#which actually does loop around to making it seem strange

[marsixm]

i also think the fact that i had such a stunted and isolated upbringing and now that im an adult all my friends are on atypical life paths (and honestly even my friends as a kid were like this too) means i find things that are usually very common life stages really interesting. like knowing someone who has a house and a wife and 2 kids (with that wife) and a job with a salary feels like meeting fucking paul bunyun to me. or hearing the kids i work with talk about graduating high school and going to college and being on a real path with that stuff is neat? or even sometimes knowing cis/het people who are like going thru that coming of age stuff that i never really experienced the way you see it in the movies bc of transness/queerness/neurodivergence. its like woah they said the name of the thing in the thing. do u know what i mean???

[brain4stew]

Killers with a reader that has been kicking bosses’ asses in different games, worlds and etc, etc…

.

.

1x1x1x1

• Did not expect that YOU… Of all survivors and killers… Has accomplished something like defeating, humans, machinery, demons and possibly even literal GODS…

• You seem to frail, weak and vulnerable to them, it honestly shocks him, to hear your accomplishments. (But she also strangely loves it…)

• He’d ask you to spar with him occasionally. Normally it ends up with her being on the ground, under you, or with them being unconscious, as you have to carry them to the killer’s cabin…

• After a lot of that, strangely enough, she’d develop… Feelings. For you. He’d be in denial of those feelings at first, but they’d eventually accept their feelings for you.

• Of course, with his awfully high pride, they do not tell you about her feelings for you. They think it’d make them seem weak.

.

.

John Doe

• Genuinely? Confused.

• Doesn’t understand how YOU of all beings, has been able to do all that. You seem so easy to break in his opinion.

• Doesn’t spar with you, as he’s a bit unsure if you can actually handle the corruption he may inflict on you, if you two ever were to spar.

• Does develop feelings for you, but eventually ends up forgetting those feelings. Causing a loop with those feelings.

.

.

Jason

• Confused how you managed all that, but is also amazed.

• He sees you as some sort of “Villain” or “Hero” he used to dream of when he was a kid, before… All that happened to him and his mother.

• His mother keeps telling him that you’re the “Hero/Villain” he’s been dreaming, and thinking of. (She enables the thinking and dreams, to make him feel great about his actions, his strength and all that.)

• He and his mother thinks you’re awesome from all your accomplishments.

.

.

C00lkidd

• Sees you as a badass person. Maybe even sees you as his role model. (Cough. His dad basically. Cough.)

• He always asks you to tell him about your accomplishments, when he’s going to sleep. (He ends up falling asleep to when you tell him about when you fought a literal emotion demon. HATRED from blocktales smh…)

• You’re his role model, and always plays with you, unless you’re sparring with 1x4.

.

.

Mafioso

• This guy… Actually finds it intriguing that you have so many accomplishments, and was tempted to recruit you in the mafia. (Eunoia said no.)

• His goons ask you if you are able to lift and carry lots of things, or even people. You lifted all 4 of his goons, carrying them in your arms, which shocked them and made them giddy for the possible next time you pick them up.

• Mafioso once had a far too heavy object on him, where he was literally crushed, like a rabbit/bunny pancake (that one video of a bunny laying flat after a cage like object fell on it). His goons did try and help, even Eunoia tried. But, they couldn’t help him.

• So what happened then? Eunoia called you over, and you helped him. When I tell you, that this man, fell head over heels for you right then and there…

.

.

Azure

• Now, they normally wouldn’t be impressed, but when they heard you take down a literal CULT, that had plenty of potential hazard/atomic weapons? WOW.

• They actually asked you if you fought anyone, or anything similar to what they are now. And you, of course, say yes, that you have. You told them everything about the fight, and how you struggled a bit, due to the tentacles.

• And dear god, you swear you saw their tentacles swirl and make small heart shapes as they listened to you.

• They occasionally pick you up out of nowhere, just to see how you’ll react, and how you’ll get out of their grasp. Hands, arms, tentacles, you name it.

• They also ask you to pick them up and carry them a bit, although that is extremely rare for them to ask of you. But when they do ask that, you do pick them up and carry them around, careful of their tentacles and all that.

• The way they fell in love felt weird for them.

.

.

Noli

• This guy, he’s a bit of a prick.

• He sometimes teases you about your accomplishments, and how unlucky you are with those you had to fight.

• You in return, grab his leg and hold home upside down to shut him up, momentarily.

• He’s surprised by how strong you actually are, because he thought you weren’t strong, even with your accomplishments…

• This guy, actually wants to see how you’ll do against a dangerous exploiter/hacker… But doesn’t know how to ask you about that.

• He does ask you occasionally to pick him up when he’s a bit exhausted, which you do. You just, pick him up, and let him rest in your arms, as you go about your day with him in your arms.

.

.

Guest 666

• I genuinely have no idea how to write for this idiot.

• He’s confused, but also amazed by your accomplishments.

• His tail, is just wagging whenever you tell him a story about one of your accomplishments, he’s listening intently.

• He occasionally asks you if you can even lift him up and carry him. You did once, and it legit scared the fuck outta him, and he most of the time, doesn’t ask you to pick him up again.

• He wonders what Noob will think of you, but his thoughts get cut off by you sparring with 1x4, which he pays A LOT of attention on.

[aryadelvich]

Professor Mangione part 2

Summary : A date with Luigi Mangione.

Here’s an Updated Masterlist

~~ John Jay Dorm ~~

It’s almost 7 p.m. Luigi is slightly early, standing nervously in front of your dorm room with a small bouquet of tulips in his right hand and his left hand resting on his thigh, which he can’t stop bouncing. He’s debating whether he should wait for you here or downstairs in the lobby. He doesn’t want to seem intrusive. Just as he decides to head back down, the door to your room opens.

Luigi spins around, startled. His eyes meet yours, and for a moment, he freezes, scanning your entire figure before locking his gaze back onto your eyes.

« You look… stunning, » he says softly, admiration evident in his voice.

« Thanks. You’re looking good too » you reply with a playful smile.

The remark brings a slight flush to his cheeks as he awkwardly extends the bouquet toward you.

You blink in surprise. « These are my favourite flowers ! »

He chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. « I overheard you telling your friend in class once. I, uh… hope that doesn’t make me sound like a creep. »

You laugh, charmed by his candidness. It’s a side of him you rarely see. Normally, he’s Professor Mangione: confident, articulate, and composed.

« Guess we’ll find out later » you tease.

He steps closer, taking your hand to press a kiss to the back of it. His gaze never leaves yours. There’s a strange mix of shyness and self-assurance about him tonight that keeps you intrigued.

« Shall we? » he asks.

« Let me just put these in my room, » you rush back inside, disappearing briefly to place the tulips on your desk before locking the door.

When you return, he offers his arm, and you instinctively take it. Your fingers brush against his bicep, and you can’t help but notice how solid it feels under your touch. He’s always dressed in long sleeves, and you never realized how athletic he actually is. He notices your subtle reaction and smirks faintly.

« Does it bother you to be seen with a student on campus? » you ask as you walk out of the building together, your arm still looped through his.

« Not at all, » he replies without hesitation, his tone reassuring. « We’re two adults the same age, getting to know each other. I have nothing to hide and no shame in being with you. »

His words make you smile, and as the two of you stroll through the streets of New York, bathed in the warm orange glow of the setting sun, your anticipation grows.

« I hope you’ll like what I’ve planned, » Luigi says, his face lighting up with excitement.

« I have a feeling I will, » you reply, eager to see what he has in store.

After a short walk, you arrive at a lively restaurant and karaoke bar. Music spills out onto the street as people laugh and sing inside. Luigi stops in front of the entrance, giving you an amused look.

« A karaoke bar? » you ask, surprised.

« Yep. I’ve never sung in front of an audience before, but I figured you’d be up for the challenge, » he says with a grin.

You laugh, realizing that while you do enjoy singing and dancing, what excites you most tonight is the chance to see this unexpected side of him.

« Tonight, it’s just you and me, on that stage, » he says playfully with a wink, holding the door open for you.

Inside, the atmosphere is vibrant. A pair of young men is butchering a pop song on stage, and the crowd cheers them on. A server greets you, handing you menus before leading you to a cozy table near the stage. Luigi pulls out your chair for you—a small gesture, but one that makes your heart flutter.

The two of you browse the menu in comfortable silence before placing your orders. Luigi opts for vegetarian pasta, while you choose a salmon pizza.

« Vegetarian ? » you ask, intrigued.

"Yeah," he replies. « But I make up for it with protein shakes. »

You smirk. « Is there anything you don’t excel at? » you tease.

He chuckles, his confidence peeking through again. “Well,” he starts, feigning seriousness, “singing in public is about to be added to that list.”

As you savor the rich flavors of your salmon pizza, you can’t help but comment, “This is amazing. I swear, Italian food is in a league of its own.”

Luigi smirks, resting his elbow on the table as he watches you. “Careful with statements like that. You might give me a big head.”

You chuckle, rolling your eyes. “As if you don’t already think you’re the epitome of Italian greatness.”

“Well,” he says, leaning slightly closer, his voice dipping with mock seriousness, “Well, food isn’t the only thing Italians are known for excelling at...”

Your eyes widen briefly before you laugh, shaking your head. “Oh my God, Luigi!”

He joins in your laughter, clearly pleased with his joke.

As the humor fades, he looks at you thoughtfully. “So, why law? What made you choose it?”

You take a moment before responding, your tone steady but tinged with a hint of frustration. “I couldn’t stand the idea of people being taken advantage of. Seeing injustice—it makes my blood boil. I wanted to be the person who could help those who couldn’t help themselves.”

He nods slowly, his expression thoughtful. “That makes sense. But, if I may... how do you handle the other side of it? Knowing that you’ll also have to defend people who... well, might not deserve it?”

Your lips press together for a moment, and you exhale. “It’s the part of the job I hate the most,” you admit, meeting his gaze directly. “I think about it every single day. But I also know that the system is built on the principle of everyone deserving a fair defense. It’s not about me or what I think—it’s about the process. And I have to believe in that if I’m going to do this.”

Luigi leans back, impressed by your conviction. “That’s... a lot to carry. But it sounds like you’ve already thought this through.”

“I have,” you say firmly. “But what about you? Why computer engineering?”

A soft laugh escapes him as he runs a hand through his brown curly hair. “It wasn’t my first choice, actually. As a kid, I wanted to be a pilot. But I always loved solving problems. When I discovered computers, it felt like solving puzzles on a grand scale. It’s satisfying—like creating order out of chaos.”

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a poetic answer from a tech guy,” you tease, earning a grin from him.

“Hey,” he retorts, “we’re not just about ones and zeroes, you know. There’s an art to it. You’d be surprised.”

The easy flow of conversation between you feels natural, and as the plates are cleared, you can’t help but realize how much more there is to uncover about him. For a moment, you both sit in comfortable silence. After finishing your meal, you both head over to the song catalog. Luigi flips through it with a mix of excitement and nerves, his arm brushing against yours.

« What should we sing? » he asks, his voice slightly unsure.

You glance at the page he’s on, leaning closer. « How about ‘Gotta go my own way’ from ‘High School Musical’ ? » he suggests, grinning.

You make a face. "That’s a breakup song. What about ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’?"

His smile widens. "A classic. Let’s do it."

Luigi grabs a microphone and hands the other to you. You notice his grip is a little tight, and his expression betrays a hint of nervousness.

"What was I thinking, dragging us here?" he mutters under his breath.

"Relax. It’s going to be fun," you say, giving him an encouraging smile.

The opening notes fill the room, and the crowd begins to cheer. Luigi stumbles a bit at first, but as soon as you grab his hand and start singing with enthusiasm, his nerves melt away. By the middle of the song, neither of you are looking at the screen anymore—you know the lyrics by heart.

The audience claps along, and by the time you both belt out the final note, the entire restaurant is cheering. Luigi turns to you, his face flushed but glowing with exhilaration.

« That… wasn’t as terrifying as I thought, »he admits, grinning.

« See? You just needed a little push, » you tease.

Afterward, you sang ‘Breaking Free’, ‘Dancing Queen’, and ‘Unwritten’. The restaurant came alive, with people dancing and cheering along. The energy was infectious, and you couldn’t remember the last time you had this much fun. Luigi seemed to be enjoying himself just as much.

When the fatigue finally started to catch up with you, the two of you returned to your table and sat down.

“Shall we head back?” Luigi suggested, though there was a hint of hesitation in his voice.

You didn’t want to leave. You wanted to stay in this lively restaurant all night. But Luigi, while reluctant to leave as well, secretly wanted to get you alone—somewhere quieter, where it was just the two of you.

Without a word, Luigi began stacking your plate on top of his, placing the cutlery neatly on top, and clearing the table of any trash before throwing it into the bin.

“I’ll take care of the check, and then we’ll head out,” he said, standing up and pulling his wallet from his pocket.

He wasn’t gone for long—three minutes at most—before he returned, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder as he approached. The touch sent a shiver through you. It was brief, but even such a small gesture left you craving more. You needed him—his warmth, his presence.

You stood up to follow him, and he opened the door for you. Stepping outside, the cool night air hit your face, bursting the bubble of intimacy you’d felt inside the restaurant.

“Want to take a walk for a bit?” you asked, not ready to let the night end.

He smiled, clearly pleased by your suggestion.

“Yes… I’d like that,” he replied, offering you his arm once again.

This time, you held onto him more firmly, as if silently telling him not to leave. He felt the same pull toward you. He wanted to kiss you, to feel your skin against his, but he held back, worried it might be too soon for you.

The two of you walked in comfortable silence for about twenty minutes, the night’s cool breeze brushing against you. The streets were quieter now, the city’s usual noise replaced by the occasional sound of distant traffic.

When you finally reached your dorm, you turned to face him, your voice soft but filled with hope.

“Do you want to come up with me?” you asked, your gaze locking with his.

Thank you for your likes and reactions, it truly warms my heart. You’re the best, girlss 🫶

[thewertsearch]

You've got to be shitting me. Does this wallet even have a size limit?

It's starting to feel like, when the Act ends, John could just pocket the entire session and leave. At the very least, the kids will no trouble bringing their houses to the reboot session.

Hell, they might even be able to bring their Lands.

[...] you wonder where all of her sweet weapons went.

Fuck! We needed those needles!

