#so she gets to be part of the oracle group too

[literallyjusttoa]

Randomly thinking about Apollo and Herophile? I need to reread TBM but my brain has decided they are besties. Plus I like to think after the trials Apollo meets up with his oracles a lot more to make sure nothing like that happens again, so him, Rachel, Ella, and Herophile spend a lot of time gossiping about the future. Like “Omg guys can you believe what Ares is gonna do in two weeks??? So embarrassing 😳”

#side note my little hc is that Georgie ends up taking over as the oracle of Trophonius’ cave #so she gets to be part of the oracle group too #the girls and the gay (Apollo) #trials of apollo #toa apollo #lester papadopoulos #ToA ​Herophile #sunny speaks #nobody talks about Herophile and that’s sad #shes cool guys she speaks in riddles and rhymes #I’m real tired so this is a bit rambly oof

[hypewinter]

Prev

Tim came down the stairs with an empty mug in hand. As he entered the dinning room he found a kid happily eating pancakes. Ah this must be the new adoptee, he thought to himself as he recalled last night's group chat.

"This is not a new adoptee," Bruce said looking up from the boy. Man, Tim hated when the old man guessed their thoughts like that.

"Say whatever you need to convince yourself B," Tim replied with a shrug as he went into the kitchen.

Bruce shouted after him, "He already has a family!"

The boy immediately interjected, "She's not my family silly! She's my friend."

Tim chuckled to himself as he filled his mug and came back into the dining room. "Aw B," he said smugly, "he doesn't even have a family. You're not saying we're gonna leave him on the streets are you?"

Bruce for his part, glared halfheartedly at Tim before turning back to the little boy. Tim also took this time to observe the boy. He believed Oracle had said his name was Danny. Danny was currently happily kicking his legs as he stabbed at his pancakes. Tim couldn't help but note how the pancakes had already been cut into bite sized pieces. Other than that, he seemed perfectly fine. No apparent injuries or adverse reactions to sudden movements. His clothes were also nice and clean. Probably Alfred's doing. Speaking of the old butler, he came in and set a plate down in front of Tim.

"Oh I'm not-" One eyebrow raise was enough for the young man to shut his mouth. He looked down at his plate only to immediately turn back to Alfred with an eyebrow raise of his own. "Mister Danny claimed it was not fair he was the only one to receive such special pancakes. He was rather insistent that everyone experiences such happiness this fine morning," Alfred informed.

Ah, that explains why Tim had gotten star shaped pancakes. He looked over at Danny who was smiling giddily at him. As Tim took his first bite of pancake, he couldn't help but agree with that assessment.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Danny?" the boy looked up at him. "As you know our... mutual friend left you in my care. As such after you're finished with your pancakes, what do you say I take you back home?"

"Ok!" the boy replied before shoveling more pancakes into his mouth.

"I think I'll tag along too," Tim said. There was no way this little "drop off" was going to go as planned and he wanted to be there to see it. After all, someone had to keep the group chat updated. Besides, he took great joy in Bruce's half perplexed half annoyed expression.

"Don't you have some meetings to attend today?" Bruce asked through gritted teeth, guessing his son's angle. "Nope," Tim answered sweetly. "My schedule's all clear today."

"Fine," Bruce relented. "If you want to come along on this very quick drop off, I won't stop you."

Tim smiled into his mug. This was gonna be fun.

-----

"We're here!" Danny exclaimed as they pulled up to an abandoned looking apartment building.

"Are you sure this is your home?" Bruce asked cautiously. Tim couldn't blame him, this place was on the outskirts of the Bowery and looked like nobody had lived there in years.

Danny opened the door and hopped out. "Yep!" he said. "I know because I'm a big boy and big boys know how to get home." He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Right," Bruce muttered pensively as he examined the building.

They all entered the building and began ascending the questionable stairs with Danny taking them two steps at a time. As they climbed, both Bruce and Tim noted how rundown the building looked. Walls were peeling and there was rubble and trash all over the floors. The railing on the stairs looked so rusted that a gust of wind could probably knock them over. Most of the lights didn't work because of one thing or another which luckily wasn't a problem considering it was daytime. But none of that was even the most concerning part. No, the most concerning part was how silent it was.

As they walked down the hall, it was simply too silent. Even taking into account that most people would already be at work right now, it was still too quiet. There was no hint of people coming back from work the night shift. No sound of those staying home sick or someone with a day off. No dogs barked, no cats made any noise. It was an eerie silence that seemed to blanket the whole building. It was unnerving.

Danny stopped in front of a door and opened it with ease. There was no lock or anything. Once again adding to the list of concerning evidence. They entered after Danny to discover a shabby looking flat past the door. There was barely any furniture, and the furniture that was there looked like it should have been thrown out years ago. The floor boards seemed as if they would give way at any moment too. The windows to the far side allowed lighted in but that only served to illuminated the mountain of dust everywhere. The apartment didn't even look lived in. There were no clothes anywhere, no dishes, no sort of decorations, nothing.

Danny seemed undeterred by any of this and happily pranced into a room off to the right. Tim followed him as Bruce stayed behind to look around more.

As he entered, Tim was relieved to find that at least this space looked lived in albeit barely. The bed had Superman themed sheets on it and there was a backpack leaning against the closet. The bed also had a blanket laying on top of it which Danny ran to and grabbed. He came back over to show Tim.

"This is my most precious thing!" he explained excitedly. "My friend gave it to me. Feel it! It's super soft."

Tim knelt down and felt the blanket which was black and had stars all over it. "You're right," he said. "It really is soft." Danny beamed. "Told ya!"

Tim smiled at the boy's obvious excitement despite his less than stellar living arrangements. Just then, Bruce called for him. Tim returned to the main room with Danny in tow, still clutching onto his blanket.

Bruce turned to him and handed him a piece of paper with an unreadable expression. The paper had cursive scrall on it that simply read, Take care of him my knights.

Danny looked up at them both curiously and Tim just sighed. So much for this being a quick drop off.

#dp x dc #dc x dp #dpxdc #dcxdp #winter's tales

[icyg4l]

Pick-A-Girl Group: What Purpose Do the Women In Your Life Serve?

Continuing on with my Women’s History Month series, I am going to do a reading on how the women in your life feel about you and the effect of these feelings. I am going to be using the True Heart Tarot Deck and the Archetype Oracle Deck. These readings are supposed to uplift, relate to and inspire women so I hope they serve their purpose. I Without further ado, please pick your pile. 🫶

***Disclaimer: Regardless of your gender identity, the women that are in your life deserve to be celebrated as long as they have pure intentions. Much love. 🩷

Left-to-Right (1-4):

Pile One: If you resonate with the image of FLO, then you deserve the whole fucking world. Pile One, the women in your life absolutely adore you. You probably resonate with the song’s theme: recognizing beauty in yourself when everyone is against you, specifically as a black woman. You have come such a long way. The women that are currently in your life have seen you make mistakes and allowed you to do so. They recognize your evolution. A lot of you have a best friend who you’ve been friends with for a long time and she is so proud of you. She is proud of the person that you have become. This pile has some cheerleaders around them. I feel like the women in your life are meant to take inspiration from what you are going through right now. I think that you may be going through your redemption arc.You’re forgiving yourself for a lot of things that you’ve done in the past. The women in your life see that and are following suit. After all, living life does mean not being a robot. These women who are around you are all ears, very receptive to what it is that you are doing with your life. You’re like their Oprah, lol. If you have a story to tell, share it with her. She may need to hear it. I channeled the show: Beyond Scared Straight; specifically the parts where the prisoners talk to the kids about their life stories and the reasoning for why they should not end up in jail. I feel like you could be someone’s mentor, whether they’re younger or the same age as you, perhaps even older. You are someone’s Reesa Teesa too, lol. I get the feeling that you need to be talking about yourself, Pile One. There is an audience full of women who are willing to hear you out and listen. When I pulled from the oracle deck, I got the following cards: 

God: Benevolence and compassion. Recognizing the eternal force within yourself and others/Despotism and cruelty. Using power to control people 

Mother: Nurturance, patience, unconditional love. Joy in giving birth to life/Smothering or abandoning children. Instilling guilt in children for becoming independent.

Poet: Expresses soul insights in symbolic language/Turns a lyric gift to negative or destructive effect. 

Cards Used: 2 of Swords, 4 of Discs, 9 of Cups, Prince of Wands (RX), King of Discs, Four of Cups, Temperance.

Pile Two: If you resonate with the photo of Destiny’s Child, you got some ride or dies around you for real. I think that you’ve been through hell and back with the women in your life and they do not play about you. I think the women in your life want you to know that you are so worth it. I’m not going to lie Pile Two, it sounds like you’re in a toxic love situation and your girls want you out of it. Your friends, cousin or little sister could have told you that you need to exit stage left multiple times. They absolutely believe you deserve better. Hypothetically speaking, If y’all fell out today and an emergency happened tomorrow, they would be on the way to the hospital. I feel like family is so important to you. They feel like you’ve forgot about them but I don’t think that you have. Circumstances make it difficult for you all to see eye-to-eye. The women in your life want you to know that you are not alone. They will forever be there for you no matter what, even if you have lost your damn mind. These challenging times will make the bond between you and these women stronger. When I pulled from the oracle deck, I got the following cards: 

Artist: Expressing a dimension of life that is beyond the five senses. Inspiring others to see life symbolically / Using talent as an excuse to mistreat others. Posing as the Starving Artist to elicit pity.

God:  Benevolence and compassion. Recognizing the eternal force within yourself and others / Despotism and cruelty. Using power to control people 

Goddess: The feminine expressed through wisdom. Nature, life force, and sensuality / Exploitation of the female nature and form 

Cards Used: Ace of Discs, 9 of Swords, Princess of Cups (RX), Prince of Discs, The Hierophant, Princess of Discs, 4 of Cups (RX), The Devil (RX), 10 of Cups.

Pile Three: If you resonate with the photo of TWICE, you got the grandmother spirit around you. Did you grow up in the church? Or at least with a god-fearing grandmother? I feel like the women in your life hate to see you unhappy and this is what you’re feeling right now. I think that you may be uninspired/unfulfilled with what life is giving you right now. It’s not an uncommon feeling. But smiling can make all the difference. The women in your life want to see you smile, make you smile and laugh. They want to be there for you like how your grandmother was. No one will ever replace Granny but her presence is always there. You may be questioning God/your higher powers because of something that deeply affected you. But the women around you want you to not feel ashamed or want you to feel like they are judging you. They have been in the same predicament. They only want to see you get better. They hate to see you like this. It may be hard to do this but look at the glass half full, rather than half empty. They want you to get back to yourself, the version of you that isn’t defeated. When I pulled from the oracle deck, I got the following cards: 

Child: Nature: Friendships with animals. Communication with nature spirits / Tendency to abuse animals, people and the environment. 

Destroyer: Releasing what is potentially destructive. Preparing for new life / Intoxication with destructive power. Destroying others’ dreams or potential.

Child: Magical: Seeing the potential for sacred beauty in all things. The belief that everything is possible / Pessimism, depression and disbelief in miracles. Believing that energy and action are not required for growth.

Cards Used: The Devil, Princess of Cups, The Star, Judgment, The Moon, Temperance, Seven of Swords.

Pile Four: And lastly, if you resonated with the photo of the Spice Girls, you seem very sensual. Are you a SWer? Do you attend pole dancing classes for fun? Do you know someone who does either of these things? I feel like the women in your life appreciate how physical you are. You’re probably an artist and you're sensitive about your shit too. The women in your life feel as though you have a lot of talents. You’re very multifaceted and they love to brag about it, especially the older women. You could been the cousin who had to show off the latest dance move. So as a result, you became the leader of the pack. You can be naturally nurturing but it can drain you. The women around you feel like you need to put up some boundaries so that you can still worry about you. They respect your quality of being a giver, but do you even respect yours-[GUNSHOT]. There is a woman that you are close to that admires a quality that you hate. She compliments it any chance she can get because she wants to uplift you. I feel like people always try to touch you, whether it’s your hair, your arms, or even your butt. The women around you could immediately shut it down or call them out or defend it. They want to protect your innocence. Even though you are grown, you have that ingenue within you. They know how you can get (especially while under the influence) so they refuse to let you get that way. When I pulled from my oracle deck, I got the following cards: 

Servant: Delight in serving others with a free and loving heart / Using the lack of money as an excuse not to move forward with life 

Bully: Highlights your tendency to intimidate others. Helps you confront the inner fears that bully you / Conceals deep fears behind verbal or physical abuse.

