#I've just... been struck by the fact that they have the same name

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Mlekragg

Unsurprisingly, multiple people read the entry and immediately clocked what this was. (Thank you for not actually making a guess in text, so that people who don't recognize it are able to work without that preconception.) I didn't want to leave it out, because the mythological ones are fun, but unlike some of the others, the modern conception of this beast is pretty much exactly what the bestiary says.

Anyway, as always, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find an explanation for this whole thing at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. If you want to join in, the new entry for each week is tagged with "maniculum bestiaryposting" so it should be findable. This week's entry can be reviewed here:

Below the cut you will find the drawings responding to it, in roughly chronological order:

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) decided to branch out in an unusual direction with this one, in order to avoid drawing the creature they'd identified from the entry and also have some fun with it. I just think this is some quality creature design. Love the mask-thing, love the springy tail, and that's a really good rendering of a cuttlefish face IMHO. There's a really interesting explanation for all of these features, what inspired them and how it all works together, in the linked post, which you should go read.

@moonygryffin (link to post here) took a more direct approach, with the twist that the creature here is modeled on American fauna rather than ones the medieval Europeans would have been aware of. The body is a mountain lion, and the man-like head is a golden-headed lion tamarin, which of course comes with its own mane. I enjoy the choice to not use a lion lion, but rather two animals with "lion" in their name; also I've always thought lion tamarins were very cool-looking. For more details -- and an example of an attempt by MoonyGryffin to draw the same creature several years ago -- see the linked post. (Also thank you for providing alt text.)

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) has made an attempt to take the entry literally without drawing the creature she has recognized, which is a challenge considering how specific the description is. I think the decision to give it flea legs to help with that exceptional jumping is clever. SweetlyFez describes the result as an "awful creature" and... honestly I can't argue, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near one of these. In fact I think I'm going to wrap up this commentary and scroll down so I don't keep making eye contact with it.

@pomrania has also decided to go the route of "let's get weird with it", and avoided the literal interpretation by re-analyzing the word "has". This is similar to that style of joke one hears now and then -- you know, "he has the heart of a poet... he keeps it in a jar at home." (Incidentally, props to Mary Shelley for being perhaps the only person who could make that claim and not be kidding.) So this creature has the face of a man and the body of a lion, not in the sense that it was born with them, but in the sense that it keeps them as possessions. Very clever, and the underlying creature design is also fantastically creepy in my opinion.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) mentions that she didn't recognize the description, and has given us this really cool-looking, rather menacing creature in their excellent medieval style. (This is why I insist on not naming the beasts even when it seems clear what it is -- this amazing piece of art might have looked entirely different if someone posted a spoiler.) I'm really struck by how it simultaneously looks like a patchwork sort of creature (different front & back legs, etc.) but all flows together into a cohesive whole. Just really well done, I think. (Also, thank you for including alt text.)

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has drawn the creature mid-leap, showing off its jumping prowess by shooting straight up into the air. I think this drawing does a very good job at combining human and lion anatomy to make something unsettling -- and the inclusion of the skull diagram up in the top left points to the amount of thought that went into this. As always, please check out the linked post for a detailed discussion of the design. (Also, thank you for including alt text.)

@strixcattus (link to post here) has drawn one that's oddly cute, and looks a bit worried. However, according to the description they've written in the linked post, this reaction on my part is probably going to get me killed, because apparently they're still quite vicious. I like it, though -- and, as always, I urge you to go read the linked post for this one.

On to the Aberdeen Bestiary... oh, we can't, actually. This is another missing page. So here's the illustration from the Ashmole Bestiary instead:

So, first of all, this is indeed the manticore, and I'm sure most if not all of the people who said they had guessed it got that correct.

Second, we can also note that all the artists who said something along the lines of "well we know about the issues of drawing medieval scorpions, so the scorpion-tail description doesn't need to be literal" were also correct there. Apparently this time a scorpion tail is just spiky all over, which I have to admit does look kinda cool.

Now let's address the elephant in the room. WHAT is that thing on its HEAD? My best guess is that it's meant to be a crown -- medieval art often sticks hats on nonhuman creatures with human faces, almost as if the artist wants to make sure you know it looks like a human head on purpose. I don't see crowns that often, though; usually it's just a cloth hat. (The one in Bodley MS 764, where I got the text for this entry, is clearly wearing a Phrygian cap.) I find myself unable to see it as anything but a daring hairstyle that is absolutely not working for it, though.

Anyway. The manticore is an odd one in its continuity here -- a lot of the mythical creatures in the bestiary have been changed, reinterpreted, or forgotten in the intervening centuries. I think maybe the manticore happens to have hit that sweet spot where it's popular enough that people remember it, but not so popular that it gets excessively telephoned through widespread transmission. I think a couple people noted that the Standard Fantasy manticore is more or less spot on to this description, and indeed, I can only think of one change:

(Art from the Magic: the Gathering card "Crimson Manticore", artist Daniel Gelon)

At some point, those bastards got wings. It's not universal at this time, but if you do an image search for "manticore", the majority of the modern ones are winged. I'm not really sure where that came from.

(Side note: I tested this by doing a Google image search, and one of the top results was a particularly odd-looking image, so I clicked on it out of curiosity. It was at the top of an... article? on a webpage I'd never heard of, and the opening of said article included the sentence, "In medieval bestiaries and art, the manticore was depicted with unique features such as paws, teeth, and fur." You don't say there, bud.)

Interestingly, the D&D manticore is slightly different from the description in an additional way.

Instead of a scorpion tail, it has a tail covered in spines. This has apparently been part of the D&D manticore since the beginning -- the above image is from 2e, but the 1e version had the same tail. (I just didn't use it because it's not as clear in the picture.)

Now, scroll back up to that Ashmole Bestiary image. The one where the tail doesn't really look anything like a scorpion's. Looks... similar to this in broad concept.

I doubt that Gygax or Arneson or whoever designed that aspect of their manticore after one bestiary image, so I popped over to bestiary.ca to see what else was out there. Out of the 38 medieval manticore images collected on that website, there are only two with a tail covered in spikes: the Ashmole manticore and one other that's clearly just a less-skilled artist working from the same image (it also has the same hat). Looking at the text sources, though:

"...it has a tail like a land scorpion, in which there is a sting; it darts forth the spines with which it is covered instead of hair..." -- Aristotle, De animalibus

"To the end of its tail is attached the sting of a scorpion, and this might be over a cubit in length; and the tail has stings at intervals on either side." -- Aelianus, On the Characteristics of Animals

Okay, that's the D&D version, mystery solved. New question: is it a coincidence that the Ashmole illustration fits Aelianus's description? Remember, the page is missing from the Aberdeen bestiary and the Ashmole bestiary isn't translated. The text comes from Bodley MS 764, which does not have a spiky-tailed manticore. My Latin is terrible and I'm untrained in palaeography, so I can't tell whether the entry there preserves the spiky description.

If any palaeographers out there want to solve this one for me, it's Bodleian MS Ashmole 1511, f.22v-23r, available digitally here. (I'll put some screenshots below, but I expect it's easier to zoom properly on the library's digitized manuscript.)

Okay, that's all I've got. Enjoy your week everyone.

#maniculum bestiaryposting #mlekragg

[odditycircus-2002]

Medusa! Reader and Shang Tsung in MK 1 (Part 1)

NEXT

SPOILER ALERT FOR MK 1 STORYMODE

A/N: I hope y'all like this as I've been hyped for this game since I heard its release!!! I was so excited for the possibilities that I watched the full storymode cut as soon as it came out to take notes! Be aware, given this is a new timeline, there ARE gonna be some changes from the other hc/s you've known, but rest assured that doesn't mean I have forgotten. Please enjoy!

You were born around the same northern canton as Shang Tsung, yet you would come to know him in adulthood. You were born as the second eldest to your village's apothecary during your childhood. You never knew your eldest sister, who was taken at infancy to become Umgadi; despite this, your mother always spoke highly of the daughter she never got to know. To the point of being grating to everyone around you, including yourself. On the other hand, your father had high hopes for you to someday take over the apothecary of your village, having seen your innate talent and intrigue for medicine from an early age.

You reveled in the pride your father expressed for you. Although, your mother gave you a different time of day despite your best efforts. Because of your frustrations, you would come across to others as prickly and shrewish. Although deep down, you just wanted a chance to make BOTH your parents proud.

That day came, but not in the way you truly hoped, when a plague struck your village from another nearby canton. Thankfully, it wasn't Tarkat, but that didn't make the one that came any less deadly.

You and your father worked day and night to help treat your village, giving them depleting medicine to ease their symptoms. However, that doesn't mean you didn't have your fair share of corpses you had to help burn to stifle the plague from spreading.

When your father became ill from overworking, you took it upon yourself to search for a cure. It took weeks of secretly digging corpses out of the burn puts and cutting them open (something that wasn't so hard for you to stomach, oddly) to find which combinations of elixirs were the most effective before you found a cure. Even then, it took weeks of trials and tribulations before you finally succeeded. However, to others, you seemed to have cured your village overnight by some miracle, making both your parents proud.

From then on, through the grapevine, it wasn't hard for the newly crowned rulers of Outworld, Sindel and Jerrod, to hear the word of an upcoming healer making a name for herself around the northern cantons by healing most ailments and diseases. Eventually, they would invite you to study at the palace to further your knowledge of medicine.

You were already stunned to hear of Outworld's rulers inviting YOU, of all people, to study at their palace. Imagine your amazement when you first saw the luscious and lively city of Sun Do. Yet the city seemed pale compared to the crown jewel of Sun Do Palace.

When you were escorted into the palace, instead of immediately heading into the throne room as instructed, you slipped away from Li Mei's watch to head toward the legendary Hanging Gardens. While exploring the garden's flora, you took the time to sketch out the plant life you've never seen to look up later while listing off the medical herbs you could gather from there. In fact, you were so caught up in what you were doing you didn't immediately acknowledge Empress Sindel when she entered. When she invited you inside for tea, did you finally look up from what you were doing and realize who you had spoken to the entire time.

You quickly bowed as you started to ramble out apologies for not properly greeting your Empress, stating how you meant no offense or disrespect. Sindel only gave a small chuckle and brushed it off, stating it was a relief to know the healer they invited to study here had so much potential. From there, after getting berated by Li Mei about how there won't be a next time for you to slip from her, you meet Jerrod.

Jerrod and Sindel watched you flourish into a benevolent and dedicated healer, eventually the Head Healer for the Palace, often treating the royal family, Imperial Guard, or Umgadi. While there, you were also trained by Li Mei herself to defend yourself, to prove that every member of the Imperial House is capable of defending Outworld.

You and Sindel grew to have a close friendship. In fact, you treated Sindel the most when she was pregnant with twins and watched as both came into the world. You, too, helped with the upbringing of Mileena and Kitana after Jerrod's death. Sindel found she could confide in you, knowing any secret with you is safe, assured in your loyalty to her and the royal house.

However, that's not to say your friendship with Sindel didn't get into trouble occasionally, specifically in matters concerning Tarkat and those afflicted with it, as your role as a Healer conflicts with Sindel's policies.

You took it upon yourself to become one of the lead researchers into Tarkat, including going to the colony of those afflicted in the Wastes. What you saw appalled you and sickened every part of you that is a Healer.

Yet, as Sindel continues to ignore your suggestions on improving Tarkatan's life, a wedge forms between you. Still, that doesn't stop you from advocating giving Tarkatans better treatment than what they currently have. You and Sindel's skirmish reaches a crescendo when Mileena, infected with Tarkart, one day approaches you.

You tried everything you could to treat her in secret from Sindel, fearing the Empress would banish her own daughter. Yet neither of your efforts would be successful as Sindel and Kitana eventually learned about Mileena's affliction. You and Sindel argued about how Mileena's illness should be dealt with, with you calling Sindel a hypocrite for protecting Mileena when she doesn't do the same for the rest of her sick subjects.

Thanks to the new sorcerer, Shang Tsung, that Mileena found, she was temporarily cured before she could go on a bloody rampage. Immediately, you asked Shang how he figured out how to treat Mileena's symptoms. To which he answered by offering a partnership, stating that together, you both had a real chance to cure the princess and all of Outworld. An invitation you were not going to turn down, much to the Sorcerer's delight.

Thanks to Shang Tsung backing your argument, Sindel had a laboratory built near the Tarkatan camp so you could further your studies for a cure. Although, secretly, it may have also been a way for you to put some distance between you and Sindel since you felt you needed time away from her and the city.

Shang Tsung introduced you to Syzoth, who he claimed would work as an assistant. You were unaware of his enslavement to Shang. Although more at ease in your presence, you couldn't help but notice how twitchy Syzoth can be, especially whenever Shang is in the room.

You recognize Shang's mannerisms, dialect, and choice of clothing to be from the same area you're from. Despite the familiarity you two connected with, you were wary of Shang when he refused to indulge in what he used to be. While he finds your caution understandable, that would not stop him from trying to woo you.

At first, he wasn't quite successful in using honeyed words and shiny trinkets since you were too caught up in your work to care for them. Frustratingly for him, you struck a faster friendship with Syzoth over your interests in each other's cultures. Yet, it didn't escape Shang's notice that Syzoth would cringe at your dark humor and be unable to fully understand the theories you would share with him.

Shang Tsung changed his approach to you after taking note of you and Syzoth's interactions (and punishing Syzoth in private). He got this chance when you let slip a dark joke that some would say is in bad humor. You slap a hand over your mouth when you realize what you said. Yet, to your surprise, the sorcerer you saw as pretentious and full of himself let out a genuine laugh to the point he had to step back from his worktable to reorient himself.

Shang Tsung didn't fake finding you humorous, yet he's not complaining about it, especially when it meant seeing you direct your smile toward him. One small but genuine one he scarcely ever saw directed at him. He found himself wanting more.

Such a small moment led to a friendship that intertwined with your partnership. Shang got you talking about your work and what you hope to accomplish with it, occasionally encouraging you. You would find him sometimes jotting down notes when you share with him theories you developed about Tarkat, including how its mutative properties cause an excessive amount of bone to grow from a person and could probably strengthen a person if used right.

"Yet, I would never actually see if that's true. Not only would it be incredibly painful, but it would be an act against nature.

"Of course, yet shouldn't progress be something healers should strive for?

"Indeed we do, but not at the cost of lives."

Syzoth watched as your relationship with Shang Tsung flourished, thus leading you to share a few apothecary secrets your father taught you. The Zatteran wishes he could've told you about the man you looked fondly at, yet he kept his mouth shut for the sake of his family.

Unbeknownst to you, Shang Tsung would take some of your ideas and theories with Tarkat and then make them into a horrid reality, all right under your nose. For all you knew, the basement level of the lab would eventually be used to treat patients.

