#me at yakumo: i do not care for u

[fisheito]

Wait

THAT'S HOW HE GOT ME

IT WAS SO OBVIOUS

[zeynatura]

Ranting about Nucani

There is something I want to express and this fandom should know.

Nu: Carnival is a Harem game but unlike most games in the genre the relationships with MC are all canon within the same story, there are no "Routes", no "Alternate Universe/Timelines", it's all 1 Main Story where you get to gradually meet all the Characters who'll be your companions, in this game named Clan members, and all of them one way or another end up falling for Eiden (MC), which makes polyam relationship canon with Eiden as the center:

Like very few games have polyam representation, let alone a positive one, like yes the polycule it's very Eiden central but even then all the Clan Members interact with one another, as we see mainly in the time limited Events but also in the Main Story, and have friendly and amicable interactions, they rely on one another sometimes even without Eiden being involved.

But also, Aster and Morvay have a relationship established too since way before the events of the prologue of the game, Kuya and Quincy have hinted some sort of situationship (idk I don't care about Quincy and my knowledge about Kuya is limited to what happens in the story and events cause I have no limited SSRs nor have I read any of his Intimacy Rooms).

[Also if any of you knows of any other relationship that have been hinted at that i'm missing feel free to share, i specifically ask of you to refer to only canon, i know in fanon anything and everything is possible and sometimes we may be missperceiving some interactions between characters so i ask of you to take those rose tinted glasses off and see unfiltered canon, it's hard for me too ngl so dw]

All this started with some posts I saw about ppl feeling bad for Yakumo and/or Edmond to be "forced into a polyam relationship" when they are the "most romantic members" and "deserve a monogamous relationship", their words not mine, as if mono > poly , but also do you really think they're against it!?

One thing is being Clan Members against their will (which is all Huey's fault btw), having to work together to regulate the Altars' Essence (or their own) and then another one completely is involving themselves in a personal and intimate way with Eiden, which the latter they all did in their own terms and out of free will.

Also i wanna share one of the best and my fav scenes with Karu, which i know not everyone was able to experience it cause it's hidden in the Intimacy Rooms of a Limited SSR, but it expresses exactly why the polycule is consensual.

Context: Eiden has been worrying about forcing the Clan Members to be with him because he is the New Grand Sorcerer, against their will just because of Huey's magic that ties them together and the responsibility of Regulating the Altars and basically maintaining stability in the Klein Continent.

His worries began (at least that i noticed) in "Eerie Escapade" (Halloween Event), that was also the first time Garu got hurt while protecting Eiden and the first time Karu got mad at him and fronted to yell at Eiden (which is my another fav scene of Karu omg i love him so much i gotta go back and take screenshots of that but that's for another post), the second one being in "Army x Blood x Oath" (which are the screenshots i'll show u)

Because this are the Intimacy Rooms of Garu/Karu's Limited SSR this scene focuses on Eiden feeling guilty because Garu got hurt in the past (Halloween Event) and this time he lost his memory (temporarily, due to this event's story) and Eiden blaming himself for it all and wondering if they would be better off without him, but the same can and is applied to the rest of the Clan Members, seeing how Eiden met and approached Rei while respecting his privacy and independency even tho he's also a Clan Member and the newest introduced in the story, means that the Limited Events are also canon and part of the story because Eiden seems to be growing and learning from previous Events and showing that development in future Events and the Main Story.

Karu also mentions that Garu (prior to losing his memories) was also worrying about the same thing Eiden was, like 'what if Master (Eiden) stays with us just because of the contract with Huey? :c' and he calls them both idiots because they don't communicate and fronts to fix it! (Mighty Karu to the rescue)

And talking about "Eerie Escapade" that is also the event where Yakumo's possessiveness towards Eiden shows, i'll admit i haven't seen the last room but i feel like those people i mentioned before are using it as fuel to their idea, because if Yakumo is jealous of other Clan Members interacting with Eiden and "Wants him all to himself" that must mean he wants a monogamous relationship, right?

WRONG!

That just means Yakumo is a complex person that feels different emotions specially when it comes to the most important person in his life (Eiden) other than his grandparents!

And Yakumo feels guilty for having those feelings, not because of them being in a polycule and he not wanting to be in it, but because he has trauma and sees his desires and wants as selfishness and he would never allow himself to be selfish cause he doesn't want to hurt people, he's a people's pleaser! He lives with constant fear of hurting others like the Great Serpent did when it killed many (but apparently there may be more that meets the eye, because the current event hinted that the Great Serpent actually liked humans and took care of children ???)

And Yakumo dealing with those feelings along with his yokai powers as a descendant of The Great Serpent have been the main topic of his last 3 Limited SSRs, which is great because that means CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT~

Now unfortunately i cannot talk about Edmond's Intimacy Rooms as i'm missing ALL OF HIS SSRs (why do you hate me Edmond if ily) but from what i've seen he's also pretty happy being with Eiden, heck even HIS MOM is happy his son is with Eiden!

That's right, she's the first and only parent of the Clan Members that knows and approves of their relationship, if it weren't because most of them are orphan we could get many more... i wonder if Yakumo's grandparents are aware hmmm ... and we all know Olivine's parents are gonna HATE it xD and maybe Garu's wolf pack will approve of Eiden by the end of this event.

[meewz]

do you have any blade/yakumo thoughts 🫶

i have actually thought about them before yes!!

so.. both of them are service tops. but they don’t know this until they’re far too in the moment to really care.

blade is very prudent on making sure everyone has their essence levels topped up, yakumo included of course. actually yakumo gets special attention because he often busies himself so much or gets lost in his anxieties, and that mixed with his general lack of concern for his own wellbeing means he doesn’t regulate his essence as much as he should. that’s where blade comes in!

if yakumo’s busy in the kitchen, blade reminds him to feed himself and gives him a kiss to restore some of his essence. if yakumo’s cried a lot that day, blade makes sure he drinks lots of water and gives him a kiss to cheer him up as well as pass along some essence. blade loves to give him little kisses throughout the day, seemingly for no reason at all, and you’d think yakumo would be used to it considering how often it happens, but he always blushes bright red while blade comments on how cute he is <3

during their brief escapade as idols these ‘essence regulation check-ins’ only increased in frequency. yakumo usually makes sure he pulls away for the kiss can go on for too long, lest he get too wrapped up in it, but this time… he’s been so anxious lately, and blade is such a comforting presence (and an enthusiastic kisser) it can’t hurt to get a little carried away, can it?

yakumo pulls blade down on top of him, blade letting out these appreciative hums like he wants to compliment yakumo on how good of a kisser he is but he can’t because of how tightly the serpent is holding on to him. they have to split for air eventually, regardless of how badly yakumo just wants to run his tongue across blade’s teeth until he can’t think anymore, and blade sits back to look down at him with his eyes sparkling and lips shiny.

“wow, little yakumo! you’re so good at that! how come we’ve never done that before?”

yakumo barely processes the compliment, too busy thinking about how badly he wants. his dick is aching, so worked up from a simple makeout session, and for once he can’t find it in himself to be embarrassed. probably because of the way blade’s looking at him.

“u-um, mr. blade.. i..” yakumo’s plea for.. something gets abruptly cut off by a needy whimper as blade settles back, aligning their hips together and letting out a sing-songy moan at the sensation.

“little yakumo, you’re so cute like this…” blade pants out, gazing at the man under him with a look in his eyes that makes yakumo’s heart flutter. he knows some of his serpentine traits are showing through, his fangs elongated after kissing for so long and pupils narrowed into slits, but blade looks down at him like he’s the loveliest thing he’s ever seen.

“you’re so hard down here,” he admires, petting at yakumo’s stomach in a way that makes him squirm and wish that hand would move just a bit farther down. “do you.. want me to make you feel good?”

‘you already are.’ yakumo’s lust riddled mind helpfully provides, but instead of saying that he simply nods and blinks away the tears in his eyes.

blade opens himself up while kissing yakumo, skilled fingers working quickly and efficiently in a way that would make not-sex-drunk yakumo wonder if he usually does this to himself or others. knowing blade it could honestly go either way.

blade then proceeds to ride yakumo for hours, the stamina of an e-droid and a yokai not to be taken lightly, moaning loudly at the way the serpent’s unusually clumsy fingers rub at the glittering gem imbedded in his chest.

