#(there's - kinda a romance? or various feelings floating around and she 'ends up' with someone. feel like i would have liked that to end

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Those Beyond The Wall

sequel/companion to The Space Between Worlds, set a decade later

character-focused sci-fi set in an area divided in two, the rich protected city on one side and everyone else in the post-apocalyptic desert

follows a woman who works under the Emperor in Ashtown, keeping the peace

when mangled bodies start showing up with seemingly no murderer, she’s tasked with finding the cause, and finds out that it’s the result of corruption spanning both cities and multiple worlds

explores oppression and messy revolution, police violence and apartheid

bi & polyamorous MC

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 19

>>Click here to read on Ao3<<

>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<

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CHAPTER 19: ATTACCA

Music glossary:        Attacca - "To attack at once"; used as a direction in music at the end of a movement to begin the next without pause

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(Mood music: "The Conversation" - Pearl Django)

Being mere months away from graduating lycée meant that their group of friends didn’t have as many classes together, due to their diverse individual interests and talents. However, they always made sure to make time to hang out after school before their extracurricular activities began.

And thus, Adrien, Nino, and Alya made their way to the classroom where the art club gathered to meet up with Marinette. From there, Adrien would make his way to either fencing lessons or Chinese, depending on the day of the week. Marinette would join him on days when he had Chinese (as she’d become determined to master the language ever since her uncle visited from Shanghai a few years back), Alya would go to her journalism club, and Nino would travel to his part-time internship at the local recording studio.

“–and the backlogs just keep piling up!” Alya spoke as they walked, voice full of vigor and excitement. “I’ve had to recruit yet another mod to help me keep order in the forums! Especially since the Ladyblog has started going international and we’ve had to organize servers in different languages. You wouldn’t believe how crazy it’s gotten in there recently!”

“Dang, babe,” Nino interjected. “Sounds like things are super rough for you right now.”

“Not really, more busy than anything. Especially because I have that big research article due next week, there’s just not enough hours in the day to try to read everything that goes on in there. But I have my mods report to me daily, ‘cause I always like to stay on top of everything that goes on in the chats!”

“What’s gotten everyone so riled up in the Ladyblog lately?” Adrien chimed in. “I don’t recall it being nearly this busy last year.”

The trio entered the art club’s classroom and settled down at the table where Marinette sat, getting her various sketches organized. The art teacher was quite easy going, so they didn’t have to talk in hushed whispers and could come and go as they pleased.

“Well, to be honest, it’s because of Chat Noir,” Alya replied.

Adrien tried to contain his surprise. “R-really? What– uhhh, what do people have to say about him?”

He winced inwardly. He knew he shouldn’t ask. But curiosity got the better of him today. Maybe learning the news through the filter or Alya’s paraphrasing instead of reading the negative comments firsthand would lessen the sting of what people said about him.

Marinette whipped her head around at the mention of his alter ego. “Wait, what about Chat Noir?” she inquired.

“Girl,” Alya replied, her voice filled with renewed exuberance. “You would not believe how much we’ve had to censor and moderate all the inappropriate things people have been saying!”

Adrien flinched in his seat. “Wow… do people really hate him that much?” he asked, trying to conceal the dejection in his voice.

Alya busted out into loud guffaws. “Hate?! Dude, most people don’t hate him; they LOVE him! By ‘inappropriate’ comments, I mean the kinda stuff you wouldn’t want your grandma to catch you reading! There’s a whole giant section dedicated to his new fan club!” she said as she removed her glasses so she could wipe away the tears of laughter.

“WHAT?!” Adrien squawked in confusion, his face feeling hotter than the ovens back at the bakery. “A fan club??”

Marinette burst into uncontrollable snickering. “Has it really gotten that bad?!”

Nino joined in, “Bro! Adrien, I can’t believe you haven’t heard Alya rant about these rabid fans before! They call themselves the ‘Noir Nation’, and the kind of things they’ve been writing would make adult romance authors blush like schoolgirls!”

Alya nodded, thoroughly amused. “And that’s not including all the fanfiction people have been writing.”

“Wait– the WHAT?! There’s fanfiction?!!” Marinette gaped in shock, as if she’d been hit in the face with an enormous pie. “Alya, how come I never knew about this?!”

“Why? You wanna read em? Girl, you’ll get no judgment from me. If you wanna check ‘em out for yourself, just go check under the hashtag ‘Ladynoir’.”

Marinette stammered as her arms flailed in her bewilderment, accidentally knocking her phone off the table and onto the floor, her eyes bigger and rounder than Adrien had ever seen them. “They have a ship name?!” she screeched.

“Just mind the ratings though,” Alya advised. “Some of them can get pretty steamy. You wouldn’t want someone to catch you reading those in public,” she added with a wink.

Marinette continued to sputter incoherently. “NO, I am NOT gonna read it!! It would be different if they were fictional characters, but I could never read fanfiction about real people!”

Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Mm-hmm… Sure.”

Marinette’s hands flew to her face, trying to hide how red her entire face had gotten, and released a long squeak that resembled a hamster on helium. As shocked as Adrien was about these rather unexpected news, seeing Marinette’s over-the-top reaction brought a wide grin to his face and he busted out laughing.

He bent over to retrieve Marinette’s phone, since she was too busy being mortified to notice it had fallen to the floor. As he was about to hand it back, the screen lit up and Adrien saw the lockscreen wallpaper: it was the same photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir that he himself had saved earlier that day. He smiled, not exactly sure what to make of it, but finding it adorable that she’d liked the photo enough to set it as her lockscreen.

He tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to respond. She emerged from behind her impromptu hand shield and turned her head, then her eyes widened once again as soon as she saw what Adrien was showing her. She jolted straight up, stiff as a board, and her eyes met his, cheeks turning tomato red. He winked at her, amused about this little secret between them, and handed back her phone without a word.

Marinette accepted it with a meek-sounding, “Thanks,” looking like she wanted to explain the photo, but not able to do so unless she wanted Alya and Nino to find out that she was potentially a… ahem– “Ladynoir” shipper.

Switching the conversation to something else (which Marinette seemed to be eternally grateful for), the group chatted until it became time for them to scatter to their next destinations.

With a wave, Adrien exited the classroom and headed towards fencing practice, one of the few activities he decided to stick with despite not being forced to participate. Fencing, along with Chinese lessons, were not only enjoyable, but were also quite useful. Sadly, he didn’t have access to a piano anymore, so he wasn’t able to pursue that hobby for the time being. Hopefully later down the line, when things had settled down and he’d found his own place to live, he’d be able to finance one.

Thinking about the future had become an exciting pastime instead of an anxiety-inducing one, and it was all thanks to his friends and those he cared about. He smiled as he reached the door to the locker rooms, continuing to daydream of what was to come.

(Mood music: "Recollection 3" - Shirō Sagisu (BLEACH OST, "The Diamond Dust Rebellion")

Adrien finished getting dressed for fencing, his head still blissfully floating in the clouds. He stored his belongings into his assigned locker, shutting it with a loud clang, which echoed through the empty room.

Huh...? Empty?

He swiveled his head around, surprised that there was no one beside him. He stood up and began walking down the large room, peeking down the other locker rows looking for his classmates; but there was nobody.

Where was everyone? There’s no way that every single one of them was running late. Had his lessons been cancelled and he’d somehow missed a text message or email? He began heading back towards his locker to check his phone for any schedule changes.

Before he reached his destination, however, heavy thudding footsteps broke the eerie silence. Adrien whipped his body around to greet whoever they belonged to.

The owner of those footsteps was one of the last people Adrien expected to meet here.

“Gaspard?!”

Adrien stood agape, face to face with his old bodyguard, whom he hadn’t seen in a couple of years; not since he’d resigned and moved out of the country. Nathalie had mentioned that in his resignation letter, Gaspard said that he’d become involved in an overseas business venture involving the market of rare action figures. Nevertheless, Adrien couldn’t help but suspect that his father’s ill temper and poor treatment of their employees was the true reason for his departure.

Adrien’s first reaction was surprise and joy, and he rushed forward to greet and embrace him. However, as he approached and got a better look at the man’s face, Adrien’s mood instantly morphed into confusion and apprehension. There was something odd about his eyes.

Something wasn’t right. Why was Gaspard here? And why now?

He came to a halt about a meter before reaching him. An oppressive weight seemed to press in all around him, and he had to suppress a shiver. “Wait. Gaspard, did–” he gulped, “–did my father send you?”

His old bodyguard did not reply, but took a heavy step towards him. Adrien stepped back.

“Please… I can’t go back. I live somewhere else now, and I’m very happy there. Whatever he told you about the situation, it’s a lie.”

His bodyguard continued to approach him, his stare vacant and unsettling.

Fighting the urge to panic, he pleaded, “You don’t have to do this. If he’s offered you compensation, I can match it; it’ll just take me a bit of time. But we can work something out, right?? For old time’s sake?”

He continued walking backwards until he bumped into something firm, but it wasn’t a wall; it was another person. Before he could turn around, they grabbed him by the shoulders, detaining him and preventing him from running away.

He was about to shout for help when something sharp jabbed him on the side of the neck, injecting a cold liquid. Adrien’s eyes grew wide in terror.

Shit.

Adrien swore as he jerked away, elbowing whoever was behind him and managing to break free. Rubbing at the spot where the syringe had stabbed him, he glanced back to take a look at his other assailant, only to see... another Gaspard?

Why are there two of him??

This was wrong. Gaspard didn’t have a twin; he knew that for a fact. He’d worked for the Agrestes ever since Adrien was a toddler and was too young to even pronounce his name correctly (hence the nickname “Gorille”, which stuck around for years afterwards). Additionally, there was something uncanny, otherworldly, even, about the way these two men looked and moved.

He shook himself out of his stupor. He didn’t have time to contemplate any possible explanations. He had to get out of there fast.

He sprinted towards the exit, but only managed to travel a few paces before he lost his footing and tripped. He fell to the ground hard, almost hitting his head on a nearby bench. As he struggled to get up, he realized that his fingers and toes had already gone numb.

Not good.

Time was running out. Adrenaline coursed through him and, with a grunt, he hefted himself to his feet and scrambled towards the exit, as fast as he could despite a heavy limp. Though his heart was hammering and his legs felt like they were filled with sand, he pushed himself, concentrating on reaching the door.

After taking a few steps, however, he realized that even if he did manage to exit the locker room, the area beyond was an open courtyard. Meaning he wasn’t going to be able to reach someplace safe before getting caught. He had no choice but to transform into Chat Noir, and hopefully Plagg’s powers and strength could help him escape and find somewhere to hide.

He’d scarcely uttered the first syllable in the transformation phrase when he was tackled to the ground. A giant hand swiftly covered his mouth and Adrien felt his hands get bound together with thick zip ties behind his back. A muffled scream of writhing frustration made its way up his throat as his limbs became more and more useless by the second.

No… This can’t be happening! Please, this can’t be how it all ends!

Just when his life had finally gained a semblance of normalcy and he’d found happiness again, it would get ripped away and he would disappear without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened to him. Leaving his friends to think that Gabriel had pulled him from school and they would never see him again. Leaving Ladybug to wonder if Chat had abandoned her forever. Leaving her to fight Hawkmoth alone. Again.

He couldn’t let that happen. He thrashed and struggled as furiously as he could, fighting the feelings of overwhelming helplessness that threatened to consume him. Nearing despair, he was too distracted to notice Plagg phrasing through the wall, away from the skirmish, in search of the only person who could save him.

(Mood music: "Run" - Ludovico Einaudi)

Marinette fidgeted with her pencil, her feet wiggled and bounced under her desk. She didn’t understand; when she’d arrived at the art club, her head had been filled with inspiration and ideas that she’d been excited to draw and execute. However, at the moment, her mind was filled with noise and disquietude.

Having had enough, she excused herself to visit the restroom. Once she’d walked far enough from the classroom, she opened her purse to talk to Tikki about her current dilemma.

“It’s the same feeling as last night, Tikki! Except that would mean one of three possibilities. Option A.) It’s nothing and I’m going crazy. And— don’t give me that look, Tikki! I can see what you’re thinking and I don’t have time for your cheeky sass right now!” The kwami snickered while Marinette cleared her throat and continued, “Option B.) that Chat is here, at this school, which is impossible because his school’s on the other side of the city, that’s why he always leaves the house super early for his long commute.”

Tikki opened her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, but then didn’t (...or couldn’t?).

Marinette resumed, “Or, C.) that my–– what do I even call it? My ‘Spidey sense’??–– that it’s got a long distance mode, and Chat is all the way across Paris and he’s in trouble! But what am I supposed to do about that from here?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking!”

Tikki shrugged. “Follow your instincts, Marinette. There’s no harm in taking a quick look around the school, right?”

Marinette groaned. “UGH! It doesn’t make sense!! Am I going to get interrupted like this all the time from now on?” She shook her head resolutely. “No. I can’t just go off on random field trips every single time I feel a random fit of anxiety. I’m sure it’s just leftover jitters from last night. I’m supposed to call Master Fu after school anyway; he can help me figure everything out. I’m just gonna go back to class and forget about it.”

Tikki frowned, not quite convinced, but deciding not to press further.

Marinette made her way back to the classroom in a frustrated huff. But as her hand reached to turn the handle, the feelings of danger and urgency multiplied tenfold. Without a word, she sprinted away in the opposite direction, not even knowing where she was running to, only knowing she had to get there immediately.

She reached the large common area of the school downstairs. Her head whipped around, frantically searching for something, anything. In her haste, she didn’t notice a small black creature zoom into her open purse.

A few moments later, she felt a frantic tugging at her shirt from below.

“Marinette!! Over there! Check the locker room, quick!!!” Tikki whisper-screamed as she peeked outside the purse, her tone uncharacteristically frantic.

Marinette nodded, then sprinted to the locker room.

“Wait! You should transform first!” Tikki added.

No time!

“Marinette, wait!!”

Despite Tikki’s protests, Marinette raced towards the double doors, tackling them open.

Three sets of eyes landed on her as she skidded to a halt, but only one pair consumed her entire attention. She gasped in horror, hands flying to her face as she stared at what was occurring in front of her. Adrien let out a desperate, muffled scream urging her to run.

His panicked voice snapped her out of her dazed shock; but instead of running, she stood her ground, eyes darting back and forth across the area searching for something useful. The room was remarkably barren except for a lone broom a short distance away from her. She grabbed it and leaped towards the closest attacker (the one holding Adrien down), swinging it like a baseball bat.

The man didn’t even try to avoid the hit; the broomstick merely bounced off the side of his face where Marinette had hit him. She frowned in confusion, then tried hitting him again, bringing the stick down on the top of his head like an axe.

SNAP.

The end of the broom flew off, and Marinette stared in shock at the broken broomstick.

“What the hell are you?!” Marinette exclaimed, shifting her grip on the shortened wooden stub.

She pounced at the second bodyguard, bringing her weapon down in a stabbing motion; but he swatted at her hand, disarming her. She yelped in pain, leaping backwards to get some distance between them.

She was outmatched. The only strategy available was to use their own size against them. With a feint to the side, she shot at his legs for a takedown, hoping to catch him off balance. He called her bluff and shoved her backwards with his giant palm, then kneed her in the stomach.

Winded from the impact, Marinette doubled over with a gasping wheeze, fighting with all her might to keep herself from collapsing onto the ground. She forced herself upright and attacked again. With a clumsy jerk, she lunged forward, swinging wild punches at her opponent. The shots connected but his expression barely changed; it was like beating a breathing punching bag.

The bodyguard backhanded Marinette across the face. Pain shooting across her cheek, she staggered, almost losing her balance. In her daze, she watched helplessly as the man reared his arm back. There was no chance to dodge. His fist connected with her abdomen, delivering a liver shot that shut down her entire body. She crumpled to the floor as if boneless. She tried to call out Adrien’s name, but her mouth merely opened in a silent scream.

Marinette could hear Adrien’s distressed screaming, but it sounded distant, like they were underwater. The edges of her vision grew black and fuzzy, the entire room dissolving around her. She had to consciously force her lungs to inhale, but couldn’t fill them all the way, as if a boulder had been placed on top of her chest.

Faintly, she felt herself getting picked up off the ground and carried away over someone’s shoulder. Disoriented and semi-blinded, the sudden movement and rough jostling made her head spin and gave her vertigo. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

A few moments later, they stopped moving, and she heard a door burst open. Where were they? Before she could gather her senses, she was in the air, thrown several meters away, landing with a hard thud. A sharp pain traveled down her body as she rolled into the wall across them. The shriek that tried to escape her throat emerged as a strained, shallow whine.

The man stomped out, leaving her alone in the room. “Stop…!” she rasped out, managing to tilt her neck upwards, head pounding.

The bodyguard slammed the door shut, followed by a bang and a clattering sound that could only mean he’d broken the doorknob of whatever room she was in.

Marinette's vision became more and more blurred. At the verge of losing consciousness, she fought to keep her eyes open as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

No, she couldn’t pass out! She had to save Adrien! Stay awake, Marinette, stay awake!!

She bit down on her lip hard, focusing on the sharp sting, on the swelling that was already forming around her right eye, forcing herself to feel the pain her body was in. At this moment, feeling pain was better than falling unconscious. She concentrated on her breathing, slowly regaining her senses.

She reached down to open her purse and get Tikki’s help… only to be met with emptiness. Panic settled in her gut as she realized that sometime during the skirmish, the purse had slipped off her shoulder. She sat up, slowly, so she wouldn’t risk feeling faint again from the change in positions.

She squinted, adjusting her eyesight to the darkness of the room. It seemed to be some sort of supply closet. After a failed few attempts to stand, she crawled towards the door instead, careful not to bump into the crates and shelves that filled the area.

The girl eyed the broken doorknob wearily. She was pretty proficient at lockpicking and breaking into things, but not as good at breaking out. Her only hope was that Tikki would be able to find her… if she was even nearby.

She swore to herself. Why had she rushed in and attacked two grown ass men (who, incidentally, may or may not be supernatural to boot!) instead of hiding and creating a strategy?! Now she was useless, Tikki was gone, and Adrien was surely on his way to get auctioned to the highest bidder in the criminal black market and ransomed off for an enormous sum. Great job, Marinette. Adrien’s been abducted and it’s all your fault.

Gathering all the determination she could muster, she tried to call out for help. But her voice was still too hoarse, and only a weak croak came out. She clenched her fists, grumbling irritably. Time for a different approach. Somehow, she needed to make noise.

After a brief search, she found a hard, metallic object that she could use to hammer on the door. She tested it out; it was surprisingly effective. She doubled her efforts, making as big a racket as possible. Hopefully, it would only be a matter of time before somebody heard her, let her out, and she could go find Adrien.

She couldn’t let anything else happen to another loved one. Not again.

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I'M REEEAAAAALLY SORRY FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER JSHDKFJHSKDF ᕕ(╯°д°)ᕗ  I tried splitting up the sections differently but it didn't really flow as well.

But the next chapter is almost done, so I'll have it ready by next weekend!!

[millennial-ring]

Can we get more info on 5-7?

