#and nico's cryptic appearance

[jztr-77]

please do NOT the giant beast

[confused-wanderer]

thoughts about Bruce nearly adopting the prince of hell itself- Nico di Angelo? bcause there is no register of Nico having a family, he's an orphan for the mortals. And Bruce is always into adopting orphans with a dark past (cmon Nico has a really dark n complicated past)

I love the way you think.

Nico di Angelo already has the brooding, dark and concerningly pale part of being Gotham’s cryptic down. It isn’t his fault that when he accidentally shadow travels while in the underworld and ends up in Gotham, every villain and goddamn person in Gotham has already pegged him as the latest addition to the bat family. It had taken Nico way longer than he’d like to admit to realize he wasn’t in the underworld anymore. In Nico’s defence, when you had dark streets filled with a heaviness in the air, accompanied by darkness and screams everywhere it’s hard to realize you’ve actually ended up on Earth.

The first time Bruce bumps into him is when he sees this kid take down forty assassins in one fell swoop. The kid fights with a sword, but Bruce notes that he relies more on his powers. When the fight is over, Bruce feels the weight of Nico’s gaze on him. He feels the souls of the damned judging him, but the only thing he can focus on is that this kid is scrawny. Concerningly pale, and eye bags so deep they gave Tim a run for his money. And all the pieces clicked: why all the people were suddenly chastising him for not feeding his kid enough, why the villains were crying foul play over him playing favourites when it came to allowing metas in his city, Bruce keeps his eyes peeled, tries to track down the kid because forget seeing him as a threat to Gotham, this kid was a threat to himself with the way he was operating. The next time he meets Nico, he comes prepared with weeks of research that led him to the perfect peace offering: A McDonalds Happy Meal.

Nico’s fight or flight instincts were failing him when Bruce approached, because he had no idea what to do when an intimidating creature appears out of the shadows, walks towards him and basically shoves a meal in his face and asks him where his parents are. But slowly he starts trailing Bruce, asks the ghosts about him and pieces together that he was a mortal famous for brooding and hiding in the shadows..Nico had competition for his title.

Bruce lends him a room in the manor one night after Nico almost passes out, and is slightly scared of how aggressive the man’s kind gestures are. From the way Alfred gives him the side eye when he thinks he’s successful in skipping meals, or the superhuman strength with which Bruce absentmindedly judo-flipped a monster into another dimension when it tried to attack Nico while he was half-asleep. One day after a long nap, Nico hears a lot of animated noises, peeks around the corner and that’s how he sees the rest of the batfam. The next few days even though he tries to avoid him they all somehow find him, curious to see the latest arrival. Jason is informing him of his rights when he becomes a legal ward and all the blackmail and guilt-tripping he is entitled to, while Dick and Barbara try and make him feel comfortable and welcome without preying too much. Something about them keeps nagging Nico, because they seemed so damn familiar he found himself wanting to believe he was safe with them. It’s only after the two have a debate and share an exasperated look that it clicks. Their antics remind him of Percy and Annabeth.

It takes a little getting used to though. The first time Nico and Tim met, everyone else swore they were seeing double. Two anemic kids with more trauma than blood in their body, complete with the eye bags and the pale complexion. The only thing Nico was missing, was a missing spleen. The batfam still mixed up their names from time to time, but Nico wouldn’t admit that he liked it, and sometimes would add fuel to the fire. He liked being the only one who could scare Bruce every single time by beating the man at his own games and appearing out of the shadows. Bruce does still occasionally ask about his parents- half out of curiosity and the other concern and at one point Nico knows enough about their world to know they won’t bat an eye at the truth, so he tells them. His reaction was certainly tame, but the bat kids went crazy when they realised they could have a dance-off with the skeletons.

When Nico finally feels well enough to shadow travel back, that’s when Bruce pops the question. He’s nervous, Nico can tell and that makes him nervous. The same way his dad would feel nervous asking him if he wanted to hang out, or have a movie night. It’s strange, Nico thinks to himself, how two powerful beings that can intimidate the world without saying a word, could turn so scared when facing their own children. Their conversation goes a little something like this:

Bruce: listen.. I know you have a dad. I know you’re not an orphan.. technically. But it’ll be a lot easier and we’ll have less obstacles in our civilian identities for me to help you however or whenever you want. I want you to know.. you have a home here. If you ever need to rest, shelter or help, I want you to know you always have a place to crash. The manor is your home, and I just want you to know that. If you say this name in this universe and ask for me, no matter where you are, I will find you. And I will come to help. And I’m not the only one who will if you have that name.

Nico *struggling to blink back tears*: I-

Bruce *panicking*: Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry it’s completely fine if you don’t want to. Sorry I wasn’t trying to guilt trip you chum I just wanted you to know I-we all care about you and that you’re not alone.

Nico *sniffling*: Thank you..

Skeleton hand *popping out of the ground, hopping over to Bruce and extending out a letter*

Letter: YES.

Bruce: .. what the-

Nico *turning red*: DAD!!

Letter: Love you :) -Dad.

Nico: it’s fine you don’t have to do what he says Br-

Bruce *slams down adoption papers*

[melemeleguardian]

A malicious energy manifests in the room as Nico appears from somewhere, though by now it’s already common knowledge that he can teleport. As he gets a good look at Koko, though, the expression on his face tells that he’s very confused about what he’s seeing.

He followed the traces of Koko’s aura, right? Then why was Lucas standing in front of him?

Then, as realization dawned upon him, that look of confusion turned into one of barely-concealed schadenfreude. Right, something fishy was definitely going on here but that was unmistakably Koko. He’s a telepath, so he knows these things!

“Koko Puff, is that you? I came over because I wanted to give you something nice, but you’re looking different!”

“Did you change your hair or something?”

Ugh, wasn't it enough that Koko was stuck in someone else's body? No, what was he saying, if a situation could get worse then it was probably Nico to be the one to make it worse.

What a pain to be on the receiving end of this torment for once. Well, at the very least Koko could say he was glad it wasn't Necrozma who found him like this. Nico was the friendly cryptic horror and easier to deal with after all.

"Yeah, yeah. It's me. Are you just going to stand there and make fun of me or are you going to help find a way to switch me and Lucas back?"

Yeah, needless to say, Koko wasn't in the mood for any of Nico's shit right now.

[tbookblurbs]

The Atlas Paradox - Olivie Blake

2/5 - better than I remember, no real character arcs to speak of, odd character decisions, weak worldbuilding, major second book syndrome

If I had been reviewing this after I read it the first time, this review would have been more harshly critical than this one is about to be. With that in mind, let's begin!

This book feels like it exists to fill time between the first and the third books of the trilogy. And while, in one sense, that's what all second books do, this is by no means a Catching Fire of second books if you catch my drift. A year goes by over the course of this book with an extremely questionable timeline and essentially nothing of note happening. It's not that there isn't plot happening, it's just that the plot is minimal in comparison to the amount of writing.

Some of this problem is due to the way the characters act. It feels as though every character is making decisions out of left field and none of them undergo any significant character arc, with the exception maybe of Reina, who begins to believe in her own divinity. Each character makes choices with no apparent justification or an incredibly overwrought emotional reaction. Reina storms out of a room or scene at least once every time she has a POV chapter. I also did not appreciate Nico and Parisa's hook-up, which appeared to happen just for the sake of something happening between them.

Each of the characters is in their own heads and not really interacting with each other, despite living in the same house, and, frankly, it makes it seems like six small novellas are taking place, rather than one cohesive plot. Characters are cryptic for the sake of being cryptic and wildly dismissive of everyone's abilities as though the entire first book hadn't been spent establishing that each of them are exceptional.

The biggest point of confusion for me was the worldbuilding. I was under the impression this was a magical realism story - a magic world within and alongside an ignorant mortal world. This idea is disproven in this book, with the knowledge of government contracts, but at no point is this every expanded upon. The sudden presence of characters and institutions beyond the Society also throws into sharp relief how little we actually know about the characters. We know them in a setting that places each of them under duress, emotional or physical, and as anyone who has ever functioned under extreme stress can tell you, that is not an accurate depiction of people's actual personalities and behaviors.

Overall, the novel is just lacking. The one character I did want to see more of was Libby, and we only got the barebones of her self-confidence arc. They also basically sacrificed Belen at the altar of ?? something, which to me was a disservice to her character,

[green-and-grey-kenaz]

Ghosts of Venice

Language: English

Characters: Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson Series), Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed)

Summary:

While trying to find out more about his past, Nico di Angelo travels to Venice where he meets a shadowy figure, the ghost of an assassin. The self titled Ghost King is rather used to commanding the spirits of the dead, unfortunately this ghost seems intent on giving him advice, whether he wants it or not.

The spirit of Ezio sees a lot of himself in a young teenager, who's come to Venice looking for answers and has the shadow of death over him.

Word Count: c. 2 500

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32877292

Nico stared down at the people passing by on the streets and tried to piece it with the fragments of memories he’d slowly been recovering. Had Venice (Venezia) been this busy when he had lived here all those years ago with his mother and Bianca? Did they have quite so many boats (and quiet so large)? If he walked through the streets long enough, would he find the house that he had once lived in? Would he know it? His mother had been the daughter of an ambassador, she must have been somewhat important and the house somewhat grand but that didn't narrow down his options. Nico wondered who lived in what used to be his home. Might he have cousins and if so, did they now live there?

The answer would have been to walk the streets and see if any memories resurfaced and that had been Nico’s intent but even in the dead of winter he felt like there were too many tourists. Nico did not mind the bitter cold that blew in from the mountains carrying flecks of snow that were not confined to the mountainous hillside but neither did the visitors. They just pulled their gloves and coats closer around them. Nico stared down at his own hands, a slight purple tint to them. Like so many things, he could ignore it but his body was annoyingly physical and took repercussions. Unfortunately he had no lira to his name (Nico frowned, it was the euro now) and while he was not opposed to a little bit of theft, he'd rather avoid it if possible.

Crossing his arms, he pressed his fingers against his sides with a begrudging awareness that loosing his fingers to frostbite would likely be to his detriment. His dark gaze returned to the city below him. It would be quieter once the evening set in.

“È bella, no?” A voice asked.

Nico jumped, nearly falling off of the tower he was perched on. Behind him was a white robed, a pointed hooded casting a strange shadow over his eyes which glittered uncomfortably bright in the darkness. There was the stench of death around the man and not just because he himself was not counted amongst the living. Nico could tell that this spirit, who ever he was, had killed many people. It clung to him, a miasma upon his very being but he did not seem bothered.

The more pressing concern though, was that somehow this spirit had managed to appear without his notice. That was something the son of Hades was not used to. Far down below him he could sense the lares, angry spirits that seemed so endemic to Italian cities and they had generally accepted his orders to keep back. This ghost seemed completely unbothered by the aura Nico was giving off. Another reason to be cautious.

“What are you?” Nico growled, pulling out his sword and pointing it straight at the ghost’s chest. Most would shy away from Stygian Iron but this figure seemed unbothered as he moved to stand next to Nico, who’s sword followed the ghost’s movements but he just stared out across the city.

“I have been many things but what I am more than any is a free spirit.” He answered, turning to look down at Nico and pushing the hood down to reveal young features, he couldn’t have been much more than eighteen and there was a certain carefreeness to him . It did not put Nico at ease.

“Nobody is free.” He said slowly. The stranger gave him a look that stunk of pity. Nico jabbed his sword forward, stopping shy of the ghost’s chest.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He growled.

“If you think that this is the first time I’ve had a sword pressed to my chest, you would be sadly mistaken, piccino. But perhaps your question should not be what am I but why am I here?”

“Don’t talk to me in such a familiar way.” Nico snarled, doing his best to force the ghost to leave. The Undead were his domain and they would listen to the son of their master. The teen sighed and leant against the wall.

“I too came here with much anger and hatred in me. Anger at the world, at the failure of justice and most of all anger at myself although I did not know it then.”

“I don’t feel that.” Nico said stiffly although he could feel a rising panic. Had he summoned this spirit without realising it? He should have a stronger grasp over his powers but this man seemed to know too much about him and if he had summoned him that would explain not realising until he was here.

“Hm.” The shade agreed, staring back out at the city.

“Who were you?” Nico asked as an uncomfortable silence lapsed between them. He may prefer the company of the dead but even they grated on him if they wouldn’t bend to his will.

“My name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze, although I doubt you have heard of me. If you had, I would have rather failed in my work.”

“What did you do?”

“I was an assassino.” Ezio said as if it were no matter. Nico looked out across the city and wondered about the angry shades down there.

“I gave my victims their rites. They should not linger.” Ezio assured, guessing the direction of his thoughts although Nico wasn’t so sure in the truth of Ezio's words – he had met some very stubborn and angry spirits during his time in this world. Again he felt the urge to ask this shade what exactly was he but that had gotten him nowhere. Instead, he got the feeling that Ezio would be cryptic when it suited him (never trust spirits, they always had an ulterior motive, usually wanting life).

“Do you want something?” He blurted out. Ezio was not leaving and seemed to have every intention on staying. It was irritating when he was here to be alone, couldn't the spirit take a hint by Nico sitting alone in the tower? Of course, he could shadow travel out of here but Nico did not particularly relish the idea of having fled from a spirit. It set a bad precedence.

“I do not want anything but to offer my advice and support.” Ezio said and he looked at Nico with a gaze that stopped his heart. The smile on his face was warm and accepting, just like Percy when he smiled with his friends. Nico’s hand clenched and the stones beneath his feet began to tremble. Not ideal when you were in a tower.

