#but at least dedicated fans have kept this one alive

[mostlymilkwood]

a conversation in Love and Legends that hits a little different when playing a fan remake of a now dead mobile game that was only preserved through fan's effort to record routes and save assets.

[violent-grove]

(Trickster x Reader) Starstruck No More

Summary:  Being a previous fan of The Trickster gives you an upper hand with dealing with him and his shenanigans. At first he may need a bit of a reminder to who you are, but after he finds out, it's a game changer.

Word Count: 5.1k

This place was already enough of a nightmare without your murderer showing up here as well. You still remembered the fateful day that you allowed your misguided love for your bias, Ji-Woon Hak, to dictate your utterly stupid actions. Many called you crazy for hopping on a plane to South Korea just to meet your favorite K-pop star, but as a dedicated fan, this action was anything but insane. How were you supposed to know that your bias was a mass-murdering psycho? Meeting him was a dream come true; being murdered by him was a complete nightmare. Fortunately, as you were on the brink of death, the fog took you.

The realm wasn't the greatest, but at least you were alive. Your fellow survivors weren't that bad either; you'd even made friends with some of them. Finally, you were getting used to your predicament, when the entity threw a wrench into your life, Yun-Jin Lee. 

Seeing her appear in the realm, made your blood turn cold. Hearing her harrowing tale of how she got to be there, made your blood turn to ice. Not only did she know about The Trickster's murderous attitude, she actively ignored it for her selfish desires. The shock you felt soon turned to anger, and that anger soon turned to fear. If she was here, was he here as well? You didn't get much time to mull over the new information, as the fog surrounded you, signaling the start of a new trial. 

The trial was in Blackwater Swamp. Seeing a generator right next to the shack, you get to work as fast as possible. Maybe this killer would have an off day, and let you all escape. It was unlikely, but it happened sometimes. You spotted Yun-Jin a little in the distance and waved her over to your gen. This was probably her first trial, and though you hated her with a passion, you knew the more knowledge she possessed, the more likely everyone was to survive. 

The both of you were about 75% done with the gen when you started to hear the build-up for one of your favorite songs. Yun-Jin softly tugged on your sleeve and whispered in a heavy Korean accent, "Remember that guy I was telling everyone about at the campfire? I think he's the killer."  You nodded and tried to keep working on the generator to the best of your ability, but the music kept building and building until it felt like the tune was practically blaring in your ears. Looking over the side of the gen, you see him.

Out of shock, you open your mouth in a silent scream. If there was any doubt in your mind about this being the Yun-Jin from your world, that was now gone. There was no possibility that you would mistake his face; the face of your murderer, the face of your favorite idol, and the face of the man running over to kill you and Yun-Jin. She was also frozen in shock, but you were luckily able to think fast enough to grab her arm and take her over to shack. Even though you weren't the best chaser yourself, you knew you would be leagues ahead of this newbie. You turn to her and say, "Get out of here or hide in a locker; I'll try to keep him distracted." She nodded and ran off to what looked like another generator. 

Now it would be just the two of you, killer and victim, reunited. No amount of mental preparation would have made you ready for him to zoom into the open doorway of shack with the most manic look you had ever seen. Taking a right, you fast vault the window while hearing the glass clinking of The Tricksters knives. Of course, he used his knife-throwing trick while trying to kill all of you; why wouldn't he? Looping shack had become second nature to you after all of your time spent in The Entity's realm, but his knife-throwing was making the task extremely difficult. 

Before long, you were downed from his expert aim and hooked. Luckily, it seemed like The Trickster hadn't recognized you at all. While you were on the hook, you gave yourself time to think. If you were being honest, you would say that you were a little insulted. Did Ji-Woon have so many victims that you were just one of the others? The thought almost made you feel dejected, but you didn't have time to mope; Meg came and saved you from the hook. The rest of the trial went horribly. Everyone, but Yun-Jin, was sacrificed, and everyone returned to the campfire in a sour mood, you most of all.

Before today, you finally thought you were getting a grasp on your situation, but The Trickster's presence stirred up unwanted feelings inside of you. Sure, you still hated him, but you also couldn't ignore all that time you spent fangirling over him, his past band, and his new solo career. Why did you find him attractive even now? What was wrong with you? Why couldn't you get this stupid K-pop artist out of your head?  

The next few trials for you were tortuous. Everyone one of them pitted you against The Trickster. The only upside to this was that you became practically an expert at dodging his knife attacks. Already you were above average, having watched his knife performances over and over on Youtube, but now you were so good that all survivors would quickly turn to you when they heard The Trickster's melody. 

It was during one of your many chases with him that when you finally went down, you yelled out, "You motherfucker!" With you on his shoulder, he let out a chuckle and leaned against a wall in amusement. The laugh he let out reminded you of some of his interviews: it sounded normal. His mirth gave you enough time to wiggle off his shoulder and run away, but instead of chasing you as usual, he allowed you to run and went after a different survivor. You used the opportunity to try and work on a generator. 

It was the end of the trial, and you were the last one left. Looking up, you saw Kate's body being taken by The Entity. You tried to focus on your surroundings and listen for the hatch, and soon you heard it, but Ji-Woon must have as well. When you became closer to the hatch, you also heard his tune. As you rounded the corner of Dead Dawg Saloon, you saw him there in the open, standing over the hatch. 

Figuring you would get this over with, you marched right up to Ji-Woon. Instead of throwing any knives or swinging his bat, he just stood there and watched you approach. The both of you were only three feet apart by now. Maybe he was letting you go? At first, that was your thought, before he kept stepping in your way. You had tried to keep your patience, he was once your favorite idol after all, but you were done. Looking up into his eyes, you said with annoyance, "Ok dude, let me through or kill me. I want this to be done with."

Ji-Woon only smirked before saying in English, "I just want to get to know one of my fans. Is that too hard to ask?" You knew he could speak English, but not that well. 

You take one look at him, scoff, and say, "Yes, yes that is too much to ask." Looking at the hatch behind him you ask in the fakest voice you can manage, "Now, can you please let me get hatch, Ji-Woon?" 

He did one of his deranged laughs and shook his head, "Can't I at least know your name, Starstruck?" 

Your lip arches up in a snarl, and you answer with a resounding, "No." The Trickster looked taken slightly aback, and you used that opportunity to slip by him and make your escape. 

After that streak of constant Trickster trials, you were finally allowed some reprieve. Not that you missed the other killers, but at least there was some variety in your trials again. While you felt relief at being apart from The Trickster, he felt quite the opposite. Over the many trials the two of you had spent together, Ji-Woon's fondness for your chases had grown. Out of all of the survivors, you were the only one able to keep up with his knives.

The Entity granting you a break from him made all of his following trials more and more boring. None of the other survivors' screams compared to yours. The sound his little Starstruck produced was like no other, but it almost felt familiar. There would only be a couple more trials before night fell upon The Entity's realm, and everyone would be let off the hook for twelve hours. 

With the days you've been having, all you wanted to do was flop down on the ground and sleep. Unfortunately, Yun-Jin had other plans. Just as you were losing consciousness and giving up your body for a well-deserved rest, you felt a hand start to shake your shoulder. Because you were face-planted on the ground, you had to turn your head to the right to look up at her. In a groggy and annoyed voice, you asked, "Yes, Yun-Jin?" 

She averted her gaze, and gave off an aura of nervousness, "I wanted to talk to you about The Trickster." Sitting down beside you she motioned for you to do the same. Reluctantly, you moved yourself into a sitting position and looked at her expectantly. You could tell she had put her business mode into gear by the seriousness in her tone, "How are you able to dodge his knives so well?" 

The question made you stiffen. Truthfully, you did not want to tell her about your intertwined past with The Trickster, but you could try to come up with a lie of some sort, "I don't know, I've been here longer than you. Maybe I'm just more used to dodging things like that. You know The Huntress, she throws stuff similar to how he does it." 

Yun-Jin squinted her eyes at you as if to say 'really?' and looked you directly in the eyes, "I might buy that, but there are people who have been here longer than you, and none of them are as good at predicting his moves." The more you talked with this woman, the more perturbed you became. What right did she have to interrogate you? She indirectly caused your death! 

Your irritation with the K-pop manager in front of you caused you to get up and leave, but as you were doing so, you had one last thing to say, "I'm tired, and I don't like to talk shop when I'm supposed to be resting." She was so pushy. It seems like she hadn't changed a bit from the last time you saw her, the day of your almost-death. 

You and a group of maybe ten to twenty others were being herded by Yun-Jin backstage to meet some of the performers. But you only had one performer in mind at the time, and his name was Ji-Woon Hak. After months of saving, you were finally able to buy your dream ticket: a front-row seat with a backstage tour. The feelings you got when you met Ji-Woon were indescribable. It felt comparable to meeting a god. One of the goals you had for making this trip was to hopefully get over your obsession with The Trickster, but meeting him in person made you fall in love with him even more. 

When you and the group walked in, he was removing some of the more cumbersome makeup. Immediately, the two of you made eye contact, and he gave you one of the prettiest smiles known to man. Luckily, you were set to meet him first and then the rest of the acts that performed, but when Yun-Jin began guiding the group to the next performer, you hung back and headed for the door. 

A hand on your shoulder stopped you in your tracks. Looking behind you, your heart almost stopped breathing at the sight of Ji-Woon. He gave you a gentle smile and asked in Korean, "Where are you going, Starstruck?" 

Taking a sharp inhale, you tried to call upon all of your Korean knowledge. You were able to understand quite a bit, thanks to the help of some Discord friends, but your ability to speak the language was quite lacking. Trying your best to respond, you say, "I- uh, want see only you." That Korean was terrible, and you knew it. That sentence made you want to crawl into a corner and die of embarrassment. 

Ji-Woon chuckled and said in a very thick Korean accent, "You came all the way here to see little old me?" You could only dumbly nod in response, if only you could go back and slap some sense into your past self. Ji-Woon gave a bright smile that, now, you know as predatory with your foresight, "Why don't follow me; I'd like to learn the story of one of my most dedicated fans." He led you into his private room. 

You were only given a couple of seconds to gawk at his personal quarters before you felt a stab in your side. The pain you felt from this newly acquired injury was like none you had felt before. It felt like your insides had been split open and then pried apart. The moment that you registered all of the pain, you collapsed onto your side. Your vision was blurry until you were able to focus on some shiny black boots walking your way. 

Looking up from the ground, you saw your bias, and now murderer, standing over you, colorful knife in hand. He was letting out an insane-sounding laugh at your pain. Taking deep breaths, you use your final words to shakily ask, "Why?" 

He goes to bend down as you feel your life slipping through your fingers. You see him open his mouth, about to say something, but before he gets the chance, everything goes black and you're sat by a campfire.

That brought you back to today with a hatred for K-pop and trust issues. Taking a look at your surroundings, at least you were far away from Yun-Jin for now. Finally isolated from the others, you were able to rest peacefully. 

The next few days in the Entity's realm were back to the same old routine, for a while. It was the start of another trial in the Yamaoka Estate. You knew that the generator in the house was the most dangerous, but if you could get it out of the way, the rest of the trial should go smoothly. Quietly, you make your way over and get to work.

Ji-Woon did some shakes to get rid of his pre-show jitters; he needed to have absolute focus if he was going to hear all of those mediocre screams. Instantly he spotted David and started to pursue him. Within a couple of seconds, the large Englishman was on the ground with a dozen knives protruding from his back. Picking David up and hooking him, Ji-Woon thought he heard some noises coming from the main building of this map. 

Making his way over, he spots you through the window; his little Starstruck is in the trial. Immediately after his lemon eyes saw you, he started to devise a plan. If he could kill everyone else in the trial, and down you at the end, he would have until you bled out to talk to you. 

Now with a purpose, The Trickster got to work. First to go was David, then, Kate, and that Dwight character was the easiest. While he was chasing your teammates, he admired how you tried to take chase and lead him away, but with your time as his prize, nothing would stop him. 

Again, you were pitted against your most hated killer. You had tried so many times to save your teammates, but it was all futile. It's almost like he was avoiding you. You saw the body of Dwight get lifted by The Entity and started to run and look for the hatch. Regrettably, it looked like another Dead Dawg Saloon scenario; across the map, you could see The Trickster standing above the hatch as if he was taunting you. 

Starting to trudge over to him, you accept your soon-to-be fate. After last time, there was no way he would take any chances with you, and in your injured state, you didn't stand a chance. 

Ji-Woon heard your footsteps and put on one of his best performer smiles. As he swung his bat, knocking you down, he happily yelled, "Starstruck, you made it!" The cry you made as you fell to the ground was divine, but he did not appreciate the glare that came after, "Aw, did you think you'd get past me like last time? That was a mean trick you pulled, and as you should know, out of the two of us, I should be the one playing tricks." 

Your glare hardened, and you asked, "What do you want, Ji-Woon?" 

He only smirked and said, "I'm only giving a bit of VIP time to my most dedicated fan." 

His words made your nostrils flare, your face turn red, and your veins filled with molten hot lava. With all of your strength, you yelled out, "I hate you!" 

When Ji-Woon heard those words, there was a small crack in his trickster persona, but only for a moment. His anger soon overtook his shock. How dare you? Stepping on your hand, you let out a yelp as he leaned down, "I would watch your words carefully, bitch. We still have a couple of minutes until you bleed out." 

Your determination never faltered, "Do your worst. It can never be as bad as killing me in the real world." 

Stepping off of you, Ji-Woon knit his eyebrows together in confusion and asked, "What?" Thinking back to all of his victims, Ji-Woon realized why you seemed so familiar, you were the one who got away. You bled out too quickly, and he wasn't able to capture any of your screams in his soundproof room. The knowledge made him visibly flinch. He couldn't even bring himself to stop your escape from his grasp a second time. Silently, he allowed you to crawl through hatch and escape. 

Back at the killer's campsite, beyond the forest, Ji-Woon felt something he had never felt before, regret at killing someone. He remembers your vibrant spirit that he had dampened. Thankfully, he could still feel that spark emanating from you; it wasn't completely gone. Instead of attempting to snuff it out again, he wanted to fan your flame. 

At the survivor campsite, you felt better than you had in ages. You were able to stand up to your murderer and live to tell the tale. Witnessing that shocked expression bloom on his face was more healing than any therapy session. Your fellow survivors congratulated you on your escape and started relaxing. Night had just fallen upon The Entity's realm, and you went to your Special place on the edge of the forest for some solitude. 

The next trials were strange, to say the least. You went up against The Trickster every time and every time you got the hatch. By the sixth trial, you knew something was up. The amount of luck you would need to find the hatch first five times in a row when you're shorter and slower than Ji-Woon was almost impossible. You were very suspicious, so when the hatch spawned right next to you once Jane died, you hid in wait. Luckily, the bushes in Dead Dawg Saloon provided excellent cover. 

Starting to hear The Trickster's musical build-up, you held your breath and tried not to make a sound. He was close enough that your heart was beating; he had to have heard the hatch's ambient noise by now. From your bush hiding spot, you saw him look at the hatch, then look around, and then walk away. 

Your shock caused you to accidentally fall out of your bush. The both of you locked eyes and held expressions of utter surprise. At the same time, both of you ask, "What are you doing?" 

Scoffing, you ask, "You thought you saw the hatch first; why didn't you close it?" Your eyes widen as the realization dawns upon you, "Were you doing this every trial? I don't get it! You love killing me; what would make you give that up?" 

Ji-Woon's shoulders tensed, and he averted his gaze. Faintly, he whispered, "Well, why were you waiting here?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest, "There was no reason for you to stay." 

Getting up off the ground and standing to your full height, you pat your shorts clean of dust, "For your information, I found it suspicious that I was finding hatch first every time, and rightfully so." You squint your eyes and point at him, "Clearly, you're up to something." 

In real-time you see The Trickster mask don Ji-Woon's face, "What? I can't give my favorite fan a free escape now and then?" 

You give him a deadpan look and answer matter-of-factly, "Not when you love to hear your "favorite fan's" screams of pain, no." 

The pleasant smile slowly falls from Ji-Woon's face and is replaced with a frown as he finally reveals the real reason for his kindness, "I remember the night you died." 

Your body goes straight as a rod, and your eyes quickly shift to the open hatch behind Ji-Woon. Noticing your eye movement, he steps to the side, giving you a clear out, but you don't take it. Instead, you look him in the eyes and brashly say, "So, what? You feel bad now? Yun-Jin told me I wasn't the first, and I certainly wasn't the last." Fists clenching at your sides, you don't stop, "This is just another way to manipulate one of your "fans" and I'm not buying it." 

In response, all Ji-Woon can do is give you a sad and regretful look. You used to love him so much, but he turned that adoration into hatred. Placing his bat on the ground, Ji-Woon asked timidly, "Can I do anything to show you that I don't wish to kill you anymore or ever again?" 

