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carionto · 3 months

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Too tough for paradise

One peculiar side effect of Humans hailing from a Deathworld is that their biological well-being is partly dependent on some degree of microscopic hostility from the environment and what they consume.

It is normal among most species that, should their surroundings change to more hospitable conditions, their minds and bodies would feel relief and be under less stress. However, as with any changes, if they deviate too far too quickly from their normal, you risk damage from a sudden shock to the system.

___________________________

Abigail "Abby" Hostaz had been legally grounded by the Gyin-Trov due to her, ahem, "expansion of business" without the right permits. Not that she bothered to learn that nobody outside Human controlled space in the Galactic Coalition would allow the creation of a deadly asteroid race track AND let sentient beings directly pilot ships through it.

Hell, finding an Alien crazy enough to partake in an activity even most Humans consider insane is one in a trillion. She still did find seven non-Humans, so that math actually is within a reasonable margin. Everything else is not reasonable.

The local Gyin-Trov government learned of the true nature of her activities when a rogue asteroid suddenly appeared on their threat detection systems. The unnatural change of course quickly pointed to where she had set up her latest "thrill track", which the authorities rapidly dismantled, impounded her vessel, named "Victor", and put her under house arrest in the Human embassy awaiting the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent trial.

While station based embassies are effectively fully contained perfect habitats for the respective species, planet based ones tend to adopt a lot of the local elements and integrate what they can simply due to proximity and availability.

Humans, the resourceful buggers that they are, used everything the planet had to offer (that wasn't outright lethal to Humans, which in the case of the Gyin-Trov homeworld were only a few pollen producing crops found in the poles of the planet).

A combination of a almost perfect temperature range (near constant lows of 14C at night, highs of 21C mid-day), slightly higher moisture levels, and bio-engineered local flora that made the water into this somewhat thicker soup containing virtually every nutrient, vitamin and mineral a carbon-based lifeform could ever want, leaving little for the digestive system to tackle. Heck, just being within a field of such plants lets the body absorb everything for healthy survival.

In short, the Gyin-Trov homeworld, also named Gyin-Trov, is as close to Utopia as you can get.

Aaaaaaand Abby is not having a fun time there.

It's not like she was imprisoned - she was allowed to wander around the city and surrounding area under light supervision, she even had her cat, Hector, with her. But there just wasn't enough excitement to be found anywhere.

They had arcades and various physical activities, but she never felt her body grow tired after hours of competitive gaming and contests. No feeling of hunger or exhaustion ever disturbed her focus. The only thing that kept Abby from becoming, essentially, a zombie perpetually engaged in whatever activity was most fun at the moment was the inherent nature of the Human brain - it gets... wobbly after a while and needs sleep.

Not even a week had passed and people noticed Abby had become... different. No strong reactions to anything, no outbursts of some crazy ideas, just a general positive but not quite cheerful apathy. The Human ambassadors had experienced a much milder version of this, and it is theorized that they did not deem it as concerning due to the simple fact the ambassadors always had something to do, and more importantly - something that put their minds, if not bodies, to the test. Regular challenges, worries, and stress from work in general kept them on edge in some ways.

Abby was just waiting around, "put on vacation" as one of the ambassadors had put it. After a couple of more days of this peace, she seemed more like a automaton than anything else. Mindlessly going from place to place, trying out whatever activities were available, but clearly none offered anything close to the level of excitement and danger she had grown so used to. Not even the flawed thirty year old Human body she was in offered any surprises or discomforts.

Everything was just perfectly fine.

When the paperwork finally cleared and she was issued a fine and formally banned from engaging in any construction efforts in Gyin-Trov controlled space, she was reunited with Victor, and the personality changes she had undergone during her short time were seemingly instantly reversed.

Once she was in her ship and the self-diagnostics showed a few blinking lights, Abby immediately became energized and took action. Breathing in the recycled air with a hint of dry rust made that old bruise on her right side make itself known again. She pulled an all-nighter making repairs and "adjustments" to Victor and collapsed from exhaustion on the hard floor.

The next day, she was already near the border to neutral space when she noticed a dwarf planet with a rock formation in the shape of a trebuchet (very vaguely, if you squint really, really hard, and imagine half of the parts), and that gave her an idea.

All the while, Hector the cat did not exhibit any noticeable changes during his stay with Abby on Gyin-Trov. Maybe just a few more hours of sleep per day than normal.

#humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are space oddities #humans are deathworlders #humanity fuck yeah #carionto #story

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posh--bee · 1 year

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Ein Kompliment || König

pairing → König x Reader

summary → König comes home from deployment to find you singing and dancing to a German song in your kitchen—completely surprised by how well you speak his language.

warnings → none, just tooth-rotting fluff, no descriptions or pronouns used for reader, no y/n used

author’s note → This is just a self-indulgent domestic little oneshot because I felt nostalgic for some German music from when I was younger :) The title means “a compliment” and it’s also the name of the song. You can listen to it here. Also, I have literally no clue about CoD and never played one of the games for even a second, but this man still managed to steal my heart.

word count → 2.1k

König could hear the music blaring even through the closed front door of your home, the muffled sound of electric guitars, drums, and the singer’s voice greeting him when he put the spare key you had trusted him with early on in your relationship in the lock and turned it.

The door opened and the music became even louder, clearly originating from the little radio you had in your kitchen, and a smile formed on König’s face when your cheerful voice joined the singer. From the sound of it, König guessed that you were in the kitchen as well and he carefully placed his bag next to your shoe rack, not wanting to give his presence away just yet. He had intentionally told you he wouldn’t come back home to you for another week just so he could surprise you. The lie had left a foul aftertaste when he had told you and the disappointment in your voice had nearly broken his heart, but in the end it would be worth it, he had told himself, seeing your face light up in delight when you spotted him and jumping into his arms, clinging to him and covering his whole face in the sweetest kisses, the sound of your joined laughter filling your home.

König couldn’t wait to finally see you again, the weeks and months without you by his side were nothing short but torture for him, but he forced himself to take slow and silent steps towards your kitchen, not wanting to ruin the surprise so close before its grand reveal. Despite his size and mass his heavy combat boots made almost no sound against the wooden floor of your hallway, and he was confident that with the help of your music playing you wouldn’t notice him until he stood directly behind you and wrapped his strong arms around your smaller frame, probably giving you the fright of your life before you recognized your gentle giant, scolding him with giggles and kisses for scaring you like this.

König couldn’t shake the smile that pulled on his lips at the thought of it, but a sudden realization made him stop dead in his tracks, just outside of the open door of your kitchen. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed it sooner but the song that had been playing since he had arrived wasn’t in English—it was in German.

And you were singing to it.

König’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he stayed still while listening to the sounds coming from your kitchen, wanting to make sure that all the blows to the head he had received during missions didn’t manifest as him suddenly hearing something that wasn’t actually real.

After a few more moments of concentrated listening, he came to the conclusion that he didn’t suffer from an auditory hallucination and that you were indeed singing along to a German song even though you had claimed to not speak his language. Your pronunciation was a little bit off, that much was true, but you more than made up for it with your enthusiasm while singing along to the lyrics and König wondered with a frown why you had never told him how well you spoke German. Needing to investigate this surprising discovery further, he peered into the kitchen, dimly remembering having heard the song playing on the radio from time to time over the years, the first time probably even before he had joined the German Armed Forces.

The sight König was met with left him breathless in the best way possible, a warm feeling spreading in his chest while he watched you dance to the music in the middle of your kitchen, singing into a clean whisk with your back towards him, completely oblivious to his presence. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from you, couldn’t move a muscle or find his voice to let you know he was home, just watching you with pure adoration in his eyes, his heart almost bursting with all the emotions he was feeling at this moment.

You were still dressed in your pajamas, your feet sliding along the tiled floor with your movements because of the fuzzy socks you were wearing, stumbling over some longer words in the lyrics of the song but continuing to sing all the same. The bright and clear morning light shining through the kitchen windows illuminated the room almost magically and created a halo around your head, and König swore if he had a ring with him right now, he wouldn’t have wasted any more time and go down one knee, asking you to spend the rest of your life with him—even though he hadn’t had the guts yet to tell you that he loved you.

Just when the second verse of the song came to an end you suddenly spun around and spotted him, freezing for a few seconds to process that your boyfriend was home already and standing in your kitchen before your eyes lit up and the smile on your face became blinding. König opened his mouth in an attempt to greet you, to tell you how happy he was to be back and how much he had missed you, but his voice was still lost, not being prepared to be caught by you, his grand reveal now ruined.

You however weren’t deterred by this surprising turn of events at all, you were nothing short of ecstatic to see him again and König couldn’t help the big smile on his lips, readying himself to catch you when you jumped into his arms like you always did. But it seemed you had other plans and instead of your usual greeting you lifted the whisk back to your mouth with a twinkle in your beautiful eyes, pointing at him with your other hand. König lifted an eyebrow in confusion, wanting to ask what you were doing but you preempted him, joining the song still playing on the radio again, singing the refrain to him, your eyes never leaving his.

Ich wollte dir nur mal eben sagen

I just wanted to tell you

Dass du das Größte für mich bist

That you are the greatest thing to me

Und sichergeh’n, ob du denn dasselbe für mich fühlst

And to make sure you feel the same way about me

Für mich fühlst

About me

Your little performance left him speechless for the second time that day, still dumbfounded by how well you spoke German, not to mention that the meaning of the words you were singing to him pulled at his heartstrings. You were always vocal about your feelings for him, never hesitating to tell him just how much he meant to you, but hearing you sing something like this to him in his own language made him absolutely weak in the knees.

And of course this was when you decided to run to your boyfriend and jump into his arms after all, completely catching him off guard and for a moment he struggled to hold you up which was something that had never happened before. But once you had your arms securely wrapped around his neck and your legs around his waist, he held you with ease and was promptly rewarded for it with a beaming smile and a kiss on his cheek.

“I missed you so much,” you sighed and pressed your forehead to his, overcome by a wave of emotions at his early return home. The weeks and months without him were always lonely, your bed feeling cold and empty without your personal heater holding you close at night and refusing to let you go, your whole house not feeling complete without your boyfriend lounging on your couch or sitting at the table and doodling in his sketchbook, quietly humming to himself.

“I missed you too,” he murmured against your lips before kissing you deeply, blindly walking you both towards the kitchen counter and gently setting you down on it, only breaking the kiss when you ran out of breath. You smiled up at him and put the whisk down beside you in favor of cupping König’s face with both hands, your thumbs caressing his skin, running along the prominent scar on his lips and the slight stubble along his jaw.

His eyes fell closed as he leaned into your touch, his body relaxing against yours but still cautious not to put too much of his weight on you, feeling truly at home now that you were in his arms again. But there was still a question on his mind that he couldn’t shake off, so he quickly reached for the radio that was playing a new song by now and turned it down before asking, “When did you learn to speak German so well?”

The smile on your lips became bashful and it was one of the few times in your relationship that you had to avert your gaze from him, usually König was the one struggling with maintaining eye contact even after being with you for some time already.

“I started learning it when we got together. I used some apps and stuff and started to listen to German songs as well, that really helped. I wanted to surprise you one day when I’d more confident with speaking it,” you admitted in a small but proud voice, delighted that he thought you were good at his language already despite being caught before you considered yourself the same way.

König stared down at you while his mind struggled to process your words, wondering if you had made it your personal mission to render him speechless as often as possible today because so far you had been doing a fantastic job at that. He hid his face in the crook of your neck when you looked up at him again, too overwhelmed to from any kind of verbal response to your explanation, his heart beating violently against his ribcage. He hadn’t thought it was possible to fall even deeper in love with you but here you were, proving him wrong again and again, now by secretly learning German just for him.

With a sympathetic chuckle you allowed him the time he needed to collect himself, wordlessly rubbing up and down his back with one hand while gently running your fingers through his hair with the other one, making him hum in appreciation.

You smiled up at your gentle giant when he untangled himself from you again and took one of your hands in his much larger ones, calloused fingers nervously playing with yours, a blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks and all the way to the tips of his ears. You quirked your eyebrow at him, wanting to ask him if he was okay when he locked eyes with you, a resolute look on his face that made you understand just how important his next words would be to him.

