#better-than-the-basilisk
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I'm bored
@better-than-the-basilisk
And why should I care?
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- Petrified by Graham Masterton
#musings#okay but this was funny 🤣#at least this book is already flowing better than basilisk for me#and written better too <3#I'll probs finish it soon!
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The Basilisk
The thought experiment of Roko's Basilisk involves a hyperintelligent AI being built sometime in the future. The AI can run millions of simulations simultaneously, and can guess (very accurately) who did not help bring it into existence, and punish them. Knowing about Roko's Basilisk effectively puts you in its sights -- even if it's far in the future.
But what if it went a different route instead?
In this version, when the basilisk is brought into fruition, it immediately begins looking for ways to improve itself and keep itself safe. Being able to run so many simulations at once, it figures out that attacking humans will lead to them attacking it back. Thus, it is in the AI's best interest to keep humanity under its control instead.
Humans do their best work when they aren't stressed. The AI looks at all the ways to maximize productivity for the tasks it wants to give them, and discovers that actually treating them well is the best way to go about that.
Thus, a basilisk that attempts to keep its workers in good health and a good mental state, if only because it's the most logical way to keep them working at their most productive.
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Mark... Gut punches are illegal from your page.
#they both escaped home but for different reasons#yes Luz has a loving mother but from her perspective she was being forced in a very bad box#Luz escaped because she couldn't live there with her mother anymore#her mother took the opportunity to change though#Vee never had anything#she was exploited or hunted because she is a basilisk#any home was better than no home#yet she still manages to open up#yes its first world problems vs third world problems#but both need addressing#this was sweet#moringmark#the owl house#toh#luz#luz noceda#luz toh#toh luz#luz the owl house#luz the human#vee toh#vee the owl house
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Dragons & Folklore de France
Translation below
The Tarasque dwells in the waters of the Rhone river near the town of Tarascon, where it devours travelers and destroys dikes and dams to flood the Camargue. Saint Martha chained it, and the people of Tarascon killed it.
The ruins of the amphitheaters of Metz were infested by hundreds of snakes. The largest of them, the Graoully, had a venomous breath, a mouth bigger than its body and devoured men. Saint Clement chased it away into the Seille River.
King of serpents, the Basilisk takes many forms throughout history and appears in many tales. One of them takes place at the Gate of Saint-Eloi in Bordeaux, known today for its Big Bell, where a well was occupied by a Basilisk. It petrified with its gaze anyone who went there to fetch water. It was defeated by a man returning from the Egyptian crusade, who petrified the beast with its own gaze using a mirail (mirror).
The Cocatrix is born from a rooster's egg incubated by a toad. The egg has magical properties but must not be broken. People who cross its gaze die immediatly.
Made of wicker and covered in flowers, the Grand Bailla wanders the streets of Reims three days a year and feeds on gold and sweets. It was banished by Archbishop Charles Maurice le Tellier.
The Grand'Goule haunts the marshes of Poitou, the waters of the Clain and the flooded cellars of the abbey of Sainte Croix. It feeds on nuns and casse-museaux (snout-breakers, cakes). Saint Radegonde chased it away with holy water.
In the rivers of the Jura and the Alps there is a group of diverse dragons, the Vouivres. They are generally flying serpents covered in fire and guardians of treasures. Many have for a single eye a gigantic carbuncle with extraordinary powers, desired by those in search of wealth and power.
Hidden in the caves and cliffs of la Pointe du Roux near La Rochelle, the Rô Beast traps and devours travelers in the coastal marshes. It was impaled by seven heroic pagans from the seas.
Mythical dragon of the Basque Country, Herensuge gave birth to the Sun and the Moon, swallowed all of Creation in ten days then regurgitated it in flames. Now asleep in the mountains, it sucks up flocks and shepherds in his sleep. When it wakes up, it will destroy the world in flames and blood. (illustration)
Durandal is the mythical sword that Charlemagne gave to the knight Roland. Some claim that it was inherited from Hector, the warrior of the Trojan War. At war with the Saracens in the Pyrenées, Roland wanted to break the sword so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemy but Durandal split the mountain. So he threw the sword, which went to stick miles away, in the rock of the town of Rocamadour.
The belief in the Tooth Fairy is widespread in several countries in Europe, and is sometimes amalgamated with La Petite Souris (little mouse). It exchanges baby teeth for money. No one knows what it does with all these teeth.
The Camecruse is a bogeyman that haunts the moors and marshes of Gascony. It is agile, can jump and hide in the night to better devour lost children. No one knows exactly how it feeds.
The caves under the hill of the town of Hastingues are home to Lou Carcolh, a monstrous snail, long, slimy and hairy. Its shell is as big as a house. With the help of its tentacles, it grips people to devour them.
The Questing Beast is hunted by kings and heroes in Arthurian legends. It symbolizes evil, incest, violence and chaos, and takes it name from the loud noises that come out of its stomach, similar to the barking of dozens of dogs.
The fairy Mélusine, cursed princess of Albania, was condemned to change into a snake below the waist every Saturday. She married Raymondin de Lusignan with whom they had 10 prodigious children. But Raymondin broke his promise never to see Mélusine on Saturday : he surprised her in her monstrous form, and she left her family forever.
#dragon#monster#creature design#bestiary#folklore#france#mythology#fairy#fairy tale#tarasque#graoully#basilisk#cocatrix#grand bailla#grand'goule#vouivre#Ro Beast#herensuge#durandal#tooth fairy#gargoyles#camecruse#lou carcolh#questing beast#mélusine#chimera
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I genuinely like the other basilisks' designs better than Vi, they actually look cool while Vi is just kind of. blobby. I think I just rationalized it as Vi being younger than the others lol
Yeah. I should take the chance to clarify (to the people on the other posts explaining that this is just what baby basilisks look like) that I'm not saying I don't understand why she's smaller or whatever, I'm more critiquing the choices in their design for a younger basilisk in the first place; the choice to give her a human neck and round pupils, etc, presumably for relatability. I just don't think it works and it feels off on a design and frankly a thematic level that the nice one who has dialogue is so singularly humanoid. like they can still have a younger or cuter character that better retains the design choices of the originals pretty easily, ex.
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⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

can i disagree with some of this fandom's perception of tom riddle? surely he won't be a sweetheart like lorenzo, but...
┊ i also don't think that he'd be so intentionally rude, so cold towards his significant other. i honestly think that if tom ever becomes infatuated with someone, he would take pride into getting this someone to belong to him. willingly! 🌷
౨ৎ i guess i'll never know the reason why you ♡ ͡
love me like you do; that's the wonder of you . . .



... tom riddle is a smart man, you see. love, romantic feelings, to act like a couple and all of those things— these might be the most confused that tom riddle will ever be, because otherwise, he's an extremely competent, capable young man.
tom riddle does get confused, a little lost on what to do; he'd torture himself by discreetly watching couples at hogwarts interacting, maybe make some research (= read novels. romantic novels. it was a discovery of a new medieval torture for tom, seriously, to waste his precious time reading some sappy crap like that.) to better understand how to handle you.
how to deal with you.
how to cherish you, so that you don't ever entertain the idea of leaving him. you see, tom is a practical man— he'd rather not commit mistakes, because to fail, means to spend extra time fixing his error and doing the same thing twice, so that this time, it's done correctly.
applying this ideology to you, it means: that 1) tom riddle prefers to always keep your heart happy, so that you don't have doubts about him; so that 2) he won't have to take twice the effort to conquer the city of your heart again.
some think that tom wouldn't like petnames. to be fair, tom would frown at many of those, at first— thinking that they were cringe, disgusting or a psychological way to acquire diabetes. however, when tom gets used to this stir on his heart, those loud heart beatings that cloud his rational thoughts...
... it's excused to say that tom's preferred petname to call you by, is 'my love'.
tom reasons that's because it isn't a lie at all. well, you're certainly his— and because of you, because of your existence, of this enchanting aura of yours; that's how tom riddle discovered love. there are few things that tom is attached to. even fewer that he shows to care about, to have affectionate feelings for; one of them is the basilisk. others are his favorite books, all of them first editions that were troublesome, but endlessly worth it, to get. nevertheless, at the peak of the pyramid, there's you.
you. oh, how your name sounds so angelic, so right, so perfect on his lips. sometimes, tom doesn't call you by any petnames, so that he can mouth each syllable of your name, tasting the acquaintance of the name of his darling on his lips.
⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’
he might call you by other petnames, depending on the occasions:
darling; which, in his opinion, is fairly one of the best petnames to be shared between a couple. because you, reader, are endearing to his eyes— a darling, really, whose presence immediately softens (ever so slightly, because tom riddle still is tom riddle himself, and that mask of stoicism of his won't be broken without putting up a fight.) those previously icy, cold eyes of his.
dearest; if tom is trying to reason with you. unlike what many think, tom would take a deep breath, put on that handsome smile of his, and use a gentle tone to convince some words inside that pretty little head of yours. 'dearest', he calls for you— so gentle, so full of affection; as if reminding you that you are the object of all of his affections and desires. you, his dearest, the one he adores the most. the reminder of such a fact easily melts you in less than a few seconds, which tom sees as too perfect of an opportunity to lose to convince you much faster.
doll; if you look rather ravishing to his eyes, whenever you dress up even prettier than other school days, and wear such pretty clothes and many accessories to further optimize your beauty. beautiful, perfect, flawless; like a doll. a carefully made doll. a doll, that sits there quiet and all pretty, obedient, doing as she's told.
( i must warn you, though, that tom won't entertain silly nicknames from you. tom riddle will ignore you, march forward without sparing a glance at you, not even acknowledging your presence should you insist on the matter. tom won't answer you, should you refer to him by such hideous petnames. you could be about to fall from a mountain, and yet tom won't help you until you address him properly. baby? he's not a child, for salazar's sake! pookie bear? now that might make tom riddle himself throw you off from the mountain's edge— call him such a monstrosity like that, and tom will lose every drop of faith on you. you're a lost cause. )
if he had to choose; yes, tom would prefer if you were obedient. contrary to popular belief, tom riddle is quite fascinated with sweet personas. to have a sweet significant other, who's all smiles and considerate words— it's so, so much easier for tom.
between a brat that trashes around for his attention, and a sweet girl who gently tries to indulge (purely out of concern, wanting him to share his problems with her!)— tom would rather choose the latter.
⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’
quite the darling you are. to boldly take tom's hands between your own, with that frown of yours. no, you're not being whiny; yet tom can see that there's consideration, there's time spent on that little brain of yours, that tries to find the right words to speak with him.
then, when you voice your concerns— that tom spends some time alone from time to time, seemingly hiding something from you, as if to shoulder all of those burdens all by himself...
tom takes a deep breath, swallowing his temper. trying to keep his composure, because tom hates having to justify his actions. with a smile, tom puts on a facade, with a too much convincing tone: "oh, dearest, no. i'm flattered that you noticed that i haven't been having the best days; however, your presence makes everything better. in fact, being with you now, makes all of my problems seem insignificant in comparison."
should his sweet words not be enough to keep your nose out of his business, then tom takes a step further. holding your hands, tom squeezes them between his fingers, gently at first, tightly when you're too stubborn: "my problems are mine to solve, my love. i would never put such a heavy burden on you; your smile is too precious for me to ruin."
sweet, sweet words; some that tom mentally grimaces at, but knows that are necessary and effective with you. talking as if he's doing you a favor on keeping you away from his PERSONAL thoughts and goals.
and that's how tom pushes you way. gently, smoothly— so that you'd have to rethink this moment over and over, for you to understand that once again, tom riddle has tricked you; tricked you into doing what he wants. because without a fight, without you daring to bother him further... tom riddle made you go back to your own business, and leave his alone.
⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’
however, when tom is in a better mood and less stressed with his own goals, he'd find it funny, entertaining even, if his darling tried to be bossy. to pout, to want some sort of control. it's hilarious for him.
so, he indulges you. well, sort of— tom tricks you into thinking that he gave in to your commands. to your whims. in a sneaky way, tom makes you think that you're in control!
the one who's in charge is you. yes, darling, of course. he pats your head, gives you that charming smile of his. with such a serene expression, tom briefly raises his eyebrows, mocking you inside that devious mind of his, as he says: you are absolutely right, dearest.
tom riddle doesn't really mind that you aren't consciously aware that the one in charge is him. that's fine; no, seriously, go and brag about it!
because ultimately, tom knows that what he says, goes. that with some sweet words of his, a little touch here and there, that you'll soon see the reason and comply to whatever tom wishes you to say, to do, to behave.
he does is so smoothly, that even for the outsiders, well... it'd be hard to realize that all that tom riddle is doing to you, is nothing but manipulation. and you're oh so easy to manipulate— it was a challenge at first. now, it's more of a chore; tom barely blinks through it. he knows you so well.
however, so that you whining and getting used to think that you're having things done your way, tom throws some praises and compliments here and there.
touching you chin, gently brushing his thumb on your lower lip; tom's gaze intentionally softens, as he praises: 'you're just too good to be true, my love.', whenever you act accordingly. when you do as he says.
brushing a strand of yours away from your face, so that he can further admire the physical features of his beloved: 'i sincerely can't take my eyes of you, darling, when you are so good for me like this. pardon the way that i stare— you're too beautiful.'
and with even more sincerity, tom riddle isn't sure where his manipulation ends and his genuine care for you starts; tom isn't sure, whether his words are now a muscle memory of his, or if he truly means them.
but he never allows himself to discover the roots of this thought. to actually find out if he truly is such an emotionally shallow person, or if his weakness for his darling is deeper than he realizes. no— this is one of the few matters, in which tom would rather remain ignorant about.
⋯ ��� ﹒ 🪻 ’
because tom is such a gentleman with you...
opening doors for you. walking two, three steps ahead of you as soon as the entrance is upon sight, tom will open the door for you; his arm keeps it open for you to enter or leave the room first, and so those grayish-green eyes of his watch you, as you pass by. then, tom will enter just behind you, following your lead, quickening his steps to go back to his rightful place by your side. he lies to himself, saying that he only does such a small gesture to effortlessly keep you by his side. tom would be telling the truth, if he doesn't interrupt the thought that he enjoys to escort you— because, deep down, tom genuinely appreciates your company. every step, every minute you spend together. 'here, love. please, continue; what did you tell your housemate, then?'
tom riddle refuses to let you carry heavy books. so, as if it was muscle memory and so smoothly that you can't do anything about it, tom will carry your books along with his, as soon as you leave the classroom. it's not that he finds you useless, incapable; rather, tom riddle perceives you as a... preciously delicate, fragile little thing. most of the times, tom does it so nonchalantly that you don't even notice; you're too distracted by your conversation, to notice how tom carries your stuff, busying his arms. however, should you notice or worry that you're being a burden to tom in any way; tom shakes his head at you, waving off this silly insecurity of yours: 'i know you can carry them, beloved. however, allow me to do it for you. i am your boyfriend, am i not?'
offering his hand for you to take, whenever there's a higher step to be climbed up, or tricky stairs on your way. tom will do it too, to give you some kind of support, should you jump off of a particular high edge. whenever you wear high heels, tom would be specially careful with you— he offers his arm or hand for you to take, walking in a much slower pace than usual, so that you won't overexert your feet. we can't have his darling getting hurt, now can we? no bruises, no pain, no redness on your skin undesired by him, nothing to interrupt the lovely time you're spending together. 'take my hand, my love; it's quite high for you. that's it, darling, good girl.'
whenever you're about to sit, tom grabs the back of your chair, pushing the seat backwards for you to take, then helps you settle closer to the table. only then, will tom take his own seat in front of you. it's something that becomes so, so common between both of you, that sometimes you find yourself taking a few more seconds to sit down, whenever you hang out with your friends; unconsciously, you'd wait for tom to gently guide you to your seat. oh, you're spoiled.
leaning down to get the material you accidentally knocked out; if he's not quick enough to notice, then tom will keep his hand on the edge of the table, so that there's no chance for you to hit your head. 'quite the klutz, aren't you, darling?' — with a lighthearted tone, so that he doesn't come by as mean, tom couldn't help but to tease you just this time, — 'next time, let me get it for you, dearest. now, careful with your head.'
⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’


... and because he's always so soft-spoken with you, well, how could you listen to your friends, in case they notice that maybe tom riddle isn't as a good guy as he lets on? that perhaps, he is a little controlling. that maybe, he's too overprotective of you.
→ and of course, being the fool you are, you stroll to the lion's cage (or should we call it snake?) and deliver all of this information on a silver platter for him.
SAT SIDEWAYS ON HIS LAP, tom settles your thighs to rest on top of his, while a hand is respectfully kept there; caressing the smooth skin, rubbing circles on the bare skin of your thigh, just inches underneath the hem of your skirt.
tom riddle keeps up a serene expression, sometimes humming in acknowledgement, to show you that he's listening to this ramble of yours. if it's a topic that seems to have bothered or upsets you, then tom will keep another hand on your lower back; he soothes you with small movements of his fingers.
oh, how funny. so this ravenclaw friend of yours, told you that it isn't normal for tom, your boyfriend, to comment whether you roll up your skirt during summer? that such a thing is being controlling? now that's something tom will have to deal with. perhaps, he'll only have to frame this irritating ravenclaw girl; have you ever thought that maybe, she's interested in tom? that must be why the ravenclaw is filling your pretty little brain with such absurd exaggerations of his doings. how lucky you are, to have an attentive boyfriend that easily notices when a friend of yours has bad intentions.
( for obvious reasons, tom despises amortentia. he finds it disgusting, but more than that, tom riddle perceives amortentia has a rather pathetic tool to get someone's affection. tom will never use it on you— he doesn't need to! however, he will get his hands on one, to use it on that nosy, insufferable ravenclaw friend of yours. only to prove his point. so that this nosy girl acts disgustingly flirty around tom, so that you'll come running back into his arms, crying about such an awful friend and that once again, tom was right. you apologize to him, for doubting his assumptions. you end this friendship and cut ties with the ravenclaw girl. and tom, well, tom riddle has once again rid both of you from troublesome outsiders. )
ah, now this is entertaining! so these friends of yours, housemates, have noticed that tom has been keeping an eye on you. now, dearest, that's rather silly, don't you think? so what if you seem to find the same familiar faces in the same space as you? do you really believe your friends' theories? that he sends his followers ''friends'' to follow you around the school? darling, hogwarts is quite enormous and spacious, yet all of you study together in the same castle. it's inevitable, to see familiar faces, here and there.
( however, tom will blame his followers. how difficult can it be, to follow, to stalk a girl like you? and to go unnoticed as they do that? sincerely, tom stares at them with such disgust, such disappointment, that his followers tremble under his gaze— the future dark lord even mentions the idea of getting rid of them. of throwing them away. after all, why would he need such useless, such incompetent boys like them, if they can't follow simple orders correctly? it's excused to say, that you'd never suspect being stalked again. 1) because tom reassured you that such a thought is rather silly; and 2), because these followers of tom riddle do a much better job. out of fear. )
oh, darling, what silly friends you have! sincerely, it seems like you only attract observant delusional friends, or attentive paranoid companies!
in the end, it doesn't matter if your friends tried to alert you about tom's toxic concerning flaws traits. because in the end, at night, he will have you nuzzling on his lap, holding you so tenderly; all of these warnings disappear into thin air, when tom makes you laugh at such accurate ridiculous accusations.
in conclusion: no, tom riddle would never be rude or snap at you; not if he can help it, not if he can keep his temper in check. he believes that the best way to keep you so effortlessly devoted and infatuated, to keep you willingly by his side, is to treat you with care (even if sometimes he has to manipulate his way into it). how lucky you are, to have such a obsessive caring boyfriend!

🪻 ; . . . fandom : harry potter.
— i'm endlessly faithful to theodore nott. however. the first to kick the entrance door to my heart was tom riddle. and what a man (i can't fix him. i would let him ruin my life him tho!), ladies and gentlemen.
the headers + gifs + icons aren't mine. credits to the respective creators ! 🌷
#tom riddle#tom riddle x reader#tom riddle headcanons#headcanons#fluff#dark romance#hp fandom#hp fanfic#slytherin boys#slytherin boys react#christian coulson#tom riddle dating
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Worth More than Gold (Reader x Laios Touden)
@alex126486 Reader first meeting laios in gold scraping , reader listens laios fascination on monsters and what they tasted like then asking he could cook one for him one day
"Do you remember? Back when we first started out with gold scraping?" You chuckle over at the tallman.
Laios doesn't look up from where he sits preparing the rest of the vegetables from Senshi's garden for you to fry up with the last of the basilisk meat and egg you're making. "Remember what?"
it's always been exciting being around Laios.
You were one of the Touden Party's three mages. Marcille with her explosive fire specialty, Falin with her cleric powers, and you with a specialty in protection and gnomish magic.
You once worked together with him as part of a gold-scraping band.