You thought for a bit. How could you use this manipulation to your advantage? Glancing around in contemplation, your eyes landed on a locker, or a reload station for Ji-Woon, and an idea struck, "Give me one of your knives." You held out your hand and made a come-hither motion, silently telling him where to place the knife.

For a moment Ji-Woon hesitated, and you used that moment to say, "If you aren't going to do it, I'll just leave." 

Before you could blink, the handle of one of his blades was placed in your hands, "Just don't go showing it off to anyone, Starstruck" A wink followed, "Let's keep this idol-fan relationship a secret between just the two of us." 

Your grip on the handle tightened, and your heart started beating for all the wrong reasons. Don't forget that he's a killer, a torturer, a murderer. He doesn't mean any of this. But god, did it feel good to get some attention from your old favorite bias. A robotic nod was all Ji-Woon got in response from you before you leaped into the hatch.

That was the start of many meetings the two of you had at the end of trials. You both learned that if he didn't close the hatch and you didn't open the exit gates, you had all the time in the world to talk. At first, the meetings were awkward, but over time the both of you warmed up to each other. You still didn't trust him entirely, but after so much time spent with Ji-Woon, you were getting to a place of mutual trust.

It was during one of these meetings that Ji-Woon realizes that he loves you almost as much if not more than he loves himself. You're fun, you're utterly enchanting, and you understand his music, even the screaming bits. That realization soon causes the fear to set in: the fear of your pain. 

After that meeting, he tries to convince the other killers to go easy on you. You're his, after all; he should be the only one allowed to cause you pain. Some agree, and some don't. Those who disagree with his terms become his enemies. Any way he can, he tries to screw them over. The Entity seems to be in favor of your relationship as well. Ji-Woon can't remember a single trial where you aren't one of the four survivors with him. 

Things were heating up between the two of you, but there had to be just one final push to bring the two of you together. Starting another trial, you see it's going to take place in Ormond. Great, this place is notorious for having difficult-to-work generators because of the cold. There's no time to waste, so you start to idly connect some wires. Yun-Jin makes her way over and begins to help out.

Things are going smoothly when the two of you hear the build-up for The Trickster's music. Yun-Jin lets out a quiet, "Oh god", but you just keep on working and touch the knife in your pocket. After that trial at Dead Dawg Saloon, Ji-Woon stopped trying to kill you altogether. He only ever hooked you when you wanted to make yourself seem less suspicious. 

The only one who had seemed at all suspicious was Yun-Jin. As the music kept crescendoing, and you kept working, Yun-Jin's feelings from before came to a climax. She asked with determination, "How do you know Ji-Woon?" Her question made you mess up and explode the generator in front of the two of you. 

You tried to play it off, "I have no idea what you mean."

But she wasn't buying it, "I know you know him. That's the only explanation for how he plays the game around you. Do you ever notice how you always escape the trials he's in, how you could last longer than anyone else in a chase?" 

The music was so loud now that you could barely hear her, but she still managed to yell out, "Who are you?"

Giving her a pained look, you finally reveal, "He killed me!" That was the last thing Yun-Jin heard before going down and being hooked. As you ran in the opposite direction in mock panic, you got one last look at Yun-Jin's shocked and regret filled face. You tried to help the rest of your team during the trial, but as usual, it was all futile.

Ji-Woon entered Ormond's main building after hooking Jake, the last survivor before you, when he saw your shivering form. There you were, in all of your beauty, hugging yourself on the couch. How had he never noticed how the cold affected you here. Immediately, Ji-Woon removed his jacket and put it over your quaking shoulders. Looking up with a smile, you shakily thank him. 

He takes a seat next to you on the couch, but before he gets the chance to speak, he feels you subtly scooting closer to him and the heat he provides. Any chance Ji-Woon has to be close to you, he'll take. So, he puts his arm around your shoulders and pulls you to his side. 

Blushing, you look up at him, "Ji, you don't have to do this. I'm sure you're just as cold as I am." Thinking for a moment, you hesitantly suggest, "I could leave through hatch, then you wouldn't have to be-"

Ji-Woon put his chin on his outstretched hand and gave you one of his best celebrity looks, "Oh, Starstruck, you can't get rid of me that easily" 

Snuggling into Ji-Woon more, you speedily reply, "No! I treasure every moment I can spend with you..." Trailing off, you keep going, "I just don't want you to suffer." 

Your words make him think about all the times you've had to suffer. Whether it was being in The Entity's realm or by his hands in the real world, you've suffered enough in Ji-Woon's eyes. He holds you tighter and says one of the sweetest things you've ever heard, "If I could suffer for eternity instead of you, I would do so in a heartbeat." Looking down at your pure and kind expression, Ji-Woon swallowed. "You don't deserve the pain of this place."

His words felt so genuine and true; this was one of the many moments when it became impossible for you to tell yourself that this was all an act. His charming gestures in response to your shivering and his sweet words gave you the courage to lean in for a kiss, but halfway you started to chicken out. What were you thinking? Ji-Woon thought himself  a god; there was no way he would even consider kissing a nobody like you. 

But before you could back off completely, Ji-Woon made up the final distance and met your lips with his own in the most endearing kiss you've ever experienced. As you were kissing Ji-Woon, you felt something strange wash over you; it had the same feeling as entering the fog. The kiss lasted for ages, and the two of you only broke away when the need to breathe became too much. 

When you opened your eyes and saw The Enity's claws coming up behind Ji-Woon, you pulled him back before any harm could come to him. At first, he was confused by your actions, until he also saw The Entity rising from the ground. 

"That was impressive." 

These words streamed into both of your heads, causing you to hold them in pain. You looked at each other in confusion.

"That true love's kiss was very touching." The disembodied voice sounded like it licked its lips, "Fortunately for you, these emotions taste way better than pain and mania. I won't be letting this relationship fail any time soon. Anything the two of you desire will be yours."

Soon enough, the both of you figured out this must be The Entity speaking. Ji-Woon was the first to speak up, "I'll be happy as long as I can stay with her." 

You looked at Ji-Woon, no longer starstruck, but still very much in love, "I have the same wish."

"It shall be done." 

Staring lovingly into Ji-Woon's eyes with a smile, the two of you lean in for one more kiss.

A/N:  Thank you so much for reading! I hope my first attempt at writing a murderer wasn't too bad. If you've made it this far I cannot recommend fifteenine's work on AO3 enough; please go read it. It deserves a lot of love.

[imptired]

Fionna & Cake (unpopular) opinions

The series had finally ended!! It was so well written. I loved it. I loved all the easter eggs they included. But the fandom gotta fandom so a lot of opinions are around, and here are mine,

1- Marshall Lee and Gary shouldn't have dated so quickly.

It was super obvious they were a fan service (suddenly throwing away everything even though they've just met)

I HATED HOW MONOTONE MARSHALL'S VOICE WAS..... like everyone loves Donald Glover's voice acting already, but the way they kept Marshall's voice so low unlike the og made him purely a fan service imo :(

Not to even mention (i will anyways) how unlike PB Gary was. Marshall, despite being monotone, was at least as Marceline as possible. While Gary was just sweet as a candy and selfless, both which are not PB at all 😭

I honestly think like the og series they're gonna break up and date again after a while. Because in the og, they dated purely because of their admiration of each other and it ended badly because all they admired all they turned out to hate about each other until they realized what they love about each other is simply loving each other, caring a lot. I wish they didn't rush but i hope they at least get to build a romance again?? Not be a fanfiction

2- The ending was AMAZING

I don't generally like endings of series because i place too high of hopes, but this one showed me that's exactly what i was doing wrong. They wanted to live on their own, by their own, and they decided to do so. It showed to the audience that you should get to enjoy what you have instead of whining for more. Fionna spent every second of first episodes whining how her world sucked, only for her to reject any changes that could happen into it. Because she doesn't get to dictate people's lives. She may be a main character, but her world is as alive and conscious as she is.

3- Betty&Simon's closure was perfect.

Throughout the series, even the characters in it claimed what Betty&Simon had was perfect. And it was not. Just like in real life, they're not stereotypical. Betty sacrificed a lot for Simon (her life THREE times[going to find the book, travelling into the future without hesitation to find him a cure&turning into a chaos entity just to make sure he is okay] to begin with) . We have seen Simon hopelessly in love with Betty, but that was it. Simon loved Betty(even when he is about to confront her to say his thoughts, he doesn't say "thank you" or anything, he starts with the "I have been searching for a cure for you, but I couldn't find it.") That is sweet and wonderful and i am not blaming him for anything. Neither did she. Betty, after all the sacrifices, just wanted to be acknowledged. That's it. She had no regrets as she had said, which was a beautiful altogether. I loved them. Simon acknowledging Betty was not Betty being a bitch, but rather Betty getting the closure she deserves as well(honestly, a GREAT written character.). Simon got his closure as well, because he thought he had dedicated himself to Betty, but it was just him destroying his own life. I think they were perfect. Right people, right time.

4- This is Fionna&Cake's series. Not anybody else's.

People were super upset by the lack of cameo's. Even though we got a lot. Finn was in the series because Simon talked to him, and other easter egg's were because Fionna, Cake or Simon interacted with them. Not to mention Simon was there just to help Fionna&Cake, and realizing he should help himself instead of sitting and whining. This is THEIR series. Yes, would love to see more Adult Finn, PB&Marcy, FarmWorld, other worlds etc etc.. but it's not their time. It's not their issue. There were already so many many cameos and easter eggs in the show, and i'm honestly satisfied they bothered to even put so much into it.

The series was done with love&attention. I love Adventure Time. Seriously. But just like the series had showed, the decisions have been made and instead of hating what you have, you should enjoy it. We will most most likely have many more short series regarding the show in the near future, maybe with less Fionna&Cake's world but we, as the audience, got our closure. They're alive, they're happy and they are learning how to enjoy themselves.

The characters are so well written, that i cannot even imagine the writers heads through writing. The work is done with so much love that they basically wrote themselves.

A great, heartwarming and cozy series. Hope to see more in that universe in near future :)

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

I also really relate that BBDW turned around my opinion on Nu. I have a thing where it's obviously not like I inherently dislike characters who are pretty horrible and insane (a lot of my favorite BB characters are exactly this) but they have to have more complexity and ability to make their personality work with the story that's going on and especially when Nu came back in CP/CF I was left kinda like "why did they do that :/" and just kind of viewed it as them bringing her back for gameplay/people like her purposes which annoyed me. I think I could best describe it as what you were saying about Nu being a very static character who doesn't have any interesting dynamics or threads in the story beyond Ragna and general PFD stuff and now (at the time in my eyes) they were trying to shove her back into a plot that had gotten VERY busy since her death in CT. But BBDW at least made her revival make sense enough so I could begin to drop my gripe that Nu was a character they were trying to push back into the story for no reason and then I was able to be more open to them changing her to flesh her out as a character more. It was just one of the many things they were playing the long game on. Man this is just making me wish BBDW had a bit more time and now I'm getting sad lol there's a lot in CF that didn't make sense and kind of annoyed me that seemed like was getting answered or elaborated upon in DW.

I remember rumors going around that the original plan was to leave Nu, and later Lambda, dead after their respective games. The general story goes “Mori intended to have Nu’s story end there, but since BB is a fighting game and fans wanted their main back, Lambda was developed to replace her. She was also intended to die permanently after her story, but then BOTH of them were popular, so there was a studio push to bring both back.”

I haven’t found a source on this, though, so who knows. If it is true, that there was some executive meddling behind how it all happened, an interesting connection could be drawn to Mori’s latest interview about Studio Flare- where one of the studio philosophies his company is dedicated to is that they won’t prioritize audience requests or market desires over the integrity of the story they want to tell. I also recently heard some rumors that Central Fiction’s development was rushed to release in time for ESports, which led to a lot of scenes being cut, character arcs being rushed or dropped, etc. If true, that too would add some perspective on BlazBlue’s progression as a whole and on the growing rift between Mori and Arc System Works.

However, as I said, for now these are just rumors. They paint an interesting narrative, but don’t take them at face value until we can source some of these claims.

True or not, my point here is that you’re MORE than onto something here- Nu was an incredible character with a solid arc and death that just… have you ever read the Iliad? You know that scene where Hektor’s corpse is tied to a chariot and dragged in circles around the city? Nu post-CT felt a lot like that… Whatever the executive intentions were, she was being kept alive in the story long past the point where she needed to be left to rest.

Which, as you touched on, really made the situation in BBDW all the more impactful. It felt to me like, as a character and narrative asset, she was finally being approached with real intention. Like, she was being written, as a full character, who needed care, purpose, and narrative intent- all of which were finally being given to her, whereas in the C-series proper she had subsisted entirely on gameplay necessity/utility.

This makes me start to wonder how it could have been done better. I can understand both competing needs- her story is over, the narrative needs her gone, but as a character in a fighting game the game itself needs her to stay. Perhaps I’m naive, but the answer seems simple: keep her out of the story but leave her as an unlockable character for the fighting game portion only.

The biggest problem left in that solution is that newer players would lack context, but that seems like more of an opportunity than anything. Give her an arcade mode and/or story mode that is an engaging retelling of her arc from Calamity Trigger. If you’re really worried, add some kind of note/page/thing at the start or end of her route that briefly explains that this character’s story is from a previous game. Then you’ve turned your issue (her not being in the story, confusing her new players) into profit (it’s a fucking advertisement now. You want to see this cool new waifu you found??? awesome, here’s some stuff for her, if you want more go buy our other game where she’s in the spotlight!)

It’s kind of like, she had been failed/messed up so bad, that the amazing way she was handled in BBDW really surprised me. It’s so easy for any writer or studio to end up in a position where a character is written into a corner and they just… stay underwhelming forever. There’s not always the need or the time to go back and try to improve things. That, too, I would assume, was part of Mori’s desire to make BBDW and later his own studio. I’ve spoken several times about my thoughts on mobile games being a unique market that allows for more writer freedom and more room to take chances than mainline video games right now- and Mori’s interview heavily implies that Studio Flare was designed to try to free himself and his coworkers from the current industry norms.

Ultimately, like you, god DAMN do I mourn BBDW. For that exact reason, really. We both know Mori has a lot more to say about the world of BlazBlue, HE knows these stories were left unfinished, and BBDW was probably the best chance any of us would have to get those stories told. With the death of the game, it seriously looks like the rest of BlazBlue will forever be buried somewhere between the depths of Mori’s mind and all the red tape of intellectual property law.

I really hope I’m proven wrong!

[ramoth13]

A Few Small Thoughts On Amazon's "Rings of Power"

Mae g'ovannen, mellon.

I have seen a LOT of people on tumblr and the internet as a whole genuinely furious, irate, upset, aggravated, and even downright hostile at the new amazon show that is soon to be. And I get it, Amazon is only in it for the money, that part is hard to argue. They saw the success of other fantasy shows like GoT and The Witcher and wanted in on that action.

Yet, I think it would be a huge disservice to the creators of the show (not the Amazon overlords) to dismiss this as horrible from the start. Lest we forget that originally, Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings was set to be a Harvey Weinstein production (his name is still in the credits, because he wouldn't sell the rights unless they kept his slimy name in the credits) who wanted all three films to be a SINGLE film, have at least one hobbit die, and have over 4/5ths of the story cut or changed. Thankfully New Line Cinemas stepped in and saved the day, but it was the creators (Jackson and Co.) that fought to keep the story true. My point is, we cannot judge a creator by their benefactor, especially before the actual piece is released. The Tolkien scholars and creator fans (who grew up and loved watching the Lord of the Rings too) attached to this project are dedicated to seeing this done right. Amazon is paying for the show, the people working on the show are not the people paying for it to be made. Again, I point to the scholars that they have on staff to make sure its done as faithfully as possible. Amazon is literally contractually obliged not to change the story. Add to it? Yes. Change it? No.

Will it be perfect? Hell no, how could it be? This is the most magical history in all of history, it can't be perfect. But we shouldn't make this out to be anything more than what it truly is. This will simply be an adaptation, an interpretation. This doesn't change anything at all about the book(s) itself.

Now, I can hear the people already saying "Well but what about the fannon and headcannons? We've had these stories for years and now people will view these stories all through the lens of the new show?" I can sympathize, truly. But liking something different, and demanding it never changes are two different things. We cannot expect new fans to adhere to headcannons because we've been fans longer than they have. If there are new fans, I'm glad of it, The Silmarillion deserves so much more love than it's gotten. And for those still holding out against the show because it's different than the fan communities headcannons, I would say to do what Neil Gaiman did. He found that the movies were replacing what was the Lord of the Rings in his head, and so he stopped watching them (not because he didn't like it, but he wanted to keep his headcannon alive in his head). No one is forcing anyone to watch this.

