#and instead only teaches him how to mitigate it

[vivitalks]

i need to talk about the bad kids and the weight they carry from their parents. because all of them have baggage, whether they know it or not, and it's high time we had a conversation about it.

we all know kristen and adaine's parents fucked them up, but the truth, and maybe this is an immutable truth about the world and all worlds in general, is that every kid bears the weight of their parents' expectations on their shoulders. sometimes the burden is well-disguised; sometimes the pressure is mitigated by a loving relationship — but there's always baggage, and the bad kids are all so used to dragging it along that they don't even realize they're carrying it.

fabian's is easy to recognize. not a day goes by that fabian doesn't think of his father. of what his dad, his treasured papa, not only wanted but expected of him. fabian grew up under the pressure to write your name on the face of the world, to become not just good but Great, to be more than a man — to become a legend, maximum legend, to get it tattooed onto your neck so you never forget your goal, because this is the only way to make your father proud and maybe if you're just like him then your mother will decide to be your mother again. she promised to be better and then she abandoned you. she failed you completely in every way imaginable and her solution was to try again. maybe this child will grow up with a loving mother. maybe she'll get it right this time. but not fabian. fabian doesn't get love, he gets pride, and there's only one way to ensure that his parents are proud.

fig is staggering under the immutable knowledge that she was the catalyst to her parents' divorce. that all of this could have been avoided if she had just never been born. she has so much anger, and it started out directed towards sandra lynn, but now she knows it's anger towards herself, for daring to exist, for ruining a marriage and a life by the crime of being born. poor gilear, saddled with the knowledge that his only daughter isn't even his. and yeah, her mom is a fuckup, but at least that's because of choices she made. fig would have to be in control of her actions to be a fuckup - instead she keeps BEING controlled, from the Dominate Person that led her to nearly sacrifice riz down to the very simple act of being the unplanned child of an affair. she's worse than a fuckup: she's a curse. a plague. and all three of her parents would have been better off if she'd never existed.

wilma and digby thistlespring tried so hard to raise a happy kid. they didn't believe in the stereotypes about half-orcs. not our kid, they said. how could a child of ours be angry? but gorgug is so angry sometimes, and he barely has the language to explain that, much less the skills to manage those emotions. he was so loved, so doted upon, and he tried his best to be the gentle giant, but somewhere along the way he failed, and his parents had no plan for a system malfunction. why would they? wilma and digby never met a bad feeling they couldn't sing their way out of. gorgug could be like that, too, if he tried. if he put his mind to it. it's his fault that he can't keep his rage under wraps. and his parents love him, but they don't understand him, and that hurts them. gorgug is hurting them. the very nature of his being hurts them. he tries to mold himself into the shape of a perfect son, but like everything else in his life, it doesn't fit - he can't give them what they want; he can't become what they devoted all this time to nurturing. he is big and brash and bubbling over with rage sometimes, despite all of his parents' best efforts to teach him temperance and good-naturedness and how to be small, smaller than your body can be, how to tuck in your limbs and take shallow breaths so your bed doesn't break again (again, again, again) and he tries and he tries. it's never enough. he will never be the perfect son, so maybe there's no point in trying at all.

and riz. sklonda. look, how could he not be just like his dad? dad was a badass secret agent, the kind of person riz could only dream of being. he doesn't want to scare mom, but why shouldn't he want to be like dad? except sklonda is scared. she raised him, terrified of what would happen when he learned the truth. his rock, his confidant, his second-best friend (let's be honest, maybe first) — he can't worry her. she has enough on her plate; he can't be a problem for mom. so riz gets really good at taking care of himself. when she can't make it home for dinner, riz knows how many minutes the freezer dinner needs in the microwave. when she can't pick him up from school, riz knows where the nearest bus stop is. and he can't stop solving mysteries, but he can reassure her that he's safe, whether or not it's true — because she needs him to be safe, and riz can't be a problem. he has to be fine. he makes a living being fine. sure, he's in jail for months for a crime he didn't commit, but he's fine. he got kidnapped and almost ritually sacrificed, but he's fine now, mom. i saw dad and he was tortured within an inch of his celestial life and i was almost killed in Hell, but it's fine, mom, because dad is an angel, how cool is that? the important thing is that sklonda can always count on her boy. she can trust him to understand adult things, like the fact that they're poor, and that her demotion might spell bad things for riz's future, and his only shot now is to have a really beefed up transcript so he can maybe get good scholarships, and yeah, that's a lot — god, that's a lot, on top of the harrowing mystery unfolding this year — but. riz is fine.

there's a freedom in hating your parents, in knowing unequivocally that they were bad at being parents, perhaps bad at being people at all. everyone agrees that the abernants were vile, disgusting examples of people at all, much less parental figures. nobody is leaping to the applebees' defense. they failed their children, and their children owe them nothing.

but fabian, fig, gorgug, riz — it's harder when you love the people who raised you. it gets to feeling like the problem is you. like if you were different, if you were better, if you tried a little harder or did something a little differently, then things would be perfect, and that weight you stagger under would go away. if fabian weren't so sentimental. if fig weren't a tiefling. if gorgug weren't so angry. if riz weren't so reckless. you love your parents, and you owe them everything, and this is the least you could do. so why aren't you doing it? why can't you? why are you carrying this weight in the first place?

these four have parents who love them. but that doesn't mean their parents can't also have hurt them. it's inevitable; you grow past the expectations of your parents, and then into something new, something entirely your own, but the bad kids are still growing. they are loved. but they are burdened. both things can be true.

[the-copycat-hero]

AU where Toga is a student at UA and Monoma is the UA spy and part of the League of Villains

Toga's parents freak out upon seeing their daughter drinking blood, but rather than responding in the worst way humanly possible they actually try to seek help.

Vlad King, who also has a blood-based quirk, takes a particular interest in their case; he ends up serving as Toga's mentor and teaching her how to mitigate her bloodlust.

when Toga applies to UA later on, Vlad is also assigned to be her common room teacher.

Monoma, in contrast, spends years facing relentless bullying and scorn from his classmates, who either think his quirk useless or villainous.

he finds no support at home, where his cold and distant parents only pay him mind if it is to reproach him for something he has done or been falsely accused of doing at school. (as it turns out, [Copy] makes him the perfect scapegoat.)

Monoma's pain and resentment grow and grow, but he is initially determined to become a hero and prove everyone wrong regardless.

his dreams are ultimately crushed when, at nine years old, Monoma accidentally copies and activates a destructive quirk at one of his parents' work parties. in a series of horrible events, he ends up scorching a majority of the family manor to the ground, killing and/or seriously injuring the dozens of individuals trapped inside.

as Monoma is staggering from the scene, he is found by Compress, who takes one look at this sobbing, shivering child covered in soot and decides to take him under his wing.

Compress doesn't actually recruit Monoma to join the league - he just took him in because it felt like the proper thing to do - but Monoma finds out about Compress's involvement in the League and refuses to be left out.

the League insists on Monoma carrying a weapon, so he learns how to fight with a staff and some short daggers.

the League has Monoma apply to UA to serve as a spy and he ends up in class B; Monoma ends up fostering a deep distaste towards class A because everything about Bakugo pisses him off, and no one around Bakugo even attempts to keep him in check. (it reminds Monoma a lot of his old bullies and how everyone just sat back and let them treat him so horribly. all heroes are the same, huh.)

while at UA, Monoma does NOT present himself as someone with a copy quirk. instead, he carries around a marble that Compress gave him that contains someone with a teleportation quirk so that he can copy it instead. (the distance that Monoma can teleport is greatly reduced since he is copying the power from the marble and not directly from the source, but he's able to work with the short range).

despite his best efforts to remain focused on the task at hand, Monoma ends up befriending some of his classmates. (uh-oh).

some notes

even as a hero student, Toga still struggles with a lot of stigma surrounding her quirk and ends up falling for Midoriya when he expresses nothing but awe over her abilities

Toga also falls for Uraraka who, despite initially reacting poorly to Toga's quirk, is someone that Toga feels a deep connection to. (it's the rivals-to-friends-to-lovers, 100k slow burn scenario that Toga has always dreamed of)

Monoma is still drawn to Shinsou (it is a Universal Constant); he sees Shinsou's performance at the Sports Festival and is instantly smitten. it helps that he still feels that connection to Shinsou, RE: having "unfavorable" quirks.

the fact that Shinsou is NOT in the hero course while some of these other clowns are only feeds into Monoma's growing hatred towards the heroics system as a whole.

[rosethornewrites]

NR, E, & M reading since 2/15

Finished

Not Rated:

Second Madame Nie update, by nirejseki

Prompt: I'm still in love with Second madam nie. Anything from her POV, maybe including her favourite person, nie mingjue?

No Loss, by eb4life (24 chapters)

After being forced to remain stuck in his wolf form by Madam Yu, Wei Wuxian conforms to her wishes of making it appear that he's runaway from home by doing just that. When he's God knows how far from home and manages to get captured by the knights of a king he's only heard rumors of, Wei Wuxian expects to be killed or imprisoned as the king's personal attack dog. He doesn't expect to move from "exotic pet" to "closest friend" within only weeks of his stay at the king's side. This story is inspired by Bisclavret.

Explicit:

vintage youth, by sami (3 chapters)

After thirteen years spent believing Wei Wuxian was dead, Lan Wangji isn't going to let a minor detail like Wei Ying is a fugitive from the law come between them.

all the trembling ways, by typefortydeductions (🔒)

"Lan Zhan. I haven’t -- I mean, I’ve kissed people! But I’ve not. Not anything else.”

Wei Ying can’t look up. He can feel how hot his cheeks are. His whole face must be burning. He wishes he’d worn something else, something less obviously wanting.

“Not anything?” Lan Zhan breathes. He sounds -- Wei Ying isn’t quite sure what he sounds, but it isn’t disappointed. He risks a peek upwards, through his eyelashes, like Lan Zhan’s face will be more bearable in the diffuse. Lan Zhan’s mouth is open slightly. Wei Ying shakes his head, and Lan Zhan’s hands come up to his cheeks, tipping his head back up.

“Wei Ying.” he says, softly, and leans in to kiss him. It’s softer this time, but just as deep, his tongue sweeping gently along Wei Ying’s lower lip, coaxing. Showing, Wei Ying realises. Letting him learn. He feels the heat rise again, but it’s different this time, contained, somehow, by Lan Zhan’s firm hands, the warm press of his chest.

“Will you let me show you?” he asks."

//

Lan Zhan teaches Wei Ying how to feel good.

Mature:

At the end of all things, by Entityx (🔒)

Lan Wangji is aware that he is not the only one who is left haunted by constant bloodshed.

Everyone has changed over the course of the Sunshot Campaign. However the one who underwent the most drastic change was undeniable.