“I do not need help. I do not need advice.”

“I find the people who don’t need help are perhaps the ones who most require it. I certainly wish I had thought to ask for help more. I was not as alone as I thought I was and I would have been happier to not remain in my solitude.”

“Maybe I like being alone.”

“Perhaps. But if you did, would you insist so much on it?”

Nico frowned. Finally he lowered his sword and took a seat next to Ezio, feet dangling over the edge. It occurred to him that it would be easy to simply slip over the edge and plummet to the earth with just one wrong move. Perhaps he could shadow travel before he hit the ground, perhaps he couldn’t. He wondered whether his father would care.

“I used to live here.” Nico said softly. “But I don’t remember it. I thought by coming here I might get some memories back. My mother and sister…” His voice tightened.

“They are not here.” It was a soft observation.

“My father wiped my memory of my mother…. Of her death. My sister died not long after… Someone I knew failed to save her.” He glared at the ground below.

“A man my father trusted signed his death warrant, and the one for my brothers and myself. It was fortune that I escaped although they did not.” Ezio said, almost easily but there was a catch in his throat. Nico felt his heart ache with that catch and he stared down least Ezio see emotion in his eyes. “It is why I came here. There was a web behind their deaths and it was a web I desired to untangle. Or rather burn.”

“I can’t ki… There is no possibility of vengeance for me.” Nico sighed, head drooping. His mother had been killed by Zeus’ thunderbolt and Bianca had died killing the automaton that killed her and while it was Percy who had failed to save her... He was Percy. It left him feeling somewhat empty.

“That may be just as well. Vengeance made no man happy.”

“It would be a good first step though.”

“I cannot count how many I killed in the name of vengeance, only to realise that killing those who had wronged me would not bring peace. It takes greater courage and strength to build, il mio giovane amico, than it does to tear down. I realised that only too late in life.”

Nico’s nose wrinkled at the familiarity this man had slipped into.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Then perhaps you should tell me. Or someone.” Ezio said gently. He may be a ghost, but the wind ruffled his hair.

“No one would understand.”

“Perhaps that is the great thing about talking to one who is already dead. Does it matter whether I understand or not?”

“Will you leave me if I tell you?”

It wasn’t a plead. It was exasperation, Nico told himself. And it certainly wasn’t a desire to push someone away so he could mope in solitude and generally feel bad for himself. What did it matter that this long dead man had lost his family. Ezio was dead and not living with the realities of it. Ezio had been able to get vengeance and was happy like Percy. His fingers twisted the ring and perhaps he should have felt that but apparently they were numb now.

“If that is what you still desire.”

Nico frowned, thinking. Ezio was dead and if there was one thing that the dead were good at, it was keeping secrets. What was more, he had been an assassin and that sort were notorious about taking their secrets to the grave. Still…

“And you were not sent by my father?”

“Your father?”

“Hades.”

Ezio frowned and leaned back so he was stretched precariously on the wall. If he’d been alive, a small nudge would have been enough to send him plummeting.

“I have not met Hades in my life or my death. The only fortune I had was to once meet the goddess Minerva.”

Nico frowned.

“You mean Athena?”

“She informed me she has had many names.”

Nico made a note to ask his father about that. He’d never thought about how the Roman gods were so similar to the Greek ones.

“That means… you were mortal. As in not a demigod?” Almost all the ghosts he spoke with had ancestry with one of the gods. They tended to leave more of an impact and he certainly would rather understand the enigma of this spirit that he could not control.

“You would be the second godly figure I have met.” Ezio smiled. It was too warm and friendly.

“I wouldn’t say I was godly.” Nico muttered. “I’m the son of Hades. That kind of puts a damper on any relationships I might he able to have. Who wants to hang out with someone who’s more comfortable with the dead and darkness? I can see the fear in their eyes when I turn up at meals, how they shift uncomfortably away from me at the fire in the evening. No one wants me because I don’t belong. No one wants a reminder that death will come to them eventually.”

“I may not know what it is like to be the son of a god of the dead, but I know what it is to be an assassin and to many I was the kiss of death. I could have chosen to walk alone and in many ways, I had. I could have had love, for so many did love me and I would have only given my love too freely, yet I kept my ways to myself and pushed those I had left away.”

“I have no one left.”

“You have your father.”

“He’s… busy. And I don’t exactly get on with Persephone.”

Ezio placed a ghostly hand on Nico’s shoulder and he flinched. It was warm and suddenly he felt filled with promise and hope. He felt Ezio’s anguish as he pushed his way towards the gallows only to hear his family drop to the jeers of the crowd. He felt the young man’s burden as he guided his traumatised mother and sister to the only place left to them. Nico could feel his anger as he killed his childhood rival that had helped put in place the events that had caused everything to go wrong. He saw the deaths that Ezio had caused in his grief and determination. He could feel the drive that corrupted the carefree youth who had once run over the tiles of Florence. And he saw the love that fought within Ezio’s chest. He felt the love and companionship that Ezio had found with Leonardo Da Vinci and the Thieves. The growth from anger to acceptance and wisdom. The realisation that he could trust his sister to defend herself and mend that bond tossed aside decades ago. The warmth of brotherhood and found family that built around that. Ezio’s knowledge in his dying moments that his greatest achievement had been what he had built and not torn down and he was happy with that.

“You care greatly, although like me, you believe that it is not something that you can’t allow yourself to feel.”

Normally these things weren’t a two way streak and Nico pressed his lips together. That was too presuming of Ezio, to read his own feelings and heritage.

“I don’t care.” But his words did not have their usual bite.

“I think you do, Nico di Angelo. You have put so much of yourself into helping others at the expense of yourself and I do not see this being something you can escape. You care deeply yet you do not let them know all you have risked. Do you know what the creed of the Assassins was?”

Nico shook his head and Ezio rose to his feet, standing on the edge of the tower.

“We work in the dark, to serve the light.” A ghost of a smile went over his lips highlighting a scar that glistened in the weak winter light. With a pang, Nico felt a kindred spirit. He gave Ezio a nod.

“Until we meet again.”

The shade leapt into the air, arms outstretched as if he could fly. He twisted through the air and Nico stared after the descending figure who shifted into shadow moments before he would have hit the ground had he been alive.

[carnivorousmossbeast]

Have a smol flavorshot. Couldn’t sleep last night so I did the mech suit/dystopia/sci-fi thing. Enjoy!!

2000 tons of carbon fiber enforced steel and titanium plates stand before him, staring down at him. Somewhere in there, he knows, is a beating heart keeping the eyes so alert and posture straight. There is a conscience in there. An awareness. Intelligent life. 80 meters tall, five meters wide encased in enough protective material to build four underground shelters. And even then, sometimes the pilots die. Normally he’d have some qualms about enslaving living beings but since no one really knows what the Weidmanns are, only that after they arrived everything started going to shit, he’s hard pressed to find anything more serious and founded to say against it.

Zoro pilots one of the older ones, one that came with a name and wasn’t grown in a lab. The swirly heart on the chest plate and weird face-thingy on the back shield and DEATH spelled across its heavily armored knuckles apparently came with the Weidmann and it didn’t work until someone thought to transfer the weird designs onto the armor. Sometimes it’s a bit touchy, Trafalgar D. Water Law, but it’s yet to fail Zoro. Or earth and humanity, for that matter. And Torao, how Zoro’s predecessor Luffy liked to call the Weidmann, seems to be oddly fixated on the green-haired pilot.

For example it won’t shut down if Zoro is close by.

The World Defense Council would rather play it as though the Weidmanns are machines, not creatures forced into submission by running so much electricity through their brains that they became effectively zombies, because obviously that is seven kinds of wrong, but Torao ruined that notion when Zoro entered the picture.

The first time Zoro’s in the command panel there’s abnormally high latent brain activity. Back then the technicians called it a power surge but to Zoro it had felt different from the power surges during sims. Because the pilots are put through what essentially is torture to be sure that they have it in them to steer a Weidmann. Some bullshit about neurological overstimulation. Now he knows that sometimes, the Weidmanns wake up and devour the humans that enter their spinal canal. And fighting Kaiju while keeping, essentially other Kaiju, under control, is a task in and of itself. That explains why the command panel is designed the same way landing modules are. They’re nigh impossible to break. As though the massive armoring wasn’t protection enough. Zoro soon learns the hard way that, only because the Weidmanns help, they are not allies. Not even close. He watches a pilot lose control over the neural bridge, watches the Weidmann gain its consciousness through the eyes of Torao. It’s quick, but ugly. Sometimes he still hears the screams of his comrade turning into static as he watches helplessly how Mihawk tears the control panel out of his spinal canal and crushes it in his massive fist before dropping it into the ocean carelessly. He remembers a rumbling purr of satisfaction coming from Torao’s conscience. The next two Kaiju attacks he doesn’t let himself sink as deep into the neural bridge as he normally does, even if the soft, warm whisper of Torao is oddly comforting normally. Not then.

Primal fear dictates he remain at the surface, barely submerged enough to feel the long, insanely strong limbs. These Kaiju he doesn't slice apart with the ridiculously long sword Torao's been outfitted with. He brawls, because so close to the surface, so barely there, he lacks the fine motor control to properly wield a 70-meter longs word with electrical currents running down the blade that has teeth running up and down like a chainsaw.

Kikoku is a masterpiece of engineering. Someone really did their research for effective weaponry - and ended up choosing Texas Chainsaw Massacre as reference. Sharknado as well. Perhaps Sharknado is more fitting, since the Kaiju appear from somewhere deep within the Pacific Ocean. They're not sharks, nowhere close, with their huge legs and claws and less than aerodynamic bodies, but a terror from the ocean none the less.

The next Kaiju is one of the strongest yet.

Zoro knows without Kikoku he hasn't the slightest chance to get past its long, leathery winged arms that sport massive claws, or the insanely long tail that has a bone structure at the end of it that Zoro takes one short look at and knows, painfully aware of the implications for his neural bridge - he'll have to go in deep this time - that one hit will smash through Torao's armor like a wrecking ball through a massive wall of reinforced concrete. It will take the entire Weidmann down and damage it beyond repair.

There are two other Weidmanns running point, "got your six, Zoro" crackles Ace's voice through the comms. Boa Hancock is arguably the prettiest out of all the Weidmann, and Ace is definitely the prettiest pilot. And the fucker knows it. But Ace also knows his stuff and is one of most well known pilots. Most drops, but not the most kills. Ace is happy to run point and let others take the kill. Boa Hancock isn't strong, it heavily relies on others and teamwork isn't quite Zoro's strength. Especially not in the Weidmann. But then again, few people are good at teamwork when their attack and defense is directly tied to a 70-meter monstrosity of titanium with a serrated running blade and coated in 4000 Volts of electricity. The other Weidmann is Sir Crocodile, among the heaviest defense humanity has, and the pilot is the most cryptic bitch ever.

In her presence Zoro always gets a distinct feeling like he's the butt of a joke that only she understands. Nico Robin the strangest out of the bunch. Except she really isn't. They're all weird in the Tokyo Shatterdome.

But then again you have to be somewhat messed up in the head to even be considered for pilot training.

He takes a deep breath before sinking into the neural bridge. Torao's consciousness envelopes him like warm, summer air, smelling softly like heat and sweat and sleepiness in the shade of a tree. He's in deeper than he was with the last two Kaiju, deeper than the WDC says is green, but not where he used to go. Torao and him, they used to synch. Zoro would leave the dock being submerged at the green levels and slowly slip in deeper once the control and directing electrodes were off.

He'd be pulled from Torao the instant he crossed over the yellow into the orange line, and where he goes is deep, dark red.

Rumor has it that once you're past yellow, you start becoming part of the Weidmann. The general public is fed a pretty tale of too much neurological input and synaptic overload but the ugly truth is - you're waking the beast. You're lending your tiny, insignificant brain for them to regain their consciousness and that fries you. Only Torao has never truly been gone. It's the one Weidmann they couldn't really tame and eventually it burned through all its pilots.

Zoro sees the charts stabilizing, the brainwaves lining up sort of on top of each other, enough that he'll be able to move Torao without getting consumed. Or overpowered, torn out and crushed. He relays his data to command and gets the go. Transfer out to the ocean is oddly silent. Torao is unusually still and Zoro doesn't like it. Something is off.

They land, knees slightly bent and hands at the hilt of Kikoku, and then they wait. The Kaiju is moving towards Tokyo, but it's taking its time. While its predecessors have always taken the most direct approach, this one circles around, tests their patience. Tense silence rules between the three monsters humanity tamed to defeat their unknown enemy, with only crackling updates on how far away the monster lurks. Little crackles of static in the silence. Zoro could probably hear a pin drop if he were to unlock his helmet. Even the ocean is deceptively calm.

Zoro thinks he can see movement at the horizon, thinks he can feel a tingle of excitement, adrenaline, rushing through his veins, but he's too deep in the Weidmann to still feel his body like that. Zoro frowns. Now is not the time.

The Kaiju rears out of the water like a monster straight out of old Japanese Kaiju-movies. It's ugly, with thick leathery skin and glowing green eyes, a maw full of crooked teeth, and the leathery skin flaps attached to its arms make a good imitation of wings. He draws Kikoku and readies himself, only to be hopelessly overpowered by the monstrous creature. He forgets about the tail, sees it a moment too late and can only narrowly avoid being hit by the bone club at the end of it. The long appendage hits the Weidmann around the middle and topples him over into the ocean. Alarmed red lights blink in his peripheral vision, damage assessment is still running when the Kaiju descends on the downed Weidmann again. Zoro can hear himself growl - something isn't right he shouldn't be able to hear himself - and yanks up his arm to protect the face.

