#chapter 30 Villain

[ms-kaie-lurks]

Kyaaah! What will happen next?!?! KOTARO vs. SHINPEI continuation? I can't! 🫣

[og-penelope-eckart]

held at swordpoint

[jeweled-blue-eyes]

[desceros]

i’m off. farewell friends. send me good thoughts so i dont kill someone in self defense when they ask me what i’ve been up to and i would be forced to answer ‘tmnt/reader cloaca smut’

[broccococcoli]

"I dont trust ralsei" well its not unreasonable to think that a random prince we just met might have intentions we're not aware of- "so he must be secretly evil!" ..... did we play the same game.

[rewordthis]

So we are just 3 episodes in and they already fucked up my man’s age! I hate every asshole that messes up with things like that with a burning passion!!!

They even omitted the year of his birth!!! 167 Sol Year! Ah, but they were kind enough to keep the current year (196). Ugh… 😒

As someone who was introduced to the manga back in ‘15-‘16, I find it upsetting that someone felt threatened enough to have the need to change an anime character’s age, like… wtf, bro…? Are you perhaps sleeping better now that you turned him from 29 to 31? Huh? Are you??!!

Dove, it’s clearly; ni-jyuu-KUsai! Yes you, translator! KUsai!!! 😤

Edit: I take it back. They fucked up the translation, but he really is 31. It’s just that the info were from previous years. :3

On a side note though, that also gives us some information about how often the info are updated or that they probably are not supposed to be released to the public so there is—or more accurately WAS—a mole in the Department.

[heywriters]

Rescued Writing Links!

When cleaning out the HEY, Writers! Pinterest I moved some links here. The internet has changed a LOT since I started collecting these, so some links may include outdated info. All were still active when I made this, but it's been in my drafts for a hot minute.

Protip! In Firefox, check to toggle reader view when reading these (mobile: the page icon in the url bar; desktop: same icon or hit F9). This removes popups, ads, screen clutter, and often has an audio option.

Survivors of Internet Decay Award!

These active sites featured most often in my collections so they get the top of the list.

Helping Writers Become Authors

Mythcreants

Bryn Donovan

Getting Started (Ideas & Intros)

How to Start Writing a Book: Learn One Writer’s Process | Marian Schembari

How to Start a Story: 30 Opening Scene Examples | Bryn Donovan

Don’t Panic! What to Do When You Have Too Many Story Ideas | Faye Kirwin

How to Write a Killer First Chapter | Rae Elliot

How To Write A Captivating Opening Sentence

Outlining

How to Create a Flexible Outline for Your Novel | Faye Kirwin

Protagonists

How to Write Believable Characters | Bridget McNulty

4 Ways to Write a Likable Protag at the Start of the Character Arc | KM Weiland

5 Tips for Writing a Likable "Righteous" Character | KM Weiland

I Hate Your Protagonist! Want to Know Why? | KM Weiland

The Secret to Writing Dynamic Characters: It's Always Their Fault | KM Weiland

A Protagonist’s Moment of Realisation

Antagonists

Blurring the Lines: What Are Anti-Heroes and Anti-Villains?

Antagonists: Inner & Outer Demons | Kristen Lamb

How to Write Multiple Antagonists | KM Weiland

Character Building

The Epic Guide to Character Creation, Part 1 | Kylie Day

Pick Up A Bad Habit | Maggie Maxwell

How To Write Characters from the Opposite Gender | Rachel Poli

Top 4 Tips for Using Backstory in Your Novel | Diana Anderson-Tyler

Depicting Background Characters | Chris Winkle

Scene Building

The 5 Elements Of A Good Scene | Amanda Patterson

A New Way to Think About Scene Structure | KM Weiland

2 Ways to Make the Most of Your Story’s Climactic Setting | KM Weiland

8 Things Writers Forget When Writing Fight Scenes | Lisa Voisin

Descriptions

Master List of Facial Expressions | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Words to Describe Voices | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Physical Description for Writers | Bryn Donovan

Writer’s Guide to Serious Injuries and Calamities | Bryn Donovan

How to Ground Your Reader (in the setting) | Rachel Craft

The Forgotten Fifth Sense | Writer's Relief

Never Name an Emotion in Your Story | KM Weiland

Show, Don't Tell: How to Write the Stages of Grief | Ruthanne Reid

100 Words for Facial Expressions

Dialogue

How To Write Good Dialogue: Ten Tips | Irving Weinman

Seven Dialogue Don’ts | Jason Bougger

10 Keys to Writing Dialogue in Fiction | Katherine Cowley

Points-Of-View (POV)

What Every Writer Ought to Know About the Omniscient POV | KM Weiland

Motivation & Support

What New Writers Need To Know About Fear | Bryan Collins

How to Discover Your Writing Process with Gabriela Pereira | Kirsten Oliphant

Editing & Revising

18 Overused Words to Replace When Writing | Oxford Tutoring

An Easy Way to Immediately Improve Your Character’s Action Beats | KM Weiland

Want More Depth to Your Writing? | Sacha Black

How Much is Too Much Backstory? | Ellen Brock

Why Your Writing Sounds Weird (And What You Can Do About It) | Joe Brock

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers | Jenny Bravo

Favorite Revision and Editing Tricks

Short Stories & Flashfic

How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide | Emily Wenstrom

How Flash Fiction / Microfiction Can Help With Your Writing | Rhianne Williams

Worksheets & Downloads

Writing Worksheet Archive

If anyone out there loves making lists and wants to transport this to another site, you have every right to do so! Just let me know in a reblog so I can share it here again :)

---

HEY! Writers' Links

Tip Jar! If you enjoy my blog and advice, support me on Ko-fi!🤗

Follow me on AO3 for fanfiction

Visit my Pinterest & Unsplash for visual inspiration

[the-immortal-restless]

A Millennium of Changes

(BETA READ BY @pumpkin-pepperz :) thanks pookie)

Summary: Everyone thought that the new baby Monkey would age like a mortal, after all, they were in the mortal realm and the baby was made in that realm… why would it age differently?

No one expected it to take so long

TLDR:The egg takes 35 celestial months to hatch, which roughly equates to 1,050 years in the mortal realm.

Takes place just after this chapter!

Warning:Heavy Angst(There is also heavy comfort to help don’t worry), Many Major Character Deaths, Transmasculine individual (MK) getting pregnant and giving birth(though it’s not a significant plot point).

This work was written by someone who did not grow up in Chinese culture, and while there are little references to the culture I still want to acknowledge that I am not the most educated on the practices and traditions of said culture.

Notes before the fic(skippable. Skip to *’s): This was based on an idea I had while sick where the egg takes 35 celestial months to grow. And one celestial day is one mortal year. Which I will guide you through the math now.

35 months x approximately 30 days per month = 1,050 days. Converting to Mortal Time is 1,050 years or 12,600 months. They have already completed 9 months in the comic at the time of writing this (may fifth) so that’s 12,591 months or 1,049.25 years. Which is a long time. In the comic it is established that MK is immortal and we already know that Redson is a half celestial, half demon, so of the main group them two are the only one likely to be alive after that long.

Tang is Papa and Pigsy is Dad.

**************************************

”You’ll see- Next time I call you, You’ll finally meet your new sibling… I Promise.”

Those were the last words he heard before his dads went into a deep meditation. It was essentially a magical coma.

MK was worried for his dad, he looked so tired, and his Mama had already passed out. He worried they wouldn’t wake up, but his Baba assured him they would.

MK went home with his Dad and his Papa. His Papa took him for a much needed haircut in the morning, he practically had a mane by now and he wasn’t to keen on having long hair.

MK focused on other relationships. His Dad’s shop was still busy, rightfully so, it was the best noodle shop in town. He still liked listening to his Papa’s wisdom and learning from the scholar. He had therapy with Sandy and his clowder of many cats. He trained with Mei and Redson, outside of hanging out and little dates.

Of course he visited his Baba and Mama every weekend, made sure all the things they had prepared for the baby stayed well taken care of. They’d need it when that baby finally hatched.

But MK started to worry as more and more weeks passed without so much as a sign the baby would hatch.

Eventually the first year passed. His Papa told him that maybe the baby was going to take the full 35 months. That thought both soothed and worried him, almost three years? That’s a long time.

He was worried some new villain would come back, and he wouldn’t have his mentor to help.

He talked to Sandy and he was able to slowly come to terms with that. Telling himself that the baby would be okay and he had a huge support system to help incase something did happen.

He’d focused on living instead of worried. Focus on what can be now, instead of what could’ve been.

He invested his time in growing, learning, becoming someone to be a hero and becoming better and better.

He cooked with Pigsy, the noodle shop had been there since before he was born. He loved cooking with his Dad and he always wanted to continue it. His Dad liked to impart wisdom onto him much like his Papa, (he was beginning to see why they were married) whether it be about trusting his senses over a recipe or some cooking metaphor for life. Things like: “Things are the best when you wait for the perfect time.”

He read more with his Papa, talking about myths and stories. The two of them even ventured outside Chinese Mythos and looked into all kinds of myths and legends. He enjoyed learning and taking in wisdom. Though their time together wasn’t restricted by myths. He also learned things from his Papa about human nature and philosophy. He learned that even though sleep was a vital part of mortal life, it’s still important for Celestial and Immortals because outside of the physical body, the mind benefited greatly from sleep. Sleep allows the mind a break to reset for the next day, to sort all the things you learn into their places and make sure you remember everything.

That’s when he started taking his sleep more seriously. If he was going to be immortal he needed to keep his mind healthy.

He took care of animals with Sandy and went hiking and camping with him, learning about nature and meditation. Sandy also likes to impart wisdom onto him (He was beginning to notice a pattern) about nature and how to learn to value to little beauties in everything.

He played video games with Mei, they always had fun. They also trained both with and without Redson. Though they all trained with and without each other. He focused on spending as much time doing their favorite things: watching movies, shows, playing games. They went to concerts and even tried plays.

He went on dates with Redson. They did picnics occasionally, but they also began cooking together. MK watched him work in the workshop. He and Mei introduced him to shows they thought he’d like. Much to everyone’s surprise and unsurprisingly he took a liking to cooking shows like DBK did.

He even connected with Nezha more, they were both princes and despite Nezha being a bit of a rule-follower, he liked MK’s defiance and rowdy attitude.

It was hard but he managed to live without being consumed by his worry. There were days where he was a bit bed bound with worry and sadness, but his family came and helped him. They all loved MK and MK loved them.

The trouble came when the third year passed. Why weren’t they awake? Why was the egg still unhatched? Why were his parents still so tired looking?

After days of frantic research with the help of MK, Nezha and other people, his Papa found something.

