Ayato shuts the door and the servant quickly hurried away, afraid they'll disturb their lord.

Ayaka, whose just arrived at the scene walked to Thoma. She closes her fans. Eyes looking at the room his brother just went in.

"What happened Thoma, why do you look so pale?"

"His lord is doing someone,"

Ayako raises his eyebrows."You mean something?"

Thome is silent, looking at her with a serious expression.

"My apologies, Lady Ayaka. But did I stutter?"

"Oh my Excellency, The Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder!"

The gossip went wild that night.

====

LMAO, PEOPLE THINKING AYATO GONNA EAT THEM CAKES

But in reality both of them just awkwardly conversing. Help them

Thoma : Ayato have someone special!

Ladies in Inazuma : Oh no!

Creator : [No clue] Oh My God, You have someone special? Why didn’t you tell me?

Ayato : [Groaning] How can someone be so endearingly stupid.

TAGLIST!! : @kazuhira07 @karmawonders @ello-its-me-ya-boi @emperatris-rinaka

[utilitycaster]

Wizard Breakdown Tracker, #135

Each week I think “man it would have been cool if I had thought of this idea, in which I make jokes about how stressed out the wizard NPCs are, during, you know, the Vergesson heist or something when we were interacting with more than one wizard NPC instead of during a dungeon crawl with only one wizard NPC, emphasis on crawl” but you know what, I persevere, because where else am I going to put song parodies about the death of Vess Derogna that are literally only funny to me? Twitter?

Anyway while I am personally team Jester, in that the faster Lucien is simultaneously disintegrated, run through in the chest with both a vestige and a holy avenger, shot through the heart (and Veth’s to blame), beheaded with a hand axe, banished, punched in the face, and sent into a black hole the better, the party has other plans. Thanks to the long rest though it has been about 12 hours, plus the 4-ish from last week, so I guess we’ll check in with a few of our other wizard friends as well.

As a reminder Caleb Widogast is a PC and thus excluded from this list.

Currently sidelined

Presumably having a good day: Pumat Sol (blissfully unaware of all of this); Allura Vyesoren (saint-like patience and a wealth of experience with disaster adventuring parties; at least this one has a cleric at more than 0.33 FTE, a wizard, and some lesbians), Ludinus Da’leth (this miserable pile of power plays wakes up every morning and is like Isn’t it Grand to be head of the evil wizard council and no one realizes I probably destroyed the first non-drow elven civilization on the continent to arise after the calamity! Fetch me more pastries!).

No idea but here’s hoping he found the cat portion of ScryTube: Oremid Hass

Lady DeRogna, taken off the scene, sorry that your murder happened while off-screen.

Trent Ikithon: I’ve established that I think the only real things that can damage Trent emotionally are Caleb paying too much attention to him so as to destroy his standing within the empire, or else Caleb ignoring him. Honestly if Trent would not continue to torture students and spread propaganda if left unchecked I think he could be slowly murdered solely through Caleb expressing apathy. So despite the amulets of nondetection I like to imagine that somehow, somewhere, Trent felt Caleb reaffirm to Essek that his top priority is still stopping the city from returning, not Trent, and it necrotized just a little bit more of his liver.

Conclusion: 7/10. I went to the OG evil mageocracy and no one knew who you were.

Essek Thelyss: Well on the one hand he’s still flirting but on the other imagine spending a literal century being like “what if we’re wrong about how we approach the fundamental basis for our society” and he just got proved right. I have to imagine he’s got that kind of stress where suddenly everything becomes dead calm and also this explains why he unnecessarily cast a 3rd level spell, which he knows could in theory cause him to lose all his hair, to impress a boy. I didn’t even get into the conversations he had with Caleb, the bad dreams and eyeballs, Fjord teasing him, Yasha being like “ALRIGHT ALREADY”, the horrible Aeorian creatures, the fact that robots might be back(?) or his ongoing terror that the Assembly is after him!

Conclusion: 8/10 but he’s like, kind of having a good time. Essek is in all ways but physical in a Hawaiian shirt right now drinking a Mai Tai and going Nothing Matters; I presume he will have a full breakdown following the boss battle and honestly he deserves it.

Astrid Beck: Others have already established the parallels between Essek and Astrid but honestly I want to highlight it because really, on the one hand we have Essek, whose world is crashing around him because he was right all along and is in terrible immediate danger but surrounded by friends, and on the other we have Astrid, whose world is crashing around her because she was wrong all along and she’s probably not in immediate danger but Eadwulf is the only person she can trust and we don’t know all the details about that either.

Conclusion: 8/10 but in the bad way, not Essek’s kind of fun way.

Wulfpupy:

Conclusion: 3/10. You know that tiktok with the blonde woman with glasses who has a lot of highlighter on her nose who talks about how sometimes if you have guy friends they will say something deeply fucked up and you’ll be like “oh my god do we unpack this right now” and then you look over at them and the only thing in their mind are the lyrics to Kokomo? That’s Wulf. He will activate the second Caleb comes back in town or Astrid actually falls apart but until then he is on Island Time.

Yussa Errenis: I wonder if there’s a small part of Yussa that is part of the city’s awareness and, moreover, can see what Beau and Caleb at least are doing, and he’s like “I’m so simultaneously proud and impatient, also we live in a world that does not have IV fluids so like, hopefully my body still exists in some kind of functioning state when I am rescued” (note: did I google “how were coma patients kept alive in olden times” for this? Perhaps.) Anyway if he is aware he’s also just like, watching all this like “I WILL GET YOU SO MUCH PAPER OH MY GOD CAN YOU JUST KISS THE OTHER WIZARD SAVE ME FROM THE EVIL HIVEMIND CITY.”

Conclusion: I mean still infinity/10, he is still trapped in the city of madness and also if he does have a small part of his mind that is sane and able to observe the material plane he also is aware that Trent and the Volstruckers broke into his tower.

Known Gem Wizard Hotsauce Lutefisk: I know, I know, weird that I brought him up. However consider: Yussa’s wizard tower now contains two wizards in suspended animation, their consciousnesses trapped in eldritch astral sea-related spaces. This is incredibly funny to me. We’re in a real Old Lady who swallowed a fly scenario except it’s centuries-old wizards getting sucked into traps because of their own hubris. The reason why mageocracies no longer exist isn’t the lack of magical knowledge or even because power corrupts absolutely, it’s because literally just put some lightly fried forbidden knowledge under a box with a stick propping it up, add your parody of Long-Term Nuclear Waste Warnings above it, and a wizard will be like “that sign won’t stop me because I CAN read and what’s more I’m better at reading than you are!” And then they get trapped in a box.

Conclusion: what is a breakdown tracker to a man whose mind has been stuck in a gem for, from his perspective, at minimum about 35 years?

[sepublic]

Marcy’s Condition

           I’m scared for Marcy. Seeing her so wounded, I just-

           I really am afraid. Afraid that she’s going to need not just emotional and mental therapy, but physical therapy as well… Which, we don’t know how successful Andrias’ procedure is going to be, but still. It really sucks and haunts me how Sasha has that scar on her face, as a permanent reminder of what happened in Amphibia, of Reunion…

           But not to compare pain, but Marcy is somehow even worse- Because she might just have that ENTIRE gaping scar on her chest and back, and… Remembering how she almost died, how she THOUGHT she died. The pain, the unimaginable horror and agony at being impaled. The reminder of everything that happened in True Colors, the pain and desperation, the betrayal… I can legit seeing it become an actual, medical trigger for Marcy. Sasha at least managed to cope with the scar on her face, good for her…!

           But Marcy… I can easily see this breaking her. And it just leads to her always trying to cover up that scar and not look at it, which, is easy because she can accomplish that with any regular shirt, but still… It’s just the entire concept of bodily autonomy being violated, of being marked like that, and it worsens with the idea of Andrias turning Marcy into a cyborg, and/or his master possessing her. To already have her body so grievously hurt and wounded, to then be operated on like a test subject, to be controlled and puppeted with this entity inside her… It genuinely sickens me.

           This girl suffered, and there’s always that permanent, visual reminder of it. At least with Sasha, you can argue how she brought it on herself, as a reminder of how she tried to kill Anne’s surrogate father and why this mistake backfired; It’s a learning experience, although trauma is trauma of course, so that is to be said VERY lightly and carefully. It’s not like Anne MEANT to scar Sasha; But Marcy… Marcy didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to be impaled by someone she trusted, who took advantage of and manipulated her… 

          She was afraid of confiding her fears in with Anne and Sasha, and she found that in Andrias; And now, she’s likely to be even MORE terrified of opening up because of this! Especially with how Andrias has the AUDACITY to literally gaslight Marcy in her final moments, as she realizes she’s going to die and is dead, by saying “Look what you’ve made me do.” As if he hasn’t emotionally manipulated her enough, to imply Marcy’s violent death is all her fault, and/or that of the friends she loves and didn’t want to lose, was so afraid of being rejected by. Because I guess her soul hadn’t been crushed enough!

           Not to mention… Getting impaled like that, having a burning blade through your spine… I’m just really afraid that when this is all over, IF Marcy gets to recover and heal; She might be paralyzed. She might be plagued with physical health issues for the rest of her life, because she’s missing an entire chunk of her spine; And, hopefully Andrias’ procedure can give Marcy’s body a full recovery… Ideal scenario, no scar, even! 

          But I can’t help but feel like being possessed by Andrias’ master, THAT could leave its own physical toll on Marcy’s poor body, and it just agonizes me to see this girl be violated like that, emotionally and physically. It’s depressing how Marcy briefly treats others more like NPCs in her game than people, because now SHE’s being objectified, losing her agency, in a way that is so much worse and totally undeserved.

           Marcy doesn’t deserve to have to live with physical health issues for the rest of her life, for what happened; She’s a kid. She doesn’t deserve to be plagued with echoes of pain and physical trauma that constantly remind her of what happened, even when she’s not directly looking at the visual mark it left behind. And I’m just scared that when this is all over… I can see Marcy being bedridden, being in ACTUAL medical therapy, because I have a hard time imagining her being able to function without that.

           What if she becomes physically sick and ill, still feeling the repercussions of her wound or possession or being modified against her will? I don’t want to imagine Marcy looking at prosthetics that Andriasgave her, for the rest of her life. There’s nothing wrong with needing physical aid, or medicine, or therapy to get by in life; But for Marcy, it could serve as a reminder of issues that came as a direct, unfair, result of her time in Amphibia; A loss of carefree health she once had… And she doesn’t deserve to be haunted like that.

          I don’t want Marcy to be plagued by health issues, she’s gone through ENOUGH already, having the rest of Marcy’s life be permanently riddled and restrained because of her wound, it just… It genuinely leaves me in anguish. I don’t want to see Marcy in a wheelchair, as a permanent, haunting reminder that is intertwined in every aspect of her life, of what happened… A reminder she literally can’t escape because it’s her own body, and it’ll affect just about every breathing moment for her.

           I don’t want to see Marcy struggle to breathe from damaged lungs. Or have her struggle with meds –I know that feeling- or constantly need a device for physical aid, something to be hooked up to often. I don’t want to imagine Marcy sometimes lying in bed at night, placing her hand over her chest, so she can feel her heart beating, to relieve and reassure herself that she’s still alive. Not after feeling her heart stop beating when she was first impaled… She’s so young, she has her whole life ahead of her, or should, and she had that violently ripped away from her, barely got to live with that kind of normal life before it was gone for good. She deserves to just breathe, carefree, and feel the sunlight on her face and enjoy life.

