#melli would include

[volos-togepi]

PLA boys taking care of you when you're sick

Adaman 

the moment you feel something coming on, he’s insistent that you rest

he’ll continuously be warming soup for you

oh how he worries

but he puts on a smile and takes care of you to the best of his ability

he asks Mai to take on some of his duties/tasks so he can be with you at all times, and she’s happy to do so

but not before a slight argument about it

the cuddling will be nonstop

and you bet his and your Pokémon will be joining in

he keeps you SO warm

the forehead kisses are constant

he’ll even read/share bedtime stories with you if you’re willing to listen

anything you need, he’s on it

and once you feel better, he’s resuming his leadership duties

but he’s not taking his focus away from you

he’s got you by his side

“And don’t think for a moment that I’m gonna stop pampering you because you’re better… because I’m not.”

Volo

Volo is very much a wanderer

but when you’re sick, he’s staying put

he hates to see you in such a dreadful state

and he can’t bear to leave you until you’re feeling better

while you nap, he’s out collecting herbs and medicinal leeks 

he’ll make your favorite soup

and he’ll hand feed it to you

he’s a deranged; touch starved lunatic, so you bet he’s holding you at all times

his Arcanine will be your pillow (and your heat source)

and Togekiss is your entertainment

while he’s searching for herbs and leeks, he’ll also be hunting for little trinkets for you

because his poor, sick s/o has to have something special

this man has an ABUNDANCE of stories to share with you

and he’ll share ALL OF THEM, even if you don’t ask

once you’re feeling better, he’ll pack up and head out

you WILL be getting a kiss on the cheek (or lips) before he departs

“I’ll be back soon, y/n. If you start feeling ill again, I’ve left the recipe for the soup I made on the table.”

Melli

you’re sick, and Melli does NOT like that

he distances himself from you

and not just because of how gross you sound

but he’s TERRIFIED of getting sick himself

he’ll speak to you through letters delivered by Pokémon

and they’re very sweet letters

but once Adaman finds out that he’s ‘too good’ to take care of you…

you can hear that scolding from across the Diamond Clan settlement 

Melli will slowly approach you

and he’s absolutely disgusted

you can 10000000% tell that smile is forced

but once he settles in

he’s trying his best to help you

he’s hesitant to cuddle with you

but he assumes there’s no other choice

and once he feels how hot you are, he holds you a little tighter

since he’s here, he may as well be close to you

he apologizes for being rude, something he would NEVER do for anyone else

and he’ll send Pokémon to Adaman to request recipes for soups

you’ll probably end up making them yourself, though, because Melli can’t cook at all

he’ll learn eventually

once you start feeling better, Melli does indeed get sick

because he’s always running from illness, his immune system is a bit weaker

but you’re there for him regardless

“Can I have some soup?”

[mellywritesstuff]

hey melly!! hope you’re doing well, can I request the male harbingers (expect that one dude 😭 and seperate) w a really weak reader (like she can’t fight for shi..) and they are always worried about her and are quite protective ..

hope this is ok .. feel free not to do this request if you’re uncomfortable!!

~mari :)

(Male) Fatui Harbingers x (weak)Fem!reader

—————————

Character(s): Pantalone, Dottore, Tartaglia/Childe, Scaramouche

A/N: didn’t know if you wanted scara or not so I included him anyway! I haven’t written in awhile, note to however has sent a request: I’m so SRRY I’ve haven’t written them yet they’re all in my drafts just been busy!!

Warnings: not proofread, 1 suggestive section, Cussing.

Genre(s): crack, fluff

—————————

Pantalone

Questions life decisions. He’s constantly stressed whenever you step outside (grass is overrated) insists on going with you everywhere. For protection.

If you won’t let him go with you he’ll either force you to take a fatui agent (as a bodyguard) or just suffer in silence while you’re gone.

He’s constantly worried.

“What if she comes back hurt?”

“What if she gets kidnapped?”

Wishes he could just lock you in his basement

He worries even more since he’s a fatui harbinger. People are out to get him, and especially you. Would NEVER let you near his fellow harbingers (Dottore) for fear that they might take advantage of your weakness and snap you in half.

And they’re hot

Starts to panics when he can’t find you when in reality you’ve been 2 ft away from him, hiding. To mess with him.

He loves you and all, but can you do anything else but to put yourself in danger? Please? (He’s so tired)

Dottore

For the love of god, stop moving, just stay with him in his lab, it only slightly reeks of death and chemicals.

An average day will just go by like:

“Dottore! Dottore! Look what I found”

“What the? Y/N put that down! It’s dangerous (it’s a rock)”

So once he dodges your rock, and you disappear he starts to panic.

“What the? Where’d you go?”

He’ll start frantically searching for you, you were right behind him.

EXTREMELY protective of you. Won’t hesitate to add another skeleton to his collection to anyone he deems a threat.

Luckily he’ll (force) a fatui agent to go with you everywhere. Or he’ll spy on you from a bush because he trusts no one, and really loves you.

Why would you want to go outside anyway? Wouldn’t you rather get railed by Dottore?

Tar-tar-Tartaglia

Literally goes “L bozo” and tackles you.

In all seriousness he’ll teach to fight if you want! Probably not a good idea since he’ll forget your fighting skills are the equivalent of a sheet of paper, then break every bone in your body

He trusts you enough. But since he’s constantly away on missions he worries you’ll get hurt and can’t stand to be away from you.

Will purposefully challenge you to arm wrestle just to throw you off the table.

Sees you as a tiny little duck, and protects you at all costs while simultaneously bullying you.

Will go, “hey wanna go Inazuma with me? Oh wait you can’t fight….later bozo” (he’s so mean)

One day you’ll beat his ass up for all that teasing.

Scaramouche

Another one that goes ‘L bozo’ in you form of “Skill issue”

Constantly on your back for getting yourself in dangerous situations when you follow him around.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Don’t do anything stupid…”

You’ve heard it too much, he may be a little emo boy but he just wants to keep you safe.

Wishes he could go everywhere with you, in a panicked state when you’re god (he doesn’t show it though)

Won’t teach you to fight, thinks you’re an unworthy opponent (ouch)

Sometimes he wants to cuddle and protect you and sometimes he wants to throw you off a cliff in frustration.

—————————

Hope you enjoyed! Melly out <3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Life in the City 1

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as bad friends, creep behaviour, abuse of power dynamics, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You move to the big city and find yourself swallowed up by its chaos.

Characters: Clark Kent, Thor Odinson, short!reader

Note: Probably calling in today. Also will hopefully be working on more Dirty Work for tomorrow.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You’ve been waiting for Friday all week. You need this. A girl’s night, just you and Melanie, a bottle of wine, a bowl of popcorn, and your favourite nostalgic blockbuster. You even got a brand new pair of cozy jammies for the occasion.

And it’s your first official get together at your new apartment. Your very own. No more roommates, no more arguments over dishes and dust and a shared bathroom. It’s all yours! It’s almost like a housewarming, even if it is just a bachelor suite.

A new home, a new city, and an old friend. You haven't seen Melanie in years. You keep in touch here and there but she always seems to have so much going on. Now you're in the same place, it won't be so hard.

You bounce in the door, excited to get started on your prep. You leave your work bag in the entryway beside your shoes as your mind runs a mile ahead of you. You’ll fold out the futon couch and throw all your pillows on it. And the extra comforter can go on top. And you’ll put a scarf over the lamp, oh, and you got some candy for the spread. 

It’s a bit childish but it’s been so long since you could just throw away your daily toil and forget. No overtime, no grind, just a night to reconnect and refresh. You grab your bag from the short hallway and take out the clay masks you bought at the drugstore on your way home, you thought that would be so cute!

You pull out your phone and search for the digital rental on your account, wanting it ready to cast as soon as Melanie’s there. Your screen suddenly lights up with an incoming call, interrupting your browsing. You answer, excitedly greeting your best friend.

“Melly Bean,” you chime, “I was just getting everything ready–”

“Oh, really?” Her voice is willowy, “that’s… I’m sorry.”

“What?” You clutch your hand in front of your stomach, your chest filling with dread. You know that tone.

“I totally forgot and I made other plans–”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I know, it’s shitty but I really can’t cancel and we can do it next week, right? I’ll host. I have a bottle of rose here, or I could make some sangria–”

“Uh, yeah,” you feel like you’ve been punched, “yeah, sure, that’s… that’s fine. Things happen.” You shake your head at yourself as you try to stem your disappointment, “good thing I didn’t even get started…” You look at the futon, covered in pillows and the fluffy pink duvet, “I actually just got in the door, long day at work–”

“You ready?” A distant, deep voice creeps under your rambling from the speaker.

“Sorry, I gotta go,” she interrupts, “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Again, I’m sorry. I’m so stupid. I should’ve put it in my calendar.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” you assure her softly, “call me. Talk later, Mel–”

The line dies before you can finish your sentence. You pull the phone away and frown at the timed out call. You sniff and toss it onto the futon. Well, you can still have a good night. Alone. Catch up on a show and pamper yourself. Your skin is getting a bit patchy.

Or just lay here and watch the same thing you watch every night. Suddenly, you have no energy. You flop onto the mattress, the metal frame creaking loudly, and sigh. Another lazy night, all by yourself.

🏙️

Melanie doesn't answer your call on Saturday. You try not to dwell on it but you know she's not working. Her nine-to-five keeps her planted at her desk Monday to Friday, just like you. Well, you can't be mad at her for having a life.

She texts on Sunday. Just a short but sweet confirmation for next Friday. A heart emoji along with a promise that you'll see each other then. You can bring all your snacks and the face masks, and even your cute new pajamas. Her place must be a lot nicer than yours on her executive assistant salary.

A new week begins but Monday isn't as difficult as usual. You have something to look forward to. Again. This time, it will actually happen.

You spend your days with the spreadsheets and menial reports. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday all blend together into an endless slog but Friday comes around with a special shine. It's the day. 

You breeze through the day, lighter than usual. You even packed everything up so you could commute straight to Melanie's place. She's been texting, saying she's excited. Well, she sent a message at 10:38am. 

It'll be just like in high school, when you sat up all night and giggled. Except this time, you're not too young for the movie you're watching. No, you'll be just like the metropolitan women you watched on the screen, gal pals!

You take the twelve out towards the east side of the city and get off a few blocks from her building, at least according to your GPS. You walk in a full circle before you get your bearings and end up just outside the grated door. You tap the small button to buzz her number and wait. It's a lot fancier than your apartments.

You ring several times without answer, your stomach swimming with nerves. What if she got caught up in something? Could she forget in the  eight hours since her last message? Are you in the wrong place? You check the address again.

You hear someone come up the walkway and sidle aside to let them in. You consider sneaking in after them but you don't know if you should. They might not like that or you might get in trouble. You stand back as the man glances at you and gives a nod. He keys in a code and buzzes himself in. You scrunch your lips, helplessly floundering on the edge of the steps.

"Coming in?" He holds the door.

"Oh, uh," you catch the handle, "sure, I just... my friend wasn't answering."

"No worries, don't look like much of a criminal to me," he kids.

You chuckle quietly, forcing it out nervously as you follow him inside. The entryway is white with silver trimmings and the lobby opens up to a set of two elevators. You look at your phone again, confirming Melanie's apartment number. The man strides on confidently and hits the button, the doors dinging and sliding apart.

"Going up?" He prompts as he puts his hand in front of the censor.

"Uh, sure," you scurry forward. You suppose taking the stairs might be a lot with all the weight in your knapsack.

"Floor?" He trails you into the elevator.