...wait, no, we don't. The bunny's weapons are from the future, so there's also a present version of the Quills floating around, just like Ahab's Crosshairs. Presumably we'll be using those Quills to cause the Scratch, and the Pen-Pal will get his hands on them later.

Actually, it could be really bad if John used the future version of the Quills. That would cause a true paradox, where the Pen-Pal obtains a set of Quills that he's already sent back in time. The needles would be trapped in an infinite loop, and they'd never have come from Echidna in the first place.

Speaking of the Pen-Pal, it seems like he’s got some more to say. Let’s see if he gives us any more clues as to his identity.

You see i adapted terry with some doodads you may deem practical. An infinitesimalator which i used to littlefy them down in the first place as well as a monstrositifier for when you would like to hugen them up and wield them yourself! [...] I borrowed this technology from my grandmother who had quite the way with manipulating space. Legend tells she was something of a witch with the stuff!

More of the same, really. He certainly seems convinced that Jade's his grandmother - but I still don't think that makes sense.

First of all, for someone who's supposedly Jade's grandson, he sure doesn't mention any of her friends. We’ve already talked about how strange it is that he doesn’t know John, and that was before we learned that God Tiers are semi-immortal.

Sure, maybe John died heroically - but he also speaks about future Jade in the past tense. Like every other character, Pen-Pal is presumably thirteen, so Jade can't have been that old. So now John didn't survive the session, and Jade did, but she apparently died young anyway?

Also, another question. Why did Pen-Pal need to build the bunny? After all, he should be surrounded by Players with endgame alchemy setups, unless you're telling me that none of the kids or the trolls are involved in his life.

What, did they all die? Was he kidnapped as a baby? Do all Alchemiters explode when you exit the Medium? The more I think about this guy, the more confused I get, and it's great.

[arverst-aegnar]

Day 30: Time Loop/Time Travel

heck yeah, i completed two days this year!!

the ending is a bit more abrupt than i wanted, but it just was not cooperating with me, and i was afraid that if i left it too long with my other incomplete Zutara Month ideas it might get infected with "takes too long to finish -itis". so here it is.

The word spreads quickly, covering the entire Earth Kingdom in a matter of days and reaching the Northern Water Tribe’s court within a week. Even the remnant of the Southern Water Tribe, all but forgotten at the bottom of the world, hears about it before the new moon.

Fire Lord Ozai is dead. His successor, Fire Lord Iroh, has declared his intentions to put an end to his nation’s war of domination. Petitions for peace and offers of reparations are being extended to all world leaders.

The Southern Water Tribe elders suspect a trap of some kind. Some think the proposed Peace Conference is actually an opportunity for him to kill the other nations’ leadership, leaving them vulnerable to his armies. Others suspect a subtler scheme to conquer the rest of the world through diplomacy, or perhaps a combination of culture and technology. 

For Sokka and Katara, who only hear the news by listening intently outside the elders’ meeting tent, there are more pressing matters at hand.

“Dad’s going to need me with him at this Peace Conference,” Sokka declares. He pulls out his boomerang and takes aim at a snowman some of the little kids built last week. “Whatever the Fire Nation’s planning, it’s no match for Southern Water Tribe ingenuity!”

Katara worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “What happened to Fire Lord Ozai?”

Sokka scoffs. “Who cares? He was a big, fat jerkbender like all of them. Probably set his bed on fire ‘cause he was roasting the Earth King in his sleep.”

She says nothing as her brother goes to pull his boomerang out of the snowman’s head. Nor does she say anything when her father announces that he and his entire family will be attending the Peace Conference, along with several of his best warriors. 

On the ship, she delights in opportunities to use her waterbending to speed it on its way, or to play pranks on Sokka, but often she is found deep in thought, wearing a pensive look much too old for her.

“You’re strangely quiet,” Kya observes as they prepare to disembark. The voyage is over, but the journey to Omashu will take at least another day. “Something eating you, sealpup?” She pokes her daughter in the side, which provokes a giggle that quickly fades. Face unusually solemn, Katara shakes her head. Kya frowns, but leaves the matter be.

The entry into Omashu is packed like salted fish in a barrel, people from all over drawn to the Peace Conference, but an envoy from the king gives their delegation precedence over the rest. Sokka cranes his head back to take in the architecture. Kya’s gaze flits around, trying to take in the variety of clothing worn by native and visitor alike. Hakoda’s attention is on his family, but he makes sure he knows where all his warriors are at the same time. Kanna, riding an ostrich horse graciously provided by the king, seems mostly interested in staying upright, but her head turns every now and then when a familiar scent wafts in from one of the market stalls. Katara, kept at the center of her family unit, has no interest to spare for any of it.

When they reach the palace, they are immediately brought to the main hall, where King Bumi, Chief Arnook, and three of the Earth Kingdom’s Council of Five await them, as well as Fire Lord Iroh. No sooner are the official introductions made than Katara turns to Fire Lord Iroh and, with a hasty bow, demands, “Did Zuko come with you?” A half-second later, flustered, she stutters, “I - I mean Prince Zuko.”

In the chaos of the sudden trip, some things were left to the last minute, and that includes the talk Hakoda and Kya intended to give their children about how to behave in front of foreign royalty. The blood drains from Kya’s face. Hakoda, his face a storm of anger stirred up by fear, takes a step toward Katara, prepared to pull her back to safety. But before he can, to their astonishment a broad smile spreads across the Fire Lord’s face. With a shallow bow, he waves a hand toward a door behind them. “Prince Zuko is in the garden, but I am sure he would not mind the company, if your parents think it acceptable.”

Katara is running towards the door before he finishes speaking.

*****

Katara knows she’s going to get in trouble for this later. It’s her own fault, putting off the explanation for so long, acting like the little girl they believe her to be -- as much as she can, at least. But whatever punishment they think up is nothing compared to what’s waiting for her in that garden.

If he doesn’t remember, if she’s still all alone in this, then no punishment could be worse. If he does …

She’s never seen the garden in the Omashu palace before. It’s more ornamental than the ones she’s used to, and the main features seem to be rocks and crystals more than trees and flowers. But she can sense water -- a fair amount of it, too, like a small pond -- and she doesn’t have to follow it far before she sees him.

Zuko is next to the pond, his back to her. He’s smaller than she’s ever seen him, and not just because he’s sitting down. His hair is long enough to brush his shoulders, even pulled up into the traditional topknot. Like his uncle, he is dressed in Fire Nation red and gold, but the cut of his robes looks different to her untrained eyes -- Earth Kingdom style, perhaps? Surrounding him are half-a-dozen turtleducklings, and the wave of affection that sweeps over her freezes her in place.

“Hey now.” She recognizes that mildly scolding tone, even if his voice is a little different than the one in her memory. “You have to share with your sister. You’re not getting more seeds just because you’re bigger.”

Katara tries to say something, but it seems all the words she wants to say are trying to come out at once, and have jammed up in her throat. She stumbles back half a step.

The crunch of the gravel under her feet gets his attention. His head turns slightly in her direction, then he’s leaping to his feet, turning towards her -- 

Oh.

He doesn't have the scar.

For one moment, Zuko stares at her with wide eyes. Then in the next, he’s closed the gap between them, pulling her into the tightest hug she’s ever had. Katara wraps her arms around him and buries her face into his shoulder. “Katara,” he breathes, and a little sob escapes her at the familiarity and warmth in that single word.

“Zuko,” she manages. Her voice wobbles but does not break on the name like she thought it might. “Oh, Zuko.”

He pulls back too soon, but he cups her cheek with one hand while the other brushes her hair out of her eyes. Katara tries to smile at him, but it’s hard when every emotion of the past three years wants to pour out at once. Instead, she reaches up and gently touches his left cheek. The skin is smooth and whole under her fingers.

Zuko closes his eyes, but not before she catches a flash of pain. Immediately, she knows what must have happened. Why he has no scar. How Ozai must have died.

“I thought I was dreaming at first,” he says hoarsely. “I told him off. Yelled at him for being a terrible father and a worse Fire Lord. Then -”

Katara shakes her head and pulls him back to her. This time he’s the one to bury his head in her shoulder. “I know,” she tells him, her throat still choked. “I know. I did too.”

Later, she thinks, she’ll tell him about Yon Rha. About how in her determination not to relive the worst day of her life, she had pulled on his blood with a ferocity she had only seen herself use in nightmares. What his corpse had looked like, afterwards, and the look on her mother’s face. How what had once been a fantasy of power and relief had, if only for a little while, become a horrifying reality. Maybe she’ll finally find the words to describe the contradictory emotions that have been warring in her ever since, but even if she doesn’t, it will be okay, because now she has someone who will understand.

For the moment, she holds him close as they both succumb to tears.

[slothquisitor]

Subliminal

Summary: In which I give the Blood of Arlathan quest actual consequences for at least Rook and Lucanis. Lucanis/Rook, hurt/comfort, 4.5k.

Read on AO3.

____________________________________________________________

Elgar’nan’s ritual in Arlathan Forest goes quickly from bad to worse. Lucanis is unprepared for the sheer overwhelming number of Venatori, for the way Elgar’nan’s power worms its way into their minds, for ending up trapped in a strange repeating loop of forest until Solas shows Rook the way out, but none of it scares him quite like Rook is right now. She’s moving too slow, and her own spells keep flying wide, missing their targets entirely. 

“Rook! Get out of there!” Neve yells. 

The Venatori are flinging spells at them relentlessly, but it’s like Rook can’t hear them. She doesn’t dodge, is only saved by Neve throwing up a shield at the last second. The heat of a fire spell turns to steam as it hits her frost shield. 

“Rook!” Neve yells again. “Venhedis. Lucanis, what’s wrong with her?” 

He’s not sure, but he stabs the nearest Venatori, doesn’t even watch them as they fall to the ground before hurrying to Rook. “Cover us!”

“You got it,” Neve replies, and he can feel the crackle of her ice magic behind him. 

He grabs Rook by the shoulders, isn’t heartened when Rook sways at the contact. Her eyes are unfocused. “Rook? Come on, talk to me. What’s going on?” 

He’s doing a bad job at keeping the panic from his voice as she doesn’t respond at all to his calls. Her head dips to the side, so he catches her face in his hands. “Rook! Are you with me? Camina?”

Her eyes focus on him, just enough. She winces. “I can hear them in my head. They’re so loud.” Her words are barely above a whisper and each one seems like a battle. Is she talking about Elgar’nan and Solas? 

“Arguing. Fighting. Hurting Rook,” Spite says. He can hear it too?

She’s lost color in her face, and her nose begins to bleed as he pulls her to the relative safety of a column. Mierda. This is bad; they do not have time for this. “We’ve got to keep moving. Can you do that?”

Rook nods weakly, holding onto her staff with both hands like a walking stick. 

He does not feel comforted. “I’ve got you, okay? Just stay behind me and Neve and keep moving.”

“What’s going on, Lucanis?” Neve calls, a hint of frustration in her voice. 

“We need to cover Rook. Solas and Elgar’nan are in her head,” he replies quickly. 

Neve’s eyes widen as she ducks with them behind the column he’s pulled Rook behind. “I hate that that sentence makes sense. Alright, stick close, Rook.”

Rook acknowledges them and then they’re all running, fighting through Venatori. He and Neve have the doubled job of fighting and protecting Rook. He can tell she’s doing her best, seems to have figured out that the more precise spells aren’t working for her, so she’s switched to calling up spirits from the ground. It makes everywhere they go more treacherous to travel, but it’s actually hitting the Venatori instead of going wide, so it’s hard to complain about it. 

Lucanis keeps checking behind him for Rook, making sure she’s still with them. He can tell she’s trying to rally, but the color has completely drained from her face and she keeps wincing at every movement. He’s slashing through Venatori crystals and Neve is doing her best to shield them from the flames of a construct, and it’s hard-fought, but eventually the Venatori around them are all dead. 

“There! The Dalish!” Neve says rushing forward and blasting the last crystal keeping the Dalish locked away. Nearly thirty men, women, and children huddle together looking at their rescuers with wide eyes. 

Lucanis leaves Neve to make explanations and reassurances to them as he falls back to Rook. She’s breathing hard and stumbling her way up the stairs. He catches her arm, steadies her. “I’ve got you.”

She attempts a smile in thanks, but it’s more of a grimace. “I really wish I didn’t have a front-row seat to how much Elgar’nan and Solas hate each other right now.” 

He wishes there was literally anything he could do about that. Bellara, Emmrich, Davrin, Taash, and Harding come around a corner on the other side of the platform the Dalish were being held on. In the distance, Elgar’nan’s archdemon roars. 

“We’ve gotta move!” Taash yells, waving them all forward. 

“Move where?” Davrin demands. 

“As far away from here as we can,” Neve replies, pulling an older elf to his feet. 

“Solas…says there’s…a safehouse…not far from here. The wards should shield us…the entrance is hidden in some overlapping rocks?” Rook leans more heavily into him and he steps closer to keep her upright. 

Her words are too quiet for anyone else to hear, so he quickly repeats them. Bellara nods immediately. “I think I know the place. Follow me!”

The rest of their companions are busy helping the Dalish, but Neve turns back to the two of them, hurrying over. “I’m shit at healing, but tell me where it hurts and I’ll do my best.”

Rook grits her teeth. “Oh, you know…I just have two gods in my head now instead of one….fuck...” The lighthearted sarcasm she so often employs is rather undercut by the fact she can’t quite finish a sentence. 

Neve looks less sure then but places a hand against Rook’s temple. He can feel her pull on the Fade, and Rook sways a bit. “How’s that?”

Rook’s eyes are somewhat unfocused again. “Better, maybe? I don’t know.”

“Either way, we’re out of time,” Neve says. 

“Go. I’ve got her,” Lucanis says. “Rook, can you move?”

“Right behind you.” But her words are shaky. 

He decides then not to let go of her, pulling one of her arms over his shoulder and wrapping his around her waist. And then they’re moving. It’s slow going, but they manage to keep up with the group for the most part, he can feel the magic in the air fading back to whatever passes for normal in Arlathan. 

“Can we stop a moment?” Rook asks weakly. 

“Rook,” he says with an air of apology. Not yet, they can rest when they get to Solas’s safehouse. But her feet stumble and he has to stop anyway, lest they both tumble to the ground. 