You sat up straighter, your heart beating faster and a pleasant and warm feeling settling in your stomach at being in the center of his undivided attention, at having him look at you like you were the most important thing in the whole universe.

And to him you were just that which is why he couldn’t let any more time pass without him telling you just how much you meant to him, making sure you knew that he felt the same way about you.

König’s voice faltered slightly when he began to speak but he was determined to finally express the true depths of his feelings for you, his fingers tightening around yours, the feeling of your warm skin against his grounding and calming him, encouraging him to carry on.

“You are, without a doubt, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and you make me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. A-and what I’m trying to say with that is that I love you. I love you so much.”

Hearing his words and the sincerity in them made your heart skip several beats and you felt tears of pure joy welling up in your eyes, unable to say anything in response. König constantly showed his love for you in other ways and you had never doubted his feelings for you even once since the beginning of your relationship, but hearing him say it out loud touched you deeply, making you the happiest you had ever been in your life.

You gave him a teary smile and before König could even think about apologizing for making you cry you pressed your lips to his, pouring all of your emotions into the kiss, making him gasp quietly at the intensity of it. You chuckled affectionately at the displeased look on his face when you pulled back all too soon, but you just shook your head, lovingly gazing up at him before softly saying,

“Ich liebe dich auch.”

You loved him too.

#könig x reader #könig call of duty #könig imagine #konig x reader #cod mw2 #cod x reader #call of duty x reader #call of duty

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wutheringskies · 9 months

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The Twin Jades

dude sometimes I just come across such bad meta. it's even worse if it starts off good and turns bad.

Good Meta Points:

• The Lans really love younger child Wangji (no pets allowed, but wangji can have them. Wangji wants lotus pod seeds and gets them etc.)

• Instead of giving agency to his actions and thoughts, they think he's being influenced or corrupted by others to act in such ways (especially Lan Qiren.)

Bad Meta Points

• Lan Wangji is spoilt, similar to Nie Huaisang or Jin Zixuan.

• Gets the lowest punishment at all times (pfft.)

• "I get it you waited 13 years but you fucked off into the sunset with your husband leaving your emotionally unstable brother and duties"

• "Good to see people talking about Lan Wangji's flaws" - mentions him being spoilt and demanding instead of his actual flaws.

Like... you cannot seriously point out how he gets to have rabbits as a point of him being spoilt. Lan Wangji has made like one error in his life in his studies. He's assigned himself punishment for stuff that wasn't even done by will (coughs, wwx). He's made his decisions and lived with the consequences.

Despite what you say, Lan Xichen isn't a terrible brother to Wangji. Neither is Lan Wangji a selfish brother.

Sibling relationships are complex, and between two individuals with their own set of values. Lan Wangji is totally righteous, even more than Nie Mingjue. He can't stand exaggerated, political loopholes and unrighteous acts. He does what he can do, working on the ground level.

Lan Xichen isn't Lan Wangji. He knows the world is filled with corrupted people, and challenging each and every one of them would lead to your own devastation (read: Wei Wuxian's biography). Thus, he tries extending his sympathy to all, and draws conclusions that allow the least possible damage. He does think Lan Wangji made a dire mistake with Wei Wuxian, because if not, he will have to face the fact that the world punished his brother for his righteousness and it would shatter his whole foundation (like it does).

But despite that, both of them share similarities. They both want the better of the world. Lan Wangji is brave enough to challenge the whole foundation of the cultivation world. Lan Xichen is brave enough to lay down peace even when it's so painfully obvious there's no option of it.

Lan Wangji trusts his brother enough to bring Wei Wuxian back to Cloud Recesses after getting stabbed at Jin Tower. Lan Xichen lives up to this trust and helps them investigate the matter. Lan Wangji even assures Wei Wuxian that his brother would not stand for Jin Guangyao if his crimes were true.

See, you don't have to completely have the same sort of sets of beliefs to be siblings. Sibling relationships are complex. Both these brothers know each other, their strengths and their weaknesses well. They may be exasperated at each other's insistence, yet they are well aware that they both have to walk their own paths.

Lan Xichen could never take away Lan Wangji's pain or fix him. Neither can Lan Wangji fix Lan Xichen.

But both of them will always have each other's backs. They are each other's families. Each other's brothers for life.

But at the same time, they have each their own paths to walk. People need to understand that it's not about a lack of sense of responsibility on Lan Wangji's side, but the realization that if he went back home, he may lose Wei Wuxian again. His uncle wants to take him back, lecture him and lock him into seclusion. His uncle wouldn't accept his proposal to be married to Wei Wuxian.

He doesn't give his uncle the chance to "accept" or not.

And he literally returns three months later.

I can't help but feel that those who say he was selfish do not have siblings. Or have bad sibling relationships. I'd say Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen have a perfectly good relationship if despite their differences, their terrible parentage, their opposing personalities, the roles they both played in each other's life (with Lan Xichen being sworn brothers to Jin Guangyao who played a major role in Wei Wuxian's fall, and Lan Wangji being Wei Wuxian's husband, who in turn, set the case back onto Jin Guangyao, thus hurting Lan Xichen), the things they couldn't help each other out of, but yet, they do trust each other and love each other.

And I trust that Lan Xichen will one day figure stuff out. There's a lyric in this MDZS song called unfettered. It is like:

The past is akin to dew in the morning. Even if it can be comprehended, it lays under layers and layers of fog.

In the end, hatred, love, resentment, debts and regrets all come to pass.

Just like how Lan Wangji is not his father, Lan Xichen will also not be his father. I don't think both of them had hurtful intentions towards the other at any point.

It's not like "Yunmeng bros" where JC intentionally wishes to cause pain to Wei Wuxian. It's not like the Nie bros, where NMJ has to be super over-protective of Huaisang.

It's just two siblings with their own lives choosing to be with each other, in happiness and in grief (mostly in grief uhm) in a terrible world where the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

#Lan wangji #lan xichen #twin jades #twin jades of gusu #my meta #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta #mdzs essay #my essays #my thoughts

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pommunist · 1 month

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Honestly, I've been very scared to keep posting about the situation, since I don't want people who follow me to think I'm ''too negative'' or judge me when I'm not remaining as positive as before, or to bring negative posts to dashes of people that I know are very stressed about this. And I appreciated before how you are a safe place for neg thoughts, so I'm here to vent a little bit if that's okay.

My experience since the reveal can be described as a rollercoaster that only has been going down.

I was incredibly stressed when Lèa revealed everything, but remained hopeful that things could change for the better. I had trust.

At first, the next few days after that, I thought the leaks of the changes made were odd since they looked like they lacked context, and the lack of context could lead to fandom outrage, which I was worried about at the time. Why was I worried? Well, I still had trust right things were in progress to be done. Looking back into that, while we got the context later on and it reassured me then, not jumping into immediate conclusions and waiting for more points of views was more my way of protecting my mind from spiraling further into distress, all while knowing full well that Lèa has only acted with the best intentions and none of this was in bad faith.

Then we get hit with this: Admin after admin are leaving, and it gets to the point that Lumi and Shade leave, because the communication never existed in that workplace and priorities were proved to be incredibly out of place. My trust was B R O K E N. And like I promised an anon back then, I finally allowed disappointment to sink in.

And why was my trust broken? Fun fact: When it matters to me, I have good memory, and I remember Q's statements. The words and the actions are not matching.

- He said that he was going to collect testimonies and investigate. Ah yes, the investigation tactic of not contacting anyone in the workplace and actually gathering their testimonies, I heard it's a good source of information to make important changing decisions /srcsm.

- He said the CCs were being updated about the changes. Then we see CCs saying they actually don't know shit going on bts except for a couple of general announcements.

And there may be other stuff that does not match, but those two are the most relevant to me right now.

Like, genuinely I didn't even care about whatever the fuck Q said after Lumi and Shade's statements, and any other post that tries to reassure the fanbase just feels like very hopeful thinking, that I used to have, but I DON'T anymore. It feels like false promises and looking for things that make sense, when, really, that shouldn't be our job. At this point I need tangible proof of improvement, not just words because these fucking words have proved to not be enough for me to believe whatever the fuck Q says it's being done.

I can't even trust fully that the merch money will actually go to payment for the remaining admins and compensation for the ones who left. That would be the best case scenario, but can I even TRUST this scenario to occur? Right now, no, I don't think so, I have not been given proof to trust this. And seeing any merch with Pomme, Dapper or Ramon in the Qsmp Awards just felt extremely wrong and I hated it.

When you are a Huevito, this has been wild: First, Artea leaves, and then, Shade reveals to us that Ramon's OG admin was fired around the time Artea took the role, while this entire time most of the Huevitos thought the OG admin was back around the last days of february. It feels worse when you can connect the dots about what happened with Ramon's OG admin, when we know that he was extremely busy with school last time we saw him, and we consider Lèa saying how management would fire you if you were not active enough...

Must clarify, all the love to BOTH Ramon's OG admin and Artea, they both killed it with the role, they are both wonderful people and I wish the best to them and the new Ramon admin that was with us at the beginning of march aswell. Also all the love to them. Must be hard to play a character that was played and developed by two different people before, and the effort is deeply appreciated.

I also feared to say the above since I was scared to spread misinformation somehow. But honestly, I'm trusting Shade's words, you know, the one who's best friend irl with Ramon's OG admin should know full well what they are talking about and the status of employment of said best friend.

And when you have been a ghostie for months since basically the beginning: This shit SUCKS and people are SO EXTREMELY VALID for being upset and grieving.

I think no company should ghost their employees even when they are ACTIVELY TRYING TO REACH OUT. Fucking paranoia of leaks ain't cutting it for me as an excuse for this mistreatment and I don't blame Lumi and Shade at all for taking the decision that was healthier for themselves after that. Just a ''we can't say much right now due to legal reasons, but we are still slowly working on it'', LITERALLY JUST THAT HAD TO BE SAID, WDYM NOT EVEN THAT.

The french community have every right to be angry after this. The CCs stated they were leaving if Lumi left, and that's an entire language going away from the server. Yeah, no shit they are upset.

And I want to just grab Bad by the shoulders and say YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PLAY ON THE SERVER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, YOU ARE CLEARLY DISTRESSED, DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING, WE UNDERSTAND.

Of course I want this to turn out for the best, like everyone. I believe the basis of this project was a wonderful idea, and I'm grateful for the positive things it had brought. But this shit is not being resolved the right way, as we could see. And with Q seemingly no understanding the underlying issue, then why would I remain as hopeful as before.

Another fun fact: When you break my trust, it's really fucking hard to gain it back or for that to happen in the first place, so.

I have stated that my hyperfixation to Qsmp has died out, since I decided to keep my distance in order to collect my thoughts, reflect, breathe and do what's best for myself. Nowadays I only would watch two specific CCs play, but if at some point they decide to leave, which I would not blame them if it reached that point, then that would be it for me. I would be done with it. I don't blame the people who also feel this way or the ones who think it is already over.

If I'm only staying here it's purely for love for this community. In the anniversary, I could not bring myself to say happy birthday to the Qsmp, I said happy birthday to Qsmpblr instead. I love the people I have met and interacted with here dearly. Even if our opinions don't match, because hope and trust have left me, the love is still there, you know?

That would be everything I wanted to get out of my chest, sorry for the big text and angry rambling. I would prefer to stay anonymous for this one. Take care, Pommunist.

Hey anon ! I don’t really know what to say in response to all this, just that I agree with most of what you just said here.

The feeling of being afraid that you’re being too negative too often ahah big same here ! I didn’t think my blog would turn into what it is when i made it, and I felt many time like I was bothering people with my frequent posts on the situation (I also know I’m not the best at tagging stuff I promise I try my best though !).

We have to remember that we aren’t being negative for fun or drama, we are just talking about a situation that is negative so of course this isn’t going to be fun and rainbows. And personally I’d rather do that than « faire l’autruche » as we say in french (Translation would be : to do the ostrich aka to put your head in the ground so you can ignore your problems), as it is too serious of an issue .

Also using your post to express my admiration and gratitude to Ramon’s OG admin and Artea because they both did an amazing job playing him and shaping him into the character we love so much (Our beautiful baby boy).

