#they’re like you know living in a den of thieves

[yasminhananis]

this entire album is roy coded

it’s contagious etc etc

[thoroughlymodernminutia]

This Christmas

Pairing: Benny "Borracho" Magalon x Reader

Word Count: 4,755

Summary: Benny tries to create a Christmas Eve for you during a hard time in your life.

Warnings: Kind of fluffy, but talk of grief, guilt, parental loss. Some foul language. If I missed anything else let me know and I'll add it in.

A/N: This is the first fic I've finished in over 20+ years so...it's probably mediocre at best. A lot has changed in how fics were written in late 90s and I'm still trying to grasp that. Fair warning: I am not a good writer unless it's an email. Apologies in advance if my inability to understand sentence structure is obvious and if there are any typos.

I love stupid lifetime and hallmark Christmas movies, so there are probably hints of that in this. I chose Benny because he had like 4 lines in Den of Thieves and he seemed easy to work with. The story has some personal meaning to me, so if you hate it just keep it to yourself lol

I also want to give a shout out to @mariamariquinha @the-hinky-panda @cheesybadgers @mysoulisasunflower and @bullet-prooflove for the encouragement and kind words when I posted about my hesitation in sharing this.

----------------------

The guys are sitting in their chairs, staring at Benny like he has three heads. He’d just spent the last 20 minutes explaining why he needs their help in a few days; on Christmas Eve. He wouldn’t be embarrassing himself like some love struck fool if he had any other choice.

“This is sick, Borracho. Really sick.” Zapata shakes his head as he breaks the silence.

“Didn’t realize you were so fucking romantic.” Henderson joins in.

Big Nick slaps his hand on Benny’s back as he passes him to go back to his office, “Count me out, shithead.” 

Benny groans and hangs head. He really should have just figured out a way to do this himself. Now he’ll never hear the end of it from these miserable fucks. And calling him a “romantic;" these idiots wouldn’t know romance if it punched them in their faces. It’s not even like he’s that romantic. They’re acting like it’s a crime to be thoughtful. 

He can’t help it if being a good detective makes him more attentive, more considerate in relationships. He’s always finding himself filing away little things that you mention–or don’t mention. He has a collection of these in his mind, some even from before you started dating. And now he wants to use all these bits and pieces of information to try to create the perfect Christmas Eve for you. Christmas Eve because he knows you love it more than the actual day itself. But the guys' blank stares and biting little remarks are not inspiring confidence. Benny runs his hands over his face and rolls his chair closer to the desk.

“Forget I said anything.”

“Look at this sad, sack of shit.” Connors is laughing and throws a paper clip at Benny. “You’re going to owe us big time, you know that right?”

Benny breathes a sigh of relief. The guys are definitely going to haunt him with this for as long as he lives, but it will be worth it.

“I know.”

—-

This is Benny’s first real Christmas with you. Although he secretly counts the morning of the previous Christmas Eve when he stopped by your donut shop Glazy For You. He wasn’t working and had no reason to be in the neighborhood. But he wanted to see you without all the other guys there. If they were all there, he wouldn’t have been able to work up the nerve to ask you out. They’d harass both of you to no end. When he stood in front of your counter and asked, he’ll never forget how you laughed. You questioned him if it was a ploy for a group of cops to get free donuts. Then you were quiet for a moment and he almost started talking to fill the silence. But then he heard you say yeah okay and it was like he had been struck by lightning. You wrote your number down on a business card and handed it to him. Benny struggled to play it cool while he was leaving only to break down and text immediately from his car. He thought if he waited even one second longer you’d change your mind. 

The first date was the week between Christmas and the New Year. That week is like a brief interlude in your life where anything can happen. Benny remembers that he must have been on that night because you stared intently whenever he spoke. He also remembers how beautiful you looked when you were talking about your work. The way you lit up when talking about Maple Bars made him laugh. He’d never met someone so in love with one type of donut. He could swear at one point when you were talking about them he saw your eyes actually sparkle. There was a familiarity throughout the date that made Benny feel immediately comfortable. The first date turned into a second date, and then a third. At some point when he was loading the dishwasher at your house, he realized he had stopped counting.

You both tried to keep the relationship quiet whenever the guys had stopped by to cure their hangovers with donuts and coffee. He knows how obnoxious they can be and he didn’t want them ruining anything. Ultimately, Benny ruins it for himself when he breaks the cardinal rule of never smiling while texting. When Connors had grabbed his phone and started showing how he has your contact name as Maple Bar—he knew there was no chance of keeping you to himself anymore.

Benny was right, of course. The next time they went, they practically dragged him in while shouting “Maple Bar” at you. You laughed as your face turned red, trying to play it off, but the secret was out. After the novelty of the relationship wore off for the guys, they started calling you “Benny’s girl”. Whenever he heard, he felt like the pit of his stomach was going to drop out. Things between you and the guys stayed largely the same—you joked around with them before and you joke around with them now. The only thing that’s different is Benny feels protective of you even though he knows you’re fine. That was another thing he filed away—that you were the first woman to actually appreciate his bond with the guys. You know they have his back and that’s what’s important to you. It’s just one of the reasons Benny’s love for you grows.

—-

Near the end of the summer your dad passed away suddenly. Benny was at work, but when he got your text, he called you asking where you were. He knew your family dynamics were difficult and he didn’t want you to be alone. He thinks maybe a different sort of man would have been scared by the rawness of the situation. That it would have been too much, too soon. But Benny doesn’t scare easily, so he sat with you on the floor, in the kitchen of your closed shop. He kept you close to him while you cried and listened as you told him how you felt stupid for crying because your relationship with your dad wasn’t the best. His chest tightened when you told him you felt like you didn’t deserve to feel sad. That sadness was reserved for a relationship that had been whole. Benny anchored you to him, afraid that if he let go, you might drift away.

Benny knows you tried to hide being sad after that. You sneak off to the bathroom to cry periodically and one time he follows you. Benny knows about stuffing feelings down—it’s part of his job—but he doesn’t want you doing the same. He gets you talking, you tell him you have this guilt for not attending the funeral. You couldn’t bring yourself to be in a room with his wife of only a few years making everything about herself. Especially after she wouldn’t let you come to their house to look through his things. He didn’t judge you for making that decision; he knows what it’s like to have to make choices not knowing if you are making the right one. Still, Benny’s heart would break when you would  refer to yourself as a horrible person, a horrible daughter. He knows he wasn’t a witness to many things in your life, but he also knows you’re not a bad person. He’s seen how you always step up to help people—giving your money or your time. You even kept Connors fed while he was on leave due to an injury. You give to others what you seem unable to give to yourself and it makes Benny’s heart ache

You seem okay until Thanksgiving with his parents. It was your first time meeting his family and in Benny’s eyes, it was a success. His parents loved you right away. His mom loved the extra help in the kitchen. His sister delighted in telling you the secrets of his childhood. His dad was impressed you owned your own business. But as you both sat in the car outside the house you broke down crying. You kept apologizing while telling him how wonderful his family is; how being around them reminded you that you’d never have another holiday with your dad. You explained how Christmas was his favorite holiday. That he would spend hours stringing up lights around the house before making spritz cookies with you. You took some shallow breaths trying to calm yourself down before listing all the Christmas Eve traditions your family had. That those memories somehow always eclipse the shittier parts of your childhood. Benny held your hand while you spoke. He knows what it’s like to lose people, in his line of work it’s inevitable. But he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose a parent so he stays quiet. When Benny feels you squeeze his hand it sparks something in him. He suddenly becomes very determined to make this Christmas Eve perfect for you.

—-

When December 24th finally arrives, Benny feels as excited as he did when he was a kid. He knew you would be working which gives him time to decorate your house. The only person that backs out from helping is Big Nick—but he never actually agreed so Benny can’t really hold it against him. He puts Connors and Henderson on Christmas lights duty. Benny takes the inside, he knows the guys well enough to not trust them to go through your things. 

Benny finds all of your Christmas decorations and another string of lights in the hallways closet. When he’s grabbing a box labeled ornaments off the shelf a box, wrapped in silver and red striped paper falls to the floor. When he picks it up to place it back on the shelf he catches a glimpse of the white tag on it—To: Benny. He can’t help but smile when he closes the door. 

While he is untangling the lights, Zapata comes in with a tree. Benny looks at it and laughs. It’s so sparse and wide he can see through it. 

“It’s the only one they had.” He shrugs as he props it up against the wall. 

Benny touches one of the branches. “It is a tree, so I guess you did what I asked.”

Zapata shakes his head. “Man, this is a crazy, fucking thing you’re doing.” 

Benny smiles to himself thinking that love will make you do crazy, fucking things.

“I know.”

Zapata leaves and he can hear him shouting up to Connors and Henderson on the roof. Benny can hear them talking about him using their standard terms of endearment: dickless, crazy asshole, and idiot. Benny doesn’t care, because Benny has you. 

It only takes a handful of hours for the guys to put the lights up outside and for Benny to finish decorating inside. The tree doesn’t look as bad once he wraps some lights around it and puts your ornaments up. He’s charmed by the fact you kept all these ornaments from when you were a kid–one for every year until you turned 18. He got some frosted glass spray and tries his best to make your windows look wintery. Finally, Benny wraps your gift in some plaid wrapping paper he found. He surprises himself by the fact that it doesn’t look like complete garbage.

—-

Your car is conveniently having its brakes repaired so Benny told you he would pick you up once you closed for the evening. You’d come back to his place for dinner and a movie and then call it a night. But Benny is sending Connors to pick you up instead. Benny is going to need the extra time to do something he hasn’t done since he was a kid—make cookies.

There’s a reason why Benny hasn’t made cookies in decades. He’s lost when it comes to anything more than standard kitchen fare. Spaghetti, grilling, he can do that just fine. But baking might as well be nuclear science. He’s grateful your kitchen is 90% baking supplies, it saves him from having to fumble around a store looking for all of it.

You have so many recipe books he doesn’t know where to begin. He tries looking through them, but gives up and resorts to googling one on his phone. He thinks maybe it’s cheating to look up the recipe online, but how many variants of this could there be? Somewhere between the 1st and 10th recipe he looks at he finally notices the jump to recipe feature; saving him from the life stories of food bloggers. He settles on one that has minimal backstory, thinking that means it’s an easier.

By the time Benny is done he has what seems like 10 dozen cookies and has made a mess of your entire kitchen. He doesn’t know how he used almost every single dish you have to make one kind of cookie. He tries one of them and he can’t tell if they are supposed to taste like that or if he fucked something up. For Benny, the most pathetic part of the whole thing was that he had to call his mother. A grown, adult man Face Timing his mother because he couldn’t figure out how to work a cookie press. He didn’t realize it would be more complicated than cleaning a gun. He knows he’ll never live this down.

—-

You’re waiting outside of your shop for Benny when you see Connors’ car pull up. Your stomach tightens automatically when you see him step out of the car. Your mind goes to the worst, that something’s happened to Benny.

“Hey Murph, is everything okay?” 

“Borracho got called into work. Asked me to take you home.” 

Once you know Benny is okay your mind goes to how much you hate his nickname. It’s so totally unrepresentative of the man you know.

“Oh, he should have texted. I could have just taken an Uber or something.” 

“You can pay me if it makes you feel better.” 

You laugh as you double check the lock on your security gate. 

“I know how you drive. If you get me home in one piece, then we can discuss your fee.” 

As you get in the car you can hear Connors go on and on about how excellent of a driver he is. You roll your eyes as you put your seatbelt on. 

You’re thankful for the mostly quiet car ride to your house. Connors fills you in on why Benny had to go into work. For whatever reason he seems to be laying it on a little thick—a string of toy store robberies makes it sound like he just watched Home Alone 2. At any moment you feel like he is going to mention a woman covered in pigeons. You don’t think you’ve ever said ‘uh huh’ so much in your life. 

On the drive you see so many houses lit up with Christmas lights and decorations in yards that it starts to make you sad. Sad that you didn’t even get a tree. Sad that you won’t be able to spend your first real Christmas together, together. The Christmas Eve when he asked you out probably only counts in your mind. It still feels strange—the fact that he asked you out. From the first time he came in you developed a little crush. Initially, you didn’t know he was a cop. If you had, it might have stifled your growing crush a bit. You liked that he stood out in that pack of loud voices by not being one. The first time he spoke to you, you wondered how a man with a neck tattoo could have a voice as soft as his. And he was so handsome on that first date in his dark green flannel. You loved the gray speckled in his facial hair; it gave you the impression he was a serious kind of guy, not prone to playing games.

You sigh loud enough that Connors gives you a weird look and you try to pretend like it was yawn. You look back out to the houses and think maybe being alone tonight is better. You’ve been a real fucking downer lately and why ruin a perfectly good Christmas Eve for someone else.

—-

Connors stops at the bottom of a driveway belonging to a house that’s not yours. It looks like your house—a small, one-story, dark blue house with white trim, a small porch, and a window looking out to the street. But you know your house does not have Christmas lights. And this house masquerading as yours, is all lit up.

“This is not my house.”

“Yeah it is.” Connors points and you see Benny standing on the porch, illuminated by the lights. 

“You’re such an asshole.” You blink back the tears that are on the edge of falling. 

He laughs, “Yeah, I know.” 

You thank Connors before getting out of the car. You have a feeling he did more than just give you a ride home. When you step out of his car and close the door behind you, you stand for a moment staring at your house. You don’t think you've ever seen it look so beautiful. It looks like a painting with Benny standing there looking so beautiful too in his dark green flannel buttoned all the way to the top. 

“I knew something was up when Murph was reciting the plot to Home Alone 2 as your work emergency.” 

You give a sly smile as you walk up your porch steps. You can hear Connors’ car idling until Benny waves and he drives off.

“I knew I should’ve had Henderson pick you up.” 

You kiss Benny lightly and wrap your arms around his neck. 

“If I’d known you were breaking out the formal flannel, I would have dressed up.” 

Benny laughs as he takes one of your hands in his. He looks at you in your sugar and icing stained t-shirt and jeans. You look so pretty standing there he almost says what he’s been holding in for months, but stops himself.

“You look perfect.”

Benny squeezes your hand as he brings you into the house. 

—-

You’re overwhelmed when you see everything. You see the tree decorated with your ornaments. It’s so breathtaking, better than any tree you’ve ever seen in your life. But you know that even if it was just a branch tacked to your wall you’d feel the same way. Before you can turn around to tell Benny how much you love it, he’s next to you.

“It’s a little sparse, I know.“ 

You look at him looking at the tree.

“Benny,” you stop to choke down the sob that’s building in your throat, “it’s wonderful. This tree is perfect. It’s all perfect.” 

And everything is. The garland he’s hung around your house. The haphazard fake frostiness added to the windows. The cinnamon scented candles he’s lit all around your living room. It’s like being in a snow globe after everything has settled.

“A lot of sap in here! Looks great. A little full. A lot of sap.”

You didn’t even catch that the television was on, but when you hear it, you know exactly what it is. You turn around and see that Benny has Christmas Vacation playing. That’s the thing that finally pushes you over the edge. This movie that you watched every Christmas Eve since you can remember. The movie that perfectly encapsulates what Christmas meant to you as a kid. The sadness you’ve been feeling and now suddenly the joy you’re experiencing because of Benny finally all bubbles to the surface.

You bury your face in his neck and start to cry for everything that you know you’ll miss but also for what you have right now. His body acts as a solid mass you can lock yourself to. Benny is kissing the top of your head and you’d be embarrassed if it was anyone else witnessing this. But with Benny you know he won’t judge you. He will give you exactly what you need, even when you don’t know you need it.

You pull back and look at him. He cups your face in his hands and brushes the tears from your face with his thumb.

“I miss him, Benny.” 

“You’re allowed to miss him.” 