Hedonist: Inspires creative energy to embrace the good things in life. Celebrates the beauty in yourself / Pursues pleasure to the detriment of health. Indulges at the expense of others.

Cards Used: The Star, The Lovers, Judgment, The Emperor, 7 of Cups, 10 of Swords, Ace of Cups, The Moon, 8 of Cups (RX).

#law of assumption #manifesting #neville goddard #hoodoo #tarot #tarotreading #astro notes #pick a card #pick a pile #divination #pac reading #tarot pac #tarot pull #tarotcommunity #daily tarot #free tarot #tarot deck #tarot reading #womens history month #spirituality #intuitive readings #pick a reading #tarot pick a card

[submissiveking99]

Closed RP with @the-blackbird-roleplays

DedSpec Phantom Saga Chapter 4

Break Day In New York

The weeks had been hard and long for the Phantom Thieves. Dealing with two Palace's at once was much more than they had been use to.

But they where all amazed by how well they where doing, and how much their new friend Nolan was doing. His connection evolving almost endlessly, able to debuff the opponent to a state of powerlessness while Futaba had did her thing with buffing the party itself. Both Palace's almost not even a challenge at this point.

Floor after floor was cleared like clockwork. Despite the obstical. A strange puzzle here, tricking guards there, giant boss Shadow around that corner. It was rather entertaining, in a way. Despite the terrible stuff they saw throughout their travels higher and higher into the building, they where begining to grow tired.

They where nearly there. And that was good. With a deadline of May 3rd, it was currently April 20th and the group was in a desperate need for a break.

"So, everyone ready to go?" The leader of the team, the Joker of the team, asked as she looked around. Rin Amamiya having a hand on her hips as she looked across the members of the Phantom Thieves

"I'm all good, Joker. Got my purse right here." Panther, AKA Ann Takamaki, smiled and waved. Showing off a rather cute heart shaped purse

"I have all the snacks and drinks we could require." Noir, the alias of Haru Okumara, said in her every sweet tone as she showed off her backpack

"Good. Fast food places are expensive and we don't want to waste too much money." Queen, the strategist of the team who under the iron clad mask went by the name Makoto Niijima, sighed as she crossed her arms and cocked her hip

"Hehehe~, I can't wait to go and get more stuff for my computer! Oh, there are so many parts I need!" Oracle, the Navigator of the Phantom Thieves, giggled. Oracle, real name Futaba Sakura, giggled to herself like the little gremlin she could be, Rin's adopted sister looking at the teams leader with a glint in her eyes

"No, 'Taba. We are just going for essentials." Rin sighed, rubbing her forehead. With a deep sigh she looked up, a hand on her hip as she did a quick double check and blinked "Has anyone seen Nolan?"

And was met with silence, everyone wondering where the Basilisk was....

[apollo-justice-irl]

we should consider the bad kids end up growing apart after graduation without a breakup. it's not intentional, there isn't any hostility between them, they just ended up doing different things. they do their best to keep up with each other, but it eventually it stops being daily check ins. it becomes once a week, then once every other, then once a month, until eventually they find out what's going on through the occasional instagram post. they love each other, they support each other, they just don't talk like they used to.

fig splits her time between leviathan and solace, not caring about her band's popularity anymore, and just focuses on what makes her happy. sometimes she writes a song about ayda but mostly they just live in the moment together.

adaine is in fallinel trying to rebrand the elven oracle as being everyone's oracle. she reconnects with her roots, and meets the family she has in fallinel still. they also think her parents sucked, but theyre glad to meet adaine.

kristen spends time finding herself. she spreads the word of cassandra, having reconnected with her and working through their differences. cassandra becomes a goddess for people questioning their sexuality, gender, religion, anything. theres also a small group of rogues and PI's who started following cassandra for the mystery part of "goddess of mystery and doubt", and because gods reflect their worshippers cassandra becomes a cool rogue type.

fabian opens a dance studio. he uses his trust fund money to make it so his students don't actually have to pay, but if they feel inclined they can donate to help the school. he helps his students when he notices signs of neglect or abuse. he knows how much it sucks to be neglected. he goes to therapy and eventually stops getting into toxic relationships. he gets along with gilear.

gorgug becomes a mechanic. he has a lot of fun working on the hangvan and it's nice working with tools. he tinkers for fun and makes stuff to sell on whatever their version of etsy is. he visits his biological parents, and they start to feel like family, too. he stays in elmville but does eventually move into an apartment where he doesn't break his bed every morning. he still visits his parents all the time.

riz hones his skills with magic. he takes a level or two in bard, and eventually becomes a spy like his dad. his mom is so proud of him, and it's nice to feel connected to his dad. he still uses the tools and gadgets he got while at aguefort, but he has a lot more now. he reconnects with penny and they start trading tips/tricks/stories from their jobs. he comes out as aroace, and it's the most free he's felt in a long time. he can finally mean it when he says it's good pressure.

#the bad kids #d20 fantasy high #fantasy high #fhjy #d20 fhjy #dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #d20 #figueroth faeth #adaine abernant #adaine o'shaughnessey #kristen applebees #fabian seacaster #gorgug thistlespring #riz gukgak

[bluewings55]

Lolirock

So I recently watched the entirety of Lolirock

And it was... Okayish

The story itself wasn't bad, but a lot of it feels very incomplete.

So let's break down a few points:

Story:

The story itself wasn't too bad. I liked a lot of the ideas. But since this is directed to a younger audience, a lot of story plot was very predictable sadly enough.

And it didn't bother me that much that Iris was in the centerstage most of the time. Unlike later season Bloom, the creators didn't make things that aren't related to Iris about Iris. There were a few moments yes, but I never thought "wait, why is it about Iris, it's not about her!" Unlike (sadly) with Bloom in Winx where she gets the Spotlight for no reason

Princesses:

I do really like the transformation and animations for the princesses. Although I do feel odd about Lyna and Carrisa having different animations and songs. They look good, but since they don't have a similar transformation like Iris, Thalia and Auriana, I feel like it just says that they aren't part of the group. Which is kinda true since they are absent for 75% of the time in season 2. (Fr, where are these two the entire time?)

And I get Iris is the main character and all, but the creators make Talia and Auriana look so useless and weak for most of the time. And then Talia is able to beat their asses on her own, yet struggled to do so five minutes before.

Also Talia is the best, defo my fave from all of them.

Like her transformation? Goregous

Also:

dark princess's

Omg, I love their design, I need more of them

Magic and Ephidia:

Similar to the story: it felt incomplete. Like things aren't being explained:

What's Ephidia? Is it a continent, is it the capital city? Who created it, what's so special about it?

What are the oracle gems exactly? Are they amplifiers or a key, WHAT ARE THEY? and why do they only show up in front of Iris? Is it cus she's the crown princess or why? Who knows: things aren't getting explained.

And how does the magic work? Is it just crystals? Can they use elemental powers as well? We see them use levitation and time spells as well soooooooooo?

And what about Dark magic? Do you have to be born from it, is it an emotion you redirect, how does if work?

And can we talk about Iris's different transformations? They look epic af but.... How? Can only she do it? What exactly is it? Like a different stage or is it a temporary a power up? Can other princesses do them as well or not?

And what exactly is Amaru? A dog, a pegasus? A shapeshifter animal? How does his magic work? Why can he summon a giant battlefield out of nowhere?

And what about the other magic kingdoms? We only saw a tiny bit of Xeris, but what about the others?

I wish they not only explained a little more about the magic, but also showed us more about the magical world. By doing that, it feels more alive, more

Villains:

Alright imma say it:

Gramorr is the most useless fucker there is

He's being portraited as this all mighty powerful wizard but then he just sits in the throne room doing God knows what, maybe looking at tarot cards with Banes who knows....

He doesn't do anything, just screams when an oracle gem gets to the crown, and yells at Praxina and Mephisto bc they are so 'useless'

Like dude.

If they are so terrible at their job and you are "oh so powerful":

DO IT YOURSELF?!?!

Also, stop blaming everything on the twins cus of your laziness!

Speaking of blaming

Praxina is the worst.

Her newest design is amazing tho.

She looks more threatening then Gramorr ever could

And the butterflies? Amazing, I'm really excited about how she's gonna act in season 3

But if there's a problem she immediately blames it on her brother, but as soon as there's something she can be proud of, she steals the credit, like, bitch stop being so toxic.

And stop blaming Mephisto for everything???

He's the one literally working with the enemy to save your ass TWICE and even almost died a few times (or just.. died after what happened) and what does he get? Not even a thank you. Girl, your bro almost died, wdym? You're siblings, he supports and helps you multiple times yet here you are scoffing, rolling your eyes and blaming him for every inconvenience happening in your life.

Don't give me the "that's how twins act" or "that's cus she's evil" bullcrap cus I got siblings myself, I know what it's like.

So yeah, I'm here in the Mephisto support group.

I also decided to adopt him.

He doesn't know that yet tho.

I'm personally not a fan of the comedian character, but I just feel really bad for him with all the crap he's going through: A shit boss and a shit sister.

Respect to him that Gramorr stab them in their backs AND THE TWINS WENT BACK TO THEIR BOSS TO SERVE HIM EVEN THO GRAMORR REPLACED THEM.

Also he's so sweet? If u can look past all the evil things he did, you realize that he's really sweet and not that evil and he really cares for his sister (even tho she's a bitch).

And the time he and Iris worked together and said that he would be honored to serve her if he was on her side?

Listen, if he's not on Team Lolirock and just dead in season 3 imma be so pissed.

#lolirock #iris lolirock #auriana lolirock #talia lolirock #carissa Lolirock #lyna Lolirock #mephisto lolirock #lolirock praxina #gramorr #magic Princesses #magical girl

[bookishjules]

the oracle speaking through gabe alone made sense, given that he doesn't really have any poker buddies, and eddie was met in passing, rather than a part of that group... but what got me was (a) that he spoke very directly to percy, and (b) that the prophecy was in gabe's voice and tone, rather in the rasp of the oracle that persists even once rachel takes in the spirit in the last book.

i think there's something here about it feeling like a challenge to percy. hearing gabe's taunting voice, telling him he'll fail and betrayed... given percy's natural attitude toward gabe, i feel like he would hear that and just want to prove him wrong, especially if doing so allows him to free his mother too, something he's likely wished he had the ability to do, even when gabe was the only monster in their lives.

i think the choice to have the prophecy come out of only gabe's mouth would have made less sense from a viewer's standpoint if that voice was that of the oracle's instead, because we aren't getting the context of the poker group.

it seems like the choice would either have been take out any apparitions created by the green smoke and just let the oracle speak, or let her borrow someone else's voice. i just wonder what they will do with the oracle's voice when she goes on her walk in ttc and doesn't have an apparition to speak through

#okay i'm just gonna start from the beginning and see if i can get through my thoughts #pjo tv #pjo tv show #pjo tv spoilers #percy jackson #gabe ugliano

[msfcatlover]

Okay, but in the Reverse!Robins AU, when Bruce is dead & everything is a mess, here’s how Jason gets the Red Robin arc:

Jason just wants to help, but it gets spoiled at every turn.