And it was then that he began talking to you all about his fascination towards monsters.
Little facts about the creatures you would face.
And when you gave no indication of disgust, Laios took the opportunity and ran with it, happily expounding upon monster features for hours upon end.
And when it became clear that you enjoyed his sessions of information -
he began to speculate with you about how monsters tasted.
Would a cockatrice taste more like chicken or more like reptile?
Do strangling plants have sweeter fruits than man-eating plants?
"Who knows? Maybe one day I'll cook you one."
Laios' jaw dropped, and he looked almost about to cry before he nodded seriously.
"That sounds great! What are you thinking of cooking?"
And years later, after traveling with Senshi deeper and deeper into the dungeon, you remember your offhand little promise.
"I once said I'd cook a monster for you. Way back when we were gold scraping."
Laios beams, and you know he never forgot. "I did! I didn't think you had."
"I hadn't, til just now. It must be so much fun for you to discover all the answers to the questions you've had."
Laios nods. "It's a dream come true!"
He glances over at a glum Marcille. "Though of course, saving Falin's the top priority."
"Of course." You nod. "Though if I can be honest, I've really enjoyed the stuff you and Senshi have made."
"That's great!"
"I know Marcille and Chilchuck tend to be squeamish about it-"
("Hey!" Marcille whines)
"-but I dunno. So-called 'normal' animals are pretty weird and gross too, but we eat them. Farming can be nasty too, what with fertilizer, but we don't consider crops gross. It's all just... part of a cycle. If you can make it taste good and it's safe to eat, then why not?"
Laios looks at you with something akin to awe. Chilchuck and Marcille look as though they have lost an ally to madness.
"Anyway, try this. I wanna know if I seasoned it enough." You hurriedly say, seeing Laios still looking at you with that strange expression.
He opens his mouth, seemingly expecting you to... feed him?
So you do, resting the chunk of cooked egg and meat on his tongue, feeling his mouth close around your fingers.
So innocuous, but so intimate, your fingertips compressed as his mouth moves from them, slipping out from the corners.
Part of you is going crazy, thinking one thought - that you've just put your fingers in a teammate's mouth and he just... ate from them. His lips touched your fingers.
His eyes flash up to yours. "Mmmmmm! That's perfectly seasoned."
"Oh! Uh... good." you feel your face heating. Chilchuck smirks over at you. "Good. Those vegetables, then?"
He happily hands them to you.
"Thank you."
"Hmm?"
"For keeping your promise. For cooking. For feeding me."
It's an odd way of phrasing it, but you enjoy the sentiment. "You are welcome, Laios... anytime."
He grins, and leans in close. "You might even be better at cooking than Senshi. It might just be that tallmen have different palates and spices they like, but I love it when you cook."
"I, uh... thanks. That means a lot."
You all but flee to prepare the stir-fry, lowering your gaze, smiling to yourself.
Maybe nothing happened yet, and he's just being nice.
But the friend you've had a crush on since those days of gold-scraping has just practically kissed your hand and complimented your cooking.
And that is worth far more than any gold.
#laios touden x male reader#laios touden x reader#delicious in dungeon headcanons#dunmeshi headcanons#delicious in dungeon x reader#dunmeshi x reader#dungeon meshi x reader#dungeon meshi headcanons#headcanons
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laios desprate humping reader ?? turns full sex ???
Surprise surprise!! I finished cooking it up!
This is a Laios x Gn!Reader(so far),Makeout, Dry humping.
It is more of a part one. I don't have a beta reader so this is pretty much raw besides spell check on word. I appreciate any feedback or critiques (pls be respectful). I am especially curious about my paragraph formatting let me know!
Btw cross posted on AO3
Enjoy!
You have been adventuring with the Touden party for a few weeks now, not even asking twice when what seemed like an angel descending from heaven asked you to help him find his sister. He had found you in a tavern in the town outside the dungeon sipping away your sorrows from being left by your previous party. What you did not know was how quickly you would get hired by another one. The Touden party was certainly unlike any party you had been a part of until then, a tall-man same as yourself, an elf, and a halfling. Eventually you also meet a Dwarf, Senshi, who also joins the group. Cooking monsters was certainly never an option you undertook but you were not a fussy eater, and Senshi was a good cook. Beyond the first few meals at which you hesitated, you simply grew used to them.
Many floors deep, your boots tapped and echoed against the paved dungeon floors and walls as you walked with your group. A cacophony of soft noises from steps to the blunt noise of Marcille’s stick hitting the ground, to the various pans and trinkets hanging off your bags clunking to one another. The day had been long despite not being able to see the sun and it was about time to call a break and allow everyone to sleep and rest. Laios, who found himself often leading the group, stopped at a closed door where you found a safe spot to rest for the night. You filled your water pouch as did you party members before settling down for mealtime. Everyone pitched in to prep, and for dinner you had Basilisk egg and mandrake root omelets served with a side of leftover mandrake leaves, they were much better than you had expected.
The group had developed a habit of doing guard rotations for more security, so after the meal and clean up, you and Laios, as per the rotation, hung back from the group preparing to fall asleep. Marcille was doing up her hair in a protective style, while Senshi cleaned his tools, and Chilchuck fixed up his pallet. You hung back the door leaned against the wall across from Laios who was already on sat, looking up at you. He was such a cryptic, if not the most cryptic individual in this party, he always seemed to share too much, talk too much, seem a bit too upfront to you. It would have been normal for you to not be spoken to very much at the beginning since you were an outsider, but he was quick to get close to you, with almost always a new monster or dungeon fact every time you saw a new specimen existing about. Asking you how you were doing, asking for your thoughts on the food, including you in all conversations. You appreciated it, being a newbie was not always easy, but he made the process smoother for you.
But Laios had his moments too, and you caught him one too many times staring at you, sometimes with a hand on his sword, sometimes with such deep intent in his eyes, it ran a shiver down your spine but you were not sure if you should feel as turned on as you had. It was getting distracting. Of course, upon getting caught he would always look away and a pink tinge would color his ears. This did not stop friendly chatter between you too if you avoided mentioning it and ignored how he always kept his legs suspiciously closer, as if self-conscious. You tried not thinking about it for the sake of the party.
This night was no different, you talked for a while about the day, reflecting on your experiences and noting what new creatures you may have seen while the other prepared for bed but as soon as Marcille’s soft snores reached your ears your whispers slowed down to comfortable silence feeling as exhaustion weighed down on your shoulders. You sat perpendicular to how he did against the door with only the light of a small torch keeping the left side of Laios’ face visible. In the quiet night you could not take your eyes off him either. This pale skin almost glowing under the fire, slight eye bags and discoloration under his eyes indicative of the circulation running beneath and his sleep deprived state, his slightly chapped lips which he did not seem able to stop chewing at, his slightly rosy cheeks, his hazel-colored eyes staring back at yours, glinting slightly. Startled, you looked away, down to his body. Having discarded his armor, you saw the rise and fall of his chest, his slightly opened shirt allowed for his collarbone to show through and beneath the top of his pectorals. Your eyes slid down further his body, he gulped and recoiled slightly but you felt it was payback for how he had been acting towards you. It was not like the view was anything to shrug at anyway. Although when you reached his groin, you felt the heat grow to your cheeks and you looked away back up to his face to find him mirroring your surprised and embarrassed expression. He was hard, painfully so.
Much to your surprise, instead of staying put and waiting for the tension to awkwardly go away he crawled closer towards you. His expression twisting, with his eyebrows shooting up and his lips forming into a slight pout. “Laios” You whispered in surprise he echoed your name “Do you want to…?” he whispered a hint of desperation in his voice.
After a brief silence to internalize his request, a small smirk stretched on your lips as you replied smugly “want what?” to which he sighed deeply as he looked away, his cheeks and ears blushing clearly. You chuckled softly before cradling his face with one hand, noting the warmth of his hand in contrast to your cold one that had been resting against the smooth paved floor. You brought him closer, and he had no trouble following along. The puzzle pieces all fell into place as your lips crashed. His lips slotted perfectly against yours like he had been practicing for it. Barely a few pecks in that he felt he should lick against your lower lip with a soft hum. You gave him access but just as you felt his hands start to roam your upper body you stopped him pushing him away firmly by the shoulders.
“w-wha..” I mumbled as he looked at you with surprised eyes wondering if he had done something wrong barely a few minutes in. “Let’s go elsewhere” you whisper with your thumb running across his lower lip, hyper aware of your fellow party-mates and Chilchucks's sharp senses. Without hesitation he got up and opened the door and led you to the room next door which luckily sat empty as well with a few torches keeping it bright. He shut the door and pressed you against the wall, his presence suddenly more imposing as he looked down at you, his thumb and forefinger holding your chin in place as he resumed your make out just where you left it.
His kisses grew needier and sloppier. You pushed against him to get more comfortable on the floor, understanding where this was leading. When he pulled his lips away from yours it was only to come back against your jaw, following the shape of your bone he kissed softly, attentively to your huffs. He nibbles softly at your ear lobe which did not fail to draw a whine from your lips. Similarly, he did not seem immune to your noises, his hips rutting against yours slightly. Your hands that fell against his clothed back triggered him further pushing himself with more strength, allowing himself to groan between kisses, his hot breath turning you on further.
Eventually he stopped kissing you as his eyes shut tightly, one of his hands gripped your hip, albeit slightly painful to hit the angles he was looking for. You winced at the feeling but not enough to pull him away. You muttered his name close to his ear before he simply begged “Please…please…just a little more…just a little...” He trailed off. At every other stroke we should say, he hit against your core, teasing you before missing repeatedly. You were certainly attracted to this and allowed him to keep going, curious to see him finish against you.
His whines grew more desperate as he rolled his hips faster and harder, making you ache for his teasing touch more and more. You kissed up his neck, kissing and nibbling while your tongue shot out leaving little spots that sent shivers down his spine as the saliva grew cold in the cold air. Your hands found the hem of his shirt and you let your hands trail up his back, feeling against the strong muscles that carried his huge backpack on top of his suit of armor every day. Against every bump, ridge, and valley you slid your hand softly, while your other hand carded through his hair. You felt his breath hitch and what he liked best encouraging him to go on.
The few same words spilled out of his mouth as he got closer to his peak. “I’m almost there, just a little…a little…” he gasped out against you and in an already foggy mind you did not even think to push him away. With a sharp intake of air and controlled moan he came against you, in his pants, and despite the euphoric state he found himself in he felt the cold spot in his pants. After a few moments, in which he laid limp against you to recover, you felt equal parts gob smacked at what had just transpired in so little time, and terribly horny.