           As a disclaimer, I don’t want to patronize people with disabilities or injuries. I don’t want to turn physical conditions into some inescapable tragedy that can’t be moved past, can’t be healed from; There are so many people who have managed to adapt and continue living as always. I’m sorry if I did that… But Marcy’s whole condition could be a brutal reminder of what happened to her, of that horrible thing that wracked not just her heart but her entire body. She shouldn’t have to suffer for that, for the rest of her life…

           And I’m terrified for her mental health. Of her suffering from actual PTSD, being triggered by things that remind her of that moment. Of having nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat, heart racing, as she reaches out for Anne or Sasha for comfort. I can’t handle that thought, the idea of a kid in that sort of pain… It’s so unfair and she doesn’t deserve it. I can genuinely, plausibly see Marcy becoming depressed, becoming somber and morose for a long while, before she can finally heal and become happy and excited and curious in things that open way she does; And GOD, I’d be inconsolable if she felt suicidal, because how do you move on from that? Thinking her life wasn’t worth it without Anne or Sasha, that she literally can’t handle it… Combined with the possibility of abuse in more ways than one from her parents, how THEY won’t help, if they’re even allowed near Marcy after all this.

           Does Marcy have anyone to even turn to when it all ends? I hope she does. I can only imagine her being constantly terrified of being alone, and needing company just to get by… She really deserves a therapy pet after all this, maybe Joe Sparrow could help. It just… It just sounds like Marcy’s whole life has been wracked with this kind of pain, and I don’t want to her pain get any worse, to see it get physically chronic. Any kind of physical pain could easily traumatize and push Marcy to her limits… And, there’s the possibility of good representation for physical disabilities, but also, I don’t want to patronize anyone, or speak over their voices, so again I apologize if I did.

           I guess this just stems from me wanting to see Marcy’s pain be acknowledged and addressed so she can properly heal from it, can be validated and told that it was terrible and should’ve never happened no matter what… But maybe I can find relief in the denial that it didn’thurt her this badly, that Marcy is fine and doesn’t have to deal with that to begin with, because wouldn’t that be better for her? I dunno.

           It’s undeniable that Marcy is going to be emotionally crushed after this… But does she have to stay, or become, physicallycrushed as well?

I just…

           SOMEONE GET THIS GIRL SOME LOVE AND CARE AND THERAPY ASAP FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE AND LET HER BE WELL AGAIN!!!!!

           I just want Marcy to be able to recover and heal… I genuinely hope and wish her emotional spirit will at least be able to move on after this, that she can still find joy and excitable fun, and get to be a kidagain, with her best friends like old times; Only better, because she’s at least grown. God, these girls and their trauma, and the inevitability of how it’ll haunt and hurt them… It leaves me inconsolable.

[mxvladdy]

Ey, could you make food source reactions for Mammon & Levi like you did with the others?

I've read it like 3 times now, they're all so sweet and believable you did a great job!

You got it Fam! Glad you like them so much lol. (I got a lot more angsty with Mammon than I thought I would but I love him sooooo)

Mammon

This poor man. He gets to spend so little time alone with you. He has to make every second count. Between the hustling, modeling, and running from Lucifer, he’s a pretty busy guy. 

So he plans date nights. Just you, him, and his leather couch. Ya ain’t goin’ nowhere, ya hear? He looks forward to this every month. He pins it on his calendar too just so he doesn’t double book himself. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Just cause he plans this doesn’t mean he necessarily has a plan. Not that you care. Most of his activities turn into trouble anyway, even when he is not trying.  

 Sometimes he teaches you how to play cards (also shows you human ways to cheat-just in case you need it). The hours are spent pleasantly sitting in his lap while he teaches you how to count cards.

But, most nights, he just wants to talk. He enjoys his time with you. You and him cuddling and chatting away the hours before passing out for the night. 

He has a lot of things he wants to know about you. To him, he feels like if he knows you better than the other brothers he’s won. 

Won what? Idk, your affection? Approval? He already has it, but he is insecure about his place in your heart regardless. 

This evening starts out like any other. Mammon dashing to the kitchens to pilfer some snacks and drinks before Beel can steal them all, and you bring your cute self over to his room. 

You two toss back a few drinks and spend some time looking over his latest photo shoots before going on to the main event. Tonight you brought one of your favorite human card games. It was like 20 questions, but some questions were more risque than others. Was it meant for more than two players? Yes, but whatever- Mammon wants to play it so you are.

You both are relaxed and drowsy by the time you start playing. Your stomachs are full of junk, and the morning moons are just on the horizon. It’s the perfect mixture for loose lips and secrets, before falling asleep in each other's arms. 

You pick easy cards first, jumping from silly innocent questions to one that made him blush from ear to ear. The hours pass quickly and Mammon’s answers become more slurred and accented as he tires out. 

He was on the verge of sleep when you ask,  “What’s your favorite dish?” 

It was a slip of the tongue, a long-lost memory pulled up from the dregs of his exhausted mind. He remembers a savory dish Barbatos use to make way back when. He can still smell the savory smoky spices mixing with the fresh vegetables and meat- Oh shit.

He feels you stiffen and he ain’t sleepy anymore, that’s for sure. Immediately up and apologizes. He stumbles over himself in his haste to explain himself. 

You spend the rest of the evening with him in your arms trying to comfort him as he tearfully swears he hasn’t eaten a person in a couple of hundred years. 

Mini Fic

He regrets it the moment the words slip out. His sleepy remark hangs out in the chilly air of his room. He feels you jerk in his arms as if punched. “Shit! I-I didn’t mean.” Mouth agape, he backtracks, tongue working faster than his overtaxed brain. He looks down at your head on his chest. 

Your eyes are wide. Their surprise reflected in the bright blue moonlight. His heart sinks to his stomach. Gods, he ruined it. “I’m sorry- I.”  Pushing you off of his chest he goes to grab his shirt and redress, ignoring the prickling heat growing at the corner of his eyes. He could sleep somewhere else tonight. You could have the room if you wanted, or at least give you a minute to flee in terror from the demon that masqueraded as your friend. He can’t look at you. Hells, he was too ashamed to even glance in your direction. What kind of idiot let’s slip that? They even had a council meeting about this very thing before you arrived. 

So lost in his panic he doesn’t notice you trying to get his attention. It wasn’t until you forcefully grab his arm did he hear you. “It’s ok Mammon.” You engulf him in your warm and comforting scent. Strong arms dragging him back to the crumpled sheets of his bed. Your soft fingers wipe at the silent tears streaking down his cheeks. 

He dislodges himself from your light grasp to rub at his own eyes. “How can ya’ say that?” Where was your sense of self-preservation? Ain’t humans supposed to be aware of such dangers? The irony wasn’t lost on him though. Being your ‘protector’ and all.

You shuffle closer, hellbent on comforting. His pack mark hums gently on his chest when you touch it. As much as his body wanted to run, your pact mark cemented him to his seat. He sits while you fuss over him slowly breathing through his mouth to calm his racing heart. He can’t help but drift closer to you when he feels your hand on the top of his head. When had he become so weak for you? 

“Well-How can I not?” You shrug. He closes his eyes when you start ruffling his fringe. “You’ve been nothing but sweet to me. Yes, you have,” You cut him off firmly before he can object. “Always my number one anyway.” That pulls a wet chuckle from your demon. His eyes clear up at your admission. “I trust you Mammon, honestly. I mean, I kinda knew that you’ve probably eaten a human or two in your life. Knowing, and knowing are more different than I thought.” 

 Mammon cages you in his arms, his nose brushing along your neck and jawline. “Damn-.” He huffs covering you in his warm body, arms tight around your sides. “I’m sorry. I ruined tonight.” Mammon sighs into your skin. 

You hug him back. “Nonsense, if you want to get technical I think you won this game. I can’t top that answer.” You push away with a wide yawn. “Now can we go back to bed?” With a nod, he flops over pulling you down with him. You bully your way into his arms again. Sighing constantly you snuggle in for the night, ready to drift off. His eyelids began to feel heavy again too. Your soft weight on him like a security blanket. He listens to your slowly beating heart, matching his breathing to yours. The rhythmic thumps working to calm him better than his noise machine. He basks in your presence, rubbing his broad hand down your back for a moment before you speak again.

“Hey, Mammon.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Do you think I would taste good?” 

Leviathan 

Awkward boy. Of course, he has had his fair share of humans. Not particularly his favorite through. A lot of the time it wasn’t on purpose. His demon form is big and sometimes more than just fish and other demons get swallowed up. Course when that happened, they weren’t exactly fresh either. Bleh-just thinking about it makes his stomach turn. 

No, he never got a taste for it, even when it was served in the royal palace. The memories of the sea are still pretty vivid. It never really crosses his mind anymore. Till you bring it up.

He invites you over for a game night. A new VR game he had been saving up for just dropped and he had to play it with you.

It was a horror stealth game. Heavy on critical thinking and solving puzzles in real-time.

Your two characters were on a race against time against a flesh eating cult that had invaded a small village. He thought it was a fun concept and you both liked horror games. He didn’t notice how quiet you had gotten until you had set your controller down. 

You ask during a loading screen after a pretty graphic cut scene of a npc getting caught. How realistic was that cut scene? Had he ever eaten a human before?

Boy is a brighter pink than Ruri-chan’s signature outfit (and twice as cute lbr) 

He gets so flustered that he misses the start of the next round and gets you both eaten. 

He doesn’t take conflict well. Like at all. He much rather slink off into his fish tank and hide than answer you. In fact, that sounds like an excellent idea.  

He slithers back out of his tank hours later thinking you had left or found a better brother to hang out with. Yucky people eaters like him aren’t good company for humans. 

You jump him the minute his feet are back on solid ground. Have an answer now you must! Yrssss. 

Mini Fic

“L-Let go!” Levi shrieks, caught in your sneak attack. He locks up when you jump him, all four of your limbs wrapping around his soaking body like an octopus. 

“No!” You squeeze him harder taking full advantage of the fact that he won’t remove you himself. You feel the heat of his blush through his soaked clothes as you cling closer. If he could blush any harder you were pretty sure steam would be wafting off of him. 

“Why do you want to know anyway?” He wiggles gently, trying to loosen your tight grip. 

“Morbid curiosity.” Well, at least you were honest. He was still going to say no, you didn’t need to know that about him. He opens his mouth to shut you down but makes the mistake of looking at you. The words die when he catches the pout growing on your face. Oh no- his one weakness. Your way your lower lip pops out adorably, accompanied by slightly puffed-out cheeks. It was a one-two punch to his defenses. 

“I-they weren’t on purpose.” He pleads. Nevermore in his life did he wish he could turn into a mist-like his brother. He feels you slip off of him. Your bare feet don’t make a sound on his carpeted floor. “It just happened sometimes.” He admits. You accept it for a few seconds before his words fully hit you.

“Wait? How do you accidentally eat someone?” You ask incredulously. “All though- that’s something Beel might do.” You ponder the logistics and step back to give him some space.

He rights himself, wicking the moisture from his coat and pants with magic until he is completely dry again. You start asking a dozen more questions in rapid fire. It was enough to make his head spin. You were too curious for your own good. “Ever heard of basking whales?”  

You blink. 

Levi sighs and waves a hand to himself.  “When I lived in the ocean… I’m big ya know. I kinda would just open my mouth and swallow. Whatever I caught I ate.” He waits for you to get the jest. Most of the time it was smaller fish and aquatic mammals. When a demon encroached on his territory he would eat them too. The dead were meant for his army, but sometimes they got sucked into.

