#Just One Colossal Weakness And Unfortunately It's Important

[fooltofancy]

have finally caught up on the shoh alpha and let me just say that i am slightly desperate for someone to acknowledge how colossally fucked up and not okay this man is.

[tobiasdrake]

We have our missions. Let's make the most of it.

And by that I mean Story Time.

Garl will persuade Malkomud to help us. Zale will bottle Zephyr. Serai will rematch the Hydralion, but this time it's personal. And I get to singlehandedly slay the terrifying lava monster that the council's so afraid of. We're good to--

Wait, what about Resh'an?

Technically, you're not. Attacking Strife was the only part that Fleshy knew about and retaliated for, but you aren't technically allowed to even be here at all. We've been full-scale cheating since the moment you opened the door for us.

That's not a complaint. I'm down for more cheating. I love cheating when the recipient is an asshole. Just saying.

Oh, that is super-cheating. There's putting a hand on the scale, and then there's throwing out the scale and leaving a sticky note that reads "Measures fine to me" in its place.

Starting with Team Zale. I am not here, but I'm with them in spirit. We've seen this type of crystal structure in the Moorlands before but never quite figured out how to crack it. Looks like Zale's going to have to solve that problem, because that's clearly Zephyr right there.

Unfortunately for everyone who is not my team (scientifically proven to be the best team), they're going to have to deal with the Garl problem we had back on Wraith Island. I took Yoyo's Eye with me, so I get to see HP totals and weak points, but y'all just have to deal.

Flying through jetstreams looks extremely fun and I'm jealous. However, we have more important business to attend to because it's Story Time by proxy.

Those are the guys who came up with the elemental ritual that Garl's now cooking up. They've been mentioned a couple times now; The Sleeper's fable lamented their absence for this exact reason, and Yoyo's got one of her prophecy books about them.

So the Ovates created the golems. But the golems know Resh'an as their master. Is he an Ovate? Did he create the Ovates and was involved enough in their society that their workings know and revere him? There's a piece of my understanding still missing here.

The early days of travel golems must have been wild. How many lives do you think were sacrificed on the altar of slight miscalculations or errors in the trajectory alignment?

Oh, Khukharr is uniquely self-aware. That's good to know. Probably because his task isn't just about playing catch with people's lives. He also has to hold up an island for some reason.

What would happen if was submerged in the floodwaters? It has that barrier.... Would the barrier have kept the water out, allowing the Acolytes to use the place for cultivating Strife but leaving us no avenue to interrupt them?

Or would it have flooded completely, destroying Clockwork Castle and everyone inside of it, and forcing the Acolytes to choose a different location for Strife's cultivation? One where we would not have access to Cael's Eclipse Cannon, and thus would be slaughtered by Strife immediately?

Aha, and that's where Resh'an comes in.

"It needs to be sentient but I can't figure out how to make that happen. I guess someone will solve it eventually. Next project: Colossal sky people who have to somehow navigate an itty-bitty living space. It will be hilarious."

A task they now perform. Implication that the Council is lateral to TIA/Fleshy and all the Solstice stuff. Eclipse magic is super strong for reasons nobody quite knows yet but that TIA eagerly capitalizes on. TIA and Fleshy are multiversal immortals waging conflict across the myriad realities TIA broke up. And the Council are supreme terrestrial authorities. None of these are beholden to any of the others; They simply are.

Still need answers on what the flood's about. It's been mentioned repeatedly but. Like. Why was there a flood? What happened to cause the sea level to rise, and why could it not be avoided or prevented by any means despite extensive future sight?

I imagine every timeline probably has something to that effect.

That closes out the question of how the Ovates and TIA relate to each other. They don't; TIA just happens to have Khukharr's allegiance because he took the project on as a contract assignment.

Though the fact that they were carrying out visions from a dream feels eerily similar to how Mooncradle was constructed, so I don't think it was by coincidence that the Great Eagle just happened to come by and finish Khukharr for them.

Okay but from a historical perspective, I think we can safely assume that it did.

I mean. Khukharr's been dead for 150 years but he's still standing, is the point. His corpse is still supporting Mesa Island long after his passing. So I think we can call that a resounding success. 12/10 Vastly Exceeds Expectations.

Given how hard it was to persuade him to let us onto Mesa Island, we can also conclude that his stubbornness warrants the title as well.

This fable is about Khukharr but, really, it's about the Ovate statues as a whole. A nice lump summary of the throwers, Khkuharr, and the Cloud Giants.

Though it leaves me wondering if the Cloud Giants are AI. The myth said they had trouble creating sentience but also that they made the Cloud Giants, who seem to be sentient. Unless they aren't sentient....

Fuck, are we doing all this to earn the approval of ChatGPT?

[ratmonky]

Untamed Dog

Word Count: 10K

Warnings: non-con, major spoilers, predator/prey, biting, manipulation, gaslighting, breeding, blood and violence

AO3 Link

A gift to my friend and one of my favorite artists, @workofann​  

When King Fritz failed to retrieve his people to the island after the Great Titan War, all of the Eldians became slaves to Marley.

All of the nine titans were under the Marleyan army’s control, warriors who inherited one of the seven titans would receive the Marleyan title and a red armband along with the promise of a better life for their family even after their inevitable death.

The Wilbur family kept the Warhammer Titan and the Founding Titan was being fed to an ordinary Eldian family to keep it safe. Or rather keep Eldians in place, taking their hope of freedom away.

The remaining of the seven titans were hung down on a rope around a stick to trick Eldians into having power. Marley made Eldians believe that inheriting one of these titans could bring comfort to their life.

As long as someone inherited one of the titans, their entire family would live in comfort instead of poverty.

That silly promise worked. Since the many Eldians were living in poverty, they were willing to do anything to have a better life. Even if it meant to send their kids to death.

Eldian warriors started training from the moment they hit puberty and up until the moment they became adults. Only then, they were able to inherit the titans they were attained to.

In the hopes of living a better life, you were one of the many kids who had joined the warrior training program when you were little. You grew up in the army and experienced the destructive war from an early age.

You were lucky enough to be taken to the warrior candidate program later on. Which pretty much ensured your death but the impending truth that you were going to die for this country was honoring in a way. It was the least you could do, dying in the name of Marley was something you owed to them after everything devils like you made them go through.

In the end, it was all decided from the moment you were born with an armband to your left. Like many, you were carrying the blood of the titans, the curse of Ymir. To be freed from the shackles of the ‘devil’ title, you had to prove your loyalty to Marley. Dedicate your heart to your country.

You did.

So did your comrades.

However, only six of you could inherit one of the seven titans the Marleyan army used.

~~~

“My gear is totally dead,” you sighed, standing on top of the wall surrounding the enemy’s town that your comrades had destroyed, trying to take your eyes away from the mass of bodies scattered along almost every single inch of space, “I have no gas left.”

“Rookie mistake,” Jean snickered, trying to regain some humanity he had left. “We’ll go get some for you as soon as the others are done with the serum.”

It became silent.

“Is dinner or breakfast the most important meal of a day?” Connie asked to break the uncomfortable silence between his friends.

“Both,” Sasha answered without hesitation.

“No, you should only choose one and it’s obviously breakfast, moron,” Jean sighed audibly, looking down from the wall.

The rest of the people looked tenser than ever yet you still managed to offer the trio a smile before giving your answer, “I’d say it’s dinner. It’s where you and your family or friends are home, safe and sound. Dinner is like a blessing, in my opinion, don’t you think so, Jean?”

Jean met your gaze and blushed bright red before averting his eyes to look around himself rather than the bloodbath covering them everywhere.

“He hates his mom so he wouldn’t know,” Sasha spoke without thinking.

“Sasha!” Connie warned, trying to tell the airhead girl that it was a rude thing to say.

“We all eat dinner together,” you pointed out, “Breakfast is hard to eat together when each one of us has different chores but we all eat dinner together. We are family even without blood.”

“You’re right,” Connie gasped softly. “I never thought of it that way. I mean this about eating dinner together, of course. The family part is kinda weird though, you know since some of us will die no matter what.”

A cold breeze brushed their skin. Sasha anxiously started biting the inside of her cheeks.

“That’s why I think dinner is important.” You walked over to Jean and grabbed his bicep to pull him closer to the group. “At night, when we’re in the dining room altogether, eating and enjoying a meal together means that we’ve all made it through a day. We’re safe and alive, together.”

“I get it!” Jean pulled his arm free, “All this positivity won’t get you anywhere unless you stay on the lookout. We’re in the middle of a battlefield here.”

Only then the four of you came back to your senses. Connie had remembered why he had broken the silence. It was because his legs wouldn’t stop shaking or his jaw wouldn’t stop clenching. He shivered with the thought of what was going to happen soon.

Sasha remained silent yet anyone could tell how anxious she was with a single look in her direction.

Jean acted tough. He was worried but he knew better than to show weakness. He held his composure and even looked a little intimidating.

You on the other hand didn’t know what to feel or how to act. You weren’t sure why they were so worried. Even though you all had one more year left of your training, emergencies like this happened quite often. The Colossal Titan’s holder was about to die, so, of course, the Marleyan commander would order your commander to feed him to one of the only two candidates.

It was either going to be Armin or Bertholdt. One of them was going to become the Colossal Titan and the other one was going down a rank in the military to become a special force soldier.

It was that easy.

The weaker link had to leave. It was the rule of nature.

“You guys!”

You whipped her head around to see Reiner gliding through the air with his ODM gear to reach the top of the tall wall. He landed right beside you, looking rough and sweaty.

“Armin,” he breathed, “They gave the serum to him.”

Connie, Sasha, and Jean gaped but you were inanimate.

“He’ll be the colossal titan?”

“Yes, they’re going to kill us. It’s Eren and Mikasa’s fault, we’re screwed. Commander Erwin should have given the serum to Bertholdt!” Reiner gritted his teeth in anger. “Armin won’t be able to lead us anywhere-”

“Hey!” Jean pointed a finger at Reiner, “He’s the reason why most of us are alive. It was always him who saved us with his smart planning, alright?”

You nodded along while Sasha jumped down the wall to get to the other side of the opening so she could see what was happening. Connie followed after her right away.

“Bertholdt deserves the Marleyan title more than Armin,” Reiner confronted Jean.

The two of them were the only candidates for the Armored Titan, the way they were reacting and arguing was normal. In the future, it was going to be the same for them. Only one of them could inherit the Armored Titan. This argument was nothing but a desperate attempt to prove which one of them was worthy of a titan and ignore the impending truth.

It wasn’t how strong the soldier or how smart the soldier was. Marley didn’t choose its soldiers like that. They chose those who they could brainwash easily. The army wanted desperate young adults who were ready to dedicate their lives to a country that owed nothing to them.

It was nothing but pure manipulation. Destroying the lives of hundreds if not thousands of young people, just so seven of them could inherit these titans.

As the two of them were arguing, you walked to the edge of the wall, staring at the bloodbath of your enemies and titans, that would disappear in a couple of hours.

War Chief Zeke had gone a little berserk today with his titan but it was only normal. Everything had gone according to the plan, the rain of the titans was able to destroy most of the city while the Colossal Titan broke down the outer walls. Yet, nobody could foresee the enemy having the infamous titan spears. The Colossal Titan’s holder was hit by many of them, leaving him fatally injured. It was unfortunate that the last minutes of his life was here on the battlefield but it was one of the most fortunate things for the candidates who had enough time to be able to eat him.

Who deserved to be the Colossal Titan?

In your opinion, it should have been none of them.

Armin was smart, just like Bertholdt. however, they were both weak and childish.

You could guess that Armin was chosen only because Bertholdt still had some of his humanity left in him. Everyone knew he cried himself to sleep.

If you didn’t want to murder an entire country without remorse just so you could be blessed with that red armband, then you lost your chance.

Bertholdt should have known that.

Reiner probably knew that though but refused to believe the truth that was right in front of him. He was mentally unstable, making him the perfect new Armored Titan. Easy to manipulate, dumb enough to risk his entire being for the sake of Marley.

You took a deep breath to calm your senses and to block out the angry arguing happening behind you. There was a soft rumbling sound as you breathed out. At first, you thought it was your stomach thanks to the previous conversation with your friends about food but it was something louder.

Only then you realized that it was the faint screams of your enemies you had heard today, the memories of the loud squelching noises that happened when their flesh was being eaten by titans. It was all playing over and over and over again in your head.

Holding your hands up to cover your ears, you tried to block out the noises. Praying that they would stop but you were old enough to know prayers wouldn’t solve anything.

“(name),” Jean spoke through his teeth, he was still furious at Reiner. “Come on, let’s get you a new gas tank.”

You let your hands fall to your sides and walked towards him after turning around on your heels. The two idiots were having a staredown but as soon as you walked to the other edge of the wall, Jean wrapped an arm around you and jumped down. You held onto him briefly as he aimed his grappling hook towards a building on the verge of collapsing, at that moment he said something he shouldn’t have.

“People who obsess over the Marleyan title like that won’t get anywhere in life.”

You nodded in response, the title meant so little but the power of a titan… It meant everything.

As soon as you changed your gas tanks, it was time to go.

The enemy had already surrendered and there was nothing else you could do here.

“You brats.”

Turning your head, you looked at your captain. Both you and Jean saluted Levi as he walked towards you with an angry look on his face. Here it was coming, he was going to scold you for hiding to avoid the clean-up after the battle.

“Where were you?” he demanded an answer more than he asked.

“Uhh, we were with… Sasha and Connie. We were just… um… waiting for Commander Erwin to be done with the serum and-”

“I’m not talking about that,” Levi cut off Jean’s rambling. “Where were you during the battle?”

“We fought with our assigned squad, sir. Squad Leader Hanji gave us the orders to kill enemies on top of the walls with the titan spears.” You spoke clearly, still saluting, unlike Jean.

“That glasses saved our ass again…” Levi muttered under his breath. He then told you to stand easy.

Relaxing your posture, you looked at Captain Levi in the eye. “Squad Leader Hanji said they noticed the enemy on top of the walls at the last minute. Although our response was quick, we still couldn’t make it in time to protect our precious warrior, sir. Shall we go to sleep without dinner tonight again?”

Jean’s eyes widened at your words in panic.

“No need,” Levi sighed, eyes softening at your words. Even after so many years together, you were still oddly respectful and obedient when it came to your commanders. “You brats did good, nobody from our squad died. That’s why you deserve a break.” He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “Tell the others in the squad to gather at the entrance. We’re going to have cars coming in to get us to the harbor.”

“What about Eren?” you asked, knowing that he was most definitely with his friend right now.

“He’s my responsibility, you two should worry about getting everyone in the cars within an hour. If we don’t leave in time, we’ll have to take that shitty train.” Levi dismissed the two of you with a wave of his hand. “See you on the ship.”

“Yessir!”

“Yeah, sir!”

As soon as your commander walked away, Jean pointed a finger at your face threateningly. “You better stop that! Playing that obedient soldier thing is soooo dumb! You were gonna make us all sleep hungry again!”

“Well, I have to show them that I respect my country and army. When you show them respect, you get extra points. They think I’m a better candidate for the titan than that guy.” You were grinning from ear to ear. “That’s how you win, Jean.”

~~~

You were able to gather everyone at the entrance within an hour. The car ride took barely an hour but felt like hours thanks to your sore body.

In front of the ship, Squad Leader and War Chief stood next to each other as they were telling you and Annie about which rooms of the ship belonged to your squads.

“Make sure to get some rest.” Zeke took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. “It’ll be a long trip until we make it home.”

“The monkey’s right! Get extra rest and eat lots! We asked Niccolo to make some warm food so better hurry up before it gets cold!!” Hanji crossed their arms over their chest with a large smile after giving you both the information papers about the ship and the schedule. “Good job on today’s battle!”

“Don’t praise them too much,” Magath said, appearing behind you. “We almost lost the Colossal Titan today.”

“Come ooooon, Magath, cut the young adults some slack! The Colossal Titan is in the right hands now. If you’re worried about Armin not being ready for the next battle, don’t worry!!! He will go under my titan training once we get back to Marley.” Hanji walked towards the General and put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll sort it out!”

“Don’t touch me, devil.” Magath pushed their hand away.

While the two of them were about to argue, Zeke gestured with his head for you and Annie to walk away before you got caught up in it.

“You weren’t there for the cleanup mission,” Annie noted right away. “I had to carry all the corpses because Reiner was freaking out about Bertholdt.”

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I don’t have an excuse so I promise I’ll help you next time.”

She waved her hand towards her squad. “I bet you will.”

You noticed her smiling and scoffed while you gestured your own squad to come towards you. “I keep my word.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. You better learn to keep your squad in control, your idiots are more manageable than Reiner. You’re lucky to have those candidates with you.”

“You’re right. My idiots are easier to handle but that doesn’t mean they will inherit the titans. We’re a shitshow, your idiots have the courage, mine don’t.”

“We’re right here, (name),” Connie deadpanned and walked past you towards the ship after grabbing the paper you handed out to him.

“We have to train hard if we wanna be anything like these monsters,” you yelled after him but he was shaking his head, refusing to listen.

“Monsters?” Pieck raised a brow as she took a paper from Annie. “Is that what you think of your comrades, (name)?”

“No,” you said. “We spent all those years training altogether yet nobody from my squad can be compared to any of your strength.”

Pieck nodded languidly but Porco put a hand on her shoulder to push her forward. “Keep moving, we have to get food before that pig.” He gestured towards Sasha who stood at the end of the line with a worried look on her face, waiting impatiently for her turn to get on the ship.

“I’ll keep her busy, you guys should head inside.” You were smiling at them.

Pieck chuckled before leaving. “You’re too considerate for a warrior.”

“Uhh, where’s Armin and Eren?” Jean asked while taking the paper from you. He checked the planning and the schedule briefly.

“I don’t know, Captain Levi told me he would bring them here later,” you answered.

“Keep it moving, horse face,” Ymir shoved Jean away to grab one of the papers before walking away. “Good luck with the potato girl, (name).”

You looked at Annie who was already done handing out papers and was walking inside with her squad. Reiner was walking beside her, head down and shoulders slouched. He was still upset over Bertholdt losing against Armin.

“Um… Can we go inside now?” Sasha asked after ten minutes of standing outside.

“No, we’re waiting for uhh…. Armin.”

She sighed audibly and clutched on your arm. “You were right, dinner is the most important meal of the day… I’m so hungry, (name). Let’s go eat. Armin will find his way to the ship nonetheless if we wait for him… Please…”

Okay. Perhaps you could let her go now. Others must have gotten their food and all.

“You’re right, let’s-”

Sasha left your side and ran inside the ship without letting you finish your sentence. Sometimes, you wished you could be as honest as her. Life would be so much easier.

“(name).”

You stood at attention, keeping your head up.

“Commander Erwin!”

“At ease.” He looked around before speaking. “Is everyone from your squad inside?”

“No sir. Armin isn’t here. Eren from Annie’s squad isn’t here either.”

“Hmm, Levi will be bringing them here. We’re waiting for their car to arrive with the special force soldiers.” He put a hand on your shoulder and spun you around to pat on your back, pushing you forward. “Now, go inside and get some rest.”

You didn’t need to be told twice.

When you arrived at the dining compartment, Sasha was eating next to Niccolo who was still serving food. You walked over to the duo and the chef gave you a tray of food. “Good work today.”

“Thanks,” you replied and joined the rest of your squad on a table.

“I’m telling you, when I become the Cart Titan, I will have all of the ladies coming after me!” Connie smirked, “Everyone wants to get married to a Marleyan Warrior so they can live an easy life.”

“So you accept that no woman would tolerate you unless you have a red armband?” Ymir laughed. “Oh man… you are pathetic.”

The color drained from Connie’s face and he sat in silence.

“Besides,” Ymir said as you were taking the seat next to hers, “You’ll lose the Cart Titan against Pieck. That woman is unmatchable.”

You nodded to agree.

“Hey,” Jean hissed, slamming his cutlery on the table. “We’re all candidates. There’s no way of knowing who will get chosen and who will not be-”

“We’re the Paradis Squad, Jean,” Ymir groaned. “We’re the castaways, the second options, or better yet, we’re the backup plan for the Marleyan military.”

“Keep your voice down,” you shushed her.

“What? It’s the truth and nobody will hear us with the rumbling coming from the engine of the ship. We all know Armin got chosen to inherit the titan only because Bertholdt was a crybaby.” She took a bite from her bread and chewed slowly to speak at the same time. “That’s why you have to work harder than that Monkey Squad to be able to inherit whatever titan you're a candidate for.”

She was right but you needed her to shut up. The rest of the idiots hadn’t caught up with how unfair this candidate game was. Not yet.

“So you don’t wanna inherit the Jaw Titan?” Jean asked the most stupid question he could have.

“Why would I be in the military and become a candidate if I didn’t want to inherit the Jaw Titan?” Ymir was smirking widely, taunting the guys who saw as weak.

“But you keep saying we have no chance against those elite guys,” Connie whined.

“Oh, I will inherit the Jaw Titan. That Porco guy cannot even fight properly.” She had a dangerous glint in her eye as she glowered at Porco. He was omitting to her stare whilst eating next to Pieck.

“This isn’t a fair competition,” you added, tightly gripping your fork to stop the shaking of your hands. “You have to give it your best to win or it’ll all be for nothing. You’ll end up in the special forces and remain a devil in the eyes of Marleyans forever.”

“Dontcha worry, (name),” Ymir chirped, changing her tone effectively as she put her arm over your shoulder to pull you close. “You’ll inherit your titan. You’re the only one between these idiots who deserves to be a titan warrior.”

“Are you dumb?” Connie raised a brow. “(name) will never inherit a titan as long as War Chief is the Beast Titan.”

“He doesn’t get to decide who’ll inherit the titans. It’s Magath and the other Marleyans.” Jean spoke, his voice was blank, devoid of any emotion. “I thought our commanders decided which one of us it’d be when the time came but… apparently it’s the Marleyans who choose everything regarding if we’re inhumane enough.”

“Ah.” You could see it in his face. He was putting the pieces together slowly. After almost seven years in the military, he was finally grasping the bitter reality and the harsh truth of the future. “You realized that Armin wasn’t actually chosen for his talents, huh?” There was silence before you spoke again. “If you want to inherit a titan, you need to rid yourself of your humanity.”

Jean nodded knowingly and took a sip from his water with shaky hands.

It was half an hour later when the ship finally moved forward. It could only mean one thing… They were here.