When Benny says it, you feel like a weight has been lifted off of you. The weight of the self-inflicted punishment for mourning something that wasn’t perfect. You take a step back from him and look around the room again. You want to remember this moment as it is.

“This means everything to me. I hope you know that.”

“I have something else. Stay here.” 

Benny can feel his heart vibrating in his chest as he goes to the kitchen to grab a plate of cookies. He holds it behind his back until he’s in front of you. When you look down at the plate he sees you smile as you grab a wreath shaped cookie off the plate.

“You made these?”

Before he can answer you, you take a bite. He can see your face changing from excitement to what can only be described as delighted horror. Benny’s chest tightens knowing he messed something up.

“Uh….what’s wrong?”

“I think you mixed up the salt and sugar measurements.”

You see Benny’s face fall and you feel so bad that you finish the cookie in your hand and grab another one.

“Don’t eat it!” 

He quickly knocks the cookie out of your hand. You grab another one and he does the same thing. He drops the plate on the floor and it’s all so magically bizarre that you start laughing and can’t stop. You try to say something but you end up in a fit of giggles that makes Benny start laughing. 

“It’s happened to me before. Don’t worry about it.” You manage to wheeze the words out as you wipe the tears–happy tears–from your eyes.

Benny gets serious for a moment, “I just wanted this whole night to be perfect.”

You step over the pile of cookies on the floor and kiss him gently on the lips. He rests his hand on your low back and sighs into you. 

You whisper against his lips, “I can’t imagine anything more perfect than what you’ve done for me.”

Benny rests his forehead against yours, “I have one more thing for you. I didn’t bake it, so don’t worry.”

You smile, “I have something for you too.” 

You break out of his hold and go to the hallway closet. Benny crouches down and gathers the cookies that dropped on the floor back onto the plate. He can’t believe he used so much salt and didn’t even notice. As he’s placing the plate on your coffee table he sees you by the tree holding the wrapped box he spotted earlier. You pick up a thin box wrapped in plaid paper. You walk over to the couch and hand Benny his gift.

“Open yours first.” Benny nods to the gift wrapped in plaid paper that you’re holding as he sits down.

Benny watches you sit down as you carefully undo the ribbon and slide your finger underneath the tape. He’s never seen someone unwrap a gift so carefully and it makes him smile.

“Oh Benny, you remembered.” 

Benny watches you run your hand over the open box containing The Polar Express book set with the silver bell and cassette tape. He remembered the time the movie came on and you complained how it could never compare to the book illustrations and the William Hurt narration. You told him that you always listened to it as a family before you got too old to think it was cool. When you said it he saw the look on your face and he did what he always does; he filed it away.

“Guess who learned about Etsy this year?” 

The face Benny makes, causes you to laugh. The thought of him making an account and searching for this is a gift in and of itself.

“I would have paid to see that.” You look back at the book, “This is the best gift. Thank you.” 

You lean across the small gap between the two of you and kiss him. It’s deeper this time and you can feel the little moan that comes out of Benny’s mouth making you smile. The scratch of his facial hair on your face is a reminder to you that even though Benny seems tough on the outside he’s the exact opposite with you.

You shift back to your seat and nod at the gift Benny is turning over in his hands. He holds it still for a moment before opening it. He takes an opposite approach in unwrapping; ripping the ribbon off, and tearing through the paper. When he opens the box he’s surprised to see a watch that looks exactly like the one he had lost while he was out working on a case. This was right around the time you two had started dating and he wasn’t even aware you had ever paid attention to it. It was a watch he had worn forever—his favorite watch. And when he couldn’t find an exact replacement, he settled on a lesser watch, a watch that never quite measured up. But this, this was it. This was his watch.

“How did you—“

“You’re not the only Etsy user around here.” 

Benny laughs as he takes off the watch he’s wearing to put this one on. You had planned on finding it for his birthday, but it took longer than expected. You can’t even remember how many places you went searching for a watch you could only describe from memory. It was a gift that you bought to hopefully express your love to him when you were afraid to say the words out loud.

Benny grabs your hand and yanks you on top of him. His arm wraps around your waist, his brown eyes looking into you, trying to determine if it’s something he should say now or if he should wait. He knows he could have—should have—said it months ago. Now, there’s something now about the way you’re cradling his face with your hands. Or how your eyes are locked on his own, that is making him loopy.

“I love you..” he stammers to correct himself, “I’ve loved you.” 

He blurts it out like a criminal breaking down and confessing a crime. You’re both still and Benny’s worried he’s made a mistake. But then you run your hand over his hair and back down to his cheek–it makes Benny twitch. You kiss the crown of his head, the side of his nose, his jaw, and then his lips. 

“I love you too, Benny.”

Benny’s skin prickles when you say his name. He shifts so he’s more upright, holding you in his lap. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He buries his face in your chest and squeezes you against him. “I love you so much.” 

You’re thinking of how Benny’s hold on you feels like you’re finally home when something catches your eye through the window.

“I think it’s snowing?”

You climb off of Benny and you both turn to look out of the window. There’s a flurry of white flakes all around your front yard. Benny sees you staring slack jawed through the window and starts to laugh.

“Come on.” He stands up from the couch and tilts his head towards the front door. 

You get up and follow him outside onto your porch. You see a layer of snow covering the grass in your yard and don’t understand how it’s snowing in Los Angeles when it’s 70 degrees out. You stick your hand out and feel the crisp flakes land and melt into your palm.

“How?” You look at Benny and he’s smiling. He points to a man in the corner of your yard with some kind of machine and you finally realize where it’s coming from.

“Compliments of Big Nick!” The man yells it across the yard.

Benny can’t believe that shithead Nick came through. He knows he’ll be paying him back for the rest of his life. But when he looks at you watching the snow like it's some kind of Christmas miracle it doesn’t matter, Benny would pay him back ten lifetimes over. He feels the sting of tears in his eyes and pulls you to him resting his head on top of yours.

“Merry Christmas, Maple Bar.”

“Merry Christmas, Benny.”

[pokemonbiologyirlthetabletop]

Rockruff & Lycanroc (#744, #745)

Rockruff (#744)

Lykanthropos familiaris (Rockruff)

Abilities:

Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, Own Tempo, Steadfast

Rockruffs are a pure rock-type dog Pokémon that average at 1’08 feet tall and weigh 20.3 Ibs. They have in impeccable sense of smell, to the point where they’re known for remembering anything they’ve smelled once.

Habitat: Rockruffs are found in Australia, but like the dingos of our world, were brought there by humanity a long time ago—estimated to be maybe 8,000-9,000 years ago. So, late enough that Tasmania split from the rest of Australia, which is why Rockruffs are not found natively in Tasmania. Unlike the dingos of our real world however, Rockruffs can even be found in the forests of Southeast Australia. But they generally prefer more arid climates.

Life Cycles: Rockruffs have fairly standard lives as a dog Pokémon. They are born between May and August (winter) to litters ranging widely from 1 to 10, but 5 being fairly standard. The pups will stay in their den for the first 3 weeks of their lives, then leave it completely with their parents at around 8 weeks old. These dens are typically under rocks or in abandoned burrows.

Rockruff pups will stay with their parents until around 10 months old, where they will then leave the pack and start their own lives. Rockruffs in particular will form small packs, often sibling packs, for a couple years until they evolve into Lycanroc. While reproduction cannot occur before reaching level 15, they also cannot reproduce until around 2 years of age.

The mating season for Rockruffs and Lycanrocs is between March and June, though individuals in tropical climates can mate at any time of the year, but litters are once per year. Once the mating rituals have completed, eggs will appear in their burrows. The gestation periods for these eggs is 60 to 70 days, and the Rockruff/Lycanroc pair will take turns defending their eggs from egg thieves during that time period.

By and large, the biggest threat to Rockruffs are territorial disputes, giant spider Pokémon, giant snake Pokémon, large bird Pokémon, and stochastic events such as falling from cliffs, wildfires, or mass floodings.  

Behavior: Rockruffs are quite friendly as pups, even making for excellent starter Pokémon for new trainers. Be aware, though, that Rockruffs become increasingly more aggressive as they get older, but to a trainer or its family it will remember the love that is there and continue to be steadfast in its loyalty. The temperament behavior change in Rockruffs can be too much for some trainers to handle, and this leads to many being abandoned by their unfit trainers.

As a show of affection, Rockruffs enjoy rubbing their rocky neck manes against the object of their affection, but this hurts! A lot!

Rockruffs hunt in packs and are very persistent predators, capable of outlasting prey much larger than themselves and wearing them down through running. To train themselves for combat and hunting, Rockruffs will run around a lot, or as humans like to call it “they have the zoomies.” This is an excellent behavior for anyone who wants an energetic Pokémon!

Diet: Rockruffs are carnivores that can eat more omnivorous diets, like rice, pizza, carrots, potato chips (you know, things we feed our dogs and probably shouldn’t) but really, you should be feeding your Rockruff a proper carnivorous diet, or at least suitable Pokémon food. In the wild they eat moderately sized animals like wallabies,  Komalas, and invasive Bunnelbies, Numels, and Mudbrays.

Conservation: Threatened (in the wild), Least Concern (Captivity)

Climate change, habitat loss, and the killing of Rockruffs and Lycanrocs (to prevent livestock deaths) are the biggest reasons that wild populations are declining. This actively includes the massive wildfires that have been decimating Australia over the past several years.

Relationship with Humans: Rockruffs are a common starter Pokémon in Australia. Though they have been introduced into predominately white (read: settler) communities of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and other parts of Tasmania, conservationists require these Rockruffs and Lycanrocs to be spayed/neutered. Unfortunately, this does not stop bad trainers from releasing their Rockruffs/Lycanrocs into the wild, where they do untold amounts of ecological damage on the local ecosystem. Conservationists and local rangers have to work hard to keep feral Rockruffs and Lycanrocs out of the wild and relocate them to more suitable habitats.

Like the dingos of our world, Rockruffs and Lycanrocs are culturally significant to many of the indigenous cultures of Australia.

Classification: The genus Lykanthropos is a believed to share a common ancestor with other dog Pokémon, but it’s uncertain where this connection falls on the family tree. The evolutionary relationship between the different dog clades continues to elude scientists.

Lycanroc (#745)

Lykanthropos lykanthropos dieslapis (Lycanroc- Midday form)

Lykanthropos lykanthropos vesperalapis (Lycanroc- Dusk form)

Lykanthropos lykanthropos noxlapis (Lycanroc- Night form)

Abilities:

Keen Eye, Sand Rush, Steadfast (Midday)

Tough Claws (Dusk)

Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, No Guard (Night)

General Information: Lycanrocs are a pure rock type species with three separate forms depending on the time of day (or, more specifically the amount of sunlight it receives) when it evolves. These three forms, its Midday, Dusk, and Night forms, all weigh the same average of 55.1 pounds, but while the Midday and Dusk forms average at 2’7 feet tall, the Night forms stands on its hind legs like a werewolf and reaches 3’7 feet in height. Importantly, only Rockruffs with Own Tempo as its ability can evolve into Dusk form Lycanroc.

Habitat: Lycanrocs are found in the same environments as Rockruffs, which is all of Australia natively.

Life Cycles: Lycanrocs have the same life cycles as Rockruffs.

Behavior: Once they evolve from a Rockruff, Lycanrocs become independent hunters… well, depending on the form. See, Night form Lycanrocs are nocturnal predators that hunt alone, Midday Lycanrocs also hunt alone and do not form packs as a measure of avoiding conflict, but Dusk form Lycanrocs will form packs with each other. Now, Dusk form Lycanrocs are the rarest of the three forms, but they’re able to find each other during the twilight hours and cooperate. Because of their cooperation, they’re able to take down prey that is significantly larger than themselves, such as Kanghaskhan. This puts them in a different ecological niche from their Midday and Night counterparts, who also have separate niches by being diurnal and nocturnal respectively.

Midday Lycanrocs are even tempered and prefer to avoid conflicts. Nighttime Lycanrocs are voracious and hard-headed who like to tackle their problems head-on, who only respect those they like. Dusk Lycanrocs are largely even tempered, but in combat or in a hunt they become quite vicious, and this dynamic shift in personality often makes them the more temperamental for trainers to work with. However, Dusk Lycanrocs can pack bond, and this is hugely important for household and trainer dynamics. In general, the only time Midday and Nighttime Lycanrocs pair up is for mating and raising Rockruffs… which can last an entire year. It’s not uncommon for some to skip mating cycles so that they have a year alone to themselves before raising another litter, especially in situations where resources are plentiful and pup survival is high.

Diet: Meat. Lycanrocs will hunt moderately sized prey like Diggersby to megafauna like Kangkaskhan. Overall, while Rockruffs eat small to medium sized prey (if they work together) Lycanrocs eat medium to mega-sized prey (if they work together).

Conservation: Threatened (in the wild), Least Concern (Captivity)

Relationship with Humans: Lycanrocs have had a long-shared history with humanity for tens of thousands of years, and it’s believed that werewolf legends derived from ancestral Lycanroc populations when they still thrived on the mainland of Eurasia. Scientists are unsure what caused Eurasian Lycanrocs to die off entirely, but many believe it may have been a combination of factors including humans, climate change, and being outcompeted by other Pokémon. These infringements simply do not exist to the same extent in Australia, where they have been living peacefully for thousands of years now alongside humanity.

