#xanders only kind of here

[frootbyethefoot]

nothing but unfortunate timing and some bad luck

[haunted-xander]

Alone

[giftedeath]

more tags

she who hangs out a lot in cemeteries › ic.

i make a mockery of death and a spectacle of survival › hc.

death is your gift › study.

i may be dead but im still pretty › visuals.

nobody asked if i was ready › aesthetics.

if the apocalypse comes / beep me ! › answered.

why are you full of rage ? / because you are full of grief › meta.

i. suck the rot right out of my bloodstream › spike.

i. there's an ache in you / put there by the ache in me › dawn.

i. i am the shape you made me › giles.

i. a mother's shame can haunt a daughter's body › joyce.

i. my reflection and i were like rival animals › faith.

i. i was missing not a place but a person › willow.

i. he is my brother and i need a shovel to love him › xander.

i. everyone i love is not here › tara.

i. you are the only people i'd surrender my softness to › anya.

i. of course we were no full moon › oz.

i. as a penance / a lesson / a source of profitable humiliation › riley.

i. the kind of dream people have only when they're seventeen › angel.

dawn : there's an ache in you / put there by the ache in me

giles : i am the shape you made me

joyce : a mother's shame can haunt a daughter's body

faith : my reflection and i were like rival animals

willow : i was missing not a place but a person

tara : everyone i love is not here

xander : he is my brother and i need a shovel to love him

anya : you are the only people i'd surrender my softness too

oz : of course we were no full moon

riley - as a penance / a lesson / a source of profitable humiliation

angel - the kind of dream people have only when they're seventeen

spike - suck the rot right out of my bloodstream

what i am aches in me

the shame of being seen consumes me

[readingbookelf]

The Defense Rests - Spike

Summary: The Scooby-gang holds an emergency meeting when they find out you're dating Spike.

Pairing: fem!reader x Spike

My Writing | Taglist

You’re at Giles’ home, currently being yelled at by Xander, who apparently saw you kissing Spike last night. Instead of just talking to you about it, in private, he called an emergency meeting. Hence the yelling while everyone else just stares at you.

“Spike is a psychotic killer and you’re handing yourself to him on a silver platter. Have you forgotten how he came into our lives? What he was going to do to Buffy for his precious Dru? Who is also nuts in the head, I might add,” Xander practically yells in your face.

“I did not forget, but I’ve used my eyes these past few months. Spike has helped us out more times than one, even when he didn’t need too. Also he hasn’t attacked anyone in months…” you trail off at the end knowing the only reason he hasn’t attacked anyone is because of the chip the Initiative has planted in his head.

Xander scoffs, ready for round two, but Buffy jumps in.

“Xander, you have to admit he’s helped us out… a lot in the past few months. Figuring out who the initiative is, what they do, even fighting demons or helping out with the latest threat. I’m not pro-Spike and I still don’t trust him, but if he makes y/n happy then that’s enough for me. Also I’m the last one to condemn anyone for dating a vampire,” Buffy finishes with a wink towards you.

“Thank you, Buffy,” you whisper.

“So we’re going to ignore the fact he would kill us all if he didn’t have that chip in his head,” Xander asks.

“Xander, last week you admitted that Spike has grown on you. What about all the times you spoke about ‘everything we’ve been through together’ just to try and convince Spike to help out? Don’t you think you’re being hypocritical,” you ask softly.

Xander scoffs but doesn’t make another move to convince you Spike is the devil incarnate.

“And on that note I’m out of here. I’ve got a bed that’s calling my name,” you say before getting up.

“Don’t you mean a certain someone who’s waiting for you in your bed,” Willow quips, wiggling her eyes.

Everyone groans.

-----

When you walk through your front door, you find Spike on your couch watching a movie.

“Home already or you haven't left yet,” you ask the blond man.

“Home for the night,” he replies while smiling at you cheekily.

That smile never fails to make you weak in the knees. You let yourself fall onto the couch next to Spike while letting out the biggest sigh of your life.

“The scooby doo-meeting was that bad, huh,” he asks. “The end of the world again,” he chuckles.

You look at Spike and see the concern shining in his eyes. He puts his arm around you and pulls you close into his side. You let your head fall on his shoulder and nuzzle close.

“The end of the world for Xander,” you scoff.

“What do you mean,” Spike asks.

“You were right that someone was watching us last night. After seeing us together Xander followed us and saw us kiss. Hence the emergency meeting,” you explain.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Spike exclaims while jumping up.

Immediately your hand circles around his wrist. You give a little pull to make him sit down again. He sighs and sits down next to you once more.

“Who does he think he is? He’s dating a vengeance demon for god’s sake,” Spike spits out.

You rub his shoulder trying to calm him down.

“There was a discussion. I defended you. Buffy jumped in. Everyone is more or less okay with it. I’m kind of done talking about this, Spike. Xander’s opinionated. I’ve seen the way he was with Buffy and Angel.”

You shake your head at the end. The uncomfortable memory resurfacing. He was so mean to Buffy. It’s hard dealing with the supernatural world as a human. You realise how fragile your life really is. It causes Xander to act out like this, and it’s not an excuse, but it gives him some leeway when he explodes.

“I still hate that you had to sit through that meeting all by yourself. I should’ve been there. I’m part of this relationship,” he says fiercely.

You take his hand and squeeze.

“You were. There was this little annoying voice that sounded a lot like you edging me on while I was defending you…and calling Xander names I won’t repeat,” you chuckle.

A twinkle lights in Spike’s eyes. He presses his lips firmly on yours. A moan slips past your lips by the sheer force of it all. Slowly you pull away.

“I like you. You like me. And everyone else can suck it,” Spike says before kissing you once more.

[thefandomenchantress]

DRDT Character Popularity Poll Results

The results have been tallied! It's finally time to find out who the most popular DRDT Character really is! (...According to this specific format on this specific website).

For those unaware, this poll was conducted by asking people to write down their top 5 favorite DRDT characters in no particular order. Each time that character's name was written, it counted as one vote towards them. And, without further ado, these were the results!

---

18th Place: Elliot Cuevas/Felicity Giles/Unnamed Classmate

Elliot, Felicity, and Unnamed Classmate managed to receive exactly 1 vote each, putting them in last place. I can't say I'm too surprised, since there are so many excellent characters in the main cast to choose from. Still, Felicity, a character mentioned only in an ask game, managing to tie a character with a whole-ass MV dedicated to them as well as a character featured in two bonus episodes, is pretty impressive! So props to her!

(Someone wrote 'Relaxation Room Fish' in one of their slots, which I considered including to be funny, but I decided not to. One day the minnows will get the bonus episode they deserve).

17th Place: Mai Akasaki

Mai managed a whole 5 votes. I was a little surprised by that, since she only really has a hypothetical personality, but hooray for Mai! She's the most popular non-main cast member. I can totally see why people would be intrigued by the mystery surrounding her.

16th Place: MonoTV

MonoTV, self-proclaimed most popular DRDT character, is the least popular main cast member. How sad. With only 6 votes, it barely outranks Mai, and ties with her if you count Unnamed Classmate and Mai to be the same person. While it's silly emoticons and lore implications won a few people's hearts, it still can't compete with the human main cast members.

15th Place: Hu Jing

...I doubt many people are surprised by this. While Hu may have been one of the characters helped most by my decision to make people write down their top five characters instead of only their favorite, she still couldn't gather enough votes to get out of last place within the (human) main cast members.

Hu gathered 26 votes. While that came pretty close to 14th place's number, she ended up here. Like I said earlier, this isn't surprising. Hu's behavior is supposed to be flawed, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the kind of behavior that most people enjoy watching as much as the more cartoonish character's antics. Still, she has her fans (including me, in case you couldn't tell haha).

Well, if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Hu should definitely slap the shit out of David next chapter. /j

14th Place: Min Jeung

Min barely managed to beat out Hu for 14th place with 28 votes. Her low placement, sadly, also isn't a surprise.

Min died in chapter one, and her screentime being limited definitely hurts her here. Not only did she have only a few mentions in chapter 2, but she also didn't haunt the narrative quite like Xander did. Xander managed to leave quite an impact on both David and Teruko. And to put it bluntly, Xander is a conventionally attractive male character with a ton of screentime during his time alive. With the way fandom is, he was almost definitely going to have more staying power than a female culprit, especially one with as little screentime as Min.

That doesn't mean she has no fans, though! There's a ton of cool Min content on this website, and she is one of few characters I have never seen anyone say they vehemently dislike. And how could they? She's such a charming little bookworm.

13th Place: Arturo Giles

Arturo received 33 votes. His relatively low placement isn't exactly something I didn't see coming, seeing as he spent all of chapter 2 stalking J and being generally pretty creepy.

That's not to say he's devoid of charm, of course. His backstory was also expanded on, and I don't think we'll ever forget "Shut your whore mouth!!!!". Arturo's a pretty interesting character, but until we see his full potential in chapter 3, this position in the ranking is pretty understandable. At least Aceturo was confirmed canon in the last five minutes of chapter 2 (/j).

12th Place: Levi Fontana

Oh, Levi. Such an interesting little guy who may or may not have committed multiple felonies.

Levi received 41 votes, beating out Arturo by a good margin. He seems to have gained a little popularity after his backstory was expanded on at the end of chapter 2, and I'm sure we're all excited to see where his character goes in chapter 3! Well, if he survives, but I refuse to admit him not surviving is a legitimate possibility haha.

Overall a decent showing, about what I expected for him! Our next character, however...

11th Place: Xander Matthews/Nico Hakobyan

Attentive readers may have noticed that, despite there being 16 main cast members not including MonoTV, there were only 15 slots when we started ranking them.

And that's because, against all odds, Nico and Xander managed to tie each other at 44 votes each, 3 votes above Levi.

Not only am I a little disappointed I managed to get a tie in these results, but I'm also rather surprised! I was always under the impression Xander was a rather popular character, so I was fully prepared for him to break the top ten. Seeing him underperform like this wasn't what I expected. I suppose the popularity of Xanvid may have always been what carried Xander's popularity, not Xander himself. After all, one of the few things keeping Xander relevant right now in canon is David.

As for Nico, they performed closer to my expectations. I was prepared for them to be somewhere in the middle ground when it came to popularity. I suppose them being alive longer than Xander was evened out by them almost committing murder...Except Xander also did that, but that's a whole other can of worms. A shame neither they nor Xander can make it to the top ten, but maybe next time.

10th Place: J Moreno

Woohoo, J makes it to the top ten! She got a total of 47 votes, and was one of the hardest to count since she has so many name variations haha.

J managed a pretty good showing. With more backstory details and her based-ness during the trial, I'm not surprised she was able to score a top ten spot. As someone who thinks non-violent tsunderes are very fun and amusing, I totally get the appeal.

9th Place: Eden Tobisa

Eden managed to also make it into the top ten with 49 votes, beating J by only 2 votes.

I'll be honest, I'm pretty impressed with Eden. I think she probably benefitted from the top five rule, since she got a lot of points from the 2nd to 5th slots. While the first slot didn't have to be your favorite character, most people probably did put their favorite there. So even if she isn't always people's most favorite, how could they possibly dislike such a sweet character?

8th Place: Arei Nageishi

Next up, Arei Nageishi, the Ultimate Bowler with 63 votes. That's quite a gap between her and Eden. But they still ended up next to each other, which can only mean one thing: Areden is canon /j.

Arei doing well is something I expected, since she's a bit of a wild card. If you like jerk characters, she's got you covered. If you like nice characters, she tried so hard to be good at the end. If you like crying, she died before she could achieve her dreams. Truly a character that pleases everyone, haha.

7th Place: David Chiem

...Holy shit. Seriously? Only 7th place? He barely made it into the top half of the main cast? Damn.

David got 64 votes, only beating Arei by one measly vote. Gotta say, David barely getting to the top half of the main cast in this list surprises me. I mean, he's so popular, right?!? Everyone was so obsessed with him right after chapter 2 ended! Who knows, maybe the hype died down a bit after people got used to his new act--I mean totally 100% real personality reveal.

6th Place: Rose Lacroix

After David shit-talked Rose, I'm sure we're all very amused to see her beating him, haha.

Rose gathered 66 votes, scoring 6th place by only 2 votes. Rather impressive, I didn't expect to see her up so high, but I'm pleased! After her little angsty speech during the second trial, I have to say I'm more endeared to her as well, so it's nice to see her defy my expectations. But then again, she's yet another character I've never seen a single person say they particularly dislike, so maybe I should've expected this.