"Um, seventh."

"Ah, what a coincidence," he taps seven and the doors close.

You bring up your chat with Melanie and text her. Hopefully, you're not too early. You don't want to surprise her. You key in that you're there and on your way up.

The door open again and the stranger once more lets you through first. You check the numbers on the plates on the wall; 700 - 710 to the right. You turn and the man heads in the same direction. How awkward. You hold the door to the hallway for him and he catches it, not far behind you. You count the doors until you find 704. 

You stop and knock, stepping closer to let the stranger pass. He doesn't. He stops and laughs as he rubs his palms together. You peek over at him. Oh shoot, you have to be in the wrong place. It explains the no answer and you're standing at his door knocking. You must seem like a crazy person--

The door opens before you can figure out what's going on and Melanie's 'hello' goes from a high squeal to dull disappointment. You look at her as her eyes flit between you and the stranger at your shoulder. She laughs and tosses her hair back.

"Oh, uh, come in," she waves you inside, "movie night, right?"

She rubs her neck as she steps aside, your stomach flipping entirely. Did she forget? Really?

"Um, I forgot to mention..." she says slowly, "Clark's joining us. He's never seen the movie before so I thought..."

"That's fine, but er, I can... just go. I thought..."

"I didn't forget," she insists as the man enters with hesitation, "promise, I just... invited my boyfriend."

"Right, boyfriend," you turn to the stranger, Clark, she said his name is, "hi."

You introduce yourself and he repeats his name. He's handsome and tall. As far as you can tell, he's nice too. The cleft in his chin gives him a rugged handsome news and his eyes a bright and blue. He fits Melanie perfectly. She's changed a lot more than you knew.

You give a strained smile and look around. Her apartment is so nice. You're happy she hadn't seen yours after all. As you try to figure out what to do, she approaches Clark and stands on her toes to kiss him. You keep your eyes on the floor and turn, distracting yourself with your shoes as you peel them off.

"I brought snacks," you say as you unhook your bag from one shoulder, "for the movie--"

"Oh, I'm on a diet. No carbs, no sugar... mostly water and lettuce," she trills, "sorry."

"I...It's okay," you try not to wince as you struggle to free yourself of the heavy bag.

"Here," Clark startles you as he grabs your bag by the handle on top and helps lift it off your left shoulder. You pull your arms free and he carries it to the table, planting it on top beside the tall vase of white orchids. 

"Thanks," you say as you inch forward, anxious about messing up the unlivable pristine apartment, "you can share the snacks... if you're not on a diet."

"I'd love to," he accepts, "should I make up the couch?"

"Uh, sure," Melanie flutters her fingers at him, "I guess that makes sense."

You notice how she bites into her glossy lower lip and looks around desperately. She's wearing a pretty black dress and there's a sparkly clutch on the half-circle table by the wall. You thought Melanie would be your one piece of home in the city but now you feel even more out of place. Uninvited.

"If it's a bad time," you begin.

"I told you," she snips, "I didn't forget. Duh, you think I'm an airhead or something?"

"N-no--"

"I know you went and got your fancy degrees," she sniffs, "but I don't need paper to tell me I have a brain."

"I didn't mean--"

"Mel, cool it," Clark chuckles lightly, "no biggie. I like a night in," he shrugs, "I'll grab some blankets and pillows. We can have a sleepover."

"Sleepover?" She nearly hisses at him, "well, tomorrow--"

"We'll all sleep in and I'll take you ladies to breakfast. Or brunch," he unzips your knapsack and takes out the tall bottle of wine, "depending on how much you indulge." 

"Oh, I can take care of all that," you offer as you near the table.

"You're our guest," he insists as he holds onto the bottle, "hon, you wanna get some glasses?"

You hear the gentle sigh escape Melanie before she replies, "fine."

You wring your hands in front of your chest and hover by the table. You hate this. You feel like you've intruded on their night but you thought...

Your heart sinks as you think of the message; 'looking forward to tonight'. She sent it to the wrong person. She must realise that too.

"Mel will pour us some wine," Clark says loudly, "did you wanna help my grab some blankets and stuff?"

You just nod, thankful for his diversion. Anything to keep you from wallowing in your embarrassment. Everyone there knows you're not supposed to be there. You must seem pathetic.

You follow him down the hall and wait on the other side of the closet door as he opens it. He hands you a folded down duvet. He sends you back to the living room as he goes to grab pillows from the bedroom. You get a glance of the sleek white vanity just as he opens the door.

You turn and traipse back to the front room. You go to the couch and shake out the blanket. You glance over as Melanie slurps loudly from a stemmed glass, the other two are unpoured.

"Really, Mel, I can just go--"

"No, it's fine," she huffs, "I don't want him to think I'm some sort of bitch."

"Oh, I wasn't--"

"You don't call to confirm?" She accuses.

"I texted and I buzzed--"

She shushes you as she hears Clark coming back down the hall. You leave the blanket across the sofa and go to the table. You pour the other two glasses and step back, too uneasy to claim one of your own. Instead, you busy yourself unpacking the snacks but you don't even know if you'll have any yourself.

"You girls sit," Clark insists as he drops the pillows on the sofa, "I'll get everything ready. Oh, hon, you should go put some pajamas on, get in the spirit. You could lend some to your friend too."

"Erm, I brought my own," you offer, "just... thought they were cute."

"Amazing, you two get changed, get cozy, and get the movie going," he grabs the bag of chips from your hands, "oh, and I'll get those kernels popping."

You nod and swallow as Melanie struts out without looking back. You retrieve your pajamas from your bag, brushing close to Clark by accident, and apologise. You quickly flit away to follow her, chasing after her right before she can close you out. You need to find an excuse to get out. Then you can think of how to say sorry for spoiling her date,

[lethalchiralium]

Will Never Be Enough | Simon “Ghost” Riley x Wife!Reader

a/n: i am so sorry, but i’m trying to make this series as realistic as possible so that would include natural things that happen. :( it wouldn’t be a lethalchiralium series if there wasn’t angst… also the 141 are ride or die for you and the kids. it’s just canon i have nothing else to say 🤷‍♀️

warnings: MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. Mentions of blood, miscarriages, vague descriptions of panic attacks. Mentions of babies and children.

summary: "Simon, I need you." The Lieutenant dropped the papers he was holding, they flew across the office floor. "I'm on my way." OR, Simon comes home to find you in a puddle of blood.

PREVIOUS << | >> NEXT | SERIES MASTERLIST

It had been a couple weeks since the appointment, and he didn’t expect you to feel sick for this long after. It worried him, but you assured him that it was fine; you had been sick for a while with Mellie, that you would be better soon. He took your word for it and let you rest.

He had made Winnie her breakfast of strawberry pancakes and sat her in front of the television, he held Mellie against his chest. She was sated, little belly full of formula and snoring away on his shoulder. He had made you food and was waiting for you to come down to eat, but he wasn’t worried about when you did. He was satisfied knowing that you would have had something to eat, that he would hopefully beg Price nice enough to come home early. His one arm that held Mellie kept her snug against his chest, he was putting up plates in the cabinets from washing them the night before. He made the mental note to get more baby spoons because Mellie had no longer liked most of them.

“Dad! Done!” Winnie called from the coffee table, he looked over his shoulder to her. She was holding up her clean purple plate so he could see, strawberry stained the front of her face. He closed the cabinet and grabbed a tea towel, moving from the kitchen and into the living room. The chestnut haired girl bounced on her feet to meet him in the middle, he kneeled and gently wiped her face.

“Is Mama still sick?” Winnie moved her face away from the tea towel, but he still cleaned her face as she moved awkwardly to miss his massive hand.

“Yeah, duckling.” He nodded and stood, walking back into the kitchen while his small daughter followed. He tossed the tea towel onto the counter, making a note to put it in the laundry later, before moving towards the fridge. “You still hungry?” He opened it, glancing over the leftovers he had for you last night, beverages, and jars of baby food to look for those little oranges Winnie liked.

“Nuh-uh.”

He closed the fridge when he didn’t see them, glancing down to the baby in his arm before he looked to his oldest daughter. “Get your bag, love, gonna go check on Mum.”

The girl in pigtails her father had put in earlier bounced on her feet, disappearing back into the living room. Simon turned towards the counter across from the fridge, grabbing the plate of food with a fork on it before making his way upstairs.

Mellie’s little hand gripped onto his t-shirt when he nudged his bedroom door open, making his way to your side of the bed in the light that seeped through from the hallway. He quietly settled your plate of food on your nightstand before moving back out of the room, towards Mellie’s room. He opened the door and quickly moved towards her crib, peeling his little one from his chest before placing her delicately on her back on the small mattress. Her crib creaked when Simon leaned forwards to kiss her forehead, he was quick to move away and out her room - when the door closed, it was silent. He slipped back into his bedroom and to your side, he could see your silhouette in the middle of the bed underneath the plush duvet.

He leaned a knee onto the side of the bed, a hand settled on your cheek as he spoke, “Sweetheart.”

You grunted in annoyance. “Don’t wake me unless someone is dying or the house is on fire.”

Simon chuckled, petting your hair. “Put your food on your nightstand, I’m takin’ Wins to school soon.”

Your arms moved to stretch over your head as he leaned forwards, his lips meeting yours. A smile on your lips, your hands now found his chest to gently pull him off. “Baby, I’m still sick.”

“Don’t care.” He mumbled, pressing another kiss to your lips before his hands began to tug down the duvet. He moved himself down the bed, quickly tugging up his old t-shirt on you to press his lips to the small swell of your stomach, where that little baby was growing. His little baby, half of him and half of you. “Quit makin’ your mum sick, all she’s doin’ is lovin’ ya.”

With a final kiss to his unborn son, he moved back to place his lips on your forehead, feeling the skin a lot warmer than he had expected. He leaned back into his knees, nodding towards the food on the nightstand. “‘m takin’ Duckling to school, Mel’s asleep. You need to eat.”

You nodded, your hand reached for his and he instantly took it. He pressed his lips to your knuckles, you smiled at him.

“I won’t be long, tryin’ to get Price to let me off early.”

You shook your head, dismissing it. “I’ll be fine, baby. I’ll call you if I need you.”

He pressed a quick kiss to your lips, a promise that he would be home soon.

—

Ghost desperately wanted it to be a slow day, but no. Active drills and testing on soldiers, Laswell was in for a debrief this morning, and a mention of a new deployment soon. He wasn’t very happy about it, but he said nothing. He would discuss it with you when he got home.

He had papers in his hand as he marched down to Price’s office; sergeants and privates diving out of his way to avoid his so-called ‘wrath’. All it was was a stare or the occasional pin onto the wall, nothing serious. In his hands were training reports on seasoned soldiers, descriptions of how their skills have improved and all that bullshit.

The man was tired, all he wanted to do was go home and lay in his bed underneath the dog pile of his daughters and wife. Maybe eat a sandwich or go for a run, but he had to be on base. He didn’t even have the time to look at Price this morning, this report was his saving grace to go home and make sure you were okay. He was itching to leave right this moment, but you’d never tell from his mask.

He knocked on Price’s door, not even waiting for permission to enter before he swung open the door. He shut the door behind him, moving to stand in front of Price.

“Got the reports-“

Ghost’s phone rang in his pocket, papers in his clutch as Price‘s voice died in his throat. His captain gave him a nod, letting Simon fish his phone out. He saw your pretty face on his screen and pressed the phone to his ear, concerned why you were calling him at one in the afternoon. He was about to get Price to let him leave earlier so he could take care of you and the girls.

“Hi, are you okay?”

