#Gao [Drabble]

[universestreasures]

My Brother Is Also My Dad…?

(A Drabble Requested By @shacchou )

"It's time for my Final Phase and time to finish you off, Akatsuki! Impact Call! I pay 3 Gauge To evolve Bal into an Impact Monster!" Mokuba declares, three of the floating cards in his gauge meter turning into stars as their energy floods into the monster located to his right area.

"Bal…Bal will do his super best, bal!"

"Bal is now a Size Two monster, with 1100 attack and 6000 defense and a critical of five thanks to having Bal Knuckle equipped! And his attacks cannot be nulified, meaning that Art of Body Replacement card I know you have in your hand is useless!"

"Oh no! I knew I should have used that to guard your item's attack earlier, but with only one card left in your hand, I didn't think you could have possibly had your Impact Monster!" His ninja friend panics, realizing his mistake as soon as Mokuba pointed it out. Seems like he still had a long way to go to catch up to his brother in terms of Buddyfighting.

"Go for it, Bal!"

"Bal Burst Smasher!!!!"

And the attack succeds, the impact of Bal's attack reducing Akatsuki's remaining life points in record time. The young Kaiba had outplayed his opponent by anaylzing the situation and predicting what cards they may hold. Mokuba truly did learn a lot about gaming by watching his brother, and was using that knowledge even in a game his brother hadn't played. He was a Kaiba and a gamer in his own right, and his victory today was a showcase of why.

"Game End. Winner: Mokuba Kaiba."

The sound coming from Mokuba's Core Gadget, which took the form of a floating capsule akin to those found in Capsule Monsters Chess, signaling the end of the match. The effects of the fight vanished immediately as Akatsuki's Katana World flag shattered, and the proud Sun Dragon returned to his mini form in a flash of light.

"Mokuba and Bal won, bal!"

"We sure did! We totally kicked their butt! Up top, Bal!" The raising of his hand for a high five was soon met with the dragon's own palm, both winners giggling and celebrating their victory. Mokuba really had come to get good at Gao's Scorching Sun Dragon Deck that Baku had made not too long after he met Bal. In fact, some suspected if Mokuba became more than just a casual Buddyfighter, that Bal might have become his buddy instead of Gao's.

With the dragon now atop his fluffy hair, Mokuba moves to exit the Castle's Buddyfight arena to meet his opponent and his Buddy Monster, both understandably disheartened by the loss. Noticing this, the Kaiba approaches them, offering them a friendly handshake of good sportsmanship that Bal then mimics.

"Hey, don't look so down, guys! You both played well today. If I didn't have that Green Dragon Shield in my hand on the previous turn, Byakuya's Shadow Dive mulit-attack combo would have taken the rest of my life points! Besides, I had a lot of fun playing with you guys today!"

"Bal loves Buddyfighting with Akatsuki and Byakuya, bal!" The dragon adds, his innocence and sunshine smile, along with Mokuba's kind words, seeming to improve the other's moods rather quickly. Both monster and Buddyfighter return the handshakes, a confident expression now facing Akatsuki's face.

"Yeah…that was pretty fun! We did almost have you. But next time Mokuba, it will be us who are the winner! Big Z and I are going to go through a special training together soon! When we're finished, no one will be able to beat us!"

"I look forward to seeing the results of that training, Akatsuki."

The two boys and two monsters then both laugh together. Following his adoption, never did he celebrate a match with his opponent like this, win or lose. This change in his behavior was a sure sign that his friends, as well as Yugi Muto and his own crew, really had rubbed off on him. It…It felt good to be able to share games like this again with others. Now he just needed to get into doing them regularly with his brother, a task that seemed more impossible than one might realize.

"That was a great fight, everyone!"

The voice of Gao Mikado breaks through their laughter, Bal immediately waving to his Buddy and the others who were accompanying him. Among the group included Gao's other Buddy, Drum Bunker Dragon, in addition to Gao's two friends Baku and Kuguru. Mokuba may not be as close with the Mighty Sun Fighter's deck builder and analyst as he was with the Buddyfighter proper, but he had come to call the pair his friends in their own right.

"Gao saw Bal and Mokuba's fight, bal!?" The dragon asked, quickly jumping off from Mokuba to instead land right ontop of Gao's shoulder.

"I sure did, buddy. You two were totally in sync out there! It was so cool to watch, and I think I may have picked up a strategy or two by watching ya!"

"I'm surprised you played the deck I made to match Gao's fight style so well, Mokuba. Call me impressed, bro." Baku adds, the compliment being a high one from a deck builder of his caliber.

"I saw no holes in your strategy, either. You took advantage of the Sun Dragon's unique skills perfectly." Kuguru then comments, pulling up her tablet to then show Mokuba the statistics she took during the match that support her claims. "Your Impact Call in particular was perfectly timed. Your attack formation and demeanor threw your opponent off from using his defensive spell prior."

"N-No need to rub it in..." The young ninja says, his expression looking disheartened. That's when he feels Byakuya gently pat his back, offering his Buddy some comfort.

"If he's getting high praise from you two, then that just proves it! Mokuba, you're an amazing Buddyfighter!"

The wave of compliments hit him hard, elating the young boy's heart. It was, after all, not a common occurrence that he was complimented for his gaming skills. Seto always took the spotlight when it came to that, and while he certainly thinks his brother is deserving of such praise, it felt good to hear it for himself too. Mokuba was a gamer in his own right, and he took pride in that fact, a pride not too dissimilar to Seto's own.

"Keh. Would you expect anything less from me? We Kaiba's are Gamemasters, after all! Mastering multiple games is our trademark!" Mokuba says with a prideful smile and hands on his hips for a few moments, soaking in the attention. He then takes his now de-transformed Core Deck Case out of his pocket and removes the deck out of it to hand back to Gao. "But…thank you for letting me borrow your Scorching Sun Dragon deck, Gao. It's always a blast to fight with Bal!"

"You can use it anytime! You know Bal is down for it!"

"Bal wants to fight everyone with Mokuba, bal! That be the best day ever, bal! Everyone Buddyfighting together, bal!"

"Huh…" The youngest Kaiba speaks, his mind formulating an idea sparked on by the dragon's words. "You know? That isn't a bad idea, Bal. We should…We should do something to make that happen. Like…throw our own Buddyfight tournament, with the winner getting some kind of prize! That way, everyone will be playing seriously!"

"A tournament with all our friends, huh? Now that sounds interesting! I'm in!" Gao's signature grin appears on his face, matching the one Mokuba formed on his own.

"You'd invite Big Z to this tournament too, right Mokuba?"

"Of course, Akatsuki! Can't leave you or your brother out of this! Same goes for Tasuku and Suzuha too!" Mokuba would invite his own brother if he was interested in playing the game, which he no doubt wasn't. He was too obsessed with Duel Monsters to probably even think of trying it. Besides, this kind of thing was so not Seto's vibe.

"I'd wanna invite all the best Buddyfighters you guys know, too! Like your classmates and upperclassmen, Gao! It won't be any kind of official event or anything, but I'm sure it will be fun! Plus, we can have it at my house! If…If…"

Mokuba then pauses for a moment, his expression changing from one of excitement to one that looked slightly disheartened. He takes out his phone then, staring at his home screen which contained a more recent photo of himself and Seto he took at Kaiba Land.

"If what, bal?"

"If I can get permission from Seto, first. He needs to approve any and all social gatherings that happen at the house, whether it's something like this or even just having one person over to play games." That's why Mokuba often hung out with his friends in public places or in their own homes. The process was much easier. "On top of that, he'd probably want background checks on everyone who'd be coming over who he isn't familiar with, Buddy Monsters included. Not to mention just selling him on the idea to begin with…"

The idea did seem like it be a tough sell, considering it's size and scale. It's not like this was a promotion event or anything related to the business. This was just something he wanted to do for fun with his friends, and while Seto respected Mokuba's choice to pursue what he wished, this was…different. He would be agreeing to invite multiple strangers, a whole group of them that included monsters with supernatural abilities, into his home. It was a massive security risk, as well as a distraction.

