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theres-an-impulstor-among-us · 3 years

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Brain spiked, and I have an idea. An idea for a sequel to the Powerful Soul fic. Oh boy here we go :)

Pungence decides to tell someone about his.. experience. Most likely Bdubs. They, obviously, don’t believe him. The next round, he notices Zedaph eyeing Bdubs and Beans. He takes it upon himself to save them from whatever Zed is planning by protecting him all game. Long story short, he fails. Miserably. Bdubs and Beans join the traumatized club. :D

*vibrates with excitement* MORE HACKER ZED YESSSSS

(also this got way deeper than I thought it would lol)

If you haven’t read the first part, go do that now!

…

It’s been several rounds since the… incident, and Pungence still can’t look at Zedaph without feeling a chill run down his spine. He can still vividly recall the agony of having Zedaph rip through his code like it’s made of paper, the terrifyingly calm look on Zedaph’s face, the way his eyes bored into Pungence’s soul. Every time he sees Zedaph now, he quickly has to make sure he doesn’t end up alone with him. He doesn’t know if Zedaph remembers the experience as well as Pungence does but he certainly doesn’t want to risk anything.

Finally, Pungence can’t take it anymore.

Before the next round starts, as everyone is chatting in the lobby, Pungence grabs Bdubs’s hand and pulls him away from the others.

“Pungey, what are you doing?” Bdubs asks confusedly. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m going crazy!” Pungence whispers back. “Do you remember a round a while ago that just ended abruptly without you voting anyone off?”

Bdubs frowns, thinking hard. “Um… which round?”

“If you have to ask, then you don’t remember.” Pungence sighs. “Look, I know this is gonna sound weird, but that Zedaph guy is… he’s… magical.”

Bdubs stares at his brother. “Magical?”

“I don’t know how else to describe it. Listen, I was imposter a few rounds ago and I killed him in navigation. Next thing I know, he’s confronting me as a ghost in medbay and he… he…” Pungence hesitates, unsure of how to describe his experience. “He tried to possess me. I don’t know what he did exactly but it… it was absolute agony. Dude, he stuck his hand through my chest and I felt like I was gonna die, that’s how bad it was. He managed to stop me from getting teleported to the meeting and when he somehow killed me, the whole round ended immediately and I-.”

“Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa.” Bdubs places his hands on Pungence’s shoulders, stopping him from speaking. “Take a breath, Pungey. Are you sure that wasn’t a nightmare of some kind? Cuz I don’t remember any of that.”

“That’s something else I’m really worried about,” admits Pungence. “The fact that nobody except me seems to remember it. I don’t even know if Zedaph himself remembers.”

“Have you asked him?” Bdubs asks.

Pungence shoots his brother an unamused look. “Yeah, I went up to him and said, “Hey, do you remember being a ghost and thoroughly traumatising then viciously murdering me after I killed you as imposter in a round that may or may not have existed or am I just going crazy?” He confessed immediately.”

Bdubs rolls his eyes. “Sarcasm duly noted. Now are you REALLY sure it wasn’t a weird nightmare?”

“Do you think I’m lying?” Pungence demands.

“No, I don’t think you’re lying. Just… mistaken, maybe. Mistaking a dream for reality.”

“I’m not-!”

“Guys, we’re getting ready to start,” Grian calls just then.

“Coming,” Bdubs calls back, before turning back to his brother. “Look, don’t worry about it. If it WAS real, nothing’s happened since then, right?”

“Only because Zedaph hasn’t been murdered first since that round,” Pungence insists. “Seriously, please, listen to me. If you get imposter, DO NOT kill Zedaph, especially not first. It’s not worth it, man.”

Bdubs just brushes his brother off. “Don’t worry so much. Everything that happens in this game is for fun, remember?”

Pungence mutters to himself as the game starts. “Uh huh, yeah, a fun game about murder. All fun. So much fun.”

Half to his relief, Pungence is assigned to be crewmate this round. He glances over at Bdubs, then Zedaph, but there seems to be nothing unusual about them.

He decides to do his tasks as quickly as possible so he can keep an eye on his brother for the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, Zedaph decides to do his scan first, so he heads straight for medbay. He finds Grian already in there, depositing the sample.

As Zedaph hops onto the scanner, he spots Bdubs and Beans coming into the room. The door slides shut behind them, and Zedaph immediately knows what’s about to happen.

Sure enough, Bdubs swiftly kills Grian right at the sample station, a split second before Beans shoots Zedaph off the scanner.

Fighting through disorientation and nausea, Zedaph immediately shoots up as a ghost and catches the doors as they slide open, pushing them closed again without touching them.

Bdubs and Beans, who were just about to leave, turn and stare at Zedaph in surprise. “Wait, how are you doing that?” Beans gasps.

Bdubs wordlessly dashes for the vent but Zedaph waves his hand towards it and it locks. Spooked, Bdubs backs up to join Beans by the wall opposite the sample station.

“How are you doing all this?” Beans demands. “You’re dead.”

“And you two are the imposters,” replies Zedaph calmly, before glancing at Grian, who is standing frozen by the sample dispenser, eyes fixed on him. “Grian, go do your tasks. I’ll handle this.”

After a moment, Grian nods and disappears through the wall.

“Handle what?” snaps Bdubs. “What are you gonna do?”

“What I always do when I die first: experimentation.”

Bdubs’s eyes widen and he presses himself against the wall, as if trying to phase backwards through it like Grian did. “P-Pungence was right! You DID do something weird to him a few rounds ago!”

“Oh, he remembers that?” Zedaph frowns. “That’s not meant to happen.”

“What?!” yelps Beans. “You’ve done this before?”

“I’m still figuring out my abilities. Being killed first gives me enough time to do some experiments. I’ve never done it on two imposters at once before, but hey, this should be interesting.”

He reaches towards Beans and Bdubs, who are suddenly gripped by an invisible force. They struggle in a panic, Bdubs more so because he remembers Pungence’s description of what he went through last time.

Suddenly, the doors creak open a crack and a figure appears, managing to tumble through the door before it closes behind him. He scrambles to his feet and rushes towards Zedaph. “Stop! Stop it!”

Zedaph holds out his hand and grips Pungence in the same invisible force. “You remember what I did to you a few rounds ago?”

“Y-Yes, and I don’t want you to do it again! I’m sorry you got killed but I don’t want you to put my brother and Beans through what you did to me.” Pungence gazes at Zedaph with pleading eyes. “Please, Zedaph. You don’t have to do it. There’s no reason for it.”

“Pungence, these two are imposters,” Zedaph says, confused as to why the crewmate is getting in his way. “They killed me.”

“It’s just a game, though! They’re not actually hurting anyone! But you, you’re… You really hurt me. And you’re about to really hurt them too.”

Zedaph stares at him with a mixed expression for a few seconds, before glancing back at Bdubs and Beans, who are clearly still terrified.

“You’re right,” he says slowly. “It’s just a game. I shouldn’t be hurting people.”

Pungence dares to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. “Yes.”

“Then all I have to do is make sure I don’t hurt them.”

“Wh-Wha-?”

Zedaph drops Pungence on the ground and reaches back towards the two imposters, phasing his left hand through Beans’s forehead and his right through Bdubs’s.

Both of them scream, causing Pungence to flinch.

“Okay, this doesn’t seem to be working,” says Zedaph, retracting his hands. He frowns in thought. “It seems I need more practise with these weird ghostly abilities. Next time, I think I’ll try to possess an imposter and see what happens.”

“Next time?!” Pungence yelps. “No, there can’t BE a next time! Zedaph, you’re hurting people! You need to stop and just let us play the game!”

“I don’t WANT to hurt people!” Zedaph’s composure falls away for the first time. “I’m not trying to hurt anyone! All I want is to understand. When you were imposter, I felt overwhelming rage and hatred in you. But if this is just a game, why were you feeling such a strong desire to kill?”

Pungence hesitates. “I… I don’t know…”

“Exactly. There seems to be more to this “game” than meets the eye, and since I seem to be the only one who is able to access the code, it’s up to me to work it out.” Zedaph glances from Pungence to the two imposters, then back to Pungence. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I’ll make it so that you won’t remember this experience next round.”

Before anyone can respond, the room is engulfed in a white light, enveloping everyone inside.

…

“Pungey? Hey, wake up. Snap out of it.”

Pungence opens his eyes to find Bdubs and Beans standing in front of him, the metallic interior of the lobby visible behind them. “Hey. You alright?”

“I think so.” Pungence frowns. “What just happened?”

“Dunno,” says Beans. “Grian thinks the game glitched or something; it just kicked us back out to the lobby. He’s having a look at the settings to see if something’s wrong before we go back in.”

Pungence pauses, glancing around the room. He can’t remember anything from last round, except an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach.

“Were either of you the imposter that round?” he asks.

Bdubs shakes his head. “Don’t think so. Honestly, I don’t remember.”

“Me neither,” Beans says.

Pungence’s eyes land on Zedaph and their gazes meet momentarily. The uneasiness in Pungence’s stomach grows.

“Does something seem wrong to you?”

Bdubs glances at his brother with a concerned frown. “No. Why? Hey, are you sure you’re alright? You’ve gone pale.”

He follows Pungence’s gaze and blinks at the sight of Zedaph standing across the lobby with Tango, Impulse, and Skizzleman. His eyes flicker to Beans, then back again. Now, he too can feel the discomfort between them, a palpable tension that can’t quite be explained. As if the four of them have shared a harrowing experience that they can’t quite remember.

Across the lobby, Zedaph can sense that Pungence, Bdubs, and Beans are agitated at the sight of him. He glances away after a moment, trying to concentrate on the conversation the rest of Team ZITS are having next to him. But he can’t. Something keeps drawing him back to the fact that no matter how hard he tries, he doesn’t seem to be able to completely erase the experimentation experience from his victims’ minds. He doesn’t like hurting people, physically or mentally. It’s troubling to him that he can seemingly not control certain aspects of his powers.

But he can’t stop the experiments now, no matter how much worse things get.

Not if he wants to figure out the true secret buried deep in the game that calls itself Among Us.

#hermitcraft #hermits among us #zedaph #bdubs #pungence #bdoubleo100 #smallishbeans

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shirtlesssammy · 3 years

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15x17 Bullet Point Rambles

We MAY be doing some squeaking during this THEN sequence. Billie! Cas! The Empty! WE’RE FINE

Boris: Amara is reading Murakami? That’s the ONE book of his I haven’t read

The stars begin to fall and Amara knows Chuck HATH ARRIVED (We like Amara even more now)

Sam’s giving Dean the silent treatment. (Boris: Boys you have 4 episodes to GET IT TOGETHER)

Amara wishes she could get to know Jack. The SECRETS in this crew, people. Also…AUNTIE AMARA!

Sam is Jack’s sad dad :(

Sam uses the phrase BLINDLY FOLLOWING ORDERS to accuse Dean of doing the wrong thing and we are LIVING

Dean THEN says “Jack’s not family” and we both gasp in shock. DEAN! You wash your goddamn fucking mouth out right now. Anyway, he takes Jack out to meet his doom and we sarcastically slow clap under Dean’s nose

Sam and Cas connect in the bunker, bonding over trying to find another way. ALL THE HEARTS

Amara and Chuck reconnect and…we get an “Amara” title card? Iiiiiiinteresting

Chuck asks Amara’s help to do a hard reset (Chuck is grossed out by Amara/Dean? Excuse us as we cry/laugh at this) Amara wants to defend the world and we shout PROTECT

“Why did I go with carbon based life?” Chuck laments. Humans ruin everything!

Amara zaps Chuck up to Heaven. I like that Amara’s doing the ghost of Christmas present schtick

FANDOM please make us a million gifs of Amara’s reaction shots from this episode for reasons

Amara proposes “balance” between herself and Chuck, but he’s not into sharing. She zaps Chuck into the Winchester’s bunker trap. DAMN GIRL

Me: DON’T KILL our precious sunflower, Amara!

Dean enjoys awkward moments with Jack and we get our next title card: “Dean”

Jack tells Dean that he understands that he’s not family and I love Dean but ALSO hope he feels like SHIT right now. Yessss YESSSSS give me that sweet angst

Dean and Jack end up at a “Southwest jewelry” shop - featuring Adam and————- Serafina. SERAFINA IS AN ANGEL whaaaat is happening

Adam’s ready for vengeance against Chuck and he’s partnering with Billie to do it

Jack has to pick a crystal - one touched by God. (Boris: this is like the tradition of picking the Dalai Lama like in King of the Hill, right?)

Jack sees all the crystals as being touched by God. Their existence makes them divine, because God is in everything. “At least he should be,” Adam grumbles

Serafina stabs the heck out of Adam and he actually says, “DUDES, chill” and I can’t even. She pulls out his rib

Adam’s rib is strong enough to create life OR destroy God. It will turn Jack into a bomb if he touches it. <Insert meta about his rib aka women being the strongest life force>

Boris: Hey, Jack. Sweetie? Maybe hand the bag with the power rib over to Dean to hold for safe keeping

Dean “apologizes” in his own special half ass way for what Jack overheard in the bunker. He tries to explain that learning about Chuck’s control meant that he felt like he wasn’t alive. He thanks Jack for what he’s about to do. (Me: NOT ENOUGH, DEAN-O) (He’ll get there, I know, I know)

“Sam” is our next title card and we are ready for feelings. He and Cas commiserate about their feelings of hopelessness and yet…immense sense of wrongness in the situation. Sam remembers the key to Death’s library from that one time Sergei was visiting (because he operates best under major trauma?)

We get a MONTAGE of box opening until they find the KEY. Yes, please! I am always down for a trip to a library!

Sam tells Cas to stay behind to stop Dean (Us: Distract him with a sexy strip-tease!)

Sam finds a whole bunch of dead reapers in the library. Guessing that’s not by design. Someone shrieks in the distance, which can only mean wholesome things!

