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astaroth1357 · 1 year

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We Need To Talk About Nightbringer (the Person, Not the Game)

I'm still scratching my head over what Nightbringer's goal is here... How is MC involved? Why send them back in time? And, of course, who are they??

SPOILERS Up to Lesson 12 Below Cut

The Fuck is the Goal Here??

Sending the MC back just to form pacts makes no goddamn sense. If the MC acquiring pacts was the real aim, then that mission was already accomplished in the present-day. There's something more here.

Why send MC back to RIGHT NOW? What about making pacts AT THIS TIME is desirable to Nightbringer? Is the end game even having the pacts at all...?

I posit that Nightbringer wants war, specifically, another war between angels and demons. The imagery of scales brings to mind the fragile balance of peace that Diavolo was mentioning between the realms before. RAD isn't built yet, his goal to improve relations is still in its infancy, and the times are so tumultuous that MC risks an all out fight starting just being there. So if Nightbringer wants to make things come to blows, then this is the PERFECT time to send them to.

However...

What is this "path to happiness" all about? What does Nightbringer think will make the MC most happy...? And what about THEIR happiness is linked to his? Is he assuming that in a war of the three realms, MC would side with the demons and thus if demons win then MC will be glad? That doesn't really track with the MC as presented in game... They're generally shown as a peacemaker or bridge builder. I don't think a war would make them happy at all!

Ultimately, I don't think we can answer this question in any way that makes sense until we have a better idea of WHO Nightbringer is so....

Who is Nightbringer??

It's Barbs

This goes for any version of Barbs: past, present, future, or even an alternate self I guess. This only makes sense because we're dealing with a demon who does time travel and there's only one demon we know who fits this bill but... why?

I can't imagine any reason why Barbatos would betray Diavolo, at least the one we know. This guy is so loyal to his lord that he's the ONLY character who won't completely kowtow to MC's whims even in the OG game. His true loyalty was always to Diavolo. Not the realm, not demons, DIAVOLO. And if Diavolo seeks peace, then why on earth would Barbs want to cause a war?? Is he more bitter about things than we thought...?

If it's a different version of Barbs, then I guess this goes out the window, but even then what's an alternate Barbs care about this world specifically? What would he hope to gain? MC? Why?? The means are all here, but I just can't figure out the motive, so...

It's Not Barbs, but Connected to Barbs

You know. I've been thinking a lot about this and I've been considering how, thematically, it could be appropriate for Diavolo not to be the only one with a progenitor/parental figure out of commission. We can assume that Daddy Devil must of had an attendant like Barbatos to aid him like Dia has Barbs so...

What if Nightbringer is the old King's previous attendant? And what's more, what if they aren't Barbs but related to Barbs? Like a sibling or parent? It's important to note that Barbs' time capabilities are not INTERNAL to him. It's his room of doorways to other timelines. Presumably, anybody with sufficient knowledge could inherit that room and just take over the role of the Devildom's time lord.

I know it goes against all of our previous notions to think that Barbatos was, at some point, just an everyday demon and not some primordial, OG force of nature but none of that was canon anyway. Something to think about.

It's Michael

I know people keep offering up this one, but I'm really not buying it... Yeah, Michael has always been this looming, shady figure over the OM universe and he's canonically and non-canonically done some eyebrow raising shit, but what's the motive here? Plus, Nightbringer's thematic ties to, well, night really feel more demon than angel... The Celestial Realm is always sunny, the Devildom is always dark. I think it's just a stretch...

Michael wanting another war could be interesting, especially since we've seen far more of angels being actively antagonistic to demons than the other way around, but I don't think that makes him Nightbringer. At most, he could end up being a shadow ally in his plot to bring everything to a head once again.

It's Solomon

In truth, even I don't think Nightbringer is the Solomon we're talking to. But I still think it's suspicious that all of this plays out so perfectly for our present-day Solo-pal... Personally, I take anything this guy tells us directly with a grain of salt since we know he'll lie openly, so here are the facts we're working with:

We are interacting with our present day Solomon (or at least one with knowledge of who we are and our timeline's events).

Solomon is the only one in this current space who knows of our full history in the OG timeline.

This Solomon put himself not only in the position of being the ONLY ONE who knows us that we can interact with, but happily isolated us from the brothers and made himself our main point of contact.

And last (and perhaps most importantly) HE'S STILL TRYING TO MAKE PACTS. He approaches Lucifer about it and successfully makes a pact with Asmo centuries before he's supposed to! If my guy is really from the present, that's like, Changing the Course of History 101! What the hell???

Let me present to you a theory. He is not present-day Solomon, sent back to help MC. He is past-Solomon, caught up to MC's identity through Barbs' time powers and just playing the part of our modern-day buddy. If he's from the past, he doesn't have to worry about changing the present timeline like we do because that ain't even him we've been speaking to. It feels like he has this bet going with Nightbringer... they have some kind of wager and MC is key to it. They're the one who'll tip the scales and Solomon is trying to get us to stay on his side.

It's Not Solomon, but Connected to Solomon

There's something off about Solomon that everybody, LITERALLY everybody, makes comments on: how he doesn't seem human anymore.

The OM timeline introduced the idea that a person can become something else, no matter what they started out as. The brothers were angels, but they fell, so they became demons. Simeon violated angel rules, so he was made into a human. The idea of corruption related to Solomon has always stuck in the back of my mind... The guy has over 70 pacts, he's lived for several centuries at least, and there's just something NOT RIGHT about him...

When Solomon and Nightbringer are speaking to each other, this line stuck out to me.

I find this comment so damn weird. If Nightbringer is a demon and has always been a demon, why would Solomon feel the need to lampshade this? He's pointing it out as if it's meant to get under Nightbringer's skin... Why state the obvious?

What if Nightbringer wasn’t always a demon?

Nightbringer refers to and brings up his demonness as much as Solomon brings up his humanness. That, to me, reeks of insecurity. They may not just be fighting on the lines between demons and humanity, but fighting each other/themselves to prove who's side they're actually on.

What if Nightbringer is a fully-corrupted Solomon? Either a Solomon in the future who's fucking around with the past or a Solomon in this timeline/dimension that's trying to use MC to cause destruction for his world??

..... Okay, I do know this is a bit of a reach. As much as I would love to blame the sorcerer, Nightbringer still seems like a being who's just... been around a while. Far too long to start fucking up shit now. It's possible that if he is from the future and just hopping through time, there's nothing stopping him from going back however far he wants to, but then you could get into the "You are your own grandfather" paradox and the next thing you know we're in another installment of Kingdom Hearts where time is our worst enemy.

HOWEVER, the idea of corruption DOES bring me to my wildest theory yet.

What if Nightbringer wants MC to become a demon...?

Think about it.

It could explain why Solomon is trying so hard to make MC remember and side with their humanity.

It could explain why Nightbringer sent them there under the guise of demon to start with.

It could be why he wants them to make their pacts again. He's trying to seduce them into fully embracing the demonic world through their connection with the brothers.

Humans die, right? Why not be a demon and not have to worry about it?

Throw away the Ring of Light.

Stay by your demons' sides.

Embrace the darkness.

Join the damned.

And when that big'ol battle that he wants happens, he'll have the most powerful sorcerer/sorceress, fully demonized, fighting for his side against God himself.

..... Or that's my spec script anyway. Probably too out there, but man would it be fun...

#my money is on option two #but option five would be WILD #or you know #my trust issues are acting up again #obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me nightbringer spoilers #obey me nightbringer #obey me nightbringer theories #omn spoilers #omnb spoilers #obey me solomon #omn solomon #obey me barbatos #omn barbatos #obey me michael

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desperate-daydream · 1 year

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HIII I LOVE YOUR STORIES AND I WANTED TO REQUEST SOMETHING. could you write a one shot about Five Hargreeves being all tired and fluffy and cuddly with his husband? set in season 1 when he got a shot wound and his siblings took him home and Grace patched him up. The husband is very protective of Five (dominant too) so he sits by him in bed reading a book until he wakes up and then forces him to stay in bed because of his condition (he wanted to go after his siblings or smth) and so Five decides that it's not worth fighting his lover because he won't stop either way so he gives in and cuddles into his lover like the little spoon he is 🥺

☂️ Umbrella Academy

❀ Five Hargreeves x (male) husband reader ⚣

A/N: Oh, of course. That‘s a really cute idea. And thank you! It isn‘t very long unfortunately but I hope you‘ll like it anyway.

tags/warnings: plays in season 1, the storyline is a bit different I guess, you‘re Five‘s husband, mentions of a shot wound

You stay in bed

The first thing Five noticed after blacking out because of his shot wound were your hums. He was usually hyper aware of everything you did. You just had caught his attention from the very first moment.

Though it wasn‘t in a positive way at first. You were the only one other than the Handler to actually dare telling him what to do. Although, you only did it out of concern. Five had this habit of wanting to manage things alone and therefore often pushing his limits too hard.

In the end, your dominance and professionalism were intriguing to him. He couldn‘t help but fall in love with you. You had even married after accomplishing one of your several missions.

It had been as clear as day that you would come with him wherever he decided to go. Even through time to save the world and especially his siblings. Well, now you were both in the bodies of your teenage-selves.

And Five was shot. He turned his head slightly towards you as he regained all his other senses and memory. Then he remembered his goal to save the world - and his damn siblings.

He tried to sit up but you had already noticed that he was awake and quickly put away your book to get out of your chair and hold him down.

„Hey, no no no. You stay in bed.“

„But-„

„No but. You were shot. Even a man like you needs rest.“

He really couldn‘t go against your words and the stare you gave him. Alone your eyes made him give in and he laid back down. He sighed and looked up at you with a pout and big eyes - one of the faces he only ever would dare to show you.

„Then at least cuddle with me.“

You smiled faintly. „Of course, darling.“

You helped him scoot over before laying down next to him. His arms immediately went around you and his hands gripped into your shirt as he put his face in the crook of your neck. He inhaled deeply and you felt him relax in your arms when you started gently combing through his hair.

When you had first seen him in his cute school-boy glory your protectiveness had skyrocketed. Seeing him like this now made you want to wrap him in layers of protection and hold him close to you at all times.

But you couldn‘t and shouldn‘t so the only thing you could do was make sure that he stayed in bed a bit longer to let his wound heal. You were able to convince him to stay there for a day or so before even you couldn’t hold him - and to be honest also yourself - back any longer.

You went to the next point of the stop-the-apocalypse-plan while you hovered close behind your husband. A protective shadow while Five did his thing.

#five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x male reader #x male reader #male reader #x trans male reader #trans male reader #husband reader #dom reader #gay #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy

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themodernmarriage · 2 years

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Ruined Orgasms

What is a Ruined Orgasm?

I guess the biggest misunderstanding about ruined orgasms comes from the word “ruined”. It has a negative connotation. It suggests something unpleasant or unfinished. It's also often called a "touchless orgasm", which is more accurate I believe.

"Ruined" is simply inaccurate. A perfectly “ruined” orgasm is still an orgasm! It will feel profoundly different, but it will always be WONDERFUL – especially if you use it as a way to prolong your lovemaking! Males have been giving themselves orgasms for many years, but one thing that it is basically impossible for them to do is give themselves a "ruined orgasm". This, among other things, is what makes it so mind-blowing.

The basic concept is very simple, in theory at least. Let’s say that his point of no return (the precise moment, no matter what happens, once reached, the body gives the “kick-off” and inevitably triggers the orgasm) is very precisely seven minutes, then you must stimulate him for just under seven minutes (and not a second more). At that moment, release his nub and absolutely stop all your stimulation. As long as he doesn’t receive physical stimulation, his orgasmic reflexes will lead him straight to a ruined orgasm. Mission accomplished!

The key to a ruined orgasm is to find the right moment to interrupt the stimulation. Instead of “letting go at the last second”, you can stop much sooner. The goal is to leave him on the verge of orgasm, as if time were suspended, for as long as possible before his body triggers the ejaculatory reflexes. If you do it correctly his semen should just flow effortlessly drip down along his straining nub.

Do you see that “floating” moment, the time it takes for the semen to flow without caressing it? If so, congratulations, you’ve done it!

Benefits of a Ruined Orgasm

If done correctly, he will still be horny afterwards and will stay hard as a rock, still wanting more, even though he just ejaculated. Ruined orgasms are great when you want to give him an orgasm but still leave him horny when you lock him back up. Or, if you plan to have an all-night love-making session but you are afraid that he will cum to quickly, you can start your evening with a touchless orgasm.

He will experience no 'refractory period' after a ruined orgasm. Whereas a normal orgasm causes him to lose his erection and enter what is called the “refractory period” where he is no longer motivated to have sex, a ruined orgasm has the opposite effect – it causes him to stay hard, fully aroused, hyper-energized, and HIGHLY motivated.

His recover period will be MUCH quicker, and if you have sex after a ruined orgasm, he will last must longer too!

Most of the benefits of a long period in chastity (for you - i.e. motivation, energy, increased oxytocin etc) will not be lost after a ruined orgasm.

How to give a Ruined Orgasm

I'll start by saying that there is no 'one right way'. But this is what I like to do...

SETUP:

Tell him to lie down on his back.

Ideally, restrain his hands behind his back, or tell him to lie on his hands. Most males can't be trusted to not touch their nub at the crux of the ruined orgasm! Tell him he is at no point allowed to touch his (your!) nub. Throw in a blindfold for fun, if you feel like it.

Tell him you are going to give him a ruined orgasm, and that he should not cum until you tell him he can.

TIP: If you don't feel like direct skin contact or don't want any 'mess', tell him to wear tight lycra shorts or swim briefs, and then stroke him through the fabric, rather than have him completely naked.

PROCESS:

With your male on his back, take one hand (i.e. my left hand), and grip his balls and pull them away from his body until his penis is pointing up at almost 90 degrees.

