#i wanted to express his terror... and i think i accomplished that........

[smile-files]

there is little scarier than a god believing in you

(objectober 2024 day 9: trust)

[iocaisaint]

I don't know how to explain but one thing I'll always love about Nesta is her accomplishments and how she's seen in the eyes of canon vs how they genuinely don't register to her (like not in a humble way she genuinely just never thinks about)

like she's able to circumvent a high lords glamour through pure strength of will

she then treks on a 4 day round trip through wolf country in the dead of winter to go get her sister back, simply because it wasn't right she was taken when the family has only benefitted from that

this leads into ACOMAF where Feyre thinks about asking Rhysand if he can force Nesta's hand if she doesn't agree to host (daemati powers) and then questions if he could even do it to Nesta

We've got literal gods talking about some Nesta "you're the one the wind whispered about" in ACOWAR

her having the King off Hybern scared as a human simply because she pointed a finger at him

Then there's the king slaying obviously

Then at some point between ACOFAS & ACOSF she manages to deal with her terror of bathtubs through pure exposure therapy and no outside help

Then there's the weapons she made

Not being able to be contained by Rhys at the height of her power (+ him admitting that she scares)

Kelpie slaying, dread trove, pure death etc.

Then there's the mother imbuing her power into Nesta's friendship bracelets? This one was genuinely crazy

Her managing those 10,000 steps that were difficult for even the bat boys on nothing but strong thighs and spite!

This is one I hate but the IC just throwing her at any single man (Helion & Eris) in Pyrthian to get what they want and it working

Holding the pass for Gwyn & Em, murdering Briallyn, stopping time, making a deal with a soup pot, having a one on one with the mother and saving Nyx, Feyre and Rhys in one morning

Then HOFAS she's calling up the dread trove through universes and slaying the wyrm, getting Gwydion and going down as saviour of another universe

This entire moment>>>>>> "Rhys nodded without looking at the warrior, and focused all his fury on Nesta. To her credit, the female stood stiff-backed, chin high. Imperious and unbending. Ember couldn't help but admire her.

Rhysand’s violet-blue eyes guttered into pure darkness at the challenge in Nesta’s expression, her stance. A predator recognizing a worthy opponent—and unsheathing its talons. His hands curled at his sides, as if invisible claws were forming."

Then we get into Nesta's pov and her only desires are to go home to her man, hang out with Emerie & Gwyn, get her hands on a pegasus, read smutty books and eat chocolate cake 😭

I may not like how her story went but I'll always appreciate that this part of her stayed the same

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Chapter 35

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Threats of violence; Allusions to child abuse

A/N: Finally. This took forever and I’m ashamed of that. If you’re still here, thank you so much for sticking it out with me. 🩵

The disquiet pumping into your heart like blood was suffocating. It coated the muscle, froze it. It was foreboding, the feeling of knowing the ending of a film but going into the theater regardless as if you could inspire a change in the script. 

This was no film. 

There was no script. 

Daryl stood at the edge of the trees, his crossbow at his side, his eyes a blue inferno of rage and terror. You could only imagine what he was thinking. No, you didn’t need to imagine. You knew exactly what it looked like. 

“Daryl, this isn’t what you—” Carol began. 

“No.” He shook his head, the word spat with such venom that you flinched. “Get away from ‘er.” The air around him held a certain danger, one just as volatile as the warehouse. For the first time—even after all the instances you’d fought with him, the roads you’d seen him travel to protect the group—you genuinely feared him, what he might do. 

“If you’d just let—” You tried, your voice trembling.

“Said get away from ‘er!” When his fist tightened around the stock of the crossbow, you gasped, eyes wide. Surely he would never. 

But if he did, it was no secret that he would not miss. 

“Okay!” You yelped, your hands leaving your screaming daughter to be held up placatingly. “Okay, just let me explain.” Your partner—if you could even call him that at the moment—huffed and shook his head. 

“Y’ain’t wanted nothin’ to do with ‘er for days. Never thought ya’d try an’—” His expression soured further, pained and panicked. The gray light from the overcast sky caught the shine in his eyes, a promise of rain. Then he was stomping forward, slinging his crossbow onto his back, forcing you to scramble backward and away from Birdie. When he scooped her up and held her tightly—protectively—against his chest, your tears began anew. 

“It isn’t like that! Carol was just—”

“Don’t wanna hear it.” Each step he took backward elicited a sharp pang in your chest, his large hands shielding your own child from you. “Y’stay away from ‘er. Both’a ya!”

“Daryl, you can’t—” You stumbled to your feet, breathing in a forceful sob when he sheltered Birdie closer and twisted his body to keep you at a distance. “Please!”

“Better yet,” he paused and shook his head, his eyes so full of emotion, you couldn’t possibly pinpoint just one. “M’leavin’. We’re leavin’.” He spun on one foot and stalked away with you following as fast as your legs could possibly carry you. 

“No! No, no, no! Wait!” When you grabbed his arm, he wrenched himself free with a growl. 

“Don’t touch me!” He roared as if he didn’t care how many dangers he could attract. Birdie wailed against his chest. Breathing hard through his nose, he continued to put more distance between you. “Don’t wanna hurtcha. Even after this.” He jerked his chin toward where you had previously sat—where Carol still stood with both hands covering her mouth. “But I will. Ya stay away from us.”

And then he was gone, disappearing just as the others came running in from the opposite side, Birdie’s cries continued—a devastating symphony with no conductor—until she stopped or was simply too far away for your ears to keep hold. “No.” You whispered. “No! Daryl, come back!” You felt arms encircle you, Lori’s swollen stomach pressing against you. “Come back.” Your voice had lowered to a splintering whimper as you bowed forward, Lori following you despite the strain it caused. 

“We’ll get them back.” Lori couldn’t possibly be apprised of what Daryl had seen, what you had been trying to accomplish. So she held you, whispering reassurances as you cried, guilt and anguish weighing so heavily on your heart that it felt as if it may fall through your ribcage and onto the cold ground.  

Eventually, you sat alone, knees drawn to your chest with your arms wrapped around them. You wanted to run after him, find him and explain yourself. You wanted your daughter in your arms. If he would only listen then he would at least know you meant Birdie no harm. You were desperate for safety, for your baby and your family. 

“Hey.”

You didn’t turn toward Maggie’s voice, your eyes reddened and hard as if you could summon Daryl back through the brush through sheer force of will alone. You wouldn’t be placated, refused to be pacified. Your fiance had taken your child off into the wilderness alone because of your actions. Carol could try and take all the blame that she wanted but it changed nothing. Daryl and Birdie were gone and it was your fault. 

“I should have waited.” You sniffed, tightening your arms around your knees. The front of your sweater was damp, your bra saturated with breastmilk. Birdie must have been hungry by then. “Should have talked to him.” The tips of your fingers swiped angrily below your right eye. “I knew what he’d say—what he’d think—” Shaking your head, you smiled ruefully. “What you all must think.”

“No one’s passing any judgment here.” At some point, Maggie had sat down beside you and mimicked your pose. “Carol’s a survivor, Y/N. She had her reasons for what she did and what she was ready to teach you. Sophia lived because of that very thing.” 

The name was a stridulent reminder of what could so easily happen to any child. It was true that Daryl would never allow it. He’d die first, of that you were certain. Nothing and no one would harm your little girl while he breathed. Still, he was only a man, flesh and blood. He could die out there and then Birdie would be lost as well. 

“I was so stupid!” You lamented. Forehead lightly meeting your knees, you tangled your fingers into your unkempt hair and tugged. The pain was grounding but did little to drive the images from your mind of what could be happening as you sat idle.

Red. 

The sharp inhale as you straightened startled Maggie halfway to her feet, but you were standing first. 

“I have to go. I have to find them.” A single step was blocked by the eldest Greene daughter, her hands up. She was treating you like a cornered, cowering animal. You didn’t care for it. “Move.”

“I wasn’t supposed to say—”

Well, nothing good could ever follow those words. Her eyes danced nervously, flitting from you to someone behind you. You knew T-Dog was there. Your senses may have been dulled by distress but they weren’t entirely absent. “Are you gonna make me guess?”

“Carol and Glenn already went after them.”

You blinked. “What?” It was no question that Carol loved you. She loved you, your daughter, and she loved Daryl. To go without you meant she thought it was all her fault. You couldn’t stand by and let her take the blame that solely fell onto your shoulders. “When did they leave?” 

“Maybe an hour ago. They wanted to get them back before dark.”

Your stomach twisted. Daryl and Birdie, alone in the woods—at night. It was bad enough to imagine them there with the sun high above, but in the dark? He could handle himself but how would he be able to keep them safe when Birdie needed something, when she would hardly stop crying for no reason at all. What had he been thinking?

That you were trying to kill your own baby. 

You sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay.” Your acquiescence only seemed to fuel Maggie’s worry, her glances dismissing T-Dog but summoning Lori in his place. 

“He’ll come back.” She soothed. Her gloved fingers felt odd in your hair but you allowed the comforting gesture. “He just didn’t understand and you know how he can be when he doesn’t understand.” You did know. He was quick to anger. It was something he had actively been working on and showing progress. Throw Birdie into the mix, however, and all bets were off. 

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, plopping back down onto the cold leaves. “Even if he does, he’ll never see me the same.” The mere thought pierced your heart. You could only take a deep breath when you felt the cracks spiderwebbing out from the proverbial wound. “It’ll be over.”

Lori said nothing, her fingers combing through your hair. She had to agree that there was no other plausible outcome. Anything you and Daryl had built would come to an end, back to struggling in finding a way to co-parent with that awkward tension dangling between the two of you. 

“You should get some rest.” 

You were exhausted. Your body was sitting heavily with red rimmed eyes glued to the trees lining the border of the clearing. “I can’t sleep.” Your chin quivered, try as you might to contain your emotions. “I need my baby. I need to know she’s safe.” Your voice cracked, quiet as it was. I need them both.

“At least lie down.” Maggie urged, leaning down from beside Lori to squeeze your shoulders. “I promise to come get you the minute they get back. 

If they come back. 

“When.” She affirmed, holding your gaze when you twisted to regard her questioningly. Had you said that outloud? “When they get back.” Rubbing your lips together before capturing the bottom one between your teeth, you nodded, too exhausted to argue. 

“You win.” You grunted, levering to your feet. Turning toward camp, you cast a lingering glance at the trees. Please, come back.

“What were you thinking? 

“I was tryin’ to keep ‘er safe!”

“By going off alone with her! You could have been killed. She could have been killed!”

Your eyes snapped open, your feet carrying you toward the ruckus before you had even commanded your body to stand. Daryl was standing in front of Lori and Rick, Birdie—hidden in her blanket, her cries muffled—held against his chest. His crossbow was lying next to his feet. Their voices were raised, the argument escalating with each subsequent word. 

Your lip quivered, the need to hold your baby pulling violently at your chest. Still, you dared not step closer. Not yet. Daryl hadn’t noticed you. His face was red, the veins and tendons bulging in his neck. Carol was just beyond him, sitting on the ground with her face in her hands. Maggie and Beth were on either side of her. 

Licking your lips, you took a step forward. Your hunter’s skill unimportant in that moment, you didn’t notice the twig on the ground until it snapped beneath your boot. 

Daryl’s gaze jerked toward you, his eyes narrowing and fingers tightening their hold on the bundle he cradled. His jaw ticked, but he said nothing. Rick stepped back and pulled his wife along with him, whispering something when she tensed beneath his touch. 