And as far as forcing anyone to do anything, this is not a message trying to engage with those racist ideologues that bemoan any changes perceived of racial divergences in the narratives. I will not waste more time explaining why that thought process helps no one. In essence, the anger at someone portraying an elf in middle-earth as black is small-minded and unimaginative, and I'll say no more about it.

And as far as unimaginative, I think the anger towards Elrond's hair is somewhat interesting. As we have seen in trailers, only two elves have short hair. Elrond is quite literally the youngest elf we have ever seen on screen. Young children have short hair. These elves are young. Notice who didn't have short hair? The Calequendi, Galadriel. My hope is that this is an intentional kind of specialized attention and small detail work that will be seen throughout the whole show, but we will have to wait and see.

Speaking of, lastly, I do not intend to convince anyone that this show will be good. In fact, I see many ways it could go horribly wrong. Yet, assuming it will be bad is to engage with some good ole self-fulfilling prophecy. Going into a show, movie, book, art in general, and expecting it to be bad will make focusing on the things we don't like about that art far more likely. I'm not saying you shouldn't be wary, but I am suggesting that if you go into it looking for new things you like, rather than things you don't, will automatically improve your experience. I cannot take credit for this idea, Tolkien Professor Corey Olson helped me to start doing this and I'm so glad he did. This isn't to say you can't dislike something, rather, it is to say that by changing your perspective from negatively engaged to positively curious is to find more enjoyment in general, and especially in new things. Do whatever you like though, again, no one is forcing anything on anyone.

My main point in this is not that you should like it (I have my own reservations) or that it's going to meet our expectations and be better than the Lord of the Rings movies. I highly doubt that's even possible anyway. But rather, I hope that as a community we give it a chance to be something new worth considering. Once it's out, it you hate it, then so be it. Fair enough. But let's not hang the accused before the trial. Let's see what it can show us. I think the show's creators and Tolkien are owed that much, regardless of Amazon's involvement. No, in SPITE of Amazon's involvement.

Genuinely hopeful,

~ Ramoth13

[minniethemoocherda]

Sins of the Past: Ohana Means Family

Summery: A collection of drabbles set in my modern au where the Bad Batch raise Omega after rescuing her from the abusive hands of their mother. In this chapter Crosshair takes care of Omega whilst she is sick.

Notes: Happy Birthday @xoxo-40782 ! This chapter is dedicated to you! I hope that you have an amazing birthday! Everyone should check out their bad batch modern au!! It is amazing!! And I used a lot of inspiration such as Crosshair liking Ghibli movies and having issues with his similar appearance to Nala Se in this fic!! I hope that you guys enjoy!! Xxxxxxxx

Ao3

FF.net

They had been warned that this could happen. Obi-Wan had told them that having been trapped in that Hell of a house all her life, Omega hadn't had the chance to be exposed to all those childhood germs other kids did, leaving her more susceptible to them now. And a month after starting school, it finally happened.

Omega had woken up on Monday morning with the worst cold Crosshair had ever witnessed. Coughs had racked her shivering body that was half delirious with fever.

The boys had preciously decided on a rota to take care of Omega on sick days, and on Friday it was finally Crosshair's turn.

Thankfully her fever had broken by now but she was still bunged up with snot, so Hunter had decided to keep her off the rest of the week, hoping that she would be fighting fit by Monday.

So all Crosshair had to do was keep an eye on her.

Which was kind of the problem.

He had managed to get over most of his ill placed jealously after his talk with Hunter, but unfortunately Crosshair was well aware that trauma didn't disappear that easily.

There was no denying that any of them were Jango's offspring, with his apparent super spreader genes. But where the rest of their siblings were all blunt corners, he and Omega were sharp edges with their pointed features and lighter hair that was unmistakably the mark of Nala Se.

And Crosshair hated it. He hated it so much he once smashed the mirror in the bathroom which Ninety-Nine never replaced. He could deal with his own appearance. Shaving his hair till it went grey and getting a tattoo across his face helped.

But then Omega came into their lives. And whilst Crosshair would be eternally grateful that she never had to step foot in their sorry excuse for a mother's home again, sometimes just being around her hurt.

To see that same face that tortured him his whole life in the innocent one of a little girl felt like a cruel joke that the universe was playing to specifically spite him.

He had resorted to avoiding her which wasn't easy in a small house packed with six people. However he figured it was the better option than accidently snapping at her with something he knew that he would immediately regret. He was pretty sure Hunter at least had noticed although his older brother hadn't mentioned anything about it, yet. He knew it was something he'd have to confront eventually.

He just didn't think that day would be today.

Crosshair sat on the sofa, whilst Omega was bundled up on the other, Gonky curled up on one side of her and a stack of tissue boxes on the other, as she watched TV. Having missed out on the past decade of pop culture, Hunter was trying to rectify that, starting with the Disney classics after Omega had asked what a Disney Princess was when one of her classmates had made fun of her for not knowing. They were currently up to Lilo and Stitch. Whilst Crosshair was much more of a Ghibli fan, he didn't mind the colourful cartoon musicals, not that he would ever admit it.

He kept one eye on Omega whilst scrolling through his phone. Replying to the texts Hunter sent about every five minutes reassuring him that yes their sister was indeed still alive and ignoring the messages from his asshole of a boss Rampart who was still giving him shit about taking a day off even though Aayla had offered to cover some of his sessions for him.

The movie had barely finished playing when Omega burst into tears.

Shit, Crosshair thought, rushing over to the girl.

"Are you hurt? What's wrong?" He asked. Hunter was going to kill him if anything happened to her on his watch.

"Sh-She... she's just like me!" Omega managed choke through her sobs.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not understanding where this conversation was going.

Omega pointed at the screen where the characters were currently visiting a montage of Elvis exhibits as the credits rolled.

"Lilo! She's Polynesian! She is raised by her siblings! She's just like me!"

That was when Crosshair realised she wasn't crying because she was hurt. Happiness might not be the correct to describe word it either. It was hard to put into words the freeing ideal of being known.

And God had Crosshair realised just how badly he'd fucked up.

Growing up, if he'd seen a movie like that with someone like him in it. Maybe he would've been able to recognise himself in someone else instead of feeling isolated in a body that nobody else could understand.

He hadn't even realised he'd pulled Omega into a hug until Gonky tried to jump between them to get in on the action.

Omega's sobs subsided into giggles as Gonky's tongue locked away her tears,  tickling her face.

"Let her go you big lump." Crosshair told the husky, nudging him back to the girl's side. Since he was now over here anyway, Crosshair figured he might as well stay and settled into Omega's over side. He picked up the nearby remote.

"It might be garbage, a lot of the Disney sequels are but they made a second film if you want to watch that?"

Omega nodded eagerly, curling against his shoulder, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, even though it was the first time she had ever done it before.

To distract himself from getting teary eyed as well, Crosshair pressed play.

[carnihell]

((I’m gonna let you in on a very fun secret with Carny Pentious. One about how he got his powers and everything, because I feel it’s important to stress two things with the fact that this is Sir Pentious, effectively, in the “role” of Alastor.

1. It has nothing to do with Voodoo or Hoodoo or any related practices. Pentious is a white man, at least in my interpretation, so it would be insanely inappropriate to make him dabble in a closed religion that is already butchered and misconstrued to hell and back and make it seem even more so since this version of Pent has spooky evil powers that he uses to terrorize and enslave people. At best, the only occult religion he really got into when he was alive was Spiritualism, and even then, it was the excuse he used to hide it when performing his very real magic capabilities for everyone to see on stage.

2. It is a highly kept secret that canonically, barely anyone knows in Carny Pent’s own universe and no one would know at this point and time in this “new universe” (this website) that he has arrived in. Unless you have a very good reason why your muse would know (they’re a Ars Goetia or literally Lucifer himself, or some other supremely powerful being that has a reasonable excuse for why they can sense human souls), then none of your muses would canonically know this information at all. If you feel like your muse would know about it, please bring it up with me first so we can work out the potential ramifications of that first.

Now, as for how Carny Pentious got his powers and fell into Hell and became so strong as he is now, it’s actually quite simple. The carnival that he had joined as a young man, Cirque Vrai Roi, was in fact a cover for a Hellish cult to hide within the depths of 1800’s France, one specifically dedicated to worshipping a demon of the Ars Goetia in exchange for power, wealth, and prosperity among their own cult. They specifically worshipped the demon Purson at the time, a King of the Ars Goetia who is noted to be able to peer into the past, present, and future, and when Pentious had been accepted into the cult, Purson took intrigue in the young man, seeing his potential, and gifted Pentious by bringing his shadow to life, and shaping it into the appearance of a serpent, meant to watch over him and be a protector to any who may try and harm him.

This ended up sparking quite the fanatic devotion in Pentious for such an act, and became dedicated and devoted to not just Purson, but the whole of the Ars Goetia in their entirety, keen on learning everything about them that old tomes and texts could reveal, while also working on improving his own magical abilities, something that he gained when participating in rituals himself and earning Purson’s favor. When he went onto take the title of cult leader for himself, he then worked to change up the cult’s dynamics, shifting their focus to not just worshipping Purson alone, but the whole of the Ars Goetia altogether, which lead to many, many bloody rituals of unspeakable proportions that the cult pulled off, not only to gain the attention of their 72 demonic masters, but also to gain their favor and to show their loyalty. One of these rituals, funny enough, included human cannibalism, which Pentious found himself a fan of.

Pentious’s own devotion had grown so great that he had actually sought to devote his own soul to the whole of the Ars Goetia altogether, and while normally such a thing wouldn’t be accepted and his soul could only be claimed by one of them, he managed to negotiate enough of a proper deal that was enough to satisfy all of them. In essence, he would allow each and every member of the Ars Goetia to take a single piece of his soul, the size of each piece being around that of a pebble, and in the end, when he would die, that single piece would then belong to the demon that was assigned such a piece. That way, he can all gain the power of each boon from the Ars Goetia in exchange of them owning a portion of his soul, and in return, they can all claim and own him in an equal measure, free for them to use him in any way they wish, equally. After all, in the end his soul will belong to them all anyway, so what’s the point in fighting over one measly human soul?

So yeah, this version of Sir Pentious fell into hell a supernaturally strong demon because of a soul pact he made with all 72 of the most powerful of demonic royalty that exist within Hell, and proudly (but secretively) acts as their equal servant for anything they may desire from him, be it an assassination for a lower royal they feel may be trying to push into their position, sent to put a stop to a subterfuge plot, a simple request for a thousand virginal blood sacrifice to liven up a party, or something more…carnal. Anything that they wish, Carny Pent is more than happy to do, for the sake of pleasing his masters, and it is a role he takes an absolutely absurd amount of pride in, a sort of devotion he is keen on spreading around to the other demons that he keeps within his Carnival, be it staff that were welcomed with open arms, or thralls that were enslaved and properly broken.

And on that note, if any of my mutuals happen to have a Goetia muse, be it Stolas, Stella, Paimon, or any other muse that fall under the AG umbrella, I would be happy to plan something out if you would be interested because I am positively itching to write this fucker interacting with one of the many demons that have claim to his soul.

[astaroth1357]

Brothers React to the MC Looking at Them Lovingly

This is a personal experiment. This is the very first time I've written one of these with a goal in mind, "Make them fall in love all over again." It's a tall order. I hope I succeeded. 🙏 Special thanks to @a-chaotic-dumbass for picking the mood for this one!

Intro:

We all know that look. The one where one person stares at another like they just realized they're the only thing in the universe and they're in fucking awe of it. The kind of look that tells you they're utterly enthralled by that other person and just can't get enough of their presence. That look. Yeah, the brothers just got that look out of the MC.

Let's warm some cold hearts, everybody.

Lucifer

Lucifer was always beautiful. Always has been, as an angel or a demon.

A morning star is one that outshines all the rest. It stands out when the other stars have dimmed, holding onto its luster in defiance of the sun. 

There couldn't be a truer title for Lucifer to have. Not the horrors of war nor the fires of Hell could tarnish his radiance in any way…

But there were moments, like right then, where the MC caught a glimpse of a different sort of Lucifer.

His brothers would often only see the uptight Lucifer, the practiced visage of perfection that he tried so hard to keep up… 

But after a long day, when he thinks he's alone, he retires to his room to listen to his music and the difference is astonishing.

There's something so entrancingly calm about him… How the light of the fireplace flickers and dances across his alabaster skin to the subtle slouch of his posture. His face no longer marred by creases of stress and frustration… 

And his expression is so pure… So tranquil and at peace… Beauty without effort. A shine that can't be ignored. A morning star, in the truest sense of the word…

It took awhile for Lucifer to see the MC leaning against his doorframe.

They were staring at him with the oddest look… Smiling like they were enraptured by something, but he didn't have a clue why. He was just sitting there…

So, naturally, he turned to suspicion.

"Am I really that amusing…?"

Frankly, he wasn’t prepared for the little laugh they let out in response.

"Mm? No, no... I'm just always so amazed by you, is all. I'll leave you to your music..."

Having thoroughly ruined the mood, the MC then turned to leave. But Lucifer was already upon them before they could step away, wrapping his arms around their waist and letting contented hum escape his chest.

"Going so soon…?"

Apparently he appreciated the compliment.

Mammon

He didn't have to do it.

When Belphie bumped into one of the House's vases, shattering it against the tile, he didn’t have to take the fall for it.

It wasn’t connected to him at all. He could have stayed quiet and no one would have pointed a finger at him for once.

But he did.

When Mammon set his phone down on the table, MC knew instantly that he had lied in the chat.

He was with them the entire day, he didn't have the time to accidentally break a vase. He hadn't even gone down that hallway all day...

But he said something anyway.

And he didn't even look fazed. He didn't turn towards them seeking approval nor did he look irritated that Belphie didn't speak up. He didn't curse at himself for doing something so self-sacrificing either...

When Mammon leaned back into the cushion of his couch, the MC saw something truly remarkable on his face… A smile. A small one, sure, but relaxed… 

Assured in his own actions. Confident in his choice and accepting the consequences… undeserved, and likely thankless, they may be.

A genuine, serene smile…

Mammon wasn't sure what he expected to see when he turned to the MC. Probably confusion or disbelief that he, the Great Mammon, could be so selfless.

Definitely not the awed, lovestruck look he got...

"G-gah!" He panicked slightly and pressed himself back against the armrest of the couch in shock. "Wh-... What'cha lookin at me like that for??"

When the MC didn't answer after a few seconds and just kept staring, he honestly didn't know what to do. Were they broken or something??

"Oi, MC! I asked ya wh-Hey wait a minute!!"

He made a noise between a yelp and a shout when the MC leapt forward and latched their arms onto him. What had gotten into them??

"U-uh… MC? MC?? Damnit MC, answer me already!! Or at least stop squeezin so tight!!... MC!!!"

Leviathan 

To anyone else, it was just Levi being Levi.

He had finished a new episode of his latest animated obsession and he had to share it with someone. Anyone would do, but the MC was always willing to lend an ear.

Something about Levi really changes when he talks about his passions… It's like he comes alive in a whole new way.

He speaks at a mile-a-minute, but that's because he's so excited the words fly from his mouth. 

Some part of him is always bouncing, be it his leg or body. Sometimes even his tail will swish and curl behind him like an ecstatic puppy. And his eyes… 

Citrine pools that glimmer and dilate from the exhilaration of it all. It's his little world and anyone can see he's thrilled to be sharing it. 

You'd never know he was shy. You'd never think he'd look down himself. You'd never guess that he hid himself away… Why would someone so full of passion and life ever want to? Some things are just too beautiful to keep hidden...

Levi had only gotten six minutes into his latest rant before he finally registered how the MC was staring at him…

This man has seen enough shoujo to know what that look means and it shut him up sooo quick. If anyone else were in the room they would have seen a beet-red Levi desperately trying to hide his face.

"M-MC…! S-top staring at me like that…!!"

"Like what~?" 

He didn't have to look at them to hear the teasing lilt in their voice.

"MC…" He peeked out from behind his fingers to see them still staring and covered himself up more vigorously. "Stoooop…!!!"

But secretly? He wished they'd never stop. His cheeks may have been red from embarrassment, but his heart was trying to hammer its way out of his chest to hug them itself. Hell, he'd have happily given it over to them if they'd asked…

Please just let those loving eyes be for him and him alone...

Satan

Soft isn't exactly a word anybody would use to describe Satan, least of all himself.

His anger was quick to spark, his strength was nothing to scoff at, and even his smiles were nothing but plastic for nearly all of his existence…

Nearly.

The MC learned surprisingly quick that there was one thing that could bypass all of the hidden ferocity to Satan's personality. Something that could make him melt like butter in the summer sun…

Satan had always looked a little cute when he was reading. He was easily at his most expressive when engrossed in a thrilling story or deeply intrigued by something he found between the pages of a book…

But watching Satan read about cats, as he was right then, was really something else entirely.