Damian is having an existential crisis because he’s been working so hard for nearly a decade to define his own path/identity, but there’s a big part of him that still feels like it’s his duty to follow in his father’s footsteps. It’s tearing him apart inside over whether he’s a bad brother for trying to take what he’s already abdicated, or a bad brother for forcing the others to carry the mantle, or a bad son for not stepping up, even though that’s what Talia wanted more than Bruce, but Bruce & Damian aren’t that close since Steph died, and maybe Damian’s been wrong this whole time—

Cass doesn’t know how to process grief really, because the only huge losses in her life are Steph’s death & Tim’s mobility, and with the latter she was mostly relieved he wasn’t dead too. She’s getting everyone’s grief 24/7, but she doesn’t know how to talk to them about it or her own. She declared long ago she wanted to be Batman, and everyone seemed very happy then, but suddenly she doesn’t feel ready for it. And on top of all that, she’s the only one Dick even tries to spend time with, because she’s the only one who doesn’t either lash out at him or try to get him to talk when he doesn’t want to.

Duke is trying to hold everyone together, and as the oldest he’s trying to get Bruce’s affairs in order, and it’s such a mess he actually has to stop being the Signal for a little while. Even though he’s normally the family’s emotional rock, he’s frazzled & exhausted, he doesn’t know what to do, and his temper is burning pretty short even as he tries to hold it together for his siblings.

Dick honestly seems to hate Jason, for reasons Jason cannot comprehend. Every time Jason tries to reach out to Dick, he ends up getting screamed at or having something thrown at him, and eventually Jason just gives up. (Dick is a complete fucking mess, because just as he was starting to settle in at the Manor and find something resembling stability again, his foster father went & died on him.)

Steph is AWOL since the funeral, and generally ignores “family troubles” like the plague.

Tim still figures out Bruce is still alive. He doesn’t want to get the younger kids’ hopes up, so he approaches Duke, Damian, & Cass with his evidence instead of calling a family meeting. It… does not go well.

Jason beats a retreat from the tension at the manor, telling Alfred he’s going to crash with Tim for a while. Alfred, Cass, & Duke all try to hide their relief over not having to worry about Jason for a little while. Wrongly believing Jason & Tim will keep eachother grounded.

While at Tim’s, Jason find his folder of evidence. Jason immediately confronts Tim with it, and Tim starts to get defensive before realizing Jason believes him. They go over all of it, as well as Tim’s plans & theories for where/how to find further information.

But Jason sees several problems Tim refuses to acknowledge. Gotham needs Oracle, now more than ever. And a not insignificant part of Tim’s plan relies on exploiting the resources of a certain obvious but unnamed group. Everyone knows Ra’s put the hit out on Tim all those years ago as a sort of “if I can’t have you, no one can” thing, and either intended to end Tim’s vigilante career or figured being unable to stand without crutches was significant enough punishment. But only Jason was there when Tim found the card inviting Tim back for a dip in the Pit whenever Tim was ready to admit he ‘needed’ it; Jason leant Tim his lighter to burn the note. So Jason might be the only one who knows Ra’s has been waiting for Tim to come groveling back ever since that bullet clipped Tim’s spine. And Ra’s definitely won’t deign to help Tim without ‘fixing’ him first. 

Jason’s not about to let his big brother get sucked back into that mess. Not Ra’s spiral of abuse & manipulation, not the potentially devastating side effects of the Pit, and not the struggles with worth Tim’s had since he had to hang up his cape. No way.

And Talia has made it very clear she’d be interested in training Jason.

So Jason steals Tim’s plans. Jason modifies them. Jason tells Tim that Jason’s going to go stay with the Titans, because Jason needs to get out of Gotham for a little while, and asks Tim to cover for him.

Jason steals a credit card for one of Damian’s alternate identities, knowing full well Damian’s too much of a mess to notice the charges until it’s too late.

Jason zetas to San Francisco, and asks the Titans to cover for him if anyone comes asking.

Jason uses Damian’s card to buy a plane ticket.

By the time anyone realizes what’s happened, Jason’s in too deep to risk extraction. After all, you can’t just flatter your way into an al Ghul’s favor only to back out at the last second, and no one in the family is emotionally equipped for delicacy right now.

Tim just has to do his best to make things easier for Jason, play dumb when anybody asks, and pray he isn’t setting his baby brother up to get murdered.

#reverse robins au #reverse batfam #reverse robins #reverse!robins #Reverse Robins AU Jason #reverse robins AU Tim #jason todd #robin jason todd #tim drake #timothy drake #oracle!tim #oracle tim #oracle Tim drake #robin!jason #red robin #red Robin!jason #red robin Jason todd #batfam #batman #my writing #mine #// #Step 20 is Tim waking up to a knife at his throat & Steph demanding to know why Jason just called her #apologizing for every snide remark he ever made & begging to know how she ‘’handled the green.’’ #You don’t want to know what step 19 is.

[ragnar0c]

Gonna ramble about my EOIV stuff… bc I wanna write them and hype them up bc they are… my sillies.

Oracle of Stars (Armoroad Ragnarok) focuses on Hana navigating her feelings and powers to complete her mission. Full Mettle (High Lagaard Ragnarok) focuses on Cinnabar learning alchemy and following its principles.

Tharsis Ragnarok… Misadventurer’s Guild™️ (MG)

Misadventurer’s Guild is fun all around at first! Ragnarok is a guild of freaks that adventure part time…. They are 5 mostly 20 somethings doing a part time job 😭 Then they get dragged into deep shit BAHAHAHHAHA

The main thing that makes them different than the other two guilds is that they have lives outside the labyrinth. (Except sniper, Mira, but she gets one.) Also all 5 of them are equally important me thinks. FM and OoS are clearly led by Cinnabar and Hana (Sometimes Alope)… MG.

They have to balance their lives with the labyrinth and schedule, they remind me of like a dnd group… As in they have to plan lots to meet up and only can on certain days. Any other day they avoid seeing each other bc again… They’re based on coworkers with some dnd group chats.

Eventually tho, their personal lives become intertwined too. Seeing them swap from covering their faces when they see each other in public to acknowledging each other, and offering help, is really sweet to me 🥹

They also return 10 years after killing the titan in Nexus and they have completed their character arcs by then… so I am really proud of how they transform……

I have some stuff written about them, it’s not very good bc I actually wrote it before the very first drafts of OoS…. And it’s not a full blown fic (Less world building/ you’d need to play EO4 to know what I’m talking about) but… they mean a lot to me and I needed to brainrot about their story a little so I could ignite eo4 brainrot on my page.

(Also bc I remember ONE PERSON (you know who you are) said they were excited to hear me do eo4 brainrot…. So maybe I’ll start that…..)

#ragna ramblings #brainrot #Eocs #Misadventurer’s Guild #MG

[roy-dcm2]

Ruminations on the Sheikah

I think the Sheikah are really cool and I love that they've been expanding on the concept since Ocarina of Time.

So, at first we had Impa, and we get the impression that she's just Princess Zelda's nanny, but they tell us that she's part of the shadowy group that protects the Royal Family. In OoT, it feels like a tacked on background.

"Sure! You're a badass ninja, or whatever! You totally torture people and this isn't just Nintendo making a spooky dungeon full of zombies. It TOTALLY fits, blah blah blah."

Obviously, I'm being disingenuous. But Nintendo DID build it up.

In Twilight Princess, we see that they DO have a Hidden Village (a la Naruto) for themselves. And basically, the whole village of ninja disappear when their location has been exposed.

Next we have Impa in Skyward Sword. The Goddess Hylia rose up most of the people into the Sky to protect them. It's possible that the Sheikah also had a village in the sky, but we know that this Impa was tasked with protecting Zelda because she is the reincarnation of Goddess Hylia.

(I know that's technically just a theory... but it would make the most sense.)

So, this clearly establishes the origin of the relationship between the Sheikah and the Hyrule Royal Family. The Sheikah see themselves as the servants of Hylia, so serving the Royal Family is a central point of their culture. In the darkest times, like in the time of Demise, Hylia tasked them to be protectors, and they've been carrying that task forward.

Finally, in Breath of the Wild, we get to see a whole village of Sheikah. And we get to see their normal cultural style leans very Japanese. That's how much dedication they have for their roles as hidden protectors. They only wear Kimonos amongst themselves. They adopt "Western style" clothing to blend in with the other Hylians.

(Btw, did you ever notice Impaz from TP also wears a Kimono? Some should draw Impa from Oracle of Ages and Ocarina of Time wearing the white Kimonos like Breath of the Wild.)

Finally, I should mention the Yiga.

I think it's fascinating to think that Sheikah had a schism. As part of their devotion to Goddess Hylia and the Royal Family, they were asked to abandon the Advanced Technology that the Sheikah used. (Remember that there were Robots as far back as Skyward Sword). And some of them thought this was asking too much, so they abandoned their faith, and started acting like swords for hire.

#Zelda #Legend of Zelda #Impa #Ocarina of Time #Breath of the Wild #Skyward Sword #Twilight Princess #Kakariko Village #Ninja #sheikah #Yiga Clan #Hylia #Zelda Theory #Roy-DCM2

[favoritesegacharacterbracket]

[PART 3]

Yu Narukami and Yaso-Inaba’s self-declared Investigation Team weren’t the only ones that had come to join the scene.

“Sig!” his friend Amitie gave the cyan-haired boy a baffled look. “What are you doing back here!? We told you we were all going out to celebrate with you together, didn’t we?”

“Just had a delivery to make,” Sig replied coolly.

“Huh?”

Along with Amitie, several other Puyo Magic-users had joined the group as well. The space was becoming a little crowded, making Sig want to duck away.

Yu Narukami, meanwhile, was explaining his team’s predicament to Joker.

“Kanji vanished after the results were announced. We’ve been looking all over for him, but no luck. And our phones aren’t getting any reception here…”

Joker put a hand to his chin. “I see… And how about scanning the area with someone’s Persona?”

Yu shook his head, “Rise had a concert and couldn’t make it today, and Teddie’s powers don’t work here, so…”

“You wanna borrow Oracle?”

These discussions continued as, at the same time, one could hear Yosuke Hanamura speaking to his friends further in the back.

“The results were really close, too… I wonder if he took it hard,” Yosuke scratched the back of his neck, sighing loudly. “Y’know, some people in the audience kinda took the piss out of me when Kanji beat me last round, so I… said some stuff I probably shouldn’t have said to him. ‘Like you’re gonna make it much further!’ or ‘Those were all just pity-points, you know!’... stuff like that.”

“Yosuke…” Chie couldn’t help but sympathize. This all really sucked.

“I’m sure Kanji-kun disappearing had nothing to do with that,” Yukiko tried to comfort. “After all, you’ve said much worse things to him before!”

“Gee, THANKS, Yukiko-san!” Yosuke snapped.

“I agree with Yuki-chan. Kanji’s not the type to get all Yosuke’d up by Yosuke having a Yosuke moment!” Teddie declared with a raised paw.

“What does any of that even mean!?” Yosuke demanded to know. He would not receive an answer.

“Much more importantly! Doesn’t it feel like he’s been even since bearfor the results were announced? I have a feeling like my fur hasn’t been in danger of unsolicited pettings for a whoooole while now…!”

“Wait, he’s right…!” Yukiko realized, and Naoto lowered her head in thought.

“Then I wonder what did make him leave…?”

This was when a completely new voice, that of Arle Nadja, the Puyo-using sorceress, spoke up.

“Hey, speaking of that, Schezo’s been gone for a while now, too…” she stemmed her hands on her hips and looked over the crowd. “I didn’t think much of it at first, because he’s really not one for popularity contests, what with his whole ‘darkness and solitude ‘ shtick. But your friend was the one he was up against this round. Both of them disappearing at once is a little suspicious…”

“Oh, maybe they went celebrating together!” Amitie bounced.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow at that “Huh? But they’re complete strangers.”

Amitie beamed, “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet!”

“Somebody keep this child out of public!!” Morgana almost shrieked in alarm at that statement, and someone with a rather similar-sounding voice to Morgana, Ringo Ando, laughed awkwardly.

“Ahahaha… Sorry for that. Looks like we need an Amitie-chaperone over here.”

“On it,” Sig raised his human hand and shuffled Amitie, who gave a confused “Huh?”, aside.