Meg as the Empty is holding court! God, I love that they brought Rachel Miner back <3 She dead-ifies another reaper while Sam looks on

The Empty is pissed at all the manipulation from Death, from God. (We love that the sweetest person plays these dark characters. QUEEN)

Only Billie can read Death’s books, so the Empty can’t read Chuck’s book

Sam LIES HIS ASS OFF and tells the Empty that Billie sent him so, like, plz don’t kill him or hurt him? SAM FUCKING WINCHESTER tells The Empty that he needs to fetch Chuck’s book. BALLS OF STEEL, THIS ONE (Boris: That was a very beautiful Sam moment)

Meanwhile, Chuck and Amara exchange broody looks. She tries to convince him to make the right choice and then he tells her to “shut up.” We’ll have to slap him, now

Chuck feeds on Dean shoving Jack to his end. He is SUPER PLEASED with his manipulation

Dean PULLS. A. GUN. on Sam. FFS

Chuck reveals the truth about their plan to Amara OUR SUNFLOWER and Dean and Sam engage in fisticuffs. WELL SHIT

Amara’s heart gets broken and WE ARE DECEASED NOOOOO how did we come to care for her so much? Chuck implores Amara to create something new and beautiful with him. Ooooooo honey you can’t trust him. She takes his hand and gets absorbed into him. Gross

Dean attempts to lose his shit at Sam, but Sam implores him to remember how he’s protected him from Dad, Lucifer, everything. EYEBALLS EMOJI. Sam cries and we are EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED

Sam talks Dean down but it’s too fucking late, baby boys! Chuck emerges all juiced up with his sister’s essence, and complains that they’ve ruined his story AGAIN

Jack collapses and the next stop is dead baby boy central! WE ARE SHOCKED that the episode is over! When is next week? Oh god, next week is the US election. We need to be…encased in some very soft blankets. Please, join us in our blanket fort WHERE NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENS! See ya next week, babes

#spn spoilers #spn 15x17 #unity #supernatural season 15 #spn thoughts

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bigskydreaming · 3 years

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Tarn the Uncaring and his Locus Vile remain creepy as fuck, but I can’t help but feel that this Hellions issue would be a lot more impactful if we had any clue whatsoever what Tarn and his ick squad’s powers actually are. Its the same gripe I have with the last Wolverine issue and that Arakki pirate guy......I feel like the writers are making all these new Arakki characters but aren’t bothering to figure out what they can even do beyond just make them look bad-ass or intimidating or whatever and just be vague as to their actual capabilities.

For the most part its not a big deal, but I do think sooner rather than later we do need an ACTUAL clue about what the hell Tarn and the rest of the Great Ring’s powers are, given that its been well established that the Arakki ONLY let omega level mutants sit on their ruling council, so like......I think they should have bothered figuring out what the Great Ring’s powersets are before introducing them at least, and I feel like a big reason for the vagueness is that so far....even the writers only have the vaguest idea about what most of them can do. I mean, the only ones we know for sure are Isca and Lactuna or whatever her name is....and we have a reasonable sense of what the fish dude’s powers are and they’re fairly epic....and Idyll’s powers obviously are precognition related, so....okay y’know what, I take it back.

Of the Great Ring, the only ones we don’t really have a sense of are Tarn and the other random dude whose name I forget, and Tarn’s obviously have something to do with genetics/power manipulation.....but every time I see that giant caterpillar mutant, Xili or whatever his name is, I’m just like....okay we saw him in action but I still don’t get how his power works even a little bit.

Anyway, Hellions was an interesting issue, I enjoy seeing Sinister’s fuck-ups come back home to roost and all the Hellions finding out just how badly he screwed them on the Amenth mission, and I am intrigued by the mention of Chimera towards the end of the issue. I’m guessing all of this is building up to the reveal of Sinister’s first experiments in creating the triple-powered mutants we saw in Powers of X a hundred years in the future - and that series did mention that the first Chimera were ‘grown’ in the Vats of Mars, which is now Arakko, home of.....the people Sinister just admitted to stealing the DNA from to create these Chimera. So it all fits.

What I’m curious about is how much of this is just leading up to the same events that already played out in Moira’s last failed lifetime, versus how much things are going differently this time around. Like, we’re finding out about the Chimera being created already, which would seem to suggest events so far aren’t playing out too differently from the last time around, given the references to them being made on Mars....BUT in Moira’s last lifetime in Powers of X, like, it was clearly referenced as MARS having been where the Chimera were first made.....while ever since the Hellfire Gala, the books have all been pushing really hard that the planet’s name is Arakko now. So what I’m wondering is if Moira’s last lifetime - where she was allied with Apocalypse for at least part of it as well - if Arakko and its mutants were ever successfully retrieved from Amenth....or if Mars was simply a Krakoan colony in that past lifetime, and the Chimera we saw a hundred years in its future were just the results of Sinister’s experiments with mutant/Krakoan DNA, with him never having had access to Arakki mutants or Tarn’s own experiments with mutation.

Because if the latter, then that would suggest that the key difference this time around, and the potential game changer for the future, is not actually Krakoa itself, but Arakko’s presence and the Krakoa/Arakko alliance, spread across two planets.

Hmmm. Must ponder more.

As for the new X-Men issue, it wasn’t bad but it was mostly meh. It felt like a lot of just action sequences with Duggan narrating how they all used their powers together to defeat the Annihilation Wave, and like....yawn? The mutant synergy idea is fine conceptually, but they are milking it WAY too hard, its like we get it, can you do something with the actual STORY rather than just being like look what happens when these two mutants use their powers at the same time? LOL. For what its worth, what story there IS in this issue is intriguing. I mean, the idea of Gameworld and its bets on the fate of Earth is pretty interesting, and Dr. Stasis is shaping up to be a dangerous threat, especially with him seeming to be on to the Krakoan resurrection capabilities (uh, not that they’ve been all that subtle about it, tbh), and allied with Orchis - thus them knowing about the great Krakoan resurrection engine as well, lmao. Like, they probably really should have put a bit more effort into keeping that under wraps awhile longer instead of just being like:

"Oh Jumbo Carnation famously was murdered a few years ago with it all over the news and now we’re making a big deal about him designing all the outfits for our highly publicized Hellfire Gala, and you want to know how that could be possible, Mr. Reporter? Uh...look! A squirrel!”

Also, that plus the big fight between the Locus Vile and the Hellions on Krakoa after Ororo specifically WARNED Tarn that she was going to fuck his shit up if he tried to retaliate against Sinister - and that Isca and the rest of the Great Ring promised to back her on, lololol, its kinda funny that they all seem to hate Tarn as much as the rest of the Quiet Council all hate Sinister - anyway, all that has me wondering what the official policy on dead Arakki mutants is. I assume given that they’re mutants no fundamentally different from Krakoan mutants, that like, ever since they emerged from Otherworld, there’s no reason that Cerebro shouldn’t back up their consciousnesses as automatically as it does any other mutant’s....so is Krakoa sharing its resurrection technology with Arakko at all? Assuming of course that once they saw how Krakoans did it, they don’t have specific mutants of their own capable of matching the capabilities of the Five and doing the same for them.

BUT then again, the idea of resurrection seems to fly pretty heavily in the face of Arakki culture, so I don’t imagine on the WHOLE they’re all that interested in it in the first place.....BUT BUT, that doesn’t mean that INDIVIDUAL Arakki mutants aren’t interested. And given that we know now that it was Solem who was pulling strings in Wolverine’s solo title and X-Force, and that he was behind stealing the Shi’ar logic diamonds, which are used in resurrection, and he seems to have aims towards stealing the Cerebro Sword from Mikhail in Russia......from what we do know of Solem, it would make perfect sense for him to be interested in resurrection, given how many of his own people want him dead (especially after how he fucked over War in X of Swords), and I can’t imagine Solem being all that interested in like, applying for Krakoan citizenship just for that perk if he felt he could finagle resurrection on his own terms instead.

Or that he thinks they’d even offer it to him at all at this point, given that Emma, a key figure on the Quiet Council, is personally gunning for him to get payback for what he did to Christian and the Marauder (yesssss, this is one Emma + Wolverine teamup I’m here for lololol). Course, I can’t help but think, you know who else would want payback for Christian, and who might be extremely helpful in going after a notoriously dangerous Arakki warrior with adamantium skin? Oh, idk, Christian’s boyfriend, the omega mutant capable of freezing anything so cold it can shatter with a touch....even vaunted adamantium. I’M JUST SAYING. We saw Bobby get his vengeful on after Kate was killed, and him applying that same energy towards going after someone as dangerous as Solem on Christian’s behalf, would be like....potentially the most interesting thing they’ve done with him in years.

Like, I know it won’t happen because it probably hasn’t even occurred to the writers, since most of them barely even acknowledge that Bobby and Christian are IN a relationship, but how fucking great would it be to have Solem smugly convinced that he’s a match for Logan only for him to be like “the useful thing about NOT being a loner loser like you and actually having friends and people who like me, is sometimes it pays to have a bigger gun than yourself on speed dial.” Cut to....Heeeeeere’s Bobby! You know, the dude who just singlehandedly gave your spiffy new homeplanet its ice caps. And whose boyfriend your pirate patsies tossed overboard and left for dead when stealing his ship.

Solem: Aww, fuck.

#wednesday spoilers

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fizzingwizard · 3 years

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Episode 44! Another pretty cool one!

I’m not gonna yammer on about it as usual but it was a solid episode and Hikari got to be pretty awesome. And I’m all over moments like these:

yesssss give me ALL THE CUTE

More below!

So pretty much the journey continues and we’re taking another short detour through a forest.

The gods of television heard my prayers and now we get the kids looking for food all the time <3 it finally feels like an adventure story

... but it turns out the forest they’re on is actually...

I really like this take on Petaldramon! Always liked him in Frontier and thought it was a shame he was just a baddie. It’s not even the first time these kids have ended up on walking islands that are Digimon either lol

Sora and Koushirou take to the skies to recon <3 so much love

also bonus Sora with telescope!

They notice spots of the forest seem dead, and down below, the group find these little bug things that are responsible for it.

Tailmon: Hikari don’t touch them!

Hikari: But I thought they’d take me to see Totoro!

Tailmon: tHEY’RE NOT SOOT SPRITES

So it’s been a while, but Hikari’s psychic sensitivity?? natural instinct?? whatever that keeps her attuned with things in the digital world is back at work this episode. She knows right away about Petaldramon, although she doesn’t know the details, and is able to communicate with him mentally/spiritually.

She’s also freaking adorabibble

Eh... I really liked this quote when he said it, but I did feel like, in the end, it was more or less that... That is, this week’s battle was not especially complicated. But it’s good to see a little realism outside of the RPG-ness.

After learning that Petaldramon is in a long fight with another Digimon over the dead forests, not just on him but on the land as well, Hikari runs off and finds his head, where she asks permission to help him. Petaldramon then heals her wounds and makes magic flowers sprout and bear fruit.

Which the kids eat, because beggars can’t be choosers :P

At Hikari’s request they resolve to help Petaldramon. I mean, who can resist her face?

Taichi how the heck did you climb that high

Idk golden boy

So they are attacked by Petaldramon’s enemy, Entmon, and his swarm. Petaldramon spins the petals around his head to create a fan BAHAHAHAHAAHHA

Nice save by Togemon lol hashtag joumi

The whole group helps fight but it uhhhhh doesn’t go well. The end up getting completely sealed out of the fight anyway when this dome is created around the fight, except Hikari, who was inside when it formed. She gets a front row view of Petaldramon’s horrific death o_O’

I mean... that’s pretty horrific

Stabbity-stab!

Entmon impales Petaldramon and begins to drain him. Owch

Hikari runs between them and uh.... does this...

;_____;

sweetie... they can’t even see you down there

So basically what this episode confirms is Hikari is the reckless Yagami sibling xD Like, someone stop this kid, wanting to help is great and all but YER GONNA BE CRUSHED

Fortunately her tears of anguish cause Angewomon to appear and she fills Petaldramon with holy light.

Pictured: A scene from Godzilla Vs Kong

*squints*

The light overtakes everything and when it disappears, all that’s left is this little sprout... or is it?

Petaldramon and Entmon are now locked in each other’s embrace for all eternity and apparently this is a thing to celebrate xP

How many Digimon are going to turn into grassy hills I wonder? It’s happened mainly due to Mimi in the past. Is this an intentional theme? It seems weird that there’s so much nature going on in the “digital” world but I mean that’s the reason I like Digimon Adventure. If it were just digital without all the fantasy world stuff it wouldn’t be half as fun.

So yeah, not a lot to say this week. I’m sick and a bit distracted. But I liked the episode, it’s a good one, and it’s great to see Hikari being courageous like that. She really was the center and not just dependent on her brother, thank goodness.

Next week:

For some reason Yamato gets into a race and it leads to MetalGarurumon xDDDD

that’s hella unexpected

but ok! see ya next time

#digimon adventure 2020 #digimon adventure reboot #digimon psi #digimon adventure:#digi spoilers #fizz watches digimon 2020 #digimon

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tsubasabasahazard · 3 years

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reacting to

Three Gods and one Ghost King vs Bad Omen Reverend

or whatever the fuck that dude is

I have no idea if this was funny or terrifying for fucks sake what was this arc

btw I stopped reading when they entered black waters territory

Hua Cheng staring furiously at Ming Yi when he got closed to XL aljsksjjsjskkskksksk I dead

Qingxuan laughing at Xie Lian’s unlucky ass and then Hua Cheng pissed at him and I was thinking “I’m so happy I didn’t laugh, I was too shocked to laugh”

This reverend of bad omens (the actual name is hard and didn’t stick to my brain) reminded me of my parents always reminding me how I’m gonna fail kakksjwkjskakkakkakskkwkskkskskkahajk

also Xie Lian’s unlucky ass really reminds me of my bff, she’s so unlucky it started rubbing on me since we started living together

this bloody parade reminded me of AHS smh and I’ve never even watched it, seems cool, I would cry tho

Ok who had the grate idea of playing truth or dare with Qingxuan???? he’s clearly the type to make you do nonsense or ask really personal questions (I love this so much come come come)

YES UNDRESS EACH OTHER I LOVE U QINGXUAN MY BELOVED

omg did he just ask this of Hua Cheng fuck Imma cry my eyes out....OMG THE ANSWER HOLY SHIT NOOOOOOOOOOO YESSSSS XIE LIAN KIND OF FELT IT YESSSSSSSSSSS FUCKKKKKKKKKK

Ming Yi will probably ask something borin- BELOVED?????? oh- okay....now I wanna know details of XL second ascension, he just mentioned he stabbed daddy

oh look annoying people

“That wasn’t me!” said Ming Yi and I almost shit myself scared (I’m easily scared, really easily)

oh we can switch bodies heh? I like it- Hua Cheng doesn’t, keep going

Ok I still understand nothing of this Reverend guy but I like how Xie Lian couldn’t even IMAGINE Hua Cheng being harmed and he lost it

now Hua Cheng is pissed and hit Ming Yi....smh this is funny

if Ming Yi and Qingxuan don’t end up married by the end of this book I’m gonna flip it (bullshit I’ll just read fanfic to cope)

ok now let’s run to save Qingxuan...where’s Qingxuan???????? that motherfcukeer can’t follow a simple rule of DONT OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR

bye bye Hua Hua I miss u already Love u

okay this is looking way too much like a horror movie is Qingxuan dead?????

and here’s the three musketeers (it took me so long to write this word right) I like Ling Wen but the fact she’s friends with these two makes me rethink my liking

oh no, I bet Qingxuan is human again (yes I got the spoiler he becomes human and his brother dies) FUCK WTF IS HAPPENING HERE?????