He hates to admit it, but…as much as he wanted it to happen, he just can't see Seto agreeing to it. This reality is shown on his face, Mokuba sighing heavily in defeat before the battle even began.

"Man…That's…That's tough, Mokuba." Gao comments, gritting his teeth as he looks to the side. "He's stricter with you than my mom is with me, and that's saying something."

"Lord Seto's even stricter than Big Z is with me!" Akatsuki chimes in. "I remember when you told me he banned energy drinks from your house and at Kaiba Corp just because you drank one too many one day!"

"Never met the guy personally, but it really does sound like he's basically your dad, bro. And a very, very overprotective one at that. I think he needs to chill out a bit, if you ask me."

Baku's comment takes Mokuba aback a few short moments, his purple hues blinking in utter confusion at the deck builder. "What…What do you mean by that, Baku? Seto isn't…isn't my dad. He's my big brother, always has been. And the stuff he does…is just what big brothers do. He's looking out for me, that's all."

"Big bros look out for their siblings, sure. But…" He then sticks a lollipop from his pocket into his mouth, Baku always being one to snack on something during almost any occasion. "I don't think it's the norm for little bros to ask their big bro for permission for everything, or for big bros to ban things from the house or want background checks on people coming into their house. Those are things that parents typically do. Gao, do you do that kind of stuff for Hana?"

"No way, Baku! That's Mom and Dad's job! I just do my part to look out for her, that's all. Though, if anything, she looks out for me! We all wouldn't get up on time if she wasn't there." Gao says, Bal and Drum nodding their heads in agreement.

"And Akatsuki, does Zanya do that kind of stuff for you?"

"Sorta…Big Z does a lot of things for me, but…he more enforces Father's rules when it comes to discipline. He…He tries to be like him when he's not around."

"And Mokuba. Isn't your big bro your legal guardian?"

"Y-Yeah…B-But that's because…because…" The words stop coming from his mouth, Mokuba unable to find an answer. He was completely stumped here, despite always having some sort of line to say when it came to his brother.

"He's the one responsible for you? The one who is raising you? The one who goes to parent-teacher conferences? Just face it, he's essentially your dad too, bro."

Those words from the deck builder, ones that Mokuba could not understand but was unable to fight against, caused him to stare back at the picture of Seto on his phone again. To him, everything Seto had done since they were kids was normal sibling behavior. Sure, they were in different circumstances compared to other children, but all of it seemed normal to him. But…he sometimes forgets how different his life was compared to those around him, and how that shaped his worldview.

"I…I should get going. It is getting late. Don't want to cause my br-" He pauses for a moment before changing his word. "Seto to worry. I'll…I'll get back to you guys on the tournament idea. If…If it doesn't work at my place, I'm sure Suzuha can host it just fine. That girl has multiple Buddyfight arenas underground at her castle."

That's when he starts to leave the area, putting some pep in his step. His heart and mind were a bag of mixed feelings that he just couldn't comprehend right now. He only stops his exit when he hears the voice of Kuguru calling his name. Mokuba turns around then, his eyes glancing upon the analyst.

"What Baku dear said…He didn't mean it as a bad thing, right Baku?" Kuguru glances at the other with a sharpness behind her glasses, her gaze a signal that he better answer correctly.

"O-Of course not. I'm…I'm sorry if what I said upset you at all. My bad, bro. Sometimes I can be a bit too blunt…" Baku answers, taking his candy out of his mouth, his face portraying his regret. He wasn't too close with Mokuba compared to some of the others here, and if he had, he probably wouldn't have made this comment to begin with. Anyone who knew the Kaiba knew he was sensitive when it came to his brother.

"Your brother may be a bit overprotective like a parent, but what big brother isn't overprotective of their precious sibling?" Kuguru speaks, glancing over at Atatsuki and Gao.

"I can confirm Lord Zanya is very, very protective of Lord Akatsuki. Like there was this one time when someone tried to-" The words of Byakuya are then cut off as Akatsuki covers his mouth, no doubt trying to stop the chatterbox of a monster from saying something highly embarrassing.

"Yota…protected me in his own way. Even when he was in the hospital, he did all he could to help protect my spirits and…leave me hope for the future." Gao says, sunshine hues glancing up at his hat which was a signature part of his Mighty Sun Fighter uniform, the one his mother originally made for Yota to wear. "And I try to keep that hope alive…for Hana."

Drum then steps forward from Gao's side, walking over to meet Mokuba directly. "Listen, kid. Your brother may be one of the grumpiest humans I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, but…in a lot of ways, he reminds me of how we dragons are. Not all dragons…get to be raised by their parents. I'm one of the lucky ones who has, and let me tell you, my old man is worse than your brother could ever hope to be when it comes to discipline. He threw me across worlds to train because I didn't get his stupid riddle right!"

Mokuba, and the others for that matter, start to laugh a bit at the story. Normally such a display would upset Drum, but right now, he was clearly more focused on the younger Kaiba than himself. He certainly has matured since arriving to Earth, that's for sure. His father would be proud.

"My point is that what your family looks like or what you decide to call what they do isn't what really matters. What does is that you all care about each other, take care of each other, and your brother…cares about you more than most people, monster or human, I've ever met. That's something you should treasure, kid." Drum's words are followed by a nod and smile from everyone, Baku included.

The vice president, on instinct then, moves to open his pendent, staring at the picture of his brother when they were children. Waves of memories flood back to him, of the times Seto cared for him, did everything for him. Looking back, what Seto did for him did somewhat align with what he remembers his father doing for him back when he was alive. Deep down, Mokuba could have made the connection sooner if he wanted to, but it was clear he didn't.

His father was his father. His brother was his brother.

Those were what Mokuba knew them to be and that wasn't going to change. And even if in practicality, the roles of both of those individuals overlapped in Seto's behavior following his father's death, as his friends pointed out, what was important is that Seto loved him. His love was clearly shown through his actions, including the strict ones. He had always done all he could to look out for Mokuba, and if this conversation has reminded him of anything, it was to really appreciate everything his brother goes out of his way to do for him, despite the teen not initially understanding them at the time.

"I will." He says softly as he closes his pendant, gathering up his bag and preparing to head out. "Now, I better get going before my…big brother starts to worry about me. He can be quite the worry wort, and I don't want to be grounded! See you at school tommorow, Akatsuki! And keep an eye out for updates about the tournament, guys! I'm…I'm going to ask Seto, and maybe by some miracle, he'll actually agree to it!"

With that hopeful statement said, Mokuba takes his leave. He thought about asking Isano to drive him home, but he decided it would be faster if he ran. He…He wanted to see his big brother right now, to see him and give him a hug, a hug as a show of appreciation for all he's done for him…as a brother and beloved member of his family.

[digital-zone]

[HOLIDAY EMOJI DRABBLES] 🍪: Our muses baking cookies together // with Masaru @cpirits

(@cpirits's muse Masaru baking cookies with Shunya, feat. their partner!)

The weekend provided a good time to do something nice for himself and his parents before the holidays hit, and what better to do something nice than with a friend? This person he met from a Digital Zone had grown accustomed to them rather quickly! What was the idea for doing something sweet? Baking cookies! That's what!!

Faitomon could be heard making the actual dough, while Agumon can be seen managing the taking and placing trays of sugar cookies onto the counter! In addition to carving the shapes after the dough was ready to be cut into. Meanwhile, the tamers were decorating the cookies on the kitchen island!

(Cut here for the sake of people's timelines!)

"So, Masaru-san... Did you ever do this with your mother?" Shunya asks, while painting a decent Christmas tree with green, brown & yellow frosting/icing. "Hm? Oh yeah, when I was younger. My mom is quite an awesome cook, so it was something I looked forward to doing around this time of year!" Masaru on the other hand, had gotten a gingerbread guy, and the result was... Very amateurish, to say the least. Not like his family cared about the quality of the art...

"You can say that again. Though it'd be even better if my sister were still here..." The blond-haired male sighed sadly... Christmas was something he looked forward to with Yumeno. With her missing in his life? It makes it hard to focus... Without thinking of her anyway.