“Simon, Simon-“ Your sobs were loud. “I need you.”

He dropped the papers he had onto the floor of Price’s office and booked it. “Baby, hey, I’m on my way.” He said, shoving past privates and his friends, who called after him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Ever-Everything, there’s- There’s so much blood- I think-“ A loud sob. “I think I’m losing the baby.”

He felt like throwing up.

His hand went to his pocket, ripping out his keys but dropping them onto the concrete. He didn’t even have the time to pick them up before someone else did, he looked up to see Price.

He couldn’t see how badly he was shaking, all he could do was listen to you say, “It hurts so much.” Price moved around to the other side of his car, getting into the driver’s seat while he got into the passenger seat. He felt the car move as the back doors opened, he knew it was Soap and Gaz. Price didn’t even wait for them to close their doors before he pressed the pedal to the metal.

“I’m comin’, baby. Hold on.” He answered. “Talk to me, sweet girl.”

“Please,” Your voice cracked, sobs followed after. “Simon.”

His hand was shaking so bad, he could feel it now. His brain shut off, he could only feel fear as it tore through his entire being like fire. He couldn’t lose you, he wouldn’t ever dare to - not when it took so long to find you.

The fifteen minute drive home was made in seven, flat. Simon was out of the car before Price even put it in park. He ran. He sprinted into the house, not caring that the front door slammed against the wall. He’d fix it later. He took the stairs three at a time, hearing his daughter crying in your en-suite bathroom. He frantically ran down the hall, opening the bedroom door. The light from the bathroom lit up the room, he didn’t stop running until he almost went face first into the door frame. He was breathing hard, eyes now fixated on you.

Blood stained the floor of the bathroom and the bottom of the shirt of his you were wearing. Mellie was sat in your arms, tears stained her cheeks as she cried loudly. Your face looked paler, tears dripping down onto the crown of your daughter’s head. Your face was contorted into one in pain, one hand on the small bump of your belly.

“LT!” He heard Soap call, he turned his head towards the doorway of his bedroom.

“Up here!”

He then came to your side, kneeling beside you as the rumble of boots against the hardwood stairs were loud, making Mellie cry harder. Your hand reached for him, gripping onto his uniform as his own hand settled on your cheek. He glanced down at the blood that pooled around your legs. “What happened?”

“I-I felt sick and-and I got up and- there was-“ Sobs kept falling from your mouth, chest trembling and making the eight month old screech. “I can’t-“ Your face went to your daughter, pressing a kiss to her head as she kept crying. “Mels, please, baby-“

He was quick to remove his hand from your face, taking his daughter in his grasp before turning towards the bedroom. Gaz and Soap stood in it, Price behind them, all of them gazing through the doorway. Every single one of his friends’ faces had concern written all over them.

“Gaz.”

The Sergeant immediately came forwards, taking the little one in his grasp and leaving the bathroom. Simon turned back to you, grabbing your other hand and squeezing. You tried to take a deep breath, but hiccuped harshly. “It hurts, Simon. It hurts, it hurts.“ Your eyes screwed shut, he felt your knuckles pop as you kept squeezing his hand.

“I know.” He murmured, moving one arm to go underneath your knees. Your body was shaking, he was shaking, he didn’t know how to stop it, he wanted to stop it.

Your voice was nothing but a whisper, body trembling as he picked you up. “My baby.”

“Simon, what’s happened?” Price spoke, he probably noticed the blood on the floor that had seeped through your underwear. Simon felt his skin grow cold when he felt the blood against his forearm, moving into the bedroom before grabbing a blanket from the chair next to the dresser. He did his best to cover you, Soap immediately came to his aid. He pulled the blanket up to your neck while Simon awkwardly wrapped you in the gray blanket.

As soon as Soap had moved away, Simon was gone. Down the steps, through the hallway while hearing his infant daughter screeching in the kitchen. He kept his eyes on you, your eyes screwed so tight and hollow sobs echoed from your lips.

He didn’t hear Price tell Soap to go get Winnie from school, he didn’t listen when Price told Gaz to stay with Mellie, that he was going with Simon.

It was like the world was in slow motion when he stepped down the front porch, but it zipped by when Price’s hand landed on his shoulder. Simon didn’t even turn to look at Price.

“She’s miscarrying.”

———

hi. simon is great dad and you can’t convince me otherwise, he’s the best husband he can be so part 2 will be soon i promise :(

———

Copyright © 2023 lethalchiralium. All rights reserved.

[sirenjose]

Thoughts and Theories about "Identity Switches"

This will cover current Identity Switches (up to Hunter Norton/Fool's Gold), as well as their connections between the Identity Switch and their normal version, motivations, personalities, backstories, etc... as well as some discussion about the plot of the main story and the Oletus Manor tragedy (including my theory regarding Jose's father's potential involvement in that event).

Regarding the topic of Identity Switches, it'll be easier to answer questions about those as Netease releases more, but for now we just have Novelist/Nightmare, Alice/Memory, Professor/Luchino, Weeping Clown/Joker, and now Norton/Fool's Gold (though we'll likely get Melly's hunter version sooner than later as well).

With Orpheus, we've known for awhile how he's talked about having multiple personalities or whatever, but the form he takes as “Nightmare” isn't real. So far, it doesn't seem like the rest of the Identity Switches (Memory, Luchino, Joker, Fool's Gold) are "real" either, at least in the sense as being those being their appearance in the real world and such.

"Nightmare" seems to have formed as a result of his trauma and the aftereffects of the tragedy that killed the DeRoss couple (Alice's parents) who he was close to.

I think Novelist's S-tier Essence, with Hollow, and that essence's backstory does the best job showing this, especially with Alice as Source of Evil's shock and disbelief that Orpheus as Hollow is the one behind everything she's seeing.

Hollow himself literally states he wants "revenge" during his essence trailer, as well as the rest of his lines during his trailer.

He used to be kind but his heart hardened after what he experienced, and he's no longer as trusting. He also now seems to primarily see the flaws or "sins" first and their good parts second (which i at least personally think is also visible from the way he writes most everyone's 3rd letters, which usually tend to depict the character in a negative light). He wants people to "repent" (with him seeing himself as the person making these "sinful souls" repent).

This idea of him focusing on the evil in people and wanting them to "repent" I think could be reflected in Orpheus aka Nightmare as the manor owner. I think it's best shown in Bane’s letter, where he see themselves helping this happen, but also from those same letters, we eventually see them begin to question Orpheus the same way Source of Evil did.

The best example being Bane in William's 4th letter, where we see his doubt beginning to show due to failing to understand why Orpheus would include an innocent like William in his experiments.

Based on Bane's 4th letter, where Alice talks about Bane missing by the time of the final game, it is possible it is because he begins to doubt that he might've disappeared.

Bane and Burke worked for the DeRoss couple before the tragedy, after which they worked for Orpheus as the new owner. They're people who are close to Orpheus, so if even they are questioning Orpheus' actions, along with Alice at least as Source of Evil, with Alice being Orpheus' childhood friend, that should show just how much he changed.

Sorry it took me so long to reach here, but I think this is what is reflected in Orpheus when he takes the form of Nightmare.

The reason he looks like a bird connects to how birds are stated to be what Orpheus' likes. The gas mask Nightmare wears, which we saw during Time of Reunion, may connect to the drugs Orpheus developed and is using (and how we see him messing with gas in Darkwoods during Time of Reunion).

Nightmare's finger being a pen connects to Orpheus as a writer, a "novelist", while the music notes on his arm can connect to the Nightingale's song and the piccolo we saw being used during Time of Reunion to open the gates of the manor, and how Alice says during Ashes of Memory that the nightingale's song can open all the doors in the manor. We see Orpheus playing the piccolo during Novelist's release trailer too (as well as bandits who come in and kill Alice's parents during the live action trailer for ToR).

Then there's his name, which his rumor seems to explain the meaning of "Perhaps known only to 'Orpheus', this nightmare of his memory".

Finally there's how Nightmare is essentially a raven. This can relate to how the raven is sometimes seen as a bad omen, which fits with Orpheus' change after the tragedy.

So, at least based on Novelist and Nightmare, we can see his Nightmare is a combination of things related to Orpheus himself, his past, but also an emphasis on the... darker side of his personality. Many of the other hunter Identity Switch's we have I think are similar. Their hunter versions seem to put a spotlight on the darker aspects of their character and thus also why I think they tend to be depicted as inhuman, as a way to emphasize how they aren't how they normally are, except these dark parts which are normally hidden internally are now reflected externally in their appearance, and show them as monsters normally or exaggerated versions of their normal selves to mirror their inner darkness, but if that darkness was cranked up to the max.

Joker in a way is similar to Orpheus. Both used to be kind people but changed drastically after going through painful experiences. For Joker, this was the pain and humiliation he was forced to subject himself to day in and day out for the audience's amusement, the pain Sergei caused him, both physical by the acid, and the mental due to Joker's ruined face now preventing him from playing his role in Hullabaloo anymore, not to mention more emotional pain as Sergei was with the girl Joker loved, made more complicated when Joker learned Sergei was abusing her, whatever happiness Joker felt at Margaretha coming to him for comfort because of that abuse, complicated further as it was this event that made Sergei hurt Joker. And even more as Margaretha may not have loved him back, but Joker still cared about her. Put everything together, and it should make it easy to understand why Joker did eventually reach his breaking point, which was the day he killed Sergei, took his face, and then (likely) killed everyone else at Hullabaloo that day, which is the tragedy Mike refers to in his backstory, and is the thing motivating him to go to the manor.

Joker looks the way he does I think at least in part to represent Sergei, or at least maybe how Joker saw Sergei, but also combined with maybe how Joker wishes he was. Compared to Weeping Clown, Joker is much bigger and stronger. But he's also always happy and smiling, which is what Joker wants, what he's been unable to do for so long (just read Joker's deductions, I think it makes this apparent enough).

Moving on to Luchino, I think he's potentially the easiest to understand his Identity Switch/hunter version. His deductions and backstory make his interests clear, as well as how far he'll go for his research. Professor's trailer and backstory tell us in a way he sees his hunter version as "evolution" and stepping over the "last of my boundaries", while his current state (with Professor) is "a small price to pay on the path to truth". His rumor and summaries put best when they basically say Luchino's hunter version an emphasis on his "exploration into forbidden areas" or him going into "territories of taboo".

Maybe Luchino's most recent (4th) letter can give us a bit more insight. It says he is "I've spent my nights suppressing the inhuman desire within me and battling against that 'instinct'". Maybe, compared to his hunter version, this could help show that Luchino's hunter version, like the others, is still an emphasis on a character if they went all the way to the extreme and focusing on their darker traits. Based on his following comment in that letter about "understanding of humans", this could be what his real goal is.

Next I'll mention Alice and Memory. Memory we know is entirely because of Orpheus. It is how he views Alice. Or, to put another, it is what he wants to see. If we go back to Hollow's trailer, he says he wants to "rebuild paradise", which so far I think is the easiest thing to understand regarding what Orpheus is doing and why he has done everything he has.

We know he was torn up by guilt over the tragedy based on Alice's letter to Orpheus in the 2nd anniversary package, where she says "Please don’t blame yourself for father and mother’s death". I think this can even connect to a line by Burke in Bonbon's deductions, where Burke mentions "Since he got back from his 'real' parents, that brat lost various valuable items again... He tried to take full responsibility for it, but such tolerance and protection will only feed their greed".

There’s also how, based on Time of Reunion trailers (live and otherwise), cutscenes, and even Hollow’s essence (S19 E1), at least to me it seems to be implied that it is Orpheus’ fault the bandits got into Oletus Manor to kill Alice’s parents.

