#at least for this thing...may elaborate on this more

[anniflamma]

Hey, just realized that last year it was YOUR art that I saw that reignited my curiosity for the David and Jonathan story. It inspired me to actually write their romance myself and also read other authors that had already done so. I’ve only read How The Mighty Are Fallen, and having seen some of your recs, I’ve decided to check out The Prince’s Psalm as well. What dissatisfies me about what I’ve read, though, is the Christianization of the legend as well as the white-washing of David or Jonathan. Like these dudes would NOT be blonde and blue-eyed! Also, in How Are The Mighty Fallen, the author borrows a lot from Greek mythology (which I found boring) while the Prince’s Psalm sticks to the Judeo-Christian version of the story. None of these really sound like they were written in the time David is believed to have actually lived, at least in terms of cultural practice. Or rather, none of them explore WHAT ELSE the culture could be. Also, no one seems to like Michal much. Like they treat her character like horse dung.

For my version, I’ve decided to take the best of both these books and write a Jonathan x David story that is a) more fantastical in its mythology, involving the other deities in the Canaanite pantheon kinda like Madeline Miller does with TSoA, b) take advantage of historical sources and write a world where women have more agency and family dynamics are more nuanced to their times, c) give Michal a role in the story outside of her being David’s wife, d) throwing out Christian sentiments that get in the way of depicting this time period and running wild with the gaps in historical sources. I also include other Caananite/Hebrew mythological creatures as well.

idk how successful I may be, but there’s not many people on here that care so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to share with you. If you’d like to be a beta reader, well, I’d be happy to share what I’ve written so far. I’d appreciate your take on things.

As much as I love The Prince's Psalm by Eric Shaw Quinn, there are many things I would critique on. And you’ve perfectly pointed out some of my issues with it.

For one, it’s clear the author isn’t from the Middle East, nor are that good on describing the setting and lacks cultural specificity. You could put this story into any environment with minimal changes. The book skips alot on sensory and cultural details: no descriptions of food ingredients or aromas, clothing patterns, musical styles, or cultural ceremonies. People dance, sing, and eat, but the narrative never delves deeper. If I recall correctly, the only actual recipe mentioned is David’s mother making lentil soup.... with zero details about herbs, spices, or even the type of lentil! It’s like me writing about my mom’s moqueca and just calling it ‘fish stew’ without elaboration. The Prince’s Psalm falls into this this alot. It borrows cultural basics but never explores them.

Then there’s Michal… Oh, poor Michal. What did they do to you? It’s funny, while reading this book, I had the revelation at Michal isn’t the ‘unreasonable bitch’ some adaptations paint her as. View her as a human being, and her hatred for David makes perfect sense. Imagine your ex-husband’s lackey drags you back to him, forcing you to abandon your current family. Your new husband sobs, begging you not to leave. Your father and eldest brother are dead. Your ex (now husband again) tries to get rid of your younger brothers. Then you catch him dancing naked in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Of course you’d snap! Yet The Prince’s Psalm still frames her anger as irrational, including her arc revolves entirely around men. Tbh I thing she was pretty much dropped at the end of the book. Like she kinda dissapeared and never mentioned again once David ran away from Saul. But either way, she marries her crush, and that very night... before sunrise.... she discovers David has left their bed to sleep with his brother. Yeah… her rage is justified XD. But I think my biggest gripe is that the story never really sympathizes with her....

Despite all this, I still love The Prince’s Psalm. Maybe because it was my first explicit queer romance adaptation of David and Jonathan’s story, so it holds a special place in my heart. But it’s not above criticism!

But your idea of writing your own David/Jonathan story is something I’ll always support! And including the Canaanite pantheon? Huge plus!!

Right now, I’m beta-reading for @doc-davey’s Book of Saul, though I’m pretty slow with edits... SORRY, DAVEY! 😅 But I’m always open to beta-reading more stories!

[icecreampizzer]

i like to think that- in saving the phoenix at the end of KBOOM- roxana's hands suffered some pretty serious burns from willingly getting so close to the magma. i, too, have occasionally had a thought of prism and solaris meeting up, and those thoughts always eventually flow into solaris taking note of the scars and assuming that the phoenix caused them. which, admittedly, why should she imagine otherwise? when all she knows is the trail of fiery destruction they leave in their wake, and the familiarity of the burns on her own skin.

there's something there to me about solaris assuming she can have a kinship with another inventor, and prism... obviously having a slightly different take on the whole phoenix situation. both so similar and so different at the same time.

all this to say by the time you add john in there i think it would turn into public debate class💥

OUUH YES you reminded me that I Forgot to add that bullet point in the relationship thingy, but I didn't have enough space as it is...I'm very sure that their perspectives on Phoenix are a common cause of arguments between them, ranging from silly to maybe serious. All their lives changed by that one agent, in drastically different ways...

Solaris and Prism could probably still bond over a lot of things (inventing and all that Zoraxis Baggage:tm: maybe even fabby) but they're certainly stubborn about how they view Phoenix. Now I'm wondering if Prism could change Solaris's mind about them.. knowing her though it's better to not push it because I def think Solaris isn't the type to let go of grudges so easily.

Also I got inspired to do some doodles on the topic :thumbsup: Solaris's house is never gonna have a moment of peace for a long time *sitcom theme song plays. but bond style somehow*

[reticent-fate]

part 5/26ish

hey who spilled this plot in my otherkin hrt comic?

spoilers: it was me

from the beginning

[aeriondripflame]

and aegon exudes hyena energy, phylogenetically closer to felines and viverrids, but behaviourally and morphologically more similar to canids in several elements due to convergent evolution. a contemptible faux-dog concealing cat-natur. chained and muzzled it appears a misshapen leopard... Its laughter belies fear. one of the few mammals other than bats known to survive infection with rabies. (Wikipedia)

fun fact about hyenas: they make that laughter giggle sound when they’re frustrated or during violent conflicts. which is so aegon.

[teethbomb]

hhhhhhnnngh

[togglesbloggle]

My boyfriend has really vivid, elaborate dreams. He’ll often wake up and talk about some grand narrative- travel, exploration, politics, performances. I’ve always been a little jealous, he can hold really good plots together for them sometimes.

But anyway, this does have a downside; vivid, elaborate dreams make for vivid, elaborate nightmares. I can usually tell when it’s one of those nights, since he grinds his teeth pretty badly.

I was never quite sure what to do when I knew he was having a bad time of it, though the grinding alone was enough to worry me and push me towards intervening. I used to just shake him gently, hope to rouse him just enough to reset the dream or something, but it wasn’t too effective and anyway waking him up all the time isn’t good for rest.

I’m rather proud of the strategy I eventually settled on: gently, so as not to wake him up, I’d lay one arm across his hands, wrapping his fingers around me so that he was holding on. Nightmares being nightmares, I can usually count on a pretty tight grip when this happens.