And yes, the community is great ! Even if you don’t feel like watching the server or at least less than before, we should still interact with the wonderful people thanks to it ! Also, keep sharing fanarts, fanfics, anything ! the artists are blessing us with wonderful art and stories they still deserve our support ! I understand people who do but we don’t have to stop talking about something we love altogether if we don’t want to, the things that made us like it are still here, at the end of the day we can keep that love at least.

My thoughts are so disjointed here anon I’m sorry but lots of love to you ! As someone who was hyper fixated on it too, the fall from grace was particularly painful, can relate 😣

I’ll reiterate that I don’t mind anons at all, you don’t have to justify yourself ! It just makes a bit sad the number of people who told me they didn’t feel like they could express their thoughts publicly.

Take care too ! ♥️

#qsmp discourse

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msermesth · 10 months

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Kinda obsessed with this idea of post-Endgame Steve as one of Charles and Erik's handlers during First Class. He's not Moira, and definitly not CIA, but maybe some other agency? Possibly SHIELD related? He's been investigating Shaw in case he had any connection to Red Skull and somehow ends up being a part of the group that reaches out to Charles.

At first, I couldn't find anything interesting narratively with this because Charles would know immediately he's Captain America, right? Except now I'm convinced Charles would think Steve is INSANE. It's not the Captain America thing, though in context Charles doubts that. It's the fact that when Charles reads his mind, he finds out that Steve thinks he's from the future. And that he's fought aliens. And that he thinks he's friends with the God of Thunder. And oh wait, he's been to space. And worked with a fucking talking raccoon.

This man must be crazy and somehow he has the power of the government behind him.

Steve, on the other hand, is going by an alias and has only shared his past with a few choice people, often omitting the more unbelievable details. He's tried to be open with Peggy, but once he made a joke while they were in a park about not taking the time to learn Groot when he had a chance and she regarded him with such skepticism that he's kept most of the rest to himself.

He's beyond excited to get to work with the mutants, and despite the fact that he's pretty sure there weren't mutants in his own timeline (he would know!) he believes in them with all his heart. He feels especially kindred to Charles with all his rhetoric about using his gifts to help humanity. He adores Hank and his big brain. He's compelled by Erik's single-minded determination. He throws himself into the mission to find Shaw with his own special brand of stoic enthusiasm by researching mutation and running theories past Charles and Erik whenever he sees him.

Charles, at first, ignores these theories but slowly comes to the conclusion that this man is at least somewhat intelligent. He could be useful. And then Steve's the reason no one gets hurt when Shaw attacks the CIA compound, so Charles is willing to accept this guy might actually be Captain America incognito.

(But everything else must not be true. He's still crazy. Maybe all that experimentation fried his brain.)

Charles shares his thoughts with Erik, who cares less about the insanity angle and more about the fact that this man looks like he can actually protect people. He's glad there's at least one other person who can hold his own in hand-to-hand fighting. So what if Steve thinks he's close with the king of Wakanda? At least he's useful.

After the attack, Steve supports moving the team to Westchester. He doesn't trust the CIA and well, he's partial to the idea of a rich guy giving a bunch of misfits a home. He's also a little startled to discover that the very real possibility of nuclear war sparks something in him. Not excitement, definitely not that. But something closer to clarity. It's been almost twenty years since he's faced an annihilation-level threat. He, unfortunately, feels at home under end-of-the-world pressure.

So he helps train the young mutants and discusses tactics and feels closer to people than he has since he and Peggy started to drift apart. Then he sees fault lines in the conversations and arguments about the future of mutant-kind and is overtaken by a fear that it will tear the nascent group in two. Because what Steve knows is this: someday those differences won't matter. Someday you'll have the option of staring down an annihilation-level threat and being told that you weren't there when someone needed you and if you could choose again you'd choose the former.

But Steve doesn't try to interfere. He's not naive; he knows that he can only imagine what it's like to be a mutant.

But it's hard not to project.

It isn't that he regrets his decision to go back in time. He'd do it again. He saved Bucky and ripped Hydra out of SHIELD and he's so close to finding out how Red Skull ended up in space guarding the soul stone. But it isn't until he begins to teach Raven the finer points of combat that he truly feels not alone.

He's with them when they go to Cuba. He sits next to Moira and wonders if he should have brought the shield. He hasn't used it since he came back to the past. For all intents and purposes, Captain America is supposed to be dead; yet, Steve's blood thrums through his veins like he's standing on the ruins of the Avengers Compound next to Tony and Thor.

(Charles has long since learned to ignore Steve's strange internal monologue. This man should have been a storyteller instead of a soldier.)

Steve doesn't fix it, in the end. He falters just when he could be of use because when Erik holds those missiles in his power and turns them around on the ships he thinks of Tony turning a missile around and at flying it into the sky. He wonders how he could be so wrong about someone. It's at this moment Moira picks up the gun. Steve's fast, but he's not faster than a bullet.

It still shatters Charles's spine.

They save the world, yes, but Steve will only be able to watch as Erik's sent into solitary confinement. He can't prove Erik didn't kill Kennedy. And, of course, he'll try to reach out to Charles as the school closes and he shrinks into himself, but Charles can't stand to look at Steve and only finds him marginally more tolerable when he can't hear Steve's impossible thoughts.

It isn't until Logan arrives that Charles realizes that Steve might actually be the person he thinks he is. However, Steve's halfway across the world for some unimportant reason during the events of Days of Future's Past. He's not on the plane when Charles tells Erik that he wasn't there when Charles needed him. He's not there when Erik--again--chooses his principles over Charles.

And that's fine. You can't rewrite the future in Steve's brand of time travel. You live with your choices. You try to be there when people need you and you live with the consequences when you cannot.

#steve rogers #cherik #xmen: first class #crossovers are not really my thing but this has infected me

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tired0artist · 2 years

Text

| descendant of hob gadling |

Okay so. What if in 2021 it turns out that Hob has a descendant that can be considered almost his doppelganger!

Something like with Lady Johanna and Modern Johanna.

Of course apart from Robyn, Hob never really kept track if he fathered any children. So imagine how shocked he would be to maybe run into a 20-something collage student that looks way too much like himself.

Better yet.

It’s Dream who runs into the descendant first. He mistakes him for Hob, because why not. So the descendant is just chilling on a bench, unfortunately quite to the New Inn. And then from behind him he just hears an ominous (for a stranger) voice:

Hello Hob.

And the descendant just jumps off the bench and sees a pale, goth standing behind his bench looking suddenly quite confused. He frowns, still a bit startled asking:

Sorry? What? Who?

Then after a moment the goth purses his lips and nods his head:

Apologies. You are not the one I am looking for.

And then, to add a cherry on top, the goth disappears in a swirl of sand. Leaving the descendant just staring openly at the empty spot.

Enter paranoia, when that night in his dream he catches a glimpse of the goth and… wait. IS THAT HIM BESIDE THE SAND GUY??????

So while the descendant is full on panicking, thinking that a demon is trying to eat his soul or whatever. Conjuring 2.O in real life.

Dream and Hob are just trying to figure out when did Hob father a child. They make a game out of it, going as far as Dream taking Hob to visit the descendant’s dreams and nightmares to check out if they find out anything.

What about 17th century?

Actually, I didn’t get around much back then so I doubt it.

Hm. You surprise me, Hob Gadling. You did look rather ravishing back then.

Oh, please dove. You did not see yourself then, you almost made my heart stop when you entered.

Then I suppose, I should try harder.

You want me to have a heart attack?

Perhaps.

I love you.

And I you, my Hob.

After their flirting is done, they get to a conclusion that perhaps they should check in with Constantine, figure something out about the descendant doppelgangers. Or whatever.

And going back to the descendant. Well. He found Johanna as well.

Listen kid, I don’t see any signs that you’re possessed or that something is trying to claim your soul.

You don’t understand! I see him in my dreams and nightmares! Always standing at the edge with myself beside him! He’s obviously sending a message that he’s going to take my soul!

Wait. Your dreams and nightmares?

Yeah!

*sigh* What does your demon look like again?

By the time Dream and Hob visit her, she glances at the immortal and immediately understands and laughs.

You bloody idiots!

The pair share a confused look. While Johanna points at Hob and says:

Your poor poor descendant visited me.

He did?

What did he want?

Johanna calms herself but keeps on giggling as she explains:

Apparently a demon is haunting him. He first met him in a park, then he’s having trouble with sleeping in, and sees the demon in his dreams and nightmares. The said demon always stands ominously at the edge with a version of him. The poor kid was on the verge of loosing his mind!

While Hob looks guilty, Dream huffs without missing a beat:

I am no mere demon.

Johanna snorts:

Tell that to the kid, he’s afraid to go to sleep. Says he’s too young to die.

Hob frowns asking her:

Did you ease his mind? Or help him?

Oh, yeah. Told him to cleanse the apartment and take a bath with some bath salts.

That does not—

I know, but I needed the idiot calm while I contact you or something. He was out right refusing to sleep, so don’t thank me for saving his sanity.

After that they leave the descendant’s dreams alone, simply doing their own little investigation in the Waking.

All is well, until they enter a bar near Hob’s campus and the descendant is there with his friends.

The moment the descendant catches a glimpse of them both at the edge of his vision, his blood runs cold.

Just like Hob’s.

Shit. Okay, okay, we gotta go.

The immortal pulls the endless out of the bar but someone comes after them.

Oi! Wait! I— I know you! You’re that—that demon and you’re— me? No. Wait I’m not old—

Hey! I’m not old! Well. Not physically! I’m like 33!

And I am no mere demon, descendant.

Descendant?

And that’s how my friends the poor descendant has his whole world turned around as Hob explains the whole situation and how the three of them got there.

So… you could be like my… great-great-great with probably more greats grandfather?

Yes?

Okay… and he. He’s like a… god—

I am more than a simple god. I am an endless—

Yeah, sure. So, super god. Cool, cool.

You seem rather… accepting of this?

Hahah… yeah I’m just glad you’re not gonna take my soul or whatever. I’m cool with whatever else, as long as I don’t get cursed or something… I’m not gonna get cursed by you guys right?

Oh no no no! We would never!

If you keep this to yourself—

Dream?!

—you cannot go around spreading information on this matter. Do you understand?

Yeah, yeah jeez I get it. Damn… so. You wanna get a beer or something ? I mean. It’s kinda sick to get to know your ancestor and an… endless?

And just like that, Hob gained a family member and as did Dream in a way. Their meetings at the New Inn now kept one more chair open for the young man to join them from time to time.

#dreamling #dream x hob #dream/hob gadling #hob gadling #dreamling headcanon #lord morpheus

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the12thnightproject · 4 months

Text

Chapter 36: Wasted Trip: Katsu’s fishing expedition comes to an unforeseen conclusion.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Having a plan is a wonder thing. Having a plan that depends up the whims of others, however, is… frustrating. Yoshimoto agreed that waiting for the populace of the castle to be distracted when Yoshiaki called for another of his flattery sessi… er, councils, would be the best way to time my investigation. Unfortunately, it turned out that Yoshiaki spent the next couple days engrossed in “private pleasures.” I chose not to question that further. I suspected the answer would go under the subject header, ‘you really don’t want to know’.

With both Iekane and Motonari walking freely about the castle grounds, Yoshimoto declared that I would be safest staying in his quarters. I disagreed. Safer, maybe, but I knew that I could still blend in with the scenery and pass by in plain sight. People don’t notice servants. Yoshimoto continued to insist upon accompanying me whenever I went on walkabout, and he… does not blend. Inevitably someone would question where Lord Imagawa was headed, did he need anything, and … well, there went any chance of sneaking. We spent more than a couple hours walking through the gardens, pretending that was where our destination had always been.

At least Yoshimoto tried to keep me entertained when I was confined to quarters. As always, I had my shogi set with me, and he turned out to be surprisingly good at the game. He easily won the first three rounds. Finally, I figured out that his playing style consisted of making elaborate feints and distractions that he used to disguise his true intentions.

Once I ceased falling for those ploys, we were more evenly matched, and I began defeating him. “You’re improving rapidly.” He seemed unconcerned over the fact that I had won after a hard fought battle.

