Sometimes I confuse myself because what do you mean my heart is torn between Ryomen Sukuna, Leon Scott Kennedy and fucking Styx from Silksong???? What????
I have no idea how to start a blog about game developing, so I'll just treat it as my diary and go on from there.
I still don't have a name for the game, so for now it will be called the NarWal project.
What I do have is a vague idea of the conflict and the start, some worldbuilding and a dream.
And the Love Interests' designs of course
Left to Right, we have
"Bilal" | She/her | ?? years old
Deeply distrusting of people outside her small circle, she seems to possess wisdom beyond her apparent years.
Walid | He/him | 28 years old
Polite manners might fool those who try to get close to him. Distant relative of "Bilal", they share the tendency to keep strangers at two arms' lenght.
Nar | They/him | 27 years old
With a smile seemingly always plastered on their face, he's the easiest to talk to, yet despite the warmth and familiarity they speak with, there's always a distant note in his voice.
remember 2012? remember listening to pitbull's give me everything tonight without ads popping up on the screen? remember the ten, twelve, numerous pages of results google search had? mark my words I'm throwing a party when the AI scam industry starts to burst.
summary: in another life, no matter how fate tried its hardest to separate you both, you two are always bound in one way or another. you had grown to love the gentle butler in the past, now your heart beats for the soft-spoken eel in the present.
notes: this is just a small yet memorable tribute to my first love, obey me! this is also an inspiration from a tiktok video that i saw and immediately got HOOKED
starring. . . jade leech x reader (reincarnation au with barbatos)
In a world that exists in a constant state of darkness, there stood the two of you and Barbatos on the balcony, where the light from the stars above illuminated your faces.
It was the aftermath of another triumphant grand ball formally hosted by the prince of Devildom, Diavolo, to commemorate the thriving relationships forged between the three supreme realms and continue to set aside lingering tensions and bitterness that had plagued them for centuries.
However, the standing in your relationship was interfering with both of your abilities to fully enjoy the festivities together. Your lover was playing butler, while you were a respected guest in the eyes of the other attendees. Delivering small, polite smiles and having to catch each other's gaze from a distance wasn't sufficient.
This was your one and only opportunity to have a quiet moment with your lover without you standing idly awkwardly while he attended to his formal responsibilities as the head butler, where several staff members were relying on his expertise and guidance to ensure the event ran smoothly.
It was luxury enough to steal a few moments alone, away from the prying eyes and demands of the guests, to simply be in each other's presence.
The cool evening breeze brushed against your skin, and then a long exhale escaped from your lips, your head tilting downward and casting your far-off gaze at the city skyline below.
Of course, even the simplest gesture, Barbatos noticed, and extended his arm to gently wrap it around your waist, pulling you closer as he carefully lowered your head onto his shoulder.
A hint of a sweet smile played on his lips the moment he felt you relax under his touch. His head leaned over to yours, stroking the strands of your hair as he whispered softly, "Are you weary, my dear?" he whispered
You nodded, eyes closing at the concentration of his delicate strokes and the warmth of his embrace. "Just a little," you admitted, your hand slowly snaking behind his back just to wrap it around his waist.
"I missed you," you whispered, a phrase so simple yet filled with so much longing and affection.
He tightened his hold around you, his heartbeat syncing with yours as he whispered back, "I missed you too, my dear." Barbatos turned his head just to kiss the temple of your head, his lips lingering there for a moment before he pulled back slightly to gaze into your eyes with a soft smile.
Now, the two of you faced each other but never broke the close-hearted embrace that had enveloped you both.
You have seen his face numerous times without ever getting tired of it, studying the features that shaped him into a man of unparalleled beauty. His short dark green hair with bangs, his turquoise-ombre fringe nuzzling his cheekbone, and his serene yellow-green eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe.
But today, he seems exceptionally captivating, with a faint blush dusting his cheeks and a gentle warmth in his gaze that makes your heart flutter. The lenses of love had never been clearer as you roamed your eyes over every detail of his face.
However, it made you question yourself. Will I ever see that kind of face again?