Apparently, sometimes celestial gestation progresses at the rate of the Celestial Realm even if they are in the Mortal Realm. A factor they didn’t know to consider. This information hit everyone like 67 consecutive trains.

The egg would take centuries to hatch… MK would face his immortality without his immortal parents. He would grieve almost everyone around him without his parents. He was… alone.

They couldn’t even undo the spell, because awake or not the baby needed Wukong and Macaque’s power to grow. Not to mention that undoing a spell like this could be dangerous, it would undo on its own when the baby was hatched and the two Celestial Monkeys were healthy. Them being asleep was safer and easier. It was hard but they couldn’t undo the spell that sealed them away

MK cried that day, that week, that month. He was scared, he was terrified. How was he going to survive over a thousand years without his parents?

But he knew mourning was only going to eat at the time. He had more therapy with Sandy. It would take an incredibly long time, but he needed it.

He focused even more on his family. He wanted his to see his life and he wanted to squeeze everything he had into time with them. MK grew closer and closer to his family. He knew by the time his Baba and Mama woke up, the time he spent with his Dad, Papa, Sandy and Mei would be a grain of sand in an an hourglass, but he didn’t care. It was his family.

It felt like centuries already when 7 years passed since they found out, and 10 since his Mama and Baba went to sleep. He hoped that was a good sign. His Dads noodle shop only grew bigger and they made more money. MK even offered to move out to make room for having more guests. MK was basically 34 years old and still living with them but they denied the notion. They said he’d have years to lived outside their house, they wanted him there.

MK didn’t argue.

He and Redson took it slow, but in mortal terms, which might’ve been fast for Demons but Redson nor his family said anything about it. After the first five years of their relationship, they spent a spent together, they both were new to it but it was a night they both enjoyed and never regretted.

After 15 years, they got married. MK knew it might’ve been a little fast. After all his Mama and Baba were engaged for… what 2,000 years before they married? But MK wanted his Dad and Papa to see him get married and Redson agreed that was a good idea. He didn’t mention that his mother had been pestering him for over a decade about getting married and having children with MK.

His Dad and Redson had already spent time together, they were close. But they only got closer when they started cooking together. Now they’d have family cooking nights where MK, Redson, and Pigsy, would cook a big meal and they’d all eat as family. More often than they’d expected, Redson’s family would also come, and DBK would join in cooking.

Those nights were MK’s favorite, his entire family was together.

Somehow in all his packed time with family, he still visited his Mama and Baba at the mountain, while he knew they likely wouldn’t wake up for another ten centuries. He still wanted to visit, talk to them even if they probably couldn’t hear him.

As his family got older, he valued the time more and more. He planned to take over the Noodle Shop. Not out of some obligation or anything. His Dad and Papa had made sure he knew that they wouldn’t be upset if he chose to do something else. He wanted to take on the business. It was his entire life, his first meal, his home. He wanted to live there forever.

MK took care of his parents when they got older. He wanted to, they took him in as a kid and they had a pretty substantial amount of saving to help with these delicate years. Pigsy, despite always talking about having a ‘Noodle Empire’, never bothered to expand. He was content with one shop, one building, one family.

MK hired more trained professionals, of course, to help him as the years passed. He wasn’t a nurse and elderly people had a lot of health concerns that he wasn’t trained to be able to accommodate. But he still did most of it, he learned to do it.

Mei got older too, she got a job as a professional racer. She was happy and MK made sure she practiced safe driving. He wasn’t about to let his best friend die in a fiery crash. That would be cringe of her.

Sandy got older too, and as his own years passed he began to coach MK through that, how to handle grief and understand death without fearing it. How it was natural and how it wasn’t the end. It was only a bridge to new beginnings. Sandy taught MK that life wasn’t about avoiding death, it was about enjoying the time we have. About forming connections and understanding each other. Death was inevitable, yes, but life was also inevitable.

Almost every single creature on earth would make at least one meaningful connection. It was simple math. We are born from someone and that very person is often our first relationship, and earth isn’t even close to being underpopulated. To live a life on earth and not make one single connection was a statistical wonder. It would take effort. Humans especially were inherently social creatures, they hunted in groups in the beginning of the species and now they lived in cities and villages with thriving cultures and family. The purpose of life, Sandy told him, was to give life a purpose.

MK buried Tang first, he was fully human and even though he was younger than Pigsy, demons just simply had a longer lifespan. It was peaceful, without pain or sadness. MK brought Pigsy to the grave to visit everyday, he replace the flowers at the first sign of wilt, lit incense and talked with Pigsy to Tang. It was comforting that they had more confirmation than other mortals often did that there was an afterlife.

MK mourned, Pigsy mourned, everyone mourned. Tang was a good man, he had a heart that was bigger than himself and an intellect to match. He always sought to understand the people around him and see the best in others.

Pigsy didn’t live much long after, he was older than Tang and the two of them were just barely older than Sandy. MK made sure they were buried together. Even if they weren’t alive in those bodies, they had stuck together longer than MK had been alive at that point and he wanted them to stay together long after they departed.

Sandy helped him grieve, though it was made significantly easier with the therapy before the deaths. It was more practice than anything.

MK continued to make human connections. He didn’t let his immortality swallow him. He learned that life was precious and even Redson began to grow friendly with a handful of mortals.

True to his word, MK took over the noodle shop with Redson. It was a family business and Redson had been apart of the family longer than they had been married.

Mei stayed close, she was a well known racer and she was a near expert at it, but she wanted to live in Megapolis. Her family was there, biologically and emotionally. She spent a lot of time with MK and Redson, the three of them were inseparable and even if she couldn’t cook she still had much to offer. She had humor and company and family.

Sandy encouraged MK to continue therapy after his passing, the kid was very stable and had a good support system, but therapy was always a good decision. It helps and it’s better to keep it up, rather than to wait for a catalyst and need more extensive help. Waiting until some breaking point would only make issues worse and take longer to deal with. It’s always a better decision to refine something than wait till it breaks to repair it.

MK mourned when he buried Sandy, of course he did. Sandy was an important figure in his life, he helped him through so much. But he also knew how to continue with himself. Sandy had taught him well.

Redson and Mk took a long time to have kids, not because they couldn’t but because MK had a small fear that he would get stuck in a thousand year rest like his family. But with patience and a heap of therapy, they decided to have one. MK was a little sad his parents couldn’t meet their grandchild but MK knew his parents would rather him be happy than to rush his life just to have them see it.

MK decided on his own that he wanted to carry the child. He didn’t want to follow the egg route, he wanted children but he didn’t want to miss out on a millennia just to have baby. Not that his parents were less for choosing to do that. He knew they wouldn’t have done this on purpose.

So they began to try for a baby, much to Mei’s teasing. It didn’t take long for them to conceive and 9 months later they brought the cutest little boy into the world. Redson and MK ended up naming him a classic name for triumph or victory, Kai. When the baby finally opened his eyes, they were like a mirror image of Redson’s, deep red like dark fire, like the fire he created.

There was some worry among them that Kai would end up creating a second Samadhi Fire like Redson. So they made him a necklace with a pendant carving with a bull and a monkey surrounded by fire. One the back was written three things.

小宝宝(xiǎo bǎobǎo), meaning "little baby."

火焰猴 (huǒyàn hòu), meaning “flaming monkey.”

凯旋 (kǎixuán), meaning “triumph.”

When Kai was born they had a baby shower soon after, it was nice. Life was good for them. They felt at peace, life was going.

MK was still taking care of Flower fruit Mountain, after all, their king was incapacitated, which kinda made him acting leader, then again they were monkeys and they managed to be alright before, but he liked to visit and keep the place nice and clean.

Kai got older, and while he had intense fire power, he hadn’t created a second reality burning fire yet. So they were a bit calmer about the matter. Mei loved the little guy. He was irresistibly cute.

Kai aged slower too, his infancy last almost 5 years. He was a toddler for 10 years. It only grew slower but never old. Before long he was a kid, looking about 8 or 9.

Mei got a bit more time than the rest, she aged slow because of her dragon heritage but she was far from fully draconic. So time did what it does, and Mei passed away. MK and Redson mourned her, that part would never be in question, they buried her with honor, just like the rest. Kai missed her, she was his auntie, Mei took him on motorcycle rides and he watched the old Monkey King movies with her.

Kai was raised knowing the history of his grandparents, he visited Flower Fruit Mountain with his parents and for the first few years of visits he would play with the other cubs and monkeys, eating fruit and roughhousing.

After the first few years, Kai began to stay by his parents, ever curious about what they talked about with two men who probably couldn’t hear them.

After a while he came to realize they talked because they cared. Because even if there was a slight chance that they could hear them, then it was worth it. That’s why he started doing it more, he talked to Mei when they visited her grave and even his other grandparents as well as Sandy. He didn’t meet them, but he wanted them to know him.

Before they knew it, 100 years had passed since Wukong and Macaque went under. Kai was a tween and he was making friends. Both immortal and human. MK and Redson taught him at home, that how both of them knew it and they both turned out okay.

MK and Redson had made friends as well that had also died but they had other families to bury them, he still visited, he cared for them no less. That’s how it continued.

Megapolis grew around them, not big, the city was already pretty good, but trees get bigger and buildings change, even just slightly. They all fell into a bit of a routine, a pleasant one that always seemed to find new ways to keep them from boring to death.

Pigsy’s Noodles continued to remain one of the best restaurants in the city and it stayed a staple of Megapolis. It brought in amazing business and good money.

Demons were becoming more and more integrated into daily life, MK and Redson obviously participated heavily in that, earning a reputation for their acceptance, though to them it was basic decency.

Demons were beginning to become more and more accepting as generations progressed and less of them were driven to crime because of it. They were getting help and proper healthcare instead of being shunned to the corners of society’s shadows. MK found himself acting in a hero role less and less, which he found himself proud of. It meant he did a good job.

By the 9th century, demons were everywhere, they were apart of the culture and everyone grew better because of it. More and more of Megapolis became accessible to everyone, literature became richer and fuller, education and intelligence rates of the schools and districts surrounding them began to rise.

Megapolis was quickly becoming a growing community of vibrant individuals and friends. MK found comfort in the fact that Sandy, his Dad and Papa, would be proud of the world that this was becoming.

MK hadn’t even realized how long it had been since his parents fell asleep growing the egg.

Before long, Kai was an elder teenager, nearly a thousand years old.

MK, Redson and Kai were at the mountain, Red had gone to tidy up the house and make sure everything was ready, even if they thought they weren’t even close to when MK’s parents would wake up. It was still routine. MK was training with Kai, something they had started a hundred odd years ago.

That’s when a bright light came from the mountaintop where Macaque, Wukong and the egg were. MK halted in his step and Kai nearly tackled him before he realized.