With your right hand's index finger, stroke upwards (from the balls to the tip of the nub) slowly and deliberately. his most sensitive part is the area on the underside of his nub just before the tip. Stop just short of this area. It's much harder for a male to orgasm with an upward stroke as opposed to a downward one.

Keep this motion up for a while. Don't speed up - slow and steady is what you want, so that you don't drive him over the edge too quickly.

Every 10-15 strokes, slowly rub the sensitive area a few times, or gave a few circles along the head of his nub, and then to go back to the slow upward stroking motion.

If you feel his balls contract, or his nub twitches, let go with both hands immediately. Tell him to not cum - "no cumming... don't cum yet". Or you can ask him to announce when he is getting close. When he says "I'm close", let go with both hands. Count to 20, and then pull his balls away again and start with the slow upward motion.

Eventually (or soon, depending on the lockup period!), even letting go completely will cause him to go over the edge. Don't stimulate him at all at this point. The cum should ooze gently from the tip of his nub and down the shaft - no spurting, no major twitching... a perfectly ruined orgasm.

ADDED EXTRA: The second you see any cum being released, tap / slap his balls with the flat of your hand for 20-30 seconds or until all of the cum has been released. Be careful not to touch the penis at this point, only the balls.

Tell him to clean up and re-lock his nub immediately.

Bravo - you've done it!

As mentioned, everyone does it differently, but this is a basic 101! Trust me, he will be begging you for more in no time!!

Pro Tip: If your male is caged and you don't wish to unlock him for a ruined orgasm, use a vibrator or vibrating massager and simply place it on the base ring of his cage, underneath his balls. The vibrations will eventually bring him to the point of orgasm. Ensure he tells you when he is close to climax. At this point, stop the vibrations and cease all contact. If you time it right, his cum with leak out of the front of the cage in a perfectly ruined orgasm.

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ineffable-endearments · 3 months

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Trying to picture where Crowley goes from the end of S2 and it looks like this to me:

Sticking around Soho: I have read lots of fic and seen lots of art for this premise that I love. However, if I'm going to try to guess where actual canon might go, this option seems both too painful for him as a character and too stagnant for the story. Like, wasn't the point of the beginning of the season that he had stagnated? It feels like the Final Fifteen was the cataclysm that had finally broken that stagnation. Something about the flow of Crowley staying in or near Soho, or his Mayfair apartment, for that matter, doesn't seem right.

Going off to live his own solitary life, like as a hermit or as a snake in a cave or something: Seems way too boring for Crowley. He needs things to do.

Going off to live in a human community: This could happen. I could see him living in a human community that he wants to protect from the Second Coming. But it seems a little too healthy and well-adjusted for the climax of the story's conflict, right? No? Maybe? I think we see many signs that Crowley is moving in this direction in Season 2, but he might not quite be there yet. Or he could be! I started off thinking this probably isn't it because it felt too easy, but there's a bit of poetry to the Serpent establishing his very own Garden that he wants to protect and, after everything is said and done, accepting a lost angel into it. Er, maybe that's a bit too sugary or uneven. Idk. I'm rambling.

Going back to Hell to become a "proper" demon: Lol.

Going back to Hell to fight against Heaven: Mmmmaybe? My main problem with this is the fact that the strings in Hell are ultimately pulled by the same people/person who run things in Heaven (the Metatron?), and while I'm not sure he's explicitly said anything about it in the show yet, I think Crowley is savvy enough to figure that out. So rejoining Hell simply to abide by their rules and start another war does not seem exactly right. One of his primary points in the Final Fifteen was that you can't fight an oppressive system by cooperating with it, and in the end, Hell is cooperating with the system as much as Heaven is. I guess we could assume Crowley hasn't quite figured it out yet, and his discovery of who's really in charge could be a plot point.

Going back to Hell to agitate the demons to revolt: This feels pretty good to me. Whether it's by taking on a position of authority and secretly feeding a resistance or by taking advantage of the chaos to establish an openly-rebellious group, I feel like Crowley could do this. It feels right for a moment of high conflict because it would involve significant character growth - Crowley choosing to embark on a mission to save the world instead of haphazardly getting thrown into it. However, since he'd be actively working to undermine Hell and would have to figure out where he belongs if the system does indeed collapse, encouraging resistance would not, on its own, get him to where he needs or wants to be. There would still be plenty of room for change and growth.

Maybe, if Crowley tempts his fellow demons to enjoy Earth things like Aziraphale does, he could slowly get them working toward stopping any future Armageddons just because they, too, have found things they like on Earth. Encouraging demons to enjoy Earth would potentially give Crowley a chance to work with more humans. It would also give him a chance to work toward one goal (Hell saves Earth?) only to accidentally accomplish another (demons discover free will).

Mandatory acknowledgment that I could be COMICALLY wrong here.

#go s2 spoilers #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens #go3 speculation

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kirain · 2 months

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I've been on this site for over ten years and I've never had to do this, but sadly the time has come where I feel forced to make a call out post, if only for the safety of my blog.

Please do not harass this person. PLEASE DO NOT HARASS THEM! That is not my goal here. That said, I do suggest you avoid them at all costs, for your own safety and sanity.

A few days ago, I made a post responding to some anonymous hate I received regarding Gale Dekarios, a character from BG3. An account named Turtwg, who has now changed her name to Shdowheart, took issue with the content and tone of my post. Instead of simply blocking me, she attacked me and several other people in the notes, and accused me of sending the anon to myself.

I responded, arguing against her accusations and a few other remarks she made. Just typical fandom discourse. Or so I thought.

I regret it now (only because I've lost some evidence), but I deleted many of her and my messages. They were clogging up my post and veering extremely off topic, but eventually she admitted I didn't send the anon to myself. When I asked her how she knew that, she said she traced the anon to a Gale-centric account. You see, she believed the anon wasn't sent by an Astarion fan, but by a Gale fan trying to create discourse. In a normal situation, I'd say that's a fair assumption for anyone to make, but something seemed off.

First of all, despite several people telling her it's not possible to track down blogs through their anonymous messages, she insisted she found the user responsible—which honestly made me wonder if she sent the anon herself, hoping to create drama. If she did, then mission accomplished, I guess. We messaged back and forth in the notes for a while, with me commenting on both the impossibility and morality of tracking down an anonymous user. During that time, her responses to me were lightning fast. Constant. Remember that for later.

Second, she soon told me she had the anon's IP address, which she said she'd "happily send me". I told her an IP address doesn't prove anything because it can be photoshopped and a lot of people use VPNs. I also pointed out how utterly insane it is to dox/cyberstalk someone over a post about a video game. It's really not that serious. But out of sheer curiosity, I told her to give me the blog name. Not because I believed her, but because I was curious to see if she'd accuse a popular blog or someone who could defend themselves. The moment I asked, she went silent for nearly an hour. 🤔

When she came back, she gave me the name of an account called Dekariosbf. She told me to message the account, so I did, though I made no accusations against them yet. As I waited for a reply, I accused Turtwg of making the account herself, as it was barren with no activity whatsoever. No likes, no posts, nothing. She easily could've created the account during that hour of peace. Moreover, after she gave me the account name and I accused her of creating it, her responses were once again lightning fast. 🤔

As we argued, I sent my brother-in-law and a friend of mine a link to my blog and had them read through the discourse. They don't have Tumblr accounts, but they're both computer nerds and my brother-in-law literally works with computers/programs for a living. I asked them if anything Turtwg said was valid, and they (along with someone else in the notes who claimed to work in UI/UX) confirmed that no, absolutely nothing she said was valid. Tumblr pays for a service that protects their users, and the only way to trace anons is by using extremely unsavory and illegal methods ... and even then it's extremely unlikely to work.

Speaking of, my brother-in-law eventually messaged me and told me he found the actual account that sent the anon. I stupidly believed him and jumped the gun on that, because it turns out he was just being a shit disturber. That said, I used this information to call Turtwg out on her lies. In response, Dekariosbf miraculously (and in a rather timely fashion) responded to me. Unfortunately I don't have any screenshots of this interaction, but I'll explain why in a moment.

Dekariosbf was chatty and cordial at first. I asked them for their main account name, but they refused to give it, saying they only use it for poetry; which, as you can see from the screenshot, directly contradicts their bio, but I digress. I was suspicious, but also kept in mind the possibility that this might've been an innocent person Turtwg accused. For a while we shot the shit, talking back and forth about BG3, reading, teaching—but I did this for a reason. I wanted to get a feel for their writing style. Sure enough, they wrote exactly like Turtwg. Same spelling mistakes, same pattern of punctuation, same use of lower case letters instead of capital letters, same abbreviations, etc.

Finally, when I was sure it was her, I dropped the bomb. I very gently told "Dekariosbf" that someone named Turtwg accused them of sending me a hateful Gale anon, but that I didn't believe it. Low and behold, they did a complete 180.

"Yes, it was me. It was totally me. I just LOVE your blog and RESPECT you so much. I LOVE Gale and I wanted to know what you'd say if I sent that anon. It wasn't meant to be hateful. Please don't write a call out post about me. Please don't tell your followers. I mean, I understand if you do, but please don't. Turtwg messaged me and threatened to dox me and sent me a photo of my IP address. She's so smart, I don't think you should mess with her. Oh and my mom can't speak English. If we get doxxed, I think it would kill her."

Right...

I said I didn't believe them and accused them of being Turtwg on a sock account. They kept insisting they weren't, begged me to believe they sent the anon (and I mean they were desperate for me to believe it), and very strangly didn't express any anger or confusion over the situation. When I brought up the accusation, they completely changed their tone from friendly to "oh yeah, that was me". I kept saying I didn't believe them, particularly because of what my brother-in-law said, but promised not to call any attention to them. I was happy to simply let the matter rest. Suddenly, mid conversation, they deleted their entire blog. Poof. It's gone now, along with all our messages.

I thought that would be the end of it, but not even five minutes after Dekariosbf flung themselves into the void, Turtwg herself DMed me out of nowhere and accused me of trying to hack her account, presumably because I told "Dekariosbf" that my brother-in-law is computer savvy. Keep in mind that before this moment, our entire conversation took place in the notes of my post. I never DMed her, nor did I have any intention of doing so. I also had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, I just knew she was lying to me. Now it looks as though she's ramping up to lie to the Tumblr admins in order to get my account deleted.

And all because my post about a video game made her angry.

I really hate drawing attention to this. You can see in my other posts that I always censor people's usernames, but as I said at the beginning ... I don't feel like I have a choice this time. I want this up so the Tumblr admins or whoever can see it.

Turtwg has attacked other people for posting their opinions as well. For example, she attacked this person just because they expressed their opinon on wyllsterion. She went so far as to call them racist when Wyll is literally one of their favourite characters. She just got mad because they don't think Wyll and Astarion make sense together; a perfectly valid opinion. And I only know about this because I received messages warning me about interacting with Turtwg/Shdowheart from someone who recognised them in the notes of my post.

I guess I should've blocked her from the start, but I've said many times in the past that I enjoy a good debate. Plus I was genuinely curious to see how far she was willing to take her lie. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how unhinged she truly is. On her own blog, she's even admitted that she's had to make a new account seven times, likely due to other drama she started.

I was very hesitant to put this in the BG3 tags, but since that seems to be the fandom she interacts with the most, I figured it would be a fair warning to anyone else she might harass. She's particularly active in the Astarion/Wyll/Wyllsterion tags. Stay safe, everyone. I think I'll sign off for a while. I'm tired, and this has somehow become the most toxic fandom I've ever dared to be a part of.

Please do not harass this person. PLEASE DO NOT HARASS THEM! That is not my goal here. That said, I do suggest you avoid them at all costs, for your own safety and sanity.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #wyll ravengard #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep

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anniegetyourbubblegum · 2 months

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I keep seeing posts from people in the US debating whether to vote for Biden in their upcoming elections to stop Trump from winning again or to punish the democrats for aiding Israel in the genocide of Palestine.

I'm argentinian and as far as I'm concerned, you should vote for whichever candidate you think will benefit you more, because you're from the US and that's all it's good for. The rest of the world will continue to suffer at your hands no matter what. Let me explain.

Democrats and republicans are not a representation of left and right wing politics: both parties are on the right side of the spectrum, only the GOP is more honest about it.

Republicans, as right wing parties do, run on promises of austerity, reducing taxes and being tough on crime. Democrats run promising to use tax money to ease your life: affordable healthcare, education and housing, all guaranteed so you can live the life of a first world citizen.

And then, they don't deliver.

You still have school shootings, massive incarceration, corruption in all levels of government, and the poorest pay a higher proportion of taxes than the richest. Healthcare, education and housing are extremely expensive and often require people to get into heavy debt to afford to have their most basic needs met, and that's only possible if you have good credit.

It's a reductive analysis for the sake of brevity, but you get the gist. The point is that having you be poor and afraid is the goal: it's a feature, not a bug.

You want to go to college? You need to buy a house? You want to start a family? Well, the military complex needs bodies! The US has far too many enemies to their way of life, so they'll need people to defend it! In exchange, they'll "guarantee" just enough money that you won't be destitute.

The US spends the most amount of money on their military in the world, by a long shot. To justify spending that kind of money, you HAVE to have wars. To have wars, you need enemies.

So, you get propaganda. "Muslims are extremists and hate our way of life." "Latin americans want to come to our country and steal our jobs." "China and Russia are communist countries that are waiting to destroy us." And you gobble it up.

You love it so much. It's in your news, in your videogames, in your movies and TV series and comic books. So, when they ask you to fight, you go running! You'll get some money out of it and you'll get to live your life the way you were promised. Sure, PTSD from the horrors is a given, but there's pills for that! And award winning movies about how difficult it is to go to war! It's all covered.