5th Place: Whit Young

Whit makes it to the top five! Yay! He got here with 69 votes, a number I'm sure he'd have at least one joke about.

This is pretty expected, since I think most people are aware Whit is decently popular. A seemingly happy jokester who's secretly depressed is an archetype that usually endears a lot of people, in my experience.

Though I would like to give a shout-out to the person who wrote: "1. Whit, 2. Whit (mastermind version), 3. Whit (traitor version), 4. Whit (psychotic kanade version), 5. Whit (pinkie pie version)". I considered counting it as only 1 vote, since voting for the same character five times is against the rules, but I decided it was too funny to not count and counted it as 5 instead. So If you want to get technical, Whit is technically only 6th, without me breaking the rules. Sorry Rose.

4th Place: Charles Cuevas

See, my intervention allowed Whit to be next to Charles, it was meant to be. /j

Charles got 71 votes. I expected him to do well, but almost on the podium of top three? Wow! Congratulations, Charles. Like I said with Arei, people who like jerk characters and those who like nice characters are both appeased by characters like this, so it makes sense that he's rather popular. Especially since he has a bunch of cute sprites.

3rd Place: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Our top three begins with...Veronika, who got 72 votes! She barely managed to get past Charles by a singular vote!

I'm impressed with Veronika! I knew she was popular, but not top three popular! I suppose she is basically every Danganronpa fan to the extreme, so it makes sense most people like her at least a little bit. Not only does she have a super awesome design, but an interesting dynamic with many cast members as well.

2nd Place: Ace Markey

HOLY SHIT???? SECOND?!?!

Ace received a total of 77 votes, beating Veronika by a solid number, though not a crazy amount. And I'm...Super impressed with this! I knew more people started to like Ace after he died, but second? Wow! I guess I can never claim he's not one of the top three most popular characters ever again, haha.

Though...Since I hosted this poll, and I'm an Ace Markey-centric account, I should recognize Ace probably had a liiiiittle bit of an unfair advantage, since many of the people guaranteed to see the post the poll was in had to like him at least a little. Whoops! If a completely neutral party hosted this poll, maybe he would've ended up losing to Veronika or Charles, but I suppose we'll never know.

Anyways, Ace probably benefitted the least from this format, since he took an early lead in the first slot only to get closer to the others as time went on. A stark contrast from our champion, the most well-liked DRDT character...

1st Place: Teruko Tawaki

Congratulations, Teruko! She won by a HUGE landslide, getting a whopping 104 votes and blowing everyone else out of the water!

Teruko started out well, but not super well during the first slot, only to consistently get high numbers all the way through the 2nd to 5th slots. She was probably the character who benefitted the most from my top five system. While she may not be everyone's favorite, a lot of people still really like her! Making her the most well-liked, popular DRDT Character!

Since you see so many people saying that Teruko is hated on too much, it's nice to see her being able to pull out a victory on this one! There were 185 voters, which means more than half of the people who participated wrote down Teruko as one of their top five favorites. Her luck truly pulled through on this one!

---

And that's the end! Sorry this took so long, schoolwork has been mean to me lately. That's the reason I haven't posted in general that much either. But the results are finally complete! I hope you enjoyed this little experiment, and one of your top five did well!

[fallingtowers]

btvs season 1 episode 10 "nightmares" is a story about abuse, and more specifically about a young boy who has been abused by an authority figure. in a very real sense, the titular nightmares stem from this act of abuse—they're of course doing some metaphorical work on the level of individual character (e.g. willow's opera dream represents her fear of being scrutinized and "found out"), but as they all come from billy, we can also understand them as a metaphor for the kind of unreasoning fear an abusive authority figure might inspire in a child under their care.

see buffy's behavior, for example. this episode identifies buffy with billy—she serves as a kind of proxy for him, running from the monster with him and ultimately helping him defeat it. it's the running that's interesting here. buffy describes the ugly man as "too strong" for her to fight, something we only rarely see her do, and usually in reference to enemies of a far greater caliber than this kind of villain‐of-the-week. in fact, buffy spends a big chunk of this episode in abject fear!

in the end, of course, she faces down the ugly man and saves the day. it takes her a good while, though, and by that time someone else has beaten her to the punch (🤡) and already faced his fears.

despite his connection with buffy in this episode, the fact that billy is a young boy who has been physically abused by someone who was supposed to look after him positions him as a much more direct parallel to xander, who at various points in the show is heavily implied to have been (and at this point in time presumably still is) a victim of abuse at his parents' hand. interesting, then, that it's specifically xander who turns around and decks his nightmare in the face!

it's played as a comedic beat, and there's not much in the way of on-screen justification for xander's sudden burst of courage, but given the context of the episode it feels significant that it's him. in fact, if the ugly man represents billy's baseball coach, then there's no reason why we can't understand the clown (textually an adult who terrorized xander when he was a child) as a stand-in for xander's parents.

what's more, towards the end of the episode, when billy is "unmasking" the ugly man, willow expresses confusion—but xander says, "i get it." out of all of them, he's the one who understands exactly what billy is going through. this similarity between them is further underscored by xander's line in the final scene, when buffy expresses disbelief at the coach's actions: "you obviously haven't played kiddy league. i'm surprised it wasn't one of the parents."

"i get it." and of course he would. he's been there himself.

[queer-devil]

DRDT Incorrect Quotes Pt 2

Bc it was fun last time

Same generator was used

Eden: Good morning!

Ace: Is it? Is it really?

J: You know what the problem is? Your really cute, so no one ever told you to shut your pie-hole.

Veronika: You think I’m cute?

J: SHUT YOUR PIE-HOLE!

Nico: Hu, Ace keeps bullying me at school.

Hu: Ask your teacher for help.

The next day…

Nico, to their teacher: Will you help me beat up Ace?

Teruko: That's it, I'm cutting off the internet!

Nico: No, please don't! I have a family to feed!

Teruko:

Teruko: What?

Nico: I need to feed my Neopets!

Teruko: Is anyone going to tell me what's going on in here?!

Eden: It's kind of complicated, but Ace-

Teruko: Got it. Forget I asked.

Whit: Yo! I heard you like reptiles, got any fun facts?

Nico: If a crocodile eats your dad, they become your new dad.

Eden: Breathe, just breathe.

Arei: I’ve done nothing with my life! I’m a failure!

David: Awww, that never bothered you before.

Rose: I am not an early bird or a night owl. I am some form of permanently exhausted pigeon.

Whit: If I die, my funeral will be the biggest party ever and you're all invited.

Charles: "If?"

Ace: Great, the only party I'm ever invited to and they might not even die.

Min: I regret getting dragged into your heterosexual tomfoolery.

Whit: Fellas, I gotta know for science. Is the opposite of red green or blue?

Rose: Technically a mix of green and blue?

Ace: So blurple.

Levi: That's implying you're mixing blue and purple.

Ace: Would you rather have fucking bleen? MOTHERFUCKING GRUE?

Levi: You were confusing before but now I'm scared.

David: What are the hardest things to say?

Charles: I was wrong.

Teruko: I need help.

Whit: Worcestershire sauce.

Teruko: Who else is hiding in the laundry room trying to listen to Charles and Whit's convo?

Eden: Me. I'm in the laundry basket.

Veronika: I'm in the washing machine.

Ace: I'm in the closet.

Eden: We accept you Ace.

Ace: No I'm literally in the closet.

Eden: Love is love.

Charles: There's nothing to do....

Whit: You can wash the dishes you promised to wash about a week ago.

Charles: *pulls out his phone* Nevermind.

Veronika, watching Ace: Ah yes. The mysterious and beautiful Ace…

Veronika: …I wonder what sort of melodic sounds this wonderful being makes?

Ace: *screaming*

Eden: What makes you think it's okay to watch Hannibal given its subject matter?

J: Sometimes, I watch television shows for entertainment purposes.

Veronika: Because I condone murder and cannibalism.

Teruko: Why would you give a knife to Xander?!

David, shrugging: Xander felt unsafe.

Teruko: Now I feel unsafe!

David: I’m sorry…

David: Would you like a knife?

J: I have a problem.

Veronika: Kill it.

J: Can you chill for like, two seconds?

Xander: Don’t go picking a fight with me. I could make your life difficult.

Ace, sarcastically: Wow. I wonder what it’d be like to have a difficult life.

Whit: Don't quote me on this, but I believe murder is illegal!

Ace: Come to think of it… You’ve always been nice to me.

Ace: I mean, you listen to all my problems-

Levi: No, Ace I just simply stand here while you talk, there’s a big difference.

Eden: You know what I learned from my friendship with Ace?

Nico: There’s no such thing as too mean?

J: Never let your friends know for sure if you like them?

Levi: Always hold a grudge?

Levi: What situation is not instantly improved by the addition of fishnets, I ask you.

Nico: Being a fish.

Levi: …Well, shit.

David: I don’t mean to be rude—

Teruko: Yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often.

Hu: "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

David: ...

David: What a stupid fucking quote.

David: I'm killing way more than two people, idiot.

Eden: You know, Teruko, when you generalize, you tell general... lies.

Teruko: ...

Teruko: Are you trying to teach me moral lessons through puns.

Levi: Hey, Ace, do you have feelings for me?

Ace: Yeah, anger.

[thepunkmuppet]

yes tara willow and kennedy are amazing barrier-breaking representation and I adore them with my whole entire heart forever and ever, but also here’s just a friendly reminder that:

spike and angel have canonically had sex, as have darla and drusilla

lorne just straight up shamelessly asks angel out that one time (and is. you know. lorne)

I was gonna split it up into like ten different points but honestly just faith and buffy’s entire relationship you know exactly what I mean

also self explanatory, lindsey’s complete and utter obsession with angel that literally ends with his name being his last words. he is not normal about that old man like “it’s not me you wanna screw it’s him” “I wanna know the details, everything he did to you” UM HELLO WHAT

fred canonically has a crush on willow

buffy has a sexual and romantic relationship with a woman in the comics

lorne mentions picking up demon girls in pylea, meanwhile his mother has a whole ass beard and more testosterone than a bodybuilder (also he’s. you know. LORNE)

xander thinks having sex with spike is understandable because he is strong and mysterious and sort of compact but well muscled

illyria exists outside the gender binary

the visions are canonically passed by what is essentially true love’s kiss, and will only transfer if the person romantically loves the other person. in a universe where cordelia didn’t join angel investigations, doyle gave the visions to angel. I am so incredibly normal about this fact

“recently I’ve been wondering what it would be like to share the slaughter of innocents with another man. that doesn’t make me some kind of deviant, does it?”

vampire willow is very intensely bisexual, and angel confirms that vampires hold the same attractions as their human selves

faith “doesn’t take the guys she has a connection with very seriously”

lilah is canonically attracted to cordelia

CANON GAY ANDREW AND HIS DEEP AND HILARIOUS OBSESSION WITH WARREN XANDER AND SPIKE I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

angel has no problem spanking men <3

so yeah basically hey don’t cry all your favs are raging bisexuals :)

[thissharktypes]

Spike (btvs) x reader

Sensitive crybaby reader x bitchy Spike lol GN reader College age Scoobies and reader

You swing your legs back and forth on the kitchen counter, nibbling on a peanut butter drenched apple slice while you watch Buffy, Giles and Xander bicker back and forth about the best way to dispatch of yet another group of vamps. The door swings open and Spike stalks in, boots thudding loudly enough to pause the chatter before they resume bickering. You hop down and trot over to Spike with a big grin on your face and a handful of apple slices. “Hi Spike! How are you tonight?” you chirp up at him, your smile faltering only slightly when he scowls at you, rolling his eyes and dropping himself down on the couch. You follow suit, sitting on the edge to give him space, you hold out you hand “Do you want an apple slice?” his mouth curls down in disgust “Can’t you leave me alone? Everytime you’re around it’s talk talk talk,” he makes a talking motion with his hand “Starting to think you’re just drenching your panties every time you see me at this point.” you retract your hand and stand up “Sorry Spike! I’ll leave you alone.” Your voice still bubbly despite the tears clouding your eyes.