Yet, you didn't think Shang Tsung could ever be so depraved. Not from the charming and intelligent man you came to know through long discussions and walks near the lab. However, you started to grow suspicious since you saw Syzoth often head downstairs, but Shang Tsung discouraged you from looking around below. This eventually spiraled into a confrontation between the two of you.

You argued that both of you are partners and thus are equals. Just, what was he hiding down there? However, when you confronted the Sorcercer and gave him a piece of your mind, that's when disaster struck.

You were standing under a shelf when a glass jar containing proto-type Anti-Tarkat serum fell directly on your head. You screamed at the searing pain of glass and the serum entering your eyes.

The chain reaction of the shelf then collapsing and causing more elixirs to fall on your face didn't help with the pain. Your skin started to peel away, leaving your entire body in patches of red rashes, and your hair fell out in clumps. Your screams filled the entire laboratory as you collapsed to the ground. You didn't see the panicked look on Shang's face as he instructed Syzoth (who saw the whole thing) to carry you.

A/N: Sorry, that's all for now, folks. I reached the word count limit.😅 Don't worry, part 2 is coming out real soon!

#mortal kombat #mk x reader #mortal kombat x reader #mk11 #oddball writes #shang tsung #shang tsung x reader #syzoth #Reptile mk #mk syzoth #mk sindel #mk kitana #mortal kombat 1 2023 #mileena #mk Lei Mei

[writersdrug]

Ghost x Konig x Reader: I Don't Need You (Ch. 6)

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Summary: You (surprisingly) get more comfortable with Kortac, and slowly let yourself connect with the team. You subconsciously tether yourself to Konig, who is more than willing to help you fit in. The pain of the past begins to fade into the back of your mind like the end of a long chapter of your life.

Additionally, Konig starts asking the hard questions - it unearths a piece of you that you'd hoped would remain buried, but you still share the memories with Konig.

Chapter warnings: Mentions of violence, mentions of rape, cursing, google translate German, shirtless Soap, very EXTREMELY watered-down mentions of sexual themes (we ain't there yet, boiis)

Notes: Sorry it took so long, I've got a lot cooking in the kitchen now and I'm hoping to pump out a lot this week!

Additionally, I've had some comments on this work not being an x Reader. First off, I never want to mislead anyone. I label this as an x Reader because Bonnie is not an OC of mine. I've seen other x Reader fics include callsigns that refer to the reader, so I assumed using Bonnie similarly would be alright. I also mentioned a name ONCE in chapter 3, "Jane Morris," which I thought to be a very generic name, and I haven't used it since and don't plan to. I have a personal preference of writing longer, chapter-by-chapter fics in first POV because it feels more natural to me than second POV. The same goes for using y/n - I like to avoid it if I can because it feels unnatural.

Again, those last two thing are a personal preference. I'm not bashing any fics that use these things at all, I enjoy both ones that do and ones that don't, and I don't enjoy one over the other. When I say one feels more natural than the other, I mean it feels more natural to write, not to read. I'm debating changing the name I used in chapter 3 to just y/n l/n to make this a true x Reader. If you still feel like I should change this to an x OC please let me know and I'll be happy to adjust the tags, titles, and descriptions. Again, I never meant to be misleading, and I hope I didn't make anyone angry. If a mistake has been made I am happy to learn from it. Thanks!

Konig had cracked the code on me. He figured out that after a case of American beers and a long drive, away from the crowd of new faces, my outer shell began to soften.

There was still a wall that I was holding up between me and everyone else, even though it was significantly smaller than usual. When Roze and Castillo approached me at breakfast, I didn’t get up and leave. And when Juno used the empty spot in the gym room right next to me, dropping his bag on the floor and giving me a cautious glance as he set up for his routine - I didn’t grab my things and move to the other end of the room. That was my first instinct, but I fought it. Instead I huffed, facing the mirror in front of me and focusing on my sets.

I’d started going to the common area more often – maybe not every night, but often enough. We’d make it a habit to play poker on the nights I did show up. I was better than most of the group, since none of them were quite used to my mannerisms yet. However, Konig and Horangi still took the lead as the winners, despite most of us arguing that they shouldn’t be allowed to play if they were going to wear their masks. The argument would eventually turn into a casual conversation – I didn’t engage in it too often. I preferred to sit and listen, using the time to slowly learn more about the team. I typically planted myself between Roze and Konig, keeping my legs crossed on the seat and nervously fiddling with my Yuengling bottle.

Although I was ashamed to admit it, Konig had become a conduit for my interactions with the rest of the team. The way he engaged with their activities, yet still managed to stay reserved, struck a chord with me. I respected the fact that it could sometimes be difficult to find him on base, and that at the same time, he was always there when I started to feel overwhelmed. I didn’t need him, no… that was a stretch. But sometimes I felt grateful that he was so eager to accompany me places – especially when he invited me to go on “perimeter checks” with him, which mostly consisted of long drives off base.

I don’t know how I had grown to appreciate him so much – maybe it was because he felt similar to me, in the way that we both needed our alone time, and with how we often found ourselves slipping out of the common area around the same time, with the original excuse being that we were tired. Half of the time, we would sit in the mess hall and talk until the early hours of the morning.

“A sniper?” I asked on one particular night, fiddling with the mouth of my beer bottle. “You’re way to big for that – no offense.”

Konig chuckled. “And that’s what they initially told me.” He took a swig of his (nasty) German beer. “But, despite being handed other opportunities, I proved them wrong. I’m sill a damn good sniper.”

I huffed. “Nah, you should be happy you got promoted to Colonel; you’re lucky, you get to avoid being in the trenches – at least, as much as the rest of us.”

“Lucky? No…” Konig said, shaking his head. “I do not like being a Colonel. I’d much rather be doing the dirty work of soldiers than writing these stupid reports.” He slapped a large hand over the manilla folder that sat on the table next to his beer. “It keeps my head busy, and I don’t have to listen to myself think.”

I nodded while sipping my beer. “I completely get that – If I’m not actively doing something with my hands, my brain gets too loud. Like – like there’s a mini me in my head, and the only way to drown her out is by physically doing something. Anything, really.”

Konig laughed – almost a snort – “‘A mini you’. I like that, that’s good.”

I huffed a laugh through my nose, turning my head to hide the smirk on my face. Despite being a large, brutish man, he had a youthful essence about him. It was hidden deep beneath the thick exterior of a war-hardened soldier. But, every now and again, it rose to the surface, touching a part of my soul I hadn’t allowed to be seen in a long time.

I pushed my stack of bills into the middle of the table. “All in.” I said nonchalantly.

Gaz narrowed his eyes, leaning back in his chair and looking down his nose at me. “You’re bloody stupid…”

“Or really smart.” I retorted. I folded my arms over my chest, not wavering under his intimidating gaze.

It was unbearably hot in the room – whether that was from the tension of the game or the broken air conditioner (Price eternally insisted it would be fixed, “… by next week…”), I didn’t know. I was donned in my sweatpants and sports bra, Gaz was in a wife beater and sweats, Ghost was covered head to toe in a sweatshirt and jeans (one could ever rarely catch him wearing anything less), and Soap… well, Soap was Soap. Completely shirtless, with only a pair of gym shorts on. Typical for him to be so shameless.

Ghost looked at his cards, his jaw clearly tense underneath his mask. He wasn’t very good at hiding his unlucky hand – it was almost like he wasn’t even trying. Which was a possibility.

“Fucking hell… I fold.” He tossed his hand onto the table, revealing his sour bunch of cards. He walked to the fridge and cursed under his breath, rummaging through the contents.

“Jesus, you’re a load of dry shite.” Soap commented, leaning against the wall adjacent to Ghost. “You could’ve at least tried to intimidate ‘em.”

“You could try shutting your fucking mouth, alright?” Ghost snapped back. Soap raised his hands defensively, leaving Ghost by the fridge.

He flopped onto the couch near me and Gaz. “Miserable sap…”

I did my best to tune out their bickering. I stared down Gaz, tapping my fingers on the edges of my cards. I was relying on the river card – I had a chance at a four-of-a-kind, praying the last card on the table would be another seven.. It was risky, and Gaz was probably right in calling me stupid. But I was never one to back down from a challenge. I craved the thrill of it. Most of the time, I ended up getting lucky.

Gaz chewed his lip. He cocked an eyebrow, slowly pushing all of his cash to the middle of the table. “Call.” He said.

And I heard it – the telltale sign of his bluff. A fraction of a second where his voice had waivered, followed by him grinding his jaw. I knew I had it in the bag.

I was savoring the moment of triumph, watching Gaz stare at his cards, when I felt a hand on my back. I nearly spun around and yelled at whoever touched me, until I saw a gloved hand place a Yuengling bottle to my right, the lid already popped off. I faltered, staring at the bottle, feeling the hand on my back rubbing a thumb back and forth over my spine.

I glanced behind me, looking up to meet Ghost’s eyes. He was looking down at me with an empty gaze. His eyebrows twitched for a brief moment as he continued rubbing his thumb over the skin of my back.

I knew what he was suggesting. What he was asking. Put a woman on a compound with broken, touch-starved men, and eventually one of them will succumb to the temptation. Even so, I was shocked that it was Ghost. I would say he was showing a weakness here, no matter what he decided to call this – it was an admission that he needed something – something from me, specifically – which I never thought would happen.

He continued staring at me for another few moments, waiting for an answer. Keeping my eyes locked on him, I took the bottle and drank; my reply. He gave the tiniest nod, walking away and sitting down next to Soap – who was shuffling the remaining deck of cards, eyes narrowed at Gaz. He knew he was bluffing too.

I turned back to Gaz, smirking as he revealed the river card.

“You ever think about what you would say to those kids now?” I asked, tapping my beer bottle. “The ones who bullied you.”

Konig hummed. “Mm… not really. I don’t hold too much resentment.”

I chuckled. “If only we could all be a saint.”

“Well, it all happened so long ago.” Konig tried to justify himself. “We were only kids, bored and trying to stay on the surface. They just wanted to look tough so that no one would pick on them. Of course, I wouldn’t understand that as a kid. Maybe then, I would have admired what I’ve become, and I would have wanted to boast about it. But now that I am a Colonel – Ich habe besseres zu tun.”

I sarcastically rolled my eyes. “And that means?”

“Ehh…” he groaned, squinting his eyes. “How is it said… ‘I have bigger fishes to cook.’”

I sputtered, turning my head and laughing. Konig glared at me. “Gibt es ein Problem?” he asked, which I sort of understood. He sounded irritated, that much I could tell.

“No, Konig…” I said, standing up and giving him a pat on the shoulder as I walked by. “Just keep up the English lessons, ok?”

He scowled. “Verpiss dich… Start learning German and maybe I will.” He retorted, and I waved at him dismissively from behind my back.

I stuck my head into the fridge, grabbing a Yuengling and one of Konig’s beers. I walked back and placed them both next to him. Like instinct, he took each one and hooked their lid onto the edge of the table, then smacked the side of his hand down on the tops, sending the lid clattering to the ground. He opened my beer and handed it to me, then repeated the process with his, before reaching down and collecting the lids. He added them to the pile, totaling six beer lids so far.

If someone had shown me this image a year ago – Konig and I, sitting up late into the night, chatting like we’d known each other for decades… not to mention the fact that I was so unusually open with him… I would have been insulted. I would have laughed. No one would have been able to convince me that I would become so attached to anyone else after what had happened with the 141. Yet, all of this felt so natural. It was beyond how I felt that Konig and I were kindred spirits… it really did feel like I’d known him before. Maybe, he reminded me of a part of myself that I tried to bury away.

Or, maybe, I was just submitting to loneliness and trying to justify how quickly I clung to the first available soul. That was also an embarrassing possibility, one that I would rather not admit to.

“I have a question for you.” Konig’s voice and the clink of his beer bottle on the table brought me back to reality.

“I might have an answer.” I replied.

He looked off to the side, perhaps wondering whether or not he really wanted to ask the question. “Who did you kill? And why?”

Just like that, I felt the walls being built right back to where I had them. Bonding time’s over. Back to square one.

His inquiry caught me off guard. I froze, my bottle hovering in the air before I could take a sip, my eyes glued to the table. Just the mention of the incident brought the painful memories up to the surface, like claws scraping at the dirt, digging up the deepest roots.

“Lots of people.” I said, deflecting. I took a swig of my beer.

“You know what I mean.” He scoffed. “Why did you end up in military prison?” He leaned over the table – clearly not planning on letting the topic go.

I sucked my teeth, staring at him defiantly – moments ago, it was pleasant talking to him. Now, I was fighting back the urge to leave him at the table and go to my dorm. I felt ambushed at how he had changed the subject so abruptly. Like he had been waiting for me to carelessly stumble into the trap, and now he was watching me snarl from within it.

He leaned back with a sigh. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I just thought we were getting somewhere here.”

“Oh?” I said dryly, cocking an eyebrow. “’Getting somewhere?’ What’s that sup-“

“Hey, it’s ok.” He raised his hands defensively. “I get it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” His words were forgiving, but his eyes said something else – I knew what he was thinking.

Weak.

I gave him a hateful stare. Fucker know how to play his cards.

“I killed a sergeant.” I admitted. “My lieutenant’s right-hand man.”

That got Konig’s attention. He leaned forward again, putting his bottle off to the side. “Why?” he asked again.

I inhaled deeply, then exhaled, as I leaned back in my chair. My eyes fell to the floor as I forced myself to recall the memories. “In Egypt, a while back. Don’t ask when because I won’t tell you.” I warned Konig, and he huffed – but obliged.

I continued. “We were going in to retrieve a hostile target. Everyone was jumpy – me included. It was dark, and we didn’t know what to expect. After the hostiles started to engage, we were scattered. I got stuck in one tower, so I went upstairs to try and make a foxhole.”

I paused. It was now my own hands, covered in dirt, clawing at the roots of the memory. Each word I said was painful, yet somehow felt overshared. Like I was trying to get Konig to pity me. Except I wasn’t – I just wanted him to listen.

And that’s exactly what he did. No comforting shoulder pat, no soothing words… he just listened. He knew that if he stepped on the wrong spot, it would break my openness, like a branch breaking under his foot would disturb the silence of the woods.

��The sergeant – ‘Flare’ – he was up there, too. I thought we’d had the same idea, but… holy fuck…” I ran a hand down my face, feeling my heartbeat grow faster. “At first, I didn’t know what he was doing, I just heard him making those sounds and I thought he’d been hit, but… he was taking advantage of this – this woman – and with her kids right fucking there… she was probably just trying to hide, to hide them, she had to be so fucking scared… he didn’t even stop when I found him, I don’t know if he even heard me screaming at him.”

