#I'm being normal about this I swear

[thr-333]

I may have made more fanart for @lara-cairncross . Which I may or may not have drawn several days ago and then happy stimmed when you posted your fairy tots. Dandelion dresses are extremely fun to draw:D

[yusuke-of-valla]

Coulda made a Lavenza boss fight to go with Margaret but nooooooooooo Joker has to be the specialist little boy and show up in The Answer without Yu because fuck Yu we need to get the Persona 5 fans interested

[3hobbitsinatrenchcoat]

[sysig]

The familiarity is not very comforting (Patreon)

[scarlet-and-ultraviolet]

[mizuseyebrows]

"mizu's a cat" NO, SHE'S A BUNNY. LET ME COOK

[fandomwe1rd0]

You can pry Rick giving Morty his labcoat then shielding him from the wind from my cold dead hands.

[vowofbrotherhood]

assorted mcyt sketches

[skykidsam]

Shard Memory: Shattering (and lots of unhinged rambling about lore implications)

Long read ahead - some Sky: The Two Embers spoilers in the block of text toward the end.

I really wanted to get more shots but I literally clipped into Tsadi's cape and couldn't escape ;-;

Anyway, here we go:

From left to right: Sa, Mekh, Lamed, Teth, Daleth, Tsadi (barely visible in the darkness on the bottom right), Ayin, and floating in the center above everyone else and directly above the shattering stone, the upside-down mask and fading silhouette of King Resh.

I got this closer shot of the mask. I should have gotten a screenshot while I was actually on it because the details don't translate from far away. The best description I can give is this: it seemed like mostly just the mask, no real substance to the head or body; the mask was two stars stacked on top of one another, the bigger being a four-pointed star with the longest point being the top (but in this case, with it being upside-down, the bottom), and the smaller star having many more points and resting directly on top of the bigger star. And in the eye of both stars is a single spot (a diamond, if I remember correctly), that looks like a small darkstone.

I find it really interesting that all of the elders were present for the Shattering. I can only assume they were there to stop it - but I wonder how much they were aware of. Darkness was already spreading through the realms for some time. The King had been corrupted. Was the Storm on the horizon? Was the stone already glowing red and showing its cracks? Could they tell what a monstrous catastrophe they were on the brink of experiencing? Or were they there simply to intervene and stop the King?

And then these guys. I know we still don't fully know what Winged Lights even are. But with the new extended preview of Sky: The Two Embers out, there's one scene in particular that this makes me think of. (I'll save hard spoilers for the end and will give warning beforehand.)

So, my take?

I think we're seeing the moment Resh sacrificed himself to save everyone. We're also seeing that it was too late.

We also know from devs that Elder cutscenes exist in a place outside space and time, but that they still have an effect on the world. I think we're seeing why. The moment this stone shattered, all those present were killed, but were also locked in their own limbo, living out their most notable moments over and over again across probably infinite dimensions (like watching the same scene over and over in the reflections bouncing off shards of broken glass... or crystal). They're stuck. Not here in Sky, not in Orbit, not with The Light - but somewhere In Between. Purgatory.

But... why? How?

Well, the path to Orbit was still blocked - both by the shattered crystal itself, and by the now-demolished castle infrastructure that was previously seated on and above the mountain peak. Even aside from that, most, if not all of the Elders had already been corrupted; aka, depleted of their natural light and/or filled with darkness - who knows if they even had enough internal light left to participate in the natural light/life cycle, even if they had survived.

What about the King?

We also now have confirmation in the art book that, "The Ruler would sacrifice themselves to share light back into the skies, and the light souls would then return as Descendants."

With that information, I have a few theories. He was certainly corrupted, and very likely the most corrupted of all the Elders. So, my first question is, what was his act of sacrifice?

We clearly see him upside-down, seemingly disintegrating or dissolving, with nothing but his (presumably darkstone-imbued) mask remaining.

Was his sacrifice the thing that destroyed the crystal? Had it absorbed too much light, started glowing red and attracting Darkness and Storm to it, and so the crystal is what needed to be stopped?

Or was the shattering itself the cause of the Storm?

Three things we know for certain:

There was already war, darkness, corruption, and pollution before the stone shattered.

The shattering itself caused immense structural damage.

The stone was harnessing light/souls directly from the sacred migration to The Light.

So my theories are:

A) The stone itself had been corrupted and had become volatile, so the King sacrificed himself to shatter the stone and make way for light to enter back into the light/life cycle.

