#we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

caramel1mochi · 2 years ago

Text

ぐちゃ ! (Splat!) [Yoru x F! Reader] [3]

Out of everyone I've written about, Yoru is hands down the HARDEST. Somehow harder than Chamber??

He's just so solitary, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel to make them realistically interact. I'm straight up cursing myself for liking this guy HE'S SO MENTALLY TAXING.

Now that that's out of the way, we're back! Here's another 7k long post for you guys!

❤ฺ·。

Yoru x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 4.5 / Part 5 / Part 6

Genre: Fluff

Synopsis: Hapless doesn't even begin to describe you. With your life flipped upside down within the span of a day; you're left to rely on your best friend Tala to help you pick up the pieces and build the new one forced upon you. And this 'luck' seems to have caught the attention of one of her friends.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

You hadn’t eaten in almost fifteen hours. And though you didn’t realise it at the time, your stomach made sure you knew it, and rudely awoke you from your slumber as a harsh reminder of your mistake. With a deep angry sigh, you laid on your back and lamented this stupid body.

First, it accepts a foreign solid object into its nervous system and allows it to make non reversible and destructible changes, enough to classify you as a threat. Now it has the gall to ask for food?

…

Maybe you weren’t all there yet.

You looked to your right to notice a fuzzy ball of blue pressed up against a dull pillow of grey, your blurry vision slowly adjusting to the strands that stuck out. Right, it was Neon. And you weren’t selfish enough to wake her up to get you food.

And so, with major reluctance, like a bear waking up from hibernation, you were forced to move and nourish yourself.

❤ฺ·。

Thankfully, the kitchen was empty.

You walked through the common room earlier. It was empty as well, but there was this odd sensation of a pair of eyes watching you. Like it was some omnipresent, supernatural being. Fused into the environment. And you made the obvious choice of getting the hell out of there.

You were already cursed, you weren’t about to tamper with the spirits and anger them.

With a deep sigh, you turned to the fridge and ignored the pretty sight in front of you. Nearly as golden as yesterday, but because the sun had only begun to rise, the hue was much calmer.

Maybe, now that you had free time, you’d finally get around to cooking yourself breakfast that wasn’t tea and whatever thing you had lying around from the night before. With only one arm to work with, it sounded like a strenuous task to take on.

You looked around, finding all kinds of food. For a moment, it baffled you. Indian food, Australian food, American, eastern asian, african, everything. Even some of the fruit and vegetables left you confused, not when you barely stepped foot outside of your own culture.

But most importantly; were you even allowed to touch this food? None of it was yours, even the raw stuff. Huh, maybe this is why your mother really didn’t want you to move out.

Speaking of your mum, you should probably get to contacting your parents.

Then, you heard someone clear their throat behind you, making you jump and look back. But relief instantly filled you at the sight of Yoru. And this, he caught on to, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Morning…”

He stretched his arm between you and the fridge and moved you away until you were at a comfortable distance, before finally accessing the sanctuary of food. All without touching you. For a moment, you couldn’t tell whether this was impressive or not.

Did he just hate people or you specifically?

“I’m surprised you showed up after yesterday.”

You shrunk, watching him diligently observe the shelves. Probably for his own plate of food.

“I was hoping everyone was asleep, and, uh… Guess I was wrong, huh?”

You awkwardly chuckled, but Yoru didn’t react.

“I’d bury myself if I were you,” he slammed the door of the fridge and blankly met your gaze, “no offence.”

Then, he walked off, boiling some water as he set the plate on the counter. Not a hint of amicability in any word that left his mouth. You watched him in silence for a moment, before crossing your arms and sighing.

“Thanks, that helps.”

“I’m just being honest.”

Being honest, huh? Yeah. Sounds like a thin veil to insult you.

Once he stepped away and set his food on the table, you quickly took this chance to wash your own cup, preparing to make yourself tea. You really didn’t want to talk to him (or anyone), not when he was as welcoming as a feral cat. But again, this is the same guy who helped you quit your job. Actions speak louder than words, right?

"Neon told us about you yesterday."

"She didn't say anything bad, did she? I'll kill her, if so!"

He silently approached and poured himself tea, before walking off to his table.

"You think you're cursed?"

You sighed in relief, before taking the kettle into your own hand.

"It's not obvious? It's only been two days and everything bad that could happen, happened."

"How?"

You set down your hot cup with a loud clunk, glancing at him from behind. Now, Yoru was sitting on one of the circular tables. Chopsticks and bowl of food in hand, leaning back on his chair, he didn’t share your passion for the situation whatsoever.

"You're kidding, right? Look around! I destroyed the roof in the training room in front of Harbour and that green haired one, Viper and Neon suddenly switched and hated the nectar they liked before, and you watched me get yelled at by my boss. Now, you're here!"

His eyes darted towards yours.

"What?"

"I– I mean, I wanted to be alone, but you showed up. Nothing against you!"

…

He looked away.

"Sounds tough."

Yoru turned his gaze away and lifted a piece of broccoli, daintily biting it. Seeing this, and with no other choice, you took your cup of scalding hot tea and approached his table.

"Also, they figured out what that thing is."

"What thing?"

"The nectar. Fade saw it. It's liquified fear."

You held the back of your chair, staring at him in silence.

"What?"

"Yeah. You just reminded Viper of her biggest mistake. Why do you think she looked so mad?"

With an awkward chuckle, you sat down, mortification flooding every inch of you. From his vacant expression and monotone voice, it didn’t sound like he was mocking you for your mistake, either. Just letting you know, because, why not?

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

You clutched your temple with a deep sigh, mumbling a few words in Tagalog under your breath. You just reminded Viper of her biggest mistake, he said. The same woman studying your hand and helping you out. Not only her, but also Harbour and Neon. Now it made sense why she mentioned something about an abundance of electricity, and why Harbour was so quick to leave the scene after Viper asked him to describe the sample.

Yoru simply sat in front of you, swallowing a piece of flavourful salmon before he spoke up once more.

"What're you gonna do?"

"I... I don't know. I guess I– I'll wait for Harbour until we get this under control."

"You'll wait for Harbour?"

"Yeah... Not like I have any other choice. But it's all so much to learn..."

"Tch. Like what?"

"Everything! I have to learn how to use a gun, position myself, communicate, use my bracelet, and that's not even scratching the surface! I saw what Brimstone wrote in his email earlier!"

You met his gaze angrily, but he didn’t seem bothered.

"Oh, yeah. That. If you’re so clueless, then stop just letting things happen. Say something."

He picked up a small portion of white rice and ate it, watching confusion take over you. What kind of suggestion was that? You thought.

"How?"

"Tell him you want to practise taking control of your bracelet first."

"I can't do that! How would I even tell him?"

"‘Harbour, I want to take things slow. Help me with my bracelet first, then the guns.'"

He took a few edamame beans, biting down with a shrug.

"It's not that hard."

You shook your head and crossed your arms.

He wasn’t joking, was he?

"What if he says no?"

"He won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I know him."

"What if Viper or Brimstone say no?!"

"They don't have a say in this."

"But then I'd be delaying things!"

"Gekko's been training for a month and he's still in the same place as you."

He met your gaze and pointed at you with his chopsticks, a piece of salmon in between.

“The one with the green hair.”

Then, he took a bite. All while holding in the urge to call you spineless. Not so soon.

It took you a moment to think of anything else to say. Everything that left your mouth was shut down instantaneously, and you weren’t even given a moment to elaborate on it given how cut and dry his answers were. How would you even talk with someone like him? He practically took all of the answers and laid them out in front of you. Clear as the sun.

And you had customer service skills.

"Are you making up stuff to make it look like you're right, or are you really being truthful?"

"Are you calling me a liar, lady?"

He snapped, and you were taken aback by this sudden bout of aggression.

"Okay! Okay, I'll– I'll try it. I'll tell him. But if he says no, it's on you!"

He rolled his eyes and ate a small piece of cucumber.

"Whatever."

You stared at him for a few seconds, completely forgetting the hunger you felt. How were you meant to deal with someone like this?

In terms of conversation, Yoru was rude. Very rude. But in terms of actions, he was helping you to an exponential degree. Giving you a clear-cut answer to everything, and not giving you a chance to feed into your anxiety. As outlandish as this thought sounded, you couldn’t help but ask yourself.

Was Yoru being… nice?

"Are you usually like this?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You're so weird. You look like you can’t stand me, but you're helping me out. Is there something going on? Did Neon tell you anything yesterday?"

"I wanted to train yesterday. But I couldn't."

He stirred his fluffy rice.

"I don't want you to ruin any other place I frequent."

"And... you're doing that by helping me?"

"Yeah."

…

Is that it? Nothing else, no hidden motives? He just didn’t want you to get in his way, and somehow went about it in the most unexpected way possible. Had you known, you would’ve expected him to cuss you out and call it a day.

And nobody has an issue with this…?

Yoru really was a walking oxymoron, wasn’t he? And you couldn't help but be even more curious about him, finally taking the cup of tea into your hand.

"Thanks, I guess."

He threw you a quick hum of acknowledgement.