A new alarm starts blaring when the neural bridge starts to disconnect. Zoro curses up a storm and tries to disengage the neural input dampening systems that are supposed to keep the pilot from experiencing the damage. The pain of being torn apart. The Kaiju shrieks over the still body, the sound shattering through the Weidmann's massive body armor and the command pod and Zoro hears a massive growl in return. And then Torao moves. Zoro isn't in deep enough to be initiating the movement, so this is all the consciousness he's been hijacking for the last two years. Zoro slams his hands against the emergency eject panel, the weapons panels, anything really, that he can reach without disengaging the pilot safety straps. A whole lot of nothing.

He growls. It's not that he's afraid to die, because he dropped that particular piece of humanity the first time he stepped foot in a drop sim, and thoroughly erased the idea of fear when he made his first kill as the backup pilot for Mihawk, it's just that Zoro really hates the idea of not being able to put up a fight.

There's a click and a whirring noise and Zoro finally feels himself sinking deeper into the neural bridge. He stops where he is comfortable, where he went before he witnessed Mihawk tearing the command pod out of his spinal canal. There's a growl rumbling in his - no, in Torao's chest - and a very sudden yank on his mind. Zoro feels like he stumbles and for a second everything is numb and dead, and then it feels like he slips into his body, only that his body is suddenly unfathomably huge and strong. He can feel the bruised organs and muscles of his - Torao's - abdomen, the tingling in the fingertips where the insulating coat doesn't quite manage to keep 4000 Volts on their side of Kikoku's blade.

Zoro hesitates for a moment and suddenly there's a voice echoing through his mind: "Zoro-ya... Didn't take you for a coward."

[thejudgingtrash]

@aph-usa-is-my-dad​ Thank you, thank you! 🙇🏽‍♀️

Alright lads, looks like it’s time for hot takes part III!

Here’s Part 1//Here‘s Part 2

Apollo won’t get Zeus position. Why is everyone wishing for that? And why should he? All of you really want to romanticize/project yourself onto him, huh?

Casual Reyna >>> praetor Reyna

Grover has the fattest ass in the Riordanverse, I don’t make the rules

People lack of basic reading skills part III

The fact that adults in New Rome let kids rule the fucking place is still mindblowing

Rick apologists are lame. People calling out shit isn’t an attack on you. Stop defending a product‘s/public figure‘s honor. Defending Rick Riordan is the equivalent of you defending the honor of a snickers bar. Dude doesn’t know you and dude doesn’t give a fuck about you. You are a walking dollar bill at best

Romans are still fucking wacky and despite Camp Jupiter being superior allegedly it’s a whole damn chaotic mess. Where are the supposed civilized Romans because I don’t see them?

Camp Half-Blood >>>> Camp Jupiter, especially when Percy trains in his summer vacations and beats praetor Jason’s goddamn ass who’s been training for 12 years

Why did Riordan even try to make Jason appear to come close to Percy’s level? The imbalance of power is so abundantly clear and makes Jason seem even smaller in that regard. Riordan is truly Percy’s biggest hater

The fact that CHB also glamorizes child soldiers in a more fun and relaxed way. Yikes

Nico is a white™ (again, he is European)

Rachel was annoying but didn’t deserve the blatant hate.

Annabeth should’ve had another possible love interest to spark some pissed Percy. Luke doesn’t count. Percy’s jealously revolves around (the possibility of) her not being around him (e.g. the hunters), not him ”losing“ her to someone else romantically speaking

Silena is the OG Aphrodite kid, fuck the rest

Amazons >> hunters by a slight margin. They’re also an awful bunch

The execution of the hunters is so bad omg, just let me revamp them, Ricardo

If a different take on a headcanon/characters really offends you/paint that much of a different picture of op, then I’m not sorry (only exception if the headcanon is based on discriminatory means. Someone saying they don’t like A and someone using slurs and being a douche are two different things)

The entire Aphrodite cabin is pan FYI

Team demigods who receive periods would probably be extra fucked when it comes to monsters and stuff. Let’s address this

Why exactly couldn’t the gods handle their own shit? Hunting monsters in your area makes sense as a demigod job. But stuff like retrieving Hermes‘ staff (especially when the dude is the speedy traveler guy) makes no goddamn sense

Let’s face it: Annabeth is the only good female character that Riordan pulled off. Also wasn’t she based off his wife? If so, that’s why.

The lack of irl examples for his POC and other women is abundantly clear as he can’t lure everyone from his environment into the stories especially because he has no irl connection to minorities. So he fabricated stuff/did his 5 mins of wiki and got it severely wrong. Clock that tea!

Camp Half-Blood t-shirts belong to the trash. Orange is Yellow‘s cousin and both are ugly to the max. Let’s just switch colors of both camps. Let the Romans deal with the hideous shit

Chiron and Paul are Riordan‘s self-inserts

Tbh giving Hazel super mist powers and tying Frank to Poseidon was stupid

Skater!Percy is pretty much canon but I just can’t envision it? The thought of it is cute and so 2000s but my brain goes fjfldlsöwlwbvd (and tbh gymnast!/dancer!/Parcours!Percy >>>>> skater!basketball!Percy)

People are forgetting that Percy is the unpopular kid both in the mortal realm and at camp and partially chose to be so? Let me remind you of the truth real quick

Beckendorf and Silena are the horny bastards of the Camp Half-Blood. Issa fact

The gods not really immortalizing Chiron and simply saying that he’ll live as long as he’s needed turned him into the cryptic fuck we all know. That’s why he barely helps out (On that note a tiny Chiron essay)

A headcanon, regardless of how popular it is, isn’t factual/reality. So fighting over different takes of the exact same issue is rather pointless but you do you. Some popular blog having an opinion with a large following doesn’t automatically negate your sentiment

Piper being ”unconventional“ as in hating make-up and being dressed up is in itself more than fine but the execution was lacking and her coming off as pretentious and annoying was the result

Piper also has no taste in men if she thinks that amnesia brick boy Grace > Percy. Just no. Lesbians claim haaa

If I see another Amandla or Zendaya or another biracial/lightskinned face claim for Hazel I will lose it

Everyone and their mother having a crush on Percy fuels them Gary Stu feelings, just saying

The fact that Riordan casually drops the abuse that Percy has suffered from like some fucking tic tacs just to never be spoken about should be a reason enough to whoop his ass

Not maturing and darkening HOO (there were good thoughts but also many whacky executions) was the biggest mistake Riordan had made. He should’ve went the Rowling route and transitioned from kids books to YA

The whole fire stick thing that Riordan ripped off from Meleager and slapped onto Frank was terribly executed

A lot of you people should open up more to jokes and not take everything all too seriously

The fact that people seriously ship/ped Reyna x Apollo is proof enough that this fandom should burn

Why do Luke discussions at this point still exist? You’re essentially glossing over the same four things

Hyping up fanfics to the max is a terrible idea. Also don’t shy away from giving writers constructive criticism

Stoner headcanons are here to stay and slay!

On one hand seeing discussions from the science side of PJO talking about the biology, physics etc. is super interesting but on the other hand getting heated over the illogical basis of ”magic“ is pretty much a waste of time

Riordan‘s world building is truly awful

Frazel is a crime against humanity

If you don’t get someone‘s post actually look op up and read the tags? No need to spam the exact question to everything

Fat Frank stays. I get it, Greek gods are hot, they are conceited and choose to fuck people that they perceive as attractive, so their offspring also has some higher levels in the beauty realm. But why not explore the opposite? Why does every character need a makeover or a blessing that gives them enhanced looks?

Clarisse‘s thigh can break ya neck

Also Riordan is Annabeth’s biggest hater. Let’s throw all of her most important possessions away to proof that the smart one can survive without any of it. Sure, but the emotional attachment to the stuff still remains especially when everyone else is walking out of Annabeth’s life

Making Leo another horny bastard was an accurate portrayal of your casual 16 year old boy. Annoying, but realistic

[pieswhump]

Whumptober #3-

Warnings- food mention, but otherwise none, I think.

This piece is a direct sequel to my first whumptober piece.

Nico stayed in the office the whole day, with someone coming by to feed him around lunch. He wasn’t unchained, so he had to eat like a dog. He felt humiliated, his head pounding and his stomach churning.

He dozed all day, but properly fell asleep at around what he guessed was ten. He had no reliable way to tell time, relying on instinct. Thankfully, he was given a thin blanket. The man had left after his cryptic statement about Nico being a good present.

Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, he didn’t have to wonder long.

The next day, he was awoken by footsteps down the hall. Two sets. The footsteps continued until they reached his room, and Nico’s heartbeat picked up speed.

The two strangers opened the door, and Nico’s heart plummeted. It was the man from before, and a stranger. Nico memorized his appearance, too.

Pale skin, straight dark brown hair cut in that one rich people hairstyle, swept to the side. His ears were pierced. He looked younger than the other man, around his age. Nico figures they were father and son. He looked surprised, and Nico noted another family resemblance- the man’s son had bright red eyes. His were more like the color of strawberries, however. Interesting.

The man grinned. “Do you like him?” 

The son looked confused. “What’s this?”

Nico felt a spike of hatred for them both. Not who’s this, what’s this. Like he was simply an object.

The man continued. “Well, it’s your birthday today. You’re twenty-one, so I figured you deserved something new. A real challenge, not pre-broken ones.”

The son’s face lit up. “Really?! When did you get him?”

“Dane picked him up two nights ago. Happy birthday, Reed.” 

All at once, Nico realized what he had meant by present. He was to be his son’s… servant? He wasn’t sure, but regardless, it wasn’t something he wanted to be.

Reed smiled at his father, and bent down so he was level with Nico. He shied away slightly. “What’s your name, little one?”

Nico growled. “I’m twenty fucking years old. I’m not little.”

To Nico’s irritation, Reed laughed. “Fine. My question stands- what’s your name?”

He didn’t want to answer but… “Nico.”

“Well Nico, I have a feeling we’re going to get along swimmingly.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to hate your guts.”

Reed stood up and smiled at his dad. “I like him.”

His dad chuckled a little. “He’s a little skittish, but fierce. Afraid of physical contact but not of verbal confrontation.” 

Nico snarled, and Reed glanced at him. “Hush.”

He went silent, hating himself for it. But it was better to play along and try to get out of here than retaliate and die here.

Reed seemed to realize something. “Do you think he’ll play nice?”

His father thought for a second. “I don’t know. It could go either way- he could lash out, or be scared of him.”

Reed snorted. “He wouldn’t harm a fly.”

His father shrugged. “Maybe not, but your other one tends to be clingy from what I’ve heard. If he doesn’t like touch, he could become scared.”

Reed wrinkled his nose, muttering to himself. “I hate it when you’re right.”

His father laughed. “Well, want to get him ready? You’re live in about a half hour.”

Reed swore under his breath. “Do you have the key?”

He smirked, handing a small, silver key to Reed. He took it, unlocking the padlock that kept him chained to the ground.

Nico stood up, unsteady on his feet. He lurched forward, trying to bite at Reed.

Reed stepped back, his jovial smile hardening into a glare. "Well if you don't calm down, then you won't get unhooked and we'll be late."

Nico glared back. "Who fucking cares if we're late?"

"Well I do, for one. And so do my viewers." 

Reed rolled his eyes. “Stay still. Or today will be much worse.”

Nico didn’t know what to make of the threat, but he certainly didn’t like it. So, he stayed still, glaring at Reed.

Reed sighed, and unhooked the lock that kept the chain attached to his cuffs, then removed the chain. He relocked the cuff together, humming under his breath.

Nico didn’t move, despite his brain screaming at him to do something, to fight back. 

Reed smiled. “Good.” 

He took hold of Nico’s wrist, the touch sending jolts of electricity up Nico’s arm. Reed started leading Nico out the hallway, and Nico drank in the sights to escape later.

The hallway was wide, with the same flooring as the office. The walls were white. They passed by a large window, and Nico saw a large and well-manicured lawn with flower beds leading up to what he imagined was the door. Apparently, they were in a mansion.

Reed took a sharp turn down some steps, and Nico stumbled. Reed glanced back at him. “Be careful.”

Nico glared and ignored him. Reed sighed and turned back around, leading him downstairs. The lighting was getting progressively darker, and while Nico wouldn’t admit it, he was a little spooked. They passed by a door about halfway through, which Nico figured led to the first floor.

They got to the bottom of the staircase, where there was a large wooden door. Reed opened it, leading Nico inside.

Inside was a concrete room, with a small platform towards the back. On the platform was a chest containing things he didn’t want to know about. There was a camera and a computer on a table in front of it, the camera facing the platform. There were two other men, but they didn’t spare Nico a glance. On the platform was a kneeling boy, around twenty or so. Reed looked surprised to see him, leading Nico onto the platform. 

“Jac! What’re you doing here?”

The boy glanced up at Reed, doe-eyed. His eyes were bright green, almost startling. “Um… Mr. Raymond brought me down here. He said you couldn’t for today.”

Reed grinned. “Well apparently, I was getting a present. Jac, this is Nico!”

Nico glanced away, not sure how to respond.

Reed sighed. “Fine. Nico, knees.”

“What?”