However, Masaru quickly patted the teen's back with a good amount of force. Snapping him out of that depressive spiral of thoughts. "Oi, Shunya-san... Focus on the now! Not much you can do until you figure out a way. Though..." Masaru sets down his piping bag with a bit of a reminiscing smile. "I know the sort of thing you feel. I also have a younger sister, who I want to protect, no matter the cost. If that sense guides you, then you beat the hell out of those guys that took her!" The tamer grinned with a fist punching into his palm.

"Y-Yeah. That's actually a good point... Thank you Masaru-san." Shunya replied with a kind smile. Resuming his focus on decorating the cookies. As they were finishing that last batch of cookies, Faitomon had finished making the last of the dough. "I have finished making all of the dough needed to make the cookies, my lord." "Aw sweet, thank you!" Agumon was about wrapping up cutting up the cookies himself. "Almost done myself, Aniki!" "Heh, great job Agumon!"

After that, the pair would join Shunya & Masaru in decorating the cookies. Faitomon decorated with excellence and precision, while Agumon's style was... very childish to say the least. "Faito-san... You really remind me of Gaomon! With how you act and speak!"

"Hm? Well, while I do not know this specific Gaomon you refer to, I am quite honored to make you reminisce over someone you care about. If he has mannerisms and prose akin to my own, I think the two of us would get along splendidly." "You even bore me with how you talk..." Masaru chuckles some, overhearing the conversation.

It took a lot of effort, and some sweat was made... They all managed to decorate every single cookie with barely enough supplies to finish it all off. You had some of the classics, a tree, a snowflake, a candy cane, but there were some specific things like a Santa hat, an elf, Santa's head, and even his sleigh! With a whole slew of other shapes as well to give a nice variety to the pallet.

"Whew... I think we are done. You guys are more than free to take some to eat. There is more than enough for me, Faitomon, and my parents to have over the month..." Faitomon nods. Raising an arm up like a typical butler does. "Please help yourselves, as a courtesy for taking time out of your day to do this with us." "Heh, don't mind if I do~!!" Agumon obviously eats a cookie rather quickly, and his eyes widen over the texture of the cookie.

Soft but fluffy, sweet but not sickly, and the right amount of resistance without being too hard or soft... The reptile fell in love rather quickly. So much so, he quickly tried to eat the ones that they were going to take. "OI! Agumon!! Save some for me and not hog them all to yourself!" "But they're sooooo good Anikiiii!!!"

As they were fighting, Shunya shrugged his arms and shook his head with a slightly defeated smile. "I guess some things never change..." More so referring to his own group of tamers, but still... This was the type of thing that he has gotten used to. Both Faitomon and Shunya wanted it to keep it that way.

[imogenegomi]

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

Malleus x Reader Drabble

I write Reader as female

Masterlist

You really should be paying attention to what Malleus was saying, considering how considerate and enthusiastic he was. It was sweet of him, really, to offer you the seat next to him during break time when you offhandedly mentioned eating lunch alone in the library instead of at your usual table at the cafeteria because of Ace and Deuce’s shared detention - in fact, he even offered to help you with your Defense Magic essay. And what were you doing as a response to his kindness? Letting his words fade away as you observed how the sunlight did an exquisite job at highlighting his orphic beauty.

Despite being a creature of the night, a puissant being who can play with and control the nocturnal elements of his as easily and elegantly as he does his beloved violin, he looked just as ethereal under celestial rays as he does bathed in the colours of his domain.

You never really understood his cloak-and-dagger reputation, considering the fact that the same fairy whose name never failed to drain the blood from your schoolmates’ faces was also the one who’d pout childishly when Lilia would deny him his second box of ice cream or light up giddily whenever his Gao-Gao Dragon-kun would so much as move a pixel. Of course, you yourself felt the chill of intimidation slither up your spine when you saw the way he presented himself in public, from the way authority and might would adhere his form in every step he took, to the way resolution was laced in every word he spoke, to how he could rebuild an entire demolished building from crushed rubble to brand new in a blink of an eye. You were more than aware that the companion to your nighttime rendezvous was someone who should be respected and feared. 

But the strangest thing was - you never felt scared. Sure you had your moments of awe and outright reverence whenever his pure, unadulterated power was displayed, but you could never really feel anything other than that tempting allure that would tug you towards him, the tendrils of curiosity that made you want to know more about him. When you first met, you felt a kinship, a fondness to another lonely soul who felt out of place amongst their peers.

“Are you feeling well, child of man?” a deep velvety voice pulled you out of your reverie and you sheepishly noted how the page of your notebook was still mainly blank, your traitorous fingers having chosen to absentmindedly swirl your pen between them instead of jotting down what he was saying.

“Oh well I-,” you felt your face heat up at your obvious distracted mind, “I’m really sorry Tsunotarou, truly I - I guess I was just uh-”

“‘Away with the fairies’ is the correct term, I believe,” he gave you a fond smile.

“Well, yeah, I suppose,” you agree shamefully, completely embarrassed at how technically true his statement was and wishing that the ground would swallow you whole, “I am really sorry. You’re here doing me a huge favour and I’m not even paying attention. I guess - oh.”

Your still fiddling fingers had lost grip of your pen, letting it clatter against the marble floor and roll under the table.

“Sorry,” you were really getting more and more frazzled as the seconds went by, “let me just- ”

“Please, child of man, allow me,” and before you could even comprehend what was happening, the sixth foot supernatural dorm leader of Diasomnia had abandoned his seat and knelt down to retrieve your pen before holding it in front of you, a coy smile on his face, not making a single move to get up.

This nyctophilic fairy prince, whose entire existence is shrouded in fear and mystery, was kneeling before you in broad daylight, handing you your pen as if it was worth more than quadruple its weight in gold. Underneath the static in your head, you could hear the shocked exclamations of Grim and Sebek and Lilia’s ever suspicious snickering and you could feel the burning gazes of the entire cafeteria scalding against your frame. Dumbly, you simply took your pen back, all cerebral functions doing absolutely nothing - you couldn’t even remember how to breathe. 

Unaware, or unbothered, of the looks being thrown your way, Malleus sat back in his chair, just as regal and refined as he does everything else before turning to you with a secretive smile, “as we were, my dear. However, this time let’s try to keep your thoughts on me alone.”

[pickletrip]

Tag Game - Poll: 5 Fav Characters

Challenge: Make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters, and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

Tagged by @thisonelikesaliens & @mikuni14 Thank you so much ✨

I just couldn't pick one character, so here are pairs that are my all time favourites.

It was so hard to pick favs, and after I came up with this list I realised that I picked from Korean and Taiwanese BLs, but that doesn't mean I have any favs from Thai BL. Others I would have loved to put on this list- Ayan from The Eclipse, Boston from Only Friends, Tang Yi from HIStory 3: Trapped Charn from Laws of Attraction and many more.

No pressure tag: @yousaygoodbyeandisay @catatonicrainbow @sammie-lightwood-bane @ellsieee @conscbgb

@telomeke @heretherebedork @lurkingshan @troubled-mind @lukaherehelp @my-rose-tinted-glasses @mysterygrl20 @oyeicher @dribs-and-drabbles @pharawee @lutawolf @ima1ing @respectthepetty and anyone else who would love to play this. Do tag me because I would love to see everyone's favourite characters and click some buttons!!

[mykingdomforapen]

chapter 10 of "courage of stars" will be coming next week and guys, I'm so nervous. I am so excited and I'm so nervous. This chapter is many things. It's where I got to do some things I've been really wanting to do. It's where I cross a point of no return in the story. I got to try a different style. It's where the line blurs between fanfic and a genre that I respect and fear.

It's also a huge factor in why this fic is rated M. Hoo boy.

So! In lieu of updating today, so that you won't have to face a three week wait afterwards, here's a fun little drabble/filler episode:

-

When Lu Guang was four years old, he lovingly killed three tadpoles. He had scooped them from the pond in a plastic cup and brought them home happily, convinced he would raise them into froghood. By Thursday, all three of them floated lifelessly in the surface of the bright blue tub in which he housed them. His mother poked them curiously with a chopstick while he sobbed into his grandmother's lap.

"Don't be so sad, Guangguang," Maamaa crooned as she patted Lu Guang's head. "You tried very, very hard. We all know that you did your best." 