I paused, almost waiting for Konig to say or do something, but he remained silent. Despite my eyes never leaving the floor, I could see his blue ones watching me carefully. Concerned, patient, and calm.

“I didn’t know what else to do.” I said, my voice faltering the slightest bit. “So I shot him. In the head.” I unintentionally shivered. “Probably traumatized that poor woman and her kids, but… quick decisions aren’t the best ones.”

I ended my rant with a heavy sip of my beer. Konig continued watching me with wary eyes, which I ignored. I didn’t need consolation, or sympathy, or whatever he might try to offer. Somehow, he seemed to understand that.

“I would have done the same thing.” He commented.

Would you?

After a moment, he exhaled. “I don’t understand… I’d say you were in the right. Why did they put you in prison for that?”

I chewed my lip. “There was… some speculation, that I was jealous of his position. We’d been close throughout my time with the team, and when he got the promotion to second-in-command, I was a bit envious at first. People thought I was taking my anger out on him in what seemed like the perfect opportunity to lie.” I took another sip. “But I was happy for him. He worked hard, and he deserved it. But then the pressure got to him – Lieutenant was always depending on him for too much, and Flare couldn’t handle the responsibility. If he slipped up, it was a lot worse than if one of the rest of us did. I guess… the pressure is what got him in the end. Made him crazy in the end. He didn’t have any morals anymore.”

More silence. It felt uncomfortably loud – Konig’s stare seemed to make my head ring, making me fidget and bounce my knee. I wanted to snap at him. What are you looking at? Why are you asking so many fucking questions? But I was able to keep my anger at bay, justifying the situation by assuming his questions were fueled by nothing more than curiosity.

I figured I had said enough for the night, and finished off the rest of my beer. I slapped my leg, the telltale sign that I was getting ready to turn in.

Konig ignored it, or seemed to not notice. “Why did you kill him?” he asked.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. “Why did I? What do you mean?”

“Why kill him? Why not just… disable him for the moment, and let your commander deal with him later?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice was a second too late. “Again… in the heat of the moment, you don’t make distinctions like that. You think: ‘shoot,’ or ‘don’t shoot.’ And shooting him was the choice I made.”

Konig’s gaze became scrutinous. He knew I was lying about something… he was hellbent on figuring out what.

He’s going to have to wait a long damn time.

“Goodnight, Konig.” I said flatly. I collected my bottles, getting up from the table. With a clang, I tossed them into the bin by the exit, walking down the hall and leaving Konig sitting alone in the mess hall. I feel tears stinging my eyes, but that’s all they did. It’s all just water under the bridge, y/n. Get it together. You’re alright.

-----

Taglist: @igotmajordaddyissues @princekonig @vixionix

#konig x reader #konig x reader smut #konig cod #konig smut #call of duty #cod x reader #ghost x reader #ghost x reader smut #ghost cod #cod #konig #ghost #simon ghost riley #simon riley #simon riley x reader

[piracytheorist]

Episode 32 notes!

Starting off right in the middle of action, right where we left off!

And some great animation there, too!

The thing about Anya is that her plans are so innocently silly that thanks to her young age, they actually work.

She's right there in front of Yor, acting like she doesn't recognize her, and Yor accepts that because a) it's easy and b) well Anya is a little kid, isn't she?

The fact that Anya is visibly sweating and has a very nervous expression shows that she's worried her plan won't work, and the entire family could come apart right there. She knows it's a risky plan... but because of the circumstances, it works perfectly not only to cover Yor but also to cover Anya's knowledge of Yor's secret.

I love her.

Also, a great way to take the fear of exposure away from Yor and help her focus on the fight! Worth waiting the entire week for!

I also love how excited the entire crowd was about seeing two people "play" with what seems to be lethal weapons. They'd do numbers as WWE fans.

The camera focuses on Yor as she's starting to question herself.

Yes you are! You're hesitating to get close because you fear you'll get hurt and you know that will make Anya and Loid sad! (And of course because you'll have no excuse to tell them but okay yeah)

Anyway. I just like how in comparison to the manga, we see her expression there during her inner monologue.

Yor comments about how professional the guy is with the chain, but then she has no problem using the chain's momentum to wrap it around his wrist and then his torso. Some excellent animation there showing the small details of her control of the chain!

~YOU'VE BEEN HIT BY-

YOU'VE BEEN STRUCK BY-

THE THOOOORN PRIIINCEEEEEEEESS~

She even used his immobilized body to make him bow. She's an absolute legend.

I've talked before that this isn't even a five-year-old roleplaying. She's actually getting involved with actual enemies of the state, helping their plans without them knowing, and having a blast. Her moral compass may be a little unhinged but by god is it steadfast XD

And then. The Grand RevealTM

WHITE ASS LEGS

I love him your honour. How did he even combine all that, I don't wanna know. The rainbow-tinted glasses is what ended me.

Anya Forger, professional heart-breaker.

Again. Talking with a guy who believes humans will never understand each other and who wants to wage another war, while Twilight has his own war trauma? No big deal. Anya calling him uncool? THE SHOCK AND DESPAIR OF HIS LIFE.

And off to the next chapter! Great transition in the anime - I can usually notice when they jump onto the next chapter, but this time I was surprised with how smoothly they took it from one to the next.

Turtleneck guy says he can't pick up Yor's scent? Even though he seems to have extraordinary smelling abilities?

Is that another reason why Yor is so good at sneaking up on people? She did sneak up on Twilight, after all...

"The bones" mentioned above... is that Loid talking about the skeleton keychain? There was, after all, a hidden bug in the store Loid and Anya were in...

Some things never change.

I can't wait for the moment he realizes how soundly she sleeps on his arms because she trusts him and he makes her feel safe, just like his mother did for him :)

Zeb! I finally get the name of the guy! I won't lie that calling him Furseal felt so weird, like, apologies if your name is Furseal but hey.

Anyway. His outburst felt so real. This man doesn't belong in crime.

And of course, Olka is way too desensitized to such violence, having grown up in the family, after all, and I kinda like how she goes like "Yo snap out of it". Endo really doesn't hold back from having women tell men off huh. I also love the baby talk she used with Gram. So cute.

This scene has the very same music used in the first episode where Twilight has his flashback and remembers what his reason to become a spy was. I feel kinda sad hearing it here because I'd thought that this melody would be used as [redacted]'s leitmotif, but its meaning seems to be connected with how people broken by war can find the hope in humanity needed for peace. Or something.

McMahon berates Yor for going near the door earlier even though she didn't hear their secret knock, but in reality it wouldn't matter - unless the assassin heard their voices from outside the door - because the assassin shot anyway. It would have been the same if she had protected Olka from the first moment and then tried to assess how to attack the guy. So maybe calm down, dude.

The moment Zeb was like "How are we supposed to sleep like that?" I was certain we'd see him sleeping and snoring deeply. I was not disappointed XD

Me when proper trigger discipline: 🥳💯👀🥳👌💯👀👌👌👀🎊👌🎊💯

First, good ol' focus on the ring on McMahon's finger. Second, I'm confused by the translation here in comparison to the manga. Here it says "as long as people continue to be people" while the manga says "as long as people are the way they are", and that can have a different meaning. The former sounds like conflict is in the nature of humans and that it's something we can never avoid, which doesn't seem to follow the story's ideal. It's what Donovan Desmond beliefs are based on, after all. The latter sounds like people are currently very focused on matters that cause conflict, and have a chance of reaching peace if taught differently.

I think, depending on the interpretation, it can tell a lot about McMahon's character. I will wait to see the rest of the arc to make up my mind.

And after he says that they're soldiers even in time of peace, the manga treats us to a panel of a pensive Yor, but the anime doesn't.

Stop robbing us, anime team!

Yor tells the others they should keep their shoes on - nice detail, btw - and Olka looks very familiar with such a concept, while it's Zeb who is a little surprised but accepts it. It's interesting what a character not reacting to something can tell about them!

As expected, Yor and Olka are vigilant, while Gram and Zeb sleep like babies. Let them rest XD

Some brand new music there! There's a lot of new music in general. And then THIS!

THIS IS THE FUTURE LIBERALS WANT ETC

The way Yor widens her eyes when she realizes what she just imagined! AAAAAAAAAHHHH!

And BOY we talk a lot about Loid's denial but the way Yor is still going like "No, no, no, priorities!" though. THE WAY SHE THINKS OF YURI BEING PROUD OF HER, THEN BEING AN INDEPENDENT MAN SHE MANAGED TO RAISE WITH A FEW ISSUES, AND THEN THE HAPPY FACES OF LOID AND ANYA EATING HER FOOD I WILL GO FERAL

Someone hug her omg she deserves the world 😭😭

Neither Twilight nor Yor are the only people neck-deep in denial though.

"The man decided to live for his job" yeah right. He sees one (1) pretty woman pay him some attention because of Bond and he's like "Well imma adopt a dog then". Bond's doubtful and rejecting reaction was priceless XD

This is so fucking funny to me for some reason aadshadfhsdgh. Look at him. Brought into despair by one (1) five-year-old.

I kinda love how he admits that he does fear the unknown, and has been simply trained to overcome it and try to deal with what he has in front of him.

And currently, his fear is for Anya's emotional state.

Having no idea that she's actually having the time of her life, even though she hasn't realized how deeply dangerous her situation is.

Anyway, I love that she brought Mr. Chimera with her on the trip <3

LOID HAVING HIS VERY OWN OH MAH GAH MOMENT I LAUGHED SO HARD

He is very seriously focusing on how he can make Anya happy. He thinks she asked to go for mini golf because she likes it, so he followed along, he saw her upset with how she lost, and believed she needed to experience winning in order to feel fulfilled, so he was determined to stay there until she won.

Anya takes him to the library and of course he's read everything. And even if he hadn't, he has photographic memory and can practically read through an entire tome in minutes.

But still, he's focused on her happiness, and he's satisfied that Anya is having fun reading comics. She goes for the puzzle (btw I love the idea of having a big puzzle available and leaving it to passersby to solve it. I once visited a school where they had one on a table in the halls and students would sit and try and solve it during recesses) and he analyzes it, thinks he can solve it quickly. Anya reacts in shock, and we hear a tiny hesitant "Oh" from him, because he noticed her sudden change in reaction.

Oh no. Twilight is rubbing off on her a little too much. You're five, darling. Enjoying yourself is your job!!

Just like with the bullet in butt date, Loid cannot understand why Anya looks so angry now after having spent an entire day having fun - and he cataloguing what she seems to be having fun with.

The way that he ends his internal monologue with his fear of the Forgers breaking apart and Operation Strix doesn't cross his mind once, tells a lot about how his priorities are starting to change enough to even silence his "For the Mission" talk. My mans falling hard.

Anya sees how worried Loid has gotten... and maybe she reads even deeper and realizes how genuine of a worry it is? That he's not worried for her as an asset of Operation Strix, but as a kid that deserves to have fun and be happy. And she steps up to reassure him.

And oh, how his face changes! T_T

And the way he alternates between "Loid voice" when he speaks and "Twilight voice" when he thinks. Have I congratulated Takuya Eguchi for this feat yet?

And by the way, he "justifies" Anya being so upset of missing her mama because she's still a "small child". Because of course only small children can miss their mothers, right? Twilight definitely doesn't miss his, right?

Forget neck-deep denial, this man is deep down the Mariana Trench of denial.

And the "Small Daily Life" track from the soundtrack plays, with the beautiful family leitmotif...

I love them. He can be so sweet with Anya, I can only imagine how he'll end up post-identity reveals and especially post-feelings realization.

The final few hours before Olka, Gram and Zeb get safely transferred! I think you can see the tension on their entire faces.

Also some intense, new soundtrack there! Interesting! The composers have done a lot of job this season, carefully mixing up tracks from the previous season with new ones to create the respective mood.

And that's it for this week! I foresee way more action on the next episode! :D

#Spy x Family #sxf reaction

[cozy-cinnamon-roll]

Stitches (Part II)

(Read Part I Here! used to be We Interrupt This Broadcast... changed the name because I feel like this fits better 😅)

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Pairing: Ler!Rosie, Ler!OC, Lee!Alastor (strictly platonic)

Content/Trigger Warnings: tickling, very brief blood mention, medical themes (non-graphic & painless). And again, this is set right after Alastor gets his ass handed to him by Adam, so you can expect some angst (don't worry, he gets better).

If there are any trigger warnings you'd like me to add in the future (and/or to this fic), PLEASE let me know! I am always happy to oblige. 💕

This is a ticklefic! If that's not your cup of tea, kindly move along.

"Almost ready" I said. "Basically finished" I said. Sorry y'all, the Chronic Illness Fairy struck. 😅 I will say this was my favorite part to write, but also the one I'm most uncertain about... bit more angst in this installment and I'm not much of an angst writer lol... but with Rosie in the mix (especially as a ler), angst never lasts long. 🥰

Also I changed the title. Hopefully it's not confusing that way... cuz without Part 1 this fic makes zero sense 😅

One last thing... I'm so happy y'all like Trudy! Was thinking about posting a lil sketch of her at some point (I need a new insomnia project now that this fic is done 😅). I've been having a truly awful few weeks on the anxiety front, so all the positive feedback on Part I has been quite literally making my days 💕

Hope you enjoy!!

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

"Ooh, you stubborn little bastard. You're still gonna refuse to laugh?" Rosie mutters.

Alastor doesn't dare try to speak. All he can manage is a defiant shake of his head.

"Look, my friend. If you 'don't mind a little tickling,' and getting all giggly is your specialty…" Rosie tweaks his bottom rib, eliciting a noise that comes just short of a squeak. "What, exactly, is the problem here?"

"I'm supposed to be in control!" he grinds out through his twitching grin.

"You are in control, sir." Trudy abruptly withdraws her hands, holding them up innocently. "You can tell me to stop at any time."

Alastor cringes. He was sorta hoping no one would point that out.

"Which is why I find it so fascinating that you haven't yet." A sly smirk creeps across Rosie's face.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

"I- I'm humoring you!"

"Humoring me?" Rosie tilts her head. "My dear, I hope you're not doing this just for my sake. If you don't want Trudy to check for further injury-"

"No, I do! O-on my terms!"

"This is on your terms."

"Yes, but-"

"In fact, you insisted."

He stumbles again, before mumbling another meager, "…to humor you!"

Trudy shoots her boss a disoriented look - but Rosie, as usual, is hearing her friend loud and clear.

"Alastor." Rosie rolls her eyes, gestures for Trudy to step aside, and scoots over to place a hand on his knee. "Adam is dead. Everyone in hell thinks you're either succumbing to your wounds in some remote gutter or hiding in whatever alternate dimension you just spent the last seven years. You're not even 'on air'." She leans in. "You can drop the act for a moment, if it's what you need."