Blinking rapidly you duck your head and quickly maneuver into the kitchen, busying yourself with making dinner for the group. Focusing on cutting veggies and stirring pots, picking out spices here and there, all these little things help you brush off another one of Spike’s outbursts “Hey, you okay?” Willow touches your shoulder gently and you nod “It’s fine, really! I know he’s just cranky today.” she sighs “Y/N he’s always like that, why do you keep trying to be nice to him?” you shrug, suddenly finding your shoes very interesting “I guess,” you hesitate “I guess I feel a sort of connection to him?” you squint at Willow “Before I met you guys I had nobody, I was just the weird kid.” You laugh softly “I know that deep loneliness, Nobody deserves that.” you whisper. Willow lets out a soft ‘awwwe’ and throws her arms around you. Out of everyone she had always been your closest friend, stumbling across her in the college library and immediately hitting it off by bonding over your similar fandom shirts you had both worn that day.

After a plan had been agreed on you set out bowls and plates, Willow trailing behind with silverware and cups. A big pot of pastina, fresh bread and a wonderful salad decorated your table. Cooking was something you took pride in, always so happy to share with your loved ones. But your eyes flickered towards Spike who had taken a seat near the end of the table, a spoon tightly grasped in his hand. You know in your heart that Spike could be kind, but the fear of him insulting the only thing you felt like you could offer to the group was rattling around in your skull.

Despite your hesitation you give him the benefit of the doubt and settle yourself in a chair too, letting everyone grab what they want before you serve yourself. Praises and compliments of how good it smells and how pretty everything is make you beam with pride “Okay okay enough talking, everyone eat!” you flap your hands dramatically. Everyone seems pleased with the food and casual conversations spark up before a groan followed by the loud clattering of a spoon and a chair being pushed back “I know the little one doesn’t have any useful skills for your merry little crew, but the food isn’t that good.” he turns on his heel and leaves, the door slamming shut behind him. All eyes are on you while you desperately try and keep a smile on your face while choking back tears, a hand slides into yours, you already know its Willow “It’s really good Y/N, you always cook for us when we’re sick or sad and it always makes us better, we wouldn’t keep coming over for meals if we didn’t like it.” Xander nods in agreement “You know me, I can’t lie about food.” he says through a mouthful of pasta and bread. You let out a watery laugh “Thanks you guys, It’s okay, I’ll keep trying. One day I’ll make him like me!” you wipe your eyes, ignoring the frustrated looks the group passes each other, all of them knowing you had spent every moment you could fighting to make Spike happy despite how much they all hated him.

Weeks pass, cookies laughed at, little clay sculptures insulted, clothing picked at, hair messed up, you took it all. Every last insult, every angry look, you tried so hard with your gifts, never giving up, until he took it too far.

Buffy had been gushing about some guy she met on campus, you and Willow sipping tea while the rest of the gang sat around the tv nearby “Ugh, I can’t even explain it!” she squealed happily “It’s like he’s perfect, and absolutely no vampy, demon-y, creepiness at all!” you and Willow give fake applause before you three melt into a pile of giggles “That just leaves you Y/N,” the red head wiggles her eyebrows “Everyone here has someone except you,” her nose scrunches “And crabby pants.” you swat her arm gently, laughing “I have a better chance at getting someone than that poor sod,” Spike shouts at the group “Nobody would pick such a boring creature like Y/N.” he snickers.

Your head swims, you have no idea why that hurt so much worse than anything he had said before. You stare at the table, trying to will away the sob that was bubbling up. Slowly standing, you push yourself away from the table, tears streaming down your cheeks. His grin drops as soon as he sees your face, but you’re gone, the front door flung wide open, silence falling over the room while your retreating figure gets farther and farther away. Willows fists clench, she had bit her tongue for the sake of you, but screw it “You fucking asswipe!” she chucks a plate at Spikes head, eyes wide, he ducks, just barely missing it “Every time Y/N does something nice you stomp on it! Do you know how hard they worked on every little gift for you?” her feet guide her in front of the now cowering blond man “And every single time you. made. them. Cry.” she jams a finger in his chest each time to punctuate her words “But they never give up, no matter how many times we all warn them about you they still pour their heart and soul into caring about you because they believed you deserved love and affection.” Willow snarls the last bit out, her rant more rage filled than any of her friends even thought she could muster.

Willows chest heaves, suddenly out of breath. She steps back, about to follow her friend outside before a hand stops her “I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.” Spikes face is hard as he leaves, unsure of how to handle the new information.

Over an hour of searching with no sign of you, he kicks a nearby tree, bark and wood splintering into the air “Bloody ponce!” he rakes his hands through his hair, aggravated “Such a bloody idiot!” Spike paces back and forth, a slew of self hatred spewing from his mouth. A twig snaps but he doesn’t even notice “Spike?” you sniffle, eyes puffy and red “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” he whips around to face you, drinking in your pouty, quivering lips, how you’re hugging your elbows and shivering, the mud staining your pants. All this and your first thought is to comfort him? He has you pulled into his arms, face buried in your hair, gripping you against him, before you can even repeat your question. A muffled ‘Oh!’ as your face is smothered in his chest. You both stand like that for who knows how long, Spike’s fingers carefully running through your hair, pausing to unravel tangles or pull out little bits of twigs or leaves. You squirm, your legs hurting from holding you up for so long after running. He shifts and suddenly you’re both on the ground, you on his lap, now swaddled tightly in his jacket. Spike presses kisses all over your face before guiding you to nuzzle into his neck, he’s rambling and you’re barely able to catch each word “I’m so sorry love, I truly am, I shouldn’t have been such a wanker to you.” he tucks his jacket under your chin “I was…” he swallows “Scared, I ‘spose. You were just so sweet, absolutely dotting on me pet, I’m not used to it.” your hand curls into a fist, gripping his shirt “I’ve been right smitten with you since you tried to give me that dinosaur band-aid,” you smile against his skin, remembering that day “You had said somethin’ about you having ‘Ello Kitty ones too but you didn’t want me to be embarrassed.” he pulls you even closer “I kept everything, ate all your little treats too, took everything in me to not beg you to cook for me.” you pull back and look up at him with such a soft look on your face his breath catches in his throat “Really?” your voice is so quiet he almost didn’t hear you, but he nods, his now messy hair falling across his forehead “Pet… You scared me when you ran off, Willow put the fear of capital G-O-D into me, threw a plate at me and everything,” he chuckles “Your friends love you, so vocal about how much they care, made me a bit jealous I think.” he nods “I could write a thousand sonnets about your kindness and it would never be enough to even begin to explain how much I cherish you.” your lips are pressed to his the second he finishes. Wrapped in each others arms, soft kisses, sweet nothings whispered in your ears, everything you could have hoped for and more.

[dogw1tch]

Escapism 🍂 Pt. Two

18+ Minotaur x gender neutral Reader

(Breeding, size difference, reader has afab anatomy)

Part one here <3

Dogwitch notes: So this is becoming more of a story now. I guess there’s going to be three parts then… maybe more who knows? If you’re not in the mood to read plot the spicy stuff starts after the *** . Alsooo I’m working on a self indulgent sci-fi story next so part three might take a bit. Thank you for all the love btw! I appreciate it a lot!

Summary: You’ve seemingly become fated to a monstrous lover from a different world. It’s a lot to take in, perhaps a shower might clear your mind? But as the water runs over your body, it starts to bring back memories.

You awoke slowly, your back stiff and head pounding. It took you a few moments to gather your bearings as you tried to remember where you were. The library bright and quiet around you, much less imposing in the midday sun and you looked to the desk to see your book, neatly arranged with your translation papers. A dream then. It must have been. You fell asleep with your book and, imagined you were being ravished by the monster within. How embarrassing, you thought. Still, it was strange that nobody had woken you up, surely the librarian would have caught you and figured out that you had snuck in after dark. Or maybe he simply didn’t mind- you hadn’t caused any harm after all. Maybe he even appreciated your academic enthusiasm. The library was still empty it seemed, though after a Friday night at the university that wasn’t particularly surprising. You stretched and began to sit up, cringing as your muscles twinged in pain until you felt something strange. You weren’t wearing any trousers. Had you kicked them off while you were dreaming? If so that was even more embarrassing. But as you moved you realised that the whole lower half of your body and the chair you sat on was completely covered in some kind of half-dried liquid.

Not a dream.

You jumped up, pulling the blanket around you to hide your undress and tried to come to terms with what this meant. A fictional monster had come out of your book and mated you before disappearing and you hadn’t even really questioned it.

“Oh you’re awake!” The voice startled you and you whipped your head around, brandishing your novel to defend yourself from this surprise intruder. Xander, the librarian, stumbled backwards, gingerly holding out a pair of pyjama trousers for you to take. “Hey it’s all good, don’t worry, I’ll explain what’s happening- it’s alright!” He stuttered, looking genuinely afraid of you. You’d never paid much attention to his face but looking at him now he seemed utterly exhausted. The bags under his eyes were deep purple and his hair was an unbrushed mess- not that you were fairing much better right now. You lowered your weapon and took the trousers, shuffling behind a bookshelf to change while Xander covered his eyes. Once you had made yourself decent you joined him sitting on the couch that wasn’t covered in monster cum. He sat awkwardly, clutching a book in his lap that looked strikingly similar to your own. There was a moment of heavy silence where all you could hear was the creaking of the old university. You spoke up first, “so what the hell is happening?” Xander shuffled uncomfortably, not making eye contact.

“Yeah so, that book. I have one too,” he gestured towards the volume, “There’s a few out there. And each book can only be read by one person. I tried to translate yours but it didn’t really work. I knew when you started reading it that it was meant for you just like this one is meant for me.”

“What do you mean no one else can read them? You just need to know latin.”

“How good is your Latin exactly?”

You were a little offended by his tone considering you’d been perfectly able to translate the passages he’d skipped. “Pretty good I would say.”

“Alright,” he opened his own tome to a random page, “read this.” There was a passage of text, accompanied by an etching of a beautiful, muscular Minotaura dressed in fine robes and adorned with a crown of leaves. The text itself was clearly in traditional Latin, and you could recognise the odd word, beast, lover, fate, but as you tried to comprehend the paragraph, the meaning seemed to slip away from you.

“I’m just.. I’m still tired I guess.” Xander shook his head and held up your book, finding a section close to the end that you had yet to translate. “Read this.”

You spoke aloud;

The beast had found his lost lover. And yet they were still worlds apart. The king had manipulated great holes in their mind where there love for the Minotaur had once lay. The only time they seemed to remember their mate was in the throes of passion.

“There, see. I can’t read that,” Xander cut you off, looking a little uncomfortable once again. “But I can read this one. Because this one is for me.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Something happened, a long time ago, some kind of war between humans and monsters. Where once they had existed peacefully together, a powerful king instructed that no monster should have a human lover, insisted it gave them too much control over the human soul. Because once they had mated, their lives would become tied together.” Xander was starting to sound a little crazed now. “So they got separated right? But their souls are bound. So no matter where the souls go next, they’re destined to find each other in the end.”

This all sounded like madness to you, and yet you couldn’t deny the ache in your body and marks on your hips, left by the very real hands of a monstrous lover. “So what? The humans souls traveled to new hosts and the monsters…?”

“They enclosed themselves in old myths and legends and waited for their lovers to find them.” The librarian spoke as though this made complete sense but to you this was clearly the rambling of a lunatic. This had to be some kind of bizarre prank but Xander looked so earnest in his explanation.

“So… your book? That has your… mate inside?” The librarian looked away, his face flushed red.

“She’s been visiting me for a while now, every time it brings back more memories of our life together. I think, eventually, when it all comes back, we’ll be able to go back to the realm our souls came from.” He looked back at you and pressed your book firmly to your chest. “Take it with you… and rest up now, if your lover is anything like mine, I doubt you’ll be getting much sleep.” He smiled apologetically and left you alone, clutching your book, and feeling utterly lost.

***

It was a good job you didn’t have any lectures today and could spend most of your time in your room. You hadn’t opened the book again, you were a little afraid of what might happen. Xander can’t possibly have been telling the truth, but what other explanation could there possibly be. You knew what you’d seen and it had certainly felt so very real; you could feel your body heating from the thought alone. Well, true or not, you decided to follow his advice and get some more rest. But first, a shower was in order. You’d opted for a room with a shared bathroom to save a little money on rent while you studied. They were cleaned every day so it wasn’t so bad. Shedding your sweat soaked shirt and borrowed pyjamas, you stepped into the warm water, sighing as it fell over your body and soothed your aching muscles. You shut your eyes and let the stream run over your face. The sensation bought to mind an image of standing beneath a waterfall, great noise crashing all around you while a summer sun kissed your face. An image of bright flowers you had never seen before, dappled in droplets and shimmering around you. An image of strong arms that pulled you close to a soft, warm chest and hearing a heat that beat only for you.