THE PALANQUIN HUA CHENG SENT FOR XIE LIAN I AM DYINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

omg he’s getting on too wait a second I’m having a gay panic and so is Xie Lian

“Gege, wanna get married” I would give my life to slap Hua Cheng for saying this was a joke after he saw Xie Lian was having a gay Panic

Hua Cheng telling XL to not get involved with those gods he’s always involved, XL “how abt I do it anyway?”

LOOK AT MY BABIES FARMING TOGETHER

Hua Cheng saying he’s married and I’m having a fan panic here while Xie Lian just stopped working

HE SAID ITS TRUE HE LOVES SOMEONE JUST DIDNT CONQUER THAT SOMEONES HEART YET MY BOY IS IN LOOOOOVEEEEEEEEE

Xie Lian and Ming Yi helping Qingxuan flee through a whole under his bed was the funniest shit that ever happened in heaven they’re bffs

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok that makes sense, Shi water master sucks, u can die now I won’t cry for u anymore (or so I hope)

Now I wanna meet the Rain master he is so cool and I don’t even know him yet

YES BULLYING MANWHORE PEI IS MY FAVORITE THING IN THIS WHOLE BOOK AFTER HUALIAN

ok we’re going to the water anyway yeey

#tgcf #tgcf novel #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hua cheng #xie lian #ming yi #shi qingxuan

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emilywatchescursedshow · 3 years

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S1 E22 - Devil's Trap

K gonna say it, but that Sam slamming Dean into a wall scene must have been catnip to w*nc*sters unfortunately

"They've got dad" uh, yeah

Oh they've got 3 bullets left I was only off by one.

Dean trying to keep them all alive is a big mood honestly, even though I don't want John to be alive anymore.

License plate to tell us we're in south dakota

It would be hilarious if they got the whiskey/holy water flasks switched

oh so this is bobby

More demons are walking hmmmm is it maybe bc they started filming the TV show supernatural

Yeah, obviously Meg would come find them

"chuckleheads?"

I still can't take Meg seriously and these lines are not helping

Ew "you wanted to tie me up all you had to do was ask" gross Meg why did they tie her up she's already trapped

I like bobby

Is Dean going to seduce her no it's an exorcism close enough

What are they trying to get out of this whole thing, oh they're trying to get her to confess this information. Does she really think they won't finish it. She's being possessed by a demon. Oh what. What the fuck are the ethics here

Well we can't disobey daddy dean hm

Well,, is she,,, you know,,,,,,, dead,,,,,,,, ???? Are we going to be able to save her?

Are we going to find out whether she was possessed before she met Sam or only after?

They definitely should not have moved her from the chair they might have crippled her.

Oh she's dead now oops.

Well I think she would have preferred dying a human to living a demon so

"You think you guys invented lying to the cops" lmao

No bobby you should still shoot him

oh it's double denim daddy dean again

OOOOO ANOTHER EXCELLENT PAPER PROP

Oh they're having this argument. Dean dragged you into it bc dad was gone not bc he wanted to kill the demon

"this sucks out loud" what who wrote that line

"I got a yorkie upstairs and he pees when he's nervous" lmaaaaoooooo

Do the demons not know... what they sound like?

Why are they stripping they should stay in the fireman outfits

Oh he doesn't look good.

He could be in like a coma or something

I like these fancy holy water flasks

What if this is the time they mix up the whiskey and the holy water

So this demon is like, an infectious disease?? how tf does that work??

Yeah obviously Dean gave him the fake gun

I guess this is why that demon guy isn't really In the Fandom bc he just got murked

Sam looks pretty beat up, but probably not as beat up as getting his ass kicked by a demon should warrant

Dean does not like being thanked and yet sam keeps trying

Dean killed a human person and that's not what bothers him ? Oh he's questioning his willingness to protect his family.

oooo no Dean don't talk about your feelings and experiences all raspy and pretty

John fuck right off. "I'm proud of you" ugh christ why is the "Sam is like John" parallel being pulled so hard also yeah funny that Dean is ALWAYS the one who protects his family

Oh yeah YES YESSSSS YESSSSSSSS SHOOT HIMM

Proud of you Dean. Sam's gonna have to choose Dean which, like obviously. If they shoot John they will kill John and the demon like I'm definitely into it but also nope I guess not

"Make the gun float to you psychic boy"

Oh so this is a theatrical demon lmao wonderful

Are we gonna get this villains backstory? Oh this is Meg's daddy. Yeah why actually did this guy kill Jess. Oh is he trying to recruit the psychic kids

I mean that's true, John does not seem to give a shit about Dean

The demon is cutting him? These sound effects are very very weird

SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM

What exactly was the plan w shooting him in the leg

They have one bullet left SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM

Which daddy are they gonna follow? Neither apparently, the demon escaped. Guess we gotta have a season 2

Also lmao Dean is literally bleeding out in the backseat

Sam is RPing as Dean when he calls his dad "sir"

Yeah seems about right. Guess there will be no season 2 everyone go home folks.

#spn #s1e22 #supernatural liveblog #supernatural

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destieldisaster · 3 years

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07x01 - Meet the New Boss

MotW: leviathans ready to burst out of cas (okay fine also cas/godstiel himself)

Any Cas? Yessss + leviethan at the end

Oh I hate this, I hate how he's talking to them

"Who are you?" Dean cannot accept that this is Cas

Goddamn, but he is such a badass up in heaven. All the dead angels! (they stood with Rafael, fuck em)

"You fixing her or primal screaming" Bobby :')

TRENCHCOAT ON A TORTILLA

Okay but.. what's going in with Dean's hair?

Yesssss Cas, kill the homophobes!

Ohhh who's whispering to him?

The IMPLICATIONS of putting himself/Jimmy in the stained glass

"And sexy" that lady gets it

Heh, Dean agreeing with Cas wiping out the kkk. Very good

NEW AGE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS :')

Oh Dean feels so betrayed

Of course I can recognize Crowley by his hand, can't we all?

Honestly, I would rather have Cas decide whether I go to heaven or hell than the previous system where devout trumps everything and one desperate deal can damn you forever

God, Sammy sure is fucked up, isn't he?

"I should do this professionally" YES YOU SHOULD! YOU SHOULD QUIT HUNTING AND BE A MECHANIC 😭😭😭

Heh, yeah, "pray to god" is kinda iffy right now :')

Lol, god gun

"You want Cas running the universe?" kinda, yeah. He's healing people and killing white supremacists, could be a lot worse

Ugh, the things trying to get out his stomach is a nasty image. The mpreg of it all is not lost on me

Nice transition there. Don't point a gun at Dean is the lesson here

"We're the boss of you. Respectfully" this is such a bad plan my god

He was really gonna explode them right then and there 😭😭😭

Theeere you have it: ~leviathans~

Cas's face when Dean says "just kill him now"

Sure, of course Death can make an eclipse, why not

Oh fuck, he accidentally killed everyone there instead of just the piece of shit republican leader

Dean just cannot deal with Cas anymore, he can't even try

HE CAME TO THEM FOR HELP

HE'S TRYING TO SAY SORRY

I get that this all was set up to make Cas the villain and kill him off (fuck you sera), but if they wanted that to land they should have made him a lot worse, because he stopped trying to do right and be kind and he's already remorseful! He's entirely redeemable and we can all keep loving him. (and i will. always.)

Of fuck, the "this isn't a hallucination, everything else is" that's terrifying

"I'm sorry Dean" were gonna be his last words 😭

Dean is so angry, but he also wants Cas to be okay so badly

All he cares about is redeeming himself to Dean 😭😭😭

God Misha that's some earily good acting as the leviathan(s?)

AND THAT LAUGH AT THE END

#good season opener #almost felt more like a finale really #spn rewatch #07x01 #meet the new boss #rewatch potential #supernatural

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angelanimedesaray · 4 years

Text

Persephone’s Garden

AN: Brace Yourself for a Long Author’s Note--Yesssss, here is Part 2 of A Quest for Gods. Also, the entire piece is from Levi’s POV this time, and this time it is pairing CENTERED. Now, let me clarify on some stuff real quick: Years have passed. Also, I have NOT read the manga and am admittedly waiting for the anime with plans to eventually read the manga when I can get my hands on it/have the time to sit down and read for pleasure again (RIP my reader life thanks to college life). THAT BEING SAID, I am aware of SOME events in the manga, but also my brain is a wee bit strained with things going on right now so I do NOT wish to, on one hand drown myself in spoilers by having to dig into information on events post what we have in the anime by looking at the wiki for the manga, but also break my brain trying to think of all the ways Erwin’s presence would change events after his death, even though usually I absolutely LOVE doing that kind of thing. SO I’m gonna be SUPER VAGUE (and admittedly lazy) about what’s happened since Erwin was brought back to life and we’ll just leave it at “Tactically, things have been #MuchBetter, with maybe a version of some events still unfolding, though (One in particular will be quite obvious, eventually), the end.”

THERE WILL BE A PART THREE BECAUSE PART 2 ENDED UP BEING SO F’ING BIG I HAD TO SPLIT IT!

Characters: Levi, Demi-God!Reader, Persephone, Charon, Erwin, And A Surprise Guest

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Language, some canon typical violence/flashbacks to violence.

Word Count: 9557

<--- Part 1

(Once again, I failed to find the owner of the gif, kept getting “This page no longer exists” messages)

Years passed after your deal had been struck, years that found Paradis entrenched in another war against people instead of Titans. Waist high in shit with less light in the world, even if the Scouts leadership was fairly secure thanks to the trade for that said light.

Many times in the silent, dark corners when he was truly alone, Levi found himself digging through the pouch you’d given him, namely to run his fingers over one of the medallions that allowed you to enter the Underworld. Ever since he realized what you’d done, after reaching the surface just to discover you’d stayed behind in order to keep the balance Hades had been talking about, Levi had been trying to figure out what you’d been thinking when you’d given him your pouch. What had been your intent, what had you wanted from him?

If you’d wanted to keep Levi and the others from coming back for you, all you would have needed to do was keep the pouch with the one way into the Underworld they knew about to yourself. But you hadn’t kept the pouch, you’d given it to him specifically, suggesting that you wanted them to have a way back to you, a way for him to go back down and find you. But if you’d wanted to be pulled out of the Underworld, you wouldn’t have stayed so silent on the matter as all of you had climbed to the surface, you would have said something, surely. And after all the trouble you went through to retrieve Erwin, turning around and undoing it all by pulling you out of the Underworld couldn’t be what you had wanted.

So why?

Considering Levi kept the small pouch on him at all times, there had been moments when Levi found himself standing near a smooth rock formation, hand drifting near wherever he’d secured the pouch that day. And he would stare, mind recalling how the stone had crumbled into a tunnel to the realm you were still trapped in. Yet every time, he stopped himself from acting impulsively; he turned away each time.

He wanted to go back for you. Every day, as the world grew darker and darker around him, he longed more and more to bring you back. Your absence was glaring to him, and with the possibility that you had wanted him to come back for you hanging over him, the weight of your absence could be crushing.

But he stopped himself every time because the Scouts needed Erwin. He knew that. You had known that. He couldn’t risk Erwin to get you back.

And yet...at times…

Times like this, as he stood in Erwin’s office with the dim light of dusk filtering through the windows, Levi’s head bowed so his face was hidden in darkness as his inner conflict tipped and started to spill over. The weight of his admission to Erwin about his recent thoughts hung in the air between them.

“I’ve thought about it myself.”

Levi stiffened, looking up sharply with lips parted slightly in shock as he stared at Erwin’s back, the other man currently staring out the windows. Levi had been expecting Erwin to finally convince him otherwise, not feed the thought that had been growing and gnawing at him every day.

Erwin turned, leaning over to light the lantern on his desk before it grew too dark. His expression would have seemed grim even if they’d been standing in broad daylight next to the sea instead of in the darkening room as night fell.

“Sometimes it seems like no more than a fading dream, what was down there. But I still remember the discussion before the deal was struck as clearly as if it was more real than the world we’re in now,” Erwin said steadily. Levi listened with rapt attention, having not heard this part of what happened in the Underworld in all these years. “After the situation up here was explained to me, and I was told it was an option to come back, I was asked what I wanted. Admittedly, I wasn’t that keen on returning,” Erwin said with a small, bittersweet smile, pausing just long enough to let that admission hang between them, heavy and impossible to ignore even as he pushed on with his explanation.

“And I didn’t like the thought of what kind of price had to be paid to cheat death. But Y/N simply said that the price was nothing compared to what the Survey Corps would gain, especially with the situation at the time. The way they said it, the look on their face...I had an idea of what the price was,” Erwin said carefully. “But they didn’t utter a word of complaint, seemed determined to pay it...and had quite the convincing argument after I’d expressed my reluctance to return. So I agreed.”

Erwin let out a long, tired sigh. “It’s not the same as before. Before, I knew exactly what I wanted, why I did what I did: there was a need that I chased. Now it’s been satisfied, we know what’s beyond the walls--beyond the sea. I know he was right, and whatever purpose I try to find next...won’t match what was. The only reason I’m here now...well, I keep asking myself if I’ve done what they made the sacrifice for, yet. And if I’ve done what was needed of me, then perhaps the deal has run its course.”