Meanwhile, Rulue, a close acquaintance of Arle’s and Schezo’s, spoke her own thoughts, “Hmpf… That dark mage up and disappearing right after a battle with no trace of the opponent doesn’t bode well. He is definitely up to no good.”

Arle awkwardly laughed at that, “I mean, I’d be worried about that too… But it’s not like the other guy was a magic-users, so…”

Yu Narukami listened up, “Would it change anything if he could use ‘magic’?”

At that, Arle bit her lip a bit and shuffled around before responding, “Um, well, Schezo kinda used to have a habit of kidnapping other mages to extract their magic power from them. That’s how we first met, actually. But he hasn’t done anything like that in a while, because he’s been so focused on going after my power-”

“Huh? Actually, he wanted something like that from me too a while back, I think,” said Amitie.

“Same here,” Sig nodded, showing his crimson arm. 

Arle froze up. “R-Really…?”

The entire Yaso-Inaba Investigation team were staring at each other in horror. 

“Uh… Do you think…  Can Personas be, eh, ‘extracted’?” Chie carefully asked the pressing question.

The answer came from one group over, from Morgana.

“It’s possible,” he said, with a grim look on his face. “But if it were to be done, it would be disastrous for the Persona User. The result would be a Mental Shutdown.”

“Kanji!!” 

Yosuke dashed off, without a second’s delay.

“What the…” Chie was so surprised when he pushed past her, she almost tripped. “...Oh, what the heck, Yosuke! We don’t even know which way to go yet!”

[TO BE CONCLUDED]

Part 2 here

Part 4 here

#sega #persona #puyo puyo #sega bracket fanfiction

[zahri-melitor]

DCU Holiday Bash III #1

World's Finest Christmas: a Superman and Batman story. Toyman creates a giant Captain Adventure robot to fight Superman and Batman. (Clark had Captain Adventure as an action figure as a kid). During the fight the house of the Lattems gets flattened. Clark suggests doing something for them as it's Christmas, Bruce points out they have each other which is a lot more than some people have.

"Do it your way, then...and I'll do it mine."

Superman rebuilds the house and brings his own supplies to do it.

Batman sends Alfred on behalf of the Wayne Foundation to offer Mr Lattem a job designing toys for needy children.

The Joker's Twelve Days of Christmas. This is actually excluded from the DCUI copy of the issue, and after glancing at it I hmmmm am wondering why. Too violent? Too many lines crossed?

The one fascinating point for it is Joker mentions TWO dead sidekicks, here in 1999. Is he dreaming? Counting Barbara? Optimistic?

Heathen Ways: Diana, Artemis, the Sandsmarks and Jason Blood. Cassie Sandsmark is the tiniest human being in this story. She looks about 8.

Diana and Artemis argue over her participation in non-Themysciran rituals for a religion she does not practice. Diana says it’s about family and ritual and gifting. Artemis is mad about celebrating another religion’s holy day when the Greek gods are dying.

So Diana and Artemis have a beat down fight “just like the Solstice Day contest on Themyscira”. Awwww.

Alone for the Holidays: Robin. This story always makes me laugh, as it's one of the few times we see Jack leave Tim with no supervision. Jack and Dana are in Chicago and their flight home gets snowed in, so Tim's all on his own for Christmas. Right until he gets a message from Oracle that there's an emergency, and heads to the Clocktower to find... Babs, Dick, Alfred and Harold having a Loner's Christmas Party. The funniest part is of course that Bruce isn't present.

Home for the Holidays. Set in the Slab. Mark Scheffer (Shrapnel) arranges to break out of the Slab to see his wife and twin daughters for Christmas, after they don’t visit. The other characters in the Slab are definitely a mix of ‘oh it’s that guy’ D listers.

I really like this piece for a few reasons - humanising those incarcerated and the villains of DC, and also showing that telling a good story doesn’t rely on familiarity with the characters involved. That isn’t as common as it should be, in comics.

An Eye for Detail: Batlash. Batlash stops by a cottage and finds a group of crooks trying to get an old man to sign over the title to his farm. Batlash beats them up and then kisses the man’s hot 20ish year old daughter.

No Bart, There Is No Santa Claus. Our real Santa story!

I love Bart and Max together. So much. They’ve just got such a special dynamic in their mentor-student relationship.

Max realises Santa sounds like a standard superhero to Bart and despairs.

Oh Max.

Anyway Bart manages to give everyone he can find a promo of the game he’s desperate to get for Christmas. And all his own presents. Since Max has told him that it’s the thought that counts.

And when he gets home with Max…Santa has been and left new presents!

#DC Santa read along #this is probably my pick for the best of the Holiday Bash titles #but I do love all three

[itsmerachael5]

alright my review below

well.. its.. Certainly an episode.

my problem, and this is consistent with the later half of nsp (after chapter 2 season 3). Is that everything revolves around Midas. Everything happens for the purpose of Midas, other characters are just props to push Midas forward on his goals, even Jules, who i would have hoped would become more than "the daughter of Midas".

But I digress,

Basically this episode, the old Agency gang gets back together again to rescue Midas from Hades' prison, all the gods hate Midas for killing Oro, way back during the Device event, even nicknaming him God Slayer. Even Tek (who is working for Authority again, and by extension Jones) is here to help break Midas out.

The problems are instantly evident when it starts. The pacing this episode is so fast, characters are hardly given a moment of silence, except for in a battle scene. Now this maybe is because of the 30 minute time slot of the episode, but I honestly preferred the shorter 10-13 minute episodes in chapter 2. i hated when they started to do these very very long episodes.

Now, i normally dont have such a problem with the longer episodes, but this the pacing. it does not mesh well with the fact that SO MUCH of the dialogue this episode is just lore dumping. idk.. its just so strange to see this and compare it to older episodes, back then it felt like things weren't just pointed out obviously for the viewer.. maybe im just biased.

With the help of Aphrodite a few groups together save Midas (by distracting Hades and Cerberus) Midas does his part to distract as well by making the island flood with molten gold.

Marigold, Jules, Aphrodite and Midas return to the yacht now needing to fix the lava, since Midas is safe.

Midas still has yet to cordially meet Marigold (who is unexplainably separate from Jules now, retcon maybe). After Jules and Marigold leave Midas and Aphrodite alone, she explains why she's helping him.

She had spoken with the Oracle Pool, who predicts that Midas is the key to everything, and the key to ending the war between gods and mortals. So she was totally on board with saving him (i wont even go on the fact that she has a crush on Midas too).

But after that they go to Poseidon, who explains he had been attached to Rippley when he first got turned into a blob. Midas is on good terms with him already as Poseidon had known him when Rippley breifly worked for Agency and his giant wave from the device event ( i find odd since Rippley was one of the 7 who were turned to gold unwillingly but i guess the flood is what won him over).

But the lava is gone with his help and the episode concludes.

Now, i do have some thoughts on the Tek appearances, and because i cant help but explain ill do that. He for some reason is totally OK with working for Midas now, even being alright with the possibility of DYING just for Midas to escape. Now, keep in mind, the last time Tek and Midas interacted, he was not very kind to Tek, and both know this. He had told Jules, even just being reminded of Midas in her angry grumble was bothering him, "I swear i've got PTSD from hearing it!"

Mind you, not just Midas would bully Tek during his time in the Agency. Meowcles would, as well. And Rue just doesn't like him "oh that buffoon? Always slacking off at his post. And did you see his haircut when he first joined us?"

Tek even acknowledged that Midas didn't like him "Don't know why M but me on duty with [Midas disgused as a henchman], probably to punish me again." And even after the fact, when Tek worked for Chaos Agent he brought up being hurt that he was tricked into creating The Device. And they haven't seen each other since then, so i dont know what happened to make Tek so enthusiastic about working under Midas again.

It just... particularly enrages me that Tek had been given this liking to Midas, as it just proves that in modern NSP Midas cannot have haters. Everyone is either positively neutral on Midas or idolize him, unless they are villains of course, then they can hate Midas all they want (the gods against him being proof). Like yes, Midas is a big deal, but he is also controversial. It just.. Frustrates me because the writing feels so In Favor of Midas, he's been given everything (except for pre-Jules recovery) and it feels as if he can never fail.

A moment i particularly remember is when he was trying to get his wife back, she didn't recognize Jules. So Midas decided to ask Jules to transform into Marigold (which she stated is not a form or name she's comfortable with because it reminded her of being frozen gold) and Jules was portrayed as in the wrong just because she opposed this idea. They did end up getting her back anyways. And iirc this was because they found a way to get Midas' body back.

Overall.. this whole episode is a whole mess. I'm glad for the appearances of Rue and Tek, but dread what's to come. (Oro coming back AGAIN, Midas ect ect.)

i would rate it... 4/10 maybe.. idk my thoughts on it are mixed

#e #text #its ....guh. #this kind of turned into a midas rant sorry #if chaos agent came back idk if it would be a good thing even if i want it #since the retcon of his origin story is canon (rewrote that he worked for midas) #idk.. maybe my hatred for midas is clouding my vision but even when the season was not about midas he still found a way to come back #i just feel betrayed as a chaos agent fan ig.. he didnt get a rivival like midas did.. idk

[castleaudios]

Hello there! First off: Thanks for creating such enterteining content and answering our questions Aand here we go my own questions:

1)Can you become a vampire trough blood transfusion? Or wielder/shifter via organ transplantation? 2)Can you tell us about origin of the shifters or myths connected to that? 3)Are there any unintelligent/primal magical creatures in the Castleverse? (I imagine Abby would love that) 4)Are there any magic specific religion? e.g. cult of vampires or blood mages screaming "Blood for the BLOOD GOD" in the middle of the forest at 1 a.m or people who worship Oracles? 5)Does the magical society/government have some sort of OP commando or termination team for magical beings that are too bad or too dangerous? 6)Are there some parts of mundane non-wielder government, which knows about magic? 7)During history of mankind…Were there some famous magic beings which earn title of legends or even have their name written in non-magical history books? Like some Ancient shifter-warmonger, evil vampire overlord or famous scientist who was actually a healing mage? 8)Which of our beloved wolf shifters has a strongest bond with their wolf side, like did someone start shifting early than is common or is feeling more comfortable in their wolf form than in their bipedal form? 9)Does Ranger have a shotgun under their bed? 10)Do Rachelle and Doll live on the other side of Glenwood from Celine or are they basically neighbors and Rachelle has that comic-villain sinister stare at Celine´s mansion every time when she go to take out the trash? 11) What is Abby and Rose's favorite genre of music? Thank you for your answers and have a great day!

Thank you for answers and have a great day!

1- Whenever blood leaves the body, there is only a limited amount of time before the magic in the blood evaporates away, so when blood goes through the long process of a transfusion and even through simples blood donation, magic cannot pass from one person to another. However, under very specific circumstances, the transfer of magic would be possible.

2- The origin of any kind of shifters is muddy at best, but there used to be myths that wolf shifters were descended from hellhounds. The myth lost favor in recent generations, but it still lingers around and gets brought up from time to time.

3- Yes, there are! But we'll leave that under the spoilers folder for now

4- In modern days, there are few groups that so unified that they could be considered a cult. The last monolith of magical religion was the Endax Coven, nearly 600 years ago.

5- There are designated units for nullifying threats within the magical community

6- Technically yes, if there are situations where the non-wielder governments need to be informed of certain threats, then there are people in place who have access to that power, but the line from wielder to non is covered in so much red tape that the threats are never tied back to magic.

7- The wielder world has done it's best to stay out of non-wielder history, even at the risk of losing the glory.

8- Simon definitely had a much deeper bond with his wolf form, he always encouraged people in the pack to shift, even when it went against Alexander's wishes. During the summer he'll spend most of his free time lounging around in his wolf form, it's just cozier like that.

9- Maybe not under their bed but they've certainly got one tucked away in their house and one in their truck.

10- Rachelle and Doll are in a completely different city, miles away from Glenwood. As far as they know, Glenwood doesn't even exist. Their story is separate for now.

