Before you get started, you might want to read the Rules of the Vault
List of games I play (meaning you can talk to me about them even if I don’t write stuff about it):
Twisted Wonderland EN
Genshin Impact America Server
Honkai Star Rail America Server
Akuneko
Identity V
Project SEKAI EN
Ensemble Stars EN
Cookie Run: Kingdom Dark Cacao Server
Cookie Run: Witch’s Castle
Cult of the Lamb
It should also be noted that certain tags pertain to certain posts:
#askmocha - answering asks
#fruitforthought - random brainrots or snippets of concepts on my mind
SPAM/BOT ACCOUNTS WILL BE BLOCKED
DNI if you are: anti-LGBTQ (that includes any LGBTQ members who discriminate against other members), transmedicalist/truscum, radfem, sexist/misogynist, ableist, antitheist/anti-religion, anti-BLM, xenophobic, proshipper/anti-anti, (more to be added)
Now that you’ve done that, it’s time to get to work
Here is where all your dreams, wishes, and memories have been sealed away…
However, it seems that you’ve forgotten all about them. As the Guardian of The Mind Vault, it is my duty to guide you. So let me help you remember…
Starring: You as The Outsider, and Riddle as The Prince of Hearts
Warnings: Persecution, execution by beheading, general mental anguish and stress, mental and emotional instability, kidnapping and imprisonment if you squint, I DO NOT CONDONE ANYONE’S ACTIONS IN THIS STORY. THIS IS PURELY FICTION AND SHOULD NOT BE EMULATED. DNI IF YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN 16, ARE EASILY FRIGHTENED, OR DO NOT LIKE DARK/YANDERE THEMES.
A/N: Hi all! I wasn't even sure if I should do anything for Halloween, but it seems like a tradition I just can't let go of. So to celebrate both Halloween and the release of the Twisted Wonderland anime, I wrote this short horror story featuring Riddle Rosehearts! Hope you enjoy!
Round and round we rewind the reel...
Run.
Run from the guards.
Run from the Prince of Hearts.
Run for your life.
That's all you can do, as you frantically scramble around the hedge maze. Dead end. Wrong turn. Circles and circles and loops and figure eights.
The guards could be anywhere.
You were an outsider to Wonderland, just looking for a way back. Everyone you talked to told you to speak to the Prince of Hearts.
Why the Prince? Why not the King or Queen, you asked.
The Queen stood in the shadows, it seemed. Her son, the Prince, took the mantle. Prince Riddle Rosehearts of Wonderland. They said he was the absolute authority. If anyone had the power to get you home, it was him.
So you appeared in court, with your formal request.
"You dare ask to leave my kingdom?" The red-haired prince asked coldly.
"Well, you see, I'm not from here-"
"And why would you ever want to return to an inferior kingdom to mine? After all, you just arrived today. Ungrateful,"
"But Your Highness-"
"You do not interrupt your ruler! I am the ultimate authority and I have the final say! You will stay in Wonderland or it is OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" He screamed, red in the face, breathing heavily.
Royal guards tried to calm him, but it was to no avail. He was seething, offended that you would ever ask to leave his great kingdom. What could your home offer that Wonderland couldn't? Wonderland had everything and more. But you don't belong here. He demanded you apologize to your ruler.
You chose to run after that. Too afraid to face him. Too afraid to outright refuse and too afraid to stay in Wonderland. And so he called the guards on you.
Now you're in a never-ending hedge maze, trying to find the way out. Everything looked the same. Tall green hedges, square trimmed, with a few rose bushes. Some white. Some dripping red paint. Everything blurred into a green and red and white mess. You weren't really even paying much attention to it anymore. It's all just colors in your way.
Home. You need to go home. How did you get here? And why can't you leave?
Dead end. Wrong turn. Dead end. Circles. Loops. Dead end. Dead end. Dead end.
You felt like you exhausted all you immediate options. You must have made a wrong turn farther back. You're trembling. You feel choked up and your eyes water. It's over. He's going to execute you and you're never going home.