Maybe it was the way his emerald eyes would sparkle or the lopsided grin he just couldn't hide as he would scan the pages about the playful habits of Bengals or the relaxed nature of Ragdolls…

Maybe it was the sheer impassioned dedication he took the subject, pouring countless hours into collecting and memorizing every fact he could from their diets to coat maintenance.

Or maybe it was the sheer fact that anytime he saw a picture of kitty in-print he looked like a besotted schoolgirl drawing hearts around her crush in a teen magazine.

Really, who's to say? But to the MC, it was proof that under all that anger, there was a tender, loving center even for the smallest, softest creatures…

Satan automatically snapped his book closed when he saw MC watching him from behind a bookshelves. Caught red-handed…

He knows exactly how he looks when he's doing his research internally squealing over cat pictures so he tries to do so in private...

He was about to sputter out a defensive explanation but then he registered their face…

He'd seen that look described in stories, romance novels mostly, but he'd rarely seen it in action… and never once leveled at him with such intensity…

Not to be cliche, but frankly his heart skipped a beat.

Satan forgot about his book briefly and got up to close the distance between them, tilting their chin up to keep their eyes on him.

"Like something that you see, Kitten?"

"You could say that…"

He laughed at their attempt to play coy, but let it slide just this once… Easy to do with them looking at him so amorously.

Asmodeus 

Asmo is a very popular demon. Someone so free ought to know quite a lot of people, after all.

And, of course, he had plenty of fans. He made DevilTube videos, hosted radio shows, fashion designed, and even modeled.

So it wasn't very surprising when a young demoness stopped him while he and the MC were out shopping. It wasn’t the first time he had been asked to sign autographs, but this meeting… it was different.

It was clear to them both that this girl was shy. Though she held out the paper, her eyes stayed firmly on the ground and she stumbled on her question… She likely a fan from afar, but everything about her seemed meek… unassuming.

Most people would have just gave the autograph then went on with their day. The interaction could have taken five seconds at most… but not Asmo.

He asked her name… where she was from, how she was feeling, her favorite foods, outfits, makeup, you name it. All with investment.

It was amazing to watch the shy young woman slowly open up, getting more bright and cheerful with each passing question until it evolved into a healthy conversation.

When their little meeting finally wrapped up, he gave her back the paper (now signed) but also fished out a bottle of perfume from among the mountains of bags he was carrying. He gave it to her and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary, he could always buy another.

None of his brothers ever gave Asmo enough credit for his giving nature… even if he had his own way of going about it. Though he cared so much about image and his ability to shine, he never hesitated to make sure that the people around him shined too...

Asmo waved to the fan as she scampered away and was about to  apologize to the MC when he saw their face…

The man knows this look well. He's seen it a billion times, though it was particularly cute coming from them.

"Awww MC! Taken by my beauty are you~?"

He was about ready to kiss their cheek when they responded.

"No, not your looks, Asmo… with you."

… Oh.

It was very rare to see Asmo speechless, but for a few seconds his mind seemed to take in their words… letting them fully sink in before his heart utterly melting.

Oh MC… His sweet MC!!

Asmo ended up dropping the rest of his bags just so he could properly litter his human in nuzzles and kisses, the both of them humming and giggling in delight despite their shameless PDA.

Of course it would be his MC to see that part in himself… Who else would take the time?

Beelzebub 

Food is a precious resource to Beel. For him, it's a lifeline. A good meal could save him from the brink of starvation…

But that still doesn't make him incapable of sharing from time to time.

He and the MC were walking back to the House after getting takeout from Hell's Kitchen. Beel hadn't even waited until they left the restaurant to start eating his share, spilling the smell of fresh food into the air around them…

Things were going fine on their route back until they heard whimpering behind them…

A hellhound puppy, not quite old enough to bear its fangs, seemingly followed them as they were walking… It looked like it had been out for some time and eyed their food with hungry eyes, but weak posture. Who knows when it last had a meal?

The MC was about to tug at Beel's sleeve and say something, but their demon was ahead of them this time.

A casual observer might have gawked at the sight of Gluttony kneeling down to offer such a lowly creature a sandwich. But the MC knew better. When you spend your whole life hungry, nobody more than you understands that kind of pain in someone else. 

This reaction wasn't out of character for Beel, it was elementary.

And when the puppy finished its meal and covered Beel's cheeks with appreciative licks, he just laughed and scratched behind its ears. Amethyst eyes looking more relieved at its health than disappointed he lost some of his lunch...

Food was Beel's lifeline, but kindness is what made him who he was…

When the pup finally scampered off, Beel looked over at the MC to tell them it'd be alright and saw their face…

He wasn't really sure what they were staring at… Did he have something between his teeth again?

"MC? Are you okay...?"

They laughed at him for some reason but pulled him in for a hug so they must have meant well.

"You're so sweet, Beel…"

Beel's never one to refuse a compliment so he just hugged them back, beaming.

"Thank you, MC…"

Belphegor 

To say that Belphegor tended to be on the melancholic side would be an understatement… It wasn’t that he was incapable of expressing joy, it was just harder for him to do than most. Not helped, of course, by his tendency to keep his true feelings vague and hard to pinpoint.

But on those rare occasions where he was overjoyed… Belphie could really be something special…

The MC and Belphie were attending one of Beel's games and it was a tight one… Both teams had spent most of it tied and Beel's team was running out of time to overtake that slim margin.

Belphie had always been a supporter of his twin's athletics, but this time it was tense even for him. He kept on the edge of his seat and didn't even nod off during the breaks like he normally would… The MC could just tell how nervous he was for Beel…

But right as the time was about to run out, Beel made a last minute score and sure, the whole field erupted, but Belphie? Belphie hollered.

The normally sleepy and mellow demon was on his feet in an instant and practically shredding his vocal chords in excitement. If his tail had been out, it would have been beating against the bleachers like a war-drum. And his expression?

Belphie's smile is said to stop hearts for a reason. When he puts his all into a grin it's almost like he ascends to Heaven once more, as pure as an angel's choir and as warm as a summer's breeze… Nothing in his eyes but pride and adoration for his beloved twin brother.

Truly, a heartwarming sight to behold…

Belphie didn't calm down until the rest of the crowd settled and was about to point out Beel's skill to the MC when he noticed their face.

… oh no… Why do they look so sappy…?

"You really love your brother, don't you?"

Belphie quickly hid his thoughts behind an irritated frown and plopped back down in his seat… but that didn't shield them from seeing his pink cheeks.

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

He debated just joining Beel on the field to hide his embarrassment when he heard them snicker back.

"Yeah, you're right… Don't mind me."

Oh he minded. He minded a lot that he let his carefully veiled image slip like that. But thinking back to that smile on their face…?

Maybe being a little open wasn't so bad after all...

[evilzoldyck]

Fiancée II

part I

The floral scent hanging in the humid air had become particularly nauseating, the mixed flower petals that complemented the oils poured into the bathwater had all sank before you while the water itself had turned lukewarm.

Looking down at your fingers, you noticed that your fingertips had pruned horrendously. Normally you wouldn’t take much of your time disengaging with reality but recently, there was something in your mind you couldn’t quite comprehend. Just a few hours ago you were subjected to your mother-in-law’s favourite pastime which was holding a tea ceremony by the garden. Except it had a special twist, for every crucial detail that you missed, a melting hot iron would be pressed against the palm of your hands.

You didn’t miss the slight turn on the corner of her lips, her hidden smile behind the paper fan every time the torched metal would melt onto your skin, reminding you that will never be worthy enough to be accepted by her. And for every time your skin healed, your scars disappeared, your blood stopped seeping from your skin, she will be the one to make sure to replace them. Asserting her position and making sure you knew who the true matriarch of the family is.

Living with in-laws was a truly dreadful ordeal.

However when a butler with hard lines etched onto his face interrupted the unfortunate event, his sunken eyes that held the deepest sympathies only gazed at yours. He came forward with an ill-bearing news of your mother’s recent passing.

You knew this day would come, but you hadn’t anticipated it to come so soon. Though you had the resources to finance her health with the best doctor money can buy, you knew there was nothing you could offer death for an ailment so monstrous. The more times that you visited her in the hospital, the more and more different she looked. 

You almost didn’t recognise her. She looked like a corpse, barely breathing through her tube encasing her mouth, her hair you used to comb religiously every night was mostly gone. You knew that she was barely alive.

The only times that you were allowed to visit her was once every full moon as the rest of your days were filled with torturous training all for the sake of building your strength. You were barely considered family to them and so your own Mother visiting you at the Zoldyck estate was unimaginable. Sometimes in the darkest hour of the night you could almost hear her hoarse whispers, blindly pleading repeatedly to the nurses for you, why her daughter was nowhere to be found.

She fought for your next visit, begging at death’s door to see you one last time but alas, death was cruelly fair and her time was rightfully due. And so the feeling when you completely missed her burial, when you were refused a visit to her grave to pay your respects, when you were forbidden to grieve for it was a sign of weakness. The feeling of such accumulated events…

What was it you were supposed to feel?

You knew your heart nor mind could never be so numb, you weren’t anything like the Zoldycks at all, so detached to even a sliver of morality and compassion. So then why didn’t the news of her death send you to your knees? Why couldn’t you feel anything? Could it be a temporary shock- perhaps that’s why your cheeks were dry.

Just when you were lost in your thoughts with a tight frown pursed upon your lips, your personal handmaiden politely intruded herself inside the bathroom, announcing the arrival of master Illumi from his recent mission abroad. You lifted your head from your trance as her soft voice ricocheted off the black marbled walls, a gentle reminder to you of exactly where you were before your mind took you someplace else.

Upon seeing her, she was diligently prepped with her arms open wide, holding your robe before you.

The strange family had rightfully encroached all rights that you previously held, your freedom, your dignity, pride, and even your last name; privacy was the least of your concern. Rising from the cold waters, you allowed her to tie the warm fabric around you. She was always so meticulous and gentle, as if the slightest movement of her gestures or the flicker of her gaze could potentially be taken as an affront.

There were ample times that you searched for at least some kind of warmth in this forlorn and dreary estate, some kind of companion to show a little humanity and compassion with. You should’ve known that pursuing friendship on this mountain was pointless. The myriad of maids and butlers that they have at their disposable offered no comfort to your despair as they were always sickeningly polite but never friendly, leaving a gaping hole in your chest to fend this loneliness for yourself.

At the threshold of the gargantuan door, Illumi stood impassively while one of the butlers of the estate came to lighten his load. He had come back rather early from his departure, the extensive tasks assigned to him was nothing he hadn’t done before and yet with so many undertakings he was obligated to finish he had forgone rest when it was deemed necessary, opting to continue on to the next job effective immediately. Perhaps it was his habit of having a tireless and dedicated focus during a mission or maybe it was just his overzealousness to see you again.

“Welcome back, master Illumi. I trust that you found our services to be adequate on your journey back.” Gotoh pleasantly bade a congenial welcome as he gracefully placed his right hand across his chest and bowed his head slightly before the eldest of Zoldyck’s son.

He simply hummed in reply not sparing another glance at the man for Illumi’s vacant stare was occupied, searching the premises based on his peripheral vision for any sign of you awaiting him without fail like you do every time he arrived back from his assignments. “And my wife?” he curtly inquired after seeing no sign of you.

Descending from the stairs, you face your personal demon with a pathetic palpitating heart. The robe that you adorned did little to cover the coldness of his gaze for the room froze every time he was near. Nevertheless a stretch of a satisfying smile formed across his lips as you made your way towards his arms. 

Embracing him always felt like the first time, your shoulders tensed every time his elongated thin fingers squeezed your sides as he enveloped you in a mockingly sweet embrace. If it bothered him, Illumi never spoke of it. The locks of his midnight hair brushed against your face as you placed a quivering kiss upon his cheek, uttering a small greeting for him. 

Just like clockwork he began to led you away from the foyer and into your shared quarters with his lithe hand burrowing itself into your waist. 

Though it felt like years had passed once your fate was intertwined with his, you could never get used to his presence. This saccharine coated reality could never delude you to construe this as something more meaningful than a means of escape from your financial poverty and his obligation on fulfilling his filial piety. The carefully rehearsed charade always played out the same where in the end of the night you would find yourself in a familiar predicament. 

Inside the cimmerian chamber dim flickering candle lights illuminated the tenebrous darkness around you. The satin beneath your naked skin easily shifted as Illumi handled you attentively from above. As he moved to discard of his clothes your eyes absentmindedly wandered to the same spot on the ceiling that you’ve gazed upon countless of times. However once you heard the gentle rustle of his garments join yours into the floor, your attempt to seperate your mind from your body ended in vain. 

Illumi hovered above you leaving a scant space between your lips. You wished you knew why he searched for your eyes every time he began to kiss you, taking a pensive moment for you to finally look at him, to be the centre of your attention. You didn’t know why he bothered taking his time with you for every night you spent with him you had only demonstrated compliance and obedience. Prolonging such affair was only counterproductive. 

You felt him dragging his nails softly into your skin as he brought his hands up slowly from your thighs to your neck, grasping the rhythmically beating point and finally placing a soft kiss. 

Closing your eyes you unconsciously balled the sheets beneath you with your fists. The kiss was timid and placid on your lips as his hair fell and entangle with the pool of your own. Illumi finally released after a few languishing moments and began to trace wistful kisses along your neck. 

You knew better as to why an apathetic assassin that left a trail of crimson behind him for equity would give you the time of day to leave obsequious pecks. 

Illumi was a man of pure objectivity, each action he took had an ulterior motive behind it for no lift of his finger went by without it having some kind of incentive for him in the end. And so his adoring kisses and unctuous attention did little to move your amoral perception of him. 

He only indulged in such idle debauchary for he believed it was what you enjoyed, hence allowing the intercourse to go smoothly and successfully with the benefit of your arousal. Illumi was especially persistent in his countless endeavours in carrying out his bloodline with you. The details surrounding the child were kept quite vague and undisclosed, the only emphasis now was centred around the health and condition of your mental and physical state. 

Perhaps that’s why Illumi always handled you selflessly, as if he missed you terribly every time he went away for his delegated tasks. His efforts to please you easily began to grow more apparent, especially under an auspicious moon. 

Suddenly his hand encapsulated your small shivering ones, making your breath hitch just slightly as he rose up to meet you once more. “You’re still shaking, what’s the matter?” 

Were you? You hadn’t noticed the state of your body for your mind was running wild with endless thoughts. Sensing the tension in the air you quickly placated his growing trepidation with a weak smile. “Forgive me, tonight is just particularly cold today, perhaps I’ve left the window open again.” Avoiding his ruminating gaze Illumi released a ghost of a sigh before nodding, indicating that he took your word for it despite you knowing deep down that he did not. 

“Shall we go by the fireplace?” He suggested innocuously. 

You, however, couldn’t prevent the heat from rising up to your face as you couldn’t even begin to fathom engaging in such activity beside a roaring fire. Not only that but you would be rid of the protective barrier of your sheets and most of all, the wavering waves of red would cast a glow onto his face, forcing you to glance up upon him and seeing more of what you’re already comfortable with. 

A prude is the word most women back in your town would describe you as, however you would staunchly argue to such claims when the eyes of death has its attention solely on you. 

“No,” you gripped onto his hands. “Here is just fine.” 

Illumi gathered you into his arms, pulling you upwards along with him as he pressed more kisses against your lips and slowly trailed them down to your chest. You hesitantly wrapped your hands around his shoulders, careful not to tip the centre of balance he had on you as you nearly straddled his lap. 

“Very well,” he murmured before flipping you back on the bed and making you land onto your front swiftly. “Then I shall hold you instead.” 

Encapsulating you wholly with your back pressed against his chest, he held onto your chest tightly against him with one arm as the other gripped your hips firmly, raising it up to meet his. His head burrowed itself into the crook of your neck to leave more discoloured marks, and just in time as you felt the stretch commence. 

You were nowa Zoldyck, as you often reminded yourself, nothing could contain you not even pain, not even death, not even love. 

Roughly a year had passed and the same moonlight shined through the darkness upon the mountain peak once again. The Zoldyck estate was in turmoil. Nurses ran frantically from across the halls carrying fresh pristine white towels only to have them drenched in blood in the next second. 

You knew what you signed up for the moment you stood before theTesting Gate, it was just simply your time to fulfil your end of the bargain.

The journey of your pregnancy was a stark contrast to the treatment you had been subjected to in your time here. Instead of poison laced meals to the verge of hospitalisation and endless hours of enhancing your strength endurance, you were finally given some form of a break. 

Those little mercies such as extra hours of sleep, the vitamins and protein back in your system and the permission to acquire rest when you needed it were like heaven to you. 

Your health along with your baby’s progress was greatly monitored, not a day goes by that your daily intensive checkup went by carelessly. 