(distantly, yakumo feels guilty about telling eiden he would go to sleep early tonight, but he consoles himself after remembering how easily he falls asleep after burying himself deep inside eiden and making him cry out in pure pleasure until the sun rises the next morning. if anyone knows how tiring rigorous ‘exercise’ can be, it’s their beloved ‘manager’.)

(eiden notices, because of course he does, though he doesn’t say anything too direct. instead he simply smirks and shakes his head, remarking on how the two of them must have had a great sleep last night, much to yakumo’s embarrassment. blade does not help by energetically embracing yakumo in a hug from behind and saying ‘yep! little yakumo’s a great cuddler!’ in a way that has the serpent squeaking regardless of whether blade notices the innuendo of his words.)

[enduringsea]

( rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to! put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people! no skipping! ) / tagged by @yellowcrumpet​ ╭( ･ㅂ･)و )))

Thanks for the tag! I LOVE these things-- I don’t rlly have a playlist either though, just a mess of music files on a device I haven’t updated so I’ll be checking my YouTube history too lol. There’s a uhhh.... pattern to be found, mainly relating to Code Vein or other OCs.... which isn’t surprising ._. ;; I made it a separate post bc I knew this was going to get long and rambly with lyric snippets and crying about fictional characters, sorry :D

1. Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor don’t go / you’re half of me now / but i’m hardly stood proud / i said it, almost oh i’ve been low / but damn it i bet it don’t show / it was heaven a moment ago oh i can’t seem to let myself leave you / but i can’t breathe anymore This one gives me Loubeth vibes ok, partially bad end route ;-; While Elizabeth is a very strong person, her friends are the most prominent reason she tries to do anything at all & isn’t living day-to-day in a monotonous grind to survive without a solid purpose other than ‘help random ppl bc it’s the right thing to do’. If she loses them, it’d ruin her & hammers into her head how everything she’s ever done has been a failure. She suffered a major betrayal by her boss before the Collapse, she was unable to fully participate in proj. queen despite her incredible test results, she failed to defeat Cruz and take her blood during Operation Queenslayer, and if she fails to protect the people she’s finally found meaning with? She’d break down completely & destroy herself to save them. She’s always had some level of abandonment issues, and without her family around it’s so much worse, even if it isn’t the most obvious because she’s generally seen as very well put together-- I really can’t express how much it would hurt her to lose Louis, Yakumo, and the others. She’s just not one to show just how bad it can truly get for her mentally and emotionally-- she’s resilient as hell, she’s been through hell repeatedly and survived it all, so it’s easy for others to assume she’s fine all things considered. It makes her feel weak and ashamed of herself if she shows any level of vulnerability, so she doesn’t; she swallows it down and is afraid of disappointing those who look up to her as a fighter and friend-- of course, no one at Home Base would blame her for being vulnerable, they all have their moments, Bethy just sets herself to such a high standard it’s difficult for her to talk about her own suffering in spite of how well-versed she is in getting her thoughts and feelings across otherwise. Louis is the one most keen to how deeply she’s hurting, but he doesn’t understand just how deeply until she finally does fall apart. The final swell of the song and its desperate lyrics really relays the pain they both feel-- Louis too would not fare well if something happened to Elizabeth, because he blames himself she was even involved in Operation Queenslayer for a long time, I honestly did so bad in explaining coherently, this song just has so much emotion and hurt behind it adklfjdfdff </3

2. Looking Out For You - Joy Again this is a love song for a girl who will never know it’s about her she's beaming that smile / all the while i’m all tripped up on my own throat i guess there is no hope This song reminds me of Elizabeth & my friend’s character Takashi Fujioka, who gets-- vERY...FRIENDZONED, for lack of a better word, by Elizabeth in his story, it’s really summed up best as tragic (;﹏;) Before the Collapse they were hitting it off, then the Collapse happened, they were separated, he lost his sisters, Mido happened, he was experimented on + became a revenant, etc, etc; years have passed since then & she’s gotten her life together as much as one can in a world like Vein, but for Takashi it’s like no time has passed at all. Elizabeth is subtly older in appearance, she’s been working w Lou & Co. for a long time; Loubeth blatantly have a connection, & rather than bringing up his feelings + making it awkward bc he values their friendships, he just kinda. chokes on them & does his best to help out the team. It doesn’t help he can’t even be jealous bc Louis is a really solid friend to him too, IT’S JUST A MESS OF A SITUATION & the death of what could have been if things were different.

3. Closer - Teagan And Sara ( no lengthy explanation for this one thank goodness, I’ve just been watching BoJack Horseman again and I really like some of the songs they add in, I like listening to this one on loop when mindlessly coloring something )

4. Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo  all I did was try my best / this the kind of thanks I get? they say these are the golden years / but I wish I could disappear ego crush is so severe / god, it's brutal out here I have it on a playlist for Elizabeth somewhere, not all of it applies to her but it reflects some of her struggles she has both before & after the collapse. She’s-- always kind of been a mess while under immense pressure + has serious self image issues, this song hits that side of her well. She’s been held to humanly impossible standards by both herself and her family bc frankly? She can reach them, she’s NOT exactly human. She was born into her position as a hunter & intends to keep it for as long as she lives (like revenants, her kind is very much ‘either gets killed or lives 5ever), even if some days she really feels how heavy the burden can be. She didn’t have a normal childhood and she’s fine with it for the most part, but it alienates her from most of her peers-- she never got to date anyone, never had a close group of friends, never went to parties that weren’t formals, etc., while she feels a little childish about it, she does envy ‘normal’ and understands the pressure she’s lived under her entire life has caused damage-- she has been exploited for her abilities, there’s just not much she can do about it but to keep going, rlly.

5. Freaks - Surf Curse  don't kill me / just help me run away from everyone  i need a place to stay / where i can cover up my face don't cry / i am just a freak / i am just a freak UhhhHHH this song really makes me think of Oliver Collins :D;; thank TikTok for showing it to me. It makes me think of how scared he was, of both the world and the revenants who captured him. The song’s use of the word ‘parasites’ really makes me think of Revenants and the BOR parasites XD I’m hoping when I poke my video editor again, I can record some Oliver footage to make a short video to this song. Oliver deserves so much better, I wish you could save him, but that’s what AUs are for, hahah.... The second half of the lyrics make me think of the AU I have where he lives and has to grapple with the guilt of surviving and the things he did to other revenants to get by too.

6. All Eyes On Me - Bo Burnham you say the ocean’s rising / like i give a shit you say the whole world’s ending / honey it already did you’re not gonna slow it / heaven knows you tried got it? good / now get inside I haven’t seen the Netflix special yet but I’ve had this song on repeat since my move started. The lyrics hit too hard & resonate with my existential dread, covid exhaustion, and extreme burnout in my 20s, but bc I have Damage I can also relate it to CV ._. ‘you’re not gonna slow it, heaven knows you tried. got it? good now get inside’ makes me think of--;; the bad end route again, and Elizabeth’s desperation to keep her found family together. It’s not like her to completely stop caring about an issue, but in the moment she realizes what’s being taken from her? She doesn’t want to save all of revenant-kind if it means she’s going to wind up alone all over again, her world is effectively over if she’s forced to be alone again. The MC frenzying means the only immediately identifiable hope she had of saving everyone else is gone, so why not just go home? If they’re all doomed, she wants to at least be together for a little while longer, it’s fine if they use her blood to survive & everyone else in the mist is out of luck, it’s soul-crushing bc I’ve never had her in a situation where she’s been this reckless, despondent/hopeless, and thinking irrationally where it’d impact more than herself-- especially when she’s normally goal-oriented, organized, meticulous, so on so forth: she’s not one to act without thinking something through first, but that last breath of light just got sucker-punched out of her. All she wants is home, comfort, and family, and ultimately in the bad end route she does manage to preserve their lives, maintain the mist, and supply blood beads, but her own condition leaves her on the throne-- it’s a mix of the bad, neutral, and true ending rlly ldkfjdf BUT YEAH enough rambling on that :D;; This song’s really good and touches a lot of different thoughts and ideas both in real life and my ocs, kind of embarrassing--;; thank u bo burnham for ruining me with this beautiful song

7. Yellow - Coldplay look at the stars / look how they shine for you / and everything you do your skin / oh yeah, your skin and bones / turn in to something beautiful do you know / for you I'd bleed myself dry Does this song make me think about JackEva? Yes. Yes it does. Star / night sky symbolism? Bam. Sappy lyrics about love and finding the person you’re with absolutely mesmerizing and worth dying for? BAM. If JackEva were capable of using their own blood to save each other, I can see it-- hJNGn they just care about each other so much, Jack cries for her even though they both knew that eventually one of them would succumb to their duty, and if the roles were reversed I can see Eva doing the same, I adore them beyond human language. On my CV RP blog, my Jack’s not shippable bc-- Eva, my friend even have them looking after his nephew (an oc--) at one point. I should seriously drop some headcanons down eventually....

