#isekai bullshit

[gaypiece]

Another Life; Ch 2

Part 2 of my OP isekai bullshit daydream! I am always open to feedback!!! I’m half asleep posting this so i may come back and edit cws and description

Ch1 // Ch3

Chapter 2: The Surgeon of Death

☁︎ word count: 3.5k

☁︎cw: named self insert, bit of anxiety

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Consciousness came back to me slowly. I was vaguely aware of a steady beeping sound nearby. This confused me. I was sure I had died, and I didn’t think the afterlife would sound like a hospital. My eyes fluttered, cracking open lethargically. The lights above me were bright, and I could tell that I was indoors somewhere. My head turned to the sound of the beeping, silently rejoicing the fact that I was able to move again. There was a monitor to my left, displaying my heart rate and other information my foggy brain didn’t care to make sense of.

”Good, you’re awake.”

I would have jumped in surprise, had I not been so sluggish. But, did I know that voice? I turned to find the source. He stood with his back to me, writing something on a clipboard. The hat he wore. . .

He turned to me then, and my stomach dropped. No fucking way. What kind of Isekai bullshit. . .?

”You’re lucky we found you when we did. What were you thinking, eating that fruit?” He must have noticed the way I paled, and my jump in heart rate. He added, “No need to be afraid, you’re safe,” though, his golden eyes seemed almost as cautious as I was.

I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing. “I-I’m not— you don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he muttered. He turned away from me again, setting the clipboard down.

I laughed once, humorlessly. “At least I’m not the only one who’s confused.” I ran my hands over my face in my distress. I kept my face covered as I tried to remember my breathing exercises: in four seconds, hold four seconds. Out four seconds, hold four seconds. Repeat.

He seemed to realize what I was doing, not speaking as I tried to calm myself. Once my heart slowed, I removed my hands from my face and tried to sit. My head swam.

He reached a hand out to me, as if to steady me, but didn’t touch me. “Take it easy, you’ve been out for a while. We don’t need you passing out again.”

”How long?” I asked.

”We found you two days ago.”

Two days. That makes five since I woke up on that forest floor. If I weren’t incapacitated for most of it, the time might have been enough to convince me this was real.

”I never got your name,” he stated, interrupting my thoughts.

”Rain. Aspen Rain.”

”Trafalgar Law.”

My heart jumped again. “I know.”

”I thought so, given your reaction to seeing me.”

I laughed again. “You don’t know the half of it.”

He studied me a moment, still cautious.

”Why did you help me?” I asked suddenly. I knew his character well enough to know that Law wasn’t exactly the hero type. Not that type to go out of the way to help a random person unless there was some benefit to him.

My question caught him off guard. He looked away again, fumbling to respond at first. “We came to the island looking for that fruit you ate. I wanted to study its paralytic properties for possible medical use in the future, and reverse engineer an antidote that might work for other, similar situations. You could imagine my surprise when we arrived to find someone poisoned by exactly the fruit I was looking for. You were a convenient test subject.” I nodded along as he explained. Of course, saving me was a convenience, but it almost sounded like an excuse. He may have been able to perform whatever tests he needed even if I wasn’t alive for it. “You know,” he turned to me once more, “you could have eaten any other fruit on that island and been fine. You’re lucky someone with my capabilities found you. Or that anyone found you at all, for that matter.”

“Lucky me,” I muttered, “eating the only poisonous fruit on the whole damned island.”

He almost cracked a smile. ”What were you doing there anyway?”

I stared at him, unsure if he truly wanted to know about the strange situation. Deciding I had nothing to lose, I told him, “I don’t know.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean, you ‘don’t know’?”

“I mean,” I took a deep breath, “I fell asleep in my bed, at home, and woke up on a forest floor with nothing to my name, and not even a hint of a soul around.” My voice rose as I spoke, nearing hysterics. “Not to mention, I went to sleep a normal human being, and woke up with fucking cat ears.” I made a vague gesture at my head for more emphasis.

”And tail,” he noted. “I can see now why you’re so confused.”

”I have a tail??” I couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted out of me. “This is insane,” I giggled. “I’m going insane.”

”I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for all of this.” He seemed to be reassuring himself more than me.

I tried to collect myself, breathing deeply again. Once I could control my voice, I said, “I haven’t even told you the craziest part yet.”

He looked even more apprehensive now. “Tell me.” He pulled a chair to the end of the hospital bed and sat, facing me. Good. He would need to be sitting for this.

Once again, I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying to steady myself. “What if I told you,” I began, “you’re not supposed to be real? What if I told you that I know of you not just as a pirate captain and former warlord, but as a character from my favorite TV show?”

He stared at me blankly, almost as if he was waiting for me to say I was joking. When I didn’t, he told me, “You’re insane.”

“That’s the conclusion I came to as well, and exactly how I expected you to respond.” My tone was resigned.

His tattooed hand came to pinch the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be collecting himself. Wondering just what the hell he got himself into by rescuing me, I figured. Suddenly, Law stood, pulling on a pair of medical gloves and beginning to disconnect the wires and tubes attached to me. He spoke as he moved. “I have some things to tend to. I’m going to have someone bring you some food and show you to the showers so you can get cleaned up. Then we’ll decide what to do with you.” He refused to meet my eyes. “Hold still, this will probably be uncomfortable.” He quickly and efficiently removed a feeding tube from my nose, wordlessly handing me a tissue afterward.

I remained still and silent as he worked over me, trying to ignore the way my heart thudded on the occasion his gloved fingers brushed against my skin.

He didn’t speak again as he gathered a few things and headed toward the door. He turned to me then, but still didn’t meet my gaze. “Someone will be in shortly. Just. . . don’t say anything crazy to them.” He waited for my nod, then the door closed with a soft click.

As soon as I was alone, I curled myself into a ball, wrapping my arms around myself for some sense of security in this foreign place. I was unable to stop the tears that welled up, lost and confused as I was. What was happening, and why? It’s one thing to wake up in a strange place, but entirely different to wake up in a different world. Why did this happen? Why the world of my favorite anime? And why, out of every possible person, did it have to be my fictional crush from this universe to find me? There were too many questions buzzing around in my head, questions that I didn’t have answers to.

I wondered if my world went on without me, or was it frozen in time? Perhaps I had died and this was some bizarre afterlife. I wondered if I had simply disappeared, just as I seemingly appeared here. Would my fiancé search for me? Would my family? How was I going to get back? What if I never did? My stomach dropped.

As I deliberated, the door reopened and someone entered the room, prompting me to quickly dry my eyes. I recognized my visitor as Ikkaku, the only female member of Law’s crew. I didn’t know much about her, and wasn’t sure what to expect of her personality. She wheeled a cart in after her, which held two plates of steaming food and a pitcher of water. The smell of the food had my mouth watering, tastebuds restless after not eating for so long.

“You have some timing,” she stated as our eyes met. “Lunch was just about to be served when the captain asked me to bring you food.” She stopped the cart at my bedside, moving the chair which Law previously sat in to the other side. “I’m Ikkaku, by the way,” she informed me as she took her seat, facing me. “What should I call you?”