             5. Dear God

So this one is ANCIENT (2012!!!) and idk why it’s still in my WIPs folder because I do clean it out/reorganize it every few years or so (which is why that unfinished powershipping christmas fic wasn’t on the list, cause I moved it to a different folder). Sadly the title makes it seem more interesting than it actually is - it’s just a few paragraphs and nothing really happens at all. 

Russet eyes were glazed over as they watched the rain pelt the ground, each drop making tiny indents in the dirt, puffs of the still-dry earth floating up with each splash before settling down again, the process repeating over...and over... Rain drummed against the body of a beaten up jeep, the only prominent sound within miles, save to the sound of the rain falling in the grass, and the dirt, and the leather jacket Bakura wore. 

The man blinked as water ran down his face, following the curve of his brow and rolling over the crease of his eyelid, flowing into his eye. The water pooled between his lids, blurring his vision for a few moments until he blinked again, and the water was squeezed out to mingle with the rest on his face, like a single, solitary tear. He inhaled slowly, then let the breath out in a quick huff, turning away from the long stretch of dirt road in front of him. Behind him, another long chunk of drivable desert. He growled under his breath and began to pace, wet sand squishing under his boots, gravel shifting with each step. 

How could be trapped here, in the middle of fucking nowhere, with a flat fucking tire and no spare? 

It was inspired by this Avenged Sevenfold song and I vaguely remember that it was going to be thiefshipping, about the various trials Bakura goes through to get back to Malik after a fight or something but... 🤷

              6. Domestic Disturbance

This one is also super short, more fleshed out in my mind than on paper, and I started writing it after we had to call the cops on our neighbors because they were having a very loud and long argument (like, over an hour of yelling). Inspiration comes from the dumbest places with me, haha, but this is another one of those “why is this still in my wips” documents because I don’t have any intention of finishing it. After writing what I did I kinda had a “maybe these kinds of situations shouldn’t be your inspiration for fanfics, weirdo” moment and I scrapped it. But anyway! 

The story goes that Bakura was playing some Wii game, lost grip on the controller, and accidentally chucked it and broke a vase because he wasn’t wearing the wrist strap. Malik hears the crash and comes around the corner, lecturing him about “how many times have i told you i s2g bakura why are you like this” even as Bakura’s already beginning to clean up the mess. Bakura gruffly tells him to chill out because nothing important was broken anyway, just “that ugly ass vase” and he holds up a piece for Malik to see. The tension thickens immediately and Malik speaks with measured anger instead of the usual screaming, so Bakura knows He Fucked Up. “That was a gift from my sister.” Bakura panics a bit on the inside, but outside he scoffs and he’s all like “even better, tell her she has awful tastes” because ykno. He’s like that. Doesn’t wanna admit he fucked up, doesn’t wanna take responsibility or acknowledge he hurt Malik’s feelings. At this point I’d stopped writing it, but still have the basic outline. The regular bickering becomes a super intense all out screaming match about basically anything and everything, all the tiny little things they’d been burying for as long as they’d lived together finally coming out, start demanding why they ever thought this would work and they’re just about to get to that great crescendo where they're about to break up (”Well then maybe you shouldn’t have brought me back!” “At this point I’m inclined to agree!” Bakura’s shocked. “Well...then is this going where I think it’s going?” “I think it is.” “Then say it.” “...” “Say you want to break up!” “I...Bakura, I...” when someone knocks on the door. Heyo, it’s two cops, saying someone called in a domestic disturbance. Malik snaps that they’re fine, still pissed from the fight, but obviously like no Malik that’s not gonna help. So one officer brings Bakura out into the hall to question him and the other stays with Malik. Cop asks if they’re together, how long, what the fight was about, etc etc, and then if the fight had been physical at all. Bakura recoils in shock and practically screams “No!” “You never hit Malik?” “I would never!” “And Malik wouldn’t hit you?” There’s a few things there, bc I wasn’t sure how I wanted Bakura to respond; make an “only if he asked wink wonk” joke that the cop rolls his eyes at, or stammer that “i mean he’s smacked my head once or twice but it never hurt and i was being super annoying at the time and it was more like playful slapping” but either way the cop asks for a more direct answer or for Bakura to elaborate and Bakura gets pissed, says Malik would cut off his own hand before he hit Bakura because obviously. Cop seems taken aback but nods, and then lectures Bakura a bit about volume, tells him maybe one of them should pack a bag and stay with friends or family for a few days. Their partner comes out soon after and the two cops leave. Bakura goes back inside, where Malik is standing with his arms crossed, looking shaken with red rimmed eyes. They look at each other, feeling awkward, but then they make tea, sit down, and have a calmer “are we really like that?” conversation. they admit a lot of their fights are pointless and stupid and they’re just fighting to fight because it’s Their Thing and aha, aren’t we so cute and quirky, arguing is our foreplay - which it is, but they admit they’ve taken it too far, gotten too used to snapping at each other when something happens, and some of their issues (like Bakura disrespecting Malik’s siblings, and Malik’s control freak attitude) really need to be sat down and talked out, not screamed out. They apologize, foreheads pressed together, and Malik thumbs a tear from Bakura’s cheek. Bakura strokes his fingers through Malik’s hair. Malik makes a “well you know the best part about fighting, right?” and Bakura laughs, and then it ends.

               7. But he came back

So if y’all didn’t know I recently commissioned a(n amazing) fic from @/sitabethel (not properly tagging cause i don’t wanna bother them). In it, Bakura promises Malik he’ll come back after his final showdown with Atem, but ten years pass and Malik gets engaged to Seto. It’s corporate theifshipping and obviously I recommend reading it - but it’s based on an RP I did with a friend of mine years ago. In the RP, Bakura was pissed Malik hadn’t waited for him and does the whole “why did I even bother coming back I literally only came back to be with you?????” and Malik being like “Sorry? But you took a long fucking time and I had to do something to stop the loneliness.” We never finished it, but when we dropped it Bakura was starting to heal and move on and we had plans to end it powershipping and tendershipping - and Bakura catching the bouquet at the wedding and Ryou immediately being like >:) but anyway. The concept stuck with me and I really liked the idea of Bakura coming back to that situation and more so rolling with it - maybe a touch bitter at first, but hey, he’s nothing if not adaptable, and he absolutely invites himself into the relationship in the clunkiest way possible. 

“But he came back” was the start of my own attempt to write something with that kind of plot. When I write a fic, I start with a vague collection of ideas or scenes I want to write, and then when I have enough to work with, I begin organizing them into an outline. This doc is just a very small collection of ideas and dialogue, mixing some things taken from the RP and my own ideas. It’s mostly things like how Malik and Kaiba get to the marriage point, starting with an impromptu kinda tipsy make out session hidden away in the kitchen during a party Yugi’s throwing, and how they navigate each other’s trauma and fumble their way into a genuine romance despite everything. I’ve never managed to sit down and work it out into an outline of any kind, and the way I wanted to explore Malik and Bakura’s relationship before the show down, Malik and Kaiba’s relationship building afterwards, and then the relationship building with all three of them meant 30 chapters, at least (the original rp is over 2,500 pages and again, we had only just started with Bakura wanting to ask Ryou out and going to Malik for advice adjklj, when we dropped it) and well. yall know i’m bad at writing multi fic chapters 

[stallionsoul]

RELATIONSHIP & PERMANENT PLOTTER CALL. 

In alignment with her debut for the anime, please take this relationship/permanent plotter call! 

(TRAUMA & PTSD MENTION BELOW!) 

For those of you who don’t know too much about Fruits Basket, a quick overview is that there are 13 cursed zodiac members. Rin has the spirit of the horse whenever she hugs or is embraced by men and same idea for cursed male members with women. Of her clan, Rin is initially a very rigid, untrusting, and hurt individual. She has a strong sense of right and wrong but can be naive due to wanting to do things on her own, accepting help even at her own expense. She’s prone to illness and body aches due to trauma she experienced in her early childhood. She also has some degree of PTSD and is triggered when she’s pushing at her mental and physical limits, which unfortunately is a lot. 

Beyond that, she is a kind, overprotective girl who wants nothing more than to break her family curse. Her being in Spirale is stressing her out because she is hyper-vigilant and that any moment, something bad will happen to those she cares about. Once she does get used to Spirale however, I can see this guard going down and her wanting to protect the people here and her new home.

So that’s a bit of her! 

That being said, there are many ideas floating in my head for threads and types of relationships with her! Before I begin, let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. By liking this post I have your permission to:

Message you via IMs and plot things between our muses! I would very much like that you have an idea in mind for what type of relationship you’d like with Rin, but otherwise we can work on that stuff together! We can have a full on “first introduction” thread or plan for “semi/pre-established”, whatever the circumstance I am all ears! 

Tag you during Meme Days or spur-of-the-moment type starters? Again, depending on our muses’ relationship with one another, but still offering it as an option! 

Talk via Twitter DMs or Discord (please msg me for it!)  

Do light plotting between our muses! I don’t like to go down the book, line-by-line, but I do like to have a general idea of what we will do with our muses.

And without further ado, time for Relationship Types! Listed under a Read More for length.

Acquaintanceship: 

The very minimum which is okay. Rin doesn’t like small talk, so even this level of relationship is difficult. She doesn’t go out of her way to know your muse, but over time their relationship can develop into anything else! She does her best to keep her distance, as she doesn’t want to get attached for any reason. That, and she doesn’t want others to get attached to her. If they were working together or taking classes, she would just do the bare minimum.

Friendship:

This would take some time to get to. She has walls upon walls upon w a l l s. She refuses to let people in as much as she wants to. While she’s tough on the outside, on the inside she longs for companionship and to be close to others. So once she gets friends who’ll accept her and treat her with respect and understanding, she will be your friend for life. She’s overprotective and thoughtful so if your muse is ever in trouble or needs support, she is there for them instantly. She’s a bit tsun, so she will act like she doesn’t care at first but she’ll show that she cares in her actions and her presence. One a friend, she will be a friend forever.

Found Family:

This makes the mun misty eyed because her deepest desire is to have a family who cares for her. After her parents disowned and abandoned her at a young age, she’s been searching for that parental/familial love for most of her life. She technically has a parental figure in mind BUT! It never hurts to have more? If not parents, she is the best big sister type for younger muses. She cares for children so much and will protect them with all that she physically can. This also includes spoiling them (even if she denies it), arguing with them as a big sister might, and possibly teasing them if they bring it upon themselves. She could also be a younger sister type for older muses? In her canon, she does have a couple older relatives she does look up to!

Unrequited Love / One Sided:

This has always been something I wanted to explore even with other muses, but I would love for Rin to experience one-sided love or for your muse to experience for her! This is a specific thing, I know, but I can definitely see Rin harbor a crush on someone and not have it returned. She is drawn towards kind, soft-hearted individuals and would absolutely wish to receive their love. That being said, because she refuses to let her emotional walls down, she won’t be easy to sway. That and because of her cripplingly low self-esteem/self-worth, she doesn’t see herself being acceptable of love or acceptance, so she will have feelings all on her own. These feelings will go away as she gets to know your muse, but when she does feel that burning longing, she harbors it deep and will never let it be known by your muse.

Romantic:

I have HC’ed Rin as being bi--so this is an open playing field! Like the above category, this will be SUPER DUPER HARD TO OBTAIN. Rin has nonexistent self esteem in the romance department. She has only ever been with one person but I pulled her canon point from after she broke up with him, so that wound is a bit fresh. While she loves him dearly, where she ‘diverges’ from her canon is that she doesn’t see herself getting back together with him. I feel it would be nice for her to move on and to experience love again, no matter how long that takes. Rin is extremely hard on herself and refuses to ever let herself be loved again, let alone romantically, so while there are budding emotions between her and your muse, she’ll continue to deny them. It will take a lot of coaxing, support, and patience to be with her. Once they are together, however, she is the most loving, supportive, sweetest, affectionate girl. She’ll be prone to tears and deep blushing, so prepare for that haha. There’s definitely got to be chemistry between our muses, but she does prefer kind, gentle, (kinda dumb of ass energy), and emotionally intelligent individuals! 

Enemies: 

There can be VARIOUS ideas with this. Rin is easily confrontational and prone to anger, so it would not be difficult to fall into this category. It comes off as a defense mechanism/survival tactic when she distances herself from your muse and sees them as a threat, it’s definitely easier to manage. They may not see eye to eye on certain things, or perhaps your muse is a garbage human being and enjoys inflicting pain onto others. Either way, if you’re Rin’s enemy and continue to rub her the wrong way, there’s a slim to 0% chance of her ever forgiving your muse. She may not be a fighter, but if she’s provoked she will try to fight back.It won’t end well for her, I can imagine. She’s a bit more bark than bite, but when she bites, she bites hard. She will hold some fear or anxiety being around your muse if they continue to pursue her or aggravate her. 

Manipulator/Manipulatee:

 On the subset of enemies: because Rin, at times, can be gullible if your character is persuasive or a master manipulator, she can fall under their whims in exchange for something she may need or want. In canon, she tried to go against the head of her house, only to be punished for it. I put this here because as much as I love Rin, I am curious to see what kind of stress she would go under if she was to meet other, terrible, abusive muses who would not hesitate to use her for their own gain. THIS BEING SAID: THIS IS ONLY FROM AN EMOTIONAL/MENTAL STANDPOINT. IN NO INSTANCE WILL THIS BE SEXUAL / DUBCON.  

Other?:

 Anything outside these categories? Let me know! Mentor/mentee, Boss/employee (if she ever gets a job!), Coworkers, non-humans (she feels like she is because she can transform into a horse), rivals? Whatever idea you got, I’m open to listen!

[incarnateirony]

“Stay in your lane.”

What fucking lane? This shit is a vat of crazy.

I literally just tried to map this shit out. It’s not exactly 100% scientific but.

Look I was just fucking around on paint so it’s not pretty, but if anybody seriously wants to do something similar now that you have ways to wrap your braincase around it, go all out.

I’d add that anyone within the TFW positive line can be a multishipper and may or may not also ship Destiel, but people hanging in that breakout bubble do adopt the anti rhetoric as mentioned and sort of want All Ships Treated Identically. For reasons that we’ll pretend basically have to do with being pulled into its orbit of dialogue without realizing it. Some “non shipper” zones might also have multi shippers sprinkled in there, but the shamey narrative seems to vanish once outside of the Wincest sphere.

But my point is, fam, this place is an entire warehouse full of landmines with overlapping vectors even within your own friend group. For example,

I would be in the “Sam Knew” zone:  I’m Sam centric, but trying to be about 10,000 miles removed from the Wincest and Tinhat sectors, which gives me a very small playing area in reality. But oddly it’s one of the more center ground areas on the grid. True-Bibro adjacent before we start getting absorbed by the wanky Tinhat Zone. But in the Wayward and Destiel pool.

But because of my placement, I end up with, say, heavy overlap from the Cas sphere, and I tend to be one mutual over from “No Cas no care”. Or I’ll have strong Wayward fans as mutuals, which can put me one mutual out from CakeWoke. Or I have strong Dean focused Destiel Positive or shipping friends that put me one mutual out from extreme Dean fans.

There are no lanes, there’s just a crazy cobweb of spheres thrown into each other.

You’ll notice I pulled Sam’s sphere a little further out than the others, because of the push caused by the Tinhat Wincest vector, which makes it a little harder to float in the inclusive zone.

I’ll also leave a subnote that once you start entering single character stans outside of the TFW zone we start tilting into extreme sectors, but also some less EXTREME X FANS and the vicinity of actor fans which overlap back in.

I’ll also add a few prisms of Destiel feelings from what I gather in the lanes

Red being “generally positive and accepting”, white being “pretty solidly invested” and the other sphere labels already speaking for themselves.

I also had trouble mapping out where Cockles is since it seems to have saturated through a lot of non-anti areas almost at random. Like sure fam it’s mostly in the core Destiel aisles but I’ve seen it as far out as Wayward or any character branches or even just general TFW lanes.

Yes, this is largely anecdotal, but it’s not some “I had a few friends that said,” as much as “I’ve been watching dozens of thousands of people in this fandom for a long assed time and could probably name at least 5,000 accounts off the top of my head at this point” based on where I see them falling. Trying to make a color scaled chart like this manifest on a census would be fucking insanity.

But that one little super outlying sphere center-right is the one always telling itself that it rivals the center TFW positive or Destiel positive zones

And in reality this is more of what we see.

lmao tell me I’m wrong

Seriously though the “canon Destiel” is more of a crown of people that are there almost exclusively for it (hence being outside the TFW ring), whereas “people who see it strongly supported in canon but aren’t just here to grind on that alone” are more like in this egg

The adjacent zones are more “positive”, they don’t hate on shippers, enjoy the content, kinda-sorta see/understand but don’t feel it’s going anywhere but wouldn’t care if it did. You know the people. Pleasant Nonshippers that support people in the red egg.

Tell me I’m wrong while they brag up blocking 5,000-8,000 accounts and still manage to miss major Destiel fans like tink.

Update: people keep asking me for accessory things like “What about give Sam a Romance That Doesn’t Die”

Red: “Give Sam A-” casual. This can be Give Sam A Girlfriend, Give Sam a Dog, Give Sam a Velma, just GIVE SAM A *SOME FUCKING THING*

Black: Self explanatory

A FEW MORE CHART NOTES

I didn’t really give Jack a sphere because we don’t have a huge swath of JACK ONLIES, and he’s more dead center in the TFW zone, in a smaller ring, and can be shared across to almost any duo.

Lucifer/Pellegrino is sort of a free agent drifting around, a microcosm unto itself, with many external fandom influences I’m not gonna wank up this post with but can bubble into a few spheres on occasion.

I’ve not really seen, say, Rowena Onlies or Gabe Onlies beyond a fluke of each. If you’re fans of those, they tend to fall under the TFW sphere, as it’s also a general audience that loves most/everything sphere.

And even then most of these can be put into the chart.

Example: A Gabe fan that doesn’t like 99% of things, isn’t a Destiel fan, but is into Sabriel as a connection, be it platonic or romantic, would gravitate into Sam sphere, outside of TFW sphere

Regarding the absence of Megstiel: At the risk of pissing off that part of the fandom, I didn’t see it worth trying to vector into the chart. Some true Megstiel fans have even noticed and called out the number of people from the Tinhat Zone that come in and fake ship it just to cause horse shit. They would have a node, in the Cas zone, half in and half out of the TFW zone, likely settled largely in the same zone as “nonshipper Cas fans”. Rachel has a huge fanbase but Meg not so much considering how long she’s been gone and there’s really no way to reasonably vector that in. Once the faux shipping self-conflicting tinhats pretending to ship it get removed, it’s a small ship that mostly minds its own business aside from the ones that unknowingly bite the tinhat wank bait and feed into those narratives that have started to saturate it. Otherwise it would have to be sphered at both completely conflicting ends of the chart.

I mean. Y’all. Sabriel fandom is considered small and has over 11,000 fics on Ao3. Megstiel has 1,100. A viral Megstiel post gets maybe 100 notes. Like. This isn’t intended as shade, it’s just reality. A vector place outside of "half in Cas sphere, half in nonshipper Cas TFW sphere” as a blip is almost impossible once you remove the tinhats that argue points that simultaneously drags Megstiel.

Yes some people also multiship Megstiel too, but not many. That might ride closer to the Destiel line then, but it’s still very cas-line-centric.

