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chaoticdelinqueerwithglitter · 6 months

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This drabble is born from a really angsty brain riot with Bonten's origins, that happened to me after reading this words from @just-sp-in-inginthevoid :

"Bonten is a memorial for Izana, its symbol, its members’ tattoo come from Izana’s earrings and the (天) ten of Bonten 梵天 from Tenjiku 天竺, the (梵) bon of Bonten 梵天 comes from Brahman 梵. (...) There’s no need for Senju to have the same role as Izana in Bonten if she’s not dead."

(I always pictured Senju being death in that timeline, but the reality of the kanjis being literally THAT... ajfshgsjgejgrjg, the pain of this. Wakui, you know how to break us every timeline! 😭)

Bonten was born from pain.

(drabble of the day that Bonten was created)

Warnings: I'm so sorry, this is just angst and hurt/no comfort. I wrote it as an attempt of coping with canon and how painful is Bonten timeline when you actually look closer to it. It's from Koko's POV and everyone is just broke and devastated in their own way. Again, I'm so sorry :(

(English is not my first language, so be nice please 🙈)

Most people think Bonten is synonymous with fear.

But they are all wrong. Kokonoi knows better.

Bonten is synonymous with pain, it was born in it.

He still remembers the day that Bonten was created, even if it wasn't the official date, any of the executives would pinpoint the exact same moment.

Probably, only Koko could actually offer a coherent narrative of that night. The only outsider of all the chaos unraveling in front of him.

He still has nightmares of what he saw. But is not what happened what haunts him, no. Is the voices, the faces surrounding him.

Wakasa covered in blood, his eyes looking completely empty. His blank stare, like he couldn't believe who this blood belonged to. Benkei's hand on his friend shoulder, tearing up like a baby.

Takeomi curled up in the floor, sobbing next to his sister's body. Saying “it should've been me” over and over, the older man stuck in a loop of guilt and denial.

The former members of Tenjiku looking shocked, not moving a finger for what was supposed to be their gang, their leader. Koko spent enough time with them to know that, even if they were ruthless, seeing the leader of another gang being shot like that... Was too familiar.

Anyone who looked at them could see they never agreed with that. The ghost of Izana Kurokawa still lingered over them.

Kakucho was shaking, his lips trembling. The rain and the blood mixing with red snow in the scarred boy's mind.

The Haitani brothers unconsciously getting closer to each other. Ran pulling his arm around Rindou in a protective way, the younger one allowing it without complains. Both of them staring at Sanzu, terrified with the possibility of being on the pinkette boy place.

Sanzu's screams were the worst of it. The excruciating pain in his voice while he was holding Senju's body. His little sister's body. How he looked at Takeomi, tears rolling down his cheeks, his gaze filled with hate when he spoke to his older brother “I agree, it should've been you.”

Mikey standing there, the void in his eyes while his knuckles kept dripping with South blood. The man's body at his feet.

That gaze, dark and lacking of any emotion. Pure void that swallowed everything around.

(That swallowed them, trapped them like moths that flied too close to the sun)

Bonten was born from pain.

Bonten grew in pain, thrived with it.

And, Kokonoi is sure that whatever destiny awaits for them...

Bonten will die in pain.

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thewebcomicsreview · 13 days

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Oh wow, Prequel AND Homestuck updated this week? What year is it?

Dehydrated, grieving, and coming off of a particularly nasty sugar high

Sugar high, huh? One of my little theories is that Jane has the lollipop Juju still. Is that a theory? Maybe it was confirmed at some point and is just a thing that happened? I dunno, man, this comic's so long.

JANE: Sigh. JANE: Jake, do you remember when I went to the moon?

Jane's been to like several moons at this point but wait is this in reference to the snapchat epilogues, where Jane was kidnapped by carapcians? Those are actually officially not canon and no longer available, which I supposed makes them appropriate to mention in a story about the nebulous nature of "canon" to stories. Or maybe she's talking about something else.

JAKE: Uuuuuuuuuuuuh. JANE: No? It was a huge deal. JAKE: Was this around the time all those carapacians took a big chunk out of it?

Oh my god, it is referencing the Snapchat epilogues. They ended in a cliffhanger and got deleted, but Jane got kidnapped by someone and sent to the moon, where she met Jack Noir (the one who became Beq Noir) and the Felt who were there for some reason and then the Snapchat comics abruptly stopped and were decanonized so it was never explained.

JANE: Just what did *you* do, besides whimper like a kicked dog, as they took our boy away!? JANE: "TAVVY!" JANE: You can fly, you idiot! JANE: You're such a harmless, dunderheaded fucking nonentity that those seditious connivers would have *let* you tail them! DIRK: (Ouch.) JANE: Everything he has, *I've* provided. JANE: Everything he is, *I've* nurtured! JAKE: (Criminy, bro, she has a death laser.) JAKE: (Like goldfinger.) JANE: Remember how I willed him out of my body, 3 months premature, because I was so excited to see him?

This is Homestuck, so the line about how Jane forced Tavvy to be born early is either a what the fuck random joke like the guy who confessed to Jade he microwaved a hamster, or crucial important foreshadowing that'll pay off in 600 pages. Quite possibly both.

JANE: Across all the iterations of yourself, do you think your children ever felt even a MODICUM of that? JANE: Jade? Terrifying, JANE: I hate even thinking about it. JANE: And I don't doubt for a second that there were more. JANE: How do you imagine they turned out?

Speaking of referencing Other Media, this is an unintentional reference to Grandpa Harley's secret kids from Hiveswap, in particular Joey, who seemed to really hate him and have good reason for doing so. Lot of Expanded Universe references suddenly. It might be that this particular writer has a thing for references, but it might also be setting something up. And earlier update also referenced Pesterquest.

Also, engaging with the text on a non-meta level, yeah, Jake English is top ten worst parents in Homestuck, though he's still beating Jane herself.

Messy Jerry Springer melodrama?! In Candy?! Unprecedented.

JAKE: Gamzee. JAKE: Via some vile cosmic caper or another it is *always* gamzee! JAKE: He found out! JAKE: Started rambling on and on about "how motherfuckin' malicious" it was to see "A dIfFeReNtLy AbLeD bRoThEr MiSsIn' OuT oN tHe NiRvAnA oF tHaT nUtTy MoThErFuCkIn' NeCtAr." DIRK: (Why are you doing the voice?) JAKE: "ThErE's WhOlEsOmE, hOlIsTiC hEaLiNg PrOpErTiEs AlL uP aNd StUfFeD iNtO tHe HaRmOnIoUs UnIoN oF pB aNd J." DIRK: (You don't need to do the voice.) JAKE: "WhAt EvEn Is ThIs SuLtRy BiTcH oF a LiFe WiThOuT a LiTtLe PeAnUt BuTtEr JeLlY tImE?" DIRK: (It'd be so sick if you stopped doing the voice.)

Homestuck characters impersonating each other is always a solid gag.

JAKE: After that, the insane clown started stowing peanuts around the mansion, tricking little tavvy into eating them! JAKE: Poor squirt was thrashing throat-first into anaphylactic shock bi-weekly. JAKE: I epipenned him so many times, i learned needlekind! JAKE: Worried myself as sick as our boy was, just wishing that nutty nightmare would nix. JAKE: Then, wham. JAKE: It did! JAKE: Thank god! JANE: I- JANE: I had no idea. JAKE: Of course you didnt! JAKE: You werent there! JAKE: You might have expelled him into existence with your easy-bake tuna canoe. JAKE: But i kept him alive!

I'm not sure if that's how peanut allergies work, but "easy-bake tuna canoe" sure is a line.

JANE: I didn't even fucking breast feed him! DIRK: (Which is fucking crazy, all things considered.) JANE: I don't... even know what his first word was. JAKE: It was "honk." JANE: Jesus Christ.

This is such a fucking weird family. Also, a very odd attempt at a Jane...redemption arc? I guess it's important to make her more than a Trump analogue, even if there's a worryingly high chance of that reference becoming relevant again soon.

JANE: The rest of you couldn't be trusted! JANE: None of you even bothered to graduate high school! JANE: While you were all being shut-ins, and self-destructing, and fucking... cavorting!!! I was making public appearances. JANE: Somebody had to represent us, so people wouldn't assume the worst! JANE: They waited 5000 years for us, and for what? To see there was no plan, no reason, that none of their gods were really on their side. JANE: I had to become an adult before ANY of you decided to catch up.

I feel like this motivation doesn't really explain the Troll racism. I was kind of hoping that Jane, like Rose, didn't think of Earth C as "real" and was basically just larping as a dictator in their little game, and that's why she helped raise Yiffy. It seems like we're going in the opposite direction? Jane wanted to live up to the status of a God? You can kind of tell this wasn't the original plan for her.

JANE: I even forgave you for Dirk. JAKE: Forgave me for... for being with him? JANE: What? JANE: No, I was always an ally first when it came to that. JANE: What's a... a dalliance between bros, really? DIRK: (Word.)

Everyone in this comic is some kind of lunatic.

JANE: Dirk just never *got* you. JANE: He thought he could figure you out, make all the right moves, and you'd be happy. JANE: But people have to want themselves to be happy. JANE: And the only thing you've ever consistently wanted was to be absolved. JANE: I understand that now. JAKE: ... And? JANE: And I accept you, Jake! JANE: That's why I have confidence our union will endure forever. JANE: You release me of all my doubts. And I can't be disappointed by you. JAKE: Huh...

Jane's....maybe not wrong in her reading of Jake, here. His whole shtick is wanting to be a cool action hero, or at least a respectable dude, and not being able to do so. But Jane's wrong that he can't disappoint her.

JAKE: Do you still need that water tested? JANE: Haha, no. JANE: I drank it all in my hysterics without even noticing. JAKE: And youre okay? JANE: Completely fine! It really was just... water.

This is pretty clearly Thematique™. None of the threats Jane is worried about are ultimately real.

JAKE: Her guard is down... DIRK: And you have a gun. JAKE: I have TWO guns.

I do love, though, that we immediately transition from Jane going "I will love and forgive Jake forever, for I have nothing to truly fear" directly into Jake going "I should shoot my wife".

DIRK: He's gone, dude.

Oh, this is a great reveal. Brain Ghost dirk lowers his glasses so we can see he has Jake-Green eyes, confirming to Jake (and the audience) that this Dirk is a figment of Jake's imagination, and not "connected" to Ultimate Dirk in any way. That's just such a cool way of conveying that information.