11- Rose likes old 60-70's music while Abby loves her lo-fi playlists

#kurairasen #castlereplies

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor x MC Westmoon CH 10 (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a chapter that is yet to be released on the global server. ♡

Please do remember to read CH 9 before continuing: Here! ♡

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

I’ll be adding bullet point summaries for the parts that aren’t necessarily significant or don’t focus on Victor x MC~ :>

Just a little heads-up so you guys don’t get a shock later LOL: This update of West Moon connects it back to the Black Cabin, and this world-line happens to be another “observation project.” So, we are acquainted with the terms Evolvers, Evol, MC’s QUEEN identity, and the QUEEN gene – from the main story~ :>

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

✧ [CH 10-1] ✧

MC finds herself awake beneath the scarlet moon of the Demon Realm with Victor’s blood-stained double-edged sword in her hand.

MC realizes she’s truly a hundred years back in the past.

MC recalls the warnings Victor gave her (on his 3/4 deathbed) for protection before sending her away.

MC starts looking around and finds the entire demon realm too calm, unlike how the eve of war is supposed to be.

At this moment, MC notices a “giant bird” illuminating the night sky and hides in a nearby bush.

She then sees a round door emerging from the bird’s abdomen, and a group of people walking out of it.

MC watches a group of people tied at the very front, looking like hunters from around the Demon Realm. And at the back are people wearing clothes and with artifacts she’s never seen before.

Among these people, there’s a man in a cloak, whom MC discerns to be their leader.

MC hears these people talking about some failed experiments and such in a joking manner.

AT THIS MOMENT—— One of the hunters cries out in pain while those cruel people order him to keep quiet. Soon, every one of the hunters cries out in pain and a dangerous black mist enshrouds each of them, collapsing to the ground. MC realizes they are all being bedeviled, enraged.

Then MC overhears them talking about Evol energy, experiment data, QUEEN gene and needing it as a catalyst for their experiment.

Obviously, MC is unable to understand a single word of what they are saying LOL~ (⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠) But she is certain that these foreign visitors are the very culprits behind the countless tragedies in Westmoon.

Just then, MC’s Master intervenes in the discussion as he also walks out of the bird’s abdomen, causing her to freeze, literally.

MC’s Master warns the man in the cloak that this is his project and he won’t tolerate any intervention. There’s a brief back and forth between the two, ending with the cloaked man warning the Master to play his role of the “The Great Oracle of Westmoon” properly, or else he will truly take matters into his own hands~

After those people leave, MC’s “Master” reveals he’s already noticed her.

He notices Victor’s blood-stained sword in MC’s hand, and immediately discerns Victor as a Space-Time Evolver, and realizes how he used his heart’s blood to send the “QUEEN” from the future. He also adds that Victor’s Evol strength should have reached the threshold by now~ ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ

Utterly horrified, MC ends up addressing him as “Master”, to which the man says such a relationship with MC will indeed make it easier for his “observation”, and that “his plan is going smoothly in the future.”

Though MC has no idea what any of these terms mean, she still puts two and two together –– “her master” is the very person who tampered with her Occulstone, the person who gave rise to the conflict between Humans and Demons.

Pained and desperate, MC rushes forward (in tears) to attack her master, only to find herself collapsing.

In this brief moment of unconsciousness, MC’s master realizes how this girl has very strong emotions which she will need as the “QUEEN.” There’s also a moment of self-reflection –– he says he won’t hurt or deceive her as it’s not good for her future growth. He only wants to see which path to evolution she chooses.

–

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [CH 10-2] ✧

MC finds herself floating through the chaos of time and space until she finds a beam of light in the darkness, only to find herself surrounded by a group of soldiers in this new place, a sword pressed to her throat.

A soldier suspects MC to be a spy of the demon clan, causing everyone on the site to be alarmed and MC unable to think straight.

At this moment, like always––

–

?? (Victor): Back off first.

At the sound of the familiar voice, I can’t help but lift my head.

The moonlight pours down, and the jet-black strands of hair dance in the wind, playing across the man’s youthful and sharp face.

MC: VICTOR?!

That pair of deep eyes, serene as a placid lake surface, gazes at me, a trace of doubt slowly sliding across his indifferent face.

Victor: [sounds... hopeful in some way]  Do you recognize me?

I narrow my eyes as I look at him. It’s unmistakable that the person in front of me is Victor, but he seems somewhat different from the one in my memory.

He is attired in strong armor, his facial features are juvenile, and his tone of voice carries the boyish charm of early youth. And what’s even more odd is that he doesn’t seem to know me.

–

MC’s mind races million miles a second, and she takes this opportunity to take in the surrounding.

After her deduction upon the sight of what clearly is the middle of a war–– MC realizes, she was lost in the gaps of time and space and ended up landing on the eve of the war between humans and demons a few years ago, thus the sight of Victor~ ಥ_ಥ

First things first, MC tries to clear herself of suspicion:

–

MC: Thank you for saving me, General.

Victor: Where have you come from?

I hurriedly remove the Royal Occultist’s talisman from my waist and hold it high above my head.

MC: Reporting to the General, my name is MC. I come from Serenos, and I’m a Royal Occultist.

–

MC tells Victor that the Guild has sent her to the Retrobyss to investigate the truth since the demon aura is rampant nowadays, and she entered the army camp by mistake.

Victor takes her talisman, puts on a show of checking it back and forth before returning it to the nervous MC, and commands her not to enter this area again.

Just as MC is about to be taken away, the military adviser objects, saying MC’s behavior is suspicious and suspects her to be a henchman of the Demon Clan. Though fearful, MC asks him to send someone to verify her identity, but the adviser objects to that too.

–

Victor lifts his eyelids, his gaze sweeps past the bent figure of the military adviser, and lands on me. Surprisingly, a cold smile plays on his lips.

Victor: What the military adviser has said is reasonable. We should indeed be cautious.

Victor: Guards, bring her to my tent. Wait for me to interrogate and deal with her personally.

Military Adviser: General...!

Victor: Adviser, have you forgotten the reason we are standing here at the moment?

Victor’s eyes are majestic, and an aura that causes humans to be quiet in fear and demons to be terrified to their core washes over instantly.

Victor: Or would you like to join me in enacting the punitive measures on the Royal Occultist?

Victor’s words clearly denote that the military adviser has overstepped his authority.

The military adviser bends his waist even lower. His actions are utterly respectful, but his tone is rather indifferent.

Military Adviser: I wouldn’t dare.

It’s truly baffling that Victor, who has always been meticulous in his actions and is not a lenient person would try to save me, a person of unknown origins, several times.

I vaguely have a feeling that there is some other purpose behind his actions, but I’m unable to figure out any clues whatsoever.

–

Just as MC is being escorted to Victor’s tent, a strong demon aura suddenly hits her while passing by a group of kneeling prisoners.

–

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [CH 10-4] ✧

MC hurriedly uses her Occult to check on the prisoners and realizes they are greatly contaminated with demon aura.

The military adviser urges Victor to give the order for their execution.

-

Instead of responding, Victor turns to me.

Victor: Since you’re a Royal Occultist, do you have any methods to suppress their demon aura?

MC: I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I can give it a try.

I straighten my waist and extend my hands to hold it up over several people, pushing the Occulstone within me to activate.

The black demon aura lingering around those people gradually dissipates, dispersing along with the dry desert wind.

It’s not until the last wisp of demon aura has also dissipated into thin air that I finally heave a sigh of relief. My entire body can’t help but tremble.

Rashly pressing the broken Occulstone to annihilate the demon aura is indeed a tremendous drain on my body.

MC: ...they seem to be all right now.

Victor nods, giving orders to the deputy general.

Victor: To the Deputy General, since the demon aura has been successfully annihilated, there is no need to carry out the execution anymore. Pass on the order to make separate arrangements for these men, and each troop is to return to the camp in their order.

After the deployment, Victor walks over to my side and inclines his head towards some of the guards.

Victor: Return her the weapon you’ve collected.

The young Victor’s gaze lingers on my sword for a moment, then he says to me––

–

[T/N]: Weeping in hands since the sword MC refers to as “mine” actually belongs to Victor. It’s always the little things~ ;-;

–

Victor: I’ve got some questions for you.

I follow Victor through an endless succession of tents, my apprehensive heart unable to relax all along.

Victor used his flesh and blood to serve as a guide, enabling me to travel back in time. Since I already know the truth of a hundred years ago, staying here for too long will only add to his burden.

But right now, let alone finding a way to return to the future, it’s difficult to even guarantee my personal safety.

As I mentally calculate what I’m to say later, I’ve already followed the young general into his tent without realizing it.

A faint scent of medicine lingers in the tent. I take a deep breath. Now I can only take one step at a time.

Victor sits down at the table, motioning for me to sit in the guest seat. His gaze lands on my face as he hesitates a little to open his mouth.

Victor: I... once heard the voice of the Sorceress in the courtyard of the Heavenbright Academy.

–

[Tidbits]: Victor is referring to their first meeting at the academy as teenagers~

–

I can’t help being stunned, immediately understanding what he means.

MC: ...I’m indeed the Sorceress.

He could’ve gotten straight to the point and revealed my identity on the spot, but he didn’t expose me in front of everyone. It signifies that he has a different plan.

MC: So, you’ve already recognized me long ago. You kept me in the camp... is it because you wish to use me to save those bedeviled officers and soldiers?

MC: As long as everyone knows that those who are bedeviled can be “purified,” these people may not need to die.

A look of applause flows through Victor’s eyes as he nods his head.

Victor: You’re smart. In addition, I need to confirm since we’ve been blessed with the visit of the Westmoon Sorceress – your true purpose for coming here.

This isn’t an ordinary question, but a test and confirmation. I don’t answer, rather throw this question back to Victor.

MC: General, what’s your purpose in coming here?

Victor: When you head for the battlefield, it’s only natural that you’d want to sweep clean the calamity and chaos.

I take a step forward, looking straight at Victor with resolution.

MC: Do you truly think that if you win this war, the calamity and chaos can be swept clean?

Victor: ...

Victor doesn’t speak anymore. His gaze strays far into the distance, and he seems to have sunken into the memories.

As the General, he’s fought countless victorious battles. But with each following battle, his back became a little heavier than the time before.

There’s never been a shortage of sacrifices behind him, yet these sacrifices have brought merely a few years, or worse, only a few days of stability. The outcomes are far away from what he hopes for.

What he yearns for is a long-lasting peace, a future where no one would be separated in life and death by the fire of war.

MC: ...you hesitated. I suppose I can take it that you are no different from me and believe that the Demons are far from the origins of the chaos and calamities.

Victor: Even so, until the real chaos and calamities are identified, it is my duty to win every battle.

I nod, my tone softening.

MC: I know. So, there are some things that I’m obliged to do. That is also my duty as the Sorceress.

Victor remains noncommittal. He simply stands up and walks to the corner, lifts the pot of medicine, and looks at it, before pouring the boiled medicine into the jar.

Victor: Come with me.

–

Victor brings MC to the cell of the camp. To MC’s surprise, none of the captives are “prisoners”, rather hundreds of officers and soldiers who got bedeviled.

–

I feel extremely powerless. I can still “purify” these few people, but compared to the entire continent of bedeviled people, it’s nothing more than a drop of water into the ocean.

Victor leans down to examine the situation of these soldiers, his face wearing a complex and worried expression I’ve never seen before.

Victor: There’s no cure for bedevilment. I can only find some medicinal herbs to calm their nerves as a reprieve.

Victor: It allows them to sleep a little longer, or at least will keep them from causing more harm.

The number of bedeviled officers and soldiers in the battalion is increasing day by day, causing a huge challenge for the camp in terms of food, water, and manpower.

It’s at this moment that I truly understand just how much difficulty Victor had overcome to protect these people.

In comparison, the plan to reveal my ability to “purify” seems like the easiest part of the process.

MC: Can I ask you a question?

Sensing the cautiousness in my tone, Victor nods without any concern.

MC: In your eyes, what is the difference between humans and demons?

Victor: There is no difference.

Victor replies calmly and frankly.