Wukong woke with a start, the spell had fallen around them moment ago and Macaque woke up at the same time as him. They both look toward to egg, only to see a little monkey cub in its place.

Their Baby

Wukong and Macaque cried with joy and they both gathered the cub into their arms.

That was until they notice how big the tree near them had gotten, and the vines growing in the rocks, evidence of more age than they expected.

How long had they been out?

That’s when they heard it. A voice, not their sons. Not MK’s but one that called for his Dad.

The boy called for his Papa, urging him to wait for his Dad. He sounded worried but Wukong didn’t care for details. If there was an intruder he needed to protect his cub. He pulled his staff out of his ear. And held it ready.

With a clang, the staff dropped when he saw his own son, his adult son standing there instead of the younger man they remembered him being. Both of their heart sank, tears welled up in their eyes as they realized.

How long has it been, they wanted to ask. But their son, a millennium older and wiser, answered before they could.

One thousand fifty years, he said. The two men were horrified at that answer. They’d been asleep that long? That was a terrifying notion.

Their world only grew harder to believe when a teenager in a red shirt, soon followed by Redson, appeared up the mountain. Redson was shocked and came to MK’s side. Wukong covered his mouth for a moment, slowly connecting the dots that the teenager was his grandson.

Macaque looked worried that their son would hate them for this, that fear melted when MK ran to them and hugged them tightly, careful not to hurt the baby.

Macaque and Wukong hugged their son back and Redson guided his son toward the cuddle pile.

MK rambled about the past millennia to his waking parents for a while before explaining that they had gotten married and had a son. MK looked toward Kai, motioning for him to introduce himself.

“Hello… I’m Kai, I’m your grandson.”

THE END(?)

THE REWRITE IS ACTIVE. Please go read it. I worked for hours on it. Here

Tags: @kyri45 (the creator of the comic that inspired this!) @ainnur @iglowinggemma28 @autism-autobot

[clairewritesfanfics]

Villain Creation System Chapter 10

Pairing/s: Invincible x Reader x Invincible Variants

CHAPTER 9: Just Spit It Out! Series Masterlist <<read the synopsis and trigger warnings first>>

Markus Sebastian Grayson <markbassy@yodel.com>  to you <ln.yfn44@upstateu.edu.us>  Subject: Date

*When: meetup at 13:00 ends at 17:00

Where: Hutt Aquarium

Dress Code: Casual (comfortable shoes for walking are highly recommended)

*I’ll pick you up in front of your building and the date may conclude earlier or later depending on the state of things; ideally, dinner will be had at the Hungry Hippo. 

I also attached a copy of the aquarium pamphlet and of the most recent Hungry Hippo menu. (But I advise not reading the pamphlet for maximum fun.) Don’t worry about the expenses. My friend broke up with his girlfriend and gave me the aquarium tickets for free, and the restaurant has an affordability rating of $$ out of $$$$$ according to the Let’s Dine app. 2 attachments

huttaqua.pdf  hippomenu.pdf

I can’t wait.

Mark regretted that last sentence the instant his finger clicked send, but the wifi was stupidly fast tonight and the panic slowed his brain cells. The email was sent with a swoosh before he could even think about unplugging the wifi.

He reclined on his chair, rolling it backwards until the back hit the edge of his bed.

He agonized for several nights over what to do for his first date. He had dates before, but let’s face it, they were just an extension of foreplay. Dinners and drinks were a mere prelude to sex. Mark knew what to expect, his dates knew what to expect, everything was easy. 

You tried to make things easy for him. After he confessed his true feelings–the very memory burned his soul with the desire to drill into the core of the Earth–he hadn’t known what to expect. He knew that you liked him, you did tell him, but the moment that “I like you” left his tongue, a question popped up in his head, various questions, actually: what if you didn’t mean it the way he did? Thinking back at it now, the word you used was interest; he was the one who asked if you liked Mark Grayson. Saint Aquinas claimed that people can only love what they know, that love follows knowledge, so what did you mean by “vice versa”? What did love mean in the context of our conversation? What does love even mean to you? 

All those pesky questions had him spiraling, but you didn’t giggle or smile or mock him after he told you. It was like his confession rebooted you, erased your annoyance and disappointment, and you regarded him with a detached, but pensive expression, the face of a scientist looking through a microscope or a glass window. Before he could embarrass himself any further, you posed a simple question: Should we go on a date then?

He remembered his head nodding and mouth answering on their own. You offered to plan the date and that was when he actually regained control. More or less. “I’ll do it!”

“Good, but I’d like to offer some suggestions.”

“Sure!”

“Please stop yelling.”

“Okay!”

“...hm.”

You then gave him a clear and concise set of conditions: public places only, nothing that requires formal clothes, and if they were to dine together, the eatery should be within a reasonable price. You specifically told him to keep the expenses as low as possible, even giving an upper limit of 30 dollars. He appreciated it. He liked a woman who knew what she wanted, and more importantly, he liked someone considerate. It was sweet that you factored in his financial wellbeing when setting the rules, though ultimately unnecessary. Mark had relatively expensive hobbies for someone his age, he spent a fortune on his bass and didn’t mind spending his savings on his bandmates and friends, but the GDA paid for everything else, including his mother’s…well, everything. Money was not an issue, but you were so firm with your conditions, so he decided to lie about the tickets. 

He then rolled back to his desk and reread his email.  

My friend broke up with his girlfriend and gave me the aquarium tickets for free. 

Looking at it now, doesn’t this make him look too frugal? Almost cheap, to be honest. That’s not good. Crap. Plus, aren’t you like, superstitious? You believe in ghosts, maybe you believe in bad omens. Wouldn’t you think badly about tickets from someone fresh out of a break up? Sure, Mark made that up, but what if you cancelled on him? Crap,crap,crap. 

Before he could spiral again, his laptop lit up.

Mark didn’t expect to receive an immediate reply, it was two a.m. after all. 

…two a.m.

When he realized what time it was, he covered his face with his hands. Wasn’t sending the invitation past midnight too desperate? Not to mention rude? What if you were sleeping and your phone was right next to your pillow and you didn’t leave it on silent mode and it lit up and dinged right next to your ear and you’ll hate him for waking you up?

He reluctantly opened the email.

You <ln.yfn143@upstateu.edu.us>  to Markus Sebastian Grayson <markbassy_g@yodel.com> 

Email received. Thank you.

Mark tried to scroll down but there was nothing else. 

“That’s it?”

He folded his arms on the desk and buried his head. You weren’t upset, you weren’t going to cancel on him. Considering his near-breakdown minutes ago, this was a good thing. Still, he can’t help but be disappointed. 

Swoosh.

He craned his neck and saw another message. It was short and simple and clear. I can’t wait too.  Those four words pulled on his lips and he typed a reply: You’re still up?

You: No, I’m sleeping, if you can’t tell.

He grinned.

Mark: Busy thinking about me, I hope.

You: That’s right.

His fingers flinched. Blood rushed to his neck and ears and he covered his mouth. He thought he could be safe via email but there goes that tactic.  

You: I’ll be going to bed now. Next time, if you want to chat with me, just use your phone like a normal person. This type of conversation clutters my inbox.

He replied: Good night, princess. Promise you’ll dream of me?

You: Phone. Good night, Bassy.

He chuckled and then flew to his bed, opening his phone to reread the emails.

***

The dormitory elevators had their own rush hours so you prepared in advance and sat down at the lobby before lunchtime. 

The beauty of routine was that it didn’t waste brain power making multiple choices. For example, when it comes to classes, you have a predictable set of clothes ready on rotation. There was no fretting about whether to go cute or sexy or demure or girly or tomboyish or punk. It wasn’t like you hated dressing up, in fact, it was very fun; but in your world, life was formulaic (by design) and there was no need to dress up. Even in the social events you attended, there was a certain dress code. There was no overthinking to be done. 

You didn’t want to overthink your clothes for this date, but you spent a whole night trying on different ensembles and even after you decided on an outfit, you still changed it the following morning. The system didn’t comment, only followed you around with the two status meters. The black bar remained steady at 35%. However, including the minor increase from when you replied to his email, the affection score totaled to 69.2%.

You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at your own giddiness. You felt silly feeling these butterflies in your stomach, but it couldn’t be helped.

It wasn’t Mark that made you feel this way. Sure, he was physically attractive, easily the most attractive man you’ve ever seen in person, and he was charming and smart and funny in his own Markish way, but this feeling wasn’t because of him. No, you reasoned, the butterflies are because you haven’t had a date in ages. That’s right. You nodded. This excitement was because you were thrilled to experience a date again. Your last one was so long ago, a lifetime even, that this might even be your first date. 

The system, who’d been snooping on your inner thoughts, rolled its eyes and then alerted you.

[Host, your escort is here.]

Your surprise overrode the desire to correct Zero-One as you glanced at your phone. He was thirty minutes too early. 

You hurried towards the entrance, but before you could grab the doorknob, the door swung open, revealing Mark. His normally loose and fluffy hair was combed and parted ¾ to the side. He wore ripped jeans and a white t-shirt under a leather jacket, left completely unzipped. A silver chain hung from neck and he had a silver ring on the thumb wrapped around the doorknob–his other hand wore a similar ring, it glinted under the fluorescent light as Mark held up a mini bouquet towards you.

“Hey, princess.”

“...hi.”

“This is for you. Obviously, haha.” 

You gently took the white and purple flowers from him. It was obvious that they were fake flowers and the bouquet itself was shorter than your forearm.

“I debated whether to ask whether you were okay with flowers or not. I wanted to surprise you, but I was worried that you might be allergic, so I decided to get you a fake bouquet. That way, we won’t end up in an emergency room and you don’t have to worry about carrying a giant bunch of…are you…okay?”

They’re just flowers, you thought. You had no need for flowers. You couldn’t take care of anything other than cacti and these weren’t even real plants so you didn’t understand why you were crying over them.

You raised the bouquet in front of you as you turned your eyes away from him. “I’m–” you hiccuped “–fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Mark said. “I should’ve asked you–”

“No.” You shook your head, wiping your eyes. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome.”

“You’re early.”

“I’m not that early.”

��It’s an hour and a half before one p.m.”

“I–well–I misread the time, no, actually–”

“It’s okay,” you stopped him before smoke could blow out his ears. “I’m the type to prepare early too.” As if on cue, your stomach growled lowly. 

“I haven’t eaten breakfast either.”

An impatient voice spoke behind you: “Well, we want to eat lunch, so can you guys move?” There was a small crowd forming in the lobby, fellow tenants who were on their way to lunch. Some looked bored, some irate like the young woman behind you, but a good deal of the people seemed interested in your conversation with Mark, who grabbed your hand and smiled. “Sorry for the trouble. Have a nice lunch.” You’ve noticed that Mark was capable of a lot of expressions, his smile alone carried variety. This current smile had flowers blooming around him. It felt very fake, though that was because you spent so much time observing and interacting with him. If you hadn’t gone the extra mile to study him, you would have fallen victim to that smile.