Classification: Lycanroc’s three forms each have a subspecies modifier, but the base species Lykanthropos lykanthropos is what defines the genus. Dusk form Lycanrocs are ultimately more likely to mate with other Dusk form Lycanrocs, and this seems to be a case of internal speciation at work via different social patterns, though the effects are quite early in the process and interbreeding remains frequent.

~~~~~~~~

Hey guess what, if you like my stuff, this is my website where you can find other Pokémon I've written on and more information about the game that I’m slowly making! Check it out! I write books sometimes too.

[the-hinky-panda]

Day 27: Concoction

10/27: Concoction

Universe // Characters: Den of Thieves - Penny Universe // Benny “Borracho” Magalon 

You had no idea what you had just signed up for when you agreed to go to Mexico. You did know more about Benny than you let on, asking Nick about his coworkers more and more often. You were able to pick up minor details from your brother before suspicion halted your questions. The most important thing you learned is that Nick trusted him more than anyone else on the team. Of course you didn’t have the details as to why that trust had been given, but the mere fact that it was there spoke volumes. 

That was the foundation for your decision to go to Mexico with him. Everything else, the waiting for news of when the rescheduled flight would leave, the flight there, and the ride to his Uncle’s home a couple blocks from the beach, just confirmed that this has the potential to be a good experience. Being around Benny is the opposite of being around Nick. Benny is quiet, not having to constantly fill the time with words or tasteless jokes. Conversation runs smoothly, effortlessly. You’re not waiting for a blow up or walking on eggshells around certain topics. 

It’s relaxing being in his company. 

You’re trying to figure out how to keep up this friendship when you get back to California without Nick finding out and making Benny’s life miserable when he touches your arm to get your attention. 

“Watch out for Luisa, she’s the middle sister,” he warns quietly as you walk up to the front door of the house. “She’s known for mixing drinks and hiding large quantities of coconut rum in them. We call those concoctions ‘truth tellers.’  They'll knock you on your ass and then all three sisters will start asking you questions.” 

Considering some of the things Nick had pulled with you over the years, this sounds fairly innocuous. “Don’t hammer the fruity drinks. Got it.” 

“And if you want to tap out at any time, just let me know.” 

You don’t know why, but his concern touches you more than it should. You manage to give him a smile before the front door opens and chaos ensues. There must be close to thirty people in the house. Kids are playing with their newly acquired toys from the Christmas morning present opening. The smell of food hits and reminds you of just how long it’s been since you’ve eaten some real, home cooked food. The house has large, vaulted ceilings, a huge family room decorated riotously for Christmas, and every available surface in the kitchen has offers of food. 

You meet a few important players, like his mother and uncle, before food and drinks are shoved into your hands. His mother is a stately woman, nicely dressed, hair and make-up well done, and a refined elegance to her. His uncle is more boisterous, barrel chested and full of warmth and welcome. You’re surprised that they greet you with genuine interest but then realize you are being presented as his first girlfriend after a divorce. But they’re polite enough to not bombard you with questions right at the start. 

You end up finding a quiet corner in the living room at a small breakfast bar and try to just stay out of the way while eating some of the best food you’ve ever tasted. But it doesn’t take long for a brightly colored cocktail to be set down in front of you by a pretty young woman. You notice her eyes are the same shade as Benny’s, as is the twist in her smile. 

“I’m Luisa.” 

You give her your real name in return. It’ll be nice to go through a holiday without hearing “Penny” shouted every five minutes. God, you hated that nickname. “I appreciate you all welcoming me to your family gathering.” 

“Well, when Benny said that his new girlfriend had her plans canceled for Christmas,” she shrugs, “what else could we do?” 

You pick up on the undercurrent of suspicion in her tone. “You could have said no.” 

She gives you a slightly surprised look at your forwardness before a true smile creeps across her face. She pushes the drink towards you. “I like you.” 

“Thank you.” You take a sip and sure enough, there’s the coconut rum underneath fresh, sweet fruit juices. It tastes like mango and pineapple. Luisa engages in small talk until about half the drink is gone. Unfortunately for her, you’re Irish, which means you cut your teeth on whiskey in your baby bottle. Literally. But she doesn’t need to know that. 

“How long have you and Benny been going out?” 

“Not that long.” 

“How did you meet?” 

“My brother works with him at the Sheriff's office.” 

“Are you divorced?” 

“No, I’ve never been married.” 

“Kids?” 

“No.” 

“You know he’s divorced, right?” 

You nod. “Six months now, right?” 

“Seven, actually.” She pauses. “Did you know her?” 

“Never met her, no.” You think about asking Luisa about Benny’s ex but don’t want to come across as jealous or insecure. You are the new girlfriend after all. “So tell me about yourself. What do you do?” 

“Marketing. I manage the accounts of the clients on the business side. Did you not meet his ex because you were cheating with him?” 

Right for the jugular and you weren’t even finished with the drink yet. “You accusing your brother of stepping out? Because that seems like something I should know before we go further. Is he a cheater?” 

Luisa gives you a completely shocked look before breaking into a wide smile, and raising her wine glass to the other two sisters across the room. “I like her, she’s good!”  She turns back to you. “And just so you know, she stepped out on him.” 

Benny comes over to where you're sitting and leans on the back of the bar stool. “What are you doing to her? She hasn’t even been here an hour, Lu.” 

“Just telling her about the puta-” 

“Hey, hey,” he interrupts her, “what’d I say about calling her that?” 

Luisa shrugs. “Well, she was.” 

“No more talking about my ex.” 

“Alright,” Lusia says, “what did Benny get you for Christmas?” 

You can feel him tense behind you, hear the hold he has on the back of the barstool tighten. But you just reach for the chain around your neck and show her the simple circle sapphire pendant. 

Lusia nods. “Impressive, Ben.”

You flash him a smile over your shoulder. “I thought so.” 

He leans down and kisses your cheek but uses it as a cover to whisper a quick “thanks” before he’s pulled away by a group of his nephews who want to show him their new drone. The conversation between you and Luisa warms to more friendly topics so when Benny’s two other sisters join, it’s a pleasant interaction. His uncle asks you about your food preferences, pulls out a couple dishes from the oven and piles your plate up with seconds. It takes you most of the afternoon to work through that round, which was just as good as the first. When the sun starts to drop towards the horizon, everyone grabs a chair or blanket and walks the two blocks to the beach. You wonder where Benny and the kids managed to go but you see they’ve actually staked off a large section of the beach and started a bonfire. 

A large cooler with beers and cans of wine is dropped in the sand and you grab two beers before unfolding the blanket you had grabbed. As soon as you land in the soft sand, Benny joins you, picking up the second beer thankfully. 

“I’m getting too old to keep up with them.” 

“You’ve also been up for almost 48 hours,” you remind him. 

“So have you.” He leans back on his elbows. “You ready to tap out yet?” 

You look around the bonfire, everyone spread out in their groups, together but still semi-private. The warmth of the fire pairs well with the chilly sea breeze and beer. You can hear the crash of the waves in the distance, the pop and crackle of the fire, and the low murmur of happy voices. It’s quite honestly the nicest Christmas evening you’ve had in years. “No, I’m good.” 

“Okay.” 

You finish the beer and then lay down on the soft sand. The sky is clear, stars scattered across the night sky. Just when you didn’t think the evening could get even more enjoyable, Benny follows your lead and lays down next to you, your shoulders touching and entwining his fingers with yours. You know it’s for show but a part of you enjoys the feeling of having someone close, touching you. It’s been a couple years since your last relationship and you’ve missed this physicality. 

But Benny complicates the matter for you. He’s a nice guy. A really nice guy based on what you’ve gathered from the last two days spent with him. His family seems to back up your observations. His sisters didn’t say one negative thing about him. If anything, they made it sound like he was the ultimate protector of the family. His uncle smiled whenever he said Benny’s name, smiled large enough that the corner of his eyes crinkled and a dimple appeared in his cheek. His nephews adored him given they were still climbing on him after three hours of playing on the beach. 

There’s a part of you that wishes this isn’t a scam and you’re not quite sure what to do with that realization.

[angstyavocado]

Updated table of contents for my Nanowrimo project, the backstory for my DND campaign 2 barbarian. Each chapter has the title of a song from her playlist, and I just added the most relevant lyrics from each one as a quote. I wish this indicated these are completed chapters, but hey, this was a fun exercise.

CHAPTER ONE: Second Child, Restless Child

“I was born the second child,

With a spirit running wild, running free[...]

You’ve got to go on further than you’ve ever gone,

You’ve got to run far from all you’ve ever known.”

CHAPTER TWO: The Fine Print

“You should have read the fine print, my friend.

Here, just fill out the paperwork and you can look around.

We work to earn the right to work to earn the right to buy ourselves the right to live to earn the right to die.”

CHAPTER THREE: Spent Gladiator 1

“Do every stupid thing that makes you feel alive

Do every stupid thing to try to drive the dark away.”

CHAPTER FOUR: Chemical Worker’s Song

“They’ll time your every breath

And every day you’re in this place

You’re two days nearer death.”

CHAPTER FIVE: Machine

“I’ve been wondering when you’re gonna see I’m not for sale,

When you’re gonna see I’m not part of your machine.

Fill my cup with endless ambition

And paint this town with my very own vision.”

CHAPTER SIX: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

“There's a room where the light won't find you

Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down

When they do I'll be right behind you

Everybody wants to rule the world.”

CHAPTER SEVEN: Eight

“I was just a kid who grew up strong enough to pick this armor up

And suddenly it fit.

I want to break these bones ‘til they’re better

I want to break them right and feel alive

You were wrong, you were wrong, you were wrong–

My healing needed more than time.”

CHAPTER EIGHT: Feed the Machine

“Hey, you, poison the well,

Watch it all burn, take them straight to hell.”

CHAPTER NINE: Steal Smoked Fish

“The joys that the lesser days bring

Make you throw back your heads and sing

Feels so good to have you here

Some of you will be dead next year

God bless all petty thieves with tins of oysters up their sleeves

Feast when you can and dream when there’s nothing to feast on.”

CHAPTER TEN: Go Get Your Gun

“Imposing penance one by one, you’ve got a virtue in a vice [...]

When this is over, then we’ll raise a glass straight up to the sun

With our one foot in the grave while the other one’s kicking its way right down to hell.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Black Sheep

“I should've known one day you would betray my trust

I’ll tell you now, I never liked you all that much

You’ve always been and you will always be

Nothing more than a memory

And nothing at all to me.”

CHAPTER TWELVE: Daniel in the Den

“You thought the lions were bad,

Well, they tried to kill my brothers

And felled in the night by the ones you think you love

They will come for you.

Go, go, go, go, go, go.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Training Montage

“I’m doing this for revenge

I’m doing this to try and stay true

I’m doing this for the ones we had to leave behind

I’m doing this for you.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Werewolf Gimmick

“Empty out the locker room, let me find my space

Let him who thinks he knows no fear look well upon my face.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Getting into Knives

“Loaded up my toolkit with every hateful instrument

Now here we are thirty years later

Met up with some guys who wouldn’t tell me their last names

They specialize in non-conventional munitions

You can’t give me back what you’ve taken

But you can give me something that’s almost as good.

I’m getting into knives.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Abandon Ship

“Everything you thought you knew

Like no one being there for you

Just trust me that it isn’t true

This is our ship, and we’re your crew

Abandon everything you know

Sail with us

And we’ll show you what it means to be alive.

The best is yet to come.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Riverboat Shanty

“I’m standing guard, I’m falling apart

And all I want is to trust you [...]

Here’s a map, here’s a shovel, here’s my Achilles heel

I’m all in, palms out

I’m at your mercy now and I’m ready to begin

I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in.”

“The river knows my sorrows and it flows to safer shores

On the water I’m nobody’s daughter anymore

And there’s no room for baggage we cannot trade for goods

So let the river flow fast as it can go

Oarsmen row the boat, I’m not going home

Let the river flow now.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back

“We can live forever if you’ve got the time

You’re the broken glass in the morning light

Be a burning star if it take all night

So just save yourself and I’ll hold them back tonight.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Oh the Places You’ll Go

“I can’t promise you’ll be safe. I can’t promise you won’t lose your way.

But I promise you now, you’ll get through it somehow

And you'll laugh about today

You’ll know how I love you so, and find a way to stay strong.

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide

With your heart in your hand and your sword at your side

Oh the mountains you’ll move, oh the tears you’ll cry

Oh the places you'll go, little love of mine."

CHAPTER TWENTY: Red

“Close this wound, alight my bones;

I’m going away for a long time.”

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP  meme from Werewolf: The Apocalypse "Black Furies" Tribebook (Revised Version) Ch 2 "Pegasus’ Flight"

"But how can you be here?"

"I’m sorry. I’m easily sidetracked. Where was I?"

"Every day the possibility exists that you will find some great treasure — a companion, a fetish, riches, secrets or whatever is important to you."

"Divine justice is not something that can be safely left in the hands of mortal men and women — or even certain sky goddesses, as Athena’s blindness showed."

"While limits and strictures are frightening to many, I take peace knowing that purposes exist for all things."

"The problem comes when limits become absolute."

"It’s a human mind-twister — and I love mind-twisters — that the only rule to which there is no exception is that there’s an exception to every rule."

"I said before I love mind-twisters, but it’s good to know when to stop twisting your mind."

"Change hurts."

"The questions do not always need to be answered, often just asking them is enough."

"If they lead only to more questions or to simple answers (I remember well learning the answer to “What do bees smell like?”), then that also is learning and therefore good."

"Laughter doesn’t have to be mirthful; it can be bitter or rueful as well."

"How many of these stories actually happened?"

"Take from a story the wisdom that is in it; one of humanity’s biggest problems, I think, is that many of them take their legends too seriously."

"Contemplation is good, but too much of it causes the topic to become irrelevant."

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

"The average first-time mother can expect an ordeal of fourteen hours."

"Everyone agrees that breast milk is best for babies; doctors, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and parenting gurus."

"I am sorry for your discomfort, but you can just suffer through it a bit longer."

"A woman’s sexuality is hers, and can be a closely guarded secret or a gift to the world, as she chooses."

"Only the weak deserve pity."

"And yet we’re still spit on as often as not. Unfair, isn’t it?"

"Sex and childbearing is all about responsibility."

"There is no honor in blood for blood’s sake."

"These assaults take place far from the eyes of humanity, and the large-scale ones are most frequently mistaken for natural disasters."

"First, while faith might be eternal, religion must evolve."

"The world is often random, and believing it to be loving and fair is just as false as believing it to be cruel."

"They aren’t thieves, mind you; they just seem to know where to find things."

"I’m quite sure you’ve heard it all. Stay awake and listen again. This is important stuff, you know."

"That kind of cruelty doesn’t really help anyone, does it?"

"Note that there’s a big difference between “breeding” and “having sex.”

"My opinion has always been that announcing one’s presence and intentions when entering another’s territory is polite and proper behavior."

"A predator sees any encroachment on her territory as a threat. If the intruder nears her den, expect her to become very violent."

"If you enter another’s territory and announce yourself, that doesn’t mean you can stay. The one who lives there can still tell you to leave, and you should respect her wishes."

"Be careful when traveling."

"Look, we’ve all got anger control problems. It’s part of who we are."

"If you’re hurt, quit."

"Die to be a hero if you want, but don’t die to prove you were right."

"When the challenge is over, when the winner is declared, accept the ruling and live with it."

"Challenges are serious business — never initiate one without good cause."

"Do not look away. I hardly need to explain what that will lead to."

"We all know why it isn’t good to eat humans; for one thing, their flesh is fouled by the chemicals they eat, and for another, we’re meant to protect and avenge them, not prey upon them."

"If it becomes necessary to kill humans, do so, but remember that you are what you eat."

"From the face you’re making, I can assume you find the notion of cannibalism to be truly repulsive."

"Find other ways to hide your action."

"The problem is that humans are resilient and tenacious, especially in fear or hatred."

"Sometimes, however, we must let go."

"When the time comes for me to die, assuming, of course, that I do not die in battle, I shall walk into the sea and let the waves take me on my last journey."

"They can’t be challenged if no one can find them."

"I’m not saying that the system is corrupt, only that it could be."

"Such a small place, yet so many differing cultures!"

"Any biologist will tell you that you may measure how well an area thrives by the diversity of life it supports."