“Daryl?” Your voice cracked, a lone tear escaping to travel down and drip from your jaw. “Daryl, please, just—” 

The anger faded from his expression when a tiny hand escaped the blanket. “She’s hungry.” He rasped. Holding your breath, you waited, your heart pounding in your ears. When he took that first step toward you, you felt the tension melt from your muscles and all but ran to him, extricating Birdie from his hold. 

“Hi, baby girl.” Her cries quieted but didn’t stop, her tiny form wriggling against you as you held her. “Hungry, huh?” You sniffed, no longer even attempting to stifle your tears. Her weight was a comforting, tiny burden that almost felt foreign even though only hours had passed. 

Not moving an inch, you plopped right down where you stood, placing her across your folded legs while you shed your jacket and sweater, leaving only your bra. Modesty and cold be damned, you needed to nurse your baby, needed to know you could do something right for her. She latched eagerly, tiny fingers flexing against the curve of your breast. 

“There we go.” Your voice was a wobbling whisper, your body rocking as you watched that perfect little face. “Mommy’s sorry. Mommy’s so sorry.” A shadow fell over you as you stroked her cheek, a soft fabric coming to rest across your shoulders. “I didn’t—I would never—”

Daryl crouched in front of you, expression stoic, and adjusted the poncho, covering both you and Birdie. Leaning forward onto one knee, he gathered your discarded clothing. “I’ll just, uh—I’ma give these to Carol.” 

“Daryl, I—”

“Don’t.” He shook his head, purposefully avoiding your gaze. “Just—don’t.” His jaw shifted back and forth, a sure sign that he was grinding the inside of his lip between his teeth. He looked tired, haggard even. His eyes were red-rimmed, tear tracks on his cheeks. The archer’s knees cracked as he stood, turning away from you. 

Carol was watching from where she sat, her eyes following Daryl as he approached. You couldn’t hear what was said between them but she nodded and accepted the clothing he offered. He didn’t look at you while he gathered his crossbow and disappeared back into the trees. 

You waited, as you had been all day, but he didn’t reemerge. There was no time to dwell as Birdie released your nipple with a wet pop, working up to a good cry. “Okay, okay, little one.” You soothed, moving her to your shoulder beneath the poncho. It took barely two pats before she burped, the warmth of spit-up rolling down your bare back. “I missed you too.” You chuckled. 

“How is she?” Carol was crouching not unlike Daryl had been, digging through a bag for a cloth to use for the mess. “Just take care of her. I’ll get you cleaned up.” You inhaled, deep and shaky, looking back toward the little bump beneath the poncho as you switched her over to your other breast. 

“I think she’s okay. Blanket’s a little dirty but it’s not slathered in walker guts so I’d count that as a win.” There was a comfortable silence while Birdie nursed, her tiny breaths and gulps making Daryl’s absence bearable for the moment. 

“He’s going hunting.”

You felt the cold air breathe against your skin, goosebumps rising and spreading. “Oh.” You voiced blandly, not really sure what sentiment to attach to the word. Were you relieved? Anxious? Sad?

“I told him.” She continued, dabbing at your back though the wetness was all but gone. You supposed the movement of her hand was somehow centering. “I explained.” You silently nodded, smiling when Birdie wrapped her teeny hand around your finger. “I think he at least understands it wasn’t malicious—that we weren’t trying to hurt her.”

Even if he did understand that much, his scars told a story. A sad tale of abuse that you would never comprehend. It was sure to play a heavy role in how he felt about what he had seen. 

“Do you think he’ll forgive us?” Me? 

“I—don’t know.” 

Another nod. It was all you could emotionally afford to spare. You were wrung out, the relief of having Birdie in your arms proving to be a formidable force in defiance of your resiliency. Once the baby had finished and burped, you passed her to Carol—listening to the woman beg for forgiveness in hushed tones and gentle kisses to a small fist—and redressed. 

If you never before believed in miracles—aside from the one now resting in a sheaf of blankets next to you—you did now. Birdie slept, not a single peep of discontent. It was as if whatever ailed her had completely vanished. You could only pray she remained so comfortable. 

With your daughter under your arm, you could only think of Daryl as weariness gradually dragged you from the waking world and into a dreamless oblivion. 

Please still love me when I wake up. 

[kiame-sama]