That certainly hits the mark. For the first time, Alastor's smile falters - not completely dropping, but certainly losing much of the strained quality it's had since he arrived.

"I wish I could, my dear."

Encouraged, Rosie continues. "Well, what's stopping ya? As much as I love spending time with Alastor the Radio Demon… if you wanna take this opportunity to let out whoever's underneath that effervescent grin of yours, you know we wouldn't mind."

Alastor swallows - and for the first time in a decades, Rosie finds his expression difficult to read. "Rosie, I'm afraid I can't really..."

"I mean, you've been holding that same silly show-host-smile for years! Don't tell me you've never gotten tired of it!"

"It's sewn on, Rosie."

"…What?"

He hesitates. "Let's just say today wasn't the first time I've been, ah... stitched up." As he speaks, he gestures to his toothy grin. And for once, there's not a trace of distortion in his voice.

Rosie's dark eyes go wide when she realizes what he means. The cannibal overlord just stands there for a beat, in an uncharacteristic moment of shock.

But, being Rosie, she quickly recovers. "Well, so what?"

"I'm just saying, I'm afraid I can't really drop the act."

"Nonsense! Since when has your act had anything to do with your face?" Rosie flicks her hand, as if brushing the thought aside. "Who cares if you can't show genuine Alastor. I wanna hear him."

"But my microphone..."

"You're doing just fine without it."

Once again, this attempt at reassurance only makes Alastor look more disturbed. "Th-this can't be me!"

"...Well, no. This right here sure isn't the Alastor I know. But…"

Alastor is barely listening to her anymore. His broadcast persona has been his sole identity since he was alive. Now his radio tower has been reduced to rubble, his microphone snapped clean in half, even his carefully-styled clothing left in tatters…

If this is the Genuine Alastor he's now stuck with - panicked, stuttering, weak - he can't imagine how he'll ever be able to face the rest of hell…

But these racing thoughts are once again interrupted by nails tracing up his sides. A sharp yelp cuts the air as poor Alastor just about jumps out of his skin.

"…Perhaps I can offer a little help?" Rosie suggests gently, once she has his undivided (and adorably flustered) attention. "On your terms, of course?"

Alastor just gazes back at her for a long moment. "What do you have in mind?"

"I happen to know something about you that even you can't fake."

The radio demon hesitates… before heaving a sigh and, to Rosie's surprise, giving a small nod of consent.

She breaks into a brilliant (and frankly terrifying) smile.

Before Alastor can brace himself, Rosie's hands have both found his sides and begun working into his waist. Having just watched him squirm around under Trudy's thorough probing twice (and adored every second of it), she already has a pretty good idea of where his worst spots are.

Which is made abundantly clear by Alastor's reaction. Within seconds he's gone from still trying to hold it all in by habit, to giggling into his hands, to cackling hysterically.

And it's the kind of laughter she's spent the last seven years missing. This isn't the confident, taunting chuckle he brings out for battles or brushing off rivals; this is bright, helpless, occasionally hiccuping laughter, the kind that is nearly impossible for him to stop once he starts - and the kind she only has the privilege of hearing when something truly amuses him.

"You can't sew your laughter on," Rosie reminds him. "This is all yours."

Rosie's fingers creep up under his shirt to scribble on bare tummy, adding a couple new sweet spots to her mental catalogue. This technique brings out even more of her favorite little quirks: the way he bats playfully (and completely ineffectually) at her wrists; his repeated attempts to speak around his laughter that only result in frantic spurts of incomprehensible, giggle-laced gibberish.

As she traces her nails across his lower belly she also finds a tiiiny layer of unexpected pudge. Which probably shouldn't surprise her - he's been out of the battle scene for seven years, after all. All those deer carcasses have to go somewhere.

Regardless, she finds it terribly endearing for some reason... and the surge of affection translates into a corresponding surge in the intensity of Rosie's tickles.

"AHaha! Ro- Rosie!" he blurts, his voice jumping a full octave higher than normal. "Stop!!"

Rosie removes her hands immediately. "Stop?"

"Aha- ah- well- I mean, er…" He stumbles breathlessly, and gives a sheepish cough.

"You didn't really want me to stop, did you?"

Rosie resumes with a chuckle, reeling herself in just a little. "How 'bout we say... oh... 'enough,' if you really want me to quit?"

Of course, she has to go and say it out loud.

"M-more of a reflehex..." he admits reluctantly.

Alastor tosses a shaky thumbs-up at her, already too lost in his own giggles to manage a verbal reply.

And he's gotta admit… Rosie was absolutely right. He wouldn't stop her right now for all the souls in hell. There's a reason Alastor has the most recognizable evil cackle of any other overlord. He can't help but find dissolving into laughter as cathartic and exhilarating as always - even if this time, it's not at some poor soul's misfortune. It's a result of his best friend's affection for her darling deer demon.

"As fun as getting your soft little belly is," Rosie muses, pausing to let Alastor catch his breath for a moment, "I can't help but wonder if you're ticklish anywhere else…"

Alastor may be off the air, but Rosie can practically hear the screech of microphone feedback just by the look on his face. "….I plead the fifth."

"Have you considered his ears?" Trudy pipes up shyly. While she'd managed to restrain herself behind an impeccably professional bedside manner earlier, it had taken everything in her power not to stroke Alastor's ears when she'd been close enough to do so. They were just. so. fluffy.

"Ohhh, heavens…" Alastor, for his part, curls in on himself at the mere suggestion.

Rosie grins. "Hey, 'no' is always an option."

A long pause. Alastor can't believe he's considering this. But the sensation of being tickled, as unbearable as it is, does feel awfully pleasant… and it's been so long since anyone has dared to touch him…

And what else does he have to lose at this point, anyway?

"I suppose if you're… very gentle…"

"Are you aware that your ears are the softest thing in the nine circles?"

This stipulation ends up backfiring. When it comes to his ears, gentle is worse. So, so much worse.

Poor Alastor is too busy clutching his stomach and snickering madly into his sleeve to reply.

"I should know, I work in retail. These right here-" Rosie traces her fingers down the feathery-soft edges, sending the radio demon into a new round of hysterics. "-Would fetch a pretty penny."

"They're nohot for saHA-ale!!"

"Nooo, I should say not." Rosie's hapless victim lurches back into the cushions as her fingers find the fluffy region at the base of his ears. Even without the microphone, his cackles have no problem filling the room. "You're the only demon classy enough to wear them."

"And don' you - GAHaha! - f-forget it!" He's so drunk on laughter now that he's beginning to slur his words. His careful elocution has gone the same place as his steady tone, and lack of stutter.

Luckily, he's also far too drunk on laughter to care.

...Right about there, Rosie notices that the faint hum of radio static in the air is no longer just in her head.

He is laughing his heart out for the first time in weeks. Genuinely laughing for the first time in decades. And laughing completely for himself, for his own enjoyment, without need for intimidation or control or image or audience, for the first time since long before he died.

While Trudy typically can't say much for her self-preservation instinct, she's got enough of one to feel hesitant joining her boss in tickling the most powerful overlord in hell (outside the pretense of medical intervention, at least). So she just stands back, watching fondly as The Most Dangerous Overlord This Side of the Pentagram utterly destroys the deer demon.

...At least, until she notices a flicker of green light out of the corner of her eye. Lying forgotten on the end table, the splintered ends of Alastor's microphone are sparking and crackling like live wires.

The surgeon creeps over for a closer look, staring in fascination. And then - just as Rosie gets poor Alastor behind the ears and delivers a scribble to his tummy at the same time - she ever-so-gently nudges the fractured ends closer to one another.

To her surprise, a bright green spark arcs clear across the gap. For a fraction of a second, the whole staff radiates a flash of a familiar green glow.

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

"Keep him laughing, Rosie," Trudy murmurs over her shoulder. It appears the Radio Demon's downfall will be nothing more than an intermission.

Thanks for being so patient with me y'all! Hope it was worth the wait 💕

💜- Cozy

#lee!alastor #ler!rosie #ticklish!alastor #oh deer he's ticklish #hazbin hotel tickling #hazbin hotel tickles #ticklefic #dr. trudy sawblade #my ocs

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: Buddie Endgame!

Before 7x5 aired, I decided to take a break from 911blr and Buddieblr since the BTS pics and the "supposed leaks" for 7x5 showed they were about to do another wash, rinse and repeat with both Buck and Eddie. Their storylines have been seen before and at this point, they've become predictable. Anyway, I'm glad I took several days off because I figured most of the people who watched it would see Buck on a date with T*mmy and it would prompt them to start "Jumping ship" (Eddie’s words from 7x4) even though the whole situation was rushed and there's no substance there. If people did jump ship, they have every right to do so but just in case they're new here and they haven't watched all of Buck's train wreck relationships starting in season 1, the facts are Buck is making the same mistakes he's made in the past even though in 6x1, he said he didn't want to do that anymore.

Here's the thing... I'm not trying to convince anyone about who they should and shouldn't ship because everyone has their own preferences. However, I do think it's interesting how some are choosing to forget or just don't want to acknowledge/admit the fact that T*mmy did the same thing to Buck that both Taylor and Natalia did but it didn't take him multiple episodes to do it either.

Here are the cycles...

WASH: He showed up to the loft UNANNOUNCED.

RINSE: He kissed him.

REPEAT: And then he left him standing there dazed just like they did.

BONUS SPIN CYCLE: He told Buck to "Take care of yourself" (he just said it before he showed up unannounced and he said it while they were at Air Rescue when he was trying to date Eddie 👀).

Therefore, it appears the only difference between T*mmy and Taylor and Natalia is, T*mmy's a man which seems to be the only reason why some are willing to look past his bad character traits (discussed here) based solely on that fact. He's just like Buck's previous relationships where it starts off with Buck being kissed like he's in some kind of fairy tale or some BS and then it follows the same pattern as before (as indicated above).

I'm not going to go into the Buck and T*mmy of it all or lack thereof any further because this post is about Buddie and only Buddie!

I've witnessed the REAL LOVE Buck and Eddie share and it's the reason why I have and always will ONLY ship them with each other. They've built a family together and the fact is they know each other inside and out. They don't have to pretend and they know how to take care of the other one. They agreed to have each other's backs years ago and they've continued to do it. Chris views Buck as his second dad and he was doing it way before Eddie updated his will and named Buck to be Chris' legal guardian. Chris called Buck when Eddie was having a mental breakdown and it's obvious he could have called 9-1-1 but he didn't. Reminder, Buck and Eddie are both first responders so he could have called emergency services but he called his other dad, the man who told him months before Eddie was shot that he's not going anywhere 👀.

Buck has cried, screamed and clawed at the ground while trying to dig through 50 feet of wet earth to get to Eddie. He's also crawled underneath a ladder truck (one of the things that tried to take his leg) to save Eddie after Eddie was shot by a sniper in front of him. Eddie’s blood splattered all over Buck’s face and he was in a CATATONIC state of shock until Capitan Mehta tackled him to the ground.

Eddie was the one bleeding out but he was conscious enough to ask Buck "Are you hurt?" before he went unconscious for the last time from the pain of being shot with a large caliber bullet. Eddie climbed up a 70 foot ladder while it was extended in the air without being harnessed in to get to Buck after he was STRUCK BY THE SAME BOLT OF LIGHTNING AND WAS CATAPULTED OFF THE BASE OF THE LADDER to get to him. He was the one who restarted Buck’s heart after Chimney had been doing chest compressions on him for 3 minutes. Trust, that last 17 seconds was ALL EDDIE DIAZ! Eddie took Buck to play poker to help him keep his mind off the fact that he died so he could relax and have a good time.

THAT'S LOVE!

Buck’s own definition of love describes EDDIE DIAZ and only Eddie Diaz! Therefore, it's ridiculous that people are literally trying to dismiss Eddie’s love for Buck just because some dude with a sorted past (with Buck’s found family. Hello Taylor Kelly anyone?) put his lips on Buck and kissed him the same way all the women Buck’s been with did.

Buck and Eddie are IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER and they're each other's ENDGAME!

The point of this post is people can ship whoever they want but I HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL SHIP BUDDIE because they share a once in a lifetime, love of their lives, soulmate type of love that transcends space and time.

I'LL NEVER SETTLE FOR A KNOCKOFF VERSION OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. WHY? BECAUSE FOR ME ANY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS they've had or will have with others resembles a cheap piece of costume jewelry that looks ok from far away until you get up close and realize it's a cheap imitation of the real thing.

Why would I settle for Buck to end up with a KNOCKOFF version of Eddie?

I won't!

And why would I settle for Eddie to end up with some babysitter who's more in love with her brother when Buck’s already been shown to be another one of Chris' parents?

I won't!

Buck and Eddie DESERVE THE REAL EPIC LOVE STORY that 9-1-1 has been showing and telling the audience about them for the last 6 years and no other love interests have or ever will compare to what they mean to each other.

Ship whoever you want but I only ship BUDDIE and I always will.

#I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE! #BUCK AND EDDIE FOREVER! #buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #911 abc #911 on abc #911 season 7 #911 season 7 speculation #anti bucktommy #anti tommy kinard #anti eddiemarisol #anti marisol #911 #Ryan Guzman and Oliver Stark are the captains of this ship. #OTP BUDDIE #Canonically Observing 9-1-1 Speaks

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Actually I find very fitting how women are treated in mdzs. Mdzs's world is homophobic, classicist and misogynistic. Imo Mdzs's world represents the worst of the real world, so I find very suitable that in a patriarch/misogyny society where reputation is what matter the most, women payed the consequences of men's choices. The fact that they have no agency makes their stories even more tragic (like Greek heroines) imo. I've read historical novels from a very youth age, so I am accustomed to this. (disclaimer : that doesn't mean that I am not frustrated with the narrative or our assholes as wwx wn etc... ). What makes me very upset is how fans treat mdzs's women! Wq is not a Mean Lesbian, who is just wwx's best friend. jyl is not just wwx's mom or, even worst, a badass kickass (she is ill! She can't cultivate! Madam yu would love to have a badass daughter, but she can't! She has a chronic illness!!! ). And madam yu reminds me so much of Medea but she doesn't have the same hype. These women are trapped two times : firstly by the narrative and then by fans and I find myself less tolerant towards the latter

When I saw this ask yesterday, my gut response to the comparison between Greek tragedies and MDZS was to be like "no!! it's not the same!!" But I couldn't immediately identify why I felt that way. All the works that have given me lasting brainworms are historical tragedies with mostly-male casts and moral complexity. Everything I vibe with can be traced in some way back to getting fixated on the Trojan War, MDZS/CQL included. So what's different? I have been pondering it ever since then. So thank you, anon, for making me think!