"I killed them!" Lu Guang wailed into her skirt. "I just want them to be frogs and now they died!"

"Oh, A Guang," his mother said as she furtively plucked the dead tadpoles into a bundled newspaper for a more discreet funeral. "This is a good learning experience, right? Now you know what not to do with a frog. See, it's good to learn with the wild tadpoles, before you spend money on a pet. You know better for next time not to use tap water."

Lu Guang sobbed louder ("I meant it to be comforting!") until Yeye came home. Maamaa intercepted Yeye before he walked through the door and sent him on a mission to bring home steamed bai tang gao as a consolation, and Yeye beelined to the nearest vendor to bring home a steaming, buoyant cake of tangy sweet rice. Lu Guang chewed on it sullenly on the living room sofa after bidding the dead tadpoles goodbye into the storm drain.

Yeye sighed as he sat next to Lu Guang, stroking his grandson's little head.

"You know," he said, "when I was little, my father raised bees."

Lu Guang blinked up at Yeye with teary eyes.

"Honeybees?" he asked.

Yeye nodded. "My father was a very adventurous man, you know. A scholar, but always enjoyed the outdoors. He got it in his head that he would like to try raising a colony of honeybees. I was so excited to help him. I thought we would have hives and hives of bees, but what do you know! Only a month or so of having the bees, one day they all flew away. The queen said, no more! I was so disappointed."

Lu Guang sniffled. Yeye scratched the back of Lu Guang's head.

"After that, we stuck with chickens," Yeye said lightly. "What do you think of chickens, A Guang?"

Lu Guang shook his head.

"I like frogs," he whispered.

"You want to try raising frogs again?"

Lu Guang nodded. Yeye smiled crookedly.

"Ah, well," he said. "Chickens are smelly, anyway."

-

For Lu Guang's seventh birthday, his parents took him to the pet store.

His mother had promised him a pet frog for when he turned seven, partly because she had assumed he would grow out of frogs in three years' time. She was a woman of her word, though, when she noticed him checking out library books about frog care and frog types when he hit age six. When asked if he wanted to invite friends over to play, he shook his head and asked to go to the pet shop.

So on Sunday when Ba and Ma were off work, they took Lu Guang to the best-rated pet shop in the city, four subway stops away from Peidi University. Lu Guang was shaking with anticipation as he counted down the stops, donning his frog bucket hat in celebration and looking away solemnly when teenage girls cooed at him. All he could think about was his dream coming true.

“Now, A Guang,” his mother said breezily as she took Lu Guang’s hand to wade through foot traffic. “When you pick a frog, you have to make sure it isn’t poisonous, okay? Mommy is afraid of poisonous animals.”

“I don’t want a poison dart frog,” said Lu Guang, albeit with reservation. “They won’t have them in a pet store.” 

He did not know what sort of frogs were available in the pet store that Ma and Ba were taking him. Ba, in all his practicality, had assumed that they would go to one of the street markets and pick up a frog that was meant for the dinnerplate. He expressed mild surprise when they turned left to the subway station, so Lu Guang knew Ba wasn’t going to be any help in asking for clues. 

“All right, Guangguang,” said Ma as she ushered Lu Guang into the pet store. It was a corner shop with clean glass windows, full of tanks and cages and colorful habitat accessories. Colorful parakeets squawked and glittering snakes coiled under sunlamps, and Lu Guang’s little heart began to race with anticipation. “Only one frog, do you understand?” 

Lu Guang nodded, his eyes as wide as coins as he stared up at the tall towers of tanks. There were saltwater coral fish dancing among anemones, drowsy tarantulas (Ma squeaked at the sight of them), sunbathing turtles, bearded lizards, and–

Lu Guang felt his jaw drop. 

An Amazon milk frog. 

It was just at eye level with Lu Guang, so that when he pressed his nose to the glass he was eye to eye with the docile pale blue frog. It perched on a rock under the sunlamp, milky blue and content to stare back at Lu Guang. It was perfectly patterned, gummy blue webbed feet, and a lipless mouth that promised simplicity. 

It was, in short, the most wonderful creature that Lu Guang had ever seen. 

He stood up on his tiptoes to get a closer look at the frog. Its tiny breaths puffed in its throat in a fascinating rhythm. It was like seeing a real-life Doraemon in Lu Guang’s eyes, or Sun Wukong–a fairy-tale celebrity come to life, except instead of comic books it was Lu Guang’s frog encyclopedia. Lu Guang knew its habitat, its life cycle, its favorite foods, and now he could behold one with his own eyes. 

Seven minutes passed, and his mother touched him on the head.

“A Guang, there are other frogs you should look at too,” she said.

Lu Guang shook his head. He pressed his hands against the glass. 

“Aiyah, A Guang, not too close.” 

Lu Guang moved his nose a millimeter away from the glass, leaving a smudge. His mother looked down at him with a crooked smile. 

“Is this the one you want, then?” she said. 

He looked up to his mother and nodded. Ma turned to Ba and tapped the price tag. Ba nodded solemnly and undertook the task of haggling (unsuccessfully) with the store owner. 

“Let’s pick out a tank for him,” said Ma. 

She took Lu Guang’s hand and tugged him towards the habitat shelves, but Lu Guang refused to budge. He glued himself to the spot, maintaining unbreakable eye contact with the milk frog. 

“A Guang, come on, now,” she said. “We have to give him a home, don’t we?” 

Lu Guang huddled closer to the tanks. He was convinced that if he were to let the frog out of his sight, some other seven-year-old boy would swoop down and claim the frog as his own. 

“Ba is buying the frog right now, see?” Ma said, pointing to Ba who was conceding to the original price of the pet store while he pulled out his wallet. “There. Let’s choose a tank.” 

After another minute of convincing, Lu Guang finally followed his mother to pick out a proper tank for his frog. He picked out the soil, cleaned rocks, plants, and water source that would all go into his terrarium, but it wasn’t until Ba handed to Lu Guang a plastic covered cup with his milk frog sitting politely inside did Lu Guang feel the surge of joie de vivre. He hugged the cup to his chest, whispered his thanks to his father, and then burst into tears, precisely in that order.

-

Thanks for indulging me with this little drabble, gang. Who knows, since I'm kind of keeping up this 2 week streak for the rest of the update schedule, you might see the return of Frog Guang's adventures again...after all, if you've been on my tumblr for some time, you may recall that I have a headcanon that Lu Guang has beef with one of his cousins.

Until next week!

[ciaossu-imagines]

EYESHIELD 21 - MISC. CHARACTERS

Buharou Ushijima

Assorted headcanons

NSFW headcanons

Clifford D. Lewis

Seducing his working partner scenario

NSFW body worship scenario

Kobanzame Osamu

Koharu Wakana

Kotaru Sasaki

Hair styling

NSFW headcanons

Mamori Anezaki

Date headcanons

Character aesthetics

Maruko 'Maria' Himuro

Natsuhiko Taki

Reacting to his sister bringing home a date

Relationship & NSFW headcanons

Patrick 'Panther' Spencer

Maruko 'Marco' Reiji

General & NSFW headcanons

First date scenario

Sleeping with his s/o scenario

Rikiya Gao

Giving a cold s/o his jacket drabble

NSFW headcanons

Rui Habashira

Assorted headcanons

NSFW headcanons

Make-up sex headcanons

Riku Kaitani

NSFW headcanons

Character aesthetics

Getting tutored by his crush scenario

A girl giving him her umbrella scenario

NSFW scenario

Yamato Takeru

NSFW headcanons

NSFW scenario

Sakuraba Haruto

Holiday, cooking, & sleeping headcanons

As a parent

Realizing he's in love with his best friend scenario

Make-up sex headcanons

Shun Kakei

Pros and cons of dating him

Taking care of a sick s/o

NSFW headcanons

Relationship & NSFW headcanons

His s/o finding him masturbating

Suzuna Taki

Date headcanons

Reacting to her brother bringing a date home

Would she want a big family

Nurse AU! Suzuna x Mamori scenario

Taiga Kamiya

Takami Ichiro

NSFW headcanons

Kink headcanons

Playing doctor NSFW scenario

[parfaitkiwi]

Some Cheeky Holiday Fun: Secret Beymas...Beymas?