It may seem a little odd, but consider that holding on to something with both hands is typically a very agentic frame of mind. We hold on to things that give us power, in one way or another, and possessing objects often makes us feel powerful in some respects. That has consequences, even for a dreaming mind.

I knew it was working when he woke up rather mystified from one such dream, and told me that he’d been running through the caverns of some dungeon or cave system, pursued by monsters, but then all of a sudden he was holding a giant anime sword and fought them off instead. So I got to be a sword for him that night, I was delighted.

I don’t usually get to know exactly what happened, since even for a very vivid dreamer like Ritter, nine tenths of these things get forgotten. But I know I’ve been things like door handles, steering wheels, stuff like that. And even when I don’t know what I am to him, he doesn’t grind his teeth nearly as much- the sleep is deeper and more peaceful, so I get plenty of feedback that it’s working.

It’s such a perfect encapsulation of love in microcosm, isn’t it? No matter how much you mean to them, and how much they mean to you, the gap between two conscious lives is fundamentally separating you. But fundamental does not mean insurmountable. There’s this whole world in him, full of dreams and perspectives that I’ll never truly experience. But I will be a part of those worlds all the same, finding little ways here and there to make sure that the dreams of me make him a better, stronger, and happier person.

Or at least, so one hopes. It’s a difficult challenge, and things often go awry. But usually you get at least a little lucky.

[daz4i]

in my angel/demon au boothill's role is basically

>shows up

>is kinda mean to aventurine but ultimately helpful in his own way

>leaves

>shows up again way later

>gets into shenanigans that involve shooting people

>doesn't elaborate

never saying what he is or where they know each other from (which i absolutely did with p much any other character included in this au, and even some i ended up not including) why he's there and how he got there. which. imo. is what he would've wanted

[kenwio]

Joker's kid! reader x batfamily

• -------------------- ♤ ♡ ◇♧ --------------------•

Author's note: I've been reading a lot of batfam x reader, and today I got this idea in my mind. I don't know if someone wrote something similar, and I apologize if so.

Warnings: English is not my first language, and it may contain grammar mistakes.

All in all, it's just a quick sketch I wanted to share with the world. I hope you will enjoy reading it. And I may write something more on this.

• -------------------- ♤ ♡ ◇♧ --------------------•

Joker's kid! reader, who hates his father, because he never cared, he sees you as his pawn, way to lure Batman in

Joker's kid! reader, who, without any connection to the real world, understands, that the way Jokers acts is just not right

Joker's kid! reader, who barely has any sanity and has so many mental issues, that they don't even know how to untangle their emotions or what they feel

Joker's kid! reader, who hopes that one day, Batman would put their dad into the prison for good. But this hope is crushed every time more with every Joker's escape from prison

Joker's kid! reader, who hoped that his mother would take them with her, but when she never did, was too busy with building her new life. After that, they started to think that they were too much of the burden

Joker's kid! reader, who has to hide in the corners of the crime alley, because they have nowhere to go until Joker breaks out and find them again. They are so scared, hungry, cold, but they know there is practically nothing they can do

Joker's kid! reader, who is afraid of Batman. They themselves saw how many times their father. Yet, they can't help but feel something light bubbling in their chest as they look at him.

Joker's kid! reader, Who is weirded out by how Robin, Red Robin, Red Hood and Nightwing act around batman, but they found themselves fascinated by it

Joker's kid! reader, who saw and decided to follow Batman out of desperation. They just wanted to this all end, and at least, Batman could do that, they saw her

Joker's kid! reader, who was scared by how long Batman was silent, how he stared at them. How he crouched down to their level. It felt like he was looking in their soul. Of course he knows who their are, he just never expected them to come to him. They may never know, but he was so relived to see that the this kid was not following their father.

Joker's kid! reader, who was shocked by how gentle Batman's voice sounded, how gently he put his hand on the shoulder, how he led them to his batmobile, how he gently buckled up their belt, how he put blanket on them (why would Batman have a spare blanket in the batmobile?).

Joker's kid! reader, who had to spend so much time in the medbay, not only because they were malnourished, but because they had so much health issues.

Joker's kid! reader, who is visited by Batman on many occasions, and were shocked by his care. Why he was so caring? Gentle? Was it a part of some elaborate scheme?

Joker's kid! reader, who had to learn identity of Batman and batfamily, because they would be moved to the manor. At one hand, it was a good change, but they were so scared.

Joker's kid! reader, who recives unpleasant glances from all the family: Dick looks at them like they are sick animal, Jason looks like their are a ticking bomb, Tim like they are remnants of his nightmares, Damian like they are disgusting criminal.

Joker's kid! reader, who think they all will hate them more because they keep breaking things (they just don't know how to use them). Alfred looks at them with such an intense gaze, that they couldn't help but shiver.

Joker's kid! reader, who looks at interactions between Bruce and wounders if this is how familiar is? Is it supposed to be warm like this? Is that care? Is that what happiness is?

Joker's kid! reader, who thinks that they are so out of place. They do not deserve this, not after what their father has done.

Joker's kid! reader, who just want to have be a part of family too

• -------------------- ♤ ♡ ◇♧ --------------------•

Thank you so much for reading! Please, feel free to share your opinions. I hope you have a good day!

[baeshijima]

— stardust

the world is a vast place. in the grand scheme of things, humans are but a speck of dust; much like how you are sure you are nothing but a meagre speck of dust in the world he lives in, forever to be remained unseen. (if only you knew how you are the brightest star he'd ever laid his eyes upon.)

CONTAINS : gn!reader, 1.5k wc, royalty!au, contract marriage/marriage of convenience, fluff, smitten reca bc what would he be other than smitten, a little hint of bittersweet at the end if read between the lines aha...

A/N : ....i have a paper due monday. i havent started it. why do i do this to myself. (reca i love u can u not hear my cries and wails as fic after fic appears in my brain for u...)

Duke Reca of the northern territory; to many he is a well-accomplished noble, a young genius set for greater things, and the owner-slash-founder of the top theatre company. He is an idol — a role model to those who aspire to be more involved in the artistic side of the world.

To you, however, he is an absolute lunatic, the bane of your existence, and your contractual husband.

It's not like you had much choice. It was either: a) remain as a hollow puppet whose strings danced at your family's fingertips, or b) find some way to escape with outside power.

You, of course, chose the second option. Unfortunately, that somehow led to you meeting the young duke when out in the shopping district, trying to escape the suffocating presence of your family's knights accompanying you by running into a secluded alleyway, even if it was for but a momentary breather.

It was a whirlwind of a meeting... quite literally. Bodies flew; clothing tousled; breaths stolen. Well, at least for you it was like this. He, on the other hand, looked right as rain. (Lucky bastard.) You hadn't realised it was him at first, too absorbed in hasty apologies and the numbing bloom spreading across your backside like a wildfire (really, they ought to incorporate more padding in these flimsy clothes!), but when he uttered an apology of his own for not paying attention to his surroundings with an arm outstretched to help you stand, your mind all but blanked. What was someone of his status doing in a dingy alley? Didn't the newspapers report word of his self-confinement, having not stepped foot outside his manor in fervent preparation of his upcoming performance?