”Rain,” I said. “Or Aspen. Either is fine.”

She asked, “What do your friends call you?”

”Rain.”

“Rain it is.” She grinned at me before digging into one of the plates upon the cart.

I hesitated, shy.

”It’s not poisoned,” Ikkaku teased.

Her bubbly nature softened my reserve. With the slightest smile, I scooted toward the edge of the bed where the cart sat. Timid as ever, I didn’t meet Ikkaku’s eyes as I reached for the water pitcher, filling both of our glasses. She thanked me cheerfully before taking a sip. I mirrored her, relishing the taste of the cold, refreshing water. I didn’t realize just how thirsty I was, quickly emptying my glass. I immediately refilled it, only to empty it halfway again.

”Slow down,” Ikkaku warned. “You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

I obeyed, studying my plate as I gave myself time to breathe. It was some kind of stir fried noodle dish, nothing elaborate. Still, I salivated. I was unable to make myself wait very long before digging in. I gave an appreciative hum as I chewed, it was an effort not to moan instead. Maybe it was the fact that I just almost starved to death, but nothing had ever tasted better.

”Oh, come on,” Ikkaku scoffed. “Uni’s cooking isn’t that good.”

I spoke with my mouth half full. “I almost starved to death, give me a break,” I half-joked.

She laughed, and I found it difficult not to return her smile. I decided I could get along with Ikkaku.

”So,” she began, sipping at her water again, “does the captain know you from somewhere?”

I paused in surprise and confusion. “I . . . don’t think so, why do you ask?”

“I’ve never seen him so quick to save a stranger,” she mused, “except for that Straw Hat at Marineford.”

“Um. . . Well, he did tell me that he was trying to make an antidote for the poison of the fruit I ate.”

”Coincidence,” Ikkaku contradicted. “He didn’t know you were poisoned when we found you, but insisted on helping you the moment he saw you.”

”Huh.” So it was an excuse. But why would he have wanted to help me so badly? “No, we’ve never met before. I’m not sure why he would do that.”

“Well, as out of character as it might’ve been for him, I’m not one to question my captain. I’m sure he had his reasons.”

I hummed in agreement, chewing my food slowly as I mulled over the possibilities. Nothing I could come up with seemed logical. I could see that Ikkaku had more questions, but neither of us spoke again as we finished eating.

Ikkaku stood once both of our plates were empty. “Now! Let’s get you a shower!”

I followed her quietly as she led me through the hallways of the Polar Tang. She briefly stopped at a closet, pulling out a boiler suit like hers, and holding it up to me to judge the size. She explained that it was the only clothing she could offer me to change into. I took it gladly, thankful to have clean clothes after being stuck in the same outfit for days. Ikkaku then led me to the showers, leaving me at the door. She explained where I could find the soap and towels, then told me that she would be waiting on the other side of the door once I was done, and to let her know if I needed anything. I was grateful for the time alone, locking the door behind me as a precaution.

As I looked in the mirror, I was almost surprised to see that I was still me. I looked a bit thinner, maybe, along with some other changes, but I was still the same Rain. My eyes were the same hazel they had always been, but I now had slits for pupils. This almost explained my improved vision. Cat eyes to go with my cat ears. And tail. Ugh. I could see it flicking behind me in annoyance. It was black, as were my new ears. My hair, which had previously been dyed pastel pink, my natural dark brown showing at the roots, now seemed to grow naturally pink. Weird. I noticed that half of my face was bright red, I assumed from the sunburn. Though, it looked as if it was medicated while I was unconscious. That was going to be a fun tan line. I shook my head in annoyance, tail still flicking, as I headed to the shower.

Ikkaku smiled at me brightly once I emerged from the room, freshened up and ready to go. The boiler suit was a tad long on me, and I had to roll up the sleeves and pant legs to accommodate my short limbs. There was no hole for my tail to come out of in the back, so it was stuffed into the suit with the rest of my body. It was uncomfortable, and grew even more so as I walked, following Ikkaku to our next destination. I made a note to myself to modify it if I had to continue wearing it. Ikkaku chittered as we walked, talking about the other crew members, explaining that they were doing chores, which was why we weren’t seeing them. I wasn’t listening, really. I was anxious to find out how Law wanted to deal with me.

Ikkaku stopped to knock on a door, and waited for permission to enter. My heart skipped a beat when Law’s voice said, “Come in,” from the other side, and Ikkaku opened the door, allowing me to enter first. I stepped into what appeared to be Law’s office. The walls were lined with shelf after shelf of books. There seemed to be only two areas on the wall not containing books: another door, which I guessed led to Law’s bedroom, and a little alcove nestled into the shelves, containing a cushioned bench and a window, through which I could see that we were still at the island where I woke up. Taking up almost half of the space of the room was a large, disorganized desk, facing the doorway I entered from. At this desk was where Law sat, thoughtful eyes trained on me from the moment I had entered.

Ikkaku was about to follow me in, when Law said, “You can go, Ikkaku.”

“Right!” Ikkaku responded, turning on her heel.

”Close the door before you go.”

She hesitated the slightest bit, eyeing me with concern. “Good luck,” she whispered to me before shutting the door.

”Have a seat,” Law ordered, nodding to the chairs in front of his desk. I obeyed silently. “You have two options,” he told me. “You can stay here, where we found you—“

”Pass.”

He paused at my interruption, giving me a disapproving look. “Or,” he continued, “we can drop you at the next island we stop at, provided it’s not deserted.”

I considered the idea, but where would I go? Was I to just start a new life in this world that I didn’t belong in? Would I be able to? How would I find my way home? Then, an idea occurred to me.

”Can I join your crew?”

He eyed me suspiciously. “That wasn’t an option.”

”I don’t like the options you gave me. It’s called ‘negotiation’.”

Raising a brow, he said, “Give me one reason why I would want you on my crew.”

I sighed. “I know you think I’m crazy, but I can show you that I’m not. At least, not entirely. I’m still trying to figure out what the hell’s going on, myself, but I won’t ask you to help me. Just let me stay, and I can be useful.” I looked into his eyes then, a strenuous task for me, given my shyness and Law’s intimidating aura. My tone was almost pleading. “I have nowhere to go. I know that you know what that’s like.”

His eyes softened just slightly, but he didn’t seem to like the use of reverse psychology. “How would you know that?”

”Believe it or not, I know a lot about you, Trafalgar. Things your crew might not even know. Don’t forget where I told you I know about you from.”

He seemed irked that I would bring it up again, and his tone was skeptical as he humored me. “What exactly do you know about me?”