Everyone except Ymir got up from their seats in the dining compartment. Seconds later the famous trio and Bertholdt walked inside.

“Armin!” Jean walked up to his comrade and hugged him while the other squad was welcoming their friend. “You’re too lucky!”

“Yeah, man! He’s gonna be treated like a celebrity now,” Connie was smirking as everyone from your squad started crowing around the blonde.

Armin blushed faintly, “I’m still me.”

“How does it feel?” you asked, curious if his body was going through any changes.

“Um, I don’t know.”

“Hey, where’s your red armband, huh?” Connie pointed at Armin’s yellow armband.

“He’s gonna get it when we get back home,” Eren replied instead and pushed his friend forward. “Now move away, we are starving.”

“Eren,” Mikasa warned, her eyebrows furrowing. “Everyone is excited, he’s the first one between you all to inherit a titan.”

Eren ignored her and walked towards the table Niccolo was serving food with Armin.

“He’s probably jealous. He just won’t admit it,” you reassured and patted on Mikasa’s back. “We’ll handle it, don’t worry.”

She nodded slowly and met your gaze. “Thanks.” After that, she reluctantly had to leave to join the special force soldiers in their own department.

Bertholdt was here for the last time, saying goodbye to his comrades. Soon, he would join Mikasa in the special force and if you were not careful you would too.

One year. Only one year left of your seven-year candidate program. Only one year until you inherited a titan or lost everything.

Anything could happen and things could go south. Just as today or when War Chief inherited his titan a couple of years ago.

Connie put a hand on your back and led you back to the table. You sat in between Ymir and Eren. The other three guys sat on the opposite side. Sasha was still busy devouring the food her supposedly lover had made for her.

“Shouldn’t you sit with your own squad?” you said jokingly.

“It’s none of your business.” Eren started eating, ignoring Jean who started scolding him for talking rudely.

Well, you knew he was upset that Armin inherited a titan before himself. The fact that his friend was stronger than him now hurt his ego and superiority complex.

“You should at least try to get along with people,” you said softly.  “After this year, we won’t be forced to hang out together anymore.”

“I am here to kill all of my enemies, not make friends.” Eren had never changed from the day he joined the candidate program. He was always hot-headed and full of an ego that couldn’t be humbled. In these seven years, he hadn’t once actually tried working together with anyone. He acted like he was better than anyone else. “It’s because of your stupid airhead that the Colossal Titan’s inheritor got injured. If only you paid more attention to the war, Armin wouldn’t have lost a year of his training.”

“Hey!” Jean raised his voice, “It was nobody's fault. Don’t go accusing people for no reason.”

His attitude was finally getting to you, making you drop your facade for the first time in years. “Actually, the Colossal’s holder got injured because of you. It was all your fault. If you hadn’t gone into a rampage like you always do, we would have noticed that the enemy had titan spears on top of their walls.”

Your comrades all stopped eating, Ymir was giving you a look for you to shut up and Connie was kicking you under the table. “You really went and said it,” Jean groaned.

Eren continued eating despite how badly his hands were trembling from anger.

“(name), let’s not start a fight,” Armin whispered but his advice went unheard.

“You know you don’t belong in the military,” Eren suddenly laughed. “Everyone thinks that you don’t belong here.”

“I don’t have anywhere to go,” you firmly answered. “This is the only place I belong.”

“You don’t belong in the military,” Eren insisted. “Don’t lie to your comrades.”

“Oh, now we’re comrades?” You glared at him and put your hand over your heart. “I pledged loyalty to serve Marley.”

“We all did.” Eren waved his hand dismissively. “There’s nothing special about you. I am here to kill all of my enemies, you’re here so you can live rich. That’s why I will inherit the Attack Titan and you won’t.”

For a single moment, your face showed pure panic at what he had just said.

“You really think that way?” Ymir forcefully scoffed, “What now? We’re all useless-?”

“You are. If you weren’t you wouldn’t be in this squad. You’re all nothing but a second choice.” Eren lifted his gaze up to Armin. “He is the smartest of them all, the Colossal Titan never needed a fighter. It needed a brain.”

Ymir’s smirk dropped and she let out a low sigh of discomfort. Jean and Connie were glowering at Eren while you were humbled by him once again.

You tend to forget how you actually were nothing. Titans needed a fighter, Marley needed a fighter. The Attack Titan needed a fighter.

You were only smart, you couldn’t fight as well as Eren and you weren’t a natural-born leader like him.

Against him, you had no chance of winning. This wasn’t about who was the smartest, the most powerful, or the most inhumane. Each titan needed something specific. The Colossal needed a brain, the Female needed strength, the Armored needed wrath, the Jaw needed speed, the Cart needed stamina and the Attack Titan needed… a leader.

Are you a leader?

“I will inherit the Attack Titan.” Your voice quivered but you stood tall and proud.

“You have no chance of winning against me.” He was confident, rightfully so.

It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t fair that you were in this situation, it wasn’t fair that Eren Yeager was going to destroy your life. It wasn’t fair that you were the one who got hurt all the time.

“You don’t belong in the military and you don’t belong here with us.” Eren put down his cutlery, nobody else dared to speak.

You were getting angrier and starting to tremble in rage. “I’m sorry but I’m not willing to run away from my responsibilities like you.” Your brows furrowed and your teeth were clenched as you practically yelled, “I will inherit the Attack Titan no matter what.”

Eren scoffed as he was looking at your eyes that were burning with rage, “Good luck, then.”

~~~

You were going to kill him.

“Don’t think much about it,” Ymir said.

“Y-yeah, he’s saying all that because he thinks he’s the strongest.” Sasha was trying her best to come up with words that would sound comforting but it was hard. She wasn’t present during your argument.

“He’s confident because his brother is the Beast Titan,” you hissed. “Zeke got lucky. If Mr. Ksaver hadn’t had a heart attack, he wouldn’t be here. If only the other candidate wasn’t away… Then he wouldn’t be the Beast Titan.”

“Hey,” Ymir warned. “Don’t say things that can get you in trouble.”

“Says the girl who bad mouths everyone.” You rolled your eyes in annoyance.

“A-anyway!” Sasha pulled the sheets over her head, “Let’s just sleep! You’ll forget about this tomorrow.”

“I agree with the piggy for once.” Ymir reached towards the candle and blew it out. “Goodnight, you two.”

“Goodnight,” Sasha murmured happily.

You were silent.

There had to be a way to get Eren out of the picture.

~~~

You couldn’t sleep, even though both Ymir and Sasha had already passed out. Today was exhausting for everyone yet every time you closed your eyes, you were seeing Eren getting the Attack Titan.

Kicking off your sheets, you jumped out of your bed to take a walk and calm yourself.

As soon as you left the room, you started wandering in the ship without a destination in mind. Without realizing it, you kept walking to the deeper, darker parts of the ship where there wasn’t a single light on. However, thanks to you being discalced, you could feel it when the floor under your feet changed height or direction. It helped you get around the tight hallways but you still had no idea of your whereabouts nonetheless.

Maybe it was a bad idea to be wandering around.

That was until you heard a sound that shook you internally. Your head whipped to the right, a large metal door was inviting you.

You could hear the familiar voices of people and hushed yelling from the other side of the door. Out of curiosity, you pressed your ear onto the door to listen.

“- stop causing trouble before they kick you out. If you don’t get the Attack Titan all of our parents’ efforts will all be for nothing.”

“You say that as if I won’t inherit the titan.”

That was… Those were the Yeager brothers.

“That girl, she’s obedient. She will get the upper hand if you don’t get your act straight, Eren.”

“It doesn’t matter if she gets the Attack Titan, you can give me your spinal fluid and I’ll eat her.”

“Eren!” A slam. You flinched, covering your mouth to keep quiet. Zeke had slammed his fist on a table or a wall. “Enough innocent Eldians died. You have to prove yourself worthy and earn the Attack Titan. Hanji and Erwin found who Marley was feeding the Founding Titan to. It’s some poor family by the outskirts of the city. We finally have all of the information we need. All you have to do is follow the plan.”

“The plan is that I inherit the Attack Titan, it doesn’t matter how I do it.”

Your heart was pounding, a cold sweat slicking your skin as you continued listening to them in terror. Did they want to betray Marley?

They were…

They were traitors.

“The plan is that you inherit the Attack Titan and become the symbol of hope for our people. If it weren’t for Levi or Mikasa, you wouldn’t be alive today. You need to prove to our people that you’re worthy of leading them to a better future. You must be convincing because nobody will riot against Marley if some bastard with anger issues eats the Founding Titan.” Zeke’s voice sounded conflicted. “Once you become the beacon of hope, you have to bring us peace. No more wars, Eren. We had enough wars.”

Eren spoke again after a long pause. “Do you think we should let them live after all they’ve done, Zeke?”

“Eren, we aren’t showing mercy to Marley. We are only ending the wars for our sake. Eldians have fought enough.”

Your eyes widened and a sickening smile spread across your face. This… This was your chance. You were going to become the Attack Titan. All you had to do was find a Marleyan, Magath… Anyone!

Taking a step back, you took a quick look around you before starting to walk further down the hall. As long as you revealed the truth about the Yeager brothers, you would inherit the Attack Titan. They were going to be banished and hopefully, executed. You were speeding down the hallway, keeping your hand on the wall to use it as a guide.

You couldn’t believe it, they were planning to betray Marley and eat the Founding Titan. Why would they even do that? You didn’t know and didn’t need to know. All you knew was that now, you were guaranteed to inherit the Attack Titan.

No matter how long you walked, you never came to the end of the hallway.

What if Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, and the Squad Leader Hanji were in it too?  

What about Mikasa and Armin? Were they in this too?

If you snitched on the Yeager brothers would they kill all of your other comrades?

They wouldn't, right?

Honestly, they were all better off dead.

You walked for a few more minutes until you had worked up the nerve to make a run for it. Your palm was clammy as you kept sliding your left hand on the wall and, without looking back, you darted down the hallway praying to whoever was listening that it wasn’t a dead end and would lead you to Magath’s office.

You got lucky and came across the dining compartment. At least you were getting somewhere, you only had to keep running. For a while, you followed the wall around without stopping but when you saw a silhouette ahead of the hallway, you skidded to a stop.

In the dark, you couldn’t make out who it was but you continued walking, hoping that it was a Marleyan or anyone you could tell about the Yeager brothers and their plan of attacking Marley.

There stood a glorious Marleyan soldier, Yelena.

You were going to win.

A wild grin spread across your face and you took a step forward at the same time Yelena became aware of your presence.

“Good evening,” she said, you could hear the smile in her voice. “Mr. Yeager.”

Your own grin dropped and you felt a large hand landing on your shoulder, gripping you tightly.

“Yelena, I told you to keep on the lookout.” Zeke’s voice was calm despite being caught. “This one eavesdropped on me and my brother as it seems.”

Yelena did something you had never seen a Marleyan soldier do to an Eldian before and she saluted Zeke. “My condolences, sir. Shall I kill her?”

“What?” It was you, voice breaking and heart hammering in your ribcage. What kind of conspiracy was going on here? “Miss Yelena, we have to tell Magath about this-”

“No, it’ll bring too much attention to us. I’ll handle it,” Zeke ignored your words and replied Yelena instead.

The woman nodded and stood at ease. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“Keep an eye on the hallways. I don’t need any more of these miscalculations.” Zeke’s hand moved to the back of your neck, he grabbed you tightly and turned around to walk away with you.

Your hands went to pry his hands off of you but it was futile, despite his looks, Zeke was stronger than you. As he was forcing you to walk the way you ran from, you spoke through your teeth. “I will kill you. I’m going to scream now and everyone will know that you-”

“We’re on a ship, (name). If I transformed right now, everyone would be dead. Everyone.” He was speaking calmly again but his grip around the back of your neck tightened, making you whimper in pain. “Do you want to risk it? I don’t think you would survive. Neither would anyone else other than Armin Arlert. If he managed to turn into the Colossal Titan before the ship sinks, that is.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” you hissed, biting back a sob.

“You don’t know where you stand just like Eren,” he sighed in irritation this time.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to betray Marley? Don’t you feel guilty of the things we devils have done to them?” You were spitting out your words, an animalistic snarl rose up from your stomach. “You traitors!”

“The war must end,” Zeke said. “What we’ve done to Marley in the past was unforgivable but the way we’re being used as weapons against other countries… We will always continue to repeat history if we don’t end the war. And-”

“I will inherit the Attack Titan and stop you all.” Your limbs started to shake violently, you tried twisting your body to escape his hold but it was all futile.

“Didn’t you hear my brother? I can turn him into a pure titan and feed you to him.” Zeke leaned in to whisper, his voice carried a dark promise. He was serious.

You didn’t dare to utter a single syllable more. Your bottom lip was trembling as the realization of how bad your situation actually was started to settle in.

What you had thought to be your advantage against Eren was going to get you killed. You had no idea how many people were involved in this. Yelena had saluted Zeke as if he wasn’t a devil. A Marleyan bowed down before an Eldian.

How dare she betray Marley like that? Eldians did nothing but cause wars, you were all the devils who killed. You were a curse, a waste of space and air. To earn your place in this cruel world, you had to dedicate yourself to Marley. And-

Oh, how amusing to think like a loyal dog.

A giggle escaped from your lips.

Zeke raised a brow but continued forcing you down the hallway until the two of you reached a door. He pushed the door open and shoved you inside before walking after you.

“This is your first chance to prove yourself to me,” Zeke spoke. You immediately knew he wasn’t talking to you.

Stumbling forward, you fell on the ground. You used your hands to push yourself up as the door closed, seconds later you heard it being locked.

“Devoted as usual, (name).”  Eren crouched in front of you and grabbed you by your hair to pull your head back. “Do you think Marley would care if you died? I think they’d replace you with one of the many other soldiers.”

“Eren,” Zeke sighed. “Are you listening to me?”

The younger brother hummed lowly in response but proceeded to glare at the terrified expression on your face.

“She’s been brainwashed from birth by Marleyan propaganda. Every Eldian in Marley is like her. Their thoughts and motives are all the same.” Zeke took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief he took out from his pocket. “I want you to teach her the truth and prove yourself to be a true leader.”

“Why should I? Is it so we can keep her alive?” Eren scoffed, lips curling up into a smile. “I wouldn’t mind killing her now, throw her off deck and tell everyone else she jumped herself-”

“Eren.” Zeke was tired, so tired of all the killings. So tired of the wars and deaths. He wanted peace. He wasn’t made for fighting, Mr. Ksaver knew that but still gave him the Beast Titan. Mr. Ksaver believed that Zeke could lead the Eldians to peace. To a life without any wars or deaths. Zeke knew he could lead his people to freedom but he couldn’t fight. He wasn’t powerful enough to eat the Founding Titan himself. That was the only reason he needed Eren for.

Why father?

Why did you fail at parenting your sons?

Grisha raised Zeke with hatred for Marley and tried embedding that fighting spirit he wanted so much into the little Zeke but failed. Immediately after his mother, Dina’s death, Grisha married another woman and had Eren. Only then Grisha came back to his senses and raised his younger son with love.

Yet, Eren turned out the exact way he desperately wished Zeke would be like when he was raising him.

Ironic if not poetic.

He sent both of his sons to the candidate program and here they were; Zeke trying his best to speak some sense into Eren while all his little brother talked about was killing everyone.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

Wasn’t he tired of it all?

He returned to the present, barely a second had passed.

“If you can’t convince one Eldian woman to join our cause then you’re not befitted to inherit the Attack Titan. I can always find another candidate who will take orders.” Zeke’s tone was colder than ice. He put his glasses back on and glowered down at his younger brother.

Eren’s sinister smile faltered and he frowned. “Why does it matter?”

“Don’t you understand?” Zeke clapped his hands together, raising his voice. “How can I give you the power to lead all of the Eldians if you can’t even lead a single brainwashed woman?”

“Fine.” Eren’s grip around your hair tightened and he slammed your face onto the ground out of a sudden.

You tried breathing but when you inhaled you only tasted blood. Your nose was bleeding furiously and the pain was unbearable. A whimper escaped your lips, his attack had been too abrupt.

“Eren!” The older brother took a step forward to stop his younger brother.

“Get out, Zeke.” Eren lifted your face up from the ground to show your blood-covered face to his brother before slamming it back down with a ferocious smile.

“Don’t hurt-”

“What? I’m not killing her, I’m knocking some sense into her,” Eren replied nonchalantly, lifting your face up once again. He grinned at you and lied to your face. “She’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just leave us alone.”

Zeke hesitated, his eyes were on you who was desperately trying to mouth something. The bottom half of your face was covered in blood and the stream of blood continued painting your neck and nightgown red.

“Don’t you trust me, big brother?” Eren knew what he was doing.

“Y-yes,” Zeke dragged a hand up his face, lifting his glasses in the process. He let his cold hand rest over his eyes and turned around on his heels. “I’ll be back in the morning, I’ll tell Yelena to guard this hallway.”

Your voice wouldn’t come out, your lips were trembling too much and the pain was overwhelming your senses.

When Zeke opened the door and closed it behind him, Eren lowered his face next to yours, “A slave to Marley, that’s what you are, (name). Loyal dogs like you disgust me. Do you bark when you’re told to? Won’t you bark for me?”

You used your entire strength into collecting all of your saliva and blood you had in your mouth on top of your tongue and spitting his face.

Your spit landed on his cheek and he looked unimpressed. He stared at you with boredom before shoving your face down onto the ground.

“I’ve always wanted to mess up your pretty face, (name).” He carded his fingers through your hair almost lovingly as you gargled in your own blood, coughing repeatedly. “Maybe if you were in the special forces, I’d have the chance-”

“You’re more pathetic than I thought,” you got over your coughing fit and spoke clearly. “Do you really believe people will betray Marley just because some egoistic guy with a superiority complex has the Founding Titan?”

Eren stopped petting your hair and flipped you over so he could watch your blood-covered face as you desperately tried to talk your way out of this. “I’m a slave to no one. I’m more of a leader than anyone alive,” he said as he glared at you.

“Yeah and for how long? Thirteen years? You’ll die when you’re thirty-three, what will be your biggest accomplishment?” you laughed at him. He was too stupid to see the bigger picture but you were going to make him see it.

“Bringing freedom to my people and-”

“What about Mikasa?” you asked, cutting his sentence short. You knew his weak point, you knew he treasured her. “Don’t you want to grow old with her?”

“Oh, her?” Eren hummed in thought. “She’s more of a loyal dog to me than anything.”

Your face contorted into something vile in disgust, the way he was dehumanizing her, your friend and comrade… It... It hurt more than it should have.

“You’re full of filth, nobody would let you lead them,” you gritted your teeth.

“You’re also full of lies. I can see right through you, we’re the same.” He grabbed your cheeks by the sides with a hand and squeezed them until your mouth opened from the force. He used his other hand to wipe your spit from his face and he spat in your mouth. “That goody-two-shoes act? You can charm everyone but me with that. I’m not stupid enough to fall for your lies.”

You gagged, wanting to spit his spit back out but he had pried your jaw open, it was impossible to get it out. You had to swallow.

Eren watched with sick amusement and you helplessly swallowed his spit.

Then, laughter filled the room.

It was you.

Raising a brow, he stared at you. Maybe, you were finally going insane.

“You can’t feel good about yourself unless you prove yourself to be the strongest, right, Eren?” You rolled over to try to get up from the ground. “It must feel good to be entrusted with leading some idiots into what you call freedom, huh? You must feel like a God!”

“Did I break you already?”

You wobbled as you got back up on your feet. The front of your nightgown was covered in blood and you could still taste your own blood, smell it too. You lifted your nightgown up to your face from the collar to wipe your nose.

“Break me? Maybe my nose but I’m smarter than you are. I can see everything clearly, I’ve been watching these people for years. I know who you are, a pitiful little kid trying to become the strongest to prove his worth. You’re never good enough, right?”

“You don’t know me, (name).” Eren was getting angry, your assumptions were upsetting him.

“I know you better than anyone else, Eren. You’re just a brat trapped in an adult’s body. You believe the answer is to kill all of your enemies and you’re worth nothing to anyone. Nobody likes you but your only two friends. One has already signed his contract to die and the other one is nothing to you, right? A pet as you said?” You were chuckling, taunting him to fight you even though you knew he was going to win. “I was at least smart enough to make them all trust me. If I become the Attack Titan, I will become a leader loved by everyone. I could carry out Zeke’s plan and follow orders better than you do. Don’t you think Zeke would love to have someone who obeys his orders to inherit the Attack Titan?”

His brows furrowed and he grumbled as he spoke. “You don’t believe our cause. Zeke won’t trust you.”

“Oh, now it’s your cause? I thought you were in it just to feel powerful! Are you just feeling threatened by me? Is it because you know I’m better than you?” you barked out a laugh, “You don’t know me at all, Eren.”

It was quiet for a long moment. He didn’t speak or move. Neither did you. Not until you decided it was time to end this.

“I’ll inherit the Attack Titan for you and carry out Zeke’s mission. You’re too much of a coward to obey simple orders because you’re way too narcissistic to listen to anyone other than yourself.” You grinned, your blood-stained teeth and lips looked eerie in the dark dim light of a candle. “I’ll lead my people to freedom.”

“You’re brainwashed. You only want to serve Marley.” He was trying to remind you of something so dumb, just an accusation without any real evidence.

“Did you believe all that because I said it?” You took a step forward, pointing a finger at him and giggling. “Do you really believe I would be a slave to some country or a person like you? I live for myself and I have the blood of the devil inside of me. I am a dog that can’t be tamed. But you, Eren Yeager, you’re nothing. Just a feral dog.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Eren took a couple of steps forward and brought his fist up in the air.

“Is that all you can do?” You started walking backward to avoid him. “Is that your solution to everything? Just kill the person who doesn’t agree with you? You’re talking about killing too much. Are you going to kill everyone but the Eldians to bring them peace? Is that your smartest plan? You’re pathetic.”

“I’m going to beat you until you can’t run your filthy mouth again.” Eren leaped forward and grabbed you by your nightgown, now, he had you in his hands. “Any last words?”

“I bet your father never told you he was proud of you. Is that why you’re obsessed with power-”

Crack.

You felt the burning pain on the side of your face that wrecked your nerves as his fist met your cheek. It completely knocked the wind out of you and you found yourself on the ground, your body bounced on the solid surface before blood splattered out from your mouth.