DIRK: It'd be the only reasonable excuse you'd have for nipping this uncomfortable epiphany in the bud so you could slink back to following orders from Dirk. JAKE: ... JAKE: Gods hooks, i backflipped right into my old ways! DIRK: Don't beat yourself up about it. It's a running theme with literally everybody we know. DIRK: You all get caught up in these feeling jams, hugging it out in self-realizational bliss. DIRK: Then, bam. DIRK: Premature ejaculation. DIRK: That passionate growth grind ends before it builds to anything actually satisfying.

And Brain Ghost Dirk telling Jake the real hard truth that he needs to stop listening to Dirk and looking for someone to tell him what to do.

DIRK: You're fully dressed Jake now. DIRK: Sitting on the sticky floor of a custodial closet, hidden away from anything certain and good in this world. DIRK: Alone. JAKE: This is scary! I dont like this. DIRK: Fuck yeah it is. This is sweaty, achey, burning transformation, brother. JAKE: I want to go back! I want to be the other guy again. DIRK: You can't be the other guy anymore, Jake. DIRK: We're sending him upstate to live on a beautiful farm, where they're gonna immediately drag him out back and put him out of his fucking misery. DIRK: Remember when you told Egbert you wanted someone to hold you accountable? JAKE: No. DIRK: Well. JAKE: Nooooooo. DIRK: "Here's Johnny!" JAKE: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! JAKE: Oh...

This is very Disco Elysium

JAKE: Cripes, if there really is no magical component to all of this, JAKE: if youre really gone, JAKE: then i am simply a forty year old man... being led by the nose... by an imaginary friend. JAKE: That is not cute. DIRK: It's kind of cute. JAKE: No! JAKE: Its mental illness! DIRK: It can be both.

It's also Homestuck

JAKE: Everyone is waiting around for this better version of me to pop up, but thats never going to happen. JAKE: Because if it did, it wouldn't be me anymore. DIRK: So, are you trapped being Mr. Pissy Pantyloos Loser Man no matter what? JAKE: Sort of.

Jake is defined by being a loser. What happens if he grows? He becomes someone else, same as happens to us all when we change.

JAKE: I never really understood all that much of the "doomed timeline" hoopla you cerebral types tend to gab on about. JAKE: But... its nice to think that there might be countless janes somewhere out there who never stopped being happy. JAKE: Baking, getting up to all manner of lighthearted mischiefs... true blue all around. JAKE: When i think of her, thats whats real to me. JAKE: What she is now, what these rotten unenviable circumstances have made of her, its all just... DIRK: Happenstance. JAKE: Is that stupid? DIRK: Probably, but you're a god of Hope.

Aw, I like that take.

JAKE: If i can believe in those janes, JAKE: i think i can let this one go. DIRK: Extravagant hoops to stumble through just to keep believing, man. DIRK: It's sneaky. I like it.

Even if this is the most cynical take on a hope-based hero I've ever seen.

Oh hey, it's the kids! All together for the first time! I'm shocked this big meeting is happening silently like this while someone else conversation narrates over it.

Fun fact: At no point in the entirely of Homestuck do John, Jade, Rose, and Dave have a conversation with all four of them together.

I was wrong last time, this is the page leading into the promised big flash. There is no longer anything left in Meat or Candy do to but [S] Get to the Point.

#Homestuck

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gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot · 5 days

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Annoying anon here! Had a few questions so i thought i would send them together, you can answer the ones you want (or none of course)

- how long did it take for Ghost and riot to get together? Relationship wise and merely comfortable in the other's presence

- do you think realistically there would/could possibly be conflict in the sense that one of them is ready to settle down and the other isn't/isn't yet?

- which one is more reckless? Which one is more possible to be in a very VERY bad situation? (Could be impulsive or because of a teammate)

- i know they're both stubborn, but which one is at a most disadvantage because of their pride (very similar to the last question)

Anyways I'm off for a shower and there could be more questions arriving from it (shower thoughts am i right)

Thank you for your work! (I sound like a middle aged man i swear im not)

You're not annoying <3 I love your asks, hun!! Really!!

1 - Well, my fic starts January 2023 (I don't say the exact date but... let's say mid January) and it took them a whole week and a half to start hanging out alone to smoke (of course it was a coincidence lol lol... yeah sure). So comfortable in each other's (silent) presence, soon enough. I think Ghost was thankful for someone less rambuctious as Soap, and Gaz, as lovely as he is, is determined to make him more social so... And Riot was thankful that he didn't pry like the others.

Now, relationship wise, current chapter (the op in Spain) is June or July 2023 and they're just starting having physical touch here and there. I don't think they'd be 'together' in a physical sense until Late August or September. And between first kiss and actual sex it'll take about three weeks or a month, so... They're very slow lmao i'm sorry

2 - Oh, absolutely. I write constantly how they advance a step and sometimes they go back two or three. Ghost's PTSD is better managed in the sense that he's been suffering it longer, and although he is not fine, he is slightly better than her. That doesn't mean he doesn't spiral sometimes. Her spiraling is often more apparent because her PTSD is fresher. Right at the point where they are (I'm writing) he is kinda stable (until the nightmare) and she was slowly trying to get out of her shell. Holding hands, sitting closer, touching each other, now sharing a room. Their own self-doubt and feeling that they are not deserving of anything good is what screws them over.

In the (nearer than you think) future, when there is talk about the officiality of it... surprisingly enough, they get to an agreement soon.

3 - Definitely Riot. She is careful if she's leading or has people under her command. If she's working alone she's less careful about her own wellbeing, the only thing important is getting the mission done. (More or less like Ghost, but Price has forced Ghost to accept that he has people waiting for him). It'd be a conflict soon, in a couple of chapters. Add to that, that she'd never leave anyone behind, and lives with the shame about what happened to Phoenix Squad, and she'll do anything to atone, even if rationally, it wasn't her fault

4 - Definitely Ghost. I follow the comic canon, I just adapted it slightly, so his childhood is canon, Roba, etc. For me, Ghost had an unhealthy childhood with a horrible father who abused his family, abused his mother, his brother, him. He was beaten into thinking any kind of emotional state was unmanly, asking for help was for the weak. So he is extremely proud in the sense that he'd never ask for help, no matter about what.

He only concedes with Price. If he absolutely need someone... he'd go to Price. Price is his rock, his anchor. Price won't judge him. Price is the only one that saw him at his worst, after Roba, saw him in the deepest hole known to man, and stayed. Never turned his back on him. So Ghost's absolutely loyalty is to Price and will listen to him over anyone, including Riot (not that she'd go against Price in any case but you get my meaning)

#my lovely anon #lovely anon <3 #lovely anon #i love asks #thanks for the ask!

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roseofdarknessblog · 1 year

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A Warrior’s heart (Marcel Galliard x Reader) » Part VI

Word count: 2 254

Disclaimer: english is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes

Info: canon AU where Marcel didn’t die; also the reader is an Eldian Warrior from Marley but not a Titan Shifter

PART I / PART II / PART III / PART IV / PART V

A Warrior’s heart (Part VI)

„The guards told me you haven’t been eating anything,“ said Commander Magath when he stopped at your cell. His eyes looked you over very carefully as if it was your first encounter ever. Or as if he forgot who you were and what you looked like in just three days. „You want to collapse right there in front of the court?“

„No need to worry about that,“ you muttered, pulling your knees even closer to your chest. Laying and sitting on the prison bed felt like torture, but you didn’t have anywhere else to go. „I’m just not hungry. And the food is disgusting.“ You tried it because getting weak and potentially sick could cause you more problems. But you almost threw up after the first few bites, so you decided to stay away from everything they brought you.

„Are you willing to talk to me?“

His question surprised you. Were you really in a position to decline an offer like that? „Yes, Commander,“ you answered him, closing your eyes for a second.

He called one of the guards to open your cell and let him inside. Commander Magath carefully walked towards you, looked you over one last time, and sat down right next to you. His sudden closeness startled you a little, but you didn’t move away from him.

„For now, you were deprived of your status of an honorary Marleyan. But only you, your sister can still receive the best medical care as if she was a Marleyan.“

You nodded, feeling like you could finally breathe for the first time in the last three years. The tears you cried weren’t for your lost status. But for your family. You feared the worst because nobody told you anything about them. You didn’t even know if they were informed about your return from Paradis.

„Thank you, I’m really grateful,“ you said quietly, resting your chin on your knees. Your whole body was in pain that was worsening by the minute. Everything hurt so bad... even breathing and thinking. And mostly overthinking every little detail of your life. Everything that led you to this moment. Into this cell. „Do they know I am here? Back in Marley?“

„Yes, they were informed the day of your return. And they also know that you’re awaiting a trial at the Military Court.“

You nodded again, taking a deep breath through your nose and holding it in for a short while. It was hard, almost impossible to fall or stay asleep. Nightmares were haunting you every time you closed your eyes. When you finally fell asleep, you woke up in a cold sweat and with tears in your eyes, desperately searching for Marcel. But he was never by your side. The bed was so cold without him laying next to you, the mattress hard and uncomfortable.

Nobody told you what happened to the other Warriors. But since they weren’t here, you hoped all of them returned home. Mainly Marcel and Reiner, since Zeke and Pieck had almost nothing to do with your mission. It would be really cruel to blame them for your failure. If it wasn’t for them, none of you would’ve made it back home.

„I visited them yesterday, they are doing okay. But are really worried about you.“ A desperate smile made its way to your lips. You wanted to ask him so many questions about your mother and sister but didn’t dare to do it. It would unnecessarily hurt you even more. „You can see them after court.“

„Even if I’ll be officially found guilty?“ He nodded shortly, resting his elbows on his knees and fixing his gaze on his boots. „Thank you.“

The whole conversation felt forced, but for some reason, it didn’t seem like he was about to leave you alone once again. He came to say something but didn’t get to it just yet. So you waited. For many long, awkwardly quiet minutes. Your left hand found its way to the silver heart locket around your neck and squeezed it carefully, but also hard enough to sense the comforting cold feeling in your palm.

„Hurting you or the other Warriors was never my intention,“ he said finally, clenching his hands into fists. He was visibly struggling with his words but still felt it necessary to say them out loud. „I did believe in all of you.“

„Why was it necessary to send a bunch of kids on a mission like that?“ you asked openly, suddenly feeling no fear. You were already behind bars, what worse could happen? „Marley has a huge army full of better trained and surely more capable men or women. Why did you choose to use kids for something like this? Can you even imagine what we all went through?“

„We trained all of you since you were five or six years old. The army was the only thing you knew for so many years. All of you lived to serve Marley and get something in return. Something special and very valuable.“

„That’s not the right answer, Commander.“

„And what do you want me to say, Y/N?“ Hearing your first name from his mouth sounded weird, almost a bit terrifying. He never did that, almost no one in the military did that. They kept using your last name, for it sounded more professional. The army never saw you as kids who needed some special treatment.

