backyardbbq | Post-redacted threads + other nonsense

[Yeah, so. Shiro had thought it would be a few weeks before he had to travel, or even a few days at the very least. He was not expecting trouble to happen just a few hours after going home.

Which in turn means that Hua Cheng is going to be inundated by not just one, but three people getting isekai'd into his world, less then 12 hours after he returned. This is literal too, because in true isekai fashion they're falling from the sky while screaming. Hua Cheng will need to catch them or move out of the way to avoid being squished.

I don't know what HC's actual canon point is, but all three of them are ready to fight if there's danger. Hopefully they're not interrupting a tender handholding session because that would be even more awkward than a fight.]

[This is where I admit I haven't read that much of AnY and have no fukken idea what meetings would be going on when and I'm basing this off the wiki and what I remember from CRAU. Please have mercy.

But that drug trafficking problem from the Kai Empire? Well, there's other people who want to take it down too, and they have agreed to help Lili. They have more freedom to act, since they're an independent detective agency, and they have agreed to lend their resources to Lili to help her infiltrate a party where some of the traffickers are supposed to be gathered and looking to make business deals.

Those resources happen to be one nervous teenage boy, who looks a bit gangly and out of place in formal robes. He is not noble-born by any stretch of the imagination, and this is going to be a hard act to pull off.]

Ah...I-I'm not sure anyone would believe that we're courting each other.

[Yep. That's their cover story. A young couple from rich families out for a night of intrigue.]

[In a time loop where Shiro didn't McFukken die before memory share week, he actually gets to be around to see all of those floating orbs! And we'll say they already know what the memory orbs do, so there's no surprises there. Just caution, as Shiro eyes one of the orbs that has gotten close.]

Have you had any luck with these things yet? Because they keep showing people all the sleepless nights I had when the boys were newborns. I'm getting tired of remembering all the diapers and bottle feedings.

[Still, he's tempted to to prod one, or have Xie Lian try. Because he's still a little gay for Xie Lian, and finding out more about the man seems like a good idea. Their friendship can't be built just on teasing, after all.]

[ . . . . oh, this is a choice.

lili is just sighing a little bit at that, crossing her arms as she looks over this gangly boy who is clearly doing his best, but also - doing his best doesn't mean they aren't just going to fucking die.]

Not with that look on your face. Stand up straight! Shoulders back! Would it kill you to look a little more - I don't know, impressive?

[LILI BE NICE]

[He is definitely a choice here, and Atsushi is assuming it's because of his fighting capabilities rather than his ability to socialize. Because if it was for socialization skills, Kunikida would have been a better choice.

(He won't suggest Dazai. Dazai is a former-criminal and is too famous to the underworld. He would get found out immediately.)

Atsushi is good at following directions, though, and he immediately straightens up. He can actually stand up nice and tall- or as tall as his 170 centimeters will allow him to.]

What do you mean by 'impressive'? I'm not that good at being intimidating. And aren't we supposed to be acting friendly to get information from people?

[In a world somewhere between 'kind of ok but with monsters' and 'full on zombie apocalypse', where two canons got thrown together into some haphazard end times that weren't actually end times, Nico is going to get sent halfway around the world on a quest. Because that's how it goes with these things, send the demigod children in to clean up the messes the gods make.

But hey, at least Nico is immune to the zombie virus? It's one of the perks of being the son of the god of the underworld, dead shit don't affect you.

Dead shit also doesn't affect another demigod in the area, one who got much more of his grandfather's blood than his two non-immune cousins did. Which is handy in a country that is half taken over by 'trolls', as the locals call them. The island bits in the southern part of Finland are safe, as are some of the coastal regions. The country had survived the years of troll attacks by spreading out the population into small, easily-defensible towns and villages, so that even if one fell to the trolls the majority of the Finnish population would be safe. And indeed, they had thrived in the area despite the hardships associated with being right at the center of the temper tantrum thrown by the Norse gods and goddesses.

But deep into the northern woods, past the checkpoints and miles of defensive perimeters around what remains of the Finnish population? That's troll territory, and that means to be careful. Even if you're immune, a troll can still rip you apart if you're not careful. And immunity doesn't protect you from the nastiest of trolls, which live deep in those forests and look for unsuspecting demigods to gobble up.

The first time these two unlikely traveling companions meet up isn't in person, though. Unlike his stubborn cousin, who insists that he can do this task alone, Lalli understands the value of help. Even if he dislikes working with people in general, he likes being alive, and if help is needed to stay alive then he will ask for it.

Discreetly. Because Onni said no and Lalli is still one who quietly follows directions from people he respects most of the time, so his rebellion to look for help is going to be without Onni noticing.

So that means dreamwalking. He can travel hundreds of miles in one night, so even though he's in a safety shelter deep in the woods of Finland, he can dreamwalk his way all the way down to the port towns and look for any demigods who might also be dreaming. There's a handful of demigods around- he recognizes Onni and Reynir's dreams immediately, but passes them by for the time being since they're already in the group. Instead, he wanders past the dream bubbles of a demigod of Frejya (beauty won't help here) and a demigod of Thor (too flashy, there's normal humans in the group they need to not draw too much attention) and stops in front of a darker dream bubble.