“Your face looks better when it’s battered up like this. Red is definitely your color, (name).” His tone was light, almost as if he was finally feeling himself. “And you said I didn’t know you!” He let out an airy chuckle.

Writhing in pain on the ground, you reminded yourself that the pain was temporary. If you let him win now, you would never be able to win against him.

“I’m not…” you groaned in pain before continuing your talk. “I’m not some special force soldier you can toy with. Those poor girls may be scared of you but I can assure you that you don’t scare me, not even one bit. You’re nothing but a man child in my eyes.” You stood back up, refusing to stay down. “You can mess with all the girls you want below your rank but the power you feel over them won’t last forever. It barely lasts two minutes, is what I’ve heard.”

Despite how much pain you were in, you smirked at him as he stood right in front of you, his height towering over yours.

“I’m going to wipe that smile off your face.” Grabbing you by the neck with one hand, he turned you around and pulled you flush against his chest. You struggled against his hold but it was useless, you were far too exhausted and the earlier fight had taken the last bit of your stamina away from you.

Eren nosed some of your hair out of the way and breathed into your neck before taking a deep inhale. The sweet scent of you and your blood filled his senses, his eyelashes fluttered with unsettling joy.

“I bet,” he whispered, lips brushing against the shell of your ear. “They won’t let you inherit the Attack Titan if you were pregnant.”

With that, he pressed himself against you and forced you to feel his growing bulge beneath his pants.

Your eyes widened and you fought back with renewed vigor, ferociously kicking and shaking your body. “I’ll kill you if you touch me, you bastard! Do you hear me? I’ll feed you to the dogs!!”

“No need for that, (name).” Eren squeezed the sides of your neck, pressing you harder against his body. “You called me a feral dog, right? I’ll fuck you like one.”

You shook your limbs trying to dig your nails into the skin of his arms to fight back but he stopped you with one single move.

Eren opened his mouth and let his teeth sink into the soft skin of your neck. A scream escaped your lips as he bit you harder until he tasted blood and wrecked all of your nerves. Your arms flailed uselessly by your sides before your entire body went limp.

His free hand moved up to knead the supple flesh of your breast as he continued biting you and rocking his hips into you.

Once he decided he couldn’t take it anymore, Eren took his hand away from your breast and hurriedly tugged down his pants. You whimpered and tried twisting your body away from him but his bite on your neck was like a predator’s, it didn’t let you move anywhere. Like a lion biting into a gazelle’s neck to keep it in place before ferociously devouring the poor animal, Eren was keeping you in place with his teeth only. He wasn’t going to stop, not until he proved his strength to you. Not until he devoured you whole.

Your plan had backfired.

He pushed you forward and both of you stumbled forward. You fell on all fours and he stayed on top of you, still biting into your neck. Growling, he hiked the thin skirt of your nightgown up using a single hand.

A pained sob left your lips. “Please, don’t.”

Eren smiled into the bite. He always knew how to get under someone’s skin, no matter how thick it was. He also knew that his threat of impregnating you was nothing but a way of humiliating you, reminding you of your place, the power he held over you, and how with a single move he could ruin your entire life.

You were the one who was nothing.

The real untamed dog was Eren. Not you.

At least, that was what he wanted to believe.

How childish.

He was nothing but a manchild.

Eren slid your underpants to the side and pulled his cock out. You sobbed as he lined himself up against your entrance.

“I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you-ahh-”

With a sharp thrust of his hips, he inserted the entire length of his cock inside you. He slapped his large hand on your mouth to keep you quiet but it still couldn’t stop your muffled screams echoing in the room.

He had been wanting to do this for so long. Just to shut you up and ruin you, to remind you of your place. Ahh, the power he felt right now was indescribable. It was as if he was on the tallest mountain in the world and nobody else could reach him. He was the strongest. The best. The leader. The Attack Titan’s next holder and Eldia’s new King.

In his twisted mind, he was the ruler of everything. Him having you around him like this and ravishing you only boosted his ego but the feeling of a small train of blood trickling onto his cock and down your thighs made him go berserk with a massive amount of power.

The thought of your helplessness as he took your innocence like this made him grow larger inside your cunt.

He started moving without giving you a chance to prepare yourself for his cock. Involuntarily moaning, you curled your toes and bit your lip to hold back your next moan.

Eren finally pulled his teeth away from your skin and chuckled as he tentatively pulled his hips back before abruptly slamming them forward. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

Placing both of his hands on your hips, Eren began fucking you frantically, putting his entire weight behind each thrust and stroking every spot inside of your walls. Your virgin walls started to take the shape of his cock, making you his perfect cock sleeve.

“You’re gonna regret this, Yeager,” you hissed but it broke into a moan as he mounted you completely, his hips moving with a frenzied speed, punching the air out of your lungs.

“So far, I’m enjoying it,” he whispered into your ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down your spine and causing your teeth to chatter rapidly. It was as if you were flung into a blizzard.

Your body wasn’t doing it because it was cold in the room. No. It was then, you felt it for the first time.

Fear.

He groaned in pleasure as he continued fucking you frantically like a rabid dog in heat. His pace was ruthless, each thrust of his hips was punishing and hit deep deep deep inside of your pussy.

You could feel the very shape and girth of him, he was embedding it into your memory. With each thrust, he was making sure that you wouldn’t be able to be fucked by anyone without thinking of him. You were only going to think of the smell of his sweat, the sharpness of his teeth, the shape of his cock, and his lingering, calloused hands. Nothing else.

Eventually, his animalistic pace slackened and his hips started to move staggeringly. He desperately tried stealing a few more thrusts to indulge in your warm and slick cunt by humping you like a desperate dog but your pulsating walls caught him off guard.

As your pussy clenched around his cock, he snapped his hips forward to bury his entire length inside of you. You gasped in unwanted pleasure when the tip of his cock prodded against your cervix, ready to paint your insides white.

Eren’s cock throbbed and thick spurts of his seed flooded your womb. You let out a horrifying sound and sobbed whilst the warm feeling spread across your belly. He pulled out to watch his cum drip out of your pussy with a sinister grin on his lips at the same time you felt tears streaming down your face.

He was cruel. Always had been. However, he had finally proved who was stronger between the two of you.

It was him, he was the strongest.

You had lost against the other candidate.

The most important of them all, you had lost your pride, all of that training you had gone through in seven years felt like it was for nothing.

“I will inherit the Attack Titan,” he declared, simple and to the point.

You nodded in response, throat clenching in despair as you cried in defeat.

[kojinnie]

Dream Me Home: Before Shiganshina

Pairing: Erwin Smith x Reader (gender neutral)

Tags: angst, mild fluff, established relationship (implied), canon universe. Reader is one of the Veterans. spoiler alert if you haven’t gone through anime S3

Summary: Moments shared with Erwin Smith leading up to his timely death. A three-chapter story, surrounding moments before and after the Battle of Shiganshina.

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Set after Levi tried to convince Erwin not to head for Battle of Shiganshina.

This will be a trilogy, with the next two parts coming up soon! All the time set before, during and after Battle of Shiganshina. Hope you enjoy this!

There was an evident pain in the eyes of Levi Ackerman and Hange Zoe as they stepped out of Erwin’s office, and you could feel the weight of their stares immediately fell to the floor when they met your eyes.

Your steps were heavy as you approached them, but it was obvious that they had no intention to making a stop at you. Just Hange passing sympathy to you, patting your shoulder in consolation and Levi, the ever so quiet soldier, murmuring with regret, “We couldn’t change his mind. Sorry.” 

And then they both strived on. Leaving the hallway leading to Erwin’s office as quiet as it was before.

You could feel the stonewall of Mitras grew cold at your touch as you leaned to it, as you gathered what’s left of your heart. You had been anxiously pacing outside Erwin’s office for hours, wishing that there was enough power in Hange and Levi’s words in convincing Erwin to turn away from the eyes of war. You had been wishing, that if your solemn plea did not get to Erwin’s heart, at least his camaraderie with Levi and Hange would. As it happened, it all turned out to be nothing but a wishful thinking.

The afternoon sunrays dispersed through the columns of Mitras, and they made a beautiful gleam of warmth on the hallway steps leading to Erwin’s office. There’s beauty in living, you thought to yourself and it saddened you because you did not understand why Erwin would want to leave this all behind.

You racked your brain, trying to gather all the things you would reason to him with. All the beauties in the living he could see: The glimmer of Trost’s cobblestones underneath the street lamps; the joyful shriek of kids basking in the summer heat; the piercing cold of winter expedition outside the wall; or even, the mundane military briefing with the odd bore that Darius Zackly was, where Erwin would steal a glance at you across the room. And then the smile you faintly threw back at him, or the butterflies within your guts as you saw him rose from his seat, laying out his battle strategy before the eyes of the Wall’s most important men. Would those be enough reasons to soften the hardened heart of Erwin Smith?

He knew you had been lingering outside his office, evident by his call to you just now. His deep voice seeped through the door that wasn’t fully closed, “You can come in now.”

You knew what it was not to cry, to dismiss your emotion for it was the worst weakness a soldier could ever possess. Battle-born and inured, you had no privilege of being fragile when it comes to the fate of all human: death.

So, you remained stoic, as you walked in to his office.

“Commander.”

“Captain.”

Your eyes met, and the look of agony was apparent in the skies of his eyes that had grown cold and tired. He averted his eyes from you, quickly to the paper works laid out on the desk in front of him. Your heart broke to see the struggle he had writing down simple notes, slowly and carefully by each alphabet, as he was still trying to make use of his left arm.

You closed the door behind you and made your way to him, repossessing all the self-restraint you had, “You’re a difficult man to sway.”

Once the door was closed, and there were only the two of you, you could feel warmth started to grew in Erwin. Something unbeknownst to other soldiers but you, “I am,” He said with a dim smile, “Unfortunately.”

“You must be proud of yourself,” there was a bitterness in your statement that you masked by pacing around Erwin’s office, staring afar at the view of the afternoon through his windows.

“I would, if I still had my right arm,” Erwin laid out a large parchment, and reached for the ruler, staring at the squad formation that he had strategized, “and not be a dead weight to my soldiers—do you mind?”

You quickly helped to hold the parchment and the ruler in place, as Erwin drew formation lines with his left hand. Shaky, he messed his inked.

He gruntled in annoyance and threw a new parchment on the table, signaling you to take over instead. You had become acquainted of Erwin Smith’s thoughts and ideas, and without much direction you drew the formation he was meaning to draw.

“I will lead the cavalry here,” he pointed at the forefront of the formation, motioning for you to draw accordingly, “the rear will be packed with new recruits. Unfortunately, it will be our most susceptible point. I’ll have Levi there.” You drew an x with red ink on the places he’d pointed at, a mark signifying the position of humanity’s strongest soldier.

“Where Hange and the kids will be?”

“They’re not kids anymore,” he retorted in dismay, there was almost a pain in the way he spoke, “not since the wall broke.”

He had grown to care for the kids, you came to realize. The 104th Cadets who got so deep in the crossfire of humanity’s last effort to survive, and now they’re at the front-line of it. Retaking Wall Maria was the mission, and Shiganshina was the destination. This was the city decimated by the might of the Colossal and Armored Titan years ago, the beginning of a prolonged dark sequence in a life that was already a living hell. And now they were to return, at the same place it started, facing the same Titans.

You remembered it, fighting for survival through the hurdles of cobbles and rubbles, as houses and buildings of Shiganshina flew like debris across your head. The uncanny stench of guts and blood, as you made your best effort to keep anyone alive from the wrath of the giant devils.

The way your Scout uniform latched on to your skin, dampened by the blood of mothers and daughters – is a memory forever ingrained deep within your mind. You were there, and the fear never left you. That’s why you left the Scout and joined the Garrison, “serve where you may” were the words that Erwin uttered the day you announced your repositioning, as you coped with the possibility of losing Erwin, each time he braced another expedition outside the wall. No longer with you close to him, or in any position where you may give aid whenever danger bruised him. You were selfish, but Erwin understood your decision.

“Is this the formation you’re going to use against the Beast Titan?” you asked. There was an immediate scare creeping through your spine as you mentioned the devil’s name. You had heard of this newly emerging titan; a creature of horror, one that was so menacing with capability beyond compare. The one that took Miche, and the one that Erwin had to face now.

He did not say a word, only a nod.

“Have you fought him before?” The wariness in your voice was getting apparent, as emotions started to defeat your trained restraint, “how do you know your standard formation would work on him?”

The Commander sighed, validating your fear. Ever since he lost an arm, his balance had been quite compromised. He put his hand on the surface of his working desk for support, as he sat himself down on his leather-bound chair.

“You don’t.”

“Yes. You’re right,” Erwin paused for a moment, and slowly tilted his head up to look at you towering over him. It was a foreign sight, to see him wounded and fragile as he had always been the shield of courage to your feeble heart, “I do not. I want you to know that.”

“What will happen then?”

Erwin looked down, his right hand reached to where his left arm used to be, massaging it softly. You knew he had not coped well with his injury, the sleepless nights, the ghostly itch, the deprecation he inflicted towards himself. Erwin Smith was not used to being looked down and pitied, and it frustrated him to no end. When the news broke that he would be heading for the mission, everyone thought the same, ‘He is going to die’, but no one had enough guts to tell him directly to his face but Levi and you. Everyone thought that Erwin was oblivious to this possibility, but only the two of you knew that Erwin already anticipated the possible lethal end for him, and still, it would not dissuade his choice. Erwin had made his decision.

Erwin reached for the ruler and pointed the lines and crosses you had drawn, elaborating the plan of capturing both Colossal and Armored Titan with the explosive device that Hange had invented. He talked about the prospect of retaking Wall Maria, its details and strategies, and it was upsetting that at times Erwin would treat you like you were only his soldier, not someone who had been close to his heart for years.

You softly put down the ruler in his hand to the desk, as your eyes fell on his, “Erwin, what will happen to you?” The Commander in Erwin dissipated in your presence, and you could feel his eyes started to display the vulnerability he had sworn to disguise to no end, “You’re in no condition to fight.”

“That’s true.” He muttered, holding the hand you had on his ruler. His thumb softly caressed the skin on your knuckles as he dragged his stare away from your eyes – gazing afar at the afternoon skies that had turned warmly tinted as the sun fell, “Levi was adamant that I’d return as a corpse if I go.”

The coil in your guts grew tighter as you gulped your despair down with the pretense of a toughened comrade, “I share his foresight.”

“You do?”

“Erwin, I do.”

The words hung in your throat like a tumor. You realized, death has countless faces, and you have encountered many of them, yet Erwin’s would be the one death you may never recover from.

Erwin smiled, taking your hand to his lips and kissed it long, closing his eyes with an odd serene look on his face, “In another world, you would say those words in a completely different circumstance, you know?”

You cackled, because you had no better response to that, but even trying to humorize the predicament you were in only pain your heart further, “Yes, I know.”

The tears finally broke soundlessly, it seeped through the crack of your broken heart, and cascaded down your face to Erwin’s relief, as he realized he still held what’s left of your heart, “What will become of me then?” you asked, “Without you?”

He stood up and pulled you closer, cupping your face with his coarse hand and kissed the eyelid where the tear had fallen from, as he said softly, “I want you to listen carefully.”

You nodded, and peeled your face away from his hand. Listening like an obedient soldier that you were.

“If I don’t make it, Hange will lead on as the Commander. Levi, he will make it out alive. He must.” Erwin eyes didn’t leave yours, “Many of us will not be returning home. If I be one of them… I want you to take me home. Whatever left of me. I want you to be the one to recover my body, and lay me next to my father.”

“My soldiers will need your help. If the time comes and a messenger has been dispatched to confirm that we have won the battle, I want you to bring your Garrison squad to Shiganshina, to help the wounded, and bring the bodies home – to peace that they have died for."

You nodded, although his words swarmed your mind like piercing knives. But you nodded, because you wanted to be strong even when the strength that you always leaned yourself on was to depart and never return.

You looked once again at the divine blue irises that taught you all about duty and tenacity, and imagined the life you could live on if Erwin and you weren’t born in the lap of despair that you called home. In another life, you would hear music of peace and pride, not somber wail of war and wrath. But for now, you chose to live and savor the painful taste of goodbye.

“I’ll be close behind, Commander,” you said with a faint smile, dusting yourself up, “you can count on me.”

Erwin passed a solemn nod as he pulled you in closer to the last embrace you would have with him, and whispered, “Dream me home, my darling. Dream me home when I’m no longer here.”

Hey guys! Thanks for reading it. So far, this is still one of the works that I enjoyed writing the most, so glad if you happen to like it!

ADD-ON: Anyway, if you like this and wonder how Levi x Reader version the night before the battle would be like, @weepinglevi wrote Levi's conversation with his S/O the night before the battle. And I really love her works so much, you can check hers here.

Hope you have a nice day and remember: Erwin loves you.

Or you can check my Masterlist here!

[mysticeri]

Pretty Eyes

• For +18 readers who love Attack On Titan, this fantasy goes along with the original storyline.

The year is 834, [y/n] is born [your birth month and day]. On the northwest side of Shiganshina is where you lived, a small cabin for a loving family. Born into a family of Shepards, never did they ever expect [y/n] to be the most important person to a hero who would free all of Paradis..

You grew up with loving parents who kept you away from the horrors of the world. Yes, they are very protective of you since you are an only child, but it’s truly for your own good. Because of them you are very well mannered, kind, smart, and brave. You help your mother cook, clean, gather food, along with many other tasks. Your father taught you how to hunt, chop wood, and other “manly” things because he doesn’t want you to, “depend on some chump”. You have a sense of humor, but your mom made sure to teach you about boundaries. Overall you are independent and strong in the best way possible. Unfortunately without the experience of making friends and talking to neighbors, you really didn’t know how to communicate with anyone besides your parents.

As the dreadful year of 845 comes, so does your rebellious nature of wanting to have fun all the time. You wanted to go out to explore more of Shiganshina, but your parents forbid it from happening. They never told you why, but they did exceptionally well at isolating you from the rest of the city. As your curiosity grew, so did your hunger of meeting new people. How much longer until you can meet a new face for the first time? When can you finally be free to do what you truly want to do?

As the fall of Wall Maria happens, your parents immediately grab you along with some clothes and flee to Trost. Your parents dodged your sight of seeing the Titans even though you tried so hard to sneak a peak. Your parents over-protectiveness was starting to annoy you more than ever. In Trost your father has some family there, even though hell was breaking loose everywhere, a part of you was excited to see your other family members for the first time. Little did you know that you would wish that you never did..

Living in Trost was almost the same as Shiganshina, except that now you live with an alcoholic uncle, a nagging aunt, and a mean cousin. Hell was breaching every part of your life now. At last, you hear the news that your whole family has made the decision to volunteer at the fields. Internally, you are excited because you’re gonna be around new faces in the fields, but on the outside you were nervous because, how can you talk to someone if you don’t know what to talk about? For the first time ever, you were worried about the wrong thing..

As the first month goes by with no titan activity, everyone is struggling to scavenge enough food for their families. The shortage was effecting everyone. As the next day begins, you head off to the fields earlier than your family, this wasn’t the first time. You liked going early so you can meet new faces, but so far you still haven’t made any friends. As you approach the main area where they keep the buckets and other supplies, you see three kids sitting on a log beside the building. You’ve never seen them before.. One was a thin blonde boy, the middle child was a girl with dark hair, and at the end of the log was a boy with short brown hair. They were talking and waiting for the supervisors to arrive, just like you and many others. You want to walk up and join them, but apart of you won’t move forward. You were stuck. Your anxiety was holding you back, but you pushed yourself inches and inches closer. Before you reach the log they spot you over their shoulders. “Oh man, they must of heard me shuffling towards them..”, you think to yourself. “Hello, are you ok?”, says the blonde kid. You freeze and you can feel your cheeks heat up as they all look at you. After making eye contact with the blonde kid and the girl, what makes you blush even more was the sight of the brown haired boy. His eyes sparkled a pretty green in the sunlight. “I- .. I’m ok. Can I j-join you guys?”, you say as your eyes can’t leave his. From your side view you notice how the girl looks over at him and you, then folds her arms, “We can’t talk much, we’re about to start working.” You break your eye contact with him to face her and then you look down. “I-.. Ok..”, you turn away and start to walk, but then you stop as the blonde haired boy speaks up. “Come on, Mikasa, she just wants to hang with us for a little, right?” As you look over your shoulder, the blonde welcomes you with a soft grin and pats the log, signaling you to sit with them. You nod in response and make your way over to sit. “I’m Armin, this is Mikasa and Eren. What’s your name?”, Armin says as he shifts a little to face you. All of them look at you as you sit and you grin shyly as you look down at your hands. “I’m [y/n].. It’s nice to meet you guys..” As you look up at them, both of the boys smile as they say, “Hi [y/n]”, but you notice that Mikasa showed a weak grin. “Jeez, why did I come.. I don’t think she likes me..”, you think to yourself as you fiddle with your thumbs. “So where are you from, [y/n]?”, Armin asks.

While you walk home after a long day of picking berries, you can’t stop thinking about Eren. His pretty eyes made you blush every time you both made eye contact. You’ve never seen green eyes before, not only was the color strikingly amazing, but the structure of them seemed so different than the others. The seriousness and curiosity behind them really showed through every expression he portrayed. You learned that he lost his mother the day the colossal titan appeared. That could explain why his eyes seemed so.. Different. You also learned that Mikasa had went through some traumatic events too. Even Armin wasn’t entirely ok either. Then you realize, none of you are ok. Humanity wasn’t ok. Everyone was suffering.. For some reason though, you wanted to hug Eren the most.

Part 2 coming soon...