"Women are, on average, not as physically strong as men. This means that they sometimes need protection. I hardly need to tell you who should provide it."

"Unless I missed a major theological event, there haven’t been any immaculate conceptions recently."

"No matter your personal feelings on men, they are and always have been one half of the equation."

"A man is not evil simply by dint of his sex; to believe so is no better than calling women “the weaker sex.”

"Weak people produce more weak people, and since humans have virtually no method of natural selection, it is up to us to try to correct their weaknesses as best we can."

"Something is urging the citizens towards these evils, for I cannot believe that they did this themselves."

"The idiot humans continue to think that if they could just clear away the trees, they’d have wonderful land for agriculture, never once realizing that it’s the forest itself that preserves the land."

"Tell me why you think you could do better."

"So many believe the courts will do nothing — and if their attackers are rich and privileged enough, that is sadly true."

"Celebrities and advertisements show thin and unhealthy looking women being adored and generally enjoying life. So, young girls are made to feel abnormal and loathe their bodies."

"The Church decries sexuality for any reason but procreation — and women learn to fear their sexual power."

"Time may dull the memory, but we still have blood on our claws."

"It’s harsh, but good exercise."

"Don’t let their foul behavior and mannerisms fool you. These bumpkins and slum-dwellers have contacts all over the city. I avoid them when possible, but when I am left with no other choice and need information in the city, I go to them. Of course, that information does not come cheaply."

"Some of them can get a little corny at times, I admit, but I’d rather have them with us than against us."

"A more serious bunch of assholes was never born."

"They are reprehensible dogs."

"They have money, they have places to stay, they know good places to party, and they have access to guns, and explosives, and body armor, and — well, you get the idea."

"They have a lot of hate, and the near-extinction of their species isn’t something that one just gets over."

"No one ever identifies herself as “evil.”

"You will get far more than you bargained for."

"Most national leaders are ridiculed without mercy, because every mistake they’ve ever made is on display for the world to see."

"Too much time spent mucking with forces beyond their control taints these people, if you ask me."

"Bloody opportunists."

"I’m not going to say they planned it that way, but they sure didn’t stop it either."

"Sure, they got fucked, but they’re still assholes."

"A quaint story, I thought, no more than a sort of urban legend."

"However, they do learn many secrets that we miss. Getting them to give up these secrets, however, is usually more trouble than it’s worth."

"Maybe they aren’t all dead?"

"Greek myths are replete with dragons; Ladon, Typhon, Python, Hydra, and so forth. They are never cast in favorable roles; most of them only exist for a hero to kill."

"I’ve never liked practical jokes, and I don’t like the notion of pushing someone’s buttons just to teach them not to respond. You can lose your head doing that to the wrong person."

"Other creatures share the unseen world with us, and it would behoove you to know something about them."

"The spirits of the dead do not always rest easily."

"The dead aren’t staying in the ground."

"Some of them are complete pigs, so I’m told, but even so, they can be quite seductive."

[setsuntamew]

So, Persona 5 Royal, huh?

Full disclosure: I had gotten about halfway through November on Wednesday and finished it out Saturday night, which took uhhh about 65-70 hours? Some of that was sitting there waiting for the PS4 controller to recharge or listening to music in the Thieves Den while eating, but I still feel like I need to own up to how extremely bad I am at making good decisions with my life XD

MOVING ON, THOUGH, HOLY SHIT. P5 was a very good game, but Royal’s additions & changes made it incredible. I like the ending way more; I think it’s more emotionally fulfilling and meaningful, especially with everyone’s more defined future plans. Definitely felt like everyone had more growth in the end!! Which is something I’d always thought P5 was lacking.

Snip snip for spoilers and the fact that this post ended up being too damn long, oops! the last third is basically Akechi feels and analyzing his ending, so......yeah XD

Part of why I plowed through SO much of Royal in so little time is....Akechi XD Like okay, this is my stupid fandom blog, I can be excited about him all I want!!! I got to Sae’s Palace and just....I couldn’t put it down. @dragonofeternal​ and I ordered an embarrassing amount of takeout instead of cooking because we just had to see how everything with Maruki and the third semester was gonna go down. I’d already been dying along the way because Akechi’s confidant dates are so good, I just. Fuck!!!

Also, look, for the entirity of Shido’s boss fight and the depths of Mementos/Yaldabaoth/etc, we’d look at each other every few minutes and just be like AKECHI SHOULD BE HERE WITH US, HE DESERVES TO GET HIS VENGEANCE ON HIS SHITTY DAD AND FORCED DESTINY!!!!!

December 24th had to be the longest god damn day in Akira’s life because like. Final exam grades are posted in the morning! He goes to school and then dives into hell, crawls his way back out, briefly dies by fading from human cognition, fights an actual fucking god, and then....ends up dissociating in Shibuya until Sae shows up and is like “oh hey thanks for everything you did, please sign up for being arrested now.” And while he’s still reeling from that, Akechi walks up to take his place, like some kind of bullshit knight in shining armor schtick, and leaves no room for conversation.

AND THEN WE HAVE TO GO ON A DATE

I romanced Hifumi this time around, because I wanted Akria to bang a girl who is just so incredibly out of his league, but....it’s not necessarily that I forgot I was dating someone, more that it had been *so many hours of plot* that I was emotionally exhausted. Like, Hifumi texted me and I was just like. Right. RIGHT. It’s still Christmas Eve, somehow. I was at *school* this morning. The whole world merged with Mementos briefly in the middle of this, Akechi is somehow alive, and I guess I’m going on a date now????

I do appreciate how many “god I’m just dissociating my way through this” conversation options there were for the date, tbh. I feel bad though, I really like Hifumi, but I feel like Akira is not giving a date his full emotional attention at that specific time. It feels a bit like emotional whiplash, more so than I remember it being in P5? Maybe it’s because I played it 4 years ago and there wasn’t the added emotional weight of Akechi’s reappearance, but it was just like....a lot, in Royal.

AND THEN THE NEW YEAR HAPPENED. I’d been spoiled on large parts of the third semester, mostly because Royal’s been out for a year already and I’m too curious for my own good. I’d also somehow lied to myself, saying I didn’t have time to play another Persona game right now, and yet here I am, 171 hours of game play within exactly a month, kicking myself for not knowing how deep in Persona hell I would get XD

Which is to say, as soon as the new year started, it felt I was drowning in anxiety. I knew something was wrong, I knew they were in a false reality, but knowing that sure as fuck didn’t make it easier to go through. If anything, it was somehow worse, knowing that it was all gonna come crumbling down, but I didn’t yet know the exact details, only the broad strokes of it. Just. Every time someone talked about something that was wrong, my heart would clench.

God, I’m so fucking tired, I pulled an all-nighter on Friday so I could get through Royal before having to work on Sunday, and I am feeling it right now. Life tips: don’t do what I do XD

Every moment with Akechi felt like borrowed time, at least for me, because I knew what was coming. I spent so much time in Mementos with him; I ended up putting just him and Akira in my party and plowing through everything, including trouncing the Reaper over and over just for the hell of it. I got his ultimate weapons, I spent so many nights in the jazz club with him that he ran out of dialogue options, and I still took him back for more. I accidentally failed to EVER trigger Sumire’s Showtime because every fight was just Akira and Akechi against the world, because fuck it, I’m playing this for fun!! If I want to play with them in stupid costumes and no one else in the party, I’m gonna. Royal did such an incredible job giving Akechi more depth and development: it was all I could hope for, and it made it that much fucking worse to know what was in store for him.

Somehow, I thought it would be harder for me to make the decision to refuse Maruki’s deal, since fuck, fuck what I wouldn’t give for Akechi to be alive???? But I barely hesitated, only really stopping because I had to emotionally brace myself for it, because a reality where he can’t carve out his own fate would be a disrespect to everything their relationship is built on.

I have a whole shit ton of feelings about post-beating Maruki but they’re basically all Akechi related meta so somehow they ended up at the end of this post, I’m sorry XD

I understand that they had to keep the going to jail bit because 1) Akechi didn’t turn himself in, Akira did and 2) it leads to the final events of the game, but let me just say....the emotional roller coaster of fighting Maruki, almost failing multiple times, waking up in jail, the Phantom Thieves & friends getting Akira out of jail, celebrating that, and then getting thrown into Valentines Day was a LOT for my heart to take. Once again, didn’t forget I had a girlfriend, just got too invested in the plot to really be thinking about her. It’s less than two weeks after the fight with Maruki and somehow, everything is supposed to be okay????

The scene with everyone talking about their future plans is such good character growth, though. Everyone feels like they’ve truly grown and are making decisions that, even though they might be painful or hard at times, are ultimately very important to them. It’s a really good contrast to the “almost everyone goes to Shujin and they all stay in Tokyo forever without doing anything for themselves” Maruki’s perfect reality bad end.

Standing in the Underground Mall on White Day, being told I had to get flowers but finally being able to have control of Akira again was....so bittersweet. The fact that the location of the date is the aquarium is a low fucking blow, and I almost threw the controller across the room I was so upset. Like. THE AQUARIUM IS UNLOCKED BECAUSE AKECHI HAS TICKETS HOW FUCKING DARE SOJIRO SUGGEST IT LIKE MY HEART ISN’T STILL ACHING????? God, speaking of that: The fucking god damn Featherman video game tore my heart out because I ended up playing it WHILE WORKING ON SHIDO’S PALACE and I cried a ton about Gray Pigeon because of course they had to dig the emotional knife in even deeper!! Just fuck me up, it’s fine, I’m just dying!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ended up scrolling through his texts to find the group chats that still had Akechi in them, and fuck, it was a LOT. Like. Maybe it’s because I’m too invested in the two of them, but it was probably the worst emotional whiplash of the whole game. Like, how am I supposed to go play happy with anyone while staring at texts from a reality built of lies? It wasn’t real but the proof lives on in his phone and his heart, and I’m still fucked up over it.

HOWEVER. FUCKING. I SPENT LIKE HALF AN HOUR BEING EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED ABOUT ALL THIS AND THEN DISCOVERED THE BASTARD STILL HAD ALL HIS EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING THE ULTIMATE MALE ARMOR!!! He returned his shit after Sae’s Palace even though he thought Akira was dead, but this time it didn’t get fucking returned to my inventory, so he must have fucking run off with all his shit!!!!!!! Why the hell did none of it get returned if he was never alive in the true reality? Like I know it'll be returned for a new game+ but I like to nitpick game mechanics for story reasons, because one of the things I love most about video games is the experience of them as another layer to the story. The texts from the third semester shouldn’t exist anymore, since they never really existed, but there they are. Akechi insisted that he has a gap in his memory after Shido’s Palace up until seeing Akira on Christmas Eve, but who can say that wasn’t related to Maruki tampering with reality or some other Persona-related reason?

I mean. I got the full and complete True Ending; I saw him in the train station. If that’s not Akechi, then who the fuck is it? Atlus made sure to put the work in to make him a part of not just the main story but also, especially, the third semester, and for what....to have his final time on screen be as the butt of the joke, squished underneath everyone in the Mona-copter? As much as it hurts, his end in Shido’s Palace matters; it fits his character and he gets to go out fighting- carving his own path, really. In Royal, barring the tiny glimpse of someone who’s probably him in the train station, the last we see of him is when he watches Joker let go of the rope to finish off Maruki. I know we got the heart to heart where Akira agrees to reject Maruki’s deal and Akechi insists that he’d rather be dead than live in a false reality, but.....no one even says goodbye to him. It’s tragic, it’s painfully lonely, but it doesn’t feel right for such a major character.

Also, as undignified as it is, for the first time ever, Akechi looks like he actually belongs in the Phantom Thieves in that final moment. He’s never been the butt of their jokes before; they always kept him at arms’ reach and he took himself too seriously to be included, but for that brief moment, it really felt like he was part of their group. He stopped lying about himself for their last month together, and so even if they don’t all like him, they can make that decision based on the truth, instead of layers of lies. His death is all the more tragic for this; a life cut short just when he’s finally finding a place he belongs. But his death was already painful; why make it so, so much worse?

Final thing: I’m gonna be spending a ton of time in the Thieves Den trying to find Akechi’s opinions on everything, but also....hey. HEY. What do those six stars that Jose (probably?) painted on the wall mean? Is it just a reference to Persona 6???? LIKE????? I HAVE QUESTIONS. SO, SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!

Anyway, I’ve gotta go cry into my Starbucks and desperately try to focus on actually doing my job at work, but I loved Royal deeply and cannot wait to drown in it ;w;

[fe-semi-decent-scenarios]

Could you write an imagine/head cannons for claude, felix, linhardt, and ashe where their s/o disappears leaving only a note? Then at some point they return out of nowhere. Thank you so much!

{I want to keep these stagnant and close to cannon(also easy for me to write). So i’m making it as if reader disappears with just a note for the 5yr gap and then they come back for the reunion. Is that okay? I hope it is. If not feel free to submit something more specific for a one-shot}

Claude:

Claude. For the past week I have tried to put my feelings onto paper, but I can’t. All I can say is that I am sorry. To stay here and sit around waiting for politicians to decide my next action...it isn’t wise. It seems our plans for the future have taken a detour haha. Always know that I am with you; that I will be rooting for you no matter where we end up after all of this. I know you can make those dreams of yours a reality. I believe in you. -(Y/N)

  The parchment had lain flat on his desk on top of many other documents. He had almost missed it if not for the familiar handwriting 

 For a moment Claude just sits there. In the chaos of recent events he hadn’t much time to check in with his friends or peers. After the Empire took the monastery, he was forced back to Alliance territory. His people needed him more than ever before. 

He knew that his classmates wouldn’t stick around much longer either. The nobility? Sure, they had to. But people like Raphael or Ignatz were most likely to pursue their own route 

 You weren’t excluded from those thoughts. While not at the top of the list, Claude had suspected that you might leave as well. It was the timing that caught him off guard 

Why not wait and talk it out together? He admits that not every problem is for you both to share, but this? This was personal just as much political.

He never could out-wit you. Even at simple tasks it was like you were always one step ahead. Hard to read, but still honest. He already misses the challenge. 

He will hide the note somewhere in his personal quarters. Where? Who knows. Most likely somewhere no one would ever think to look. 

What’s done is done. Claude won’t try to track you down or let his emotions over cumber him. He understands that while you two were ‘together,’ life has taken a turn for the worst. He believes that you can make your own decisions and turns his attention to fight against invasion

It’s five years later. More of his friends had faded out of the picture and he’s become a symbol of the Alliance. Occasionally word of your whereabouts had popped up in his ranks alongside the regular reports. The same was with all his other friends who had gone to down their own path. For Claude, knowing that you were safe was enough 

Until you appeared at the thieves’ den. Despite how all his deer were ecstatic about seeing each other, all he could think of was the note back in his room 

“I see time has brought us together again my friend. I hope this meeting isn’t purely from luck, we could really use you right about now” 

 Everyone knows that you both were together. Maybe it wasn’t public knowledge, but your quips and flirty jests never went unnoticed. It was obvious he wanted to speak with you alone 

And you do. Claude is understanding and doesn’t question what you’ve been doing while away. All he wants to know is why you didn’t say goodbye in person, and if you were there to stay. That’s it.

He needs his right hand. If you’re there, and with the professor at his side, Claude might just hope to see a happier world. He’s so tired of looking back on the past, and wants to work towards bettering the future.

Felix:

Felix. I can’t stick around twiddling my fingers while Fodlan falls to ruin.You may hate me for this, but I’m prepared for that.We both know your wrath isn’t the worst I’ve seen. Seriously Felix. Be good and don’t kill our friends while I’m away. Stay safe and please refrain from doing anything reckless. You better not roll your eyes at this either, I’ll know...I love you. Take care. -(Y/N)

Ingrid delivered the letter after he was released from guard duty. For a time after the battle Felix joined up with what was left of the Fargeus forces and planned on knocking some sense into their beast of a leader. There was still time to fight back and he’d be damned if they wouldn’t take it. You had joined him eagerly. If anything he expected you to cling annoyingly to his side, just as you always had. He wanted it, really. 

 He won’t say it but the state of the country had shaken him some. He knew that there was a fight awaiting, and knowing that you’d be there gave him extra motivation to press on. 

So the sight of your special seal on the envelope made him smirk. He assumed that sending a letter was your way of butting into his feelings, just like you always did. Ingrid even handed it off with a smile. 

He wasn’t expecting a goodbye 

