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sarahowritesostucky · 9 months

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📖"Angels Are Avian-Adjacent"

Rated: Teen

Pairing: Steve x Bucky

Tags: wing fic, avian creatures, angel Steve, veterinarian Bucky, supernatural meet-cute, fantasy au, injury and medical treatment

Summary: Unlike Bucky's regular patients, Steve was going to need a bit more reassurance than a simple belly rub or placating scritch behind the ear.

(A last minute fill to grab a B-I-N-G-O on Stucky'Verse Bingo!)

A fill for @stuckyversebingo

card: sarah-writes-stucky / sarahyellow

Square D1: "Creature: Avian"

“I … I don’t think I can do this,” Bucky stuttered, hands fluttering about nervously, hovering over one of the massive wings and then pulling away again, too freaked out to touch him. “You’re hurt. Y-you need a doctor.”

“You’re a doctor.”

“I’m a veterinarian!”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Steve said, voice coming out strained due to the pain he was in, “but don’t you still receive a fair degree of medical training for that?”

“For animals!” Bucky blustered. “N-not, not humans! And certainly not for … whatever the heck you are!”

Steve huffed in frustration. “I told you, I’m an—”

“An angel. Yeah, you said that.” Bucky still didn’t want to believe it, even though the proof was in the pudding, and the pudding was currently lying face down on his clinic’s exam table—all two hundred pound, six foot tall, approximately twelve foot wingspan of it. Bucky laughed slightly hysterically. “This is insane!”

“Be that as it may, this actually hurts like a motherfucker, so if you don’t mind, isn’t there something you could give me?” Steve grit out. Bucky hesitated, until the creature turned to face him, a wince taking over his—sweaty and visibly pained, but also admittedly angelic—features. “Please?” he breathed, fear and pleading in his eyes. “I can’t go to a regular hospital. Please. You understand, don’t you?”

Bucky nodded after a beat. “Yeah,” he whispered, though he really didn’t understand a fucking thing at all. “O-okay.” He swallowed nervously and looked around, trying to gather his wits. “Um, do - do you know how meds affect you?”

Steve shook his head and tried to shrug, but when his shoulders moved his wings did too, and he gasped sharply, his pearly white teeth bared in a pained snarl—though far prettier than any made by Bucky’s usual patients. “I don’t know,” he said tightly, voice clipped from the pain of trying to hold himself still. “I’ve never needed medicine. I don’t usually get sick. or hurt.”

Bucky made a dubious face. “O-kaay … well ... how much do you weigh?”

Steve gave him his best guess, and Bucky decided that he probably wouldn’t kill a roughly two hundred-twenty pound, avian-adjacent humanoid creature with a conservative amount of ketamine. Despite the wings he had sprouting out of his back, Steve did still appear to be mammalian in nature. The guy had nipples, leastways.

“Okay,” Bucky said, sighing as he pulled out his phone. “Hang on for a sec.”

“What are you doing?”

His lips twisted as he started typing. “You’re just a tad heavier than my usual patients, bud. I’m consulting Dr. Google for your dosage conversion.”

After navigating past a slew of search results promoting crisis hotlines and addiction recovery centers, he was able to find the information he needed to calculate how much of the drug to give Steve. “Okay,” he breathed, still wildly nervous and freaked out over what was going on. He went and prepared an injection of the medication and came back to prep the angel’s arm with a tourniquet and alcohol swab. Steve didn’t make a peep when the needle went in, and a minute later, his body was visibly relaxing from the sudden relief of pain.

“Oh,” he breathed, blond eyelashes fluttering against his pretty cheeks. “Oh, thank you. That’s … that’s much better.”

Not knowing where to touch him, Bucky tentatively patted the angel’s hair. “You’re welcome,” he said, eyes sliding down to the injured wing. There was a shard of metal wedged up between the secondary convert and marginal convert feathers, the blood that stained their white color indicating that whatever the object was, it’d likely pierced Steve in the humeral portion of his … his wing.

Bucky licked his lips and moved his hands down Steve’s back, hovering, afraid to touch something so foreign. “Um, okay,” he hedged. “There’s some sort of shrapnel. I can see where it is, but I need to get a better look at the point of entry. Can you …” (Jesus, what the everloving fuck was he even doing?) “Um, can you move your wing at all?” He gingerly touched the coracoscapular joint, watching as Steve worked up the nerve to give a tentative movement. He hissed at the motion, but was able to slowly unfold his left wing out from his back. “Good,” Bucky praised, gloved hands gently guiding him. “Okay, easy. Good, right there. That’s good enough.”

Steve stopped moving, panting from the exertion, a slight sheen of sweat on his brow when he turned his head further to look at Bucky out of the corner of his eye. “How bad is it?”

“It’s not gonna be life threatening,” Bucky said after a moment of carefully moving the feathers out of the way to examine the site of penetration. “Unless you’ve got a major blood vessel in a place where birds don’t.” He inspected the injury, mentally cataloguing the supplies he was going to need to perform the extraction. “Okay,” he muttered under his breath, talking more to himself than he was to Steve. “Okay, yeah. I think this is gonna be okay. I think we can do this.”

“You can?”

Bucky’s attention shot back to Steve, who sounded very anxious. Bucky was abruptly reminded that unlike his regular patients, Steve was going to need a bit more reassurance than a simple belly rub or placating scritch behind the ear. “Yeah,” he promised, firming up his voice into something more confident and professional. “Yeah. Your anatomy is basically human, with avian anatomy in the places where I need to work."

“You operate on angels often?” Steve joked nervously.

“Nope. But I know birds, and it’s more a matter of basic principles than anything else,” Bucky reassured. “Don’t worry. I know what to do.”

Steve exhaled in relief, and Bucky didn’t feel too guilty for making a promise he wasn’t a hundred percent confident on. “Kay,” he said, turning around to go gather what he’d need for the procedure. “We’re gonna do this under a local anesthetic, so you’ll be awake. Just give me a few minutes while I get ready.”

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#stucky #fanfiction #fanfic #wingfic #wing fic #angel #angel fic #supernatural au #fantasy au #avian character #bucky barnes #steve rogers #steve rogers x bucky barnes #meet ugly #meet cute #veterinary medicine #buckyismybae

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eternal-love-song · 3 months

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A Home To Return To

It had been six months since he'd last set foot in the country and three months since he sent a letter.

Rantaro comes home, Kokichi and Kirumi are there to greet him. Unsurprisingly, they're a both a bit perturbed by how long he's been away.

[Kokichi/Rantaro/Kirumi] or [Kokichi & Rantaro & Kirumi] [Established Relationship, Post VR AU, Ambiguous Relationship, Rantaro POV, Reconciliation]

Written for @dr-rarepair-week-blog Caring for the other

It was the middle of summer when he returned. It had been six months since he'd last set foot in the country and three months since he sent a letter. He felt a little bad about that, honestly. He always forgot to write when he got a good lead and was pretty bad at keeping up with the time when he was on his own.

He looked like a stranger when he walked up to the door of the large mansion. His hair had grown out a lot since he was last here, too busy to cut it and then too distracted to notice how long it had gotten until he was on the plane. He had lost half the luggage he left with, leaving him with just one large bag hefted over his shoulder holding a little more than the essentials. He was sure to get over that. Luckily he traveled light, so there weren't too many important things he could lose while traveling.

He knocked on the door, his keys being one of the many things that he had misplaced. It took a minute before anyone answered, even though he heard plenty of commotion inside. When the door finally moved, cracking open the smallest margin, all he could spot was a pink eye half hidden by long brown hair. The girl examined for a moment before saying, "We don't want any," and trying to close the door in his face.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He cried, pressing against the door to keep it from closing. "I need to get in!"

"No soliciting," she hissed, pressing more of her weight against the door to keep him out.

"I'm not a salesman," he insisted. "It's me, Rantaro!"

There was a pause before she tried to push the door twice as hard, actually managing to move him back a bit. Thinking fast he added, "I-I have a meeting!"

The girl looked up at him suspiciously, eyes narrowing. "With who?"

Rantaro quickly tried to think of what the right answer was. There were several names he could use here, but after a moment, he realized that there was only ever one correct answer. "The Supreme Leader."

The girl looked smug as she finally pulled the door open. "Took you long enough, idiot."

Rantaro just sighed as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder and walked away. He adjusted his bag and stepped into the mansion, pushed the door back closed behind him.

The mansion was as packed as it always was, people moving hurriedly from room to room, the screams of frustrated teens and hyperactive children filling the air. He waved at one of his sisters walking between rooms, a train of children holding on the back of her shirt. He looked forward to catching up with her. He still hadn't found all of his sisters yet, but he hadn't given up on looking, not yet. But first, there was someone else he needed to talk to.

He headed to the dining room, surprised to find that it was nearly empty. They must have had lunch already for it to be this empty. Luckily for him, both of the people that he needed to speak to were already there.

Kokichi slammed his hands on the table, rattling the tea set that sat before him, as he pushed himself to his feet. The chair scraped as harshly against the floor as Kokichi's glare did against Rantaro. "Look who finally decided to show up!"