[sebastianshaw]

I'M HERE TO YELL ABOUT THE WEREMOLES AGAIN THEY'RE REALLY AMAZING AND INTERESTING AND UNIQUE AND I LOVE THEM

-While a lot of the other Changing Breeds all dislike each other for one reason or another, or at best just don't interact, the moldwarps actually had it in their laws to aid their cousins in their respective duties for which Gaia created each of them, but -- "Killing Sceatha with the Garou, allowing Ratkin to travel to Run’s End, or showing the Moldwarp Burrows to other Breeds’ Kinfolk all fall outside of the realms of acceptable aid." CLEARLY THE RATKIN DID SOMETHING LIKE I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE IS GOOD REASON FOR THAT RULE (the wererats are chaos incarnate and I love them) -k so there is basically a trinity of spirits in this setting, the Triat---the Wyld, the Weaver, the Wyrm. Generally speaking, everyone is fighting the Wyrm and sometimes also the Weaver. But the moldwarps seek true balance between all three. And there's a small group of them called Apes Redeemers who want to basically exorcise the Weaver AND Wyrm out of human beings--- "Redeemers take humans in direct service to the Weaver, or with strong behavioural traits in its favour, and attempt to cleanse them through a mixture of psychological abuse, isolation, and repurposed rites. Freethinking Moldwarps shun this Hill’s ideals as quite beyond the pale, but Redeemers hold up examples of humans who have been forced into bestial states of primitive regression, the Weaver’s hold utterly stripped away, as evidence that their methods are in fact effective." (The Weaver is like...organization, society, technology, tools, etc. Normal humans are very much Weaver creatures.) - AW BUT THERE ARE ALSO PLAGUE DOCTOR MOLDWARPS WHO GO TO DISEASE RIDDEN AREAS TO TREAT PEOPLE - In addition to being the jailers of Gaia, they are also the undertakers, burying the dead of other creatures - There are different “Warrens” or types of weremole, based on their role in weremole society and the jobs they have. Most notable to me are the Cleansers and the Wardens. Cleansers “strive to emulate the motherly aspect of Gaia in all that they do. Calm and considerate, their lot is to cure the fallen, correcting their spiritual bearing and keeping them healthy during their stay in the Den. Sadly, despite their caring natures, Cleansers make for arguably the worst weremoles to act as the face of a Sett while interacting with other Fera. Speaking of tainted beings as patients needing treatment wins few friends in the wider shapeshifter community, and Cleansers find it difficult to adjust to the more punitive mindset broadly shared by most Fera.” “ They act as their communities’ confidants and carers, conduits for the worries, stresses, and strains which would otherwise hinder important work” “ Passionate and creative both in conflict and at peace, Cleansers tend to the Burrows’ feeding, nursing, and childrearing tasks outside of their main duties” “ Most Cleansers adopt a calm and measured persona following their Vision Crawl, and are incredibly difficult to infuriate.” Whereas the Wardens are “the closest thing a Burrow has to a standing force of warriors” and “the least empathic of all Warrens. Where Cleansers are the good cops, the Wardens are their counterparts, expected to keep Sceatha in line by any means necessary for them to be successfully rehabilitated. They embody force, conviction, and authority, and are granted Gifts which reflect such qualities in order to contain and recover the corrupted.” “ these Moles are tough, courageous, and stoic. These qualities are much called upon, for it is their burden to contain, monitor, and protect Sceatha held in captivity” “ Wardens embody intimidation, conviction, and authority in every action they take. This can sometimes be expressed with the exciting encouragement of an elder sibling, the sternness of a loving parent, or the detached professional attitudes of their human namesakes.” There are others, like Trackers and Diggers and Architects, but those are more concerned with burrowing tunnels or simply finding/retrieving Sceatha (Wyrm-tainted or otherwise corrupt creatures in need of healing/rehabilitation) rather than actually guarding and treating them, so they’re of less interest to me. The Diggers do also make tunnels in the Umbra, which is the spirit world, which is a pretty cool concept. - Their Homid (human) forms are as wonderfully unglamorous as moles themselves-- “ usually naturally heavy, with excessive body hair and poor eyesight. Their hands and feet are often disproportionately large compared to their small stature and otherwise short limbs, but for these physical shortfalls they make up with greater levels of strength, health, smell, hearing, and directional coordination” A far cry from the ridiculously sexy werewolf boyfriends of paranormal romance fiction. Love it. They also typically have jobs in sanitation or rehabilitation-- “ These individuals find employment as city planners, prison guards and wardens, subway and sewer maintenance operatives, and similar jobs focused around organisation, rehabilitation, and the conservation of resources both material and human. It’s a rare occurrence that an up-and-coming track athlete or singer enters the Vision Crawl.” Again, love it. - Their Crinos form (the hybrid form or “war form”) is HORRIFYING-- “ a large amalgamation of mole and human standing at 7 feet tall and over 80 stone in weight, a hunched monster which could never exist in the natural order of the surface world [. . .] twisted faces and sightless eyes [. . .] Knife-like teeth protrude along the length of their muzzles and shovelling claws grow from each clubbed hand” - Most wereanimals are weak to silver. Some varieties are weak to gold. But weremoles are weak to obsidian and other black gems. - Unlike most wereanimals, moldwarps can become vampires, and these unfortunate creatures are called The Baogane, also known as Bugbears. They are the saddest things I have ever heard of. “ The existence of a Baogane poses burning questions to her Sett. Should she receive an honourable Final Death and be given over to Gaia? Should she be put through arduous cleansing in the small hope it works? Or, more dubiously, should she be allowed to serve the Burrow eternally? Setts who are unfortunate enough to lose one of their own to a Leech make their own decisions on what to do with their fallen kin.” “ Baoganes look similar to how they did in life, save for their fangs being unnaturally long even for vampires. In Crinos form, these fangs splay out either side of their face to resemble the curved tusks of a boar, and sometimes punch through the flesh of their gums and lips. The fur of all forms - even Homid hair - becomes permanently sharp, coarse, and patchy, again similar to that of a boar.” “ Soil does not merely cling to the fur and skin of a Bugbear as it would to any other subterranean creature, but latches on with supernatural power, reflecting the earth’s desire to see such a monster dead and buried. Over the space of but a few nights, the Moldwarp may become so covered in filth and earthen debris that her size and shape cannot be discerned.” “ Baoganes often spend their unlives trapped within cleansing chambers, awaiting rehabilitation that may never come without their much-sought-after destruction. Many are granted the Thing of Salvation, though some willing penitents are denied even that.” The “Thing of Salvation” of course, is final death. The weremoles call very important ceremonies or celebrations, Things. Thing of Deliverance, Thing of the Hill, etc. - I honestly can’t overstate how new and crazy it is they wish to rehabilitate the Wyrm-tainted and save the Wyrm itself. For DECADES the entire point of this game has been FUCK UP THE WYRM’S SHIT. The Wyrm has always been the ultimate evil, even more so than the Weaver who is technically the one at fault for it going crazy, and EVERY wereanimal has had “destroy the Wyrm’s servants” in their own laws. And yet in the weremole’s laws, you’re NOT allowed to kill Sceatha unless your own life is threatened---” Sceatha are not of sound mind and so do not deserve unnecessary harm, irrespective of their most vile actions; only once they are cured are they to be judged as independent beings by the rest of the world. If that judgment is death, then they must be returned to Gaia without delay. Destroying befouled artefacts out of hand, meanwhile, is wasteful and disrespectful of their already-violated spirits.” Like this is just...so out of line from EVERY OTHER WERECREATURE it’s WILD, and it’s no wonder all the other critters are distrustful of them AT BEST. - So, Run’s End, that place they don’t ever let the Ratkin go? It sounds AMAZING, like so beautiful and spooky. It’s this realm “where death and decay occur, but peacefully and purely. This peace, however, is maintained only by the avid cleansing of its space by high-ranking Moldwarps, making it a nigh-impenetrable refuge of solemn deathliness suspended between zones of total corruption. Only by travelling along the Run, or traversing the turbulent dimensions held up by Run’s End to eventually find a border between worlds, may a being enter this place of pure, tranquil death. All is not quite as it should be, of course, for vicious battles constantly rage at the borders of Run’s End” “ The geography of Run’s End is reminiscent of an ancient Mayan jungle, at the heart of which stands a colossal obsidian temple to the Balance Wyrm, the structure in which the Lord of the Run resides beside his High Scrivein, Sanctus, and Thegn. This temple, the Body of Death, plays host to any great debate waged by high-Ranking Moldwarps, including each and every Althing. Around the Body of Death stretches the Fungal Forest, with mycelial growths a hundred metres tall stretching as far as the eye can see, generating natural luminescences of deep purple, dark red, and ochre green. From the unseen roof of the realm slowly descend all manner of remains - of humans, animals, plants, and even concepts, hopes, and dreams long forgotten - like snowflakes, landing gently atop the fungal canopy to be slowly digested. A fine film of red, brown, and green covers the undergrowth, having seeped down from the mushroom caps high above. Amongst these fungi are found equally decomposed but animate carrion beasts of all varieties lapping up the rotting fluids: insects, corvids, and Consumer Worms as long and thick as oak trunks winding amongst the mushroom stumps, soaking in the decay Despite its dire aspect, the fear of death for any being present in the Fungal Forest is simply absent; the fact that death comes for all is readily apparent, but comes as a comfort. Though not part of the Underworld proper, the Forest is a manifestation of final rest. From the gentle dripping of corpse-fluid to the slow undulation of the Consumer Worms, there is no violation or undue destruction in this Forest, only the equalising end of all things. Indeed, all beings who enter Run’s End begin decaying almost immediately; only those with some form of supernatural regeneration, or whose protection has been specifically petitioned for, may withstand it. Equally, the Body of Death allows only full-blooded Moldwarps to enter, with instant death and rapid decomposition coming to all others. At the Obsidian Reach, young and old Moldwarps alike dig to find something that they believe will bring them renown and acclaim, with no actual promise that anything lies beneath. The Obsidian Reach was actually discovered by the Gazers of the Deep during their very first visit. The Reach is infinitely high and wide and consists of solid obsidian, which naturally is almost unbreakable by Moldwarp standards. The stone itself bears the scratch marks and gouges of generations of claws trying to breach its shell. Beyond the stone’s infinite blackness, it has been told, are beings swept up in a storm mocking those who try to reach them, lands of shining cyclopean architecture, and even the resting bodies of mighty but unborn giants. Such claims are overlooked by all but the Gazers, but this does not prevent adventurers from ceaselessly trying to breach this inky vault.” LIKE THIS IS SO EERIE AND UNNERVING AND YET STRANGELY LOVELY AND SOOTHING TO ME? I AM REALLY LOVING MOLDWARP LORE

[ask-the-good-creeps]

VP AU Hallowe’en Special 2020

//Hey, y’all! Sorry for the tardiness here! Finally got this posted; if you requested specific characters when I asked about it like, a month ago, they make at least a minor appearance. If you requested certain cue-words, they are here and they are bolded/italicized. The main type of genre requested was feel-good type of story, so we have a bit of that here and there. It is a bit long, so I put it under a read-more. Please enjoy this short story, and Happy Belated Hallowe’en! c: //

“Fancy meeting you here, O Seraph.” Zalgo greeted the newcomer from his seat as the other entity stepped into the room. Said room was enormous and spacious with high-vaulted ceilings to accommodate the abnormal heights of its occupants. The walls were made up of bookshelf after bookshelf, upon which rested a myriad of old tomes. There were a few pieces of antique-looking furniture that had obviously been well cared for despite their age, including a pair of unnaturally tall armchairs resting near the fireplace. A red-orange flame danced and crackled merrily beyond the moderately complex masonry of the mantle to illuminate roughly a third of the almost-Gothic architecture in the room.

It was a simple place with a touch of elegance; Zalgo’s style with a few welcoming details for his guest tonight – the one and only Slenderman.

“You did invite me. I don’t see why it surprises you that I’ve come.” The faceless creature responded as he moved to occupy the empty seat by the fire.

“An invitation offered is not automatically an invitation accepted.” Several of Zalgo’s mouths grinned ruefully as he closed his book and tossed it behind him. The thick volume defied the laws of gravity to tuck itself neatly back in its spot on a shelf. The Slenderman did not respond immediately, instead focusing his attention to the warm flames that lit the room.

“Why have you called me here, Old One?” Slenderman finally asked, “What do you want?” Zalgo feigned offense at the other’s questions, complete with an obnoxiously loud gasp and a hand over the still-smiling mouth on his face for an extra touch of dramatic flair.

“We have met here in Purgatory many times solely for the sake of conversation…why do you assume this time is different?” He offered a question in turn. The Slenderman regarded the demon for a moment, and if he had a face, it likely would have displayed a rather deadpan expression.

“Tonight is the Eve of Samhain, where the barriers between are weak. You can’t honestly tell me that you have no motive for this rendezvous other than a social call.” He folded his hands over his lap as he awaited an explanation from the other.

“Oh, you do see right through me, Seraph. I should have expected nothing less from you.” Zalgo’s grin never wavered as he observed his guest. He stood from his seat and began to pace the room slowly as he continued. “I want your help.”

“My help?” The confusion that was evident in the faceless one’s voice was further accentuated by the obvious quirk of the flesh where his brow would be. “We may not be enemies anymore, Old One, but I don’t remember ever agreeing to work together as allies.”

“I don’t mean it as a permanent partnership…just one small, specific task.” Zalgo replied.

“Why? You are capable of anything I am, you don’t need me to-”

“I want to meet my child.” The Slenderman paused abruptly, partly due to the sudden interruption that was so uncharacteristic of Zalgo in conversations, and partly due to what he was saying. There was a long pause as he processed the demon’s request.

“Even with the barriers between being as weak as they are tonight, I still cannot go to the living realm without unintentionally causing death and destruction on a colossal scale,” Zalgo explained, “Lazari, however, will be able to come here…just for a short while…but try as I may I have yet to find a way to guide her here.”

 “You want me to find her in the living world and bring her to this place.” It wasn’t a question – the Slenderman didn’t need further discussion to interpret what the other needed of him.

 “You wouldn’t need to find her. I already know where she is, and I can tell you. I just need you to bring her here.” There was a strange look in Zalgo’s eyes as he spoke. Slenderman had seen it before in that of humans he’d met, but never an entity of their caliber. He, himself could not put a name to it, as the faceless being had never experienced it.

They stared at each other for a while longer, each with his own thoughts, the silence around them broken only by the crackling of the fire. The Slenderman eventually stood up from his seat, his decision made.

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

 In a moderately-populated town on the outskirts of the woods, two young girls wandered through a brightly-lit neighborhood. That was far from unusual on this night – there were many children out in various costumes, all walking up to spookily-decorated homes to ask strangers for candy under the watchful gazes of older family members.

These little girls had no family to watch over them…but that wasn’t exactly necessary for poltergeists, now was it? Lacy Morgan was quiet as ever while they walked along, occasionally joining groups of living children at the doors of homes for trick or treating. While Lacy saw no point in playing dress-up, Sally was happily flaunting the incredibly-made costume Trenderman had prepared for her this year. She was dressed as the Red Queen of Hearts from the original Alice in Wonderland movie, complete with a green-dodo-bird-turned-croquet-mallet prop in one of her hands. She hummed a little tune to herself as they got closer to the “interesting Halloween circus” that “popped up out of nowhere” everyone in town planned to enjoy with their kids for the evening.

They eventually made it to the open gates of the Candy Circus and managed to wander in around the crowds of living people who had come to have fun. It was there that Lacy and Sally separated from each other, each with her own plans for the evening. Sally wandered to each of the booths, peeking around guests playing the games there in search of a familiar face…and finally she found one, though not necessarily the one she was hoping for.

The little girl walked through the back wall of the booth to appear behind none other than Hoodie – sans mask, of course. He didn’t notice her at first as he handed a stuffed animal prize to a little boy dressed as an alien; he jumped and just barely managed to hold back a scream when he turned around and suddenly saw her there.

“Where’s Masky?” she asked. If anyone knew where he was, it’d be his partner, right?

“I’m not sure,” Hoodie answered as he calmed down from nearly having a heart attack, “He isn’t here at the circus, though. He said he had something important to take care of before he could join us.” Sally’s face formed a small pout at this answer. She wondered what her big bro could possibly find more important than the festivities here. She got a hint to the answer as she felt a slight chill in her soul, followed by a strong tug back to that place.

She frowned and walked back through the wall of the booth, trying to ignore the unsettling feelings as she explored the circus. She heard loud and raucous laughter over by the Ferris Wheel and saw none other than one of the circus owners.

Candy Pop looked about to collapse with how hard he was laughing as he leaned on his mallet for support. Judge Angels was on her knees in a giggle fit while Helen stood nearby with the faint ghost of a smile on his lips. Sally wondered what was so funny. She stepped up toward the group, prepared to ask in hopes it would take her mind off the odd feelings she was experiencing.

“My word, Sally, dear, just look at you!” Candy Pop gushed as he spotted her. “That old fashionista has really outdone himself with his work this year…and I have to admit, he found the perfect model for that one!” The jester grinned as he danced around her to get the full view of the craftsmanship that went into her costume.

“I’ll tell him you liked it,” Sally smiled awkwardly as Pop came back to his original spot in front of her. The jester nodded while Helen helped Dina to her feet. She was still chuckling, and every time she almost managed a straight face the giggles would start back up again.

“Did you tell a really good joke?” Sally asked Pop.

“Oh, no, dear child – I told a story…a story of the most entertaining insult someone has ever tried to throw at me that turned out so amazing I don’t know whether to call it the worst or the best!” Pop laughed again, and Dina couldn’t help herself as she started up again.

“There’s no way!” The blonde spoke in between laughs, “There’s no way he actually said that!”

“Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for him – he most certainly did.”

“Who said what?” Sally asked, not wanting to be left out. It took Pop a moment to calm down. He took a breath to try and keep the laughter at bay and turned to Sally.

 “So…you know of Jeff’s brother, yes? The one they call ‘Homicidal Liu’?” Pop started. Sally nodded. She didn’t really know the guy, but she had heard of him at least. “He is the ‘who’ in this story. I ran into him a while ago and it looked like he’d had a rather dismal day, so I decided to cheer him up a little-” The jester was cut off for a moment by Judge’s laughter.

 “Alright, so maybe I wanted to mess with him more than cheer him up, but that’s not the point,” Pop corrected himself with a shrug before continuing. “Either way, I upset the man a little bit, and he started telling me to go away. But I couldn’t just leave when it was finally starting to get fun, so I didn’t. He got the angriest I’ve ever seen, and I half-expected Sully to take control and come after me with his knife, but instead, Liu proved his own ineptitude with swears and insults – which isn’t exactly an unadmirable trait, but still – by calling me, and I quote: ‘an anus-eating boner fuck dick-nose’…” Judge was almost back to her knees again as she covered her mouth in attempt to repress her loud guffaws as the blue-haired jester finished,

“…and no, I have no idea what that means, but I could feel Sully’s embarrassment follow me all the way back to my dimension.” The laughter continued as Pop shook his head in mock-disapproval.

“How did you even respond to that?” Dina managed to ask when she had gotten ahold of herself.

“I didn’t…for once, I had no idea how. So I just left.” Pop gestured wildly with his hands as he said it.

“You probably shouldn’t use those words while children are around,” Helen chimed in, “He may have put them together…strangely…but most of those are still swears.” He looked at Sally, who wore a confused expression. She wasn’t any more fluent in swears and insults than the average eight-year-old child, so she didn’t quite see the humor as well as the others did. Pop paused for a moment, then turned to the little Red Queen.

“Please don’t tell your proxy friend you heard me say those things.” He smiled at her, and she grinned mischievously.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.” She giggled and ran off in the direction of the roller coaster without waiting for his reply.

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

 She had seen the circus, but Jane just wasn’t feeling up to it this year. She didn’t know why, but hanging out with everyone to be happy and celebrate just seemed like it would feel…hollow. She passed people on the sidewalk going in the opposite direction, telling herself she’d stop in for a bit later. She passed a stray dog as she found her way to a nearby park, and noted the familiarity of it. She’d been here before, but when…?

“Jane?” She turned around at the sound of her name to see a woman her age dressed in a wild, electric-blue wig, black pants, and a red shirt that was labeled, ‘Thing 2’. She was a little taller than Jane, with hazel eyes and dark brown hair that was a bit longer than it was the last time they met. Jane remembered her, and by proxy, this park where they had first spent time several years prior.

“Tatiana.” Jane spoke her name, suspicion clearly evident in her tone. She thought Kate had already hunted Tatiana down and killed her. The Chaser was never one to leave loose ends. The girl seemed to flinch at the coldness in Jane’s voice, but recovered quickly.

“I was hoping I’d see you again.” She said awkwardly.

“Why? So you could finish the job?” Jane replied. Jane didn’t know why she was being so bitchy here; she was certain what happened before wasn’t Tatiana’s fault, but she had to admit she was on-edge around her. She had never gotten a definite answer as to whether the girl was actually SCP or had just been brainwashed by them back then. Speaking of SCP, Jane kept her ears open and inconspicuously scanned the area for any sign that the Foundation’s soldiers may be lurking around here. She didn’t want to be taken by surprise again.

“N-no, I wanted to thank you,” Tatiana stuttered nervously. Jane regarded her silently, and Tatiana continued, “You saved me from Kate.”

“I still don’t know if that was a good idea,” came Jane’s retort, albeit a little less certain that Tatiana was untrustworthy.

“Why?”

“She might have been right. You may be working for SCP, trying to lure me into another trap.”

“No! I didn’t even know what SCP was until I looked it up later!” Tatiana argued. “I didn’t even know what your name was until I did a metric fuckton of Google research. I don’t remember how I ended up in that situation. I was getting ready to go out with some friends, and then I was waking up here, surrounded by dead bodies and you telling another girl not to kill me.”

Jane listened to her explanation, looking for any possible holes in her story. Her set of events answered a couple questions Jane had, but there were still a few things that didn’t add up.

“How did you get away from both Kate and SCP, then? Kate was determined to go after you later and finish you off, and she doesn’t make empty threats. Even if you got away from her somehow, SCP would’ve erased your memory at the very least to keep themselves secret. You being alive here, in this same town, with full knowledge of that night…it doesn’t make any sense,” Jane reasoned.

“I wish I knew the answer to that, but I don’t. After that night, I never saw or heard anything from Kate or SCP again. It was like it was just some crazy nightmare. After a while, I started to think that’s all it really was…but you’re here, so it had to be real.”

“Hm.” Jane didn’t know what to do here. She didn’t buy into what she was being told, but at the same time, she would never risk killing someone who might be innocent.

“What are you going to do?” Tatiana asked.

“Nothing,” Jane shrugged, “I’m not going to kill you, but I’m not going to stick around here and find out the hard way if you can or can’t be trusted.” With that, Jane left the park, determined not to show up there again if she could help it. There were plenty of other nice places in the world to spend her time where she wouldn’t have to be on high alert.

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

 “Jason! We’re supposed to be helping with the haunted house!” Lazari whined. The Toymaker in question looked up from his plate of fettucine alfredo as he slurped up the last of the noodle in his mouth.

“There’s enough people to handle it right now without us. Besides, I told you I’d need snack breaks if I came out to help for the whole night.” He shrugged and started to get another bite on his fork as Lazari pouted.

