#cats are truly weird specimen

[daisychainsandbowties]

Soooo... what are your thoughts on a split in the OCS after the events of Season 1? I mean, Ava wasn't super popular in the OCS/those in-the-know since she was "the one who ran away", and Beatrice and Cam essentially went rogue when they helped her escape Crimson at the Cat's Cradle. So why would anyone believe her telling them that Adriel and his story were all a lie, when he himself is there claiming to be an Angel, returned to save humanity? (it's not like they can see the wraith demons at his command)

Duretti (if he doesn't bury his head in the ground) and Superion can support Ava's claims, but it's still the word of a non-believer against the guy centuries worth of their teachings claim is an angel.

It would also make the massacre of the OCS members even more devastating if their numbers had already been whittled down due to divided loyalties, only to have those who remained loyal to the Warrior Nun be slaughtered by double agents who truly believed in Adriel.

(also, felt it was kinda weird when pretty much all the uniformed FBC people were dudes)

(furthermore thinking on how much would've been added if Lilith's family sided with Adriel, and how much that would have influenced her decisions)

god this is so intriguing. when you think about it… the whole Lore of the ocs is based on the angel Adriel giving up his halo to save a dying human woman. if he wants it back… well, who are they to deny him? and thinking on the temptation to have it be over. most of the ocs have watched their friends die, their sisters thrown at the problem of evil until they’re no longer useful cannon-fodder.

god’s angel appears and tells you to put down your sword… damn, maybe that’s what you do.

on the other hand i feel like… probably out of everyone on the planet it’s the ocs sisters who’d have reason to side-eye adriel the hardest. sure, ava’s an unknown, but mother superion? mary? beatrice the golden child of the ocs? of course looking at it a different way what you have is a disgraced ex-halo-bearer, a usurping non-believer, and beatrice who was sent away by duretti & refused to go. sure, duretti is the pope, but individual orders obey the vatican in theory, but in practice things are more complex. and for the ocs, who have always acted as a shadow organisation, the ability to… well… disregard vatican oversight is probably a baked-in thing.

i feel like the split would be extreme. those who want to believe in adriel vs those who are dedicated to the mission: to keep hell the fuck off of earth, keep people safe from the influence of demons.

there’s good reason to be skeptical of adriel’s claims. he was buried under the vatican, the latin on the wall said ‘please don’t touch this ever. let what’s dead rest’ etc etc. seemed like just a thing you might put on a tomb, but the whole 'live specimen inside' thing might give pause. either we believe that st peter gives what the vatican decides legitimacy or we trust an angel as the unilateral word of god. the bible says maybe don’t do that.

ESPECIALLY if they saw footage of Adriel infecting a whole courtyard of bystanders with demons, i think most of the ocs would trust in what duretti & superion told them. god can speak from the mouth of a heretic (ava), and there’s plenty of ammunition in catholic theology for fallen angels/ agents of the devil/ the devil usually comes in disguise.

they know that Bad Shit is leaking in from some hellscape (most of them likely assume it’s captial-letter Hell) and now the long-lost author of their order appears and attacks (apparently kills) mary in broad daylight? they might be devout but they’re also in the know in a way that few people are, and i think the ocs by its nature is insular. i think mostly these girls come for the service to god & stay for each other, die for each other.

a schism is certainly possible (ahem, not unprecedented in christianity) but i think the ocs sisters trust each other. i think the way that mary died might move them. vincent’s betrayal too. does that look like the work of god? again, immense skepticism over any person claiming to be a mouthpiece for god.

BUT i see you about the idea that literally a handful of traitors would be enough. and that feels so plausible as to be almost guaranteed. sisters tired of fighting a battle of attrition with their bodies, ppl like crimson, the ones who just want it to be over. we really only learn that the ocs was compromised (and i’m inclined to think not by vincent because damn guys u would have done the smart thing & called bust on every safe-house vincent knew about, right??)

the idea that the way the ocs tosses spent sisters aside leads to its near-annihilation is… compelling.

& 🫠 lilith’s family turning on the ocs. i mean, they’d be hand-in-hand with lilith there, no? she sides with adriel. really & truly she IS our example of a girl who is all but tossed aside when she’s not useful. lost, alone, feeling monstrous, she turns to adriel because he can bear to look at her.

you’re so right that there’s so much to be said for the ocs as an organisation that literally chews up & spits out its soldiers. it’s a war machine & so despite superion & shannon & mary trying so hard to make it human and caring and good - i mean, the institution is… well… an Institution. it doesn’t have a heart.

& i think that’s what ava brings to it, what she shows them. that

1. you have to try to stop the cycle of violence. you have to at least try.

and 2. making an army out of lost girls is dangerous. like bea, they’ll throw themselves at danger; like lilith, they’ll throw themselves at death.

just… thinking of shannon & her ghost. how angry she is at the whole circus. of mary & her quiet sadness, so long in the making that her sorrow feels worn even when it’s new.

thinking of ava as a thesis in how you really fight back the darkness

by being the light

[writingsfromthegrave]

Hey there, if you're still doing matchups could I please get one for scp? Only if you have the time ofc 👉👈 also sorry it's so long

I'm agender and biromantic. I'm usually pretty optimistic and confident but I also definitely have a bit of a temper and I don't take kindly to being made a target. I love to make me people laugh and I'm pretty short so this leads to a lot of "chaotic gremlin energy" if that makes sense? I'm very used to being needed as a shoulder to cry on, but I don't have much tolerance for a lack of common sense, chaos has standards y'know?

What I really need from a person is someone who listens to me, my brain is so full of thoughts all the time and having someone to share them with helps to calm the bad ones and reinforce the good ones.

I'm not really bothered by gross or scary stuff (the scps, bugs, creepy facts ect.), in fact I find myself fascinated by them in my own morbid way. My sense of fear is very muddled to say the least, I'm not all that scared by typically terrifying stuff but am easily freaked out by smaller fears like wasps or weird textures. Another thing I'm weird about is that I'm very empathetic towards "monsters" or outcasts, even when it's undeserved, maybe it's because I relate to feeling like a weirdo or that everyone thinks I'm dangerous or malicious when I just get a little carried away sometimes...

I draw, write and animate as well as delve into other forms of creativity sometimes, anything art related is my field. Despite being an artist, don't really like to be the center of attention, I'd much prefer for my work to be admired more than me myself. I love explaining to my people stuff about my oc's and their worlds and stories. Some other things I find interesting are Toxicology and Cat Genetics.

the longer the ask, the better !! so don't be sorry lolol.

anyway, I match you with. . .

[ 💉 ] Scp-049 !!

♡ SCP-049 is a very calm and tolerant being, a big contrast to your chaotic energy. He is used to dealing with patients that yell, cry, and scream in his presence- but only out of pure fear. However, you shout and become rough because that's just you. You were interesting and initially he was desperate to put you under a microscope and observe you like the little specimen you are

♡ However, your complete understanding and lack of fear of him drove him too curious to actually do any harm to you. You two would sit down, obviously whilst he's in shackles, and speak like two normal people in a coffee shop. Ignoring the dull and prison-esque surroundings, a friendship was quickly blooming between you and 049.

♡ There wasn't really much to talk of- other than about you, of course. Mainly due to the fact he refused to talk 70% of the time. 049 would attempt to listen to your problems without suggesting ways to fix them. That's just how he is, but he truly does listen to you. Every single thing you have to say. Bonding over hating those who are just downright stupid, or just medical stuff such as toxicology even though that's not exactly in his field.

♡ If you had the chance to show 049 any of your works, he'd admire them to a great extent. Not only complimenting you for being so talented and good at your hobby, but also the painting itself. He takes into consideration what you like & don't like, but 049 can't help himself- after all, the art didn't create itself.

♡ Whether it's abstract art or your OCs, he always has such good & detailed praise to give your drawings. 049 isn't much of an artist himself, given his one-track mind, but he does have an eye for aesthetics and your work definitely fit his.

♡ 049 is actually thankful for your empathy toward his kind. His kind being monsters, of course. Otherwise, he may not have such a wonderful partner to talk to and actually understand him. How did you two ever realize these romantic feelings, though? 049 was describing the way he felt when you were around, as he did not recognize it. But he knew he could trust you- and you were human, so you'd most likely have a good answer. As you ask him for more detail, you suddenly realize that he's describing love.

♡ ...And that's what formed a rather strange but strong relationship. Despite your major differences, 049 will help you with anything that he can as long as you promise to do the same. He may not express it a lot, but he really really does care for you. Maybe a little too much?

[oi-ikodane]

Hi can have a scenario where hisoka has a girlfriend and she has a cat and she’s scared that he will kill it or something and she stars to cry because of it. it’s a bit weird and English is not my first language so sorry for my mistakes. I will be very thankful if you will do it ❤️

———————————————————————————————————————

Hello dear! I’m sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy!

TW: pure fluff, mentions of violence

———————————————————————————————————————

Hisoka was a very extravagant man, a man with such distinct taste in people and in life. Someone so bloodthirsty, who wouldn’t think twice about murdering a living specimen. The someone that you fell in love with, what used to be one of your biggest fears became someone who you adored to the very end. Now, you wouldn’t say that his temper and not-so-empty threats didn’t scare you but you were aware that he wouldn’t hurt you, if anything that’s the last thing he would do. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t hurt others though, you have already dealt with that.

You had a love for animals, so when you see a little kitten asking for help when you find it on the side of the road of course you obliged. Your brain kept whispering to let go of your newfound buddy, you were living with an extremely mentally unstable man and he could do anything to hurt the poor creature. Pushing the thoughts out of your head you took off your hoodie, wrapping it around the kitten as you hurried back home. You knew that Hisoka wouldn’t stop by your house just yet, he let you know that he was out on his adventures yet again. So you earned the kittens trust, fed it, cleaned him, and even cuddled with him as you watched movies wrapped under a blanket.

That was until the day you regretted came to real life. You didn’t want to seem dramatic but you truly weren’t sure of what Hisoka would do the the little guy. So you scurried on and cleaned up the house, attempting to hide any sign of another licinf creature in your house. You placed the kittens bed in your closet, placing a small blanket on it for the kitten to snuggle into as you slowly closed the door with a sad smile.

When Hisoka did show up, you were a nervous wreck as you attempted to keep him away from your room. You were extremely jumpy, a nervous laugh leaving your throat any time you would try to stop him from moving any further than the kitchen or livingroom.

“You know, I think it’s best if we go to bed, don’t you think so dear?” Hisoka spoke, eyes trained on your bedroom door as a smirk became visible on his lips.

“Wha-what? Oh yes, of course, Bungee. I just thought that we could continue watching movies for a bit longer. You know, indulge into each other’s company and all that good stuff,” you spoke rather quickly, hoping he wouldn’t recognize the nervousness in your voice.

“Well don’t you think we could do just that in the room?” He spoke again, quickly standing up as he took long strides towards the door. He placed his hand on the door knob as he glanced at you, playful yellow eyes staring into you.

You quickly stood up with a loud gasp, running towards the door as you stood in front of it. You looked up to see him standing in front of you, an eyebrow arched as his eyes scanned down your face.

Your lips slightly pouted out, eyes growing wet as tears began to form in your waterline.

“No please, I don’t want you to be mad. It’s just that I find a buddy and I didn’t want you to hurt him.” You let out a sob, a pleasing look on your face.

Hisoka moved his hand to place it on the back of your head, gently putting pressure to pull you into him. He let out a chuckle, causing his chest to tumble as he pressed your cheek against his chest and wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Now, why would I hurt your little buddy? As long as it’s not another person we should be fine, darling. Just because I’m possessive of you doesn’t mean you can’t have a pet. Now let’s see the little guy.” Hisoka spoke in the same teasing voice he always would, almost as if you couldn’t trust him.

Sniffling, you slowly nodded as you pulled away from his body, turning to open the door. You shuffled towards the closet, opening it and bending over to pick up the floof of fur that was awaiting your arrival.

To say less, Hisoka absolutely enjoyed his company but would fight for your attention. He would go as far as removing the cat out of your hands and pushing him away before sitting beside you and laying his head on your lap.

[chimicalbomb]

fluffbruary | @fluffbruary

February 18: cat | dance | thread

   "What do you mean i can't bring cats in?" Ned lashed out angrily at the submarine captain.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Ned just came back with Conseil and Pierre from the little expedition they made on the near Islands. The fresh air and soft soil did well to the angry harponeer that would've swam back to his homeland if it would've been possible.

   The three of them came back with fresh fruits and new knowledge of their surroundings,except Ned,Ned came back with three kittens.

   It was pretty weird for a sturdy harponeer to take such tiny creatures back with him on the Nautilus. He was bit quite sure what species were they,but they were small,alone and clearly feline,so it seemed obvious of what he had to do. Pierre tried to convince him that Nemo would never approve of such visitors,yet Ned did not back out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Land,i will not take,nor feed these animals,they shall feed from your own food, and never leave your quarters." Explained Nemo while pinching the bridge of his nose,tired of the quarrel.

   It was true that Nemo did not dislike cats,but they reminded him of lost memories in a place that was not his no more. Also,he couldn't throw out such small creatures,he was an educated man,a nature admirer,he could never harm animals that did not bother nor help him.

      And that was the conclusion of that day,and Ned decided to keep the kittens with him.

      Orca,Beluga and Narwhal were the names of the kittens, chosen by yours truly.

     Conseil,being the roomate of Ned enjoyed the company of the three quite very much,since the nights could get cold,and Orca made it her own mission to cuddle into the young servant.

        And the professor also studied their behaviour while being in the submarine,which didn't change that much. It was quite fascinating,but his attention soon moved to the rare fish specimens that surrounded him.