Kirumi looked up from her sweeping, a small frown on her lips. She very carefully put the broom aside, leaning it against the wall and stepping around the small pile of dust that she had been gathering. Her eyes were trailing over him before she'd even reached his side. She reached out for one of his arms and then the other, brusquely checking him for injuries before dropping down to do the same quick inspection on his legs. Once she determined that he was fine, she stood back up, subjecting him to the full force of her gaze.

"You didn't write." That was all she said but the quiet chastisement hit him even harder than Kokichi's glare. He knew that Kokichi would forgive him a bit more easily than Kirumi.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

Kirumi didn't accept his apology. She walked back over to where she had left the broom, picked it up, and returned to her work as if she had never stopped.

"You have a lot of nerve to walk in here after not contacting us for weeks," Kokichi said, still glaring. Kokichi moved around the table and at first Rantaro thought that he was going to storm over the way Kirumi had, but no. All he did was take a spot in front of Kirumi, cross his arms, and glare. It took him a minute to realize that he was protecting Kirumi from Rantaro. Geez, were they really that mad.

Rantaro scratched the back of his head with a guilty laugh. "Guess I really messed up, huh?"

Kokichi's eyes narrowed. That had obviously been the wrong response. "You're lucky we don't kick you out of here!"

Rantaro smiled. Despite how mad they were at him, it still warmed his heart to see how close they had become. "You wouldn't do that," he said softly, but confidently. "A Supreme Leader never leaves anyone behind, right?"

It was something Kokichi had said many times. He used to think that it was a lie, an exaggeration at best, but in all the years that they had been together, all the years since he had joined Dice, it had remained true. Even those that chose to leave, Rantaro had seen Kokichi jump to help them when they called. Once you were a member of Dice, you were a member for life.

Rantaro could tell that his statement was very well appreciated, so he moved on to defending himself. "I didn't mean to go so long without writing," he told them. "I ran into some trouble, and…"

"And that's why you should write," Kokichi interrupted. "We can't help you if we don't even know where you are."

He sighed and looked down. "I know."

"If something were to happen to you," Kirumi said softly, not looking at him. "We would feel the same way that you do about your sisters. You know that, correct?"

Rantaro swallowed thickly. He'd been ignoring it until now, but the guilt was starting to bubble up and wrap around him now. "I know," he said softly.

Kokichi huffed and stomped over to him, reaching up to fling his forehead, something that was only possible because of how Rantaro was hanging his head. "If you know, then don't do it again, dummy. The kids were worried too."

Rantaro rubbed the sore spot on his forehead, but he figured it was probably fair compensation. "I'll try to be more careful."

Kokichi nodded, "Good." Then his face broke out into a wide grin. "Now that you're here, we can plan a welcome back dinner! We'll let the kids decide if they want to help and you'll have to eat whatever they make, no matter how gross it is. Penalty."

Rantaro sighed. He might have seen that coming. "Alright."

"But first!" Kokichi grabbed his wrist. "You just got back, so it's off to decontamination with you!"

Rantaro didn't protest as Kokichi pulled him along. He just looked back at Kirumi, disheartened to see that she didn't even look up at him.

He had been skeptical at first, when Kokichi had asked him to join Dice. He hadn't known Kokichi that well and his reputation had preceded him from what he heard of the others, but he had agreed anyway. At worst, it was a lie and at best… Well, Rantaro would be lying if he said that he hadn't missed company since his siblings disappeared.

The fact that Kirumi had been the only other person to accept Kokichi's offer had seemed strange to him at first too. If Kokichi was really as bad as everyone said he was, then he couldn't imagine someone like Kirumi taking him up on his offer. It hadn't taken long for things to become clear though. Not once Kokichi told him more about Dice.

Some things about their backstories might have been fake, Rantaro didn't actually have twelve sisters, just five, and Kirumi hadn't been prime minister, but not all of it was. Kokichi was still a leader, Kirumi still wanted to help people, and Rantaro still needed a place to come home to.

The pseudo-orphanage that was Dice was a better place than Rantaro could have made it on his own. He had provided the place, his family home was empty, both his parents kept themselves busy oversees and his sisters were scattered. He'd wanted someone to share the space with. Kokichi had provided the members, easily rounding up what was left of Dice and rallying them, helping them recover. Kirumi provided the care.

Kokichi and Kirumi were a better team than he had thought. Underneath all the lies and childishness, Kokichi was a really good leader. He stayed on top of things, he knew how to persuade people, how to help take their mind off of things that bothered them. Kirumi, meanwhile, was better at the more domestic aspects of caretaking. The cooking, the cleaning, and making sure that Kokichi didn't get in over his head. Many nights Rantaro had found them together, heads bent close, as they talked over paperwork and budgets and other logistics that weren't his forte.

Rantaro sometimes felt like he was just a third wheel to their dynamic. But then, he could do something for them both that they couldn't do for each other. He could make them rest.

Kirumi never took a break if she could help it. Even worse, she worked when she was stressed, making her cook and clean that much harder to try and feel useful to others when she didn't feel useful to herself. Sometimes she needed him to take the broom out of her hands, force her to sit down, and massage her shoulders until she was truly relaxing.

Likewise, Kokichi looked like he was goofing off most of the time, but that wasn't really true. He worked hard to take care of others, to get them what they needed, and he would let himself get hurt if it helped someone else and never say a word about it. Kokichi needed someone that he could be himself with, that he didn't have to worry so much about, someone that he could actually talk to that wouldn't judge or worry. Rantaro didn't think he had many skills, not in comparison to them, but he could listen. He could give Kokichi a reason to slow down and rest.

Thinking about it, maybe they all balanced each other out better than he thought.

Kokichi dragged him all the way to his room, kicking the door open so that he didn't have to let go of Rantaro's hand. "We're here!" Kokichi announced as he pulled him forward. He tugged the bag off of Rantaro's shoulder and pushed him toward the bathroom. "Go! Wash off the filth of travel you grimy vagabond!"

"Kokichi, you don't have to be so forceful," he said, though he didn't resist the pushing at all. "And what about my clothes?"

"Clothes are for responsible people that don't lose their luggage on every trip," he said, making Rantaro flush with embarrassment. "Yeah, don't think I didn't notice that."

Rantaro sighed, allowing himself to be pushed into the bathroom and accepting his fate when the door was slammed behind him. Kokichi was probably going to go through his bag and take inventory of what was left. He could stop him, had done so before on the occasion he came back with presents or something personal, but he didn't have anything to hide. On the contrary, he probably didn't remember most of what he was supposed to have on him as well as Kokichi did.

It wasn't worth worrying about.

Halfway through his shower he heard the door open and when he stepped out a few minutes later, there was a stack of clothes folded by the door for him. He smiled as he went to retrieve them. They weren't something he recognized, but they were his style. Were they a gift? The thought made Rantaro smile.

Kokichi was still in his room when he came out of the bathroom, eyes downcast and kicking his feet as he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked up when the door opened and smiled at Rantaro. It was smaller than the one that he'd been given earlier, less of a lie.

"Hey," Rantaro said quietly, coming to sit on the bed beside him. "I didn't think you'd wait for me."

"Well, you still have a debriefing to do," Kokichi told him. It wasn't the bombastic proclamation that he had been making before. Maybe because they were alone now, behind closed doors where the only eyes watching them were their own.

Tentatively, he put his hand on Kokichi's, wanting to see whether or not he would pull away. He didn't, but he also didn't reciprocate the affectionate gesture, so Rantaro guessed he was still in trouble.

"You can't keep doing this, you know," Kokichi said quietly.

The words made something cold go down his spine and his hand on Kokichi's held just a little tighter. He tried to keep that worry out of his voice when he responded. "Doing what?"

"Disappearing." Kokichi met his eyes when he said it. His face wasn't the blank, emotionless mask that Kokichi often liked to wear when speaking his true feelings, but it wasn't open either. Rantaro couldn't read anything beneath the neutrality.

" I can't just give up--"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Kokichi said, interrupting him. "I wouldn't ever tell you not to look for them, you know that."

He should know that. No man left behind was practically a Dice motto. Even if no one else was with him, even if no one else believed in him, hell even if Kokichi himself didn't think Rantaro could do it, he would still never try to make him stop.

But that left him even more confused. He frowned, trying to search Kokichi's face for clues and coming up empty. "Then what…"

"Did you know Kirumi cries when you're gone?"

Rantaro's eyes widened, feeling smacked in the face by such an abrupt truth. "What?"

Kokichi's neutral expression remained in place, but his voice became harder. "The last letter you sent said that you might get into trouble and then you just went dark. How do you think she felt?"

He dropped his eyes to the floor, not wanting to keep staring at that blank face. There was nothing he could say in response. An apology didn't really cut it did it? He didn't want to make promises that he might not be able to keep. He didn't know for sure that he wouldn't one day go out and get himself in over his head.

"She tried to pretend that she wasn't bothered," Kokichi went on. "She'll say that she's sure you're fine. We'd know if anything happened. But we wouldn't, would we? You would just be gone and we'd never know why. I found her crying in the kitchen, trying to scrub imaginary stains out of the tiles because it's the only thing she thinks she can do."