Instead of nodding in understatement, you cover your mouth with the palm of your hand and snort. His eyes grow big and his blush turns brighter. You were spending way too much time with Asmo. “No-Not like that!” His flailing only makes you laugh harder. Great, as if he didn’t want to die of embarrassment already.

“Well word it better, nerd.” You laugh retreating back to the mound of pillows you claimed for gaming, VR headset in hand. “Come on, we have to start over now- thanks to someone.”

“You started it!” Levi shoots back grabbing up his gear as well. He fiddles with it for a moment before glancing back at you. You were oblivious to inner turmoil over this admission. A naval admiral was one thing. Humans had them too, that wasn’t too much for you to comprehend. Being a devil was easy enough to understand too, at least in his mind. But eating people? Shouldn’t you be more concerned? “So-that’s it?”

You look up questioningly. “What’s it?” 

He raises a purple brow. “You have nothing else to say? I just admitted to eating people!” 

“Not really.” You shrug. “I can’t get too pressed about it. It’s not like you are human. I’m like what-at the bottom of the food chain to you, right?” Levi nods. “See! So no point stressing over it. ‘Sides, you haven’t munched on me yet.” You turn your attention back to the screen, flicking your controller to wake his flat-screen back up. “Unless~” He gulps at the sly eyebrow wiggle you throw at him, the shit eating grin that accompanied it only made him worry.  “Perhaps you just have an appetite for seamen.” 

Your peals of laughter mix with his shrill yelps of objection, as he tackles you. His previous worries were completely forgotten by your teasing. 

[neoyi]

So there were new indie game directs (Day of the Dev and Wholesome Games) and I was basically Foaming Mouth Guy from Avatar because I’m hyped for indie games.

Since I can’t ill afford to shut up about my opinions, here’s a big, fat blog on what particular games I’m either looking forward to, has piqued my interest, or at least curious enough for me to comment on it even if it’s not within my wheelhouse.

Axiom Verge 2: I have no horse in this race, I just think it’s nice of them to let players skip boss fights if they want to for ease of gameplay.

Toem: A Photo Adventure: Some evil genius combined photo snapping and meandering sidequests together into one game, knowing I’d be putty in their hands. There’s actually a few photograph games in these directs, but this one grabbed me because the list of quests you do looks so specific that it scratches a particular itch for me.

Garden Story: Incredibly lovely Mother 3-like graphics aside, this game hits all my buttons: quest-based gameplay to help numerous NPCs, managing the layout of your town, exploration, and RPG-like elements make this one a dream indie game for me.

Vokabulants: For some reason, this game’s setting isn’t doing it for me, but I’m awestruck with their decision to use stopmotion for the entire thing. Rarely utilized, always cool to see.

Death’s Door: I don’t care about birds, but I DO like grim reaper stuff, so color me piqued.

Elec Head: I already knew about this game thanks to Game Maker’s Toolkit’s Game Jam, and I think I have it bookmarked on itch.io, so it’s nice to see this will get fleshed out into a full game.

I haven’t played the Game Jam version, but the minimum coloring (yellow = electricity which is what you need to trigger to progress) compliments the concept well.

Walk: I am a wimpy baby chicken bitch, so I can’t do horror games, but developing the entirety of Walk’s environment to look as if they’re seen from grainy cameras is such a brilliant way to convey the terrifying unknown your player character has to face. I won’t play this, but I am definitely going to watch a Let’s Play of it.

Moonglow Bay: I’ve been excited for this one for a while. All those hours playing the fishing minigame in Ocarina of Time (and eventually Majora’s Mask) and lamenting for the existence of an entire game with an excuse plot to fill out a fish compendium will soon be fulfilled. I’m so ecstatic.

Loot River: What the fuck? What the living shit? How did they animate the water like that? What the shit? What the goddamn hell? It just looks so good!

Recolit: This game has potential to be atmospheric. It also feels like the kind of game that can deliver a Surprise Spooky or two. For some reason, the main character walking through the barely lit museum really spoke to me.

A Little to the Left: A game where you arrange objects until they’re are properly organized and/or structured? Oh-no, who made this game for me?

Yokai Inn: Sold just for the adorably whimsical graphics alone.

Mythic Ocean: Undersea exploration and sea creatures are my jam. Hope this game will fill a hole in my heart that Abzu sadly did not.

Beast of Maraville Island: I see this game and Donkey Kong Country share a continuity through their banana birds.

We are OFK: Tell you the truth, I don't really care about Band Origin stories (I'm not really a music buff kinda person), but I've been waiting for Teddy Dief and co's game for a while. Whether or not I take anything from this game by end, I know I’ll never stop listening to “Follow/Unfollow”, which I have been obsessively playing in the background non-stop the past two days. If they ever bring out the inevitable bandcamp soundtrack, I hope they also include THIS version of the song that played on the Day of the Dev pre-show because it’s just so *chef’s kiss*

Dordogne: The game's premise isn't really doing it for me, but I dig the watercolor approach.

The Gecko Gods: I remember playing the Gex 2 demo decades ago and being mesmerized by the titular character’s ability to crawl on top of walls and ceilings, and being particularly disappointed at how underutilized it was. The Gecko Gods looks to fill in that gap and I'm intrigued.

Tasomachi: It’s about an airship. I gotta. I gotta!

Bear and Breakfast: I like the art style, kind of like a webcomic if it was picked up by Cartoon Network or Netflix.

Sally: MORE airships? Well, this is the indie direct that just keeps on giving, now isn’t it?

Rainbow Billy: Repaint a black-and-white world into color is becoming A Thing in indie games, but the animation and style is just bursting with charm.

Unpacking: I played the demo for this one and it did a decent job hitting my button. There wasn’t anything more to it other than unpacking and just putting stuff in its appropriate place (it didn’t feel like there was much wiggle room - books go on bookshelves and maybe on top of a drawer, shoes goes in closet and nothing but the closet, etc), but it beats real packing/unpacking any day.

Cloud Jumper: THREE games with or about airships? Now you’re just spoiling me.

Teacup: This one just looks delightful. It feels like playing through a children’s book.

Muttropolis: You take pictures of dogs!

Amber Isle: You know, I don’t think I see enough towns and villages in games inhabited by dinosaur folks.

Moonshell Island: Apparently I’m easy to please. I see indie games look this vibrant and colorful (almost pastel, but not quite) and I’m Phillip J. “Shut up and Take My Money” Fry. I don’t even know what this game is about, but I want it.

Lego Builder’s Journey: Okay, this looks nice and the graphics are mind-blowing, but does anything made and owned by the LEGO company actually count as an indie game?

Powerwash Simulator: who made this game for me?

Toodee and Topdee: Oh, this is clever. Perspective games in my head seem to have been relegated mostly to whatever Nintendo did with their 3DS games, but this looks like it captures the spirit of it without the 3D or the eye-strain that came with it.

Apico: I’m getting a 2D open world exploration vibe from this game and I’m down for that.

[hanseoxsimp]

Gummy Bears - Jang Hanseok x Hanseo

One-shot, requested by @swaggy-tea and @taewithalottlesuga, an au where someone isn’t a psycho

A/N: bolded words are words Hanseok says in English; hope you enjoy reading!

Hanseo doesn’t really enjoy video games. Or board games. Or any sort of game really.

He views it as unnecessary stress, tasks and missions that weren’t worth the small amount of satisfaction one receives in the end. On the other hand however, is Jang Hanseok. That young man- looks will deceive- is purely childish at heart.

Hanseok carries a pack of Haribos everywhere he goes, has Candy Crush downloaded on his phone and a penguin plushie resting in the corner of his office. His personality is so loud, so vibrant, so... annoying.

When Jang Hanseok was announced the new Chairman of Babel, Hanseo did not hesitate one millisecond to pass the position over to him.

If Hanseo didn’t enjoy video games, he most definitely did not enjoy being like a pawn amongst the wealthy elites of the country. Constantly feeling like an NPC to his own body, he might as well kiss Hanseok out of gratitude for taking the position away from him. Although, that man ended up placing Hanseo as Vice Chairman.

Not the best, considering how Hanseo just wanted to fly away and live a life full of secrecy in Malta, but Jang Hanseo will endure it. Like how he always has.

One month ago, a Korean-American man walked up to him and said they were half brothers. Two weeks ago, his new half brother moved in with him, inspecting every crook and cranny his mansion had offered. One week ago, his “hyung” had assimilated the Chairman seat and now was working in the same chair Hanseo had once resided.

If one should say, “ work at Babel is tiring,” that would be a clear understatement in Hanseo’s eyes. Working at Babel meant restless nights, empty coffee cups piling on the floor, dark circles beneath eyes, bleary vision after each all-nighter and so much more.

So Hanseo did not understand why his new hyung had seemed to be in perfect shape.

Jang Hanseok appeared to look healthy, like he got 10 hours of sleep each night and never had reeked of coffee. Maybe it was an American thing, Hanseo pondered, the ability to look completely fine.

He rested his head against his knuckles, his elbow propping his whole arm up against the sleek dark oak desk. The world felt heavy. The air, his own head and eyelids.

Just as he slipped into an abyss of sleep-

Tap! T- Tap! Tap! T- Tap! Tap!

Sharp, rhythmic taps awoke him with a start. His whole body jolted up, and his drowsiness washed away as if someone had dumped ice cold water on him.

“ My dongsaeng!” The single English word prefixing the sentence was a dead giveaway to letting Hanseo know who it was.

“ Han- Hanseok hyung.” He greeted politely, standing up to give a respectful bow.

The Chairman shook his head, “ Hey, we’re brothers. No need for all that.” He comfortably slung an arm around Hanseo’s shoulder and the younger wondered if all Americans acted like this.

Hanseok then nonchalantly sat on top of his desk, disregarding the fact he was also sitting on a small pile of papers.

He popped a gummy bear into his mouth. “ Are you tired? Your skin doesn’t have that... glow that it normally does.”

Hanseo had no clue what English word was uttered but he nodded. “ Just a lot of paperwork nowadays.” Why was he so nervous? It was like a gut feeling that made him feel afraid of Hanseok. It was odd. He barely knew his brother.

“ Do you want a break?” Hanseok followed up with a very intriguing offer.

§

Hanseo doesn’t like video games. Or any sort of games. But if he had to choose between playing games or sorting out piles of worksheets, he’d rather pick the first option.

“ Try this!” Hanseok excitedly called him over to a shooting game, the place was adorned with plushies that would be given as prizes.

The arcade his hyung had taken him to was packed, and Hanseo never relished in crowds or public spaces like these.

Hesitant as always, Hanseo gripped the plastic gun and leveled himself to the sight, moving it to align with the water ballon target. A finger on the neon green trigger, he pressed down and the fake bullet missed the balloon by the slightest inch.

“ Oh, that was close!” Hanseok pipped up, walking over to get his turn. His competitive nature seemed to bloom as he added on, “ You should’ve aimed properly.”

Hanseo scoffed, giving his brother space to take his turn.

Hanseok’s face softened as he suddenly asked, “ Which one do you want?”

His younger brother blinked in slow motion. What? “ What?” He voiced his confusion out loud.

“ I said, which one do you want?” He repeated, gesturing to the plushies that were hanging on the ceiling and walls.

He didn’t know why, but he ended up blushing. No one had ever done these kinds of things for him. Hanseo sharply turned away from his hyung, embarrassed at the red that colored his cheeks.

