#(oh geeze i typed too much in the tags but i hope it's far enough that this doesn't show up in the tags and bother jsr & ptr peeps ^^;)

[gravityfalls-amirite]

Started watching a playthrough of jet set radio because boredom and wanted to understand why everyone keeps taking about the music. And while I was pleasantly surprised to unlock a memory that I actually played a bit of this game as a kid without realizing (played it at an older cousins house but found the game too hard at the time and never played it again haha) and that the music indeed slaps, I still don't understand the professor k/dj dude

Like, I have at least a half hour left of this vid so I'm well aware this guy is supposed to be a narrator for the players to guide the story and all but... I dunno, he doesn't make sense to me in the sense of why he's doing the broadcasts in the first place as well as why he's gotta be yelling 'JET SET RAAadiOOOOOO!!!!' at any given moment. Like I thought you were a guerrilla radio station and were supposed to be kinda on the hush-hush instead of letting your neighbours know you're doing a thing in your basement but then again, he also has those blaring speakers so.... idk XD

[ryqoshay]

Putting on Hairs

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: 877 Rating: G, probably, mild T at best AU: Werewolf (possibly others?)

----------

Author’s Note: It’s AU August, which is something in which I’ve not often participated, but adore the idea. Recently, @lonelypond tagged me to choose a prompt, which resulted in this lovely work. At least I assume it’s lovely based on the author’s prior work; I haven’t had a chance to read it, but intend to do so later today.

Anyway, the list has been simmering in the back of my mind for a few days. And I had a silly idea for a Cryptid Theater prompt as I walked to the kitchen for some water after waking up wa~y to early this morning. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I got back up and wrote this. And here is the sleep deprived, decaffeinated result.

Notes edited with credit to @daily-nicotine

----------

“I can’t believe you would do this to me!” Nico fumed as she paced around the dressing room.

“Whatever do you mean, Nicocchi?” Nozomi inquired innocently.

“Don’t play coy with me!” Nico paused to point. “You recommended this… this circus to me!”

“I did.” Nozomi confirmed. “As your agent, I thought this role would suit my client perfectly.”

“You mean you saw an opportunity to make fun of me.” Nico growled back.

Nozomi donned a hurt expression. “You don’t like the production?”

“It’s a joke!” Nico declared. “The whole thing is one big joke! I mean of course it is. A show about werewolves titled ‘Putting on Hairs’?! What else could it possibly be but a horrible, B-rate comedy? Or tragedy more like.”

“I thought the title was amusing.” Nozomi admitted.

“Ughn!” Nico threw up her hands and started pacing again. “This was supposed to be my breakout role! But instead, I’m stuck quipping about knees bending the wrong way during transformation! I mean that’s not even true!”

“You would know.”

“Of course, I would know! That’s my point!” Nico shook her head. “You would think nobody in this whole production has ever met an actual werewolf. Or anything else for that matter. I mean of course real vampires don’t sparkle. Gods, I hate Hollywood.”

“Well, you’re not exactly admitting everything to everyone yourself, now are you.” Nozomi pointed out.

“That’s not the point.”

“Oh?”

“I can’t work like this.”

“Mm?”

“This whole thing is a mockery of who I am.” Nico groused. “And don’t even get me started on that spoiled brat of a costar.”

“I thought she was nice.”

“Nice?! Did we meet the same person?”

“She’s also quite talented.”

“Well yeah, she’d have to be to get into a school like Waseda. Unless her mommy and daddy just bought her way into that place.”

“Money may have secured her enrollment,” Nozomi conceded “and her family’s influence certainly made connections for obtaining roles like this. But I’ve done my research, her skills are her own.”

“Well maybe she should just take my role and I can get out of this whole ordeal.”

“I’d say give it a chance. Give her a chance.” Nozomi pulled something out of her shirt. “I have a feeling good things are coming.”

“You and your cards.” Nico rolled her eyes. “Put that away. And button up. Geez.” As she was about to make another round, her gaze found one of the outfits that was to be fitted for her. “Oh, and have you seen this mess?” She paused to hold up the garment. “Where did they find this? It looks like a kindergartener’s first arts and crafts project.” She tugged at a tuft of fur. “Seriously, Teen Wolf had better material for crying out loud.”

Heating up again, Nico stomped the first few steps in her circle. For her part, Nozomi watched in calm amusement, waiting for what she knew would eventually occur.

Sure enough, the strap of Nico’s top slipped off as her shoulders narrowed. Then her skirt began to slide. However, the actress was too lost in her tantrum to notice. Of course, having done this very routine dozens of times before, Nico subconsciously stepped out of everything as if it was part of her plan. Within moments, the young woman had shrunk down entirely and what was left prancing was a pretty little Pomeranian.

Nozomi held back a chortle as the fluffball yapped away, still not having noticed her transformation.

A knock sounded at the door.

That startled Nico into realizing her state and she scampered behind a chair to hide.

“Come in Maki-chan.” Nozomi called.

“How… did you know it was me?” A young redhead asked, slowly opening the door.

Nozomi merely smiled in return.

Maki raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the issue. “Anyway, I thought I heard… barking?”

Now Nozomi laughed. “Maki-chan has good ears. Do you like dogs?”

Maki tilted her head with confusion. “I don’t dislike them.” She responded. “But I was hoping to ask Yazawa-san something about our roles? Is she here?”

“As if you don’t already know.” Nozomi smirked.

“What do you…”

“You can come out, Nicocchi.” Nozomi called. “Maki-chan’s here to talk.”

“What are you…”

Nozomi moved around the chair, stooped and scooped up the dog from behind it. Nico immediately began to growl and nipped at the arms holding her.

“Here you go.” Nozomi held out the fuzzy football toward Maki.

“Eh?” Maki balked.

Nozomi sighed. “I know you’re both actresses, good ones at that, but you can stop pretending you didn’t already sense each other.”

Nico stopped squirming and let herself be handed off to a still somewhat reluctant Maki.

“But, you’re… not like me…” Maki leaned in a little toward Nozomi “or her.” She indicated Nico.

“Nope. I’m not.” Nozomi nodded.

“Then how…?”

“I have my ways.”

“Hrm…”

“Anyway, I’ll let you two have your chat.” Nozomi slipped past Maki but paused in the doorway. “Oh, Nicocchi won’t be able to change back until she calms down a bit. Perhaps try sitting with her in your lap and petting her?”

“Buweehh?” Maki almost dropped Nico.

Nozomi giggled and was gone, leaving behind a flummoxed Maki to figure out how to talk with her apparent cryptid costar.

----------

Author’s Note Continued: So there we have it. It may feel like an introduction to something bigger, but for the time being, I’m calling this one and done. Maybe someday I’ll come back and expand on this with cheesy tropes and Hollywood mockery, but I have far too much of a backlog of ideas that I want to write for my current ongoing projects.

Also, the idea for Pomeranian Nico is shamelessly stolen from... someone I follow on Tumblr.* I’m about to pass out in my chair, so I’ll have to search for that later, but preemptive thanks to the individual who posted about that months ago.

And finally, no, I did not decide what type of cryptid or monster or whatever Maki is. Maybe she’s another werewolf. Maybe she’s a vampire. I dunno, and honestly, it’s not important for the sake of this little bit. Whatever she is, I hope Nozomi made it clear that she and Nico can sense that neither are normal humans, so she’s not spilling their secrets here; they already know. And Nozomi herself is... Nozomi; probably a witch or some other spiritual/magical/whatever human type.

Edit: *lonelypond located the original post for Pomeranian Nico, or woofnic as she is adorably tagged. Thank you lonelypond for the link and thank you daily-nicotine for the wonderful art and inspiration.

[lyranova]

Children of the Future:

Chapter 10: Finding Maelie

Hi guys! Sorry i haven’t been active here lately, I’m hoping that’ll change soon and i’ll be able to post more for you guys this weekend 🥰! Here’s chapter 10 and I hope you all enjoy! Also if I forgot to tag anyone please let me know!

Taglist: @eme-eleff @crazyclownthanos @jovialnoise @talpup @simpingforthisonedeer @melissa-novachrono @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @bowandcurtsey (i couldn’t remember if you wanted to be tagged or not Aine 😅) @ckjwnnbc

Word Count: 3,216

Warnings: None

———

“ Where was the last place you saw your sister?” Gauche asked as he, Grey, Yami, and Aloys stood outside of the Castle. They had all agreed to help him look for his sister and, of course, it had to be now that he wanted to look for her. The dark haired boy frowned in thought as he tried to remember.

“ Back home. Right as we entered the Time Gate, she was right next to me, but when I woke up she was gone.” He muttered the last part softly as he looked away. Grey walked over and placed a gentle hand onto his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

“ It’s ok, we’ll find her I promise!” She told the boy confidently, Gauche tilted his head slightly, Grey was much more confident and comfortable around Aloy’s then anyone else. Maybe because he was a little timid like her? Or was it because he was her, no, their son?

“ Ok, that gives us almost nothing to go on.” Gauche said with a sigh and the boy glared icily at him.

“ ‘Almost nothing’ is better than completely nothing, y'know.” He grumbled, Yami quickly cut between the two before Gauche could retort.

“ Look, if you two are gonna squabble and bicker I’m going to send you both home. Together. Where you have no option but to speak and spend time together, understand?” Yami threatened, the two nodded but continued to glare at each other. He turned to Aloys.

“ Where did you wake up?” He asked, the boy looked around for a moment.

“ Somewhere deep in the woods. I came through the east side of the Capitol so I’m assuming the East Woods.” He said with a shrug, he wasn’t the best at directions so he easily could have been mistaken, but it was his best guess at the moment.

“ Alright then, let’s start there.” Yami said as he stepped onto his broom. Gauche and Grey did the same and Aloys sat behind Grey on her broom. The four quickly took off into the air and headed towards the East Woods.

“ Captain,” Gauche called as he flew up next to him. “ You know it’s a long shot we’re going to find anything there right? Even if we happen to find the exact spot where the kid woke up.” Gauche pointed out, Yami looked over at him and nodded.

“ I know, but it’s the only lead we’ve got.” Yami countered. Gauche looked away, he knew the Captain was right, even though he didn’t want to admit it. He fell back a few feet and flew a little behind him. Yami shook his head and let a small sigh escape his lips.

So much for getting back home early.

——-

Charlotte looked around the house with a confused frown; where was everyone? She seemed to be the only Captain to have arrived so far, and the kids were nowhere to be seen. She looked down the halls before placing a hand on her hip, where could they be? She looked up as she saw a flash of pink outside the kitchen window. She tilted her head before walking out the side door and heading to what one would consider a backyard. She quickly dodged as a spell went flying past her head.

“ Be careful Josslyn you could’ve gotten someone killed if you don’t learn to watch where you’re aiming!” Hikari shouted, Charlotte frowned as she approached the two girls, were they training?

“ Geez, tone it down Hikari, it’s not like anyone got hurt. Oh hi Captain Suke-, I mean, Captain Roselei.” Josslyn said as she suddenly noticed the blonde Captain approaching them, Hikari turned around and smiled at her ‘mother’.

“ Josslyn, Hikari,” Charlotte nodded at the two before standing in front of them with her arms crossed.” What are you two doing?”

“ Training.” They answered in unison, both girls looked at each other before laughing a bit, they did have the tendency to answer at the same time. Charlotte smiled softly before nodding.

“ I saw, you’re both pretty good. But,” she turned to Josslyn. “ Hikari’s right, you have to make sure your spells are perfectly aimed and well timef, otherwise an innocent might get caught in the crossfire.” Charlotte lightly reprimanded the pink haired girl, who looked away and muttered under her breath before walking away.

“ I’m gonna train on my own for a while.” She threw over her shoulder to the mother and daughter, Hikari went to open her mouth but Josslyn cut her off. “ I’ll be right over there so you can see me, I promise I won’t run off.” She added, Hikari closed her mouth and nodded before turning to Charlotte.

“ Where are the boys?” The blonde asked, Hikari looked around for a moment before her eyes landed on them.

“ They’re over there, by the looks of it Alistar is teaching Ace about what kind of plant that is.” She chuckled and Charlotte laughed a bit as well.

“ He really loves plants doesn’t he?” She asked, she had only known him for less then a day but considering he told her about what all plants the spices in the kitchen had come from and their origins, that was the little information she was able to gather from the white haired boy. Hikari nodded.

“ He does, it’s one of his many quirks. But he doesn’t go on and on about plants all the time, only when he sees one that he feels like telling you a bit about.” She chuckled again, Charlotte tilted her head a bit.

“ He seems like a very nice young man.” She tried to sound casual, but she was digging for information on the two, but only just a little. She quickly shook her head, ‘What are you doing Charlotte?! Their love life isn’t any of your business! You’re starting to sound like one of your girls!’ She scolded herself but she saw the dark haired girl nod in agreement.

“ He is. He’s probably one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, but there’s a little more to him than just that. He’s smart, brave, kind of quiet, and despite all the challenges life has dealt him, he always tries to smile.” She told Charlotte fondly before shrugging a bit. “ He has the second biggest fanclub in the Golden Dawn, right behind his dad, and I tried to get him to go out on a date with a couple of girls from his fan club. But he wouldn’t do it.” She added with a small sigh and shake of her head, Charlotte looked from Hikari to Alistar curiously.

“ Is there someone who has his heart already?” Hikari frowned in thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“ I don’t think so, I’m his best friend, so I would think he would tell me if there’s someone he likes already.” Hikari said, he would tell her right? I mean, after all they’ve been through and all the things they knew about each other, he was bound to tell her if he had a crush on someone? Right? Hikari shook her head quickly before changing the subject.

“ Why aren’t you and my dad together already?” She watched her ‘mother’s’ face turn a bright shade of read and she began to stammer nervously, apparently she wasn’t expecting the question.

“ B-Because,” Charlotte looked away. “ Because I’m not strong enough yet, Yami deserve’s to have a strong capable woman by his side. One that can protect him just like he protects everyone, one that can stand on her own and be his equal in every way. I’m not there yet I’m afraid. But,” she smiled softly before looking at her ‘daughter’. “ I think I’ll get there eventually, it’s just going to take some time and, as Yami put’s it, I’ll need to surpass my limits.”

Hikari smiled, she was proof her mother was right that she would eventually get there. But there was also worry in her smile. She was worried about how her, and her friends, appearance here would affect the timeline. Would her parents still get together like how they did originally? Or would she somehow influence it? She didn’t know, and that made her nervous.

———

Gauche couldn’t help but wonder why him, why did he have to get stuck with Aloys?! The boy seemed to be closer to Grey so why didn’t the Captain send him with her? He couldn’t help but glare as the Captain divided the four of them up when they had arrived at the East Woods, if he didn’t put Grey and Aloys together because they had the same magic type then why didn’t he send Grey to go looking for the girl with Gauche? There was only one logical answer:

He was being punished for earlier, he had to be.

But now that the two were alone he could actually look at the boy. He seemed to be 16, his hair was a dark brown-ish blue shade, he had a similar body type to Gauche but shorter, if Aloy’s was anything like him he’d probably hit his growth spurt soon, he also seemed to be much more quiet now then he was earlier. From what he had seen back at the Castle, Aloys seemed to be nearly identical to Gauche, but now that he had settled down, he seemed to be more like Grey.

“ Stop staring at me old man, you’re making me nervous.” Aloys muttered as he glanced at his ‘father’, Gauche rolled his eyes and looked away.

“ Stop calling me an old man! I’m only 4 years older than you!” Gauche argued, Aloys smirked.

“ Still older.” Gauche growled.

“ The Captain should’ve sent you with Grey, she’s better at dealing with you.” He told Aloys, who nodded.

“ I wish he would have too, that way I wouldn’t have to deal with you old man.” Gauche quickly whipped around to glare at his ‘son’.

“ Momma’s boy!” Aloys turned to look at his ‘dad’.

“ Sister lover!”

“ What did you just-?” Gauche growled dangerously low when Aloys suddenly gasped and took off running past him. “ Hey kid, wait!” He quickly followed after him.

“ This was it!” Aloys shouted as he stood in a small circle of trees, he looked around wildly. “ This is where I woke up! Maelie! Maelie are you here?” He shouted as he walked into the center of the circle. Gauche pulled out the communication device and quickly gave Yami their coordinates.

———

“ You’re sure this was it?” Yami asked as he looked around, they were almost dead center in the East Woods, why had he been dropped here of all places? Hell, how did the kid not get lost in these woods? He watched as the umber haired boy continued to look around the area.

“ Yeah I’m sure, because I thought it was strange that all these trees were in a circle. It’s kind of ominous.” Aloys said with a shrug, suddenly a flock of birds came flying out one of the tree’s and Grey let out a shriek before hiding behind Gauche, who sighed and shook his head.

“ It’s just bird's Grey, and will you please stop clinging to my shirt?” He asked, honestly he didn’t actually mind her clinging to him, but he wasn’t about to let anyone know that. Grey only seemed to cling tighter to his shirt.

“ I-I’m sorry Gauche, b-but this place is just so t-terrifying!” Grey stammered, her eyes shut tightly and her face as red as a tomato. She wanted to go home. This place was much too scary and she didn’t like it at all, but she was somewhat comforted by Gauche’s presence. He always seemed to make her feel safer, even braver at times. Aloys tilted his head slightly as he watched his ‘parents’ but he didn’t comment.

“ It doesn’t look like anyone else was dropped here except you,” Yami said as he crouched down at the ground. “ are you sure you two walked through this ‘time gate’ together?” Aloys snorted.

“ Of course I am, I was holding her hand the entire time.” He explained, the other three frowned, if he was holding her hand, then how did they get seperated? Yami looked at the sky for a moment; it was beginning to get dark, they either had to find the girl quickly or call it a day.

“ It’s getting dark,” Gauche said as he also looked at the sky. “ we’ll have to call it a day for now and search again tomorrow.” Aloys began to quickly shake his head at his ‘father’s’ words.

“ No, No way! We have to find her! She’s only 9 years old, in a new and unfamiliar place! She could be hungry and scared or someone could grab her and take off with her!” Aloys shouted.

“ Yeah, she could be all those things. But she could also be anywhere in this city, or even anywhere in this country! How are you going to be able to find and look for your sister if you can’t see where you’re going because it’s too dark?!” Gauche shouted back, Aloys clenched his teeth and looked away; he knew Gauche was right, they wouldn’t be able to see much of anything in the dark, but she was his little sister, he had to find her. He promised.

“ W-What if it was Marie?” Grey asked softly as she opened her eyes and looked up at the brown haired man, he turned a small shade of pink and looked away. “ If it were her that were missing, wouldn’t you keep searching all the way until morning and beyond if you had to?” She heard him make a small noise in the back of his throat, he knew she was right, if Marie were missing there would be no stopping him until he found her.

Gauche looked at Aloys and saw a familiar, determined look. One he had on his face many times, especially when it came to something, or someone, important to him. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

“ Fine, we’ll keep looking for the girl. But if we don’t find her by morning then we’ll stop and regroup. Got it?” He asked Aloys, who smiled and nodded in agreement. Gauche looked at Yami. “ Captain, if you need to, you can head back. We can handle this.”

Yami stared at Gauche and Grey for a moment before a smirk made its way across his face. He walked past them and towards where his broom was leaning on a tree.

“ Alright, if you need me you still have the communication device I gave you. So use it if you’re in trouble.” Yami instructed before he stepped onto his broom and lifted himself into the air and flew off into the direction of the shared house.

Though, he had a feeling they wouldn’t need to call for help.

———

Yami landed outside the house with a soft ‘thud’, it was already dark out, a small piece of him hoped that they found the girl and were on their way back. But considering she could be anywhere made him doubt they would be able to find her in one day. He opened the door and, just like this morning, everyone was seated around the dining table getting ready to eat.

“ Oh, welcome back Captain Sukehiro!” Alistar greeted warmly and with a cheerful smile, Yami nodded at the white haired boy before walking towards the other. Hikari turned to face her ‘father’ and she also smiled, Yami blinked a bit, he almost forgot her smile was the exact same as Charlotte’s. He gave her a small smile before he sat next to her.

“ Rough day?” Hikari asked before putting a piece of food into her mouth, Yami looked around the table and noticed everyone was either eating or had just finished and were cleaning up the kitchen. He shrugged.

“ Not too bad I guess. I had to inform everyone about being on the lookout for other kids, and lo and behold, I was called to Julius’s office again for another kid.” He muttered as he poured himself a small glass of wine and took a sip.

“ Zora already told us that,” Charlotte said as she walked in from the kitchen. “ Who was it this time?”

“ Grey and Gauche, their son Aloys attacked the Magic Knights guarding the Castle and of course Julius had to step in. He’s a chip off the old block when he’s pissed.” Yami said with a small smirk, it was amusing that when the boy was angry he acted just like Gauche, but otherwise he was more like Grey. He silently wondered if their daughter was the same way, or if she was the opposite? Hikari quickly put down her fork and looked at him.

“ Aloys is here? Is Maelie here too?” She asked as she turned in her seat, Yami let out a small sigh before shaking his head.

“ She’s lost apparently, Gauche, Grey, and Aloys are still out searching for her.” Yami explained before she suddenly got up and headed straight for the door, with Alistar right behind her. “ Where are you going?”

“ To help them look for her! I can’t believe you left them out there to search on their own!” She said angrily, her father was never this way, he never abandoned someone who needed help!

“ Now wait a minute-.” Charlotte started but was cut off.

“ No I won’t! Why did you leave them to look for her on their own, why didn’t you stay and help them?!” She asked Yami, he stood up and looked at her.

“ Because I trust them.” He answered simply. “ I know they’ll find her and they won’t stop until they do, I gave them a communication device in case they needed me. But I don’t think they’ll need to use it.” Hikari glared at him before turning around and grabbed the door knob.

“ Trusting them isn’t a good enough reason.” She muttered before pulling the door open and being greeted with a purple shirt, one she recognized.

“ Gauche?”

As the dark haired girl’s gaze traveled higher she noticed Gauche was carrying a small girl in his arms, one with dark blue-ish brown hair and wearing a blue and white dress.

He was holding Maelie.

“ See? I told you.” Yami smirked, even from a distance he could see Hikari’s cheeks tinted with pink. Alistar chuckled slightly before patting her on the shoulder.

“ It’s ok, everyones wrong sometimes.” He tried to comfort, but in a teasing way since it was very rare for Hikari to be wrong. She quickly muttered something under her breath as she moved to allow the Adlai family inside. Grey closed the door softly behind them before following after Gauche and Aloys.

“ Where can we put her?” He asked the Captain’s, Yami jerked his thumb to the left.

“ There’s a room where the girls are staying, she can sleep in there for now.” He said with a shrug, Josslyn sighed and stood up from the table.