She pushes away from him and over to a nearby rock outcropping where she begins retching, leaning against the wall for support. Rook needs a healer and soon. He wishes he knew better how to help her, but she has no wounds he can see and there are no enemies for him to kill now. So he just steps uselessly forward, rubs her back while her body convulsed, and whispers reassurances he’s not sure he believes. When it’s over, she’s breathing hard, head resting against her hands on the rock. 

“Always glamorous, this saving the world business. I’m sorry,” she manages, glancing at him miserably. 

“You’ve nothing to apologize for. Can you keep moving?”

“Rook hurt?” Spite asks. 

“Something like that,” he replies. 

“Yeah.” But she winces a little as she straightens. “We lost the group, but I think I know where to go.” There’s an unspoken insinuation that it’s because Solas is still in her head. He’s known this as long as he’s known her, but it had never felt like something dangerous, like something that might hurt her. Solas had saved them, but he’s not sure about the cost. 

He closes the distance, letting her lean against him again. It hadn’t been a choice to touch her before, it was more panic and necessity. But further from danger, he can’t deny the way his breath catches when she touches him, shifting so he can easily wrap his arm around her waist. “I’ve got you,” he says. 

“I know.” It’s the steadiest she’s sounded since this all started. 

Lucanis keeps them both moving, one foot in front of the other, but he knows they’re finally close to safety when he catches sight of Taash running for them. 

“She need a healer?” Taash asks matter-of-factly. 

“Yes,” he replies at the same time as Rook insists ‘no’. 

Taash, for their part, looks unimpressed. “Tracks.” They step in, easily picking Rook up and carrying them. “I got her from here.”

Some part of him is grateful, he is tired. They have been fighting Venatori, running through ancient ruins, and he’s been half-running, half-dragging Rook through the maze of paths and trees to get here. But another part of him panics at letting go of her, as though relinquishing his hold on her might put her in more danger somehow. It’s ridiculous, so he lets her go and jogs to keep up with Taash’s longer strides. 

They lead them through some trees into a crack in the rock, easily hidden unless one knows exactly what to look for. On the other side of the rocks is a small grove. He sees Strife and a number of Veil Jumpers already here, carrying in supplies, and helping the Dalish. Tents are already being set up around the edges of the grove. 

Taash carries Rook to an elven woman with vallaslin over one eye, and they disappear into the nearest tent. He can only assume she must be a healer. He’s about to ask if he can follow when Neve comes to his side. 

“Strife doesn’t think the Venatori are following, but we’re going to wait it out here for a bit,” Neve says. “Is Rook okay?”

“She said that Elgar’nan and Solas were in her head. I’ve never seen her like that.” 

“We’re lucky it was only her Elgar’nan was affecting like that. Solas had to have known what was going to happen when he told her he was going to distract him…”

He doesn’t like that Neve has come to the same conclusion as him about Solas and his  ‘help’. It just means he’s probably right. He glances around at the Dalish clan, harrowed, but alive. “At least we saved the clan.”

Neve nods. “It is nice to get the job done. Seems to be happening more often these days.”

“Is that hope I hear?”

That earns him a tired attempt at a laugh. “Call it cautious optimism.”

Across the camp, he can see Davrin and Bellara working with the Dalish, talking and helping. Emmrich sits with some of the wounded, providing healing. Taash stands guard outside the tent Rook was taken into, and Lucanis doesn’t know what to do with himself. So he follows Neve and Harding and tries to be helpful, awkwardly accepting the gratitude of the elves, while he keeps one eye trained on Rook’s tent. 

Eventually, the healer emerges and has a conversation with Taash before stepping away. He breaks away from watching Harding start a fire to check in with them. 

“And?”

“Rook’ll be fine, but Nehna - the healer -  said she needs to rest. So I think we’re here for a while.”

Rook’s going to be fine. A weight lifts off of him. She’s going to be fine. 

“You can go in there if you want. I did ask, you know, in case you wanted to,” Taash replies with a bit of a knowing look. 

He does want to see her. Wants nothing more than to see for himself that she is fine, but first, the group should talk. “I’ll go after we update everyone.”

The group has mostly drifted together around Harding’s fire anyway. They’ve set down their weapons and are sitting around the fire finally taking a breath. He hasn’t managed to relax enough to do the same. Elgar’nan and his archdemon still feel too close, and he doesn’t trust Solas’s assurances this place is safe from his gaze. 

“Is Rook okay?” Harding asks. Everyone’s worried gazes let him know that they’re all just as concerned, but Harding is just the first to voice it. 

Taash nods. “She’ll be fine. Needs to sleep it off though. Maybe not the worst thing to do to wait this out here though?”

“Strife left a group of Veil Jumpers back at the crater, and he’s going to head back to check-in with them, see what Elgar’nan did after we interrupted. I thought I’d go with him,” Davrin says. 

“Your call. If I ever see that place again, it’ll be too soon,” Neve says. 

“Rook said we’re safe from Elgar’nan here and I’m sure he’s upset we interrupted the ritual, so it might not be the worst thing to wait it out until we hear from the Veil Jumpers,” Harding says. 

Bellara nods. “Besides, Strife asked some of the Veil Jumpers to see if they can figure out the wards on this place to replicate them elsewhere. I’d like to help with that if I can.”

“A very good idea. I will see if I can lend my expertise as well,” Emmrich offers. 

“Sounds like we’re waiting it out, then?” Neve asks. 

Lucanis is fine with that. “Yes.”

Their group thins as Davrin leaves with Strife, and Emmrich and Bellara go to assist the Veil Jumpers. Lucanis pads quietly over to Rook’s tent, some part of him expecting someone to stop him, to tell him that this isn’t allowed. 

But no one does. 

Inside the tent, Rook sleeps. Her face has regained some of its color, and she looks peaceful, no longer in pain. Something in his chest loosens. She’s fine. She’s going to be just fine. The tent is small, but she’s at least in a bedroll and under a blanket. Her armor sits in a neat pile by her feet. There’s enough space for him to sit without bothering her, so he takes a seat on the mat that covers the ground of the tent. 

“Rook?” Spite asks, peering towards her sleeping form. 

“Don’t wake her; she needs to rest,” he whispers. He expects Spite to argue, but he doesn’t, simply drifts back in his direction, settling into the silent vigil. 

Looking at Rook, he realizes this is the horrifying danger of finally having something to lose. There are no weapons in the world strong enough to solve gods fighting in her head. He had been able to do nothing except watch helplessly from the sidelines as she suffered. What sort of fight is that?

He sits beside her until his back is aching, and then he pulls his cloak off to create a make-shift pillow. He could divest himself of his armor and weapons, but he’d rather be ready in case. He stretches out carefully taking up only a little space and listens to the sounds of the camp beyond: the soft murmur of voices, the crackling of the fires, and the general relief permeating the movement of people who have just survived something horrifying. 

He fights sleep, at first. More out of habit than any real fear, but when he overhears the news that Davrin and Strife return with, he finally shuts his eyes. Elgar’nan had sacrificed the Venatori to his dragon. He’s sure the thought should horrify him, but he can only think that it’s what they deserve as he falls asleep to the soft sounds of Rook’s breathing. 

***

When Camina wakes, she doesn’t recognize the dark red canvas above her or the soft blanket she’s curled up under. Her head feels heavy like it’s somehow been filled with cotton, but it doesn’t hurt and that’s a relief. She’s not sure she remembers a time when she was in more pain than what had followed at the crater. She’d barely been able to put one foot in front of the other, her vision had been spotty and her head had felt like it was splitting open. Lucanis had to basically drag her here before Taash picked her up and carried her to the healer. That’s the last thing she remembers.  

She rolls over on the bedroll she’s sleeping in only to find that Lucanis is here, still in full armor. It’s a testament to how worried he was that he’s here at all, she knows that. She’s immediately filled with guilt. 

His head twists in her direction, eyes opening with a purple gleam. Ah, not Lucanis. 

“Rook?”

“Hello, Spite.”

Spite turns Lucanis to his side so that they are facing each other. He lays on the opposite end of the very small tent, giving her as much space as possible, she assumes. She wonders if he meant to sleep or not though his cloak is rolled up beneath his head. 

“Rook. Hurt?” It’s clear the demon is doing his best approximation of a whisper, but it’s more of a stage whisper than anything actually quiet. 

“I’m alright now.”

“They were loud,” Spite says. 

She frowns. “You could hear them?”

His face twists in disgust. “Shook the Fade. Hurt Rook. Lucanis worried.”

“Just Lucanis?” she asks teasingly. It has become no secret that Spite likes talking to her. Perhaps it is because she’s rather more indulgent of his questions than Lucanis usually is, but then Spite can talk directly to Emmrich, and still, his preference is her. He reminds her of Manfred sometimes with the questions and curiosity and attempts to understand the world. 

Rather than responding, Lucanis’s eyelids flutter as he wakes, Spite ceding control. She gets the feeling that if it weren’t for the communication barrier and his inability to interact with the world without Lucanis’s body, Spite wouldn’t spend much time there. He seems more often baffled by bodies than having any true interest in possessing Lucanis. 

“Hey.”

“I hope Spite didn’t wake you,” Lucanis says, a note of apology in his voice. 

“He didn’t.”

“How are you feeling?”

She feels much better than before. Her head is blissfully quiet. “My head feels funny. Foggy almost. Otherwise, fine.”

He looks relieved at that. “Good. You had me worried.”

“Thank you for staying with me and getting me out of there.”

“Always.”

“The Dalish?” she asks.

“All saved. Thanks to you,” Lucanis replies. Then his gaze skitters away and she braces for the bad news she can tell he’s about to deliver. “Elgar’nan was angry about the interrupted ritual. It sounds like he sacrificed the Venatori to strengthen his archdemon.”

So it had all been for nothing. The Dalish clan saved, but people died anyway. An archdemon strengthened. She tries to cover her disappointment, but he catches it anyway. “It could’ve been innocent elves…instead it was racist blood mages. We’ll get another chance at him.”

“We better,” she replies. “Is everyone waiting on me? Is that why we’re here and not at the Lighthouse?”

“I think everyone is still asleep.”

“So we have some time?” Just the two of them, in here? Alone? 

His answering smile is soft. “We do.”

“You don’t have a bedroll.” He is simply stretched out on the woven reed mat that covers the floor of the tent. 

“I didn’t exactly plan to sleep…I just…I wanted to be with you.” There’s something endearing about his earnestness, but there’s an undercurrent of clear worry in it too. Why else would he be here, in full armor if not for the fear?

She reaches across the distance between them and takes his hand. “I’m glad you’re here.” It’s not the first time they’ve touched like this, but it is the first time she’s reached for him. 

He doesn’t pull away and with his free hand, he carefully readjusts her blanket so that it once again covers her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

She remembers the splitting headache, the way her vision had blurred. But she also remembered him, cradling her face and calling her back. “You called me Camina.”

The uncertainty is clear in his eyes, and she worries she’s pushed this too far. He sighs. “I didn’t know what was happening. I was trying to get your attention.”

It had worked; she remembers the way he’d come back into focus. As terrified as she was, he had been there and he had been calling her name. “It was nice.”

He seems to be considering her words. “You told me once that you wished there was somewhere you just got to be Camina.”

It had been a comment tossed out in a moment of vulnerability months ago at the beginning of all of this. But he remembered. It makes her want to be brave. 

“Maybe…when it’s just us…when we’re like this…”She doesn’t know what else to call this, what they are, but when he looks at her like that, she’s almost sure. 

He shifts a little closer to her, a finger reaching out to carefully tuck her hair behind her ear. “Camina.” The way he says her name is careful, as though it is something delicate on his tongue.

She wants to lean into that touch, wants to draw him closer. She wonders for a moment if he’s going to kiss her the way he didn’t in the pantry. Especially as he carefully runs the back of his fingers across her cheek before tracing the line of her nose. His brown eyes are soft in the half-darkness, mouth parted a little as though he is in awe that this moment exists at all.

“You’ve never told me how you got this,” he says, fingers gently gliding across the scar that spans the bridge of her nose.

“It’s a silly story,” she breathes, wishing he wouldn’t stop touching her. 

But he pulls back. “Tell me.”

So she does. She tells him of a night filled with all the belief of invulnerability that youth brings. She tells him how the halls had always called to her, and so one night when she answered, she’d found herself followed by her newest friend: Willow. She tells him of the wisp that had led them down into a place that felt unexplored, uncatalogued. She had caught sight of a funerary urn and had wanted to read the name etched into the clay, but it had been too high up to see properly. Will had been busy exploring another part of the tomb, so she’d climbed the stone recesses containing the bones of the dead to reach it. She’d just grabbed hold of it when the stone had crumbled beneath her boot. She’d found herself falling and she’d done what she could to protect the urn, and in so doing, it had landed on her nose, cutting across the bridge. It had hurt, but she still remembered Will’s laughter echoing off the stone, the way she had joined her even as Will had pulled a bandage from her satchel to mop up the blood. The way Will had carefully been her eyes as she’d clumsily attempted to heal her injury then and there. The way that night had cemented their new friendship. 

“Why didn’t you just ask Will for help getting the urn?” he asks. 

“How would she have helped? We’re the same height. Besides, I’m impatient and bad at asking for help, you know that.”

He chuckles. “I do.”

“I could have gone to a Watcher healer after, they probably would have made the scar a bit less noticeable…but I didn’t,” she says, the words a hushed whisper in the quiet darkness that covers them like a blanket.

“Why not?” he asks, thumb brushing her knuckles. 

“I found I didn’t mind it…or the reminder of the night.” She’d been so unsure about Willow, about their new friendship until the moment Will had seen her laying on her ass at the bottom of a tomb and burst into laughter at the same time she reached into her bag for her healing kit. 

“It suits you; you’re beautiful.” He says it with such quiet awe, with such focused intensity she cannot help but blush. In Nevarra, beauty always felt unattainable. It was lush gowns and arms full of golden bangles. It was Van Markams and Forsythias and Pentaghasts and country homes. Beauty always felt gated behind the etiquette that still doesn’t feel second-nature to her no matter how many classes the Watchers made her sit through.

But she knows what he finds beautiful: a sunrise in Treviso, a good cup of coffee, a sharp, well-maintained blade, a collection of words in a book…He doesn’t use the word lightly, and to know she is included in that venerated list makes her want to close the distance between them. She wants to trace her own fingers across his cheek and ask him about his scars and their stories. 