Levi stiffened, Erwin closing the distance between them to lay a hand on his shoulder. “This isn’t a choice for me to make, it's yours. I know what it means for me if you decide to go back for Y/N. I’m content either way, but considering you came here tonight to talk about this...I think we both know which choice you need to make.”

Why do they keep leaving these kinds of decisions to me? Levi thought, watching as Erwin turned to head for his quarters. The sight briefly echoed of another day, a similar, mostly one sided conversation, and Levi’s teeth clenched.

If you let others decide for you, all that’s left then is to lay down and die.

“Erwin…” Levi’s fist clenched, the other man pausing in the doorway to his room but not turning around to face him. “Are you asking me to decide for you...whether you continue to live, or die again?”

There was a long pause, one Levi spent staring intently at the back of Erwin’s head.

“It seems that way, doesn’t it?”

It was the dead of winter, and a nasty one at that, with the snow outside coming up to Levi’s knees, and his breath billowing out in front of him as he adjusted the collar of his military coat to try and give himself a little more protection from the biting cold. As he lowered his gloved hands, he glanced back towards the soft light he could still see through the window in Erwin’s office, the shadow of the man passing in front of the window. Levi looked away before any doubts could try and rise inside him, fixing his determined gaze forward instead, into the wintery night that stretched out in front of him as he started to cut his way through the snow.

Going off the assumption that any smooth rock surface would do, Levi only walked until he found a smooth surface, ignoring the biting cold in his legs along the way. Once there, Levi fished in the pouch tied to his belt for one of the medallions, praying that there was nothing else he needed to do in order to get this to work as he pressed the small symbol against the stone.

It sank into the solid surface smoothly beneath his fingertips, a soft, relieved breath escaping him at the sensation while he pulled his hand back. It was easier to see what was happening now that he was up close, only taking one step back because he remembered the rock crumbling last time. The medallion melted into the thin onyx line of a doorway with a hellish red glow, the rock fracturing within the line and crumbling away with a blast of steamy air that burned after walking through the winter air.

Through the darkness there emerged the old ferryman from last time. Now that he thought about it, Levi hadn’t heard you say the man’s name last time, and the ferryman didn’t speak besides the brief exchange with you before heading down into the Underworld.

The white haired man came to a stop, leaning on his staff as he studied Levi with sharp eyes that didn’t seem to match with his withered appearance. “It’s a steep price for living mortals who wish to enter the land of the dead,” he rasped.

One Levi was already prepared to pay, wordlessly handing over the two gold coins from inside the back to the old man, who took them without any debate. Levi had remembered how you’d handed over two of the gold pieces and six of the silver once he and Hange had joined you on the way down, and with how easily the ferryman accepted the coins now, it made Levi wonder if he’d still managed to overpay the man.

“I already know why you’re here. Come,” the ferryman said as he pocketed the coins, already starting to melt into the darkness of the tunnel. Levi followed close behind, the darkness quickly swallowing the moonlight of the surface that had guided him so far. Now he simply had to rely on the ferryman to get him the rest of the way in.

This trip was far quieter, neither Levi nor the ferryman speaking to one another as they descended the tunnel and came to the cavern that housed the mouth of the River of Forgetfulness. He was still hesitant to step into the boat when it reached them, still not liking the thought of being suspended above a seemingly bottomless chasm when he was forced to rely on some unknown force and didn’t have his gear if something went wrong. He was also even more mindful of the waters this time, going out of his way to avoid them as he climbed into the boat.

Gazing at the ethereal blue waters, Levi thought of how fortunate they’d been that Erwin hadn’t drank from this river. Apparently, it wasn’t a requirement--just strongly suggested. For a moment, Levi also worried over whether or not you had drank from the waters. Maybe you had wanted him to come back for you, but it had been years. What if you’d given up, and…

Levi shook his thoughts away. There was no use dwelling on that, now. If that proved to be the case, then he’d handle it when he got there.

A growing snarl behind him made Levi stiffen, though he resolutely held his place in the boat. Last time they’d passed by the hound without incident. However, last time there had been a child of Hades the hound had a soft spot for in the boat, this time there wasn’t.

Steady, you had said; you had wanted them calm and still. He would keep to your advice for now, but if the hound wanted to try and make a meal of him, he wouldn’t allow it.

All three heads lowered into the boat, the middle snarling head coming to a halt right in front of Levi’s face. Its jaw was agape as its hot breath billowed into him, making his nose wrinkle from the stench and eying the trickle of drool that was trying to escape between its razor-sharp teeth. One of its other heads was starting to get just as close from the side, the snarls growing louder and more threatening as the boat came to a stop in front of the hound.

Levi’s body was taught and ready for a fight, meeting the gaze of the middle head directly even as he saw fire flash in its eyes and its snarl turned feral. His left hand slowly started to reach for his concealed weapon as its jaws opened wider--

The third head practically shoved its snout into his side, breaking the tense moment as it buried its sniffing nose relentlessly at his waist. He didn’t want to look away from the jaws in front of him, but he wanted to know what the hell that third head was doing.

Glancing down, Levi saw the third head sniffing intently at your pouch, still tied securely to his waist. Was there even still a trace of your scent on it? Was the hound’s nose really that good? Was it even remotely possible it recognized the pouch? Either way, the hound knew that Levi had something of yours, the attention of the other two heads also drawn to the pouch. He had a foothold.

I must have lost my damn mind, Levi thought briefly before he--slowly--reached a hand out towards the head that was sniffling the pouch. The opposite head snarled in warning and Levi briefly stopped, waiting until the snarl was a rumble before he closed the rest of the distance.

The third head jerked up at the unexpected touch, Levi’s hand carefully placed on the side of his face and starting to give gentle rubs from jaw to halfway down its neck, giving it a few scratches along the way. The hound seemed startled by the show of affection and the overall lack of outward fear Levi was showing, going still and allowing the pets as the ferryman slowly started to push the boat forward again. Levi let his hand run gently along the other two heads before sitting back down with a deep sigh, still shocked himself that had worked as he watched the hound disappear from sight, all three heads turned towards him and watching tensely as if it hadn’t made up its mind if Levi was really going to be allowed in.

Too late to change its mind, now, Levi was already disappearing around the bend with the fields of the Underworld stretching out around him. That color-drained field that seemed to go on endlessly when first entering the Underworld sprawled below, masses of souls wandering aimlessly among the flat plains with not many retaining some faded form of color. The ferryman was continuing down the same inky river they’d traveled before, the waters dipping low every now and then to come close to the ground. After two dips so close to the ground the river almost seemed like a normal stream of water cutting through the ground, Levi finally spoke up, since the ferryman didn’t seem to be stopping until Levi said something.

“This is good enough,” he said when the river ran along the ground again, the boat coming to an abrupt yet somehow still smooth halt. If you hadn’t even been sure of where Erwin would be placed in the Underworld, and you’d traded places with him, then this was going to be the place to start looking for you...even if it was going to take a while simply to search the first mass of souls.

“So be it,” the ferryman said indifferently, leaning on his staff and watching as Levi carefully climbed out of the boat, going out of his way to avoid the waters.

The river of pain and suffering, if he remembered correctly. Best not to come any closer to it than absolutely necessary.

Once Levi’s feet were firmly planted on the ground again, the ferryman pushed away, the boat starting its way back towards the entrance. That was that, then--he had to find his own way through the Underworld from here on out. Adjusting the collar of his coat once more, Levi started forward, the long grass of the meadow brushing against his arms and legs like faint whispers, like they were hardly there. There was no breeze, just still air, and the only thing that caused the grass to sway were the souls that wandered through the meadow. Curiously enough, the grass moved more when the dead wandered through it than when Levi did…

It only took him a few steps to find himself in the middle of the throng of souls. Every face around him was drained of all color and stared forward unseeing, never noticing him even if he walked right in front of them. Those that still had some sort of faded color to them had some kind of reaction to his presence, glancing his way or stepping out of his path as he went by, but otherwise ignoring him as well. The colorless souls made no sound, and those of faded color only made faint, indiscernible whispers if they made any noise at all.

Levi walked among them longer than he could keep track, the meadows seeming endless now that he stood in the midst of the throng. The longer he wandered, he noticed a weariness seeping into his very bones, a currently faint weakness that wasn’t quite enough to make him worry yet, but enough that he knew he wasn’t at his best. Had he really walked that long? There was no sense of time here, just a mass of whispers of what once had been people with the occasional flash of color, and if he looked up…

That shitty cavernous roof. Was this really what he had to ‘look forward to’? That peaceful forever rest everyone talked about hopefully when death was being discussed...was this? Endless wanderings in a skyless place, reduced to nothing but echoes and drained of all signs of vitality for the rest of eternity? The weakness he could feel creeping up on him seemed to grow heavier the longer those thoughts slithered through his mind, invasive and depressing as he was faced with this grim reality once more, just another disappointment, another dashed hope to add to the growing list--

“Levi-bro?”

Levi went rigid, eyes widening as they snapped away from the ceiling, a jolt like lightning running down his spine as he turned towards the familiar voice from a time long passed.

There she was, in brighter color than anything in this shitty meadow besides himself, hair still reddish brown and in pigtails, green eyes wide and inquisitive as she bounded straight up to him without any hesitation. Her gaze did a quick sweep, taking in how much he’d changed since the last time they’d seen each other, eyes brightening as she assured herself that it was indeed him.

“What do you think you’re doing in a dump like this? You don’t even look like you should be down here yet!”

“Isabel…”

Levi blinked, half expecting her to disappear and prove she was just some cruel trick of the light in this forsaken place, but she was still there, standing right in front of him.

“You’re not down here on purpose, are you Levi-bro? I didn’t expect you to be down here even if you were supposed to! You’d probably knock out the first person who was stupid enough to try to drag you down here.”

The shock of seeing her faded, and the sudden reality that Isabel really was right in front of him--talking to him--settled in his chest like a light that burned too hot. It was a sudden and intense sensation made up of raw feelings and faded but deep running scars torn to the surface in a split second. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his throat was closed up, and the words he wanted to say slipped through his fingers like a feather blown away in the wind.

Isabel noticed when Levi’s silence stretched beyond the usual for him, and her bouncing questions stuttered to a halt as she peered worriedly at him. “Even you should have said something by now. What, not happy to see me?”

He was. By the walls, if there was any emotion he could catch right now as it all flashed through his system, it was the raw positive...energy he felt seeing her again. Even if she wasn’t...if she was still dead.

The sobering thought helped soothe the mess of emotions he was inwardly, enough to think again, to figure out at least something to say. “You actually remember me?” he finally managed to ask. Part of him still wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real, but he overcame the urge and stayed in place, letting logic and the task at hand dictate what to say for the time being. He’d try at...everything else, once he adjusted to the surprise of seeing Isabel again.

Isable looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before realization struck. “Oh, that glowing river water they tell you to drink when you come down here. Forget you, and all the awesome things we did? Hell no, I wasn’t about to do that, I have no reason to! I’m keeping every one of my memories, even with that reincarnation pitch of theirs.” Isabel placed her hands behind her head like she might fall down and relax in the grass of the meadow any moment, narrowing her eyes at him. “That still doesn’t tell me why you’re here, though. You look a little worse for wear, yeah, but you don’t look dead like everyone else here.”

“I’m not,” Levi said, looking up and around them once more at the sea of souls passing by them like they were nothing more than a boulder in the path, splitting like an indifferent stream around them. “I’m here looking for someone who shouldn’t be here.”

Isabel dropped her hands, frowning thoughtfully. “Considering how much you stick out to anyone still looking around this place, I’m sure I would have noticed someone not dead wandering around by now.”

“I’m not sure if they’re technically dead or not, or even if it makes any difference. They traded places with someone who was dead a few years ago.”

Isabel’s eyes widened. “Wait, people can do that?”

“Hades is Y/N’s father, so it was a special case.”

After Levi said who you were, recognition made Isabel pop to full attention, leaning into Levi’s personal space. “Wait, you don’t mean that new person who’s been running around the past few years, do you?” Isabel asked suddenly, rattling off your basic description.

“You know where they are?”

Isabel hesitated. “Well...they could be anywhere, really. From what I’ve seen, they’re one of the few people allowed to go anywhere they want in this place. I’ve seen them come and go from the big guy’s place a few times, though. Usually to visit that really nice place on the other side of that black river. That might be where you want to check--from what I’ve heard, there’s some kind of fancy garden over there the big guy’s wife owns. They’re probably going there, and there’s less of a chance to run into the big guy there than at his fancy palace. Not to mention, it’s in the nicer part of town--nothing like the rest of this depressing place.”

“Then that’s where I’ll go,” Levi murmured, looking up at the winding black river he’d left the ferryman on. If he followed it, he’d eventually reach Hades’ palace, and he knew those fields...the Elysian Fields, were just beyond the palace.

Before he could start moving, Isabel’s hand suddenly wrapped around his forearm and pulled him forward eagerly. “Great--then I’ll take you there!” she said brightly.

And he let her. Only because...because it had been so long, because he’d thought she’d be gone forever, and because it was Isabel...and this way, he could feel something of a weight on his arm that told him she was really here, that she was tangible in front of him, that she still existed in some way. The hand felt lighter than it should have, almost like the weight wasn’t really there, but it was present enough for her to pull him forward while he was willing.

For a moment, his mind flashed back to the weight of Erwin’s hand on his shoulder as Hange and he had led Erwin out of the Underworld. It had grown heavier the more alive Erwin became. At first, though, Levi had felt next to nothing weight-wise. With Isabel, he felt a bit more weight than that, but it wasn’t because she was more alive in a sense...could it? Or was it something else?

Isabel released his arm once it was clear Levi was following, and Levi shook off the curious thought. The two of them cut through the sea of souls with relative ease, Isabel chatting brightly at him about whatever came to mind, from talking about a handful of other souls who seemed to have retained some of their vitality like she had to exaggerated critiques on the arrangement for the masses of the dead in these fields. Levi simply listened to her speak in silence, a bittersweet comfort wrapping around his heart at being in her presence, all the things he wanted to say and ask still stuck in his throat, the right words to get them across failing him for the time being.