It's subtle- he's still friendly and boisterous with members of his sect. But he is not truly open anymore. Gone is the optimistic boy who radiated sincerity with every word. Instead he is replaced with a hollow imitation, with a smile cracked at the edges, and a laugh that is too hollow to fool anyone.

if you could see the man I am, by sami (2nd in a series)

Lan Wangji spent thirteen years believing Wei Wuxian was dead.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

The Devil That You Forgot, by pottedplnt

Wei Ying has always been a smart child, so when he finds himself back on the streets he was taken from, he decides to make the most of it. Even when he's half-starved, severely injured, and just thrown into the worst place he can think of, he'll come back. And god help anyone who gets in the way of his peaceful life.

The worth of a life with no regrets, by SnowdropsAndDreams

It was hopeless. Utterly hopeless.

The night hunt had gone disastrously wrong and Wei Wuxian's tiny pebble of a core isn't enough to save him. But Jiang Cheng will be damned before he watches another sibling die in his arms, especially one that miraculously came back from the dead.

"I'm going to die here, Jiang Cheng. We both know it. But unlike last time, I'm going to make it meaningful."

"I know of a forbidden array that can turn back time."

"Didi, do you want to come with me?"

Or, a time travel fix-it fic where Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng work together as brothers.

Explicit:

The Second Hand Unwinds, by trulywicked (🔒)

Sent back in time without his husband after a night hunt gone wrong, Lan Wangji is determined to ensure that Wei Wuxian’s safety and in the process hopefully mitigate, if not prevent, the war.

Through marriage among other things.

Heart of the Beast, by WaitForTheSnitch

“Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?”

“They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

“Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?”

“Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

“Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?”

“My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

Mature:

A twist in time, by Souldealertm

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi got their happy ending, however the pain and loss of the past is still haunting them and many others. The previous generation has messed up horribly and caused the generations to come great pain. Now some of the people from the previous generation have gotten a second chance to fix everything and give their children and grandchildren a better future.

fighting for both of us, by chocosmei

When Wei Wuxian loses control to the Yin Tiger Tally at Nightless City, possibly his last siege of this life, Lan Wangji tries to take the Yiling Laozu to safety by trying to hide him. Without success and finding no other option, he will take the most dangerous risk, trying a method that he doesn’t even know if it’ll work:

An unknown talisman.

In hopes of this being their last chance to surviving, but feeling extremely miserable for resorting to something as dangerous as demonic cultivation, he takes Wei Wuxian’s injured body in his arms, takes his sword “Bichen”, and cuts his own fingers just enough for them to bleed tiny bloody droplets. He takes the talismans written with his and Wei Wuxian’s blood and activates it before anyone can reach them and stop Lan Wangji. The voices of his Shufu, Xiongzhang and elders disperse to complete silence and darkness.

[shirohige-pirates]

Birds of a Feather

CisFem Reader x Marco

CW: Violence, blood, language, adult themes and scenes. 18+ only

Summary: Life has not been kind to you. After a string of bad relationships, you're a little jaded and a little depressed in all honestly. The worst day of your life seems to be the turning point, but the roller coaster ride that follows could either throw you soaring free, or have you caged forever?

Tag List: @clumsyraccoon @mfreedomstuff

Chapter 33: Options

Waking up was rough. The strange sensation of your dream clings to you and it takes you a minute to realize you’re even awake at all. The pain in your body is foreign because you didn’t feel it while you were in the Library - or the dream Library - and the sheets cling to you in a way that feels too heavy. Like they mean to consume you in retribution.

It takes a moment longer to realize you did not sleep in your bed last night. That the odd feeling of the sheets was because you were in someone else’s bed. Confusion shifts to understanding as you piece together the events of the night before. Pain zings through you when you move too quickly and you let yourself sink back into the mattress.

Marco took you to his family’s home because it was closer than your home. He’d used his devil fruit’s powers to ease your wounds, but it had sapped what was left of your strength. Even so you still hurt, but that was a testament to just how roughly you and Teach had clashed. At the end of things the only thing keeping you moving was adrenaline, and with that gone even rest couldn’t stave off the ache of your one-sided fight with Teach.

You stared at the ceiling and wondered idly if he was really dead.

It was true that you didn’t know much about your own devil fruit because of your fear of getting caught. You never shared the Library with anyone else, never mind throwing someone in there on their own. You didn’t know if that space really would eat someone to incorporate their knowledge or not.

You only even knew you could turn into an owl because you felt the need to do something and had ducked into the Library to test things out. Past actually changing into the shape and changing back, you’d never done anything else.

You’d spent years trying to make sure no one even knew you had a devil fruit, and while that hadn’t worked out for you, you’d like to think you at least mitigated the risks.

A soft knock at the door precedes Marco entering. He smiles when he sees you’re awake, tray of food in his hands.

“I wasn’t sure if you were still sleeping, yoi.” He explains, setting the tray down nearby. “And I didn’t want to come in without warning.” He sits down on the edge of the bed. “How’d you sleep?”

“Well enough.” You answer, wincing as you sit up.

“Hey, no, hold on.” Marco’s hands are on your shoulders, but you shift and give him a reassuring smile and he helps you sit up instead of trying to get you to lay back down.

“I’m just stiff from sleeping.” You reassure him. “I mean, things still ache, but nothing feels too bad.”

“After you eat we’ll need to change your bandages anyway.”

You start to remind him he’s a veterinarian, and then you remember that he spent years as the doctor on an Emperor’s ship. “What time is it?”

“Close to ten,” he answers, setting the tray across your lap. “It was after one when we got back here, yoi. Ivan wants you to call him once you’re up for it. He’s been coordinating with Vista about getting us to Drop Island without anyone noticing.”

“Vistaaaah- ah, one of your many brothers.” You nod as you begin eating. “I remember you talking about him. I…” You stop, looking down at your food. “You never mentioned Teach, I really should’ve known better.”

“I should’ve told you about him.” Marco insists, sitting at the end of the bed. “I knew he was focused on his goal, but I didn’t think it was going to be to such an extent.”

You shake your head. “With how everything came together for him, it was probably for the best it unfolded the way it did. I don’t want to think about how poorly things could’ve gone if they’d happened differently.”

Marco concedes the point, checking his phone as you eat and moving the tray aside once you’re done. He takes your hand, leading you into the hallway and down to a nearby bathroom. You realize quickly how large his family’s estate must be when an auxiliary bathroom has as much space as this one.

Marco helps you strip, and carefully removes the bandages from you. He strips as well, and gets the shower running. It’s certainly big enough for both of you, and the lip edge is set low.

“Pops and the nurses stayed on this floor while he was still alive,” Marco says, answering questions you haven’t even asked yet. “This bathroom was made for easy access for Pops and the nurses. Afterward I used it when any of the kids got hurt. The room right across the hall is set up as a small clinic space.”

“This place is bigger than I thought.” You laugh nervously as Marco moves you both into the warm water, and starts carefully cleaning you up.

“Yeah, it’s 248,000 square feet.” You freeze in place and Marco nearly snorts. You look at him and his control breaks and he laughs.

“Are you-.”

“I’m not kidding, yoi!” He insists, laughing more despite it. “The Moby was over two million square feet, the house is small comparatively. We couldn’t convert the entire ship, and the manor only has five floors.”

“Only.” You nearly choke the words, letting Marco help you wash up. You’d be more useful if he hadn’t nearly broken your brain with statistics about the house. “I knew this place was going to be large, I guess I just didn’t realize how large.”

“Well, the entire estate is almost a hundred acres, and there’s a few smaller houses.” Marco says, grinning and you put your face in your hand. “The manor’s only home to a few of us, and some of my married siblings live in other houses on the land.”

“You weren’t worried about your brothers,” you begin, as Marco starts to rinse you both off. “You were worried I’d see the size of this place when you came here to grab your clothes and a toothbrush and have an existential crisis.” You tease.

He laughs, giving you a quick kiss before trading places with you so he can clean up. The shower area is so large there’s a little ledge you can sit on while he washes up.

“Honestly I hadn’t thought about it,” he admits sheepishly. “I was worried about my brothers so much I didn’t even think about the impact the manor would have, yoi. We’ve been here for a long time now, and there’s so many people it just doesn’t feel fancy.”

“It feels like home.” You say and Marco pauses for a moment before smiling and nodding.

“Yeah.”

You lean against the wall as Marco goes through his own routine. You grin after a moment and tilt your head a little.

“Don’t rush on my account.” You say, biting your bottom lip when he looks over his shoulder at you.

With a smile he turns and faces you. “You can look, mi cielo, but until you heal you’re not doing much more than that.”

Your grin breaks into a wide smile. “If I work up enough of an appetite I might actually keep you under me for once.”

You see a few small flames lick Marco’s skin as blush rushes to his cheeks. His expression is mostly unchanged despite the other things he’s not controlling well, and he returns his focus to cleaning up. You take the win for what it is, stretching slowly and trying not to let the aches in your body ruin your brightening mood.

The shower cuts off and Marco gives you a hand up. It’s frustrating how much you ache, but considering how things could have gone, this was a small price.

He’s careful as he dries you off, and you barely twitch or flinch.

“I knew when I healed you as much as I could last night that I wouldn’t have to worry while you slept, but this is worse than I thought it was.” There was anger in his voice, and you could feel the heavy warmth of his flames. The pains and aches ease, and for a brief moment almost vanish entirely.

“I can’t sleep all day again.” You warn softly.

“Aye,” he replies, leaning forward and kissing the back of your shoulder. “I’m not going to exhaust you. You swelled up and bruised bad while you slept, I’m just going to do enough to lessen it before we wrap you back up.”

There’s a long quiet moment before the warmth of his flames fade, and you can feel the leftover pain settle back into your bones.

“I’m going to throw him into the ocean.” He growls through grit teeth, fingers tracing very carefully over your back. You tense, thinking about your dream and Marco’s hand rests a little heavier against your back. “Sorry, pretty bird, it’s not a pleasant topic, I know.”

You shake your head. “That’s… not it.” Breathing in slowly you let it out and turn so you’re facing him. “I had a dream last night, and… I don’t… I don’t know how to say this, but I think Teach is already dead.”

Marco’s brows raise, and after a moment’s consideration they furrow a little. “What makes you think that?”

“I dreamt the Library ate him.” You admit, looking up at him sheepishly. It sounds wildly improbable when you say it out loud.

The look of shock on Marco’s face almost makes you smile despite the heavy topic. “Ate him?” You nod. “… It does that?”

You shrug. “I don’t really know what it does. I rarely used it, and when I did it was just to read. I used it once to transform just so I knew what that was like, but I’ve been trying to live like I don’t have a fruit for ten years. I don’t really know what it can do.”

Looking away from him you start to speak and stop a few times before sorting out what you wanted to say. Marco waited patiently, as he always did.

“It’s not: What if I killed your brother,” you finally explain. “It’s: What if he only died because I didn’t learn how to control my ability?”

Marco leans forward, wrapping his arms around you and letting you rest your head against his chest. His embrace is careful, gentle where it needs to be, and holding onto you as tightly as he dares to in the places he can. He kisses the top of your head, mindful of the cut that’s going to be healing for a few days yet, even if he tends to it every day.