Hello, Beyfam! 

A few weeks ago I asked whether people would be interested in a very low-stakes holiday-themed activity—and some of you said yes! So, here it is. The official post for what I tentatively called “Secret Beyfam” but what I am now calling “Beymas”...I’m not set on this name. Feel free to make suggestions. 

Below is a more detailed explanation than the one provided in the previous post as well as answers to some potential questions that you may have.

What’s the deal? 

I will be running the name of Beybladers from Seasons 1 to 3 through a Secret Santa generator. 

If you choose to participate, you will receive a DM from me with the name of a pair of Beybladers: one gift giver, and one gift receiver. 

For example, you might get a message that says: 

Gift Giver: Mathilda; Gift Receiver: Gao/Gary

With your assigned duo, you will create something related to the interaction between the gift giver and the receiver. You might choose to focus on the process of choosing the present. You might choose to focus on the gift being given. You might focus on the receiver during the interaction. 

Following your period of creativity, you post your work to Tumblr (or to the platform of your choice with a link share via Tumblr), and you’re done!

Will I be assigned to exchange content with another Tumblr user? 

No. This is not an exchange between Tumblr users. You will be creating content to share with the community at large.

When is this happening?

If I get my ish together then I plan to send out character pairs on November 27 (stay tuned for me not having my ish together). 

Ideally, creations will be shared by December 31, 2022 (in the timezone of your choice).

How do I let you know I would like to participate?

Reply on this post or send me a cheeky DM 😉.

Wtf do I make? 

While your mind may immediately go fic orart, there are lots of other options here. Some of these pairs of characters may be obscure, so you might not know much about them or how they interact, and since this time of year can be busy, you may not feel like you have the time to hash out the details. Below is a list of potential options if you don’t feel like blasting out a fic or art: 

A collage of potential things the gift giver considered giving to their gift receiver. 

A point-form list of how you think the interaction would go

AMV 👀 

A set of gifs from other pieces of media depicting what you think would happen 

A drabble

A powerpoint…(I’m not sure where I am going with PowerPoint, but please feel free).

Does this have to be romantic? 

Absolutely not. This is a fun time to explore dynamics. You may have a pair of teammates. You may have one character who hates the person they need to buy a gift for. You may have two characters who have never met, and the giver may feel fully out of their depth because they don't know their gift receiver well. Maybe you HC your pair of characters as having broken up. Endless possibilities. If you happen to ship the pair of characters you’ve been assigned, feel free to go the romantic route, of course, but there is not expectation or requirement to make this romantic at all.

Note: I do encourage you, if your characters don’t get along, to still maintain the gift-giving aspect as that is the point of the "exercise", and the fact of the matter is that I’m sure many of us have had office gift exchanges where we’ve had to give something to someone we aren’t too keen on (at least I surely have) 😂.

I don’t like my two characters. Can I get two other ones? 

In the interest of fairness, no.

I have an OC. Can my OC be included? 

So long as you are highlighting the gift giving and receiving between your two assigned characters, feel free to include anyone else you want (including other Beyblade characters and OCs). Perhaps your OC organized the gift exchange. Perhaps they are helping with the brainstorming. OCs welcome. 

I HC that one of my characters would not participate in a gift exchange like this. 

This could be a point of conflict in what you’re making, or you could have the character in question have a l’il outside of HC fun. I leave it to you.

I thought I had time to participate but I cannot. 

No problem! 

I think this sounds a bit silly and I don’t want to do it. 

Okai 😊.

Any questions, feel free to ask in the replies of the post, in an ask, or in a DM :).

[idlebeks]

A Savory Assortment of Fic Recs Part 2

Part 2 of the miscellaneous fandom recs I've gathered. Here you will find KinnPorshe, Sense8, Color Rush, We Best Love, Cal Leandros, The Witcher and Until We Meet Again

KinnPorshe

Where Power Resides by Laughsalot3412

Porsche snorts and ducks his head to hide a smile. It’s something Kinn would find cute if another man did it.

It is not cute on Porsche, because Kinn is about to serve him up to his sadistic cousin as a chew toy, so nothing Porsche does is allowed to be classified as cute.

Also, Porsche is the most annoying person Kinn has ever met.

(After epsiode 2, Kinn gets Porsche through a punishment by using bdsm power dynamics. He does it so well that it earns him the love of his life. Also, there are brothers. Just so, so many brothers.)

The power in the taking by iffervescent

They warned him, when he started working for the Theerapanyakun clan. Forget leadership, forget duty to his people, forget all that – they warned him. Kinn Theerapanyakun, clan heir: obsessed with power.

Porsche should have fucking listened.

Sense8

Felix+ by Chancy_Lurking

Felix Brenner and the Cluster.

Color Rush

whale fall by noona96n

a whale fall occurs when the carcass of a whale has fallen onto the ocean floor and create complex localized ecosystems that supply sustenance to deep-sea organisms for decades - this is a series of 'insert' & future fics that are canon compliant, just spicier and Yoohan/Yeonwoo relationship started out a lot more ambiguously

Tangled up in Blue by Madd4the24

"Run away with me," Yoohan said, pulling at Yeonwoo's hand, desperation and worry etched into his features. "Run away with me so we can be together. If we stay, they'll tear us apart. I won't get to have you anymore, Yeonwoo, and they might hurt you. Run away with this idiot and be happy with me."

"You are an idiot," Yeonwoo replied. "Where would we go? What would we do? Use your brain. We'd be caught right away. We're seventeen."

Once more, Yoohan implored, "Run away with me right now. While we still have a chance. Before the last bus leaves. We have to at least try."

Yeonwoo shook his head, "Running away will only make it look like I've kidnapped you even more."

"Only," Yoohan replied, "if we get caught."

(Or rather, Yoohan and Yeonwoo actually run away together, and build a strangely satisfying life together until their past comes barreling in reminding them that you can't ever really escape who you used to be.)

the great yawning beast by AceOnMain (Sangrylah)

Yoohan is not taking constructive criticism on his relationship, thank you very much.

movement of eyes by minkit

Yoohan had always wanted to be someone special, being a Probe for a Mono however had never crossed his mind.

the color rush scene from ep1 through Yoohan's POV.

We Best Love

The Lucky Ones by LadyAscalon

They don't eat Pei Shouyi's ramen. He doesn't blow Gao Shide's cover, and Shide gets his wish: he and Zhou Shuyi are friends through graduation and beyond.

Everything is fine until Shide brings a boyfriend home.

What the heart wants (and is going to get) by iffervescent

Gao Shi De has been in America far too long. Zhou Shu Yi decides this is unacceptable, and goes to get him.

Cal Leandros

Flickerflash by SouthernMoonshine

A collection of short drabbles from all over the series, fast and quick like the silvery flickerflash of light from Niko's katana

In Your Head by BottleRedRosie

Niko needs to sort out his head. Falling off a building can do that to a guy. Oneshot. Niko-centric. Niko and Cal POV. Warnings for language and non-graphic adult situations.

The Witcher

A Song of Selfish Hearts by gremble

Geralt loses a chunk of his memories, meets an overly-friendly bard, and comes to the obvious conclusion: that somewhere along the way, he apparently lost his godsdamned mind and decided to take a human lover on the Path with him.

you met me at the perfect time by suzukiblu

“You could’ve died,” Geralt says in a strange tone, and Jaskier takes one look at him and realizes—oh, he’s going to have to do something about that, isn’t he.

when life gives you lemons by ShanaStoryteller

The only good thing about Oxenfurt is the brothels.

Geralt thinks Jaskier is a whore, but really he's just an opportunist.

best friends means you get what you deserve by suzukiblu 

Jaskier wakes up in Posada. He’s been a lot of other places, but Posada is the one where he wakes up.

The one where someone needs him enough to make him exist, rather.

of music and motion and love by WriteThroughTheNight

When Jaskier was four, he slipped his mother’s watch and went to the field to gather a bouquet of dandelions. He climbed back into the yard, as stealthy as a child really cared to be, and crept over to the barn. In the barn, lived a secret. (The man he thought his father said the secret was a monster, a plague. His mother said the secret was his sister.)