Jac looked afraid, and Reed glared. He let go of Nico’s wrist, setting his hand on Nico’s head and shoving. He stumbled, landing on his knees. Nico winced, swearing under his breath.

Reed grinned. “Good.”

Nico felt hatred for this man course through his veins like blood. Reed glanced at the other two men. “We ready?”

One of them checked his watch, moving behind the camera, and nodded. He did a countdown from five on his hands, and Nico heard the undeniable sound of a camera whirring on.

Reed grinned. “Hello and welcome to the Bourdell family stream! As our more frequent viewers might be aware, today is my birthday, and my father has gotten me a wonderful present!”

Reed tousled Nico’s hair, grinning wider still as Nico glared at the camera with all of the vitriol he felt for Reed and his father. He was screwed. 

[zer0pm]

Imagine you and V stuck together in a rocky situation.

You groan, awakening to slight pain in some parts of your body. It was dark and you couldn’t see a thing.  You were certain that you were trapped in some enclosed space, but there must have been some opening as you could breathe well enough. The only thing was that you could not exactly move as it feels like any attempts of moving ever so slightly, there was something solid in the way. Then it came back to you...

That’s right, the giant four-legged demon stomping around Redgrave City was shooting death lasers at you. You and-

You: “V! V, can you hear me?!”

Your voice was deafened by the space around you. Or rather, lack thereof. Your hands reach out to feel the rubble and debris. The attacks crumbled the ground beneath you and your mysterious ally. How you managed to not get crushed when you fell so far was puzzling until-

“Loud and clear.”

He sounded close, judging by the groan, he must just be coming around too.

You: “You’re alive. Good, can you move?”

V: “You don’t have to raise your voice, I’m beside you.”

You: “Where? It’s too dark.”

You try shifting around, but it truly was a tight fit. Everywhere you tried to move, it was stopped by a hard place, rubble digging into your skin save for your back. With that in mind, you shifted, pressing back in attempt to push aside the thing blocking you only to feel a firm grasp on your hip, stopping you in place.

V: “Please stop fidgeting. It’s uncomfortable enough as it is.”

Oh, he’s right here. Pressed against you. And you almost crushed him to the rocks.

You: “Ah. My bad. Are you okay?”

V: “Could be worse. I am pleased to hear that you are none the worse for wear.”

You: “Yeah, at least.”

With your hands out in front of you, you try again to push the rocks aside, but they refused to budge.

You: “So much for digging ourselves out. Think you can summon that giant demon friend of yours to help us?”

V: “It’s called Nightmare and no. That last battle expended the last of my summoning energy for the time being. Even if I could at this moment, it may not be wise. The familiar tends to make a rather explosive entrance. We would risk getting crushed for good.”

You groan. So much for that idea.

You: “So we’re stuck then?”

V: “Not necessarily. Griffon, I sense, is flying further from our location. I gather he is sending for help.”

You: “For Nico?”

V: “Pray not that woman.”

You: “Why not...oh... Explosive entrance.”

V: “Exactly.”

A snort nearly escapes you, but you remember your situation. You’re stuck playing the waiting game, and you’re stuck with V. It’s not the worse scenario you can think of, but considering how you know next to nothing about this man and yet still find yourself drawn to his enigmatic aura, being here like this with him pressed against your back and his hand on your hip - it sent some complex emotions to run through you. So you thought of the best thing to help ease your anxiety.

You: “Want to play Twenty Questions?”

V: “Pardon me?”

You: “Twenty Questions. It’s-”

V: “I know of the game, but why would you wish to play it when we’re like this?”

You: “It’s because we’re like this that we should play. Never a better opportunity to get to know each other, don’t you think?”

V: “People have never taken the time to get to know me.”

Okay, that took a sad turn. But it’s true, for the most part V seems rather aloof by nature, and yet the entire time that you’ve known him (which hasn’t been long), none from your group of devil hunters have extended to learn more about him. Guess with all the bad that has happened so far, the endless questions, losing the city and everything - it all started when V showed up. Therefore the others...just couldn’t trust him.

You: “I’d like too.”

V: “You may be disappointed in what you find.”

You: “Likewise.”

It was silent, accentuated by the darkness that enveloped you both when you hear a soft chuckle. It rumbled in his chest so you can feel the genuine humor he found in your simple answer. That’s a good sign.

V: “The true method of knowledge is experiment.”

You: “Was that a yes?”

The hand on your hip gave a gentle squeeze in approval. You knew it was merely a way for him to agree to the game, but it left a tingly feeling.

V: “I would be lying if I said that I didn’t wish to know more about you, as well.”

You were thankful that he couldn’t see the smile of relief that creeped onto your face.

You: “Cool! Let’s see...uhh-”

V: “It is my turn. You’ve already asked your question.”

You: “What? No, I didn’t. When did I-!?”

V: “You’re about to use two more and none pertain to myself. You’re quite bad at this game.”

You: “The first question wasn’t even about you!”

V: “You asked if I wanted to play, I answered with information that discloses my intent to know you better. It counts.”

You: “That’s cheating.”

He squeezes your hip again, this time playfully and accompanied by another chuckle that was beginning to grow on you.

V: “What are your hobbies?”

And so you both went back and forth. After he asked his questions, there was nothing but playful banter whenever you asked him questions and without fail he appeared to attempt to dodge them with that cryptic humor of his. In the end, he acquiesced to answering them all if not to leave you delightfully aggravated first.

You: “The most I’ve ever heard you talk and I still know so little about you.”

V: “Perhaps you’re just a terrible listener.”

Your hand reaches up to smack him behind you, the back of your fingers playfully hitting what feels like his cheek. He laughs at this.

You: “You just haven’t dished out a straight answer. And you give so little to go by. Cut me some slack here!”

V: “Well, we have a few more questions left. Let us make the most of it.”

You: “Deal.”

V: “Your turn.”

You: “Oh, right. Hm... Are you having fun?”

V: “What an odd question that can be answered so simply.”

You: “It’s still a question.”

V: “I’m afraid if I give you a simple answer, you may physically lash out at me once more.”

It was your turn to laugh and you move your hand to him once more when you suddenly felt your wrist get caught. You gasp in surprise, he must have adjusted to the dark and felt him lean closer to you, his lips next to your ear.

V: “Yes, I am having fun. This is most fun I’ve had.”

You: “That’s pretty bad considering the situation.”

V: “Noted, but the company I keep proves the unfortunate circumstances to be worth it.”

You feel your cheeks warm at his blatant admittance. He basically said that he likes being around you.

You: “Charmer.”

His chuckle rumbles from his chest to his throat, the tremors touching your back, deepening the blush on your face.

V: “My turn now. Let’s see here... Were I anyone else, would you be having the same amount of “fun” as you so put it?”

You paused to think about this for a moment.

You: “If I’m being honest, no. I don’t think I‘d enjoy anyone else’s company as much as I enjoy yours.”

V: “What a terrible thought.”

You both share a laugh and out of instinct, you felt yourself sinking further into V’s arms. His hand that was on your hip at some point moved to wrap around your waist. It was extremely hot under all the rubble, but you were unharmed and breathing and didn’t mind one bit about the shared warmth between you two. V must have felt the same way as he pressed his cheek on the top of your head.

You: “This is nice.”

He hums in agreement, his arm pulling you closer to him to emphasize this. You can just picture him with his eyes closed as he relishes how intimately soft this moment was.

You: “Maybe when we defeat this Urizen, we can do something like this again. Except without all the rocks.”

His body instantly goes frigid at your words, you had almost thought you had said something wrong but just as quickly as worry begins to creep into your mind, he relaxes. You felt the ghost of lips gently brush against your shoulder and V speaks so softly you almost didn’t hear him or the sad tone in his silky voice.

V: “Yes... I’d like that very much.”

[psychodollyuniverse]

The Long Blondes

The Long Blondes were a five-piece English indie rock band formed in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2003 by Dorian Cox (lead guitar and keyboards), Reenie Hollis (real name Kathryn Hollis) (bass guitar and backing vocals), Emma Chaplin (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), Kate Jackson (lead vocals) and Screech Louder (real name Mark Turvey, drums).

After several critically acclaimed singles, they released their debut album, Someone to Drive You Home, on Rough Trade Records in November 2006. Their second album, Couples, was produced by Erol Alkan and released in April 2008. On 20 October 2008, due to the unexpected illness of their primary songwriter and lead guitarist, Dorian Cox, the band announced their amicable split via a message on their website, the same day their singles compilation, "Singles" was released.

The band was formed in 2003 in Sheffield, United Kingdom. All the members were attending, or had attended university in the city.The following quote appeared on their website and served as an introduction to the Long Blondes; "Our shared influences include The Mael Brothers, Marx Brothers and The Bewlay Brothers. We do not listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors or Bob Dylan. We chose an instrument each and learnt to play it.".The band have stated that the original inspiration for The Long Blondes was to form a fantasy pop group: "Nico, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Dors and Barbara Windsor. Sexy and literate, flippant and heartbreaking all at once." Singer Kate Jackson was inspired by bands with front women like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Blondie.

In July 2004, The Long Blondes released their debut single "New Idols" on the local Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation label. This was followed by singles "Autonomy Boy" and "Giddy Stratospheres", on Angular. In 2005, they released further singles, "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" and "Separated By Motorways", the latter being produced by Paul Epworth and released on his own Good & Evil label. These releases were met with a positive critical reaction and growing media attention

Still unsigned, in February 2006 the band were recipients of the NME Philip Hall Radar Award, which in previous years was won by Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs. Further adding to their reputation, the band were named by The Guardian and Vogue as "the best unsigned band in the UK". As they were unsigned, during the early success of the band, members remained working in various day jobs; Jackson sold vintage clothing on eBay, Cox was working in the University of Sheffield Department of Law, Hollis in the Media Studies department of a nearby college, Chaplin in a Leeds art library and Louder in the Home Office.

On 13 April 2006 they signed to Rough Trade Recordsand began recording their debut album over the summer with Steve Mackey, the bassist with Pulp. The album was preceded by the singles "Weekend Without Makeup" in July and "Once and Never Again", which was released on 23 October and debuted at number 30 in the UK Singles Chart.The song was named the 15th best track of 2006 by NME. Someone to Drive You Home was released in November 2006. The music was written by the band collectively while the majority of the lyrics were written by Cox with Jackson completing the lyrics for "Separated by Motorways" and "Madame Ray". Critical reception was generally positive with the NME calling it "fantasy pop, performed to perfection" in a 9/10 review.Reviews picked up on the predominant themes of the album; outsider status, popular culture references from the 1950s and 60s and relationships from a female perspective. Other reviews indicated the numerous inspirations for the work. For example, a four-star review in The Guardian said that "if talent borrows but genius steals ... the Long Blondes should be taking their Mensa tests", comparing the album's style to Franz Ferdinand and 80s indie-pop band The Flatmates.Some noted the impact of Jackson's voice; Colin Roberts of Drowned In Sound said "her delivery is like a public address call across a Sunday marketplace” while The Guardian said it was "marvellously belting, if unsubtle".A 3-star review in Uncut magazine recognised the ambition of the band's sound, advising that they should acquire "a ruthless pop producer, one who can coax them out of their indie-pop dowdiness – like Blondie needed Mike Chapman, like ABC needed Horn.They appeared at a number of UK festivals over the summer of 2006, including the Carling Weekend. In 2007, they played on the Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival.

After an extended European tour, in October 2007 The Long Blondes began work on their second album with producer Erol Alkan, who had previously produced their more dance orientated b-sides such as "Five Ways To End It" and "Fulwood Babylon". On 19 December 2007, it was announced that the new album's title would be "Couples". The title alludes to the David Bowie album "Heroes" and also to a loose theme of the album as a "big breakup album". Before the album was released, all five members created their own cryptic promo videos explaining the inspiration behind "Couples".The band stated that the album drew influences from Italo disco revival acts such as Glass Candy and the Italians Do It Better label.and ABBA. Cox stated that "...there's something really innocent about Abba videos... really kinda funny, futuristic but old fashioned at the same time and that's how we see our music on this album.".

"Couples" was released on 7 April 2008, preceded by a single, "Century", released on 24 March 2008. The album reached number 48 in the UK album chart. The album was generally well received by critics. Click Music gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 and said it was "a worthy contender for record of the year".[24] The Guardian gave the album another 4-star review, noting the album's shift in style – saying that some tracks shared "more with the cinematic perfection of Kylie Minogue's "Confide in Me" than the kitchen sink dramas of Pulp". A mixed 6/10 review in NME said the album was "not terrible, but disappointing" and "whereas once they sang of suburban boredom tempered with the thrill of escape, now they’ve started to sound like they’d be happy to stay put".After "Century", the next song to be taken off the album was "Guilt", which was released on 7" and digital download.

On 9 June 2008, the band posted on their official website that Cox had fallen ill and that he had to be rushed to hospital, which meant that they had to cancel all their live appearances until the end of July.The band were due to play a support slot on Duran Duran's Red Carpet Massacre tour at the Birmingham NIA and the O2 Arena in London and on the John Peel stage at Glastonbury.