“What you did brought you to me,” he says quietly. “Every choice, yoi. Whether Teach is alive or not doesn’t matter to me as much as your being here right now does.”

“But -.”

“You didn’t kill him.” Marco interrupts, leaning you both back so he can look into your eyes. “Whether the Library did, or we have to later, you’re not at fault.”

You know he’s trying to console you. You don’t doubt that he means what he’s saying, but the weight of it all is too heavy. You’ve done a lot to keep yourself alive, but you’ve never had to make such a choice. It’s never been a matter of someone else’s life or your own.

What gave you the right to put yourself above another? Teach had certainly done things you couldn’t see as being right, but by the letter of the law you were the one with a bounty on your head. Was it immoral for him to turn you into the Government? Was it immoral for you to want to live peacefully regardless?

Was the only way to answer that with someone’s death?

“There had to be another way!” You finally shout. Marco’s fingers slip between your own and you can feel the building turmoil inside you subside a little from the gesture.

“Wasn’t there?” You ask quietly. “Isn’t there?”

“There are always options, mi cielo.” His face is twisted with painful understanding, and he caresses your cheek with a warm hand. “Living is deciding what options you can live with.”

“I didn’t pick this, though.” You press your lips together, holding back tears of frustration.

“No, you didn’t. Teach did.” He insists, leaning down and kissing the tear that escapes your eye. “We’re heading to Drop Island later today.” He explains, kissing your forehead. “I’d rather you stay here, but-.”

“No one else can open the Library.” You interject, nodding and leaning against him.

“I don’t mind losing… ta’ someone like that.”

Teach’s words echo in your mind from the dream, that crooked smile burned into your senses. It was like he was at peace, like he knew that such was the possibility of his choices, and if he was going to die then at least he was dying in a way that didn’t bother him.

“I’d want to be there anyway.”

“Oh?”

You nod, staying tucked against him. “Whatever is decided, whatever’s happened or not, I want to face it with you.”

Marco rests his chin carefully on top of your head, keeping you close for a minute before re-bandaging your wounds. You’re both quiet as he works, and you don’t complain when he helps you get dressed. No matter how the day goes, it’s not going to be easy.

But at least you won’t be alone.

[vampire-meta-knight]

Let's Make Cute Sweaters!!!

Listen up Tumblr, your local goth is going to teach you how to make an applique and sew it onto a sweater or sweatshirt.

Yeah, my pumpkin's wonky, but he's my Special Little Guy, and I love him.

I used plain, Time And Tru sweatshirts from Walmart that only cost about $10, but you can easily thrift a sweater or use one you already have that needs a little spice. The tombstone is made with felt, and the pumpkin is made from a plaid fat quarter--I will explain both methods, as they differ slightly.

Felt (the easiest): Find or draw a template (I searched tombstone templates for mine), cut it out, then use it to cut out the same shape from your felt of choice. If you want to embroider any details on your applique, like I did with the RIP and cracks, do that before sewing it onto the sweater. Put the sweater on and pin the applique where you want it to sit (doesn't have to be on the center--you could easily do elbow patches or a little patch off to the side), then do a blanket stitch by hand around the border for a decorative, clean way to attach it. I used 4 strands of embroidery floss in a contrasting color on the tombstone and six strands on the pumpkin--I think four works perfectly fine and is a little less bulky. Embroidery floss comes in every color imaginable and is pretty cheap, so you can experiment with color combos or even use multiple colored threads. You're welcome to play around with stitches and find something that works for you if you don't like the look of the blanket stitch, you can use a sewing machine instead, or you can safety-pin or fabric-glue the applique on if sewing isn't for you.

Optional: I sewed lace trim around the neckline and added a tiny bow for extra cuteness. If you're going to add lace trim, keep in mind that unless you're using stretchy lace, it'll hinder the stretch of the sweater. To mitigate this, I stretched the neckline a bit as I sewed and used a zig-zag stitch with my machine (you can sew it on by hand, too, just using wider stitches). I also must mention that the neckline on this sweater was decently wide without stretching, so even though it can't stretch as far anymore, it's no trouble getting it over my head. If you're using something with a tighter neckline, or tight cuffs on the sleeves, that really needs to stretch, then use stretchy lace or none at all. Bows are still something you can add that won't affect the stretch, so go wild with bows, buttons, safety pins, and all manner of little trinkets!

Cotton: The attachment process is still the same as the felt method, but making the applique is a little different. Since cotton isn't as sturdy as felt, and it frays, you need to prepare it differently. Before you cut out your shape, iron on lightweight fusible interfacing (sold at Walmart--make sure it's compatible with woven fabric if your fabric isn't stretchy and knit fabric if it is). I've made appliques without interfacing before, but they'll hold their shape much better and be sturdier if you do use it, so I recommend taking the couple extra minutes to iron it on. On the wrong side of your fabric, iron on a patch of interfacing large enough to fit your shape, let it cool, and then cut out your shape. I used an X-acto knife to cut out the face of the jack-o-lantern, which did pretty well, but did cause a bit of fraying that I cleaned up with my fabric scissors. To seal the edges, you can sew a zig-zag stitch around them, use an overlocker/serger, or use Fray-Check or fabric glue. I chose to do a zig-zag stitch so it'd be less noticeable under my blanket stitch, but I've used my serger in the past, and it looks nice, too--especially if you use a contrasting color. Now the process is exactly the same as the felt one.

Remember, it's perfectly okay if it has that "homemade look," and it doesn't need to look perfect or symmetrical, by any means! This is about having a fun little project to do while watching a show or some YouTube videos and sipping on some hot cocoa, knowing that you'll get a cute new sweater out of it that'll be unique and your own. And it's also okay to use it as stay-at-home lounge wear if it looks as wonky as Mr. Crooked Smile the pumpkin over there. Have fun, learn new techniques, and make happy little accidents!

Happy crafting!

[inklesspen]

Points system for HP AU fics

Fics have five points. Spend them wisely.

Identity games:

2: WBWL/Not the BWL

2: Cis female Harry

1: Trans female Harry who transitioned (including socially) before Hogwarts

2: Taken in by the Grangers before Hogwarts

1: "Lordships" are a thing

2: Harry's multiple Lordships means he needs multiple wives

2: James and/or Lily were secretly bad people

1: Harry has siblings

That's not how the Force magic works:

1: Single-participant magical oaths

2: Magical oaths can determine the truth of a particular claim (instead of requiring particular actions)

3: Author forgot that purebloods aren't actually better than muggleborns

1: "Family magicks" exist in any sense other than "we invented a spell and we only teach it to our family members"

1: Magical cores are a thing

3: Magical capacity (or strength of a magical ability, etc) is measured in percentages

3: Soulmates (in the sense of "the universe has assigned you a partner") are a thing

Albus Dumbledore School of Manipulation and Head Games:

2: Dumbledore obliviates Harry to keep him on the path

3: Dumbledore deliberately weakens Harry's magical strength

2: Anyone uses love potions, loyalty potions, etc (except for instances which occurred in canon, such as Romilda Vane's attempt) to control Harry or his friends

1: Dumbledore has deliberately crippled Hogwarts' curriculum to keep people ignorant of various things

2: Dumbledore has arranged marriage(s) for Harry

10: Dumbledore engineered Tom Riddle's rise for his own reasons

Misc:

1: Harry has a non-canonical disability (pre-Hogwarts)

3: Dursleys are sexually abusive

2: Harry, while 16 or younger, is paired romantically/sexually with someone 19 or older (exceptions for de-aging iff the author does it well)

1: Overly helpful goblins

3: Actual UK royals intervene in the magical world

1: Fictional UK royals intervene in the magical world

2: Actual UK politicians (prime ministers, for instance) intervene in the magical world

1: Hermione is shamed for her ignorant attitude toward house elf slavery

2: Frequent SPAG errors

10: Characters all sound exactly the same

1000: Muggleborns come from house elves pouring liquid magic in the water supply

Mitigating Factors:

+1: Author has written other fics I've enjoyed

+2: Fic involves time travel

+1: Fic has a really cool worldbuilding element (such as the broomsport "gliding")

+1: Tonks is nonbinary and this actually gets explored

+1: Harry is a metamorph

+1: Ginny retains parseltongue after the diary incident

+1: Harry and Delphini have a positive relationship (friendship, family, w/e)

[system-startup]

Thank you to everyone that informed me that the fluctuation of my brain function is obvious. I remain shaking off the terror that I won't be able to communicate who I am and what I know well enough, especially to people who have never gotten to see me access Me, but the commentary provides a basis for me to have begun making monumental progress on that front.

I realised for the first time—I wanted to say last night but let's say recently—that my brain had/has the information (non-visual) equivalent of photographic memory. I also realised recently that my nervous system breakdown actually began reaching a head as young as 9, or 10. I remembered this always; I loved to climb, and parkour, and I never had the chance to get fancy with it between people preventing me, punishing me, and then my disabilities. I've always cared about my appearance and if I had it my way I would always be extremely well dressed, though don't mistake me for someone who believes that everybody should be, or that there's only one way to be well dressed—I'm no fool.

Subsequently the loss of access to my brain function, and then my body, and then my capacity to present myself how I want in spite of that, being forced to look pathetic, to not phrase things nearly as well as I've been carefully shaping them in my head for well over a decade, hurts.

I've been on a long, painful journey to mitigate damage, repair it, and grow too. And it's exhausting, and everything has been taken from me but still I get up, still I crawl forward, still my life improves...

I re-define and re-create and re-define myself again to live; in search of the man the suffering sought to burry, to be able to see the man that refused to die myself.

And in the mirror I find him, but still don't fully understand him.

I only know that the light behind his eyes continues to be a lot of work to keep alight. And it's wretched work, so I persist by not doing it for me.

It's all I can do to hope that this great difficulty is seen.

For all the times they (whomever is relevant; dozens directly at least none of whom I could name) programmed me to hide my light, things like viciously punishing me for being brilliant or properly attentive or fast or strong or able to jump at all when such a thing could only be accessed once a month, not allowing me to be ill the rest of it because they didn't understand. Yelling, startling, criticising immediately and interrupting whenever I was too slow at learning anything, like cutting meat and vegetables for the first time until I fumble in panic every time, so I could never learn, and, embarrassed, had to learn "basic skills" at an age I'd often be ridiculed and hassled for not knowing yet, despite never being afforded the chance.

Program: Never show them; it's not worth torture. Don't say or do anything where you can be seen. Hide what you don't know. Don't ask for lessons, not directly. Figure it out, somehow, some way. We can't afford the sanity cost; they won't teach us anyway, they either don't know or aren't kind or patient enough or can't phrase it in a way that we can understand.

It's painful, this fluctuation, for so many reasons. I can share this program only because I'm at the tail end of ripping it out of my system. It'll seem profound still, but that's only because you can't see how far I've come.

I didn't used to speak at all.

To anyone.

About anything.

But by taking the time to see me, to understand me, to not hurt me but to ask questions instead, to give me the room to elaborate instead of spiraling and taking it out on me; you offer me the door to exiting this one, this spiral, that I fell in to far too young.

