#i have SO many ideas and the only thing keeping me from drawing 6 page comics each is me not know how tf write Baxter

[rui-drawsbox]

Step 3 posting!

Ik step3 bax wouldn't say *matching* rings but i had to get the joke in two panels (him getting all soft for a second when he notices the mc still wearing smth they bought together or smth)

Ruri is based off me (duh) but i wanted to give her a little more of her own stuff so she paints murals and stuff in walls

We can have a full telescope in our room and I WANT TO USE IT so late night date watching the stars in the poppy hill (+i put the same outfit as ruri the other day and I wanted to make sure i was different than her)

[emblemxeno]

Localization Changes: Takumi #ProtectThePineapple

Paging @theeeveetamer / @teaveetamer 

I love Takumi! Easily Top 5 favorite Fates characters, probably number 2 after Xander if we’re being honest. The complex machinations of his self esteem issues, imposter syndrome, desire to be loved by his family, among many other aspects, is what makes him very endearing and loveable to me.

His antagonizing actions and harsh words made him divisive, especially when Fates first released, but to me that only made him that much stronger of a character. Raw anger and bitter resentment paints a wonderfully contrasting color to his heartfelt and even downright cute moments.

However, I feel like there are instances in Fates’ localization that kind of cheapen Takumi a bit. Moments where he lashes out are made into quippy one liners and can make him seem bratty and immature first instead of genuinely upset. His xenophobia gets amped up to a point where, while present in the JP script, it now became a trait that’s associated with him the most due to localization changes. Most of all, there’s even some instances where his agency and character growth within the story are, I feel, completely erased or blurred to the point of being unrecognizeable.

I wanted to detail stuff about Takumi that was changed, so this is what I could find. I get these things from this JP supports Pastebin , a Fates translated playthrough (all routes are on the channel linked) and Pegasusknight.com (the latter of which I do my best to interpret from translation tools, which is very subject to me being wrong lol). Keep in mind I also took a few liberties in writing down the lines from the JP version. I trust that the translators got the message across well enough, but the English major in me couldn’t help but clean up some things here and there to help the translations come across less stiff.

The rest will be under the cut! Any instance of me referring to Corrin, I’ll be using he/him, and I’ll be using the JP version of the character names when applicable and appropriate. Also, if you want, give a watch to the Fates Drama CDs! The first two volumes deal with Takumi’s thoughts, feelings, and character in regards to Corrin’s return to Hoshido during chapters 4, 5, and 6! While I won’t be citing them here, they give extra insight to his character and are very cool!

Prologue

JP Version

Hinoka: What!? The river dried up...!? Did they use the power of the Dragon Vein...?

Takumi: ...It looks that way. The enemy is drawing near...

[...]

Takumi: Pull yourself together, Kamui. The enemy... The Nohrian royal family-they’re strong. If we don’t stick together, we’ll... ...No. Right now, we have to work together. You let me know if you have any ideas.

[...]

Hinoka: Good, you’ve defeated the enemy! Kamui, Takumi, great work! This is the power of the bond between siblings.

Sakura: A-amazing, Big Brother...

Takumi: It went well thanks to someone’s well-planned instructions. If we join our powers together, we may actually win this war...

Hinoka: Well then, let’s hurry back to Ryoma!

Treehouse

Hinoka: The Nohrian army used a Dragon Vein to dry up the river! But I thought only royals held that power...

Takumi: Yeah, which means there must be some real big shots over there. Suit me just fine. I've always wanted to use a Nohrian royal for target practice!

[...]

Takumi: Hang in there, Corrin. The Nohrian royals are not pushovers... We'll have to work together to beat them. As the eldest, I guess you're in charge. Tell me what to do and I'll do it.

[...]

Hinoka: Corrin, Takumi, good work fighting off that ambush.

Sakura: You were amazing, Corrin.

Takumi: That went well. Probably because SOMEONE gave you good advice. ...And you're welcome, by the way.

Hinoka: No time to talk! Let's see how Ryoma's doing.

I’m glad that memes surrounding how characters sound in Marvel movies and Disney channel shows exist, because now I have something to describe how Treehouse makes Fates’ cast sound: right out of a sitcom. The whole “he’s right behind me, isn’t he”, tryhard ironic vibe is everywhere in the localized script, and it can suck the tension out of certain scenes. Takumi’s “I’ve always wanted to use a Nohrian royal for target practice” line is an example of this. I think it’s funny, tbh, but it evokes a different feel of his character, especially since this is the first thing the player sees of him. What I find more egregious though, is that Treehouse replaced his more sincere words of worry and doubt with cockiness across the board. While this can be charming in its own right, again, it changes the first impression. It gives you the idea that he’s genuinely overconfident, rather than finding out later that he’s compensating hard. 

I didn’t include some context, but in the ‘well SOMEONE gave you good instructions’ line, the JP version of the archer tutorial just has him tell you how he fights rather than it being him telling you exactly what to do. Small changes, but it causes a ripple effect that extends to the line being changed, because what was intended in the original was him complimenting Hinoka (or maybe Corrin?) on her planning and how working as a team of siblings will get them through the war, but Treehouse changed it to him saying that it was him that saved the day.

Chapter 5, in the plaza.

JP version

Kamui: It’s just like you and Sakura said, the Hoshidans are all good people. Everyone seems to enjoy themselves here.

Aqua: I’m glad you like it. I love it here, too.

Takumi: Aqua. And Kamui…I mean, Brother. Mother wants me to start calling you that, now.

Kamui: ...

Takumi: Don’t get carried away, though. I don’t trust either of you.

Aqua: Takumi…

Takumi: Don’t speak my name so casually. You’re a Princess of Nohr, the kingdom that killed Father. There’s no way I can trust you. Kamui, you’re the same. You’ve been a Nohrian Prince for so long, after all...

Kamui: No…You’re contradicting yourself, Takumi.

Takumi: What?

Kamui: Aqua has been in Hoshido for as long as I’ve been in Nohr. By that logic she should already be one of your comrades, right?

Takumi: ...Hmph. Either way, I don’t trust you two. I just wanted to let you both know that.

Sakura: Big Brother, if it suits your taste... These dango are very good. Here!

Treehouse

Corrin: Everyone really is friendly here. And it’s so…bright…and open. It’s quite a contrast from the fortress I grew up in.

Azura: I’m glad you like it. Like I said, I’ve always been happy here.

Takumi: Just don’t get too comfortable…BROTHER.

Corrin: Pardon me?

Takumi: I don’t trust you. Shouldn’t you be heading back to Nohr soon?

Azura: Takumi…

Takumi: Hey, who said you could call me by name? You haven’t earned that privilege either.

Corrin: That doesn’t even make sense.

Takumi: Excuse me?

Corrin: Azura has been in Hoshido for as long as I’ve been gone. Shouldn’t that be enough to consider her part of the family?

Takumi: I don’t care. I don’t trust either of you. I just wanted to tell you that to your face.

Sakura: I apologize for Takumi’s rudeness. He’s a bit of a hothead. Anyway, how’d you like to try a sweet rice dumpling? It’s a Hoshidan specialty!

He’s giving his feelings towards the situation of Azura and Corrin both being Nohrian, but the way it’s written between versions conveys differences. Now from what I know of the logistics of the Japanese language, lots of context can be missed or hidden. The JP version can probably be seen as him being just as rude as he is in the Treehouse script, but from what’s here he does come off more... immature? Plus some context as to why he doesn’t trust Azura or Corrin gets cut, and Sakura calling him a hothead gets added in.

I considered putting the after battle conversation from Chapter 5, too, but there’s not enough significant difference between the JP and Treehouse’s version of Takumi’s lashing out to really warrant it. Though one difference is that when Corrin gets the Yato, Treehouse has him just say “Impossible.” whereas the JP version has him say nothing. The drama CDs do go more in depth into what he’s thinking, and given how Takumi’s written later in the game, it makes sense why he would stay silent rather than continue talking shit. But again, I don’t wanna cite the CDs too much, cuz I don’t know how much they can be considered canon even though I think the same writers (sans Kibayashi I’m guessing) wrote them. 

Chapter 6 Birthright (After the Nohrian siblings react to Corrin’s choice)

JP version

Takumi: I will do it... For my fallen kinsmen, and for Mother’s sake as well...

Treehouse

Takumi: Stupid Nohrian jerks! I'll kill all of you!

Once again, a more thoughtful reaction was changed into a more juvenile anger. Not completely surprising coming from Takumi, but makes him a bit more one dimensional, imo.

Chapter 10 Birthright (Takumi shows up possessed)

JP Version

Hinoka: Ugh!? Why did you do that, Takumi!?

Kamui: Takumi, stop! You could’ve shot Hinoka...!

Takumi: Kill...

Kamui: Huh...?

Takumi: Me... everyone should only... appreciate me...

Hinoka: It’s as if he’s a completely different person...!

Sakura: B-brother... What’s happened to you!?

Takumi: I’m strong... I... have a divine weapon... But even then... all everyone talks about is my siblings... all everyone talks about is Kamui...

Kamui: What are you saying!? Takumi, please come back to us!

Takumi: There’s no need for people who don’t look at me... there’s no need for people who stand in my way... why don’t you all just... DISAPPEAR!!

Kamui: Takumi!?

Treehouse

Hinoka: Gah! What's wrong with you? That arrow almost hit me!

Corrin: Takumi, what are you doing?!

Takumi: Kill...

Corrin: Um...

Takumi: I should have been the chosen one...

Hinoka: This is creepy...

Sakura: *sob* Takumi... What h-happened to you?

Takumi: I am ignored...alone...forgotten. But I am more powerful than they can imagine!

Corrin: What are you saying? Snap out of it, Takumi!

Takumi: Ughhhh... I will not stand in the shadows any longer... They will all see me for the first time! I will make them pay for what they've done. I will make them...I will make them... DIE!

Corrin: Takumi?!

The JP version of this exchange centers around Takumi’s own inheritance of a divine weapon as well as his inferiority complex in regards to not only Corrin, but his other siblings as well. This is important, because it was never only Corrin coming back that caused Takumi to feel left out and ignored, but also Ryoma’s natural talents making Takumi feel inferior and Hinoka’s unintentional aloofness towards her siblings as a result of purely focusing on her training (these are things that are touched on in his supports with both of them btw). Sakura is exempt from this sentiment though.

Chapter 10 (Azura cures Takumi’s possession)

JP version

Takumi: ......

Aqua: Takumi... your eyes, and that gaze... Maybe, just maybe... If my hunch is correct, my song can do something about this. I can only hope it’ll be enough...

Takumi: No one...no one... looks at me... No one at all...

Aqua: Wait, Takumi.

Takumi: You are...

Aqua: Listen. You're being controlled by an unseen force. How awful... This isn’t you. Which is why... Please listen to my song...  (Sings Lost in Thoughts)

Takumi: Ugh...! Gaaaaaaaah!!

Aqua: ......

Takumi: Ungh... ! Aqua...?

Aqua: Thank goodness. You’ve come back to us.

Takumi: Come back...? What do you mean? W-where are we...?

Aqua: I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to discuss that right now. The people of Fuuma have ambushed us. Can we count on your assistance?

Takumi: Oh... okay. I understand.

Aqua: ...Hey, Takumi. 

Takumi: What is it?

Aqua: I can always count on you. You are very strong and intelligent. You have a charm that your other siblings don’t have. That’s what I think.

Takumi: H-huh!? What does-

Aqua: Hmhm, well let’s be off. Standing idle won’t do us any good.

Takumi: Hey, wait up! ...Hey, Aqua! ...... (smiling portrait) ...Well it can’t be helped. All right, time to show them what Prince Takumi can do!

Treehouse

Takumi: Unnnhhh...

Azura: Look at the color of his eyes... Could it be? There's only one way to find out. I'll have to sing to him...

Takumi: No one...notices me. No one...cares. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.

Azura: Takumi...listen to me.

Takumi: You... You are...

Azura: It doesn't matter. I'm someone who can help. You're being controlled by a dark force. This is not who you are! You don't have to give in. You can survive this! Listen carefully... (Sings Lost in Thoughts)

Takumi: Ugh... Gyaaaaah!

Azura: Takumi, can you hear me now?

Takumi: Ohhhh... Azura? Is that you?

Azura: Yes, it's me! Oh, thank goodness.

Takumi: Uh...where am I?

Azura: Unfortunately, we're right in the middle of a battle. I don't really have time to explain. Are you in any condition to defend yourself?

Takumi: I...I think so. I feel OK.

Azura: Very well. Just remember.. You're strong and intelligent. There's a certain something about you. I believe in you, Takumi.

Takumi: Um, OK...

Azura: That's the Takumi I remember. Now, come on! You'll need to focus to make it through this battle.

Takumi: Wait! Azura! Ugh, I'm still a bit woozy. So many questions... (angry/cocky portrait) I guess I'll just have to stay alive to get them answered.

I touched on this in my general Birthright script changes post, but I thought I’d bring up the overall tone shift here. Takumi’s genuine happiness in the JP version was replaced with an awkward reaction and a cocky response in the Treehouse version, hence why I also noted the portrait change. Not out of character per se, but I think Takumi having his first real establishing moment of joy being replaced does a disservice to both his character and the player getting to see it.

Chapter 10 (after battle)

JP version

Sakura: Takumi!!! You... you’re back to normal...!

Hinoka: (voice clip of her crying) Moron...! We were... so worried about you...!

Takumi: H-hey, quit crying. Aren’t you both too old to be doing that?

Sakura: I don't care about that! You’ve come back to us, so I’m fine with crying!!!

Hinoka: Me too! I love you too much to care about things like that now!

Takumi: Sakura, Hinoka... Thank you. I’m sorry that I worried you this much.

Kamui: I’m curious to know what’s been going on. What happened at the border battle, Takumi?

Takumi: That battle... it was a struggle. We fought by Izumo’s border at first... But before long the battle extended all the way to the Infinite Chasm. During the march there, I got separated from Ryoma.

Kamui: I see, so you don’t know where he is either...

Takumi: During the battle, the enemy’s attack triggered a massive rockslide. I got caught up in it... and fell into the Infinite Chasm.

Kamui: The Infinite Chasm!?

Hinoka: But... you’re alive. How did you manage to come back?

Takumi: That I still don’t know... Everything after that is a blur... I can’t remember anything before I woke up here.

Hinoka: I see... Well, at any rate, I’m relieved that you’re back alive. It’s a miracle you were able to survive that bottomless pit.

Takumi: Hey... what have I been doing all this time?

Aqua: It's best not to worry about it, Takumi. Some horrible magic took hold of you and brought you here against your will. That’s all it is.

Takumi: No... that can’t be it. Hinoka’s arm has been grazed by an arrow. It looks like it was cause by the Fujin Yumi... I attacked her, didn’t I?

Hinoka: Well, that’s... 

Takumi: Tell me... what did I do in front of all of you?

Kamui: ...... ...Takumi. When you met us here, you immediately started attacking us. Until your sanity came back, you were fighting Hoshidan troops.

Takumi: !! That’s...! Attacking my own countrymen... Unforgiveable. I don’t think I’m qualified to be a part of Hoshido’s army after doing that...

Kamui: No, being qualified doesn’t matter. I was in a similar situation, being raised as a prince of the enemy country... but even so, you all accepted me without hesitation.

Takumi: No... I wasn’t like that... 

Kamui: Er, well, be that as it may... What matters now is you’re here with us. If you feel you’ve made a mistake, you can make up for it from now on. I’d really like to fight alongside you, Takumi. Do you feel likewise?

Takumi: ...... I will, if you can forgive me for the harsh words from earlier.

Kamui: Of course. Those are things of the past. 

Takumi: ...Thank you, brother. And thank you too... Sister.

Aqua: ...No, it’s quite all right. ......

Kamui: ...Aqua, are you okay? You look kind of pale...

Aqua: ...I’m fine, just a little tired. Don’t worry, I’ll get better soon. 

Kamui: Um, okay...

Treehouse

Sakura: Brother! I'm so glad you're back to normal. We were all so w-worried about you.

Hinoka: (voice clip of her saying “I won’t allow it!”) Yeah. Don't ever do that again, OK?

Takumi: Whoa, guys! Stop crying. You're making me all embarrassed.

Sakura: I don't care. We didn't know if we'd ever see you again. And then when you showed up all weird like that...

Hinoka: Yeah. We didn't know if you'd ever be the same Takumi we know and love again.

Takumi: Well, it's definitely me guys. Thank you for your concern. And I'm sorry I made you all worried.

Corrin: It's good to have you back, Takumi. But as much as I would like to savor this moment. Ryoma is still missing. Can you tell us anything about what happened to you two?

Takumi: Yeah. It was insane. We ran into Nohrian troops just outside Izumo and began fighting. Ryoma and I were separated in the early stages of combat, before we had to retreat. We were outnumbered...and pushed to the brink of the Bottomless Canyon.

Corrin: So we still have no idea where he is...

Takumi: No, I'm afraid not. Something triggered a massive landslide, and I was caught up in it. That's how I fell into the canyon.

Corrin: You actually fell into the Bottomless Canyon? How are you still alive?

Hinoka: I've never heard of anyone returning from there before.

Takumi: I...I have no idea. All I remember is falling. There was a period of darkness, and then I woke up here.

Hinoka: Well, I'm just glad to have you back. It's a miracle you survived a fall like that!

Takumi: So, um, can anyone tell me how I ended up here? Or what, exactly, I was doing before I woke up just no?

Azura: It's best you don't worry about it for now. Just get some rest.

Takumi: No, I need to know. My Fujin Yumi was in my hand when I came to. And some of you have wounds in your backs...

Hinoka: Well...

Takumi: Tell me! What did I do?

Corrin: Takumi...you must have been under some sort of spell. You stumbled out of the woods and started attacking our party. Please, try not to worry about it. We know it wasn't really you.

Takumi: Oh, what have I done? A prince attacking his own men? How can I show my face in Hoshido again?

Corrin: Please! Someone... or something...was controlling you. We know you were not in your right mind.

Takumi: That's small comfort right now, I'm afraid.

Corrin: Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but all that matters now is that we're all here. Will you join us in the search for Ryoma? Perhaps something along the way will jog your memory. Can we count on you?

Takumi: Yes. If you can forgive me for all the hurtful things I’ve said and done.

Corrin: Of course. We must move forward—not dwell on the past.

Takumi: Thank you, Corrin. I also need to thank you...Sister.

Azura: Oh! You called me— I mean...you're quite welcome, Takumi. Ahem... *cough* *cough*

Corrin: Is everything OK, Azura? You don't look well.

Azura: I'm fine. I think I'm just a bit tired. Please, don't worry about me. I'll be better in no time.

Corrin: If you say so.

Hinoka was made kind of... less concerned over Takumi in the localization. Or at the very least, less worried like how an older sibling would be, where her crying is replaced with more of a reprimand. 

In the JP version, Takumi specifically mentioned attacking Hinoka and her having an arrow wound to signify it, the localization changed it to a general “some of you have wounds in your backs.” 

The instance of Corrin comparing his own situation to what just happened with Takumi was cut and replaced by talking about the possession (even thought it’s been talked about already), meaning a nice moment of character bonding and calling back to previous scenes was cut. 

And lastly, there’s another instance of Treehouse Corrin in Birthright acting like an douchebag that I actually missed in my general Birthright post. In the JP version, when Takumi says he wasn’t as accepting of Corrin at first, Corrin tries to just shift the conversation to something Takumi can be more positive about. Treehouse replaced it with Corrin basically saying “well, I’m sorry that you feel that way, but can you help us now” which is such an asshole thing to say to someone who’s just now realizing he hurt his sister and has lost his memory up until this point.

Chapter 11 (before battle)

JP Version

Kamui: ...Phew. We made it to a ship just before it set sail. I never thought there’d be Nohrian soldiers at the port. We haven’t been attacked since Fuuma (Mokushu), so my guard was down.

Sakura: Yes. But somehow we managed it. Big Brother... you should probably rest a little bit, at least.

Aqua: I don’t understand... how did those soldiers track us down in the first place? No one should know that our party is crossing into Nohr.

Takumi: Don’t tell me... there’s a spy in our mix, isn’t there?

Aqua: Spy?

Takumi: Yeah. Haven’t you considered it? There could be a spy among us working for the Nohrians, reporting our movements. That mage... he’s especially suspicious.

Zola: H-huuuuh!? I am!?

Hinoka: ...Well, you are suspicious. Very much so.

Takumi: Big Brother Kamui said... before joining you guys, he tried trapping all of you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried something again.

Zola: W-what!?

Hinoka: ...Right, then. As promised, I’ll strike to kill.

Zola: Eeeek!

Kamui: ...No. Please stop, everyone. It’s not good to doubt your comrades.

Hinoka: Kamui...

Kamui: All right? There’s no proof that he’s a spy. Once we decide to believe someone, let’s keep believing them.

Takumi: Brother... Even so, I can’t trust this man.

Kamui: Yes... Well, it’s not something I can explain right now, Takumi. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about it later. For now, I’d like for you to trust in him a bit.

Takumi: ...... ...Very well. If you’re insisting that much, I’ll make an effort to believe him, too. 

Zola: Lord Takumi...!

Takumi: What is it now? I never said I’d trust you right away. I’ll start considering it after hearing what my brother has to say. And stop saying my name so casually.

Zola: Gah! No, sir. I'm sorry, sir.

Treehouse

Corrin: Well, this should be interesting. I've never sailed before. And we made it just in time to catch the last boat leaving the harbor. How lucky!

Sakura: I know. It's been such a long march—I'm really looking forward to r-resting a bit.

Azura: I wouldn't get too comfortable. Remember, we are on our way to Nohr. Some of the passengers on this ship could be our enemies.

Takumi: Yes, and there could be a spy among us.

Azura: What are you talking about, Takumi?

Takumi: You know exactly what I'm talking about. That whiny little mage from Nohr! Whose idea was it to let him tag along?

Zola: Gah! I'm no threat, guys! I promise! Haven't I been helpful so far?

Hinoka: Don't worry, Takumi. I've been keeping a very close eye on him.

Takumi: I don't know. Didn't he set everyone up back in Izumo? I wouldn't be surprised if he were plotting something.

Zola: But...but...

Hinoka: OK, I'll get my knife ready...

Zola: Eeeek!

Corrin: Calm down, everyone. I trust Zola, and I believe you should as well. He stood with us through one battle without stabbing anyone in the back. Besides, how could he even really information to Nohr? It's a preposterous notion.

Takumi: Sorry. I can't just take your word for it. I don't trust him.

Corrin: That's fine. A little healthy skepticism won't hurt. Just try to be civil, OK?

Takumi: I'll do my best.

Zola: Lord Takumi...

Takumi: What's wrong with you? Did I say that you could speak my name?

Zola: Gah! No, sir. I'm sorry, sir.

Never caught this before. In the JP version the party apparently got ambushed by Nohrian troops at the port, and that’s why the topic of there being spies is brought up, since Azura wonders how the soldiers even knew of the party’s whereabouts. Treehouse cut out this information.

Takumi in general is more abrasive, which is consistent to how Treehouse has been so far. I’d also like to note that Corrin’s insistence on believing in people is diluted a bit in Treehouse’s version, where he says civil skepticism is fine instead of trying to get Takumi to trust in people more. While this can make Corrin seem more palatable and smart, this doesn’t line up with his established character. He’s supposed to have a backbone when it comes to trusting in people and peaceful, diplomatic solutions. It’s why he almost got killed by Xander for not wanting to kill prisoners of war. If Corrin actually believed in “healthy skepticism” he wouldn’t let Zola in the party, especially after almost hurting Sakura. 

Also, Takumi’s supposed to be softening up to Corrin as a brother at this point and be more willing to listen to him, and Treehouse’s version of the exchange-while not bad in the logisitic sense-does a poor job in showing a family bond growing between them. A family bond which, if you recall, was mentioned in the JP version all the way back in the prologue. So... points for being consistent in cutting out themes, I guess.

Chapter 11 (after battle)

JP Version

Kamui: All right, we took care of them.

Takumi: No problem. Even invisible, there’s no way they could beat us.

Kamui: Haha, you’re very reliable, Takumi.

Takumi: (Smiling portrait) Well, yeah. I have to make up for my mistakes. A certain someone told me as much, anyway.

Kamui: (Smiling portrait) Takumi...

Treehouse

Corrin: That's the last of them.

Takumi: Ha! Those stupid things didn't know who they were messing with.

Corrin: Well, I'm glad to see that you're feeling like yourself again. Takumi.

Takumi: Me too. (Frowning portrait) After all, I have a long way to go to redeem myself...

Corrin: (Neutral portrait) Takumi, that's simply not true.

Corrin in the JP version: Takumi and I are starting to get along and he’s happy, that makes me happy too :)

Corrin according to Treehouse: Takumi, you’re really fuckin up the vibe :/

Jokes aside, it really does baffle me what Treehouse’s obession is with a) making Corrin kind of a dick and b) not letting Takumi smile/be happy more often, like wtf. I know that Corrin saying Takumi doesn’t have to redeem himself could be taken positively, but since a specific tone has already been set by Treehouse, it unfortunately comes off as patronizing instead.

Chapter 11 (after Zola protects Takumi)

JP version

Kamui: Are you okay, Zola? Thank you for helping Takumi earlier.

Zola: No need for thanks... That was something I wanted to do. When I saw Lord Takumi in danger, my body moved on its own.