You could hear the march of the card guards, and there was nowhere for you to escape. You could only weep as you prepare for the inevitable.
Weep as the card guards pick you up by the arms and drag you through the hedge maze.
You never should have listened to the Wonderlandians. You never should have set foot near the royal palace. Now look at you. Dragged like a criminal.
After ages of navigating that maze, you finally get plopped down in the courtyard, arms bound behind your back. Dried tears on your cheeks.
Prince Riddle approaches you with a cold look.
"...Normally, your punishment would be a beheading. However, as the gracious Prince of Hearts, I will make a special exception for you, my newest subject,"
"...Thank you...Your Highness..." you croak out, taking in a shaky breath. You won't die today. However, you start to see why.
It seems while you were away, one of the card guards faced the prince's wrath. The body was slumped in a corner. The head was separated
Blood, underneath both.
You started getting spots in your vision.
"I have plenty of vacant cottages on property for you to choose from. Perhaps if you're lucky, you might earn the prestigious title of Card Guard. But first, you must study all of my rules,"
"...Your Highness..."
"Yes, I will teach you the ways of Wonderland. And you will be a better subject for it. And those who fail to be good subjects...well..."
He glances briefly at the beheaded card guard. Then he stares into your eyes. A warning.
Starring: Ammon as The Garden Keeper, and You as The New Estate Owner
Warnings: tragic death, minor psychological stuff and dubious mental stability, general angst, I DO NOT CONDONE ANYONE’S ACTIONS IN THIS STORY. THIS IS PURELY FICTION AND SHOULD NOT BE EMULATED. DNI IF YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN 16, ARE EASILY FRIGHTENED, OR DO NOT LIKE DARK/YANDERE THEMES.
A/N: Hey, I know this is much later than I’ve done in past years, but I had some burnout issues. Now I’m back and we’re about to see what I can pull off for this short story, even though it’s kinda rushed.
…hopefully it won’t become a novel
But I still would like to acknowledge that my other two Halloween posts have both surpassed 100 likes, and I’m so grateful that people like them so much! I hope this one lives up to the hype, and without further ado…
Round and round we rewind the reel…
Last month, you had received a letter in the mail stating that an estranged relative passed away. And with any direct descendants also dead, that left the inheritance of the estate to you.
It was decrepit and clearly not maintained when you arrived. The house itself looked worse for wear, with rusty gates, dirty windows, and an old shed with wood that looked a bit decayed.
But the courtyard looked to be in order. Grass mowed, topiaries trimmed, and roses growing in perfect condition.
You questioned it, but there was no one to ask about the strange discrepancy between the state of the house and the state of the courtyard. Plus the trip from your old home to the estate was a tiring one, and you no longer had the energy to think too hard about these things.
Maybe someone was halfway through restoration. Sure. Let’s go with that.
You brought your stuff inside, and set up your room. But as you looked out the window, you swore you saw a glimpse of white hair. Then it was gone, and even after you gazed into the courtyard view like a hawk for the next few minutes, the white hair you saw did not reappear.
Maybe the air was doing things to you.
After about a few hours of settling in, you took a walk in the courtyard, admiring the roses that were well cared for. Then you saw the white hair again. You approached the person, and came face to face with a man tending to the roses. His white hair had a reddish pink tint on the ends, and his eyes matched that reddish pink color.
“Who are you?” You asked him
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ammon Lead, and I am the gardener here at the estate. What brings you to the property?”
“Well, I’m Y/N and I just moved in here. I’m the new owner of this estate,”
“Forgive me for not figuring it out earlier, Master. It’s been such a long time since anyone new has taken over the estate,”
“Well the old owner died recently, so…”
“Ah yes, a devastating loss indeed. They must’ve been a relative if the estate was passed to you…I’m sorry,”
“You don’t have to apologize. I wasn’t close with them,” you reassured him.
“It’s a loss all the same,”
“…is there a reason for all these roses?”
