#and how he's the real culprit behind his love's death. and how it is that knowledge and the pain it produces that drove him to madness

[daydreamsandcrashingwaves]

Keeping It Close To The Chest Pt 1

Edited 12/25/23 ~~ Here's Part Two ~~

Part Three Part Four

I devoured the Damian Wayne and Danny Fenton are Twins tags and had to make something of my own to add. This is my first fanfic I've decided to post. I'm much more familiar with the DP side of things but I gave it my best shot. Hope this brings joy anyway. If I decide to post this on A03 I will have it beta'd since I made this in like four parts and then wove them together so the flow may not always be there whoopps.. but for now I just wanted to share this with all you!

TW/CW: Medical experimentation and trauma, parental abuse/neglect, wound description, blood-ectoplasm and human, death (it's danny, he's the culprit lol will apply to Jason too if I add to this), body horror (to be safe), PTSD and flashbacks, childhood trauma and abuse, dehumanization

If I missed a tag/warning please let me know! I've never been an extensive tagger so i tried real hard to get everything, but I am human and could've missed something. Much love, stay safe.

~Ren

He had to keep moving. He could still hear their screams of rage ringing in his ears. Faster, he had to be faster. His blind panic had created an opportunity, a sliver of hope Danyal was determined to twist to his advantage. He was limping forward on uncertain legs. His vision swayed with the movement, and he fought to keep upright. His chest was on fire, Danny pressed his hands tightly to the wound there in a desperate attempt to keep his organs from spilling out like confetti. He kept his arms tucked close and rounded his shoulders to try and keep his torso still while he moved quickly through the empty streets of his once home. His chest was by far injured the worst, but he had paid no mind to the others. If he dared to stop, he would fully die.

Even in his human form, Danny just knows he's leaving a glowing blood trail behind him, the ectoplasm burning into the ground behind him. Whatever side of his transformation his body was currently showing it didn't matter, he was simultaneously both, always. The trail was evidence he transformed due to necessity, he became so durable after dying that it took a lot to hurt him. Danny risked a glance down and paled further. The green he spilled as Phantom mixed with red. A fucked up corrosive bread trail right to him. He was sure he truly was in deep shit. He just had to get to his go bag. Over time with his parent's inventions getting more dangerous the more Danny had to think about putting into motion The Great Escape.

Anything important he had always kept hidden, but Danny had taken everything out of his room once he had died the second time, and Danny was grateful for the convenience to be able to phase things into walls, floors, ceilings. It made his things pretty secure; no human could find it and any ghost that came through was too focused on their obsession or fighting him to go on a treasure hunt for his hidden things.

Danny's willful ignorance of his body as he stumbles farther from FentonWorks doesn’t stop the slight burn of his ectoplasm against the edges of his wounds and the tatters of his hazmat suit pulling on the scabbing blood or the smell. Ancients the smell. It’s rancid, he hasn’t been able to cycle it properly without his normal supply of fresh ectoplasm from the Zone. Only provided in small bursts when his parents wanted to see how his body healed with and without ectoplasm. He can feel the whispers of his terror, anger, grief that’s flowing through his blood.

He had been overconfident way back when he had threatened Vlad with exposing his secret. He had thought they'd love him despite having kept his halfa status from them, he hadn't been prepared for the distrust, the hatred, the way they moved farther and farther from thought out experiments to revenge. Danny knows Maddie and Jack still see him as the quiet, shaken child so desperate to be good, craving acceptance by the eccentric family that took him in when they look at him. If Danny had to guess they had been so blinded in their rage to even realized it was their machine, their failure that made him this way. Now they really did want him dead.

He’s whole somehow, despite their best effort, he just needs time. Ancients, He’s not exactly the monster they pictured, but He's not human... He’s whole.

The thought tastes bitter and Danny strangles it before it can expand. He must be focused. Taking a measured breath Danny turns down a familiar alley, he goes intangible with a slight twinge in his core, slipping into the bathroom of Nasty Burger. He’s done this so many times the familiar path brings comfort, reassurance. Like maybe things will start to turn for the better. Making his way over to the stall Danny debated whether it was worth climbing the toilet or floating up there. No, it was better to grit his teeth and bare it. There were only three containers of ectoplasm in his bag, he needed to preserve what strength he had. He would soon have no way to access the Zone for a refill.

Danny took one hand and placed it on the wall before careful stepping up. Lifting his leg had sent waves of pain across his nerves but with a grunt he leveraged himself up. His vision went black at the edges, he was dizzy, and bile clawed at the back of his throat. Danny took a few breaths, while he might not need to breathe, he’s been human longer than not, and well.. he’s only half ghost so the habit carried over to when he's Phantom. Danny was immensely grateful for his time in the League, the training was brutal, he still has nightmares about dying the first time but.. he did learn how to survive in situations that if he was truly a Fenton, would've killed him many times over. As Danny was Danyal Al Ghul Fenton, he always had back up plans. His Mother had been heavy handed with those lessons.

It was painful to think about Talia. She had been Grandfather’s favored child and the weight of his expectations of his grandsons was enforced by her. Lessons or punishment, very rarely praise was given to Danny by his Mother's hand. Each milestone was meticulously observed and reported back, doubly so for their failures. Tiny bodies with too big of weapons, green and blue eyes, a face mirroring his own but twisted in determination, competition. His older brother, his twin. They were inseparable, until they weren't.

Danny's core throbs in his chest, he wanted to shy away from the thought, yet the inconsolable part of him screams at the injustice of being the only one to escape their Grandfather. If only Danny could've proven himself, perhaps his brother would've had a chance to leave in his stead, but Danny knows just how much he was lacking in comparison to his brother, and it was their skill, or lack thereof in Danny's case, that sealed their fates. Danny was able to avoid Ra's overseeing eyes when they moved off the failure of a Spare and homed in on his true Heir. The grandson who took to their lessons like a duck in water. Deathly beautiful, Danny used to think as he watched his brother dance and fly through his training. Talia couldn't defy Ra's orders but if she just.. misplaced.. the Spare that was abandoned, well, no one has come for him yet.

Danny knows she loved him, somewhere hidden, deep inside his Grandfather's perfect pet assassin. She loved him enough to send him away when it became clear Ra’s saw no need in the Spare that was no longer needed, she had loved him when she had beaten him and left mortal wounds-their only chance to fool Grandfather, she loved him when she had given him his packed bag and left him outside that orphanage in Chicago with lazarus water raging in his veins, and she loved him when she told him to forget.

Forget about the League her and his brother, his family.

With brief tight squeeze to his small shoulder her she told him if he was in danger to find Bruce Wayne and then Talia Al Ghul was gone and Danyal-just Danyal now- was left truly on his own for the first time ever.

Danny was definitely in danger now; his situation was grave and despite everything the pun brought a small smile to his face. He couldn’t go back home to the Fenton's. He tries to forget how he froze in his surprise when he realized his parents didn’t take his reveal as Phantom as well as they had let on. They had smiled and stalled until they had found a way to contain him. By then it was too late, he had gotten too complacent in his run on a normal life.

Only after Ancients knows how long he had been resisting, pleading, screaming-I’m still Danny, it hurts mom please, I’m still me, Dad I’m alive- did Maddie find his core. Too tired to move it away from her gaze any longer and when her fingers brushed it the wave of mind-numbing terror exploded out of him. Something must've been on her gloves because his core burned. It ripped a wail from his throat while he writhed on the table. Ice responded like it never was taken from him by the anti-ghost restraints.

Danny could still distantly feel the ghostly ice that had trapped them in place and shattered his restraints under the pressure the frozen water bursting into existence. Even trapped in his ghost ice they were steadily working on getting out and would be on the hunt for him again soon. He wouldn't allow them to catch him again.

The mere idea they’d be on their way already spurred Danny back into action. Slipping his hand into the wall he grabbed the strap and pulled his bag out, careful to keep it weightless, and slid off the toilet and back down to the floor. He hasn't seen his dagger in months, it hurt too much to practice without Dami, his other half. Here it is though, innocently tied to his bag and his gaze traced it lovingly, before searching inside the biggest pocket for his first aid kit. He didn't have time for stiches, so he reaches for the butterfly bandages and starts to pull the skin together before securing it. It's really the first proper look he gets, it's... unsettling at the very least, horrifying, to see a wound reserved for autopsies on his chest.

The Y incision is inflamed and still bleeding so he carefully follows its path until he's done. Grabbing gauze, he starts to reinforce pad, wrapping a roll of bandages around to hold everything in place. Danny bites his lip and thinks for a moment, he will need stitches, he's been wounded enough in this half-life to know that. The likelihood for his work to stay in place while he flies is less than he'd like. Making a decision and with a mental shrug he takes an ectoshot from the smaller pocket and stabbed it into his thigh before pressing the depressor. Pure energy zapped through his system hard, angerly surges to settle in his chest. Feeling a bit better but more.. wired Danny takes a second to calm. Steeling himself he tries to nudge his core, it responds in a weak pulse.

Danny's body protests, he can feel his muscles shred and reform, his bones twist like taffy, his organs melt together before settling to form his ectobody. It's all over in a flash of bright light, yet the pain felt endless. Overwhelming in its intensity but gone just as quickly as it came leaving Danny sweaty and panting. Transforming injured was tricky, he had to carefully picture where the bandages were, so he didn't lose all his hard work.

Confusion settled as a fog, clinging to his thoughts, making them murky. His hands were covered in blood, his body hurt, and he couldn't quite remember why, there was a siren coming closer. Everything in him screamed to run, to escape, but his hunters were too close now, freed from his ice to kill him fully. On instinct Danny's nails grew to claws, ripping into space to create a portal. He was weak, always had been, but he was good at running, hiding away in the shadows. Ghost was once a name of his, a proud title, not just what he is now.

Just as the doors burst open in a teal and orange blur Danny dove into the swirling green and hoped Clockwork was watching so at least someone knew things had exploded here in Amity. He hasn't needed to be on his own like this since after Jazz first saw him and demanded that her parents bring Danny home with them. He misses her now as the path out of Nasty Burger closes behind him. Danny's falling, dropping towards the ground too fast for eyes to track but his impact had definitely shaken the room. With a pained whine and a flash Danny was back to being human again, his landing had pulled at whatever scab was able to form in the twentyish minutes it took him to drag himself away from the basement. Danny was going to be sick, the sticky cool liquid that had his clothes clinging to him, was going to be very alarming when he finally could give himself a proper once over. He could feel the new bruises as he tried to roll off the pallets he had crushed.

"Oh! Someone decided to drop by! " A man called out with glee as he sauntered in his direction. "Shall we see who our special guest is?" Danny could feel the rotten soul as he got closer. Too close. Forgoing moving Danny tensed in anticipation. He was hurt, yes, but he would go down fighting. He could do that much to make his brother proud, even if he never realized Danny lived to 15 not 5. Before he could uncurl to swing at the man there was the soft sound of fabric rustling and a blade being drawn. Curling tighter Danny hoped he had enough juice to go intangible.