So the small, poor countries that you invade lose their money, natural resources, and their sovereignty but HEY, you brought democracy there! And the US is protected from this many enemies! Mission accomplished, right?

Well, as a citizen of a third world country whose current president is an insane pawn of the GOP, I'd like to say fuck you. He was placed so that the US could take our recently discovered lithium, and you'll get it. Enjoy your shitty iPhone 5000 I guess. It'll come at the small price of the hunger of my countrymen, but since Twitter user dan91883719 says argentinians all descend from escaped nazis, I guess it's alright.

Israel has killed Palestinians and illegally expanded its borders for over 70 years. Both democrats and republicans have sent aid and weapons to make this possible. It's in the US best interests to have conflict in the Middle East and have an ally control the area. Israel is a feature, not a bug.

And those of you who vote blue? You're trapped. Even if you know it's shit, you're unable to organize. Instead of rallying to form a new party, or a at least get a better candidate, you keep voting bad instead of worse and pat yourselves on the back for a job well done. Democrats are well aware of this and that's why they run on platforms that promise to make your life better and then sit back and say "our hands are tied" when you lose rights.

So, if you're still doubting it, vote for whoever the fuck you want. The war machine that you call 'country' won't stop no matter who's president, because those who hold the real power are already getting exactly what they want from it. Your suffering as US citizens is just as planned as the suffering of those who live outside of it.

TL,DR: Vote for whichever candidate you feel will defend your interests best. Lord knows it won't make a lick of difference for the rest of the world, because both political parties have the same plans when it comes to foreign policy.

#argentina #free palestine #the usa #2024 elections #Democrats #Republicans #gop #dnc #joe biden #donald trump #free gaza #gaza #genocide #it's obviously more complex than just this #but it's one in the morning and fuck it I'm tired #i understand how difficult it is to see your house is on fire when you're inside the house #but you still have to make an effort to put it out #vote 2024 #foreign policy

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astrobolical · 6 months

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What in “Hell” is Bad? - Event and Minhyeok

I’m in the midst of writing out a larger overall game guide for WHB— because I have a love of documentation, I guess— and given that this is the first event, and first available Minhyeok, I wanted to also give this some attention and do this up for fun! I’ll be covering the event as a whole, as well as Minhyeok as a unit.

So, where do you get him? What does he take to get?

He is available though his own unique banner that is available until Nov 8, 2023. The banner can be found were you would ordinarily pull, in the top right corner.

Available with higher rates through specified banner

Banner includes a pity system (though it’s quite steep at 150 pulls before guarantee)

His banner costs Greater Keys of Solomon not Lesser!

DO NOT pull on the regular Greater Keys banner— please be sure you click on his and it looks like the above image

This banner, as I said, is available until Nov 8, 2023

You can also pull his signature artifact “Minhyeok’s Warm Panties” from this banner (also S-Grade)

What’s the event?

Head on over to this screen by clicking the icon that’s on your Home Screen in the upper right— this is where you’ll get started on the first ever WHB event!

We’re following Minhyeok himself as the MC, through some adventures in Hell and the events that lead to his strange appearance on his banner!

Let’s take a closer look at what we can do during his eventful stay in Hell.

Event Achievements (Missions)

They’ve added an event specific achievements tab, where you can find all the event specific goals you can accomplish over the next 13 days.

Note: A lot of these require daily sign ins and grinding— they’re encouraging you to sink some time in!

What do they want us to do?

Most of these are accumulative goals— milestones as you work on these over the duration of the event.

Read the event story

Clear event battles

Use the event exchange shop

User event currency

Use Action Power

Defeat Event Boss

What do they give us in return?

Action Power

Tears of Solomon

Pure Gold

Crowley’s Books

Choice Chests (Various Materials)

Most of the rewards that give Solomon’s Tears require some dedication— signing in every day, using a lot of AP, defeating the boss a lot, etc.

Like I said, they want us to put some time into this. (And it’s fun!)

Event Shop - Gamer’s Soul

I, stupidly, did not screen shot the shop before purchasing things. So not everything available is seen above. However— the best part about this is that all items available in this shop available using the grind-able event currency “Gamer’s Soul.”

It’s a worth it grind, especially if you’ve been lacking on Tears of Solomon. You’ll see where to grind these when we go over the story levels.

What’s available though?

One-Time Purchases

Minhyeok’s Warm Panties— his new event artifact (also available through the banner)

Voice Lines

Stickers

Lesser Keys of Solomon (3)

Greater Keys of Solomon (20)

Daily Purchases

Solomon’s Tears (30)

Devil Jellybean Choice Chest (3)

Devil Gummy Choice Chest (3)

Devil Pudding Choice Chest (3)

Hallucination Devil Pie Piece Choice Chest (3)

Hallucination Devil Pie Choice Chest (3)

Beginner’s Nightmare Candy Choice Chest (1)

Intermediate Nightmare Candy Choice Chest (1)

Advanced Nightmare Candy Choice Chest (1)

Artifact Enhancement Stones (3)

Obviously prioritize what you need in the moment— personally I’m stocking up on those damn tears now that they’re available.

Event Story Levels

You can expect the typical story level layouts here, too. Meaning, a story level followed by a few battles leading to another story level.

The event is quite short— but the story levels themselves have some length to them, and are quite cute

The battles are very easy—requirement level 10–and very open and accessible to beginners just starting out

The unique part of it, however, is at the end. You’ll find a repeatable boss stage here, with three difficulties.

This is where we’ll grind those Gamer Souls!

Like Dark Sanctuary, you need to beat the previous difficulty before you can move on to the next (so no jumping right to advanced)

There’s no listed level requirements, so just try them out and see how you do— they’re not too bad, and there’s no repercussions for losing

I’m beating Advanced with a party of 4 level 40s and 2 60+ units but I’m sure it’s doable at lower levels

Beginner

AP Cost: 25

First-Clear Reward: 20 Gamer Souls

Repeatable Reward: 10 Gamer Souls

Intermediate

AP Cost: 27

First-Clear Reward: 30 Gamer Souls

Repeatable Reward: 15 Gamer Souls

Advanced

AP Cost: 30

First-Clear Reward: 40 Gamer Souls

Repeatable Reward: 20 Gamer Souls

If you’re looking to take advantage of the shop and all the rewards in it, most of your time is going to be put to these for a while— don’t stress about it though, there’ll be more events to come.

Okay! What does Minhyeok do, though?

Our human buddy has gone through some things— so now he shares some of Satan’s power. He’s essentially S-Grade Satan— even donning a little bazooka in battle.

It may be because Satan hates me and won’t come home, but I’ve been enjoying using him on my team so far!

(Though his first promotion was an accident. Whoops. Don’t click blindly, now I’m committed.)

Basic Information:

Unit Type: Marksman

Element: Light

Paraphilia: Melcryptovestimtntaphilia

Grade: S

Typing that paraphilia out was something. It looks like I keyboard smashed.

Skill - Borrowed Power

“Draws a Cross of blood using Satan’s powers to attack the enemy.”

A basic attack with a long range— good for keeping him out of the fray while still doing good damage to the enemy. He attacks slow, though, keep that in mind— his ultimate will help with that though.

Ultimate - Complaining Helper

“Calls Sitri to drink his blood and call forth Scythe of Blood, which he swings at a 7x7 area to deal great DMG. The hit enemies are affected with Bleed for 4.00s, and the furious Sitri’s effects are added to double self’s ATK SPD for 15s.”

Sitri’s not happy, but he’s helping out! This is a wide range ultimate that afflicts bleed to anything it hits. Great for crowd control!

Essentially Minhyeok is mini-Satan. If you have Satan and want another like him, here you go! If you don’t, here’s something to use while you pine for him. (One day, Satan. You’re gonna come home.)

What about his artifact?

Personally… I don’t like it much. It’s not a bad artifact, but I don’t see anything in his kit that says he needs that amount of HP increase? I will say— bonus points to them for being “Hellvin Klein” though.

Great for units that need a lot of HP (30% at level 1? Yeesh)

Not personally what I’m going to equip him with, because I feel there’s better options.

I’m not using this on him, but if you want to go for it. It’ll increase the amount of damage he can take if an enemy slips through to him (because he should not be at the front lines!)

I’ve actually got Satan’s L-Grade Artifact “Silky Hair” on him— but anything that gives a bonus to his damage or his bleed effect status would be greatly more beneficial than this one.

What should I am to give him then?

ATK SPD and ATK buffing artifacts

Artifacts that enhance his bleed effect

Artifacts that simply have more utility on the battlefield (Semi-Permanent Marker, Shiny Leather Gloves, etc)

But hey— the HP% won’t hurt him either, if you want to pair him up with the one that came with him.

(Also yes, I’ve gotten Satan’s Silky Hair two or three times now but not the man himself. He’s torturing me.)

Hope this helps someone out!

#what in hell is bad sitri #what in hell is bad Satan #what in hell is bad Minhyeok #whb #whb prettybusy #prettybusy what in “hell” is bad?#whb Satan #whb sitri #whb minhyeok #whb guide #whb event #I really do have an addiction to making documentation I think #I do this for fun #~Astro fidgets #whb artifacts

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mrsdostoevsky · 2 years

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“The bed is getting cold and you're not here...”

pairing: Fyodor Dostoevsky x reader;

genre: some angst with fluff I guess (??);

word count: 675;

type: short drabble;

warnings: bad writing and maybe some grammar mistakes!! (english is not my first language, hope y'all understand it).

A/N: okay okay, I know this could be better but it's my first attempt to write and post something, so be patient with my shitty writing (I'm still learning 😭💀).

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a man committed to his goals, and you've always known that. He would do absolutely anything to execute his plans without a single flaw and by this, I imply that, if necessary, he wouldn't think twice about leaving you completely alone for days just to accomplish something related to his schemes. But, even if you were already used to his skeptical and cold demeanor, you couldn't imagine how miserable you would feel every time he lefts you because of his job.

---🦋---🦋---🦋----

It was just another lonely night. Sprawled in the vastness of fancy sheets of an empty queen-sized bed, sleep was almost impossible. It had been fifteen days since he and Nikolai left, and, without him, you felt so fragile, helpless, and unprotected. Even as an ability user, you were in a constant state of alertness because, being in a relationship with Fyodor means that, if his enemies can't hit him, they'll go for the thing he treasures the most, which is you. And Fyodor knows that. You two were fully aware that he was putting your life at risk when he asked you to be his darling, and you accepted this situation not just because you loved him, but because he promised to protect you no matter what and you trusted him with your life. He's a man of words, after all, and you know that.

Wrapped in one of his coats, you sought some comfort while inhaling his scent. That soft fragrance of lavender and black tea was so addictive. Exactly like him. Oh, you felt so nostalgic, and missed his touch even more. Your hands clutched even tighter to the coat, and you could feel the hot tears starting to run down your face and onto the fabric. You couldn't stop thinking about Fyodor and about how much his absence darkened your days. Because of his mission, he wasn't able to establish any type of communication, and this lack of news just anguished you even more. It was pathetic how dependent you had become on him. Even though he was a man of questionable morals and awful acts, you adored him and treated him as someone worthy of all your love and devotion. How pathetic.

Your cries of despair, however, were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. At first, you thought it was Sigma who was concerned with your behavior and was coming in to check how are you feeling during such tough times, so you tried to clean your swollen eyes and adjust your messy hair. At the sound of the door opening, you immediately raised from your bed, but all your sadness was abruptly replaced by a sense of relief when you saw Fyodor entering the room. Running out of bed, you immediately walked over to your exhausted boyfriend and helped him out of his heavy black coat, which, unsurprisingly, had some blood on it. When you were about to open your mouth to welcome your man, Fyodor surprised you with a sudden hug.

Hugs were an unusual thing for him, but he did it with so much passion that you could feel that he'd also missed being like this with you. And for a few minutes, you just stood like that, still and silent, his hands caressing your back as you rested your head on his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat.

- "Fedya, I missed you so much..." - you muttered under your breath, losing yourself in his sweet embrace and feeling again the warmth of tears, but this time of pure satisfaction and joy. Hearing your mumbles, Fyodor brought his index finger to your chin and lifted it slowly so that your eyes met his violet ones, which were glancing at you with unexpected tenderness.

- "Me too, Myshka..." - he said with a sigh, followed by a tired smile and a soft loving kiss pressed on your forehead. After this, he just stood there, resting his chin on the top of your head as you keep hugging him as tight as you can, afraid that he would escape from your embrace and leave you again.

#bsd x reader #bsd fyodor #bsd fyodor x reader #bsd fic #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd fyodor dostoevsky

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mcybree · 1 year

Text

An unguided hand, he thinks.

He wasn’t quite sure why the phrase had come to mind. If he had to guess, he’d figure it had something to do with being on self-assigned bodyguard duty for the last seven hours and a half, given that he had plenty of time to think up fun phrases. But this particular phrase, an unguided hand, had a strange stickiness to it. Which was especially strange because it didn’t even rhyme.

Martyn takes a moment to lean back against the hourglass’s foundation. He knows how to move his own hands. Given the blood he’d washed off them hours prior, he’d say he knew how to move them quite well. It’d be a tad harsh to call ol’ righty and lefty ‘unguided’ after all that willful slaughtering.

He’d considered it, maybe, being a metaphorical hand. This perspective, however, only shoved him into a new roadblock to ponder around: a metaphorical hand could mean anything from divine intervention to marriage. Must he lend a hand? Force someone’s hand? Aim for that five-finger discount? Who was he to decipher which thousands of hand metaphors this made-up phrase was referring to?

And it’s not like Scott would have any clue. Martyn might ask for his thoughts on it, if he gets bored, but what would asking Scott accomplish? Martyn would only earn himself a weird look, accompanied by yet another “I don’t know what you want from me, Martyn.”