Everyday you gazed down in front of the mirror and saw yourself grow progressively. The size of your belly began to expand with each passing time that came closer to the due date. Though despite the baby being attached to your very self you couldn’t feel a sense of attachment to it, the very kind your mother had for you. 

And so when you first heard him cry from your extraneous labour, you were stricken by a sudden powerful force. Months of him stirring inside you and it took you this long to realise the being inside you was alive. 

The obstetrician and the nurses all cheered and cooed at the successful delivery of your newborn baby, making excessive notes of how handsome he was. Their faces damped with their efforts to ensure the health of the mother and the baby was maintained paid off for the delivery was a success. 

The burden finally left their shoulders as one should feel when it was a Zoldyck’s turn to employ and entrust an imperative job such as this. 

Once the umbilical cord was cut, you were able look upon his face. Blood stained your hands and cheek as you held him close to your chest, his tiny hand already reaching out for your face, finally tempering his cries into charming babbling nonsense when he sensed that you were near. Everything about him reminded you of Illumi, his midnight hair that was twisted in tiny wisps, his complexion, his small but sharp features upon his face.

But those eyes, they were yours. 

The warmth of such gaze possessed you to crumble down before your son for it wasn’t until his arrival that your humanity was finally restored. Emotions flooded your senses to the point that you thought you couldn’t feel anything else but harrowing pain and guilt. Your separation from your only family, society, your own mother’s death, the excruciating pain that was inflicted upon you- you’ve felt it all. 

The mental fortitudes that you’ve built up over the accumulating years all came crashing down when you looked upon a face so innocent and pure. Something that was truly incapable of harnessing any  bloodshed as per the family designed of his future.

And after all this time you were carrying him like a pig to slaughter. Partaking in this corrupt pseudo-experiment to create the cold and hard perfect monster, subservient to the wills and orders of the family.

Just like his father. 

Suddenly, one of the nurses took him away from your embrace consequently making you panic at the thought of your son being alone without you. The feeling that compelled you to care for another was one that felt so familiar and yet so foreign, plucking an untouched chord in your heartstring that you’ve forgotten a long time ago. 

All your life you were living for someone else; when you lost your mother you were at a loss for your purpose was amiss, living as an empty hollow shell of a human being. Now that the birth of your child had come, an epiphany struck you like a blinding flash of lightening. 

He was your new profound purpose.

“Where are you taking him?” You gasped out, already reaching out towards the nurse who held him around a blanket. She briefly replied that she would be taking his measurements but her words of comfort fell on deaf ears for it did nothing to placate the fact that you were separated from your baby. 

“No, no- please! Give him back to me!” Now you were crawling across the maroon soaked sheets, wincing at the fact that you were still bleeding but still keeping a staunch arm out in front of you. 

Your frantic actions forced the nurses nearby to restrain you, holding you back onto the bed while urging advices to calm down. However their grip upon you nearly fell for you could see nothing but red in your eyes, there was no amount of force in this world that could withhold you from being without him. Your beseeches and tenacious struggle quickly came to a halt when you felt a sudden jolt of pain from your side. 

Looking down with your tear stricken face you saw that you were haphazardly injected with a strange transparent liquid to sedate you. Usually you could easily persevere over simple liquid anaesthetics that could even wipe out an entire five adult men but this dose was a new thing entirely, you’ve never been exposed to such a heavy medication that edged on it being lethal before.

However you knew that the fate of your son would be compromised if you stayed, if you didn’t fought for him. 

Consequently, the only necessary action you needed to take was to escape. Gathering your bearings from the Jenny that you’ve rightfully championed two summers ago, you’ve decided that the amount would guarantee him and you a stable future. 

That is why after two moons have passed when you’ve conjured enough strength to gather yourself from your deep sleep, right before Illumi was scheduled to come back to witness the scion of the house of Zoldyck, that you would take off when the moon was at its peak. 

There was no leaving it up to chance for there was no telling when you would see you son again. There was much conviction in your assumption that Illumi would haste his training program to become an elite assassin, just as the family intended from the start. 

The Zoldycks were unrivalled in their system of securing their property. A fortress that the brave or the foolish dared to try to penetrate, though their attempts would always end up in vain; along with bruises and a few broken bones if they were smart enough to retreat soon. However, they weren’t quite as adept at keeping someone in than they were at keeping everyone out. 

Glancing back the faint sight of the distant mountain on the horizon, you slowed your pace as you decided you’ve made satisfactory progress in distance. Looking around perilously and tuning your ears to the sound of even the faintest landing of the leaves in the autumn breeze, you relievedly deduced that you weren’t followed- well at least not yet.

Releasing small huffs from your over exertion of energy, you gazed down fondly  at the sight of your son bundled up in a large cloth in which you tied tightly onto your back. You relievedly let out a soft smile when you found out he was still sleeping soundly, gripping onto some of your loose hairs unconsciously. Setting him down inside a hollow tree you figured you could take a few minutes to decipher where True North lied. 

However, a sudden change in the atmosphere made your blood freeze. Staring out into the darkness, you fixed your sights in the direction of the energy with your fists clenched in anticipation. 

You felt him before you even saw him. Your heart dropped when you sensed whose aura emitted belonged to. 

Illumi came out of darkness with an air of calmness surrounding him. This sense of composure completely shifted yours, you knew he could easily overpower you for his nen abilities reigned supreme over yours, nonetheless you couldn’t allow a fight for freedom to go unchallenged, not when you were so close to the finish line. 

His ambiguity costed you valuable time to quickly devise a plan. Should you fight or should you flee? There was no telling he would kill you and steal your son away if you opposed him and yet given his nature, Illumi was quite capable of putting up a façade to front his murderous intent. 

When he came too close for comfort, you realised you could never outrun him with this distance, thus you had to strike before he could. Unsheathing a small dagger that you carried just in case you ran into some trouble, you cursed at yourself for carrying a short range weapon. 

Nevertheless you missed his shoulder by just the width of a hair. Illumi’s speed, though something to be marvelled at, was the only aspect that you worried most about. 

As if in slow motion you fell forwards and from the corner of your eyes, you saw him shift easily from your reach. Illumi began to extend his arm out to impede your efforts, however you caught sight of his advances and immediate retreated back. 

He blinked in mild surprise before exhaling a jaded sigh. “Fighting me is futile, you know very well that you cannot defy me in battle.” He stated matter-of-factly. “This victory brings me no satisfaction.” 

“Bring the child forth and end this foolishness now.”

“You monster,” you spat out the words like venom. “You’ll kill him.” 

Lashing out in anger you attempted another strike but narrowly missed again. Gritting your teeth in frustration you were so blinded by hatred that you failed to notice his hand reaching from your blind spot to restrain your dagger. 

Wrapping his long lithe fingers around your wrist Illumi gave a warning squeeze, enough to make a grown man fall to his knees. When you refused to yield, he gripped it into a blood cutting bind until you heard your bones shift and crack. You gasped out once your hold slackened as the dagger fell into the soft green grass below.

“No, I’ll make him stronger.” Illumi confidently promised. He just broke your wrist but oddly still, you couldn’t sense any intention of harm from him as you presumed. 

Your body went rigid when he uttered your name softly, pulling your weight into him almost comfortingly. “We’re still a family,” he spoke so lowly you thought you heard a sense of betrayal and hurt from his words. “I know it’s hard, but we only have each other.”

This imitation of kindness pulled you back into reality before you could cry into his chest and take you back to the mountain. Jerking from his touch disgustedly you began to prepare to lunge at him despite your broken hand. 

“You know very well that I will pursue you even to the ends of the earth.” 

You lurch out in a punch at his direction but Illumi hastily blocked your attacks. Dodging your strikes he only ever defends, hardly even trying to challenge you. An approach that was more pacifist as opposed to practical.

“I’ll stop at nothing to bring you both home, there is nothing you can protect him from. The boy will watch many deaths before him. He will know the true meaning of threats and violence, they will fall under mine. He will never know peace.” 

You almost cried when you heard him spoke of your son’s future in a manner that was so casually cruel. Forcing yourself to block his torturous lies and vitriolic taunts, you eyed for your weapon inconspicuously. 

Catching a glint from the blade of the dagger in the tall grass, you reached out to briskly seize it. Before you could even get close, Illumi kicked it swiftly to the point where it was no longer visible to you. Looking up at him with a gaze gaunt with pain and humiliation as he said your name once more.

“Listen to reason.”

In a fit of rage you blindly fought him with your moves only consisting of attacks and albeit not very coordinated for you could barely even see your hands in front of you. You could sense that Illumi willingly took some of your punches as he winced a little when one of your attacks coincidentally targeted his weak points. 

You hadn’t realised you were crying until he balanced you upright just as when you stumbled forwards due to your eyes stinging with blurry vision. Why had you expressed yourself at your weakest point in the midst of a fight? Were you really this weak? After such gruelling years of training did they amount to nothing when you couldn’t even compare to the man you willed yourself away to? 

You already lost before you even began. 

Locking a grip around his neck you managed to successfully pinned him to the ground floor. His eyes blankly looked up at your dishevelled state raw with pure emotions in contrast to his cool and composed self. It took you this long to register that he wasn’t fighting for your submission but for your sake. 

Illumi easily reverted to being the dominant position when he was about to receive a lethal strike from you. Pining both of your hands to the ground as he restrained your legs with his knees.

Illumi studied your trembling form underneath him, appearing like a feral cat caught in a cage, ready to lash out from any sudden actions even one out of kindness. 

“What can I do to get you to stay?” He persuaded exasperatedly, as if he was tired of you looking at him like he’s the enemy. Meanwhile, you glared at the ludicrous question. 

“I want a normal life for him. I want him to see the world, I want him to go to school, to make friends.” Your throat tightened when you brought him up. Proposing your wishes in vain knowing truly he could never fulfil what you desired. “You’ll have to kill me first before you could ever get to him.” 

“An unnecessary sacrifice.” He quickly corrected, as if such a thought had never crossed his mind.”How could I endanger the one I love most?” 

Your face twisted in detest at his hypocrisy. “What do you know about love?”

Illumi merely blinked at your question, in which the answer was one that he thought was already apparent 

“I love you.” 

And yet a thousand needles could never the change the way you feel for him. You only saw darkness within Illumi, death was the only thing drilled into his mind for his purpose was designed only for murder. 

But then why couldn’t you see any deception in his eyes? Why did he possess such sincerity when he declared his feelings for you. In the midst of constant exposure to inhumanity was it truly possible for hope and love to endure for Illumi?

At the cold realm on top of the mountain you have gazed at numerous celestial wonders of the universe, but none could compare to what you saw in his gaze. You recognised the fragments of humanity inside him and it was far more powerful than anything that you had ever witnessed before. 

To have seen compassion for another being in a state of infinite chaos, Illumi was truly a wonder.

“We can have that, you know,” Illumi gently said. “A house for our own far away from here, school, friends, whatever you want.” 

“But... not for him?” Your breath stopped when he nodded slowly, sympathising your disappointment at your speculation. 

“His siblings may lead the normal life you intended for them, but it’s critical that the eldest Zoldyck carry on the family’s name and status.” 

Like an echo through history, you really can’t stop the Zoldycks’ legacy. Nevertheless, the question still rang in your head alarmingly.

Could you do it? 

Doom your firstborn to save the others? 

After what you’ve been through was it the only logical choice?

“You can’t hurt him.”

Alas, the only natural rational course of action was to naturally comply. Illumi graced a genuine smile as he closed the distance between you and sealed the deal with a chaste kiss. 

“Never.” 

[kiribaku-queen]

Could we please have an insecure!reader x Bokuto! (Also Todoroki x reader but separately if that’s okay?) where she starts to slowly starts to compare herself to all the fangirls and the girls that confess to them? So she slowly starts to distance herself, then meets up with then to break up. But when she says she wants to break up the boys are like “do you not love me anymore, what happened” then she basically goes on a spiel about how much better he would be with one the fangirls and just straight up says she looks like the trash but of course she still loves him. So then the boys reassure her that she’s the only one he wants and that she is perfect and blah blah blah and it’s just a nice happy ending basically :)

It’s Always Been You

Pairing: Bokuto x reader

Angst, Fluff

Word count: 3.1K

A/N: I’M BACK! I’m starting to get back into the groove of things while juggling my work but hopefully, I’ll be able to start that new series soon! Let me tell yall, when I finished plotting out and detailing everything I want to happen in this series, it was 11 pages long.... like what?

Anyway, I love love loved this prompt. It actually made me feel sad inside. I hope it wasn’t too rushed. Also, I just wanted to do Bokuto since I have a lot on my plate, writing wise so i hope that is okay! Thank you to whoever sent this in and I hope you are satisfied with this! Happy reading! (if you want to know more about my next series, DM me! I really want to talk about it LOL)

“Kotarou-kun!” you bellowed your boyfriend’s name from the stands. You would always go to Bokuto’s volleyball practice whenever you could. You had your own club activities so you couldn’t always be there to cheer him on. But when you would, Bokuto would be jumping with joy, trying new moves just to impress you. You were already impressed with the achievements he made this past year, one being the top 5 spikers in all of Japan. But he somehow still thinks that there’s more wow factor in him for you. When Bokuto hears his name fall from your lips, he automatically whips his head and gives you the widest smile.

“(y/n)!” he sings your name, waving both hands in the air. Bokuto was so distracted by you that he didn’t see that ball coming straight for him. Luckily, it missed him but just a hair. But now his team was upset that they just lost a point thanks to him. Thank god this was just practice and not an actual game. You’d never live that one down. You could see Bokuto rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed, as his team continued to scold him to pay attention.

Spike after spike after spike after spike, you were amazing at how many times Bokuto could spike the ball down without getting tired. If that was you, you would surely break both your ankles. You leaned on the railing, admiring how hardworking and how much effort he put in his sport. You’ve never met anyone more dedicated than the man who was dominating the court by just standing there.

“This one’s for…” Bokuto starts as he jumps in the air with exceptional form. You smile fondly because you know what’s about to happen. “(Y/N)!!!” he dedicates his spike to you, yelling with his whole chest and smacks the ball on the other side of the court. With the widest smile and a big thumbs up, Bokuto faces you after his great feat. His teammates clearly embarrassed with his antics. It’s practice, for crying out loud. But Bokuto didn’t care what anyone else thought. He was going to shower you with love and affection to show everyone just who captured his heart.

You giggle to yourself. You loved this side of Bokuto. In the beginning of your relationship, you admit that it was embarrassing. He was just so extra with his affection that you didn’t know how to take it. But day by day, you learned to accept and love all the things he does for you. His smile, his laugh, his iconic ‘hey, hey, hey’ line, and even when he dedicates certain moves to you. But you weren’t the only one to admired him. No, his fangirls were also in love with that. Speaking of fangirls…

When practice was over, you made your way down the bleachers and over to your boyfriend, but when the team came into sight, Bokuto was already surrounded by a herd of fangirls.

“Bokuto-san, you were super cool today!”

“Can you show me how to play?”

“Are you thirsty? Here, I bought you some water!”

“Do you need a towel?”

“Can we feel your muscles?”

Bokuto looked uncomfortable, to say the least. You stayed behind the crowd of girls, giving him some space with his fans. He sees you immediately and gives you an apologetic look. You shake your head, insinuating that it was okay. Because it honestly was. You can’t be mad at him for having adoring fans. It was natural if he was going to play professionally. And this is nothing if he was to really play on a pro volleyball team. So you could take it. Bokuto continues to interact with the girls while to watch them, waiting until he’s ready to leave.

You could see him trying to make his way through the crowd to get to you, but surprisingly, his fans were pretty strong. They refused to let him leave, no matter how many times he said he had to go. But again, you were willing to be patient.

“Look, ladies. I’d love to stay and talk, but I have someone waiting on me,” Bokuto tried one more time and pointed in your direction. All their heads whipped around to you, not looking too happy. Their stares burned at you, scaring you a bit at how vicious they could look. With them distracted, Bokuto was able to slip out of their circle and by your side.

“Shall we go?” he looked down at you, love back in his eyes. You nod and Bokuto automatically wraps his hand around your shoulders, leading you out of the court.

As you pass by the group of girls who were still staring daggers at you, you heard their whispers. You weren’t sure if they were saying it on purpose or if it was because it was the truth, but they were speaking loud enough for you to overhear.

“What does he see in her?”

“Do you see her bare face? Does she not care that she looks homeless?”

“It’s because her face is bumpy, so if she wore makeup it would look cakey.”

“No, even if she did wear makeup, it would look so bad because she doesn’t know how to put it on.”

“God, she’s so boring!”

“Her hair isn’t even done.”

“It’s like she purposely trying be a loser.”

“And do you see how her rolls are spilling out of her shirt? Embarrassing!”