"Kokichi…"

"They beg us not to let you leave, you know." Kokichi's gaze was harsh when Rantaro looked up at him, the blankness breaking apart as his anger started to rise. "Your sisters are terrified that you won't come back one day."

"I will."

"You don't know that!" Kokichi yelled. pushing himself off the bed and pulling his hand from Rantaro's. "You don't know that you'll be fine. You don't know if you'll make it back to us. You get lost or trapped or, hell, maybe you'll hit your head and get amnesia, forget all about us, and we won't even know where to look for you!"

Rantaro pulled Kokichi into his arms, surprising him so much that he went silent in Rantaro's embrace. "I'll come back," Rantaro said. "I won't leave the two of you alone."

Kokichi was stiff in his arms for a long moment before the tension finally leaked out of him a bit. He placed his hand on Rantaro's head, petting him gently. "You won't," Kokichi said softly. "One day you won't come back. How will we find you if you don't even tell us where you are."

"I'm sorry." The apology slipped out even though Rantaro decided nit to let it. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse or be called insincere.

Kokichi didn't do that though. Instead, his arms came around Rantaro, as if trying to comfort him even though Kokichi was the one upset. Or… maybe they both were. Maybe Rantaro was just as upset with himself for upsetting them as they were for being upset.

"We'll always be here for you to come back," Kokichi said. "But if something happens to you, I need a way to bring you home. What kind of supreme leader would I be otherwise."

Rantaro found himself relaxing into the embrace as well. He hadn't thought that he needed reassurance. He knew that Kokichi wouldn't really kick him out, that they wanted him around. It was still comforting to hear though. Kokichi did show affection the same way most people did. He didn't say sappy phrases or make big promises. But he did mean the things he said when he finally said them. Rantaro could go anywhere, had been nearly everywhere, but knowing that he would have a home to come back to? That meant more to him than he could ever say.

"I'm going to get you chipped," Kokichi told him.

"Probably for the best," he agreed softly.

Kokichi squeezed him once, taking comfort for himself, then he let go. "You're still on the hook for Kirumi."

"I know."

This wasn't over yet. Rantaro knew that even as Kokichi pulled away and went to the door. This had to have been boiling under the surface for a while and he'd need to do a lot more to make it right than just hand out a few apologies.

With a fortifying breath, Rantaro pushed himself to his feet and went to go see Kirumi. She was no longer in the kitchen. She wasn't in her room either, when he went to look for her. It took a few minutes of hunting around before he found her in the garden. She was on her hands and knees, pulling weeds and placing them in a basket for later disposal.

She didn't look at him, so he crouched down beside her. "Hey, mind if we talk?"

"Is there something to talk about?" she asked, her tone just a little icy.

Rantaro hung his head a bit. "I don't really know how to make this up to you," he told her. Unlike Kokichi, it was better to try and be straightforward with Kirumi when he could. She didn't always like to address her own feelings so bluntly, but when it was someone else? She'd rather you just say what you want to say than dance around it.

"I don't believe that you can," Kirumi told him. She still hadn't looked at him, eyes focused on sweeping the ground for anything that didn't belong so that she could root it out. "You cannot take back what you've already done."

"I know."

"And you can never restore the peace that I lost on those nights."

Rantaro let out a heavy sigh. "You're right." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "So what can I do?"

Kirumi took a breath, finally pausing in her weeding. She turned to look at him, expression a mix between anger and sadness. "I don't know. Anything I could tell you to do, you likely wouldn't. Anything you would do, probably won't be enough."

It hurt a bit, to see the struggle so plain on her face. He'd been gone a long time, longer than his usual trips, so he shouldn't be surprised that things were harder to deal with this time. He reached to take her hand, not at all minding the dirt from her gloves getting on her hands.

"Rantaro, no, your hands…"

"They'll be fine," he assured her. "And so will we."

Kirumi looked from their joined hands to his eyes, eyes just a bit wide with hope and surprise. "Pardon?"

"We'll be okay," he said again. "It's alright that you're upset with me. I know that… I must have worried you and Kokichi a lot. I didn't mean to do that. But I never do and it happened anyway. So… yeah, something has to change, but… that change doesn't have to be something bad."

Kirumi's hand squeezed his. "I cannot forgive you so easily," she told him. "Kokichi might, but I…"

"I know," he told her. "You're not the same, I don't expect you to react the same way."

He saw her shoulders relax and marveled at the fact that he was managing to say something that could put her at ease. He was surprised that she was so worried, but also… he wasn't that surprised at all. Kirumi wore just as many masks as Kokichi, even if hers were the opposite. She liked to seem so mature and on top of things, even when she was sad or falling apart.

Rantaro moved a bit closer to her, letting her head rest close to hers. "I'm glad to be back. I missed you. You may not believe it, but I did. I always do."

Kirumi leaned her head against his, closing her eyes. "I believe you. I just wished that…"

"That what?" he questioned softly.

"I wish when you left, you would take us with you."

Rantaro pulled back to look at her, startled by the words. "What?"

"I know it's unreasonable," she hastened to say. "Someone needs to stay here to look after everyone and… and I'm sure I'd only get in your way but…"

"You wouldn't!" he said fiercely. "You could never be in the way, Kirumi."

She smiled then, the iciness melting from her a bit. "I wish one of us was there to look after you. Kokichi and I, we have each other, but you're always alone. I think about that and I…" She shook her head. "I feel selfish even missing you, when I know that you must miss us so much more. At least we aren't alone here."

Rantaro squeezed her hand tighter. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Kirumi dropped her gaze. "I just figured… that it was something you wanted to do alone. That you would have asked us if you wanted us to come. It's just… I hate watching you leave all the time when I'm never really certain that I'll see you return."

Rantaro couldn't stand to see her this way. He thought of Kokichi and that single squeeze he gave Rantaro, unwilling to ask for comfort despite wanting it. He thought of Kirumi potentially crying alone in the night all over him. He didn't want to be the reason they felt so sad.

"Kirumi, let's have dinner alone tonight, the three of us."

"But…"

"I know that Kokichi wanted us to have a big thing, but I think that can wait a day. If… if you're willing. I just want to spend time with you. With both of you. Then… we can talk."

Kirumi finally smiled. It was a little sad, but there was relief as well. "Alright," she nodded. "Just the three of us."

It might take some time, but Rantaro would make things right. If they were going to make sure he always had a home waiting for him, he was going to make sure that they knew how much he appreciated being able to come home. And maybe it was time he finally got it through his head that he wasn't as alone as he always thought.

#ELS Writing #Oumami #Tojouma #Amatojo #Rantaro Amami #Kokichi Ouma #Kirumi Tojo #Danganronpa V3 #dr rarepair week 2024 #Oumamitojo #OT3s Are My Heart #Fanfiction

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bardic-inspo · 4 months

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Unsolicited Lore Dump

Thanks to the wonderful @paganwitchisis and @pinkberrytea for the tags! This is such a fun get-to-know you game!

Do you make your bed? No and I have no shame about it because I honestly don't really see the point. I straighten the covers at night before getting in.

Favorite number? Numbers greater than 10 with 2 in it! 12, 22, 32, etc.

What's your job? I work in HR, but not in hiring/firing/performance management. I do benefits administration, specifically for a closed pension plan. This means I work with a lot of retirees and older folks. I also work on transitioning active employees into retirement, benefits for beneficiaries when someone passes away, and setting up benefits splits resulting from divorces.

If you could go back to school would you? Not full time, no. I am too burnt out to flourish in that environment. I did 18 credits + two jobs my last three or so semesters of undergrad and that fried me something awful even this far removed from it. BUT, if I could cut my work schedule in half (without a drop in income) and take 1-2 classes at a time, I certainly would. I'd like to take foreign language classes, and I've always really love social sciences courses. I have a minor in poli sci that could be cool to turn into a complete degree/major.

Can you parallel park? Decently, yes. I could with my old compact car, but I'm much better now that I have a back-up cam.

Do you think aliens are real? Yes in the sense in that the universe is vast and it seems highly unlikely we're the only life forms in it. But I don't think it's anything like movies or video games might make it out to be. I think it's also possible that lifeforms used to exist elsewhere or will someday exist elsewhere but have either gone extinct or haven't yet emerged.

Can you drive a manual car? Nope, and I don't really have interest in learning.

What's your guilty pleasure? I'm working hard to have less and less guilt about any pleasures I have. But I suppose I'd say fanfic and hyperfixating on video game characters in general. Beyond just enjoying the game itself; really deep diving and getting sucked into a character or character(s) and running through rabbit holes imagining them in all sorts of scenarios, AUs, etc.

Tattoos? Yes! I have carpe diem on one foot, and a celtic triple spiral on another, gotten at age 18 and 19 respectively. I want to get a dragon someday, and have toyed with the idea of getting a 'sister' tattoo with it of willowherb (said to be the first sort of plant that comes back after a forest fire). I've also toyed with the idea of the dragon in more of a resting position, breathing to life a little campfire.

Favorite color? Purple or blue. I also like winey colors (reds and purples)

Favorite types of music? My music taste is incredibly eclectic, but I'd broadly say pop rock or pop punk.