But she doesn’t because she is afraid of spoiling what she does have with hopes for more. They have made no declarations and the only promises they carry between them are spun sugar soft and just as fragile. She still remembers too clearly the way he had pulled away in the pantry; she still hasn’t found the courage to ask why. 

“Thank you,” she murmurs, squeezing his hand lightly, as much a reminder to her of this connection as punctuating her words. “Do you have any scars?”

“A few,” he says. “I don’t know any assassin that doesn’t.”

She waits him out, the unanswered question hanging heavy in the air. 

When he begins speaking the words are muffled, rushed together. “There was a job in Orlais and I found myself on the wrong end of a chevalier’s blade, it cut me right here.” He gestures to his left side, right on the ribs.

He tells her a story about breaking into some lavish chateau outside of Val Royeaux, of sneaking in through windows and creeping through the quiet. Of finding his target, a Comte, ready to dispatch him, but the Comte had swapped places with a chevalier, so he’d wound up in an unexpected fight with an imposter and had to scour the house for the real Comte afterward. He’d found him cowering in a nearby linen closet.

“He caught me by surprise,” Lucanis says, sounding almost impressed. “It was a good plan, it might have even saved him if I hadn’t known the Comte couldn’t fight.” 

“How did you know?” she asks. 

“He’d sent his brother off to fight for Grand Duke Gaspard during the civil war in his place, and he was the one who paid for the contract.”

“His own brother?”

Lucanis sighs. “Orlesians.” He says it with exasperation as if his own cousin hadn’t just tried to get him killed. If he catches the irony, he gives no indication of it. 

“Does it ever bother you? Your job?”

“No, death comes for everyone. I’ve never killed an innocent by my count. It is a solitary sort of occupation though. I hadn’t realized that until I joined this team. Though I could do without the dragons if it’s all the same to you.”

“And gods fighting in my head,” she agrees.

He glances at the comfortable tangle of their fingers before meeting her gaze. “Even so, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

When he looks at her like that, her stomach does a little flip. She hopes he can’t tell. “Laying on the hard ground in a tiny tent after fighting through scores of Venatori?”

The corners of his mouth tip up at her attempt at a joke, his gaze filled with nothing but fondness. “With you.”

And if that isn’t a declaration, what is?

Likes and reblogs are love!

[patrasche-enjoyer]

I suppose it is neither unfair nor untrue to say that Subaru craves connectivity to other humans, something that was certainly fostered by his youth, which was plagued by loneliness and isolation due to his more than complex relation to his father, his imposter syndrome as well has his anxiety disorder, all of which came to their worst climax in his high school years.

Of course, as soon as he is reincarnated and can "start from zero" as the title of the series would imply, he takes the opportunity to reconnect with others, as many of us would do too. However, due to the inherently isolating nature of RBD, he quickly falls back into his old habits of searching for connectivity without actually baring his true self to others. Of course RBD isn't completely at fault for such behavior, Subaru still carries wounds from his past, he never confronted his issues nor did he unlearn harmful habits, even with a "fresh start", it was impossible to truly get better.

[Side note: I do really enjoy that re:zero does not just take into account Subaru's previous life, but also the hardships he had to face back then and doesn't make them seem like lesser struggles in comparison to his newer problems]

Of course, caring about someone deeply and them forgetting about you entirely, as would be the case with RBD, could, at its worst, break almost everyone. So it is not strange, in fact, that Subaru, who is already starved for connectivity, would come across as near obsessive over the people he cared about, especially from the perspective of others who do not remember him from previous loops.

My man Otto doesn't have that fucking excuse tho, he saw Subaru for like a minute and was like "hey is anybody gonna obsesse over that?" and not wait for an answer, my man is ready to kill not just himself but eradicate entire fucking countries for Subaru, there is clearly something wrong with him and being around Subaru clearly unlocked some awful part of his brain

[hazele-omega]

which character? (this is an enthusiastic invitation to infodump)

Ah, the character in my pfp, who is my No Man's Sky avatar...I did make some backstory for him at some point, though it's not perfectly formed

Yes. I love him. Personality wise I would describe him as Joyful And Slightly Stupid. Real golden retriever most of the time. This does not inhibit him from being a freighter captain with an inexplicable amount of money. To everyone around him, and to himself, he is a traveller , but surprise surprise he kind of isn't exactly and is actually the result of a very butchered science experiment.

Here is where I must explain some of the lore of Repentance, which is the sequel to Nest (the story starring Zed/Lucien/October). Repentance takes place about a year after Nest (or the equivalent in sci-fi time), and while October is one of the main viewpoint characters, there are quite a few new characters who tie into it.

Specifically, my pfp character's lore ties in with the lore of an outlaw Korvax faction called the "Three Moons' Repentance" (title drop). This lore is based a little bit on the lore from Expedition Seven of the canon game, and is technically pretty major Repentance spoilers, but it's unlikely I'll actually get to making the source material so whatever. The Korvax that make up the heart of this faction come from a group that used to live in a city on the planet that these moons orbit. Due to their actions as a city on the whole, this group was cursed by a Leviathan to never be able to "ascend" to the Korvax Echoes, trapping them on the physical plane of existence and forcing them to just go through bodies forever. The rest of the Convergence feared the curse would spread and shut these Korvax out, forcing them to live as divergent outlaws.

The reason why this city was cursed was that in its time, it harnessed a rather unusual power source. The denizens found a glitched Leviathan, trapped in its own time loop. Instead of seeing a creature in pain, they saw a perfect perpetual motion machine. They harnessed the Leviathan and trapped it in the city, utilising its loop to replenish power and resources. Taking pieces from the creature that would grow back once the loop ended.

One day, a Traveller arrived at this city. A scientist, always looking for new research work. His name isn't finalised, but for now we'll call him Cosmos.

Cosmos was fascinated by this Leviathan. He wanted to learn everything about the beast and what made it tick. He helped the city improve outputs, and so they let him experiment, as long as he refrained from breaking the loop.

Cosmos saw how the Leviathans seemed to operate outside time, in some higher levels of being. He decided that in order to truly understand it all, he needed to see into the Leviathan's mind. He designed a strange mechanical shell, almost in his own image, and essentially tried to force a fragment of the Leviathan's consciousness or memories into it in order to try and communicate with it on his own terms. In doing so, he broke the loop. It must have been an accident. He couldn't have been willing to risk that just for knowledge.

The Leviathan decided to punish the city for keeping it in its eternal loop of pain, but specifically it decided to punish Cosmos. It seized his form, destroyed most of his flesh body and sealed what was left into the mechanical shell he had built. In that shell the Leviathan left all its memories of the loop, every sensation of suffering. In doing so, it purged them from its own mind.

The Leviathan's form had destabilized, every event of the loop collapsing into it. Somehow, some fragment of its drifting core, its purged brain, found its way into Cosmos' now-empty Exosuit.

No-one saw this happen. No-one saw either form again after the day the loop broke. The final curse of the Leviathan began to settle.

So yeah...My pfp character's lore is that he's technically, in some capacity, a Leviathan who doesn't know he's a Leviathan. There are still a lot of holes and gaps to fill in that story but it's meant to be a bit inexplicable and mythical so whatever. He's significant in Repentance because a viewpoint character is a member of his freighter crew. That character is a Korvax and secretly a divergent outlaw in hiding, but things go downhill and the story starts when she discovers that one of her law-abiding Korvax colleagues has somehow acquired the curse. Somehow.

It's all still very vague and grand and dubiously-lore-compliant but Whatweber. It's fun

Cosmos is still around somewhere too...He meets October and they do Not like each other. Desperate Pursuers of Existential Knowledge Support Group failure

[naivesilver]

Self-fulfilling prophecies, or: I think Rumple and Blue messed up big time, folks

Disclaimer: I am a comparatively recent OUAT fan, so while smarter people probably thought this through before I even watched the show, I have never seen it happen and thus can't know if I'm stating the obvious. Please bear with me, this is going to be a long post.

So prophecies! OUAT has a lot of those. There is an entire wiki section about them, and most of the early ones are offered to us by Rumpelstiltskin, because as we know, he gained the power of foresight from the Seer. But what exactly did said Seer tell Rumple, when she relinquished her power to him?

What we gather from the (cryptic) explanations that we get is that with foresight, you can see all the ways the future might untangle, and practising+physically approaching the time of the events make you able to discern which of those paths will ultimately be the right one. Bae's destiny after the Seer's first on-screen prophecy proves that while the future is highly dependent on people's actions, they cannot forcefully steer it in the direction they want - Rumple thought he could avoid losing his son by crippling himself, but in doing so he followed EXACTLY the road that had been paved for him.

We don't know, however, what would have happened if he hadn't spoken to the Seer. SHE knew, presumably, that by drawing him close she would put the doubt in his mind, but it's unclear whether he would have still left his son fatherless by dying on the battlefield or something entirely different would have happened. We don't know - and Rumple doesn't, either.

Here's the catch, though: everything he does in the first few seasons follows the same pattern of that night in the army, blindly assuming that it makes a difference. He micromanages every main character's life because he sees them as pieces of the bridge he HAS to build to reach Bae. He doesn't account for things going wrong because he thinks they can't, and he's fucking EVERYWHERE anyway, so nothing can slip out of his fingers.

But what if THAT is what actually cements this timeline as the "definitive" one? The Seer told him he would find his son again, he could have simply bid his time and waited knowing this would be the result anyway. When his first apprentice disappoints him as the curse-caster, Regina and her grudges still happen, after all. He probably didn't need to do anything to ensure it - if he'd just leaned back and spun his little wheel, the future would have come around on its own, one way or another. But he doesn't, and instead sets in motion a very specific chain of events, and thus the show happens.

Why would he do that? Maybe he didn't learn how to parse through his visions correctly and he thinks this is a "will be" future and not a "can be" one. Maybe that first prophecy didn't teach him anything, and he still thinks he can cheat destiny (as proven by the fact that when learning that a boy will be his undoing, he refuses to accept it, believing he can just kill said boy before it happens). Maybe he thinks he's like MCU Doctor Strange, who sees thousands of possible outcomes and makes sure the one that leads him to Bae the quickest will happen. I have no clue. But what I think has happened is that for any of these reasons, he made this destiny happen by KNOWING it would happen (or believing it would, as you'd have it), thus fulfilling the prophecy by willingly acting on it.

So Rumple fucked himself over, big deal. We have seen it happen multiple times after s3. But you know who else might have unknowingly led the future where she thought it'd go, in this endless loop we have just described?

At this point in the story we don't really have proof of whether Blue has prophetic powers of her own or she's just going off Rumple's words, but it does seem to me that the way she's telling the story has a bit more nuance than his version did during the Charmings' visit to the cell. So either she went back to pry further, from a man that she generally does NOT trust...or somehow, she's autonomously privy to details most of the others don't have.

But what does she DO with that knowledge? Does she work with what she has to guarantee Emma will fulfil her destiny? Does she trace very clear boundaries for everyone to stay within to adhere to her plan? No. She lets Geppetto convince her to lie. She allows him to risk jeopardizing the safety of an ENTIRE kingdom in the span of five minutes, which makes no fucking sense considering she has never shied away from weaponizing her influence for the sake of what she thinks is the greater good (which in turn is what made people think she was the villain all along, but I digress).

Moreover, some of my friends once had a discussion that, everything else aside, made me realize how fucking dumb it was of Blue to just LEAVE when Geppetto had threatened to do as he pleased with the wardrobe. What kinda preparations did she have to do, literal HOURS before a curse where she would lose all her free will and magic anyway? It was pointless at best, detrimental at worst, and the way I see it, PREMEDITATED to begin with, because while I utterly despise Blue and would have no problem calling her an idiot, this would objectively be a bad move. She could have literally lied to Geppetto about what kind of person could go in the wardrobe, or used magic to prevent the worst from happening. She has done similar things, before AND after that moment.

If she indeed knew, either because of Rumple or her own abilities, how shit was "meant" to go down, it's not too far-fetched to assume she might have acted accordingly in an attempt to guarantee the success of this plan. Even if there had been other possible paths to take, e.g. worlds where Emma might have gone to the LWM with either of her parents, and EVEN IF Rumple hadn't already prevented those variables from happening by that point...if Blue thought the only way for it to work was to stick to the timeline she had envisioned, then there was nothing anyone else could do.

To sum up this theory: Rumple sees the chain of events that develops through show canon, and either decides or mistakenly believes it will be made true, putting all his effort into ensuring it does. Blue makes the same mistake (depending on how you see it, obviously) and instead of forcing people's hands to change the course, allows Geppetto to make what she thinks is an unavoidable decision. By doing so, BOTH of them fulfil what they think is an already written future, but might have still only been one of the various options available among endless variables.

Besides, if they HAD realized that they'd fucked up in hindsight, I doubt they would have admitted to it. It would have been too late by then: knowing them, they would have felt forced to stick to their guns, to avoid considering the possibility to have made a mistake - ESPECIALLY Blue, who was already responsible for the start of this avalanche, what with giving Bae the bean and suggesting the curse to Rumple. It's hard to believe they would have been able to live with themselves, if they'd taken the option into account.

And in the end, what are the results of this proactive decision? Rumple and Bae's reunion is angry, unsatisfying and with catastrophic consequences for the whole family. Emma grows up alone, forced into a destiny she did not sign up for, having been ten minutes old at best. And as for the third victim of prophetic crimes...

Without these beliefs, solid or imaginary that they might be, there is a chance nothing would have gone as we know: the 28 years gap might have meant something else entirely, a lot of people would have been spared the pain, and an external hand would have prevented Pinocchio from being sent on an impossible mission, with a baby and no tools to navigate this world in his hands. Another child lost to the Land Without Magic as a pawn in a game played by two magic users who each thought they were outwitting the other - at least Emma got to grow and heal throughout the show, as an ADULT.

Did Pinocchio?

(OOF. This is almost certainly not what the writers had in mind when they planned the plot of this series. I am, unfortunately, aware of that. But I still think it's worth being put into words as a theory - I probably didn't formulate it as coherently as I hoped, but maybe the message will still filter through, despite the fact that I am 1) overtly verbose 2) tragically Italian. Unforgivable sins, both of them LMAO)

[littleeyesofpallas]

So i got this comment on a Bleach post i forgot i'd even made. It's nd old one and i hate the way it reads so i'm not reblogging it, but I will sort of resummarize bits of it now and add to it accordingly...