“Roses are notoriously finicky and difficult to grow. It’s a show of talent for the gardener, gives the estate a more luxurious air, and roses happen to be my favorite,”
Given the fact that his outfit had rose and thorn motifs on them, plus the fact that the courtyard was filled with roses, it wasn’t too hard to figure out.
“Yeah, roses are nice. Definitely fits the aesthetic of this estate,” you agreed.
“I would hope so. I’m the gardener. Have to have an eye for these things,” Ammon chuckled.
If you looked closely, you could see what you assumed to be some kind of tongue piercing. For a staff member of the estate, he sure had a more modern, edgy style.
But you were more than fine with it. You thought he was kinda cute, actually. You couldn’t help but watch him with intrigue as he tended to the roses in the courtyard. Never did you think it would be interesting to watch a gardener tend to flowers, and yet Ammon made it look fascinating.
As the days passed, you continued to come out to the courtyard during the day to talk to Ammon and watch him work. But you never saw him at night. Strange, considering he’s apparently a part of the estate staff. You’d think his living arrangements would be on property or something. But he never made any mention.
One night, you woke up in a cold sweat. So, to get your mind off the dreams and get some fresh air, you decided to leave your quarters with nothing but a flashlight and take a night walk in the courtyard.
Bathed in moonlight, the roses had a strange glow to them. They were red roses, and were striking enough during the day, but despite the silver moonlight glowing across the property, the roses still looked red under the moon.
You could hear soft weeping, and as you turned a corner, you saw him.
Ammon.
Glowing silver under the light of the full moon.
“Ammon…”
“…Y/N…you shouldn’t be out here,”
“…you look like a ghost,”
Ammon looked at his body, nearly sheer under the pale glow of the moon. Ghostly thorns were tangled around his appendages.
“I know,”
“…what happened?”
At first he remained silent. Then eventually he spoke.
“One member of the family…attacked me in a fit of hysteria. I don’t know why, or what caused it. All I know is that I ended up in the thorns, and couldn’t get out…”
“I suppose you hate roses then,”
“No,” Ammon replied. “I still love them. It’s complicated,”
You didn’t know what to make of all this.
This was all so much to bear.
Ammon was a ghost.
He was murdered who knows how long ago.
It was an accidental, frenzied attack.
The roses finished him.
You felt floaty. Distant. Lightheaded.
And before you knew it, you tripped.
Into the rose bushes.
“Y/N!”
In this state, Ammon could barely touch you. If you moved an inch, it would hurt. You were already bleeding from your arms and shoulders.
“Ammon…I’ll be okay,”
That was more a reassurance for yourself, as you tried to somehow get out of the rose bushes.
It hurt. But you painstakingly made it out of there. Though you were still bleeding. Perhaps it was lucky of you that that particular bush had some of its thorns removed. Or at least that’s what it seemed. You couldn’t be sure if it was that or a worse outcome you didn’t even want to entertain.
As you sat on the ground, Ammon hugged you. Or, he tried, anyway. He was all the support you had, even if he was technically dead.
You needed him.
As you stayed in his ghostly embrace for a bit, you gazed at the roses. One redder than all others. As if stained with blood. Perhaps yours. Or his. Or you were losing your mind.
The rose.
The damned rose, taunting you with tainted petals.
My family lives in the heart of Gaza, suffering from the ongoing war. My father struggles to provide for the family’s basic needs under the blockade. My mother does everything she can to keep our spirits up despite the constant fear and anxiety. My younger siblings don’t fully understand what’s happening, but they are scared by the sounds of bombing and explosions. We live with the hope that one day this nightmare will end, and we can return to our normal lives. With your support, we can provide safety and a dignified life for families suffering daily in Gaza.https://gofund.me/ba5b76e9
Hello this a long shot call, am a citizen of Palestine. I am here to request for your support to help get my insulin (Humalog), just an injection for today to save my life please I beg.I was diagnosized with type 1 diabetes and due to current situation in Gaza I'm unable to get my insulin injection as a result I'm here begging for little financial support to help me purchase insulin for this week. Am sorry if am sending you again this request, kindly donate any amount please. My donation link is in my pinned post🇵🇸
I am unfortunately unable to donate right now but if anyone else is able to donate as well I ask that you do so, or at least share this around
A/N: I’ve been gone a while I know, but I promise I’m gonna try and get back into the groove of things. I just have a bit of writer’s block, but I’m trying to work through it and find ideas. Requests are welcome.