After "Couples", the band decided to release a compilation of their rare early 7" singles, which was titled "Singles" on 20 October 2008 on Angular Records.The twelve track album collected all of the songs from the band's first singles. The version of "Separated By Motorways" differs from the single version produced by Paul Epworth, instead the group opted to include the demo version instead. The compilation also featured one previously unreleased song – "Peterborough". "Singles" was named the 25th best album of 2008 by Artrocker magazine

On 20 October 2008, Guitarist Dorian Cox posted a message on their official website that the band had split up. The main motivation for the break-up was Cox's stroke in June 2008, which resulted in a swath of cancelled gigs.Cox thanked fans for their support and goodwill. "We have decided to call it a day," he wrote. "The main reason for this is that I suffered from a stroke in June and unfortunately I do not know when/if I will be well enough to play the guitar again. On behalf of the band I'd like to say a big thank you to anyone who ever came to one of our shows, bought one of our records or danced to one of our songs in a club." The announcement was made the same day their compilation "Singles" was released, with the inside of the rear album art also containing news of the break-up. Upon their split, The Guardian wrote an article entitled "Why music will miss the Long Blondes".

It was reported on 1 December 2008 that Cox was undergoing physiotherapy for his paralysis and is still hoping to get back to playing guitar.

Jackson has been working on her debut solo album with producer and ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. She will be working under the name Madame Ray (after the song on Someone To Drive You Home). Jackson has said that the sound of the album first tended towards country rock but has now become a "big pop record". She released the album 'British Road Movies' in early 2016.

Dorian Cox's new band is called Unmade Bed and have made a number of songs available on-line.

Hollis continues to play in The Bon Bon Club, a band she formed with Louder.Their debut single features three cover versions—"Lullaby" by The Cure, "Love Is Blind" by Pulp and "Romantic Rights" by Death From Above 1979. It was released through Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation on 23 June 2008. The 7" single was limited to 500 copies.

Hollis also plays with Nature Set and their first single 7" has been published by Elefant Records in 2011.

The Long Blondes' songs reflect a number of influences, including 60s pop, Buzzcocks, The Fall, The Ramones, Suede,post-punk and new wave. Jackson's vocals have been compared to Ari Up of The Slits, Deborah Harry of Blondie and Lesley Woods of Au Pairs[citation needed]. Dorian Cox's backing vocals are also similar to those of former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. The music features angular guitars and prominent bass guitar lines. However, the band themselves claim somewhat more eclectic influences than their sound suggests, citing Burt Bacharach, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Chinn and Chapman, and Stock, Aitken and Waterman as influences. The band named some of their actual influences and favourite bands. Chaplin's were The Smiths, Sweet and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Hollis's were Belle and Sebastian, ELO and The Eagles. Cox's were ABBA and The Fall. Louder's were Scott Walker, The Slits and Captain Beaky. Jackson's were The Smiths, The Fall and Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. Screech Louder cited Siouxsie and the Banshees, a group they were likened by the critics.Louder said about them: "[Siouxsie and the Banshees] made much more interesting records than any of the instant hits could manage, and they didn’t run out of ideas after the first few singles. Like Pulp, they’re testament to the power of waiting".

The Long Blondes are known for referencing films, singers, starlets and artists in their music. Screech Louder said that Alfred Hitchcock was a big inspiration when it came to referencing films in their music, he said "the whole film noir thing is very important because it's stylish but there's depth to it as well".

Lyrics

"Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" is a homage to Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo. It has been said[by whom?] that the song is told from Judy's perspective, due to lines such as "When I met you, I never wore dresses like that" & "You can't have me, make me act the same". Lead singer Kate Jackson painted two different portraits for the CD single and 7" Vinyl, they both depicted Kim Novak's characters Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton.[41]

"Darts" mentions British darts player Bobby George and darts commentator Sid Waddell.

"Erin O'Connor" is a homage to Erin O'Connor which also mentions fellow model, Lily Cole. It begins with a line by Ronnie Corbett and David Swift from the BBC play No Sex Please, We're British.

"Five Ways To End It" mentions Carry On star Hattie Jacques and also the producer of the Carry On films, Peter Rogers.

"I Liked The Boys" ends with "Not the most original sentiment I've ever heard, so what's new" which is a line from a radio show by Terry Wogan.[22] Whilst recording the second album, they found an old reel-to-reel radio recording and decided to use parts in some of their songs

"I'm Going To Hell" ends with a line by Peter Sellers.

"Long Blonde" mentions punk band Ramones, one of their influences.

"Lust in the Movies" mentions underground actresses such as 60's socialite and muse, Edie Sedgwick, American actress Arlene Dahl & French actress Anna Karina. Also the repeated line "Nag nag nag" is a reference to the same repeated lyric in the song "Nag Nag Nag" by Sheffield band Cabaret Voltaire.

"Madame Ray" is inspired by Lee Miller, the photographer and muse of avent-garde artist Man Ray.

"Melville Farr" is based on Dirk Bogarde's character in the 1961 British film Victim.

"Never To Be Repeated" references film-star Greta Garbo.

"Only Lovers Left Alive" takes its title from the 1964 science fiction novel by Dave Wallis, and includes the title of 1950s film From Here To Eternity as a lyric.

"Round The Hairpin" begins with a line by British comedian Kenny Everett.

"Swallow Tattoo" has a lyric ("you fill me with inertia") which is a reference to the parody pop band fronted by Peter Cook in Bedazzled.

"You Could Have Both" namechecks American singer Scott Walker. The song also alludes to the Morrissey song "My Love Life".The song also mentions the character of C.C. 'Bud' Baxter from The Apartment

Artwork

Before "Couples" was released, all five members created their own cryptic promo videos "explaining" what the inspiration behind "Couples" was. Jackson explained who inspired the album cover, she found artist Richard Hamilton, videos by ABBA, Lee Miller and Le Corbusier to be the main inspiration.

The two front covers of "Weekend Without Makeup" are paintings of Diana Dors.

The front cover of their debut album Someone To Drive You Home is a painting by Kate Jackson of Faye Dunaway in the film Bonnie and Clyde, with a Mark 3 Ford Cortina as her getaway car.The artwork inside the album sleeve is a painting of Nicolas Cage & Laura Dern in the film Wild At Heart.

The front cover of "New Idols" is a painting of Diana Dors in Yield to the Night.

from their Wikipedia page

Why music will miss the Long Blondes from The Guradian Uk October 21st 2008.

It's hard to sum up just how exciting the Long Blondes were when they started out. I first heard them after they'd released a few singles and they were still without a record deal. Amongst my friends, urging them on to bigger and better things was a cause we felt passionately about. And it wasn't long before the NME had called them the Best Unsigned Band in Britain.Matching the media hype was the fact that those early singles - Giddy Stratospheres, Autonomy Boy, Once and Never Again and Lust in the Movies - were stunning. Unlike anyone else, they seemed to be addressing exactly what suburban teenagers were going through: self harm, bitchy jealousy, social climbing, pretending you were a much cooler film star than the sad sack you actually were. For those of us who couldn't relate to guitar songs that sounded like football chants, these were a revelation. It helped that they looked like a proper pop group. A bunch of ex-librarian mis-shapes and misfits dressed in thrift shop chic straight out of a Pulp song, it was impossible to take your eyes off front-woman Kate Jackson. In the miasma of boys with guitars they were the only band who were mining a wealth of influences often overlooked by the keepers of rock music's "canon" - Blondie, the Ronettes, the Human League, Pulp, John Cooper Clarke and the B-52s - to name just a few. They were often criticised for not being able to play "properly". These people, I thought, were missing the point – in the grand tradition of their heroes the Long Blondes were anti-technique.In fact, their heroic statement of intent on their website read: "We do not listen to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors or Bob Dylan. We chose an instrument each and learnt to play it."None of them were really proper musicians. And unlike all of those perfectly coiffured indie bands who became their peers, they were clearly just a group of friends who wanted to form a band for the fun of it.Also, in an age where most other indie bands' default option was "dumbing down", the Long Blondes weren't afraid to flaunt their high falutin' literary and pop culture influences. Like their beloved Roxy Music, high culture met low culture in their aesthetic. Billy Wilder, Arlene Dahl and Kenny Everett were all lyrical inspirations while their sleeves referenced Bonnie and Clyde, Poor Cow and 50s pulp fiction novels.They produced two great albums (Someone To Drive You Home and Couples), and a pretty weighty stack of classy singles and b-sides (Ten Reasons To End It , Christmas Is Cancelled and Long Blonde to name a few). These, along with their sense of fearlessness (in their music, attitude and look), will be their legacy.

[blueroseblaze]

Question (Nero x Reader)

Request: No

Word count: 2289

Warnings: Reference to sex

Nero had pumped the breaks on the van, causing it to roll to a steady stop. He put the van in park but didn’t turn off the ignition right away, letting the engine purr and the headlights illuminate ahead for just a bit longer. He leaned back in his seat and looked out the windshield.

Nero had driven you both out of the city, not too far, but far enough that the concrete jungle had disappeared behind you. It wasn’t uncommon for calls to come from outside the city, for you to climb in and go for a road trip to the mountains to take care of a particularly nasty demon. And you liked it out there. It was quiet, tranquil, freeing. You wished you could stay out of the city longer.

He had taken you to a certain spot, a lovers lane like road that allowed you to look at the beautiful ocean of lights radiating from the cityscape. You had forgotten about rampages of hell beasts that plagued the city from time to time. From this spot you couldn’t hear the screams or the violence.

He had switched off the van’s engine but left the battery on, so the radio lights still lit up the dashboard. You let the stillness and darkness inside the vehicle embrace you both. While you had no idea what you were doing here, you had to admit it was comfortable, being with Nero sitting in silence. It reminded you of the quiet evenings where you would both just lie in bed together and listen to whatever music you felt like listening to, maybe swapping some stories or jokes too.

But eventually you had to cave.

“Okay, I give up,” you said, “What are we doing here?”

Nero smirked and turned his eyes away from the windshield to look at you.

“Can’t I spend some alone time with the person I love?” He asked.

“Yes, you can. But we normally just hang out in your room. It feels like your planning something and you’re not one to do grand romantic gestures.”

Nero placed his devil breaker on his chest, clutching at his shirt and feigning shock and horror. He wore an overly dramatic look on his face and sucked in a theatrical gasp.

“Why my lady, you wound me!” he cried in an over the top posh accent.

You laughed and reached over to slug him in the arm playfully, he dropped his act and laughed along with you. Your laughter died down and before the silence could turn awkward, Nero reached out and tuned the radio to a slow rock station, he turned the volume down until it the acoustic guitar chords were just background noise. You listened to the lyrics as the artist sang about someone so beautiful, they couldn’t even describe it coherently. You looked at Nero, who swayed his head to the slow rhythm, a soft smile gracing his perfect face. You couldn’t help but smile too.

“I like this song,” he said, his voice hoarse and low, as if he spoke the words before his brain could even produce them.

“Yeah?” you asked. Nero’s tastes normally didn’t run towards sappy love ballads.

“Yeah,” he replied, “It makes me think of you.”

You felt you cheeks heat up and you turned away from him to hide your surprised expression. You reached up and nervously played with your hair, the same way Nero would scratch at his nose when he was nervous or acting shy.

“I think you’re beautiful, (Y/N),” he said. His voice held a matter of fact tone to it, like there was no debate or hint of irony in what he said, yet when you heard it you could feel all the love he felt in his words. You rubbed the back of your neck as you forced yourself to look at him. He was smiling at you, clearly amused by your shyness, but also enamored by you. It was amazing to you how much you could mutually love someone yet still act like a shy lovestruck teenager.

A few more moments of quiet went by, the only sound filling the van was the radio. You felt the cool metal of Nero’s devil breaker caressing the back of your hand to gain your full attention.

“(Y/N), look at me,” he said a tiny bit more stern, just to let you know he really wanted your full attention.

You were finally able to look him in the eyes and you were immediately lost in the beautiful blue irises. When you made eye contact, he seemed to lose all confidence. As he stared into your eyes, every self-assured organized thought seemed to melt together in his head, creating a jumble of emotional sentence fragments barely able to describe how he really felt.

You smiled as he began to stutter through his words. You could see in his face that he was so prepared, so ready to spill what he was feeling. You felt sympathy at the frustrated expression that appeared on his face as you reached to grip the devil breaker in your hand. He froze as he felt you grip his hand and looked back to you. With the opportunity open you seized his face in both your hands and brought him in for a kiss.

Though you had closed your eyes you could sense Nero’s were the size of dinner plate. He stayed stock still as you initiated, moving you lips against his. Eventually he relented. You could feel his whole body relax as he began to kiss you back, his lips moved against yours, opening and closing as he poked out his tongue to tease your lips.

He moved his hands up your arms, pulling you closer to him. Although it was awkward with the open space between the front seats. He did let that stop him, as he blindly reached for your seat belt buckle and loosening it. With your upper body freed he was able to wrap an arm around your waist and pull you close, almost sitting in his lap. His mouth never left yours, your lips still dancing together in a sensual harmony as both your bodies began to heat up. His tongue fought against yours and neither of you could help the soft moans that escaped you.

You removed one of your hands from his face and moved it to tug down at his shirt, your finger twisting around his necklace. Unsatisfied with the progress there you moved your hand to underneath his coat, resting it on his shoulder briefly before trying to push it off his body.

You felt Nero smiled against your mouth and give a breathy chuckled when he realized what you were trying to do. He pulled his lips away from your, but he didn’t pull away entirely. His nose still brushed against your and pressed your foreheads together, eyes perfectly at level.

“Do you remember how pissed Nico was when she found out what we did in the back a few months ago?” he asked smugly and slightly out of breath from the kiss.