No, never mind all that; wasn't this a blatant opportunity being presented to you? An outside power that could help you escape the clutches of your family...

With gritted teeth, all sense of self-dignity was cast aside as you grasped his outstretched hand with both of your own, gazing into his widened eyes with your own narrowed ones.

"Your Grace, I know this is hardly the appropriate time nor place, but please... marry me!" Your words echoed within the enclosed space. Duke Reca blinked slowly down at you, and it was then you realised you never elaborated. "In... in a contractual marriage of convenience, of course."

"Oh?" he grinned, amusement and intrigue twinkling in his eyes. "And what is it you can offer me?"

"I..." Truthfully, there was nothing you could offer which would be beneficial to someone like him who had everything at the tips of his fingers. You were but a speck of dust in his world, merely floating and remaining unseen within his view. But even so, here you kneeled before him, his gaze wholly fixated on a speck of dust such as yourself. If nothing else, you at least had your desperation — a desperation to be your own person. "My lineage may be from that of a baron's, but I am confident I can be of use to you if you would permit it. So long as you accept my offer, I will do anything to aid you, whether that be through practical means or a performance you wish to see."

A beat of silence.

"Ha... haha... ahahaha!!"

And, as if things couldn't get any worse than a sore rear and disgruntled self, you were pulled out of your daze by a pair of gleaming carmine eyes, a maniacal grin, and his body, now kneeled just like you were, so very close to your own.

"That determination... how brilliantly you burn with such an expression!" The sheer glee which bled through his tone sent shivers down your spine, having never realised someone so esteemed had such a side to him. The duke breathed a breathy laugh and slightly backed up, his hands still holding your arms. "Alright, I look forward to seeing how brightly you will shine in your performance, my dear leading actor."

...Was it too late to back out and find an alternative solution?

Admittedly so, for the next thing you knew vows were declared and you were moved into the duke's residence. You could still remember your family's aghast expressions the moment you declared you were marrying Duke Reca and thus cutting ties with them. It was oddly freeing to see their contorted faces reveal their true nature.

Life as the duke's spouse was... something, to say the least. His servants and attendants almost seemed to have shed tears of joy at the revelation of their ever so lonely duke (their words, not yours) finally settling down and getting married, asking you questions such as how you both met, what drew you to their duke, who popped the question first, why you chose him of all people, so on so forth. It was... cosy. Something you admittedly weren't very accustomed to, but found yourself welcoming nonetheless.

One thing you never expected was for the duke to have a little pet of his own; a little toad dressed in a miniature beret and matching suit, at that. Assistant Director is what Reca had called her, and you think for someone so obsessed with the arts he ought to up his naming sense. She was also quite susceptible to compliments, something you discovered when commenting on the little toad's cute attire, with the duke's baffling translation of her bashfulness and her own compliment on your own looks. Apparently. You're not really sure, but you're inclined to believe it ever since she claimed a spot on your shoulder.

As the days-turned-weeks-turned-months bled into each other, you found yourself oddly lost at how well-adapted you have become of your new life and the duke's personality. From impromptu displays of affection both in and outside the manor to sporadic radio silence on his end when wholly consumed by his fervent passion for a project, you sometimes wonder just how you're still alive with the amount of heart attacks the man has given you.

But despite his... eccentricities, to put it lightly, there are times where you can't quite put a finger on certain expressions he would make when he thinks you're not looking. They're unlike his (once again, to put it very lightly) passionate eyes when rambling to you during mealtimes about an upcoming performance the troupe has; unlike the sheer mania he can exude when something truly sparks his inspiration; unlike the playfully smug grin he would give you when swooping down in dramatic flair to press a long kiss to the back of your palm; unlike the rare darkening of his expression that you cannot help but stiffen at when something or someone in the troupe doesn't quite match his expectations.

No. These ones are... soft. A kind of tenderness and unprecedented longing able to be identified if scrutinised close enough. It was evident in the ghost-like touches he would trail along your skin, as though afraid just a little more force would do irreparable damage. It was evident in the attention to even the most minute details, having everything from clothing to food to the decor suited to preferences you yourself never realised you had. It was evident in the way unadulterated fondness leaked through his tone when his unique terms of affection for you slipped through his lips when all was silent and you were supposed to be asleep.

"My dearest star..."

...Much like now, it would seem.

The bed dips by where your knees slightly bend, hidden under the beige covers. A familiar musky scent surrounds you not long after, and you find yourself involuntarily relaxing at the comfort it brings as your head further burrows into the pillow.

You want to stay awake, even if it's just for a second longer, to hear what he has to say to your less than conscious state. But, oh, his fingers threading through your hair and softly massaging your scalp and the gentle touch of his forehead against yours and the subtle comforting warmth that rolls off his body in waves does little to help you fight the sleep which easily takes over.

Oh, whatever! You'll just try and catch what he has to say next time.

Eventually your breathing evens out, only soft snores now heard within the large shared bedroom. Upon noticing this, Reca cannot stop the fond smile which lifts the corners of his lips, nor can he prevent the softening of his eyes as he continues to gaze at your sleeping form.

"My dearest [Name]," he whispers into the dead of night. Even now, several months later, he still cannot believe his luck to have run into you in that alleyway. It must have been fate which made him heed its call, urging him he would discover something sure to escape that terrible slump plaguing him for weeks on end.

Sure enough, it brought him to something irreplaceable; something he has been searching desperately for.

You.

And, with the tenderest of kisses pressed to your forehead that would put even the most sickening romantics to shame, he murmurs words of promise against your skin, an oath he swears to uphold no matter the obstacles which stand before him.

"In this life, I will ensure you have only the best of endings."

if you enjoyed this, reblogs and/or comments are greatly appreciated <33

[arolesbianism]

Untreated dst dynamic of the century is Wendy and Wurt they are so delightful to me. Yes this is 65% because of Wurt's walking stick dialogue but also I'm correct

[kannouo]

Voice of an Angel

fandom: obey me pairing: demon brothers x gn!reader warnings: none summary: the demon brothers react to an mc with a soothing voice. prompt by anon: I have lost my voice and it has sucked 😔 I shall never take the ability to talk for granted ever again. So can I request the demon brothers with a MC with a very soothing voice? Thank you in advance!!! I’m coping. A/N: i hope you feel better by the time this is out anon :( and tysm for this adorable request!

LUCIFER

• Lucifer was taken with your voice from the moment he first heard it.

• As a fan of classical music and a romantic at heart, he often drew comparisons from your voice to his favourite vinyl records — how harmonic and melodious it was, and how even as you bare your rawest and ugliest emotions, your voice still retains that soothing quality, sounding almost like a song. He never put any of this to words, though. At least not at first.