Drag Me to Hell- (Yandere!Alastor x Chubby!Reader) pt. 3

Warnings; spoilers for episode 5 of Hazbin Hotel, yandere relationship, yandere temper, yandere behavior, toxic relationship, Alastor is not fond of disobedience, don't make deals with demons,

~~~~~~~~

"Good talk, chum!"

Alastor hummed as he moved towards the shadows, leaving behind a shaking and terrified Husker. There were many words that could be used to describe Alastor and none were more fitting than terrifying.

None knew this better than you.

"Husker," you started, emerging from where you had been waiting down the hall, "are you okay?"

The hellcat tried to pull himself together quickly and brush you off, but his shaking betrayed how truly afraid he was. When Alastor wanted to put terror into others, he didn't need to work very hard to accomplish his goal.

"Why the Hell d'you care? You're his fuckin' favorite, the fuck you know about it?"

You knew he was lashing out to protect himself, but the words almost managed to make you flinch. Luckily for the both of you, you didn't and you kept a level head. If he had seen... Still, you wanted to try and comfort the fellow lost soul ensnared by your eternal captor.

"Husker, listen to me."

Something about your firm tone made the demon pause, an almost confused and unsettled expression on his face. It was rare that you became so serious and pleading with anyone, let alone tried to actually talk to anyone for extended periods of time. Something about your tone made him want to take whatever you were going to say seriously.

"You may think you know the limits of his patience but you don't. I know them. I have seen more than you know and have been by his side for longer than you may expect. I can never share these things. I can never tell anyone what I have heard and seen. Those memories are not my secrets to share. But I can tell you some of the terms of my contact, and I hope you understand and take heed."

You were choosing your words carefully, knowing that you could only say so much before the fine-print of your contract with Alastor silenced you. Parroting one of the key lines of your contract even as you navigated your way through the red-tape and fine print. Alastor made sure to create a rather finely crafted contract to outline your deal with him and you had plenty of time to read over it again and again.

"Expected and Required are the same thing. I am expected to remain by Alastor's side until he doesn't want me to be. I am expected to do what is asked of me by Alastor and no one else. I am expected to keep what I see and hear a secret unless Alastor wishes for me to speak on the matter. I am expected to remember the primary terms of every contract I have seen. And I have to say, Husker, I know better than anyone what chains can bind some overlords."

Husker seemed confused for a moment before his eyes flashed with recognition before shifting to curiosity. You could only hope that he gathered the information you wanted to give him without having directly said it.

"You were there for my deal, weren't you?"

"I cannot say. Those are not my secrets to share."

"But where were you? I thought it was just me an' him. Unless... Hells, you're his microphone, aren't you?"

"I am expected to be by his side until he doesn't want me to be."

"You've been around long enough to see my deal, you must have seen so many other deals too. Why do you stay with him? Ain't there any kind of freedom to your deal?"

"My deal was made to keep me safe from other demons. It... Evolved into what it is now. I stay safe and in return I do as my deal says, no questions. That is what I agreed to. Look, Husker, all I am saying is your leash could be tighter, your chains could be heavier, and you could have far less freedoms than you have now. Don't squander it over someone like Mimzy."

"I just know she is bad news! But he won't listen."

"I know she is bad news too and I admit, I hate her. Every time she shows up she uses him and thinks she has some kind of control over him because he lets her get away with this nonsense."

You sighed and tried to smile at Husker, feeling the wry and strained grin become more of a grimace. It was true that you strongly disliked the woman that only appeared when she needed help and you knew she didn't like you either. Mimzy had obvious feelings for Alastor and she hated the fact that you were close to him when she so desperately wanted to be in your place.

"Husker, I can't say I like you- he doesn't like competition of any kind- but I don't want you killed or hurt. You are a better person than you claim to be and we both know it. Just know that though he doesn't like your tone, he does hear you and your concerns."

"Listen, (y/n), maybe if we talk to Charlie about your deal, she can-"

You sharply stood from where you had been kneeling by his side, already knowing where the conversation was going and not wanting either of you to get hurt by the blowback. If Husker finished his sentence, odds are Alastor would not hesitate to rip his soul to shreds for daring to try and break the deal you had. There was no way you were going to let such a thing happen and that meant you had to make it clear to Husker as well.

"No. I am happy with my deal. I would never say anything to the contrary or try to get out of my deal with Alastor. Besides, I have seen too much and know too much for him to ever let me go peacefully. That level of blood and retribution is far too high a price. Don't suggest it again, Husker, or we will both be in trouble for it. Please, just trust me to-"

The way your voice died in your throat with a slight choke let the demon know you said as much as you could. Though there was more you wished to say, you could feel your own leash tighten in a clear warning and you knew then he had been listening. Odds are, Alastor had been listening to the whole thing and he was not pleased with your attempts to get around his gag order. It was also clear to you that Alastor was likely testing you by letting Husker get as far as he did in his questioning.

A chill ran down your back and you saw your fellow demon's eyes widen as he stared behind you. The clawed hand of the Radio Demon rest on your shoulder, his head leaning over so you could barely see his threatening grin in your peripheral view. You could feel his shadows crawling over your skin and around you as he casually asserted control over both you and Husker.

"Now, now. Whatever could you two possibly be discussing? It wouldn't happen to be about the rules you know you can't discuss, right?"

"Of course not, Alastor. We both know that they aren't my secrets to share even if I wanted to, which I don't. I am simply informing him from one damned soul to another that trying to rile you is a bad idea."

A soft growl could be heard from Alastor and you could feel the slight brush of his antlers against your head as his annoyance grew. As far as you knew, you hadn't said anything to upset him and you had not breached the terms of your contract. But the way his hand tightened on your shoulder told you Alastor was unhappy about something and you were terrified what that would mean for Husker.

"I have told you what to call me many times now, (y/n). I do not appreciate your continued failure to heed my instruction."

It then dawned on you why Alastor was irritated and in some ways it was ridiculous to you. He was upset because you called him Alastor and not a pet name as he had requested. Honestly, you had forgotten entirely about something so trivial, but you also knew Alastor was a stickler for details.

"Dear, I feel there is a time and place for terms of endearment and they have no place in serious discussion."

"That is for me to decide and you to obey. Do not presume such things again, Sugar. Now, what is this about you hating Mimzy?"

"She is only here to try and use you, we all know that. I don't like her casual attempts at controlling you and I know she dislikes me as well."

"I don't care what she thinks of you, it is not her decision if I keep you with me or not. Now, I would hope you know better than to question me, because I doubt you want to spend another half a decade locked away again. Do I make myself clear, Honey?"

"... Yes, Darling."

Alastor was quick to disappear once more into shadow, leaving both you and Husker to stare at one another in silence. You both knew he likely didn't go far and that he was always watching whatever it was you chose to do. With this constant observation in mind, you did your best to keep your actions to a minimum and to keep any backlash from hurting Husker.

"We both know what our place is. It would be best that we don't question it. I'm truly sorry for the pain you feel, Husker, but we made our choices. Be happy your choice gives you some kind of freedom."

[thewritetofreespeech]

Hell yeah! Delico's Nursery is getting the love it deserves!

Could I request Dino falling for a female reader who's nicknamed the "Queen of Poison" thanks to her vast knowledge on posions and toxins?

Another day. Another murder.

The frequency in which murders kept happening in the city was overwhelming now. The choices in targets getting bolder and more obvious with each passing day. This time hitting another member of the noble class.

“There is much less blood than with the last murders. Perhaps this isn’t our evil?”

“No. Look at the flourish in which the bodies are displayed.” Dali countered Dino’s theory. “This is the same people, just their methods are evolving.”

“They used a coagulant.” [Y/N] announced as she examined the body, then stood to her full height again. “So they didn’t want this to be a bloody mess like the others. Something special about this one?”

“Hmmm….perhaps their blood was too valuable to spill. Or not worth it.”

Dali and the group continued to theorize, but it was clear that there were no other leads here, so they turned to continue their conversation elsewhere and let the police handle the cleanup.

As they all began to leave, there was a flutter of noise behind them, along with a startled sound from [Y/N]. When they turned around they saw one of the assailants holding her from behind in a vice grip. Teeth barred at her neck. “Stay back!”

“[Y/N]-chan!” Henrique called out. Echoing Dino’s sentiments of terror.

He hadn’t been paying attention. He hadn’t been protecting her. He thought someone capable and strong as [Y/N] would be fine if left alone, but it seemed he had let his guard down too far and she was literally a breathes touch away from becoming a thrall.

Was this how Dali felt when his wife was transformed before him? When the woman he loved became a bound slave to another before his eyes?

“Whatever you think this is going to accomplish, I assure you, that won’t be the case.” [Y/N] reasoned with the man over her shoulder. “I don’t know anything about TRUMP and I’m not valuable enough to bargain for.”

“Ha! I don’t think so. You may not know anything about TRUMP, but you’re sure valuable enough to get me out of here.” He snickered while looking at Dino and the others. “Your friends are too scared to even move with you as my shield.”

“Give Lady [Y/N] back and you can go free.” Gerhard instructed. “You have my word as head of the Fra family that we won’t pursue if you release her.”

“Your word don’t mean shit!” His grip tightened and [Y/N] grimaced. An expression Dino mimicked out of anger. “My only guarantee is this one. And I’m not letting her go until I’m free of here.”

“Would that be before the gate or after? I just want to know how far I have to walk back after this situation has ended.”

“Heh! You got a smart mouth on you. I like that.” The men all tense as his fangs poised at [Y/N]’s neck again. “Maybe I’ll keep you around longer after that.”

“Please don’t.” [Y/N] urged him. Though no panic or pleading in her voice just remarkably calm, Almost bored with this pantomime of danger. “I can assure you on this as well, it will not end the way you think. We’ll both just end up in pain and with sore heads.”

“Pain hn? Well, what’s life without a little pain.”

Dino felt his blood run cold as he saw the man bite [Y/N]’s neck. Intent on turning her into a thrall. Unbeckoned he called out, “[Y/N]!” before his cries were drowned out by the screams of the other man.

He screamed and cried as he violently pushed [Y/N] away to claw at his face with both hands. An odd sizzling sound filling the room along with his cries as the flesh around his mouth dissolved away. The skin bubbling and popping before he fell to his knees and eventually on the ground. His smooth, bleached skull where that vicious smile used to be.

“Does anyone have a towel?”

The men all come out of their stupor from witnessing such a horrific scene, and Gerhard gallantly offered his neckerchief substitute. “What the hells was that?”

“A combination of strychnine, arsenic, and a few other special ingredients I have swimming around in my blood. Most of it is a topical defense cream a created for such emergencies.” [Y/N] lifted the neckerchief to see if she was still bleeding and seemed pleased to find it had stopped. “I did warn him that we were both just going to end up with sore heads.”

“His face melted off!” Henrique reminded her.

“Yes, that was an unexpected reaction. Perhaps humanoid saliva compounds cause a more explosive reaction than original testing. I’ll have to do some more research.”

The Queen of Poisons. A name that seemed to strike fear an those that heard it, but none knew of the true power of the doctor turned bioweapons expert for Vlad. Dino honestly didn’t know her power, until this moment. “Are you truly alright? You don’t feel….”

“Enthralled?” She finished for him. “No. My thoughts feel quite my own. Typically, when the host dies, the link with the thrall is severed. He didn’t have time to give me any commands, so I guess we’ll never know. Although I suppose the theory is moot since he won’t be giving any orders, at all, ever.” The toe of her shoe poked at the whitened skull, which nodded in agreement of her hypothesis.

She could keep her theories. Dino was just glad that she was ok. “We should still get you to a doctor. Get you checked out.”

“I am a doctor.” [Y/N] insisted with a pout. But, she eventually saw reason and followed. Muttering about how doctors made the worst patients.

As the group filed out of the crime scene, leaving it to the police to section and clean up, Dino hung back to call out to Dali. “Dali,” the other man stopped and looked back towards him, “if I ever said anything unkind or cold to you after Frida’s death. I—“No need to apologize.”

Dali just offered Dino a smile, like he always did. “You don’t know what it’s like until you have lived it. You couldn’t possibly have known.” He placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s just be grateful that your story ended better than mine. Come, let’s get out of here.”

Dino nodded silently in agreement and followed after the rest to leave. He felt his heart still hammering in his chest, thinking on the what ifs. Dino wasn’t usually one to speculate but it seemed his mind was unwilling to let it go. What if his story had ended up like Dali’s without her ever knowing how he felt? If the roles had been reversed and he was unable to tell her while under another’s spell?

He would have to rectify this immediately, or at least very soon. Dino wasn’t usually one to speculate and he also wasn’t on to leave to chance. He would have to tell her. Perhaps tonight.

[mins-fins]

hey jane — [ na jaemin — 엔시티. ]