       One day,when Ned, Conseil and Pierre were coming back from a short swim in the exquisite swiming gear that Nemo had introduced to them,they couldn't seem to find nor Nemo on board,or the kittens. Which alarmed Ned quite a lot.

  But the panic soon faded,when he sneaked into the Captain's quarters,just to find the older man sleeping soundly on his couch,with a book in one hand, and the other on his chest. Surrounding him were the three cats,purring softly next to the man.

  Ned couldn't help but smile,leaning on the door frame and remaining there for quite some time,admiring the peaceful painting that was happening in front of his hazel eyes.

   

  

[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on Open Heart, Book 2

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week and what I’d like to see in the next chapters, because none of my friends play Choices so I have no one to comment the books with.

It’s been a while since I started writing this post, I actually remember saying I would post it months ago. But then things escalated in such a negative way between some people, that I said “well, maybe it’s not the best moment to post this”. So now that the book will be back, I thought it might be a good time to revisit it.

Of course, as this was written before the second hiatus, it’s been done with the original plot in mind, and I don’t read spoilers and the book is supposedly being rewritten, it may be full of mistakes… it just took me so long to write it, that I don’t want it to go to waste! hahaha

I’ve read a lot of people complaining about the plot of Open Heart 2 being all over the place, and some people are worried about the “too many subplots” this book has. Well, sure, there might be A LOT going on in this book, but when you analyze what almost every character is going through (emphasis in “almost”), you’ll realize that they all have one thing in common: they’re all dealing with their past. Also, with a third book confirmed, I don’t think everything is going to find its closure in Book 2. But let’s analyze our gang (they are in alphabetic order, as usual):

Aurora Emery: This girl is so damaged that it hurts. She certainly had trust issues during college and she’s reliving them all over again. Of course, being Harper Emery’s niece is not easy when you go to medical school and become a doctor. Not only people have high expectations on your performance, they also want to be friends with you and you just don’t know if it’s because of your aunt or because they genuinely care about you. Tobias is not making things easier for her either (I’m so ready to punch this guy if he hurts her!), and our MC has been an ass to her lately as well. She truly needs to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I’m so waiting for the MC to have a chance to apologize because what they did was the stupidest thing I’ve seen them do so far.

Bryce Lahela: Even though I’m in love with this guy (I always say he’d be my BFF in real life), we knew since day 1 that he was hiding something. Well, it took us over a book to discover that his family has a very, very shady past that ended up affecting not only Bryce, but also his little sister Keiki. Of course, discovering that your parents are criminals when you’re a teenager mustn’t be easy, and Keiki escaping because she’s basically living the same hell as Bryce went through in the past has only made him relive some old feelings that he wanted to be forgotten. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I can only think of some healing process for him that will probably not have its closure in Book 2, but in Book 3.

Elijah Green: Our boy Elijah has always declared himself a “nerd”. So, it doesn’t surprise me at all the fact that he had problems making friends while growing up. Also, due to his condition and what we know about his past, I bet his parents were super overprotective, making things harder for him. That’s why he is having a hard time when trying to keep boundaries with Sothy, his intern. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be friends, not at all (not only Ines and Zaid consider the MC “a friend”, but my MC is romancing Ethan, soo…). But he certainly tries too hard to be accepted (and not judged) by his intern, to the point that it becomes a risk for them as doctors.  

Esme Ortega: Our new intern looks like she’s a tough girl, but it only took us one diamond scene to discover what’s behind her attitude. Her life has been hard and she’s basically facing the world alone since she was 14. Even though this apparently was a topic that was addressed and solved in the same scene, it’s very clear that she sees herself in her teen patient with leukemia. It’s very possible that her parents never told her that they were illegal immigrants, so she can’t stand lying to that kid. She knows how it feels. She knows he’s not a kid anymore and that his parents lying to him will only cause pain in the future. Hopefully we’ll be able to go deeper in her background during the rest of Book 2 or in Book 3.

Ethan Ramsey: Ethan is facing not only one, but two conflicts. The first one is a personal one: his mom left him and Alan (his dad) 25 years ago. Now she is suddenly back in their lives for some reason that we still need to figure out. Ethan believes she’s back because she needs money, and he might be right. There is also this idea that she’s actually sick and she needs Ethan’s help. This could also be pretty accurate. I actually think it’s something in between (maybe some stepbrother or stepsister he doesn’t know about needs medical care but they can’t afford it). The other one is professional: with the money problems in Edenbrook, he’s feeling all the pressure of having to make a choice between attending rich people who can afford their full treatments and being loyal to Naveen’s original purpose when he created the team (that is, to care about people who can’t afford their treatments). My thought is that, in the end, both his family issues and his career in the diagnostics team will be crossed and that this will become a turning point in the book (because yes, we still don’t have that “huge case” as we did have with Naveen’s case in Book 1).

Jackie Varma: Jackie’s issue actually hits home. College debts are a huge issue in my country, and I can tell almost every single one of my classmates is facing them now, even though we graduated a long time ago. It’s pretty common to see families struggling to help their kids to attend university and you can’t imagine how grateful I am that my hard work paid off and got me a scholarship that relieved that burden at home. So I can totally see Jackie in this situation: coming from a low income family who didn’t only become a doctor because she loves it, but also because she saw it as a chance to give her family a better life… and this isn’t happening right now. But she is actually doing something about it already, so she’ll probably be the first one to have her “burden from the past issue” solved, she just seems to need that raise that all residents are supposed to get… at least for now.

Rafael Aveiro: Our Rafael (who’s not going to die and who still is a LI in my opinion) surprised us when he introduced us to his significant other, Sora. I mean… what happened in that two-month period between Book 1 and Book 2? This is one of those times when I desperately need a diamond scene for him to explain everything. Because it doesn’t matter if he is your LI or not, he doesn’t seem convinced about this “new” relationship and you can’t change my mind. Also, the fact that he’s been taking more risks than usual is giving me some weird vibes (maybe he’s depressed and he’s been hiding it?). I’m pretty sure there’s something we don’t know yet… and I’m pretty sure that his conflict at the end of the book (if he is your LI) will be to decide between “staying in the past” (with Sora) and “moving into the future” (with the MC).

Sienna Trinh: Our sweetheart has had little screen time in this book, but that time has been enough to realize she’s having some serious issues, to the point that some people think she’s the one who’ll be dying because of how depressed she shows herself. We all remember that Sienna used to have a boyfriend certain specimen in her life, and how she dumped him in Book 1. Well, toxic relationships are not limited to love life, and that’s the case with her. She’s been repeating all the same patterns with her new resident, Mitch. He manipulates her and he’s basically abusing of her good will… just like certain ***hole she used to date it in the past.

Kyra Santana: I did leave Kyra for the end on purpose. Since the end of Book 1 I’ve been saying that she has to die at some point of the series, basically because we must be realistic here guys and we can’t be in denial: no matter how much we love her, our girl only has 10% chances of surviving cancer and before the hiatus, things were getting worse for her. Based on this… have you noticed how Kyra is the only character in the series (besides our MC) who’s not carrying some burden from her past? Instead, she just lives the present and she barely mentions her future, except in two cases: when she’s talking to the MC about her job interview, and when she says that her treatment “soon will be over”. To me, THIS SPEAK VOLUMES, GUYS!

[datenoriko]

Wondering if I could request some reactionary Headcanons for the warlords where MC is a highly trained and skillful forensic scientist?

I’m so sorry this is waaaay overdue and writing-wise is still unsure of the style... I hope this one’s okay though~ TnT

p.s. I tried adding Kennyo & Motonari too, but brain won’t let me ><

p.s.s. Updated masterlist for my random shenanigans here!

*Every one of them thought MC would be scared of a dead body and multitudes of it on the battlefield and beyond it but...

ODA FORCES

Nobunaga

- “Huh, this fireball’s not afraid of the dead?” // “I examine them for a living.” Visibly impressed, a devilish smirk forms on his lips

- The Devil King is fascinated by you actively asking to take her to battles to study the bodies

- “Look at this! With that deep slice on his jugular vein, no wonder he’ll die pretty quickly due to all that blood loss.” // “On his what?” // “T-the blood vessel found on the neck, my lord.” // *is confused*

- Nobunaga considers this carefully and commissions the armour makers to improve their designs, and/or trade for more sturdy materials with the Portuguese (you know… aside trading for konpeito :3)

- Lets you examine more specimens to determine all possible deaths in battle, and then have it discussed at the next council. It’s a great help for them in terms of preparation & strategizing. After all, prevention and preparation is still much better!

Hideyoshi

- A worried mother hen as always, all he wanted is for you to stay away from the worst sights possible and definitely not going straight towards them! “What do I keep telling you?” // “Uh, stay away from the corpses…?”

- Just like how his lord would sneak away to have konpeito, you also tend to get around stealthily just to study “them”

- Being a highly observation person due to your work, you even know which wooden floor in Azuchi will make a creaking sound and by instinct you will avoid it

- But Mamayoshi is just as observant as you are, and he caught you one night

- “I know you were once this ‘forensic expert’ from where you came from, but you are a princess now and must behave like one!” Legend has it that the lecture continues...  

Mitsuhide

- Ah, he loves asking for your suggestions on how to get away with murder treason!

- I mean, he’s surely an expert but an additional piece of advice his little mouse wouldn’t hurt, right?

- “This place’s almost clean, I’d say.” // “’Almost’, little mouse? It scares me so that you have trained eyes for such matters. // “Is that a compliment? Anyway, I saw a strand of hair near the sliding door... and its color is much similar to yours. Care to explain?”

- Now he’s more careful than ever to leave any trace, knowing you can find him even with the smallest of clues

- The tables have turned for him after such a long time of being a sneaky fox

Masamune

- Oh boy, make sure you won’t overwork yourself by being with this man, being a battle-loving man that he is (meaning, more bodies and scenes to check out)

- At the same time, he finds it amusing that you proactively ask him to take you to his trips, campaigns and whatnots

- “It really is fun having you around, lass! Or should I say ‘partner’?” // “Damn straight, partner… now, let’s solve this case!” Cat-like grin commences for you two

- He sees you having fun hanging out at the scouts’ camp, chatting about experiences in the battlefield. your eyes would glimmer the more explicit they describe it. Creepy? Maybe a little, but at least he sees you happy about it… right?

- The One-Eyed Dragon will find this unusual, sure, but it certainly makes him want to know you more

Ieyasu

- Did he care at first? No, not really. He just wanted no involvement at first and to be left on his room alone, reading or eating extra-spicy food

- However, Yatsun gets curious when he finds you taking a peek at his medicinal work on a man he is a bit late to save :(

- “What are you doing here? You better not get in the way.” // “Oh no, poor man though… what’s the cause?” // “I am yet to find that out, if you’ll excuse me,---” // “Can I take a look?”

- He tries to pry you away from the room but being already in and touching the body leaves him no choice but to keep a close eye on you, making sure you’re not doing anything daft.

- “Huh, not bad.” Ieyasu says as you were able to identify the cause of death, deep inside he’s amazed of course. Later on he would let you join him in his post-mortem activities if the schedule allows to, but still keeping an eye on you to prevent any mishaps from happening

Mitsunari

- “Wow, MC-sama is unfazed as we all are in the battlefield! You truly are an amazing woman.” Did you see that sunny smile on his face as he says it???

- Your logical explanation as to identifying one’s death baffles the force’s cinnamon roll (because of the jargon used), otherwise it fascinates him

- Well, he’s never seen a woman who’s into dead bodies work-wise!

- Like some other warlords, he would ask you for advice when making strategies for the next battle

- When you went to his room one time to borrow a book, the first thing you said was “Am I in a crime scene?” when seeing piles of books around, untouched food and seeing a man unmoved in the middle of the room, reading and not even sensing your presence. “Ah no, just a normal room. I see.”

Ranmaru

- While in an errand, he sees you one day looking at a dead body about to be taken away. He is worried that the view might traumatize you for life… in the back of his mind he already has a plan to take you to a sweets shop and let you gorge in manjuu for the rest of the day

- “MC-sama, are you alright? You look shocked.” // “Yeah, I mean it looks to me that someone killed him when everybody says the opposite! I wanted to look into this so badly…” // “My apologies, but… what?”

- Of course it is never the answer he expected, but when you plead to help him solve it, this page is more than willing to do so

- Now both of you are going around the town looking for clues and asking who you think are involved; partners-in-crime!

- You did get to gorge on manjuu (and tea, lots of it) with Ranmaru when the case is solved!

UESUGI-TAKEDA FORCES

Kenshin

- Oh boy, make sure you won’t overwork yourself by being with this man, being a battle-loving man that he is pt.2

- “How dare you try to even speak with MC; draw your swords. Now.” // “Kenshin-sama, even if I’m used to seeing the deceased, please don’t do that. You’re scaring your own men!”