The farmer looking people we saw in the portrait during Time of Reunion and during Ashes of Memory when Orpheus is talking about his past may be Orpheus’ “real” parents, the ones Burke mentions during Bonbon’s deductions that Orpheus may be taking valuables from the manor for, which implies Orpheus’ real parents were likely “greedy” people.

During Orpheus’ story in Ashes of Memory, he refers to the man as a “forest ranger” the DeRoss couple hired. This actually can fit with Burke’s deductions, where he talks about the DeRoss couple “bought their own staff” for the manor, after which he says there was “a strange boy in this annoying group”. Orpheus being the son of forest rangers the DeRoss’ hired would explain why he appeared when the DeRoss bought their staff, which could include forest rangers, as we know Bane used to be a forest ranger hired to work on the “hunting grounds of Oletus Manor” (those grounds being the Forest of No Return, as that’s where we can find Bane’s cabin) according to his backstory. Though Bane, unlike Orpheus’ real parents, was loyal to the DeRoss couple.

Orpheus in his story says this forest ranger (likely his real father/parents) “colluded with bandits” (during that scene we see the forest ranger dropping some coins, likely to imply he hired the bandits), the same bandits that killed the DeRoss couple and “ransacked the manor”.

We know from Burke’s and Bonbon’s deductions, as well as from Time of Reunion, that the “key” to get into the manor was a piccolo, likely combined with having to use it to play the nightingale’s song as Alice says during Ashes of Memory.

We see Orpheus playing on this same piccolo in Novelist’s release trailer. We also see the bandits playing on this piccolo during the live action trailer for Time of Reunion. During Ashes of Reunion 2, as Alice is walking through the Muse Corridor, we see the lines “How did they get inside?!”, implying it shouldn’t have normally been possible, likely due to the security we know Burke installed for the manor.

If the piccolo was the key, we know that must be how they got in. How did they get it? Well, we know Orpheus has been taking valuables for his “real parents”. We also know he’s held and used the piccolo before. Maybe Orpheus knew about it from getting close to Burke, who does say right after first mentioning Orpheus in his deductions that the kid “showed great interest in my studio” and “I can always see his clothes or shoes sticking out from the corner”. It’s also possible Orpheus was able to learn about it or get his hands on it due to getting close to the DeRoss couple, especially once Alice was born and he got attached to her.

If Orpheus did help the bandits get into the manor, potentially by giving them the key, that would parallel Hollow’s essence trailer well, as we see in that trailer the young, still innocent Orpheus reaching his hand out to the shipwreck survivors, with the very next scene being these same people attacking the manor.

It would also explain Orpheus’ guilt and why he blames himself for Alice’s parent’s death according to Alice’s letter in the 2nd anniversary package.

Now why do I say all this (besides the fact I think as I talk and couldn’t help going on a tangent as I think about other things)? Orpheus is the one who sees Alice as “Memory”. “Memory” is just as her name says, a memory of the past. Alice looks just like she did back then. Back when things were happy, before their “paradise” was destroyed by the events of the tragedy. Hollow does say he wants to “rebuild paradise”, which reflects his desire to go back, to “look back” if you will just like Orpheus in the actual Greek myth, an action that causes him to break his promise to Hades and thus lose Eurydice.

Orpheus is unable to see Alice as she currently is. He is unable to move forward. He is unable to get past the guilt Alice mentions in her letter to Orpheus. In that same letter, she tries to tell him “You’ve already done everything in your power to save them; my survival is proof of this”. This can connect back to the words we saw in Ashes of Memory 2 when Alice is in the Muse Corridor. We hear someone saying “Take her and run. And don’t turn back”, followed soon after by someone asking for where the kids went (Orpheus and Alice), with the last line we see and hear being Orpheus who says “Don’t be afraid we’ll meet again”. This last line likely is a reference to how Orpheus helped ensure Alice’s survival as she mentions in her letter, potentially him trying to hide her from those looking for them (if they were found, it is possible they would’ve been killed like their parents. Though Burke and Bonbon’s deductions imply they were found, it’s possible timing and exactly who found them was important to ensure their survival).

But based on the first lines in that letter, it seems Alice (in the present, likely during the final game) so far has failed to get Orpheus to stop what he’s currently doing. We know she’s trying to stop him based on the shock and disbelief Source of Evil expresses during her essence to Hollow’s actions, as well as during Novelist’s release trailer as we see a lady holding Memory/Little Girl telling Orpheus to “Stop it! End all this now”.

Orpheus is incapable of stopping himself from focusing on the past, on revenge, on getting back what he once had. His pain and desire is too great, potentially to the point he was willing to use the drugs on himself as Alice in her letter to Orpheus says “regardless of whether you can or cannot remember”. Drugs to help him forget, to ease his pain, but also the same drugs that cause characters to hallucinate seeing others differently, such as seeing Orpheus as Nightmare.

Siren Song is the drug that causes hallucinations. We see Alice, right after she sniffs the bottle, to briefly hallucinate seeing Mary and Nightmare.

I also believe this is the same drug that was used on Jose’s father, Joaquin, and his crew the day they disappeared, depicted in Jose’s 1st letter. They mentioned things that the “cannons couldn’t kill”. The reasons the cannons didn’t kill anything was because the things they saw weren’t real. However, unfortunately for them, their actions still had consequences, which was why their ship likely sunk and why Jose, who waits for his father returns, never sees his father again, and why the Queen assumes Joaquin made off with her treasure and so punishes the Baden family.

(I also still believe in my theory that Jose’s father and crew were the shipwreck survivors depicted in Hollow’s essence in the Season 19 Essence 1 trailer who later may have ended up being at least some of the “bandits” that Orpheus’ real parents “collude” with aka hire or pay off to attack the manor, steal its valuables, and kill many of those inside, including Alice’s parents. We know Jose mentions his father changed course due to a storm in his 3rd deduction, while his 4th and 7th imply the “loss of most of the crew” wasn’t because they were fighting pirates, and instead because “the nightmarish waters had swept them away”. We know from deduction 2 that Joaquin’s change of course took them through an area “not recommended for sailing”. Therefore, the “nightmarish waters” and “loss of the crew” could imply they shipwrecked just like we saw in the Season 18 Essence 3’s (Source of Evil) and Season 19 Essence 1’s (Hollow) trailers. We also can make a good guess the large ship at Lakeside may connect to Jose’s father due to the items on the ship, including a map of the Mediterranean, where we know Joaquin was sent the day he disappeared, a paper with the same symbols as are on White’s compass, a Teru Teru Bozu doll, which is for praying for fine weather and can relate to the “nightmarish water” or the original storm that made Joaquin change course, a picture from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea of a sailor being grabbed by a giant squid, and a nighttime picture that looks very similar to the images from Wu Chang’s backstory trailer. This could imply Jose and his father have been here before, and if his father participated in the attack on Oletus Manor that killed Alice’s parents, that could explain why Jose is so traumatized after they return from this voyage based on Jose’s panic attacks stated to be worsening as well as explain why Jose says in his 7th deduction that the “nightmarish waters” swept away both his “companions” as well as their “conscience”, which implies they did something bad based on the implications from lacking a conscience, especially when we know Joaquin saw this voyage as so important he refused to turn back due to a storm and instead changed course through an area not recommended for sailing. If they did shipwreck, causing them to potentially lose all their cargo, that’d risk Joaquin’s reputation and his desire for fame and fortune. So he would be the type who’d be willing to fall to the lengths of attacking and stealing from a manor to potentially regain what he lost. This would explain why Jose says whatever happened “awakened the demons flowing through the Badens' blood” as well as the Queen’s “wealth” they were said to have “protected” and returned with after the voyage, which is what earned Jose’s father the fame and fortune he always wanted. And again, it would explain some of the other sarcastic lines in Jose’s deductions including “Redemption: A sin the gods can't forgive, but a king can”, which can tie to how Orpheus as Hollow says in the trailer for his essence “Only a sinful soul does as it pleases” and “Revenge! To hell with the gods!”. This idea could also explain why Orpheus in Jose’s 3rd letter calls Jose a “gift” from a “friend who passed away” that Orpheus “treasured” to use in his experiment, so much so he was willing to pause the experiment when it looked like Jose’s mental state was deteriorating too much. The “gift” from the “friend” that “passed away” can be a sarcastic way to refer to Jose’s father.)

Speaking of the drugs that cause hallucinations, I want to go back to Joker. Remember how I said Orpheus is the one who sees Alice as Memory? Well I think it’s possible Margaretha is the one who sees Weeping Clown Joker as Smiley Face Joker. We know drugs weren’t used on Mike, Joker’s 3rd letter implies the same it seems based on “But even without the influence of drugs, Subject 8-0-3's emotions still moved uncontrollably toward the extreme”, for Violetta it was twice said that it “wasn’t the plan to use medicine” on her, and Murro like Mike has “?” for the 2nd spot of his serial number, which usually implies the character didn’t have the drugs used on them. In which case, Margaretha was likely the 1 to hallucinate Joker’s Identity Switch. And it makes sense too as Margaretha knew a lot about Sergei, ran away with him, but also experienced his abuse. We know from Margaretha’s 3rd letter that, due to the drugs, she mistook Joker as Sergei for a time. That could explain Joker having an appearance that may have a resemblance to Sergei. It could also explain why he’s as big as he is. It could be in part tied to her fear of Sergei due to his abuse.

That then leaves us with Norton and Fool’s Gold. We already got a good bit of information about him from his Design Notes video by Netease. His name itself comes from Norton’s 1st letter from Benny, as well as how the “strong contrast between his outer appearance and inner self” fits well with how Fool’s gold aka pyrite looks similar to gold but is actually iron.

After this part is likely the best answer to your question regarding what an Identity Switch is (https://twitter.com/IdentityVJP/status/1723176218563149901):

“IDENTITY characters and their bodies are somewhat similar to the concepts of id and superego. Or, it can be said to be the difference between the perception of other participants in the game and the person's own perception.

As for character design alone, when we select an IDENTITY character, we tend to enlarge his or her most prominent tags.

Norton's most notable tags were hard work, reticence, being weighed down by life, having no choice but to endure, suppressed anger inside, and ambivalence created by ambition and desire.

We showed one side through Survivor Norton and hoped to show another side through 'Fool's Gold.'”.

After this it further explains why he has a stony appearance, which they say involves his occupation as a miner and how he had been “losing his humanity”. This was why they made the hole in his chest, to show the mining accident damaging “more than his body. When he lit the fuse, his morals, social norms, and appearance of good nature were completely shattered”.

As we said, the Identity Switch/hunter versions are essentially an emphasis on their negative traits which are turned up to the max in this version of themselves. Sort of like how a ONCE skin is a what if something about their story changed, Identity Switches/hunter versions are like a what if the worst or extreme parts of a character were cranked up way more than they actually are.

With hunter Norton, going back to his design notes, it describes this version of Norton being someone that was “reborn in the collapsed mine”, while the hole in his chest involves him “no longer needing the lungs that had been in constant pain before, and that he had been given a new lease of life!”

At least for me personally, another visual for this being a version of Norton with his darker traits magnified is how Norton’s usually crooked smile is now instead a full smile. Norton in his survivor version has a crooked smile to emphasize his name as well as his 2 sides, 1 being his “gloomy and depressed” side (the sad Norton desperate to escape poverty and depressed at his inability to do so no matter how hard he works) while the other is his “avaricious” side (the one affected by the “magnets” said to have “disturbed his brain”).