Hanseok suppressed a chuckle, “ Come on~” He whined in English, “ Hurry up and pick!”

“ Uh...” Hanseo faced the prizes and scanned each one of them. All of them looked boring, too vivid and childish-

“ The puppy one.” He mumbled, his eyes set on the golden retriever plushie that was beside a very colorful stuffed unicorn.

His older half brother smiled mischievously. “ Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Can you say that again?” Causing Hanseo to roll his eyes at the very obvious motive.

He cleared his throat and glanced at the floor. “ The puppy one at the top left.” He repeated clearly, and Hanseok hummed satisfied.

The Chairman raised the toy gun to his eyes, squinting as he aimed. Pulling the trigger, he had hit the first target flawlessly.

“ Woah!” Hanseo said in awe, well aware his brother hadn’t gone to the military yet so this skill was purely cultivated by himself.

Hanseok grinned victoriously, winking at the younger man. “ I’m gonna get it for you.” He clarified, pointing at the puppy plushie.

“ Hyung, you don’t need to-“

“ Oh, but I want to.” He cut the protest off, picking up the toy gun again to hit the second target.

Pop!

The second water balloon was down, meaning there was only one left. “ One more...” Hanseok muttered under his breath, placing his finger on the trigger.

Pop!

“ YES!” He cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Hanseo cracked a genuine smile, seeing his hyung act like that.

Maybe he wasn’t so annoying after all.

§

“ I did well, didn’t I?” Hanseo piped up. A couple of hours had passed by in the arcade and the two had completely warmed up to each other’s company.

“ Mhm.” Hanseok replied, slinging an arm around his shoulder, gazing down at how adorably Hanseo was clutching the plushie. “ You deserve to be my brother.” He jokingly added on and the other simply scoffed.

“ By the way, you haven’t told me where we’re going yet.” His younger brother said, lips showing the tiniest amount of pouting.

“ We’re almost there,” Hanseok replied, “ See?” He pointed to the store before them, “ An ice cream shop!” He pulled away to make dramatic jazz hands.

Hanseo grinned a cute gummy smile that the older was slowly getting used to. “ Gosh, hyung, you-“

Hanseok immediately placed a single finger on his lips, hushing him. “ Zip it, we’re eating to our hearts content today.” Boldly, Hanseok reached out to his half brother’s unoccupied hand and intertwined their fingers. “ Let’s go!”

“ AH!” Hanseo yelped from the sudden pull, tightening his grip on the stuffed animal.

The glass doors opened with a chime, and the first thing Jang Hanseo noticed was the emptiness of the place.

“ Hyung...” He began, the realization sinking in, “ Did you-“

“ Reserve this?” Hanseok finished off the question, “ Yeah, I did.” He beamed proudly, “ I kinda forgot at first that you didn’t like crowded areas. Sorry.”

Did Hanseo’s heart skip a beat? He wasn’t sure. But he did know that he felt loved. Appreciated. He felt warm inside, like something bubbling at the pit of his stomach. “ Thank you..” He said, unable to find more suitable words.

“ Nah, don’t thank me.” Hanseok waved it off, “ Come on, let’s take a seat.” He changed the topic with ease, dragging the other along to a circular turquoise table.

One of the staff walked out and headed towards them. After basic greetings, they pulled out a notepad. “ What would you both like?”

Is this a fancy restaurant or something? Why is there a waitress-

“ Hanseo-ah, what do you want?” His brother’s question snapped him out of his thoughts.

“ Uh... I’ll have the double chocolate chip ice cream.” He scrambled to pick one quickly, his social anxiety not wanting to drag the conversation on further.

“ And you, sir?” The waitress turned to Hanseok.

“ Classic vanilla. With gummy bear toppings.” He answered curtly, and the lady quickly wrote it down before scurrying away.

A minute or so passed when the Jang brothers were handed their orders. Hanseo’s mouth watered at the sight of the extra chocolate drizzle that was placed on top of it all for free.

Hanseok smiled, “ I guess you like chocolate a lot?”

Hanseo nodded eagerly as he grabbed his spoon to dig in. After wiping some ice cream off his chin with the back of his hand, he decided to reply. “ And I guess you like gummy bears a lot?”

Hanseok chuckled, “ I love them.” His smile dropped a bit though, but the sparkles in his eyes remained. “ Hey, you got a little stuck beside your lips.” He pointed at Hanseo’s face, and the younger man immediately picked up a napkin and began cleaning the wrong side.

“ No- no,” Hanseok sighed,” Come on, let me do it.” He stood up and reached over the table, taking his thumb and gently wiping the ice cream off Hanseo’s face.

Hanseo immediately tensed under such soft touch, not really knowing why he was expecting something harsh.

“ O- oh, thanks.” He stuttered, focusing on the ice cream before him.

“ Mhm.” Hanseok continued to munch on his gummy bears, before scooping one out with his spoon. “ Wanna try?”

“ No, it’s okay you can have it.” He declined, this brother of his was already giving him way too much affection than what he was used to.

“ Say ‘ahh,’” Hanseok prompted, holding the spoon in front of his dongsaeng’s mouth as if he were a baby.

Hanseo blushed- out of being flustered or embarrassed- he’ll never know. He looked up into the Chairman’s eyes and regretted it right away.

The twenty something year old man was making puppy eyes. It sort of reminded him of the plushie he got today, big and cute. Sighing, Hanseo reluctantly opened his mouth.

“ There you go.” Hanseok grinned, and watched as the younger chewed on the gummy bear.

Hanseo didn’t have the heart to tell him that he actually despised gummy bears with all his being. But then again, Hanseo didn’t really like Hanseok or games at first. Now his point of view had changed.

Maybe he could grow to love gummy bears too.

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH43

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

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Chapter 43: Star Death Reality Show (XXVI)

Just like watching a poor lamb trapped in a hunter's snare, wailing would not arouse the compassion of a seasoned hunter. On the contrary, the hunter would only be excited about the delicious food dying.

Looking at Qi Leren who had been struck by lightning, Su He said faintly, "I know many ways to avoid contracts, but it’s not easy to do. Most of the methods are one-off skills or items, or there is an extremely long cooldown time. Even if you don't have one… It’s best to be careful."

Qi Leren gawked at Su He, as if he had been drained of all his strength. He didn't say a word for a long time, and his lowered head did not show anger. Only his eyelashes were shaking, as if he was almost unable to bear such a failure, and he was crying.

This long silence was not ridiculous, but sad.

It was like watching a gambler at the end of his rope, piling up all the chips on the gambling table and then losing everything.

Everything that followed seemed to be a mechanical repetition. Qi Leren once again signed his name on the parchment with no facial expression, and the signed letters were distorted by his shaking. At the moment when he put down his pen, his spine seemed to be knocked out section by section, slumping on his chair and silently watching the sunrise.

A rising sun that would never rise.

"Can I leave now?" Qi Leren asked softly, looking deeply tired.

"Anytime, but I suggest you stay a little longer or even get some sleep. Anyway, I have adjusted the time flow rate in this area for you, so you won’t be delayed too long." Su He, like a considerate friend who fully thought of him, gave him friendly advice.

But Qi Leren didn't want to stay any longer. He was willing to face the monster in the institute, and didn't want to face Su He. So he stood up, and the chair rudely dragged a harsh sound across the ground.

"I'm leaving," Qi Leren said stubbornly, his tone carrying the anger of being deceived.

"If you insist, go ahead." Su He wasn’t reluctant, anyway. His purpose had been achieved.

The Witch of Lust looked at Qi Leren curiously, because his attitude was disrespectful. As a native devil accustomed to the hierarchical atmosphere of the underworld, she didn't quite understand the relationships between human beings. Sometimes a worm could say "no" to an elephant, which was really interesting in her eyes.

To be fair, Su He was not a strict leader. If the object of comparison was the Devil of Power who had a strong desire to control, then he was an easygoing boss. If you wanted to compare him with the Devil of Slaughter, then he was a perfect boss—at least he wouldn't go crazy and dare to kill anyone, leaving him in his current state of lying half-dead under lava. The Devil of Fraud was quite tolerant of his subordinates, sometimes even almost deliberately indulgent towards them. He seldom pointed out your mistakes, but every time you made a mistake, he would remember it, but he would not show it. This attitude made people feel that he didn't care about them. This slightly malicious indulgence contributed to the weakness and self-deception in human nature, and he watched and waited with great interest until you finally crossed the boundaries he set for you...

Then you would find that you had lost everything. Even if you knelt at his feet and kissed the tips of his shoes and begged him to give you another chance, he wouldn't look at you again.

This extreme gentleness and extreme coldness combined to form a contradictory and complicated person. The witches favored him and feared him. Even the Witch of Lust, who was famous for her debauchery, was much more disciplined in front of him. At least when she appeared in front of Su He, she would pick clothes from her closet that didn’t show her off. When Su He told her to dress properly to entertain guests, she would always find a dress that wrapped her from head to foot. However, in order to express her dissatisfaction, she didn't mind expressing her protest in a small way by means of excessive obedience. Her boss didn't care about this level of protest.

He was really unpredictable sometimes.

She had thought that trying to deceive the Devil of Fraud would make people lose his favor and even irritate him, but Su He's reaction was just the opposite. It seemed that he had added ten points in his heart to this audacious human being.

The Witch of Lust yawned a little and watched the poor man hesitate by the chair. She looked at Su He's face and asked politely, "Shall I take you out, baby?"

"Thank you," Qi Leren, who was worried about how to leave, said quickly.

Su He’s left hand on the armrest of the chair supported his cheek. He asked without warning, "Who gave you the necklace around your neck?"

Qi Leren's cold sweat came back again. In these past few minutes in the field, he had experienced great ups and downs, and his nerves were over-stressed. He had become a frightened bird. He was just glad that he had successfully crossed the border, and he was ready to keep this state and leave quickly. Who knew that Su He would come out with something else?

Fortunately, Su He hadn't found it.

He hadn't found that when he signed his name for the first time, he hadn't used any skill cards at all.

No, he hadn't.

He had made a wonderful deduction—he had successfully deceived Su He once, using an item of unknown origin as the laptop. So this time, under almost the same precondition, would Su He still fall for it? Would he believe that he had honestly signed the contract and was ready to fulfill it? He was not an obedient man in Su He’s eyes.

The best way to dispel Su He's doubts was to make him feel that he had seen through him, expose him personally, watch him suffer, despair, and collapse, and then watch him give in.

So he had had a bold plan, and he had decided to take a gamble. Then he had succeeded.

He was so ecstatic that he had to lower his head to hide his inner secret and fanatical joy and let that passion explode as fireworks in his heart.

However, he also had to consider that this decision would bring him great risks in the future—when he was really raised to a half-field, how should he explain it to Su He?

This concern slightly diluted the excited mood, and even the last resort was shattered by Su He’s sudden question, which made Qi Leren tremble with fear.

"This aura... It’s the Prophet’s?" Su He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Qi Leren did not say yes, nor did he say no. He asked, "Do you know the Prophet?"　　

As if they could never talk well, Su He also threw out a rhetorical question: "Don't you think that the Village of Dawn is too similar to the Village of Dusk?"

Qi Leren was stupefied. So, it turned out that this field was not a "field that imitates the scenery of the Village of Dawn" as Su He had once said, but was the real Village of Dawn.

But if the Village of Dawn was a field, then the Village of Dusk...