"You will not reach your goal Joker; Do you not get sick of trying?" The voice was smooth, deeper than he remembered but it's been 10 years, it's understandable that puberty changed his brother's voice. Danny would recognize it anywhere. Danny jinxed himself, somehow. How he ended up in the same room as the brother he hadn't seen in a decade, Danny wasn't sure. He was terrified though. Where Damian was the League and their Grandfather wasn't far behind. Damian had carefully hidden away his care as a child but would shower Danny in it in the darkness of their room. After years apart and Grandfather's continued influence Danny was uncertain how much of Damian truly remained.

There was a burst of noise, of movement and a struggle then silence covered the room. Danny's hands were shaking. "Nightwing, first aid is required inside, bring the kit." His brother paused, "No, a civilian, a metahuman if his unusually colored blood is to be taken into account."

Danny could feel his brother's scrutiny, his gaze held weight as it scanned over his collapsed form, he tried to curl more but a hand brushing his shoulder had Danny screaming and scrambling away.

Damian's hands twitched at his side, an aborted motion to draw his sword. He seemed to pause then they flew up empty, placating- it didn't bring Danny any comfort.

An assassin's greatest tool was always their hands. Green eyes tracked him, narrowing at the way Danny was shrinking into the shadows. Dread swam down his spine to settle hard in his gut. Of all the ways to meet his brother again, it had to be when he was dying, for a third time. Danny reached blindly for whatever was next to him to pull himself up, his knees wobbled precariously but he would be standing for this. He had to be. Black spots were now in his vision, but he forced a smirk onto his face. Danny was sure he was a sight to see, torn clothes, skin riddled with bruises, green and red blood splattered all over like a kindergartener's messy painting of Christmas, limp dirty hair.

Danny knows Damian is assessing him, taking in what he can see in front of him to efficiently deal with it as they were trained to do. potential strengths and weaknesses. Behind both the domino mask and his calm exterior Damian is taking in a snapshot. Danny wonders what he sees, if his brother recognizes the boy he’s grown into, Danny’s core thrums wildly and he tries not to fidget. The slight frown that pulls at Damian’s mouth means he caught the aborted motion.

"Damn, green, yellow and red... You look like a traffic light!" He gets one giggle in before he chokes on it. Danny can't breathe. His brother had gone deathly still when Danny spoke. He could see the war of emotions fighting through his brother, suspicion was quickly doused with rage. "How dare she." The Arabic was an unexpected comfort, but Danny felt confusion at the words. He's severely out of practice, he thought he understood but doubt settled in. He wasn't sure.

Damian had always stood firm next to him in the League, calm, driven and decisive, the perfect heir for their Grandfather. He was always warm to Danny though, would allow traces of his true feelings to be visible when Damian would inevitably catch Danny sneaking out of his bed to stargaze. Danny would get scolded, every time. Grandfather would punish him harshly for such indulgences, he knew it. Attachments were weaknesses and Grandfather would not grow weakness in the League, in his heirs. Danny may be weak and the Spare but he was smart. He knows what the looks of distaste meant from his Grandfather. He knew how his failures would catch up to him and how Grandfather disapproved of his influence on Damian. Yet Danny kept going back, hiding in the shadows to gaze at the stars and wait for his brother to come find him.

Danny had braced for Damian to be mad when he realizes Danny didn’t truly die that day and has stayed away from his brother, but Danny couldn’t have expected this.

Pure hatred lights up in Damian’s eyes when he finally realizes what is in front of him. It's Danny’s undoing. Everything else that has happened seemed like a cakewalk compared to being rejected by the person who had always understood him most. Ghosts are the manifestation of their emotions. Frostbite had explained once how injuries can manifest in a ghost's form on their own. Emotional pain could make them unravel down to their cores, until even that disappeared.

For Danny, there was uncertainty, halfas were so rare that there wasn’t much off hand knowledge, but Danny has always known from the second he died. There was no separation between his human and ghost halves. He just was. What fancy wrapping he showed off hardly mattered. Things bleed so easily between them, Danny Fenton and Phantom.

"I'll kill her painfully for this, but you abomination it will be swift." Damian has balanced on his toes, ready for a quick burst of speed. His sword now clenched so tightly in his hands it almost shakes.

An abomination the words looped through Danny's mind. The wounded sob that came forth when he opened his mouth to reply was unexpected. Danny took halting steps back from his twin. The hitching breath brought his attention back to his chest. This wasn't how Danny had pictured this moment, all those years of stolen daydreams. His core felt wrong in his chest. He felt cold, cold and brittle but his chest was on fire-and wet. The surgical cut seeping like its minutes fresh, this was by far Danny’s worst idea, to believe to ever hope, his brother would ever keep a monster by his side Danny was a fool to hope even for a moment-hands hands reaching for him to bring him back, grabbing his arm-

“No! I don't know! No please” Danny gasps as he flails weakly “I’m sorry I’m sorry!”

Damian hesitates again, before his resolve firms, "Danyal-" His name cracks over his brother's tongue. Danny isn't aware enough to unpack the way his brother's face twists in heartbreak the longer he watches Danny bleed. A warm body comes up behind him, blocking him in, he’s crying now, a weakness that he never could smother. "No!" Danny avoids his gaze scrambling to grip onto whatever fabric is in his hands. Danny wants the moment to last but he knows what’s coming. Damian won’t protect him now. His older brother had been steadfast by his side in their childhood, but now… now maybe it was better he’s bleeding out.

Danny vaguely registered the man behind him cutting off his shirt, kit at the ready besides him. Pressure on his wound forces a long high whine from his throat. He wants to shove it away, his hand swatting at it but he missed, and it thuds uselessly on the ground. He doesn't have the energy to try again.

The shock of a hot hand against his face brings everything into abrupt focus. Danny flinches but can’t move, the body unyielding behind him. He sees the room is covered in his frost and ice. Batman and Red Robin are farther back, their feet trapped in the ghostly ice, they had things in hand to try and hack away at the ice trapping them in place.

“Danyal” The pain in his twin's voice has him turning in that direction; his brother was there. For how well they could read each other in childhood Danny had no clue what his brother was thinking now. His twice dead brother, back to only die again at his feet. “Are you destabilizing? Why were you sent here? What does Mother want?”

“What?” Danny can’t help the laugh that bursts out of him, even if it hurts, it seems his ice kept his organs in place while he tumbled through his hastily made portal. He must've lost consciousness at some point though; his ice seems to have melted to leaving him fully exposed. “That bitch- She has nothing to do with this- wait. You think-” Danny laughs even harder until he can’t breathe and he’s hacking and spitting up more ectoplasm. He’s pulled more fully against the warm body behind him, his head lulls-oh it’s Nightwing, the blatant concern radiating from the man stings Danny’s eyes and a few tears scatter down his face.

“I’m not a clone Dami, I didn’t even know you weren’t with the League anymore." Danny's speech slurs more the harder he tries to piece sentences together, "I'm sorry I don't know how I ended up here.” Danny is growing quieter the longer he talks- can feel his life draining onto the floor and there’s panic in the air now, Batman had sprung up next to Damian's side. Seemed to say something to Damian before he retreated slightly. Batman was hovering ready to interfere but unsure in what actions needed to take place.

Damian is staring at him intently, looking to match his scars to the one's he remembers. He taps his fingers insistently on Danny's cheek and Danny doesn't fight looking back at him. The fingers linger against the scar hidden behind his hair next to his ear, traces the edges. Damian was the one to give it to him, a training error. He had looked at Danny similarly to how he was now. Fear, regret, panic. Words are being said, they blend together, warp, so Danny just hums in response. Everything is more distant now. Danny's own fear floating out of reach. He knows death intimately, he's not afraid to greet her a third time.

The words became frantic as he struggles to stay awake, and someone was talking again. “-ood to see you though- no tss okay no pain.. mma be cold soon-" Oh. That's Danny. The face he has ached to see for years fills his vision. The shade of green he could never replace. Danny was picked up and hustled out a door into the by Nightwing while a harsh discussion flew over his head. They were in some sort of vehicle now, the door shutting causes silence to blanket the group. His head is in Damian's lap, and it takes a second, but Danny realizes Damian is carting his fingers through his greasy hair. His other hand was holding Danny's, playing with his fingers like he did as children. Danny's vision fills with tears and spills down his face.

"Danyal? Can you hear me?" Damian calls his attention softly, his sweet, sweet brother tries to keep the concern out of his voice, off his face. Once he sees Danny focus on him a trembling smile makes its home on Damian's face. His domino mask is gone, Danny drinks in the unobscured view of his brother. "We'll be back to the Cave shortly, Alfred will attend to you, then you're going to tell me exactly how this happened so I can make sure it never does again." Danny can tell Damian is scared, the minute tremble in his petting only confirmed it. Danny let a smile tug at his lips too, "It's gonna be okay Dami" Danny slurred, he hears Damian insisting they were almost home.

Home with Damian. That was a fool's dream, just out of reach. Danny never indulged in the idea; he wouldn't put Dami in danger by reappearing. But- Danny was with him now, a twitch of his fingers against Damian's proves it. Danny went limp as the Batmobile skidded into the Cave, Damian was a silent statue watching Alfred take his brother away from him. Batman saddled up next to him- Damian should shower and change, whatever it was that changed his brother was making his skin itch- but he couldn't move. His baby brother was in there, dying, again.

"Damian, chum... what was all that?" Damian ignores his eyes itching as tears built, he clears his throat to report- reporting was vital with their nighttime activities, Father needed information to help Danny. He couldn't take his eyes of the little glowing red 'In Use' sign above the surgery door though.