For me, I think what it comes down to is that the issues you mentioned--the classism, the homophobia, and the misogyny--aren't actually explored within the text itself. The in-universe homophobia primarily manifests itself as people saying slurs at Wangxian. There is no external pressure to enter into heterosexual unions and have children to ensure a line of succession (3/4 of the sect leaders are unmarried after the timeskip, after all), nor is there the internal conflict of unpacking internalized homophobia. Classism is examined more with JGY's whole deal, but when the only character pointing out the flaws in the status quo is the Crimes Man, it muddles the message somewhat.

As to the misogyny... with the notable exception of QS, none of the women in MDZS die for reasons that relate to in-universe inequality. YZY, A-Qing, WQ, and JYL all die making the active choice to protect someone or something. Taken individually, all of their deaths make sense. The problems is when you take them as a whole, and you realize that the mortality rate for women in the series is off the chain. Below is a list of all the named characters who show up for more than one scene in MDZS. Bolded characters live, struck-through characters die.

Wei Wuxian Jiang Yanli Jiang Cheng                 Yu Ziyuan Jiang Fengmian           Wen Qing Lan Wangji  Granny Wen Lan Xichen                   Wang Lingjiao Lan Qiren                     Madame Jin Lan Jingyi                     Qin Su Lan Sizhui                   Luo Qingyang Wen Ning                      A-Qing Wen Chao                                            Wen Ruohan                                         Wen Zhuliu Jin Zixuan Jin Ling                                               Jin Guangshan                                                Jin Zixun Jin Guangyao Nie Mingjue Nie Huaisang Xue Yang Xiao Xingchen Song Lan Su Minshan Ouyang Zizhen Sect Leader Ouyang Sect Leader Yao

That's bonkers! It's even worse if you don't count the dead characters who quote-unquote "deserved it" for murdering people, which changes the list to:

Wei Wuxian Jiang Yanli Jiang Cheng                 Yu Ziyuan Jiang Fengmian           Wen Qing Lan Wangji  Granny Wen Lan Xichen                   Madame Jin Lan Qiren                     Qin Su Lan Jingyi                     Luo Qingyang Lan Sizhui                   A-Qing Wen Ning                       Jin Zixuan Jin Ling                                               Nie Mingjue Nie Huaisang Xiao Xingchen Song Lan Ouyang Zizhen Sect Leader Ouyang Sect Leader Yao

Again, the women's deaths each make sense individually, but as a trend, it's fucking wild, and that's what bothers me. There's no actual honest-to-god plot reason why the ratio has to be this way. Why can't Lan Qiren be a strict auntie? Why can't the juniors be a mixed-gender group? Additionally, there's the matter of how the deaths are treated. NMJ's death is the entire reason for the book; JZX's memory is invoked as much as JYL's. It's not that bad things happen to the women, it's that they're unnecessarily killed off at a disproportionate amount.

ALL THAT SAID. ALL THAT SAID!! You're absolutely right about fan treatment. One would think that these interesting women who don't get to take center stage in canon (and thus have a lot left to explore!) would be a GOLDMINE, but instead they're sanded down like you said. It must be ROUGH trying to find fic about JYL in particular, because so much of what she's tagged in is just her being WWX's Gentle Soup Sister in the background. Wangxian is far and away the biggest pairing WQ's tag--not just for MDZS, but for The Untamed, where she's a much bigger character! I sense that you're more charitable towards the canons than I am, anon, but at least the canons are honest about what they're about and aren't patting themselves on the back for their super progressive inclusion of a Mean Lesbian Friend or whatever.

[moorishflower]

10 Sandman Fic Recs!

I was struck by the absolutely heady and incredible thought that I have reached a. 800+ followers, and b. can place upon your dashboards the fics of friends and also people with whom I would enjoy being friends, and who I think should get more attention. There's going to mostly be Not the Big Fics in this particular list (I will rec all the big ones I'm readin later!)

Therefore, in no particular order, and containing everything from gen, to Dreamling, to Hobrintheus (or w/e the name for it is lol), ~fic recs~

I'm so sorry that you have to have a body by Taxonamie (AO3, Gen, Teen & Up)

A different take on Dream's capture; Dream's POV.

I DO love some good old body horror, and this fic does SUCH a good good job of really exploring what it'd be like for something that's supposed to be Endless to suddenly be trapped in a continuously dying and rebirthing flesh suit. EXTREME Lady Amalthea vibes. Immaculate.

2. Holy Palmer's Kiss by quentintoo (AO3, Dreamling, General Audiences)

Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

I'm pretty sure this was the fic that sparked my intense obsession with longing and like, hand-touching and hand-kissing. Scintillating and sweet.

3. to sleep—perchance to dream by fishydwarrows (AO3, Dreamling, Explicit)

Hob Gadling remembers the night of 1889 well. He dreams and dreams of ways it could've been different, but dreams are often a way of escaping a more terrible reality.

For me THEE Hob whump fic, because if you're going to have an immortal why not make him miserable for a time? Mind the tags, but the payoff is SO, so good. I've read this, I think, at least a half-dozen times.

4. Heat Wave by spqr (AO3, Dreamling, Explicit)

“Sounds like you’re horny to me,” says Matthew.

Somewhat similarly, this for me is THE "Hob Gadling fucks and fucks severely" fic. Everything spqr writes is solid gold, but Dream being Endlessly Horny for his good old friend is both amusing and SCREAMINGLY hot.

5. Eros in Pragma by Delta_Pavonis (AO3, Dreamling, Explicit)

In all his long centuries never had he really done something like this. It was exciting and terrifying and exhilarating and too many emotions all mashed together. He felt like his skin was vibrating. Deep breath in. He could do this. He wanted to do this, desperately wanted to, a desire from deep in his bones. And yet… long breath out. Hob walked over to one of his bedside tables and opened the drawer. There was only one item contained therein and he removed it with shaking hands. The silver buckle jingled softly.

Here's a fun fact! I neither read nor wrote a lot of D/S before I got into Sandman, and now I do, and it's almost entirely because of this fic!

6. I have lately learned the difference by Chthonion (AO3, Dreamling, Mature)

While Dream is imprisoned, Hob dreams of prisons, until, one by one, all of them take the same shape: a glass cage. Hob doesn't realize why until he meets Dream again, and the dreams don’t stop afterward. Trauma, connection, and adventures in accidentally mixing two people’s subconscious demons together in the dreamscape.

This is just. SO good. I love anything that explores Dream's trauma wrt his imprisonment but chooses to do so through Dream's mindscape, and this delivers in spades. Let Hob Gadling smash more snowglobes 2k22.

7. point-set triangulation by therm0dynamics (AO3, Hob/Corinthian, Teen & Up)

Hob knows he is dreaming. He also knows he’s being hunted.

The dynamic between Hob and the Corinthian is FASCINATING -- they're truly mirrors of each other, both hungry for humanity, both wanting, both bound up in cosmic Endless bullshit. This is fairly tame, for the Corinthian, so if you're squeamish I can assure you that this is more psychological than visceral. There's an absolutely smoking hot sequel, though.

8. the pleasant punishment by romanticallyinept (AO3, Hob/Dream/Corinthian, Explicit)

“All right,” Hob says, fairly evenly, he thinks, for what he’s been presented with. “Would someone like to explain what’s going on?” Dream has the decency to look slightly abashed, as if he only just realized that he showed up, unannounced, in his friend’s flat, with a nightmare in tow. But it’s only slightly, because he’s still Dream. “I would not ordinarily involve a human in the discipline of one of my creations,” he says, inclining his head slightly, “but you are no ordinary human, Hob Gadling.” One day, one day, Hob will learn to keep his fool mouth shut.

Hey you know how I said I didn't used to be into D/S dynamics

Well if you weren't either, give this one a try. Gentle dom!Hob punishes a recalcitrant Corinthian while Dream watches. Surprisingly tender, incredibly sexy, lots of feel good subdrop soothing afterwards.

9. A Dream of Stars by jehannaford (AO3, Gen, General Audiences)

After the events of Watership Down, Fiver has a dream and is offered a choice. A very short story.

This is super short, super sweet, and super poignant. It's like 200 words, and it's worth every second of your time.

10. as long as this body shall endure by andunetir (AO3, Dreamling, Explicit)

Hob loves eating pussy. (He knows he shouldn’t be thinking about this at school, but it’s free period and the Year Elevens are more than capable of supervising themselves, so sue him, he’s bored.)

There's not a ton of fic that explores gender through Hob's point of view, but this is one I keep coming back to again and again. Trans!Hob gives me ALL kinds of life, and this is a fascinating exploration of immortality and transness. Also, again, it's super hot.

#the sandman fic recs #fic recs #the sandman #the sandman fic #the sandman fanfic

[imminent-danger-came]

I love reading your tags- especially when theres just even MORE info dumping there.

The least favorite character ask made me giggle a bit, "This character that appeared for a single episode is actually pretty cool. And this character is really awesome in this particular context. But ALSO I really like this character with very little actual screentime."

You‘re absolutely right though! Characters whose only purpose is to fill a particular role are chosen really well too! Like the Host Girl; sure, she doesn’t really have a personality or anything, but she doesn’t NEED to have one. As you said, she‘s collateral damage. She gives us more insight to Wukong, she shows us just how ruthless he can be. He‘s willing to kill the epitome of innocence: A child. A defenseless little girl with a cutesy voice, who was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

(It‘s also worth a mention that, contrary to Wukong, she revealed a softer side of Macaque. Not to the extent the fandom built it up, but in an arguably more meaningful way. He‘s worried/feels bad for a total stranger. Even if it was only a concerned look, she once again gave us a deeper insight to a member of the main cast.)

And the characters with less focus either have really genuine interactions (Yellow Tusk with Azure) that just endear you to them, or they drop a banger line (like the Jade Emperor) before their purpose is fulfilled.

Nothing wrong with being a plot device if it‘s done well!

This wasn‘t really much of an ask rather than me rambling. Sorry.

I welcome rambles in my ask box! Half of you that show up in my ask box could just write your own analysis posts.

And you're also totally right! There isn't anything wrong with characters that are there just to function as plot devices. Sometimes a child is there just to be a child, and that's all they need to be. I think I feel this way about Megapolis (a name for the city that hasn't even been mentioned in show). Like it's a city filled with innocent people, it's MK & the Gang's home, and that's all it kinda needs to be tbh. LMK has to be extremely tight with what it chooses to focus on because of time constraints, and it does that well. When it comes down to it, focusing on the characters/plot is more important than focusing on the setting (which I think debatably wouldn't contribute much anyways—like we don't need more of a reason to care about the city, you know?).

I have this same opinion when it comes to the Demon Bull Family, which may be an unpopular take, but the truth is that a lot of their development happened off-screen. After ROTSQ and until we see them again in 3x06, it's clear that there have been positive changes between Red Son and his parents. I think I've seen some folk want Red Son to cut off his parents entirely, but that kinda goes against the core of his character. Part of Red Son's appeal for me is his complete devotion to his family despite their flaws (saving them in ROTSQ and EYD, attempting to save them in 4x09). Red Son and Princess Iron Fan only ever wanted world domination because that's what DBK wanted, and after that failed—they gave up. They hit the bricks. Red Son then started a food business with his dad (jealous of MK and Pigsy's noodle shop mayhaps?), and I think it's telling that DBK would even agree to do that to begin with. DBK and PIF's disregard of Red Son may not be acknowledged in the way people want, and I get that, but it's not that it didn't happen. I'd say there's another jump in their development between the end of 3x14 and the beginning of 4x09, where the fact that DBK calls out for Red Son as he gets taken away shows a closeness between them that we hadn't seen before. It's also clear that DBK has grown past the person who only wanted to create the world in his own image, chastising Azure Lion:

Demon Bull King: "How many times must you be struck down chasing this same foolish dream?"

(4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

-

(Plus "This pursuit of yours has warped your mind brother—it is the only reason I could imagine that you would have the nerve to assault my home and harm my family!" echoing PIF in 1x10 "Come to your senses, this power has poisoned your mind!"; Azure unreasonably considers DBK a traitor like DBK had unreasonably considered Red Son a traitor, etc.)

DBK, unlike plenty of other antagonists in LMK (Spider Queen, LBD, and Azure specifically), learned to stop and accept the world as it was. He failed as a conqueror, but he still had his family, and he could try and not fail as a father for his "half-baked son"—or that's how I interpret DBK anyhow.

((I also want to bring up the fact that DBK didn't dare use the Samadhi Fire ring he had to power himself up with Red Son's furnace in AHIB. Like, even the Mr. Bull King has some restraint—there are prices too great to pay for the world, hence why he gave up on world domination after 1x10, when he almost killed his wife and son.))

To me it makes the Demon Bull Family feel like characters that exist outside of MK & the Gang, and can grow/change even when they're not on screen with our main characters, and I think that's cool. We also legitimately didn't have time for anything else.

#So tldr on the way the DB family has been handled thus far: I get if people don't like it that's completely fair #but idk if it's objectively bad. #I know there's a Villad's interview out there where he says he thinks during s2 Red Son took a lot of time to himself #That he realized some thangs about how his parents had treated him you know #And I get if people are disappointed by that. Unfortunately they're minor characters at this point & we got a lot of other stuff to focus o #Me personally I like what we have #They are insane for paralleling the Demon Bull family's one scene in s4 with 1x10 #Like. Holy shit their writing is TIGHT #lmk #lego monkie kid #asks #lmk Red Son #lmk DBK #lmk PIF #lmk analysis #you know what I think I just realized I legitimately like DBK. Like a decent amount. #The way he looks away in shame from PIF in 3x06 before she explains the Samadhi fire's origins. Omg. Is that guilt??? #''So you can see it would be impossible for fools such as yourselves to control that power— #if even the spawn of the Demon Bull King himself could not.'' #OMG!!!!!!! #anyways

[kyndaris]

Preaching to the Chorus

About three years ago, Troy Baker pitched the idea of a video game musical called Chorus. What struck me, beyond the fact it was asking for donations as it was a crowdfunded project, were the high profile voice actors taking part, the art style, the bringing on of composer Austin Wintory and that it was being developed by an Australian developer! Years later, there was almost no word or hint of the game and I feared the worst. For a good long while, I wondered if I had just imagined the game being announced. Until, of course, Summerfall Studios announced the upcoming release of Stray Gods in August 2023! Suddenly, we had a release date and songs to enjoy after years of what had felt like absolute silence.

Yes, Chorus had changed its name but it was still the same premise I was promised: an urban fantasy Greek-mythology inspired musical where I got to make decisions on where the songs went. Needless to say, I was excited!