where you just so happen to flirt with.. death? how does that work? | now playing ❥

you're staring down your lifeless body which currently makes home on the kitchen floor.

how the fuck did that happen?

three hours ago, you just so happened to accomplish three things; getting an invite to your crushes party, making out with said crush whilst inebriated, and garnering said crush's number. if you remember exactly, you had a date with jeno the next day, you returned home with an irregular feat of happiness carrying your expression.

so why exactly are you now observing your corpse on your very own kitchen floor?

cereal.

you got home at about two in the morning, fucking starving and nothing but cereal atop the fridge. a wobbly chair and legs giving out later, your head just happened to make contact with your kitchen island, dealing a painful final blow.

at least it was quick.

"right before my date?" you whine into the air, hands coming to feel your now frozen face as you sigh. there's nobody around to hear your excessive complaints, did you really have to perish before successfully getting into lee jeno's pants.

from behind you, a chorus of clapping sounds.

"pure entertainment, dying because you wanted cereal at two am" when you turn around, your facial muscles scrunch at the sight of a random man standing in your apartment. his hair is purely white, a contrast to his all black attire. your eyes narrow, half convinced this whole thing is a methodically crafted dream. his lips take an upturn, and you candidly realize that your death is amusing to him. that bastard. "couldn't miss such a thing, has to swing by to watch in dear time".

"haha, yes my death was so funny".

he offers a curt snort. "of course".

your nose aptly crinkles, and you suck your teeth. "and who the hell are you?"

"death".

your brows furrow. "death?" you're aware this shouldn't be your most concerning thought, but you can expressly gauge at how attractive he is, eyeing him up and down in a typical non-death fashion, as if he's simply going out to a local convenience store, as if he is human. "aren't you supposed to wear a black cloak and shit?"

he shrugs. "i can wear whatever i want".

"shouldn't you be all bones too?"

in a terrifying manner, a smile splits on his pristine features, eyelids retaining a void of darkness. "i'll have you know that there is a lot of meat on my bones".

you narrow your eyes, irked by the statement. "so how do i know that you're actually death then?"

the man presents an eerie grin, standing to his feet and taking several steps closer. you hesitate as you take a step back, feeling an encapsulating depression which appears to physically affecting your state. his eyes are bottomless pits which hold.. nothing.

you stop, keeping distance as you make contact with your own corpse on the floor. "okay.. do you have another name besides.. death?"

he again smiles, somewhat pure, mostly strange. "you can call me jaemin" he pinches your cheek, arms folding over his chest.

"alright".

it appears your now instated terror excites him, his eyes gleaming as if he's looking down upon you, lording his superiority over you with such a fit of normalcy. "do you know what i'm here for, sweetheart?"

a chill unexpectedly runs down your spine at the spontaneous uttering of the pet name, you don't expect a sudden change of atmosphere, strange sensations sticking against your skin. "uh— i mean.. you're gonna suck out my soul i think".

he again smiles, snickering at himself. "well aren't you clever?"

you clear your throat, paying a glance to your body on the floor, you're such a fucking idiot. "so.. are you going to?"

it finally seems that you've disturbed his usual tranquil nature, as he blinks in a clear fit of disturbance. "what? you're not gonna beg for your soul back or something?"

you allow for your tense shoulders to drop, then they rise again as you opt to shrug. "i mean— death is death right? aren't you gonna give me a whole speech about how i can't change fate?"

jaemin tilts his head, observing you for a moment before he once more allows for amusement to chief his expression. "well i'm offering, you could.." as he contemplates on his next few words, his fingers make home on the seams of your hair strands. "do something for me, and you'll be able to go on a date with that cute boy tomorrow".

you flinch at his cold breath tickling your ear, his smile remaining permanent. your mind wanders, stuck on jeno and that fucking date you were so excited for before you decided to be an idiot that got themselves killed. "what? like a bargain?"

he giggles. "something like that.."

you've heard of several bargains in your lifetime, there does not appear to be anything of a loophole in this one. "so what is this.. something?"

"ohh, so you really want that date huh?"

you click your tongue, catching sight of his abnormally shaped teeth, molars sharpened as if he'll take a bite into you at any moment. "are you hitting on me?"

he licks his own teeth. "ohh, i must've been too obvious".

"that's unruly, i'm an almost taken man".

"almost is selling it, poor jeno's going to be in for a surprise when he comes around with those flowers".

your face drops, a certain thought continuously circling through your mind. "couldn't i have died after the date?" you complain.

"should've just slept with him at the party, but.."

you whip your head towards him. "but what?"

jaemin sighs, tongue prodding at the side of his cheek. "you could give me a kiss".

you laugh, but you realize, smile wiped away from his face altogether. "you're serious?"

he hums. "better than the other thing i had planned".

your cheeks go a bright red at that implication. "is there a catch?"

"well of course not".

you can't believe anything which comes out of his mouth. "really? all you want me to do for you to put my soul back in my body is a kiss?"

he raises an eyebrow. "is that so shocking?"

"not even humans are that generous".

jaemin hums, hopping on top your kitchen island as he swings his legs back and forth. "i can sit here while you make your pretty mind, we have all night baby".

baby registers a questionable stir, but you attempt to present obstinacy either way. you have time, you should.. think.

but really, what kind of choice do you have?

[lexxiie]

helloooo!! Hope ur doing great!

Can I please request Nathaniel w a pregnant s/o and starting a family w him, his info says he loves kids and I just NEED to see fluff of him with his kid and his s/o 😞😞 can be hcs or a scenario! Hes a family guy for SURE

Omg anon I swear this are my favourite kind of requests, and yes. Nathaniel IS a family guy!!!! I already did a pregnant edition post here.

THEM AS FATHERS

NATHANIEL

When you first started dating this guy, he made very clear that he wanted to have children without even saying it, and as you kept getting to know him, you realized that it was his destiny to be a father. You could see it in the way he treats his patients, in the way he stares at fathers with their kids in public, in how easy it is for him to get along with your friend's children and how much they love him, so your son is the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Your husband gets at least one day off every week. other than that, it's hard to see him much during the week. Still, he makes sure to spend as much quality time with your four year old as he can on those free days. his family means everything to him.

As you get home from the grocery store, you can hear little giggles coming from the dining room. You leave the groceries at the kitchen before discreetly following the noise. As you get closer, you can finally understand what they're saying. "See those little dots on it's side? That's where the wings will form later on" the doctor explains to the wide eyed child observing a caterpillar though one of his dad's microscopes. When your son notices your presence, he gets even more excited, now he'll be able to tell you what he's learnt. "Mommy! I found a worm outside and daddy let me keep it!" Your son was interrupted by his dad clarifying that it wasn't a worm, but the child laughed it off.

The doctor stood up to greet you with a tender kiss before explaining the situation to you. "He was very excited when he saw the little guy while playing outside. He says he wants to keep it until it becomes a butterfly." He whispered in your ear. "But will we be able to keep it alive until then?" you asked, worried for your son's feelings in case his friend were to die. "I think I can manage." The apostle assured you with the kind of cocky smile that makes you roll your eyes.

He headed back to his son and offered him to go shopping for everything they'll need to take care of the insect. Your baby jumps right at his arms, ready to go, but Nathaniel takes the opportunity to turn the little child upside down, which he loves. Suddenly you have two children at home laughing uncontrollably while one of them swings the other one in circles. Yeah... It was definitely his destiny to become a father, and you couldn't be happier that you get to witness it. Next thing you know, he's telling you that he wants a daughter now.

THADDEUS

One of the main reasons you fell in love with him in the first place was that you could see him as the father of your children in the future, and a great father at that. Thank god, you were absolutely right about that.

The amount of crying you witnessed when your daughter was born could only be described as impressive, and not only the day she was born, but many days after... Probably her whole first month of life. He has expressed to you on multiple occasions that he feels incredibly grateful and accomplished for having a family with you, he just can't believe how lucky he is.

You wake up form your nap rather abruptly, your cats is making the most dramatic sounds, as if it was being attacked. You rush to your daughter's room which was where the noise was coming from, only to catch Thaddeus and your toddler infraganti while terrorizing the poor cat. They both freeze when they see you, The "adult" holding your cat as your daughter paints it's claws... or rather it's paws. After the initial shock wears off, they let go of the cat quickly, as it runs to your arms. "We wanted to make him pretty, mommy!" Your daughter yells excitedly, but all you do is giving your husband a death stare while he smiles nervously. "It is a spa day" he tries to explain, but you aren't having it. You look around the room, inspecting the mess they've made and their dirty clothes. They sure had a lot of fun while you were asleep. "Give her a bath and change her clothes" You order him, visibly upset, but he haaaates it when you get angry at him.

The killer jumps up and follows you though the hallway, attempting to hug you before you push him away. "You have to change your clothes as well!" You remind him, but he doesn't care and hugs you anyway, covering your furious face in kisses. You beg him to stop but he informs you that he won't until you forgive him.

You must admit that it does feel like you have two children sometimes, but you wouldn´t want it any other day.

JUDAS

He never expressed wanting children, and you never saw him interacting with any, so when you found out you were pregnant, you couldn't help but freak out. Would he stay? Would he hate this? Would he be a good father?"

All of these questions you made yourself back then make you feel guilty now, because of course he stayed, of course he didn't hate this and of course he is a good father, he is the best father because he loves you, and you can't believe you ever doubted that.

You peek through the window to watch your husband and son playing baseball outside. Your 6 year old recently got into a baseball team at school, and he's asked his dad to help him practice ever since. The apostle is really good at it, too. Then again, he's really good at everything he does. They both have had a lot of fun with this for the last couple of weeks and it seems like your son might have inherited his father's talent. he learns everything very fast... Or maybe his dad is a really good teacher. I guess you'll see with time.

Judas has been the best father ever so far... he did admit to you while you were at the hospital with your new born that he never wished for children, but that he felt incredibly glad that life didn't listen to him and gave him a baby regardless. You know he can't imagine his life without his son, and he has expressed to you that he'd like to have more kids whenever you feel ready. He'll never get tired of telling you how much he loves you and thanks you for giving him a reason to wake up every day... Well, two reasons.

JOHN | ALIPEDE

Never wished for children, never gave them too much thought, but always made it clear to you that he felt like he didn't have that thing that others have when it comes to kids... That spark that makes children want to be around him, however, you felt the complete opposite.

Sure, he is grumpy and a little mean, but under all of that whining, there's a very noble heart. When you tell him you are expecting a baby, you don't let his freak out affect you, because even if he doesn't believe in himself, you do.

And like always, you were right. The moment john met his daughter 5 years ago, a switch turned inside of him, and ever since, he's been a great father. Turns out, he does have that sparkle in him. In many ways, he has a child-like soul.

When your daughter was born, the killer decided he wanted to have a more peaceful life. he left his violent activities behind and took you and your child to a farm for safety reasons. Who would suspect a farmer? He's terrified of someone hurting his family.

As you finish your second cup of coffee of the day, you head outside to watch the green of spring for a little while, but your husband and child soon catch you eye as you spot them near the rabbit enclosure. As you get closer, you realize what's going on. Both seemed to have fed the rabbits a little while ago, but apparently changed activities rather quickly. You realized this as you watched John picking flowers and saving them in his daughter's basket. "We're making flower crowns, mommy! Would you like one?" your daughter kindly offered, and you said yes. John smiled at you, pointing at the flower crown over his head, pretending to be annoyed by the child, but you both knew that he secretly enjoyed this stuff. The man forced you to help on the mission, though it was just an excuse to spend the evening with you as well. "Sir, you look very handsome" The little girl pointed out with the attitude of a fashion critic. "Thank you miss, you look beautiful as well." her father replied, unable to hide a chuckle.

He looked at you a bit embarrassed, but you jumped at him to give him a kiss. "Ew!" The child complained. How lucky you were to have this life.

PETER

He has this latent feeling of guilt that follows him ever since the world gave him the opportunity to be a father and he ruined it. There isn't one day that goes by where he doesn't think about it. So, when you tell him that you're having a baby... He doesn't know how to feel. He knows that he won't make the same mistake twice and won't let the chance of being a good dad go, but at the same time, knowing that he failed Hanna holds him back from being as excited as he should be.

When he holds his daughter for the first time, he understands that it is no good to be stuck in the past, the only way he can make things up is by doing things right this time. And he does. For the past 4 years he has dedicated his whole life to you and his baby. He loves his daughter in a way he could've never expected and his daughter loves him just as much.