Meanwhile, it had made your lover bashful under the weight of your intense gaze, shying his eyes away from your adoring stare.
"Is there something on my face?" Barbatos asked, his voice tinged with a mix of amusement and curiosity, and took another moment to glance in your direction.
You giggled, shaking your head as you reached out to gently cup his cheek. In response, he leaned into your touch, his own hand coming up to cover yours. "No, nothing at all," you whispered, then continued. "It is nice to see you."
The heartfelt words made Barbatos chuckle, a sound not purely of ridicule but also of genuine happiness. He turned his head, kissing the palm of your hand. "It is always a pleasure to be in your presence," he replied softly, his smile slightly widening as the twinkle in his eyes shines brighter with sincerity.
But there was a slight question in his look upon noticing the subtle tension in your face; he couldn't help but notice the furrowed brow and the tightness around your eyes.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice as he gently squeezed your hand and leaned further to your touch just to carefully stir you up from your thoughts.
You remained silent for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. "What do you think our future together would look like?" you asked, withdrawing your touch from his cheek, just to settle it on his tensed arm for either grounding yourself or seeking reassurance.
Your lover was taken aback by the unexpected question, his mouth slightly agape. For once, he was lost for words.
He would be making a fool of himself by falsely claiming that he doesn't know the clear picture of your future together; perhaps because of his impatient curiosity, he has seen rare glimpses of what it could be like.
There will be more affection in most moments, daunting obstacles that could either break or strengthen your relationship, and a deep sense of companionship that will only grow stronger with time.
And of course, a love born and nurtured in your belly, perfectly completing the puzzle of your life together.
He smiled fondly, the gentle breeze caressing his face as he replied. "My dear, our future together is like a beautiful mystery waiting to unfold, filled with endless possibilities and adventures that will only—"
You shake your head, interrupting him with an apologetic look. "No, no… Sorry, I didn't clarify further; I meant beyond our future. After we finish this life, what comes next?"
Another question stumped him. He darted his eyes elsewhere to provoke any thought to answer your intriguing inquiry. Were you referring to the afterlife, perhaps? Or a reincarnation?
"My dear, why the question?" he asked, his head tilting curiously.
Turning your head to the side, your eyes cast a thoughtful gaze as you replied, "I wish to know if we'll remain connected in some way after we pass on from this world." Then you turned to face him, your expression hardened with earnestness. "Will our souls find each other again in another realm?"
Barbatos remained silent for a moment, his serene yellow-green eyes reflecting the starlight as he considered your question with the gravity it deserved.
He had peered into countless branches of possibility across the flow of time, yet some threads, particularly those concerning the soul’s journey beyond a single lifetime, remained veiled even to him.
"It is a profound question," he finally replied, his voice soft yet steady, carrying that familiar calm intrigue. "One I have pondered across many eras. My sight grants me glimpses of past and future within the timelines I can access… but the fate of souls after this life ends? That realm belongs to forces even older and more enigmatic than my own power."
He gently lifted your hand to his lips once more, pressing a lingering kiss to your knuckles as if to anchor you both in the present. "I cannot offer you certainty, my dear. However, I have seen enough to believe that strong connections, souls bound by genuine love, often echo across existences. If our bond is as deep as I feel it to be… then yes, I suspect we would find our way to each other again, in whatever form the next chapter takes."
You smiled softly, leaning your body closer to his, and interlocked your fingers with his, allowing him to continue his little speech.
His voice dropping to a tender whisper that seemed to weave itself into the fabric of the night, his body leaned closer, forehead gently resting against yours, his breath warm against your skin. "Whether in this life or the next… I will always find you. And when I do, the first words I shall speak to you will be these:"
"It is nice to see you again, my dear."
In a world that exists in a constant state of magic and wonder, there stood both you and Jade in the interior hallway of the Night Raven College, where the candles flickered softly, casting dancing shadows on the walls, and many students hurriedly passed by to their next class.
You, too, were in a hurry as well to attend your own class on schedule with heavy books carried firmly in your arms and a loose bag slung over your shoulder. You had only taken a glance at the soft-spoken eel who was walking in the opposite direction before walking past him completely.