Fool’s Gold having a magnetic pickaxe he can throw and recall, as well as dash towards, is a reference to Norton’s magnets, the ones he made after he took a chunk of the meteorite from Golden Cave after the mine collapse before managing to dig himself out.

Fool’s Gold/Hunter Norton is a version of Norton that has his greed and willingness to do anything to escape poverty turned up to the extreme. This is a version of Norton no longer in pain from black lung, a version no longer letting himself be abused by his coworkers or employers, a version where his darker side won the inner/mental conflict in Norton, which is depicted in his backstory trailer when we see him holding his head in pain and see both survivor Norton and hunter Norton at the same time (to even better show this is a conflict between survivor Norton, aka his better/good side, and his hunter version, aka his worse/bad side).

An even easier visual and proof of this conflict being part of at least normal, survivor Norton comes from Norton’s 2nd letter. The author is Norton, but he’s also talking to himself, trying to convince himself to accept the job and to kill the female he was asked to kill for the monetary reward he was offered. The fact he has to try to convince himself shows Norton needs convinced aka he hasn’t decided completely if he will go through with it or not, or at least he’s having 2nd thoughts, which again also helps to show survivor Norton and hunter Norton are different (that hunter Norton isn’t necessarily the real version, it’s a what if his darker side was magnified).

There is also the chance the eye in Golden Cave is involved in all this. The Famitsu article already suggested the magnets may be messing with his head, magnets made from the meteorite that came from Golden Cave, where the large eye is. We even see similar fiery eyes appearing as effects with hunter Norton’s S-tier Infernal Skin. I do think there’s a chance hunter Norton is a version of Norton controlled or manipulated (more than normal) by whatever the meteorite and the eye in Golden Cave is.

(I have discussed the idea of the Golden Cave eye being Cyaegha before: https://www.tumblr.com/sirenjose/731920677136924672/golden-cave-eye-cyaegha-theory-updated?source=share).

While I’m thinking about it, I do wonder if we can say Orpheus’ and Norton’s Identity Switch’s/hunter versions are different from the others. I say this as Orpheus has already been said to have multiple personalities, while for Norton he’s already been said to have 2 sides and we’ve already seen him arguing with himself in his 2nd letter. In a sense, I wonder if we can say their hunter versions are “real” in a sense, just that the ones we see in game are now actually (externally) visible and magnified more than normal.

Though speaking of the 2 of them, going back to you wondering if it could relate to the Identity Switch being someone more willing to follow the manor owner or supervising the games, we see Norton during Ashes of Memory 2 seemingly working with Norton. This is based on how Alice encountered Hunter Norton while chasing after Orpheus (the black figure she was initially chasing after), then she is knocked out by Orpheus while Alice is running from Hunter Norton, who we know is actually Norton based on his reflection in the puddles. After this, we then see Norton using the Hydra drug on Alice, with Orpheus likely nearby considering we hear him questioning if the drug is working as Norton is giving it to her. Norton is only officially announced to arrive at the manor the day after that scene takes place. The other bit making it pretty evident Norton is likely working with Orpheus is how we see Norton in the secret basement/cellar that no one besides Orpheus (and Alice now due to her investigation, but none of the other participants at least normally are shown to know anything about it) knows about, not to mention how he knows about Orpheus’ drugs that he likely wants to keep secret from everyone, especially the other normal participants, as them knowing would likely ruin his experiments.

So Norton (or the others really) I don’t think was turned into a hunter/got an Identity Switch because of a “punishment”, nor has he done anything I believe to warrant a punishment, especially with him seemingly being someone directly working with the manor owner rather than just 1 more game participant.

The hunter versions for Orpheus, Joker, and Norton seemed to have formed due to pain (especially over a long period of time) and trauma (powerful experiences). Memory is due to Orpheus’ desire to go back to when things were happy. Luchino I’m less confident about, but maybe we’ll get a better idea as we learn more about his game. It’s possible he could be because of his obsession. It could also be because someone hallucinated him that way similar to Margaretha to Joker and Alice to Norton, which is a combination of knowing or being told about the person and seeing them as more extreme than they currently/actually are likely due to fear. So far though, drugs seem to be the main cause, though not all hunters are just hallucinations (like Leo), but it’s hard to say without full confirmation by Netease how much of each hunter is hallucination and how much is real. We can make guesses, like Bane for example seems mostly real, but who knows if they might surprise us and show their real version is a bit more toned down, like they did for Joker and Luchino.

(As for the question about detention, I don’t believe it’s ever explained in detail, so I think it’s fine to imagine or explain it however you may want. My best guess is maybe it can be explained sort of like adrenaline. Kind of like how the last week before a season ends is called Final Push, I think when the last cipher machine is decoded, it’s like the “final push” to the end. For survivors, this is to escape. For hunters, it is to eliminate everyone. Survivors “borrowed time” talent, which is when they heal when the last cipher pops, has the text “To what end will the last gleam of hope lead?”, which connects with this. Hunters’ detention on the other hand has the text “What's the hurry? Stay here forever”, which I think could help back up by guess that survivors may be more “adrenaline”, while for hunters it may be more… something like bloodlust? The desire to eliminate them all before they can escape. If you want to imagine it as a loss of whatever humanity they had, even if temporary, I think that’s fine ^_^; !)

[slimey-wally]

Info post!! (FINALLY. Should have done this months ago-)

(Welcome home is created by @partycoffin!! This is fanmade! By me!)

So what is the Slime AU???

(*dramatic music*) IN THE BEGINNING, the original world that Welcome home started off as, was starting to alter into one sustaining a slime like world, due to

(Who came from a different planet) ((Too lazy to explain lol))

And so now everything is in this "slime form". But, YOU and a few other people/animals/plants were not affected by this slime goober, and THIS plays the role of how you met the welcome home cast. You, now knowing about them, teach them about specific things, lifestyles, foods, culture, whatever is not part of the slime life style, they do the vise versa to you also, which then creates a good friendship between you and them. (Which is now the present.)

What about the neighborhood?

The neighborhood in this slime AU is basically modeled the same way as the original, just somethings are slightly different, designs of the homes and environment. This also includes Home, (Which I will in the future make a template on). All you need to do in order to make a home, is to get the assistance from one of the crew members, which will be easy, so anyone can move right into their little neighborhood! They usually love visitors/new neighbors, are really welcoming and will try and help you fit in!

How do they heal?

When a crew member is injured, Doc, (Frank Frankly), is able to heal them using the same way we in real life make slime, using the same ingredients. For instance, if they were to get cut, or lose a limb, Doc would be able to re-create that limb, or patch up that cut by creating more slime to cover it/or to replace the missing limb. But this slime is very specific, for you could not just use any other slime. It needs to be the same color, same density, and have the same stretch as the original slime crew member. Here is a visual!

What happens when they eat food?

Eating food is one major way of getting energy. The second way is sun bathing (this only works for warm colored crew members, or partially warm colored crew members, which doesn't work as efficiently but still works) When someone ingests a type of food, it absorbs into energy, letting them be active. If someone ingests something that is not food, they usually, well, vomits it out I guess lol. Like if Melly were to eat a rock (which he would) his body would reject it and spit it right out. It does not cause harm to them though, so there is no way for them to get poisoned, but if they go for a very long period without energy, they will die.

Can they melt or freeze?

If they are sustained in a boiling hot environment, they will slowly start to melt into more of a watery texture, their stretchability (yes I made that up) will decrease, preventing them from morphing or traveling. (Just think of those water slimes and that's basically how it is.) This goes the same with freezing, but instead of melting, their slime texture starts to harden and become more chunkier, making it harder for them to move. (Now just think of those ugly chunky slimes and that's how that is.) This can, and is one way, that they can die, which is why they try to avoid situations that lead to those certain outcomes.

Okay, so then what the heck is morphing?

Morphing is a very common way to show affection. Its when two or more crew members/persons join together to become this blob. They will still have their conscious, but will just have the same body. And depending on what color they are, it creates a new color. For example, if a red person were to morph with a blue person, it would create a purple blob. If one of the persons is in a melting form or freezing form, they cannot morph with them, unless they go back to their normal state. This is a very complicated subject, but you get the gist of it, person + person = one big blob person.

Traveling is when someone goes into their slime form and moves around in that form. They can travel through things that are ONLY their color of slime/slimes. Another example would be if Melly wanted to travel tree by tree, he would only be able to travel in the trees that are the same color as him. If someone were to have more than one color, they would be able to travel in those colors, but wouldn't be able to travel at a speedy rate due to the combination of colors that they have. When someone is in their slime form, their accessories or clothes dissolves into their slime form. Its still there, but just not entirely visible. Here's another visual for morphing and traveling to make this less complicated:

(I simplified their appearance so its not exact!)

Please, please, PLEASE, if you have any questions PLEASE ask me so then I can attach it to this post so other people will get the answers!!! Not sure if I really like how the AU started, but, whatever, I'm too lazy to think of another one, so i'm sticking with it. Get it? Sticking to it? Yeah okay, I need to be stopped. ANYWHO,

Here is the Ref for the little guys!

Currently, I'm trying to make new references, but this is all I have right now! (I'll add more to this post in the future!)

Okay, toodles! 💫

[manofworm]

Pretty Boy

Pairing: Tech x Reader

Words: 3.5k

Prompt: *mumbled* "You look pretty." - "What?" - *panicked* "I said you look shitty" 

Summary: Left alone on the Marauder with Tech, you accidentally let slip just how pretty you think he is. Not knowing your pining is mutual, you say something completely stupid, and end up telling him how you feel in an awkward, soft, and fluffy confession.

Note: This is the first fanfic that I'm posting, and I'm really proud of it. This is a part of the Clone Fic Gift Exchange and has been written for @melliejellybellybean. Hi Mellie! I don't know if this is what you had in mind for this prompt, but I really hope you like the way this turned out. :) @cloneficgiftexchange

The brief clatter of a wrench hitting the durasteel floor of the cockpit shook you from your thoughts, eyes darting back down to the datapad nestled in your lap. The holonovel it displayed had long since been abandoned in favor of staring out the window. Hunter, Echo, Wrecker, and Omega were currently wandering around the marketplace of a nearby village. They were searching for a specific – and seemingly elusive – tool that had been lost during the scramble to leave the planet they had been on for Cid’s last job. The mission had been going exactly as planned, until the very end when Omega scampered up the Marauder’s ramp, urging Tech to prepare for a quick takeoff. Before Tech had the chance to object or ask for clarification, the sound of distant blaster fire made its way into the ship, prompting him into action. You were the first to clamor up the ramp, grabbing onto the hatch’s frame and using it as leverage to kneel just inside the ship and level your blaster at the smugglers still chasing Wrecker, Echo, and Hunter. Wrecker was next inside, being the only one strong enough to carry the crate of maker-knows-what requested by Cid’s client. You had all been assured that it was not carrying any spice, and were led to believe it would be much smaller than it actually was. If it weren’t for the danger of the mission, the view from the Marauder would have been a comical sight. Wrecker was sprinting across the barren landscape surrounding the smugglers' hideout, cradling the impressively sized crate up against his chest. He looked almost as if he were carrying a small child (or his Lula), but with none of his usual gentleness. He was clearly agitated at not being allowed to participate in the fight itself, but was flanked by Echo and Hunter, who were fighting off the group of smugglers that had followed them. Most were armed with blasters, but a few of them carried decorated staffs and pitchforks, gesturing them somewhat menacingly at Wrecker as he ran with their crate back to the ship. With the help of your cover fire, Hunter and Echo were able to make it safely back aboard the Marauder just as she left the ground. At the last moment, however, one of the smugglers leapt up and grabbed onto the edge of the retracting ramp. Wrecker, eager to at least have hit something, grabbed the nearest object and lobbed it at the smuggler’s head. Successfully dislodging them, but accidentally throwing Tech’s nice screwdriver – the one whose grip he had modified to fit into his hand perfectly – clean off the ship just as the Marauder’s hatch closed.