Damian cuts a glance at the man next to him, more Bat than Father at the moment. "Once Danyal is stable, I will give you an explanation Father."

~~~~

I thought of a name, added it to the tags, I'll add a link to the next post if I write one, will tag future posts with 'Keeping It Close To The Chest' as well

much love

~Ren

#dc x dp #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #danny and damian are twins #danny phantom #danny fenton #damian wayne #dick grayson #bruce wayne #tim drake #human experimentation #Scientific experimentation #vivisection #Danny whump #clones #nightwing #red robin #batman #alfred pennyworth #batfam #batfamily #batpham #on the run #injuries #ras al ghul #the league of assassins #talia al ghul #the joker #he's there briefly lol #like one second

[shreddedleopard]

Sherliam-shaped ramble incoming 🥴🥺

Rewatched Morimyu op. 3 for the millionth time and can’t stop thinking about Albert’s words to William about leaving the real Jack The Ripper culprits’ bodies there for Sherlock to find, and how much trust William had in this man despite only having met him a handful of times.

Like he really said ‘you and I are on the same wavelength to the point that I trust you not to fuck up this whole scheme to unite the current discord in London between Whitechapel and the Yard without even exchanging an actual word with you on the subject.’

He must have really felt so … vindicated to have found someone who could take one look at his actions and piece together his real motivations behind his criminal acts. Sherlock quickly paints the Lord of Crime as a ‘Robin Hood’ figure who’s seeking to rebalance their world, and although he can’t forgive the law-breaking methods employed by Liam, he recognises that Liam took on that role and condemned himself for the sake of the common people.

William found someone who could identify the real heart of him, and then he trusted that person with his life — to carry out the real justice to balance out his wrong-doings.

You know, the more I think about it, the more it hurts and the more I love Sherlock. I think for William, the answer to Sherlock’s ‘why me?’ (Why not a perfect actor instead?) is that an actor might see William’s acts but not really understand them in the way Sherlock does, or care to, and that is incredibly important to William.

William knew he had to die because what he was doing was passing judgement in a way he shouldn’t really be allowed to do, in a fair and righteous world, but he has to do it that way in order to make an impact and affect change. But at least let the person who ends his life truly understand why they’re doing it — not because William is rotten and hateful at his core, but actually, filled with love and compassion for others, so much so that he’s willing to become the villain for everyone else’s sake.

I believe it was the last comfort he could hope for — to have his act, his show, his existence brought to an end by an individual who would not hate him or misunderstand him as they ‘pull the trigger.’

He called Sherlock ‘the real devil!’ angrily in their final (and only) fight on the bridge because Sherlock hesitated, and William’s hard-wired view of his own guilt pushed him to think that Sherlock’s moral compass might suddenly be off, and he lacked the conviction to condemn William to death as William believed should be the just and moral end to his plan.

But then he realises that actually, it’s not that Sherlock is weak hearted and unwilling to follow through with the path of justice. What William has underestimated is Sherlock’s own depth of compassion — but compassion for him, specifically. In all his planning, even in his joy at finding Sherlock — a man who would understand his goal and dream and what it might take to bring it to fruition — William had failed to account for the possibility that someone might be moved enough by his sacrifice to want to save him.

The idea that he is as deserving of love as everyone else is not a thought he’s allowed himself to entertain, and he steels his resolve and decides that he will jump himself if Sherlock cannot do it.

But this idea that Liam is an individual hugely deserving of love has been at the forefront of Sherlock’s mind for a long, long time before they faced off on that bridge.

Sherlock sees the role William has taken on — completely by himself. He understands the lonely truth of William’s compassionate and self sacrificing nature beneath the facade, and to this he says, I’m here, I am your friend, and I won’t let you do this by yourself anymore. I won’t let you fall alone.

They are just. Everything. The love is like a physical weight on my chest, I cannot. 😭

#sherliam #yuukoku no moriarty #william james moriarty #mtp sherlock #sherlock holmes #yuumori #moriarty the patriot #morimyu #morimu

[anderscim]

✦ i actually talk about something other than DRDT for once (minor detail analysis)

// spoilers for up to chapter 4 of MDA:RC

you know the drill. (rain code edition) and yes, i’m actually in other fandoms. i have way too many hyperfixtations. lord help me.

basically, there was a small detail i noticed about a specific character’s mystery phantom in the chapter 4 labyrinth, so i just wanted to point that out and make connections as to what it could possibly mean.

let’s get straight to it! ^^

yes, this is about yomi’s mystery phantom. but likely not in the way that you’d think.

of course, i love the fact that yomi’s mystery phantom form doesn’t have any colorful accents like the others, and i could honestly talk for hours about that aspect—but this post is actually about a separate detail.

just what in hell is going on with yomi’s hair?

yep, that’s what i’m going to talk about. and i’m not flaming him for this wild hairstyle, trust me.

when you look at it, the mystery phantom’s hairstyle is divided into three separate parts:

the left(?) portion of his hair, which is on the messier side and pointing in all directions

the middle portion, which is the most similar to yomi’s actual hairstyle (checked his sprite for reference)

and the rightmost portion, which looks like someone used a straightening iron on it.

in a way, he almost doesn’t look like yomi. all other mystery phantoms have at least partial semblance to their real-life counterparts—especially with their eye-shape and the general flow of their hair—but in the case of this specific mystery phantom, there wasn’t a lot.

though, that isn’t too important, right? it’s just a unique part of his mystery phantom design so i shouldn’t think too hard into it, surely it can’t be anything more than tha—

huh

wait, if this is what i think it is-

…oh.

what’s unique about this moment is that yakou’s apparition(?) appears as if to directly replace yomi’s mystery phantom. which doesn’t happen anywhere else.

which means, there’s a possibility that this cutscene was intentionally created to show that “yomi’s” mystery phantom was a front for the true culprit. (the truth was right in front of yuma all this time, but disguised under a facade. yuma just couldn’t get himself to face it head-on until the very end) there’s a multitude of theories i can come up with about why they decided to show this, but unfortunately that’s not what i’m here to talk about. though, if you don’t mind, here’s a side tangent: my main theory is that yakou felt horrible about essentially using the detectives in his crime and couldn’t face the rest of the NDA after what he did; the only way he could directly argue against their deductions was to act as someone else. after his true identity was exposed he had nothing more to say to them, other than a non-verbal expression of the regret he carried behind his back) okay side tangent over

my point is—if the theory of “yakou hid behind the guise of yomi’s mystery phantom” is true, it provides an explanation for the mystery phantom’s hair style.

after all, the two other “parts” of his hair i described earlier are quite similar to the hairstyles of two other characters.

…yeah. yakou and his wife. it’s not an exact replica of their hairstyles, but the general flow and concept is there.

in a way, this subtle detail is a nod to yakou’s true motive behind murdering huesca—to protect his wife / avenge his wife’s death. but yakou didn’t want to reveal this and hid it all the way through to the end, even going as far as obscuring his face on the photo with his blood so others couldn’t identify it, and hiding behind the guise of yomi’s mystery phantom in the labyrinth.

despite this “facade,” however—yakou’s true motives behind the crime are still visible. they’re just not up front and center until someone points them out.

god, chapter 4 has reshaped my mental process in ways i can’t describe. there’s so much i still want to talk about with “yomi’s” mystery phantom design (like how the part of the hairstyle that resembles yakou is on the mystery phantom’s “demon(?)-like” half and how the part that resembles his wife is on the “angelic” half), but that will have to wait until later.

for now, take this with a grain of salt ^^

#bagel’s train of thought #raincode #rain code #master detective archives: rain code #mda:rc #mdarc #rain code theory #mda:rc theory #yomi hellsmile #yakou furio #the pain that came with chapter 4 is never ending #spike chunsoft put so much detail into this game #also finally! i talk about something other than fangans!

[onlyrains]

[2:43am]

— t/w: angst, mention of death

the feeling of losing someone, the feeling of being alone, the feeling of your absence—these stressed this man out. murayama hadn't eaten anything since the day you left him, the day you left everything behind, and broke your own promises. but he isn't mad at you, not even for a second, not even a bit. he's angry because he tried to suppress everything he's feeling, but he couldn't. the fact that you're no longer alive and the memory of your body turning blue slowly engraved in his mind, and it hasn't stopped playing since the day he locked himself.

the grip he has on his pen tightens as he feels the heat welling up in his eyes, forcing a tear to fall down his cheek for the thousandth time.

i never knew i would be alone after i met you. i thought we were meant to be together, and you would never leave my side. but you left. you left me, but i'm not mad at you. i can't be. well, it would be so nice if you were here to wake me up from this nightmare, but i know it's impossible because i've realized now that i haven't slept for days. scold me all you want because that would be the best thing that could happen right now. i love you, really. you broke your promise to move to my place, but that's fine. i still love you.

i believe that in another life, i would run to the key shop to duplicate my door key and give it to you as a present. i believe that in another universe, we would think of the same place when we think of home. i believe that in another time, we would sleep on the same bed every night, with my hands around your waist.

i need you. you're still the best thing ever happened to me and i don't know how my life would turn out without you. the dreams i had, the goals we made, i lost them. i lost the path i was on. love, i lost everything when i lost you. but i'm fine. it's fine because you're not hurting anymore. you have the peace you deserved. i'm sorry this is so messy. i tried to express everything i feel just like you always told me to, but i'm in the worst state now. i hope you understand. i will force myself to sleep, and I'll place this on my chest because i know it's the closest to you, right? i love you so m

he fell on his back without completing the sentence. he dozed off, having drained the rest of his strength to write the letter. seki had been there the whole time, staring through the door gap, watching his friend burst into tears while trying to put his feelings on paper.

he entered the room and carefully laid his dear friend on the bed, pulling the blanket and arranging him in a more proper position to sleep, hoping he would find some rest for a while.

seki knows that it will continue for some time, until murayama reaches the phase of seeking the culprit who hit you to death. he probably kill someone for real.

#i was so impulsive to post this.. #might delete this soon.. #high & low fanfiction #high and low #high and low x reader #high&low #high & low the worst #high & low x reader #high and low the worst #high and low timestamps #oya kou #murayama x reader #yoshiki murayama #murayama yoshiki #high and low murayama #high and low angst #murayama angst #high&low angst #high & low #oya high #hnl #h&l #high&low x reader #high and low imagine

[starlightshadowsworld]

Reyna remembers the day she joined Camp Jupiter.

The day she and her sister split up, one heartfelt goodbye and to keep in touch before making their own paths.

Reyna had loved Hylla, she still does. But it was time for her to put down her own roots and grow out of her sisters shadow.

Camp Jupiter was where she made her mark.

Back than it had felt so huge and now it was suffocating.

She hadn't been completly naive, not after the life she'd led.

But Reyna remembers, emnbarssingly being one of the star struck new recruits.

The same she now terrorised with ease.

Jason had always admonished her for it but she knew he enjoyed it too.