„I don’t know. Maybe... maybe I’m waiting for an apology.“ His quiet laugh made you flinch a bit. Did you ever hear him laugh before? „You ruined us all. Bertholdt is dead, and Annie may be too. The others have a few years left to live. And I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore because of all the things that Marley made me do. Maybe it wasn’t me who breached the Walls, but I was there. I saw those people dying, I heard them screaming when they were getting eaten by the Titans... by people like me, who you sent to Paradis.“

Even if you didn’t eat anything for the last three days, the urge to throw up was growing stronger with every passing second.

„How do you expect us to live with what we’ve done? Yes, Marcel and Reiner maybe hide their feeling better than I do, but they are just as broken, Commander.“

Some days it was only Marcel who could keep you sane. His presence in your life, the love he made you feel with every word or every touch. But on other days even his best attempts weren’t enough. Since the battle in Trost a few months back, you could feel your mind drift to dark places more and more often. You were slowly but surely losing touch with reality. And sometimes not even Marcel was able to lure you back from the darkest places in your mind and soul.

Not when you didn’t know who you really were and where your loyalty lay.

And not when he was struggling as well.

Marcel tried to hide it, but there were moments you saw the mask slip off his face and reveal his true feelings. He was losing it, too. Just like all of you at some point. Because after all... you all were just ordinary people. Individuals with their own beliefs and coping mechanisms.

„You know, Commander... there are no good or bad Eldians. In the end, we are all the same.“ It’s just the environment all of us grew up in. The government we were taught to obey and listen to. That made us different. But nothing else. People from Paradis were the same as people here in the internment zone. Many of them even better. „It’s a shame we had to learn it the hard way.“

„You can’t...“

Your laugh surprised him even more than your words. „Don’t worry, sir. I am not planning to spread these kinds of words outside this cell. All I ever wanted was to protect my family and save my sister. And I am still determined to do everything in my power to keep them safe.“

„All those years of training you did your very best. I saw that every single day and heard you cry many times when you thought no one was close by. But inheriting a Titan simply wasn’t for you, that kind of power needed someone else.“ You nodded in agreement. He was right and you knew for many years now. And after all, you got what you were trying so hard to accomplish even without inheriting one of the Titans. You became an honorary Marleyan and got your family the help they needed. That was all that mattered. „But you had other important and very promising qualities. That is why I gave you a chance. I believed, that you will be the one to lead the Warriors to success on Paradis. Marcel was never meant to be the leader, that place was meant for you.“

„What?“ you asked in utter shock, nervously pulling on the loose strands of your hair. „What are you talking about?“

„I wanted you to be the leader. But not everybody agreed, and my reasons didn’t stand a chance in front of the other officers responsible for the Paradis mission. I wasn’t able to convince them. They thought that Marcel was a better fit for such an important role.“

„What made you think that I would be a good leader?“

You were barely twelve years old back then. Marcel was a bit older, but still. He had the personality of a leader. All of you listened to him and respected his decisions naturally. You could never achieve that. Nobody would have listened to you. Merely because you simply wouldn’t know what to do.

You were a good and loyal follower. But would be surely a shitty leader.

„Your will and determination seemed much stronger. And you had a much longer life ahead of you than the other Warriors. That should have served as a good enough motivation.“

„Well, it didn’t,“ you uttered and slowly stood up, stretching your legs. The damned cell was too small to even walk around. All you could do was sit in one spot and overthink everything for the millionth time. „Next time you should think it through better, Commander. And not put so much hope in a kid, that barely knew what this cruel world was really about.“

You waited for his response, but it never came. Magath stayed quiet for a long time before he finally stood up, and reached for your shoulder. It scared you, but you didn’t pull away. Quiet the opposite. You looked over your shoulder and right into his eyes. It felt like an eternity until he finally looked away, squeezed your shoulder, and called for the guard who let him out again.

„Make sure you eat something today,“ he murmured while slowly walking away, not looking in your direction anymore.

It took you a while until you sat back down, pulled your knees to your chest, bowed your head, and closed your eyes. Your eyelids felt so heavy all of a sudden. Sleep was lurking somewhere near, you could sense it. But when you lay down and pulled the thin blanket over your exhausted body and head, memories came flashing back. All of them at once. Every horrible thing you’ve done to the people who never harmed you in any way.

Despite everything you fell asleep after a short while. Only for about two hours, but it was still something. After waking up, you felt at least a little bit better. But still, your first instinct after opening your eyes was searching for Marcel. You hoped he would miraculously appear right there next to you, so you could wake up in the warmth of his embrace.

But Marcel wasn’t there. His beautiful golden eyes and handsome face weren’t the first things you saw. It was the old cement wall of the holding cell. His sweet kisses didn’t help you wake up and snap back to reality. His fingers weren’t entangled in your hair, and his body wasn’t pressed against yours.

Commander Magath’s visit felt like it happened in a different reality. Maybe it did. Maybe he never bothered to come and talk to you. Why would he? Compared to him, you were nothing. Simply no one. Not a person whose life would really matter.

You rubbed your eyes sleepily and turned around, looking at the ceiling. Not eating anything was starting to take its toll. You felt nauseous and dizzy, and even your arms were almost too weak when you tried to push yourself up to a sitting position. Leaning against the wall, you close your eyes once more, naively trying to fight sleep.

In the end, your head found itself back on the pillow. Sleeping seemed to be the best way to pass time. Mainly because you wanted to avoid dinner time and stop your brain from wandering to the darkest, most hopeless places. Nightmares chased after you during the whole night, you woke in a cold sweat a couple of times, but fell back asleep every time.

When you woke up in the morning, a tray with breakfast was waiting for you on the ground right in front of your bed. And it looked much more appetizing than anything they've brought you before.

It almost looked like someone put in a word for you and finally granted you food, that didn’t make you throw up even before you tasted it.

To be continued...

PART VII

#marcel galliard #marcel galliard x reader #marcel galliard x you #aot warriors #reiner braun #zeke jaeger #pieck finger #porco galliard #bertholdt hoover #annie leonhardt #aot x you #aot x reader #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin

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arqdyke · 1 year

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whatre your opinions on all the jake ships. ALL OF THEM.

hi gaz :3 under the cut bc its literally fivemillion miles long.

rosejake - ??/10 theres something there. i can see it in my minds eye. its not romantic probably(??) but i feel like they would be so insane unhinged abt each other in a really hard to describe way. this is largely bc i like smashing my faves together and having them be weird abt each other.

davejake - 8/10 hehe. i like them :3 theyre very funny & silly. i feel like neither of them have ever introspected in their entire lives w/out repressing it immediately afterwards & together they get Worse. this eventually culminates in them both having Realizations and transitioning. i think they can holding hands on purpose.

jakeroxy - 8/10 theyre so unlabeled confusing but DEEPLY intimate relationship to me. they are baring their souls to each other in a hobby lobby parking lot ^-^ theyre very important to me

dirkjake - ??/10 clutches head oh theyre oddly compelling to me actually. i think they work best as weird ex's who have sort of something going on but they dont really work in a 'proper' relationship so its awkward & confusing for everyone around them. my feelings r mixed overall though.

jakehal - 10/10 imagine the worst pitch dynamic you possibly can. now make it worse. i have several vague aus in my mind palace about them being terrible & codependent. but in actuality i think their dynamic is very interesting from a character analysis standpoint & thats a very easy way to make me ship a set of characters. also i think its funny. and jake deserves a robotboyfriend.

jakedavesprite - 5/10 ive actually thought abt this one before surprisingly but there wasnt really a lot going on with them. definitely potential though!!!

jakejasprose - 9/10 futch dyke 4 bisexual aroace and its up to you whos which. i think theyre the weirdest palerom dynamic on the earth but genuinely they are so bffs to me. bffs that kiss a little (a lot) thats jasproses emotional support [vile slur omitted]! & jakes emotional support kittycatgirl :3

davepetajake(??) - 8/10 gripping the sides of my chair. yeah im normal about these characters who i dont think have any speaking line 1on1 interactions. so normal. why do u ask? anyways yeah i think theyre kind of supersilly awesome & fun. and also *gestures vaguely * the psychological trauma is vast and fascinating 2 my fucked up mind.

jakerisolsprite - 10/10 ok now hear me out. this was one of my first ever jakeships actually i just think the "jake/a guy who hates his guts" dynamic is supremely underrated & funny as fuck. they r like weird & messed up usually pitch vacillation nightmare girlfriends. genuinely very attached to them in a personal way.

jakearquius - ??/10 well. looks down at myself. looks back up. theyre funny? surprisingly i dont actually think abt them often.

arajake - 10/10 imagine a world so full of joy and peace. ok but fr their characters are like. intertwined in my mind. their relationship is like almost romantic...? theyre aro4aro. but very much in an 'official' relationship as well. if they knew or cared what it was they would be in a qpr but they dont. i think spending time w aradia would help jake figure out more abt himself & i think aradia would just really like spending time with him. they are marveling at each others minds.

jaketav - 3/10 unfortunately i go out of my way to not think too hard abt tavros so im gonna have to leave this one alone. in a hypothetical world they could be bffs forever!

jakesol - 10/10 deep breath. ok so actually im very very attached to the idea of pale jakesol. it shows up in my casual idle daydreams & in every au i think abt too hard. i think they can taking a nap together. i want them to sillyargue about random bullshit & infodump at each other about things the other could not give less of a shit about. clingy sleepynaptime girlfriends. neither of them has showered in weeks. also theyre so totally each others type. like look at canon for a moment and consider it.

jakekat - 7/10 idk. i think theyre sillies. they bond over cinema in the arguing way. i think jake would like to mess with him until it becomes clear that karkat doesnt actually hate everything and is just kind of Like That. i can see them being good friends and... maybe?? boygirlfriends.

jakenep - 8/10 i think she can hunting him for sport. like for actual sport they go play high stakes tag in forests for several months and come out soulbonded. also jake needs more sillycatgirls in his life & nepeta needs more chill/fun ppl to hang out with. shes being sillySTIFLED.

jakekan - 5/10 honestly i can not say ive ever though about- wait no no i thought about it once like forever ago. honestly they could be pretty good green autism besties!! idk abt romance but thats mostly bc ive just never considered it.

jakerezi - ??/10 this one is absurdly funny to me. i dont think it would ever happen but if it did it would be really really funny.

jakevris - 7/10 actually ive read several fics abt this before! it kind of appeals to me in a weird way but i prefer them as weird frenemies.

jakequius - 8/10 lays down. look. ok. so. well. i just think theres potential ok? i cant explain it. im running out of steam for this if you cant tell.

gamjake - 0/10 no thanks ?

erijake - 5/10 i dont think ive seriously thought about it but theres definitely some potential there.

thats all im doing. god bless u all.