Do you like puzzles? Sort of! I like ones that are hard enough to make me feel smart. I get easily frustrated by things I can't figure out somewhat quickly, though. I enjoy sudoku.

Any phobias? I struggle with bugs, though I've gotten marginally better over time and can handle small spiders on my own, now. Due to a real, real rough apartment experience, I generally freak out about mice as well. I can keep my cool if they're in an enclosure like in a pet store, though I don't like looking at them there, either. I also have a recurring dream about accidentally driving off a cliff and so I get super tense and nervous driving on bridges.

Favorite childhood sport? Swimming.

Do you talk to yourself? In the car, or if I'm alone for a longer period of time. I work from home on Mondays/Fridays and find myself doing it more often those days.

What movies do you adore? Oh gosh, I honestly don't often rewatch movies, I'd generally prefer to watch something new instead. But uh, the LotR trilogy is pretty precious to me. Dune 2 was great! I liked Get Out and Nope. I remember liking Dr. Sleep a lot, too, but I only watched it once and it's sort of a blur in my memory. Recently watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time and it kind of fucked me up. I'm pretty eclectic in what I like with movies.

Coffee or tea? Black coffee. Death before decaf.

First thing you wanted to be growing up? I think maybe an author. Also a fairy godmother for a long time. I still kinda wanna be both.

No pressure tags!: @electricshoebox, @halkuonn, @snowfolly, @tragedybunny, @tallymonster,

@scrytpe, and @mutualcombat <3

#about me #tag games #megh speaks

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jjkeremika · 4 months

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all or (Formula) n(One)

chapter six - Japan Grand Prix

description: “And just like every other race this season, we are gifted with the sight of that MKA on the chassis. Yet another reminder that Jaeger will be pushing that car all the way to the checkered flag, hopefully in P1 the whole time.”

“As if the MKA wasn’t enough, Eren Jaeger receives a hug from his good luck charm and lead engineer, Mikasa Ackerman. A moment that perhaps wasn’t meant to be on camera, but caught and aired anyway.”

tags/disclaimer: ferrari driver eren jaeger x engineer/mechanic mikasa ackerman; formula one au

**Japenese Grand Prix; Race Day**

*helicopter view over the circuit.*

“Welcome to the Japanese Grand Prix! It is a beautiful day at Suzuka, with an air temperature of 20 degrees and a track temperature of 42. It’s hot track temps like this that we will see those tire strategies really coming into play.

“After a really intense qualifying yesterday we see some great changes to the top of the grid, and can only hope it’ll translate into a fantastic race today.”

*Grid lineup shows alongside the live view*

*live view pans over the pit lane as each driver gears up and gets into their cars*

“In sixth place we have Zeke Jaeger in the McLaren. Right next to him in fifth is his former teammate, Mercedes driver Jean Kirstein. In the second row we have Erwin Smith in the second McLaren, paired with his former teammate Levi Ackerman with Redbull in third.

“And in our front row, leading the grid, we have the former two-time world champion, Redbull’s Reiner Braun, in second, who was beat by three hundredths of a second by our winner from Australia, Ferrari’s Eren Jaeger, who found that pace at the very end of Q3 and won the qualifying pole position for the first time in his young career.

“In the commentary box, honored to hold the microphone for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, I’m Alex. And looking forward to commenting on this one, because it’s a race he’s done in the past, please welcome Martin.”

“It’s another favorite circuit of the drivers. 18 turns of speed and bliss, fast and flowing around the S curves and chicanes. I’m certain we will see some overtaking opportunities at turn 11. And with such tight margins between drivers—three hundredths between the front row, six hundredths between the second—it is more important than ever that these drivers establish a good start and comfortable flow.”

*live view shows Eren Jaeger chatting with Mikasa Ackerman, both in their Ferrari jumpsuits.*

“There’s Eren Jaeger. Currently second in the championship because of that DNF in Jeddah, but he brought it back with that stellar win in Australia. And he’s on the front row today for the first time in his F1 career.”

“It must be exciting, to get pole position on a track you’ve never even raced on before.”

*camera follows Eren and Mikasa while she zips his jumpsuit to the top for him as he dons the helmet sleeve*

“It is exciting, Martin, to see this dynamic duo work in tandem to produce podium-worthy results. I already strongly believe we’ll be seeing that Ferrari car putting up a fierce competition for the championship this year.”

“A competition, need I remind everyone, that two-time champion Reiner Braun hasn’t had for those two years. Though he currently has 61 points to Jaeger’s 50, that 11 point gap is still the shortest Braun’s leading margin has been in those two years.”

*Eren dons the helmet and walks over to the car. camera zooms in on the MKA signature above the driver number*

“And just like every other race this season, we are gifted with the sight of that MKA on the chassis. Yet another reminder that Jaeger will be pushing that car all the way to the checkered flag, hopefully in P1 the whole time.”

*Right before Eren gets into the car, Mikasa pulls him into a hug. He seems surprised at first but immediately reciprocates the move.*

“As if the MKA wasn’t enough, Eren Jaeger receives a hug from his good luck charm and lead engineer, Mikasa Ackerman.”

“As a former driver, Alex, it’s incredibly important to have a good relationship with your lead engineer. But to have that special of a partnership—that really is reserved for that dynamic duo right here at Ferrari.”

“A relationship and a car I’m certain many other drivers wish they had out there today. Now we are only moments away from the start of the formation lap, and therefore even closer to the start of this exciting race, with 53 laps ahead of us.”

*camera zooms out over the pit lane, shows the cars exiting the lane for the opening formation lap*

“And with the formation lap underway, we are nearing the start of this promising race. And almost immediately we have Ferrari doing a radio check as he warms up those medium tires.”

*radio noise beeps; Eren Jaeger’s radio pop-up appears on the live screen*

“Radio check, Eren,” the race engineer speaks.

*camera shows the Ferrari leading the cars along the track; the red car is swerving left and right on purpose to warm up the tires*

“Car feels good, Mika!” The voice is muffled over the helmet and the static.

*camera cuts to a close up of Mikasa with the other race engineers and team principal, with a headset watching the data monitors*

Mikasa’s cheery voice rings clearly. “Haha, do your thing and win us a podium then.”

*live view turns to driver’s view of the Ferrari car 139 as it zooms down the track*

“Whatever you say, Miks,” Eren returns affectionately.

*camera view returns to helicopter view over track. Multiple cars driving around the final corner and settling into their starting positions*

“We are mere seconds away from the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. The crowd roars with anticipation as the red lights go out, and both that front row Ferrari and Redbull have excellent starts going down that straight, into that first corner as the Japanese Grand Prix is now underway!”

*camera view of the cars as the lights go out and the cars start down the first straight.*

“Eren Jaeger gets the launch he was looking for. Kirstein had a good start with nowhere to go as Ackerman in front of him had a poor start.”

“Jaeger manages to lead the race into those first few corners with Braun close behind. Ackerman falls into fourth as Smith cuts the inside and pushes his way into third.”

*lap 3. Car 139 is exiting turn 10. Redbull is one hundredth of a second behind*

“Reiner Braun sees his opportunity as they approach turn 11 with that extra race pace of Redbull’s he manages to pull alongside that Ferrari as they go wheel to wheel into turn 11, Jaeger just barely ahead—but not for long as that rear wheel locks up around the corner and Braun leads going into turn 12.

“Jaeger tries to stay wheel to wheel as they go into turn 12 but Braun defends well and prevents the scarlet car from cutting to the inside.”

*lap 12. Redbull radio pop-up appears. Camera follows as Braun’s Redbull drives along the track*

“Box, box,” the radio blurbed.

*Camera follows as Braun heads into the pit lane.*

“An interesting move from Redbull as they bring Braun in for an early pitting. Especially with Jaeger so close behind.”

“It’s a protective strategy from Redbull, Alex, as they are switching onto the hard tires meanwhile Ferrari hasn’t even pitted yet.”

*Camera shows the pit lane exit and final straight. The scarlet Ferrari turns the final corner and sets down the straight.*

“With a 2.3 second pit stop, Braun is now making his way to the exit—but he doesn’t make it in time as Jaeger speeds right on down that straight into turn one before Braun can even join the track again!”

“And we are back to Ferrari leading this race!”

“Just look at the way Jaeger is expertly handling those s-curves and increasing that time and distance to the Redbull.”

*lap 20. Ferrari radio pops up.*

“Box, Eren, box.”

*camera follows Jaeger as he enters the pit lane.*

“Jaeger enters the pit lane. Ferrari bringing out the hard compact tires for the main part of the race. And he comes back out just barely in front of Braun in that Redbull.”

“Reiner tries to go around the outside as Jaeger cuts to the inner corner but that Redbull is breathing in dirty air and stays in second position.”

*lap 40.*

“Jaeger stays as the race leader and sets the new fastest lap record as he continues to race around the track, and—oh! Down in the fight for third we have Kirstein fighting Ackerman.”

*camera cuts to Redbull Levi Ackerman and Mercedes Jean Kirstein as they go wheel to wheel around the corner*

“We are seeing Levi Ackerman and Jean Kirstein go wheel to wheel as Jean tries to go around the outside at turn 15–not a conventional overtaking place but when you’re Mercedes you’ll take any opportunity you can get.”

