#it would be a mercy killing for all of us and save the university time and resources

[undeadunearth]

feeling very pierre bezuhkov coded as i sit here looking at all the work i’ve accomplished in the past and the nothing i’ve done this semester, holding my head in my hands and sighing. yeah man, i used to be better, i used to be better, i used to be better.

[lustlovehart]

Okay, so, I was reading your Reverse Monster!Twst AU (AMAZING btw, how do you even come up with so many good ideas?) and a thought occured to me:

Since Rollo is a kind of "helper"/"partner" to us in the original Monster!Twst AU, why can't he be one for Monster!Reader too? Because the rest of the cast kept their roles as being against us, so of course our dear work husband should keep his role, too!

Maybe he was abandoned by humanity, shunned, forgotten by it, but Monster!Reader saved him, showed him mercy no one of his own kind did. Maybe because of that he now hates humans as much as he previously hated monsters.

I'm not sure, I just thought it was fun to think of Rollo and Reader being partners in crime in both universes

AHHHHHHH this is so cute (and thank you 💖) <33 (￣▽￣) Rollo going from Monster!Reader’s #1 hater to their number #1 supporter is so adorbs. I kept his hate for monsters in Reverse Monster!Twst simply because I like the idea that the 2 Rollo’s in the au would be drastically different from the way they treat you, but him also abandoning his original morals is so fun!!

Maybe maybe! Rollo came from an esteemed family of monster hunters, only for his parents and his younger brother to be found slaughtered. Of course, from the nature of the job, everyone in Sage's quarter assumes the doing to be a monster looking for revenge, unknowing of the fact their oldest came out alive.

The problem is, he… doesn’t seem to wanna say anything. They’re sure he’s traumatized. He’s been old enough to start monster hunting, however, so there’s no doubt he’ll enact revenge on the rest of the vermin populace! Except, none of them understand he’s silent, because his family’s assailant, in reality, was the same as him.

A human.

And the real reason he’s even alive is the fact you saved him, a beast. His silence is from the conflicting morals within. He used to hate your kind, yet look at him now, thinking of the way you pulled his body into the shadows and shielded him from view… When he looked at you, there was a striking familiarity. He’s dreamt of you before… Though you didn’t have those monstrous features. In another life perhaps?

The townspeople eventually grow less sympathy and more fear when they notice his new profound interest in you. He doesn’t seem to want to kill you… This is what eventually has the people talking behind him, wandering how an upstanding citizen like him could fall interested in such a dangerous foe. He hasn’t seen you since, and as time passes he seems to stare at your wanted poster longer and longer.

Truly… He thinks he’s starting to hate humans as much as he did monsters, and it’s all your doing.

It isn’t until he’s collecting flowers (all of them different colors of your features) to arrange, does he finally see you after so long… Pinned to the ground by a cruel monster hunter… A faction leader no doubt. He’s quick to run to you, entirely ready to do what you did for him. But he swears the sight of you looking back at him has his breath hitch. He feels his body give way, ready to fall to the floor, but his eyes remain trained on you. In the blink of an eye, you’re gone, leaving nothing but an angered hunter in your wake. For a moment he believes his need to see you has him hallucinating.

Until he feels hands pulling him into the shadows, and once again, he’s reminded of what you did for him. The both of you can feel the frustration that wafts in the air from that killer. When he’s finally gone, your hold on him weakens, an obvious sign you plan to leave entirely once again. Before you can though, he’s harshly grabbing onto your wrist, the most determined he’s ever felt since his family's death.

No words are exchanged, but he knows you understand when he feels himself grow lighter and his body disappearing with yours too.

Marking the moment, where you exist to cause the occasional civilization panic, and Rollo silently plots the end of humanity so no harm will ever befall you from those filthy hunter’s hands.

I’d like to think the first month he’s trying to have you slowly open up to him, as it’s a little disheartening you haven’t said anything… Through the second month, the same dynamic Reader and Rollo have in Monster!Twst finally starts to show, with him diligently taking care of all your tasks (some lighthearted, and some… worthy of the title monster), and you depending on him, along with the occasionally playful interaction. But… you still haven't spoken.

It’s only when the third month rolls around, and he’s arranging a bouquet (once again in your colors) as you lay your head on his shoulder, does he hear a whisper. Initially, he believes it to be his imagination, but it’s only when he hears you say it louder does he realize what’s finally happening.

“Like… You…!”

…

He’s sure he could end all of civilization right now.

[charlie-shmarlie]

▪︎Out of Hand【Loki Laufeyson x reader】

Reader and Loki get rough housing a little too much <3

﹛"Hey okay do i have an idea for you play fighting with loki he accidently hurts you then freaks out thaaaank you. Like he acts all big and mighty UNTIL he accidently hurts then he is a small worm trying to apoglize."﹜

I kinda sorta turned this into a mini oneshot since I liked the idea so much lol. Thank you, requester!

TW: none

Fluff ☁️

GN reader

Word count: 1,673

Requested ♡

I'm currently taking headcanon requests!

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You know, Loki, being a 1,048 year old nordic god, wouldn't make you think that he could have so much energy all at once, but that is a terribly inaccurate assumption. You see, he tends to get these random bursts of seemingly endless energy from time to time throughout the day. One moment, he could be peacefully sitting on the balcony reading a book in silence, and the next, he could be an absolute terror.

He's basically a cat prone to zoomies.

It was a random Wednesday at 2:47 in the afternoon when it hit him, that familiar feeling when he just can't sit still to save his life, and, naturally, you were his target.

Next thing you knew, you're in a wild sprint for your life, dodging furniture, and even other people, as he chased you throughout the gilded palace walls. He was hot on your tail. He could have caught you with ease or even used his magic to make you stop, but where would the fun in that be? He loves a good chase, especially when you're the prize at the end of it.

"You know you can't escape me, darling!" He called out in full confidence, a devilish smirk clear in that silken voice of his,

"If you give up now, I might grant you mercy... if you beg for it!"

Gods, he's head over heels for you. He never imagined himself, Loki, the god of mischief, to actually feel something so real for anyone. Even more than that, he never imagined anyone could feel something so real for him. All his life, he lived within his elder brother's shadow. For centuries, he searched and searched for anything or anyone that could make him feel...worthy. Seen. Important. Give him the love and care and attention he so desperately craved. Of course, that someone turned out to be you.

There is nothing he wouldn't do for you. If he could hold the entire universe in the palm of his hand, he would wrap it up and give it to you as a present just to see your eyes light up at the sight of it.

A shiver of nerves mixed with excitement traveled down your spine at his words that echoed behind you. Your heart thumped harshly against your chest.

Being chased by Loki whenever he was in the midst of one of his energy bursts was always a thrill, to say the least. He spoke as though he might either kill you, or devour you by the end of it, yet the result was always the same: a bit of rough housing, a couple (a lot) of stolen kisses, and ending up sprawled out on the floor in a mess of giggles and soft panting.

You didn't dare look back, knowing that if you did, you very well might trip and be forced to face the god's empty threats. No, you kept on going and going, which only served to motivate Loki to move faster yet, his long legs carrying him swiftly over the stone floors, almost as though he were gliding rather than sprinting.

It wasn't long until he had you cornered. You made the foolish mistake of running straight into his chambers, which he immediately followed you into and slammed the door shut behind him, locking it with a flick of his wrist and a small puff of green smoke.

You idiot.

"Well, it appears you've no escape now, my little vixen," he flashed a sharp grin as he strode over to where you were at the other side of the room, as though he were coming to collect what was his. Which... wasn't far from the truth.

You attempted to make an escape and slip past him, but that didn't slide. He instantly reached out and caught you by your waist and snatched you right off of your feet with a victorious "gotcha!", causing you to yelp as he pulled you back against his firm chest.

"Loki! Let go!!" You protested in a playful manner, squirming against his tight grasp. You pounded a fist against his hands that gripped your waist, not hurting or deterring him even a little. In fact, your actions only made him laugh.

"Ah! Trying to get away from me, are you??" He teased. Just then, he shifted and threw you down over the side of the bed, making you land and bounce on your back with an "oof!"

Loki then boxed you in with his body before you could move and held onto your shoulders, bouncing you on the bed while proudly announcing that 'he got you' in a tone that was almost hushed, yet excited like a child that's had too many sweets. He wasn't necessarily being rough with you, but his actions were a bit dizzying.

He then began to pepper chaste kisses over your face, starting with your cheeks, your temples, your nose, your lips-- just everywhere.

"You aren't so tough now, are you?! Look at you, you're like a pathetic little bug under me!"

The air was filled with giddy giggles and chuckles that were emitted from both his and your lips. It was a scene he wouldn't DREAM of allowing anyone else but you to be a part of. Heck, he wouldn't want anyone else to even have the knowledge of the fact that he's even capable of participating in such tender and wholesome activities.

Nope, these things strictly stay between you and him.

"Okay! Okay, You got me! I give up!" You finally gave in, raising your hands above your head in surrender. Loki paused for a moment, still panting and smiling like a idiot.

"Do you truly??"

"Yes!"

"I don't believe you!" He then roughly pulled you up to your feet by the fabric of your shirt and backed you up against the wall, not realizing how rough he was getting until...

Thud!

...your head bumped the wall behind you.

Ohhhh no. Oh no... What had he done??

"Ah...oh, Loki!" You hissed, playful demeanor now gone as you gingerly held a hand to the back of your head. You didn't want to be upset with him, but that hurt like Hel. He had quite the tendency to get carried away with this stuff sometimes without even realizing it.

His emerald eyes widened, and his heart sank at the sight. No, no, no, he didn't mean to actually hurt you. He was just playing around-- that wasn't supposed to happen! He immediately let go of you, body language shifting in an instant.

"Damn it..."

Loki reached out a hand to carefully touch your head, feeling the need to check you over and make sure you were alright, silently cursing himself for getting so carried away.

"Let me see, let me see..." he muttered, a sharp pang of guilt stabbing his side when his fingers brushed against the mildly sensitive spot and you winced slightly. He cursed under his breath and pulled your body a little closer so he could get a better look and make sure it was nothing too serious. It most certainly wasn't, but he wanted to make sure. He's a literal god, and you're just his fragile little Midgardian. It wouldn't take much for him to accidentally hurt you, as this recent event proved.

He continued to fuss over you, whispering reverent apologies as he took you into his arms and held you close to his chest, as if to protect you from any further harm.

The pain wasn't really that bad now. It had only lasted a few moments, but when he still continued to coddle you, you couldn't help but roll your eyes with a softened smile, knowing this was now your fate, sealed in his arms with no escape. Which, by the way, is not a bad fate, really.