He doesn’t quite understand that phrase either, by the way. Scott has a tendency to say it following any instance Martyn even tries to get on with Scott a little better, and it’s becoming just a bit irritating. It isn’t Martyn’s fault that Scott doesn’t want to play along with his old english musings. It isn’t Martyn’s fault that Scott was surprised when Martyn oh-so-casually offered to kill him if it came down to it.

And it’s certainly not Martyn’s fault that Scott didn’t even seem to click with his vow to keep a bodyguard’s vigil through the night he could otherwise be spending sleeping right now.

Every time Martyn has done something like this, Scott looks at him like he doesn’t know where they are. Like Martyn’s lost, somehow.

And, sure, Martyn gets that offering yourself to be an extension of somebody else’s will, even temporarily, is a pretty damn big deal, so maybe it comes off a little strong, but, at the same time, a pledge of loyalty seems like a pretty natural big deal to make in a death game, or it at least feels that way, so he just— he just doesn’t get it.

Hm. Martyn fiddled with the watch in his pocket — It seems as though he doesn’t get a lot of things, does he? Which is strange. It’s strange because he knows he’s been here before, or, at least been in similar places; everybody knows this game isn’t anyone‘s first rodeo. And despite the fact not one of them can fully recall the previous games, he does feel as though, in the past, he at least got it. He got things. He understood. But this time…

Martyn squinted. Is something missing? Is that it? Something vital? A goal, a mission, a person? Anything? Any explanation as to why he just doesn’t get it? It’s as if, for as right as anything he does feels, it makes up for it by feeling just as wrong. Like he’s unknowingly living his whole life in some kind of funhouse mirror.

It’s nights like these that makes Martyn consider whether Scott is right, to look at him that way. Maybe he is lost. He takes in the shape of his watch — maybe he’s simply missing a compass.

It’d be wise, perhaps, to take a small break from staring at the beach house for yet another hour; the reflection of the stars on the sea is a mighty fine sight to settle for just glancing over.

An unguided hand, he thinks. Maybe it’ll come to him.

#fic #inthelittlewood #limited life #trafficblr #Idk wouldnt it be so funny silly if martyn was unknowingly replicating what he had with ren through scott because he feels rens absence in #his very bones even if he cant remember him or what #limlife

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vgckwb · 2 months

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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 195: This is Halloween

The next day, as Ren was heading to school, there was a message in the Phantom Thieves group chat. She checked it.

Yusuke: Pardon me. I know today is Hallowen, but does anyone have time to meet after school?

Yusuke: I have a lot on my mind, and I want to discuss it with people.

Haru: Unfortunately, I have to decline.

Haru: There’s an important meeting at Okumura Foods, and I'd like to be a part of it.

Makoto: I can’t make it either.

Makoto: I’m helping someone today.

Futaba: And in case you forgot, I’m busy looking through our notes and contacting Riko and Akechi.

Lena: Oh, be sure to contact Goro first.

Lena: He and I have a date tonight.

Ryuji: Oh, nice!

Ryuji: As it so happens, Ann and I also have a date.

Ann: Yeah, but I’m sure we can help you Yusuke.

Ann: So long as it doesn’t take too long.

Sumire: I can be there too!

Ren: Same.

Ren: And I think if we meet at Leblanc, Morgana can also make it.

Yusuke: Personally, I’d like to meet there as well.

Jose: I’d like to come too, but I promised the theater club something.

Yusuke: Will I see you at the Kosei Halloween party at least?

Jose: Yeah…

Yusuke: I guess I’ll talk to you then.

Jose: Sure.

Lena: I can make it too if we can do it before mine and Goro’s date.

Lena: In case that wasn’t clear.

Yusuke: Alright then.

Yusuke: See you after school.

Ren: See you then!

Ren put her phone away, and continued towards school.

Meanwhile, Futaba was looking through stuff, when she decided to hack back into Akechi’s phone.

???: Greeting Detective Akechi!

???: This is Phantom Thief Alibaba.

Goro: Huh.

Goro: I thought she’d have told you by now.

???: Who are you talking about?

Goro: I gave one of your associates a list of people who I suspect to be Phantom Thieves, and you for sure were on it.

???: Well, maybe you just don’t know my associates then.

???: Because I’ve never heard of this list.

Akechi was frustrated, but didn’t feel like pushing this point at the moment.

Goro: Well, in any case, how goes things on your end?

???: We ran into a few complications.

???: But we shall overcome.

Goro: Do you need my help?

???: Perhaps.

Goro: How may I be of assistance?

???: We need to ratchet up the pressure on the director.

???: He’s planning something, and we need to figure out how to undermine him.

Goro: That seems tricky.

Goro: But I may have a solution.

???: Go on.

Goro: I’ve been tracking down his associates, but none of them have been all too helpful.

Goro: So maybe we should just play into his sense of superiority. We make it look like we aren’t accomplishing anything, and then surprise him when you accomplish your next goal.

???: That…actually works with what we’ve been planning.

Goro: May I ask what that is?

???: Do you still want to arrest us after all this is said and done?

Goro: I see your point.

???: It’s not that we don’t want to work with you further…

Goro: I understand.

Goro: To be honest, I have my own goals that letting you in would complicate.

???: I can imagine.

Goro: Still, I like this balance we are striking.

Goro: Perhaps in another time, another place, we could be good friends.

???: Perhaps.

Goro: Well, good luck on your mission.

???: You too!

Futaba cut off contact with Akechi.

“Hm,” Akechi grinned. “I don’t think I was given wrong information on who ‘Alibaba’ was. Still, I can’t let them know that entirely. I do hope that the director can remain more composed than to let it slip when his back is suddenly against the wall. It’s a bit of a risk, but it’s the easiest way to keep The Phantom Thieves off his trail. Sorry Phantom Thieves, but he’s mine!” Akechi got another message, this time from Lena.

Lena: Hey Goro!

Lena: I’m helping a friend after school, but don’t worry.

Lena: I should be back around 5:30-ish, and I have our costumes ready, so you can just come over.

Goro: Can’t wait! See you then!

Akechi put his phone away and continued onward.

Meanwhile, Futaba sighed, relieved. “I can’t believe he bought that.” She then went back to looking through the various notes Riko had given her.

Afterschool, Yusuke, Ren, Morgana, Sumire, Ann, Ryuji, and Lena met up at Leblanc. “Soooo, what’s this about?” Ryuji asked.

Yusuke hesitated. “...I…know it was the right thing to leave Madarame…but ever since then, I’ve felt torn. When I was living with Madarame, I could think of art purely. But now, I’m being confronted with the reality that if I were to survive in the art world, no, in the world in general, I need to think about other things than art. I have to use my art to survive. In that way, I don’t think I can purely see art ever again. It’s all just a means to an end.”

He looked over at the Sayuri hanging up. “The reason I wanted to come here was to take another look. I have often felt inspired by Sayuri. And knowing its true nature, it’s only more beautiful.” He sighed. “But alas, my mind is so cluttered with the poisonous trappings of everyday life that I don’t think I can create something even half as good.” He looked back at everyone. “So, what do I do?”

Everyone looked at Yusuke. “Um, no offense,” Ryuji said, “but can’t you focus on both?” Yusuke seemed intrigued. “I mean, I started running because I liked it. And I thought if I could be successful enough in track, I could help my mom. So I just kept doing what I loved.”

“Yeah,” Ann said. “Doing what you love is wonderful! I admit that we don’t live in an ideal world, and we do need to focus on how to survive, but if you can do it by doing something you love, then there’s no worry, right?”

“I’m not sure that’s entirely helpful,” Morgana said, “but I get the sentiment. It’s like ‘you’re already doing it, might as well go all in.’ And if a Phantom Thief can’t go all in, well…”

“Huh,” Yusuke said. “I understand.”

“I get that it’s not easy,” Sumire said. “And believe me, even with all the help in the world, there will still be road bumps. But if you are determined to strive forward with your dream, then instead of thinking of the road bumps in a completely negative light, think of how you can use them to your advantage.”

“Yeah,” Lena added. “I mean, I left my home to pursue my dreams. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m still trying. And I’m glad you asked us. Being able to reach out is hard, but I know it’s worth it in the end.”

“Everyone…” Yusuke said.

Ren smirked. “Remember: Kosuke told you to be the best damn artist you could be, right? I bet you’d hate to disappoint him. Or us, for that matter.”

Yusuke started to remember Kosuke’s words after they defeated him. He smirked as well. “Yes. And he told me something else. He said I ‘always had eyes on the bigger picture.’ I guess I just lost sight of it once everything changed. I thought I had to change with it, I suppose I still do, but I think I need to change in a way that suits me, you know?”

“Yeah!” Ryuji said. “Being yourself is what a Phantom Thief is all about!”

“I agree!” Morgana said.

“Hey!” Ann said. “Look at you two getting along!”

“Huh?!” Ryuji and Morgana gasped.

“I mean…We just agree here,” Ryuji said.

“Yeah,” Morgana protested. “It’s not like we’re close or anything.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Sumire said. “After everything we’ve been through, there’s nothing that can tear us apart. And that includes you two.”

“Well…” Ryuji tried to follow up.

“Hm hm,” Lena giggled. “Even if you butt heads from time to time, you’re still good friends in the end, right?”

“Mreeeee…” Morgana groaned, not wanting to admit it, but being unable to lie.

Yusuke chuckled. He took out a sketchbook and started sketching. He soon presented it to everyone. “Behold!” It was a sketch of Ryuji and Morgana being angry with each other, but in the background was them admiring each other. “I call it ‘Tempest Friendship’.”

“What?!” Morgana shrieked.

“You’re…not going to make that into a full painting, are you?” Ryuji asked.

“I might,” Yusuke said. “But I have a lot of other paintings in mind. But this one is nice.”

“I like it,” Ren said. “It’s a commemoration of you getting out of your slump.”

“Yes,” Yusuke said. “But I still need something more. This is nice, but I want my first full piece to be GLORIOUS!”

“I understand the feeling,” Sumire said. “Once you overcome an obstacle, you want to show the world just what you’re capable of.”

“Yeah!” Lena added. “I know you can do it. You can set the art world on FIRE!”

Yusuke chuckled. “Thank you, everyone. I don’t know where I would be without you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Ren said.

Emperor-Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 8

Lena stood up. “Well, I should get going. I need to meet up with Goro to go on our date.” She opened the door. “Bye!”

“We should get going too,” Ann said. “We gotta make sure your costume fits!”

“Co-Costume?” Ryuji said. “I thought we were just hanging out.”

“On Halloween?!” Ann said. “No way! We’re here to have FUN!” She grabbed Ryuji’s arm. “Let’s go!”

“Ah!” Ryuji said, jolting up. “Alright then. Let’s see what you got!” The two of them left.

“I should get going too,” Yusuke said. “I missed last year’s Kosei Halloween Party due to Madarame. I don’t want to miss any more.”

“Take care!” Ren said. She and Yusuke waved at each other as he left. Once he was gone, Ren looked at Sumire. “I’m sorry I didn’t plan anything.”

“Huh?!” Sumire said. “Oh, uh, no, it’s quite alright. Well, I mean…” She sighed. “This is my first Halloween without Kasumi. We always used to do adorable twin costumes. I really liked doing that. I guess I’m not ready to do something big yet…”

Ren grabbed Sumire’s hand. “It’s OK. Just go at your own pace.”

Sumire smiled. “I guess doing a little something with you would be nice.”

Ren chuckled. “I think I know just the thing.” Ren glanced at Morgana. “Are you OK on your own?”

“Please,” Morgana said. “A black cat on Halloween? I couldn’t be more at home. I bet I can find something JUICY!”

Ren nodded. “Just be safe OK? And get back home at a reasonable time.”

“Right!” Morgana said. With that, the three of them left. Morgana headed off in his own direction, while Ren was leading Sumire somewhere.

Meanwhile, Makoto and Eiko arrived at Eiko’s house. “I’m home!” Eiko called out. No response.

“Is no one home?” Makoto wondered.

“No, my mom and brother are home,” Eiko said, pointing at the shoes.

“Oh. Right,” Makoto said. “Sorry…”

“It’s OK,” Eiko said. “You’re the one rescuing me from this after all.”

Makoto smiled. “Right.” They took off their shoes and headed in.

Sure enough, Eiko’s mom and brother were there. Her brother was watching TV, while her mom was baking. “Hi,” Eiko said.

“Oh, Eiko honey,” Eiko’s mom said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Eiko glared at her, but kept her composure. “Um, this is my…friend Makoto,” she said, remaining civil. “The girl I told you about.”

“Hm?” Eiko’s mom said, looking over. “Oh that’s right. You said you were moving in with her.”

“That’s right,” Eiko said.

“Um, hello,” Makoto said, unsure of what to expect.

“Hm,” Eiko’s mom said. “Well thank you.” Makoto was surprised. “I’m glad Eiko found a friend like you.”

“Um…thanks…?” Makoto replied.

“I know she can be a handful,” Eiko’s mom said, “but I’m sure you’ll manage. From what I’ve heard, you’re quite capable.”

“Oh, she’s really no trouble at all,” Makoto protested.

“I know you’re trying to be polite,” Eiko’s mom responded, “but we both know that Eiko is…how you say, rambunctious. I mean, look at Asahi over there. He gets good grades. He’s popular at school. He’s the leader of the soccer team. You can tell he’s meant for great things. But Eiko? She bends and breaks so easily. She’s a follower by nature. She barely gets by, and is only friends with miscreants. Er, present company excluded, of course.”

“Of course,” Makoto repeated bitterly.

“But hey, maybe with you, she’ll turn her life around,” Eiko’s mom said.