You tightened your grip on your skirt. Were they really talking about you? The entire time Bokuto was walking you home, you were looking down and thought about all those comments that they made. Mean as they were, maybe they were right? You didn’t wear any jewelry. It would only get in the way. You don’t do your hair, but you didn’t think it was that messy. You liked it the way it was. No, you don’t wear makeup. Not only do you not have time in the morning, but you only use it for special occasions. Fat? Maybe you were putting on a few pounds, but you and Bokuto like to eat. It’s his fault that you look bigger than normal. Is this what people think about you? Is this was people say behind your back? You looked down at your stomach and held it shyly. Thinking about those comments just made you upset. But did Bokuto think that way? You look up at him and he’s all happy like normal. He hasn’t said that you should change anything, but maybe that’s just him being polite. But that was going to change.

After dropping you off, you went straight to your room and dug up everything you could find: makeup, clothes, jewelry, accessories, curling iron, straightener. You put everything on your counter and got to work. You were going to look pretty for once.

First, you applied your makeup. Dramatic or subtle? What do most of the girls wear at school? After a quick search, subtle it is. You admit, you weren’t the best at makeup, but it’s not like you’ve never put it on before. You just needed a little practice and this was a good opportunity. After maybe 30 minutes of applying what you thought looked like good makeup skills, you moved onto the hair. You tried something that you normally never do. Up or down? Curly or straight? Extensions or nah? God, so many options. So again, you looked at what the other girls were doing. Looking back in the mirror, you smiled at yourself. Not too bad, if you do say so yourself! You were going to wake up early tomorrow and do exactly this. Bokuto was in for a big surprise.

A big surprise, he was. Bokuto waited outside your house like he did every day. You were running a little late but he didn’t mind waiting.

“Sorry I’m late. I was doing something real quick!” you announced and presented yourself in front of your boyfriend. As soon as Bokuto laid eyes on you, he felt his heart fly out of his chest and then back again because he had to be alive to see how stunning you looked. His mouth flew open but he couldn’t form any words. His eyes grew as wide as saucers and looked up and down. He didn’t want this picture of you out of his mind.

As shocked as Bokuto was, you didn’t take his reaction the right way. Did he not like it? Why wasn’t he saying anything? You know that your look might be different than normal, but he acts like you’re a totally different person. The longer that he stared at you, the more ridiculous you looked. But what were you going to do now? It was too late to change and you were going to be late to school.

“Let’s go!” you urged, hooking your arms together and pulled him along to walk with you. You acted like his reaction didn’t affect you, but inside you were disappointed.

As the day went on, you couldn’t help but feel subconscious about your new look. Your friends said that they loved the new you, but Bokuto’s opinion mattered the most to you. Because you knew that he would tell you the truth no matter what.

In between classes, you look either go to the bathroom or look at your phone, wherever there was a mirror so that you could look at yourself. Your make up started melting and fading away, your hair wasn’t as kept like this morning. Slowly, your new look made you look like a clown. And the more you looked, the more you started to see your flaws. Now you could understand what those girls were saying. Fuck.

Tears welled in your eyes that you rubbed away the tears. But in the process of doing that, you wiped off the makeup that you forgot you had on, the makeup that took you so long to do. It all smeared across your eyes and that made you cry even more. Now you were forced to take your makeup off. You turned on the tap and rubbed all the foundation, the eye shadow, the blush, and the lipstick away. There, your ugly bare face was back.

Since you were doing that, might as well fix your hair. Pulling your hair all the way back, you put it into a bun. You stared at yourself in the mirror again. Homeless. Ugly. Bare faced. Fat. You could see it all. The realization hit you like a ton of bricks and you began to cry uncontrollably. God, you felt so embarrassed with yourself.

Bokuto immediately saw the difference in appearance when he saw you at the end of the day. Your shoulders were slouched over, your head was hung low, not to mention that your new look disappeared.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Bokuto said softly. “What happened to your new look?”

“Oh,” you jolted up. His concerned gaze made you feel uncomfortable and even more insecure about your looks. “It was bothering me, so I took it off.” You lied. And it was a good lie because he believed it without a second thought.

“If it bothers you, maybe you shouldn’t wear it to school,” Bokuto suggested. Oh, so he’s basically saying that you shouldn’t dress like that because he’s embarrassed by you. Your confidence levels just reached a new low.

“Yeah, I probably won’t,” you say discouraged and quickly walk away from him. Bokuto didn’t know what to say. Why did you look so sad?

The next day, you transitioned back into your normal outfit. You felt more comfortable but your body and the way you looked to other people was always in the back of your mind. You became so distracted by the idea that you began to distance yourself from the volleyball player.

You went to his practices but didn’t make yourself known anymore. Little by little each day, you let the fangirls take over. So he’ll spend most of his time with them instead of you. It was probably better like that anyway. The more you looked at them from afar, the more you could see the difference between you guys. You were just an ordinary student with an ordinary life with ordinary looks. There really wasn’t anything special about you. There wasn’t anything about you that stood out. Compared to these girls that were flocking all around your boyfriend? Beautiful girls. Their looks were out of this world. You could never compare to them. So why was Bokuto with you when he could have anyone he wanted? He was popular, athletic, goofy, strong. Every girl’s dream guy. It doesn’t make sense that you, a plain girl, was his girlfriend. A match that probably wasn’t meant to be.

Bokuto noticed that you were being distant. Eventually, you stopped going to his practices. Every day, he would look for you in the stands but you were never there. Whenever he has free time and wanted to spend it with you, you were also too busy or had some place to be. He never saw you anymore. You didn’t even want to walk to and from school together. He couldn’t fathom what he did wrong. He thought he treated you well. He thought that he did his best to show you that you mean so much to him. So what was going on?

Bokuto stopped by your house one day after practice because does not like how you were avoiding him. He was going to figure out what was wrong whether you continue to avoid him or not.

“Oh, is (y/n) home?” Bokuto asked your mother who opened the door instead of you. Strange, were you not home yet?

“Oh, Kotarou. No, she isn’t home yet. Would you like to wait inside? She should be home any minute now,” your mother informed, opening the door a little wider to let him in. He gladly accepted and stepped into your welcoming home. Your mother let Bokuto make himself at home and that is just what he did. He went to your room and waited for you there.

When you arrived home, you greeted your mother with a kiss on her cheek and headed for your room when your mom stopped you in your tracks.

“Oh, your boyfriend is waiting for you upstairs, dear,” your mother said. You completely froze. Your heart started to race and cold sweat ran down your back. Shit. What was he doing here? After all this time, you thought you were doing well by keeping your distance but now he shows up out of nowhere, catching you off guard. Reluctantly, you opened the door to your bedroom and sure enough, Bokuto was standing there not looking too happy.

“Kotarou,” you say but didn’t have a clue what to say after. What could you say?

“(y/n),” Bokuto sighs and walks to you. But you backup, making Bokuto frustrated. “What is going on with you? First, you don’t come to my practices. Then, you stop talking to me. You don’t even want to walk with me to school anymore. Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, just tell me so I can fix it.”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” you admit, but now Bokuto was confused.

“If I didn’t do anything, then why are you acting like towards me? Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“Did I say something that hurt your feelings?”

“No.” Question after question, you kept saying no. Everything that he thought he did, you answered no. You weren’t giving him any information to help him understand what was going on. All you did was stand by the door, head down and you fiddled with your fingers. Bokuto was beyond frustrated. He put his hands on his waist and let out a deep sigh.

You couldn’t see him but you could definitely hear him and feel the ambiance in the room. He was upset at you. He had every right to. But now his reaction made you feel even worse about yourself that you just wanted to cuddle up in bed and literally just forget about everything. Maybe today was the today.

“If you’re so frustrated, why don’t you just break up with me?” you opened your mouth to say. Silence.

All of Bokuto’s anger and frustration dissipated and was replaced with hurt and betrayal. The moment those words left your mouth, his stomach dropped and the pain in his heart hit him so deep that he had to take a step back.

“Baby, why are you saying that?” his voice softens in the most pained toned you’ve ever heard. Guilt starts to eat at you for saying that, but cat’s out of the bag now. You don’t answer him and continue to stare down at your feet. He gets closer and you allow him to take your hands in his.

“I’m just trying to understand. Why are avoiding me? Why are you saying that we should break up?” he asks, trying to look you in the eyes. You shrug your shoulders but don’t say anything. But that’s okay because Bokuto was going to give you all the time in the world that you need to answer back. And it took you a long while before you should say anything.

“It’s because… I think you can find someone better,” you mumble in a whisper.

“Why do you think that?” Bokuto matches your tone. You shrug again.

“I don’t know. I see all those girls around you. And they’re all so pretty and thin. I’m nothing compared to them. And then I started thinking, and… you’re way out of my league. You could do so much better if you were with someone like-”

“Do you love me?” Bokuto cuts you off.

“Yeah,” you answer anyway. “But I don’t think we look good as a couple.”

“I don’t care what other people think. I love you and only you. I picked you. Every practice, every game, I’m looking for you. Whenever I see you, my day brightens up. When I see you, I feel like I can play my best. You are my strength and my motivation. You are the only one that sticks out in a crowd full of people. You’re perfect and don’t let those other people tell you otherwise.” Bokuto lifts your chin up so that you could tell that he meant every word. Your lower lip forms a pout and silent tears streaked your cheeks. His face softens at you. Gosh, even when you’re crying and snot is coming out of your nose, you’re still so cute to him.

“You really mean it?” you cry.

“Yes, you cry baby. Now come here,” he scoops you up and lays you on the bed to cuddle. “So don’t you ever say that to me again, or I’ll quit volleyball.” He threatens. Upon hearing that, you freak out and convince that he shouldn’t. He’s laughing out loud and kisses you all over.

“Ah, I love you too much,” he says content and you cuddle for the rest of the evening.

[sherokutakari]

Okay so having finally watched the last episode instead of just reacting to spoilers, I have 2 major thoughts

1) It is still absolute bullshit that we were lied to -- TWICE -- regarding the OT3 (first being told they're a canon polycule, second being told "your OT3 is safe" in response to a fan hoping they're all still in the show and together at the announcement of Redemption)

2) I really love Maria but the OT3-ness was PALPABLE the WHOLE fucking episode, with an EXTREMELY INTENSE FOCUS on Eliot SPECIFICALLY. WHY if not to set up something for the future? Yes I'm aware I'm clowning probably but I'm gay and in need of this ship, and I went *into* this episode having already read the positive possible what-ifs, and having already dismissed them out of hand. I was basically wearing the OPPOSITE of shipping goggles and STILL got blinded by their love for each other, which just makes point 1 all the more infuriating.

Why was Eliot living with Hardison and Parker. Why does Eliot call Hardison baby. Why does Parker spend most of the first episode sidled up to Eliot not Hardison. Why does Hardison intimately know Eliot's first-thing-in-the-morning routine. Why did they canonize OT3 movie nights. Why does Eliot "cook a romantic dinner" for Parker and Hardison. Why hasn't Eliot had any other relationship between "Until my dying day" and Maria. Why was Parker so insanely jealous over the marshal getting Eliot's attention. Why is it the biggest deal Hardison make up with Eliot not Parker. Why was it Eliot that smiled the biggest and longest when Hardison came back.

You'll notice none of those are questions, bc really we already know the answer, even if the show suddenly won't commit.

So why why why why why pull this shit NOW???

If they were really worried about passing censors or offending bigots or something, they could have kept it status quo with the original. They could have left it as barely-more-than subtext. They didn't have to take a hot, steaming dump on their most dedicated fans. If they didn't want to commit outside of WoG twitter comments and cheecky remarks about Ao3 accounts, they could have simply not...? Given one of the core 3 a random, set-up-intentionally-to-fail love interest????

The whole thing just burns me up, and yet somehow the last episode still filled me with so much hope and love. Because it's still Leverage, and It's Still Them.

Let's hope for a season two because after this, the showrunners are going to need their own Redemption to win back a large part of the fandom that has kept these characters and universe alive for the past ten years.

And, at least at the moment, I'm willing to let them try.

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 2: Fire

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021

Liu Kang x Reader or Kung Lao x Reader

Summary: You wake up somewhere strange *again*. This time your underground and greeted by Liu Kang. For some reason you trust him, but why?

A/N: Have I mentioned I’m a huge fan of the slow burn? Whoops. I’ll let you guys know when the paths are branching between Lao/Liu. Thanks for reading and hope you keep enjoying! Also, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

<< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >> Chapter Index

Warm flames flickered off brown-gray stone walls. Other than the burning flame to your right, the room was small and dark. There was no door and you could hear movement somewhere beyond its opening. I’m underground, you thought. The air smelled musty and it was so dry that your nose burned. Underground and maybe in the desert. You closed your eyes again quickly.

In your mind’s eye you pictured the small purple flower Kung Lao had given you in your youth. Frail and rare. Many flowers had grown in your hometown but purple had been a new and exotic color. You’d always been fond of it afterward. You’d never gotten the chance to tell Kung Lao that. For a time you had kept it pressed between the pages of your favorite book as a memorial to the boy who had been your best friend. You hadn’t thought about the flower in years. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about him.

The details of what happened were fuzzy. You remembered the fight in your shop and remembered waking up to the face of Kung Lao. It was still insane to think that the boy you’d thought dead was, in fact, alive and in good health. It was even crazier to think that he’d been the one to save you from the fire in your shop.

You shook away the memory lest it return you to the darkness of unconsciousness.

You were, again, in an unfamiliar bed but things were vastly different. You’d been cared for and changed into a modest dressing gown, judging by the soft but coarse material. This had likely been done by a health professional. You were certain that Kung Lao must have brought you somewhere to be helped. Then again, most hospitals you knew of weren’t underground and they certainly didn’t use these types of gowns. It wasn’t a hospital gown, more like the type of gown that would have been worn for bed in ages past. Long and thin, but warm. You pictured it off-white. The one you wore had no sleeves, most likely for ease of access since you’d been injured.

You had to decide if you should panic or not. If you looked around and saw a medical professional or Kung Lao then you would remain calm. If you didn’t then panic seemed the way to go. Opening your eyes again, you were relieved that the world didn’t spin and you weren’t nauseous. But there was no doctor and definitely no Kung Lao.

There was a different man in his place, unfamiliar, shorter in stature, his gaze focused on something other than you. He was dressed mostly in black, no sleeves (which seemed the fashion of this underground wherever), and a red sash tied around his middle. His demeanor was calm and quiet and in his left hand he clutched a string of prayer beads. His skin was dusted with soot or grease, you couldn’t tell. He looked as though he had been handling charcoal for hours. He was also surprisingly muscular.

And handsome. You wouldn’t deny that you’d admired him. His brow was knit with concern and as you shifted, he turned toward you. Brown eyes met yours with genuine concern and he held a hand up defensively. “Take it slow.” His voice was soothing but this was all too familiar.

A strange bed and a stranger next to it after having fallen unconscious. He was telling you how what to do and how to feel. Again. Not a chance! On the small table next to the head of the bed there was a bowl half-filled with water and some medical tools. The tool closest to you was a hook used for stitching up wounds. It wasn’t the best weapon but it was all you could reach. You sat upright quickly, snatched the hook, and moved far enough away from the stranger that you had room to breathe and could better gauge his intent and reactions.

But you had moved too quickly and suddenly there were ten of him as the room spun. You thought you might puke if he got any closer. That would get him away from you, probably better than the needle would. Much to your surprise, he laughed with the subtlest of smiles. The smile radiated more from his eyes amidst his worry than it did outwardly. “You’re surprisingly fast for someone who has been in and out of consciousness for over a week.”

“A… a week?” You stuttered and forced your vision to focus on the blurry version of him smiling in the middle. Thankfully, your brain obeyed and the room stopped spinning. He didn’t seem to pose you any threat. You could tell just by his smile. A smile that made him all the more handsome. The time that had passed was not important so you didn’t wait for an answer to your initial question. “Who are you? Where am I? And where is Kung Lao?” Those three things were at the top of your list now that you were thinking clearly. There were a hundred other questions you had about Mortal Kombat, the dragon mark on your back, and other realms but you figured those could come later. Dealing with the here and now; that was the right way to do it.

“I am Liu Kang.” He bowed his head, holding up his prayer beads as he did. “You are in Raiden’s Temple where the Order of Light gathers to protect Earthrealm. Kung Lao is off on an errand at Lord Raiden’s behest. I assure you that he did not wish to leave you but had little other choice.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, you leaned against the cool stone behind you. Answers, finally. “I’m Y/N. Thank you for answering my questions.”

“Kung Lao mentioned you would likely be defensive.” Liu Kang gestured to the bowl on the nightstand. “I have been caring for your wounds. I do not usually tend to the sick but I promised my cousin that I would see you were cared for.”

“Cousin?”

“Kung Lao. He is my brother. Not by blood but by bond.”