Kamui: Even so... thank you.

Takumi: Hey... Zola.

Zola: ! L-lord Takumi! Ah, forgive me. I said your name again...

Takumi: No, it’s fine. You can call me whatever you like. I’m sorry for doubting you earlier, Zola.

Zola: What...?

Takumi: Yeah. You just saved my life at the risk of your own. If you hadn’t done that, that guy could’ve killed me. So I’m sorry I didn’t have faith in you.

Zola: That’s...! Please raise your head, Lord Takumi! There’s no need to thank me for this. I merely did what Lord Kamui did for me back in Izumo, when Lord Leo was about to execute me.

Takumi: What!? Kamui, you did something that reckless?

Kamui: Ah... haha... well, something like that... 

Zola: Yes. Since then, I’ve changed. Thanks to Lord Kamui.

Takumi: ...I see. Well, with a story like that, I have no choice but to believe it. I’ll be counting on you as a friend from now on, Zola.

Zola: Likewise... thank you very much.

Kamui: (Smiling portrait) ......

Treehouse

Corrin: That was extremely courageous, Zola. Are you all right?

Zola: It was nothing. I'm just glad that Lady Sakura was able to heal me.

Corrin: I beg to differ. It was not nothing. It was a remarkably selfless act.

Takumi: Zola...I have something to say to you.

Zola: Yes, Lord Tak—I mean yes, milord?

Takumi: Please. You've more than earned the right to speak my name. I'm sorry for doubting you.

Zola: Really? You mean that?

Takumi: Yes. Talk is cheap, and I still think I was smart not to trust you at first. But you may have just saved my life. It was a heroic act.

Zola: Thank you, Lord Takumi! I'm just following Lord Corrin's lead. If it weren't for him, I may have died at the hands of Lord Leo in Izumo. Now maybe you'll have the chance to perform a similar gesture.

Takumi: Wait, Corrin jumped in front of an attack meant for you? Right after you tried to kill him?

Corrin: Ha! No, Takumi. It wasn't exactly like that. I merely asked Leo to spare Zola's life. He was helpless and defeated.

Zola: Yes. And that kindness was enough to sway Lord Leo. He merely exiled me instead of taking my life.

Takumi: I see. Well, I just hope we can put all of this behind us.

Zola: Of course, milord!

Corrin: (Neutral portrait) Yes. It's time to focus on what's next. Who knows what's waiting for us in Nohr...

Takumi in the JP version is more willing to admit a mistake without a kind of “but I was still right” line, Treehouse adds one in anyway.

Also Treehouse made Corrin into a buzzkill, in other news, the sky is blue.

In further chapters, it’s mostly the same routine. Takumi is more abrasive and certain tender family moments involving him are diluted. I mentioned back in my general Birthright post that Takumi in his sickness, bed ridden delirium in chapter 16 talks in bigger detail about the “truth behind this war” and while this doesn’t have much to do with Takumi in particular, I thought I’d bring it up again.

Chapter 24 (pre battle, Takumi talks to Iago about possession)

JP version

Takumi: How dare you manipulate and mock me? What you said earlier about my feeling inferior is true... but I've learned something in this fight. There’s things only I can do! That's why... I would never betray my beloved siblings or my precious friends! As a proud prince of Hoshido!

Treehouse

Takumi: I just woke up for good. That's what happened. You were able to exploit some of my deepest fears and flaws, but that's over. My brothers and sisters need me, and I won't let them down. I'm a proud prince of Hoshido, and from now on I will live up to the title!

Both are fine, but the JP version is a bit more self actualizing, whereas the Treehouse version is more dependent on Takumi feeling like his siblings need him.

Chapter 24 (Takumi vs. Iago boss conversation)

JP version

Takumi: I’ll never forgive you...How dare you...how dare you take advantage of me. Macbeth...

Macbeth: You just regained your senses, and already such cheek...! You should’ve stayed as a good little pawn right until the end.

Takumi: When I was freed from your control, I remembered everything... How I’d send an owl with information of my whereabouts every night. How I’d lose all memory of it every morning. How I suspected my allies without knowing I was the traitor all along... What an absolute disgrace...

Macbeth: Then repent for your sins and quickly die. Isn’t that better than living a life of shame?

Takmui: Shut up! I'll live to pay for this crime! First, I’ll start making up for what I’ve done by defeating you here, Macbeth!

Treehouse

Takumi: Yes! I was hoping I'd get a chance to kill you myself. This is for everything you've put me through!

Iago: *yawn* You know I chose you because you were the weakest, right? You should never have come out of that spell—now you're going to suffer!

Takumi: Wrong! Now that my head is clear, my aim is truer than ever. I'm going to turn your face into my own personal bull's-eye.

Also touched on this in the Birthright post. The fact that Treehouse cut out the entire explanation for how exactly Takumi relayed information to Iago is freaking weird. Like... why?

Overall, though that’s about it for major changes to Takumi in Birthright’s story. Now for Conquest.

Chapter 10 (pre battle conversation) 

JP version

Hinata: Lord Takumi, it seems the Nohrian army is stationed at the port.

Takumi:  …An ambush, is it? Well, I expected no less of them. We won’t run away with our tails between our legs. It’s what they want.

Treehouse

Hinata: Lord Takumi! It seems the Nohrians aren't going to back down.

Takumi: So they plan to fight us, do they? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Nohrians aren't like normal, decent people. They live for the thrill of battle. All the better. I shall delight in putting those cowards in their place.

While I’ve said before that Conquest’s localization changes aren’t as egregious as Birthright’s (at least when not concerning Xander), I do find it funny that Takumi is consistent for the most part, aside from taking little jabs like he does in Treehouse’s version. Here’s another example: 

Chapter 10 (Corrin vs. Takumi)

JP version

Takumi: ! Kamui...

Kamui: Takumi... 

Takumi: Never expected to see you here, Prince Traitor. For the person who left Hoshido in such a wreck, you’re sure doing well for yourself.

Kamui: I’m sorry... I’m afraid I have nothing to say to that.

Takumi: Hm... guess you’re still man enough to feel guilt, after all. Then you can start regretting your mistake as I kill you right here!

Treehouse

Takumi: Any last words, Corrin?

Corrin: Takumi... In your heart you must know this is the last thing I ever wanted.

Takumi: Ah, how quaint. More pretty words from the Prince of Betrayal. How can you stand to live after the horrors you caused in Hoshido? My suspicions must be accurate. Nohrians don't have souls.

Corrin: Words could never express my sorrow for what took place...

Takumi: Oh? Are you still human enough to feel remorse? Fascinating. It's a fitting last emotion. I hope you feel its sting as I strike you down!

Takumi being a little shit towards his enemies is always hilarious, that’s one thing that Treehouse did that I think is fun. Another one I like is in chapter 13, where when Camilla calls Scarlet a traitor, Takumi responds with “Nohrian logic never ceases to amuse me.” And again in chapter 23 where, while not funny but more dramatic, he tells Corrin he “...shall cherish the sound of life leaving your body for all eternity.” Lines like these weren’t in the JP version, but since they are harmless additions and not replacing anything, they’re all fine. It only becomes an issue to me when said moments start replacing genuine tender scenes or cutting out details, like in Birthright.

Endgame (Corrin talks to Takumi in purgatory)

JP version

Takumi: Thank you. It would have been if we had fought alongside each other. Kamui. The truth is... I always wanted us to get along as siblings. I wanted to call you ‘brother.’ I wish I could have said that when I was still me... but I'm so stubborn that I just couldn't be honest with you. ...... I'm sorry.

Kamui: I’m sorry, too... Your resentment is my doing. ...I have always wanted you to call me ‘brother’, as well. Once the war was over, we could have been close as siblings should be. And yet...I am so sorry that things turned out this way.

Takumi: No, it’s all right. You accepted my resentment and came all this way. That's enough. Thank you, brother...

Treehouse

Takumi: Thank you, Corrin. I wonder…what it would have been like to fight on the same side as you. I always wished we could have been close, as you are with your Nohrian siblings. Right up until my last moments, I wanted so badly to call you my brother. To look up to you and love you…and never allow anything to come between us. I wish I had told you that before I died. While there was still a chance… I was just so stubborn, so hurt. I couldn’t admit those feelings even to myself. For that, I am truly sorry. I’m so sorry for letting you slip away, dear brother.

Corrin: Takumi…I’m sorry too. I caused you so much pain. The truth is, I longed to have you accept me as your brother too. I never let go of the dream that after the war we could all be together again… I’m so sorry things turned out the way they did.

Takumi: It’s all right, Corrin. We finally got to say all the things we needed to say. You have done more than enough. My heart… It’s finally at peace. Thank you, Brother…

I mentioned in my Conquest post that, while the Treehouse version is perfectly fine, it could potentially be read as putting more of the onus of Takumi and Corrin’s falling out on Takumi rather than Corrin. The JP version makes it more clear where each party is responsible.

Anyway, since Conquest’s localization has a fraction of the issues that Birthright’s has and Takumi showed up less frequently since he was an enemy, time to move on to Revelation... or at least, I would, but like Conquest, Revelation doesn’t have nearly as many localization issues as Birthright. Plus, Takumi has to share the spotlight with 7 other siblings and Azura, soooo... not many lines to screw up, anyhow.

So instead, time for supports and other general dialogue!

Corrin Support

In the JP version, when Corrin notes that it’s harder to draw a bowstrong than he imagined, Takumi notes that it takes a lot of physical and mental strength to do so. Localization just has him say “Well of course, did you think it’d be easy?” Similar message, but fewer details. Corrin then notes that because of that, he realized once again how talented Takumi is. In the JP version, Takumi gets flustered and nervous, in the localized version, he asks if Corrin is being sarcastic. Again, same message, but comes across a bit differently.

Other than those things and few lines being rearranged, the support chain is pretty faithful for the most part.

Felicia Support

In the JP version at the end of the A support, Felicia says that, while satisfied with Takumi’s apology for being rude, she still wants to share stories of her hometown, so he should be prepared. In response, Takumi laughs and says something like “Is that so?”. Treehouse changed this to have Takumi say outright “No more Ice Tribe stories anymore.” The reason why this was changed is most likely to fit in with how the S support is framed, where Takumi says he was frustrated with Felicia only talking about her hometown all the time instead of about herself. The JP version kept it intentionally ambiguous because there’s no guarantee that Takumi and Felicia will S support one another, so meh. Not a huge mistake, but thought I’d mention it. Other than that, the support was done well.

Azura Support

Again, not many major differences. Just in the JP version of the A support, Takumi says “from now on, let’s get along like brother and sister” whereas Treehouse has him say “we’ll both make more of an effort.” Less familial, so it can be seen as lacking a bit.

Sakura Support

JP version of the C support has Takumi mention that prominent aristocrats of Hoshido will attend the party/banquet attending, so that’s why he and Sakura can’t skip it. Treehouse cut out this small detail. Also, in the JP version Takumi says the atmosphere of these kinds of parties are stuffy, whereas Treehouse has him say “I wish we could leave all this highfalutin stuff to someone else”, which honestly got a chuckle out of me. Love words like that.

Treehouse version of the B support adds the line where he suggests lighting the guests hair on fire and running for cover, alongside the pre-existing line of faking being sick. Again, pretty funny to me tbh. Takumi saying crazy shit is a-ok to me, so long as it’s not at the expense of other lines being removed or moments being ruined.

Hinata Support

C support in the Treehouse version has Takumi pull rank by saying “Is that any way to address your superiors? “Show yourself”? Seriously!?” JP version just has him say “If you need anything, just tell me.” The idea of Takumi pulling rank isn’t exactly surprising per se, but he’s more the type to lash out at unfamiliar people speaking too casually with him. Hinata is a close friend and retainer, so it’s a bit out of place.

Oboro Support

In the Treehouse B support, Takumi says the fabrics that Oboro chose get the “Takumi seal of approval.” Not a negative addition at all, it’s cute.

Kagero Support

In the Treehouse C support, Takumi says “It seems like stealth comes naturally to you. After all, just a moment ago you popped up and scared me so bad I peed a little.” The peeing line wasn’t in the JP version. They made my son a pissbaby.

Kana Child Support

I felt obligated to mention how Takumi says “Well mold my onions, aren't you clever?” in response to how Kana has been helping Corrin out during the little father-son contest. Not in the JP support, obviously. But y’know. Onions, lol.

Camilla Support

Bit of a change here.

JP version

Takumi: I may seem unreliable as I am now, but if it's for you...I will definitely become even stronger, no matter what it takes!

Camilla: ......

Takumi: That's why...please marry me!

Camilla: Prince Takumi...You were...very dashing just now. I...didn't know you could be so bold.

Takumi: Princess Camilla...

Camilla: I...happily accept your proposal. Please let me watch over your growth by your side, okay?

Takumi: Yes. Of course.

Treehouse

Takumi: I know you still see me as cute, or childish, or as a fun plaything. But I have more to offer than that! Give me the chance to prove it to you!

Camilla: Hmmmmmmm... That was shockingly mature, for you. I've never known you to be so solemn and direct.

Takumi: Princess Camilla, I...

Camilla: I accept your proposal. Perhaps I flatter myself, but I suspect it's my care which has helped you along. In which case, staying by your side for years to come will only improve you further.

Takumi: N-not exactly the response I was hoping for...but I'll take it. Here's to our life together!

Like Camilla says herself in the Treehouse version, she flatters herself more. She also says him being mature is a shock, which is kinda mean, and that feeling only gets cemented when Takumi says it wasn’t exactly the response he was hoping for. JP version more or less has Camilla be more genuinely surprised at how bold he is.

Leo Support

More significant differences. First is a part of the C rank.

JP version

Leon: I'm telling you in advance that we probably won't be getting along well.

Takumi: Hm, What a coincidence. To tell you the truth, I thought so too.

Leon: What...?

Takumi: That haughty attitude, and that condescending way you look at other people... I knew you were a disgusting sort of person from the beginning.

Leon: ………… …Okay then, your childish way of thinking makes me want to vomit. I won't ever approach you, so you also must never approach me.

Treehouse

Leo: We might as well get this out of the way. You and I are not going to be friends.

Takumi: What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing.

Leo: Of course you were. You have such an arrogant attitude and—

Takumi: Me?! I'm not the one going around patronizing everybody! You're the jerk!

Leo: Is that the best you can do? You sound like a whiny, little brat. Just as expected. Let's make a deal. You stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. Think you can manage?

Consistent with certain other instances of Treehouse, the same message is getting across, but the tone is a bit different. Both are definitely hostile, but the Treehouse one could come across more... immature, I guess. I personally don’t take issue with it, but I thought it was relevant to bring up. Now on to a part of B rank:

JP version

Leon: Prince Takumi... What's your favorite food?

Takumi: I like miso soup...

Leon: Miso soup?

Takumi: Ah, you mix miso and dried bonito in hot water, season it, and add other ingredients such as vegetables or tofu to boil and then eat.

Leon: Wha...?

Takumi: Hm, what's wrong?

Leon: I... like food such as soup and stew. To put it simply… Food where you mix meat and vegetables in boiling water which you then season …In other words, it's something like miso soup.

Takumi: Wh-what?

Leon: W-well then, what's your favorite kind of book to read? Novels or essays, or poetry anthologies? What's your favorite genre?

Takumi: Books, huh… I read all kinds, though I mainly like philosophy books. Philosophers from the past who expresses a different way of thinking compared to the people who are living now. That's what's interesting to me...

Leon: H-how is this possible!? How can this be the same too!?

Takumi: Then, what about your favorite pastime... What's your hobby!?

Leon: I-I like chess. Chess is a strategic game where you use pieces to battle on on a board.

Takumi: Th-that's... In Hoshido, that's something called Shogi!

Leon: ...And do you like this Shogi game, Prince Takumi?

Takumi: Like is an understatement, I'm the best in our family. How... how do we have so much in common?

Leon:  …………

Takumi:  ………… Hey, Prince Leon. Maybe getting to know one another isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Leon: What a coincidence… I was thinking the same. Do you want to continue talking about each other's tastes?

Takumi: Y-yeah. Who knows, we might find out about other things we have in common.

Leon: In the unlikely event we do hit it off, I’m sure we’ll get along well, h-hahaha...

Takumi: Hahaha...

Treehouse

Leo: They say that people with similar personalities like the same things.

Takumi: I like miso soup.

Leo: Mee-so soup?

Takumi: Yeah. It's a Hoshidan dish. You got a problem with that?

Leo: No. My favorite food is beef stew. It's kind of like a soup. Hmm...

Takumi: What kind of books do you read?

Leo: I read all kinds of things, but I have a passion for history.

Takumi: Is it...because you love to study the strategy behind past battles?

Leo: Gods, don't tell me... Do you like to read history books too?

Takumi: Yes, but I'm sure our hobbies are different.

Leo: My favorite game is chess. It's a tactical board game where—

Takumi: In Hoshido, our version is called shogi.

Leo: And do you like to play this "show-gee" thing?

Takumi: I'm the best shogi player in my whole family.

Leo: I can't believe it. Who would have guessed we have so much in common?

Takumi: I don't know, but I'll tell you—it's hard to hate someone with such excellent taste!

Leo: No kidding. I was about to say the exact same thing. Hmm... Maybe we should do this again sometime.

Takumi: Ahaha! Oh? So now you want to be best friends?

Leo: Ha! Of course not. That will never happen.

Takumi: Never!

Once again, similar message gets across, but lines are rearranged. However, this time, some details are cut, such as discussion of how both Takumi and Leo take their miso soup and stew respectively. One significant change is how originally Takumi and Leo loved philosophy books, but Treehouse changed this to battle strategy and history. Don’t know why this was changed, I thought it was neat. Also near the end, while both versions of the support have a kind of “in-denial” aspect about becoming friends, it can come across a bit differently. Though this is just linguistics in general, tbh. Japanese itself is a more... indirect language when it comes to speaking. There’s also Leo saying “mee-so” and “show-gee”, which some can probably think is cringe, but meh. It fuels my “Hoshido and Nohr speak different language” headcanon, so I’m fine with it.

Anyway, in the JP A support there’s another description by Leo of the miso soup recipe and him detailing a bit why he enjoyed it, but other than that, that’s it for their support. And for supports as a whole, too. 

Private Quarters 

When inviting:

JP version

"Brother, what did you want?"

"Brother, what should we talk about?"

"Brother, I’m here. What’s going on?" 

"What’s wrong? ...Am I in the way of something?" (When Married to someone else)

Treehouse

"What is it? Did you want to tell me little secrets or something?"

"What's with all the racket in here? Are you playing the drums or something?"

"What do you want? There's no point in sparring. You couldn't keep up!"

"Huh! If this is how it is, I'll get my slippers. We can all cuddle." (When Married to someone else)

The JP version of these lines are a bit generic, so I appreciate the changes Treehouse made here.

Last, but not least, while there are other changes to his lovers lines in Private Quarters, his S rank line in particular I wanna bring mention too.

In Treehouse’s version, it’s this: 

“I would do anything for you. Would you do anything for me? I need to know...”

In the JP version, however, it’s this: 

“I love you. If there were another world in which I raised a hand against you… at that time kill me to stop me. Promise me that you will definitely do that.”

Big difference. Treehouse did this a lot with certain private quarters lines and confessions, where references to story happenings get outright replaced. Off the top of my head, Xander’s S rank private quarters in the JP version talks about how he’d be fine with dying if Corrin was the one doing it, referencing his death in Birthright. Elise, Ryoma, Flora, and as seen here, Takumi, have similar cases. It’s a shame that these were replaced, because I find it pretty neat that tragedy involved with these characters gets invoked in personal settings.

Anyway, I couldn’t find any more significant differences! I looked at DLC lines, My Castle lines, and the like to make sure, but all of it was pretty faithful to the original script. Overall, yeah, there are pretty significant changes here, with Birthright being the main offender as per usual. Some of them are baffling, some are effectively harmless, but regardless thought to do this because Takumi remains one of my favorite characters in Fates and Fire Emblem as a whole.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it!

[welovethecloudboytoomuch]

HI hello can you tell me where you got that rooftop gang drawing or is it just from the last chapter!? (Which I haven't seen yet) 🥺

Sure thing! It’s from the final volume of Vigilantes (Vol 15) extras. Currently the extras are only available on the electronic version of the volume on ShonnenJumpPlus that requires a membership (though I could be wrong about this), but hopefully the extras will be posed to the MHA Vigilantes Fandom Wiki in a few days.

The sketch that I posted is the only one of the rooftop trio from the final volume but I wanted to make it worth your time so here are all the extra drawings I can find of the Rooftop gang:

Vol 5

In private, Ms. Kayama keeps her sexy hero side subdued and comes off as more of an ordinary woman. Almost motherly even. The three little girls are cute and inoffensive, making them easy additions to any scene. By the way-they're in middle school, making them teenagers, just like Pop and the twins. [HIDEYUKI FURUHASHI, Author of Vigilantes]

For Midnight's casual look, I referenced her "house clothes" profile page from the main series. I’m a big fan of knit one-piece and boots, but sadly there weren't any really good angels of the boots in the story (LOL) In Furuhashi's rough draft, all three of the girls had the same face, but I decided to make one of the three a little off, just like with the Sturm and Drum perv brothers. It's becoming a trend. [BETTEN COURT, Artist of Vigilantes]

(In case you can’t tell the taller woman is midnight undercover)

Kaori (Midnight) and Kazuha (Pop)

The original plan was for these two not to realize the huge age gap between them and just think they were in the same year at college, but that would make Midnight seem more oblivious than she is and stall the flow of the scene, so I changed it to "they're working an undercover mission together." I'm always happy with the results whenever I ask Betten-san to design a group of girls in street clothes. Show me all that fashion! [FURUHASHI]

I don't mind coming up with street fashion now and then, but when I have to do it for a whole group of characters at once? Kill me, please! I was pleased to discover that when you give Pop a different hairstyle, she actually comes out looking cute in an ordinary way. (LOL) [BETTEN]

Vol 7

For the so-called cosplay chapter, I submitted a list of costumes ideas and Betten Sensei dew the best ones. Aizawa's such a serious guy so pretty much any costume looks funny on him. [FURUHASHI]

Often when reading the rough draft of a chapter, I think, "Wah ha ha, this is hilarious!" But when it comes times to draw, I'm stumped. This time was no different. I didn't want to piss anyone off! That was the main thing on mind while drawing. (LOL) A Japanse tennis player had just won some big tournament, so when I saw that on the news, I thought, why not have Aizawa Sensei play tennis too? [BETTEN]

Vol 8

Vigilantes has always incorporated cameos of characters from the main series, and though the whole Young Aizawa arc is an example of that, we got a much more intense reaction from readers than usual demographic. [FURUHASHI]

The only snippet of Aizawa's and Mic's school days provided by Horikoshi himself came in "The Digression" page of volume 6 of the main series. When I realized that, I was at something of a loss. "Oh crap..." I thought. [BETTEN]

There's a canon line of dialogue in the main series about Midnight's old costume having been even more scandalous in the past, so that was a point we had to touch on in the flashback arc. So many people asked if Sushi the cat was a parody of Sushi the dog in Tite Kubo's Burn the Witch one-shot, but actually it was more of a play on the series, Shota no Sushi...[FURUHASHI]

I received specifications and references images for Midnight's costume from Furuhashi-san, and upon reflection, I think I stuck a little too closely to the reference material. [BETTEN]

Name: Oboro Shirakumo

Birthday: 5/5

Height: 187 CM

Favorite Things: Blue Skies, The Sun

Quirk: Cloud

Shirakumo's whole concept started with Horikoshi Sensei describing him as "a Mirio-like friend of Aizawa's during his school days." Then, through a lot of back-and-forth conversations between Horikoshi Sensei and the Vigilantes team, we came up with a more detailed profile, visual design and so on, until the character really took form. Shirakumo's presence meant that Aizawa's and Mic's personalities and roles had to be a little different in the past. That necessitated including that altered portrayal , as well as showing the way they changed moving towards the present day, so the Young Aizawa arc turned into a pretty extended affair. It'll keep going for several more chapters. [FURUHASHI]

Shirakumo's U.A. uniform design came from Horikoshi-san. The googles I designed as part of his costume just happened to look like Aizawa's, and I'm grateful that Furuhashi-san picked up on that and made a whole point of it. [BETTEN]

Vol 9

For both these guys, my request were "lighter equipment than present day," "traditional period" and "shonen-ish." Once you add those googles, young Eraser Head is complete, so to speak. [FURUHASHI]

Since those two are in their powered-up forms in the main MHA story, I wanted to imagine these versions as an earlier stage of that. As if they would improve on these designs over time to achieve their eventual styles... Kind of like that. [BETTEN]

“We got a gift illustration from Horikoshi sensei! Isn't that great, Shota?!”

Vol 11

In Vigilantes, Midnight's character is basically an obliging woman who loves to look after others, which I extrapolated from her presentation in the main series (where she's a teacher who interacts with students a lot, and is someone whose, let's say, "proclivities," influence her words and actions). I can always count on her to discuss things with Koichi and the gang. [FURUHASHI]

For some reason, I get a lot of chances to show Midnight Sensei in street clothes or disguises. (LOL) I don't know if I'm nailing her whole image correctly or not, but I'm having fun at any rate. [BETTEN]

Midnight is always stylish in just the right way for the occasion, so her hero costume isn’t the way it is just to please the crowds. It’s a deliberate choice, stemming from her progressive sense of aesthetics. Probably. [FURUHASHI]

I’m quickly running out of wardrobe ideas for Midnight’s noncostumed appearances. With the draping, cape-like coat, I was trying to evoke a crisp, military-style look. [BETTEN]

And that’s all I can find! Hope this helps.