“A full plate of pasta is a meal, not a snack,” she stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes. He shoved his mouth full of pasta to the point that he looked somewhat like a chipmunk and Lazari gave up trying to get him to come help before he finished his food.

Instead, she walked off on her own. She circled the little church, happy to see people from the community having a good time. She walked over to a little table surrounded by balloons and set up with bowls of candy where Father Daniel was talking with one of the local families. They finished their chat and parted ways with a call of, ‘Happy Halloween!’ to one another, and Lazari took the opportunity to sneak up behind the priest and startle him with a loud yell.

“Oh, Lazari, please don’t do that. You know I’m just an old man and a heart attack isn’t how I’d like to go.” He told her.

“Sorry, Father,” Lazari giggled. “I tried to get Jason to come back to the haunted house with me, but he’s busy eating.”

“He likes sugar that much, huh? We’ll have to be sure he leaves enough candy for the kids.” the priest joked.

“No, he’s eating pasta, not candy.” Lazari smiled.

“Pasta? Where’d he get pasta at this hour?”

“He probably brought it from his workshop,” the little demon girl shrugged. She looked away toward the tree line and her smile dropped. She found herself looking straight at a certain someone she didn’t want to see here. Even if he wasn’t so much the ‘bad guy’, when the Slenderman showed up somewhere it usually wasn’t good news. The entity seemed to be watching her, and she got the sense that she was the one he was here to see.

Whether that was an accurate assumption or not, she decided to find out what he wanted. The sooner he had what he was after, the sooner he’d go away. She excused herself quickly and made her way toward the trees. The Slenderman was no longer in sight, but she knew he didn’t just leave. She walked out of sight from the church, deeper into the foliage. She found herself in a very small clearing.

“You know it’s easier to talk to people when you’re not playing hide-and-seek,” Lazari called out when she was sure she was out of earshot from the humans. Nothing. Lazari crossed her arms and huffed in that pouty child way. She turned when she heard twigs snapping behind her and saw Father Daniel stepping into the space.

“Lazari, who are you looking for?” the old man asked. Lazari opened her mouth to answer just as she caught sight of a tall figure standing behind him. She ran over, and suddenly the world shifted around her.

She felt dizzy. The world was spinning so fast it took her several tries to open her eyes properly. She heard someone call her name, and turned her attention to the sound. It was Father Daniel, looking somewhat motion-sick. She heard a popping sound behind her, and turned to see a warm fireplace surrounded by several large, comfy chairs. She saw books everywhere despite how dimly lit the large room was, and despite never having been here before and not even knowing how or why she was here now Lazari didn’t feel alarmed or unsafe.

“Where are we?” Father Daniel asked as he shakily got to his feet.

“I don’t know.” Lazari answered.

“This place has many names,” a deep voice rang out in the room, “though the one you’re most familiar with is probably ‘purgatory’.” The voice sounded like it was everywhere, but they found the source when they saw movement over by the fire. Father Daniel gripped the cross around his neck and began to mumble prayers with his eyes open wide and focused on the large demon before them. Standing at full height, the beast was at least three or four times his size, with pitch black skin and mouths all over its body that seemed to glow red from within. It laughed at him.

“Your prayers have no power over me, nor would they affect anything else in this place,” Zalgo grinned, “Thankfully, you don’t need them tonight anyway.” Father Daniel stared at the creature, shocked into silence now. He hadn’t expected to ever come face-to-face with the Devil himself…and in purgatory, no less…

“What do you want?” The priest’s request came out quiet and meek, but that was still much more confident than he felt.

“With you,” Zalgo started, “Nothing. I don’t know why you were brought here, honestly. I needed to speak with her.” He gestured to Lazari, who until that point had seemed to be frozen. Not with fear, but with curiosity. Zalgo’s taunting grin softened as he looked to the little one.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting so long to finally meet you, my daughter.” Lazari tilted her head as she looked him over. Daughter? She hadn’t been called that by anyone for a while. She vaguely recalled meeting Zalgo in a dream once, but the fact that he was her father hadn’t really set in all the way…until now. She didn’t answer him and must have stood there in her thoughts for longer than it felt to her, because his smile started to wane.

“Does my appearance frighten you, little one? You’ve spent most of your life around humans, so I suppose that isn’t odd.” Zalgo stepped forward, and as he did so his body seemed to melt away into the shadows until all that was left was a man. Zalgo’s human-ish form was still unnaturally tall, but only by a foot or so. He looked normal enough, save for the red eyes and black horns in his head. He stepped closer to Lazari, and Father Daniel got in the way as if meaning to protect her.

Something dark swirled in the demon’s eyes as he addressed the priest.

“You think stepping between a mother bear and her cub is dangerous, but I assure you the risks involved with that are nothing compared to what you’re doing right now. Stand aside – I only get to see her tonight, and I will not have you wasting the little time we have.” Zalgo’s threat obviously terrified the man, but he refused to move. Before anything could happen as a result, Lazari stepped around her long-time friend and approached her father.

“Why now?” She asked. He didn’t seem to comprehend the question, so she elaborated, “Why not sooner? Do you know what she did to me? Do you know what’s happened to me because I’m not human? Why did you let it happen? Why didn’t you come get me?” The questions left Lazari’s lips in a desperate hurry, and it almost seemed that she wasn’t registering what she was asking. Zalgo sighed and reached for her, taking her in his arms and holding her to his chest. She didn’t fight him.

“I can’t go to the living world, that’s why we’re meeting here. I know what she did, and I had no way to stop it because I couldn’t reach you. I do know what happened to you in the living world; I couldn’t come to you, but I could keep an eye on you. If I could have prevented it, I would have – I didn’t allow it to happen intentionally. I didn’t come get you because I couldn’t go where you were, but I’ve been trying for years to contact you in ways I’m capable of…it just never worked.” He answered each of her questions quickly as he cradled her small body to himself.

“Even if I could have reached you, the only way we could have stayed together is if you were to die and enter my domain on the other side. I would never intentionally abandon you, my little one…I didn’t have another option to work with. I’m sorry.” His voice was soothing, comforting, remorseful. Things Father Daniel would have never expected from a demonic entity, least of all the King of Hell himself.

Lazari sniffled quietly, but offered no response. There were memories now, dark memories of her childhood with her hateful mother worming their way up from the back of her mind. She didn’t want to remember. She had no choice. Zalgo continued to hold her and say reassuring things, but she didn’t really hear what was being said.

“Look at me, Lazari,” he mumbled as he tilted her head up. Their eyes met, and with that, Zalgo was finally able to establish a mental connection with his child. He pressed his forehead to hers affectionately as he did what he could to dissipate the hurtful thoughts and feelings in her head. “I’m here now, little one. I’m here.”

She relaxed and wiped her eyes, feeling better but still not quite herself. Zalgo moved back to his chair and sat down again with Lazari in his lap. He motioned for Father Daniel to sit in the one across from them, but didn’t intend to force it if the man preferred to keep his distance. It made no difference to Zalgo what the priest did; he just wanted to spend time with his child for as long as he could.

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

 In another part of the world, a certain blue-masked man stalked around through backyards, climbing over fences in search of something to do…or, more specifically, someone to eat. He was hungry, had been so busy lately he hadn’t managed to keep proper track of his food stores, and now was out of preserved organs when he needed them most. At least the current holiday allowed him to wander without catching too much attention. He still had to remain mostly out of sight, but if someone caught a glimpse of him it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Jack climbed up to the top of the next fence in his path and perched on top of the thin wooden slats. There were people in the next yard, but thankfully a nicely placed tree kept him out of their view. They seemed to be having a little party, but strangely there wasn’t any music. Jack felt his stomach twisting with hunger and decided to move on and get what he needed; though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off here.

Most of the fence was in shadow, and the majority of the people weren’t facing his direction anyway. Jack figured he just had to move slowly and carefully to the other side. He started on his way, keeping his attention toward the people. He reached his hand out to take another step and ended up nearly losing his balance when his hand grasped air at a gap in the fence instead of another piece of wood. He managed to stabilize himself until he heard a shout.

“What the fuck is that?!” Jack tensed and risked a glance at the people. They were facing the opposite direction. Jack looked where they were looking and spotted a familiar face…er, muzzle. Smile Dog was in his larger form, tiptoeing across the fence tops the same way Jack was. The canine seemed to notice the attention on himself and stopped to look at his audience with his terrifying fanged grin. The hellhound’s tail wagged a little and he jumped down into the yard and began to approach the group. The people didn’t take that well, of course; they backed away, yelled, looked for weapons.

Smile stopped going toward them and whined, tilting his head to the side. He hadn’t done anything wrong here, had he? Jack watched the scene through his altered senses. He didn’t like this. Smile barked and wagged his tail again as if trying to convince them he was friendly…but why? Jack knew Smile wasn’t one to approach humans like that, and certainly not in that form; he really only liked Jeff.

The guys in yard kept watch on the dangerous-looking creature in their midst, and Jack noticed too late that they had gradually moved to surround the canine. The two in front worked to distract Smile, the two on the sides closed in; Smile backed up into the last three who threw a thick chain around his neck and he let out a strangled bark as they tightened it. It was like they’d done this before.

They yelled to each other while they tugged at the chain to make Smile go where they wanted. The red Malamute struggled against them, whining and pulling against the bonds. Jack growled, preparing to step in as he saw them bring a cage out to the yard. The cage was large, but certainly not large enough to accommodate what they’d captured.

Jack dropped silently into the yard, unnoticed thanks to the fight Smile was putting up. They opened the cage door as he got closer, and Smile stopped struggling and sat on the grass. They tried to tug him into the cage, but he didn’t budge at all. Jack stopped as Smile started to laugh.

It was an eerie, bone-chilling sound that didn’t belong in a dog’s vocal cords, and the sound seemed to help the humans realize just how badly they’d fucked up here. Smile’s grin seemed to grow wider as he stood and shook himself. He stretched, then suddenly bolted off at full speed toward the other side of the yard, dragging the guys holding onto the chain hard against the rocks before making a sharp turn that slammed them into the wooden fence.

They let go of the chain as they collided with the hard surface, except one who yelled about being determined to make Smile his ‘champion fighter’. Oh, so that was it. Jack understood now; these guys were illegal dog fighters and had become Smile’s targets. That made a lot more sense. He figured there was no need to step in here, but he decided to stick around and enjoy the show in hopes that he could use some of the remains for his supper that night.

The demonic medic watched them try to run, watched Smile toy with them until he was finally ready to go in for the kill. In the end, only one remained. Smile pinned him on his stomach and held his head down with a single massive paw. He moved his head down to his target’s, and bit off half his ear with a disturbing tearing sound…then did the same with the other ear. The man, to his credit, didn’t cry…but he did yell at a decent enough volume.

“What’s wrong? You want to look tougher, don’t you?” Smile taunted him. The large canine speaking clear English in that creepy voice was the straw that broke the camel’s back, it seemed; he started to struggle harder and beg for his life to be spared. Smile bit into the back of his throat firmly, but not enough so to break skin. He lifted his target that way and carried him off toward the house.

Jack followed them around the side to a storm cellar. Smile broke open the door with ease and carried him down. The man was set on the floor in the middle of the cellar which had at least ten cages in it, each containing a depressed-looking, scarred dog.

“Let them out,” Smile ordered. The man started looking furiously around the basement, possibly for a weapon. Smile growled low in his throat, but the man still wouldn’t do it. Jack stepped into the cellar.

 “Can I help?” he asked the hellhound. Of course, Smile wasn’t surprised at all – he’d known Jack was there since the beginning. He asked Jack to unlock the cages. Jack went to each one, pulling off locks and opening doors. He reminded Smile of Jeff on a raid as he went along. Soon all the dogs were out, and Smile led them in a frenzied attack against their former tormentor.

While the man was torn apart by dogs, Jack headed back up to the backyard with Smile’s permission to eat from the other corpses.

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

  “He just shouted ‘yeet’ and kicked me out,” Jeff was telling Liu, “Not even a push, he legit kicked my back.”

“Seriously? No warning or anything?” The elder Woods brother asked. Jeff shook his head.

“I’m lucky I didn’t pass out on the way down – I know I wouldn’t die from that kind of fall, but I’d still rather drift down on a parachute.” Liu chuckled a little. Jeff had apparently gone skydiving for the first time with BEN the day before, and Liu couldn’t say he was surprised at the poltergeist’s methods of coaxing his brother out of the plane considering all he knew about BEN.

Jeff took another drink of soda and popped a piece of dark chocolate into his mouth while he kept his gaze focused out on the hills. He and Liu had decided to meet at a condemned old farmhouse this year. It fit the spooky vibe of the holiday, they were unlikely to be disturbed given the dangerous reputation of the building’s construction, and they had a decent view. Well, Liu did anyway. Jeff’s vision certainly hadn’t improved over the years.

“Was it fun, though?” Liu asked.

“Kinda. It was a decent experience, but not as fun as I’d hoped. It might be more enjoyable for people who can actually see the world below them while they fall.” Jeff responded before taking another swig of his drink. He wasn’t usually a soda guy, but tonight was a special occasion. They fell into silence again for a moment.

“Do you ever get the feeling that something important is about to happen?” Liu asked randomly to break the silence.

“I guess,” Jeff shrugged. “I don’t really believe in superstitions.”

“I feel like something special will happen tonight. I don’t know what, but it’s going to be a major thing that makes a big change.” Liu said.

“I guess we’ll see if you’re right soon. If it’s a big change, we’re all gonna know about it by the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

“Yeah.” Liu agreed. The Brothers Woods sat in comfortable silence for a while longer, just enjoying each other’s company while they were able. As soon as dawn came, Sully would consider the annual treaty over and go back to trying to kill Jeff.

For now, they could pretend that they didn’t need to worry about that. For now, they were brothers again…at least until sunrise.

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

 He jogged through the Dark Wood at a decent pace – not too slow, not too fast. He didn’t want them to catch up to him just yet, but he didn’t want to lose them, either. He was surprised they had come after him so willingly despite the circumstances…most would be terrified to follow an unidentified masked man to an unfamiliar place secluded in the woods, especially on Halloween night. Especially considering the way he’d caught their attention in the first place.

He was almost there. He checked back to be sure they were still following, and thankfully they were. He lead them out of the Dark Wood, into a regular forest in the human world. He doubted they saw the changes in the trees at all as they went forward. His destination was in sight; he burst into the clearing and stopped by the shovel he had stabbed into the ground roughly a half-hour earlier when he was done digging.

His pursuers were there mere seconds later. They stopped toward the edge of the clearing, panting heavily from the sudden physical exertion they clearly weren’t used to like he was. There were three of them: two men, one with dark brown hair and brown eyes and the other with slightly longer, messier, and lighter hair; and a woman with long brown hair similar in color to the second man, and bright green eyes. All looked to be somewhere in their mid to late forties.

Masky watched them take stock of their surroundings; the woman and the first man looked confused and worried, but Masky saw a quick flair of recognition in the second man’s eyes. He remembered this place, and he remembered what he did here. His two companions were unaware of why they had been lead here, but he knew. That sick bastard knew his secret was going to be exposed and the proxy could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to think of a way to save his own hide.

Without a word, Masky lifted his hand out in front of him, a glint of metal hanging from his fingers catching the light of the full moon above them. He held it above the open pit next to him that he’d spent so long digging and organizing earlier. The woman covered her mouth with one hand in attempt to hold back tears as she broke away from those she’d come with and approached the wide hole.

She got to the edge of it despite the others trying to hold her back while she kept a wary eye on the proxy. He didn’t move, and she took a deep breath as she looked down into the hole. She collapsed to her knees as her eyes focused on what was there.

The pale bones were old and stained a tan-ish yellow by the dirt they’d been buried under for so long, arranged neatly in the shape of a skeleton on top of a grey tarp. They were clearly that of a young child, though no indications of the child’s exact identity were present…they didn’t need to be.

Mrs. Williams wept as she recognized the remains of her daughter who had been missing from her life for so long. Masky remained silent as the woman grieved, but offered her the piece of jewelry he had. The small necklace was dirty, having been buried with the bones so long, but the chain had held. She unwrapped it from its loose grip on the proxy’s fingers and held it to her chest. It was the final confirmation of what she already knew. It was Sally’s necklace, the one she always wore, the one that was around her neck the night she disappeared.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask this man, but she couldn’t get them out through her tears. She had always had a small, naïve hope that Sally would be found alive, and now that hope was gone. At the same time, there was a feeling of closure, an end to the morbid uncertainty. She felt so many emotions that she couldn’t quite sort out, and any attempts she made at speech came out in strangled, unintelligible sobs.

Her husband was by her side in an instant, holding her for comfort…but his eyes remained glued on the remains of his daughter. The proxy reached down into the hole and grabbed the edges of the tarp with hands that shook ever so slightly. He pulled the tarp around the bones and tied the top loosely like a bag before offering that to couple as well, and he finally spoke.

“She’s been here too long…she needs to go home.” He spoke quietly. Mrs. Williams wasted no time in taking the bag from him, holding it to her chest as she had the necklace, cradling what was left of her little one. The tears that rolled down her face fell onto the rough fabric and soaked through while Masky turned and ran full-speed at her brother…Sally’s killer.

He realized what was happening too late, and was tackled shortly after he turned to run. Masky tackled him to the ground, hard, and they both went rolling into the bushes out of sight of the clearing. Mr. Williams saw it happen and was torn between wanting to help and needing to stay with his wife. There was a yell from the bushes, followed by a wet cracking sound, then another…then another.

Maybe it was having her death avenged. Maybe it was having her remains fully unearthed. Maybe it was the feeling of her mother’s tears against her bones. Whatever the reason, Sally couldn’t ignore the harsh tugs pulling her spirit back to the site where she’d been buried anymore. Her soul, still dressed as the Queen of Hearts, appeared next to the open pit.

They were older now, much older than she remembered from the last time she saw them, but Sally recognized her parents’ faces. They didn’t notice her at first, as she stood there silently with Charlie gripped tightly to her chest. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. She never thought this would happen.

“Please don’t cry, Mommy.” The quiet words were hypocritical considering the tears that had started to fall from her own eyes. Mrs. Williams almost fell into the pit trying to reach her. Sally moved to stand in front of them, and the couple embraced their child for the last time.

“It’s okay…Masky took great care of me.” Sally assured her brokenhearted parents as they held her tightly and cried, perhaps in some misguided attempt to keep her with them. Said proxy was watching from just outside the clearing with blood staining both his coat and the rock in his hand. He didn’t want to interrupt their reunion, though he felt warm rivulets of saltwater tracing lines down his cheeks beneath his mask.

“I…I have to go now…can you take me back to the park down the street that we always went to? The one with the green slide?” Sally asked hopefully with a hand on the folded tarp in her mother’s lap as she started to fade away. Her parents made their promises and struggled to hold on, but two humans can’t fight the natural order of things. Their daughter smiled at them as she disappeared into the ether, her final words taking on a faint, echo-like quality.

“I love you.” Then, she was gone. Her parents stayed for a while, her father silent and her mother quietly weeping. The mourning parents eventually got to their feet, Mrs. Williams keeping an iron grip on precious cargo in her arms. They passed Masky on their way out of the clearing, and Mr. Williams gave him a small, knowing nod of thanks that the proxy returned. They didn’t ask about Sally’s killer. Nobody explained it to them, but somehow through the context of the events that had just occurred, they knew what had happened.

Once they were gone out of sight and earshot, Masky turned back to the pit. He placed the bloodied stone in it and picked up the shovel. It didn’t take him long to fill in the hole, symbolically burying the past where it belonged.

“Thank you.” He turned to see Sally standing behind him, her face set in a melancholy expression. She hadn’t actually moved on, after all – she just knew it would be easier on her family if they thought she had. At least now she would get a proper funeral, and her soul would no longer be restricted to this little, isolated area in the woods. Masky dropped the shovel and approached her.

“Are you alright?” He asked quietly. She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his stomach. She mumbled something, but he couldn’t understand. He held the ghost child he’d come to see as his younger sister as the faintest light began to make its way into the sky. They stayed like that for a while, and when she finally pulled away, he invited her to come stay with him at the cabin, at least until she knew what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go from here.

Sally accepted, and they walked off toward the Dark Wood together as the sun began to rise on a new day, shining with her new-found freedom.

//Sally can finally wander, y’all! She’s free from her area restriction! Masky’s a hero, and that is a hill I am willing to die on!//

[jakey-beefed-it]

Coming up with Necron Dynasty stuff, and resultant fretting about actual names, under the cut

So the first thing to square away is the inspiration: primarily drawing from cosmic horror themes and specifically early cosmic horror/cosmic horror-adjascent writers of the late 19th/early 20th century (Lovecraft, Bierce, Chambers, Machen, Dunsany), the reapers from Mass Effect, the machines from the Matrix, the Cybermen from Dr. Who, and of course a hefty dose of Ancient Egypt as interpreted through Shelly’s Ozymandias.

As such, the basic thrust of my dynasty is that they (at least the Phaeron in charge of them) are actually quite satisfied with biotransference; forsaking the weakness of mortal flesh for undying self-repairing immortality was a solid move in the right direction toward full apotheosis. The royal court have no interest in reverting to flesh bodies, and count their ‘souls’ and the individuality of most of their 'lessers’ as no great loss.

But it wouldn’t be enough to simply *enjoy* the benefits of abandoning the flesh, if they did not share this benefescience with the younger species who have come to fill the galaxy. Their lives are turbulent, troubled both by the weaknesses of their simple organic forms and the ever-looming threat of the Warp that their own ‘souls’ pose. Better by far to strip their flawed flesh, capture their minds in imperishable and warp-free forms. It’s for their own good.

I think I might run with the idea that most of the Necron Warriors and other chuds are in fact biotransferred humans, Cybermen and Husk style to call back to two of the chief inspirations. Consciousnesses stripped from body and soul, assigned to rudimentary machine forms that lack sufficient processing power to retain much in the way of individuality, loosed on their erstwhile fellows.

Maybe because the Tomb World in question saw much harder wear from time than most seem to have- I really like the new more heavily corroded look of the newer necron models and it makes a lovely way to add in various forms of oxidation for visual interest. So lots of their less ‘important’ members (warriors and such) were either ruined or salvaged for parts to repair the more ‘important’ members of the court, and they needed to replenish their numbers quickly when waking up beneath a now-Imperial hive world. Whether this forms a convenient excuse for ‘sharing’ biotransference with the humans, is a happy coincidence, or is some form of portent that the evangelization of necrodermis is The Correct Path Forward depends on who you ask and how cynical or full of quasi-religious fervor they are.