Let me grant your wish…
When Cater asked you to help with painting the roses, it reminded you of the first week of school. You remembered how tedious it was
But Cater had assured you that it would be more than just a handful of people, so you agreed. So here you are, painting roses by hand.
“Gah! They’re blue again!” Deuce groaned, and you chuckled.
“Are you sure you don’t want to grab a paintbrush and paint with me?” You offered.
“I’m certain I’ll get it this time!” He insisted.
You decided to let him figure it out, and turned to Ace, who was having better luck.
“Having fun over there?”
“Listen, I just want this to be over, okay? I’m doing this so it gets done already,” he complains
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad,” Trey chimes in.
“Well you’re a third year, of course it’s not bad to you,” Ace retorts. Trey just chuckled.
“A fair point, I suppose,”
“Less chatting, more painting,” Riddle reminds all of you. It didn’t occur to you that you had lost focus, but indeed you had, so you returned your attention to the half painted rose.
“Hey, don’t worry~ we’ll get it done Housewarden~” Cater chimed in from a nearby bush, turning each flower red with magic.
Riddle turned a whole bush of roses red with one wave of his magical pen.
“I’ll help, but only because we have limited time before the next Unbirthday Party, and you all still have homework to do,” Riddle says.
“Shoot, I still have that report to write!” You exclaimed.
“Then you better get to it, Prefect. I expect only good things from you,” Riddle said, but he was relatively calm.
“I won’t disappoint you guys,” you half joked.
Maybe Cater was right to invite you to help after all.
If you are unable to afford donating, this link allows you to click a button every 24 hours in order help donate to Palestine.
American mutuals, I seriously urge you to tell Congress and Biden to stand with Palestine, and do not stop sending this message. You can also donate here.
This is not a war; what Israel is doing to Palestine is genocide. Do not sit idly by and do not stay quiet. Now more than ever is the most important time to not look away.
Disney is one of the companies that can be boycotted for a targeted boycott, alongside Starbucks and McDonald’s. The BDS has also posted about other companies that are really important to target, but boycotting the big three is needed too. If you want other ways to help, contact representatives with emails, phone calls, and letters (US) (UK)(Canada and Australia)! I put a link for more options in the paragraph below too. Check for misinformation before sharing news and posts. If you protest, follow safety procedures and know your rights. There are many donation sources, but as receiving aid/money/resources is blocked at the moment, many have recommended to donate with caution. Hopefully access to aid will be available soon
This post has a great compilation of donations, campaigns, ways to call for ceasefire, and more for several countries. And this post is a wonderful master list that has information, resources, donations, campaigns, culture, news, and voices from and about Palestine. If you have any more, please share!
Twisted Wonderland is a lovely fandom, and you know what that means? Fanart, fanfiction, theories, and so many lovely ideas and people! There are so many ways you can interact in the fandom while also not directly spending money in game or on official merch. This is the least we can do as a fandom, please fight for and hope for the living!
I don't usually rb world news to this blog but I feel like ya'll need to remember- yes TWST IS owned by the fuckin' mouse. Yes, this means that every time you blow money on TWST merch or whale out for your fav, you're lining the mouse's pockets. It sucks, and I hate it, but it's true.
I know the eng server is a hellscape that doesn't allow for very good freeplay especially right now with the Glorious Masquerade hitting the game, but I'd still like ya'll to take this moment to remember who is being supported when you put your credit card info in for one more spin in the 10 wheel slot machine
Starring: Idia as The Creation, Ortho as The Assistant, and You as The Mad Scientist
Warnings: Yandere themes, mental instability, mentions of corpses and general post-mortem shit, violence/violent tendencies, murder, and psychological torment (both self inflicted and from an outside source). I DO NOT CONDONE ANYONE’S ACTIONS IN THIS STORY. THIS IS PURELY FICTION AND SHOULD NOT BE EMULATED. DNI IF YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN 16, ARE EASILY FRIGHTENED, OR DO NOT LIKE DARK/YANDERE THEMES.