OR

Jaskier comes from a far humbler background, and would really like to know why Yennefer never came back for her youngest brother.

Until We Meet Again

Have You Ever Been Alone (in a crowded room) by Madd4the24

It starts with the sliding glass door to Pharm's condo being open--cracked open only a few inches, letting wisps of cold air travel into the comfy room. It starts with Dean beginning to notice small things, innocent things, things that in isolated incidences, mean nothing. It starts with a feeling of unease, and the distinct notion that something is wrong.

It becomes, however, a mystery that gnaws at Dean until he can't sleep, can't eat, can't focus. Who is opening doors and windows? Who is moving Dean's shoes around, Pharm's books, their personal items? Who is Dean writing to at night?

And more important, when Dean wakes in the morning, who is writing back to him on the pad of paper placed on the bedside table?

forever? forever. by Jamilton_and_Lams

As short as it was; it was their forever.

aka slices of life from Intouch and Korn.

[ao3feed-wbl]

fear of the water

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/8tKjfXF by noona96n Shu Yi is the happiest person alive. - YU is the most miserable person alive. Words: 111, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: 永遠的第一名 | We Best Love (TV) RPF, 永遠的第一名 | We Best Love (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Gao Shide, Zhou Shuyi (We Best Love), Lin Tzu-hung | Sam, Yang Yuteng | YU Relationships: Gao Shide/Zhou Shuyi, Lin Tzu-hung | Sam/Yang Yuteng | YU Additional Tags: Character Bleed, Drabble read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/8tKjfXF

[universestreasures]

A Dragon's Reservations (Drabble)

Extension / Spinoff Of This Thread With @shachou

"Thanks for helping tuck me in, Tasuku." The youngest Kaiba speaks, offering the other a weak but genuine smile of thankfulness. Even if his friend's efforts were not quite to his preferences (they were a bit too tight), Mokuba still appreciated the effort. "I...I was never quite good at it. I've always had...help with it."

"You're welcome." Tasuku reacts with smile of his own, a hand gripping the door's knob as he slowly began to close it. "Rest well and good night, Mokuba. If you need anything, don't be afraid to call for us. We'll be right there with you."

Yet again, that reminder is given. It's something that Tasuku's made a point to say over the past few weeks his friend's been here. The purpose of it was to sway any doubts the boy had that he was a 'burden' and encourage him to seek help if (or rather inevitably, considering his frequent night terrors) he needed it. After all, he's heard Mokuba beat himself up needlessly enough since his arrival over the idea of being a 'burden', a sight that made his blood boil as much as it made his heart ache because he knew exactly where such things seemed from.

Or rather...he knew exactly from who they stemmed, the very person whose mistakes continued to cause pain to the one he was supposed to protect and cherish, his only remaining family who cherished him despite the blood on his hands and his many sins...

Kaiba Seto.

Upon closing the door to his bedroom that he was letting Mokuba borrow, he moves to go outside. Fresh air was key in helping him calm himself when he could feel himself getting tense, such tension coming from the anger that was practically waiting to rise from his chest. He goes to the roof of his apartment, stopping to look up at the serenity of the beautiful stars and crescent moon as he breathes in and out slowly. Looking at them, especially the moon, always made him feel calmer for some reason, the lights in the darkness that seemed to always surround him in one way or another.

Sadly, they did little to help this time. The more he sat and looked at them, the more the grip of his negative emotions, his anger, his rage, take hold on his heart and mind. Tasuku promised himself he wouldn't show that side of him in front of his friend, for that would just make things worse, but that meant that the effects of all that repressing he had been doing were taking hold now, with those very repressed feelings bubbling back up to the surface that can be visibly seen by the shaking of a clenched fist.

One might think such feelings of intense disdain for someone you've never met before were unbelievable. Despite being friends with Mokuba for about a year now, he's actually never once met his brother directly. Though, that doesn't mean he hasn't ever seen the CEO in person, or more specifically, hasn't ever seen his direct actions and the effect they have on his younger brother.

Even now as he stood there on the roof, his memories of that day were vivid, replaying in his mind like a perfect video recording. It was a key day in his memory, but not for a good reason. For it was the very day he saw Kaiba Seto's ugliness and cruel heart slowly reveal itself, with innocents, including his own kin, being at the mercy of his cruel and twisted 'games'.

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

After several long weeks of searching, he managed to get his hands on what he had been looking for. It was an invitation to the hottest and most exclusive gaming event Domino had seen yet: the opening ceremonies of Kaiba Land, the first theme park of its kind in Japan, hosted by the Kaiba Corporation. Though, it wasn't his joy of games that brought him to seek out an invitation. Instead it was, of course, his work, something that always took precedence even over his own desires. Yes he had been tasked by Commander I to investigate the event that had been surrounded in many rumors that were of interest to the Buddy Police, specifically ones that may pertain to dangerous games having been secretly built in a place meant for children.

Why was he doing this mission solo? Simple. All of the invited guests to the event were children and only children. No adults who were not employees were permitted in. So, Tasuku had no choice but to go it alone, something he was honestly okay with. Him being on his own, while certainly increased the risk, made him able to do his job much easier. Plus, it would help him maintain his cover, considering he was entering this under a different identity.

Thankfully, he managed to cling to the large crowd of kids who rushed into the facility as soon as it opened after having shown his invitation. Being lost in a crowd made him a lot harder to track, ruby hues eying all the suited security men around the facility. If he was to make any moves, he needs to be careful. While he does have Jack as an ultimate last resort to aid him, the last thing either of them wants is to reveal the dragon's existence needlessly. Doing so could cause a disaster with unforeseen consequences.

So, he opted for the strategy to search the facility from top to bottom while everyone was seemingly busy with the opening ceremony. He went from facility to facility to test out each and every game for any potential signs of danger. Much to his surprise and relief, none of the games he looked at had anything out of the ordinary with them in terms of potential hazards. The closest thing was the realism of the regular virtual reality simulator, but there seemed to be some warnings associated with it, at least.

Were the rumors just rumors after all? Tasuku can't be sure. These areas were publically accessible. If there were illegal, dangerous tech, surely they wouldn't put it out in the open. That's when he remembers he has yet to enter the tower where the opening ceremony had been taking place. Could that be where it was?

With a swift turn, he exits the arcade area he had examined and goes towards the tower instead. Apparently, the action was now on the fourth floor, as indicated by a screen outside the stairwell that now displayed 'Death T 4' in progress'. Just the name 'Death T' was enough to set off his instincts that this is what he was looking for, and after taking a moment to climb up the stairs and enter the stands, his suspicions were proven correct almost immediately.

For what he bore witness to was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, a display that would forever be burned into his heart and ignite his righteous green flames of justice.

Tasuku's eyes scanned over the stadium that was erupting in shock, all seemingly focused on the live image of Kaiba Seto, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation. The Buddy Police Boy Wonder was fully aware of who he was due to his reputation in the gaming world. There were some who said he'd never lost a game before in his life. There were also some who said he was responsible for the death of the previous CEO, Kaiba Gozaboru, a rumor no one could verify the truth of.

"I've been waiting for you, Yugi! Good job. I've gotten bored of these amusements."

"Amusements?"

"Take that path to the elevator and rise to the final stage!"

"I will! Don't you go anywhere! You'll get your game all right, Kaiba!"

That's when Tasuku takes a look around the rest of the space, noticing the colossal fight box in the middle. There he sees a taller boy outside of it (who he presumed was this 'Yugi' Kaiba referred to) and a small child on the inside. Judging by it, it seems the younger of the two had just been defeated in a game of some kind, seemingly an obstacle in Yugi's path to advancement.

But...that wasn't just any child in there. That was...

"Kaiba Mokuba, the Capsule Monsters Chess champion...And the very same person Lady Suzuha mentioned she lost contact with six months ago..."

It was one of those things the heiress mentioned to him during one of their recent encounters. She mentioned that if he ever ran into him, as such a thing might happen due to his line of work, to give her an update on his condition. Thank goodness an innocent like her wasn't here to witness this (little did he know such a thing was intentional on the younger Kaiba's part).