Despite it releasing in August, I didn't get to play the game until much later in 2023 when I finally got a bit of a breather between all my lengthy video games sucking up most of my time (and the fact I work full-time and commit to writing my stories and watching endless TV shows to be up-to-date on whatever is popular). Well, no. That's a lie. I've put a few games on the back burner like Octopath Traveler II and Like a Dragon: Ishin! (they are totally going to be played soon, I promise!)

In any case, I purchased the game while it was on sale (a measly 20% or so) and then stepped into the shoes of Grace. And almost immediately connected with her feelings of being cast adrift. Like so many people who have graduated university, and who didn't immediately apply for graduate programs, she's a little lost and unsure of her direction in life. Enter Calliope.

After the two share a duet together, Grace returns to the apartment she shares with longtime best friend: Freddie. As she rests, there's a knock on the door and lo! Calliope staggers through clutching a ghastly wound. With her last breath, she passes on her eidolon (the soul? and memories of an Idol) before dying in poor traumatised Grace's arms.

As Grace, understandably, panics, at the sudden turn of events, Hermes steps through the front door and tells Grace she needs to meet the Chorus. Within moments, Grace is taken to an upscale office room where she is greeted by Apollo, Persephone, Aphrodite and Athena. Before Grace can get a word in edgewise, these Idols (as the Gods now call themselves - although it makes me wonder if other pantheons exist in this world created by Summerfall), decide to execute Grace for the crime of maybe-possibly killing Calliope. That is until Apollo protests.

And protest he must consider later plot points. Such as him divulging the prophecy leading to Calliope's murder!

Honestly, so much of the story could have been resolved if Apollo stopped being a sad boy and actually used some brains to more cleverly resolve Grace's predicament. Instead, we have Grace run around the city for a week in a bid to prove her innocence and figure out the truth behind Calliope's death.

But what a wonderful week it was as several Idols help out, from the fast-talking Pan to the scary Medusa (with a very cute monster voice from Anjali Bhimani). But who can forget, and forgive me as a I fan myself and swoon over, the dommy mummy: Persephone. The design! The voice! The attitude? Gosh, I just wanted Persephone to step all over me. And considering the height difference she had over Grace?

Just...

I'm just going to die in a corner over here now.

Anyways, diversion aside, the plot was serviceable. It wasn't the most mindblowing story to be told but I liked how it introduced us to many of the Greek Gods and mythological creatures hiding in America, whilst weaving it in the murder mystery plot at its core. While the game threw out new leads often, I didn't ever feel an urgency to solve the crime or fear I'd not be able to figure out the murderer. Sherlock Holmes, this is not.

Rather, no matter which scenes you may wish to complete first (and I always went back to the Underworld to chat up Persephone), I feel like the end-point is almost always the same with our villain being unmasked as the smiling cookie-giver!

From a gameplay perspective, Stray Gods doesn't offer much. It's pretty much a visual novel where the player selects dialogue options or the next part of the song they wish to sing. There's no walking around or exploring the wondrous set pieces you find yourself in. Nor is there any random clicking on background objects for some light commentary or to pocket away clues to be presented at some other time.

In fact, there's no real animation to the game either. Most of the characters are stills, changing their posture as the dialogue or songs demand. Like flipping through a comic book or going from pane to pane.

But what does make Stray Gods stand out are the songs. Yes, there are some where I felt like it faltered: Asterion and Hecate's song (with the volume turned way too low) and some of the weaker blue options in Challenging a Queen. To me, it just wasn't as melodic as they could be and sounded a little jarring. Still, these were glossed over by several other standout songs like The Throne and the Ritual.

Speaking of The Ritual, while I did feel for Aphrodite, I didn't much like her selfish actions of dying and passing her trauma onto another poor soul. Like, either go to therapy and work on your issues or just die permanently and stop inflicting someone else with your trauma! Forgetting is not the path forward. And maintaining the cycle of the next Aphrodite reawakening to your traumatic memories of the Second World War whilst your son, Eros, deals with the fallout is NOT healthy.

On a side note, I liked how the melody of Adrift was used in the background of the game and was also revisited during The Trial.

As for the actual singing, I'm still impressed by the singing of so many of the voice actors. I mean, I wasn't surprised by Troy Baker considering he was a musician before he was a voice actor. And Felicia Day...well, considering I'd stumbled upon her back in her The Guild days, knew she could sing because of the songs she released. And the fact she appeared in Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion.

While I did like Laura Bailey, there were moments when I felt her vocals were just a little too raw and weren't able to hit the notes as well as could be. No shade on Laura, though. I love Laura Bailey! And she had a tough task with so many variations to sing!

Still, I did like her rapping. MORE LAURA BAILEY RAPPING PLEASE! Especially in the Challenging a Queen song.

But I do wonder what Stray Gods might have been like if we had actual Broadway actors brought in for the singing with stronger vocals and/ or melodies.

But I must say, my absolute favourite singer was Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. How could I not? She voiced Persephone! And I so wanted to romance her!

In the end, though, I foiled my chances because I was trying to play in-character by asking myself 'What would Grace do?' in most situations, especially when she was down in the Underworld and was especially traumatised by her best friend's death.

So, yes. I obviously brought Freddie back and the two ended up getting together in one of the more wholesome relationships there is in the game. Because, if you ask me, Pan? He just shows up out of the blue and is all sneaky-sneaky. A girl with her head on her shoulders wouldn't immediately fall for him, even if his intentions were good.

And Apollo? I know my friend @mrsarmageddon likes a 'I-can-fix-him-sad-boy' but he was too set in his ways and a little too unwilling to be of any proper assistance until all his secrets had been unveiled.

As for Persephone, she's a very angry woman and also wouldn't have been a healthy choice considering her romance with CALLIOPE in the past. Still, I couldn't help but want her step on me.

I don't know what that says about me. I'm probably secretly a sub/ omega who just wants someone to take care of me.

But let's not dwell on what this revelation could be and instead talk about how Stray Gods pushed the gaming genre to try and be more inclusive in ways no-one had thought of before. Beyond that, I loved the characters. The narrative, while simplistic, was entertaining enough to pull me through my initial playthrough of six and a bit hours. So, it's not even all that long. Which is perfect when you're gainfully employed and have a ton of time-consuming hobbies.

The one major downside to me was the fact it didn't have a chapter select after the first playthrough. If it did have it, allowing me to skip ahead to say 'Act 3' to redo my conversation with Persephone so I could romance her, or skip to certain songs so I could try out different combinations or variations, it would have heightened the gaming experience for me. Instead, Stray Gods forced me to play through the entire game again just for the occasional tweaks I wanted to do in my playthrough.

And now, during The Game Awards 2023, there's been an announcement for ANOTHER musical game called Harmonium. And it features sign language! So, it's definitely something I want to keep an eye on!

YES! TO MORE VIDEO GAME MUSICALS!

But also, don't let it become too overly saturated. During the Game Awards, I couldn't help but notice more Souls-like battle systems, using Japan as a setting (for Western developers) and more mechs/ robots.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and admire the Queen of the Underworld a little bit more. For perfectly REASONABLE purposes.

#video games #stray gods #grace x persephone #grace x freddie #musical #why are there so many musicals about the Greek Gods? #charon just wants to play a game

[kishimotomasashi]

Just out of curiosity 😅

Are there truly Madara fans who think he did nothing wrong???

I find this so hard to believe 😂

As Madara is a very tragic character but he did so much wrong 😂😂

as I don’t really interact with the Madara fandom much I didn’t know that

Yeah, I guess I should have clarified. My issue with a lot of Madara takes isn't that people think he "did nothing wrong", necessarily, it's that they sort of box him into this same "revolutionary who was wronged by the narrative" position that they do for, like, Sasuke. And act like their characters are more or less similar regarding their positions in relation to Konoha. It's more "Madara was right" that I have an issue with: I simply do not think that, within the era he existed in it, both Konoha and how the Uchiha were treated within it were bad enough to justify going about anything the way that he did.

And these takes come with a lot of assumptions about Hashirama's actions that paint him as significantly more malicious than he actually is, some going as far to say that him extending a hand towards Madara when Izuna got struck was... intentionally manipulative? There's a lot you can criticize Hashirama on (namely the fact that he is the world's worst enabler) but I think acting like he was leading Madara on to carry out his real plan of establishing Senju domination is a bit of a reach. I mean, sure, I suppose you could imagine he was having those feelings somewhere deep within his heart or whatever, but it's not so canon-text-established that it justifies arguing for it as it is the way I've seen people do.

Anyways. Madara is a victim of the system like any other character is, but I don't think he ever offers up resistance that goes against the grain in any meaningful way. Most of his grievances he had while staying in Konoha could have been discussed with others, and especially with Hashirama, instead of left stewing in his brain until he went insane with it by closing himself off.

#lalalover33-blog #Ask #I'm not calling Sasuke a meaningful revolutionary either. None of the characters in the manga really are. But Sasuke's grievances #regarding the Uchiha clan are real and present unlike Madara's. He exists in the world where that paranoia is real. #And honestly I don't think Madara ''predicted'' anything more than he was paranoid and closed off and like. wasn't talking to anyone about #it lmfao.

[sophiebernadotte]

I would love to know more about your thoughts on the Danish Royal Family. Is it that you dont like Margrethe or Fred or you are neutral?

I'm not sure what prompted this but thank you for the ask, nonnie! The easy answer is that I'm Swedish & it's in the DNA of Swedes & Danes to hate one another. There, ask answered!

Okay, no, to be serious. There is this joke amongst the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Åland, Iceland, Faroe Islands & Greenland) that Denmark is the USA of the Nordics & among the Scandinavian royals (Sweden, Norway & Denmark), the Danish have always been my least favourites. I'll post a deeper discussion around my thoughts under the cut & people; remember that these are my personal opinions. I'm not talking facts or trying to be objective here.

Not just the fact that they've done some questionable things (the same could be said for many of the European royals), but it has always struck me weird how borderline worshipped the Danish royals are - especially Margrethe & Mary. It reminds me a bit of the stan culture around some singers & bands where the fans don't simply like the person; they adore them & to the level where you're not even allowed to criticise the person. Then we have Margrethe's approval rating - in a democratic country (Denmark) & its territories (Greenland & Faroe Islands), there is no way someone can continuously have around 80% or higher approval rating.

Up to 2022, I didn't necessarily dislike them & I had no personal issue with Margrethe. The Danish royals weren't my cup of tea, but I found Margrethe very cool as a person & I still do to some extent. There was this public narrative of Frederik, the golden boy, Mary, who could do nothing wrong & Joachim having difficulty finding his role & purpose in the family. As someone who has grown up with Nordic tabloid culture, I assumed it was a Victoria vs. Madeleine situation where the tabloids make a hen out of a feather & try to create drama where there is none. Then that statement around the titles of Joachim's children was published & all the puzzle pieces came together for me...

Now I've seen a lot of people here on Tumblr point towards Nikolai & claim it's all his fault. But that guy has been working as a model under the name of Prince Nikolai since at least 2018. Maybe even earlier, I can't remember. But anyway, the only time his grandma told him off was when he was doing ad work for some car brand & used his royal title. If his modelling career was the problem, Margrethe would have done something years ago & not suddenly, out of the blue, make a decision in autumn 2022.

No, for me, the puzzle pieces all fell together. Joachim struggling to find his place within the Royal House & no one really helping him carve out a position for himself; it being public knowledge that Margrethe favoured his first wife; Marie saying that it wasn't her or Joachim's choice to move to Paris & they weren't happy about it; Marie being painted as the bitter step-mother who wouldn't allow Nikolai & Felix to be with their father & instead, they were kept close to their grandmother; & yeah, the car crash that was Margrethe stripping Joachim's children of their titles a.k.a. she legally changed her grandchildren's names behind their backs without talking to them about it. These are just some instances from the last couple of years that were at the top of my mind.

I've mentioned it in messages to @cambridgemadness @lizisanamimal & @world-of-wales (maybe other people as well, sorry if I forgot to mention you), but to me, it feels very much like Margrethe favouring one son over the other & also doing everything she can to coddle him. It's not just the Nordic tabloids pitting family members against one another. It's very much based on Margrethe's behaviour & her leadership.

#danish royal family #queen margrethe ii #anon: so what do you think about margrethe and frederik #me: here is all the reason why I'm bitter over joachim's treatment #sorry for the rant #does this even answer the question? #I wouldn't say I actively dislike them it's more low-key dislike and I don't really care for them as much as I care for other royals #saga.txt

[lqmie]

A story based on @black-rose-events's recent prompt list! This one is day two, because I forgot a) February has in fact kicked off, and b) we are two days in.

Tw/Cw for death, murder, and guns

-----

Reporter stared at the papers they'd found in Detective’s office, illuminated by the soft, yellowed glow of his lamp. It was dark outside, by now, the clock on the wall keeping a steady pulse as Reporter read. This.. this was big. Evidence for every murder they'd been tracking, lists of names struck through in red, pictures of faces that had been painted in the news weeks earlier. The dead. Those responsible. At least, that's how it had seemed.

Until now. There was more blood than just that of the convicted on Detective’s hands, and they couldn't let that go now. Was being here technically illegal? Most likely. Was what Detective had done the same? Absolutely. They had to get this to headquarters. They had to let the authorities know. They had to-

Reporter looked up, eyes wide against a shock of darkness as the door opened.

“[Reporter]. Fancy seeing you here. What brings you to my office? My desks? My documents?” Detective tilted his head, one hand silently shutting the door, locking it with a soft click.

Reporter drew in a breath, clamping down on the panic clawing at their ribs. “I'm here investigating everything you've done, [Detective]. If that even is your name.”

They stood, still clutching the paper they'd been reading, and Detective approached closer, gait still as nonchalant as ever.

Detective smiled. “What I've done? What might that be? Help the people? End countless villains?”

“Innocent lives,” Reporter snapped back. “They were innocents, and you know that damn well. It's all here. And I'm not letting you get away with any of it.”

His smile only widened, a sharp thing, malicious, painted hauntingly by the lamp's glow, as he leaned against the desk.

“Really? All the evidence? How.. fortunate.” Detective glanced down at the papers, before returning his gaze to Reporter. They could barely resist the urge to shudder, to flee, before they too found a knife in their back, a bullet in their chest.

Steeling their gaze, they nodded. “Everything I need to make sure you never hurt anyone again. Is that clear enough for you?”

Detective paused for a moment, a laugh filling the empty space, far too light, far too familiar for it to be that of a murderer. Detective of all people. He reached forwards, grabbing Reporter’s shoulder with a shockingly strong grip, pulling them forwards to the desk.

“Now, [Reporter], my dear friend, I have a story for you. A.. piece of information, if you will.” His voice was low, fringes of that friendliness Reporter had so long known creeping back with the words.

“A.. a story?” they asked, voice shaking. That same, awful smile, a face they almost knew, a grin they could almost see against the daylight, against everything they'd known.