8. Louder Than Thunder - The Devil Wears Prada  are we meant to be empty-handed? / i know i could, i could be better i don't think i deserve it / selflessness, find your way into my heart all stars could be brighter / all hearts could be warmer 

LMFAO throwback to my middle school playlist, I’m old-- I’ve applied this song to a lot of things back in the day, but I really connect it to Loubeth now, especially Louis. Lou & Bethy are both functional idiots who are too hard on themselves & have trouble recognizing their worth beyond what they can do for others. They’re trying to be better-- to make up for what they perceived wrongs they’ve done, but it’s hard, they don’t believe they’re worthy of the love and support the other gives, but they still yearn for that sense of security. After Louis’ memories are returned, he finally understands the guilt he’s felt since he became a revenant and it really skews his self-perception; he blames himself for so many things & Elizabeth, who has always been able to kill when necessary, sets it straight-- “It’s not your fault”, and it takes Louis some time to properly absorb that message. He thinks she’s just trying to comfort him, which she is tbh, but she’s not wrong: “It’s not your fault you couldn’t kill someone. It was never your job to kill anyone.” It’s up to people like her to do those sort of things-- Elizabeth may not have been present when Cruz frenzied, but if she had been? It would have been over before it started, that’s something she has regrets over, even if nothing could have been done since she was already on the field. Actually, she’s actually really quite angry that security failed to monitor Cruz properly and has a few select words for the ones there who could have actually done something before it got out of hand-- civilians and doctors are exempt from her shtlist bc they’re not meant to be killers (so don’t worry Artorias, she’s not ready to bite your head off!), but they had to have some kinda security detail rite o-q??? They’re probably hiding from her wrath-- BUT ANYWAY, she insists she’ll never blame Louis for not being able to do something as serious as killing another person. He was a normal human being who cared about his friend, not a failure, and he couldn’t have been expected to do something that shouldn’t have fallen on his shoulders in the first place. As many times as it takes, she’ll reaffirm that it wasn’t his fault, she’s not angry, he’s always done his best and her opinion of him hasn’t changed. He’s a good person and she loves him through all the hurt, though she doesn’t drop the word ‘love’ for a long time. It just-- takes Louis a while to accept she views him as someone worthy of the love and respect she has for him. It’s kind of ironic she’s so adamant on Louis not blaming himself considering she’s the one privately blaming herself for-- wow there’s too much to unpack, she feels guilty she was even born?? im so broken over these two. I love them and yet they SUFFER... 

9. What I’ve Done - Linkin Park i'll face myself / to cross out what i’ve become erase myself / and let go of what i’ve done today this ends / i'm forgiving what i’ve done

I have Louis Amamiya brainrot and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks that this song fits him super well & it needs to become an AMV dsjfkldsfd. I’m a near life-long Linkin Park fan and this fits with Lou so well thematically. As much as I’ve gone on about Louis’ guilt, he does steel himself to keep going forward in spite of it and make things right, for everyone. Maybe it wasn’t really his fault, but at the end of the day his inability to kill Cruz in that moment left a disaster in its wake that got a countless number of people killed-- the MC included with Karen and Aurora. He doesn’t want to run away from the truth, doesn’t want to make excuses, he wants to take responsibility for it and he’ll work himself to death if it means things will be better-- it’s both admirable he’s got a strong resolve and VERY concerning with how willing he is to die for the cause, please don’t overdo it, Lou, you’ll break mine and Bethy’s hearts ._.;; It won’t always be easy, there are moments the grief gnaws at him, but in the end he does overcome it (and uh. as in the bad ending, we know he can actually do it this time). I know we can’t see everything, but I would have loved deeper character interactions, especially with Louis with an emphasis on grieving + forgiving himself properly-- but this song really is nice with the whole ‘I’m going to face my mistakes head on, forgive myself, and keep moving forward’. It’s what Louis deserves: self forgiveness and a damn break ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

10. Call of Silence - Hiroyuki Sawano you will know you're reborn tonight / must be rough but i’ll stay by your side even if my body's bleached to the bones / i don't want go through that ever again so cry no more / oh my beloved ngl idk if those are the correct lyrics, buuuuuuut....... im a weenie and am internally weeping abt loubeth after midnight, what else is new lmfao- i’ll at least try to be brief :D I also used to really like Attack on Titan when I was in high school, I dropped the anime years ago because I was waiting for s2 and never got back to it once it started airing again, I thought I’d finish it once the anime was complete since I eventually caught up with the manga, such a good series BUT ANYWAY-- I think it’s a really pretty song and Loubeth fit with the tender lyrics. IT’S LATE, idk what to say about them other than what I’ve said already dsklfjdslf im sorry I really ramble a LOT and I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had the chance to >w>;;

[shiinonomee]

Hey could u please write hcs on yakumos opinion on MC as the story progresses ? I remember him being like “I doNt tRuSt yOU” and then he’s all baby and I love him😂💕 (he catches feelings along the way ;) )

[lmaoo, I got you, fam. This got a little long because the game is long, but I’m happy with it. Kinda reminds me of something I’m writing, too, so it was excellent practice! Thanks for the request :)] 

Yakumo’s never not gonna be protective of the ones he cares about

He’s compassionate, but he also knows where to draw the line with strangers

He isn’t quite happy Louis is bringing some straight to Home Base, to say the least

In the group, he’s most def Louis’ right-hand man so you can bet he has something to say when you aren’t around to hear it

But he also respects Louis’ leadership and experience

He isn’t about to start a fight he knows won’t change anything—he just wants to know if it’s worth the risk

After he hears about your abilities, he’s cautiously intrigued

Somebody with an ability like that could be a flight risk if they think they’re in bad hands

Alternatively, if they’re smart, they can take advantage of those who are desperate

Again, he recognizes Louis has the last word and resigns himself to watching you closely

The best way to set him at ease is to invite him to partner up a lot and basically just spend time with him

When a few weeks pass and you and Io haven’t tried to rob them blind or drive them out by force, he settles

He’s not one to disturb the waters needlessly, he’ll play nice once you prove you aren’t a threat

It might give you a little whiplash, he can compartmentalize like a pro so it’s like a switch being flipped

You aren’t quite one of the friends he would die to protect yet, but he’s willing to let you help him watch over the ones that are

So…progress!

But given that his primary love language is almost definitely Quality Time, like I said before the more time you spend the softer he gets

By the end of the first boss battle, you guys are good pals (Eliot Waugh voice: I bond fast)

He’s given you his blood code and taken to showing you the ropes

He feels bad asking for help, himself when you have a lot on your plate, but he appreciates you helping return his memories too

From there it’s pretty self-explanatory that you…get closer as time goes on

At the Cathedral you regain your memories and learn of your status as Successor

After speaking to Aurora he realizes your job just got ten times more complicated

He jokes about you taking the Hunter’s offer but you tease he’d be lonely without you

He doesn’t outright say you’re right, but…

If there was ever a time for him to start getting soft it would be around the Ashen Cavern

He trusts you a lot by now and will confide in you what he remembers about life with his friends…and with Mido

Appreciates greatly any comforting words you have for him—this is a man he really never wanted to see again

He’ll act tough, but what he went through was traumatic

Stick to his side; it’ll be rough going for a while

But on the flip, he’ll come to see you as someone he can rely on too

He doesn’t do that often—doesn’t want to be the burden he tries to help everyone lift

But you make it so easy to be vulnerable, even for him

When shit really starts hitting the fan—finding Miguel, lost, Emily, a successor—you being there is what grounds him

You’re a raft in tumultuous waters

And when it’s over? When Miguel can rest, at least for a bit, and Emily is able to regain her mind? When he was able to face Mido down without wavering?