Thank you again for your honesty, even when it hurts. It's all I've ever wanted.

And, I learn what I do, take the time to learn to speak it, to be able to share it, because I know though the severity of what I've been through is highly unusual, I am far from alone.

And I'll be damned if I've come this far and not contribute my hand to seeing the day that nobody has to suffer like I did again.

But the first step of that, for me, despite my wishes, remains learning to take care of myself, be kind to myself.

And your awareness, and your honesty, and your wisdom, and your intelligence, and what you've learned, and the art you make, and the voice you speak with, and the perspective you hold, the ideas you've found and built, all of it helps me persist, is how I can find a way to survive despite everything.

You give me the motivation and the tools to be alive. You give me hope that I'll be alright. And, I don't feel very alive right now, but I know in a year I'll be a new man.

And I will make You proud.

*You = my friends, kind honest strangers, the strangers I have taught and will teach and continue to learn from, the Earth Herself, the human collective.

[blephosphorus]

Metaphor ReFantazio OC Detailed Profile

DISCLAIMER: If her kit seems unbalanced or straight up dogshit, that's because it probably is! I don't know jack shit about game design, I'm a literature student!!

And yes I know she's a mary sue idgaf !! ✌

Basic Information

Name: Prushka Seelenfreund

Gender: Female

Height: 158cm

Weight: 57kg

Tribe: Elda

Hometown: Ancient Eldan Sanctum

Favorite Food: Benevolent Bread

Archetype: Executioner > Reaper > Royal Executioner

Weapon: Pistols

Affiliation: The Sanctist Church, Will's Group

Family: Gruidae (Maternal grandmother), Unnamed mother (deceased), Unnamed father (deceased)

Voice Actors: HANAZAWA Kana, Alice Himora

Love Interest: Basilio Lupus Magnus

Description: An informant for the church who agrees to join the protagonist's group to help them take down Louis by delivering them information that other informants can't. She seems to have a mysterious power coursing through her.

🎵 Theme Song: Moonlit Solitude - Wuthering Waves, jixwang, jkinss

"You don't have to be afraid anymore... Because I'm with you!"

!Spoilers beneath the cut!

Protagonist's notes

・She awakened to the power of the Archetypes at a very young age, and offered to teach some of the tricks she learned over the years. Some of the things she agreed to teach are quite arbitrary, however...

・She is not a Sanctist, and instead only became an informant of the church to gather information about Louis. Thankfully, she says, she's ignored a lot because of her small stature, so her job is very easy. Gallica insists that it's actually because she can be as quiet as a ghost when she wants to be. The multiple years she shaved off of the fairy's lifespan by appearing seemingly out of thin air being evidence of that.

・She was the subject of an experiment that sought to seal away a relic that nullified the MAG in the air, its growing range endangering the lives of the people living in the elda village. After much consideration, the elda queen agreed to seal the relic within the unborn child inside Gruidae's daughter. The experiment was a success, however, Gruidae's daughter did not survive the birth, and Prushka was left with debilitating chronic pain. With the support of her grandmother over the following years, Prushka was slowly able to learn how to control the relic and mitigate her pain.

・She is the childhood friend of Louis, who set out to look for him after the elda village's razing. She was held back in the sanctum by her grandmother for five years following the fire, who then let her go when she thought that Prushka was strong enough to take care of herself.

Appearance

Body: Short hair that gets more wavy toward the ends, downturned eyes, white pupils, two beauty marks; one beneath the left side of her left eye and the other beneath the left side of her mouth, pear body shape, above average sized chest, a symmetrical mark on the center of her chest in the shape of a butterfly

Outfit: Ribbon tied to the back of her hair, two silver stud earrings on her left earlobe; the higher one in the shape of a flower with a butterfly perched on top of it, and the lower one in the shape of a flower, frilled collar dress shirt with a line of frills wrapping around the shoulders and with frilled cuffs and a big ribbon tied to the collar, gloves with silver rings; on her right hand: one on her index, two on her middle and one on her pinky finger, on her left hand: one on her thumb and one on her middle finger, form fitting dress shorts, belt with two gun holsters on either side of the waist, short length jacket that hangs off of her shoulders with the belt of the jacket tied into a ribbon at the back and small thin ribbons attached to the sleeves, over-the-ankle frilly socks, ankle-high boots with medium length heels and ribbons tied to the back of the ankles of the boots

Color Palette

Prushka:

Skin: Pale, warm tone (#fef8f1)

Hair & Eyelashes: White, warm tone (#fcfaf8)

Eyes: Pale pink, warm tone (#efb3c8, #f9c8d9)

Shirt and socks: White (#f2f2f2)

Jacket: Cool tone dark gray that fades to teal at the sleeves (#232629, #97ddd1)

Shorts, gloves and boots: Black, cool tone (#050505)

Shirt Ribbon: Orange (#f5a324)

Jacket, Hair and Boots Ribbons: Teal (#97ddd1)

Archetypes:

Executioner: Teal, silver and white (#97ddd1, #c7cccb, #f2f2f2)

Reaper: Black, teal, silver (#050505, #97ddd1, #c7cccb)

Royal Executioner: White, silver, teal (#f2f2f2, #c7cccb, #97ddd1)

Chronology

Age 0: The ancient relic is sealed inside Prushka

Age 6: Prushka meets Louis (8) and his family

Age 13: The elda village is razed by the church

Age 15: Prushka awakens to the power of the Archetypes in the sanctum

Age 18: Prushka leaves the sanctum

Ages 18-21: Prushka travels Euchronia in search of Louis

Age 22: Stops at the capital and becomes an informant of the church to gather information about Louis

Age 23: Meets Will's group in Brilehaven, later "officially" joins in Altabury Heights

Follower Bond

Rank 1 -> Executioner Archetype: The party can now study the Executioner.

Rank 2 -> Executioner Enlightenment: Reduces the MAG cost of studying the Executioner Lineage.

Rank 2 -> Soul Reaper: The hit rate of Prushka's insta-kill attacks increases against human-type monsters.

Rank 3 -> Scion's Skill: Increases skill inheritance slots for the Executioner Lineage to 2.

Rank 3 -> Battle Aura: While in reserve, the amount of experience Prushka gains increases.

Rank 4 -> Executioner Veneration: Significantly reduces the MAG cost of studying the Executioner Lineage.

Rank 5 -> Scion's Merit: Increases skill inheritance slots for the Executioner Lineage to 3.

Rank 6 -> Executioner Archetype: Elite: The party can now study the Reaper.

Rank 7 -> Battle Hypnosis: While in reserve, Prushka will gain experience at the normal rate.

Rank 8 -> Scion's Essence: Increases skill inheritance slots for the Executioner Lineage to 4.

Rank 8 -> Soul Destroyer: The hit rate of Prushka's insta-kill attacks significantly increases against human-type monsters.

Rank 8 -> Grand Fantasy: Prushka is ready to acquire a new Heroic Embodiment.

Follower Bond Rank Descriptions

Rank 1: Prushka offered to teach me how to fly using the Executioner's wings, and I got to learn more about her.

Rank 2: After training together for a while, Prushka took us to a new place to have a meal. While there, we heard whispers of a rumored figure called the "Bough Reaper," who dismantles branches of criminal organizations all over Euchronia, which seemed to make Prushka uncomfortable.

Rank 3: While walking around the capital together, a little paripus girl approached us and called Prushka "big sis". After sending her home, Prushka explained that she is a girl that she saved a long time ago.

Rank 4: A roussainte man interrupted us while we were training and claimed that Prushka killed his father while holding her at knifepoint. When I tried to defend her, she instead declared that it's true, and after subduing and bringing the man to the guards, revealed that she is the "Bough Reaper".

Rank 5: We played with the paripus girl again for a while before sending her home. Prushka explained that she saved the girl and her mother from the roussainte man's father, who was the head of a criminal organization that was targeting women and children of lesser tribes.

Rank 6: Prushka confided in me about her complicated feelings regarding her time being the "Bough Reaper". While she regrets that she took so many lives, she is willing the shoulder such a burden for the sake of all of the innocent lives she was able to save.

Rank 7: The roussainte man that confronted Prushka, Levi, broke out and left a note telling her to meet him in the Everfrost Forest.

Rank 8: After confronting Levi in the Everfrost Forest, we found out that he didn't know about his father's deeds. After finding out, he stopped fighting and promised to turn himself in. After getting back, Prushka expressed that she was glad she was able to turn his life around, and thanked me for sticking by her side until the very end.

EXTRA 1 (Basilio Bond Rank 8, Only available if Basilio and Prushka were matchmade.): Before Basilio and I went to confront Vinca, Prushka approached us to ask what was going on. After Basilio's explanation, she apologized for sticking her nose in personal business and said that she would wait for our return in Brilehaven. When we got back, she ran to hug Basilio and expressed her worry for him, which seemed to make him really happy. We went back to the others while discussing how to throw the funeral party for Vinca and Fidelio.

EXTRA 2 (Only available if Prushka's Bond Rank is 8): Gallica and I found Prushka after she disappeared after the fight with Louis, and she told us that she didn't want to face everyone due to her feelings of grief towards him. *While she was conflicted about her loss and expressing that she thinks that her emotions are wrong, Basilio approached us and reassured her that they aren't, and that it's okay to cry even if it's for Louis' sake. Prushka was able to cry for the first time in a long time. After staying silent for a while, she declared that she would fulfill her childhood promise that she made with Louis of travelling the world... But only after she has adequately helped me with my "kingly duties," as she puts it.

*Only happens if Prushka and Basilio were matchmade.

Stats (Lv. 1 -> Lv. 99)

St 4 -> 82

Ma 2 -> 51

En 6 -> 56

Ag 7 -> 83

Lk 6 -> 98

Archetype Details

Archetype line that specializes in HP draining physical elemental and insta-kill attacks. Has high Hit Rate and self healing.

Executioner

🗡 🏹 ��� 🔥 ❄️ ⚡️ 💨 🌟 🌀

• • ! 🛡 • • • ! 🛡

Prerequisites

Prushka Follower Bond Rank 1

Berserker (Lv. 15)

Samurai (Lv. 10)

Skills

Lv. 1

Touch of Death (Dark): Deals medium physical Dark damage to all enemies. May one-hit kill targets. [Cost: 12 HP]

Singed Knife (Fire): Deals medium physical Fire damage to all enemies. May inflict Burn. [Cost: 15 HP]

Shadowy Hunter (Dark): Low Hit Rate, but increases caster's Hit Rate/Evasion and lowers enemy's Hit Rate/Evasion upon hitting. Deals heavy physical Dark damage to one enemy. [Cost: 8 HP]

Lv. 2

Dew of Life (Passive): Heals 10% HP at the start of every turn for 5 turns. This passive cannot stack with other passives of the same nature.

Lv. 6

Infernal Swarm (Fire): Deals medium physical Fire damage to one enemy 3-5 times. [Cost: 20 HP]

Lv. 10

Deep Focus (Passive): Increases Hit Rate by 5%. Hit Rate increases further if Archetypes of the same Lineage are present.