"I've felt your pathetic, clinging, loser's gaze...staring at my back for years...I kept telling you and over over, Mokuba...If you play with fire you'll get burned..."

Even though he can't hear Mokuba's reaction due to the box not being mic'd, Tasuku can just see and feel the fear from what his brother said. He knew nothing about the brother's relationship, but that didn't matter to him. As someone who had a very strong sense of family, he very much despised any mistreatment of a family member, blood or otherwise. Just seeing this cruelty got his blood boiling, but it truly exploded in fury at what would come next.

"You understand, don't you? Only the winner is allowed out of that duel box!" A button is pressed, one that seems to activate some kind of 'smoke' inside the enclosed space in which Mokuba was trapped. "A Penalty Game awaits the loser!! That is the Law of 'Death T'!!"

"A Penalty Game?!" The phrase echoes in his mind as his body is paralyzed as the display unfolds. Virtual projections more realistic than those he saw on the simulator came to life and caused the one trapped inside to scream and cower in absolute terror for his life. "This...This must be what our lead was about! If this was the fourth stage, then that means there must have been more of these dangerous games and punishments on the earlier 'Death T' stages!"

He could feel his body temperature rising and his breath heavying as he watched the torture go on, the sight triggering what appeared to be a panic attack. He normally made a point to try hold himself together while on a job, to steel himself so it wouldn't hold him back but...nothing could have prepared him for what he he was looking at. Seeing Kaiba Mokuba defenseless and calling out for help (presumably for his brother) reminds him of his own experiences when he was stranded on that mountain shortly after the Disaster, calling out for his family to save him and bring him home.

If Jack hadn't come to save him that day, he surely would have perished...just like Kaiba Mokuba might if no one comes to save him from his brother's cruel act...

Realizing that fact causes him to try and take action despite his physical symptoms. Anything was better than doing nothing. He ran through the bleachers, shoving past everyone to try and reach the bottom. With his physical prowess, he just might be able to jump off the bottom and reach the center platform. However, he stops at the edge as soon as the voice of someone else rings through, filled with heroic courage.

"Mokuba!!! Mokuba...take my hand!!"

And there the Buddyfighter bears witness to Yugi, a victim in this entire messed-up creation of the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, go in and drag Kaiba Mokuba out, saving his life and sanity in the process. A wave of relief washes through Tasuku at the sight of the two outside the chamber, his heart still racing through his chest. That demonstration right there gave the officer a large amount of respect for the gamer, who saved his opponent from the penalty of his loss of the game between them. That show of sportsmanship and kindness wasn't often seen in situations such as these with high stakes. Muto Yugi is someone he'll personally have to keep his eye on for certain.

As the amethyst-eyed gamer leaves for his fated battle on the next floor, Tasuku shifts his attention back to the robed boy kneeling on the ground, shaking and sobbing after having experienced such a horrific thing at his brother's hands. Watching him in that state causes his hands to curl into fists at his sides, his body now shaking not in panic but instead in sheer anger that was akin to a dragon's as he bores his fangs behind gritted teeth.

"Kaiba Seto...To think you would stoop so low as to bring harm to your own family...And turn games that are supposed to bring people together in friendly competition and fun into nothing more than death traps..."

"I'll never forgive you for this..."

"I'll never forgive you!!!!!"

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

Those words of anger, the ones that echoed his feelings that still remain today, are the last he hears before he is brought back to the present by the golden light of a Buddyfight card. Jack manifests from his pocket before the boy in his mini form, the dragon's golden eyes showing deep concern. Seems he felt the rage in Tasuku's heart too as the officer was spilling it out in waves after having been buried for so long.

"Jack...I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm doing fi-"

"Tasuku, you don't need to hide what you're feeling from me." The dragon cuts the boy off, his words stopping Tasuku's completely. "We're not just buddies, remember? We're family. The day you took me in and accepted me as a part of your own family, your loads became my loads; ones I share with you gladly. So please, please tell me what is on your mind. Although, I have an idea as to what or rather...who it might be."

A sigh escapes the boy's lips. For he knew well there was no arguing when it came to his only remaining family. Deep down, he knew how unhealthy it was to keep these feelings of his bottled up so tightly, wisdom he's given to others in the past to not do. He'd be a hypocrite if he didn't follow his own advice.

"I just...I just can't...I just can't get over the anger I feel when I think about what he's done..."He is clenching his fist now, trying to stabilize himself as he speaks his heart to his most trusted ally. "I don't care if he had a rough past, like Mokuba's said over and over. I don't care if Mokuba forgave him, wanting to try to move forward. No one...No one has the right to emotionally, physically, and psychologically damage their own brother, who did nothing but try to make him happy..."

Everything Mokuba did back then during the time of his separation from Lady Suzuha, all of it had been for the sake of his brother, who ignored and rejected him. He thought that there was no other way to get even an ounce of the happiness and love he once knew unless he also stained his hands. The fact he thought he even had to do such a thing just made Tasuku even more furious. How could anyone be so cruel?

"Then, after it was claimed that he had changed and presumably learned from his past sins, he yells at his brother so harshly and with such animosity to the point of Mokuba running away from home! And for what? Just expressing how he was feeling, like any normal person does? That's not even to mention what he's put so many others through for the sake of his own selfish reasons..."

He has yet to forget about both 'events' Kaiba hosted, 'Death-T' and Battle City, and how they both endangered the lives of innocent multiple times. He's put people into death games. He's kidnapped, lied, and stolen. He's created a trap for dangerous criminals in the form of a tournament that made the entire city a battlefield, without even consulting the Buddy Police. Need he say more?

"Your feelings towards him are understandable, Tasuku. I do not disagree with them. Kaiba Seto has committed actions that are unforgivable. However..." He pauses for a moment, flying over so his golden eyes are looking directly into Tasuku's rubies. "I do think, considering the boy's worsening condition, it might be time to consider a change in our approach to aid him."

"You're talking about what Gao suggested earlier today, aren't you?" He asked, Jack nodding his head in response.

"I understand your reservations about the idea, but...our top priority is to help your friend recover from the nightmares and fear that plague his heart and mind. And if we cannot do so effectively, then we must get the aid of the one who cares for-"

"If he really cared about his brother's well-being, don't you think he would have been here by now to see him?" His words cut off the dragon's, Tasuku's fist continuing to be curled tightly. "Even if he thought he'd be of no help or potentially make things worse, doing something is better than doing nothing at all. And no, sending one of his employees to spy on Mokuba does not count. That's not what Mokuba wants or needs."

"So...you do agree with the notion that the boy needs his brother to truly get through this, then?"

"Yes. We can only do so much without getting to the root of the problem directly."

"Then why did you tell Gao that you disagreed with the idea to begin with?"

"I told Gao that I disagreed with the idea of one of us bringing Kaiba Seto here. I never said I opposed him coming here on his own." Honestly, if he had, this might had been resolved already. "There's a difference between giving someone space and just not taking action. He's clearly staying away because he knows he's the problem, but by doing so, he's not taking responsibility or taking action to try and resolve this. And because of that, Mokuba is now too afraid to even try to contact him, leading to his anxieties and nightmares worsening."

Considering his past experiences, such a reaction from the boy wasn't surprising. He's gotten yelled at for expressing himself before. It only made sense he'd be afraid to do so again, especially after his own actions of running away from his home.

"He needs to be ready and willing to have a true conversation in order to resolve this, not just one to pacify Mokuba and sweep the issue under the rug. That will just make things worse for them both in the future."

This tactic, he suspects, was probably used in the past, considering how both seemingly moved on from the 'Death T' incident so quickly despite its intensity and lingering aftereffects. After all, Tasuku has no doubt Mokuba's recurring nightmares and PTSD symptoms are a consequence of that day. He's heard him almost confirm it himself in what he's mumbled while tossing and turning in his sleep.

"However, to prepare himself accordingly for that, he has his own demons he needs to battle within his heart, just like Mokuba's been doing since he got here. Until he can steel his resolve, win that internal struggle, and come to his own answer that he is ready and willing to share, then it's best he stay far, far away from here. I refuse to have Mokuba suffer any more than he has already..."

"Tasuku..."