“The Mercedes driver is doing a great job keeping up with that Redbull around the corners and sticking wheel to wheel into the next corner. Can he make the move quickly as they—oh, no!”

*Mercedes wheel locks up around the corner. The chassis slides right into the side of the Redbull car and knocks it into the tire barrier*

“Kirstein has a front wheel lock up going into turn 17 and knocks that Redbull off the track and into the barrier.”

*camera pans over the wreckage. Kirstein and Ackerman both get out of the car*

“That’ll be a safety car as they clean up that mess.”

Martin chuckles. “Ferrari will be thanking Mercedes for that safety car as now Braun is forced to stay in second position.”

*lap 50. Safety car is about to head in.*

“With only three laps left to go, Jaeger and Braun will be in the fight of their lives for that pole position.”

“For the first time, Jaeger leads the race following the safety car exit and Braun is eager for an overtake. Definitely has his foot on that throttle ready for Jaeger to restart the race.”

*safety car heads into the pit lane. camera follows as the Ferrari car 139 speeds up and the Redbull car quickly accelerates behind*

“With that brilliant acceleration Braun threatens Jaeger’s position into that first corner—and he manages to go wheel to wheel into the second and stays within one thousandth of a second through those s curves.”

“Jaeger manages to just barely lead as that Redbull fights for pole position. Going into turn 11, Jaeger goes a little wide and Braun takes the opportunity to cut to the inside and takes the lead!”

*lap 53. camera shows Mikasa attentively watching the monitors in the paddock*

“As we approach the end of the race we see Jaeger only four thousandths of a second behind Braun—”

“Braun should be worried as in the past few laps Jaeger has had the better race pace, has had better corners than the former champion.”

“Oh and here they go wheel to wheel yet again into turn 12. Jaeger tries to take the inside but Braun had the couple second lead that keeps him in front. But that all might change going into turns 13 and 14 as Jaeger hits the throttle and goes around the outside.

“Still wheel to wheel down the straight into sector 3 and Braun tries to push towards the inside but Jaeger refuses to back down and keeps that pace, stays wheel to wheel as they barrel into the final corners—where Eren Jaeger manages to cut across to the inside and comes out of turn 15 just barely ahead!”

“And we are seeing Jaeger pull into the lead into the final set of turns, and Reiner can do nothing but watch as the Ferrari driver cuts in front and defends that pole position all the way to the checkered flag!”

“And listen to that crowd cheer! What a phenomenal race! For the third time in his F1 career, Eren Jaeger finishes in pole position. A well fought, well earned position.”

*camera cuts to driver view as Eren pumps one arm in the air in victory. camera split views to show the Ferrari team celebrating in the garage and at the paddock*

*Ferrari radio pop-up occurs alongside live view of Eren pumping his fist*

“Great work, Eren. Fantastic drive,” the race engineer says.

“Woohoo! *Bleep* yes! Great car, Miks. Great job team. Amazing pace.”

*Ferrari car 139 pulls into the first place podium position in the pit lane. Eren gets out of the car and jumps on top, throws his hands into the air to celebrate.*

*The Ferrari team floods the pit lane towards the car. Eren hops off, takes the helmet off, and finds Mikasa, wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her into the air. Both are cheering. The team cheers around them.*

“A momentous occasion yet again for the team that hasn’t seen this many Grand Prix wins this early in the season since the late 90s, early 2000s. With that win and the point for the fastest lap, Eren closes that championship gap to only 3 points. An incredible accomplishment for the young driver.”

“Now, Alex, with that well fought, well deserved win, what do you think is an adequate trophy for him?”

*Camera zooms in on Eren and Mikasa still hugging, celebrating together. Eren’s looking at her. She’s looking at him*

“Well, Martin, I think we’re looking at her.”

#eren jaeger #eremika #eren x mikasa #mikasa ackerman #jjkeremika #aot eremika #snk eremika #eremika fic cabin #formula one au #attack on titan eremika #shingeki no kyojin eremika

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tagedeszorns · 1 year

Note

An AU where Fabius is a Hollywood plastic surgeon.

Where this sudden change of heart came from and why - it's better not to ask when luck favours you so much. An interview with Hollywood's most sought-after, exclusive and undoubtedly most reclusive facesculptor! Well, at least initially with his spokesperson? Assistant? No explanation was given and there is nothing on the tasteful, very blank business card. Not even an email address. Or a telephone number. Anyone who has to ask for it hasn't understood how things work around here.

So now this lobby in a building far enough removed from the city to have an undisturbed hill overlooking the Pacific to itself (presumably at the price of the gross national product of a Central American country). A strangely brutalist-beautiful house that looks like a James Bond villain gave Aldo Rossi free rein.

Dr Bile has never before answered an interview request, let alone positively: why now, of all times, and from a magazine that is not exactly Lancet - it is inexplicable!

It is not particularly inviting yet. Two women who could not be more different and yet look equally unreal without flaunting the artificiality of too much plastic surgery stand with the noncommittal vigilance of born bodyguards at the doorway to the deeper interior of the building. One is downright bizarrely tall, her platinum blonde hair in an expensive cut that shows off her facial features, which are not one hundred percent even in just the right way, to their best advantage. She radiates a deadly elegance that makes it clear that even though she wears strangely blocky high heels that almost turn her feet into hooves (they must be shoes!), in a critical situation she would strike with the ruthlessness of a pouncing snake. Like her colleague, she wears a tailored dark suit in the price range called for by the tailors of the Vatican. No logo on the clothes. Of course there isn't. The winged double helix is only present as an isolated pattern in the dark carpet and on the wall. The other woman is clearly smaller, but more compact. Her muscular composure is punctuated by a couple of almost ceremonial-looking, tremendously precise scars that do not disfigure her face but rather indicate her businesslike nature. Something that her pixie cut and broad, sinewy hands emphasise.

"Ah, good afternoon! Welcome to the Consortium!" Perfectly articulated, flawless. Yet a very slight echo of the rounded consonants of Farsi or Pashtu.

The man stepping out of the doorway is not the doctor. Of course he isn't. But our journalist has done his homework. So this is him. His .. Press officer? Assistant? Marketing manager? It was impossible to figure out. But he is what stands between Dr Bile and the world.

His smile is practised and smooth, his olive-dark features regular. As he reaches out, the sleeve of the Desmond Merrion suit slides up just the right distance to expose the beginnings of the fine lines of a calligraphic tattoo. As if he actually deals with visitors every day, he ushers him to the passageway between the two women. A corridor with old copperplate engravings showing the most prominent buildings of various medical faculties. Tastefully dimmed spotlights create a withdrawn atmosphere. Further back, a few more doors can be seen and at the very end, a double door upholstered in leather. "My name is Saqqara Ur-Damak Thresh and today I am here to answer all your questions."

Of course, this is a lie. But perhaps it is possible to draw enough substance from his answers to get closer to the Doctor's mystery.

His office. Not the doctor's study, of course. And "office" is only a very marginal term. There is an empty desk and a very utilitarian seating area. And bookshelves on the walls. On all the walls. Filled with volumes of all sizes and ages, obviously not just placed for decorative purposes.

Not what you would expect. But actually, you can expect nothing and everything here.

The only wall not filled with literature is a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out over the conifer-forested hills and driveway. Just before Mr Thresh makes an inviting hand gesture towards the couch, a black Maybach with tinted windows pulls up. Stops in front of the entrance. On the door a gold logo. An eye in a circle of arrows. Ah, of course the clientele here is also special.

On the low table between the two couches is a silver tea set. Mr Thresh pours, quite the good host. Everything here is at once completely ceremonial and absolutely authentic.

"I hope your journey was pleasant. Of course, as always, time is short. But rest assured - for the next hour, my attention is entirely yours!"

-------------------

Okay. So. I am absolutely obsessed with the premises of this AU! I haven't barely scratched the surface (I mean, Saqqara, Savona, Igori and a hint of Abaddon is nothing!) and it's already an entire page of text.

So - if anybody is interested, I will write more about this AU. There are a lot of people who have to make an appearance - especially of course the Doctor himself!

#Warhammer #modern AU #Plastic surgery #Fabius Bile

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secretly-an-automaton · 1 year

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WELCOME TO…

random shit that most of this fandom collectively deluded into being canon, regardless of if it a) wasn’t explicitly stated in the show, b) contradicts actual lore, or c) was just straight up made up with no real basis! Also half of the bullet points end in rants; there are no words to describe this phenomenon but I’m a fanfic writer so that sure as hell didn’t stop me from trying

Ghost cores—not only the different types but also just their existence in general apparently—was pretty much entirely invented by the fandom. Like bro that’s the entire basis of ghost biology, how tf were we supposed to believe it worked in the show??

To expand on that, ghost biology.

Someone just decided Danny has freckles and that they glow in ghost form and we were all like. yeah.

Wesley Weston’s entire character. Nuff said.

Jack and/or Maddie always seemed to have grown up on a farm? Although I suppose with Maddie’s sister that could maybe be considered an educated guess

All the townsfolk refer to Danny’s ghost form as just ‘Phantom’ - oh wait, no they don’t.