Well, he’s your ride or die, now

He’s newly resolved, and with his new mindset he sees you in a whole new light

Through saving Eva and chasing after Mido, not much changes outwardly because he feels too much is at stake to consider much more

It’s when Mido is defeated and you sign up to basically die that something starts stirring

Throughout the Provisional Government Outskirts, you notice a change in him

A hesitance—which is something not usually associated with Yakumo of all people

You catch him watching you all the time

He never admits to anything when you ask what’s wrong

He knows he can’t say anything without making it about him—he knows you’re suffering too; more than he ever could be

He stands, ever your protector, and leads you to the throne

The closer you get the more noticeable his strange behavior becomes

By the time you reach the second mistle inside the Center you’re sitting him down and insisting he talk about it

He just takes you into his arms and holds you

His face is in your neck and his arms are around your waist and you’ve never felt anything like what you feel now

“This sucks”

You can’t help but agree

That’s all he allows himself to say on the matter, and you both keep moving

The fight with the Queen comes and goes

Io sacrifices herself for the good of all and you’re conflicted with equal parts heartbreak and relief, to your guilt

Yakumo feels much the same

He doesn’t confess his feelings until much later; a lot’s happened and everyone needs time to process

But when he does, it’s out under the stars, staring at the mist from the balcony as you both remember the reason you are standing there today

[thestarryskiesofpalaven]

so finished code vein aka anime dark souls and some thoughts (a bit spoilery):

- the music SLAPS its so good!!

- character creation is amazing

- tiddy(tm) is v present unfortunately

- REALLY fun gameplay except when the lost invasions happen then it’s stunlock hell

- loved most of the levels except anor londo 2.0 aka horrible maze hell

- exploration was fuckin good

- enemy tracking gets a tad ridiculous at times

- i love the revenant squad so fuckin much

- everyone’s backstories and memories basically made me go

- i honestly thought louis was a persona character stuck in the wrong game and that was Before i found out his last name is amamiya kfhkjahgkjawfh i love him

- yakumo is BEST bro, also he’s in love w louis but louis is oblivious as usual

- davis is the cool bro who’s a giant nerd i love him

- coco’s the best and also the mom friend of the squad; her trying her damndest to avoid admitting she’s a loving, kind, extremely nice person was So Much

- coco: “best buy from the best bi ;)”

- i love my gay enginerd daughter rin murasame

- i also love my gay shooty daughter mia karnstein and my hat knight son nicola karnstein

- murasame and mia are in love!!!

- aurora and karen are ALSO in love like bro... “what if... i became a successor to not only guard a relic but also guard over ur semi-comatose body while u were sacrificing urself to make blood beads sprout everywhere... and all i talked abt was caring for u and admiring u to anyone who talks to me... haha just kidding... unless?”

- “if it means helping her... i must"; "i will be at your side for now, and always"; "i can’t die here like this! i can’t leave karen all alone!"; "oh, karen... are you safe? i don’t know what i’d do if i thought you were suffering..."; "i can feel my sense of self degrading little by little... like my humanity is breaking apart and just... drifting away. i can’t even remember my own name anymore. but there’s... still one thing... I refuse to forget!” like................ g o d

- eva’s VAs in both the jp and en versions... their singing is outta this world holy shit!!! absolutely amazing

- jack: ‘tch’; me: ‘😳😳😳😳’

- io’s journey to achieving a sense of self and carving her own fate... making her own choices... i cried. also io and the protag are in love too like b r o that true ending stuff... some of the most heartbreaking and tender shit i’ve ever seen

- overall v fun game!!! would recommend it

[teddystrap]

[神なる君と] Spirit duo - Rei

なんかちょっとラストスパートな感じですけど…

Rei is the friendly spirit that Sakuya and co. met when they were investigating rumours about hauntings in the old school building. He’s arguably the most ‘mysterious’ character, since nothing is known about his former life, and I was super curious what his deal is. Not to mention he’s the final obstacle standing between me and Mikoto!! Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψケケケ

Truth be told he’s not really my type, though - since I’m not 15 anymore. I mean he’s a ghost but looks more like a forest elf / Mori Boy circa. 2001, and his voice sounds like it’s breaking. Compared to the other characters also he has a personality (or lack thereof) that is blander than konnyaku. In fact I found myself opening all the Yuzuru options in his common route first before going back and redoing them for Rei, because senpai saranghae I only wanna be wit u <3... 

Aaanyway.

-Mizuniwa Rei-

Rei-kun’s common route was actually quite revealing and interesting - in two of his ema, Mikoto actually asked to tag along, so it seemed like there might be some important information there idk. 

In his second ema, Mikoto tells Sakuya that she has the power to push people who are on the brink between Life and Death into one world or another, depending on what kind of guidance she gives.

Which in retrospect seemed like heavy foreshadowing for what’s about to come.

Fuu-san’s backstory was also revealed here:

Around 10 years ago, Fuu-san and his bff, a boy named Kawashina Yuuya, were students at Mikagurayama High School. One day they found a hidden basement storage room in the old school building, and turned it into their hang-out spot.

The basement used to be a bomb shelter, and had some books left over on occult spells and curses, that were used during the war to protect the townspeople. Fuu-san found a book with a spell to summon the powers of the Great Demon, and wanted to try it out of fun/boredom, but Yuuya was against it.

So Fuu-san did it by himself anyway. He got the sealed cursed box from the magical cave and took it back to the basement to perform the spell. Halfway through he passed out... and when he came to, he realised that Yuuya saved him by transferring the spell onto himself. 

Yuuya never woke up again, despite a lot of medical attention and whatnot. After half a year, Fuu-san decided to quit school and skip town to learn exorcism so that he can save his friend. But when he finally returned a few years later, Yuuya had already died...

Fuu-san lived with guilt all these years and thought that Yuuya died hating him. But when he went down to the basement with Sakuya to liberate his spirit, Yuuya’s spirit communicated through Sakuya that he doesn’t ever regret saving Fuu-san, and he hopes Fuu-san can stop blaming himself and go forward in life, smiling... By this point I was pretty much crying like a baby... ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД｀)･ﾟ･｡

Oh how I wish there was a Su-sa-no-o in my neighbourhood, with a sexy store-owner like Fuu-san... 

But we’re not here to court Fuu-san (I wish we could, mang. I wish we could), so let’s get back to Rei. In his route Sakuya tries to help him to find out about his family and his past. She asks Aki for help ofc, and Aki reports back that she couldn’t find anyone matching Rei’s description in the database of deaths, nor the missing persons list...

And the mystery deepens dun-dun-DUN. This would’ve made for an interesting story development,... except the writers totally abandon it and instead opt for Rei and Sakuya frolicking around in the forest, true to his Mori Boy style (wholesomely tho, since they are both underage XD). Then Rei realises that he’s not long for this world, and he tries to put some distance between them - but Sakuya eventually convinces him that they should spend his last remaining time on earth together and make lots of beautiful (wholesome) memories.

There were a lot of group events in his route, which was nice since I got to see Yuzuru-senpai mucho. (Although he’s not an option here obvsly T_T)

You know I will happily choke on a fish bone for you, senpai <3.

So hoshimatsuri night, Rei undergoes the ceremony to pass into the other world. Sakuya stays home, because she’s not strong enough to go and say goodbye to him. Is this like deja vu from the Yorihito/Nisei story arc or what?? ...After that, Sakuya goes to the old school building one day after school, and finds a note from Rei. SURPRISE - he’s still here.

...

It turns out that Sakuya’s, uhh, clinginess is keeping him from successfully departing. At this rate he’s going to grow weaker and weaker and become trapped in the interstitial space between two worlds - forever. They keep communicating through notes, and through voice chatting over radio, while Sakuya grows enough balls to finally let him go.

Eventually she does. Because let’s face it - Otomate can’t afford to pay their seiyuu to carry on a story for like two gajillion chapters.

In his final moment of departure, he appears to Sakuya in a dream, but they can’t hear each other’s voice. Just as Sakuya is freaking out, he pulls her in and kisses her, then disappears into the ether. (*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*)♡

...I guess Yuzuru and Rei’s routes don’t work the same way as Narumi and Yakumo’s, bc you don’t get the alternative ending by choosing the ‘wrong’ option for the last couple of choices. I wasn’t strong enough for senpai’s bad end, but I was actually pretty curious about Rei’s, although all the same I wasn’t able to unlock it. Either way I hope he didn’t get stuck in between worlds forever, poor kid has been through enough.