Like let’s not try to play the game where everything is equal in volume just to make everybody feel better. If you have a few working brain cells, Destiel is the ship that’s freaking everywhere in this fandom whether you like it or not. Then the next biggest, which is still a fraction of performance on everything from presence, social trends, or fanfiction creation despite a many-year running head-start would be Wincest, then after that there’s a number of others, with shrinking presence much less expectation.

Those generally fall into bigger lanes. As Megstiel, or addressed various zones Sabriel might fall. Not all Sabriel is anti Destiel -- that was just an idea if someone was an outlier looking for where they fall. In fact, Destiel is the highest overlap hashtag with Sabriel when you pull Sabriel’s numbers. And so on. 

Being Destiel doesn’t mean you only want Destiel. Hell, as shown by the chart, there’s plenty of Wincest multishippers in multiple lanes. But trying to graph in everyone’s special snowflake bubbles would be insanity.

Generally my reason for doing this is that there’s always the “NOT ALL BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHH” argument and, no shit sherlock, we know. This isn’t a fandom of lanes. It’s a ridiculous vector overlap chart that probably would need to go 3D to catch a proper model of what’s really fucking going on.

[yourdanganronpaneedshere]

Could do a thing where fuyu,hajime,nagito,and hanamura meet a childhood crush and the boys wanting to rekindle a romance with them?

This is just adorable! I’m on it! Took alot of time though ( /0 w 0)/

Fuyuhiko,Hajime,Nagito and Teruteru meeting their childhood crush!

Hajime Hinata

When you and Hajime split up into your own paths when you guys were younger really did break his little child self’s heart

He never got a chance to confess his true feelings to you, well he was much to nervous to even lash out his love towards you

Once he had grown older he started thinking about you all the time, about all the great moments you two have had

But those moments were never going to come back at least that what he had thought

A new neighbor was moving and Hajime wanted to make a good first impression since that’s what he always tries to do whenever he meets someone new

But you were one certain person that made him REALLY nervous

He walked over to the neighbors house and rang the doorbell, after a few minutes Hajime began to feel that nobody is home and just about when he was gonna leave he heard the door fling open

He was a little bit caught off surprise over how the door was opened. And Hajime began to introduce himself

“Uh hi! I’m Hajime Hinata and I’m your new neighbor! Nice you meet you” you looked into his face and see how nervous he was and began to introduce yourself

“I’m y/n! It’s nice to meet you to!” Your name quickly got Hajime off guard and he asked a question to really confirm if it was you “is it y/n l/n?” You nodded your head 

“Yeah that’s me! And you must be that guy Hajime from my childhood!” He quickly blushed a little after hearing your words, you looked so different and so much cuter

He didn’t say that out loud though in fear of the moment getting really awkward

Hajime was overjoyed to see you after all these years, he never showed physical affection like a tight hug or anything like that

After the little reunion you and Hajime talked a bit of the funniest and most embarrassing things you two did as a kid and oh boy was he in a blushing mess

Soon enough Hajime started doing a little bit of physical affection like holding your hand or giving you warm hugs every now and then and to you it meant he had a little crush on you

After a long time of you two staying as close friends Hajime built up the courage to confess his love to you he never did it earlier because of the fear of being friend zoned or completely rejected

 It took a lot of stuttering and long  pauses for him to say the full thing but it was adorable seeing his attempt and you happily accepted his confession while giving him a tight and warm hug.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

You and Fuyuhiko surprisingly got along really well as children, though harmless insults like “dummy” or “idiot” flew out of his little kid self quite often you still cared about him nonetheless 

Of course nothing lasts forever and you two were forced into your own paths and your friendship died down

Your parents thought it was dangerous to hang out with a yakuza so you weren’t allowed to play with him anymore

Not that he wanted that to happen since he had developed romantic feelings during that period

He saw you in  a bakery Fuyuhiko only went there to go get some fried dough cookies since he didn’t have any in awhile

Something caught his eye, and it was a good thing it looked like you but all grown up he didn’t think it was actually you though.

A little blush appeared on his face he thought that he had feelings for you so why was he even blushing?

Your name was written on the bag and as you were walking away from the cashier Fuyuhiko got a good look at your bag, it was your first name

Fuyuhiko built up the confidence to go up and speak to you, if it wasn’t actually his childhood sweetheart he’d leave the bakery in complete embarrassment 

So he walked up to you, while also taking quick pauses to recap his thoughts “is that really y/n? She looks so f**king different” 

He tapped on your shoulder and you turned around a bit confused for the sudden interruption 

“A - are you y/n l/n?” he seemed to be blushing which made you ever so slightly curious why

His face looked so familiar  to a childhood friend you had long ago

“Uh yeah I am! Why ask?” Fuyuhiko almost froze. It was really his crush

Though he did think that you’ll most likely not remember him “I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu” that name made you light up and gave him a hug. Which never helped get rid of his blush

You  let go of him to end and the hug and you two walked out of the bakery while talking about the great times you both used to have

But Fuyuhiko still wanted your relationship to be alot more then what is just given now

Over time Fuyuhiko built up alot of courage after talking to you often and he thought that he could maybe have a chance

It was sunset and Fuyuhiko confessed when nobody else was around to avoid embarrassment of course the confession couldn’t be complete without one or two curses coming out of his mouth

You happily accepted by giving a small kiss on his cheek, enough to make him go in a blushing mess.

Nagito Komaeda

You were the only one who Nagito hung out with as a kid, you always played with his dog together and did various other things people that age  would normally do

His bad luck eventually struck and you two were separated and all little Nagito could do was blame himself. Falling into an endless void of despair

He really wished that you knew how much you meant to him

While he was growing up he always wondered the real reason why you left reasons like

“y/n probably got sick of my trashy existence that’s why she left, I just wish I could die of self loathing” 

Of course none of that was any close to the truth but he continued to blame himself anyways.

Nagito always thought about how you were doing and your living a much more sparkling life without him.

The luck cycle he was trapped in never made his life any better, the tragic events he was forced to go through damaged his self esteem more then anything

Though his good luck struck again and that was seeing you after so long

You were just sitting by the bench at the park lost in your own world and would only find your way back when someone snapped you out of it. Nagito recognized you and he was a little surprised

He really thought that it was you right there nobody could look that similar to another only if they were twins and that’s what floated in his head

He sat beside you and for some reason that snapped you out of it because of the sudden movement you felt. You looked at each side and then you locked your eyes with Nagito

You instantly thought that it was your childhood friend from years back, Nagito seemed to have noticed you expression and started to talk a little

“Sorry for the interruption but are you y/n l/n? You don’t have to answer  and I apologize for that lame interruption” 

His choice of words matched perfectly from  what he used to always say back in childhood so that was enough to put the pieces together.

“Yeah I am, you must be Nagito then right?” After letting him hear those words Nagito first had a surprised expression and then it morphed into a more calm happy one

After the small introductions Nagito began to talk a little about what recently happened in his life and how his luck cycle was responsible for it

The conversation was pretty long since there was so  much that had happened  in your lives, and Nagito built up a little bit of confidence to hold your hand.

The sudden movement gave a little shock but you enjoyed the courage he had, and the feeling felt nice so you held onto his hand too

You were pretty surprised that he never made any comment on the gesture that he did

Teruteru Hanamura

Even at a young age Teruteru loved talking about cooking and how he wanted to be a top quality chef when he’s older, you always encouraged him to do so and that you’ll eat anything he gives you

You know? What little kids would say when they want to encourage somebody. Somehow Teruteru developed a crush on you but never lashed out his feelings

But nothing lasts forever and you guys were separated for a long long time. Teruteru always thought about your encouraging words and how much enjoyment  you two used to always have.

You Teruteru had your reunion in a place nobody else would really expect in the groceries store ik this is random but trust me

He pretty much made a trip over there to prepare for his newest dish and realized that he didn’t have the ingredients 

You were pretty much there to go pick up something that you wanted/needed and you saw someone who was really small and had a chefs hat

So many thoughts were going through your head if he was really the one person from your childhood, you kinda waited for him to notice you instead

When Teruteru was finished in one aisle he turned over to your side to go get the remaining ingredients but instead his eyes was greeted by you

 He pretty much stood there trying to get things sorted out was it really you?

You gave a little wave and smile to him and that was just enough to make a little tint of red appear on his face

Deep down he knew it was you but way too nervous to say something “h - hey y/n!” Frightened that he might’ve gotten the wrong person he started sweating and fidgeted with his fingers

“Hey Teruteru” 

He stopped it was really you! He was ecstatic to see you but didn’t show it too much

You looked so different and he really loved it and immediately started having fantasies but eventually snapped out of those thoughts after you shook his shoulders

After Teruteru got all the ingredients he asked if you’d like to come over to have dinner and you enthusiastically agreed to his offer

When he got back, Teruteru tried making the dish perfect and up to your expectations 

You finally made your grand entrance and Teruteru was really enthusiastic to talk about everything that had recently been happening in his life and also listened to what you had to say

As expected from the ultimate chef the food was appetizing and you enjoyed it to the fullest which made him overjoyed.

Though he still really wanted to be something much more then friends

Mod Kaede~

[ladyseaheart1668]

Endless Summer Fan Novel (Book 2, Epilogue)

Notes: So, I have decided to start posting Book 3 next week. If I do one chapter a week, just like Pixelberry, I should avoid getting too far ahead. ;) Let me know what you would like to see me novelize next, if anything. Options I’m considering are Hero, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, and The Crown and the Flame. 

The next thing I am aware of is a bitter, biting cold, as if my very blood is frozen. Then violent tremors start to race up my spine. I hear my teeth chattering.

“Come back to me.” The voice above me is somehow familiar. “There you are.”

I feel myself rocking. Suddenly, my fingers and toes are overcome with fiery heat. I squirm as the liquid flames surge up my limbs. I hear myself moan.

“Wh...where...”

“That's it. You're all right.”

My eyelids flutter. I am immediately hit by a blinding light. I throw my hands over my face, pressing into the warm body that cradles my naked form against its soft bare skin. ...Wait, what? The spots start to clear from my vision, and I look up at the face above me. Yvonne the Incorrigible smiles down at me.

“...Yvonne?”

She winks. “Oui. C'est moi. You may call me guardian angel if you wish.”

“You...saved my life.” I blush as I look down and confirm that both of us are naked, wrapped in a blanket. “And you, uh...warmed me up, I guess...”

She laughs. “Don't be so prudish. If I ever have my wicked way with you, I promise you will know.”

I sit up carefully, looking myself over, stretching experimentally. I'm on a small trimaran, floating in calm, crystal blue waters. Dark red bruises stand out starkly on my pale skin, left by Mouse and the bullet that dented my armor. Said armor, and the clothes I had been wearing underneath, are piled at the prow of the boat, my backpack full of amber idols on top of it. I go for the bag first, carefully counting the idols to make sure they're all still present. Finding them all accounted for and unharmed, I slowly move to get dressed. Yvonne takes up the oars, rowing towards the shore. I look around me. To the north, a column of smoke rises from what has to be the MASADA complex.

“You were out for several hours. Do you remember anything?”

“...I fell...”

“Indeed. Very far, very fast, and very ungracefully.”

“Wait...you were there?” She grins at my shocked expression. “But how'd you know to be there? It couldn't have been luck.”

“I was dispatched to your aid by your red-clad friend.”

“...Who?”

“I could not say. But you have someone looking out for you.”

As I start to fasten the various pieces of amber armor on my body, it suddenly occurs to me how warm it is.

“Hold on...are we back in the tropical part of the island?” I look at Yvonne in alarm. “Where are you heading? We need to find the others! They could be hurt!”

“Mais oui. They could be. But La Mer will guide them where they need to go.”

“I need to find them, Yvonne!” I cry.

She pins me with a steely gaze, her eyes narrow. “As you said, you owe me your life. I gave you help, and now I am in need of yours.”

I want to argue further, but I am not in much of a practical position to do so.

“Where are you taking me, then?”

As the belly of the boat starts to scrape the shore, Yvonne hops out onto warm, white sand, and drags her vessel ashore. Drawing her cutlass, she points up at the smoking peak of Mount Atropo.

“There.”

* * *

Yvonne leads me through the dense jungle, slashing at the foliage in our path with her cutlass. After several hours, we emerge at the foot of the volcano.

“This is it,” she says. “C'est impressionnant, non?”

Yvonne gestures ahead. I look up and feel my heart drop, splashing into my stomach. A colossal stone temple is carved into the volcanic base. ...A temple in the shape of a dragon's head...a face jutting out of the mountain...eleven graves within the dragon's mouth.

“Oh, no...nonononono...” I shrink back from it.

“Ma petite blonde, you shiver like the timbers.” Yvonne clicks her tongue. “I thought you a braver soul than this.”

“I...I've been here before. I mean...I've seen it...” I swallow. “...What is it?”

“Welcome to the Threshold,” Yvonne replies.

“...The threshold of what?”

“We shall find out together, non?” She clasps shut an antique compass, the one I saw her take from the chest in the Jeweled Cave.

“...That compass...is that how you found this place?”

“A keen eye, you have. Indeed it is. In a manner of speaking, I died to steal it. Malatesta made me walk the plank for my thievery, though I maintain that it is he who stole it from me.” She looks at me. “When I came here, though, I encountered that red-clad demon. It told me that I needed your help.”

“My help?”

“You and your compagnons. But as you may be the last surviving one, I must settle for you.”

The helpless fear that filled me at the sight of the dragon's mouth mixes with rage at her callousness. I open my mouth to tell her where she can shove her compass, but whatever venomous words I might have spat at her are cut off when she grabs my arm and leads me forcibly into the darkness within the dragon's mouth.

“It's pitch-black in here,” I say instead, my voice sounding sullen to my own ears.

“Never fear. There is a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Make sure to stay near me, mon amour. It is easy to get lost in these tunnels. You could wind up wandering down here forever.”

Gradually, though, the world starts to take shape as bright red light trickles down from deep within the volcano. I brace myself to find graves or bones, but instead, I find myself in a large ceremonial chamber lined with lava spouts. A hunched figure in the center startles at our arrival.

“An intruder?” Yvonne snarls, pointing her cutlass. “Surrender, fiend!”

“I...I mean you no h—Alodia?”

My eyes widen as I place the voice. “Uqzhaal?”

The Vaanti shaman hobbles forward, taking shape through the gleaming red light. “Blessings of Vaanu, it is you!” He embraces me warmly, and I return the gesture.

“It's good to see you.”

Yvonne raises an eyebrow. “You are friends? Was it not his people who imprisoned you for life?”

“We ended up having common interests,” I say simply. “Uqzhaal, this is Yvonne. She's how we escaped Sharktooth Isle.”

“Ahh, the boat thief.” The shaman nods sagely. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Yvonne balks. “Pardonnez-moi, but I steal much more than just boats!”

“Of course.” Uqzhaal turns his attention back to me. “Alodia, I had heard such terrible news, of foreign warriors coming to slay you! Some of our scouts returned from the battle at the chasm and feared you dead!”

“I nearly was...and I'm not sure about the others...”

I fill him in on everything that has transpired since we left Elyys'tel. From the Arachnid's attack to our infiltration of the MASADA complex, to the molten wasteland we found on the other side of the Lernaean Gate, to Aleister's betrayal and our near execution, to our escape attempt and the destruction of the MASADA complex.

“...I'm sorry, Uqzhaal. Rourke...he has the Island's Heart.”

The old shaman's brow creases. He turns away, staring into the lava's glow.

“This is truly terrible,” he murmurs. “The Hydra with such incredible power...We must ask the Endless what to do.”

“I do not know half the things of which you speak, and I care for even less,” Yvonne declares flatly. “But if we are here to see the same person, then we can work together, non?”

“...How do we talk to the Endless, Uqzhaal?”

“The Catalyst idols were the keys the Endless bestowed unto us. When we could unite all twelve, that meant that we as a people were ready to learn its secrets.” He gestures to the twelve pedestals surrounding the stone bridge on which we stand. “But our people were not worthy. We lost the Idols in the Three Tribes' War. This is why I sought them. This is why I sought the Catalysts. Each of you has a special connection to your idol. I needed your help to commune with the Endless and learn the truth behind stopping Raan'losti. ...But if what you say is true, and Raan'losti has already come...I know not what we can do.”

“...Okay, so we put all twelve Catalyst idols on these pedestals, and then we get to learn the truth behind the Endless? And it's beyond this lava moat here?”

“So claim the legends. Did you manage to find the idols on your journey?”

I pull off my backpack and show him the twelve amber statues nestled inside. “All twelve. Every last one.”

“Incredible!” he breathes.

“You are truly incomparable, mon amour,” Yvonne agrees. She grabs my face and jubilantly kisses both my cheeks.

“...Right. So...where do I place them? In what order?”

Uqzhaal shrugs. “That, I cannot say.”

“...Guess I just have to go with my gut then...”

One by one, I pull out the idols and place them on the pedestals. My instinct tells me to keep them in the same order we were laid out before, month by month by month.

Andromeda, Lupus, Canis, Cygnus, Aquila, Draco on one side. Delphinus, Serpens, Corvus, Centarus, Ursa, Pavo on the other. The instant I place Michelle's idol, the floor starts to rumble under my feet. Rings carved into the bases of the pedestals begin to rotate to new positions.

“The gears are turning!” Uqzhaal exclaims excitedly.

“I can't believe that worked! I thought it'd be some crazy, complicated...” I trail off as one stone wall slides aside, revealing a series on symbols painted underneath the panel. I sigh. “Okay, this is kinda what I was expecting.”

I look at the wall. Underneath a crude painting of a bloody knife are six symbols. Beneath that is a painting of a skull over a pair of shackles, and underneath that, five more symbols. Underneath that is one more drawing, of a series of...waves? Mountains? Each is topped with a small white...hell, they might be nipples on breasts for all I can tell. And underneath them is another series of nine symbols.

“Look!” Yvonne exclaims. “Above us!” Throw my eyes to the ceiling, where a circle in the ceiling is opening up to reveal a second series of symbols. Three groups of four symbols, and then one group of ten.

“What are we supposed to do with these?” Yvonne wonders.

“It's some kind of puzzle,” I reply.

“The trial of the Endless will prove our worth!” Uqzhaal declares. “We shall solve it in no time at all!”

He sounds confident, but I can't tell if it's bravado. I look from the wall to the ceiling.

“Some of the runes on the wall are the same as those on the ceiling,” Yvonne muses. “Perhaps they are letters.”

“Of what alphabet, though?” I wonder.

“Perhaps early Vaanti,” Uqzhaal suggests. “Or perhaps something pre-dating us all. But it is clear the runes are spelling out words. ...Or...names.”

“...Names?”

He nods. “If this trial was created by the Endless to test us, perhaps the names are the ones taught to us by the Endless itself.”

“You mean...” I frown, looking at the wall again. “...Those sigils on the wall...those must be a clue...”

“Do you recognize them from anywhere?” Yvonne asks. “They all seem to suggest death.”

“Death?” I repeat. “I mean, the first two certainly do, but the last one...I can't even tell what it's supposed to be. Water? Mountains?”

“I count eleven of them,” Uqzhaal remarks.