Victor: After all, I have crossed paths with the demons for a long time, and I’ve asked myself how much I truly understand about them, not to mention the fact that these bedeviled soldiers have once been by my side morning and night.

Victor: The demon soldiers with whom we are at war for years on end are no different from the human race in their words and deeds, except for their stance.

Victor: As for these people, I’m more inclined to say that they’ve fallen ill.

With that said, the corners of his lips curl with a trace of imperceptible loneliness.

Victor: You are the Sorceress who has lived deep in the palace for many years, so naturally you have no real feelings about what I said.

MC: No, I agree with everything you’ve said.

MC: Someone once told me that everyone sees the world differently, with their eyes.

–

[Tidbits]: MC is referring to what Victor told her in CH 9~ 🥺

–

MC: My eyes have allowed me to see you clearly, to see the demons clearly. Naturally, the same goes for you too.

As Victor stares on in astonishment, I pick up the medicine bowls and feed the soldiers one by one.

MC: However, this is only a stop-gap measure for now and their arrangement will always be a problem...

Victor’s brows are slightly lowered, and he doesn’t speak for a very long time. After a good while, he draws a breath, seemingly having made a choice.

Victor: I’ve already taken this into consideration. Don’t worry.

I nod my head in astringency, but a wave of bitterness floods my heart that I can hardly quell.

When these officers and soldiers were bedeviled, they still had Victor who took care of them and exhausted the best of his capabilities to protect them at the risk of his own life.

But when Victor was bedeviled, who had ever stood by his side, guarding a side of the moonlight for him?

As I’m thinking this, I look up at the sky. The lonely moon is hanging high, just as it has always been in the days that have gone by.

–

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [CH 10-5] ✧

I spend this night tossing and turning restlessly in bed, unable to get a good rest as I think about Victor who is far away in the future, and worry about how to leave this place.

–

Early in the morning, MC rushes outside hearing the soldiers screaming, only to find that Victor is injured.

CONTEXT: Victor led the troops to the Chasm Bridge earlier. Despite having the upper hand, Victor’s soldiers who were stained with the demon aura suddenly attacked him. Knowing they aren’t doing this on purpose, Victor didn’t fight back as he should have done and ended up being stabbed in the back. ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

The physician wants to tend to Victor but of course the goddess of compassion and righteousness ——

–

Victor: No need. You go ahead and check on the situation of those people.

While the physician is in a bit of a quandary, I step forward in a rush.

MC: General, I’ve learned some medical knowledge at the Guild. Allow me to help you.

Victor nods. The physician, though still anxious, no longer hesitates, bows, and goes to examine the wounded men.

I cut open Victor’s blood-clotted garments and find a deep, long wound on his back, clearly caused by a sneak attack.

I dare not delay and hurriedly clean his wounds. At this moment, I hear the physician open his mouth.

Physician: The demon aura accumulated in their bodies is too much and it’s already penetrated so deep into their bone marrow that it’s hard to bring under permanent control.

Victor’s eyes are slightly closed. He’s already anticipated such a situation, therefore he doesn’t hesitate.

Victor: Take them into custody first, and then we’ll draw up the plans.

Military Adviser: General, with all due respect, you’ve repeatedly taken in bedeviled soldiers. You’re being rather too soft-hearted.

The military adviser takes a step forward and lowers his gaze slightly to Victor on the couch.

Military Adviser: Turning into a demon is a betrayal of the Westmoon Kingdom, and they should be punished according to the crime!

Victor: They are tainted with demon aura, and their minds aren’t clear. What’s the crime of betrayal you’re talking about?

Military Adviser: Reporting to the General, the crimes of these men are too numerous to mention. Allow me to state them one by one.

Military Adviser: Willing to be a lackey of the Demon Chasm, treason, one. Sneak attacking the General, the crime of rebellion, two. Irresolute temperament, the crime of disloyalty, three. Failing to control oneself, wrongly convicted crimes, four.

Military Adviser: Failure to report the military intelligence in time, the crime of negligence, five. Wavering heart, the crime of throwing the army into disorder, six. Leaking our military information to the Demon Chasm, the crime of divulging secrets, seven, and occupying the camp’s water and food, the crime of embezzlement, eight!

The military adviser cites eight major crimes in a row, and his words are conclusive. Clearly, he’s deduced them in his mind long before. He pauses, his tone turning mild.

Military Adviser: General, we don’t know how long this war is going to last, and today you were attacked by some mere insignificant little demons. You don’t need to...

Victor: What are you trying to say?

Just when he is about to utter the words “you don’t need to go into the battlefield,” he is forced to swallow them back by Victor’s knife-sharp gaze.

Victor: In that case, how about letting you lead the army to attack the enemy?

The military adviser stumbles over his words. Only when Victor turns around coldly does he breathe a relaxed sigh and murmur in grief.

Military Adviser: In the world of chaos, the men of today have sadly degenerated. If someday in the future, more people are wounded by those traitors, the army will be in great turmoil, and it will become even more irreversible...

What an use of gentle methods and force simultaneously to narrate the crimes and the situation! Sure enough, people are incited by him in succession, clamoring for Victor to rescind his order.

I can’t help clenching my fists and glaring at the military adviser in rage. 

When Victor was still the general, these people were able to distort the truth deliberately and single him out in a corner. When he was bedeviled, what kind of “hostility against the common enemy” attitude was displayed by the army?

I know full well that my identity is in a delicate position, and I shouldn’t speak up. So I only put my hand on Victor’s shoulder, trying to give him a little strength.

Victor reaches out and gently pats my hand, then straightens himself and stands up.

Victor: The camp only needs to shelter these people for five days.

Even though he is wounded, he still stands tall like a mountain, overlooking everyone in the tent in a commanding position.

Victor: Within five days, the Westmoon Kingdom Cavalry will step across the Chasm Bridge and force the army of the Demon Clan to retreat.

Victor glances at the military adviser indifferently, his every word powerful and resonating.

Victor: As for the punishment for the crimes mentioned by the Military Adviser, the General’s office will take over the matter and report it to the imperial court.

A momentary silence of fear hangs in the military tent, which is then followed by a succession of loud cheers as everyone embraces the high fighting spirit. Compared with killing their betrayer comrades, what they want more is a swift return of victory.

Victor has won the game of people’s hearts. But in my heart, I know better than anyone else––

For Victor, this is a war that is doomed to no victory.

–

After everyone leaves, I tuck Victor in, then sit on the edge of the couch to watch over him.

Just when I think this silence is going to last, he suddenly opens his mouth.

Victor: I once heard my father say that the vision of ordinary people can be either very small or very big.

Victor: However, as the General, too small or too big of a vision is a hindrance.

MC: Why?

Victor: The General has an established standpoint. He should have his eyes on the stability of the entire Westmoon Kingdom, and he can only protect the common people of the Westmoon Kingdom.

I stare at him. Amid the half-bright and half-obscure light, his side profile is calm and lonely.

MC: And what about Victor?

That pair of serene eyes gaze at me. Though somewhat bleak, a resolute light gradually solidifies within that gaze.

Victor: The “common people” of Westmoon Kingdom that Victor spoke of includes not only people but also demons.

Victor: The chaos and calamity that need to be swept clean are not the demons, but the desires of the human heart, the uneven distribution of benefits, and the prejudices of the races.

Victor: For this reason, even if I’m to be despised by the entire world, I will not regret it.

At this moment, his figure overlaps with the one of him from years later. Momentarily transfixed, I want to reach out and caress his cheek.

Watching his astounded expression, I suddenly become aware that I’ve now only met him by chance, and so this action is really inappropriate. I withdraw my hand.

MC: General, although it might seem somewhat strange to you for me to say this, I’ve made up my mind a long time ago that I will stand by you.

MC: So, you don’t need to worry that there’s no one behind you.

MC: No matter what the entire world thinks of you in the future, no matter what you become––

MC: I will always stand by your side, and I will work together with you to find a future where humans and demons coexist.

I add after a pause.

MC: And there will be many more people like me. There will always be someone who can understand your intentions, pledge their life to follow you to the death, and stand by you.

Victor: ...

Victor: Where exactly are you from?

MC: I-I’m from Serenos...

Victor: ...the Sorceress is supposed to be still in the palace at this time, and it’s impossible for you to be outside the palace for too long.

Victor: What I’m asking you is, are you from the past or the future?

Seeing that I’m too surprised to get a single word out, Victor shakes his head and suddenly takes my hand, pulling up my sleeve before I can gather myself to react.

MC: ...!!

He stares at the glowing Demon King’s Pact on my arm, raising his eyebrows.

Victor: ...the Demon King’s Pact.

Fearing that he would mistake me for a spy of the Demon Clan, I no longer conceal the matter.

MC: If... I said I’m from the future, will you trust me?

Victor shakes his head, but a slight frown emerges between his brows.

Victor: However, there is one more thing I’d like to ask.

There is a slight pause in his tone, which is rare.

Victor: You... what’s your relationship with the future Demon King?

I freeze, and give him an answer that seems like one, yet not quite.

MC: [nervous wreck]  It should be analogous to... the relationship between you and I? Supporting each other, and trusting each other and things like that...

When Victor sees me faltering, his thin lips draw out into a handsome arc.

Victor: You truly are a confidant no matter the time and space

When Victor was younger, he looked sharper on the outside, but less unperturbed and reserved afterward.

Victor: All right. I’ve seen that you’ve constantly been agitated these past two days, but you should be able to return soon.

MC: How do you know that?!

Victor: I seem to have a sense of time, and I can perceive the traces of space-time distortion on you. 

I was originally supposed to be happy being able to go back, but the repressed emotions in my heart are hard to liquefy.

Only the power of the Demon King can have the perception of time and space.

–– which means... he is close to being bedeviled.

I incline my head somewhat distraughtly and force myself to pull out a smile, and only now do I turn my head to Victor and give a nod.

MC: That’s really... wonderful.

Victor watches my tangled expression and creases his brows into a frown.

Victor: Don’t put on a long face like that. Although we haven’t spent much time together, we can always see each other again.

Victor: I’ll return to Serenos when we’ve won this war, and I will watch you dance in this time and space.

Victor: Until then, I promise you. No matter what dangers and difficulties I encounter, I will not give up easily.

MC: ...yes, we have a pact then.

Words seem to be lingering on Victor’s lips for a long time, and he looks at me deeply before finally just shaking his head.

–

Light and splendor faintly spill all around me, and the next instant, the world turns upside down.

Before an immense quietude spreads over my ears, I hear the young General’s final words to me.

Victor: No need to say goodbye. We will certainly see each other again.

–

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [CH 10-6] ✧

I walk in the waves of time, the ripples are of unfathomable depth. As far as my eyes can see, there’s only a gray on my horizon.

Instead of being led back to reality by the Demon King’s Pact, I’m trapped in the gaps of time, unable to find a way out.

MC: Is it really going to be like what Victor said, that I’m going to be trapped here forever?

Victor’s face appears before my eyes. I take a deep breath and continue to walk forward.

MC: ...he is still waiting for me.

I don’t know for how long I’ve walked before golden lotuses suddenly spring up beneath my feet, dyeing the ash color into bluish-green waves.

At first glance, the waterfront radiates brilliance, painting a hundred sceneries of the human world.

The sound of paddling, the shadow of lanterns, precious horses galloping on their feet –– a prosperous ambiance.

Here in the streets, lanterns are first lit in the early evening. There is no demon aura raging the paths, no swords, and knives, no difference between human and demon, no deceit and treachery.

I’m moved by this sight and unconsciously immerse myself in it. Suddenly, however, I see a person.

A girl with a fuzzy facial appearance sits alone on a street corner, drooling over the hundreds of brightly colored flower cakes, her eyes full of disappointment.

Girl: Oh no. I was in too much of a hurry before heading out and forgot to bring any money...

The girl feels so very familiar and inseparable to me that I can’t help walking over and handing over the coins.

MC: Ma’am, I’ll have a piece of flower cake.