You didn’t notice the hands that held you close, nor the way you tilted your head to allow soft kisses to be placed up your neck. You didn’t notice anything amiss until you heard that gruff, familiar voice in your ear. “My heart, I know you will remember.” You gasped and tried to spin around but his huge arms held you tight. “I did not mean to startle you. Please, my love, close your eyes, you’re so close to the memories.” His voice was gentle and smooth, relaxing you almost on instinct, and you closed your eyes once more, trying to focus on the feeling of water on your face.

You had been washing your hair in the waterfall, as you had done often in this place. Nobody here seemed shy or ashamed and you were unafraid of another seeing you as you bathed in the cool water. Your lover had approached, wrapping his arms around your body and covering you in kisses. “To see your body like this is a blessing from the gods themselves.” He had said and you smiled coyly, stretching your arm up to touch his face and expose yourself fully for his wandering hands. The beast had grabbed every part of you that he could reach and you could feel as the heat of his cock pressed against your back. You had turned around, his towering stature making you just the right hight to take him into your mouth..

Only when you felt the sensation of warm weight on your tongue did you realise what you were doing. The Minotaur groaned above you, his hand gently guiding your head as you licked and kissed down the length of his cock. There was no way you could take him completely into your mouth so you began to use your hands to stroke him slowly. He bucked his hips, leaving your face nestled at the base, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Just like before you began to crave having him inside you, mating you, taking you completely. His huge hand came down and stroked your face as you opened your mouth wide for him. With two fingers began to gently fuck your mouth, as your own hips began to twitch, craving friction. The steam that filled the bathroom was making you so unbearably hot. The Minotaur began to stroke his cock to the sight of you gagging around his fingers. “We have to train your mouth my love. After all, my mate needs to take me inside them in every way.” You were drooling now, his words making you wet and desperate. He seemed to notice your distress.

“Touch yourself for me, let me see how badly you crave me.” His voice was gentle but still felt commanding in a way that made your body want to obey. You began slowly, rubbing slow circles on your clit, legs shaking and struggling to support you. “Stretch yourself my darling. You want to take me inside you don’t you?” You nodded, tears welling up in your eyes as you drooled around his fingers and used your own to pleasure yourself. “Say it.” He command, his voice echoed around you.

“I want you inside me… I want you to mate me… please..”

The creature growled and pulled your face down on his cock, shoving it into your throat. You could barely take any of the length inside before you were choking but a strong hand on the back of your head held you in place as he fucked into you. His other hand came down between your legs to replace your fingers inside you, curling deep to pull out waves of pleasure. The lack of air in your lungs made you light headed, intensifying every feeling as you grew close to climax. He must have felt it too as you clenched around his thick fingers and he began to push your head further down, thrusting into you without mercy. A final surge of ecstasy washed over you and your vision went white as your monstrous lover released inside you. You tried your best to swallow, to show your mate your appreciation, but there was just too much and you leant back against the wall of the shower as cum dripped down your body.

The Minotaur looked down at you, admiring your body, flushed, marked and claimed. He took you gently in his arms and began to wash you in the running water. You leant into his soft chest as his hands worked lovingly over your body, massaging out any aches and pains. Though as he made his way between your legs, you couldn’t seem to help paying attention to your slick, stretched entrance. He began, almost casually, slipping his fingers back inside, shushing you softly when you let out a quiet moan. “You’ll take one more for me won’t you? I just don’t like to leave my mate empty.” You nod, sleepily and curl up closer to him, nuzzling your face into his fur. He picks you up and starts to pull you down onto the head of his cock. Maybe if you were more coherent, you might have complained that it could not possibly fit but, as you were, you took in as much as you could with a sigh. “There, we’re making progress. You’ll take all of me inside you soon. I’ll keep you full day and night until you feel empty without me inside you. Wont that be good my mate? All you’ll ever need to think about is how good it feels when I fill you up.” You nod, still half asleep as he slowly thrust into you. His movements were un-rushed, like he really wanted to savour the feeling of you around him. All you could do is moan and whimper as your body was stretched wider to take more of your mate inside you. Your hands grips his fur and you pulled yourself as close to his warm body as you could get. Soon enough, his thrusts became more frantic and you couldn’t help but cry out as he emptied inside you once more. The Minotaur kept you in place, even after he’d filled you up and rocked his hips to push his cum back into your over sensitive hole. “I’m going to stay as long as I can my love.” He whispered, “I want my seed to take. So you should sleep. Be rested so you might bare me calfs when we travel home.” You inhaled deeply the musky scent of your lover as the water washed over your skin and you let yourself drift away.

Hopefully nobody else needed to use the bathroom.

[2802sen]

detective au sketches, some info under the cut

Min is a librarian. You can say she pretty much lives here, she only leaves library to buy food, though some kind people often bring her something to eat as Min forgets about it a lot. Library is also the first place that Teruko and Xander visit when they start their secret investigation. Min knows a lot. But for her own safety she doesn't talk much.

Eden owns a workshop. Mainly clockmaking of course, but she lets sewers work here too. Many young people admire Eden and want to be like her, because of that there are a lot of volunteers in the town lately. Also J works at her workshop (i thought it would be funny if they had a L & Mr. Assistant (kittyfish) like dynamic)

wonder what theyre all looking at

[terukotime]

You say you don’t like the killer reveal, why? I actually think dev made some great choices and I’d love to talk to you about your perspective.

i don't want to get too deep into it because, like i mentioned in my previous post, i don't want my criticism to come off as negativity towards the series or discourage anyone involved in the production of the show because it's honestly not a huge deal. like, it in no way ruins the show or makes it less enjoyable for me. and i don't think the choice of who the culprit is is a bad one at all, i'm mostly unsatisfied with the way the chapter handles it.

[spoilers beneath the cut, obvi lol. and please remember this is just my opinion. me having and expressing my opinion is not hate towards the series. i'm nervous enough as it is posting just this and not a bigger essay on all my thoughts because i really don't want to have this be misconstrued, nor do i want any criticism i have to give, regardless of how innocent and respectful my intentions, to make drdtdev or anyone who works on the series feel bad.]

i think Ace being the killer DOES make sense. i have no qualms with him being the blackened, in theory. do i think he could've made for a great survivor, or have really interesting growth throughout the coming chapters? yeah! i would have loved for Ace to be kept around for much longer. but him being the killer this chapter isn’t inherently bad. it's now clear that there's a specific direction Ace's character was meant to go in this story and i think that's fine.

my problem is with what *didn't* happen with Ace's character up to this point.

the chapter hasn't concluded yet so there's still a chance for my thoughts to change, though i don't think it'll make much of a difference. but i'm still waiting to see if it can stick the landing. and even if it doesn't, that's okay. i've already accepted it, i'm just still disappointed by it all the same.

Ace, honestly, hasn't played much of an active role in the story. he's been a source of conflict and comedic relief, and that's okay, not every character has to be as important as Xander or David...but he hasn't really gotten to *do* anything. this series is very character-driven, and thus is very focused on the relationships between other characters. Ace has only had one notable relationship (outside of his feud with Nico, but i'm not really including that as a "relationship" for obvious reasons), and that was with Levi. and that didn't even stay positive for very long. and we also know now that Levi didn't even care about him to begin with because he doesn't care about people in general.

not only did Ace never really get to establish any other relationships, no one ever LIKED him. of course a good portion of the fandom likes him, but in the actual story, no one cares about him. no one will miss him. his death is honestly kind of meaningless character-wise. does it serve as a lesson to some of the other characters? sure. but he's going to be dying here with no one ever liking or caring about him.

Min's story wasn't just a cautionary tale. people did like her, people did care about her. she was friends with a lot of characters, she got to have an impact in the daily lives of others. we got to know her better, the things she liked, her deeper thoughts and opinions on things. she got to do stuff, and we got to learn about her. her death meant more to the characters beyond just being the first culprit. she died as a person, not just as a character.

most of the stuff we know about Ace is surface level or things confirmed in Q&As. he doesn't get to contribute much aside from the aforementioned conflict/comedic relief. i understand where the show is going with that idea, and why him not being liked by anyone is a specific part of what led him to murder, but that's not really what irks me. it's that Ace never got to really be a *person.* he's essentially a plot device, serving the greater "good person" theme going on this chapter, and filling in the smaller roles in the story when needed, like an antagonist in a scene or delivering a gag. yes, his admittance to killing Arei and eventual post-trial trauma dump will give him a bit more humanity and character...but that's not really enough.

we only get to see Ace how the other members of the cast see Ace: his loud, combative, aggressive side. the side that makes people think he's nothing more than an angry meathead who can't do anything right. we never got to see much of his other sides, of a much more somber, melancholic Ace. receiving even a hint of the Ace we see in his confession of guilt beforehand would have given him the depth we needed before this point.

to explain what i mean: imagine how unsatisfying it would have been if we never got to actually see Arei's breakdown in the playground. if Teruko had left before it happened, and we only get to learn what happened from a flashback from David's perspective. we already feel the weight and tragedy of Arei's death when her body is discovered because we knew beforehand why she behaved the way she did, how she never even liked being the way she is, and wishing she could be a good person like Eden. if we didn't get to see that happen beforehand, Arei's death would feel very flat and detached. her character growth would've happened entirely retroactively.

that's how i feel with Ace. it's not like he didn’t get enough spotlight this chapter, he certainly did. but every scene he was in really didn't really add anything new to him. the only thing that "progressed" with him was his hatred and paranoia. we just see him descend with no uplifting moments, no emotional hook to make us feel anything for him. the closest we get is the scene where he's arguing with Nico and Veronika at lunch, ranting about how poorly everyone thinks of him and that they all assume that he's for some reason happy to be the way he is. but it's really the barest of scrapes towards the deeper layers of his character.

a big problem is that there were a lot of chances for his character to actively be *explored*, but instead, the narrative perspective of him stays completely stagnant. the time we get with him this chapter doesn't give him any greater focus. and sure, you could say that that might be a big giveaway to him being the culprit, but i think if the time between character spotlight is distributed evenly, that would be easily circumvented. there was a lot more time that could've been spent building Ace's character beyond his animosity and self-loathing tendencies. we could have had someone actually attempting to bond with him, even if it doesn't turn out well. even if all the characters distrust each other to varying degrees, there's still a lot of characters that like each other or have unique bonds with each other that make them stand out and feel worth remembering, because those bonds contribute something to their characters. but with Ace? he truly gets the short end of the stick, because this isn't just the characters neglecting him, it's the story itself. if Ace got to have a moment like Arei, maybe someone to confide in, even if he wasn't really friends with them or liked them at all, him being vulnerable just once and having a moment with someone else would have rooted him in more as a person who fell victim to what the killing game wanted from him and not just a fictional character fulfilling the purpose required of them in the story.

honestly, it's a bit of a slap in the face, the way the show goes about it. because in hindsight, Ace's whole character is *meant* to be wasted potential. after all, his related phrase on Mai's bio page is "a girl who had a bright future".

he was set up to have the potential to change, the potential to add more to the story, the potential to show us more than what we were given. and i think the show kind of knows that and specifically perpetuates that. the scene where Teruko tells Levi to give up on trying to apologize to Ace almost reads as the show itself telling you to give up on Ace. that, why should we care about him? he's not going to amount to what we want from him. there's no use in investing our feelings in him.

whether or not any of that actually was intentionally doesn't matter, unfortunately, because rewatching so many scenes having this new context really makes it all seem like Despair Time doesn't want you to care about Ace. that Ace is meant to be a waste, that that's the core of his character. him being the epitome of wasted potential could have been great, actually, if they chose to use even a slight bit of that potential to build him up more before his inevitable demise. instead we watch him eat shit throughout the entire show thus far only for him to get royally fucked at the very end in the worst way possible. Ace's theme of wasted potential is only wasted potential because nothing is ever done with him. not actively, anyways. whatever his post-trial confessional is like won't really give us what we needed from the start. Ace didn't just deserve better in his life. he deserves better as a fictional character. he deserved to be a person and not *just* a character. he deserved to have deeper, emotional character moments outside of the trial, long before his murder confession and rapidly approaching demise. he deserved to be 3-dimensional.

again, this is all just my personal opinion, and there's still a chance the show can stick the landing and make Ace as the culprit feel a lot more natural and deserved. i'm not really confident in that happening, but drdt is full of surprises as well as a lot of great writing. that being said, even though i believe they kinda fumbled the bag with Ace here, i don't hate this turn of events. although he's a big favorite of mine, i still wanted Eden to be innocent over him, because she's also a great character and her killing Arei would not only be pretty huge character assassination, but would also make Arei's death meaningless. and i also think there were other characters who could have been better candidates as the chapter 2 killer (not just Hu, i think Levi, Arturo, and maybe even J also could've made for compelling culprits with the right reasons).

i'm content with this. i'm heartbroken he's going so early and i wish the execution of his guilt had been a lot better, but overall it's not terrible. he just deserved so much more in many different ways.