• He had an image to keep up when you first arrived. As the Avatar of Pride, the first-born, and Diavolo's right hand, he needed you to fear and respect him lest you think it safe to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. So, any thoughts that may imply a sense of vulnerability would just have to stay in his head.

• ...Despite his efforts, his tactics of intimidation clearly didn't work on you, so...

• Wounded pride aside, once the two of you get closer, he's a lot more comfortable with expressing his love for your voice. He'll mostly make passing comments about it, leaving you flustered as he proceeds to move on from it right away, pretending to be oblivious as to what he did.

"MC," You tilt your head up at the sound of your name being called and look on over at Lucifer, who lets an uncharacteristically easy smile creep on his face as he approaches you. "I wanted to congratulate you on the speech you delivered today. I'm glad you went through on it after all. A voice as lovely as yours deserves to be heard." "Thanks... I was—" You sputter, his words only now registering as you feel your cheeks burn hot. "—What? What'd you say?" You aren't sure if it's truly clarification you're seeking, or if you simply want him to repeat those oh-so-rare words of praise. His lips quirk into a smirk and he begins to walk away without another word. "Lucifer!"

• Would definitely invite you to his room using the excuse of needing you to lend a hand with his paperwork when literally all you're doing is sitting there and reading some mail out loud to him. He's not that busy, and he's not too terribly interested in what the letters say either, but your voice can make even the most boring subjects engaging.

• Also... Lucifer is stressed. Perpetually. It would definitely do wonders for him if you managed to coax him into laying on your lap and simply talking to him about anything and everything, or even singing a song if that's preferable. He'll act as if he's only doing it to humour you, and it's honestly better to just let him have that one, even though you know he needs it more than anyone.

• He won't admit this, but he absolutely has trouble saying "no" to you at times. You just always ask him in the sweetest voice, he can't help it...

MAMMON

• He thinks he's slick. He isn't.

• Even in the very beginning, he would pull "tricks" in an attempt to make you talk more. Things like pretending he couldn't hear what you were saying so you'd repeat yourself... but you got sick of having to repeat yourself 5 times every time you said anything pretty quickly, so he had to switch it up.

• He starts asking for your extremely detailed opinions on random subjects — honestly, you're not sure how much more he expects you to elaborate on your thoughts on kiwis — or will interrupt ongoing conversations because he's "pretty sure you want to say something". You have to ask him to stop that one eventually. It's incredibly awkward.

• You and everyone else know very well why he acts like this with you, but he'd deny thinking anything was special about your voice to the grave. In front of others, at least.

• If you catch him on a day when he's willing to be vulnerable, he'll be more open about it. No matter what, he's always going to be a little shy about openly complimenting you, but depending on his mood, he might be willing to admit he wants to hear you talk. The subject doesn't matter — you could be saying literally anything, it's all the same to him. He just wants to listen to your voice.

"What's that show you were watchin' earlier about?" An innocuous and, under any other circumstances, innocent question. You had begrudgingly given in to Asmo's pleading to watch The Bachelorette with him, and braced yourself for a long ride when he insisted on starting this journey from the beginning. Mammon must have walked in on you two watching it, but... you have to admit, you're a little sceptical that Mammon gives two shits about The Bachelorette. "...I thought you didn't care about reality TV?" Mammon looks a little stumped at your response. No way is he giving you an honest answer, but... the longer he goes without hearing your voice, the more he feels like the energy is being drained out of him. "...I'm... warmin' up to it?"

• Praise and general words of affection and kindness mean more coming from you anyway, but that coupled with your voice sounding so peaceful and relaxing as you compliment him makes him melt.

• He's also just a smidge more okay with you giving him commands using the pact you two share. Something about it being your soft voice telling him what to do softens the blow to his ego a little.

LEVIATHAN

• I'll give in to being cliché here and say yes, your voice does absolutely remind him of a few anime characters.

• In most anime with a diverse cast, there always tend to be at least one character, feminine or masculine, with a signature calming and gentle voice. He's bound to know at least one or two that sound exactly like you.

• Even if you didn't sound like any characters he knew of, it wouldn't matter. It'd take him a little longer to make the connection, but he'd still think your voice is adorable enough to be in an anime, and to "prove it" will persuade you into reciting a few lines from his favourite shows.

"Beware, evil demons, for I'll plant your rears in the..." You sceptically read through the lines of dialogue Levi handed you and hold up the script. "Isn't this a little...?" "It's fine, the 'demons' in Ruri-Hana are way different from us," Levi shakes his head and waves his hand in front of him in dismissal, looking at you with stars in his eyes. "Anyway, this is Ruri-chan's most famous catchphrase! You need to say it with the excitement it deserves!" You sigh and close your eyes, bracing yourself to get into character. Even if it was embarrassing, you suppose you can at least let him have this... "Beware, evil demons, for I'll plant your rears in the dirt! Ruri-Hana! ☆" "WOOOOAAAHHH!"

• Levi is very prone to falling asleep to your voice too. Not because he's uninterested in anything you're saying, but because it's just so relaxing. He'll get embarrassed and vehemently deny having ever done this if you confront him about it.

• Lowkey wishes he had a recording of your voice to use as an alarm to motivate him to get up in the mornings, but he's way too shy to ask for one. It makes him feel like a creep.

SATAN

• Another romantic here, but not a very subtle one.

• He made a few passing comments about your voice at first — but like most everything he said when you were first getting to know him, it was superficial. It's only when you two grow closer does he truly realise how much he adores your voice and becomes more genuine about it.

• He'll openly compliment your voice and, like Mammon, asks for your your opinion on literally everything. He is slightly less obnoxious about it though. If you're a naturally quiet or shy person, he'll do his best to boost your confidence so he can hear you speak up more.

"Hm? Oh, you're done with it?" Satan asks and turns his body to face you, taking the book from your outstretched hands. He had been kind enough to lend you one of his many, many books after an extremely extensive conversation about your preferred genres. It had taken a while to finish — but you'd finally done it, and it was time to return the book. "Thank you. How did you like it?" "I enjoyed it." You see a pleased smile form on his face. "That's good," he places the novel on top of a messy pile of books that looks as if it's going to topple over at any moment. "Would you like to discuss it with me? I want to know what you liked most about it... and your opinions on the ending."

• Likes to hear you read aloud. He listens to audiobooks quite often, and most of them include people with naturally soothing ASMR-type voices. You remind him a lot of his audiobooks for that reason.

• Hears your voice as his internal monologue when he's reading something with a character that reminds him of you.

• You possess the very rare and valuable ability to calm the Avatar of Wrath's rage with your voice alone. When he's close to entering a fit of fury, in that stage right before he breaks into his demon form, just talking to and reassuring him with that soft voice of yours has the power to ground him. He'll still be angry of course, but at least you can avoid any potential property damage and just have him vent to you instead.