#dt-posts #gaz tag

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cowardlybean · 3 months

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I JUST LOST THE ASK (accidentally deleted the draft oopsie) BUT HERE’S REIGEN AND MINORI FOR @sleepdepravity

Reigen

Why I like them- Ok so this is a Whole Thing with me. Reigen on his own isn’t my favorite character (still a great character though, I don’t have a single favorite for mp100 I love them ALLLLL) but looking at his bonds with others as a whole makes him SO much fun to analyze. It’s the effect he has on others that I find so interesting about him and why I make so much Reigen content, ESPECIALLY WITH MOB!! They’re so family. They’re SO family oh my god.

Why I don’t- using this as an excuse to talk about why I like to viciously ruin Reigen’s life in fics and stuff. Not because it’s fun to see His reaction but to how others around him respond, like what would Ritsu do if his brother’s Shishou suddenly keeled over? That’s my jam. Fascinating to me

Favorite episode (scene if movie)- sigh. S2 EP7.

Favorite season/movie- do NOT make me answer this theres too much good stuff of him in every season. Every frame where he looks fugly. That’s my favorite!!!!

Favorite line- “You’ve grown up so much, you know?”

Favorite outfit- if expressions are outfits then whatever the fuck this shit is. I WISH I WAS A CARTOON CHARACTER LIKE THAT

OTP- sometimes serirei

Brotp- guys guess what my favorite trio is. You’ll never guess (it’s Reigen Mob and Dimple they’re my favorite friends)

Head Canon- has an office candy jar because he quit smoking (insane about this)

Unpopular opinion- I’ll leave the “Reigen isn’t suicidal the finale was a self sacrificial thing and the train was an act of desperation” rant for another day and go with REIGEN QUIT SMOKING GUYS ITS CANON PLEASE

A wish- Reigen. Manga. Animated.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen- Reigen manga Never Animated

5 words to best describe them- “please call him a slur” (/j)

My nickname for them- ray gun

Minori

Why I like them- PEOPLE CAN CHANGE PEOPLE CAN CHANGE PEOPLE CAN CHANGE oh my god. I love her for learning and growing from mogamiland. I love mogami arc for the way it ends on a. Bittersweet note for lack of a better word? Hopeful I guess?

Why I don’t- she would have bullied the shit out of middle school me

Favorite episode (scene if movie)- End of mogami arc :(

OTP- none

Brotp- alright hear me out on this one, Matsuo and Minori hanging out. Bc matsuo had Mogami trapped for a while and Minori was stuck with Mogami for a good while. And. And EXPLODES

Head Canon- she developed a bad habit of watching snuff as a coping mechanism before she started to get better

Unpopular opinion- I’ve seen the interpretation that all of her actions were controlled by mogami even in mogamiland and. It’s just not true! That’s not true at all! not unpopular but all I could think of

A wish- MINORI OFFICIAL ART

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen- mogami arc stage play. I love the stage plays but idk if mogami arc would fit that tone

5 words to best describe them- “middle-school autistic boy’s worst nightmare” (/j)

#tw suicide mention #(it’s very small but just in case)#cowardly asks #ask game #Cut out the ones I didn’t have answers for

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marinerainbow · 1 year

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You know what? I'm gonna post something that I really want to post. OC x Canon. And today's ship?

Poppy O'Hare x Psycho Weasel. Or, as I like to call them,

~Pocho~

(This post is purely for serotonin purposes. If you don't like, please just move on)

Tagging: @slashingdisneypasta

(I'll probably edit this later. I wrote this while I was tired)

How they meet

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out. Poppy lives Downtown, as I imagine the weasels do as well. Or at least are most notorious in. So the chances of her really developing any relationship with the members is slim to none. Especially with their nature compared to hers; she most certainly wouldn't approve of the whole dipping toons thing.

I've got a few ideas of how Poppy and Psycho officially meet, but nothing is set in stone. Which is frustrating to me XD How it ends? Well.... We all saw the weasels die. That'd be the canon ending... But this ain't canon, this is the wonderful world of fanfiction.

Headcannons and tidbits

They'd kind of have a similar dynamic/energy that Jessica and Roger would have. Complete opposites in almost every way, the more level-headed one with the zany one, people would be questioning how genuine their relationship is, etc.

They're both horror toons, so even outside of my ship for them, I'd like to think that they would at least have a sort of understanding of the other's position. Though while Poppy was made to be the victim in horror cartoons, Psycho was made to be the villain; they'd be two sides of the same coin.

Don't get me wrong. He still does creep her out from time to time, and they may not have the same morals. But, she does try to be patient with him still.

Poppy would have actually fallen in love first, but would have been too scared about ruining their friendship to say anything, and didn't expect him to even be interested in romance (he wasn't before, but then she came along). But Psycho didn't have that fear, so he was the one who confessed first, after realizing he got feelings.

She would stick to the classic pet names, like Honey, Sweetheart, Dear, and would affectionationately call him Chocho if she was in a more playful mood. While Psycho usually sticks with nicknames related to her name, like Pop. He also calls her Snap Crackle Pop when she's mad.

Even with their vast differences, they still have interests that can unite them. They can be seen in the kitchen talking about the worst diseases throughout history, because Poppy likes history and of course Psycho would be interested in that stuff.

Even though she's fretful, Psycho can help her let go of her worries and have fun. Even if his wild shenanigans may give her a heart attack. He makes her laugh. And in turn, Poppy helps Psycho calm down more and just be slightly less of a menace.

Poppy gets cold easily, while Psycho heats up like a lizard under a heat lamp. She snuggles up to him for warmth in the winter or when it's cold at night.

I know all couples argue, but I legitimately can't imagine these two fighting. Poppy would rather steer clear of conflict, and Psycho doesn't see a point in yelling unless necessary, so the two kind of just... Talk through their issues. The worst argument I can see them having, is whether or not the towel is dirty when you use it after showering.

She's actually the one with more relationship experience, and Psycho has no idea what he's doing. She kind of helped him understand how romantic relationships worked, and figure out what you do in these sorts of things.

Sometimes, if Smartass needs Psycho distracted or kept busy, he just calls Poppy over. She may not be an official Toon Patrol member, but she has a role in the gang because of this.

They both have their fears and nightmares. It's most noticeable with Poppy, though Psycho has his own bad memories- fabricated and real- from his time as an actor. Of course, they help each other out as best as they can. And in a way, it's brought them closer together too.

And that's Pocho! Even if this is self indulgent, I hope you guys liked these ^^

#WFRR #Who Framed Roger Rabbit #Toon Patrol #Disney #Disney Villains #Psycho Weasel #my own OC's #my own characters #Poppy #ships #OC x Canon #(i sound confident but in reality im very nervous about posting these)#i know the headcannons arent too specific- i was trying to just keep it to general headcannons #Pocho

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bedlamsbard · 2 years

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yess lets hear the im2 natasha hc

OKAY SO from a deleted scene from Black Widow the Budapest incident, a.k.a. Natasha's defection from the Red Room, occurred eight years prior to CACW/BW -- in other words, in 2008. IM1 also takes place in 2008, and because it greatly amuses me I headcanon that the end of IM1 (the Tony and Stane fight, since IM1 takes place over a period of months) took place immediately after the Budapest incident, which means that Nick Fury got back to the Triskelion with Budapest on fire and the Black Widow that Clint Barton talked into defecting and who now he has to rehabilitate going "okay, fine, now I can relax," and then got a call from Coulson going "boss, you won't BELIEVE what just happened."

After some finagling (I don't care what the official dates are) to get IM2, Thor 1, and TIH to all take place during the same week (which canon says they did), I have tentatively placed them in fall 2010. (Trying to get the Phase 1 dates to line up is a nightmare because they've all been retconned so many times.) This assumes that the "six months later" marker at the beginning of IM2 is just when Vanko Sr. dies and there's a longer time span between that and when Tony goes up in front of the Senate subcommittee and the rest of the movie occurs, and it assumes that when Fury says "last year" to Thor in Avengers he actually means longer than a year, but this is not exactly the worst timeline sin that the MCU has ever committed, it just has a lot of moving parts.

So here is my IM2 Natasha headcanon: this is her first undercover mission since she joined SHIELD. She has been doing ops for SHIELD since she joined, but it's all been relatively straightforward "go kill this dude" / "protect this other dude" stuff, and probably for the first year she was running those ops with Clint specifically. (The Winter Soldier run-in near Odessa that she refers to in TWS would have been in 2009 -- it could have been one of her earliest solo ops.) Fury puts her undercover with SI and Tony because he's curious to see if she can pull it off and also if she can deal with Tony Stark without murdering him then she's definitely been rehabilitated. Also if she can deal with the lingerie photoshoot she had to do for that without murdering anyone. Natasha succeeded, she did not have a good time, but she passed the last of Nick Fury's tests in the process.

(I had Natasha say this in Yonder, but I think she doesn't enjoy doing undercover work, and when she went to SHIELD she was hoping a little that she'd be out of that. The Battle of New York was an eye-opener for her with the realization that she didn't have to and in fact she liked not doing stuff alone in the dark.)

#siarrawrites #bedlam replies #bedlam watches the mcu

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pogued · 1 year

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Do you think there's any bit of a chance that Pate may not continue jiara's "relationship" romantically in season four? Because there are a lot of happy shippers, sure. But there also seems to be quite the number of people who are disgusted in how this ship was given regardless of the amount rudy and madison both received of bullying who are tagging, posting or messaging the official instagram account. Not to mention how blatantly obvious both madison and rudy take the length of being as far apart as camera shot possible. Chase and Madelynn stand closer than they do some times and they were the actual real life couple...I keep hoping that they might change it. With that time skip thing I heard about happening at the end there would be ample time for jiara's relationship to of not worked out that way. I love jjpope, and would be thrilled for them to be official endgame (regardless they are to me) but for me it's the bullying aspect that comes attached with jj and kiara and how its just being chose over the sake of decency. Just takes me back to how adults handled bullies in my school growing up. Which is not at all. So it strikes a nerve pretty badly that its overlooked in yet another form of it.