A/N: you guys! As of writing this author’s note, Little Songbird has over 90 likes! Thank you guys so much for the interactions, it means a lot, especially since I was kinda worried it wouldn’t be received well when I first posted it. Also yes, I know it’s been a year, but it’s fine, just go with it. This literally has been sitting in my drafts collecting dust since last October, so it’s about time I resurrect this thing (yes this is a purposeful joke). I hope that you guys enjoy Laboratory of Love just as much as Little Songbird, and without further ado…
Round and round we rewind the reel…
Y/N L/N. That is my name. My mission is to investigate the world of the living and find the spark of life.
Unfortunately, the people outside are cold and unyielding to modern science. They are stuck in their old ways, believing my research and experiments to be… sacrilegious.
Hence why my secret lab is hidden away in an abandoned tower. It’s close enough to the city that I can easily acquire modern equipment and resources, but also foreboding enough to keep people away. Or did my reputation do that for me? Who knows.
“Ortho, have you acquired the book?”
“Yes Doctor. The Book of Shadows, as you requested,” The young boy handed me a thick leather book, his fiery blue hair flickering in child-like joy.
“Thank you, Ortho,”
“You’re welcome, Doctor,” I flipped through the pages, hoping to find its alchemy section. “Doctor, do you think science and magic are compatible?”
“There’s only one way to find out, Ortho, and you know what it is,”
“Aren’t you worried about what could happen if you use dark magic?” I sighed.
“Ortho, we’ve been over this,” I said, focused on the alchemical symbols in the Book of Shadows. “I don’t believe in ‘dark’ magic. There’s no such thing as ‘light’ or ‘dark’. Society simply deems ‘light’ to be the ‘safe’ and acceptable type of magic, while ‘dark’ is more dangerous and selfish. But if humanity never trifled with danger, we would never be where we are today. We would still be at Nature’s mercy,”
“I understand now, Doctor. But please be careful!”
“You know I will, Ortho. They may call me mad as much as they want, but I have no death wish. I know how to take precaution,”
Ortho. Another societal outcast. Allegedly cursed with his fiery hair, and considered a bad omen. They said his blue locks were from the fires of Hell. So I took him in as my assistant, and I found him to be quite curious and inclined to help. A perfect job for him. Society may call me many things, but to call me cruel would be untrue.
“Doctor, what do you plan to do?”
“Learn the ways of Nature, and acquire that power for myself,” I said simply
“…why?” I thought about it hard. Then I knew.
“My time in university could not satisfy my thirst, so I will seek out the solution myself,”
“It’s only been a few months since your graduation, Doctor,”
“Yes, and that means all my higher education is still somewhat fresh in my mind, Ortho. It will help me,” I stared off for a moment before something struck me as odd.
“I still don’t understand why you call me Doctor, Ortho… I have not earned a doctorate degree,” I said slowly
“Because I think you deserve the title, Doctor,”
I closed the Book of Shadows, and silently turned to the setting sun out the window.
“Ortho?”
“Yes, Doctor?”
I thought for a moment. Am I sure I want to do this?
I sighed, and said it anyway.
“Where is the nearest cemetery?”
~*~
“Are you sure we won’t get caught, Doctor?”
“To be quite frank with you Ortho, getting caught is a very real possibility. If you’re not up for the risk, you can go back to the lab-”
“No. I- I want to help you,” I sighed while looking at the blue-haired boy.
“Okay. Let’s find some corpses,” I handed Ortho the smaller of the two shovels I brought. “Let’s get digging,” I walked in a random direction, with Ortho following close behind, looking for recently dead, young male bodies.
First Gravestone
We dug down and inspected his body. Unfortunately he wasn’t a good candidate. He died of plague.