Lalli frowns as he lets his hand skim over the surface of the bubble, feeling the magic within while also not breaking the surface. He definitely feels the weight of death here, but this isn't a demigod of Hel. That goddess doesn't have many demigod children to begin with, and this doesn't feel like the right brand of 'afterlife' to be her magic. Bu this 'death' also isn't the remnant of a troll dream, he had come across those before and knew how they felt. So what is it? Someone else?

It's worth the risk to travel into the unknown, he decides, and he pushes forward and steps right into Nico's dream. What wonders wait for him there?]

[It's Friday morning of week 0, and they have no idea that they are about to find a body. Rin is just drowsy and looking to get some breakfast.]

Yukiooooo, c'mon. Let's go eat.

[Even if his brother is suddenly a few months younger and not quite as apt to hit betray. This is honestly for the best, maybe they can work out their problems this time.

He yawns, and then he tugs on Yukio's sleeve. To the kitchen!]

Edited 2020-11-24 18:15 (UTC)

[Rin's shonen protagonist hair color change nonsense was honestly explained pretty well with a vague "some stuff happened". A very Rin explanation that Yukio is going to live through in a few weeks.]

Let's eat, and then I want to go up to the fifth floor. Mori-san said she found a room with a locked attic. Do you still have the key you found a few days ago?

[Out of their room, down a hallway, and into the kitchen! Yukio isn't looking too closely at his surroundings but he'd probably notice something extremely out of the ordinary as they walk.]

[ im gonna say xl totally forgot hc in this time loop for the purpose of doing shippy things okay? okay cool

extra funny bc hc is on this post. ANYWAY.

xie lian's sipping tea and sitting with shiro this evening, and he watches a bubble float between them. his mouth quirks up with a smile. ] Is that so odd? I think it sounds sweet.

[ cute... dad shiro.... that's the kind of just human thing that xie lian loves.

but, he takes a sip of his tea as he considers the next question. ] Mostly, I have been avoiding them - with the luck that I have, I think I would end up sharing something that no one would want to see.

[RIP HC, we knew thee well.]

I suppose it's sweet to look back on, but it was a lot at the time. I tried to raise them on my own at first, but newborn twins are a handful! I had to pull in a couple of friends to help me, because after three days of no sleeping I just couldn't take it anymore.

[He does miss that age, though. When they weren't crying, Rin and Yukio were so cute.]

Mmm, I think I understand. Though it's unfortunate that your bad memories outnumber your good, you deserve more good days.

[He goes to sip his tea, but he pauses when he realizes something, and he chuckles.]

Aah, pun not intended there.

Haha... I can only imagine. [ he's never exactly spent much time around children himself, after all! xie lian was an only child, and he certainly is never planning on having kids of his own.

but... the comment (and the pun) makes him huff a laugh, and xie lian ducks his head, humble. ] That's very kind of you to say, though, Shiro. Really - I have lived for eight centuries. It is probably only to be expected that the bad have outweighed the good.

Even so, it makes me treasure the good memories, and the good days, all that much more. [ he eyes a bubble as it floats by... ]

It might also be that the particularly 'good' or 'bad' memories are what stick in your mind the most. After all, people don't really remember days spent cleaning the house, or preparing meals, or other stuff like that. The neutral days, those are forgotten first.

[He sees Xie Lian eyeing that bubble, and in that moment he comes up with an idea.]

Tell me about a good memory. Maybe speaking it out loud will have it at the forefront of your mind, so that'll be the one the bubble shows if you touch it.

Ah, but, the neutral days are my favorites. I like to think that the best parts of life are the parts where we have minor worries - things like "did I sweep the front step today", or "I spent some time with someone I cared about for a little while." Those minor worries mean we're safe.

[ hmmm, a happy memory... xie lian tilts his head. ] ...As for a happy memory, is it silly to say my happiest memories come from things like good meals, or like a particularly sunny day?

[ most of his childhood memories tend to be tinged with sadness! because, you know. gestures at xianle. rip. ]

There's nothing wrong with that, I don't think. It means you value peace and quiet.

[Which is honestly pretty cute. And Shiro probably likes those days best too, the quiet days when he and the boys didn't have much to do. But he's trying to get Xie Lian to share here, so.]

Tell me about one of those days, then. What's a good meal you enjoyed?

[The dream bubble is new. He'll be the first to admit it, because he doesn't really quite know how he'll meet up with this demigod he's meant to help and as per usual, Hades had been his infuriatingly vague self when he sent his son out on a quest to control things across the globe.

So when Lalli actually steps into Nico's dream, what he'll actually see is a lot of darkness. For someone used to traveling by shadows, it seems as though his own dreams are equally dark and private. Nevertheless, entering the dream will find a younger teenager who seems to be walking through the woods. In the far distance behind him there's the remnants of a summercamp, as if Nico's just left to begin his journey.

He's quick to notice he's not alone though and he pauses, looking up and staring straight in Lalli's direction.

Perhaps it's a little bit unfair that he has an advantage here knowing a little more than he'll let on, but it comes with a price of its own. Instead, he stays still with a stygian iron sword at his side and equally silent until he speaks up.]