He hadn’t even said anything along the lines of how good it was to see her, or...or said anything even closely resembling the apology he owed her and Furlan, even if it would never be enough.

Speaking of Furlan…

“Is Furlan here, too?” Levi asked the first chance he had as Isabel paused in her current topic. She suddenly grew quiet, keeping her gaze fixed forward towards their destination that was growing steadily closer.

“He is, but...he chose to drink from the river when he came down here.”

Levi’s gaze moved from Isabel out over the sea of wandering, color drained souls, beings who were hardly even shadows of who they’d once been. Now that Levi knew that Furlan was somewhere in that mass of souls too far gone to even realize their surroundings, there wasn’t much point to go looking for Furlan before he left, was there?

“I see.”

The bend in the river before the Elysian Fields was coming up. If he wanted to say something, now was the time to find those words. Isabel, however, was leaning in again, this time to look thoughtfully at one of the patches sewn onto his military coat.

“Looks like you stayed in the Scouts...So, what about that Erwin guy?”

It was rather obvious that if he was still in the Scouts, he hadn’t killed Erwin...or at least gotten caught doing so.

“He became the Commander,” Levi said quietly. He could feel Isabel’s gaze on him, but she didn’t ask any more questions about Erwin, and Levi didn’t supply any more commentary. There was enough lingering between them that was already strongly implied in their words. He hadn’t done the job they’d been there to do in the first place, he hadn’t killed Erwin...instead he’d served under him.

Not to mention that drained feeling was only getting stronger, and part of him felt too tired to have that conversation. If Isabel wasn’t going to ask him why he hadn’t killed Erwin and had decided to follow Erwin instead, then Levi wasn’t going to get into it.

Up ahead, the divide between these colorless fields and the Elysian Fields became tangible, a milky white and silver barrier that seemed like a heavy curtain stretching from within the ground, through the river, and all the way up to the ceiling. It rippled like the waters of the hellish rivers that weaved through this place, but billowed like a curtain higher up, as if restraining the winds that were absent from the field where he and Isabel stood.

“They really like to make it clear that we’re not welcome over there, don’t they?” Isabel scoffed, coming to a stop right before the black river and turning to face Levi. “I can’t get through--believe me, I’ve tried--but since you’re still, y’know, breathing, you’ll probably be able to. I’d tell you where the garden itself was, but I haven’t gotten that far,” she finished with a small pout before it morphed into a sheepish smile.

Well, she’d clearly gotten used to the idea that she was dead. He hated the thought of where she’d ended up, but...she seemed like she was doing okay. It put at ease a little piece of him he hadn’t realized felt so disquiet.

Levi finally reached out and threaded his fingers through her hair in an action that was still embedded into his muscle memory, ruffling her hair affectionately and giving her the faintest smile. “Thank you, Isabel.”

Isabel ducked her head like she used to as he ruffled her hair, and Levi noticed she felt a little more tangible underneath his fingers than earlier when she’d grabbed his wrist. He wasn’t imagining it, then. The dead were becoming more tangible to him, and he was feeling weaker the longer he stayed in these fields. Last time when he’d stayed with you, he hadn’t felt this gradual weakening, but now that he was wandering in the actual realms where the dead were kept…

He couldn’t linger. He couldn’t afford to stay any longer than absolutely necessary, he had to find you and get out before he ran out of time, however much time that was.

Levi let go, starting to turn away and bracing himself to cross the waters he’d been trying to avoid before he paused, aware of the fact Isabel hadn’t moved from her spot behind him. No...whether he was short on time or not, he couldn’t leave it like this. Not again. Even if he didn’t have the words--

“Isabel,” he already found himself saying, starting to turn around again, but Isabel’s voice cut him off before he could continue.

“We don’t blame you,” she said quietly, head still tilted down from Levi ruffling her hair. “Furlan and I--we don’t blame you for what happened, and neither should you, Levi-bro. You didn’t let us down.”

She finally tilted her head back up, a bright smile on her face and eyes closed, even if there was the tiniest bit of moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. “From the looks of it, you’ve been showin’ the world who’s boss ever since. Why wouldn’t we be proud of you after that?” She frowned, putting on her best serious intimidation face, which had never managed to make it past a cute attempt to Levi, pointing a finger at him. “But I better not see you down here again, Levi-bro, cause I’ll except nothing less than you making it to the other side of this stupid barrier. It’d be pretty messed up if you ended up here, instead.”

Isabel turned away, hands folded behind her back. “So just...take care of yourself, Levi-bro. That’s all we want from you, now.”

Before Levi could say a word, Isabel had already stepped back into the throng of souls, disappearing from his sights in a matter of seconds. He took a step forward to follow her, eyes set in the general direction she’d disappeared in, hand partially outstretched as if to catch her before she disappeared again, but he stopped himself, turning back to the river he now needed to cross to find you. He spared the direction of the fields Isabel had disappeared in one last look, closed his eyes against the burn that had built up inside him at her words, and moved forward after a single steadying breath.

You had launched yourself at Hange to keep her from touching the waters the first time around, but now Levi was going to have to cross right through this river of sorrow and pain in order to get to you. It was wider here than it had been near the entrance of the Underworld--taller than him, and far wider, twisting in the air like a fracture in reality that he was going to have to find his way through. It might look like he could cross it in a few steps, but he hadn’t forgotten what the river was called, and he worried about its effects.

No, no matter what it did, he was going to cut right through it, get to the other side, find this garden, and find you. He wasn’t leaving this place without you.

Before any other reasons to hesitate crossed his mind, Levi held his breath and took the first step into the black waters…

Instantly a flood of feelings and memories swept through him like a stormy current of razor-sharp blades, targeting his weakest points as if they were perfectly attuned to every aspect of his innermost self.

He was barely alive, on the cusp of starvation, curled up next to his mother’s body and trying to will her back into existence, will her to open her eyes and hold him in return, will her not to leave him behind--

The pain of true starvation stabbed through his abdomen, twisted his insides and made his limbs weak and shaky as he stuttered to a halt.

He watched as Kenny suddenly turned and simply walked away, disappearing into the crowd and leaving him behind. But why? Why did he just leave--

The sensation of blows and cuts from countless fights in the Underground, especially ones that happened before he was strong enough to fight back, came in perfect clarity at each precise location he’d received them, even the ones he didn’t remember on a normal day.

He stood in the rain, soaked through to the bone with the tears that streamed down his face disappearing amongst the flurry of drops from the sky. He was staring down at Isabel’s head still frozen in that last look of terror before she’d died, what remained of Furlan’s body only a few paces away, their words circling in his mind that they trusted him, they were counting on him, they’d convinced him to let them come with him on the expedition, and he’d been too late--

Bruises and beatings, either from pushing the maneuver gear tightly secured against his body to its limits or from the titans themselves managing to get a few hits on him, knocked the breath out of him all over again as he tried to get his feet moving forward, hoping he was still moving despite every one of his senses being seized by the river.

Shadows loomed over the forest floor as he glided past the carnage, a harsh glow of sunset making the scene all the more garish as he discovered the dark stains and crumpled remains of his squad, every last one of them killed before he could regroup with them--

“My daughter’s on your squad.”

Something snapped in his leg like when he’d faced Annie in her titan form and had to knock Mikasa out of the way, and he could no longer be sure he was even on his feet in reality.

The fight had taken everything out of him, an exhaustion seeping into every cell of his body as he sat on the roof, staring down at Erwin’s body, unsure if he’d made the right decision as he had to accept that Erwin was dead, he’d given everything for the dream he wouldn’t see fulfilled, one of the very few he’d respected in this world snuffed out like everyone else trying to give Levi the chance to fulfill a promise he’d failed to keep--

He had to keep moving, had to keep moving forward despite all of this, even if he couldn’t retain a sense of direction through this constant onslaught.

Red tainted his vision--it was a fine mist, a spray, a pool, a rain of blood all around him as countless died around him, most at the hands of titans, some at the hands of other humans. A constant river of blood that drenched his clothes and stained his skin as one after another after another of soldiers died around him--

Keep going, keep going, keep going...

You’d disappeared right underneath him--you hadn’t asked anyone what they thought, you’d simply done it, hoping to give humanity a better chance. As a result, as the realization dawned over Levi, he stoically supported a shaky Erwin even while inside the growing emptiness caused by your absence became too glaring, to painful to ignore. It wasn’t until after you were gone and the pain became too much to ignore did he realize just how important you’d come to be. Knowing why you’d done it didn’t make it any easier--it just made the burning, growing desire to tear through the Underworld to find you all the more maddening because he couldn’t do anything--

Blazing heat scorched his skin as shards of flaming metal cut into his face, the explosion happening too fast for even Levi to react, pain piercing through his body as he flew backwards through the air with the force of the blast. There was simply blood and heat and lancing pain--

It all came to an abrupt end as Levi suddenly fell to the ground, gasping in air as he fell out of the black waters and into a field of lush, soft grass. His eyes were cast down, his breathing shallow as he tried to re-orient himself, still reeling from what he’d just re-lived. His arms shook beneath him from the effort simply to hold himself up, the exhaustion and weakness that had been gradually seeping into his bones now intense and impossible to ignore, his entire body feeling drained of its vitality after such a taxing trip through the river. Had those waters sped up the process of what he thought might be happening to him the longer he was down here? How much time did he have left before it was too late, before he couldn’t even find the strength to take another step?

Once his breathing evened out and the ground felt stable beneath him once again, Levi pushed himself back up to his feet, shielding his eyes from the sudden onslaught of color and brightness that surrounded him. It was a stark contrast from the realm he’d just passed through...and something far closer to the haven everyone always hoped the afterlife would be.

A smooth meadow of lush green grass rolled in a valley of hills in front of him. To his left, he could see homes of white stone in the distance, and to his right was a forest, an archway marking a stone path that wound naturally into the woods. But the truly startling thing was that there was a bright, clear sky above him instead of a rock ceiling. It looked like he was on the surface, no trace of the fact that this was actually underground. Bright moonlight bathed the field in light and made the white stone houses glimmer in the distance. The stars weren’t hidden by a single cloud, blazing in bright brilliance across the dark sky. He knew outside, back on the surface, there had been clouds in the winter sky, so was this a false sky? It looked undeniably real, but logic was insisting it had to be otherwise.

He might as well just stop trying to make sense of this place.

Since he was looking for some kind of garden, Levi started towards the forest, specifically the marked path. It was under the trees, moonlight filtering down through the canopy of leaves to light his way along the pine-needle and maple leaf littered path winding around trees deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually, Levi turned a corner created by a thick patch of trees and bushes, the sight of a wall of hedges in the middle of the forest coming into view. The stone path he had been following wound its way to a large wooden gate door that broke the constant wall of tall hedges.

This must be the entrance to the garden Isabel had told him about, right?

Cautiously, Levi undid the latch on the door and slipped inside, eyes widening at the sight of what was on the other side of the hedges. The dull humming buzz of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl filled the space around him, the stone path continuing forward as it spiderwebbed through a much more intricate landscape. All around him were trees and bushes of different kinds, most in full bloom with flowers, others bearing ripe and rich looking fruits, including many that were strange and unrecognizable to him. Flowers lined the path, vines crisscrossing above him from the trees, hedges, and bushes, heavy with leaves and in some cases more, small berries or flowers. The aroma of the mass of different plants was almost overwhelming as he quietly stepped forward, winding his way deeper into the garden. He didn’t see a single plant that looked like it wasn’t doing well--everything was colorful and healthy, some of the plants glimmering with dew in the moonlight. Following the sound of what he thought might be a bubbling brook, he managed to find his way to what he thought was the center, the stone path sprouting in all different directions but encircling the centerpiece of a small rock waterfall at the center of a clear pool of water. He inched closer to the edge of the pool, gaze flickering around the garden for any movement or other presences before he let his gaze drop down to the waters, wondering if they were as dangerous as the other waters in this place. The pool did seem to glimmer in the night, something about it drawing him in with a promise to sooth the weakness and heaviness that cut to his very soul, to wash them all away like a forgotten memory...

“Quite impressive, that you’ve made it so far on your own.”

Levi whipped around at the sound of the steady, lilting tone that pierced through the quiet darkness, wondering how the hell someone had managed to sneak up on him. There hadn’t been a sound besides the bubble of the waterfall, not even the whisper of a disturbed leaf or the softest breath.

Behind him there stood a woman in a loose layered, sheer cream dress with a plunging neckline and straps instead of sleeves, the dress exposing quite a bit of her bronzed skin. Long hair the color of rich red soil cascaded and coiled freely past her shoulders, eyes the green of newly arrived spring fixed steadily on him while her dark red stained lips pursed thoughtfully, slightly tilted upwards in sly amusement. The sandals on her feet looked fragile with straps that coiled around her legs like vines, and freckles dusted across her skin like the stars in the sky above them. Everything about her made it seem like she’d been fashioned to perfection by nature itself, somehow seeming fragile beautiful with undercurrents wildness and a threat if one was to mistake the fragile beauty for weakness.

The woman started to come towards him, but once she got within two steps of him, Levi stepped aside, not about to trust anything or anyone new he came across in this place. Neither of them were taking their eyes off the other, and while the woman seemed perfectly relaxed and not in the least bit concerned about his presence in the garden, neither of them were turning their backs to the other.

She tried to draw closer, studying Levi rather intensely. “Though, getting here has certainly taken its toll. You feel it, right? The drain on your very soul from spending too long in a place you should not be. That weakness you feel is no simple side-effect. It’s the life leaving your body.” Her hand suddenly reached out to tilt his chin as she examined him, Levi’s jaw clenching in the process. He was surprised by how firm her grip was despite her outward appearance, and how trying to turn his head or pull free didn’t seem to affect her or her grip at all. “It would be such a shame to see a handsome one such as yourself wither away before its time.”

As her thumb tried to brush over his lips, Levi caught her wrist in his hand, pulling free of her grasp with more effort than he cared to admit in his increasingly weakened state, leaning away as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Who are you?”

An icy look flashed in her eyes at his grip on her wrist, but he didn’t let go, not wanting to give her another chance to try and touch him like that again. “Ah, yes...it’s easy to forget mortals hardly remember us anymore,” she said in a cool tone, the regal air about her suddenly becoming that much stronger. “I am Persephone, Goddess of Fertility and Queen of the Underworld.”