“ C’mon I’ll show you.” The pink haired girl quickly led them down the hall, Aloys turned around to face everyone.

“ We’ll explain later.” He laughed, he seemed to be much more relaxed and at ease now that they had found his little sister. He turned back around and followed the others down the hall.

———

Sorry the ending isn’t the best, I couldn’t think of how to end it 😅. I might have a small scene where they find maelie in the next chapter but i’m not sure yet 😅. Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[ryujin-zanba]

True Identity

inspired by one of many chats with @dnarielle bc we like to rub salt splash in the wounds 😅

Rating: Teen & Up Words: 1365 Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Loneliness, Crying, Established Friendship, Gender Neutral Reader Pairings: Reader x Reigen Summary: Reigen is reaping the repercussions of being revealed as a fraud, but even when it seems like everyone has abandoned him there’s one last person who sticks around~

Not a single happy birthday message on his page.

 He’d expected it, but he hadn’t been prepared for how much it would hurt his feelings to actually experience it. 

 Reigen has never been one to struggle at connecting with others. He’s used to being liked. After all, charisma is the cornerstone of being a successful conman. But that’s all come crumbling down since his little ‘performance’.

 He’s about to close the tab, deciding that staring blankly at the screen isn’t going to yield any last minute well wishes, but as he’s browsing the list of people online the little green dot catches his eye under a name he hasn’t heard in years. Your name.  

 Though not an intimate friend, you’ve always been a constant in his life; tied by the friendship of your families and the comfort you found in one another at gatherings where you could escape from nagging aunts and screaming kids and share a drink in private.

 It’s been a couple of years since you last saw each other — since you last had to endure the scrutiny of acquaintances with high expectations — but you’d always been on his side when he was probed for the promise of a greater career.

 The memory that springs to mind now isn’t of how you’d protect him from his great grandmother or how you’d laugh at his corny jokes though. It’s of you being unfathomably kind to him in your childhood when some older kids had beaten him up and left him sniffling in the dirt.

 Expecting you to remember that, or to hold the same kindness in your heart all these years later is probably far too much... but Reigen has never felt so alone before, and that warm, cherished memory is enough to have him typing out a message before he even realises it. 

 If, like everyone else in the world, you’ve seen his embarrassing exposure on TV, then he expects that light will disappear in an instant.

 You probably just didn’t even realise you were still friends on here, he thinks. 

 It’s a minute or two, and he’s losing hope already, but then, rather than a block, he gets a chat bubble as you begin to type. 

 He’d kept his message simple. If by some slim chance you aren’t aware of what’s happened to him, he’ll take every opportunity not to bring it up.

 ‘Hey, happy birthday!’ is the reply.

 It’s something. Enough to bring a smile to his face anyway. 

 ‘Thanks’.

 He stares at the response before pressing send, sure that even in this pitiful state he could do better.

 He’s about to add to it, deliberating over if he should mention that it isn’t a very happy birthday at all, but then the chat bubble pops up again, so he scrubs the message entirely and waits eagerly for your next line.

 ‘How are you celebrating?’

 Jumping at the opportunity to admit to some level of need, he starts to type back.

 ‘I’m not really. It’s been a lonely one. Haha.’

 There’s no chat bubble for a while then. Your replies had been fairly quick, and each second passing only fills Reigen with dread that he said the wrong thing and chased away the last person he could reach out to. 

 Then he starts getting a call.

 “Shit!” he hisses, scrambling to click the answer button while making himself look presentable, only to realise he’s not actually visible.

 “Hey,” you say warmly.

 “H-hey!” he replies, nervousness evident in his voice.

 “That’s better,” you chuckle, “I much prefer being able to hear you.”

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah, it’s been too long!”

 “Hah, I guess it has,” Reigen huffs a weak laugh.

 “So how’s it going? You’re not having a good birthday?” you sympathise. 

 “Uh... no, not— not really, no...”

 “No one to celebrate with?” you assume, sounding disappointed on his behalf.

 The reminder that he really doesn’t have anyone in the world to even just go for a drink with right now hits him hard, and a lump rises in his throat.

 “No... I’m... I’m all alone,” he admits, his voice breaking, heavy with hurt that he can’t hide anymore. 

 “Oh, sweetheart, no-no-no, it’s okay,” you tut, “it’s okay, you’re not alone, I... I mean I can come over if you want?”

 “Oh, god,” he tries to laugh at himself, “no I— I wouldn’t want to put you out like that.”

 “It’s okay, I don’t mind at all. It’d be nice to see you. I’ll even bring some drinks,” you bargain, insistent on making sure the poor man isn’t left like this on his birthday.

 “... Would you?” Reigen sniffles after a brief pause, genuinely taken aback by the offer. 

 “Of course! What’s your address?”

 “Um... you’re really gunna’ come all this way— are you sure y—?”

 “I’m already getting in the car, Reigen. Just gimme’ a clue where to find you,” you say with a smile in your voice.

 “Okay, okay, just gimme’ a minute to tidy up,” he implores, laughing through the tears.

 ~

 He does his best to make the place look mildly presentable, but he knows you’re not the type to care either way.

 You’d given him an extra few minutes though by stopping off to grab drinks, and he’s already looking out for you by the time you pull up to the complex.

 His heart is in his mouth; watching you getting out of the car and walking swiftly to the steps leading up to his apartment. He wipes the sweat off his hands and takes a deep breath, too nervous and too excited all at once to even consider waiting a moment before answering the door when he hears you outside.

 “H-hi,” he huffs, wearing a watery smile as he opens up before your knuckles even graze the wood. “I wasn’t uh— I mean I was waiting, sorry, I hope that’s not creepy, I just uh... geez...”

 “It’s okay,” you laugh, reassuring him that he’s still charming enough to pull off that kind of desperation. 

 “I can’t believe you’re actually... you actually came all this way,” he murmurs, eyes getting dewy as he attempts to lift his humble gaze to glance at you. But he is humbled, and his gratitude is overwhelming. He starts to cry. 

 “I’m sorry... I really... I really can’t tell you how much it means to not be alone right now,” he hiccups. 

 “Honey, you’re not alone,” you soothe as you wrap your arms around his neck.

 He starts to sob openly, no idea how much he needed to be held until he’s actually in someone’s arms, but you keep on hugging him as you shuffle inside and lightly kick the door shut behind you. 

 “Thank you,” he manages to say; voice high and strained as he burrows into the join of your neck and shoulder.

 “Of course,” you hush, cradling the back of his head tenderly. “Call anytime. Anytime you need someone. Anytime you feel like this.”

 He nods and sniffles, slowly regaining his composure, but he feels worlds better after letting all that out. More so for being able to do it in the arms of someone he trusts. 

 After wiping away his tears, Reigen extends a slightly more official invite for you to come in beyond the entryway, and you break into the drinks as soon as you’re sat down.

 In an attempt to be hospitable he tries to make something of a snack buffet, but the more you drink the less any of that matters. Just to be in each other’s company and to laugh is enough, and you keep at it until the early hours.

 Reigen insists on taking the couch and letting you have his bed when it becomes apparent that you’re staying the night, but you refuse to sleep at all unless you can have him in your arms.

 He doesn’t argue nearly as much as he thinks he should, and he’s glad.

 Despite how badly his day had started, this ended up being a better birthday than most, and maybe things still won’t have gone back to normal in the morning, but just for right now, everything feels okay again… and it’s all thanks to you.

[novantinuum]

Crack the Paragon, Chapter 10

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 5.8K~

Summary: In another world, he doesn’t have his mother’s sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops.

Steven falls apart.

Chapter summary: In which Steven's done with moping around and waiting for something to change.

You can find the AO3 link in the reblogs! (I have to omit them from the original post these days to ensure this will show up in the tags.) If you enjoyed this, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos on AO3 as well.

A big thank you to my friend Ganaroth for helping me with edits for this chapter!

_

Chapter 10: Beta, Part 1

Morning light filters through the loft’s window and glints off his phone screen, obscuring the selfie Connie just sent from his view. Though at some deep cognitive level Steven’s a bit annoyed at this interference, outwardly he moves on automatic with barely a feather ruffled, rolling onto his back atop the rumpled bedspread. He holds his phone above his face— right over his nose— humming as he admires the photo. She’s grinning, her long hair pinned back with clips. Her eyes shimmer with every bit of joy a smile that wide suggests. True happiness. Before he knows it he feels his cheeks lift, a smile of his own stretching across his face to mirror hers.

The rest of the photo is just as beautiful.

Beyond the railing his friend leans on is a breathtaking view of wild grasses, ferns, and delicate purple flowers, the patches of greenery half submerged in a lake of water as far as one can imagine. A large flock of birds float on the water’s surface some distance away. Behind her, the setting sun bathes the sky in streaks of orange and pink, the warmth of the ambient light kissing her brown skin. It looks like something straight out of a storybook.

Either that, or a dream. A good dream, the kind that lingers in your mind afterward like the sweet scent of wild strawberries.

oh, that’s so pretty!! he types in response, fingers flying over the keys. where is this?

Just as he hits send, though, another message from her pushes through and answers his question:

Morning!!! :DD Soooo rn we’re exploring this really cool wetlands area! Service is pretty terrible out here btw, so I probably can’t talk for a bit. Fingers crossed my texts send!

His heart grows warm as he reads her words. Even if it’s not as good as seeing her face to face, he’s still so happy they can communicate while she’s on her trip. She looks like she’s having so much fun. He wastes no time in sending a whole cluster of hearts, stars, and smiley faces back at her.

But as he watches his message deliver, the text’s bubble shifting from grey to blue, he finds that airy, bubbly feeling he got looking at Connie’s photo pulling away from him like sand and driftwood on the receding tides. Somehow, all these emoticon smiles just ring hollow right now.

Four days have passed since the disaster everyone’s come to refer to in whispers as ‘the forge incident.’ Not many, not enough for the terrifying memory of what happened down there amidst the blackened stone and fire to stop seeping into his dreams, but thankfully enough that the Gems have stopped coddling and babying him about it. (A sweet relief, that, and one of the many reasons he’s not planning on telling any of them about his recent nightmares. Goodness knows they already have enough to worry about.) Four days. That’s it. The thought of just how little time that is leaves him dizzy. Four days since he was almost shattered by someone he thought was a friend. Four days since two halves fused back into a whole, since his gem rotated to expose the facets that before, his mo... that Rose had hid from her friends… from the whole world. Four days since discovering that his pupils apparently morph into pink rimmed diamonds now whenever he taps into his powers. (And wasn’t that just another wallop to the gut for everyone, Pearl especially). Four days without Garnet, without stability, without blissful protection from the truth: that Rose wasn’t truly the quartz she claimed she was.

Steven still doesn’t understand the how or the why of that.

Truth be told, it’s not a topic he’s ready to dwell on yet.

He shifts to sit up on his bed. Somewhere on the distant shore beyond the window’s glass Amethyst is shouting, her rhythmic, guttural battle cries loud enough that they’re audible from inside the house. There’s no end to this on the radar. For the past few days she’s done nothing but seclude herself away and drill, pushing her hard light body to the brink through endless strength and agility exercises. In the light of recent difficulties no one’s addressed it with her yet, but it’s no secret this is partly related to her insecurities about Jasper.  

Meanwhile, Ruby (who finally returned home on her own yesterday morning) sits on the floor right below him, handling the controller of his Grintendo console with an iron grip that would serve as a genuine contender in Beach City’s underground arm wrestling league. He set her up on his brand new copy of Fight Fighters just an hour or so ago. As far as he knows, she’s enjoying it. It’s sorta hard to tell. She certainly hasn’t given up yet, (she’s way too stubborn for that), but it seems like the levels are difficult enough that they’re giving her a run for her money. Glancing away from his phone, he watches her fuss with the first boss fight for a moment. The Gem’s face is— if it’s possible— even redder than usual as she mashes the proper buttons for her character’s combo attack, muttering in syllables spoken too low for him to intelligibly understand.

A few minutes pass. Ruby sneaks in one solid strike, but eventually the boss overtakes her by merit of their sheer size alone, and her character is defeated. Game Over flashes on the screen in bold orange striped letters.

“Aw, phooey! You were really close that time,” he says.

Truth be told, her playing style is kinda… a huge mess, but there’s no encouraging way to say that. Plus, it’s not like it’s a lie to say she got closer to beating this fight than the last time she attempted it. Maybe she’ll figure it out with a few more rounds.

Ruby drops the controller in her lap, and glances back at him. “Heh. Thanks, Steven,” she responds with a weak smile. “At least I finally got in a hit, right?”

“Yeah, you’re getting better every round! You still up for more? We can play tag team together, if you want.”

“Eh, I’m done for today. I’m no good at these kinda games. At least, not without...“

A wave of melancholy envelops her in a flash, suffocating the last glints of light within her burgundy red irises. Inhaling deeply, she lifts her gemless hand, holding it to her chest tight as she mourns what used to be. Steven doesn’t move to say anything, letting her have her silent moment. Reassurance can be nice, but as he’s learned recently, the sad truth is that sometimes not every problem can be solved with a few well-thought words.

Amethyst’s distant shouts interrupt the somber atmosphere like a jackhammer to concrete, yanking them both solidly back into reality. Ruby’s brow creases.

“Is she still at it out there?” she says, frowning as she glances at the door. “She looked exhausted when she came outta her room this morning.”

Steven frowns, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “Yeah. I tried to ask if she wanted to play Topple Tower with me last night, but I’m pretty sure she was ignoring me. I hope she’s okay…”

Sighing, she slumps back against the large swath of comforter that dangles halfway off his mattress, letting her compact, coily hair smush against its surface. “Oh, she’s not. No one in this dang house is. I just wish Sapphire would come back already,” she says, voice cracking as she speaks her name. “She’s been in there for so long now.”

Prompted by her heartbroken words, he glances at the temple door across the house, seeing both Pearl and Sapphire’s gems alight on the central star. Pearl is simply taking a rest in solitude this morning, but as for the blue Gem… she hasn’t shown her face since she disappeared into her room four days ago. It’s beginning to become mighty worrying. And besides, he really misses her. They barely get a chance to hang out beyond the rare emergency. His lip juts out in a small pout.

It’s so hard to move on with life when you’re constantly being reminded of what once was.

Eventually, Ruby decides she’s had enough challenge for the morning and passes command of the controller to him. Figuring he’s got nothing better to do today, he shrugs and starts a new save file. Half an hour or so passes as he grinds through levels like a pro. Now sitting next to him, bundled like a burrito in one of his blankets, the red Gem watches his gameplay with starry eyes, enraptured. He double jabs at the D-pad to call upon a secret ability, fingers blazing across the buttons with practiced fluency. Just as he’s about to hit the finishing blow on Professor Doom, the beach house door slams open. On sheer impulse he flings the controller to free his hands, his whole body seizing upon the sound. Hard plastic clatters against the floor. The world tints pink.

Ruby jolts to attention from inside his bubble, struggling to unwind herself from the blanket's grasp. “Whoa, what’s—“

“Hey, nerds,” Amethyst mumbles, dragging herself and her uncoiled whip through the doorway. The length of the weapon drags along the floorboards like a dejected dog’s tail. Her tired, hardened pupils meet his no doubt diamond-shaped ones, shades of confusion flickering across her expression as she visibly takes note of the shimmering sphere he’s subconsciously enveloped himself in. “Geez, it’s just me.”

“I- I know,” he croaks, flushing red, “s-sorry, I know. You spooked me, ‘s all.”

She squints, and dissipates her whip. “Dude, I didn’t even do anything.”

“I know... It’s just me being dumb, sorry.”

“You’re not dumb,” Ruby reminds him with a saddened frown, placing her gem adorned hand on his shoulder.

He doesn’t respond, instead taking a deep breath and willing the bubble to recede. Once it’s all but disappeared in a shimmering afterimage of hard light, he crawls across the floorboards to retrieve his poor abused controller. Joystick securely within his grip once more, his eyes drift back to his game. Seems he’s in dire health. Not only did his character lose his perfect attack window, but Dr. Doom has healed himself and continued to rail upon him while he remained idle. His heart drops.

“Awww,” he whines, deflating. “I almost had ‘im!”

The temple door slides open, causing both Steven and Ruby to snap to awareness. (For wildly differing reasons of course, but the result is the same.) Amethyst stands beyond the warp pad, about to cross the threshold into solitude once more.

Nooo, don’t leave! his heart cries in silence. You just came back!

This conversation is already the most interaction he’s gotten out of her since their waffle breakfast four days ago. Ever since, she’s hidden herself away to brood and train. He scowls, fingers shifting rhythmically on the casing of his game controller. Gosh, he’s so sick and tired of this. He’s tired of moping, of acting like they can never have a happy moment ever again just because their circumstances are different now. It’s not true. Things can get better! Heck, he’ll make it better! Somehow. Maybe. He just needs to figure out a plan, and soon… before everyone scatters to be on their own again.

Hmm, think, Steven, think think think! What makes Amethyst happy? Destroying trash? She’s been at it all morning already, probably not. Food? Wouldn’t necessarily get her out of the temple.

He eyes a green sock puppet strewn on the floor by his closet. Months-old memories rush through his mind, of wearing a cardboard box on his head, insisting amidst protests that this puppet represented the emerging Cluster.

...Peridot?

They did get along really well at Funland a few weeks back. Hmm. Y’know, that might actually work.

“Hey, Amethyst,” he calls, and sets the controller on his bedspread. She stops halfway through the doorway of her room, motionless, seemingly waiting for him to continue. It almost looks as if she wants him to give her a reason to stay outside. “You, uh- are you done training for today?”

“For now,” she answers in a low voice, rhythmically clenching and unclenching her fists.

“D’ya maybe wanna go visit Lapis and Peridot with me? Get outta the house?”

She turns, lips pursed as she deliberates in depth. After what feels like— to his antsy, impatient soul— an eternity later, she responds with a half-hearted shrug.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

Steven grins. He scrambles to his feet and floats off the loft to the ground floor before she can decide otherwise. “Sweet, let’s go right now!” he says, bursting with enthusiasm. After crossing the room in a flash, he takes ahold of Amethyst’s arm and gently leads her up the steps to the warp pad, the other Gem making no obvious signs of dissent. Good. That’s a good sign. The immediate problem sorted, he glances back from whence he came. “Ruby, you want in?”

She’s still tangled within his bedding, but shifts upon mention.

“Nah, I’m good,” she says, rolling on her back under the covers so that she’s peering at them upside down. “If Sapphire finally comes out, I wanna be here for that.”

Steven nods. “Okay! Well, see ya’! We’ll be back sometime later this afternoon.”

“Probably,” Amethyst mutters, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, maybe longer, maybe not. We’ll see! Feel free to play any of my games if you wanna, okay?”

“And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, ya’ party animal,” the quartz drones, the bite of dull sarcasm seeping into her words.

With a resounding ring the warp activates and whisks them away.

_________

The young half-Gem takes a deep lungful of air as he skips through the grassy countryside, his chest expanding to full capacity. Ah, it feels so good to be outside, and with a change of scenery, at that! He should’ve done this ages ago.

Outside of all the heartache of their recent family crisis, it’s a perfect September day; not too warm and not too blustery. The sky’s almost entirely clear, barring the faint streaks of white softening the horizon's edges. Birds chirp brazenly as they swoop with daring purpose from tree to tree. A few leaves are just beginning to flutter down from their overstuffed boughs. ‘Tis the season! Pretty soon this area will be awash with sprinkles of vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows. Gee, he hopes he can convince Amethyst to goof off in the woods with him again this year. They could go leaf sledding! That was the most fun he’d had in ages when they did it last time.

How is Amethyst doing, anyways?

Masking his worried frown, he glances behind. Her lips press in a sour scowl, her non-dominant hand clenched by her side. Barely a heartbeat passes as she reaches to her gem with the other, pulling her whip into existence in a glittering flash of light. Instantaneously, the crystal tips of the three-pronged flail expand into barbed spheres. She mutters to herself as she grips the handle, unsatisfied. He doesn’t understand why, though? She summoned it so fast! Like, under a second for sure. As far as he’s concerned, that’s awesome!

He watches her summon, dissipate, and re-summon her whip three times in a row before he decides it's time to intervene with her spiraling frustration.

“Hey, don’t ya’ wanna take a break from all that for a bit?” he begins with a measure of caution. “You’ve been working super hard lately!”

“I already am taking a break," she says, slashing at a few rocks strewn on the ground as they climb the last rolling hill. “That’s why I’m here with you, right?”

“Well sure, but breaks aren't supposed to be about training, they’re supposed to be about having fun. And visiting Peridot and Lapis should be tons of fun, I promise!”

Amethyst’s eyes narrow at the very thought. “Yeah, ‘cause when I think fun, I think Lapis.”

“Hmm, I wonder what they’re up to lately,” he muses out loud, hand pressed to his chin.

She lets out a dry scoff, allowing her whip to dissipate once more. “Don’t know, don’t care. Let’s just get this over with.”

He frowns. His shoulders drooping a bit at the sight of her almost hostile melancholy, he glances away.

Thankfully, in a well-timed diversion from the worries of her mental state, Lapis and Peridot’s place of settlement comes into full view as they reach the hill’s summit. Steven’s jaw falls ajar, stopping in his tracks at the sight. (Amethyst, who isn’t paying attention to where she’s walking amidst her brooding, almost rams into the back of him.)

“Whoa,” he says, drinking in the new additions. “Look what they did to the barn!”

He’s not sure ‘barn’ is an apt description for it anymore. No, no. Rather, in the weeks since he last saw Lapis and Peridot, this place has transformed into a full-out homestead.

The grain silo that stood nearby has been tilt at an angle and used to enclose the side of the barn Peridot blew a hole in with her epic giant robot. Their smaller than average lake? It’s now fitted with a ladder, along with metal piping to keep the water level high. Stretched taut between the roof of that silo and a funky hodgepodge spire they formed out of old airplane parts is a clothes line, with a number of shirts and towels hanging off it. Admiring the finer details of their set up, if a person could point at an object and conceivably call it junk, they’ve probably found a creative way to make it decorative. Rusty bicycles, old tires, couch cushions, broken deer antlers, you name it. And then that old truck he slept in every night while working on the drill? It now serves as the proud centerpiece of their little home, the cargo bed solidly affixed above the barn’s entrance. He spots the two former Homeworld Gems sitting up there with the TV, shaded from the midmorning glow with a sun bleached umbrella. Whatever they’re watching, they’re transfixed.

Grinning, he peels away from Amethyst and dashes the rest of the way, feeling the faint breeze dance between his curls. Wow wow wow, he’s seriously got like a hundred questions for them, and a hundred missed hugs to make up for!