This led to your current situation, left alone on the Marauder with Tech and lounging in the copilot's seat. The rest of the Batch, including Omega, had left about an hour earlier to scour the local trade market of the planet for Tech’s replacement screwdriver, not without Echo giving you a conspiratorial wink. Echo was the only member of the Batch privy to your infatuation with Tech, although you had no doubt that Hunter knew and decidedly left all of the teasing to Echo. The outing shouldn't have taken very long, but knowing how easily Wrecker and Omega can get distracted, you had a few more hours before any of them came back. A low sigh made you shift your focus to Tech, who was still hunched under the console working on the navigation system despite his borderline hatred for his backup screwdriver.

Dappled sunlight streamed down from the viewport, the patterns shifting as the gentle breeze outside blew through the trees that Tech had landed behind. His intention was clearly to obstruct the Marauder from view, but the moment Tech scooted out from under the console, you were grateful for the trees for an entirely different reason. He leaned back on the base of the pilot's seat, taking off his bucket and setting it aside, leaving his face at the perfect angle for the warm glow of the sunshine to paint over his face. The patterns cast in the light adjusted with every gust of wind outside, but consistently highlighted his face in the best of ways. Your eyes trailed over the upper rim of his goggles, across the span of his elegant cheekbones, down the strong bridge of his nose, and over his prominent chin, briefly flitting to his lips before taking in the whole of his visage once again. Maker, he looked like a work of art. Unbeknownst to you, Tech had been carefully studying your apparent awe, tracking your eyes as they moved over his face, convincing himself that the way your gaze hovered over his mouth must have been a trick of the light. It was a thrilling sensation, he thought, being so intensely studied. He wondered whether this was the same look he had while studying the unique flora and fauna of new planets they visited, or whether this was something entirely different, which was why he barely registered your lips falling open before speaking so softly only the remnants of the syllables reached his ears. 

“You look so pretty.” Surely he couldn’t have heard you right. No one had ever called him pretty before, and Tech saw no reason that anyone should have, it just wasn’t a word he’d use to describe himself. You, however, he would describe as pretty. Gorgeous even. Perhaps going as far as to describe the specific smile you seemed to save for when he rambled as angelic. But him? Pretty? He had to be sure. 

“What was that?” You jolted at his response, only then registering how you had leant forwards, elbows resting on your knees to study his face closer, thinking about just how pretty Tech really was, and coming to the horrifying realization that you actually said it aloud. Quickly pulling back to sit up straight, heart racing at the thought of Tech knowing what you thought about him, you panicked, spitting out the first excuse you could think of to cover up the situation,

“I said, you look really shitty.” 

Oh. Oh no, that’s not what you meant at all. You sat there frozen. Kriff, you thought, wishing that you would have just kept your mouth shut. Nothing. All you needed to say was ‘nothing,’ and he probably would have dropped it. Now you’ve dug yourself into an even deeper hole than before, and there's no easy way out of it.

You finally gathered the courage to look down at Tech's seated form, who seemed to be processing your response, looking just to the side of your chair. Still staring at him, you could see the exact moment that Tech had fully understood what you said. The calm look that often appeared on his handsome face when you two spent time in the cockpit together dropped into something stern and analytical, but you knew him well enough to see the thinly-veiled hurt in his stunning eyes. 

“If you sincerely find my looks so displeasing then you are welcome to leave the cockpit and let me work on these repairs in peace.” Shab, this is bad. 

“Oh maker no, that’s not what I meant–”

“What exactly did you mean then?” Tech’s voice was laced with indignation as he cut you off. He tried his best to keep any lilt of hope out of his voice. But with the conviction you had, while telling him just how unsightly he was, Tech couldn’t help but believe that his hope was unfounded, as much as he wished otherwise. 

Much of this exchange had come as a surprise to him. For the better part of the last cycle, you and Tech had begun to grow closer, your relationship shifting from casual but amicable to one of close friends. Tech had found himself enjoying this development, the way you encouraged his often long-winded explanations of the interesting aspects of a planet's flora and fauna, a new system he was installing on the Marauder, or the cultural customs of the civilizations you and the Batch came upon during your travels. Even when you were around his brothers or playing Dejarik with Omega, you still encouraged him to talk and often asked questions so he knew you were listening. He noticed how your eyes lit up every time he began to tell you about the constellations and mythology of the planets you visited, so whenever the Marauder landed somewhere new, he made sure to read up on those subjects so that you two could sit on the roof of the ship after dark while he points out different constellations and tells you everything he learned about them in his rare moments of spare time. After several repetitions of that event, Tech’s brothers began to tease him about possible romantic intent on his part, which he was quick to disregard. It wasn’t until you started spending time with him during repairs that he noticed his romantic feelings toward you. He found your presence soothing, and greatly appreciated how comfortable you were, just sitting with him in silence while doing your own separate activity. He read somewhere on the holonet that this was called quality time, something that romantic partners often engaged in. Tech never brought up this fact with you, for fear of his feelings towards you being unreciprocated. Nonetheless, he found a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that the two of you were engaging in traditionally romantic and couple-like activities, even if he’d never have the courage to ask you to do these things in a properly amorous nature. 

It was for these reasons that he was so struck by the way you floundered, face flush while you attempted to answer his question. Perhaps he has been reading your relationship wrong after all. 

“In that case, I must again request that you leave me to fix the ship by myself.” By this point, you knew you were going to have to tell him the truth, even though it would mean risking your friendship. You noticed how he was much more open and comfortable around you than he used to be, and the thought of undoing that progress made your stomach sink. But there was no other way to get out of this, and dealing with Tech’s reaction to knowing how you really feel about him is galaxies better than letting him think that he’s anything less than wonderful. You took a deep breath before speaking,

“Dank ferrik. I said you’re pretty, okay?” He pulled his head back slightly as if physically taken aback by your admission, which he very well might have been. 

“You think that I’m … pretty?” The almost fragile tone of his voice hit you hard, as did the hope that shone just behind his eyes. You could hardly believe it, you’d sworn that the way you felt about him wasn’t reciprocated, that the way you adored him would always be a secret. 

Despite the looks Echo and Hunter sent you from time to time while you and Tech were sitting together quietly in the cockpit or returning from stargazing, you still couldn’t bring yourself to hope too much. But now? Maybe he felt this too.

“Kriff. Yes, Tech, I think you’re pretty.” He tilted his head to the side slightly, considering what you just said. But with the way the sunlight continued to grace his face, you couldn’t just stop there. “You’re so pretty, Tech. And I was sitting here just trying to read my book but when you came out from under the console, the sunlight hit you just right and reminded me of all of my favorite things about you. Your goggles and your eyes, your cheekbones, your handsome jaw, and the way your nose fits your face. Your dexterous hands and your smile that makes me feel like I’ve won some kind of prize every time I draw it out of you, just because I get to see it.” You inhale sharply, having practically run out of breath during your confession. There's a moment of silence in the cockpit, and you use it to take his expression in. His face is lightly flushed and his head is still tilted ever-so-slightly to the right. He doesn’t make any suggestion that he wants you to stop talking. Instead, you think there might just be a hint of expectancy in his eyes like he wants you to keep going, so you do. 

“And Maker, you’re so smart. I love listening to you talk, even if I don’t always understand what you're saying, it's worth it to see you get so excited about whatever new thing you've learned.” You’re making eye contact with him now, and a shy smile slowly crept its way onto your face as you were talking. Tech is smiling too, it's subtle but it's there, and you can’t help but feel warm inside at the knowledge that you're the very reason he's smiling. “There are so many incredible things about you, Tech. I admire your loyalty and your wit, and I see the way you care for me, your brothers, and Omega in your own way. I know they don’t always see it, but I do, and it's just another thing I love about you.” It takes you a moment to realize that he’s scooted closer, enough so that he could rest his head on your knee if he so desired, and you want him to. You want him to want to. 

Tech thinks over his next words, and looks up at you earnestly,

“I– I also find you attractive, physically and as a companion.” His smile is bigger now. Certainly not an outright grin, but it shines in his eyes and makes his cheeks push up against the bottom of his goggles. That sentence alone fills your entire body with relief and somehow makes you freeze at the same time. 

Having had enough of being so much higher up than him, you – rather awkwardly – get up out of the chair and sink to the floor next to him. You’re not quite facing him straight on but tilted just enough that you feel your stomach flip when you settle down, knee touching his. Tech continues to look at you curiously, and after a moment of pensive silence, you realize he’s waiting on you to make the next move. Taking a deep breath, you tentatively reach your hand over to him, letting it hover over where his own rests on his thigh until Tech turns his hand over and gently grabs your own. His hand is warm and slightly rough from the calluses on the ridge of his palm. The feeling of his hand in yours brings a smile to your face that you don't even attempt to hide. The position isn’t right to interlace your fingers, so instead, he lets your hand slip into his, lightly squeezing it and running his thumb briefly over your knuckles. Still smiling softly, you look at him again.

“I really like you, Tech. And not just as a friend.” It takes no small amount of confidence to say it, but as your statement hangs in the air you see Tech's eyes light up and it makes you forget why you ever hesitated to tell him how you feel. 

“Do you mean to say that you have romantic feelings toward me?” He asks this mainly as a clarification to be sure he interpreted your words correctly, but is completely caught off guard by the way you nod and eagerly squeeze his hand. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but by the way his brows furrow, you can tell that he’s not quite sure what to say. To be fair though, you didn't either. Wanting to reassure Tech, while still letting him take his time, you shift your grip on his hand so that you can hold it a little tighter and gently caress the back of it. Tech stares at the way your hands are intertwined. And although you can’t tell what he’s thinking exactly, you can tell he likes holding your hand. The two of you sit like this, knees touching and content with quietly holding hands while Tech processes what he’s thinking and feeling. You have these pensive moments with him often, but never touching like the way you are now. It makes the entire situation feel different. Not different in a bad way, but in the way that the tension between you and Tech is both electrifying and soothing, and you know you’d wait for him forever as long as you got to have a moment like this while doing it. 

Lost in thought, you don’t notice the slight shakiness in Tech’s inhale or the way his left hand grips his leg to keep from fidgeting.

“I have found myself romantically attracted to you as well. And although I did not believe these feelings were reciprocated, I am both greatly relieved and ecstatic that this is not the case.” His voice is almost uncharacteristically soft. But knowing just how much he cares about his family and you, along with the presence of the analytical lilt his voice always carries, the tone seems to fit him, however unusual it may be. You know that he’s making sure you hear how he feels about you in just his tone, and it makes you wonder how exactly you managed to find someone as amazing as him. 

You look up to find him gazing at you with admiration and awe in his eyes, and you just know those same emotions are reflected in yours. 

“Maker, Tech. You really are just gorgeous,” you sigh, not willing to break eye contact with him just yet. 

“I– thank you. I have found myself distracted by your beauty on multiple occasions, Cyare.” Tech is still surprised that you find him so attractive but thinks he might be able to get used to the praise as long as he’s allowed to shower you with it as well. You can see something shift in his eyes, barely revealing a look of questioning or perhaps nervousness. You don’t have to think deeper into why that might be, because as soon as you notice the change, Tech’s free hand comes up to gingerly cup your face. He lightly turns you to face him head-on, barely applying any pressure until you press your cheek into his palm, relaxing your gaze and just focusing on the wonderful sensation of Tech holding you.