Lv. 15

Death's Gaze (Support): Decreases the chance of enemy attacks hitting the caster for 1 turn. (Certain attacks defy this effect.) [Cost: 10 MP]

Lv. 20

Soulkeeper (Dark): Marks one enemy on the field that is of a lower level than the caster. If neither the marked enemy nor the caster fall by the next turn, instantly brings both of their HPs to 0. [Cost: 50 HP]

Reaper

🗡 🏹 🔨 🔥 ❄️ ⚡️ 💨 🌟 🌀

• • ! 🛡 • • • ! 🛡

Prerequisites

Prushka Follower Bond Rank 6

Berserker (Lv. 20)

Elemental Master (Lv. 10)

Skills

Lv. 1

Cursed One (Dark): Deals heavy physical Dark damage to all enemies. May inflict Hex. [Cost: 18 HP]

Hellblade (Fire): Deals heavy physical Fire damage to one enemy. High chance of inflicting Burn. [Cost: 23 HP]

Lv. 2

Healing Water (Passive): Heals 15% HP at the start of every turn for 5 turns. This passive cannot stack with other passives of the same nature.

Lv. 6

Dark Tide (Dark): Deals extreme physical Dark damage to one enemy. May one-hit kill target. [Cost: 35 HP]

Lv. 14

Sweet Pain (Passive): Physical damage dealt increases by 2% every time HP decreases. Max 5 stacks.

Lv. 20

Soulbinder (Dark): Marks 2-3 enemies on the field that are of lower levels than the caster. If neither the marked enemies nor the caster fall by the next turn, instantly brings all of their HPs to 0. [Cost: 70 HP]

Royal Executioner

🗡 🏹 🔨 🔥 ❄️ ⚡️ 💨 🌟 🌀

• • 🛡 🚫 • • • • 🚫

Prerequisites

Prushka Follower Bond Rank 8

Destroyer (Lv. 20)

Dark Knight (Lv. 20)

Warlock (Lv. 15)

Skills

Lv. 1

Good Karma (Dark): Deals heavy physical Dark damage to all enemies. High chance of inflicting Hex. [Cost: 23 HP]

Garden of the Guilty (Recovery): Consume 50% of current MP to recover 50% of current HP. (Can only be used once per battle.)

Lv. 2

Death's Glare (Support): Significantly decreases the chance of enemy attacks hitting the caster for 1 turn. (Certain attacks defy this effect.) [Cost: 10 MP]

Lv. 6

Sea of Flames (Fire): Deals extreme physical Fire damage to all enemies 1-3 times. May inflict Burn. [Cost: 45 HP]

Lv. 14

Pure Focus (Passive): Increases Hit Rate by 10%. Hit Rate increases further if Archetypes of the same Lineage are present.

Lv. 20

Souldrinker (Dark): Marks all enemies on the field that are of lower levels than the caster. If neither the marked enemies nor the caster fall by the next turn, instantly brings all of their HPs to 0. [Cost: 100 HP]

Hero Passive Skill

Last Dance (Hero Passive): Once per battle, when lowered to 0 HP, instead of falling, consumes all MP to recover HP. Recovery scales on amount of MP consumed (2 to 1 ratio). This passive does not activate for allies with 0 MP.

Synthesis Skills

Executioner

Verdict (Dark): Insta-kills all enemies on field who have a weakness to Dark. (Cost: 100 HP & 3 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Berserker, Mage, Swordmaster]

Bond of Life (Recovery): Heals all allies for 10% of their respective HPs and provides continuous healing for 3 turns. (Cost: 20 HP & 2 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Healer, Cleric]

Reaper

Devour (Dark): Deals heavy physical Dark damage to all enemies 1-4 times and heals 40% of the total damage dealt. May inflict Malady. (Cost: 45 HP & 2 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Assassin, Ninja, Warlock, Dark Knight]

Bane of All Evil (Fire): Deals heavy physical Fire damage to one enemy. (Cost: 30 HP & 3 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Devil Summoner, Warlord, Dragoon]

Royal Executioner

Crime and Punishment (Fire): Deals extreme physical Fire damage to all enemies. For every enemy hit that has a weakness to Fire, additionally deal 10% more damage. (Cost: 100 HP & 3 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Royal Berserker, Royal Knight, Prince]

The End (Dark): Insta-kills all enemies on the field. If all enemies can't be downed this way, brings all allies' HPs to 0. This effect negates the Hero Passive: Last Dance. (Cost: 500 HP & 4 Turn Icons) [Requirements: Any Royal Archetype]

Additional Notes and Fun Facts

Prushka saw the prince right before she left the sanctum, and because of that almost noticed who/what Will is.

She went to see Louis while he was in Brilehaven, and after a sad reunion and the heated argument that followed, she slapped him. (lol)

Louis knows that she is the Bough Reaper.

Butterflies seem to fly to and around her often.

She loves testing herself with spicy food; seeing how spicy a food can get before she passes out.

She has special permission to pet Basilio's ears and tail whenever she wants.

The relic in her basically powers her whole body. She doesn't have the need to eat, sleep, drink water, or even breathe.

She is infertile.

Her grandma trained her to be able to reverse the relic's effects, making her able to boost her own magla.

She has sworn off using the relic's original powers because it shortens her lifespan every time she does.

Because of the eldan knowledge she possesses, she was able to figure out Louis' true plan after eavesdropping on some of his men's conversations and learning that he wants the Royal Sceptre.

She thinks Louis' ideals are childish and naive, and thinks his "utopia" would only last a century at best before injustice rose in the world again.

She once thought about how her children with Basilio would look like, but couldn't look at him for a whole week afterwards, so she now punches herself in the face whenever she accidentally thinks about it again.

She keeps her usual smile on her face even while fighting. Her battle cut-in is the only one where the character in the cut-in is smiling, while the others all look serious.

Even though she doesn't need to sleep, Prushka often dozes off on the sofas in the lounge on the group's off days. (Basilio questioned her multiple times, asking her if her back really doesn't hurt after folding herself like a pretzel just so she could fit on them.)

She thinks that Will looked nicer before his transformation.

When Basilio confessed to her, she got so choked up that she ran away in a panic, making Basilio think that she rejected him. His ears and tail would sag every time she was near him before she cleared up the misunderstanding.

She takes out Eupha on shopping trips together with Junah and Hulkenberg to help the girl adjust to living outside of Eht Ria.

When she went to see Louis in Brilehaven, Basilio and Fidelio were standing guard outside of the skyrunner's entrance and attempted to stop her. A fight broke out in which Prushka wiped the floor with the brothers (and even held one of her guns to Basilio's face) and barged in, much to Louis' displeasure. Prushka later apologized to Basilio for this, although, sadly, she never got the chance to do the same with Fidelio.

She reveals the fact that she has an archetype and "officially" joins the group when she interrupts the first fight with Louis.

Her chasing after Louis when he killed Fidelio was one of the key moments that led Basilio to falling in love with her.

After Prushka's deal to help out Will and before she officially joins the group, she can be found in the place of the informant in the town where the current story arc is taking place (except for Eht Ria) on every Idlesday.

Relationships

Prushka to everyone

Will -> I feel like I want to protect him.

Gallica -> I wish she would play music inside my head too...

Strohl -> A compassionate clemar, and a noble one at that? Wow...

Hulkenberg -> Her ability to turn anything into a feast is impressive.

Neuras -> What would we do without him? He's funny.

Heismay -> Papa...

Junah -> I hope we can sing together when we have the chance.

Eupha -> She's so cute...

Basilio -> He's someone irreplaceable.

Louis (reunion) -> If only I had chased after you that day...

Louis (final confrontation) -> Why did this have to happen..?

Everyone to Prushka

Will: She seems so strong, but keeps her true feelings a secret.

Gallica: Stop pulling on my wings!

Strohl: The way she stays strong despite everything is inspiring.

Hulkenberg: One mustn't underestimate the amount of power stored in her small body.

Neuras: Her poking around in the runner makes me nervous...

Heismay: I have the strange urge to dote on her...

Junah: I want to choreograph a dance for her.

Eupha: She takes care of me all the time, I'm so grateful!

Basilio: I want her to rely on me more.

Louis (reunion): You're as idealistic as always.

Louis (final confrontation): I wanted us rule the new world together...

Achievements

💀⛓ I ALWAYS COME BACK

Prushka revived during battle a total of 10 times.

🖤🩵 Lovers' Tango

Successfully matchmade Basilio & Prushka.

🎬☠️ Credits

The whole party was downed after using the Synthesis Skill "The End".

🧚‍♀️👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Get a Room!

Witnessed the alternate scenario for Basilio's Follower Bond Rank 8.

💔💥 The Winner Takes It All

Prushka dealt the final blow to Destroyer Charadrius.

🦋🪦 Epitaph

Witness Prushka's true feelings.

Character Soundtrack

Her ・ Her Fighting Spirit ・ Her Emotions ・ Her Past ・ Her Future

📀 Moonlit Solitude ・ Wuthering Waves, jixwang, jkinss

💿 Hornet ・ Christopher Larkin

💿 Madan (Magic Bullets) ・ 岡部 啓一

💿 Forgotten Battlefield - Dualliste ・ Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier

💿 Lettre à Maelle ・ Lorien Testard

💿 Vague Hope (Cold Rain) ・ 帆足圭吾

💿 Sekiryo (Desolation) ・ 瀬尾祥太郎

💿 Wiege (VIVINOS - ALNST Original Soundtrack Part.9) ・ BL8M, 6FU;

💿 てふてふ - Plastic Tree

💿 The Long Night of Serenity ・ HOYO-MiX

💿 A Cue aun Tu Oi / A Red Apple ・ 田中公平

Extra/Incorrect Quotes

Me: This is my Metaphor OC Prushka, I ship her with Basilio!

You: ...She beat the shit out of him and held a gun to his face when they first met..?

Me: Heheheh... slay!

Prushka: What's your name?

Basilio: (trying to be mysterious) I don't know

Prushka: Guess which one I have feelings for. It hurts so bad

Strohl (message): Buongiorno! I miss you ☺️

Basilio (message): I'm awak

Prushka: Me and Basilio are dating!!

Junah: We've known for ages

Prushka: ?? We started dating 2 days ago

Gallica: tf were you doing before that 😭😭

Basilio & Fidelio: About to pack up this chick who wants to kill Lord Louis we'll post the video after

Basilio & Fidelio: We got our ass beat bruh we're not posting that shit

Prushka: Can I vent to you

Basilio: Always

Prushka: But as a friend not as my boyfriend

Basilio: Yes

Basilio: Call me

Basilio: Girlfriend

Basilio: Hehe

Prushka: Ok Listen girlfriend

Basilio: I'm listening girl

Basilio: Men ain't shit

Basilio: Anime?

Prushka: Obey me

Basilio: Ok 😍

Gallica: The anime is called obey me 😭

Basilio: Oh.