And suddenly it hits me like a baseball bat to the head. My heart starts to pound. I know exactly what I'm looking at. “...Oh, god...they're graves. Those things on top are headstones.”

“Does this mean something to you, mon amour?”

“...It means that this trial was meant for me,” I say flatly. I close my eyes. The bloody dagger. ...Thrown by Rourke, burying its blade in Zahra's heart. The shackles around Jake's wrists pulled tight against Mouse's throat. ...Eleven graves. And only one left alive to dig them. “...Corvus. Lupus. Andromeda.”

“Quoi?”

“Those are the names on the wall. Zahra. Jake. Me. ...The answer is going to be in English.”

“You are certain?”

“Positive. Like I said. This trial was meant for me. It's either English or Spanish, because those are the two languages I know. Now if everyone could kindly quiet down for a moment, I need to concentrate.”

I let my eyes flick from wall to ceiling and back again. Mentally, I spell out names, linking up runes with letters and transferring them from wall to ceiling.

S-A-V-E... - - E-M... - R-O-M...

I don't even need to spell out the last word entirely. I curl my hands into fists at my sides and speak the message of the Endless into the chamber, my voice loud and clear.

“Save them from themselves.”

The whole room shudders in response. The idols begin to glow.

“What...what is happening?” Uqzhaal gasps.

“I don't know!” I cry in response. The idols glow brighter and brighter, each with a white-hot light in its center. Then, all at once, they dissolve into amber, leaking away down the sides of their pedestals. Left behind, resting in the basin of each pedestal where the idol had been is a small, crimson pool. “Is that...blood?”

Yvonne crosses herself. “What fresh hell is this?”

Water begins to pour from a series of spouts, hitting the lava with a steamy blast. White fog, painfully hot, engulfs my vision. I throw my arms up in front of my face.

“It's finally happening!” Uqzhaal breathes. “After so many generations of waiting...”

Impossibly quickly, the lava cools and hardens, and the steam begins to dissipate. I delicately test the lava with one foot. Then the other.

“It's safe. We can cross.”

“The path is opened,” Uqzhaal says reverently. The three of us venture into the darkness beyond the Threshold.

“After all that,” Yvonne mutters. “More tunnels.”

“Hush! There is someone up ahead.”

“What? I don't see any--” My voice dies in my throat as I see it. Black against black. A figure of shadow. “Who's...who's there?”

“Show yourself, coward!” Yvonne snarls.

A ball of flame appears in the dark, casting tongues of red-gold light over the walls. The flickering glow is reflected in the black visor of a red helmet.

“I've waited a very long time for this meeting,” the figure in the red spacesuit says. Their voice crackles through a speaker, modulated and electronic and impossible to place. The ball of flames flickers above a crude robotic right hand. Uqzhaal drops to the ground in supplication.

“Endless One...please, your faithful servants seek your help! Let us commune with you at last--”

“They always say 'at last,'” the Endless sighs. “As if they are the first. They are never the first. All that matters is if they are last.”

Every fiber of my being is electric with primal terror. Every instinct screams at me to run, but I swallow my fear and approach the red-clad being.

“Who are you? What do you want with us? What do you want with the Vaanti?”

“Having made it this far, you must already realize what is at stake,” the Endless replies.

“Yeah,” I say sharply. “The world is gone. Destroyed. We thought we could stop it, but it's already happened. ...Can you help us? You seem to have control of time.”

“Time is inevitability,” the Endless replies. “I know no inevitability. I will be here until this spinning rock and the sun that lights it are cold as the void. But it's no longer a matter of what I can do.”

Once again, I feel exhaustion, fear, and desperation blending in my gut into white-hot rage that bubbles up like magma and blocks out everything else.

“I've had it with the games!” I snarl like a wild dog. “Tell me now! What is the meaning of this?! What are these idols?! How do I stop these futures from happening to my friends?!”

“Futures?” the Endless repeats mildly. “The idols do not show the future.”

“Wha...what do you mean? I saw those visions. I watched my friends die! How is that not the--” I trail off as the truth comes crashing down on me. All the strength leaves me, and I sink to my knees in despair. “...Because they already died.”

“Yes,” the Endless confirms. “Again and again and again. And every time...every time I was there.”

A vision flashes through my mind. Rourke's office, where Zahra's body lies crumpled on the floor, the dagger hilt jutting from her heart. Only now, I see the Endless there too, cloaked in shadow, watching silently.

“...I saw them die,” the Endless continues, their voice sounding almost mournful even through the modulation. “So many times, I saw them die. But it wasn't enough for me to see. You needed to see too. That's why I made the idols.”

Another vision. This time I see Jake, his body cold on the floor of the stasis room at MASADA. The Endless hunkers over him, drawing dark blood into a long syringe in their hand.

“You mean...all this time...in the idols we were carrying...”

“A piece of your own mortality. It was necessary to forge the psychic link. To let you see the path.”

I feel my gorge rising as tremors race up and down my spine. I clutch my belly, trying to calm my raging stomach. “Oh god...oh my god...”

“This...cannot be true!” Yvonne murmurs.

“I do not understand,” Uqzhaal says.”This has happened before? All of this?”

“Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine times, to be precise,” the Endless replies. “The first time I went back to them, they died before my eyes. So terribly. Some of them didn't even make it a full day. I knew I had to help them. To guide them.”

I lift my eyes to look into the Endless' visor. “...What...?”

“I tried to intervene directly, but I quickly learned that the laws of time can be...unforgiving.” The Endless flexes their bionic arm, and I see the ragged stump just below the elbow. “I had to be more subtle. To change as little as possible. To influence indirectly. I left clues. Sigils. Symbols to aid their journey. To keep them alive.”

I remember being back at The Celestial, in the kitchen, and Raj turning to me with a frying pan in his hands. He said that something about the symbol stood out to him...

“All those symbols we found...that was you?”

“Yes. But it wasn't enough. The symbols kept them alive until they met the Vaanti. But that meeting always ended in death.”

Another vision flashes through my mind, of the cliffside outside Elyys'tel. A group of Vaanti warriors stand holding bloodied swords and axes. The broken bodies of my friends lie at their feet.

“The Vaanti were too hostile,” the Endless continues. “Too guarded. Every encounter saw the group massacred, no matter what they did. Changing the group wasn't enough. I had to change the Vaanti. So I went back. Further than I'd ever gone. And I shaped them.”

… Another flash. I see a beach at night. Ancient Vaanti, the ancestors of the tribe, huddle in reverent awe. The Endless stands before them, bathed in light, the very vision of a god.

“They will return to you!” they declare. “The Catalysts! They will stop Raan'losti!”

The Vaanti raise their hands in prayer and acceptance.

I recoil a little. “So you...made up the idea of the Catalysts...just so that centuries later, the Vaanti would help us? Their entire religion...was just a means to an end?”

“No...” Uqzhaal whispers. “No...it cannot be!”

“I did what I had to do. To protect them.”

“Mon dieu...”

I let my eyes fall to the ground again. “All this...just to keep us alive...? Why didn't you just go back and stop us from ever coming here?”

“My travel is limited to the time bubble surrounding La Huerta. I can never leave this island.”

I clutch my head. It's throbbing as I try to process what I'm hearing, to understand. I shake my head, whimpering.

“This is...this is too much...”

“Don't despair. The next stage of our journey begins here. After 2,139 loops, the cycle is broken.”

“What do you mean?”

“The temple is a test. A test that could only be passed under certain conditions. All twelve idols united. All twelve functional.”

“...Functional?” But even as I say it, I understand. I see visions that feel like memories now...visions of previous timelines, previous times I've made it to this temple...

“I don't understand,” I murmur. “Why aren't Raj and Michelle's idols lighting up?”

“Perhaps it is because they perished when the sea monster attacked,” Yvonne answers heavily. “The idols may only work if they're alive.”

“So...this is the first time...? The first time I've made it this far...with everyone still alive?” It's overwhelmingly frightening, but that thought makes hope flare to life in me. ...They are alive. All eleven of them. They're alive.

“Yes,” the Endless confirms. “All our friends yet live.”

My blood runs cold again. “...'Our' friends...?”

The Endless reaches up and presses a latch at their neck. There is a hiss of decompression. They reach up with their hands, one flesh, one iron, and lifts the helmet from their head. All sensation leaves me. Uqzhaal and Yvonne and the whole chamber seem to fade into static.

“Oh my god...” I whisper. “...Oh, my god...”

“I had to be sure you were ready, Alodia,” the Endless says gently. “Now our work can begin.”  

I can't answer. I am staring at the face of the Endless. A woman of flesh and blood stares back at me. The pale skin of her face has gone slack with age, her hair gone thin and gray. But in her blue eyes, I see the truth. I know the face before me.

...She is me.

...I am the Endless.

[currycurrie]

Saw this post floating around my dash with a bunch of questions about your OCs, and I’d figure I’d just answer them all as a fun sort of writing exercise type thing. All the answers are about my player character in a TTRPG campaign I’m in. The setting is kind of a monster of the week style game (kinda like Buffy) set at a university in Texas. Her name is Lavinia (La for short), she’s tiny, sneaky, stabby, a folklore major, and just absolutely OBSESSED with mothman. Questions/answers under the cut!

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Like nothing. She could be out there! Doing THINGS! What are you waiting for?

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

Too easy. Defense mechanism? Never heard of her.

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Reading until she falls asleep with the book on her face. 

How easy is it to earn their trust?

She always assumes the best in people. Often to a fault.

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

However, one slip up, and La can hold a grudge like you wouldn’t believe.

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

Flexible. 

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

Exploring the woods around her hometown, driving late at night, the smell of car oil and gas and food grease. 

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Hyperfocusing/obsessing over things considered stupid or childish.

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

For sure. Swearing wasn’t a big deal in her house growing up, and it sure as hell aint now.

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

“I’m fine.” Yes.

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

Research every aspect of it until she basically becomes an armchair expert. 

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

“I’m sure there’s some sorta something laying around here I can use. Probably.”

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

Red and black. But for La, it is not at all about looking good, and more about giving off a specific vibe. That vibe is punk.

What animal do they fear most?

None really. She’s seen a lot scarier stuff out there. 

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Mouth can’t keep up with brain. Just! So! Excitable! Waaay too many questions.

What makes their stomach turn?

People being awful to other people for no good reason.

Are they easily embarrassed?

Yes and no. La often forgets to be embarrassed up to a point, and then she gets instantly extremely embarrassed.

What embarrasses them?

Being judged for her interests and beliefs. 

What is their favorite number?

None to really speak of. But she’s like 19 years old so 69 (that’s the weed number) and 420 (that’s the sex number). Duh.

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Completely missing the point of the question, she would pull up dictionary definitions and various articles on her phone to try to help explain it to you in way too much detail.

Why do they get up in the morning?

The truth is out there, and it needs to be shared.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

La doesn’t often find reason to be jealous, but when she is, she will instantly dismiss/decide to hate whatever it is she’s jealous over. If she can’t have it it’s not worth having, obviously.

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?

Same as above. Though she isn’t above a little petty theft if the occasion calls for it.

Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?

No. Nope. Not at all. To anyone. 

What are their thoughts on marriage?

Dumb as hell.

What is their preferred mode of transportation?

She drives a rusty orange colored Reliant Robin from the 70′s that she helped restore. It is a piece of shit death trap, and also her pride and joy.

What causes them to feel dread?

Facing consequences for her actions.

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?

Truth. Always. No matter how unpleasant.

Do they usually live up to their own ideals?

To be determined, but my god is she trying.

Who do they most regret meeting?

That one guy from high school.

Who are they the most glad to have met?

Kevin, Remy, & Addy

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?

Mostly bragging about getting caught trespassing a bunch when she was younger.

Could they be considered lazy?

If you don’t know her well, you would consider her selectively lazy. Only putting in the effort into things she wants to. But when push comes to shove, she knows how to get shit done, and will. 

How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?

Very.

How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?

She will match their enthusiasm with gusto.

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?

She hasn’t ever sought out romance, but it somehow happened anyway.

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?

She is constantly taking absolutely insane looking notes.

What memory do they revisit the most often?

Unfortunately, her myriad sources of trauma.

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?

She can’t help but see them, and tries to be accepting anyway. Of course, with a few lighthearted jokes at them thrown in.

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Very.

How do they feel about children?

The worst.

How badly do they want to reach their end goal?

More than anything in the world. She will stop at nothing.

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

*shrug emoji*

[dndfuckhouse]

session 16 - a cultist’s work is never done

> 🎵  DND Ambience - Evil Temple / Michael Ghelfi 

Picking up where they left off the group finish chatting wistfully about their hometowns and the various methods of procreation known to them and look towards the now unlocked metal door at the end of the chamber.

Before the party shuffle through Keva attempts to check it for traps, finding nothing the group push it open and peer down a corridor behind it. Staring down they see a similarly cobbled hallway, though it seems to curve at a point obscuring their vision further, otherwise it looks clear as any they’ve walked so far, bracketed by magic torchlight on its walls.

Han chucks a stone down to check for anything fishy...it seems to roll down the hallway with ease. The group then debate if they should send someone ahead first to stealth and check it out. Finn offers again to float down in his mist form.

Han: should we have one person stealth forward? the rest a couple of feet behind? Finn: if you're that paranoid i can go ahead in my mist form again. Rokka: that sounds like a good plan han! Psalm: that's a good idea finn Finn: 2 good ideas what will the party do

Finn: chip i do my thing Cimmorro: FINN VAPE? Han: finn juul WHERES MY JUUUUUUUUUUUUL Cimmorro: WHATS A JUL?  are u flammable,  watch as he burns over a torch or something

Psalm: idk that much about vaping Plum: sarita wtf do you go to college

Finn transforms into his mist form and floats down the hallway, it winds and turns giving him the feeling that he’s slowly traversing downward, the corridor seeming to widen in size. After some time he comes across what looks like the opening to another chamber, a set of black metal double doors in front of him. Not spotting anything suspicious on his float down he floats back towards the party.

After about 10 minutes time pass, the group get worried and decide to follow ahead, bumping into the cloud of finn on his float back, he quickly transforms back into his regular form.

Keva: she flinches and makes that paul rudd face when she remembers its finn Psalm: psalm has nothing to say about running into the finn cloud Plum: i wonder if plum isn't tall enough to bump into it Rokka: rokka gasp for air before holding his breath so he doesn't breathe in finn which he fails to

Finn: >finn looks a bit confused as to why theyre all here "needless to say the path is safe but you're all aware of that by now. a bit reckless for being so paranoid if i may say so." Rokka: just worried about you finn Finn: did that much time pass? Rokka: felt like it Psalm: not that we didn't just fight clones of ourselves after being a bit reckless or anything Finn: "i see. in that case i apologise." >contemplative sprite

The party move to inspect the large set of double doors, they seem to have a ornate design to them, looking at them they spy the shape of horns and talons melded across it, the door doesn't appear to be locked either. Eyeballing the design psalm picks up that it definitely appears infernal in nature at the very least, the design could be reminiscent of devils of some sort, though he cant really place anything specific.

Deeming the door un-trapped the group ready themselves as Psalm uses mage hand to open one of the doors. It creaks a little bit but nothing else seems to happen, looking down the party see the corridor continue beyond it, opening into what looks like a very large chamber. Han briefly throws a stone again to test the corridor, no reaction again.

Rokka: "COOL A CHAMBER" rokka waltz in Han: both han and i age 20 years Finn: finn just. constantly calculating whether they're dumb or not Plum: i hope theres no single lich in here looking for a partner

Han: psalm: WOW KINDA DARK IN HERE ! Psalm: no please

Finn: well since han threw the rock and it was fine i wanna walk, wait should we wait for pokemon? Finn: I MEAN. POKI Cimmorro: .

> 🎵  Maternal Heart / Silent Hill 3 OST.

The party choose to walk through the door, as they walk down the small corridor they spy small ...what look like vents close to the ground. Taking note of them they walk further to the precipice of the corridor where it opens into the larger chamber. As they get closer they see what looks like a large pool in the centre, filled with a red liquid and surrounded by red runes, letters and symbols on the floor.

In front of it stands a staircase that leads up to a higher platform shaped like a circle over the pool, it seems to be bound with a tight thick rope. Staring the group notice that it seems to lead up to the top of a tall black pillar in the centre of the pool, pointed at its tip and faintly stained with red, it's quite the structure.

Looking about the rest of the chamber they see thick black and red ornate curtains adorning the walls and a set of columns in front of the pool. They also see at the end of the room, three short corridors behind the pool with a large black ornate door at the end of each of  them, seemingly also connected to the red circles around the pool.

To the left and right look like sets of staircases, both leading upwards somewhere, listening close the party can hear what seems to be some sort of whispers or chanting.

Cimmorro: cimm's just gonna "SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BUSY HERE HUH!" and walk over to try and read shit Psalm: can i try reading too Keva: keva stays at the edge of the room lmao she is Skeeved Plum: so is plum “y’all are just walking in??” Rokka: i also stay back Han: han also stays back with keva, esp after seeing the pool lol Finn: i wanna check if its blood for real

Psalm: maybe we should've collected the blood from the clones, just to see if it's the same substance although i'm not sure how that'd help, i'm honestly just a bit curious Cimmorro: we'll find out if it's from the same pool if something comes out to grab the both of us. would be amusing Rokka: that sounds terrifying Psalm: sounds pretty amusing to me Cimmorro: cimm smiles at psalm "yeah atta boy that's the spirit" Psalm: *grins* Plum: i’d rather not have to deal with another one of you again Psalm: i dont blame you Finn: finn kind of just goes [raised eyebrow] to himself overhearing cimm

Finn: NO JUST A LITTLE LICK. like connor Jez: who Finn: dont worry about it jez Han: dont worry bro its just a nightmare

Plum: finn hasn’t been in a bite one of us or die situation yet where’s the romance anymore get it together guys Guest Appearance By Celebrity Aqua: Cmon finn drink the rancid bog blood

Cimmorro: finn, is your field trip going fun so far mate Finn: if this is your idea of a fun field trip i really don't want to go on one with you 🙄 Cimmorro: there goes my ideas for a first date then Finn: "d-date?" finn tries to brush it off quickly though

The party move to investigate the chamber, slowly the more reluctant ones walk in and peer about as well after watching the others waltz inside. 

Psalm and Cimmorro inspect the arcane writing and runes, between the two of them staring at the red on the floor they discern the writing to be magic circles of some sort, enchanted by something in runes they can't quite comprehend, they do recognise bits of infernal throughout however. They also read what they assume to be a name of some sorts, a ‘Mephistopheles’

The lines seem to give some sort of power to the pool and the three doors at the end of the hallway, though they aren't sure what exactly. They get the feeling they’re part of some ritual similar to the last they encountered, involving the shedding of blood on top of the pillar. 

Han walks in and cranes her hear to discern where the sound of chanting is coming from. She hears it coming from the left staircase, but it feels like its kind of echoing around the whole chamber anyway. Rokka joins her in using his canine hearing, in combination with the chanting he hears the faint sounds of a conversation also coming from the left. Additionally, behind him back where the party came he also hears the sounds of faint talking coming from one of the vents, the one on the right wall in the corridor

Rokka: rokka's ears perk at hearing sounds of people talking and hurries back to tell the others in a semi-whisper tone "guys! guys! there are people here! in the vents! and right corridorrrrrrr" Psalm: does the chanting sound like anything to you?