The girl’s cheeks turned red, though less out of anger now, and she huffed, “Whatever.” 

Mark led you out the lobby and to a nearby bench outside.

“We can grab something to eat if you want,” he suggested, patting the leaves off the bench. 

“I have a couple of energy bars in my bag. Let’s see… chocolate strawberry, peanut butter and lemon vanilla–you don’t have to do that,” you said as Mark unfolded a blue handkerchief and placed it on the bench.

He ignored your words and motioned for you to take a seat.

Well. The handkerchief was already dirty anyway. Might as well. “Thank you.” You sat down and presented him with the snack bars. 

“That’s what you’re having for breakfast and lunch?”

“I want to save my appetite for when we have dinner,” you muttered, too busy ruminating on which flavor to eat, to notice how Mark covered his mouth.

He gently put his hand over the energy bars.

You finally looked at him, but this time, he wasn’t looking at you. The tips of his ears were pink as he stared at the ground and asked, “Maybe you should save that for when we’re walking in the aquarium. I’m actually really hungry, how about we go to the café?”

“If we do that, won’t that mean less money for dinner?”

Mark’s eyes flickered towards you before he smiled, revealing a canine tooth. That smile meant he was genuinely amused. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

“There’s nothing funny about being smart with money.” 

“I know, I know, I swear I’m not laughing at you. You don’t have to worry about the expenses, I have savings especially for this.”

“For girls, you mean?”

The joyous expression left him and it was your turn to laugh, hiding your own smile with the bouquet. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Mark refused to take cash from you and insisted on paying for both your orders. Starving as you were, you weren’t about to bankrupt him and opted for a light (and cheap) meal of black coffee and an eggdesal. 

When Mark returned to your booth, however, his tray carried one eggdesal and a large serving of fluffy waffles topped with whipped cream and blueberries and soaked in maple syrup.

You covered your stomach.

Mark unloaded the plates and cups on the table. “Bon appétit.”

“You’re not eating eggdesal?”

“It’s not the only thing I eat here.”

“I see.” 

You cleaned your hands with wet wipes, offered a piece to Mark, and grabbed your eggdesal. The bread was lightly toasted on the outside and smelled heavenly; between its soft, white inside was cheese and scrambled egg was a cheery yellow–it was neither too runny or overdone. You took a bite. The sandwich was sweet and salty with a bit of tang thanks to the ketchup. 

You washed it all down with fresh hot coffee.

Almost perfect. Your only complaint was that the whole pandesal was tinier than your fist and was gone after three bites.

You glanced over to Mark, who wasn’t even halfway through his waffles. 

Feeling your gaze on him no doubt, he raised his chin and you swiveled your head away, pretending to look out the window. 

[Ding. Affection: 69.3%]

“You know, I think I overestimated myself,” Mark said, cutting the waffles in half. “I don’t think I can finish this alone.”

“You’ve barely started.”

“I know when I’m beat.”

“That’s today’s special right? You should savor it.”

“I’m someone who doesn’t force myself to eat once I’m full, if you won’t eat then I guess we can just leave the rest behind.”

You shoved your empty plate towards his. “Well, if you insist. I hate wasting food.”

He bit down a chuckle and transferred half of the waffles to you, scraping and pushing most of the whipped cream and blueberries on your share. 

You didn’t know what expression you were making but you didn’t bother masking it. You made a quiet vow to treat him to something just as delicious in the future. 

There were blueberries baked into the waffles and the syrup didn’t taste artificial. It was perfect, you moaned.

[Ding. Affection: 69.4%]

“Aren’t you going to eat?” You chomped on a blueberry. 

“I’m getting full just looking at you.”

“Eat. Don’t let your waffles get soggy.”

“Right, right.” 

You two dined silently until you spoke up, “I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“How come you don’t like dining at cafés?”

His fork and knife stilled in the air. You expected the affection level to decrease, but that didn’t happen. 

“I was hoping you’d forget about that,” he joked wryly. 

“Oh. Sorry. You don’t have to answer.”

He ran a hand through his hair before he leaned forward. “Tell you what, princess, I’ll answer if I get to ask you something.”

“Fair enough. What’s your question?”

“What are you expecting from this date?”

You cocked your head to the side. Is that it? “I’m hoping to get to know you better.” What a waste of a question. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why else would I ask you out?”

“You didn’t ask me out, I–”

You gave him a look and he backed down. “Okay, yeah, you asked me out.”

“It’s your turn to answer,” you said.

He slumped in his seat. “Right…it’s not a big deal.”

You waited for him to continue.

Mark adjusted his position and plopped his chin on his palm. “Mom likes coffee, so she used to take me to this coffee shop where she would help me with my homework or read to me. It was where I met William, you remember him?”

Your fingers twitched.

[Host, in the canon timeline, William Clockwell is Mark Grayson’s best friend. He is a major supporting character.]

You knew. This brain knew.

You couldn’t meet Mark’s gaze. “Yeah…” you muttered. 

“It’s okay if you don’t, it’s been a while, and I don’t think I even invited you to my ninth birthday, sorry about that, by the way.”

He continued, eyes glazed over, “It was after dad left. Mom would take me to the shop but didn’t stay long, told me she had to work, and she’d pick me up before sunset. But one day she was late. William’s mom offered to walk me home but I didn’t want to bother her, so I went home alone. I had a spare key with me so I didn’t bother ringing the doorbell.”

A shadow fell over his face. “I could hear weird sounds from the kitchen. I was what, eight, nine? I thought I was going to crap my pants, but I went inside anyway. And then, I saw them, my mom and William’s dad.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach.

“Mom saw me but I ran out the door before anything else could happen. I waited for them outside. Once they were done, mom told me to get back inside the house and you know what she said to me, to her traumatized son that caught her having an affair with his friend’s dad?”

You shook your head.

He rolled back his shoulders and grinned. “She asked me, ‘Did you finish the worksheets I gave you?’”

“...oh.”

He hummed and raised the cup to his lips.

You pondered over what to say next. Would it be wise to offer an “I’m sorry”? You have read your fair share of household scandals, real and fictional, but you were ill-equipped in dealing with this. 

Perhaps sensing your dilemma, or maybe he simply didn’t want to discuss the current topic further, Mark had another question: “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Huh?” You didn’t have one, every species had something to offer, though some were more conventionally adorable than others. “Cats and dogs, I suppose.”

“That’s boring.”

“I–”

“Ask me.”

“Okay, what’s your favorite animal?”

“Hyenas.”

“Huh.”

“They’re cute and over-hated.”

“Hm.”

“What?”

“My guess would have been wolves.” 

“Wolves are cool, but they’re no hyenas.”

“Uh-huh.” You watched his Adam’s apple bob as he went on a whole spiel about how cool hyenas were and shared fun facts about them, like how a group of hyenas are called a clan or cackle (‘not packs!’ he insisted). 

When he finished, he puffed his chest, like his mini speech successfully converted you to loving hyenas as much as he did. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think you’d look good in a collar.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You know, like a dog collar but for humans.”

“…you mean a choker?”

“No, I mean a collar, the studded kind. You have the neck for it,” you remarked, pointing your knife towards his white neck, “though I guess a choker is aesthetically similar.” A choker would be harder on his throat, you thought, a collar would be less restrictive. 

Mark shook his head and transferred more blueberries on your plate. “You got weird kinks, princess.”

[Ding. Affection: 69.7%]

He seemed to be in a chipper mood.

All righty then.

“We still have some time before we leave for the aquarium.” You dug into your coin purse for a quarter. “Heads or tails?”

“I don’t even know what I’m betting on.”

“We both finished our drinks and I’m not going to spend five minutes arguing over who gets to pay for the second round. So, heads or tails?”

He beamed, showing off his little fangs. “Tails.”

***

The aquarium was flowing with visitors, mostly families and some young pairs of lovers who clung onto each other like newly weds. However, it wasn’t so packed that it made you nauseated. There was a sufficient number of people that added to the hype of it all. It was a lively atmosphere. 

As Mark had suggested in his email, you decided to be spontaneous and didn’t open the pamphlet.

The tour started with a walk through the Freshwater Garden, a collection of fish, frogs, toads, turtles and insects found in rivers and ponds, segregated accordingly. The walls and floor were mostly wood and decorated with stones and green, lit up with soft, warm light. 

A few kiddos strayed from their parents’ sides and bent over the pond in the middle of the main room. They pointed at the log in a corner where a snapping turtle stood. Two other turtles tried to climb on, rolling the stump until the snapping turtle splashed into the water.

“I told you he was going to fall–you owe me a candy bar!”

“Shut up!”

You snickered at their antics. Must be nice to be amused by the smallest thing.

Mark nudged you with his elbow as you two passed by the river section. “Judging by that giant smile on your face I’m guessing the aquarium was the correct choice.”

“I thought you got the tickets because your friend broke up with his girlfriend.”

He blinked.

You guffawed. “I’m kidding. This is great, no offense to your friend, but I’m glad his love life crashed and burned. Museums are one of my favorite places.”

He exhaled. “That’s a relief.”

“I have another question, though.”

“Go ahead.”

“If you had a choice, without worrying about the cost, would you still have chosen an aquarium for our first date?”

He paused, tilting his chin to think. Then he replied, “Yeah, I would have.”

You two passed through another vestibule, creatively labeled Under the Sea. The warm wood was replaced by a deep blue velvet. The glass walls and ceilings curved over you. Gone were the mossy rocks and roots of trees, showing only corals and sand. 

You held yourself back from skipping towards the colossal school of anchovies.

Mark followed your line of sight and strode towards the fish.

You followed suit. 

“Between hiking and scuba diving, which do you prefer?” He asked. 

“I guess it depends on my mood. Both of those things can be expensive and require stamina that I don’t have.”

“Okay, how about this: would you rather have a picnic somewhere on a mountain or at the beach?”

“If I really have to choose, I guess I’d go with the beach. You?”

“It depends on my mood.”

You frowned. “That’s not fair.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

He then stepped aside, signaling you to go on. You shrugged and made your way deeper into the aquarium with Mark half a step behind you.

You two ambled in silence until you stopped again in front of a tube with a bloom of jellyfish, each one no bigger than your fingernail. “I’d like to change my answer.”

“You prefer the mountains?”

“No, not that. This.” You gestured at the transparent blobs behind the glass. “My favorite animal.”

Mark bent over the tablet standing in front of the tube. “Turritopsis dohrnii, more famously known as ‘the immortal jellyfish.’” 