Qi Leren suddenly understood. The Prophet who slept beneath the Courthouse and spent most of his time in the cold ice pool, it turned out that he had been silently supporting the Village of Dawn that sheltered mankind. As a player, he did not know how to escape the sanctions of time. He had even spent more than 20 years completing compulsory tasks, and had survived to this day.

"A naive idealist inherited Maria's will, created a box of time with the belief of protecting, and fixed the newly established refuge under dusk forever. His original force was 'time'. Originally, he was the one most likely to evade mission sanctions, if he had not lost to the box." Su He's expression was full of compassion and tenderness.

The Prophet’s original force? Qi Leren seemed to understand. He knew that some of the higher demons had original forces, such as jealousy, lust, despair... They were getting stronger and stronger while approaching the original force. At the level of the three Devil Kings, they had almost merged with the original force.

But did the Prophet, a field-level human being, also have his own original force?

His force, was it time?

Qi Leren's heart was full of curiosity and doubt, but Su He had no intention to solve his doubts: "Go, don't challenge your limits with your life, you’ll never know what kind of miracle you will create. Although 99.9% of people end up dead through this process, I sincerely hope that you are the exception, because I have some expectations for you.

"Qi Leren, today's adventure is only the first step. I am waiting for the day when you complete the transformation," Su He said.

The beautiful Village of Dawn began to become blurred, and even Su He's voice gradually drifted away, as if separated by a dream.

When Qi Leren came to his senses, he still stood in the corridor on the lowest level of the institute, and only a few seconds had passed.

It was the fourth day of the game... No, the zero hour had passed, and it was the fifth day. He didn't know if the army’s ship could arrive. He had reason to suspect that it wouldn't come too quickly. After all, the rescue was always late after all the problems were solved.

Su He said that he had released the octopus in the underground glacier, which was definitely more difficult than the ones he had encountered before. He needed to upgrade his equipment, such as finding a rocket launcher like what Mark had used against him.

This was in the institute’s armoury, but Qi Leren hadn’t taken it since he hadn’t expected to use it. He decided to double back and look for it. In addition, we should find a NPC that was still alive, and take them to the instrument that could detect whether they had become a host, and he hoped to meet Dr. Lu and Du Yue along the way...

Qi Leren returned to the stairs and began to go up. When he passed the power room, he went in again, restarted the power supply, and restored power to the whole underground research institute.

With the light, he was feeling much better. Qi Leren finally recovered from the frightening meeting just now, stopped thinking about Su He, and absorbed himself in preparing for the next challenge. According to game logic, there must be a restock of supplies before the war. Unfortunately, the copy world did not necessarily come according to game logic, so he had to rely on himself. He didn't want to rush unprepared into that horrible boss battle.

Suddenly there was a noise in the corner of the power distribution room. Qi Leren suddenly looked towards it and raised the gun in his hand, shouting, "Who?"

"...It's me." He Yi stood up. His condition looked worse than before. He was emaciated and almost withered. "Mark came in, I met him!"

Qi Leren was taken aback and realized that what he said was in reference to when Qi Leren had wanted to leave the institute through the laser corridor before, but He Yi, who had made an agreement with him to cut off the power supply, did not cut off the power in time—because at that time, Mark had moved the debris in Annie's basement and had entered the institute to attack He Yi.

"I’ve taken care of him, and Annie, Xue Jiahui, and Francis; all four of them were parasitized," Qi Leren said calmly.

He Yi looked at him in astonishment: "How did you do it?"

If it weren't for the enemy at present, Qi Leren would still use the rhetoric of "an apostle of God" to fool him. Unfortunately, now that his Prophet's Heart skill was cooling down, he didn't need to continue acting. He simply said: "It's a long story. Let's talk about it when we have time. Right now we’re in danger..."

"I know." He Yi leaned wearily against the wall and smiled bitterly. "It’s come out."

"What?" Qi Leren became nervous.

"That monster..." He Yi looked desperately at the ceiling above his head, as if he were an outlaw being chased by troops behind the cliff ahead, and murmured in a low voice, "We can't escape."

"Do you... Do you know something?" Qi Leren finally asked the question that lingered in his mind.

For a long time, He Yi's attitude had been a bit strange. Qi Leren hadn't thought much at first, but with the discovery of the plot, he had to face up to this problem—He Yi, he was an insider.

"Why is there an amphioctopus here? Why did I happen to find a basement when I was kidnapped by Mark? Why am I able to blow up the access to the research institute accurately but I am safe and sound? Why can this institute’s power supply, which has been off for many years, still be used? Why do I know where there are weapons and how to use the equipment? Have you thought about these questions?" He Yi asked, one question after another.

-----

Editor’s Notes: To clarify, the “forces” mentioned in this chapter are along the line of forces of nature but on a more human scale, ie. the “forces” the witches and demons have as their titles. A closer translation would have been to use “power”, but I wanted to make sure it was distinct since “power” is already used in several other contexts in this novel.

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

[cheri-translates]

Gavin’s Official Art Book (Eng Translation)

Credits to @minjee98​ for sending me photos of Gavin’s official art book and requesting this translation!

This post contains details on Gavin’s outfits, items, backgrounds, and interviews with his CN voice actor, the Copywriting Team, Art Team, and Production team.

More: Kiro l Lucien l Black Swan l STF l NPCs l Loveland City

💙 GAVIN’S OUTFITS 💙

[ Leather Jacket ]

Like a gust of wind blowing from a time of youth, coursing through very long years, Gavin appeared before you. An unruly and intractable smile, a relaxed tone, and the corner of his shirt riding up with the wind at the front seat of the motorcycle...

Back then, you wouldn’t have thought that he would be holding onto your hand like this, accompanying you through countless sceneries.

[Note] Something cute is that the word “sceneries” in Chinese is 风景 (“feng jing”), which directly translates to “wind view”

[ Uniform - Jacket Version ]

If it weren’t for Gavin bringing you to the Special Task Force and telling you about the Black Swan organisation, you would have continued living in ignorance.

Shouldn’t you be glad that he was willing to tell you everything? It’s only because of this that you knew you had been protected all along, and could finally stand by his side. 

[ Gavin’s Shirt  ]

If a rainbow is a delight after a rainfall, and two rainbows are a delight of a coincidental destiny, the three rainbows that you and Gavin saw must definitely be a unique miracle.

As long as you’re with him, the two of you can definitely create even more miracles belonging only to the both of you.

[ Shirt and Pants ]

The summer wind, his mildly bashful smile, the white shirt with its slightly rolled up sleeves, and the side profile with the blue coloured roof reflected in his pupils.

There’s no need to specially reminisce that summer day spent coursing through the river of love with Gavin. It’s definitely shimmering brightly in your memories all along, isn’t it?

[ Swimming Attire]

Riding the waves on a surfboard, playing the bass underneath the lights, using a light cough to cover his shyness... These are the most beautiful memories of that year’s summer.

Back then, when you had looked into Gavin’s eyes, did you suddenly feel that your entire life would pass like this?

[ Camo Jacket ] 

On the day of releasing Pearly, the sunlight was warm and bright. A slight wind was blowing up strands of stray hair. Gavin held onto you, the two of you embracing the sunlight and wind.

Do you still remember? Him promising you the rest of his life back then, the bright amber of his eyes, and the answer you had given.

You said that you’d never let go of his hand.

[ Silver Grey Suit ]

You never would have thought the so-called “Meeting the Parents” would be such a nerve-racking thing.

It’s a good thing Gavin donned a well-fitting suit and appeared in time, protecting you from all sorts of tricky questions posed by your relatives. Or else you’d have been disorientated from the questions early on.

[ Swordsman Outfit ]

Which incident left the deepest impression on you during that year’s Qixi Festival? Was it Gavin’s swordsman appearance, his tender gaze under the moonlight, or was it... the sense of suffocation when you found out that his wire was broken?

If prayers truly worked, you would have been willing to make a prayer to the gods and spirits: Please don’t let him be put in danger again.

[ Wedding Attire ]

Although the wedding was just a filming activity, have you ever secretly anticipated it?

That path of fresh flowers the two of you walked along together, those bright and resplendent moments, and that person who had held onto you as you walked forward...

Being with him like this has commenced the true start of your lives. 

[ Black Jacket ]

The first time you spent Valentine’s Day with Gavin, the first time you received an exorbitant gift from him, the first time the two of you drank from the same beverage...

On that day, you experienced so many memorable firsts. And to him, these memories are definitely just as precious.

[ Army Attire ]

The pitch-black uniform and gloves, medals flashing with a cold light, and ice-cold handcuffs... You’ve probably never seen such a Gavin.

But even if he doesn’t recognise you at all, he will continue stopping you from getting involved in danger, and will keep your lost bracelet properly.

No matter what, he has always been a tender person.

[ School Attire ]

He’s already hurt but still has a look of happiness and wants to play basketball - are all boys like that?

Can’t you easily imagine how a young Gavin was definitely the type to lead a bunch of small boys at the front with the broadest smile on his face as they ran towards the basketball court!

-

💙 GAVIN’S ITEMS 💙

Communication device - I carry it on me. It’s indispensable.

Gloves - An accompaniment when on missions. When I’m with you, I'll take them off.

Photograph together - Every moment related to us and worthy of remembering have been properly stored.

Photoshoot pictures - Because it has to do with you, I [ I CAN’T READ HIS HANDWRITING ]

Universe cake - Only you can fulfil my wish.

Astral stone - That was the last time [ I CAN’T READ HIS HANDWRITING ]

Cute hair tie - I’ll only be like this in front of you.

Touchscreen phone -  Don’t bother about the rumours from school. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell them all to you.

Shampoo - Next time, I’ll help wash your hair again.

Police badge - Memories of you in high school surface in his mind... it was truly a counter of a rebellious youth.

Bullets

Soft pillow

Ginkgo leaves

Letter

Phone keychain

Gavin’s house key

Lavender eye mask

Ginger tea

-

💙 BACKGROUNDS 💙

[ Gavin’s Room ]

Ever since the two of you reunited, life has gradually entered this minimalist-styled room. Without realising it, photographs of the two of you have appeared on the neat and tidy work desk. And the gloves you gave to him have been placed in the most eye-catching spot in the closet.

[ Gavin’s Kitchen ]

The kitchen, which didn’t have a full collection of ingredients, was gradually imbued with the smell of soot. The two of you have made several failed dishes together, but each time, he’ll smile and finish everything. The next time, will the both of you be able to overcome the curse of “dark cuisine” together?

[ Special Task Force Office ]

Here, you found out about the secrets of the Special Task Force, and also found out that the righteousness he has been steadfast in is hard-won. After that, he may never step into this place again. But you definitely trust in the conviction of his words.

[ Castle Steps ]

When he held onto you, walking up that serene spiral staircase, your heart was beating even faster than usual, wasn’t it? Did it stem purely from an anticipation of an unknown scenery, or was it from the unending stream of warmth from his palm?

-

💙 INTERVIEWS 💙

[ Interview with Ah Jie, the voice actor for Gavin ]

“I hope that while he remains steadfast to his convictions, he can live each day happily and optimistically.”

Q1: Teacher Ah Jie, having interacted with Gavin for such a long time, do you have any new insights regarding him?

Ah Jie: Mm, I do, a little. The most obvious thing would be how he has recently returned to his original self. Actually, things related to his mother, and the attitude his father adopts when interacting with him, have to a large extent changed his personality and the way he handles things. I still hope that while he remains steadfast to his convictions, he can live each day happily and optimistically. Love can make one more cheerful and carefree, and it’s pretty good.