"It's ready!" Your little one yells at you from the kitchen. She and her dad have been preparing a cookie party all morning. When you get there, the kitchen's small table is decorated beautifully by your daughter's pink toy tableware. A tower of the cutest cookies at the center of the table... Although they smell a bit burnt. Peter isn't a great cook. Your daughter serves you a cup of hot chocolate and you tank her. Peter approaches you to kiss you briefly, "Pretend it is delicious, she poured salt instead of sugar in the chocolate." the man whispers carefully.

You spent the rest of the day happily with your family. These little moments are the best of your life... Maybe today is a good day to break the news to peter about your new pregnancy.

[autisticlancemcclain]

part one

———

Keith can feel it bubbling up inside him.

He’d like to think he’s grown to have a handle on it, the rage. It’s no longer his first reaction to things, no longer his response to everything. He’s not the little kid who trusted no one and hated himself for things that weren’t his fault anymore. He’s grown. He’s learnt to recognise how rarely he truly feels anger; how often it is pain, or sadness, or fear that he doesn’t know how to handle.

He knows this feeling is terror. He knows he is looking out into the endless, endless sea and quavering, in his mind, rendered mute at the future he may have, or lack thereof. What he is feeling is fear, at the roots of things.

But anger is all that’s bubbling up, anyway.

“Are you fucking serious!” he shouts, rattling the boat with the force of his rage. “You got us lost?!”

Luckily, or maybe unluckily considering their situation, Lance has never been the cowering type. He’s just as stubborn and headstrong as Keith, evident in the way he carefully sets down the useless GPS, jaw set, and turns to face Keith.

“I was not the only fool to inebriate myself in a largely unmanned vessel,” he shoots back. He’s doing that thing he does, when he’s furious, when he’s convinced he’d backed into a corner and on his own, where he speaks like a fucking decorated college professor so no one can accuse him of being stupid. ‘Lawyering up’, Keith has always called it. And usually it makes him sad on Lance’s behalf, knowing exactly the string of experience that has led him to that response, but right now it only pisses him off.

“Oh, cut the fucking bullshit, Lance. You were supposed to put down a fucking anchor!”

“I did!”

“Fucking obviously not!”

Lance’s fists clench, and a muscle jumps in his cheek from the tenseness of his jaw. His next words are growled, practically spat in Keith’s direction.

“I put a fucking anchor down, Kogane. It was the first thing I accomplished. It was a current anchor, and I’m certain I set it properly.”

Keith yells, wordless, just a loud shout so he doesn’t explode with everything inside him, gripping his hands in his hair so tightly it hurts. “Well, obviously fucking not, Lance, because I’m at fucking sea right now! Surrounded at all sides by fucking water!”

“How is it my fault that the anchor failed?” Lance shouts, finally cracking his careful composure. It satisfies Keith in a horrible kind of way, to see him just as frantic and furious as Keith is, no bullshit. “Huh? Want me to fucking take it up with the fuckers at the hardware store?”

“I’d love that, except you can’t, because you fucking got us lost!”

Something snaps in Lance’s expression, and he lunges forward, but before Keith can react, he brushes past him and dives overboard, crashing into the gentle waves. It takes Keith several seconds to fully register what the fuck just happened, and by the time he drops to his knees and leans over the side of the boat, Lance is several feet away and rapidly swimming farther.

“Lance!” he shouts, panic replacing the anger in his voice. The only thing worse than being stranded is being stranded by himself. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Lance pauses, treading water as he glances over his shoulder in Keith’s direction. “Avoiding doing something I regret, ” he says shortly. “I either shoved you or jumped myself. One of those is a significantly less shitty decision.”

Keith stares at him for a moment, then pinches the bridge of his nose, taking several seconds to exhale as long and loud and exasperated as he can. He’s almost annoyed to find a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

“Lance,” he says, pursing his lips, “get the fuck back here, you pillar of dumbass.”

For several minutes Lance doesn’t, likely just to out-stubborn him, but eventually gives in and paddles over. He pauses at the edge of the boat, reaching up one hand to steady himself and letting the rest of him just float.

“I’m not going to yell anymore,” Keith says after several moments. He means it, too; he knew yelling and fighting wouldn’t solve anything but chose his fury over his fondness for Lance, and he wishes he hadn’t.

Lance shakes his head before he can finish. “Nah, I think a little yelling was necessary. I did get us lost. Well, kind of. Fifty-fifty, I think.”

“Fifty-fifty?!” Keith responds indignantly. “I think the fuck not, Oh Captain My Caption! Eighty-twenty at best!”

“That’s absurd. Fifty one-forty nine.”

“That’s not a real offer, jackass. You just brought yourself back up to ninety-ten.”

Lance flicks a drop of water at him, grinning. “Sixty-forty?”

Keith sighs. “I’ll take it.” He holds out a hand. “Come up, dorkbrain.”

Lance grabs his hand, smile widening. Keith realises his mistake a milisecond too late.

“Oh, you motherfucker —”

Lance yanks him into the sea, cackling as he sputters sea water on his way back up. His cackles turn quickly to shouts of alarms, though, when he reads the murder in Keith’s expression, and quickly he books it, swimming as fast as he can to the opposite side of the boat. Keith chases him with full intent to drag him under and drown his bitch ass, but unfortunately Lance grew up with a fuckin’ mermaid tail, or whatever, and Keith has to call it when he genuinely starts to worry he might drown from exhaustion.

He grabs the rope on the side of the boat, heaving himself up until his elbows hook over the edge, legs dangling in the water. Lance mirrors him, still on the opposite end. Keith is gratified at least to find him panting, out of breath as well. The look at each other, and reach a wordless agreement, climbing back onto the boat and flopping on the floor. The take a minute, chests heaving, to catch their breaths, sobering as they look up at the cloudless sky and truly realize the predicament they’ve gotten themselves into.

“Well, it could be worse,” Lance says quietly. He continues before Keith can ask him how the fuck that could be. “I mean, I planned for this to happen. Not, like, I planned for it to actually happen to us, but I packed a bunch of emergency supplies on the off-chance that we would somehow get stranded.”

Keith raises his eyebrows. “Yeah? For how long?”

“Well, long as shit, I would suppose. I packed enough for six people to last a month.”

“So the two of us are set for God knows how long.”

They lapse into silence, both pondering the seriousness of their strandedness, the reality of the helpless situation they’re in. They have food and water, sure, and a few other survival things, but what about shelter? Something that’s not a hard boat to sleep on, or old pillows? What about when it gets cold at night, or it rains, or they run into something bigger than their boat? They’re totally lost, communications dashed, GPS unavailable, and honestly still a little hungover. They are, objectively, in for a fuckin’ rough one.

A hand reaches over and wraps around Keith’s, startling him from his thoughts. He looks over at Lance, but Lance looks pointedly away, gaze fixed firmly at the sky, something unreadable written on his face.

“You know, not that it fixes anything,” he starts quietly. He hesitates a moment, long enough that Keith opens his mouth to ask him to finish his sentence, before continuing. “But I’m grateful, at least, that it’s you I’m stuck with.”

His words hang in the air, a heavy blanket settling over them. Keith’s face heats. The tiniest of smiles pulls at his lips, and he squeezes Lance’s hand as he looks away.

“Yeah,” he whispers, “yeah, I lucked out there.”

[duhragonball]

Chainsaw Man ch. 86-90

The shocking answers to all your existential dancing questions INSIDE!

Okay, so last time Makima basically laid out her true agenda, which is to either take control of Chainsaw Man's reality altering powers, or to die to Chainsaw Man in the attempt.

According to her, the Chainsaw Devil was the one even other devils feared, because when Chainsaw killed one of them, they stayed dead, instead of reincarnating. But devils in this world are manifestations of humanity's collective fear of a particular thing, so the only way to destroy a devil forever is to also destroy the very concept they embody. So in this universe there used to be a historical event called "World War II", which gave rise to a "World War II Devil", I guess. Then Chainsaw Devil killed that guy, and now World War II never happened.

Makima, aka the Control Devil, seems to be the only one who remembers these changes, and she knows Chainsaw Man is responsible for them, so she wants to take that power for herself and control it, natch.

I am not sure if she actually knows how to accomplish this. The Chainsaw Devil became Pochita and merged with Denji back in Chapter 1, and Makima seems to view this as an obstacle. Everything she's done since chapter 1 has been designed to undermine the contract between Pochita and Denji, but they're still combined, you know?

Also, Makima admits that she might lose and get destroyed by Chainsaw Man, so there's a sense of fatalism to her campaign. She's just sort of doing stuff and it's not clear if she cares if it works. She ordered Chainsaw Man to save her from the Hell Devil, and then he got cast down to Hell, and then he made it back, but then he attacked Makima instead of saving her. So I'm not sure what to make of it.

None of this really explains why Chainsaw Man is terrorizing a fast food place in Chapter 85. I think the idea here is that Denji is taking a back seat in this merger, and now we're seeing a more "pure" version of the Chainsaw Devil, without Denji's humanity to temper its actions. It still has Pochita's desire to experience Denji's dreams, though, and Denji once expressed a desire to eat a burger, so I think this is Pochita trying to do that on his own. The problem is that the Chainsaw Devil can't talk or do much of anything without carving up everything around him.

Coincidentally, Kobeni works at this burger joint, since she resigned from Public Safety. I'm not sure she recognizes this new (old?) version of Chainsaw Man, but either way, she's too afraid of it to serve it hamburgers without tripping and dropping the order. Her boss wonders if this is all an elaborate Candid Camera bit, because... well, it probably would make more sense than what is actually happening. Chainsw decapitates him. I'm not sure if this is accidental or not.

Kobeni finally manages to get the food to Chainsaw, who eats it, then recalls Denji's longing to go on a date. Chainsaw would like to do that too, but where would he find a girl to go out with him? Oh, there's one on his left. Perfect!

The bigger question is: Why is Chainsaw bothering with this at all? I think the idea here is that he lacks the sapience that Denji had. Not that Denji was a genius or anything, but he would probably understand that he didn't actually finish off Makima earlier, and he wouldn't just wander off to fool around with Kobeni. Then again, maybe seeking out Kobeni is exactly what he'd do in this situation. Just about everyone else he knows is dead. Denji and Kobeni were never close, but who else has he got left?

Anyway, he makes her dance on some arcade machine and when a Devil Hunter shows up to intervene, he kills that guy. I'm not sure he was in Public Safety or just a civilian hunter, but he had no idea what he was getting into.

Then he just sits around on a rooftop and Makima confronts him again. I think she's been following him for a little while now, and he's finally realized it. Or maybe all that stuff with Kobeni was just him killing time while he waited for Makima to make a move.

This time, Makima has a new squad to back her up. Some of these faces are familiar. Qwanxi, Reze, and the sword guy who was the grandson of the Yakuza guy Denji used to work for. But there's four others making their debut here.

This kind of irritates me, because the returning characters all seemed to be dead, and the implication here is that the other four were also guys we've seen before. I thought the girl was Angel Devil because of the hair and the jacket sleeves flopping around, but she's got her arms crossed and she's just wearing the jacket like a cape. And I thought the blonde guy might be the one who used the Stone Devil Power from a while back. But no, they're all new characters, yet they're presented like callbacks we're supposed to recognize.

Also, it's unclear whether Reze, Quanxi, and the sword guy are back from the dead or simply got brainwashed like everyone else. I enjoyed Reze and Quanxi from before, but this comeback is kind of weak because they're just stooges for Makima now, with no interest in their original motives.

Makima explains this, although I'm not sure Chainsaw is really capable of understanding what she's saying. It sure seemed like Reze and the others had a similar deal to Denji, where they weren't devils or humans or fiends, but a secret fourth thing. Makima confirms that they are indeed a secret fourth thing, and the reason it's a secret is because Chainsaw Man erased that secret fourth thing the same way he erased World War II.

Except... he kind of didn't, because Reze and the others are still here. The name was erased, but they're still around, somehow. The Chainsaw Man wiki calls them "hybrids", so that's as good a name as any. Maybe that's how they survived the erasure. Devils can merge with living humans, clearly, but maybe there's more than one way to do it, and Chainsaw erased one method but not the other. These seven hybrids and Chainsaw Man still exist because they were created with that other process, and Makima isn't aware of the distinction.

Or this erasure thing is bullshit. I mean, Chainsaw Man killed the Gun Devil, right? But there's still guns. Kishibe's group shot Makima earlier today. Chainsaw Man killed the Zombie Devil, but everyone still remembers zombies. Hell, some of Zombie Devil's own zombies were still around weeks after that battle.

So is there some loophole to this? Did Chainsaw Devil's erasure power only work before Pochita merged with Denji? Is that why Makima is trying to separate them? It's the only thing that makes sense to me. She already had Denji under her thumb before, so all of this would have been unnecessary if Denji could fit into her plans.

And maybe this is why Pochita merged with Denji. Perhaps, instinctively, he realized that the hybrids are indestructible enough that they can survive erasure, so combining with Denji would thwart Makima's plans.

I say this because Makima speaks of a battle between Chainsaw Devil, the "Weapon Devils", and the Four Horsemen. I'm pretty sure "Weapon Devils" refers to the seven hybrids under her control right now. As for the Four Horsemen, I went ahead and looked that up on the Chainsaw Man Wiki, and found out Makima is one of them. I wasn't entirely surprised to find that out.