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured as his lips brushed against your hairline, placing a feathery peck there. He was completely calm now, his previous burst of energy hibernating deep down inside for another day. He made a mental note not to let himself get so out of hand next time, as this resulted in a less than pleasant experience for you and a rather large case of embarrassment for him.

"You're sure you're alright? Because if the pain resum-

You abruptly cut him off by shushing him and pressing the tip of your finger to his lips, to which he was unsure if he should be slightly surprised or mildly offended. Either way, it made you chuckle.

"I'm fine, Loki, I promise," you reassured him with a small, almost teasing smile, "you just... need to learn how to be a little more gentle, that's all. It's alright..."

Loki couldn't help but be put a little more at ease by the lack of a grudge in your voice. He was honestly embarrassed that any of this happened in the first place, as well as for freaking out so much when your 'injury' was pretty much nonexistent, but he just couldn't help it. He's pathetic when it comes to you.

It had taken him many, many years to face that fact without letting his pride flare up, and he still struggles it from time to time, although that makes it no less true. You're his weakness, and that's just the truth.

He sighed and rested his forehead against yours, "yes, yes, I know... I'm sorry, darling..."

There were those words again. Those soft, genuine words.

A short silence stretched on as you both stood there, his strong arms enveloping you entirely. He soaked up all of the warmth and comfort that your presence could offer him, which is quite a lot. Tender words in an ancient translation of Norwegian fell from his lips and skimmed over your skin, sending gentle shivers down your spine...

"Tilgi meg, kjære... vær så snill, frykt ikke meg og mine lidenskaper..."

"Mitt hjerte banker for deg... bare deg..."

"Jeg elsker deg."

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[arc-misadventures]

You know what be fun a female Rusted knight Jaune.

The Rusted Paladin

Jeanne: Hey, Jaune?

Jaune: Yeah?

Jeanne: Do you think if I was in your place, that I could have been the, Rusted Knight?

Jaune: Hmmm... Maybe... I'm not really sure.

Jeanne: Why not?

Jaune: I never understood how I became the, Rusted Knight, I sorta just became the, Rusted Knight. I understand, Alyx gave me the moniker of, The Rusted Knight, but I did not understand how my armour began to rust as it did. I personally think due to the nature of the, Ever After; My mental state effecting me as it did so, and probably caused my armour to rust as it did.

Jeanne: Mental state?

Jaune: The conscious mind of an individual often warps the reality of the, Ever After around them. This can often lead one to being trapped in a situation that feels like you are being toyed with an eldritch horror that is messing with your mind simply because it was bored. Or, you'll be stuck in a tea party with a sentient slug who is a massive pot junkie.

Jeanne: Did that often happen?

Jaune: Often enough that I was able to 'dull' my mind enough so it wouldn't effect me as much as it first did. And, that I was able to see the signs of what was coming to avoid them, or choose which scenario I would rather deal with.

Jeanne: So less dealing with eldritch horrors then?

Jaune: Actually the eldritch horrors were easier to deal with.

Jeanne: Really?

Jaune: Yeah, they usually had some sort of gimmick to them, speak in opposites, talks in rhymes, stuff like that. Once you figure it out they were easier to deal with. I even became friends with some of them!

Jeanne: And, that was better then dealing with a slug pot junkie...?

Jaune: You've read the book where it comes into the story. Those drugs play havoc on the mind, and body.

Jeanne: Okay. So do you think I could have become the, Rusted Knight?

Jaune: ...

Jaune: I honestly believe if we swapped worlds, the Fall would never have happened with you in it.

Jeanne: You do?

Jaune: If you as you are now, Jeanne went to my universe, and took my place. You would have probably have killed, Cinder, and became the, Fall Maiden.

Jeanne: Seriously?!

Jaune: Cinder may have been more experienced then you, but in combat she is no where near as strategically minded as you are. She relied on brute force, and the mastery of her semblance to defeat her foes. You would have probably adopted a defensive stance, and waited for your semblance to super charge before activating your, Arc-Angel persona. I can't think of a single individual who can withstand your semblance as it is now when you let loose, let alone when you become the, Arc-Angel. Hell, you could have easily soloed that, Grimm Wyvern with it. People may have mistaken you for a, Maiden considering it's visual appearance.

Jeanne: But, what if I was the, Fall Maiden, and I used my semblance?

Jaune: ...

Jaune: You probably could have cut a path straight through the, Grimm Lands, right into, Salem's Castle, and captured her.

Jeanne: Sweet~!

Jeanne: But, seriously, would I have become the, Rusted Knight: Yes, or no?

Jaune: Well... If you becoming the, Rusted Knight that meant you saw the members of, Team RWBY fall into the abyss. Had to do preform a mercy killing of your friend to prevent the, Winter Maidens powers from transferring to, Cinder. Failed to escaped through a portal before you to fell into the, Ever After. Accidently touched some clock fruit thingy that sent you back in time. Was betrayed by the first human you saw in ages. Had to deal with a psychotic cat antics where it was trying to weaken your mental stability so it could take over your body. And, you became the over protective parent to a village of sentient origami paper because you had developed a savior complex because of all the people you failed to save. And, that you were doing all of this for... a long time because you knew that one day, some day you would be reunited with your friends, and you would finally manage to get out of the psychedelic nut house that was the, Ever After.

Jaune: Then yeah, sure... you could have become the, Rusted Knight.

Jeanne: Uhhhhh...?!

Jaune: What?

Jeanne: That's what fucking happened to you in the, Ever After?!

Jaune: I didn't tell you what happened? Could have swore I did.

Jeanne: I knew you were the, Rusted Knight. I didn't fucking know how it happened?! I would have remember you telling me if that's how it fucking happened?!

Jaune: Oh...

Jaune: Still want to be the, Rusted Paladin?

Jeanne: Paladin?

Jaune: I would assume that because you would have your more... developed staged armour, by the time you became, the Rusted Knight.

Jeanne: By developed stage, you no doubt mean me having armour plating that can hold my, F-Cups?

Jaune: Yes.

Jeanne: I see. Please continue.

Jaune: Having your developed stage armour, your helmet, and your semblance you would have been mistaken for some holy figure with rusted armour. Hence, the name: the Rusted Paladin.

Jeanne: The Rusted Paladin... Not bad... My helmet would have given me a crown of rust... I bet it would look pretty cool.

Jaune: I would have liked to have seen that. Mostly.

Jeanne: Mostly? I thought you liked my helmet.

Jaune: I do, it is...? It will look awesome! But, that stupid hole in the back of the top your helmet to let your hair out, that makes your helmet look like it has plumage is so stupid!

Jeanne: Hey, I have...! Or, will have so much hair, I have to put it somewhere, or else I can't see in it! It works, and it looked awesome!

Jaune: I know! That's why it annoys me so much!

Jeanne: You're just jealous of my style.

Jaune: And, you're just jealous that I became a famous character from a children's book!

Jeanne: No, I'm jealous that you got to ride on a giant jackalope because you became the, Rusted Knight!

Jaune: Oh, Juniper... I almost forgot about her...

Jeanne: You did...?

Jaune: I miss my giant bunny...

Jeanne: Uhhh...?

Jaune: I am sad now.

Jeanne: ...

Jeanne: Oh shit...

///

It's nice to see I can still write stories for the, Rebirth AU.

I guess I need to scrap what I previously wrote for the separation bit to actually finish it.

[xjulixred45x]

Hello :3 can I request a story or one shot about an evil invincible(prefer sinister makr) try to kidnap reader from the mainstream dimension, bc the reader of their dimensions dead :3 (platonic yandere ofc)

Sorry if this long, I just have this scenario in my head for days and I need someone to write it 😭🙏🙏

Take your time, and your work is amazing 💟💟💟

Hun, the Requests are Closed, but honestly? I can do this just bc My obsesión with Invincible isn't over yet(and will LAST) and honestly i NEED to write something (just the nex time wait until the Requests are Open again thank You very much)

This would be more a Drabble, aaaand i decide to use Mohawk Mark(1- i already have a work of Yandere Sinister Mark with a Sibiling and GOD i wanted to use this idea for so long 😭)

Platonic Yandere Mohawk Mark Grayson/Invincible x Sibiling Reader: You..

Mark had to take a second look as he passed by them.

Being surrounded by chaos, hurt people, buildings burning and falling down, he could only focus on them.

that was reader.

Mark knew that they were not His reader, not only because of the clear physical differences (his reader would have to be bigger, less soft and not even that small) but because he knew that in his universe there was no longer a reader who would wait for him back.

He had taken care of that himself.

It was when he began to question everything, when he accepted that he was part of the Viltrumite empire, that he realized that he could not bring his Sibiling with him. They were too weak for the empire, Nolan said.

Mark didn't want to see how they conquered the only being that made him feel genuinely happy, genuinely understood, he didn't want reader to live to be afraid of him, to hate him.

so he took the only measure that he thought would be the most merciful.

It was easy to put sedatives in Reader's food, they trusted him so easily, even after everything that was happening at that moment, what he had already done, Reader felt safe with him. Mark loved them so much.

which made what he had to do next even more painful.

reader fell asleep in a matter of minutes, leaning on him while they watched something, he doesn't remember what. Mark moved to rest their head where they were, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to do.

And he did.

a quick turn of their head and reader was gone.

quickly, while they slept, without pain. without knowing it was him. it was perfect.

Except it wasn't.

When they were making preparations for a funeral for his sibiling (they were one of the children of the new Viltrumite emperor after all), a quick analysis determined that Reader, like Mark, was just a late bloomer.

reader was about to awaken their powers. of being a complete viltrumite. they were not human, they could have been saved from seeing the horrors of the planet.

and Mark killed them.

and the feeling that remained in him was the only thing he felt since then. pure, agonizing and desperate Guilt.

Mark couldn't bring himself to try to replace the void Reader left like he had done with Eve, he just couldn't even think about it. It felt like tarnishing their memory, taking away the weight of what he had done.

It was as if the image of his sibiling now resonated both to give him comfort and to reproach him for all the horrible acts he committed.

So seeing that face that tormented him again, that face that in a way kept him alive, was creepy, but he needed more.

Mark caught up with them very quickly, as he got closer, he saw the similarities that this reader had with his own. someone young, inexperienced, fearful, weak...

But he was not prepared for what happened when he approached them. God, after so many years without them, with the guilt of what he did to them, Mark just wanted to hug them and ask for their forgiveness, he had the opportunity.

But the closer he got to the reader, the more they retreated, and then he realized that, indeed, one of his greatest insecurities had been fulfilled, even in another universe.

reader was afraid of him.