❤ฺ·。

Boarding the same vehicle you first arrived in, you were taken far, far away to a remote island made up of a single valley that stretched out until the ocean halted its path. You hopped out of the vehicle into a field of grass and nervously looked around, checking for any sign of fauna. And it's not like it was difficult either. There were absolutely no mountains in sight. Aside from a few insects, naught was found.

Harbour jumped out behind you, taking a deep breath with a wide smile on his face, as if you didn't just destroy a portion of the base yesterday.

"Look at this place, it's perfect, waiting to be squashed! How's your arm, friend?"

You awkwardly smiled, meeting his gaze. He held two guns in each hand, and just this sight made you nervous for what's to come.

"The drug's wearing off..."

"Good, good, we can take it step by step, then. Let's get started with the scans Viper handed me, first. Can you hold this for me?"

And as if he was giving you a piece of candy, he held out his hand, a Ghost in his grip waiting to be grabbed by you. You cleared your throat and slowly took it with your right hand, your fingers wrapping around the grip. One wrong move, and both of you could be squashed. Damn you for wearing the bracelet on your main hand, right?

You stared at the gun while he took out a suitcase, processing the fact that it was a real weapon. Forget the bracelet, just pulling the trigger could cause injury, or death. Should you be holding something like this?

"So, uh, Harbour, I was thinking, and..."

You swallowed, meeting his gaze whilst he fumbled with the open bag, now set on the ground. He waited for you to continue, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"What is it?"

"I think we should–"

How hard was it just to tell him?!

"I think we should focus on my hand first!"

...

Harbour stood up and raised an eyebrow, papers in hand. Their contents were obscured on account of the angle he held them in.

"You've never used a gun before?"

"Uh, no?"

He shrugged, holding out his hand once more.

"That's fair. Give me that back, and we'll get to it when you're ready."

You blinked, staring at him in shock.

Wow, he listened! So, Yoru was right, huh? Maybe the people here aren't as rigid as the ones back home...

Immediately, you shook your head and handed him his gun back, pushing those thoughts out of your head. Don't think about it, else your luck will be jinxed and you'd probably squash the VLT/R by accident.

"So, what's that?"

"This, my friend, are your X-rays. Left and right arm. See this?"

He placed both papers right next to each other on the ground. With the calm winds that barely managed to sway a strand of hair on your heads, it was safe to say they wouldn't be blown away any time soon. Now, you could see clearly the difference between your left and right arm.

"These extra lines here are your brand new nerves; made and connected to the stem. Some sensory, some motor. Mostly motor. Do you know what that means?"

You stared at him with a forced smile, non-verbally telling him you hated these pauses. The suspension killed you. Literally, if you moved one finger.

"Okay, okay, it means that you'll be able to voluntarily control parts of your bracelet. Like a muscle."

You tilted your head with a more natural smile. 'Bracelet' and 'like a muscle' sounded so wrong together.

"What?"

"How do you move this arm?"

He pointed at your left arm. And you lifted your elbow in confusion, rotating your hand repeatedly.

"I, uh, I just move it, I guess?"

"Exactly, and how do you move parts of the bracelet?"

...

"Just like you would with a muscle! You just have to find out where, and the search begins here."

He pointed at your right wrist on the paper where most of the extra nerves lay. Like roots, they spread out viciously across your entire arm towards your shoulder, before the picture was cut off. You could barely understand what he meant on account of your clouded frame of mind, but it was worth a try, right?

You turned towards the empty field and held out your right hand, working to move every possible muscle.

"You have to forgive me, I'm not really a biology guy."

"Could've fooled me. What are you into, then?"

"History! Everything history. Name anything, and there's an astronomically high chance I know about it."

You winced once you moved the wrong muscle, quickly relaxing your hand once more. It felt like a finger was shoved deep between the bones of your wrist, before pulling away. Was that it?

"Fun... And what about this place? You're sure this island has no animals I'll inevitably kill?"

"Oh no, no chance. There used to be a chemical weapons plant on this island many years ago, and the fumes from that killed all of the wildlife. Nothing to worry about."

Nothing to worry about? He sounded unnaturally upbeat as he explained this, like a professor at a university who was too happy about his job. No wonder he was the coach, he was just so pleasant to be around even while discussing macabre topics.

"What country was it?"

"That I don't remember, but I know it was around when World War One took place."

Good, good. So, nothing else was dying at your hand. Fumbling around with your fingers for a few seconds as you both chatted, you didn't find any 'nerve points', so to speak. All you did was tense the muscles on your wrist, arch your fingers and loosen them.

“So, you have an artefact, I have this thing, is there anyone else like us?”

“Well, Astra is one of us, but her whole arm is made of gold. Last she told me, it had something to do with a pond, but not much else was said.”

You perked up at this, looking at him from the corner of your eye.

“She has a golden arm? That sounds so much cooler.”

You took the two X-rays and set them side by side. Comparing both arms, you noted down where the prevalent nerves were and worked to gain control over them. Progress has been naught so far, so you might as well, right?

“Wait til’ you see what’s under the gold. I won't tell you, though!”

“Lame! So, anyone else?”

“Let me think… Oh, Yoru has his samurai mask that he painted over.”

He said the last part between gritted teeth. And with a giggle that interrupted him, you silenced yourself and waited for him to continue his sentence.

…

“...And?”

He shrugged, confused at your expectant look.

“I don’t know. Guy keeps to himself, I can't get more than two words out of him.”

“Oh… Wait, aren’t you the coach around here?”

Why was he so okay with one of his subordinates being so conceited, then? With you, sure. You were a newbie. But him?

“He’s like that with everyone. You should see how Brimstone gets when they talk, it’s like getting blood out of a stone!” he stifled his chuckle, “I have to step in sometimes, but it’s hilarious to watch.”

“And you guys are okay with it?”

“Ehh, well, yes. It’s not really the end of the world. Besides, he makes up for it.”

How could he possibly make up for it? Being rude is– well, it’s being rude, there’s no way to–

Then, a shadow emerged above both of you. But before it could strike, you immediately loosened the point, and it fused back into the air like nothing happened.

"Wait, wait– I think I found it!"

It felt like you could somehow, instead of moving a whole set of muscles, you could move them individually. Even the ones buried deep within, shifting towards the bracelet. You tensed one muscle once more. And there, you could see the shadow form. But when the pressure was kept steady, so was the silhouette, and it stood still like a cloud looming over both of you.

"This is amazing!"

You cried out in joy, Harbour smiling.

"Congratulations! So, think you can move that away? I'd like to live another day, please."

"Oh, right– right, yeah, sorry."

You awkwardly giggled, and worked on moving the silhouette far away to a safe distance. Harbour promptly walked to your right, his arms crossed. His sarcasm was just too much for you.

"No worries. Now, with only a few more days of practise, you'll be squashing the invaders like they're flies on command! Exciting, don’t you think?"

You shared his joy for a moment, before meeting his gaze with a certain amount of concern.

"You're joking, right?"

"...Sure. Now, back to work!"

You sighed, bringing up your hand with your fingers stretched apart.

This is gonna be a long day.

❤ฺ·。

You’d been training for a while, and now that they deemed it fit, after three days in the protocol, you were finally able to meet Neon’s friends. And by ‘they’, it was just everyone other than the administration. To them, meeting you took more priority than giving you a name, a room, and trying to understand your abilities properly.

“I can’t wait for you to meet everyone! If Raze wasn’t so tired, she’d definitely be throwing you a party right now.”

You sighed, barely able to keep your own eyelids up, let alone your entire body to walk down the never ending hallway.

“I’m not in the mood for parties, Tal– uh, Neon.”

“And that’s where you’re lucky! Congratulations! Maybe things are turning around for you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, her joy simply too contagious. Maybe they were.

“I know, you can tell how excited I am.”

You lifted your hand, nectar oozing off of it like your arm had a bath all out of its own volition. With your powers now seemingly under control, the dosage Viper gave you this time around was much less potent. And thanks to this, you were able to produce whatever cursed perfume the bracelet can make.

“Can I, uh, have some tissues?”

“Sure, here.”

“Yo, what’s that smell?”

The doorway stood merely a few metres away from you. And even at such distance, you could still hear one of the guys announce. And unfortunately for you, that voice was dreadfully familiar. You stopped, catching Neon’s attention.

“Uh oh, that sounds like…”

“Oh, that’s Gekko. He’s chill, don’t worry.”

“Gekko? The one with the green hair? He’s the one who saw me destroy the roof with Harbour!”

Neon rolled her eyes and grabbed your left wrist, pulling you towards her.

“Hoy, relax, Y/N. They’ve probably forgotten about it by now, you know how fast things happen around here?”

Not fast enough, apparently. Gekko was still in training, if Yoru was correct.

“Okay, but promise you’ll be there.”

“I’m not going anywhere! Now, let’s get you some tissues before this smell kills me.”

Judging by that sentence, the hallway probably started to stink of adobo, enough to send her into a delirious state of hunger, and… enough to catch the attention of the ones in the cafeteria, unfortunately.