The girl takes the Osmanthus cake in a daze and can’t help raising her eyebrows in delight, smiling as she calls out a name.

I’m unable to hear it clearly. In the next second, the scene has already changed.

I see that same girl lying on her stomach in front of the dog hole in the corner of the Heavenbright Academy wall, trying with all her might to reach the pastry that has fallen between the bushes.

I walk over to the hole and push the paper bag forward. The girl stiffens for a moment and then pulls the snack over at lightning speed.

MC: What exactly are these sights? Why are they so familiar?

These images seem to have been harbored in the bottom of my heart for a long time, but I’m unable to recall anything about them. The scene has already changed, once again.

I stand amid a layer of crimson veiling the entire sky. As far as my eyes can see, there’s only red in my eyes, the symbol of celebration. It’s so boundless that it seems to have no end.

The girl stands across from me, staring at me blankly. The wind sweeps up the red silk, laying out a long, splendid, and warm backdrop behind her.

She and I murmur in unison, opening our mouths.

MC: Victor...

The moment I call out this name, the girl’s facial features become clear. She’s actually me.

My figure and hers gradually overlap and eventually merge into one. And Victor’s place, the place where I’ve been originally standing thus far, is empty.

–

[Tidbits Time]: The first memory of the “flower cake” is from Victor’s destiny of desire, where Victor buys MC the flower cake for her first ever flower day. The “Heavenbright Academy” memory, as already mentioned once before, is Victor x MC’s first meeting as teenagers (also from destiny of desire). The “red silk” memory is from their “Light and Shadow Date”. 🏮❤️‍🔥

–

I seem to have caught a strand of thought.

These all appear to be in Victor’s eyes, those images are that we’ve experienced together.

Perhaps it’s because of the chaos in the flow of time that I’m able to glimpse these fragments.

I close my eyes, and all the clamors of the mundane world are instantly faded into silence.

MC: ...Victor.

The Demon King’s Pact on my arm gradually warms up, growing hotter and hotter, until it turns so scorching as if it’s going to burn my arm.

In the next instant, the fragments of time leap about in a tumultuous manner, weaving together into complete shapes.

A tall figure envelopes me once more, filling the lonely vacancies in the fragments.

Victor evades into nothingness. In the twinkling of an eye, the white moon is a thousand miles away, dispersing every bit of the misty fog.

It doesn’t take too long before I get to see him again, but I feel as if I’ve surmounted time worth the world taking on a brand new appearance.

I don’t know when but my eyes are already overflowing with tears. I fight back my tears, only calling out his name in a muffled voice.

MC: Victor...

Victor is slightly taken aback, wiping away the moisture from the corner of my eyes.

Victor: I’m here.

The chest area of his robe is already soaked with blood, and his entire body appears to be on the verge of collapsing. I’m just about to use my Occulstone to heal him when he shakes his head.

Victor: We’ll need your strength to get out of here. I can still hold on for a while, so do as I say first.

I have no other choice but to nod my head. Victor waves his hand, and a splendor suddenly bursts into bloom beneath us.

Victor: Try to pour the power of the Occulstone into my sword, and use it to pierce the eye of the Demon King’s Pact. Perhaps we will be able to get out.

I nod, my heart shivering. A cold light suddenly appears in the long double-edged sword, sending out waves of resonance with the formation!

Amid the dazzling radiance, the stars around us have shifted. The tide of time rushes towards Victor and me, the power of which seems to be turning everything upside down.

Victor holds my hand tightly from beginning to end, allowing the monstrous tides to drown us in them.

–

When our visions revive, we have already returned to the palace of the Demon Realm once again. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Victor collapses straight down.

MC: VICTOR!!

His heart gurgles with blood, and his entire robe is drenched. He has persevered until now with tenacious determination.

A little dizzy myself, I use all my willpower to summon the other demons to take care of Victor with me.

MC: Physician, how is Victor’s condition?

The physicians shake their heads, all of them looking deathly pale.

Physician: Your Majesty, the King’s body has suffered too many injuries. The demon aura within his body has fallen into a frenzy. We are afraid it will be hard to suppress...

MC: What is to happen if it can’t be suppressed?

Physician: We fear that… His Majesty will become a completely unconscious demon…

I lean over and look at the sleeping Victor, steeling my mind.

MC: I understand. I’ll take care from here.

I’ve once told him that, no matter what and no matter when I will stand behind him and give him strength.

Now, it’s time for me to honor my promises.

I stand up, stretch out my hands, concentrate my mind and breath, and force the Occulstone to activate with an unprecedented amount of numinous power.

In the next instant, a powerful torrent of Occult gushes out of my body, firmly wrapping the man in front of me.

MC: Victor, I’ve honored my promises. You... mustn’t break yours.

–

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [CH 10-7] ✧

I don’t know how long has passed, my eyes are a blur, and I’m only pushing the Occulstone relying on my instincts.

It’s only by thinking about Victor’s appearance in my heart, thinking about the time we’ve spent together that I keep persevering, blindly and stubbornly.

Someone’s shadow seems to move in front of my eyes. I blink my eyes but am unable to see who it is.

I eventually collapse to the floor and lose consciousness.

–

When I open my eyes, what greets me is the intricately carved and painted ceiling of the Demon Palace. I try to sit up, but my body is extremely heavy.

Victor: You’re awake?

Given a jolt, I find that Victor is sitting on a golden Chinese redwood chair not far from the bed.

 A soft glow envelopes his entire body. He is so beautiful that it seems like an illusion.

MC: …am I dreaming?

Victor walks over with a helpless expression, reaches out, and taps me on the forehead.

I rub my forehead in pain, my mood also calming down subsequently.

Victor: Are you awake now?

MC: Yes. So many irregularities occurred when I traveled back in time that several times I thought I would never be able to come back…

MC: So now that I’m truly back in reality, I’m still finding it a bit hard to believe.

Victor: Rest assured. I said I would bring you back, and I don’t break my promises.

When I hear him say that, I can’t help but think of his injuries again. My heart tightens.

MC: How are you feeling? Has the wound on your chest gotten any better?

Victor lets me have my way with him to check his wounds. The corners of his lips suddenly curve into a bright arc, as if to soothe me.

Victor: Thanks to a certain dummy obstinately clinging to her course, I’m no longer in any serious condition.

MC: You’re talking as if it’s no big deal. Do you have any idea how worried I was!

MC: I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t sleep these few days. Whenever I had the chance, I felt my arm to see if the Demon King’s Pact was still responding…

MC: I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to come back. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find out anything. I was even more afraid that you wouldn’t be there when I returned…

Victor silently listens to my venting and simply nods, holding my hand.

Victor: I know.

Victor: But whenever we have encountered difficulties in the past, we have always been able to overcome them, haven’t we?

Victor: So, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

He says it with such calmness and frankness, which in turn causes my heart to soften.

MC: I understand. I just don’t want you to be the hero and shoulder all the responsibilities alone.

Victor: The harm caused by forcibly activating your broken Occulstone is irreversible. Calling me a hero, what are you then?

Victor clasps our fingers, holding my hand even tighter. He then pulls me over to the table.

Victor: All right. Be that as it may, I should also host a sumptuous feast to apologize.

He pours the fragrant tea into the empty cups. The rising aroma of the tea lifts my spirits, dissipating my bitterness and astringency by multiple folds.

The table is decorated with many sumptuous dishes of every color and flavor under the sun, which is an enormous temptation for me who’s constantly been on the move lately.

MC: Humph, I shall reluctantly accept your apology then~

I sit down at the table, and first scoop a spoonful of the congee, the fresh and tender fish fillet sliding into my mouth, extremely delicious.

My eyes light up, and I busy myself with picking up a few more of the peculiar dishes with chopsticks. Each of the delicacies is actually delicious, no less so than the imperial cuisine in the palace.

MC: There’s actually such an amazing cook in the Demon Realm! Every dish is so delicious!

Victor smiles and hands me a handkerchief.

Victor: You’re stuffing yourself for someone who’s just woken up. Be careful not to choke.

Laughing, I take the handkerchief and wipe my mouth, then take a sip of the tea.

MC: I was planning to tell you about my experiences in the past to help with digestion.

MC: I wonder if the Great Demon King is willing to take the time to listen to this very long story?

Victor tugs at the corners of his lips, holding up his cup.

Victor: That depends on whether the story of this “storyteller” is compelling enough.

As I enjoy the delicacies, I tell him about the stories of those former times.

I talk about seeing my Master, and also tell him about my meeting with the young General.

Hearing me describe the situation of those bedeviled officers and soldiers, Victor frowns unconsciously, as though recalling the scenes of the past.

MC: Really, my deepest realization from this traveling back in time is that there is in fact no difference between human beings and demons.

Victor: How so?

MC: I had formerly received teachings from the Westmoon Kingdom palace, taught to think that demons are all bad.

MC: And then, I met you and your men. Then I found out that demons can also be loyal and righteous, and they are no different from people. So I took it to be that demons are all good.

Victor shakes his head and helps me pick up the shrimp into the bowl that I couldn’t reach.

Victor: The world has never been black-or-white.

MC: Mm-hmm. My master once asked me, “Has no one ever become a demon because of their great desire for power?”

My tone sinks as I think about the unfamiliar appearance of my Master I’ve seen when I traveled back in time.

MC: Now, I understand that there’s good and bad in every existence, and it’s not something that can be concluded so simply.

Victor: Every existence has its differences, and these differences give rise to pride and prejudices. Pride and Prejudice are the beginning of conflicts.

I understand what he means. As long as there is the existence of living beings, the conflicts will never cease.

The conflicts will never cease, nor will the fire of war ever be extinguished, and there will always be people who will fall into misfortune as a result of all this.

Seeing that Victor is a little gloomy, I take his bowl and bring a few dishes for him as well.

MC: I really like these dishes in particular. Try some~

Victor takes a few bites and nods indicatively.

Victor: Pretty good, indeed.

MC: As soon as I’m done with these matters at hand, I’ll go visit this cook to formally become an apprentice. And when I’m done with my lessons, I’ll open an inn in Serenos and will surely make a fortune!

Victor: …that sounds like a promising prospect.

–

[Tidbits]: It’s hinted in Victor’s split route that the cook is our master-chef himself! On another note, Victor you literally just got out of deathbed, LIKE LITERALLY! ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ Of course, he would still cook for her~ 🥺💘

–

He releases a sigh but is unable to conceal the smile at the corner of his lips. Somewhat defiant, I toss him the question.

MC: What about you?

Victor: What about me?

MC: What do you most want to do when the conflict ends?

Victor: Haven’t thought about it.

MC: Aren’t you even the least bit curious?

Victor: …I’m not like a certain someone, eating and drinking every day, doing some daydreaming, and going to bed when she’s tired.

Victor: If I must say, when the conflict ends, I’d like to see you dance again.

His eyes are filled to the rims with a soft light. When I look into his eyes, I immediately feel my cheeks growing burning hot, and turn my head.

MC: Now, I’m no longer the Sorceress. I don’t have a stage anymore, nor am I as adept in my dance steps as before.

Victor: Do you only wish to dance on the Occulsoul Platform?

I pause slightly, shaking my head.

Victor: If dancing is what you like to do, why should you be stuck in your identity?

Victor: The entire world can be your Occulsoul Platform, and the flowers and plants, rivers, and mountains will eagerly look up at you as you dance.

Victor dips his chopsticks into the tea and casually draws on the table.

Victor: You have the freedom to go wherever you wish, whether it’s Serenos or the Demon Realm.

For a long time, I stare blankly at Victor, a moist mist emerging in my eyes.

MC: Formerly, the dance was supposed to be for the entire Westmoon. If I can have the opportunity, I would like to dance in the Demon Realm.

MC: When that time comes, I must drag you along to be my first audience.

We continue our chatting for a while longer when someone knocks at the door.

–

[Tidbits]: The latest EN translation has localized “Ashan’s” name as “Sam”. So I’ll be using that from now on for consistency~ :>

–

Sam: Your Majesty, the sentinel has brought back news from the Demon Chasm.