Okay, some Bible triva for you: The Four Horsemen are not "War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death", as depicted in popular culture. The ones depicted in the Book of Revelation are actually named "War, Famine, Conquest, and Death." Conquest has been interpreted as Pestilence over the centuries, and I'm probably not qualified to weigh in on that discussion, but it's pretty clear that Makima is more akin to a conqueror than an infectious disease.

The reason it doesn't surprise me too much to learn all of this is because when Makima explained her plan to Kishibe, she spoke of using Chainsaw's power to erase other problems faced by humanity: war, hunger, and death. It seemed kind of odd to me that she name-dropped three horsemen without the fourth. I'm kind of a mark for this sort of thing so it sticks out when I see it. And it dawned on me that Makima wouldn't want to eliminate conquest because it's kind of her whole thing. So maybe that makes her the fourth horseman. Turns out I was onto something.

And I suppose Makima does sort of tie in to pestilence since she uses vermin to spy on her enemies, and she has that contract with the Prime Minister of Japan to undo her own deaths in exchange for the lives of random Japanese citizens. That's kind of like a plague.

Where was I? Oh, right. So Chainsaw Devil was fighting those eleven guys, then diapered. Makima says they couldn't find him, and that was because he had changed into an unrecognizable, near-death form. This was almost certainly Pochita, and that probably explains why the li'l guy was wounded when Denji first saw him.

So now, Makima can pick up this battle where they left off. Well, without the other three horsemen, apparently. You'd think they'd take an interest in this business, especially since Makima is actively plotting to eliminate them.

I have to say, this battle is kind of... blah for me. Reze and Quanxi were awesome, but Makima's brainwashing just makes them ordinary, especially with five other goons using the same kind of powers. These designs are pretty decent on their own, but part of what made Quanxi work was the way she was totally nude and her arrow stuff conveniently covered up her naughty bits. Reze fought in her barista clothes and then her undies, which was also kind of unique in this series. But now everyone's in a suit and tie, and it kind of falls flat.

The concept here is stretched kind of thin, because all eight of these characters are basically the same idea: a human figure with weapons for their head and arms. Gun Fiend was basically the same deal too, so that makes nine. It reminds me of that joke about how death metal bands all have white logos written in an illegible font. There was a list of bands at some show, and the only one you could read or really notice was "Party Cannon", which had this cutesy colorful logo because it was a My Little Pony reference.

And right now, Makima is Party Cannon, because she's literally the only one in this battle who doesn't look like a scribbly figure covered in screentone. Chainsaw defeats some of the hybrids, but the rest of them combine their attacks and Makima uses her own fingergun thing to try to drive him higher and higher into the air.

So she's going for a Battle Tendency strategy, which I certainly appreciate, but does she seriously expect Chainsaw Man to asphyxiate up there? I mean, if it was this simple, why not lure him into an enclosed space full of nitrogen? He'd suffocate before he realized anything was wrong.

But it's not that simple. Chainsaw just rips his own heart out and tosses it back down to the battlefield. On the way down, it grows back a new everything and I guess the old body dies or whatever.

Once he gets back down, he snares the remaining enemies in chains and...

Hooray, he won! Well, no. He didn't. None of this battle really mattered.

Chainsaw goes right back to where he left Kobeni and makes her dance some more, and then Makima shows up and asks why he doesn't eat her? Wait, is that how it's supposed to work? Chainsaw Devil has to eat a devil to erase what it stands for? No, wait, it can't work that way, but we'll get into that later.

So it's a stalemate, or so it would seem, except Makima has another card to play. Kobeni's fear of Chainsaw Man has diminished somewhat, and this is important because...

... the rest of the world really loves Chainsaw Man. By now, news has spread that the Gun Devil is finally dead, and everyone is grateful to Chainsaw Man for finishing him off. He's a hero! But if devils get their power from humanity's fear, then that means...

Yeah, Chainsaw Man is losing strength. All Makima has to do now is... the exact same thing she did before... and she'll win, because Chainsaw is too weak to resist.

Well, not the exact same thing. This time she just uses Angel Devil's power to make super weapons and throws a big spear down at Kobeni. She knows Chainsaw will step in to protect her, and that takes him down. So it's over, right? Wrong.

Remember Power? She's dead, though. Well, not quite, and Pochita asks her to help.

A while back, Power had Denji drink some of her blood, and this blood is still inside Denji's body, so even though Power's body was destroyed by Makima, a small portion of her lives on inside Denji. That won't last for long, but Pochita proposes that she drink some of his blood, which will... gee this is confusing.

Oh, okay, this is like how devils would eat the Gun Devil flesh to get a power boost. Power is weak, but if she eats some Chainsaw Man flesh she'll get strong enough to help. And she readily agrees because...

... Denji is her buddy. See, this is a really beautiful moment, because the two of them were assigned to work together by Makima, as part of her master plan to build up and tear down Denji's happiness and self-esteem. But what she failed to consider was that their friendship would also change Power into a better person, someone who would upset Makima's plans when she least expected it.

So Makima advances toward the fallen Chainsaw Man, who coughs up blood that turns out to be... whatever this is. Well, it's Power jacked up on Chainsaw Man flesh, but wow.

Makima gets the HOT TAG and she's a HOUSE OF FIRE, but it doesn't take long for Makima to take back the initiative.

She summons zombies to attack and I guess Makima was in control of the Zombie Devil too? All I know is that I don't like what that one zombie is doing near Makima's crotch.

Soon, the tide turns against Power, and Makima commands her to surrender Chainsaw Man to her. Power... agrees immediately. Aw, you let Pochita down! Or did she?

[dr0wn1ngless0ns]

what were the last thoughts of calvin before zero day ? we see the videotapes but like... one day before zero day, 2001 30st april, what were his thoughts... also, what do you think about the scene when the father of andre finally has shown a bit of affection like "i am proud of you andre", because andre's facial expression says a lot... it's like nodding while replaying in his mind the murderours plan...

I think as we see it Cal finally acknowledges and accepts he has his way out, as zero day to him was his way to go out with a bang. He was probably nervous, who wouldn’t be, but very very ready. Out of the two of them he was the one who knew they’d end up dead, at least he acknowledged it beforehand. Andre knew too, just subconsciously i feel. I always think he maybe walked around the house after hours, admiring family portraits and all this that he would leave behind. Not necessarily out of sadness, but because it just feels right.

The scene where Andre’s father says he’s proud is one of my favourite scenes. it’s such a good scene that really shows the point of this movie: the want to carry out these massacres and acts of terror on your school are somewhat illogical. Andre is of course working on prom night, but with his father’s speech, we hear how his future is set. he Had a bright amazing future, his car was almost done being paid off, he was accepted into school and most importantly he had parents who loved and supported him. His reaction to his father saying “you have big things ahead of you” feels almost like a justification to himself. He knows what his father meant, but to him he twists it into justification about zero day, about how in his mind all of the accomplishments and goals he’s met are futile, because Zero Day is all that matters.

[crzyzombii]

Introducing The Darkest Villain there ever was: Lazarus DarkVale!

Aka Vivid Vices Biological Father.

He doesn’t just cast a shadow, he commands it. Wherever he walks, the light dares not to follow. Back in the golden age of crime, the 1970s, his name alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of heroes and villains alike. The world feared him, all except one man: The Bald Terror (Grus father), who he held a grudge against. Some say it was just normal villain rivalry, others say it was personal, but whatever it was, it burned hotter than the brightest spotlight trying to cut through his darkness.

For years, the Anti Villain League could do nothing but tremble, watching from the lights as he thrived in the dark. Silas ramsbottom, however, grew tired of his shadow swallowing the world whole. He came up with a plan to capture him in his own home, flashing helicopter lights all over him and erasing all shadows so he had nowhere to go. And so, he struck.

Poor Vivid Vice and Eleanor saw everything.

When they finally captured him, they locked him in a fully illuminated cell so he had absolutely nowhere to slither to. Just hope there isn’t a power outage.

A few facts about Lazarus:

• he nicknamed his shadow “obscure” because he thinks he’s sooo fancy. Some call him Doctor Obscure because of this, but he HATES the name for some reason… (“I’m a commander not a doctor!”)

• his shadow expresses his true feelings

• he’s actually a big softie

• he was bullied as a kid because of his looks, ever since then he’s wanted to be a commander and “command” those who look down at him, hence his costume.

• his specialty is alchemy, he drinks potions constantly to keep his shadow sentient (Now you see where Vivid Vice got her habits from).

• HE SUCKS at hand to hand combat, which is why he was COOKED when the AVL cornered him. 💔💔

• His proudest accomplishment was his daughter (Vivid Vice). That’s why he named her Abigail, a father’s joy. He felt bad all the time because he gave her his creepy bug eyes, large neck, and a sickly body. He tried to make it up to her, but he was too busy with his villain work. He wishes he was there for her when she became a villain years later.

• he smells like Vaseline.

• He’s surprisingly a really good chef, but hates cooking. He prefers his wife to cook for him (he loves to be pampered)

(And his wife, Eleanor DarkVale, Vivid Vices Mom)

(And then they kiss 2 days later)

Facts about Eleanor:

• Dont let her looks fool you, she’s a goodie two shoes, even after meeting Lazarus. She was constantly scolding him while he just stared in awe.

• She took a lot of extra classes and hobbies as a kid, so knows how to play the clarinet, violin and piano.

• Despite Lazarus being canonically UGLY, Eleanor had that “hear me out” and “I can fix him” complex

• She LOVESS the Phantom of the Opera.

• Shortly after having Abigail, she didn’t want to let go of her job or her studies. She thought she could raise a kid and still get a masters degree, but she accidentally ended up neglecting abbey.

• Probably has an old A03 account lying around somewhere.

•She has a ridiculous coffee order that no one except Lazarus has gotten right. (Vivid Vice grows up to have a ridiculous tea order so now we know where she gets that from)

• She smells like high end perfume

• Eleanor divorced Lazarus after being arrested, and didn’t let Abigail see him.

• After the arrest, her biggest fear was for Abigail to become like her father. She became stricter and pushed her into her studies in order to become anything other than a villain. (But she ends up becoming vivid vice so Womp Womp)

[i-amm-mj]

Anything for you - Katsuki Bakugo x Afab!Reader

A/N: This work was inspired by this request that i couldn´t accomplished 2 months ago due to a lot thing that happened to me in that period, but here it is now, and i hope this is of the liking of anyone who reads it. Specially, the person that send it. :)

Angst to Fluff to Comfort.

Warnings: mentions of non consensual sex with a past partner, mentions of consensual sex with current partner, mentions of drugs, mentions of symptoms of PTSD. READ UNDER YOUR RESPONSABILITY.

Words: 2k

No proofread so it might have some errors hahaha :p

It happened when you were 17 years old, almost 6 years ago. He was your first boyfriend, and it was the very first time you had a sexual encounter. To be honest, you don´t even remember how it happened, you just remember the tears your eyes spilled while begging him to stop, the way your body just froze, and how your mind shut down to protect you from more damage besides the one it was suffering. You were an UA student at the time, and the man that ruined your life an ex-classmate from your old school who you happened to know since childhood.

"Is it Christmas already?" a hoarse voice said behind you and your body automatically tense after recognizing it “Look what a cutie you turn out to become” it continued to speak in a flirty tone. You didn’t turn, you were in panic.

You and Katsuki had had a date that morning and you needed to buy some ingredients before getting back home to make dinner together. But your boyfriend had left to go to the bathroom just 5 minutes before it all happened. To this moment your life had been better than you ever imagine. You had a strong and handsome boyfriend who you recently moved in with; you accomplished your dream of becoming a hero and you were improving yourself constantly in every aspect of your life. So, this had to be a sick joke, right?  

“Hey, look at me!” the man forced you to turn around. You could have punch him, break his arm or something for the matter, you were a pro hero for God´s sake… but in that moment you couldn´t react, your body was afraid of moving “I heard you are dating Dynamight” he smirked “Is he enjoying my leftovers? I bet he is. You are a sweet little thing anyways.” Your eyes opened in terror, you didn´t know what to do, how to react.

“Leave me alone… please” you almost beg with watery eyes.

“Awn, are you going to cry? Weren´t you a strong hero? I think you are more like a fragile doll.” He mocked.

“Stop.” You murmured “please. Just let me go.” you were crying at this point.

“But we are just starting, pretty” the man pushed you towards the shelves, trapping you with his body. He bent over with a twisted smile and tried to reach your lips, but then a muscular arm shoved the man and made him fall on his arm.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing!?” the loud voice of Katsuki resonated along the market “Who the fuck do you think you are to lay a finger on her, huh!?” with heavy and long strides your boyfriend was on top of the man in less than a second, holding him by the shirt. He had a murderous expression on his face.

“Katsuki…” your voice was weak, you were shaking.

“Are you ok, princess?” Katsuki asked in a sweet and gentle tone without taking his eyes from the man whining of terror under him. You nodded even when he couldn´t see you.