“Hey, guys!” he calls, once he’s directly below the truck.

Lapis’s browline raises, attention nabbed. It’s enough to peel her eyes away from the television (is that Camp Pining Hearts he hears??) to meet his. A subtle but undoubtedly caring smile rushes across her face as she sprouts wings and drops from the truck’s bed to greet him.

“Steven! It's so good to see y- oof!”

He nearly barrels her over with his hug, clutching to her like a lone life raft in the midst of the open sea. Surprised and still quite rigid in her affections, her arms awkwardly move to pat his back in return. It’s a silent embrace on his part, yet simultaneously manages to say more than words alone ever could. At this point he’s not even sure words could do justice to the complex emotions that are all jumbled in his head. Only a few short weeks have passed since they hung out together. So why then does he feel like he hasn’t seen either of them in years?

“Steven, Amethyst!” Peridot chimes eagerly, dropping down from the truck and striding out into the sun. She screeches to a halt in front of them, expression pressing inwards in that uniquely inquisitive Peridot-like manner as she takes inventory of the scene before her. “Uhm… Is… everything okay?”

He pulls back from the stunned Lapis, and gently wipes at the corners of his eyes. “Yeah, I’m just really, really happy to see you guys, that’s all!”

“Oh, yes! Of course. It’s only natural to miss the fulfillment of our company,” she says without missing a beat. Turning her gaze to her other visitor, the green Gem balls her hand against her chin. “Amethyst! Something looks different about you…”

She crosses her arms over the white tank top of her new form, her nose scrunching up. “Like what?”

“Have you grown taller since the last time I saw you?”

Amethyst’s eye twitches. An infinitude of silence passes, in which she shoots her a glare sharper than the edges of the crystal studs on her whip. Honestly, being on the receiving end of her weapon might’ve hurt less. Sweat beads at his brow as he watches the situation unfold, yearning with every fiber of his being for a world where he actually feels confident enough to delicately intervene instead of silently standing by as Peridot’s sense of tact veers straight off a cliff.

Behind them, Lapis saves them both and clears her throat.

“O-or… maybe I was mistaken,” the former kindergartener says lowly, flushing with shame. “My apologies.”

There’s a whisper of chill to the air enough to make him shiver as the quartz once more chooses not to respond, and shifts her gaze to her feet. She digs divots into the dirt with her toes, already disengaging from social interaction again, slipping further away with every passing birdsong from the entire purpose of this friendly visit. He presses his lips tight, masking a frown. So far, nothing is going as planned, huh? As big of a dreamer he may be, he can’t say he’s surprised. Nothing in his life has gone to plan since he accidentally slipped on that tree branch inside Lion’s mane. Still, there’s gotta be some way to save this, right?

Come on, Steven, think positive!

Before anyone can quite begin to catch on to his troubled nature, he plasters a manufactured smile on his face. “Wow, you guys are looking good!” he says cheerily. “And I love what you did to the barn!”

“Aww! I know,” she replies, regaining her grin as she glances between him and Lapis. “But wait, wait! You guys have to see the inside!”

And with this declaration, a few magical minutes pass wherein the two of them receive the highest honor of enjoying the Official Barn Grand Tour, presented by the very artists themselves. In a word, it’s a transformative experience. The outside looks amazing, yes, but in his wholehearted opinion the personal touches on the interior decor raises the place’s coziness to the next level. Over the past few weeks, Peridot and Lapis have spent their efforts transforming all the mementos and broken scraps of their lives into art, (or ‘meep-morp,’ as Lapis calls it), displaying the pieces all throughout their shared home. Peridot’s broken audio recorder now rests peacefully on a stand, a sky blue ribbon tied around the fractures at its middle. Touchingly, he learns that Lapis kept the leaf he gave her, delicately propping it upright in a clump of soil. A TV affixed to the ceiling beams with metal cables plays a clip of CPH on repeat. He has a niggling suspicion that the clip she selected represents her lingering trauma about, like... being trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, but according to her it’s merely a fan’s shrine of the show. Still, while discussing books together Connie once told him that all art is subjective and authorial intent is dead, so respectfully he’s sticking to his interpretation. But regardless of its meaning, he’s so, so happy to see her freely making things for herself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the creative spectrum, Peridot’s green alien plush is floating alongside various hunks of garbage in the hodgepodge aquarium at the side wall. Its slow voyage through the tank is admittedly entrancing, but oh, do those big deep eyes grow more and more unnerving the longer he stares at them. The last straw comes when he watches stuffing slowly drift out of a gaping hole in the fabric at its neck. Subtly cringing, he takes a step back from the glass to go admire something else. Sometimes art isn’t made for everyone, and that’s okay.

It takes a few moments before he makes the proper connections and realizes that the red bow tie Peridot is wearing around her neck used to be that plush’s. Oh… oh geez.

Amethyst, however, doesn’t seem to be buying any of it. In fact, she’s barely cracked a smile since they entered the barn, not even at Peridot and Lapis’ collaborative toilet morp. And who doesn’t laugh at toilets? On any normal day she’d eat that kind of stuff right up.

“This is so stupid,” she mutters, her eyes thin slits as she stares with a frustratingly unreadable expression at the four liquid pillars shooting up out of the bowls.

Disappointment flickers across Lapis’ face like stars on the morning horizon. She quickly releases her iron hold on the water, channeling it into the heart of the tanks. A similar emotion colors Peridot’s features for a moment, and he briefly worries their visit may be cut off short, but after meeting his encouraging glance she shakes it off and promptly begins to move on to the next item of their home tour.

“Alright,” she says, folding her hands behind her back all prim and proper, “I see you're not impressed. But—“

“Hey, you guys!” a familiar voice shouts from the distance, growing closer and closer with each passing moment. “I’m here! I came! Is it too late to join in?”

All four of them whirl around at the interruption.

Peridot squints. “Is that…”

“Ruby?” Lapis finishes, confusion etched across her features with pinpoint precision.

“Ruby!” Steven calls, sliding across the floorboards to meet her at the barn door. “No, you're not late, you’re just in time! Look, look, look—“ He takes her by the hand and whisks her inside, almost sweeping her clear off her feet in the process.

Her mouth falls agape as she drinks in the rustic atmosphere, the air now a good deal lighter thanks to her interruption.

“Whoa… this place looks completely different!”

“I know, right??” he says with an untamable grin. He gestures wildly at all of their unique creations. “It’s art! Isn’t it great? Peridot and Lapis have been showing us all this super cool stuff they’ve made!”

“Yes, I suppose we are pretty great,” the green Gem says, puffing out her chest.

Lapis rolls her eyes in response. No amount of sass can hide the action’s underlying fondness, though. Steven’s no imperceptive fool. She may act pretty aloof at times, but once you get to know her she’s not that hard to read at all. One merely has to pay attention to the subtle shifts in her demeanor. It’s the little things: the incline of her brow, a slight tilt of the head, the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it twitch of her lips as she pretends she doesn’t care as much as she does. And then, the more she trusts you, the less tense her posture is and the more she opens up. It makes his heart sing to know that Peridot has seemingly been added to that roster.

“Eh,” she murmurs with the hint of a smile, leaning back against the wall behind her roommate. “I guess we’re okay.”

Amethyst crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing as she peers down at Ruby. “So, what’s up with you? I thought you said you wanted to mope at the temple.”

She shuffles her feet. “Well…”

“And I thought you and that Sapphire never unfused,” Lapis says, ever so blunt. “Except... for baseball,” she hastily amends. Consumed by a spike of panic, her gaze darts towards the doorway with guarded suspicion. “We don’t have to play baseball again... right?”

“Hmmm… I mean, we could play baseball,” Steven muses, pressing his hand to his jaw.

That’s certainly one way he could encourage Amethyst to enjoy some bonding time with everyone. He has a bunch of fond memories of the last game they played together. Well, okay, so maybe he could’ve done without the ceaseless feeling of dread brought by batting against Homeworld loyalists with unknown intentions, but beggars can’t be choosers. As his first time playing a full game it was still 70% a good time.

Meanwhile, Peridot’s petite frame quivers at the reminder of that day. She grips at her hair, large tufts of yellow poking out from between her fingers.

“Oh my stars, they’re coming back??”

Ruby throws her a bemused side glance. “Uh—“

“Get behind me, Lapis,” she continues, daringly throwing her body in front of her roommate. “I’ll protect us from those Homeworld brutes this time!”

“We’re not playing baseball!” Amethyst cuts in.

His lips curl into a pout. “Aw, but it’d be so much fun!”

She crosses her arms, visibly walling herself off. “Uh, no, it wouldn’t! ‘Sides, there’s no immediate danger, there’s no Homeworld Rubies on our doorstep, so there’s NO reason on this planet I’d play that stupid game again!”

Eyes narrowing with mild exasperation, Lapis nudges her way out from the green Gem’s overprotection. “‘Kay. So, is anyone here actually gonna explain what’s going on, or?”

Nervously rocking on her heels next to him, Ruby rests her hand against her chin.

“Well…”

“Ruby and Sapphire are kinda… taking some time apart?” he delicately explains in her steed, noticing her hesitation. It’s probably something that’s really hard for her to talk about right now, and boy can he relate to that.

“Yeah,” she says in confirmation, kicking her toes against the floor boards. “I didn’t exactly want to, but Sapphy needs her space.”

For all her initial dislike of the fusion Gem, Peridot looks genuinely heartbroken at this revelation. “But… why?” she asks, peering between the three Crystal Gems in wait of further clarification. “Aren’t you two basically inseparable?”

Faint hints of lemon peel and nutmeg linger in the air like silent sentries to their distress. Steven stands in the kitchen with Pearl, Garnet, and his dad, Amethyst lounging on the other side of the counter, and their dirty breakfast dishes still lying stagnant in the sink. Garnet’s kneeling before him. She’s speaking, but he’s so distraught he can’t quite recall what it is she said. His dad’s hand rests on his shoulder, the pressure ever so slightly working to ground him to this moment again. He’s biting back tears, isn’t he? Trying not to cry for the umpteenth time that day. What happened? What changed? Everything’s fixed, yeah? He’s whole again! They were all supposed to be so happy now, and yet… the sight of the morning sun reflecting off the face of Garnet’s visor as she delivers that ill-fated news is the bitter, tangible proof that they’re not.  

“Ruby and Sapphire have decided they want to take some time apart. Indefinitely.”

Amethyst’s expression is colored with hurt. “But… why?”

In the present he stiffens, suddenly polarized by the realization that the path of this conversation has but one destined endpoint. Sooner or later, his friends will hear about what happened to him four days back, what happened to his family, what he learned about his... about Rose. There’s no avoiding this forever. After all, if they don’t learn it from him, they’ll eventually learn it from someone else. And don’t they deserve to know? This affects them too!

But if the recent past has taught him anything, it’s that the truth about Rose Quartz only succeeds in breaking people apart. It stole Garnet away. It shook his relationship with Amethyst and Pearl to the core. It caused them all to argue and fight, back at the fountain and at home. Give it time, and he’s sure the truth will find a way to press fissures in his relationships with Connie and Dad, too. So what happens, then, when Peridot and Lapis find out? In what way will the truth break them?

Just a little while longer, he promises himself. Just one more good day, please, that’s all I want…

“They, um- it’s just a couples thing,” he stammers, chest growing tight. “It’s just for a little bit. Sometimes people need time away from each other, y’know?”

Ruby‘s expression grows tense, sniffing out his white lie from a mile away. “Steven...“

“It’s totally healthy and normal, and not at all a reason for concern!”

“Kinda sounds like we should be concerned,” Lapis mutters. “All of you have been acting weird this whole time, so spill! What’s going on?”

Their words start to become faint and distant in the shadow of his wildly pounding heart, so wondrously human and organic and alive, and yet so endlessly frustrating in its autonomy. Why can’t he hear clearly? What’s up with that awful ringing he can’t get rid of? It’s almost as if he’s listening to everyone ten feet under choppy waters, but they’re all standing right next to him. They’re right there.

The red Gem scratches at her neck, meeting Amethyst's harsh, crystal-studded glance first. Her mouth opens. Still disorientated, Steven misses a good half of it.

“...wants to tell ‘em?” she finishes, waiting dutifully for their responses.

As expected the quartz remains silent on the matter, feigning indifference as she crosses her arms and returns to staring sullenly into the middle distance. Ruby turns to him next. His skin feels downright clammy now, almost as bad as it did when he was almost dyi— NO! Stop! He shakes his head fervently, sweeping his hands horizontal in a signal for her to cut the conversation. He can’t do this. Not now, not today, not ever, he can’t—

Lapis bristles. “Tell us what?”

“Um, nothing, nothing!” he bursts out, clumsy words pouring from his mouth almost quicker than his brain can move to stack them up. “It’s a long story, and we’re all here to have some fun and shoot the breeze, right? Right. ‘Course we are! So we don’t have to talk about that right now, we can talk about it later, and for now we should try to have a good time and enjoy each other’s compa—“

Amethyst slams her foot to the floor so hard the wooden board underneath cracks. Both Steven and Lapis flinch.

“Ughh, you guys! Stop dancing around the headline!” she shouts. “You really wanna know what happened? Steven almost died ‘cause he got his gem busted, and then we found out Rose Quartz was totally a sham and she’s like, Pink Diamond n’ junk, okay?!”

A stunning silence follows this inopportune announcement, in which he swears he can hear his stomach gurgle. On any typical day he'd be thinking about lunch around this time, except at the moment he genuinely almost feels sick to his stomach. Right now he wants nothing more than to turn tail and run, run away from all of this, and yet chained to his fate just as Lonely Blade was destined to his, his legs remain firmly shackled in place. Standing at his side, Peridot blinks in dumbfounded shock.

“What.”

“S-she’s- You’re a DIAMOND??” Lapis shrieks, water wings shooting from her back on impulse.

“Whaaaat?”

_______

Notes: 

The next few chapters will be a bit familiar to y'all, but I'm not doing a beat for beat rehash, I assure you. Events start similarly here because the world external to Steven’s sphere of influence is still operating the same as it does in canon. The ripples haven’t fully spread yet. After this arc, they absolutely will have.

I do have a bonus scene to share soon- set between chapters 9 and 10. I'll likely post that before chapter 11.

Oh, and by the way- the location Connie's visiting is inspired by a real place- the Harike Wetlands in Punjab, India. Apparently India is actually a series of islands in the SU universe...? But I like to believe there’s still a cool wetlands region on one of those islands.

[fanficsandmoregalore]

Dog Days - Chapter 2

Summary: You take the stray dogs home and clean them up. Then you search around, hoping to find the rightful owners. But what happens the next day changes EVERYTHING.

You opened the door to your apartment. Ben walked in, tail wagging happily, as if he owned the place, Matt was more anxious and cautiously walked in. You looked down and Kylo was staring into your apartment, he didnt go in though. You kneeled down beside him and he looked at you.

"What's wrong, Kylo?"

He looked at you from the corner of his eye and huffed. Then he turned around and sat in front of your doorway. You assumed he meant he was going to stay and guard your apartment, the thought of it made you giggle so you pat his head and stood up.

"You can guard the fortress from inside, goofball." You joked. Kylo growled a little bit and got up, walked into your apartment and sat by the doorway. You followed him in and closed the door behind you, making sure he saw you lock it. You walked pass Ben who sat on the couch while Matt was walking around your apartment, trying to make a mental map.

"You boys stay out here for a sec. I'll be right back." You said as you walked into your bedroom. After the door closed, Ben rolled onto his back on your couch, getting snug.

"I could get used to this."

Matt stood by the couch, looking around once more.

"Don't. We wont be dogs forever. Someday, somehow, we will figure out how to change back."

"I hope it's soon."

Matt and Ben looked over to Kylo, who had been quiet up until now.

"Oh really? Because the way i see it, you're her favorite so far."

Ben was trying to make Kylo blush but being a dog, he couldn't tell if it worked. But kylo did feel a bit embarrassed by it.

You came out of your room in some comfy pajamas and smiled at the dogs as you walked into the kitchen.

"How about some dinner? You guys look like you're starving." Ben and Matt walked into the kitchen excitedly, kylo of course staying by the door. Ben and Matt pulled chairs out from your dining table and jumped up and sat in them. You didn't think much of it, assuming it was a trick their previous owner had taught them, either way you thought it was both cute and amazing. You made a big dinner, you didn't eat much but made sure you had plenty for the dogs to eat. Kylo eventually got hungry and came over to eat, luckily you thought ahead and made him a plate. After eating, you gave each dog a bath. Ben tried pulling you into the water with him but other than that they were all well-behaved. Matt seemed to appreciate it the most and surprisingly, Kylo didn't fight it.

You were drying off Kylo when you had a sudden realization.

"Oh, you guys probably have an owner, or owners. Tomorrow I'll take you guys into work and see if you have chips or if anyone has reported missing dogs. But until we find your owners, you can stay with me." Kylo listened attentively and seemed to nod in agreement with your plan.

It wasn't too late at night so you and the 3 dogs congregated in your living room to watch movies. Halfway through one, there was a knock at your door. Kylo stood quickly and rushed over to the door but didnt bark, the other 2 couldn't care less.

"Wonder who that could be. Nobody ever visits me this late...or ever." You got up and walked over to the door, patting Kylo's head when you reached him. You unlocked it and opened it slowly, peering out into the hall.

"Did you fill out the proper paperwork to have dogs?"

It was your neighbor, Armitage Hux. He was a ginger haired, obnoxious, by the book kind of guy but seemed like decent enough person that you didn't see him as any sort of threat. You rolled your eyes and chuckled as you opened the door more.

"Well hello to you too, Armitage."

"(Y/n), you know I'm deathly allergic to dogs, right?"

You laughed a bit and Hux blushed as he folded his arms. You looked at him and shook your head.

"No you're not, you just don't like them."

"Same thing. And three of them? Are you that lonely?"

You stopped laughing and kind of glared at his comment which he of course noticed, he tensed under your gaze.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why have 3 dogs when you can have 1 boyfriend? Come on, (Y/n). It's one date. Some dinner, a movie, you name it."

He kind of whined when he said it and you huffed.

"Hux, i told you, I'm not the type to have a boyfriend. Anyway, i gotta head to bed soon. Goodnight."

You closed the door and heard Hux sigh as he walked away. You looked at the three dogs who were all staring at you, looking as if they were waiting for an explanation.

"That's my neighbor. He's been trying to get me to go out with him since the day i moved in."

You walked over and sat on the couch. Kylo stayed by the door just in case, Ben was quick to jump to your side and Matt sat in the recliner that you had. You smiled at all the dogs.

"Who needs human boys when i have the cutest doggy boys?" You gently grabbed Ben's cheeks and mushed them and rubbed noses with him.

Ben got into your lap and licked your face, making you laugh. Eventually, you had to go to bed. And of course, Ben came to sleep in bed with you. Matt was hesitant but followed as well and laid at the foot of your bed. However, Kylo stayed awake, patrolling around your living room but eventually fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning came and you put all 3 of the dogs on the leashes you kept at home for situations like this. You walked all 3 down the sidewalk and they were calm and made walking to the clinic a breeze . You reached the vet clinic and you walked in. The boys looked around the lobby and you felt comfortable letting them off their leashes. Matt stayed with you while Ben sniffed around and Kylo followed behind you.

"Hello? Anybody home?" You joked.

"(Y/n)? Is that you?!"

Poe poked his head out from the back and saw you. He rushed out to greet you and but halted when he saw the dogs.

"Um...(Y/n), what's going on?"

You blushed and awkwardly scratched your hand, still in bandages.

"You remember the dogs i was telling you about?"

Poe became tense and looked at the 3 dogs before his eyes landed on Kylo.

"And i'm gonna guess that's the one that bit you."

You kneeled down by Kylo, who didn't care for Poe's unapproving look.

"Yes, but he also protected me from some guy who was gonna rob me .... and possibly rape me. So you really should be thanking him."

Poe rolled his eyes and pulled you away a bit.

"(Y/n), what are they doing here? And what are YOU doing here. You know the boss said you aren't supposed to come back until you for sure dont have rabies!"

You chuckled and Poe gave you a confused look.

"I'm actually here as a client."

"Uuuhhhh, what?"

"Can you check them for chips and see if anyone has reported 3 missing dogs?"

Poe rolled his eyes and took your hand in his gently.

"I'll do it for you, sweetheart. No charge. But promise me you will take care of yourself and this hand."

You nodded and looked to the 3 dogs, who had all grouped in front of you and Poe.

"Okay, boys. Go with Poe and he'll take good care of you."

"You talk to them like they're people? Geez, (Y/n), you are something else." Poe teased. You laughed and sat down. The boys followed Poe obediently and after about and hour and a half, they all came out with treats in their mouths. You looked at Poe, hoping he'd have addresses to their homes.

"Nothing. No owners, no shot records, nothing. These dogs only have names on their tags, (Y/n). That's a little strange, don't you think?"

You did find it strange but you questioned Poe further.

"What about missing dog reports?"

Poe shook his head. You found that really strange.

"Maybe someone was trying to get rid of them."

"Why would anyone want to get rid of these sweet boys."

Poe looked at Kylo who glared in response.

"I can think of a few reasons."

You stood, a bit peeved by Poe's comment.

"I'm taking them home. Thanks for everything, Poe."

You sincerely meant thanks but were a bit mad that Poe only seemed to recall Kylo biting you.

Poe told you to be careful and you leashed up the dogs and walked out of the clinic.

You looked around and it was a pretty decent day and you decided to take the boys out for some fun on the town. You smiled at the dogs and they all looked at you with confused looks.

"Let's go to the park."

You had arrived at the nearest dog park and let the 3 off of their leashes, but to your surprise, they didn't seem interested at all. You kneeled down by them.

"What's wrong, guys? It's a dog park. Don't you wanna go play with the other doggies?"

The 3 dogs all looked at each other and then you before they split up and walked around the park. You chuckled and got up to go sit on a bench. Kylo saw you go sit down and went over to join you, jumping onto the bench to sit next to you. You pet him and watched as Matt was frightened by everything around him and Ben was playing tug of war with some boxer dog. You looked at Kylo, he had also been looking out at the other dogs.

"Kylo, don't you wanna go make some friends?"

He only huffed and you laughed at him. He did a sort of bark grumble and it made you think, what was he saying? You looked back to the other 2 dogs.

"I wish i understood you, Kylo."

Kylo's ears perked up and he looked at you. You noticed and smiled at him, petting his head just behind ear.

"You guys always seem to know what I'm saying. It's so cute. I just want to be able to understand what all of you are saying, too."