But I could tell I didn't hate him. His gestures, his blood pressure, the way he spoke to him so as not to have to fight, everything indicated a certain familiarity despite the tension in the atmosphere. This reader was like a blank slate from its original version.

a second chance. He could do things right with this reader, protect him properly, give him the opportunity he deserved within the empire, have his sibiling back...

but it would be very difficult to do that with this good-natured Mark on his heels every time he was around reader. Mark saw RED every time reader showed the closeness he had with said alternative version of him (which to make matters worse, it seemed like they were from the same universe).

Well, if this Mark is so good and heroic, he wouldn't mind handing over his sibiling willingly, right?

Even if not, Mohawk doesn't mind going over him to get to the reader, even if he scares then, even if they hates him, he won't lose sight of them anymore, he won't lose them again.

They're going home together, whether they like it or not.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[10thmusemoon]

Title for the ask game!

"Good Graces"

lmao prim why does this feel like I'm seeing beyonce at the grocery store??? i love your fics!

okay hm content warning for angst, major character death, bad end

Shenbros that grow up alongside YQY and that somehow makes everything worse.

YQY still makes the unforgivable mistake of saving Shi Wu, Shen Jiu still steps in, but now he has Shen Yuan attached to him too. The two get taken into the Qiu household, QJL still develops an obsession with torturing Shen Jiu but now uses Shen Yuan as collateral.. If he doesn't behave, if he isn't perfect, well then, QJL will just see how his little brother does instead. Throughout this all, the two grow even closer, SJ doesn't let the resentment fester because SY is the only thing he still has, the only thing that keeps his sane. SY bandages his wounds in the night, holds him close, brings him into QHT's circle of safety with clever words whenever possible. He is the only good thing in the world now that Qi-ge is gone. They just need to wait for him to come back, and things will be fine.

And surprisingly, he does! This universe smiles down on SJ for once and shows him mercy. YQY looks like a prince standing behind his shizun, regal in his fine robes, and handsome in the way that well fed nobles can be. SJ tries to focus on the negotiations, but his eyes keep drawing back him yqy's face, awe and hunger at war. It's because of this that he misses the way SY goes stiff, head swiveling between the cultivators in silently growing horror.

The negotiations are easier than SJ ever thought they would be, his and SY's lives are traded from one hand to another like any dirty coin. The only difference being now they are indentured servants, their contracts having an actual time limit, the conditions of which only require them to be CQMS disciples until YQY becomes the new peak lord.

Which is...fine. More than fine, even! SJ is convinced that if he really wanted to, he could convince YQY to runaway with them afterwards. When he tells this to SY he's shocked by his insistent refusal.

"No, we have to stay at CQMS. No matter what."

Whatever.

For 15 solid years, SJ's life is good. He stakes his claim on YQY as soon as he realizes there are people interested in him, shamelessly making himself at home by his side. SJ excels at QJP, determined to be the one YQY can rely on. If SY insists on staying at CQMS, then SY will just have to make it theirs.

(years down the line is experiences gleeful joy at seeing people's face twist when it's revealed he's yqy's spouse.)

SY in all of this, is living in crisis mode! His brother is the scum villain and is going to get qi-ge killed! Why the FUCK did Airplane never mention any of this!!??? No matter how badly he wants to fuck off to the beast peak, he doesn't! He stays firmly on QJP, taking on all the duties that deal with the new disciples to keep them as far as fuck as he can from Shen Jiu's clutches!! When YQY and SJ finally ascend as peak lords, naturally he continues handling any responsibilities of SJ's that deal with one-on-one contact with kids. And honestly? That's the ideal! SY's cultivation has never been as strong as SJ's, he's not the one meant to be the protagonists' narrative foil after all! He can coast by on teaching the fundamentals!

In SJ's eyes, SY continues to be his filial younger brother, taking on the burden of the tasks SJ hates. He spoils him, when possible, in the way only SY and YQY ever seem to understand. They are the only two good things that have been and always will be his. He doesn't need anyone else.

And then NYY arrives, and no one is more surprised than he is that he looks forward to teaching her the guqin, delights in how quickly she picks up the erhu. He doesn't understand why SY looms nervously whenever she's near, is irritated when he starts to suspect why. It's their first huge blow up.

And then the boy arrives.

He can't explain why this particular disciple is so repulsive. Why the dirt seems to stick to him, no matter how clean he is. Filthy fingerprints on grasping hands. Wretched thing has a certain look in his eye, a hunger SJ knows will be ruinous, insatiable. Just the way he trails after SY is enough to make him spit! And SY has always been a soft-hearted idiot, falling for the urchin's sob story! Just as obsessed! If they don't nip it in the bud now, they'll be rumors about them. The kind of things that pull righteous cultivators down from the heavens!

YQY listens to all of this indulgently, combing oil through SJ's hair and kissing his temple. As always, no matter how hard SJ tries to hold on, yqy always manages to pull him from his mood.

"What's wrong with having a favorite?" "It's not the same and you know it!" "He's just a child, if you let Liu-shidi back on QJP, it won't even be an issue."

Lots of grumbling about toads wanting swan's flesh. They both know the root of the issue is just that SJ can't let anything that's his slip out of his grasps. His love is all consuming, kept close to his chest in the fear that it will be stolen away.

LQG is not allowed on QJP, instead, SJ starts to teach more. Tries to test LBH relentlessly, waiting for him to fail so he can prove a point. This makes things worse between the brothers, more and more arguments come up until they resort to childhood tactics of wrestling across the floor of the Bamboo house and ripping out hair. SY breaks a hair pin he knows YQY gave him, SJ tears one of SY's manuscripts on abyssal fauna in half. The fallout is ugly enough that Binghe and NYY run all the way to QDP, breaking past the sect leader's chief of staff about the impending death of YQY's husband and/or brother in law.

Kneeling in front of an amused yqy, bruised and with bald spots, both brothers Shen explain their case, each threatening YQY not to show favoritism to the other. The proposed solution is to have LBH spend some time on Qiong Ding Peak, at least until he's qualified to go on night hunts on his own. SJ is fully convinced he's won, is ready to smugly denounce any comments about Qi-ge's blatant favoritism.

Neither expect SY's eyes go wide, for him to lean forward until he's crawling to yqy's side in excitement. Luo Binghe's praises fall from his mouth like honey. SY's running to his room for a brush and paper, outlining lesson plans and tasks LBH can take on to learn about all the good CQMS does for the realm. To SJ's revulsion, SY badgers YQY until he promises to include one on one lessons. QDP already has a head disciple, there's no harm in it, right?

In Shen Yuan's eyes, a light from the heaven's has shined down on him. Invisible to all, the system flashes an exclamation point above yqy's head, offering an alternative option to saving the sect.

[MISSION OBJECTIVE: SHIBOS GOOD GRACES]

[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT? Y/N ?]

It's perfect! No matter how much SQQ hates LBH, the combined forces of SY and YQY will stand united against him! The sect will be saved and SY will never see his white lotus darken! Maybe, and he's nearly salivating at this point, LBH might even consider staying at the sect and becoming the next QJP lord! It will take, of course, years to soften up SJ to that point. But really, when has he ever said no to SY when it truly mattered? He just needs to suck up and live in Shen Jiu's pocket for a little, it's fine! This will be easier than the time he accidentaly came back with several short haired monsters after a mission with LQG and needed a place to keep them! And now they farm them for brushes!

SY sleeps soundly for the first night in years, comforted in the knowledge that LBH's work ethic and stubborn tendencies will surely endear himself to YQY eventually. And then, one day, he knows with certainty, that if he's not there to protect LBH, YQY surely will.

The Immortal Alliance Conference is as disastrous as it was always going to be. There is a countdown floating ahead of Shen Yuan that only he can see. Sweat is pouring down his face as he fights his way after demons he once dreamed about. SY lost track of his brother ages ago, the two separating to different crisis points to save as many disciples as possible. At the three minute mark, bright blue laughing kaomoji offer their congratulations, informing him that the inmun requirements for SHIBOS GOOD GRACES have been met.

SY nearly collapses with relief, his steps slowing down a fraction, just enough to catch his breath. Fuck teaching the fundamentals to scholars nerds did not help him retain cardio! The times is in it's final seconds when he makes it into a clearing, eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief when he passes Xiu Ya embedded into the forehead of a Black Moon Rhinoceros Python's skull. Then, just further ahead, Shen Yuan's heart falls nearly out of his chest.

There are tears streaming down Luo Binghe's face as he tips backward off the cliff. The huadian beneath his messy hair shines a bright red, the soft glow reflecting off Yue Qingyuan's black pauldron. The sect leader, his da-ge, is slumped against Luo Binghe, arms in a tight embrace, an unfamiliar sword piercing him in the back as the two tumble towards an abyssal rift.

The wail of a dying beast pierces through SY's stupor, SJ stands with a blackened hand outstretched, only steps away from following the only man he's ever loved. Shen Yuan moves faster than he ever has before, half blinded by notifications he's never seen before. Something about heartbreak points, swords, and narrative foils. He doesn't care! He doesn't care! SJ is writhing in his hold screaming like a madman, over his shoulder Luo Binghe is getting smaller and smaller, Yue Qingyuan's robes fluttering around them like broken wings. Screams echo through the clearing long after the rifts have closed.

"I'M SORRY I'M SO--"

"QI-GE YOU BASTARD! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T LEAV-"

-

Five years later, Luo Binghe returns to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, notably missing the great Xin Mo sword. The protagonist kowtows in the bamboo house, forehead touching the floor and arms extended out to present a mahogany box of bones and a long sword with a plain scabbard before an alter. Shen Yuan kneels next to him, chest shaking with labored breaths, he follows suit with is forehead pressed to the floor. From his peripheral, he can see the way Binghe's shoulders have started to shake, a puddle of tears collecting just beneath his face. A tally of points starts to flash above the boy, Shen Yuan closes his eyes, another useless apology passes through his mind.

"Gege was right, Qi-ge came home."

[starlight-bread-blog]

The Good & the Bad: On Aang (Not) Killing the Fire Lord

I recived this asks forever ago, trurly sorry anon, but I'll keep my apologises for the end. I'd love to answer that!

If you're asking me, this is way better than """killing him""". Case closed.

Getting this cleared up: The show didn't say that Aang is morally superior for this. It was solely about staying true to himself. Not a moral high ground.

So when I hear people say it's problematic because it implies that sparing imperialistic dictators has some intrinsic goodness to it, (Ahem-Lily Orchard), I just can't agree. It was never about universal ethics, it was about Aang's culture and values.

Why Is This a Good Thing?