You walked through the doorway, eyes rapidly darting to every table. Contrasting the empty sight you’d gotten used to, now, the cafeteria was stuffed with people split into their respective friend groups. Everyone wearing their own bright sets of colours, it was like a congregation of pretty butterflies. Even Harbour sat with others you couldn’t recognise, and…

Yoru.

Amongst all of them, he stuck out. Really stuck out.

Thank god, you thought. The mere sight of Yoru made you feel at ease, despite his incredibly unfriendly expression as he watched his friends chat. And by the looks of things, he contributed absolutely nothing to the conversation, either.

Neon wasn’t lying when she said there’s plenty of them, huh?

“Here,”

Neon called out, handing you a few tissues to wipe your hand with. But before you could thank her, you were promptly interrupted by an enthusiastic voice from the table the Japanese sat at.

“Neon, over here!”

One of the women called out, excitedly waving her hand to catch the attention of both of you. And unfortunately for you, she was one of the ones you’d never seen before. Her, and everyone who sat around her.

“That’s Raze,"

“That’s her name?”

“Trust me, Y/N, you’re the odd one out, here. Anyway, come on!”

You rolled your eyes and followed, wiping your hand in the process. And just by touching a single finger, half of the tissue had already gotten soaked with the liquid, and the smell unfortunately spread even further.

Just approaching the table, you could feel the eyes of everyone on you, a smile lifting each and every one of their lips. Despite their amiable expressions, it still made you nervous to be thrust into the spotlight so quickly. All, but the one who needn’t be named, at this point. The one with the white hair immediately perked up, excited by your very presence.

“Hey! You’re the new one, right? Where were you the whole time?!”

You smiled awkwardly and sat down right next to her, only now noticing that each of them were actually eating food. Mostly empty plates and plastic wrappings around them, of course, but it was a surprise, nonetheless.

“I was, uh, getting examined and… you know, training, and stuff.”

“Psh, I mean, we all train, but I’ve never seen someone train so hard we never see them. Not even Yoru! This must be serious, yeah?”

You raised an eyebrow, staring at her in confusion. Wasn’t a portion of the building destroyed because of you literally the day before? That wasn’t to mention the news stories that spread around after your hand was imprinted on that hill. Huh, maybe Neon was right about things going fast around here.

Pun not intended.

“Neon told us all about you, yesterday! Is it true you have a shapeshifting bracelet? Is it tech? Can I see it?!”

Another perked up, clearly excited. And despite her incredibly harsh german accent, you somehow managed to dig out the words.

It took you a moment to even comprehend what she said, before slowly lifting your right hand and revealing said bracelet. The wet tissues were held in a way that wouldn’t obscure what they were observing. Clearly, she was disappointed that it wasn’t tech and instead a plant.

But before anyone could actually make a comment, Gekko coughed and cleared his throat, covering the lower half of his face with a hand.

“Yo, seriously, anyone smell that?”

“Smell what? All I smell is Raze.”

Killjoy said, and you were immediately perplexed at what she meant.

“Tch. No wonder Gekko can’t breathe, then.”

Yoru scoffed, earning a playful eye-roll from Raze.

“Come on! My bombs don’t smell that bad. Sure, sometimes they’re suffocating, but nothing that would hurt, you know?”

“Hoy, don’t get your hopes up. It’s just the stuff from her hand. It’s like, nectar, or something.”

Neon pointed at your hand and unintentionally guided all of their eyes towards you all over again. With an awkward chuckle, you tossed the wet tissues on the table, working to shift their attention to it instead.

“The smell’s in, uh, this thing.”

Gekko grabbed one tissue and smelled it, coughing and promptly tossing it away.

“Okay– bad idea, bad idea.”

Jett took it, stuffing it into her nose and taking the biggest sniff ever. Unlike Gekko, who successfully suffocated himself, she was instead met with a heavenly aroma.

“Mmmm, it smells like a fresh spring breeze after a hard day’s work! My favourite!”

“Ugh, this feels like that mission with Viper all over again!”

You quickly nudged Neon’s, bringing yourself closer to her in order to not be heard.

“Is he okay?!”

“Yeah! He just has asthma, don’t worry about it.”

Neon looked back to her friends as they chatted, before her eyes widened in realisation.

“Uh– wait, now that I think about it, you probably shouldn’t be working with him–”

Then, a loud, familiar and enthusiastic voice interrupted the conversation; all of you looking up to see Harbour standing behind Killjoy and Raze; giving you a clear vision of him. Of course, despite everything that happened, the sight of him inspired dread more than anything else.

“Y/N, ready to get back to training?”

…

You weakly smiled, the words ‘I’m exhausted and I want to spend all day in bed, please,’ lodged in your throat.

It had been almost six hours of pure vigorous training on that island, and you’d only had a thirty minute break. But you’d just asked Harbour to take it slow, and with that entire time you could’ve spent learning how to use a gun; you instead used up all of it on learning how to use your hand. So, how could you say no?

And so, despite your heavy eye-lids and inability to hold your head up, you nodded, and pulled all of your weight to stand.

Then, another familiar voice interrupted this conversation.

“You guys trained all day. How does a break sound?”

Yoru said, twisting the spiked bracelet he wore. Eyes locked on it, he didn't acknowledge your existence.

“A break? Yeah, I could use one right now, actually. As long as Y/N’s up for it.”

Uh oh.

“Great! It sounds, uh, sounds great! I– I can do that.”

“Good, I’ll see you tonight, then. Astra! How about that one book you recommended?”

Harbour promptly walked off, a dark-skinned woman wearing purple and gold attire immediately following along. You stared at Yoru for a few seconds, but the moment you opened your mouth was also the moment he stood up and walked off, earning an angry look from Raze.

“Come on, we just sat down!”

“Bathroom. Sorry.”

With a single turn, Yoru disappeared thanks to the doorway that did him a favour and concealed all of him. And this time, you really weren't sure what to think about him. But one thing you were sure of;

with his quickness and convenient timing, Yoru absolutely didn’t leave for the bathroom.

❤ฺ·。

It had been a few days since that whole debacle took place. And in those few days, though you were training, you still spent time with Neon’s friends and even clicked with a select few of them as things settled. You had your own room, you were assigned a proper name, and your bracelet’s capabilities were narrowed down in a comprehensible list. However, despite all of this, you never thanked Yoru for what he’d done.

Whenever you’d see him, it would be like seeing a wild cicada; it would only last a few seconds before he’d walk off. Minus the noise that cicadas make, of course. Which is partly why you’re so excited to have finally caught him in the training range, alone, rapidly shooting down a bunch of bots. And with only one bullet used for each one, his aim was dangerously accurate.

Not that it concerned you, right now.

“Hey, Yoru!”

“Hey.”

He greeted back. So quietly, you nearly didn’t catch it since it was drowned out by the echoes of the bullets, combined with the bots heads’ loudly breaking with each shot. Yoru straightened his back and met your gaze, easing his grip on the Vandal. However, using its muzzle, he pointed at your bracelet.

“That hand under control?”

You eagerly nodded, and he went back to shooting, ready to disregard you.

“Great.”

“Hey, also, thanks for helping me out again, I don’t think things would’ve been as smooth if you didn’t step in.”

Just by the way he furrowed his brow, you could tell he wasn’t exactly pleased with this. The moment of silence was interrupted with a loud gunshot, another bot falling to the ground.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

He took another shot in silence, leaving you confused. And though you waited for him to bring up whatever bothered him and continue his sentence, as expected; naught was said.

“Uh… what? Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I just don’t think you took my advice.”

“Why not? I did what you told me to do, and we focused on my hand first.”

Yoru fired one final shot, another bot collapsing. Then, he took out the empty magazine and met your gaze.

“I told you not to let everyone walk all over you, A/N. I told you to speak.”

You were perplexed even further. Was he not listening to what you were saying, or just intentionally ignored it to make it look like he has a point to prove?

“I did! I told Harbour to take it slow, just like you said!”

“And you were ready to get back to training right after that.”

Almost instantly, you were left with your counter-argument lodged in your throat. As much as you wanted to defend yourself, he had a point there. You were exhausted, couldn’t even focus on a simple conversation, but you didn’t say anything. And thus, didn’t take his advice… or whatever he said. But this wasn’t an overnight change, you thought. You couldn’t just switch like that.

You crossed your arms, growing irritated.

“So? Look, you helped me, and I’m saying thanks. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Tch. Whatever.”

…

What the hell is this guy’s problem?! You clenched your fists, barely able to keep yourself from raising your voice. And with his mildly irked expression that didn’t change throughout this entire conversation; you were all the more annoyed.

“Are you in the mood to fight, or something?”

“No, but I’m not going to brownnose you like everyone else, lady. I’m telling you what nobody else can.”

Your eyes widened, and you saw red. Who does he think he is?!

“You’re not a hero for insulting me, Yoru! If you have something to say, then say it!”

You pointed at him condescendingly as you spoke, treating him the same way he treated you; less. With how vast and large the training room was, your increasingly loud voice began to echo. A massive contrast to how calm and monotone he was.

Surprisingly enough, pointing at him seemed to have evoked a reaction other than ‘mildly irritated’, and Yoru now shared your anger. You asked for the truth, and god knows you’d get it.