“Aren’t they cool? I didn’t know they’d be here.” Your shoulder bumped into his as you looked closer at the little miracles. “Once they reach a certain age or as a reaction to certain stimuli, they revert back to being polyps. Can you imagine de-aging like that?”

“I can, actually,” he mumbled.

“If we humans discover a way to replicate their cells’ differentiation process, we’d be able to solve cancer and even replace missing organs! These jellyfish are the future.”

Mark slid his palm over your forehead before it hit the glass. “They’re also aggressive invaders.” 

“They’re cooler than hyenas.”

“Wha–take that back.”

“No, sorry, immortal jellyfish beats a bunch of furballs.”

“Furballs? Furballs?”

You laughed and walked away. 

You two reached the final exhibit, The Deep, and the moment you stepped inside, you were assaulted by a blast of ice-cold air. The tunnel was pitch-black, with only the faintest lights on the floor to line the path forward. Understandably, the place did not house living creatures from the deep sea, rather it projected 3D holograms that floated across the dark tunnel. 

You started shivering, but not from the cold alone. This darkness was too familiar. You’re suddenly brought back to the Void, the Nothingness that waited for you if you failed. 

Perpetual nothingness.

You were starting to get dizzy when something heavy covered your shoulders. It was Mark’s leather jacket. 

“I probably should’ve recommended a sweater, too,” he said.

You grasped the lapels and breathed slowly. “Thank you.”

He offered his hand and you didn’t hesitate to clasp your quivering fingers on his warm palm. 

Mark started walking and he posed another question, “Do you think it’s better to be good or smart?”

“That came out of the blue,” you joked.

“I’ll forgive that horrible pun if you answer honestly.”

An oarfish hovered over you. “So that’s why you asked me whether I preferred the mountains or the beach. You could have just asked me from the start. I don’t like dawdling.”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not German.” A few crystal jellyfish danced over him. Their blue-green luminescence lit his eyes, made them look like they were glowing themselves. “‘The wise love water, the good love mountains. The wise are active, the good are tranquil–”

“–The wise are joyful, the good enjoy long life,’ was it?”

His hold on you tightened briefly.

You watched the jellyfish bob away. “I don’t think we’re supposed to choose. I thought the whole point was that we need to be both to live a harmonious existence.” The Earth was neither made purely of water nor soil, it was beautiful because it had both. 

“But what if you have to choose…” he whispered. “What if being good means sacrificing your own happiness? Wouldn’t being wise be better?”

“That depends. Smart and wise aren’t synonymous. Confucius believed that wisdom is rooted in fairness though, so if you choose to be wise then that means choosing what is right, not just for yourself but for everyone. Wisdom exists to temper goodness so that we can live a moral life. Using Confucius to excuse selfishness is, well…you know.”

Mark’s hand was colder now.

“I can’t say that Confucius is my favorite philosopher though. I shouldn’t be saying this, but,” you said as you followed the movements of a slow anglerfish above you, even its weakly lit lure would shine in the Void, “but if I had to choose between the happiness of strangers or my own, the answer is obvious.”

[Ding. Affection: 70%. Darkening: 35.2%]

***

There was a gift shop strategically positioned right outside The Deep. It was white, blue and gold and appeared rather fancy for a gift shop. Aquatic creatures decorated every corner, ranging from a school of clownfish painted onto a wall to a giant octopus holding coral-shaped baskets of stuffed sea animals. 

A twentysomething lady dressed in a white dress shirt and a navy blue apron greeted you with a practiced customer service smile. “Good afternoon and welcome.”

You nodded politely while Mark fired his own bright smile back at her. “Good afternoon. Is there something special going on over there?” He was referring to the crowd huddled over one side of the store. 

The saleslady blushed and handed you each a pamphlet. “The aquarium is doing a limited time collab with Stacy’s.”

You skimmed the robin’s-egg blue paper. Stacy’s & Co. was a jewelry company that was famous for its bracelets. A rather on the nose parallel to a certain jewelry company back in your world. 

“We have earrings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets, even keychains and accessories for pets. All are aquatic themed and I’m sure you will find something you like. We’re also offering a really good deal for ring sets, perhaps you and your girlfriend would like to purchase a pair?”

“Actually–”

You cut him off and responded, “We’d like to take a look, thank you.” 

She gestured for you to follow her to the display case. Expectedly enough, the other guests that swarmed here were couples. Everyone was fawning over the ring sets, but you weren’t interested in that. 

Instead you pointed at something in the necklace section. “That one.”

The saleslady blinked. “Pardon?” She was tempted to rub her eyes because surely you weren’t pointing at that, were you?

“That chain collar looks nice. I want him to try it on.” 

Mark pointed at himself, equally confused as the woman behind the counter. 

“It’s pretty, I think it would complement your throat nicely, not to mention your collarbones.” Though with his current getup the latter wasn’t so obvious. 

You then turned to the saleslady. “He has a pretty good neck, don’t you agree? He could model with it.”

“Um, I-I don’t–”

“Take it out please.”

Mark put his hands on your shoulders. “Now, princess, that’s sweet and all but maybe not something that’s clearly designed for dogs?”

“Have you seen the necks of some dogs? I’m sure this will fit you just fine.” You turned to the woman. “You think so too, don’t you?”

The saleslady pitched in nervously, “I’m afraid I can’t encourage wearing animal accessories.”

“Aw. That’s a shame.”

“Yes, a real shame,” Mark said, softly shifting your attention to the human collection. “How about earrings?”

“But you’re not pierced, and I doubt they sell fake earrings.”

“I meant for you.”

“Oh.” 

Mark then asked the saleslady for earrings that were suitable for everyday wear. She showed you several pairs. Most were studs, some were huggies, others were jackets. All of them sparkled. 

They were great, but honestly, you weren’t interested in getting a pair for yourself. If anything, you were busy imagining Mark with piercings. With his sense of style, it felt appropriate, but could his skin even be pierced? You thought back to what you know about Superman and his kin. They had kryptonite but the stingy system refused to share much about Invincible’s weaknesses.

Mark then interrupted your deliberation, “See anything you like?” 

“Not particularly.”

“That’s okay. Wanna go see the other souvenirs? Miss Rinna here said they got a bunch of stationery.”

Your quiet search for his kryptonite vanished instantly at the mention of stationery.

***

“You seem pleased,” he commented, amused as you two entered the Hungry Hippo. 

You hugged your shopping bag full of notebooks close to your chest, not too tightly or you’d ruin the bouquet Mark gave you. “I had a couple of stationery that was ruined. I’m still using them as scratch paper, but I can’t use them for serious writing.”

“Maybe get water-proof paper next time,” he suggested playfully.

“I never said that they got wet.”

He stiffened. “Well… I just assumed. I read somewhere that nine times out of ten, water…ruins paper.”

“Is that so.”

“Uh-huh.” He then pulled a chair for you. “Anyway, d-do you know what you want?”

You sat down and unfolded a piece of paper from your pocket. “Everything’s here.”

“You made a list. Of course.” His tone was more teasing than it was mocking. 

You handed the paper over to him and he raised his arm until a waiter arrived. Mark recited his and your orders, thanked the waiter and turned to you.

“So.”

“So…”

“How would you rate today’s social event?”

You fiddled with the strap of your purse. “It’s fine.”

You regretted your words as you can see his hypothetical ears droop. You hurriedly corrected yourself, “I mean, it’s going great so far–amazing.”

He propped his elbows on the table and leaned closer. “Really?”

“I love the aquarium and the holograms were a smart way to incorporate deep sea life into the exhibit without hurting real animals, plus I got to buy some new notebooks, and I really love the flowers,” your words came out like bullets. You had real fun today, all thanks to Mark. You didn’t want him to think you were saying these things as mere platitudes. 

“So does that mean…” 

“What?”

He cleared his throat but refused to look you in the eye as he repeated, “Does that mean this won’t be our last date?”

“I hope not.”

Your reply caught him off guard because his head swung at an inhuman speed to face you. “Really?”

You held the bouquet to your smiling mouth. “Really.”

He was about to say something when his watch beeped. All that happy, puppy dog energy was nowhere to be seen.

[Ding. Darkening: 35.5%]

He hit something and the watch began vibrating. “Anyway–”

It kept on vibrating.

“That looks important.”

“No, it–” 

The watch blinked red multiple times before the vibrations became beeping again.

He looked about ready to smash the thing.

You reached over and put a reassuring hand over his. “Go.”

“But–”

“We ordered a lot. lt will be a while before the food arrives, so go.”

He sighed and gave you an apologetic smile. “If the food arrives before I come back, eat without me. I have an account here so don’t worry about the payment.”

“Take care.”

He seemed hesitant to leave just yet. His expression told you he wanted to do something else, but before either of you could move, his watch started flashing.

He cursed under his breath and rushed outside.

[There seems to be another alien intent on invading Earth.]

“I’m sure it won’t take long.”

You retrieved a pocket-sized edition of Slaughterhouse Five from your bag. One of the perks of the after-life, or this life before the after-life, was that it gave you the chance to do inventory. You barely scratched the surface of your TBR list but here the stress of real life, of rent and grades was gone. You can indulge in recreational reading without guilt.

You lost yourself in the very first line and didn’t even register the arrival of your meal thirty minutes later, not until the waiter respectfully brought it to your attention.

You thanked him but decided to give Mark five more minutes.

[Host.]

“...”

[Host!]

“What now?”

[You told me to alert you if five minutes have passed. It has been exactly five minutes since your command. The food is starting to get cold.]

You slipped the folded Stacy’s pamphlet between your pages. “And Mark?”

[Still saving the world.]

You put away your book. 

He did say to eat without him so you picked up your fork and tore into your still-hot tomato and basil spaghetti. Sweet and tangy with just the right amount of garlic and some chili flakes that added an extra kick.

You sighed contently at your choice for dinner and sipped slowly on your banana milkshake. It was inexpensive and filling compared to the other options on the menu. 

In contrast, Mark ordered a lot for himself. Chicken salad with honey mustard dressing, baby back ribs with a side of peas and mashed potatoes, cheesy pasta with extra broccoli and two sliders. 

He must have been really hungry. You felt bad for him, being a superhero sounded like a nuisance. If you had powers, you’d keep it to yourself and use it to make life easier, not worse. Like, if you superspeed, you would use it to get some extra sleep.

But Mark was too kind. His food will be cold by the time he comes back.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Your waiter approached just as you flipped to the next chapter.

“Really sorry to disturb your reading but I would like to ask if everything was to your liking?”

“It was, yes.” You shifted on your chair.

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Just a refill for my water, thank you.”

As the waiter left your table, the system dinged.