Octavian was always at her side ready to freak them out.

Jason would shake his head but his smile was always fond.

Things had changed since than.

The Camp was different now and Reyna would lie if she said she hadn't changed with it.

They all had.

Reyna never thought she'd leave.

None of them ever had.

And while they'd say it was out of loyalty, for a vow of a life time service.

The real answer was simply, she had no where else to go.

Jason had been sent here at 3 years old.

And Octavian had always planned to stay here.

This was their home.

This had been their home.

Reyna knelt down, cleaning up the weeds and throwing the dying flowers in a heap.

Planting yellow roses and lilies, dividing them up equally between them both.

"I'm sorry I took so long this time."

The paperwork was filled, a rucksack sat beside her.

The planting was suprisingly therapeutic as she told them about her plans.

"I think your sister might give me a run for my dracmas." She teased, she could imagine the soft smile on Jason's face in agreement.

Jason always looked happy when she thought of him.

Reyna hoped he was.

She regretted never looking for him, knowing better than most he would have searched for her.

Reyna mused quietly if that was why she and Octavian had been at odds.

They were both people of passion, of biting remarks and sullen silences.

They were both stubborn, even if it hurt they were both prideful and never backed down.

Jason had been their bridge when their personalities clashed.

She hadn't cared who had seen her break when his body was carried in.

Instinctively she'd reached for Octavian.

Before remembering he was already gone.

Reyna hated saying it but she took his death worse.

At least when Jason had died, people greived.

She held no ill will for Nico, but her heart broke all the same when she found out.

It didn't stop either of their graves from being vandalised.

She broke the culprits arm in 4 places before anyone intervened.

Didn't stop it happening again.

At this point Reyna didn't read the cruel words, she only cleaned them off and committed their original states to memory.

Hazel and Frank had promised to tend to them in her absence, she hadn't even had to ask.

It touched her that they cared.

The others did too, apparently thinking fondly of blonde haired boys who'd been deemed traitors wasn't a new thing.

"This isn't goodbye forever, but it is for now."

Reyna rested her head on each of the stones.

Running a finger through their names.

She doesn't know how far partial immortality will take her but she wants to be buried here when it's over.

Reyna had lived life too long alone, she cared for those around her but no one could ever replace them.

Letting a stray tear fall, she grabbed her bag and left.

She didn't look back but imagined that they were behind her.

Together as they deserved to be, waving her goodbye as she stepped into a new chapter of her life.

#reyna avila ramirez arellano #jason grace #octavian pjo #heroes of olympus #the burning maze spoilers #They were friends to me #Octavian Reyna Jason friendship

[seriouslysam8]

It's kinda Sad that some Snape haters doesn't see all the facts and accuse him of things that he didn't do or know.

I mean it"s clear, in book 3, that Snape fully believed that Sirius WAS the secret keeper and that he betrayed James and Lily. He thinks that Sirius is partly resposible of Lily's death. He didn't KNOW that it was Peter. Or he would have told Dumbledore, even after the events.

He hates Sirius, right but he would prioritize finding the real culprit. For his pov, at this moment Sirius and Lupin WERE suspicious and Lupin didn't have took his potion (and it could put Harry and the two others in danger).

The same persons find 100 excuses to Lupin for NOT have told Dumbledore that Sirius was a animagus even when he thought he was the culprit, and if Sirius HAD been the culprit, Harry could have been in danger. \_(:/)_/ Good thing that Sirius WAS innocent.

I love Sirius and Lupin, but seriously Remus has made so many mistakes this night.

Both Snape and Remus were wrong. One didn't have all the infos + had something "suspicious" under his yes + was angry and the other didn't take his potion and was bad to explain things. "look at the rat" hello Remus? Snape doesn"t KNOW that Peter is a animagus.

But yeah Snape is worse when he's angry. Sirius push all his boutton everything they see each other. We can't leave them in the same location or blood will be everywhere XD (but maybe they would finally speak as adults and put all the venom out?)

I can’t tell if you’re criticizing my views on Snape or not. I mean, I do hate Snape with a passion. I do not hide that at all.

But you know what? Part of the fun of fandom is that you can have your own opinions and nobody should hate on you having an opinion. I’ve received hate for having an opinion on a character or a ship. It’s rather silly in my mind. If you don’t like my views, block me and don’t read me. I promise I will never seek out people whose opinions I don’t agree with and trash them. I have better things to do with my time. You do you and I do me.

But I do think Snape is a shitty ass human being. He bullies kids he has authority over. He is an absolute jerk to Harry because he dares look like his dead dad he can’t remember. He cannot get over childhood judges. While I agree with you on some points, I disagree with you on others. Even if Snape knew Peter was the real culprit, I don’t think he would have told anyone. He would have been happy to let Sirius rot in Azkaban. Being innocent would probably just tickle his fancy. This is the man who had no problem if an innocent child died as long as his ex-best friend who he has a very creepy obsession over lives. His morals are very questionable.

By contrast, I think there’s plenty of people who are willing to criticize Remus for a lot of things too. I’ve seen people downright hate Remus. I don’t hate Remus. I just want him to be better. But Remus can be a shitty ass human being too at times.

As for Sirius, well, okay, I have an unreasonable soft spot for him and that man can do no wrong in my eyes. I just adore him. And I sympathize with him on a personal level. So, yeah, even the shitty stuff Sirius does I can’t help but love. 😂😂😂 I have a problem, don’t I? There has to be some twisted psychology behind that.

But my point is, not everyone has to agree. I don’t think we should judge people based on their views or their how much they like or dislike a fictional character. I relate to Sirius in a lot of ways because of my own shitty childhood so I hold him on this pedestal. The same with Harry. I relate to him on a personal level so he’s just my cute little cabbage. Meanwhile, characters like Snape make my skin crawl because I can’t understand any adult bullying a child. And I say that as someone who was a child and bullied by my own mother. So that alone turns me off immediately to his character and negates anything good he does. Because I can’t help but see him as a shitty ass person who never grew up.

So instead of thinking people are “sad” or “toxic” or “stupid,” (I’m being general here because I’ve been called these things for having a fucking opinion that someone else doesn’t agree with) it’s best not to judge anyone. You have no idea why they relate to certain characters or why certain characters turn them off. You have no idea what characters are their comfort characters or what characters trigger them. While I make my opinions known on my own page about how I feel, I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I don’t go to other people’s pages or stories and leave them hate.

[consumed-by-fandom]

MY ARGUMENT FOR WHY LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO BY TAYLOR SWIFT FITS OSWALD COBBLEPOT A LITTLE TOO WELL

So people seemed quite interested in my thoughts on this sooo here ya go! :p

Spoilers for Gotham (2014) obvs

For context the song fits with Oswald’s Season 3 Arc, where he becomes mayor of Gotham and is taken down and killed by Edward after Oswald kills Ed’s ‘weird ass totally-a-clone-of-his-dead-ex’ girlfriend, Isabella. Oswald survives because of course he does, and plots his revenge against Ed for the rest of the season. AND HE FUCKING GETS IT BECAUSE HES OSWALD FUCKING COBBLEPOT

Anyway lets get into the lyrics shall we?

First off, Riddler is known for his games and puzzles, and in particular his whole revenge plan might have been seen as a game to both of them, with Ed seeing it as a strategic game to destroy Oswald, and Oswald seeing it as a childish game played unfairly to Ed’s own agenda. The tilted stage also ties to Riddler’s showmanship and love of being in the spotlight, as well as how, to Oswald’s perspective, he’s putting himself up on a pedestal while criticising Oswald despite everything Oswald has done for him (I think Oswald definitely saw Isabella’s murder as an act of kindness or love, the latter might be canon too?) Oswald being forced to play the fool is pretty self-explanatory, he was thrown through the rings of Ed’s deception and tests none the wiser to Ed being the culprit.

I think even Oswald would have to admit that Ed outplayed him, using everything he knew about Oswald, all his weaknesses and vulnerabilities, to completely ruin his life and prove a point (even if that point got disproven because he accidentally proved Oswald WAS capable of real love lmao) And how Oswald, as paranoid and wary as he is, still did not believe for a second that Ed would betray him. (This is unrelated but Oswald’s trust issues is so sad to see because as the show goes on he gets increasingly more distrustful of others and by season 5 it doesn’t take much for him to go “YOUVE BETRAYED ME I FUCKING KNEW IT” poor lad). Anyway Ed is a pro at shit eating grins, and has no qualms lying to others, something I think hurts Oswald even more because he always believed that they’d be honest with one another (even though he went behind Ed’s back… hes a bit of a hypocrite guys) But Ed is also one to gloat and mock, perhaps even more than Oswald, and he definitely rubs it in Oswald’s face when he reveals that it was his plan all along, that he was behind everything. Stretching a bit with the gun here but I like to think that Oswald believed they were always on the same page, that Oswald would always call the shots so to speak, that he was the one in control. Ironically it was the shot that Oswald took that pushed Ed to take a shot of his own (i am NOT sorry for the wordplay >:] )

Speaking of wordplay. “Isn’t cool” Ahahah. Get it. Cuz. Cuz ed gets… anyway.

What does Oswald Cobblepot do best when wronged? Plan an elaborate revenge scheme of course! He learns from his mistakes, learns more about who Edward is as a person, and also learns not to let love weaken him :,). His revenge against him does what Ed initially did to him - use his flaws and characteristics to his advantage. And Oswald PLAYS HIM LIKE A FIDDLE by practically leading him to his doom, right until the reveal by the pier. Him escaping death is also surprisingly common for him, surviving from the pier not once, but TWICE by this point in the show. Not to mention all the other murder attempts on his life. The list of names would relate to Oswald’s growing enemies, his revenge hitlist so to speak, with Ed being at the very top for obvious reasons.

I think Oswald would definitely blame other people for his behaviour. Like “you made me this way, you provoked me, you forced my hand.” No dude you just love murder and vengeance get over urself. I MEAN he probably knows he’s ‘just like that’ but he’d still blame people anyway lmao.

When Ed got shipped to Arkham for girlfriend strangling and cop killing Oswald eventually got him out so he could be by his side as he campaigned for mayor of gotham, and he was pretty dedicated to being there for Ed as Ed was for him, even including him in paintings and promoting him to chief of staff. He loved him so much, and would do anything for him (even if it meant doing what he thought was for his benefit. Like killing girlfriends.) So naturally Ed ruining his life and then going off and making a name for himself as the Riddler would absolutely piss Oswald off, because to Oswald he had been so generous and a good friend/potential life partner, and this was the thanks he gets? I could also see Riddler’s rise to prominence as something Oswald would be jealous of, because thats his crime spotlight he’s stealing dammit!

Also. Also Ed stole the keys to his heart ahahahAGUGHUGHUHGAHGHH

Gotham is full of drama all day everyday 24/7, I have to imagine even Oswald gets sick of it after a while lol. Anyway he’s very good at losing himself to his own plans and thoughts driven by his emotions, pushing the rest of the world aside so he can solely focus on his revenge. He never forgets a grudge, he always gets what’s “deserved” to him (and he’s actually really good at getting revenge too, using Ed’s eventual sentence as an example). Ironically that also fits with how Oswald got his punishment for Isabella’s death, but now he’s paid the price, its Ed’s turn (and anyone else who Oswald had a vendetta against at the time. Which was probably a lot of people idk Oswald makes a lot of enemies in the show)