I don't think they're gonna split them up come the start of the new season, no. especially because those shippers didn't get the material they wanted at the end of s3 and understandably, canonizing a pairing three years "in waiting" and then jumping 18 months into the future immediately after is the absolute worst thing to do to a fan base (I have to laugh). imagine if they are broken up at the season 4 opening though.. we would have to endure their angsty reunion probably cause they fucked it up so bad the first time they'd be like take 86 ok lets try again and rudy, this time pls look more into it ACTION! 📢 and I would have to go put my head in a blender but let's not get too ahead of ourselves I'm living a nightmare already.

but listen I come from the riverdale fandom so this is like deja vu for me and the second time I'm dealing with my ship being ripped apart and flushed down the toilet because the writers were bullied by fans on twitter, AND the actors having to deal with creepy irl shippers despite my ship's cast members being in a relationship with EACH OTHER. that behavior was rewarded and it was all with the intention of gaining viewers of course. nothing is sacred in television anymore because all they care about is figuring out the best ways to fill their pockets, not telling a good story. this is by no means shocking to me but to say I'm fed up is an understatement.

#answered #obx3

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electricbluebutterflies · 2 months

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Sensing destruction before it happens. + letojessica!

This seemed like the right prompt to start a new ao3 compilation with and I'm so excited about it. Late-era to a point of very close to Canon Timeline, PG-ish, and cross-posted.

For once, a terrible idea has relatively little to do with her.

Not nothing – Jessica would like to think she maintains a certain level of importance in the cosmic order, and anything dramatic and sudden from on high likely takes her existence and personality into account – but this is not just about her, she is not vain or dominant enough to assume such a thing. Such a dramatic reassignment, with only a few months’ warning, is-

A trap, her mind completes. Certainly nothing good for her family.

She sees, as the warning is given, the permission to begin preparations, that her partner sees it differently. He stands barely out of her reach but the distance feels like an ocean, and she sees-

One of his best traits, she’d thought as a cold if not hostile observer near twenty years earlier, is a certain lack of ambition. He maintains what is his and will not be threatened, yes, but she’d never sensed any desire for-

No. She will not make such accusations, not even in her heart, not publicly with her teeth on her lip. More likely, if she has interpreted anything correctly in her time, this is mere adaptability, finding a way through unexpected circumstances, the same way he’d once-

Her presence had once been viewed the same way she now watches their changed circumstances begin to fall, something not quite wanted and not to be trusted, and this man she has come to love gave her a chance anyways. Treated her well and gave her space and look where they are now and look how far they’ve-

We need to talk, she signals against the side seam of her dress when she catches him glancing her way. As soon as possible. Please.

Move when I move, he replies.

Most formalities end this way, with her needing something after, but usually… usually she’s more interested in getting out of an uncomfortable dress, and something about her moments of compliance makes her partner want her, and-

She highly doubts this conversation they need to have will end with her pinned to a wall, as much as she almost hopes it will. She’s too tense for that, too concerned, too unprocessed and this is how bad she is now and they’ll have several months for her to get worse before-

She has always been a nightmare, she reminds herself. Always the wrong emotions at the wrong time, and her suppression only goes so far. There is a chance, small but existent, that this is just a false alarm. There is a chance that maybe-

No. It makes no sense to move them, to do anything on such a scale, without some unpleasant intentions behind the maneuver. She will not let herself want this as her partner does.

Time moves glacially even by the standards Jessica has learned to expect from any kind of formal diplomatic maneuvering, and she justifies staying within reach, justifies unusual behavior with how much this does impact her. She’ll end up handling the household side of the move, whether she wants to or not, whether she’s officially told to or not, all the obligations of a paired woman and almost none of the power, almost none of the-

By the time she is able to slip away, she tastes blood on her lip and the list of people she’s likely to have to threaten in the next two months is more existent than usual and she hates this all on a practical level regardless of-

“What concerns you, my storm?”

Oh, the nerve of him to use that endearment when she’s visibly something past it, fingertips tangled in the conveniently full skirt of her dress and lip swollen and eyes piercing and-

“We will not survive this.”

“What makes you so-“

A man of such status in the world, Jessica thinks sometimes, should not have as many flashes of innocence at the worst times, and yet-

“Tell me this does not sound like ruination. Convince me. Make me see whatever you see because right now-“

“We won’t know until-“

“You would give that faith?”

“What choice do we have? To decline… whatever lies ahead will be less tragic than-“

He has a point, and it would look better to go down as victims instead of rebels, even though-

No. She’d already crossed that line, long enough for the edges to fray. If this is about her, somehow…

“You worry too,” she breathes, stepping forward and putting her hands on her partner’s shoulders. “Not as I do, but-“

“So sudden-“

“We have been given… half a year, did I hear that right?”

“It will be enough time, but barely, and-“

“You will find a way,” she murmurs. “As we always do.”

“You have more faith in me than anyone.”

“You had more to prove to me than anyone.” Perhaps not quite, but she has seen how the world around them reacts to him and her own process was not quite-

“Jess-“

“Don’t… don’t let me-“

“I do trust your instincts. If there is anything…”

“I will say, when I am-“

He takes half a step forward and takes a heartbeat of a kiss, hands on her back and the stability of it all, they move as one or they are nothing, or they are-

“If you-“

“I know nothing you do not know,” she breathes. “That will not change.”

She suspects, in time to come, that her loyalties and complications will be questioned. She is so much at once, and if she is torn apart… when she must choose, when not if, it will be this. Unquestioning love and the family they have made and-

“I trust you,” her partner murmurs, holding her just slightly closer. “Above all else.”

“As I you.”

#ebf writes fic #leto x jessica #queue

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galactic-knightmare · 4 months

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Sort of MercyTale Patchnotes but also not

Writing Chapter one and Figured I would give an update on how its going now that I finished the updated designs! continued underneath the cut~!

Prologue is done! with little glimpses of angst!

I have an editor now! my good friend Mouse/TastelessSkin agreed to help me out! :D

Melody is officially gonna be trans. not going to affect the story, but the idea wouldn't leave my head.

I know now that, canonically, Sans doesn't actually remember resets... but he kinda has too for this au to work (I'll try to keep him as canon as possible in other works of mine though)

Cover art is sketched out, so I just need to finish the background and lineart/color/shading and it'll be ready for the post!

I'm playing through a genocide run slowly while I write this- the idea is for me to be able to run around the underground so that I know what rooms come after which. its a lot easier on my brain than just looking up a map lmao

also kinda unrelated but Mouse found me a dark mode extension so now my eyes don't hurt/strain when trying to write.

Mouse is the best and I will fight ya'll on that.

Also, EVEN MORE EXTRAS.

...My brain decided to try and come up with what the different themes/music would be for the au and now I can't stop it lmao.

The ruins would be similar to their original theme, but more somber- kinda like your walking through an empty tomb.

Flowey's theme would be similar, though a bit less somber than the ruins.

Snowdin would seem verry calm, kinda give you the abandoned ghost town kinda vibe

Waterfall would be similar to the ruins. its original theme is already pretty somber though, so maybe just some haunting wind added to it?

Hotlands would be waaaayyy more quiet and less bopping than it usually is. unlike the others, it would also be a decent bit more ominous, like your slowly approaching something sinister.

the core would be even more ominous- its like, the ominous feeling is slow, starting in hotlands and coming to a climax after the core.

New home! this is where its REALLY unsettling. It would give you the feeling of being watched by something really, REALLY dangerous. like a giant predator is nearby but not yet chasing you.

Sans theme would, obviously, be megalovania, but it would be very orchestral. a slow build up, but once it got going its GOING. it would have hints of 'Your worst nightmare' and 'Finale' in it, but it would have quite a few more pieces of 'Megalo strike back' strung throughout it. It'd kinda sound like the boss music for an eldritch deity, or something out of monster hunter.

the Soul remnants theme would be their original themes (Bonetrousle, heartache, Spear of Justice, etc) but with a more haunting, somber feeling to them.

Honorable mention, but Melody's theme would probably be pretty cheerful. kind of a mix of toriel's theme and 'Your best friend'.

...yes I'm putting a lot of thought into the rewrite. this au/fic has been unfinished since 2017- I think its about time I finished it.

#Mercytale #undertale au #plans #fanfic planning #thoughts of knightmare

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muse-rising · 2 years

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Q&A With Diem

Lundlaeva had more wonderful questions that can all be compiled in a second post.

Again, spoilers are involved for what might become an original fiction series or even podcast or something. Who knows? They are mostly about Diem's heritage.

Only continue beyond this point if you don't mind those spoilers.

Q: The changeling lore (IDK if that's the right word) about how they sometimes pass personas down or share personas for various reasons is just ... extremely cool, as well. Is that something you came up with or expanded on?

I know Diem doesn't really know about this stuff, but do you think they would ever want to share their personas in that way, if they knew it was an option ...?

A: This is not something I came up with, but official examples of what changelings and their societies get up to in D&D lore.

It is likely that for any original fiction in the future, to avoid copyright, I will fall back on real world changeling mythos and urban fantasy staples. Probably combined with doppelganger mythos. I haven't actually personally expanded on anything about how changeling societies work since Diem hasn't encountered any and didn't grow up in any. All in D&D official literature...somewhere.

Probably it will come into play. Our virtual tabletop D&D game takes place in a world created by our DM (Telurin), Ulaigh being one of the characters they play as an "NPC." So there are some original elements, but mostly it's borrowing all the other structures of D&D, races, classes, dice systems, etc.

In this particular world, changelings are a rarity and not native to the world we're playing on. There are rare portals that sometimes open up and dump people from other worlds, mostly something that takes place around the thin places between the mortal realm and the fey realm. These areas have been named the Shadowood on the major continent, and The Wild Expanse which is a southern continent no one travels to and few survive.

Diem's father (the changeling parent) fell through a portal in the Shadowood. There is unlikely to be an actual town of changelings doing the things I mentioned from the official lore (sharing a bar wench persona/blacksmith persona in shifts, purposefully making gifts of personas for their offspring, gathered together in one town).

My DM might have surprises in store though, especially after I described a horrific dream I had involving Diem and our tabletop cast that was interesting for me, but the worst nightmare fuel for Diem. That dream has become canon Diem's worst recurring nightmare. They haven't even told Ulaigh about it, much less anyone else.