[Not that I care how you spend your free time, but how long are you going to wait for him?]

You focused on your book. “As long as it takes.”

***

Shit,shit,shit,shit,shit.

Fucking insect fucks.

Fucking Cecil.

Fucking team can’t do anything right.

Mark shoved Rex off him when the idiot tried to get him to drink. He ignored Eve’s attempts to get him to stay for the post-mission meeting and flew back to the Hungry Hippo as fast as he could. He swapped into his civilian clothes mid-air and hid the backpack someplace safe.

Three hours. He kept you waiting alone at a family restaurant for three hours. 

He wouldn’t blame you if you stayed just so you could slap him hard and tell him never to email you again. He wanted to slap himself.

Still, he needed a chance, he needed to try and explain and apologize, so even if you remained just to yell at him he would take it.

After surveying the area for any witnesses, he deemed the parking lot behind the restaurant safe and landed. He took a moment to fix his appearance, using a car window as a mirror.

The hair he had meticulously brushed and moussed at dawn was tousled by the fighting and the flying.

He didn’t have time to waste so he combed it back with his fingers and ran.

Please be there, please be there…he prayed as he scoured the tables from outside the windows.

At eight p.m. the place was packed with families from the aquarium and nearby mall, but his heart sank when he realized that you weren’t at your table.

He checked his phone. No messages. He should have sent you a quick text, but everyone kept screwing up that he didn’t have a moment to spare.

He should still apologize.

He started typing, but someone approached him. “Mark?”

“Princess?”

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He pocketed his phone. “You’re still here?”

“As you can see.” 

Yes, he could see. You were even wearing his jacket.

“I was trying to look for you inside, through the windows.”

“I felt bad because there was a long line of people wanting a table so I asked them to wrap up your food and the staff were kind enough to let me hang out on the waiting chairs.”

He was speechless.

“I’m sorry for giving up our table.”

“No, no, you got nothing to apologize for. I was the one who abandoned you like a di–like a jerk.” He closed the distance between the two of you. “I’m sorry.”

You gave him a sincere smile. “All is forgiven.”

“You can hit me if you want.

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Are you sure? I was horrible.”

“It was work.”

“That’s no excuse to leave you waiting for hours. I should’ve called or texted–”

“You came back, didn’t you? We’re cool. Seriously.” You shimmied your right hand, which he now noticed to be holding a pocket book. “I was going to text you that I left our table but I forgot the time.”

“You brought a novel to our date…”

“Don’t take it personally. I have a couple of fanfics and scientific journals on my phone for when I get stuck at parties.”

He shook his head, chuckling. 

Mark called for a cab and then walked you back to your building. He refused to let you carry any of the takeout bags.

“Are you sure you don’t want the ribs?”

“I’m good.”

“The salad? The sliders?”

“They’re yours, Mark.”

Truth be told, he knew you chose the spaghetti because it was the cheapest pasta, same with the milkshake, so he ordered more than he needed. He had planned to split his food with you until those damn aliens got in the way. 

He was tempted to use the “I’ll just end up throwing the food away” card again but he didn’t want to push his luck.

“I had a really great time with you,” you said, cradling your shopping bag. “I haven’t had that much fun in forever.”

“First date in a while, huh?”

“The last one was a lifetime ago, and even then, nothing comes close to today.”

His chest beamed with pride. “I’m glad to hear it.”

He mirrored your smile.

You two stood in front of the dorms in comfortable silence.

Mark didn’t want to say goodbye just yet, but he knew the date had to end at some point. 

He was about to bid you good night when you suggested, “Wanna go up to my room?”

taglist: @weponxwrites, @ratkidcalledallie, @qxuanii, @lilacoaks, @gluttonousriceflour, @phisen, @sleepyzzz3, @whaaaaaaaaat111, @ik33ponmakingc00ki3s, @lonely-entity, @noxus123, @ilovecoffe0

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed our date with Mark (I designed the aquarium based on the Animal Crossing New Horizons aquatic gallery huhuhu) I'm feeling under the weather so I won't be able to answer any messages immediately. I also haven't edited this chapter as thoroughly as I wanted, so if you see any inconsistencies with the time or Mark's favorite animal being a lion instead of a hyena (it was a lion in the first draft), you'll know why. (_　_|||) bye bye for now

Disclaimer: The images used in this post do not belong to writerclaire. They were lifted from the following sources:

Invincible flying from: https://gamerant.com/invincible-every-character-fate-comics/

Alternate Invincibles from: https://gamerant.com/invincible-all-alternate-dimension-invincibles-fates/

CHAPTER 11: Coming soon. Series Masterlist

ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊

MAIN MASTERLIST

Any questions for the author? Ask here.

[fflrrrtt]

Recognition

(Pro-Hero Bakugo Katsuki x Reader)

Synopsis: After years of blood, sweat, and sleepless nights in medical school and residency, you’re offered the chance of a lifetime: a position as a physician in Japan. With the public interest in healthcare on the rise, the elite Medical Unit has just been established, and you don’t hesitate to accept.

You have a one-track mind: to excel. It’s expected. It’s career-focused. No distractions…until you cross paths with a certain blonde.

(total chapters: Seven): One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven

Note: This is highkey inspired by a post I read from @azzo0 where reader's a med student and I want to explore this profession for this short-chapter fic I'm cooking. I also want to take this time to say that reading the works of @ofmermaidstories , @andypantsx3 , @willowser , and @thetrashywritingwitch for literal YEARS actually pushed me to brush-off my writer's block and cultivate my writing skills. So if you see this, tysm muah <3 - from a not-so-popular fic author.

Enjoy!

“Pro Hero Dynamight surged from rank 15 to 5!” The newscaster’s voice was loud and proud, and the sounds of explosions could be heard from the television placed on the wall. Then, the screen pans to a familiar green-haired man, One for All Hero, Deku, speaking gently to the cheery live reporter as Dynamight stood by him, brooding as usual. It was the aftermath of a villain fight—a quick fight at that. 

“They really got the public hooked, huh?” Dr. Miyano says before she shoves rice and curry into her mouth using the spoon she bought at a merchandise store, it was a minimalist design of Creati. The cafeteria was filled with chirpy health professionals—some were talking to each other, some watching TV, and some were ready for seconds as they stood up, went back to the cafeteria line, and already dished out their debit cards and IDs to be scanned. 

“I’m not surprised,” you remarked, sloshing the ready-to-go glass of coffee you just ordered at the vending machine. Ever since the new generation of heroes rose, the crime rate plummeted and, of course, the heroes gained a shit ton of popularity, especially the U.A alumnis because they played key role in defeating Shigaraki and All for One, “they literally saved Japan and the whole world by extension.” 

Lunch went by in a blur—literally because it’s only a 30-minute duration. You and Miyano walked into the physician’s lounge, greeting coworkers and putting the now-empty bentos in your respective lunch bags. “You think we’re gonna meet them?” Dr. Miyano says aloud, zipping her lunch bag. 

You snide, “yeah, we’ll meet them one on one if we’re…A, we’re in the middle of a villain attack.  B, we’re tending to them, and C, one of us is in the Medical Unit, which is a competitive sector. Totally easy.” you fix your white coat and apply lip gloss—you gotta atleast look presentable even though you were running on only two hours sleep from the damn graveyard shift you took last night. “Alright, I’ll see you later.” At that, you left the room to do your patient rounds, prescribe medicine in doctor appointments, and the like. 

After your afternoon shift, you headed to a nice cafe—to unwind and do a quick email browse before you shut your damn brain off. Upon entering, you were met with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, calming your nerves. Soft jazz plays in the background as guests sink into plush chairs, sipping lattes and chatting beneath shelves lined with well-loved books. You greeted the barista, flashing a curt smile before stating your order, and this time, you added a pastry—you know, just to treat yourself after your tiring shift.

Sitting on a comfortable plush chair, you bring out your laptop, turn it on, and start browsing through your emails, double-checking to ensure you don’t miss a single damn thing. A notification popped up from your calendar: GUN SHOOTING RANGE at noon this Saturday. An open tab of an online shop that you’ve been browsing last night. Rubbing your eyes, you look out the window in thought. It’s easy to get burnt out when you overwork yourself, which you knew ever since you chose to be in pre-med during your undergraduate years. You honestly thought of being a hero, entering as a hero medic, but it was just never for you.

A familiar barista approaches you, holding a tray of your order, breaking you out of your stupor. You smile again as he places them on the cool wooden table. “Thanks. How’s the college thus far, Ben?” you ask.

“It’s ok! The Japanese literature class is lowkey kicking my ass.” he says, rubbing the back of his head, “Kinda started to question the major I chose, but how about you, doc? I remember you briefly brought up a Medical Unit application.”

Oh my fuck. I was literally avoiding to think about this shit, damnit. You’ve been doing a great job suppressing this feeling of what? Butterflies? No—it’s maggots, definitely. You stirred your drink, taking a sip to act unaffected, “It’s going to be released tomorrow.” You say as cool as a cucumber, but mentally? Oh girl, your mind is doing laps. 

“Well, you’ll definitely get in! You’re one of the hardest-working doctors I’ve met. That’s not me trying to mooch off of you or anything. I’m just being truthful,” 

“Thanks. I hope.” The conversation ended when one of his coworkers called his name, leaving you alone with your thoughts and idling laptop. After a while, you left, seemingly satisfied with the quick relaxation you had using public transit to head home. 

The sun begins to set, coloring the sky a dark hue, and the stars start to fill up space, shining bright as you pressed a code to enter the condominium building. The place is neither super luxurious nor janky. Your condo is simple, yet spacious and affordable. Your mom really did make sure that you’re financially literate. You changed out of your work clothes, followed your nightly routine, and not giving a damn about the outside world. It didn’t take long for you to drift to sleep minutes after taking a melatonin pill.

-

“Ma, you don’t have to worry a goddamn thing. I’ll take care of it,” you grumble, phone placed by your ear, walking out of the train station with purpose, it’s early morning and your back hurts from the fuck ass mattress you slept on last night “I’ll pay for my little brother’s tuition. All I want from you is to relax! Goodness sake, I know you’re handling grandfather’s business, and it’s stressful. Just don’t worry about—” A public commotion cuts you off, “I’ll call you later.” You hang up, eye twitching because the short route you always go to is filled with crowds of people. It’s literally 7 am..what could be happening now?! 

“Red Riot!! We love you!!” a man screams, people gushing over the unbreakable hero. The two police cars are there to put the handcuffed villain in the vehicle. 