 How...how dare you spring this on him? Leaving in the middle of a war?With that boar on the loose. When you’re needed the most?! All because you were impatient?! 

 “That idiot! What do they think they’re do- When did you get this? Do not test me right now Ingrid, I need to hurry” 

He crumples up the letter in his fist and marches off to find you. He searches the entire compound/camp until he’s forced to give up. There was enough trouble already and he was wasting time.

 Needless to say that he’s furious. So much that he rips the note to pieces and tosses it into the fire. It was in the moment...and he regrets it. Those could have been your last words.

Felix blames you for many things beyond that day. Deep down he knows that Fargeus’ loss isn’t your fault, that Dimitri wouldn’t have died if you stayed, that his old man would be just as burdened...

yet he can’t help but use you as a scapegoat. It’s easy for him to hate you when you’re not there to correct him. It’s easy to despise someone who can’t fight back, or is dead. 

Over time the hurt fades to a light burn in his chest, haunting him at night or in his darkest moments. It will appear like a punch in the gut, and linger like the sting of a paper cut. All that pain tied to your name. 

 When he sees Dimitri alive with the professor, Felix is stunned. There might be a chance at regaining his home. Then he scans the group over.

 When he sees you, the pain flares up worse than any blade from the prior battle. Instantly he barrels through the other lions seething with anger and ready to give you hell.

Only to stop when you look his way. With harsh breaths, brows drawn in,and fingernails digging themselves into his palms; he just stands there trembling with raw hatred. No. Not hatred...there’s so much more going on. 

 He watches your lips move yet doesn’t hear any of it. He wants to blame you for everything, but can’t. 

and so he doesn’t. He turns away and stomps off to greet his old professor, and leaves the others to fill you in on the situation It works, and for some time you two don’t speak. He lets the feelings of betrayal fester until one night he forces his way into your room.

“You. Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through. What kind of stupid thoughts were you thinking?! A note? Did you seriously think a note would be enough?” 

Ashe:

Ashe. Before I say anything more, please don’t freak out! I know it looks like i’m going awol but I have to do this. I’m not abandoning you, or our friends, or our home; I can’t explain much but know that this is what’s best at least what I hope is best. I love you so, so much. Just trust me on this. It wasn’t an easy choice and you have every right to be upset with me. Heck, even i’m upset with myself for leaving like this. I wish I could take you with me, but you have a role to follow here. Go be the best dang knight I know you’re capable of being. May the goddess keep you safe and sound my love. -(Y/N)

Love letters weren’t your thing. He was always the hopeless romantic and you’d never do something so “sappy”. The letter lain on his cot scared him, but he still opened it. 

He doesn’t know how to feel. Ashe thought that the situation couldn’t become worse, that Fodlan had already been drained of all peace. His home was gone,his father dead, his family’s situation unknown, country in ruins, and the loss of the professor was the topper on the cake. Somehow through it all he still continued to look forward, because he had to. If he gave up, then what? What would he do? 

He had dreams. To become a knight, live out his days serving the people, care for his siblings...and recently a new one tallied onto that list. On nights that his books didn’t put him to sleep he would dream of a family. One of his own, with you. It gave him a goal to look towards when he felt displaced among his peers. 

 He cries after finishing the letter. Ashe doesn’t bother holding anything back as he clutches the note to his forehead to cover his face. Through blurred vision he watches tears smear the ink and panics. He sets it aside on his pillow to protect what’s still in tact. 

“Why? I would have understood. We could have gone together...”

 Which is exactly why you left a note. Ashe knows that you hate to see him upset. After Lanato you would seldom go a day without checking on him...you wouldn’t be able to say no to bringing him. 

Ashe could never convince himself to hate you, and would tell off anyone who even thought of calling you a traitor. To be a knight now had a new meaning to him, it was more than the armor and title . When Fargeus fell he took the future into his own hands and left to join whatever resistance remained. He worked to help those in need, and not once did a day go by where he didn’t think of you. 

Even through all the chaos Ashe worries about the people he cares about. As a student he would think of his siblings, and now he thought of you. 

The hardest part was adapting to being alone...and keeping faith. It’s difficult to convince yourself that everything is okay when it isn’t

There’s a reason Ashe doesn’t frequently talk of his actions amidst those five years. He has done things he is not proud of, and experienced sensations he wouldn’t wish on anyone 

He approached the monestary with little hope of anyone else showing. Only when Gilbert appeared did Ashe become lively. When he saw his highness’ with the professor he was ecstatic...then you appeared 

  and he felt his heart shatter. The arrows knocked themselves as he pushed through to your position on the field. He becomes a bit too overtaken from adrenaline 

“(Y/N)! Y-you’re...you’re alive! Where have you been?!” *que almost being beheaded by an axe*   “ O-oh! Right. Not the time, let’s finish this!”

 Once settled in the monestary again you can find him in his room, looking over the old letter. He’ll wave it in your face with tears pricking his eyes. Ashe isn’t angry in the slightest but all those feelings of abandonment from the day you left resurfaced like new. 

“When you left... I realized that nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you.” 

Linhardt:

Lin. I’m certain you already know what I have to say. I won’t ask you to wait for me or give an empty apology. What i’m doing is selfish and I don’t hold any expectations for forgiveness. Albeit I do trust that you will live through this. You’re a tough guy whether you’ll admit to it or not; don’t let your inner sloth dominate over your responsibilities. I know you’ll do the right thing. -(Y/N)

 Linhardt isn’t surprised in the slightest. He admits to not being the most involved boyfriend, but he knew you well. Perhaps more than you know yourself. 

Contrary to everyone else seeing you two as a love-hate partnership, it was far more complex. You’re much more than a personal alarm clock to Linhardt and even in his more infuriating moments(*cough* drifting off during your dates *cough*)you always have his attention 

“*sigh*...and there they go again. Leaving me to clean up their mess”

 He predicted everything down to the last letter. From the moment you both relocated he could see that you were uncomfortable. Signing up for schooling did not equal agreeing to a draft. Linhardt observed the struggle but remained patient for you to approach him. While normally invasive he also respected your boundaries. There were other pressing matters to attend to in addition to both your personal issues. 

He had been delegated to return home until further notice. It didn’t take much to piece together why you had left. With him gone there was no reason to remain, not with the army in its current state. Not when you could possibly be used as leverage or forced to fight on Edelgard’s side. 

 He was smart enough to realize it was only a temporary farewell. 

Linhardt speaks of your departure to no one, and comes up with a stable alibi for when asked.To help indirectly, he tries to stall your missing status report for as long as possible. Your rashness didn’t give much leeway to get the story straight but he managed. It was a bit too troublesome for his liking though. 

 Troublesome, but worth it. You left unscathed and with the only evidence being his letter. Linhardt considered burning it; it was the logical solution after all. You probably expected him to do so after piecing together your coded message. 

 It stays with him, folded up and used as a bookmark for his personal tomes. It is always by his side for safe keeping.

When the reunion day draws near he departs from the estate, only taking his research and some valuables. He may not have foreseen to find the professor or the church duo, but you were anticipated. 

“Well, look who it is. A runaway returned I trust?” 

There is no animosity or sense of tension. He’s just as sassy and you bargained for no less. Like stated before, you both know each other well. He might comment on how you’ve changed or test your knowledge. You know, see if “you’ve slacked off” even though everyone knows he’s far more lax. 

Don’t be fooled though. He may have helped because it was the easiest course of action, but do not expect to pull a stunt like that again. He refuses to wait another five years for a life of peaceful retirement. This is going to end soon so be prepared to act as his stressed out lab assistant again 

[delicioussshame]

Third part of the prostitute!SY/OLBH AU.

The presence of Luo Binghe in his quarters this early would be cause for surprise, if not alarm, but he comes bearing… food? Shen Yuan blinks as servants carry delicacies and set them down onto the small table that had never been used to host his lord’s meal before.

He gets even more frazzled when he spots Luo Binghe’s expression. Shen Yuan has never seen him look conflicted before. Luo Binghe never struck Shen Yuan as the kind of man who hesitated, or one who regretted his actions afterward. What could possibly be the cause of his worries?

The servants depart, leaving him fumbling, unsure of which path to take.

“Sit down.”

Shen Yuan sits.

Luo Binghe follows suit, sighing as he settles down. “I can see from your expression that you have no idea what is happening.”

He stays silent. So this is something he should have anticipated? Does Luo Binghe have a victory to celebrate? The birth of a son from a beloved wife, maybe?

“It has been a year since our paths crossed.”

Shen Yuan blinks. Only a year ago? Time passes so strangely in Luo Binghe’s palace. The never-ending sequence of unchanging days turns yesterday and tomorrow into a blur.

Some days, it feels like Shen Yuan was born inside these walls. “I seem to have forgotten. May you forgive me.”

Luo Binghe waves his words away with a careless gesture. “I didn’t expect you to remember. In fact, I never expected anything of worth from you.”

Only Shen Yuan’s experience stops him from reeling back at this unexpected, casual cruelty. Instead, he remains as stone, letting Luo Binghe read what he wishes on his closed-off face.

“It’s not your fault. History had taught me that Shizun will always betray my expectations, and thus so would you. I kept waiting for you to reveal his treacherous nature, but you never did, and before I knew it a year had passed. A year where you never went against my will; where your visits to my wives were always platonic, where not even once a servant reported attempts at bribery or mistreatment at your hand. If you’re still hiding Shen Qingqiu’s perfidy, you’re an even more skilled liar that he was. Even in your dreams, you are blameless.”

Shen Yuan had figured that much about the man called Shen Qingqiu. Between Ning Yingying’s persistent visits, always inquiring about his health the way one who is preparing themselves for the worst did, Liu Mingyan’s uncharacteristic caution around him, and Luo Binghe’s general demeanour, he deduced that his lookalike wasn’t a nice man.

It just made Shen Yuan wary. He still wasn’t sure why that had made Luo Binghe decide to bring him into his bed, but he wasn’t a stranger to those who hated the object of their desire. He’d figured he would have to be careful not to cross a line.

He had had no idea Luo Binghe had been watching him this closely though. His dreams? He’s not surprised the current ruler of the demon realm has such power. He just never thought he would waste it on him.

Luo Binghe keeps speaking even as he puts food on Shen Yuan’s plate like a devoted spouse instead of the master he really is. “If you don’t share Shizun’s disposition, you don’t deserve to be treated like you do. In consequence, changes will be occurring.”

Changes. “What changes?”

“You currently have no status here. My wives don’t really know what to do with you. To remedy this, I’ll be marrying you soon. Maybe it will soothe Yingying.”

Shen Yuan blinks, unsure of what he should do. It’s not like his opinion was requested here.

“You’ll be moved, of course. More luxurious quarters.”

The rooms he’s been offered are not enormous, but they’re nicer than anywhere Shen Yuan inhabited before. He had had no complaint regarding that point.

Still, if Luo Binghe wants him elsewhere, elsewhere he goes.

“We’ll also be working on your cultivation. I don’t let my spouses leave me.”

This, Shen Yuan cannot ignore. He knows little about cultivation, his basic knowledge stolen from clients or earned in Luo Binghe’s library, but he knows this much. “Surely I am too old? I cannot form a golden core this late. “

“Not an issue. I have plenty of human cultivators with perfectly good cores wasting away in my prisons. I will just have one transplanted into you. Don’t worry, the procedure is completely safe. Many of my wives benefited from it before you, and many will after. You’ll have to learn cultivation to preserve it, but I expect you will have no difficulty.”

Dare he asks what happens to the poor cultivator so pillaged?

No. They cannot possibly survive the process.

Or at least, he wants to hope so.

His feeble dreams of future freedom from Luo Binghe’s all-encompassing hold are fast-fading. At this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Luo Binghe has found a way to burden him with a child.

He might regret it, but he has to try. ��Why? Why bother yourself with my presence? You could just let me go. I promise I would disappear without a trace. You would never hear from me again.” He’s not even going to ask him for money, or a specific location. Luo Binghe could dump him in the sleaziest street possible, beside a den of thieves and murderers, and Shen Yuan would still happily make do as long as it’s in the human realm. He has known thieves and murderers. He can manage them.

He could never hope to manage Luo Binghe.

Luo Binghe puts his chopsticks down to reach across the table, placing a huge, warm hand on his cheek to guide Shen Yuan’s lowered eyes back to his. “What ever made you think I wanted you gone? Isn’t it obvious I would rather keep you? You have nothing to worry about. Your every need is catered to. Why leave the safety of my domain for the outside world, where you have no allies and no resources? Better for you to stay here, in my hold.”

He isn’t wrong, but he isn’t right. This isn’t for Shen Yuan. At the end of the day, Luo Binghe hasn’t tired of his toy. He’s not a bad man, or at least he doesn’t consider himself as such, and so when he decided he treated Shen Yuan unfairly, he tried to rectify the situation in a way that wouldn’t penalise himself, making sure Shen Yuan would remain of use for as long as he wishes him to be.

Shen Yuan finds he has barely touched the food Luo Binghe had readied, and that he has no desire to do so. It all tastes like ash in his mouth.

Denying Luo Binghe would bring Shen Yuan nothing good. Better to go along with it all and enjoy the improved quality of life he’s being given. “Thank you for your generous offer.”

Luo Binghe’s smile reminds him of a pleased cat. “Think nothing of it. I treat mine as they deserve.” He looks at Shen Yuan’s still mostly full dish. “I see you have no appetite. No matter. Cultivators don’t need to eat anyway. Soon, this need will be behind you completely.” He rises, abandoning his own meal without a second thought. “In the meantime, shall I present you with other pleasures? Maybe you’d be more amenable to those.”

He doesn’t have to say more. Shen Yuan had predicted this outcome the moment Luo Binghe had passed his door. Wordlessly, he allows his master to pull him into bed.

He surprises himself when he finds it hard not to melt under Luo Binghe’s strangely tender touch tonight; soft kisses instead of bites, caresses instead of nails digging into flesh, his own limbs, free of restraints, wrapping themselves around his future husband as if hopelessly attracted.

If the many changes Luo Binghe had imposed on Shen Yuan came with this more considerate version of him, maybe continuing to live here wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Just maybe.

[i-just-wanna-be-called-sparkle]

Daily Maruki Dream Time. I feel these two separate dreams may or may not be like, connected? like one is the continuation of the other, so i’ll lump them together in this post because I Can. This’ll probably be a long post, but also, as a warning - the second dream i had was kind of brutal? Not horribly so, and I won’t be describing anything in detail, but i’ll put a warning out there anyway. also spoiler warning yehaj

The first dream I had was me showing my gf the bad ending of p5r, the one where you accept Maruki’s reality, and I either somehow showed it through the thieves den or I just got the ending again. But after I had gotten the ending, Maruki just suddenly appears in my actual living room and starts offering me his reality.

And then my second dream starts off kind of like that, where Maruki’s offering me the reality he created. My gf was still there, and she refused, but I accepted it, and suddenly the whole scenery changed in the blink of an eye kind of like in the actual game, and I’m inside of his palace with the phantom thieves. It’s like we live there now, or we work for him in there, but even if it were working there he still takes care of us all. The thieves are dressed in their metaverse attire (fun fact: Maruki was actually just dressed in his usual lab coat) and they’re all really happy with this new life, but I’m apparently having doubts about it all.I think because I’m having doubts, Maruki pulls me to the side and we start talking through it 1 on 1, and I think it only ends with me still having doubts about his reality. Content warning starts here.

So, out of nowhere. Maruki suddenly like tenses up and falls to the ground, convulsing and writhing around and screaming in pain, and Azathoth’s tentacles start to emerge from his back rather graphically. A lot of them do, until I’m pretty sure some weird dream version of Azathoth himself materializes with Maruki’s limp body still attached to the ends of some of his tentacles, like he’s using it as a vessel or something? And me and the phantom thieves have to fight him - but I have to use pokemon to fight him for some reason, probably because I don’t have a persona. I had to use a flareon :’) And that’s where the dream ended.

But as far as I know for that last part, Azathoth had kind of possessed Maruki’s body and was laying dormant until someone (me) threatened the... legitimacy?? Of Maruki’s new reality? I don’t know if that’s the right word but nothing else is coming to mind so anyway. I just completely lost my train of thought So I’m Ending This Here

[chessdaze]

Three Wishes Institute: New Locations part 2

I realized I forgot a few locations in my last post about new locations, so I decided to write out the rest here! Under Read more for Length

Crystal Woods:

The crystal woods is a beautiful place, so much so that beautiful seems like a lacking term. The area is full of crystalized trees and nature, yet it’s all entirely organic and the animals who live in the woods have adapted to the environment, eating crystalized foot or grass like it is nothing. Some animals even have crystals growing off of them - it’s an entirely strange and beautiful phenomenon that modern science is still trying to explain.

The woods might be out of the way from a lot of places (the closest city being around two hours away), but it’s not a tourist trap or even a place people visit often. There are people who come to research, people who come to buy land, but they’re all eventually turned away by the residence. The people here are almost all dwarves or descendants of dwarves, and take pride in the land they stand on. There is also a mine, like in the old stories about dwarves serving a princess, and a lot of the residence work there on a normal basis.

It’s a hub of history and tradition, and thanks to modern technology some people have gotten together to properly document all about their land and it’s history - they don’t mind it they simply didn’t want outsiders to do it, not trusting them to really understand or take everything they talk about seriously.

They do however allow new people to move in if they intend to work in the mine or on the fields to pick and sell crystalized crops (this is their major trade item with other cities / countries, and how the town has reminded in good shape for so long). Though it’s rumored that there is an...extensive interview process.

Emil and Otto are from here, and are one of the bigger families within the small town. Not just from the fact that have a lot of younger siblings, but the fact they have a lot of extended family as well. Most of which, are still pure blooded dwarves, while the twins themselves and most of their siblings are only a quarter dwarf, only having pointed ears to show for it.

Thieves Den:

The thieves den is located in a canyon, where ‘houses’ are carved into the side of the canyon wall. If it wasn’t filled with the worst people imaginable, It could be a popular tourist or vacation spot. Sadly, that is not the case. The people who live here are the worst of the worst, stealing from anyone or anything - sometimes even eachother, which starts brawls that could last all night. While they all sort of agree to follow one ‘king’ or ‘queen’ of thieves, there is no honor here, at the end of the day it’s every thief for themselves.

Still, the way they have crafted the homes in the canyon walls is both beautiful and functional. Magic and minor electricity keeps the place let up and functioning with the basics, rooms are filled with gold and other treasures gather Instead of doors there’s normally walls of beads and jewels, or expensive looking fabrics and tapestry that close off areas.

No one from the land of hot sands goes near the Thieves Den, lest they rob you blind and not even leave you with the clothes on your back. Some people from the slums seek refuge here if they have been kicked out for their ‘bad behavior’ and have no where else to go. Sometimes criminals are thrown in here by the guards of the surrounding cities as punishment for their crimes - either those criminals end up joining the den, or they aren’t heard from again.

There are two people who have connections to the den that are correctly At three wishes. One of them is unaware of the other, but the other is all too familiar with the former and occasionally tries to offer advice that only a thief could...

Sand Dune Slums:

A place that is exactly how it is described - a slum area within the Land of Hot Sands. It’s technically in the shadow of the major city (Modern Agrabah, cause idk what else they would call it honestly), so another name for the location is Agrabah’s shadow. People here are sometimes former criminals that can’t get a paying job in the city thanks to their previous record, or just people who had tried to make it big in the city and gave up at some point, or simply those who can’t afford to live in the extravagant city. Their homes are built out of layers of tarp, wood, and stone blocks - and they have to build within a certain area or else the guards from the city get mad at them, saying they’re ‘ruining the scenery’ since the city is a popular tourist spot. This is why the slums are contained to the back side / shadows of the outer city walls.

There’s a bit of a barter system in place of money, as no one really has a decent amount, ad any they’re going to spend would be spent in the city getting better quality things if that could afford it. However there’s still thugs and lowlifes here who try to steal from others without bartering at all - they only get stopped half of the time - the guards tend to turn a blind eye towards crimes that happen in the slums, focusing more on if any of the population of the slums makes trouble within the city, or throwing people out too the slums.

But, overall, the people here are pretty kind and try to welcome everyone with open arms. There’s lots of community events to keep people’s spirits up and they try to share what they get with anyone they can afford to.

Ozan is originally from here, but after stealing one too many things, he was thrown out of both the city and the slums. Left where no where else to go (other than the thieves den, but they wanted to avoid that place at all costs aswell), they wandered until they found a mirror to transport them somewhere else for them to live - which is how he came to steal items from Three Wishes Institute, and later be accepted into the headmaster’s family.

Underland:

(a big thanks to my friend Freya @twstriddle who let me use this idea that they had come up with and make a few tweaks to).

Underland is the organized crime capital of Twisted Wonderland. It is not a place you ever want to be caught in if you don’t know the unspoken rules of the place. Crime happens 24/7 here, you can barely take a look around without catching at least 3 crimes going on around you.

Having mostly been a dumping ground for the Country of Roses in the distant past, the city itself isn’t too modernized but instead has a more steam based system. This is someone’s Steampunk paradise on the surface; clock towers, exposed machinery with  running gears all day and night, Crazy new inventions being made - and thrown out - every single day. Steampunk fashion is also popular and the most sold (legal) items in the city.

Among the crime families, there is one that practically rules over them all, the Pillars. They practically have a monopoly over most of what comes in and out of the city. They maintain a decent, working relationship with the other families, but they are also the most targeted because of their status. (and funfact the leaders of the Pillars are two husbands. I would say I don’t make the rules, but I very much do in this scenario).

Some say that there has been an uproar in Underland ever since someone stole items from the Pillars and disappeared without a trace.

Chronos Gate:

A stretch of land between the Country of Roses and Underland, which is a famous tourist destination. The land has been touched with time magic, now pretty much forbidden over all of Twisted Wonderland, and while efforts were made in the past to try and correct this area’s disrupted time, no success came of it and soon people founded it as a tourist destination instead.

Different areas of the land have different time zones and seasons, as time does not match up over all of the land. One step you’ll be in summer at noon, the next it might be a dark and cold winter night. The biggest attraction is at what is considered the ‘center’ of the land, time is completely stopped. A special walkway had to be made so that people wouldn’t get trapped here as they traveled through.

Each time one enters a different time, it’s considered walking through a ‘gate’ of time, hence the name of the location.

There are also research facilities set up in multiple areas of the land, studying the time magic and how to dispel it. There are people who live here aswell, but they tend to stick to the outer edges of the land - the ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ gates, the ones closest to Underland and the Country of Roses. These are the two gates that are the most accurate as far as time goes, even if they are a few hours ahead or behind the mentioned areas.

Someone in Three Wishes is very familiar how the Gates work.

Rosa Castletown:

A mysterious castle-town that only few have heard of, and even fewer been to. Apparently it used to be an entire country, but has been dwindled down to just the castle and the surrounding city - all enclosed within large stone walls.

Silas Rosamund is from here and often praises the castle town for persevering through the times, but also has slight criticism for the town as they have not all decided to keep up with the latest technology or trends. A lot of senior citizens move to the castle town because of this, wanting a nice and simple place to retire and relax. They have the basics at least, so at the very least they aren’t entirely in the stone age.

The castle town is said to be rolled by a beautiful and powerful queen, who only shows herself on special nights of the year. International holidays being a few but also a few holidays specific to the town, such as the rose viewing festival - as the castle town, if known by anyone, is known for their roses - they even have vines of roses encasing the walls of the town.

Silas actually lived in the castle as a servant, and tended to the Queen personally, so he’s one of the only ones who has ever seen her face up close.

[nyxdelanuit]

My Blood (Traitor!DenkixReader Songfic)

I promise I am working on chapter 2 of PLMTY and all the asks, but this sunk into my head while I was listening to music, and I am a slave to my muse. I hope you all enjoy! 

This is a songfic for My Blood- twenty one pilots

----

So many things had changed. You had grown up with Denki. The two of you had been thick as thieves since your quirks appeared. It was like destiny that you and Denki were placed in the same class. He had been having trouble controlling his quirk the first few weeks, stray sparks zapping from him to the closest ground- usually another kid. You had been upset at your lack of a quirk and stayed as far from him as you could. It was the kind of open spite that only children could get away with him. Then a flash of lightning had struck you, arching from Denki’s open hand. Teachers and their aides had rushed to your side, but you were unharmed. In fact, you felt more alive than you had in your previous five years of existence. Your quirk had finally revealed itself, storing Denki’s excess energy easily. The next few weeks found the two of you hand-in-hand. You greedily ate up all the electricity Denki gave off, feeling a little more energized each time. It was only after a few weeks that you noticed yourself feeling off. Turns out you couldn’t just store energy infinitely, it still needed a release. That was a lesson you and Denki had learned-painfully.

You were closer to Denki than any family. What the two of you had ran deeper than siblings, friends, even lovers. There was nothing you didn’t understand about him, except why he had been acting so strangely the last couple of months. The two of you had agreed not to pursue UA, you weren’t even sure if you wanted to be a hero. But Denki had suddenly changed his mind, and wherever one of you went, the other followed. He had acted as if he hadn’t even met you before, but he was the same Denki you knew when he snuck into your room at night. Even now, you watch him flirt shamelessly and short himself out- something you knew he hadn’t done since you were children. You trusted him implicitly, there must have been a reason why he was doing all of this.

At least one thing hadn’t changed. His door was never closed to you. The two of you often snuck into each other's dorms, sharing in the quiet that only people who have spent their lives together could achieve. You weren’t planning on staying tonight, your day clothes still on. It had become second-nature to slip past every person in the halls. It wasn’t until you were reaching for the handle of his door that you noticed something was wrong. There was no one in the halls and Denki’s door was open.

You quickly slipped in, shutting the door behind you. Denki quickly spun to face you, sprawled over a large bag on the floor. The panic in his eyes was something you weren’t used to seeing. After noticing it was only you, he quickly turned back to his bag, shoving whatever he could get his hands on into the straining material.

“Denki, what are you doing?” You barely spoke, afraid of startling him or setting off whatever had Denki in such a panic.

“I-I need to go, they found me out. I’m s-sorry, I should have told you. Out of all people, I should have told you.” He didn’t turn to meet your eye, but you could see the shaking of his shoulders. You knelt next to him, trying to meet his eye. Instead of answers, he simply held you a cheap phone. You quickly looked through the messages on the screen. Correspondences between your closest friend and the League. There had been whispers of a traitor, but you had never given them a second thought. All the changes in Denki suddenly made sense, applying for the hero course, pretending not to know you, pretending to be weaker than you knew he was. “They know, I need to go.” He zipped up his bag, static flickering between his fingers and the metal of the zipper.

With hardly a glance in his eyes, you knew. You took his free hand in yours, the familiar tingle of his electricity coursing through your veins.

When everyone you thought you knew Deserts your fight, I'll go with you You're facin' down a dark hall I'll grab my light and go with you

The two of you had climbed off of the balcony, not trusting the front doors. The deep dark of the moonless night hid you as you ran hand-in-hand through the thick underbrush surrounding the back of the UA campus. The branches scratched at your exposed legs, but you didn’t slow down. Denki was feeding you energy the whole time, preparing for an inevitable face-off. You allowed yourself to feel hopeful at the sight of the wall. Denki separated from you, tossing his bag over the high wall. The hero courses were good for preparing you for things like this, at least. The two of you dusted your hands with the dry dirt, hoping to get a better grip on the virtually sheer wall. You would miss Sero in moments like these. There wasn’t even a moment to get up the wall before you heard them surrounding you.

Surrounded and up against a wall I'll shred 'em all and go with you When choices end, you must defend I'll grab my bat and go with you

With Denki’s hand in yours, it was easy for the both of you to let go. All of his stored electricity raced out from you as he directed his towards the encroaching heroes. It wasn’t enough to keep them down, but it gave the two of you time to scramble over the walls. The shock of your legs hitting pavement wasn’t enough to deter you as you heard the howling of Hound Dog behind you. Denki laced his fingers with yours, pulling you ever forward. You don’t know how long the two of you had run, slipping into alleyways and wishing you could just jump on a train. The dawn light was starting to light the city on fire, showing the disrepair of the buildings around you. You felt the telltale jitters of your overload creeping up your neck, but you couldn’t bring yourself to let go of Denki.

Stay with me, no, you don't need to run Stay with me, my blood, you don't need to run Stay with me, no, you don't need to run Stay with me, my blood, you don't need to run

The two of you tumbled through a door in a decaying old house. After the two of you caught your breath, Denki explained it was a safe house. The house fell into an awkward silence, something that was rare between you two.

“They were after you. Just before our middle school exams, I saw them following you home. I tried to fight them off…” You saw the tears collected in his eyes, only highlighted by the red sun rising. “They were looking for stockpile quirks. I couldn’t let them take you.” You could only nod, you would have done the same for him. His burner phone chirped in his hand, and he quickly opened the text. With a sharp curse, Denki vaulted the phone into the wall, shattering the screen.

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re not valuable enough to save.” That’s when you heard the howl outside. Shivers rand up your spine. Denki’s hand felt warm and heavy in your grip. The voices of your class- former classmates- could be heard bickering outside. You wrapped Denki in your arms, letting his power flow through you. With a gentle peck on his cheek, you released him.

If there comes a day People posted up at the end of your driveway They're callin' for your head and they're callin' for your name I'll bomb down on 'em, I'm comin' through Do they know I was grown with you? If they're here to smoke, know I'll go with you Just keep it outside, keep it outside, yeah

You emerged from the shack alone. The faces of all the people you had grown close to over the past year stared back at you, a cornucopia of emotions. Bakugou looked angered and betrayed, Midoriya pleading. Most looked confused. You and Denki had hidden your relationship this whole time, they were unsure of why you were here. They wouldn’t be for much longer. The electricity stored in your veins ached, and you didn’t stop its release.

If you find yourself in a lion's den I'll jump right in and pull my pin And go with you

It didn’t take all of them out, you knew it wouldn’t. You were ready for Bakugou’s attack, absorbing it and sending it right back. The two of you had been regular sparring partners after all. The fatigue of using your quirk so close to capacity was wearing on you, but you needed to give Denki more time to flee. Luckily for you, only Bakugou and Midoriya had been expecting your attack. The remainder were unmoving but alive. Even now, you couldn’t cross that line. You ducked under a kick from Midoriya, knowing that even at your peak you could hardly handle an ounce of his energy. You embraced the empowered jab from Bakugou, absorbing his explosion but not the rib-shattering force of his blow. You were down to a knee now, hopefully, long enough for Denki to run.

Electricity sparked around you as you tried to force air into your lungs. Even after all this time, Denki could still surprise you. With the surprise hit on Bakugou and Midoriya, he had enough time to yank you off the ground. Your shoulder felt uncomfortable and stiff afterward, but you still ran. He gave you a nervous grin, pulling you around a corner. An inconspicuous black car sat at the end of the alley, idling. He wasted no time pulling you through the car door. The wheels squealed as the car left the alley. Dabi sat in the passenger’s seat, indifference radiating through his face.

I'll go with you, I'll go with you I'll go with you, I'll go with you (you don't need to run) I'll go with you, I'll go with you (you don't need to run) My blood, I'll go with you, yeah

Stay with me, no, you don't need to run Stay with me, my blood, you don't need to run Stay with me, no, you don't need to run Stay with me, my blood, you don't need to run

You don't need to run, you don't need to run You don't need to run, you don't need to run

Stay with me, no, you don't need to run Stay with me, my blood

[danidoesathing]

Ayo speak to us more about that arcana swap au im listenin

Yessss thank you

A lot of it follows the same plot with a couple of huge differences. I’m still determining a lot of the backstory for the characters so it can easily change in the future. It wasn’t made to be a roleswap rather an au with different arcana for the characters.