B) The sheer density of light/souls was too much for the stone, causing deterioration over time that eventually allowed darkness to manifest, and that structural deterioration led to the Shattering. The King sacrificed himself to try to contain it/minimize the damage.

In either case, the Elders and King would probably be able to see visual cues that warn them things are about to get bad. In situation A, it would be a change of color from blue to vibrant, violent red. In situation B, it would be the progressive chips and cracks in the stone that would probably let them know when it's close to exploding. In either case, the Elders and King are likely gathering to decide how to handle it, when the King decides that it's ultimately his mess, so he ought to be the one to deal with it. He uses the last of his power to try to destroy or contain it (in whatever way he can), and then it shatters.

And then what happened?

Well, we know that unnatural deaths leave remains, as seen in Forest, Wasteland, and Vault. There are no remains.

Natural deaths mean your light gets recycled back into the soul cycle and you cease to exist as you once did, but that's not quite right either. This certainly wasn't a natural death. We also still see the Elders - not as memory projections like the mantas in Vault and not like the Spirits of our Ancestors - but as actual, tangible Memories, just like the Shattering Memories. When we meditate at their shrines, they still visit us and give us their warnings - the same warnings - time after time.

Like I said earlier, they're stuck somewhere Between, living out those key moments over and over for the rest of eternity.

They even both take place in seemingly the same type of greyed out void space. I hesitate to call it "a void" because Void could very well be its own entity. But also, there's a real possibility this is that entity. (Something like "The Empty" from Supernatural.)

And the King?

Again, I have more than one theory.

He could be trapped in the stone. This isn't my theory, I don't know where it came from, but even this theory has two sub-theories. 1a being that his consciousness is trapped in the Eden crystal, forever shattering and killing the Descendants who attempt to free the souls trapped in the cycle; 1b being that he's the Season of Shattering crystal, that he's reliving those memories and sharing them with us in a similar limbo as the Elders. (My thought, if this is true, is that it's both. I believe the Season of Shattering stone would be the largest piece of the King's consciousness, still capable of memory, and perhaps thought, but not much else - but that that stone is still stuck in the center of the ever-shattering crystal in Eden, simultaneously experiencing the Memories and the Shattering indefinitely.)

He sacrificed himself and returned what was left of his light, and that light became the Descendants. (Also not my theory, the idea that we're fragments of the King has been around a while, I'm sure.)

HOWEVER, upon re-reading the quote, some phrasing stands out.

"The Ruler would sacrifice themselves to share light back into the skies, and the light souls would then return as Descendants."

So... who did the Ruler sacrifice? Does "themselves" refer to both parts of the Ruler (Prince Alef/King Resh)? Or does it refer to himself and the Elders, who were all conveniently present? That theory gets dark fast.

If it's the Ruler sacrificing their own "selves", it may explain the two hugging WL on top of the crystal. Two halves of a whole, re-uniting in a post-mortem act of forgiveness. But that leaves the clip from recent leaks a mystery.

Regardless, I read that hug on top of the stone as a heart-wrenching "I forgive you" moment.

Another theory that I don't know how to neatly fit into all of this text:

The quote explicitly states that the Ruler sacrifices themselves to share light back into the skies.

It does not say whose light. If it was the King's light, you'd think they would have specified that (unless they intended for it to be vague, which would also make sense.)

We know the King and Elders hoarded light. One place we know they hoarded light was the powerstones/darkstones, so it's not a stretch to consider that by sacrificing himself to shatter the massive stone, he was then sharing the light (from within the stone) back into the skies and that light became Descendants.

Another place they could have potentially hoarded light is within themselves. (What if that's the reason they're so tall compared to all other Ancestors?) Especially if they were corrupted, their bodies may act a lot like Dark Creatures in the sense that they have an insatiable hunger for light. In this case, maybe it makes sense for the King to try to sacrifice himself and all of the elders. (Then the question becomes... did they know they'd be sacrificed? Honestly, probably. I suspect they understood their role in the way events were unfolding by that point. It's another question entirely whether they all went willingly.)

And FINALLY, what about those two hugging Winged Lights??

Well, I'm sure it won't surprise you that I have more than one theory. Both include at least one of the kids being the King's "soul."

Theory 1 is that both of the kids are the king, like I alluded to earlier. Two halves of a whole, reuniting and hugging in an act of self-forgiveness. Simple. Sweet. Only a little confusing.