Then his Voice hushed, his grasp loosening against their jacket.

“You're right.”

Metal pressed against their stomach, cold turning harsh, burning, as pain ripped through their senses and skin alike. Reporter screamed, the sound cut off as that same blinding agony cut through the air, their intestines, sending them stumbling back to the wall behind. They crumpled, crimson staining the bookshelves at their back, their clothes nearly masking the shade.

Detective stared at them, face still twisted with some strange, wretched joy. “It was lovely working with you, [Reporter]. You were always my favourite. I pray the others can solve your unfortunate demise.”

Then, hands steady, he raised the gun to Reporter’s gaze. And, smiling, he pulled the trigger.

#idk if this was what the prompt intended but this is where my brain went #you can see how getting dragged into the ace attorney fandom has affected me already #rest in potatoes reporter you shall be missed o7 #might write about these two pre-incident. idk. #this is NOT edited btw just as a warning #anyway enjoy if you want lol #heroes and villains #hero x villain #but more implied shipping than anything? #detective character? I guess? and a reporter too? idk what the tags on that bad boy would be #whump #whump writing #tw death #tw violence #tw murder

[the-whole-shebang]

@wishlist022

Here's that Carmen Sandiego angst you asked for!

•••

Shadowsan had been looking for Carmen for nearly two months. Of course, since she'd struck it out on her own, it wasn't like he'd been seeing her much. Even so, he couldn't help but worry. He was constantly scrolling the news and checking in with Zach and Ivy over at ACME, hoping every day for word of another heist, another evil thief foiled by the great Crimson Ghost. As long as he had some kind of sign of life, that was enough for him. It was almost enough to make him crack a smile. He, Shadowsan, one of the greatest VILE operatives to ever hit the field, was here fussing over this girl like she was his daughter. Ridiculous.

Of course, he couldn't even think of smiling now. Once one month had gone by without any sort of news, he officially started to panic. It wasn't like Carmen, and it really began to make him curse not keeping some kind of direct contact with her. A million different horrible scenarios played through his head as he walked down a dusty side road in Buenos Aries: Carmen trapped somewhere it the wilderness, Carmen captured by Interpol, or worse, by an escaped VILE operative, Carmen dead and unidentified in a mourge somewhere in the world, her identity impossible to determine. He shook his head, willing away those pictures.

"No, it can't be," he thought. "She's alive. Somewhere. She has to be."

He continued his march towards the next town over. He had no idea where Carmen could be, but he figured he'd start here. This was where she came from after all; maybe she'd just hunkered down in her old home. He gazed at the landscape as he walked, remembering the mission that brought Carmen to him in the first place. Up until then, he'd never questioned his place in the organization, but having to see the delight at that little girl's face everyday for years, unaware of the circumstances that brought her to that accursed island. He regretted it everyday, but that was the past. Now is what mattered, and he refused to let his guilt crush him any longer.

After what felt like forever, he finally arrived at the next town on his map. It looked about the same as the past four: about 2 dozen buildings and a handful of people milling about in the late afternoon. He began asking everybody he could stop, mentioning Camen's name and showing her picture in a routine that was entirely habit at this point. In fact, he was so caught up in the rhythm that it took him a couple seconds to process when a woman told him she recognized the girl.

"Wait, sorry?" Shadowsan asked, thrown off.

"Yes, I've seen her," the woman repeated. "My husband found her off the side of the road just a week ago, all tore up. Why? Is she in trouble?"

Shadowsan's world fell out from beneath him. This was it, the worst case scenario was now starring him dead in the face.

"She... she's my daughter."

A few minutes later, he was standing in one of the small brick homes, looking down at an unconscious Carmen. He had to fight the urge to fall to his knees, but he felt incable of even holding up his own weight. The woman and her family were standing a few feet behind him, whispering in quiet Portuguese. Shadowsan didn't even bother to listen.

He crouched down beside her, inspecting the damage. Her closed eyes were covered in bandages, as was most of her body. She was breathing slowly, barely a whisper of life still in her lungs. He took her still hand, to exhausted to stop the tears dripping down his face. This was his girl, the one good thing he had managed to keep throughout all his years. It couldn't be over.

"Carmen?" He was whispering as quietly as he could. "Please. I need you to say something. I need-"

He didn't have time to finish his plea before before Carmen's grip suddenly locked on his wrist. She jolted in the bed, gasping so suddenly the family all yelped and stepped back.

"Shadow... san?"

"Yes! Yes it's me I'm right here," Shadowsan said, greif ripping at his chest at the sound of Carmen's voice.

"I- I'm sorry... really I am I... it's over."

"No, of course it's not. Your going to be ok." Even as he said this though, he could feel her wanning. He was losing her. He couldn't lose her.

"Please, just listen. I don't have much time. VILE... somehow... they're back. They found me, they might know where the others are. Julia, Zack and Ivy... you... you've gotta stop them."

"No no no we'll stop them together-"

"I'm sorry." Carmen shakily laid a hand on his arm. She smiled as best she could. "Thank you. For everything..."

She fell limp. Her breathing slowed to stop. It was a few moments before he stood. His eyes never left her body. VILE was back. Carmen was gone. Their was no one left to stand in their way, no one left who could truly take them down.

Except for one person.

Shadowsan left that house, Carmen's body in tow. He buried her off the side of the road, hoping she finally found rest in her home soil. But he wouldn't rest. Staring down at the freshly disturbed soil, he swore an oath. That he would hunt and burn and kill and every last trace of that organization was gone. He would make it painful, and he would make them regret.

Now that she was gone, what else more could he do.

#carmen sandiego #shadowsan #fic #fanfic #fanfic request #fanfic writer #angst #character death

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 17 of the Other-world Universe; a deal has been struck with the other-worldians, isn’t that n- OH SHIT THE HAZMAT GIANTS ARE HERE!

all chapters linked here

[Round 1: Fight!]

Our wonderful illusion of a glimpse at ‘normal’ shattered sooner than I expected.  The next morning, I noticed Erica gazing confusedly out at the horizon.  "What's that?" she asked, pointing somewhere to my right.  I whirled around to see what she'd pointed to, and watched as a truck sped towards the mountainside.  It looked similar to the one Erica had driven to find me.  "Oh no, are the survivors coming for revenge?" I asked aloud.  "You did tell them that I was sorry, right?"  Looking past the speeding truck, I noticed a cloud of dust on the horizon.  Seriously, did they bring their whole fleet to come fight me?!  I really don't want to hurt anyone unless I have to.

Erica stepped in front of me as the truck sped up the side of the mountain, keeping a hand defensively on my arm the whole time.  In a less concerning situation, I would've been flattered by the fact that she was ready to protect me for a change.  However, once the truck finally pulled to a stop in front of us, only one person stepped out.  He had slightly lighter skin than Erica, and a mess of shaggy red-ish brown hair.  The guy must have been about the same age as me, maybe even a bit younger. 

Hurriedly brushing a lock of hair from his face, he glanced from Erica's rather pissed off expression to my more curious one.  He was breathing heavily, as if he'd ran the whole way there instead of driving the truck.  Clearly, he'd come in a hurry, but now that he was standing in front of us, he was struck silent.  I have to admit, Erica and I can be quite an intimidating pair.

"What do you want?" Erica asked him sternly.  "I-" he coughed, "Water, please."  Again Erica gave him a distrustful glare, but I quickly produced a small water bottle from the boxes and held it out to the young man.  He flinched so badly at my approaching fingers that I thought he'd somehow been hurt.  I ended up placing it on the ground in front of him instead.  Snatching it off the dying grass, he chugged almost the entire bottle before taking a gasping breath.  

"Thank you," he wheezed.  "Who are you?" I asked once he seemed to have caught his breath, "Why were you in such a hurry?"  He looked fearfully up at me for a moment, then answered, "I'm Ivan Fero, ma'm.  Uhh, miss giant?  I- oh god, um.. I hope that wasn’t offensive or anything."  This poor guy.  "My name's Alexis," I said, sparing him further embarrassment.  "Oh, right, A- Alexis, ok."  Erica sighed, "Why are you here?  Surely you didn't speed 500 miles down here just for a drink."  "Oh, right!" he gasped, "The chasm's under attack!  People are being taken left and right.  It's insane!  We have no way to stop them!"  I turned to the horizon in an instant.  So that's what all the dust was.  The scientists are attacking.  

"Please," Ivan begged, "Miss giant, sorry, Alexis, you have to help us.  You're the only way we can stand a chance against them.  Look, I know they're your people, but I'm desperate, we all are, please."  Suddenly, two pairs of eyes were on me; both Erica and Ivan waited for my answer.  "I-  I've tried to get them to leave before, they just laughed at me."  "Alright, so this time you go in and you fight those bastards," Erica said simply, "Someone needs to teach those shitheads a lesson, but we physically can't.  So It's all up to you." 

"I want to help," I said anxiously, "but last time they almost dragged me through the portal, remember?"  Erica nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, that was before you stunned them with your invisibility!  And, you can become all ghost-like too right?  What's that called again?  Nevermind, that's not important.  LISTEN.  They might have their strength in numbers, but you have, like, actual superpowers.  I bet you could easily fight them off if you tried to."  I thought for a moment.  What Erica was proposing could work.  I didn’t know how to fight very well — I’d never really had to before — but I supposed my inexperience would be evened out by my superpowered advantages.  If all else failed, I could simply go intangible to avoid any attacks.  But how, without someone to control?

“First of all, it's called intangibility,” I told her, “Second of all, I need to be in control of a person to do that."  Erica looked slyly over at the young man from the hidden town.  "Any volunteers?"  Ivan choked on his water in response.  "What!?  No, are you insane?  Why would I willingly be controlled by that?  No offense," he added, glancing at me worriedly.  "None taken."  "Well, do you want to save your town or not?" Erica asked him.  "I-  I want her to save the town, not me!  I can't fight giants!"  "You won't have to fight anyone," I assured him, "Leave that to me; I just need someone to latch on to.  You probably won't even notice it."  "Oh he'll notice it," Erica said hastily.  "Every time you were controlling me, I always felt cold."  I'd been pretty awful to her back then, without even realizing it.  But, like Erica said, that was in the past.

Ivan shook his head furiously, backing away from us.  "I can't.  I won't."  "Would you rather stand on the sidelines and let Alexis do her thing, or watch your whole city be captured?  It's your choice."  He looked towards where the greyish brown cloud had churned on the horizon, then back at us.  The disturbance was gone, meaning there was no longer a skirmish — the very likely winners were ready to steal more people away.

Ivan glanced between his options a few more times, wearing a torn expression all the while.  Finally, he sighed, "I'll do it.  Just… Please don't make me do anything."  I nodded, "I won't."  "Alright, alright, let's go already!" Erica called, making Ivan flinch.  I swear, if there was a way for us to swap sizes…  Erica seems way more keen to fight them than I am, and yet I'm the only one who'll be pulling the punches.  "Shoulder.  Now." Erica insisted, motioning for me to put out my hand for her.  "Erica, that's not-"  "I’ve been practicing!"  I groaned, knowing she'd prolong our argument until I listened to her.  "Fine.  But if you fall off and almost die, it is entirely your fault."  She nodded eagerly, and I begrudgingly lifted her up to my shoulder.  However, I couldn't help but smile at Erica's satisfied grin.

I held out my hand to Ivan next, but he doubled over in a panic and quickly dashed behind the open truck door.  "Uhh.. no.  I don't want to die before we get there, thanks."  "You'll never make it in time if you drive that truck all the way back to the valley," I reasoned.  "I need you to be there the second I get to the area so I can go intangible."  He honestly looked like he was going to give himself a heart attack, so I did my best to reassure him that he'd be fine.  "Don't worry, unlike Miss Stubborn up here, you won't be in any danger.  My hands are honestly the safest place you could be."  

Ivan looked dubiously at my outstretched palm, but he climbed in anyways.  "I hope I don't regret this."  Keeping myself balanced, I headed off at an even jogging pace towards the commotion in the distance.  Traveling at full speed just wasn't an option with my two passengers, but it was still faster than the truck.  While I walked, I could hear Erica grumbling a quiet objection to my banter.  "I'm not that stubborn! Why is she calling me stubborn? I just want to see what she sees.  Is that too much to ask?"  "It is when you put your life on the line to do it," I replied, glancing over at her.  Erica turned to stare at me, eyes wide in shock and the tiniest bit of fear.  "You could hear that?!"  "Of course I can.  You are sitting right next to my ear, you know."  She glanced up, then looked away in realization.  "Oohh.. sorry."  "It's fine, '' I smiled, "Enjoy your death defying view."

My good mood faded grimly as I approached the cliffs with the wooden structures.  Each lookout had been diminished to rubble; the people inside were missing except for the occasional limp body half-buried beneath the timber.  I didn't bother to check those who were left behind.  If the scientists had left them, they probably hadn't survived their hideout's initial destruction.  I could feel Erica shudder beside me as we passed yet another, pulling herself closer to the side of my neck.  After nearing an even bigger group of collapsed structures, all of us went on high alert.  Tension silenced everything while we passed around worried glances.  

Suddenly, screams split the air.  I flinched instinctively, causing both my small riders to lose their balance a bit.  I picked up the pace, stooping down at the valley's opening.  "You go find somewhere safe to hide," I told Erica as I slid her off my shoulder and placed her on the ground.  "I wouldn't forgive myself if you were hurt, or captured, or anything else."  "But," she objected, trying to cling to my receding fingers, "I want to watch the fight.  I can help you!  I-"  "No," I answered abruptly, cutting her off, "You.  Stay.  Here.  I know how much you enjoy getting into trouble, but now is not the time."  Erica grumbled annoyedly as I slid my fingers out of her grasp.  "I want to help."  "Not now," I repeated, "Please, just go hide, ok?"  Finally, she sighed and trudged off to the base of the cliff to find a hiding spot.  I warily continued my way down the chasm.  I was worried about Erica, but I couldn't afford to think about her now.  Any distraction could very well mean life or death.  Maybe not for me, but certainly for the people of the other-world.

As I approached the spot where I'd torn open the cliff face, louder and more terrified yells echoed down the rocks.  Ivan was pressed so far into my hand that I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my palm.  "Alright," I whispered, "you ready?"  "No," he whimpered, "I feel like I'm going to puke.  Do I really have to do this?"  Carefully, I eased him onto the ground next to me and knelt down.  "You'll be alright," I assured him, "You don't have to fight them, remember?  Just hide somewhere close by.  That's all you have to do."  Ivan nodded slowly, then edged his way behind a section of rock nearby.  "Are you ready now?"  "Yeah, I guess," came a response from behind the rock.  "I'll be back before you know it," I whispered.