Second gravestone
He was missing chunks of skin.
Third gravestone
His head was smashed, face unrecognizable.
Finally, we reached the fourth gravestone. We dug with less enthusiasm and more difficulty than when we started. But all the effort was worth it. The body was tall, skin sallow, head shaved. But his body was unmarked by plague or brutality. He was not rotting… yet.
“He’s perfect,” I whispered to myself.
Ortho and I loaded the corpse onto a wheelbarrow, but not before wrapping it in inconspicuous cloth tied together with rope.
We were lucky not to get caught.
As we made our way back to the lab tower, I thought about what I would do with the body. Create a puppet, perhaps?
No.
Better.
Create a sentient being.
Ambitious, but The Book of Shadows would likely have the power I need.
Now all I needed to do was find the right spell, get the materials, and do what needed to be done.
~*~
With the corpse strapped on the gurney, attached tubes and wires connecting to monitors and rudimentary electrical machines, and Book of Shadows in hand, I was ready to commence my ambitious experiment.
Thunder rumbled and rain pelted outside. I paid it no mind. I had drawn the sigils in my own blood and placed them on different areas of the body, just as instructed. Blood sigils were also drawn and dried upon my palms. Keeping the book open, I read aloud the incantation.
“Withering Corpse, cold as night
Your early death has caused you strife
I avenge your soul, I’ll make it right
I give your body the gift of life”
A blue glow began to radiate within the room, and I could feel the surge of power coursing through my veins.
The rain pelted. I paid it no mind.
The body in front of me became surrounded in a magical blue glow.
The wind shrieked. I paid it no mind.
The sigils on my palms thrummed and the drawn sigils on the corpse pulsed like beating hearts. Ortho looked on in amazement.
The thunder roared. I paid it no mind.
Any signs of the corpse’s state of death seemed to disappear, instead in a seemingly peaceful slumber.
But then lightning struck through the glass ceiling, and I did pay it mind as it struck the body.
A smaller, stray ray of lightning struck me too, and the last thing I remember was the pain of hitting the ground, and getting rained on by rainwater and broken glass.
~*~
I awoke to the sound of soft rain and Ortho by my side.
“Dr Y/N please wake up!”
I opened my eyes to see that I was in one of the spare hospital beds in my laboratory. I got out of bed, much to Ortho’s shock and worry. When my feet touched the ground, a small shock coursed through my body, and I convulsed briefly.
“Dr Y/N you need to rest, you were struck by lightning!”
“Ortho I must see him!”
Ortho sighed, but reluctantly handed me a wooden staff. I suppose it should do as a walking stick. With the stick’s support on my dominant side, and Ortho staying close by my other side, I shuffled my way to the Enrichment Room.
The Enrichment Room was a room co-designed by Ortho and I, meant for intellectual stimulation without putting too much strain. A less sophisticated way of referring to it would be The Brain Break Room. It was filled with leisure novels, puzzles, riddle books, and other activities that require some form of focus and thought.
Sitting there on the ground in a strange and twisted position, fiddling with a metal handheld puzzle, was The Creation. Instead of normal hair, he had long, blue fire, very much similar to Ortho’s. Hair from the depths of hell. His eyes were striking yellow, not unlike Ortho’s. His skin was still quite sallow, but at the very least it wasn’t post-mortem pale like it was just hours before. His mouth was slightly open, exposing his pointed teeth. Ortho also had pointed teeth, a fact I had grown accustomed to as he stepped into the role as my lab assistant.
I decided to attempt to carefully approach The Creation.
“Hello,” I said.
He looked up at me with wide, curious eyes.
“I’m the one who gave you life. You can call me Y/N,”
The Creation put down the metal puzzle and reached out a hand. The fingers were spread wide in an awkward position. It seemed that The Creation was struggling with fine motor skills. I took his hand, only for him to pull me down with him, walking stick rolling off to the side. His physical strength was remarkable! He stared, fascinated at my dominant arm, which bore red, jagged, bruise-like marks from the lightning strike. He then placed his palm on my upper arm, his own arm completely outstretched in a strange position.