[pancake-breakfast]

Will I get through all the chapters by the weekend? Unlikely. But at least I can get through a couple more tonight.

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 6, Chapters 3-4 below.

Note: Several references to Stampede's aesthetic choices below.

Chapter 3: Cross X Assassins

Goshdarn, we had to start out with Legato, didn't we? This is pre-spider-smash Legato, but still.

Legato's idea of a game sucks. There's a reason Vash didn't want to play. A GOOD reason.

A;ALJSDF;LAJDL;F This sopping wet cat... I want to wrap him in a towel like a burrito and hope he doesn't kill me and feels marginally better about the world when he inevitably gets free. That's the best anyone can do for him, really, and more than he deserves.

Oh, look. Elandira's already got him wrapped up like a burrito.

He remains alive out of sheer stubbornness to get Knives-sama to someday notice him.

Elandira reading El Gato like a book here.

Hahahahahaha, now he's literally sopping wet.

"They anger me to the point of madness!!" You don't say....

Oooooh, Double Fang I know. Trip of Death is new.

He looks soooooo bummed that he doesn't get to go play with them. I'd feel sorry for him if it wasn't for **redacted**.

Man, all these people and their bikes. Are bikes like this practical in sand? My family was never one of those "go to the desert and ride around" types... but from what I remember, that was mostly done on quads. Eh, I guess bikes are what Nightow really wanted to draw.

LOL, they have so many guns....

That gate looks like a church door.

I don't trust this dead-eyed kid.

Dude. Don't do drugs, kids.

Pffftthahahahaha, Legato's so happy that things are going sideways with the meeting. Only he gets to be the special one!

I'm actually really looking forward to learning about the Eye of Michael. They didn't come up in '98, so their presence was a surprise to me in Stampede.

Cross assassins, indeed.

So much for their fancy gate.

Ohhh, that is definitely a ship, isn't it.

Ok, so the dead-eyed kid mentioned this place having three towers... and the more I look at it, the more I'm getting crucifixion imagery vibes. Like, you have the prominent one in the middle that's Jesus's cross, and it's flanked by the smaller ones a little further back that were the crosses of the thieves. Maybe I'm stretching a bit. I dunno.

His ability to retain all his clothes after roiding out is impressive.

"Joe Tooth," huh? That's a terrible name.

Eyyyy, look at all those familiar-looking crosses! I'm sure that's not ominous or problematic in the slightest!

Elandira was supposed to be hosting this meeting, but Legato's taking charge again.

So much for the newcomers. Check out that mask, though. Now I know where Stampede's inspiration came from, especially given that Nightow asked them to up the tech in the series.

Ew. Ew ew ew ew. Surely there was somewhere better for him to keep them? What the hell happened to his tongue? I have a lot of questions and I'm not sure I want the answers to any of them... but man, is this boy dedicated to his terrible, terrible game.

Chapter 4: Death Omen

Ahhhh, what a great title page of Knives! Like, he's got all the blades out, but his face is so calm, they might as well be groceries. A wonderful contrast that highlights his casual relationship with extreme violence.

So, apparently, Stampede got the inspiration for its Knives ass shots from Maximum, too.

Also, who's letting him wander around in public??? He shouldn't be allowed out and about. No, Elandira does not count as a responsible babysitter.

Arrrrrgggghhhh, he's doing that thing where he looks too similar to Vash. A sad Vash. He looks like sad Vash.

This guy gets it. That's the doctor, right?

Elandira, getting off on the prospect of violence.

I like how you can tell who it is just by the silhouette here.

The doctor knew Knives as a boy? Just how old is this man??

Goshdarnit, Vash is wanted for the death of this guy, and he's just prancing around all alive like it's NBD. Rude. At least have the grace to be dead if you're gonna be involved in a plot to frame someone for killing you.

This is actually really poignant. I think it's the first solid suggestion we've had that Knives wasn't born a genocidal maniac.

Sooooo many plants. Stampede took heavy inspiration from this, too.

Look at these skrungly boys being skrungly.

Body horror time!

Her hair....

Knives doesn't look like he's in a forgiving mood. Can't say I blame him, all things considered.

Good to see him doing the "My name is Millions Knives and I have lots of blades" thing, I guess?

Yeah, I'd panic a bit if I saw a giant scythe manifest in the middle of town, too.

Looks like Knives is having some trouble controlling his angel (?) arm, too.

HIS HAIR!!!! D:

Of course, he immediately starts putting two and to together with Vash's hair. Now if he can just make the connection that Vash using all that power is his fault.

Goodbye, Conrad. We hardly knew thee.

Vash senses something's wrong with his brother. I wonder if he can guess what.

You know, that really adds some weight to the chapter title, Death Omen. The Death Omen is the dark hair, but Vash has been carrying that around since Fifth Moon.

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10 || Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6 || Volume 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Volume 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Volume 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Volume 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6 || Volume 6: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT

[stopthatfool]

Concerning getting to know one's fic writer, inquiring minds must know: 8, 16 & 18

Inquiring minds would also like you to choose one question you're hoping someone will ask and answer it! (It always pains me when I desperately want to discuss something, but the prompt is never picked! So, pick that question! :])

Thank youu, I can't wait to learn more about your writing process!! <3

Woodsy!! Thank you so much for the ask (omg i'm so excited to answer these)!!

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or ending of a story?

Hmmmm... I think when it comes to fic writing I like the middle. Because i can just keep adding things and I don't have to worry about tying it all together to actually mean something. And the beginning is very intimidating. It's like the first page of new notebook or sketchbook. And the ending is very scary too, cuz that means it's over!

It's interesting though because whenever I watch movies, TV shows etc., etc., I always like the first movie/episode/season the best!

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

I have kind of a one track mind when it comes to writing, so I'm pretty much only thinking of Your jeep. Your teeth. The coffee that you bought me. and that 'universe' (omfg why did i pick such a long name). BUT! I have been playing around with the idea of telling this story through the perspective of Ice... I would love to get up all inside his head and figure him out!

I've also been thinking about like a 'prequel' to this story. Like what happened in '86 and when 'my' Mav and Ice taught at TOP GUN together. I, of course, have ideas and I have alluded to what their relationship looked like in flashbacks and some of Mav's internal monologue, but I think eventually I would love to actually put it in writing and map it all out.

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with these titles?

I came up with the title of this fanfic during the writing process! And all of the titles are lines from Richard Siken's Crush-- which i had just finished rereading as I was writing the first part of the first chapter. The line "Your jeep. Your teeth. The coffee that you bought me." really stuck out to me as I was thinking about IceMav, because I've always really liked Val Kilmer's teeth (which sounds weird as i type it out.... but it's purely from an artistic standpoint and fascination). So the jeep that Ice has in the fic, along with the coffee scene after Mav is let out from the hospital were really inspired from this line!

As for the chapter titles, I decided to keep going with the Richard Siken theme. Whenever I need a break from writing, typing, or editing, that's when I begin to brainstorm chapter titles. I'll look back at my fav lines that I wrote down, or I'll just straight up reread poems to find something that fits whatever things are happening in that chapter.

Initially, chapter 6's title was "Dear Forgiveness, I saved a plate for you" because of the first scene when Mav holds out a plate for Bradley. It wasn't until guns were brought up for like the third time that I changed the title to "It's a down right shoot-em-up."

Anyway! Long story short, it's just a process of going back and forth and reading poetry!

14. How do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from emotional experience?

(the question i picked myself) I absolutely feel what the characters feel and draw from my personal experiences!! Most of Bradley's expressions of anxiety and sadness is inspired from my own teenage self (which was absolutely traumatic to look back on). Along with Bradley wearing Carole's old bracelet and Nick's old t-shirt!

One of my biggest goals within this story (along with other things), was to make these characters more human and really focus on their struggles-- therefore i write about things i know, aka my own personal experiences. Which can sometimes make things difficult to write, but usually it's okay!

Thank you so much for the ask Woodsy!! This was so much fun!! <333

[blackrabbitcreations]

How I've Managed to Consistently Journal for the Past Three Years

As a kid and then teenager and then college student I very much wanted to keep a journal. I’m afraid of growing up and not having any record of my daily life or a way to access forgotten memories.

It’s scary when you ask an adult about a time in their life and they can’t recall any details.

Journaling is heralded as the life changing answer for mental health problems, productivity, and organization. You’re supposed to journal every day, track every place you go, everything you do, purchases, your thoughts, feelings, aspirations, blah blah blah blah.

And much of the advice and inspiration on keeping a journal seems to be productivity or aesthetic driven.

I’ve tried setting reminders to journal, (not helpful), carving out weekday slots to fill in (waste of paper), buying so many art supplies (I don’t regret this). Nothing worked and I always ended up not only feeling bad about myself, but terrified over the parts of my life that are already lost to time since I didn’t document them.

What I’ve learned is having rules around something as personal as journaling is dumb!

Your journal isn’t supposed to be weapon you wield against yourself. It’s ok to live your life and not stress over capturing it in some tangible form. Sure, you could get dementia and forget everyone you ever loved and everything you ever built, but it would be better to have no record of this life than a record you traded your peace for.

I’ve managed to consistently journal over the past few years because I stopped putting pressure on myself over it. Journaling has became something fun. It’s something I look forward to.

My best advice is to find what works for you and ignore everything else. But if you’re interested, here’s what’s currently working for me:

1. Using only notebooks I love.

I donated all the notebooks I received as gifts or bought for myself but later realized I didn’t like. I don’t use spiral bound, or ones with covers that are difficult to keep clean. The paper needs to be high quality and have lines or grids.

2.  Using one journal for everything in my life.

I use the same notebook for my personal life, creative projects, and professional work. It’s just one thing I have to keep track of and everything I could possibly need on any given day is with me.

3. Using pages in chronological order.

I don’t section out anything. This wastes paper. Instead I’ll label the top of a page or use washi tape on the edge of a page to categorize it. And I always clearly date every entry.

4. Making a monthly spread.

This can include a calendar, goals, trackers, a daily one line memory or event (that I don’t worry about entering every day). I make mine themed and adorable but it’s not necessary.

5. Allowing myself to write whatever the fuck I want.

No one should ever have access to this journal besides me. I let myself write as raw and real as I am.

I used to try sounding intelligent. Now I just put down all those idiotic thoughts and feelings. I don’t write with my future self reading it back in mind—who am I in this moment?

6. Doodling. A lot.

I doodle constantly in my journal. I sketch out project ideas. Having lines helps with accuracy and symmetry and it doesn’t feel like I’m wasting nice drawing paper therefore I’m more likely to sketch.

8. Pasting in trash.

Gluing in tickets, receipts, brochures, etc. is a wonderful way to document my life. They have preprinted dates, times, places, and events eliminating the need to write that all down.

I cut out images from museum guides and advertisements.

I don’t buy all that fake vintage crap or print things off—there’s plenty already out there that will otherwise go to waste.

Elmer’s glue sticks work great for this.

9. Taking it everywhere.

I never leave the house without my journal and a pen.

10. Never forcing anything.

I don’t write every day. I don’t keep track of my mood or hormone cycle to compare with my productivity. I don’t do anything I don’t feel like doing. If it’s not sticking it’s probably not working.

11. Brain dumping.

Sometimes there’s too much swirling around in my brain to write or create with clarity. I’ll take a page and write down everything that comes to mind—random ideas, messages I need to send, errands I need to run, stuff I want to do, stuff I’m worried about, literally everything that pops into my brain.

I free my brain from the burden of having to keep track of or process all of life’s shit. Brain dumps often include the same things as a previous brain dump. Patterns emerge and I gain insight on some of the behaviors or mind states I can increase awareness around.

Journaling consistently has not completely transformed my life—but it has improved it. Time feels a little slower. My days feel more meaningful even if all I did was sketch the moon making a weird face.

I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon.

[wavedream]

Prime Directive #0 - let's get the ball rolling

Here we go. It's happening, just as I threatened. Let's start our look at Dreamwave's first Transformers G1 miniseries, Prime Directive, one issue at a time. Pray for me, folks, people keep reacting in horror to me telling them about this project and it's making me nervous.

Some context before we begin our comic today, though. When it came out in 2002, this miniseries was the first attempt to seriously reimagine the G1 franchise since it originally ended in the West. The then-contemporary mainline Transformers fiction was anime prouced either wholly by or in conjunction with Takara, and none of it was in the style of the original G1 cartoon. In 2001, the Takara-made Car Robots series was imported by Hasbro, dubbed, and tweaked a little into the Robots in Disguise cartoon. In 2002, when this comic came out, Takara and Hasbro's joint efforts had resulted in the Armada series. Both were complete reimaginings of Transformers compared to what had come before.

So unlike today, when G1 nostalgia is ubiquitous enough that a common complaint amongst the fanbase is that it's impossible to escape, when Dreamwave released this comic there hadn't been any G1-esque English language media of note in years. In addition, the early 2000s were the start of the nostalgia boom we're still living through today in terms of pop culture, where the process of old franchises being strip-mined for constant reboots began. 'That cartoon you liked as a kid is getting a new comic, and it's for ADULTS this time!' was still a selling point with some novelty to it. The stage was very much set for this to be a succesful endeavour, and Dreamwave was banking on that to be their big break as a comics publisher.

And with that, here we are, folks: the first issue of Dreamwave's big Transformers revival. ...Sort of?

Before Dreamwave published their first Transformers miniseries, Prime Directive, a 6-page preview was produced to be sent to retailers. If you've followed any monthly comics before, you'll probably know that ahead of an issue dropping, companies typically release 4-6 pages as a preview ahead of time; this, by contrast, is an entirely original piece, taking no content from the upcoming first issue. If nothing else, that gives a good indication as to how hard Dreamwave were banking on the Transformers license being their big break.

The thing this preview is most remembered for is probably that it features five pages of nothing but humans talking, with only one brief glimpse of any robots. We open on said humans in the arctic, a setting which is notable because a) it gives me immediate Bayverse vibes and b) it's very obviously been picked so Lee doesn't have to draw too many backgrounds. I mean, look at this.

And hey, let's be fair. It's a lot of extra work to draw six whole pages just for a preview. There'll be plenty of other reasons to call Lee a lazy hack as we go through this project, so I'll let him off easy here.

What I won't be as kind to is the dialogue.

Right off the bat we begin with a very clumsy attempt to get some themes in here. When you're working within such a small pagecount, that's a wee bit tricky. A deft writer might have a conversation pull double duty, telling you a couple of each characters' quirks so they immediately feel like more than cardboard cutouts while having it relate to a wider idea. Since Sarracini is not a deft writer, instead we get a sports metaphor that makes no sense whatsoever and which goes on for two whole pages.

Decompressed storytelling was a big thing in comics around this time, with western monthly releases experimenting a lot with the sort of slow moving, character-focused pacing found in other examples of the medium, like longer form graphic novels and manga. Unfortunately, a lot of the people who jumped on this wound up not understanding how to make it work on a structural level, and they really just made less things happen per panel and page to imitate the aesthetic elements. Dreamwave is an absolutely stupendous example of this approach. This is all foreshadowing.

What we actually learn in these two pages is that this Lazarus guy has taken the other guy to the arctic. He's some kind of potential investor in a project Lazarus is looking for partners on. Lazarus apparently hasn't explained why exactly wandering around the frozen tundra is important, and the other guy is understandably pissed. It's a little unclear why he came along to the arctic when he has no idea what Lazarus wants to invest in, but here they are, trudging through the snow.

So they argue, and then a very confusing set of panels happens.

I had to squint at this for a hot second to work out Lazarus is supposed to be grabbing him painfully. Lee is not a master of… much of anything, art wise. And clear, readable action is something he struggles with from the get go. Anything that needs a reader to understand implied motion and momentum has a good chance at winding up a dud.

No worries though. We get straight back to po-faced declarations of The Themes Of The Comic, Honest, which only requires that he draw people standing around.

I have a high tolerance for comic book-y expository nonense. But it's so entirely joyless here. Shoot me, I have to read the entire rest of this fucking series.

On the next page, we finally get to something Transformers related I can draw your attention to, though. There's a full page of them coming across a monitoring set up for something (oh my, I wonder what it could be) in the ice. It's more space filler of no real interest, but this particular text box might ring some klaxons in a modern day Transformers fan's head:

Now, this isn't an example of 'what do you MEAN, Dreamwave did that first?!', a refrain that will crop up quite a few times as we make our way through these comics. It's true that a shocking number of franchise staple concepts originate in Dreamwave, but the gladiatorial element isn't one of them. That goes back to Marvel, with the UK-only prose story "State Games" establishing it as part of the backstory for both Megatron and Optimus. But it is notable that Dreamwave is going to be where a lot of people encounter this concept for the first time, given that the prior story was not just a UK exclusive, but specifically a prose story tucked away in an annual rather than the regular monthly comic. (And yes, spoiler alert: it will crop up again in Dreamwave.) I would not be surprised to find out the revival of this concept in places like the Aligned continuity owe at least some debt to the idea resurfacing in this series.

Anyway, the comic then tries to persuade us that the thing most of interest when it comes to what can be gleaned from terrifying alien war machines with all the onboard tech and weaponry they have is that they turn into cars sometimes. No further explanation is forthcoming. Lazarus just sort of says this as though it's self evident and moves on.

Look, making the fact Transformers characters can transform central to the fiction is my whole thing. I want it. When Transformers media doesn't take advantage of that stuff, I am sad. But the degree to which this falls flat is a bit of a warning as to a problem this series is probably going to come up against a lot as we go on, and which plenty of recent Transformers media aimed at fans has struggled with. How do you do things like that in something that isn't made for eight year olds and running on "rule of cool"? Transformers turn into cars and planes and weird animals and such because that's cool to a child who wants to buy awesome toys. It's tricky to translate that into a story aimed at adults that takes itself remotely seriously. In no way impossible. But if you don't really consider how you plan to approach that part, and indeed a great many elements integral to Transformers, you're probably not going to nail it.

They talk for another goddamn page after this and oh my god, this preview should have been three pages tops. I'm not making you read all that. Just rearrange the words in one of the above panels, it's about the same experience.

Finally, FINALLY, we hit the jackpot with the last page: a full page spread of Soundwave, partially obscured in ice as they excavate him. (See? Bayverse vibes.)

Soundwave is pretty much the single most iconic non-Optimus Transformer in broader pop culture, so that tracks. (Honestly, he'd probably give OP a run for his money.)

And it is a very nice bit of imagery, though they really didn't need those damn speech bubbles down there. But you can see here where the concept for this preview originates. All the build up being so you can have the final full-page splash of an 80's-style iconic character to get the audience hyped up. In the hands of a better writer, that would probably have worked perfectly well. As it stands, the fact this apparently did get people hyped is really more just down to Soundwave being really cool, I reckon.

So that's the preview. It's on Earth, the robots came to Earth a long time before under circumstances we don't know about, and now some shady humans have found one of them. It's a decent enough setup. One so good it's been used in Transformers at least twice; seriously, that is just a description of Megatron in Bayverse, right?

After all this riveting comic content, the original version of the preview also featured some teaser art. This gives us a bit more of an idea what the upcoming series might look like, since we get all of one panel of Lee actually drawing a robot in this one.

Pat Lee's art is, of course, one of the more infamous elements of Dreamwave's comic. He called his style "anime inspired" a lot, which was a real exciting prospect in 2002 if you were a certain kind of nerd. You can sort of see some of it in his art. In that very 'western artist in 2002 working off an English language how to draw manga book' way that is a peculiarity of the time period. But it sure doesn't look like, say, the Transformers work of Studio OX.

More to the point, his artwork is frequently a mess, with terrible composition, incoherent proportions, very little understanding of perspective, and little to no emotion conveyed by its characters. He tends to draw his robots all very... puffy and inflated-looking, too. This style would form the basis of a 'house style' all other artists brought in were expected to follow. Even when much more competent artists than Lee are to be seen, they'll be somewhat shackled by the restrictions put in place there.

And that's a wrap on this wee little six page preview, so god knows how much I'll have to say about the series itself. Stay tuned to see if any robots get to speak next time!

[pine-niidles]

Looking Back on 2023

Heyyy folks! Long time no news from me huh. 

I'm struggling to think of what to even say about my silence. I've not been doing so bad I'd call myself depressed, but I'm doing a tad worse than just a slump. It's been a rough 6 months, not because of one big thing. Instead, a bunch of medium-sized reasons all piled up on top of each other to leave me extremely drained. I've mostly been working on the two commissions I still had in my queue (thank you to my commissioners for being so patient with me, I'm so sorry to make you wait so long <3). I've done a little personal art other than that but didn't have the leftover focus to keep up with sharing it on social media or writing up any updates about my situation. I've pretty much only been active sharing things in my art discord. I'd like to say I've been doing better in the last month or so, but I hesitate to make any promises at this point! We'll just have to see how things go :)

Artfight

So you were promised a more in depth artfight review but I think I missed the right timeframe for that... instead have this look at 3 years of unfinished artfight thumbnails from my new year's wip clean-out!

Year of Art Summary

All things considered I made a lot of art this year, and I'm really happy with how most of it turned out ☺ I did a bunch of experimenting with more playful techniques and color schemes and I think they suit my style a lot. I want to try and much those limits even more next year to see what kind of fun art I can create! Something with colors specifically really clicked in my brain after that witch drawing I did in April, before then I would spend a long time figuring out the perfect color scheme and doing a bunch of adjustments but ever since that drawing things have really been coming together super quick? I'm not sure what changed but no complaints from me. 

Life Drawing Summary 

I rarely post my life drawing but I've been keeping at it! Actually, I put together a few pdfs showcasing all my life drawing going back to 2022, you can download them for free in my itch or ko-fi shops! :>

I also put together a yearly art improvement comparison going back to 2015 that I was planning to put here. However, seeing how long this is already getting... I'll make a separate post for it.

Commissions

I've been gearing up to open commissions again after that unintended hiatus. I don't want to open slots until I'm sure I'm back to being able to finish them in a reasonable timeframe, so I've been using that leftover energy I do have to think about revamping some things and new styles to offer. Back in November I ran a survey on what people want to see from me (it's still open if you'd like to fill it out and help me get more stats!) 

here's a preview of what's to come based on that & my whims:

- stamp commissions were super well received so they'll be added to my main repertoire

- A combo of me reading too much dun meshi and wanting to offer some kind of comicky commissions led to this idea of comic pages of characters eating together, I have a couple examples in progress, when they're done I'll add this style to my main offerings!

- I'm still not 100% set on sketchpages but I like the idea of them so if this test goes well I'll add them as an option

Onward to 2024! 

I already completed my new year's resolution on day 1 of 2024, it was to pet a cat. I've made a second one which is to get a library card whenever my visa is approved and I move back home. It's been something I've been wanting to do for a while but never got around to, hoping this will be the excuse I need to do it.

Art-wise it's not a new goal, but I've been trying to focus on improving my rendering! Though I've also been playing around a lot with screentone... the two don't have to be at odds 🤔 

I'm dedicating this year's personal art time to making new references for as many ocs as possible with nude bases so I can easily design new outfits for them whenever I want to without fully making a new ref from scratch.

Otherwise I'm just trying to take it slow, work on things one at a time and see what happens from there.

[kakairu-rocks]

We are excited to introduce our next shining star for the Creator Spotlight... @l1ldraws​!

This is a member’s only activity where we reach out to one of the talented people in our community each month to find out all about them and their kakairu creations, and then show them off to the world!

We hope you enjoy learning about Rad & their creations as much as we did. Please give them some love ❤️  

Pronouns: They/Them

Type of Creator: Artist

Where to find them:

Most active, fandom tumblr

Spooky art tumblr

Read the exciting interview below the cut, or on the forum!

If you would like a chance to be in the spotlight too, the only thing you have to do is be a member of the kakairu rocks forum, and be a creator; and we will contact you, ourselves!

1. How long have you been creating KakaIru fanworks?

I’ve been lurking in the Naruto fandom for about a decade at this point but only really started contributing fanart in 2020. Like many people I suddenly had a lot of free time and figured it was time to start drawing my silly little pictures.

2. What are you working on right now?

I’m in the middle of completing art for multiple naruto events and have a few wips that are staring me down. I also plan on creating more pieces featuring Iruka in some fun outfits!

3. What is your favourite trope to create for?

I personally describe it as idiots to lovers as I love anything that’s generally silly. If you have silly ideas please tell me I love to hear them.

4. Which of your creations is your favourite, and why?

My most recent recollection is this piece. Initially I had no plan. I was just doing some sketching to warm-up and ended up really liking the pose and it went from there. I am especially fond of how the colors came out as I was going for something more vibrant!

5. Do you have any WIPs you’re excited about?

I have a few. The one I can talk about is an old sketch page featuring Iruka featuring a flowy outfit I am fond of. Unfortunately I am cursed to be good at making pictures but not describing them.

6. Do you have any original characters? If so, tell us about them!

I’m working on a little elemental/angel person at the moment. But they’re fresh so there’s not much to say but stay tuned though.

7. What was your hardest piece to create, and why?

I love comics but they are very difficult for me to do so this little three panel featuring Iruka and Yamato is very simple but I’m still glad I powered through.