“Fine. Being around you pisses me off, A/N. this ‘unlucky’ gimmick you won’t shut up about is just a scapegoat.”

“What’re you trying to say?”

“For god's sake, I’m saying you’re spineless!”

He snapped, and you stared at him in shock. It took you a few seconds to even find the right words to say.

“Spineless? What the hell is wrong with you?! You’re acting like I wanted all of this to happen to me!”

“Get the hell over it. Things happen to all of us, but we're not moaning nonstop about it.”

His voice returned to its normal pitch, to your surprise. In fact, it was a bit quieter, and he spoke through gritted teeth. You hadn’t noticed that Yoru pulled out another magazine and inserted it into the Vandal, angling his body back to the bots. And with that, he took his time to aim, prepared to shoot.

“Prove me wrong. Frankly, I’m doing you a favour by telling you all of this.”

At this point, you couldn’t think properly from how much you wanted to squash him then and there. Prove him wrong, he said? Fine. Why be peaceful when he was sniffing out a fight like a starving rat in the dark?

You slammed your hand against the big red button to your right. And with a loud and prolonged ding, training was halted, and he was forced to focus all of his attention on you.

“Okay, you’ve had your piece, but it’s only fair I also have mine, right?”

Yoru gently set his Vandal down on the counter in front of you and begrudgingly met your gaze, crossing his arms. He wasn’t amused.

“I don’t care how high and mighty you think you are, but I’m not gonna let a corny egomaniac like you talk to me like that!” You pointed at his chest as you spoke. But gradually, with each word, you resorted to poking him in a patronising manner. “Just because you stand around all mysteriously and stay quiet all the time doesn’t mean you’re better than me, you stupid son of a b–”

A red ball immediately shot out of your bracelet, swiftly dodged by Yoru.

And with a loud splat, it slammed against the wall, slowly sliding towards the ground as clear fluids seeped out of it like an incredibly wet towel. You both stared at it for a few seconds, sharing each others’ astonishment.

But it wasn’t until he met your gaze, donning an incredibly smug expression he absolutely did not try to hide. Without words, you knew he was mocking you.

“Bravo. Or whatever Chamber says.”

He placed both hands in his pockets and walked off behind you towards the doorway, leaving you in your own little bubble of terror to process. That little bomb you shot out saved you from having to crawl to Sage with a broken finger, he thought. That’s for sure. But for once, he’d keep his mouth shut and say something more appropriate.

“If you’re smart, you’d think about what I said.”

His footsteps faded away with each passing second you spent scrutinising the ‘bomb’.

Slowly, you walked towards it, taking in its appearance. And it didn’t look like a traditional bomb, even by the standards of your alien bracelet. Was it even a bomb?

It lay in a pile of clear liquid produced by it. And if your assumptions were correct, it was the same nectar that would emit scent. Like a rat king, each green section of this unfamiliar plant connected at the centre and formed a demented yet pretty circle of red and green, nectar oozing off of each tentacle.

What the hell kind of demonic flower is this…?

However, even though you were observing something you’d never seen in your life produced by you, you still couldn’t help but think about that a-hole. Psh. Not unlucky, he said. Just spineless. You asked for your life to be completely lost by accepting the gift from Manuel, right?

You sighed, furious. Whatever. The important thing is; you just discovered something new. And you needed to find out where the trigger was to shoot out those… er, bomb things.

You observed the slew of plants for the next few minutes, probably hours, all of your attention completely locked on it. But you still didn’t touch it out of fear. So much so, you didn’t notice that there was a figure staring at you from behind as it stood next to the doorway in silence.

Until he cleared his throat.

You jumped and looked back, but the apology got stuck in your throat once you saw an ominous figure enveloped in darkness, a purple hood concealing the person’s pitch black features. Of course, that wasn’t to mention the three cyan slits where its face should be, facing you like a predator in a dark, dark forest.

“A/N, right?”

…

“I’m Omen.”

It clicked.

He’s Omen?! You’ve heard his name dropped a few times, even saw it written on the scoreboard while training, but he– You immediately cleared your throat, standing up properly and awkwardly positioning yourself to cover the plant.

“Omen! I heard about you. You’re…” you looked him up and down, nervously smiling, “you look, uh, unique…?”

“I get that a lot.”

You noticed the slits in his face expand horizontally. Subtle, but in the darkness, it was hard to not notice. Was that supposed to be his way of smiling…?

“I heard yelling in here from the other room. Are you okay?”

Ugh.

You crossed your arms, frustrated all over again.

“You were in the common room?”

“Of course, by the fireplace. I always sit there.”

…

“Oh, really? Sorry…”

You immediately felt guilty at the fact you’d bothered him enough to have forced him up to check on you. And with how quiet that area was at this time of day, it must’ve been extra irritating to listen to.

He stepped out of the shadows and moved towards you; a black vapour emitted from his hood before disappearing into the air. And though this was terrifying since it was a literal ghost walking towards you, the way he moved somehow looked… zen. Each step gentle, letting out as little noise as possible.

He had the same aura as Sage, but stronger. Tranquil and peaceful. The exact opposite as to how you felt currently.

Then, he stopped next to you, allowing the light above to shine upon whatever features there were. And still, you couldn’t really see what he was really made of, outside of the clothes, armour and bandages that covered him.

He pointed to what you were supposed to be hiding.

“What’s this?”

Your eyes widened, flushing.

“That’s– that’s uh, you know, it’s a funny story, actually…”

“Oh, it’s new?”

He knelt down and poked the plant, immediately making you panic.

“Wait, uh, Omen, I don’t think you should–”

The red tentacles stuck on the stem promptly wrapped around his finger, holding onto it for dear life. Effectively, his finger was stuck, and the nectar spread on it made it much easier to trap him.

Uh oh.

“Hm…”

Omen tried to pull away, but even you could tell he struggled. Somehow, now, the main stem of it merged itself onto the metal ground as if it sprouted from it moments prior. And with this sturdy support; it successfully kept the wraith in place.

“It has a death grip. It could trap whoever steps in it.”

And just like that, the black mist that formed his finger disintegrated into nothing, allowing him to easily escape its grasp. Within the next second, he gathered a small amount of his shadows to ‘regrow’ the lost limb, standing up and meeting your gaze.

Right, you forgot that you were talking to a GHOST. Normal stuff, right? How silly of you to forget.

“Now we figured out what kind of plant your bracelet is made of.”

You perked up at this.

“Really?”

“This is sundew. Carnivorous, last I heard. You should tell Viper about this.”

Ugh, Viper? Right now? The thought of asking Viper about this absolutely left your mind the moment it entered. You just weren’t in the mood to take up her time with something unimportant like this. Who knows, she could be–

Wait, but doesn’t that mean Yoru was right?

You immediately shook your head. Whatever, that jerk has no place in your mind. Or anywhere near you, for that matter.

“I– I think I'll ask her about it later. She has a mission going on and stuff, I don’t want to bother her.”

He stared at you. And with only the slits to go off of, you had no idea what was going through his mind. Then, he tilted his head.

“Are you certain? This seems… important. Does she make you uncomfortable?”

You smiled and waved him off, slightly blushing.

“Omen! She’s the last person who would make me uncomfortable. I already bothered you enough with all the yelling, I promise I’ll deal with it on my own, okay? Don’t worry about it.”

He stared at you for a few seconds, before nodding. Though, with the awkward motion of it, he seemed incredibly unconvinced.

“If you say so. But, just to make sure, does this have to do with Yoru?”

…

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve seen you talk to him for a few mornings when you first arrived here. You two seem to click together.”

That was him?!

“Yeah, click together, sure…”

Should you tell Omen about the argument? But it would be weird, wouldn’t it? It would be awkward to admit you got in an argument on your first week… Especially with Yoru. And everyone here seems to make excuses for how crass he was, for some reason. Why would anyone tolerate this type of behaviour? Especially Viper.

You sighed, awkwardly scratching at your bracelet.

“I’ll– I’ll try to get this under control, probably with Harbour. Thanks for the talk, and stuff. See you later!”

You called out, immediately marching towards the exit and disappearing before another word could be exchanged. Omen was left alone in the training range, and god knows you felt bad.

72 notes · View notes

riddlesnap · 11 days ago

Note

Since it's father's day how would Eddie be as a dad?

unprompted, festive fun

Oh gosh, what a question. Don't get me wrong though, because this is a really good one but the answer can vary a LOT depending on certain factors. All in all, Ed's not going to be winning any father of the year awards. Worst (or best?) case scenario? He stays the HELL away. Edward's got enemies out there, many of them dangerous and is well aware that having children makes them even more tempting targets due to their vulnerabiliy. At best he'll just fund them on the side, out of sight and out of mind. More under the cut bc this may get long, hold up.