All that being said, Diem has encountered a few changelings since. They didn't get much time to spend with either one, barely a moment with the first before our group had to move on. The second was openly a changeling and the two "tried each other on" in excited random changeling bonding time.

Basically, Diem entered a magic shop in the capitol city of Anesh and a changeling was running it. They'd only just recently opened up about being a changeling a few days ago and started like wide-eyed whispering to the rest of group about it.

Shopkeep said something pointed, thinking it was distrust many open changelings tend to get greeted with in canon D&D. Diem apologized, started to try to explain and just like, decided it was easier to shift into the shopkeeper's mirror image, obviously excited, blatantly said they didn't know any other changelings.

The shopkeeper was delighted and shifted into the form Diem just left and said they "felt new." The cellular memory thing is our headcanon for explaining that feat I spoke of for taking on traits of the copied species, as is the headcanon that when taking on a new form that belongs to a changeling you've met, it will feel familiar. You may not know which changeling persona they were before, only that you've been them before in some form. This is an extension of our headcanon that you can also internally feel and recognize changelings you are related to. If you happen to copy one of their appearances.

Either way Diem enjoyed the novelty of seeing their Diem "painting" on another face. They were just too delighted by an encounter with another changeling.

That being said, I don't know if they would pass on the Diem persona to any theoretical children. Maybe. It might even be extremely likely, at least in the sense of passing on the persona of a famous live storyteller once they get the renown to keep that legacy going. I think they'd be honored if their kid wanted to pick up that torch and make use of the established reputation.

I'm not sure there's any identity of theirs they wouldn't be willing to pass down. I do think they'd be less thrilled about sharing a few of them while they were still alive though - especially with strangers.

Canon D&D official lore says changelings will often work together taking turns being the same person, telling the collaborative story of that life. If one of them gets married, when the other takes over for a bit they continue with that marriage and might not even tell their shared spouse.

I think Diem might have fun with a collaborative story like that - an elaborate game of "Yes AND" lol. But they'd probably want to make it a new persona and I don't think they'd be on board with "Oh, we got married last year, have fun with our clueless wife" type arrangement. That being said, they are definitely polyamorous, it's the hiding something like that from a significant other you actually married that they wouldn't be on board with.

You mentioned Lake as being too personal, but honestly, I think that's the persona Diem resonates with the least. Lake is their given name, but the persona is a mask not of their own making. One kept for utility and without personality. The only reason they'd care about someone borrowing Lake is if they involved Diem's mother in some way (or, you know, did illegal things Diem didn't know about until the next time they used the Lake mask and got arrested lol).

I think Diem might get a kick out of sharing Lucius. The man dreams big and telling his story with another changeling would let Lucius have more of his own goals while Diem is being someone else. Lucius the character gets to continue collecting recipes, get one step closer to eventually retiring with good stories in his little bakery to live out his golden years. If that makes sense?

I think Diem is unique in actually having literal changing goals and dreams between personas than canon changelings. So to them it'd be like someone helping the Lucius in their head happily traveling along in the background (much like characters do for writers) getting more of his own happily ever after. That just makes the Lucius in their head happier and more content. Nevermind that the version in Diem's head wouldn't be directly privy to those experiences lol.

The Diem persona though would be one they would not want to share with just anyone (beyond the novelty trick party), and not while they were still alive. Since this persona is actually their core personality stretching out and making itself known/spiritual twin to the canvas, they'd only pass it on to a descendant or let trusted people maybe take Diem for a spin. You will be required to prove you have what it takes to protect their reputation though ;D

As for the last bit:

"And it's probably good that they're talking about the canvas and their shapeshifting abilities slightly more openly ...? Like, not being ashamed of and burying this part of them that is natural (and a legitimate person) ...? Or maybe I'm reading too much into it."

You are not reading too much into it. This is a big, important part of their character arc and growth.

#Diem Q&A #my dragons #Flight Rising #D&D Dragons #OC Dragons #Spoilers #Silver Scale Pack #Diem belongs to Saronai #Ulaigh belongs to Telurin

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pain-in-the-butler · 2 years

Text

salutations, gamers

it’s been quiet around here, but what say we spice things up a lil with the official unofficial season 4 of the Black Butler Hunger Games

It all starts with butler on butler violence. Fitting

Alas, we’ve already lost R!Ciel, so I guess there will be no twin shenanigans this time 😔

Even in the Hunger Games simulator, O!Ciel is trying to protect Soma from finding out he has a dead twin......... I’m not crying you’re crying

EVERYONE IS OUT HERE PROTECTING THE GOOD AND PURE BOYS (I wonder how long that will last)

That... might actually be stronger than his canon death scythe

gold star, bud

that was probably the right call, Lau

GDI WOLFRAM, IT HAS BEEN TWO MINUTES (though I guess that’s still less ridiculous than Sieglinde starving to death after half a day)

And thus, it begins

Day 1

Curious if we’ll see the return of responsible Father Phipps and his casual adoption of a child character amidst the carnage

Sieglinde really said “this ain’t my first rodeo”

it’s just a regular day of playing hide n seek in the garden for Finny

I love Harcourt’s weird energy, because whether he’s popping up in the Hunger Games or in the Kuroshit manga itself, he’s just kind of There making things feel Less Canon

stag party + Macmillan

I promise you he’s still not worth it, girl

I mean, maybe he’s worth it?

Other events:

Ran-Mao fishes

Lizzie finds a river

Bard runs from Soma

Ronald gets some boom boom dynamite

anyway,

Night 1

this is like one of those parties where two people know each other really well and talk loudly the whole time while everyone else are virtual strangers and just kind of awkwardly avoid eye contact the whole time

SIEGLINDE THAT IS ***NOT*** HOW I WANTED YOUR POTENTIAL REIGN OF TERROR TO START

Lizzie has never gotten her due, RNGesus please I beg you

is Sebastian fending them from his fire or is he doing a weird hoppy demon hell dance while Ronald, Grell, and Mey-Rin decide to leave because it’s uncomfortable

good boy squad

do you think the fight was about whose vision is the worst

okay so we’re clearly dealing with Blue Cult!Soma and not Curry!Soma got it

yeah that was a lot to take in, thanks for reminding us to hydrate Mr. Tanaka

Agni, please, he let you have the bag, must you antagonize him

Also, Undertaker receives an explosive as a gift. That was a very eventful night holy cow

Day 2

AGNI INDIRECTLY MURDERED HIM. WE ALL SAW IT

we stan a fast queen

Tanaka’s seen enough. He knows Will’s out for blood

I didn’t post this, but Lizzie took a trident from the cornucopia...................

the Midford sibling killers dealing with the psychological aftermath of their crimes

Bard really did win last time by just having fun and being himself, so I guess he’s giving that approach another shot

do you think they’re in neighboring bushes

Father Phipps considers his next adopted son

There were other highlights, but guess what tumblr didn’t save this properly and they got eaten (fortunately this was the only thing that was totally unsalvageable)(tumblr also ate my original and second explanation for this, thanks tumblr!)

Over the past twenty-four hours, we lost Lizzie, Ciel, Lau, Edward, and Othello. The salute meme is really more fitting here, but I already used it 1.5 times

Night 3

Soma and Agni talk happily during their whole shift, then two others take over and it’s silent as death

You know Undertaker dug that pit as a grave for whoever he managed to kill next, climbed out of it, started laughing, lost his balance, fell into the pit, and died

That HAS to be just. The most interesting conversation

Tanaka doesn’t fuck around with fires anymore

THE PHANTOMHIVE SERVANTS ARE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN.......... wait I just realized I don’t have Snake in this omg. Snake, how could I do you like this

Harcourt is really bringing his canon energy to this round

I would probably have nightmare too if Harcourt were out in the woods screaming

You kill Best Girl and it all goes downhill from there

Day 3

Will actually killed the Phantomhives and someone’s out here supporting him. Unbelievable

Sebastian gives Sieglinde and Finny advice on how to “get over” killing someone

Aww, it’s really kind of Ran-Mao to make Macmillan feel like he’s an actual threat to anyone, especially her, she even sprained her ankle in the process, #1 big sister mug for you Ran-Mao

my man

NO!!!!!! STOP KILLING MY DAUGHTERS

Grey decided Soma got a little too Blue Cult Arc for his britches

Other highlights:

Harcourt goes fishing

Father Phipps is gifted some food

Grell has a lil nap time

Bard stalks Tanaka

Night 3

Strong DadBard energy in the chat

We love you, rare pairs simulator

Nighttime Seb is just completely feral

Why do I feel like I’ve never seen this status before. It’s nighttime, and Ran-Mao just goes to sleep. She doesn’t do anything, nor does anything bad happen to her. She just has herself a good ol rest. Let the sun set on this cesspool of degeneracy, huh girl. What a mood

Father Phipps can think about murdering everybody. As a treat

Other events:

Finny gets clean water and reminds us all to hydrate

Ronald gets even more boom boom dynamite

William gets medical supplies as a gift, even though he’s the one out here causing the most injuries

Day 4

leave my wife alone you BASTARDS

they’re just playimg tag ;;;;__;;;;

I’m really feeling Ronald’s struggles on a personal level

Meanwhile, I’m just not sure what Agni’s energy is this round

WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO

Other highlights:

Harcourt also gets berry-picking ouchies

Grey gets a first-aid kit

Ran-Mao chases Phipps

Wow, no one’s died in a day. Will definitely wants to change that

Night 4

damn Phipps just made four enemies, though I’m at least vaguely convinced Ronald was just in the wrong Ronald place at the wrong Ronald time

Tanaka, nooo! It’s a trap!