Again, Oswald has MAJOR trust issues and this paranoid only grows as the show goes on and more people betray or leave him. He’s also pretty sly himself, and if his plans include completely screwing you over for whatever reason, you better bet he’s going to do it.

As for the latter lyric…

Do i even need to explain this one?

There isn’t much I can link for this it just seems like something Oswald would say lmao

Aaaaaand thats all! I didn’t go over repeating choruses for obvious reasons, but that’s my own brainrot explanation for why this song fits him soooo well. Now if you’ll excuse me i’m going to daydream about the animation that would go to this that I’ll probably never do.

#insane ramblings #analysis #now i just need to find a song that fits Ed’s perspective lmao #gotham tv #oswald cobblepot #edward nygma #nygmobblepot #i wrote all this at 3am #as one does #gotham #gotham season 3 #gotham fox #i put too much effort into this

[serafilms]

heart over head — choi beomgyu

↳ pairing – choi beomgyu x reader

↳ genre – fluff; angst; soulmate au; past lives au; reincarnation; romance; imagine; fem!reader (at least in one of the lives)

↳ synopsis – over one lifetime, or two, three, four, choi beomgyu has always been the one thing you are missing. in every life you share, and every life you don't, there is something in you that yearns for him. and you will spend every second you can looking to find him. because while your minds may not remember each other, your hearts will.

↳ warnings – suicide and depression (in one section, marked with TW); death; some light hinting at sexual themes

↳ word count – 1.9k

There is this idea that a piece of string could change your life. One single thread that stretched for miles across the Earth could be the very thing that changes your life forever. 姻缘红线 — “The Red String of Fate.”

The first time you met him, you had no interest in such beliefs.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he had muttered, panicking as he attempted to wipe the frosting off of your shoulder.

You jerked your arm away in annoyance, pulling out a napkin from your bag to get rid of it yourself. What kind of idiot carries around a cake without putting it in a box? A glance around you at the crowded street made you scoff. Of course. Of all the strangers scurrying past, you had to be the one who he crashed into.

As you looked up to face the culprit, who was still uttering apologies faster than your mind could comprehend, you felt your anger melt away. This guy was… cute. He looked like someone you would have seen in class and admired from afar. Someone you would crush on and hold in your heart as a fantasy of young love. For someone who stubbornly refuted the idea of love at first sight, you couldn’t deny the feeling he gave you. If love at first sight was indeed real, then you were sure it would be something like this.

And he seemed to think so as well. At your silence, the boy had looked up, meeting your eyes, and the apologies evaporated from his mouth. He smiled, and the world seemed to fade away behind him.

“Wow, seems like we were destined to meet.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I don’t believe in any of that stuff.”

He tilted his head a little in surprise. “What, you don’t believe in fate? Destiny? Soulmates?”

You shrugged as you dabbed at your shirt again. “Not really.”

“Well, I, for one, think this is destiny.”

Another roll of your eyes was the only response he received.

“What? Don’t believe me?” He grinned, innocent and boyish.

“As a matter of fact, I do not,” you scoffed.

“Well, let me buy you dinner sometime, try and convince you otherwise.”

A smile encompassed your face against your will and you fought to keep it down. Damn, this guy really knew how to tear down your defences.

"Sure."

He held out the hand that wasn't covered in frosting and offered you another grin. "Choi Beomgyu."

"L/N Y/N."

And that had been the beginning of something great.

It wasn't until 24 years into your next lives that you met again. You'd been out of university, living in the real world for a few years until you got a job at the company you'd been dreaming of working for. It was your first day on the job and you could feel your stomach churning. A head popped up over your computer, from the other side of the desk, and you saw a man your age with bright eyes and floppy hair.

"Hi."

You blinked. "Hi?"

"First day?" His head still hovered over your computer, and you could only imagine him awkwardly half squatting over his chair to talk to you.

"Yeah," you said.

"I've been here a few months already, so just let me know if you need any help," the man beamed at you.

You smiled back awkwardly. "Thank you. Um, what was your name, sorry?"

"Oh! My bad," he chuckled, "I'm Choi Beomgyu."

He stretched out a hand and you took it, giving it a firm shake. "I'm L/N Y/N."

Somehow it felt as if he already knew that.

In the life after that, you had been lucky. Your parents had been best friends, and thus you had been too. You'd grown up beside Beomgyu, with every waking minute of your days spent next to him.

"I'm going to marry you one day," a nine year old Beomgyu said to you. The two of you lay on a mattress your parents had set out for you in the living room.

You felt yourself blushing but refused to show it, instead turning your face. "Yeah, right. I'd rather die than marry you."

"My mum said dying is scary though," Beomgyu frowned.

"Well, my dad says it's like going to sleep for a long time. And then you wake up, and it's like a brand new adventure!"

"Hm, if that's true, then we should practice! Let's go to sleep and see what it's like!"

Feeling drowsy yourself, you readily agreed. "Okay, goodnight Beomgyu."

"Goodnight Y/N."

He had ending up marrying you that time.

Kissing a man, a stranger, was not something you would usually do.

But there had been something familiar about him; there was something about the way he moved and kept stealing glances at you from across the bar that felt as if you had seen him before. You found yourself drawn to him like a magnet, intrigued by the longing feeling you felt in your chest. The feeling that was directed towards him.

When he finally approached you, and his arm grazed against yours, you felt the feeling grow. You wanted him next to you forever and ever and you never wanted to let him go.

So you kissed him, feverishly, as if it was the last thing you would ever do, as if you knew that this was your last night together.

Because in that life, it had been.

(TW: suicide, depression)

You could spend your entire lives searching for each other without knowing it. There were lives where you couldn't stop the hollow feeling in your chest. You were searching for something, waiting for something to make it go away, but it never came. Anti-depressants, therapy, friends, relationships – none of it helped.

There were nights you woke up crying, and you couldn't figure out why. Maybe this was all some sort of sign. If you believed in that sort of thing.

As you stood atop the building, you wondered if you were making the right choice. But where there should have been fear, or some internal meter telling you that you didn't want this, you could only feel numbness. You thought briefly of your friends and family, how much this would pain them. Perhaps they would never recover.

"I'm sorry," you whispered to the air. "I'm sorry, but I can't anymore."

And you fell.

A man joined the crowd that had gathered around the building. There were people whispering and pointing, and others trying to move away from the scene, or shield their friends and children from the sight. On the ground, bloody and broken, lay a woman. He was sure that he didn't recognise her, but something like recognition shifted through his body. The scene was horrible, terrifying and devastating, but he found himself unable to look away.

As the paramedics arrived and he watched as they covered the corpse with a sheet, he let a tear slip down his face.

(end of TW)

Choi Beomgyu was a fresh addition to your little makeshift friend group. It was the first year of university and you were still figuring out how to meet new people and make friends, but you'd managed to find a handful of people who now flocked together at every given opportunity, now including Beomgyu.

Upon his introduction into your little group, you'd found that he was in more of your lectures than you had realised. You found yourself wondering how you'd never noticed him before. Surely, with a face like that, you would've taken note when he walked into class.

Of course, now you didn't need to because Beomgyu would trail after you into every class you shared, and sit next to you every single time. He had basically glued himself to your side, and now trailed after you like a puppy. Your friends thought it was adorable and teased you constantly. Beomgyu didn't seem to mind, but you were struggling to hide how much you liked it.

It was cold out when he had invited you to go study at the library with him after you had offhandedly mentioned that you wanted to try and start studying your course material earlier. But apparently without the time pressure, it was hard to force yourselves to study, which is how the two of you found yourselves wandering the shelves at the library.

Beomgyu made a small noise of interest from behind you, making you turn around, only to see him holding up a book with a dusty blue cover.

"What is that?" You asked.

He held the book up so you could see the title. The Theory of Reincarnation. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"You believe in that sort of thing?"

He shrugged, turning the book towards him again to stare at the cover. "I don't know. Sometimes I get this feeling that I've experienced everything before. And it's kind of a cool idea, don't you think?"

You tilted your head skeptically, and replied, "I guess. But it's still just a theory without any basis."

Beomgyu shrugged again. "Shall we go back to studying?"

"Sure."

As the two of you made your way back to your table, you noticed that Beomgyu still held the book tightly in his hand. You said nothing, instead opting to open your laptop and read your textbook.

It was ten minutes later when you heard a shuffling sound and something was slid into your peripheral vision. You looked up to see the book next to your laptop, flipped open to a page. Beomgyu was looking at you expectantly.

"Read it," were his words. Eyebrow raised, you turned your attention to the page in front of you.

'姻缘红线 — "The Red String of Fate."

'It is true that reincarnation is a theory that holds little value in this world. It is often dismissed as a folk tale, a myth or legend of old to comfort those who feel at a loss of what significance their life holds. But that is, in fact, another question we must ask ourselves. What significance does this life hold? What is the reason for living, or for being reincarnated?

'There is one such theory, which can only be summarised by the word "soulmates," that suggests that there are people in this world who are destined to be with each other. They are two halves of a whole, and can only truly be complete with each other. They will feel empty when they are apart, and can spend a lifetime searching for one another.

'Perhaps this is the reason for reincarnation. To find the person on the other end of the red string.'

By the time you had reached the end of the passage, your heart was beating faster than it had been before. Beomgyu had an unreadable expression on his face.

You pushed the book back towards him gently, hesitating as you chose your next words. "Do you... ever feel like this?"

He was silent for a moment before he looked back at you. "All the time."

There was another pause, in which both of you looked at each other. Your heart was beating faster than you had ever known it to, but your breathing felt steady, and your mind was calm.

"Except," Beomgyu continued, "Except when I'm with you."

You stared at him for a moment, searching your mind. Your chest felt warm and full, and you realised that you had never quite known it to be so. There was something in his gaze, in the depths of his dark eyes that told you this was not the first time you had felt this way.

"Yeah. Me too."

#txt #tomorrow x together #choi beomgyu #beomgyu #txt imagines #tomorrow x together imagines #beomgyu x reader #choi beomgyu x reader #beomgyu imagines #choi beomgyu imagines #beomgyu imagine #choi beomgyu imagine #txt x reader #txt imagine #tomorrow x together imagine

[tobiasdrake]

The Gaslighting of Kyon No-Real-Name-Who-Gives-A-Shit!

FUCK YOU THE ONE AND ONLY CHARACTER WHO'S ACTUALLY DIED IS HERE

I got chills when I realized who just walked into the room. Not only is she alive but she has Haruhi's desk, for that added twisting of the screws.

Kyon's slow. He's so, so bad at following along with the plot. In his defense, he hasn't read the title of the film so it's forgivable that he takes time to make sense of what's happening. But the inexplicable resurrection of Ryoko Asakura puts it into terms that are impossible for even him to ignore.

Probably not, no.

The big Christmas Party prologue seems really important for the simple reason that it conveys how satisfied Haruhi is with her life. This sort of feels like being on the other end of what it would be like if the world-cramping had gone through. Minus Kyon being here and assuming the world didn't end up deleted, of course.