Aang loves his culture, and takes a lot of pride in it and its values. (See: in The Southern Raiders his first go-to to convince Katara to spare Yon Rah is his culture, rather than what such act would do Katara herself). He would have been ashamed if he had broken them. But right now they clash with his Avatar duties, with god-knows how many lives at stake. He needs to let go of his pride & shame, and become humble.

Just like Zuko humbling himself to the GAang before they accept him, or Sokka humbling himself to the Kyoshi warriors and Master Piandao, Aang could only speak to the the lion turtle after he'd given up, after he was humbled.

Even beyond Aang, it enhances the show's themes at large. A theme in A:TLA is paving your own path, and that you can do what you want despite the pressure. Your true destiny will come, you might be surprised by it, but it's yours and you're free to carve it.

You just have to keep going, to continue to do the right thing, and your destiny will find you. Things have a way of working out in the end, eventually.

Sparing Ozai serves the theme, thus the show overall. Everyone told him it's his destiny to kill the Fire Lord and end the war. But he didn't agree, paving his own path, his own destiny, and all was well. The pieces fell in their place.

It is s amplified by the fact that if you read between the lines, he actually did follow all the previous Avatars' wisdom besides Yangchen's.

Aang knew what he wanted from the start. He isn't going to kill the Fire Lord. People (rightfully) tried to pressure him, but in the end, he stuck to his decision.

Justice was served. Aang took his bending away and put him to rot in prison for the rest of his life. There's more than one way to execute justice.

"... and the destiny of the world". That's exactly what Aang did. He followed his own path (staying true to himself) while saving the world (ending Ozai regime).

So that leaves us with Yangchen's advice. The one he didn't follow:

This opens another layer to this. Why doesn't Aang take the advice of a fellow Air Nomad? The one he should relate to the most? Because despite both being Avatars and Airbenders, Aang is the last. They're not the same. Yangchen is speaking from a place of privilege. She can carry the weight of the Avatar and not worry about the Air Nomads. Notice the wording: "spiritual needs". But it's deeper than that. In her time, they were there, they'll preserve their culture and values. Aang doesn't have that.

He's Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has both weights to carry. The decision to spare the Fire Lord, while protecting the rest of the world, is embedded in the show's title.

There's also something so incredibly powerful in Ozai being defeated specifically with Air Nomad values. A 100 years ago, during Sozin's Comet, the Fire Nation started the war by genociding them. When it comes back, the Avatar, the last Air Nomad, ends the war and stops the next genocide while preserving their values. The Fire Nation isn't going to push him to taint (one of) the last living aspacts of the Air Nomads, and Aang is shouting it – in the very same day the disaster occurred.

(Additionally I view this as a land mark of his character development since Siege of the North. He used spirit powers for murder, now he's using them for mercy).

(A:TLA is also a show made with kids in mind. They may not be able to make Aang kill Ozai. He got his bending stolen and sentenced to prison for the rest of his life. That's a more than serviceable punishment for a show aimed at kids).

(Ps: If Ozai had died Zuko would never have found out where his mother is).

The concept is fantastic. Nothing wrong there. But now, it's time for the critisism.

What's the problem then?

Despite looking in internet forums, it's entirely possible that I missed some things. With that being said, the Lion Turtles could have been foreshadowed better. As I stated, I don't mind it. But as far as I recall, it was foreshadowed once in The Library, and that's it. (Edit: It's also foreshadowed in Sokka's Master and The Beach, but the point still stands).

The Lion Turtle is a twist, it subverted expectations, but that doesn't mean it has to be a deus ex machina. That's what foreshadowing is for. It's the literary device to making a plot twist feel believable. The result is many fans, including me, feeling as though it came out of no where, even though it didn't.

Overall, I love that Aang spared Ozai. It ties into the themes of the show and Aang's role as the last airbender. It makes perfect sense, it's rather beautiful. However, I do wish the foreshadowing was better.

And for Anon, to apologize for the wait, I dedicate you this meme:

[lacunammmm]

I have noticed something...and maybe I'm poking a mega dead horse now but...Izu has no emotional investment in this damn story, not only in the "lets save shig" but in everything.

1) why he wants to be a hero so badly? Shrugs

2) What he thinks of AFO? Shrugs

3) what he think of LoV? Shrugs

(nothing that any other hero wouldn't be able to say)

He has no connection, not even with am and it's pathetically sad bc this boy is a fan of am...and he doesn't even know the name of am. Is that a thing where heroes hide their names? But we can see their faces so the name does nothing to help...so yeah, Izu looks like an idiot here.

Izu never thought about stain or Lov, let alone shig, until the plot says let's save shig.

I'm not saying if dfo was real would be better (small mercy on Hori's side) I'm telling I would like to see a reason as why Izu...is connected to this story. Same for Shig...as anyone could have taken his place (and I don't think the writing is clever enough to go "anyone can be a hero/villain. There no great destiny, it's your choices" SMTH spiderman USUALLY does)

It's because the villains aren't allowed to majorly affect Izuku's life in the long term. Think about it. All Might lost his mentor/mother figure, he lost his health at AFO's hands, and then his quirk publicly burned out in his second fight with AFO. The fight between All Might and AFO is full of pathos. But what does Izuku ever lose and how does Shigaraki or AFO make things personal for him? Nothing, and they don't. The main cast is too bubble wrapped and their plot armor is too thick. Another reason the villains are so impotent is because the story mandates that the main characters leave every encounter smelling like roses. Imagine the following What Ifs. -As retaliation for Kamino, his mother is put in the hospital when Shigaraki orders a hit on her. One of AFO's "friends" is happy to do the job. She was only saved because of Izuku's timely intervention. He fought the assassin off in his home and this battle left him and his mom bleeding and the assassin got away. Said assassin, and we could pick any of the guys who were Final War Arc assassins, they just didn't get sent to Tartarus in this universe, comes for a rematch later. Let's say it was Dictator. -Izuku returns to his family home after Machia's March and sees it's been demolished. He has to pick through the remains of his stuff and his scattered All Might merch and his mother's things. We see him help his neighbors out with their packing up. -Bakugo's sacrifice for him in the first war arc had disastrous results. The guy lost the use of his legs because the tendril pierced his spine when Tomura skewered him. Izuku was at his bedside watching him go through the 5 stages of grief. When Izuku left to start his Dark Hero arc, Hatsume was suggesting an experimental robotic spine replacement. Everyone thought she was crazy but Bakugo said yeah. When next we see Bakugo, he's on his feet but admits he's had to relearn how to walk. It's still not perfect. It probably never will be. But he's here for Izuku.

If canon is going to have All Might using a super suit that lets him 1 vs 1 AFO, and a battlefield heart repair succeeds AND the patient explodes his heart back into functioning, why not go in on theoretical prosthetics? The author is the one who wrote Bakugo getting skewered. Let's actually have that stick. And this is with following the mandate that the heroes and those adjacent to them must live. Let's remove the shackles. You wanna know a way you could have made Shigaraki a huge threat who had major impact on the heroes? Let him kill: Endeavor, Aizawa, and Gran Torino. Three people he had dead to rights but the narrative doesn't let him finish off. Let him. The heroes are allowed to kill the villains. Let a villain kill a hero who actually matters. No one gave a shit about Midnight, not even her two best friends. The story wanted to give something for Mina to do, so we get a really half assed connection where she wants to avenge Midnight because she liked her classes. Not because she had a close bond to Midnight. Not because she was her mentor who taught her things. Not because Midnight was the Aizawa to Mina's Shinso, no. Because she made class time fun. We could go further, you know. Rather than making hero society comically pathetic and thin skinned, make Tomura the menace the story pretends he is. You know all those heroes who quit because the public criticized them too much and left Japan to become a warzone and for people to fend for themselves? No, that doesn't happen. Instead, they were all at the raid on the PLF. All of the squared up to fight. Tomura killed them. Each and every one of them. We'd have panel after panel of him popping people's heads off and punching through bodies. Deku watches this dude go full terminator and then he crashes out. They said he had the physical stats of All Might, plus regeneration? Then let him rampage. Deku's "I'll never forgive you!" actually has weight and means something if Tomura is currently coated in the blood of Izuku's comrades. Not characters who existed just to die to make it look like the heroes lost people, no. Characters the audience could actually begin to care about. The Star And Stripe arc doesn't even need to happen. Tomura was simply so badly wounded from the excessive damage he took in his massacre that he needs to heal. Considering the fact that the final war arc has Deku keep Tomura in the air during their battle, you didn't even need to have chapter after chapter of him fighting mooks while his quirk is erased. Just let everyone jump this man. It gives something for people like Momo and Kaminari to be doing, rather than acting as a fucking battery for a coffin in the sky plan that logically should have ended in tears and death for everyone in UA if "Tomura Shigaraki" was smart enough to simply focus down Monom a and Aizawa. He could have just face tanked everyone's attacks, smashed two heads, and then killed everyone at UA, effortlessly, with a Decay wave. I want to say that the Coffin In The Sky plan was the stupidest thing Nezu could have ever done. Even if Izuku was present like they'd planned, hinging everything on Tomura NEVER breaking line of sight or using someone else's body to obstruct Aizawa and Monoma's view of him, while putting the whole school on the line... Well, it's on brand, given how negligent he usually is about safety and the well being of his students.

[annawayne]

Hi Anna!! I hope you're having a wonderful day!!! And that you have been well 🩷 I wanted to ask you about what your favorite AOT alternate universe is! And if you were to make your own, how would you write it? Sending you hugs!!

Oh, Stella, hello-hello!

Thank you so much for asking, and I had so much fun while answering and thinking about it, so I might accidentally wrote an outline for a fic...

You know, I really love canon-compliant and canon-divergent scenarios, but I have a very weak spot against the historical AUs or mythology AUs. In general, I really love AUs which take canon and transform into AU, without changing the main topic/character arcs too much, but adapting it into the new scneario. And I really love Medieval AU, Ancient Greece AU, 1900-1920's AU, but now, I want to stop on another AU which was sitting in my head for a while, and with your ask, I gave it more thought and structured all these ideas into something more proper, so here I present you -

Here, I want to make a quick disclaimer that I took as a base the whole period as a whole and in my AU, there's the fictional geography which is based on original AoT, but some events are inspired by real historical events and the whole vibe of the epoch. Plus, I focused on some general points of this plot without too much details and it's written more like the outline, rather than some fic (so sorry if it's not very good...)

Far away from home she never saw, Annie is raised by the man who is in slavery, among others people from the conquered lands - but there, in complete secret, they raise their children as Warriors - someone to give revenge for the King bloodline, who sent them there and who conquered their lands.