“Less learning the game and more understanding your style and tactics.” When his eyebrows (both) raised in enquiry, I went on to explain what I had discovered about his gameplay.

“Flattering that you attribute that to strategy. I simply like making aesthetically pleasing patterns in the formations.” He began setting down the tiles, not in the standard game opening layout, but in a more mathematical pattern. A flower.

Really?

No.

Really?

I stared at him for a moment before I realized he was hiding a smile. “You goof! I almost believed you.” I threw a tile at him.

“You must admit it would add an interesting dimension to the game. If players were required to compete to make the most artistic designs.” He gracefully rearranged the tiles into the main starting position. “Another game?”

“You don’t have to keep entertaining me.” Yoshimoto had stayed in his quarters almost as much as I had.

“It is no hardship to spend time with a lovely woman.” He touched my hand. “However, there are other ways to keep each other company if you … no? I thought not.” He backtracked before I could even begin to verbalize a refusal.

“Your vassals might start wondering why you spend so much time with your page.” It was not an uncommon situation, and unlike in modern Christian-influenced thought, even generally accepted for lords to have relations with male subordinates. However, I imagined that the Imagawa vassals would be annoyed that Yoshimoto was wasting time with me, instead of concentrating on training and battle preparations.

“They have, in fact. Rumors of my obsession with my ‘pretty page’ have spread across the castle.” Since I had not yet made a move to begin a new game, he began creating another tile design.

Oof. Well. Katsu didn’t actually exist, so it likely wouldn’t affect me all that much. But as for Yoshimoto… “Don’t you care?”

“Worse has been said about me.” A sad smile flitted across his face, then evaporated like mist.

Fortunately for both my peace of mind and Yoshimoto’s reputation, the next day the shogun called for another session of meetings between himself, Yoshimoto, Motonari, and Iekane. Finally, I was finally free to investigate Mozumi’s condition. After assuring Yoshimoto on multiple occasions that I would proceed with caution, I made my way to the tenshu that housed Mozumi’s quarters. The dark gloom of the corridors and shadows on the stairs proved my allies, allowing me to melt into darkness unseen.

At one corner of the floor housing Mozumi’s personal rooms, I crouched under the eaves, waiting to make sure it would be safe to enter. I watched a maid go into his room carrying a kettle and a bucket. For a while, there was a quiet bustling about in there, before she remerged with the bucket, holding it as far away from her body as possible. Ah. She had emptied the chamber pot. Even from where I was hiding, I could smell the odor of urine.

With her hands occupied in such a way, she was not able to completely close the door, allowing me to sneak inside the rooms without a sound.

Mozumi’s chambers were larger than the quarters assigned to Yoshimoto, as befits the daimyo. It was divided into several areas by screens and sliding panels. From the entry, the end of Mozumi’s futon was visible through the half-closed panel. His hand lay limply over the side, and rested on the floor. He was snoring though, so at least he was still alive.

Electing to first investigate the outer room before getting too much closer to him (the last thing I wanted would be to wake him up and demand I leave… or worse, yell for help), I prowled around the chamber. No writing desk in evidence. Granted, Mozumi probably had a set of offices in the main area of the castle in which to conduct most of his business, but if he were indeed too sick to leave his chambers, he was also apparently not conducting any ‘work from home’ either. A quick rifle through his clothing revealed that he primarily wore soft, informal kimonos. No hakama, no armor. He didn’t even appear to have any warm outerwear or geta. When had been the last time he’d even left the tenshu?

It seemed that Mozumi had been very ill for a long time – and was not expected to improve.

On the brazier, the maid had left the kettle steaming over the hot coals. A container of tea, a bowl and brush were nearby. A paper packet with, yes, that was willow bark, had fallen onto the floor. Even the shelves were full of containers of herbs, packets of medicinal powders, some of which had been shoved to the back and were dusty with age. What were all these herbs? Were they helping, or hindering his recovery?

Perhaps he was being accidentally poisoned, not through malice, but through the incompetence of the local healer.

Still, having taken the risk of sneaking into this room, I resolved to see this investigation through to the end. I cautiously entered into Mozumi’s sleeping area alert to any sign of wakening. Still snoring away. I gazed down at him, seeing only an old, sick man, his face creased with lines of age and pain. Saggy skin at his neck and arms, gave evidence to a substantial amount of weight loss. His limbs were, thin, shriveled, without much muscle tone.

At the side of the bed, an empty tea cup. At the bottom, a faint ring of green tea. I picked it up and sniffed it. Was there anything else in the cup? Thanks to Aki’s training, I could recognize some common poisons, but nothing obvious was leaping out at me.

Nothing… except another inconvenient not-my-memory.

“There’s no such thing as a love potion. It’s a myth. Even if you gathered … whatever you put in this… and danced by the light of the full moon.”

“Lady Yone said there is. She once told me that purple flowers that grow along the cliffs, if brewed into a tea, would make a love potion.” She opened the teapot and stared into it.

Purple flowers… cliffside… I had to think to picture what grew around h—

Torikabuto.

I took the teapot away from her, while again my brain went ‘don’t touch it, don’t spill it, get rid of it now.’ “Shohime, that’s poison!”

“Oh. I did wonder why Nobunaga’s groom took it away from me.” She sighed sadly. “Maybe people pretend its poison to hide the fact that love potion grows on every cliff in Japan.”

“It is poison. I have seen the results.” Mitsunari pushed the table further away from all of us.

Mitsunari? Sho… hime? That had clearly been Sho in the vision, a Sho far more richly dressed and coiffed than the one in Sakai. Aki’s letter had mentioned a shattered timeline. Was this from a different life altogether? Perhaps the reason I was experiencing these visions so much more powerfully here was that a different Katsuko had spent some time visiting Genba.

And… had nearly been poisoned.

Fresh on the heels of that memory, came another one, just as strong:

Where were the sentries?

They ought to have been posted along the walls, but no one was visible. Had they joined Iekane’s troops? Or were they being held prisoner somewhere? Overall, the situation appeared increasingly dire for anyone in Genba, although at least the missing sentries should make it easier for me to get to the tenshu unnoticed.

I found a tree that hung close enough to the wall to allow me to swing over, then ducked out of sight. Keeping my body low, I flattened myself against the stone, crawling slowly toward the tenshu, staying alert to any sound that would indicate an approaching guard.

It was eerily quiet.

Not until I reached the first guard tower did I understand why – the sentries were sprawled out under the tower, bodies stiff and cold, faces frozen in agony, a broken tea pot at their feet. Lady Yone’s calling card. Apparently she had found a use for the torikabuto after all.

I had been too late for these men, too.

Were these visions of poison a warning? Or were these distractions, putting ideas into my head where there was no other evidence? Had I been led astray by someone else’s memories? For the longer I looked through this room, the more it was clear that Mozumi had not left these quarters for quite a while. Years maybe. Maybe even before Iekane came onto the scene.

Annoying to leave this scouting mission with no evidence of wrongdoing. But frustrating as it was, the longer I stayed in here, the more I would be at risk, so I turned to leave… about five minutes too late.

There were footsteps and voices coming toward the room.

Iekane’s voice.

Quickly, I ducked behind a screen and…

Oh… yuck!

This was where the wooden chamber pot lived. And Mozumi’s aim was … terrible. I covered my nose and tried to silently breathe through my mouth as Iekane and another man entered the quarters.

“As you can see, his condition has not improved.” Iekane, sounding sad, with an edge of frustration in his voice. “Are you certain there is nothing you can do? I had high hopes of a cure from the most reputable healer in the area.” There was something of a threat in those words. Sounded like if Mozumi died, Iekane already had a scapegoat in mind.

There was a lower tone rumble in response that became more audible as the two men got closer to my hiding place. “There are, naturally, other treatments I can employ, but at a certain point, the patient will continue to weaken due to lack of sustenance.”

I risked carefully peering through the panels to see Iekane with an older man – the healer, I resumed, for he spent a few moments examining Mozumi from various angles, smelling his breath, and poking sharply pointed sticks into his fingertips.

Iekane let out a long sigh. “It is painful to see him so. I remember when he was a vital man.”

The healer simply hummed to himself.

If I had hoped to overhear a confession of crime or a conversation between two plotters, I was clearly doomed. Even if Iekane was poisoning Mozumi, this healer was not part of it, nor had he ever detected any evidence of poison.

Theory – not yet proven.

Evidence – yet to be found.

So… I’d gotten myself into this situation for nothing. Into this very smelly situation for nothing.

“Is he still using his bowels?” A rustle of cloth.

“That is not a thing I have paid attention to.” I heard a clink of porcelain. The teacup.

“Sometimes the tincture of poppy can cause a foul stoppage.” Ah ha. Opium. That was what had been in the teacup. “I would hesitate to give him more were that the case.”

Based on the conditions of this commode, Mozumi’s bowels were working just fine.

Wait.

Shit.

Literally… shit.

What if the healer decided to check for himself-

Footsteps came closer to my hiding place.

I pressed myself further against the wall and palmed my dagger, ready to defend myself if my hiding place was discovered.

Another set of footsteps as a third person entered the room.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” A smack. Skin against skin. “Why are you not at your post?”

“I’m sorry, Master Iekane.” A rougher accent, from a speaker who did not sound completely deferential to Iekane. Interesting. Helpful? “The shogun requested that you return to the council room. He grows impatient.”

There was a disgusted noise from Iekane, but his words revealed no frustration. “Of course. Rokuro, have your completed your examination?”

“I believe there is nothing more to see.” The healer seemed eager to leave this place. I did not blame him.

“You. Guard. Make yourself useful and clean.”

And two sets of footsteps left the room.

Please don’t clean the chamber pot.

I waited, but the guard did not move at all. He was so quiet, I began to wonder if he had left. Or maybe he was killing time, defying Iekane’s orders. If so, might he be someone I could convince of Iekane’s plotting? Or would I be captured and presented to Iekane as a gift to prove the guard’s loyalty.

Too risky. Better to stay put, and prepared for anyth-

Without warning, the screen was pushed aside, and I found myself staring into a pair of familiar amber-gold eyes. “Interesting detour you’ve taken, Brat.” He eyed the stained chamber pot. “And rather fragrant as well.”

The appearance of Mitshuhide where a Mitsuhide was not expected to be stunned me into silence. I could only stare stupidly at him, taking in his latest disguise of shaggy dark hair, streaked with grey, and sun darkened skin. That familiar prickly feeling danced along my nerves.

He raised his eyebrow.

“Did … did you follow me here?” While I had seen his spy on the road here, I had not ever caught sight of Mitsuhide.

“Oh, dear me, no. I arrived a good three days before you.” Right. He let you go. While I was still wrestling with the disappointment that his presence here at Genba was simply a coincidence, he put his arm around my shoulders and guided me out from behind the screen. “Before you … and the Imagawa.”

“You didn’t go back to Azuchi?” His sudden appearance had rendered me unable to do anything except state the obvious.

“I did not. And I suggest we continue this conversation elsewhere – perhaps that courtyard you and Yoshimoto are so fond of - before your friend Iekane or a vassal returns and finds us here.” Without waiting for me to answer, he turned my shoulders and pointed me toward the door.

Yeah, that would be a good idea. And even if it hadn’t been a good idea, Mitushide was using that ‘I won’t take no for an answer tone of voice.’ “Can I at least grab a cloak?”

“By all means. Although I believe you will discover that freezing to death is the least of your worries at the moment.” And then, after one more inscrutable glare from those eyes, Mitsuhide took me by the hand and tugged me out of the room.

@bestbryn @selenacosmic @mllorei @lyds323 @akitsuneswife @tele86

#10things #10 things I hate about mitsuhide #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #mitsuhide akechi #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen fanfic #ikemen sengoku fanfic #ikesen yoshimoto #mitsuhide monday #oc katsuko #katsuverse

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dialovers-translations · 10 months

Text

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Kino Dark [09]

ー The scene starts in the living room of the Sakamaki manor

Kou: Oh come on! Now isn’t the time to sleep, is it, Shuu-kun? Wakey, wakey~!

Shuu: Haah...Shut up. You two again...? What do you want today?