Prushka: making breakfast for my beautiful husband

Basilio: who tf is burning down my kitchen

Prushka (6): dos anyone want to play cars with me .

🚗 🚙 🚘 🚙 🏎 🚗 🚗

Louis (8):

💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥

Prushka (6):

MY TOUYS

Basilio: You are killing my tough guy personality 👿

Prushka: Who's a Good kitty

Basilio: Meeeee :3

(Reunion)

Louis: Rip I was always into you

Prushka: ? worst confession ever

Louis: You are not dead ?

Louis: I lied

Louis: You are nothing to me

Prushka: i really miss her man

Junah: Bet she bad

Prushka: my grandma bro

Prushka: Hey guys. I'm bisexual.

Junah: no shit

Will: easy, junah. thank you for telling us, prushka. we love u!

Basilio: I just hit someone with my car

(Replying to story)

Prushka: can i suck your right tit and jiggle the left one

Basilio: THE QUESTIONS ARE NOT ANONYMOUS!!!!!

If whatsapp was in Euchronia😂

[Prushka's messages]

Will: bro can you teach me how to fly with the executioner

Heismay: Are we going fishing tonight ?

Fidelio: Fucking KILL YOURSELF

Zorba: Fucking KILL YOURSELF

Louis: Join me.

Basilio: I NEED pussy Prushka

Forden: Fucking KILL YOURSELF

Prushka: Haha cant lie but Ive been snacking on cookies all day

Basilio: This is why i fuck with you you always keep it real

Junah: i have to tell you something

Prushka: what

Junah: i killed somebody once...

Prushka: me too

Junah: APRIL 1 🤣

Prushka: July 18

Louis: boy breast milk is not real

Prushka: keep sucking his fat tits (Basilio)

Prushka: i love stray kids

Basilio: i think they prefer to be called orphans.

Basilio: oh sorry i didnt know its a kpop band

Prushka: i'm in love with you

[aokigahara-hag]

Some notes about Recovery

Years of overexplaining myself turned into like actually analyzing the shit i did because i didn't understand myself and neither could anyone else

so i tried figuring it out myself and this was the result~ Raging and crying is the first step. It's hard to explain yourself or understand WHY or WHAT EXACTLY is hurting in the moment. It's much easier in hindsight to look back on later In the past the shame i'd feel over my 'overreaction' or behavior kept me from actually thinking about what the issue was because i just wanted to apologize and have it be done with, which lead to an issue with people pleasing and just apologizing over and over again for 'outbursts' so i could mitigate the embarrassment and nobody else had to sit in the discomfort of trying to understand me (cuz let's be real no neurotypical wants to deal with the 'overdramatic crybaby kid' but it wasn't helping me get a handle on anything, and when i realized nobody in my life at the time had the patience to try and understand why, i trued to understand why myself. 'What perspective/breakdown of events has me feeling hurt? Am i feeling disrespected? disregarded? inconsidered? what about what someone said or did has come across to me this way and is there a way they could have done it by mistake because they didn't understand my perspective? how can i express my experience to them without being accusatory?'

this has also worked wonders with my and my boyfriend. Because he does things that infuriate me sometimes, but he doesn't do them maliciously. It's generally from a place of like… male privilege sometimes? Where he straight up just doesn't consider shit the way i do. And so instead of getting mad at him and calling him useless and selfish and oblivious as a 'man', i sit down, i have conversations with him and i talked about how i know he didn't intend this-- but the way he behaved in that moment was hurtful to me and i would like an apology.

And im fortunate that i have the kind of man who is considerate, and listens, apologizes genuinely, and changes.

This is also how i improved my relationship with my mother and sister over the years. It's a journey for sure-- it takes time, introspection, and some times are harder than others. Sometimes you just gotta accept that…. there's only so much you can do in a moment, and beating yourself up for it isn't going to make the mistake go away, nor is it really gonna teach you to learn from the mistake to do better.

It's just highlighting that even with your abusers out of your life-- you're still perpetuating that harm against yourself, because the voice of the abuser saying you deserve it is still in your head; it's just your voice now. And if it's your voice, isn't it time you changed the script?

[amnotaqueen]

Traveling With My Narc Husband

Y'all pray for me. Pray for us; my son is with us. My granddad died. We are traveling across several states to make it to the memorial service. We spend the night at hotel one night, and basically drive all day for two days.

My narc husband has a problem with, is offended by, gets angry at any and everything I do or say. When I was a kid, staying in a hotel was fun, and I enjoyed watching cartoons or kids shows while lounging in the room. I decided to get up and do some exercises. My son was up too, so I found something he'd like to watch while I exercised- Paw Patrol. My husband was asleep and silent until I put the TV on Paw Patrol. "Why is he watching that so early?" he angrily yelled. I said back, "Because it's holiday and he'll be stuck in a car all day.". I called it 'holiday' because that's what they call it from where he is from. I quickly tried to mitigate by telling our son that he could only watch one episode then we would change the channel. I'm always trying to find ways to allow our son to have fun and enjoy himself as a kid without unleashing the fury of his dad.

Minutes later, my narc husband erupted in anger at me again. This time I had garnered his ire because I had put pink oil moisturizer on our son's head and brushed his hair. He yelled, "I don't know why you put that on his head!" You would have thought I had poured acid onto our son's scalp, how angry he was. I know my husband. He is Nigerian and he favors a more minimalist approach when it comes to grooming. Un-moisturized, un-combed, rough, dry, and course-looking hair is just fine on our son according to him. I continue to oil his hair and combed and brush it because I like a more polished look. It infuriates my husband that I don't just adopt his way of doing all things. I told him so this morning. I told him, I'm not him and I think differently. I asked him why he was screaming at me over something so trivial. I said that there are bigger issues to be angry about, why that? He claimed that the moisturizer causes cancer. I told him he doesn't have to scream; he could instead share the research he has done to explain his insight and position, if any such research existed. I told him he gets mad over everything. If I give our son a snack he gets mad. If I turn on the TV he gets upset. If I want to walk with our son and hold his hand while walking he gets mad. If our son has a bleeding puncture on his leg and I put a napkin on it and apply pressure even though he tells me to stop and let it run he gets mad.

It's a problem driving with him. He doesn't drive like law abiding citizens who have sense. He likes to drive primarily in the left lane on the interstate. He habitually texts and drives. He drives slowly in the left lane while texting or looking up information on his phone causing people to pass him in the right lane. No matter how many times I tell him he should stay in the right lane and pass people on the left and then move back to the right lane he doesn't want to do it. We had argument over that today.

He was passing cars when there were two solid lines. There were hills as well. It was difficult to know what was on the other side of the hill while trying to pass a car over solid double lines. I had to tell him not to do that, that it was not safe. He didn't want to acknowledge the seriousness of it. I asked him if he wanted our son to drive unsafely and illegally like him. He said yes. He said he preferred that somebody else teach our son how to drive before he make adjustments in how he does things and drives. Shocking for sure. A shame.

I would rather find a hotel, check in, unload the car, maybe get cleaned up a little bit before going to Grandma's house. He would rather drive straight to Grandma's house, hang out there a while, then find a hotel late at night, have to unload car, eat dinner, have me bath our son and myself, etc. He thinks HIS way is the CORRECT way. How I would do it is WRONG. I told him that we have different opinions and no way is right or wrong, just different. He said NO. I am WRONG and things have to be done his way because he does not compromise.

Pray for us.

[angel-thoughts-dump]

maybe it was lazy writers or the thought that people wouldn't find it interesting. But in the context of the story, the way Gunn distances himself from the places and people he knew, leads me to think it was because he felt guilty about how he couldn't protect them.

There was something clearly going on with him and Veronica, but they never show her again, not one scene of Gunn going to visit her later, or asking about her recovery. This ep Gunn also mentions the demon he is trying to kill took two of "his men" and others, and the trauma of loosing his sister to vamps is incredibly fresh.

They established he rents a cheap apartment with others last ep, and he is still teaching others how to fight, but Veronica mentions he has already stopped visiting her at the store.

So he is already starting to interact with the people he knows, only when it's about what he considers his responsibilities. "Leisure" time with others means "taking it easy" and he thinks he can't afford that, when in reality, leisure time with teammates, or who ever, is also essential to keep up a good energy and build up trust. It looks like he knew this, but the guilt of his perceived failure is too much.

He talks about how sometimes you need discipline to survive, and distancing feels like a self punishment. At least, by the way they have established his character, that's the only way I can interpret it, because forget about them? doesn't feel like something he would do, more like he honestly felt he was bringing more hurt to his community by being there, and that he was in the grand schemes of things helping more people by spending more time with team Angel, mitigating his guilt.

I wish the writers had found an equilibrium instead, not complete distance, cuz that's a heartbreaking arc.

I think one of the reasons why I liked this ep was because they showed more of Gunn's world, places and people he knew, I miss that

[dynamightmite]

It's my own fault for going on reddit to read people's opinions about the manga (I'm sorry in advance, this is gonna be long) but I swear to God if I see one more half-assed hot take about someone hating Bakugo that effectively boils down to "overt violence being casually dismissed bad" I'm going to start smacking people over the head with a newspaper.

Like. Yeah, bro. That's literally it. I mean, it's kind of hard to talk about the violence inherent in the system without, y'know, showing you the violence inherent in the system. It's almost like Bakugo was being used as a vehicle to get that message across from an early point (Deku vs. Kacchan 1, specifically) in a way that is mitigated by circumstance so that it can later be dissected and eventually forgiven.

The entire purpose of characters like Bakugo and Endeavor is to show the audience the cracks in Hero Society's shiny facade that will eventually lead to its downfall. In fact, it's framed as being inevitable; hero society actively selects for competetive, ambitious, powerful people, and the obvious end result is heroes like Endeavor. Like what Bakugo could have been without intervention. The implication, however, isn't that characters like Bakugo and Endeavor are inherently evil, but began from a point where their actions and goals were understandable, if not admirable, but eventually devolved based on the encouragement they got from the system.

The big difference between them is Endeavor is a character who didn't recognize the flaws in hero society until it was too late, whereas Bakugo did. Unlike Endeavor, Bakugo is designed to be forgiveable. He's a child, he's placed in a situation that frequently encourages violence between unpracticed children who have questionable control of their quirks, he's got a quirk that can almost exclusively be used as a form of excessive force, and he has a lot of personal issues that stem from the society he grew up in.

Like it doesn't strike you as relevant that Bakugo attacking Midoriya was put in the context of them being in a facility designed for children to fight in, at a school specializing in teaching children to fight as part of their future career? Under supervision of an adult hero who chose not to stop them from fighting when he could have? When Midoriya and Bakugo both have equally destructive quirks and, if they had actually wanted to kill each other, they absolutely could have, considering Bakugo's control of his quirk and Midoriya's comparative lack? You don't think maybe, just maybe, there was an underlying purpose to that?