I took a deep breath as I prepared to state everything I knew about this man. “Trafalgar D. Water Law, also known as The Surgeon of Death, wielder of the Ope Ope no Mi Devil Fruit ability, captain of the Heart Pirates, former Warlord of the Sea, a title you obtained by delivering the hearts of one hundred pirates to the world government.” He seemed almost unfazed as I rattled off the basic information, only reacting when I said the “D” in his name. “Born October sixth, you are twenty-six years old, a Libra, six feet and three inches tall, blood type F. You were born in a country called Flevance, located in the North Blue, nicknamed ‘White Town’ after the White Lead that was mined there.” His face began to pale. “You lived there with your younger sister and your parents, who were doctors and trained you and your sister to be as well. For this reason, the Ope Ope no Mi Devil Fruit was an excellent fit for you.” I averted my eyes. “For your sake, I won’t get into the details of how you came across the devil fruit. I assume it’s a touchy subject.” When I glanced back up at Law, the look he was giving me was deadly. “Do I need to continue?”

”How do you know all of that?”

”I already told you how I know.” I folded my arms across my chest.

He stared me down. Though my cheeks burned, I gave him an unwavering look of my own.

“How do I know that I can trust you?” Still suspicious.

”You don’t, I suppose. But I’ve been completely honest with you this whole time. I have no reason to lie, and nothing to lose. All I’m asking for is a place to stay for the time being. If you don’t trust me, take my heart if it will give you some peace of mind.”

”Keep your heart.” He almost seemed like he was starting to believe me. “Tell me about this . . . TV show.”

“It’s called ‘One Piece’ and it follows Straw Hat Luffy’s journey to become Pirate King . . .” I continued, explaining only relevant details, such as the places the Straw Hats had visited, where I was in the story, and the differences between this world and the one I came from. Occasionally, he would ask for more details, and I would give them to him, surprising myself with how much I remembered. He seemed more convinced with each detail I gave him of my world. His eyes didn’t leave me the entire time I spoke, and when I finished, he continued his piercing gaze, seeming contemplative. This time, I found it difficult to stare back, shying away from his intense look. I was grateful when he spoke before I started blushing again.

”You said that you can be useful. How?”

”Umm . . . I would probably be most useful in the kitchen. I’m a decent cook, but I’m more of a baker. I suppose that comes with the territory of the family name.” I chuckled slightly at my joke. “Other than that, I’m pretty good at tinkering and fixing things, anything involving creativity, really. I’m probably no good in a fight right now, but I can train. And I am a quick study, if there’s anything else you may want me to do.”

He stared at me a few more moments before he sighed, seeming to give in. “Just to be clear,” he began, “I still think you’re insane. However, you seem trustworthy enough, and you’re right.” His gaze softened. “I won’t leave you with nowhere to go.”

”So . . .?”

”So,” he repeated, pausing as he hesitated, “welcome to the Heart Pirates.”

I could have cried with the relief I felt. I had somewhere to stay. “Thank you,” I breathed, hanging my head.

”I will be keeping an eye on you though,” he warned. “Don’t make me regret this.”

”I promise, I’ll do my very best.”

He stood. “Come with me. I’ll show you to your quarters.”

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

[dragonkid11]

You are from Earth. Not the one Grand Cross orbits though—you're from an alternate Earth in another dimension. Where you're from, Hard Wired Island was a game—or maybe an anime, comic, or book series. After an unfortunate accident, you've somehow been reborn on Grand Cross. You're just a common Crosser, but one with knowledge of the setting and a unique power...

[sunny-daze-ahead]

Wanderer: Everyone knows you're way more likely to survive in this world the more unique features and colouring you have, and the more gaudily and elaborately and revealingly you're dressed. In other words, the more you hurt people's eyes to look at, the more likely it is you'll live to see another day. Albedo: That's why Kaeya is borderline immortal.

[holy-reference-in-a-username]

I imagine that Tord witnessed his world getting destroyed and his friends getting killed by the Entity of Destruction one by one, brutally traumatizing and making him the sole survivor all because of an Isekai and the final nail in the coffin, Tord has a task to find the Angel of Balance and their 8 sages while in Solistia!

this has sat in my inbox for weeks i have no clue what it means. tried to look it up but couldn't find anything :( but i just got a duplicate ask so uhhhh i came up with something?? i mean i always love traumatizing tord so. here

dnd isekai tord

Tord randomly wakes up in some fantasy world and is tasked as the chosen one to save the world by killing the Entity of Destruction "or some shit." also he finds fantasy versions of his friends bc why not. theyre in need of a damage dealer since Tom is Unreliable soooo Tord gets recruited for Adventures. or Adventure idk they might die immediately that sounds realistic for them

[loosingmoreletters]

so about that regressing saintess trope—

Cedric was sure he was making a fool out of himself in front of all of his Knights, but he couldn’t give up after coming so far.

“Your Grace,” his Knight Commander finally addressed him. “Is there a particular reason we are in this city?”

The Knight Commander had already served Cedric’s father. When his parents had died, the Knight Commander had cared for him as though Cedric were his own child. The Ashvain duchy’s reputation hit rock bottom when Cedric inherited it, and many of the servants could’ve left, but instead they stayed to support the child they now had to call their lord.

The least Cedric could do was insure they’d survive this time.

When he’d woken from his seizure, nearly ripped apart by his magic, he’d been granted the memories of a future undone, the continent ripped apart by monsters, their only saving Grace too weak to stand up against them as she was caught up in intrigues of the palace and her training stifled.

“There’s a woman here,” Cedric said. “Brown hair, brown eyes, plain looking. She sells cabbages.”

For half the price if my customer looked really poor, Your Grace! Ah, don’t tell His Highness I said that…

“A woman,” the Knight Commander repeated. “Your Grace, have you—“

“I do not have a lover,” Cedric cut him off. “I wish for you to make her your apprentice.”

The Knight Commander stared at him in disbelief. “Why?”

Because a year from now, they will proclaim her Saintess and the Temple and the Crown Prince will dress her in silk instead of armor.

But Cedric couldn’t say that without raising suspicion or seeming like mad man.

“Just trust me on this,” Cedric asked and took a look around the marketplace. All eyes were focused on them, and there, right in front of the temple, stood an unassuming woman with a stall full of vegetables, wearing a farmer’s garb and an apron.

If she would refuse to come with them, Cedric would damn well strip her himself and put her in armor. God’s most beloved daughter belonged in the battlefield and he’d drag her there himself if he had to.

[aizawas-upper-left-wisdom-tooth]

Isekaied Hero™, breaking down the front doors to the Demon King™'s castle. Their party is right behind them, ready for the fight!

Hero™: "SHOW YOURSELF DEMON KING™!!!"

From out of the shadows a dark, hulking form emerges. The most sexy, rough, badass, daddy material of a demon man comes sauntering forward. His lumbering stature, thick mussels, and dark aura casts an intimidating air about the entire throne room. He reaches out a hand and from the ground, a large blade emerges and slowly, perfectly, raises itself into his awaiting leather clad hand. His grip tightens and his bare forearm bulges with the weight, and yet his test swing is steady and shows no more strain than if he were swinging a branch.

Demon King™: "Hero,"

His voice, a deep and clear purr, reverberates throughout the throne room. It seemingly comes from every direction, and leaves a tingling chill in the air.

"I'm going to enjoy decimating you."