Now, as a father? He's not had the best role models. Ian had good intentions to start with, wanted Edward to grow up into a respectable man but he was short-tempered and easily resorted to physical punishment even for minor annoyances, something Edward never forgot nor forgave. He wouldn't be physically violent towards a child of his (we're scraping the bottom of the barrel here) but as a narcissist, Edward IS prone to forgetting or straight up ignoring that other people have thoughts and feelings too, especially little people. Best case scenario? He sees the child as an extension of himself, a brand new mind to carefully nurture. Unfortunately it's also the worst thing because Edward can be so critical it's cruel, and it wouldn't take long before he got frustrated or annoyed with a child struggling to do what he considers simple and it would be a looooong learning experience for him to relax on that front. His partner (if there is one) would really have their work cut out for them to keep him in line so that he wouldn't leave them with lasting negative memories or complexes like his own father caused in him. Cycles of abuse and all that. Now that's out of the way, positive qualities! On the plus, Edward would at least be invested in his child's education. His progeny HAS to be intelligent, inheriting his very best traits so he'd provide in that area, make sure they did their homework, that sort of thing. Again, this can turn unpleasant if his child doesn't live up to his expectations (or wasn't so lucky to be as smart as their father) but he's nothing if not stubbborn, he WILL make sure they understand eventually! Personality wise? Aloof, emotionally reserved. Ian was not the most caring father figure and often left Edward to his own devices, bordering on downright neglect in his later childhood years. Edward can provide funds, resources and other things but emotionally he's coming up short. What do you mean you're upset, you've got a full belly, toys, books, clean clothes and stuff. Go away, you're bothering him. So yeah. He's not downright terrible but he sure as fuck isn't winning any father of the year awards either. Other good traits is that he wouldn't care whether he had a son or a daughter; they'd be treated the same more or less, maybe being more protective with a girl. He saw things during his time working at the GCPD, you know.

#anonymous #❔ || musings #Bless you for sending this anon it was fun to write!#Honestly Eddie would kind of suck as a dad #ESPECIALLY in the early years like he'll treat a baby like some sort of very delicate rare animal #A very noisy and messy one #Ironically he'd be best in the toddler stage maybe?#When they're just starting to learn and absorb all that new information #He'd be so emotionally reserved though bc he never really learned anything good so to speak #He was nothing like Ian so they never really bonded or shared activities #His partner would have to pull up the slack a LOT ngl #And really come down on him when he's being shitty because he will NOT realize #His childhood SUCKED but look at him he turned out just FINE #Kid's just got to suck it up #tl;dr I think he can learn but it would be hard as fuck god #Subconsciously would stay emotionally distant bc maybe afraid of confronting that shit within himself #Better to pretend it doesn't exist ughugh

6 notes · View notes

murfpersonalblog · 1 year ago

Text

IWTV S2 Ep1 Musings - Revenants Pt2

This is the 2nd half of my Revenants Musings. It's unrelated to Pt1, tbh, except that I'm still talking about revenants. But now I'm switching gears to talk about Louis' POV & attitude towards them.

In Europe, he & Claudia are looking for 2 things: ARTICULATE vampires who can explain more about vampires than Lestat; and LOVING vampires with whom they can create a new home.

Mindless Revenants, and Looking for "Good"/God

We get these huge themes in S2 AND S1, that at surface level seem to be making value/character judgements about American vs (Eastern) European vampires, and society at large.

However, it's long been established that the good/bad dichotomy is highly subjective in TVC, and doesn't really apply or work. Not only are we talking about serial killing vampires; but we're also talking about the world at large. AR's TVC has a VERY dark & bleak outlook on the world--no one particular country or culture or religion, but ALL of them. This is summed up by Akasha, desperately wanting to put an end to war & violence (in the most fatalistic way possible).

Lestat's Vampire Court holds that what makes eternal life worth enduring is aesthetics, beauty, art; specifically: Lestat's concept of The Savage Garden, in contrast with the self-loathing of Alessandra's Devil's Road (which they've given to Daciana on the show).

It's categorically white privileged post-Renaissance/Enlightenment colonialist imperialist artistic nonsense, but AR's vampires are bougie AF classist elitist aesthetes who used to be Old World dynasts and Merovingian queens and French marquises and Roman patricians and American slaveowners, and other exploitative aristocrats. So we're scraping the bottom of the barrel, really--none of these are ethically/morally "good" or "bad" peoples, vampires, or countries.

AMC!Louis has a VERY interesting scene when he & Claudia argue.

YES, actually. XD Projecting much! That's one of the FIRST things Louis can't wait to ask Armand in the book/movie!

Louis is Catholic. Like--HELLA Catholic. But Louis' such a coward that he'd rather deny the obvious: convince himself that God doesn't exist; there's wild baboons out there in effing EUROPE; he's an apex predator who only eats helpless baby foxes and guys he has to PAY to feed on; "love? what love?!;" Lestat WHOMST?; Claudia didn't think Paris sucked at all~!; I'm not super depressed & missing my husband, the blood is just "bad" here; I need to find "good" vamps just like me!

Louis does NOT think he OR vampires are good--AT ALL. Like Armand in TVA/Memnoch, Lou's looking for proof that God exists, and for confirmation that they really are damned; forsaken by God.

But Armand couldn't tell him anything, cuz the Children of Satan who taught him didn't have any answers, either. But TVL/QotD blows the lid wide open, when Lestat finally spills the beans & exposes ALL the truths Claudia & Lou had badgered him with over 100 years before.

youtube

NOLA had no answers. Eastern Europe had no answers. Paris had no answers. The only vamps who ever gave Louis concrete answers were Lestat in TVL, Maharet in QoTD, and Amel in the PL trilogy. And it's only in the PL trilogy that Louis finally gives up believing in the "Devil's Road," and starts accepting the Savage Garden instead, as Lestat's Blood Spouse at the end of the series LOUIS started.

Mindless Revenants, and The Coven of the Articulate

Although they're both looking for connection, community, companionship, Claudia's Louis' priorities are very different, cuz they've had VERY different experiences with vampirism. Claudia is looking for someone who'll love & respect HER as an adult, despite her being made as a child. Louis is looking for someone to BE in love with, cuz he was made out of love.

For Claudia, she and Daciana are rather similar, cuz they treat the revenant (a grown man) like a child--Claudia sees herself as someone who can be his mentor/mother, teaching him how to eat and hunt and talk; someone she can have KINSHIP with; "the same."

But for Lou, he wants sentient vampires, not mindless revenants.

Claudia read him for FILTH, cuz YES: Louis wanted to be hunted courted. He's a hopeless romantic who likes walks in the park & nights at the opera & bookish conversations by the hearth at home.

At the end of TVC, the most important members of the Vampire Court are the "Coven of the Articulate;" those who'd written the TVC books & shared their stories & explained their place in world history.

And Louis is their founding member, the godfather of their immortal book club, the bookworm who kickstarted TVC with Daniel in IWTV. Unlike a LOT of vampires, Lou never went to ground; he stays awake & keeps a whole archive/library. (He's SO similar with Maharet.) How much he's actually LEARNING? Who knows. But he ENDURES.

Mindless Revenants, and Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places

Lou's starving for (romantic) love. So ofc Louis rejects the revenant on sight. There's nothing romantic/charming about him. Louis feels ZERO kinship with it, despite it very clearly being in fact a vampire--"the same" as him.

YOU'RE dirty, Louis--you literally looked like a nasty AF zombie at the beginning of this episode, wtf? XD

Which makes Lou's whole reaction to DreamStat HILARIOUSLY sad.

Cuz at the end of the day it's not REALLY about what the revenant looks like--though yes, ofc it's hideous & sheltered pretty-boy Lou's SHOCKED that vampires can even look that bad. Cuz unfortunately, AMC never gave us our Swamp King! 😩

AMC is REALLY beating us over the head with just how down horrendous Loustat are for each other. DreamStat's got a whole effing bat clawing its way out of his gashed throat, but Lou's still standing there, tears in his eyes, apologizing, and letting this ghoulish creature neck on him in the middle of a frikkin battlefield reeking of corpses, like...sir. 😨 Jfc, BOTH of y'all're nasty freaks, huh?

Cuz what matters is that it's LESTAT and LOUIS. Covered in gore & filth & at their absolute WORST, these stupid mofos STILL love each other. LBH, if Swamp King revenant-looking DreamStat had popped up instead, Lou would've STILL dropped trou and started singing voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir~! 😍

Only difference is that there's no reason for AMC's version to look like that, since Les got off easy in Ep7. So instead we get the beauty filter, as Lestat gets less & less bloody/gory every time we see him, until he shows up at the Trial for realsies.

So when Claudia & Louis make these sweeping statements about "bad" vs "good," this MUST be treated with a grain of salt, considering the layers of context in AR's TVC universe & how vampires operate, and perceive the world. Louis' not REALLY looking for anything in Europe--he's just running far away from what (who) he wants most.

#louis de pointe du lac #loustat #smdh #iwtv tvc metas

9 notes · View notes

hassiegfrieddoneanythingwrong · 5 months ago

Text

Day 826: We're back in Tepeu's home, this time at night!

Yes, I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, what do you want with me

#Fate/Grand Order #fgo #day

2 notes · View notes

freakattack · 5 months ago

Note

How about favorite NON obscure Mario characters?