Valerie’s alter ego is called the ‘Red Huntress’ - oh wait, no it’s not.

That one’s especially funny cause originally this list just included “Phantom calls Valerie ‘Red’” but then I learned the whole title was fanon and now I question everything I’ve ever thought beknownst to me.

Amity Park is a small town (not according to the background shots in the actual show).

I don’t remember how much of ghostly obsessions/Danny’s specifically was pulled out of the fandom’s ass but I imagine a fair amount of it considering the show wasn’t big on world building.

Phantom’s voice is echoey and/or staticky.

Danny smells like ozone and possibly citrus?

This one might just have to do with number psychology, but everyone seems to agree Phantom is a “level 7” on all of the arbitrary ghost rating systems invented by the Fentons?? Which were also made up tbf cause the Fentons never even invented that.

Danny bleeds both blood and ectoplasm, usually dependent on form, has a low heart rate and body temperature in human form, and possibly fangs. Aside from the latter these are mostly just logical inferences but it felt like they belonged here anyway.

Blob ghosts maybe?? I only think they might’ve been made up because I couldn’t find a proper photo reference of them one time and like I said, I question everything now. Maybe Jazz was never even real and the fandom just made her up so Danny could have one tiny thread of stability to support the massive load of trauma that we also dumped on him. Who the hell knows anymore, this fandom was the original Goncharov.

Accident with a capital A.

As far as I can tell, ectoblasts aren’t actually referred to as such. Admittedly I didn’t rewatch the whole show just to confirm, but according to the wiki, they’re actually called ghost rays.

Danny’s signature nervous tick is rubbing the back of his neck. I honest to god accidentally picked this habit up from reading fanfic and it is marginally embarrassing.

Danny blushes green in ghost form (admittedly this is a relatively obvious leap from “bleeds ectoplasm”.)

Ghost speak.

Danny’s middle name is James and Lancer’s first name is William (or maybe Edward.)

In all the AU’s I’ve read that involve Danny moving to Amity from somewhere else, it’s always Chicago. Admittedly I’ve only read two, but to paraphrase Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, it’s still weird that it happened twice.

Ghost ice doesn’t melt? Was that a thing? I don’t think so(?) This fandom is so bad at distinguishing canon from fanon and that does not exclude me, I haven’t seen the show in three years.

What else do y’all got? I’m sure there’s plenty more to go around

#dp #danny phantom #phandom #auto speaks

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shinneth · 9 months

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The Sailor Moon AU born from my saltiness towards the manga

Read this for context. tl;dr: basically my love for Sailor Moon's 90s anime and 2003 tokusatsu has only grown over the years, while my feelings for Crystal remained at pure hatred whilst my feelings for the original manga has taken a sharp decrease.

In other words, I seem to work backwards from most other Sailor Moon fans.

Over a year ago, I had written out a hypothetical of how Sailor Moon's manga would play out if Naoko Takeuchi rejected the Super Sentai concept and made Usagi a (mostly) solo hero, sort of in the vein of Sailor V but much less fun with even more tragedy. I guess you could say it's a Sailor Moon but with more of a Kamen Rider motif?

Either way, I never released it anywhere until now. Mind you, it's not really a story so much as it is a gathering of ideas for a story...

THE SAILOR MOON MINIMAL SENSHI AU

One nagging sentiment I felt while rereading the manga is how it so often felt like Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa were the only characters who mattered, and on several occasions the only characters who were able to get anything done. Even on the rare occasions where other characters got a chapter named after them, oftentimes the Moon Family still had more pages dedicated to them, and/or the non-Moon Family character's power-up ultimately became more of a battery to beef up Usagi and the character development was often minimal and inconsequential.

Crystal amplified that feeling many times over, but it was disheartening to realize one aspect of the source material it did justice was marginalizing the rest of the main cast. If I were to look at this in a super-cynical light, I'd hypothesize the likelihood that Naoko never wanted a big cast, or even the Core 5 team. If she did care about the non-Moon Family characters, perhaps it was out of obligation.

I'm willing to bet that the main reason Naoko Takeuchi bloated out her cast was due to mandates from TOEI hoping for more toy sales if more heroic Sailor Senshi existed. But that's just my headcanon on what must have been a nightmare production behind the scenes.

So it made me wonder about how the manga would have been if it “trimmed the fat”, so to speak. For all of Usagi’s protestations about how she “can’t use mist, fire, or lightning” to be useful… well, let’s face it: she already had a higher kill count than all of her friends even that early on in the story. Mamoru often had little episodes later on in the manga where he felt oh-so useless and powerless even though he’s killed monsters/notable antagonists plenty of times AND regularly takes part in killing off the main antagonists WITH Sailor Moon (while her friends were benched, even when they weren’t ragdolled into submission).

So, how much would really change in the manga if Sailor Moon was largely by herself with very few allies who could help her in battle? I can easily picture Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter being snipped from the story entirely.

Believe me, it KILLS me to say that. Mercury was my favorite since the beginning. But if I'm being honest with myself, it'd only take a few tweaks of the story beats to make Sailor Moon's first three allies completely superfluous.

For story purposes, Sailor V/Venus would have to stay in since she does play a vital role as a princess decoy, but otherwise… what if she lost her power entirely after the reveal of the true Princess Serenity? Or dies soon after? Without a team to lead, Minako wouldn’t serve much of a purpose. Heck, in this AU she wouldn't necessarily even need to wield Venus' power (since so few other planet powers are getting represented here) so much as a bootlegged copy of Moon Power.

We have a canon example in the Black Moon arc of how Venus was just “there” for much of it, even when she didn’t have to contend with her three teammates for spotlight/exposure. Hell, I recall her complaining in the manga that she’s bored and frustrated because she can’t do anything.

Luna and/or Artemis can easily substitute the exposition given by Venus.

Chibi-Usa would stay on and become Chibi-Moon; as previously stated, she’s a consistently focused-on character in the manga. In fact, she's highly integral to 3 out of the 5 story arcs. Definitely enough to the point where most of the manga would have to be changed if she was denied Senshi-ship.

Sailor Pluto… is tricky, but not impossible to write around. She’s heavily tied in with Chibi-Usa’s backstory and character growth. As Chibi-Usa’s friend and Time Gate guard, that much would stay the same. I would argue that Pluto needn’t be a Senshi to serve either role (she’s succeeding her father Chronos iirc, and Takeuchi is firm in her stance that men can’t be Senshi). So it can be arranged that she can maintain her duty as plain ol' Setsuna. It's heavily implied in the manga that she's not a reincarnation like the other Senshi were... at least, prior to her canon death. It wouldn't be too crazy to say Setsuna has beyond-mortal powers that give her extended life even without being a Senshi.

Hell, Queen Serenity basically enlists this child to duty saying "Here's all these awesome powers that you're not only not allowed to ever use, but if you DO use them, it'll end up killing you!" - Setsuna shouldn't need her powers to guard the Time Keys, and we've seen the Talismans can be held in civilian form. Though I'd argue her Garnet Rod needn't be a proper Talisman if she isn't to transform; it'd just be her means of self-defense.

Perhaps she never gets revived/reincarnated after her death? Because her connection to Chibi-Usa greatly diminishes from Infinity (and beyond).

The rest of the Outer Senshi… well. If one tweaks the Talisman prerequisite for the Holy Grail, such as make it LESS than three needed…

That’s all you need to cut Sailor Neptune and Pluto out entirely of the manga for sure. As much as I love Michiru, I can’t deny she is the epitome of “just there” in the manga. Pretty sure no one’s gonna contest this.

Even her relationship with Haruka is a side-note compared to Haruka’s constant pining/angsting over Usagi. I just kept getting this sense of Michiru being Haruka’s silver medal.

Haruka and Hotaru are the hardest ones to write around for this concept. That much I will admit.

But, one running theme for this AU is that, Moon and Chibi-Moon aside, no one else can wield the power of a Sailor Senshi indefinitely. Well, technically Mamoru is still there representing Earth, but only so much as he's able to in his canon iteration due to that pesky Y chromosome. I slated for Minako to permanently lose her power, and possibly even die for it once her narrative purpose was fulfilled.

Even if Setsuna remained a Senshi in this revision, it’s a similar outcome for her. In a best-case scenario for the latter, a reincarnated Setsuna likely would have no memory of her lonely past life and possibly come off as an entirely different person from who Chibi-Usa knew. She'd finally be able to live out a normal life no longer bound to duty and that's about as happy an end I could imagine for her.

(And hey, that’s all the more impetus for Chibi-Usa being drawn to Hotaru!)

Going back to Hotaru, then, her being a cyborg in this iteration of the story lends well to a tweak in the narrative: Pharaoh 90 attempting to artificially replicate the Moons’ Senshi powers, possibly referencing the means in which Minako was temporarily able to wield her power, to create a Sailor Senshi exclusively to realize its desires. One might say it's a perversion of the Moon Power itself.

But tampering with this dangerous power ends up corrupting Hotaru, of course, and retaining how Hotaru becomes Mistress 9 works nicely with this tweak. A Silver Crystal could sustain her powers without destroying her, or at least that's the running theory.