So okay that’s all well and good, a clear ‘personality’ and aesthetic for the army, but now I gotta name the dynasty, its tomb world, and its Phaeron. Fffffuck. Naming things is hard.

Ok. Start with the Phaeron. so far I’ve got a few names jotted down:

Atramenes- sounds egyptian, sounds vaguely Important, inspired by the word ‘atramentous’ meaning dark/shadowy. Downside is that I used this for like the first boss monster in my d&d campaign, a lowly Nothic. Might thus make a better name for a Cryptek of some kind? Even though it’s a cool name? Enh? Not sure though, because lifting ideas from my d&d games, while at least they’re my own ideas generally, still feels a bit like a cop-out.

Khatash- sounds vaugely egyptian, sounds vaguely important, makes a decent dynastic name ‘Khatashic’. Downside is that this is basically just part of the name of one of my d&d setting’s Evil Gods, Bel Katash, the First Tiefling, the Usurper God of Death. Upside is that the basic personality and backstory actually kinda fit for a necron Phaeron.

Khephret- sounds very egyptian as it’s just the name of the scarab god of the dawn, Khephri, with a sligthly different ending. Cool association with scarabs given the necron scarabs, might make a decent Phaeron name? Khephret/Khephretic/Khephretakh dynasty sounds okay. Downside is that Khephri is... kind of a nice dude, associated with light and rebirth and all. Actually that might work? ‘Rebirth’ into necrodermis, ‘light’ from various horrible ray guns?

Akinshekhor- sounds not egyptian at all but sounds kinda Sumerian to me, so at least it still evokes ‘ancient ass desert’? Sounds very important and somewhat intimidating. Downside is it was literally the name of my summoned Doomguard in WoW many years ago and while I was like ‘oh shit that sounds like a Babylonian Demon King! rad!’ and was very pleased with my good luck on the random name generator, fundamentally it’s still a personal MMO reference which rates even lower than lifting ideas from my d&d campaigns.

Ramesekh- sounds very egyptian obviously; Rameses = Ozymandias and all that. Doesn’t sound especially intimidating or important to me, unfortunately.

On to the tomb world. So far the ideas are:

Carcosa- just call it fuckening Carcosa. Maybe it orbits the star Hali. Maybe one of the earliest biotransferred humans was the Planetary Governor Cassilda. Downside: just outright flagrant theft from Bierce and Chambers.

Nephandor- drawn from ‘nefandous’ meaning ‘unspeakable’, ties in nicely with my early ideas for the dynasty name based on something similar but then I ran into the fact that there’s already a canon dynasty called Nephrekh so had to rethink things. Kinda sounds like Nephren-Ka, also, being Lovecraft’s ancient egyptian avatar of Nyarlathotep.

Eidolon- great ominous name for a planet. Eidolon being a word that can mean both ‘perfected form’ and ‘spectre of oncoming death’ and carrying connotations of not-quite-human. Downside of course is that there’s already a chaos space marine in the Emperor’s Children named Eidolon. Bleh.

Ophir- biblical name for a historical place proooobably in India but has the ri ght ‘sound’ to it, making one think of shifting sands and ancient ruins. ‘

“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away”

Anyhow this got... long.... but I kinda want anyone who bothered to read this far to weigh in on your favorites because I am having a terrible time deciding anything here besides the basic ideas outlined before the names section.

[cloudbattrolls]

Aftermath

Chimer Latrai | Civitrecce | Present Night

The fuchsia blearily wiped her eyes as she looked down on the city. There hadn’t been too many deaths, somehow...but the property damage was colossal, and it hadn’t just been corporate office buildings. Regular neighborhoods had been torched by pyrokinesis or knocked over by telekinetics too. 

Her ship thrummed with solar power as it hovered in place, and she looked at the security screens to see how her bunch of trolls was doing.

A lot of them were hers - support staff, local experts, her intel crew, Amdzah and a few of her other guards - but some were trolls she’d grabbed off the streets, sometimes without asking if a giant chunk of debris had been headed their way.

Unfortunately, most of the powerful highbloods had been transportalized or otherwise spirited away to safety, safe in emergency bunkers as the city burned and broke.

She had no word on where Cherie was, but whatever, as long as the little shit was keeping their head down. If she was really lucky, someone had culled them for her.

Tabula...what had happened to the maroon? Would she have taken a bargain with a worm god or wish dragon? Could they even affect her, empty of desire unless she chose otherwise?

“Miss Latrai, there’s something here for you in the entry bay.”

A voice spoke through the ship’s intercom. 

“Mmmwhat?” yawned the seadweller, shaken from her reverie. “It better not be another glitter bo -” 

“Hello, Chimer.”

She sat bolt upright as another voice came through the speaker.

“Whatthefuck.”

“It’s good to see you too. Come and say hello. It’s been a while.”

The fuchsia was dazed, blinking in disbelief, but she checked to make her trident was the top of her sylladex before she took the elevator down to the bay. 

Her poor attendant looked terrified, ears pinned back as lines of lime energy glowed around them, restraining them.

The fuchsia raised an eyebrow as she took in the woman - android, technically, from the sheen of the false skin and the purple joins - casually lounging on the couch nearby, looking perfectly unconcerned.

“Blanca. Wassup. Why’sup.”

The woman smiled.

“They tried to disable me. Not that I have an open switch for that - that’d be silly. What an obvious weakness.”

“Was she being spooky?” Chimer addressed the brownblood, who looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.

“I didn’t know she could speak on her own.” They whispered. “I thought she was just a messenger robot, and she was malfunctioning…”

The politician snapped her fingers.

“Yeah, about that, how did you get here? This ship has all incoming transmissions and transportalizations monitored and held until they’re screened. I know I’m not the most tech savvy person, but I have people who are, and I didn’t even get a ping. How?”

Blanca merely pressed a finger to her lips and smiled.

“All in good time, Chimer. I’m here to help.”

“I’ll have an easier time swallowing that if you let...uh...what’s your name, kid?”

“Benzen, ma’am.”

“If you let Benny here go. Try not to creep everyone out, capiche?”

The woman waved her hand dismissively, and the brownblood made themself scarce as the energy dissipated.

Chimer sighed, sitting down on the couch opposite her old...acquaintance? Former friend? Ex? Whatever.

“First Cherie, then you. I thought we were all gonna go our separate ways after the last bunch of nonsense.”

“What do you have against me, Chimer? We all worked together against Echthros.”

The seadweller snorted.

“You made that problem in the first place by stealing my powers, then making me forget about it. Zelaya gave me the dirt, y’know.”

A flash of guilt and then anger darkened the woman’s face before she sighed, the noise strange from a body that didn’t have real lungs. It sounded like a recording. Maybe it was.

“I made some mistakes, but are you really going to hold all that against me? It was a long time ago, even for you. Certainly for me. I was just a girl.”

Chimer snorted and held up a hand.

“A girl who profited off the plague, cursed her kismesis, tried to rewrite history, killed her lusus in return for shapeshifting powers, and raised the dead. Yeah, don’t even try.”

The fuchsia counted down fingers as she rattled off her list, and the android laughed.

“I was wild then, wasn’t I?” She remarked in a fond voice. “But those nights are behind me. I don’t have necromantic powers anymore  - this body can’t use them, even if I had my bells.”

“The constructs are new, though.”

The android let some lime sparks dance across her palms.

“Aren’t they fun? One of the nice things about technology.”

“Srevni sure left you some toys, huh.”

The android’s glowing eyes narrowed as the fuchsia smiled sardonically.

“So she survived after all. Where is she hiding?”

“They’re just dandy, and I’m not telling you.”

Her fists clenched, her ears flicking back and forth. Chimer held the silence, staring resolutely with her arms crossed.

Blanca looked away first.

“I know what Coloth is up to.”

“Way ahead of you, already had someone retrieve that info. Was about to use it against him when the monsters hit and everything went cuckoo.”

Her smile was back.

“So you don’t know.”

“Be straight with me or clear off, Blanca, I have too many other things I could be doing right now.”

“So responsible.” She said, teasingly, crossing her legs together. “Don’t you ever miss what we got up to? Sneaking around behind the church’s backs, taking down the highblood mages? Not having to answer to anyone?”

“Sure. You know what else I miss? Being able to trust you wouldn’t wipe my memories.”

“I can’t now.” She pointed out acidly. “So will you listen to me and stop bringing up the past?”

The taller woman leaned back, folding her hands behind her head.

“Go for it, then.”

“You might know Coloth’s plans to mass market the shapeshifting psi in containers for helming purposes, but after the monster incident you needed seeker tech from him for? He had a new idea: acquiring all of Civitrecce’s surveillance for himself. Putting down every single rebel in their own hive.”

The fuchsia’s fins rippled in amusement.

“He want to buy me a whole moon while he’s at it? That’s impossible, he’d have to fight so many legal battles the teals would own his ass for the next five hundred sweeps.”

The former undead pressed the tips of her fingers together, lips pulled back. 

“That would be true...if the Empire wasn’t looking for people they could pawn off the city’s reconstruction on. They’re willing to promise the lowest bidder anything if they can clean up the mess.”

Chimer swore. That sounded way too likely to be true - she’d verify it, but her news people had probably already at least heard rumors.

“I can’t interfere with that.” She said, dragging a hand down her face. “That’s technically private business. On paper, politicians are supposed to stay out of it.”

“Why do you play their game, Chimer? The system is already corrupt. You’re not holding any moral ground by going along with it when no one else bothers.”

“‘Cause go shove your face in a beaky mask again, that’s why.”

The android blinked.

“If you can’t understand why I do things this way, I’m not gonna bother going into it. What do you want, anyway? I know darn well you didn’t poof yourself here just to warn me about Coloth.”

“What I’ve always wanted, Chimer. I want my people to be free.”

“I can’t turn back time anymore, even if I wanted to. The clock’s gone, and if a single limeblood has survived this city, I’ll be surprised. You’re in the wrong place.”

The woman’s glowing eyes briefly flash in strings of code. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about Civitrecce, Chimer. A lot I can tell you, if you accept my help.”

“‘Kay. What’s your price?”

“Cherie dead, at some point. Doesn’t have to be now. I’m sure you’ve longed to get rid of them yourself. Have you realized why they’re dogging your steps yet?”

The fuchsia looked at her nails, bored.

“They inherited a weird jealousy complex from their ancestor? Yeah, been there seen that. It’s annoying, they’re annoying, I have more important things to worry about.”

The elder Rincon leaned forward, studying the fuchsia with a gaze that was slightly uncomfortable in its intensity.

“Stop staring at me with them big ol’ eyes. What.”

“Just wanted to make sure you believed that.”

“You’re the liar liar stake on fire, not me.”

The former undead scowled.

“Too soon?” said Chimer innocently. 

“Don’t joke about how I died.”

“Don’t zap energy around people for being scared of your weird metal ass and we’ve got a deal.”

Some sort of malicious feeling flicked across the woman’s face, the purple markings above her eyes slightly eerie in their glowing light.

“As you like.” She said, tone neutral. 

Chimer decided not to go there. Blanca was a grown adult, even if she didn’t look it, and she wasn’t stupid enough to try to stab the fuchsia in the back on her own ship. She’d have her staff keep an eye on her - that’d be enough for now.

“Anywho, make yourself at hive. I dunno what you use for energy, but feel free to take it. I’m tired, we can trade more deets later. Here, have a welcoming present.”

Rummaging in her sylladex, the fuchsia took out an old necklace, tarnished with time - but the carvings on the strung bones were still visible, abstract swirls of fae and animals in an endless dance.

Blanca almost didn’t catch it, so surprised was she when her old friend tossed it to her.

“You kept it?” She said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

“‘Course. Things can be good again, you know. Stop plotting all the time, it won’t kill - okay, it did, my bad with the stake thing before, but things can be better. If you try. That’s why I do what I do, y’know.”

“...do you not want it anymore?” 

She clutched the necklace as if it were a lifeline.

“Nah, we can share. Just figured you’d like to see it.”

The limeblood - she had once been lime, long ago when she’d been alive - nodded. 

“Help me put it on?”

The politician blinked. All right then.

“Sure.”

She walked over, bent down on one knee, and fastened it around the much shorter woman’s slender neck. It was amazing, really, how well her current form mimicked her original one - if a lot smoother and cleaner. Blanca had always been covered in small scars when she’d been alive - from fights, from plague, because she’d tried some new necromancy experiment that tried to take a bite out of her. 

Chimer got up again, making finger guns as she stepped back to face her new guest.

“Ta da.”

“Thank you.”

“Any time. I do need sleep though, it’s almost dawn. Light light.”

“Light, Chimer.”

When she slept, the fuchsia dreamt of long ago, when a girl with white hair had offered her a way forward. Even if they had to rip it from everyone more powerful.

She dreamt of stolen things, of a clock that never stopped ticking, and realizing quite by accident, that she’d been in love.

[mst3kproject]

511: Gunslinger

I’ve probably given the impression that I hate Westerns, which is not quite true – I’m mostly just bored with the entire concept after having been force-fed it since childhood.  If a Western wants me, it’s gonna have to give me aliens or dinosaurs or vampires or something as a ‘hook’.  Gunslinger is just a straight-up tale of law and order in the old west, and as such it doesn’t interest me much at all.  Yet when I watch it, I have to give it a surprising number of props, especially for being something that wound up on the Satellite of Love.

Gunslinger does not waste time.  In the opening scene we see the Marshall of Oracle, Texas, gunned down in his own office, and his wife Rose vow to take her revenge on the killers. Until the new guy can arrive from San Antonio, Rose decides she’s going to do the Marshalling herself!  She starts small, trying to make the local Red Dog Saloon comply with the laws about not being open late.  This brings her into conflict with the Saloon’s owner Erica, who decides that Rose has to go.  While Rose makes freely with the police brutality, Erica hires her outlaw ex-boyfriend Caine as an assassin.  This being a movie, Caine and Rose immediately fall in love instead. Her husband’s been dead about a week at this point.

The biggest strength of the movie is that the writing and acting, while not stellar, are certainly good enough.  We know who all these people are, we can tell them apart, and we know what they want and why they’re in conflict with each other. Rose and Erica have never liked one another, and now their jobs have put them in a position to do something about it. Erica uses people’s image of her as a floozy to bilk them out of money.  Jake is in love with Erica and tired of being spurned.  Mayor Polk dwells on his war stories because they’re more exciting than his lackluster present life.  Caine is still shaken by PTSD and doesn’t understand that killing Polk won’t make it better.  The funeral scene introduces us to most of these characters, and their relationships are sketched out in ways that aren’t boring and don’t interfere with the flow of the story.

Gunslinger’s ‘gimmick’ is that it takes a pretty standard Western plot – local Sheriff versus land-grabbing tycoon – and places women in the main roles.  This could have been an absolute disaster depending on what the writers thought of women, but Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna handled it very well.  It never treats either Rose or Erica as a joke, or thinks they’re ‘cute’ for being a law enforcer or a businesswoman.  Both of them are portrayed as people, slightly larger-than-life in the way genre characters always are, but written and played with complete sincerity.  The fact that they’re women allows the introduction of the love triangle with Caine, but the only person who lets that get in the way of what anybody’s trying to accomplish is Caine himself!  Even the very minor character of Mayor Polk’s wife Felicity is an active rather than reactive character, who actually protects her husband when she thinks he’s in danger rather than just standing around fretting.  Likewise with the can-can dancers, who take action to try to avoid losing their livelihoods.

Rose in particular could have driven the whole thing into the ground if her heart had overcome her head, but while she does have a weakness for Caine she knows it’s a weakness, and uses it to her advantage when she can. She meets him knowing he plans to try to seduce her, but keeps her head and questions him.  She firmly tells him that she can’t let emotion interfere with the unpleasant job that needs doing, and at the end, even though it visibly upsets her, she does her duty and kills him.  Even the fact that he just shot Erica to protect her doesn’t sway her decision!  The way Erica and Rose keep their heads while Caine loses his heart suggests to me that this inversion of the male and female roles is entirely intentional.  Gunslinger is predicated on the idea that men and women are equally capable of being rational and emotional, giving and greedy, and generally human, and on that basis it seems to be an earnest attempt at a feminist movie.

So as far as that goes, Gunslinger works all right.  The plot is, as Kevin noted in The Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, a series of wild west clichés, with only the gender swap to really give them any flavour.  Details of Erica’s land scheme are pretty muddy and the movie studiously avoids any actual action or suspense, but we’re interested enough to see it through to the end. It’s not really that bad. Unfortunately, it’s not that good, either.

The primary reason why is because the movie is desperately cheap.  The streets of Oracle often look all but abandoned, as they couldn’t afford extras and therefore saved them for the most important scenes.  The buildings appear to be made out of cardboard and the jail cells in the Marshall’s office look like they would have trouble holding a large dog, never mind an armed human being.  Characters ride horses along dirt roads with visible tyre tracks.  Most of the film takes place at night, but you can’t tell because they shot it in the daytime and didn’t even use a very dark filter – witness the hilarious bit where Caine points out the constellation Ursa Major while there is blue sky visible behind him.

Another reason is the direction, which is at best boring.  Far too many wide shots call attention to the empty streets, while all the gunplay takes place at very close quarters to disguise the fact that none of the actors can even pretend to aim.  The fight scene between Caine and the Deputy is downright tragic, with punches that obviously miss by several inches.  The worst moment of this is Caine’s story about why he hates Polk.  I understand and respect that they couldn’t afford an actual flashback, but all we see for this entire narrative is Caine’s talking head in a single, static shot. Surely there was something more interesting they could have done here.  I should not watch this and find myself thinking about how ugly that wallpaper is.

The thing I spent most of Gunslinger thinking about, though, is Rose’s approach to law enforcement, which is inconsistent to say the least.  We have a few quick scenes in which she upholds the law in Oracle by shooting people – what these men did we’re never told.  Later she shoots at Caine, having mistaken him for somebody else. What if she’d hit and killed him? Yet only minutes later, she’s telling Caine she wants this man alive and tells him off for shooting the guy before he could be questioned.  So how exactly was Rose planning on questioning a dead man?  Later, when Erica’s little toady Jake tells Rose that Caine is planning to kill her and Mayor Polk, she says she cannot arrest him for something they have no evidence of.  Really?  She seemed perfectly happy to shoot a guy whose face she couldn’t see earlier in the film.

Maybe this is supposed to be Rose’s character arc.  She goes from cold-bloodedly shooting one of her husband’s assassins at the funeral to realizing that the law is more complex and due process is necessary.  Maybe realizing she’d almost killed the wrong man was her turning point.  The script actually does kind of hint at this.  At the end Rose leaves Oracle and all its bad memories behind when her official replacement arrives, wanting nothing more to do with this town or with law enforcement, and she and Caine do discuss the violence associated with the job.  Men who are outlaws in one state become lawmen in another, and then go back to a life of crime – either way you get the rush of killing (and a lawman can do so legally!), but crime pays better.  Caine thinks of himself as better than other professional murderers, because he’s in it for the money rather than the blood.

That’s not how the movie uses these moments, though.  Rose’s killing spree is apparently supposed to convince us she’s the most effective law enforcement this town has had in a long time, and her almost shooting Caine merely provides a ‘meet cute’ scene of sorts.  Their conversation about killing and police work just gives them something in common to bond over, and her leaving at the end has to do with being forced to kill the man she’s fallen in love with (just days after her husband died!  Couldn’t they have made her the first Marshall’s sister or something?).

Gunslinger is one of those movies where just a little extra effort would have made the whole thing a lot better.  A few more extras would have made all the difference to a lot of shots.  Better lighting would have improved the night scenes immeasurably.  Anything would have been better than a talking head and bad wallpaper for Caine’s war story.  These are such tiny details, and yet just a little more money in the right places could have done so much to help the audience focus on what’s there instead of what’s missing.

Sadly, this is a Roger Corman production, so making a good movie was never really the goal.  Rather, the union rules were about to change so that actors could only work five days a week, so Corman shit out Gunslinger as fast as he could to get it done before he would have to let anyone have a weekend.  Explains a lot, doesn’t it?

[sinfvlsovls]

LEVI BOHAN : AN INTRODUCTION.

( theo james, thirty, male, he/him )  — whoa, was that LEVI ISAAC BOHAN i just saw at HARRIMOND STATE PARK? i’ve seen them around town before, they’ve been here for 11 MONTHS. from what i’ve heard, they work for the DELUCA family. for a DEATH DEALER, they’ve been known to be -CYNICAL and -TEMPERAMENTAL, but can also be +ASTUTE and +DEBONAIR. i hope they don’t cause too much trouble!

* insert matthew mcconaughey voice here. * alright alright alright!!! s’up angel faces? ‘tis i, your friendly neighbourhood loser chrissie and boy am i excited to be here among all you talented souls! anyways, i’m gonna attempt to piece together some semblance of an introduction here but forgive me if it’s rubbish ( or waaay too rambly ), i’m the worst ever. you should know, i’m utter plot trash and a major sucker for all of the angst so put the two together and i’m totally there but honestly, throw any plot at me and i will welcome it with open arms. the best place to reach me is on discord ( nep#1610 ) so consider yourselves officially invited to spam me with plots and head canons please and thank you!!! 

THE BASICS.

NAME: Levi Isaac Bohan. AGE: Thirty. GENDER: Cisgender Male. NATIONALITY: British. ORIENTATION: Heterosexual. OCCUPATION: Death Dealer. AFFILIATION: The DeLuca Family. 

THE PERSONA.

The only sentiment that could be expressed about Levi is that of his debonair haughtiness; the perfect balance of an eloquently confident intellect all wrapped up in an artfully sarcastic and impulsively reckless man. Yet there remains a concealed element to him, one he’s perfectly mastered the art of hiding beneath the surface. Ones initial opinion of Levi might be that he appears shallow, the kind of person who is self-absorbed, caring about himself only. To those on the outside looking in, Levi might seem somewhat superficial. That all there is to him is his satirical tongue, aloof nature and a permanent subtle smirk etched into the corner of his mouth. Although on the surface he appears to be a carbon copy of every brooding, mysterious man, adorning all-black attire who drives a jet-black 1963 Corvette Stingray, deep down there is more substance contained within. Despite his suave manner and borderline sarcastic flirtations, deep down, Levi remains the same man who adored his wife.