8. Do you have any favourite scenes from something you’ve created?

I did some collabs for KakaIru Big Bang and KakaIru Reverse Bang(https://archiveofourown.org/works/40075785 & https://archiveofourown.org/works/40030071) and it was fun working with writers to visualize a scene. Little ole me contributing! Wild! Also I highly suggest checking out the fics they’re great

9. Where does your inspiration come from?

I am haunted by images. But in (some) seriousness I am inspired by 90s and 2000s fashion as well as anything that I would describe as a fun outfit. I keep a folder of inspiration fashion on my phone and reference that whenever I work on a piece. I am also a fan of just putting these characters in generally silly scenarios. Give me the jokes! The laughs!

10. Which of your creations is the most meaningful to you, and why?

I really love my RBB and BB pieces so much and it’s due to the fact that they were collab pieces. I really do love working with other people and bouncing ideas back and forth. It’s what makes working on the piece so much fun!

[pathos-p]

"Weirdly Specific Artist Ask Game" but i got tagged in it so i am gonna answer all of them 'cause theyre fun

questions by @/i-like-eyes

thanks for the tag @king-chook!! ^^

1. Art programs you have but don't use

i thiiink i have a license for clip studio paint that came with my old wacom tablet but i never rly used it. also used to have krita installed for the longest time but just always felt off to me idk why. don't currently have it installed anymore tho

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left or right (or forward even)

to their right is a bit easier i think. not smth i consciously notice, mostly i'm just thinking abt when im doodling on the margins of stuff they usually are looking to the left of the page

3. What ideas come from when you were little

uhhh idk tbh, i dont think much of my art draws from that

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw

cityscapes !!! i love cities they r so pretty and cool looking but goddamn theyre so hard to draw

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself

80-20? i post everything that i finish. basically the only stuff that doesnt get posted is sketches i give up on

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

hmmmm not that i can think of rn...

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

watercolour !! i've tried it a few times and Struggled but i love seeing ppl's work in it

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in

so many animatics ..................... also many comic ideas ..................... i get so many ideas that i just never start on or start and only do a little before losing the hyperfocus/fixation and just Cannot continue them. it sucks

9. What are your file name conventions

usually the character name, maybe a bit of description of what theyre doing... idk not much of a convention to it

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

hmm i like jackets :)

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

yes, usually music. sometimes random youtube videos like stream highlights or video essays.

12. Easiest part of body to draw

uhhh hair? maybe idk. hard question bc it varied a lot depending on what kinda style and just. sometimes smth is hard in a particular drawing then easy later idk

13. A creator who you admire but whose work isn't your thing

i cant think of anything i will edit it in if i think of anyone

14. Any favorite motifs

in my drawings i dont feel like i use any much. mostly i pull motifs from whatever im doing fanart of lol. in music, i like religious motifs (but not like. ones abt christ or bible stories, rather heaven, hell, god/divinity, angels)

15. *Where* do you draw (don't drop your ip address this just means do you doodle at a park or smth)

at home pretty much exclusively. in bed lol

16. Something you are good at but don't really have fun doing

idk i feel like the stuff im better at is the stuff i like bc i practice it more for fun lol

17. Do you eat/drink when drawing? if so, what

not usually

18. An estimate of how much art supplies you've broken

surprisingly little. mostly bc i do more digital art lol

19. Favorite inanimate objects to draw (food, nature, etc.)

weapons and nature. especially ice for nature

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy

i cant think of anything ill add it if i do

21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways

i love rougher styles, like ones with a lot of visible brushstrokes and bold lines and shit. so cool. idk how to make it look good lol i dont have the confidence in my lines for it

22. What physical exercises do you do before drawing, if any

none... probably i should change that

23. Do you use different layer modes

yeah, often i use a multiple layer for shading then a variety to colour adjust at the end

24. Do your references include stock images

sometimes

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

cant think of any

26. What's a piece that got a wildly different interpretation from what you intended

there was this poem i wrote about capitalism and how shit it is and someone thought it was abt interpersonal relationships/smth along the lines of a breakup. i rly didnt mind it tho i thought it was cool bc the emotion was not far off, the sense of betrayal and abandonment. just a very very different subject

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with

no lol

28. Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines)

i ran a zine (digital only) for the dimension 20 zine jam! and also made art+writing for others in that :D also was part of a polygon yt fanzine a while back

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

spider-man (not the MCU, mostly tasm and a few of the comics)

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

IS IT BAD TO SAY A PIECE THAT GOT QUITE A BIT OF POSITIVE ATTENTION ?? maybe

i rly like the cj comic i did i am genuinely so goddamn happy with the result so . even tho it did very well by the standards for the fandom its for and my current follower base it is underrated

alternatively this one https://www.tumblr.com/pathos-p/704380503765221377/tridential-sovereignty?source=share bc it didnt get all that much attention on any social media site but i think its cool !!

(mostly only using recent ones bc i dont wanna dig back further esp onto my old twt acct, too much work lol)

[pesterloglog]

Vriska Serket, Terezi Pyrope, Roxy Lalonde, Dave Strider, Arquiusprite, Kanaya Maryam, Karkat Vantas, Tavrosprite, Jake English, Rosesprite, John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, Jaspersprite

Act 6, page 7515-7545

VRISKA: Ok every8ody, time's up!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: Wrap up your convers8tions. Our tactical meeting is officially 8ack in order!

VRISKA: Alright, has everyone shut up yet?

TEREZI: 1 TH1NK SO

VRISKA: Gr8!

VRISKA: Let's not waste another second then. I'm diving right into this.

VRISKA: Everyone pay close attention, and try to keep up!

VRISKA: I'll start 8y descri8ing the exact n8ture of the threats we're dealing with, and go from there.

VRISKA: According to intelligence gathered during our trip along with some reconnaissance work on arrival, this session has four, possi8ly five major adversaries.

VRISKA: The Condesce of course, and three Jack Noirs of varying levels of danger.

VRISKA: Plus, there's a female prospitian of equivalent power to the strongest Jack. She's sort of an x-factor.

VRISKA: It's hard to accur8tely gauge her threat level, 8ut I'm not a8out to take any chances.

VRISKA: All these threats are just outside the incipisphere, en route to the session as we speak.

VRISKA: Once they arrive, all hell will 8reak loose. That's when endgame is officially go.

VRISKA: You only have a couple hours to prepare, so you need to listen to every word I say.

VRISKA: Victory will depend on following my plan to the letter!

ROXY: so.....

ROXY: wheres the condesce right now?

VRISKA: She's on Derse, preparing for the same critical convergence herself.

VRISKA: After our little prison raid caught her completely off guard, costing her some hostages and key points of leverage, we've essentially reached a temporary ceasefire 8y default while 8oth sides regroup.

VRISKA: This is not how she expected things would go.

VRISKA: We had the advantage of surprise that time, 8ut we won't 8e so lucky next time.

VRISKA: She's w8ting for the Jacks to get here just like we are.

VRISKA: Once they do, she'll instantly have the upper hand, and she knows this.

VRISKA: Her particular com8ination of a8ilities along with her supervillain-like cunning make her an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS part of this equation!

VRISKA: That's why we need a good strategy in place 8efore the shit hits the 8reeze 8lender.

DAVE: so in addition for waiting for way too many jacks to get here

DAVE: were also waiting for my bro too right

DAVE: who... gets here at the same time or...

VRISKA: Yes, the other Strider was 8anished to the periphery as well, and is in transit.

VRISKA: He'll arrive at the same time, give or take, and should 8e a gr8 tactical asset.

VRISKA: Sources tell me the dude is pretty good with a sword.

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> That's me

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I'm the source

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I told her that, and it's true

VRISKA: Yes, thank you Arquius.

KANAYA: This Is Starting To Sound A Bit Complicated

KANAYA: How Are We Supposed To Keep Track Of All These Villains And Heroes Coming And Going When And Where

VRISKA: You're right, Kanaya.

VRISKA: At this point in the meeting, I think we could use some diagrams to help with the 8attleplans.

VRISKA: Karkat?

VRISKA: If you wouldn't mind.

KARKAT: I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOU PUT ME ON DRAWING DUTY.

KARKAT: I'M EASILY THE WORST ARTIST HERE.

KARKAT: AND IN A SETTING THAT INCLUDES DAVE, LET'S GET REAL. THAT'S NO SMALL FEAT.

VRISKA: I specifically assigned you to diagramming duty so that it would keep you occupied.

VRISKA: That way, you'd stand a chance of keeping your mouth shut while I talk strategy.

KARKAT: THAT'S WORKED OUT GREAT SO FAR, HASN'T IT?

KARKAT: WE'VE LOST HOW MANY STRATEGY-SECONDS TO ME COMPLAINING ABOUT DRAWING ALREADY??

VRISKA: Sure, 8ut I know that drawing requires a lot of concentr8tion from you.

VRISKA: Once you're in the zone, I expect you'll simmer down.

KARKAT: WOW, FUCK YOU!

KARKAT: YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT, BUT FUCK YOU NEVERTHELESS!

KARKAT: WHERE THE SHIT IS MY ART PENCIL. I HAVE SOME DRAWING TO DO.

VRISKA: Let's run down the threat list, with a full de8riefing on each threat.

VRISKA: We'll start with the 8ig fish herself, the former empress of our world, Her Imperious Condescension.

VRISKA: The only reason we've 8een a8le to temporarily neutralize her stranglehold on this session is 8y taking two major pieces away from her, Harley and Crocker.

VRISKA: Rest assured, she's already scheming to reassert her dominance, and if it weren't for my intervention here, I'd 8et everything I had on the sea witch.

VRISKA: She's spent centuries upgrading her a8ilities which now include 8OTH kinds of telekinesis. The simpler variety more common to rust 8loods, and the nasty kind which sometimes yellow 8looded mutants have involving all the fucking eye lasers and shit.

VRISKA: If that weren't enough, she has a mix of telepathic a8ilities too, like mine, plus the animal communion kind more typical of 8rown 8loods.

TAVROSPRITE: lIKE ME!

VRISKA: Yes Tavros, like you.

VRISKA: This means she can hijack animals AND trolls, assuming they aren't particularly resistant to influence, like me o8viously.

VRISKA: Humans I'm guessing are still off limits to her influence, unless they've got some animal 8lood in them, which is what makes Jade such a dangerous element here.

VRISKA: One of the mission critical priorities is to make sure she stays asleep. If she ever wakes up, and the Condesce takes control again, that's pro8a8ly game over for you guys.

VRISKA: Jade's first guardian a8ilities make her too much to deal with on top of everything else.

VRISKA: It's also possi8le that the Condesce may have some sway over the prospitian and one of the Jacks 8ecause of their part-dog n8ture too.

VRISKA: It's hard to say what their level of resistance is, so I really can't 8e sure.

VRISKA: Strategically, it's 8est to err on the safe side though, and presume this could 8e an issue.

VRISKA: This is why taking on the Condesce has to 8e a HUGE PRIORITY!

VRISKA: Ideally, you should 8e trying to kill or disa8le her as quickly as possi8le.

VRISKA: 8ut if that's easier said than done, then what you need to do is keep her OCCUPIED!

VRISKA: Throw everything you have at her. Whatever crazy powers you've got.

VRISKA: Just keep her 8usy!

VRISKA: Distracted enough 8y a 8unch of pesky kids so she won't have time to get clever with her powers.

VRISKA: This is the 8est defense against the off-chance she might 8e a8le to sway the dog Jack and prospitian, AND a failsafe in case Jade wakes up for whatever reason.

VRISKA: When it comes to killing her, I don't have much to advise.

VRISKA: There's no intel on her weaknesses or anything like that. In fact, I'd 8et she doesnt have any.

VRISKA: Like any powerful endgame 8oss, you just have to keep hammering away at her until she's dead.

VRISKA: Nuff said!

VRISKA: This 8rings us to the Jacks.

VRISKA: To differenti8, I'll give them nicknames.

VRISKA: There's Dog Jack, Lord Jack, and Ro8o Jack.

VRISKA: Let's talk a8out them in order of threat level.

VRISKA: Karkat, I'm going to need another shitty drawing.

VRISKA: This time, of Dog Jack and his prospitian counterpart, please.

VRISKA: Ah yes. I see you are intent on 8eing a wiggler a8out this, as we have all come to expect.

VRISKA: Whatever, I've 8een working within the confines of everyone's stupid limit8tions already, so I might as well work around yours as well.

VRISKA: There, perfect.

VRISKA: Dog Jack is easily the most powerful adversary of the 8unch, in terms of pure physical capa8ility.

VRISKA: The Condesce has the edge in guile and flexi8ility, and Lord Jack has a ton of offensive power too...

VRISKA: 8ut there's nothing quite like the first guardian a8ilities to give someone an overwhelming tactical advantage.

VRISKA: The a8ility to teleport anywhere in the session any time, or ANYONE anywhere any time, while having access to an inexhausti8le power supply from the green sun really makes it no contest, even against an otherwise awesome com8atant.

VRISKA: If it were just him you had to deal with, I wouldn't like your odds, honestly.

VRISKA: 8ut luckily for us, there's a major factor here which should mostly neutralize him during this huge melee, which is the prospitian.

VRISKA: Power-wise, she's a precisely even match for him.

VRISKA: And 8etter yet, she apparently can't stand the guy.

VRISKA: I still don't know what her real motives are, 8ut you know what they say. Enemy of my enemy and all.

VRISKA: So I say let her have at him, and if the opportunity presents itself, help her defeat him.

VRISKA: I will also give this 8it of advice.

VRISKA: If Jade ever wakes up, AND THE CONDESCE IS SUFFICIENTLY PREOCCUPIED, make sure Jade goes nowhere near the Condesce, and sic her on Dog Jack.

VRISKA: She's the only one here who's a8ilities are on par with his, so that's where they're 8est applied.

VRISKA: Got it? Good.

VRISKA: Next, Lord Jack.

VRISKA: Karkat?

KARKAT: HOW DOES THIS LOOK?

VRISKA: Gr8!

VRISKA: I think I can work with this.

VRISKA: Ah yes. Another true work of art has 8een made here today.

VRISKA: Anyway, this ugly customer you see here?

VRISKA: This is the Jack n8tive to the session we're in now.

VRISKA: Somehow he got possessed 8y, or like, INFUSED with...? Lord English's crazy, ridiculously destructive magical energy.

VRISKA: I have no idea why or how this happened, how it's theoretically even possi8le, or why we should actually care.

VRISKA: The fact of the matter is, it happened, and now we have to deal with this hideous rain8ow-eyed monstrosity.

VRISKA: Given what I have learned a8out Lord English's a8ilities, this will make his attacks quite lethal, and he will 8e EXTREMELY difficult to kill.

VRISKA: In fact, that fucking rain8ow energy might just give him the highest constitution ranking of any adversary, possi8ly making him the toughest one here to actually kill off.

VRISKA: The only reason he's not at Dog Tier threat level is 8ecause, for all his power, at least it's localized to wherever he happens to 8e.

VRISKA: He's a8out as slow as any of us lowly non-omnipotents.

VRISKA: He's not quite as relevant to keep occupied, or even to defeat, as the Condesce herself.

VRISKA: 8ut he's still going to 8e HUGE TROU8LE when he gets here.

VRISKA: You're going to need to stick some really good fighters on him.

VRISKA: My advice is also to SERIOUSLY prepare for casualties during that fight.

VRISKA: As the group's chief healer, Jane is going to need rapid access to the multiple fronts of this 8attle.

VRISKA: More on that l8ter.

VRISKA: That 8rings us to Ro8o Jack.

VRISKA: He's the Jack origin8ting from our session.

VRISKA: Remem8er him, Karkat?

VRISKA: We hatched a plan with him to take down the 8lack queen. Seems like so long ago, doesn't it?

VRISKA: Now apparently he's got some cy8ernetic upgrades?

VRISKA: Who the fuck knows how that happened, or for that matter, why or how he's on his way here now.

VRISKA: My mind 8oggles trying to even picture the amount of stupid shit he's 8een through 8etween now and when we knew him.

VRISKA: Put this on the ever lengthening list of gar8age that doesn't matter and no8ody cares a8out.

VRISKA: The fact is, we have no idea what his affili8tions are at this point, 8ut like I'm always saying...

VRISKA: 8est to just plan for the worst, and assume this is just another scru8 we've gotta kill.

VRISKA: He's the lowest on the threat level, though his various enhancements and accessories may pose more of a challenge than we 8argained for.

VRISKA: He's also traveling with a juju known for its high storage capacity, so he's possi8ly packing company.

VRISKA: May8e a LOT of company...

VRISKA: I won't get into that now though.

VRISKA: You're going to need to reserve a squad for dealing with this guy and whoever he's 8rought along for the ride.

VRISKA: It's a lesser priority, so I'd recommend an ensem8le of third-stringers.

VRISKA: No offense to whoever those 8rave souls may 8e!

VRISKA: Every lamewad has their place in an epic 8attle, and everyone's effort counts.

VRISKA: Eg8ert-looking kid, I'm looking at you.

JAKE: !

VRISKA: Possi8ly you too, Tavros.

VRISKA: May8e.

TAVROSPRITE: ,!

VRISKA: That covers the overall tactical situ8tion!

VRISKA: Gr8 jo8, Karkat.

VRISKA: Really, just an all around gr8, gr8 jo8. I mean that.

KARKAT: THANK YOU.

VRISKA: Now, listen...

VRISKA: We've got to keep these 8attles spread out across the session so you all don't start tripping on each other's toes, turning this into more of a clusterfuck than it already is.

VRISKA: That means you need to st8tion teams ready to intercept the Jacks wherever they're coming from.

VRISKA: You also need to launch your lightning-strike raid on the Condesce 8efore any of them get here.

VRISKA: As for your party's healer, like I said, she'll need to 8e highly mo8ile.

VRISKA: So what you'll need to do is lay out a network of key portals and transporters so she can make the rounds, and 8e in tight communic8tion with her.

VRISKA: One of you less relevant, more mo8ile folks should get on that now.

VRISKA: See? Scatter window portals like these around the various 8attle sites.

ROXY: yo did you loot my house or something...

VRISKA: Please don't interrupt.

VRISKA: Transportalizers will work too, if you can get them all hooked up right.

VRISKA: This is definitely 8usywork, 8ut it's also really important. So we need someone competent in charge of this.

ROSESPRITE: I think I can handle that.

VRISKA: Yeah?

ROSESPRITE: Yes.

ROSESPRITE: I'm quite mobile in this new form.

ROSESPRITE: Also I think my abilities will help with forecasting the optimal network to lay out, along with helping Jane coordinate her routes during battle.

ROSESPRITE: Plus, I have to admit.

ROSESPRITE: I kind of relish the idea of being a "less relevant" party member.

ROSESPRITE: Particularly since I think it is inherently true now.

VRISKA: Ok, Rose... um. Rosesprite?

VRISKA: That's gr8. You can volunteer for that jo8 if you want.

VRISKA: 8ut let's not get ahead of ourselves!

VRISKA: We'll 8e divvying up the roles momentarily.

VRISKA: 8ut, cool. We have you down for that. Again, it's critical.

VRISKA: The whole party will need to defend Crocker's life at all costs.

VRISKA: She CAN'T get sucked into any com8at!!!

VRISKA: If she dies, you could all 8e fucked.

VRISKA: 8e sure to fill her in on the logistics whenever Arquius has finished deprogramming her.

VRISKA: Everyone got it?

VRISKA: Awesome.

VRISKA: Since that pretty thoroughly covers the full tactical situ8tion, we can move on to the real strategizing.

VRISKA: NOW we can assign com8at roles. ::::)

JOHN: vriska, wait.

VRISKA: ????????

JOHN: before you go on, i just wanted to say...

JOHN: i'm really impressed with your strategic analysis so far!

JOHN: you really seem to be all over this. i wouldn't even know where to begin figuring all this stuff out.

JOHN: anyway, i'm glad we have you back on our side!

VRISKA: Aww, thanks John!

JOHN: just thought i'd say!

JOHN: i didn't want you to go through all this stuff for us, thinking it was going unappreciated.

JOHN: anyway, please continue!

VRISKA: You got it!

VRISKA: Now it's time to divide everyone into teams.

VRISKA: Let's go down the list of foes again, and assign party mem8ers to each 8attle.

VRISKA: Once again, starting from the top...

VRISKA: The Condesce.

VRISKA: We'll need a team to raid Derse again, 8ut this time for all the mar8les.

VRISKA: And remem8er, the raid has to start 8EFORE the rest of the action, to keep her from getting the upper hand.

VRISKA: And the party has to 8e at LEAST good enough to if not defeat her, keep her 8usy for a long time.

VRISKA: So who wants a piece of the sea witch?

ROXY: ME ROSE: ME.

VRISKA: Alright, I've got two takers from the Lalonde camp.

VRISKA: We'll need more though. Who else?

JOHN: i'll go!

VRISKA: You sure, John?

JOHN: i think so.

JOHN: from what you said, it sounds like this is the most important battle.

JOHN: if we don't keep her busy, everything could get messed up.

JOHN: i think i'd be good at that! i can use all my windy powers for distractions and such.

VRISKA: Ok. You're with the Lalondes then.

VRISKA: Make it count!

KANAYA: I May As Well Go Too

KANAYA: It Would Be A Shame If The Party Defeating The Woman Who Terrorized Our Planet For Ages Had No Representation From Our Species

VRISKA: Shame or not, I'm afraid that won't work Kanaya.

KANAYA: Why Not

VRISKA: You can't join their party. Well, not yet at least.

VRISKA: There's another critical role which you specifically need to play first.

VRISKA: We can't risk losing you in 8attle until it's complete.

KANAYA: What Is It

VRISKA: I'll explain l8ter! After the teams are set.

VRISKA: Ok, let's say Team Condesce is good enough for now, with John, Rose and Roxy.

VRISKA: Next foe: Dog Jack.

VRISKA: Like I said, we're 8anking on the prospitian keeping him 8usy, so he's not an immedi8te 8attle priority.

VRISKA: We won't design8 a team for him right now.

VRISKA: 8UT, as I mentioned, in the event Jade wakes up for some reason, she should 8e reserved exclusively for this fight.

VRISKA: That means someone needs to tell her, if not in person, then some other way.

VRISKA: Perhaps leave a reminder for her. May8e tied to her finger or something. :::;)

VRISKA: Others can join the fight against him if need 8e, once their targets have 8een dealt with.

VRISKA: Until then, 8etter to let the heavy hitters keep him in check.

VRISKA: Next: Lord Jack.

VRISKA: Who wants di8s on this guy?

DAVE: i guess thats me

VRISKA: Ok, Dave.

DAVE: there are all these rumors swirling around that ive gotta beat LE anyway

DAVE: which is probably bogus but w/e

DAVE: killing this guy at least would be the next best thing right

DAVE: so maybe if i do that i could like

DAVE: put the "prophecy" to rest

VRISKA: That logic sounds reasona8le to me.

VRISKA: For what it's worth, I never 8ought into the idea that you were supposed to 8e the one to kill English anyway.

VRISKA: So that's one down. Who else?

TEREZI: OK, WHY NOT

VRISKA: You sure, Terezi?

VRISKA: You're not immortal, remem8er. And this one's going to 8e tough.

TEREZI: YOU S41D W3 N33D GOOD F1GHT3RS TO GO 4T TH1S GUY

TEREZI: 4ND 1 TH1NK 1'M PR3TTY D3C3NT

TEREZI: 4T L34ST 4T ST4BB1NG TH1NGS

TEREZI: SO 1'LL GO

TEREZI: B3S1D3S...

TEREZI: *SOM3ON3* H4S TO W1TN3SS D4V3'S H3RO1SM, 1F H3 W4NTS TO B3 L3T OFF TH3 HOOK FOR TH4T PROPH3CY >:]

VRISKA: Hey, it's your decision!

VRISKA: Anyone else?

TEREZI: WH4T 4BOUT D4V3'S BRO?

TEREZI: 1 H34RD H3'S SUPPOS3D TO B3 HOT SH1T

DAVE: um

DAVE: yeah sure

DAVE: thats fine if uh

DAVE: youre comfortable volunteering someone who isnt here for a deadly battle

DAVE: its cool if you want to do that

VRISKA: Dave, come on.

VRISKA: As if it's not extremely likely he'd seek you out upon getting here anyway.

VRISKA: Why don't we just pencil him into the team as "Pro8a8ly"?

DAVE: ...........

VRISKA: Just 8e sure to de8rief him on the whole situation when he gets here.

VRISKA: Think you can handle that, Dave?

VRISKA: Ok, gr8!

VRISKA: Which reminds me...

VRISKA: What a8out you, Arquius?

VRISKA: How do you want to fit into this?

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I haven't decided yet

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I'm going to crunch some more numbers in the vast combat matri% I just compiled now, in the microblink of a nanosecond, to deduce the optimal strategic appropriation of my assets (i.e. muscles)

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> Joining Real Dave in battle is semitempting, but I do not wish to horn in on Real Dirk's shit

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> Instead I would prefer to blaze my own trail, with my own hooves

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I always wanted to do something really important and heroic

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I mean, aside from all the other stuff I have done like that, which is quite a lot

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> But something quite grandiose, and perfectly unmistakable as a gesture turning the tide of fortune for all of e%istence

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> This is what I have always desired

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> Well, that is to say, both halves of me once had such an ambivalent desire, which was compromised by our respective internalized confli%

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> But together, that desire is fully realized. No longer ambivalent

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> Neigh, it is now fully bivalent. Perhaps even univalent

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> I would like my gesture to shock everyone

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> It must come from out of the b100, make virtually no sense, stun all involved, and have a lasting, profoundly unintelligible impact an all future and pseudofuture events

VRISKA:

ARQUIUSPRITE: 🕶️--> Does this answer your question

VRISKA: Oh!