- Hard Spoiler Territory -

The second is based solely on The Two Embers and the scene in Orbit, where a dark child that looks like Alef hugs a golden child that looks like Hopeful Steward.

Another moment of forgiveness, but between friends who shared a common interest. They both wanted life, light, and prosperity for their world - but they had different visions. One sought prosperity through community; the other sought prosperity through power and greed. Ultimately, they both paid the price.

But why is Alef dark in the video if, in this memory, he is light?

Well, it depends.

If the first scenario is true, where it's his own two halves becoming whole again, my assumption is that his light/soul was returned from the crystal once it was shattered. If this is the case, his soul likely returned to the soul cycle and we are all little fragments of him. (Which leaves me a little salty about the fates of the Elders, I can't lie.)

That scenario may explain the split between Alef (Prince) and Resh (King). Perhaps his childish innocence and sense of self was absorbed into the stone at some point, only to be freed in the Shattering.

If it's the second scenario, a forgiveness between friends, I believe the Hopeful Steward was the one to return his light - mirroring the scene of skykids in Orbit.

And if THAT'S the case, where is the King now?

I guess we'll just have to find out. Maybe he and the Hopeful Steward merged and were reborn as the first Descendent? Or maybe his soul stayed to contain the ever-shattering crystal, while Steward's soul went on to guide Descendants in their journey.

One thing we can say for certain is that they all die. Lovely. (But we already knew that.)

And we can also see that the Steward somehow found (or made?) Aviary, that they have some authority over/relationship to the Descendants, and that other Ancestors regard Steward with a lot of respect.

I know most of this will be answered in time, but I can't help it, my mind is still reeling with all the possibilities 💭

[a-a-a-anon]

[devildom-moss]

Flowers for Them (Beelzebub)

Continuation of a request where MC returns the favor for the characters giving them roses. Kind of a sequel series for the Roses for You series (links here)

Beelzebub x gn!MC

(Suggestive)

Word Count: +1,400

Magenta lilacs

You had spent all morning preparing for your date with Beel while he was busy at practice. The thought of finally being able to return the favor and present him with a bouquet of flowers had you giddy. All the planning and consideration that went into the selection would hopefully pay off when you surprised him.

Beelzebub happily hurried home after practice – not even stopping for a snack. He knew he had a date with you, even if you refused to tell him what you had planned, and he was eager to return home, get ready, and spend the rest of his day with you.

By the time Beel stepped foot in the entrance to the House of Lamentation, you were already waiting in the twins’ bedroom with a picnic basket. Belphegor lazily made conversation with you while snuggling up to his pillow in his bed; he was clearly tired and ready for another nap, but Belphie couldn’t resist the desire to keep you company while he had you to himself. Beel made his way upstairs to drop off his equipment and get a change of clothes, recalling that you told him he could wear something casual and comfortable. When he entered the room, he was surprised to see you there.

“Oh! MC, were you waiting long?” Beel asked, dropping his bag near the foot of his bed.

“Not at all. How was practice?”

“Good.” Beel approached you with a smile and caressed down your cheek before tilting your chin up and stealing a quick kiss. Belphegor groaned and turned over in his bed so that he didn’t have to watch. When Beel pulled away, his grin was softer and sweeter than before. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower and change before we go?”

“Go ahead.” You smiled reassuringly. “You know, I’m only here so early because I got too excited to see you. You can take your time.”

Beel’s shoulders relaxed at your admission. He glanced over at the red chair in the center of the room, and your eyes followed his. “Will those clothes work for our date?”

A pair of shorts with flame patterns printed along the hem, a black cropped sleeveless shirt, and a deep red overshirt were sitting on the chair – thoughtfully laid out earlier that morning. Next to the chair was a pair of lightly worn black, red, and white sneakers. “Yes, Beel, that will be fine. I’m sure you’ll look handsome.”

“I’m glad.” Beel smiled shyly, proud of himself. He grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom, but before he left, he added, “I’ll be back soon.”

When Beel returned to the room shortly after in a towel, it was hard to tell whether he had forgotten to grab his clothes or if he intended to change in front of you the entire time. You watched as drops of water dripped from his hair and fell down his bare chest. With a light blush on his cheeks, Beel caught your gaze, causing you to quickly avert your eyes.

“Sorry,” you mumbled an apology.

“You can watch if you want to,” Beel shrugged, “I don’t mind.”