Haruhi not only no longer being physically present, but actively retconning reality such that she never existed at all. The only person who could do this is Haruhi herself, if she was no longer satisfied with this world and decided to make a new one.

But we just saw how satisfied with this world she is. So that can't be it. She wouldn't bail on her Christmas plans like this.

So I like that they took that time to erase Haruhi herself from the suspect list, which ramps up the WTF factor since... who else could it be?

GEE I WONDER WHY

I love how Ryoko is doubly menacing here despite literally just going about her business. First, because she's in Haruhi's seat so it just feels wrong. But also this girl tried to stab Kyon to death with knives. So positioning her directly behind him is very intimidating.

I don't think she's the culprit. She feels more like a symptom than a cause. An obvious red herring, like Bebe in PMMM: Rebellion Story.

It's weird that she's here, though. Like. I'm fully expecting Mikuru, Itsuki, and Yuki to not even be here. They were all sent by their respective factions to monitor Haruhi. If Haruhi doesn't exist, they wouldn't be here.

So why is Ryoko, Yuki's backup space-android, here?

Okay so apparently I'm mistaken. Both Ryoko and Mikuru are still here, even without Haruhi.

So. Follow-up question. Are they still an alien and a time traveler respectively? Or are we about to get confirmation that Haruhi did rewrite normal people into supernatural beings?

...that's not necessarily a no. She can't exactly talk about it in front of Tsuruya. Who I loathe. So it's entirely possible that she is still a time traveler but is freaked out by this random guy running up to her and trying to talk to her about it in public.

But it's equally possible that this is Ordinary Human Mikuru from before Haruhi reshaped the cosmos. Hmm.

I feel like that can't actually be true. Like. The supernatural stuff still has to be here. Because if it isn't, then where can the story even go from here? If Haruhi's gone, and Haruhi's vanishing means that none of the supernatural stuff exists anymore, then... that's game, right? No Haruhi and no Haruhi Stuff means we're done here. There is nothing more we can do.

There's no way the next two hours and ten minutes are just Kyon eating bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches until Haruhi suddenly Haruhis herself into existence again. Though that would be funny. Just spawns into existence, grabs Kyon by the arm like, "WHOOPS forgot my luggage. We're going on vacation in the lobster dimension until Christmas Day!"

OH NEVER MIND The next two hours and ten minutes will be spent burying Kyon in a shallow grave.

What the actual fuck did you think was going to happen, dude?

Honestly, that one shot of Mikuru punching Kyon in his fucking face is cathartic as hell. I want to frame it and put it on my wall.

RED ALERT RED ALERT YUKI HAS EMOTIONAL RANGE

THIS IS NOT A ROBOT

REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A ROBOT

Oh boy, we are fucked. Okay. So. "Haruhi superimposed a sci-fi framework upon existing people when she remade the universe" confirmed then.

...y'know, that really sucks for Ryoko.

#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #the disappearance of haruhi suzumiya #drake watches haruhi suzumiya

[marrondrawsalot]

Headmistress Crowley was a concerning soul. Not her being concerned. No. For everyone, they are curious. She said she was taking classes to redeem her emotions, sessions with therapist to clear her head and mind. But she gave everyone such cold and empty eyes that makes them shiver at the sight of being just glanced by those cold eyes, it felt like they were glanced by death. However, whenever family day comes around. She is surrounded by her friends and family. Her eyes showed life and her smile. It felt so real and warm. It was the real her. Surrounded by the people she cared. People always say she had the best of friends who stick by her and she was at her worst, the most loving husband who always care for her every need, and a thoughtful friend who treated her well like a dear sister. She truly had it all. With the loss of her father, she still lives for his sake. She still cry from time to time. As only she wishes it was her father who walked her down that aisle. But it was someone else. Though she wished her father spirit was with her at that day, to see her be at her more glorious day.

From those times, she gets emails and calls of her father friends. She responds every time to each of them that she is alright. That she was fine and they shouldn’t worry for her. Though, people recall the day she truly gave a smile. The day of which the assailant was found dead with the other followers. The children’s were spared, their memories erased of this damned cult and sent to foster homes. The girl can be remembered smiling widely. Though she confessed this was never on her. And they checked her hands for blood stains and many alibi’s were checked out. Everyone’s alibi’s were straighten out. Everyone was safe……

Or is that was the police wanted to hear? Because in the truth. Someone had forged their alibi. Faked everything to commit such a crime. The person was devilishly smart, for they gotten away with murder, arson, and manslaughter. It was done so well, that even the most brilliant killer should be afraid how dastardly genius it took. Someone spent their time teaching someone else to take their identity, be the emotional support and mimic their every move. Study them and vice versa. And then that someone went off to find the culprit and finish the job. Now….. who can pull such a plan, and get away with it all? It all began on summer. The middle of June and the killer was suspected of the group. The Tiger confirmed he was at home with his family, the shadow said the same as the writer and the siren. The rose was working part time over the summer, same for the naga who confirmed his workplace had his time stamps. The beauty claimed he was at home daily, and his family confirmed it. It was all cleared and checked out. The girl alone was staying at her father friends house who open her in with open arms. They confirmed they always check up on her as she sobs daily in the guest room. Crying and begging for someone to return her fat he back. And for Justice to come for the head. Well, someone heard her plea. Someone heard it and took it for themselves. Now….. who done it? Well….

TW: Blood, graphic violence, reveal to the answer, torture, death. You are heavily warned that the following story will be disturbing, please be cautious and if you want the answer. It is Joseph Manfred. He paid an shapeshifter to take his place and vice versa. And he did the crime and got away with it.

BUT IF YOU WANT TO READ THE VIOLENT STORY OKAY BUT IMMA STILL WARN YOU IT IS GRUESOME MIND BENDING FUCKERY

@adrianasunderworld @mangacupcake @writing-heiress @the-weirdos-mind @skboba-stars @nproduction626 @rose-tea-and-strawberries @anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @achy-boo @abyssthing198 @zexal-club

AGAIN THAT STORY IS BLOODY AS FUCK

——————————————————————————

Gabriel was screaming, his arms tied behind his back on the chair. Him begging and crying as his teeth were yanked out by pliers, only 5 bloody teeth lay on the tray. As someone was trailing their finger to an assortment of bloody devices, they let out a soft hum. A beautiful music note. As they grabbed a spoon, walking to Gabriel as he tried to see who can pull such a heinous act. As he screamed yet again, as his left eye was plucked out and cut off his socket. Crying as the man was tortured brutally for 8 painful hours.

He looked at his capturer, wanting to see their face. “Please….” He gulped. “Who are you?! What do you want?! I didn’t do anything wrong!” He shouted in a fearful voice. The figure froze. Tilting their head as they went back to the tray table. Grabbing a cloth and draping it over Gabriel face. He walked outside, stepping up a stair and back down for a while with a hose and splashed Gabriel. Who was gasping and shaking. His hands crawling the arm rest. His legs trembling. He felt cold on his face and body. He can only cried as he begged again and again. Feeling he couldn’t breathe then it stopped. Just for him to wail as a burn seared his stomach, making him cry on the damp towel over his face. Hiccuping as he winced and scream, feeling his nails being plucked out without a single remorse. The culprit was wickedly insane. Gabriel shook his face, tearing the towel off as he glanced to his culprit face with a shiver in his voice, his body trembling, and his breath shaking. “Please….. who are you???” He asked in a quiet low voice. The figure tilted their head. Removing a mask a perfect skin face mask that disguised themselves. Revealing a beautiful pale face with gorgeous locks of hair, eyes of pale grey blue, and his lips were pink and warm. But his face was a full of malice and insanity. “You don’t know me….. but I know you….” He said. Grabbing a knife as he sharpened it. “You can probably know my school. Night Raven College.” Gabriel eyes widen. “So…. You want revenge??? For what?!” He shouted. But screamed to a stab to his shoulder. Joseph eyes were jagged, shaking and twitching as evil smile crept his face. “Because you hurt my dearly sweet raven. And she haven’t been able to smile anymore….. because of you, I only see her cry and beg….. I don’t want to her like that. THE QUEEN SHOULDN’T SEE TEARS IN HER RAVEN EYES” as he stabbed the man again and again. Huffing as he smiles. “But I’ll see it again…. Hahaha….. I’ll see her smile again….. hahahahaha!!!” He laughed. As Gabriel was worrying for the result. He felt light headed, as he saw the knife plunge to his throat. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even blink. As his head rolled off from his shoulder. And revealed a bloody corpse. Joseph huffed, he drawn photos of the bloody mess. He wanted to remember his crime visually on a picture art then on camera. Can’t risk on that. He loved the sight. And began to chop the bodies into pieces. Cleaning his mess as he later forged the man handwriting to letters of the followers they will return.

But what a tragedy. A horrible tragedy as the building with the followers found their leader remains and a note. But everything went up aflames. The screams and cries of the grown adults began for someone to save them. But they can hear the roaring fire burning them and the laughter of someone with horrid evil. They can’t help but wonder who can do such an evil thing. The crime was revealed when everything died down. The officers had to put the fire out with the firefighters. But there was no survivors. Documents of the followers families and children’s were oddly saved. But no finger prints. No cameras. No anything. Everything went into flames and ashes. Nothing was spared. Not even a speck of life. So the investigation took years and it finally closed on the next year of the day Darling father was put to stone.

Of course, Joseph never told his wife his crimes. Not will he ever do so. He wanted to see his wife content with joy as everything as put into motion. He got his life back and told the spy to keep shut or they too meet the same fate. And that person never revolted. Fearing Joseph hideous mind. And now they wonder. Is he even sane? No. He was yearning to see his wife smile. He will obtain it in such calm ways as of now. But he swore to god…… he loved hearing Gabriel screams and cries. Turning him to a bloody mess made him smile wider to scare a person. He was a wonderful actor. He can play the role of anybody and their identities. He was such a brilliant man. Too brilliant….. don’t mess with the queen bird, because if you do. You might end up d e a d.

“I’ll always love you Darling….. I’ll be sure to kill someone who harm you….. your aunt looks like she deserves something…. Say those little words my dear, come on say it…..” always fester his mind. But he can always smile calmly and say. “For my wife, I’ll do anything to see her happy.” And it was true as well. Because he will do anything to see that smile again.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #marron ocs #twst #twst oc #darling crowley #joseph manfred #Headmistress Crowley Au

[silveragelovechild]

A few months ago I saw a photo of Zac Efron and I thought he looked awful. The normally good looking dude had a bloated face and his lips looked liked they were about to burst with too much filler.

Well, I’ve learned that photo must have been taken during the production of his new movie “The Iron Claw”. Efron must have been bulking up to play professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich.

The movie a “based on the true story” of the Von Erich brothers, wrestlers who are beset by one tragedy after another.

Efron plays Kevin Von Erich, the second born son. He’s good in this dramatic role and he’s a better actor than his Himbo resume suggests. But he hasn’t abandon fans of his Himbo persona - Efron often appears on screen shirtless, just wearing speedo style wrestling briefs.