Finn and Plum walk in and eyeball the pool together, staring at it the liquid seems viscous enough to be blood. Finn moves to dip his finger and takes a taste, he quickly detects the blood of more than one person, it seems to have been collecting here for a while. In his mind Finn is briefly tempted to taste some more, though he also notes that it tastes a little tingly on his tongue, a bit unusual

Finn: "what i can tell you two is that this is fresh blood. of multiple people." finn seems to be unable to tear his eyes away for a good minute,  i choose not to share the unusual taste tidbit. Plum: "easy there soldier" and i hit finn's leg Finn: >finn snaps out of it and looks at plum apologetically

Looking at the pillar the two also notice stains on the sides, seems like the blood drips down from the top into the pool 

Keva moves to take a few cautious steps up the staircase on the left side of the chamber, from this angle she can see that it opens up to what looks like another corridor, though cant make out much else.

Han takes the moment to cast detect portal, quickly she gets a ping from each of the three ornate doors, at the same time Psalm casts Comprehend Languages on himself to see if he can more directly read the runes as well as decipher the chanting.

Han: everyone shut up, those doors are portals to somewhere Plum: uhhh.... how do we figure out where they lead Han: “no way other then activating them and walking through”  han is uncomfortable here lol

Finn: i watch psalm curiously Psalm: mans is just touching the floor Finn: finn: that man sure is touching the floor. crazy. Psalm: i 'll tell you what they're saying in a second Finn: i nod @ psalm and wait, oh wait i guess he wouldnt know if im nodding so ill just say Okay Psalm: hwuhahwa

Psalm: should draw psalm and finn doing each other's nails since they both definitely wear nail polish

Now able to comprehend the chanting, Psalm notes that it seems to be in some coded language, he makes out certain sentences along the lines of "beloved may our lord be, seeing all within his purview" he’s a bit far from the corridor so its hard to hear specifics. The runes on the ground now that he can read them look like some sort of prayers relating again to mephisto directly, but also mention a benefactor, bringing up in scripture some sort of all-encompassing voice. 

Psalm: i think we have an old fashioned blood ritual summoning on our hands

Keva moves to quietly make her way further up the staircase in the meantime, as she does the sound of soft chatter becomes slightly louder combined with the prayer which sounds a bit father away. Slowly she comes out to a cobble corridor, peering to her right she spots a shut wooden door, locked with a silver latch. To her left the corridor goes on, and near the middle of it she sees a group of 3 people, donning red robes and hoods, though two of them seem to be more ornately decorated than the other. 

> 🎵  Null Moon / Silent Hill 2 OST.

As she looks she notices that they appear to be discussing something, she also notices that the corridor seems to be aligned with jail cells perhaps? though its hard to see into them from this angle, making out only dark sack shapes. She cranes he ear to try and listen in on the conversation, 

???: you hear the tiefling muttering something to the one not as elaborately dressed as him “...ou need to be more careful with the brood. Emruz was so very upset one of them had escaped, though now our lord says it was all apart of his design. Sometimes I wonder why she stands as second, she never trusts enough in fate. Of course it was all as planned, his grace would never make a mistake ...” he turns his head to the drow standing beside him “oh please Ida you must discipline the acolyte too, i know you dont like to speak but i'm not good at …” he seems to trail off  Ida: the drow tilts her head in his direction, her eyes staying shut.  ???: “Oh grace, nevermind…” he turns back to the other hooded figure. “For now you’ll stay at your post until Emruz makes a decision...she is leading the prayer right now for our grace, it shall be decided afterwards, understood?” the hooded figure nod, while the tiefling seems to sigh in response “ahh...come Ida i need to check the sigils within the heating dens…”  Ida: The drow nods in response

Keva watches two then walk of to the right out of her vision, listening she hears the sound of a door shut and close as the other hooded figure walks to the left, followed by the sound of a chair getting dragged across the ground and a thump. Once again silence returns to the halls, aside from the faint sound of chanting from down the corridor. She quickly slips back down the staircase and informs the group of what she saw.

Psalm: heating dens? what kinda kinky ass cult Plum: onsen

Rokka moves up the right staircase to scout it out as well, similarly to how Keva did towards the left, he clambers up quietly to poke his head around. In the meanwhile the party thinks on how they ought to proceed.

Rokka: whats the worst that could happen? rokka dies? Finn: HGBDFUNDFOMDFG

Psalm: i'm not sure how to proceed if i'm being honest Plum: neither am i,  im wondering what sigils and heating dens are, like if more people are about to die while we're here

Keva: any way to figure out where the portals go? Plum: i dont think so since everything here's in code Han: “..theyre probably how sammy ended up out on the street” hans still staying back and just. her eyes keep coming back to the pool of blood

Psalm takes a moment to think over the name ‘Mephistopheles’ and what he knows about it, he recalls now that its the name of one of the archdevils that presides over the nine hells. He’s a being said to be thoroughly wicked and cunning but all the same unstable, bards singing of his unchecked temper. It unnerves him to see his name invoked in a place like this. 

Finn moves to walk up the stairway in the middle of the pool to investigate it further, looking now he can tell the ropes tied around the circular slab form the letterheads symbol. Standing at the top of the stairs he also notes that he is within easy distance of the pillar in the middle, he walks back down after taking his look.

Psalm: oh right i relate that new information about Mephistopheles as well just to set the mood Keva: great

Han follows suit in continuing to poke around, she turns back to the corridor they came from and looking near the ground she eyeballs the holes in the walls, they appear to be small vents of some sort. They look big enough for someone to crawl through but only someone of plum’s stature or smaller, through the right one she hears a very faint conversation ebb out. 

Moving to crouch down she tries to stick her ear in and tries to make out the conversation, though all she can hear faintly is the sound of one voice speaking. Briefly she hears"...thus you know just precisely where to strike..." before it becomes mumbles to her ears again.

Rokka reaching the top of the staircase quietly looks about, directly to his left he sees a figure dressed in a red hood and garb, black gloves and shorts underneath. They seem to be standing guard near a wooden door, seemingly unlocked, hands folded behind them. To his right the corridor continues down for a ways before opening out to what looks like a small chamber, halfway down its length he see two more red cloaked figures speaking in whispers, if he squints he can see what look like jail cells lining the corridor, similar to Keva’s corridor, hard to tell from his angle.

Rokka: rokka hurries back to the others and alerts whoever is closest to him about what he saw "guyyyyyyyyssssssssss" Cimmorro: rokka u good Rokka: there are people hereeeeeeeee i saw themmmmmmm  Cimmorro: it looks like keva saw some others as well Han: rokka be like 😨

Psalm: i think our best options are to probably not fiddle with the inter-planar doors for now and pick one of the staircases Plum: agreed Psalm: we should also potentially destroy this altar, but maybe on the way out provided things go well

Psalm: @ han "are you coming? we've investigated the entire room, nothing spooky here to get you"  Han: hans just like uuuughghh and catches up

Cimmorro: i was gonna say this looked like we're on a road trip and han is taking a group pic for us

Han: ;LKHAS;LKHFASDF shes actually taking a selfie of herself

The group decide to head up the left staircase after discussing the number of guards they saw. They devise a plan to roll some ball bearings to distract the one they assume is still somewhere in left corridor, before quickly taking him out at a range silently.

Cimmorro: you guys want him to come over here? what if something comes out of that pool Finn: cimmorro, what makes you so sure someone will come out of the pool? Cimmorro: it's ridden with magic bro Finn: the blood did have a ... unique taste. it was good, but there was something unusual to it. i'm not sure if you can make anything of that. Cimmorro: HGUHFDBKJVHB cimm just standing there like "you said unusual, that's even more suspect??IF YOU ASK ME??" Psalm: i'm pretty sure if something was supposed to come out of the pool it would've come out by now Rokka: i would like to have nothing come out of there

Cimmorro: lure the guy out and knock him out then? Psalm: just whisper "such a shame Mephistopheles caught ligma" into the vent and bait him out vaporising him instantly Cimmorro: BRO

> 🎵  A Stray Child / Silent Hill 3 OST.

As the group discuss their plan to take out the guard Finn attempts to think on taste of the blood again. It seems more than likely that the blood is enchanted in some way by the circle around it, though it doesn’t strike him that the purpose of it is for summoning, it would have most likely had a much more rancid taste if connected to something so directly. The pool is more than likely containing the blood of many for a purpose, effecting the recipients in some way, beyond that he isn’t sure what.

Rokka: DAMN AND WE WERE ABOUT TO OFFER PLUM TO SPILL THEIR BLOOD THERE? Finn: maybe i shouldn't drink the magic blood Psalm: just take a sip Cimmorro: finn become rat poison checker

The group move to stealth their way up the left staircase, Psalm, Rokka and Plum find difficulty in keeping quieter than the others however. The others manage to cover for them however.

Finn: CAN WE COVER FOR OUR CLOWNS Psalm: CAUSE TROUBLE BY ACCIDENT GANG Plum: https://youtu.be/duPJqfKiA78

Psalm: HE CAN'T COMMUNICATE IF HES DEAD, what if it's theyord's favourite mook and he just wants to check up on him and then he's just dead, our entire operation is screwed

Keva rolls the ball bearing down the corridor, after a beat the group hear the sound of wood grinding on the floor and a few footsteps as the hooded figure steps out towards the sound, bending over to stare at it on the ground.

Quickly psalm and keva step out of the stairway, flinging a throwing knife and a blast directly at the hooded figure, the knife swiftly lodges itself in his neck and the blast seems to suck the rest of the life out him, taking him out quickly. The group slowly move now to investigate the corridor, Han staying at the top of the stairs to keep an eye on the chamber behind them.

Psalm: han making sure we don't die

Walking down they now see a series of cells lining the walls, piled with large sacks, a few laying empty. Some of the sacks have the faint colour of blood seeped through, giving the group a bad feeling about what could possibly be inside of them, seems most of the cells are locked. 

Plum: they mumbles to themselves "give me a fucking break..."

Halfway through the corridor they turn the corner and see what looks to be a guard post near the jail cells, a shabby wooden desk and a series of lock boxes on top of it. Seems to house the keys to the nearby cells, to the right they also notice another branch off, a wooden door at the end. They assume this is where the tiefling and the drow walked off towards earlier.

Keva moves to check out the body of the guard, all she finds on him are a dagger strapped this thigh and a red letterheads token in his pocket, nothing much else, she pockets the token. The group then discuss how to hide the body so its not left on the ground in the open.

Finn: we could put him in one of the bags as to not arouse suspicion but its certainly grotesque. Psalm: thats a pretty good idea, cover our tracks 🤔 Han: that criminal background huh

As they discuss this Finn moves to put his ear towards the locked door at the top of the corridor, pressing his ear close to the door he doesn't hear anything other than silence from inside. In the meantime Plum and Keva nab the keys to the jail cells from the guards desk, moving to unlock the one closest to them, Cimmorro wanders over to assist. 

The three work on untying the ropes and opening the bags inside. Cimmorro moves to inspect one of the corpses on how long its been decomposing but is struck by how close the abhorrent smell is, completely distracting him. Finn walks over and its also disgusted, Rokka moves down to keep watch on the door that the drow and tiefling walked through earlier in tandem with Finn.

Looking through the bags Plum attempts to identify the bodies within, their bag specifically appears to house a human male with dark brown hair, keva's bag seems to contain an elven woman, neither of them recognise the victims at all. The three quickly look through the cells for a bag with enough space to shove the guard inside, Plum takes quick notes on the features of the people they find as they go along, soon they find one and are able to successfully shove the guard inside.

As they go about this Psalm continues walking further down the corridor to the end where it opens into another small chamber, it seems filled with storage supplies and large cages, for what purpose hes isn’t sure he’d like to imagine, as he looks about he sees the letterheads symbol scrawled into the wall as well. 

At the far end of the chamber is a set of double doors, made of black metal, it seems this is where the chanting is coming from as he hears the sounds of  numerous voices speaking together in he assumes are prayers. To the right he also see more stairs leading upwards to what looks to be another corridor, though he cant fully tell from below.

He moves to listen to the voices coming from the double doors hearing similar hymns to what was being chanted earlier, but he also hears another voice higher pitched speaking above them in common, she seems to be preaching something about "a time of revenge blossoming soon, the process shall begin to bear fruit" he moves away and relays his observations to the group back up the corridor

While they wait Finn attempts to see if he can hear anything coming from the door hes watching but can only make out a very muffled muttering of some sort and soft shuffling.

Psalm: finn always on the lookout for hot guys pog Finn: we arent only thirsting for blood in this house Cimmorro: wow finn looking for cult bukkake Han: if they arent above a 6 finn cant hear them Finn: jez im going to

Finn: i let the others know that i heard some muffling and shuffling behind that door. but very faintly. Han: theyre making out in that room Cimmorro: GIJFSIBJSOPFBJOSJW

The group decide to head up the stairs Psalm found and move down to the small chamber at the end of the corridor.

Han: han is following but constantly at the back Keva: han the vigilant Rokka: not all heroes wear capes Finn: OKAY NOW I FEEL BAD ABOUT LEAVING HER ON HER OWN Han: 

Keva offers to take point, and stealth's up the stairs, getting a look at the corridor at the top of them. Peeking her head out she sees similarly to the last corridor they walked, another row of of jail cells with what look like more sacks inside. Halfway down she spies what looks to be another guard, his arms crossed periodically looking to the left and right

The group get in position to take him out,  Keva and Han both fire off their arrows, psalm backing them up with a blast, the arrows strike the guard in the side before he is knocked down by the blast, quickly taken out. Han and Plum briefly jog back to the guard post from earlier to grab the keys again so they can hide this guard with the bodies as well. 

Accomplishing that the group see now that this corridor connects between the left one and the right one from the initial pool room, they decide to use this to take out the guards they saw in the right corridor carefully, party members on either end of it. From this new vantage point Keva sees there are three of them in the right corridor now.

Psalm: 16 to hit, god i dont like this im assuming i haven't missed yet.... when the boss comes i'll miss every shot guaranteed, bruh the boss is going to kill me

Psalm, Finn and Rokka head back the long way and crouch by the stairs near the far end guard while the others stick to the bottom to take out the two halfway through the corridor.

Han and Keva shoot of their arrows and with their combined might manage to instantly bring down one of the guards. Psalm blasts the one near the stairs, surprising him but he seems to be still standing afterwards now alert. before he can do anything however Finn rushes in and skewers him, quickly silencing him

Finn: FINE IF YOU WANT ME TO SO BAD ILL GO STAB THE GUY Cimmorro: jude is going to sex town

Cimmorro uses sacred flame on the other guard standing halfway through the corridor but only manages to lightly singe his hair.

Cimmorro: he just does it to provoke Rokka: ;DLKFJSLDKFJLSKDJ Cimmorro: really the only thing he been reading in those sacred libraries is the urban dictionary

He strikes again this time doing a bit more than singe the guard’s hair, Han and Keva both try and fire a series off a quick shots once again after he does, Han's goes wide however, only kevas striking, still leaving the guard standing. Quickly afterwards Rokka and Psalm run out at the same time, Psalm is able to step out and blast the remaining guard from the opposite end, taking them all out before any could retaliate. 

Psalm: ROOMIES Han: oh my god they were roommates... Rokka: I'll move as close as I can and then cheerleader for psalm Psalm: ^_^ greatly appreciated Rokka: Go roomie!!

Han: hey we've been smart and careful about this, we could've been. REAL dumb Finn: honestly we've been really smart, ALMOST LIKE. CAUTION IS A GOOD THING DSHJFBSDUFGSFH

The group about quickly hiding the three bodies among the jail cells again, completing that Keva rummages through the guard desk in this corridor for anything of note. Inside she finds papers detailing some sort of guard training…seems there are at least over 20 acolytes being trained in the ways of assassination around here. 

Psalm: oh can i read the papers or did u just tell everyone what they said  Han: keva found them and told everything else to read iirc(edited) Keva: i did not say that in the rp but yes let's assume yall saw it bc i can't read i forgot lmoa Han: LKH;LKHSAWEFSD Psalm: WHAT'D YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE PAPERS FOR THEN

As she does Finn goes to listen to the door at the top of this corridor, he hears no sounds coming from the inside, it appears unlocked as well.

Finn: now if it were cin, he'd open that door. Han: . Chip: jude reminding us of our good fortune rn

Han goes to investigate the small chamber at the end of the corridor they just came through, looking about she sees storage crates piled high and bags filled with more bags, looking inside them she rifles through small amounts of rations within. Around are more cages and a large metal screen of sorts, it looks to be disuse however, she wanders back down the corridor.

> 🎵  Sewer, Echo, Approaching / 2Mello.

As she does Psalm presses his ear to a door that branches off from the middle of the corridor, listening if he can hear anything or any activity beyond it. As he does he hears the sound of a voice coming through, though all you can really tell is that it sounds like someone giving instruction of some sort.

Cimm, Plum and Keva decide to walk back to the blood pool room, Plum wants to try casting identify on the pillar to see if they can garner any further insight on its functions. In the meantime Psalm asks Rokka, Finn and Han if they can make out anything coming from inside the door hes listening in on. The group stretch their ears once more, though Han in particular recognises the cadence of the voice through the door as the one she heard speaking when she was trying to listen through the vents.

Han: while they're all standing ears pressed to the door han hesitantly asks "is blood letting and stuff like... generally associated with. what you said. cults?" even quieter "actually what are cults lets start there" Psalm: you're asking me? Han: all of you, i guess. you all seem to have more different opinions about this than me Psalm: well from what i just know generally, rituals like these are commonly associated with the more er, 'evil' cults let's say, it does tend to get played up in fiction but since we are also 100% standing in a room with a blood pool and runes on the floor praising a demon you could say that it's played up for good reason. Rokka: rokka just tilts his head like ?? Han: han just looks. kinda processing "what do you mean, "played up"?" Psalm: romanticised i suppose Finn: finn just leaning against the cell. listening. Psalm: like how you'd expect things to be more exaggerated so that they're actually entertaining in a book or play, otherwise it wouldn't be interesting. 

In the meanwhile the other group make their way into the large chamber, Keva stands at the bottom of the stairs leading out while Cimmorro and Plum make their way up the one over the blood pool. Plum reaching the top, stands near the pillar with their hands, taking the time and casting identify upon it. As they touch it an unwelcome feeling fills their senses, like whispers in their ears. 

The pillar is definitely enchanted, it seems the process directly enhances the person who drips their blood upon it. As long as it is collected within the pool below it seems the enchantment keeps its hold indefinitely, combined with the whispers and information they’ve gathered from before, you get the feeling this is used in some way for whoever wrote the runes on the floor to communicate to those that have bled upon it.

Chip: CIMM LIKES TO FEEL TALL Cimmorro: SHUT UPPP ILL KILL YOU

Satisfied the group head back to the corridor with the others, keva noting that it seems the chanting is still ongoing in the background, as they do they walk into the conversation the rest of the group is currently having.