“I wasn´t doing anything, dude” the man said with panic in his voice “She´s an old friend and I just wanted to say hello.”     

“You don´t need to be that close just to say hello…” Katsuki growled. And due to the loud voice of your boyfriend, other costumers started to accumulate around you three. If some customer took a picture or a video of what was happening and share it on social media, the career of Katsuki would be fucked. The press and his haters on social media were looking for an excuse to talk shit about him anytime given, and it was obvious that they weren´t going to take the time to investigate what was really going on. So, struggling to put yourself together you decided to act. You reached for your boyfriend´s hand, helped him to get up, and got out of the store the faster your trembling knees allowed you to.

The tension in the ride home was more than evident. Of course, Katsuki wasn´t mad at you, but he wasn´t happy either. He had a lot of things to ask you, but he couldn´t pressure you. He didn´t want to put you into more stress. Not after how you reacted to that jerk. He couldn´t comprehend. You were one of the best at martial arts of the heroes he knew, so that man had to be someone you were painfully scared of. A bully maybe? He tsked. That was plausible, you always have been sweet, and to be honest, a little naïve in your younger years.

When you entered the shared apartment, your nervousness took the better of you, and you ran to the bathroom with the excuse of feeling tired and the need of taking a shower before going to bed. Katsuki wasn´t a fool and you knew it, but you didn’t have the energy nor the courage to be confronted about what happened at the store just yet. Katsuki let you be for the moment. You´d open up to him later, you had to if you wanted to maintain the kind relationship you two had.

You love Katsuki, a lot. You could even say that you´ve never loved anyone like that before. That didn’t mean that you were that experience at the romantic department, because you only had two boyfriends besides him: Shinso and Yo, but to be honest, even when you loved each of them, you never felt the connection you had with Katsuki. If soulmates were real, you were sure he was yours, and you will do everything in your power to stay with him for as long as he wanted you to. It was that, right now… you just wanted to cry, and you didn’t want Katsuki to see you like that… You thought that therapy had helped, that it was just a bad experience and that you wouldn´t let it get in your way… that you had get over it and put it in the back of your mind so it would never bother you again, but you were wrong. That voice, that smell, that presence was… terrifying. 

Once you opened the shower, you let yourself being engulfed by the warm of the water and let your eyes spill the pain your soul and heart were holding. Bakugo could hear your crying clearly from the outside, and he would be lying if he didn´t had the instinct to run inside the bathroom and held you the better he can. His heart was suffering seeing you suffering. He couldn´t help but feeling enraged at himself for not being able to help you. The love of his life was in pain because of something an asshole has done to her in the past and he wasn´t there to protect you.

You were calmer right now. You´d cried enough and were ready lo leave the bathroom and face your boyfriend. You thought he was going to be waiting for you sitting on the edge of the bed to confront you about what happened a few hours ago, but he wasn´t there.

“Kats?” you asked peeking your head through the door.

“Kitchen!” he answered. You smiled and let your feet guide you to him.

“Hey…” you murmured. Your boyfriend was making dinner himself. He glanced to you over his shoulder and smiled “I thought we were gonna cook together.”

 “It´s ok, you can rest.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, sure.”

You knew that once he had decided something you could never change his mind, so you decided the wiser and made yourself comfortable on the couch in front of the TV. And after a couple of minutes scrolling aimlessly through Netflix, you decided on watching some new anime about zombies that has just been released. And when you pushed play, you felt the weight of your boyfriend sank besides you and his arm snake around your waist to pull you towards his chest. He then kissed your temple and let a deep sigh escape his chest. You knew what he was thinking about.

“You know I love you, right?” he whispered in the soft tone only you had been able to pull out of him.

“I love you too…” you answered with your eyes processing the images on the TV. Somehow the protagonist of the show reminded you of Izuku, you smiled softly.

“What is it?” he questioned.

“He reminds me of Izuku.” To that he let a giggle escape his mouth.

“You´re fucking right. He does looks and acts like Deku. Bet he is a loser too.”

“Hey, don´t be mean, I think he is cute” Bakugo groaned and raised a brow.

“You think Deku is cute? Seriously?”

“Well, yeah. He´s cute like a baby panda type of cute.”

“So, you are into nerds?” He said in disbelieved.

“Well, I´m into you.”

“I´m not a nerd.”

“I wasn´t the third place in grades at school.” You retorted while laughing.

“Oh, is that so?” he placed you on his lap with one swift movement.

“Katsuki!” you shrieked taken aback. You were now facing him. His face with a glint of joy and mischief on his features. “You could have injured me or something, you know?”

“I would never.” He spoke softly. His face turning into a sad expression. “I will kill myself before doing something that could hurt you.” You frowned. You knew exactly what was this about.

“That man…” you started, avoiding his eyes “He was my first boyfriend and my first sexual experience…” you stuttered, Katsuki adjusted his hands on your back so you could feel secure in his arms “I- I didn´t wanna do it, and he forced me to do it…” your eyes watered at the memory and the body of your boyfriend tensed, clenching his fist on your clothes unconsciously.

“What…?” his mind could not process the information properly.

“I begged him to stop, but he kept going.” You were crying at this point “I never said anything because I thought that no one would believe me, but… I took therapy and…” Katsuki wanted to murder him. Really. He was sure that it destiny put the bastard in front of him again, he wouldn´t let him go alive. But right now, he just wanted to comfort you “I´m sorry” you said weakly.

“For what?”

“Because I didn´t tell you…” you sobbed, and his hand landed softly on your cheek.  He brushed the tears away and with the softest voice he had ever spoken to you said “You have nothing to be sorry about. It wasn´t your fault. Thanks for sharing this with me.”

You embraced him, crying again but this time from happiness. The hand on your back held you close to his chest, while the other hand tried to sooth you, rubbing your back “It´s ok, love. I´m here. I´m never gonna let anyone hurt you ever again.” You sat straight to look him in the eyes, and then you squished his cheeks on both your hands. “What the fuck!?” he opened his eyes in almost panic.

“You are so cute…” you said with the biggest smile he´s seen on you.

“No, I´m not, you idiot” he tried to defend himself but wasn´t really fighting you back.

“And you make so happy…” you whispered leaning towards him to give a kiss on the lips that he responded to almost instantly.   

After a couple of minutes, the soft kisses turned into passionate kisses, completely forgetting about the show you were watching, the food Katsuki was making or the entire world outside. He caressed your face with both his hands, whispering little I love you´s between kisses. You sighed, glad to be in love and being love by a man like Katsuki.

That night, after eating dinner and turning off the TV, he made love to you. The sweetest and softest way he could. Worshipping your body, kissing the bruises of the battle, holding your hands in his, making you cum like nobody else would. Just reminding you that he was by your side from now on and that he would never leave you alone.

This week was your first week off in months. No hero duty, no filling documents, no calls from the police station to arrest a villain, just pure laziness at home. You loved this way of living, but you missed the heat of your boyfriend besides you. Unfortunately, he was the head of his own agency with Kirishima and couldn´t have many vacations, at least no when he was on a big mission about a bunch of villains related with very dangerous drugs. And today was the day he was going to put them under arrest, so you took a rest from the anime you were watching to scroll through social media looking for any news about the case, and you find them a couple of minutes after.  

You sheepishly smiled to yourself when you caught a glimpse of the gorgeous scowl of your boyfriend in his winter hero suit while talking to the police. You had to admit that his serious expression was sexy. You continued to scroll in search for some good pictures of him to download, until a video of him manhandling a resisting man came up. Your eyes almost popped out of your skull when you recognized who it was.

You search for more information about the man and the reason of his detention and found out that he was being charged for possession and distribution of drugs, plus the aggression towards a hero. All of that could cost him at least 12 years in prison. As the hero you were yourself, and above all the girlfriend of Katsuki, you knew that it was all a lie. That your boyfriend had incriminated this man for what he did to you, and while a part of you was mad at him for use his authority for this, the other part was very pleased to see the bastard behind bars even when it wasn´t for the crime he must have been paying for.

You truly loved Katsuki and everything he could do for you…

[clarinartiste]

Let’s talk about “A Guy Like You”

This might be an unpopular opinion(??) but I genuinely think that “A Guy like You” is a really sweet song, but it was put in the worst possible place that it could have been. I also want to say, I believe that part of appreciating a piece of media is also exploring criticism of it, and I love this movie a lot. I say this with all the love in my heart.

Thoughts and suggestions below!!

I feel like it has merit as an encouraging song for Quasimodo and his self-esteem. I think it’s well written, well composed, and the voices sound great. It definitely has good intentions for Quasi. But it’s in the wrong place at the wrong time, and like I’ve said before, it absolutely kills the momentum of “Hellfire” and the burning of Paris.

“Heaven’s Light” leading into “Hellfire” is SO masterfully done, I absolutely love how it contrasts Quasimodo and Frollo, and the music and animation is phenomenal. And keeping up the frightening visuals and motives expressed in “Hellfire,” Frollo and his obsessive hunt for Esmeralda is also amazingly executed, with the Latin background singing and the fiery imagery really adding to the terror of the scenes.

This is the pivoting point in the film where Stuff Gets Extra Serious, and if we went directly from the hunt through Paris to the part where Esmeralda brings an injured Phoebus to Quasimodo, it would have kept up that tension so well. Combine that with the brilliantly done—and very tense—scene with Frollo visiting Quasimodo with grapes, the urgency to warn Esmeralda in the Court of Miracles, the Court of Miracles scene, and the stellar climax of the film, and you get a second half of the movie that feels faster and even more dramatically intense than the first half, a natural movement of the story pushing forward.

I feel like it would make more sense if it was placed before “Heaven’s Light” and “Hellfire,” after Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape. Like, after Quasimodo makes Phoebus leave, the gargoyles congratulate him, “Way to go, lover boy!” Quasimodo bashfully protests, “Lover boy? Oh, no, no. Look, I appreciate what you’re all trying to do, but let’s not fool ourselves. Ugliest face in all of Paris, remember? I don’t think I’m her type.” To which the gargoyles respond by trying to raise his hopes up, encouraging him by singing “A Guy Like You” (of course, adjusting the lyrics with Paris being on fire, which are not fitting for the plot right now)

Have “A Guy Like You” as this fun, bombastic song hyping up Quasimodo. Then, in a quiet aside, Quasimodo inwardly continues to express some doubts about his chances of being with Esmeralda, while still holding on to his wistful and innocent hope. He sings about his romantic desires in a more soft and gentle way with “Heaven’s Light.” And cut out the gargoyle parts during “Heaven’s Light” so we can have a greater emphasis on Quasimodo singing, focusing on his affection and appreciation for Esmeralda. Which then, in turn, is sharply contrasted with “Hellfire” and Frollo’s emotional torment and obsessive lust.

I watched the Director’s Commentary and I definitely get where they were coming from—setting up this song for Quasimodo right before he sees Esmeralda and Phoebus kissing, and gets his heart broken—and making that whiplash all the more stinging. But I still feel like that set up for the fall could have been accomplished without a tone-breaking song. Maybe instead of the gargoyles singing a cheery, upbeat song in this very dark and heavy moment, we have Quasimodo look out worriedly at the city on fire, talking to the gargoyles about how concerned he is about Esmeralda, explaining just how much he cares about her and loves her.

Continue the film as normal with Esmeralda coming to the bell tower and asking Quasimodo to help hide Phoebus, then Esmeralda and Phoebus kiss and the reprise of “Heaven’s Light” plays over the sight of a heartbroken Quasimodo so we still get the emotions of the scene, his hopes dashed.

At the end of the film, Quasimodo finds acceptance, kindness, and companionship. And this concludes this plot thread of the movie :)

What do you think? Do any of you have different opinions? (I’d love to hear your thoughts!)

[sonofmikael]

They say that Klaus makes Elijah look like the Easter Bunny, but would you consider that to be true? Or are on the "Elijah is far worse" train? Why? ( from @malka-lisitsa )

Both Niklaus and Elijah have committed atrocities over their long lives, without question. However, Elijah's motivations are distinct from Klaus': he does not crave power for the sake of power, but as a means to protect his family and look after those he loves. The majority of the actions he takes, good or not, are in pursuit of this goal. First and foremost, he wants to see his family safe and secure and happy. The things he is willing to do to accomplish these ends....well.

He's dropped bodies, many bodies, and shed much blood, but most of his actions do seem restrained and calculated unlike Niklaus who is cruel out of impulse and often in fits of rage. Elijah gets angry as well but doesn't express it the same way. Elijah, while he has great capacity for cruelty, also has a code that he lives by, where Niklaus does not. He will often at least attempt to negotiate or be diplomatic, reducing the amount of bloodshed and death. However, it that doesn't work or if he fails to accomplish his goals in that manner, he will resort to violence, especially to honor his family and his oath.