“Forgive me if this is a bit forward, but as we have confirmed our mutual attraction, would you perhaps…” His voice trails off, clearly hesitant to ask for what he wants. In return, you reach your hand up to the one on your face and press yourself deeper into his grasp, all while giving him a reassuring smile. Tech’s breaths are slightly labored, but with your comforting reaction, he continues. “As we have confirmed our mutual attraction, would you perhaps let me kiss you?” He’s still clearly concerned about your response, but the tension in his shoulders seems to melt away when he sees the grin that spreads over your face and lights up your eyes.

“I would like nothing more, handsome.” You squeeze the hand wrapped around his, and place your right hand on his bicep. Tech lets you pull him towards you so that his face is barely an inch away from yours and shifts his hand from your cheek to your jaw as you close the gap between your mouths. Your noses just barely brush against each other and his goggles lightly press into the tops of your cheeks, but these sensations are quickly drowned out by how soft his lips are and the way they feel pressed to yours. The kiss is sweet and chaste, lingering for a few moments before you break away and rest your forehead against his. You press slow, gentle circles with your thumb into where it rests on his arm and he grips your hand tighter in return. 

You open your eyes to see him looking at you dazedly through the yellowish tint of his lenses and it makes you smile. The way the ridge of his goggles presses into your brow bone isn’t the most comfortable, but getting to be close to him like this is beyond worth it. When he sees your smile he closes his eyes and presses his face closer to yours. You do the same, relaxing against him with your foreheads resting together, holding each other close, and hands intertwined. You take a deep breath, feeling incredibly content just enjoying the moment.

The rest of the galaxy can wait. All that matters right now is you and Tech, quietly curled up in the dappled sunshine of the cockpit. And there's nowhere else either of you would rather be.

[t0bey]

sorry!! I meant the new storymode chapter for idv that came out!

ohh i see! ty for clarifying ^^ forgive me bc this is gonna be long and i have MANY thoughts

i actually really loved this episode a lot?? in terms of actual gameplay content i think i even enjoyed this more than TOR, (excluding out of game elements of the event like the animations) and considering my main gripes with episode 1 was how short it was, this ep being 50+ minutes in total definitely solved that problem i had!!

i really enjoy the pacing of everything so far, even if im kind of confused on if our choices actually impact anything? i think part of it is explained by orpheus clearly trying to manipulate what alice does in certain parts of the game like confronting frederick, but others seem like its just the option of choices getting in the way of the game's v obvious linear storytelling lol. i hope that the choices that affect relationships actually serve a purpose long-term

i was wondering how they were going to include mary in the main lore considering for years she's only really been a retelling of marie antoinette's history, but honestly? i love that they fleshed her out into her own character being mary de capet instead of just marie antoinette, and she has her own lore with the racecourse and frederick too. i loved the chase between her and alice sm, and it was interesting how it turned out that in actuality it was *frederick* that alice was hallucinating as mary

anyways mary showing up in HD and having a badass entrace was very cool

also i think everyone knew frederick was going to be taken out somehow and i like that its very open ended what happened to him so far? personally think he might've gotten killed or something after alice fainted at the racecourse, since his stuff was still in his room + Norton is very obviously his replacement at the end (him sitting in fred's chair). plus i think game participants only get replaced if they die, like what happened with servais replacing murro after he got killed by naib

I was REALLY hyped to see the secret medicine lab return from TOR!! and i like that alice used the same rat testing method detective did back then too lol. what really piqued my interest was realizing that when she starts hallucinating and runs away from fool's gold, it wouldn't make sense bc she wouldn't have met him until breakfast the next day. but then when you look at the figure who forced her to drink the drugs to knock her out, if u look close enough it's clearly Norton.

seems like he is working with orpheus at least to the degree that he knows what to do down in the lab by himself, which is interesting and explains why alice would hallucinate FG before actually being introduced to norton the next day.

also considering orpheus chloroformed alice while she was hallucinating before she woke up strapped to the chair and norton made her forget what happened, p much spells theyre working together imo?

overall i really like that this episode leaves you with just as many questions as it did answers (mainly about frederick) and im very curious how they explore melly and orpheus's ACTUAL involvement in the manor games, considering its p obvious theyre both lying to alice in the bedroom scene. have my thoughts on orpheus's actual deal w the forest ranger he mentions but this post is already long enough lol. i hope melly gets more spotlight next episode 🙏

[bellafragolina]

Can I request the diamond and pearl clans comforting banished reader

I’ve already written for Adaman and Irida comforting the reader here but I’ll include some bits from the wardens in this for you!

🍓🍓🍓

Pearl Clan:

News of your banishment reaches the wardens slowly, as they’re not within the sphere of communication. As they return to their village, however, they learn of your banishment, and how Irida is hiding you in their village. And they rush to your aid, heartbroken for the betrayal you’ve faced

Ingo brings you kits, purring bundles of fur that nuzzle into you and mew mew mew for your attention. He shows you how they like to be petted, sitting close to your side to let you not feel alone. He’s here. He’ll protect you.

Calaba knows recipes of times past, passed down to her from her ancestors. She coaxes you into helping her make them, showing you how to prep meat and vegetables and cook them with pastas and breads to create the most delicious of foods you’ve ever tasted. As you eat, she pets your hair and promises you a home in the Pearl Clan, no matter what

Palina offers hugs and kisses to soothe you. She cuddles you closer, pressing kisses to your head as she rocks and sings. Her voice carries so soothingly, that even in your despair you’re able to sleep in her warm embrace. She stays by your side at night, to make sure you’re not haunted by nightmares

Liam doesn’t know how to help like the adults, so he takes to distracting you. He bring you his entire rock collection, and teaches you about each stone. He talks and talks and talks, anything to get you to smile at him, to get your mind off of the worry of how you’re going to solve the problems weighing you down

Gaeric is of the idea that exercise solves everything. He wants to go on runs together, to do push-ups and rock climbs until you’re too tired to worry about anything. But after you asking (or Irida scolding him) he eases down. Instead, he shows off his strength to distract you, having you on his back as he does push-ups or climbs mountains.

Diamond Clan:

The Diamond Clan is horrified to hear of the slight you've received, cast out of the home you thought you knew, could trust, could be safe within. They happily accept you into their village, and the members rush to let the wardens know what happened, leading them back to you

Arezu clings to you during this time, fretting over you even if you have no injuries. She takes you on what is basically a spa day, washing your hair, cutting it, styling it, and giving you clothes and such to model for her. She wants you to have a little fun, to forget your sorrows and relax. Anything for her favorite little faller

Mai has big sister mode fully activated. She mothers you quite a bit, fraught with gentle teasing to make you laugh and smile. She makes sure you're well fed and taking care of yourself on your journey to discover what to do, and worries about you constantly

Melli is furious. He hates you (so he says), but this is outrageous! To be abandoned like that! He vents to you about how terrible Kamado is, how cruel he is to do this to you, validating all your feelings of anger about what's happened. You hug him, and he yelps, groaning as he pats your head and continues on with his ran about how the Great Melli would never do that to you

Iscan cries a bit over your banishment. He feels for you, being so scared and seemingly isolated. You get many a hug from Iscan, who clings to you as though to protect you from anything else that could hurt you. You relish his hugs, his warmth, his protection, even if there are no monsters around. He has a lovely singing voice as well, taught by Palina, and his lullabies are beautiful, lulling you to sleep with ease

Sabi weeps too, once she gets to you. She cries about knowing something bad would happen to you and not doing anything about it. To make it up to you, she's on you like a Komala, clinging to you wherever you go. She wants to play, to make you little gifts and bring you things she and Braviary find while flying around. You have to assure her she's not to blame some, but even still, she wants to comfort you however she can

🍓🍓🍓

ta-da! finished moving house and cranked this bad boy out!! enjoy!

~Renee

[the-average-melli]

Melli is the tallest twink frolicking through Hisui

When I saw Volo, I thought he would be the tall guy™ for Pokémon Legends Arceus since his height is emphasised in his concept artwork. I was sorely mistaken. There is another stinky, smelly contender for this distinguished honour of tall guy™--an underdog, if you will.

This thing twinkie is rediculously tall. He has no right to gallavant through the fields of Hisui as such a long boi. For the sake of my self-indulgent fanfictions general curiosity, I decided to guesstimate how long this boi actually was. (Was? Is? He lived in the past. He was.)

The Volussy has a canon height of 190 cm in his concept art. Thankfully, they included some kind of canon height for one of these characters. The Pokémon game designers rarely add info like exact height or age, forcing silly humans such as myself to hyperfixate at 4am on such random details.

Using generator, am gonna assume that Akari is about 135,5 cm based on where she stands compared to Volo in the concept art. My estimates are in increments of 5 because they are a very rough estimate. Pls add more canon heights in the future for characters, Pokémon

There is immaculate HD wallpaper for Pokémon Legends Arceus featuring the literal GOAT Dialga✨️, and Akari standing beside the leader of the best Clan. The wallpaper shows both characters in the foreground which makes it easier to imagine the height difference. Hurrah!

After adding them into the graph, I would venture to say Adaman is somewhere around 170,5. Not in the same league as Volo, but size doesn't matter kings!

In his stinky concept art, sMelli is announcing how amazing Adaman is and for once, he is recognising someone outside himself as amazing.

He he's screaming! Andhehasanicevoice

I adjusted Stinky sMelli's pose to better see the difference between the two. The shoulders are slightly raised because of the pose. His knees are no longer weak and his palms are no longer sweaty.

The top of Adaman's head is somewhere slightly below sMelli's stinky shoulder. Adding him into the graph with this general difference leads me to speculate that this atrociously stinky twinkie is approximately 215 cm. He is well over 200 cm no doubt, which means only Zisu of the Security Corps could possibly rival him. She is super-ultra-mega tall!

I had to make a meme in light of this fantastic revelation

I can now understand how sMelli bodied every guard posted outside the Galaxy Expedition HQ. RIP Beaureguard. He invited himself and shoved his way up the stairs to include himself. He didn't even bring any of his Pokémon with him so I like to imagine sMelli either went for the cheap shots and kicked each guard in the pokéballs, or he threw them aside. He is apparently one of the tallest characters in this game, so I would expect nothing less out of a pissy twinkie like himself.

[septiseph]

imagining sneasels (including lady sneasler's kits) liking melli because he's poison type specialist, also he fed them once & they keep coming back for more treats ever since.

he (with ingo's help) ends up adopting those sneasels, whether he likes them or not

---

Melli: they kept coming to me, I had to give them berries so they would leave me alone!!

Akari:

Ingo:

Akari: ...who's gonna tell him

---

shout out to my family who keep calling my cats my children & saying things like "take your children!", "teach your children how to behave!" everytime my cats do bad things lol kinda gave me this idea.