“We should give him a name, Dr Y/N,” Ortho said, coming closer to The Creation. I looked into his eyes. Unaware, void of knowledge or experience, but curious.
“Ortho, I think when the time is right, he should choose his own name,”
The Creation croaked out a deep noise from his throat. I supposed he was trying to talk like Ortho and I. His existence is fascinating indeed.
When I went back to bed, I heard the creaking of footsteps, and Ortho speaking, though it sounded muffled as this was happening on the other side of the door, far from the bed.
“…be careful…need rest…tomorrow…this way…”
I turned to my side in bed, and I tried to relax so I could focus properly tomorrow. However, that proved to be quite difficult. Breakthroughs and discoveries wait for no one.
~*~
As the days went by, I noticed that The Creation had taken an interest in my work just as Ortho had. Occasionally, I would ask him to retrieve items or hold something. Otherwise, he spent many of his days in the Enrichment Room playing with the various handheld puzzles. One by one, he’s started to solve them, and I wonder just how intelligent he is.
I was just about to open one of the ingredient containers when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. The Creation looked over my shoulder, hunched, and maintaining that gloomy default expression.
“What is it?” I asked him. He pointed to Ortho, who spoke for him.
“He wants to learn how to talk,”
I looked at him for a moment, but then smiled to myself, shaking my head.
“Of course you do. And I would be more than happy to help,” I said to The Creation.
He smiled, in his own awkward, sharp-toothed way. It was charming, in its own way (though most of society would likely beg to differ).
And so, I taught him how to speak.
~*~
Weeks went by as I taught him how to be human. He learned to read. He learned to write. He soon mastered all the puzzles I had, and contented himself with disassembling and reassembling things in his free time.
He named himself Idia.
And he treated Ortho like a brother.
“Y/N,”
“Yes, Idia?” I asked, studying the Book of Shadows once more.
“I have come across this concept of ‘love’. What does it mean to love?”
I halted my study for a moment, turning to him. “Love can be many things. There is love for your family. There is love for your friends,”
“I mean romance, Y/N,”
“…that is something you will come to know when you meet someone very special,” I said finally.
“Is there anyone you love like that?”
“…in university, I knew someone, yes. That person is long gone from my life now,”
Idia stayed silent. I returned to my studies, disheartened by the conversation, and wanting to distract myself.
“…will I find someone to love me?” He asked.
I thought for a moment on how to respond.
“…I…don’t know,”
“Why not?”
“The outside world is not kind. It has not been kind to me, or to Ortho. They don’t be kind to you either,” I said, perhaps a bit harshly.
Idia did not respond anymore.
When I had time to look up from what I was doing, he was already gone.
~*~
A year has gone by since Idia’s creation. And he’s become something of a mechanical genius. He’s now the one who builds and fixes my machinery. How convenient.
But as the seasons have passed, he has become increasingly attached. Perhaps not healthy behavior. But what am I to do? His hair is blue like the flames of hell. He would be an outcast before anyone ever gave him a chance.
I felt the autumn breeze coming in through a window.
“Ortho, please close the window”
The window did slam shut. But when I looked up, it was not Ortho who shut the window.
“Idia? What brings you into the lab?”
“I’ve read more books. About love,”
“…And?”
“I want someone to love me. Make me my other half,”
“Idia, creating Life is not a simple task. Do you know what happened the night I created you? You got struck by lightning and so did I. If I do it again, especially in inclement weather, it’s very possible something could go wrong. Do you know how hard it is to find a body undamaged? Unravaged by plague? No part of this process is easy, Idia,”
“I don’t care how hard it is.” He said firmly. “Make me a lover, or I’ll make my own,”
I swallowed. It felt like my mouth was stuffed with cotton. He was serious.
“…alright. I’ll see what I can do,”
“You have one week,”
And with that, he left the lab.
~*~
It was considerably more difficult to find the second body. But I managed.
…but guilt was slowly consuming me. Idia was my best creation. A lovely, fascinating, raw creation. Proof of my conquering of Life.