So, you did; you soaked in every second as Beel’s exposed muscular body was covered once more. It was hard to tell if seconds or minutes had passed before Beel slipped his shoes on and offered you his hand.

“Ready to go?” he asked. You nodded, grabbing the picnic basket. “See ya later, Belphie.”

Belphegor moaned sleepily and forced his arm up to wave goodbye to you both.

The location you had planned for the picnic was only a short walk away from the House of Lamentation. Less than a minute into the walk, Beel offered to carry the picnic basket for you, which you agreed to so long as he didn’t peek inside. Beel nodded, taking the basket, and followed your lead happily – like a puppy, content to go wherever you took him as long as you continued to guide him with his hand in yours. He thought to ask where you were taking him, but he trusted you, and that was enough to keep him quiet on the matter.

You arrived at a field near a lake. The moonlight shined alone along the surface of the water with the light pollution from the nearby city dulling the stars. It was such a lovely scene that Beel immediately knew that you had reached your destination. He set the basket down near the edge of the water where the grass was low and fewer wildflowers were growing.

“Here is okay, right?” Beel asked.

“It’s perfect.” You beamed at him, but your smile grew confused as Beel took off his overshirt and spread it out, signaling you to sit on it. “Uhm, Beel, I brought a blanket for us to sit on.”

“Oh.” Beel shyly picked his shirt off the ground and tied it around his hips while you pulled the blanket out of the picnic basket. You spread it out over the spot he picked out and flamboyantly gestured for him to take a seat, causing Beel to chuckle.

“I told you I’d plan everything, didn’t I?” You caressed his cheek with your thumb, causing it to warm and grow pink beneath your touch. “But that was very sweet of you. And speaking of sweet, close your eyes for me, alright?”

Beel softly shut his eyes – half-expecting you to kiss him. When he heard you rummaging through the picnic basket, a different anticipation rose in him. You had prepared an array of lilac flavored food and drink: lilac lemonade, a limited spring flavored lilac Demonus that a certain witch had helped you procure, lilac honeycomb pancakes, lilac syrup, lilac honey posset, lilac shortbread cookies, lilac and acid lavender sweet butter with a loaf of milk bread, and lilac and hell rose lollipops. As you set up your picnic spread, Beel sniffed the air; everything smelled so sweet and delicious.

You pulled the last item out of the basket – a bouquet of magenta lilacs – and held them out for Beel before announcing, “Ta-da.”

Eagerly, Beel opened his eyes. He was visibly taken aback by the flowers you had thrust towards him. His hands reached out and settled over yours. “Are these for me?”

“It’s all for you.”

Beel took the flowers in his arms, the scent engulfing him and making him even hungrier, tempting him to take a bite directly from the bouquet itself. However, he restrained himself and smiled at you, helplessly enamored. “I’m not used to getting flowers. They smell good.”

“All the food and drink contain lilac. I was hoping that would keep you from being tempted to eat the bouquet.”

Beel let out a deep and gentle chuckle. “You know me so well.”

“I’d hope so. If you really want to eat the bouquet, you can, but I wanted to encourage you to wait long enough for me to tell you what magenta lilacs mean.” Beel’s mouth formed an “o,” and he pulled the flowers closer to his chest while staring at you expectantly. You continued, “they convey passion and a deep, unrestrained love. That’s what I feel when I think of you.”

Beel felt a shiver run up his spine, but the romantic mood was dampened by a subsequent growling from his stomach. Beel’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink – affection, desire, and embarrassment swirling inside him. With hazy, lidded eyes and drool threatening to spill from the side of his mouth, Beel stared at you. “Please. . . feed me.”

You happily obliged him, coating a stack of pancakes with lilac syrup and lifting a forkful up to Beel’s lips. He took a bite, still maintaining eye contact with you. As he chewed, a blissful look came over his handsome face, and you were quickly distracted by a drop of syrup clinging to his lower lip – glimmering and sweet. You wanted to lick it off him. Perhaps Beel could tell from the way you were looking at him, or maybe he was simply overcome by his own desire, but he leaned in and captured your lips. What started soft quickly deepened as Beel set the bouquet of lilacs to the side. Between the sweet taste of his lips and the heat of his breath, you were hardly concerned with how your bodies came together – how you ended up on your back with Beel on top of you, your hands wandering all over his body. When Beel pulled back, his blush had reached his ears.