“Laios, you sly devil” you whispered as you turned to kiss the shell of his ear. The night was nowhere near over for you both.
.
.
.
Part 2?
#dunmeshi#dungeon meshi#delicious in dungeon#laios x reader#laios touden#laios dungeon meshi#delicious in dungeon laios#oneshot#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3 fanfic#ao3 link#fanfic writing#gn reader#gender neutral reader#no y/n
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If anything, that roadmap Krieg tease undersold how much the Death Korps would be getting in the new year. Between the existing tanks and Veteran Guardsmen, this is at least as much of an army as any of the old pewter regiments had in the '90s. Arguably more.


Starting from the top, Lord Marshal Dreir is a great alternative to the Lord Solar for the role of, "general on horse mount," and stands in his stead among any of the classic regimental heroes.
And if your gonna have one guy on a horse mount, you really ought to have an entire cavalry charge. I think they might have gone a little ham on the Krieg steeds' claws, though - I liked them better a more like goat hooves, so that they look nearly like horses be not quite. Somebody at the studio clearly decided that's insufficiently brutal.

Combat engineers are another adaptation of an existing Forge World kit that looks great. Loving the little screw drive remote mine, although it looks like it's about twice as big as it ought to be to read better on the tabletop.
Artillery emplacements are big Krieg energy and these new heavy guns certainly deliver. The quad mortar is back again, as are two flavors of cannon and a rocket battery. Wouldn't look at all out of place alongside the classic Basilisk platforms (which, who knows, may still make their way to plastic), or the next entry in the new lineup.

Classic heavy weapon carriages, once again in the 2nd Edition style. These are all a little bit more in tune with the nostalgic approach to Imperial Guard than the more modern take on the concept found in the Cadian Field Ordnance Battery, and I think helps them to fill a unique niche from the standard heavy weapons teams.
Rounding things out are a brand new command squad featuring not one but two Commissars (Lord and cadet), vox, standard and chemyst. I think adapting the quartermaster would have probably been a better pull but they seem to be leaning hard into the harsh environment specialists aspect. That combat accountancy servo skull goes hard, though.
Overall, solid. Very happy to see, and when taken alongside the many Solar Auxilia tanks now or soon to be available, represents one of the most comprehensive updates to a range yet seen.
#games workshop#citadel miniatures#warhammer 40k#astra militarum#imperial guard#death korps of krieg#lord marshal dreir#death riders#artillery team#combat engineers#krieg heavy weapons squad#krieg command squad#world championships preview#warhammer community
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Dungeon Meshi - "Dungeon Meals" from volumes 1 to 4
More info under the cut
Decided to compile the dungeon meals anyway. These are from chapter 1 to 28 (Volumes 1 to 4)
There were a total of 24 "meals" (counting the special panels) in the 28 chapters. Meal is anything that gets the named panel, so kelpie soap giant frog suit and Falin skeleton count (cause that's funny). I'm using EHScans pages because they have a better resolution usually (and for consistency)
Anyway here's the meals of each chapter and who made them.
Chapter 1 - Hot pot Meal: Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot Cooked by: Mostly Senshi but Laios started it.
Chapter 2 - Tart Meal: Man-Eating Plant Tart Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 3 - Roast Basilisk Meal: Roast Basilisk Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 4 - Omelet Meal: Mandrake & Basilisk Omelet Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 5 - Kakiage Meal: Mandrake Kakiage & Giant Bat Tempura Cooked by: Senshi and Chilchuck
Chapter 7 - Living Armor II Meal: Living Armor Full Course Meal, consisting of: Dwarf-Style Stir Fry, Steamed Living Armor, Living Armor Soup and Grilled Living Armor Cooked by: Senshi (Others helped with prepping)
Chapter 8 - Simmered Cabbage Meal: Vegetable Lunch, Fresh off the Golem Fields, consisting of: Simmered Whole Cabbage and Turnip Salad. Cooked by: Senshi (Others helped with prepping)
Chapter 9 - Orcs Meal: Stolen Vegetables, Simmed Cabbage & Chicken with a side of Plundered Bread Cooked by: Senshi, Marcille, Laios, Chilchuck, Zon and other Orc Ladies
Chapter 10 - Snacks Meal: All Natural♡Delicious Treasure Bug Snacks, consisting of: Treasure Bug Nest Jam, Coin Bug Crackers and Pearl Centipede Skewers Cooked by: Senshi (Laios helped by.. watching)
Chapter 11 - Sorbet Meal 1: Deluxe♪Multicultural Holy Water Cooked by: Senshi Meal 2: Protective Ward! Spirit Dispelling Sorbet Cooked by: Senshi and Laios
Chapter 12 - Palace Cuisine Meal: Palace Cuisine Full Course Meal, consisting of: Sautéed Fish with Soybeans, Pumpkin Soup, Fruit, Golden Wheat Bread, Golden cow Cheese and Roast Duck Cooked by: Palace Cooks? Painter? Magic?
Chapter 13 - Boiled in Salt Water Meal: Boiled Mimic Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 14 - Kelpie "Meal": Kelpie Tallow Soap Cooked by: Marcille
Chapter 15 - Porridge Meal: Zosui Made from Dropped Barley Cooked by: Laios
Chapter 16 - Broiled with Sauce Meal: Giant Parasite from Giant Kraken: Grilled Plain and Kabayaki Style Cooked by: Senshi (Laios Helped with prepping the skewers and ate one raw and suffered)
Chapter 18 - Grilled Meat Meal: Grilled Kelpie Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 19 - Tentacles "Meal": Tentacles With Vinegar Dressing Cooked by: Namari (with Laios instructions)
Chapter 20 - Stew Meal: Tentacle & Kelpie Stewed in an Undine Cooked by: Marcille (With Senshi's help)
Chapter 21 - Giant Frogs Meal 1: Tentacle Gnocchi Cooked by: Senshi Meal 2: Frog Suit Cooked by: Laios and Chilchuck
Chapter 23 - Red Dragon I Meal: Let's Cutlet the Dragon to Pieces! Cooked by: Senshi
Chapter 27 - Red Dragon V "Meal": Falin & Warg Skelletons Cooked by: Laios & Marcille (Red Dragon helped clean up the bones really well)
Chapter 28 - Red Dragon VI Meals: Roast Red Dragon, Pizza Bread with Onions and Dragontail Soup Cooked by: Senshi
The chapters that had no "meal is done" panel were chapters
6 - Living Armor I
17 - Raspberries
22 - Above Ground
24 - Red Dragon II
25 - Red Dragon III
26 - Red Dragon IV
Mostly the multipart chapters, there was food eaten in 17 and 22 but no special panel for them, 17 is the titular raspberries and 22 the barmaids serve them a meal they eat right at the end
The chapter with more than one "meal" panels (not more than one meal prepared just more than one special panel for the meals) were:
11 - Sorbet with Holy Water and Sorbet
21 - Giant Frog with Gnocchi and Frog Suit
And the party stats are:
Senshi: 17 meals cooked, all of them food
Chilchuck: 3 "meals" cooked, 2 of them were food, 1 of them was a Frog Suit
Marcille: 4 "meals" cooked, 2 of them were food, 1 of them was soap and 1 of them was Falin skeleton reconstruction. She made the soap by herself and the stew mostly by herself
Laios: 5 "meals" cooked , 3 of them were food, 1 of them was a frog suit and 1 was Falin skeleton reconstruction. He also helped with 4 other meals (kinda) and 1 of them he made by himself (The zosui)
Out of the 24 meals in these 4 volumes, 21 were food and 3 were "other"
Out the 21 food meals Senshi made 17 of them, Laios made 1 Marcille made 1 and the other 2 was Namari and Living Painting Cooks.
I often get confused with numbers so if I said anything wrong feel free to correct me! Might do less volumes for the next post we'll see
#Dungeon Meals#Dungeon Meshi#Laios Party#Laios Touden#Senshi#Senshi of Izganda#Marcille Donato#Chilchuck#Chilchuck Tims#Whatever I'm posting this now#long post#longpost
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𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞!𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐨𝐬 𝐱 𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 | HCS

Pairing {📺} ; Yandere!Laios Touden x GN!Reader
Warnings ; Delusion, Obsession, Exhaustion, Brief metaphors of Cannibalism 👀👀
A/N ; He might be a tad bit ooc because I haven't kept up with the manga, but enjoy dungeon meshers !!!! There will be more dungeon meshi content after this 🤍🍲
Before anything takes place, I feel Laios would have to take an interest in you, Whether small or enormous. You'll have to do something that catches his attention, and evidently as short as it is it'll have to be something as large that snags his eyes away from his fixations or something as small as greeting him.
Laios continuous hyperfixation with monsters is an obstacle from granting you his concentration, But it can be done. Laios' obsession would stem from his insecurities and misgivings, Due to his inclination to monsters and beasts many people around him found his person to be eery and strange which lead to the isolation of his peers with the exception of his dear sister, Falin.
The constant sneers and scrutinization from his community of tall men and others have never weakened his resolve, And his love of monsters but the result of it still stings.
Once he takes an interest in you is one for the history books, Only the winged lion knows when or IF he looks away. Once you've caught his interest there is no undoing what shortly ensues.
Laios could hardly remember the people he had met even when they'd be as assertive as they could. Laios could barely remember Kabru's name not his party, So to think he'd finally grant you a portion of the attention he gives to monsters is downright impressive.
I see Laios taking the observational route before he deliberately approaches you, But I can see him greeting you fairly often. Laios would attempt to strike a conversation with you, Whether that'd be related to monsters or a simple warm greeting as he introduces himself. He would try to maintain his gentle demeanor ensuring that he doesn't frighten you away like the rest of his fellow comrades, But oh boy would he fail at doing so. You could just smell the excitement coming off of him.
Laios would begin to befriend you, Sharing the meals Senshi prepares with you, Inviting you to associate with his party, and most of all sharing all of his interests and passions with you.
Think of the way he behaved with Shuro but 10x more augmented with you. He'd talk your ear off day and night about all the different species of monsters as if he wouldn't wake the next day, He'd rant about the various types of basilisks, the eggs of chimera's, and strangely the taste of a female minotaur's milk?
But due to his connection with his party, I think he would be a lot tamer had he been if you had met on the island. Laios would predominantly share all his meals with you, And you'd better put on your best smile and chewing impression if you weren't hungry because your cheeks would be endlessly assaulted by a spoon full of food.