You laughed at the thought of the dogs talking when suddenly Matt rushed up, whimpering, which brought you from your thoughts and you saw him being followed by a few other dogs. When Matt reached you and hid behind your legs under the bench, and Kylo jumped off the bench in front of you. The dogs following Matt stopped dead in their tracks when they made eye contact with Kylo, and ran off with their legs between their tails. You sat on the grass in front of the bench and coaxed Matt out of hiding. He lunged into your arms and you hugged him tightly. You looked over to Kylo and smiled, reaching out to pet him.

"Youre such a good boy, Kylo."

Kylo leaned into your touch more, wanting more affection, which you happily gave. You decided it was time to take the boys home.

When you reached your apartment, you heard some meowing from the other side of the hall. You looked over your shoulder to see Hux's cat, Millicent. You smiled and unlocked the door to your apartment, opening it to let the dogs in, Millicent took the opportunity to follow them in. This was a common occurrence when Hux was in a rush to get to work, and is actually how you met your neighbor in the first place.

---

"Millicent? Millicent?"

You put down the box that you were unpacking, and went to your door. It was open and you peered out into the hall. A sharp dressed, red-haired man was frantically searching the halls. You watched for a moment but suddenly felt something brush against your leg, you looked down to see an orange cat looking up at you as it leaned against your leg.

"Millicent. Milli-"

"Is this who you're looking for?"

The man turned around and when he made eye contact with you, he felt his face become heated as his breath was being taken away. He swears he had just seen an angel, and in this angel's arms was his beloved cat. He calmly rushed over to you and you handed Millicent over.

"Thank you so much. I was in such a rush to leave for work, she must've snuck out while i wasnt looking. Um, i take it you're the new tennant."

You nodded and pet Millicent as your new neighbor held her.

"Yup, as of today. I work at the clinic and this was the closest place with available apartments."

The man offered you a hand while holding his furbaby with the other.

"My name is Armitage Hux. I live across the hall."

"I'm (Y/n). Nice to meet you."

---

You picked Millicent up in your arms and pulled out your phone. It went to voicemail.

"Hey Armitage, it's (Y/n). Millicent got out again so I'm gonna hold onto her until you get back. Bye."

You put your phone back in your pocket and shut the door with your foot after entering, kissing and petting the purring cat.

You set her down and walked into the kitchen. Millicent followed you and the 3 dogs all watched and inspected the cat.

You smiled at them and pet Millicent again, showing them that she was friendly. You glanced at the dogs again, they still didn't know how to react to the cat. Maybe their previous owners didn't have cats. You thought more about the dogs' previous owners and how cruel it was that someone might want to get rid of these 3 sweethearts, but you also thought that maybe there was someone out there who was worried about them. You took a few pictures of each dog and made a post on your social media pages, showing the dogs and stating that you had found them and would hold onto them until the rightful owners came to get them. You hoped they would be able to return home soon and be with their families.

You spent the rest of the day at home, cleaning up and waiting for someone to call and ask about the dogs but nobody did. The afternoon seemed to sneak up on you and Hux came to retrieve his pet. You locked up for the night and went to bed, the dogs doing just as they did the night before.

It was 3 A.M. and the phone rang. You jolted awake, waking and scaring the dogs. You grabbed your phone and checked it, but the number was unfamiliar, and you answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"The brothers must learn their lessons before they can return to their true forms."

The voice was that of an old woman. You looked at the dogs, confused, and they returned the looks.

"I think you have the wrong number, m'am."

Just as you were about to hang up, the voice spoke again.

"(Y/n)! You must listen. You are the only one who can help them!"

This made you more anxious but you listened.

"The brothers are beast, in the mind and in appearance. You must help them fix the mistakes they have made."

"Lady, i don't know the brothers you are talking about." You tried to explain.

"They will know. They will tell you."

Then then phone hung up.

"What the hell? I must be dreaming."

You pet the dogs and told them it was nothing and you all went back to bed. But that night, you had a strange dream.

3 tall boys were laughing and talking with you but you had never seen them before. 2 of them had long, shaggy, black hair and one had blonde hair and glasses, but they all had similar faces. You felt so safe being with these boys you didn't recognize. It was sunny and warm where you all were. You smiled, enjoying the company of such sweet boys.

You woke up suddenly. You felt your eyes flutter open and slowly all your senses woke up too.

"I'm just saying, if we lived in a town like this, we'd all be getting laid. There are so many hot women in more populated areas."

"You're so gross, Ben!"

You sat up quickly, panic already setting in. You looked around your room. The dogs were missing and there were strangers in your home. You quietly got out of bed and snuck to the door, peering out into the living room.

"I wonder when she's gonna be up. I'm getting kinda hungry."

You looked out but didn't see anyone, this was starting to really freak you out. Where were the dogs? Suddenly you saw Matt jump onto the recliner.

"Be patient. She was nice enough to let us stay here and cook for us out of the kindness of her heart, she's not our nanny."

Your jaw dropped. It WAS the dogs.

"Holy shit."

You covered your mouth immediately. The dogs looked at you and you quickly backed into your room, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"HOLY SHIT!!!"

[dontcallmecarrie]

Are you planing on ever making By Dawns Early Light into a full blown story? ... And is Thanos an issue in this AU? I think you havent mentioned him in it so well, I wondered?

UMM. *looks over what I’ve got in that tag, and winces*

geez this thing’s longer than some of my actual fics, when did that happen?

Here’s the thing, though: this AU’s meant to be a writer’s-block-buster. Which, if the current evidence is anything to go by, has been a resounding success. 

However. 

As of right now it’s just that, a thought-and-snippet-writing exercise, because there’s a lot of things that’d need tweaking before I’d even consider posting it on AO3 [aka my inner perfectionist strikes again]. 

Again, this is mostly just me messing around with a fluffy tumblr-exclusive [for now, anyway] AU because this feels smaller stakes than if I were to round this up and make it into a full-out fic.

Also, in regards to the second part of your ask: not exactly. By Dawn’s Early Light is, at its core, a fairly fluffy self-indulgent AU, which for me is also code for ‘nobody dies if I can help it’ and ‘if the MCU can have a Gary Stu villain then I can do what I want, Deus Ex Machina-levels of fixits included’.

How? Simple. By nerfing the heck out of him, while also unfridging as many other moms as I can, with a side of I-have-yet-to-forgive-the-writers-for-pulling-this-bs-seriously-what-kind-of-writing-was-that. 

Here’s how the entire Thanos situation would go down, in By Dawn’s Early Light (spoilers for a fic I have yet to write):

First, let’s take a step back, shall we? This is, among other things, a timeline-crunch AU. There’s a lot going down in a very compressed time frame [originally just because I wanted Howard to still be around just for Tony to be able to punch him, but now I’m invested in this so time go the full nine yards, buckle up everyone].

So. The entire situation around Maria Stark and Tony and Bucky’s been covered fairly well, but to sum up: when Howard turns out to be an abusive asshole of a husband, his wife smiles at him and promptly turns around and burns both SHIELD and Stark Industries, revealing HYDRA and Obadiah Stane’s double-dealing ahead of schedule [unintentional fixits ftw]. In the chaos, Bucky manages to escape and joins up with Maria and Tony as they go in hiding. 

Ripple effect that didn’t get mentioned: Hank Pym sees this shit going down, realizes that the most famous missing child in the country is about the same age as his daughter, and decides to not aim to be Absentee Father of the Year. He ends up being a tad overprotective, sure, but is way more involved in his kid’s life and Hope Van Dyne grows up with at least one (1) parental figure in her life, so…there’s that. 

Things happen, and the timeline for bringing Janet back gets moved up somehow, right around when the Avengers assemble.

Note to self: adjust part of Scott Lang’s origin story in this? Compare whistleblower laws of that time era, alt. entrance for him could be him somehow helping Tony hide because BDEL!Howard’s the type of petty and vindictive asshole who’d pull some strings if he found out this rando interfered with his search somehow. 

Bonus for giving Scott and Hank something to commiserate about, later on, and would also have Tony and Co. feeling indebted to him [which would result in a lot of shiny prototypes and records being expunged, later on, probably]

…though that might be a bit much. Hmm.

Reason to bring Janet back: I do what I want also I think the MCU fridged moms because otherwise they’d be too powerful 

Ripple effect that didn’t get mentioned, the second: since this is also the AU where moms get unfridged, Frigga’s going to be derailing the plot from her corner of the galaxy.

Also, since I finally watched Ragnarok but was a mythology nerd as a kid and have a passing knowledge of the comics, time to revamp how Hela fits into this universe.

Okay, she’s still murderous and powerful and ruthless. 

Only, turns out there’s a very good reason for it: she was one of Loki’s students [iirc she’s his daughter in the myths, that’s the best I can come up with atm] before Odin saddled her with the thankless duty of being the watchkeeper of Asgard’s enemies and prisoners. As in, Odin just straight-up went ‘hey you look pretty talented, here, I now hold you responsible for this entire goddamn realm of assholes and creeps, if any get out we’re all screwed’. 

Which is something Hela absolutely did not sign up for, but she’s now just about the only thing standing between said realm of undesirables and her home so she stays put […also maybe Odin sealed the only way back? Maybe? Idk].

It didn’t help that in the early days, these ruffians thought they could overpower her and escape to wreak havoc. So she had to kick everyone’s ass six ways to Sunday, until they finally accepted her as the head honcho of this dump and as someone Not To Be Fucked With.

Thus, why Hela’s known as the goddess of death and ruler of Helheim.  

…and it’s also why she accidentally came to Thanos’ attention.

(Because why the hell not, as if her day wasn’t bad enough Odin you owe her big time—)

Thanos, of course, is in love with her carnage and seems to be the kind of guy who doesn’t take no for an answer. Hela just wants to be left the alone but can’t tell him to fuck off because if she did, she’d risk leaving her home open to attack from enemy agents, which is how we get the story behind why Thanos is known as the madman who courted death. 

[Hela: fuck you and the horse you rode in on shoo you bastard and take your stupid flowers with you—]

Thanos was on one of his especially annoying ‘let me woo you with the ashes of this one civilization!’ kicks [Hela: ashes. How romantic. Not. Leave me alone already.] when some of the Dark Elves snuck out and killed Odin. 

Hela…is only pissed she couldn’t have done it with her own two hands. Also slightly embarrassed that the Dark Elves escaped in the first place, and relieved that it was only Odin who’d kicked it because his wife had seemed pretty nice, the one time Hela’d seen the lady before she’d been drop-kicked to this hellhole. 

Also— apparently she now can leave this place? Sayonara, bitches. 

.

Thanos is very displeased when he doesn’t find her standing guard over Helheim when he returns.

Displeased enough to get creative, as far as courting gifts go, and think that if she didn’t like rings or jewelry, well, maybe this Lady Death would appreciate a shiny, fully-assembled Infinity Gauntlet instead.

well…let’s be honest, if it weren’t for his ‘don’t take no for an answer’ thing, you’d have to give the guy props for trying. Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than ‘here have this item of absolute cosmic power’, amirite? [just kidding]

.

Hela now has mixed feelings about Asgard. Before she was crowned Queen of This Dump, she’d been a student of magic, had been used to certain things. There’s quite an element of culture shock to be had, now that she’s back. It’s the first time she’s seen sunlight in thousands of years, and also there’s a lot of systemic changes going on now that some of Odin’s dirty secrets are coming out at last. Turns out she’s not the only one who’d been pressed into duty: some of Loki’s other students[/children in the myths] came back with stories of the same. Fenrir was apparently voluntold to be the guardian of the Reality Stone, Jormungandr had apparently been busy on Midgard […which now had a school of Mystic Arts? Pfft. Overachiever], and the more Hela thought about it the angrier she got.

Especially when it turns out that her teacher had been mocked for suffering a breakdown and was also tortured by the creep who’d been flirting with her for millennia [Everyone: wait what Hela: I am going to KILL THAT BASTARD NEXT TIME I SEE HIM]. 

However, thanks to Frigga being Frigga and having a crazy-high charisma stat, Hela is still mostly willing to play ball with everyone else on Asgard. Despite her not being happy with how ungrateful the general populace acted [oh, magic’s just ‘tricks’? Here, have a fireball TO THE FACE I FOUGHT MONSTERS WITH THESE TRICKS FOR MILLENNIA]. 

So when Thanos shows up again, he gets one-shotted by Hela, who’s very very pissy about her vacation being interrupted.

Because this planet has sunlight and hot chocolate and punk rock and she’s got centuries’ worth of time off and she is damn well going to enjoy it.

.

…aka why Thanos is a bit of a non-entity in this one. Again, fixits are the name of the game for this AU.

[writeyourownlifestory]

Sucker Punched

Chapters: 3/9 Fandom: IT Rating: M Warnings: Mention of past child // psychological abuse, Fight Club!au Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh/Ben Hanscom Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, learning to love yourself

Tag list: @richietoaster, @beproudtozier, @that-weird-girls-blog, @s-onora, @s-s-georgie, @bellarosewrites, @iamcupcakefrosting, @reddieonwheels, @ghostnebula, @madidraw @madi-main, @gazebobullshit, @thoughtfullyyoungduck

By the time Eddie was 13, he was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and several cooking oils. By 15, he had never swum in gym class and never went to a friend’s birthday party or had one of his own. By 16, Eddie knew that he liked looking at boys rather than looking at girls, though that didn’t seem to matter at the time. By 18, he had graduated high school and that was the end of his social life. And by 21, Eddie’s life had been torn to pieces.

He was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and now left without a mother, without a home, and without a clue. On top of being told he should go to group therapy, his caseworker had also suggested doing something to blow off some steam. Join a book club or go to the gym. Or maybe join a need-to-know based fight club. Either or.

Chapter’s one - two 

Eddie thought, as a nice gesture, he would surprise Ben and take him out to lunch.

He got off of work earlier than he thought he would. They didn’t have that much to unpack and restock onto the shelves. It was pretty slow on this particular day, so the need for any extra baggers or cashiers wasn’t as high as always. The manager of the store gave Eddie the option to skip out forty-five minutes earlier than he was scheduled to leave.

He didn’t jump at the chance to leave, but he took it regardless. Walking down the street, he thought it would be a good idea to head into the gym that Ben frequented at and see if he’d be interested in grabbing something to eat.

He knew Ben’s routine as well as his own. He wakes up and goes for his run. If he was closing, then he’d come home, eat breakfast and hang around the house. Sometimes he would do a bit of work in his room, rearranging some of his models or creating an online template for future projects. And then he’d go to the gym and work out for an hour or two. He’d come home and show, help with dinner and then either go out with Beverly or Mike before returning home for the night.

If he was opening, then he’d still go out running, but he would do it far earlier and make a protein shake or take something portable. He’d go to work and then get out, heading straight for the gym when he was finished, and then come home, shower, help with dinner, and then go out.

He’d usually go to the gym around the same time regardless if he was opening or closing, so Eddie had a pretty good shot of him being there.

He slipped inside, looking around in hopes of spotting him. He came up empty, but waited a bit, thinking maybe he was in the back room. He stood there for nearly five minutes, looking completely out of place in his work shirt and jeans.

“Ay, Eduardo!” A voice called out to him. He looked up, seeing Richie sitting up from a machine he was on. Ben had mentioned calling it a ‘crunch machine’ or something like that. Richie pulled off his headphone, the sound of the music muffled, but still loud enough for Eddie to hear just slightly. “He’s not here.”

“What?”

“Haystack. He’s not here. Bev stopped by and grabbed him maybe about fifteen minutes ago.” Richie explained.

Right. So Eddie had been on the money with the timing but missed him by a few minutes. He wasn’t surprised that Beverly had come and snatched him away. Any time she wasn’t in the group meeting or working at her aunt’s boutique, she was with Ben.

It was fair enough since they were best friends. Eddie didn’t know if that was what being a best friend was, always wanting to be around them and do everything with them.

Or maybe it was more than friendship.

Eddie didn’t know either way.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“No problemo. You wanna do a few sets?”

“Few what?”

“Sets, dude! Gotta work on those gains!”

Eddie just stared, babbled by whatever the hell he was even saying. Mke walked by then, slapping the back of Richie’s head as he passed. “Speak English, dumbass.” He prompted.

“Ah! Geez, Hanlon. Hands-off outside the ring.” Richie mumbled, standing from the machine.

“I think you’re supposed to wipe those down,” Eddie mentioned as Richie approached him.

“Though, do you wanna work out? I’m always down for some tag-team pumping.”

“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Eddie grumbled with a heavy sigh. “But, if you’re asking me to work out, I’m gonna decline. Not exactly in the right attire.”

“That’s fine! Just take the pants off. Boxers and gym shorts are similar enough.”

Eddie scoffed, wrinkling his nose at the idea. “Dude, no.”

“I’m kidding! I’m done anyway,” Richie reached into his pocket, turning off the music playing from his phone and detached the headphones, pulling them off his neck. He wrapped the wire around and around, tightening it before looping it through his arm to hold onto. “Did you walk here?”

“I don’t have a car,” Eddie told him.

No car, no license. He knew the town was small enough, allowing him to walk just about everywhere, but he knew how pathetic it sounded.

Eddie’s whole existence was pathetic at this point.

“Are you going home?”

“Not like I have anywhere else to go,” Eddie answered with a small shrug.

“Want a lift?” Richie questioned. “I don’t have work tonight, so I don’t have anywhere else to go either.”

Eddie shook his head slightly. “It’s fine,”

“Can I walk with you?” Richie asked, taking a step closer. “I don’t mean to be pushy. Just. Super bored and figured a conversation would shake things up a bit. If you don’t want to be bothered, just say so.”

Eddie couldn’t remember the last time he had been bothered. He thought of all the times when he was little when his mother would take away the comic books he had borrowed from the library or forced him to watch the children's programming she had found on tv even though he was over eighteen.

Eddie also couldn’t remember the last time someone cared if he was bothered. He was so used to just doing what other people wanted him to do, what his mother wanted him to do, that being given options seemed so rare and new to him.

Richie waved a hand over Eddie’s face slowly. “You okay? Your eyes sort of glazed over there.”

Eddie blinked, not realizing he had been starring, drifting off into his thoughts. “I’m fine.”

Richie bobbed his head firmly. “All right. Well, do you want that ride or not?”

“Sure,” Eddie replied, deciding he had nothing to lose.

Richie beamed, his eyes lighting up behind those thick glasses of his. He followed Richie out to the parking lot, walking over to the car that appeared to be his. He didn’t know much about the car but knew it was nice enough. An older model. He had seen it once before, on the cover of a car magazine at the pharmacy.

“Ain't she a beaut!” Richie said as they approached the car.

It was blue, or at least it was supposed to be, but dirt stains and other things were covering it. Eddie couldn’t tell if it was dented or the car was just oddly shaped. Eddie just gave a small nod, letting Richie toss his gym back into the back before getting into the driver’s seat.

“Come on, big man!”

Eddie got into the passenger side of the car, surprised to find it somewhat clean. He had a McDonald's cup sitting in the cup holder and the air freshener hanging on the mirror didn’t seem to be working because the car itself smelt like grease and cigarettes.

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Richie told him as they pulled out of the car. “Do you mind if I peel into the Wendy’s on Union?”

“That’s fine,” Eddie replied smoothly.

Richie turned on the stereo the moment they hit the road. He had his music playing, a bunch of bands playing alternative rock songs that Eddie didn’t know. “You can change it if you want to. All music is good music to me,”

Eddie didn’t touch the radio. He let it play on as they drove, with Richie lowering it as they got to the drive-through. He half-shouted his order, pausing so he could turn back to Eddie. “What do you want?”

“What?”

“To eat? 4 for 4? Baconator fries? Spicy nuggets? Throw me a bone here, Eduardo.”

“My name is Eddie. Short for Edward.”

“Okay Edward, what do you want?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Dude, it’s fast food. You don’t eat fast food because you’re hungry. You eat it because it’s cheap and filling.” The muffled, machinal voice from the ordering box asked if that was all. “Hang on, one sec! Eds, pick something.”

“I don’t want anything.”

“You just got off of work, right? Did you have lunch?” Eddie gave Richie a small side-eye in response. “Yeah, I thought so. Hey! Sorry about that. Can I get two large Frostys and a large fry too? That’s all.”

Pulling up to the window, Richie paid and proceeded to hand Eddie the bag of food and placed the two Frosty’s in the cup holders. He took the McDonald’s cup and continued to drink it as they drove the rest of the way to the Hanscom household.

Richie parked up front, unbuckling his seatbelt as he shifted in the seat, turning to face Eddie properly. “All right. Let’s eat.” He declared.

He took his cheeseburger and bit into it, holding out the container of fries for Eddie to take. He stole three of them, chewing on them piece by piece. They weren’t as salty as the ones from McDonald's, nor were they as curly as the ones from Arby’s.

The Hanscom’s thrived on eating from home, but now and then they’d splurge and they’d all go out to dinner at Olive Garden or bring in Chinese. And on some nights, they’d go buck wild and get fast food because it was inexpensive and quick.

McDonald’s had been the first type of fast food Eddie had eaten. He wasn’t too impressed with the Big Mac, finding the extra piece of bread to be something of an overkill, but the regular cheeseburger was fine.

These fries were good as well, though Eddie found himself feeling a bit concerned when he caught sight of Richie dipping his fries into the Frosty.

“Oh don’t give me that look. Come on. Don’t knock it till you try it.” Richie argued, nudging Eddie’s arms.

Huffing a sigh, Eddie relented, going to dip the end of one fry into the Frosty, taking a bite of it. The sweet and salty elements weren’t bad. The cold and warm combination was a bit odd, but he didn’t hate it.

“Not the worst.” He admitted, shoving the straw into the heavy liquid. He tried to slurp it up but found himself unable to do so. “Why the fuck is this so thick?”

“Your mom asked me the same thing,” Richie said, his smirk only lasting a few moments before realization hit him faster than Ben’s elbow did the night of their fight. “Oh fuck. I’m sorry.”

Eddie offered a thin smile, keeping his eyes on his Frosty. He stirred it around, trying to melt it a bit so he could drink it.

“I’m guessing you know all about it,” Eddie mentioned quietly. “Reporters had come around the first few days I got here, but Mrs. Hanscom chased them away.”

“I just know what Ben told me. Overprotective mom and stuff. He didn’t go into a lot of detail.”

“Ben isn’t one for gossip.” He knew his cousin wouldn’t bitch or brag about the situation. Ben was a good person. Probably the best outside of his mother.

“You probably don’t want to talk about it,” Richie mentioned, sticking his straw into his own Frosty. “You can if you want to. I’ve been told I tend to run my mouth, but I like to think I’m a pretty good listener too.”

“Not much to say,” Eddie mentioned, attempting to take another sip.

Richie hummed, bobbing his head. They sat in silence for a few minutes, focusing on his meal while Eddie stirred his Frosty around, and around, and around.