• Another brother who would love to lay his head down on your lap as you thread your fingers through his hair and talk about literally anything at all. He especially likes when you hum or sing softly. He's unlikely to ask for this, but the lack of complaint and the blush on his face as you persuade him into lying down for you tells you everything you need to know.

ASMODEUS

• His voice is similarly pleasing to the ears.

• Of the many, many things he gets complimented for, his voice is absolutely among them. So when he hears you speak for the first time, expect a comment along the lines of "oh, your voice is almost as cute as mine!"

• And as your relationship develops, your voice of course isn't the only thing he praises you for. However, it does make him all the more eager to hear his praises come from your lips.

• He gets showered in attention and compliments from his adoring fans every single day, but when it's you, it's special for two reasons. One: it's you. The one person he deems truly equal to himself and who he willingly shares that pedestal with. Two: that voice does things to him. I'm trying HARD to keep it SFW

"Baby! Oooh, look, look, look!" Your doom-scrolling on your phone is suddenly interrupted by Asmo's excited chanting as he shoves a magazine in your face, nearly hitting you with it. As your eyes focus on what he was trying to show you, you see the fruit of his latest photoshoot; him, in a cropped top and leather skirt, posing elegantly for the camera. "Don't I look adorable? Beautiful? Sexy?" He eggs you on, leaning his face in close. "Go on, tell me how fabulous I look! I want to hear from your mouth what a good job I did~"

• Another one who likes to hear you sing. He's a fan of karaoke himself and has a habit of trying to drag you into singing duets with him whenever there's an opportunity. Even if you aren't a singer at all, he insists your singing voice is naturally lovely, just like his!

BEELZEBUB

• I doubt Beelzebub would particularly care what your voice sounds like.

• Obviously, he notices. Maybe even compliments you about it. But you could have a super calming voice, an extremely high-pitched or nasally voice, or even not talk at all... It wouldn't change that your presence itself is what he finds soothing, not just your voice.

• Most things I have to say about his reaction here would still happen no matter what your voice actually sounded like. Him liking to hear you ramble, him falling asleep to one of your stories, even the compliments he gives, they're all reliant on the fact that it's you, not that your voice actually sounds a certain way.

• That's not to say he's being disingenuous. Quite the opposite. Because it's you, he means all the things he says.

• However I can see him being another one who would just kind of assumes that you're a singer, or have a nice singing voice. He states it like a known fact. You're at an event, karaoke comes on, and he's like "oh, you should go up there." Do you remember that one lesson in the OG game where everyone gets trapped in a karaoke room that'll only let you out if you get a perfect score? Beel asks you if you're willing to participate because "you're a good singer, right?" even if he's literally never heard you sing before.

• I can also see him, like Satan, being easily calmed down from going on a rampage by you just, talking to him.

"Beel..." You begin, your tone much like how one would talk to a scared animal. And for good reason, too. When you joined Beelzebub for a quick midnight snack, this was the worst possible outcome, a day you prayed you would never witness... The fridge was empty. "Beel, it's OK." "There's nothing left," he says, tone so low it sounds almost like a growl. "I'm hungry." "Just close the fridge." You guide his hand away from gripping the fridge door so tightly you're afraid he might leave a permanent indent. "There's snacks left in the drawers. The fridge isn't our only option."

BELPHEGOR

• I hope you enjoy being used as a walking ASMR audio.

• Seriously though, similar to Beel, your presence is what he finds soothing, not just your voice. But, your voice is definitely a plus.

• I imagine Belphie as the type to get annoyed when people are talking while he's trying to sleep, or if they're making too much noise. He isn't a light sleeper by any means so such things won't wake him up necessarily, but they will annoy him if he's still awake and he isn't above brashly telling people to shut up. You are an exception, however.

• He doesn't just not mind when you talk while he's trying to go to sleep, he encourages it. He'll lay down on your lap and tell you to read him a bedtime story, sing him a lullaby, or even just talk about your day. There's no need to worry about him not hearing all you have to say, either. He picks up information in his sleep, so don't leave out any details; he'll remember all of it when he wakes.

You grunt a little as the sudden weight of an entire grown man on your legs pulls you away from your 'me time'. You look down and see Belphie, now snuggled into your thighs with his eyes already half-shut. "What'd you do today?" He asks, and you know he just wants you to talk. "You won't even be awake to hear what I did." Belphie peeked open an eye and grinned impishly up at you. "Yeah I will," he said, stretching his arms above his head. "I heard when you started whispering how much you loved me when I fell asleep last night." "You heard that??"

• He hears your voice in his dreams. Frequently. Then he wakes up missing you. Expect a morning text that is fuckboy levels of needy. "U up?" lookin ass.

[mostly-imagines]

Well, I guess that I'm going to be that person so, Jay and threesomes — delicious idea actually;

But I don't think that he would dive into the idea of sharing you with other people, especially if you two are a thing (or not, it depends on how he feels about you), like, I've seen in another ask that I unfortunately can't remember the name but it said that if you dated Roy Harper (aka Arsenal) he would share you with Jay, but if it was the opposite, our pretty vigilante wouldn't allow it.

It's clear that it's not that he doesn't trust you, more like... Uhhh? Don't trust others or the insecurity of himself? You get the idea.

Would like to elaborate more, luv?

implied NSFW content below

okay i think there’s 2 ways this could go

1 ) you know how there's a bunch of fics of jason & roy conspiring to have a threesome w reader? every single time i read one (as hot as i do find it) i think about the alternate way that conversation could go

so like you're jason's gf & roy thinks you're hot and decides to get bold bc surely jason will agree?? what’s a girl between friends, right?

he's hung out w you guys/at your apartment lots of times so he's seen you two being touchy with each other plenty.

roy shows up one night to hang and you're wearing one of jay's shirts and as far as roy can tell, no pants because his shirt is so goddamn big on you, there's no point.

"stop looking at her like that," jason's gruff voice cuts through roy's thoughts as they sit on the couch, watching you move about the kitchen.

roy looks over at jason, who doesn't return the eye contact. "i'm not looking at her like anything." he returns his gaze to you, watching your hips. “she’s pretty.”