-

Q2: Are there any characteristics of Gavin you appreciate a lot?

Ah Jie: I find one thing good about Gavin - the way he strongly perseveres in what he has decided upon. No matter whether it’s in terms of righteousness, his convictions, or feelings - once he decides on it, he’ll move forward without hesitation.

-

Q3: What do you think of Gavin’s Evol?

Ah Jie: I initially wanted to possess it, but... it’s not very useful considering Beijing’s weather. If his Evol was sufficiently powerful, could it blow away the smog? I’ll find a chance to ask him some other day.

-

Q4: Is there anything you’ve always wanted to tell Gavin, but haven’t?

Ah Jie: Even though he isn’t the type who knows how to hold a conversation with girls, he has changed for the better recently, and it’s a very large improvement. However, there’s no need to specially change. I think girls like how he is right now.

-

Q5: Has Teacher Ah Jie recently chanced upon a restaurant which you want to bring Gavin to?

Ah Jie: I recently discovered a very delicious and very spicy place. Next time, I’ll arrange to have supper with him there, haha.

-

[ Interview with the Copywriting Team ]

“He should be free and unfettered.”

Q1: The storyline of the game has several science fiction elements. What made you consider including science fiction elements in a game targeted at females?

Actually, we felt that romance is often underestimated. Love isn’t simply effete language without substance, or honeyed words. Love can give us courage, and bring us to a whole new world, opening new journeys, finding your unlimited self. A romance story is naturally appropriate to be melded with any other motifs. In love, we can explore various issues: personal growth, contradictions in society, the truth of civilisation, the rise and fall of history...  The story we wish to convey to the players is one of “the cruel competition between love and power”. This isn’t just a complex story with science fiction elements. Actually, it’s also very related to the lives of every person.

-

Q2: As an Evol agent, does Gavin work 365 without rest?

No, but he has to be prepared to accept sudden missions.

-

Q3: Why couldn’t Gavin keep Greenie alive?

He watered it too much.

-

Q4: If he uses his Evol, what’s the highest point Gavin can reach through flight?

As long as he wants to, he can fly as high as he wants.

-

Q5: Does Gavin really like eating noodles?

It’s not to the extent of "really liking” it. it’s just that he finds it convenient.

-

Q6: When deciding on Gavin’s Evol, were there any special considerations?

We felt that he should be free and unfettered, just like... a gust of free and easy wind.

-

Q7: In the process of interacting, does Gavin have any difficult-to-spot “moe points”?

His slightly clumsy way of expressing his care and consideration. For instance, asking “Were you happy to ride it once more” after taking the Ferris wheel.

-

Q8: In the 2018 Qixi Festival event, Gavin’s ancient garb left a deep impression on people. Why did you design Gavin this way?

A swordsman who comes and goes without a trace. A swordsman who can rush to the skies even after falling off a cliff.

-

Q9: Is Gavin a dog or a cat person?

Dog.

-

Q10: What do you think is Gavin’s most classic line? How did you think of it?

“As long as you’re in the wind, I can sense you.”

It just came out very naturally in the plot - that Gavin would say something like that.

-

Q11: In relation to Gavin, are there any scenes that you’ve always wanted to write but haven’t fulfilled yet?

More scenes imbued with the feeling of a youthful romance. For instance, kissing at the rooftop staircase. I hope it can be arranged soon.

-

[ Interview with the Art Team ]

“Your photograph must be placed even on the workbench of the secret base!”

Q1: In relation to the various scenes in Loveland City, are there are any real life references?

The answer to this question has already been discovered by some meticulous players. We have indeed made references to a few real sceneries, such as the The Bund.

We want to give players the sense that the romance is happening right next to them, which is why we’ve brought our city’s scenery into the game, so everyone can feel a sense of familiarity and realism.

-

Q2: Art Sisters, what you think of the “Papergames Art Style” as coined by players? What is the biggest difference between the art style in Mr Love Queen’s Choice and other games by Papergames?

Actually, we don’t really understand the meaning of “Papergames Art Style”, and we don’t know what it means specifically. It probably refers to how the tone and atmosphere are more clear and romantic? Even our own department finds that the art styles from different games are very different. In making a comparison, Mr Love Queen’s Choice is much “harder” (laughs). After all, our main characters are four adult men. Right now, the style is basically “hard but not coarse” - there are parts which require meticulousness and delicateness, yet can’t be too soft.

-

Q3: Have you ever considered changing Gavin’s hairstyle, for instance giving him a crew cut?

Based on his personality, he might have thought about it. After all, a crew cut is very convenient. But come to think of it, does everyone really want to see him with a crew cut?

-

Q4: Where does Gavin typically buy his clothes? Online or in the shopping mall?

When he thinks it’s about time to buy clothes, he’ll find time to go to the mall. Occasionally, he buys them online.

-

Q5: How many different scars does Gavin have on his body?

There are some especially obvious scars on his collarbone and back. There are many other non-obvious ones in other places.

-

Q6: Why is there such a big difference between Gavin’s initial design and the final design? Initially, why did you give him that somewhat “smart” hairstyle?

Actually, we tried out many different types of hairstyles in the beginning. Then, we selected the one which was most suitable, and then refined it. The “smart” hairstyle was just one of many.

-

Q7: How many different outfits does Gavin have currently?

It’s difficult to say. After all, he does keep buying new clothes. A guy’s closet is the same as a woman’s - forever missing one shirt, a pair of pants, a pair of shoes, a watch...

-

Q8: Flowers appear frequently in the game. Could I ask the Art Team which flower best suits Gavin?

White lilac.

-

Q9: When it comes to Gavin’s home decor, what do the Art Sisters find the most special?

What’s special lies in “the warmth only you know about”.

Although the monochrome colours appear cold and cool, the details reveal the dribs and drabs of your lives: Outside the windows, you can see ginkgo trees which a harbour special meaning to the two of you. Atop the shelf in front of the window sits the strong “Greenie No. N+1″. Your photograph must be placed even on the workbench of the secret base!

-

Q10: What’s most difficult to grasp about Gavin?

The ahoge on Gavin’s head should point in the opposite direction of the wind.

-

[ Interview with the Production Team ]

“He gives people a sense of security, like the ‘Ah Sir’ in Hong Kong films!”

Q1: Why did you produce a game like “Love and Producer”?

Producers: Since 2015, our company has already started producing this game. As a mobile game with romance at its core, it’s something not many companies have tried before. The company had a lot of discussions on the possibility of it. In the end, we decided to do it, and the reason for making constant iterations, updates, and persevering after three years is especially simple. No matter what age you are, no matter whether you’ve dated before, no matter whether you're married and have your own family, we believe that in every woman’s heart, there remains an anticipation for romance and heart-stirring experiences. Which is why we believe “Love and Producer” has a reason for its existence. This belief has always guided our production and operation process, and we hope we can continuously bring even more beautiful romance experiences to everyone in the future.

-

Q2: Where did the name of the game “Love and Producer” come from?

Producers: I don’t know if anyone remembers that in the very beginning, our tagline on the official website has always been “Love and dreams need to meet their match.” Why is this game called “Love and Producer”? That’s because the link between you and him not only encompasses the narrow scope of love, but also permeates into to your life journey together.

-

Q3: Are there any deeply hidden “Easter eggs”? Could you disclose them to us?

Producers: They aren’t really that hidden, but there are indeed some “Easter eggs” which should have already been discovered by some players. For instance, you can see a certain poster during City Strolls. In “Go See Him”, the coupling of certain outfits and sceneries could bring out a few hidden lines. We welcome everyone to give it a try.

-

Q4: If you were to catch criminals together with Gavin, how could you help him?

Producers: After much thought, we might only be bait...

-

Q5: What do the people in the Production team call Gavin?

Producers: Gavin, Old Gav, Lil Gav, Bro Gav.

-

Q6: How do the males in the production team view Gavin?

Producers: An envoy of righteousness, he gives people a sense of security, like the ‘Ah Sir’ in Hong Kong films!”. But sometimes, he’s like Andy Chan.

-

Q7: If you had Gavin’s Evol, what would you use it for?

Producers: Of course, I'll go for a flight!

-

Q8: If there comes a day when you can be as fearless as Gavin, what would you want to do most?

Producers: Serve... serve the motherland?

-

Q9: Lastly, do you have anything to say to the players?

Producers: This interaction between the Production Team and the players is already sufficient enough to cherish. The world we created has only become perfect because of your participation. Our days alongside Loveland City have already become an important stamp in our lives. This world is still constantly becoming richer and broader. Kindly look forward to it!

[powdermelonkeg]

Aster (An Npc in Hateno Village), Mekar Island, and boko club please

Aster

Oh, Aster! I already know all about her, she was a character in my fic Lost Horizons! She’s the daughter of Medda, who grows tomatoes out behind his house; you can usually find her running around and mimicking Bolson’s construction dance

Aster is six years old, and full of boundless energy. She’ll run up to complete strangers in town and try to get them to play with her; thankfully, Hateno doesn’t attract the wrong kinds of people. Her favorite color is pink; Medda’s had to come pick her up from breaking into the Kochi dye shop more than a handful of times.

She absolutely ADORES Bolson, as Bolson’s one of the few adults that actually drops what he’s doing to play with her. Medda, for one, is thankful for this. The first time he found out Aster had infiltrated the construction crew, he just about had a heart attack--construction work is dangerous!

If Aster likes you, she’ll try to invite you over to her house (without asking her papa first) for her favorite dessert. And if she REALLY likes, you, she’ll try to make you something to wear. The pink rope Bolson has tied around his head? Aster raided the dye shop to make a “crown” for him, because he was “the bestest dancer in the whole wide world.”

Her mother is...absent. She left Hateno to try to learn about medicine, and she hasn’t come back. Aster thinks she’s playing around too long, and is gonna give her a stern talking to when she comes back. In actuality, though, it wasn’t even a day after she’d left that fresh scorch marks were found in the Hateno Battlefield.

Mekar Island

Mekar island is a sad place for Koroks, who avoid visiting there as much as they can. It has a singular dead tree at its center, which serves as a memorial to them.

Back before the Calamity, it was the Koroks’ job to ensure trees were being planted around the world. That’s why you can find so many forests nowadays, as the remnants of where they’d succeeded. But, as Calamity neared, they also tried to plant a new Deku Sprout. “In case the worst happens,” the Deku Tree had said; most creatures in Hyrule had no knowledge of eras before their own, but it’s well ingrained into all the Koroks’ minds what had happened to the Deku Tree’s predecessor in the Era of the Hero of Time.

The little Deku Sprout didn’t have much chance to grow, however. When Ganon emerged, scattering Malice across the world, the infant tree spirit was hit with a patch of it. The Koroks tried their hardest to remove the life-draining substance, but it was too late; the tree had been totally petrified, its leaves blackening and scattering away.

Any Korok born after the Calamity will tell you that island is haunted, and any before will avoid talking about it under any circumstances.

Koroks don’t handle grief well.

Boko Club

You can find Boko Clubs all around Hyrule, wherever weaker Bokoblins make their shelter. They’re the first piece of evidence scholars will usually point to to suggest that Bokoblins have entered a kind of stone age, and, although rare, it is possible to observe them making these tools out in the wild.

A Bokobling (juvenile Bokoblin) old enough to stand is chased away from its camp until it can return with a weapon, which they’ve watched their elders make multiple times (boko clubs are by no means a sturdy, long-term weapon). It spends its first night away from home curled up by a tree, and, forced to forage alone, it usually resorts to eating acorns, raiding bird nests, or chasing down bugs.