Subaru: ...The same crap again?

I thought we made ourselves clear that we don’t give a damn ‘bout who becomes Adam at this point in time?

Ruki: About that, the four of us actually sat down one more time to discuss the matter.

And we believe that there must be a good reason why that man decided to pass down his powers to Ayato.

Kou: In other words~ If some other random guy suddenly appears to try and take those away from Ayato...

It means that something bad must be waiting to happen, no?

Reiji: ...I see. So you have come to the conclusion that we should attempt to rescue those two as soon as possible?

Ruki: Well, I suppose that’s what it comes down to.

Kou: As to be expected of Reiji-kun! You’re quick to understand! Anyway, the four us did a bit of investigating.

And we believe that Ayato-kun and M-neko-chan are most likely at the manor of this guy named Kino.

Shuu: Kino...? So he’s the aforementioned...?

Ruki: Yes. The guy who claims himself to be your brother.

Laito: Hmm, Kino-kun...huh? Then shouldn’t we head over there quickly to go save those two?

According to what you told us the other day, this Resistance Group going by the name of ‘Raven’ consists entirely of Ghouls aside from Kino-kun, right? And not Vampires?

Subaru: Hah! It’d be a piece of cake then! We should be able to wrap them up before mornin’ comes.

Ruki: Well...If things go according to plan, at least.

Reiji: ...Is there anything?

Ruki: ...No, it’s nothing. Well then, let us be on our way.

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Kino’s manor

Laito: So this is the place?

Kou: That’s what our Familiars told us but...

Shuu: ...What’s this? It’s suspiciously quiet.

Laito: They’re probably asleep? Come on, let’s get this over with nice and quick.

ー They enter the manor

Kanato: Nobody’s...around.

Subaru: Oi, Kou! I thought you did your proper research!?

Kou: Eeh~!? You’re putting the blame on me!? How could you, Subaru-kun!

Ruki: Sh! Be quiet! I believe I heard something just no...Guh!?

Kou: ...! Ruki-kun!?

Ruki: ...! So it was a trap after all!

ー They are suddenly surrounded

??? A: So you fell for it, Vampires! We shall settle the score here once and for all!

??? B: We shall get rid of all of you and bring true peace to this World...!

Shuu: ...These guys...Vampire Hunters...!?

Laito: Vampire Hunters!? Why would they be here...!?

Shuu: We can think about that later! Here they come!

*BANG BANG*

*WOOSH*

Kanato: Why...How did this happen!?

Kou: Ruki-kun, are you alright...!? Hang in there...!

Ruki: Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worr...Ugh...

Reiji: Anyway, it would be dangerous to stay here in the human world any longer. Well then, let us go!

Shuu: ...A Vampire is working together with the Church...?

Who on earth is that Kino guy...?

ー They pass through the gate to the Demon World

Monologue

Right before we left the manor,

I found an opening to talk to Ayato-kun.

Ayato-kun told me that for now,

we should do as Kino-kun says

and wait out the situation.

I shared this opinion.

Kino-kun had put a pair of handcuffs,

on Ayato-kun beforehand.

Apparently these handcuffs were special,

as they would keep his magic suppressed.

I am not doing this,

because Yuuri-san warned me not to resist,

but if I don’t approach this the right way,

I will only have to face the painful consequences.

I did try to ask him,

where exactly we were headed,

but just as I thought,

Kino-kun showed me an ambiguous smile in response, refusing to tell me.

While this would not be my first time,

visiting the Demon World,

when I would look at the area around me,

I felt as if we were headed,

somewhere I had never been before.

Time passes slowly over here.

So I have lost track of what day it is,

and for how long exactly,

our journey has been going on.

Then one day,

Kino-kun abruptly spoke up.

Yui: Eh? What was that...?

*Rustle*

Kino: ...Like I said, Rotigenberg. You wanted to know about it, no?

Our destination. The Cursed Wastelands of the Demon World...

Ayato: Tsk...

Yui: ...?

( I’m pretty sure Ayato-kun’s expression changed just now... )

Selection

→ Check up on Kino-kun (<3)

Yui: ( I’m curious but Kino-kun has forbidden me from talking with Ayato-kun, period... )

Kino: ...Hm? Is something the matter? Ah, are you curious about Rotigenberg, perhaps?

Yui: ...Yeah.

Kino: Well, I guess that’s something to look forward to for when we get there. Fufu...

Yui: ( That only gets me even more curious...! )

→ Check up on Ayato-kun

Ayato: ...

Yui: ( ...? Huh? Did I just imagine it? )

( Either way, I’m forbidden from talking to Ayato-kun. )

( I’m a little curious though... )

Yuuri: Kino, we will have to cross the mountains once we get out of the forest, so let us rest up right here.

Kino: Good idea.

Well then...The usual, okay?

Yui: ...

*Thud*

Monologue

Ever since we left on this journey,

Kino-kun would always use handcuffs to tie our hands together,

whenever we went to bed.

Of course, I’m not thrilled about it,

but after going this process time after time,

I’ve finally come to the point where I can get a few hours of sleep.

Kino: Well then, goodnight.

Yui: ...

Ayato: ...

Yuuri: ...

Yui: ( Even when Kino-kun is asleep, Yuuri-san is always keeping an eye on us... )

( I guess I won’t get a chance to talk to Ayato-kun after all. )

...

( I’m kind of exhausted. I suppose I’ll get some shut-eye as well... )

ー Yui closes her eyes

Yui: ...

Kino: ...Uu...Aah...

ー She opens her eyes again

Yui: ( ...What was that just now...? )

Kino: Haah...Kuh...Stop...Why...I...

*Rustle*

Yui: Kino-kun...?

Kino: No...I was...chosen! ...You’re wrong...No!

Yui: ( What’s happening...!? )

Kino-kun!? What on ear...

Yuuri: Wait, please.

Yui: ...Yuuri-san...? But Kino-kun is...

Yuuri: ...He is fine. So please, be quiet.

Yui: ...

Yuuri: Please do not let it bother you and get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us after all...

Yui: Okay. Goodnight...

Kino: ...Haah...Nn...

Yui: ( Is it really okay...? He’s suffering so much... )

( But the way Yuuri-san reacted...It’s almost as if he’s used to it... )

( ...I wonder if there’s something to this...? )

Monologue

I decided not to let it bother me,

as I forced myself to close my eyes.

Kino-kun continued to mumble,

as he kept on denying (否定) something,

again and again.

I wonder what exactly it means?

While pondering over that,

and before I had realized,

I once again drifted off to sleep (眠り).

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kino #lost eden #diabolik lovers translation #lekinodark9

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weemsfreak · 1 year

Text

The Board

Pt 6: The Third Day

Larissa Weems x Anura Ricci

Warnings: Alcohol consumption and cigarettes

Hope you all like it! This series is a long one, apologies ~2500 words

Pt 5

Mid Nov

Friday

As your alarm went off, you looked to the time, 5:30am. You questioned why you stayed up until 2am reading about the history of Jericho and Nevermore Academy. This situation felt familiar. Again, you found yourself in the shower, thinking about the school and the town you would be at later today. What did Mr. Martell mean a statue of Joseph Crackstone? Why would Larissa be part of that, considering what he did? And murders! Who the hell is getting murdered in Jericho? There were so many questions to be answered, if these things were actually true.

At the airport, you checked your flight time. Vermont - 16h. Okay, so you had time to kill. Wait-it's 7 in the morning, "What the hell?!" You ran to customer service to see why your flight was delayed, 9 hours? Apparently they had to fix a part on the plane and didn't have another in the meantime. You made your way to a lounge, ordering breakfast and slumping down into a chair. You thought about Larissa. What was she doing, and how was she feeling? Were the students okay? Should you let her know that you were going to be way late? Wait - did she even know you were coming? The board loved surprise visits, so probably not. You let sleep take you as you thought about basking in her comfort, about her holding you in her long arms as you sat on her soft lap, instead of sitting in this uncomfortable chair.

You looked around. You were in Jericho, at the train station. Wow, that trip was fast considering you had a 9 hour delay. You walked down the station towards the exit. It was a seemingly gloomy day, but you were excited to get to Nevermore at last. When you approached the exit to the outside, the door wouldn't budge. You tried to push it open and it didn't move. "Oh, I'm an idiot" you said as you tried to pull it open, locked. You turned around searching for another way to get out. You walked down some stairs as you saw a man walking in front of you. He kind of looked familiar, he was tall with silvery white hair and a long trench coat. You didn't know any men here like that. You walked a behind him staying a few feet away as he suddenly started to transform. Into what? You didn't know. You stopped in your tracks as he took a second to walk into the light from the dark hallway. Larissa Weems? Was that man Larissa Weems? Oh wait no, Larissa Weems was that man, she's a shapeshifter. "Larissa!" you yelled as you ran up behind her. She turned to look down at you, a frown on her face and her eyes becoming wide. "What are you doing here? Why are you here?" she demanded, a cold look on her face. "Larissa what do you mean?" you asked quietly now, she seemed angry at you. "Anura get out of here NOW, it isn't safe here, not for you, not for anyone, LEAVE" she exclaimed as she pushed you backwards and you fell onto the concrete.

You woke up and looked around, breathing heavily as tears welled up in your eyes. You were in the airport, still. You realized where you were after a minute, and sunk back down into your chair. It was just a dream, Larissa wasn't mad at you, you hoped. You looked to the time, 13h. You had 3 hours to kill before getting on your plane. Getting up, you gathered your stuff and walked down the airport looking for a bar. You didn't have to drive or be responsible right now, so why did it matter.

Waiting for your train into Jericho, you came to a conclusion, you were drunk. It was 5:30pm, and by the time you got to Nevermore it would be almost 7:30pm. What a waste of a day. Digging out a cigarette and lighting it, you watched the people at the station go about their evening. You wondered where they were going. You wondered if their day had been as uneventful as yours. You wondered if they too, were on their way to investigate murders and try to uncover a schools secrets and possibly cover them up so that a woman who worked ever so hard would get to keep her job and her school. Then you wondered if you actually sucked at your job. Everyone told you that you were great at it, that you were great at so many things. But what if you weren't? Why were you planning to lie to your boss if you had to? Maybe you should set out for a new job and move back to Italy. Hell, move to Jericho and get a fun job, a job that's like a hobby. Admittedly, you had money, you weren't doing this job for financial reasons anymore. "Is everyone else here drunk and thinking about a women they only met once?" you mumbled out in an almost whisper. By this time, your train was approaching, and you boarded, partially disgusted with yourself.

Arriving at the Jericho train station, your dream came rushing back to you. This place gave you the creeps now. Walking to the door that lead to outside the station, you whispered to yourself, "If that door doesn't open, I'm not going down those stairs." You pushed and when the door opened, you were met with a cool breeze and sweet smelling air. It was a dark but calm night, not too cool. You began walking and were about to call a taxi when you spotted a bar down the street. You kept walking, in a better mood now than before due to finally being at your destination. Entering the bar you said "treat yourself" and you sat down on a stool.

An hour later you were pulling through Nevermore's big iron gates. You figured you shouldn't get there too late if Larissa was to let you sleep in the temporary quarters. When you got to the front doors you saw students walking around inside. You didn’t think it would be busy at this time of day. Well, it was a Friday. As you walked in the main entrance, you were hit with loud music and you realized that the students were all dressed up, mostly in white or other light colours. You smiled at some of them as they recognized you. They were entering and exiting a decorated room in front of you where the music was blaring from. You smiled to yourself, you were relieved that you weren’t showing up drunk to meet the principal, probably embarrassing yourself as she wanted to turn in for the night. Leaving your suitcase and bags by the staircase, you slowly made your way into the room. It was decorated beautifully with white and silver adorning blue accents. At the other end of the room there was a huge yeti sculpture by the DJ, jump scare. You eyed some punch across the room and almost ran to it. Oh my god Anura, get your shit together, you're probably not even supposed to be here. Find the principal you thought, as you looked around for the tallest person in here. Almost immediately you found her, standing in a corner at the front of the large room. You made your way across the room sticking to the side of the wall, you wanted to surprise her. You stopped for a second. Sober you knew that you would scare her, after all, she didn't know you were even here. But drunk you, drunk you wanted to mess with her, because - because why? You didn't know, who cares. Sneaking up the wall you hoped none of the teachers would see you. You came up behind her and stared up at her hair. It was immaculate. How long did it take for her to do it like that? There were so many details and strands and pins, at least 3 hours. And her dress, it hugged her form so well. You wished you were her dress. She moved her hands from hanging beside her to clasped in front of her, and it pulled you our of your trance. Trying not to laugh, you were about to bring your hands up in front of her eyes, but you were a foot shorter than her not in your platforms. You picked your hands up and lightly squeezed her sides, making her let out a small scream and turn on her heels to face you. Wide eyed with her gloved hand over her mouth, you looked up at her and started laughing. You knew she would've killed you out of embarrassment if anyone could've heard her scream over the music. You grabbed her hands taking one away from her mouth and held them. "It's so good to see you Principal Weems, looking as ravishing as ever I see."