“Maybe I should be restrained,” Beel admitted in a whisper. He lowered himself until his lips were just above your neck. “I’m so hungry.”

Lucifer | Mammon | Leviathan | Satan | Asmodeus | Belphegor | the others

(If there's no link, that character is coming soon-ish)

[strugglingatart]

Funny, but not funny haha, funny weird that despite Gorgug being the one who has canonically kissed a guy that somehow Fabian, who only has expressed interest in women is the definitively gay™ to some of y'all

[fromtheseventhhell]

Seeing awful takes about Arya is even wilder knowing that people would lose their minds if we said the same things about their fave. Can you imagine if we were genuinely theorizing that Sansa's story ended with her dying, warging into a bird, and becoming a pet for one of her siblings? They would have a fit and call us all kinds of misogynistic, but they'll never explain why their logic is suddenly wrong when it's used for anyone except Arya

[tallyballing]

ZUBIN SEDGHI SIGHTING MOODBOARD

[penofwildfire]

HEY GUYS BTW I'M STILL INSANE ABOUT COLE'S THEMES OF DEATH. LIKE I'VE BEEN INSANE ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS LATELY BUT THAT'S. STILL UP THERE. HIS CONNECTIONS WITH DEATH. HIS TIME AS A GHOST. THE LOSS OF HIS MOTHER BEING HIS INITIAL MOTIVATOR. HIS PROMISE TO HER BEING HIS DRIVING FORCE. HIS ELEMENT BEING EARTH, WHERE ALL LIVING THINGS RETURN EVENTUALLY. EARTH CONNECTING HIM TO HIS MOTHER. HIS GOLDEN WEAPON BEING A SCYTHE. AAAAKSKDHSJFJSJSKSNSNSNSJAKSKDBDHSJSKDLS

[gauloiseblue]

John Price as a arm candy personal bodyguard

General HQ | Part I | Part II

(Enemy to friend to lover AU)

He never planned to be anyone's bodyguard, but here he is, standing beside his wife like a guard dog

To tell the truth, she doesn't really need his protection, but sometimes there's moment when she becomes a target for black market dealers

She has an extensive collection of antiques, and some of them are priceless

So naturally, it becomes his job to keep them safe as well

It's not really a challenge for him because he's used to keeping the military assets safe. He knows all of the tricks and methods to store them and guard them during transport.

Other than that, his days are mostly filled with domestic kind of life

He'd complete his daily training, practice his rifle skill (mainly for hunting birds or deers), and help her with her work

Although he easily adapted into his new life, he's still not used to living in luxury. He has slept on the wet ground of a forest, used to eating the bland ratios, and lived in constant danger. But now, he gets to live comfortably

To cope with it, he sometimes goes on a camping trip for several days. He prefers to do it alone because he doesn't want his wife to get sick when the weather turns bad.

The only luxury that he allows himself to indulge in is having an expensive cigar

Of course, he does it only moderately. For a reason that his wife hates the smell

Whenever they're invited to a party, she'll book him an appointment for suit fitting. He'd complain to her, saying that he had more than enough suit, but she'd win the argument every time

While they might have different views in life, they share the same frame of mind, and have their desires align. She wants a loyal companion, and he wants to devote himself to the right person

One night, as they lay in bed, breathless and tired, she told him that to love someone is to constantly be disappointed by your partner a million times. She asked him if she had already disappointed him enough, and he told her he never expected her of anything in the first place

He knew that her wife kept a personal note in her drawer, and he only opened it once, when they're on the verge of separation. That was the last time that he ever doubted her, the first time he allowed himself to be fooled by his own feelings

You see, he's always the man with rationality, so to allow himself to be controlled by his heart is almost the same as betraying himself

He never regrets his decision, even to this day

Since he's the only one who's retired, his team would visit him from time to time, if their schedule allows them, that is

Soap would joke that if someone had told him years ago that his captain would settle down with her, he'd laugh at their face, asking them what kind of drug they took

(He said it because they both had a rough start. They hated each other on their first meeting)

While it's common for ex special force member to work as a bodyguard, it's rare for them to settle down with someone, let alone marrying the person they work for

Which makes his story into some kind of legend in the army

He'd roll his eyes at every comment about them, but she found it amusing that people either mock him, or wish to be as lucky as him

Sometimes, when his pride takes over, he reminds himself that arrogance won't lead him anywhere in life

But his love will guide him somewhere. Eventually