“So how did you get into the whole fight club thing?” Eddie asked, deciding to cut through the silence and the gentle tension that was beginning to grow between them.

“You do know the first and second rule of fight club is to not talk about fight club right?” Richie snickered.

“Oh. I’ve never seen the movie so….”

“Stan invited me,” Richie answered. “He told me that I had, and I quote, ‘a very punchable face’ which isn’t something I’m completely surprised about.”

“Kind of rude.”

“But very on-brand for Staniel.” Richie insisted. “I don’t know, man. I started going to the gym, started hanging around with the other guys. They introduced me to it and I’ve been going for about a year now.”

“I don’t understand the point of it,” Eddie confessed to him. “Wanting to hit someone and cause pain.”

“It’s not about causing pain. Look, you know the adrenaline rush you get when you do something completely wild?”

Eddie started blankly to him, unable to come up with a single time he had done anything wild. The closest had been when he would surf the internet late at night when his mom thought he was sleeping.

Richie, not bothering to comment, carried on. “It’s that. We ride that rush for as long as it lasts. It’s hard to put into words. It’s like running and jumping, unsure if you’re going to stick the landing.”

“I think I get it,” Eddie told him. Giving up on the sucking, he pulled the straw out from the cup, licking it slowly, lapping up the sweet creamy flavor. Richie watched him for a moment, his eyes focused on Eddie’s mouth. “What?”

“I could teach you some stuff,” He mentioned, his eyes flicking up to meet Eddie’s. “Working out. How to throw a punch.”

“I don’t want to fight,” Eddie answered.

“You don’t have to, but staying in shape is important. And if your mom did lock you away like some sick bubble boy, you’re going to need to bulk up if you ever want to make it in this world.”

“Stan was right. You do have a very punchable face.” Eddie declared.

He stabbed the straw back into the Frosty, deciding he’ll drink it at a later time when it was melted and suckable. He opened the car door, turning his head back to thank Richie for the ride.

“If you’re interested, come to the gym Friday morning,” Richie called out of the passenger side window.

“I’m opening Friday,” Eddie replied, pushing through the gate.

“Then come Friday night. What do you have to lose, man?”

Richie drove off before Eddie could even come up with an answer.

[talesfantastic]

Mun Things and Fandom Notes

about the mun. fill this out  &  tag a few people you’d like to get to know better !

tagged by the lovely @vetlanwrites tysm tagging some people I haven’t tagged before: @amalgammuses, @animus-inspire​, @kychchc​, @rotinthedark, @warofthebeasts & YOU!

name: my name is [ loud music interrupts ] nickname:  you can call me Kat or KF! preferred pronouns: she/her age range:  30+ favorite animal:  cats pets: cat and a dog tattoos/piercings: I had my ears pierced several times and they won’t stay pierced so I gave up on anything -shrug- star sign: virgo! I’m an August bby how long have you been in this fandom?: doing just the ones I currently have muses for, and not the ones I’ve only talked about -

Dragonball(Z) - I’ve been writing in DBZ since... oh geez, the late 90′s? I think the first fic I ever posted was DBZ and it was around that time. I didn’t start rping it until like, early 00′s though.

Final Fantasy - I actually dabbled in 9 a little bit around the time it came out in ‘00 (my friend had it!) but I wouldn’t say I really did much until I really got into 7, and that was around... geez, ‘05? I rped it a little with a friend around then but I didn’t really start writing it much until nearly ‘10. #latetotheparty Yet I do consider it my “home” fandom - I always come back to it.

Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons - early ‘00s! My first HM/SoS game was Friends of Mineral Town on my trusty GBA and I love it so much to this day. SO excited for the remake!

Legend of Zelda - I really, really loved Ocarina of Time from the get-go when I got it on the N64 in ‘98 (I got it again for the GameCube and the 3DS and would totally buy it for the Switch, just sayin.) Majora’s Mask creeped me out a bit and was stressful but I liked it, too. And then of course later titles like Twilight Princess were just... -chef’s kiss- but I didn’t really dig into the fandom until ‘10-’11 when I started rping Link with a friend and briefly tried joining a forum rp group (shoutout to ZRPG!) with an OC

Marvel Cinematic Universe - I want to say around ‘12, when Avengers came out? Like, I’d seen Iron Man but I didn’t really dig into it until then.

Pokémon - late 90′s / early 00′s because I first started my Pkmn journey playing Gold and Crystal. While I didn’t write fanfic or rp it, I definitely had headcanons and a lot of feels.

Sailor Moon - early 90′s! I first watched the anime as it came out, though I’ve since forgotten most of that and only have the manga/crystal in my head to run interpretations off of. It was so pretty tho.

Stardew Valley - a newer fandom for me, I really only started getting “into” it about a year ago, but man... I love it, I really do

Star Wars - despite early access to the OT as a kidlet, I didn’t actually get “into” Star Wars until the Prequels in ‘99 (fite me) when I fell in love with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and promptly, voraciously, dove into fixit and timetravel fanfic. By the time KOTOR came out in ‘03 I was hooked.

Threads of Fate - I think I got into this one on the ground floor, so to speak. My friend had just gotten it and I borrowed it from her and my brother’s PS1 in ‘00 and that was it, I was in love.

why did you choose this specific character/s?:  under a cut bc I have like... nearly 30 muses now

I’m doing alphabetical order (by fandom / first name) bc it’s just easier to go down my list:

tl;dr I picked them all because I love them. Read on to find out why. Click their names to read their bios!

Dragonball Z

Vegeta - oh man, actually one of the first characters I ever rp’d or wrote in fic, and that’s saying something. I picked him because I love him. He’s an absolute ass, but he grows so much throughout Z. (I have yet to see Super, hoping to one day remedy that but we’ll see!) I guess I picked him up for nostalgia’s sake? I really love the character and think there’s a lot of growth yet to see buried under that pride and ego. If you can unearth it.

Final Fantasy

Angeal Hewley (FF7) - actually my first muse on Tumblr, back in... oh, 2013? The blog has been deleted, but he was the first muse I ever played seriously out of FF7. There’s parts of Angeal that really resonate with me, enough that - when I was a less experienced writer - I got tangled up in him a bit too much, made him a bit too personal, and I realized I had to take a step back from writing him. But I love Angeal, and after some time had passed, having written him in various fics, I’ve felt confident adding him... even if I haven’t done anything with him here yet.

Cait Sith (FF7) - I know a lot of people see Cait Sith as all sorts of negative things, but frankly I adore the little guy. And I guess I took him on partially because I couldn’t take Reeve on and not take Cait on, but partially because I see so much in him that could be interesting to explore and would really, really love to. (Any Reeve’s or AVALANCHE - or Turks! - come at me!)

Chaos (FF7) - I picked Chaos up on a whim, as far as Tumblr goes. I really enjoy rping him/Vincent off Tumblr and writing him in fics, and I suppose I just wanted to present a different side of him than I usually see. I’ve even had a thread that has a great deal of promise so I think it was worth it.

Genesis Rhapsodos (FF7) - my third FF7 blog, I think? It’s still up, though obviously not in use, just because I’d put so much work into it. I really adore Genesis, and love writing him. I love his sass and flare, but I love that he’s deeper than all the fire and flamboyance, if you’re willing to look past that. I’m lucky that I’ve had some lovely partners to explore him with, though I’d still kill for an Angeal to throw him at. XD Or a Sephiroth, for that matter.

Lazard Deusericus (FF7) - Lazard, my second FF7 blog and an unexpected love. I picked him up because I had recently started writing him in earnest with an off-Tumblr rp partner ( @thegeeksqueaks ) and was really enjoying him, and hadn’t seen him on Tumblr yet so thought I might get more partners that way. (It turned out there were a couple but they were inactive.) His first blog was accidentally deleted - over five years worth of character development and relationships - so after briefly working him up again solo I brought him over here. He’s not getting the same level of attention but it’s worth it not to be juggling blogs.

Reeve Tuesti (FF7) - pre-Remake, most of the Reeve rpers had gone inactive (shoutout to the fabulous @engineering-robotics and @animus-inspire for coming back!) and just... I love the character too much not to see him in the RPC. Of course, I love to write him period myself so I’d love more threads there but regardless he’s so much fun.

Tristan Pierce (FF7 OC) - Triiiiiiiiiis. Tristan was actually born as an NPC off of Lazard’s blog, who took a life on his own because he was just... so full of life. He actually had his own blog, too! I’ve barely done anything with him here, but I still keep him just because he gives me feels and he’s just neat. (He does still appear in the background of Lazard’s threads though.)

Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons

Iris (SoS) - I actually picked up Iris as a muse first for a fantastic HM/SoS/SDV/etc rp group I’m in a couple years ago, and liked playing her so much I thought I’d bring her here. Elegant lady novelist? Yes please.

Neil (ANB) - unlike Iris and Trent, I haven’t written Neil anywhere else, but he’s my love from A New Beginning and just... he seems like he’d be fun to write? I’d love to flesh him out.

Doctor/Trent (FoMT/MFoMT; DS/CUTE) - Trent, like Iris, is one I write for the rp group and I legit picked him up because of the opportunity for h/c I am not sorry. But seriously though, he’s grown on me so much and I love my awkward doctor.

Legend of Zelda

Midna (Twilight Princess) - TP is one of my absolute favorite Zelda games, and Midna a favorite character. There’s just so much to her you don’t get to see that I was really hoping to get to dig into, still hope one day to. We’ll see. Worth keeping on roster.

Revali (Breath of the Wild) - my newest addition! I keep saying in complete seriousness “Genesis with more feathers” but seriously, I may have a type? I love him so much and wanted to see more of him, and by god if I have to do it myself so be it. (I have been playing a ton of BOTW lately which probably has a lot to do with it. XD)

Sheik (Ocarina of Time) - I love them so much. OoT didn’t have a ton of character building, but the sheer implications of the character speaks volumes that I want to explore. I’m lucky enough to be getting the chance to, too.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tony Stark - did I mention I have a type? I feel he makes a good argument for it. I originally picked Tony up because I just fell head over heels for the character in the first couple Iron Man movies + Avengers. I... am less in love with him in the later movies, not gonna lie, and am so far behind on lore that I’m considering dropping him. But yeah, originally picked him up just because he had so much potential. Thx Disney, great job there.

Pokémon (gameverse)

Lily Hart (HG/SS OC) - another OC of mine, this time for a fandom that... I only really know through the games, as opposed to manga/anime. I picked her up because I really liked the idea of doing events or little ask things with her, and still may try to initiate some more of those. We’ll see?

Sailor Moon (manga/Crystal)

Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury - I actually picked Ami up because of a plot with @magicalxgirlsxrp where we were splitting up the Inners and the Shitennou for some mega threads. XD But yeah, I do like her. Even if she’s a challenge to write sometimes because she’s very much not like me, and very much smarter.

Kunzite - Kunzite I have always loved, always, and I’ve had him on here because I really wanted to explore him more. I love him even more after the teasing in Crystal of what might have been, be still my shippy heart.

Mamoru Chiba/Endymion/Tuxedo Mask - super fond of Mamoru, too; I didn’t care for him so much in the 90′s anime, but in the manga and Crystal I really became more fond. I do a few things differently, I think, but don’t we all? I picked him up for that very reason, in fact.

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus - Minako is really interesting to me because there’s so much more to her than her airheaded, bubbly persona that fits her like a glove... but is just as superficial. I mean, she’s sunny and happy but she’s also the OG Senshi, the leader of the Inners, a powerful, commanding fighter - she’s complex, and I really wanted to explore that + getting to have fun with her bubbliness.

Nephrite - another picked up from @magicalxgirlsxrp‘s enabling. But I do find him really interesting so it works out well. Haven’t done a lot with him, but we have plans. Plans I’m looking forward to.

Stardew Valley

M. Rasmodius - I knew I really wanted to do something with SDV, once I got to playing it, but I wasn’t sure who. I thought about Sebastian and Elliot, but already had interacted with a couple who were just fantastic. So instead, I did a good fallback of mine - because I never, ever get tired of playing mages. Ever. XD

Star Wars

HK-47 (KOTOR) - the attitude. I wanted to write HK entirely because of the scorching levels of sass from this droid.

Liana Raine (SWTOR f!JC) - the Jedi Consular storyline is one of my favorites out of all of SWTOR (tied with the Inquisitor, but I’m revamping her) and I really just wanted to keep playing with it even once I’d done the dedicated storyline.

Revan (KOTOR LS!F) - give me female Revan you cowards. -ahem- I have feels about Revan, okay? I love her so, so much - she even had her own blog, I love her that much. I would absolutely love to do something more with her but I will hold on to her if for no other reason than to make sure at least one black, female Revan exists in the world. (I want all the timetravel and crossover threads, hit me up.)

Tharan Cedrax (SWTOR) - another for attitude, really, and also definitely my type. XD He’s charming, he’s snarky, he’s sassy, he’s brilliant... I very much like Tharan and really felt he, like most of the companions, deserved more screentime. So, I’m here to give it to him.

Threads of Fate (Dewprism)

Duke - he’s so cool. I mean, he’s a dork, but his powers are amazing and he’s just a fun, incredibly upbeat character to play. And well, anything to spread my love of that teeny fandom.

Fancy Mel - Mel hits all the sweet spots for a mage character. She’s got flavor, she’s got amazing powers, and she had room to create a fantastic backstory with amazing crossover potential. Is she a bit OP? Yes. But she has no intention of using it for anything but her amusement/whimsy.

Rod the Bladestar - I love Rod. I love his oddly genteel manners, I love how he’s unwittingly sexist but quickly cleans up his act when put straight, I love how driven and passionate he is. Could do without such a typically-Square-outfit, but you can’t have everything. (In the right artists’ hands, he might even be pretty amazing, actually.)

Did you read all of that? Amazing. Any of them strike your interest? Hmu and maybe we could plot a thread! :eyes:

Also I sincerely apologize to mobile users who had to read all that because Tumblr can’t get it’s act together.

[writingpaperghost]

I Would Offer It Happy With a Smile On My Face (Chapter 7)

Chapter 7: You Don’t Need a Shooting Star, the Magic’s Right There in Your Heart

Asahi meets an old friend of Tomomi and the three of them talk about a lot of things.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24860734/chapters/60990913

Tomomi ended up working sort of odd hours, so he and Asahi mostly saw each other in the mornings and the evenings. Asahi spent a lot of time during the day running around the city. She wasn’t really the type to stay inside all day, but that had really increased the longer she was in Kurokita. Sometimes, she tagged along with Tomomi, but that was only every once in a while. Still, today, Tomomi had a bit of time today, during lunch, so he ended up dragging her to a cafe.

Asahi had been to this cafe before, it was the one by KPaRS base. It was... well a bit of an odd choice. It was a bit out of the way, Asahi had only stopped there before because she’d been walking in the area. Regardless, Tomomi was the only person she actually talked to regularly, she was a bit... wary about people around the city, so she was fine with spending some more time with him. Honestly, he was kinda like a cool uncle or something. At the very least, he didn’t constantly worry about her whenever she fought a Kaiju, which was kinda nice. Her family worried a bit too much.

They were sitting at a table, a bit before the lunch rush. Tomomi had a cup of what coffee, though Asahi was pretty sure it barely qualified as such, given about half of the coffee was actually just creamer. Alongside that was a salad, which he would passively (aggressively) stab with his fork. Asahi had her, according to Tomomi, “ridiculous sugary abomination” that she’d had before. In front of her was a bowl of soup and a cookie. Despite what Tomomi said, Asahi thought this counted as a perfectly good lunch.

They talked about this and that for a bit, in between bites of food and such. Then, Tomomi, who was facing towards the the main part of the cafe, smiles and waves at someone. Asahi turns her head to see who he was waving at. She watches as a man, the one who Tomomi had waved at, walked over.

“Tomomi,” The man greeted with a smile, a pastry in one hand, what appeared to be a smoothie in the other. He had a KPaRS jacket on, though Asahi noted it was different than the other ones she’d seen. “I’m surprised to see you here,”

Tomomi gave him a smile in response, “Yeah, but I had some time and thought I’d drag Asahi out here.”

The man looks over at Asahi, then looks back to Tomomi, “Hm... Is she you’re younger cousin? I believe you mentioned one of uncles had a daughter about her age.”

Asahi wasn’t sure how to feel about that comment. Tomomi, on the other hand, judging by his face at least, was surprised at the comment. Either he was surprised that the man remember him having a younger cousin, or surprised that she got mistaken for said younger cousin. Asahi wasn’t exactly sure.

“Uh, Kaoru,” Tomomi said, “She’s not related to me. She’s just, uh, staying with me since, she’s a, a family friend.” It would be hard to say that his statement was at all believable. With all the “uh”s and such, Asahi would be surprised if the man believed it.

“Hm... I see, sorry about that.”

Tomomi quickly gestures to one of the extra chairs at the table, “You should sit with us, we haven’t talked much in a while.”

“I can’t intrude on the two of you,” He seemed hesitant, but Tomomi kept insisting, so soon he was sitting with them, placing his smoothie down.

“Oh!” She hasn’t introduced herself yet, “I’m Asahi Minato by the way!”

“Kaoru Matsuoka,” The response is returned with a smile.

There’s a lull in conversation for a moment before Tomomi takes a drink of coffee, prompting Matsuoka to make a comment. “You still drink that with half creamer?”

Tomomi looked at him with mock offense, “I’ll have you know,” he said, “That it is otherwise too bitter. Besides, why are you giving me flack, look at Asahi’s drink. It’s nearly entirely sugar!”

While Matsuoka looks at her drink, Asahi gives Tomomi a look, “What are you talking about?” She asked, “This is perfectly fine. Besides, it’s got fruits, so it’s healthiness balances out.”

“I... don’t think that’s how that works,” Matsuoka commented, “Though I am curious as to how you manage to drink such a thing.”

“Honestly,” Tomomi adds, “I think, what with all the sugar she consumes on a daily basis, she just uses all the sugar to keep herself cheerful.”

“What? That’s not-” Despite her best efforts, Tomomi was giving her an amused smile and Matsuoka did the same, though a bit less noticeably. “Geez, you’re as bad as my brothers!”

“Do you brothers tease you about the amount of sugar you eat too?” Tomomi asked, somewhat teasing though still genuinely curious.

Asahi huffs, “Katsunii always says how I shouldn’t eat so much sugar and Isanii just keeps teasing me about it.” As if to spite her brothers, even from another universe, she takes a long and slow drink. Matsuoka let’s out a mostly hidden chuckle while Tomomi doesn’t even bother trying to hide his amusement.

“Well,” Matsuoka began, “It sound like they care about you.”

Asahi’s annoyance ends at that point, replaced with something else. She gives a small smile, “Yeah, they do.” Her smiles grows when she thinks about not just her brothers but her parents too, “They’re great. Even if they might worry a bit too much for my taste. I always know they care.”

“Having family who cares about you is good,” Tomomi states, “You... You miss them, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” She laughs, “I guess I’m not used to being this far from them and not texting them like twenty times a day.”

Matsuoka hums, taking a drink of his smoothie, “I have to ask you, Tomomi, what sparked that article you wrote? About Ultrawoman Grigio.”

Tomomi quickly and gently (violently) stabbed a piece of lettuce and shoved it in his mouth, if only to buy himself more time before he had to respond. Asahi knew the answer to the question, but it was a bit trickier to answer without outing Asahi as Grigio. As it turned out, most of the people that Tomomi worked with were used to all his slightly unusual Kaiju articles and apparently hadn’t given the one on Grigio too much more than a second glance.

“Well,” Tomomi began, slow enough that he could still think, but not so slow it was noticeable. The wonderful thing about the human brain, is that it was pretty good at improvising on the spot. The downside, was that it usually needed a bit of a preexisting plan. Something that Asahi was pretty sure Tomomi didn’t have. She just hoped he was good at improvising. “She managed to stop that Kaiju and she showed up twice, so I didn’t think it was a one off thing... I figured it would be best to spread awareness, get the word out.”

“Why give her a name? And why Ultrawoman Grigio?”

“Well, we couldn’t keep calling her the grey and yellow giant... So Ultra because she, uh, can do really cool stuff, woman because well, that’s obvious, and Grigio because... Well it’s Italian for grey.” Asahi could tell that Tomomi was doing his best and frankly, she didn’t think she’d be able to come up with a much better answer herself, so she figured it was good enough. Hopefully Matsuoka would believe it.

She couldn’t really tell, but Matsuoka seemed to believe it. He seemed to be mulling over the response before giving a nod, “I suppose that makes enough sense.”

Quietly, Asahi let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. Tomomi did the same, though she was pretty sure his was a bit more noticeable. If Matsuoka noticed, though, he didn’t say anything.

“What do you two think about all the Kaiju attacks, then?” Oh boy, he was full of questions.

Tomomi responded first, “I mean, it’s not good, all these Kaijus just inexplicably rampaging through the city.”

“Same, really, it’s very not happy... Personally, I think that there might be...” Asahi wasn’t sure if she wanted to finish the thought. She’d been thinking about it for a while now. It was odd that the monsters, at least the ones that didn’t seem to be rampaging for the normal reasons, always focused on her right away when she appeared. That and the Kaiju that appeared in Ayaka before that portal she fell through. She had a feeling that the Kaiju in Ayaka, the portal, and most of the Kaiju attacks on this Earth were all connected. But she didn’t have much proof, it was mostly observation and a sort of gut feeling. But Katsumi always said to trust your gut. Of course, she wasn’t sure if she should voice it to someone who didn’t know she was Grigio. “Well I think that a bunch of those attacks are connected. Maybe their all being controlled.”

“Being controlled,” Matsuoka seemed surprised at her idea, which was fair, it was a bit out of left field. “What makes you say that?”

“Uh, well, in a bunch of the Kaiju attacks, they just randomly start rampaging for seemingly no reason. They can’t be stopped through normal means... and when I-Ultrawoman Grigio shows up, they focus on her right away.” She shrugs slightly, hoping she was believable, “It just... seems like there’s someone else behind it all.” It wasn’t like she could list all of her reasons. But she could list enough of them.

Matsuoka considered her words, “You may have a point, though it’s hard to say.”

“But why would someone even bother? It’s such an odd thing to do...” Tomomi wondered, placing a hand on his chin.

“Because there are things out there that do stuff like that just for the sake of it, I guess.” Asahi sighed, taking a drink. “I mean, it’s not exactly unheard of.”

“Well, I’ve never heard of someone using Kaiju in such a way,” Matsuoka says, “But you are right. There are some people who do horrible things for no real reason.” Oh right, they haven’t had a “fate of the planet” scenario or something here. At least not one involving Kaiju.

“Anyway...” Tomomi seemed to be trying to change the subject, “It’s a real roadblock, but I’m sure given time and effort everything will work out.”