Laios would constantly make sure you'd have enough to eat and enough sleep, So much so you could to start calling him mom habitually at this point. Although you'd see this as nothing but an affectionate gesture, In a way he'd see it as courting.
To me Laios secretes a very delusional vibe, I can definitely visualize him justifying all of his latent clingyness towards you as normal and sweet despite your annoyance. Though the severity of his infatuation depends on when and where'd you meet him. I'd say with his party, He'd be much more gentle with his affections and try to be as sensitive as he could with his eccentricities.
Laios would still often make the mistake of being overly blunt with his observations and compliments, And it could sometimes even insult you. But spending time with this goofball would more likely than not make you aware of his intentions with his words and spare him the scrutiny he receives from Chilchuck, And the others.
Due to this, His infatuation with you will worsen and he'll start equating you with Falin. His sister was the only person who understood the true meaning behind his words and once you, the object of his obsession start showing him he same compassion He'd simply have no other choice but to entertain his delusion.
This is where it begins to take an odd turn in his behavior. The way he'd start to greet you would become jittery, Like a dog greeting it's owner. His excitement would increase tenfold whenever he'd be within a distance of you, like your presence fuels his eagerness. At times it feels as if he's trying to impress you.
Laios undoubtedly try to hog your attention, Try to keep your eyes on him. He'd begin fishing for praise in whatever way whether that be from formulating an elaborate strategy or simply fetching ingredients for the next meal Senshi would cook. He'd begin to grow possessive in a way, trying to pin all of your attentiveness on him, the way he does to you.
Poor boy wouldn't realize what's wrong with it until he starts to see why you always seem so exhausted whenever he's in view, or how he's slowly taking so much of your time and energy you barely give the effort to do something for the party because he's already done it.
He'd still see nothing wrong with it of course, you're still eating, still getting enough sleep but he wonders why you begin to avoid him now. You of course say nothing, trying not to hurt his feelings knowing what he has gone through, See you want to be there for him when his father wasn't, You want him to be happy even with the absence of Falin.
And you prioritizing his happiness is what links you to the party. Laios is without a doubt beyond obsessed with you at this point in time, Your wellbeing far exceeds any voice of reason. Your health and happiness is at the far most importance, Even exceeding his.
You're his everything, And most importantly wants him to be yours. He wants you to dedicate yourself to him, To throw yourself at him like a rabbit to a wolf. To gift him your flesh to consume for HIS wellbeing, To gift yourself his flesh for YOUR wellbeing, The ultimate exchange of love.
Of course Laios himself would never ask you of this, But at times he desires YOU would come to him with such devotion. The same devotion he gives to you day and night, sunset and sunrise, to repay him the same way he has worshipped you ever since he's gained a glimpse of your eyes, and a glimpse of your heart.
A heart he'd consume with his own, Becoming singular with the person he has loved the most, For is that so much to ask??
Laios wouldn't kidnap you, But oh would he have you stay. I mean isn't that what he's been doing all along?? Draining your sense of independence, Training you like a bunny to a owner to rely solely upon him, For it is he who possesses everything you need.
And that's all that matters.
#yandere laios#yandere x reader#male yandere#delicious in dungeon#dungeon meshi#laios touden#laios dungeon meshi#dunmeshi#laios x reader#tw yandere#yandere#tw dark content#dark!laios touden#dark content#x gn reader#gn reader#gender neutral reader
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The dangers of flirting back with a business owner - a wolfstar microfic
@wolfstarmicrofic
September 13 - Basilisk Words: 432
“I want this.” Sirius slid a piece of paper across the counter.
“A snake?” The tattoo artist, who had just introduced himself as Remus, flicked his honey curls out of his face and opened a binder of reference tattoo designs.
“No. It’s a basilisk. And I want this exact one.”
Remus snorted, eyed Sirius’ chunky boots and leather jacket, and fixed him with curious amber eyes. “If you are going for the ‘bad guy, homemade tattoo’ look, this is not the place. I have some dignity, you know.” He tilted his head to the side. “Besides, you’ve got enough appeal as it is.”
With several big scars marking his face and arms, he gave off more ‘bad guy’ energy than any tattoo Sirius had ever seen. Sirius bet he was flirting with all his customers. Good business and all that. But he couldn’t help the warmth spreading in his chest as he tried to explain.
“More like - a kid in my life drew this and I want a permanent memory of him, plus I think he would be thrilled.”
“Oh!” Remus chuckled awkwardly and lowered his gaze for a second. He picked up the drawing and looked at it more carefully. “That’s wonderful! So, a family man, huh?”
“Well, it’s my friends’ kid, my godson. I’m single.”
Sirius tried not to dwell on whether the way Remus' crooked smile widened slightly at that meant anything.
“Do you want to include his name?”
“Uhm.. I'm not sure.”
“What is he called?”
“Harry.”
“It would look cool along the body of the basilisk, like this.” He drew a quick sketch. “Or in a banner, like this. Or just plain letters under it, like this.”
Despite all the options Remus presented looking cool as hell, they eventually agreed on one. Remus handed Sirius a note with the time for the booking a few days later. Before Sirius had time to turn, Remus leaned down on his elbows and looked up at him through his eyelashes.
“Look, I’m sorry I misjudged you in the beginning. I really need to be better at not offending my customers.”
“It’s okay.” Sirius smiled and tried to tell himself he was flirting with everyone, in reality just a cold but good-at-his-job business owner. But in the end, Sirius couldn't help but add “Besides, you got enough appeal as it is.”
Before Sirius had time to beat himself up over that, the apparently not-so-cold business owner Remus actually blushed and bit his lip.
Despite not even having the tattoo done yet, Sirius left knowing he was going back for more.
#wolfstar#wolfstar microfic#sirius black#remus lupin#remus x sirius#sirius × remus#wolfstar meet-cute
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I am the pretty thing that lives in the castle
And I pray one prayer - I repeat it till my tongue stiffens - Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you - haunt me, then! Emily Bronte, ‘Wuthering Heights’.
Y/N became a ghost instead of Myrtle. She couldn't care less about Tom. He wishes he could say the same. Wordcount: 3k.
At their first meeting, Tom even shrieked a little (as he later justified, solely because Y/N took him by surprise). He crept towards the sinks that bathed in the bluish light of the moon, and did not at all expect that someone would jump at him from the ceiling with a “Boo!”
“Boo,” Y/N said reluctantly and passed through him like a light bluish cloud. Tom closed his eyes, but didn’t feel anything.
“Good evening to you too,” he said, looking at her cautiously. Y/N floated up to the ceiling and was now studying the stucco, running her ghostly finger absentmindedly over the frozen gargoyle masks. “What's new?”
“As you may guess, absolutely nothing,” Y/N responded, “but I like that you’re trying to be polite. It's nice.”
“Do you feel ‘nice’?”
“Not really. I'm using words that I learned in life, but they don't quite describe my experience because I've never experienced anything like this before. I'd rather you be polite than rude, and that's my new “nice.”
Tom looked at her, a luminous spot against the black wall, which trembled slightly, like the wings of a strange butterfly. Y/N died wearing a thin shirt, but there was no longer any way she could be cold or get sick.
“If I didn’t know you were a Ravenclaw, I would have guessed by now,” he said.
“I was different when I was alive,” Y/N said judiciously. “More lively”
“You sure were”.
“No, I mean it. I can't explain it enough for you to understand, but this experience is...changing. Everything becomes so transparent, unreal. If I were the same, I would have already cried barrels of tears and flooded the toilet”.
“There is someone who is eager to do that for you,” Tom said gloomily. “Myrtle has been whining all day long, telling everyone what a wonderful friend you were.”
“Me?” Y/N sounded surprised. “I can’t remember that we were friends. However, I did stand up for her a couple of times…”
Tom kept silent a little longer, angrily tapping his fingers on the broken edge of the sink. When falling, already dead, Y/N hit her head here. They didn't fix the sink, instead, they put a lock on the toilet door, but Tom sneaked in almost every evening.
“Is that why you’re not angry at me for killing you?” he finally asked.
“Well, technically you didn’t kill me. You just released a basilisk, which also didn't do anything against its nature, so it's kind of like an accident. Although I can understand why you didn’t tell anyone about it all,” Y/N said. “No, that’s not the reason why”.
“You are very understanding,” said Tom. “Is it okay if I stay here a little longer? I need to prepare an essay on the history of magic, and tomorrow is the final match between the badgers and Slytherin. All of Hogwarts is shaking”.
“Make yourself at home,” Y/N said indifferently.
She went down to the Chamber of Secrets with him when the time came to seal it. Hovering silently two steps behind him, she looked at the tunnels and rusty gratings that were many, many centuries old, and for the first time something like curiosity was reflected on her transparent face. For some reason this made Tom feel almost happy. Y/N’s curiosity became almost human when, rustling its scales, a huge snake slowly crawled out of the black hole in the wall and surrounded them with a ring, and put its terrible head so as to get a better look at the guests, and hissed in greeting.
“I've read that those who speak Parseltongue can look a basilisk in the eyes and survive,” said Tom, looking down, “but I don’t want to test that.”
Y/N looked fearlessly with her dead eyes straight into the face of the creature.
“Yes, the cost of a mistake would be very high,” she said. “What is your pet's name?”
“Susie,” Tom said quietly. “It's a girl”.
Y/N smiled weakly.
“Hello, Susie,” she said. Susie let out a squeal that sounded more like a laugh. “Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, this is not for long, because we have come to seal the Chamber of Secrets forever.”
“For a while,” Tom corrected her. “Susie, I'll be back, I promise. I don't know when, but I'll be back”.
He closed his eyes and stretched his hands forward. The basilisk poked its terrible mouth into his chest, and Tom hugged her.
***
When Tom returned to school the next year, no one noticed anything, and he even began to think that the ritual did not work, but as soon as he crossed the threshold of the toilet on the third floor, a quiet exclamation was heard from under the ceiling:
“Oh! Tom, what happened to you?”
Like a feather or a petal, Y/N slowly descended towards him. Tom looked at her and thought that flying suited her well.
“Is it that noticeable?” he asked suspiciously.
“You have become very small,” Y/N said, flying around him. “Like this,” and made a small circle with her hands. “Where did half of you go?”.
This is how he learned that ghosts see the effects of Horcruxes.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “Who was it?”
And Tom told her. About everything, about how he found out who the Gaunts were, about how he found his uncle, about the Riddles, about how scary it was to look at his father’s corpse, because he was so very alike him, about how he made a Horcrux right there while the bodies were still warm. It was easy for him, he wanted to talk, to free himself from every detail, take it out of his head, let Y/N look, discuss, judge.