There is no doubt that Levi carries an air of mystery around him which is further amplified by his lack of opening up or exposing his emotions. Equally, there is no denying that he is incredibly talented at wearing a mask to conceal his feelings 99% of the time. In spite of his volatile tendencies and underneath his sarcastic and cocky demeanour, Levi has a big heart and possesses the capacity to care for a select few people, those he will put before himself; which is rare yet remains to exist inside the crevices of his puzzling persona. This is an element of his persona he’d rather keep in the shadows as he believes it displays weakness and he’d hate for anybody to exploit his Achilles heel. One could say that the attire Levi selects, the facade he plasters on every day is just an act to cover up the fact he is a well-mannered, old-fashioned man who has never been able to shake the wistfulness and memories of past eras from his soul. Where he may come across at times as an indifferent character, Levi is extremely ambitious, always feeling the need to prove himself; a man who is highly skilled and equally as intelligent as he is adept at the majority of things he puts his mind to.

On the flip side of the arrogant and mocking element within, there also lies a segment of Levi that can be extremely persuasive; the portion of him that is aware of his looks which he exploits for his benefit. He knows just how to turn on the charm and talk his way out of situations. His evasive and pretentious attitude can make him seem cocky and unfeeling but as soon as he begins caring for someone, he transforms into an entire polar opposite version of himself. But this is a rarity and so he usually fails to become attached enough to someone to change. Although this vulnerable, caring side of Levi exists, it is important to remember that buried deep down underneath his abundance of angst, Levi’s core is that of a smart ass with a sense of humour. The ease of narcissism and offhand sardonic quips accompanied by a roguish simper the basis of his character.

When he is alone and his flawlessly fashioned charm crumbles to the ground beneath him, the reality of his situation and past decisions kick in, becoming a myriad of memories; a plethora of emotions that overwhelm him to an excessive extent. It is in those vulnerable moments when Levi reaches for the only cures he believes might one day work. The comforting warmth of alcohol burning his throat or the draw of a strong cigarette filling his lungs is what he uses to aid his relentless thoughts; to hush the ghosts that consistently haunt the deepest, darkest cracks of his restless mind. Of course, his actions throughout his life have provided him with more than enough damage, much more than alcohol or nicotine could ever give him. Such catastrophes caused by his self, those are the cause of his burdened soul.

THE HISTORY.

For the most part, Levi’s upbringing had been altogether a positive one. He experienced a sheltered life where he wanted for nothing. His family held a very secured position in society with his father being a renowned criminal lawyer and his mother being a neurosurgeon. It would be safe to say Levi had a lot to live up to.

Growing up a lot was expected of Levi and his future had pretty much been mapped out for him by his parents. Levi didn't mind all that much but his younger years weren't entirely his own. 

Eventually, after Levi had obtained a law degree, he began working alongside his father. Naturally, his father had been proud of his son, going as far as even changing his firm’s name to Bohan & Son.

All in all, Levi had a pleasant life and he often wondered how things could get any better for him. Then along came Olivia, a beautiful woman who immediately captured Levi’s heart at the age of twenty-three.

Eventually, the two wound up married. Those blessed three years Levi spent with Olivia are what the man now clings onto desperately for he knows he’ll never feel happiness like it ever again. 

Levi was twenty-seven when Olivia was murdered. Levi had arrived at their home to find his wife lying in a pool of her own blood and it was clear to the man who was responsible. After he had successfully managed to win a case against a notorious member of a drug cartel, a man known to have committed many atrocities, murder included, that was the moment a target had been placed on not only his head but that of everyone he cared about.

Levi had been warned the guy wasn't to be messed with, he was advised by his father against taking the case in the first place. He can still recall his father urging him that the man had connections and the likelihood of them gunning for him was extremely probable. But the case was massive and some selfish part of Levi wanted to prove he was worth his salt, to advance his career. For a small moment, he didn't care about anything else but putting the man behind bars. It had taken a hell of a lot for the police to get their hands on him so the media coverage was colossal as was the sudden interest in Levi. It was short-sighted and to this day, the biggest regret Levi has. That one night had cost Levi everything he held dear in life and it was something he would never forgive himself for. 

With a deep-rooted rage and an overwhelming thirst for revenge, to see blood spilt, Levi set out on a mission he was determined to accomplish. It had taken him many months and sure, it was risky as hell but somehow, maybe through divine intervention, he managed to pull it off. He managed to hunt down and put down the man who killed his wife. It made him sick to his stomach and when the reality slapped him in the face that he was definitely on a hit list, he had no choice but to run. 

With blood-stained hands and a guilt-ridden heart, Levi fled London; an overwhelming sense of hollowness riddling his chest. It felt as though the organ itself had been carved straight out of its confines, that it no longer existed.

Unable to live with himself, Levi moved around a lot in the following years, looking over his shoulder, until he eventually wound up in New York almost a year ago. Presumably dead to all who mattered to him, Levi remained a desolate and hopeless man, scarcely more than a shadow on the streets of Manhattan. 

For the first few months of his residing in New York, Levi spent his days alone in the bars, drinking himself into a stupor and his nights running wild, getting into fist-fights, drawing blood if some unfortunate soul crossed his path. He had a lot of anger. A lot.

Levi used to be destined for greatness, a brilliant, bright-eyed boy and now he was the man people avoided, crossing the road to get to the other side of the street. He no longer cared about much at all. It no longer mattered how much he had loved Olivia, nor did it matter if his father spent the majority of his remaining existence wondering where his son had disappeared to. 

As Levi continued to spiral, a gradual loathing toward himself settled deep within the crevices of his darkened mind. In the end, Levi was left in the dark, alone; broken and believing himself to be worthless and undeserving.

At least, that was until the DeLucas came along and offered him a job. Well, that's what Levi prefers to refer to his line of 'work' as. Outright calling himself a murderer was far too excessive for his taste. 

At first, admittedly, Levi had been sceptical about the proposition until he figured he already had blood on his hands and it would never dry; there was already a black mark on his soul, no point in caring now. 

Initially, Levi thought that taking the life of another human for the second time would have the same effect as it did the first time but when the guilt he expected never came, he realised he felt nothing. Emptiness, even. It was at that moment Levi accepted that he was capable of doing bad things and he was capable of doing them well.

These days, Levi is a shell of the man he used to be in those blissful years with his family. At one point in his life, Levi firmly believed he would have his happily ever after, but when his chance at happiness had come knocking, a cruel twist of fate had to snatch that away from him. Nowadays he has resigned himself to the reality that contentment is never going to be an emotion he will feel in his heart again. 

Levi is closed off and secluded for the most part. He is mysterious, full of rage and self-loathing and holds everyone in his life at arm’s length, afraid to let them in; only permitting people to see what he wants them to see and know what he wants them to know. 

EXTRAS.

For further information, I have a stats page HERE. I also made a Pinterest board for Levi ( because I’m a sucker for the aesthetics, sue me ) so you can check that out HERE. As for wanted connections and potential plots, I’m working on a page for that but here are some I’d absolutely love:

Fellow assassins ( people he knows who share the same line of work as him; could be DeLuca or O’Hara affiliated. ) A clash of personalities ( someone who challenges or disagrees with him and he returns the favour although they could be friends or enemies. ) Former flings/hookups ( again, can be affiliated with any family and could be angsty or chill. ) Confidant/best pal ( I mean, he doesn’t really do the whole best friends thing but everybody needs a friend, right? ) Friend-ish ( people he can actually tolerate and stand to be around for more than 5 minutes without wanting to either punch them in the face or stab himself in the eye with a fork. ) Drinking buddy ( pretty self-explanatory; the man’s got issues so booze is his friend and who wants to drink alone? )

Give me all of the connections from friends, frenemies, enemies, rivals and everything else in between. Added bonus if there's angst or drama. If you have anything in mind feel free to throw it at me, I’m open to the majority of things and have zero triggers so come at me bro.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: Unbreakable

It is so strange to think of Unbreakable as anything but an anomaly; for the longest time, it seemed a Shyamalan film that was overshadowed by his colossal success The Sixth Sense and his equally gargantuan failures such as the executive-meddled The Last Airbender and the hilariously awful The Happening. Then along came Split and then the announcement of Glass and suddenly the film began to get serious critical reevaluation, with audiences showing more interest in it than ever before and discovering this ahead-of-its-time gem.

Unbreakable, to me, is proof that there was always artistic genius in Shymalan and that The Sixth Sense was not just a fluke. While I think that The Sixth Sense is a great movie deserving of its praise, I find Unbreakable to be Shyamalan’s magnum opus, a fantastic work that managed to deconstruct the superhero film and showcase a realistic take on superheroes years ahead of the trend. It’s just so brilliant and unique and appeals to my sensibilities… I suppose that might be why I prefer this film. I’m a huge fan of superhero movies, and I love a good deconstruction. Rarely, though, do we get one; Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns were long finished when this came out, and are perhaps the only works this is really comparable to.

To really understand what I mean, let’s look at the plot: the story centers around one David Dunn, a seemingly normal man who inexplicably survives a deadly train crash without a single scratch on him. This attracts the attention of one Elijah Price, a comic book art gallery owner, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta and has since childhood, his bones so weak they can break if he’s not too careful; Elijah believes that David has extraordinary powers, and with great power comes great responsibility, or so the trope-loving Elijah espouses to David. David doesn’t believe in Elijah at first, but as he starts to think back on his life, he starts to wonder if maybe he really is meant to be a hero.

Perhaps the greatest asset to this film is the absolutely masterful cinematography and the excellent usage of color motifs. There are so many great shots, great angles, well done scenes… the movie is never dull to look at, even if it is slow-paced. Color motifs, on the other hand, play an important role in the story, with David being associated with green, Elijah being associated with purple, and red, orange, and yellow being associated with negatively impactful characters, such as the janitor towards the end. Of course, this choice is entirely deliberate as part of utilizing comic book tropes, where heroes and villains tend to be color-coded for the convenience of readers. It’s such a neat stylistic choice, and one that makes rewatching the film with it in mind far more rewarding.

The film is very much a slow burn origin story, with little action but plenty of dialogue and melodrama. Thankfully, all of what you see is absolutely fascinating character drama, with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson truly giving it their all as David and Elijah, respectively. This might not be appealing to those more accustomed to quicker paced origin stories in superhero cinema, but you have to understand this came out ages before the superhero boom, where there was no one way to do things.

The way this movie operates actually brilliantly unbuilds the superhero story we know and love, rather than deconstructing it; as there were very few superhero films at the time, with the X-Men series just kicking off and Spider-Man on the horizon, realism in superhero films was not going to be the norm for quite a long while, and yet this movie showcases exactly what a realistic superhero story would be like. Dunn is simply a normal man with some above-average abilities. He doesn’t have fancy gadgets, he’s not rich, and he doesn’t take well to the realizations he may be beyond what a normal human is, instead reacting with at first revulsion and rejection to the idea he may be destined to be a superhero. Continuing to describe the unbuilding of the ‘realistic hero’ tropes would do this film and its twist injustice, however, so I recommend sitting down and watching it.

It’s hard to really go into great detail without spoiling the twist of the movie, that patented Shyamalan curveball he seems to throw into every film. Unlike most of his twists, however, this is one that wasn’t widely assimilated into pop culture, mainly due to this film’s relative obscurity until the release of Split. While the twist has sadly been a bit more telegraphed due to the upcoming release of Glass, I still am not going to ruin it for anyone who wishes to watch this film unsullied. Needless to say, it’s a great twist that recontextualizes the movie and a lot of what was said and seen on a level not seen since The Usual Suspects.

Unbreakable is an absolutely brilliant film, and a great superhero drama. Out of all the realistic superhero films to come, this one still stands out as a unique, original, and refreshing take that was unfortunate to come out a few years too early. I highly recommend it, especially if you like Split or are interested in the movie Glass. If you’re even just interested in seeing what Shyamalan looks like when his full potential is being realized, this is definitely a film you’ll enjoy. It’s an excellent deconstructive work that, rather than feeling stale or invoking “Seinfeld is unfunny,” holds up remarkably well as a dramatic work even all these years later, and in fact resonates even more in this current landscape of superhero cinema.

I suppose it’s only fitting to say that, even after over a decade and so many advances in superhero movies, this movie’s resonance and appeal is… unbreakable.

[impossiblystrangepanda]

I feel like armin is going to be very important in the future given how much focus yams always gives him but unfortunately the japanese fandom seems to miss it 😓 but it looks like hes about to change it dont you think so? Japanese fans love those type of characters who look all cute but hold deadly power and yams even gave him the iconic titan, bertholt was more popular than armin among japanese fans probably for that reason and it really looks like yams got angry n decided to just kill him xd

Definitely, Armin was always portrayed kind of like the second protagonist since the beginning of the series and he’s part of many other characters’ character arcs or influenced them. And like you said, Isayama himself always talks about him in high manner and wants readers to pay attention to him, he’s probably the most morally right character in the series and its no coincidence he was the one to inherit the mascot of the series in the end, Isayama probably always planned it. Bertholdt himself never stood out, Isayama never put any focus on him and still doesn’t as proven with the flashbacks, Isayama probably always wanted him to be as invisible as ever so he wouldn’t gain that many fans and the switch from him being the CT to Armin wouldn’t cause many loud reactions but for whatever reason the japan fandom took liking into him. But it doesn’t seem like Isayama bothers much with their opinion as he didn’t bother giving Bertholdt much character development and by the end of the series will probably remain as the least developed out of the 104th squad as its obvious everyone will get big character development after timeskip (Reiner and Eren already being prime examples and Isayama being very excited about Armin) or received big character development prior it (Erwin, Kenny), Isayama definitely adores Armin and looking at what he’s doing with his favorite character no doubt Armin is going to blow our minds post timeskip both appearance wise and power wise. Even in guidebook Isayama just talked about Bertholdt as some secondary character while you could really see how much he enjoyed talking about Armin. He probably himself didn’t understand where Bertholdts popularity came from and its the same case as Marco who people thought was going to be important but were immediately proven wrong by Isayama, the same case with Bertholdt. No elaboration at all, the “god of destruction” more so being about the Colossal titan hyping people up for Armin, his death being cruel and embarrassing with Armin getting his revenge and nobody caring about him post timeskip, Isayama didnt even bother designing his parents and just killed them off screen and if you noticed the way he’s drawn compared to Reiner and Annie is much worse. He was always destined to die and Isayama obviously dislike weak willed characters like Bertholdt.

[laberintos-espinas]

Hey Guess What, Motherhood Is Tough: Life Coaching Vs Psychotherapy for Struggling Moms

Each mother realizes that turning into a mother, particularly in the first place is incredibly testing. Be that as it may, our general public glorifies parenthood as downright complete euphoria and ease. There are incalculable misguided judgments, suspicions and frames of mind that are very harming to our moms. "Great moms" are the individuals who can deal with everything about a sorted out, immaculate way. They keep a flawlessly spotless and clean home and bolster their kid's every intrigue and need, placing herself last on the rundown of needs. Her character, interests, public activity, and so forth don't make a difference any longer since now she is a mother. Also, for that, she is totally upbeat! Her marriage is multiple times more grounded since the child has come. Those warm, fluffy minutes do happen yet not in each moment of consistently. This romanticized picture of parenthood is destructive as endless moms contrast themselves with this unthinkable and unreasonable perfect and incessantly feel like they aren't sufficient. Many come to know the sentiments of deficiency and blame well indeed What is Functional Life Coaching Ladies over the world battle with the change of parenthood and as a result of the previously mentioned message we get, they are disregarded to feel embarrassed and. With proficient experience working with new moms as both an actual existence and progress mentor and an authorized psychotherapist, I've seen incalculable ladies who have imparted their emotions to family, companions, specialists, and are told by them (generally with well meaning goals) that they may have Post Partum Depression (PPD). This rushed naming, as well, can be destructive the same number of ladies feel unfathomably embarrassed, judged and lacking. This article is intended to explain the distinctions in battling with the progress of new parenthood and in real PPD and gives some foundation on the various methodologies and perspectives that a psychotherapist may have versus those of a holistic mentor.

Post birth anxiety (the genuine analysis is Major Depressive Episode with Post Partum Onset) is a genuine condition that ought to be treated by a prepared emotional well-being proficient. The predominance of PPD is begging to be proven wrong as the insights extend significantly. Post pregnancy anxiety isn't perceived as being symptomatically unmistakable from Major Depressive Episode (despondency) as indicated by the American Psychiatric Association (2000), in any case, a prepared proficient would determine that a Major Depressive Episode is, "With Post Partum Onset" just if the beginning of side effects happens inside about a month of conveyance. Hence, the criteria for PPD and "gloom" are the equivalent. PPD is a time of at any rate two weeks where there is either a discouraged state of mind or the loss of intrigue or delight in almost all exercises ("not minding any longer"). Additionally, at any rate four different manifestations must be available that remember changes for hunger as well as weight, rest changes (a sleeping disorder or dozing excessively, not the progressions that normally will happen with your infant's timetable), diminished vitality, sentiments of uselessness or blame, trouble with focus and thinking or deciding, psychomotor action transforms (others may see that you move more slow or quicker than expected) or repetitive contemplations of death or suicide. These side effects must persevere for the greater part of the day, consistently, for at any rate two back to back weeks. Additionally, they should make critical misery or impedances in your capacity work. The level of weakness ranges from mellow to extreme and a cautious meeting is important to make this determination. In extreme cases, an individual may lose the capacity to perform insignificant self-care or individual cleanliness undertakings or they could even experience fancies or mind flights. Explicit to ladies who include had an infant inside about a month of beginning of indications, changes in state of mind and distractions with the prosperity of your newborn child (power could run from being over-worried about the infant to encountering real daydreams) are normal as are alarm assaults. Regular maternal frames of mind towards newborn children likewise change enormously and can incorporate lack of engagement, dreadfulness of being distant from everyone else with the infant or getting meddlesome with the youngster that may even intrude on the infant's rest. A past filled with gloom expands one's hazard for the advancement of PPD as does a family ancestry of any confusion of the temperament (Depression, Bi-Polar Disorder, and so forth.). Ladies additionally should know about any ailments that may be answerable for a portion of the above manifestations, for example, hypothyroidism, for example that could be the basic reason, (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

Ladies who meet criteria for Major Depressive Episode or PPD ought to be seen by a prepared psychological wellness proficient rather than a holistic mentor as authorized advisors and therapists are explicitly prepared to work here. There are endless methodologies psychotherapists take in treating PPD. Ladies may decide to be seen for singular treatment or gathering treatment and may likewise think about the assistance of a stimulant or hostile to uneasiness medicine (or different types of psychotropics) related to psychotherapy. It is ideal to look for the help of a prepared specialist for psychotropic meds as therapists have explicit preparing around there yet you likewise have the decision to address your obstetrician or essential consideration doctor about prescription for gloom. Psychotherapeutic intercessions frequently incorporate Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Interpersonal Therapy, notwithstanding, numerous hypothetical methodologies utilized in psychotherapy extraordinarily advantage ladies who experience PPD.

As far as I can tell as a psychotherapist, numerous ladies came to me with maybe a couple of the previously mentioned side effects (misery, blame, uneasiness, absence of intrigue, and so forth.). Much of the time, these ladies could/ought to have been getting the help of a holistic mentor versus a psychotherapist as they didn't meet criteria for PDD however were ladies who were battling with the change. An interminable number of them had been endorsed with a stimulant from their general specialists or OB-GYNs. Similarly as a holistic mentor ought not be training a customer who needs psychotherapy, a psychotherapist ought not be treating a customer who doesn't have critical psychological well-being concerns. It is additionally significant that ladies look for the assistance of an emotional wellness proficient with proper confirmation and those looking for an expert mentor needs to discover a supplier who is likewise ensured as there is no guideline to prevent non-guaranteed people from rehearsing as a mentor. The contrasts among instructing and treatment are many. Numerous specialists approach their work with a "what's up" point of view that is normal in western medication and in our general public's therapeutic model of care. This model searches for the issue (manifestation) and means to fix it (end of side effect) similarly as a western restorative specialist would treat an infirmity. Training is a field that works with individuals who are as of now working and it hopes to assist individuals with understanding that nothing is "off-base" with them by any means. Misguided judgments about training are many. Worth explaining is that mentors don't offer guidance. We don't assume the job of master on your life or on some random theme or territory (other than the training procedure obviously). The customer is the master of their own life. There are no decisions of "fortunate or unfortunate", "set in stone" from a mentor as we don't accept that we know "better" than any of our customers. Truth be told, we as mentors accept that, naturally, customers realize what's best for them and we effectively bolster customers in revealing this. Instructing is about association and meeting up to accomplish the existence the customer sees with their own eyes.

In my expert work as a mentor, I have worked with numerous ladies with an immense assortment of concerns. A significant number of my customers have put some distance between the dynamic, able, energetic, incredible, free (will I go on) lady who she is at the center. She feels as if she has lost herself, her personality, incidentally and she misses it enormously. Numerous ladies can reveal to you that once she had a youngster, MOST things throughout her life appeared to change. One colossal misinterpretation, in any case, is that the new mother totally changes WHO SHE IS at the center; she is never again a similar individual. Turning into a parent is not normal for any involvement with the world. Another parent's life is perpetually enhanced in a really significant manner? Guardians start to comprehend love in a manner they could have at no other time envisioned. Be that as it may, numerous ladies experience lost their character and their "previous self". She doesn't have the foggiest idea who she is any longer and feels that she can never return. Samantha, 30, with a baby and a little child encountered this. She clarified, "I knew [motherhood] would have been hard. Being a full time mother is perhaps the hardest activity on the planet. Notwithstanding, I feel that some have a belief system and portray what parenthood resembles. Being a mother is a passing to self. I give all of what I have inside me to my family". Kara, 27 and a mother of a multi month old additionally could relate clarifying, "I believed I had basically vanished. There are times I have a feeling that I'm stopping to exist as a person". Numerous ladies put off their fantasies until their children are raised. Taking care of your interests, your actual character and your fantasies for "one more day" doesn't need to be reality for ladies. There is a way and a mentor causes you discover it.