Victor: Got it. I’ll head over there in a moment.

Seeing that Victor has official business to attend to, I lay back down on the bed, yawn widely, and close my eyes.

Victor comes quietly to the bedside, brushes away the strands of hair that were lying scattered on my face, and tucks in the coverlet again.

Victor: Get some rest. I need to go out to attend to some matters. If there’s anything you need, send someone to contact me at any time.

I nod in a daze and feel a small, almost inaudible sigh coming from above.

Victor: Don’t force yourself.

–

Victor’s wounds have healed considerably while he still has to attend to matters at the Demon Realm. MC, on the other hand, stays by his side at the Demon Palace all along, reinvigorating her body and mind.

One day, while MC is out on a stroll for fresh air, she notices some celestial abnormality in the sky and realizes there must be something ominous going on again.

MC hurriedly seeks Sam and asks him to let Victor know why she has to leave while leaving a note for him herself, reassuring and promising him over and over again that she won’t use her Occult carelessly~ 

–

CH 12 (Victor’s split route): Here!

—

#THE RIDE IT HAS BEEN!!! THIS MAN. AND THIS GIRL!!! Words will fail to do them justice so I shall refrain haha~ ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ #PG WHAT DO YOU FEED VICTOR’S WRITERS!!!! 😭❤️ #*prepares herself for translating the split route* 🫠❤️‍🔥 #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mr love victor #mlqc #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #李泽言 #love and producer #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations

[himebushou]

I've basically been doing very little with my time besides watching Shaman King 2021 so phew, here are some thoughts on Episodes 10-32!

Episode 10

The bit with everybody hanging out at the inn was adorable, hee.

I LOVE BOZ THEY'RE SO FUNNY

It's odd that Yoh is already paying that much attention to "Hao" considering the name has come up once? But yeah...

Ryu comes back!! And damn, he already qualified for the main tournament?

Bason and Ren are too cute. Also, it's interesting to watch Ren's mindset change and hee, we get the showdown against Tao En!

Episode 11

Phew — Ren gets captured by his Pops and the Zoldyck vibes INTENSIFY.

I don't remember the Tao family having their own Super Sentai Squad, but hey, it tracks!

It's a bit of a shame that these battles were concluded so quickly, but it was cool to see Horohoro and Ryu's upgrades!

Can't believe Tao Rn squeezed that poor baby panda to death only for it to be resurrected as a zombie in the next scene! SHEESH!

Episode 12

This episode also went at THE SPEED OF LIGHT! I cant believe we got Jun's dramatic rescue and the whole Tao En reveal and fight in the same episode! I mean, at this speed, Ren's deep loyalty to the gang does seem a bit goofy, but hey, I'll deal!

Ryu saying, "Just what exactly do you think wavering is?" had me laughing so much, oh man.

Episode 13

How is SO MUCH happeningin EVERY EPISODE?

Yoh and the crew leave home!

They meet Hao!

They get dropped out of a plane!

They meet Lilirara, who's really cool! There's sone backstory!

They go on their way — AND THEN LILIRARA DIES???

Wild!!!!

Horohoro continues to be adorable and guh, I'm really enjoying watching the episodes dubbed... honestly, the dub iis really, really good!

Episode 14

WHEEE LYSERG THE DOOFUS IS HERE... to be honest he's a lil green Sherlock. Isn't it nice that everyone has a colour-coded Oracle Bell lol Yoh's is orange and Lyserg's is green... it's been like 15 years but I still don't know if I've forgiven him for what comes later. Whoops.

Anna is such a great character and I love how much bearing she has on the story.

New ending! And it's Iron Maiden Jeanne!!

Also, the goof with 6 years versus 8 years... Lyserg's parents definitely weren't killed 6 years ago, sheesh.

Episode 15

Okay, so this was one of the eps where the pacing was definitely painful. Anna got a (hodgepodge) version of Hao's backstory — honestly, why didn't Yohmei just tell her the whole deal if he was going to reveal so much? And then, she dealt with Hao's familiars SO QUICKLY that there was like. No threat to them at all. I was expecting more boom bang...

But she did use the 1080 beads! We love the 1080 beads!

Horohoro is just one of the best characters and I loved his upgrade, gosh. Again, we could have had a whole episode dedicated to his time with Apollo, rather than 10 mins. I also don't know HOW Ranger Bluebell knew bout him wanting to become the Shaman King since that wasn't discussed

For obvious reasons, Morphin is renamed Morphia in the dub, hue.

Episode 16

Not much that I can say about this episode (I was a bit sleepy when I watched it). Ryu is getting an upgrade — at lastl! And this episode had some of the humour I love from Shaman King: the whole bit with the vampiric guys was SO funny. "If there are only 5 in the group, why do two of them look the same?!" Yoh/Ren/Horohoro are such a darling trio.

Episode 17

/inhales

THE X-LAWS ARE HERE

WHICH MEANS MARCO IS HERE

WHICH MEANS... ERIC STUART!!!

And man I hate Marco (thought ťhe X-Laws are great villains who basically permanently impacted mine and my friends' psyches; they're a specific type of evil) but boy oh boy, it is sooo good to hear Seto Kaiba in an anime again, sobs.

Lyserg... tbh, I don't think I ever forgave his betrayal back from 2001; THERE'S STILL A PART OF ME THAT'S MAD. I wonder if I might feel differently this time around but I half-expected the little green bean to run off with the X-Laws in this very episode so I was a bit surprised when he didn't.

And then a surprise! Hao chatted to Anna and Manta and Tamao! Anna looks so cool with the sunglasses, lol. Though... I feel like Manta's being from money is largely a plot device (because how else would everyone get to the States)... but I often find this with rich/wealthy characters. sighs!

Oh, also! The Shaman King timeline is SO WHACK. Like, Ryu says to Yoh: "You forgot about me in Izumo which is when I trained to be a shaman." But here's the problem. I think Ryu only went to Izumo in the he first place to take Manta there and THEN he trained with Yohmei — but the flashback reveals that Ryu had to wait for a week to get Yohmei to train him (why is Mikihisa Like That btw) which means that. Yoh would have already been back and fighting and drawing against Ren and therefore concluding prelims in the same time that Ryu was supposedly waiting for Yohemi to train him? And yet Ryu somehow had an Oracle Bell AND qualified for the main tournament? While Ren had only completed two battles?

fudjdjd stuff like this drives me absolutely cuckoo I NEED WRITERS TO HAVE CHARTS AND TOURNAMENT TABLES AND TIMELINES AND ALL ELSE. URHFJFJD

Episode 18

JOCO!!! HEART EMOJIIIS

Anna slapping Hao with her free hand!

Mihihisa being revealed to be Yoh's dad!!

And the whole bit with Ren deciding the teams fhdjd man I am CRACKING UP!

(I rewatched some scenes in English and Japanese and wow, some of the changes are completely unnecessary fjdjd)

Episode 19

I... finally caught the Mic the Jaguar / Mic Jagger joke.

After almost 20 years.

SHEESH.

(I love Boz they're so funny fjljjd)

Episode 20

I never knew that Joco's backstory was so sad... my poor little guy...

I love how Ren pointed out that Horohoro did nothing, zero and zilch in the match dhdjd

Episode 21

Phew... to say that the X-Laws are brutal is putting it lightly... and looking at Jeanne and the way she was in this episode and knowing that she ends up with Ren is very. HUH?

I kind of can't believe just how laidback Yoh is sometimes. It kinda irritates me a tiny bit? Back in the day, I couldn't choose between Yoh, Ren and Horohoro for the Favourite Character Spot, but I'm not firmly Team Horohoro, ehe.

Poor Team Niles. Gosh.

Episode 22

Crying and sobbing... why won't Shaman King just give me. A TIMELINE? So now I discover that it's been TWO MONTHS since they were in the Patch village (???) and it's already the last battle of the first round of the tournament (???) and that Anna already taught Team Funbari Hot Springs EVERYTHING in Hao's big bad book (???) and? We didn't get to see any of that? Like I understand this decision if that's how it went down in the manga and the double OS was a major, unprecedented reveal, but if not... I LOVE A TRAINING MONTAGE. Give me these arcs...

Also, the dub's choices for which terms to leave in Japanese are messy. They use words like Onmyoji and Ultra Senji Ryakketsu, but 'Mana' replaces 'furyoku'... like I'm pretty sure the 4Kids dub used furyoku because it was a term I was v. familiar with.

Anyway, its nice to see a battle span two eps!

Episode 23

Wowee... this episode got me teary. Ryu's upgrade is NICE and Anna talking about the flexibility of Yoh's furyoku was so sweet. I also love the Icemen and their design — and it was particularly cute to see Pino and Horohoro chatting together at the end.

And then Hao's whole convo with Ren (the 4Kids dub called him Len and Yoh nicknamed him Lenny which was the cutest; gah, things I miss!) was really interesting

BUT WHY HAS YOH SOUGHT OUT LYSERG THE TRAITOR... ooft!

Episode 24

WAAAA WHAT A COOL EPISODE?

Okay, so it turns out that I was wrong about all the matches being over because this ep was HAO VS THE X-LAWS and damn, Hao using OXYGEN as his medium? That's bloody cool!!!

The OST in this ep was top tiiieeer and freaking — the X-Laws being humanised? A bit? I am SHOCKED.

Episode 25

Revelations galore... and Yohmei Tries to Commit Infanticide: Extended Edition.

Blimey. This anime is getting me so emotional.

(I love Horohoro I love what a good friend he is he is my FAVOURITE.)

Episode 26

WOW I LOVED THIS EPISODE.

The senior Asakura and Tao folks coming together to discuss Hao's bigtime book and the gang finally finding out about Yoh's origins! I got to see TAO RAN again (I love her) and freaking heck, Mikihisa is so cool? I guess jury has to be out with him a liiiittle bit because I've seen people commenting that he sucks. But. I have a major soft-spot for shounen dads (Goku, Echizen Nanjiroh, Van Hohenheim, Kurosaki Isshin...) and I reckon Mikihisa ticks cool points.

And freaking Ren! Why is everyone so cool??

Episode 27

NO TIME YO RECORD THOUGHTS MUST WATCH NEXT EP

Team Flower vs Jun / Anna / Tamao yeah!!

GOTTA SAVE REEEEN!!!

Episode 28

HOWLING

HOWLING!!

The Iron Maiden will save Ren (oh my GOSH — NOW, CERTAIN THINGS make more sense) and Yoh will be withdrawing from the tournament (?) and we got a new opening AND a new ending and Horohoro had that whole speech and buuu MY TEARS!

Episode 29

Mikihisa appears and just adopts everyone on sight and oh my gosh, the babies? Forget everyone else I want THEIR happiness and dhdhd what is this stuff about a golem?

HOW CAN I GO TO SLEEP WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING IN THIS ANIME

Episode 30

Ahhh we're entering a flashback! So this is what people were talking about when they kept bringing up "Osorezan Arc", huh?? YOH AND ANNA'S FIRST MEETING!

AND SHE WAS SO DISGUSTED.

Once again, the timeline is WHACK because there's really no way it can be the year 2000 at the time of the Shaman Fight unless I'm missing something huuuge... Yoh and Anna really should've been 8 when they met, not 10?

And I'm finally meeting Matamune!

But he was in the last Shaman Fight dhdhd i guess Hao couldn't have participated since he was a Patch that time but what happened at the fight 1000 years ago?

SO MANY MYSTERIIIES

Episode 31

Oh man, I can see why people were so obsessed with this arc... there is just so much emotion here from all sides: Matamune (having to defeat Hao!!), Yoh and Anna, Kino — everything.

You can see why Yoh and Anna are the dream team, wow.

Also, I looked up a timeline and I think I can make my peace with it being the year 2000 in canon... but the anime did not explain it AT ALL, which is pretty poor.

Episode 32

Wow.

Yoh and Anna are very, very special.

#shaman king #shaman king 2021 #rambles and rambles! #can't believe that this post doesn't mention amidamaru even once but he is always excellent