Kyouraku no Jirou Sakuranosuke Shunsui[京楽 次郎 総蔵佐 春���]

Kyouraku[京楽] is written with the kanji for "capitol" (the same kyou in Kyoto and Tokyo) and "music," and together referencing the music(and somewhat implicitly theatre) of the city the compound word means "enjoyment" or "pleasure." Moreover it's the root of a few recognizable terms like kyourakuteki[享楽的]: "pleasure-seeking," kyourakuseikatsu[享楽生活]: "a life of pleasure," and kyourakushuugi[享楽主義]: "hedonism" All very directly reflected in Shunsui's overall personality and demeanor.

His full title appends, (no)Jirou[次郎]: "next son" (synonym with jirou[二郎]: "second son") making his title or epithet, Kyouraku-no-Jirou[京楽 次郎]: "(the)Kyouraku's SecondSon"

In a kind of old fashioned convention for samurai, the name Sakuranosuke[総蔵佐] is a kind of temporary or informal name. (In the real world they were something a samurai might change pretty often, either as an alias or sometimes as a kind of ornamental name or epithet, but that doesn't get used in media too often, outside strictly historical settings/characters, I assume because it tends to get confusing.)

It's maybe a little strange that Katen calls him by something as informal as a kind of a nickname. On the one hand it shows their relationship is fairly casual as opposed to formal, but it seems to bring into question their actual intimacy? I guess you can just hand wave it as a cutesy pet name thing since he also calls her Ohana(O-[お] being a now rather outdated prefix in women's names, and the hana[花] of course just being "flower." But colloquially it could be read almost like calling her "Gorgeous"/"Beautiful" as in like a nickname, not as an adjective.) in return, but in conjunction with her pretty overt oiran archetype, it suggests the kind of relationship where a wealthy patron sneaking in to see a prostitute doesn't give her his real name.

Although depending on how, either angsty or romantic you want to be and what the genre and audience are, some might argue that it's more open and honest and intimate to use fake names and not be stifled by the rigor of adhering to, or even acknowledging social roles.

It would seem a little odd for how powerful he is, and thus implicitly how good his relationship with his sword spirit ought to be to facilitate that... But then even outside the nickname thing their relationship does seem more than a little strained. His reluctance to use bankai is played off in their dynamic not unlike the aforementioned brothel patron suddenly giving the cold shoulder, leaving the woman asking, "why don't you come see me anymore?"

And in this kind of overlap of samurai era period setting and sordid romance drama that their designs and character types play with, it is a pretty common trope for the naive young man to fall in love with a prostitute, promise her to buy her freedom, and then fail to follow through on his promise, typically leading one or both of the star-crossed lovers to kill themselves with the expectation that while insurmountable social factors keep them apart in life, they can be together in death.

Oh and it's also a deliberately weird reading kinda shoehorning it into being a pun on sakura[桜]: "cherry(tree)," which of course just loops back around to the spring time and flowers thing. The actual kanji used read "General Warehouse Assistant," where the (no)suke[佐] bit is a common naming suffix. The kura[蔵]: "warehouse" bit is normal enough, but the kanji [総] doesn't normally read as "sa," which seems to be shortened from satoshi[総] or satoru[総] which are names on their own. But as far as i can tell, when it's in a compound, and particularly as a prefix, [総] is only ever pronounced "sou-".

Anyway... finally, the given name, Shunsui[春水] means "spring water." (Spring like the season) It's a kind of motif in art and poetry referring to the winter snow melting at the start of spring. As with his overall design it evokes leisure and comfort; the hard times are over, the easy and bountiful times have begun.

There's also some stuff about his sword that echos bits of all this, as well as lends kind of an ominous tone that Kubo doesn't quite follow through on... But I've been over that a few times already over the years, so i won't repeat myself here. I don't know that i've got anything new to add to any of those rants.

It's off the back of this that Kubo gave his brother the name Shunzan[春山]: "Spring Mountain" which is also a common art motif. It doesn't seem to have much more significance than that, just a kind of obvious branch off all Shunsui's existing themes. No new aspects or clever insight to add to the themes in play. Honestly it almost feels like a name Kubo might have considered for Shunsui himself in some early phase of design.

Ise[伊勢] is just written exactly like Ise the modern day city, which gets its name from the former Ise province(now Mie prefecture), but more importantly it's the home of the Grand Ise Shrine, which houses one of the royal national treasures, the yata-no-kagami; a bronze mirror featured in early shinto myth, and reflects the light of the mother sun goddess, Amaterasu. While the later developments of the manga take this reference pretty bluntly, I never actually got the feeling that it was really made to foreshadowing anything. Even retroactively the "reveal" of Nanao's backstory having this link to the Ise temple via the mirror feels like it doesn't actually come from or play with her established character at all. But maybe that's just me...

Anyway, given name, Nanao[七緒] is written "Seven Chords/Strings," as in on an string instrument; could also read "Seventh Chord/String." I don't really know what to make of this apart from that it's implication of an instrument plays into Kyoraku's "music" meaning. (I did have an alternate take on her family name and subsequently a different reading on the full name in that post I reference above, which i wrote years ago, but I honestly have no idea what I was talking about in that. I think I was off on some wild goose chase by the fact that the i-[伊] in ise is actually only used phonetically in Japanese and has no apparent meaning, unless you try and looking into how it's used in Chinese. But while Kubo definite does dabble in obscure and even chinese readings of kanji, this does not appear to be one of those times...)

Anyway, her mom has a name now too, I guess. The name Isuzu[檍涼] is written with the kanji for [檍]: "ilex/holm oak/evergreen oak/birdlime tree" and [涼]: "cool-breeze/cooling-off," like cooling off in the shade of a tree on a hot day. It doesn't really play into the Ise thing, or Nanao's name. It's also got a weird alliterative sound to it that i don't like but maybe that's just me. I don't exactly have the best ear for this sort of thing

I guess you could argue that collectively both sides of this family all work together to paint a certain classical kind of scene... i don't know what to call it really, but it's a common enough scene of people lounging around in spring time drinking, listening to music, and admiring the scenery. I guess it falls under scenes of hanami:"flower viewing" but I feel like that's more specific than what I'm thinking of... Unrelated to anything but it seems popular in bonsai.

So... Technically in the real world the high priestesses of the Ise shrine have a very particular lineage, where the mythic founder of the temple was the daughter of an emperor, and every subsequent head priestess has in turn been some kind of blood relative to the throne(typically a daughter or sister, but sometimes a niece or even an aunt, or more distant relative). So, even if they aren't priestesses, and there is no apparent temple, I guess that could imply that the Ise bloodline in Bleach is supposed to be near to the Soul King's lineage in some way? Yet they don't seem to be one of the two unidentified royal houses, which you would think they'd qualify for if that were the case (or the unidentified house if we want to pretend the LN are canon and Tsunayashiro count) so it's probably not something Kubo took into consideration or intended when drawing on the Ise name.

It still bugs me that Nanao's whole shtick really felt like it came out of nowhere. not just because it hadn't been addressed before, but because it wasn't even addressing questions anyone as asking. This weird working backwards sort of writing to make up an excuse for her not having her own zanpakutou, despite that fact that Kubo drew her with a distinctive zanpakutou, so it was clearly not some big master plan twist he'd been sitting on for forever. it all just feels rushed and poorly conceived. But that's true of a lot of things in the final arc. I don't think it's because Kubo was "rushed" by editorial or something, btw --i know that seems to be the popular apocrypha-- I think he's just bad at serialization. He used to get in these rutts where the plot would just fully stall out for weeks at a time, and I'm convinced these writers blocks are what contribute to some of his worst writing. He's never exploring character or themes or advancing a plot or even answering real questions, he's just trying to turn his 19 pages in on time.

That's the kind of "rush" I see underlying these weird moments where he just unloads exposition or that he he'd do where a fight would have a big power reveal only for it to immediately fail and be overshadows by a second power reveal. It's just bad pacing and I don't think he knew how else to get thru the fights because it got worse and worse as things went on over the whole series.

[marypsue]

I've also got three The Lost Boys AUs that I've been chewing on, only one of which has deigned to offer me anything like a 'conclusion' or even a 'plot':

It turns out that impaling a vampire does count as a first kill. As long as Michael doesn't taste human blood, though, there's still enough him left in him not to turn fully cold-blooded killer. However, a guy's still gotta eat, which is how he ends up teaming up with the Frogs to keep the Boardwalk vampire-free - and his larder stocked. This works for about eight years, until Star comes back into town, looking for help again - somebody's left a newspaper article on her doorstep about a group of kids on a surfing trip to California who'd been murdered. One of them is still missing. And Star and Michael both once knew the missing kid by the nickname Laddie. Somebody knows what happened that summer in 1987, and they're looking for revenge. And the vampire Michael thought was his first kill might not actually be all that dead...

It turns out that impaling a vampire doesn't count as a first kill, and it doesn't matter what a stake is made of so long as it pierces the heart. In the aftermath of canon, everything is normal again - until one night Michael suddenly finds himself back in the cave, with a terrifyingly familiar hunger in the core of him, surrounded by people who should be dead. Something's gone terribly wrong - nobody remembers the ambush at the cave or the fight at the house, his family are pointing crossbows and water pistols full of holy water at him, Star's not speaking to him, David's implying that the sun will crispy-fry him and that he's killed, and worst of all, Max is still dating his mom. Also, Michael's having strange dreams in which he's trapped inside his own reflection - which is made even stranger by the fact that vampires, apparently, don't dream. It takes the combined brains of three comic book nerds to work out what seems to have happened - somehow, Michael from the canon timeline has swapped bodies with the Michael from a timeline where he gave in at the bonfire. And he has to figure out a way to take care of Max and save his family in this timeline and get back to his own, fast, before the other him has a chance to ruin everything Michael had to kill for.

Westworld-inspired/time loop AU where the Frog brothers visit an escape-room-style attraction on the Santa Carla Boardwalk in the nebulous spacefuture, where the point of the game is to figure out which of a cast of artificially-intelligent meat-robot actors is behind the killings taking place in a 1987 version of the Santa Carla Boardwalk. For less paranoia-prone players, it'd be a fun immersive game. For the Frog brothers, it's an excuse to stake everything in sight (requiring them to restart the narrative multiple times), and a short descent into madness and questioning the nature of their own reality and cognition as the 'hosts' slowly become self-aware around them. Also, vampire bites can be used to transmit data packages, and I get to make fun meta jokes (the 'escape room' was previously skinned with a storyline based on Solarbabies, the movie Jami Gertz and Jason Patric were in together before TLB!).

[averys-happy-space]

was doodling the cinema trio and realised some design parallels & contrasts between all of them and thought id put it into a post because why not

design-wise fang and maisie are actually really really similar, ive always thought this but i didnt realise just how similar they are until i started listing all of it to someone i was talking to on discord

both wear sleeveless tops

both wear loose/puffy high rise pants, both of which are also cuffed at the bottom

both wear gloves

both have the popcorn logo somewhere on their design

both wear sneakers (whereas buster wears boots)

could argue both have unnatural/dyed hair colours, though i googled it and apparently it is possible for dark skinned people to be naturally blonde but its just v rare... rare enough that i reckon this point still stands

both have golds + reds as their accent colours - buster sorta has this but its much less obvious/striking compared to the other two

this makes it sound like buster is the odd one out which he v much is at least design wise. but he has some similarities with the others too:

all 3 wear something around their foreheads (bandana, sun visor, headband)

all 3 wear blue pants of varying shades

maisie and buster both have a tool (fire extinguisher / film projector) where fang does not

fang and buster both have something slung over one shoulder (suspender, film loop). theyre on opposite shoulders too (something something one completes the other)

and then there's the differences / contrasts:

this one blew my mind when i realised it but fang is mostly primary colours (red yellow blue) whereas buster is mostly secondary colours (orange purple green). feel like this point isn't that strong though if you consider that buster also has black & grey + blue jeans too, and fang's hair is arguably more purple than dark blue. but i still thought it was interesting enough to mention anyway. also, maisie is a mix of both palettes (red yellow blue / purple black + her skintone is an orangey brown).

fang's hair is made of sharp edges, while maisie's is categorically rounded, and buster is somewhere in the middle where he shares fang's sharp edged bangs but his hair curls around the back, making it more rounded like maisie's

they all have different eyebrow shapes (triangle, rectangle, oval). could probably make an argument for this being reflective of their personalities with fang having the most sharp edges (most aggressive, reckless, confident); maisie being sharp in the sense of being very perceptive, responsive, quick witted but still less intense than fang; and buster being the softest, most shy, most protective

their personality is reflected in their playstyles too which are all starkly different - fang is aggro, maisie is control, buster is defensive. also means their trio can be a well rounded team in 3v3s too (which they were until maisie and fang got nerfed lol)

lots of cool design choices. knowing the release order was fang -> buster -> maisie can also help explain why buster is so distinct from the other two as well i think. because stuff like the popcorn logo seems like a strange thing to leave out of his design until you realise oh, the designers probably weren't thinking of having that be the logo of the theatre the trio work at until maisie came along and they realised it'd make a good logo/emblem.

there is also something to be said about fang and maisie being so similar because at first glance you'd think they're complete opposites - one is reckless and carefree, the other is literally a safety coordinator. that's definitely the impression you'd get from watching the animations from maisie's release as well. but maisie's bio admits that she lowkey enjoys dangerous situations and i think deep down she is actually very similar to fang in that they're both thrill seekers. she's still far better at keeping a level head when things go wrong than he is though

buster and fang being opposites is also really cute, at least to me. opposites attract and all that. i also think buster's actually a lot smarter than the maisie release animation gives him credit for, especially considering he was able to customise a film projector from the theatre for his own personal use. writing this now though i think one thing they do have in common is they're both pussies lol. as much as i hate the willow release art where fang is in shelly's arms, i do like the idea of him being a total wimp, just because it directly contrasts against all his other personality traits. buster is also clearly easily spooked if you look at his release animations in the ghost station. but he still saves gus in that one animation and i think thats indicative of his bravery - he'll always do the right thing even if it scares the shit out of him. fang, uh... probably not as reliable for that lol

[jokersenpai-thenavigator]

Why You Should Play: Oxenfree

*Spoilers for an 8yo game!*

Oxenfree’s story isn’t terribly complex. It takes maybe 4 - 6 hours to beat, depending on how much of the collectable content you’re aiming to grab. Game play primarily consists of walking around the island, talking to your friends, and fiddling around with your pocket radio.