Well, we found the fire that Phipps saw

the rare pairs sim knows no bounds

Finny was a war machine in the last Hunger Games, but this time he’s just the ultimate soft boy, and I don’t trust Agni not to kill him

wtf, the boys are so so wholesome this time

Day 5

Grell gets it

When the berries prick you from the inside, you know it’s all over... For you, Grandpa Tanaka, I’ll pour out the meme one more time

Oh my god, you guys, I don’t think Ronald was in the wrong Ronald place at the wrong Ronald time. I think he’s gone to the bad

Father Phipps....... you will be missed

looks like someone partied a little too hard around the hellfire

Reluctant my ass, season 4 Hunger Games Agni is unhinged

Other events:

Sieglinde overhears Father Bard and his son Finny talking in the distance

Ran-Mao picks fruit and bides her time

To make up for yesterday’s quiet, today four people were offed: Grey, Phipps, Tanaka, and Harcourt. Gotta say, as usual I have no idea who’s going to win, but I’m very pleased that so many of the girls are left, even if Sieglinde had to be the one to kill Lizzie (never forget)t

Night 5

at last we’ve unlocked the common pairs simulator

Even though everything is random, these four have cemented themselves in my mind as the biggest dangers to the other contestants

Grell is a mom now

holy shit, I somehow forgot Will was actually the one I found most worrying, but he just took himself out so that’s not a problem anymore either

also Macmillan got an infection but don’t worry, he treated it, he’s a good boy scout

You know when this happens it means we’re about to experience some shit

Am I going to keep selling the idea that this is a repercussion from killing Lizzie? You know I am

guys, I’m gonna be real with you, I’m PMSing a little today and Finny’s arc in this Hunger Games anime could make me cry if I thought about it too hard

There is way too much girl-on-girl violence in this round and it’s making me Displeased

GUYS, RONALD SERIOUSLY WENT TO THE BAD, AND IF HE HURTS FINNY, I, I JUST DON’T KNOW

Day 6

NO. THIS ISN’T HAPPENING

NOOO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

OH COOL, I’M GLAD SOMEONE’S HAVING A GOOD TIME

Oh, what’s wrong, hellboy? Fire too blasé for you in the daytime? Look, I’m sorry for snapping, I’m just really upset about Finny okay

Ronald. Listen. I never thought I’d say this but... I need you to kill Grell. It’s... It’s the only way. It’s the only way we can move on from the pain

Six people lost today. William and Agni? They were kind of asking for it. Sieglinde? Well, she killed Lizzie. Ran-Mao? It hurt a little, not gonna lie. But MACMILLAN. And FINNY. THEY WERE JUST CAMPING. You really didn’t have to do it to em

Night 6

Four left, and they’re all just hanging out. Ronald, who started out so relatable and turned out so dark. Grell, who was a mom, until she betrayed her sons, and thus betrayed me. Sebastian, he's a simple demon with simple pleasures. Bard? He’s the hero we need. Who will it be? I feel that the answer is just on the horizon...

Day 7

okay, so it turns out the answer was not just on the horizon

Night 7

Is Ronald luring Grell into a false sense of security so he can stake out his kill? Bard is fucking around; meanwhile, Sebastian is feeling fucked up, and girl, same

Day 8

Wait. Uh. Holy shit

So, I always feel like I get rabbit-punched by the abrupt endings that Hunger Games sim doles out, but emotions fail me even more this time. All the shit hit the fan at once. Just as Seb decided he was jealous of Grell’s goodies, Ronald forgot to hydrate and sweet, wholesome Bard went kablooey. So look at that. Sebastian won. But what a circumstantial victory. I tell you what, I usually only get so invested in these Hunger Games sims, but this one really took the cake. My writing/pics kept getting deleted (thanks, Tumblr) and it actually took around three hours to make this entire post (not including some edits from future me, who is writing this bit in parentheses), so that might create some added emotional weight. But still. What a roller coaster. Incredible. Seb, inarguably the hungriest character in Black Butler, at last has his own Hunger Games victory.

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #this is long but it is dramatic #I really had to fight with tumblr to get this post to work I mean a full-out war #but in the end human determination proved the victor

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arguablysomaya · 3 years

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not to bother you but do you by any chance have any more batfam fic recs? i read all the ones you recommended already and now im starved for content lmao

np lmao i have prepared for this

Just a friendly kidnapping by @Ceciliedr

Jason decides drastic measures are in order, when his workaholic little brother refuses to take a day off. Tim is going on vacation whether he wants to or not.

As always the bat’s antics confuse the hell out of the team. Especially since Red Hood is officially a highly dangerous wanted criminal.

cryptid bats are such a good trope

And the Scene Slips Away (To the Evenness I Fake) by @ Kirazalea

One mistake is all it took to force Jason back into the wonderful world of the Wayne family. Now publicly and legally alive once more, he's forced to spend the next two weeks of his life stuck in the Manor with the whole family. This leads to several strengthened relationships and the realization that maybe he's missed a few things over the years. Things that he's now determined to get to the bottom of.

Also known as the "Tim comes out to his family, the public finds out Jason Todd is actually alive, Jason finds out about Mirage and Tarantula, and they all are confronted with the fact that dealing with public relations as millionaire superheroes is actually The Worst (though not necessarily in that order)" Frankenstein of a fic that nobody asked for but I'm giving you anyways

*insert crying noises* this bad boy can fit so much emotion in it

American Ninja Worrier by @DangerBeckett

It's just like Tim to give a poor college student a start in the business world. Kid's a bleeding heart, and usually, that's the sort of thing Jason avoids at all costs. He prefers his bleeding hearts on the literal side, and despite Bruce's best efforts, he's never had a head for business.

Unfortunately, though, this time the business is ninjas, and that's the sort of thing that makes Jason take notice. Because Bruce is useless, and someone's gotta make sure Tim's new internship program doesn't take down all of Gotham.

That's Jason's job, after all.

most accurate tim drake i’ve ever read, added bonus of being fucking hilarious

the art of turning a bed into a home by @ anaksemuabangsa

“We’ll feel better if we sleep in the same place,” Dick reasons, shifting the blankets and piling them on top of a stiff Tim. “When I was smaller, every time Bruce caught me having a nightmare, he used to stay with me until I fell asleep again,” he continues.

In which Bruce's kids develop a habit fit for princes and princesses.

(Somebody get them to sleep, please.)

the whole good habits series is pog asf but this one is my personal favorite. it’s so fluffy ;-;

“Get out of my room.” by @damthosefandoms

Dick likes to mess with his little brother. Jason enjoys being a little shit to his older brother. Everyone always says they’ll get along when they get older. They’re not so sure about that.

hands down the most realistic sibling relationship i’ve ever seen. fulfills my headcanon that dick and jason are just like me and my little brother. Also check out Older SIblings: A Plague on Our Society by the same author bc LMAO

Young Justice Visit the Suez Canal by @charleswaterloo

There is an enormous container ship called the Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal. Young Justice is on the case. During their short adventure, they also: make a massive sand sculpture, enjoy some fanfiction and unblock the Suez Canal. Not in that order. * ‘I am thinking,’ Tim said, with extreme calm, ‘That you have made something that looks like a very large penis when viewed from above.’

‘It’s a dick and balls, yeah.’ Bart said without embarrassment. ‘It’s poetic! I’m ending the journey like it started.’ * ‘Did you -’ Dick began, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. ‘Did you really tell him to at least “make the shaft bigger”? Bart told Wally and he told me but I have to know if it’s true, Tim. My life depends on it.’

you remember that boat that ended capitalism for like a week? yeah.

contagious by @Valkirin

In a happier Gotham where Robin insisted on bringing his new brother Jason home from patrol, the second Robin is dosed with Poison Ivy's cuddle pollen and finds their personal photographer.

an alternate take on tim joining the family that is much more happy

Whatever it is that brothers do by @ididloveyou_once

Jason’s fairly certain his evening plans hadn’t included playing nursemaid for a reckless, self-sacrificing and frustratingly stubborn vigilante. Not to mention that said vigilante was his dumb fucking brother.

Or: Nightwing is badly injured and Hood’s the only one around to help.

*melty noises* they care about each other...........

Way Down, Hadestown

In which Damian's dead and Tim has lost one too many people to accept that.

Platonic Orpheus-Eurydice not-AU set after Damian's canonical death (that I am still deeply bitter about). Likely throws Wonder Woman canon right out of the window.

*melty noises intensity* THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER TO THE FUCKING GRAVE also the lore is cool as hell in this one

the entire Grade School series by KagSesshlove

Imagine that Damian goes to a regular school full time. And has to do things that normal grade-schoolers have to do. This is his life now: pretending to be a normal 10 year old at school all for the sake of the public. But, honestly, the public would rather he not.

fucking hilarious series, i especially like My Family by Damian Wayne

i have so many more LMAO

#batfam #fic rec #batfam fic rec #batfam fanfiction #dc comics #batman #batman fanfiction #batfamily #dc #dcu #bruce wayne #dick grayson #cassandra cain #jason todd #tim drake #duke thomas #damian wayne #batkids

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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years

Text

Mia Deserved Better: An Analysis of RE8's Themes/Symbolism

Foreword: I would like to thank @lepusrufus for posting about both Mia and Miranda, and at one point directly saying that Mia deserved better, which is a large part of what caused me to start examining her role in the canon story. Now, I will say that this post, like some of my previous explorations of Village (such as my attempt to determine Donna's age), will not be the best organized. My ADHD makes such things rather difficult for me. However, I have tried more than usual, and have broken up this "essay" into several distinct sections. Still, I am worried that my thoughts will not be as concise or coherent as they were inside my head.

Under read-more for length and spoilers for RE8: Village.

Introduction:

Village is, inarguably, about parenthood. Is it a horror game? Yes. Is it also science fiction? Also yes. But is it still, at its core, a story, and therefore contains imagery, symbolism, and themes? Yes. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with Mia deserving better. My proposal is as follows: While Village is overall about parenthood, it is more about motherhood than fatherhood. Furthermore, Mia's background + actions from the previous game tie her story directly with Mother Miranda's, making their potential interactions massively important to the story... and could have served the theme beautifully. The missed potential in her involvement in the story is honestly a little bit absurd.

Now, let's examine each of the Four Lords + their sections, as the beginning of analyzing the game's theme.

Lady Dimitrescu + Castle:

Ah, perhaps the clearest (albeit unimportant) bits of theme within the whole game. We are immediately presented with another parent, with three daughters she loves very, very much. Initially they work as a team to capture Ethan, easily overpowering him. When they do split up, each still has dialogue regarding their family members. Each of the daughters expresses a desire to be like their mother/make their mother proud. Lady Dimitrescu herself gets very upset every time one of her daughters perishes, and delivers some important dialogue about this in her final confrontation with Ethan.

To paraphrase, Lady D says that Ethan has done something unforgiveable, caused damage that can never heal, and deserves to die before his daughter. That last part is interesting, in the sense that Lady D seems to believe that outlasting your own child is a fate so terrible that she would not wish it upon anyone, including the person who killed her daughters.