"i know.” jason says shortly.

jason, knowing roy pretty fucking well at this point, can tell exactly where he’s going with this. he’s been extra flirty with you lately, like he’s trying to butter you up. even going as far as putting a hand on your back or against one of your thighs.

but he’s being more lenient with roy than he would be with someone else thinking about you like that. jason can live with the flirting, that’s just how roy is. the touching gets to him a little though. and the staring might kill him. might kill either one of them, actually.

roy leans back on the couch, looking back to jason, "do you remember that girl in newhaven that wanted to go home with us?"

jason turns his head to look at him, gaze narrowing in dangerously on becoming a glare.

roy shrugs, "i'm just saying. at least you like this girl. makes things easier, doesn't it? plus she's sweet, isn't she?"

jason makes a low hum of a noise that's almost a grunt. "careful."

roy sits up again, fully turning to face him, "jay, come on, i'm just thinking—"

“i know what you're thinking. drop it.”

it takes a special kind of stupid person to argue with jason when he gets serious and resolute like this and roy is not that person so he shuts up and cools it on the flirting. the sudden change in his behavior is harsh enough that you have to ask jason about it later, who, depending on how much he's still simmering about it later, may or may not tell you about what happened there.

or 2 ) roy has the ability to read a fucking room and decides its better for him to keep this idea to himself

in this scenario i see it more as something that roy cannot stop thinking about and he’s doing absolutely everything in his power to prevent himself from getting his neck snapped. he and jason are really good friends but roy’s seen first hand how jason does not play about you so he’s not going to be running any risks.

so lately he won’t look at you unless you speak to him, and then it’s only fleeting, and he’s a lot more careful about when he enters a room he knows you’re both in. he gets real stiff whenever you enter a room and has a nervousness about him that’s uncharacteristic.

but jason’s not stupid and neither are you, so you’ve both noticed a shift in the air to say the least. you’ve been unable to attribute a cause to the newfound shift in energy, though your boyfriend hasn’t had the same trouble identifying the issue.

so jason’s a little annoyed, yeah. but he can’t be that pissed because he gets it. he knows you’re an absolute killer, he assumes every guy that sees you wants you. and that’s fine, whatever. the problem starts up when it’s his best friend who pretty regularly sees you in less-than-modest clothing. jason can’t help that he gets a little possessive then.

jason doesn't necessarily know that the thing taking up roy's mind is a threesome and not just the two of you, but it honestly wouldn't make a difference anyways. it doesn't really have anything to do with whether or not he thinks roy has romantic or just sexual feelings for you, though he's pretty certain they are just sexual.

there's something in the back of his head that tells him that no one has any business seeing you the way he gets to. sex is something so personal for him, for both of you, and he honestly can't even consider the idea of anyone being involved in that other than you and him.

you’ve left the room for a minute one night and there’s an unusual tension that lingers in the air between them. both jason and roy have clocked the shift in demeanor on the others part by now and the resulting silence is devastating. for roy, that is. jason just sits with it.

“you’re not going to do anything,” jason speaks up, not taking his eyes off the drink in his hand. “right?”

the question takes roy off guard and immediately has his heart jumping in his chest. it’s instinct to lie and say ‘no, i don’t want to fuck your girlfriend, what are you talking about?’ but he decides better against it.

he shakes his head, gaze on the rug, “no, no. of course not.”

“good,” jason nods solemnly before adding, “i’d break your nose.”

“i know," roy says simply.

you'd spent longer in the other room than you needed to, hoping something would be said and resolved about whatever was going on with them. clearly at least the former had gone down because when you come back in, there's a slightly different air to the room than the one you had left. more nervous on roy's part, more sure on jason's.

you give jason a questioning look when you sit back down and he just shakes his head cooly and wraps an arm around your shoulder. you trust him well enough to believe that whatever was said was what needed to be said and it's taken care of now.

and it was—the rest of the night was easier as it went on and after a couple of somewhat strange silent exchanges between the two men, roy even started looking at you again. and maybe jason gave you a few kisses with a bit more intensity and held you a little closer than he might have otherwise, but that’s nobody else’s business but his.

[pastabaguette]

sorry for all the posts today, but this one is very important: alternian video game edits.

i actually have reasonings for all of their blood types, and a few classpects, so i'll dive into them here:

monika: i'm thinking that early in the game, during acts 1 and 2, she maybe masqueraded as a jadeblood or higher. only during act 3 does she reveal herself as a fuchsia to the protagonist.

gordon and alyx: gordon is probably a tealblood, or somewhere around there. fairly high, but not too high, i think. alyx is an olive, and eli is an indigo. azian was probably a gold. (or lime?) i did have to keep gordon’s orange HEV suit, though. surely you understand. okay, troll half life lore: i think on alternia, all the main characters in the half life franchise are like, olive or above. the rebels in follow freeman and the guards are all lowbloods, so that the player doesn't feel too bad about sacrificing them, or something like that. i think this would be something that would happen in an alternian video game, at least.

agent 47: 47 is actually a mutant, due to being manufactured in a lab. he's a weird ice-blue color. he's still got that piercing stare. i felt a little sad changing his iconic red tie, but i do have some thoughts on that as well. obviously, red in human culture tends to symbolize passion, among other things, and in this case, violence and aggression, because it's the color of blood. however, because trolls all have different blood colors, i think they might have different meanings attached to colors than humans typically do. i think that typically, the colors that would most commonly represent aggression in alternian culture would be blue (cobalt and indigo) and purple. now, i know that the sea dwellers exist, but since the vast majority of trolls are lowbloods, they would have a lot more contact with the land-dwelling highbloods, rather than the fish. so, 47’s tie is blue. (i also just think it looks cool matching his eyes)

chell: I made chell a bronzeblood. she’s a test subject, but not one of the special ones (astronauts, olympians, etc). she’s just another lab rat. (also, a lot of her outfit is orange…)

now for classpects! i only have two i’m sure of as of now:

gordon freeman is an heir of hope. this one is fairly obvious to me. a common belief is that heirs have the ability to become their aspect, in a way. in half life 2, gordon quickly becomes the main symbol of the resistance on earth. for the rebels, he himself IS hope.

agent 47 is a prince of life. again, it’s a common interpretation that princes are themselves void of their aspect, and they destroy that aspect in others. this is really literal, obviously, but as a hitman, 47 kills people. literally destroying life. as for his own lack of life in himself, it’s pretty simple as well. 47 is almost always described as entirely void of emotion and empathy. others often remark on his soulless stare, a lack of life behind his eyes. so, as a prince, he fulfills both criteria there.

holy hell, that was a lot of words. i didn’t intend to talk this much. feel free to add your own thoughts; i’d like to hear what others think. these descriptions were a bit rushed, and i don’t really consider myself to be very good at communicating my thoughts, so a lot of things may have been lost in translation. i’d be happy to try and elaborate on my reasonings for any of them.

(oh, also, please no alyx spoilers. i haven’t played it yet!)

[cuppajj]

(OLD) Beast Ancients AU FAQ

I’ve seen a lot of asks in my inbox that are identical to each other, so I decided to put em all in one post and then some. This’ll be updated the more I develop the AU and the more info we get.

As a disclaimer, I am very new to CRK (as of December 2023) and I haven’t gotten to all the game or story modes yet (notably odyssey), so things are definitely bound to change + be elaborated on more! Anyway without further ado:

General

What are the Beast Ancients’ themes?