But DAMN does Oxenfree do well in its execution.

The aforementioned radio, as your primary means of interacting with the island, is an amazingly implemented mechanic. You can go through the entire game, only using it for its intended purpose, and it is entirely valid.

But.

If you take the time to scroll through the radio stations in different locations - even outside of the “anomaly” areas - you’ll get little pieces of information and world building.

Music stations exist, though they only play music from the 1940’s.

Certain stations in certain places will broadcast messages in Morse code, which, coupled with the opening call signs from the anomaly stations and the freaking beats in the game’s main music track, led to an ARG back in 2016 when the game was released.

Sometimes, you’ll get clips from old interviews.

And sometimes…you’ll hear yourself. Having conversations that haven’t happened.

And that’s just the radio mechanic.

Another main gimmick of the game are time loops. You’ll occasionally get stuck in a loop, only able to escape once an old magnetic tape player appears, allowing you to break through the frequency of the loop. The time loop will visually appear on the screen as almost VHS quality static, like the world around you is physically being paused and rewound each time you make it to the edge of the loop.

The screen distorts with static, gets flipped upside down and your dialogue choices reversed, still images of nautical blueprints and old photographs flash for a brief second. In the background, seemingly innocent trees and stones will twist and distort into towering monsters, eyes glowing bright against the darkness of the island, there for only a second, leaving you to wonder if you actually saw something, or if it was just your imagination.

There are moments in the game where Alex’s reflection will speak to her, giving her advice. At the moment, the information seems…strange. Nonsensical. You tell yourself to let Jonas speak to his mom - who is dead. You tell yourself to let Michael know to stay with Clarissa - despite Michael having died years ago.

The information doesn’t make sense…until you approach the end of the game. And then you have to decide whether or not to believe your reflection, and make your choices, until at the very end of everything…after everything that you’ve experienced in your play through, everything you’ve learned…you have to tell your past self what to do. The entire time, it was you.

The game ends, your futures are set…and then, as Alex is narrating her closing statements…the audio distorts. Alex says that she has to pick up Jonas for Ren’s trip to the island. The screen gets staticky, and goes black.

And then fades in on Ren, describing the history of Edward Island.

You are on a boat.

At the beginning of the game.

And you are aware that you’ve been here before.

**Link to information on the ARG, because HOLY SHIT I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THIS!!! https://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oxenfree#:~:text=The%20Morse%20code%20in%20the,to%20go%20to%20Edwards%20Island.

[the-bar-sinister]

Fire in the Belly, Spirits on the Tongue (35605 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 8/?

Summary: Sabo promised that he wouldn't leave the Revolutionary army, but what will become of the three of them now that Ace is awake and alive in his heart, and more importantly, his body?

catch up here

-

Sabo came back from his discussion with Dragon solemn, but resolute.

Koala had been waiting patiently in her quarters, packing up whether they got permission or not. Sabo needed this time away from the Revolutionary Army to get his head straight. They had to investigate, explore his memories with Ace, and understand the nature of this strange connection, and if she had to go awol for a while, then damn the consequences.

They'd make it up to the Army later.

She looked up as Sabo walked in, her smile warm despite the nerves hammering in her chest. "How'd it go?" she asked as she tossed one of her shirts into a bag. 

He smiled softly at her as he closed the door behind him, and he relaxed his shoulder blades against it. "We got our leave."

"We did? Good! We won't have to sneak out in the dead of night then!" She shut her bag. "....was he upset?" 

"I think 'concerned' is probably the right word to use." Sabo frowned. "But he said that he understood my need to take time and grieve."

Honestly, that sounded like Dragon. But the last thing they needed right now was for people to swamp Sabo and Ace with their concern when they had to figure out exactly what was going on between Sabo and the possible spirit of his dead friend.

"I understand that too," Koala smiled up at him. "Even if things are a little more complicated than that, huh?" 

"Things are a lot more complicated than that," he sighed. "Which I would be happy to keep to ourselves for now. We do have a lead on Deuce, by the way."

Koala snuck over, he looked like he needed some physical affection, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders with a quiet hum. "Really? You do? That's great news!" 

He wrapped his arms around her in return and nuzzled her shoulder. "It's what took me so long. I was talking with the intel division. A blue haired pirate in a mask was seen leaving Marineford."

She rested back against him with a little smile. "Well that's really specific, that's got to be him, right? Did they say what direction?"

"It does seem like it must be him," he muttered– his tone had changed slightly, and Koala picked up on the tell-tale signs that Ace was present now, either with Sabo, or instead of him. "It also means that he's real—"

"Ah—" he paused as if interrupting himself. "Yes, he was on the same ship as Crocodile apparently, and we know where they came ashore. "

"Hey Ace," Koala murmured, still looped around their shoulders. "sounds like he is real—and it sounds like we should head right to that island as soon as we can. Before the trail gets cold." 

They nuzzled against her. "Hey, Koala. Sorry to intrude. Just, really curious about how this will work out. You're right— we've gotta get our asses in gear."

"Lucky for you I'm smart," she gestured with one hand over her shoulder at the pre-packed bags. "We can head out as soon as you're able, alright? I'm… I'm pretty curious too." 

They glanced over at the bags, and Sabo's voice and smile snuck back in. "I had a guess you'd already be getting us ready. And I appreciate it."

Koala wiggled excitedly with a nod. It was actually kind of exciting. Yeah, the situation was weird, and it threw a bit of a wrench in her comfortable and practiced back and forth with Sabo. But Ace was a fun presence, and there was nothing quite like a mystery to solve to inject a little excitement right?

"Maybe I'm a little eager to get going too." 

"Want to have us all to yourself?" The voice was unclear but the sharp, teasing look seemed to belong to Ace. "We're pretty eager to get moving too. It's… weird to be here right now."

"Well, .what can I say? A girl has to have her fun, right? And maybe I want you all to myself for a moment." She chuckled softly under her breath. "...I bet. It's not exactly somewhere you can be open. So—let's go." 

-

They traveled as members of the Revolutionary Army often did, incognito, taking passage on a merchant ship bound for the island where Crocodile's stolen ship had landed.

The two of them made themselves scarce but unobtrusive. Helping out, as passengers often did here and there, while keeping their personal lives quiet from the bustling merchants who never asked questions. As far as anyone was concerned they were a traveling couple on their way to sightsee through the Grand Line.

Koala had been getting more comfortable around Ace, finding a teasing sort of rapport growing between them. It was easy to see why Sabo liked him so much.

Sabo and Ace, in return, seemed to be getting more comfortable switching back and forth between themselves, and it was getting clearer and clearer to Koala how to notice the differences between them. Ace seemed hesitant to fully take over, however, worried, he said about getting stuck like before, and usually only interjected in a conversation. Though sometimes Koala would catch him on his own, noticing an unusual posture for Sabo.

She didn't exactly call him out on it whenever she saw it, though once she couldn't help but teasingly greet him a little bit. Whatever the truth of the matter was, Ace certainly seemed like a separate force from Sabo. Their body language, their speech styles, everything was too different to be taken as one single man.

The more she got to know Ace, through the snippets of stories and chatter they shared, the more she enjoyed seeing him around too. Now that she knew she wasn't going to lose Sabo, the anxiety over the whole thing had lowered to a bare simmer. 

Ace, on the other hand, seemed a little anxious around her. Or maybe skittish was the right word. Embarrassed. A few times he'd interjected something into the conversation right as Koala had been putting her hands on Sabo, or going for a kiss, and that seemed to fluster him despite his cavalier and joking attitude about it.

The perils, she supposed, of sharing a body. Those moments tended to send her off balance too, unused to the surprise of going to kiss your boyfriend and his childhood best friend and honorary brother is there gawking nervously at you instead.

But she embraced them with good humor, laughing it off, or giving him a hug and a pat on the back before swiftly changing topics to try and ease his nerves. This was just as awkward for him as it was for her—she had to remember that. 

In the last hours of their voyage, Koala found herself standing beside them, looking over the rail at the island as they approached it. A moment ago she'd been with Sabo, but she'd watched the subtle changes in the muscles of their face, the shift in shoulders, and the change to his smile that meant Ace was there with her as the cool breeze tugged at both their hair.

"Enjoying the ocean breeze, Ace?" She asked cheerfully as she let her shoulder playfully bump his. She kept her eyes out on the ocean, the beautiful and rippling ocean far beyond them framed the rising landmass of the island ahead. 

His smile grew bashful and he gave her an amused aside look. "Caught me again. Yeah, I am. I missed it."

Koala giggled under her breath. "I'm starting to get a real sense of you guys, you know. Your faces, everything like that."

She hummed softly and leaned on the banister. "I can't blame you though. The ocean's beautiful. When I was a girl my favorite thing was to stand on the deck with the…" she murmured low and out of the ear-shot of the other merchants. "The sun pirates, and watch the ocean fly by." 

Ace smiled and leaned close to her– though not too close— and he nodded. "Sounds like a nice memory. When I was little, we used to sit on the beach sometimes, and look out at the sea together. Talk about sailing away."

"It is. I miss them a lot sometimes," she smiled warmly over at him. "You used to dream about sailing off together, huh? I heard a little about how things went—but do you ever wonder what it'd have been like if you had earlier?" 

His expression turned sad, and hard— like he was fighting back tears. "All the time."

She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. 

"Hey. I'm sorry. But at least you're out here together now, right? Sailing the seas in the ocean breeze." With a laugh she hoped wasn't tense she squeezed again. "and this time you've got a cute girl along for the ride! Lucky lucky!" 

He smiled, though something sad remained in his eyes. He slung his arm companionably around her shoulders. "Hey, I'm not going to complain about that. Sorry to get all tense there, it's just. Yeah, thought about it a lot. But we're together now."

"You are, Ace. And you're going to make the best of it, I absolutely insist!" She poked him lightly in the side before she leaned into his arm with a soft huff of breath.

It was difficult, wasn't it? Difficult to navigate with the limited context she had. She didn't want to make either of them sad, but there was so much history there that even the stories Sabo told her didn't hold. 

He chuckled, bashful again as she poked him. "Alright, alright, I promise. Hey— speaking of enjoying…"

He gave her an appraising look with Sabo's dark eyes, most of the sadness having vanished for the moment.

Koala tilted her head to the side with a curious smile. 

"Hmmm? What is it?" She wondered what exactly he was going to ask, was it something about the island they were coming up on?

"We've been on the ship a few days. Ship food, all that," he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Maybe if we don't have an urgent lead, we could go out for dinner?"

Koala blinked, her eyes going wide as a smile lit up her face. Dinner—anywhere other than a ship's galley—sounded absolutely delightful. And he was asking her, in a way that seemed almost a little bashful—she felt a very slight heat against her cheeks as she chuckled. 

"That sounds like a blast, Ace! Could we?" 

Ace's smile brightened even further and he gave her a thumbs up, his other arm still around her shoulders. "Hell yeah we can! Assuming we don't have to run for the shore chasing our lead, we'll get dinner in town and have a good time."

Koala nudged him playfully. "Then I'm hoping your first mate isn't going to make this whole thing a big rush for us, Ace. I could use a good time after that last job got a little hectic." 

He laughed softly and reached up and adjusted the hat on his head– a gesture of his she'd picked up on already— "well, Deuce was never one for moving all that fast."

"Oh yeah?" Koala asked with a playful grin. "Kind of a slow guy, then? Or just living at his own pace?" 

"He's a perfectionist," Ace chuckled teasingly. "So he spends a lot of time spinning his wheels before he gets going."

"Well, if we're extra lucky maybe he'll still be in the pub somewhere spinning his wheels waiting for us to corner him~. All the way through and till after our date of course."

She couldn't help but tease a little, her smile creeping a little wider. 

He went bright red and adjusted his hat, grinning wider. "After our date, huh? Yeah. After our date."

Yeah, it was worth teasing the guy a little. She laughed into her hand as she watched him go scarlet with Sabo's face. She hadn't quite forgotten that 'equal share of the treasure' joke of his the other day, and turnabout was fair play for how it had flustered her.

She nudged him playfully. "So take me somewhere good, Ace. I'm really sick of galley food." 

-

Ace was getting more familiar with piloting Sabo's body around. He wasn't exactly comfortable with it-– he didn't know if he would ever be, or would ever want to be completely comfortable with it— but at least it was becoming less of a completely alien and unnerving experience.

He kept in control while they scouted for information at the docks about Deuce. It didn't take much to find news. He had to give Koala— the revolutionary army seemed fantastic in terms of finding and using contacts. It only took a few quiet words and greased palms before someone gave them information. A man matching Deuce's description had left a couple of days before, on the ship of Emperor Shanks.

Koala was good at this too. The way she interacted with information networks, the way she knew when to push and when to yield in a negotiation. She was every inch the master spy she claimed to be when they were on their way there.

She was dogged, too— determined to hunt down every last lead for his benefit, all the way until they'd gotten the word that Deuce was probably with Shanks—it was then that her expression got thoughtful and pensive. 

Ace could really see what Sabo saw in her. Ferocious, determined, sly, even calculating. She reminded him, just a little of Deuce, in a way. 

He caught her expression as it changed from stubborn to reflective, and as they lingered in a wet alley at the edge of the docks after their last contact departed, he caught her eye.

"Berry for your thoughts?"

Koala smiled at him. "Nothing bad, but complicated. Emperor Red Hair Shanks is—he's capricious. He's got a dangerous reputation, and I don't know how well he'll take to us trying to follow him." 

"You're not wrong," Ace said, thinking back to the last– and only– time he'd met the man in person. "He didn't like it when I chased him down last time either. Not until he heard why anyway. Then we had a few drinks."

"You—" Koala blinked at him,"you chased him down?" 

"Yeah, right after I became a pirate," Ace nodded. He rubbed his, well, Sabo's, chin. "I mean, if my memory can be trusted I did. I went to thank him for saving Luffy's life. It was because of him that Shanks lost his arm."

It was strange to think that it was possible these memories weren't his– that they weren't real. He believed them; he believed himself. Despite everything he felt real. But once they found Deuce, he'd know for sure.