They're both monsters in their own way, but I think Elijah is less unpredictable and prone to jealous outbursts and blind rages. He's more calculated and composed, not necessarily a fight first and talk later kind of guy, which is more Niklaus' way. If you're talking about like, the amount of murders they've committed, they're both equally guilty, both having done monstrous things. But I think if you're considering day to day, the way they conduct business and maintain themselves, Niklaus is ultimately more of a terror than his brother, assuming you don't push Elijah to the point where he must be monstrous.

Elijah is capable of being just as bad as Niklaus on his worst day, he simply chooses to at least try to rise above it, to maintain this facade of self control and nobility and decorum. Elijah uses violence to send a message. Niklaus' violence IS the message. Elijah can be very manipulative and spiteful, even vengeful. If he ever decided to say "fuck it" and really let loose? I think people would be surprised as how cruel and wicked he could be.

[mochiotomedumplings]

part 2 of the zhongchi-sunturine analysis !

i think i might've gone too far... (part 1 here)

so, childe and aven character parallels.

first, unpredictable characters in high positions of power who’s accomplished crazy things despite their backgrounds. they’re notorious for what they do, and have an appearance of being very extreme in what they indulge in. see childe’s lust for battles and aven’s liking for gambles. both remarked to be very dangerous and not a “good guy” - and they rarely acted otherwise. regarding their extremeness, childe’s said to like battles that skirt close to death while aven always went on high-stake gambles with his life on the line. and they both had expressed at one point that they enjoyed the thrill of it.

both have this reference to being the eye of the storm (for aven it’s sigonia’s description) and is always at the center of something big as a result of their m.o. of bigger battles, bigger gambles. both put on a performance and facade - it’s clear with aven but there’s reference in childe’s character story that he wears physical as well as figurative armor to the outside world, one we saw him briefly dropping in the quest with teucer. that despite his straightforward nature that was repeatedly mentioned, his boss song is called “neverending performance”. both he and aven were said to be unpredictable in what they do, and on a meta level this is true as well - they exhibit self-contradicting traits due to how extreme their usual “performances” are. childe’s a caring brother who loves his family, has very normal and tame interests beside that One Thing and if not for his mission, is normal on his morals as well (would not hurt the weak, does not terrorize his subordinates). aven’s also a brother who loves his family, has a somewhat normal life beside the One Thing (he has pets, lives like a workaholic corporate slave) and despite looking crazy, has decent morals (does care about other people, does not pull his subordinates into his stunts). these things contrast quite a bit with the impression they give from their rumors, because they both have a front or rather one very noticeable aspect of their identity that made them into the chaotic individual they seem. for childe it is fighting, and for aven it is gambling.

for someone so concerned with staying alive and protecting his family, childe is too into cutting his life short by gaining powers and fighting battles that should be out of his league. he has this reckless vibe and wants to “conquer the world” - twisted by his time in the abyss, but his normal side never really died. aven has never forgotten his sister’s words to treasure his own life and embrace the unfairness of reality, yet he lives while constantly risking his life and hating on his luck and destiny as a whole. he’s cynical and all about using others and being used, twisted by what he had to do to survive, but still holds onto past sentiments. they both find themselves tied to an organization that don’t quite accept them (childe’s nature doesn’f fit with the fatui and he dislikes the other harbingers, for his methods and background aven’s disliked by his colleagues too) but still contribute to the best of their abilty, with their agency in it a bit questionable. if childe’s unable to leave the fatui bcs pulcinella has his family, then aven’s bound to the ipc the same manner as that mark on his neck. they wouldn’t call it like that, but how much was it their choice exactly ?

childe indulges in battles, aven indulges in gambles, but it’s both what they had to do to survive. and people adapt to survive.

death flags 😂 childe talking about staying alive, his foul legacy possibly draining his life with every use, abyss powers (delusion as well) supposedly just kill normal people. aven and his plan to bring about (his own) death in penacony (not even a flag anymore) 😭.

their boss fight being somehow linked to a performance, which i guess reflects the gist of their character in a way. childe’s challenge and an all-out fight - his life is just battles after battles, and it’s like a performance that never ends. aven’s fight is a performance, another show another gamble. all the gambling in that fight represents his life, the bet underlying the big show that was going on. the foul legacy is strong and seeks to conquer, aventurine of stratagems is strong and seeks to win. perhaps the transformation is a representation of the persona they have been playing all this time.

this has gone on long enough… in terms of dynamics there’s only speculation as both pairs didn’t have much interaction outside their roles in the “plan”. zhongli and childe were close associates and might have been friends before the fallout, but in hindsight they were enemies all along (childe was there to wreck liyue and zhongli knew exactly that). sunday and aven seemed civil from their meeting in the lobby, but they were enemies throughout as well. both pairs contrast well within themselves (this will never end if i start on zhongchi contrasts but it’s there and it’s one of the reasons why the ship’s so popular) and have enough interesting chemistry due to their opposing traits that it would just write itself.

also cool note that they’re both the main characters of the region quest. liyue was all about fighting off fatui and rex lapis’s final contract, and penacony was about “death” and the order’s plan. in the quest, the leader of “order” had allowed a chaotic agent to go free and cause things to happen in their territory - zhongli bcs it was part of the plan, and sunday bcs he had shackled aven and was using the distraction anyway. one seeks to control, the other seeks to ruin. they had both let someone who was like their antithesis bring chaos where they had been ruling with order.

and after all that, they both want to see the other again… but is it reciprocated ? now that’s a story for fanfics 😂

...

okay i think i’m crazy and this is kind of a stretch but hear me out.

the biggest difference between zhongchi and sunturine interaction in canon is that for the most part of the quest, the former is portrayed as friends/ close associates while the latter is direct opposition. but if you think about it… friends and enemies are two sides of the same coin right ? the liyue reveal didn’t turn zhongchi into enemies, they were associates before and after the reveal. logically childe got mad bcs he was tricked - something he didn’t like - and since he wanted a fight with zhongli, it’s not like he didn’t want to see zhongli again. the “enemy” was part of the trick, so in that sense he was mad about unexpected behaviour from a person whom he didn’t have full understanding on. aven was the same - they remained enemies throughout, but aven had been mad bcs sunday did something he didn’t like - dig into his mind - and it was unexpected bcs it was knowledge only within the family. they both have elements of surprise, childe being shocked that he was tricked by his associate, aven not thinking his enemy could look into his mind. and if we go even further… the shock that childe’s “enemy” was not an actual enemy, the shock that aven’s “enemy” helped clear the park for him. because at the end of the day, childe thought there would be a battle but if he was only part of the plan, and aven thought there would be punishment and obstacles to his goal, but he too was only part of the plan.

of course, sunday didn’t have it all in control like he made it seem like and unlike zhongchi he actually clashed with aven - but that’s just what enemies do, like zhongchi arranging a meal. as far as the order’s plan went, he had full control - all he needed was to keep an eye on aven before ena’s dream. he didn’t even need to do that, the stone was in his hand regardless, he just wanted to face off and defeat aven 😅 same with zhongli not needing to be close to childe and still happened anyway. ah yes, it had hurt for childe bcs a friend tricked him, and it had hurt for aven bcs an enemy read his mind. it was natural for zhongchi to have gotten close, and inevitable for childe to get hurt bcs zhongli was a friend and he didn’t know zhongli. it was natural as well for sunturine to have pushed each other to the limit, and inevitable that aven would get hurt bcs sunday was an enemy and he didn’t know sunday. the point was, they were both quite involved with each other (friends/ enemies) before plot demanded that one must get hurt due to the other and there would be surprises (my friend tricked me, there was no real enemy / my enemy read my mind, i’m being helped by the enemy). at the end there’s onesided beef… in this way, zhongchi and sunturine are quite similar in canon.

[animehouse-moe]

Marriage Toxin Volume 1: A Matchmaker Made In Heaven

Yes yes I'm a little late, but I still wanted to talk about this first volume and maybe even encourage a few people try it out. Really, it's great fun and full of potential as both author and artist have a solid head on their shoulders and some pretty deft hands at work with the series. Plenty to chat about of course, otherwise why would I be here, so I'll just get into it.

The basic gist of it is a bit of an absurdist comedy wherein a master assassin specializing in poisons ends up saving his mark so they can help him get married so his grandmother can be satisfied as the clan line continues onwards.

Yeah, a very very novel concept, and that sentiment remains for the entirety of the first volume. But let's rewind a little, take a better look at the bigger picture here. Marriage Toxin is an author-artist duo, so I have some higher than average expectations for its execution. Thankfully, both ends are promising, and they give me some great ways of highlighting those proficiencies.

Gero here, our poison master and head of the similarly titled Poison Master clan, has a phenomenal character design.

Messy hair, rectangular glasses, long and loose clothing, ankle length pants. Sharp and dark fashion that betrays a disinteresting, unassuming, and even awkward and offputting air. Couple that with his overall build and his slouch/hunch and you have a very low level character that's perceived as "simple".

But, that same messy hair, that same loose and long clothing, that very same hunch can be used to weaponize Gero and turn him into a freaky terror of the night.

It's sublime work that appears ever apparent with the simple addition of a gas mask (and a side profile view). Very very smart work in creating a character whose appeal completely shifts depending on where you're looking at them from.

And just to be a little cheeky, I'll say that that sentence pertains to the work in creating his personality as well. Neurotic and high strung but ever aloof, Gero's identity as a character is equally as fluid. Flipping a single switch accomplishes a great deal with him, and vibrating between those two modes of operation is Marriage Toxin's very charm. Which is still a little bit away.

I'll just take a moment to explain the layouts and paneling for the series. It's good. Rather straightforward in terms of paneling which does weigh it down, but the layouts are really great and express a comfortable amount of range.

Though, I will say that the lack of creative paneling is a shame, purely because of some of the ideas that were cooked up for this first volume. Hopefully we'll see that degree of expression evolve as we go on.

You know, while I'm on the point of hoping for better, it's just a bit of a complaint but I'd really love to see the side characters more expressive. Considering the impressive degree exhibited by Kinosaki and Gero, the gulf between them and the rest of the characters can feel a little odd at times.

All in all, I wouldn't say anything falls short of expectations with art for this story. It's all very solid, backgrounds and environment art are comfortably common, and Kinosaki and Gero command the reader's attention during the volume. It does more than what it needs to in order to engage a reader, and it deserves praise for that.

Of course, engaging the reader isn't a one sided visual affair, the writing needs to be up to snuff, and it definitely is. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but I'll do my best.

I think the easiest way to describe it is practical, and not in a bad way. It lines up countless one two punches of foreshadowing/leadup and delivers swiftly with its relation or reveal. Here's just one example.

Some might argue a little heavy handed, but considering the goal of this series, I don't have any issues with a more straightforward approach to a well written narrative.

And it's not like it's a one off either, the author has very clear intentions and ideas they want to realize with this series, and if you're paying attention you'll understand very quickly.

That aside, let me talk in broad strokes here with narrative work.

Marriage Toxin as an action comedy is really enjoyable. The action is very prevalent and reads easily as it aims for impact over experience with its feeling, and the humor is perfectly exaggerated and telegraphed, effortlessly filling page after page.

I am worried about it turn too action heavy and forgetting its roots (just because the action is that good), but I'm not super worried.

Keeping the ball rolling with action though, an assassin power system? Very unique, and they've chosen all the right ideas for expressing it as a fluid and free scale where they're not likely to encounter too many issues. And I mean that in terms of power balances, but also in regards to how many bad guys they can cook up for this series.

And lastly, LGBTQ+ representation, and not in a "look at me!" way. It feels as natural to the characters as it does for them to breath. It's really great stuff to see in a prominent and popular Shounen Jump title. Hoping they'll give us more details and interactions in that vein, but I think even with what we have in this first volume I'm very happy to see the representation.

At the end of it all, there's a lot of praises to be sung for this first time pair of mangaka. Marriage Toxin is impressive, in every sense of the word. It's not knock your socks off incredible, or once in a generation outstanding, but it's certainly a cut above a lot of other new series in similar veins.

So would I say it's for everyone? Definitely not, no. Humor is touch and go, so it's best to give it a shot before you commit if you're not into the more loud and fast style. Thankfully, Manga Plus has all chapters of the manga available digitally for you to check out, so I really recommend that people at the minimum give it a shot!