Red Riot chuckled, and you could just sense the signature panty-dropping shark-toothed grin he’d show to the public. Hell, even guys admit they have a crush on this guy and bought the Red Riot-themed calendar. As much as you would like to see the hero in person, you have work to do, so you briskly walk to a different path. “Hey, miss!” his voice was loud, and you thought none of it until you felt a tap on the shoulder. You turned around, and lo and behold. The hero stands before you. He’s tall as hell, clad in his hero uniform, “Oh..uh, doc, you dropped this.” he hands you your condo key. 

Your brain buffered for a quick second, “Thanks,” you took the key, “I didn’t notice.” “It’s okay!” he smiles, and it looked like he was expecting something from you, but eventually settled with, “hope you have a great day!” 

“Yeah. You too..!” You walked away while the crowd went even wilder. You missed the way Dynamite arrived at the scene, red piercing eyes glancing at you before calling out to him in a raspy voice. 

And at the physician’s lounge? You were surrounded by your colleagues, asking so many questions about your interaction with the hero. “Omg, what was he like?”

“He’s so damn fine. Did you take pictures with him? An autograph?”

“Did you ask for his number?” “I would sell my kidney for him.”  

You admitted that you didn’t ask him for anything and just expressed appreciation for picking up your house key. Of course, they clowned you, but you just laughed it off. However, the atmosphere soon shifted as everyone received a message from the medical director’s assistant about a meeting. Your heart dropped outta your ass as everyone hurried to the big meeting room, feeling excited, nervous, and curious. 

Once everyone is situated, the well-esteemed director, Dr. Lee, stands unwavering at the podium. That alone has every health professional sit up and take notice. His eyes were sharp behind the wire-rimmed glasses. “Good Morning. As you are all aware, the Medical Unit has announced the results for the top three ‘pillars’.” He paused for dramatic effect, and it didn’t fail. Everyone stilled; it was pure silence. You seriously heard someone gulp behind you, and you fight the urge to bite your fingernails. Fuck.

“And I’ve received a memo that one of you was chosen out of the thousands of applicants across Japan,” he continues, “It is commendable and we couldn’t be any prouder.” his assistant comes up to him, handing a small envelope. The silence stretches, and the tension is palpable. You literally felt all your senses shutting down like you’re astral projecting. “The Medical Unit is a new sector that integrates medicine in not just the hero world, but also the general, support, and management courses. This cultivates an expansive understanding.” The rest of Dr. Lee’s explanation of the Medical unit became static to you, in exchange of mulling over your brave choice of applying. 

It’s not like you’re not confident in your abilities. Hell, you managed to get into a top medical school. You’re well-rounded and you know the ropes. You’ve dealt with the real shit outside academics, molding you into a strong professional that you are today…It’s just that sometimes those intrusive thoughts have their way of making you overthink and compare yourself to others. Are your credentials enough? Is this laughable? Are you stupid for believing that you have a shot at this? All you want is to excel in life and thrive. Maybe be someone in this world. Make a mark that influences those around you…

 All of your thoughts dissipated when you felt a nudge on your arm from Miyano, “Dude. dude.” 

“..huh?” You blinked, and all of a sudden, you felt all eyes on you, including the medical director, whose eyebrow was raised. Your eyes dart everywhere, making eye contact with everyone. “I assume you’re Dr. L/N.” Dr. Lee’s voice echoes. 

“Yes. I am,” you said aloud, not showing any weakness. Eyes resolved. Posture assertive and ready, bracing yourself to be told that you’re rejected from the Medical Unit. 

“Congratulations.” And that was not something you’re ready for. 

Thank you for reading! Oh and I totes enjoy feedback, asks, anything!!! Keep an eye out for updates! Oh and if anyone wants to be added on my tag list, lmk!!! My ao3 is flrtt

[spampai]

NOLI TIMERE (THE DEFINITIVE SPOOKY CRK AU MASTERPOST)

Here u go have concrete evidence of the creepy spooky ewwww au existing (I decided to move it to my main acc bcs i really like all my stuff in one acc man)

FAQ, reference lists and links under cut

—————————

LINKS:

Chapter 1 - Breathless Flowers - Contemplation - Startled - Indescribable - Prying Deep - Failed Successfully and Successfully Failed - Cut Conversation - Self-Consciousness - Crash-Out of the Century

Chapter 2 - Back Home -

-Beast Cookie Designs

-Ancient Cookie Designs

-Ancient Cookies Study

-Illustration 1

-Illustration 2

-Doodles 1

-Doodles 2

-Doodles 3

-Teasers 1

FAQ:

-What is this AU?

Noli Timere is a psychological-based horror comic/manga centered around the relationships between the Beasts and Ancient Cookies, and how their actions affects the Kingdom as a whole. The Ancients are only trying to help the Beasts to change into what is called ‘good’, but they don’t see it that way, literally and figuratively….

This AU will also involve interactions from different cookies as White Lily Cookie ventures to find out the whether those spreaded rumours about the Ancient Heroes are true or not. It features humour, strange and uncanniness depending on how White Lily Cookie views them as.

It also involves villains who we don’t know deep down, including one particular cookie…

-Who will be involved in the story?

Characters such as the Beast Cookies and Ancient Cookies will be involved. It also opens up to White Lily Cookie’s story arc as one of the main protagonists. Other side characters such as the Legendary Cookies, Super Epics, Epics, Rare and Common Cookies will play a part in different chapters.

-What does ‘Noli Timere’ even mean?

It means ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ translated from Latin. I just think it’s neat.

-When will this AU be updated?

Literally whenever I finish it, which will happen at random as I’m working on my mentality at the same time. Most of the time it’ll be at 6 am/pm Asian time.

-When does this AU take place?

Shortly before Golden Cheese’s demise.

-What tools are used for my art?

A very normal 4b pencil, eraser, sharpener that constantly breaks and a 30 cm ruler

-Who is the main character in this AU?

Although the story is based on the Beasts’ POV, the character to tie it all together is White Lily Cookie.

-Is old art before development considered canon?

Some, but those were only takes before I had the idea, so some might be inaccurate.

About Fanart:

-Is it allowed?

Yes. Absolutely. Go crazy :) But just be aware that no ships will be present in this AU.

About Asks:

-Go ahead and ask, but make sure not to spam and keep everything in one post. You can send gifts and stuff there.

Reference list:

[bakkusimpp]

He's your teacher, Dammit!

Shouta Aizawa x Student! Fem!reader

Chapter 1: The Point of View of a Teenage Girl

Next

—

You sighed yet again and looked out the window.

The thought of him blurred in your mind and you blushed again—and he wasn't even there to make you blush. Just a mere thought was enough.

You wonder when it started…

[Summer Camp]

As everyone was in a frenzy of panic, you were frozen in place. You couldn’t move.

Fear gripped your chest like chains—cold, paralyzing, all-consuming.

But what could you do?

There was a criminal.

A villain standing in front of you.

Should I fight?

Run away?

Scream? (No, that’s probably dumb.)

What should I do? Someone help me...

Your thoughts raced, colliding like a bullet train with no brakes.

The villain, a man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties with black hair and scars on his face (and body), was in front of you smirking. He slowly and predatorily stalked toward you.

You were just a little plaything for him, before he got his hands on the main target—Bakugou.

“What’s the matter, little hero? Cat got your tongue?” he sneered.

He raised his brows and grinned.

Please… someone...

And as if God heard what you asked for—

You suddenly felt a tug at your waist. A long white rope coiled around you, yanking you back with force.

You yelped in surprise as you were quickly dragged by the rope. Your hands gripped the person’s bicep, and you quickly looked at their face.

It was your grumpy homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa.

Up close, you realized you couldn’t look away from him.

“Stay back, kid,” he muttered and pushed you behind him protectively.

A feeling of safety bloomed in your chest.

The things that took place after he pushed you back were chaotic and hazy. You chose not to remember them.

Your friend was kidnapped.

You were so worried…

It had been days since Bakugou was taken by the League.

[Present]

Bakugou had finally been brought back—by you, Todoroki, Deku, and all of your friends. It had been dangerous, reckless... and you got quite the scolding from Mr. Aizawa.

“I cannot believe you,” he muttered sternly, massaging the bridge of his nose.

As he looked back at you all, his eyes briefly held yours.

You quickly looked away, a pink tint rising in your cheeks as you cleared your throat.

“Sorry, sensei...” Izuku mumbled.

He motioned for you all to leave the classroom, and one by one, each of you bowed and apologized.

You were the last one to leave.

“We are very sorry, sensei, for causing you trouble,” you said as you bowed.

You looked up—and saw his hardened expression.

“Y/N… I know how close you and Bakugou are. But I’d recommend not thinking of such plans again.”

Oh.

He knew.

He knew it was your idea.

A blush crept up your face, and you shyly looked away.

“S-sorry, sensei…”

“Go along now.”

His hand brushed lightly against your back as he guided you out.

...

“I wonder if he’s single,” you sighed, flipping through the pages of your textbook.

“You can’t be serious, Y/N! He’s our teacher! And he’d get in trouble if—”

You cut Mina off.

“I know! It’s just a stupid crush, okay? He only sees me as a student, maybe even a daughter… nothing else! So let me fangirl while I still can!”

You huffed, and Mina chuckled, sitting up.

“I don’t understand you though. He’s grumpy and scary… always threatening to expel us.”

“You don’t get it!” you half smiled, half pouted.

...

“Be ready for combat in 30,” Aizawa announced, dismissing the class.

One by one, everyone left. You slowly walked out, glancing back at Aizawa-sensei.

“It’s rude to stare, Y/N,” he said, not even looking up from his paperwork.

Shit.

“Sorry, sensei,” you mumbled, rushing out to catch up with your classmates.

...

That evening, you were exhausted from training. You kicked off your shoes and flopped onto the sofa.

Your dad was watching the news. You lazily glanced at the screen… and froze.

There he was.

Mr. Shouta Aizawa.

Wearing a suit. Looking clean as hell.

Giving an interview, dodging allegations, outsmarting tricky questions.

You watched it carefully—more carefully than your dad, who was now looking at you instead.

“Something caught your eye? It’s an old interview,” he asked.

You shrugged.

“I just haven’t watched it properly before.”

“It was so scary for us… as parents, we’re always worried about you.”

Your mom appeared with a bowl of fruit.

“I think the teachers handled it well.

Aizawa-sensei saved me from that fire villain…” you mumbled, eyes still on the screen.

“That reminds me,” your mom said. “I got an email from your school this afternoon.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Your homeroom teacher wants to speak with every parent.”

Huh?

“He’s coming tomorrow.”

[opbackgrounds]

Do you have any advice for anyone who’d want to get more serious about analyzing One Piece and writing for this manga? I’ve been getting back to it and realizing the extent of the quality of its writing, and want to participate in it more seriously. Thank you for all the great work you do !