“Well,” Makoto said firmly, “I think that’s the first thing you’ve said that I agree with.” Eiko’s mom looked at her intently. “But you’re completely wrong about Eiko. She’s smarter than you give her credit for. A lot braver and a lot kinder too. But I think she’s being stifled by your expectations. So that’s why she’ll be in my care from here on.” Eiko was stunned by Makoto’s fiery rebuttal.

Eiko’s mom glared at her. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Makoto replied.

Eiko’s mom went back to baking. “Well, whatever. It’s not like she’s going to be my problem for much longer.”

“The fact that you think of her as a ‘problem’ is very much the reason she’ll be gone soon,” Makoto said. “Though I doubt you ever really thought of her as ‘yours’.”

Eiko’s mom grew more bitter. “Did you just come here to argue with me?”

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Makoto said. “This was just a fun bonus.” Eiko laughed, while Eiko’s mom groaned. “I came over to help Eiko pack a little, and then we’re going to catch a movie.”

“Hm,” Eiko’s mom said. “Well, if you leave before you can taste my Halloween cookies, there won’t be any when you get back.”

“We’ll probably grab dinner afterwards anyway,” Makoto said,

“Suit yourself,” Eiko’s mom said. “Like I care at this point.”

“It seems the feeling is mutual,” Makoto said. “Eiko?” Eiko nodded, and they headed over to her room.

On their way, Eiko whispered “Don’t worry. Mom’s cookies suck anyways.”

“And she calls you imperfect,” Makoto whispered back. They shared a giggle before entering Eiko’s room to pack up a little.

Meanwhile, Haru arrived at the boardroom. The members there were shocked, and one of them asked “Erm, Miss Okumura, um, what are you doing here?”

Haru answered with “I know I’m still a student, and I’ve not attended many of these, but now that everything has changed, I wish to take a bigger role in the company. I will start by attending these meetings whenever I can. Of course, I can’t make any policy decisions, but I wish to at least have a voice.”

“But Mis Okumura-”

“Let her stay,” an older gentleman said.

“Takakura!”

“What she said isn’t wrong,” Takakura continued. “Although I wish you didn’t have to worry too much about the company at this stage.”

“I don’t mind,” Haru said. “But as I’ve said before, I’ll inform you of my decision once I come to it. In the meantime, I wish to do whatever I can to help.”

“Very well,” Takakura said. There were some whispers around the table about Takakura’s disposition towards Haru, as well as her father. “Anwyas!” Takakura commanded. Everyone went silent. “If we’re all here, let’s begin.” Everyone nodded. “As you may know, things haven’t been going well since Mr. Okumura’s heart was stolen. But he is no longer a part of this company. We are the future of Okumura Foods, and we have to make sure we salvage this sinking ship. We’re doing all we can to make up for Mr. Okumura’s past transgressions, including that new order that came in just a few days ago, but-”

“Um,” Haru interjected. “What new order?”

Takakura looked at her. “We’ve been ordered to recall and shut down Starfall Coffee.”

“How come?” Haru asked.

“We’re not sure,” another executive said. “All we know is that we’ve been told that there’s a major issue with it.”

“By whom?” Haru wondered.

“The Special Investigations Unit,” another executive answered. “It was found as part of the investigation into your father.”

“Huh,” Haru said. I should tell the others that.

“Anyways!” Takaura said, steering the conversation back on task. “While everything we’re doing to correct the mistakes of the past, it’s imperative that we start thinking about the future of Okumura Foods.”

The future of Okumura Foods, huh… Haru pondered. What do I see for the future?

A little later, Akechi was checking his phone. He saw the news of the Starfall Coffee recall. “Hm. I suppose that was inevitable at this rate. I’m sure he’s already figured something else out by now.”

He arrived at Lena’s house. He knocked on the door. Lena answered. “Goro!” she cheered, leaping into his arms.

“Heh heh,” Goro chuckled. Lena looked up and the two shared a kiss. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve whipped up.”

“Oh right!” Lena said, letting go. “Follow me!” She led him inside. They went up to her room. Lena had two mannequins setup with homemade costumes.

Akechi looked at the masculine mannequin. He saw a formal outfit with a really hairy wig and tail coming off of it. “So, I’m a formal werewolf?”

Lena giggled. “No silly! It’s a couple’s costume. We’re going as Beauty and The Beast.” Lena presented her costume on the feminine mannequin, which was an adaptation of her persona.

“I see,” Akechi replied.

“It’s perfect!” Lena said. “I’ve always loved the story! BUT it works for you as well?”

“Does it?” Akechi wondered.

Lena nodded. “Now we can go out and about in public and nobody will know it’s you because you’re covered in hair.”

“I see,” Akechi said.

“ALSO!” Lena said. “I gave the chestpiece a little bit of padding so you don’t need to wear a binder. I know you shouldn’t wear that all the time.”

“Hm hm. You know, that was quite thoughtful of you,” Akechi said.

“Hm hm. Thanks,” Lena replied.

Akechi smiled. “Well, shall we get changed?”

“Oh!” Lena said, stunned. “Yes! Um, do you need help?”

“I think I can manage,” Akechi said.

“Great!” Lena said.

A few minutes later, both of them were changed and ready to head out. “You know, this costume fits me like a glove,” Akechi noted.

Lena giggled. “Well, you did tell me your measurements.”

“Right,” Akechi said. He offered his hand. “Well then, shall we?”

Lena curtsied. “Let’s. She took Akechi’s hand, and the two of them went off to celebrate.

As they left, Tamako looked on, smiled, sighed, and remarked “Tail as old as time.”

Meanwhile, at Ann’s house. Ryuji was in one of the restrooms. “Does it fit?” Ann called out from outside.

“I think so,” Ryuji said. “It’s a little lose, but I imagine that’s part of it.”

“Yeah,” Ann remarked. “Well come on, let me see!”

Ryuji walked out. He was wearing a slightly ill-fitting green tuxedo jacket and pants, with a maroon shirt underneath, a white bowtie with red polka dots, and a large green hat with a tag sticking out of it reading “In This Style 10/6”. “Hah, this was a GREAT idea!” Ryuji exclaimed. “And this costume is AMAZING!”

Ann giggled. “Thanks.” Ryuji looked at his girlfriend to see her wearing a blue dress with a white apron, black and white stripped stockings, and a black hairband over her head, which was all the way down, since she removed the pigtails. “What do you think of my costume?”

Ryuji smiled. “You look adorable.”

Ann giggled again. “Thanks. So, are you ready to paint the town red?”

“Absolutely!” Ryuji answered. “And I believe that we should party even harder than usual. Not only is it Halloween, but I believe it’s both of our unbirthdays.”

“You’re right,” Ann said. They took each other’s hands and went off to celebrate.

Morgana was walking around town. He saw people celebrating by dressing up and being a little more raucous than usual. Still, he didn’t mind. He loved it when people were having fun. Besides, he was on the prowl for information, and tonight seemed like a night where people were a little more loose-lipped .

Morgana was trekking around when he passed by a police station. He noticed they were throwing out their coffee maker. “Why are we doing this again?” one of the officer’s asked.

“Because,” another officer answered, “the SIU told us to.”

“‘SIU’?” Morgana wondered. “I should get closer.” He stealthed his way to the officers talking.

“I know,” the first officer said. “But it tastes so good!”

“I know Okumura’s Starfall Coffee is good,” the second officer said. “But it’s dangerous.”

“How come?”

The second officer looked around. “Don’t mention this to anyone, but I’ve heard that it’s one of the causes of those mental shutdowns we’ve been looking into.”

“WHAT?!” Morgana shrieked. He slipped from his perch and landed in front of the two officers. He was a little nervous.

The second officer sighed. “It’s just a cat.”

“Yeah,” the first officer said. “Imagine if that was a person. But still, that gives me chills. To think a cup of coffee could make someone go insane. Usually if I don’t get a cup of joe, I go insane.”

“Trust me, you’re plenty insane with or without coffee,” the second officer said.

“HEY!” the first officer shouted. They both went inside.

Morgana sighed, relieved. “I guess…this body has its uses.” He stood up and shook himself off. “I should go home and tell Futaba.” Morgana started heading back.

At Kosei, Yusuke emerged from his dorm room wearing his regular clothes, as well as a set of fake cat ears and cat tail. He moved out to where the party was being held.

Upon arrival, he got a few looks. “Hey, Kitagawa!” said one of the other students, who was wearing a succubus costume. “That’s…an interesting costume.”

“Forgive me,” Yusuke said. “I didn’t have enough money for a full costume.”

“No no, it’s great!” the other student said. “It’s so…you!”

“Why thank you,” Yusuke replied.

“Well, uh, help yourself to some punch,” the other student said. “Oh, and take some sweets too.”

“Hm. Don’t mind if I do,” Yusuke said. As he was getting his food and drink, he turned and asked “Oh, has Jose arrived yet?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” the other student said.

“He told me he was doing something with the theater department,” Yusuke clarified.

“Oh!’ the other student said. “Well, you’ll see him soon then.”

“Huh?” Yusuke wondered.

Suddenly, the front of the room lit up. “It’s starting!” the other student said.

“The Kosei Theater Club proudly presents: The Dance to Summon The Pumpkin Prince!” Yusuke’s attention was focused on the makeshift stage. In the middle of it was a big leaf. The various theater kids, dressed as all sorts of Halloween classics, began dancing around the leaf, attempting to summon The Pumpkin Prince.

Soon, two sides formed, and they began giving each other cues to act and react. Slowly but surely, the leaf started to blossom. Once it fully bloomed, there was a pumpkin in the middle of it. The pumpkin slowly got up, turned around, and revealed himself to be Jose in a pumpkin costume. “THE PUMPKIN PRINCE!” the other performers exclaimed. Jose smiled. There was a round of applause.

Later, Yusuke met up with Jose. “I must say, you did an excellent job.”

“Oh, you saw that, did you?” Jose said, embarrassed.

“Indeed,” Yusuke siad. “I feel inspired.”

“Eh heh,” Jose laughed. “Well, I didn’t do a whole lot. They just needed someone short, and I fit the bill.”

“Nonsense,” Yusuke said. “You were the star of the show.”

“Well…” Jose said.

“Don’t be so modest,” Hifumi said. Yusuke and Jose turned to look at her. She was wearing ancient Japanese regal attire. “You did wonderfully.”

“Thanks,” Jose said.

“Pardon me,” Yusuke said. “Are you supposed to be Queen Himiko?”

Hifumi giggled. “You’re the first person to guess correctly.”

“But it’s so obvious,” Yusuke said.

“Well, you look pretty either way,” Jose remarked.

Hifumi chuckled. “Thanks. You know, you look adorable yourself.”

“Eh heh,” Jose chuckled, blushing. “Oh right.” He looked up to Yusuke. “Do you still need help?”

“You need help?” Hifumi wondered.

“Well, I suppose I could tell you,” Yusuke said. “I’ve sorted things out, but more voices wouldn’t hurt.” He explained his earlier meeting to Jose and Hifumi.

“I see,” Jose said. “Well, to be honest, I think I’d mirror what they said. But I would add that doing something like this is a seeminglessly endless task, but doing so is its own reward.”

“If I may,” Hifumi added, “I think the issue you may be having is that, pardon my bluntness, you don’t really have any immediate family members. I know I’m doing shogi for my father, but…”

Yusuke grinned. “I see. While it is true that I don’t have any relatives, I do have friends, and they’re like a family to me. If I can do it for them, then there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jose said.

Hifumi giggled. “I could really use courage like yours.”

“Oh right,” Yusuke said. “Do you-?”

“I’ll figure that out later,” Hifumi said. “Tonight, I just want to have fun. Shall we get more punch?”

“Of course,” Yusuke said. The three of them went off to enjoy the party.

Later, Makoto and Eiko arrived at the movie theater. Makoto sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how bad it was at your place.”

Eiko chuckled. “It’s alright. Besides, I loved seeing you put my mom in her place.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to move tonight?” Makoto said. “Because we can skip the movie, and-”

Eiko shook her head. “It’s alright. I can wait until then.”

Makoto nodded. “Well, if you say so. So, what movie do you want to watch?” “Well, it’s Halloween, right?” Eiko said. “So something scary!”

“GAH!” Makoto shrieked. Eiko was confused. “Sorry. It’s just…I don’t take to horror too well.”

“Oh!’ Eiko said.

“But if you really want to-”

“Shhhhhhh,” Eiko said, calming her girlfriend down. “It’s OK. I can watch it on my own time. Tonight is about us!” Makoto nodded. “So, what do you want to watch? Maybe a Buchimaru-kun movie.”

“Well, one isn’t playing until December,” Makoto said. “And that’s a special event showing off the classic Christmas with Buchimaru-kun.”

“Woah,” Eiko siad. “I was joking.”

“Oh, uh…” Makoto said, embarrassed.

Eiko chuckled. “It’s fine. I think it’s really cute that you’re into it. Most people would feel like they’re too cool for it. But I still like it as well. Granted, it has been a bit…”

Makoto smiled. “Thanks.”

Eiko smiled back. “But, is it anything like that, or Buchimaru-kun specifically?”

“Well, I like similar shows,” Makoto said. “But Buchimaru-kun just resonates with me. Always has.”

“How come?” Eiko asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Makoto said. She noticed one of the posters. “Oh look! Like a Dragon is playing! Are you up for some hard-boiled action?!” Eiko was stunned. “Oh. I guess not.”

“No no no no,” Eiko replied. “I, um, I really like that kind of stuff. But I’ve never told anyone because it doesn’t seem ‘girly’ enough, you know?”

“Hm,” Makoto said. “Well, women can appreciate all sorts of things, right?”

Eiko smiled and blushed. “Yeah.”

They went up to the ticket booth. “Two for Like a Dragon,” Makoto said. They got their tickets, and headed in.

Meanwhile, Ren took Sumire up to Shinjuku. Sumire was a little nervous. “Are you sure about this? Shinjuku isn’t known for its restraint.”