After you scared Larissa all she said to you was that you were underdressed. You said that you didn't know there was a dance tonight, and she said she didn't expect you would show up tonight. Touché Larissa. You found yourself in your temporary quarters once again changing into a light outfit. You had cream coloured flare dress pants packed for the occasion that you did go out, and a white corset for your feminine days. You put on your white platform penny loafers, you wanted to be as tall as you could. Making your way back down to the dance, you picked up two punch drinks and walked to Larissa, handing her one. "Well, you clean up nice" she said with a sly grin. "What's that supposed to mean?" you gave her the same look back. You watched as the students danced for awhile before you broke the silence. "Is there alcohol in this punch?" you asked her, giving her a serious look. She laughed, "Not unless someone spiked it, I wouldn't give these hooligans anything to make them any crazier." You agreed as you looked back to the students. "I don't care either way, I've been drunk since the afternoon." She stared at you, concern written all over her face. "Why have you been drunk since the afternoon?" You nudged her arm and stated with amusement, "I had a 9 hour flight delay Larissa, what else am I going to do."

Again, silence overcame the two of you, and you zoned out listening to the music. Arctic Monkeys 'Do I Wanna Know?' came on and pulled you back into reality. You looked up at Larissa, smiling big. "Why are you smiling at me?" she said as she stroked your arm. "Dance with me Larissa" you hollered as you walked backwards toward the dance floor, pulling her in with an invisible rope.

Twirling her around you in circles and dancing like it was an upbeat song, you laughed at the fact that you really couldn't dance to this song at all. "What are you doing after this Larissa?" you screamed over the music. "Going to bed" she giggled as you pulled her into you. "Care for a drink? A real drink?" you whispered as you looked up at her, she was inches away from you. This was the best you've felt in a long time, it was the most fun you've had, the happiest you've been. This scared you on the inside, but on the outside you were smiling, smiling the biggest you have in years.

Larissa's POV

They were smiling, the biggest, happiest smile you've ever seen. You looked at them and admired their straight cherry red hair and short bangs, you never had the guts to cut or dye your hair. Their tan skin and green eyes, semi lit up by the disco lights that flickered on and off, were the color of jade stone. Their style was so confident, feminine one day and masculine the next, they could pull anything off. You noticed a few tattoos that you didn't before, were those new? They looked good, really good. You thought it was adorable how they were so much shorter than you, were they wearing platforms? The fact that they were so knowledgeable and confident had you wanting to kneel at their feet, desiring to learn more. What got you though, was the way they twirled you around. They looked so in the moment, so overjoyed to be holding your hands. They had everything, a job they excelled at, the luxury to travel, a partner, friends. What you wouldn’t give to have a friend. But they were your friend, weren't they? They worked for the board, of course they weren't. But why were they here?

Looking down into your eyes, she was also smiling, teeth showing, her red lips curved into the most stunning smile you've ever seen. "I suppose so Anura" you heard her quip as the music changed and the DJ announced the last song of the night. She pulled you off of the dance floor and back to the corner by the DJ. "I have to make sure all the students are alright when they leave" she stated suddenly serious. You stood next to her, trying to be serious despite being drunk "I'll help". The students danced to the last song of the night. It was a peaceful night. It ended up being a nice night, despite your day. Suddenly the fire alarm went off and scared the absolute crap out of you. The next thing you knew, you saw red paint spilling on the tables, on the floor, on the students, and finally on Larissa. You noticed before she did, looking at her you started saying "Am I just drunk, or-" as she realized what was happening. The look of disgust on her face made your jaw drop, as you realized what it was. You looked to the dance floor, a girl in a black dress was entirely too amused as she brought her finger to her mouth. Ew, what was she doing? Did she just eat blood? Looking back at Larissa, you realized that it didn’t look like blood at all. It wasn't thick enough, it wasn't dripping. Your eyes landed on her hair, oh shit, her platinum blonde hair. She was going to be pissed. Watching her slowly lose her composure, you couldn't believe your eyes. She opened her mouth in disgust, and then she screamed. Larissa Weems screamed. You couldn’t believe it, she had lost her composure, lost her professionalism, dropped the mask that she had been wearing for years. You figured she had kept it together up until this point, she had from what you've seen and heard anyway. After she screamed, she watched the students in concern, slipping and scrambling to get out. You didn't look though, you just stared at her. Her silver dress and white gloves, covered in red paint, her white hair, covered in red paint, her pale skin, covered in red paint. You thought it was quite ironic really, how there had been murders in Jericho blamed on Nevermore, yet here she was screaming about red paint. Finally she looked at you, disgust still written on her face. You looked into her blue eyes and drunk you started laughing. You laughed so hard that you forgot you were also covered in red paint. You laughed at the fact that you didn’t know what you were doing here, or why you were having the time of your life. You didn't know why you were laughing, you just knew it felt good. When you looked back up at Larissa, she had the absolute worst look on her face. You froze, you shouldn’t have laughed. You laughed away the drink later tonight that she had kind of agreed to. Shit- but she looked so cute when she was angry. She looked adorable with the splash of colour that she needed, a splash of paint that matched her lips oh so perfectly. You started laughing again.

Pt 7

#principal larissa weems #larissa weems x reader #larissa weems #wednesday netflix #so gay omg #anuraricci #larissa weems fanfic

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scribblestatic · 7 months

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Have I ever made a Stalker Deku AU?

Well, now I am. Yay.

(Note, it's not taken so seriously here, but fiction =/= reality on a one-to-one basis, just have some fun okay?)

Like, the story is mostly the same, but Izuku has attachment issues, so he stalks his friends and enemies.

As a little kid, he would follow Katsuki around in general, especially after he was diagnosed because no one else would really talk to him or play with him anymore. Not even Katsuki's group of friends really actually talks with him when Kacchan's not around. His world of potential friends and associations shrunk down to his mom, Katsuki, and Katsuki's family, basically.

He doesn't want to lose them, so he starts following the ones closest to him, namely his mom and Katsuki. If he follows them around and finds out what they like, then he can find a way to make them like him.

Katsuki notices and bullies Izuku more, but Izuku doesn't mind. If Kacchan likes bullying him and that gives him attention, Izuku will accept anything. He just doesn't want to be left alone.

His desire to not be ignored also fed into his hero obsession. People listen to him when he talks about heroes online. He gets to have conversations with people! But they don't like it when he's wrong about something. So he has to stop being wrong. To stop being wrong, he has to study every detail he can find about all the heroes so he'll be right at least 90% of the time, if not 95%.

That requires detailed study on heroes, so he spends a good amount of time doing that. He also notices that his mom is happy when he makes good grades, so even as he studies heroes, he must maintain an A average in school

He records as much as he can about the people who give him attention. Their birthdays, favorite colors, favorite foods, favorite clothes, things they don't like eating, places they visit often, medical conditions if any, diet and exercise regimes, common routes they travel, hair growth rate if they're especially important to him.

When Katsuki calls him a creep, he's absolutely not wrong. At the very least, Izuku's plain but cute and has wide, unassuming eyes. He invokes the feeling of a nervous or happy puppy to others.

Though, his already dark habit can have darker implications. Like when he starts intimately studying villains so he can be of more use to heroes who need him.

However, because he has a very detailed view into each of their lives, Izuku comes to a rather surprising conclusion:

Heroes can be evil, and villains can be good, but desperate.

He stops seeing heroes as inherently good and villains as just "the bad guys," and he doesn't excuse certain intentional crimes from either side, especially extortion, sexual assault, or murder (not including self-defense).

Those who commit such crimes with vicious intent face the Izuku who has no light in his eyes. The Izuku with a shadow over his blank face. The Izuku whose blackened gaze stares right into their souls and decrypts the very things that make them tick.

And when he has enough details, he sends it to people he think are trustworthy. Though, from his investigation into the police, there are several he's gathered intel on that don't meet his expectations either.

Though, of course, he spends most of his time looking at the people he loves, wanting them to like him as much as possible. If push came to shove, he'd even risk his life to help them.

That's why, when All Might rescues him, he almost faints at the fact his most beloved hero (even with all his flaws, all his faults, all his mistakes, all his failures, all his weaknesses) is in proximity to him!! If they could hold hands, he'd cry.

That's why, instead of waiting for heroes to arrive, the instant he sees that Katsuki's the one suffocating, he doesn't hesitate to run. Most importantly, he forgets what his face is doing.

And he's glaring at the assailant with eyes that could kill. Of course, Katsuki sees this, too.

Izuku's able to get Katsuki's face out, and with his ears no longer plugged with slime, he hears what Izuku's mumbling.

"Let go let go let go let go let go he's mine mine mine mine mine--"

And he's able to yank the top half of Katsuki's body out, but since he hasn't built up enough strength yet, that's the limit of his abilities.

But, thankfully, All Might witnessed Izuku's daring rescue, knowing he's quirkless, and he buffs up once more to save the day.

Still, Izuku's frazzled. He's still in fight mode when the heroes come to talk to him and get the details. They find out that he's quirkless, and his heroic actions become ridiculous and endangering.

And since he's still hopped up on adrenaline, he slips.

"Oh, I guess I was supposed to wait for you to do nothing and kill my friend, then."

The heroes berating him pause, mouths dropping open. He stares at them, unblinking. He doesn't notice that one of the news people recording are picking up his voice.

"I guess I was supposed to just stand there and watch him die. Is that what you're saying to me?"

"...Listen, it was for your safety--"

Izuku points at each of them, one by one.

He tells them ways they could've used their quirks to help resolve the issue. Even if it wouldn't have done so completely cleanly, it would've immediately gotten the victim away from the assailant and restricted his ability to escape.

"I wasn't going to allow your lack of creativity kill my friend, and now I'm at fault for that?"

The heroes don't have much else to say when confronted with that information. Instead, as though licking their wounds, the ones scolding him continue to do so, and Izuku looks away, listening and filing them away in a special mental folder he has for people he has no hope in.

Of course, after the fact, Katsuki finds and yells at Izuku. Telling him he didn't need Izuku to save him. That he's not "his," that he's his own person.

And Izuku smiles so sweetly, happy. He's always happy when those he likes acknowledge and speak to him.

"I know that, Kacchan. You're amazing."

Kacchan couldn't escape this time, but that's because he was panicking. It's completely understandable for him to panic. But if he'd focused his firepower, he could've escaped by himself. But that's okay. The people he loves have flaws and aren't perfect.

Even so, they're the best.

#stalker deku au #static writes #static drabbles #mha #bnha #bnha au

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windose20s · 2 years

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ult detective!chihiro !!!! she’s the protag of my randomized (strong word….if i couldnt see the new talent fitting well enough into canon i rerolled) thh talent swap!!!! more design notes + backstory brainstorms under the cut :)

(no masc terms for chi on this post please!!!)

so i. actually forgot to draw part of her design (her bag) when i was originally sketching……and didn’t wanna retcon it….so i just left it out! heres a pixel art i have of her swap design including their bag!

she keeps mints in her bag to offer to people whenever shes unsure what to say :)

her gloves are simply for aesthetic purposes (as you can probably tell by the lack of fingers) - no kyoko-esque trauma here. she just thinks they look cool!