Whether or not Hotaru becomes a Sailor Senshi proper… I’m 50/50 on that. Mostly due to Saturn’s canon role as cleanup duty following the fall of the Silver Millennium. If any non-Moon Senshi were to exist for the long haul, it should be Saturn. Their powers are polar opposites, so it’d be a neat yin-yang deal, with Saturn still being dormant until an equalizer is needed.

Although I'd probably not call her Sailor Saturn, as it is arbitrary to include some planets (Venus, Saturn, Uranus) but not others. In general, I think the names of the non-Moon Senshi that have to be kept because removing them would completely upend the story would have to be a little more generalized than that. The Moon is often paired with the Sun and the Star(s), so that might be a safe bet. Even though the Sun itself is literally a star-

Anyway, keep Hotaru's rebirth a thing, but possibly end her role in the story once she becomes babby. So that Chibi-Usa, as canon manga mandates, seeks horse-boy as her rebound.

Alternatively, we could stay the course of the “Moon only” team narrative and have Sailor Saturn be little more than an artificial Senshi, not unlike the kinds we see all over the place in Stars. Between Dr. Tomoe, Kaolinite, and Pharaoh 90, I can buy them creating what is essentially a bootleg Senshi. Heck, that might even be the intended evil purpose of the Holy Grail once Uranus unlocks it with her Talisman.

Speaking of Haruka... Honestly, as far as the manga goes, she can single-handedly represent the Outer Senshi and their credo by herself.

But in the context of this AU, that doesn’t amount to much, lol. Honestly, I’m picturing Haruka as a darker counterpart of Minako. A temp Senshi at best, but one who’s using her powers for morally questionable reasons. This can range from romantic rival… (with no Michiru in the AU, that at least partially makes Haruka less awful - I’d nix the non-consensual kiss on Usagi, but in the spirit of a manga LITTERED with suchlike kisses, it’d probably need to stay as-is)

…. to embittered and vengeful foe who fully recalls her past life and blames Usagi+Mamoru for their failings. It was kind of a shit deal for the Outers to be permanently stuck in their post in the outer solar system, never getting to enjoy any of what they're dedicating their lives to serving. Perhaps she now perceives the practices of Queen Serenity as morally dubious at best - and tyrannical at worst, now believing, maybe, that the Dark Kingdom was RIGHT to end the Silver Millennium. And irony ahoy, Haruka - like Minako - can tap into her former life’s power. Make her take up Michiru’s role as the one who awakened as a Senshi on her own thanks to her Talisman.

Hell, one can have Haruka play both sides during Infinity. Tomoe can use his twisted science to amplify the "Uranus" powers to bypass the limitations of Venus’ powers. Probably at a deadly cost down the road.

As for the prerequisites for Super Sailor Moon? The whole “all Senshi aligned + grail” deal? Well… y’know, the Cutie Moon Rod came into existence as a trial run of how UsaMamo’s love is so potent that they don’t even need to do a WooHoo to procreate shit. Do that again, just add the actual product of future WooHooing. Chibi-Usa is familiar with the Holy Grail prior to its creation. Not a stretch. As far as this AU is concerned, Moon, Chibi-Moon, and Tuxedo Mask are the only "valid" Senshi to begin with.

Despite the amount of non-Moon Senshi chapters in Dream, I don’t see much changing in a setting where only two Moons and a Mask are fighting. For pretty much every arc, Usagi gets the lion’s share of killing blows. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa canonly have several as well - so what’s a few several more?

After all, the manga’s focus was always first and foremost on Miracle Romance. More often than not, when other characters got panel time, Usagi, Mamoru, and/or Chibi-Usa were the topics of discussion.

At the end of the day, the antagonists of Dream are squarely focused on screwing over the Moon family; the other Senshi were mere chess pieces for them to knock over. And they only became an actual threat when they literally handed over their newfound powers over to beef up Super Sailor Moon to Eternal Sailor Moon, so... there you go.

And for those few times Usagi was just hanging out with gal pals at school? Well, that’s what Naru is for. Hell, add Yumiko+Kuri too; they might end up with some degree of characterization! Usagi never not had the benefit of company during downtime! There just... tends not to be a lot of that in the manga; that's all.

Really, the biggest question in handling Dream is wtf to do about the Amazoness Quartet, considering they eventually become Senshi themselves - namely the equivalent of Inners for Chibi-Moon to have in the future. Since Usagi wouldn't have Inners in this AU, it stands to reason the Quartet are likely not gonna be redeemed and likely one-shotted much like their Trio predecessors.

As for Stars...? Well, it's basically this entire AU but dialed up to 20. The running theme of this arc is fake Senshi running around parading as the real deal while they kill, conquer, and pillage for their tyrant, who'd be the culmination of all the worst aspect of not just past antagonists, but past attempted would-be Senshi like Minako, Haruka, and Hotaru who would all either be permanently powerless at best or dead at worst.

But a worst-case scenario just might make them come back for one last go, and this time, there's be no blurred lines or moral greys: if Venus, Saturn, and/or Uranus made a return in this iteration Stars, that would be their permadeath. Unless, you know, this series still ended with Usagi yeeting herself into an automatic happy ending. And even then it's a big maybe. It'd be in Galaxia's hands, and you know Galaxia don't give a damn.

Chibi-Chibi/Chibi-Chibi Moon would still be a thing, as would Sailor Cosmos, obviously, since they're technically a form of Usagi and all. Their stories would largely be the same, I'd imagine.

I honestly can't think of where I'd put the Starlights and Sailor Kakyuu as good guys in this AU, though. I think the only way to make them work in the story and not be killed as quickly as possible like the Sailor Animamates is to have them allied with Galaxia and be functionally identical to Animamates (aka they're all fakers), but function as undercover agents to identify the holder of the Milky Way's strongest Sailor Crystal (Usagi's), find her weaknesses and the best ways to corner her, then coordinate a strike.

Alternatively, pull inspiration from the 90s anime where they ARE legit Senshi (they just come from another galaxy and all, so it wouldn't break the AU if they're more just reflections of the minimized Sailor Team) - but make them willingly surrender their Sailor Crystals in exchange for bracelets that will keep them alive, so long as they do whatever Galaxia says. Then they become reflections of Usagi and her family, and even perhaps make analogies between the three Starlights and what Venus, Uranus, and Saturn tried and failed to be for Sailor Moon.

The other elephant in the room is whether or not Mamoru gets killed off in the very first scene of this arc like he does in canon. It's a no-brainer that he'd have to die by Galaxia's hand eventually. Usagi just won't have nearly as many buffers to block her PTSD and be in total denial like she did in canon. Naturally, Chibi-Usa will be even less effectual than canon since she won't have her own personal underlings to pretend she's BFFs with and add firepower, so if only to balance that out (since the Sailor Quartet are literally the only ones who didn't die at any point in canon), Mamoru might be allowed to live a bit longer and make his love-forged bond with Usagi not quite so easily broken. But it will still break by force, one way or another.

Of course, because Galaxia's intent will still be to break Usagi, no one's getting spared at this point in the story. All of Usagi's normal civilian friends will end up biting it one way or another throughout the arc. Stars is clearly meant to be a depressing af climax to the series - at least that'll kinda deter people from hounding the mangaka into yet another arc for money's sake.

Usagi would ultimately jump into the Galaxy Cauldron at the end, though I imagine it'd be somewhat a different experience than how it was in the manga, given most of her friends don't exist in this AU, and the few that do either left/died on bad terms, or fucked off entirely without remembering Usagi or her family at all.

Maybe, if we're being generous, Usagi reunites and the temp/fake Senshi she encounters here actually make amends and promise to work for a better future? There's a lot of variables here.

It'd still end in a wedding because this is the Miracle Romance Supremacy AU, after all. Guess it depends on your mileage whether or not the ending is worth it.

So yeah, that's the long and short of the really fucked up AU I thought up inside my head because friendship and comradery always came off so hollow in the manga to me. Especially with ~Miracle Romance~ being so infuriatingly inflexible in the manga.

Hope you got some sort of entertainment value out of that. Highly doubt I'd write this proper - it wouldn't be worth the backlash, and I'm not nearly invested enough in UsaMamo to do this concept justice.

Feel free to leave your thoughts or whatever.

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dr2electricboogaloo · 9 months

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Littol guys

#dr margins au #doodles #kazuichi soda #despair!kazuichi #mikan tsumiki #despair!mikan #peko pekoyama #despair!peko #remnants of despair

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fiercynn · 1 year

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people you'd like to get to know better!

thank u to @greighish for the tag!!

LAST SONG: "sever the blight" by hemlocke springs - i'm obsessed

FAVORITE COLOR: like somewhere halfway between teal and blue? i'm not great with color names lol. aquamarine but darker??

CURRENTLY WATCHING: catching up on abbott elementary since i had been watching it with my roommate and then she moved away a year ago and i never started the second season lol; two episodes into the thai gl show me love which so far is mediocre but still watchable; about to do an over the garden wall seasonal rewatch; and almost certainly going to try the fall of the house of usher when it drops because i apparently can't stay away from mike flanagan shows. oh also the wnba finals and the end of the nwsl season!