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 53]

<< First | < Previous | Next >

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After a tense conversation in the cafeteria, Nia and Tobias make plans with Team Evergreen for a team-up mission.

-

Conversation bubbles up naturally between Team Scarlet and Team Shellshock as they head down the Lexym Tree in search of food. Nia is delighted when Tobias even joins the conversation of his own volition, bantering with Xander about nearly taking him down with dragon rage during their joint training session. When the group stops by the nursery to grab Xander’s siblings to join them, the shinx cubs tackle first Xander and then Tobias with shrieks of excitement, rubbing their faces against the two with loud purrs.

On the cafeteria floor, Xander’s team splits off to the far end of the room to join the other food line, calling that they’ll grab a table. Nia and Tobias enter the closer line, picking up trays and stepping into the queue behind a weasel-like Pokemon balancing on two paws. Her long fur is tan with streaks of darker brown, and her blue eyes are sharp. The Pokemon scowls at Nia as she gets into line, muzzle twitching, before looking forward again.

Nia tries not to let the brief look bother her, but lowers her voice as Tobias plots how to beat Kry the next time the two of them spar. As the two of them chat, the line slowly moves, Nia holding out her tray to accept food from the grass type behind the counter. She hasn’t noticed the fiery chicken Pokemon working as a chef since the first time she ate here. Maybe they were just working here temporarily? Tobias is still the only fire type she sees regularly around the Haven.

The humanoid Pokemon behind the counter today has olives in her hair (or maybe they are her hair?), and plops two large spoonfuls of something onto Nia’s tray. Usually, Nia doesn’t even question the guild’s meals anymore since the cooking is always delicious, but the food today throws her. Rice, paired with what looks like veggies or berries in an orange-brown sauce.

“Is this…curry?” Nia whispers, just loud enough for Tobias to hear. She pulls her tray closer to eye it. The rich smell of the sauce makes her mouth water.

Tobias squints at his own serving, then shrugs. “Dunno. Smells good.”

Nia hums, fascinated, and shuffles sideways to keep up with the line. “Any idea what it’s made of? The smell kind of reminds me of—"

She’s so distracted that she bumps into the weasel Pokemon in front of her.

Before she can apologize, the weasel bares her teeth in a snarl. “Watch it!”

Nia jumps back a step, startled by the animosity in the other Pokemon’s voice. “S-Sorry! Sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you. I wasn’t paying attention—”

“Clearly!”

“Sorry! I was just, um. I’ll be sure to look out better in the future so I don’t bump into anyone. I mean, I wasn’t trying to right now, of course, but—"

“Just watch where you’re walking, human.”

Human. While Nia is long since used to eager Pokemon running up to ask if she really used to be human, this feels…different. This feels like Ghatha. Like Fort Asra. Maybe there’s a reason why this Pokemon seemed to drop into a foul mood as soon as Nia stepped into line.

“Lay off,” Tobias says, tuning into the conversation. “She already apologized.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, wisp!”

There’s a notable drop in volume from the voices around them.

…Wisp?

Tobias’ expression darkens further. “Oh, so it’s gonna be like that. You really want—"

“I-I’ll be more careful!” Nia cuts in, ready for this conversation to be over. “I’m really sorry again.”

“Stop apologizing!” Tobias hisses. “You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Her being here is wrong,” the weasel snaps. “And if you’re really sorry you’ll go back where you came from and leave us alone.”

Nia takes another panicked step back, nearly toppling both her and Tobias.

“That’s it,” Tobias says, a bit louder. He shoves his tray towards Nia. “Nia, hold my tray.”

“What?! No!”

She doesn’t want this to escalate. Already Nia can hear the quiet murmurs around them growing louder, can feel a tension building in the air as the weasel’s striped fur spikes. So Nia panics and backs out of line, pulling Tobias with her despite his protests. They’re only missing dessert, anyways.

Even if that is her favorite.

The weasel snorts something that sounds suspiciously like coward before continuing forward in line like nothing happened. Nia's eyes stay glued to the weasel’s back as she moves away. Her heart beats loud and nervous in her ears.

She…wasn’t ready for that. Wasn’t ready to for that kind of hostility in the guild. Sure, it was from someone who clearly wanted a fight, but still. The weasel had decided that Nia being human was enough to make her a target. That because she's human, she's allowed to be a target.

Nia thought it was safe here.

They've ran into scared Pokemon taking their fear out on humans a couple of times now, namely in Ghatha and Asra. But not here, where everyone has been neutral towards her humanity at worst. She heard August, she knows the sentiment has been spreading, but…

It isn’t even our fault, Nia thinks, hollowly. Now that she’s talked to Giratina, now that she knows it isn’t anything the humans have done, knows that their displacement is just an unfortunate side-effect of the dimension’s borders breaking down, the accusations hurt even more. They aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re just existing. Trying to fit in and find somewhere to belong until they can go home.

Nia sniffs, blinking back tears. Her throat is tight. She stares down at her tray and the cooling curry. She isn’t so hungry anymore.

Tobias, who had been grumbling insults at the weasel’s back, turns to Nia. “C’mon, you can’t take anything that idiot says to heart. She was a jerk to both of us so she probably walks around everywhere with that terrible attitude.”

That does remind Nia of a beat in the conversation that had confused her more than it had upset her.

She frowns at Tobias. “You mean when she called you…wisp? Is that bad?”

Tobias' expression twists. “Maybe don’t say that too loud. It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it’s, uh…kind of an insult for fire types. Like…saying that we’re so weak our fire got snuffed out.”

Nia’s eyes widen. “That’s horrible! B-But Azami calls you Spitfire. And Andyn calls you flame-brain and stuff—are those..?”

Tobias snorts a laugh and shakes his head. “Nah, those are fine.”

Nia knows she looks as unsure as she feels. Tobias elaborates.

“Seriously, Nia. You’d know if they were actually insulting me. It’s more…playful than that, I guess? They poke at me being a fire type, sure, but they aren’t really implying anything…bad with it.”

“Flame-brain doesn’t sound very nice.”

“Neither does ‘kindling,’ but Arceus themself will not stop me from calling your stupid deerling friend that. It’s not any worse than us just calling each other dummy. Wisp just has…a different tone to it.”

Nia slowly nods, brow knitting. So it’s something about the social context that makes it different. Makes one worse than the others. She supposes human slang is equally confusing, if she really thinks about it.

“C’mon,” Tobias says with a jerk of his head. “We still need to eat.”

Nia takes a breath and nods. Not like they can do much about the weasel right now anyways. They could go tell Maggie or August, she supposes, and August did say long ago to let him know if anyone gave her trouble, but…

“Should we tell August about this?” Nia asks.

Tobias shakes his head immediately. “No. August means well, but all that would do is make that linoone angrier. Much as I’d love to set her stupid pelt on fire, we don’t need to be dealing with a fight on top of everything else.”

“But he could tell her to stop, right?”

“Trust me. When I was younger, telling only made them get better at doing stuff like this quietly.”

And isn’t that a loaded statement. Nia stares at Tobias for a moment, suddenly far more upset about how easily he brushes off any insults thrown his way. It speaks of practice.

She thinks of his aura earlier, of how desperately he wanted to hide it away from her, afraid she would hate him. Does he even realize how much his isolation from the rest of the guild these past eight years has affected how he sees himself?

Tobias raises a brow at her, so Nia gives a weak smile and gestures for him to lead the way. She’d been so excited to come down here to eat with everyone, and now it feels like her heart is hanging heavy in her chest. But they might as well join their friends.

Tobias takes the lead and Nia trails after the charmander to the table, where Xander’s team and the shinx kids are already sitting with their food, talking as they eat. Tobias moves around the table to sit by Laine, giving the cub a noogie as he sits that makes her shriek and duck away.

Nia heads for the empty spot on the closer side, next to Felix. The wartortle is seated oddly on the wooden bench, one short leg thrown over it so he’s perched sideways as if he’d been about to get up. He meets Nia’s gaze as she approaches, his usual jovial expression subdued.

Felix leans closer as she sits, brow furrowed. “You all right?”

Nia blinks, surprised. Is it that obvious that she’s still upset?

“Heard what happened in line,” Felix whispers. His fluffy ears wiggle. “These aren’t just for show. So. You okay?”

The concern make Nia smile a bit more genuinely, some of the tightness wound up in her gut loosening. There may be rude people even here in the guild, but at least there are also sweethearts like Felix.

“I’m all right,” she murmurs. “Thanks for checking in. It just…caught me off-guard, you know? I’m used to the guild being a place I don’t need to worry about that. It’s getting worse, I guess.”

Felix returns her smile, though there’s a crook to his brow that belies his lingering worry. “Well, let us know if anyone starts giving you trouble. Xander and I would be happy to put them in their place—" He winks. “—and I have a feeling we could do it a bit more subtly than your partner.”

Nia laughs and nods. Felix turns back to his food, but Nia sees him send Tobias a covert look, as if to check on the charmander while knowing he wouldn’t want to be fussed over. Nia smiles, warmed by the concern, as she starts picking at her meal—the curry is good, even if it takes her a moment to get used to the soft texture.

Soon enough, both Nia and Tobias are swept into the conversation at the table. Kry is slamming a fist against the wood, the fraxure arguing that yache berries are objectively better than nanab berries, and Avery is fighting an uphill battle against her. The kirlia offers up well-worded reasoning for why nanab berries are superior, but Kry shoots down each argument with counterpoints of, “But they’re pink!” and “They taste like rotten river water!”

Avery stops pointing out that those are subjective opinions after the fourth rebuttal, changing strategies instead to point out the physical benefits of each berry. Xander gives Kry a scolding look (that she promptly ignores) after the third table-rattling slam of her fist, and the shinx cubs laugh and laugh as Felix jumps in to suggest mago berries are actually the best choice, making both Avery and Kry turn to him with offended expressions.

Throughout the lively debate, Nia glances at Tobias to try checking in on him. He seems all right, although Nia can’t help noticing that he isn’t using his flames to cook his berries like he sometimes does. Maybe he just isn’t feeling like cooked berries today, or maybe that Pokemon’s comment got to him more than he wanted to admit.

Eventually, Felix moves the conversation on to regaling both the shinx kids and Nia and Tobias with the daring tale of Team Shellshock’s latest dungeon crawl. Nia has a feeling a few embellishments were made to make their team sound extra cool—Xander rolling his eyes and Kry’s snort all but confirm it—but she enjoys it all the same.

“I wish we could go exploring already,” Laine sighs when the story is done.

“We’ll be a team soon too!” Luca says, little paws on the table so he can stand up in his seat. “Me ‘n you, Lainey!”

“Oh? What about Leor?” Avery asks.

As all eyes turn to the shyest shinx cub, Leor squeaks and huddles down on the bench, wide gold eyes peering over the table.

“He’s gonna be a medic,” Luca says, chin tilted proudly.

“Like Fen!” Laine adds.

Xander looks as surprised about this news as Nia is, leaning down to meet his younger brother's eyes. “This true?”

Leor looks nervous, but glances over at Tobias before giving the barest nod.

Xander grins, one giant paw squeezing the cub closer. “That’s great, Lee! You would be a fantastic medic.”

“Really?” Leor asks, looking unsure.

“Of course! You three can do whatever you set your minds to. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your brother.”

Luca and Laine cheer while Leor leans into Xander’s side. The luxio purrs and nuzzles the top of his little brother’s head.

It’s a sweet moment, but Nia can see the instant Leor’s eyes crack open and he registers most of the table watching the exchange. He squeaks and wriggles free of Xander’s hold. Xander laughs and lets him go, and the cub almost tumbles himself right off the bench.

“Leor’s gonna train under Fen, and Laine and I are gonna make a Seekers team together!” Luca says, little tail lashing. “Team Thunderspark! And we’re gonna be stronger than any other team!”