Levi immediately released her wrist, that familiar ‘well, shit’ sensation settling in his gut. Of course it was Hades’ wife here in the middle of the night. He would have thought she would have been in the palace, and yet, who else was going to be here in the middle of the night besides himself and--he had hoped--you? Some part of him had wondered, but between expecting her to be at the palace and her not-so-subtle advances, he hadn’t been sure.

“Now that the proper respect is being paid, back to the important things,” Persephone said, her disposition calming down once more now that he’d released her and was standing still directly in front of her. Once more she invaded his personal space, her hand splaying on his chest as he leaned back, trying to get himself to move backwards but finding himself held in place by some invisible force. Was it her?

“You’re not much longer for the world of the living if you stay,” Persephone said pensively before she finally removed her hand, turning her back to him for the first time as she faced the small waterfall and pool centerpiece. “I could arrange for your passage back, and you could rest here until then...for a price,” she said, glancing at him with a clear ‘come-hither’ look over her shoulder. Levi ignored it, eyes darkening.

“I’m not leaving without Y/N.”

Persephone looked back at the fountain, kneeling down in front of the pool. “Of course...then you must be the great Levi Ackerman.” She stood up again, a small stone cup in her hands that was now filled to the brim with water from the pool. “Aren’t you a few years late for a rescue attempt?”

She might look like beauty sculpted by nature itself, but there was venom in her bite.

“There’s a time for everything. And I had to respect Y/N’s choice, as well as the deal with Hades. It was too important.”

No matter how much I wanted to come back all this time, I couldn’t until now.

“Yet you’re here to break it?” Persephone pointed out, coming closer again with that cup still in hand.

“No...the deal has simply run its course.”

Persephone came to a stop directly in front of him, leaning in so close her breath whispered against his lips, the smell of the earth and freshly bloomed flowers surrounding her in rich waves that managed not to be overpowering.

“If you stay where you don’t belong any longer, Levi Ackerman, you will die, fated to spend eternity trapped between life and death. The price to be paid for daring to intrude upon the land of the dead while you still lived.”

Levi stood his ground, meeting the goddess’ gaze head on. “Then let me see Y/N. If I die before I can leave, so be it. But I still won’t leave until the deal is finished and Y/N is back on the surface where they belong.”

Persephone offered Levi the stone cup in her hand, almost pressing it into his chest when he didn’t immediately take it. As soon as his fingers curled around the cup and Persephone removed her own, water slipped over the rim and trickled down his hands thanks to a slight shake he hadn’t realized was there. Was he really already in that bad of shape that he couldn’t keep his hands steady any longer?

Persephone leaned into him, her hand on his arm to physically restrain him as she came onto him again, leaning in to murmur in his ear. “A goddess’ favor could buy you more time.”

Somehow, despite the fact her grip was as strong as a vice, it exuded a warmth that seemed to seep through his being little at a time, driving away the weakness, but coaxing in a haze that coiled around his mind like a thick fog. The exhaustion looming over him was somehow magnified, making his movements feel sluggish and detached, sensory details the only thing that really broke through the haze. For example, he wasn’t standing anymore, he’d been sat down on some stone bench, and Persephone’s warm breath was still whispering across the skin of his neck and his ear, her hand gently trailing along his jaw to coax him to face her.

A distant light ignited in his mind of what she was about to try, and he used some of the reservoirs of his remaining strength to reach through the fog and shake himself out of his daze enough to knock the hand that was on his arm aside, freeing him from her grip. The warm haze receded, reality depicted in sharp detail around him once again as he brought his heavy breathing back under control, trying to put as much distance between himself and Persephone without standing since he suddenly found he lacked the strength to do even that.

“...I’ll take my chances, if that’s your price,” he said stiffly, setting the cup down at his side so she couldn’t see his hand shaking, gripping the edge of the stone bench instead to both hide the action and try to give himself some stability. Persephone was still alarmingly close, apparently she’d been only seconds away from trying to kiss him. As he watched, a knowing glint appeared in her eyes, an assured, satisfied smile curling the corners of her lips upwards.

“Hmm...loyal, indeed,” she said thoughtfully, rising gracefully to her feet. Levi didn’t dare take his eyes off of the woman as she moved, worried she might try again. Instead, she moved indifferently past Levi and towards one of the many paths that spiderwebbed outward through the garden. “All right then, I’ll bring Y/N here. I suggest you don’t move from that spot--frankly, you shouldn’t use any more of your strength than absolutely necessary.”

Levi held his guarded position on the bench until Persephone disappeared from view, leaving him alone in the nigh silence of the garden. Once he was alone, he leaned forward with a quiet groan, eyes squeezing shut. How long had he even been down here? How long had he wandered in that colorless field before Isabel found him? How long had he been trapped in that river that seemed to have sucked life right out of him? And had Persephone intensified or sped up the process, or had she simply brought it to the forefront of his mind instead of allowing him to try and put it to the back as he fought to ignore it.

Focusing on his breathing, Levi tried to once again force the fact he was slowly dying the longer he stayed down here to the back of his mind. Namely, he wanted to be able to muscle past the symptoms, the overall weakness and exhaustion that even now found him unable to stand, a tremble in the hands he stared down at, and the beginnings of a lightheaded dizziness starting to settle in. His breaths were shallow, his throat parched, mouth dry, and he felt a strange detachment from everything around him.

His gaze slid over to the cup of water at his side, some of its contents having spilled around all of Persephone’s advances, but some still in the cup. He could at least alleviate some of the symptoms, then.

His hand paused just above the cup, trembling in the air as Levi frowned. But did he trust the water any more than all the other waters he’d seen down here? After having to walk through that black river, knowing the ethereal blue river caused forgetfulness, and considering the way the pool had drawn him in when he’d first seen it, did he really trust the water enough to drink it?

Still contemplating, Levi carefully picked up the smooth stone glass again, gazing at the water inside and trying to decide if it was worth the risk. It did seem to promise comfort, and at the very least would give him some relief from his parched throat. This water wasn’t glowing blue, so he was confident it wasn’t going to make him forget anything...though there was plenty of other things it could do. Persephone had handed it to him as she was making her advances…

Before he could decide, the glass held just in front of his lips, a sharp pain suddenly sliced through him, outwards from his chest to the tips of his fingers. With a gasp of pain that was cut off in a grunt, the cup slipped from his fingers, rolling across the stone pathway and scattering the water all around.

“Shit!” Levi gasped, doubled over, clutching at his chest as the slicing pain subsided to a still strong burn through his veins, eyes squeezed shut with breaths coming in quick, sharp bursts as he tried to figure out what the hell was happening.

Don’t fucking tell me I’m dying now, right before I finally see…

But what if it was a lie? What if Persephone had no intention of bringing you to him? It wasn’t like he was able to do anything about it in his current state, but still. Whether or not she was bringing you back looked like it was going to affect whether he was going to die believing in vain that his goal was just within reach, or he was going to die possibly before he could even lay eyes on you again.

The burning intensified, and Levi tried to push to his feet, the vague idea coaxing him forward that he would drag himself to Hades’ palace if he had to. He was not going to die in the middle of this garden, so close to getting you back--he was at least going to lay eyes on you before--

He collided with the stone and grass covered ground, eyes opening weakly as his hand splayed against the cold rock in front of his face as he attempted to push himself back up, only able to get halfway there on shaking limbs with what remained of his strength. He closed his eyes, feeling the last of his strength fading away as his head rested against the stone, breathing slowing down…

Racing footsteps suddenly sounded, in the distance at first, but growing gradually closer and louder. When they sounded like whoever was running was almost on top of him, he opened his eyes blearily, fingers twitching against the stone. Whatever strength he had left was focused on clinging to whatever life was left in him, but this little morsel he could spare in case the one running towards him was…

“Levi!”

It was, in fact, you who turned the corner, hair disheveled, eyes wide, looking like you were only half-dressed in your rush to get down here, but you were here. In a way...he’d made it.

Good...Good…

He was being lifted off the ground, the movements of the outside world lagging around him as darkness was encroaching on his vision, his upper body coming to a rest in your lap, your hands cusped on both sides of his face and tilting his head upwards.

“Did you drink the water?” you asked hurriedly, the words coming out muffled to him as you smacked his face to try and keep him awake and get him to answer you. “Levi! Did you--”

“No…” he breathed, feeling a strange surge of gratitude that he had, in fact, not drank any of the suspicious Underworld water.

“Persephone--I know you can help him, it’s not too late, I know you can give him more time. Please, it can’t end like this.”

He found it oddly comforting that he was the one to die this time, not the other way around…

Your hand suddenly disappeared from his cheek, replaced with the warm hand of Persephone’s instead, tilting his head as far upwards as it would go as the darkness closed in and started to drag him under. He felt a strangers lips lock with his own, swallowing the meager wisps of air that remained of his breaths before that intrusive warm haze started to chase the empty cold away, a strong current of life suddenly breathed into his lungs once, twice, three times…

Those lips finally released him, and Levi gasped in air of his own accord, falling back into a warmer darkness with a soft exhale.

Tags: @mysteriousmagicx @humanitys-hottestsoldier @final-fantasy-xv-nut @regalillegal

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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 250: Why Is This Family Not in Therapy

Previously on BnHA: Fuyumi invited everyone over to Camp Todovid for a wholesome family meal because what could possibly go wrong. Kacchan and Deku proceeded to spend the evening blinking distress signals at each other in Morse code while Natsu shoved breadsticks into his purse and skedaddled after getting mad at Endeavor in a completely unexpected turn of events which absolutely no one could have foreseen. After dinner, Shouto had a heart to heart with Fuyu (and then Deku) about whether or not he was ready to forgive his dad, and meanwhile Endeavor said a prayer for his very dead son Touya. Poor Touya. He was such a nice boy. You know what he really used to like? Messenger bags. He’d put the oddest things in them, too. I wonder if Touya would still enjoy collecting strange and disturbing things in bags if he was still alive today. Alas. We’ll never know.

Today on BnHA: Some guy named Takami who just got out of prison decides to show up out of the blue and fucking kidnap Natsuo because WHY NOT. But before that happens, we get a nice scene of Kacchan and Deku sitting down with Shouto and Fuyu, who finally decide it’s high time they talked about THEIR SECRET DEAD BROTHER seeing as LET’S BE REAL, THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS DINNER TO BEGIN WITH. So basically, (1) he’s definitely dead! For sure! 100% deceased!, and (2) Natsuo apparently blames Endeavor for his death, lol no big. Deku and Kacchan are for some reason super fucking chill about hearing this, and then Endeavor comes over and is all “TIME TO HEAD BACK” and omg I’ve never hated him more. And then as they’re driving away from Todofield Hall, Takami shows up and is all “HEY ENDEAVOR LOOK I KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD AND I’M GONNA KILL HIM!” and holy shit but Horikoshi is just fucking with us now, though.

(As always, all comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added some ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

all right manga, do your worst. I’m completely spoiler-free on this one. watch it not even be a flashback, after all of that lmao

(ETA: lol I read these two asks after I read the chapter and they’re pretty great:

honestly this week wasn’t that bad, though! the worst part of it was the whole “only 13 pages again” thing honestly. next week, though, it looks like we’ll be in for some fun times. oh goodness.)

so it appears night has fallen on Todofield Hall, and hoooooooooly shit you guys, are they. are they all gonna have a sleepover at Shouto’s house, because fdszllk I. I’m gonna. ldskfjla

(ETA: [kicks Endeavor in the shins] why do you hate fun!?)

who is talking?? are these prison stripes??

so is this the Takami guy narrating, then? just like we all predicted last week. ???

(ETA: so I saw all these people going “wtf is this Hawks’s dad??” and I was like “lol what” and it took me longer than I’d like to admit to put two and two together, but anyways, long story short, “Takami” just so happens to be Hawks’s recently revealed surname (with the same kanji and everything -- 鹰見). so while every instinct in my body is screaming at me “gtfo no way they’re related”, it is an extremely bizarre coincidence, so uh. ?? I got nothin’, basically.)

WHAT THE FUCK

IS THIS GUY STALKING THE TODOROKI HOUSE. ABOUT TO BREAK INTO TODOFELL IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT WHILE MY CHILDREN ARE ASLEEP!? CAN THEY JUST NOT CATCH A BREAK

also I will never understand villains who get all smug about being captured alive. “your one mistake was not killing me when you should have!” like okay, so you’re admitting you’re a piece of shit who should have died, and that the hero totally could have done it, but they were nice enough not to so SHAME ON THEM, apparently

anyways I really don’t understand what’s going on at all lol. some guy looked up to Endeavor and then got himself captured by him for some reason. let’s continue I guess

oh lord it keeps getting creepier

-- oohhhhhhhh shiiiiiiit, is this fucker about to air Endeavor’s dirty laundry?? is that what this is about?

AHHHHH

NATSU SWEETIE WHERE ARE YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCTS?? IT IS NOT SAFE! and also what the fuck, does Endeavor just not have any security in his home at all? surely he must, if for no other reason than the fact that HE HAS KIDS and he’s not always at home! I have to imagine that any pro hero with a family understands that they’re a potential target for villains and would take precautions. I wonder if we’re about to see this sneaky guy get wrecked

(ETA: nope, Endeavor really has no security whatsoever and Natsu got snatched while waiting outside for his Uber. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was too busy missing his brother and being sad to remember that he actually has a quirk himself. c’mon Natsu.

-- actually, come to think, props to Horikoshi for once again bucking the trend and having a guy be the one who gets kidnapped and becomes the damsel in distress. I’m just going to assume that had Fuyu been the one to get captured, Endeavor wouldn’t have even heard about it until he received a text from her with a picture of the guy encased in ice and a caption asking “so dad, uh, what should I do with this?”)

BUT FIRST, WE’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TODOROKI KITCHEN, WHERE TODOBAKUDEKU ARE CURRENTLY HAVING TEA WITH FUYU BECAUSE SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME YESSSSS

hhhglkohhhhh myyyyy godddddd

I KNOW!!! WHAT’S WITH THAT! WE’VE WAITED 250 FUCKING CHAPTERS PUTTING UP WITH YOUR SLY-ASS HINTS ALL “ALL RIGHT THEN, KEEP YOUR SECRETS” but is it finally time now? IS IT??!