The first goal of this young Bokobling is to find a suitable source of wood; usually, this is in the form of an apple or oak tree; an apple tree is a lucky find, because it allows the Bokobling to eat its fill instead of scrounging around for fallen nuts.

Once it’s found a tree, the real work begins. The thickest branch of said tree is usually the first target, but after a few failed attempts at breaking it off, most Bokoblings give up and resort to easier-to-break branches. Many methods of breakage have been observed; the use of wedges, hacking away with sharpened stones, attaching weights, even hanging from the desired branch and turning it into a swing.

Once broken off, the branch is then shortened to an appropriate length, the extra twigs and offshoots removed, and the wood sanded down by rubbing the roughest edges against coarse rocks. As added protection, some Bokoblins have been observed tying scraps of cloth or soft grass around the narrow handle, to avoid damaging their hands.

And then, when the Bokobling has finally succeeded in its task, it returns to camp and has a match with the camp’s leader (identifiable by scent, but for us non-sensitive beings, usually it’s the one carrying a horn, the one with the strongest colors, or the one with the best weaponry). It doesn’t matter if the Bokobling wins; in fact, it most certainly loses. But the rite of passage is complete at the match’s conclusion, and it’s welcomed back into the camp for a celebration of seared steak and roasted nuts.

[crystalirises]

Um hi when your request are open I really enjoyed the fundy npc au could you do a bit of a continuation, like maybe alivebur is just dragging fundy into his mess at attempting to break dream out of prison. I'm perfectly fine if your not interested in it

Now. As I've said, I usually might not do requests or continuations when it comes to stuff I put in the "Brainrot Central" thing cause it's just full of fanfic stuff that entered my brain and I had to write down so it would leave.

However, the NPC Fundy AU has a special place in my heart. Mostly cause Fundy vibing on his own and not actually getting involved with the whole dsmp thing is nice. And yes, I am very much aware that taking out Fundy within the storyline would cause some stuff to be different. But essentially, all the major stuff that happened, still happened. It's only minor things that have changed. But otherwise, the same stuff still happened.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I'm adding the link of the ao3 here, but the story is also after the Keep Reading.

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31985884/chapters/81078352

The cottage had rotted beyond repair by the time he got home.

Wilbur had rushed to the front door, forgetting the bags of missed gifts that he’d brought with him. He flung the door open, the hinges so loose that the piece of wood slammed onto the wall before collapsing to the ground. He coughed at the cloud of the dust that flew right into his face.

“Fundy?! Fundy! I’m home!” Wilbur stepped into the house, “Fundy, papa’s home!”

There was no shout of joy, no hurried footsteps, no little boy that clung to his leg and demanded to know where Wilbur had been. He took a deep breath through clenched teeth, quelling the panic that had begun to bubble in his chest. His son was asleep, surely. He walked deeper into the house, frowning once he realized how utterly devoid the house was of furniture. Portraits had been torn off the walls, wooden chairs had been smashed against the floor, and there were random patches of black on the stone floor - almost like someone had set a fire on them. Wilbur quietly headed towards his son’s bedroom, finding the door open and the bed completely empty.

Wilbur staggered back. His son had to be somewhere nearby. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep himself from falling into hysterics. Fundy had to be nearby. He had to be.

At some point, Wilbur found himself wandering over to the living room.

He found the letter on the table, his hands shaking while he reached to pick it up.

Wilbur could only read the first and second lines before his knees buckled underneath him, his breath picking up. A god. A god. A god had taken his son. His hand clenched around the paper, his heart breaking once he realized that the paper itself looked a year old. Wilbur was only glad that it hadn’t been a day old. He laughed at the thought of that misery. Imagine finally coming home, only to realize that you were late for one day. That he could have stopped his son from leaving if he’d just been a day earlier. Then again, what did it matter? One day. One week. One month. One year. One hour. One minute. One second. He was late. Wilbur had been late to come home. He broke his promise. He should have been there for his son. He’d been gone for six years. Six long years. His baby wouldn’t even be a baby anymore. He’d be… He’d be fourteen.

His sadness melted into anger. The gods have been a menace to his life, and now one has taken his son. It wasn’t enough that they’d trapped him in their barbaric world. They took his son too. He’d promised himself to live for his son. That no matter what the gods threw at him, he would not kneel to their whims. Schlatt had called him insane, that he was better off resigning himself to a pitiful life within the gods’ realm, a puppet whose purpose was to entertain them. Schlatt had nothing to live for anyway, except his alcohol. He didn’t know what it was like to be a father.

Six years. Six years of torture, of trials, of fucking betrayals. And all so he could return home to a ruined house and a missing son. The paper crumpled in his hold, forcing him to snap back to reality. It had been a short letter, written in the messy and hurried handwriting of a child. Wilbur traced what his son had scribbled out, ‘I’ll always I love Love you.’ His poor little baby.

Did Fundy think papa had abandoned him? He pressed the letter against his chest, remembering the day he’d left his son alone. It had been the first time he’d left his son alone in the house. It was supposed to be a quick trip to the village. Wilbur hadn’t known that the gods would whisk him away to a world where he would continually fight for his life, his son’s memory the only reason that he kept fighting for his survival. Now, his son was gone, whisked away by a god.

Wilbur didn’t know which god had taken his son. But he knew one person who would know.

He placed the letter inside the pocket of his pants, hesitating for a moment before letting go. Wilbur wouldn’t need to keep holding onto a piece of paper forever. He’ll find his son. He headed out of the cabin, pausing at the doorway while a memory flashed in his mind. The day he left, he crouched down so that he could be level with his son. Fundy had pouted at him, scared that his papa wouldn’t come back. Wilbur had chuckled, patting his son’s head before ruffling his hair. He had promised to be back, promised that he’d make Fundy’s favorite pancakes for dinner. Fundy had been so excited, tail wagging behind him while he told Wilbur to come home quickly. His hands shook, but Wilbur forced himself to move out of the rotting house. He had to leave.

He picked up the bags, glancing down at the toys that he’d brought with him. He had missed so many birthdays and so many Christmases. Wilbur picked a fox plushie among the pile of toys, pressing it close to his chest. Fundy would have been so happy to get so many toys. Tears began to fall down his cheeks. Fundy would get the toys, he’d make sure of it. He’ll get his son back. He’ll get his little champion back. Wilbur didn’t glance back at the house, it didn’t matter to him.

Wilbur could only hope that Phil would be able to help him.

---

General Wilbur Soot was content to stay like this forever…

A soft smile graced his lips, a hand reaching up to ruffle Fundy’s hair.

It didn’t matter to him that Fundy was pretending to not know him. All that mattered was that he’d found his little champion again. This was his second visit of the week, and though his son was jittery about his presence, Fundy had quickly warmed up at the promise of pancakes. Now here they were, in the kitchen that Fundy’s den had. Wilbur would have preferred that Fundy stay near him, that his son be safe and happy within L’Manburg. If Wilbur had to be honest, he had been hurt when his son immediately declined his offer. Then he realized why Fundy had done so.

His little champion had always been so smart. Wilbur leaned back against his seat, glancing over at the bag of toys that he’d left on the couch. Fundy had been confused by the gifts, but he hadn’t complained when Wilbur insisted that they were for him. His poor son. He hadn’t gotten a proper gift in so many years. Well, it didn’t matter now. His papa was finally back, and Wilbur would always make sure that Fundy was content and happy. He’d have to bring Fundy more food soon.

…but first, he had a war to win.

---

President Wilbur Soot knew he couldn’t let his emotions take control of him…

He watched his son run off, the fox hybrid scampering away before Wilbur could ask - demand - why Fundy didn’t want to stay in L’Manburg. Dread and betrayal stung his chest, but he quickly pushed them away. He supported and understood why Fundy didn’t want to stay with his papa.

His little champion thought his papa had abandoned him.

Wilbur sighed, turning his attention towards the blackstone walls that were built for his son.

…for he had a nation to run. But that didn’t mean that his emotions weren’t ripping at the seams.

---

The exiled ex-president Wilbur Soot had no more dreams for the future…

He laid in his father’s arms, the piercing pain in his chest turning numb while blood ran down his mouth. He could feel his father’s hand on him, pushing against the bleeding while he muttered a repeated prayer of ‘no’s.’ He shouldn’t laugh. He knew that. But he couldn’t help the weak giggling that slipped past his lips. He knew what it felt like to lose a son, why was he giving his own father the pain he felt? He shook his head, because he was a selfish bastard, that’s why.

Phil was muttering his name, begging him not to close his eyes. Wilbur closed his eyes. In his last moments, he wanted the world to melt away. He wanted it all to fade away. Wilbur basked in the darkness of near death. There was no L’Manburg. There was no Manburg. There was no Dream. There was no Schlatt. He floated in a black abyss, alone and silent. He felt his hold on the waking world begin to slip, and in the darkness, he could hear his father beg him to open his eyes. Wilbur chose death. It was time for him to leave this cruel mortal realm, for good this time.

His little cha— Fundy would be happier once Wilbur was dead.

… he’d already lost everything in the past anyway.

---

Ghostbur draped a warm blanket around his sleeping son.

They’d had a tiresome day. His little champion needed all the rest that he could get.

Ghostbur… well, he didn’t need any sleep!

He was more content to sit by his son’s side.

He’d make sure Fundy was safe and happy. Ghostbur will chase away all the nightmares.

---

The newly revived Wilbur Soot was very happy to be with his little champion again.

Sure, he wasn’t all too pleased to leave Fundy on his lonesome by the time they reached the prison, but it had been a quick prison break. Never underestimate a father who was in a hurry.

The warden never stood a chance.

Wilbur hummed along while Dream followed after him, his reluctant ally flinching the moment sunlight touched his pale and scarred skin. He didn’t quite wait for Dream, itching to get back to his son. Fundy could be so… He could be so… adventurous. By the time he and Dream returned to where Fundy was, his son was sitting underneath an oak tree, knees pressed to his chest while he stared off into the distance. Wilbur chuckled, the noise snapping Fundy awake from whatever reverie he had been in. He reached down a hand to pull his son to a stand, the fox hybrid pausing before reluctantly reaching out. His son stood up, then shrieked when he finally saw Dream.

“Now, Fundy, it’s rude to scream at others. Be nice, little champion.” Honestly, Wilbur was in limbo for only thirteen years (one year, apparently, in the mortal realm) and already his son had lost any form of manners. Then again, Ghostbur wasn’t much of a father. He had to control himself from thinking about the ghost of his old self, the same man who chose to leave his eight-year-old son alone. The same man who had taken so long to escape from the god’s grasps. He had been a weak man back then, but now he was strong enough to care for his son. He was just… eight years late. He glanced over at his son, the fox hybrid having hidden behind Wilbur’s back. Oh, well, his little champion had always been a bit too shy. Wilbur grinned, gesturing between Dream and Fundy. “Dream, this is my son Fundy. Fundy, this is Dream. He’s a friend.”

“I know who he is!” Fundy snapped. Wilbur frowned, his son was never this… snappy.