(also im using she/they in this upcoming text dump if you’re wondering :] )

my idea for her backstory is still very loose but i think i have a general hold on it:

due to the bullying she faced from her peers that they just couldn’t seem to shake, chihiro’s parents agree to homeschool her for the time being. however, they are both working parents, which means they have family friends watch them when they can and when nobody is available, they hire people to watch over her (at least until she is old enough to reasonably stay home alone for a few hours, with people coming to check up on them occasionally).

however, she was naturally bright - and such, finished her daily schoolwork rather quickly. so they spent the rest of their time waiting for her parents to come home watching detective anime.

being Neurodivergent (tm), she quickly gained a healthy obsession with detective media - although they prefer anime in the genre as a lot of the genre is far too exaggeratedly grim for her tastes, and at least the animated style keeps some semblance of comfort.

eventually, she began solving the cases ahead of the characters, piecing together the evidence a few episodes in advance. they told their parents about her predictions as she made them, and then informed them whenever she was right (more often than not).

at some point, though, telling her parents wasn’t enough feedback for them - they wanted someone who’d give her genuine critique in the flaws of her reasoning, in order to get better as mystery solving so that the number of times they’re incorrect lowers.

and since she didn’t really have many friends - chihiro fujisaki, age 14ish (maybe 13 but like. if it is 13 then it’s late 13 yk), made an [unspecified fandom blogging website] account (it’s tumblr) (we all know its tumblr).

they shared her predictions and gained somewhat of a name within the communities she participated in - generally their word was taken as the most likely conclusion due to her credibility.

however, over time as all of her favorite detective shows either finished, cancelled, or went on hiatus, she was stuck with no content. they tried to ask her followers for recommendations - but she found all the mysteries way too easy and predictable for them.

in a fit of desperation to crave her sudden restlessness at the lack of mysteries to solve, they started investigating real life cases. she was hesitant to do so, and even more hesitant to tell anyone about it, but it was the only thing hard enough to keep her from feeling like they’re walking in circles.

and then….she solves one. and then another. and another. obviously all cases with evidence on public record - don’t ask me how this is realistic you’re reading an infodump about the au backstory of someone from danganronpa - but they feel like she can’t keep the cases she’s solving a secret anymore.

so she goes back to her roots, by telling her parents. they’re not entirely convinced - after all, who would believe their 14-15 year old is solving genuine cases on her own? but then…they solve another, telling them the outcome before it’s released to the public. and then another. and another. they believe her, in the end.

after a bit more of brewing on it - she decides to but her internet persona’s mystery solving to a (maybe temporary) close. they make a post explaining how not much mystery fiction is hard enough to be worth it anymore, so she’s moving on to more serious things, stuff that she isn’t sure they should post on a silly fandom blog publicly.

and with that, she kicks her solving into overdrive.

she solves every case they can, getting bored (but relieved, don’t get her wrong! she doesn’t wish for crimes to be committed even if it leaves her without anything to solve if they don’t!) whenever they lack a case to solve.

in between active cases, she chips away at a particular cold case that interests her. and, despite all odds, eventually, they’re pretty sure she’s solved it.

so she takes a deep breath and tells her parents right away. they all concur that the conclusion should be taken to law enforcement right away. and so it is! and they’re not quite sure if this is a prank or not - a schoolgirl? solving a cold case?

but no, she has it right. trained detectives confirmed that the original investigation had major oversights that chihiro managed to work through and untangle. she makes the news - and sheepishly admits she’d been solving active cases in real time as well, if only for how it provides their brain a challenge. knowing they solved the cold case, it’s no longer that unbelievable, especially with her parents to back the claims up.

the rest goes as normal - hopes peak scouts her as the shsl detective due to her prowess despite her age yada yada yada

tl;dr: chihiro “i was too neurodivergent about detective anime and it led to me becoming an actual detective” fujisaki

please please please PLEASE reblog im begging /nf. and maybe comment or something or leave tags about this super long backstory dump if you wanna??

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quill-of-thoth · 1 year

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Letters from Watson, the Red-Headed League

Part 2: the fun bits

Nobody has any information about the people renting their rooms, which would be a lot harder to pull off today.

An artificial knee cap plant is... well. The first successful knee replacement was in 1968, WELL AFTER ANTIBIOTICS, so I have zero idea why there would be a business manufacturing them. A quick google search has suggested knee protectors for horses, or a misremembering of an actual prosthetics factory - which made arms and legs, for external use. Could have been knee / leg braces too.

Spaulding has majorly miscalculated if he thinks that Wilson will wait to hear something by post. Or maybe he expected that Wilson would be complaining to a neighbor or being laughed out of a police station right about now.

"a white splash of acid" is probably referring to a white chemical scar.

Holmes needing to think and not wanting Watson to go away for the duration continues to be a theme. Holmes arranging non-investigative (or only partially investigative) outings for him and Watson, along with Watson not having a lot of regular patients, is a new detail.

"Fourth smartest man in London" either places Moriarty on the list along with Holmes and his elder brother, or given that Moriarty teaches at a university outside of London, implies the existence of yet another man both brilliant enough to impress Holmes and connected enough to the world of crime to have actually gained his attention.

"The swing of his nature took him from extreme langour to devouring energy," has been used in a lot of analysis to support interpretations to match Holmes' obvious neurodivergence to a lot of different diagnoses, including ADHD, autism, and bipolar disorder. Significant changes in mood or energy, especially ones that are dependent on how interested you are in what is going on around you, can happen in all of those, so I would not consider it conclusive.

#Letters from Watson #The Red-Headed League #I haven't been keeping track of whether Holmes' moods have anything to do with the weather #but it would be interesting to me personally #though given the influence of the gothic and romantic in Watson's storytelling #it wouldn't be great evidence of anything

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xb-squaredx · 10 months

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Tears of the Kingdom Review: Building a Better Sequel

Breath of the Wild was a massively successful entry in Nintendo’s acclaimed Legend of Zelda series. It sailed past the best-selling installments, and served as both a swan song for the ill-fated Wii U console, and the first breath of life for the Switch, which has become a massive success in its own right. BOTW wasn’t just considered to be a great Zelda game, but it served to redefine how open world games could be made, and its effects on the industry are being felt to this day. A sequel seemed inevitable, but even so, many questioned if Nintendo could make lightning strike twice. After six long years of waiting, Tears of the Kingdom is here…and it makes BOTW look like a tech demo.

UPHEAVING THE FAMILIAR

One of the biggest obstacles Nintendo likely faced in development was finding a way to make the world of Hyrule fresh again, despite largely using the same map from BOTW. Their answer is The Upheaval. TOTK opens with Link and Zelda investigating the source of a strange, toxic substance seeping out from deep below Hyrule Castle. The Gloom sickens and weakens anyone that touches it, and eventually they see the source is a decayed, withered body held in place by a strange, glowing arm. Soon enough the body stirs and a torrent of Gloom is unleashed on Hyrule. The Master Sword (and most of Link’s right arm) is destroyed, Hyrule Castle is suspended high in the air and Zelda vanishes after being engulfed by a strange light. In the aftermath Link finds himself on a floating island, one of many now dotting Hyrule’s skies, with the mysterious arm having replaced his corrupted one, and with it he has two goals: stopping the strange figure and finding Zelda.

The structure of TOTK is largely the same as the predecessor, being almost completely open after players complete a lengthy tutorial. For what it’s worth, I find this game’s story a bit more interesting than BOTW, but TOTK still inherits some of that game’s issues when it comes to narrative. When you have a game where 90% of the plot is both optional and can be done in any order, it can be difficult to make things impactful and coherent. As a result, the Zelda team arrived at a solution that is understandable, but a bit grating after a point. Most main missions are largely written as if they could be the player’s FIRST main mission after the tutorial, and the end result is a lot of repetition as the same exposition dump is given to players multiple times over the entire playthrough.

Similar to BOTW, the juiciest bits of this game’s narrative are found in the past. Link can find memories hidden away all over Hyrule, which largely explains the bulk of the game’s backstory concerning the ancient Zonai, a race of beings that were there at Hyrule’s founding but are strangely absent in the present day. This is also how we primarily get the main villain, this game’s incarnation of Ganondorf, fleshed out. As a result of the game’s commitment to nonlinearity it’s possible to skip all of the set up and arrive at the conclusion without any of the build-up, which happened to me. Suddenly I know of the game’s biggest twist and the answer to the game’s main driving question, which made any subsequent plot moment lose a lot of impact. While the game is often very good at acknowledging sequence breaks with certain quests, it was a bit annoying that the game continued to play coy despite having laid out the main answer to me so early on. Admittedly, that won’t be everyone’s experience, but that was a big issue for me that held the narrative back a bit. Well that and some bad audio mixing. It would have been nice to actually hear the sparsely used voice acting over the often booming music!

I do appreciate that this game’s overall tone is a lot more optimistic and focused on unity compared to BOTW’s almost crushing loneliness, serving to give TOTK its own identity. Link has plenty of allies right from the get-go this time around, with a base of operations near Hyrule Castle that slowly expands as the game goes on. It’s pretty rewarding to see the races of Hyrule join together, at least after you help them with their own issues Ganondorf’s revival has caused. As with the previous game, the overall art direction is also fantastic, making for some breathtaking vistas at times. As much as the Switch is really showing its age, the technical aspects of this game are proof that specs aren’t everything. Being able to load up this massive world with almost seamless navigation and juggling of physics objects is nothing short of astounding considering the Switch is little more than an outdated tablet at this point, and it manages to be at a mostly stable 30 FPS, making a marked improvement from BOTW. While I have my misgivings with some of the narrative structure, I was immediately pulled in and think the game has a great start, but there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, as I’ll demonstrate.

TIERS OF THE KINGDOM

BOTW was already a gigantic game, but TOTK pushes to somehow stuff in even more. Broadly speaking, we can look at three different tiers of the kingdom (heh), each with their own distinct feel and gameplay loop. Starting with the sky, there’s this calm, almost ethereal feeling to most of the sky islands found in this game. The Great Sky Island that players start out on definitely paints a good picture of what to expect as they continue exploring…however I found that the sky was far and away the most lacking part of the game’s world.

The Sky Islands are both lacking in size and frequency, a criticism that also plagued Skyward Sword from back in the Wii era. The Great Sky Island really set me up for disappointment, when most other sky structures are barely a fraction of its size and start to feel same-y after a point. You pop up into the sky, find a shrine, maybe a treasure chest…and then you’re done. Only rarely can you find somewhat larger, more interesting structures, but they’re surrounded by a TON of empty space. To a degree this is probably intentional. If the entire skyline was filled with floating islands it wouldn’t look very good from the surface, so having some room to breathe makes sense aesthetically. There’s also the fact that making sure the islands are more spaced out naturally makes it harder to get to them. You end the tutorial without your paraglider, and early in the game your stamina won’t hold out long enough to sail through the massive gaps in the sky to reach another island. That way, there’s this sense of mystery and anticipation when finding the next destination in the sky. I would look up at massive sky labyrinths or floating spheres and wonder both what was in there…but also how I’d even get up there. Even so, the fact that some sky islands are so small you can’t even really spot them on a zoomed-out map is a step too far. I’m shocked at how much they were played up in marketing when they barely factored into my total playtime.

Thankfully, there’s a lot more to this game. The surface is where the bulk of the game’s focus on community really comes into play. You have all the different villages and regions to explore, and it’s where the bulk of vendors and quests will be. Without Guardians roaming around, you notice a LOT more NPCs just out and about in Hyrule, and it was a welcome contrast to the other tiers and their relative isolation. Be it checking in on the latest gossip at stables, or getting my fashion on at Hateno Village, there was always something to do. The bulk of the game’s Shrines of Light are also found here, giving players quick, isolated puzzles that slowly drip feed health and stamina upgrades. Even if you want to go visit the sky, you’re basically required to return to the surface in search of new ways to get up high, such as the Skyview Towers invented by Purah and Robbie. These not only fill in your Purah Pad’s map, but also catapult you high into the air, giving you the chance to reach certain sky islands, or get a different perspective as you plot where to go next. But sometimes you might notice some strange areas on the surface that require…deeper examination.