1. Good end: Fast forward 10 years, Sakuya becomes a teacher at Mikagurayama High School, just as Rei had hoped. She still goes to the garden every day to take care of Rei’s flowers. The old school building is about to be torn down because it’s too old and might be a safety hazard. She’s on her way there one last time... when she gets a call from Aki, who finally found out what happened with Rei’s past-life investigation 10 years ago. Unfortunately Aki trips on something and the line cuts off before we get to hear it. _(:3」∠)_

So Sakuya is there happily watering her flowers, when guess who appears - ahem *Rei*, now all grown up. He tells her that this time he’s not a spirit anymore... and the scene just ends there. I’ve seen a lot of abrupt endings but this has gotta take the cake. Although I’ll admit adult Rei is kinda sorta smoking hot, so less talk more making out!

[Thoughts] What can I say? This route really didn’t explain as much as I thought it would, although there were some good bits. For one, the Fuu-san backstory really got to me. Fuu-san was always the side character that I was most curious about, since he seems kind of... shady, and like he might’ve had a colourful past. His arc really delivered, and it’s my favourite out of all the four side stories, although I loved them all in their own way.

I was expecting to find out about Rei’s past here, but I guess the writers are saving it for Mikoto’s route / wrap-up, which almost certainly means there’s going to be a surprise revelation. So I am looking forward to that and I hope they don’t fuck it up.

The route itself actually felt like it was mostly stuff that belongs in a fandisk, rather than an individual character route. All the group hangouts, and scenarios that reveal idiosyncrasies about the other characters (e.g. everyone’s drawings in the Fuu-san arc. I finally got to see Yuzuru-senpai’s kawaii creations! :3).

Senpai’s art totally unleashes his inner otome...

As expected, Rei failed to give me any doki-doki feels... except at the end, where we saw grown-up Rei and got to hear Iguchi Yuuichi’s normal voice for like 2 seconds. (I wish this game had a fandisk bc I *definitely* need more of that!!) From the other character routes I got the sense that he’s an iyashi-kei type of guy, and he’s probably the most consistent out of all of them, because he continues being selfless and caring about Sakuya before himself throughout - e.g. helping her to find her future path despite not having one himself. 

Still I gotta admit, when he confessed that he liked Sakuya, I did a silent fist-pump in the air, because FINALLY here’s a guy who said it first. I’m so tired of always having to make the first move >;(

Also the thing that Narumi said really touched me here: that Rei would rather choose a lonely existence as a spirit trapped between two worlds for the rest of eternity, than force Sakuya to let him go. Even when he was weakening, he never said anything to Sakuya. In a way he was perhaps the most adult-like one out of all of them. Admittedly I didn’t like Sakuya very much in this route. She seemed very self-absorbed and immature, refusing to face the truth. But eventually Narumi kind of slapped some sense into her (figuratively ofc, I mean Narumi would never actually slap her XD) and she did choose to do the right thing.

...I guess Narumi is determined to be the guy that has a crush on her and ‘saves her’ one way or another in every route. Kudos to him but he’s still only, like, my third or fourth favourite lols.

Lastly, I felt that this route was actually the most poetic + metaphorical one so far. (Maybe the other ones were, too, and I just wasn’t paying attention?) ...The metaphor of flowers bearing seeds that blossom into new flowers, bearing witness to their relationship and carrying on their legacy. When they first met the flowers were newly planted, and when they said goodbye they were just about to wither. 

Also Sakuya and Rei always met after class at sunset, the time between day and night - like the space between Life and Death. Idk mang but that’s, like, really beautiful or sumshit.

But this is the most poetic thing of them all~!

[blackjacketmuses]

★ ☆ ❉ ✯ ⍟ ♌ ♎ ♒ 🌷 ꕥ 🍀 for your BSD muses!

★ what kind of phone do they have?

Dazai: From what I can see in the manga, he has a touchscreen phone, not an iPhone but probably some other brand. It’s Very battered from how much trouble he gets himself into, but it still somehow manages to function perfectly. He has another phone, an older-model touchscreen phone, that he used to use in the mafia; he hasn’t gotten rid of it Just In Case, but he doesn’t use it anymore and it has a different number than his current one.

Poe: A slightly well-used touchscreen phone. It doesn’t see much use as a phone, but it’s pretty useful with some other things.

Fedya: He’s very tech-savvy, and tech is one of the few things he really splurges on, so he has a top of the line touchscreen phone. He keeps it in a black phone case with a Rats logo on the back.

☆ what is their phone’s background?

Dazai: His new phone has a photo he took of an ocean view from a certain spot in Yokohama as the background. His old/mafia phone has a candid of Chuuya.

Poe: Until recently it was a cute picture of Karl in a witch hat, but nowadays it’s a picture of Karl sitting on Ranpo’s head.

Fedya: A picture he took on their travels, a selfie of him and Kolya and Vanya on their hotel balcony in France, the sunset and city lights behind them.

❉ do they have any pictures on their phone?

Dazai: Oh, tons and tons and tons. All sorts of things, from silly candids to important references to things to blackmail pictures to pretty landscapes and pretty strangers. He likes taking pictures.

Poe: Not very many, he does take some pictures of interesting sights and lots of pictures of Karl being adorable, and sometimes he’ll take pictures of people or places for book references and take pictures to remember books or other tings to ook up later, but he’s not an avid photographer.

Fedya: Lots and lots of pictures of interesting things and sights, random candids of Kolya and Vanya, some pictures of his friends in the Syndicate, generally just stuff that catches his eye. He has a photographic memory of a sort but sometimes a visual reminder is important.

✯ what do their texts look like? do they use emojis often? what kind?

Dazai: [to: slug] chuuuuya are u there chuuuuuuuuya pay attention 2 me im bored :C

Poe: [to: Ranpo] I just got a package of American candy for you today, Ranpo, if you’re free later. If not I can always bring it over?

Fedya: [to: Vanya] if kolya is being a little shit again: don’t forget, the hotel is the one with the bright red shutters, three blocks from the plaza with the statue of the woman with the dolphin, and our room is 456. see you when you get back.

⍟ any games on their phone? what kind? how often do they play?

Dazai: Oh, yes. He has several. Most of them are solitaire or mahjong type games, mindless distractions for if he gets bored (but not interesting enough to need his full focus, which he still needs to pay attenton to his surroundings), but he has a couple of those games where you have little towns or businesses to run and stuff. (He shamelessly likes the ones with cute art/characters.)

Poe: Is it an escape room phone game? He has it. Those dumb 50 Rooms games, Escape The Room, little logic puzzle type games; he’s addicted. He’s even bought some of the ones that have only the first chapter free. He loves them so much. He also absolutely has a few pet-collection games like Neko Atsume.

Fedya: He has a revolving door of games, really. He tends to have 5 or 6 on his phone at any given time, and they’re all different, and he gets bored and switches them out when he finds new ones that look fun and interesting. 

♌ how do they drink their coffee/tea?

Dazai: Coffee as sweet as he can possibly manage to make it without it becoming a different drink, full of sugar and milk, though he’ll drink tea with less of that, just a little milk and sugar. He likes chai tea best.

Poe: He takes his coffee black, actually, though he’ll occasionally drink it flavored if he finds a flavored creamer he likes. As for tea, he likes tea with lots of milk, usually herbal tea or herbal/floral/berry blends. 

Fedya: He drinks tea and tea only, strong tea, with lots of sugar, honey, and raspberry jam. (He’ll use any kind of jam, depending on what’s available, but raspberry is his favorite.) He’s incredibly picky about coffee and doesn’t like most of it, because he likes it strong, but the stronger it is the harder it is to cut the bitterness, and he hates the bitter taste. 

♎ is their closet tidy or are the clothes just being thrown inside or lying on the floor?

Dazai: He is a filthy heathen who tends not to hang anything up, ever, and leaves it on the floor haphazardly. He keeps his clothes clean, really, but he never puts them away properly. They’re always wrinkled. 

Poe: He’s very neat and precise with mot of his clothes in his closet, making sure they’re all hung or folded neatly, except he’s usually a little less careful with his sleepwear, since he sleeps in it and it doesn’t matter much.

Fedya: He tends to live out of a suitcase a lot of the time, so he by necessity keeps everything neat and tidy. 

♒ their cleaning routine - laundry/dishes/cleaning the rooms

Dazai: Hahahahaha, that’s adorable, he doesn’t clean. He puts out the trash when he needs to and does laundry when he starts running out of clothes, keeps things generally off the floor, and washes up dishes if there are any dirty ones so they don’t sit and get gross, but other than that he doesn’t really think it matters, and it’s boring and tedious anyway.

Poe: He does laundry once a week, and though he lives in a hotel he tries to keep things as clean as possible. Otherwise he doesn’t really need to do it himself, since housekeeping is a thing (and he did have staff at his home beforehand). He does know how to clean, and he likes things tidy, but he doesn’t have to.