But I couldn’t do it again.
So I took the body with me, and I used a rowboat to get to the center of the lake.
It was there that I dumped the sacrilegious body. I watched the corpse sink below the tides, never to be rediscovered.
I felt relief for once. Despite Idia’s threat before, I felt relief that I disposed of that body.
That relief was very short lived, and before I realized what was happening, I blacked out.
~*~
When I awoke, I was strapped to a gurney. Ortho looked at me, concerned.
“Doctor, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop him,”
Idia emerged from the shadows, wearing my lab coat and protective gear.
“I told you I would make my own lover. And guess what, Y/N? I have,”
“Who did you hurt?!”
“I didn’t go into the town, don’t worry. They are stuck in their old ways. Unyielding to modernity. Unwilling to embrace progress. But you were,” he smiled his sinister, shark toothed smile. He and Ortho looked like brothers. But knowing what my dear creation has become, that comparison felt unfair.
The restraints on the gurney unlatched, and I stumbled off.
There was an unnatural pallor to my skin.
My limbs were somewhat rigid.
Something was wrong.
I scrambled around, looking for a reflective surface. I needed to know what happened. And I found a small handheld mirror. There was dried blood on my head. My skin was unnaturally blanched.
My eyes held the blue flames of hell.
“Idia…what have you done?”
“…I only meant to knock you unconscious. I am much stronger than I thought. But it’s okay, I found your Book of Shadows. I fixed it,”
I looked at him intensely.
“…you learned from the Book of Shadows?”
“Yes,”
“…and it worked…you…you’re incredible…” I said in awe.
“Doctor, what does this mean?”
“…It means Idia, my creation, has become a creator” I said.
“Just as you reshaped me and gave me new life, I have done the same to you, Doctor Y/N,” Idia smiled a satisfactory smile. He had made me into a creation. Like him. It had finally dawned on me. He remade me in his image. The “lover” he made was me.
And I laughed. I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. Until I forgot why I was laughing. Until I started to cry as I laughed. I laughed such a laugh they would have called me mad.
Well, they already did before.
Maybe they were right.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
As long as we all held the blue flames of hell in our bodies and souls, none of it mattered.
Hey y’all, welcome to part 10. Squishy’s roasts and comment in this part might get kinda wild so buckle up. Anything stated here is lighthearted and should not be taken seriously, so please don’t come for me.
Yae Miko
Squishy says she looks like Megurine Luka
Yes but actually no
Can you tell what she listens to /lh
Scaramouche
“Deuce, is that you?”
She means Deuce Spade from TWST
I think she’s crazy for saying that but she insists on it even when I show her side by side pics
Aloy
“She reminds me of someone…I can’t put my- M E R I D A”
Red hair and a bow and arrow, you must be Merida /j
Admittedly, that does make sense
Ayato
“*jaw drop* HOL UP- he’s got Azul’s hair…and Epel’s face”
The first part of her statement literally has memes to prove it
But I think at second glance she now disagrees with that second part
Kuki Shinobu
“I was gonna say she looks cool, but they didn’t even try on the outfit” “her hair is cool though”
Why would you insult my wife like that /hj
I think she also said something about not liking her eye color but whatever idc (yes I do ;.;)
My Sister Squishy’s Genshin Opinions, As a Non-Player: Part 9
Welcome once again to my sister’s questionably funny opinions on Genshin characters. Please don’t take offense to anything she says. She’s being intentionally funny.
Itto
“I don’t really care ‘bout what they say. Imma come back like a boomerang!”
I showed her a meme of him where it was that one reveal clip and that song was in the background
I have regrets
Raiden Shogun
“That’s noice”
Allegedly this is a reference to a meme that exists
Other than that no comment
Kokomi
She’s “kyowit” (cute)
Her friend also likes Kokomi and has asked Squishy to draw her before
So she’s become somewhat familiar with her now
Sayu
“Six year old on the block?”
Haha very funny, Squishy
I mean, anyone would assume she’s a child, so I guess it’s fair