You couldn’t help but giggle at his question as you remembered Nico finding an abandoned pair of panties on the floor of the van along with a few condom wrappers. Nero – being the cheeky little shit he was – tried to pocket your underwear as a sort of trophy, much to your annoyance, only to have them fall out of his jacket pocket when you two dressed and left the van. You both thought you had been so sneaky. Eventually Nico found out and forbade sex in the van from that day onward.

“Yes,” you replied.

“Maybe we shouldn’t incur her wrath again,” he said, “Besides, that’s not why I drove you out here.”

“Did you finally realize I was an undercover demon and we’re here for you to shoot me under cover of night?” you joked.

Nero laughed again as he pulled you in tighter and lounged against his seat. Not the most comfortable position in the world but as you rested your head against his shoulder you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

“Don’t joke like that,” he chastised.

“Then why are we here?” you asked.

Nero took a deep breath as he looked around the van again, you could tell he was trying really hard not to lose his cool again.

“(Y/N),” he started, “We’ve been together for a long time and we’ve been through a lot. At first, I didn’t think anyone would want to put up with the shit I do but you not only put up with it but you’re actively a part of it. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He paused for a moment, but you didn’t say a word.

“And I’m glad that you’re in my life,” he continued, “And I’m glad I’m in yours, and there’s only one way I can think of to really make sure it stays that way.”

You looked at him incredulously, wondering where he was going with this.

He gestured his head toward the passenger side, and you followed his gaze.

“Open the glove compartment,” he said.

You separated from him and settled back into your seat to reach for the glove compartment. You opened it and stared into the piled of papers and trinkets that were thrown in there over time. You began to rifle through the junk as you felt Nero’s eyes on you.

“What am I looking for?” you asked still raking through the expired vehicle registrations.

“You’ll know…” he said cryptically.

You rolled your eyes at his response and continued digging. After pushing away more junk you felt your fingers brush against a small velvet object. You grabbed it and pulled out the little thing. You looked at what you soon realized was a small box. You held it with both hands as the realization slowly set in. You looked to Nero, who silently urged you to open it.

Almost shakenly, you opened the hinged box and gasped when you saw the silver banded ring inside. You instantly recognized the ring in the box. It was one of Nero’s old silver rings that he had stopped wearing a while ago. When you had asked what had happened to it, he brushed you off and said it was damaged and he took it to a shop to repair it.

Even though you knew it was his it was wildly different. The Order insignia was gone, shaves off and replaces with an intricate carving that expanded all over the band. Gracing the top was a milky white gemstone. You had no idea what it was. A quartz, maybe opal? You didn’t know but you didn’t care either. You marveled at how the stone shined even in the dim light.

You peeled your eyes away from the box and back to Nero, who you realized was staring at you this entire time. He had a genuinely sweet smile on his face and an overall expectant look with a hint of concern and anxiousness.

“You like it?” he asked, “I was worried that just changing the size of one of my own rings was just cheap, so I wanted to make it extra special.”

You said nothing, still speechless as the conclusions you made in your head started to become vindicated.

“Try it on,” Nero urged.

With shaking hands, you carefully pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it on your left ring finger. It fit perfectly and gave you the opportunity to really admire the ring. You could even see the cut lines where the ring was resized.

You were too busy marveling at the ring to notice Nero slip his left hand around yours. The warmth of his real hand in yours finally made you break, and you felt tears prickle at the corners of you eyes. Nero wrapped his other hand around your, encasing your hand in the warm embrace of his. His fingers squeezed your hand tightly as you looked into his eyes again.

“You were right,” he said, “I’m not one for grand sweeping gestures, so I won’t go on a huge speech again. I just have one question.”

All you could do was nod your head slightly.

“(Y/N), will you marry me?”

You felt the tears finally roll down your cheeks as you lunged at him from your seat, locking your arms around his neck sending his back into the drivers side door. You happily sobbed into his neck repeating, “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” over and over again.

Nero laughed out loud at your response and returned your embrace, wrapping both his arms around your back, holding you tightly to his chest. He hugged you while planting kisses all over the side of your neck and your cheek. He rocked you both back and forth as you continued laughing and crying with joy.

Soon you pulled away, your cheeks still hurting from smiling so hard and wet from your happy tears. You leaned into Nero’s hand when he reached to wipe them away with his thumb. Only for him to pull you into another kiss, this one more chaste and quick but still just as passionate.

You smiled at each other, both of you admiring the others beauty.

After what felt like an eternity going by in seconds, Nero settled back into his seat and you into yours. You leaned over resting your head on his shoulder as he restarted the ignition and put the van into reverse. He stroked your hair as the two of you pulled away from your spot and started the drive back home. Both of you smiling like dope the whole way.

A/N: So pretty much everyone wanted to see the fluff when I asked what people wanted to see. Might make a part 2 if people like this one but we’ll see. Hope you all liked it, I know its a little long but I’m a stickler for details. Thanks for reading and I love and appreciate feedback :)

[theexecutionerssong]

I’ve been seeing things about Eroda and fans have been obviously screaming about how genius it is him making up a whole island but someone made a comment how this is nothing compared to what twenty one pilots did. And im just curious if you know anything about that? I tried to look for what they were talking about but didnt find anything.

Oh my god I can’t begin to start explaining this what with how sick I am but I guess it’s about DEMA. Tyler created an entire dystopic world filled with all his doubts and insecurities personified by various characters (the bishops) and they’ve been leaving clues about the entire thing since Blurryface - some argue it started with Vessels or even earlier but I’m not convinced those were clues, more like Tyler looked back on what he had done and made it fit - in lyrics, in music videos - especially heavydirtysoul, Jumpsuit, Levitate and Nico and the Niners - hidden on their website through cryptic web adresses, gifs that would appear and disappear randomly… The Trench era introduced the people who could help him escape DEMA, aka the banditos - his family, his friends, the clique… It’s mad genius. I think there are actually videos breaking it all down on youtube, just look up DEMA Twenty One Pilots and you’ll find them. What Harry is doing is still mindblowing but yeah, TOP has been stringing us along with this DEMA thing for years and we still haven’t figured it all out.

[princess-of-luxure]

Half Hearted

A mysterious stranger rescues you from an untimely demise at the hand of some Qliphoth roots. Over the course of the ensuing month, a whirlwind romance quickly develops—only to be snatched away just as quickly.

Some things aren't meant to last.

Fandom: Devil May Cry Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: V (Devil May Cry)/Reader Characters: V (Devil May Cry), Griffon (Devil May Cry) Content Warnings: Blood, Background Character Death, Near-Death Experiences

Written for day two of whumptober as the tags say, prompt was 'Explosion.' I, uh... I'll admit the prompt only looses relates to what actually ended up being the whump in this fic, but uh, technically it was inspired by the prompt, so good enough. 

Fic under read more.

When the infernal tree had first invaded Redgrave City, many of your family members and friends had fled. That was probably the wise thing to do, you mused as you picked your way through rubble and debris, the best way to keep safe. You had seen what the demonic roots did to their victims, and it was far from a pretty sight; a nightmarish vision that you were sure would be burned into your memory for the rest of your life.

Still, you found you couldn’t leave with the others, a soul far too kind and compassionate for its own good tying you to the ruined city. You may have had a chance to run, but others were not so fortunate. Your heart bled to think of those who were alive but trapped, who, without outside assistance, had no hope of escape. True, death by the tree’s roots was an unpleasant way to go, but at least it was over quickly. Death by starvation, dehydration, infection and who knows what else… such a fate was not so kind.

Today saw you combing through the ruins of what you believed might have once been a church. You had never spared much of a thought to religion, but you wondered how many people were praying desperately even now to a God that seemed deaf to their pleads. You couldn’t imagine putting so much faith into a belief that was anything but concrete, but whatever gave people their hope; it was scarce these days.

You were violently snapped out of your thoughts when you saw a small pool of blood trickling from out behind a pillar. It looked fresh, and with a gasp, you ran to check the source. Sure enough, a middle-aged woman was collapsed against it, her life draining from her through an uncountable amount of gouges in her skin, chunks of flesh completely torn away.

Hands trembling, you fell to your knees besides the woman, blood soaking your pants as you reached into your bag for your first-aid kit. You knew it was a futile attempt right from the start, that she was practically already dead, but you’d be damned if you didn’t try. “What happened to you?” you whispered as you worked at bandaging up her stomach, which seemed to be where most of the blood was coming from.

“Demons…” the woman rasped, the action causing even more red from dribble from the corner of her mouth. “You… should…” You didn’t hear the end of her sentence as her head lolled forth onto her chest. Cursing under your breath, you placed two fingers against the pulse point in her neck—nothing, as expected.

You drew back from the body, shaking your head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” you whispered. “Rest in peace.”

You stood in silence for a moment as you debated what to do now. It didn’t take long for you to decide that you couldn’t just leave the corpse lying around to become a demon’s next meal, so with great effort, you dragged it up and slung one of its arms around your shoulders, beginning to drag it towards the exit to the church. You were well aware that this literal dead weight made you a sitting duck if any devils decided you looked like a tasty snack, but what else could you do?

As it turned out, demons should’ve been the least of your worries. Before you could make it more than a few steps, the ground heaved underfoot, and the architecture around you, which was barely standing in the first place, shuddered and collapsed, the dust and debris settling with a note of finality. You were trapped.

The nightmare hardly ended there. From underneath the rubble, a writhing mass of the infernal roots emerged, their razor sharp tips glinting as they sought out new prey, fresh blood. Sought out you.

You couldn’t stop the scream that was torn from your throat as you dropped the body you were carrying, backing up frantically only to slip on a slick patch of blood. You slammed your eyes shut as you crashed to the ground, throwing your arms up to shield your head and curling into fetal position as if that could save you from your imminent death.

A primal growl filled your ears, followed by a wet squelch. You didn’t know what was happening and you didn’t dare to look, but after a few seconds, it finally registered with you that you were alive. There was no burning pain, at least, so—so you had to be alive, unless the screaming of the tree’s other victims had misled you. Somehow, you didn’t think that was it.

“Ey Shakespeare, this one’s alive!” a strange voice cawed from above. Cawed? You cracked your eyes open to see the weirdest bird you’d ever seen in your life fluttering in front of you. You were not sure how it made human sounds with its three be—oh shit, this was a demon.

“Do not fear.” You turned your head to see a man perhaps equally as strange as the demonic bird approach you, hair as black as the ink that swirled across his body, green eyes bright as he took you in. Behind him, you could see the roots turning to ash and crumbling. “We mean you no harm.”

We? He must’ve have been referring to himself and the bird. And… the cat, apparently, noticing what appeared to be a panther stalking into your peripheral view. You got the idea that, just like the bird, it was far from an ordinary animal.

The mysterious stranger followed your gaze and chuckled. “Cat got your tongue, it seems,” he remarked, before extending a tattooed hand to you. Still partially in shock, you took it, allowing him to help you to your feet. “Are you quite alright?”

A million questions swirled around in your mind instead of any sort of coherent answer. A human that kept company in the form of demons… Without permission, you found yourself blurting out, “Who are you?”

Your savior blinked in surprise, then a slow smile spread across his features, containing trace hints of a smirk. It made him look devastatingly handsome, and despite your situation, you felt your breath catch and your heart skip a beat. Surely no man on Earth could look this pretty, and yet here this stranger stood before you, looking like some kind of fallen angel. You almost didn’t catch his response. “You can call me V.”

V. Just one singular letter, and it only served to add to his entrancing mystery. Now that the shock of your near-death experience was starting to wear off, you could—

“Hey, get it together, lovebirds!” the devil bird interjected, cackling as it received an irritated glare from V. “I dunno if you’ve noticed, but this is no place for chitchat!”

V sighed, extending an arm for his… pet? Companion? Friend? to perch on. “Griffon is unfortunately correct—”

“Hey, what do you mean, unfortunately?!”

V continued as though he hadn’t heard the outburst. “We must leave this place, post-haste.”

“How?” You glanced around once more to confirm what you already knew. The exits were all blocked, clogged by the initial destruction caused by the roots emerging. “There’s no way out.”

V gave you a cryptic smile. Like every other expression he made, it caused the wings of a thousand butterflies to beat frantically in your stomach. “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.” Before you could question what the hell that meant, V snapped his fingers. You could only watch in fascination as the color seemed to drain from his hair, leaving mystical white locks in its wake.

You nearly leapt out of your skin as there was a booming crash behind you. Turning, you found a hulking monstrosity of the slime variety had just broken through one of the clogged exits, clearing a path.

Looking back to V, you found he was smirking again. Goddammit, that smirk was going to be the death of you, the curve of those pretty lips… Once again, you almost missed his next words. “Shall we?” His hand was extended to you again, this time not a necessary help but an invitation. A choice.

An invitation you would be a fool not to accept, a choice that was easily made. You carefully slipped your fingers through his. “We shall.”

The look he gave you, full of wonder and intrigue, would have been reward enough. If V had departed after rescuing you here, it would have been disappointing, but it would have been enough.

He didn’t. He didn’t leave, vanishing into the night as with so many romantic stories of handsome saviors. V stayed.

And that was more than enough.

Until it wasn’t.

~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~

“There is a smile of love, And there is a smile of deceit, And there is a smile of smiles In which these two smiles meet.”

A month had passed since V had rescued you from the Qliphoth’s bloodthirsty roots. After introducing you to his friends, the devil hunter Nero and the mechanic Nico, you had quickly fallen into a routine, and these days when you scoured the city for survivors, you had a rude bird, silent cat and a beloved emo poet to watch your back. Not that you’d ever called V an emo poet to his face, of course—it was an inside joke between you and Griffon.