Fedya: He lives out of hotels, so he has the same housekeeping thing Poe does and doesn’t need to do much himself. He tends to get tired too easily to do much cleaning, too, so it tended to be Vanya who took care of cleaning/chores and the like (since Kolya is Not the type).

🌷 what do they have in their wallet?

Dazai: He tends to just carry cash in his wallet, since he loses it a lot of the time; his ID and other things he carries in a sealed coat pocket or keeps them in his desk drawer. So, usually cash. Probably about 5500 yen (50 USD), give or take, at any given moment. 

Poe: Some cash (usually about 8800-11000 yen / 80-100 USD) in smaller bills, his Massachusetts ID card and travel visa, his old Harvard student ID, two credit cards, a couple membership cards to, like, bookstores etc, and Karl’s pet registry card.

Fedya: He doesn’t actually leave the hotels he stays in much, but when he does his wallet has cash ( usually the local equivalent to about 50-60 USD ), a couple credit cards under different names, a few fake IDs and visas, and a hotel card key.

ꕥ what’s usually in their trouser/jacket pockets or purse?

Dazai: His wallet, the keys to his apartment, both phones, a matchbook from Lupin, a folded up photograph that he keeps in a sealed pocket on the inside of his coat over his heart, a set of old dogtags he assumes belonged to his deceased father ( a soldier named Yakumo Koizumi ), his suicide manual, and a good bit of odds and ends and useful things that he never knows if it’ll come in handy or not, including at least a dozen bobby pins and paperclips for lockpicking. 

Poe: Wallet, hotel room key, his phone, treats for Karl, a couple packages of candy just in case of Ranpo encounter, a notebook and pen, a book if he can manage to fit one.

Fedya: Wallet, phone, two or three USB drives, package or two of candy, a pillbox with some medication in it, a box of bandages, a pen or two, a switchblade, and a few odds and ends that might come in handy.

🍀 what kind of jewelry are they wearing? what’s their favorite piece?

Dazai: None, unless you count his bolo tie. He loves it a lot, thanks. 

Poe: He doesn’t really? He does kind of like interesting looking tie clips or cufflinks, though, even if he’s too shy to really be that flashy. He has a few, though, just in case he’s ever brave enough.

Fedya: None, really, though he was able to salvage a necklace of his late mother’s before he left Russia, a very simple pewter locket on a chain he keeps close to him. 

[onemuseleft]

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites? (oh I know MCU one already, but, hey, 2 more - surprise us XD )

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

lol, well, I can do one besides Tony! I’ve talked about why I love him at least fifty times by now anyway ^_^

TMNT: Donatello! I don’t actually remember why I originally liked him - I was seven when I started watching this show and in the very first episode I watched Leonardo got hurt which cemented him as my favorite character because I was predictable as fuck even in the second grade. But Donatello became my favorite pretty quickly (sorry, Leo) and he’s been my favorite ever since.  He’s smart (I tend to like the smart ones, Tony, Egon, Shuri, Jackson, McKay, Geordi,, etc) and he’s kind - he doesn’t like fighting but he’s very protective. And he’s the sweet, gentle-looking one who will straight up murder you as efficiently as possible if you hurt an innocent or someone he cares about. I like that, too. :)

True fact: I have a savings account just for the tattoo of Donatello I want to get on my back when I find the right artist.

Brooklyn 99: Jake Peralta. This kind of surprised me because he was one of my least favorite characters in season one (beating out only Scully and Hitchcock and Boyle) but the concept of a heavily flawed character who grows  up and actually becomes the badass, witty, charming leader he clearly thought he was back at the beginning - that was really rewarding and made me feel attached to him. 

Yu Yu Hakusho: Kuwabara Kazuma. He starts off as a doofus (and never entirely outgrows that, to be honest) but he’s sweet, and kind and he loves animals and he’ll do anything for his friends. He’s also kind of a badass when he puts his mind to it. He was willing to die to save the world more than once and actually did that one time with Yakumo. He has a cat that he rescued from some animal abusers, his older sister is the scariest being to ever walk the face of the earth and he never backs down from a fight. I love him.

[fisheito]

still thinking about those promo pics where they locked the tops and bottoms in separate rooms

[kikuhikoo]

Sukeroku!

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

best quality: LOYAL BOY!!! loves with 10005% of his heart, would always be there to cheer you on when you’re down, his sarcasm is the type that gets u pumped to do your best

worst quality:loves with 10005% of his heart, easily getting him hurt. prob resulted from growing up feeling abandoned and alone. too careless

ship them with: kiku and miyokichi

brotp them with: kiku

needs to stay away from: 7th Yakumo bc he was an ass

misc. thoughts He’s the type thats like...a defiant boy scout. he does his bst and is rly good at what he does but he breaks the rules to get there

he learns the rules in order to break them, he knows what he’s doing, and he doesnt care that ppl dont agree. as long as he’s doing good, then “whats the problem”

[thedrag0nking]

In a flash THAT Koishi disappeared out of the blue, Koishi Yakumo grew confused but suddenly she remembered, she use that same that once severely injured Meiling.

" Oh no.... "

But then in a flash THAT Koishi appeared right behind her, as she's about to deliver the killing blow, but due to her great perception Koishi immediately turned delivered such a powerful tiger drop in the other's chest, with her eyes widened in shock, THAT Koishi is sent flying back from that blow.

" I know your tricks, I'm you remember? "

" Too bad you lack heart! < 0 3 "

THAT Koishi quickly got up as she charges towards her as she jabs the girl multiple times with full force, she moved her body evading all her knife jabs before she swung her fist again, this time uppercutting her other self under her jaw, which she then seung her fist multiple times all over her body and face, then delivers one final blow in her face, knocking her back on the ground.

After all the pain and damage she inflicted THAT Koishi shrugged off such fatal attacks from Koishi Yakumo, smiling at her and even giggling.

" Maan this is fun, Onii - chan ! We should do this more often! < 0 3 "

" Don't EVER call me that again.. "

It's no suprise that her other self can shrug off fatal attacks just like her, but hearing her call her that actually irritated her.

《 Don't listen to her, focus koishi - sama 》

She walked over towards herself before she can grab her by the hair, kicking her face in she notices something is off, but she's so overwhelmed by the need to kill herself that she couldn't care, which it'll be her ultimate downfall.

" S U P R I S E ! <03 "

THAT Koishi turned around with such loud cackling as she immediately stabbed her through the chest with her own Knife.

" GUUH..! ! "

《 KOISHI..! 》

Upon being stabbed by herself, her own blood gushing out from her mouth the pain, oh the pain she's feeling it's hell. but there is one thing her old self lack, and that is sheer will. She grabbed her wrist, removing her as her left eye turned red. She had snapped, all the trials she had to go through, all the hell she endure. This went from friendly sparring to a full on war with her inner demon.

" I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU ! ! ! ! "

With that Koishi swung her fist one last time delivering a powerful blow, once more knocking her back on the ground. She's going to unleash that rage pent up from inside. The black dragon is unleashed and THAT koishi couldn't be more happier.

[fisheito]

Pretty freeing to finally treat tumbls as a no obligations blog 4 fun

No pressure to maintain something

Just my thoughts whenever i feel like it

[shiinonomee]

Hiii I’m not sure if you’ve done smtn like this yet but could u please write hcs for yakumo coming to the realization he’s starting to like MC ?? Playing through the game right now is giving me so many ideas of how and when this could happen 😍😂

[I feel you, there’s so many points in the story where it would feel so natural, lmao. It’s so hard to pick one. This was fun to write, thanks for requesting!]