They worked from a very young age on the fields, and at night - they train, they are raised to be weapons and with the solo goal - to buy themselves freedom and then, to use for the killing. So when times comes, Bertholdt, Reiner and Annie are sent to Paradis Kingdom.

They know that the King is quite not sane - by age and illness he gained by various sexual connections, and he has three children: the oldest son, Erwin, twins Historia Armin, the youngest son. Erwin is an heir, a talented warrior and promised leader; meanwhile, Armin is much younger and not so strong, but his intelligence, bravery and the desire for knowledge is enormous. However, their father didn't really favor Armin, and always neglects him, sending him to battlefields, which are already meant to be lost. Erwin, on the contrary, recognizes Armin's talent and they are close; he, as an older brother, teaches him a lot and they like spending time together. Historia and Armin are close too, not only as twins but as allies: Historia isn't really loved by their father as she's a daughter and can't heir the throne, and by gossips. she has love affairs with one of her guardians, Ymir, which is also not approved by their father - but Armin always supports his sister and her lover, trying his best to cover Historia's missing for nights.

Annie, Reiner and Bert, when they arrive to Paradis Kingdom, they join the Warriors who didn't belong to any village, gathered only by desire of fight and war, the legendary order of Viking mercenaries. There, they meet Zeke, Pieck, Porco, Marcel, and many other people, who was informed of their arrival, and so starts the years of the battlefields. Endless, endless battlefields, full of blood to prepare themselves for the King killing.

Until one day they learn the news from their spies: Erwin, the heir, should be on the battlefield not so far away from their location, and they decide to capture him to manipulate the King, that will eventually lead to his death, but... Instead of Erwin, they find Armin and his army. Armin at the age of 17 is already an excellent strategist, however, his subordinates mocked him for being too merciful, kind and coming up with strategies that save lives, so commanders didn't obey his orders that led to almost his own capture. Annie, Reiner and Bert and their order used this situation, and they helped Armin to win, but... They caught him as a hostage. Not Erwin, but Armin is still an heir.

Firstly, there was an obvious tension, but Annie couldn't miss that Armin was different from what she imagined him to be, how... Royal should be. He is kind, smart, very attentive, and yet, he is manipulative and he never choose to opt to violence, only as a last resort when he could save someone important to him or when he realizes that there's no other choice. It's strange, Annie thinks, and she doesn't understand him. He is the first person in this cruel world who is so unconditionally kind - and yet, not without venom in him, and she couldn't just wrap up her mind how to understand him. She always thought she was nice at reading people. But with Armin, she realizes that she never was.

After some time, Armin and Annie start to speak with each other, and Annie hates that she starts craving these conversations. She hats that this boy should paint his hand - beautiful hand, maybe, more suitable for some crafter or painter - with blood. So when she hears Armin speaks with Marcel that he wants to train to become stronger and more capable in fight, Annie bursts in anger. At this moment, she was practicing with her daggers, and so she throws one of the daggers to the tree trunk, just a few inches away from Armin's face, cutting a few strands from his locks. She hopes it would scare him. She hops he would just step away and refuses to train to become a Viking. To become a Warrior.

She hopes.

But Armin looks directly at her, with his hazel eyes, so deep, like the autumn foliage in the sunset, and the determination in his gaze chokes her with the tight grip.

"Teach me.".

"Me? To teach you?" Annie snorts, trying her best to stay indifferent. "You're helpless. Don't even try."

"I know I am now," Armin nods, taking a step to her. "But with your help, I can become stronger."

"And? What benefit is it for me?"

"I'll teach you reading and writing. And I can also pay you. For you being my guard. When we come back to the capital, I can make you my guardian."

Annie looks at him, and she couldn't fight against his gaze. It's beneficial for her mission, isn't it? It is. And so-

She agrees.

Their training starts, they stay together, since she's now his guardian and his teacher. Armin struggles at first,, failing and failing miserable, but after every fall, he gets up with no complaints, the same determined fire in his irises, and... In one year, he really becomes stronger.

And they become closer. Annie learns about his twin-sister, how close they are, about Erwin, about their crazy father, about all the intrigues and horrors happening in the royal court. She learns that Armin loves to read, that his dreams - not to conquer lands but to see them, experience every single land with respect and admiration, that he never really wanted to be a King. She learns that he knows how to braid hair exactly thanks to Historia: she did it to him, and he did it for her, and now, he does it to Annie's hair too. She learns so many things about him, and she learns another thing, that braided hair by his hands looks so beautiful on her. So beautiful and she doesn't deserve this beauty.

One day, Armin cuts his hair, and Annie suddenly realizes that he grew up. And so she is, too.

And so grew up something in her heart she didn't know a name.

Reiner, Bert and other Warrior pressure her that she started losing her head and betraying them, but she always fight back., defending herself and always dismissing their accusations.

Until, one day, both she and Armin train on the cliff, the sea shimmers at the horizon with molten gold, and just at the very end, their bodies suddenly pressed so closed, caught between the daggers and their battle stances. Eye to eye, torso to torso, their jagged breathes wash each other with warm waves.

"Don't be so cocky," Annie says, her dagger stops inches away from his neck, . "If you think that you can win easily in the battlefield, someone will kill you faster that you can even imagine."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he whispers, and it sent shivers down her spine.

Confusion furrows her brows, and Armin nods down, somewhere to her abdomen. When she looks down, she sees Armin's dagger pointed right into her gut.

Something coils right in her abdomen - impression, surprise, pride and something else. Something she is afraid to name our loud.

"Not so bad for a dead man," Annie whispers, and instead, with the effortless maneuver of her hands, perfected by years and years of war, she flips him.

Armin falls on his back, right into the long grass, but instead of groaning or insults, he smiles, starting laughing.

"You're honestly amazing," he says and looks at her with so much joy and tenderness, and it just makes her blush intensely.

That day she realizes that she can't run away any more from her true feelings. She realizes that she really loves him. And it terrifies, and excites her at the same time.

Weeks later, their hands touch for the first time longer than a sudden brush, and decided to stay for a few minutes longer interwined. Months later, their first kiss happens. A few more - their first intimacy.

But time goes on, they're closer to the capital. And once they arrive in the capital, the King is not really happy to see Armin having his own subordinates. He feels that he's not safe anymore - and he plans to kill Armin after the celebration of his return.

Warriors plan to kill the King, some high-ranked vassals and King's advisors plan to kill Erwin because they see that Armin his more powerful army with him now, and King also has his own plans - none of the sides know what the other plan, so during the celebration, the total mess happens. Both the King and Erwin are killed: King when everything happens, he orders to kill Armin right away, and Annie protects him by killing the King; and Erwin - is killed by Zeke.

Armin becomes a King.

But since Annie killed the former King, she should be now executed, and it's Armin who should ordering since she killed the King in front of his vassals and subordinates. If he wouldn't do it - they wouldn't recognize him. She understands that she failed. She put her feelings first, and now, when she sees Armin in blood and with bloody crown, his eyes so terrified and so... Broken, she sees his heart broken in his gaze when she realizes that she was lying all this time, she just realized that she failed something that was more important than her mission.

She succeeded in her mission.

But she failed him.

"Since when... You... Started to look at me with these eyes, Armin?"

She mumbles, as the hands of soldiers dragged her away. Armin is devastated, but to save her life, he orders to sell her to slavery - he couldn't leave her with him, and he couldn't execute her either. He asks only for one condition - to find a farm where she can work with not so grave conditions.

Then, 4 years pass.

Armin was immediately dragged into wars and he won them, by his excellent mind and strategies. But all this time he was utterly depressed and totally alone, the weight of the crown and responsibility killing him bit by bit, and all this time he was searching for Annie - when he asked the farm of the slaves where he ordered to sell her, his vassals lied to him and told him that she died, not wanting to see her near the new King. Armin was devastated, but searched for her for 4 years, not leaving this hope that she was alive.

Until one day, they met again, on the random market place, when Armin was with his guardian Connie, eating a pie.

And so she was. Alive. And so beautiful, even with the stuffed cheeks and startled gaze, but for him, she was the most beautiful and strong woman he ever met.

And so... The new story begins. But, this is completely another story :D

[rhymeswithchronic]

Oke so I have little idea that take place in the mftl universe. Basically, I headcanon that Evbo never left fully alone the civilization, at least not the kids and the elderly. Imagine a kid falling into the void but getting saved by Evbo and after that they became a devoted follower of the Parkour God. Or he could lead the elders into the afterlife after they died.

I'm planning to make this into a gift fic, but I need the timeline:

How much time has passed between Boey and Emf/Seawatt dead? And how much time has passed between Emf/Seawatt dead and the time the people first tried to offer sacrifices to Evbo?

OPPORTUNITY TO DROP TIMELINE STUFF HELL YES. The answer to specifically this ask is at the end :3

I was gonna answer this normally but I'm not normal at all so let's have some fun

Sorry in advance - enjoy the ride ;) Spoiler Warning for Parkour Civilization and the entirety of the Mercy for the Lamb Series currently written! I also apologize for any inconsistencies and if you notice any, don't be afraid to complain and I'll try to fix it lol. Sometimes it's hard to keep everything perfectly in line, especially in such a rapidly growing series

Using Evbo's Ascension as Year 0, gonna call before this BA (before Ascension) and after AA (After Ascension)

30 BA: Seawatt is born

The flashback introduction of "We Build the Foundation" takes place sometime between then and-

14 BA: The Fighter Layer Falls, EMF spawns in (physically about 17) as a Noob around the same time and ranks up to Master soon after. Seawatt is 16

13 BA: The Evil Champion takes power. Seawatt begins working under the Evil Champion early in the year. Later the same year, Evbo spawns in and is assigned a Noob, he is about 12 physically. Seawatt is 17, EMF is 18

Evbo is a Noob and Seawatt works for the Evil Champion for 12 years, seen at the beginning of "The Art of Loving and Letting Go"

1 BA: Events of Parkour Civ 1 occur. Evbo becomes Champion, Seawatt flees to the fighter layer. Evbo is 24, Seawatt is 29, EMF is 30

0: Events of Parkour Civ 2 occur. Evbo ascends to godhood, Seawatt is killed. EMF confesses to Evbo and they become partners, marked by Evbo's golden stud earrings and EMF's dangling emerald earrings. Evbo is 25 (permanently), Seawatt is 30, EMF is 31

About 3 months later, Seawatt is brought back to life. His relationship with the other two improve over the course of the year and he finally starts to come to terms with his own complicated feelings. "Glad You Came" takes place over the course of now and the next time period