- He has little to no problem in taking her along to the battlefield, too! One more way to keep her in sight at all times

- Sometimes when you two are drinking and think he had too much you just had to stop him, to his slight annoyance. You have seen many deaths due to alcohol poisoning and definitely wouldn’t want him to be in the list… Bunshin Lord Kenshin appreciates the thought though

- Like Nobunaga, he allows you to do some research on the dead bodies, anything useful for the ongoing war

Shingen

- How can an angel such as you be associated with death and decay? He thinks

- But this daddy needs to accept the fact that you are quite comfortable around such! However once your investigation takes a scary turn expect him to nearby, comforting you with soothing words, or a hug… or eating sweet buns as many as you’d like to calm yourself down

- At first he is reluctant to let you get near the deceased, however whenever he sees your expression light up whenever he makes a cheesy comment (albeit in a rather awkward place) he thought of going along with it

- “Hm, this job of yours is unfitting in every way.” // “Oh yeah? How so?” // “You are brimming with life that I do think you are a goddess who descended upon us men.” // “Ah, here we go again…”

- You have to admit, his presence help you keep your sanity as you used to work alone for long periods of time

Yukimura

- “I thought you might be running away now once you see these.” // “As if they’ll chase me! Unless… are they still alive?” // “Weird woman…”

- This tsun does admire how brave you are after even making such joke

- Along with Sasuke, you three are pretty much effective when doing some investigation at the enemy’s base with you giving them (modern) tips of not getting caught. Unusual hiding spots? Hidden weapons? Suspicious people? All checked and cleared! 

- He has been doing that for a long while now, but hearing your strange ideas do sound plausible… especially when ninja friend is highly approving it

- If Sasuke trusts you, he surely starts to trust you (and your skills) too

Sasuke

- Once again, be paired up with Yuki and you three would make a great investigation/espionage team

- When investigating, you and memelord ninja are speaking to each other in partly jargon, partly heavily-memed language

- Possibly having watched and/or read crimes shows or movie you two are getting along so well

- “So here’s our undercover story: husband, wife and husband’s best friend---” // “Wait, do we get cool names too?!” // “Yeah, I’ll get to that part later… or I’ll do it now. Miyako, Tsune and Chozaburo; sounds cool?” // “Noice.”

- As the conversation continues, Yuki is left by himself to wonder how on earth did he get friends like you, shaking his head lightly as your talk no longer makes sense to him

Yoshimoto

- This beautiful mailman sees you one day sketching and as a man of the arts he comes over to look at what you’re drawing

- What he sees is a detailed sketch of a man, possibly a random person. The facial structure, features are all spot on! He is in full admiration mode

- “My, such a lovely piece you are making there. Has someone commissioned you to make him a portrait?” // “Actually Yoshimoto-san, I am making this to be posted around town. A wanted poster of some sorts… he’s a criminal.”

- You explained to him your job as a forensic artist, and he listens to every single word of it. Yoshimoto would find himself asking about your style of sketching as you continue drawing

- When the posters are up he is one of those people who would look at it for a long time; for him it’s not for memorizing the perp’s face, but simply to appreciate the art, fanning himself ever so gracefully

[nightashes]

Virgil’s Self-Care Day

A/N: Inspired by @sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes post. This fic is just utter silliness and fluff. No plot in sight.

Summary: "A fluffy fic where Virgil actually loves himself" Otherwise known as "Virgil has regular self-care days and the others join in."

Warnings: Food

Ao3 version - writing masterlist

The day begins with Virgil’s eyes snapping open. A smile spread across his face as he thinks of what day it is, the third Sunday of the month (otherwise known as Virgil’s self-care day.) He flings his covers off, springing from bed with a wide stretching grin. His alarm sounds a minute later and a song from Evanescence, his favorite band, begins blasting through his room. Virgil smirks at his phone.

“Sorry, bud, but your gonna have to be a little faster to beat me. I’m just too good for you.”

Was it weird to talk to his phone? Maybe. Did he care? Absolutely not. 

Virgil takes a quick shower. His skin buzzing with excitement. Jumping out he speeds around his room throwing on his favorite ripped pants, combat boots, and for a change of pace he pulls out his Christmas sweater. The one that was made for him by Patton and Roman. Gosh, did he love those dorks. 

Yes. Today was a great day. The thought came again and again. He just couldn’t get it out of his head. Nor did he want to. For today was his self-care day. A day just for him to spend doing what he loves best and hanging out with the people he cares for more than anything in this world. He studies his face in the mirror. A day like this deserves some extra special eye shadow. Maybe something even a little more.

Shifting through the makeup on the top of his dresser, the varying types of eyeshadow, mascara, highlighters, and lipsticks. For a day like this, a special day, would require some extra special care and attention. A foundation pale enough to make any vampire swoon. A purple lipstick dark enough for even his Gothic soul. And a smokey eye that was well... smoking. Yeah. Virgil was rocking it today.

Stepping back, he surveys his completed work. Brushing his hair to lay just in such a way as to cast shadows over his face, increasing his spooky vibes by ten. No one could deny (not even Roman) that being scary was just plain fun. 

 Speaking of the others, it was time for breakfast. Virgil bounds down the stairs, recipes he had searched for the night before buzzing in his head. This was going to be good. Logan was already in the kitchen making his morning cup of coffee. He looked up in shock at Virgil not only being awake this early, but also being so chipper about it. The thought disappeared as the pieces clicked together in his mind. And of course they would. Logan was just that smart. 

“Self-care day, Virgil?”

“Self-care day.” Virgil smiles in response. “So pancakes? Or eggs and sausages? Maybe cinnamon rolls? Oh, I found a recipe for a quiche! What do you think?”

“As this day is for you and not I, I think it would be best to hold my opinions to myself and support your choice. Even if some of those choices are sorely lacking in nutritional value.”

“Quiche it is.” Virgil can’t help but appreciate Logan’s comment. The others always go the extra mile to make sure that he puts himself first on his self-care day. They truly do care about him.

Virgil begins pulling out all the ingredients from the fridge and cabinets, summoning whatever they don’t have. He mixes the wet ingredients (quiches sure do have a lot of eggs), folds in the veggies and extra goodies, and pours it all into the ready-made crust. Just in time for the oven to beep, letting him know that it was ready to go. Sliding the tray in with ease, Virgil leans back against the counter to appreciate this moment. Breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth in a semi-meditative state.

Patton speaks up from behind him, “Oh, is it your self-care day already?”

Virgil turns to see Patton already beginning to clean up the mess he had made baking. 

“Leave that for me, Pat. I can handle it.”

“Virgil, if you’re baking for us. It’s only fair that I clean up after you.”

“Thanks, Popstar. You’re pretty cool.”

“Am I ice cold?” Patton throws back.

“Colder than Antarctica.” 

“Awww, that’s pretty cold there, Mister. So what’s cooking, or should I say baking?”

Virgil chuckles out. “A quiche.”

“Sounds wonderful. And what are your plans for today?”

 “Oh, I have some ideas. But I think I’ll just let the wind carry me, you know.”

“Something smells great. Whatever is in the oven is fit for a king.” Roman calls as he shuffles down the stairs, still in his crown pajamas. “Oh, Virgil!” He calls seeing the two shuffling around the kitchen. “I am looving that lipstick, I was hoping your self-care day was soon. I have a wonderful idea for what you can do to tick off your ‘spending time outside’ box. That is if you are willing?”

“Depends on whatever the idea actually is, Princey.” 

“Well, picture this. The imagination. Flower fields. I know not spooky enough. But instead of the usual, I take you to see the new Deadly and Poisonous Plants and Flowers Exhibit. Made by yours truly just for you, Mr. Dark and Cheery.”

“Dark and cheery? Geez.” Virgil smirks at the nickname. “Yeah. Sure. I guess it sounds kinda cool.”

“Excellent! Just knock on my door when you’re ready. Now please tell me whatever you are baking is almost done! I swear that smell is making my mouth water.”

“In just a moment.”

And so after a family breakfast, where everyone made sure to compliment the quiche. Virgil had to say, it really was a good recipe. The group separated. Roman and Patton went to get ready. Logan insisted on cleaning up the table, since Pat and Virgil had done everything else. And Virgil sprawled himself across the couch, earbuds in and music on. 

Virgil often called this time his “be like a cat hour.” Where he would lazily stretch out, taking as much space as he needed, and just spend an hour listening to his favorite songs and scrolling through his favorite Tumblr tags. It was a moment of pure bliss. Just an hour, where he could just be with himself and enjoy the moment. But like all things, the hour had to come to an end. And so with a heavy heart, he stretched out one last time, refusing to abandon the calm atmosphere of the moment, and rolled himself off the couch. He landed on the floor with an umpf. Blinking up at the ceiling, his mind slowly coming back online and thought through all of the options for what he could do next. Roman’s offer naturally came to mind. And so not a moment later, Virgil shuffled off to knock on the prince’s star-studded door, star-studded in that it was literally covered in sparkling stars. Virgil even recognized a few from that weirdly echoey mind palace that Roman had created during the Growing Up video.

He knocked once, twice, and before his fist could land a third time. The door swung open to reveal, a panting Roman with windswept hair. His pajamas finally replaced with his prince attire. “Ready, for the best self-care day you will ever experience.”

“I mean a self-care day isn’t really supposed to be a competition-”

“Just, come in. I have so much to show you.” Roman swings the door open, sweeping his arms through the air. “The imagination awaits.”

And so together, Dark and Stormy with Bright and Rosy made their way into the imagination. Walking across rolling hills, past a bustling town and castle, and to a wide expanse of meadows stretching across the west territory. 

“Gardening has become a bit of a hobby of mine. And I get to grow so many nice flowers to gift to you and the others. Did you notice Patton’s flower crown the other day? Forget-me-knots, lily-of-the-valleys, and some daisies. All grown right here. Of course, I knew that wouldn’t interest you. So I was determined to cultivate a field of the strange and mysterious. Right over here.” Roman’s voice is loud and booming. His chest puffed out with obvious pride as he leads the anxious side deeper and deeper into the gardens. Across the twisting and turning paths until they stop at the edge of something right out of an Addams family movie. A knotted and scarred tree takes center stage with ivy growing up the twisted bark. The ground around the specimen is filled with black roses, deadly nightshade, oleander, hemlock, and varying types of thorny bushes.The path through the garden is scorched ground, as if Roman had created it by directing lightning strikes.

“Roman, this is actually pretty cool. How’d did you do this?”

“C’mon Virge, you can create anything with a little creativity.”

Virgil snorts at the cheesy answer. “Right sure. Just show me around.”

“Well, right done here, you will see a dried out fountain. And over there is a small cemetery. Nothing is actually buried there, but I thought you’d appreciate the aesthetic. There’s even a murder of crows that hang out there now.”

“Ah yes, my people, we do love to hang out in cemeteries and caw at the moon.”

“Oh, so you caw at the moon?”

“Do you doubt me?”

“No. no. How could I doubt someone who has shown they love to hiss as a way of communication? In fact, there’s a mini moon that floats above this garden just for you. Why don’t you go and caw at it now.”

“You think you can embarrass me into not cawing at the moon. Oh, Princey, Princey, Princey... You have no idea what you just started. Brethren crows!” Virgil calls to the birds settled amongst the tombstones. “The moon awaits us, let us caw!” And then the dark and stormy side runs off into the cemetery, flapping his arms and literally cawing at the moon. 

Roman looks on, his mouth dropped, as his feeble mind tries to process the true magnificence that is Virgil cawing while the crows are flying around his head joining in his song. Some even land on his outstretched arms as if he were the Crow King and they were his humble subjects.

Virgil finishes his call with a wave of his arms, as the entire murder takes flight. Their bodies covering the mini moon as they fly off into the “night” sky darkening the already overcast garden. And the anxious side turns to his companion, a devilish smirk on his features as he delights in Roman’s flabbergasted expression. 

“What’s wrong, Princey? Is my pure Halloween spirit too much for you?”

The creative side’s face immediately switches to a look of pure mischievousness. “Oh, you asked for it now. I’m going to tell all the sides all about your Halloween spirit.” He announces as he runs back through the garden heading towards the door to the imagination.

Virgil smirk only grows into a full-fledged Cheshire grin. “The hunt is on.” And then he is gone, sprinting after the creative side, his lanky form racing through the gardens, jumping over any obstacles. Barreling after the man who dares to try and best him.

Needless to say, Logan and Patton were both entirely shocked when Roman came rushing into the commons. Breathless and with windswept hair, gasping for words, only to be tackled by a cackling Virgil with murder in his eyes. The two dissolving into giggles as Roman fights to speak. “Logan… Patton… Virgil and… and the crows… and…” 

Virgil manages to pin Roman to the ground, fighting to keep his laughter at a manageable level. He growls at his friend. “You’ve been caught by the Crow King. Prepare to perish!” A black permanent marker appearing in his hand. 

Roman pales at the sight. “Virgil, wait. no. I’m sorry.”

Patton gasps at the sight. “Please, Virgil. He’s too young. He’s just a boy.”

“That doesn’t excuse him of his crimes. I am only doing what is just.”

“My beautiful face!” Roman bemoans as the marker meets skin.

Virgil is cackling.

Patton is clutching his heart.

And Logan… Well, Logan is just rolling his eyes.

“There.” The anxious side stands, releasing Roman from his grasp. “The deed is done.”

“What did he do?” Roman asks, desperately feeling around his face. “What did he write? Quick, a mirror! Someone get me a mirror.”

Patton manifests a mirror, passing it over to the panicking prince. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.”

Roman grips tightly onto the fatherly side’s hand. “Thank you, Patton.” He slowly raises the mirror with his other. Bringing it ever closer to his face to read the words written in bold across his forehead and cheeks ‘The Crow King Was Here.’

“My face. My poor beautiful face.” Roman waxes to the unforgiving world. 

Meanwhile Virgil merely chuckles evilly. “You can’t embarrass me, Roman. I always win. That’s why I’m the king and you’re the prince.”

“Are we done now?” Logan asks with a look as if he and he alone carries the weight of the world.

“I’ll get you for this, emo.”

“Come at me, bro.” Virgil fires back.

Roman launches himself at Virgil, tackling him onto the couch. Virgil hissing in protest as he fights against his oppressors grip. 