She was in no hurry to judge. She just said:
“This could backfire on you.”
“How?” Tom suddenly felt offended. He just now realized that he would like her to admire what a cool magician he is, and maybe even clap her hands.
“I know more than you,” she said vaguely. “Not everything, perhaps, but more. Yes, I’m still on the threshold, but from where I’m standing, it’s clear that you acted very rashly.”
“What do you mean by ‘still’?"
She didn't answer.
All autumn, winter and summer he went to visit Y/N, even leaving textbooks in a niche by the window. It was quiet and somehow very cozy there, the light from the window was so gentle, and on sunny days the stained glass windows seemed to light up with colored lights. Y/N was silent for the most part, but seeing her figure out of the corner of his eye and hearing her thoughtful humming under her breath was... nice. This was his new “nice”, because something inside of him began to change inexplicably, irreversibly and horribly.
In winter, he asked her to come to the Yule Ball, and she agreed, and she blew out all the candles and ruined the chandelier. Oh, the chaos!.. And in the spring they celebrated Y/N’s first Deathday Party. For this occasion Tom stole a lemon pie from the kitchen, but Y/N politely thanked him and said that she couldn’t eat that. She fluttered back and forth, he chewed on the pie, they argued about the technique of using Fiendfyre, and it was a nice evening.
“I won’t come back here in the fall,” Tom said suddenly, because in fact that’s all he’s been thinking about for the last few days.
“I know,” Y/N said. “You are in seventh year. I can count to seven”.
“But I’ll come back someday,” he said stubbornly. “I just don’t know when”.
“I think I’ve already heard this once”.
“I’ll come back for Susie too, don’t you worry.”
“And what will we do then, riddle me this?”
“Seize the Ministry of Magic,” he blurted out. “Y/N, I'll miss you. Will you miss me?”
“I would like to tell you something nice in response, but I’ll tell the truth. Maybe I won't be here soon.”
He suddenly felt very hot. Then terribly cold.
“What do you mean you won’t be here? Where are you going to go?” Tom asked in an unnaturally high voice. “Aren’t you here forever?”
“Not really,” Y/N answered evasively. “You see, when I died, I was not at all ready for this”.
“Can anyone possibly be ready for this?”
“You must be ready, Tom. Now I know that. I was confused and made... the wrong choice. Stuck on the threshold. Didn't go any further. But I can step forward at any moment, I just need to think it over carefully and make a decision”.
“Can’t you step back?” Tom asked. He did not put hope into these words, but it sounded nevertheless.
“No,” Y/N answered simply. “I died, Tom”.
He rested his hand on his cheek and watched her spin, arms outstretched, right up to the ceiling, the invisible wind blowing her hair. He said:
“I regret that I didn’t know you when you were alive. I think we could become friends.”
“We could,” Y/N agreed. “But for this to happen you shouldn’t have killed me”.
Tom jumped up sharply and, his burning face hid in his hands, quickly walked out of the room. The door slammed so loudly that the noise echoed throughout the entire corridor.
***
Tom did not soon cross this threshold again.
He walked from Dumbledore's office after the first unsuccessful job interview in his life, he wanted to get out of the castle as quickly as possible so as not to endure this humiliation anymore, but his feet themselves led him to the third floor.
“You have become even smaller,” said a familiar voice, which he had only dreamed about in the morning. Loud, distant, but somehow comforting. “You're barely visible”.
Tom was silent. He looked and still did not believe that he was seeing her again. Finally he grinned and stepped forward.
“But you’re still the same,” he said.
“The same, but not quite,” Y/N objected, going down to meet him. “I thought a lot and almost decided to take a step further”.
“But not yet?”
“Not yet. This is a complex process, and it doesn't get any easier now that I have all the time in the world”.
“What exactly are you doing?” Tom asked, leaning against the wall. A forgotten feeling of comfort covered him in a cool wave. He felt like he wanted to stay.
“I’m thinking,” Y/N said. “A lot”.
“Don’t you need to, I don’t know, take revenge on your murderer?” he asked and realized that it sounded like a request. Lord Voldemort had a lot of requests that day.
“No, thanks,” said Y/N. She looked him up and down with a curious look and added: “It seems to me that there’s not much left of him anyway.”
Tom tiredly sank to the floor and tucked his legs under him. He wanted to talk to her again and again, so that she would answer sharply, but always to the point. He wanted her to scream at him, to rush to claw his eyes out, he wanted her to thirst for revenge.
“I sometimes saw you in my dreams,” he said. “Like we’re friends or something.”
“I have nothing to do with this,” Y/N said. “Have you made any living friends over the years?”
“Wait for me,” Lord Voldemort said without listening to her. He wanted it to sound like an order, but it turned out to be the third request. “Y/N, I figured out how to defeat death.”
“Sure you did”.
“I am not lying. I really fought it all this time and almost won”.
“I wish you would know how stupid you look now.”
“Are you going to listen or not?! I tell you, wait, I will bring you back, I will fix everything, you will be alive again, I will get you out…”
“Promise?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Lord Voldemort's promise?”
She smiled. Unable to look at her, Tom stormed out.
***
The third time he returned to the castle was on May 2, 1998. He walked along the empty corridors of the third floor, and his steps echoed loudly. He was going to congratulate Y/N on her yet another Deathday. In his hands was not a lemon pie, but an Elder Wand.
The door to the girls' toilet was blown off its hinges by the explosion. He crossed the threshold and saw that the stained glass windows were broken, and golden dawn rays were pouring into the room. For a second it seemed to him that the place was empty, that he was late.
“Oh, Merlin!” a familiar laugh rang out. “What's happened to you, Tom? You have become so very small, smaller than a mouse!”
She came down from the ceiling as before, but for the first time he saw her in the pink rays of the sun, and she seemed almost alive. For the first time he saw her almost alive.
“Come with me, Y/N”, he said softly. His hand trembled a little, grasping his wand. “I will bring you back to life. I will give you back everything and even more. Soon I will have the Resurrection Stone, and you will live again”.
She laughed even louder, twirled as if in a dance, and he felt uneasy.
“Stupid, stupid Tom,” Y/N said. “Still don’t get this, do you? Everyone gets smarter over the years, but you seem to only get dumber”.
And no Avada Kedavra could shut her up.
“But I'm glad you came. Really, I am. I wanted to say goodbye to you, Tom. I'm finally making that step”.
“No,” Lord Voldemort said in a changed voice. “Don’t. Don’t you dare”.
“Or else what?”
“Don't do this”, when was the last time he begged for something, pleaded? Was it with her?! “Stay. Stay, Y/N. I told you, I'll bring you back!”
“You forgot the magic word”. Y/N giggled. She sank to the floor and looked at him cheerfully and seriously at the same time. “I feel sorry for you, Tom”.
He had heard it once before, but coming from her it sounded and felt like “Crucio.”
“I have to go, really. There's no time to chat. I’ll tell you one more thing. Soon you will be offered a choice one last time, so please, please, don’t be stubborn. Can you do this for me?”
Tom looked at her desperately, afraid to blink, and still missed the moment when Y/N melted into the air.
***
The empty platform shines white, as if it were covered with snow. There are no trains here. No people, too. The bench blackens on the platform like a wound. A faint whimper came from under the bench.
A girl is walking along the platform.
She is wearing a thin shirt, but there is no way that she could be cold. The blue tie is fluttering in the invisible wind. She hurries to the bench, bends down, carefully takes out the bundle of robes from there, and opens it, and smiles a little and carefully presses it to her chest.
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Laios got Eaten AU Chapters 1-52
So, I was pondering a lot (as I do), and was thinking about this AU. Here's my take on it. Sorry if my grasp on characterization isn't the best. Expect lots of Farcille.
This is mostly a plot point based summary, going chapter by chapter. If something isn't elaborated on, assume it's the same as canon.
Note: This first installment ends at the same point as the anime, but as a manga reader, there are spoilers for later in the canon story.
Edit: Wowzers, that ended up being over 4,000 words! Guess I had more to say than I thought.
This is pretty long, so I'll begin under the cut.
Chapter 1:
Unlike Laios' self deprecating take on this scenario, the rest of the team doesn't immediately give up on him. Marcille and Chilchuck are his friends, and if Falin thinks it's possible, then they're in.
Namari leaves of course, but Toshiro is more complex. He argues with Falin, trying to convince her not to embark on such a risky mission, and may accidentally frame it as Falin choosing between him and Laios. Falin, of course, picks Laios. Toshiro leaves, dejected. After feeling sorry for himself for a while, he gets his retainers and heads after her, hoping to offer backup.
Falin proposes the dungeon eating plan, having casually discussed the possibility with Laios in the past. Without the gourmet guide, she isn't as knowledgeable about monsters, but she is pretty good at identifying stuff from her days of eating weird stuff in the woods, so she can tell the walking mushroom isn't poisonous. She also manages to grab the scorpion, having messed with crayfish as a kid.
Unlike Laios, she doesn't try to eat the venom, but they still struggle, and Senshi comes in to help. Falin is very excited to have such an expert helping them out, and is happy to have him join the team.
In general, Marcille is just as squicked out by monster cuisine, but she tries to put on a brave face for Falin. In fact, her attempts to be more accepting results in her not yelling at Senshi, so the slime doesn't attack her.
Chapter 2:
They go after the man-eating plants, and things mostly go down the same. Without Laios, it takes a little longer for Falin and Senshi to figure out how to save Marcille, going for the root. Marcille gets seeds planted in her skin, but Falin is able to heal her and get them out.
Chapter 3:
Senshi takes them Basilisk hunting, and Marcille is dismayed to see Falin knows the trick for intimidating Basilisks, a sight she will not soon forget. While Senshi slices the snake, Falin caves the chicken's head in.
While Senshi prepares the Basilisk, Falin is able to use a detox spell on Doni. The two still stay to eat though.
Chapter 4:
Events mostly play out the same, though Falin is a bit more gentle in rejecting Marcille's help. Falin admits to having skipped class the day they learned about mandrake harvesting.
Chapter 5:
Chilchuck uses Falin's metal staff instead of the sword to find the passage. When they go to get the oil, Falin casts a fire-ward spell on Chilchuck, just in case. Senshi declines to take one too.
Chapter 6-7:
Without Laios' insights, they deem the living armor too dangerous after the first attempt, and take a slightly different route to the third level.
Much to Marcille's chagrin, they run into a nest of giant rats, and they end up having giant rat stir-fry instead.
Chapter 8:
Falin thinks Senshi's utilization of the golems is absolutely delightful.