VRISKA: Sorry, I was just temporarily mesmerized 8y your incredi8le spiel.

VRISKA: Needless to say, I a8solutely agree with your philosophy on heroic action and wanting to do something important.

VRISKA: In any case, you've earned the right to do whatever the fuck you want, just 8y dint of 8eing awesome.

VRISKA: End of story!

VRISKA: Ok, next...

VRISKA: We'll need to design8 a team for Ro8o Jack and his... entourage.

VRISKA: Alright, full disclosure. This is where things get kind of stupid.

VRISKA: Even talking a8out this guy and his crew is pro8a8ly a waste of good tactical analysis.

VRISKA: 8ut the fact is, he's going to 8e here, and you're going to have to deal with his 8ullshit.

VRISKA: I strongly recommend the dregs of your party get stuck with mop-up duty on this.

VRISKA: Really, I'm kind of laughing already. Oh man.

VRISKA: I really don't want to spoil too much fun for you guys, 8ut.

VRISKA: No, I shouldn't.

JOHN: what?

VRISKA: Ok, intelligence reports I have gathered, namely through a 8it of time hopping reconnaissance, suggests that Ro8o Jack may, I repeat MAY, 8e in transit with a 8unch of green time traveling idiots in that oven.

VRISKA: Don't quote me on that.

VRISKA: Anyway, if true, none of these 8ozos are particularly powerful.

VRISKA: They'll mainly just 8e a nuisance.

VRISKA: So who wants to deal with them? Hmmmmmmmm?

VRISKA: Hey kid.

VRISKA: Kid!

VRISKA: Yes, I'm talking to you again.

VRISKA: God damn it, what was his name again?

VRISKA: Joke?

TAVROSPRITE: vRISKA, sTOP,

TAVROSPRITE: iT'S JAPE, aND YOU KNOW IT,

VRISKA: Listen, Joke.

VRISKA: Joke! Snap OUT of it! I'm talking to you.

JAKE: Oh sorry.

VRISKA: This is a strategy session, Joke. Please stay alert.

VRISKA: Now do you think you can handle 8eing on this team?

JAKE: Um...

VRISKA: Awesome. That's the spirit.

VRISKA: This assignment should 8e right up your alley, kid.

VRISKA: Who else?

TAVROSPRITE: mE, i'LL DO IT,

VRISKA: Thanks for volunteering Tavros.

VRISKA: This fight is pretty well suited to your skillset too.

VRISKA: And you can join Joke here to help him get ready, 8ut there's one thing I need you to do 8efore the 8attle starts.

TAVROSPRITE: oH, rEALLY,

TAVROSPRITE: wHAT,

VRISKA: I'll explain to you l8ter in priv8. 8ut it's critical, and something only you can do.

TAVROSPRITE: oHHH!

TAVROSPRITE: tHAT MAKES ME, tHE FUNNY FEELINGS COMBINATION, oF SKEPTICAL, nERVOUS, aND EXCITED,

VRISKA: Good!

VRISKA: That's exactly how you should 8e feeling a8out it, trust me.

VRISKA: So anyone else want to step forward??

KARKAT: ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME NOW.

VRISKA: Come again?

KARKAT: WELL, LET'S SEE IF I'M TALLYING THIS UP RIGHT.

KARKAT: JOHN AND LALONDES ONE AND TWO ARE ON TEAM CONDESCE.

KARKAT: THE STRIDER BROS AND PYROPE ARE ON THE LORD TEAM.

KARKAT: JADE, WHEN NOT ON NAP DUTY, IS ON THE DOG TEAM, EXCLUSIVELY.

KARKAT: THE MAYOR ISN'T DOING SHIT, BECAUSE I AM *PERSONALLY* SEEING TO IT THAT NOT A SINGLE POST-APOCALYPTIC TATTER ON HIS HEAD GETS HARMED.

KARKAT: CROCKER IS ON HEALING DETAIL, AND LALONDE THREE VOLUNTEERED TO SUPPORT THAT.

KARKAT: KANAYA HAS SOME VAGUE YET TO BE EXPLAINED MISSION TO DO, AND SO DOES TAVROS.

KARKAT: AND JOKE HERE JUST GOT SHUNTED OFF TO THE PEEWEE LEAGUE.

KARKAT: SO WHO THE FUCK IS EVEN LEFT, ASIDE FROM ME???

KARKAT: AND THE FUCKING CAT I GUESS.

KARKAT: ARE YOU SURE WE SHOULDN'T PICK A ROLE FOR ROSE'S FUCKING CAT LUSUS BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE *ABSOLUTE* BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS "THE VANTAS ZONE"?

VRISKA: Oh, gr8 point Karkat!

VRISKA: Hey there, kitty.

JASPERSPRITE: MEOW!!!!!

VRISKA: What would you like to do?

JASPERSPRITE: I would like to eat some tuna fish and cuddle with either rose or roxy or both! :3

VRISKA: Awwwwwwww!

VRISKA: Ok, that can 8e your very important jo8. Don't let us down!

JASPERSPRITE: Purr purr purr. ;3

KARKAT: THANK GOD WE SORTED THAT OUT.

KARKAT: NOW THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED THE KITTY CAT IS HEADING UP THE FISH EATING OPERATION, I THINK WE CAN SAFELY PROCEED TO THE RUNG OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE DIRECTLY BELOW THAT.

KARKAT: THE INFAMOUS "WHAT IS KARKAT GOING TO DO?" RUNG.

KARKAT: AND SINCE EVERYONE ELSE HAS A JOB, AND MY SKILLS ARE RELATIVELY UNIMPRESSIVE, I'LL HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR TEAM DIPSHIT TOO.

KARKAT: HELL, EVEN THE KID IN THE BANANA HAMMOCK IS A GOD TIER AT LEAST.

KARKAT: SO I GUESS THAT MEANS I'LL BE TAKING ORDERS FROM HIM? SURE WHY NOT!

KARKAT: SECOND IN COMMAND TO A THIRD RATE HERO. SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT TO ME.

VRISKA: Karkat, yes, you're a8solutely right that you 8asically suck, and that as a tactical resource you should 8e managed accordingly.

VRISKA: 8ut you aren't joining Joke's team, or doing any fighting for that matter.

VRISKA: Like Kanaya, there's another more pressing matter reserved for you.

VRISKA: In fact, it's the same as hers!

KARKAT: WHAT THE FUCK?

KARKAT: WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME THIS!

VRISKA: Karkat, I already alluded to this when you waltzed over, interrupted my conversation with Kanaya, and pretended you weren't flirting with me.

VRISKA: Remem8er?

KARKAT: OH. RIGHT.

KARKAT: WELL?? WHAT'S THIS "PRESSING MATTER"?

VRISKA: I'm getting to that!

VRISKA: Very soon, in fact. I just needed to get the teams squared away first.

KARKAT: OK WELL...

KARKAT: ARE THEY?!

VRISKA: Looks like it!

KARKAT: SO THAT MEANS JOKE...

KARKAT: FUCK. *JAKE* I MEAN.

KARKAT: REALLY IS A ONE MAN TEAM, DESIGNATED FOR ROBO JACK AND HIS OVEN BOZOS???

VRISKA: Apparently.

VRISKA: You ok with that, kid?

JAKE: UM................

VRISKA: You can do it.

VRISKA: Just 8elieve in yourself, or whatever the fuck.

VRISKA: When in dou8t, just remind yourself that 8attle isn't even particularly important.

VRISKA: And help could 8e on the way once some of the other 8attles start coming to some sort of resolution.

VRISKA: Just hang in there!

JAKE: O... okay.

VRISKA: Excellent!

VRISKA: That concludes the tactical planning part of this de8riefing.

VRISKA: It's all perfectly logical, right?

VRISKA: No questions or anything? Cool.

VRISKA: Really, I shudder to think what you num8skulls would 8e doing if I weren't around, like John just implied with his nice remarks.

VRISKA: He really did you all the 8iggest fucking favor in the history of time shenanigans 8y clo88ering me in the face three years ago.

VRISKA: You should all make him a gift 8asket when this is over to show your gratitude.

VRISKA: No need to thank me of course. I'm just doing my jo8 here. ::::)

VRISKA: Now!

VRISKA: Let's go over some really 8asic non-com8at endgame stuff, then we'll 8e ready to 8r8k.

VRISKA: First, a8out Kanaya and Karkat's "mission" I alluded to a minute ago. This is really important.

VRISKA: You 8oth listening??

KANAYA: Yes

KARKAT: NO.

VRISKA: Ok, well one out of two isn't 8ad. As long as Kanaya understands, that's mainly what matters, since she's the more important part of this equ8tion.

KARKAT: WOW, I'M FUCKING SHOCKED!

KARKAT: WHAT DO WE, OR, EXCUSE ME... WHAT DOES *SHE* HAVE TO DO?

VRISKA: You 8OTH have to go to Jade's planet and see Echidna.

VRISKA: Even though this session is a8out as far from "normal" as it can possi8ly get, the same 8asic rules apply.

VRISKA: Someone needs to seek an audience with her, and get her to agree to release the genesis frog.

VRISKA: Or, the tadpole that grows up to 8ecome the frog, which is the stage of development he's in at this point.

VRISKA: Remem8er, Kanaya? You had to do this on your planet, to get our frog released into Skaia.

KANAYA: Yeah

KANAYA: She Asked Me To Do Something Impossible

KANAYA: To Which I Replied

KANAYA: Thats Impossible

KANAYA: So She Ended Up Demanding That I Fight Her

KANAYA: So I Did

KANAYA: Which

KANAYA: Made Me Feel Sad

KANAYA: Id Rather Not Have To Do That Again

KANAYA: Will I Have To Do That Again

VRISKA: If that's what she wants, then yes.

KANAYA: Why Does It Have To Be Me Though

VRISKA: 8ecause SOMEONE has to!

VRISKA: Sources tell me this is the plan the Condesce had for you, 8efore we derailed all her shit.

KANAYA: You Keep Talking About All These Sources

KANAYA: Who Are All These Sources

KANAYA: Did Arquius Tell You This Too

VRISKA: No! Look, I've 8een 8usy, ok?

VRISKA: Inform8tion is everywhere if you know where to look.

VRISKA: Derse has a lot of agents on the inside who are wise to the old lady's plans.

VRISKA: Shaking the 8ushes for good intel isn't that complic8ted, it just takes a little effort!

VRISKA: Some people on this lily pad should may8e try looking into that some time.

KANAYA: If You Say So

VRISKA: Would you just can...

VRISKA: Would you just put a LID on it for a second, and listen?

VRISKA: Normally Jade would 8e the one to do this, 8ut at the time, Jade had 8ecome corrupted, so I guess Echidna wouldn't deal with her.

VRISKA: And now, Jade's asleep! Which is exactly how she needs to stay.

VRISKA: So that leaves the person Echidna requested in Jade's a8sence, which is you.

VRISKA: I am assuming 8ecause you were also a space player, so you'll 8e a8le to understand her gar8led nonsense language.

VRISKA: 8ut that's not all there is to it. She also requested you 8ring Karkat.

KARKAT: UGH.

KARKAT: WHY THE HELL WOULD SHE WANT TO SEE ME?

VRISKA: No idea!

VRISKA: Denizens are mysteeeeeeeerious.

VRISKA: May8e she wants a knight along? Or a 8lood player?

VRISKA: Or may8e she just has a 8one to pick with you in particular.

VRISKA: You know, since you and Kanaya were 8oth involved in the frog 8reeding stuff in our session, and, let's face it.

VRISKA: You kind of messed that up! You were pretty hasty and reckless a8out it, and the result was a defective frog.

VRISKA: Sure, there's more to it than that. Like pro8lems with the human session that were totally interrel8ted with ours due to cyclical time gar8age, 8ut you get the point.

VRISKA: Echidna pro8a8ly doesn't take kindly to people who are cavalier with the sacred frog duties. That's kind of her domain, like, the propag8tion of existence and all that.

VRISKA: So may8e you've got some stuff to atone for 8efore she agrees to let another precious frog out of her divine custody?

KARKAT: YOU'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE, AREN'T YOU.

KARKAT: TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT SOME ANCIENT HISTORY, SO I'LL BE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS ENCOUNTER.

KARKAT: WELL I'LL SPARE YOU THE TROUBLE. I'M ALREADY NERVOUS! I DON'T WANT TO GO PROSTRATE MYSELF BEFORE A BABBLING SNAKE GODDESS EVEN UNDER IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

VRISKA: Karkat, relax.

VRISKA: I am guessing this will just 8e a sort of formality.

VRISKA: That's how things always struck me with her, like... getting the 8lessing from a queen, or some huge mythical matriarch 8efore proceeding with some incredi8ly important event, or claiming a cosmic reward.

VRISKA: Or may8e you'll have to just kill her again? I don't see what difference it makes.

VRISKA: Really, who knows what her real purposes are? They're pro8a8ly totally unfathoma8le.

VRISKA: Echidna is kind of a 8ig Deal Denizen. One of the real heavy hitters, like that other guy... the really strong one with the ridiculous name.

VRISKA: She might even 8e the 8iggest deal. She's the mother of all denizens. I mean, not in a literal sense. Like, I really dou8t she physically spawned them all.

VRISKA: So if she wants you to do something, it's serious. And if you need to do something of massive cosmic significance, like release a frog that contains an entire universe in its 8elly, then 8y the same token, it has to go through her.

VRISKA: The other denizens are a 8unch of petty grum8ling riddle-merchants 8y comparison.

VRISKA: You should feel honored she even wants to see you.

KARKAT: HOW ARE WE EVEN SURE SHE HAS A FROG TO RELEASE??

KARKAT: WHO MADE THIS FROG? THE JOKERS FROM THIS SESSION?

KARKAT: I THOUGHT THEY SPENT MONTHS DOING NOTHING.

VRISKA: It's the same frog Jade made!

VRISKA: With Kanaya's help, remem8er?

VRISKA: Hell, you may have even 8een involved in that process too. I don't recall every single detail.

VRISKA: 8ut it fell in the forge on Jade's planet 8ack in the old session, and now Jade's planet is here.

VRISKA: Hence, the frog is here too. It's just 8een... let's say hi8ern8ting inside the planet for a few years.

VRISKA: Echidna kept it warm for us until we were ready. Which is now!

KARKAT: OK. YEAH, I REMEMBER NOW.

KARKAT: SO THE CONDESCE WAS GOING TO MAKE US DO THIS ORIGINALLY? WHY??

VRISKA: 8ecause her goal was pretty much the same as ours!

VRISKA: To win this game and cre8 a universe.

VRISKA: The 8attle taking place here isn't over WHETHER one will 8e created.

VRISKA: It's over who gets to control it when it's made.

VRISKA: Ideally, that should 8e us, rather than a genocidal fish dict8tor.

VRISKA: In fact, we don't want ANYONE to "control" it.

VRISKA: No8ody should control a universe. That's what 8ad guys try to do.

VRISKA: We just want it to 8e a nice place to live, and free of any controlling influence that will make life misera8le for the people who live there.

VRISKA: Having an attitude a8out the Ultim8 Reward that differs from that in any way was just ANOTHER thing we fucked up the first time around.

VRISKA: So let's just 8e clear on what we're fighting for here.

VRISKA: Got it?!

KARKAT: ...

KARKAT: YEAH

KARKAT: YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT.

VRISKA: Next item:

VRISKA: Earth!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: When you enter the new universe, you're going to need a planet to live on.

VRISKA: Why not just resettle the one you all grew up on?

VRISKA: The Condesce kind of fucked it up though.

VRISKA: In your scratched universe, she spent a few centuries getting it ready for a new troll "paradise".

VRISKA: She flooded the whole thing. So when you get there, you'll need to skip ahead to some time far in the future, when the oceans have receded.

VRISKA: Should 8e liva8le 8y then. Hell, it may even 8e a pretty nice place!

VRISKA: Here John. Take this.

VRISKA: When the 8attle is over, make sure you give it to Jade.

JOHN: what is it?

VRISKA: It's Earth!

VRISKA: Remem8er how three years ago you told Terezi we needed your wallet, 8ut you didn't have it?

VRISKA: Well in the time since, we talked a8out it a lot, and figured this was most likely the reason she told you to give it to us.

VRISKA: It wasn't a 8ig deal, actually.

VRISKA: We spent some time deciphering the code for your wallet. It took a little while, and a few lucky guesses on the code digits, 8ut we eventually got there.

VRISKA: Then I just used it to upgrade my much cooler 8 8all modus.

JOHN: you hacked my dad's wallet??

VRISKA: Sure. Like I said, we had some time on our hands.

VRISKA: It is after all just a fucking wallet. It's not like it's some legendary item he got on some mythical dad quest.

VRISKA: I mean, he did 8UY the thing somewhere, right?

JOHN: um. yeah, i guess so.

JOHN: i dunno.

JOHN: i still think it's a pretty special thing.

VRISKA: Nope!

VRISKA: Sorry to 8e the 8earer of 8ad news. It is literally... just a wallet.

VRISKA: Anyway.

VRISKA: Then, 8efore I did the scouting work on this session, I rode the meteor through the g8, watched it crash on Earth, then just captchalogued the whole damn thing and got out of there.

VRISKA: No sweat!

VRISKA: Presuma8ly like Grim8ark Jade was supposed to, if she wasn't asleep.

VRISKA: Again, it was a pretty good plan, she just never saw me coming.

VRISKA: Sorry Condy, if you want your waterlogged little glo8e 8ack, you'll have to pry it from John's dead hands now.

JOHN: er.

JOHN: ...yeah.

VRISKA: Those are the important things to remem8er.

VRISKA: 8ut don't forget the 8asics.

VRISKA: Remem8er to finish 8uilding up your hives as far as they'll go.

VRISKA: Then deploy the grist rigs which will disperse your planets' hoards into Skaia, giving it the nutrients it needs to mature the frog.

VRISKA: This is Sgru8 101 stuff, 8ut I guess it 8ears repeating since most of you have never actually made it this far.

VRISKA: When the hoards are empty and Skaia is ready, then all you have to do is make sure someone's in position to ignite the forge.

VRISKA: Then everyone rendezvous right 8ack here on the lily pad to claim the Ultim8 Reward.

VRISKA: Which is represented 8y the hive shape thingy with a door on it that leads to the new universe.

VRISKA: Any questions 8efore we kick this into action?

JOHN: yes, i have one.

JOHN: vriska, what's YOUR part in all this, aside from making all these air tight plans?

JOHN: you've been making it sound like you won't be here when all this happens!

VRISKA: Of course I won't.

VRISKA: I'll 8e off doing something much more important than all this.

VRISKA: I'm traveling to the furthest ring to go kill Lord English.

JOHN: WHAT??

JOHN: wow.

JOHN: isn't that going to be, uh...

JOHN: hard?

VRISKA: Of course it will 8e.

JOHN: are you sure you can even...

JOHN: DO that?

JOHN: like, by yourself, i mean.

VRISKA: John, I'm not an idiot. I won't 8e diving into this 8lindly.

VRISKA: See, somewhere out there in the incomprehensi8le causal-stew of the furthest ring, there was once a plan that was coming together to defeat him once and for all.

VRISKA: It involved a secret weapon, an army, and all sorts of other shenanigans.

JOHN: yeah, this...

JOHN: sounds weirdly familiar.

VRISKA: Oh, I'm sure it does.

VRISKA: 8ut the point is, along the way, that plan stalled out.

VRISKA: It went nowhere 8ecause the party involved disintegr8ted and lost their way.

VRISKA: So someone needs to light a fire under that shit again, and I don't see anyone else stepping forward.

JOHN: how are you going to do that?

VRISKA: Let me worry a8out that.

VRISKA: You have your hands full enough as it is.

JOHN: so, is...

JOHN: is that it?

JOHN: is that the end of this cool strategy jam, slash fun reunion?

VRISKA: That's it!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: That's the whole situ8tion, my whole plan, and everything you need to do.

VRISKA: Good luck everyone!

TEREZI: *HUM4N "GOLF" CL4P*

VRISKA: Thanks, Pyrope!

KARKAT: ALRIGHT, SO WHAT NOW?

KARKAT: KANAYA, I GUESS WE HEAD TO, WHAT WAS IT?

KARKAT: LOJADE?

KARKAT: LIKE RIGHT NOW? SINCE I GUESS THE CLOCK IS TICKING.

KANAYA: Lofaf

KANAYA: And Yes

JOHN: right. and we're supposed to go after the condensce really soon, too. right?

ROSE: Condesce.

ROSE: And yes.

JOHN: but not like... RIGHT away? there are still a couple hours for us to prepare.

JOHN: which we should use! to come up with a fighting strategy.

ROXY: yeah!!!

JOHN: i wish jade and nanna could be awake for this.

JOHN: i really want to talk to them, and let them in on all the cool stuff we're about to do.

JOHN: i guess they have to stay asleep for a while, though. oh well.

JOHN: hey, jake!

JAKE: Huh?

JOHN: want to come make plans with us?

JOHN: we can help you figure out how to deal with robot jack, and whatever hooligans he is bringing!

JAKE: Oh!

JAKE: Yes.

JAKE: Thanks john.

JAKE: May... maybe.

JOHN: ok!

TEREZI: H3Y D4V3

TEREZI: W3 SHOULD PROB4BLY WORK OUT 4 F1GHT1NG STR4T3GY TOO

TEREZI: S1NC3 1T SOUNDS L1K3 W3'V3 GOT 4 R34L N4STY ON3 TO D34L W1TH >:]

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: but

TEREZI: WH4T

DAVE: dunno

DAVE: it feels weird to make some battleplans when one of our team members still isnt here

TEREZI: W3LL, 1 TH1NK W3 C4N 4T L34ST OUTL1N3 TH3 STR4T3GY, R1GHT?

TEREZI: F1GUR3 OUT HOW W3'LL 4PPRO4CH 4 V1LL41N W1TH H1S P4RT1CUL4R STR3NGTHS 4ND W34KN3SS3S

TEREZI: 4ND 4SSUM3 OUR TH1RD M3MB3R W1LL B3 R34DY TO F1GHT 1F W3 T3LL H1M TO

DAVE: yeah you know im sure if teen hardass strider shows up with his sword and shades and shit and we say

DAVE: hey dude look bad guy go kill

DAVE: im sure the guy will be more than willing to oblige

DAVE: its just

DAVE: man

TEREZI: WH4T!

DAVE: it feels wrong

DAVE: planning "around" him

DAVE: like hes a weird hypothetical battle mannequin

TEREZI: FROM TH3 TH1NGS 1 H4V3 H34RD 4BOUT H1M, FROM YOUR OWN P3RSON4L MOUTH

TEREZI: TH4T 4CTU4LLY SOUNDS L1K3 4 PR3TTY 4PT D3SCR1PT1ON TO M3

DAVE: no!

DAVE: its

DAVE: its more complicated than that

DAVE: and im supposed to...

DAVE: be getting ready for this huge deadly battle which is SO much more intense than anything i ever did

DAVE: even like 3 years ago back when i was actually doing adventure shit instead of watching dane cook movies

DAVE: and somehow be all geared up for that

DAVE: AND meet my teen bro for the first time

DAVE: and say oh there you are thats cool

DAVE: lets fight this random nigh indestructible asshole

DAVE: and then

DAVE: hug bump or something?

DAVE: how do i deal with all this

DAVE: i think i could end up getting us all killed and none of you are taking this seriously

VRISKA: Ok Strider, I've heard enough.

DAVE: ??

VRISKA: I have 8een more than patient, and more than accommod8ting.

VRISKA: 8ut your hangups regarding your ancestor are starting to 8order on pathetic.

KARKAT: HEY!

KARKAT: WHY DON'T YOU CAN IT.

VRISKA: Karkat, stay out of this.

KARKAT: NO, I WON'T.

KARKAT: NOT IF YOU ARE GOING TO START TRASHING PEOPLE WITH RESPECT TO THEIR SENSITIVE ISSUES IN A MANNER THAT IS *WAY* OVER THE LINE AS FAR AS THE BASIC GROUND RULES OF GOOD NATURED SHIT TALKING GOES, GROUND RULES ON WHICH I *HAPPEN* TO BE AN EXPERT.

KARKAT: EITHER MAKE SURE YOUR TRASH MOUTHED INVECTIVE IS CRITICALLY CONSTRUCTIVE, OR SHUT UP!

VRISKA: Who said I wasn't 8eing constructive?!

VRISKA: God.

VRISKA: I cut him all the slack in the world on this, 8ut I can see it isn't doing him, or any of us, any good at all.

VRISKA: I can see I'm going to have to expedite matters.

VRISKA: Go figure. Leave it all to Vriska, ONCE AGAIN.

DAVE: what

DAVE: what the fuck are you even going to do

VRISKA: I told you.

VRISKA: I'm expediting matters.

[captainmaplesblog]

Life of Lea Volume 1 Chapter 18: Epilogue: Hotel service with the side of magic

As everyone was mostly done eating their eggs, bacon, hash browns & pancakes, Daisy cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention as she was going to announce something to them.