The words were faint yet unmistakable, a sentence that had haunted your dreams for years in this new life.
You froze. Slowly, almost fearfully, you turned to face him. Jade stood there in his Octavinelle uniform, looking at you with those familiar soft yet sharp mismatched eyes that seemed to pierce straight through time itself.
A gentle, knowing smile played on his lips, the same one that once belonged to another man in another life.
"Excuse me…?" you whispered, your voice barely audible over the chatter of passing students.
Jade's smile deepened, elegant and teasing all at once. He tilted his head slightly, the movement graceful and refined. "Is that how you respond to your old lover, my dear?"
Your breath hitched sharply. The books in your arms suddenly felt heavier as the hallway seemed to tilt around you.
The name slipped from your lips before you could stop it. "Barbatos…?"
Jade's heterochromatic eyes softened further. He gave a small, elegant tilt of his head; that signature polite smile never left his face. "Yes?" he replied smoothly. “Though I much prefer to be referred to as my new name, if you don’t mind."
You scoffed in disbelief, a shaky sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. Your eyes began to water as you slowly approached him, still clutching your books tightly to your chest like an anchor.
He looked entirely different: the sleek teal hair with that signature dark grey streak, the mismatched eyes, the taller, leaner build of an eel merman, yet the aura surrounding him had not changed at all. Calm. Knowing. Dangerously gentle.
You stopped just an arm’s length away and searched his face, heart pounding wildly.
Finally, you looked straight into his eyes and spoke the words that had been promised across lifetimes: "It is nice to see you too… Jade.”
"It is always a pleasure to be in your presence," Jade replied, repeating the words you both knew so well. His black-gloved hand kindly reached to brush a stray lock of hair from your face, then tested its deep waters as he gently cupped your cheek with utmost tenderness.
His shoulders finally relaxed when you leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth of his palm against your skin. "We have a lot to catch up to, don't we?" he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur.
You nodded in agreement, cracking a chuckle, and Jade followed as well. In true gentleman fashion, he removed his hand from your flushed cheek and took the heavy books from your weary arms with a reassuring smile.
"Let me, my dear," he said, taking them by one gloved hand while he stood beside you and his other gloved hand found its place on the small of your back, guiding you towards your next class.
You turned your head, replying a word of gratitude, "Thank you."
Jade huffed a laugh under his breath. "This is the least bare minimum of what a gentleman should do," he teased, earning a playful swat on the arm from you.
As you walked together, you couldn't help but feel grateful for fate to grant you both the gracious privilege of crossing paths once more.
Leviathan's wheezing echoed up the attic staircase.
According to him, 666 was the minimum number of Sucre Frenzy CDs he absolutely had to buy in order to secure a front row seat (and its accompanying perks) at their anniversary concert. Each CD came with a lottery ticket, and each of those tickets had a 0.15% chance of scoring him the best seat in the house.
Only problem was, there was still a month until the lottery drawing. Leviathan had no more space in his room and Lucifer got on his case when Akuzon boxes started piling up in the hallway. There was no way in hell the CDs were getting thrown out, and so you agreed to help by clearing a spot for them in the attic until the drawing was over.
One disc was set aside to listen to. One disc was set aside for display. The other 664 got packed into neat little containers and hauled across the house.
"This is... the last... box..." Leviathan panted, gasping down lungfuls of stale attic air in between each huff. He came around the doorway, made sure to set the CDs down gently, then inelegantly threw himself onto the dirty carpet.
You coughed and swiped away the dust motes he kicked up. "I've cleared a nice spot here for them, but it's still too small for everything. I put away what I could."
There was plenty of space in the attic if you just tetris-ed things around a bit. Most of the CDs Leviathan already carried up were neatly tucked into the gap you carved out for them.
You could usually tell what was being stored at a glance, and who it belonged to. Satan kept some of his least favorite books up here. Asmodeus had a suitcase of clothes that he looked great in yet believed wouldn't be back in fashion for another few decades. There was a box of chains that Lucifer probably used to confine people, and next to that was a box of ingots. You had a hunch who owned it, but couldn't quite figure out what it was for.