“Yes,” Matsuoka agreed, “Hopefully, after this people won’t just lose all trust in Kaijus all together.”

“You guys really want to see a world where Kaijus and people can really just live peacefully, huh?” Asahi comments, “I mean, that’s pretty cool.”

Tomomi grins, “It’s been Kaoru and mine’s dream for... Geez, I’m not sure how long. That’s what we bonded over in highschool, actually.” He leans back and closes his eyes, a wistful expression, “I mean, we knows it’s pretty unrealistic, but still... I guess that’s what dreams are for.”

“I think it’s good that you two have such lofty dreams. It’ll make every step closer feel all the more happy!” She insisted, “My brothers have... someone they’ve worked with who always says that you should never stop trying to reach your dreams. That even if they seem impossible you should still try and never give up, because dreams can always come true.”

Matsuoka chuckles, “Well, I suppose I have to agree with that person.”

“What about you?” Tomomi asks, poking (stabbing) his fork through his salad, “What’s your dream, Asahi?”

“My dream?” Asahi hums in thought, then responds, “I guess… I’m not sure… Really, I’m just happy if I can be around my friends and family!”

Tomomi chuckles a bit before saying, “I guess you must miss them then, huh? Since you’re so far away from your home and your family.”

She’s quiet for a moment, before answering, “… I mean… Yeah…” She trails off, “ But it’s okay! I’ll see them again soon enough! Worrying about that would be really not happy.” 

Matsuoka laughs, not even trying to hide it, “You’re very cheerful, aren’t you?” He asks, then adds, “Well, that’s good. There’s so can be so much negativity in the world.”

“Exactly,” Asahi grins, “The way I see it, you can’t control the world, but you can control how you’re feeling! And I choose to feel happy!”

Their conversation continued on various topics, but Matsuoka had to return to KPaRS and Tomomi had a few other things to do, so they all had to leave.

---

Today’s Kaiju of the Day (a title that isn’t entirely accurate, but neither is Monster of the Week, as monster don’t appear daily, but still more than weekly) was apparently called Gudon. It’s appearance was more akin to a bug than a reptile, though resembled both. Spike decorated it’s body, barring the stomach area and the neck up, with long horns on the top of it’s head. Instead of hands, Gudon had whips.

The most advice Tomomi had given Grigio before she began the fight was something along the lines of “Same as most Kaiju, tail and teeth, but also those whips”.

So yeah, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual to worry about, which Grigio was pretty grateful for. It seemed, in order to attack her, Gudon would have to get close to her, which Grigio could avoid just by keeping her distances and shooting her arrows. As long as it doesn’t break building’s too much, it shouldn’t have much ammunition to throw at her. She’d learned last time that that was something that some Kaiju’s did (like the one she’d fought, then, which she was told was a Red King).

She’d been doing pretty well with her plan, or at least she thought so. She was pretty sure that it would have continued going pretty well, but, unsurprisingly, there was a wrench thrown into her plans. KPaRS’(... You know, she still hadn’t figured out the best word to describe it. Plane? Jet? She really never knew, she’d have to ask someone later. Maybe Tomomi had an idea. Anyway.) Their jet (That’s what she was going to call it until proven otherwise, because plane sounded a bit wrong) had flown near, trying to assist. In the past, that’d... Well if it didn’t work, it didn’t hurt. Today though, was a bit of a change of form.

When KPaRS got close, Gudon took the chance to try to grab something. That something, being probably the worst possible thing it could have grabbed. KPaRS’ jet.

Crap.

Grigio knew that she couldn’t just stand there and hope for the best. The biggest issue was how to make sure that KPaRS got free of Gudon but stay pretty safe. She honestly wasn’t sure what to do. Should she just launch an arrow at Gudon? Would KPaRS be fine?

KPaRS was trying to pull free of Gudon’s grip, finding little success.

She needed to do something. But she didn’t know what! What would be the best thing to do! She didn’t want to mess up and make things worse! What if instead of letting go, Gudon tightened it’s grip?!

She was snapped out of her thoughts by an irritated Jun, who didn’t even sound like she was meaning to be heard by Grigio. “She’s not really making me think she’s not behind this!” It sounded like a response or maybe just a comment made with the knowledge that Rin would understand who she was talking about.

“Performance anxiety?” Rin offered in response, then let out a groan of frustration, followed by, “I’m sure she’ll do something.”

“Well I’m not so sure!”

Grigio really needed to do something. She needed to stop thinking so hard and move! Do something! Anything! At that point, she hadn’t even realized she was running at the monster until she was nearly close enough to touch it. And then she tackled it. Not her preferred way of attacking, but seeing as Gudon was preoccupied prior, it hadn’t noticed her coming and was thoroughly startled. It released KPaRS as Grigio was left to come up with what to do next.

In something of a panic, she punches it,trying to stall to make sure that KPaRS got a far enough away. Now she needed to put some distance between her and Gudon before- Shit. Okay, new plan. Gudon had a grip on her wrist with it’s whip, using the other to attack her.

She tries to wrench her wrist free, wincing with every hit of it’s other whip, but found that her attempts weren’t effective. Grigio shifts slightly and kicks it in the stomach, causing it’s grip to loosen, at least enough that she was able to practically throw herself away from Gudon.

Her color timer was beeping now, she didn’t really have a lot of time left to finish fighting the monster. With KPaRS flying farther away now, keeping their distance, she was able to use her bow to keep Gudon occupied long enough to tie it up with Grigio Bind.

Grigio hoped that Rin and Jun were alright, she wasn’t sure if Gudon had done any damage when it grabbed them. Although she was sure that it wasn’t going to stop them.

She did wish that she hadn’t panic so much before though. She didn’t have a lot of experience fighting, and as it turned out, there was a lot to take into account when a Kaiju grabs something with people in it.

[mfackenthal]

The MFackenthal Show and @maxattack-powell!

banner by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Hello all!  Welcome back to the MFackenthal Show!  I am so glad that you are here today.  If you’re new to the show, I encourage you to go here to find past episodes.  There are only a few.

The MFackenthal Show has officially been green lit for more episodes!  We used to only be able to afford to run the show every once in a while, but the people have spoken - they want to see the show more often!  The funding came through and we hope to give the people what they want!  Do you want to be on the show?  Do you have someone that you want to see on the show?  If so - reblog or comment or send a message to let MFackenthal know!  We’ll see what we can do!  We have this show and two others lined up for you!

I could not be more excited to bring you this next guest.  She has been with the fandom for quite a while.  She was one of the first people I started communicating with on a regular basis.  She has talked me up, supported me from the beginning and though she hasn’t written much lately - when she does drop a chapter - it’s long and it’s worth it!  Please welcome to the stage @maxattack-powell!!!!!  (Insert Cheering here!)

(Megs greets Max with a hug - which means that Megs essentially runs and leaps into Max’s arms.  Max is fairly tall and Megs is barely 5′3″) 

Megs:  Max, I am so happy that you are here!  Can you believe that you’re here today?

Max:  Haha, yes - I can.  But I am honored to be here.

Megs:  Max, sit with me.  For those in the audience who may not know you, tell us about when and why you joined the fandom.

Max: Yanno, I always made my best guess at this before, but I knew you were going to ask me this - so I looked it up.  Did you know that now there’s this Official Tumblr blog called @memories, and it knows down to the minute when someone joined? Let me go check it… *digs through the blogs posts* Okay, it was apparently 07/31/2017 at 1:17:15 PM, which means it must have been on the weekend because of the time of day haha.

As for why ... hmm, well… I found the Choices app one day, when it only had like… three series I think! Anyone else remember that time? 

Megs:  I do!  Because I was playing Hollywood University I think I downloaded choices the day the app came out.

Max: Awh!  Well, I fell in love with The Freshman Series. Mostly because of Chris Powell and Zack Zilberg, and a long time ago I was in another fandom that had tons of fan fiction/art… so I googled “Choices Chris Powell” and any other combination I could think of looking for possible fanfiction. The fandom was almost non existent at the time. There was actually one person, who has long since left the fandom due to fandom dramas - we all know the kinds I’m talking about - but a few others had started posting their works as well… and I got hooked. Eventually I felt the bug to write how I felt TF should play out as well, and here I am *looks back at the “joined tumblr timestamp”* uhh… 20ish months ago!  Haha!!

Megs:  LOL, when you put it that way it doesn’t sound like that long ago ... lets call a spade a spade - that was almost 2 years ago!  That’s amazing!  You have to have seen so much in this fandom!  What is it that keeps you around?

Max: There are so many awesome people in this fandom, in this world we’ve all created for our pixelated loves lol. Soooo many creative minds to follow and enjoy. The content people share, original or repost… it’s great. 

... Unfortunately it is also a double edge sword ... the drama, the jealousy, the rumors, the hate, etc. I’ve sadly seen far too much and it comes in so many forms… it’s unnecessary.

Megs:  I couldn’t agree more!  If you could tell the fandom one thing - what would it be?

Max: It would be that we’re all here because we want to have a good time. No one came here to get ridiculed, to be scrutinized or chastised for their opinions, their likes or dislikes. Real life has enough of that going on. We are all individuals - if you want to be treated nicely, fairly, etc. you must also do the same to others. There is no reason someone must agree with you or anyone else. Live and let live. Embrace our differences as it makes us who we are. Most of the issues I see stem from a simple difference in opinion. That is ridiculous. Everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts. We must build each other up, not tear one another down. No one here owes anyone anything, now go have some fun.

(The room stands up in applause!)

Megs:  You should definitely stand up and take a bow, Max! 

(Max does just as Megs suggests - but she also makes Megs stand up and do the same. Laughing, they both sit back down.)

Awh, Max ... okay, let’s get back to you.  We know that you’d fight anyone for the position of The Chris Powell Appreciation/Fan Club.  And for those who don’t know, Max has been retelling the full The Freshman series, interweaving dialogue and plot from PB but also adding much of her own content.  MC and Chris get a backstory.  Chris gets best friends from back home.  What is your favorite piece that you have written?

Max: Oh geez hahaha. Um… can I just say The Freshman Chronicles as a whole? I’ve written for different fandoms, and I have original WIPs but I’ll stick to the Choices fandom for this answer. I’ve put a lot of time into TFC. Tons of additional story work, research on characters and their backgrounds, PBs and my own OCs. You should see my file folder setup haha. It’s crazy… I have so many docs, pictures and gifs. Most organized by location (Hartfeld, Boston, New Haven, Cherryfield, etc.), then by character… and on some I get more detailed and split them by emotion and situation.

Megs: By what again?

Max:  Emotion and Situation ... Yeah. I warned you it was crazy! *laughs* TFC was the reason I joined tumblr really. Instead of staying a Nonny and only reading others posted works. I wanted to comment, like and reblog what I enjoyed, while I also worked on my own contribution to the fandom. I had a vision for Chris and MC that had more than the game could give, and I wanted to see if i was still any good at writing since it had been years and years… it’s funny to see how different my current posts are from my first over a year ago. Makes me want to go update a few because they could use a little help *awkward laugh*

Megs:  I’m sure we can all relate to that!  Hmmm ... I’m starting to get a feel for this, I think, but what is your writing process?

Max:  Lots of planning, mostly in my head. When I feel like I have a decent concept I might type out some notes or work it into my outline (another crazy thing I have going for TFC because it’s so big haha). But usually, once I hatch out a basic plan on where I’m going… I just start typing. Keeping the general plot and main points I want to hit in mind, I simply start typing… keeping it as organic as possible. It usually works out well. 

Megs:  Do you have any advice for other writers?

Max: First, and most importantly… do it because you enjoy it. Don’t do it for likes, reblogs, popularity, etc. If you’re having a good time dreaming things up and typing them out, that’s what’s important. The rest is just an extra bonus. Also, don’t give up. It’s easy to become discouraged, frustrated, distracted and more… but remember - your creative cells can’t be running all the time. They need to rest just like your body. Take breaks… go read, play games, hang out with friends/family, watch a movie… whatever. Just do something to help you relax, to reset and you’ll very probably find inspiration and/or motivation to continue. Remember, this is for fun. *wink and finger guns*

Megs: So what do you do for fun?

Max: I actually have a few things I do regularly. A big one is making costumes/props for conventions, small productions, etc. I also train and show horses. I do the same with my dogs, but more for competitions and not really any shows. I’ve always drawn, sculpted, painted since I was old enough to hold things with my hands… and about a year ago I started learning how to do it digitally as well. I run (not at all for fun haha) and play hockey (totally for fun), follow comics and watch anime. I've restored houses, cars and old furniture. I like to read as much as I can - that’s an important one. I also play video games. Something I’ve done since I was young… I've even competed, and won, a few gaming tournaments.

Megs:  You don’t know how to be bored do you?

Max: LOL, Megs.  Yeah, um, so there’s a “few” *makes air quotes* of my never ending list of interests haha. Gives me a lot to talk about with people, eh?

Megs: Not that I can understand how you’d have time for this ... but what do you do to help pay for your many activities?

Max:  Oh like, my job? Well that can be a simple answer… like “I work in software” but the more interesting way to say it is I use my MBA, experience in business, the financial industry and technology to improve and stabilize my customers environment through technological solutions that fit their specific needs. *presses lips together* I solve problems by designing solutions. Bored yet? Hahaha.

Megs:  No!  That sounds wonderful!  Who doesn’t want their stuff to be designed better?  Any chance you could start working for tumblr?  Some of us have a few complaints ... tags ... mobile losing our work ...

Max:  I’m not sure they could pay me enough to help them with all of their problems!  But, tumblr, feel free to send me an offer!

Megs:  Seriously - send her a 6 figure offer!

Max:  Okay, Megs, well now I have a question for you.

Megs: Uhhhh, Max, that’s not exactly how this is supposed to go. 

Max:  Yeah, don’t care.  Your fans need to know ... Hoooow do you find the time to read and review so much?! And I know that’s just in this fandom.  I know you read books and you may read for other fandoms!?  Seriously, it’s awesome. We need to clock your page flipping speed haha.

Megs:  *blushes* Oh my gosh, you have to stop!  Here’s the key to how I do it ... I wake up at 5:30am and read for about 30 minutes.  Then I workout and start my day.  I read in line at the grocery stores.  I read on my breaks at work. 

Max:  Oh my gosh - you’re such a nerd and I love that!  Okay, nerd, what is your favorite thing to do, besides reading all the things of course?

Megs: This show, of course!  And, of course, getting people to do silly things on this show with me.  For instance - with as athletic as you are, I hear you can’t jump? 

Max:  Megs, shhhhh.  You told me you weren’t going to bring that up.

Megs:  I did no such thing! (Meg says while laughing) I said I might not bring it up.

Max:  Uh huh.

(Kris Kross’s “Jump” starts playing in the studio)

Megs:  Come on - show me what you’ve got! 

(Megs starts “singing” along and jumping along with the song. Max stays seated.  Megs finally pulls Max up into a standing position. Max plays along and “jumps” next to Megs - getting no air at all.)

Oh, come on Max - put some real strength in to it.  Jump! Jump! Jump!

(Max jumps and gets the smallest amount of air time.)

Max:  *laughing* Megs - I’m tall!  I don’t need to jump to reach things!

Megs:  *laughing* That must be nice.  I got good at this type of jumping because I had to learn to jump up and gently grab things from the grocery so I didn’t knock everything down.

*continuing to jump around the audience - getting everyone to join her* And that’s all for the show today today, folks!  Thank you for watching!!  Have a great night!

[gfn-sam-evans]

Texts || Fabrevans

Taggings: Sam Evans & Quinn Fabray When: Thursday to Saturday Notes: Getting to know each other! <3

Quinn: Please do! And once you've got it, we'll talk about a vlog. Quinn: Oh geez. That's such an unflattering picture!! Quinn: Honestly, I started getting bored. Everyone was so busy with each other, I figured I'd get home to Jude. He gives me all the attention I want. Sam: Aye, aye! It shouldn’t be too far from now. I’ve talked to Blaine about singing there. Sam: It’s not! I think it’s cute. Sam: I didn’t realize you were bored.

 Quinn: Oh that'll be a great show then. I'm sure other people will show up to join in. Quinn: oh but it really is. I could always send you a better one. A way cuter one. Quinn: I mean it was fun at first but then idk...i was ready to leave. I felt slightly odd ball out

 Sam: I hope. Sam: Business is good but it’s not booming and I don’t want to hit a bad stretch of months. That freaks me out. Sam: I won’t say no to that. Sam: I didn’t realize how fast the night turned until that truth or dare game happened. Sam: I hope I didn’t make you feel awkward

 Quinn: I understand. I can see why you'd freak out. Your business is your baby. You want it to do well. Quinn: Well hopefully we can get you some publicity and get more people to come in :) Quinn: Hmmm, now i gotta pick a good one. GIve me a sec. Quinn: I think everyone was just tipsy, and horny apparently lol Quinn: oh no no. You didn't make me feel awkward at all. I won't lie, it wasn't a bad sight

 Sam: It really is. I never thought I’d have my own store. I still pinch myself about it. Sam: Yeah. Even my date and I got carried away but I reeled it in. Sam: It was fun to do that. Not something I wanted a group of people I know to see but I couldn’t back down.

 Quinn: Was it something you always wanted to do? Or did little Sammy have other aspirations? Quinn: Oh I saw that. Although, I think she would have been okay if you hadn't. Quinn: Hey sometimes alcohol makes us do the wildest things. As long as you had fun with it, that's all that matters

 Sam: Little Sammy wanted to play football but when that didn’t look like it was happening he changed things. Sam: You saw us making out? Sam: I did but when people started taking their shirts off I didn’t know if it was about to turn into a sex party.

 Quinn: So I take it you were a football player in high school? Woulda been just my type.  Quinn: Oh I thought you meant the lap dance. No. I didn't see you make out. I'm assuming this happened after I left. Quinn: Yeah it was getting wild. And while I'm not afraid of wild, I had had enough for one night

 Sam: You’re into jocks? I still play but only when I’ve got time. Sam: Yeah. That’s why I was confused. I took her home and then left after she fell asleep. It was a fun date but I don’t like being that guy who hooks up with someone right off the bat. Sam: Kissing is fine though. Sam: You’re not? What’s the wildest thing you’ve done?

 Quinn: Well I mean I was in HS. I was head cheerleader after all. But I was super into the artistic types too. Quinn: Ahh gotcha. Sorry for the confusion. But that's very gentlemanly of you. Quinn: I don't think there's anything wrong with kissing on the first date. Especially if you've had a good time... or you're super into/attracted to them. Quinn: Wildest? Ummm... climb up to the roof of a house and jump into a pool, half naked? I mean granted I was drunk so that could have been super dangerous.

 Sam: I try to draw but I’m not the best. I can do macaroni art and make actual masterpieces with it. I can show you if you ever want to see it. Sam: Quinn! That’s insane! Even I wouldn’t do something like that.

 Quinn: Wait seriously?? I have to see this. Ive never heard of someone who makes macaroni masterpieces. I'm intrigued.  Quinn: Yeah... not one of my proudest moments. I won't lie... I did a lot of stupid stuff the first two years after HS...

 Sam: They’re good. What I lack in drawing I’ve picked up with macaroni. Sam: Why after high school?

 Quinn: That's impressive. You're full of surprises Sam Evans Quinn: Well pretty much my whole childhood and high school career I had an image to uphold. For the sake of my mother basically. I got tired of it. So when I graduated, I wanted to live my own life. I uhh... I partied a lot. I was super social. But along with all of that, I hung out with the wrong crowd, did things I shouldn't have.... Just lost control of my life basically.   Quinn: wow I'm sorry, we barely know each other and I'm unloading all this heavy stuff on you. I'm so sorry.

 Sam: I like you shared that with me. I did a lot of stupid things in college. Not to live a deprived life but because I hung out with a lot of frat guys. They wanted me to pledge but I didn’t want to go through the whole Greek thing.

 Quinn: Are you sure? That's alot of information I'm sure you didn't want to know. Quinn: But yeah.. I didn't even bother with sororities. But I knew where all the parties were. Living in LA, there's always a party somewhere

Sam: We’ve all been through stuff, Quinn. It’s s lot but it’s still things that help me get to know you better. Sam: I spent my freshman year drunk most of the time. I had fun and met a lot of cool people. Did crazy things kinda kind what happened at that party.

 Quinn: I don't tell people these things. Even some of my closest friends here in Nashville know about this part of me. About my past. Quinn: Yeah sounds like me. I didn't even finish though. I uh... kinda got kicked out because I missed too many classes.  Quinn: I'm uh... really not proud of that.

 Sam: I used to dance for money. Sam: Only sharing that because you said you told me something real personal. But I get doing things you’re not proud of.

 Quinn: Sam you didn't have to do that. Just because I'm basically word vomiting right now doesn't mean you have to too. Quinn: But now I know why you're so good at it.

 Sam: That was me drunk. William sent me the video and I could tell I lost my touch. I needed money to send home and that was a quick way without dropping out of college. Sam: Just don’t tell anyone. Okay?

 Quinn: I've always heard it was a good way to make some serious chunk of change.  Quinn: Your secret is safe with me. I promise. I wouldn't tell a soul.

 Sam: It is. I made a crap load. It was insane because I’ve worked all types of jobs but that one was a last resort job and it paid the best. You lose a little of yourself and I had to go slow with giving my parents the money because they thought I was delivering pizzas.

 Quinn: oh wow. So like on average how much were you making a night? If you don’t mind me asking. I won’t lie but I kinda wish there wasn’t a stigma about the adult business. They’re just trying to make a living like everyone else.

 Sam: it depended on the night and how busy it was. The most I made in one night was $300. Sometimes you get requested by clients. I was one of the favorites there which seemed weird but it was extra money. I did it for a few months.

 Quinn: Wow. That's nice. The money I mean, not being favored by people. I'm glad you found what you actually wanted to do though. Although  some lucky lady is gonna be able to see your experienced moves.

 Sam: it’s nice but it messes with your head. I didn’t really want to date for awhile and didn’t exactly like to be touched. Sam: Technically many lucky people have.

 Quinn:  Oh wow. I never even thought about it messing with someone. I'm sorry. Here I am praising you for it and when in reality... it sounds like it's something you didn't really want to do.  Quinn: Well true but it's not the same like in the intimacy of the bedroom. That's what I meant.

 Sam: It’s cool, Q. You didn’t know and it wasn’t all bad. I met interesting people and got to take part in shows. It felt like being in theater with some of the acting we did. Just when I thought about what it was in the end. That’s what gets me. Sam: Oh. Uh, yeah. That...I haven’t heard any complaints when it comes to that.