Entry-level mario characters? We're really scraping the bottom of the barrel now

ORBULON AND MONA (and their coworkers)

Truly what is there to say here. If you need an explanation for this then go look at my art blog and get out of my sight.

2. IGGY KOOPA (and his family)

As I mentioned in my yes-obscure mario characters list, i did grow up with a permanent koopaling residence in my brain. Iggy koopa was always the star of the show in my book but make no mistake, I love EVERY koopaling for their own individual merits, there is not a koopa kid I don't adore, if you like one koopaling you have to unconditionally love all of them or else they will kill you. Before warioware, this other dysfunctional squadron of jerks was my muse. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are included in this as well, but there is one specific member of the family I want to give a special shout out to:

3. KAMEK (their grandpa)

Kamek is maybe the best mario character there is. He's, and I don't use this term lightly, an icon. A trailblazer. A gay old wizard. He is bowser's overly-permissive yet loving father figure, and now bowser jr's (AND THE KOOPALINGS') overly-permissive yet loving grandpa. He is a family man. He is also the catalyst of the ultimate conflict in the mario series. Were it not for his poorly-planned exercise in paranoia decades ago, we may very well not have any mario games to play. So if you like any mario game, you have to say Thank You Kamek. Right now. Out loud.

4. WARIO

He's on this list twice because he's so nice. Wario is perhaps the most cruelly underrated character of all time. Nobody appreciates him for who he is or what he represents. I mean they do but not enough. Anyway, Wario is an inspiration. He is an asshole, yes, but he is not only unapologetic in his strangeness but also welcomes the strange into his life and doesn't let go. He is like a collector of gullible freaks, which is what I am. But he is also ride or die for them and a genuinely good friend when he's not scamming them. If Wario was the only person allowed to be mean to me I'd be OK with that.

Also, on a more meta level, I think that he embodies everything that mario can't do. Mario is the face of nintendo, the good guy, and thus he is palatable and measured in a way that falls in line with and is reflected by his games and their ever-important "brand identity". Wario, in-universe, is the heel, the cad, the knockoff mario, and he doesnt give two fucks about what people think of him. This characterization also applies to his games, which are rough around the edges, off-the-walls bonkers, and electrically creative. They are constantly innovative in a more unpolished and experimental way than I think mario dares to be, and most importantly they have the secret ingredient of Love. You can argue with me on that any way you want but if you think that an entire series of in-character diaries and blogs and staff profiles for every single Wario employee that are all funny and consistent with each other over several decades was nothing then I don't wanna hear it.

5. TEC-XX

Fanning myself. Moving on

6. BOWYER

I don't really have much to say except that he entered my life at a delicate developmental stage and promptly took a baseball bat to my brain. How the fuck was I to gloss over a deranged slobbering Thing squatting in the woods shooting everybody with arrows that he's yanking out of his skull and talking like a souped-up yoda. And then I have to kill him? Fuck off. He should have been in mario kart

7. VALENTINA

Also from mario RPG, the criminally underrated bastardess Valentina. In addition to having a baroque harpsichord leitmotif and being a walking Jimmy Buffett reference, Valentina is ALSO an evil advisor scamming a town populated entirely by village idiots, which is perhaps my favorite genre of character. I found out via the remake that apparently Dodo imprinted on her and thinks she's his mother, which actually sucks a lot because I always thought she was just his evil sexy boss. I still wish that was the case. But she is also a wretched slimeball to begin with and who am I to deny a girlboss her slime.

8. FRANCIS

I guess I should fucking put him here even though I don't like him. He is a reminder to us all that we need to calm down. And by we I mean me. He is also, barring Fracktail and none else, the greatest part of that entire game, in my unbiased opinion as a stinky bug-obsessed dogmatic Mario turbovirgin. Mario games will never match that level of hilarious vitriol for the worst parts of their audience ever again. They're not brave enough. But we are truly fortunate that they did. Because who else would readily admit that they go onto message boards to complain about games they've never played? Not me, I'd never do that

9. CACKLETTA + FAWFUL

I'm not separating them. Fawful is an amazing character but his climb to greatness could not have happened without Cackletta, the equally great and toothy villain. Look at her rocket-powered rocking chair. That's hilarious. Anyway, there isn't much glowing praise I can say about Fawful that hasn't already been said before, so what I instead will say is does anyone else remember when there was a movement of extremely passionate and confrontational people who insisted that Fawful's death was faked and that he can and will be announced in Mario Kart right now? We need to bring that energy back

10. SILLY KING BOO

I'm capping this list off with something insane that my fellow Francises are gonna wanna kill me for but I don't care. I am of the opinion that Silly King Boo is a separate entity from King Boo (real). He's just too silly. He's also worked beneath bowser as a minion rather than alongside him as a co-villain, which I think the real King Boo would scoff at. But Silly King Boo has to pay the bills somehow. As distinct from King Boo, Silly King Boo thinks little Boos are so cute, thinks Wario is scary as fuck, loves the opera, tolerates Petey Piranha, does not tolerate spicy foods, and is not actually a legally-recognized authority. Also, one time he got too drunk in a casino at Isle Delfino, but Mario was not there to fight him for that so he was just escorted out.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Attached is a grab bag of characters who deserve to be here but are not getting their own paragraph either because I have already written a lot about them in recent memory or because I don't feel like it. Here they are

6 notes · View notes

danggirlronpa · 2 years ago

Note

Hey, do you see Touko as more of a bisexual, or more of a lesbian with comphet? I've seen cases made for either, and both are pretty compelling. On one hand, I definitely think her and Byakuya will Never work out as anything but a friendship, but just because she and him aren't meant to be, doesn't mean that those *feelings* weren't real... But even saying that, I'm not sure if her feelings for Byakuya are actually *for* him, but instead the idea of him. How she characterizes him in her fantasies in UDGs illustrates this; while I think some of the lines she imagines him saying are accurate (though would be said in a different tone/context), some of it is just Shit He Would Not Say. So I do see where people are coming from regarding "she's a lesbian only in love with the idea of Togami" because I think there is an argument to be made for that. On the other hand...

I keep going back to Syo's last FTE - now, obviously, Syo and Touko are different people, but there *IS* leak through with them. According to the two of them, they share feelings - which is why they both love Byakuya and are friends with Komaru. So, in Syo's final(?) FTE, she talks about how confused she is over the fact that she doesn't want Byakuya dead. She goes onto conclude that her feelings for him are just Deeper if I remember right, which I think is compelling evidence of Touko and Syo's (shared) feelings for him coming from a genuine place. (And also supports my headcanon that Syo killed the boys she did because Touko wanted them dead after they hurt her - since they share feelings, Syo felt that too, and without the context of WHY Touko felt this way, it would just feel like to Syo that she a) loved these guys and b) wanted them dead, leading to her mistaking the feeling for, well, wanting to cut up cute guys. But that's a different story.)

So, I sort of see where both camps are coming for. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it? I think either headcanon is valid and has at least some support in the text, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

The quick answer to this: I'm a staunch supporter of comphet ace lesbian Toko and comphet lesbian Jack! Also, I think it's really important to remember that different alters can have different sexual orientations - there's no reason not to headcanon Toko as a lesbian and Jack as something else! (I think Jack would really jive with 'no labels just rock and roll,' actually. Queer Jack.)

The slightly longer answer to this:

So to start, a huge disclaimer: I hate Toga//Fuka. Everything about it squicks me out. I hate the way it makes a joke out of stalking and male victims, I hate how it characterizes both of them, I hate the sheer amount of space it takes up. I think fandom has, in general, politely swept just how bad Toko was in THH with Byakuya in favor of her much better characterization in UDG. And I do not blame them. It is hard to watch and be a part of. I like to think that this does not bias me in this discussion, but like...ultimately, just keep in mind that I'm speaking from a place of dislike for one of the core "Fukawa system likes guys" belief in general.

(Note: this is a completely independent issue of me not liking Byakuya. I ALSO hate Byakuya. But in a like. Very different way. And he is DEFINITELY the victim in the Toga//Fuka dynamic.)

I am generally also a believer in "Jack is actually the core alter, and Toko was the alter that developed later." I think it both makes a lot of sense and makes the other issues surrounding her 0.02% less bad. It doesn't make it GOOD. But we're working with the game that does just about as bad as its physically possible to do representing DID here, so I'll scrape my pennies from the bottom of this barrel to buy an eighth a pack of gum. I can pay the rest of the dollar myself.

Within this context. I think, rather than Jack manifesting as the system's overall need to release immense tension, Toko manifests as the system's overall yearning to be socially acceptable; to, rather than being zany and bad at picking up on social cues and inclined towards immense violence, be quiet and aware of what those around her think and romantic. (This means a girl who has toppled the other direction and is immensely anxious about what the people around her think, but y'know, you get what you get.)

In a lot of ways, I think the Fukawa system's comphet is an extension of their shared desire to be "normal." To, for metaphorical purposes, cut out the part of themselves they don't like - the violence, the anxiety, at time the fact that they share a body in general, themselves- and replace it with a nice traditional Good Girl TM.