1 AA: About halfway through the year is when Seawatt officially becomes the partner of Evbo and EMF, his lack of official title gives him the unofficial title of 'consort'. "I Just Adore You" takes place

2 AA: In attempting to figure out how to reset the world spawn, EMF uses Evbo's username as a placeholder. Given Evbo's immortality, he lacks necessary data that would denote a spawn point, so what EMF ends up setting is an Evbo that *has* a spawn point. Traumatized PvPbo is given the nickname Boey. "Mercy for the Lamb" and "You're Gonna Feel Found" take place at the same time, "Sacrificial Lambs" a few weeks later, "Vengeance for the Lamb" a couple of months after that. "Worship" happens soon after the end of Vengeance. Boey is 16, Seawatt is 32, EMF is 33

3 AA: The Fighter Layer is fully restored. "Isotonic" takes place, "Here We Are" the day after, "Sunset" a couple of days after that. "Love Me Like You" takes place starting soon after the end of "Sunset". The majority of "We Build the Foundation" takes place around this time, too, specifically the section with Boey and the section of Seawatt requesting the Fighters to be brought back. Newn, the first Fighter born since the Fighter Layer fell, is born towards the end of this year. Boey is officially adopted by the Polykour trio. Boey is 17, Seawatt 33, EMF 34

4 AA: The final section of "Love Me Like You" happens. "Take a Bite and Feed" happens, followed immediately by "Family Means No One Gets Left Behind". The player Jax is murdered and eaten by Evbo, something seen by several players and earning him the nickname "The Cannibal God". Jax is revived, but never the same. Boey is 18, Seawatt 34, EMF 35

6 AA: "Thanatophobia" takes place towards the end of the year, someone tries to assassinate Seawatt and the players are immediately vaporized. Boey is 20, Seawatt 36, EMF 37

7 AA: "Regicide" happens, with "The Last Thing You See" happening a couple of weeks later, immediately followed by "Isolophobia". Jax's friends, Red and Ghosty, kidnap Boey with the intention to use him to punish his parents. Ace, Jax's brother, nearly murders Boey and they both fall into the void. Ace dies, Boey discovers he is immune to the void and that he cannot respawn should he die. Evbo hunts down Red and Ghosty and puts them back in their place. It becomes well known that The Cannibal God is violently protective over his people. Boey is 21, Seawatt 37, EMF 38 58 AA: Boey dies of natural causes around the age of 72. It is per his request that he is not brought back to life, leaving this to be his first and only death.

At some point between then and the next entry, Seawatt and EMF began to be worshipped within their own right, though as they personally fade from the spotlight their names are stripped into the titles Champion and Luna, the names also given to the constellations said to represent them. Boey's story and existence slowly become completely lost to time by all but those who knew him, who still remember him very loyally and still celebrate his birthday.

Together, EMF and Seawatt are revived 22 times in the span of a bit less than 2000 years. For ease, I'm going to just round it to exactly 2000, but that's definitely give or take a few tens. That would mark their final deaths around

2000 AA, give or take a handful of years: EMF and Seawatt experience their final deaths, leaving Evbo alone. Almost immediately, he sheds the last of his mortality and takes on the full visage of a black and green fire phoenix. He is considered 'absent', vanishing into seemingly nothing. All that exists are rumors of him for the next 500 years, with devotees becoming fewer and fewer and normally being the few claimed to have been saved by him. Many rumors claim to see glimpses of feathers or fire in dire times or dangerous situations that they make it out of with just a hair. It's only a few years, about 50, after Evbo's disappearance when players begin to sacrifice players in his name. This means if EMF and Seawatt were to die in exactly 2000 AA, 2050 AA is when people begin offering human sacrifices.

It begins with players offering themselves, and around 2100 AA is when people start offering others.

Players like Bast in "The Circle Maker" become the norm around 2300 AA, born to high-ranking families exclusively to act as high profile sacrifices. The hope is that one day, the Parkour God will come back to his people, so everything they do is in hopes of pleasing him.

Bast herself is born around 2500AA

It should be noted that Jax was the *only* player that Evbo ever ate as a God, something that happened thousands of years ago at this point. Unfortunately, it is one of his most well-known mythos, to the point he is still often called The Cannibal God. Unfortunately, I can't quite reveal what happens with these sacrifices after Evbo collects them without spoiling The Circle Maker, but rest assured he very much does not eat them, and in fact doesn't even hurt them ;)

I hope this is more fun than annoying to read through lmao ^^'

[yurinaa-world]

hello! platonic dan heng, blade, jing yuan and welt with a collei!teen reader?

they were used as an experiment from a very young age, thankfully [insert character] found and rescued them, they also took them in

they are chronically ill and scared of being touched due to their time as an experiment subject

Characters: Dan Heng, Blade, Jing Yuan, and Welt Yang platonic! x Female Reader

Synopsis: with teen reader, that's like collei from genshin Impact

Warnings: Fluff, spelling mistakes, angst but mostly fluff (except Blade went a little too hard on his with the angst), (No angst on welt because he would never), mentions of blood,

Notes: losing my mind a little, I've been grinding to finish these requests BUT IM OKAY :))

𝒟𝒶𝓃 𝐻𝑒𝓃𝑔

He could never understand what you went through, but he would never put you down. March was the one who found you because she was nosy, yet this time it was a good thing since they found you, of course, all messed up and bloodied with loose bandages, dredged in your blood.

But that was a long time, and now you have a smile that goes ear to ear; it also replaces that previous sad expression you used to wear. He doesn’t spend that much time with you, but he wants to, but he doesn’t know how to talk to you. Nevertheless, you seem happier with March.

Well, you seem to like learning, so why not let you in the archive room?

He accidentally touched you; he was really sorry! He didn’t mean to hurt you or have any intention to... to see you stare at him like he was going to kill you. He’ll do anything to get your forgiveness, and he will promise to never make the same mistake again.

𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒹𝑒

Why would he care about you? Just a piece to be played by the stellaron hunters to be their marionette for their "destiny," a little bug that happened to be saved from death... Now it seems that he’s stuck babysitting you because Kafka said, “Spend some time together, big brother. Be a dear and take care of her." Oh, how annoying it is to be dealing with a brat, but he grew a soft spot for you without noticing. Since he doesn’t stare at you with cold, dead eyes, which make you scared for your life, he just closes his eyes and looks like he’s sound asleep.

Well, he didn’t mean to scare you; he was just caught at a bad time, while he was losing control of Mara late at night. You couldn’t sleep because of the sound of someone or “something” in pain and just went to check it out? Maybe it would have been if you had stayed where you were.

Having a blade’s cracked sword to your throat with a twisted and malicious grin plastered across his face, tears threatening to fall from the corners of your eyes, “Scared?” that word was the thing to snap and hot tears to descend..if it weren’t for Kafka stepping in. You know he would have killed you. Those eyes were of someone who wouldn’t have shown you any mercy.

𝒥𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒴𝓊𝒶𝓃

Ah, when you are an unwanted child, how cruel could the universe be to you? Left all alone to be thrown after you’ve been used and messed up for life, what shall anyone do? If no one will take you in, then Jing Yuan will. It wouldn’t hurt if he had yanqing and his mimi. What will a child do wrong?

Ah, he completely forgot about the living cost, but you won’t be much since he has Mimi and she eats quite a lot. You, on the other hand, not really. What has he done about that? Oh! Why not go to a festival together? There's no need to be afraid; you wouldn't be a bother at all.

He comforts you a lot whenever you feel down; how does he know? Oh, come on, child, he’s the general, not some fool, since what kind of general (and father) would not be able to read emotions?

𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝓎𝒶𝓃𝑔

Again, it was March who found you. He’s going to take care of you. No one is qualified enough to take care of you because half of them can't even take care of themselves. He brings you books and snacks whenever he comes back on his mission, and you get your own room since you can’t sleep at night around other people.

He worries about you even when Himeko tells him not to since you're all grown up now, but to him, you’ll always be his kid, no matter how many years pass and how many grey hairs he grows.

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[factorialsotherfandoms]

Evil X is probably not actually my favourite alt hermit, but he IS the most au-relevant, and so... Evil Xisuma day! This one is a little weird, hope you enjoy, there is a normal scene at the top as well as the weird.

Disclaimer: my entire knowledge of Evil X comes from his interactions with Worm Man in Zedaph's Season 5 videos and fanfic. As such, things may get... squiggly.

It also references a fic I didn't upload yet, but... should be fine either way around.

Warnings: mind control, memory manipulation, referenced attempted murder

With all that said, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your Lord of Evil, Evil Xisuma himself!

"X?"

Xisuma isn't supposed to be at the graveyard, and yet he always comes anyway.

"Brother," Evil Xisuma replies. "Did you come to beg for mercy? It will cost you, you know."

(Did you come to give me mercy?)

(That will cost the both of us, too.)

"Zedaph said you had been torturing baby dragons," Xisuma replies. "Is everything okay? That isn't like you."

"I'm evil, Xisuma," Evil Xisuma sighs. "Of course I torture baby dragons."

"Oh, well, it's just… not very much like the brother I remember."

"I keep trying to kill you. I'm not sure I am that brother any more."

Which is a point; why did Xisuma walk in here alone and unarmed, after all the murder attempts - what, eight university's worth now? It's a trust that Evil Xisuma does not deserve, and that his twin should really not be giving at all.

But, "good" and "naive" are interchangeable in the prophecy that destroyed their world.

"You don't stop being my brother," Xisuma tells him. "Now, where are these dragons. If I steal them from you, it can't make you hurt them any more."

… Stupid, naive, little Suma.

But Evil Xisuma was Xisu once, just like Headmaster Xisuma was little Suma...

... Evil Xisuma points him in the correct direction anyway, because they do not yet have to fight, and, five minutes later, his guard-skeletons run in to tell him about a stolen baby dragon.

---

Here's the thing about prophecies: once they're made, they will come true. A few universe becomes confined, and a specific point in time is assured. All things, all actions, start to lead towards it. Small prophecies, it doesn't matter so much. Large prophecies, like the return of evil? That's the sort of thing that causes kingdoms to collide.

Here's the thing about people: sometimes, they get things wrong. No matter how carefully you write things down, someone, somewhere will screw it up. When the prophecy said the Lord of Evil would rise in a thousand years, it wasn't marking when the next Lord would be born, it was marking the date of the first time he would show his hand. A simple misunderstanding, but combine it with the first… and a group of bumbling, drunken fools think they have a little more time than they do.

Here's the thing about twins: one is always evil, and the other is always good. It didn't used to be that way, millennia ago, but then someone said a prophecy and… well, now, look at where we are. Nobody chooses which is the evil twin, and evil is a relative term - one might just bite more as an infant, or one might be a serial killer. How good the good twin is doesn't even always scale - sometimes the good twin can be a deviant themself, they just have to look better in comparison.