[volos-togepi]

PLA boys finding out you’re pregnant with their child

i love these boys and i will die on this hill

Adaman 

oh he’s so happy

a little surprised at first

but ultimately he’s so ready for this new journey with you

not like you haven’t been planning this or anything… 

and he’s sure to ask how you’re feeling

because your thoughts are more important to him

“Let’s talk about it.”

he’s so comforting

and he’s so good at helping you stay in a good headspace

compliments are a constant

and if you’re ever feeling down or uneasy, he’s there to support you 

he’s there EVERY step of the way

he works on how he presents himself as a leader

and he thinks about how this role will compliment the other

he’s so helpful at home

and he loves to cook for you

“Just relax, y/n! I’ve got it.”

you both have so many conversations about your pregnancy

and you bet that he’s been asking around for parenting advice

knowing he’s becoming a father absolutely gives him an ego boost

and you know he’ll be the best dad a kid could have

Volo

“Come again?”

he’s perplexed

scared even

he’ll force a smile to please you

but he’s DEFINITELY not ready to be a father

while he’s traveling, he’ll often think about the situation 

and mostly cons come to his mind

he’s TERRIFIED to talk to you about it

but he’ll eventually speak up

“I just don’t think I can be the father you want me to be; the father this child deserves.”

you both chat for HOURS

and you both cry about the situation you’ve found yourselves in

but one day, it hits him

HARD

he’s traveling, and he thinks about how wonderful it would be to have a daughter

someone to protect; to share his countless stories with; to bring home little trinkets or flowers and get a squeal of joy in return

not that he doesn’t already have you, but…

that switch just flips

he RUNS to your home and immediately takes you in his arms

he’ll apologize SO many times, bawling into his hands

“I want this. All of it.”

he won’t stop holding you for a moment

because he needs to let you know how much he loves you

and he has to make up for all the time he’s been away somehow

he’s eager to cook for you; to clean for you

literally whatever you need, he’s there

and he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon (if at all now)

Melli

oh he’s ecstatic 

Melli only wants the BEST for himself

so clearly, you are the best

and this baby…

“This is SO EXCITING!!!”

this gives him so much more to brag about

he’s already got a list of names written out

and it’s LONG

he talks about how much he wants this

and how much he loves you 

#1 hype man

he makes you feel so good about yourself

and you better believe he’s telling everyone how excited he is to be a father

he’s actually REALLY attentive during your pregnancy 

because he wants you to feel your best each and every day

you and Adaman both try to talk to him about how gross babies are in the beginning

because you know how easily disgusted he is

and he clearly doesn’t listen

“Blah blah blah… Babies are fun!”

he’s just wayyyy too excited

after a while, he does start to have doubts about his role as a father

and you assure him that it’s okay and that he’ll be great at it

he learns and grows so much during your pregnancy

his narcissistic qualities tone down a bit (but not too much)

he just wants to be the best he can be for your family

and he’s so eager for that next milestone to come

[waywardstation]

Okay, but with the whole magazine falling through time thing, I just imagine that they didn't just do a photoshoot with Ingo, but rather included all of the top contenders. And do you know who took the #3 spot on that poll? Emmet. This leads to a lot of confusion on Melli's part as he can't make heads or tails of it.

Add to that how Ingo isn't very physically expressive while Emmet is, I'm just imagining like... During the photoshoot, Emmet was feeling a bit miffed at having lost the second place slot to N. (He expected to lose to Ingo, but to this kid!? He wanted to win, dammit!) And so he decides to make that everyone else's problem and to make everyone seeing the poll results regret choosing N over him by busting out the charm and cranking it up to 11. Emmet can put on a good show if he wants to. He knows how to give the ladies a view that will leave them wanting more. So the photoshoot ends up being like... Ingo is stiff as a board in every shot. N is just being sweet and wholesome all around. And then Emmet is there making you feel filthy just by looking at him! It's all still very PG, but boy did Emmet want to see how far he could push that rating!

So cut to Hisui where Melli's flipping through this magazine like, "How did you rank number 1!? Why are you on this list twice!? Why are there two of you!? WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!?" Melli points to a picture of Emmet. Given that the Meiji Period and the Victorian Era were contemporaries, these pictures, for as PG as they are in the current world are proving themselves to be capable of vaporizing Melli on the spot!

In regards to this ask

GREAT POINT OP Melli gets to see everyone on the polls. There are a lot of people in this magazine…wait, did Ingo just enter the poll twice with an inverted-color uniform? Did he really think just smiling would be enough for them to think he was a different person??

the thought of all the contenders getting their own pages is super funny because they do whatever they want on it as long as it’s PG. Melli is appalled enough that Ingo won TOP SPOT. But when he flips to Ingo’s corresponding photoshoot page Ingo is just super stiff in every single photo haha.

Melli can’t believe Ingo squandered such a chance to show off because every photo is just him looking straight at the camera like the muppet he was back in gen5

(Of course all of the photos are still really well done and Melli still can’t believe Ingo, the tattered mountain man, looked like that.)

I feel like Melli would really like N’s photos cause of how nice his hair looks. He blabs to Ingo’s face that this guy is WAY BETTER than Ingo and he’s glad that N beat him in the overall polls, trying to upset him. Ingo would just agree the guy looks like he deserved it, to Melli’s frustrations.

And then Melli gets to Emmet’s Inverted Ingo’s photos. Not only does it greatly confuse him because he can’t read anything on the page and doesn’t understand how Ingo could have entered the poll twice, he can’t even begin to understand where all of this personality came from. (By the way Emmet turning it up to 11 for the photos just to spite everyone who voted N over him is super funny haha. Emmet will not get third place again next time the polls come around)

AND THE PG RATING STILL BEING SUPER SCANDALOUS FOR HISUI IS SO FUNNY

[warden-melli]

Do you think if Gamefreak actually makes a Legends Unova down the line that there’s a chance of having another Melli-type character? The reason I asked is because of Emmet being Ingo’s twin since Melli and Ingo were the wardens of the Highlands, and I think Emmet should have his own Melli-type character to parallel with his brother because, well, twins.

I mean, that would be the most obvious route they could take if they wanted to do something like that, right? But while the two are twins there’s also quite a bit of contrast between the two of them in a few areas, so if Emmet is included in a game like that it may actually be fun to see him interact with a character that’s the opposite of Melli. I’m not entirely sure if you mean personality or appearance when you say a Melli-type character, but to avoid the risk of retreading old territory having a different dynamic might be fun?

Tbh outside of them both being the wardens of the Highlands, Melli and Ingo barely interact at all in PLA, and not at all outside of plot necessity, so I’m not too sure it’s something that would be front of mind for Gamefreak, but who knows?

[lethalchiralium]

What would Halloween in the happiness household look like 🫣🫣🫣🫣

OH MY GOSH DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED

happiness series 🫶🫶🫶 some suggestive content below the cut

Missus will always coordinate Simon to match her, but the parents and the kids will never match on Halloween. Missus will dress up Mellie to be whatever Winnie wants her to be when she’s a baby, but as soon as Mellie can speak and decide what she wants, Mellie gets to pick her own costumes.

Winnie and Mellie definitely have a good relationship so Mellie ends up matching Winnie anyway, because she loves her big sister and wants to be included.

Simon has stamped a hard no on wearing his fatigues, to which Missus understands completely. He could jeopardize the family wearing it, so it’s usually him mentioning a costume casually and Missus running with it.

“Cowboys would be cool.” He would just be scrolling through his phone, looking for Halloween costumes for the girls and just say it out loud.

“We can do cowboys.”

“Up to you.”

So cue Soap’s yearly Halloween party after trick-or-treating, here comes a cowboy and his cowgirl, then a fairy princess and a dinosaur. Gaz will always grab at the chance to get some time with one of his nieces, so he snatches up the fairy princess Winnie while Price takes dinosaur Mellie. They’re both tired, Simon and Missus always never stay longer than twenty minutes because they don’t want to make the kids stay awake if they’re sleepy.

Missus was just going to grab a slice of cake when Price strolls up, gently bouncing a sleepy Mellie in a dinosaur on his shoulder, whispering, “I can take the kids tonight.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t ask that of you. They’re gonna be hyper in the morning and out of control, you don’t need to-“

“Y/N,” He said, nodding behind you, you looked over your shoulder to see your husband watching you. His gaze was one you could recognize from a mile away. You turned back to Price. “I will take the kids tonight. You take care of him.”

“You’re a good man, John Price.” You patted his shoulder, turned around and made your way through the living room to your husband. With a brown vest, button up underneath with blue jeans, he looked very handsome. It wasn’t his style at all, but damn, did it make you sweat. You waltzed your to him, he gave you a quizzical look as you reached up and plucked the cowboy hat from the crown of his head - and placed it on your own head.

“You know what they say, save a horse.”

Your husband just looked puzzled. “Wot?”

You gave Soap a wave bye as you dragged Simon out of his house, Gaz and Soap could only watch as you dragged your lovesick husband behind you.

“He’s definitely getting laid.”

“With a beaut like that, I’d want to get laid all the time- OW! PRICE!”

Price snapped at Soap, “She does a lot for you. Give her some respect.”

Gaz and Soap were right, but all you did was show Simon what the Hat rule meant. And may have been in bed for hours after showing him what it meant.

PLEASE the happiness asks are so cute please send me more i beg

[pokemenlovingmen]

hi :-) could i request melli cuddling hcs with a gn!reader pls? (if it helps - i feel like he'd be a bit more vulnerable around his partner since he canonically used to be very shy and i reckon internally he won't be completely rid of that)

Hey first Melli request!! You got it! Melli is very silly and very slay, he’s living the GNC male dream tbh

GN!Reader x Melli Cuddling Headcanons!

💙 — Firstly, we need to acknowledge the Donphan in the room: the best part of cuddling with Melli is hands-down his hair. It’s so bouncy and silky and soft, especially considering this is ancient Hisui and the resources needed to keep his hair in this condition are not easy to come by, yet Melli can maintain it anyway. You can play with it and run your hands through it, twirling it around your fingers and petting it like it’s a Pokémon’s fur. He’ll grumble and complain about how you’re being so overbearing and intrusive and your hands are so dirty and oily, you’re going to ruin his hair, but he never stops you.

💙 — Because if you know your boyfriend, you know he really loves to complain but is all bark and no bite. Honestly it’s more concerning if he’s not whining at you.

💙 — If you’re cuddling in bed he usually falls asleep facedown on your chest or stomach, giving you perfect access to that hair of his. He may or may not do it on purpose. He may or may not enjoy it when you play with his hair.

💙 — He enjoys when you include your Pokemon in on the cuddle puddle! He doesn’t get to cuddle Pokemon often. Look, Melli loves his Skuntank, but surprise surprise, Skuntank stinks. He’s not keen on doing the same.

💙 — Surprisingly for all he talks, he’s actually pretty quiet when you guys cuddle aside from interjecting occasionally. It’s cheesy, so he’d never say it aloud, but he likes listening to your heartbeat. The steady rhythm is like the ticking of time itself.

💙 — Sometimes, he’ll whisk you away to Moonview Arena for some quality time together. You question if this is actually allowed, but according to him, he’s the warden and he can do whatever. Those times are especially nice, actually. Moonview Arena seems to bring out a tenderness to him like the gentle like of the moon above.

💙 — He’ll tell you stories about when he was a young, much shyer boy, and he would come here for peace and quiet under the solace of the moonlight. It’s shockingly tender and sincere, he usually hates being vulnerable, but it seems the nostalgia of the place brings it out of him. You two sit under the tree beneath Almighty Sinnoh’s shining night sky, and the watchful gaze of Lord Electrode, wherever he may be hidden. He’ll usually rest his head on your shoulder, laughing to himself when his hair gets in your face.

💙 — When he holds you, he does so as though you are a delicate, precious treasure. Again, something he’d never say to your face, but he is truly astounded he was worthy of you. I mean—of course he was. He’s exceptional, worthy of everything and more. Yeah… it’s no surprise someone like him landed someone as flawless as you. But he thinks he’ll cherish and treasure you like you are the rarest jewel of all… just in case.