Hero™:

Hero™: *Blushing furiously**high pitched uncontrolled giggling* "he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he~!!!!"

Party Mage™:"H-hero?! Are you alright?"

Hero™:"ye-!" *clears throat* "yeah! Yes! I'm-" *keeps stealing glances at the Demon King™* *their hand comes up around their mouth* "I'm-FINE!"

Hero™'s party:

Demon King™: "?????????"

Hero™: *Blushes harder*

Party Rouge™: "you've got to be shitting me."

Hero™: "I-" *clears throat again* "I- hng..." *covers face fully with the one hand* *shoulders hunch up to their ears*

Mage™: ".....Why aren't you attacking the Demon King, Hero....."

Demon King™: *suspiciously glances at the other inhabitants of the room, his stance loose, but ready for a fight*

Hero™: *Dares another glance at the Demon King*

Demon King™: *is sexy*

Hero™: "yeah.... No, that's not gonna happen."

Rogue™: "BITCH WHY!!!??? JUST KILL HIM!!!"

Hero™: "TO DO THAT WOULD BE AN AFFRONT TO GOD!!"

Rogue™: "ohmygod-"

Hero™: "I AIN'T NO BLASPHEMER!!"

Mage™: "wHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AFFRONT TO GOD'????!!?!?!?"

Hero™: *gestures wildly at the incredibly attractive (and confused) demon man* "LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME THIS MAN IS NOT THE TALL GLASS OF WATER IN THE DESERT THAT IS MY LIFE!!???!?? THAT IS ANY OF OUR LIVES!?!?!?"

Demon King™: *is baffled... Sexily*

Hero™: "I CANT MORALLY KILL THIS MAN!! HE'S CLEARLY THE FINEST WORK OF ART THAT THE CREATOR HAS EVER CREATED!! TO KILL HIM WOULD BE A-A- A SIN!! AND NOT A 'oh, I see you've lied about doing your chores again-' SIN! BUT A 'YOU'VE JUST STABBED GOD IN THE FUCKING FACE' KIND OF SIN!!! I WOULD- I-I-.... NO! no. I won't do it!"

Mage™: "....HES KILLED PEOPLE!!!????! HES PLANNING ON KILLING ALL OF US AND ENSLAVING THE SURVIVORS!?!?!!!!"

Hero™: "yes... But have we considered... He's hot?"

Hero™'s Party: *completely speechless*

Demon King™: *eyes start to squint at the hero, wondering if they are fr*

Hero™: "....Have we considered..... Letting him?"

Rogue™: ".....I'm going to pluck your eyeballs from their sockets and slurp them like jello shots."

[thaim-ghaistly-fowk]

I miiiiiiiight have listened to a venti amsr video and I’m now back on my Venti bullshit....

BUT the “apostle” voiceline has SO MUCH FIC POTENTIAL???? I’ve read a few fics that have really interesting ideas of how worship and prayer work in Teyvat but that’s mostly been towards Zhongli and it’s something I want to see more of!

But what sort of “small offering” would you give? The obvious ones would probably be cider, apples, cecilias...but isekai or SAGAU-wise what about maybe sheet music of songs from this world? Weird instruments like a melodica would be really funny? Can you imagine Venti running around Mondstadt playing a melodica? Secretly following Diluc while playing dark mysterious theme music? 

...the best idea is obviously an engagement ring though, lets be honest...

[auroramoon-draws16]

Time for the current crossover stuck in my head:

Assassin’s Creed x Percy Jackson

Because no duh. Now the question is how would this work?

Assassin at Camp: isekai Desmond

- reborn as the son of Minerva/Athena or maybe Apollo (because of the sun shit and ha ha irony that the assassin is now a healer lmao)

- becomes a new minor god that builds up his own faction of assassins to help the demigods when he realized how unfair it is for them

- an immortal that trains the demigods at camp and definitely smuggles in some of the more mortal luxuries of life because fuck you gods let the kids be kids and enjoy things

- it’s just Desmond getting wrapped up in this shit and accidentally forms a new Brotherhood with demigods because he sees them and go “is anyone gonna parent them? No? Alright, mine now” or at least trains them with Assassin skills and hang out with Chiron and Mr D, who just sees this random ass man with suspicious glowing eyes and a knife strapped to his arm go “tf?”

Gods + Assassins: gods have always existed

- Assassins are a whole faction who focus their skills on mortal threats (the PoE shit), but are willing to assist the demigods occasionally because holy shit those are actual children

(maybe the PoE are left overs of another petty war the gods had? More lore needed)

- the Assassins were formed by a minor god (sort of like Artemis and her Hunters) who passed down the Eagle Eye trait and was determined to help humanity regardless of what the other gods say, because fuck y’all and the Templars

- maybe the Templars also aren’t a fan of the gods, but got their own god complex going on and said gods didn’t care enough to stop them, so the Assassins have to clean up that mess

- what pantheon was the minor god from? Who tf knows, I don’t know enough about the origins of the Brotherhood and the gods to know how to write this shit properly, maybe an interesting point could be that this minor god has turned their back on the gods so long ago that even they forgot their own origins, that’d be cool

- I think it’s fair to say that if this did function sort of like Artemis’ hunters, then they would pledge to the creed instead to one person, but whether they would be immortal or not is up to y’all

- considering that the Assassins are pretty big on Choice (at least the fanfics I read, lmao) if they do decide to leave the brotherhood, then the others have to respect that decision, but if they break the creed then either that immortality is broken, they get let go (or are stripped of their rank Idk), or are put to the blade (last one is unlikely, unless it’s something big)

- I imagine that they can be given a second chance, but shit like that requires a really big “prove yourself” mission (cough cough Altair and Arno cough)

- omg assassins all over the world seeing this godly bullshit all the time and go “oh wtf, anyway”

Everything else is up to y’all I just think it’d be fun to see how they’d interact with the Demigods and maybe Percy and his friends, Idk

[hehearse]

WAIT IM SO SORRY I NEVER REALISED YOU DIDNT FINISH THE NOVEL. IM SO SORRY. WHILE I DONT EXPLICITLY SPOIL ANYTHING IN MY ASK IT WAS VERY MUCH SENT WITH THE ASSUMPTION YOU HAD READ THE EPILOGUES. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DELETE MY ASK WHEN YOU SEE THIS IM SO SORRY

IN TEARS i'm so sorry for tricking you i'm only 60-ish % in :"DDD this keeps happening...

[yezielmoore]

4. Reticent

I liked this prompt, I DID, but my brain and muse were refusing to cooperate with me. So i wrote something, but now we have jumped ahead in time. This would be in the aftermath of Ultima weapon.

Still in the isekai Himeko AU.

*.*.*

“So... what’s the hero of the hour doing all alone in a corner?” Thancred prodded airily. “On her special day no less!”

He was slouching slightly as he usually did when he was trying to be all suave and there was a smirk on his face. The usual fare for Thancred. Unfortunately, the impression was offset by the bags under his eyes and the tension in his jaw. He was also starting to sway a bit.  