 Quinn: Okay then, let's just say you were in Magic Mike... the musical? lol idk Quinn: Well from seeing your moves the other day, I didn't think you had

Quinn: I had a good time yesterday btw

 Sam: I did too! Sorry I didn’t realize I had pasta sauce on the side of my face.Sam: Magic Mike would make an interesting choice for one.

 Quinn: It's alright. It happens to the best of us. It was cute seeing you slightly blush. Quinn: actually i think it's actually a thing...

[cutepresea]

Memoria: Summer Jobs

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #xdu memoria scripts or #xdu scripts

Reminder  that these are copied straight  from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations,  and/or mischaracterizations are  not my doing.

In-game Summary: “Chris and Maria wind up helping out at a restaurant, but serving customers while in bikinis wasn't in the job description.”

Maria: "Hey, could you help me put on some sunscreen?"

Chris Yukine: "Huh? Put it on yourself."

Maria: "Well, I can get my front just fine, but getting my back is a lot trickier."

Chris Yukine: "So just squirt a bunch of it back there and hope it sticks, then."

Maria: "But what if it winds up all uneven?"

Chris Yukine: "Mariaaa..."

Maria: "I'll help you do yours in return. In fact, why don't I do you first?"

Chris Yukine: "Eek! C-Careful with those hands! Th-That tickles!"

Maria: "Oh, you're ticklish, huh? You don't look the type."

Chris Yukine: "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Beachgoer: "It's the Noise! Everybody, run!"

Maria: "What?!"

Chris Yukine: "Ugh. We'll talk about this later. We need to take care of this!"

Chris Yukine: "I can't believe the Alca-Noise would come out this far..."

Maria: "Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not. Either way, their luck has run out now that we're here."

Chris Yukine: "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

Chris Yukine: "Eat this!"

Maria: "Wait, Chris! Watch your line of fire!"

Chris Yukine: "Ack! Shoot, it's heading right for that building-- Dammit, I can't stop it!"

Chris Yukine: "...So, why did we end up here?"

Maria: "Should be obvious why, surely?"

Maria: "We were lucky that the Noise didn't hit the restaurant, however the goods near the front got destroyed, so..."

Chris Yukine: "Oh don't tell me you want us to work here to pay it off The owner told us not to sweat it."

Maria: "But it'd just feel wrong if I didn't pay them back somehow. Oh, but you're okay to leave."

Chris Yukine: "No, it's my fault they got destroyed, so I can't just leave."

Chris Yukine: "Forget about that, though, that's not the issue! What's with these outfits they have us wearing?!"

Chris Yukine: "Isn't a swimsuit under an apron just kinda weird?"

Maria: "Oh please. It's nothing to get worked up over."

Chris Yukine: "It is if you ask me!"

Maria: "I do this stuff all the time in photo-shoots. You're just being too uptight about it."

Chris Yukine: "Being an idol really warps your perception of what's normal, huh."

Maria: "Enough moaning. We have to get customers back into the restaurant."

Beachgoer A: "Yo, those waitresses are hella cute."

Beachgoer B: "I'm feeling kinda hungry now. How about we drop in and grab a bite?"

Maria: "Hi there! Come on in and have a seat."

Chris Yukine: "S-Spoken like a pro..."

Matron: "We've got four guests for table three! Could you go and get their orders?"

Chris Yukine: "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Four super-sized yakisoba! No, scratch that. Five, please!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Oh, and one grilled squid."

Chris Yukine: "Ack! What are you guys doing here?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Well, when we got back to where we thought you were, you were gone, along with our stuff."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "You should have given us a call."

Chris Yukine: "Crap, I totally forgot! My bad."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "But I have to say, you look good in that outfit."

Hibiki Tachibana: "It's a pretty bold choice of clothes."

Chris Yukine: "It's literally an apron on top of a swimsuit!"

Maria: "Here's your order. Five fried noodles and one grilled squid. Oh... When did you get here?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I heard Alca-Noise appeared. Sorry we didn't make it on time."

Maria: "It worked out in the end, so don't worry. But enough of that, would you mind helping me out?"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "How did you end up here?"

Maria: "The restaurant got damaged during our battle."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I see. Then I wouldn't mind helping out."

Hibiki Tachibana: "And you can count on me, Hibiki Tachibana, to eat everything you've got on the menu!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Could it be... Are you paying for us, Chris-senpai?!"

Chris Yukine: "I'm not treating anyone to anything!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Nom, nom, nom... This roast squid is pretty good. I'd like seconds."

Hibiki Tachibana: "I'll have another two helpings of the super-size noodles, please!"

Chris Yukine: "You finished the first five already?!"

Chris Yukine: "I knew there was a black hole in your stomach, but geez..."

Maria: "Nice work out there. Here, you've earned yourself a breather."

Chris Yukine: "Oh, it's ramune soda. What're you giving it to me for?"

Maria: "The lady who runs this place says it's a gift for your hard work."

Chris Yukine: "Nice. I was getting a bit thirsty."

Maria: "She certainly seemed happy about receiving double her usual sales."

Chris Yukine: "Well, we're out here attracting all these customers, so duh."

Maria: "You've become a lot less timid than you were in the beginning."

Chris Yukine: "Oh, shut up."

Beachgoer: "Eeek!"

Beachgoer: "It's the Noise!"

Maria: "Again? What's going on here?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Chris-chan! Maria-san!"

Maria: "Oh, it's you. I thought you already went home."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "You should always be on standby, just in case."

Maria: "As ever, you're a lifesaver."

Chris Yukine: "If it weren't for those damn Alca-Noise, I wouldn't have to be humiliated like this..."

Chris Yukine: "I'll make them pay for this!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Chris-chan, that look on your face is kinda scary!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Sh-She's thirsting for blood..."

Chris Yukine: "Phew... That's much better."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "You let off some serious steam there, Yukine."

Chris Yukine: "No, I didn't. I just dealt with the cause of the issue."

Maria: "In any case, both the customers and shop are unscathed."

Chris Yukine: "But you really looked the part back at the restaurant. Do you like stuff like that?"

Maria: "That's not really it."

Maria: "If I've made up my mind on something, I'll give it 100%. That's all."

Chris Yukine: "Yeah, yeah. Well done you."

Hibiki Tachibana: "But all's well that ends well, right? I got a load of yakisoba and some other food as thanks."

Kirika Akatsuki: "We should have a party once we get back!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I can't wait."

Chris Yukine: "You've still got space for more food?! Won't you get a stomachache?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Don't worry about me, my belly will be A-okay!"

Chris Yukine: "Not in the morning, it won't!"

[chocobabyporcelain]

How would the bros react to an S/O who wears jfashion? (I'm trying to think of things you like but all i can think of is jfash)

I am so here for this. But of course, you knew that.I did a different subfashion with each bro, but if you wanna see a specific bro with a specific fashion, just shoot me an ask and I’ll get to it.I’ve included a links to a pinterest baord on each fashion so if you’re not familiar, you can get a better visual.(Also, side note, I can totally see Iris dressing in Visual Kei)

Tags: @neko-otaku13 @itsmootothecow @itshaejinju @mp938368 @ffxv-milkshake @bespectacled-girl @insomniacapples @expectogladiolus

Noctis –Decora:

Noctis had known you since middle school, but he’d never seen yououtside of school before. Which meant he’d never seen you inanything other than your school uniform and the minimal makeup yourschool would allow.

Whenhe saw you at the arcade, dressedbrighter than a rainbow, he couldn’t help but stare. Nobody couldhelp but stare. Not all of them appreciative.

Youwere dressed in a bright yellow cut-sew with multicoloured polkadots, along with a red and blue chequered skirt over rainbow tights.There were glittery greenplatform sandals on your feet and a strawberry patterned jacketdraped loosely over your shoulders. You had a seemingly impossibleamount of hair clips decorating your bright red wig and plasticjewellery lining your wrists and fingers. Yourfuzzy, blue monster backpack was hanging limply from your arm as youand your friend, who was dressed similarly, battled on one of themachines.

“Yes!” you yelled out your victory, throwing your hands in theair as you jumped up and down, your backpack bouncing on your arm.

You friend groaned loudly and threw her head down in a pout. “You’reonly good at this because you have more experience.” she grumbled.

Noctis could hardly believe it was you. Could this really be (Y/N)?The girl in his class who kept to herself and barely said a word toanybody? The girl who got so embarrassed when she mispronounced“disestablishment” that she refused to speak for the rest of theday?

He took a deep breath and slowly made his way over to you. “(Y/N)?”

Youturned to face him, youreyes widening when you saw exactly who was addressing you. “PrinceNoctis!” You stepped back, subconsciously pulling your jacketfurther around yourself, as if trying to hide.

Your friend cast a look between the two of you and smiled. “I’mgonna go grab some sodas.” she said, slipping away before you couldcall her back.

An awkward silence stretched between you, both of you looking aroundin different directions.

“It’s—”

“You—”

You both spoke simultaneously, and then laughed nervously atyourselves.

“You first.” Noctis insisted.

Younodded.“I was just gonna say it’s a little strange seeing you outside ofschool.” You pulled yourbackpack to your front, running your fingers through its soft fuzz. Anervous habit you’d picked up somewhere along the line.

Noctissmiled at you, giving your coord a once over. Which made you a littleself-conscious, honestly. “You look amazing.” he gesturedvaguely at your clothes. “So bright andbeautiful.”

It was hard to tell who blushed harder at that comment, you orNoctis.

“Colourful!”he corrected. “Bright an-Bright and colourful.”

Youchuckled. “Thank you.” Youlet one arm fallfrom your bagto your side, fingers playing with the hem of your skirt. “It’scalledDecora fashion.”

“I’dlove to hear all about it,” Noctis was almost embarrassed at howquickly he’d spoken. “If, y’know, you’d like to tell me?”

Youswayed a little, rolling up onto the balls of your feet with a brightsmile. “Yeah, I’d really like that.” you replied, maybe alittle too eagerly.

“Cool.”

Iswear, Decora is a lot nicer looking than the coord I just described.

Prompto – Fairy Kei:

You were sat on a high wall just behind the overlook in Lestallumwhen Prompto first saw you. He caught sight of your pastel pink andbaby blue sneakers dangling just above his line of sight. “Oh,”he muttered softly as he looked up and saw you in your entirety.

Your fluffy tutu in pink, mint and lavender splayed out either sideof you, draping over the pastel candy-print tights that encased yourthighs. The pink sweater you were wearing (in Lestallum, which wasquestionable enough) was easily three times too big for you, one sidehanging off your shoulder, and had “Barbie” written across thefront in pretty cursive letters. You wore baby blue knee-highs overyour tights, with little pink teddy bears holding balloons on thesides, disappearing into your high-top sneakers. Your hair was dyedin split colours, pink one side, blue the other, and was tied up intwin-tails, with slightly uneven tie-off points which looked clumsy,but cute. You were swinging your legs daintily, fully engrossed inyour phone.

Prompto couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face ashe looked up at you. A real life fairy princess, perched comfortablyatop her vantage point, looking out at the world. You were beautiful.A true vision in soft pastels.

He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to call out to you.“Exc– Excuse me!”

You peered over the top of your phone, unsure whether or not thevoice was calling you. You saw the blonde man down below waving toyou, and you gave your own shy, tentative wave in return.

“Hey, this might sound weird but, um,” he lifted his camera, asif to make you aware of its existence. “Would you be comfortablewith me taking your picture?”

You knitted your eyebrows, worrying your lower lip a little. “Oh,erm…” You considered it, briefly.  He seemed genuine enough andhe did ask permission first. That’s gotta count forsomething, right? You took a breath and forced a smile. “Yeah,sure.” You placed your phone down beside you and held up a peacesign.

Prompto hesitated. “Are you sure?” he called up. You werebeautiful and he definitely wanted a picture of you, but hewasn’t prepared to make you uncomfortable.

“I’m sure.” you replied, giving a short chuckle.

Prompto smiled up at you once more and aligned his camera, spending alittle time adjusting in a way that was comfortable and got a goodangle. He framed it perfectly, the midday sun behind you in a waythat made you glow radiantly.

“How do I look?”

“Gimme a sec.” He quickly made his way up the small hill, and youswivelled around on the wall to greet him.

You jumped off your comfy perch and grabbed your soft backpack offthe ground, stuffing your phone back into the yellow fluff.

Prompto stopped short when he caught sight of it. The fluffy birdshaped bag was recognisable anywhere. “Is your backpack a chocobo?”he asked with an excited smile.

You giggled, pulling your soft bag closer, cuddling him like aplushie. “Yeah. He’s super cute. I love him.” you said, swayingthe bag as if nursing a child.

“I think you might be my favourite person.” Prompto muttered,unable to stop the heat rising to his cheeks.

Blushing just as bright, you gave another nervous giggle, buryingyour face in the soft fluff of your chocobo backpack. “Do you, um,”you lowered the bag from your mouth, realising it was probablymuffling your speech. “Do you think you could email me that pictureso I can use it for my blog?” you asked, gesturing to his camera.

“Oh, sure thing.” Prompto reached into his pocket and dug out hisphone, opening his notes app and handing it to you. “Here, writedown your email address.”

You took the phone from him, typed in what you needed to, and handedit back.

Your name, email address and phone number.

“(Y/N?),” he smiled. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thanks.” You began to fidget with your bracelet, a band ofplastic, pastel beads spelling Cry Baby that was previouslyhidden beneath your sleeve. “So, do you have a name, orshould I credit you as Mr. Camera.” you asked.

Prompto snorted at the nickname. “It’s Prompto.” he replied,maybe hoping a little that you’d call him Mr. Camera anyway. Maybehe thought it sounded kinda cool.

“Prompto.” you repeated.

That’s when a car horn decided to blast, startling the both of you.

“(Y/N)!” you heard your friend’s voice call.

You looked up to the road, where you could see the car of anotherfriend, the one in question leaning far out of the window. “Get in,loser. We got a tea party to get to!”

You waved and turned back to Prompto. “That’s my ride.” Youhesitated, rocking slightly on your heels. “So… text me later?”you trailed off cautiously.

“Sure thing!” Prompto’s reply was immediate. “I’ll send thephoto tonight.”

You smiled and nodded. “Thank you so much.” With that, you rushedto your friend’s car, pausing to wave before you climbed in,ignoring your friends as they teased you.

Prompto waited until the car drove off before looking back at hiscamera, at the photograph of you, sitting atop the wall with thatsweet smile. “Ah, geez.” he muttered.

He had it bad.

Hereis my very own Fairy Kei board!In fact, most of the coord in this is based off my actual wardrobe.

Also,can I throw out the headcanon that Prompto is totally prepared totwin with his Fairy Kei S/O?

Ignis – Uchuu Kei:

For as long as Ignis has known you, he’s known about your penchantfor space. Many a time he’d found you, in the wee hours of themorning, curled up on the woven chair that sat on your balcony,staring up at the night sky.

He loved the sound of pure excitement in your voice as you pouredover your star chart, talking endlessly about the vastness and beautyof space, yet to be explored.

The crescent moon string lights you’d hung around the vanitymirror, the nebula print cushions you’d decorated the bed with, thenebula soaps in the bathroom, all of it may not have been to Ignis’staste, per say. But, a shared home should have equal representationof all parties coexisting, and that was your mark.

He’d noticed you were starting in integrate your passion for spacein your outfits. It started with your nails, your usual block colouracrylics traded in for nebula patterns. Then, there was a pair ofholographic creepers you had your heart set on from the moment yousaw them.

You’d started to wonder if you could make your whole wardrobe spacethemed. Or would that be silly? You supposed it was. After all, youweren’t a little girl anymore, and they probably didn’t even makespace themed clothing in your size.

Still, that didn’t stop you looking it up at home whileprocrastinating work. You scrolled through pages and pages ofchildren dressed as aliens and astronauts, becoming more and morediscouraged at each microhuman you saw draped in silver, green andUFO print.

Until, you stumbled upon something amazing.

You slammed your hands down on the table, staring wide-eyed at thescreen on your laptop.

“(Y/N)?” Ignis called, poking his head around the door of thesmall dinning room, where you were (supposed to be) working. “Whatwas that? Are you alright?”

You smiled at him over the top of your heavily decorated laptop.“It’s a thing!” you muttered, your voice pinching slightly asyour excitement become more apparent. You beckoned him over to showhim the images on your screen.

Ignis came to stand behind you, placing an arm across your shoulders.He watched with you as you scrolled down the page, showcasing imageafter image of people—adults—wearing nebula patterns,silver, constellations, aliens. Space fashion was a thing!

“It’s called Uchuu Kei,” you said, opening a few images in newtabs for a closer inspection. “I can’t believe it’s actually athing!”

The excitement in your voice brought a smile to Ignis’s face. “Ithink it’d suit you nicely.” He pointed to a particular image onthe screen. I girl dressed in a silver dress, navy, star sprinkledtights and holographic creepers. “You’re halfway there, you justneed the dress.” he commented with a chuckle.

You laughed along, mulling it over in your mind. Could you reallypull it off? You wanted to, but you weren’t convinced. What if youjust looked really silly? “You think so?” you asked, a littleshyly.

“Certainly.”

And with that, your mind was made up. You’d try out Uchuu Kei. Andif it didn’t suit you, it didn’t suit you, and it would be alearning experience and you’d move on.

It started with you collecting garments, tucking them away in yourcloset until you felt you had enough to build a semi-decent coord. Itwas mostly tops and sweaters, you noticed. All with aliens, crescentmoons, rocket ships and various other space motifs. You only had ahandful of suitable skirts and one pair of shorts, and two pairs oftights.

When you felt you had enough, you wanted to work on building a coord.You gathered all of the Uchuu clothes from your closet and laid themout neatly on the bed. You’d pick up a shirt, lay it over a skirtand then put it back, picking up a different shirt and trying again.

You were there for hours, and quickly growing frustrated.Why was coording so hard?

When you finally settled on what you hoped was a workable coord, yougot changed, applying a little makeup and checking yourself over inthe mirror. “Ignis,” you called, making your way out of thebedroom and landing before your boyfriend in a cute curtsy. “Do Ilook alright?”

Ignis regarded you with an appreciative hum. You were wearing a shortsleeved t-shirt, black with a little green alien riding in a UFO withthe words I BELIEVE written in bold, friendly letters.On top of that was a nebula print suspender skirt, the strapsdecorated with badges of UFOs and rocket ships. You were wearing oddsocks, one navy and sprinkled with glittery stars and one a plainwhite, both pulled up to just under your knees, and on your feet,your beloved holographic creepers.

With a gentle smile, Ignis got to his feet, placing a hand on thesmall of your back, pulling you closer. “You look exquisite,darling.” he whispered, softy brushing a stray lock of hair fromyour face. “My little space princess.”

Someexamples of Uchuu Kei.

Gladiolus – Oshare Kei:

Gladiolus has known you for a long time. He’s seen all of yourabrupt style changes, and they happened often.

When you two met, you were playing around with Gyaru. It was acomfortable style, but the fake tan was annoying, and the bleachedblonde and heavy makeup really did not suit you.

You very briefly tried a Classic Lolita style, but thatquickly evolved into a more Gothic Lolita style, which youfound far more suited to you. Far more stylish.

Moriwas one of Gladio’s personal favourite looks on you. Theloose, floaty dresses and thick woollen cardigans gave you adelicate, doll-like look, and the earthy tones made you appear like aforest sprite.

When you announced, out of the blue, that you wanted to try adifferent style, Gladio had to admit that he was sad to see yourforest girl look go.

He very quickly changed his mind when he saw your next style.

Thefirst thing he noticed was that you haddyed your hair again. Mostlyblack this time, with neon pink dip dye. The vest you had on was alsoblack, full of rips with more neon pink peeking through. Hecould see the slightest hint of black, Lycra shorts peering outbeneath your short, pink and black tartan skirt. Yourblack and pink striped socks were uneven, one just below your kneeand the other pushed down to mid-calf, both disappearing intobattered, black converse.

Youspun on the spot, your skirt flaring out and showing off how snuglythose shorts fit. “What do you think?” yourquestion ended in a nervous lilt to your voice as youendedyour twirl in a cute little curtsey.

Gladiolooked you up and down, a muted grinplaying on his lips. “I think,” he said, pulling himself up offof the sofa and approaching you. He held your wrist in his hand andtwirled you once more, leaving you giggling and almost falling intohim. “thatyou look amazing.”

He stepped back, admiring you all over again. “What’s it called,again?” he asked.

“OshareKei.” you answered. “It’s kinda like Visual Kei, but morecolourful.” You swayed alittle, glancing down at your outfit. “Well, more pink, on thisoccasion.” You chuckled nervously, suddenly becoming self-criticalof your chosen colour scheme. Was it too same-y?No, no, plenty of coords use a two-colour palette, you looked fine.Better than fine. You lookedamazing! Right?

Gladioraised an eyebrow at you. “Hey, I know that look.” He lifted youup by the waist and held you with one arm under your butt and theother supporting you back. Herested his forehead against yours and looked you in the eye. “Believeme, (Y/N). You look incredible.Better than… the girl fromthat… Visual band you like…”he trailed off, trying toremember the band, or the girl, or anything, really.

Youscrunched your nose a little. Well, that was vague,but you decided you’d take the compliment, anyway. You smiled,wrapping your arms around Gladio’s neck, swinging your legs gentlyat his sides. “Thanks, Gladio.” you muttered.

Ican see Gladio really being into the “soft punk” vibe Oshare Keigives.

[deducingfangirlsofhell]

Paparazzi [Part II]

Pairing: SherlockxReader

Warnings: Kidnapping, little fluff at the end, mormor angst, gunshot (to the shoulder), badass reader, little Sherlock...

A/N Okay, so, I had a plan with th mormor thing, but I took it too far... my mormor shipping has become quite the little probem, I’ll admit. It’s also like 1.6 K words, so.... I’m sorry. I’m also sorry it’s so late. -CE

Last time on Paparazzi… I’m going to have so much fun with you, pet.” He whispered heavily into your ear while the other jabbed you in the neck. The last thing you could remember was everything turning black, and a lunatic giggling jumbled up with the words, “So… much… fun.”

The drugs wore off rather slowly, creating fog in your vision until it cleared enough for you to see the dull, throbbing grey of the room. There was movement in the dark, just enough to alert you that you weren’t alone. 

“Well, would you look who decided to join us? You’re little fan!” A voice sang- the same voice that had taunted her earlier, belonging to an utter lunatic. Your breath caught slightly when you heard a deep chuckle. His buddy was there, and he had to be just as insane, if not more, to do what he did to those women. You knew that… you just hoped you weren’t the next victim.