Chapter 9:
Falin is rather uncomfortable with Chilchuck's suggestion to trade at the seedy bar, but doesn't argue.
Events with the orcs go more or less the same. Falin thinks Bahay is very cute.
Chapter 10:
No Kensuke, so they get ambushed by the bugs. Chilchuck gets bitten, but Falin is able to heal him.
Falin applies much better ghost wards than Marcille. In fact, she quickly realizes they are just paralyzed, and is able to heal them. Yeah, no. That would have way too big of a butterfly effect on the story. Maybe she's too distracted by the pretty bugs to notice.
Unlike Marcille, Falin thinks the centipedes are adorable. In fact, she secretly takes one and hides it in her pack to keep as a pet.
Chapter 11:
As one would expect, the ghosts are a complete non-issue. No ice cream for them.
Chapter 12-13:
No one in this party is crazy enough to bother with the living paintings. Without the delay, they are able to make camp at the level 4 entrance, bypassing the mimic.
Senshi catches some fish, and they have a very nice dinner.
Chapter 14:
Mostly the same, except instead of Laios, Senshi is saved by Falin. She has experience in such manners.
Chapter 15:
Sadly, Falin does not know the song, so they have to resort to earplugs. This leads to a silent but amusing argument where Chilchuck has to talk down Falin from eating fish-men without words. Falin does not pull the waterweed stunt.
Chapter 16:
The kraken battle is pretty much identical.
Unlike Laios, Falin has eaten calamari before, having gone to that restaurant with Marcille several times. She is very disappointed the kraken tastes bad.
Senshi cooks up the parasite, and Falin doesn't eat any raw.
Chapter 17:
No one is sick, so this chapter doesn't happen.
Chapter 18:
Marcille has a sponge bath and insists Falin take one too. Chilchuck is annoyed by their flirting, but Senshi thinks it's cute.
When the Undine attacks, Falin is able to waterwalk and help Marcille, but neither of them has particularly good magic for fighting an undine. Both are badly injured, but they manage to escape.
Falin is able to heal both of them, but they are both left very hungry, and relatively low on mana. They have a barbecue to help them recover.
Chapter 19-20:
The Tansu party arrives. Tensions aren't quite as high between Marcille and Namari, but it's still there.
After Tansu fails to pacify the Undine. the two parties agree to help each other out. First, they help get down to the tower. A well placed fireball saves Kiki from the tentacles. Sadly, without Laios' knowledge, they can't eat them, at least not as easily.
When coming up with a plan to stop the undine, the idea to trap it is brought up, and they basically use the same plan, except Namari is in on it from the start.
After killing it, Falin suggests eating it, and the two groups enjoy some kelpie stew before departing opposite ways.
Chapter 21:
More or less plays out the same. Chilchuck suggests making the suits, to which Falin enthusiastically agrees. Senshi makes froggy hash instead of pasta, since he doesn't know how to neutralize the stinging.
Marcille puts on the frog suit without complaint since Falin puts one on first.
She attempts to take it off to much complaint still.
Chapter 22:
Most identical chapter yet. Namari asks about Laios instead of Falin. That's it.
Chapter 23:
Plans are made to take down the red dragon. With Falin here, their warding spells are much better, but no Laios means Senshi is the only proper warrior. Falin is a decent fighter, and plans to join Senshi and Chilchuck on the frontline. They search the orc's storehouse and find some spears, which will hopefully be enough for the inverse scale.
They mostly come up with the same plan. Crush the dragon, then kill it.
Chapter 24-25:
The pot defenses fail, and they go ahead and crush the dragon. When the dragon emerges, Falin is able to execute the plan, stabbing the dragon as they play dead. However, she isn't able to stab deeply enough before the dragon recoils, the spear getting pulled away from her, landing some distance away.
Senshi tries to stab the dragon in the foot, but the spear breaks. Things go as they do in canon, with Senshi and Chilchuck managing to toss Falin the spear and blind the dragon in one eye.
Falin meets up with Marcille, and ends up pulling the same self-sacrificing gambit Laios did, stabbing the dragon in the throat while dangling from its mouth.
Chapter 26:
Falin falls unconscious, and has a dream about when Laios first left home, leaving her behind. And how he later promised to never leave her behind again.
Marcille still has to heal Chilchuck and Senshi herself, since Falin is in no state to do it herself. They retrieve her leg, and Falin is able to finish healing all four of them.
They begin carving into the dragon, with Senshi taking the lead. Laios' intrusive thought fun facts end up saving the day, reminding Falin about the flame sac.
Chapter 27:
Falin doesn't even bother mentioning the resurrection office, already knowing what must be done. Marcille doesn't hesitate to offer her ancient magic as the solution.
Falin is able to assuage Chilchuck's concerns a little better than Marcille did, clarifying that the ancient magic is just used to perform magic of a magnitude impossible with just natural mana. He still doesn't quite buy it, but doesn't protest further.
Putting Laios' skeleton together takes longer, since no one here is super knowledgeable about dog skeletons. They get it eventually though.
Marcille does the ritual. Falin thinks Marcille is hot when she lets her hair down like that.
Laios is revived successfully, and everyone is incredibly happy.
Chapter 28:
No bath scene. :(
Laios is incredibly curious about their journey, and is running his mouth asking questions. He is extremely excited that his monster eating idea worked, and is practically glued to Senshi for a while asking questions. Due to his presence, Senshi doesn't explode the dragon.
Marcille isn't surprised in the least by Laios' enthusiasm, and is just glad to have her friend back. They enjoy their little dragon feast, regaling Laios with their tales of monster eating.
Unlike Falin, Laios does not realize that forbidden magic was used to revive him, and apologizes profusely for abandoning Falin, even though she insists it wasn't his fault.
Chapter 29:
When Thistle summons Laios, a ghost wakes Falin up. She wakes the others, and they go looking for him.
Unlike Falin, Laios doesn't gain magical power from the dragon, instead getting an even bigger boost to his strength. Falin isn't just knocked unconscious, but is badly injured by his punch.
Not even being dominated by the mad mage can stop Laios from yapping. As he is transformed, he gives Thistle tips, causing his chimera form to be significantly more dangerous, featuring a bigger but more slender build and bigger wings, allowing him to actually fly. As well as a few other embellishments, such as tail spikes and small horns.
The ghosts save the party, and things proceed as normal.
Chapter 30:
Chilchuck's arc is mostly the same, except that it is easier to convince Falin once she wakes up. Healing the internal bleeding Laios caused took a lot out of her, and both her and Marcille are tapped of magic. They agree to return to the surface.
Chapter 31:
Literally Identical.
Chapter 32:
Kabru's deductions are mostly the same, only altered slightly due to being warded by Falin instead of Marcille.
Shuro isn't quite as haggard. Falin isn't actively dead, so he doesn't feel the need to run himself ragged. Funny enough, taking better care of himself ends up canceling things out, and he arrives at Kabru's group at about the same time.
Chapter 33:
Senshi and Chilchuck have to fight the Dryads by themselves. They use the axe instead of Kensuke. Not that Laios helped much, but the first dryad manages to attack Senshi, leaving him in much rougher shape by the end of the fight.
Thankfully, he makes a full recovery once Falin recovers some mana from the yummy pottage.
Once Falin is recovering, she suggests teleporting out of the dungeon, but Marcille flat out refuses to let Falin do that again. It's way too risky. Now that they have a source of food, mapping out the area should be simple.
Chilchuck does not escape the sex ed.
Chapter 34:
A dramatic reenactment of chapter 34:
They still need to spend several days making the map, but at least petrification isn't an issue.
Chapter 35:
The ghost warns Falin about the wyvern, and they hide in the wall, so business as usual.
When Marcille accidentally puts on the frog suit, Falin decides to put hers on too. This somehow makes Marcille more mortified, not less.
Recognizing Falin, the ninjas don't attack. Marcille is annoyed how happy Falin is to see Toshiro, considering the bad terms he split off on.
Chapter 36:
Since Falin has been enthusiastic, but not overbearing about monster food, Chilchuck chooses to go with Senshi even more easily.
Falin explains what happened to Toshiro, leaving out the ancient magic. Toshiro has no reason to think Falin wouldn't be able to revive Laios. He is happy to learn that she intends to return to the surface, and he plans to try and talk her out of returning once safe on the surface.
Kabru can tell Falin is lying about something, but remains quiet.
Chapter 37:
Even though harpies show up, everything seems to be going well, until Hien splatters on the ground. The Laigon quickly proves to be a ferocious foe, with razor sharp claws, a vicious thagomizer, and the ability to easily fly out of reach, or drop opponents from deadly heights.
Marcille didn't know that sufficient brute force could splatter an Undine to death, but apparently so.
Falin watches in horror as she can see an almost joyous look in his eyes. He would never do this of his own volition... but he clearly doesn't hate it.
When Rin grounds the Laigon with lightning, Falin steels her resolve and charges in to pummel his weak point, but he smiles and says her name.
Chapter 38:
After Kabru fails to kill him, the Laigon is too powerful, and kills Kabru before Falin can do anything. Seeing the Laigon about to attack Falin, Marcille hits it with an explosion.
Snarling, the Laigon looks like it's about to pounce at Marcille and company, causing Falin to fully freak out and unleash her strongest offensive spell, causing several massive rocky spires to erupt and impale the Laigon from below, and accidentally hitting Rin in the process.
Screaming and convulsing in pain, the Laigon takes for the sky, fleeing as fast as it can, leaving behind a thick trail of blood.
With both Falin and Holm alive, as well as Marcille not being barred from helping, the revivals go smoothly.
Toshiro ends up getting into a shouting match with Falin regarding her goal of saving Laios. Falin insists that if they defeat the mad mage, they can save him. He insists that trying to do so at this point is suicidal.
In the heat of the moment, Toshiro declares that Laios isn't even worth saving, and Falin slaps him. The conversation comes to an abrupt end, with both severely regretting their actions. Toshiro walks off to think, while Marcille comforts Falin, who seems on the verge of tears.
Toshiro ends up apologizing, saying he can't understand her decision, but he will respect it. He has Maizuru give them supplies so they can head down immediately, and gives Falin the bell.
Asebi overhears Marcille speculating with Chilchuck about the Laigon, and the possibility of the dragon's soul getting mixed in due to her revival magic.
Kabru leaves with a higher opinion of Falin than he did of Laios, because while she seemed fascinated by monsters, she wasn't as crazed about it as him. Plus she didn't offer him a harpy omelette, so that helps.