Throughout her dialogue and actions, Lady D serves as an important figure of a living mother. What do I mean by that? Well, the only other mothers we see in game are Mia and Miranda. The former doesn't show up until almost the end of the game (seeing as the "Mia" at the start is not actually the real Mia), while the latter does not have a living child, and her behavior has (presumably) changed quite a bit since that loss. As Ethan goes through Castle Dimitrescu, he watches (he causes) Lady D to go through what Miranda did all those decades ago. When we see her loss, when we experience her loss, it is something we connect with, even comparing it (as Lady D does) to Ethan's loss of Rose.

For the more visual side of symbolism, we can turn to Lady Dimitrescu herself. She is very tall, is visibly older than the majority of the Village cast, and has a fairly classic (old-school) motherly look. Everything about her reinforces her position as an example of a mother, especially when she's with her daughters and becomes such a strong figure of protection. Her height allows her to seem the caretaker for her children, even though they are scary/intimidating in their own right.

Donna Beneviento + Waterfall House:

Yes, the baby/fetus/monstrosity is part of this. No, it is not the only bit of thematic work in this section of the game.

To begin, you can find out that Donna is officially the adopted daughter of Mother Miranda. Her birth parents are dead, implied to be from especially tragic causes (more than is the norm when it comes to "orphan making"), and she has suffered greatly from it. We see that she has been seemingly neglected by Miranda, and is incredibly isolated. The tragedy of her loss, along with the consequences presented by it, are something to keep in mind further down the road, when we inevitably deal with Ethan's own death.

One of the consequences of the environment Donna was raised in is, arguably, her reliance on Angie. While interpretations of their exact relationship (aka how much control Donna actually has at any given point) vary, the two very clearly have something akin to a mother/daughter vibe. Alternatively an older sister/younger sister sort of thing. This shows in the way that Donna holds/carries Angie, as well as the contrast in their demeanors. Moreso, the fact that Donna gave a part of herself to create Angie is almost enough to make the symbolism nonnegotiable.

We also see that Donna has a strong understanding of family/family dynamics, through the way that she uses her powers to manipulate Ethan. She dissects his connections to Mia and Rose, taunts him with the lengths he's willing to go to save his child, then shows him a grotesque version of parenthood: The aforementioned fetus monster. Does the monster represent Ethan's fears, or Donna's?

What if the monster is how Donna sees herself, in some way, perhaps thinking that it's her fault her parents died? Bit of a stretch, but it's not a keystone of my theory, so I'm just throwing it out there. We could, however, go a step further and ask ourselves if Donna has noticed the way Miranda neglects her, and the fetus monster is how Donna thinks Miranda sees her. A baby, true, but grotesque, so terribly imperfect compared to her "real daughter" (Eva, obvs).

Regardless, the monster presents an ugly side of parenthood. It shows us the blood, the hunger (with the way it repeatedly attempts to swallow Ethan whole), the wailing. If Lady D shows us the love of parenthood, the bond, Donna in turn shows us the hate, the misery. Everything that one must endure to reap the rewards of family.

Lastly, we get one last bit of symbolism with Donna's death: We play a game with Angie. A childhood classic, hide and seek. Ethan chases her down repeatedly, stabbing away, seemingly only hurting the doll. But what happens when he kills Angie? It turns out that he killed Donna. You kill the child, you kill the parent. A reinforcement of the connection that comes with parenthood, along with another notch in Ethan's family-murdering belt (not saying that he's the "true antagonist" or anything, just keeping track for one of my later points).

Moreau + The Reservoir

Let's get the worst possibility out of the way: Moreau, weakest and sickest of the four lords, lives in a reservoir, where he is relatively safe. To defeat him, you have to drain the water, forcing him onto dry(ish) land. Paired with the main ideas of his section (which I will detail after this nightmare), one could theorize that he's meant to represent birth itself. Again, he's safe in his ("womb") water, and becomes vulnerable when he leaves (like a fragile newborn). Kinda gross, in my opinion, and also not a strong enough connection for me to care much about. It was merely an interesting (albeit horrifying) enough thought that I felt it warranted sharing.

Moving on to the big stuff with Moreau: He's a baby. Evidence: Whiny, has difficulty moving around, struggles to adapt to his growth, throws up a bunch, loves his mother very much, cries for his mother when he's in trouble, etc. Although Mother Miranda does not care for him, he clearly cares for her, and plays yet another role of an abandoned child (like Donna). Without Miranda there to protect him, he perishes terribly, crying out for someone who does not care to answer.

Hearing him cry out for Miranda, over and over, only for her to continue ignoring him is a key piece in the build-up to our confrontation between Ethan and Miranda. The game, in many ways, centers around the comparison between the two. In my humble opinion, Mia should have been involved in this comparison, as opposed to supplying the solution to the result of said comparison. Yes, I know that was a lot of words that don't mean much yet, but trust me, I'm getting there.

Heisenberg + The Factory

Ironically, of the four lords, Heisenberg is the most similar to Mother Miranda. In his massive factory, he is alone except for his numerous experiments, the results of decades of playing God. In comparison to Ethan + Mia, Heisenberg represents artificial parentage, or more accurately, the artificial creation of "life". While the others Lords also performed experiments, they used living subjects. Heisenberg instead chose to use corpses, which he then "brought back to life" with cybernetics + his powers, a somewhat futuristic version of Dr. Frankenstein.

Together, Miranda and him show a rotten side of parenthood (whereas Donna + Moreau showed us the uglier side of the children themselves). To put it simply, they are bad parents. They throw their "children"/experiments into the fray, uncaring, using them as pawns for their own greater gain. The most important part of this is that Heisenberg offers to "help" Ethan: By using Rose as a weapon. In his act of refusal, Ethan demonstrates one of several important distinctions between himself and Mother Miranda. Where she is willing to use her "children" (read: lives that she is responsible for) as tools, he is not.

Miscellaneous Symbolism/Imagery:

The old hag is one of my favorite parts of Village. She's seemingly nuts, has a crazy old lady laugh, wears bones that make soothing bone noises when she moves, and she draws lots of symbols in the dirt. If you look closely (I can provide screenshots if anyone desires, but it will take a bit of work to get them onto my computer), she's drawing one of the most iconic images in the titular village: The winged unborn. This symbol acts as the key you build up after every fight with a Lord, understandably called the Unborn Key (which turns into the Winged Unborn Key). Whether this counts as foreshadowing towards the hag's identity reveal is technically irrelevant, but I like to think it does.

In essence, you build up the key, this depiction of an infant, to progress in the game. The more wings it gains, the closer you are to your goal of rescuing your child.

The cadou itself is very clearly fetus-shaped. Furthermore, the only place within the human body that we know it ever gets implanted is in the "tummy" (thanks Moreau), aka roughly where someone's womb is/would be. Every infected person we see presumably had the Cadou implanted there (though I think it would be interesting if implanting it in different spots caused different mutations. of course, that is a discussion for another day). To become immortal, you have to "bear" a "child". Does it get more direct than that?

Mother Miranda gained her immortality in part for her grief at the loss of her child. She embodied the despair that Lady D spoke of, becoming an eternal source of anguish. Just as the loss of a child is a wound that lasts forever, so too would Miranda last forever (well, until Ethan comes along).

Mia is a loving mother, who puts up with the BSAA making her move across the world, deals with the complications of having a mold husband and mold baby, and has proved herself (see her section in RE7) to be an immense badass. Previously I had forgotten that, and even embarrassed myself in the comments of another person's post by implying she wasn't a tough, ass-kicking machine. Y'all remember feral Mia? People talk about "poor Ethan's arms", but sometimes we forget that Mia was one of the people who did a number on them. Furthermore, she's one of the only living people (from outside the village) to have any connections (pun intended) to Mother Miranda. They worked together, although possibly not directly, on Evelyn. If anyone in Village has a chance of really understanding Miranda's plight, or knowing the truth behind it, it would be Mia. Yet we don't see them interact a single time. Which leads me to the next section...

Conclusion On Theme + Missed Potential:

Okay, okay, so it's pretty obvious at this point that, as previously stated, the game's theme is parenthood. Every section has its symbolism, the story is very obviously about a man trying to rescue his daughter, etc, etc, but what's the point? Is there a lesson, or a more focused interpretation of the central theme? Let's take one last step back, and focus on something I've mentioned a few times now: The comparison between Ethan and Mother Miranda.

Recurring dialogue from Ethan, Alcina, and Mother Miranda all point towards the developers acknowledging that the characters are similar, but there's nowhere near as much conversation about it as I would like. Several times we have the antagonists ask Ethan how he's so willing to kill someone else's child, or prevent them from (essentially) doing what he's doing (aka saving his daughter). While Ethan responds with a mix of "well you started it" and "aghhh fuck-a-you, bitch", there's a much more solid, unspoken difference: Mother Miranda sends her underlings to kill, so that she may revive her daughter. Ethan kills (read: does the work himself) to get his daughter. The difference is much bigger, and more important, at the end of the game, when we realize just how far it goes. Ethan dies to save his daughter. Time and time again Mother Miranda has killed others for her work, but in the end she is stopped when someone willingly dies to stop her.

Where does Mia come in? Mia, the badass mother, the one who once worked alongside Mother Miranda, should have been the nail in the coffin. She is the one who survives, who lives on to raise Rose, she is the silent solution to Ethan's sacrifice. Miranda, you fool, what could you have accomplished if you had held onto your makeshift family? Through Mia (and Chris, to a lesser degree), his "loss" becomes a victory. There's a certain poetic justice that comes with Rose's full family being instrumental in saving her, when Miranda so readily spurned her own family.

Mia could have had an actual conversation with Miranda, their history giving the latter a reason to actually listen. I'm not saying that Miranda would have changed her mind/plans, but the conversation would have been a well-needed contrast to Ethan's "arggg what the fuck is happening, I only have two reactions to things. agg fuck you". Additionally, I feel that Mia (who was captured and had to endure who-knows-what) deserves the opportunity to be the one who points out Miranda's mistakes, who delivers the final "fuck you" to her. More than that, she's the one at the end who can say that hey, maybe she can understand some of what Miranda did. Was there anything her and Ethan wouldn't have done to save Rose? As much as Ethan is a foil to Miranda, Mia could (and should) have played a similar role.

When so much of the story and symbolism revolves around Miranda's experience as a mother, it only would have been fair to shine a light on her equivalent. Her better.

There's more I wanted to say/feel like I didn't properly get across, and I might add more to this at some point, but it's 5:40 AM right now, and I'm starting to feel like my brain is slowing down, so... Feel free to reblog/comment and add your own thoughts!

#mother miranda #mia winters #ethan winters #rosemary winters #resident evil: village #re8 village #god what do I tag this as

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