Now, Bakugo is supposed to be like Endeavor in the sense that you see how, from a young age, these types of people can appear and become heroes despite their flaws and the dangers they can pose to the people around them, and why it is so important that they have some kind of early intervention to prevent them from taking advantage of a position of authority for their own gain. Can you imagine if there was no Midoriya for Bakugo to measure himself against, and find himself lacking? If nobody showed him how to hold himself accountable? He probably would have ended up being the kind of hero who only cares about winning in the sense of coming out on top, rather than doing so to protect people. Instead, the manga basically provides a step-by-step instruction manual on how to evaluate your life choices and appropriately atone for past misconduct. It has Bakugo choosing to work towards compassion and empathy as a motivator, as opposed to following Endeavor's path towards attempted greatness, which is framed as being the correct choice, because, well—it is.

"But the narrative sometimes still glorifies violence—" for fuck's sake, yes, I know. And guess what, it does become convoluted by the narrative's mixed attitude towards violence. I am not the first person to acknowledge that a lot of BNHA's worldbuilding and general themes contradict each other, nor will I ever be the last. Horikoshi is not exactly a master class on writing critiques of society, okay, and a pacifist superhero story has some fundamental problems that aren't really addressed or worked out in the manga. None of that negates how important it is to have a main character like Bakugo, who visibly and consistently struggles with trying to learn how to be a good person in a system that is set up to allow him to succeed without having to make any real changes to himself. That matters. Not only because it shows the flaws in hero society, but because it helps acknowledge how baked-deep societal ideologies can become, and how incredibly difficult and unrewarding it can be to break out from them. If all the characters were like Deku—ready to throw himself out of the mold at a moment's notice and be aggressively compassionate all over everyone—there wouldn't really be a conflict for the story to deal with. Just because Bakugo's character development can be painful at times doesn't mean it's not important for it to occur the way that it does.

[the-final-sif]

Important notes for the Convict Childcare AU:

c!Dream does not know that Michael is c!Tubbo / c!Ranboo’s adopted son. He literally has no idea where, why, or how c!Sam got a zombie piglin child.

c!Dream initially believes that Michael is c!Sam trying to get him to be attached to something so Michael can be used against him. He starts to realize that isn’t the case, but still goes out of his way to convince c!Sam he doesn’t like Michael.

c!Dream actually attempts to use the revival book on Michael to see if it can cure his zombification. XD shows up, but he can’t cure the zombification without basically remaking Michael. Instead, he just heals what damage he can and mitigates the rest of the symptoms so that Michael won’t experience any more flesh decay, should only deal with mild aches, and won’t be infectious towards or instinctively rejected by piglins.

The healed damage means that while Michael still can’t talk, he gains back a lot of usage of his hands. This means he can learn some sign language!

c!Dream struggles to teach and communicate through sign language due to nerve damage in his own hands from the torture, but the two of them make it work.

The first signs c!Dream teaches Michael are “hide” and “help”.

c!Sam doesn’t know any sign so he gets pissy about the two of them using “secret codes” around him. c!Dream just teaches Michael to be subtle about it.

Speaking of c!Sam, Michael is scared of him. Both on account of “scary man who I don’t know who removed me from the care of someone I did know” and “my caretaker is clearly scared of this person so I should be too.”

At some point, after c!Sam has had enough time to build something he considers secure enough to hold c!Dream for at least a period of time, c!Sam tries to separate the two of them.

It goes. Poorly.

Michael was okay with leaving c!Dream for short periods, but being separated completely and left with c!Sam leaves him inconsolable. He’s constantly trying to run, crying, and refuses to eat or let c!Sam take care of him in anyway.

c!Sam spins a narrative in his head that c!Dream has somehow brainwashed Michael to be against him, and tries to force c!Dream to “fix” the problem.

c!Dream at least attempts to give c!Sam advice on how to take care of Michael around the torture, but c!Sam is stuck on the idea that there’s no way this could be because of his behavior.

Ultimately, c!Sam forgets that Michael is a piglin and makes the mistake of coming back into his room with the smell of c!Dream’s blood on his clothing.

Michael goes feral, attacking c!Sam, doing serious damage and almost dying to c!Sam’s thorns enchantment.

c!Sam can’t even get in the same room as Michael without drugging him with potions. So, in a rare moment of admitting defeat, c!Sam returns Michael to c!Dream under the guise of it being “because he has more work to do on the new prison.”

Michael latches onto c!Dream and Will Not Let go. c!Dream doesn’t sleep at all that night, partially because he’s scared of losing Michael again, and partially because he’s already grappling with the fact he’s going to need to give Michael away as soon as he’s free because there’s literally no way he’s going to be able to safely raise a child.

[is-the-primate-vid-cute]

i've been watching a LOT of nature documentaries, particularly anything related to primates because they've been a major interest to me as of late. i've watched a few centred around the hamadryas baboon and i have some questions that i hope aren't too complex.

why are they like that?? particularly the males. i haven't gotten around to learning about every species, but they seem to be the most extremely aggressive group so far. but what i really mean is, is there any actual reason they behave in such a way? they are very cruel to females and babies and seem to be outright vicious. are they just like that with no actual reason/answer?

sorry if this is difficult but while their behaviours and practices freak me out, i also find myself very interested in them. i hope to learn more about them beyond film documentaries.

Reminder that when we observe animals, we must move away from our own culture and values and instead view the animals objectively. Viewing their behavior as 'cruel' and 'vicious' is blocking you from actually seeing the behavior. Empathy can be valuable for humans; we see something scary or harmful and we become fearful and don't want to see suffering. But baboons live their lives differently and while their ways may seem shocking and harsh to us, our ways may seem unorganized and bad for survival to baboons.

I love hamadrayas baboons and wonder where you have seen this behavior that troubles you. Hamadrays baboons are often attentive parents and protect his troop. If you've seen chasing, striking, or food guarding behaviors; that's his job as leader. He must teach the youngsters their role in the group, protect his right to the largest share of food, and mitigate conflict in the troop. Squabbles will be settled by chasing or physical means but that doesn't mean the baboon is being vicious.

Hamadrayas baboons are the only baboon species that live in Single Male Units. The male must maintain order in the troop, ward off predators or challengers, and comfort the troop as well. Social grooming is extremely important for building relationships. Teeth-chattering and lip-smacking are considered reassurance behaviors, and are usually performed by dominant males as a sign of comfort. Dominant males may also produce a two-phase bark to ward of predators and other male baboons.

The male mates with the females of the troop, and they in turn spend their time grooming him. The lifestyle of the baboons includes a patriarchal power system: the male keeps the group in check, protects the females, and would not benefit from harming the females of his troop. Females can and do leave their male in search for a different troop if she isn't satisfied with him as a leader.

Offspring are protected by both parents and the male can often be seen playing with the young and giving them a great deal of attention. Other baboons may attempt to kidnap the young, so the male will be invested in protecting, not harming, the offspring. He will use physical means of discipline to ensure the youngsters have proper social skills and an understanding of baboon body language. A youngster who isn't socially competent may accidentally find themselves in a very serious fight so it's important they understand troop dynamics at a young age.

Hopefully, this helps you understand hamadrayas baboon behaviors a little better. Next time you see an animal behave in a way that shocks you, think about how that behavior may benefit the survival of the individual or troop. Many primates act in ways humans find alarming. We tend to view them as Human-Lite and apply our morals to their behaviors, which benefits no one and reduces our understanding of our primate cousins.

Sources: X X

[demonslayedher]

Do you think Tanjuro would have been able to defeat Muzan if he'd had Tanjiro's training? I get the impression he was a prodigy like Yoriichi but I also get the impression that Muzan was stronger in the present day. Related to this, do you think Tanjuro and Kie were Yoriichi and Uta reincarnated? Sorry for asking two questions at once, and thank you for all the research you do!

You're fine, they're closely related context! And yes, I think it would be fair to say Tanjuro had the capabilities to defeat Muzan if given the proper training to bring out the full strength of his Sun Breathing, provided Sun Breathing alone is capable of defeating Muzan (side note: using drugs/alcohol on beasts like Yamata-no-Orochi or Shutendoji was the only way mythological demon hunters were able to defeat them, humans just need the help and that's okay). I do, however, wonder at what age it would had happened, given how much Tanjuro's health had deteriorated by adulthood.

While it's just as possible he was of a naturally weak constitution since childhood, it's a pet theory of mine that Tanjurou's scar was due to purposefully hiding the mark, and that Sun Breathing, the OG Breath, mitigates the effect of the mark--the caveat being that the closer to perfection one is at the technique, the more pronounced the mitigation. With Yoriichi basically being born perfect at Sun Breathing, being born with the mark did not effect his lifespan in any negative way either, but we know from Tanjuro's conversation with Tanjiro in Chapter 151 that he wasn't always perfect at the Breath technique as he was growing up, and he often got himself very tired out. Even though he later attained a state of mastery over it, by that time, I think his years of imperfect practice had already taken a toll on his health.

As for Muzan being stronger in the Taisho era than in the Sengoku era, if anything I would say the opposite, since Muzan still carries the very deep scars Yoriichi gave him; points of weakness for Tanjiro to follow like "strike here" instructions. Muzan has gotten more cautious since the Sengoku era, using the 12 Moons like a buffer between himself and any demon hunters. However, if there's an absolute difference in strength, I don't think it would be by much.

Tanjuro may have had some points of genius, and may have picked things up more intuitively than Tanjiro did (he was certainly better at teaching, we know that much!). However, I don't consider him on par with Yoriichi, nor do I theorize that he is Yoriichi's reincarnation. Although reincarnation is a subtle element of KnY's universe, the mechanisms of the plot and Breath technique are not dependent on this, and focus instead on the continuing of passing things down--from benefactor to common charcoal farmer, from parents to children, from cultivators to pupils. "Inherited memories" is a work-around for reincarnation because it explains intuitive knowledge without a luck-of-the-draw reliance on reincarnation having the right timing and place, and implies this acquired knowledge is available to any generation that needs it. As the importance of family and familial bonds are stressed so heavily, I feel like Tanjuro being another very important link in a long chain is more meaningful to the story.

Muzan doesn't have this--his shared cells are his own immortal cells, he does his own surveillance as he ultimately does not trust anyone but himself. Each link from Yoriichi down to Tanjiro may be individually weak, whether for ability or physical strength and short life span, but their bonds and feelings were eternal.

[kellanved-ammanas]

Big Problem Chapter 2/5 - A Way Out

Pyro didn’t know a lot about mines but one thing he did know was that they weren’t tunnels. While some could certainly have multiple entrances or even cut clean through a mountain or whatever that wasn’t always the case. And thus taking the risk of dragging Medic – potentially with a cut off limb – deeper in the hopes an exit was down there somewhere wasn’t appealing. Even if there was, it might be a multi-hour long walk. Bad all on its own but it would also put them further away from the rest of the team who were probably looking for them by now. Their best bet was getting through the cave-in.

Naturally there the risk that the robots were still out there, waiting for them. How likely was that? … No way to know for sure but probably fairly low. Who in their right mind would wait around after a big explosion caused a cave-in to see if anyone crawled back out however many hours later? Assuming he and Medic hadn’t survived would’ve been a pretty safe conclusion to come to – it was pure luck that they had after all. Also, the rest of the team was still out there somewhere and thus should hopefully be keeping the remaining robots busy. So that was the direction Pyro was going to try to go in.