Himeko snorted and patted the empty space next to her in the supply crate. It would be a snug fit, but, paradoxically, she trusted the rogue to keep his hands to himself unless she stated otherwise.

“Today is not about me and you know it,” she patted the empty space in her crate/seat. “Now sit your ass down before your minders realize you’re gone and come to lecture us both.”

The way he obeyed without a word of complaint spoke volumes of how off his game he currently was. Not that she could blame him. Possession had a special place in her personal shit list (right next to rape, above murder) and she wouldn’t wish what happened to him on her worst enemy.

No, not even Otto, as tempting as it was to wish him the worst the universe could offer.

“Nag,” the rogue joked.

Thancred’s voice brought her back to the present and something... in that moment a decision she hadn’t known she was debating, crystalized itself in her mind.

Decision made or not, Himeko still needed to take a minute to steel her nerves.  

“It comes in the job description, I’m afraid.”

“Oh?” His voice was light and pitched in such a way as to convey the correct amount of polite interest, just enough to be inviting, but not invasive. He was good. “I didn’t know career soldiers moonlighted as nurses in their spare time.”

Himeko snorted, every nurse she had met, soldier or civilian, had been terrors in their own ways.

They shared a moment of comfortable silence as she watched the eorzeans make merry and Thancred alternated between watching the crowd and trying to read her.

“It does come with the territory of teaching teenage girls,” she said at last. “I never told you lot about my home, did I?”

It was a rhetorical question. Himeko hadn’t trusted them enough to share her status as a... dimensional traveller? Reincarnation? Some strange mix of both? That her distrust proved to be well founded in the end was sad, because she could appreciate what the Scions of the Seventh Down stood for and she had liked some of those that had gone down in the Massacre of Vesper Bay.

That she felt like she could trust them now after the Ascians unknowingly cleaned house... well... It stung, and it was an observation she was in no hurry to share any time soon or ever.

Thancred shook his head. “You danced around the topic beautifully every time.” Was the wry reply. “It was extremely frustrating,” he added and shot her a crooked smile.

Not hard feeling there. At least not anymore. That was good.

“I think I’m ready to share that tale now.” Now that only the truly trustworthy remain, she didn’t say.

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s starting to sound like it’ll be a wild ride.”

Himeko laughed. It was a wild laugh, mirthless and hollow and the complete antithesis of what Himeko presented herself as. It made something in Thancred’s chest ache, a kind of pain that had nothing to do with the Ascian for once.

“Oh, you have no idea,” she murmured, more to herself than him. “No idea at all.”

[gaypiece]

Another Life; Ch 3

The next part of my isekai daydream fic! I am gonna work on making a master list w/ synopsis soon too

Ch1 Ch2

Chapter 3: Coming Out

☁︎ word count: 3.9k

☁︎ cw: named self insert, coming out as trans, intentional/unintentional not eating

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

The official story that Law had decided to tell the crew was that I woke up missing memories. He told them a partial truth; I don’t know how I got on that island, and I don’t remember exactly where I came from, but we could guess that it was very, very far away. He didn’t want to tell them what I had told him, insane as it seemed. Saying that I was from far away was the easiest explanation, and it would make more sense when things that were commonplace here surprised me, or when I used slang from where I came from. Law told the crew that until I could figure out where I came from and how to get back, I would be staying aboard as part of the crew. However, I would work alone in this endeavor. Every crew member’s number one priority was to follow the captain’s orders, and I was no exception. Therefore, whatever research I did would have to be on my own time. It seemed reasonable enough to me. I did tell him that I wouldn’t ask for help, and if I was staying, I needed to pull my weight.

Something I didn’t expect was to have my own room. It was more of a storage room, but it did contain a bed, and a desk with a chair. The room was right down the hall from Law’s. I supposed it was the best option that he could think of if he wanted to keep an eye on me, as he told me he would.

Tasked with helping me settle in on that first day, Ikkaku helped me clean out my new room to make it liveable. We left the door open as we worked, allowing other crew members to come by and introduce themselves. Internally, I compared it to moving into a college dorm room, and silently laughed at the thought. Some things I decided to keep in the room, such as a few old books that looked like they had been read cover to cover many times before being stored here. I also kept some spare paper and writing utensils, along with a couple more boiler suits, which I would also modify to accommodate my tail. Ikkaku told me that at the next island we stopped at, she would take me shopping to get some clothes of my own, so I wouldn’t have to wear the boiler suits all the time. I told her not to worry about it; I didn’t have a single berri to my name.

“I can cover you!” she insisted. “I have some extra money. Plus, I’m just glad to finally have another girl around.” She must have noticed my discomfort, because she asked, “What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment. I hadn’t been expecting to talk about this so soon, but I figured that Ikkaku would be open minded, kind as she was. She also seemed to like me already, so I didn’t think that something like this would change that. “I’m. . . not a girl,” I mumbled.

Ikkaku gave me a confused look. I shot a panicked glance at the open door, not wanting others to overhear. I would tell them when I was ready. Ikkaku seemed to understand, and moved to close it, giving us some privacy.

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to speak. “I’m. . . transgender. I don’t know how things are here, but that’s what we call it where I’m from. I was born with the body of a girl, but in my heart and soul. . . I’ve always been a boy. I know that my appearance is misleading, especially because I dress and act fairly feminine, but being a feminine boy suits me better.” I couldn’t look at Ikkaku as I spoke, wary of her reaction.

”Oh,” she deadpanned. When I glanced up at her, she seemed to be far away, thinking. She blinked at me. “So, you’re a boy, but you’re a girly boy?”

”That’s one way to put it.”

”Okay.” She blinked again. “So we can still do girl stuff together?”

I laughed, half with relief. “Yes, as long as you don’t call me a girl.”

”Okay,” she repeated, perking up. “So I’m taking you shopping as soon as we get the chance!”

”Sure,” I laughed, humoring her. “If that’s what you want to do.”

With the nerve-wracking task of explaining my identity out of the way, I was able to relax further, finding myself more comfortable with Ikkaku. I asked her not to mention it to the other crew members, telling her that I would talk to them when I was ready. She agreed without question.

No longer needing privacy, I opened the door. I was startled to find a towering figure dressed in orange on the other side.

”I wasn’t eavesdropping!!” Bepo cried, then hung his head in shame. “But I did hear everything. . .”

I hesitated. I knew Bepo’s character to be sweet and caring, but I also knew that he was Law’s first mate. If he thought something was amiss. . .

My thoughts were interrupted by Ikkaku shuffling past me to Bepo’s side. She hugged him, grinning widely at me as she did so. “You don’t have to worry about Bepo blabbering to anyone, he’s a real sweetheart.”

”I promise not to tell anyone your personal information!” Bepo nearly shouted.

I couldn’t help but smile at his vehemence. “Okay, okay. I trust you. Now quiet down before someone hears you,” I giggled.

”Sorry.” The polar bear hung his head again

I smiled warmly at him as I returned to my task of cleaning. “You don’t need to apologize, Bepo.”