Psalm: That being said though, we are still very much in a situation like out of a novel you could say. And it's not like i have much experience with cults myself...for all i know they're all like this Han: han visibly looks like she regrets asking "like a novel huh" Keva: keva walks in and sees that she has missed smth

Psalm: oh right, a cult is just a group of people that religious practices that aren't commonly accepted, or in most cases, evil. Forgot you asked. Usually they worship a figurehead, potentially a person or otherworldly being, so they're not that far removed from the average religion. Han: han is borderline sweating Keva: wait, we've been chasing after this cult this entire time and you didn't know what a cult was? Han: well. no not really. Finn: finn closes his eyes. I Cannot 

Psalm: why the interest though? i suppose it is a bit messed up in here, and if you didn't know before i guess it's pretty shocking,  what with all the blood and everything Han: just uh. curious is all. Psalm: i see. well if you have anymore questions. Cimmorro: [raised brow]

Half the group subtly eyeball Han to see if she’s lying about her questions coming from a place of mere curiosity.

Han: me just throwing these breadcrumbs Psalm: can't just not eat them off the flor Plum: someone eat them!! Cimmorro: gang beats up han with insight Han: everyone at han rn [raised brow] Cimmorro: 

Finn: han: asks a simple question, the party: lets get her boys Rokka: rokka just rly wanna know if he gotta comfort u or naw

- finn watching from where you are leaned against a cell you easily see through her lie, you get the feeling the question is related to a past experience of hers perhaps, you understand the feeling of wanting clarification well - psalm and keva it seems clear that shes lying and that she has a deeper reason for asking about this, though you dont really know why - rokka han seems upset by all these damn cults, u understand this place sucks

Cimmorro: prolonged strained silence

The group dont inquire any further into her odd reactions at the moment, Finn moves the conversation along, asking if any of the party would like to help him check out the room at the top of the corridor or if they’d like to check out the door they were just listening in on.

Han: "ye shall we storm these dudes" (points to door) Keva: you were all cautious before and now you wanna just barge in? Han: whispers to keva "i was half joking" Keva: you're hilarious. Han: thank you ^_^

The group decide to go along with Finn’s suggestion, preferring to run into as few people possible for the moment and shuffle down the corridor, the group all stand behind psalm as he creaks the door open with mage hand. Peering inside they all see a small room with no one around inside, piled high are a bunch of beds, seems this looks like where the acolytes sleep.

Han: everyone takes a long rest Finn: HBZUFGMIOGF;HFHGJHOW MANY BEDS ARE THERE THIS TIME Han: finn rn like: . Finn: finn: i do not see it. i do not perceive it.

Rokka: rokka barges in and dives into a bed like "ahhhhhh yes" Han: goes back to look out position Psalm: rokka you really want to be rolling around in the beds of people that drain the blood out of innocents for rituals? Rokka: a bed is a bed Finn: A MAN OF SOLID CONVICTIONS Cimmorro: we're in some hazbin hotel kinda shit and u just gonna sleep here Psalm: that's terrifying resilience. i'm impressed, if not a bit scared

> 🎵  Highway, Fog, Visitation / 2Mello.

As the group look about the room watching rokka walk in, Han notices behind them all down the corridor, the sound of a door creaking open. Quickly she moves to push everyone inside the room as quick and quietly as she can, though she’s sure they were heard.

Cimmorro: this cult guy barrelling down the corridor upon hearing han

Han: HAN LEVELS UP FROM STRESS AND FAZES OUT OF EXISTENCE

Closing the door behind them inside the room they look about flustered. They all take a beat to listen and hear the sound of footsteps coming closer down the corridor. they decide to dive under the beds and hide, though there isnt enough for all of them. 

Psalm casts Invisibility on Han while the rest of them pile under, she quickly moves and sticks herself as close to the wall as possible. Finn in particular also quickly shifts into a bat and hangs himself from a corner of the ceiling

Rokka: rokka rolls off the bed with an OOF then rolls under the bed he was on Cimmorro: plum who is the smallest has the hardest time shuffling under the bed and stubs their toe Rokka: stubs toe and screams FUCK, it echoes down the hall

After a beat they all listen as the footsteps near closer and closer to the door, they hear a shuffling before it is opened up by a hooded figure, human, though his cloak looks more ornately decorated that the guards from before.

Han: whats boytoy doing Jez: whipping his dick out,  he came here to jack off bro we all gotta watch him Han: SOME ME TIME Plum: YOU CALLED EM BOYTOYBHHJ Rokka: HSUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPSHUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP Psalm: HE CAMEM HERE TO JACK OFGF i'm unsubscribing from pornhub right now Plum: jez, jez, what haunts you Cimmorro: LKVGDASJKLGJDSJBSJFNB Rokka: this is like a bad wattpad fic Cimmorro: yall wanted to share beds we're getting a different kind of sharing today Finn: . Han: save a citizen share a cultist Finn: WHAT IS HE GONNA DO WATCH OUR BEDS ALL DAY Cimmorro: HES GONNA WANK IT BRO Rokka: SHUT HT EHLEL UP

He walks inside and peers about the room, eyeing the floors and the walls stepping around and staring carefully. It almost seems as if he makes eye contact at one point with Han but he continues moving his gaze past her. 

Olst: “Where on earth have those louts gotten too” he clicks his tongue and turns to walk out of the room  “Discipline is in order, hopefully our grace feels the need to be more quick with his hand…” his mumbling putters off as he shuts the door behind him

Plum: THEYREEE DEAD Psalm: OH MY GOD I JUST REALISED WHO HE MEANT OH MY GOD WE KILLED HIS FAVOURITE MOOKS Han: THE GUYS WE KILLED ;KASDFKH;LKHWKH3EF Rokka: im laughing MY FUCKING ASS OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

The group one by one slowly emerge from under the beds, Han takes a moment before peering out the door, seeing the man walk down the stairs towards the blood pool room. She whispers out “coasts clear” before walking out the room still invisible to follow him, Finn in bat form follows after her to also trail him.

Psalm: psalm to himself like... god maybe i should've explained how invis works first Han: han said coast clear and fucked off Finn: i wish i could've asked psalm for an explanation on invisible i have no idea when this runs out

The group meanwhile decide to check out the room the man came from in the meantime since he just left it, walking back to the middle of the corridor, sneaking past. Keva stops briefly at the top of the stairs to listen in on any conversation from the blood pool room

As she does Han and Finn follow the hooded man, she slowly scuttles down the staircase standing quietly at the bottom and hanging out of sight with Finn. There she sees 3 other figures, each wearing ornate looking cloaks, one they’ve not seen before. As the human approaches the others he speaks

Olst: “the acolytes are becoming lax in their duties, this is because you aren’t strict enough with them” he stares directly as the tiefling as he says that, to which he babbles back ???: you know th-that is not my responsibility Olst..” the human tuts and clicks his tongue. Emruz: The woman on the far end pipes up “quit your gripping your voice is as annoying as venom, you can discuss the trivialities later our grace has requested all of to assemble now and I’ll have quiet as we do” the two glare at each other for a moment Olst: he relents, responding with an “..of course” The four of them gather near the front of the of the pool and stand at attention.

Han watches them close their eyes, as if waiting for something for a few beats. Keva moves on to where the rest of the group are stationed in front of the door down the corridor. 

Rokka: yo is theyorde going to rise from blood pool Psalm: GOD CAN YOU IMAGINE WE WERE FUCKING AROUND IN THERE Finn: finn and han listening to this shit:  Psalm: YEAH CAN YOU IMAGINE THE TWO THAT HATE THIS SHIT THE MOST ARE THE ONES WATCHING THE BLOOD POOL MEETING Han: MOST FUCKING BAGGAGE Finn: FINALLY WE HAVE A COMMON ENEMY FOR SOCIAL LINK RANK 1

> 🎵  The Final Combat / Darkest Dungeon OST.

Han continues watching before suddenly she sees all of their eyes snap open, they all tilt their heads up before clasping their hands together out of some sort of reverence. The longer she watches the more it looks like they’re listening to something. Slowly her and Finn see smiles begin to form on their faces, albeit who’s mouths they can actually see. After a moment they bow their heads again, before unclasping their hands.

They see the woman on the far left immediately cackle and gesticulate with her hands with joy 

Emruz: “I KNEW IT I KNEW IT, ony two more days’ time, our grace is amazing indeed finally we will bring down those who stand upon their ivory towers, bring them crashing down to a place wherein we might exact our revenge and force their penance.” Ida: Next to her the drow contemplatively nod in agreement while ???: The tiefling keeps his hands clasped together in reverence muttering “ohh it is true it is true, finally we are ready to enact his great design, the results of our tireless devotion…” Olst: the human next to him chuckles as well “the streets above shall run red as they so deserve, the brood will overtake them at every turn, their defences shall be their very ruin”

The four walk up to the blood pool and touch its outer rim bringing one other hand up to their lips, they speak a coded hymn out loud, as they do they their hands glow a faint red before they are surrounded by a flash. Once complete they step away again, the elf woman speaks up once more 

Emruz: “may their soak in their own fluids” before she cackles wildly again.

---

Notes:

🗡 Keva pocketed another「  Red Letterhead Token ✨ 」 🍺 Plum holds the「 Jailer’s Keys ✨ 」 💀5 guards seem to be lax in their duties....

- 48 Hours until 📜🩸 The Reckoning 🩸📜 -

[humblereflection]

Red Strings and Soulmates and What Nonsense

I present to you! Another Kakairu soulmate fic! I dedicate this one to my cool pal Tori @the-gloamglozer who has written several fics starring these dads in my dedication already - which i still can’t believe and cry about on the daily. who also supports dumb tweets about dumb aus and tramp stamps on characters who would probably not have tramp stamps

this one is about 5000 words, give or take a few, and may be in a state of need for major editing, but until it gets up on a03, this is how it is.

please enjoy my ramblings. 

It’s been a busy year; fixing the village, seeing Naruto and Hinata wed, forming proper alliances with countries they’ve been amicable with. Kakashi thinks he’s doing a great job so far, despite the shit fest they all had to go through to get him to sit in the hokage’s chair.

He’s listening to the little ham radio he had set up in the office, the music keeps the room from running silent, keeps him from drifting into small and sad thoughts about the wars. He starts tapping his fingers in beat with the pianos and horns while he looks over his new stack of paperwork, and feels a little bit at peace.

There’s a knock at the door, a light rap, and it’s news but not too urgent. He allows their entry.

“Kakashi,” Shikaku greets, a light nod and he makes his way to the little radio, “there’s something you need to hear,” they turn the little knobs and wade through the static until they get the station he wants.

“- There have been claims from the general public that there’s been sighting of red threads tied around your little fingers. Like the myth, Red Strings of Fate, they’re calling them, or Strings for short. So if you follow your little red string, you’ll find your soulmate at the other end.

“They aren’t happening to everyone all at once, oh no, just a few at a time get this sight, I wouldn’t believe it myself, but the station manager ran out yesterday when, he had seen his own String plain as day -” Shikaku tunes it out and looks to Kakashi.

Kakashi is at a loss as to what to say. Sounds like something out of a fantasy, a romance novel, something he’s read in an Icha Icha novel. He doesn’t think this is real, but a story being read over the radio.

“Shikamaru experienced it yesterday too,” Shikaku says, “it went past the village walls.”

Kakashi frowns at that. Shikamaru is the top of his year, wouldn’t make this up even if someone had paid him to - he’s far too logical.

“That could mean anything at all,” Kakashi states.

“I found my wife at the end of my own three days ago.”

Kakashi has nothing to say to that. “Do we know anything else?” he asks instead.

“Other than the civilian reports, nothing.”

“Find out as much as you can,” Kakashi decides, “I don’t want to end up a trap.” Shikaku nods, and while Kakashi tries to ignore the exasperated sigh that escapes the man’s lips, he’s been through enough strife to be wary of traps. He dismisses Shikaku.

Soulmates.

He turns to look out the window, and doesn’t believe this hocus pocus to be more than some new trap or something funny in the water. Logically makes no sense.

There’s a knock on the door, confident but hides no messages, he allows entry to the man.

Umino Iruka walks through the door and Kakashi is confused. Their shogi game isn’t for another week, and it’s too early for tea.

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka greets with a light bow that Kakashi has tried to dismiss for months now, “Nara Shikaku sent me here.” Of course, Shikaku arranged this. Send in the most amicable ninja to do recon for this task.

“Is it Naruto? Do you have a mission for me?”

With his friendliest of smiles, Kakashi waves off the questions and tells the man what he is to do.

There are cases from all over Konoha, about people finding red strings tied around their little fingers, tying them to another soul. Is it a new genjutsu? An enemy of Konohagakure? These are his first questions. They made sense. It was right to fear for the worst possible thing. To jump to and dwell on.

Iruka thought that was foolish, but set to find out regardless.

He sent his best genjutsu users to try to break it. They found nothing. Could have meant it was just a really good genjutsu. The look he receives leaves him sleepless for nights until Iruka fixes him some tea.

He sends Ibiki to find something out, learn anything he can about the phenomenon. He had high hopes for this tactic at uncovering the truth about the red lines. Until I&T came back with a shrug, but bearing a very detailed report. He thanked them for their effort and dismissed the mission.

Iruka gives him such a smug look, Kakashi figures out ten ways to wipe it off his face in the time it takes him to hand him his new report on the red strings.

“Here,” he says, “a civilian report.”

After a quick leaf through, Kakashi thanks him for his work, and dismisses the mission altogether.

Some weeks after his initial, healthy paranoia, the letters started to arrive. Why it took so long for everyone to question the sudden appearance, this new sense, this sudden ability to find one's soul mate, he’ll never understand. But regardless, it confirms that it’s worldwide, and for that, he’s a little grateful.

But to every good, there is a bad and the letters, in various levels of discreteness, ask him if he’s seen his own thread.

Which is stupid. He believes he won’t get one. He knows he won’t have one. There is no one who he wants to burden with being tied to him.

There’s a shout from the other room, Iruka has found the teapot and Kakashi bites his lip.

He responds to the letter, detailing everything he knows about the Strings, the age range, the disregard for sex or gender identity and the lack of confinement to their own walls. He doesn’t mention his status, it’s not important.

Kakashi finishes writing the letters and leans back into his chair to flick through his favourite copy of Icha Icha.

He watches Iruka walk back into the room, catches the roll of his eyes when he sees his reading material, watches as he brews them a fresh pot of tea, taking in every miniscule detail of the ceremony.

He sets the tray onto Kakashi’s desk, placing a cup in his reach, “You’re tense,” he observes, “it’s harmless. You’ve proven it’s harmless.” He means the red strings and Kakashi only wants to believe his words. He wants to take this in the same stride Iruka is, and just trust fate knows what it’s doing.

“Can’t be too relaxed when you’re looking out for a whole village of trained soldiers,” he replies instead. To which he received a very “done with your shit” huff and a comfortable silence.

He could enjoy this all day, he thinks, and selfishly takes, and holds on to this moment every other moment like it, to keep him floating.

He closes his eyes when he notices Iruka look to his fingers.

__________________________________________

It’s been several weeks since the phenomenon began, and Iruka has watched as his friends and coworkers find their soul mates. Izumo and Kotetsu find themselves stuck together for life, it seems and really, no one found that surprising. Iruka listens to Anko’s half-drunken ramblings when she sits herself under his kotatsu, and bemoans the current events. He consoles her and watches with amusement as she finds the I&T commander Ibiki at the other end of her Thread some days later. He does not care for the sex life she tells him about afterwards.

Sometimes he’ll catch himself glancing down at his pinky, wondering what kind of person fate has matched him with, but other than that, he isn’t bothered. He’s not sure if it’s all nonsense, fumes, or real, but whatever, he thinks, people are happy.

He sets aside his paperwork and sets to make some dinner. After looking over the contents of his fridge, he decides he’s in the mood for eggplant miso and gets to work. Not long after he sets his eggplant to boil, there’s a bang at the door.

Naruto races into Iruka’s apartment, his eyes budding with tears and Iruka is very much concerned.

“I found them,” he breathes and grin widening.

“Congratulations,” Iruka responds without a blink and a smile growing on his own face.

The boy, no, young man Iruka corrects, shakes his head fervently and starts speaking, but it’s too fast and Iruka isn’t sure he can keep up.

“You have multiple?” Iruka gets out at long last.

A confident nod and a blinding smile, “Yeah! It goes short for a bit, but then sort of splits off into a bunch of directions. I found Hinata and Sakura, and they seem pretty okay about sharing a soul mate, cause it seems Sakura and Ino are also tied together? I don’t know, it’s weird. Anyway, I followed the other two, but they go past the village walls. I found Sakura at one of the spots, she’s got another soulmate too, so I think that one’s Sasuke…”

Naruto goes silent, lost in conflicting feelings about that, no doubt, but there’s something else. Something Iruka is sure has to relate to the unknown soul he’s tied too.

So Iruka smiles that encouraging smile he does that makes you feel like you aren’t rambling your tongue off and Naruto finds the courage to continue.

��I need to know who that last one is. Ya know, I have a gut feeling it’s who I think it is, but you can’t send a letter like “so yeah, I think you’re my soulmate,” can you.” He laughs and Iruka resists messing up his hair. He loses the battle, and ruffles the blonde locks as he laughs.

“I was making dinner, would you like some-” he turns to the kitchen to find his miso over boiled and very unappetizing. “Nevermind” he says, and Naruto makes a comment that he’s just as bad as Kakashi-sensei. He scoffs at that. Kakashi would have at least finished the task before getting caught up in Naruto’s loud presence.

“Well, ok,” Iruka starts and looks at the boy. Really looks. This child has endured so much loneliness and here he is, brimming with so much love and acceptance towards the world that had wronged him. He kinda tears up thinking about it.

“Ichiraku’s, eat all you want, my treat.” he says, rubbing his eyes with his arm.

“Ah! Iruka-nii, don’t cry!” Naruto panics, waving around unsure how to console him

“But I love you so much and am so happy for you!” he chokes out a sob.

Naruto settles for a hug is the best medicine, and embraces him “thanks dad,” he says softly, and honestly, it just sets off more tears.

As they walk out the door, Iruka notes to give Kakashi a new report on soulmates, how they don’t just tie two people together.

_________________________________________________

There’s a loud knock on the front door, and before he can get up to answer it, Naruto barges in loudly announcing his arrival, and oh, there’s Sakura chastising him.

“Kakashi-sensei!” the boy sings and Kakashi sighs, resigns himself to a not quiet night, and gets up.

“And what do I owe the pleasure?” he drolls as he enters the main room.

His students grin cheekily, “we came for some tea.” And Kakashi just shakes his head as he saunters off to prepare a pot.

Minutes later, they’re all seated and drinking their fresh tea, Kakashi is exhausted of the small talk, and asks why they really came to visit him at nine in the evening.

He’s greeted with silence, but it’s not too heavy and he thinks if he tried enough, he could hear them conspire together in their heads, some sort of telepathy they had going on, he’s tired of it and knows this isn’t a social call. They’re up to something and he’s on edge for it.

“We’re soulmates,” they say in unison.

Oh.

Okay.

Well he wasn’t, in any life time, prepared for that announcement. He knew Naruto was going to tell him he and Hinata were getting married, it was as if they were wearing shirts that said they were married the whole time they were together. But this, this was all to new. Too foreign for his tastes.