Here's the thing about brothers: there's nobody else who loves or loathes you as much as your brother can. From the moment you are born you are tied to one another, raised alongside one another. You know everything about him, and he knows everything about you. You love each other. You hate each other. You cannot live with each other, you cannot live without each other. Nobody can hurt you quite like him, and nobody can save you quite like him, and nobody else will ever know how to kill you.

Here's the thing about Evil Xisuma: he hasn't always Evil Xisuma. But, age twelve, he spilt a bucket of frogs in the kitchen, and from that point on his mother decided he was the evil twin. Stripped of name, stripped of self - just Xisuma's evil twin, now. He doubts she meant it, it was just frustrated words, and Good Xisuma was well on the way to being the evil twin before then... But in that moment, fate shifted, something snapped, and Evil Xisuma-

Here's another thing about Evil Xisuma: He doesn't mean to be evil, not most of the time, he promises, he doesn't mean it. They didn't even realise that "evil" and "mischievous" weren't interchangeable terms for him, not until he had a hoard of skeletons and, in a prophecy-forced trance, he burnt down his baby brother's door.

Until his knife was at his brother's throat.

Until the first Hermiton burnt, and some deep one said "no thank you, sir" and whisked the better twin away and-

Here's another thing about brothers: one will be beloved, and one will be hated, and it will never be fair. Maybe Evil Xisuma saw what was happening, maybe Evil Xisuma realised what was happening, maybe Evil Xisuma chose to save his brother, and damn himself all the same... Or maybe fate just decided things would be this way.

Here's another thing about twins: the each defines the other, and always will. Xisuma doesn't have to be good, he doesn't have to play the hero - but if he doesn't, then someone else will, and once upon a time Evil Xisuma made him promise that, no matter what happens, they will never letter anyone else hurt the other. And so they damned themselves to fight.

Here's another thing about people: they die much more easily than you think, and they survive a lot more easily than you think, too. No matter how many times he burns down his brother's sanctuary, Evil Xisuma sees the same faces again and again and again. Oh some die, for sure, and others come and go, but it is not only Xisuma himself who is stupid enough to stay.

Here's another thing about The Prophecy: no matter what else happens, they already know who wins. It twists and warps and changes memories, changes personalities, turning people to it's tools and ruining them all the same. Good will triumph and evil will fall, and the world will rest until another game of cat and mouse begins again.

Here's the truth about the two Xisumas: once upon a time there were two little boys who loved each other very much, and, no matter what else they loose, that will never change.

[kurocatsstuff]

12:28 ✩ : mahou shojo’s dedication (magical girl’s dedication)

genre : harbinger ! Scara x magical girl reader, female reader, suicidal thoughts, sensitive topics, death, violence, trauma, swearing, and love

note : I’ve decided to complete this project of mine ! I’ve been searching so hard for this exact thing so I decided to write it for myself 😭 (please make another one of these so I can enjoy myself too!!)

A being that transcends the wretched universe that you were created in, gave you mercy and a wish in exchange for your own soul at the cost of losing it to a fate worser than the poverty that you so desperately wanted to escape from.. you couldn't ever be more in debt, the entity granted you a wish, the wish of being drowned in riches..

Yet the thought crossed your mind that you still felt the hole in your heart begging for emotions, hope, despair, love? Love. The stupid emotions that would drag you down..you've been fighting witches for 3 years. Your soul gem has been close to being shattered and dirtied multiple times yet you still got up because of fear, fear for the life which you've hated all these years, fear for turning into the witches you were fighting…

It was strange really, defeating so many witches.. collecting their grief seeds every possible moment just to live your desperate life… it felt horrible, you wanted to die… your soul gem was gaining so many impurities more than you defeated witches… you hated this life..yet you had to live with the pain and convince yourself it was positivity.

—————

Your transformation outfit :

Entering a labyrinth on accident you instantly transformed with your soul gem and spear in hand. Alert as you made your way deeper in..

While searching for the witch in the labyrinth you’ve entered, you stumbled across a young man fighting familiars of the witch with electro,

ah yes if you remember correctly a person said that a vision is a gift from a god and can give you elemental powers to fight or just simply use.. it certainly seems more better than exchanging your soul. But, you never deserved to be blessed by a god anyway..

You tensed up as you saw one of the familiars, a crab like creature jumping up and opening its claw towards his head .. in an instant you ran towards him,

obliterating the creature with your spear.. the remaining of them died one by one, a slice to the head, or guts exploding… either way your outfit was covered with blood which started to turn into water.. ‘strange…’ you thought..

While observing the situation you hadn’t realized the young man you had just saved was holding a katana to your neck in an instant..

“If you’re trying to fucking kill me then do it in a place where I can comprehend what I’m seeing..” he spoke with a harsh tone, his gaze shot daggers through you as you were leaded to kneel in front of him as a way to save yourself.. “now tell me, who are you? And state what the fuck is this place..what’s happening?!”

You looked up at him, his eyes looking back down at you. Looking up to his face you had realized he was more beautiful than what you would describe his wraith as… think about what you were gonna say you had realized it would be hard to explain it all…

Welp, this is going to be a long story..

—————

notes : I’m so sorry for making this short, I’m rushing on my exams since they just came up.. 😭

🎐

tag list : @kamit-frog

[jollmaster]

Now I have more questions.

With the technology being delayed, how was Charlie able to advertise the sanctuary?

How was Vox able to create TVs?

What do imps look like in your universe?

What is everyone's reason for coming and staying at the sanctuary?

How can you tell who's a sinner and who's a hellborn?

How does "marriage" work in hell, like with Lucifer and his wives?

Why did Charlie have children?

I'm getting the idea that whether or not a male is present determines whether the offspring is a fully anthro demon or a less intelligent demon. Is that true?

How would Charlie go about redeeming sinners?

What do the guests think of Charlie's methods?

thank you for questions ✌️ if you have more, ask

advertising

• Charlie spread information about the sanctuary just the way people shared information before radio/TV/phones were invented, lmao

• rumors, pictures, street announcements, etc.

• besides, Charlie is one of the ruler's daughters, so her start-up was discussed by nobles and servants, and from them information went to the sinners

Vox and TV

• it was hard enough, but realistic for Vox: he had at disposal several decades, clear mind, technical education and the ability to build social connections to find help and resources

imps

• imps are the youngest among intelligent demons: descendants of spirits who ate animals' flesh

• they are often closest in type to the classic Pan/Faun, but more hairy

• appearance often depends on the region: swamp dwellers resemble frogs and amphibians, field and forest dwellers resemble goats and sheep, wasteland dwellers resemble lizards, cave dwellers resemble rats

• none of them has wings

everyone's reason

• Vega wanted to help sinners in any way she could after giving them a merciful death for three centuries, and find a quiet place

• Angel Dust escaped from contract with one of overlords (you know who) and asked in exchange for what he does best — like, you hide me, and I'll find anything you need or beat anyone (he has to be a janitor at first)

• Alastor doesn't care about redemption, — he's happy with his current lifestyle, — but he's interested in studying the nature of decay in detail, to see if the process is reversible, and to see where it ends up

• Husk just tired of the burden of years and, like Vega, wanted to find home: after losing status he would be killed in forest of self-murderers

• Niffty didn't really care as long as she was fed; she already knew Alastor (he found her on the streets of Dis and then found her a job in cannibal town), and when Alastor offered a new place, Niffty didn't even think a lot, she was used to working

• Cherri Bomb came after Angel — she was worried about him (Angel saved her when she didn't know where to go), and at first stayed only for Harvest time, but then she got used

• sir Pentious came consciously with a desire to repent and stay sane: he's close to fourth stage of decay

sinner or hellborn?

• in general, this is evident in appearance (sinners look less harmonious) and behavior, btw nothing prevents a sinner from learning to imitate local inhabitants

• another option is to look at the eyes (mortals most of all have the usual separation of round pupil and whites) and check the blood (humans' remains red)

• imps and younger demons are small in stature, roughly like hobbits in Tolkien's universe

• locals speak a different language (Yiddish/Hebrew/Vulgar Latin) and are often uninterested in modern human ones

• locals are much less care about clothes and don't feel vulnerable being undressed; sinners tend to try to dress up

concept of marriage

• marriage in the underworld works without sanctification and priests, and it's based on a common arrangement/business/land ownership/children; as a result, marriage for them is something between bargain, friendship and affection

• Charlie was going to start a family with Seviathan because of his nobility and wealth, but eventually changed her mind because she was afraid to have children with marine creature

• accordingly, polygamy isn't demonized (mostly it's the prerogative of the rich or nobility, but isn't forbidden for anyone); also they don't have anything against free relationship, marriages between relatives and so-called divorce if your spouse doesn't suit you

• Lucifer's case is a manifestation of status: he can afford several wives (besides, four is a sacred number), but prefers Lilith among them

why did Charlie have children?

• Charlie has them because she loves children, wanted children and could have them, that's all

• she makes no distinction between children and unintelligent inferior demons, goats are just as precious to her as normal babies

male precense and children

• yes, that's right: having a father adds diversity to the genes and allows for more developed offspring (roughly like honeybees)

• so female demon can have both full-fledged children and spirits/animals

Charlie redeems sinners

• at first, Charlie didn't intend to redeem sinners at all: she just wanted to keep them safe from exorcists, to calm down and call for the best in souls

• she came to the idea of redemption a little later, when she noticed positive changes in the psyche and recovery of memory in some of charges

what do the guests thinks of Charlie's methods?

• at first they think Charlie is a hypocrite

• then they think she's just stupid and crazy

• eventually they see her as a savior

[leliwardens]

Hi hello,

Bit of a daft question but do you have any ideas on how Leliana would view the warden killing Connor

I'm trying to do another one shot where I ruin Kallian's day again,

I've got a good chunk of what I want in my notes, eg Kallian putting herself in the same category of those who killed her mum, and engaging in some good old self destruction, fallout with Alistair and in general treating the blight as a shitty job

But I'm struggling with coming up with anything for Leliana

omg hiii bestie, you 🤝 me tabris killing connor!!!