Koala bit her lip thoughtfully, chewing it as she tilted her head to the side. "He saved Luffy's life, huh? And—I always assumed it was a battle injury, possibly from Hawk Eyes." 

"You'd think, but no." Ace shook his head, remembering Luffy telling him and Sabo about it in the woods all those years ago. That part, at least, he was sure was true. "It was saving Luffy's scrawny little seven year old ass from some pirate he pissed off– and then the fucking sea king that ate him."

Koala rubbed her neck with a furrow of her brow again. "Well…ah…I'm gonna be honest with you Ace. This is going to be REAL easy to verify because that is NOT in any of the intel I've ever seen." 

"That part Sabo could tell you, too," Ace grinned. "The part about him having saved Luffy. Sabo was there when Luffy told us. It was while we were all living rough together. But anyway, I think a meeting with Shanks should be fine. Well as close to fine as any kind of meeting with an emperor anyway."

Koala scoffed softly. 

"As close to fine as any meeting with an emperor." She leaned on a wall with a small smile "we'll make do. Worse comes to worse I can try calling in a few favors." 

"I bet you could," he nodded. He didn't ask what kind. The Revolutionary Army wasn't real cozy with pirates— he couldn't imagine it was different for the biggest pirates in the world. "Hey, on another note, we can't exactly follow up on this until morning, can we? So how about we get that dinner we were talking about?"

Koala snapped out of whatever mental pathway she was traveling down, likely thinking of favors to pull in, and flashed a broad smile at him. "Oh!! That's true isn't it? We won't get a ship till then anyhow. We've got some time to kill, so let's do it! I'm famished." 

"Hell yeah. Let's find some place." Ace looped his arm over her shoulder companionably. He was getting more comfortable with that kind of thing too. After all, he was a physical person, and he wasn't used to keeping his hands off people he was friendly with.

Koala didn't seem to mind it.

-

Ace's arm was warm around Koala's shoulders as the two of them set out to find a place to eat. He was touchy, physically affectionate. Admittedly she didn't mind that at all.

Even if he was using Sabo's body, there was a tangible difference there. In the way he held himself, in the way he held her—and so on. The two of them wound their way through the streets, checking every sign for the best possible stop for this…

Was it a date? Koala bit her lip again, glancing at him from under the fringe of her hair. Ace was funny, lighthearted, friendly. He had that casual air about him that Sabo kept more buttoned down, even when they were together.

He was clearly close with Sabo—and the two were sharing a body. There was some part of her that wondered things like 'is this just a casual dinner? Or is it something more?'

The word date had been used when they talked about going out. Koala had been the one to say it even, it had slipped out of her mouth. Ace had echoed it. Their 'date'. But what did that mean to either of them exactly?

Ace was whistling a pleasant tune as they made their way from the docks into the slightly less rough area of town, and smiling quite broadly. He seemed to be pleased. Whether by the dinner, the information, both, or something more. Sabo wasn't much of a whistler, and Koala had never heard the tune on their lips before.

Koala leaned over with a small smile, shifting under his arm to look up at him. "That's a pretty tune even out of unpracticed lips." she teased. "What is it?"

Was he pleased by the dinner—maybe? More likely he was pleased about his first mate being close at hand, she was sure.

Ace looked a little embarrassed and shook his head. "I don't know what it's supposed to be called, actually. It's from a tone dial my crew found in some treasure one time. Just piano and violin. We never heard anyone else play it and never found out what it was supposed to be."

"Huh." Koala tilted her head as she listened in. "I guess you can say that if it stuck with you this long, that song's a real treasure, hm?" 

"That's how we felt about it," Ace nodded with a nostalgic smile. "We used to joke around adding lyrics to it, but never came up with ones that stuck."

"Maybe when we find Deuce you can finally find the words for it, huh?" She squeezed his arm. "Maybe you just needed more time and experience." 

"Maybe," Ace chuckled. He walked close with her and the way he smiled, she almost felt like she could see his 'real' face peeking through Sabo's.

He gestured at an inviting looking tavern a little further up the road. "Oh hey— that place smells good, don't you think?"

Koala felt her face heating up. Her whole life, aside from Revolutionary Army dallianes that both she and Sabo sometimes enjoyed, she'd never been 'on a date' with anyone but him. She looked up again to meet that smile. It reminded her very much that she was about to head in on what she'd accidentally called a 'date' with a man who wasn't Sabo, whether he was 'real' or not.

It didn't help that the glimpses of his 'real face' in Sabo's expressions were admittedly pretty handsome.

She sniffed the air and quickly nodded. "Yeah it sounds f-fantastic!" 

Ace pulled her with enthusiasm into the restaurant, which turned out to be a rather cheerful and handsome little place with a roaring fire and a small band playing in one corner of the dining room. They sat at one of the rough tables near enough to hear the performance, but not near enough to drown out their conversation, and soon enough they were settled into a hearty supper comprised mainly of fried meat and fish skewers, roasted vegetables, and large mugs of ale.

"Woah—" Koala said as she held up one of the fish skewers with a broad smile. "You know for tavern fare, the cook here sure knows what they're doing! This is fantastic!"

She took a nibbling bite of it while listening to the band, her eyes locked on the man before her. 

Ace— who had finished his collection of skewers and had just waved for more— was leaning on his hand, grinning at her over the table. "Yeah we really lucked out, huh? The band's pretty good too."

"It's a heck of an atmosphere, huh?" she flushed. "The music's great. It reminds me a little of the first restaurant I'd ever gone to as, you know—"

As someone free. She took a big bite of her skewer to try and catch up to Ace.

"Yeah?" his grin softened. "That sounds like a special memory by itself. Any highlights?"

His foot brushed hers under the table— she wasn't sure whether it was an accident or not.

She flushed deeper, and carefully she tested the waters by bumping his foot with hers, her eyes averting to her plate as she fumbled for her mug of ale. 

"Well, it was with the Sun Pirates," she lowered the tone of her voice. "Fisher Tiger had stopped in a town that was friendly enough, you know? For gathering supplies and such–and to celebrate freeing us all from the …you know… he took us out to the tavern. It was a little more tense than this, you know how people are…but Hatchan managed to liven it up when he got the band to strike up" 

His foot played against hers under the table, It wasn't an accident.

"Yeah? I bet. Music has a good way of loosening people up." He smiled at her widely again, and his voice dropped low. "Funny to think technically you were a pirate long before I was."

It wasn't an accident at all. He was flirting with her; or at least being intimate and cozy. She didn't pull her foot away, even as her fluster grew.

She laughed quietly and nodded, sipping her ale. "Since I was a little girl. It's true huh? I wasn't a Sun Pirate for long, and some of them would say I never was—but….I was part of that crew. I wear their flag. And Hatchin, he always knew how to loosen people up. One of the kindest men I'd ever known. Fisher Tiger too…" 

"It sounds like you remember it fondly," he said softly, watching her with Sabo's big dark eyes that seemed to shine with a light all Ace's own. "There's nothing quite like sailing with a rowdy crew of pirates."

"I do," Koala said with a lopsided and unsure smile as her foot bumped his again. "I remember eating my fill for the first real time since— geeze, even before I was sold… in that tavern, on meat like this. And the Sun Pirates were rowdy, and fun, and interesting! There's nothing at all like it. I know a lot of the Revolutionary Army doesn't like them but, but-– I dunno. Sometimes I miss it." 

"Well, you sure don't have to sell me on it," he teased. "There's nothing I ever loved better."

She watched his head jerk and the tousled hair fall in his face as he noticed the band strike up a new song, this one more lively than the last.

He reached across the table and caught her wrist in his hand. "Come on— let's dance!"

Koala blinked her big, bright eyes before she stumbled to her feat with a flustered laugh 

"Dance?? You wanna dance?" She stuck out her tongue as she wobbled to her feet "Sabo'll tell you—I'm a better dancer than I look like!" 

"You must be a hell of a dancer then," he teased, pulling her out to the empty space on the floor around the band. "Yeah, I wanna dance, why not? It'll be a few minutes until we get our next round of skewers."

He hadn't quite waited for her to say 'yes', already pulling her into the dance. Koala wasn't sure how to take it, or rather, she was, in a way but—

Her head was spinning a little as a butterfly-like feeling wibbled in her stomach along with the growing heat behind her flustered half smile. "Alright, well, because you're so eager I'll dance with you, ok?"

"Fantastic!"

She glanced out at the other patrons of the restaurant before she looked up to meet his eyes and catch his hand in hers. 

It wasn't underheard of, certainly, dancing in an establishment like this, but they were the only ones up at the moment, and it was definitely an exposed feeling.

Ace didn't seem to feel it though. He just smiled and danced thoughtlessly across the floor, pulling her with him, his movements brisk and sharp and excited.

Despite the eyes on her, just like that day way back when she was young, she did her best to ignore them and follow along in his dance. She clung tight to his hand as she swept across the floor with him, following his movements and the lively brass of the band.

"You're not half bad," she said as she took a dance-step closer. 

"You're even better than I expected!" The firelight flickered across his face— across Sabo's face— making it seem foreign and unfamiliar. Somehow making it seem more like Ace's face as they danced together to the passionate sound of the band.

Wasn't he the man made of flame? The infamous Fire-Fist cast in his own blazing inferno—as the light of the fire danced across his features, Koala almost believed it completely. Without the verification from Deuce, without the firm evidence.

She felt like she was looking into the eyes of Ace, Sabo's handsome yet deceased brother. A man who danced and smiled as brightly as the flame.

The song came to an end and Ace had his arm looped around her waist, breathless and face to face. Suddenly he moved in to kiss her.

She was halfway through a caught breath when their lips almost caught. Koala's eyes widened, and all that flustered attraction came rushing to the forefront as she squeaked out in surprise. 

Ace immediately stopped and pulled back, his grin taking on an awkward quality, looking just as flustered as she was.

"Whoops! Got a little over excited there. Sorry about that, Koala." 

He laughed it off, but the red of his face made it clear he was embarrassed. "Let's grab another drink and see if those skewers are back from the kitchen yet."

She'd wanted to kiss him, that was the thought that had fluttered in her mind when their lips nearly touched. The urge was there, the willingness to let herself be taken by the flow of the tide and finish their dance but at the last minute she'd frozen up.

She'd gotten too flustered, too worked up to make the move. She knew her face was red as his was and smiled nervously. "Sure, I mean—I could use another drink, yeah?"

Wasn't this a bit fast? What would Sabo think? What was she thinking?

Maybe after another drink or two her head would be clear enough, and her heart would still enough to figure it out. 

Back at their table there was fresh cold beer with a tall head of foam, and steaming fried skewers. Ace's feet didn't touch hers under the table, and he was flushed red behind Sabo's face, but he immediately launched into a story about, as he said 'a mutual friend' and the time he and Jinbei had apparently fought for more than a day straight.

She was pretty sure it was an effort to cover his nerves– and potentially to deflect any perceived embarrassment from her, too. It was almost gentlemanly, in its way.

It was charming. Almost-gentlemanly, from a rambunctious and free-spirited pirate. She flushed again, but listened with interest, interjecting with her own observations on the Whaleshark man— and how impressed she was that Ace held out that long against his fishman karate.

She thought, more than once, about brushing her foot on his or leaning across the table to give that kiss she'd abruptly ended— but each time she felt seized with that butterfly in the stomach feeling. An unfamiliar one.

She and Sabo had fallen together so naturally, so early and so completely; she'd skipped right over these sorts of nerves. 

The food was still good. The music was still good. The company was still good. They chatted their way pleasantly enough through the rest of the dinner but it was impossible to deny it was just a little more awkward than it had been before– Ace was a little more shy.

As they finally headed out into the crisp air of the dark evening street to go find a room for the night, Ace smiled at her, walking close, but not touching her.

"I had a lot of fun. Thanks for treating me to dinner."

The awkwardness became a wall. She'd struggled to get herself past it enough to cling to his arm like she had on the way there, or to make any further move. She instead walked with her hands folded behind her back as she glanced up at him under the rim of her cap. 

"I was happy to. I'd like to do it again, yeah? Even if you do eat your way through our finances like crazy." 

He laughed. "Sorry about that. As you saw, I just have too much energy. Burn off everything I eat, and then I want to sleep the rest off. Speaking of which–" he paused and gave her a shy smile. "I'm gonna grab Sabo for you. I'm beat and I'm sure he's pining for you."

"H-huh?" Koala blinked up at him before she rubbed her neck with a shy smile. "Oh ah, alright! That sounds like a good idea, Ace. I enjoyed my night with you, though! Very much!" 

"I'm glad. We'll do it again some time." She saw a shadow of his fire-light smile in the awkward edge of his mouth, and he squeezed her shoulder briefly. Companionably. 

Then Sabo sagged against her, almost as if dizzy.

"Fancy seeing you here, Koala." It was so jarring. The difference in tone of voice. The way the muscles in his face all rearranged. A moment ago it had been an awkward date with Ace, and now here was Sabo, her long time partner, who she hadn't seen all day.

Koala looped an arm around him. At least that awkward wall had dissipated, even if she still felt like she'd somehow fucked that whole thing up. 

She leaned against him with a thin smile. "Fancy seeing you too, Sabo. You'd been out some time." 

He chuckled, looping his arm around her and straightening out as they started to walk again,. "I promised Ace I'd let him have the day. He's been getting restless."

"I could tell, he got pretty animated during dinner! For ah, for a while at least."

She leaned against him, letting him lead as she closed her eyes. Until she froze and broke the mood they'd had going between them. 

[p5x-theories]

P5X School Questions

(last updated 11/14/24)

The questions teachers ask seem to loop once you've gone through all of them, so I'm just adding to this list as I see questions again! But I thought this might be useful for anyone playing.

As a note: it doesn't seem like it matters whether you actually get the question correct or not? From what I've seen, you'll get the knowledge stat points either way. Also, as always, this is just Google-translated text, but the answers are presented in the same order every time, so you really just need to know which to click, heh.

Under the cut because this is just going to get longer and longer, hah!

Mr. Hakozaki: What will happen if people drink too much water? I mean the worst case.

Wonder: Will become fat / Will make you sick / Can cause death

-

Mr. Endo: "Abduct", "only", "never". Among these three words, which word do you think is related to "1"?

Wonder: Abduct / Only / Never

-

Mr. Endo: In your opinion, what is the common etymology of weekdays in English and Japanese?