With each day that passed, the bond between you and V only grew deeper and stronger. It started off innocently enough, furtive glances and secretive smiles that were laden with meaning. As time flew by, it became open, longing looks, touches that lingered a second too long, earnest conversation throughout the night, and Griffon shrieking for the two of you to leave room for Jesus, until it culminated in falling onto the couch together with a trembling, hesitant meeting of lips.

It was bliss. In the weeks that followed you were both subjected to endless snark from your companions, but it hardly bothered you. Why should it, when you were lucky enough to be able to call the embodiment of perfection yours?

Today found you laying with your head in V’s lap, his slender fingers carding through your hair as he read aloud to you from his book of poetry. His dulcet tones filled your mind like a pleasant fuzz, leaving you dazed and floating in the realm between dreams and wakefulness.

You didn’t notice he had stopped reading until he spoke, gently brushing a thumb over your cheek. “Are you awake, my love?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Mm.” You fluttered your eyes open, greeted by the ever wonderful sight of your partner’s breathtaking smile, laced with hints of a smirk as it had been on the day you met. You had grown to love that smile, that almost-smirk. “Depends on if you’re going to go back to reading.”

V chuckled, a low sound that was more melodious than any bird song to you. His hand slipped to cradle the back of your head as he drew you in for a sweet kiss, a heavenly thing that left your lips tingling and bliss permeating your every sense of being. Kissing V was and would always be your favorite pleasure, always leaving you chasing more of that heady feeling. His kisses were more intoxicating than any alcohol, and if the last thing you ever felt was V’s warm lips upon yours, well, that would be just fine.

“Though nothing would bring me greater pleasure…” He was speaking again. Damn, you really needed to stop with the zoning out over him. “...I’m afraid I have a mission to see through.”

That caught your attention. Blinking, you sat up, studying his expression. “I’ll come with you,” you began to say, but V was already shaking his head.

“As much as I enjoy your company, this mission would be too dangerous for you, I’m afraid. I must go after Urizen.” Urizen. The demon responsible for ruining Redgrave City. The demon responsible for you meeting V. “He has been left unattended for far too long, and time is a luxury we can no longer afford.”

V stood and you did the same, chewing on your inner lip as your partner retrieved his cane. “Be safe, V,” you murmured, an almost pleading quality to your tone. “You’ll come home, won’t you?”

There’s a melancholy look in emerald eyes, and only you would notice the way his grip subtly tightened on his cane. “Of course, my love,” he replies softly, and as he steps out into the daylight and out of your sight, leaving you alone with nothing but the anxiety that gnaws at your gut, you think he might be lying.

(He does return, months later, but his features and expressions are unfamiliar to you and the name he calls himself—Vergil—is a stranger’s.)

[cristiancapulet]

And so it begins | [Capulet Para]

Who: Cris, Leo and Mel Capulet

What: Cristian invites his coworkers to a private meeting in his office Friday afternoon to enlist them in a top secret privately launched investigation into Lord Oz’s case, theorizing he was not truly at fault and might have been framed. 

Where: Cristian’s office at the Capulet estate

When: Friday, October 25th. 

Cristian spent the week musing Lord Tybalt's request and how best to approach it-- as well as to what extent both Leo and Mel should know of the head's involvement. How to spin the story. When Friday afternoon approached he was almost relieved, curious what the other two would make of the idea and if they would be supportive or not.. Not that there was much choice, of course. Whether stated directly or not, it was expected of them. "Leo. Mel. Thank you for joining me-- please take a seat," he requested as his coworkers appeared at the entrance to his office.  The two chairs kept off to the side of his desk by a small coffee table had been moved in front of it to make it easier addressing them both. It was rare he had more than one visitor, let alone someone for an extended period of time. "Make sure to shut the door tight behind you... And lock it."

As the day and time of the meeting approached, Leo felt his curiosity rise as to what this meeting could be about. Arriving at Cristian’s office, he allowed Mel to enter before him with a small greeting before closing and locking the door behind them, checking quickly to make sure the door could not be opened before making his way to one of the empty chairs. There was a sense of relief that at least the two other people in this room were two he felt were trustworthy. He had already figured out that whatever was going to be discussed was incredibly private, and didn’t have to worry about the other people involved. With that, he unbuttoned his suit jacket as he sat down and his eyes landed on Cristian. “Now you’ve got us here,” Leo began, “I’m curious to know what it is you’ve brought us here for that requires us to lock the door.”

Mel hadn't been sure what to think about Cristian's cryptic request. It was relatively out of character for him and she couldn't stop the creeping fear that he was going to be breaking some bad news to her that he thought would screw her up for the rest of the day. When she arrived and saw Leo there too, the anxiety dissipated into a more suspicious confusion. What on earth would require both of them and for so long? The request to lock the door only increased the suspicious confusion at what was to come as Mel settled in a chair. She didn't bother to reiterate Leo's question, instead just looking at Cristian to see what he would say.

“I feel the need to preface this meeting with the disclaimer— everything said, including my words now— are to be repeated to no one. Everything spoke here is completely confidential. That means nobody— including in the family— not even Lord Tybalt. And especially no members of the watch,” Cristian warned, turning his gaze from Leo to Mel. “If this is going to be an issue, please speak up now. Otherwise I will presume you understand and consent to this level of secrecy. It is... necessary in order to discuss the matter.”

When Cristian began speaking Leo simply listened until he finished. Secrecy was something that had come along with all of his previous jobs since he was in the military. If he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut about the things that he was going to do, did do, and the people he had worked for when necessary then he wouldn't have been able to have the success in his careers that he had. Once Cristian finished speaking Leo shrugged slightly and said, "That should be easy enough for me. I have no problem keeping quiet about things."

Mel's suspicious gaze only intensified as Cristian started to speak. Something so secret they couldn't tell anyone in the family? And she was being explicitly told to keep this from Nico? She trusted Cristian not to ask anything completely insane of her - but then the city had gone insane so she wasn't sure exactly who to trust. "Exactly how illegal are we talking with this thing I'm potentially not supposed to talk about? Is this covering up a murder level illegal or is this more family secrets you don't want spread around?"

Cristian mused over the comment, lips pulled into a thin line. “You can’t tell your Dom about this if that’s what you’re concerned over... this is not covering up an illegal murder, no, but it’s not far off. I may make... questionable requests that will need to be kept a secret and will involve you taking potential legal risks though. Is that going to be a problem, Mel?”

Leo looked from Cristian to Mel. He could understand why someone might be hesitant but he had complete trust that Cristian wouldn’t ask something like this out of him unless it were important. He was also far too curious to turn back now. So, instead he relaxed back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other so that his ankle rested on his knee, as he watched for Mel’s answer to Cristian’s question.

Mel bit her lip and thought about it. Keeping a secret from Nico that sounded to be big would be...hard. Their relationship meant a lot to her, and the riots had only reinforced that. On the other hand, she knew Cristian wouldn't ask that unless it was important. If he was doing this, Lord Tybalt was involved in some way even if it wasn't official - and she owed too much to Lord Tybalt to forget that. Plus as selfish as it was, if she didn't know her curiosity was going to kill her. So. She'd just have to see if she could deal. "I'm in. It'll be tough, but I'll figure it out." She just hoped those wouldn't be on the list of 'famous last words'.

“Good,” Cristian replied almost immediately, though he silently hoped Mel was being honest and he wouldn’t later regret her involvement. He relaxed back in his chair, moving to address them both. “Now rather than beat around the bush, I’m certain both of you are fairly caught up on the entire proceedings of Oz’s trial from a few weeks ago, yes? I’m curious to hear your overall thoughts regarding the incident and the verdict. And please— don’t withhold anything. Speak openly. This is, after all, confidential.”

Once everyone seemed to be on the same page, Leo listened as Cristian began to speak, nodding with regard to the question of being caught up about Oz’s trial. He was surprised, however, to have Cristian ask them to speak about their overall thoughts. However, Leo answered after a moment, “Well, I’d been gone for quite some time, so I feel as though perhaps I don’t know him as well as others do, and therefore have no right to truly judge with regard to character. Still, I think it all seems very odd. I, personally, thought that things would inevitably go in his favor... but they didn’t.” It had all felt off in a way, but what did Leo know, really. He just assumed that he was missing something important from the trial, the whole judiciary system wasn’t his forte. However, after reading everything, speaking with Lucio had really made an impact on how Leo had felt over it all. It had caused him to look on Oz in a much more sympathetic light. In the end he didn’t really know how to put his thoughts into words, and so, left it at what he’d said.

"It stinks," Mel said bluntly. "If Oz had actually committed the murder, he'd have had a clean up crew through there and an alibi 10 Montagues deep so that the Watch looked like idiots for even trying to implicate him. He's too smart to be caught up in a case so...clumsy." Which seemed like a callous way to talk about a murder, but they weren't talking about that. They were talking about the trial and that was easier to be clinical about. "Not saying that he can't ever make mistakes, but like. During the year of the decree, he nearly rail roaded all 12 couples to be Montague Doms and Capulet submissives, and it happened so smoothly most of us didn't see it until he was close to winning. He's an asshole and he's guilty of a lot of shit I'm sure, but I don't buy that he's guilty of this one." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "Plus. I don't know. He just seemed...sad."

“Yes, well, most people in his situation would likely appear sad, guilty or not,” Cristian replied back calmly, not at all surprised to see it was Mel who became more passionate about his question. It assured him somewhat of her investment in what he was asking of them. “You’re not alone in your doubts though. That doubt is specifically why you’re here— why you’re both here,” he explained. “Lord Tybalt and I both also found the entire case... for lack of a  better word— well— lacking. It isn’t to say the Watch did a poor job, so much as we believe someone else did an excellent job, and that there’s a decent chance Lord Oz is innocent. Certainly not of numerous other crimes of his, but at very least of murdering Rosemund Reed. Now of course, that opinion is not to leave this room. Like everything else said... this is off the record. But while both of us would love to see the man rot in prison, seeing him go down for a charge he did not commit... doesn’t sit well with us. So we intend to launch our own investigation into the case. One funded entirely by our own means,” he continued. Not that the family had much funding— but then again, that was why they were only involving family. Mel and Leo were already on payroll, and there would be no hired help that ran up bills. That, and for the sake of privacy. “In order for there to be any chance of success, however, it will require both of you as well.”

Somehow, Cristian’s plans didn’t surprise Leo. He sat quietly, listening to everything, waiting for when the submissive was finished speaking before he said anything. “Do we have any idea of where to start? Is there anything that gives us any clue as to which direction to go with this investigation, or are starting from scratch?” In truth, Leo just wanted to know where they stood in terms of knowledge. It would be easier to formulate a plan if he knew where they were so far.

Mel listened intently as Cristian started to outline what this was actually about. In a way, it was a relief. She knew why he said some of this might be questionable now, and it was likely she would have to stretch her own rigid code of ethics to be part of this investigation. But at the same time, he was right. If Oz didn't do this crime, it meant someone else had and had made it look like Oz. Which meant this was something a whole lot bigger that needed to be put right. That, she could agree with. Besides, this was going to be the biggest tech challenge of her life, so how could she pass it up? She waited to hear Cristian's answer to Leo's question even as her own brain started to tick through some of the various possibilities.

“We have what’s been released to the public thus far regarding the court cases,” Cristian admitted, lips curling into a slight frown. “Unfortunately not much else to begin with. “The question though is— presuming this is a cover up— who would want to frame Oz— and why now of all times. He’s committed numerous crimes on his own over the years... So why Rosemund and why now. Whomever it was was keeping a close eye on him or had someone doing it. Perhaps we could start with the witnesses interviewed and loose more closely at their cases and who these people are outside of the court room... That, or else try for more details from his family members. Try to find a motive and what may have changed over the past year aside from the decree being fulfilled. Something else has to have been going on,” Cristian suggested. “Leo, for you this means looking into some backgrounds and likely some legwork.. Mel... I know you’re talented, so this means digging up more data than just what’s public. Anything at all you can find or access— if either of you require additional resources of any form at any time, you can come to me with those needs.”

So they didn't have very much to go on. Leo had a feeling that his own family members wouldn't have much else to share that wasn't already in Oz's favor. But they had to start somewhere. Looking into the backgrounds for people would be simple enough. He had ways of finding out information, if there was anything else to be had that they didn't already know. With a nod, "Of course. Is there anyone, or anywhere in particular that you're wanting me to start? Or should I just make up my own mind with that?" He turned to look at Mel, "And I may need some help with a thing or two... but I'll let you know if we come to that."

"The decree being fulfilled and the Romanos coming to town," Mel added almost absently as she started to think through the problem as it had been presented to her. She might be able to access the full testimonies at least with some strategic information hunting which would give her a better place to go. Who knows? Maybe it was time to test if she could actually stack up to the Montague tech security. At Leo's direct question she refocused back in. "Hm? Yeah, just let me know and I can tell you how possible it is and how much time it'll take."

Cristian's lips curled into a faint frown. Jumping to conclusions was one concern of his involving individuals who werent trained for this type of work. "Be mindful of your thoughts Mel, and try to remember we must consider all possibilities here... The last thing we can afford is chasing false leads or making up our own. Yes the decree was fulfilled and new individuals settled into Verona, however, last I checked there wasn't any evidence of a motive for the latter to want this done with Oz, nor should the decree have any impact on them," he addressed in a rather parental tone. "Perhaps they do have something to do with it, but for all we know if someone did frame him, it could be someone within our very family-- or a Montague just as well, looking for a shift in power. Or even, perhaps a third party not known. We must consider all possibilities. Understood?"