And what about Hinata, Naruto had just married the girl not just a couple weeks ago -

“Not just with each other!” Sakura quickly adds when Kakashi doesn’t make any sort of apparent acknowledgement. “With other people too.”

Well that’s something none of his reports mentioned.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m also with Hinata and two other people who live outta the village.” Naruto counts off his fingers. He suddenly pales and starts mumbling something about his worries about Hinata when the red strings started showing up.

Kakashi waves him off. Nonsense. He turns to face Sakura, “and yourself?”

He must have used too much hokage magic, because she straightens like a whip and nods, “I have Ino and someone else outside as well.”

“Do you think…” he starts, wants to finish his sentence, wants to ask if they think Sasuke is their soulmate outside the walls.

Naruto’s musings silent to hear the unspoken question and Sakura bites her lip.

“Yes.” They say, with a confident nod.

He lets out a sigh he doesn’t know he was holding.

“Well, you’re here now. Do you want something to eat? I just made some miso with eggplant.”

Naruto barks out a laugh to that for some reason, nothing about what he just said was funny. So they opt to ignore his sudden giggle fits.

“I’m good thanks,” Sakura smiles, “Ino and I just had dinner.”

“Same, but Iruka treated me to ramen.” Naruto manages between a shit eating grin, “It was all I could eat.”

Iruka. He was told first. Kakashi figures he’s jealous. The last to learn. He’d like it more if he were first on the list, or if they were told at the same time. Yes, together, it wouldn’t be fair to the other man if he wasn’t informed first. He after all was there for Naruto first.

“You’re gonna eat that man out of house and home,” Sakura scolds her soulmate and Kakashi just smiles to that.

The rest of the night they share stories and Naruto recalls Haku and Zabuza, and wonders if they were tied by a red string as well.

When they’re putting their shoes on, Naruto is laughing about how when he told Iruka, the man forgot to turn off the stove so he had ruined his eggplant miso.

Kakashi decides that yeah, that is pretty funny and chuckles.

He sees them off and faces the rest of the night tossing between what-ifs and why-nots.

_______________

Iruka’s supervising the playground during lunch, keeping an eye out for hidden weapons and trips that hurt too much for small children, when he feels a familiar presence stroll up besides him.

“Good afternoon Kakashi-san,” Iruka greets, taking a moment to turn away from the swarm of untrained ninja, to dip a little bow.

“‘Afternoon to you too, sensei,” Kakashi watches with amusement as his hair bobs and doesn’t blink as Iruka deflects a stray kunai heading towards his face. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Iruka’s cheeks burn up to that. He can’t say “it’s automatic around pre-genin,” or “it’s my duty,” or even “can’t have a pre-genin arrested for assaulting the hokage, can we,” because the man will be insufferable with any of those responses, and there’s only twenty minutes left to lunch and getting into a row with the rokudaime isn’t on his itinerary for the day.

So he settles for small talk instead, “And what brings our hokage to the academy on such a fine day?” he asks just loud enough for the children closest to hear.

Kakashi picks up at the loudness of the question, too loud for a quiet conversation between adults and he visibly winces when a child screams a greeting.

Kakashi sends him a look. Iruka takes pleasure in the look of pure disdain captured in his fish like gaze.

Children crowd around Kakashi’s feet, jumping for questions from the coolest ninja in the village - who isn’t Naruto. Iruka tosses him such a smug look and all Kakashi wants to do wipe it off his face. Honestly, he thinks he’s handling it pretty well. He hasn’t left yet, that’s a very good sign.

“Naruto found his soulmates” Iruka chirps.

“I heard.” Kakashi nods as he lets a young Inuzaka hang off his arms, “Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke, right.” Naruto and Sakura had told him just the other night.

“Don’t forget the kazekage,” Iruka supplies.

That’s news to Kakashi. But it makes sense. The brat had just taken a mission to Suna, sneaky devil, he was using it at an excuse to get out of the village to follow the string.

“My bad, I’m still shocked about it.”

The man laughs and it sends a jolt of electricity and warms feelings straight to his heart.

“Naruto only told me last night, he sent a frog to deliver the letter.” Kakashi doesn’t pout under his mask. Wasn’t he at Naruto’s wedding to Hinata as a father figure? Rude not to share his news.

Iruka must have a bloodline limit that can see past fabric or into his mind, because Kakashi is sure there’s no trace of emotion on his face, but the teacher tells him not to worry.

“Naruto knows you’re ‘super busy’ with hokage stuff. He said to tell you if I saw you before he got back.”

Well, that was considerate. “The mission said it would be a month long excursion.”

Iruka shrugs, “being a kage is busy work and he’s sure there’s no time for social visits.”

“We meet every week for shogi. And we have tea at three almost every day. You’re on the board as Head Academy Administrator,” Kakashi lists, raising a brow.

Iruka shrugs, “Naruto doesn’t know how we live our lives, just the big parts. That I train pre-genin and that you run the village nin. That we both love him as if he were our own son.”

Kakashi is sure that last part isn’t meant for their nine year old audience. He’s sure that statement is for tea time, just before Iruka goes home for the night and leaves Kakashi tossing in bed, trapped in that thought and it’s implications.

He’s read too much Icha Icha he decides as the man quarrels the children out from under Kakashi’s feet. But he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t mind any of what that statement implies.

______________________________________________

One summer's day, Kakashi finds himself neglecting the towering pile of paperwork on his desk in favour of rereading his (current) favourite Icha Icha novel. It's the one with the young medic nin that saves the life of a mysterious masked stranger who turns out to be on the enemy forces. They disregard their warring factions and find themselves falling in love. He's not sure why he loves this particular volume so much; if it's because they're a homosexual couple, or the strange likeness the young ninja has with a friend of his, it's uncertain.

He's reading the part where the two ninja cross into no man's land and are finding out what two men in a single bed roll are capable of when there's a light squeeze, a burning sensation, a tingle, around his pinky. He pays it no mind but then the realization hits him like a bucket of cold water. Peeking out from behind the pages, he checks over his little finger and sure as he's alive, there it is, the red thread.

His stomach drops and he might just throw up: it can't be real. What did he do to deserve this.

But there's hope he thinks. He feels it in his stomach, a pang, a surge of hope that makes him feel just a little woozy.

There’s a knock at the door and before they can announce themselves, he's gone.

He appears a few feet from the academy and his thread is heading directly for it. His throat tightens and he follows, feeling as if he’s running.

It's late in the day, the only teachers left at the school now should be the workaholics - and he banks on that fact, prays to what god's remain, that the soul at the end of this string is who he thinks it is. He doesn’t know what he’d do if it isn’t who he thinks it to be. Can’t see himself with any other probability, maybe Gai, but the man had found that his own string went out of the country and requested Lee to assist him in following it. They wouldn’t be back for at least another week. He holds his breath as he passes through the entrance to the school.

He finds himself chanting “last door on the left, last door on the left, last door on the left” as he leisurely strolls through the corridors of the school, and he has to bite his tongue to chastise, to calm himself. No use in getting his hopes up so high.

He sees the thread pass through the last door on the left and in that moment, he's suddenly through the door and there is Iruka, caught up in grading papers, the man hasn't noticed the searing pain emanating through his pinky finger, let alone the deep red thread tying them together.  

He opens his mouth to greet Kakashi and he feels like he's drowning. He needs to leave. Get some air. To breathe. He vanishes.

______________________________________________

“And what brings the hokage to my classroom on this beautiful day?” Iruka grins, not glancing up from the bad grammar on a pop quiz about the practicality of using jutsu to clean. He expects Kakashi to sit on a desk, most likely his own, and state that it isn’t a beautiful day because he’s having such and such issue, just to keep himself entertained while Iruka struggles to send him away with new injuries.

He’s scribbling notes on his paper for a few moments before he looks up to find out why Kakashi hasn’t spoken yet.

Iruka finds nothing but an empty classroom and silence. Strange, didn’t Kakashi just walk in? He could have sworn the man was just here.

There’s a burning squeeze around hs pinky and he laughs, “Oh,” following the red string trail out of the classroom and into the corridor, “I didn’t notice.”

He has a sneaking suspicion that the hokage wasn’t here for a social call. And that thought leaves him feeling a little bit bitter. What a coward his soulmate is sometimes. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck, wearily looking over the work he knows he won’t get done now. Now he has to track down a ninja and lecture them about how running away from battles isn’t beneficial for warriors. And maybe smack them upside the head. And just maybe kiss them. Just maybe, and he doesn’t fight the smile that breaks over his face as he throws his papers into his bag and races out the door to track down the stupid ninja.

He doesn’t find him for four days. The man is evading his every step and all Iruka wants to do is scream from atop hokage mountain, bellowing out to the entire populace that his soul mate the Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi is stupid and he wishes the man’s Icha Icha collection burn.

But that's ridiculous. He can't do that. He's a grown man not a young hot blooded boy.

So he settles for pranks. He rigs the places Kakashi will be with eraser chalk bombs, spreads wasabi down the kettle’s spout, replaces every Icha Icha volume he’s hidden in the office with a dictionary with bookmarks on the words he feels are fitting. His favourite being the one hidden in the palm tree, where he has noted the words you, piece, of and shit. He can only hope Kakashi gets tired of their game, because Iruka is sure he can continue making up ways to torment his soulmate, the thorn in his side.

So he's taking a shift at the mission room, smiling at the busy ninja as they pass by, pointing out flaws in mission reports, and generally being all too happy for anyone to be comfortable around.

“Did you find your soulmate?” Genma asks.

“Who knows,” Iruka shrugs still chipper.

“Who indeed,” Iruka turns and there's Kakashi.

Took him long enough, Iruka thinks, ten days and eleven hours. Not that he’s counting.

“Iruka,” Kakashi greets him at the mission desk, and Iruka gives him a pointed look, something he hopes carries his pure unamusement. Kakashi seems to grimace. Iruka takes this as a success.

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka nods and watches Kakashi recoil at the honorific. Good, he thinks, he’s feeling bad about his actions.

“I’d like to talk to you,” Kakashi nods, and Iruka smiles too sweetly.

Kakashi, the man at the other end of his thread, which he can clearly see, with the man standing right in front of him, his soulmate, has been avoiding him for far too long. Iruka is tired of it, but he’s too stubborn to fall at the man’s feet after all this time he’s been running away from him. He can run away too.

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t have the time for a chat today. Maybe some other time?” He’s playing the game correctly, dodging and avoiding the other player, never bringing up the obvious burning sensation emanating from the pinky finger that ties them together. He makes an awkward laugh as he scratches the back of his neck, completing the act.

“Now,” Kakashi’s says, his voice a little too desperate for Iruka’s comfort, his eyes a little too dark and his posture just too stiff. It leaves Iruka speechless.

But not for too long as Iruka goes to remedy it, say that he can maybe make some time later today, but as soon as he suggests it, his attention is called for and he’s being dragged away from the hokage and the mission desk and into some archive to help look for a scroll he could care less about.

He thinks he made the wrong move.

Several hours later, he trudges back to his apartment, sporting new paper cuts and a stiff back and a terrible mood. Who knew searching for scrolls could take so much out of a man..

Shuffling off his shoes, he realises he’s not alone and sighs. He could use a bath, not this conversation.

“Kakashi, how long have you been waiting?” He turns on the stove to boil of a pot of water. He’s going to need some tea for this. He doesn’t think he’ll share.

“Not long,” the man says from behind him. Oh, I thought he was still on the couch.

He turns to Kakashi. “Not long? That could mean anything from seven hours to five seconds with you-”

His lecture is cut short when the man collapses his weight onto Iruka, hugging him with his nose digging into his shoulder just a little too hard, and his nails pinching into his skin. It’s too uncomfortable and too desperate for Iruka.

“Ten days, seventeen hours, thirty one minutes and eight seconds.”

“Kakashi, that’s too long.”

“I know,” he nuzzles his face into Iruka’s neck and Iruka laughs.

“Also, I don’t think you were waiting all this time. I think you’ve been running.”

“No.” Kakashi mumbles, “I’ve been busy.”

“Kakashi,” Iruka sighs. “You’ve been busy avoiding me. I know, I saw you jump out a window when you saw me coming, you had a messenger hawk tell me our shogi match was cancelled, and had all they keys changed so that I couldn’t visit for tea or anything else. Multiple times.

I just want to know why.”

Kakashi tries to hide away into Iruka’s neck.

“Kakashi.”

More silence.

“Hokage-sama, I swear to the gods,” Iruka starts and never finishes the thought because a pair of lips crash into his, it’s messy and hurts, but it’s better than no response.

“I was scared,” he confesses when they break.

Iruka bites his tongue not to laugh at that, but it’s a vain attempt because a chuckle bubbles out of his mouth and his smile feels too wide to be nonchalant. The look Kakashi gives him is more than enough proof.

“It’s not funny-” Kakashi starts only to be silenced with a quick kiss from Iruka.

It’s softer and warm, and is too short for any one man to fully enjoy.

“I’m scared too.” He begins, cupping his hands alongside Kakashi’s face, smiling so much his face aches, “probably not as much as you are, of course, what with your life experiences and all,” he pout he receives for that makes him chuckle, “Kakashi, I’m not going to turn you away. I probably would have done that by now, don’t you think. Sometime around when you had the kids apply for the chunin exams, I was so angry with you for that, I mean Naruto was, is, like my only family in the world. What if he had died. You know what I mean? Just keeled over, I mean he wasn’t very smart and here you had him face off more intelligent and smarter nin! Like the future kazekage! Remember how dangerous he was back then?”

“The kazekage is still dangerous.” “Not what I mean, I mean Naruto almosted died. Could have died, and I was so pissed at you for even considering it. But! I got over it, ‘he’s smart,’ I said, ‘Konohana’s Great Copy Nin knows what he’s doing,’ I said. So in the end, I trusted you.”

Kakashi goes silent, soaking it all in, and when he speaks it’s barely a whisper, and Iruka’s sure if he wasn’t listening for it, he’d miss it.

“Do you still trust me?”

“Kakashi, I trust you with running a village. You are sitting in a chair, dictating how we live our lives, and I trust every command you make. Every decision you make. Everything you say, I will trust.”

“That’s not good, what if there was an imposter sitting in that chair, doing all of those things. You’d blindly follow them?”

“Kakashi,” Iruka waves his pinky that’s tied to Kakashi’s, “I’m your soulmate. I know you.”

Kakashi scoffs at that, wrapping his own pinky around Iruka’s, “you don’t have to know someone to be their soul mate.”

“I’ve known you for years, I’ve eaten ramen with you, we went on a picnic once under the guise of a mission after Sasuke left, with Naruto and Sakura. When Naruto left, we started having tea together almost every week.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Kakashi states.

“Kakashi it means I know your habits and your preferences and your idle conversation starters. What you like eating, what colours you like to see, what makes you upset, what makes you happy. What makes you tick. I’d know an imposter the moment they walk, if I didn’t have proof of where you were all the time on my person.”

Kakashi hums to that, and settles to rest his head on Iruka’s shoulder.

They stay like that for a few moments, just comfortable in each other’s embrace, enjoying their company when Iruka thinks of a funny joke and has to share.

“If nothing else assures you, oh great hokage, that this isn’t for naught, remember I’ve seen your face. That I’m looking at it right now.” he says in a light tone.

“That just means I like you.”

Iruka blanks at that.

“A lot, I must confess.”

Iruka is too stunned for words. He had an inkling of an idea, that their relationship was just a tad less strictly platonic than it would have been with someone like Gai, but hadn’t really thought about it after he learned that Kakashi had dated the man when they were teenagers.

“I was terrified to find anyone other than you. And now that it’s confirmed that you’re, here, I’m terrified anyway.”

“Kakashi, you have to confess before the first kiss,” Iruka manages, “didn’t Icha Icha teach you better than that.”

“Oh teacher, Icha Icha never had any confessions for love before the sexual encounters. Unless of course you’d have prefered that, which, I myself am not all that hot about, as I don’t think I enjoy sex at all in actuality.”

“That’s fine Kakashi,” Iruka says, smoothing the man’s hair, “a good relationship doesn’t revolve around sex, you know.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

And everything feels calm as they make idle conversation about their days spent away from another. They’re like that for hours, sitting on the tiled floor of the kitchen, wrapped in another’s arms, comfortable in silence and in complaints about how the previous ten days went. Iruka figures it to be love.

“How do you suppose we tell the kids,” Iruka asks as the morning sun peeks through the curtains, his head lying against Kakashi’s stomach.

“We don’t.” Kakashi says flatly.

“Kakashi,” Iruka lightly smacks the man’s chest.

“I don’t want to deal with that,” he says rolling to his side, throwing Iruka’s head off him, “it’ll be horrible.”

“It won’t be that bad, It’s not like they’ll react too horribly.” Iruka sighs, getting up off the floor to start at breakfast.

“Naruto still calls me a pervert and he thinks of you as his father. He’ll hate it.”

“Well I guess.”

“You don’t guess, you know. That brat will be awful about it.” Kakashi gets the eggs out of the fridge, helping Iruka prep their meal.

Iruka thanks him as he takes the carton, “We’ll make it work.”

[brittanyyoungblog]

74 Break Up Lyrics for Your Saddest and Strongest Moments

Breakups can do something odd to you. Even though they’re a common enough occurrence and most, if not all, of us have experienced multiple breakups in our lifetime, each one feels new and different. If, like Tostoy says, happy families are all alike and every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, then perhaps all happy couples are alike and every unhappy couple is unhappy in their own way.

This is why every breakup feels so different. Because they are. During some you may feel elated and free, others may leave you feeling lost and untethered, while others leave you feeling a sort of grief—a loss for what you had and what was. And when you’re feeling this way it often helps to hear of other’s experiences and to see your pain and feelings (even if it’s just confusing) reflected in their words.

To help you through your breakup and to give you some words you can relate to, we compiled a list of over 70 breakup lyrics from various breakup songs. From the bittersweet and reflective to strong and generous, you’ll find a variety of lyrics from different artists to help you get through your own breakup. And hopefully move on to something stronger.

I don’t know why I cry But I think it’s ’cause I remembered for the first time Since I hated you That I used to love you – Used to Love You, Gwen Stefani

I keep letting you back in How can I explain myself? As painful as this thing has been I just can’t be with no one else. – Ex Factor, Lauren Hill

Didn’t I make you feel Like you were the only man? Didn’t I give you everything A woman possibly can? Honey, you know I did. – Piece of My Heart, Janis Joplin

Oh, you made me want you You made me need you You made me tumble and fall But if I can’t have you The way I want you I don’t want you at all. – That’s It, I Quit, I’m Moving On, Sam Cooke

Every second I’m with you I get increasingly sick and I stop thinking quick And I act like a dick, like a dick, like a dick And all the money I spend is my money again I’ll understand what is said when I’m out with my friends And at the end of the night Baby, I’m’a gon’ drive ’em home – I Don’t Love You Anymore, Bomb the Music Industry!