(I do think that this works with Toko as the core alter as well, or for both alters developing at the same time. In that interpretation, Toko wants to get rid of Jack, the part of her which she considers 'abnormal,' and Jack wants to get rid of Toko, the part of her which she considers 'abnormal.' Ultimately, they actually both hate Toko in particular - Toko in self-loathing, and Jack because of having to share her body with such a bummer - so the ideal is Still a new, third alter, which subsumes both of them and is A Perfect Person. The essence of the thing is very similar. I just prefer the first interpretation in general, because I think it adds more depth to the character.)

The same way that Fukawa's comphet is an extension of general desire to be normal, the obsession with Byakuya is an extension of the comphet - the extension of the extension of the desire to be normal (in simple terms: a=b, b=c, thus a=c). Like you said, the characterization of Toko's imaginary Byakuya is a great example of this! As is Jack's even greater obsession with Byakuya in UTDP-verse, where there's no killing games to restrict either of them (though any UTDP characterization should be...taken with a hefty handful of salt).

And in terms of the development of Jack's desire not to kill Byakuya, I think there are two important things to remember.

Jack is not a reliable narrator of her own experience. (This feels obvious to me, but it's always good to establish at the outset, because sometimes people forget that characters can't be taken at face value.)

Jack's desire not to kill Byakuya doesn't come from time spent with Byakuya. It comes from time spent with Makoto.

You can't even argue that the time with Makoto counts because it line up with the time spent with Byakuya - because of Jack's availability for FTEs, you can't to get this scene after the first day of Trial Four. And Jack remembers the two years spent together - and we know Jack was around and interacting with classmates in that time, because she's in some of the class photos Junko hands out.

In my opinion - and the beauty of analysis is that there's any number of ways that you could interpret this scene, but what I find the most likely based on what we know of both Toko and Jack - is that this isn't out of any special romantic feelings for Byakuya, the way Jack is mistaking it: this is from Jack's general platonic affection for the group.

The thing is, at the end of THH, the group has very deeply trauma bonded. Toko is even aware of it, to a certain extent. But Jack isn't aware of it, because Jack - as we've established earlier, and as I think is a pretty widely recognized part of her character - is really, really, bad at reading the room. Jack struggles a lot with emotions! That's why she conveys them through scissors. Very, very directly. And because Toko's almost always fronting, it's safe to assume Jack has rarely, if ever, interacted with anyone except her classmates more than once or twice.

I think it's not only possible, but very reasonable, to think that Jack mistook "I have a lower urge for violence because for the first time in my life I've had friends who accept who I am and the support system has made me a better person, more capable of handling my unhealthy coping mechanisms, and now that they've forgotten me I'm coming to truly appreciate how much that support has changed me" for "I must just be SUPER in love with Byakuya! So much that I don't want to do violence to ANY boys anymore. As long as I just keep thinking of him and being in love with him all the time!!"

And surely that won't lead to any self fulfilling cycles!

#really only the last paragraph of this is Direct Counter To The Ask the rest is just me rambling about comphet lesbian toko bcuz i love it #asks #anon #talk to the mod

13 notes · View notes

iamthunderhearmehowl · 2 years ago

Text

Halsin's Daughter Headcannons PT4: Past in the Underdark / ✨️Mommy Issues✨️ and Life in Baulder's Gate

‼️‼️‼️TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Depression, Abuse, SA, Violence, etc. I'm talking like Game of Thrones style shit so Minors DNI. Consider this NSFW‼️‼️‼️

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

AN: So yeah we're on part 4 now and you might be asking "Why do this?" If you want the truth; I am going through it right now, and this is currently the only thing bringing me joy. Let's just say that the semi colon tattoo I have wants to turn into a period. I also really just think this character (cannon or not) is relatable (to me at least).

✨️yes yes, very sad. ANYWAYS: All posts relating to Halsin's Daughter can be found here ✨️

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Past in the Underdark:

As stated in the previous posts, her past in the underdark was rough.

She was the bastard child of Halsin and a drow noble - she was treated as a novelty object (just like her father)

The was the maid servant in her house; cooked, cleaned, scrubbed the toilets

Not only that, but she was basically a toy to her siblings. She was expected to entertain them as their mother was too busy to mind them (All of her siblings are her half siblings, who are full noble blood)

Her sisters, being jealous of her looks, would cut her hair in her sleep and smear makeup on her face. They would cut holes in her clothes. She was basically the barbie doll that you used to abuse and then toss in the bottom of the toy box.

Her worst abuser was her older brother. "Little rabbit" he would call her. This was because "You are a creature who's only purpose is to satisfy a hunger or a need for others. You were born to die. "

He is a fucking psychopath - he got a thrill out of chasing her around the underdark and hunting her for funsies.

He knew exactly where she would be hiding and would scrape the tip of his sword on the ground for her to hear

His favorite thing to do was to chase her down to mere exhaustion - to where he could see her heart beat out of her chest.

When she turned into a teenager is when he started S assaulting her. He thought she was a fun thing for him and his friends to play with at parties.

He would practice his knife play on her, pinning her down and slowly cutting pieces of her clothes off, nicking and cutting here and there.

Her mother would exclaim "Don't cut her face! We need her face in perfect condition"

DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HER MOTHER.

She was a drow noble and I imagine that the houses and loyalties and land, etc. was all like an episode of Game of Thrones

As soon as he mother saw how beautifully she grew, she started treating her like a doll. She would dress her just as extravagantly as her sisters and sell her body to gain favors.

If HD ever defied her mother, she would have her son beat her, strip her naked in front of his friends to humiliate her, etc.

One day; during an important galla, she was serving drinks when she accidently spilt wine on a guest. The man was furious and smacked her so hard she fell backwards.

Her mother had her brother drag her out by her hair and pull her into a private room to be punished.

Being the sadistic psychopath that he is, he pushes her against the wall by her throat and starts ripping her dress off of her.

Every other time this happened, she just closed her eyes and waited for it to be over. She was so numb and hollow on the inside it didn't matter.

HOWEVER. This time, it was different. She felt a surge of pure unbridled rage go through her. A bright flash. Suddenly, she's a VERY LARGE black cave bear.

She claws her brother down - he's on the ground screaming. The guards have been alerted.

She barrels through everyone and runs as fast as she can and doesn't look back. She doesn't know exactly how many people she tore apart and killed - she just knows that she can't ever go back.

She runs and runs until she makes it to the overworld. When she sees the sun for the first time and feels the grass beneath her feet, something in her awakens. This is where she is supposed to be.

Life in Baulder's Gate:

When she gets to Baulder's Gate she is fucking pitiful.

She doesn't know shit about fuck, shes starving, she looks like she's been pushed off a cliff and rolled down a mountain

She's only just figured out how to wildshape and currently she can only turn into a raven and a cat

She doesn't even know how she turned into the bear to begin with

She's just walking down the street when she suddenly gets ran over by Mol and Arabella

They're running from an angry dragon born

HD just picks up the textbook that Arabella was carrying and nails him right in the head - he falls over and is out cold

Arabella and Mol just stare at her - how tf did this little thing slam a textbook THAT HARD

HD not knowing what to say just says "I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do and I just panicked!"

From then on out - Mol and Arabella show her the ropes. They get really close.

Mol shows her the ins and outs of the city

Arabella teaches her how to read and write

For years the 3 are a power team and sucessfully help the guild out with many missions

HD begins to feel confident - she uses her looks to charm people/ she'll even charm men into their bed chambers and then slit their throats before they event touch her (only if she has to and it's part of the mission)

All is well until one day - HD just snaps. The three are on a mission where they just need to snatch important documents and go.

The plan is simple - HD seduces the patrons of the party, Arabella is to keep an eye out and cast invisibility on Mol while she grabs the documents

HD looks out in the crowd and freezes. There in the corner of the room - face scarred - is her older half brother is smirking at her

She wildshapes into a bear and loses it. It takes Mol and Arabella a good 10 - 15 minutes to calm her down while everyone at the party is screaming.

Arabella casts a mist while they make their escape.

They manage to grab what they needed but Mol and Arabella are worried about HD.

HD has been able to successfully wildshape into a wolf, a panther, a cat, and a crow - but never has she been able to back into the bear again

Mol mentions an Archdruid named Halsin who could be able to help her and teach her the way of the druid in order to calm the beast

HD mentions that she has very vague memories of her mother keeping a bear in their cellar, and sometimes she would go down there, and in place of the bear was a man who would wittled small animals. She recalls him being very kind to her - she makes the connection and asks whether or not that man could have been a druid as well.

Arabella agrees that it could possibly be a druid and suggests they make the journey back to Last Light Inn

Mol agrees - after all, they could use a new adventure

Okay that's all I have for tonight <3 sorry it was super dark this time, but I would think that Halsin's daughter wouldn't have a past made of rainbows and sunshine. I think in the next one I may get more into Halsin and his relationship with her.