The question of how was pretty obvious upon taking stock of everything they had available to them; fireand a handful of explosive flares. Each individual flare didn’t make a huge explosion by itself but taking them apart and combing them might be enough to get them out without bringing everything else down around them.

After pacing out the entirety of the cave-in one more time to make sure he wasn’t missing anything important, he returned to sit beside Medic and told him the plan. “I’ll do it on the other side.” Medic was near one of the mine’s side walls, giving a decent amount of room to set off an explosive that shouldn’t be of much risk to him. “And maybe, I could make a smaller explosion to free you.” That would risky but as long as he was careful about where he set it off and how big it was, it should be less risky than chopping off Medic’s entire lower leg.

“Do you have enough to do that and ensure we get out?”

Pyro took a breath to say, ‘yes’ because he wanted that to be the case but well… “I don’t know. It depends on how thick the cave-in is and uh… it might be too thick to get through at all.” In which case their situation would go from bad to worse.

“Then don’t risk it. Put everything you have into getting us out.”

“But…”

“But nothing. This is the only exit we know exists so we should we should do everything we can take it if we can instead of dragging me who even knows how many miles to something that might just be a dead end. We could wait for the rest of the team to come rescue us but they don’t know we’re in here. Why would they think to look for us on the other side of a collapsed mine entrance?”

He was right because of course he was, he was almost always right. In this situation, doing everything they could to get through the cave-in was wise. On the other side were their allies and thus a ride back to base where safety and medical care would be. So… “Okay.”

With no time to waste on further deliberation, Pyro set both lighters – still with their pretty dancing flames but how much longer would the fuel in them last for? – to either side of him. Far enough apart that he would be able to see what he was doing while also mitigating the risk of blowing up the explosive while he was still working on it.

Next, he laid out everything he had. If asked to make an explosive like this in a non-emergency situation he’d have been confident in his ability to do it. But here and now, when it was life and death, he wasn’t so sure. If only he’d pushed Demo to teach him more about this kind of stuff. He’d only really wanted to learn how to make the explosive flares and everything beyond had just been for fun. When he got out of this, he’d go back to ask for more lessons in making explosives, just in case it ever came in handy again. For now though, he only had what he currently knew so, in hopes that it would be enough, he set to work.

He worked in silence, taking all but one of the flares apart to combine them into one big flare that wasn’t really a flare at all. Medic was silent too, uncharacteristic for him when he didn’t have much to do. A worrying sign but likely he was just in a lot of pain; his foot was crushed and his leg was broken so of course he wasn’t in a talkative mood. It would’ve been nice to listen to him ramble about something though, it’d make the atmosphere less heavy. But Pyro focusing solely on what he was doing was probably for the best anyway.

Thankfully, it didn’t take him too long to finish. In fact, it seemed to have been almost too easy. Something so important to get right should’ve been more difficult than that, right? Apparently not though. It wasn’t the most elegant of things and probably not the most effective of explosives either but that was to be expected given the non-ideal environment. Hopefully it would be enough though.

“Done,” he said as he looked back up at Medic. “How are you holding up?”

“I’ve been better.”

It would’ve been nice to offer him some comfort or make the situation better in some other way but… words couldn’t do much here. So instead, Pyro reached out to lightly pat his shoulder before placing the makeshift bomb on the ground for now grabbing one of the lighters. “Call if you need me,” he said as he stood up before heading off to walk along the cave-in wall again. He needed to find a place to plant his makeshift bomb.

Near the top of the rock wall would be best. Luckily, the mine’s ceiling was relatively low and the cave in was stable enough that he could clamber up and along it with relative ease even if doing so while holding the lighter in one hand made it a bit more difficult. Given that and the size of the cave in general, it didn’t take too long to find a suitable location. He was even able to pull out a few loose rocks to make a dent large enough to house it. Sadly, only a few though, as he was quickly met with a boulder that was too big to move without moving everything around it first – sadly, just plain digging out was likely not a viable option.

He left the lighter there to mark it as he slid down to head back to Medic and retrieve the makeshift bomb. Traversing the darkness between it and the little light left beside Medic was more nerve-wracking than he’d thought it’d be but thankfully it wasn’t very far.

“I just realized, I haven’t asked about you,” Medic said as Pyro reached him. “You’re not injured are you?”

“Not really.” Everything still hurt for sure but not so bad it impeded his ability to move. Though maybe that wasn’t saying much because he’d broken ribs before and hadn’t felt it was bad enough to complain about until Medic had asked why he was being a bit tender about hugs and holding things to his chest.

“That’s good at least. Really, we’re lucky to be alive. Let’s hope that luck continues.”

“It will.” Pyro didn’t know that for sure and was worried that wouldn’t be the case but it was better to at least outwardly be optimistic.

Medic’s only response was a tired sounding hum of acknowledgment.

Pyro bent down to gather up the makeshift bomb and the flare gun, the one remaining explosive flare already loaded into it. He was tempted to light a match during his trip back over to his designated bomb spot but refrained, going as fast as he dared instead. Which wasn’t very fast but relative to the distance, it got him there quick enough.

Once there, he climbed back up the wall, and pushed the bomb into the little hole he’d made, shoving it as far in as it could go. Next he moved the lighter down, just a little bit to continue to mark it without risking setting it off early. He’d have loved to leave a match and save the lighter from destruction but it wouldn’t have burned long enough to be useful. Even if he had plenty of spare lighters back at base, it still hurt to let one go but it had to be done.

He slid back down the wall. At the bottom he pulled out his box of matches. He struck one before starting to fast walk away. Its light was oh so pretty, if only he could light the whole box on fire. That would certainly produce a nice flame. But… no, he couldn’t. When they got back to base and after he’d made sure Medic would be okay he would light a big fire in the fireplace Medic had had installed in his room just for Pyro. Until then he had to be frugal and careful just in case.

As the flame burnt out, the match spent, Pyro stopped and turned back towards the wall. That should be far enough. He dropped the match and pulled out three more. After striking them all once, he placed their ends between his teeth. The acrid stench of smoke burned his nostrils, comforting in its familiarity even if the gas mask had been keeping him from the worst of it for a while now.

Putting the box away, he pulled out the flare gun, aiming at where the lighter marked the bomb to be. He’d thought about trying to make a fuse with a strip of cloth from Medic’s lab coat and whatever remaining fuel he could get from the flamethrower’s tank but that could get finicky and dangerous rather quickly. The unpredictably of such a ‘fuse’ wasn’t something he fancied messing with. Besides, this way was less trouble and quicker.

Of course, there was the downside of having only one shot at it and if he missed, that was that much more explosive power that could’ve gone into freeing them but didn’t. He wouldn’t miss though, he was too good to miss a stationary target even if his marker for it wasn’t on it exactly. Because of that though, he did spend a bit more time lining the shot up, the matches in his mouth giving him just enough light to do so. They were rapidly burning out though so… he pulled the trigger.

The flare was bright enough to hurt his eyes. He didn’t have time to do more than blink though as it apparently found its target, exploding with a pop that immediately became a loud blast. Turns out, the gas mask had been doing a decent job of muffling explosions because that was louder than Pyro was used to. Enough to be a surprise, making him flinch.

He spat out the now spent matches before looking back up, only to flinch away again. The light now didn’t just hurt his eyes, it burned. How was sunlight so bright?

But that meant his bomb had worked! They were free! … Almost anyway. Medic’s foot was still trapped under the rockfall. But they were almost free and that was worth celebrating by itself.

“We did it!” he said, still not yet able directly at the light.

“Yes,” Medic said, relief audible in his voice. “Very good job, Pyro. Now go make sure the hole is big enough for us to fit through.” A good idea! Most of Medic’s ideas were good.

Pyro waited a few more moments for his eyes to adjust further before rushing over. The hole was bigger than he’d thought it be but not as big as he would’ve liked. The fresh air on his face as he climbed up to it felt good enough that he would refrain from putting his mask back on for a little while longer even if he was even more exposed now.

He cleared it out a little more, pushing aside a few more rocks. Making it big enough for him to be able to fit through even if it would be a bit of a tight squeeze. But if he could fit than so could Medic. Though, getting him to it when he couldn’t use his legs was going to be a challenge. One for a bit later though as first, Pyro pulled himself partially out so he could look around the mine’s surrounding.

Outside was more of the abandoned mining town they’d been chased through, a pretty big one as far as abandoned mining towns went. The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon though sunset would still be a couple hours away. There were remains of the small robot army that had chased them scattered across the ground, though many more were likely under the cave-in. No ‘living’ robots though, thankfully.

Which didn’t mean they weren’t any. Especially with how close their stronghold was. It’s why the team had come here after all, hoping to take it out. Things hadn’t been looking good on that front thus likely, without him and Medic, it hadn’t happened. And thus, there were probably still robots nearby.

If any came across the cave-in and saw the hole in it would they be able to know to investigate? Maybe not but if they did and found Medic… that would be bad. If Pyro had some way to hide the entrance while he ran to get help it might be okay though. He could clog the opening with loose rubble maybe.

Pyro wriggled backwards and back inside. He then slid down and skipped back over to Medic. “Coast is clear for now and the hole is big enough to fit through,” he said as he bent down to retrieve his lighter, flipping it closed and dousing its little light before putting it back in his pocket.

“Good, good. Here’s what we’re going to do then; we need a tourniquet so you’re going to...”

“Wait,” Pyro interrupted. “The others might be nearby. They should be looking for us, right? I could run and get them. I’ll be super fast, promise, faster than Scout.. or maybe not but almost.” Running was hard with how heavy and constricting the suit was and he wasn’t a great runner in general but he could force it for Medic. “And then we could… dig you out maybe.” Demo could surely make some explosives perfectly sized to clear out most of the rubble, allowing the eight of them to dig Medic the rest of the way out. No limb severing necessary.

Medic grimaced. “If they find me like this while you’re gone, I can’t defend myself.”

“I know but they might not. They’re robots so they’re not very smart. And I’ll find a way to hide the opening just in case so we don’t have to...”

“Do not leave me alone here.”

Pyro flinched at the anger in Medic’s tone, turning his words into an almost growl. He understood it though. Anger was a good blanket for fear. He would’ve been afraid of the thought of being left alone and defenseless like that too especially so close to an enemy stronghold. And well, there was no guarantee that hiding the opening would work.

He took a deep breath before settling down on the ground next to Medic. “Okay.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Medic trailed off.

“It’s okay. I understand.” He still didn’t like it but the idea of leaving Medic alone and defenseless was also really bad. And if Medic preferred to take the risk of chopping off the limb over the risks involved in being left here alone while Pyro ran to get help, that was his decision to make.

Pyro pulled off his gloves so he could take take Medic’s hand in both of his. “Tell me what you want me to do.” He had some medical knowledge but a refresher on what all exactly would be the best way to go about this was welcome.