Vanilla is Penance, Lily is Sovereignty, Dragonberry is Pride, Cacao is Solitude, and Cheese is Conquest. I tried to keep them within the realm of their original meanings

Essentially my philosophy is: Penance is the acknowledgment (truth) that sins such as deceit exist in the world and must be cleansed. Sovereignty is an extreme form of freedom where one can have all the agency they wish, but can be just as silent about their presence/power as well. Pride is a byproduct of passion or sloth, boiling down to the adamancy of the subject. Solitude is a choice made with both resolution and apathy in various degrees, and lastly Conquest promises an abundant future at the cost of untold destruction.

If the ancients are bad, are the beasts good?

No, the old Beasts are still a threat. With a total of ten beasts to worry about, the situation on Earthbread is very dire. However, there is still hope left, and hope can go a long way.

Is there a new set of ancient heroes with soul jams?

No, and there likely won’t be. The Neo Beasts and first Beasts still have their respective soul jam halves, and both want each other’s.

Where’s Gingerbrave and his party?

Likely the Crème Republic, which becomes a refuge for many cookies after the rise of the neo beasts. They’re at the front of the resistance movement, working with Clotted Cream Cookie to plan how the beasts will be taken down.

What do the Neo Beasts think of their past selves?

Generally they see themselves as improved or improving. The only one who doesn’t feel that way is Frigid Cacao, who doesn’t reflect on himself that often.

Did they all corrupt at the same time?

Still working on that part. The timeline for beast ancients is a WIP, but for now, it’s likely that while they didn’t corrupt at once, they corrupted pretty close to one another. Cheese was likely first, followed by Lily. Vanilla was among the last to fall and evidently had it the worst.

Do the Neo Beasts still have kingdoms? How is life like there?

Answered here

What are the cookies of darkness doing?

As of writing (5/31/24) we don’t have a lot of info on the cookies of darkness in beast yeast, but at the very least I can say Dark Enchantress cookie may or may not know about Midnight Lily’s plan to destroy her.

How would legendaries react?

I admittedly don’t know everything about the legendaries to say yet, but they’re all alarmed to some degree. I can flesh them out the more I learn about them

Individual Neo Beast questions under cut!

Saint Vanilla Cookie

How do his powers work?

Answered here

Does he know he’s killing cookies?

Nope, he doesn’t see it as that and it would pain him to. He sees purification as a form of transition or ascension in itself, to put it simply; he might even envy those he turns to stardust, knowing his own tainted soul will be so much harder to liberate.

Why is he constantly crying?

He’s just like that. He’s just that big of an empath.

Has his relationship with Lily changed?

Saint Vanilla still cares very much about Lily, and may even be more open about his feelings towards her; but he admits the only reason why she’s still alive is because she convinced him to leave her for last. Lily very well knows that Vanilla, in his mind, wants to purify her more than anyone else. Vanilla often pities her choice to stew in her tainted soul, but he respects her decision… at least the alternative is that they’ll someday be the only two cookies on Earthbread.

What happened to Black Raisin?

As the very first to witness his rise, she inadvertently became his very first martyr.

Where’s Custard Cookie III?

With his relatives in the Crème Republic, alongside the rest of Gingerbrave’s party. The kid has a hard time wrapping his head around what happened to Pure Vanilla, and it may be a blessing that he’s been largely focused on worrying about the well being of his uncle, Clotted Cream Cookie. As the head of the resistance, he’s been working tirelessly… is this what a king goes through too?

Shadow Milk’s opinion on Saint?

To put it simply, he starts out thinking that a confused Vanilla will be easy to manipulate, but he soon finds out that Saint Vanilla is way smarter and more aware than made out to be. He knows Shadow Milk is with him, and he wants to purge him from his soul; but that is a process that may be harder than anything else. So in the meantime, Shadow Milk can watch as he continues on his path of Penance towards ascension, fighting back the resistance he creates before it can truly harm him. Essentially, Saint Vanilla isn’t trapped with Shadow Milk, Shadow Milk is trapped with Saint Vanilla.

Dragonberry Cookie

Is the skull on her head real?

Yes! It comes from a nondescript monster.

If Pitaya is imprisoned, where is Snapdragon?

With Tarte Tatin and/or Royal Margarine. Dragon City likely got taken over by Dragonberry’s kingdom, but they noped out of there as it happened. The two of them might’ve been the first few to recognize Hollyberry’s spiral into corruption and where it was headed

How is her family doing?

Alright for the most part, but they can feel Dragonberry’s influence in every aspect of their life now. While Royal and Jungleberry are technically still the king and queen, it’s only a figurehead role as Dragonberry is the true ruler. She still cares about her family very much, but she’s controlling and good at keeping them under her thumb. Dragonberry’s granddaughter Princess Cookie is the only one who objects this new way of life, and runs away from the palace.

How would the other dragons react?

The other dragons aren’t canon to CRK so they’re not canon to the au by extension, but just for this question, they’d be different levels of alarmed or concerned save for maybe Longan. I could see Ananas wanting a word with Dragonberry in particular esp since they’re both prideful cookies

Frigid Cacao Cookie

Does he ever go outside?

Very rarely, but it’s usually to observe the licorice sea or meet with the few denizens he has left.

Where is Dark Choco?

Still working on this part (waiting for Apathy pt 2 to come out so I have a better idea), but he’s likely alone by himself. He heard wind of his father’s corruption though and took it less well than he thought he would. Perhaps he’ll run into someone who feels the same?

Is his permafrost truly permanent or can the frozen citizens be thawed?

Technically yes, the permafrost can be thawed, but it’s a meticulous process since Cacao’s ice isn’t normal ice. It’s a cure that Crunchy Chip is looking for to save Caramel Arrow.

How does the licorice sea work for him and how did he come to tame it?

I can’t say how yet outside of the fact that it was a definitely cool and heroic thing for Dark Cacao to do, on the scale of taming the Black and White dragons. The sea, arguably a sentient monster in itself, and all of the creatures within it came to follow Cacao and Cacao only. Now it almost acts like an extension of himself: the beast can make the sea do whatever he wants, like acting as his shield, arms, or barrier, and the licorice horrors will vehemently defend him. There are tons of monsters roaming his frozen kingdom now.

Mystic Flour’s opinion on Cacao?

Working on it, but to some degree she knows Cacao is much stronger than he looks. She might see his apparent apathy for his frozen kingdom with fondness though.

Celestial Cheese Cookie

Is the Golden City still running or did she leave it to die?

It may still be running but in a scaled-down beta form. Cheese learned to accept the fact that what she’d built was entirely fake, but she didn’t move on from regaining what was lost. Her virtual Golden City serves as a blueprint for the kingdom she wants on Earthbread, and then some; with nothing in the barren desert to grow her kingdom, her brightened eyes turn elsewhere towards civilizations that could be brought into the fold. Such is the beginning of the Beast of Conquest’s terror.

She does sometimes visit her golden city, only sometimes. It doesn’t look the same; it’s not a paradise for her to escape to, but it is a promise of what she will have someday. This time, it will be no mirage, and there will be no one to threaten its destruction ever again.

Midnight Lily Cookie

What is her opinion on dark enchantress cookie?