“Dream, if you excuse us for one moment. I have to speak with my son, you would understa— No, wait you wouldn’t. Sorry, forgot you were terrible with children.” The masked (well, he wasn’t wearing a mask now, and Wilbur refrained from laughing at the poor man’s plight) man didn’t say anything. He never even looked at Fundy. Good. Wilbur didn’t want Dream near his son anyway, even if they were allies. He led Fundy further away, a hand resting on his back. Fundy’s eyes were skittish, looking here and there almost like he was preparing to run. Wilbur held onto his son’s arm, pausing once they were far enough away from Dream, “Little champion, what’s wrong? Are you upset? I know it’s a lot, but I assure you, Fundy, Dream is a good ally—”

“Friends?” Fundy shook his head, disbelief in his eyes. “S-since when?”

“Dream brought me back to life, little champion.” Wilbur ruffled his son’s hair, the fox hybrid flinching before backing off. He tried not to take offense to that. “He’s the reason I’m here now.”

“... Where’s Ghostbur?”

“Does it matter? I’m here. Who cares about the ghost of a man long since dead?” He grasped his son’s shoulders, ignoring the frightened look in his eyes. Ghostbur had been a pitiful replacement of who he had been, but he had to thank the ghost. Ghostbur had spent a lot of time with Fundy, and had realized that Fundy… didn’t even know who Wilbur actually was. “I’m here now, son.”

“Stop calling me that.” Fundy muttered underneath his breath, eyes cast low to the ground. The sadness in his son’s look pulled at Wilbur’s heartstrings. “I’m not your son. You’re confused—”

“It’s alright, Fundy. We’ll get your memories back, papa promises you that.”

He pressed a kiss to his son’s forehead. Fundy winced, but didn’t make a move to run away. If anything, a bright shine seemed to appear in his eyes at the promise. Wilbur grinned, of course Fundy would want to remember. His little champion would want to remember… But then… Wilbur frowned. Did he really want Fundy to remember the pain of his lonely childhood?

He held his son’s hand in his - still so small. They’d cross that bridge when they got to it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wilbur @ Dream: No, wait you wouldn’t. Sorry, forgot you were terrible with children.

Fundy, who is literally 21-years-old: 🧍

Also:

Me: you can't make Fundy's hands smol, he's a pianist >:( are you making his life miserable? Also me: Not in this world :p Me: aight seems legit

[captainsspnanon]

C2E29 - The Stalking Nightmare - rewatch/liveblog

I forgot to mention it before, but it still applies.  This little arc really does show off how well Caleb is capable of being a leader.  He avoids it, he does not want it, but he’s GOOD at is.  While the Nein are very good about being a group without a real leader, there definitely are the arcs where one or two PCs really pick up the charge.  Starts out with Fjord, then Caleb, then Fjord again, then Caleb/Beau during Xhorhas, then Jester for Travelercon.  I really do like it, it’s a very realistic way that a group would function.  No one standing up and saying ‘you follow me and do what I say’, but people recognizing when one is more capable in a certain situation than others and defaulting to them, or at least letting their opinions have a bit of a greater weight.

Watching the fireside chat a bit early because I misjudged the timing (should have watched after the liveshow), first time I’m seeing this!  I’m LOVING seeing the creation of Orly (WHO IS AMAZING AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH) and hearing Matt kinda play with a voice and it not being Orly’s voice at all, but seeing how it’ll get there.  UGH, I love him sooo much, and I’m so excited because Matt has no idea that he will become such a big NPC.  Especially considering the fan created NPC and monster for C1 were pretty shortly there and very forgettable (at least for me), to have this one become essentially a second-rank core NPC is so incredibly heartwarming.  (first rank NPCs are like the Gentleman, Essek, Pumat Sol, second rank are like Yussa, Orly, Allura, third rank are like Bryce, Darrow, Marius, and lower rank NPCs I don’t consider ‘core’)

Awww, I really like the fireside chats.  I always want them to be like an hour longer at least!  That might just be my love of behind-the-scenes stuff though. The c2 wrap up was four hours long and I felt like it wasn’t nearly enough.  I kept hoping they’d do a second one, like how there was the official c1 wrap up, but then there was a c1 fireside chat wrap up because there were still so many questions left over.

ALRIGHT.  LET’S DO THIS LIVESHOOOOWWWWW!!!!!  I can’t remember if they wear costumes or not!  I’m so excited!!!!

(I miss the liveshows so much, even though yes, at times they were hard to hear and at times the playing to the audience was a little over the top, but a handful of liveshows a campaign just add so much to it I feel, I really hope we can get these back with c3.  Go away pandemic, stop ruining things)

Wait, does this mean I’ll be ringing in the new year by watching the live show?  ...I’m cool with that.  I’m in a CR mood today, definitely want to keep watching.  Gonna go make me a boozy drink :)

WAIT BRIAN HAS A GLITTER BEARD I NEVER NOTICED THIS

Ah, no full on costumes, but Liam, Marisha, and Taliesin hitting me with ALL the bisexual glory.  UNF.  I am respectfully thirsty.  (Ashly and Matt looking great too, but not as dressy.  Sam is…...well.  Look, there are times where I can admire Sam’s attractiveness.  But 99% of the liveshows I cannot because the OUTFITS.  So I am admiring his absurdity instead.)

(also apparently I’m having Matt hair envy this episode.  SO FLUFFY!!!!!   I know, I know, why is this episode different than any other episodes.  But it just looks REALLY GOOD to me right now!)

MATT’S REVENGE WITH THE SAM SHIRT YEEESSSSSSS

I love Caleb using the Invisibility scroll, and I LOVE Keg not having object permanence.

The audience shouting “don’t fuck me Gil”, and Marisha guiltily having to inform them that it wasn’t a Gil die.  MY HEART MAY NOT SURVIVE THIS EPISODE.  I feel like these liveshows mean so much more to me now, just because of all the context I’ve now gone through of all of C2, C1, and C3.

It makes sense that it wasn’t really RPed, but I am kinda sad that it was never really gone into about what Yasha, Jester, and Fjord had suffered during their time.  Maybe they got lucky and because it was only a day/day and a half that they were there that they were just put into cages and not dealt with, but maybe they were.  And I don’t think it’s ever touched upon.  But like I said, the show – despite getting into dark shit – never actually goes THAT dark.  Injuries to the PCs are all resolved in a long rest without real repercussion, emotional trauma from the in game activities is glossed over (backstory emotional trauma is different), and it makes sense in the fact that it’s just a GAME that they play for fun.  But I admit, this is where the appeal of fanfic comes in, to touch on the heavier and darker aspects that they don’t play out.

THE AUDIENCE FREAKING OUT AT THE SHAKASTE REVEAL, AND THEN EVEN MORE WHEN KHARY COMES ON STAGE

I do with the Nefertiti statue’s face was more visible.  (also why the fuck did I struggle with how statue is spelled?  I’ve had less than a shot of alcohol, I shouldn’t be that affected yet!)

I…...forgot this episode is almost entirely combat.  I’m still focused, but not much to say.  It’s combat.  Not feeling the need to speed it up, so that’s good.

Insect Swarm!!!! Used a good handful of times, but much more a flavor aspect of Cad rather than a primary combat.

LOL new years hit riiight after break.  Paused to text friends/family and get a call from the parents, and now waiting for some of the cheering outside to die down.  I think I’ll take a quick shower then get into the second half.

(also I want a shiny party hat wurmple, but this’s not about that right now.  I didn’t get a shiny spheal with scarf, which genuinely makes me sadface because spheal with the scarf is so fucking cute.  There aren’t many costumed pokes that I love, but there are a few and these are two of them)

Mmmm, I think I’m starting to lose focus now.  And as I haven’t been saying much because it’s just combat, I think I’ll head off for the night, finish this tomorrow.  Lorenzo has been revealed, and Cad has just shown why you don’t make him do wisdom saving throws (casual 27, anyone?), so that’s a good place to pause.

Poor Shakaste, I forgot that he struggled so much during this fight!

Wondered why Caleb didn’t use Shield, but maybe he’s out of first level spells?  I know he kills Lorenzo with a cantrip, so he was pretty dry at that point….  According to the critrolestats, Caleb went into this episode with two first level spells only, however, after the Scorching Ray he only uses cantrips, so maybe he thought he only had one first level spell left?  Or maybe he was saving it for Shield in case he thought he may be at further risk?  (I’m leaning towards the former)

Sharp toothed fairies for Spirit Guardians???  Okay…..I feel like he moves towards the insects and beetles for the Guardians soon.  It’s interesting, this doesn’t seem to fit Caduceus at ALL, but I wonder how his character would have adjusted had this been the theme for his Guardians going forwards.

Ah, there’s the remembering that Firbolgs don’t have Darkvision.

Spare the Dying and max healing for an unconscious person.  Taliesin discussed in the last Talks how he decided to make a cleric to help the party from getting gunshy because of the death, to be able to give them a bit of comfort making more risky decisions, and this here is exactly the display they need.

I get really happy with the audience chanting Beau Beau Beau after Marisha stuns Lorenzo.  I know from her interviews that she seems to be able to let the internet hatred roll off of her back, but GOD the hate that she got for Keyleth. And then even some for Beau!  I’ve seen a good chunk of people feel about Beau how I feel about Molly.

Oh hey, they fuck up the Stun here.  Stun is supposed to last until the end of Beau’s next turn, not the stunned person’s turn.  OH WELL STILL WORKS OUT. (also lol at me actually knowing shit.  During first watch I was slowly gaining the ability to understand rules and shit while watching, but 100% would not be able to say when they were ‘wrong’ or not XD)

Mass Healing Word – you can heal everyone but Caleb.  XDDDDDDDDDD

This may be my bias, but I HAVE to give props to Liam for this episode.  This is a very very combat heavy episode, and while there is some RP, there’s not much.  That tends to lose me, as I’m much more interested in the RP than combat.  But Liam is RPing his ass off this entire episode, just by his little monologues and nervousness and EVERYTHING that he is putting into basically every turn.  And yes, the other players are certainly doing some, and I appreciate it every time it happens.  But Liam is just FEEDING ME and I can’t help but to love him so much for it.

Keg’s ‘what the FUCK?!’ after Liam describes the HDYWTDT is PERFECTION.  The perfect little tension release after the very descriptive and violent end.

“You shouldn’t have killed my cat” oh I have THOUGHTS about that line.  Honestly, the first time watching that was even more confirmation for me that Caleb couldn’t have actually cared about Molly dying because duh. Yeah….I admit that was my bitter biasness there.  Rewatch though? It’s very powerful about the connection that Caleb has with Frumpkin and what Frumpkin means to him, connecting to his childhood and trying for redemption, it’s also this level of disconnect about avenging Molly because the emotion is there but he just can’t focus on it in the moment (alright that’s speculation but it seems to fit), and then lastly, if you watch Liam, Caleb is starting to risk dissociating HARD with the rapid blinking and somewhat vacant gaze (wisdom saving throw coming up), so it makes sense that his immediate thought would be about something that just happened a few minutes ago, rather than the bigger thing that could be too hard to think about in the moment.   (I’ll also admit I still have a very biased headcanon for the moment, but I won’t share that because no-one needs to hear it)

“Case closed” SERIOUSLY heartbreaking and heartwarming at the exact same time

Also rescued prisoners coming down right after the battle ended, y’all are dumb fucks and could haven ended up dead, wtf.  Stay upstairs where they told you to.

Also also, this is now the start of an AU, as the end of this episode and beginning of next episode get into wonky changing what happened stuff, but that’s okay. XD

MATT AND SAM’S FACES WHEN BEAU PROPOSITIONS KEG

Sam on those skates is TOWERING over everybody omg

Also I am just barely taller than Ashly Burch, so that’s a perspective on heights.

@suicidallyreckless