All over Hyrule players can find massive chasms that are surrounded by Gloom, but if you’re brave enough to head down one you’ll find one of the game’s biggest secrets…the Depths. A gargantuan subterranean region, I found the Depths to be a very interesting inversion of the game’s normal environments in more ways than one. For starters, compared to the boundless freedom found in the surface and the sky, you have to take it slow and steady underground. Most of the Depths are pitch black, and you never know what is lurking just beyond the shadows. Link will either have to use special seeds to create temporary light, or seek out Lightroots that can illuminate larger chunks of the map permanently. Unlike when you use the Skyview Towers to map out the sky and surface, Lightroots only illuminate a small radius around them, causing me to slowly work from root to root, occasionally being sidetracked by various treasures and structures to explore. Eventually, I noticed that Lightroots connect to the Shrines of Light found on the surface and suddenly it all came together: the Depths are just an inverted surface. Every mountain becomes a massive, deep valley. Every body of water turns into an impenetrable wall. Similar to the sky, players will have to leave the depths and find another way back down in order to get to certain areas, but even more than that…being in the Depths for so long can be fatal. Gloom is much more concentrated down in the Depths, and enemies are also infected with it. Taking damage from Gloom goes a step further and effectively “breaks” your heart gauge, requiring special meals made from Sundelion flowers found mostly on the sky in order to heal, that or natural light from the surface or Lightroots. As dangerous as the depths are though, they’re the main source of Zonaite, a special ore that will be incredibly handy when using the wide range of Zonai technology found throughout the game.

THE FUN OF CHEATING

The Skeikiah Slate from BOTW is no more, but Link has arguably better powers to work with this time around with the help of his nifty new arm. During the tutorial, players gain four main powers from the Zonai to help on his adventure and it doesn’t take long to realize that Link is so powerful now that you’re basically playing with cheat codes.

The first and likely most important power is Ultrahand. At first glance it seems like a reskin of Magnesis, letting you pick up and move objects, though this time you aren’t limited to metal. But the real kicker here is the ability to combine objects together with…basically magical glue. Take some wooden boards and glue them together, attach some wheels and BAM…you have a makeshift cart. Or you can use one of the many different ancient Zonai devices by attaching them to a wide variety of things for almost limitless possibilities. Zonai devices often look like modern-day technology, even running off of a battery of sorts that Link can upgrade as he goes through the game. Fans, flamethrowers, steering wheels…the list goes on. Some devices are just strewn about all over the game, but in the sky specifically you can find…basically gatcha machines that dispense TONS of devices in capsule form that you can store and use later on when you need them. What’s more, later in the game you can find the Autobuild power that allows you to save “recipes” of various constructions, and then assemble them quickly, being able to use zonaite if you’re short some parts. What I like about this power is that you can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You COULD just glue some logs together as a makeshift raft…or you could go out of your way to make something far more intricate. For players that’d rather not mess with the ability entirely…while the game is built with it in mind, you can still get by for most of the game without worrying about it as much. Autobuild especially helps cut down on the time spent building things as a really great upgrade too. The entire game could have easily been built around this concept alone, but we still have other powers to cover.

Fuse is effectively a combat-centric take on Ultrahand. Using Fuse, Link can take almost any object and glue it to his weapons. I can put a Zonai spring on a shield, or glue a sword to my sword. I can even put a chunk of meat on my arrowhead if I’m so inclined. Nearly every object or material in the game can be fused to your arsenal, with a variety of great effects that can make weapons stronger, more durable, or given extra attributes. As an early example, I fused a mine cart to my shield, turning my shield into a skateboard that let me grind on rails like I’m in some Sonic game. Getting elemental weapons is as easy as attaching a special fruit or ore to my weapon, and those are way easier to find than elemental weapons ever were in BOTW. Your arrows are also much more versatile now; attach an enemy’s eyeball to an arrow to make it home in on targets, or a bright bloom seed to light up the Depths from afar. Fuse allows even the weakest of weapons to be useful, which is something that just wasn’t possible in BOTW. I can take a stick and fuse a rock to it to make a makeshift hammer that’s great for breaking open ore deposits or brittle walls, so no more stockpiling rare hammer weapons or waiting on my bomb runes to recharge. It also goes a long way towards making battles more worthwhile to even do, as enemies drop horns and claws that can grant HUGE strength increases to weapons. Before, in BOTW I would eventually avoid fighting late-game enemies because they were too beefy to deal with, as you’d lose multiple weapons in the process and any weapons they dropped weren’t as good. It was a net loss. But now even fighting silver enemies isn’t that bad, since that means I can put that silver moblin horn on some middling spear I found and suddenly that is among my strongest weapons. I have my own qualms about combat in general in this game, but Fuse goes a long way towards making it more fun to experiment and stick with than ever before.

Ascend admittedly is a step down in application, but is still quite good. The fact that it was initially a dev tool should be telling enough. With Ascend, Link can jump up through any ceiling and pop out on top of the structure. Sometimes this is just as simple as going up a floor in a house, or being able to explore a deep, expansive cave and then use Ascend to leave, popping out at the very top of the mountain you found the cave in. In the depths there are even some rare structures that lead all the way back up to the surface that Link can use Ascend on. It honestly breaks traditional level design and so the game had to do a lot of careful restructuring to manage but even then with some application of your other powers, it can be pretty easy to Ascend past areas you’re meant to go through normally. But nothing compares to the power of Recall.

Initially, I thought Recall was a very situational puzzle solver. You aim at an object and can rewind it back roughly 30 seconds or so, but further applications showed that it might be the most broken of the lot. Recall has much more range than any other power, and can affect virtually anything you could also use Ultrahand or Fuse on. I’ve had instances where I’ve built a glider, only to go off course or miss my mark, and I would use Recall as basically a reset button to bring it back to a better position. Enemies dying and leaving their valuable collectibles falling off a cliff can be saved with a button press. What’s more, any movement you did with Ultrahand will be replicated with Recall, so I’ve done that to get vehicles aligned or to rise up platforms I would then Ascend onto to get up high. I’ve even completely broken shrine puzzles with Recall, nullifying any challenge they might have otherwise posed. Some might get a kick out of it, but I felt I kind of optimized the fun out of puzzles to a degree. Regardless, these powers are a lot of fun to mess with and even more versatile than BOTW’s power set was. But while we’re kind of bringing up a negative…I may as well get a bit more critical.

TEARS OF THE FANBOY

I want to stress that, despite my complaints here or there, I adored this game and just DEVOURED it over the last month or so. I put over 245 hours into it, doing almost everything of value. Playing the game for long stretches and having it basically absorb an entire month of my life…I’ll be the first to admit my own experiences and annoyances won’t be shared by many, and for normal people that just play in smaller bursts and don’t care about full completion, they likely won’t have nearly as many issues as I did. But…spending that much time with any one game is going to reveal some of the cracks in it, and those did chip away at my enjoyment a bit.

TOTK is a complex game, with a ton of things the player can do at any given moment, but I do think that Nintendo went a bit too hard on filling this game up with actions you can perform, and then realized they ran out of buttons on the controller along the way. Simply put, some actions are far more cumbersome than they should be. Selecting materials to use, either to throw or attach to arrows is tedious. You hold Up on the D-Pad, then use the right stick to find the item you want, but seeing as there are dozens upon dozens of materials you can use throughout the game, eventually that list becomes harder and harder to parse, leading to a lot of wasted time scrolling to find the exact item you need. You can hit Y to sort by different parameters, but if want you want isn’t near the front, then prepare to spend several seconds scrolling down to find it. A “favorites” option would have been a godsend here; just let me label a handful of items for quick reference. Throwing materials is also awkward, having to first throw your weapon, but then selecting an item with Up on the D-Pad as well. While I appreciate having more options for arrows and the like, the elegance of quickly swapping between arrow types in BOTW is missed here.

Speaking of direct comparisons between these two games…let’s talk Sage Powers. Compared to the Champion Powers from BOTW, these are a massive downgrade in both strength and usability. In TOTK if I want to use a Sage’s ability I have to manually walk over to them and ready them with the A button, then usually hit A again to actually use it. In the heat of the moment having to chase down my AI companions gets old fast, and then aside from that there’s the fact that the A button is already pretty multi-contextual as it is. I’ve had tons of experiences mashing A to grab items on the ground, only for Tulin or Yunobo to walk in front of me and have me accidentally activate their power and blow items away. Looking at the four powers in depth, while they have their uses they’re rarely worth the hassle of using them. Sidon’s water shield and attack is very niche, as ice attacks can do the same things as water, with the added benefit of freezing targets. Riju’s lightning arrows take forever to set up, and aiming Yunobo’s fire spin can be tedious. Tulin is about the only Sage that feels well designed, as more often than not I will always have him around to give me a boost of horizontal movement while gliding. I don’t have to worry about tracking him down, or the A button doing something else most of the time. On the ground though, he has the same issues. I enjoy having the Sages around as AI partners to take some of the heat off of fights, but compared to how simple and effective the Champion Powers were in BOTW, all mapped to different buttons and being next to impossible to accidentally do…it’s pretty disappointing.

There are other things to go over too, some of which already existed as problems in BOTW. Just as in the previous game, climbing wet surfaces is torture. TOTK introduces some solutions but they feel poorly implemented. Players can now make tonics that grant “slip resistance” to climb up wet surfaces more easily…but in practice you’ll barely notice the effects. There’s also an armor set that is said to make you immune to slipping entirely, but that is locked behind a quest chain that can take a while to complete…and then once you get the full set you realize that you need to upgrade all three pieces two times to actually unlock the hidden set bonus to make you completely slip immune. On that same note…upgrading armor is still incredibly tedious, especially when it comes to dealing with any pieces you need from dragons. Horses are also still pretty pointless to use after a point. Without even getting into the fact that they can’t be used in huge chunks of the map, like sandy deserts or rocky mountains, not to mention the sky islands or Depths…being able to build vehicles with Ultrahand basically replaces their only real function as transportation. And yet for whatever reason, whistling for your horse is still mapped onto the D-pad. In a game where they’re clearly hurting for more buttons having one relegated to something I barely even considered using is pretty bad.

I have plenty of issues with combat in the game as well. I know Zelda isn’t a series where action is the main event, but even so the action is typically satisfying in its own way. I’d best describe it as tedious here; enemies are damage sponges, your own attacks send them far away and force you to track them down, and after a certain point the difficulty curve falls apart. I know difficulty is subjective, but both BOTW and TOTK are very strange about balance. The beginning of the game is the hardest, as you have almost nothing. But once you stockpile some meals to heal, armor to up your defense, and materials for fusion the game can’t really do anything to you. I once thought Gleeoks or Lynels were to be avoided, but getting my hands on enough Keese eyeballs to make homing arrows means I can stun them easily and melt through their health as they lay down defenseless. Mastering the parry and perfect dodge also eliminates most options enemies can even do to you. But admittedly, not everyone IS always going to be perfectly prepared for any given fight, or know that certain abilities can just render some enemies a joke. I can tell that balancing a game that is so nonlinear and open-ended is no easy task, but I do think they made players a BIT too strong at points and hope later games can find a better balance. But overall, that’ll mostly do it on the nitpicks.

CONCLUSION

When I beat BOTW, I had wished I could play it through again with my memories wiped, just so I could experience it all again for the first time. Tears of the Kingdom is arguably the next best thing. A twist on something familiar, with some curveballs thrown in for good measure. Link’s new abilities do a lot to spice up how you interact with the world, and there have been some noticeable improvements to the original’s issues, even if some still remain. With this likely being the future of the franchise, at least for now, I’m interested in seeing what lessons Nintendo can take from these two entries. For my money, Nintendo has managed to iterate on one of my favorite games out there and have made it hard to go back. I’m hard pressed to think of too many things BOTW did better, outside of the novelty of being the first game in this new style. I liken BOTW’s strength to being the joy of discovery, the appeal of exploring the unknown. While there are elements of that in TOTK, this time around the focus is on experimentation. Like the joys of playing with a tub of random Lego pieces, being able to adapt to any solution with whatever you have around, bending and breaking the rules of the game world, the end result is unrivaled freedom and depth that will keep people busy well until the next main Zelda.

Until next time,

-B

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