Yakumo’s heart lies with his friends—always

 He does his best to provide for them, to protect them, to keep their spirits up

 But then you show up

 He isn’t heartless—he feels for you when Louis explains your situation—but he is cautious, he won’t just trust you because of some sob story

 But you prove yourself quickly enough—he keeps an eye on you from afar

 Or plans to, until you decide you want to partner up with him

 He hadn’t seen that coming and had honestly expected you to gravitate towards Louis

 He’s happy enough to be the one to watch your back, though, and appreciates you doing the same for him

 He can’t help but notice the Base brightening up little by little since you showed up

They all have something to hope for, again, and everyone’s smiling more

 Before you, things had been a little bleak

Most everyone had kept to themselves—and once Coco and Davis left for the day it would be just the three of them in a big, eerily quiet base

 He doesn’t like to admit it, but he’d been lonely, so you practically imprinting on him is sweet to see

 For once, his friends are happy and well taken care of—to the point where they can afford a few more additions in the future

 You take the weight off his shoulders

 He doesn’t really ask for much, himself, so when you go out of your way to retrieve his memories and bust your ass to save Emily it gives him...warm feelings

 He works hard to be the best partner he can be

 He’s still keeping an eye on you, but now it’s because he’s watching over you

 The strongest feelings are born from friendship

 He’s always been an affectionate guy but he keeps finding reasons to be closer to you lately

 He’s many things—but shy isn’t one of them

 He’ll sit closer than normal on the couch, he’ll toss an arm around your shoulders when you’re hanging out, he’ll brush stray hair from your face, he’ll give you hugs that lift you off the ground

 Mans has a big heart and he doesn’t lie to himself about what it feels—when he knows he knows, and he embraces it

 But there’s still work to be done so he probably won’t tell you how he feels right off the bat

 He’s disciplined, and he knows there’s a time and place for everything

 He isn’t pining silently, he’ll flirt and be generally obvious—he just knows this isn’t the time to distract you with outright confessions; you’ve got a lot on your shoulders

 He doesn’t want to make you decide on what you may or may not want with him while you’re dealing with successors and relics—he can wait

 Unless you’re, like, adorably clueless you’ll probably pick up what he’s putting down at some point

 He’ll be psyched if you tell him you feel the same on your own time, but he’ll be just as content if you’re fine with flirting back and forth until the work’s done

 At the end of the day he wants it to be up to you—that’s what’s most important to him

[shiinonomee]

Hey so I’ve an idea for hcs but basically idk about other ppl but when Emily came in to the picture I was like uh oh. That’s my boy yakumo , I c what ur trying to do tho Emily (no hate I love her too lol). But hcs for MC getting “the hint” like oh he actually “likes” Emily but yakumos like wait mc where u going ily wtf

[Lmao this is so funny. I’m sorry it took a little bit, I tried to do it last night but it was incoherent and a mile long so I redid it this morning lol. Thank you for your request, I love doing these ones.]

You’re mysteriously absent after Emily is revived

Yakumo tries to catch you whenever he sees you—but you always tell him that you’re busy

You just can’t get the way he looked at her out of your head, you just need some time to yourself

He’d looked so content as he held her—you know you couldn’t possibly stand a chance when they’d known each other for so long, so you want to bow out gracefully

Yakumo is overjoyed to have Emily back, but he knows you’ll feel left out if he spends all his time with her

Besides, he misses you...

He keeps trying to find time for you, and it stings when you keep brushing him off

It feels a lot like he’s traded one friend for the other, and he doesn’t care for that at all

Eventually he has no choice but to corner you

No one else is around and he’s sure you can’t possibly have anything to do right now, so he insists you talk to him

“Did I do something wrong?”

The question surprises you, because you hadn’t meant to seem like you were angry with him

But the kicked puppy look he fixes you with makes you realize that’s exactly what he feels like

He wants to fix whatever it is and go back to normal

Aren’t you supposed to be partners? Had he misread things? You never ask him to go exploring with you anymore—it’s always one of the others

You tell him it had been so he had more time to spend with Emily

“What about the time I spend with you?”

Things aren’t as simple as they used to be—he finds himself second-guessing everything he says and does around you

It isn’t supposed to be like this

“I don’t know what I did to upset you, I just want to fix it. You mean everything to me—I don’t wanna lose you.”

And then, because he figures he can’t really make things any worse than they are—

“I love you...”

That stops you in your tracks

You’d thought he’d had feelings for Emily—and you tell him as much

He’s flabbergasted, because she’s like a sister to him—he’d spent most of the time telling her about you

In fact, after how you’d stuck to his side during what had been the hardest part of this mission for him, he’d finally been able to settle on his feelings for you

It’s ironic that the same event that made him so sure, made you feel like you had to take a step back

You tell him that you feel the same, and you apologize over and over for how badly you’d misunderstood

He just laughs and scoops you up into his arms

He makes you promise to talk to him next time something is bothering you, and swears he’ll do the same

And then he kisses you, and you can feel how relieved he really is through the way his whole body relaxes into it

[shiinonomee]

Time of Rest

Behind four (three and a half?) walls, it’s easier to relax. A little easier...

Word Count: ~2,500

OC centric, Third POV, Code Vein Fic

Rhodey may not have any concrete memory about the specifics of her own life, but concepts she remembers just fine.

She remembers churches, for example. And churches don’t normally house bars and hot springs. The one Louis leads them to after a harrowing fight with what used to be Oliver Collins does, though—along with several other seemingly out of place additions.

She can see a jukebox along the far wall, surrounded by candy machines and posters. There’s a board covered in research, pictures and maps and red yarn connecting one thing to another. There’s a big safe in the wall, too, set up as a kind of weapons shop. All corners of the place seem to be dedicated to something else—one place seems to be a mini library, while another is a common area, and another seems to be dedicated to mostly trading. Louis shows them around briefly, explaining what it is they do here.

“We needed someplace to act as a sort of headquarters for our blood spring research. It used to be a lot more run down, but thanks to Yakumo it’s much more livable than when we first got here.”

It doesn’t take long for everyone to notice the newcomers. They gather as if sensing the coming announcement.

“Taking in more strays, eh?” Says one woman with a husky voice. She puts a hand on one cocked hip. She has short blonde hair and sharp-looking eyes, like there is nothing they could hide from her. Still, she doesn’t seem unfriendly. “Should’ve known it was only a matter of time.”

“This is Rhodey, and her friend Io. They’re former thralls, but I think they’ll be invaluable to our research efforts. Please, make them welcome.” Louis smiles almost bashfully, as if this was a thing she called him out for often.

“You sure this is a good idea?” Asks a tall, broad man with deep red hair. Piercing green eyes settle on Rhodey’s calculatingly, and she can feel her heartbeat stutter uncertainly. “No offense, but you’re the trusting sort, Louis. It’s gotten you into trouble before.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing we have you around, Yakumo.” Louis replies without missing a beat, unruffled. He offers a wry smile, and Yakumo smirks relentingly.

“Ooh! What a gorgeous piece of work!” A girl much shorter than Rhodey flits over to her, eyes sparkling brightly as she gazes at the golden rapier. Her sudden arrival startles both Rhodey and Io considerably. “And that Bloodveil, too! Where’d you get your hands on those?!”

“U-uh...I...I don’t really...well, remember...”

“Don’t mind Murasame, she’s supernaturally friendly.” The blonde woman speaks up, again. “Call me, Coco. I’m a merchant by trade; you two let me know if there’s anything you need to get your hands on, I’m sure we could strike up a deal.”

Io nods obediently without saying anything, too busy gazing around at the building to respond beyond that.

“This place feels...” She starts, leaning closer to Rhodey as she speaks in that soft voice of hers, “warm. Vibrant, somehow...”

“I hope you end up liking it here. If you’d like, I’m sure Murasame and Coco would help set you up in a room.” Louis glances at the small, orange-haired girl called Murasame, who perks up excitedly and nods before taking Io by the arm and leading her away. Curious, and none too worried, Io follows along.

Rhodey visibly tenses for a moment, but Io seems in no danger with these people. She forces herself to relax.

“Rhodey, if I could talk to you, for a moment? There are still a few things to discuss before you make a final decision—I’d feel better if you had all the information, first.”

She turns to Louis, and Yakumo who has moved to stand a ways behind him. They’re close, she can tell—and maybe he feels as protective of Louis as she feels of Io. She can respect that.

“I’m all ears.” She agrees with a smile and a nod.

“This way,” he motions with his head towards the living area, behind which lies the fruit of all his research so far—the boards and maps. They turn and lead her in that direction—past the makeshift balcony where the wall is completely missing and you can see the sky for miles. Louis notices her staring out and smiles almost fondly. “Quite the view.” He says, and she nods, still awestruck.

“People have taken to calling it all the Gaol Of The Mists. No living thing can pass through the border. Ever since the Queen was defeated, that mist has kept us all confined to this place, cut off from the outside world.” Yakumo explains, still watching her closely. She turns to face him still looking a little dazed from the thought of it all. Even when she can’t see it—the bright red haze in the distance that cut through the horizon like giant caution tape is stuck in her mind.

“The Queen...” She murmurs absently.

“You don’t remember?”

She shakes her head, the few hairs that have escaped her tight ponytail swaying before her eyes.