He perked up. “Do you guys need any help?”

Just like that, Bepo and I became friends as well. I was surprised with how easily I seemed to make friends here. Socializing had always been a difficult feat for me, and I wouldn’t have expected that to change here.

I wish that making friends with Uni would have been just as easy, but he seemed to detest me from the moment I set foot in the kitchen. He didn’t allow me to cook; The closest thing to cooking that he allowed me to do was food prep. He would often comment on how slow I was, that my dices were uneven, anything negative he could seem to think of, but nothing too harsh. Most of my time in the kitchen was spent cleaning. I picked up after Uni, put away occasional leftovers, and washed dishes after meals.

Maybe it was a little excessive of me, but I also often went into the mess hall as people ate, making sure they were eating enough, maybe refilling their drinks as needed. During these times, I tried not to notice whether or not Law was attending the meal, but I would always notice. Maybe it was my stupid crush, or the fact that he told me he would be keeping an eye on me, but I was always hyper aware of him. I could feel his eyes on me when I wasn’t looking, but the moment I did, something else seemed to be holding his attention. I noticed that although the rest of the crew came down for every meal, Law would often skip lunch. Whether it was because he was so absorbed in his own duties, or wasn’t hungry, I was unsure. But, as I stated before, I always noticed.

A few weeks had passed since I joined the Heart Pirates. We hadn’t been to land since I joined, but I knew that we would soon. We were working with our last bits of food, and needed to restock. I was relieved when Bepo told me that we would reach land by noon the next day. Sitting next to Bepo at the breakfast table, Law didn’t comment, seeming absorbed in his coffee and eggs. This wasn’t unusual.

Law hadn’t spoken to me much in these few weeks, only giving me the occasional order, and remaining short with me otherwise. I was too shy to try to converse with him, so we didn’t talk. I was surprised that he didn’t keep a closer eye on me, or even question me from time to time. Maybe he didn’t think of me to be much of a threat anymore. The thought pleased me a little, but I still wished slightly that he would pay more attention to me.

Later that day, Law didn’t attend lunch. Normally, this wouldn’t bother me, as I knew this was the meal he usually skipped. However, I remembered what a small breakfast he had that morning. Coffee and eggs was not a meal big enough to get anyone through an entire day. I wondered if he was intentionally eating less, knowing the food was running out, so that the rest of the crew would get enough to eat.

I was so absorbed in my tasks and my thoughts that I forgot to grab some food for myself. Unfortunately, by the time I realized, the only thing that was left was a bit of tuna. All of the other sandwich fixings had been eaten, including the bread. Wait— bread. That was why he didn’t come to lunch. Luckily, I knew that we had a little bit of rice to spare, enough to make a couple onigiri for Law and myself. I decided to do just that, using the leftover tuna for filling.

As I prepared the rice, my nerves rose at the thought of simply interacting with the Captain. I wondered what he would think of the gesture, hoping he would appreciate it at the very least. If he was alone in his office, maybe this would be a good opportunity to come out to him as well. I hadn’t come out to a single person since that first day with Ikkaku and Bepo. I figured Law would be the next person I should tell, but the thought put my stomach in knots. Not to mention, we were both always busy, and there were always other crew mates around. I needed this to be a private conversation. So I decided that if he was alone, I would come out to him.

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves before rhythmically knocking on the Captain’s office door, plate balanced in my other hand. My heart jumped a little when I heard his “come in,” from the other side.

As I stepped into the room, Law looked up at me from a book he seemed to be studying. His eyes widened just slightly before returning to his usual impassive expression. “Do you need something?” he asked.

I hesitated, tense. “N-no. I just noticed you didn’t come down for lunch, and that you didn’t have much for breakfast, so I brought you something to make sure you’re eating enough.” I carefully set the plate on his desk, then took a few steps back.

His eyes flicked over the plate, then back to me. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, making my heart thud. He. . . smiled at me? “Thanks,” he said softly, picking up one of the onigiri, “but you don’t need to worry about me.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “I worry about everyone.”

”I know.”

I raised my brows in disbelief. “You know?”

He now gave me a smirk. “I told you I’d be keeping an eye on you. Did you think I wouldn’t notice how you run around making sure everyone eats?” And here, I thought he wasn’t paying attention to me at all. “Speaking of which,” he gave me a stern look, “did you eat?”

I hesitated, and realized that I didn’t, lost in my thoughts as I was. I brought all of the onigiri I had made here, to Law. “No,” I admitted, mumbling, “some of those were supposed to be for me.”

”I thought so. Sit.” He nodded at the chairs in front of his desk, pushing the plate to where I would be able to reach it once I was sitting.

I panicked a little, realizing this would be the time to have that important conversation. “I should really get ba—“

He cut me off. “You had something you wanted to talk about, didn’t you?”

I froze, cheeks burning. “How did you know?”

”You’re an easy read,” he told me simply. Damn observant bastard. “Now, sit.”

I sighed in defeat, sinking into the same chair I sat in the first time I was in this room. I plucked an onigiri from the plate between us, avoiding Law’s gaze as I nibbled at it. I suddenly felt sick with anxiety.

I cleared my throat. “Um. . .” I began slowly, “This is kind of personal, but it’s important to me, and I think that you should know about it.” I glanced up at him. He stayed silent, eyes on me, waiting for me to continue. I looked away again. “Do you know what ‘transgender’ means?”

”I do,” he answered patiently.

I still avoided his eyes. “Well I’m— I’m transgender. I know I look and act pretty feminine, but I’m a boy. I’ve always been a boy. Internally, at least. . .”

”Okay.” His voice was gentle. I looked up at him finally, and his gaze was gentle as well.

”You don’t seem surprised.”

”Should I?”

”Well, I didn’t expect you to know,” I grumbled.

He hesitated, then admitted, “Bepo told me. Out of concern for you.”

That made sense. I couldn’t even bring myself to be annoyed with the polar bear. I had been afraid that he would tell Law, but he did it out of care. I knew his heart was in the right place.

”Why didn’t you say anything to me?” I asked quietly.

”I had a feeling you would tell me when you were ready.”

I nodded in understanding, looking down, away from him again. Neither of us spoke again until the onigiri plate was empty.

”Look at me, Aspen-ya.”

My heart skipped a beat when he said my name, and began to blush again. I looked up at him cautiously.

Law was giving me a hard look. “Let me know if anyone gives you trouble over it. I need my crew to act as a team, and I won’t have that if I have narrow-minded members who are harassing others. Understood?”

I gave a small nod, looking away. Eye contact was definitely not my strong suit.

”Aspen-ya.” I glanced up at him again. His tone was still stern. “I mean that. Don’t be afraid to come to me if anyone causes you problems. Got it?”

”Okay,” I said softly, looking down once more.

”I need to hear a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

I gave him a playful smirk, then said dramatically, “Yes, Captain.”

“Good,” he praised, returning my smirk. My heart thudded.

”You’re not usually this nice,” I observed suddenly. “I expected you to be much grumpier.”