This is different. [It's not really entirely conversational, but it's a fact. Demigods are prone to having prophetic dreams, sure, but this sort of meeting is new. It's a way to test the grounds, too, to see what Lalli has to say.]

Hmm...

Around the time of the Autumn Festival, it is traditional to eat tangyuan - a sweet rice flour ball that's served in a broth. I couldn't tell you when it happened, now, because it has certainly been centuries, but I lost track of days when I wandered the world, and stopped to have tea at a tiny shop in the middle of nowhere. I didn't really have any money, and watching everyone else eat tangyuan, I remember thinking how nice it would have been to have some... and I thought I had saved enough money that I could afford a bowl.

However, when it came time to pay, I realized I didn't have enough.

[ there's a beat, and then, xie lian smiles, his whole expression softening with the memory. ] ...But the owner of the shop gave it to me anyway, for no reason other than to simply be kind. He said it would have been a waste to throw it out, but... to me, it tasted a little sweeter that day, knowing someone simply wanted to be kind to a humble scrap collector wandering the world.

Those sorts of memories are the type I always cherish.

[For a moment Shiro thinks this might turn into some sad story where Xie Lian didn't get any at all, but then the story ends on a happy note and Shiro is left smiling.]

I think I get what you're saying there. An act of kindness really does make even the mundane feel better.

[And there's that fond look again, the one that shows up when Shiro is speaking from his heart.

It only lasts for a moment though, before Shiro's tone turns a bit cheekier.]

But hearing you talk about such simple things, it makes me want to spoil you with offerings and treats.

[ oh - shiro gets the exact reaction he's expecting by which i mean, xie lian's ears immediately turn bright red. ]

Shiro ah... [ why are you always so embarrassing!!! he waves his hand to try and dispel that notion!!!! ] I really don't need that kind of thing... I'm a scrap collector, to say I live a humble existence would be putting it lightly...

Then you can humbly accept some sakuramochi, hmm?

[Shiro it's not even the right season for sakuramochi.

But that actually gets him to think about sweet foods, and he's tapping his chin thoughtfully as he considers his options.]

You know, there's a lot of good food from my time that you should try. Especially the candies, those are pretty creative nowadays. Matcha-flavored things are pretty popular too, and that's something I think we have at this inn here so I could make matcha-flavored mochi.

Is that so...? Well, I'll eat anything, so...

[ xie lian has absolutely no idea what sakuramochi is, so, he can cook it however he wants...!

but the idea of it being an offering is still a little embarrassing. xie lian smiles at shiro anyway, though, touched, if flustered. ] ...Well, alright, if you'll cook it, but only on the agreement that we share, alright? Not as any sort of an offering...

Ah? So you would rather share it as a friend?

[Shiro did like to tease Xie Lian with talks of prayers and offerings, and though he did intend on actually giving him both someday, he could also accept giving a gift to someone he cared about instead of giving it as an offering.

But as he's going to grab his cup of tea again, he bumps into one of the bubbles, and Xie Lian will get to see a brief memory that makes Shiro stop for a moment. It's not a negative one, but it's clearly an important one, because he's definitely staring at the bubble even after the memory ends.]

Oh -

[ the first thing he feels, watching the memory is...

warmth. warmth that has little to do with the weather, if the cold they seem to experience is any indication. he's not sure what the yukiotokio is, or.. most of the context of this memory, but a younger shiro's emotions are much, much more familiar.

he blinks as the world shifts back into reality, eyes a little wide, and slowly closes his mouth, trying to contain any of his reaction as he exhales out. ]

...That young lady...

[ he doesn't finish, there. if the wash of affection any indication, he wonders - if maybe that is the mother of rin, and yukio. ]

...Yuri. That's Yuri.

['Sharing with a friend' is definitely a good summary of that memory. Though he didn't consider Yuri to be a friend until years after that moment.]

She called me 'yukiotoko' because I yelled at her. It was her way of saying I had a 'cold heart.' The nickname stuck around for a while, up until we were adults.

I can't believe I still remember all of that so clearly. It happened decades ago.

Things that are important to us stay around in our minds, no matter how long ago they were. [ considering how old xie lian is!!

anyway, whether he's human or not... these little interactions are xie lian's favorite thing about humanity. he leans forward a little to catch shiro's facial expression - and he can't help but smile at him, as he finishes. ]

...Cold hearted, hm? I suppose it stopped sticking around... because you stopped being cold hearted?

[ is

is he teasing back? ]

[It's a bit nostalgic, honestly. Yuri is still a very heavy weight on his soul, but sometimes the good memories aren't so bad. It makes him miss the past more than anything.]

Aaah, well. Growing up and becoming a father certainly helped. You can't be cold-hearted when you have kids to take care of. They absorb everything you say and do. If you wanna raise kind children, you gotta be kind yourself.

Post-redacted threads + other nonsense

For Hua Cheng, post-game

For Lili

For Xie Lian, alternate time loop

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For Nico, there's heavy spoilers for both Riordan books and SSSS in here btw

FAKE MURDERGAME FOR BROTHERS

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