After releasing both of my small companions, I felt slightly freer than before.  I could take chances without risking the others' safety.  Going invisible, I stepped out of hiding and steeled myself to face the scientists.  However, nothing could really prepare me for the scene laid out in front of me.  There were cages strewn about the valley.  Some were stuffed with small wailing figures, others stood wide open, their yawning barred faces hungrily awaiting more unwilling victims.  Other-worldian people grasped at the wire mesh, trying in vain to undo the strange locks that held the cages tightly shut — trapping them in some nightmarish fate.

The worst thing was the sound.  Awful panicked and pained noises cried out on deaf ears as the scientists did their work.  They didn’t care what happened to the tiny creatures in transit; they were just gathering as many of them as they could and locking them away.  It infuriated me.  The strange yet sickeningly familiar people worked silently and methodically, seemingly unbothered by the desperate shrieks that surrounded them.  The five of them had created an efficient little assembly line which started at the open cavern and ended at a stack of steril crates.  With masked, blank faces they dragged person after person out of the newly-opened town, pinning them tightly in gloved fists.

I seethed, my invisibility flickering in and out while I stood, fists clenched tight, glaring wrathfully at all of them like a vengeful specter.  One by one, they took off their awful masks in disbelief, trying to figure out whether I was really there.  The look on their faces was priceless; each person gawked in confused fear.  "PUT THEM DOWN.  NOW."  My voice carried thunderously over the bare rocks surrounding the valley.  Its sound drew up a reassuring feeling of power within me.  One of the scientists in the middle of the line immediately dropped what they were holding onto the table below them and stepped back, hands raised in defeat.  The others slowly followed suit, becoming more confused than scared.  Color returned to some of their faces.  The person at the end of the chain even had the audacity to close the cage they'd been working on, effectively trapping more other-world survivors right in front of me.  That also effectively pissed me off.  "You're gonna regret that," I stated; then disappeared back into invisibility.  

All of them immediately went ridgid the second I vanished.  They anxiously began packing everything away, but they weren't fast enough.  I dashed at the scientist who'd closed that cage, planting my foot directly into their stomach at the last second.  They hit the ground hard and lay there, gasping for breath.  Before the rest of the scientists could react, I moved swiftly on to the next one as panic swept through the little crowds locked away.  Winding up invisibly, there was no way for them to have seen me coming — no way for them to block me.  I punched this one straight in the gullet.  Full force.  I hadn't intended this to be a lethal fight, but after what I'd just witnessed, I wasn’t particularly concerned with restraining myself.  The scientist’s neck made an unnerving crunch and they fell over backwards, crashing into the collapsable table behind them and dragging it to the ground.  Thankfully, no other-worldians were on it.

The person who'd been working on its surface screamed in terror — the same one that had already given defeat earlier.  In a panic, they frantically typed something into the device they were holding and a portal suddenly tore through the sky.  Without a second glance at their gear, specimens, or fellow scientists, they retreated into the warped opening, promptly closing it behind them.  

The two remaining people who weren't collapsed on the ground startled from their stunned, petrified stances and took initiative.  They swung punches at the air around them, unsure where I was, but ready to defend themselves nonetheless.  Now this was what I expected.  I could faintly sense Ivan's presence further down the ravine, and latched onto it.  

Effortlessly strolling through the scientists' defenses, I walked through an oncoming punch, pulled out of intangibility, and kicked one of them from behind, just below the knee.  Their legs buckled from the unforeseen force, and they toppled into the other scientist, landing in a messy heap.  "Screw this!" someone growled.  She scrambled to the broken table, grabbed its disconnected metal leg, and hauled herself out from underneath the other scientist.  As hard as she could, she swung the metal pole blindly in my direction.  I was very nearly clobbered to death if it hadn't been for my quick switch into intangibility.  A few seconds later, and I would've been too late.

Now, there were three scientists remaining.  The two in front of me and the one I'd kicked first, who'd gotten up while I was fighting the others.  I took away my invisibility and tried to speak so I could reason with the rest of them, before I hurt anyone else.  However, both the man I'd first attacked and the scientist with the table leg lashed out at me the moment they saw me.  In a furious blur of motion, the woman's metal pole sliced right through me and cracked into the side of the other man's head.  Hard.  He crumpled to the ground, unconscious, as the woman dropped her weapon in shock.  Despite no longer being invisible, I was still intangible.  

"You.. you just killed Darian," the other scientist whispered in horror.  "No, I- I wasn't aiming for him!  It shouldn't have hit him!" the woman cried out, confused.  If I wasn't so fucking mad, I might've felt sorry for her, but I wanted them out, and I wasn't letting my gaurd down untill they left.

I pulled back out of intangibility, and stood before the last two remaining scientists completely normal.  Maybe they’d let me speak now that they’d been brought down to two.  "This is your last chance to leave," I warned them.  The more worried one glanced between the two bodies on the ground and turned to the other scientist, begging her to open the portal.  "If you want to stay, and fight, and die, be my guest!  Just open the portal first so I can get out of here!"  "I can't," she answered, visibly trying to steady her voice.  "Why not?  Let him through," I said, sounding slightly more annoyed than I meant to be.  

"I can't," she repeated, the edge returning to her voice, "because Beau took the key into the portal with her.  We can't get back without one."  She marched up to me and I quickly disappeared as she throttled the open air where I'd stood a moment before. "Now what, you little sijat?" the scientist asked angrily while I puzzled over the strange word she'd called me.  "You gonna kill us even though we're trapped in this stupid world?"

I backpedaled away, mind racing.  What should I do?  I shouldn't attack them if they can't escape, that isn't fair.  Then again, what they were doing to the people of the other-world wasn't very fair either.  However, before I could figure out a solution to my dilemma, the other scientist spoke up.  "Doesn't Darian also have a key?" they asked their colleague.  Glancing warily at the empty space around them, the scientist made his way to the body and pulled out a similar device from his pocket.  

He immediately opened the portal back up, and hauled the bodies of the others inside.  "Are you coming?" he asked, concerned.  "Yeah, Carter.  I’m coming.”  Her voice sounded almost disappointed.  She glared into the open space she assumed I was standing.  “You're lucky there was another key, kid.  If we were really gonna fight to the death, you would've lost."  With that, she stepped into the portal behind the other scientist and vanished, the portal sealing back up behind them.

I stood dumbfounded for a moment, staring at the empty space where the threatening tear had been. “You would’ve lost,” I repeated quietly.  If I'd lost.. If I'd died...  I felt a pain in my chest as I thought of Erica.  I'd asked her to stay back and wait for me, but what if I'd never returned?  The fight wasn’t too bad — I hadn’t even been hurt — but it was still frightening nonetheless.

My thoughts were interrupted by a barely audible whisper.  "Did you come to save us?"  I startled, looking to the ground to find the owner of the voice.  It was a kid.  They couldn't have been much older than eight or nine years old, slightly hidden in the rocks to my left.  "I did," I answered them kindly, flattening myself all the way to the ground to get a better look.  Their clothes and hair were disheveled and covered in dirt, but they were otherwise completely unscathed.  The kid’s parents had probably hidden them there so they would be spared the scientists' torturous attack.  

"Where are your parents?" I asked them softly.  They pointed towards one of the cages nearby and I stepped over to it.  As I knelt in front of the crossed metal mesh that made up the door, I could hear hushed gasps and cries from inside it.  From my perspective, the cage looked almost empty.  Everyone inside had hidden themselves in the very back, out of my sight.

Tentatively, I opened the deadbolt-esque lock sealing the door.  It took a moment of fidgeting to figure out how it worked; I wasn't accustomed to the scientists' weird technology.  Though it looked like a deadbolt, it was a bit more complex than that.  Eventually, I undid the lock and pulled the door wide open.  The little kid came rushing over, stopping cautiously at the opening.  The second their parents spotted them, they cried out in relief, breaking the silence held by the captured crowds.  They rushed forward, hugging the kid tightly in a three person hug. With the few frightened people suddenly pacified, everyone sprung to life.  Others in the cages nearby called for their release, and those who'd been freed offered their baffled thanks.  

I opened the rest of the cages in quick succession, and soon a cheer rose from the large crowd that had gathered from the cages and the cavern.  I stood, simultaneously shocked and overwhelmed.  There were so many people, and they were all so ridiculously small, especially from my view standing up.  Glancing nervously back down the valley, I saw Ivan sprinting over the rocks towards the crowd.  

Beaming in relief now that I’d found a familiar face, I headed over to ask him sarcastically whether the fight was as awful as he'd thought.  However, it took some time to get over to him.  The crowds at my feet were rather nerve-wracking for me.  After all, I've had more than a few accidents occur after people foolishly decided to walk beneath me.  The most infamous occurrence was, of course, that day in the woods with Erica.  Above all else, I did not want a repeat of that incident.

Eventually the crowds thinned a bit, but by then I noticed something was off.  Ivan had been looking through the throng of people for a long while; he seemed to become more upset the longer he searched.  The valley behind him was clear of people, so I knelt down there.  "Are you looking for someone?" I asked when he turned to me.  Ivan nodded vigorously, "I- I can't find my family.  I don't think they were taken, but the crowd.." he gestured to the mass of people milling about in the valley.  "I can't see them."  "Maybe you just need a better vantage point," I said, offering him my hand.  

For a moment he stood looking out at the crowd again, checking one last time before giving in.  At last, Ivan turned and settled onto my palm.  He wasn't very practiced at balancing his weight when I moved, though.  That came with a lot more experience than he had.  Ivan tumbled backwards by the sudden motion of being lifted to standing height.  "Woah!" he yelped, "Slow down!  I know I said I was worried, but you don't need to go at full speed!"  "Sorry," I said halfheartedly, "So, what does your family look like?  I could help you search."  

After a few minutes of scanning the crowds from above, Ivan spotted them by the cavern opening.  They'd been searching for him too.  His family was a bit frightened of me at first, as most other-world people are, but after Ivan explained how he'd escaped and offered to help me fend off the scientists, they seemed a bit more at ease.  His mother repeatedly thanked me for keeping him away from the fight, and his younger sister even managed a shy hello before returning to their mother's side.  It was heartwarming, really.  Ivan's family seemed like such nice people, and I would've been happy to stay with them and chat, had it not been for a few other curious people who came to greet me.

Two cavern town residents approached me as Ivan and his family disappeared into town.  They were both better dressed than most of the others, who wore ragged clothes that looked as if they were scavenged from the rubble.  “Giant, though you may have destroyed our rock ceiling, we cannot deny the great service you’ve done for us here,” the first person said, gesturing at the abandoned cages and reunited people.  She had deep brown skin and grey hair that was almost white.  Smile lines creased her face, and her stature was quite imposing for someone her age. 

“However,” the man next to her cut in.  He wore a much more serious expression, and his eyes narrowed as he glared through the sun to look up at me.  His skin was a lighter pinkish white with a tinge of tan, similar to my own.  “The giants you fought off will likely return with better defenses.  With enough men, they could easily subdue you.”  “Which is why we’re offering a proposition,” the woman said, speaking over him.  “Stay with us, create defenses in the canyon and keep yourself and our town safe.  All hostility towards you from our gunsmen will be revoked, and you can live beside us with the others you’ve befriended.  In turn, we only ask that you protect us.”  “And stop destroying our things!”  

Whoever these two were, negotiators or whatnot, they wanted me to stay and ward the scientists away.  I wasn’t planning on living there; I doubted they would want me around after destroying many of their defenses.  However, I hadn’t considered the fact that the scientists could and probably would try to overtake me the next time we squared off.  I needed somewhere safer to live than the open cliffside where Erica’s mansion used to be.  This deal would benefit me just as much as it would benefit these people. In the mountains, I had lots more cover, and Erica would have an actual home again.  I saw no reason to refuse them.   “I accept,” I answered after thinking things through for a moment.  "I'll stay and protect the town."  A handshake from both negotiators made the deal official, since there was no legal paper in the world big enough for me to properly sign.  Though it was slightly awkward having to press each of their hands lightly between my index finger and thumb, I managed to get both of them to trust me enough to agree to it.  Afterwards, I wanted to go find Ivan.  He might be able to tell me who those people were.  However, I had something more important to do first.  Erica was waiting for me.

#that went surprisingly well #hopefully no hazmat giants are going to hold any grudges against Alexis for this… #but hey! #new characters! #g/t #giant tiny #other-world universe

[animehouse-moe]

Delicious In Dungeon Episode 8 Staff and Preview

Wow, look at me! Out of my last 3 posts (that span a week), I've had two that are Dunmeshi. It's bad, I know. I've had a busy week and I'm looking to bounce back and actually start posting more (both here and on my website). Anyways, this preview for episode 8 of Delicious In Dungeon is intensely interesting and exciting to me, and for reasons that I think are rather apparent from the previews. Still, I really want to share why I'm so hopeful for this episode.

Storyboarder: Yonemori Yuuki

100% The most exciting aspect/staff reveal for me within this episode. Yonemori may only have 3 storyboard credits to their name (DIY!! #4, WEP #3,12) but their work has undeniably captivated me all the same. Their DIY!! episode was incredible, right from the get go pursuing a voyeuristic style of Purin looking from the outside in at Serufu's happy and full life. They really made full use of the characters, story, and visuals to provide a stunning episode, and I'm expecting a lot of the same with what we'll see this coming Thursday.

Episode Direction: Shimodaira Yuichi

A little odd to be interested in the name of an episode director, but considering the fact that this is Trigger, and that Shimodaira has been a long term ED for the studio, it's not that far out to be happy to see their name appear. This is also their first DunMeshi episode they're directing, though they did both OP1 and ED2 (episode direction).

Animation Directors: Gun`yasu Shunpei, Satou Akihiro

This is arguably as interesting as the Yonemori Yuuki credit, in my opinion. Shunpei and Akihiro are effectively a pair of Trigger animators. Climbing the Trigger ladder side-by-side, the duo have appeared on all the same Trigger projects together. Similarly, both saw their AD debut with DunMeshi (eps 2 and 3 respectively). Considering the proximity of their work history, I think it's safe to say that the harmony struck between these two staff members will be a delight to watch. I mean, just look at those preview images. The stylistic deviation on the character designs is absolutely phenomenal.

So yeah, Trigger might already be deviating from the idea that only episodes that are multiples of 3 will be showing off. Sure, some of the content for this coming episode might not lend itself to the greatest of visual feasts, but I think anime onlies will definitely be in for a shock if this goes over how I think it will.

#delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #ダンジョン飯 #marcille dungeon meshi #marcille donato #marcille dunmeshi #dunmeshi #dungeon meshi anime #laios touden #chilchuck #senshi dungeon meshi #anime #anime and manga #anime staff #studio trigger