LAST MOVIE: this is a great question and i have absolutely no recollection, i think i've only been watching tv and sports and short films recently? does the filmed version of the 2019 public theatre production of much ado about nothing in central park starring danielle brooks count as a movie?? if not then i guess i haven't watched a movie in months!

CURRENTLY READING: i'm rereading squee from the margins: race and fandom by dr. rukmini pande, which is absolutely essential reading if you are interested in racism in fandom!

LAST THING I GOOGLED: "fist bump emoji" lmao

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY: i would probably be booted out of my family if i didn't say spicy. to sum up our take on spicy food in a single anecdote: when the vending machine at my dad's workplace runs out of flaming hot cheetos, he buys regular cheetos and squeezes out a stripe of sri racha onto each one as he's eating

CURRENT OBSESSION: fandom-wise, bad buddy, womp womp. otherwise: i've been working on this project around understanding anti-blackness in asian communities that i'll be sharing publicly soon, and that i have been pretty consumed by (in a good way!)

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: apart from aforementioned project, i've got a patpran fic and an inkpa fic in the works (both canon-divergent AUs, because i am me), and several bad buddy podfics as well!

tagging @sharingfandoms @hyeoni-comb @pocketsizedquasar @dimplesandfierceeyes and honestly anyone else who wants to do it hahaha i just tagged the first people that came to mind!

blank template under the cut!

LAST SONG:

FAVORITE COLOR:

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

LAST MOVIE:

CURRENTLY READING:

LAST THING I GOOGLED:

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY:

CURRENT OBSESSION:

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:

#knowing meme knowing you

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antilocaprine · 2 years

Note

... 41 with the chef's recommended ship of the day?

(Kiss Prompt List)

Throwing some Boomer in here, because most of my other requests were for Frenrey, so I wanted to add some variety since the request had flexibility. This is a continuation of the ending scene of my sentinel/guide crossover AU, To Guide and To Guard.

41: …because the world is saved.

“You could help, you know,” Bubby growls up at Dr. Coomer as he drags himself up the last few feet before the ledge. Dr. Coomer glances down at him and his mustache curves up at the corners.

“I know you can jump further than that, Bubby.”

“I didn’t feel like it,” Bubby snaps.

“I know that, too.”

Huffing, Bubby pulls himself up and straightens. “You just know everything, don’t you?”

Dr. Coomer smiles again, his eyes twinkling. “When it comes to you, yes.” He runs his hands down Bubby’s sleeves, brushing loose red soil and dried blood off the fabric. “Just like you know everything about me.”

Bubby’s gaze flicks to the acidic green glow of the portal next to them. It reminds him far too much of the liquid in his tube. “If you say so,” he mumbles, and reaches out to run his fingers along the rock at the far edge of the portal’s whirling colors. He focuses, and his sense of touch crawls to the forefront of his mind. His fingertips tremble as he holds it there, pressing the pad of his thumb to the margins, where the rock dissolves into the green glow.

Harold’s hand is on his shoulder, and even through the labcoat, Bubby can feel the tender weight of it. He tilts his head and closes his eyes, breathing deep and holding the rusty air in his lungs, even though it’s tangy with blood and the strange hot chemical smell that still seeps out of the colossal dead thing that lays motionless in the middle of the cavern with its head split open.

“What do you think?” Harold asks, and Bubby pulls his hand back, releases his tactility, and breathes out in a rush.

“I think this thing could send you wherever you want to go,” he says slowly. The portal buzzes merrily away as he stares into its viridian depths. “It just might take time to figure out how to aim it.”

“Well, we certainly have that!” Dr. Coomer says cheerfully. “Dr. Coolatta must need some time to get here from Black Mesa.”

Bubby glances over at him. “Doctor Coolatta? Is he a doctor?”

Harold blinks. “Aren’t we all?”

“Are…are we?”

“Well,” Harold says briskly. “If he doesn’t have a doctorate, I’m sure one of us can share. You have some to spare, don’t you?”

“That’s not how it works,” Bubby replies.

“I don’t see why not!”

“There’s lots you can’t see,” Bubby grumbles, turning his own gaze back to the portal. He feels washed out by its light. Harold, of course, just seems brighter - but maybe that’s because Bubby is biased. And anyway, he’s used to looking at Harold through a veil of green.

“What do you see here?” Harold asks softly, and Bubby hums.

“Potential.” His eyes flick to Dr. Coomer’s face, then back to the portal. “Maybe you could go somewhere else. See…someone else.”

Dr. Coomer tilts his head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Bubby dear.”

Bubby feels his shoulders tightening, and forces them to relax. “I mean. They took her. You said that.”

Dr. Coomer sighs gently, and his soft hands shift into a strong grip as he reaches up and turns Bubby to face him. He has to tilt his chin up a bit to meet Bubby’s eyes, and then he has to raise one hand and press it to Bubby’s cheek to keep their gazes locked as Bubby tries to look away.

“Bubby,” he says, “they took her because I asked them to. They took her because she wanted to go.”

“...What?”

Dr. Coomer chuckles a little ruefully and shrugs. “Our bond was only ever a shallow one, and it started unraveling as soon as I started working with you.”

“But that’s what I mean!” Bubby steps back, and Dr. Coomer lets him go, his hands dropping. “If you hadn’t been assigned to me, you’d still be married to her, you’d be - together -”

“And miserable,” Dr. Coomer says sternly. “Bubby, dear, we would be miserable. We wanted such different things…”

“Like what?” Bubby asks.

“Well, she wanted to join the military,” Dr. Coomer says, then his eyes soften. “And I wanted you.”

Bubby shifts his weight. Below them, in the red pool, Tommy is splashing to and fro around the corpse of an alien god, holding up several glass vials with liquid contents at various levels. Against the far wall, Gordon and Benrey sit with their heads together and their hands entwined, apparently deep in conversation. Bubby looks away.

“Why, though?” He isn’t trying to be self-deprecating, but it’s happening anyway. “I’m just…I’m not even a real sentinel. If I had actual enhanced senses before they fucked with me, I don’t know what they were. I don’t remember.” He takes a shaky breath and lets it out slowly.

Dr. Coomer’s expression is pained when he steps into Bubby’s space and reaches up to cup his shoulders. “I do,” he says sadly. “I remember. You had touch. Your hearing and smell were naturally enhanced as well.” His fingers tighten, the metal in his arms creaking as he holds himself back from squeezing too hard.

“I don’t -”

“Your main enhanced sense was touch, and they locked you in a tube full of liquid that you couldn’t hear or smell through either. And Bubby, you didn’t lose your mind.” He shakes Bubby’s shoulders a little, like he can’t help it. “Do you know how remarkable that is?”

“Harold,” Bubby says helplessly.

“It is,” Dr. Coomer says fiercely. “It’s remarkable. You are remarkable. And all this?” He gestures around - to the cathedral-like chamber, red liquid lapping at its walls, Tommy hollering at a giant yellow dog that has appeared out of nowhere in a shower of sweet voice, and Gordon and Benrey, their heads still tipped together, but now singing out twin songs of sunrise colors. “Bubby, this couldn’t have happened without you.”

“Harold, really,” Bubby huffs, ready to pull away again. Dr. Coomer grabs both his hands and tugs him back, their chests thumping together.

“It’s true,” Harold says gently, his chin tucked into the hollow of Bubby’s collarbone. “Gordon needed your experience to find Benrey. He’s really very stunted for a sentinel, isn’t he?”

“He’s a fucking five-senser,” Bubby replies blankly. “I don’t know how anyone let that happen.”

“Modern universities are a fucking travesty,” Harold agrees, and Bubby cackles in surprise.

“Sunkist, leave them alone!” Tommy’s voice breaks through their reverie. Bubby looks to the side and flinches at the sight of an enormous yellow dog, who appears simultaneously three-dimensional and flat as a pancake, hovering in the air and staring at them.

“Uh…shoo?” Bubby tries, and waves a hand.

Sunkist barks in his face, then zooms back down to Tommy, who shouts an apology as Bubby waves blue and green sweet voice out of his vision. “Do I even want to know?”

Dr. Coomer’s mustache curls up again in a beaming smile. “Mint green and powder blue swirled means ’You did it! You saved the world!’”

“That seems like a bit of an exaggeration,” Bubby starts to say, but then one of Harold’s hands curls around the back of his neck and they’re kissing.

Bubby sometimes wonders if Harold has moisturizer in his mustache, because his lips are always the softest thing Bubby has ever felt. He closes his eyes and relaxes into the kiss. It makes sense that touch has always been his strongest sense - he thinks he could get lost in the sensation of Harold at any time.

When Harold pulls back, it takes Bubby a moment to refocus and open his eyes. Harold’s gaze is kind, and he runs his thumbs across Bubby’s cheekbones in a comforting sweep.

“Let’s forget about the portals,” he says. “We already have a ride lined up, and I don’t want to be anywhere else but here with you.”

And what is Bubby supposed to do about that but kiss him again?

#hlvrai #my words #kiss prompts #snippets #askbox #on anon #to guide and to guard fic #swearing #death mention #i almost forgot the dang readmore again #this was fun; thank you!#i really have to get these collected on AO3...

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