#bg3 #halsin #bg3 halsin #baulders gate 3 #bg3 headcanons #bg3 half drow #bg3 oc #bg3 tav #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfic idea #bg3-headcannons #bg3 fanfic prompt

9 notes · View notes

liulans · 2 years ago

Text

Teeny tiny Wangxian AU drabble for Wei Wuxian's birthday 🎂 🥳 🥰

rating: G / w/c: 1724 / lots of fluff 🤍

————

Lan Wangji has been told that he isn't particularly friendly, by several people, in fact. That is fine — he's incredibly picky with who he spends his time with; where he expends his social energy. He's not particularly interested in gaining new friends. Acquaintances, perhaps, kept firmly at arm's length.

But if he is not friendly, somebody should probably explain what he has done so right to wind up with, single-handedly, the greatest best friend anybody could ever ask for. His best friend, sitting on his couch, wearing his pyjamas, while deliberating over matching Halloween costumes.

"Hey, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian says, eyes glazed over with something pleasant, the light of his phone pailing next to the bright of his eyes. "What about Joker and Harley Quinn?—actually, no, that's a toxic dynamic. We could do, like, Barbie and Ken?—like, that rollerblading scene? Actually, I can't rollerblade and you'd have to carry me everywhere."

"Mn," Lan Wangji says, just to show he's listening. These ideas are fine, but there's a certain difficulty in picking out costumes on the actual day. And that's without mentioning that he's aware Wei Wuxian is skirting around another separate topic here.

They wind up opting for cutting eye-holes into some of Lan Wangji's old bedsheets. To draw little mouths onto them. Wei Wuxian's is adorned with a big, happy smile, while Lan Wangji's is more of a straight line.

"This is so cute. You're so cute, Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian had said, and so, that was that.

They have something of a tradition every year. First of all, they'll head out to dinner, wherein Wei Wuxian will make up some elaborate story about how they're 'celebrating their wedding anniversary', usually because that gets them a free bottle of cheap wine — a couple of extra side dishes for Lan Wangji.

And then Lan Wangji will find a time to tack on the fact that it is, in fact, also Wei Wuxian's birthday, much to Wei Wuxian’s protest. But that will earn them a free slice of cake to share, so who's winning here?

Today, they've opted to go to some Sichuanese restaurant, because Wei Wuxian is a maverick who loves spice — and he's lovely enough to spend five minutes scraping the sauce from Lan Wangji's mapo tofu. It is still a little too spicy for his tastes, but Wei Wuxian uses the remaining spicy sauce as a dipping condiment, and that smile on his face is all that matters, really.

He does, in fact, get his free bottle of wine, not quite the bottom of the barrel, but the next one up in the weirdly determined hierarchy of fermented beverages. He gets a free slice of cake, too, and much to his embarrassment, ends up with the dining room staring at him, singing Happy Birthday.

He shoots Lan Wangji a look that perhaps says something vaguely threatening like 'wait until it's your birthday'. But when the room stumbles over his name mid-song ("happy birthday dear…uh, you…"), the vibrant fit of laughter he twists into is more than worth it.

"I hope everything was to your liking," the waiter says, stacking empty plates and bowls strategically atop his arm. "I hope we have made this day special for the two of you."

Wei Wuxian smiles, something big and shining. "It's perfect. We'll come back here on his birthday, right sweetie?" Lan Wangji blanches. They do this every year — it is tradition, and yet, he doesn't think he'll ever be used to that. "Hold a table aside for us for January. We're gonna have to blow his mind."

"I see." The waiter has a kind smile, even as his gaze flickers between them. "Don't worry, just call ahead of time and we'll keep a table for you. And may I just say, the two of you make a lovely couple. Oh, to be young and in love again. I see the way you two look at each other."

"Oh," says Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji will dissolve right here, right in this seat. He will dissolve into the ground and let earth's crust break and swallow him up. "Ha ha haha. Yeah, we've known each other a long time. It was inevitable, y'know?"

"Ah, inevitable lovers. And on your birthday, no less. You've got yourself a romantic, young man."

"Ahah, yeah," Wei Wuxian casts Lan Wangji an apologetic gaze that lingers just a little too long. "He really is. He's the best."

The best. Lan Wangji has heard that many times. It often drips from Wei Wuxian's tongue, prompted by any manner of actions that Lan Wangji would deem to be wholly normal, instinctive, even. Picking Wei Wuxian up from work, holding a blanket around his shoulders when the cold hits, diligently holding his hand at fancy restaurants to get that free wine.

It is good, he thinks, to be someone who Wei Wuxian considers to be 'the best'. An honourable feat indeed.

"Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian's eyes are glimmering, grey painted pink by the sunset. He suits golden hour very well. "Mind holding the bag a little while? You're better at maintaining the integrity of take-out boxes."

Lan Wangji, of course, agrees. And if it's because he wants to watch a very giddy Wei Wuxian shuck a bed sheet over his head and proceed to bounce in place, making all sorts of silly "boooo" sounds— well, that's for Lan Wangji to think about.

Wei Wuxian is tentative as he drapes the other sheet over Lan Wangji's body. He's comically stiff, and Wei Wuxian laughs about it, bright and airy.

Their hands find each other again. And then they're walking out into the rapidly darkening evening, joining the hoards of haphazardly costumed passers-by.

"Hey," Wei Wuxian says after a while. It feels as though they've walked the whole block, just talking, occasionally pausing to paw at a bit of cake. Lan Wangji dips beneath Wei Wuxian's sheet to press a small slab of icing to his lips. "Thank you for doing this. Like, every year. It's a big act to keep up with, but you pretend we're married, and you're so convincing about it."

"It is your birthday," Lan Wangji replies, as though that much is obvious. He's a little muffled beneath the sheet. "It is no hardship for me." I love you, is what he means. "I know. That you do not enjoy your birthday. So I hope— that this is enjoyable regardless."

He's stared at for a long moment, Wei Wuxian's gaze flitting over his face. Lan Wangji is very aware of himself; how it's been so many years, and his expression must be growing easier to read. "It's always enjoyable. Like, we're just hanging out, and it's still the most fun."

"Wei Ying, it is your birthday. I wish to celebrate you."

That makes Wei Wuxian falter, just a little bit. They have this conversation at least once a year. "I know. You're too good, you know? Wait—it's hard to be real with you when we're dressed like this. But like, seriously—"

He's cut off by the sound of fireworks, rising and bursting overhead. He swings around, utterly engrossed in the millions of trickles of colour shooting across the sky. Lan Wangji can only stare at him.

The both of them lift up their bedsheets, half draped over their heads, practically capes now.

And because Wei Wuxian looks so happy, is rendered so silent, Lan Wangji - without thinking one bit - swings forward. Whispers softly. "Happy birthday, Wei Ying."

He isn't sure Wei Wuxian hears it at first, but then the palm flush against his own adjusts, fingers intertwining instead. Wei Wuxian is gazing over his face then, flickering down and up. Down again; up again.

"I'm—gonna kiss you, okay?" He says, looking smaller. "Lan Zhan, you're gonna have to say no quickly if you don't want—"

Lan Wangji surges forwards, in spite of himself. Their hands part only to allow their arms to circle into an embrace. Wei Wuxian's mouth is soft, and it's so easy to sink into it. So easy to forget the sounds of people cheering, their oohs and ahhs; the intermittent pop of fireworks scattering across the sky. It's so, so easy.

They kiss like that for a while, bodies slowly swaying side to side, as though listening to some far-off music, somewhere. But then Wei Wuxian is smiling — Lan Wangji feels the curve of his mouth before he feels the teeth that follow. And when he opens his eyes, the sight before him is so bright, so colourful, so much more even than the sky.

"Lan Zhan. Lan Wangji." Wei Wuxian says that, and nothing else. His eyes are scrunched into delightful crescents, his lips pink. They look like messes, both of them, with their costumes strewn so carelessly over their backs.

Lan Wangji repeats, just to make it known. "Happy birthday. Wei Ying. I hope that you have felt celebrated today. Wanted."

"Are you kidding me? Every year my birthday is the best, better than everyone else's. Because you're a massive sap and you're so good. So good. I— Lan Zhan, let's go home, okay? Let's watch a movie or something. Oh! And let's kiss some more? That was good, you are really good."

Lan Wangji finds his mouth again, a chaste press of lips. It's chilly with the cold, but he feels so warm inside. But then, he nods. "Wei Ying can have anything he wants."

"Best birthday ever." Wei Wuxian whispers to himself. Lan Wangji secretly starts making notes to make next year even better.

And little does Wei Wuxian know that when they get back, there's even more cake waiting for him. A delivery of brushes, inks, and paper he'd mentioned he'd wanted in passing. A big jar of aged wine hidden in the closet. A ticket to redeem a visit to the zoo.

Lan Wangji will add a spare set of keys to that list. Wei Wuxian practically spends all his time there anyway. Maybe next year, he'll propose. If this all goes well.

(It does. He proposes next year. Married the year after that. Wei Wuxian deserves to remember his birthday as a day of celebration.

Those dinners they share each year are genuine after that. Happy Birthday, Wei Ying. Happy anniversary, Wei Ying. I love you, Wei Ying.)

#mdzs #wangxian #wangxian au #wei wuxian #happy birthday wei wuxian #mdzs fic #ficlet #lwj #wwx #my fic

16 notes · View notes