“Being that there aren’t many rooms in the main house, for the time being, all of you will have to stay at the resort on the condition you work at the hotel’s restaurant” Daisy proclaims. 

“Well being that Sergean has our magic clones in our dimension for the time being, it would work fine with us, but also we don’t want to take advantage of your kindness, Staying at a resort is not cheap either, so who will do what at the restaurant” Mom replies with a smile.

“Well as the second assistant to Lady Gwendolyn, I will have that all taken care of and sorted out, just be sure to wake up at 6 a.m. for the 8 a.m. shift” Daisy explains. 

“Oh…wonderful my first ever job,” Lea thought to herself in reluctance. 

“Will we have roommates to help split the payment?” Lea asks curiously.

“Huh that’s a good idea, Lea, let’s do that” Dad exclaims.

“Rock, papers, and scissors again” Alyssa suggests before taking a sip of her orange juice. 

 “Sure, why not?” Cloud replies excitedly.

Everyone then split up into pairs before battling each other. While they battled, Daisy summoned a purple notepad and pencil to keep track of the battles. 

“First, Lea vs. Cloud, Lea wins, Vanessa vs. Sergean, Sergean wins, BJ vs. Elizabeth, BJ wins, Nick vs. Lea, Lea wins, Sergean vs. Noemi, Sergean wins, Mimi vs. Cloud, Mimi wins, Michael vs. Ellen, Ellen wins, Alyssa vs. Nancy, Nancy wins,” Daisy wrote down.

“Quick question, What’s the point of playing the game if the couples will be sharing the rooms?” Edward points out. 

“Ah, well that only removes 4 out of the 13 of us, for one thing,” Daisy exclaims.

“True but wouldn’t it make sense to not change who rooms with whom since they started their journey?” Edward adds.

“Well only the couples shared rooms while the rest had their rooms up until now” Lea replies awkwardly as she realizes who she may have to share a room let alone bed with for 4 months.

“Sounds like you have an idea on who should bunk with who” Mom exclaims as she looks at Edward.

“Yes I do, Noemi, Michael, Cloud & Alyssa in rooms 308 & 309, then Ellen, Nancy, and BJ in room 310, Mimi & Nick in room 311, Vanessa, Elizabeth, Lea, and Sergean in rooms 312 & 313” Edward replied proudly like he did something smart.

“Huh alright then, are you all ok with Edward’s idea?” Daisy exclaims as she de-summons her notepad and pencil.

“Sounds fair to me” Mom replies before turning to look at the others, “What about the rest of you?” Mom adds. 

Everyone nods in agreement as Lea sighs in relief and thinks, “I’ll just share a bed with Vanessa.”

“Those I grouped up, I want to let you know that the rooms are all jointed up rooms like dorm rooms,” Edward says with a smug smile.

 “Oh that’s fine as long as we are all on the same floor” Mom replies happily.

“Wonderful now that this is all settled, I’ll get the room keys for all of you “ Daisy exclaims before making her way to the resort. 

After Daisy left, Sergean went around talking to the others. Lea got comfortable on the living room couch as she got out her sketchbook from her backpack as well as her pencil case. She then goes to the page where she had the map that was made at Lady Georgia’s as she was going to add Lady Gwendolyn’s house and the resort. She paused as she wondered what the resort was called.

“Hey Edward, out of curiosity, what’s the name of the resort?” Lea asked. 

“Oh it’s called the Iceberg, Why?” Edward replied curiously.

“Drawing it on the map of our journey so far,” Lea says as she shows it to him.

“Oh…you even have the sightings of the missing here” Edward exclaims as his attitude softens.

Lea blinks a bit before she hands him her sketchbook, “I don’t know if you are up to date with all of the sightings but your sister did make it to Lady Georgia before heading over to the Air Region to get more seeds” she explained.

“So she would have come back home when she said she was going to be…she kept her promise…thank you for telling me” Edward replies with a bright smile.

“Yeah, no problem,” Lea said nonchalantly before going back to her seat on the couch to draw. 

Mom watched them quietly as she helped clean up the kitchen for Daisy in the meantime.

“Mom, why are you cleaning up for Daisy?” Lea asked as she outlined the Northern Hills before moving over to draw the main house.

“Well, she made us breakfast as well as provided us shelter for the next few months, and gave us jobs to help as well” Mom listed out for Lea. 

“Yea…ok” Lea replied before drawing the outline of the Iceberg resort and moving on to ink it in.

“You should be helping her out, Lea” Vanessa added as she washed the dishes. 

“Yea, I’ll dry them when you guys are done” Lea replies before Daisy makes her way back to the main house. 

“Alright, I am back- w-wait hold on, Noemi and company, you didn’t have to clean up after me, I wasn’t gone for long, plus you guys are my guests, Edward should have done it” Daisy exclaims as she approached Vanessa & Noemi.

“You two are handling a lot already with Lady Gwendolyn missing” Vanessa replies before signaling to Lea.

“Ah well…ok,” Daisy says as Lea gets up to dry all the dishes.

“I’ll put them away, don’t worry about it, Daisy,” Edward says before showing Daisy Lea’s map in her sketchbook.

“Huh alright then,” Daisy says before getting a better look at the map  & sightings. 

“Do you have more notes or info we should be clued on?” Edward asks curiously.

“Yeah, it’s all in my sketchbook” Lea replies as she dries the dishes.

“You have pretty handwriting,” Daisy says as she goes over to Lea to give her a high five.

“Thanks, I found calligraphy cool in the 8th grade and actively worked on it," Lea said proudly.

“Really? Why is that, princess?” Sergean asked curiously as he put the dishes away.

“Papa got me the calligraphy kit and I made a promise to him” Lea replies calmly and yet bluntly.

“I believe you,” Sergean says as he is caught off guard by her sincerity. 

“Did you make a promise to your grandpa when he gave you the family spellbook?” Lea asks curiously after high-fiving Daisy.

“...Yea I did and still do” Sergean replies with some hesitation in his voice.

“Here’s to always keep our promises,” Lea says as she raises her hand to him.

“Heh, yeah, to keeping promises” Sergean replies with a soft chuckle before giving Lea a high five back.

“Lea, where can I put your sketchbook?” Daisy asked.

“On the table by my bags please and thank you” Lea replies as she goes back to drying the dishes as Sergean puts the dishes away.

“Got it, After you both finish, I’ll show you guys to your resort rooms,” Daisy adds as she puts Lea’s sketchbook by her bags while Edward makes sure Sergean is putting the dishes away in the correct places.

“Ah…ok, cool” Lea replies as she moves on to drying the utensils after she finishes with the plates and cups.

As Lea, Edward, and Sergean finished drying and putting away the dishes, everyone got their coats & shoes back on and got their bags as Daisy then led them all to the Iceberg. She then took them to the elevator and took them over to their resort rooms. 

“Well here is where you’ll stay for the next 4 months, let me know when you are done unpacking, and I’ll show you to the Penguin’s igloo restaurant on the first floor” Daisy exclaims as she hands them their room keys. 

“Of course, we’ll finish as soon as possible,” Mom replies with a friendly smile.

Everyone then went into their rooms with their belongings, Lea looked around the large resort room. 

“Dude, can you believe it? We are having our first vacation together” Vanessa exclaims with a side smile.

“Yeah, I guess it is, another first for us” Lea replies as she puts her belongings in the corner of the room by the desk.

“It’s also a lot warmer inside but I guess the resort must have a good air conditioner with all of the snow,” Vanessa says as she puts her belongings.

“Yes the air system, is quite efficient, all of it was made with magic” Sergean replies as he puts his belongings on the right side of the desk along with Elizabeth’s belongings.

“I wonder what we will have for lunch,” Elizabeth wonders out loud.

“Thinking ahead are you? How charming of you, dear sister” Sergean exclaims sarcastically.

“Oh, sorry did I say that out loud? Silly me” Elizabeth replies embarrassed as she scratches behind her head.   

     “I mean it’s ok, we are gonna be staying here for 4 months, getting familiar is normal, Elizabeth” Vanessa reassures her. 

“True, you are right about that” Elizabeth replies before they make their way to the hallway to meet up with the others.

“About time,  now we wait for the adults to finish up so I can show you guys to the Penguin’s Igloo” Daisy exclaims as she gets up from her seat on the floor. 

“Ok, we are done now,” Mom adds as Alyssa, Dad, Cloud, and her get out of their room.

“Great, now, we just have to wait for Mama, Aunt Nancy, and BJ to finish up” Alyssa exclaims before taking out her cell phone from her hoodie pocket.

“That’s an oddly shaped clam scroller” Daisy replies as she notices the rectangular shape.

“Clam scroller? In our dimension, it’s called a cellular phone” Alyssa exclaims a bit confused.

“May I see how it works?” Daisy replies curiously. 

“Sure…” Alyssa says hesitantly as she gives Daisy her phone.

Daisy went through Alyssa’s phone as she found the contact list & called Mama and put her call on speaker.

“Hi, this is Daisy, I’m calling on Alyssa’s phone to see if you are all done” Daisy exclaims politely.

Lea snorted a bit as she laughed before Mom shushed her to be quiet.

“Ah yes, we’ll be out soon, just waiting for BJ to finish up in the bathroom, first” Mama exclaims. 

“Ah, of course, I understand, see you then” Daisy replies before ending the call and giving Alyssa her cell phone back.

“Huh…that was impressive, nice” Alyssa exclaims.

“I manage well for a reason” Daisy replies with a proud smile.

“Yeah, it’s shows” Lea adds before Mama, Aunt Nancy, and Bj took the longest to get out before they finally joined them in the hallway.

“Now let’s go downstairs,” Daisy exclaims before leading them to what appears as an elevator that appears like a chameleon which caught Lea off guard making Alyssa snicker before entering the “elevator.”

“Chicken” Alyssa exclaims after everyone gets in.

Lea grumbles a bit to herself as Mama admires the “elevator” as they make their way.

“Whoa, what a nice elevator” Mama exclaims awkwardly.

“Oh? Is that what it’s called in your dimensions? Here, we are just moving around with air magic mixed with levitation magic” Daisy replies.

“So teleporting tubes?” Lea exclaims excitedly.

“Actually, yeah, that’s what it’s called,” Daisy replies impressed that Lea guessed it correctly.

“Oh cool,” Lea says as she didn’t think she would guess correctly.

“Onward now” Daisy replies as they finally make it to the first floor.

Daisy then leads them all over to the Penguin’s Igloo. Daisy showed them around the restaurant, before taking them to the storage room with their decorations and showing them where the food and drinks were kept.

“And that’s the tour, I will have your schedule by the end of the week, until then focus on your learning magic” Daisy exclaims.

“Wonderful, we can give the lessons between lunch breaks” Sergean replies excitedly.

“Hold on…won’t that lead to getting burnout?” Daisy says concerned. 

“Hm…then every other break and days off,” Sergean replies. 

“You pinky promise that you’ll speak up when you feel burnout and not lie about it?” Mom adds as she makes eye contact with him.

“I…um yes, I pinky promise, Mrs. Guerrero” Sergean replies before bringing up his pinky hesitantly.

“Good, I’ll hold you to that, Sergean” Mom says before wrapping her pinky around his pinky.

“I understand, I am a man of my word” Sergean replies before letting go of her pinky finger.

“Good, I’ve been meaning to ask where are Elizabeth and your parents. Neither have you talked about them, do they know where you two are?” Mom asks curiously.

“Last I heard Mom was helping Dad with something work-related and I’ve texted them about our whereabouts” Sergean replied simply.

“I see, Elizabeth, have you been in contact with your parents as well?” Mom asks her.

“Huh? Yea, yeah I have” Elizabeth replied as she was reading a text message on her clam-shaped smartphone.

“That’s good,” Mom says as she could tell that Elizabeth wasn’t completely listening in the conversation.

“Alright, let’s go explore the Ice Region before magic lessons” Lea exclaims as she isn’t too excited to get a new type of homework.

“Yeah, no, not yet, we are gonna learn the basics now” Sergean replies as he takes out the spellbook from the holder on his leg.

“Yea…ok,” Lea says in defeat before Sergean brings everyone outside as well as summoning their winter clothes and shoes back on.

“Now everyone, please stand in a straight horizontal line” Sergean exclaims as he summons a box with paper weights.

Everyone nods in agreement as they all get into a line.

“OK with these paperweights, this is what we will practice levitating, to levitate anything, in your mind say Light as a Feather said the topic will come to me” Sergean explains as he brings out pennies, rose quartz clusters, and big potions.

Lea looked at the first pieces of rose quartz clusters on the snow wondering where he got those from.

“Any questions before you start levitating?” Sergean adds as he is practically beaming with excitement to teach the others magic, Elizabeth notices as she snickers a bit.

“Yeah, I was wondering where you got the rose quartz from?” Lea asks curiously.

“That’s not what is-” Sergean starts to say before Elizabeth cuts him off, “He has a gem collection at home” she snickers as Sergean gets embarrassed. 

“Oh! That’s neat, they’re pretty,” Lea replies pleasantly surprised.

“What? Really?” Sergean says stunned but delighted at Lea’s reaction.

“Yeah, I like learning and I can tell you take good care of your gems” Lea replies happily before everyone turns and attempts to levitate the paperweight items.

Lea was having flashbacks of a show, she watched with Dad about angels and witches. Once everyone accomplished levitating the pennies, rose quartz clusters, and big potions, Sergean then levitated big snow-covered boulders in front of them.

“Next, I will have you lost levitate these boulders next,” Sergean says as he writes down in his notebook afterward.

“Everyone you are doing all good so far, good job” Elizabeth adds with a smile.

Everyone then nodded in agreement before they moved on to levitating the boulders which made the snow fall off.

“Wonderful now, next try levitating yourselves” Sergean instructed them as he went through his lessons in levitating from elementary school from what he remembered.

“Wait, what word do we replace for this?” Alyssa asked before they could continue with the lesson.

“Use the words with Light as a feather I will become” Sergean replies simply.

“Ah ok,” Alyssa exclaims as everyone listens and gives it a try.

“Light as a feather I will become a bird in the weather” Lea giggled for a moment to herself as she liked how it rhythmed in her head before she realized within the blink of an eye, she was high up.

“U-U-Uh I am high up, how do I get down safely?” Lea says as she tries not to freak out.

“Simply say ‘as Light as a feather I will land on my feet” Sergean replies as he drops his notepad and pencil as he gets ready to catch her just in case.

“O-Oh ok, ‘As Light as a feather I will land on my feet” Lea proclaims before she begins falling fast.

“Idiot! You never say it out loud spoken magic is too powerful for a beginner, shit I should have explained this beforehand” Sergean replies in a panic before jumping up to catch her in his arms and landing on his ass on the snow as he had reacted rashly.

“S-Sorry, I was scared, thank you for catching me, lunch will be on me,” Lea says as she catches her breath and tries to process what just happened.

“With what money? It’s fine, I’m sorry for not explaining in detail, I forgot that you lot weren’t born here” Sergean replies before putting her down on the snow gently, “ Honestly, I shouldn’t have gotten so excited to teach have gotten so excited to teach right away” Sergean adds as Lea was further caught off guard as this was the first time seeing Sergean look guilty. 

“Well you taught us how to levitate objects not float, but you did good today, Sergean” Lea replies as she tries to cheer him up before getting up and helping him up from the snow.

“Yes, I guess you are right, a win is a win, I suppose,” Sergean says before getting up, I’m stronger than you, but I appreciate your sentiment” he adds.

“Of course, we are friends now, right?” Lea replies awkwardly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Sergean says before sighing, “Did you add something to the spell?” he asks. 

“Um, yeah at the end of the sentence, I added become a bird in the weather, since it rhymed with the first part” Lea replies sheepishly.

“Ah well…that is how spells can become more powerful, thus why we make the spells as close as possible to being straightforward, especially with beginner learning magic users,” Sergean lectures a little bit.

“Oh…so what I did was reckless for a beginner…got it…sorry” Lea replies a bit discouraged.

“It’s alright, nothing wrong with being eager to learn, let quick thinking when engaged in a battle, now let’s go have lunch” Elizabeth adds as she desummons the paperweights that Sergean had summoned earlier.

“Out of curiosity, where is home for you both? You had us stay at your family vacation house” Mom asks as she checks visually on Sergean & Lea if they are okay.

“Too close, Mom” Lea thought to herself as she backed up.

“Oh we live in the Ice Region, yea the vacation house was something our Grandpas made for us in case of anything, like electricity issues or blackouts or family events” Elizabeth replies as she shows Mom a picture of the Herrera household as they all made their way back to Penguin’s Igloo.

“Oh, that’s a beautiful house,” Mom says with delight.

“Thanks, it’s cozy and we are out of school at the moment because of winter break, school doesn’t start for me til mid-January then I’ll be back at home til you guys are done in April, where I’ll be in spring break and rejoin you guys, I’ll still be going over your magic lessons though” Elizabeth elaborate.

“And with what you learn from Sergean, you will all fight me to help train you” Edward adds as he greets them at the entrance of the Penguin’s Igloo.

“Hold on, how old are you, Edward? Don’t you have school as well?” Dad replies with confusion.

“Uh…I’m 17, I graduate from high school in June, so I’m also on my winter break, I’m a senior while Elizabeth is a freshman” Edward says baffled.

“You’re 17? I thought you were 19 like me, damn your young” Vanessa adds.

“Hah no, is it because I am tall?” Edward replies bashfully.

“Yeah, you tall enough to play basketball, football, and even soccer” Lea adds as she imagines him playing those sports as she remembers her time playing soccer at 10 years old.

“I suppose so, but I am happy in my kickboxing & boxing clubs” Edward replies proudly before bringing over the menus for them to look at.

“Really? That’s cool” Lea replies before looking at the menu she also remembered her time in Tae Kwon Do as she still had her purple belt back at home along with Alyssa’s.

“Yep, anyways, what did you learn out there?” Edward asked before taking his seat by Daisy and Cloud.

“Levitation, it was great til Sergean forgot some important information then I had my big sister floating up in the sky about 20 feet in the air,” Alyssa says upset.

Lea looked at Alyssa with joy in her eyes as she was filled with delight that her little sister was showing some concern over her for a change.

“I mean Lea should have asked questions first instead of just talking about Sergean’s rock collection but at least he caught her after he told her how to get back down” Alyssa adds before rolling her eyes at Lea like don’t make this a bigger deal than it.

“Ok, ok no need to keep stoking the flames, let’s eat” Elizabeth exclaims as Lea is now sad and looking at her menu longer.

“Sure” Alyssa replies annoyed as she was getting more hungry.

“So…um what are guys hungry for?” Daisy asks before putting her napkin on her lap.

“The hushbrowns & pancakes with coffee sounds good to me” Mom replies before putting down her menu on the table.

“Oh yeah, that sounds good, I’ll get the bacon, eggs, and hushbrowns” Lea added after him.

“Hold on shouldn’t we wait for a waiter?” Alyssa replies as she looks around the restaurant to see the other guests around them.

“Oh, right, oops,” Lea says shyly as a waiter with medium red fiery hair comes over to them.

“Hello, I’m _____ and I will be your waiter today, what will we be starting with?” the waiter exclaims as they make noise in the restaurant so they don’t catch his name.

They then turn to give their orders to the waiter.

“Got it, your orders will be brought over as possible” the waiter exclaims before making his way to give the Chef & team to start making.

“Huh, he had similar eyes” Lea says name for some reason,” Lea says curiously.

“Similar to what?” Cloud replies as his stomach growls with excitement.

“Not sure, I can’t remember her name for some reason,” Lea says as she could see her face only.

“Do you remember what they look like?” Mimi replies as she turns to look at her.

“She had fire hair that was tied up into a ponytail,” Lea says before gesturing with her hands on how tall and how long her hair was.

“Oh, you mean Lady Georgia” Mimi replies before looking at the crowded restaurant to get a better look at the waiter that took their order.

“Maybe it was one of the brothers” Nick adds before he tries to remember what Lady Georgia’s twin brothers’ names are.

The red-haired waiter came back with their drinks and orders afterward.

“Enjoy” the waiter exclaims before leaving them to eat.

“Looks so good,” Elizabeth and Lea say happily in unison before they start to eat their eggs then bacon, and hashbrowns.

“Lea, don’t forget to have your napkin on your lap” Mom adds which makes Lea pout as she puts the blue napkin on her lap before going back to eating her eggs.

After everyone finished eating, the waiter came back with the receipt before Edward got out his coin pouch from his side pocket before paying for lunch.

“Hold on, you don’t have to pay for us, let’s us pay” Mom exclaims.

“It’s OK, you don’t have our currency at the moment, plus I work tomorrow, I don’t mind paying the bill, I do with my siblings and parents too especially on birthdays or if they running low for a bit” Edward exclaims with a polite smile.

“Oh…um alright, thank you, we’ll pay next time, promise” Mom replies shyly.

“Sure,” Edward says as the waiter takes the check and goes to the cash register. 

“I wonder where Edward works at” Lea wonders to herself as she drinks the last of her orange juice.

“So what do you do for a part-timer job?” Mom asks curiously before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh, I work at the Mixing and Swerving Bubble Tea Cafe, it’s down the hill in the Ice Region” Edward replies before getting out his clam phone to show her pictures of all the boba teas and food that get made there.

“It’s my mum’s business” Sergean adds before taking a sip of his orange juice.

“Really? That sounds adorable and looks delicious but good for her, we should go over there soon, I’d like to meet your parents” Mom replies politely but sternly.

“Oh, um sure, why not” Elizabeth says as she glances at her clam phone in her pocket. 

“So…will we be sure to contact them as soon as we finish eating,” Sergean replies like he is making a promise.

“So…after learning how to do the levitate spell, what will we learn next?” Lea asks curiously before taking another sip of her orange juice. 

Alyssa looked at her in disbelief as she ate her scrambled eggs covered with ketchup.

“Uh…most likely a defense spell pr a speed spell or an illusion spell, I’m not sure, if anything, I’ll contact Lady Lilth for the teaching of making potions” Sergean replies as he didn’t want a repeat what happened earlier.

“Oh um okay, yeah that makes sense,” Lea says as she wonders what that spell will be as she starts to imagine it in her head.

“ Out of curiosity, what’s your favorite spell, and can you show us this spell?” Cloud adds randomly.

“Oh, that’s a good question, I don’t mind showing and teaching the spell” Sergean replies as Cloud downed his cup of water.

The waiter then comes back with the change, “Thank you for eating with us today, have a nice day” he says before leaving the table.

Edward pockets his change as he puts it in his coin pouch. Lea and Alyssa stack their plates with the other plates as Sergean & Elizabeth put the napkins & trash into 2 neat piles. Dad looked at them confused but let them be before they all summoned more winter clothes on themselves. Sergean then levitates some snow off the road before summoning seats for all of them.

“I will need a volunteer for this, any takers?” Sergean asks as he turns to look at them.

“I volunteer” Edward replies as he goes over to Sergean.

“Great, get 12 feet away from me for this demonstration” Sergean exclaims. 

“Everyone keep your eyes peeled,” Sergean says as he snaps his fingers and moves his arm, “Like a swift uppercut you shall be stopped in your tracks” Sergean proclaims as Edward then thrusts into the air as the pile of snow follows suit as he got disarmed as ice froze around Edward like a nicely formed human ice cube.

“This spell is called The Uppercut of an Iceberg” Sergean exclaims with his green eyes lit up. “It is labeled as an offensive & defensive spell” he adds before melting the ice to free Edward.

“Sometimes someone just needs a slap back into reality, very badass spell, Sergean,” Lea says very impressed and excited for the next few weeks in the winter as her dark chocolate brown almond eyes sparkled with the same amount of pureness. 

[The End of Life of Lea Volume 1]

[nikos-oneshots]

maybe a hero and reader? where reader really likes drawing and often draws hero without him knowing, either showing him the drawings it he finds them? thank you if you do! <3

-☘ anon

Hero with a Crush / Partner who Loves to Draw.

|| Request Information ||

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 775

Pronouns: Unmentioned / Second Person

Notes: Welcome to the blog ☘ Anon! Glad to have you here!

You were always quiet, not shy, but quiet. You never really talked to anybody unless they were to talk to you first and because of that, nobody really spoke to you

A few people caught your eye that you might want to interact with, but you never managed to talk to them. Major NPC energy.

Your favourite place to sketch was the park, it would get you out of the house and give you many ideas on what to draw. You just preferred to sit in a nice place and sketch whatever came to mind.

One day you would be drawing all the pets you had seen, next would be mythical creatures along with infrastructure design and the next would be the people you have seen around Faraway.

You had a couple pages in your sketchbook dedicated to the people you would draw. You liked how unique everybody's appearance was so it was your favourite thing to draw.

You wouldn't actually tell the people you were sketching that you were sketching them. They usually wouldn't notice so you had an easy time with your work. You don't think many of them knew you existed.

One beautiful, summer day was spent by you at the park, as usual. You had been sketching some flowers that were growing by the tetherball court since nobody had been around that day.

You began to hear a group of people walk by near the entrance of the park. You look up and saw a group of 6 walk over by the basketball court. You had seen them around before but had never interacted with them.

One of the guys in the group caught your eye, he was tall and had neatly-styled brown hair. He appeared around your age. You had only remembered seeing him maybe once?