Mel’s thoughts had Leo’s mind sifting through possibilities. He knew better, he’d been around enough corruption, and closed door plotting to know that every single option couldn’t be taken off the table until it was completely cleared. Maybe there was nothing to what she said, but it was still an avenue to be explored later on. He remained silent as he compiled a mental checklist of all the possibilities for who might have motives against the former head of the Montague family, and frowned as he realized that list was likely a rather long one. He merely nodded at what Cristian said, not needing to add anything else to what had been said.

Cristian's criticism had Mel refocusing. "What? I wasn't saying that they did. You were just saying stuff that had changed, and the Romanos arriving is a big thing for the city. It's not that often that new aristocracies rise up out of nowhere. But I know how important it is to be thorough. Especially with something like this." What they were doing was insane enough that she wasn't going to rush to any conclusions. But it was a reminder that she would need to bite her tongue even around Cristian. He was bound to be balancing a lot since he was coordinating whatever this was. But that parental tone made her want to sass him back. Which she tried to suppress. Now really wasn't the time.

One eyebrow rose in response to Mel's defensive tone, not wholly convinced but knowing he had little choice at this point than to trust Mel, and that now was not the time to make mountains out of molehills. "Very well," he responded after a beat, sighing. "Are there any questions as to steps moving forward? Currently we will need to do some digging... look for leads. Nobody is to hear word of your activities, and anything you find is to immediately be reported directly to me. Discussions regarding updates in findings should be through secure means online or in the privacy of our own offices here at the estate. You may work with each other of course, however, as a reminder Lord Tybalt is not involved with our investigation. He is for all intents and purposes to remain publicly opposed to Lord Oz and accepting of the court's ruling."

It was true, what Mel said. Despite the fact that she hadn't intended to point a finger at the Romano family, Leo knew that as unlikely as it might be, all options had to remain open. That included their own family, which he certainly hoped it didn't turn out to be. The fact that Cristian was warning them about keeping everything quiet seemed unnecessary where he was concerned, and he merely nodded along. He understood the severity of what could happen if word got out that they were doing any of this. Fortunately for him, the only to people he would even care to speak to about this were in the room with him. "I have no questions now, but I'll come to you later if I do. I'm sure that once I've had time to think about things, questions will come up. Can't exactly be prepared with all the appropriate things to ask when you don't know what's coming." He would ask Cristian later if anything came to mind, but for now he needed time to consider where to begin with his new task.

"Nope, no real questions." Until she had a better sense of what had actually happened during the trial, she wouldn't know what leads would be viable. She looked at Leo for a moment, before mentally shrugging. At least the three of them could bounce ideas off of each other, and she and Leo had already been working together so closely no one would find anything to comment on in that. "If it works for you, I'm going to start by disconnecting one of the computers in my office from the main server and setting it up with its own password the three of us. It won't be totally impossible to trace stuff back to us as we're using it, but it'll make it harder to connect. I'll have that set by tomorrow."

Cristian nodded, surprised by Mel's comment and actually finding himself somewhat relieved. Those were the types of ideas he needed right now and why he'd found it so valuable to work with the two of them. While he wasn't sure if they'd find the proof needed, he was hopeful if anyone would, it would be the three of them... And perhaps whomever else was needed along the way. "Very well then. I trust you both to be discrete, but yes--  we need to start taking action immediately," he reaffirmed. "That should be all we need to cover for now.. I will follow up with you both when the time comes for us to reconvene together, but until then please take all precautions for none of this to leak out and alert me immediately to any leads as they come forward. "

[shiftereris]

I posted 5,342 times in 2022

That's 5,215 more posts than 2021!

1,349 posts created (25%)

3,993 posts reblogged (75%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@insaneillusionist

@multifandomsoup

@fandomsnfrogs

@cryptic-coven-scout

@max-the-hecker

I tagged 2,481 of my posts in 2022

#the owl house - 446 posts

#toh - 408 posts

#shiftereris - 229 posts

#toh hunter - 171 posts

#hunter toh - 168 posts

#danny phantom - 154 posts

#toh spoilers - 135 posts

#ghost boy - 126 posts

#hunter wittebane - 122 posts

#pjo - 122 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#imagine if luz sometimes slouches a little lower than normal sometimes because of that muscle memory for when king used to perch on her back

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Wes: Phantom.

Danny: yeah?

wes: So you are Phantom, you did respond to it.

Danny: Oh, sorry. Thought you said 'Fenton'

272 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

#4

More PJO headcanons

Once Annabeth was really tired and she saw a spider in her cabin. She killed it with Lysol.  Her sibling still have no idea that happened and are/were confused why the cabin smelled like chemicals

Bast definetly had issues with Anubis, a 5 thousand were old, dating Sadie, a 13 year old

If a camper is curious what a pegasus is saying, they’ll ask Percy to translate. If the pegasus swore, then Percy will do his best to censor the translation (depends on campers age)

Every year, on Jason’s birthday, Piper and Leo go to his grave to put Jason’s favourite flower down with a poem and some updates on either life or their friends

The 7 (plus Nico and Reyna) really like Sally’s cooking/baking

Percy once hid some blue cookies his mom made from his friends, jsut so the cookies wouldn’t be gone in 60 minutes or less

Piper crochets on her free-time

Piper once gave Annabeth a crocheted bee because she felt like it

Drew likes plants

Will likes brownies

A camper once gave Rachel more paint and a canvas either for her birthday or because they thought it’d make a good start to friendship

At least one camper is intimidated by Rachel since she’s the oracle

Leo tried to bake a chocolate cake once, it ended up tasting like pure vanilla since he misread ‘a cap of vanilla extract’ as ‘a cup of vanillia extract’

316 notes - Posted April 13, 2022

#3

Despite Hunter’s last words to Flap being an angry order, I’m gonna say Flapjack knew it wasn’t really Hunter saying it.

401 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#2

King: hey angry blond.

Hunter: pardon?

King: I'd like to say, I'm the titan and I indeed have big plans for you

Hunter:

King, grabing cookies and blankets: i'm adopting you as my brother. Here!

450 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

PJO Headcanon(s?):

Annabeth’s near sighted

Percy makes the best hot chocolate

For some unknown reason (even to her) Annabeth always smells like coffee

Leo’s allergic to peanuts

Piper had to have braces

Jason once lost his weapon so he resorted to biting the monster (raised by wolves)

When children of Zeus/Jupiter are a bit upset, a mini personal storm cloud appears above their head

Nico often has to remind Will to take a break once in a while

Will has a southern accent that usually comes out when he’s feeling a strong emotion

Either Nico, WIll, or Leo accidentally taught a younger camper how to swear and just went: It’s their sibling’s problem now

Piper bakes on her freetime

Will bakes when stressed

Nico bakes when tense

Percy bakes whenever

Annabeth doesn’t like baking too much but will if she wants.

498 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[edenial]

I've fallen behind... what the heck is going in with twenty one pilots?? Did something new happen? I know about the tower and basically all about the first update whenever that happened, can't remember, but I know nothing about the newest stuff

okay you need to catch up on a lot, let me tell you and link you everthing you need to know

so, first thing you need to know is that the eye closed in 7 pictures, and that in each update there is something corallating to the lyrics in those pictures.

we have now had 6 updates. the pictures of the eye closing were published on the 6th of july last year, and since music releases by fueled by ramen tend to be on fridays (and would you look at that this friday is the 6th of july what a coincidence right) i just went ahead and assumed that we’re gonna get the seventh update this friday.

the first was finding the site : you’ll have to come and find me

the second was the clancy letter “you’re still sleeping” : my pretty sleeper

the third was a cheetah gif: the eye pic was a slowtown lyric, and the song also has the lyrics “we’re going too fast” i mean you see where im going with this

the forth clue was the title of the photo of 21 men “not my only friend”: the lyrics were from truce

the fifth one was the gif of a vulture (not actually blinking): nobody dreams when they blink

the sixth is associated with the first sentence in clancys double-sided poem “a lifeless light surrounds us each night” : remember the morning is when night it dead

the seventh being and now i just sit in silence, i assume silence is gonna be the name for a single or the album itself because of the reasons i wrote on my post.

I’m gonna put the keep reading thing here because this post will be a bitch to scroll past. so many things to talk about, so buckle tf up.

so yeah, this is the basic structure of these hints and updates. between these main hints we got a lot of cryptic clues, huge dog-bones and reward-treats.

you already know about the first clue which was finding the site.

after that we got an update on the site with the letter from clancy. some words had letters that were missing, which spelled out “you’re still sleeping”, hence the my pretty sleeper lyric. this basically means the eyes still closed i guess, no biggie.

the third was this wonderful cheetah gif code-named 3lurr

people have found that in 2012 the TOP twitter posted this:

so obviously the cheetah has a meaning here. as people tried to find out what this gif was about they also figured out where its from. It’s from a movie called “Duma”. Yeah, Duma, like Dema. mind. blown. i know.  and it’s about this boy that finds a baby cheetah. Turns out Duma is also a Russian council set up by Nicholas II. (*ahem* Nico). Isn’t it amazing when things fit in like a pre-planned puzzle?

names are very central here since you probably know the 9 names in the middle of the dema map from the first update. the next person we’ll talk about is andré weil.

André Weil is the guy cropped out of the photo of the little kid. He’s a french  mathematician. He basically invented the Ø with 9 people. 9 bishops, 9 circles, 9 mathematicians.. you see what I’m digging into here? Also, the null sign (null means Zero) means absence, empty (aka silence? no?)

P.S: this dude also claimed that he “mathematically proved that God is real”. and as if all of this was planned for years, he worked on the concept of uniform space (SILENCE GIVES YOU SPACE) and stuff with a dude named Nicholas Bourbaki. yep, another Nico.

Something about this guy named Nico, (which then turned out to also be in a song title: Nico and the Niners - remember those 9 guys i just mentioned?) keeps appearing everywhere. In the cheetah gif 3lurr we talked about there have been letters literally moving too fast. when someone slowed it down they found it said “You still don’t know his name do you?” and “Nico Nico” (Nicholas II. remember?). Idk what other people think but i think this might be about the narrator of this album (clancy) and his adversary (nico) maybe? Like tyler and blurry where Nico is our winner and Clancy the dying man? Or maybe Nico is the leader of the nine and Clancy is an ally? not enough hints to understand it yet, at least for me. maybe Clancy is not his only friend? idk

Quick side-note: Nico (Niko) means victory of the people, basically a war hero in greek. Thats very interesting isn’t it. I thought so too.

The other song title leaked is Jumpsuit. Nico and The Niners and Jumpsuit were both found on the PPL Repertoire List, which lists all copyrighted songs for artists. (It’s been removed now, probably to protect song leaks.) The new Panic! at the Disco song titles had also been on here i think abt 2 weeks before the Say Amen video got posted. So in our case it would mean that we get a new Single around the 13th of July. Since they are both Fueled by Ramen bands, it could be that they have this protocol with every single they release.

Then we got 2 major updates, major because we finally literally heard from Tyler.

The thing is now it seems we are going back to where it all started, to the play, the war in it, 1939 (also the number of likes on their twitter, just saying). in the site dmaorg.info we now have a new picture of 21 people (who look a lot like those textbook soldiers looking over graves in the trenches that you see in WW2 might i add) in the same position the vultures are. it really feels like this is gonna be a going back to the origins, to the slow and deep self-titled times. to remember where the name came from, and to honor it. there are so many nodds to the play its impossible not to think about self-titled.

i saw an interview where tyler said he wanted to focus more on lyrics and make something less fun and dancey, and more like the self-titled album. with much better production of course. maybe thats why i have all of this in my mind.

Now, since we know that even image names are important clues, and that the photo has the title“__n_ot_myo_nly_fri_en d” under it, we took the image name of this photo of 21 men and entered it into the website just like we did with the violation code. and jackpot. bulls-eye. it led to a video. it doesn’t sound like anything remotely transcribable. i know. so, of course, it needs to be sped up and reversed.

some people heard “we are perdidos” which means “we are lost”, but in a minute you’ll see why this is not the case.

PS: the code, 2018_514_3_8 also spells out TRENCH which ties in with the whole war theme that I mentioned above.

next two updates are the vulture gif (named i as in eye -  look at it not blinking)

and the second clancy letter (named reverse in reverse i mean come on)

clancy’s letter is scarily depressing and sad. but more importantly it starts with the line “a lifeless light surrounds us each night”. like the sixth clue suggests, ‘remember the morning is when night is dead.’ dead light, and dead night.

if you obey tyler and reverse the letter sentence by sentence, it still makes absolute sense and changes its meaning. and its kinda insane that they actually did this.

Another thing we got was this image with just a yellow strip and some numbers.

If you put that yellow strip over the double-sided poem you get the words “we are banditos”, portuguese for ‘we are bandits’. now the reverse message actually makes some fucking sense because its exactly what tyler said. told you you’d get it in a minute.

the numbers create 2018_514_3_8, meaning tylers message was in fact this sentence.

the sixth being lyrics from message man, i have a feeling clancy is the message man. the message man being the messanger between dema and the people outside? and nico is maybe a name for silence? the nine bishops maybe being 9 helpers of blurry and silence being an ally for blurry? blurry being dema? i really have no idea i really dont know.

this is it as far as i remember. i hope you are fully uodated now. welcome back to hiatus hell!