But I didn’t think the movie was entirely successful. The movie recounts the various injuries, deaths, and suicides of Kevin Von Erich’s brothers. But they are often depicted off screen and in quick succession. As I watched, I thought it was sad, but I didn’t feel sad.

The film doesn’t delve too deeply into the cause of the tragedies. The most obvious culprit is what looks like the loveless environment the brothers were raised. Sure, the boys often talk about how much they love their parents and each other. But the parents come across as emotionless zombies.

Father Fritz (played by Holt McCallany from the series “Mindhunter”) ranks his sons by his “favorites”. He’s another one of those stage mothers who failed in achieving his own dream so he spends the rest of his life driving his sons to achieve it for him. His love comes with conditions that his sons can’t meet.

Mother Doris (played by Maura Tierney) is no better. Kevin asks his mom to intervene when he thinks the father is too hard on a younger brother Mike (played by Stanley Simons). Her answer is that the brothers need to work it out themselves (she’s too busy getting ready to go to church). Later she tells her sons that god loves them - but it’s substitute for real affection.

Another force behind the “curse” is depression that must run in the family. The brothers are told not to cry at a brother’s funeral. So they suppress their emotions, but the impact of the loss didn’t go away. Then when suicide is added to the mix, it plants the seed of possible escape for their unhappiness. (BTW, the movie doesn’t include the actual youngest brother Chris who also died by suicide).

As Kevin falls further down in order of his father’s “favorite” ranking, I kept wanting him to quit his career as a professional wrestler. I wanted him to take his wife and children as far away as possible from his emotionally stunted parents and away from professional wrestling. I think the artificiality of professional wrestling was a major contributor of the Von Erich curse, with its preordained outcomes, focus on brutality, and the condoning taking of steroids. But he didn’t. Three of Kevin’s children became professional wrestlers as well.

A couple additional notes:

Brother Kerry is played by Jeremy Allen White who stars in the TV series “The Bear”. I haven’t watched it (I don’t subscribe to Hulu) and I was curious what he was like as a performer. The jury is out…

Brother David is played by Harris Dickinson. I saw him in 2022’s “Triangle of Sadness” and did not recognize him. He was good but the curse got him too early in the film.

At some point an onscreen title mentions Kevin Von Erich is 6’2” tall. I had a silent chuckle because Efron is only 5’8”. Kerry Von Erich was also 6’2” but Jeremy Allen White is even shorter at 5’7”.

Harris Dickson and Stanley Simons, who play brothers David and Mike, are 6’2” and 6’1” respectively. This explains why Efron and White needed to sit on the fence for this publicity shot.

The real Von Erich brothers:

#the iron claw #review #zac efron #jeremy allen white #the bear #himbo #professional wrestling #Von Erich curse #death and suicide #short and tall

[raincode-archives]

Chapter 1 Character Profile Descriptions

Yuma Kokohead A Trainee Detective with amnesia. His small build is unsuitable for physical confrontation. A lack of self-confidence results in a tendency to frequently complain. However, he posses a strong sense of justice and selflessly tries to help anyone in need.

Though framed by the fake Zilch as the culprit of the Amaterasu Express Massacre, Yuma joined forces with Shinigami and exposed the truth by entering the Mystery Labyrinth.

Shinigami (Spirit Form) A death god contracted to haunt Yuma. Only visible to Yuma, Shinigami is constantly floating and bobbing along at his side. though cheerful and chatty, this death god's sense of morality is quite far removed from that of humans.

Shinigami can open a path to the Mystery labyrinth, which is the manifestation of mysteries from the real world. The truth behind the mystery is revealed by solving the Mystery labyrinth. Dispelling it requires reaping the true culprit's soul, which results in their death in the real world.

Shinigami (Human Form) Shinigami's true form. Her personality is no different from when she's in her spirit form, so she continues to enjoy teasing Yuma.

She can open a path to the Mystery Labyrinth, which is the manifestation of mysteries from the real world. She has many special abilities inside the Mystery Labyrinth that can aid Yuma in solving it.

The Mystery Labyrinth can be dispelled by reaping the soul of the culprit from whom it was made, resulting in the culprit's death.

Yakou Furio A Kanai Ward native and head of the Nocturnal Detective Agency. He lives in an unhealthy, unkempt, and unsanitary lifestyle. He understands the thread the Amaterasu Corporation Peacekeepers pose, but only thinks of how to avoid them. Even so, he cares a great deal for his companions.

Halara Nightmare A Master Detective dispatched to the Nocturnal Detective Agency by the World Detective Organization. The sharp-witted and attractive detective has no specified gender.

Halara's Forte is Postcognition, the ability to see how a crime scene appeared at the time it was first discovered.

Seth Burroughs Section chief of the Amaterasu Corporation Peacekeepers Investigations team. A mumbling, unhealthy-looking man with a decidedly nervous demeanor. His words are polite, but any underling that makes a mistake is brutally rebuked. He habitually speaks through a megaphone to makeup for his feeble voice.

Boy A boy Yuma met in Kanai Ward. He respects and cares for his father, a watch maker, above anyone else. Also quite fond of baseball, he spends almost all of his free time practicing and playing.

He is desperately trying to find a way to rescue his father who has been arrested for the Nail Man murders.

Jiei Colan The father of the boy Yuma met in Kanai Ward. He runs watch shop and takes pride in his work. His skills and high standard of professionalism have earned him the trust of the local residents. He loves his son dearly and hopes the boy will take over the family business one day.

Priest A priest at a church in Kanai Ward. Brimming with paternal affection, he feels it is his calling to help all those in need. He is popular among the woshippers for his gentle and thoughtful nature, and many people come to him to ask for advice.

Servant A man who does odd jobs at a church in Kanai Ward.His colleague, the nun, bosses him around on a daily basis. He's terrible at socializing, sometimes appearing suspicious when talking with others. While he's concerned about his weight, he's too weak-willed to do anything about it.

Nun A nun at a church in Kanai Ward. often abusive and unwilling to listen to others, her personality is far  from the image of a typical nun. Her father works in upper management at Amaterasu Corporation, something she occasionally leverages to full effect. Craftiness aside, she is fairly diligent with her work.

Worshipper A pious worshipper at a church in Kanai Ward. An occult enthusiast, he chases after all kinds of unusual phenomena and urban legends. His obsession with the topic can sometimes put his life in danger.

#mdarc #master detective archives rain code #rain code #raincode #rain code archives #yuma kokohead #shinigami #yakou furio #halara nightmare #seth burroughs #metal fox church

[theredpharaoah]

I accept that. Aemond is still just barely an adult himself, I don’t think he realized just how dangerous that was - especially for a small dragon like Arrax. At the end of the day, the dragons are animals. Flight wasn’t working so Arrax panicked and went for fight - and made the mistake of pissing off Vhagar. Viserys said it best: the idea that they control the dragons is a myth. Especially for riders who aren’t as seasoned as them. I mean Lucerys has probably only been riding for about a year, and Aemond has only been riding for about 5 or 6 - I don’t think that’s nearly long enough to really have sway with someone like Vhagar. Remember Aerea with Balerion? Simply bonding to them isn’t enough. I always wondered why a mount experienced in battle seemed so important to them and now I see why - they don’t listen. Battle must be an interaction between the dragon and the rider, where the dragon is trusted to do a lot on their own. Vhagar would know how to dodge arrows, scorpions, etc, cuz she’s done it before. She wouldn’t need to be told. I don’t think Aemond really intended for Lucerys to give him his eye, he just wanted to bully and humiliate him. People aren’t black and white, and Aemond does have love for his family. We saw that at Laena’s funeral. He’s just very prideful, insecure, and defensive. We’ve seen this so many times in stories, shows, movies, and even real life: when “I was just tryna scare him a bit” turns deadly. God it was so quick. And Lucerys did not survive that. We saw his…pieces. And if you don’t think Aemond cares about them that’s fine, but he definitely cares about the realm. He knows what he’s just done, and they all know what happens when dragons go to war. This is a civil war between one family that grew up together. And so miscommunication and misunderstandings being at the center of it is very believable- that happens in real life. Miscommunication and misunderstanding is the culprit behind most conflicts. I think the Greens got their pettiness at their nephews’ parentage from Alicent, but like Alicent they actually do care about them still. We saw that they were close in episode 5 - Aemond was like 12-14 in that. All that time they seemed to have a good relationship with the occasional ribbing cuz Aemond didn’t have a dragon. That doesn’t just disappear. And even Otto and Rhaenyra’s exchange was clearly charged. She truly felt betrayed by him, and it makes sense - he was probably something of an uncle to her. And I think that went both ways to an extent. It was easy to order her death in the Small Council, but when he was in front of her he looked emotional too. He wants her to abdicate for Aegon, but I also think he really doesn’t want to have to kill her(the actors are so good). Daemon can choke tho as far as he’s concerned. I hated the greens before, but I can’t say that now. I can’t stand them, but the show has done a great job of humanizing them and I love that. It makes it so much more interesting.

#house of the dragon #hotd spoilers

[callofdooty]

My Heroes Are Dead, They Died In My Head

Fandom: Call of Duty (Call of Duty: Ghosts)

Summary: Written for Whumpuary 2023 using Prompt 4 Betrayal & Alt Prompt 10 Grief

After the events of Struck Down, Keegan is left stuck in his own head. But what else can a man think about when his former captain has crept out of the shadows and stolen from him the most important person in his life?

It's safe to say that coping has never been his strong suit.

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Keegan P. Russ & Alex V. "Ajax" Johnson

Warnings/labels: Spoilers for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Angst, Hurt/No Comfort, Major Character Death, Murder, Grief/Mourning

Read it on AO3 Here

The ride back was quiet. The occupants of the helo half expected the heavy weight of the atmosphere to pull the damn thing back down. No one dared speak that thought aloud, though.

It pressed on all of their shoulders. Keegan’s quite literally. He’d carried Ajax out of there, after all. Thinking about it too much made him feel sick. 

But here, that’s all he can really do. Think, think and think again. 

It was Rorke…

His hand balled into a fist, knuckles undoubtedly paling underneath the patchily stained fabric of his gloves. Rorke. Their leader. Their protector . He’s behind all of this; culprit of the unspeakable. It all feels like some kind of fucked up nightmare, something that’ll have him startling awake in a cold sweat, heart stuttering wildly behind a beaten ribcage. But it’s not. It’s not a nightmare, or some twisted, intrusive daydream dredged up from the darkest parts of his mind. It’s painfully real. The way Ajax went frightfully limp in his arms was real. That one, sweet constant in his life slipped through his fingers like ashes. Though not as gruesome as sand congealed by blood and tears, it shattered his world with the same force. 

Hope, love and willpower. All obliterated in one fell swoop. Would be impressive if it wasn’t so agonising. 

He slumped back against the wall, unable to settle his trembling. Gone. Ajax was gone. He…He was…Keegan would never hear that laugh again. Would never see that knowing smile again. Would never share the joys and sorrows of life with his best friend again. 

Oh God, Ajax was dead.  

And the most fucked up part is that the confirmation is a relief . He’s relieved that he had to behold the worst sight in his life; relieved that Ajax died right there in his hold. Because at least then he knows this Ghost - this spark so dear to his heart - wouldn’t come back to hurt him. Wouldn’t resurface after over a decade of silence just to tear apart everything he loves. 

What’s more painful? For a loved one to die so soon, but be left with memories bathed in light? Or for a loved one to return from the dead, only reduced to the darkest version of themself?

Keegan had spent a long time wishing that his hero would someday come back. Now? He’s learned that sometimes, it’s better to wish for them to stay buried.