That was a relief. At least this complete stranger had a connection to the other near complete stranger that you’d met the last time you’d woken up in a strange place. Wait… hadn’t you gone blind? Setting the hook back down on the side table, you patted your face in search of a mark or wound that would have caused that. There was none. Liu Kang’s eyes were sparkling in amusement.

“The last thing I remember is losing my vision.” You explained.

“Yes, about that.” Liu Kang moved the hook back to its original place. “The men who attacked your shop were vicious and cruel warriors. They were gifted but squandered their gifts to satiate their greed, a thing that can never be sated. You did the world a favor by stopping them. However, the blades that wounded you were coated in a rare poison. It is lucky that Kung Lao found you and could bring you to us for treatment. The blindness was a temporary side effect of the poison.”

“Poison?” This was wild. That morning you’d been stocking your shop and had taught a class of ten-year-olds. Now you’d been attacked, killed a few men, and had been poisoned. Wild. You supposed, in reality, it had been over a week ago and not that morning. Whatever. You decided to take the blows as they came. Deal with the problems and insanity as it happened. It was the only way to keep a clear head.

“It took many days and much prayer but we bled the poison from your wounds. Now they should begin to heal.”

“I’m still stuck on the poison part of this story. Really? Who does that?”

“You must be very resilient, Miss Y/N. Even the mightiest of warriors poisoned so terribly would submit to death. You are a fighter.”

“Thanks… I think.”

Liu Kang bowed his head again respectfully. He was easy to talk to, you weren’t sure why. You’d been careful around Kung Lao but you found yourself immediately not careful around Liu Kang. There was an instant connection to him.

“I was ill as a child. It made me more resilient to sickness, perhaps.” You had been ill but it had been the kind of illness that parents sent their children away for, the kind where they couldn’t explain how their child saw or did things beyond their understanding. It had made you terribly sick and weak. Why were you telling him this? It’d slipped out of your mouth without permission from your lips.

“I have not met many who would credit childhood illness for their resilience.”

“Perhaps I’m more stubborn than most. I’ve been told I have thick skin. The kids would tease me for being different. I was told that I would never be strong. I would never catch up. Never be normal. I didn’t like that word, not even as a kid.”

“Which one?”

“Never.”

That subtle smile again. Damn, it was attractive.

“I’m sorry.” You laughed with an apologetic bow of your own. Your head spun and you mentally cursed your politeness. “I didn’t mean to say all that. It just slipped out.”

“It’s no problem. I would like you to continue your story if you would.”

“Only if you’re certain.”

“I assure you that I’m not merely being polite.” There was something genuine about his words, as if he considered them carefully before he spoke. Perhaps Kung Lao had warned him about you. Or perhaps he was just careful. Your first instinct had been to jump at them both. It was their every right to be defensive but you couldn’t be blamed either. “How did you overcome your illness?”

“I fought. I worked harder than most did just to be on the same level as everyone else. I grew out of my sickness with age and thanks to my hard work I became stronger than most. After that I dedicated my life to teaching others to become strong, to be more than the ‘never’ we’re told we’ll be.”

“Admirable.” Liu Kang seemed as relieved as you had been upon discovering he was not there to hurt you. Maybe he’d been worried about your intent too. “It is nice to have another worthy of their marking.”

“The dragon mark?”

“Yes.”

“About that…”

“Do you know why you are here?”

“Kung Lao said something about being chosen because of the mark but I’m guessing that the mark only came to me because I killed those men. Am I right? It had to belong to one of them. It’s less like I was chosen and more like… I stole it.”

“Yes. Did Kung Lao tell you? He said you wouldn’t understand.”

“I assume that he would have told me but then I went blind. As you can imagine, I no longer cared much about the mark after that.” You laughed and so did Liu Kang. His laugh was quiet and genuine. It made you smile far more than should have been allowed. His joy was as comforting as the flickering light of the candle on the side table. “I didn’t have the mark that morning. I can only assume that was when I got it. Weirder things have happened so it was as good a guess as any.”

“Your intuition is remarkable.”

“What happens next?”

“For now you heal.” Liu Kang gestured to your arms. The gauze wrapped around your forearms was stained with blood even though the dressings looked fresh. You didn’t feel any pain. Either you’d been given good drugs to deal or adrenaline was protecting you. “You are in no condition to begin training. Lord Raiden has been told about you. I am keeping him informed on your condition.”

“So, you’re my babysitter.”

“I prefer caretaker. But yes.”

“If it’s been a week and I’m still bleeding like this then I have a feeling it could take awhile to heal. Can I learn more in the meantime? About any of this? I don’t want to just sleep and sit around doing nothing. I don’t know anything about this place and I know very little about the Order of Light. And I definitely don’t know anything about this mark or Mortal Kombat.” Liu Kang seemed surprised, but pleasantly so, as if this were something he’d greatly desired to hear.

“You really want to learn more?” He smiled brightly. You nodded. “The masters have trained me for years in matters of Mortal Kombat and the protection of Earthrealm. I would be happy to teach you if you would allow me.”

“I would be delighted to have the company, Liu Kang.” You very much meant that.

“I have some work to do around the temple but we can start this evening.”

“Perfect.”

Next Chapter >>

[raisans-art]

What the Fuck Are these Characterizations: The Essay

Full warning: This is only concerning Tommy's stream made today, 4/29/2021. I know Ranboo has streamed after Tommy but I haven't watched that.

On with the essay.

A lot happened.

Tommy tried to kill Dream, Dream actually killed Ghostbur, Wilbur is back (pog). It's a lot. A lot of plot and a lot of emotions. I will preface this with the usual "holy hell these people are pretty damn good actors for having no formal training as far as I'm aware." They get their emotions across very clearly and that's kinda why I'm making this in the first place. The way some of the characters acted in Tommy's 4/29 stream is a bit odd in my opinion.

Now, I will concede that I have not been diligent with the Dream SMP lore. I've been given broad strokes and have seen various clips but I have definitely not been on top of it. I may have missed streams entirely and you all more avid fans may be able to name scenes that I haven't seen that rationalize some of these reactions that I will be criticizing. If you can, please do so! I'd love to start a dialogue over this!

So, how I'm gonna break this all up is to take a look at Tommy, Wilbur, Ranboo, and Awesamdude and how their CCs characterized them during the stream. I'll sing praises where they are due and point out my criticisms where they arise. Then, I will try to surmise some meta as to why I think these characterizations came to be in the first place.

Tommy

Tommy, to me, has the best characterization in this. CC Tommy clearly has a very good sense of what he wants from his character and has been playing into that line of thought from the beginning of this whole debacle.

Tommy is scared, paranoid, and pissed off. Ever since he left the prison he avoids taking damage like the plague, rambles indecisively, is easily sent into a panic, and is hypersensitive to the people around him. He panics when he sees weapons out and one crucial thing that he made clear from the start was that he wants Dream dead.

Straight out of limbo, Tommy concludes that Dream needs to die. From there he plans this whole mission with Ranboo, Tubbo, and Ghostbur to get in and kill Dream. He says that Dream can't keep living with this power at his fingertips, and from before his final death, Tommy clearly wants to be rid of his abuser, adding a personal layer to his plan. Tommy is stubborn and determined since the beginning, sacrificing his life and disks for L'manberg and refusing to believe that his home is gone until the place is blown to bedrock. Of course, he would stick to his plan to a T.

Now, is this a smart decision to sneak into the highest security area in the entire SMP? Fuck no. It's a stupid idea. Even if Tommy hadn't messed up, Sam would've seen Dream die to a floating axe and kept Tommy and Ghostbur in that containment cell. It would've been a one-way ticket, especially given what we see of Sam in this stream.

But this all makes sense for the character CC Tommy is playing. Tommy isn't thinking about how smart of a decision this is and he hardly ever does when he takes action. He shoots from the hip, takes his first instincts, and acts on them.

It's easy to draw a clear line of progression of Tommy as a character from season 1 to this moment in season 3 and past Ghostbur's death. His hyperventilating as he tries to get his plan to work after it failed, Trying to save Ghostbur from what he went through, lashing out at Sam, and yelling at Wilbur. All of this in line with who Tommy is as a character and how events have changed him. This is a good characterization.

Wilbur

Wilbur has changed a lot since we've seen him last, both alive and dead. Since he's been alive, Wilbur has changed his tune from "I want to die" to "hell sucks, mate." What's particularly interesting is that this sentiment that he has from being alive carried for a long time into his limbo, as evidenced by his appearance in the season 2 finale on the bench. He wanted to "stay dead" at that point. Since we've seen him in limbo, he's gone from content in his situation and understanding why he's there and that he's there forever.

Now we have Revivedbur. Revivedbur is ecstatic to be alive again. He goes from numb to embracing feeling again. The fandom once thought that Revivedbur would be annoyed with or hateful towards Dream for bringing him back turned into joy and reverence. This is quite a drastic leap. Bad characterization.

But it isn't.

I have seen one clip from Ranboo's stream on 4/29 and that is Ranboo telling Philza that Wilbur is alive. In this bit, after mentioning that Wilbur has been in limbo for a perceived 13 and a half years, Phil says "13 years is a long time to be away... he almost certainly isn't the same person... people can change quite a lot in a single year, two years, three years, four years, even five years, Ranboo."

Wilbur has been gone for 13 years. He's been in the same place with no change other than Tommy for 13 fucking years. That's 13 years where we heard from him 2 times. We know virtually nothing about what those 13 years were like for him, but from what Wilbur has said, it was torture to him. He was stagnant, stuck in a fucking tube station for 13 years, unable to leave no matter how hard he tried.

We know so little about how his time in limbo changed him because it's such a long span of time with radio silence. I dare say this is fucking great characterization.

Ranboo

This is where I start having some issues, and this is where I have the least amount of context. From what I've seen, Ranboo is little miss angst who forgets things and is constantly on the verge of having a panic attack (hyperbole). From what I have surmised of his character in various contexts, serious and dramatic scenes and domestic ones, Ranboo really cares about the people around him and is scared of himself and his mind.

So why is it that he straight up just sneers at Tommy, saying "the hell did you do?"

I'm really just focusing on this because it just seems really off to me in the context of his character. Ranboo was in on this plan. It's pretty common knowledge that the only person with revive powers is Dream. Ranboo doesn't know everything that happened within the prison, sure, but why is he so quick to assume that Tommy was the root cause? Is it because he's been hanging out with the world's 2nd biggest Tommy hater, Niki (the character for clarification)? I honestly don't know where this jump-in assumption is coming from. Given what I understand of his character, this line and the implications I'm getting are just a bit out of character. Feel free to explain why I'm wrong because I am not in this loop whatsoever.

Awesamdude

Sam is where I have the biggest issue. How does a man go from living on an isolated island in grief over a death he could've prevented if only he had been quicker, to yelling at that same formerly dead person that he was at fault for the death/revival of another person?

Now, one thing that is strengthened by this characterization is Sam's dedication to the rules. He has his strict protocol and he is not going to let that slip up for anything. He wants to keep Dream in prison and never let him out.

But I'm just having a hard time grappling with a man so quick to blame himself last time something like this happened being so quick to place blame on a child he, from what I've seen, had a good relationship with. It feels like I'm missing something here.

Yeah, Tommy broke into the prison, but why is Sam's first thought that Tommy was trying to break dream out? This harsh turn on Tommy just doesn't come across right to me.

Why Did This Happen?

I do think there could be a meta reason as to why these don't land right to me. These two characterizations are centered around Tommy. How people are reacting to Tommy's actions. Tommy and Dream are the head of the prison stuff right now. at least as far as I know. I'm not sure if Wilbur has come back on as a writer yet but last I heard it's still Tommy and Dream handling their shit. With the writers in mind, I wouldn't put it past them to decide to add more conflict with Tommy and other members of the SMP right now. The Egg is a bit busy with other things, Jack is just running the hotel, and the Syndicate doesn't really have any qualms with Tommy on any level that they would act on. It could be the writers trying to add conflict to the prison storyline by generating conflict between Tommy, Ranboo, and Sam with Wilbur being a fuckin wild card.

I don't know mate, I just wanted my thoughts out there and maybe be fucking pounded into the ground by people more knowledgeable than me.

Have a dialogue with me I'd love to debate. (All friendly debate please I don't feel like taking this too seriously it is Minecraft roleplay after all.)

[127-spring]

ranking my kpop dreams

here it is... the post that absolutely nobody wanted or asked for... since getting into kpop in 2018 i’ve had some odd dreams about various idols, and now i’m ranking 21 of them for the end of 2021!

21) it was the zombie apocalypse. i was part of a team with ateez’s san to gather supplies from an abandoned school. we were on the roof and i was having a panic attack, so san consoled me, and then he gave a rousing speech about how we would survive. but then!! his part of the roof collapsed, and he fell on top of a zombie horde. i was frozen in shock and had to listen to his screams as he was ripped apart and eaten alive. -1000/10, this didn’t even actually happen, but i still feel traumatised. what the fuck.

20) i was a servant to a king who had 16 children, and nct’s haechan was the youngest of them. i was assigned to guard haechan on a journey across the kingdom, but then he fell into a puddle and drowned. i was distraught, but all the king had to say about it was “oh no, the extra one died”. -800/10, this death was less graphic than the previous dream, but i still want to sue my own brain for emotional damages.

19) bts’ jin had caught covid-19, but he was recovering well. then he died in a crowd crush. -500/10, i have no kind of emotional attachments to bts, but this dream was all about the jarring feeling of someone so young and famous dying so suddenly and horribly, and i’m still deeply uncomfortable remembering it.

18) it was another zombie apocalypse, and this time i was with some ordinary people who then got eaten alive by a horde. mid-apocalypse, a second apocalypse started, and this one featured a ghostly personification of silence. throughout the entire thing, monsta x’s shownu was in the background, working out with whatever he could find. -150/10, i still had to see people die terribly, but at least shownu wasn’t one of them. i appreciate the dedication to fitness.

17) nct dream were performing at my old primary school, and chenle got kidnapped by a demented cult who had actually been aiming for jisung. i broke into the school that night, and kept finding cultists wearing masks of jisung’s face. i never found chenle. -80/10, because the facemasks were disturbingly realistic.

16) nct’s lucas was at my house and kept asking if we could cuddle. i said it would be inappropriate, but he insisted it would be fine because “it’s just bro cuddles”. we did not cuddle. 1/10, this was my first ever nct dream and i’m still haunted by how sad lucas looked every time i said no.

15) for some reason, i was hanging out with nct’s chenle, and going for a walk with him through my hometown. i kept feeling paranoid that somebody would try to hurt him. 2/10, chenle felt like a little brother, which was sweet, but clearly my subconscious has a thing about him being in danger.

14) i was at a fan meeting for monsta x, but i was the only fan there. jooheon kept walking around shirtless while the other members oohed and aahed at his muscles. however, i couldn’t take my eyes off of kihyun’s beautiful floral shirt. 4/10, not much really happened, but kihyun was lovely to look at.

13) nct’s jeno was at my house, and i kept trying to hide from him. when he found me, he kissed me... many times. 5/10, look, i cannot lie to you, in this dream he was a fantastic kisser, but the age gap makes me cringe SO much.

12) nct’s kun appeared in my house and asked me for money. i told him i didn’t have any, but i did have plenty of nct albums that he could pawn because he was sure to get lots of money out of that. i have never seen a man look so unimpressed. 5.5/10, because he looked beautiful the entire time, and i have to appreciate my own optimism that any nct album could have significant financial value.

11) nct’s jaehyun was hiding under my bed, and never said why. when i found him, we decided to have sex. 7/10, who needs a dream to have plot when you can just fuck instead.

10) nct’s ten was representing ukraine at eurovision with a song about being a vampire. 7.5/10, i’d give more points because the aesthetics of his performance were stunning, but donald trump just had to ruin it by showing up and insulting ten.

9) i was a student at some kind of kpop school?? i had to stand in for a.c.e’s jun while he was enlisting and the other members had a comeback. however, i couldn’t remember a single bit of the song, so byeongkwan performed alone while donghun glared at me. then seventeen’s seokmin asked if i could put one of their performance props away, and i was too embarrassed to admit that, despite having attended the same school as him for several years, i still didn’t know where seventeen’s prop room was. it turned out to be the room we were already in. 9/10 for the sheer absurdity of it all and throwing two of my favourite groups into the same dream, but points deducted for how badly i let a.c.e down.

8) i was trapped in the mansion of monsta x’s fantasia mv, and the members were hunting me down... for sex. it was all an elaborate roleplay, but i got too competitive about evading the members and actually escaped, at which point all the doors sealed up and wouldn’t let me back in. later, i was telling a friend about it and said it was a shame wonho couldn’t be there because he was busy that day. 9.5/10, this was my first monsta x dream, and i can still vividly remember the intense look in kihyun’s eyes when he almost caught me. also, i’m pretty sure i.m actually growled at one point, which is... embarrassing in retrospect, but at the time, it was great. points deducted for the lack of a satisfying ending.