“Even ours?” Felix goads, grinning.

“Duh!” Laine says. “You’re a water type! You won’t stand a chance!”

Felix laughs, then tilts his head towards Kry. “True, but our team’s also got the meanest ‘mon this side of the continent.”

Kry looks torn between taking that as a compliment and an insult, and eventually just flicks a piece of rice at the wartortle as punishment.

“You’re going to be great Seekers,” Xander agrees, popping a berry into his mouth. “When you’re old enough.”

Laine and Luca whine in unison, the latter plopping his chin down onto his tray.

“Do we have to wait that long? We’re already strong!” Laine protests.

“Yeah! We should be able to make our own decisions by now,” Luca grumbles, batting a berry around his tray.

“Those are the rules,” Xander says, giving them both a stern look. “It’s only a few more years. If you two can stay out of trouble and stop tormenting poor Arlo, that is.”

The kids groan again, and Nia bites back a smile as she chews. Xander is sweet with his siblings. Sometimes he acts more like a father to them than a brother, but Nia supposes that’s to be expected, between how they were brought here and raised in the nursery their whole lives, plus Xander’s protective nature. It reminds her of her own brother, in a bittersweet way.

Nia feels lighter by the time they finish eating and part ways with Xander’s team. Both Avery and Xander give her a hug before leaving, and Felix offers a fist bump and an easy grin. Kry lightly smacks Nia’s legs with her tail as she passes, and outright punches Tobias in the arm. He glares at her back, but Nia thinks the exchange is a friendly one, somehow.

After the stressful morning talking to Maggie and August, aura training with Val, and the moment in the cafeteria—not to mention the exhaustion still present from their journey—Nia is ready for a nap when they finally make it back to their room. Tobias starts unpacking their bag and taking inventory of their items, so Nia forces herself to write back to Hazel before crashing. She thanks the raichu for the offered discount on a human bed, but explains that they’re pretty busy right now and need to save on money. She’ll absolutely be buying one in the future, though! She also mentions meeting up with Beck and asks her to tell the floatzel and his crew hi.

By the time Nia is finished, her letter sealed up and placed back into the mailbox with the flag up, she's practically asleep on her feet. Tobias has moved over to the window, leafy curtain pulled high to let fresh air and sunlight flood the room. He’s propped against the wall and framed by blue sky, guitar in hand as he starts plucking at scales.

Nia yawns. “I’m gonna take a nap.”

Tobias spares her a glance. “I’ll wake you for supper.”

Nia hums her thanks and moves to their nests to flop down, wiggling to get comfortable on the bed of moss and straw. It’s soft enough, not scratchy at all with her fur as a barrier, and her muscles relax.

Quiet falls over the room, save for Tobias’ playing and the whistle of the wind. A gust blows directly through the window and skims over Nia’s side, making her skin prickle with goosebumps. It’s a little chilly, with fall in full swing and winter fast approaching. Over the past few weeks, even sleeping outside hasn’t been a problem, but…well. Usually Tobias is sleeping at her side, and he gives off heat like a little campfire.

Whining, Nia picks up her head and looks at Tobias, squinting against the bright light of the window. Normally she would be more hesitant about being so needy, but she’s tired and she’s cold so she pushes herself to her feet and stumbles over to him, rubbing her arms. It’s even chillier by the window with the wind wrapping around her.

Tobias stops his playing, looking up.

Nia shifts on her feet. Her brain is mushy with fatigue and tantalizing snatches of sleep. All she manages to say is, “Cold.”

Tobias snorts. He glances at the window. “Want me to close the curtain?”

He doesn’t sound upset about the prospect, but Nia can guess that he likes the chill of the breeze combined with the heat of the sun. His orange scales glow in the light, like embers. Even with her fur, Nia just isn’t built to stay warm like a fire type is.

Nia’s mouth presses into a line. “Can I just sleep by you?”

Tobias blinks, and a flush rises to his cheeks. They usually sleep next to each other nowadays, and Nia hasn’t made it a secret that she enjoys the warmth he puts off, but she admittedly doesn’t usually…ask. Out loud. Somehow putting it into words does make it sound more embarrassing.

But she’s tired, dang it!

After a moment, Tobias wordlessly flicks his tail over to make room. Nia doesn’t let herself hesitate before sinking into the empty spot, curling heavily into his side. Immediately, heat seeps into her fur to warm her up.

“Sure, just make yourself comfy,” Tobias grumbles, no bite to his voice even as she accidentally elbows him in the ribs.

Finally, she settles, melted against his side with a happy hum. It’s like falling asleep cuddling a heater. Even lying closer to the window, she’s immediately warmer.

“Why don’t you guys use blankets?” She mumbles. “We had blankets in Asra. I miss blankets.”

Tobias snorts. “We do use blankets. We just keep them in storage until the end of fall when they’re actually needed.”

Nia picks up her head to give Tobias a despairing look. “I could’ve had blankets this whole time?!”

Tobias visibly bites back a smile. Jerk. “We’ll get you a blanket later if you’re that upset about it, you big baby. I didn’t realize it was a problem.”

“Stupid warm fire types,” Nia gripes, flopping back against Tobias. She’s absolutely getting herself a blanket. For now, Tobias’ heat will suffice.

Slowly, sleep washes over her brain like bathwater, soothing and inviting. Before she slips under completely, she hears Tobias start playing his guitar again, shifting his posture just enough to accommodate her. The cords he picks at are slow and gentle.

She’s asleep in seconds.

She feels like she’s only been asleep for seconds when the door to their room slams open with a bang. A harsh note from the guitar follows, as well as a yell of, “Nia!”

Nia bolts up. She blinks away the haze of sleep, cringing at the late-afternoon sunlight painting their room in bright tones and deep shadows. She must’ve been asleep longer than she thought.

“Ever hear of knocking?” Tobias hisses.

Nia rubs at her eyes, following his voice to look at the doorway, where Andyn, Ezra and Jaz are frozen in the middle of what looks like a grand entrance. The sneasel and stufful seem remorseful despite their comically stiff poses. The deerling, on the other hand, seems strangely flustered, gaze flicking from Nia to Tobias.

“Sorry,” Jaz finally says. “Are we, uh…interrupting?”

“Nia was asleep, you idiots,” Tobias says, sitting back and clutching his guitar close.

Nia yawns. “‘S okay. I shouldn’t nap too long or I won’t sleep tonight.”

The trio that makes up team Evergreen still seem oddly hesitant to enter the room. Nia laughs at the shy behavior and waves them in.

Finally, slowly, they do, sitting down in front of the window as well and getting comfortable.

Ezra’s ruby eyes land on Tobias’ guitar and stay there, going wide. “Whoa, you play guitar?!”

“No,” Tobias lies, removing the instrument from his lap and tucking it behind himself.

“Aw, c’mon!”

“I think it’s great to have a hobby outside of Seeker duties,” Jaz says, meeting Tobias’ sour expression with a smile.

Andyn just looks weirded out, although Nia can’t tell if it’s from the idea of Tobias playing an instrument or something to do with how she keeps looking suspiciously between Nia and Tobias.

Tobias crosses his arms. “What do you want?”

Ezra and Jaz turn to Andyn. The deerling jolts. With a stomp of her delicate hoof, she says, “Right! Since someone didn’t even bother to tell us she was back—honestly, Nia, I had to find out from Kry of all ‘mon—we decided we’d come see you instead!”

“We haven’t even been back a day,” Tobias huffs.

Nia shrugs with an apologetic smile. “I figured you'd still be on a mission."

Andyn narrows her eyes, then lifts her nose into the air with a dainty hmph. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

“Forgiven?” Tobias says, annoyed. “For what? Not checking in? You’re not our mom.”

Andyn gives him an acidic look. “That attitude is why Nia is forgiven and you are not.”

“You have to be trying to pick a fight. Is Kry kicking your tail on the daily not enough for you, you masochistic little—"

Nia claps her hands together with a single sharp sound. “No fighting until I’m awake enough to deal with it!”

Her voice is firm, but she’s more amused than irritated now that she knows Tobias enjoys the bickering on some level. Andyn has to enjoy it too, considering how often she instigates.

“We didn’t come here for Andyn to pick a fight, believe it or not,” Jaz sighs.

“We wanted to see you as soon as you got back!” Ezra adds. “I feel like you two travel a lot more than most low-level Seekers.”

There’s a question in that sentence, subtle enough to decide whether they want to answer it or not. And for a moment, Nia wants to share everything, just like she wanted to with Xander and Avery in the training hall. It would take some weight off her shoulders, to be able to vent about it. To get her friends’ reassurances.

But those same fears hold Nia back. She doesn’t want to be the reason these three lose that playful spark of adventure they bring to every room they enter. She doesn’t want them to feel weighed down as heavily as she does every time she recalls Giratina’s words.

So Nia just smiles and says, “I-I like getting to see more of the Pokemon world, that's all. You know, since I’m not very familiar with it.”

Which isn’t strictly untrue, but the words still leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Are you planning on heading out again soon?” Jaz asks, either not catching onto the half-truth or choosing not to call her out.

Andyn sticks her lip out in a pout and drops her ears, giving Nia the most pitiful baby deer expression possible. Oh no. She’s like Bambi but even sadder. How can you be sadder than Bambi?

“We are,” Tobias says, totally unaffected by the face. “We plan to stick around for a few days and do some missions. Then we’re heading back east.”

Andyn’s pout drops for a genuinely worried expression. “Ghatha again?”

Ezra shifts uncomfortably. “Didn’t you two get caught up in that fire last time you were there?”

“Not Ghatha,” Nia says. “We’re going to find Will. The yamask I told you about? We’re hoping he can help us with something. Um. Human stuff.”

Andyn’s gaze slides to Tobias, as if expecting him to protest. He’s too busy glancing over his shoulder to notice, probably debating whether or not to get his guitar back out even with their current company. Nia knows he’s been trying to get comfortable with the basics again and he hates leaving things unfinished.

“Safe travels,” Jaz finally says. “Especially over the sea. The winds have been rough lately.”

“What hasn’t been rough lately?” Andyn groans. “The world’s unhappy and she’s letting us know it.”

Nia swallows against the lump in her throat. “We'll be careful. But enough about us! What’s going on with you three? What have you been up to?”

Ezra sighs. “We've been even busier than usual. Since more and more disasters and dungeons are popping up, it feels like we're constantly on the go.”

Nia gives the sneasel a sympathetic look.

“We’re racking up Seeker points, though,” Ezra adds with a grin. “And cash.”

“We would have more than enough points to reach C-rank if we could just get another team mission finished,” Jaz says, her dark little eyes trained on Andyn.

The deerling looks away, frowning.

“Oh!” Ezra sits up, feathery red ear flicking. “Right! Remember what we talked about last time you were home? While you’re around, you guys should do a team-up mission with us! I know you’re only E-Rank, but you still need both of your team-ups, right?”

“D-Rank, actually,” Tobias corrects, smug.

“What?!” Andyn’s jaw drops, outraged. “You’re already D-rank? How?!”

“Got an upgrade from the second-in-command in Ghatha,” Tobias says, clearly enjoying every second of this exchange. “For helping in the fire.”

Andyn glares at him, looking like she wants to snap something rude. Then her gaze flicks to Nia and she backs down, huffing.

“Well, congratulations then,” Jaz says, giving her teammate an amused glance. “That’s impressive, considering how recently you formed your team.”

“This means you definitely need to do a team-up with us!” Ezra says, leaning forward. “Since we’re the same rank now we don’t need to worry about trying to find a mission ranked somewhere in the middle!”

“We do need to do our team-up missions at some point,” Tobias grumbles, clearly reluctant. “Cordelia wasn’t impressed by our rank and most other ‘mon won’t be either. We need to keep rising so we don’t get turned away from anything important.”

“Awesome!” Ezra says. “We could—"

“I didn’t say we’d do it with you,” Tobias growls.

“Yeah, Ez,” Andyn agrees. “I mean…technically they’re D-rank but they’re still pretty new, so—"

Uh-oh.

Tobias straightens up at Nia’s side. “You think we can’t keep up with you?”

Andyn scoffs. “I didn’t say that, but if you’re thinking it—"

“You didn’t say it but you sure meant it—"

“Stop,” Nia and Jaz say at the same time, exasperated. Tobias and Andyn shut their mouths.

“Are you really worried we won’t be able to carry our weight?” Nia asks, a little hurt. “I know we’re new, but we are still the same rank as you guys.”