You instantly started sketching him as he sat against the tree right beside it, giving you the perfect opportunity to sketch him properly.

After a bit, you noticed he managed to catch on that you were sketching him, but he didn't say anything right away. You felt embarrassed that somebody noticed you when you were so used to feeling like they never did.

You were so close to done with the sketch, but you honestly wanted to leave and never see that guy again. You decided that if he didn't walk up and talk to you, it's okay if you stayed to finish it, so that's what you did.

After a bit, you finished your sketch of him, you started to get up to quickly make your exit but as you were about to leave, someone stopped you. It was him.

"Hey! Sorry if this sounds a little self-centered, but I couldn't help but notice that when you were sketching, you were looking right at me. Where you sketching me?"

He was met with a lot of stuttering and muttering from you. He didn't seem weirded out by your nervousness, he actually kind of seemed understanding in a weird way?

You eventually told him that yes, you had decided to sketch him. He was immediately curious and asked to see the drawing. Since you thought it would be weird to say no, you let him see it. You didn't want him to feel like you were hiding something.

He was amazed at your skills. "It looks so accurate! You must have an eye for detail!".

You liked that you were getting praised for your work, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay and finish it after all.

As you began to relax around him, he invited you to come to meet the other people he was with. You met his brother Kel and his friends, Aubrey and Sunny. You could tell Kel liked you right from the start, Sunny and Aubrey might need some time to get to know you.

Sunny and Hero were just visiting which made you sad, but on the bright side, Hero went to college in the same town that Sunny lives in, so you could keep in touch with both of them easily.

Now because of that interaction, because you decided to draw the pretty boy you saw in the park, you had an amazing group of friends! You began to hang out with them often and soon, Sunny and Aubrey began to warm up to you as well as you met one of their friends, Basil!

Your favourite thing to draw went from the faces of people around Faraway town, to one specific person in under a week, that person being Hero. You managed to memorize how his face looked, even without seeing it in person.

Sorry for the short post, I'm planning on doing a part 2 to this! I have more to say about Hero and his Artist S/O so look out for that! Also sorry if I have seemed dead for like a week. Last week was really busy for me, I had a huge exam for English which I'm pretty sure I passed and last night I just saw the Cavetown Concert in Toronto! It was so much fun for my first concert and I even got the tour shirt! Anyways, I'm sure to get requests done, I'm excited to write for them!

Lots Of Love

-Niko🥞

[neonacity]

LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.6

LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense

TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age, drugs, slight smut for this chapter but nothing graphic, questionable consent (?) I guess? Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5

“EVERYONE HAS A DARKER NATURE. EVERYONE. GOOD MEN FEAR IT, AND EVIL MEN EMBRACE IT.” - JAMES ISLINGTON

The silent hum of the air conditioning filled the space like a foreboding chant. Nothing else but the sound of the hospital machinery and random noises outside pierced the stillness of the room as you stared, unseeing, at the green and orange numbers that blinked on the monitor above the bed. 

You barely have any recollection of how you managed to find yourself in the hospital, but you do remember brief memories of Taeyong picking you up from the floor you found yourself crumpled on after you got the call. You remember seeing Jaehyun's parents at a brightly lit corridor and his mother pulling you into a hug as she broke down and his father telling you how his son hasn't woken up since he was brought to the emergency room.

You remember your heart breaking in shock, mind too numb from the godforsaken pills you have been taking and your own injury. So many times you wondered to yourself if you were still caught in one of your nightmares, but every time you tried to break free from it, you're slapped back with the reality of how all of this is real.

Your fingers gently tightened on Jaehyun's hands now as your gaze landed on his face. He looked so peaceful, like he's just sleeping, that you almost wanted to bend over and try to kiss him awake. You don't even have any idea what time and day it is already, but you have barely left his side since you were brought to him. The nightmares and sleeplessness? They're barely a problem for you anymore because right now, you're entirely not resting at all unless your body forces you to crash from physical exhaustion. Even then, you usually only sleep for about two to three hours at best to make sure that you never miss a moment with your fiance.

"Severe traumatic head injury. He was lucky enough that the airbag shielded him from the worst of the impact."

The words of his attending doctor echoed in your head again like a faraway voice. You could only remember bits and pieces of what he said to his parents back then as he reported his findings, but you caught enough context for you to draw a picture of the situation. You remember Jaehyun's mother asking the chances of her son waking up again, her voice barely holding up from her emotions. 

"I cannot promise anything, Ma'm. I'd say he has a 60 percent chance. He's fighting."

And he is. You know Jaehyun inside out. He might be unconscious now, but there is no way he is giving up. Not from something like this. 

"Keep fighting baby…" you whispered in the stillness of the room as you lifted his hand gently to your lips to kiss. "I'll wait for you. We still have a wedding to do."

The slight creaking of the door barely made you look away from his sleeping face. You only did at the gentle sound of a throat clearing, your eyes slightly widening as you recognized the man who just walked inside the room. Taeil had the same mildly shocked look on him as he stopped on the  other side of the bed across from you. 

"You…"

"Are you a relative of the patient?" He asked now as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. You simply nodded, watching him quickly glance at the numbers on the monitor before his eyes settled on you again.

"I'm his fiancee."

That made him raise his brows slightly. He pulled a pen now from the pocket of his coat to quickly write something on his file. "What a coincidence. Not a good one obviously. I'm sorry to hear about him. Mr. Jung, right?"

You swallowed. You didn't want to acknowledge anything that he just said so you tried to divert the conversation instead.

"You're not his doctor. Why are you…"

"Oh. He was turned over to me today. I am one of the resident neurologists here but he had to be moved to me because his first doctor has too much in his plate already. Don't worry, I was briefed properly about his case."

Your gaze followed Taeil as he bent over to check Jaehyun's oxygen level as well as the other wires attached to him. You don't know what to feel about him taking over, but at least you already know him previously.

"Are there any changes? Positive ones?" You asked in a frail voice that Taeil definitely didn't miss. You told yourself to not act silly and ask questions that probably do not have answers yet, but you couldn't help yourself now. The man seemed to think over his words first, noticing your state, before calmly giving his reply.

"No particular ones, but the fact that there are no negative developments is… something. I will have to request for some tests to be done on him again tomorrow so we can see if there are positive changes in his brain."

Neutral. Not good, but at least it's not bad either.

"How are you? I was about to check on you again. Is your head okay?"

You were still thinking over his words that you barely caught his question. Looking up, you tried to scramble for an answer to give. To be honest, you haven't given proper attention to your own injury since this happened. You would even only remember to take your medications on your clearest, less anxious moments, which, honestly, isn’t a lot. 

"I'm uh… the wound has closed. But the headaches. They're still there."

He simply nodded. "Any other side effects?"

You didn't immediately answer. You didn't want to sound whiny, but it's not like you're going to lose anything by telling him the uglier parts of your recovery. You swallowed to try and dislodge the slight blockage in your throat.

"Nightmares…" you said now, voice soft. You briefly remembered the last one you had back in the manor before you woke up to the bad news and you felt your stomach turn again. "Lots of them. Hallucinations sometimes…"

The doctor watched you carefully and you know he is trying to compute things in his mind despite his face remaining calm.

"Have you been keeping to your schedule with your medications? Are you taking too much?"

You firmly shook your head no to his last question.

"No, I haven't been overdosing. But… I've been skipping my pills the last few days because of...because of this."

"How have you been feeling since you started missing your dosages then? Do you remember?"

That made you actually stop and think about it for a moment. Now that you are paying attention, you did notice how the nightmares have calmed down slightly. Even the hallucinations are almost gone. You frowned slightly to yourself.

"A bit… better actually."

Taeil took his time to observe you a bit more before writing something on a new page of his clipboard.

"You must have had severe reactions to the mixture of pills I gave you. I'm going to prescribe you new ones and ask the nurses to pick them up and bring them to you here. Can you promise that you'll try and take them though? You really need them to fully heal."

You nodded and gave him a slightly sheepish look.

"I will, thank you very much."

Taeil dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and gave you a gentle smile.

"Well, that's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow to give you updates about Mr. Jung." He had already turned and started walking away when he suddenly stopped to look at you again.

"Oh, and another thing. Please try and get some sleep. Recover… and then focus on helping your fiance."

******* You didn't really know what woke you up. Stirring from your sleep, the first thing that registered to you was the sound of distant traffic mixed with the gentle chirping of the morning birds from outside the window. A warm feeling radiated on your cheek and made the back of your eyelids glow red.

You flickered your eyes open and immediately rolled away to escape the ray of sunshine that slipped from the open curtains and shone directly at your face. You easily evaded it as you moved over to the other side of the bed which was empty and cold from the night before.

That was when you finally remembered that you were back in your home, in the same bedroom you share with Jaehyun. The day before, his mother offered to take the responsibility of watching over him so there was a sudden change of plans that finally gave you the reason to check back into your apartment after so long. If it were you, you would have preferred not leaving your boyfriend’s side until he wakes up, but you also knew that your future mother-in-law wanted to spend time with him so you relented. 

Of course you weren't thrilled to be home alone, especially with Jaehyun not being there, but the comfort that a real mattress provided—over the small couch you used to sleep in back at the hospital—is definitely a welcome change for your body. You even tried to take your medicine properly, the new ones that Taeil had provided, in the hopes of getting knocked down fast. Your adrenaline and anxiety had been fueling you in the past days, but you know from the way your heart thumped and your hands shook that you need a solid rest.

And you got it. You still feel a little groggy now but your body is definitely lighter and your head clearer. The nightmares didn't even come, and while they were replaced by total darkness or dreams in white that still made you anxious, you are willing to take those anytime over the graphic ones that you used to have.

You gently sat back against the headrest of the bed now and reached out for your phone to check the time. It's barely 7AM but as expected, Jaehyun's mom has already provided you with updates from the hospital. He’ll have some tests taken today as Taeil advised and then they’ll hear more about his progress. From the looks of it, she seems still set on watching over her son, which means you still have at least today free to yourself.

You quickly typed a reply to her and sighed. You’re thankful that even though you weren’t related by blood, his parents have always treated you as if you were their own. Having a family is not something you’ve really experienced in your childhood, so that’s something you’ve always appreciated about them. That is also the reason why you wish for the best out of this situation, because you also couldn’t bear seeing your fiance’s mother and father heartbroken. He’s their only son, after all.

A quick look around your room left you feeling empty. The last week has been so hard that it felt longer and now you’re struggling to find your normal pace again. In an effort to bring yourself to focus, you decided to pick up your phone once more and started flipping through your calendar to check your schedule. It didn’t take long for you to frown when you realized the upcoming dates there. You’ve plotted important academic schedules in advance and one quick look at it told you how much you’ve obviously missed in the past week. You’ve been so lost in the mess of everything that has happened that you’ve entirely forgotten about your job at the manor. You realized that they didn’t even call you once to ask about your absence, probably because they also know about the situation, but even that is not enough excuse for you to entirely fall off the radar.  

Biting your lip, you quickly scrolled through your contacts now to look for the number you need. Your thumb hovered over the call button momentarily, but you eventually pressed it anyway. Your eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall, hoping silently to yourself that it wasn’t too early for you to call.

“Rosewood Manor, how can I help you?”

You straightened on your seat.

“Hey, Taeyong. It’s me. Sorry if I called so early.”

The other boy seemed to have been taken slightly by surprise by the way he fell silent at the other end of the line. You tapped your finger against your knee, waiting for him to speak again.

“Hi. No, it’s fine. Work started for me about an hour ago. Are you okay? How’s things on your end?”

You nibbled guiltily on your lower lip and finally got off your bed to walk over to the window. You pushed the curtains open and stared at the slight snowfall that had started falling on the ground. You’ve missed so many days of reporting to them but the first thing he does is to check if you’re fine.

“I um—things are still the same. My boyfriend’s still at the hospital.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Look, I want to apologize. I haven’t really reported to work and I didn’t even call about it. It’s just that—things have been so crazy lately, but still that isn’t an excuse for me to just not show up.”

Taeyong, however, was understanding as always. You were about to go off for another round of apologies when he gently cut you off. 

“Hey, it’s fine. We know you’ve been dealing with a lot lately so we also weren't expecting anything. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“But, the boys’ examinations and portfolio review is happening in three days and I haven’t really checked in with them. How are they doing now?”

“Oh...that. Well, we actually tried looking for a temporary tutor to help out but I...uh… I think he isn't really cutting it. Maybe because he isn’t the one who started the program with them. But he’s a big help still.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry about that. I should have at least—look, I can drop by today and just try to fix things.”

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to. Don’t you need to be at the hospital?”

You started going around your room now, trying to gather the scattered papers and files that you’ll need. It’s a good thing you woke up early so you still have time to prepare for work. “My boyfriend’s mother is the one watching over him today so I have the day off.”

“And your injury? How is it?”

Your eyes landed on the new bottles of medicine sitting on your bedside table.

“Better. I’m feeling so much better.”

You heard Taeyong sigh in relief over the phone. “Thank god. We were so worried about that. Well, you really don’t need to go, but if you have time, I guess doing it today won’t hurt. It will help us a lot.”

A small smile tugged at your lips now and you switched the phone over to your other ear as you started arranging your bag. “Thank you so much for being understanding. I need a distraction anyway. I’d rather work than stay home alone… Thanks for not firing me.”

That made him laugh a little. “I’ll tell the boys that you’re coming over. Oh, and be careful on your drive here. The roads are a little bit slippery today because of the snow.”

“I will, thank you. I’ll be there by 9.”

******* “Noona!”

You have barely finished arranging your materials on your desk when the door to the room burst open and ushered an anxious-looking Jisung inside. You looked up quickly at him, only barely catching Chenle wobbling with his crutch before your vision of the entrance was blocked by Jisung’s tall frame. His hair looked swept up as if he ran and there was a slight flush staining his cheeks. He stopped right in front of you, stopping just in time for him not to topple you over.

“Hey, Jisung how are—” You tried to give him a smile but he was quick enough to grab your hands between his.  

“Are you back? Are you really back for real?” He pressed now, eyes wide as he tried to bend over to look closely at you. He looked like a puppy, the only missing thing being a wagging tail to complete the look. You couldn’t help the brief laugh that passed over you as you tried to calm him down.

“I am. For the day, yes. Sorry I missed so many of your sessions.”

“We thought you left us,” Jisung continued, his lower lip protruding just a bit. Just then, Chenle had finally reached the two of you, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. This is actually the first time you saw him again since the day the two of you had your accident and you’re glad to see him healthy despite his broken leg.

“Hi, Chenle. How are you?”

The boy scratched the back of his head and looked away slightly. “Fine… I’m sorry, noona. I wasn’t able to visit you when you stayed with us. I’m really really sorry about what happened in the forest.”

You tried to give him a reassuring smile and freed one of your hands from Jisung’s hold to ruffle his hair. The action seemed to have calmed him down a little because he finally looked at you again, a small apologetic smile on his own lips.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. But be careful next time, okay?”

“Are you going to be our tutor again, noona?” Jisung pressed once more and you turned your attention back to him. To be honest, you’re still not sure how your schedule will turn out after this, but you couldn’t really bear to break the poor boy’s heart at the moment.

“Yes… I’m here to teach your big brothers today for their tests though. We’ll have to schedule you and Chenle’s lessons again. Is that alright?”

A brief look of disappointment flashed on his face but he was quick enough to pick it up. Jisung smiled and gave your hand a squeeze.

“Okay. We can wait. It’s good you are back, Jaemin-hyung was so—”

“Yah, don’t hog her by yourself. You’ll scare her away.”

A new voice made the three of you look back to the doorway. Haechan smiled at your little group as he strolled casually into the room followed by Jeno and Jaemin. The three of them joined your crowd and you felt Jisung finally let go of your hand as he stepped away to go over to his brothers’ side.

“Hi. Sorry, I only returned now. Taeyong told me that you—”

You weren’t able to finish what you wanted to say as Haechan gently stopped you mid-sentence. He leaned his head to the side, eyes briefly scanning you from head to toe. Unlike Jisung, he looked calm and only barely excited.

“It’s fine. We knew you’ll come back. How are you?”

“Oh… I’m good. My head is better. I haven’t had the chance to thank all of you for taking care of me when I was here.”

“How about your boyfriend?” It was Jeno who asked this time and you quickly turned to him to address his question. Your eyes briefly slipped to Jaemin who was standing behind him before you could even speak though, and for a moment you had the impression that Jeno was shielding him—or blocking him from you. You blinked a little bit in confusion, wondering if it was just your imagination that was making you think that way.

“He’s still… still unconscious,” your smile dropped a little but you tried your best to keep your voice casual. “We’re getting more tests for him. His doctor said that he isn’t showing bad signs at least.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about him,” Haechan said with compassion and you gave him a grateful look. Your gaze settled on Jaemin again, however, who for some reason had barely looked at you since he came into the room. You know that he can be quiet and reserved at times, but there is something in the air around him that makes you slightly worried. He’s so still, but the way he carries himself makes it seem like he’s so strung up at the same time. It also doesn’t help that Jeno seems to be almost pushing him back from view.

“Hi Jaemin… How are you?” You tried to gently ask him to make sure that he is okay. He didn’t look at you at first, but when he finally did, you felt yourself freeze a little. His eyes looked dark and almost emotionless when he met yours and there were shadows under them as if he hadn't slept properly for days. He didn’t even answer and just simply stared, his gaze blank and accusing at the same time.

Haechan casually glanced over his brother and chuckled. “Our Jaeminie here has been sick for the past couple of days so he’s a little out of it. But he’s going to be fine now,” he put a hand over the other’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze as if to calm him down. “Right, Jaemin? We’ll try our best to go to class today since noona is finally back, hmm?”

Jaemin, however, didn’t even seem to hear him. He continued staring at you the same way that kept you pinned on your spot.

“Are you leaving again?” he finally asked and you almost felt goosebumps rise on your skin. It didn’t sound like a question… but more of a threat. You swallowed.

“I’m going to have to arrange my schedule till things get better…” you answered carefully, as if you’re navigating dark waters. That didn’t seem to cut it for him, unfortunately.

“So you’re not leaving. Forever?”

You blinked. To be honest, you’ve been thinking of quitting and just finishing the rest of the month if things didn’t improve, but you don’t think that’s the right answer to give at the moment.

“No… not for now,” you finally managed to say. You watched as Jaemin seemed to visibly relax, his stiff shoulders loosening under Haechan’s grip. He didn’t say anything after that, but he at least looked away, seemingly more satisfied with your words.

“Great. I think we should get to work,” Haechan broke the silence and looked around the room as if the tension you were feeling was just something only you could feel. He nodded towards Chenle and Jisung then. “You guys go back to your own classes. You’ll have your share of noona once it’s your turn.” He then glanced at you, smile still in place. “Should we start then?”

You nodded. “Is Renjun still not back?”

“Not yet. He’s going to be here tomorrow though,” Jeno answered as he took his seat on one of the desks.

“I see…”

Haechan also found his spot, but not before you’ve noticed him urging Jaemin to do the same. Playfully, he took the pencil you’ve arranged on the desk and started tapping it against the wood of the table.

“Don’t worry. We’ll tell him you’re back. I’m sure he can’t wait to have his lessons again~”

******* You looked over the window for the third time in the last fifteen minutes and sighed. The day had been busy with you trying to catch up on the boys’ lessons that you barely even noticed the state of the weather outside. When you finally did, it took you by surprise when you saw how much of the ground was covered by snow—one look at it told you that it is at least a feet deep by now. Your first instinct was to try and maneuver your car out of the lot before your tires get entirely buried in it, but then you remembered that you promised to wait for Taeyong to come back before leaving the manor. The butler requested for you to temporarily watch over the manor while he tries to do some last minute errands back in the city, but it’s been two hours since he originally promised to come back. You eyes glanced at your watch now, then back at the quickly darkening view outside. 

“...severe snowstorm has blocked some of the main roads in the city at the moment. Expect heavy traffic and don’t forget to drive safely.”

You turned to the television now to catch the last of the rambling dialogue of the reporter about the weather. You’ve been debating on whether to call Taeyong or not to check on him, but you didn’t want to seem impatient to go home when you only really wanted to make sure if he’s safe. From the looks of it, he’s stuck somewhere because of the hale, too.

You were on your way to get your phone from your bag to at least try to shoot him a message when you suddenly heard it ring. Getting it just in time, you almost sighed in relief when you saw his number there. You quickly took it and went over to the window to answer it to make sure you get some proper signal.

“Hello? Taeyong?”

“Hey. Finally. I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour, thank god it finally connected.”

“Oh, sorry, my phone’s in my bag. I think the signal’s getting bad because of the snowstorm. Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, about that, I’m still stuck in town. The traffic’s so bad here because a section of the main road is blocked. Road maintenance is supposed to come thirty minutes ago but I think there’s a delay because there are other roads they are working on.”

Your gaze drifted back to the television where scenes of the same blocked avenues were being flashed. “Yeah… the news says the same.  Are you safe though?”

“I am. I’m really sorry for making you wait. I’d tell you to drive back and not wait for me anymore but I don’t think you’ll also make it home in time with all this traffic going on. I don’t think it’s going to be safe. Do you mind waiting for a little bit more? I’ll tell you once the roads are better.”

You thought it over quickly, a frown settling on your face. You really want to go home, but he’s right. There’s no point in trying to drive back if you’ll only find yourself stuck in the roads for hours. Not being a big fan of night driving yourself, you can already imagine the stress waiting for you if you add a snowstorm to the mix. As much as you wanted to leave, you’re left with no choice, at least for the moment.

 “I can… I’ll just wait for you, I guess. Do you want me to do anything here while you’re gone? Dinner for the boys?”

“Oh no, no, you don’t need to do that, that’s not part of your job,” Taeyong sounded abashed when he said that. You stepped away from the window then and took a seat by the fireplace that Jeno started earlier. Half of your concentration was on the news which has now shifted to a different set of reports also caused by the snowstorm. “They’ll know when to go down and eat. Don’t worry about them. Where are they right now?”

“Ah, I think they went back to their rooms? I did tell them earlier that I’ll try to wait for you.”

“I see. Yes, I think that’s better. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated. If things don’t get better, I think I’ll have no other choice but find a hostel here and wait for the weather to calm down. You can stay there and just ask for help from any of them. You can stay in the same room just in case.”

You didn’t quickly react to the offer. Instead, your eyes flickered to the doorway of the room before refocusing your attention back to the conversation. It’s not like you have anything against spending the night again at the manor—you’ve done it before, after all—but it’s honestly not really something you’re comfortable to do again. Maybe it’s because you’ve never really been okay with overstaying at strangers’ houses but your gut feel is also telling you right now that it shouldn’t be your top option regardless of the situation you are in.

Still, you didn’t want to come off rude to Taeyong, not when he is only being kind to offer you temporary shelter while being stuck in the middle of nowhere himself. So instead, you went against your initial doubts and offered him your thanks in return. It’s just Plan B that he’s proposing after all. 

“I will. Keep me updated though if you need anything you think I can help with.”

“Thank you and I will. I have to go now though. Please make yourself at home. I’ll try to call again after an hour.”

“Okay. Take care.”

You put your phone down now with a worried frown as you heard the line drop. You couldn’t believe this is happening the first day you got back to work but it’s not like you can really blame anyone for it. The only good thing is that you’re sure Jaehyun is being taken care of right now so that is at least one thing off your shoulders. You didn’t really need to rush anywhere, not especially to a vacant home. Leaning back against your seat, you tried your best to relax as your gaze travelled around the room once again. You deliberated on sending a text to your mother-in-law to tell her about your situation but decided against it, not wanting to worry her more. You sighed. For now, you guess you didn’t have any other choice but to wait.

You did try to distract yourself by watching the news for a few more minutes before finally giving up on it. With resignation, you picked yourself up from your seat again and turned the television off. For a moment you simply stood in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what to do with your time when your gaze settled on the door again. Everyone retreated to their own rooms after they finished with their lessons so it means the house is pretty much yours for exploring if you wanted to. You toyed with the idea for a little bit, before finally resigning yourself to it. It’s not like there really is anything else left for you to do, and Taeyong did say you can make yourself feel at home if you wanted to. With a sigh, you finally turned on your heels to leave the room and peered silently into the hallway. It was deserted as expected, but still your eyes travelled left and right to check if there’s anyone out and about at this hour. It was only after you made sure that you were alone when you finally allowed yourself to step into the corridor.

Of course, you have a plan. You’re pretty much sure that checking out the rooms on the first floor is acceptable since it’s where you’ve been rotating your classes so you’re going to stick to those areas. You remember finding a library there once and you focused on finding your way to it to maybe check out some of the books in the collection. 

It did take you about five minutes to finally find the place you were looking for. For some reason, the sections in the manor always confuse you no matter how many times you try to memorize each one, probably because of how big and similar-looking they are on the outside. You’ve already tried four doors when you were finally welcomed by the familiar-looking bookshelves at the fifth one. You sighed and gave one quick look around the room before slipping yourself inside after making sure that you’re alone.

There will probably never be a time when you won’t find yourself fascinated by anything in this grand home. If the architecture of the mansion is not enough to convince anyone how rich the family is, their book collection is enough to assure that at the very least. You’ve only ever taken a quick glimpse of it once during one of your lessons with the boys, but one look of the titles in their shelves is enough to make any literature major excited. You looked at the floor to ceiling collection now, your fingers gently running over the spines of the books you could reach with a small smile on your face.