SO leliana can approve of killing connor, actually! though I don't have the dialogue trees on hand or easy access to them (I've not played it yet also), so I'm basing it from the wiki:

(if anyone DOES have access to the toolkit and can post/share please do!)

without having direct access to the lines I can only infer why she'd approve and with my own takes on it. leliana isn't opposed to violence or killing unless there is absolutely no other way around it or it's the most merciful route. I always circle back to this specific banter she has with alistair:

Alistair: So what do you think will happen to all those people we left behind in Lothering? Leliana: Some of them will find their way to Denerim. Many will die. As the Maker wills. Alistair: Don't you wish you could have stayed there? To help more people, I mean? Leliana: If the Blight isn't stopped, everyone will die. This is the greater good we're serving, both of us, right here. Alistair: So it's all right to let some people die for the greater good? I... I'm not so sure about that. I felt bad leaving all those people there, all panicked and helpless. Leliana: You're doing what you must, Alistair. There will be worse to come yet... you will need to steel yourself, you know this. Alistair: I've never been very good at that. The steeling myself part. I find it better sometimes to just be a little weak. I'm all right with that, really. Leliana: I don't believe you. And either way, it's not as if any of us has a choice.

this is such a telling bit of her character, because even though her time in lothering wasn't..."Nice", she still knew these people for two years! but it's not some sense of cruelty or some sort of revenge for how she was treated it's just, how it is and there's no use agonizing over it.

for connor the same mindset can be applied, because yes while meta-knowledge wise WE know the blood magic ritual or going to the circle will work with no consequences, in-universe they don't. so when your only options are "blood magic ritual from a mage that caused all of this saying trust me bro" OR "going to the circle and risking more undead attacking a town that only survived the night because of you", I think it'd be reasonable leliana would understand it's a necessary evil situation to prevent more death and suffering. it's why she approves of killing connor, but not the cruelty of making isolde watch.

to a warden who did it I think her approach would be attempts at support or validating what had to be done. if connor was left alone he could of kept attacking redcliffe or worse, and all of that death in exchange for one life that might not even be possible to save in the first place. maybe point out the other children in the village now safe (as they can be) if need be.

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage February 2024 Issue ft. Masato Yano Interview (translation below)

Publication: January 10, 2024 (between episodes 43-44)

"It's time to save the universe."

Up until now, Dagded Dujardin has been playing a game of destroying the planets and life that exist in outer space, calling it "tidying up," by making different beings hate and fight each other. The war between humans and Bugnarak that took place on Chikyu was also due to Dagded's actions.

The succeeding Shugoddam kings were destined to serve Dagded, and Gira's former king and brother, Racules Husty, was also at the mercy of Dagded. However, Racules was carrying out an ambitious plan behind the scenes to overthrow the invulnerable Dagded and save the universe.

Gira, who had inherited Dagded's power, would be trained to obtain the power to kill immortals…to achieve this goal, Racules tried to be a king of evil and tyranny. Gira once confronted Racules, who had said, "People are tools. I am the country," and declared that he would become an evil king. With the brothers belief in saving their people, and daring to go down a false and evil path, it can be said that they have the same underlying motivation.

Although he was sentenced to death, Racules decides to now live as a tool for the Royal Sentai in order to defeat the resurrected Dagded. At last, the paths of Gira, the other members of the Royal Sentai, and Racules cross. The battle against Dagded advances into its final phase!

-Did you find it surprising? Thoughts on Suzume-

"Racules's true objective has finally been revealed, but Yano-san, how much knowledge did you have about Racules's secret?"

Yano: During costume fitting, aside from the Bugnarak, I had heard that there was another enemy, the Uchu King, and that Racules had to play the role of a bad king under his instructions, and that there was a spy in the castle so that the Uchu King was always watching him.

"After understanding the gist of his secret, you played out that role starting from episode 1."

Yano: Right. I wasn't told all the details, but I was in a position where I knew alot more than everyone else did. Still, I knew of future developments, and in the beginning, I played the role wondering if I was going to become an enemy or an ally to Gira and the others. Now, I'm trying to soften my demeanor alittle, hoping to present a genuine image of Racules. In episode 42, there's a scene where he acts like a big brother towards Gira for the first time, but from this point on, I think we'll see more scenes where we can feel that those two are brothers.

"Yano-san mentioned it in another interview, but in episode 42, Gira and Racules fighting together for a common cause was achieved."

Yano: That's right! At the time, when I gave that answer, I didn't know that we'd be fighting together, so my ambitions were achieved. However, while a joint struggle is a joint struggle, Gira is overwhelmingly more powerful than him. The power balance is like, Racules: 10, Gira: 90 (laughs). While it's a very dramatic scene that I like, if possible, I feel that I'd like us to fight together with equal strength.

"Is there anything you're mindful of when expressing your current relationship with Gira?"

Yano: I haven't changed anything in particular from before, but I feel that the atmosphere between the two of us has softened considerably. As for Racules, he'll no longer have to play the role of a bad king, and he won't have to oppose Gira.

"Then, have your impressions of Sakai Taisei-san, who plays Gira, changed?"

Yano: I worked together with Sakai-kun on another production before we appeared in King-Ohger, and I think that he's become very strong. Around the first episode, it felt like he had alot of work to do, and that he was doing his best to learn. However, by the time I came back from my early exit, the look in his eyes had changed. I could see from his behavior that his position was to lead others, and that he was starting to look more like a leader.

"In the interview from the previous issue, we heard from Kaku So-san that the speech scene in episode 34, in which Racules was revived, was met with applause on the film set."

Yano: Everyone likes to imitate Racules's self introduction. I think that was the first time in a long time that I announced myself, so they were like, "Whoa, it's really him!" (laughs).

"It's like if during an impersonation show, the actual person appeared (laughs). What do you consider to be important in your dialogue with Kaguragi, who's played by Kaku-san?"

Yano: Kakkun (Kaku-san) has appeared in Taiga dramas, has a well built body, and his line delivery is also impressive. I clash with him seriously, and although Kakkun also responds, I try to be considerate about it. At times like those, I sometimes consult with him and ask, "Would you prefer if I did this way?"

"The scenes with Suzume, Kaguragi's sister and Racules's wife, are impressive for showing a different side to him than usual."

Yano: Racules doesn't often get closely involved with female characters. When a partner is as close to me as Suzume is, there's a part of me that feels embarrassed as Masato Yano. I think that Racules probably has something like that too, so I feel like I'm expressing a mixture of my feelings and Racules's feelings (laughs). In Suzume's case, I was impressed by the line he says to her in episode 42, "Meeting you was the greatest luck of my life." Does Racules trust Suzume? Does he have romantic feelings for her? I wasn't sure about either. When I saw that line in the script, I thought that Racules was quite devoted to Suzume, and that there was an element of true love for her.

"Was it unexpected that Racules had those feelings for Suzume?"

Yano: I think so. I thought that even if he had romantic feelings for her, he wouldn't express them in words, so it felt like an unexpected side to him.

-Joining forces with Gira, whose feelings overlap-

"Do you have any memorable interactions with Imai Yasuhiko-san, the Suit Actor in charge of OhkuwagataOhger?"

Yano: I often consult with Imai-san on the spot about the untransformed action scenes. He's very kind and answers everything I ask. In the second trial by combat scene (episode 20), there's an untransformed action scene with Gira. I worked on it while talking with Imai-san, Action Director Watanabe Jun-san, and Shige-san (Ito Shigeki-san), who plays KuwagataOhger. I also have fond memories of Imai-san using an air blower from the action department to blow air onto my back during filming. It was very hot that day, and because Racules's costume was designed to prevent heat from escaping, it was difficult. The makeup artists and production staff also used large fans to blow air, but the blower Imai-san brought with him made me feel much better and was very helpful.

"It's the kind of wisdom only a Suit Actor can offer."

Yano: Yes. It was my first experience putting an air blower inside my costume (laughs).

"Other than Racules, if you had to name your favorite character, who would it be?"

Yano: That's a tough one……This is going to be a pretty bland answer, but it's Reiniol. Reiniol's (costume) decorations are more dignified and flashy than that of Gira, Racules, and Causus, his father, also played by Nakamura Shido-san. In the wedding scene with Suzume (episode 20), I wore the gorgeous cape that Reiniol wore, but I felt that it was still too early for me (bitter smile). When I get alittle older, I'd like to play a role similar to Reiniol.

"Including filming and events such as the first pitch ceremony, please tell us about any memorable memories you had while working on King-Ohger."

Yano: Kakkun may be older than me, but it was great to stay involved with cast members who were younger than me for an entire year. I haven't had much experience with that, and even when I was in my early 20s, I spent my life as an actor with few opportunities to play student roles and such. It was fun for me to work with younger people on the same production. I think the first pitch you mentioned earlier was something I was able to do because I appeared in King-Ohger. It was very emotional for me to stand on the mound of Seibu Dome (currently Belluna Dome), where I used to go and watch baseball games with my father.

"For Yano-san, this production was a valuable experience."

Yano: Yeah. The fact that I was able to transform into a Sentai hero, and a silver one at that, gives it a special feeling. Actually, in my second or third year of elementary school, I appeared in "Kamen Rider" (Agito, episode 4). At that time, my role was that of a child being killed by the enemy, but now, I'm the one who transforms and protects them from enemies, which is pretty amazing.

"I sense a strange connection. From the episodes so far, which scenes have left the strongest impression on you?"

Yano: It's episode 42, where Gira and Racules fight against Dagded together. Even though he's attacked by Dagded and is about to die from being pierced by the sword, he asks Gira one final question. Since his revival, he hasn't had a chance to properly interact with Gira, so I was acting with the feeling of "do your best" not only to Gira, but also to Sakai-kun.

"In a sense, was it a scene where Racules and Yano-san's feelings for Gira and Sakai-san overlapped?"

Yano: Yeah, that might be it.

"Finally, please tell us about some future highlights."

Yano: The climax is approaching, and every episode until the final episode is full of highlights, but there'll be "break" episodes inbetween. There's a mysterious episode that makes me think, "Is it really okay to have such an exciting episode now?" (laughs). While everyone is playing a certain game, Racules becomes the referee. I feel like he looks more like Masato Yano than Racules (laughs). There was a previous episode (episode 11) that depicted Racules in everyone's imagination. I feel like you can watch it with a similar feeling to that one, so I'd like to mention it as a highlight (laughs). _

Question from Kaku So-san! (Kaguragi Dybowski's Actor)

Q: Why do you think Shugo Mask's mask makes noises, and that he has a raspy voice even though his mouth is sticking out?

I was also surprised when I saw the broadcast (laughs). The Director of that story (Kato Hiroyuki-san) likes comedic elements, so I think that's why he intentionally chose that kind of direction. As for my own theory, it's that the mouth of the mask is actually covered with some kind of transparent screen. There's various types of technology in the world of King-Ohger. Since he's actually speaking through a screen, you can hear the sound of his breathing, and his voice is different than usual……so, what do you think? (laughs). (-Yano)