Not to mention Nia and Tobias been through a lot more than most other Seekers their rank. At least from what Tobias has said.

Ezra and Jaz look to Andyn, clearly the one taking issue with the idea. The deerling winces, posture uncharacteristically small.

“It’s not…I do want you there, but it’s just…”

Ezra speaks up. “Andyn’s parents are a bit, uh…tough on her. High expectations. If we ever mess up a mission, then…”

All three members of Team Evergreen shudder.

Nia blinks at them, surprised. “Your…parents?” Honestly, Nia had never given them any thought before.

Andyn nods, looking miserable but trying to hide it. “Yeah. They’re great, really! Just, um. They’re really high-rank Seekers so they kind of expect me to uphold their legacy, you know?”

“Who are your parents?” Tobias asks, brow furrowed. “I’ve been here eight years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them.”

“You have,” Andyn sighs. “Just…not often. And probably not, um. With me. They’re both sawsbuck so they kind of blend in with all the grass types. They’re Team Sequoia.”

The name doesn’t ring any bells for Nia, but Tobias’ brows lift. He almost looks impressed.

“Yeah,” Ezra laughs. “Big prints to fill. They’re pretty strict, too, so we have to make sure we do our missions well or Andyn gets an earful. Sometimes all of us get it.”

Andyn shoots Ezra a look that clearly says to shut up, so he does.

“That…seems like a lot of pressure,” Nia murmurs, doubly glad now that she didn’t tell Andyn anything about Giratina or the dying world. The deerling clearly doesn’t need more things to worry about.

Andyn suddenly seems to register the gloomy atmosphere and Nia’s concerned expression, because she sits up with a strained laugh. “Sure, but it’s really cool, too! Everyone knows my mom and dad since they’re such amazing Seekers.”

Nia frowns.

“But since they’re so great and they expect me to be great too,” Andyn adds. “That means you two have to keep up with us if you’re going to join us on a mission. Got it?”

Nia wants to push, but Andyn is clearly trying to move the conversation along, so eventually she just nods. Tobias rolls his eyes and finally pulls the guitar out to settle in his lap again, but he doesn’t argue. He refuses to look up from his tuning as he asks, “What kind of things do you even do for a team-up mission?”

“Pretty much anything,” Jaz answers. “At least for D to C rank. It can be dungeon work, cleanup, construction, escort missions, foraging, even guild tasks. As long as both teams do the mission together, it counts.”

Tobias gives her a doubtful look. “That seems...”

“Too easy?” Ezra laughs. “That’s what I said. But I guess they save combat missions as a team-up requirement for B to A rank. This is just getting teams used to working with other ‘mon they usually don’t.”

“That makes sense,” Nia says, purposefully not looking at Tobias as he starts plucking at the guitar strings in a scale. Ezra didn’t get the memo and is watching Tobias’ hands like a transfixed cat, his claws twitching like he wants to try it too. “What kind of mission should we do, then?”

“Easier missions would be, well. Easier. But my parents wouldn’t be impressed.”

Something about that sentiment rubs Nia the wrong way, but she doesn’t interrupt as Andyn goes on.

“And a dungeon would look good but that’s a bit of a risk if we aren’t already familiar with each other’s fighting styles. I don’t trust flame-brain here not to char me to a crisp.”

Tobias stops playing long enough to shoot Andyn a glare.

“So something in the middle,” Nia surmises.

“I guess that would work,” Andyn hedges.

“One average mission will be fine, Anne,” Jaz says. “We don’t need to take on the most difficult mission on the board every single day. Even with your parents.”

Andyn visibly stops herself from retorting, probably with something sharp. She sighs. “Fine. Just don’t be late! Meet us at the job boards at dawn, okay?”

Nia snorts. “I wish I could make Tobias sleep in past dawn. He’s a morning person.”

Ezra’s face screws up. “Gross. So is Andyn. Must be a grass and fire-type thing.”

Andyn and Tobias look disgruntled about being on the same side of something for once. Nia laughs.

With their plan in place, Team Evergreen heads out soon after for an early supper. Nia, now wide awake but not yet hungry enough to eat, turns to Tobias with her best puppy dog eyes.

“What?”

“Blankets?” She says, hopeful.

Tobias seems unimpressed by her pleading expression, but after a moment he sighs and puts his guitar aside to get up. “Fine, fine. Come on. We’ll have to go down to storage to pick ‘em up.”

Nia cheers and hurries to follow him out of the room. They're only halfway down the hall when a thought occurs to her, and she steps up to his side to better see his face.

“Hey, storage is on a lower floor, right? Could we stop stop by the archives on the way back? I bet they have some music books you could check out."

Tobias has been figuring out the basics of his guitar-playing pretty quickly, and she can only imagine he'll want to move on to more actual melodies soon. He just looks so content when he plays that she can't help wanting to encourage the renewed hobby, even with the world teetering on the brink of destruction. Maybe especially because of that. She wants to make sure he takes the time to check out some books before they have to leave again.

Tobias looks thoughtful at the suggestion. Hesitant, but definitely interested. "We could.”

Nia beams.

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

That night, Nia wakes to the ground rumbling beneath her.

For a split-second, she thinks she’s back in Asra, the desert town cracking like broken porcelain beneath her and bringing buildings down with it. She scrambles to free herself from the net of her blanket. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Tobias doing the same from the wild movement of his tail flame.

But no—the sliver of moonlight peeking out from the bottom of the curtain isn’t right. The room smells of forest instead of dusty desert. The sound is different, too—a distant rumble, a loud creaking, muted cries of alarm from next door that are higher than Granite and Takeo’s voices.

It takes Nia a few seconds while her brain rattles around inside her skull to realize that they’re at the guild, in the Lexym Tree. It takes a beat longer for her to register that the slowing vibrations are, however, still an earthquake.

Slowly, so slowly it’s hard to tell if it has actually stopped, the earthquake stills. Nia, heart racing, looks wide-eyed at Tobias. The charmander stares back in the dim light of his tail, brow furrowed and expression cautious.

“You okay?” He whispers.

She nods. “You?”

“Yeah.”

Voices start up, quietly, in the hall. Wordlessly, Nia and Tobias stumble to unsteady feet and poke their heads out the door.

Many of the Seekers who live on the floor are standing in the hallway, talking to one another. Some have shaken expressions, while others just look quietly concerned. Nia picks out a few sentences amidst the babble.

“—earthquakes now. I thought the winds were bad enough. How—"

“Do you think there’ll be any aftershocks? What if some ‘mon were down in the tunnels? I don’t—”

“—I’ll be all right. Just scared me, mostly. Terran bumped his head but—"

“What if they get worse? I can’t—"

Nia tunes out the conversations then, everyone else’s nerves and uncertainty only piling onto her own. It looks like in this hall at least there weren’t any serious injuries, but what about everywhere else?

“What should we do?” Nia whispers to Tobias. “Seekers…help, right? Are we supposed to go check on everyone?”

“I don’t know,” Tobias admits. “Nothing like this has happened at the guild before. At least that I can remember.”

The reminder of the increasing number of natural disasters makes Nia’s stomach sink. The linoone’s words from earlier echo in her head. It’s not her fault. It’s not any of the humans’ fault.

(But the other Pokemon don’t know that, do they?)

“Can we go check on Xander and Andyn’s teams?” Nia whispers. “A-And maybe Maggie?”

She won’t be able to sleep if they don’t.

Tobias nods, then leads the way out the door and down the hall. Nia can’t tell if she’s imagining the way some of the other Pokemon send her wary looks as they spot her. She steps closer to Tobias regardless.

Thankfully, everyone seems to be physically fine, save for Felix startling himself right into Team Shellshock's cabinet and knocking off some knick-knacks. The rest of Xander’s team—down one luxio after he ran off to check on his siblings—is unusually quiet and pensive. Andyn, Ezra and Jaz seem equally rattled, trying to cover up their unease with light tones and jokes that fall painfully flat. The tight hug and comforting smile Maggie gives Nia and Tobias helps a little, but not enough.

Eventually, Nia and Tobias try to get a few more hours of sleep before dawn. Their floor of lower-level Seekers was assured by Verene a few minutes prior that the higher ranking ‘mon would take care of checking on the Haven for now. Lower ranks will take the dawn shift.

Nia almost wishes they were asked to head out now. She can’t seem to get her mind to settle despite the exhaustion tugging at her fur and the soft warmth of the blanket around her. From the way Tobias shifts throughout the night at her side, she doesn’t think he gets much rest either.

[amarayys]

DRDT episode 13 theory. So.

so i was meant to be making a general episode 13 analysis video. but um. i dont have the energy for that. so what am i gonna do instead? TALK ABOUT TERUKO try find out wtf david is doing in this scene

SO. time to find out what possibly the FRUITIEST look ever from david means!!! disclaimer:

I suck at theories. And formatting. Yipee.

I'm painfully unfunny so excuse any dumbass jokes i make.

I'm going to find any and all excuses to rant abt teruko. be prepared...............

4. I may repeat myself a lot. Forgive me if it sounds really repetative... :( 5. Any points surrounded by - these things - are just things that are unlikely, but I think should still be adressed.

So, the context of these images is Teruko revealing "her secret"; You're constantly blaming yourself for the death of your parents and siblings. It doesn't matter that it's not your fault, just that you didn't go with them.

(pls excuse the shitty quality.) She has to be either lying or MAYBE unsure about her secret. Here's why: 1. She had a conversation with Whit (and technically charles, but he was just listening in) about her family. She reveals that she's never known her parents and grew up in an orphanage. She did grow up with her biological brother, but he was adopted by another family when Teruko was five, and she says she doesn't remember him much.

2. The wording of the secret is quite specific - You're constantly blaming yourself for the death of your parents and siblings. Like I've mentioned, she's never known her parents. Even if she *somehow* knew they were dead, why would she blame herself for it? I could see it maybe working in some way, but the next bit disproves it - SIBLINGS. Teruko has only mentioned having one sibling, and this wording is plural. This secret cannot be hers, she only has one brother. - To add on to this

2.5. Maybe one could argue that siblings and parents could be her friends/people she considered family in the orphanage she grew up in. However, the specific wording of parents and siblings, instead of just using the word "family", makes me think otherwise. - Okay, so let's dissect what this means. - I think if maybe she was unaware/TRULY thought that this was her secret, the only point that would support it is 2.5. Maybe she considered people she grew up with in the orphanage her "parents" or siblings", but its just not very likely. While I wouldn't be surprised if Teruko blew up an orphanage or something (/hj) , I think it's a stretch to say this secret is referring to that. - With that out the way, we come to one conclusion - Teruko is lying about secret. "Amari, we know that already, can we move on??????????" yeah yeah whatever i may have just wanted to rant about teruko. MOVING ON. So, what is Teruko's secret? It's pretty wildly agreed upon that Teruko's secret is the one regarding the killing game, which David recieved - "How could I even select what secret to be your motive? Just about everything you've done in your life is worth killing for. The killing game is all your fault."

We think that this is Teruko's secret because: 1. She's the only one that fits it smh. /hj 2. The guy at the start of the prologue (who is probably xander but that is a WHOLE other theory you can find here ) mentions having to kill Teruko Tawaki (how DARE they) after talking about ending the killing game.

My interpretation of this is that Teruko is the reason the killing game is actually happening, though I doubt she's aware of this/the mastermind (or she could be, idk??). A really good theory that I feel explains what I mean by Teruko causing the KG but not being the mastermind is the time loop theory which is linked here. (accirax i love you for this theory /p) Obviously, this lines up with "The killing game is your fault." 3. David gives her THE LOOK right after she "admits" her secret, which sort of maybe kind of implies that he knows she's lying, which he does, since he has the secret. - As for the remaining secret: Xander's secret (which we assume min recieved) is the one Teruko claimed to have:

"You're constantly blaming yourself for the death of your parents and siblings. It doesn't matter that it's not your fault, just that you didn't go with them." Why do I think this? 1. In Xander's bonus video, it is VERY heavily implied that he has survivor's guilt as well as outright confirmed his family is dead. Go check it out for the full context.