Sumire, Kasumi, and Futaba (Fool, lovers, and priestess) are a group of friends that attend Shujin together. Kasumi (obliviously) was able to avoid her death in this au, and futaba was able to help get over her mother’s mysterious passing with the help of her friends (also the fact that while her death was covered up by shido’s bitches, it was made to seem like she broke over the stress of the “accident” at work rather than futaba’s fault). She knows there’s something off about the whole thing and is looking into her mother’s mysterious research with the help of her two best friends while trying to go to school at the same time. They’re probably gonna be the main group of the PT. Sumire still feels a lot of insecurities about herself and kasumi but due to her closeness with futaba, she’s a bit less focused on that compared to canon. Futaba is less shy and less of a recluse.

Akira and Goro (Star and Tower) have a much more fleshed out backstory, both meeting first at around 12/13 during the times they were being experimented on as the only two that ended up surviving, with a few perks that most of other persona users don’t get. They get extremely close and protective of one another, eventually breaking out two or so years later and burning down their prison in the process and flee to the city. They end up meeting Lala and Muhen (Empress and Hierophant) who are highly respected (former?) Yakuza partners and they have a weakness for these weird feral children because they know the government is up to some fucked up shit again and are not gonna get caught in the crossfire. Akira and Goro ends up working at a lovely little Jazz bar and club called Crossroads in Shinjuku that is not housing nationally wanted criminals that are currently on a revenge murder spree in another reality to those that fucked them up and stole their childhoods away.

Goro both somehow more aggressive and more chill at the same time than in canon, and Akira has Haru syndrome where he looks cute but will fuck :) you :) up :) without any warning. They both are very feral but in way different ways. The only one they trust besides each other is Lala, Muhen, and Jose because he’s basically their metaverse guide and is pretty chill. The thieves den (tho it isn’t called that) is a combined space from both where they enter through their dreams or through the metaverse. They’d basically live there if it wasn’t for Lala insisting they come back to the apartment above the club they “rent” from them at a reasonable time.

[razorblade180]

Shackles pt7: Trap

“Finally, we’re here...” Blake said as she stood in front of Jacquelyn’s house. Nothing suspicious so far, but that could change quickly. Who knows what the clay carved house held inside. At least it beautiful

She was ready to proceed but looked back to see Yang and Jacquelyn on the opposite sides of the oasis. Yang was washing up her pale face while Jacquelyn drunk water from another. Both of them looked better than when they woke up but still not like their normal selves; especially Yang. The closer Blake walked to her the more she thought about the possibility that Yang just might be pregnant. ‘There’s no way she’s actually...well...it’ll explain some things. Still, why wouldn’t sh-’

Her train of thought was cut off suddenly by pressure building around her ankle. Blake looked down to see Yang looking at her with a concerned expression before pointing in front of them to the water. Blake had gotten so wrapped in her own mind that she didn’t realize how far she’d walk.

Yang:Uhhh going for a swim? Hehe I thought cats were supposed to hate water?

Blake:......

Yang:...I know that wasn’t exactly my best material but-

Blake:Are you pregnant?

Yang:*eyes widened* What? W...what would give you that ide-

Blake:Yang you’ve been pale, tired, sweaty, and irritable. This situation is stressful I know but you handle pressure like a diamond so this shouldn’t be getting to you so easily. Also you look like you wanna vomit since you woke up. Please don’t lie to me.

Yang:...Sigh, this isn’t how I expected you to find out.

Blake:Why didn’t you tell me sooner!?

Yang:I tried to but in case you haven’t noticed, shit keeps popping up! I wasn’t expecting to trek across the desert to investigate the disappearance of a supposed to be terr....terr...

Blake:Yang? Hey are you okay?

Yang:Nausea.....also... ugh, haven’t eaten. B-But....*covering mouth*

Blake bends down and holds her partner’s hair back. Yang bent over and felt bile slowly creep up her throat before managing to hold it down. She quickly reached for her bag and pulled out a pill bottle and took a capsule with some water. Her face scrunched up from the taste but it was an improvement from what she was about to experience seconds ago. She put the bottle back and pulled out packs of crackers and granola.

Blake:The duffle bag is for your pregnancy? I thought you had huntress gear in it or something.

Yang:There’s bullets and gear in it. Also everything I needed to have a comfortable trip that my doctor told me to bring....

Blake:How far are you along?

Yang:Almost three months. Believe it or not but I went an entire month not realizing I had a bun in the oven.

Blake:W-Wow you are not showing in the slightest.

Yang:Give it another month or so. Mom said I’ll blow up like a balloon. The point of this whole trip wasn’t only to reconnect but give you the big news. Figured it was the perfect excuse to reach out and all. Not having you in my life during this whole process didn’t feel right ya know?

Blake:That’s really sweet and all but you still should’ve told me this before I let you come along for this.

Yang:Then you would’ve tried to talk me out of tagging along. I tried to stop this adventure before it even started remember? I wasn’t about to guilt trip you with this though.

Blake:It’s not guilt tripping it’s allowing me to see everything that’s at stake; and of course I would try to talk you out of it. Taking a boat to Menagerie had risks in it of itself. I’m surprised Jaune or Ruby let you out of their sight.

Yang:Yeah....well....it might be because they don’t know....since I wanted to break the knews to my best friend first? *shrugs*

Blake says nothing to that. She only registers the statement then says it in her head. No, there’s no way Yang just said. There is no way that she’s currently in the desert with two secretly pregnant women. The hard part about this adventure was supposed to be finding Adam. Not this!

Yang continued to eat as she watched Blake’s facial expression constantly shift at this new information. It was a little hard to watch. Before she could speak more on the matter, Blake took her hand and started walking towards Jacquelyn who was still cleaning up.

The maiden only had the chance to raise her head before she too was pulled to her feet. Blake continued walking until they both were in front of the house.

Jacquelyn:Woah, what’s going on?

Blake:From here on out I’m officially taking point on this. I decide how we’ll proceed, be the first to engage in combat, and anything else serious; we clear.

Yang:That’s a bit extreme.

Jacquelyn:Yeah I can still-

Blake:Am I clear!?

......

The two women looked at each other then back at Blake with a nod. Not realizing both of them were agreeing to this formation for the exact same reason.

Blake:Good, you two can keep resting. I’m going inside the house.

Jacquelyn:I’m coming too. Last thing I need is to be accused of something because you got hurt inside

Yang:Yeah that doesn’t give me confidence. I’m definitely going in too.

Blake:What did I just-sigh, fine. Just stay behind me.

Irritated, Blake ignored the doorknob and simply kicked it open. A piece of her wanted something to be in here. Shooting a thing sounded nice right now. The interior was bigger than it looked outside. A decent sized living room welcomed them that had a hallway in the bag. The door on the left was creaked open while the one further down on the right was shut.

Yang:Not much for decorating huh?

Jacquelyn:It’s hard enough getting fresh produce out here. The market is far and being a maiden doesn’t automatically give you the greenest thumb.

Blake:What’s the two rooms back there?

Jacquelyn:Open door is Adam’s room. Closed door is mine.

Yang:You don’t sleep together?

That question didn’t receive an answer. Not verbally anyways. Just pouting and a red face that screamed “it’s complicated.” Jacquelyn walked over to a wall to the left, applying pressure to a spot near the middle. That section flipped around to reveal a chest with lien and other supplies.

Blake:Of course there’s hidden compartments.

Yang:You’re not selling me on believing this isn’t a trap.

Jacquelyn:This is why I think something is wrong. If Adam abandoned me then why not take all of this? It would have been easy. Yet he only took a third at best. It doesn’t make any sense.

Yang:Neither does he.

Blake:Yang, not helping.

Yang:Just saying. You sure you checked every inch of this place? There’s no hidden tunnel that leads to Atlas or anything crazy like that.

Jacquelyn:We wouldn’t be living in a desert if magic could do all that, and no, I’m not sure. I was....frantic last time I was here.

Blake:Then I guess we’re searching top to bottom. Maybe-

The sound of her scroll vibrating made her jump. Blake opened it up to see a banana icon bouncing up and down. It wasn’t uncommon for Sun to give her a good morning call, or to see if she actually went to bed. Something she wished she had for once. Maybe she should tell him about her current situation, but that might cause a few problems. It did with Yang in more ways then once. Nevertheless, Blake answered.

Blake:Hey Sun, morning. Listen I can’t really talk right n- what do you mean Ilia was almost abducted?

Jacquelyn whipped her around and looked at Yang before looking at Blake.

Yang:Ilia was almost what?

Jacquelyn:Speakerphone, now.

xxxx

Sun sat on a beanbag in his teams little gathering spot, filled with trinkets of various things. It was essentially a thieves den if they were being honest. Ilia sat across from him, lightly resting from her experience.

Sun:Five guys randomly crowded Ilia. Apparently they called her White Fang trash then tried to take her somewhere. These dudes were armed fairly well. Luckily me and Neptune caught them off gaurd. Sage and Scarlet got involved too. One escaped though, a guy named Trigger. The other four are tied up in our den but they aren’t being too chatty.

Blake:Where’s Ilia right now?

Sun:In front of me. Wanna talk to her?

Blake:Are you too the only people in the room right now? If not then I need you both to be.

Ilia:*stretching* We’re alone! I’m fine if that’s what your concern is. You sound more on edge than I do, and that’s saying something.

Blake:Guys...there’s something I need to tell you both. Something I should’ve done for some time now. Adam is....

xxxx

Blake told them everything. Adam, Jacquelyn, where they’ve been, their encounters; everything. That includes what she doing right now. The only thing she didn’t mention was her two partners in this adventure being pregnant. The group had switch from voice call to holographic video, the sight of Ilia leaning against the wall with her hands on top of her head made Blake uneasy. Sun held a neutral expression. Yang could tell he was working through all info he was just given. He seemed to be doing it well.

Sun:So, these things might be connected?

Blake:I’m not really sure.

Jacquelyn:They have to be, I’m sure.

Ilia:Even if they’re not, you should’ve told us, Blake. You should’ve told me!

Blake:Ilia I-

Ilia:Adam was apart of my life too. Longer then yours even. I gave that man a grave on Menagerie out of respect because no one else would. How could you let me do a thing like that when you knew he was alive.

Blake:I didn’t know how you would react.

Ilia:And that makes it okay!?

Her words made Blake flinch. Sun put his hand on Ilia’s shoulder to calm the girl. Ilia looked at him then looked at the guilty expression all over Blake’s frown. Ilia knew the her friend had reasons for not telling the people closest to her about such a secret. That didn’t ease the frustration, it just made Ilia sad and anxious. She knew how to remedy that. She went over to her weapon to take it into the next room.

Sun:What are you doing?

Ilia:If anything is connected then those four we have will know something about it. I’m gonna see if they do.

Blake:Ilia, you can’t just-

Ilia:For all we know we’re on borrowed time and I’m not about to feel sympathy for a bunch of thugs who attacked me. Trust me when I say I’m not gonna lose any over this.

Yang:So that’s it? Torture is okay now?

Ilia:Focus on the things you actually have control of over on your side of the screen.

Yang bit her lip before walking off. Blake knew that she wasn’t gonna fair any better in changing Ilia’s mind. She simply nodded while Jacquelyn looked at the chameleon faunus and gave a quiet thanks. Adam told Jacquelyn much about her, about the girl’s passion and ability to endure. Now she got a glimpse of it before walking away.

Sun:We’ll check in with you in a little bit. Be safe okay?

Blake:Ummm are we okay? You haven’t said much.

Sun:My love for you isn’t fragile. You had your reasons and I respect that.

Blake:Doesn’t mean I made a good choice.

Sun:True, but I’m not counting it as a wrong one. Right now we gotta keep our focus right?

Blake:*nods* Right, see you soon. Love you.

He gives her a dramatic kiss to the screen in an attempt to make her feel better. Yang can’t help but overhear them and wonder how he could be so calm. Sun hung up and gave Ilia a concerned look of displeasure as she stared at the door.

Sun:Need extra hands?

Ilia:I would never ask you or anyone to do what I’m about to do. Just make sure I’m not interrupted okay? I’ll be okay. Things like this, it’s essentially the same as riding a bike. All I gotta do is find my balance and coast.

Sun:Well I will be out here then. Don’t push yourself, and I’m here to talk if you wanna. This Adam news must be a lot to take in.

Ilia:Thanks Sun, I mean that.

With a deep breath, Ilia walked into the other room. The time for emotions had come to a halt. Right now she needed results. Ilia needed her old self.

xxxx

Jacquelyn:You have good friends.

Blake:I have the best friends. Everyone last one of them, including you.

Jacquelyn:Me? Do you not remember our conversation by the fire?

Blake:I do. Admittedly I am a little jealous of you too. Still, I can’t help but also feel a little...inspired by your results.

Jacquelyn:Oh, well, thank you. *red* I’m touched. Maybe I was a little-

“BOMB!!!!” Yang cried out, several feet inside Jacquelyn’s room. Her words barely registered to the others. All they can see was fiery flames of an expanding explosion coming at them in what had to be a fraction of the second. The humble house in the middle of the desert had faded way. Pure destruction, taking its place.

Part 6

[p5youllneverseeitcoming]

So I finished Persona 5 Royal

And once again I was a crying mess when the ending credits rolled.

Now, I’d like to share my thoughts about this game but I also respect the fact that not everyone had the chance to finish it yet so anything that is a spoiler will be talked about under the cut.

Anyways, let’s begin.

From the very beginning... I love the new title screen, the fact that you can see each member just hanging out in the streets of Tokyo is so cute and I love it. It’s so easy to get a platinum trophy for Persona 5 Royal which at first I thought was somewhat disappointing as it doesn’t require you to play through it again but then I found out there’s a bunch of challenges in the Thieves Den so I was really glad I had a reason to play it again.

Speaking of the Thieves Den, it’s really nice to see your team members just chat about the decorations you put in there, like for example Yusuke and Ann casually chatting in front of a Reaper statue like it’s no big deal. On a small sidenote, my mum really likes the fact that you can play Tycoon in the Thieves Den and I’m not gonna lie she spent hours playing with them which means I now have thousands of tokens but nothing to spend them on :’)

Much of P5R is very similar to the vanilla P5 except of course the fact that there’s 2 new characters being introduced to the story. You still get sent to Tokyo for ‘assaulting’ the drunk man however, the first change that you really notice is Sojiro’s conversation with you when he is taking you home on the Sunday you visit the school. Of course, by this point you know that there have been many psychotic breakdowns and a lot of accidents but what Sojiro tells you is... Interesting to say the least. I didn’t think of it much at first but then again I went into Royal completely spoiler free (except of course with the knowledge of how Persona 5 plays out) but eventually you find out that what he said was actually really important.

Another thing I really loved that they put in Royal is the fact that they managed to make the battle system even better. I always thought it was pretty amazing but they somehow managed to make it even better. First off, you can Baton Pass right off the bat. No need to establish a social link with the party members or anything, which honestly makes everything so much easier, especially in the early game. They also decided, you know what this nasty crime boy needs? Unlimited bullets... Well sorta. Remember how in Persona 5 you only had a limited amount of bullets per infiltration? Well, now they replenish every battle which of course means I did the only rational thing:

You also get the grappling hook in Royal and honestly? Just watching Joker do flips all over the place is really aesthetically pleasing. I love that they reworked the Palaces so that the grappling hook plays a big part in getting around and as I said, it’s just so fun to see Joker zooming through the air.

They added new Shadows/Personas to Royal which I think is fantastic as it makes returning players not bored of the battles but they also changed some weaknesses/removed weaknesses for some shadows which means you gotta strategise a little bit more. They also changed up the Palace Ruler Bosses but I found them... A lot more easier than the original? I don’t know if it’s due to the fact that I love to grind a lot before finishing a Palace or if I just had the perfect Personas for the occasion but yeah... That’s not to say the changes are bad! I still really liked them but it was just... Really easy for me lol. 

Another major change is the fact that Morgana decided that you may be a tired boi after going to the Metaverse but you still have enough energy to do some things in the cafe. That makes it like a ton easier to max out your social stats which means you can max out your confidants a lot faster, I managed to max out everyone and still had days where I literally had nothing to do which just shows how much time you actually save now.

Along with the fact that they fixed some translation errors, they also improved the sprites and added a lot more voice lines which was really nice in my opinion, it was a lot better when a character was expressing a certain emotion and their sprite actually matched it instead of just them facing one way and occasionally changing the facial expression.

I’ll mention this briefly seeing as this is sort of spoilery but I really loved the new confidants. The fact that you can actually hang out with Akechi and get to know him instead of being forced to level him up automatically was so good. The scenes where you would automatically rank up are still there but they kinda act as a filler of sorts now which in all honesty I didn’t mind. 

Ummm... That’s about all I can think of that doesn’t contain spoilers so... The section below will have spoilers so please only read this when you finish the game!