His hands curled tighter. A wrath that he hadn't felt in a long, long time burned in the back of his throat. Grief pulled heavy on his chest, achingly familiar and unwelcome. In the dull, defeaning silence he made his own wordless vow. For Ajax. For Grim. For Torch. For all the people that had died for them to get here.

Next time, he'll make sure Rorke can't crawl his way back up from hell. No matter how much it'll hurt. Even if he has to stare his former captain in the eyes - set ablaze with hatred and disdain where pride and warmth once flickered - and watch the final shred of hope he'd held onto for a decade fizzle out in the glassy reflection. Even if he has to confront his worst fear face-to-face; be met with the the thing he dreads more than anything in the world, he'll do it. He'll take his nightmare and he'll drive it right back into the shadows where it belongs.

Next time, the dead will stay buried. Even if he has to bury his heart along with it.

#keegan p russ #call of duty ghosts #angst #hurt/no comfort #major character death #grief/mourning #cw grief #murder (mentioned) #imagining the ghosts as found family is simultaneously self care and self destruction

[notasapleasure]

Death in Paradise S12E02 (2023)

Oh, you’ve all seen these screencaps, what can I add?

But for completion’s sake. And I’ve tried to screencap some scenes/expressions I haven’t seen in others’ posts!

Charrrrrlie Banks. Gun nut. Prepper. Vest. Shorts. Where were we?

Oh to be a recalcitrant wind turbine...

I’ll tell you what I can add to your perceptions of this episode: derpy screencaps as well as fit ones.

Anyway, Kit Martin’s body was found, poisoned by cyanide, in a bunker on the commune he lived on.

Charlie built the bunker Kit’s body was found in (locked room mystery). Nice placement of the poster behind him...

He’s in a lot of Kit’s videos. You know what else I give you the other screencappers don’t?

Subtitles.

Charlie Banks: “Ex-Army, worked across the world on humanitarian aid projects.” “He’s the only member of the commune to have hands-on experience in real-life disasters. Also - he’s in a lot of Kit’s vlogs. They seemed to be good friends. They share a real vision for the commune.”

Uh huh.

No one on the commune has a gun license, Kit and Charlie recently fell out....Charlie’s been bringing guns in. Big fuck-off assault rifles.

“Because when it’s every man for himself, I don’t intend on taking any chances.”

He. Literally did. ¯\_( •̀_•́ )_/¯

Darlene: “He’s quite an intense man, isn’t he?”

Another member of the commune is missing - grad student Luna, whose laptop was in Kit’s possession.

Apparently Luna ‘couldn’t hack it’.

*evil clown music plays*

Also, as @stripedroseandsketchpads​ points out, DS Thomas is probably The Most Beautiful Woman on the Planet, and she is judging you so hard, Charlie.

In the end, the suspects are narrowed down to these two:

The funny little Englishman they keep as a pet in the island police station has a theory! Gather the suspects in the bunker and...declaim!

We know it was you, Charlie...

And Charlie overheard Kit withdrawing his funding...

Sorry, it’s the hand/mouth interaction again I just kept pressing PrtSc and sobbing

Love a good flashback...

Are you wearing kohl, Charlie?! Probably if you look this good committing murder it should be allowed

He’s passing coffee to him in the bunker ok?

...the coffee himself.

Only Charlie left cyanide-y fingerprints on the doorjamb.

Busted.

And for the road, just in case you wanted to know how a Joplin fits in the back of a van:

---

Rating

Dead? Nope!

Evil? fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, etc etc. He’s just a big scared teddy bear. With a collection of shoddy assault rifles.

Affects the plot? Yes, you might say so.

It is SUCH a look. The gun nut aspect...ehh. Speculating about what good friends he and Kit were? Hmm! 3.5/5 the look is excellent, the shifty acting is superb - especially subtle as I guess people were meant to assume Robert Webb was the culprit - but he very much Did Do It and had a worse motive than many of his other characters.

#adventures in joplin sibtain's imdb page #joplin sibtain #death in paradise #bbc death in paradise

[momentomori24]

Ok, so I just finished chapter 4 of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code a day ago and I absolutely LOVED it. There's so much to talk about in this chapter but what I want to dive into is the book of death, the rule of the Mystery Labyrinth and Shinigami and Yuma both in this chapter and in general. My thoughts are inevitably going to be all over the place and I haven't proof read it so bear with me here (also I haven't seen anything about chapter 5 yet so no spoilers for that please).

MAJOR SPOILERS WARNING UP TO CHAPTERS 0- 4 UP AHEAD:

The Mystery Labyrinth and Shinigami are, to me at least, one of the most fascinating aspects of the game. The purpose of both is to uncover the absolute truth on a higher power; cut and dry, no morality or consideration for the circumstances needed. The Book of Death grants whoever has their hands on it to-- best described with Number One's mindset-- discard all emotions to reach a perfect deduction. Murderers, regardless of why, who and how, are punished as such, recieving the death penalty for their crimes every time. But not only is that logic deeply flawed, but also extremely hypocritical and put in the hands of humans with no right to wield it.

Throughout the game we see Yuma clear Labyrinth after Labyrinth and even though he exposes the absolute truth each time, he clearly struggles from the weight of his own power and the damage he causes. Yes, he's able to save others like Kurumi and the Watchmaker by solving cases, however he's forced to deal with the guilt of killing the culprits as a consequence. Take those Aetheria girls for example. The Labyrinth condemned them as murderers for killing Karin. By its rules, that is the absolute truth and only they will solely be punished. But we know the actual truth is that they resorted to what they did because of Karin killing Aiko and with Kanai Ward being the way it is, her death would be swept under the rug with no justice served. They're guilty, that doesn't change no matter what the motive was, but we as people can empathise, try to find a solution appropriate for their circumstance based on real world discernment. Same with Yakou. Led by the nose and egged on by Yomi, he killed Huesca, the man who murdered his wife for nothing more than a way to keep her quiet because she posed a risk to his position. In the Mystery Labyrinth, he was deemed the perpetrator and killed (if he wasn't already dead). That is what it considered the 'truth', but what it blatantly ignored was Yomi's involvement in whole thing. How he instigated Yakou's crime by sending him that letter and the items he needed, knowing full well he'd take the bait. He hired Fink the Slaughter Artist to stab Yakou and cover his tracks. All the atrocities and immoral acts he's commited long before the case even. In the face of higher power, he was deemed innocent, solely for not having the blood of Huesca directly on his hands (nevermind everyone else he's most likely killed). Yakou and the Aetheria girls have done something terrible, but at the end of the day they were people placed in difficult positions with no other options to get the justice they so desperately needed in a place like Kanai Ward. And yet, they're still judged the same as Icardi, the Nailman, the Worshipper and imposter Zilch-- hitmen and serial killers and traitors and inspired murderers that have taken the lives of others for less justifiable reasons behind their actions.

And Shinigami's perspective up until chapter 4 is no different from how the Labyrinth functions. Minus Yakou, a person she grew to care about, she enacted the same execution on every culprit because to her there is no difference between them. What we see as tragedy she sees as entertainment. What we can understand to be a desperate, broken-hearted victim she only views as another dangerous criminal. She isn't a person; she's a Death God on a much higher plane of existance, so she doesn't feel the need for compassion or empathy or understanding because it's all below her and unneeded to clear the Mystery Labyrinth. Her purpose is to seek the truth and truth only, emotions would only get in the way of that. She understands those principles better than anybody, which is why she can reap the souls of the culprits without regrets. But unlike her, Yuma is a person with an overwhelming amount of empathy and compassion, even towards culprits that didn't deserve it. And because he's human, because he's on the same plane as everyone else, the thought of killing them haunts him because he knows what conditions these people are living under, knows how limited their options were, knows that under the right circumstances that he could've ended up the same. Heck, in a way, he is the same. Where three girls kill their classmate as revenge for killing their friend, he kills three highschoolers to find the truth and save his friend. Where a man takes matters into his own hands before his wife's killer can escape his consequences forever, he exposes the truth at the cost of his life. Regardless of his motive, Yuma has killed people in his pursuit of the truth-- a motive lacking the emotional weight and connection like revenge, or justice, or self-preservation. It's not as if that's Yuma's only reason; he does it because he wants to save others. That's the conviction he needs to see it all through to the end and that's great, but the same goes for every other culprit (except Icardi , the Worshipper and Zilch). They don't kill for themselves, they killed for others and that's what led them down the road they took. And still, he can pass judgement on them in the Labyrinth for an act he himself is committing by solving those cases.

All in all, when it comes to solving cases, making a pact with Shinigami and clearing the Mystery Labyrinth to obtain the truth is a double-edged sword. It allows you to reach the truth of the case and punish the culprit in one sitting, sure, but that's all it is. Humanity and morality are the price for that kind of power. The culprit will never be tried for their crime. Regardless of the motive, they will only be punished with death and you can't get out of the Labyrinth alive without commiting to ending their life in exchange for the truth. You get the truth of the case, but there is no justice to be had because only the one who did the deed is considered guilty without taking all those other factors into account. Yomi is a psychotic, immoral and downright evil piece of shit, yet even the Mystery Labyrinth-- this higher power far above our own-- couldn't punish him because he gets others to do his bidding for him, making THEM the guilty party instead. The Master Detectives with all their Fortes and abilities couldn't do anything to stop him because he's the director of the Peacekeepers with the entire city under his thumb. Martina couldn't do anything to stop him even though she's both his lover (and I use that term very loosely) and the vice-director. It took Makoto, the guy who's literally only one position above him, to take him down. As satisfying as it was to see that scumbag taken down by the system he created with own two hands only to have it turned upside down and be treated with the complete opposite philosophy of what he put on others, what his idea of justice truly was, it just goes to show how the Labyrinth isn't always the solution. The rules it abides by and what it considers the absolute truth don't always correlate with the real world.

Discarding emotions and staying professional is important to reach a perfect deduction removed from bias, but compassion, empathy and good judgement are what is needed to decide on how to handle the people involved in the crimes. Some people are just bad people, others trying to adapt to their environment because they can't do anything else, and those should be treated appropriately and separately depending on what they've done and what their reasoning was. The book of death is far from the correct solution, but here in Kanai Ward it's the only way for mysteries to not be lost with how corrupt the system is. Shinigami has a point and Yuma does too. The Mystery Labyrinth is hypocritical and a power he should not have in his hands, but he has to do what it takes to protect others while still holding on to his humanity and understanding for himself and everyone involved. Both ideals are what it takes to make a great detective and I think does the game does a good job at not making this dilemma all black and white, rather more of a 'necessary evil'. I wonder where he's gonna go from here...

#master detective archives: rain code #yuma kokohead #shinigami #mystery labyrinth #momento rambles #I just have a lot of feelings regarding the topic #all the death note-yness aside the ML it's such a unique concept that I don't think I've seen a lot if at all #and I think Kodaka did an amazing job making this game feel like it's own thing #while still obviously being made by the same dude who made danganronpa XD #master detective archives spoilers