“She told me that both her and Io’s memories are essentially wiped clean. When they woke, Rhodey was near frenzy before Io led her to a nearby blood spring.” Louis explains to him.

“Lucky thing, that.” He crosses his arms over his chest, raising a brow. Rhodey offers a bashful smile.

“I’ll, uh, be more careful in the future.”

“Hope so, for your sake.”

His intensity makes her want to gulp, so she lowers her gaze a bit before looking back at Louis. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

“It’s no trouble, at all, I’m happy to answer any questions you have. It can’t be easy...”

“I try not to think about it.” She chuckles weakly, adding, “at least until I realize that with no memory there really isn’t much else to think about. No thoughts, head empty.” She knocks her knuckles lightly against her scalp a few times with a bright smile. The other two exchange amused glances before continuing on to the research board.

“Wow,” She hums, awestruck yet again, if by something else this time, “you have a lot here, already.”

“You know the gist of what blood springs are, yes?” Louis asks her, and her face lights up as she nods enthusiastically. Finally, something she does know; albeit because someone beat him to explaining it.

“Yeah! Other than humans, they’re the only source of anything bloodlike for revenants to drink. The lost have ichor, but drinking that only speeds bloodlust along, which is why it needs to be filtered through the purifier masks.”

Louis smiles wide like a proud teacher. “That’s right. So far, we’ve discovered that all blood springs have tubes running underground—like capillaries. We call these blood veins.” He crosses his arms. “Blood’s become scarce these days; in the time after the Queen was defeated the government began housing all the humans, and many of the blood springs ran dry. The levy system helped for a time, but even that couldn’t last forever. Now, more revenants than ever are starving...losing themselves to bloodlust. Even the ones who aren’t lost yet are likely to turn to violence if they think you have something of value on you.”

“But you think if you find out where these blood veins are going...”

Yakumo nods, “We’ll find the source; maybe figure out how to end this drought.”

“And given what you can do, we should have an easier time tracking the blood veins. We won’t have to rely on luck leading us to a blood spring that hasn’t dried up yet.”

Yakumo tilts his head. “Oh? What’s this special talent I’m just now hearing about?”

Louis turns to face him a little more. He looks almost startled at the fact that he hadn’t brought it up, yet. “I scarcely believed it myself. I was heading over to greet her in the caves earlier today when I saw her activate a mistle with a few drops of her own blood. I’d only ever seen it happen with the medicine made from the Queen’s blood, before. And then just a little while later she brought a blood spring to bloom the same way.”

Yakumo’s eyes blow wide as he turns back to Rhodey. “Well, I’ll be damned...”

She flushes. “It really is that strange, huh?”

Louis chuckles. “I told you.”

“I see why you want her to tag along a little more, now. To have blood that can do something like that...”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Louis snaps the fingers of one hand, eyes alight with an idea. “I meant to ask—would you mind giving me a sample of your blood? There’s a theory I want to test. If I’m right, you’ll get quite a bit out of it.”

“Oh?” Rhodey says, taken aback.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be a lot, so you won’t have to worry about bloodlust.”

“I...suppose if it’ll help.”

“Perfect! Come with me.”

—————

After he’s taken a sample—she tries not to flinch too much at the needle—he leaves her to get comfortable in the room that would be hers from now on. She’d figured after giving them her blood things were pretty much a done deal—she and Io would be staying. It’s not like a better option would just come knocking, anyway.

Besides, Louis is nice. She’s had a chance to speak with some of the others, as well and they’ve all been kind to her. Murasame made it very clear that it would be to her immense pleasure to work on her gear whenever she needed a tune-up. Coco had let her peruse some of her stock. 

She’s spoken to a large man in a white uniform called Davis, who works for Cerberus—the provisional government—about the depths and what she could expect if she were ever to go exploring down there.

Yakumo has mostly kept to himself after the talk with Louis. She could tell he was keeping an eye on her the whole time she’d been wandering. It didn’t surprise, though—he was built like a brick house and dressed in fatigues; definitely the muscle of the place. He’d probably defended against threats to the group before. She’d even noticed the gun he has strapped under his arm.

He’s been the most closed-off out of all of them, though—not outright unfriendly, but definitely cautious—it is natural that she be curious about the one she knows least. That’s what she tells herself, anyway.

“I should check on Io...” she mutters to herself aloud. The girl is endearingly spacey, but it makes her worry all the more about her. Io is the one reason Rhodey hadn’t joined the ranks of the Lost—her gratitude alone would have been enough to make her care for her, but something else pulled them together like a magnet--she could feel it in her chest.

Maybe they’d known each other before. Maybe one day they’d remember.

Rhodey stands from her place on the bed and exits the room. Io, for some reason, had decided that she wanted her place of rest to be near the congregation of couches in the living area, right next to the balcony—despite at least one other room besides Rhodey’s being free. Perhaps she enjoyed the draft.

Rhodey finds her there, seated on the edge of her bed, surrounded by the glow of candlelight. She’s gazing down at the bandages on her leg.

“What happened?” Rhodey gasps.

“I was injured by the Lost before you arrived. Coco helped me dress the wound.” She speaks with that same dreamy quality she had since they first met, completely unbothered. “It feels fine now.”

Rhodey wants to ask more, but she stops herself. She doesn’t want to hover too much and overwhelm poor Io. Instead, she glances around. “So what do you think of this place? Are they treating you alright?”

“They ask me many questions I have no answers to.” She replies. “But...I am glad we are staying. They are good people, I think.”

“I think so, too.” Rhodey glances over to Murasame’s workplace, where the girl is still fawning over the equipment she’d surrendered—having no need for it here. She’d promised her a better mask, too—newer model, more durable and efficient and easier to breathe in.

First upgrades are on the house. She’d said, waving off any attempt to try and pay her for her trouble. Really, it’s nice to have some new weapons to work with. Such nice ones, too! You’re doing me the favor, here.

She’d practically squealed as she got to work.

“Maybe a little strange, though.” She sees Io’s faint smile at this and grins back. “I guess we aren’t ones to talk.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a tall form take a place at the bar. She turns to watch as Yakumo gathers up the scattered deck of cards there and begins shuffling them absently as if just giving his hands something to do.

“Maybe I should go make nice...” She ponders aloud. Io glances over.

“He watches over them all so diligently...” She notes. “It would be good if he trusted us.”

“I’ll assume that means you agree, then.” Rhodey laughs softly. “Rest up, Io. It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?” With a quiet agreement, Io decides to curl up on her side as Rhodey strides confidently over to the seat beside where Yakumo sits. He watches from the corner of his eye as she slides in beside him, and she wonders if his lips are really quirked up at the corner—it’s too faint for her to be sure.

“Room for one more?”

“Depends. You play?” He holds up the deck of cards in his hands briefly before shuffling again.

“...I think I remember how to play war...” She offers slowly, bearing teeth in a smile that’s almost apologetic. He snorts, eyes mirthful. “Oh! Go Fish might be coming back to me, too, now that I think about it.”

That one earns her a real laugh.

“Go Fish, I can get behind.” He says and starts dealing.

“Right on!” She exclaims, pumping her fists in victory. “You’re about to be demolished.”

“You say that, now,” He shrugs, cocky grin in place, “but I’m about to reel in this win.” It’s her turn to snort.

“A dollar for the bad joke jar...” She shakes her head, sending her ponytail flailing. She feels a light, playful kick against her shin.

Several games in and Louis finally emerges with the results of the impromptu blood test. He seems endlessly amused at the sight of his very smug best friend leaning cockily back in his barstool as Rhodey weeps animatedly over yet another loss.

“Seems like you two are bonding, alright. To think that I was actually worried.”

“Bonding?” Rhodey peers from the nest she’s made of her crossed arms on the bar top. “He was just in the midst of actively declaring war on my entire bloodline. This betrayal will not go unpunished. His grandchildren’s grandchildren will fear me.”

“Eh, I suppose we can keep her around; she makes me look good at cards, at least.”

“If you keep bullying her, she won’t want to stay.” Louis chuckles. Yakumo thinks for a moment before reaching over to pat the top of Rhodey’s head.

“There, there. You just need to train—I’ll be waiting on that rematch; so stick around, okay?” She makes a show of sniffling and pouting.

“I suppose...”

“Ah, good—then I can assume you’re ready to hear about my findings?” Louis asks with a smile.

She sits up, looking curious. “Hit me, doc.”

Louis nods, ready to get down to business.