“Trust me,” Ren said. “We’re going straight there, spend a little time, and then we’ll be out. Besides, one of my friends runs it.”

“Well, if it’s one of your friends, I trust you,” Sumire said. They held hands as Ren led the way.

They soon arrived at Chihaya’s fortune telling booth. “Ah, hello,” Chihaya said.

“Hi,” Ren said. “This is… There’s no point in me hiding it, is there?”

Chihaya giggled. “I foretold that you were coming with your lover. So unless there is a boy hiding in the shadows somewhere...”

Ren sighed. “No, you got us.” Chihaya giggled again.

“Um, who is this?” Sumire wondered.

“Oh, forgive me,” Chihaya said. “My name is Chihaya Mifune. I’m a fortune teller.”

“I see,” Sumire said. “And a very good one at that, I can tell.”

“Thanks,” Chihaya said. “And your name?”

“Oh, right,” Sumire said. “I’m Sumire Yoshizawa. Ren’s girlfriend.” She bowed.

“Hm hm,” Chihaya chuckled. “So, what brings you here tonight, of all nights?”

“Well, um, Sumire isn’t 100% in the Halloween spirit, but I convinced her to do something a little fun. So perhaps she could have her fortune read?”

“I see,” Chihaya said. She turned to Sumire. “Are you alright with this?”

“Well, if Ren trusts you, I trust you,” Sumire said.

“Very well,” Chihaya said. She and Sumire set up the reading. Chihaya drew three cards. “I see.” She flipped the first one. “The Fool, upright. It tells that you are about to embark on a new journey.”

“Huh,” Sumire said.

Chihaya flipped the second card. “The Faith, upright. This journey will help you realize your true potential and do away with the lies of the past.”

“I see…” Sumire said.

Chihaya flipped the last part. “The Hunger, in reverse. This journey will end once the forces that try to suppress you are revealed to be nothing more than a shadow of lies and deceit. Only then will the truth come to you.”

“Hmmm,” Sumire said. “Well, that was a little intense…” Ren was a little worried. “But it was interesting.” Ren was relieved. “And given your penchant for seeing the truth, I imagine something like that happening.”

“Do you know what it is?” Chihahya asked.

“I have an idea,” Sumire said. “But it’s rather personal…”

“Say no more,” Chihaya said. “Just know I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Thanks,” Sumire said. “Oh, how much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry,” Chihaya said. “This one’s on the house.”

Ren was stunned. “But, um, you know?” Sumire was confused.

“Don’t worry,” Chihaya said. “It will be alright in the end.”

Sumire looked at her. “Are you also undertaking a journey?”

Chihaya nodded. “And I know I’m coming up to a crossroads soon. I just have to believe in myself.”

“Well, you know I’m here for you,” Ren said.

“Me too,” Sumire replied.

“Thanks,” Chihaya said. “I think I’m going to need it.” She turned to Ren. “Especially from you.” Ren nodded.

“Um, if you believe in Ren as much as I do,” Sumire noted, “then I think things will go well for you.”

Chihaya giggled. “Well, I can’t believe in her as much as you do.” Sumire slightly blushed. “But I can tell that Ren is a force to be reckoned with.”

“Well, Sumire’s no slouch either,” Ren said.

“I can see that,” Chihaya said. “And if the two of you are together, then you’d be unstoppable.”

Ren smiled and blushed. “Thanks.”

Fortune-Chihaya Mifune: Rank 6

“So, do you want to stay and watch some other fortunes being read?” Ren asked.

“You should go…” Chihaya said. “Not that you wouldn’t be interested, but Halloween in Shinjuku attracts more of the bizarre crowd.”

“I think she’s right,” Sumire said. “But I had fun.”

“Well that’s all I need to hear,” Ren said. “Bye!”

“It was nice meeting you!” Sumire said.

“Bye bye you two!” Chihaya said. Ren and Sumire left. They shared a kiss before getting on the train.

Ryuji and Ann were still out and about having fun. "Man, this is the BEST Halloween I've ever had! Thanks for dragging me out!"

"Hm hm, no problem," Ann said. "To be honest, I think this is the best Halloween I've ever had too."

"No kiddin'?" Ryuji said. "Well, I know one thing that'll make it even better." "You read my mind," Ann said. The two shared a kiss.

As Akechi and Lena were heading back, Lena leaned on Akechi’s shoulder. “Tonight was fun.”

“Indeed,” Akechi replied. “To be honest, I never really liked Halloween before. I didn’t like some of the costumes I was given, but, well, you know why.” Lena chuckled. “And then after getting big, I didn’t have time or couldn’t get a costume to hide me enough” He looked deep into Lena’s eyes. “But tonight was really fun. And I feel like with you, I can enjoy anything.”

“Oh, stop!” Lena said. They were both blushing.

“This is a really nice costume,” Akechi said. “I wonder what you’ll come up with in the future.”

“Right…” Lena said. Do we have a future? Am I going home? She looked up at Akechi. Or is this my home?

Meanwhile, Akechi was distracted with his own thoughts. I can’t let her know I’ll probably be busy. Once the plan is set in motion, I might not have time for big stuff like this. But I’m sure she’ll understand. I just need everything in place.

He looked back at Lena. He leaned in, and Lena met him for a kiss. “Happy Halloween,” Akechi said.

“Happy Halloween,” Lena replied. The two continued onward.

Once Haru got out of the meeting, she got out her phone.

Haru: Everyone! I have some big news!

Haru: The SIU told Okumura Foods to recall its Starfall Coffee venture.

Haru: Something has to be up.

Futaba: Already know!

Futaba: Morgana overheard some police officers talking about it.

Futaba: He said that they heard they were causing the mental shutdowns!

Haru: WHAT?!

Sumire: That’s absurd!

Futaba: Maybe, but nothing about this case is “normal”.

Sumire: I guess you’re right.

Yusuke: Have you talked with Riko yet?

Futaba: Not yet.

Futaba: I was looking over my mom’s notes, and the notes about the director.

Futaba: I lost track of time.

Ren: It’s OK. Now we have something else.

Ren: Something big!

Futaba: Right. I’m on it!

Jose: What else did you find?

Futaba: The director is a very crafty person.

Futaba: His profile is full of twists and turns.

Futaba: I imagine that if he did kill his wife, he’d know how to make it look incidental.

Futaba: As for mom’s notes, I found something interesting.

Futaba: Apparently if you amass enough fame, you can tap into the collective unconscious.

Sumire: Mementos!

Jose: But if whoever killed your mom has these notes…

Futaba: That’s what I figured.

Futaba: We’re not the only ones in there.

Yusuke: Do you think it has anything to do with that body of water?

Futaba: Probably.

Ren: We should check, just to be sure.

Futaba: Right.

Futaba: Anyways, Haru, can you get the schematic for Starfall?

Haru: I don't think so.

Haru: I’m not great with computers to begin with, and I don’t think I’d have access to something like that.

Futaba: Plan B then.

Futaba: Come over, and I’ll give you the Futaba special. I’ll take care of the rest.

Haru: Got it.

Ren: See you all later!

Futaba: Seeya!

Futaba then went to work contacting Riko.

Futaba: Riko!

Futaba: Something big just happened.

Riko: What is it?

Futaba: Did you know that the SIU instructed a recall on Okumura Foods Starfall Coffee?

Riko: I was.

Riko: Sae told me about that.

Futaba: Well, it turns out that it’s because somehow Starfall Coffee is causing the mental shutdowns.

Riko: Oh right.

Riko: The director mentioned that.

Futaba: And you forgot?!

Riko: Forgive me. A lot was happening.

Riko: The fake calling card, Eirs, it was a lot to process.

Futaba: Well, I can’t say I blame you.

Futaba: BUT we have an idea as to how this was being used.

Riko: Go on.

Futaba: Well, looking through my mom’s notes, there’s a special concoction you can make to infiltrate people’s hearts. But you need to get them to ingest the blood of the person infiltrating after they drank it.

Futaba: So I suspect that Starfall Coffee was the means to do just that.

Riko: That seems like a lot.

Futaba: Right, but if this organization is so big to include Madarame, Kaneshiro, Okumura, and Principal Kobayakawa, they may have more numbers at their disposal.

Futaba: You don’t need a lot of blood, you need a lot of people.

Riko: I see.

Riko: Want me to get the schematics for Starfall Coffee?

Futaba: I'm on that on my end.

Futaba: But I do need you to do something.

Riko: What is it?

Futaba: Can you get the file on the murder case involving the director’s son?

Futaba: We suspect that he may have been involved, and that maybe he also murdered his wife.

Riko: Oh my!

Riko: I’m on it!

Riko: Oh, and I have a plan.

Futaba: You do?

Riko: Yeah. I asked Sae last night about what happens if you challenge her.

Riko: She told me that if that happens, she’s confronting the director.

Riko: She believes that once you’re done with her, you’ll meet up with him somehow.

Futaba: So we know where she’ll be.

Riko: And you told me when.

Riko: So all that’s left is to figure out what comes next.

Futaba: Right.

Futaba: Well, regardless, we need a way for Sae to get out.

Futaba: I think I have an idea for that.

Riko: We do need to fish for more information from the director too.

Futaba: Right. Akechi said not to ruffle any feathers until it’s time to strike.

Riko: You’re in contact with Akechi?

Futaba: Tentatively.

Futaba: It’s an uneasy alliance.

Riko: I see.

Riko: Well, regardless, I think I know a way to get some information once things go off.

Futaba: It can't involve us, because we’ll be busy in Sae’s palace.

Riko: Right.

Riko: My plan still works then.

Futaba: Well then, let’s see if our plans can work in tandem.

Riko: OK!

The two of them discussed their plan. Once they finished…

Futaba: Damn! You’re really clever.

Riko: Thanks.

Riko: You’re really smart yourself.

Futaba: Thanks.

Futaba: Now all we have to do is make sure we do well protecting Sae, while also making her see the error of her ways.

Riko: You have my confidence on that front.

Futaba: Thanks.

Futaba: Goodnight!

Riko: Happy Halloween!

Futaba: Happy Halloween!

Riko put her phone away. She began looking through more notes.

Sae came out of her office. Riko looked up. “Oh, how are you doing?”

“I’m feeling great! Sae said. “This upcoming trial will be easy, and soon I’ll have The Phantom Thieves in my grasp. Hm. You know, I saw a bunch of people dress up as Phantom Thieves today. Thinking that they’re heroes.”

“Well hold on,” Riko said. “People dress up as villains too.”

“I guess that’s true,” Sae said.

“Phantom Thieves aside, how do you feel about Halloween?” Riko said. “I wasn’t too big on it as a kid, but when I grew up and could pick what I wanted to dress as, I suddenly got it.”

“A late bloomer, I see,” Sae noted.

“Yeah…” Riko said. “That.”

“Hm,” Sae said. “Well, I’ve always liked Halloween. But lately, I haven’t had the time for it.”

“I see,” Riko said. “It is busy here, huh.”

“Well, there are occasions where things let up,” Sae said. “Last year, I got out of work early and dressed up as a werewolf.”

"Ooo. Spooky," Riko remarked.

“Eh, not really,” Sae said. “It was kind of a last minute thing.”

“Still, I bet it looked great on you!” Riko said.

“Um, yes…” Sae said, slightly blushing. “Anyways, what’s your favorite costume you’ve ever worn?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Riko said. “One year, I wore this immaculate female Vampire costume. It just felt so GOOD, you know?”

“Hm hm. You didn’t need to add ‘female’ to that,” Sae pointed out.

“Oh, uh, right…” Riko said, nervous. “Well, what about you? What was your favorite costume?”

Sae paused. “Don’t laugh.” She sighed. “It was Makoto’s first Halloween. I wanted to dress up as something spooky, but my parents were worried that would upset Makoto. So they made me wear this Buchimaru-kun costume. I hated it. I was miserable for the first few hours.

But then there was a loud noise. My parents were worried that something bad happened to the neighbors, and rushed outside to check on them, leaving me with Makoto. Suddenly, I was alone with her. Carrying her. I was so nervous. I did my best, but I was so unsure of myself.

But you know what she did? She smiled. That was the first time Makoto smiled at me. My parents came back and assured me that everything was alright. They noticed me taking care of Makoto, and I got to do a lot of things. I fed her. I burped her. I played with her. It was nice.

So that’s why that’s my favorite costume. I don’t know why I’m telling you that. Usually, I say it’s the one time I went as the Black Featherman.”

“Hmmm,” Riko said. “You know, I’m partial to Pink myself.”

“I figured you would be,” Sae said.

“But that story was really sweet,” Riko said. “And don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

Sae smiled. “Thanks. Let’s go home.” Riko nodded, and the two headed off. As they were leaving, Sae glanced at Riko. Alright Sae. It’s a deal. Once I’ve captured The Phantom thieves, I’m asking her out!

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cts-games · 3 months

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Breakheart: Dev Diary 1

Game Structure Overview

To help keep me focused on working on the game and trying to meet my self imposed deadline of having some kind of PDF preview document by August, I'm going to try to maintain having a weekly devlog discussing the game and its various mechanics. Or bi-weekly, if one per week ends up being too much. I guess this is also the formal announcement of the name of this game, Breakheart.

This week, I'll be discussing the overall structure of a campaign.

A Cluster functions similarly to how a Team/Squad sheet functions in Forged in the Dark games. It has its own dedicated sheet, resource management, upgrades, etc. All players in that cluster gain the benefits of the various advancements they collect for their Cluster. Recommended clustersize is roughly 2-3 play groups. Since playgroups are recommended to be 3-5 players, the typical Cluster size will be about 10 players. Meanwhile if the campaign is made up of just a bunch of solo players, it might make sense to have smaller Clusters of 3-5 people. Just keep in mind that the more players in a Cluster, the more conflict there may be when selecting advancements and upgrades for the group.

