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.]

[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)

[Having to constantly travel is already a huge pain in the ass, but traveling with two small children in tow can be an absolute nightmare. It takes all the problems that constant travelers have- the need to constantly be aware of surroundings and where shelter, food, and water are, the danger of traveling through new territory with no idea of what's lurking around the corner, the sense of anxiety over not having a place to settle down and call home, the lack of long term friends you see every day- and multiplies it by a thousand. Kids cry. Kids get sick. Kids don't understand 'we need to sleep in this cave because the next town is more than a day's travel away'. Shiro has had countless sleepless nights between taking care of his sons and trying to manage their needs on top of his own.

Still, it's better than the alternative. He counts himself lucky to just have them in his life, even if the journeys they have to take leave him feeling perpetually exhausted.

He still wishes they could settle down for more than a few weeks in one place, though. By the time the boys start making friends it's time to move on again, and it always upsets them. It's led Shiro to prefer housing that's away from other people, if only because it makes the 'goodbye' easier.

Which was why Shiro had picked this particular shrine to stay in, at least for the time being. It was old and in dire need of repair, but it looked like it had been cleaned recently. Signs pointed to someone possibly living there, but just not being home currently. Maybe they had gone on a trip somewhere? Whatever the case, Shiro feels confident in letting him and the boys stay there for a few days to rest and build up their food resources. He plans to have them gone before the person who maintains the shrine gets back.

In the meantime, he is sure to leave the shrine in a better condition than he found it. It's a lesson he's been trying to teach the boys, and they are all too eager to help. Holes in the walls are filled in, the leaky spots in the roof are re-patched, and offerings are left at the tiny shrine each day. Respect for the places you intrude on, that is key. And he has been teaching Rin and Yukio those lessons as well.

He's not sure if offerings of berries and little men made out of sticks are appropriate for whatever god is worshiped at this shrine, but maybe that god will be amused by the presents that five-year-olds bring. Shiro himself is certainly amused by it. Especially when the boys spend time in front of the large drawn picture, telling it about the stories of battles and intrigue they come up with while playing with the stick-people. That is particularly cute, even if he's pretty sure nobody else can hear it.]

[There were rumors of a series of temples, one for each cardinal direction. These temples were dedicated to four powerful gods known as 'the four guardian beasts'. One could visit any of the four temples and seek the blessing of that temple's guardian beast, but the trials needed to earn that blessing were rumored to be quite deadly. Most failed, and the rumors of their painful deaths were enough to scare off all but the most daring of cultivators. But the promise of power and longevity were enough to tempt some to try.

The White Tiger, Baihu, was the guardian beast of the West. It's temple was situated deep in the heart of a secluded forest, one that was full of animals dangerous in their own right. Even surviving the two-day trek through the dense forest was proof enough of someone's strength. The local cultivation sect included that journey as part of their rite to finish their initial training, even. Members didn't have to go into the temple, but they had to go there, pray at the entrance, and then bring back proof that they had made it.

Jiang Cheng was well-warned of the dangers when he reached the town near the jungle. Take plenty of supplies, and don't rush the trip. Safety and awareness of one's surroundings were key to survival in the forest. But he was also encouraged to not enter the temple at all. Nobody had passed Baihu's trial in over 100 years, and the locals doubted that anyone ever would. Nobody alive could even remember what the trial contained, because it had been so long since anyone had succeeded. The only advice anyone could remember was 'don't rush it' and 'be aware of one's surroundings'.

Still, nobody was actually at the large temple to stop Jiang Cheng from entering. He would see the small altar outside where people prayed, as well as evidence of fires built and camps kept for the night before people started their journey back. But nobody was at the temple on that day, so Jiang Cheng was free to do as he wished.

Would he climb the winding stone stairs and enter the temple, seeking the power hidden within? Or would he chicken out at the last moment?]

[Some fighty bullshit is going on in Chaldea. Let's say Gilfest, that's due to repeat this year. But yes, everyone is in a fighting spirit and making teams for battles.

Bedivere and Chiron are with others on their team, of course, but the two of them are the frontliners wiping out the easy fights. They are between a battle currently, though, and a sweaty Bedivere is getting some water. When he sees Chiron, he'll offer him one of the bottles of water to be found in Chaldea. Modern conveniences are awesome.]

You did a good job in that last fight. I think we stand a good chance of coming out on top.

[this one here, I don't think we ever clarified if it's Slumscape versions or not, but regardless Lalli is going to be a weirdo about it anyway. Because he's doing his usual routine of 'scratch on the door to be let in' instead of knocking. He's also opting for the balcony this time too, because he's nothing if not a man of habit.

He'll wait for Izo to open the door for him too, though he will keep scratching at the door every now and then until Izo answers.]

Edited 2021-01-15 21:23 (UTC)

For Hua Cheng, post-game

For Lili

For Xie Lian, alternate time loop

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

FAKE MURDERGAME FOR BROTHERS

For XL, AU time

JC come get your tiger friend

Bedi and Chiron

Lalli and Izo, continuation of a TFLN thread, it's going to get NSFW