"Whose is this?" you asked, pulling out one of the bars of metal. It was heavy. "If you can help me push this against the window, all of your CDs will fit here."
Leviathan rolled himself around with great effort to get a look at the box in question. "That's... Mammon's..."
"Mammon's? What, does he have a box for every kind of metal?" You peeked at the containers beside it. "Is one of these full of gold bars?"
"No..." Leviathan took a big breath and stabilized his breathing before launching into the lore. You curiously scratched at the ingot while waiting.
"A while back Mammon got big into copper trading, but he sucked at it. He cut the quality with worse metals to save costs, it's more like an awful bronze than real copper. Plus, he kept forgetting to deliver orders. Like, really? He didn't listen when people complained and of course wound up losing all his customers. Then he came home and stashed the remaining copper up here, thinking it'd go up in value."
After a few beats of silence, Leviathan followed up with, "can you let me lay here a while longer? Then I'll help you move it, I just... don't think I can feel my arms right now."
The story sounded familiar. Leviathan could have all the time he needed to recover while you had a baffling realization. You asked, "Did Mammon use his real name?"
"When he played merchant?" Leviathan responded. "No, he called himself Ea... Ea-something. I didn't really care so I don't remember."
Leviathan's wheezing echoed up the attic staircase.
According to him, 666 was the minimum number of Sucre Frenzy CDs he absolutely had to buy in order to secure a front row seat (and its accompanying perks) at their anniversary concert. Each CD came with a lottery ticket, and each of those tickets had a 0.15% chance of scoring him the best seat in the house.
Only problem was, there was still a month until the lottery drawing. Leviathan had no more space in his room and Lucifer got on his case when Akuzon boxes started piling up in the hallway. There was no way in hell the CDs were getting thrown out, and so you agreed to help by clearing a spot for them in the attic until the drawing was over.
One disc was set aside to listen to. One disc was set aside for display. The other 664 got packed into neat little containers and hauled across the house.
"This is... the last... box..." Leviathan panted, gasping down lungfuls of stale attic air in between each huff. He came around the doorway, made sure to set the CDs down gently, then inelegantly threw himself onto the dirty carpet.
You coughed and swiped away the dust motes he kicked up. "I've cleared a nice spot here for them, but it's still too small for everything. I put away what I could."
There was plenty of space in the attic if you just tetris-ed things around a bit. Most of the CDs Leviathan already carried up were neatly tucked into the gap you carved out for them.
You could usually tell what was being stored at a glance, and who it belonged to. Satan kept some of his least favorite books up here. Asmodeus had a suitcase of clothes that he looked great in yet believed wouldn't be back in fashion for another few decades. There was a box of chains that Lucifer probably used to confine people, and next to that was a box of ingots. You had a hunch who owned it, but couldn't quite figure out what it was for.
"Whose is this?" you asked, pulling out one of the bars of metal. It was heavy. "If you can help me push this against the window, all of your CDs will fit here."
Leviathan rolled himself around with great effort to get a look at the box in question. "That's... Mammon's..."
"Mammon's? What, does he have a box for every kind of metal?" You peeked at the containers beside it. "Is one of these full of gold bars?"
"No..." Leviathan took a big breath and stabilized his breathing before launching into the lore. You curiously scratched at the ingot while waiting.
"A while back Mammon got big into copper trading, but he sucked at it. He cut the quality with worse metals to save costs, it's more like an awful bronze than real copper. Plus, he kept forgetting to deliver orders. Like, really? He didn't listen when people complained and of course wound up losing all his customers. Then he came home and stashed the remaining copper up here, thinking it'd go up in value."
After a few beats of silence, Leviathan followed up with, "can you let me lay here a while longer? Then I'll help you move it, I just... don't think I can feel my arms right now."
The story sounded familiar. Leviathan could have all the time he needed to recover while you had a baffling realization. You asked, "Did Mammon use his real name?"
"When he played merchant?" Leviathan responded. "No, he called himself Ea... Ea-something. I didn't really care so I don't remember."
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