“Patton, help me.” Virgil reaches out to the moral side.

Roman flops down on top of Virgil, entrapping him beneath him. “Virgilcallshimselfthecrowkingbecausehecawsatthemoon.” Roman speaks quickly, his words running together.

“Huh?” Patton cocks his head.

“Virgil apparently caws at the moon?” Logan translates with utter confusion.

“I do!” Virgil shouts, his voice muffled as his face his pressed into the couch cushions. He struggles against Roman, lifting his head in defiance. “And I’m proud of it. I am the Crow King! Fear Me!”

“Mission Accomplished.” Roman collapses against the anxious side. “I’ll think I’ll just take a nap now.”

“Noooooo.” Virgil protests from beneath him.

“Oh, you silly kiddos. Do you guys wants some lunch?”

“Yes, please.” They speak in unison.

“Right. Virgil after lunch I was hoping to ask you to join me and Patton in our knitting club again. It was quite…pleasant the last time. And I thought it would check off your ‘do something creative’ box.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” The dark and stormy side speaks from beneath Roman, resigned to his fate as a couch cushion.

Virgil’s self-care days didn’t always contain such chaos. But if Virgil was being truthful it was days like this, where they could all let loose without care or concern, that made him look forward to them with such excitement. And as he laid there, smushed underneath Roman and planning out his knitting project revenge, while Roman chatted on and on about how he should be the one to make dinner and then they could have a movie marathon after, Virgil decided that tickling his way out from under Roman just required too much energy. Instead, he allowed Roman’s flowery language to wash over him, surprisingly at peace with his predicament, as he patiently awaited for Logan and Patton to return with lunch.

awesome people to tag: @stop-it-anxiety @rainboots-are-for-snobs @hexatrash @ollyollyoxinfree

[wholesome-revelry]

fic: “Long-Term,” Aziraphale/Crowley, outsider POV | 1.6K, G

(Nominally a sequel to this)

Officiating weddings has got to be one of Dr. Blackwell’s favorite parts of ministry, and although she’s probably not supposed to have preferences, if she looks deep into her jaded lesbian heart with any degree of honesty, queer weddings are by far the best. 

Take, for instance, the couple she’s consulting with this afternoon, for their upcoming October ceremony. Seemingly mismatched in every respect. The plump, fair-haired one looks like a parody of an absent-minded professor, as sketched by someone who didn’t bother to do much actual research; his clothes are so outdated it teeters on costume. He’s wearing a bowtie, and not in that reinvented hipster way. This is a bowtie unacquainted with the cycles of fashion, a bowtie that has never heard the word irony. 

His partner is a rangy, black-clad ginger in snakeskin boots. He has the look of a hungover rocker about him, and would somehow, even without the sunglasses he has fully committed to wearing indoors on a cloudy afternoon. He’s sprawled almost defiantly in his chair and keeps throwing dubious glances around Dr. Blackwell’s office, as though expecting a lightning bolt to strike him down for merely daring to be within spitting distance of a church. 

Everything about his posture screams ‘Extremely complicated feelings about religion ahoy!’

Ex-Catholic, Dr. Blackwell thinks sagely. 

Something funny about their names, too. Their names are--

They’re--

(She knows they both gave her their names, but as she looks at their faces, there is a curiously name-shaped hole where the sounds should go. Every time she approaches the edges of this thought, it ripples and changes shapes, and whispers, ‘Don’t worry now, it’s really of no consequence, is it?’ 

Dr. Blackwell didn’t get a degree in Unitarian Universalist theology by looking away from paradoxes. ‘Curiosity is earthly and holy and wonderful,’ she tries to tell the thought, pushing forward, ‘even to question truly is an answer--’ 

‘Ah yes,’ the thought says after her third attempt, ‘very nice, but in this particular case--’ and the absence where their names should be yawns, stretches, and swallows down all of her related concerns with a shrug.)

She blinks. She watches as Bowtie casually takes Sunglasses’ hand, as Sunglasses responds with a look so gooey and sweet and private that she feels a bit weird for intruding. How, she thinks, the fuck did you two meet?

The only thing they seem to have in common, beyond their feelings for each other, is a certain aura of personal disaster. Still, let she whose outfit doesn’t heavily feature Birkenstocks and cat hair throw the first stone. So to speak. 

“So,” says Dr. Blackwell, “anything in particular I should know first? Any thoughts, or concerns?”

“The hymns,” says Bowtie, “or. Uh. The songs, I suppose?” He coughs. “Any chance we could stick with ones that don’t, you know, prominently feature--?” He pointedly casts his eyes towards the ceiling and almost seems to mutter, “No point in asking for trouble.”

“Oh, of course,” she says, shaking off the flash of weirdness like an errant cobweb. “We have plenty of non-denominational hymns.”

“About what,” Sunglasses says with a slight sneer. “Tax forms? Penguins? Automotive repair?”

Oof. Definitely an ex-Catholic, she thinks. You can smell the baggage from here.

“Mostly about the inherent holiness in doing good, or the beauty of nature?” says Dr. Blackwell. “Sometimes, someone will sort of retrofit a classical melody to Transcendentalist poetry, but those tend not to scan so well, in my opinion.”

Somehow, without any eye contact, Sunglasses manages to give her a wary look.

“You can borrow a hymnal if you’d like,” she continues. “We tend to edit out the G-word anyway. Makes the atheists and the agnostics a bit jumpy, me included.” Bowtie starts.

“You don’t,” says Sunglasses, “believe in--?”

“Not really,” says Dr. Blackwell. “Suppose I’ll allow for the possibility, but in my mind, the existence of some divine Heavenly will is just not as important as other questions. Like ‘How do I do what’s right for the planet and everything on it?’”

“How do I avert the apocalypse,” Sunglasses murmurs.

“Exactly,” she says with a laugh, “although I’d settle for doing something about Brexit.” 

Neither of them laugh, and after an awkward pause, she adds,

“As far as music goes, for the ceremony. If you’ve got a song that really resonates with you, no matter what it is, let me know and we can work that in.”

“No Queen,” says Sunglasses immediately. 

It feels like there should be a story here, but Bowtie only turns to him and says, “What was that band you liked? Velveteen--”

“We’re not playing Velvet Underground at our wedding,” Sunglasses says.

“Same thing goes for readings, too,” says Dr. Blackwell. “If there’s a text that holds special meaning--”

“Hm,” says Bowtie, “yes, about that--” He reaches to his side and heaves an antique leather briefcase onto her desk. “May I?” 

“Of course.”

Bowtie fiddles with the latch, which clicks open to reveal a mountain of papers: wine-stained cocktail napkins and looseleaf notebook pages, parchment-looking stuff, and everything in between. It’s a veritable avalanche of love poems, as well as quotations from various plays and books, all laboriously hand-copied in the same tidy penmanship.

“Angel,” says Sunglasses slowly. “What is this.”

Pink-cheeked, Bowtie flutters his hands. “Just--some things I’d been setting aside!”

“For how long,” Sunglasses says, leaning forward. He sounds delighted but also deeply confused.

“So sorry,” Bowtie tells Dr. Blackwell, “I really should’ve organized these better! Even a rudimentary system--”

“It’s fine,” she says, blankly. She really hopes it isn’t going to be her job to narrow down the options. There are literally hundreds.

“How long,” Sunglasses repeats.

“You know how long!” hisses Bowtie.

Sunglasses plucks a sheet off the pile, rubs it between his thumb and finger. “They stopped making paper like this in the nineteenth century,” he says, sounding strangely triumphant about it.

Dr. Blackwell furrows her forehead, where a number of facts are colliding uncomfortably inside, like how some of these specimens are clearly very new, some are so old she’d be uncomfortable touching them with her bare hands, and the handwriting on every one of them is identical.

“Oh!” she says with sudden bright clarity. “Are you two vintage paper enthusiasts?”

“Yes,” says Bowtie. “Love it, love the stuff, simply cannot get enough.” And then, to Sunglasses, with a pointed look in Dr. Blackwell’s direction, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Maybe they met at a convention, she thinks. That’s nice.

“How about you pick out your top five first?” she suggests. “Or ten.” She glances down at the mound of text. “Also, we might need to get some volunteer readers for some of these, because my French isn’t exactly up to par. Or my--is that Middle English?”

“Haha, how did that get in there, couldn’t even begin to guess,” Bowtie babbles. He has to brace most of his weight on the briefcase lid to wrench it closed again. Sunglasses watches with interest, chin resting in his hands. “Yes, I will, I will absolutely weed some of these out, not to worry--”

The rest of the conversation is standard, for the most part. It’s going to be a relatively small ceremony, no child ring bearers and thankfully no animal ones either. (They have a whiff of eccentricity that had made Dr. Blackwell nervous one of them might suddenly produce a cat on a leash, insisting it was trained. In her experience, granting your beloved calico or tabby custodianship of the rings was a quick recipe for a ringless, catless wedding.) Only a shared stricken look at the possibility of involving any parents in the proceedings. 

This, sadly, is also quite standard with older queer couples.

“Between you and me,” says Dr. Blackwell, “and I know this isn’t very ministerial of me. But if the people who raised you don’t support what you have together, which is clearly a wonderful and beautiful and life-affirming thing, I say to Hell with ‘em, you know?”

Bowtie chuckles unsteadily. “I’ll take that under advisement.”

“How long have you two been together?” she asks.

Bowtie and Sunglasses stare at each other. There is a long beat of silence. This is normally, she thinks, not a very hard question.

“How long have we been together?” says Sunglasses at last. The shades may hide his eyes but every molecule of his being is oriented at his fiance. “Hm?”

“Six thousand--” Bowtie starts, resolute.

“What,” says Dr. Blackwell.

“Days!” Bowtie finishes. “Six thousand days!”

“So,” she does some fast mental math, “about sixteen years, then?”

“Yes,” says Bowtie decisively.

“That’s great,” says Dr. Blackwell. “I’ve been with my wife for almost six years, I hope we’re still this much in love a decade from now.” There’s just something so reassuring about meeting older queer couples, she thinks. Bowtie and Sunglasses must be at least forty. Maybe fifty? 

(It’s odd; they’re clearly solid, clearly sitting in front of her, but every time she tries to clue into any specific detail about either of them, her mind sort of skitters away from it--

Her head hurts.)

“Guessing you want a short service,” she says, rubbing at her forehead. “I’ll just write out a few remarks for you two to look over first, if that’s alright? I can email something to you by the end of the week.”

“Sounds perfect!” says Bowtie.

They shake hands. She watches them leave, watches Sunglasses mutter something in Bowtie’s ear that makes him smile on the way out the door.

Pair of oddballs, but in a nice way, she thinks. You can’t always tell, as a minster, which couples are going to make it in the long run, but she hopes this all works out for them. Maybe it will. They’ve already stood the test of time, it seems.

Sixteen years--they’ve been together since early 2000. 

Imagine, she thinks. Just imagine.

[all-by-myself98]

I’m Sorry

Fandom: Hellboy

Prompt: Your chest will glow when you get close to your soulmate.

Character: Ben Daimio

Warnings: It’s 2019 Hellboy. There’s definitely swearing.

   It has been 8 years, 5 months, and 22 days since you were kidnapped and first experimented on. In those 8 years, no one seemed to care about your disappearance. The tiny box TV in your padded room tells you current events in the area and there is nothing about missing homeless teens from 8 years ago.

   Fair enough. You didn’t have much friends back then except for a few other kids on the street you would hang around.

   You also weren’t alone, from what you could tell. About 3 months ago, there was a lot of chatter with the guards about a new specimen locked away in their own special place.

   The experiments performed on you consisted of a lot of weekly injections. They would also wheel you into a room but you were never awake or told what they did to you. All you knew was that, one day, you were completely normal and, over the next few months, you realized that you could manipulate your own, and other people’s senses. You had even attempted to escape by rendering the guards blind but you learned that they could block your abilities by turning on a specific frequency.

   You knew you missed so much. You had been kidnapped at 18 from under a bridge where you made home. You were now almost 27. A lot of things would race into your mind.

   Where are your friends from the homeless network? Did they finally get off the streets and finish high school?

   What about the stray dogs you would feed every Saturday?

   Did you ever get a call back on that job opening at the movie theater?

   Is your soulmate well?

   You had been the last of your friends to not meet your soulmate and, now that you were here in this hell, you doubted you would ever get to see him. You would just end up being a guinea pig for the rest of your life.

   But it’s 8 years, 5 months, and 22 days after you were initially kidnapped that you will finally be saved.

   It’s another mindless day of tests. They always run tests on you, learning about you and poking and prodding you. In fact, you have never left this compound. They let you do their dirty work for them from the same interrogation room. You sit in the room, they bring someone or something in. They tell you what to do to it, what to change, what to heighten or take away.

   On this day, they do their tests as always. Eight AM to 1 PM, and then you have the rest of the day off to have your lunch, read, watch from limited television programs, and sleep. The rest of the time, they are working on their new mystery specimen.

   It’s around 7 PM, after they slide your dinner under the door, that something unexpected happens. The television flashes off and doesn’t turn back on again. Almost simultaneously, the lights switch off and then are suddenly replaced by a dark glow from the emergency lights.

   You frown, standing up from your place on the ground and checking the little stereo as well. It is also not working.

   Then there’s commotions from outside. Yelling and gunfire and fighting. The hands on your arms stand up on end, goosebumps arise as the heating system is also shut off.

   The eye-level flap to your door is opened and a guard yells out “Get back, you freak!”

   You do as told, crawling back onto your bed in the corner of the room. However, before he can unlock and open the door, something big and red rams into him and throws him out of your view.