He faltered, as if he hadn’t realized he was behaving abnormally until I said something. His head dropped, his hat shading his eyes from my view as he reverted his attention to his book. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered. I pretended not to notice the tinge of red on his ears. “You’re dismissed.”

Cute. I bit my lip in an attempt to hide my smile as I stood, grabbing the empty plate. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

”Tch.”

We didn’t exchange another word as I left the room, gently shutting the door behind me.

I spent our first day at our destination aboard the Polar Tang. Uni and I were in the kitchen for the whole day, storing the food and other supplies that our fellow crew mates brought from the town. At a time when we were alone, I came out to him. Since we worked together quite often, I figured he would be the next person I should tell. When I did, he gave me a blank look, said, “Okay,” and continued working. I wasn’t sure if I should take that as a good sign or a bad one, but he did seem to be nicer to me after that.

As promised, Ikkaku took me shopping the first chance she got. It was an effort for me not to be overwhelmed. Everything was different in this world, much more old fashioned. The way that things were operated, the trading, the bartering, were things that I had never experienced before, only read about.

The town we visited seemed to be a tight-knit community as well, the kind where everyone knew each other’s names. It was nice to see so many people getting along together. Where I came from, people mostly kept to themselves. I didn’t even know my neighbors’ names.

The townspeople were kind to us, despite our being pirates. They made sure that we had plenty of all of the supplies that we needed, even giving us discounts for buying in bulk. When buying clothes, the tailors willingly modified any bottoms I picked out to accommodate my tail, and did so at no extra cost.

I allowed Ikkaku to buy me only a few outfits, knowing I would wear a boiler suit most of the time anyway, and not wanting her to spend too much of her money on me. The clothing I picked out varied in seasonality, some cold weather items, others hot weather items. I would mix and match as needed. Today, I opted for jeans and a simple baggy t-shirt, wearing the outfit out of the store and carrying my boiler suit in the shopping bag.

Periodically during that day, we would run into other crew mates, also enjoying the free time allotted by the Captain. Ikkaku and I would pull them aside, and I would come out to them. It became easier each time. Luckily, no one gave me any trouble. Some, like Shachi, gave me strange looks, but didn’t push the matter. Most of them reacted like Ikkaku, open, understanding, and asking questions. I was grateful to be a part of such a caring crew.

When we came across Bepo, he was trying to help a small group of children. They had gotten their boomerang stuck in a tall tree, and Bepo was attempting to climb the tree to get it down. Apparently, Bepo was not a good climber. When he caught sight of me, he called me over to help, asking, “Cats are good at climbing, right?”

”I’m not fully a cat, Bepo,” I huffed. “But. . . I haven’t tried climbing anything in a long while. . .” I shrugged, “I could give it a shot.”

“Yes! I can give you a boost!” Bepo grabbed my hand and dragged me to the base of the tree.

”Woah, Bepo, slow down,” Ikkaku exclaimed. “At least let me take his bags from him first.”

”Oops. Sorry. . .”

I handed my bags to Ikkaku, giggling, “It’s okay, Bepo.”

Once my hands were free, Bepo assisted me to the lowest branch of the tree. I tried to ignore the multiple pairs of eyes on me as I climbed, concentrating on moving from branch to branch. I thought that I glimpsed a familiar spotted hat out of the corner of my eye, and really tried to ignore that one. There was no way I would be able to concentrate if I thought he was watching.

Climbing the tree was surprisingly easy. I was taken aback by how agilely I was able to move between the branches. What startled me more was the first time I slipped; Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the branch, and the flex of my hands made claws emerge from my nails, preventing me from falling.

When I finally reached the branch that held the boomerang, all I had to do was give it a shake, and it came tumbling down. The children below erupted in a fit of cheers. I looked down, analyzing the climb back to the ground, and instantaneously, I was on the ground, tumbling into Bepo.

He caught me, easily setting me upright. “Thanks, Captain!” he called.

My head whipped around to find Law standing several yards away, just further away than the rest of my audience. He stood casually, his sword leaned against his shoulder. He was giving me an appraising look, and I sensed a hint of teasing in his eyes.

I gave an exasperated scoff. “You couldn’t do that to the boomerang before I went through the effort of climbing the tree?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, turning to walk away.

I rolled my eyes. “I could have gotten down myself,” I grumbled, mostly to myself.

Law must have heard me though, because he turned back. Despite his neutral expression, his tone was teasing as he said, “I was trying to help, but if you insist. . .” He raised a hand, and suddenly I was in the tree again. My crew mates below laughed.

Caught off balance, I almost fell from my perch, but recovered quickly. “Cheeky bastard,” I mumbled as I began to make my way down the tree. Climbing down was not as easy as climbing up, but I was still able to do it without issue. Law stayed to watch me climb down, but turned and left as I got closer to the ground. He was gone by the time I made it back to Bepo and Ikkaku.

”Captain seems to be warming up to you!” Bepo observed.

“I guess,” I muttered.

Ikkaku slung an arm over my shoulder. “C’mon, Rain, don’t be like that! He wouldn’t mess with you if he didn’t like you!”

”Sure,” I appeased her. I couldn’t understand how or why Law could take a liking to me so quickly. I knew him to be quite reticent, and we hadn’t interacted much since I joined the crew. Something in my chest swelled at the idea that he was taking to me so well, but I didn’t want to read into it too much.

I averted my attention to my hands, interested in the new catlike trait I discovered I had. I flexed my hands and watched in wonder as tiny daggers poked out from under my nails, disappearing as I relaxed. I lightly pinched the tips of my individual fingers, making the claws reappear, one by one, just like a cat. Interesting. This would definitely be useful.

My crew mates marveled at the revelation as well, Ikkaku even taking it upon herself to take my hand and pinch my fingers to make the claws reappear as well. “Cool,” she breathed, poking the sharp tip of one of them. I nodded in agreement.

”Okay!” I said suddenly. “Enough with the attention on me! I wanted to check out that candy shop. . .”

The day ended with the whole crew on the beach. Someone had made a bonfire, and we cooked our own dinners over it, giving Uni a break from cooking. I sat off to the side, next to Bepo. Together we laughed at the antics of our crew mates. Hakugan chased Penguin with a flaming marshmallow on a stick, and eventually caught him, somehow setting himself aflame along with Penguin. I laughed until tears came as Shachi beat them with a spare beach towel, trying to extinguish the flame. Eventually, the night slowed down, and I began to drift off to sleep against Bepo, my face nuzzled into the soft fur of his arm. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I thought to myself, maybe I would enjoy my stay in this strange world.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

[socialprawn]

heyy sorry if you’ve answered this before but does moira in your setting also do blood magic like in vtm? 👁👁

asking questions about my story touches my heart dawg...

Yes and no, most of the vampires in my world are a bit more nerfed when it comes to magic since they could be the equivalent of 'thinbloods', but Moira has her moments 👼

[damagedintellect]

Hi I really love your BSD fics, especially the reader x Dazai and x Chuuya ones are my fav! <333 Would you want to do a reader x Kunikida one? 🥺

💌 Thank you so much for reading & enjoying my BSD fics!!! I'm still intimidated to write x readers for the fandom but having people send me asks and comments help boost my confidence in that regard!