Wonder: Celestial bodies / Meteorological / Natural objects

-

Mr. Nagara: Among the cross-media works that depict the end of Atsei, which one is the most famous?

Wonder: Noh drama / Kyogen / Ballet

-

Mr. Hakozaki: What is the solution for controlling mortality invented by Semmelweis and widely used in contemporary medicine?

Wonder: Drug reuse / Wash hands and disinfect / Build a good rapport with patients

-

Mr. Nagara: What is the gender of the author of the Tosa Diary, male or female?

Wonder: Male / Female / Have no idea

-

Mr. Endo: Do you know what dodgeball was called before? It actually uses a pretty scary English word.

Wonder: Heaven ball / Death ball / Same as now

-

Ms. Taniyama: Which civilization has a name that can represent its terrain?

Wonder: Mesopotamian civilization / Indus Valley civilization / Nile civilization

-

Ms. Katayama: A honeycomb is made up of many regular hexagons. Why do you think this is?

Wonder: Because it is handsome / Because it is easy to lay eggs / Because it can save materials

-

Mr. Shimonuma: In the witch hunts, were there any suspects who were ultimately acquitted? If so, don't forget to name them.

Wonder: Biddy Early / Jeanne d'Arc / No

-

Mr. Shimonuma: What would you do if you dug up buried gold?

Wonder: You can keep it all for yourself / You can only take part of it / The full amount will be confiscated

-

Mr. Shimonuma: Confucius, who proposed that the Son of God is silent, has strange powers and confuses the gods, yet he studied and laid the foundation of divination. Is there a contradiction between these two points?

Wonder: Contradiction / Not contradictory / I have no idea

-

Mr. Hakozaki: The theory of seismic motion is considered to be... for a certain field... well, a fatal problem... Which field do you think it is in?

Wonder: Literature / Religion / Home Economics

-

Mr. Hakozaki: In order to better hunt, what special mechanism does the owl have in its ears?

Wonder: The ear holes are in the front / The left and right ear holes are not parallel / The ear holes are very large

-

Ms. Katayama: Among the Nobel Prizes that recognize achievements in various fields, do you know which field is not within the scope of its recognition?

Wonder: Chemistry / Math / Literature

-

Mr. Nagara: In order to save Kiyomori who was suffering from a fever, he poured water on him... Can you reason about what the water has become? Please answer!

Wonder: Frozen / Turned into hot water / Turned into sugar water

-

Mr. Endo: "Hundred million", in Japanese, how much is it?

Wonder: 1000萬 / 1億 / 10億

-

Ms. Katayama: How many years did it take for the cattle problem raised around 250 BC to be answered?

Wonder: 20 years / 200 years / 2000 years

-

Ms. Katayama: Can you give me an example of a mathematician influencing history?

Wonder: The birth of mankind / Ending a war / Creating Japanese

-

Ms. Taniyama: The original meaning of the word "melancholy" actually refers to the secretion of a certain organ of the human body. What organ do you think it is?

Wonder: Brain / Stomach / Liver

-

Mr. Shimonuma: Please answer, in the "Encouragement to Study" chapter, how does it explain why you should study?

Wonder: To become smarter / To make money / To keep the promise

-

Mr. Nagara: Do you know what this "extraordinary person" means?

Wonder: Crying person / Useless person / Fat as an eel

-

Ms. Taniyama: Why was Magellan motivated by spices when he traveled around the world?

Wonder: Because the food will become more delicious / It can power his boat / It can make money

-

Mr. Endo: Compared with the word "destiny", is fate more positive or negative semantically? Which kind?

Wonder: Positive / Negative / Actually it's the same

-

Ms. Taniyama: Which of the following materials was not used to pace Roman streets? Here's a hint... this material was not durable.

Wonder: Wood / Rock / Cement

-

Mr. Nagara: So, in the song "One Hundred People", what is the shortest word "jue"? Please answer! Boom!

Wonder: 1 / 3 / 5

-

Mr. Shimonuma: Name me one famous smuggler from that time. As long as you have studied some French history, this question will be easy.

Wonder: Louis XVI / Louis Philippe / Louis Mandrin

-

Ms. Taniyama: Great Wall, is there really "ten thousand miles"?

Wonder: It is / No / Depending on the era

-

Ms. Katayama: Please answer, what geometric figure does "arbitrary triangle" refer to?

Wonder: Hexagon / Equilateral triangle / All triangles

-

Mr. Hakozaki: It is said that the internet connects the whole world into a global village, but do you know what exactly connects it?

Wonder: Seabed / Mainland / Telepathy

-

Mr. Endo: Where do you think the etymology of the word "wed" comes from? It might be better to put aside marriage for a moment.

Wonder: Love / Gamble / Promise

-

Mr. Nagara: Besides red and blue, blood can be another color. What color do you think it is? Try to answer~

Wonder: Green / Orange / Brown

-

Mr. Nagara: How many haikai stanzas did Saikaku Ihara write in one day? Consider this a legend and answer me~!

Wonder: 200 stanzas / 2,000 stanzas / 20,000 stanzas

-

Mr. Hakozaki: There are parts of the human body that are harder than iron's 7 on the Moh's hardness scale. What are they?

Wonder: Permanent teeth / Rib cage / Skull

-

Mr. Shimonuma: What did Diogenes value in order to be liberated from desire?

Wonder: Debate / Exercise / Doing nothing

-

Mr. Endo: What I care about is sports uniforms. The "form" in "uniform" means form. So what does "uni" mean?

Wonder: Single / Official / Unique

-

Mr. Hakozaki: What parts of the human body do you think are most likely to degenerate and disappear?

Wonder: Teeth / Eyelashes / Pinky toes

-

Mr. Shimonuma: Encountering a flood in the desert. Is this possible?

Wonder: Possible / Impossible / Have no idea

-

Ms. Taniyama: Which country's language do you think the word "beef" comes from?

Wonder: UK / France / USA

-

Ms. Taniyama: What is the origin of the name of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean?

Wonder: There are many birds / There are many dogs / There are many people

-

Mr. Nagara: What was the most popular thing about the world-famous playboy Hikaru Genji among the women at that time?

Wonder: Financial resources / Taste / Radiant charm

[geometricalien]

Life is Strange Double Exposure Review

(Spoiler warning)

I finished the game last night and my thoughts have been given time to proof- like making bread.

Characters

- I loved playing Max again! There was such a sweet nostalgia while playing her and hearing her repeat lines from the first game like, "Shaka brah", and it was awesome to see how 10 years had treated her- both the trauma of Arcadia Bay and how she is more confident, more assured of herself!

- I was instantly endeared to Safi from the beginning, her friendship with Max and their bantering was fun! You could tell they had a good close friendship- which only got deeper during the last 2 episodes. I think she is complicated and interesting. It just sucks that she kinda feels like a watered down Chloe. Which it had to be this way for the themes and plot. She is funny, daring, reckless, sometimes mean, vengeful, scared. I wish I knew more about her since she is going to be a bigger part of the universe going forward (if it continues).

- Moses is sweet but again I wish we knew more about him. We are only in his office once and there wasn't much to snoop around with. He gave such a weird expression when I picked the toilet mug in episode 1, I thought there was going to be more depth (which is going to be a reoccurring criticism of mine). I know he was more Safi's friend and it was only a few days since Safi's death, Max and him can't bond that fast and Alex and gang had weeks/months to bond but it still irks me.

- Amanda. She's nice. I played as a messy bisexual so Max and her are not together and I don't know if that's how it is for everyone's ending (which railroads the ending a bit and I'll go into that more later) but i think she was half developed? She is "a cool artsy music lover gay who falls in love quickly" doesn't that sound like Steph? Deck nine is playing the same fucking tune and I'm getting sick of it.

-Vihn. I didn't like him but then he won me over. What do you meannnn he is a well dressed, well groomed calendar of a bi man who seems like he only cares about the university and yasmin's schedule, but actually he has a prized hedgehog statue (where's that fucking story? Where is the depth? It is a fucking flat narrative object like when max was in that motel loop and everything was flat cardboard except the wall LIKE EVERYTHING IN THIS GAME THATS NOT TIED TO THE MAIN THEME OF THE GAME, sigh, I'll continue this later), and does tarot??? I like him alot more than Amanda actually because he is narratively tied to the plot and hence has more characterization and depth. I don't ship him with Max but hot people appreciate hot people. She smashes. I smash. Let them kiss.

- I like Gwen. She's fucking awesome. I loved snooping in her office. Icon. Firewalker mention! But again, I could use more info about her outside of relation to Safi and Yasmin.

- Lucas. [Crowd boos] shhhhh shhh you're right but shhhhh. This is less cruel Jefferson. Narcissistic scum of the earth. But still I feel like we needed more info on him. Think about how much info we have of actual Jefferson and even Nathan!

- Yasmin... let's hear it for overprotective parents who value their reputation more than their child's health and safety whoooooooo

- Diamond. Again i feel like i don't know much about her. And I'm trying to dig into what her power could be- probably something with past and future or prophecy shit. Idk I'm just thinking about her project in the fine arts building. Also who did she have a crush on? Moses? I liked having little undergrads around but she could have been developed more

- Reggie. Anxiety gay boy. Does photos. Could have been developed more.

- Reporter girl. I don't even remember her name, SHE could have been developed more. Could have been an actual element in the story, someone pressuring Max about inconsistencies and shit. Except she didn't. Not in my play through

Setting

- College was very cozy and so was the bar. I'm also a grad student so alot of the background talk of grading, finals, college traditions, thinking about dropping out, that x professor hasn't given feedback for your proposal- it was all so fucking relatable.

- but it was small. The world. The set pieces. There wasn't alot to examine or explore. I feel like if there was more of this we could know the characters more and a campus is one of those characters! I do think the split dimensions offered a slightly interesting view of the campus with and without tragedy but only in episode 2 and 3 bc then that aspect was forgotten about.

- episode 5's setting was great. I always loved the dreamscape "nothing feels real or is right" of the original's last episode AND true color's last episode bc those types of settings tell us about the characters. And that's what setting is supposed to do. I feel like double exposure didn't use the setting effectively enough

Plot

- the parallelism was good but if this was released an episode a month or two like the original- people would be calling the twist ending of episode 3. I wasn't fucking surprised. I was intrigued and wanted to see what they would do with a shape shifter but. I'll get into that in the ending section

- lis games are getting very predictable bc the creators have a mold they want to follow for better or worse "main character has superpower, aesthetic vibes, romantic interests, murder to solve, a twist!" And now. A fucking marvel ass universe. I'm intrigued but ugh. The media is so so over saturated with superpower teams of heroes and multiple dimensions- I'm over it. And so is alot of people.

Themes

- the one thing they did really really well was having Chloe and Arcadia Bay haunt Max. Everything that happened back then was paralleled in the present and Max faced the storm. She made up for her cowardice and mistakes.

Did it honor lis 1?

- yes. And no. Yes in the way that I think it was the best way to wrap up the hotly debated ending of the original. It really showed how Max grew as a character. Which is important if she's like one of the main characters in this universe they are trying to make. No in the way that it upset many people that Chloe and Max broke up. It really goes to show you can't have a decisions matter game as a series. You just can't. Because you railroad shit and take away choices and character insights. You take away the punch the bite the thing that makes the story talked about a decade later.

Gameplay

- I know there is a reason both intext and meta wise why the power is dimension hopping. But it could have been developed more. It left me wanting. (Common theme of this review)

Choices

- again. Your choices don't matter. Deck nine in making more installments trying to reuse characters or tie in events, make it so your choices don't matter. It becomes more and more aparrent every game that deck nine makes that they are railroading the game and your choices. I'm not even upset about Chloe and Max break up because I sacrificed her in my playthrough, I'm saying true colors ended with Alex either being in Colorado or not being in Colorado. This game ended with Max agreeing to stand with Safi or not when she comes back- and I'm willing to bet, deck nine will not make a game that has a big impact if they are friendly or not. That's not how deck nine makes their games. They railroad choices and make things go their way. They aren't going to do something intriguing like have one game be Max and Safi taking over the world together and another where Max is fighting Safi. That is two separate games. Whatever game they make in the future with these characters is going to be 1 game. 1 game where they decide your choices you made previously don't matter. They are going to make the story they want to make. Which is why you shouldn't make a choose your own adventure/examination on interpersonal relationships game a fucking series- and that's why so much of the set dressing and interactable objects were gone which in turn impacts the characters.... it's a fucking shit show.

- also some of the choices I made that said "this will have consequences" didn't fucking matter. Like, I didn't tell Safi about the restraining order. I really thought in episode 5 that would be important and the cops would be called at the bar. It. Wasn't. It just. This game railroads you hard.

Ending

- so as I said, your choices don't matter, they will just explain away Safi and Max's friendship in the next game like they always do

- the fucking cheesy ass marvel ending- i am both vaguely curious what will happen and sick to my stomach because. What. Why. Why are they doing this. I give them some benefit of the doubt because if they go the "we could be Gods" route... it could be interesting. But it makes me hesitant.

- People are souring over this series. I'm not even sure if they will be able to have enough support to make the series they want to make. They need to break the mold they put themselves in (see me saying the predictability in plot) but when dontnod made life is strange 2 with completely different characters and setting and a main character without power- people hated it (i loved it, it's my favorite lis game) but that's why deck nine has been leaning hard in the prequel and steph and Max and "max will return" but what they are doing in making this a series is betraying the original premise and fucking importance of the original game. That choices matter.

- Unless they suck it up and actually make a game that takes into account all the different endings we have (which max could she really could in the final game of the series, the last episode, hopping dimensions that have Chloe alive, Daniel in Mexico or not, etc.) this series is going to be a pale shadow in comparison to what it could've been.

Extension Game

- What the fuck was that. The cat extension seems fucking stupid to me, if someone actually got that and played it tell me- did it actually add something to the game or was it a way for us to give deck nine 10 more dollars?

And lastly, Ranking:

Here's the thing. Double exposure is a really good sequel/continuation of Max's story but it's a bad execution of a "choices matter" game and a game hinging off of interpersonal relationships and how superpowers can impact them. So,

Life is Strange 2

Life is Strange

Life is Strange: True Colors

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Now with my mixed feelings I am going to play lis2 and wait for lost records bloom and rage comes out hoping that dontnod does their usual magic again.