   You suddenly feel a strange faint warmness from your chest. You look down to see that, through the gray T-shirt, there is a bright glowing emanating from your chest. Your soulmate is somewhere nearby!

   What in the actual hell is going on?

   The door is then thrown across your room, hitting the wall, with signs of scorching on what used to be the outside. A big, red, brutish man enters. He has long black hair, red horns that look to have been crudely sawed off, and yellow eyes. But his chest doesn’t glow. He isn’t your soulmate.

   “Hi.” He says point-blank. “Um... I’ll be honest, we didn’t know anyone else was here except for the weird fish guy.” He adds sheepishly, an irony to the screaming coming from down the hall. “So anyway, we turned the power off... and yeah... we’re here to save you. Let’s go.”

   He leaves, running down the hallways once more and you can hear the yelling and screaming of your abusers.

   You follow hesitantly, peaking your head out of the empty doorway. Blood and bodies litter the floors and walls, scientists who experimented on you for years, others who didn’t lift a finger to help when you screamed and cried as a young 18-year-old girl. You follow the hulking red man from a considerable distance. He’s a new face and, with the mind games that these people have played before, you wouldn’t be hugely surprised to find out this was all some sick simulation.

   But you also can’t argue that your chest is glowing right now. The sudden feeling of warmth and safety and love is not something they can fake. The feeling of real sticky blood on the walls isn’t something that can be faked either. And the hot scorching from the broken down door you left behind.

   There is simply no way this can be faked, right?

   All of a sudden, you find yourself thrown to the ground, a large creature on top of you. The large cat bares it’s fangs at you, its paw partially tearing into your shirt.

   You scream, trying to push it off before you notice the same glowing that comes from your chest also comes from its chest. You temporarily blind the thing, giving you the advantage to push it off and away from you. In front of your own eyes, the large cougar begins to transform into a naked and vulnerable man.

   The red-skinned person from earlier turns around to see what happened, noticing you shifting closer to the wall, hugging your knees to your chest with your shirt partly torn and the cougar man thing yelling that he can’t see.

   “What the fuck, Daimio? She’s was held captive, you dumbass.” He pauses as he approaches you both. ‘Daimio’ is silent now, curled into a ball. You scamper away again, back to your room and grab a blanket from the bed.

   “Why is he saying he can’t see?” The red man asks you as you come back.

   You don’t say anything, though. You still worry that you’re still under the control of the scientists and you were always told to keep your mouth shut. Instead, you drape the blanket over Daimio, placing a soothing touch to his head. His sight is immediately back and, even though he doesn’t shy away from your touch, his whole body is stiff and tense.

   You finally speak after you feel you’re in control again. “I’m sorry.” You whisper. Your voice is hoarse from a lack of using it. He relaxes a bit more under those words so you repeat them over and over again. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

   Daimio looks up once again, eyes open and eyesight fully restored. He repeats your words back to you when he sees the small tear on your shirt. And he apologizes again when he sees the glowing from your chest and his. But, with this realization that you two are soulmates, he finally relaxes and hugs you closer and refuses to let go.

   You haven’t realized until now as you hug this stranger who is no doubt your soulmate close to you that you missed touch. Despite all of this control over senses, the one you yourself lacked the most over the past 8 years was touch. The scientists only ever touched you to perform their tests and experiments on you and, even before, living life as a homeless teen on the streets, you never got to experience this feeling much. You had associated touch with danger or weakness.

   Now that you truly felt safe, you were willing to embrace the so-called weakness.

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

A/N: I totally feel like this was a bit extra and a bit too heavy on actions and descriptions but fuck it. As always, feedback is appreciated.

[its-the-sa]

Selfish

For an alien creature that depends on flawless intrapersonal communication to function properly, it's plausible that severe emotional repression could cause physical illness.

(or: ni/san hanahaki disease nonsense, in which i basically looked at @ckret2 's portrayal of ni and @cant-blink 's portrayal of ni and went: both? both. both is good. )

so uhh pretty much all of this was inspired by various things from these fics in particular (which are awesome, go read them):

https://ckret2.tumblr.com/post/187590404507/but-tomorrow-the-world-will-end

https://ckret2.tumblr.com/post/187336881682/specimen-1-specimen-2-specimen-3-monster-0

https://ckret2.tumblr.com/post/187615203502/hybrid-cultivar

https://cant-blink.tumblr.com/post/187666914269/point-proven

---

"It's definitely sick," someone says. A few other researchers murmur in agreement, none taking their eyes off the live video feed. The screen shows an aerial view of Ghidorah, somewhere in the central Mexican desert, sunning itself in the mouth of a dried-up riverbed. It's been wandering the lowlands all day, presumably looking for gold deposits-- which evidence suggests it eats-- and spent some time nosing around here at the edge of a salt flat, digging and licking the ground, before eventually laying down to nap.

The middle and left heads are peacefully curled up and dozing, but the right is twisted off to the side, heaving with what is unmistakeably a violent cough.

There's been some ongoing debate about why it does this. It started not long after Ghidorah returned to Isla de Mara with Rodan, and Outpost 56 resumed long-term observation of the two titans. At first, it was just an occasional cough, and given all the rest of Ghidorah's alien noises and behaviors that the research team was simultaneously trying to puzzle out, they hardly noticed it.

When it had its first real fit, it had the whole team cracking up. There was something inherently funny about seeing a creature straight out of greek mythology hacking up lightning like a cat with a hairball. It made it seem less like a lovecraftian nightmare, and more like just another big, weird animal. A leaked clip of it went viral on youtube for about a week, and beyond that, it wasn't given much thought.

It wasn't until the third time that someone noticed it was consistently the right head having these episodes. Reviews of previous footage confirmed that, and when the fourth time continued the pattern, eyebrows finally started going up. Is it just a behavioral tic, an allergy, or a symptom of an underlying illness? Why would only one head be affected and not the others?

Regardless, everyone can agree it seems significantly more severe this time. Whatever is wrong with it, it's definitely not funny anymore.

"Try getting closer," someone says. Whoever is manning the controls brings the drone into a slow descent, circling behind Ghidorah to approach its right side. They've lost a large number of drones over the course of their research because they carelessly tried to get too close, and they know the right head in particular is eager to destroy every one it sees, but at the moment it seems distracted enough to take the chance.

The team continues watching as the right head struggles and heaves, and eventually spits a bolt of lightning at the ground some distance away. It slumps forward, its snout nearly touching the ground, breathing raggedly and looking exhausted. It stays still long enough for the camera to zoom in on it, and when the picture focuses, the team can plainly see a string of ink-black fluid falling from its mouth to the ground.

No one needs to say anything. By now, everyone in Monarch is familiar with what Ghidorah's blood looks like.

Finally, the right head shakes itself off and lays down to rest, curling up in the opposite direction from the other two. Isolating itself.

Silence hangs thick in the air.

"Well... that can't be good," someone says.

---

They don't remember when Ni first started having these episodes, but they do vaguely remember a time when it was still strange enough to worry them. They have a few early, fragmented memories of abandoning whatever planet they were on at the time, thinking the soil or the atmosphere must be toxic to them. They remember getting frustrated when symptoms appeared even on journeys between planets, where there was nothing to possibly make them sick. Once, they even intentionally severed Ni's head in the hope that it would grow back healthy.

It didn't.

But that was all eons and eons ago. They have long since grown used to the affliction, and barely give it a second thought. It's just pain and blood-- nothing they aren't well acquainted with. It will eventually pass, like it always does.

---

When Ghidorah returns to the island, Rodan comes up to greet them like always. Ichi and San bend down to nuzzle him, and Rodan returns the gesture, like always.

Ni hangs back and watches, like always.

But Rodan, who is still annoyingly determined to treat all of them like his mate, looks up at Ni and sees the blood dried on his mouth.

'What happened?' he says automatically.

Ni, a little surprised at being directly addressed, tenses and scowls. He turns away and starts scrubbing his face against their right wing, trying to flake the blood off.

Rodan knows better than to test the right head's patience, so he turns back to Ichi and San instead. 'Is he ok?'

Ichi just grunts in disinterest, already drawing theirself up to follow Rodan back to their nest. 'He is fine. It happens sometimes.'

'...What happens sometimes?'

'Leave it alone,' Ni snaps.

This does nothing to reassure Rodan, but reluctantly, he leaves it alone.

Like always, Ghidorah climbs down into the caldera with their little mate to curl up beside him and sleep. They tuck him under their left wing, Ichi and San wrapping themselves snugly around him in their version of an embrace. Ni curls up in the other direction, resting his head on their right wing, as close to alone as he can ever hope to get.

---

Ni wakes in the middle of the night to another coughing fit. Cursing inwardly, he ducks his head under his wing and tries to stay quiet while the spasms rip through his neck. It feels like blades are caught in his throat, tearing it to shreds with every involuntary attempt to force them out.

It's never been this bad before. True, it's been a long time since he got sick like this-- before they came to this planet, even-- but he's sure he'd remember if it was ever this bad. He knows it must be Rodan's fault. It's Rodan's fault for offering them something they've never had, instead of fearing and hating them on sight like any sane creature should. It's Ichi's fault for falling for the damn bird so easily. It's San's fault for letting himself catch Ichi's feelings like some kind of contagious disease.

Finally, he feels something in his throat dislodge, and he spits out a mouthful of blood. He snarls in pain and disgust. He hates this.

He feels warm, tentative concern press against his mind, and he knows San is awake. He tries to ignore him, hoping he'll go back to sleep, but a moment later he can suddenly see himself through San's eyes: doubled over, helpless and in pain. Pitiful.

He hates it.

Once he's sure the fit has truly passed, he casts a glance back at his brother.

San's head is tucked snugly in the coil of Ichi's neck, his snout just barely peeking up over the edge. His eyes shine in the dark.

Ni hates him.

He turns away again and lays down, curling in on himself. 'Go back to sleep,' he says dismissively.

San doesn't go back to sleep.

His innocent, well-meaning concern keeps relentlessly beating down on Ni's mind, and after a few moments, he carefully extracts himself from Ichi and starts to snake closer. Ni immediately tenses, gives him a side glance and a warning growl.

San stops, looking caught out. You have blood on you, he thinks.

I don't care. Go away.

San hesitates, torn between respecting his brother's boundaries and wanting to ease his pain. He has never understood why Ni insists on keeping himself so isolated. They are not meant to be isolated. They are part of each other. They are Ghidorah. It can't be good for one of them to close himself off like this. In fact, San thinks it's probably what's making him sick in the first place. Making up his mind, he creeps closer, nervous but determined.

Ni keeps an eye on him as he draws near, his growl getting steadily louder, the muscles in his neck winding tight enough to snap. When he feels San's breath on his cheek, he jerks as if to lunge at him, and San recoils.

They stare at each other for a tense moment, and can't tell which one of them their fear is coming from.

But Ni didn't actually bite him, so San gathers his courage and tentatively closes the distance again.

Ni flinches when San's tongue presses to the side of his mouth, but he neither lashes out nor tries to pull away. He keeps growling, but the tension gradually leaves him as he resigns himself to it.

A long time ago, being groomed by San and bathed in his tepid affection was pleasantly numbing. Now it burns like acid, and Ni hates it as much as he hates anything.

He hates it, but he's so tired. He can't find the strength he needs to snap at San again, to scare him away. He can't find the strength not to let his eyes fall closed. Can't find the strength not to tip his head slightly to the side, to let San reach the hollow of his throat, even though there's no way he could have gotten blood there, or--

A jolt of sudden, nauseating fear shoots through him, and with no warning he whips around and bites San hard on the snout.

San jerks back with a startled noise, more confused than hurt.

Ni bares his teeth at him. Go back to sleep!

Their heart is pounding, flooding their body with adrenaline. They feel bleary frustration well up in the middle of their mindspace, and--

Fuck. Ichi is awake.

With Ichi's awareness also comes a flood of his biased perceptions: the warm presence of their his mate curled against them under their left wing, their his snout still pressed into the crook of the firebird's neck, not wanting to move, not wanting to wake him. What is going on? Ichi thinks.

Ni scowls and ducks his head under their right wing, as though he can hide from Ichi's mental presence. (Why don't his brothers have the decency to keep their minds to themselves? Why do they have to constantly spew their thoughts and feelings all over him, try to make him lose track of who he is? He hates it. He hates them.)

Discouraged, San finally gives up and wiggles his way back into the embrace of Ichi and Rodan. Ni feels a distant swell of affection for the firebird that he firmly reminds himself is not his.

But as he feels his brothers drift off back to sleep, he has to wonder why he even bothers. They're so crosswired to each other, it's easy for them to lose track of their own identities when they aren't in direct opposition. It almost feels natural to lose themselves to theirself.

So why doesn't Ni just let himself fall for the damn bird too? He feels their affection for Rodan coursing through them just as tangibly as he feels Rodan's body pressed against theirs, and it would be so easy to surrender to it, to accept it as part of him. Because he is part of Ghidorah, and Ghidorah loves their stupid little mate, don't they? And against all logic and common sense, Rodan apparently loves them, too. Rodan is theirs. And if Ni can't have what Ni wants, he could at least let himself want what Ghidorah has. He could at least be content that way, if he chose to.

Isn't that what happened to San, after all? He never had a say in this either, did he? And isn't he perfectly fine with that?

Already half-asleep, Ni feels his thoughts veer down a path he did not mean for them to take.

Isn't San just happily absorbing the flagrant infatuation Ichi constantly floods their headspace with? Isn't he just accepting it rather than bothering to resist it? Isn't he just letting himself get blind drunk on secondhand love?