Take your time reading. I queue up one chapter at a time for this blog and it usually takes me between 30 minutes to an hour to go through and write out all my thoughts. Some of this is me getting distracted or having to look things up, but to be thorough you need to take time to really ruminate on what’s being said, and how Oda is saying it

In that vein, it is helpful to have a basic familiarity with the text and a grasp of where to find things in the manga. I’ve read through the pre timeskip chapters a lot, so even if I don’t know exactly where a scene is for cross referencing, I know where to start looking. This eases frustration and makes things go faster, but is also helpful when looking for patterns. It’s a weakness of mine that I am less familiar with post time skip stuff, and you’ll notice I reference it less often. The knowledge of those arcs just does not take up the same amount of brain space

Take note of what words or phrases are repeated, either in the arc you’re reading or the manga as a whole. These are the things that are important to Oda and the story: pirates, dreams, treasure, living a life without regret, justice, freedom, history. Certain arcs will have themes unique to them, such as music in Skypiea, but usually this will somehow loop back into the overarching narrative, such as the ringing of the golden bell being the song of freedom that brings peace. Usually each arc will have a small piece of the puzzle regarding these large narrative beats, and putting them together will give you the Big Idea Oda is trying to convey

Do not overlook the artwork. Oda will often utilize visual motifs, which again can be divided into arc specific or the whole narrative: the sun that pops up in Arlong Park, Skypiea, and Thriller Bark; the masks of Water 7; the use of shadows in Skypiea. See how Oda gives certain moments weight by using bigger panels or what he’s emphasizing with how a page is laid out. In a visual medium like comics, the art is part of the text just as much as the actual words on the page.

Oda loves himself a good literary foil. For major villains (and some more minor ones) try to find out how Oda is contrasting them to both Luffy and the Major Supporting Character of the arc. This will almost always tie back to theme, and is utilized to explore the character of all parties involved. For example, Kuro and Usopp are both liars, but Usopp uses his lies to help Kaya whereas Kuro wants to kill her. Qualities like lying are not automatically seen as negatives in OP, but how said traits are used is more important. On the other hand, Luffy is a character who revels in his infamy, whereas Kuro wants to run away and hide. This goes back living life without regrets and what makes a true pirate. This back and forth dynamic shows up all the time, and if you can put your finger on what type of foil a character (usually a villain, but not always) is, you’ll understand what type of theme Oda is looking to build upon for that arc. A good shorthand for this is paying attention to who and what makes the protagonists (usually Luffy, but not always) angry, or if the antagonists use similar language to the protagonist but twist it to fit their nefarious purposes, like Kaido talking about Joyboy or Buggy’s idea of treasure during the Orang Town Arc.

Hope that helps, and know that deep analysis of any kind is a learned skill that takes time to get comfortable with. It is both a blessing and a curse that your unique experience will naturally lead you to notice and pay attention to different aspects of the manga than me or anyone else, meaning at the end of the day your reading of the text will be unique to you. I always ask myself what it is Oda is trying to convey with any given chapter, but that’s just one way of media analysis. For others Oda’s intent isn’t important to them, just the text itself. You’ll have to figure out how you want to tackle things, but it’s well worth it in my opinion.

[wastingmylifesecondatatime]

Wanderer Masterlist - Series

Updated: April 26th, 2025 🔞 = mature ✔ = completed Other masterlists: mother masterlist (2019-2024), mother masterlist (2025)

NEW ADDITIONS:

✔ Behind The Lens! by @ventismacchiato

↳ "You, better known as STARDUST, and BALLADEER have always been in competition for the top streamer spot on Twitch, which is especially impressive since the two of you have never shown your faces. You’ve never been on good terms, constantly one-upping each other in matches and getting into petty arguments on Twitter, causing your fans to also dislike each other. That’s until BALLADEER does a face reveal that breaks the internet with his good looks…which makes you realize it’s the same guy you went on a date with last night. The type of date that made you crave to see him again. The only problem was he didn’t know you were STARDUST and he was way different behind the lens than he portrayed himself online to you. Should you keep your identity a secret to salvage the relationship or just let him go?"

↳ Chapters: 46/46  (added: April 26th, 2025)

Darling, Starling by @kararisa

↳ "Being the world-famous singer-songwriter "zenith", the limelight has been on you ever since the start of your career. However, the media becomes relentless when leaks of music you never meant to release begin to circulate. Your friend Scaramouche, meanwhile, seems to have gotten stuck while writing his second book. With a deadline fast approaching, he comes to you with a deal: act as if you're dating him so he can gather reference material and, in turn, he'll help keep the press' eyes off of your leaks until you release your next album. a win-win in your book, so why not help a friend out?"

↳ Chapters: 30/?  (added: April 26th, 2025)

✔ Elysian by @floylia

↳ "After 7 years of enduring the media’s relentless pursuit of painting you as a villain, you’re forced to go on an indefinite hiatus with a tainted reputation on your head. However, just when you thought your career was over, a certain 5WIRL member wants you to feature on his solo album. Surely, this won’t affect your reputation once more, would it?"

↳ Chapters: 24/24  (added: April 26th, 2025)

✔ Keep My Heart by @aestherin

↳ "You find plenty of guys around you attractive, but there is only one you’re willing to make the first move on: the guy you first saw during your older brother’s soccer game. spoiler: he's a player from your rival university."

↳ Chapters: 24/24  (added: April 26th, 2025)

Stuck With You! by @ventismacchiato

↳ "After the disaster that was the live award show, where you and Scaramouche got into an argument on stage after both of your groups got a tie for top artists, your guys' PR teams have been in shambles trying to scrape up your mess. That's when the idea to send you both off with some other idols to a remote location for a survival dating show to mend your public image comes up. Before you know it your bags are packed and you’re on a plane to a remote island. The only obligation is you need to end up with Scaramouche at the end of the show, whether you end up liking him or not doesn’t matter to your managers as long as the show’s ratings stay high. Whatever you do in between to get there is up to you!"

↳ Chapters: 21/?  (added: April 26th, 2025)

[pruneunfair]

If I were these villainesses lawyers and if I could convince court they are innocent. (The court in this case is the manhwa community so the guilty/innocent factor will be based on if I can convince the community they did nothing wrong)

Yvonne.

I mean this one would be easy. She was body-napped by a Leila follower so all the crimes would be charged on the follower not Yvonne, and shes been trapped in a mirror anyway so the poor girl has been going through enough. She's got a solid case to prove her innocence.

Rashta

Honestly with how much the fandom is growing to love her she's not as screwed as one might think. If anything she could have rights to sue the Rimwells for years of unpaid labor and wrongfully taking away her child. Still, murder and mutilation are crimes worthy of hating her, not to mention those who think stealing someone's man is somehow worse then that. The best I could give Rashta is probably 5 years with a chance of parole

Rhyse

I feel like we would first have a guaranteed innocent verdict but then someone would reveal evidence that she's the author and we'd be done for 😭 because that's essentially what happened to me when I read the newest chapters of NYTRS. Rhyse is probably gonna get sentenced to 30 years with no parole.

Isabella

I'm gonna look her right in the eyes as I say "you are screwed." Because I don't know how I'm going to convince the community that a pure evil villainess who killed her sisters, one of which was a child, that she is a good person deep down. I can't even say she's a good villain cause that sure as hell isn't true. Sorry Isabella but your gonna get life with no parole.

Diane

I think I could get her out.. maybe worst case scenario she gets 1-3 years since someone will probably point out she kidnapped and beat a maid for supposedly trying to seduce the Emperor. But she did kill said Emperor and redeemed herself plus she kinda drank poison and gave herself a death penalty already so I think she's already dealt her punishment.

Marianne

Normally if we were going by actual morality Marianne would get the lethal injection, but since we are going by fandom laws which are all based on "love" for a character Marianne is probably gonna just get 10 years since she's so well beloved as a villain and character and then the public is gonna get pissed that she got it easy for her long list of charges.

Soleia

Soleia is gonna be the reason the Salem witch trials come back in modern day BUT she has actual black magic so she'd probably never even show up to court but if she did best case scenario she can leave on bail since what she did was for revenge and the people she hurt were willing to drop the charges if she agreed to not relapse, the fandom likes her more then Yerenica so she's almost guaranteed an innocent verdict by fandom law.

Freya

I could probably defend her for wanting to be with Izek so badly since she was trying to escape her toxic family but unfortunately 2/3 community despise her existence and would call for life in prison. If I reallly put in the effort Freya would get 10-15 years with a chance of parole.

Sumin

I already know I'm gonna be stressing as her lawyer. She murdered her mother in-law and even before that she did that she was still mean to the FL and thats a cardinal sin in the manhwa world to be mean to the FL. She's got a backstory sure but it's extremely contrived and dumb and even if it wasn't she still had a multitude of other friends and help from others so there's really no excuse. I might love her craziness but I don't think I'm gonna talk her out of life in prison with no parole.

Cosette

Another easy innocent. She is possessed by a demon who used her body to break havoc on the world so Cosette herself is in the clear and ready to go, and if we go by the novel, Cosette is dead.. gonna be real hard to charge a dead girl for Ragibachs crimes.

Mielle

Definitely gonna fail her and at best she's gonna get 35 years for arranging Aria to be executed for basically no good reason, pushing her father down the stairs and in general being a horrible person with a superiority complex, not like she's even gonna see the light again after 35 years cause we all know Aria isn't gonna let that slide.

Dodolea

I'm not even gonna try. I'm just gonna take the money and let herself get the electric chair cause even though I like white lotuses. Dodolea is the rare case where I actually hate a character and my only good thoughts about her is that she's a fantastic villainess.

[pondscxrl]

cooking up a httyd runaway au! and it has everything i want it to have:

- Hiccstrid of COURSE, my cuties

- Viggo Grimborn LIVES and mentors Hiccup for a bit (end of/post rtte timeline)

- Dagur, Heather, and Hiccup have a siblings dynamic

- Stoick isn’t a perfect father but he is trying, brother has so much grief to overcome when he realises both his son and wife are, in fact, alive!

- Valka (enough said)

- Snotlout getting character development and bonding with his cousin bc I love their dynamic in RTTE and I don’t see enough runaway fics that explore it

It’s gonna mostly follow canon, it’ll be angsty and sad n all that but I’m gonna try not deviate too much with character personalities. Most of it is set in the present (Httyd2 timeline so you can guess who the villain is gonna be) but there will be at least one flashback per chapter.

I have written the first chapter and am about half way through the second but I won’t post on ao3 until I’ve written five chapters as I tend to lose steam and I want to have backup chapters.

But I’m excited because I have an overall plan finished and I have planned 12 chapters in detail (though it’ll prob be maybe 30 chapters ish? We’ll see)

(not planning to include the lore from httyd3, may be a few bits here and there but I do not care for that movie)