DE is the source of insecurity for Lily, who regards herself as the weakest among all the beasts. Because she’s half of a complete whole, who was already half of another whole, she is passionate about reuniting her souls. While she is focused on expanding the influence of the faerie kingdom, her true goal is to track down Dark Enchantress Cookie and destroy her; but she knows she will need more help than just herself, and has considered asking for help from other vengeful allies.

Does she still guard the silver tree?

Yes, she still fiercely honors Elder Faerie’s wishes.

Have her relationships with the other neo beasts changed?

Ish, most notably her and Celestial Cheese are a little more on speaking terms; but they’re connecting through their potential partnership as Lily hopes she can help her take down Dark Enchantress. In return, she might help her expand her kingdom and take down Burning Spice.

If more FAQs come up, I will make a part two. Thank you for your interest!

[kroosluvr]

pleasant dreams

for as many days or years as you may have.

BAD END LONG WINTER AU ANYONE???? (crickets chirping) erm. well

anwyay i hope i scammed at least 1 person out of fluff. whistles cutely

bad end: royal trio try, struggle, and fail to rescue any of the thieves from the delusion, or find the route to the treasure. with maruki's overwhelming hold on the thieves(+confidants) and his staggering security + ability to manipulate the design of his palace at will... (<- i elaborate on this in my shsm fic that i uploaded a while back but maruki tries to psych the three of them out of navigating his palace by hacking at all the infiltration routes they try. and since its just the 3 of them it's pretty easy to block them off) akira goro and sumire do their damnedest but they come up just short

anyway TLDR they just can't crack it and it's over.

in this case, since they don't get to rescue the thieves, they spend even more time together than Usual Long Winter AU. so i feel they're even closer than usual.

on 2/2, they stay in and sleep in, idly talk about anything other than the circumstances that they're in. they waste the day away and then fall into an endless slumber.

in the first page goro & sumire look kinda discontented, but after akira breaks the ice a little, they manage to fall asleep (more) peacefully.

im not gonna lie this treads into like TOO MUCH HOPELESS ANGST for me but also i had the idea listed down in my Royal Trio Ideas List so i had to draw it..eventually... so. (flips through stack of ideas) erm. heyyyy (i also think it turned out MORE SAD when i drew it HKDJSGSKJDW when i just wrote down the idea it was like kinda just silly)

also goro is wearing akira's raglan shirt from pre-p5r!! no reason except i like it and also i want them to share clothes

"never change, goro" hehe. Smile. well he won't have to! i guess!

bc of Longlonglongwinterau sumire is more perceptive of goro and akira. i think she probably also knows the gist of yknow goro's whole past, the whole trying-to-kill-akira thing, etc.

sorry for the scam. if u were scammed.

a little more musings cont'd here

[mistleaneous-chaos]

Played through chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune and I got a few thoughts rattling around in my head so pardon if it's a bit unorganized/messy for a good bit

Spoilers for Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4

Kris really got failed by every adult around them in varying degrees

If Dess isn't the Knight then it's probably a Gerson situation where she's been dead for a while and the Knight is her dust on her baseball bat or something. It could either be due to something that happened in the shelter or someone explicitly using the dark world as a way to bring her back even if it is in a weird fucked up way.

I don't think that Kris is a bad person, I just think that whatever "promise" they made is something the person on the phone is holding over their head and making them uphold.

Kris' relationship with Susie is something that I wanna see elaborated on more, because their rapport with each other outside of things that we directly make Kris do/say is really important to me because of how well they get along. (I ship Krusie but that's irrelevant...partially)

For context, it's a headcanon of mine that outside of our dialogue options and things that we, specifically, do, the things Kris does is of their own volition, taking whatever crumb of Freedom they can get, but if I'm wrong then please correct me.

I don't know what would be more tragic, if "The Cage" referred to in the Prophecy really is Kris and that's the purpose they're meant for in the grand scheme of things, or if it's the Vessel and Kris was never meant to be friends with Susie and Ralsei and it's because of Gaster or smth they got dragged into this.

I'm really glad Toby didn't make Toriel or Asgore "perfect" , and gave them legitimate flaws. Asgore flaunting his attempts to "woo" Toriel right in front of Kris and never really talking as if they're separated hurts, but at the same time he does love and care about Kris, even if he's preoccupied with a lot of other things(looking forward to seeing more of that in the next chapter).

And then with Toriel, her not even calling Kris once after them being out until 2 in the morning in a thunderstorm, while she's at home dancing drunk with someone she met less than half a week ago. And then when they get home, you can visibly see Kris' embarrasment, with them turning their head away from Susie when she talks to them. Then Toriel nearly falls over on Kris and just tells them there's pancakes in the fridge(which Sans ate), and goes back to partying with Sans.

I wouldn't be surprised if whoever was on the phone(most likely Carol imo but it could be someone else, maybe Asgore) is someone that Kris looks up to, or just someone who acts empathetic to what's happening to them. Maybe someone they met in therapy/knows they went to therapy(which they may have gone to if I read the implications of the Chapter 4 Egg Room correctly.) Honestly I wouldn't be surprised with how much Kris must feel like such an outsider even in their own room. They have to look at all of Asriel's achievements every single time they wake up, to the point Susie comments on it when she visits their room. Along with that, they're the only human in town which is something that gets to them, to the point that upon seeing other humans even in a book they shut it immediately.

On the topic of their family, I also have some thoughs on Asriel, and I have this to say.

I would not be surprised if Asriel just decides to stay at college and say that he has exams or something. With how much he would have to deal with in Hometown, and the fact that he would have to deal with the loss of Dess again, I don't think it's that much of a reach that he'd just stay gone. (Also I do think Asriel and Dess were in a relationship based on the fact that Asriel's old clothes and his retainer were literally in her room which probably hadn't been touched in years).

Now I'm gonna talk about the prophecy, which is a WHOLE can o' worms.

I think that at least one person in the prophecy is not a member of the $!$! squad. It's vague enough to where it's entirely possible that one of them is another character(Like The Cage being intended for The Vessel rather than Kris), and there are parts that are just straight up different like Ralsei saying Susie should be the one wearing ribbons(WHICH COULD BE A FUNNY BIT SO IGNORE), or the fact that "The Girl" is a vague name which depicts a character of the prophecy who uses a sword, which for a prophecy that has very vague imagery in other cases, is a very definitive picture to paint when Susie herself uses an Axe.

Now for what I think the ending is, I think it's something that involves either a sacrifice of one of the gang or someone else, I'm not entirely sure.

For Chapter 5, I'm looking forward to the implied Asgore section. I think it has the potential to be the most Undertale-feeling chapter out of all of them so far, especially with his prophecy panel having him wearing an actual crown. Along with that, I think having more Asgore-Kris interaction has the potential to be very sweet and have character development for the big man or very sad with him still having to deal with the weight he's imposed onto himself of "fixing" his family situation.