Shouto says it’s not exactly an easy topic to bring up, and okay, fair. buuuut also, this is the same child who ambushed Deku in a corridor back when they barely knew each other and was all “let me tell you all about my dad’s quirk marriage and how he abused me and my mom and how I got this scar” so like. what exactly do you consider “easy to bring up” though

OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENINGGGGGGG

we’re getting DETAILS. ABOUT. TOUYA’S PAST fkdslfh holy motherfucking shitballs someone pinch me

she says it happened right after Rei got hospitalized, which yeah, we all figured based on the middle school uniform in the photo. so that definitely pins down his age then, doesn’t it? Shouto was six when that happened, so if Touya was in middle school he’d have been between 12 and 15. so it’s very likely then that he was 14, the exact same age as Fuyu, so therefore THE TWIN THEORY IS CONFIRMED! WE DID IT TUMBLR

anyways back to being sad though, because

can someone please hug this child?? what are you all even doing?! do you not see his face?? jesus christ

oh no oh my god are you serious are you

okay, before I go on to the next panel and commence FREAKING THE FUCK OUT, I need to stop here though, because the thought that the Todos actually were in the process of healing nine years ago and could have potentially been spared years of additional pain had it not been for this tragedy is. just. I fucking can’t. I need a minute here. god

anyway. so now on to the freaking out though, because

:) :))) :))))))) huh. you don’t say

(ETA: hmm in hindsight I promised freakouts and then all I did was go “:)” but please understand that the “:)” conveys so much more inner freaking out than words could possibly communicate. just picture me screaming and waving my arms around like a Kermit the frog gif okay.)

look at this you guys. this revelation is so stone cold fucking sober that it even got Katsuki to make an actual normal face for the first time in god knows how many chapters, wow

by the way, words can hardly express how much I appreciate that Katsuki is sitting here chilling out drinking tea with the rest of them and listening to this tale of woe and empathizing like a normal, well-adjusted person, though. I will never take that for granted. thank you character development gods. y’all are bros

anyways the face in question that Natsu was making is so fucking sad, and just. THEY ALL NEED HUGS. why is this family not in therapy

NO!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU SON OF A BITCH!! JUST LIKE THAT YOU’RE RIGHT BACK ON MY SHIT LIST, ENDEAVOR!! CHRIST ALMIGHTY ARE YOU SERIOUS, SO WE’RE REALLY JUST GONNA LEAVE OFF THERE? “LOL SO YEAH, NATSU STILL THINKS DAD KILLED OUR BROTHER AND THAT’S WHY ALL THE TENSION” and Deku and Kacchan just nod like that is in any way a satisfying explanation rather than an INCREDIBLY OMINOUS STATEMENT which only goes and raises about A BILLION MORE QUESTIONS OMG. “oh okay, so he hates your dad because he thinks that he murdered your mysterious other brother we’re only just now hearing about. say no more. no further context necessary” fucking --

listen, you two. where the fuck are your investigative skills?? SOME SCOOBY SQUAD YOU ARE!!

oh my goodness gracious

listen guys, things I was not expecting to check off my character development bucket list today: Katsuki joining the Fuyumi fanclub and bonding with her over recipes. I wasn’t even aware that was on my list. BUT IT SURE WAS, AND IT’S CHECKED NOW AND I LOVE IT

also love that Shouto tells Fuyu to just text the recipe to him, and then he will share it with Katsuki. because they are best friends

also Deku is the only one here with any manners at all but oh well. we all been knew

(ETA: though to be fair, Katsuki asking for the recipe is about as big a compliment as one can give to a chef, and it kind of serves as a combination “thanks for the meal” and “everything was really good” tbh. shit, now I want her recipe.)

fdlkjfg

... [reaches out to gently touch the panels] so soft

-- BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S EVEN SOFTER?

[faint sound of my heart imploding] ah

oh my god his face

and Katsuki’s face too. boy are you jealous. to think you were all “WHY THOUGH!?” coming here, only to walk away from it all with a kickass new mapo tofu recipe as well as a new person to add to your secret list of people you would literally die for. awwwwwww

and Shouto. omg. this is the most bashful panel I’ve ever seen. what a blessed chapter

anyway so now they’re all driving away (back to school?? I think he said?) and Endeavor’s talking to them about their upcoming schedule. so I guess they are heading back to school, then

anyway so he wants them to work the weekend as well as two weekdays? damn that’s a lot of class to be missing, he’s asking them to skip literally half the school week (since they have Saturday class too)

wow you guys look at this panel

takeaways from this: 1.) I honestly would have thought Deku would be the one tutoring other people in English, if anything. as of the midterms, he was above Shouto in academic rankings, but more importantly he’s also the biggest All Might fan on the planet, and All Might spent a lot of time in America in his youth and presumably speaks decent English himself, so you’d think Deku’s English would be passable just from his obsession alone. but I guess you just can’t beat that fancy private school education

and the other takeaway: Katsuki doesn’t like being squished in the backseat of a cramped Japanese car with Deku and Shouto. this one is absolutely shocking. I’m gonna need a moment to process this for sure. anyways poor Deku, he’s probably getting so many elbows to the ribs right now. I hope he elbows back

(ETA: actually the fact that Katsuki is apparently sticking his head out the window here in addition to complaining about the cramped conditions makes me wonder if he’s actually getting carsick. my poor baby do you need some dramamine.)

guys, meet Endeavor’s chauffeur

so anyway this is a bit sudden but I have a new favorite character now. life is funny like that. does he remind anyone else of Major Armstrong

wow Endeavor is answering the question seriously

okay but shit, I really fucking love this answer, though. he’s so matter-of-fact about it. because the thing is, the question isn’t really “when did you start baby-sitting a bunch of kids”; it’s “when did you actually start caring about something other than yourself?” and the answer is that it happened when he finally reached the top and realized the responsibility that went hand in hand with that role. it forced him to finally look past just himself, and to think about what it really means to be a hero. shit, I feel another essay coming on, but it’ll have to wait for some other time lol. we still have to see if Natsu’s going to make it out of this alive

anyway so now Armstrong is chuckling and saying that status really does change people huh, and they’re driving on into the night

OH SHIT

THAT’S A NICE SON YOU’VE GOT THERE, ENDEAVOR. IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF SOMEONE... okay you know what, I’m not sure where I was headed with that joke, but in any case I can’t finish it because this isn’t funny at all actually, this is actually SO FUCKING BAD oh shit oh shit

NATSUUUUU

oh no he’s so scared oh fuck. fuck. he’s only 19, he’s just a kid still. god. why do I always get so worked up over these parts. what am I doing reading a shounen manga if I can’t handle seeing kids in peril. HORIKOSHI PLEASE BE KIND TO MY BABIES

holy shit

okay, is this implying that Katsuki was sticking his head out of the window in that previous panel?? I realize more important things are happening and this is hardly the time to dwell on this, but jesus christ my kid is out here trying to get himself decapitated. boy what is wrong with you

anyway so now something is going "pop” and I have no idea. ??

(ETA: lol I guess it was Endeavor? you know, how Endeavor sometimes just goes “pop” for no reason. that’s just the sound someone makes when spontaneously bursting into flames.)

far be it from me to start whipping out analogies about a mama bear and her cubs, but. damned if that ain’t what’s happening though. motherfucker, you mess with his kids? so would you like to die fast, or slow

so now some weird fucking shit is happening to the car, and I guess it’s this guy’s quirk again?

wow my man, so you’re really attacking the car with the three protagonists with SOMETHING TO PROVE in the backseat. you really do have a death wish

(ETA: on top of that, attacking the car mere minutes before the winter break ends, and with it, the deadline for “defeating a villain quicker than Endeavor.” HMMM anybody got some popcorn?)

now Endeavor is shouting “LET HIM GO!” because that’s what superheros shout when someone is being kidnapped

lol poor Natsu looks kind of awkward now

like, don’t get him wrong, he’s still scared for his life. but also he’s starting to get a bit of that same feeling that Katsuki and Deku were getting in the last chapter, like he’s suddenly found himself right in the midst of some grade A melodrama from which there is no escape. anyways don’t mind him, he’s just going to chill here in this big pile of bandages and see where this goes

so Endeavor is all “........... YOU’RE FROM SEVEN YEARS AGO!” and honestly that’s impressive. I guess the quirk is a pretty memorable one, though

wow now they’re suddenly being all coy with this guy’s name? what the hell

?? Natsu bud, I feel ya, this really is some awkward shit right here

ohhhh!

that’s the name of the chapter! well all right then, so at least that much makes sense now

so now Ending is apologizing to Endeavor, and wow, tons of essay fuel in these next two panels here

“you had so many things that I could never get” doesn’t this sound remarkably similar to Deku’s speech to Kacchan during their second fight at Ground Beta? huh

and also, I think we are slowly dancing closer and closer to the Thing Katsuki Lacks That He Needs To Learn From His Internship From Endeavor. what do you guys think? I have a lot of thoughts about this, but again, I’ll save it for another post seeing as shit is hitting the fan right now and all

OH SHIT

ARE YOU SERIOUS, OF ALL THE TIMES TO HAVE ANOTHER THIRTEEN PAGE CHAPTER! HORIKOSHI YOU ARE FUCKING KILLING ME HERE

well shit. okay so when he says “don’t make the same mistake twice”, he’s clearly talking about Endeavor letting him live the last time they met, but also I can’t help but feel like there might be some kind of double meaning here as well. the fact that he went from theft to kidnapping and attempted murder, on top of him mentioning earlier about how he went digging into Endeavor’s past, makes me wonder if he could possibly be trying to recreate a specific set of events. or is that crazy??

but just, hear me out. what if something similar to this went down before, with Touya perhaps being taken hostage by a villain (though it couldn’t have been the same guy because the timing is off, and also Endeavor didn’t recognize him right off the bat), and Endeavor making some critical mistake which resulted in him failing to save him, and Natsu then blaming him for that and holding him responsible for the death. honestly that makes the most sense to me, since I would think that “literally murdered his own kid” would be kind of a deal-breaker as far as the rest of the family ever reconciling with him. so yeah, this could get very interesting here

(ETA: hoo boy, so I’ve been browsing the bnha tags a bit, and it seems that a lot of people are interpreting the hints in this chapter very differently from me lol. I admit I could certainly be wrong about the “don’t make the same mistakes” bit having a double meaning. but like, do we really believe that Endeavor just straight up murdered his son and got away with it, or that it was covered up or something? or that he drove Touya to suicide? I think it’s much more likely that Touya pushed himself too hard, or that he accidentally got caught up in one of Endeavor’s attacks, or something along those lines.

what really struck me, though, was that a lot of people actually seem to be hoping for it to come out that Endeavor really is responsible, though. like, to the point where they’re prepared to be outraged if it turns out he’s not, and this part of the story doesn’t end up conforming to the narrative of Endeavor just being a sinister cartoon villain. and like, I don’t really know what to say about that. except that I really hate this idea that if an abuser is ever portrayed as something other than a heartless monster then it’s super-problematic and/or just bad writing. that Endeavor not murdering his son = Horikoshi endorses child abuse. or something. anyways I don’t have the spoons to really throw my hat into the ring here, but basically my opinion is that life is rarely just black and white in that way, and this story reflects that, and I think it’s absolutely the right call to make and is actually very good writing and I respect it.

and also like, it’s not some all-or-nothing thing here where he’s either a perfect saint, or the worst person to ever exist! what he is is a man who made some terrible choices in the past and abused and hurt the very people he should have loved and protected the most. and what he is, also, is a man who has realized the awfulness of the things he’s done, and is trying his best now to be a good person. what he is is a human being. and acknowledging that doesn’t mean that you condone the abuse; it simply means that you acknowledge that people are made up of more than just the worst things they’ve done in their lives. that’s it.

anyways, for all of my “not gonna through my hat into the ring” nonsense, I’m doing a pretty good impression of exactly that, so I’ll shut up now. damn you Endeavor and your controversy-sparking ways. what kind of psychopath looks at the fucking BnHA fandom and says “not bad, but you know what this place could use? more discourse.” you knew exactly what you were doing, you fiend.)

anyways I’m going to hope and assume that Natsu isn’t actually about to meet his end here at the hands of this bestriped man and his peculiarly thematic villain name and sinister bandage arrows (are they bandages?? maybe not since they seem pretty solid and he’s threatening to stab Natsu in the eye with one. idk). and for all of my joking earlier, this guy actually does appear to have a real, genuine death wish since he keeps talking about how Endeavor should have killed him before. so in addition to all this other drama, toss in an attempted suicide by cop as well! this fucking arc, man. goddamn

137 notes · View notes

littlesugarwords · 4 years

Note

Seeing you specifically ask for TWAU themed stuff makes me ❤💕. Can we see how the various fable characters in the game tease and poke fun at Bigby's obvious fondness of Snow while she remains oblivious and doesn't seem to understand what people are saying? But then towards the end turns out duh she totally knew what it was all about and surprises Bigby with her own smugness and teasing about it (could be a small flirty comment, kiss on the cheek, etc.) Thank you!!

AHHHH I LOVE THIS SO MUUUUUCH and yesssss I love writing for twau ❤️

“Bigby, got a minute?”

As always, Beast was catching him in the elevator.

Making his way upstairs.

“No.” He said lowly.

Tugging the cigarette out from between his lips.

Planting his hand on the elevator door to keep it from closing.

“I’m off to a meeting with Snow.”

Beast paused.

Then smirked.

Then crossed his arms.

“I see.” He said. “Have fun then.”

Bigby blinked.

And furrowed his brows.

And removed his hand from in front of the door.

Maybe everyone in Fabletown was losing their minds.

The meeting went smoothly.

Running over current cases and what takes priority.

“Want to do lunch?”

Bigby smiled warmly.

The one he reserved just for her.

“Sure.”

On their way down the street, he lit another cigarette.

Snow scrunched her nose.

“Hey, at least I didn’t do it in your office.”

Snow softened. “And I appreciate that.”

Bigby chuckled lowly and returned to his smoke.

Wandering down the street, they ran into Toad and TJ.

And Snow smiled warmly.

“It’s good to see you both.”

Toad didn’t pay her much mind.