2. Xander's secret message on the DRDT tumblr is the definition of survivors guilt. Really self explanatory, huh?

3. XANDER ACTUALLY HAS MORE THAN 1 FUCKING SIBLING. anyway. okay, this is getting a little confusing to remember, so here: Killing game: Teruko's secret, recieved by David. Survivor's guilt: Xander's secret, recieved by Min. (all remaining secrets remain the same.) MOTIVE

So, why would Teruko lie about her secret? I mean, shouldn't she just point it out? And why didn't David point it out? - 1. Teruko is aware that her secret is the killing game one and is lying because she's the mastermind or something. We see her thoughts, so I really doubt it. To further disprove this theory: Teruko has stated like 15 times (/ex) that she doesn't know which secret is hers, due to her having too many secrets. So, yeah, pretty unlikely she knows which secret's hers. Discard this theory. -

2. a) Teruko doesn't know her secret, but knows it's probably bad, and therefore doesn't want to share it, so she lied. Pretty straightforward, really. Now, for the theory that I think is most likely: 3. Teruko doesn't know which secret is hers, but she knows neither of her secrets are the ones left unrevealed. She knows somebody is lying about a secret - but she's come to the conclusion that secrets are irrelevant to the trial and murder, so she's lying about her secret to avoid everyone getting off track once again.

We know that's she's accidentally led the trial in the wrong direction twice now (motive secrets, time of murder) Also, this is the most in character.

As for David: A. David knows her secret, but keeps it hidden in order to cause distrust and just generally fuck Teruko over. He plans to reveal it either post trial or in a future daily life. B. David knows her secret, but earlier, he and Teruko made a pact to keep it hidden. However, since he's a little bitch boy (/j), he's going to reveal it anyway, either post trial or in a future daily life. - Just to add on to this point ^ - I know Teruko's protag and we see her thoughts and all, but Kaede happened, so I don't think this is out of the question. - I think the most likely combination is point 3. and point A. : Teruko's lying about her secret to avoid the trial heading off topic. David isn't calling her out because he wants to use it in the future to throw suspicion onto Teruko and cause havoc.

SO. Let's recap! Secrets: Teruko: "How could I even select what secret to be your motive? Just about everything you've done in your life is worth killing for. The killing game is all your fault." Received by David. Xander: "You're constantly blaming yourself for the death of your parents and siblings. It doesn't matter that it's not your fault, just that you didn't go with them." Received by Min. Rest remain the same as canon. Why can't Teruko's secret be about her family? 1. Teruko never knew her parents, and never mentions them being dead. 2. Teruko hasn't seen her brother since she was 5, and she never mentions him being dead, just adopted. 3. The wording of the secret refers to siblingS, which is plural. Teruko has only one sibling. 4. The secret fits Xander much better - His secret quote is the defintion of survivors guilt, and his bonus episode heavily implies he has survivors guilt, and it is confirmed his family died in the same bonus episode. Why is Teruko's secret about the killing game?

• The guy at the start of the prologue mentions having to kill Teruko Tawaki after talking about ending the killing game. This implies Teruko is the cause of the killing game, whether on purpose or not. Motive for lying: Teruko doesn't know which secret is hers, but she knows neither of her secrets are the ones left unrevealed. She knows somebody is lying about a secret - but she's come to the conclusion that secrets are irrelevant to the trial and murder, so she's lying about her secret to avoid everyone getting off track once again. David knows her secret, but keeps it hidden in order to use it in the future to turn everyone against Teruko and just generally cause distrust in the group. He plans to reveal it either post trial or in a future daily life. **btw, just a fun afterthought - i think either whit or charles will eventually point out the conversation regarding teruko's unbringing and how it contradicts her secret - and david will use that opportunity to reveal teruko's secret. ANDDDD that's it! feel free to correct/add on any points you'd like. this took AGES but i had so much fun!!! i love you drdt. (ESPECIALLY TERUKO.)

[reyreadersblog]

"A duel my love?"

Pairs: Lyra x Grayson, Lyrason.

Warnings: swords, fighting.

AN: this is basically set after TGG, also i am writing in first person because i phisically can't write in third person and i'm sorry if it's not your cup of tea, also sorry if it's too corny😭🙏🏻

Tags: @reminiscentreader @lxvebelle @jkriordanverse @f4iry-bell @dutifullysparklyphilosopher @two-braincells-in-total @wish-i-were-heather @whatsamongus @lyrakanefanatic

♧COLLAGE♧

♧CUT♧

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LYRA'S POV:

If you'd told me a year and a half ago that today i'd be standing in front of the opening gates of the Hawthorne mansion with my boyfriend, Grayson Hawthorne beside me, i'd laugh at your face and praise your imagination.

Oh, well...you know what they say, only time can tell.

To say the house is huge is an understatement, it's enormous. Until now i had only seen it in magazines and social media.

A few weeks ago Avery Grambs, a Hawthorne heiress and Grayson's brothers insisted that i visited them with Grayson.

"you need to visit us at the mansion, i'll be your guide" Avery said.

"yeah, you're part of the family now" Xander winked at me.

I am part of the family now.

I am part of the family now.

I am part of the family now.

I repeated that sentence few times in my head and smiled to myself.

"Lyra" a voice called behind.

"Lyra" a voice, his voice.

"Huh?" I blurted out.

"Lyra, are you okay sweetheart?" Grayson stood in front of me caressing my cheek, looking a bit concerned, I melted into his touch.

I took his hand in mine and smiled at him.

"I'm alright, i just...zoned out a bit"

Grayson smiled back at me, and i could swear everytime he smiled, i felt days of my lifetime taken out of my body. It was killing me.

Then suddenly it hit me.

"Oh, wait i forgot to take out my luggage!" I panicked.

Grayson chuckled and i felt kind of embarrased.

I'm sorry mister but i'm just getting used to this lifestyle.

"You don't have to worry about them, i told the valet to take it to our room" when he said "our" i felt something in my stomach.

Was i having butterflies?

Jesus, we've been dating for almost a year and he still found a way to make me anxious (in a good way).

"Are we going to meet them inside?" I asked.

"Yes, but before i want to show you something"

"Show me what?" I arched an eyebrow.

He took my hands and kissed them.

"You'll see, i just need you to follow me" and so i did, i followed him. First thing i saw was a giant fountain and two paths, splitting of in both directions. The great garden had everything: Brenches, flowers, bushes, fountains and...a hedge maze.

"Where exacly are we going?" I asked him, following his every move.

"You're not usually this impatient" he told me, ignoring the question, slightly smiling.

"Well, i don't know, what if you're kidnapping me?" I teased him.

"I know better than to kidnapp Lyra Catalina Kane"

I watched his every move and every turn...and it would be a lie if i said i didn't stare at his muscles which you could see even when he wore his armors.

Right turn. Left turn. Forward. Left. Right.

Every once in a while he'd turn his head and look at me, i don't know if this was his way of adoration or his way of making sure i was right by his side.

"We're here" Grayson said.

Finally we arrived at what i guessed would be the center, a large square area. I don't know what i expected, but it wasn't this. And then i saw Grayson kneeling, touching something undernearth the grass and all of a sudden i felt ground shaking.

I stepped closer and i saw a steel compartment embedded in the ground, about six feet long, three feet wide and not that deep. I looked in Grayson's direction, he was holding something metal.

A sword.

I laughed. a shocking laugh.

This i didn't expect at all.

"Longswords" we both said at the same time.

I knelt down to hold it.

"Careful, they're heavy" Grayson warned me and i rolled my eyes at him.

It was indeed heavy, about 3 feet long, with a T- shaped hilt.

I brushed my hand through the hard metal.

"Type Xll, sword of the early middle ages, grete swerdes"

Grayson smiled at me and he looked..proud.

"A duel my love?" I asked him.

"No" he said without hesetating.

"What? Why?" I asked confused

"Lyra, i've been practicing sword fighting ever since i turned 6, my grandfather made sure i knew every technique and i don't want to-"

"Ohhhh..so that's what this is about..you think of me as a low oponent, i'm guessing me telling you the history of this sword wasn't enough to make you believe how skilled i am, huh?" I chuckled

"I just don't want to hu-"

Swing.

I swung at him aware of every muscle in my body and his.

He avoided it, and now our blades made an "X".

"Try me, asshole" i said smirking.

Grayson smiled softly. Everything about it was dangerous.

Grayson stepped forward and we both swing the sword at the same time.

Nice stance, he needs to work more on his reflex though.

But he isn't showing his full potential. He is going easy on me.

I knew it, sword fighting has always been one of my passions and i hated when people underestimated me.

My sword touched his.

Winning against Grayson is going to be easy, all i need is control and balance.

One of the main rules of sword swinging was to never look into an oponent's eyes more than 2 seconds, always pay attention to the sword and the way your oponent moves.

Yet i could't take my eyes away from his.

Ever since we started dating, i'd look into his eyes and i could swear every day they were different shades. One day they'd be grey like the ashes, the second day they'd be blue, but not like the sky, like the pool he swam in at nights.

Concentrate. I remind myself.

I take a step back..and lost the balance.

That's what happens when you act stupid.

Before i fell, Grayson caught me with one hand.

His hand. My waist.

We both laughed softly, his hot breath on my mouth.

And then i kissed him. Hard and fast.

Both of us melt in this kiss.

And i could feel him slowly loosing control.

He lowered sword, his other hand traveling from my cheek to my neck, softly grabbing my hair.

And then i pulled away, sweeped my leg, turned around and swung at him again.

"Your grandfather didn't teach you to never be swayed by a sexy woman?"

Grayson opened his mouth to say something and suddenly stopped.

"Your arm- You're bleeding Lyra" Grayson panicked.

I looked at my left arm, i was indeed bleeding.

How did this happen?

He came closer to look at my arm. He looked very worried.

"Gray, it's just a scratch-"

"Just a scratch Lyra? This is an injury, we need to go back, i'll fix you up"

Grayson Hawthorne would destroy the world before he'd let anything or anyone hurt me. So there was no point in going against his will right now.

"Okay, but i'd really like to continue this later"

"Sword swinging, or the kiss?" He knew what he was doing.

I smiled as he pulled me in for a kiss.

I knew we were going to do anything like that in a hedge maze but i'd be lying if i said i didn't want to.

Grayson pulled away.

"Lyra-"

"I know, i know, let's get back to the mansion."

♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♤

♧CUT♧

[gleamingtempest]

DRDT Character Theme Playlist - Personal Placements & Graphics

Look to reblogs for guidelines regarding graphics in this post.

Here is a playlist of the songs; please reference this playlist for song credits. It is in order.

Diamond is Unbreakable - Xander

Song reflects Xander's fixation on willpower.

A Mistaken Belief of Love - Min

Song reflects Min's sacrifice for Teruko; a mistaken belief of affection warped through selfless selfish desire to save someone and yourself - to be salvation, selfishly.

Polygonal - Teruko

Song reflects Teruko's self hatred.

Asymptotic - Charles

Song reflects Charles relationship with Ellie - forever just out of reach. Dear memories, kept from him, frustratingly, implicitly.

Sing Along - Eden

Song reflects Eden's relationship with the girl who she kissed(?) - (Process of elimination.)

Shun-Ran - Arei

Song reflects Arei's fragile ego-fixation on being strong melting away when push came to shove. Kindness is weakness, stripped away from her - what little she had to cling to after her traumatic past.

Drawing Pins - Nico

Song reflects Nico's inability to understand others and the world. Implicitly not for them, regardless of how much they seek connection.

Yesman - Ace

Song reflects Ace's fixation on living a normal life - something he can't ever truly do.

Tip Toes - Hu

Song reflects Hu's ego-fixation on being important to others & how she needs to see past this shallow fixation in order to grow as a person.

Hi-Fi Evolution Theory - Veronika

Song reflects Veronika's fixation on fun, and a aversion to feeling hollow. Ravenous fear of the all-consuming empty.

Cartoons - Rose

Song reflects Rose's fixation on abstraction of reality; avoidance of dreariness, melting away truth, soaking in fantasy.

RQ Laji 2 - Desk Rotation - J

Song.

Runaway - Arturo

Song reflects Arturo's fixation on projecting his own high self standards elsewhere where he can't apply them to himself, and progressing or learning to introspect and see himself for who he's truly become - a monster.

Spitfire - Levi

Song reflects Levi's violent past.

Good Grief - Whit

Song reflects Whit's aversion, grieving. Instead of engaging a hard truth it's easier to look away and feel joy.

Undead Enemy - David

Song reflects David's fixation on performance. Truthfully seeking something out only to reflect it as a part of yourself you can't have faith in. Hollow salvation and empty words. Not human anymore.

-

Feel free to engage or ask about / disagree with any of these placements. I hope this was engaging or insightful. Please be well & take care. 🎶