You were about to check out the rest of the collection on the other side of the wall when something in the middle of the room caught your attention. You didn’t really catch it at first because of the shadows that concealed it when you first came in, but you could pretty much discern the outline of a blanket covered standee now from where you stood. You frowned. Taking careful steps, you closed the distance towards it to try and figure out what exactly it is that you’re seeing.

A closer look revealed it to be an easel covered with white cloth. You could see the outline of the canvas where the blanket falls over it while shadows of colors peeked out into the thin fabric from the surface it was covering. How odd… you knew that Renjun had a different art room for his paintings so to see this now here in the middle of the library seems uncanny.

You didn’t know how long you remained standing in front of it, too. You know you should have walked away—after all, the white cloth hiding it away from plain view means whatever is on that canvas is not meant for everyone’s eyes to see, but you simply couldn’t tear yourself away from it. It’s as if there was a silent force asking you to pull that cloth to reveal what’s underneath, the inclination so strong that you could almost hear its voice breathing down next to your ear, unrelenting until you do what it says.

The next thing you know, you had your hand attached to one end of the fabric. You stared at it now, wondering last minute if you should go ahead or not. You swallowed and glanced around one last time around the room. If you’re alone… it wouldn’t hurt if you could take a peek, right? Nobody will know. You just have to see, then cover it back again. Before you could even think about it too much, your arm was finally moving on its own as it gently tugged at the covering. You watched as it fell gently on the floor, like a bodiless ghost melting into the shadows on the ground.

Your eyes couldn’t make out what you were seeing at first. The dim lighting of the room wasn’t helping at all, but you were sure that it was a woman’s silhouette that was staring back at you from the canvas. Colors swirled around her, like some unknown mass trying to drag her back into unknown depths. Shapes and tones jumped from the picture, but her form stood out from the rest, gracefully twisted as if she was in the middle of trying to fight and succumb to it at the same time. You frowned. Taking a step closer towards it, you tried to study its details under what little illumination the lamps above afforded you.

That’s when it all happened simultaneously. Your heart stopped beating the same time your eyes widened as they finally focused on what’s in front of them. It’s as if the ground suddenly vanished from underneath your feet and you were falling, falling, deep into the abyss despite your body being frozen in fear and shock.

You know this painting. You’ve seen it before. It was the same one by Renjun, the one that you saw on your first day working in the manor.

But it was different now. Instead of the unfinished state that caught your attention before, everything about the picture now is in sharp focus. The lines on the woman’s nude body, the hands—which you thought were simply dark swirls dragging her back—and her face twisted beautifully in pleasure and madness stared back at you like a nightmare.

But it was not those which truly shook you to your core. It’s the realization that it was your own face in the portrait that was staring back at you, silently screaming for you to run away.

You stumbled back in shock. Your chest felt tight as you tried to grasp for air while your hands fumbled to find something to hold on to keep you from crashing on the ground. Before you could even take another step, however, something hard hit your back and you felt strong arms wrap around your waist like a vice. You have barely realized what was happening when you felt someone lean over your shoulder, lips pressing against the shell of your ear.

“Isn’t it beautiful? You’re the perfect muse, don’t you think?” Renjun asked softly as he pressed a gentle kiss to your temple.

******* You didn’t know how long you stayed frozen in his embrace. For a brief moment you thought you were dreaming again until you felt his arms slowly tighten around your waist. As if a jolt of electricity shocked you, you immediately turned to push him away as you scrambled to put some distance between the two of you.

Renjun didn’t seem the least bothered when your eyes finally focused on him. He remained on his spot, his gaze on you unwavering. You, meanwhile, were shaking from head to toe, the vision of the painting still branded vividly in your head.

“Renjun—what’s this?” you managed to stutter as you pointed at the artwork in the middle of the room. You couldn’t even spare to look at it again while he merely gave it a casual glance.

“It’s you. I’ve been working on it for a long time. I was about to show it to you but it seems like you couldn’t wait for it yourself.”

You felt nauseous. A part of your rational mind was slowly losing it as you tried to process his answer. Something's not right. Something is so terribly wrong.

“Why—why did you do this?”

Renjun simply stared at you and leaned his head a little bit to the side as if he was only mildly curious of your reaction. Your stomach turned even before hearing his answer.

“You said it’s beautiful.”

“This is not right—!”

“I came home because they said you were leaving for good,” he continued speaking softly, effectively cutting you from what you were about to say. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and you took another step back as you watched him get close to his artwork. You watched in horror as his thin fingers lovingly ran over the corners of the canvas. “Jaemin almost lost it… It’s a good thing I got here on time.”

And just like that, everything seemed to have clicked into place. The glances, the touches, the words that seemed to have a different undercurrent under them… they weren’t just fragments of your imagination. Every little thing that has gnawed at you from the inside came into crystal clear focus and you felt your knees go weak from the weight of it all. It took every fiber of your being to try and keep yourself steady now, your legs moving on their own as they took small backward steps away from the boy staring at you now with dead eyes. You couldn’t breathe, but it was the last words he told you that finally snapped you to run.

“I don’t think you’ve realized it yet. But no, you cannot leave. Ever.”

You didn’t know where you got the energy for it but in seconds you were flying out of that room and running blindly down the darkened corridors. Your blood pumped noisily in your ears and your chest felt like it was going to split from the sudden exertion you put on it, but you didn’t stop, not even looking back as you tried to put as much distance between you and the library. You didn’t even know where you were going. All you’re focused on is to find the exit and leave the house as soon as possible.

A loud bang that sounded off to your right startled you and you screamed, the force of your shock making you whip around and almost lose your balance. Before you could even hit the floor, however, a pair of hands caught you and you immediately turned, grasping at the chest of your rescuer.

You froze. Haechan smiled down at you as he tried to steady you on your feet.

“Haechan,” you gasped as you took fistfuls of his shirt and tried to shake him in your panic. “Renjun—he’s—please, help me. He’s after me—” you gasped out, almost out of your wits. You’re on the verge of a total breakdown that it almost escaped you, the way he simply smiled down on your shaking form. It was only when you felt one of his hands gently caress the top of your head that reality slapped you in the face again. You suddenly stopped struggling in his hold, pupils shaking as you watched him study your features lovingly.

“Shh… it’s fine. I got you,” he whispered and you could swear ice pricked you from the inside. A slight movement to the right made you turn your head and you saw Jaemin lean casually against the banister of the stairs, his face serene. He gave you one quick look before a gentle smile finally lit up his features.

“Has it started?” he asked and you felt Haechan’s hold on you tighten.

“It has.”

You didn’t struggle. It was as if any trace of fight you had left you in that moment and you let your hands fall limply on your sides. Haechan also loosened his grip on you and you stared at the two boys blankly, your chest heaving as if fighting for air. They didn’t move from their spots and simply followed you with their eyes as if relishing the fear and realization flashing in your face.

Trapped.

You’re trapped.

You’ve always been.

You didn’t even realize that your legs had started moving again on their own as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall together in your mind. You were only shaken from it when your back finally hit the front door, the cold metal of the knob pressing against your spine. Jaemin and Haechan remained on their spots still, even as you blindly reached out for it from behind.

You were expecting it to be locked, so you were a little bit surprised when you felt it give way under your hand when you tried to turn it open. Just before you could even entertain the idea of escaping, however, any trace of hope you had quickly died as you turned and came face to face with Jeno standing right in front of the entrance. He didn’t look the least surprised seeing you there, as if he was waiting for you in the first place.

You eyes took in his calm countenance before slowly moving to stare downwards at what he was holding by his side. Your gaze locked on it in fear, and that’s when the flight response in you flared up again.

Jeno’s hunting rifle shone dully in the light of the entryway, his pale fingers wrapped on its handle.

“There’s really only one place you can run, noona, but I won’t advise it,” he said evenly and you felt your blood freeze in your veins.

“After all, no matter where you hide, I’ll still find you in that forest.”

It happened all at once. You broke into a run, your body screaming at you to go faster as you heard gunshots pierce the air.

---

CHAPTER 7

A/N: Good lord, I wasn’t expecting I’d finish this today but I got one large iced coffee and well... things happened. Anyway, enjoy! Let’s hope the format won’t mess up this time. T.T Finally, all hell broke loose~ <3

Tag list! 

@negincho, @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore​, @jsturkey, @aj-7, @pukupukupawpau, @tomiesgirlfren, @vsszn, @those-winternights, @xsnelly, @lihyuck, @laheyspizza, @miyeux27, @haoshitt, @mindofthescattered, @huangberryyy, @d1nne, @choppedupcactus, @neokat​, @yutasnabi​

[undertale-data]

[Image Description: An Undertale chat box that has “WHY FANS LOVE UNDERTALE” at its center. Next to it are a line chart and an Egg from the Dating Hub on its left, and a CRIME measurer (also from the Dating Hub) on its right. End I.D.]

[Image Description: a pie chart titled, “LEVEL OF LOVE FOR UNDERTALE.” The textbox on the top right reads, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the highest, how much do fans enjoy Undertale?” From the top going clockwise, 12 or 0% chose 5 and below; 23 or 1% chose 6; 98, or 4%, chose 7; 325, or 12%, chose 8; 529, or 20%, chose 9; and 1664, or 63%, chose 10. End I.D.]

It’s clear from all of the data analyzed so far that fans who took the time to answer our survey love Undertale. It is unlikely that they would have taken the time to answer so many questions if they had not, and even less likely that they would have come across our survey in the first place. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that 63% of our responders gave their love for Undertale a score of ten out of ten. 95% gave their love for Undertale a score of eight or higher, and only 12 responders responded with five or below, a number so small that their responses had to be lumped together to be visible on the pie chart. Of those, only 3 responders gave their love for Undertale a score of 1, and based on those responders’ other answers, it is likely that they were only intending to troll. We are very fortunate that the vast majority of responders took the survey seriously, enough so that responses like this are barely a blip in the data.

Now, for our final analysis post of the event, we will delve into the reasons that fans love Undertale so dearly.

(Essay and highlights under the cut.)

There have been countless essays on the impact that Undertale has had on people’s lives. I can hardly add more on the subject than what has already been said, but I hope this summary can provide a brief overview of what stood out among the over two thousand answers given in response to this survey. That said, due to the sheer volume of answers, I could not read every single one in depth—however, I did skim all of them, and some that stood out or were representative of several responses have been highlighted below. If you would like to see what every fan who consented to share their response had to say, you may view the full list of responses here. Note that these responses have not been edited in any way. This document may take a long time to load, as it is over 100 pages long.

(Warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts in the following essay.)

Several responders loved the theme of choices mattering in Undertale. Whether people played the pacifist, merciless, or neutral routes, they enjoyed how the game reacted to their actions. For some, it even made them consider their own morality. One touching response explained the impact that the theme of mercy made on them. “I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.” Many fans left similar comments about how the themes of Undertale made them better people.

Undertale changed how its fans treat others, and it also changed how fans treat themselves. The theme of staying determined and the messages of hope in the game were a light to a very large portion of fans. I cannot list all of the fans who said that Undertale helped them out of a dark place, or that they would not be alive if not for Undertale. “DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.”

Undertale brought fans together in unexpected ways. Some said they met friends or significant others through the fandom. “I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale,” one fan said. A different fan who is non-native English speaking mentioned that the game and the fan community helped them to learn English.

It would be impossible to discuss Undertale without mentioning the fan community. Whether for good or bad, many responders mentioned the fandom in their responses. Overall the feelings towards the fandom seem positive, though many made references to “toxic” parts of the fandom without specifying which parts they consider toxic. Others rejected the idea of toxicity in fandom. One response said: “[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!”

One thing that makes the Undertale fandom unique is the way it embraces various AUs. Some fans are tired of AU content, but the majority of responses show a love for the creativity behind AUs. “Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.” The lack of a judgemental atmosphere seems present in the AU community, according to the responses we saw. There is an interesting balance between AU and canon (sometimes referred to as “classic”) content that another responder pointed out: “The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertale fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)”

Regardless of the many AUs the fandom has created over the years, the original game of Undertale still feels like home for many fans. They wished they could reclaim the feeling of playing the game again for the first time, but even though we can’t reset time in real life, there is still a special feeling for fans each time they play Undertale. One fan said, “Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.” This feeling is one that can be cherished time and time again. In the words of another responder: “It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it.” Others pointed out the strength of the found family trope in Undertale, which likely contributes to this feeling of “home” as well.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the music is part of what makes Undertale feel like home for fans. Even when responses focused on other aspects of the game, many would throw in a comment about the soundtrack at the end. One comment focused on the music said “IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.” Like with the game itself, the music has incredible replay value, an amazing feat considering most of the tracks use the same few motifs. “I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story,” another responder said. “They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.”

If the music sticks with fans in their hearts, then the game’s lore sticks with fans in their minds. Even six years after the release of Undertale, fans are still creating new theories and digging up new secrets. The way the game breaks the fourth wall in particular intrigued many fans and has stuck out through all these years. The awareness that the game shows for the RPG genre makes it memorable. The game plays with the player’s expectations and turns them on their heads, all while reminding the player that they’re in a game. There are few other games that do this on such a large scale, so it’s no surprise that fans cite this as one of their favorite things about Undertale.

Lastly, the LGBT+ representation in Undertale has been a huge draw for fans. Especially in 2015, the sheer volume of non-cishet characters was unprecedented, as one fan pointed out: “It's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. Hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. It's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.” The LGBT+ cast including Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne each connected with fans in unique ways. It’s clear how important this is from responses such as: “There are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.” “It made me gay and trans so thanks for that.”

Once again I am overwhelmed with just how much there is to say about Undertale. One responder really understood when they compared Undertale to an iceberg, explaining that there are so many layers to the game that there is something for everyone: “everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans—from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers—is the mark of the coolest games!” I would have to agree with them.

It’s been six years, and despite everything, it’s still you. Thank you for reading, participating in this survey, and above all, staying determined.

Highlights:

DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.

I think the coolest thing was having the opportunity to watch the AU community grow from its bare roots. It's nearly insane how big and complex it's gotten, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.

i love how the lgbt rep is so naturalized... there are just gay people! and its nobodys business!

The music is my go to answer, but what I really really REALLY love is how the minor characters have so much personality to them when you talk to them. They aren't incredibly important to the overall story, but they're all so likeable and diverse that you just can't help but like them immediately!

I think it was the first videogame I have played that broke the fourth wall that much. Of course there has been other videogames that broke it but just for one or two tongue-in-cheek jokes. The guilt of killing mama goat was also something intense as well that I appreciated as an experience and that I didn't think a videogame could cause on someone.

I love how no character can be seen as completely bad! Everyone builds up Asgore as some horrible villain, but he turns out to be a 'fuzzy pushover' who's broken and just wants his family back by the time you meet him. Then you think Flowey's an irredeemable killer who engineered the suffering of the monsters across many timelines, and he is... but he also used to be the kind and beloved Prince Asriel Dreemurr, traumatized by his death and subsequent rebirth, projecting his best friend onto you.

The fact that choices matter in the game. Your first playthrough and getting the golden ending for the first time. I can never replicate those feelings again, wish I could erase my memories and replay the game from the start.

I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale.

(Toxic parts of the fandom aside) The community is possibly one of the kindest I've ever met. Cringe culture is completely dead, and I feel like I can be myself. I felt a very close connection to many of the characters, and I loved consuming content about them when I was in a rough patch in my life.

just everything, the whole game has just impacted my life so much. i know it sounds really lame, but when the game first came out, i would purposely put my hands in my pockets and sway slightly, like sans' idle animation. of course i dont do that anymore haha, but undertale still really impacts me to this day, and i wouldnt have it any other way :)

it made me gay and trans so thanks for that

I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.

The thing I love most about Undertale is no matter how many times I play or watch a playthrough it always makes me genuinely happy. It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it. Toriel still makes me feel all warm and cozy in her home, the Skelebros always make me laugh, and I still cry on the inside watching Frisk comforting Asriel. And on the flip side the No Mercy run still invokes the negative emotions in me as well. In short Undertale just feels like a second home to me and I always wish I could stay.

The reader inserts are my favorite way to decompress after a hard day

I think Undertale helped me discover my love for 8-bit games, and made me realize how IMPORTANT music is in video games.

the worldbuilding and character design are my favorite parts of the main game apart from the music! I’m also a huge fan of the random AU music- not for like underswap or underfell i like the stuff where someone makes a megalovania for a random au where gru from despicable me replaces sans as the character. i think its funny

Just... the vibe, honestly? Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.

there are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.

[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!

There's a scene where Frisk (the player) is going towards what is presumably going to be their death. They will fight Asgore and he will use their human soul to break the barrier and free his people. The music, despite the player's impending doom, is... triumphant. You are not the triumphant one here, and yet, the score invites you to experience the monsters' joy and happiness as they tell you the tale of their subjugation. The monsters are going to be free. This is their victory, but they don't hate you or want you to die. They're just... happy. That scene has always struck me very deeply. I feel it represents the best parts of Undertale.

I loved how well thought out the Geno route was. It really made me feel like I was doing something horrible, and the characters were very obviously reacting to dire circumstances.

I dunno? I like Undertale for it's characters, story, music, secrets and many more. I am not good with Headcanons but I also like the neutral endings and how different they can depending on who you spare and kill

I was very bad at english before, i thought i couldn't progress because i was very shy and not confident. But my sibling and i wanted to have the best experience with this game so we wanted to play it in english. It's this game and the fandom which helped me to make huge progress in english !

THE SOUNDTRACK. IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.

to avoid writing an essay i will say one word. Mettaton

It is like Toby specifically made the games to fit the iceberg meme and it's awesome, everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans - from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers is the mark of the coolest games!

I love almost everything about Undertale as a game on its own. The music, the art and especially the characters and how they interact. They made me feel at home. Undertale means a huge amount to me. (I even got a tattoo of the castle when you and MK walk together!) The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertake fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)

the mystery. toby fox refused to give answers to anything and i think thats very sexy of him.

I just feel guilty for liking it so much when I'm in my 30's. But I recently got diagnosed with ASD, so I guess it explains things a bit. Many ppl consider Papyrus to be neurodivergent, and some adult fans are too, so seeing that makes me feel a bit better.

i think about "Despite everything, it's still you" everyday of my life.

I like how it's just as funny as it can be serious. All routes are this way. I laughed as much as I cried when I played the Pacifist route and then once I opened the game again and Flowey was telling me to let them be happy, I immediately turned off the game. I somehow felt bad.

The Found Family Trope

The True Pacifist Ending is just...man. And the fanworks about saving everyone even when the game doesn't let you? MANNNNNN

I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story. They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.

there's honestly a LOT to love about this game, but i think one of my favorite things about it is just how many lgbt+ characters there are??? i can think of alphys, undyne, frisk, chara, mettaton, napstablook, monster kid, asgore, mad mew mew, the dress lion, the royal guards, and arguably even papyrus off of the top of my head, but im sure i'm forgetting a few from just undertale alone (there's even MORE in deltarune)!! it's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. it's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.

[Image description: A wordcloud in the shape of the capitalized word UNDERTALE. The text is white on a black background, and uses the font found in the game. Some of the most visible words are: Game, Love, Music, Life, AU, Store, Friend, and Feel, which represent the most common words in the essays people wrote about their love for the game. End of ID]

[cherryobx]

𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 || 𝐑.𝐂 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

requested?: yes

summary: Rafe finds your diary and all the letters addressed to him.

warnings: language, invasion of privacy (reading someone's diary), tiny bit of fluff in the end

WC: 1.4k

-GIF CREDIT @starkey-babie -

Opening up to people is one of the scariest things in the world for a lot of people. The thought of someone knowing your deepest darkest thoughts makes your stomach turn.

It's not like you didn't want to open up to your boyfriend more. It was that you didn't know how to. How does one just talk about what they really feel? It seemed weird to just bring the topic up over dinner or when golfing. Was there a right time? And was the right time ever going to come?

At the beginning of your relationship with Rafe you started writing letters to him in your diary. You weren’t sure if you were ever going to show them to him but that was the only way you could say what you wanted to say without actually saying it out loud.

For months, as your relationship grew more and more, you kept writing letters addressed to him. You kept your diary so hidden that sometimes you even forgot where you had put it. You didn’t want to risk anyone ever seeing it. Those were your personal thoughts. The ones you’d never want anyone other than yourself to read.

One night, you and Rafe had planned to go out to a party, just to let loose for the night and have fun. You were in such a hurry doing your hair and make-up that you had forgotten your diary on your bedroom table. Literally an open book.

“Babe?” Rafe entered your room without knocking. He never did so. Why would he if there were high chances of seeing you naked or getting dressed.

“In the bathroom,” you yelled, trying not to mess your eyeliner up. You were so close to getting both of the wings to look even.

Usually he would hop onto your bed to wait for you but this time, seeing the open notebook on the table, he was intrigued to sit behind the table. He recognized your handwriting as his eyes scanned the pages in front of him.

“What the fuck?” he quietly mumbled as he started flipping through the pages, seeing his own name on top of many of them. He started reading the most recent one of them all.

Dear Rafe,

It’s our 6 months anniversary today. Wow it really has already been that long. But it’s kind of hard to believe so much time has passed because whenever I’m with you time just stops. It’s like we’re living in our own little bubble at our own pace. And I like that about us. But the thing is, I still don’t know how to really open up to you. I want to tell you how beautiful you look when you first wake up, messy hair and morning voice and all. I want to tell you that hearing your laugh makes me instantly happy. I want to tell you that when you look at me I go weak in the knees. I want to tell you that your smile is my favourite thing in the whole world. I want to tell you how much better you make my life, how I care about you more than anyone else. I want to tell you how happy you really make me. I want to tell you how much I really love you. I want to tell you so many things but it’s like my mind just goes blank whenever I try to do that. I feel like I should be able to do that. But why can’t I? It’s keeping me up at night. Maybe one day I’ll be able to tell you all of this. Hopefully before it’s too late. I love you, Rafe, much more than you’ll ever know.

Yours truly,

Y/N

“Do you really go weak in the knees when I look at you?” he asked, a small smirk on his lips.

Your eyes widened in horror. The eyeliner in your hands fell into the sink, drawing a few black lines onto the white ceramic.

Slowly, you walked out of the bathroom. Your heart was beating so fast it was about to give out. When he said those words, you knew exactly where he had gotten them from. Your mind was running a million miles an hour, all of the worst case scenarios popping up.

He sat on your chair, feet up on the table and your diary in his hands.

For a moment you were absolutely speechless, you didn’t know how to react. This is exactly what you had been trying to avoid all this time. And now it was all happening.

“What the fuck, Rafe?” your voice barely a whisper, tears already forming in your eyes.

Then you screamed. “What the fuck?”

He winced at the tone and loudness of your voice.

“Why would you do that, Rafe. That’s personal. You have no right to just read someone else’s diary. What the fuck is wrong with you?” The tears falling down your cheeks ruined your make-up completely but you didn’t care even a little bit in that moment.

He placed the notebook back on the table and stood up. He tried to hug you but you stepped back.

“Don’t fucking touch me right now!”

The severity of the situation had finally reached him. He had fucked up, majorly. He should’ve never even looked at what you wrote in that notebook.

“Y/N…”

“No, no, no! Shut up! Do you have any idea how wrong of you that was? That was an invasion of privacy. Those are the things that I never want anyone to see. And then you fucking do that shit?”

“But it was just sitting right there and I saw my name. I’m so sorry, Y/N. Please.”

You shook your head in disbelief. “That doesn’t fucking mean you can just read that! Oh my God.”

You felt like your legs were going to give out so you sat onto your bed and hid your face in your hands. He sat beside you but kept his distance. He might’ve acted like an asshole but he still wanted to respect your wishes. Even though he had just read your diary, which had definitely been off-limits.

You both sat there for a few minutes in silence before you spoke up.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay, you had every right to.”

You scooted closer to him and wrapped your arms around his torso, hiding your face in his chest. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around you as well.

“I’ve never known how to talk about what I feel or what I think. I don’t know, it’s just really hard for me, I guess. When I met you and we started dating, I started writing letters to you. It was the only way for me to get it all out of my system. I never meant to actually send them to you or show them to you.”

You took a break since your voice started quivering. You took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm yourself down.

“And what you did was wrong. It was fucked up. But...the letters were addressed to you so I’m not going to hold it against you. But don’t you ever fucking touch my diary without my permission ever again or it’s gonna be last thing that you do.”

He chuckled lightly and placed a kiss on your forehead. “I promise.”

“Now, how about we stay here tonight and I’ll let you read a few of those letters?” you offered, pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes.

“Are you sure?” He placed his hands on your cheeks as he gently wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

“I mean you already read one so a couple more are not gonna hurt me. Plus, I think you deserve to know how I really feel about you since I haven’t been able to actually tell you.”

“Then okay, sure.”

“And, I promise I’ll try to start saying these things to you in person. It's probably gonna take time for me to completely open up to you like that but I’ll try to get there.”

“And I’ll be here for every step of the way.”

Outer Banks taglist: @taylathornton @jjmaybanksbaby @maybanksslut @dirtytissuebox

Rafe Cameron taglist: @teenwaywardasgardian @canibeoneofthepogues @vintageobx @nehireerdogan @samlovessylvie @noellesideas @tomhardybby @drewstarkeysbitchh @in-my-body-bag

(couldn't tag the crossed out ones for some reason)