But TJ did.

“Where are you two off to?” Toad snarled.

More so Bigby’s way than Snow’s.

“Off to ruin more lives?”

Bigby glared.

And Snow frowned.

But continued chatting with TJ about new additions to his collections.

“We’re out for lunch.”

Toad raised a brow.

Then they came crashing down.

“Of course you are.”

While his bitterness was beginning to wane, it was slow going.

He was getting a little nicer every time they spoke.

But Bigby didn’t know how to take that comment in particular.

So he stuffed his cigarette back between his lips.

Eventually, they started away.

Snow stiff and alarmed.

Bigby placing a hand on her back to shoo her away.

Snow only sighed.

“Ignore him.”

“Believe me, I try.” Snow said.

Her fingers pressed to her nose.

“I just hate knowing he’s angry because of a valid injustice.”

They spotted familiar people at lunch.

After all, Fabletown wasn’t large by any means.

And Bigby kept catching their stares.

Their strange stares.

They would smirk and look away.

Whisper to each other.

Snicker and scurry on.

But Bigby couldn’t figure out why.

They ran into Beauty and Beast on the way back.

Her arms wrapped through one of Beast’s.

She smiled warmly.

“Hi you two.”

Snow waved.

Beast smirked Bigby’s way.

But he didn’t react.

Popping a fresh cigarette between his lips.

“Out for lunch?”

Bigby lit his cigarette.

Snow gave a meek smile. “It was a bit of a break.”

Beauty smiled wider. “That sounds nice.”

Snow shifted under her stare.

Knowing what lingered beneath it.

“Well, we need to get back to the office.”

Beauty waved. “Have a nice afternoon you two.”

With Beast patting Bigby’s arm with his free hand on the way past.

Bigby scrunched his nose the entire walk home.

Snuffing out his cigarette before they started back into the office building.

Biting his tongue until the moment they slipped back into Snow’s office.

“What the hell are people on about today?”

Snow leaned against the back of her desk.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

Stretching out her shoulders as she leaned back.

Bigby scrunched his nose. “You must have noticed it.”

Snow raised a brow.

And Bigby shut the door behind him.

“The stares. The comments.” His face relaxed. “I don’t get it.”

Snow blinked.

And stood upright.

And folded her fingers together.

“I did notice.” She said softly.

Bigby blinked.

And crossed his arms.

He knew that look.

That stance.

She was hiding something.

Rather, she was confessing something.

“And I know why.” She finally said.

And Bigby raised a brow.

Impatient and concerned rather than hesitant.

Snow shrugged.

Letting his hands fall to her sides.

“It’s because people know you’re..”

She hesitated.

Her stare dead on him.

“Interested in me.”

Bigby’s eyes widened.

Although it was the only change in his stance.

Finally, Snow broke a smirk. “You’re not denying it?”

Bigby was silent.

Glancing away.

Snow smiled sweetly.

Wandering behind her desk.

And riffling through paperwork there.

“Well, I need to go make some copies.” She said.

Drawing closer.

Settling a hand on Bigby’s shoulder.

“See you when I get back, lover boy.” She hushed into his ear.

Bigby glared.

Turning to watch her leave the room.

“I’m gonna smoke in here if you keep talking like that.”

Snow turned away.

Smirking with her hand resting on the doorknob.

“Dare you.” She said softly.

Pulling the door closed as she passed by.

Bigby smirked.

And glanced away.

Fiddling with the cigarettes in his pocket.

68 notes · View notes

iicewitch · 4 years

Text

✨ bleed magic

a playlist for @glitchedwitch link to playlist: here tracklist and favorite lyrics below:

1. poniko’s room [lights on] - yume nikki ost instrumental 2. distant past - everything everything Take me to the distant past, I want to go back Save me from the distant past, I wanna survive Canine fangs about my throat You're bleeding over Eden like a goat Tall blade dripping in every field I'm blooming like a fuming human shield 3. president heartbeat - everything everything Were you born in a cave now? Do you live in a cage now? If you burst into flame now Will they call you a human being? And your spine is a glass spire And your flesh is the concrete And your blood is the sewer And your skin is the city wall 4. orange caramel - catallena The small, dancing Catellena (Red Sun) Without knowing, I’m falling for you Chic and proud, Catallena (Red Sun) Jutti meri oye hoi hoi, I’m bewitched 5. wings - little mix Mama told me not to waste my life, She said spread your wings my little butterfly Don't let what they say keep you up at night And they can't detain you 'Cause wings are made to fly 6. eighth wonder - lemon demon Extra clever. Earthbound spirit. Ghost in the form, of a mongoose. And I have hands. And I have feet. I'll never die, I am a freak. Hello, I'm here, I'm living in the wall, I know I might be small, but I am a... Freak 7. the will of one - the protomen As I walk through the city streets These frightened people watching me pass There is an evil that holds them here Yet they won't try breaking its grasp But if I stay here with you Then I will leave them to their doom Do not say this is how it has to be You do no better than the fools of this burning city 8. father of death - the protomen What have I done? Though I did not pull the trigger, I built the gun That he holds in his hand Last night I dreamed I climbed to the top of a mountain of metal For miles I could see the destruction of man If the shadow blocks out the sun... there will be Light! If it stays 'till the sun is set... there will be Light! If the sun never shows its face again... there will be Light! No matter how dark the city gets... there will be... 9. i’m a hex girl - hex girls With this little cobweb potion You'll fall into dark devotion If you ever lose affection I can change your whole direction I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you I'm gonna put a spell on you 10. free - mother mother Love, let my anger Turn into peace Love, let the doves cry out in the streets Love, let the poison bleed out of me Love, let my love inside go free A bloody war Behind my eyes I come out right on the other side 11. the sticks - mother mother I'll be gone for good Out there with the creatures in the woods And I'll be understood Make friends with the pagans in the nude I'll be no different Just a little less interested In all that new world shit 'Cause there ain't no new world in the sticks 12. infinitesimal - mother mother There's a million, billion, trillion stars but I'm down here low Fussin' over scars on my soul, on my soul, on my soul, on my soul On my soul, I am so infinitesimal, oh They say it started with a big bang But they say it was really just a small thing Strangely I'm feeling like a big bang 'Cause I've been making something out of nothing 13. burning pile - mother mother My mama, lonely maid Got her buns in the oven, and she never got laid My papa, renaissance man Sailed away and he never came back again All my troubles on a burning pile All lit up and I start to smile If I, catch fire then I change my aim Throw my troubles at the pearly gates 14. build god then we’ll talk - panic at the disco Raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses It's sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses At the shade of the sheets and before all the stains And a few more of your least favorite things 15. life is looking up - forgive durden Could this be the day I've waited for When all my hard work doesn't go ignored? Maybe she was right, the will realize I can change the world open us their eyes They know I am more than some eager blood Not some average bones, I believe in love I just want to prove I deserve this gift I will change the world, maybe this is it 16. bleed magic - idkhbtfm Crawling up your skin Potions pills and medicines To drain you And bleed your magic out 17. the oracles on the delphi express - the dear hunter You've been stuck in the middle of patience and animosity. With a lust for solidity, and a cryptic history, your luck's running thin. 18. chattering lack of common sense - GHOST Wait, what is going on here? I'm a little out of sorts I've been contemplating fallacies and things that scare me "Why not try to let go?" I've been feeling out of order I'm allowing change, so take a good look; This is me This is what I've come to be This is what I've come to be 19. daydream - j-hope Wishing on a sky Wishing on a scar If there’s the sun I want to dream Wishing on a sky Wishing on a scar If there’s the moonlight I don’t want to wake up from it 20. witch flight - yume nikki OST instrumental 21. wiggle - cosmo sheldrake Hey ho, where did you go Did you wriggle or roll Did you giggle or grumble through Tom Thumb from where did you come Did you toggle or run Did you skip, trip, or stumble through 22. counting stars - one republic I’m old, but I'm not that old Young, but I'm not that bold And I don't think the world is sold I'm just doing what we're told Lately I been, I been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be 23. urban caravan - fake type Because there’s a surely a bunch of fresh possibilities out there If I don’t try it out, ain’t that just a waste? In the end, it looks like the world is so wide that curiosity is inexhaustible There’s war songs but also songs of peace, The feelings remain just the same Keep your unwavering faith’s compass close to your heart 24. counting cards - rainbow kitten surprise Jokes we tell to laugh, dear Laugh to hold back the pain Pain is in the mind, dear Stars are much the same Gone in the time it takes the light to reach In time you'll find We're blind to the things we don't believe Paint me red, paint me red Picture that, picture that Picture us and God shaking hands just because we can 25. god of marie - MASA This is our creed, aimed at a God that’s gone all floaty. We’re pure! We’re fans of Marie. We’re not doing anything wrong! Hm? Are you a fan of Marie, too? The stoned Reverend and his crazy worshippers Are surrounded by smoke in the cathedral The highest god has come down. We give thanks to ganja! 26. bad apple - nomico Will I exist in a place like this? Will I exist in a time like this? If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white? Am I dreaming now? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak I'm just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything 27. my songs know what you did in the dark - fall out boy All the writers keep writing what they write Somewhere another pretty vein just dies I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see That you're the antidote to everything except for me 28. magia - kalafina If I can follow my path without wavering, I care not if my heart shatters. I wish I had a spell to stand against the sadness that's ever before my eyes Back when I loved books about wonderland where a captive sun shines, I believed the fairy tales that told me all my wishes would come true 29. immortals - fall out boy I'll be the watcher (watcher) of the eternal flame, I'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams, Sometimes the only pay off for having any faith, Is when it's tested again and again everyday, 30. the last of the real ones - fall out boy 'Cause you're the last of a dying breed Write our names in the wet concrete I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me I'm here in search of your glory There's been a million before me 31. interweb - poppy And the world feels smaller When it's at my fingers So let's keep talking Tell me what day is it Can't turn it off yet, I'm wrapped up with it So let's keep talking Tell me what day is it I caught you in my interweb I caught you in my internet Well, maybe I'm a spider 32. armed and ready - casey lee williams Remember all too well My time of living hell The night my enemy would conquer But now I've been set free Lived through the tragedy You'll wish you'd killed me, now I'm stronger! Feel like I'm finally unbroken Oh, now I'm back from the dead Strength back, confidence growing Out of my way 'Cause I'm armed and ready (armed and ready) 33. red like roses part 2 - casey lee williams I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute Couldn't bear another day without you in it All of the joy that I had known for all my life Was stripped away from me the minute that you died I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you 34. lapis lazuli - zach callison She wanted to leave this place And get herself back in space Lapis Lazuli You fled into the bottom of the sea Lapis Lazuli You were so mad but then you came around to me 35. unreasonable behavior - OFF ost instrumental 36. devil’s train - the lab rats Or I can be the bee in your bonnet, your best friend forever Two peas in a pod flockin' like birds of a feather And you never have a need to beg, work, or steal If all this sounds worth it then let's make a deal Sitting on the tracks waiting for the night train Looking down the road, ain't never gonna go back Listen for the whistle through the wind and raindrop Who's gonna ride the devil's train tonight? 37. the room where it happens - leslie odom jr No one really knows how the Parties get to yesssss (Parties get to yesssss) The pieces that are sacrificed in (Ev’ry game of chesssss) Ev’ry game of chesssss We just assume that it happens (Assume that it happens) But no one else is in (The room where it happens) The room where it happens We want our leaders to save the day— But we don’t get a say in what they trade away We dream of a brand new start— But we dream in the dark for the most part Dark as a tomb where it happens 38. the perfect fit - dresden dolls I used to be the bright one Smart as a whip Funny how you slip so far when Teachers don't keep track of it Can't you just fix it for me? It's gone berserk Fuck, I'll give you anything If you can make the damn thing work 39. million years - nico vega You better learn from a man who's afraid to dance With a witch like me, and a wicked trance, 'cause A spider bite is a natural wound, but a dagger in the back is a plastic tomb Ain't nobody knows the trouble I've seen, but they know the sound of their own damn scream, well Lady bug! Bring me news, or a soul so rich and a crystal pool Let it burn, let it burn, singing songs of truth 40. i want you - savage garden Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes And I am taken to a place Where your crystal mind and magenta feelings Take up shelter in the base of my spine 41. pursuing my true self - shihoko hirata Loading loading loading Quickly reaching maximum capacity Warning warning warning Gonna short circuit my identity We are living our lives Abound with so much information 42. backside of the tv - persona 4 ost Lost destiny Far outcry They hear you no more Numb feeling Whole dizziness Deep scars No pain No sanity Body aching Control your own fate Invisible Real enemy Bring your mind Deep Down A moment of truth, tell me what's really happening Their rhyme is nothing but you've got everything Bro, you've got everything but you don't know anything 43. rivers in the desert - shoji meguro A river in a dry land The last ace in a lost hand When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet Now we need it: A heartbeat for a tin man An oasis in a singed land Remind us what we're here for: Creating new life Creating rivers in the desert 44. again - yui I'm wanting to scream that we're living to make our wish come true can you hear it? We won't be able to take it safe, because we have no place to go back to I'm always grateful for your kindness, that's why I want to be strong I'll welcome friend or foe for the sake of moving forward You still have too long a life left to erase these feelings completely, don't you think? I want to redo the things I left undone, So let's go, one more time! 45. komm susser todd - arianne It all returns to nothing, it just keeps Tumbling down Tumbling down Tumbling down It all returns to nothing, I just keep Letting me down Letting me down Letting me down 46. the spider and the lamps - forgive durden I'm the Spider, Crawl inside her! They don't understand, This is their last chance, No more idle hands, I'll destroy the lamps, Then they'll know, Whose in control. 47. here comes a thought - estelle and aj michalka You're losing sight You're losing touch All these little things seem to matter so much That they confuse you That I might lose you And it was just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay We can watch, we can watch, we can watch, we can watch them go by From here, from here, from here 48. black paper moon - tommy heavenly6 Don't be scared of the pumpkin carriage the witch drew Cuz it can show in your eyes A symbol rises to the top on the card I dropped in the sweet crimson jam Your destiny - if you wish Any sort of world Can be yours 49. to zanarkand - ffx ost instrumental 50. poniko’s room [lights off] - yume nikki instrumental

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