And isn't he perfectly fine with that?

In the deepest, darkest corner of Ni's barricaded mind, something whispers: isn't he perfectly, perfectly fine with that?

---

(He is so selfish.)

---

The next morning, when they're just waking up, Ichi and San are sleepily nuzzling Rodan as they all untangle themselves from each other. Ni hangs back and watches, as always. And then, after a long moment, he leans over and presses his head against Rodan too.

Rodan stills. This has never happened before. Ni says nothing, and doesn't move. Unsurely, Rodan leans into his touch and nuzzles him, and warbles a happy sound.

A warm wave of relief and contentment washes through Ghidorah. They're glad that Ni has finally accepted their little mate. They're glad they don't have to be at odds with theirself over this anymore. They're glad.

They aren't sure why they have the urge to sing a sad song.

---

As soon as Ghidorah left its napping spot, a Monarch field team was waiting to swoop in and collect blood samples. The salt-covered ground had already absorbed most of the blood, but they gathered what they could, and quickly packed up and returned to the outpost. The rest was left to seep further into the earth.

Several years later, when gold prospectors come to survey the area for a mining operation, they find a patch of flowers inexplicably growing at the edge of a salt flat.

[wahbegan]

Review of Spooky Specimens

I’m going crazy so I decided to review all of the monsters in that freeware game with the little ghost 12-year-old who revels in murder because what the fuck else am I gonna do while I wait for the pencil pushers at the IRS to decide if I’m worth one (1) crumb of financial support

#1 (Jump Scare): Tempted to give it a zero but then i remembered how many times these little bastards legit jump-scared me during a chase so for visceral startle effect alone and making me flinch more than anything else in the game, a deeply unearned 3/10

#2 (Goop Monster): This was when the game was supposed to go from cutesy to more serious. I look at the weird, psychotic poem scribbled in blood, then back at the monster, then back at the poem, then back at the monster. Is this a fucking joke? It looks like Slimer got a grill and went on a crash diet. It pops up out of puddles of the Tar Monster from Scooby-Doo’s cum. It’s made of watermelon-flavored jell-o and moves at roughly the same pace. 1/10. 

#3 (Spider-pede-thing): Proves once and for all my hypothesis that spiders increasing in fear factor the more legs you put on them is 100% true. The clicking and the holes in the ceiling you have to pass under greatly increase the creep factor, but about 60% of the time they’re having coffee in the green room and can’t even be arsed to show up. 5/10

#4 (J-Horror): Literally every spooky Japanese ghost girl that has ever existed but you know what those things are still pretty effective. Also it vores you, gross. 4/10

#5 (Every Silent Hill Monster): Comes out very slowly, takes his sweet ass time following you anywhere, gets caught up on terrain like a bitch, but when he fucks with the texturing and makes everything look the same, i shart a little. Good death screen, too. 7/10

#6 (The Happy Mask Salesman Drowned): Fuck this bitch. Fuck him. At first the Shining Topiary Animal gimmick (No I will not call it The Weeping Angel gimmick) isn’t very threatening, but he is also a cheating motherfucker and i hate him. I wish I could drown him again. One point docked because you eventually realize that just turning around and fucking booking it is about as good a strategy on him as it is on everyone else. 9/10

#7 (Literally just fucking Giygas): I appreciate the game tryna give me therapy, but this thing comes right the blazing blue fuck out of nowhere, doesn’t really threaten you very much, and then fucks off forever. But for sheer weirdness, presentation, and the therapist cat: 4/10.

#8: (Deer Guardian, Guardian of the Deer): Great design, floats and goes through walls, creepy death screen, makes your screen freak out with subliminal flashy jump scares when it hits you, real sense of personality. All it needs now is to make me feel genuinely threatened when it’s chasing me. Oh. So close. 7/10

#9 (LEAVE MY GAME IDLE, WILL YOU?!): Effective jump scare, but upon examination it’s...it’s just a bright red skull. You know? Like...like those technicolor skeleton costumes party city sells. It’s that. Death screen’s a bit unnerving but eh. 3/10

#10 (Oh I see we’re playing Dead Space now): Entrance is very cool, fact that actual parasite can detach and slither after you is very cool, the fact that you get more and more like “infected” as it wounds you is nice. Unfortunately, it just kinda lumbers slowly after you while you briskly walk 10 feet in front of it, occasionally glancing over your shoulder. Conducive to light aerobic exercise, not jaw-dropping terror. 6/10

#11 (Burger Demon): One of the...only like idk two really original ideas in this game, insofar as a red horned demon can be considered original, and the sounds it makes, its quick floating, and its cheeky little habit of making the exit door of the room you’re in invisible are all delightful. Also, “Fast Food Demon” is in no way a concept that should be anything other than ludicrously silly, but it actually manages to be fairly disturbing. 9/10

#12 (The Shining Clocktower): Yes it’s just a guy following you around with a sickle while you hide half-assedly behind crates. Literally functionally useless once you get out of his mansion, which has stealth mechanics that are...the definition of cursory. 2/10.

#13 (MERMAID PUSS): Tempted to dock a lot of points for how blatantly, even for this game, it ripped off Amnesia, but the backstory about them killing whales is strangely unsettling. The thought occurs to me that if they hadn’t set it in a castle and had made it so you can vaguely see them under the water, it would seem almost wholly original and I’d be much more fond of it. 5/10.

#9 Final Form (Just Throw in a Casual War Crime Reference, It’s Fine): The other of the two almost truly almost entirely original concepts, I’ve heard some people say it’s clearly inspired by the Godzilla NES Creepypasta which i didn’t even know was a fucking thing, but it is much more “inspired by” than “blatantly ripped off from”. The implicit/secret backstory about how he was a victim of you-know-what and did God-knows-what with the bodies of the other victims to turn him into what he is now is truly disturbing, and the bits of his boss fight that aren’t copy/pasted from a fucking Zelda game are quite fun. He frankly belongs in a different game that takes itself much more seriously, but I’ll still go ahead and give him a 10/10.

[theblueskyphoenix]

Grid Ghost Chapter 11: Cautionary

“Professor! Look! Look!”

Grace smiled as she beheld the invention before her. While still a work in progress, the mini power generator before her was quite a sight to see. She placed a hand on Obake’s shoulder, a proud look in her dark colored eyes.

“You’re doing wonderfully, Bob. Think you’ll be able to get it done in time for the open house?”

“You bet ya! I just need to put the finishing touches on the amplifier.” Obake held up the piece he was working on, an ecstatic grin on his face. “With this, this generator, or anything for that matter, can run on a huge amount of energy for days and never hit a low battery. Think of how much that could help people!”

“I’m sure it will.” Grace chuckled, squeezing his shoulders. “You’re going to make the world a better place, Bob.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so and I certainly can’t wait to see what you can do.”

Did you, though?

Obake sighed, looking at his reflection on the visor of the helmet he was working on. 

He should’ve been in bed right now but he just couldn’t bring himself to sleep. When there was work to be done he had to get it done when he could. Plus, he wanted some alone time in his lab and late at night was the only time he could get that.

It had only been a week now since detaining Dragoness. Saga had become a lot more quiet for everyone. Tadashi and Trina still went out to go help people but at least there was no concern of an arsonist causing trouble. Despite that, Obake couldn’t really rest easy with the information they had.

Liv has a whole team of people out there tracking other people like they’re rare animals. I can’t just sit by and let her get away with it. I’m not going to let them meet the same fate I did.

Obake lowered his head, feeling at the left side of his face.

I can’t… let someone else go through that same pain.

“Make it stop! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!”

“It’s okay, Bob. It’ll all be over soon. Just breathe.”

“AUUUUGH!!”

“Bob?”

Obake straightened up, looking behind him to see Kim in the entryway of his lab. She wore a look of concern as she peered in.

“You okay?” she asked.

Obake stared at her in silence before turning away, looking back at the helmet on the table.

“Just have a lot on my mind.”

Kim made her way over, pulling up a chair, sitting next to him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, rubbing his back.

Obake remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“It’s… strange for me to be doing what I’m doing now. I used to be a crime lord for a whole year and now, here I am trying to be a hero and help people… I have to wonder if…” he lowered his head. “If Granville would think differently if she saw me now.”

Kim frowned at this.

“I’m guessing the last time you saw her it wasn’t exactly a happy reunion?”

“Not really…” Obake closed his eyes. “It was right before I was going to destroy the city. I mocked her, Kim…”

“Bob…”

“Told her it was because of her I was the way I was… and while there was some truth it wasn’t her fault I decided destroying the city was a way to make the world a better place. I just…” He brought his hands to his face. “I was just so angry at her for not being there for me when I needed her. She said she looked forward to seeing what I could do and yet… she wasn’t there during therapy. She wasn’t there to help me pick up the pieces.” He sighed. “And Liv used that as a means of coercing me… and I want to let that go. I really do. I want to forgive it… but I just wonder if she could ever forgive me.” Obake moved his hands away from his face, looking at them. “As far as she’s concerned, she created a monster.”

Kim brought an arm around his shoulders, stroking his arm. 

“I think with time, she may forgive you. It’s like I said before, those you hurt might not forgive you but the least you can do to prove to them that you’ve changed and are truly sorry for what you did, by doing what you’re doing right now.” She squeezed his shoulder. “As for Granville, I think she would forgive you because you’re being the man that she believed you could be.”

Obake gave a small smile, bringing an arm around her.

“Thanks, Kim… I needed to hear that.”

“Anything to help.” Kim rested her head on his shoulder, looking at the helmet he was working. “So, come up with a vigilante name yet? I doubt you can go by Obake again.”

“I can’t and I won’t be. Instead, I’m going by a name that Trina and Tadashi came up with that I quite like a lot.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

Obake grinned, the left side of his skull glowing for a moment as the purple EL wire on the helmet lit up.

“Grid Ghost.”

oooooo 

“It seems we have a problem on our hands.”

Naoki was resting his chin on his hands, looking at the monitor before him. Coilin and Drake were staring back at him from a window on said monitor, both having their arms crossed. 

“Prey tell, Takeuchi.” Coilin raised an eyebrow.

“Erin has been apprehended.” he narrowed his eyes. “Not sure how but she was and her lab was ransacked. Any research she had on The Phoenix is now gone.”

“Hm… I see how that’s a slight problem but I don’t see how it affects us directly.” Drake closed his eyes. “I mean, Erin was a dear friend of ours and she will be missed but honestly, I’m not sure how much use that mutant would’ve been to Liv anyway. The stuff we’re looking into is way more valuable in regards to bettering humanity.”

“Think deeper, you two.” Naoki growled. “The fact Erin was apprehended means someone found out what she was up to. Which means they probably now know about us and by extension, know about Liv. I don’t think Ms. Amara would be pleased if the public found out the true nature of Sycorax. She already has enough to worry about. Let’s not give her a reason to turn her frustrations on us.”

“Fair point.” Coilin ran a hand through his hair. “I’d rather we not have our funding cut or have Liv sick one of her… “creations” on us because of a slip up.”

“Hear about what she did not too long ago?” Drake asked. “While the public didn’t know it was her doing, but she mutated a well known chef thief into a weird cat hybrid creature. Did you know she could do that? Last I checked she was still in the works with that kind of tech.”

Naoki grimaced, shuddering.

“I’ve seen the police footage. I was hoping it wasn’t whom I thought, but goes to show she’s making faster leaps than we are. That’s why we need to prove we’re useful so our own goals don’t wind up thrown to the wayside. I’d rather not become some freak of nature. We’re already after those.”

“You think I want that either?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“All I’m saying is… we need to be more careful… and we need to move soon. I already have my own plans in motion, I can’t take them back. What do you two plan to do?”

“We’re planning a capture of the water being soon. It’s taken a lot of deep research and coercion but we found some very willing people who know how to trap the being. For a price, of course.” Coilin grinned. “Regardless, we have a cage just for him.”

“Puts a whole new twist on a house of mirrors.” Drake chuckled. “He’ll be clay in our hands and eventually, Liv’s.”

Naoki smirked, leaning back in his chair, lacing his fingers together.

“Lovely. He’ll certainly be interesting to study. Do send me the video files later, won’t you?” He chuckled. “He won’t even know what hit him. Brilliant plan really. Where did you source the trap from?”

“Some odd folks who in our honest opinion are kind of too superstitious but yet are so helpful. We’ll explain more when we have the specimen. It makes more sense when there’s evidence to help explain it. What about you?”

“Yeah, what do you plan to do with those stitched together freaks?”

He grinned.

“First, get as much information as I can regarding to how their bodies are functioning… Then, when I have the data I need, I’ll simply take what I need. It doesn’t matter, they’ll just be part of my “trials” my clinic front is creating.”  He grinned. “No one will even realize they’re gone until it’s too late. I WILL achieve my goal… and by extension, bring Liv a step closer to hers.”

“Sounds like we’re all setting into motion then.” Coilin narrowed his eyes. “Though, I guess for once I have to say this. We must proceed with caution.”

“Indeed.” Naoki’s grin faded. “Whatever took her out could come for us next.”

“Well then.” Drake smirked. “We’ll just give them a nice “warm welcome” if they dare grace use with their presence.”

Naoki nodded, looking to a frame on his desk.

“A warm welcome indeed.” 

Naoki smiled. 

“Gentlemen, let’s begin.”

[viv-adair]

Let Me Blow Ya Mind || Solo [Prompt]

Date: March 3rd, 2001

Location: A vacant lot near Sourland Mountain Preserve

Word Count: 1390

Triggers: Death, Blood, Violence, Torture, Needles, Organs, Assault

In all aspects of life, we take on a part and an appearance to seem to be what we wish to be–and thus the world is merely composed of actors. 