7) i was kidnapped by a vampire, who then became my boyfriend. i decided to move in with him and went home to pack my belongings, but then i had a breakdown over how to explain the vampirism to my parents. mid-breakdown, nct dream appeared and performed fireflies. 9.5/10, the kpop part of this dream was pretty minimal, but they put a lot into that performance.

6) outside my bedroom, the rest of my house had transformed into an auditorium, where wayv were rehearsing for a show. ten and kun kept flying past on harnesses, and then xiaojun came into my room and stripped. we had sex. 11/10, the sex happened pretty abruptly, but the flying dances were cool.

5) nct dream made a new music video for chewing gum, and the fandom erupted calling it degenerate and disgusting. when i watched it for myself, the degenerate scene was just renjun and jaemin cuddling while the other members called them cute. 15/10 for the adorable music video, but shame on the fandom for their cruel reaction.

4) some random mob was attacking an old lady, so i grabbed one of the mob by the hair and demanded to know “just how fucking empty your life is for you to behave this way!”. then wayv appeared, and they decided i was the bad guy! xiaojun wrestled me in the middle of my university campus, before we sat down together to drink tea and chat about our hobbies. 25/10, i resent wayv’s poor judgement of me, but dream!xiaojun makes a better wrestler than a lover.

3) i started working at a restaurant where all the employees had to dress up as peanuts. i became friends with my coworker, nct’s doyoung, and we bonded over our mutual hatred of the costumes. then kun ambushed us both and tried to murder us! doyoung managed to disarm him, and i knocked him out. 30/10 for the unexpected teamwork. absolutely would trust doyoung with my life in a real crisis.

2) nct 127 were in prison for some reason, and winwin was in isolation. on halloween night, winwin breathed blue smoke that transformed into horrifying monsters that ripped apart the prison guards and possessed other prisoners to help the rest of 127 escape. 80/10, this dream felt like a movie and i still want to know how it ends! seeing winwin in chains for the turn back time mv is the closest real life has come to replicating this dream, and i can only thank the universe for it.

1) i had to take on a mission from sam & dean winchester because they were busy with therapy. i went to a tropical island where monsters had invented a gun that made people explode. also, they were eating people. i enlisted the help of seventeen’s vernon & joshua, who repeatedly defended me from a hitman. i also asked ateez’s mingi for help, but as soon as i explained the situation, he ran and took the next boat off the island. at one point, nct 127 took part in a cannibalistic feast, but they thought they were shooting a celebrity cameo in a dark comedy movie, and had no idea they were consuming actual human flesh. 200/10, this was absolute chaos from start to finish, and if not for the people exploding, it would have been huge fun. how can it not be number one?

and that marks the end of my kpop dreams from 2018 to 2021! all in all, some pretty weird shit. i wonder what scenarios my unconscious brain will create in 2022...

[tundrainafrica]

All the HCs and side materials aside, who do you think was closer to Levi, Erwin or Hange? While there was this acker host thing with Erwin but it was debunked. Meanwhile he hasn't even acknowledged Hange's sacrifice even once so theres that too.

Oh god, so yes I have wanted to answer this ask for a while, thought of pushing it until night time today but I got locked out of the office though thirty minutes before my shift so let me just cope with the stress by giving my feedback on this because I feel like I have already explained my side to a lot of people but I’d rather have it immortalized in my blog at this point. 

Okay first question

Who do you think was closer to Levi, Erwin or Hange?

I find this question thought provoking but I don’t like these types of questions because they tend to start fights? And they tend to cause unnecessary drama both in real life and online. And relationships are so hard to quantify like of course there's a clear line between acquaintance and best friend but the nuances between siblings, lover, best friend and parent are a little more complex because we all have a lot of people we care about deeply but can we easily say who we love more?

(this is still a great question though anon, thank you for asking it.)

It’s literally like the epitome of asking ur parents “who’s your favorite child” or “who do you love more your best friend for so many years or your girl friend of like two years who you met, clicked then realized they were the love of your life.” Who will you save when in a burning building? your wife? Or your parents? Or your siblings? Your best friend?

Such problematic questions which I think a lot of us in our lives would rather never have to answer, especially in front of our loved ones. 

I am not making assumptions about what type of relationship Levi had with Erwin or what type of relationship Levi had with Hange in this post because I don’t wanna start shipping wars in this very peaceful website. (But, I ship Levihan and will probably die with this ship close to my heart so you can make assumptions about my opinions on Levi and Hange’s relationship based on that.) 

But the point is, Erurihan has always been special. Levi held a lot of people close to his heart over the years but I found that trio to have notably been the closest and Erwin and Hange have changed Levi’s lives the most. 

Would Levi have played favorites between them?? NO. Because Erwin and Hange were such different people that putting them side by side and thinking “who did Levi love more”  is like comparing apples to oranges, putting them side by side and thinking which fruit tastes better.

Because Hange and Erwin offered different things to Levi. Literally, Erwin became that next purpose for Levi after he lost his two best friends. He saw wonder in Erwin’s eyes, he saw a leader, he saw someone who can guide him to a bigger purpose and he trusted Erwin so deeply and Erwin trusted him back and even as a Levihan fan, I might actually admit that early on in the series, Levi was probably much closer to Erwin than Hange. Fine I admit it he probably was. 

But Hange offered something else to Levi. While Erwin offered a path, Hange offered wonder, curiosity. She offered Levi things to think about beyond the survey corps job. I mean Erwin was practically married to his job right. Hange was practically married to her job too but I found Hange more... approachable? Warmer overall? I mean if you actually see Eren’s interactions with the three of them or you watch from Season 1, you would realize that Hange was really the most approachable survey corps veteran from the start (other than petra).

And I think Levi really appreciated that part of her and saw it as something worth entertaining. He completely believed in Erwin, Erwin gave him a purpose in life but Hange was the one who added color to it, she actually added something beyond that purpose. She made him feel things he probably wouldn’t have felt elsewhere. 

Annoyance? Anger? Defeat at how someone could be so enthusiastic and dense? Curiosity? Someone who might have made him think that maybe, soldiering and survey corps-ing and almost being eaten by titans everyday wasn’t so bad. And maybe there is joy in the domestic in betweens?  

Another thing, here’s what Hange had that Erwin didn’t have, she had the luxury of time, she also had the luxury of circumstances on her side, of having been the only one left out of the veterans for Levi to cling on to. This made it more natural for a deeper friendship and relationship to develop between the two. So if Hange is closer to Levi than Erwin is, then it’s because of the circumstances that it made it so, post season 3.

If Erwin lived, the dynamics of erurihan would have definitely developed differently. But I never considered the possibiliy of Erwin living instead of Hange since Levi picking Armin just felt really in character and right for me. So yeah, it’ll probably stay a shallow speculation until the end haha.  

And about this second question...

“Meanwhile he hasn't even acknowledged Hange's sacrifice even once so theres that too.” 

Yo. Just a reminder, Hange died like roughly an hour or two ago manga time. Levi is literally internally bleeding, the shit show just never stopped for a second and for some reason people are expecting Levi to give a nod at Hange’s death. 

Okay yes, she did mean a lot to him. But lemme give you the explanation which has been sticking to me for a really long time.  

Levi is clowning. Like literally, I don’t think he has even acknowledged that Hange is dead yet. We have concrete hints that he is. After ‘dedicate your heart’ he just walked away and didn’t look back. It’s in the fact that he didn’t even look out the window to watch her die and in the fact that his last words were “see you later” like I’m pretty sure he’s thinking to himself “Yeah, like I know she is probably gonna die objectively but… Just, what if… she lives?? 

Just like all of us Hange stans in the website yo with our beast titan theory, Levi is just the biggest clown of us all (since he is the biggest Hange stan anyway...).  He decided (unconsciously or consciously) to ‘pretend’ that Hange’s still alive maybe until the end of the war just so that he could possibly function at least (?). 

I mean I’m pretty sure we’ve all done this in our lives. Especially when we’ve lost someone we’ve loved dearly or maybe when we’re saying good bye to someone in the airport where we’re just laughing our heads off with that person all the way until the departure gate when they say good bye and we only break down when we’re home alone. Like I’m pretty sure it’s similar for people who have lost someone, kept themselves busy with funeral preparations and memorial services and only start experiencing the loss when they go back to normal life and realize they have to clean out someone’s bedroom or fix their daily routine to adjust to the loss of that loved one.

Maybe Levi will finally acknowledge it when everything goes back to normal and he finds Hange’s office empty and he realizes he doesn’t have his buddy to have tea with every night. And if Yams decides not to write or insert that, I’ll probably just speculate it myself and keep this theory alive. 

I actually wrote a drabble about this a long time ago. You can read it here.

Anyway, thanks for reading! 

[sleeveblaster]

One of the things that drives me crazy about sequel stands is that like where we not all there when these movies were being made? So just to recap with all of you. J.j. Abrams was originally hired to direct Star Wars by Disney. And let's keep in mind that Disney buying Star Wars and choosing to make sequels was a huge deal. Not only because that stops the Clone Wars from happening. Like the Clone Wars TV show had to stop production because Disney bought the series. But then Disney also announced that they were going to make sequels and most Star Wars fans were not happy about that. Most Star Wars fans felt like that was going to ruin the extended universe that like 90% of Star Wars fans had become invested in. Back when I used to do role play I used to role-play first Star Wars on Tumblr before the sequel came out and there was a very small but super dedicated fanbase here of people who had like Read Star Wars books their entire life and invested so much effort and love into this extended universe. Like the reason that Disney could capitalize so much on Star Wars is because of these fans who kept Star Wars alive for years for decades without movies. And the extended Universe had sequels. It also had space that Disney could have used to make non-sequel Star Wars movies. Like if they had just not touched the Skywalker family any further, there would be no reason to get rid of the Star Wars extended universe.

But anyway back to the main story. So after Disney absolutely demolishes the community and culture of Star Wars fans, they hire j.j. Abrams to make the Star Wars movie. But first, he makes the Star Trek movie. And boy does that man shit the bed. Because the movie he made was Star Trek only in name. She did not stick to any of the original characterizations he did not stick to the original themes or ideas of the story. And he basically said that Star Trek was too intellectual for most Americans to want to watch and that he was not a Star Trek fan because it was too boring. Yes, he did say this. In multiple interviews.

So when Star Trek comes out your boy JJ is about halfway through filming the first Star Wars sequel. Star Trek is so bad that he is preemptively fired from the next two movies. So the force awakens comes out. And personally, I hated it my gut reaction was absolute hatred. Because it was basically a copy-paste of the storyline from New Hope. And say what you will about the prequels at least they were their own story. But a lot of people did like it because it took absolutely no creative risks. So it does really well. But somebody else is already directing The Last Jedi.

The Last Jedi comes out and for some reason, Ryan Johnson is like I'm going to do a complete 180. And he decides to scrap everything that JJ-abrams came up with. Now I want to Hazard a guess that it's because it was bad but who's to know. Personally, The Last Jedi is my favorite one of the sequels because again at least it's its own story. But it is not thematically cohesive to the previous movie at all. It is so clear that Ryan Johnson is the complete opposite of j.j. Abrams. And unlike Marvel movies where every director has their own style but they can't intentionally fuck over the previous directors or just erase all the previous director storylines, Ryan Johnson was apparently given free rein over this whole thing.

The Last Jedi comes out and JJ-abrams prediction that Americans have tiny tiny brains that cannot Ponder difficult questions comes true. Also, people start admitting that the force awakens was not good at this time. Because honestly about six months after the force awakens came out there was tons of paid promotion of people talking about how amazing it was and so it became incredibly unpopular to be like I didn't like it. But once that promotion was over people started talking about how was actually a terrible movie because it had no originality whatsoever. And unfortunately, that also empowered the worst parts of the fandom to be racist and Incredibly sexist. So the Last Jedi comes out and it has all of these new characters and doesn't really cohesively fit into the main story. And then on top of that, you add the character that Kelly Marie Tran plays Rose to the story and it just gives everybody the opportunity to be super racist and super sexist and the worst parts of the fandom start to control the narrative around this movie. Even though in my opinion this movie is also the most like Star Wars. It's about the struggle for good and evil it's about the way that that struggle plays out within ourselves. It's about how human connection can be dangerous but can also be magical and important. And it's about the way that at the end of the day if you put Power above everything else you will always be a slave to that power. And the pivotal scene of that movie is when Rey finds out that her parents were just nobody's but she still can be important. That's so subversive to the main flaw of Star Wars which is that every single powerful person seems to be related to the Skywalkers.

The Last Jedi then does terribly. So they fire poor Ryan. And in comes j.j. but does he come gracefully? No, no he does not. Mr. Abrams does not decide to run with the previous film's new story and thematic structure. Instead, he clearly decides to push forward with the plot he originally had in mind. Which leads to the worst movie potentially ever made. From start to finish this movie was a disaster. It's like living proof that you can film everything beautifully have the best costumes have the most amazing actors have the coolest effects and still have a terrible terrible movie.

Like if you are a sequel fan how do you justify the fact that we find out that Palpatine is back in the exposition roll? Trouble in the galaxy the dead Emperor from you know decades ago he is alive again. No explanation as to how that fucking happened. Remember Rose the girl from the last movie that y'all bullied off the internet? She makes a very short appearance. Suddenly we have to go to a planet we've never been to before and we have to do all of this craziness and oh actually Ray did fall in love with kylo just forget about that whole thing where she said no to him because he was evil. And also both Han and Leia give up their lives for him just so he could die again for REI in 10 minutes. And remember when Palpatine was like if you kill me you'll become every Seth and I'll still win. And then that just didn't happen. I guess because kylo died for her. I mean were we watching the same movie? Did everyone see the movie that I saw? To be fair I have not seen it since I saw it in the theaters because it was so bad at that moment that I never ever wanted to watch it again.

Now I personally am not a fan of what Disney did with Star Wars. Honestly, every single Star Wars movie or property before Disney is one of my favorite things ever made. The prequels of the original trilogy The Clone Wars TV show are like something I could watch anytime any day. The only thing from Disney that I actually enjoyed watching is the Mandalorian and the only other thing from Disney that I didn't see as a complete disaster was Star Wars Rebels. So it's not like I'm unbiased here. And I'll admit that I'm a curmudgeon. Star Wars is one of those things that's deeply embedded in my childhood and it really saddens me to see an evil propaganda Corporation take it over like they have.

That being said the sequel Trilogy is objectively bad not because it's a sequel trilogy but because it was made in such a weird way. I mean, to be honest, they didn't treat the directors very kindly. And you got to remember with every Star Wars and Disney property there's a very rigid filming schedule. This is why pretty much every Marvel movie the third one that that director makes turns out shitty because they had to write it while they were making another movie and they didn't have the time to do a good job. And in some ways, that's not really the fault of the person behind the camera that's the fault of the Studio because it really forces this unhealthy work environment on their creatives. Not to mention all of the other people who work on the movie. When you force a massive undertaking like that to happen within a few years, you force people to cut corners. And then on top of that, it's clear that Disney did not want the kind of backlash that the prequels got. They very much chose to go the conventional people-pleasing route and made the most milquetoast movie I've ever seen.

When I say the sequels are bad I'm saying that they are representative of some of the worst of what this kind of corporate moviemaking can offer the world. They slapped the name of something beloved and Beautiful onto Walmart-level trash and tell you that this is the most amazing thing since the original. They sell it like their storytellers and like they wanted to tell more stories in this universe. And meanwhile, all the stories that were already being told by multiple different publishing companies and multiple different people and authors and creatives who were normal fucking people diverse fucking people, those stories are put right in the trash pile. And yes I understand that George Lucas said he was never going to be held to the extended universe but he also respected it. He didn't step on everybody's toes. And I get that he hated Mara Jade and I get that he wasn't the best person in the world and that people didn't like the prequels either. All of those can be true and it can still be true that Disney is awful. And that everything people were afraid of when they bought Star Wars came true. And while it might feel like there is a strong amount of diversity in the new version of these films personally I feel that that diversity is commodified. Because it is not equivalent to diversity behind the camera, these are all still characters being written by white people. Many of these actors of color and women actors have said that there was a hostile work environment behind the camera.

If you love The sequels if you can see past all of these flaws I am so happy for you. I totally believe you can love something and admit that it is inherently bad. I love the Bee Movie. I've watched that movie four-five times in the last year. It's a wonderful experience for me to watch the Bee Movie and I enjoy it. But I can also acknowledge that just because I liked it doesn't make it good. And if it had the same level of impact as the Star Wars sequels did I would be happy to let people criticize it as they desire. In fact, I'm the first person to jump on the criticism train when it comes to either of those movies. Let people like me who literally watch Star Wars as a five-year-old and fell in love with the universe very early on, be upset about what this horrible Corporation has done to this thing that we love.