Breakheart is designed to theoretically be able to function with any group size. From being able to run it as a solo game, all the way up to running it with several hundred players. I think actually expecting the second option is a bit of a lofty goal, and don't expect it to be a common way to run the game. Hell, just having a hundred people having ever played the game would be a delight and far greater than I dare to hope for a indie ttrpg release. But, I still want to structure it that way, just to have it as an option, as the game will be designed with Open Table Play in mind. This will be accomplished through what I am calling Clusters.

Clusters

Clusters are only meant to divide resources, NOT players. While players are bound to a specific Cluster, this does NOT limit who they can play with in a campaign, only where their upgrades go. It's just designed to make the logistics easier to manage and helps keep a hypothetical campaign of 100 players from just buying every single upgrade after a single mission, or one player spending 100 players worth of communal resources at once.

Open Table Play

The game itself follows a fairly standard West Marches / Open Table style format. Though uh... I certainly aim to be a little less colonial than West Marches was. Players work together to figure out when they have time to play a single session together, and then they do so, bringing back resources and reporting any important findings to the whole campaign in whichever predetermined way all the players of the campaign have decided, be it group text chat, discord, a dedicated tumblr sidelong they submit play reports to, actual play videos, whatever.

All sessions run concurrently, using an episodic format. Each session acts as a different plot line in the 'Episode', and each character can only take part in one adventure per Episode. Once the Episode has concluded, an Intermission starts. This is where downtime actions take place. Characters can recover between adventures and spend their loot on various advancements or upgrades for their Cluster.

It is fine for a player to have multiple characters, but they should probably keep them in separate clusters as much as possible. In this way, more active players can join more games, while less active players can pick up games here and there where they can. Alternatively, it could be fun to have an optional rule where each player has their own Cluster for all their characters, and players just make as many characters as they want to go on adventures with, but this will not be the default mode of play.

GM-Agnostic(ish)

The system itself will be GM-Agnostic, with sessions being playable solo or co-op, though the Solo/Co-op Rules can absolutely just be ignored and replaced with an actual GM. GMless should work fine for smaller campaigns, but ones made up of multiple Clusters may need a Organizor/Facilitator to help keep the persistent world between different play groups more organized.

At the end of the day, a group is always free to just run a Breakheart campaign using only a single Cluster, with a dedicated GM, and play the game as a more traditional TTRPG.

#Breakheart #Dev Diary #ttrpg #ttrpg dev

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dark-and-kawaii · 4 months

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Testing Their Patience <- Click For Story

Haarlep x F!Tav/Reader - Raphael x F! Tav/Reader

( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩) Yeah I would definitely say Impsy has a problem with both but Impsy dislikes Raphael more since he’s essentially using Tav. Due to Haarlep being an icubus, Impsy worries for Tavs soul, also the whole heartbreak thing. I like the idea of Impsy eventually getting along with Haarlep though once they’re free from Raphael.

Raphael’s bit was so fun to write honestly, there’s so many insults you can use for Raphael and impsy was the perfect creation for it!! The whole bit where impsy is roasting house of hope, a blast in a glass to write!! Yeah, but in the end Raphael wouldn’t mind harming Tav to prove a point to Impsy. I think deep down he’d hate to do it but the little imp drives him to that point. It’s also Raphael, manipulating is easy for him. Thank you so much for the fun idea HA Fiend!! You’re always fueling my excitement!!! Xoxo

Absolutely!!! Impsy was a creation that I would happily write for again involving Raphael & Haarlep!

Hurting Haarlep is my favorite, *cries* I’m sorry!!!

*Gasp*!!! Testing their patience was a great experience to write for, and tail play… well… I was just really horny I guess at the time baha!!

Thank you so much for such a heartfelt compliment!!! I’m smiling so big right now!!! I’m glad I’m able to capture both those characters now and feel more comfortable with it!!!

Hehehe Impsy is great. I’m so happy everyone loved him!! Like really, that means so so so so much!!! My goal was to make people giggle and smile with the imp, so mission accomplished!!!

- 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒦𝒾𝓌𝒾 𝓍𝑜𝓍𝑜

#haarlep #raphael bg3

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marcusrobertobaq · 6 months

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⚠️ I'll treat everything as HC to not piss stans and "different interpretations" defenders. It's old news but i wanted to make my version of it.

The "Connor" Ego (I guess it's the best name I got)

Poor explanation: series of propaganda feeded into 'em default system so they believe in their purpose and "feel" proud of doing it (in contrast with 'em autonomous nature). Where every single bad thing that happen can be justified by the propaganda ("so...what they said is true"), cuz that's his truth and what his trusted side always says. Yea, i think CL knows androids can feel to a degree, but nobody needs to know, right? Let's us use to our advantage.

Here a few examples:

Deviant? Impossible, I'm NOT A DEVIANT and I'll NEVER become one!

FEELINGS for someone? Never, what do you take me for? A irrational MACHINE?

FEAR? No, I'm just frustrated I couldn't accomplish my MISSION.

I wasn't programmed to FAIL and I won't let you make me FAIL.

Deviants are DEFECTIVE machines, they're just consumed by irrational instructions and behave unpredictably. It's something BAD and have to be CONTROLLED, humans gonna suffer.

Some mfs can confuse this with the "hero syndrome" but I can argue they're different. Indeed Amanda is always manipulating him in thinking he's a hero saving humanity from the dangerous deviants, the only dude that can solve everything, the most advanced model - designed to be perfect and never fail. The amount of joy in being praised by her is real.

And believe me that's the most effective way of playing with a Connor's psyche - questioning 'em. They're extremely defensive.

Kinda works like "rejection tactics", they've been conditioned this way, after all. Connors have a high level and detailed emotional capacity by default (in "machine" state) - what can cause internal confusion (doubts and conflicts) if they're really supposed to be that "emotional". After all, emotions = deviants.

Connors sometimes try disassociating with 'em predecessors cuz if we got a new Connor means the old Connor failed. And Connors ain't programmed to fail

Problem is the third party doesn't give a shit. Doesn't matter if 55 failed, 56 will have to carry his own cross and 55's. They want the job done asap and Connor is, well, Connor. Always Connor. Marks doesn't exist, only #313 248 317.

This whole "just a machine replacing other, you can kill me if you want because another will take my place" is used in "external" environments so we don't waste time with explanations, waste time (Connor is an android, not a person) and seems to affect some humans (ex.: Hank)

We see how Connors can have questionable behaviors (have a option to) when dealing with lowly defective deviants or someone that dare takin' 'em seriously (cuz he's used to dehumanizing tactics also coming from humans themselves) - either as a way of acomplishing a goal or a demonstration of control over the situation (motivated by fear of losing control and failing his task or not).

They know how to use information against people in a way mfs get affected by him and have a desired reaction (it can work or not). And according with his default propaganda: deviancy is bad for everybody humans and gotta be contained. Why? Cuz Amanda says (and he's attached to her), the media says, everybody says. Androids ain't people, everything is an error, a glitch, a bug and needa be fixed. He's a machine created to deal with this task. It's his life.

Now imagine the deviant is another Connor? Everything in that list comes together. Would be a pleasure removing a version of himself that shouldn't even exist; a failure, a defect. It's a reason to be REALLY pissed, believe me.

And ain't deviants the only ones susceptible to stress, psychological pain and fear? Let's use it at our favor.

Is the other Connor a deviant? We treat him like one. Feelings for someone? We toy with it. Emotional behavior? We play with it. A failure? We remember him of it, show him, teach him so he learns the damn lesson. A defective piece of garbage? We remove him and everything is back to normal cuz I'm Connor and I don't accept myself being everything I'm afraid of/wary of.

Wanna know what else is emotional and irrational? Humans (who listen to deviants).

Hank will never forget about this moment and that's the intention. He already blames himself for losing people he cares, imagine a Connor sayin' "his" Connor died cuz of him?

2 birds, 1 stone.

Connor-60 is a Connor like 52, 53... 56, 57 (...) would be, he knows about a Connor on the inside for obvious reasons. And no doubt: mf let his emotions control him cuz he saw himself in there, his hand is even shaking a bit. If a new Connor with unstable Connor memories chose rejecting everything and sticking with his purposes this dude is a damn of a legend. Being able to analyse everything and say "this is STUPID and i'm NOT following this bullshit 😤" is a damn of a show off.

DID U SAY SHOW OFF?

So if u ever see a Connor sayin' they don't feel shit don't worry, they unfortunately feel emotions (especially anger) and it's used as weapon - well, Connors are weapons. But when they show it or not can vary. Honestly, Amanda doesn't need say much besides "the previous Connor failed, don't disappoint me" or even a "Good job, continue like that" for the New Connor not want to fail her. And not failing her means he won't fail the humans - his priority, his purpose. Well...his "priority" (we all know he's under CyberLife and CyberLife wishes only). Why?

Cuz Amanda is right. CyberLife is right, the humans are right - until a rift in this line of thought happens.

And be prepared: the next gen (RK900) is coming with a lot of upgrades. In a few decades "deviancy" as we know gonna disappear cuz some models gon' be full, 100% autonomous and capable of programmed sentience and moral thinking.

#dbh #dbh: how i think shit works #detroit become human #connor rk800 #lotta typos and i don't feel like fixing everything

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streets-in-paradise · 2 years

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For A Love Like This - Paris x (fem)Warrior!Reader

Troy (2004) Oneshot

Requested by Anon

Omg bestie I love ur writing!!! 🥺 could I request something?! I was thinking maybe something Paris of Troy x reader where maybe the Trojan war didn’t happen bc of Paris, bc Paris and the reader are together. Maybe it could be during the Trojan war and the reader is a warrior! And Paris always gets worried bc the reader is always by Hector’s side bc she’s super skilled?

( So sorry for the delay but I hope the result will compensate. It took me ages to post this but, trust me, I got a lot of inspiration for this concept. If you see this and happen to like it, tell me because I am considering making a continuation for which i already know how to start.)

Word Count + 3.5 K

Warnings: Reader is a trojan woman whose character is slightly inspired in Penthesilea, the amazon queen who fought in the war according to the epic cycle. For so, this features some tension with Achilles bringing the conflict that worries Paris.

Summary: Your first act of involvement in the war against the greeks leaves the city acting as if you would have sealed your fate for a certain death on the next sunrise, what leaves you on the task of calming the worries of your husband. Paris doesn't know much about fighting, but the concern Hector shows is enough to make him guess you got yourself in danger.

Tags: @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts

The enemy surrounded you and there was no upcoming help. The battle for the temple of Apollo was already lost and Hector ordered the retree of the trojan troops, but you wouldn’t go without him. Achilles caused a general panic on your people, but nothing would be enough to make you leave your dear friend behind. He knew that, but he didn’t want you to follow his chaze of the myrmidon warlord and so you were taking another mission. The rescue of Briseis, his cousin, a newly chosen priestess of Apollo that was most likely to have been caught in the massacre.

The corpses of the priests made your horrified companions guess she must have been slaughtered, but you didn’t believe that and Hector allowed you to trust your instincts. From your particular perspective, you imagined she must have hidden somewhere despite the confusion and horror. Through your knowledge of the uses of war, you knew that an army coming from across the sea to fight at your shores would see women as a scarce resource. Even if she would have been found, there were chances to find her alive and made captive as part of the looting. Your self taken duty was saving her from that fate and stripping the greeks from the pleasure of capturing a trojan princess on their first day of stay.

It didn’t go too far. There were too many of them and while you got to show some more of your exceptional courage by killing a few in the search, it wasn't enough to accomplish your goal. The irruption of your friend and their leader heading outside stopped the combat and the man you were fighting against rushed outside following their actions. So did you, but surrounded by a multitude of myrmidons impeding you to get beside Hector. Your most recent rival, who you guessed as Achilles’s second in command, gave them the order of keeping you surveilled. He quickly found out that you were dangerous, even all on your own.

Taking risks was your thing, you couldn’t get recriminated for that because it served many times in victories of the past. Neither would you recriminate your leader for venturing alone against the blond myrmidon of abhorrent arrogance, even if it worried you as a friend. Perhaps the indignation made you both careless of your individual luck. You were used to witness many horrors, faced many defeats and handled the pain of losing friends before, but the men beating you were simply despicable in levels you have never seen before. Unfortunately, some were also shockingly talented.

Hate at first sight was what you found through your meeting with Achilles, he was simply the worst. At the gates of that temple, through his word exchange with Hector, he was letting you both know you were kept alive just to brag. There were a hundred different ways in which he could have declared the end of the battle, yet he had to pick the most annoyingly arrogant.

“ Go home, prince. Drink some wine, make love to your wife. Tomorrow we will have our war.”

Never in a long time you wished to slaughter an enemy with such visceral hate. Smacking him for such disrespect wasn’t enough, you wanted his blood on your sword. Through a furtive glance your friend was seeing it in your eyes, but wordlessly indicating you to calm down because the context was against you. Since you were at a disadvantage, standing powerlessly as Achilles would finish to praise himself was the only option to get back home.

However, Hector’s reply served as a display of your shared indignation.

“ You speak of war as if it was a game, but how many wifes wait in Troy’s gates for husbands they will never see again?”

Perfectly delivered, it made you remember once more of how proud you were of following him as your warlord and that almost served to calm you down a bit. The complementary effect you had on each other was no mystery and many trojans in the past have considered it proof for a viable romance. Your closeness as friends inspired some to fear you could have abandoned the lifestyle to marry him, a significant loss for the army given your skill, claim you both always found ridiculous.

The exhortation to calm you found in his words could have worked, if Achilles wouldn’t have awakened the worst of you with his comeback.

“ Perhaps your brother can comfort them, I have heard he is good at charming other men’s wives. “

Any glimpse of civility left on you faded.