― François de la Rochefoucauld

“Hey, pretty girl. Why don’t you slide on over here, hm?”

Vivienne was no stranger to the condescending tone Tommy used. It was the same that so many had spoken to her with for her entire life. Her father, her classmates, teachers, men who wanted to get the quiet girl to “let loose for once”. But they were all the same. They were all monsters in their own right, incapable of seeing Viv for what she was. Though she couldn’t really fault them for it, not anymore. Not since she’d shoved who she was into a corner deep, deep within herself, so far down it was unlikely there was any real part of her truly left.

Sugar was the last one to see that little girl, but that was years ago. That was middle school, two high schools, and college ago. That was a billion insects, a hundred neighborhood cats and dogs ago, an entire cupboard of snakes and rats ago.

Drop your glasses, shake your asses Face screwed up like you having hot flashes Which one, pick one, this one, classic Red from blonde, yeah bitch I'm drastic

Viv’s nose turned up at the R&B beats blaring from Tommy’s radio. She reached out to turn the knob when Tommy caught her hand, placing it instead on his knee, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Vivienne smiled, cocking her head to the side. “Did you really think I’d be that easy?”

The boy laughed. The sound that boomed around the inside of his brand new Dodge Neon wasn’t filled with joy or warmth, but something more sinister and more empty. Viv almost recognized it, sensing the familiarity to her father’s laugh. He had never seemed to find anything truly funny, not in the sense that anyone else did. Viv learned to pick up on that, the lack of sincerity in someone’s voice, in their laughs.

She had to learn how to fake it in her own.

“Of course not, Vivy baby. Not after the chase you put me on just to get ya out here!” He laughed again, pulling her in for a long kiss. This time she let him, pressing herself against his body, feeling how his muscles pulled against the restraint of his skin. Tommy was a jock through and through, his incessant workout schedule showing in his incredibly toned triceps. Viv’s fingers tightened on the muscles, tracing the ligaments as if she were in Mr. Johansson’s class. 

Tommy moaned against her mouth. Viv rolled her eyes. It wasn’t hard to play the part. But to what end? She was already growing bored with their little play. Tommy’s hands explored her back, crawling under her shirt with more desperation now. His fingers fumbled over the clasp of her bra, ripping the fabric when it wouldn’t bend to his brutish will.

“Okay, Tommy. That’s a little much, don’t you think?” But Tommy seemed to be growing bored with their campout at First Base as well, though not in the same way as Viv. He ignored her question, choosing instead to force his hand up the front of her shirt, grabbing haphazardly at her breasts. Viv couldn’t imagine this would be pleasurable to anyone, not even the gaggle of cheerleaders Tommy usually brought out here to the middle of nowhere. But Viv didn’t have anything to compare him to. She had never felt the need to date before now, but it was becoming increasingly apparent by her classmate’s stares and her roommate’s comments that she was meant to.

Honestly, she didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

“Tommy, I’m so sorry but could we table this for a moment?”

Now I got my foot through the door And I ain't goin' nowhere It took awhile to get me here And I'm gonna take my time Don't fight that good shit in your ear Now let me blow ya mind

Instead of obliging her request, Tommy quickly flipped on top of her, growling into her ear. “C’mon baby, lemme get a good look at that bangin’ body of yours…” Tommy sat back, admiring her as if she were a fresh kill, ready to be sliced open and gutted for dinner.

Instead of shying away in fear, however, Vivienne smiled. She recognized that look and no longer had any qualms about hiding her own hunger. She stretched out in the back seat, pushing her chest forward to entice her prey. Once distracted, Viv played one of Tommy’s moves. In a fluid movement that caught Tommy’s breath in his throat, Vivienne was on top of him, straddling his narrow hips. His eyes lit up, feeling as if he’d finally unlocked the secret to the weird girl in class. No doubt he was already planning his celebration speech for his bros back at the frat house.

Nimble fingers traced up his torso, paying special attention to Tommy’s overly defined rectus abdominis, her hand grazing each perfect separation of his six pack.

Question, tell me how you feel about this Try to control me, boy, you get dismissed

A sadistic smile flickered onto Viv’s face. Holding a finger to her lips, she signaled for Tommy to keep quiet and let her work, a position she had a feeling he rarely got to enjoy. Leaning into the front seat for her purse, Viv quickly withdrew a size 11 scalpel she’d swiped after Mrs. Johansson’s class last Thursday. Tommy’s eyes widened, unsure of where Viv was going with this. 

“So you uh, like a little pain, huh?” He chuckled nervously. The uneasiness as he realized the potential danger he was in just now dawning on his handsome, oafish face. 

“I thought you wanted to have a little fun,” She questioned, drawing the blade carefully down her own cheek, careful to keep the blade from slicing her own skin. “I think we’re going to have quite a bit of fun tonight, Tommy.”

Girl I didn't know you could get down like that Charlie, how your Angels get down like that Girl I didn't know you could get down like that Charlie, how your Angels get down like that

Lifting the scalpel in front of her face, Vivienne examined her reflection in the freshly stained silver. She pulled out her lipstick, touching up the bits where Tommy had smeared the color off her lips and onto her porcelain skin. Smiling to herself, she wiped off the blade and placed it carefully back in her bag.

“Well, I certainly had fun.” Vivienne grinned down at what used to be Tommy, his skin peeled back, revealing all the intricacies, faults and perfections of his anatomy. Delicate muscle strands, perfectly juicy organs, aside from his liver which showed considerable damage for a 19 year old. “And I think we both learned so much, don’t you think?” Viv cocked her head, examining her handiwork. The cuts could have been cleaner, she had nicked a few arteries before she had intended and sliced through some extraneous soft tissue, but altogether a brilliant first attempt.  

Sitting there in Tommy’s car, Viv finally felt alive. It was like all those moments in her father’s shed with neighborhood cats and rabbits had been preparing her for this exact moment. She felt complete. She felt seen. Even if the only one to witness her unmasking was a corpse of a subpar, second string football player. She ran a finger over the well defined sartorius muscle. At least he was a beautiful specimen. A quick glance at the radio clock told her it was getting late, soon it would be dawn and once Tommy’s frat bros peeled themselves off the floor, they’d be looking for their star idiot. Viv sighed, wishing she had more time with her subject. Before setting to work, she sliced off a piece of Tommy’s perfectly cultivated rectus abdominis and placed it gingerly in an evidence bag. Her classmates always gave her strange looks for keeping supplies in her everyday bags, but at moments like this, she did well to be prepared.

R&B tunes boomed through the radio and Vivienne never felt so free.

I got things on my mind, I never thought I would I, I want to be bad, you make bad feel so good I'm losing all my cool I'm about to break the rules I, I want to be bad

[providencepubliclibrary]

Our Updike Collection on the History of Printing contains a tremendous number of type specimen books, many of which have sections of cuts–small, reusable illustrations that printers could purchase to illustrate books, newspapers, broadsides, and the like. (We often describe them as “historic clip art”.)

More often than not, first-time viewers of these cuts will point to one and exclaim, “Wow, that would make a great tattoo!” Which brings us to two points:

If you own a tattoo shop and want to work out a deal, get in touch;

We have a LOT of fun ideas for tattoos.

We’d like to present a few recent inspirations, all from a recently cataloged specimen book from the G. Schildknecht type foundry in Brussels.

Religious tattoos are always popular, but does anyone really need to see another bicep graced by a sacred heart? Why not get a unique religious tattoo, like this image of St. Nicholas with three babies in a wooden tub?

(If you don’t know the story of St. Nicholas miraculously resurrecting three babies who were chopped up and salted by an evil butcher, well, now you do.)

If that’s too tame for you, you could also get this image of an apparition of Mary in a… tree? Is that a mushroom cloud? Why don’t Mary or baby Jesus have limbs? If you know more about what this image is depicting, please let us know.

If a religious tattoo isn’t for you, may we suggest an animal? Such as…

…totally stoked cat, disheveled porcupine, maned sloth with a weird face, or side-eye sheep?

For the truly fun-loving tattoo-getter, there’s always Dionysus, which is my preliminary identification of the fun-loving and wavy-eyedbrowed gent shown here:

And finally, for those looking for a unique twist on the traditional “Mom” tattoo, how about this stylized face situation, with “Mom” on the banner?

Tattoo Ideas from the Updike Collection Our Updike Collection on the History of Printing contains a tremendous number of type specimen books, many of which have sections of cuts--small, reusable illustrations that printers could purchase to illustrate books, newspapers, broadsides, and the like.

[mistertastemaker]

#viral #trending #twoheadedsnake Polycephaly is a mutation that results in a creature having two heads. It’s a very uncommon mutation so every single specimen is extremely fascinating. And we have 10 of them to show you today. From a two headed animal that is the first of its kind, to a two headed creature trapped in a perpetual game of tug of war, here are 10 weird two headed animals. Number 10. Two Headed Porpoise https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBqQTkaXY... https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/... Let’s start this list off with a very common animal, the harbor porpoise, which lives in northern European continental shelf waters. That fact makes this discovery of a two headed porpoise even more amazing. Back in 2017, a Dutch fisherman fishing in the North Sea caught something truly weird in his nets. Along with his catch of the day, he found a deformed animal, which was clearly just an infant. Unfortunately, the creature was no longer alive when it was fished out of the ocean. Thinking it was illegal to keep such an animal, he subsequently threw it back into the sea, but not before taking a few photos of it. Upon examination of the photos, experts came to the conclusion that what the fisherman found was a baby two headed harbor porpoise. According to Erwin Kompanje of the National Museum of History in Rotterdam says that conjoined twins in whales and dolphins are extremely rare and he was only aware of nine other published cases worldwide. Number 9. The Two Faced Cat https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dOivbSTpzXs/hq... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOivb... Frank and Louie suffers from the rare and fatal condition called Disprosopia, giving the cat two nearly separate faces. The fascinating feline shared two functioning eyes a central eye which was blind, two noses, two mouths and one brain. There have been many two faced cats, also known as Janus cats, born over the years, however, they rarely survive for more than a day after their births. This makes Frank and Louie very special, because they survived for fifteen years. As a kitten, he required a lot of care and attention and was fed every two hours with special kitten formula. Eventually Frank and Louie became strong enough to play with the other cats and became special friends with the family dog. He was even taken out on a leash for walks in the neighborhood. Sadly, at the respectable age of 15, Frank and Louie fell ill and was euthanized after suffering from what veterinarians suspected was a really bad case of cancer. Number 8. The Two Headed Pig https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peop... Two headed pigs are by far the most common animal mutations that I’ve encountered while researching for this video. In fact, listing them all would make this video over an hour long so I decided to give you just a couple of them. First is in 2016 when a pig with two heads and three eyes was born in China’s Sichuan province. It quickly became a local celebrity, according to the farmer who owned it. Somebody even offered to buy the piglet for 2000 yuan, which around $300 US, but the farmer refused as his son wanted to keep the pig as a pet. Then another two headed pig was born, this time in the Philippines in May of 2020. It was also born to a farmer who was baffled by the piglet, the likes of which he had never seen before. Naturally, the piglet was given the name Copig because it was born during quarantine. Unfortunately, Copig died only four days after being born, despite being given special attention due to its mutation, which is the common life expectancy for animals born with such a condition. Number 7. The Two Headed Cardinal https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/... Birds are some of the rarest animals found with two heads. It must be because that any animal with this mutation really have little to no chance of surviving out in the wild. So, when this bird was found in Western Massachusetts, it was indeed quite a rare find. What makes this find even rarer, and admittedly, weirder, is the fact that not only that this bird had two heads, it had two beaks as well. Subscribe to our channel here https://youtube.com/c/SocialAuthenticMedia

[cutepresea]

3-2 Kimono Rumble: A World Without Wielders

Again, sorry for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #kimono rumble for just this event, or #xdu event scripts for all these posts in general.

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Chris Yukine: "Here we are. Another day, another world."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Nothing seems too different."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah. Are we really in a parallel world?"

Chris Yukine: "That's usually how it is. If you take a good look, you'll find plenty of differences."

Chris Yukine: (I didn't think they'd send three of us to investigate.)

Genjuro Kazanari: "There was an alert from Gjallarhorn this morning. I'm sorry, but I'll need you to investigate it."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Sure! You can count on us!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Please let us go."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Shirabe-kun, Kirika-kun, I understand that you're enthusiastic, but--"

Maria: "You two..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "We both want to lend everyone a hand."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We want to do whatever we can to help. As wielders... and as comrades."

Genjuro Kazanari: "I see. But neither of you have much experience in parallel worlds. You'll need another wielder with you."

Elfnein: "I agree. Investigating parallel worlds brings with it many unknowns, along with difficult battles."

Elfnein: "We have dealt with Karma Noise and other powerful Noise in the past, so being in a team of three is a must."

Maria: "Then I'll--"

Kirika Akatsuki: "You should come along with us, Chris-senpai!"

Chris Yukine: "S-Sure..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We would really appreciate it."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yeah, yeah! Come with us!"

Chris Yukine: "W-Well, if you really want me to..."

Maria: "Shirabe... Kirika?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "That settles it. You three will lead the investigation."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Roger."

Kirika Akatsuki: "All right!"

Chris Yukine: "Understood."

Chris Yukine: "But why me? Poor Maria looked like she was about to cry..." [1]

Kirika Akatsuki: "We want her to rest a little. She's been on missions for so long now, and she hasn't had any time to rest."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "And besides, Maria is too kind to us."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yeah. We can't help but let her spoil us. We have to get stronger so we can support her when the time comes."