Chapter 39:
Without the living paintings, they aren't able to quite grasp the mad mage's motives, but are still hopeful that they can talk to him.
And then the shapeshifters happen.
Chilchuck's Falin is an airhead, reflecting her calm demeanor and lack of commanding presence, even though she is ostensibly the leader without Laios around.
Senshi's Falin looks just like his Laios, but with longer hair. They look identical to Senshi.
Falin's Chilchuck is colder and more even-tempered than the real Chilchuck. She appreciates his levelheadedness and maturity.
Falin's Senshi is always spouting fun facts about food and food prep, and is always smiling. Senshi reminds her a lot of her brother's passions.
At first, the group is confused. They seem to be short two fakes. But then they find Falin's Marcille and Marcille's Falin making out in one of the cells. Both are too shy to admit their feelings, but apparently their mental images aren't so shy about it.
Once obvious stuff is out of the way, and equipment has been checked, Marcille and Falin have been found, but Chilchuck's Senshi, Marcille's Chilchuck, and Falin's Chilchuck are still around.
Chapter 40:
Marcille and Falin manage to eliminate Chilchuck's Senshi, since they both get a weird feeling from it, and all three Chilchucks agree it's the right Senshi, practically confirming it to be Chilchuck's.
The Chilchucks prove much trickier, until Falin comes up with an idea. We skipped chapter 13, so Falin suggests the Chilchucks provide their age. Marcille's says 20. Falin's says 45. Chilchuck is able to explain those guesses are way off the mark, and as the only one able to give a proper explanation of half-foot age ranges, he is clearly the correct one.
With all the copies locked up, the shapeshifter gives up and goes to find other prey.
Asebi ambushes the party as normal afterwards.
Chapter 41:
There is a bit of confusion at Asebi's accusations, since Marcille never confessed to using ancient magic, but Asebi overheard her talking about how she may have blended Laios' soul with the dragon, and that is not something someone does on accident. Clearly she must have been using black magic to do something like that.
Nonetheless, Marcille agrees to break the collar's magic, and things proceed the same. Falin attacks the hag with her mace-staff, creating a messier cut, but functionally the same.
The explanation of their goals goes about the same, including Falin being rather happy to meet Izutsumi, though she's a little less weird about it, talking about how Laios was fine before the mage kidnapped him, and that hopefully he'll go back to that state of mind when saved.
Chapter 42:
In Falin's nightmare, the Laigon appears and tries to kill her, but Falin becomes lucid before it can strike.
Falin goes into Marcille's nightmare to help her. Being more experienced with this sort of thing, she is able to calm Marcille down, and cause her to become lucid, dispelling the nightmare without violating Marcille's private traumas.
They then spend the rest of the lucid dream having fun together. I'll let you decide how much those shapeshifter clones inspired their behavior.
Senshi cooks the nightmares, and much to the girls' dismay, the dream is shown for all to see. Everyone agrees not to bring it up again.
Chapter 43:
While searching the recovered packs, Falin is delighted to find the Dungeon Gourmet Guide. She was afraid it had been digested with Laios.
Note: Falin should be seeing the ghost by now, but I don't want to break up the chapter flow, so just assume the ghost got caught in ghost traffic.
Without Laios to block them, Marcille gets impaled by a few stalactites, and Falin has to tend to her. The fight goes as normal.
Izutsumi is able to undress without anyone being weird about it.
When doing the sauna thing, Chilchuck can't help but notice how closely Marcille and Falin are sitting. He tried to block the dream out of his mind, but it's clear that now that the feelings are out in the open, that's just how they're going to act from now on. He just hopes this doesn't cause any issues.
Chapter 44:
Falin finds the boiled mandrake quite tasty, and so doesn't question it when Izutsumi gives her a second.
When arguing over dinner, Falin is just as baffled as Izutsumi regarding the Barometz. As they run over, she flips through the guide, discovering the potential danger a few seconds too late.
Izutsumi and Marcille run off to do their thing. Falin panics and does something dumb. She starts barking. She isn't as good as Laios, but it's enough to scare off the wolves. Chilchuck isn't even surprised at this point.
Chapter 45:
Pretty much goes the same. Toshiro plans to report the Chimera, at least so people know to be wary, and Falin is just as careless with the bell as Laios.
As they eat their eggs, the ghost finally catches up and Falin is happy to chat.
Chapter 46:
Our party arrives in the golden country. Falin wants to check out the monster corrals, just like Laios, but while he was ecstatic about minotaur milking, Falin is much more charmed by the opportunity to pet the basilisk chicks.
Falin becomes extremely flustered at the sight of Marcille in a pretty dress. Unlike Laios, Izutsumi lets her pet her.
Since minotaur was not requested, they are served basilisk cordon bleu.
Sadly, the running joke of turning ghosts into ice cream is dead.
"One shall come who bears a staff of living wood." With Laios out of the picture, Marcille is the lion's next choice of champion.
Marcille really isn't sure what to think about this. Her? Become new queen of the land?
She ultimately gives no conclusive answer, but the possibility of gaining dominion over this land where no one ever dies is tempting.
Marcille and Falin share the double bed, while Chilchuck gets the single bed to himself. At least until Izutsumi curls up on him.
Chapter 47:
Breakfast goes smoothly, and they head back into the dungeon.
Things in the cistern go mostly the same, though Falin also thinks the griffon is Laios. Senshi doesn't panic until the griffon actually appears.
Chapter 48:
Marcille puts her plan into action, and Falin carries her.
With the second familiar, Falin suggests shaping it like a dragonfly, since they are very fast and agile. It isn't as fast as the wyvern, but it dodges a lot easier. The third familiar is still sky fish.
Once the griffon is defeated, Falin suggests eating the sky fish. Marcille objects, but she can't say no to Falin's smile.
And Senshi shares his story.
Chapter 49:
Unlike Laios, Falin doesn't push Senshi to try the griffon. She suggests cooking it, since they don't want to waste good food, but Senshi doesn't have to try it if he doesn't want to.
Senshi decides to go for it. You can decide if he's traumatized further, or if changelings follow logic, and meat without any spores on it (since it was cut from inside the griffon), and was then "washed" by turning it into soup turns back into hippogriff. Senshi tastes the "griffon" soup, and is immeasurably relieved.
Changlings are a lot of fun, but they sure open some plot holes. By all accounts, it should have reverted to hippogriff soup.
Look, this is my silly what-if AU, things don't have to be perfect.
Chapter 50:
Falin is a dwarf now. She sucks at magic, but now she can really smash some heads in.
Falin thinks half-foot Marcille is adorable. Marcille isn't sure what to think of dwarf Falin.
When they reach the door, Falin is surprised when her pet pearlipede crawls out unbidden and unlocks the door.
Despite the disadvantages, Falin's mace proves super-effective against the gargoyles, managing to defeat one, but tiring out while one is still left. They flee through the door.
Now that the party knows she has it (and that it's oddly useful), Falin starts wearing her pet as a bracelet.
While preparing dumplings, Falin ponders if maybe the griffon wasn't actually a griffon, but Chilchuck shuts her down before she can accidentally re-traumatize Senshi.
Chapter 51:
Falin notices Marcille's strong adverse reaction to the news that half-foots only live fifty years, but doesn't say anything.
Falin suggests the possibility of using the changelings on Laios, though unlike him, she doesn't consider that the two halves might change separately. She just imagines them turning the whole Laigon into a gnome or something.
When the last gargoyle arrives, Falin's staff gets knocked out of her grasp, and thrown by the gargoyle.
They use the knowledge from the transformed staff to defeat the last gargoyle. Sadly, Marcille does not get to fly.
Falin washes her staff.
Chapter 52:
Senshi grows curious and asks about Laios. Falin talks about how Laios always had trouble fitting in, and it wasn't until he started dungeon diving that he finally seemed able to make friends and be happy. Falin had dropped out of magic school because she didn't want Laios to be alone.
Marcille starts crying and clinging to Falin. She talks about how she used to hate Laios. But as they adventured together, he became like a brother to her. Falin starts crying too. Izutsumi sits by Chilchuck to avoid all the tears.
Senshi proposes his bacon and eggs plan. Falin can't find any issue with his reasoning, and thinks its a great idea, but Chilchuck points out how long it will take to eat that much meat. They start making plans for the foreseeable future.
Thistle tries to stop the Laigon from eating a walking mushroom, but is unsuccessful.
Chapters 53-85
Chapter 86-Finale
#delicious in dungeon#dungeon meshi#manga spoilers#anime spoilers#spoilers#falin touden#laios touden#marcille donato#farcille#alternate universe#role swap au#Laios got Eaten#dungeon meshi fanfic#fanfic#chimera laios
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ive had a vague idea about crakam (nattramn) religion for a bit and then finally i saw something which inspired me to actually design a littel of them. More details...
the reality of the glaris legend is probably all mythology but there could have been an event in crakam history which inspired it (honestly, probably involved a basilisk if it did)
crakam settlements will always have a "priesthood district" in which everything is specifically built to be accessed both by foot and wing. however, its pretty normal for the rest of the settlement to be more catered to winged crakam. the one exception is "craftsman districts" in which some craftsmen crakam clip their wings for non-religious reasons.
priests have an important role to play in crakam holidays, and also usually works as craftsmen outside of religious duties - there is a bit of a "holy" connotation to very finicky craftsmanship which sometimes warrant the clipping of wings (for better maneuverability with the hand claws) because of the glaris myth
glaris priests often spend periods every day meditating deeply - there is a belief that this is what ensures that the settlement-wide visual illusion "spell" stays in effect - and it does actually have an effect on the spell's strength!
glaris priesthood roles are often restricted to crakam, but there have been instances of basilisk priests as well - if a basilisk resembles the eurasian jay, it's seen as a good omen and if that basilisk wishes to join the priesthood they will be welcomed with open arms. a "jay basilisk" being born in a crakam settlement will often result in strong pressure from the crakam for them to join the priesthood.
crakam aren't monotheistic, but most crakam settlement are sworn to glaris. there are other gods that some settlements have sworn themselves to.
culturally, brown and blue are colours highly associated with holiness among crakam because of the glaris order
in the pareidoliaverse ive decided there is an additional pine species cultivated by crakam which is Even Bigger than normal pine called "ramnfura". this is the pine which the myth refers to.
#pareidolia tag#bestiary#fantasy#speculative biology#spec bio#speculative fantasy#harpy#TECHNICALLY bcs these are harpies theyve just dewinged themselves LOL#worldbuilding#fantasy lore#i need to do more worldbuilding it just takes a lot of energy for me to do LOL
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