“ …. You shameless greek BASTARD, THAT IS MY HUSBAND!”

Confusion reigned in the ambient, since the myrmidons were quite sure you couldn’t be Helen. Wasn’t that the reason they were fighting for? A pretty boy prince seducing a married queen and stealing her away to his kingdom?

Only then Achilles deviated his attention from Hector, in direction to the callout and being one with his soldiers regarding the intrigue.

“ Nobody told us Paris is married.” He commented while pacing in your direction in order to face you. “ My condolences, no one must be waiting for you behind those gates. The coward you got married to is cheating and the world knows it.”

The fire of your hate was growing with every gesture and every word coming out from his mouth. You couldn’t choose which part of that sentence was the worst, but you opted by starting with the assumption of your marriage being an arranged one. Angered to the core, you took your helmet off because he wasn’t wearing one. It was your own way to show that you weren’t afraid of him, even if common sense would indicate you should.

Teasing aside, Achilles seriously wondered how it was possible for you to be the wife of the hedonist fool who started the war. You were covered in dirt, sweat and blood; visual proof of how you busted your ass in combat. Your hair was a mess and the hate in your eyes as you challengingly stared at him was making you look crazy. He loved it, you seemed the most passionate woman he had come across in some long time. It was like standing in front of a daughter of Ares, an impression that made him also wonder if there could be an amazon at some branch of your family tree.

“ Keep your pity, I have a loving husband who has never chazed other women in front of me while the same can’t be said of Helen. I am aware of my privilege and that drove me to help her. The spartan king brought this on himself because his wife is escaping him, not following my Paris.”

“ Your Paris is hiding underneath the skirt of her dress while you fight their war, isn’t that unfair?”

The more aggressive replication was delivered so he could see your anger escalate because he liked it, but he also hoped to dig into some unspoken truth taking you over the edge so you would lose filters. He couldn’t accept the explanations you were providing, those were unbelievable to him. His best guess was thinking that you were ashamed of admitting your family or the trojan king forced you to marry that fool and you were defending him for your own honor.

“ I find it unfair that you are still breathing… What do you seek to achieve with these provocations? If a fight is what you want, I can give you that anytime.”

He couldn’t wait to fight you but, at the same time, he didn’t want to kill you. It was similar to the opinion he was forming of Hector on those first instants, only impulsed by something else. A different sort of curiosity, maybe stained with a bit of want.

Achilles smirked at you, a slightly flirtatious way of implying he would take the challenge.

“ How did your brother get her?” He asked right back at Hector. “ Who let that happen?”

“ Paris is, indeed, amazing at charming women.” The prince answered, turning the previous mocks against the rival. “ Nobody knows for sure how he made it, but I can tell you it wasn’t arranged. She became my sister by choice, if you knew her you would understand that commanding her is as easy as it looks right now.”

The implications, despite ruining his main theory, seemed to be of his like.

“ I see and I really want to try what she is made of.” The blond commented to him so he could later get back at you.

“ Get good rest, princess. Tomorrow you are mine.”

The menace kept wandering your mind for the rest of the day, your companions in the army interpreted it as a death sentence and they weren’t discreet about their impressions. Although Hector helped you through the moment and engaged on the less serious aspects of it, he was evidently concerned too. The pain of losing Tecton intensified to the thought of you facing his killer in the next battle. The spear throw that killed him was something neither of you have seen before. The precision and strength required for it were extraordinary, inhuman.

Your lovely husband read your friends’ preoccupation with horror. If the warrior you encountered was good enough to make them say all of that, to make Hector fear, then you were in serious danger despite how much you would insist him not to worry. He asked Helen for references on that greek and all he got to hear were horror stories. She didn’t want to frighten him; but those things were too much for him. The cultural concept of what greeks considered a hero was nauseating in his eyes, as was the description of some of the war feats that made that crazy man great among them.

The weirdest thing for Paris was noticing how her narration seemed neutral from a valorative standpoint. Helen wasn’t necessarily horrified by the actions in her tale, as if she was used to it, and there was no detractive intentionality in her words about the myrmidon. There was at least one thing she affirmed to like about Achilles: he hated her brother in law and she was respectful of him upon that hate.

When questioned about the situation at the temple, and how you both allowed the madness to escalate into a point where you ended up surrounded at the enemy’s mercy, Hector attempted to follow your route of lighthearted joking so Paris wouldn’t overworry Andromache.

“ We are still unsure if that was a death threat or if he was trying to seduce me.” You were commenting, referring to the awkward undertones of the altercate. “ In either case, I think I am fine.”

“ It could be both and it wouldn’t surprise me, that man is insane and you caused quite an impression among his men.” Hector added, supporting the anecdote. “ Not to mention how he reacted to the news of your marriage.”

The reminder made you throw a playful chuckle and Paris got an approximate idea of why.

“ Did you get in trouble for defending me again? “

“ He insulted your honor, called you a coward and a cheater. I’m sick of hearing people even here in Troy accusing you of bringing Helen as your lover. Now it turns out that Menelaus is using that narrative to portray himself a victim. I couldn’t stand it, so I called Achilles out.”

He was moved by your confession, a reckless but incredible soft gesture showing how much you loved him.

“ You made yourself a target of the most ruthless killer in the greek army just to prove I am a good husband?

You admitted the guilt with an innocent looking smile.

“ Nobody wanted to believe she is yours, Achilles is very curious about that. “ His brother continued. “ I think your honor has been avenged, at least on that front.”

“ We made it again, my darling!!” You cheered, seeking for his usual approbation. “ They are all so confused, just like Menelaus and his men were in Sparta. I knew right then I was going to hate that man, maybe judging the greeks based on their reactions to us will become my new pastime.”

“ Can’t you see the risk? Tomorrow Achilles will wander the battlefield looking for you, what will happen if he finds you?”

Paris was very serious, an unusual attitude for him and proof of how much he was suffering.

“ Rage is going to keep me alive, I fight better when I am pissed off and that happens all the time when he gets close to me.” You attempted to justify yourself. “ I will be alright, many others claiming to be better than us have passed by but your brother and I have proven them wrong.”

That wasn’t enough to calm him down, but you didn’t have time to discuss more because a call for council interrupted you. All you got to do was kiss your husband goodbye before he would go to attend his duty and that got a brief smile out of him.

Despite you being a respected warrior, you still haven’t earned a spot among the most notable citizens of Troy for the discussions. You didn’t mind not having a word there because Paris and you were a team. He would usually deal with the talking while you would get to do the fighting and the only regrets you had about that was your incapability of witnessing each other in action. That time, however, you wished you would have been there to stop what was later referenced to you.

An unfortunate comment coming from one of the present citizens pushed Paris over the edge and into a reckless choice that was an exact match of yours. Knowing him as much as you, Hector saw it coming but couldn’t stop it in the same way he couldn’t control your tongue that morning. Claiming that there were trojans burning in the pire for a youthful indiscretion, that man implied the very same thing Achilles did and Paris wanted to put an end to the insidious rumors. It wasn’t even about his honor, but of yours. You deserved better than being accused as a complicit wife who allowed her husband to bring a mistress under fears of being abandoned for her if you would have refused.

The shame you weren’t facing in your role as a soldier, you were getting in the domestic one. According to societal expectations, being a warrior should have anulated you from becoming a wife and you were once willing to pay that price pretty much as Briseis did when becoming a priestess. Paris was the one who proved you wrong, who did everything in his power to win your affections while showing himself absolutely careless of the warnings. He shocked the city asking for your hand, begging your parents to understand that he was in love with you and didn’t mind any of the presented atypicalities.They knew he was being serious when, after being asked if he would accept the mother of his children to abandon the household for war, he claimed he would. It served as an ultimate proof of his love for you, but the rest of your society wasn’t convinced of how long that could keep going.

Gossips, like the one summarized in that comment, claimed that Paris was getting himself another woman to cover up for the aspects in which your performance as wife would be neglectful. Because you were recklessly trying to live two lives, your husband wasn’t well served and Helen was supposed to fill that gap. A neglected spartan wife came across a neglected trojan husband with a turbious past as a woman chaser, making their adventure everyone’s doom. In short terms, the whole city was paying for the problems of an impulsive marriage that the young prince should have never ventured into.

He was going to fight to prove them wrong, one encounter with Menelaus putting an end to the war before Achilles could get to fight you. Paris was going to stand in front of the entire greek army and tell them that it was his love for you that made him offer Helen a chance to escape her husband, leaving the horrible man out of excuses for his mistakes. There was no passion of lovers justifying his anger, he lost Helen to no man other than himself. Paris was only guilty of not controlling his indignation to the mistreatments she was suffering, out of his own moral code but also because he was unable to stand how angry and frustrated it made you.

" You know you don't have to do this, ríght?" You softly reminded him while in the privacy of your shared room, insisting on it hoping it would dissuade him. " Not only you don't need to prove yourself to me, it will solve nothing."

" Agamemnon didn't bring fifty thousand greeks in vain, that's what Andromache says. " Paris commented to you what was a fraction of a conversation he had with his sister in law, since both were pretty much in the same state of desperation. " I can't let you fight tomorrow, not while I know what awaits. Let me do the fighting for once instead."

The vanity driven jester the outside world knew him as was completely gone. Seeing the worry in his sweet face was killing you.

" Did you lose all the trust in my skills you once used to have? Back when Hector took the lead of the army and gave me the chance to prove my worth, you were the first voice raising in approval. I remember you declaring your admiration for me, Briseis had to stop you from offending the gods by comparing me to Athena."

The mention of his beloved cousin brought the topic back by itself.

" Did you go inside that temple searching for her, or were you there only seeking to kill Achilles?"

You decided to be honest, he deserved it.

" A bit of both, the same can be said about Hector. An ambush of two against one could have worked, but you know your brother: he played fair even when the enemy was playing us. I believe in that, I respect his code, but the greeks were so ruthless that I would have consented to using questionable tactics. He made me stay out of it, but there was no way I would have gone back to the city knowing he was still there so I tried searching for her. I didn't succeed, we lost so much for nothing and that son of a bitch made fun of our suffering. Even that, I could take, but I lost my mind when he insulted you. "

" Was he shocked to find out your husband is a man widely judged as a coward and effeminate? " Paris asked, the self deprecation was more a repetition of things being said about him. " I bet he wasn't expecting that, no one does."

" They all thought the woman you are calling your wife is the adorable blond flower we brought home." You snarked back. " I am not precisely the ideal wife in the mind of most men."

" Yet I love you more than life itself and I want the whole world to get it clear. I want to expose the spartan king, set yourself free from those awful rumors, then walk straightfoldy to that myrmidon beast of a warrior and tell him you are mine."

You let out a soft gasp, the intensity of his phrasing would never stop amazing you.

" That sounds beautiful, but impractical. "

" You have fought alongside my brother for years and I have never felt as fearful as I am now. People say Achilles is a demigod, invincible from birth. Hector himself seems terrified to the thought of fighting him and that is unusual enough to be a bad sign."

" The bastard is very good, I don't deny it, but ' invincible from birth' sounds like a stretch. No one is, even gods lose battles from time to time. "

Unsure of how to proceed, Paris begged you in the most desperate way he found.

" Please, don't go. You don't have to, plenty of other soldiers can defend the city." As he said so, he abandoned his position to literally beg on his knees embracing your hips. " I'm desperate, my love, absolutely defeated. I don't know what to do or say in order to make you stay. Isn't my devotion enough for you to consider valuing your life like you should? I have no life without you, that's why I don't mind fighting tomorrow.."

You caressed his cheeks before his tears could begin to fall. When one of your hands reached closeness with his mouth Paris placed a kiss on it and that made you lose reason.

" That's what you don't understand: I fight with the strength of your love in my heart. I fight for you, to come back into your sweet embrace and get more of the kind of love I never imagined I would have. Whenever you await me at the gates, or here, laying on our talamus while looking more handsome than usual just for me. When you order to get my bath ready on time just to be the one helping me get clean, when you trace my scars with your fingertips and still dare to say my skin is beautiful. I am a better fighter because of you, in all those moments I get a strength I didn't have before you."

He looked at you with the sweetest disbelief and you were in awe with yourself regarding how much you adored him.

" Paris, I was not made for a love like this. Warrior women aren't meant to love or be loved as wifes, we are supposed to remain virgins like the daughter of Zeus. The intensity of your feelings is a blessing that I used to think was forbidden for me. Maybe the gods sent us this war because we crossed the line, but I prefer to fight a thousand more before letting you go. "

" Aphrodite shaped you for me in likeness to her greatest love. " He followed you, losing himself in the sweetness of your words. " I will keep praying to my goddess, begging her to get you the favor of Ares."

Intense staring between the both of you and he stood up slowly, letting a trail of kisses over every section of your body on his way up even while you were still dressed. The action concluded with a desperately passionate kiss that you initiated once his líps got to your reach.

" Love me." You sweetly begged him ríght afterwards, purring close to his ear. " Please, Paris.... just love me. "

Your pleading helped him get a bit cocky, what was sensed in the kind of teasing he delivered while getting in bed with you.

" Should I believe in those strange jokes you have with my brother? Deep down, that despicable greek craves to ruin you for my caresses?"

" Well, he advised me to rest after mocking Hector with the opposite. The idea of you making love to me must be uncomfortable for him." Was your honest and quite playful reply. " Yet he didn't shy away from suggesting you were hiding underneath the dress skirt of Helen."

Paris chuckled against the skin of your neck, what felt to you as relief on his part.

" He wants you, fighting is just the way to awake passion." He casually added. " Too bad for him that you are all mine. "

" It's just a joke, that happens when you are the only woman of the enemy troop. "

That explanation was unsatisfying to him.

" Don't discredit yourself, the sweat looks incredibly good on you."

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