Chris Yukine: "I see. So you chose me as your most dependable senior then."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Maria is good friends with Tsubasa-san, and Hibiki-san has Miku-san..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "I figured you that you were probably pretty lonely by yourself, Chris-senpai." [2]

Chris Yukine: "Well excuse me for living by myself!"

Chris Yukine: "Hey, is that the Noise?!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "We have to hurry!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I knew it was them!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Where are the wielders in this world?!"

Chris Yukine: "I guess we'll have to deal with the Noise ourselves!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yup!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Wait, there's someone over there!"

Chris Yukine: "He's being protected by the Self Defense Force."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Maybe he's some kind of VIP? Looks like he's wearing a white co--"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hm?! Something doesn't feel right here."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "You, too? I'm getting goosebumps."

Chris Yukine: "I don't feel anything... Anyway, let's go help them!"

Soldier A: "They're defeating the Noise..."

Soldier B: "Who are those girls?"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Looks like this area's clear of Noise."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Not a problem for us seasoned wielders!"

Chris Yukine: "That level of Noise was never going to be an issue, anyhow."

Chris Yukine: "So, who are you guys?"

Soldier A: "W-We're soldiers from the Self Defense Force. We appreciate your help, but who are YOU?"

Chris Yukine: "We're..."

Chris Yukine: "Hey, what do you think we should call ourselves?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "W-W-Wait a minute! How would I know?!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Umm, we're part of S.O.N.G.-- No, I mean Special Disaster Response Team Section--"

Soldier B: "Special Disaster what now? I don't know any civilian organization that goes by that name."

Chris Yukine: "What?! H-Hey! What's going on here?!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "You mean there's no Section 2?!"

Soldier A: "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Soldier B: "They seem fishy to me. Maybe we should restrain--"

Chris Yukine: "Hold on! There's nothing fishy about us!"

Soldier B: "That's what a fishy person would say. Now stand still while we restrain you."

???: "That is enough!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Whaaaa?! Brrrrrr!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "That voice... It's making all the hairs on my body stand up."

Dr. Ver: "We owe these girls our lives! They are true heroes!"

Dr. Ver: "You will follow my orders, and put down your weapons."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "The Doctor?!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "A-Anyone but him!"

Dr. Ver: "You can relax. I must say, your battle prowess was something to behold."

Chris Yukine: "S-Sure..."

Dr. Ver: "Oh? What's wrong? Why are you moving so far away?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Get away!"

Dr. Ver: "Was there something I did to make you hate me? Why must you treat me so coldly?"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I'm sorry, but I...need a little more time to process this."

Dr. Ver: "Huh? Well no matter. Just take your time."

Dr. Ver: "Anyway, how about a little self-introduction. I am the world's leading researcher of relics, Dr. Ver!"

Dr. Ver: "Those things you girls were wielding earlier, they have to be the relics themselves, surely!"

Chris Yukine: "I mean, yeah, but..."

Dr. Ver: "So my eyes didn't deceive me! There is a technology which activates and wields relics. Fascinating!"

Dr. Ver: "But even more fascinating are those songs you sung in battle. Tell me all about their power! Don't be shy!"

Chris Yukine: "H-Hey, slow down there! Don't you come near me!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "So we don't exist in this world."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Not only that, there might not be Symphogears, either. Section 2 doesn't exist, after all."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "But that overeager pushiness... That's exactly like the Doctor we knew."

Dr. Ver: "Wonderful... Just wonderful! Show me more! Tell me more! Come on, don't be shy!"

Chris Yukine: "Oh, geez! Fine! Just calm down a little!"

Dr. Ver: "My god... I never would have thought that parallel worlds existed. Let alone Symphogears or the Sakurai Theory."

Dr. Ver: "It seems that your world is much more developed in relic research compared to mine."

Chris Yukine: "You don't have any wielders here?"

Dr. Ver: "None. At least, none that my esteemed self is aware of, anyhow."

Dr. Ver: "But to think that relics respond to song... How splendid! How incredibly romantic!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "What I want to know is how you guys deal with the Noise without the wielders of Section 2?"

Dr. Ver: "It's just like you saw earlier. The US Military and Japanese SDF work in tandem to deal with them."

Dr. Ver: "However strong the Noise may be, we aren't helpless. Although I can't say we're very effective either."

Dr. Ver: "Except ever since the incident the other day, we've been witnessing abnormalities."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Abnormalities?"

Chris Yukine: "Just what happened in that incident--"

Kirika Akatsuki: "What is that alarm?! A cup noodle timer?!"

Dr. Ver: "No, some Noise appeared. Didn't think they would return so quickly..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "The Noise!"

Chris Yukine: "Where are they located?!"

Dr. Ver: "Do you really want to go?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Of course!"

Dr. Ver: "My goodness... My eyes truly weren't mistaken. You girls are just the finest, bravest heroes I've ever--"

Chris Yukine: "Yeah yeah yeah, just tell us where the damn Noise are already!"

Dr. Ver: "I-I understand... Then let me guide you there."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "But why, Doctor?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "It's too dangerous."

Dr. Ver: "My overwhelming curiosity must be quenched! I simply must see you fight up close and personal!"

Dr. Ver: "Wonderful... Just wonderful! Such exquisite displays of battle prowess!"

Chris Yukine: "That's kind how it goes with our Symphogears."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "They're designed specifically to defeat the Noise."

Kirika Akatsuki: "This amount of Noise is a walk in the park for us!"

Dr. Ver: "Hehe... Wonderful, just wonderful..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Ugh... I feel sick..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I know he looks the same, but he's a different person, Kiri-chan."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yeah, I know that, but... Ugh."

Chris Yukine: "So, about that abnormality you mentioned earlier?"

Dr. Ver: "Recently among the Noise, there have been specimen that appear quite different from the rest."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "That black cat looked like it was a hurry." [3]

Chris Yukine: "Who cares about some cat? So what do these weird Noise look--?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hm? More Noise?"

Dr. Ver: "No way, is that--?!"

Chris Yukine: "Heh! It's just some Noise! I'll finish this easy!"

Chris Yukine: "What?! My attack didn't work?!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "It cut her bullets in half!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I don't believe it..."

Chris Yukine: "Dammit! How about you try this on for size?!”

Chris Yukine: "You've gotta be kidding me! Even that got sliced in half?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Diiiiiiiie!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I'm joining in!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Aah!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Aaaaah!"

Chris Yukine: "Hey! Don't trip over nothing!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "We just got a bit careless, that's all! Let's go, Shirabe!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Okay!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: (We tripped over nothing? Something isn't right here...)

Kirika Akatsuki: "Our attacks aren't even making a scratch!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It's seeing right through all of our attacks."

Chris Yukine: "You cheeky little--! I'll get you!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Chris! You can't go alone!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "The both of you need to calm down!"

Chris Yukine: "Guh! Watch out!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Whoa! We're gonna crash!"

Chris Yukine: "I'm trying to dodge here! Get out of the way!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Now you're just talking crazy!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Look! It's going to attack!"

Chris Yukine: "Aaaah! What?! H-Hold on!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "How?! It cut through my attack like it was nothing!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Stand back!"

Chris Yukine: "Tch... Now we know this isn't some ordinary Noise. Time to go all in!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "You got it!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Roger!"

Chris Yukine: "What is this thing?!”

Kirika Akatsuki: "It's deflecting all our attacks..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It's not just that. Unlike the regular Noise, it's watching our movements."

Chris Yukine: "You know, I feel like I've seen this thing's movement before."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I was just thinking the same."

Kirika Akatsuki: "I don't have any pals that move like that!"

Chris Yukine: "Guess we've gotta get this tricky bastard with one big attack!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "And it's not even a Karma Noise..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Time for a fully powered attack!"

Chris Yukine: "Don't stop now! Keep pushing!"

Chris Yukine: "All right!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "We managed to take it down..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "But I'm exhausted..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hm? What is this?"

Chris Yukine: "What the? It doesn't look like a Noise fragment."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "But it came from where that Noise vanished. It must be related in some way."

Dr. Ver: "Thank you all for such a wonderful display. I feel I saw every aspect of your power!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Great, now I feel sick again..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Pull yourself together, Kiri-chan."

Dr. Ver: "Oh? Looks like the SDF and US Military finally arrived. They certainly took their sweet time..."

Soldier: "Doctor! What happened to the Noise here?!"

Dr. Ver: "Those girls cleared them all out! And they didn't leave a single straggler, might I add!"

Soldier: "Huh? You mean those girls in the strange outfits?"

Dr. Ver: "How rude! Can't you tell how wondrous this is?! This is precisely why I hate the uncultured!"

Soldier: "S-Sorry, Doctor!"

Dr. Ver: "Whatever. Everything's fine here, so explain the situation to your unit, and return to base. We're done here."

Soldier: "I-I see..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "They're giving us funny looks."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It's like they don't believe we defeated the Noise."

Chris Yukine: "Don't pay them any mind. They're free to choose whether to believe it or not."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Chris-senpai even didn't retort back at them."

Kirika Akatsuki: "We're going to see flying pigs at this rate!"

Chris Yukine: "Oh, I get it. So that's how you two see me."

Kirika Akatsuki: "N-Not at all. That was just a figure of speech, like a joke, that's all."

Dr. Ver: "Hehe. You three get along wonderfully well; precisely how a relationship between senpai and kohai should be."

Chris Yukine: "You've got it all mixed up. I'm the senior here! What makes you think I'm their kohai?!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "She's letting this whole senpai thing get to her head."

Kirika Akatsuki: "You can say that again."

Dr. Ver: "I mean, they didn't see you fighting, so it's natural for them to doubt your abilities."

Chris Yukine: "By the way, that Noise from earlier is the abnormality you mentioned, isn't it?" Is it all over now?"

Dr. Ver: "It's not quite that simple. There's more than one of those Noise."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "There are more?"

Dr. Ver: "Yes, there are."

Kirika Akatsuki: "We barely beat one of them with the three of us teaming up. How many more are there?"

Dr. Ver: "Well... There is likely a few dozen more at least."

Chris Yukine: "A few dozen?!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "No way..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "That can't be right! How's that possible?!"

Dr. Ver: "That Noise absorbs relic fragments. I calculated that number based on the number of fragments that exist."

Chris Yukine: "Fragments? Wait, like the one from earlier!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "You mean this?"

Dr. Ver: "My god... It's exactly as I thought."

Dr. Ver: "This is a fragment of Muramasa."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Muramasa?"

Dr. Ver: "Sorry for making you come all the way here. I thought it would be better to explain on-site."

Chris Yukine: "On-site? What do you mean?"

Dr. Ver: "This shrine is where a Muramasa blade was housed."

Dr. Ver; "They are cursed blades, crafted by the blacksmith Muramasa Sengo."

Kirika Akatsuki: "C-Cursed blades?"

Dr. Ver: "Yes. They may not have as deep a history as other relics, but they are said to have cursed the Tokugawa family."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I've heard the name before, but I didn't know they were cursed..."

Dr. Ver: "They indeed embody a powerful curse, and the Muramasa enshrined here was the very first ever made."

Dr. Ver: "It is a bona fide cursed blade that has taken who knows how many lives."

Dr. Ver: "It brings misfortune to anyone or anything that comes near it."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Misfortune... Could it be that we felt sick in battle because of the blade?"

Dr. Ver: "It must be. In fact, those who have touched it directly have all been struck with some kind of misfortune."

Kirika Akatsuki: "That's one scary sword..."

Chris Yukine: "D-Don't be scared of it. It's just some curse..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "So how does the Muramasa effect the Noise?" [4]

Dr. Ver: "I do not know. But right after a failed activation experiment, those special Noise started appearing."

Kirika Akatsuki: "You tried to activate a relic? What were you thinking?!"

Dr. Ver: "I was against it! But those barbaric government imbeciles got greedy and forced the Muramasa's activation!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "And then the activation failed, causing it to shatter?"

Dr. Ver: "Yes. Muramasa went berserk, and then shattered instantly as a result."

Dr. Ver: "The shattered fragments scattered over a vast area. If they had only let me handle the experiment!"

Dr. Ver: "Ahem. But I digress. The Noise that were affected by Muramasa--the ones with Muramasa fragments--"

Dr. Ver: "We call them Warrior Noise."

Dr. Ver: "We had no way to deal with them. We either fled, or waited for them to carbonize their victims--"

Dr. Ver: "--But now thanks to you all, we have a ray of hope! You are true--"

Kirika Akatsuki: "True what?"

Dr. Ver: "No, it's too early to say. Anyway, that is what happened in this world."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "You know, there's something about that Noise's name..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Like, I get it, but it's pretty cliché if you ask me."

Dr. Ver: "That was something the higher-ups decided on. At the end of the day, they make all the decisions."

Chris Yukine: "So these Warrior Noise were affected by Muramasa, making them stronger?"

Dr. Ver: "Yes. There are no other possible causes I can think of."

Chris Yukine: "You know, I think we've found the abnormality we're looking for."

Kirika Akatsuki: "No doubt about it!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I agree."

Dr. Ver: "I hate to ask this knowing full well that you're visitors from a parallel world, but would you help us?"

Chris Yukine: "Sure. That's why we're here in the first place."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yeah! Our mission is to resolve that abnormality!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It's ultimately our problem, too."

Dr. Ver: "Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you all! Hehe..."

Note:

[1] Chris doesn't use others' names outside of very rare cases and here she didn't used "aitsu" in Japanese rather than "Maria"

[2] There's an extra "you" in this line

[3] They left out a word, "in a hurry"

[4] They should have used "affect" rather than "effect"