Moms experience incalculable different difficulties in new parenthood. Outright fatigue, time the executives issues, changes in self-perception, "enthusiastic rollercoasters", gigantic blame, changes in public activity, sentiments of depression and segregation because of absence of grown-up organization, alterations in tolerance, no days off or days off, loss of public activity, loss of pre-infant association with accomplice, less time for loved ones, the mind blowing requests and obligations of new mommyhood, social separation, work-life balance issues and the interminable PLANNING that currently should jump out at do pretty much anything are just a couple of the numerous battles ladies have. Parenthood is the hardest activity on the planet. N

[abdostoryblog-blog]

Encounter

(yawn) … and another day started in my adventure! I can’t seem to remember everything I’ve done last night, but, boy, it did feel good having a bit of fun… however I still need to figure out where I am and all of the weird things happening to me, but waking up in another’s person bed is not the best way to do that. Apparently I spent the night inside Jarette’s tent, nothing in particular happened, but I can sense she has a thing for me ever since I met her yesterday near the Forest of Seclusion. With all these being said, we enjoyed a nice breakfast together, had some laughs and I went on my way as I haven’t finished dealing with Red Nose.

Giddy up and let’s go and visit Tiny Nose as he might have some info about Red Nose … wait, what is happening with all these names? Couldn’t they figure out better ones? Anyway, even though I saw my mother all my life taking care of her horses, riding one sure gets tiring at some point. Or maybe I am doing something wrong?

Managed to reach the Imp Cave where I did meet with Tiny Nose giving me some clues about what is going on. On my way out, I saw and met Uno, he is helping Edan with his research regarding this “black energy” or “black spirit” or whatever you want to call it. He was surprised seeing how well I am considering Red Nose was engulfed in all darkness and became the monster that he is today…

No world is peaceful enough unfortunately. And as much as I want to stop taking any lives, regardless of them being innocent or not, it seems like fate doesn’t let me do this. I guess this is how this world works, killing is something on a daily basis and I should start saying goodbye to the lost peaceful days of the past where I was avoiding somehow the harsh contact with reality. I can feel it in my blood, in my bones, the urge to fight and succeed. I was sent to kill a huge number of steel imps so I can learn more about their leader, Red Nose. There were other adventurers there, all slaughtering the imps, resulting in a massive bloodshed.

This Black Spirit seems more and more satisfied whenever I do killing jobs and I show off my strength … btw, when did I become so powerful?

Tiny Nose made its appearance and he was brave enough to tell me something important about Red Nose … The reason he was engulfed in darkness was because he also had a red nose like him and everybody was making fun of … that poor creature just wanted to have some confidence, but unfortunately he was weak and he got consumed by all the hatred …. The Black Spirit said he found a way we could summon and defeat him once and for all, so I activated the portal and tested my strength…

He was … huge! An immense monster, bursting of hatred and strength, blinded by darkness and killing everything in its sight! His huge hands were smashing the ground, one hit and you could die…. A showcase of power… a sad one though as he became like this just to stop being bullied… His soul has no rescue anymore, so I had to do my best to defeat him! I was amazed to see how fast my reaction skills were, how fast I was moving and slicing through his thick skin. Blood was splattering everywhere, you could hear his painful roar. He was not quick enough for me and that killed him. I almost ran out of breath at the end of the fight, still trying to figure out how did I manage this … how was I so powerful….

A Mysterious Knight appeared in front of me, not talking too much and just blessed me? How can I describe this sensation … God, I never thought I would ever use this term, “to bless”…. I felt like I could learn things faster, like my mind was more open and I was paying more attention to my surroundings.

This definetly makes 2 weird encounters, Red Nose and the Mysterious Knight.

Not far from this colossal battle, there was Cliff, waiting with the soldiers and congratulating me for everything that I have done … and then.. he said the magic words. He told me to go to Loggia Farm as there are more matters to attend there… my home, my place, my childhood, my mother…. I can finally reach them …. To be honest, I had no idea I was  getting so close. But as much as I want to do this, I have to finish some business around here before I can move on. I promised yesterday to Incas, the Node Manager I would go to the place he told me to go – the Coastal Cliff – and look for his friend. Yes, I am going to do one more task before heading back home!

This is not my first time here. I knew this area, I used to come here when I was a kid, playing with my friends, looking at the vast sea, the mountains, all these shades of blue. It was always a calming scenery, a soothing landscape, and maybe today, more soothing than ever. I was feeling peaceful.

I met with Andrei, Incas’s friend, a friendly guy, a bit of a loner I might add, but he told me some nice stories about the area. He also asked for my help clearing an area of imps, just around his small little camp (oh yes, more killing!) so I did it.

I have to admit, the imps are not much of a challenge for me now, but I got scared when I saw a huge Stoneback Crab walking towards me and attacking me! That thing was huge and tough but I used some of my special moves and killed it…. Oh poor, crab, why did you have to attack me? I had nothing to do with you … I am sorry, it was just self-defense ….

After clearing the imps, I found a nice altar, hidden between some trees. Everything felt so calm, the details in the carved stones were amazing! I chose not to believe in any gods, I am my own God and I empower myself through the choices I make in life. I believe in a force, in a creating act, but I also believe we are all capable of manipulating it. These findings, these small little details make me stop and breathe. Feel the wind, hear the birds singing, hearing the leaves as they dance through the air. These moments make me feel more alive. I will surely remember this spot and I will visit it more often.

Now on my way back to Incas to tell him the news about his friend. We had a nice chat, had a beer in the ardent sun and was sent to meet Jamie in the Camp to let him now that the imps are becoming quite a big problem for trading.

I took a picture with him just for one reason: to definitely avoid him. He seemed a rude guy, although I think he is the brother of the blacksmith? I mean, I do not know for sure, but they do have similar traits. He told me he can’t do much for Incas and then he tried to offer me some Fried Vegetables … better said, inviting me for dinner.

His eyes were greedy. I freaked out a bit and left.

What a creep!

I took a last walk through the Camp before heading to Loggia. This time, it seemed like more adventurers were here. I met a lovely girl that showed me how I can dry things, like hides or food, so I thank her for that. I knew some of that stuff myself, but it is better to get more tips.

Fate toyed with me a bit and I saw one of the cutest guys ever around here. Pity he didn’t even look at me or reply. Oh well, glad I will soon be back home, sit in my comfy bed and start thinking about …. Damn, I need to be focused!

I also met another Lahn warrior, we had a nice chat, I told her about my mother and how she taught me a bit of her fighting styles. She didn’t tell me anything about her family, but she was nice enough to have a real chat! I wished her luck in her journeys and I hope I can meet her again!

Now back to Loggia, back to the past. I wonder what my mother is doing, I wonder what the neighbours and villagers around are doing, I want to know everything! Severo was so happy to see me coming back, he said everybody was worried about me, some would think that I was even dead! I was missing for 5 years, but somehow for me, it felt like only 2-3 days have passed. He told me that my mother always thought I am alive and that she would tell everybody that I will come back one day …. Well, this day arrived! I am back home!

Oh wait… she is not home? Guess she is in Velia with some business. I am going to help Severo with some tasks meanwhile, I have to help him finding some well polished soles? I will need a tanning knife for this, so I will be heading to Velia to get some. I don’t want to hang out there too much, I want to catch up with my mom first and then see my friends, but I do hope everybody is alright!

Not much has changed in the city! Same faces, a couple of new ones, but when I went to the merchant to buy the stuff I need, it was a surprise to see Zaaira over there! She used to be one of my best friends, we were always getting in trouble for “exploring” too much. We always liked to discover new things, we would always go together in the forests and around the farms. Sometimes we were even stealing grapes and try to make our own wine! I am glad I see her, not much has changed for her, she took over the business her family had so she can’t do all the things she used to do before. We had a nice bottle of wine over there (she closed the shop temporarly, all for me) and I told her I was heading back to Loggia.

We talked about the past and about our childhood, she asked where I’ve been all these years and I was honest and told her I had no idea what happened… I am still looking for the answers myself. She always thought I have the guts to do bold and daring things, otherwise we would have never been friends! And that is true! I mean … let’s say she was always the black sheep in our group!

I completely forgot that the holiday season was at this time, guess I got too tangled in my own problems. Hey, at least my return is a wonderful gift for everybody that knows me! I wouldn’t be able to afford buying presents too much anyway! I am currently still a poor adventurer.

Gathering that particular Well Polished Sole is quite a pain, but I am getting hides I can later process them and try to give them to the villagers here. I am sure they will put them to good use. Sometimes we have to kill in order to survive, and even though I believe in a communion between humans and animals, it is a necessary evil, to kill. The animals are restoring the balance anyway, with bears killing us in return.

I didn’t have any success in finding this rare trading item, but tomorrow is another day. It is getting darker and I really want to catch up with Itai(my mother). I took a picture with the “well of wonders” in front of our place. I always wanted to know what is deep down inside of it when I was a child. I thought there would be monsters and a treasure. Well, now it is a landmark in my pictures. Funny how aging up changes our way of thinking.

Entering my old house was … comforting. Most of the things were the same as I left, but I could see that there were more flowers, more fruits, more … everything! I guess my mother did pretty well while I was gone and didn’t give up on working. The smell of the wooden chairs and tables, the smell of the fresh strawberries was filling the room. It was not a big place, but it was home. It was always home. We never needed more, we had everything we wanted…. The stove was on when I entered, it is clearly that my mother was cooking ….

…and there she was, sitting on the bed, after a hard day of working. She is as strong as I remembered, imposing and beautiful!

She would never cry. I never saw her cry. But I could see how her eyes were getting wet when I looked at her. She was happy. I was also happy.

I was home.

I told her everything that I knew, what happened, how I do not remember anything… She told me about her struggles and how worried she was for me. But deep inside her heart she knew I will be fine and come back one day. She made quite some money with her farming and trading and I also found out my father left some “treasures” around… she will give them to me, to put them to good use. She felt proud and she told me I could be the warrior she never was … and it is funny, because 10 years ago I would never think about this. But now… I feel it!

I ate some of my favorite dishes, had some beers, it was joy in our house. We stayed up until late, we laughed and talked. I guess we both knew that I have a journey ahead of me and these moments won’t be shared so often. So we took our time to catch up. We both knew I was not a small girl anymore. We both knew I do have a future, and not just an ordinary one…

So thank you mom for trusting and believing in me.

I can now lay my head peacefully on my pillow, smell your scent and dream about the adventures of tomorrow.

[alewyren]

LIMIT BREAK X SURVIVOR--aka, how the Universe Survival Arc will end

(much credit to @reiujii​, who spent a LITERAL WEEK brainstorming possible outcomes with me on discord until we cracked this shit. could not have done this alone)

As of right now, we're up to Episode 95 of Dragon Ball Super, and I'd wager near the midway point of the Universe Survival Arc. Since the U7 team roster is pretty much finalized and a lot of the groundwork has been laid for future events, I figured I'd take a stab at trying to figure out where this crazy trainwreck is going.

And you know what? I think we did it. I think we actually fucking did it. While obviously nothing is for certain, there is very strong and extensive evidence supporting a very specific ending for this arc that will, in no short words, make franchise history. And oh boy, it's... something. Like, the writing has been on the wall for this since day one. How the hell will Universe 7 survive the tournament? How will Jiren be overpowered? What's the deal with that weird evil Goku transformation seen in the opening? And how will you-know-who factor into this arc's resolution?

I'm going to attempt to answer all these questions and more. Should go without saying, but there be spoilers beyond the cut, especially if any of this turns out to be true.

First off, I advise giving Evil Angel and Righteous Demon another listen. It's... very relevant, but misleading because when it was still playing, we had no idea what was actually going to be the main event of this arc. Just that it was talking about things like angels and justice we kind of remember from the Zamasu arc. So, now that we're further in, think about how the lyrics may allude to current developments.

Need a hint? It's not about the angels or Zamasu. It's about Goku and Frieza, and how this arc will end.

(Goku is referred to as a demon by Bergamo, revived Frieza is referred to as "angel Frieza" in promotional material because of the halo. So... yeah.)

Now, let's get the major points of how the tournament will go out of the way first. This will sound far-fetched, but all will be explained.

Frieza will strike a deal with the angel of Universe 9 and exploit a loophole in the rules to become Universe 9's hakaishin during the tournament itself. (07/05 addendum)

Goku will fight Frieza, who has officially gone rogue, and lose--but not get disqualified.

The last three contestants standing will be Goku, Jiren, and Frieza. Goku will be out of steam. Frieza and Jiren are fighting each other. However, Jiren is the superior of the two, being the mortal stronger than a hakaishin.

Frieza's only option to survive the tournament will be to transfer ki to Goku, and count on him to win and honor his promise to revive him.

With this power boost, Goku will be strong enough to defeat Jiren and use the Super Dragon Balls to wish back all the contestants and universes eliminated in the Tournament of Power.

There is a lot to unpack here, but this is the conclusion the ToP has been building towards since day one of the arc. I am not kidding. So let's break it down.

1. Frieza will become the hakaishin of Universe 9 during the tournament

I'd say that it's been foreshadowed that Frieza will end up becoming a hakaishin, but that would be inaccurate. It's been all but outright stated.

If it can wield the powers of a hakaishin and is stated to be an excellent hakaishin, maybe it will end up becoming hakaishin. Just a thought.

And I mean, it makes sense. Blowing up planets is what he used to do for a living, to the point where Beerus literally had him perform his duties while he was asleep. Sure, he’s far from being an upstanding citizen, but if Beerus is anything to go by, that’s not a prerequisite to getting the job at all. It's extra convenient from a writing standpoint, because the position allows Frieza to keep being... well, Frieza, without necessitating that he be stopped. Those planets won't destroy themselves. It’s like, his dream job.

Besides, there will be an angel breathing down his neck constantly to make sure he doesn’t do anything really stupid, like try to overthrow Zeno-sama. It’ll be fine.

But we’re not here to talk about the inevitability of Frieza becoming hakaishin, period. We’re here to talk about why and how he’s going to pull it off during the tournament itself.

(NOTE: As of episode 98, everything from here to the bystander line is outdated, but I am leaving it for posterity. Please consult the addendum above for the revised theory, though some details may still be relevant.)

The groundwork has been laid for Frieza pulling some crazy scheme to get ahead in the ToP, and Universe 9 is being set up as the weak link he will exploit. They’re the weakest universe, most desperate to survive, and therefore the most vulnerable. Additionally, he already possesses two key facts about Universe 9: its management is incompetent, and they tried to break the rules before the tournament ever started. He’s a prime position to blackmail and manipulate their entire universe.

And his target?

This guy.

Mojito has received some very specific characterization so far. Of all the angels, he’s the only one who’s ever shown anything resembling an emotion that isn’t hunger--and we’ve never even heard him speak. What we do know of him is that he is a natural genius who is very unhappy with how his universe is being run. It’s safe that he’s going to be more relevant than we’d expect from the angel of the universe with the worst odds of winning.

So what Frieza will do is, covertly attempt to stage a coup along with U9 and possibly Frost, but with his endgame being something entirely different than he lets on. And he will strike an alliance with Mojito.

There is a rule about the gods interfering in the tournament, but nothing about the reverse. There is a rule about killing other contestants, but nothing about, say... shooting a death beam right through the Universe 9 Kaioshin in the middle of the tournament, killing both him and his hakaishin. And he has already been appointed as his successor, so he ascends to hakaishin status right there in the middle of the arena. Naturally, the other hakaishin are outraged--especially Beerus, who yells at Goku about why the hell he even recruited this fucking lunatic.

Daishinkan calls a time out to determine what to do about this. Eventually, he decides that because Frieza did not technically break any rules, he will be allowed to continue competing with his newfound power, though the rules are immediately amended to prevent anyone else from following his example. It seems likely that he’ll be moved to the U9 team, since as its hakaishin he would be wiped out along with the rest of U9 if the team were to fall. Frieza expected something like this, but it really doesn’t make a difference to him.

Frieza, now a hakaishin, is now only second in power to Jiren--the mortal stronger than a hakaishin. And a shoe-in for MVP if he doesn’t get eliminated. Which, if Frieza of all people gets the wish on the super dragon balls... that’s gonna be really, really terrible for absolutely everyone.

But take a step back--how did he achieve this?

By killing yet another bystander.

And, true to his word, Goku is furious with Frieza, and horrified once he realizes that the crazy bastard could actually win the entire tournament now. Chekhov’s gun, fired. Relationship tension, snapped. They fight. Goku actually loses.

But he’s Goku, he doesn’t get disqualified here. Either Frieza gets distracted or someone saves him. The details aren’t really important.

2. The last remaining contestants will be Goku, Jiren, and Frieza

So, here's the thing. Jiren is indeed being built up as Goku's main enemy in the tournament, but while he is the strongest fighter in the ring, he's not Goku's personal enemy. From day one, he was envisioned as Frieza's. How do I reckon this? It’s all there in the name.

Jiren=Renji=Stove in Japanese

What's the opposite of a stove?

That's right. A goddamn fucking FREEZER. (I hate you so fucking much for this, Toriyama.)

Though I mean, it makes sense beyond that. Frieza is ultimate evil, Jiren is ultimate justice. U11 does view Goku as evil, but Frieza... Frieza being there will tip the scales immensely, especially if he becomes a literal god. But since we know that Jiren is going to be the major challenge of this tournament, that pretty much guarantees that Frieza will be one of the last ones standing with him. And if he's officially gone rogue, that's... bad. Like, potentially-omniversally-destroying-if-he-wins bad.

Jiren steps up to the challenge of stopping this evil.

He’s the only one who’s a match for Frieza, and proceeds to 1v1 him in the middle of the ring for the rest of the tournament, thereby distracting both of them from the other battles and keeping anyone else from claiming the territory--which, as the tournament dwindles down to only the strongest fighters (Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, the other Pride Troopers, Kale, Hit, and Ribrianne, most likely), becomes increasingly a problem. The idea is that once a victor is decided in that fight, the remaining members of U7 will actually stand a chance teaming up against a weakened Frieza or Jiren. Unfortunately, at the end of these battles, Goku is the only one left standing. Time is running out, and both Jiren and Frieza are still fighting. 

The problem is, it’s not so cut and dry as Goku and Jiren teaming up to take on the greater evil. For one, despite Frieza holding his own very well Jiren has the advantage anyway, so Goku’s assistance wouldn’t really change the outcome. Secondly--and this is the main problem--Universe 11 sees Universe 7 as evil and will certainly not restore them if they win the Tournament of Power. Likewise, although Goku fully intends to wish back every universe, Jiren sure as fuck doesn’t trust him, fully intending to defeat Frieza and then finish off Goku. And Goku tipping the tables in Frieza’s favor would be, colossally stupid, for obvious reasons. 

Destroy myself, or destroy everything else? Is there really a right answer?

3. Frieza will transfer ki to Goku, allowing him to surpass the power of a hakaishin and overpower Jiren

Frieza, meanwhile, is also out of options.

While his original plan was absolutely to defeat or at least outlast Jiren and walk away with the super dragonballs, it becomes increasingly clear that he will not win this fight. He outright agrees with Goku that he can’t be trusted to honor any bargain Goku might attempt to make with him, so he’s not going to get any help there. He realizes there is only one option available to him to ensure his survival through the tournament. It’s one he hates, but it's literally all he has. He has to help Goku, and count on his promise to revive him after the tournament. It sure as hell is more likely than Jiren doing any such thing.

Goku turns his back to Frieza for an instant, and he fires a blast at him. But it’s not an attack--it’s a ki transfer.

“My hand slipped.”

He falls unconscious, possibly muttering about how they’re even now, Jiren knocks him out of the arena, and Goku takes a second to process what the fuck just happened. Then, he powers up.

Of course this mysterious transformation looks oddly evil, if he literally must possess Frieza’s power to achieve it! There are even flecks of purple energy! (With this in mind, it may actually be a variation of Super Saiyan Rosé, if he truly must wield the power of a hakaishin to use it. Variation only because I don’t see him pulling off the pink hair.)

This time, he can handle Frieza’s hakai energy. Goku now wields the combined power of both himself and his worst enemy. And it’s enough to win. Cue Limit Break X Survivor.

(Think about the title of that song for a second. Goku is able to break his limits once again and win the tournament with the help of Frieza, the son of a bitch so hellbent on his own survival that he would screw over his own entire universe at the drop of a hat. The writing has been on the walls since day one.)

Goku wins the tournament, ringing out Jiren with seconds left on the clock, and restores all of the contestants and universes that were erased. This act redeems him in the eyes of the other universes, earning the apology of Jiren and the promise to fight again on better terms. He does, of course, honor his promise to revive Frieza, who is allowed to keep his swanky new job as U9′s hakaishin. Now that their score has more or less been settled, he is content to put murdering Goku on the backburner for now. These U9 planets won’t destroy themselves.

All’s well that ends well. Except...

Daishinkan is not happy about Goku’s restoration of all the erased universes. However, Zeno-sama absolutely loved the tournament and its outcome, and loves Goku more than ever now. So, for now, there’s nothing he can do but end the arc on a slightly ominous note for the future, setting him up as the eventual Big Bad of Super.

Conclusion

Essentially, the Universe Survival Arc was covertly setting itself up to be a Frieza... uh, not exactly "redemption" arc, since he's no better of a person or any closer to actually repenting for his actions, but "learn to hate Goku a little less and actually move on with your life" arc, from the very beginning. Back before we even had any idea he'd be showing up again. And every scene with him makes infinitely more sense if you view it through that lens.

That's why all the animation budget has been going to his scenes, and why his character has been so flawlessly executed that even the people who hated the idea of his return have been enjoying every second of him actually being on-screen. That's why his return seemed so out of the left-field--it had to be, so they could covertly set the stage for what they actually planned on doing with him beforehand, without tipping anyone off. The conclusion to this arc that has been alluded to from the very beginning is entirely dependent on him being there. Toei knew damn well it would be a hard sell. But apparently, they were really determined to pull it off. And it seems to be going well so far.

But yeah, this is the main event of the arc. Honestly, I'm not even mad. Well, I'm mad about how one of the biggest hints here is a PUN, but I'm not mad about Frieza putting his villain career behind him. It sounds so weird on paper, but the evidence is all there, and they've demonstrated very clearly that they don't plan on downplaying what a horrible person Frieza is in the slightest. If anything, they're outright relishing it, and it's amazing. I imagine he'll just kind of be... around sometimes, after this arc, with an angel breathing down his neck to make sure he doesn't try any stupid shit. We'll get a mention that his universe's mortal level has gone up by some ridiculous number from how ruthlessly he's been managing it, and he'll probably wind up popping in and out of the story as a neutral character according to the demands of the plot.

Since when was fucking DRAGONBALL this complicated. God. This has to be Toyotaro’s doing, if he really is working more on this arc’s storyline than usual. You magnificent bastard.