I’m going to talk about Akechi’s Confidant for a bit because I just really loved it okay? You learn so much about him, even things that seem trivial like the fact that he’s left handed become... Well rather important near the end. The more time you spend with him, the more you see how much Akira actually means to him. When you defeat him in his Rank 8 event, I actually loved it when he said he hated Akira. That was pure Akechi right there, no lies, no fake smiles just pure, honest truth. Also, I love how he decided to be extra and dramatic by throwing his glove as a challenge. It’s also really significant, at least to me, mainly because you never see him without gloves, in a way, this sort of showed that he fully exposed his true self to Akira. Their exchange in Shido’s Palace when you remind him that you still have his glove... That was really sad. I really wish there was some way you could help him, but alas, you can’t always have happy endings.

I’m not gonna lie, I was really confused when I got to 12/24 and we still went to Mementos. You discover a Palace and explore it for a bit but then it’s kind of... Forgotten? Like Morgana is genuinely like: Lmao this doesn’t concern us atm so you know, killed God with the power of friendship, was ready to stop being a Phantom Thief and surrender myself to the police but then... Mr. Sketchy himself just appears out of nowhere and decides that he’ll take Akira’s place for him

When I first saw him I was like: Omg? How is this even possible? Can I hug him? But then weird things started happening in the story

Reality becomes distorted after New Years and you see that right away when your cat, is no longer a cat. But that’s not all, Futaba’s mother is alive and well as well as Haru’s father and supposedly they were never dead in the first place. I was really confused but then guess who turns up to clear some things up... Mr. Pankechi.

This post is already long as hecc so I won’t go into details but I really like the new Palace. It’s so different to the other Palaces and for once the Palace Ruler is not some evil adult... He’s actually quite the opposite.

I’m going to quickly talk about Kasumi for a second now, or rather Sumire. Honestly when you learn the truth, I was really shocked. Remember when I said what Sojiro tells you becomes important near the end? Yeah well it’s like the game was telling you from the start that she’s not really who she says she is. Just like Akechi, I was fully convinced that the New Palace was hers but I was kind of relieved to find out that wasn’t the case. As a party member, I really like her, she’s really cute and her Persona abilities are helpful in the new Palace. As a confidant... Again, she’s just so cute. When you help her pick out the glasses for her dad... Bruh I just wanted to give her headpats all day. Once you unlock the rest of her confidant, it’s really nice to see her grow and accept the fact that she doesn’t have to be Kasumi appreciated, and once she accepts that she’s Sumire but she’ll still do everything to make Kasumi’s dream come true it was honestly so satisfying. 

I think the thing I loved the most though is the fact that Akechi becomes your navigator for a little while and honestly? I wish I had the option to keep him as the navigator. His lines are so funny because they’re helpful but at the same time they’re so passive aggressive! ALSO his Showtime with Joker is by far my favourite Showtime. I love how he’s able to just be himself and literally rip enemies apart and Joker’s just there like: Yeah I’ll play along why not. Whenever they finish and Akechi is just there like: “Don’t waste my time.” ... Big mood, me when I’m driving around Mementos trying to find the stamps.

One more thing I gotta talk about... The ending. I love it so much. I think it’s a lot better than the original Persona 5 ending and here’s why. First of all, the fact that you see the Thieves still being themselves is just so sweet I love these funky kids, that fact that Maruki gives you a lift to the station and he accepts that this is the world that you have to live in? Amazing, thank you Atlus. The fact that Morgana is just snoozing in your bag? Beautiful, let me pet my cat plz. But most importantly... The edgy pancake loving detective LIVES, granted Akira doesn’t actually see him but I DID. I burst into tears when I saw him walk by, I’m so glad he got to live in a reality where he isn’t anyone’s puppet anymore. He can finally fix the mistakes he did, don’t get me wrong, Akechi is still a bad person, I mean he literally killed people but he still deserved a second chance, and seeing him alive means that he finally has a chance to do that... Bruh I was crying so much.

Anyway, I could talk about this game for hours but here are just some of my thoughts that I wanted to share, I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say later on but for now... Have this mess I call a post!

[dailyaudiobible]

03/04/2021 DAB Transcript

Numbers 2:1-3:51, Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalms 47:1-9, Proverbs 10:24-25

Today is March 4th welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it's wonderful to be here with you today. It's a special day at least in my life. Today is my birthday and it's been a while now, a long time ago that I decided to not do these birthdays. Like I don't want to be keep counting my chronological number but I have decided that I will celebrate my Daily Audio Bible birthdays. And this is my 16th birthday. So, that’s hard to believe, that since the time the Daily Audio Bible began, if it were a baby born on January 1st 2006…man…we…we would have a 16-year-old. This thing is looking for its driver's license now. We’re…we’re in the teen years. So, Lord help us as we continue to move forward. But today will be my 16th birthday that I'm…that I’m celebrating or observing since the Daily Audio Bible began. So, thank God. Thank God for His kindness to me. It is beyond expectations. Okay, but we’re not here to, you know, light a birthday cake. We are here to dive in. And actually we’ll be diving into our second day within the book of Numbers. We began the book of numbers yesterday. And numbers just by way of reminder is a part of a grouping of books in the Old Testament known as the Torah or the Pentateuch - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And as we began the book of Numbers a census was taken to count all the men that were able to go to battle and that was over 600,000 men. 609,000. And they are preparing now to move toward the promised land. All the different tribes were numbered. The tribe of Levi was not numbered. They were the priests. They’re responsibility is the tabernacle. this the place where God travels. And this is interesting. It's a portable tabernacle. It can be set up and torn down and God…God is embedding into the people's understanding that He's going with them. He’s leading them and He's going to stay with them and among them, which is what this tabernacle represents. And, so, the tribe of Levi is responsible for that as well as the worship of God and caring for the people, the soul care of the people. So, they’re preparing to move out and there are obstacles in front of them that we will…that we will encounter in due course. Numbers chapters 2 and 3 today.

Commentary:

Okay. In the gospel of Mark, the religious authorities are trying to narrow in on Jesus…like they're trying to pin Him down they…they want to get rid of him, that's the plan. That’s what they want to do. And, so, they're trying to entrap Him or discredit Him in any way…anything that they can do to diminish Him so that they can kinda isolate Him and then get Him out of the way. Like, literally they want to kill Him, which…which they eventually do. Today Jesus is in the temple complex and they come to Him and they say, “by whose authority are you doing these things?” So, like to put maybe a little bit more modern…like, “who gave you the right to do this? Who told you you could do this?” And Jesus sort of answers their question with a question. And this isn't…I mean we’ve talked about as before, but you…you watch the question. Jesus says, “okay I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine.” The question that Jesus asks forces the truth into the open so that their exposed. They can't stand this about Jesus. So, He says, “tell me about John. Was he from God or was he not from God? Well, the religious authorities had been against John calling him a fraud. The people believed he was a true prophet. So, they’re in like…there's no good answer because either way they’re trapped before the people. But it's even deeper than that. The correct answer to the question Jesus is asking is the same answer to the question they are asking Jesus. “Who told you can do this? Who gave you the right to do this?” If they could or would have answered truthfully that they believe John was a prophet of God, then there would be some common ground there for Jesus to reveal the continuation of that same story and say that He was empowered by God to do the things that He's doing. But Jesus knows they were against John and He knows that they’re against Him and they're trying to snuff out His life. These quote unquote things that Jesus is doing are the works of God, His ministry, but also more recently what they would have considered the vandalism of the temple complex because He goes in there and tips over the money changers and lets the birds go and the sacrifice…the commerce that's going on there. He disrupts the commerce that's happening in the temple in the holy city of Jerusalem, by the way. So, pretty serious what Jesus is doing. And, so, they’re like, “how…what makes you think you can do this stuff?” All Jesus was doing was restoring some things. He said, “this is to be house of prayer for the nations, not a den of thieves.” And the religious leaders, they don't, you know, contemplate that and go like, “wow this is time for lament and repentance. We need to figure out a better way to do this. You're right.” They just get angered at Jesus challenging their authority. They don't like their authority to be challenged. And, so, they're asking Him about His authority. I think we could agree that what Jesus did in the temple complex was disruptive to the system, was disruptive to the way of things and would've had people talking. And Jesus was clear what He was trying to do. But it was disruptive. Right, here's where the mirror happens. What about when we ask God to do things in our lives, to reveal things in our lives, to show us the way that we should go or even as we’re observing the season of Lent, to be openhanded and openhearted to allow Him to move things in and out and rearrange things within us. When that's disruptive or uncomfortable usually we start praying against it. If we understood that it was Jesus doing this our lives might be saying, “who told you you could do this? By what authority are you messing around with my life” even though we've claimed allegiance and claimed that we've submitted ourselves to him so that He can do whatever He wants with us, take us wherever He wants to take us. Usually if that's uncomfortable we’re start going like, “no…no…no, that's not what I was talking about. You…You have full permission to bless me. You can rain it down all you want but who gave you permission to disrupt me?” Ah….ah…now we find ourselves in the story.

Prayer:

Jesus that’s been our story way too many times to count. And we’re sorry. We’re in a season of lament, we’re in a season of repentance, we’re in a season where we’re focusing on these things that You are after in us, the things that we are…that we’re holding on to and we don't want to let them go, especially control. So, come Holy Spirit and continue with Your kindness and Your patience to show us, to show us the way to go, to show us the next step forward. Then it's in our hands whether we obey You or whether we don't, whether we listen or whether we don't. It's not Your fault when we disobey You. We like to transfer blame off of us at every turn but it's not Your fault when we don't obey You. Come Holy Spirit and let this sink in we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's the website, its where you find what's going on around here. So, definitely stay tuned and stay connected.

I’m going to try to spend some time in reflection today, reflecting back over these 16 birthdays of the Daily Audio Bible. And that's something going on around here for me. I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful that we’ve been able to share this journey together all these years. It is truly remarkable. My life is indeed forever changed because of this community. And, so, I am deeply grateful and hope you feel the same. So, that’s kind of what’s going on around here at least today but you can always stay tuned and connected to…to an anything…all…relating to the Daily Audio Bible at dailyaudiobible.com or if you’re using the app you can access like the Prayer Wall and the Shop. All that stuff that you can access on the web you can access in the app. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if…if the mission that we’ve had all these years, just to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and just given to the world to anyone who might come across it or encounter it and listen to it anywhere any time day or night, so that it’s just always there creating a rhythm, steps forward every day through a year and definitely through life. If that brings life to you than thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family this is Vonnie in Northern California and it's March 1st, a new day and a new week a new month and I'm reaching out to anonymous. I just heard your prayer request and my heart breaks for you my dear. I am praying…I'm going to be praying for you all day, all week. As much as God reminds me to pray, I'm thinking of you. This is a tough time for a new mom to have to go through postpartum depression. Oh, Jesus please, please help, please help this Young woman. I'm so thankful that she reached out to her doctor and she got medication. I'm also thankful that she took a step of faith trusting You God to…to answer prayer through the prayers of the family. I pray that many of us many, many, many of us will be just coming to Your throne and laying her before You God everyday, trusting You to lift this…this horrible depression, to protect her mind from these thoughts that she's been having, to protect her children and her husband, and to come like a flood, restore the joy in her heart, restore to her Lord a sense of peace and calm and trust and confidence and restore the balance in her brain chemistry. Dear Jesus, we ask You to rebuke the enemy and completely put a wall of protection around this Young woman. Thank You, God for what You're going to do in her life and answer to prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning DAB family this is Judy from Georgia. I want to first thank Brian, Jill, and their family for putting the DAB together. It is great. It's a great community and I enjoy listening to this every day. And then I want to thank Doctor John from Jordan New York for the feeling groovy tune that’ll be stuck in my head all day. It's a great uplifting tune and I'm appreciative. We all need that every day. Now I'd like to pray for everyone out there, that please God give them the strength to get through whatever it is they need to get through today and show them the way that they need to go for those that are lost. And anyone fighting addictions please help them get through and show them there's a better way to live their life. God bless all of you and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.

This is Kathy from Kentucky. I wanted to give a praise report that I'm 29 years sober. I celebrated on February 23rd and I got a token. A lot of people say I'm an inspiration. So, I…I don't feel like that but I…I guess I am. But anyways praise God for 29 years clean and sober. Continue to pray for my neighbor and friend Sharon who lost her daughter unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago. She's still grieving and she's going through a really hard time. Thank you. Kathy from Kentucky.

Good morning DAB this is Guinn from Texas it is March the 1st and spring is in the air but I'm calling in because I want to pray for the father who called in this morning about his two sons. He…he wanted…he asked for prayer for them. One is Nathan and the other one is Nicholas and I just want to lift them up in prayer because I think Nicholas is in…incarcerated right now and Nathan is…is homeless but their situation can change and it’s going to change because God is able. And, so, I want to say because I also had…had a son that was incarcerated and he got out and he did well and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior and…but he got killed in a motorcycle accident and it's been almost 10 years but it still feels like yesterday. And then my other son just is working, he's a hard worker but he needs to be more responsible. He has his own place now and I’m just praying that he keeps it. So…so, I know what you're going through right now. I feel your pain. So, Father I just lift up this Father to You who…who is praying for his sons Lord, that they will come out Lord doing well Father and I know they will because Father what You did for my sons You will do for his. And…and I just lift him up to give him strength. Your word says in Joshua 1:9 be strong be courageous do not be terrified do not be discouraged for the Lord Your God will be with you with whoever you go and God is with you dad and God is with your sons and He's going to encourage them and they’re going to come out on the other side and you're gonna be proud of them. So, I just want you to know that. Hang in there and God loves you and Jesus loves you and we love you. God bless you.

Hi family this is Melissa from Albertville AL I have a prayer request. My dentist who I've had for years and my neighbor he lives across the street from me committed suicide this morning. His name is Doctor Kirby and he has children and a wife. I don't know what he was going through. Just saw him a few weeks ago in the dentist office and I am devastated. I just wonder if I could have said something to him. I…I don't know. Please, please, please pray for his family. Please pray for his family. I love you family. Y'all hold on to Jesus. Satan is trying to destroy minds during this time but…if…if…you've gotta get ahold of Jesus. Hold on to Him and trust in Him. I love you all so much. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Hey guys this is Rachel in KC Missouri. This is March 1st. I'm not sure when you called in. You wanted to be anonymous. You’ve got three children and…and __ daughters. I don't know. You're married and you were just diagnosed with severe postpartum depression and you took me all the way back ten years ago when I had my last child Jonah. And darling I know exactly the thoughts that invade your mind, the scary, the creepy, the everything. As…as a sister of yours and you put so much faith and trust in us to share what you're going through, I started covering you in prayer as soon as I heard your voice because I…as soon as you said my name is…and you said you want to remain anonymous I knew, I knew something. So, I just want to go ahead and pray now so I don't lose any more time. But just know that I'm praying for you every time you come to mind darling. Heavenly Father thank You so much for this beautiful sister, this beautiful woman of God Lord. The trust and the faith that she's sharing and just reaching out and crying out to her family Lord. Father, please touch her right now this instant Lord, give her peace, cover her with Your feathers of protection. Lord every time she has a negative thought Lord please get her to…to remember something that Brian has said or one of us has said or a scripture Father…