“Well, well, well. The little reporter who managed to do what Scotland Yard couldn’t- I’m honored!” The tall blonde chimed sarcastically, messing with a gun on a smooth silvery table. Moriarty’s fingers drummed along your jaw, but you refused to react. You had to do everything Sherlock told you: stay calm, and find a way out. Among other things, but who could remember those?

“It wasn’t difficult, you practically left a trail.” You remarked blandly. As his blue eyes fell to navy, you wished you had the skill of just biting your tongue. 

“What did you say?” Moriarty seemed rather intrigued by your sass, but continued to to type away at his phone, leaning haphazardly on a metal table. The other- Sebastian -just seemed pissed.

“Maybe you should try hunting in different districts next time. Why do you think I started walking that way?” It wasn’t a lie, the path was about three or four blocks out of your way, but that’s where all the victims had been found. On that very road. The giant of a man’s fist clenched, and you had no time to prepare yourself as it collided with your cheek. That’s what Sherlock’s third piece of advice had been! Don’t anger them. Sure, that seemed obvious now. His hands immediately came to your throat, and just when you’d come to terms with your death, Moriarty butted in.

“I know you don’t like little y/n, Basher, but we do need them to lure in Sherlock.” His tone was light, almost uncaring. His accent swaying through his words eerily, like a lantern swinging through fog. It sent a shudder down your back, a knot pulling to your stomach, threatening to make you sick.

“Why the hell do we even have to do this? Sherlock this- Sherlock that!” Sebastian shot back, sounding a lot like your best friend to almost every one of her exes. Moriarty rolled his eyes, the answer clearly being something obvious- to him, at least.

“Because, Sherlock’s in my way, and I need him out of my way.” He spoke simply, and the logic was pretty sound, but “Basher” didn’t seem to want any of it.

“And this has nothing to do with your little obsession with the man?” Accusation overtook the question, him sounding like a very jealous lover. And that’s when it finally clicked. You felt stupid for not seeing it before, but hey- you’d been coming out of a drug-induced haze. A plan (a very bad one, mind you) began to form in your head. You just needed Moriarty to piss off his boyfriend even more…

“If you would like me to go so you two can have your little domestic-” What gave you the courage to have that kind of sass was yet to be determined, but Moriarty seemed amused by it.

“Now, now, Shutterbug, be nice. Tiger just doesn’t enjoy sharing.” He defended teasingly, almost like he was making a joke about it. Like you’d hoped he would.

A growl erupted from the man’s threat, “For Christ’s sake, Jim!” He glared at the shorter Irishman, who began to redirect his attention on Sebastian.

“See, they’re clever,” His finger pointed at you, and he made a quick side note, eyes flicking to you, “I can see why Sherlock likes you, very clever, Darling, very, very clever.” Your brow furrowed slightly, wondering what he was talking about. 

“Turn us against one another- right? And Sebby just had to give you the perfect in.” He grimaced, amusement still held in his eyes. Sebastian looked ready to knock the man’s lights out- and you couldn’t blame him. 

“I gave them the perfect in?! If you weren’t such a pompous arse, maybe I wouldn’t get so pissed at you all the time!” Sebastian seethed, seeming done with this whole endeavour. Moriarty’s eyes practically rolled out of his head.

“Will you shut up? Who cares? Dear Sherly will come to save his little pet, and then we can go home.” He peered down at his nails through his lashes, but his words did nothing to calm down his partner- actually, it seemed to make it worse. Well, if you were going to die, anyway…

“You almost sound jealous.” His brow arched up, eyes flicking to you in a swift motion while Sebastian tensed. The blonde began to nod, really throwing Moriarty off.

“Yeah- Camera’s right…” Despite a soft tone, you could hear the fury behind his words. Shuffling through out him like dancers, spinning through his veins.

“You sound jealous- of Sherlock’s PET!” Had you been a little more proud, or a little less scared, you would’ve told him off. Being Sherlock’s friend didn’t make you his pet.

Moriarty sighed, rolling his eyes, “Moran, will you quit! I’m not-” His thought was cut short by the aggravating sound of “Stayin Alive” blaring through his phone. Giddily, he answered it in one smooth motion.

“Hello~, Sherlock!” He sang into the phone, eyes filled with a certain childlike excitement. Again, this seemed to really piss “Moran” off.

“You mean your little stalker friend?” He looked down at his nails, smirking dangerously, “She sorta stole my thunder, so I had to take her out of the field.” He flirted, a sickening tone coming to your stomach at his words. Suddenly his demeanor changed, and he seemed almost disappointed…

“Oh, ‘don’t you dare touch her’ this, and ‘I will find you’ that. You wouldn’t happen to be in love~, Sherly- would you?” He teased, a sinister grin stretching across his face, “Oh… you DO, don’t you!?” His eyes were wild with excitement. Clearly, this man was certifiable… which made your situation all the more dire.

“Geez, for a taken man, he sure likes to flirt.” You spat, hoping to tick off his “Tiger” while he was still on the phone. The muscles in his jaw clenched, tighter than a springlock. His eyes read murder, and so did his mind. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take out his anger on you. The moment Moriarty hung up the phone, Sebastian pounced, going off on a VERY confused and startled Irishman. Quickly, you managed to undo the binding of your dominant hand, then the other. When Sebastian’s back was turned, you ran, hand reaching out and grabbing his handgun- just in case.

“MORAN! SHE’S GETTING AWAY!” It was almost instant, but you just kept running. You heard two pairs of footsteps follow you, but you didn’t dare to look back.

Sherlock was in a frenzied panic, trying desperately to find you. He needed to find you- especially since Moriarty had taken you. To him, there wasn’t a chance in the world that you could escape on your own. So, he studied the clues he had, glad they were quite simple. Mainly because he couldn’t think straight. Soon, he was heading to an abandoned building in the heart of London, no matter the transportation, not quick enough for his liking. Finally, he reached the building entrance in time to hear the sound of a gunshot ring out, and Moriarty call his sniper’s name.

“Y/n!” He screamed, not caring what danger he was putting himself in as he sprinted inside without a second thought. It didn’t take him long to find you, but he was shocked when you weren’t the one with a bleeding hole torn into your flesh. On the ground, a man two meters tall, with blonde whisps of hair. He looked to you holding the gun steady, trained on him.

“Yes, Sherlock?” You couldn’t even feel your pulse anymore, it was going so fast. You could only hear it’s unsteady drumming in your ears. You’d wounded the Goliath in his right shoulder, and could hear the sound of expensive leather shoes sprinting towards you.

“MORAN!” Moriarty’s eyes were panicked for a split moment before becoming angry, “NO! NO, NO, NO!” A stupid ordinary person like you couldn’t have beaten him. Couldn’t have shot his lover, and had a gun still trained on the man. The sirens outside was a great relief on both you and Sherlock, even more glad when you heard Lestrade speak up from behind you.

“James Moriarty, Sebastian Moran, you’re both under arrest for kidnapping…” He continued the spiel, other officers pulling both men’s arms behind their backs- not exactly being gentle with the larger’s injured shoulder as a hiss escaped his mouth. Sherlock immediately turned to you, taking your face in his hands before crashing his lips to yours.

“You’re alright…” He sighed in relief at his revelation, words crushed between both of your lips.

“I’m alright.” You confirmed as he pulled away, clearly flustered at his own actions. He hadn’t meant to be so outwardly bold about it, but he had been waiting to do that for at least a month now…

“And I wouldn’t mind if you did that again?” You tried weakly, surprised to met with his warm lips against yours, once again.

TAGGED:

@wefracturedmotivation @thebadassbitchqueen @cutie1365 @captainfbffangirl99 @shelbyraesaw56 @yammering-emma @thedumbestravenclaw

(Also, I am very sorry for the hella disappoint you’re probably feeling)

[ronyxfic]

Educating the Victim - Act V, Chapter X

Pairing: hinted Yellow Diamond/White Diamond, hinted Yellow Diamond/Pearl

Rating: Teens and up

Warnings/Tags: none for this chapter

Read it on AO3!

Educating the Victim Masterpost

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CHAPTER 10: Out

After her chat with Rose, Pearl walked to the direction of the gym. She hoped she'd have enough time to catch up with Jasper. Her last encounter had filled her with hope in terms of reconnecting with the coach. However, as she came closer, she heard two lone voices in the gym.

It was the coach and her English teacher. Lazuli. Huh. She'd have English next. Pearl quirked a brow. She was tempted to say hi, but somehow ended up hiding behind the stack of blue gym mats, listening in.

"Look, Lapis, I'm just saying Quartz has every reason to be suspicious," Jasper was saying. "You know how the situation back then with our supervisor played out. Quartz knows their type, you can trust me on that."

"I'm not debating that." Lapis shot back. "I'm just curious as to why her. Why her as a target? What's the motivation?"

"She's young, impressionable. Unstable. If you play your cards right, she'll do anything for you." Jasper held Lapis's eyes. "I trained her for years. I know her."

Pearl's eyes widened.

Quartz. Impressionable. Trained.

They were talking about her.

"She's barely been listening in English." Lapis retorted. "What's the deal with that?"

"Well," Jasper said, her mouth twitching up, "either she doesn't like you, or... does she have Biology just after your class? ...or just before?"

"After. What's the relevance?"

"Oh, come on, Lapis, I thought you were smart. Her and Quartz?" Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"Oh shit, yeah." Lapis nodded. "That would explain it. I'll have to talk to Quartz about it."

Pearl slunk bank. They knew. They knew.

"You do that. Actually, didn't you say you wanted to go like, twenty minutes ago?"

"Ughh, you kept me distracted!" Lapis gave a teasing punch on Jasper's arm before pulling her close. "Oh well. Do you think we could have a quickie before I go?"

Jasper laughed darkly. "You know anyone could walk in at any moment," she said, but let Lapis pull her close and kissed her. "Now go, do whatever you said you would do. We got more than enough time this evening."

Lapis kissed her back, deciding to wrap a hand around Jasper's waist and help herself to a handful of that firm ass.

Pearl audibly gaped at the noises. The information. No. She wasn't meant to hear any of that. She got up to try and sneak out.

And tripped over on the gymnasium floor. "Ow, fuck!"

Lapis and Jasper jumped apart at the sudden noise.

"Pearl?" Jasper said.

Lapis gave her a look.

"Well, I'll be gone then," she said. "See you later, Jasper, Pearl." And with that, she was off.

Jasper came over to Pearl. "Did you hurt yourself? Here, I'll help you up."

Pearl could only look at her. Wide eyed. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She then swallowed. "You were talking about me."

There was no point denying it. "Yeah," Jasper said, holding out her hand to help Pearl get up. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Pearl swallowed. "Didn't know you were gay."

Jasper smirked. "Despite what our dear Principal would like us to believe, a lot of people here are." She then grew a little more serious. "So, you want to do some physio? We can talk about stuff while we do that."

Pearl was uncertain, but gathered herself up. "The scratches on your thighs. Lazuli did them." She then had another revelation. "Lazuli is gay."

"Smart girl," Jasper said. "Yeah, we've been dating on and off for over two years now. How about you, then, hm? One hears things."

"You heard about Rose and I... How? Did... did Amy tell you?" Rose wouldn't have. Couldn't have. "How did you know about me and the principal?"

"Word gets around," Jasper said, and, for Quartz's benefit, decided on the harmless half-truth. "The note Spearmint confiscated from you was a pretty good indicator. But even without it, people have eyes."

"Oh God." Pearl gasped, her mind in turmoil. "Oh God. You know. You all know."

"Not everyone," Jasper said. "I mean, Lapis and I confirmed it with Quartz, but I don't think anyone else knows. We're keeping it from the Principal. For Quartz's benefit and yours. You're welcome."

The gym equipment was mostly set up; Jasper motioned for Pearl to start her workout. "Let's start with some stretches. Now, what is this about you and the Principal, hm? You want to tell me about that?"

"Oh, geeze. Not you, too." Pearl sighed, following with the stretches. "She's just helping me. She's been so nice."

"Nice, huh." Jasper frowned. "You know, sometimes people are nice, and maybe you look up to them, or even love them. But sometimes, those people can be bad for you. They can hurt you. And you don't want to accept that because you love them. But it's still something that happens." She looked into the distance. It was not hard to tell that she was speaking from experience.

Pearl tilted her head. This was just like her old dance classes. "What do you... mean?"

Jasper met her eyes, didn't smile. "What I'm about to tell you is between us," she said. "You don't tell anyone, you hear? Not Rose or Amy or anyone."

Pearl nodded. She knew that expression well. She didn't want to let it down. "Of course. You have my word."

"Good." Jasper half-smiled.

"So... Lapis and I. Not really the healthiest relationship around," she then began. "To be honest... she's manipulative. Outright cruel, sometimes. I've hurt her, too, but... I don't know what people usually call someone who locks their partner out of the flat to let them stand in the rain for half an hour." She swallowed. "Their aquaphobic partner."

"Shit." Pearl finished the stretch. "And you can't get out of that?"

"Don't want to." She shrugged and sat down for the next exercise. "I love her."

Pearl followed, but looked down. "I see. But... that's... not okay. That's awful and borderline abusive."

Jasper shrugged again. "Flex your knees," she said, demonstrating the motion, "like this. It's not okay, but I love her. And no matter what it is, we're better off together. Believe me, we've tried to break up multiple times."

Pearl grunted as she mimicked. Pained. "But… I couldn't imagine locking anyone out! At all. That's awful."

"I've hurt her too," Jasper said. "Maybe worse than she hurts me, it's difficult to tell. We're both fucked up in different ways. Try holding your knee like-" She reached over, readjusted Pearl's leg. "That should hurt a little less now."

Pearl blushed at the touch. So intimate. Jasper used to touch her all the time. "How have you hurt her?"

"Physically," Jasper said simply. "Is that better now? ...so, yeah. Her dad was very abusive to her. I was in the military. We both have our trauma. We deal with it together. It's not ideal. But better than dealing with it alone."

"Being abused by someone isn't an excuse, though. My parents neglected me and... I..." Pearl looked away. "Oh."

"Mhm. So, Pearl, you wanna tell me again what's going on with you and the Principal?"

"She's just trying to help me. I'm kind of starting to think I'm… exaggerating."

Jasper looked at Pearl. "Care to elaborate?"

"She's been getting close. Touching me. Talking to me in... s way I find myself almost seduced by. Not touching like how you touch me. But like... long. Lingering feeling. But maybe that's just the way she is."

"I see. But you've been playing along, haven't you." It wasn't really a question. Jasper knew Pearl well enough.

"I like the attention. It's hot to indulge in. And maybe I used to indulge with you, coach."

"Maybe, yeah." Jasper grinned at her. "But the Principal is a dangerous woman, Pearl. You understand that, don't you? You've heard of the incident a few years back, where one of the students committed suicide?"

Pearl gave an uncomfortable look. She preferred to avoid thinking of it.

"You do, then." Jasper knew that look. "You know why he killed himself, don't you? It's not exactly a secret, though nothing was ever proven."

"I heard things. I don't know how much is true. He was mentally ill."

"Well, yeah. You'd have to be to kill yourself." Jasper almost rolled her eyes in a Lapis-esque fashion, but then stopped herself. "Your precious Principal basically bullied him to death. He was transgender. That was reason enough for her."

Pearl swallowed. "She wouldn't. Maybe she wouldn't accept it but… she wouldn't bully anyone like that."

"I was there. The majority of the current staff was there. She's barely less than a murderer, Pearl." Jasper looked at her. "A homophobic, transphobic murderer. That's the person you've been trying to seduce, and you have the nerve to tell me anything about getting out of an abusive relationship. Really."

Pearl looked at her, wide eyed and scared. "I... I didn't know."

"You could have," Jasper said. "And even so, weren't you friends with that lesbian couple she went after last year? This is no secret, Pearl."

"I didn't want to think about it. I liked the attention she gave me."

"It's always about attention with you, isn't it," Jasper said, but without much force. "Stretch your knees, like that. We don't have much time left."

Pearl looked away once more. Unable to meet Jasper's eyes. "I have an illness. I can't help it."

"Oh, and here I thought being mentally ill didn't excuse doing bad shit," Jasper shot back. "You can't just go about your life like this, you at least have to think about what you're doing sometimes. Rose - I can tolerate that, she's not a bad person, but the Principal? Pearl, you need to stop."

Pearl clenched her fists. "You're right. This... this whole Principal thing has all been a huge mistake. She's not a good person." She felt her back click. "I'm not a good person."

"Eh, wouldn't go that far," Jasper said. "You're young, you're allowed to make mistakes. It's what us teachers are there for - making sure you learn from them." She smiled at Pearl. "So, what are you gonna do about it now?"

"Confront her. Tell her that I'm… not going to continue seeing her anymore."

"It's a start," Jasper said. "Be careful, alright? If she gives you shit, we will protect you. Me and Lapis and Rose. We kind of have... an agreement to that end."

"Alright." Pearl looked at the clock. "I'll... I'll go find her after school."

"Good," Jasper said. "Sorry we didn't get much done just now, but lunch is almost over and you have class. Feel free to drop by anytime, though, I'd be happy to do more physio with you." She gave Pearl a smile.

Pearl nodded. She felt more limber but somehow, her entire mind was in complete chaos. She'd have to break things off with Marigold. At least tell her that it wasn't okay. Pearl swallowed. Yes.

She didn't deserve to be manipulated or abused like that. Not by someone who now knew her and her issues so well. Not by someone who had so much power over her. It was frankly... disgusting.

And that disgust only fermented in her last hour of lessons. Fermented until her chest ached and she felt sick with herself. With Marigold. But mostly her own stupidity over all this. She'd given Marigold so much of herself in such a short time. Her energy, her effort. And for what?

It needed to stop. After school, she found her way to the office. Aurora wasn't at the reception.

Somehow, Pearl wished she was.

She felt utterly alone when she knocked on the door.

Marigold looked up, surprised. She was not expecting anyone.

"Come in," she said.

Pearl swallowed once more and stiffly came in. Her eyes a little darker than usual. "Could we maybe talk, Principal?"

Marigold's eyes narrowed.

"Pearl," she said, her voice almost cold. "I wasn't expecting you. But, sure, come in. What's on your mind?"

Pearl didn't sit down like usual. She didn't plan to stay for long. "I want to stop seeing you." She then added, "For our sessions."

"I see," Marigold said. Her eyes finding Pearl's. "Any particular reason for that?"

"Our last session felt very inappropriate. And I don't really… feel comfortable with the way talking to you makes me feel. It's made me actively try and hurt my sister and my partner doesn't feel too comfortable with it either." She fidgeted. "Nothing personal."

Marigold held her eyes, not showing any emotion whatsoever.

"I don't know what you're implying," she said.

"You don't need to." Pearl shrugged. "I guess I'll see you around, Principal."

"No."

The single word had more power and force than needed. Marigold was standing now.

"Sit down, Pearl," she said. "I haven't dismissed you yet."

Pearl froze. She began to tremble a little. "I need to get home, Principal."

"You need," Principal Diamond said, "to sit down. I know far more about your home life than you are aware of, which means I happen to know that nobody is expecting you. Sit down."

Pearl looked around and considered running out of the door.

She ended up complying, eyes to the floor.

"Good girl," Marigold said, her voice like velvet. "Now, please, if you don't mind, do elaborate on what you felt was... inappropriate."

Pearl swallowed. It was hard to pinpoint. "I don't feel like going into it, Principal."

"I'm asking you to." A steely look. Pearl wasn't going to get out of this so easily.

"I dislike how close you're getting to me. I've heard things, Principal. And I've decided to not get involved. You nearly had one of my best friends from last year expelled for being gay." She met those eyes and felt a tremor. "I don't want anything to do with homophobes anymore."

Marigold's eyes narrowed. Her expression cold.

People had accused her of homophobia before. Rarely had they been this direct. Never had it hit her so deeply, in a way she could not describe.

She took a deep breath.

"Ruby was unruly and disruptive," she said. "It had nothing to do with her... lifestyle. And I fail to see how me apparently being homophobic relates to us getting, as you say, close."

Pearl looked away. "I'm just no longer comfortable with our little arrangement. That should be reason enough."

"Well, it's not," Marigold said. "You're going to have to explain yourself to me in full, given that you initiated these sessions in the first place." Not quite true, but true enough.

"Alright. I'm also beginning to feel like these sessions are disrupting my relationships with people. My partner doesn't like it. Amy doesn't like it." Members of staff, old friends. "I... used the fact that we were having sessions to make Aurora panic. And she... she flipped out. She thinks you're dangerous to me."

"You're getting tutoring. Why are your family and friends taking it so personally?" Marigold said, harshly. She knew what Pearl was trying to say. She just needed her to say it.

Pearl's words regarding Aurora hit harder than expected. Yet again.

Aurora thinks I'm dangerous.

She internalised it and sneered at Pearl. "Your sister needs to learn how to mind her own business. Don't you agree, Pearl? After all, you were the one who told me to get her off your back, weren't you? I can't believe you're trying to use that against me now."

Pearl snapped, finally. "This is what I was talking about! Maybe there's a reason no one in this school likes you. Including my sister. Maybe there's a reason they bitch about you and that one of the best bits of graffiti in our bathrooms happens to be a very interesting caricature labelled 'Principal Maricunt'!" She stood up. Blood pumping in her ears. "People I trust told me to back off. Members of staff told me to be careful. That's a billion red flags. And I'm glad Aurora tried to pull me out. I thought... I thought she was jealous but maybe... she knows exactly what you are."

Marigold tuned Pearl out, mostly.

Up until she mentioned Aurora. Which got her attention again.

Aurora... how dare she?

"Your sister," Marigold snapped, "is a gay woman who has been employed by me for five years. She has no right to accuse me of homophobia."

Pearl opened her mouth and then closed it. She froze once more. No.

No. Aurora was not...

She wasn't. She couldn't be. She was too perfect.

"That's... That's not true! She's nothing like me. She's straight."

Marigold raised an eyebrow.

"You too, then, huh?" she said. "I can't believe she never told you."

"She isn't gay! She can't be. She just..." Pearl felt herself swallow. She found herself shaking. Tense. Terrified. "No."

"Believe me or don't, it doesn't make a difference." Marigold felt her heart harden against Pearl. Pearl was going to pay. So was Aurora. So was every other goddamn queer in this school. The days of silently accepting such sinful abominations were over.

"You are dismissed."

Pearl didn't move for a good few seconds. Still shell shocked.

She then stood up. "Thank you for your time." Her voice came out numb. Utterly void of it's fire from minutes ago.

She walked out swiftly, as if fleeing with a tail inbetween her legs.

Marigold watched her go, then slowly started packing up her things to leave as well.

Her heart was cold. She wasn't sure what she was feeling.

She just knew that someone needed to pay. And Pearl was, at this moment, a very likely candidate.

> Act V, Intermission I