He called me baby, baby All night long. Lord, I feel so empty Since he’s been gone. Now I lie here and I die here Until the dawn. I miss my baby, baby, baby All night long. – He Called Me Baby, Candi Stanton

Dude I’m so over you You don’t even have a clue All you did was make me blue You didn’t even make me, come on! – Come On, Lucinda Williams

Now baby girl have dumped me She no longer wants me I’m no longer hired She says that I’ve been fired On to the next one More fish in the sea Girls are like buses Miss one, Next 15 one comin’ – Break Up, Mario

I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind You could have done better but I don’t mind You just kinda wasted my precious time But don’t think twice, it’s all right – Don’t Think Twice, Bob Dylan

One taught me love One taught me patience And one taught me pain Now, I’m so amazing – thank u, next, Ariana Grande

If only there could be Another way to do this ‘Cause it feels like murder To put your heart through this I know I always said That I could never hurt you Well, this is the very, very last time I’m ever going to – Eventually, Tame Impala

It was hard to love a man like you Goodbye was half the words you knew While you was waiting for me not to call I sent my love, I sent my love. – Hard to Love a Man, Magnolia Electric Co.

There’s been some things that I wanted to say a long time Never have I spent a day without you on my mind And I’ve tried a lotta songs and I need to try one that’s new But I don’t have anymore love songs to try on you. – (I Don’t Have) Anymore Love Songs, Hank Williams, Jr.

Watch the steps Get a drink, have a good time now Welcome to paradise, paradise, paradise Since I left you I found the world so new – Since I Left You, The Avalanches

I’m sorry for honesty, I could not bear To lie to you To lie with you I’m sorry for honesty, I’m well aware I lie to you When I lie with you You Don’t do it for me anymore – You Don’t Do It for Me Anymore, Demi Lovato

Goodbye my lover. Goodbye my friend. You have been the one. You have been the one for me. – Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt

You want to jump and dance, but you sat on your hands And lost your only chance Go back to your hometown, get your feet on the ground And stop floating around – Gone for Good, The Shins

Since he left my life’s so empty Though I try to forget it just can’t be done Each time the doorbell rings I still run. – One Less Bell to Answer, The 5th Dimension

I follow you down until the sound Of my voice will haunt you (Give me just a chance) You’ll never get away from the sound Of the woman who loves you (Was I just a fool) – Silver Springs, Fleetwood Mac

After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that I hold resentment for you But uh uh, oh no, you’re wrong ‘Cause if it wasn’t for all that you tried to do, I wouldn’t know Just how capable I am to pull through So I want to say thank you – Fighter, Christina Aguilera

This is the last song that I write while still in love with you This is the last song that I write while you’re even on my mind ’cause it’s time to leave those feelings behind. – Blue Skies, Noah and the Whale

The scars of your love remind me of us They keep me thinking that we almost had it all. The scars of your love they leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling, we could have had it all. – Rolling in the Deep, Adele

You don’t wanna give and you don’t wanna know how If you were gonna change things, you would’ve by now When were you around? Where were you at? Trying not think about it, baby Running up and down the stairs ‘Til there’s nothing left between us but what we won’t say Walking away, walking away, walking away – Walking Away, HAIM

(I gotta shake you off) ‘Cause the loving ain’t the same and you keep on playing games Like you know I’m here to stay (I gotta shake, shake you off) – Shake It Off, Mariah Carey

I wanna hear your band; I wanna give it advice; I wanna meet your girlfriend, she sounds nice; I wanna take you home; I wanna feel my age; I wanna freak you out on a different stage; I wanna show my teeth; I wanna keep you fed; I wanna get you drunk and let it go to your head So I guess this means we can’t be friends. – We Can’t Be Friends, Loren Scafaria

Before this river Becomes an ocean Before you throw my heart back on the floor Oh baby I reconsider My foolish notion Well I need someone to hold me But I wait for something more Yes I’ve gotta have faith – Faith, George Michael

And every time I’ve held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon I suppose – And So It Goes, Billie Joel

Have a seat, have a drink, tell the jury what you think Was I good to you? Was it hell, was it fun, did you think I was the one Was I glued to you? Now that I found someone who makes me wanna live Does that make my leaving harder to forgive? – How to Forget, Jason Isbell

I would rather, I would rather go blind boy Than to see you, walk away from me child. So you see, I love you so much That I don’t want to watch you leave me baby. Most of all, I just don’t, I just don’t want to be free. – I’d Rather Go Blind, Etta James

Show me something, all or nothing You keep on changing your mind I can’t chase it, I can’t take it Only a matter of time ‘Til you’re crawling on your knees Begging pretty please You think it’s funny keeping me wanting And that’s why (I really fucking hate you) – Hate You, Kate Nash

Please don’t say you love me Leave me, don’t fuck with my mind Try to understand like you’re a good friend of mine Cause I’m doing fine, yes I am I’m doing… – Doin Fine, The Heavy

Sometimes I cry so hard from pleading So sick and tired of all the needless beating But baby when they knock you Down and out It’s where you oughta stay – I Don’t Love You, My Chemical Romance

Sunshine, blue skies, please go away A girl has found another and gone away With her went my future, my life is filled with gloom So day after day I stay locked up in my room I know to you, it might sound strange But I wish it would rain. – I Wish It Would Rain, The Temptations

In my life Why do I give valuable time To people who don’t care if I live or die? – Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, The Smiths

Now I’m feeling how I should, never knew single could feel this good, oh Stop playing miss understood, back in the game, who knew I would, oh So flex how I spread my wings, loving myself makes me wanna sing, oh Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah – Ridin’ Solo, Jason Derulo

As I walk this land with broken dreams I have visions of many things But happiness is just an illusion Filled with sadness and confusion. – What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, Jimmy Ruffin

Now oh so easily you’re over me Gone is love It’s me that ought to be moving on You’re not adorable I want something unignorable – Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tings

Ever since I met you my life’s been a song A sad song, a love song with hate in between – Sound of Your Memory, Willie and Lukas Nelson

Oh, how am I gonna get over you? I’ll be alright, just not tonight Someday, hey oh, I wish you’d want me to stay I’ll be alright, just not tonight – Gonna Get Over You, Sara Bareilles

Loving you Isn’t the right thing to do How can I ever change things That I feel If I could Maybe I’d give you my world How can I When you won’t take it from me – Go Your Own Way, Fleetwood Mac

But If you loved me Why did you leave me Take my body Take my body All I want is All I need is To find somebody I’ll find somebody – All I Want, Kodaline

No more I love you’s The language is leaving me No more I love you’s The language is leaving me in silence No more I love you’s Changes are shifting Outside the words – No More “I Love You’s”, Annie Lennox

There’s a scar on my soul So let me down easy Break my heat sweetly Like you always do. – Break My Heart Sweetly, John Moreland

Drowning in my coffee To wash the alcohol Out my bloodstream Sitting here I wonder If we hadn’t been at all Who would I be? – Getting Over You, Lauv

I was all right for awhile I could smile for awhile But I saw you last night You held my hand so tight As you stopped to say, Hello – Crying, Roy Orbison

Cut the cord Is that a man I once adored? He’s nothing but an albatross No great loss Doublecrosser – Forget About the Boy, from Thoroughly Modern Millie

And you got away, didn’t you babe, You just turned your back on the crowd You got away, I never once heard you say, I need you, I don’t need you I need you, I don’t need you And all of that jiving around – Chelsea Hotel #2, Leonard Cohen

Sometimes I wake up crying at night And sometimes I scream out your name What right does she have to take you away When for so long you were mine – You Were Mine, Dixie Chicks

Why she had to go I don’t know she wouldn’t say I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday. – Yesterday, The Beatles

Don’t call me up I’m going out tonight Feeling good now you’re outta my life Don’t wanna talk about us Gotta leave it behind One drink and you’re outta my mind – Don’t Call Me Up, Mabel

You want me to act like we’ve never kissed You want me to forget Pretend we’ve never met. And I’ve tried and I’ve tried But I haven’t yet. – I Fall to Pieces, Patsy Cline

The judges will decide The likes of me abide Spectators of the show Always staying low The game is on again A lover or a friend A big thing or a small The winner takes it all. – The Winner Takes It All, ABBA

I won’t die this way, got a broken heart ’bout ready to escape and a mouth full of bitterness I can taste it still I wonder if you hate me now – Glendale, Clans

And don’t call me up at 3 in the morning If she didn’t pick up and I’m your second choice ‘Cause I know you’re drunk, your love is a hoax And I hate the fact that I still recognize your voice – Darling Don’t, Silver

But since you been gone I can breathe for the first time I’m so moving on Yeah, yeah Thanks to you Now I get what I want Since you been gone – Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson

Feel so restless, I am, Beat my head against a pole Try to knock some sense, down in my bones. – You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory, Johnny Thunders

I remember you telling me, that you would love me and treat me tenderly. But all you’ve ever given is just plain misery. – To Hear You Say You’re Mine, Candi Staton

Well, I learned that I don’t need you And I don’t need you around ‘Cause I’ve found somebody new, somebody new I said I learned that I do not need you I don’t want you around Like I said, I’ve found somebody new – I Don’t Need You Around, Jackie Wilson

You’re on a different road, I’m in the milky way You want me down on earth, but I am up in space You’re so damn hard to please, we gotta kill this switch You’re from the 70’s, but I’m a 90’s bitch I love it, I love it – I Love It, Icona Pop

Maybe the darkness of the hour Makes me seem lonelier than I am, But over the darkness I have no power, Hope she’ll be happier with him. – Hope She’ll Be Happier, Bill Withers

Moving without you, moving without you Loving without you, loving without you Happy without you, happy without you, happy without you Better without you, better without you, better without you – Better Without You, Kelly Rowland

Now laughing friends deride Tears I cannot hide So I smile and say When a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your eyes. – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, The Platters

I hope you know, I hope you know That this has nothing to do with you It’s personal, myself and I We’ve got some straightenin’ out to do – Big Girls Don’t Cry, Fergie

I got no place left to turn I got nothin’ left to burn Don’t know if I saw you if I would kiss you or kill you It probably wouldn’t matter to you anyhow – Standing In the Doorway, Bob Dylan

It must have been love but it’s over now It must have been good but I lost it somehow – It Must Have Been Love, Roxette

If the phone doesn’t ring You’ll know that it’s me I’ll be out in the eye of the storm If the phone doesn’t ring You’ll know that I’ll be Where someone can make me feel warm It’s too bad we can’t turn And live in the past – If the Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’s Me, Jimmy Buffett

He walks away The sun goes down He takes the day, but I’m grown And in your way In this blue shade My tears dry on their own – Tears Try on Their Own, Amy Winehouse

I got it bad I think you know You’re everything, you’re beautiful But my life is fast, can’t make it slow We’re here right now Kiss me before I go, but you got to let me go – Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand, Leon Bridges

When I’m not drinking bay, you are on my mind. When I’m not sleeping you know you’ll find me crying. – Lover You Should’ve Come Over, Jackson C. Frank

And I’m done hoping That we could work it out I’m done with how it feels, Spinning my wheels Letting you drag my heart around And, oh, I’m done thinking You could ever change I know my heart will never be the same But I’m telling myself I’ll be okay Even on my weakest days I get a little bit stronger – A Little Bit Stronger, Sara Evans

And the grass it was a ticking And the sun was on the rise I never felt so wicked As when I willed our love to die And I was your silver lining as the story goes I was your silver lining but now I’m gold Hooray hooray I’m your silver lining Hooray hooray but now I’m gold – Silver Lining, Rilo Kiley

You roll out of bed and down on your knees And for a moment you can hardly breathe Wondering was she really here Is she standing in my room? No, she’s not ‘Cause she’s gone, gone, gone, gone, gone. – Dreaming with a Broken Heart, John Mayer

Who’s gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning? Who’s gonna rock you when the sun won’t let you sleep? Who’s waking up to drive you home when you’re drunk and all alone? Who’s gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning? It ain’t me – It Aint Me, Kygo and Selena Gomez

We use to kiss all night but now there’s just no use I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good? – Losing You, Solange

‘Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell I had to learn how to fight for myself And we both know all the truth I could tell I’ll just say this is “I wish you farewell” I hope you’re somewhere prayin’, prayin’ I hope your soul is changin’, changin’ I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin’ – Praying, Kesha

The post 74 Break Up Lyrics for Your Saddest and Strongest Moments appeared first on The Date Mix.

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[flavorednarry]

who do you think the album is about then ? his ex secret girlfriend ? 😂

well…. tbh, i’ve never really spared much thought on “which mysterious girl” must’ve influenced those lyrics cuz, i kinda find them relatable to my own breakup.. so for me, it has always been like- hmm.. yeah.. i get it Niall.. thank you for sharing.. hope you get to move on asap cuz you deserve so much better than this.. love you. i guess i personally dont wanna give any importance to the ‘ex’.. what’s more important is the lessons you learn from your experience and how you turn them into your strengths..

but since you’ve followed up with this ask in my inbox, i pondered over it quiet a lot.. and here’s how it went *bear with me*:

to begin with, lets rewind back to when nolo was being concieved.. niall was 22, free from the hectic 1D schedule for the first time in 5 years.. aka the first time he got a real opportunity to reflect back upon his life since that xfactor audition kicked off..

try to place yourself in his shoes and think.. you’re most likely to relish in your achievements for the first few weeks.. then you come down from your high and the reality of a normal life routine hits you.. you try to cope with it for few weeks but get extremely bored.. so you plan a long getaway trip with your friends.. you get to look at the world from a different perspective.. you enjoy it.. maybe you spot honeymooners among fellow tourists.. and wonder.. these locations are indeed so scenic.. wish i too had someone to romance with :) but, YOU DON’T have anyone! oh the woes of being single! anyways.. so here you are having a personal moment, feeling inspired and so you pen down some lyrical notes in your leather-bound book..

you try to look back into your past and think about the time when you had an active lovelife.. NOW, if i think about the known bits of his love-life, only Holly and Celine come to my mind.. sure, there were others who were rumored to be his girlfriends at various points of his 1D (aka mostly teenage) life.. but, hear me out-

CELINE is certainly not the inspiration for Flicker cuz she arrived in June 2016 and Niall started writing songs in March 2016 viz. soon after he came home from his south-east-asia trip.. and according to Niall, he was in a good song-writing phase at that time.. he wrote This Town, Flicker, Too Much To Ask during this phase..

so, let’s think about these lyrics.. he says This Town is obviously inspired by his hometown Mullingar.. and the lyrics have a duality in a sense that you can relate them to the literal town itself or to your ex/first-love.. in Niall’s case, it could easily be Holly.. their relationship was out in the open, all over the internet when they were 16 and he had just hit enormous popularity on txf as a contestant.. if you look further, you’ll find Niall himself stating on television that they mutually broke-up because they didnt wanna endure the pain that came with the long-distance relationship on account of his success at txf..

CUT TO 2016! he’s gone through and lived his popstar life for six years and is now back home, being the same down-to-earth local irish lad but without Holly this time.. the reason they decided to break-up doesnt exist anymore.. and yet, he cant have her back cuz, she’s moved on.. and graciously! he is genuinely happy for her.. they are still in touch with each other through mutual school friends, he spots her every now an then whenever he’s in Mullingar or Dublin.. and why wont he? after all, they used to hangout in the same pubs with same friends back in the day.. and there are- what? 26 pubs within one mile radius in Mullingar? *gasp* you dont say!

so yeah.. imagine him longing for that selfless-innocent love-life.. its only natural for Niall to cookup an au where he can have the same Holly back as his gf..

My heart is hopingYou’ll walk right in tonightAnd tell me there are things that you regret‘Cause if I’m being honest I ain’t over you yetThat’s all I’m askingIs it too much to ask?

He also said

Too Much To Ask

is actually what happened after

Flicker

When you lay there and you’re sleepingHear the patterns of your breathingAnd I tell you things you’ve never heard beforeAsking questions to the ceilingNever knowing what you’re thinkingI’m afraid that what we had is goneThen I think of the startAnd it echoes a sparkAnd I remember the magic electricityThen I look in my heartThere’s a light in the darkStill a flicker of hope that you first gave to meThat I wanna keepPlease don’t leavePlease don’t leave

.. so i guess this could be them thinking of breaking up and him secretly being selfish and hoping (back in 2009) for a future reunion (viz. present day 2016).. he couldnt say that out loud cuz they were so young and he probably thought he’d move on and find someone else so, better not to keep Holly hanging, right?

And now, coming to all those rumored girlfriends he’s had during 1D era.. i dont know about about all of them.. but, amy, ellie, barbara, melissa, selena are few of the names that floated around.. each of them latched on to him most likely due to his fame.. if any of them were indeed dating him seriously, none of them could probably keep up with his vivacious personality, his loyalty towards that anglo-irish friend circle, his constant on-the-road life, etc. that ultimately led to insufficient boyfriend time, which obviously none of them were okay with.. neither would you be if you were a teenager.. so none of those supposed 'girlfriends’ hold dear to niall’s ailing heart imo.. certainly not enough for him to write a break-up song about.. plus, he’s good friends with almost all of them even today (his instagram activity checks that out)..

BUT, maybe he reflected back upon these casual relationships too to look for inspiration when he hit that “bad-song-writing” phase he talks about.. maybe it was during this phase that he realised that he was looking back at his teenage love-life from an “adult” Niall Horan’s point-of-view.. maybe it was during this time that he sat along with other songwriters and bounced off ideas.. maybe it was during this phase that he decided to take a back-seat on the lyrics front and focus on writing melodies instead.. maybe it was during this time that they wrote songs like On the Loose and Mirrors. Maybe this was also the time he remembered watching House of Cards on netflix.. maybe that was when he probably flipped the title and wrote down Paper Houses in his notebook.. and then came across the note during these writing sessions and they wrote the song around it? maybe by now he was in “good” song-writing zone again and thus songs like The Tide and On My Own were born? I remember him saying they wrote On My Own in a frustrated drunken state.. there was a lot of shouting of lyrics in the studio.. they were letting out their frustration with their single-lives and lack of good inspiration i guess LOL..

Anyways, going back to speaking of “Niall Horan - the adult’s perspective”.. i guess this version of Niall was also curious to know whether Holly or any of his ex’s suffered heartbreak the way he did.. he probably wanted to include the girl’s point of view as well on his album, especially after all that venting out they did in previous songs, it’s only fair to hear out stuff about heartbreak from the other end, right? He’s a 21st century lover after all.. believes in equal opportunity.. understands that relationships and heartbreaks are a two way thing.. maybe this is when he really looked up to the talent that is Ruth Anne Cunningham.. cuz, i find it hard to believe that Niall or any man would conjure up lyrics that resonate so well with a girl’s point of view without having a female co-writer on board.. so here we are with beautifully written songs such as Seeing Blind, Fire Away, You and Me and Since We’re Alone ! Also, since we are on the topic of Niall being a gentleman, you cant ignore the lyrical play of words in Slow Hands -

“We should take this back to my place”That’s what she said right to my face

can you? Throughout the slow-hands-promo-tour he has been saying, they wanted to twist the song’s sexy vibe and have those words being said from a girl’s point-of-view..

To conclude, Niall has said in his interviews, there was certainly only one girl who he wrote songs about for his album and then there were other songs which are not derived from his personal life but are more inspired by people he is surrounded by in his day-to-day life.. some of them maybe about ex’s of his friends who share the same sentiment of breakup as he does.. we’ll probably never know their names and I personally dont think I need that bit of information.. what am i going to do about it? nothing.

If you read this thoroughly, thank you for your patience! :)