💌 I do plan on adding more fics to the BSD Isekai Bullshit series but out of the characters I originally planned on adding he wasn't one of them. I love Kunikida but I don't think my Isekai series could do the x reader justice. With his personality, and his ideals list, I don't think reader knowing what happens next adds much in terms of trying to rizz Kunikida.

💌 However if I do later have an idea for it, I'd like to write a Kunikida x reader but sadly I currently do not have any long chapter fics planned for Kunikida. Although my ask box is always open for requests! If people have Kunikida x reader scenarios they'd like to see me write a oneshot for sure I'll give it a go! I might take a hot minute to write but I'll do it.

[relicsongmel]

Now that I'm done with the main story I'd like to take some time to explain a small part about why Pokemon Scarlet (and Violet) mean so much to me—and why they were the first games in the series to make me cry in several years. (warning for discussions of parental death under the cut)

Generation 9 was the first time I was playing a brand new generation after my mom had passed from cancer a year and a half prior. I wasn't expecting to have this fact be relevant to my experience with the game, but one of first things that struck me not long after booting it up was the design of the player character's mom. She looked so much like my own mother that I genuinely had to take a step back from shock for a bit. But it was surely just a coincidence, right?

That initial double take moment aside, I continued through the game fairly normally, enjoying it quite a bit despite its fairly obvious graphical limitations and occasional glitching. I loved exploring the wide open world of Paldea; I'm very meticulous about being thorough in games and seeing what every area has to offer, and while I wasn't quite able to get to everything considering the sheer size of the map, I still did my damndest to clear out as much of it as I could. I loved the colorful cast of characters and the stories that accompanied them; Nemona was a bundle of joy (and I quickly claimed her as my lovely autistic daughter because that's what she is), Penny and the Team Star storyline were well thought-out and compelling, and Arven's quest, despite me being spoiled on a few details, was heart-rending and I was invested the whole way through.

Speaking of spoilers: I knew going into the game that Arven's mom/dad was canonically dead depending on which version you were playing. But that didn't stop the emotional impact of the final confrontation with the professor from hitting me the way it did.

As I said, my mother passed away due to complications from breast cancer; she spent an agonizingly long week in the hospital dealing with sepsis (among other things) before her condition took a turn for the worse and she was taken off life support on June 9th, 2021. During that time, I never got the opportunity to talk to her or even visit her—I asked over and over, but she was only allowed a limited number of visitors which were being taken up by other family members. My last in-person conversation with her was while helping her to bed one night, in which she told me she would have my dad take her to urgent care the next morning. At the time, I didn't even consider the possibility that she might not end up coming home. When that fact finally hit me a few days later, I wrote a letter making some promises to her (that I wasn't able to keep because the grief ended up hitting me like a truck) and telling her I loved her, but it was too little too late: my mom was on life support and only semi-conscious; my letter was read to her by my sister when she went to visit and I will never know if she actually heard my words. The day I was finally able to see her was the day she passed, where I held her hand for one final time and was met with.....silence. Obviously. But just because something is to be expected doesn't mean it won't hurt.

Long story short, I was not only dealing with the grief of losing her, but also the pain of not having proper closure; of being able to talk with her knowing for sure it would be the last time. So imagine my reaction when I realized that Arven was going through the exact same thing with his own mother—having been left behind without so much as an explanation, and then said mother dies before she ever has the chance to set things right with him. And his situation is compounded even further by having to contend with seeing the AI professor looking and speaking exactly like her, finally getting the acknowledgement from his mother he's wanted for so long relayed by the AI but finding himself struggling to accept it given how much it's too little too late, and then she leaves him behind too (albeit for more understandable reasons), meaning he essentially loses his mom twice over—all this while pushing through the trauma of revisiting a place that wounded the only companion he had so badly that he thought he might end up losing him, too. My relationship with my mother was not nearly as tumultuous as Arven's—but I could still relate to those feelings of loss and powerlessness and thus found myself shedding tears after the AI professor's final farewell. Because I saw myself in that grieving kid who just wanted closure.

Scarlet and Violet are by no means perfect games. But I would be lying if I said they didn't have a profound impact on me and helped me feel a bit less alone in my grief. And for that they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

[local-robotgirlthing]

the divine comedy is a. fucking isekai

[duckapus]

So I came up with the beginnings of an idea for an SMG4 fangame that I am never ever ever going to be able to make because I have no programming skills whatsoever.

The story starts with Boopkins showing up at the castle with a new manga that he bought from Wizard Rock who claimed it was enchanted. Some of the crew is interested, but Bob, Meggy and Saiko are pretty sure he got scammed and Mario doesn't really care because he's too busy seducing a plate of spaghetti. They read through the start, which is mostly just an introduction to the setting and villain (which I haven't come up with yet), but when they get to where the main plot would start it shows...Boopkins coming to the castle with his new manga, and blank spaces where the panels past the point in time where they are now.

Then the manga glows and sucks in SMG4, Mario, Meggy, Bob and Boopkins, landing in a grassy field in chibi 2D forms, and in Boopkins' case as a round floating fish with no legs, they get their bearings and see a fancy tower nearby just past a tutorial-y platforming section, and gameplay starts.

It'd be a four player Metroidvania (this is the point where I admit that I came up with this while watching a walkthrough of Disney Illusion Island) in some kind of fantasy setting. The four playable characters are functionally identical with unique animations, so for example their basic attack involves Mario doing his standard punch-punch-kick, Bob slashing with his swords, Meggy doing kickboxing moves, and 4 wildly flailing a keyboard in front of him. Boopkins floats around with them since he's the Exposition Fairy and he holds onto whoever gets knocked out until the group reaches the next checkpoint, or takes them back to the last one if they're all knocked out.

The tower they're headed towards is owned by a local wizard who was Wizard Rock's roommate in Magic College and asked for his help in summoning a team of heroes who could save the realm. The group obviously agrees (somewhat reluctantly in Mario and Bob's case) or else we wouldn't have a story, and he kits them out with their first upgrade; Projectile weapons. Mario gets special gloves that let him shoot fireballs without a Fire Flower, Meggy gets a magic crossbow that never runs out of bolts, SMG4 gets a wand that lets him conjure small objects formed from his imagination (memes. he's yeeting memes out of a stick), and Bob gets...a small cannon that he can shoot Boopkins out of. Don't worry about Boopkins, the same spell that brought them here and turned him into a little flying fish also made him indestructible. He's still useless in a fight unless Bob is using him as a projectile though.

Also, when the characters get knocked out they turn into little tokens until they're revived at a checkpoint, which is how Boopkins is carrying them around. They look like that high quality Beeg SMG4 in the new "SMG4 Crew" logo, except Bob's is triangular instead of round to fit the poncho look of his robes.

And that's all I got so far.