Tasuku then moves exists the rooftop to return back inside the apartment, with Jack following suit. After entering the space, he moves to check his friend's phone he had left on the counter to charge. He then picks it up, ruby hues now staring in the face of a photograph of the two brothers that had been made the wallpaper, one of the pair at the construction site for Kaiba Land USA.

"What Mokuba really needs is that big brother he talks so highly of, not a selfish coward who can't own up to his own mistakes or talk things out without resorting to shouting like a child." The internal thought is accompanied by him placing the device down, a hand moving to cross over his heart as he makes yet another silent oath to himself. "And until Kaiba Seto can get his act together and become that person again, it's up to me to fill in that role as best I can in his stead, no matter how long it takes..."

[digital-zone]

After a long day of doing chores while Shunya is away at school, Faitomon deserves a bit of a rest. Regaining some of the energy he expended.

[phoenixqueen0415]

Late Happy Mother's Day Drabble

I wanted to draw something for Mothers day but i'm being slammed by tests and final projects so I wrote a quick drabble within an hour FJIDOAW ------------------- CW: mentions of death/passing on This one is a little bittersweet but its more to be a moving on thing but always loving someone, your parents. ------------------- The aroma of red bean and egg, tinged with hints of fresh fruit, filled the air of her apartment. Pyramids of fruits sat on plates on her counter, creating a colorful sight from red to green due to its variety. The scent that slipped out every crack and window, filling every passerby with warmth and a craving for sweets. It was Mother’s Day, so naturally, the smell of flowers lingered in the air outside her apartment, the aroma of her cooking simply adding on to the liveliness of the day. 

Yunwen gracefully moved in dance-like motion around the kitchen, moving between the steamer and the stove, making sure nothing was overcooked. Her jade eyes focused on the nian gao within the pan, making sure the egg-coated rice cakes didn’t burn. 

As soon as it was done, she skillfully took the rice cakes out with a pair of chopsticks, placing them on a plate neatly to stack them up into another pyramid of food, a smile naturally rising to her face. She truly adored the smell of cooking and baking; the smell wasn’t just a warm or sweet smell, but a smell of home. But that blissful content was only fleeting. She felt her heart drop a little, knowing what the next step was. 

It was time to set up the altar and light the candles. 

It was all bittersweet. She always refused to believe that her mother was gone. But... after spending so much time with MK, Mei, Sandy, Pigsy, Wukong, and even Macaque (Whom she surprisingly became friends with), she’s learned to accept it. They provided ears she never had. Eyes that she couldn’t see through. Advice that she could’ve never dreamed to take or think of.

They helped her accept her mother was gone. Helped her break her delusion. To let reality finally settle in, finally allowing the hurt to slip into her wounds that she’s gritted through and refused to care for, finally trying to stop the bleeding that has drained her of everything.

But it wasn’t just the pain nor her blood, sweat, and tears she shed for years. It was... the learning experience, really. Learning from the past and present, to prepare for the future. Her friends—something she’s come to genuinely accept—taught her something she never thought about: her mother wasn’t truly gone. She felt that if she stopped trying, stopped her anger, her mother would be gone forever, as if she would be erased from her mind permanently. But that wasn’t it. 

Her coping mechanism wasn’t entirely with fault or delusion. Her mother still lived on within her. She still carried her mother's blood, as well as the vague blurry memories of her, and that was all she needed. She still carried the blood of the fenghuang--begrudgingly, celestial blood--but that wasn’t the point nor just it. She had the right idea, but she took it too far.

Thoughts and rambling aside, they taught her to cherish her memory in a past form, as a memory, as part of herself. Not something to force and manipulate into reality as a physical form, all to try to cling to it. Something that was supposed to pass on.

Soon, the plates were set up at the small little altar she made, candles sitting on near the edges of the rosewood table, carved with intricate designs. There was no picture frame, no picture, nothing. She didn’t have a picture of her mother,.. nor did she ever need it. She lit an incense, bowing as she held the fragile stick between her palms, before walking up slowly, sticking the incense stick into the small tray.

Honestly… she thought this whole thing would hurt a lot more. That it would allow the hollowness to devour her whole from the inside out. That salt would rub itself into her wounds. But... funnily enough, it was nothing like that. She felt... lighter like the sky clearing up to reveal its beauty, blue streaked with gradients and lines of various colors. Her shoulders no longer felt heavy, the chains wrapped around her neck and body slipping off got the ground. Her anger at everything and everyone simmering down from its boil. 

A small prayer left her mouth before she muttered “母親節快樂.”

She soon stepped back before sitting down on her knees, her behind resting on her heels. She gazed at the altar, her little fenghuang manifesting beside her, curling up around her body. Its white gaze settled on the burning incense, before bowing its head. She sat there, watching the candles and incense, waiting for them to burn out. But she herself didn't burn out. It didn’t hurt. Nothing did for once. Her vision was no longer muddled. Soon, her lips quirked up, a small but genuine smile rising to the edges of her mouth

Maybe she can move on after all {FIN}

[minnarr]

my fanfic year in review 2023

turns out i posted 13 this year, which is better than i thought tbh! here they all are for your perusal

JANUARY

and now good-morrow to our waking souls - this was mostly written i think autumn 2021, i just cleaned up the first arc and yeeted it bc i wasn't going to finish the larger story anytime soon. pre wangxian, the old kingdom au

and two dzzs lunar new year drabbles:

such frivolous things - lqq&wkx feeling each other out precanon

to sweep clean - a snippet of qhz & his then-future wife

FEBRUARY

i posted nothing! 🥳

MARCH

winter could melt inside your hands - hanzhou, background wenzhou, postcanon in everyone's alive at siji au, huddling for warmth and first kiss

APRIL

the immortal wanderers spring exchange! i wrote 2 fics

sample of one - qi ye verse, wu xi asks zzs for help practicing kissing with mixed results

take a look at what we've made - shl au where rcq also became immortal and rongye get mixed up in canon events together & work out that the love is requited

separately, started the wip all our yesterdays where qhz shows up in siji arc in the midst of all the stuff everyone is trying to work out

MAY

Carve Out My Heart - this piece was written for the Trapped horror zine, a missing moment piece that treats rong xuan's resurrection and yue feng'er's death as a horror story

AUGUST

take a little time (walk a little line) - gao xiaolian pursues her crush on one of shen shen's female disciples in a happy postcanon au

JUNE, JULY

also nothing

AUGUST

secret weapon - a little precanon adventure where gu miaomiao and zhen ruyu meet long que's future wife when they're both after things that have been stolen from them. also healer valley is full of snake shapeshifters, including gmm

SEPTEMBER

nada

OCTOBER

The Demon General's Wife - gu xiang/gao xiaolian xianxia au with arranged marriage; another exchange fic

NOVEMBER

another month without posting

DECEMBER

i finally finished both my fandom trumps hate fics! which i had been worrying about between other events but not actually writing...i had fun with them both though

Here Comes Trouble - au where qhz lives longer, wkx is a siji disciple and talks zzs into taking the sect to camp on yby's doorstep and ask for help, much to yby's annoyance

The Road is Never Lonely - postcanon, nianxiang is on her first trip alone & this weird old couple keeps following her (spoilers: it's wenzhou)

[introloves]

Jax my sweetie! Haven’t you heard? It’s sundress and no panties season!! Who do you think would feel their s/o’s up while they’re out having a cute picnic in the park?

ohh,, the list for this is long...

› bokuto, meian, atsumu, oikawa, hinata-

unashamedly wanders his heavy hand down to your ass- fingers playing with the cute little sundress you're wearing, smiles at you when you squeak and try to pry his thick hands from your form. you don't want to flash the people walking behind the two of you, but wearing a pretty little number like that, for him- has him insatiable. doesn't take long for him to take you further away from wandering eyes and fucking you against a tree, one hand holding onto your face so you don't go bumping it against the tree and the other laying against the curve of your spine, sundress bunched up and used as leverage to bring you back onto his thick cock over and over, watching your pretty, shaking hands press helplessly on the tree to get more, more, more. knees knocking against one another while you’re nearly suspended with each thrust- so pretty and desperate, all spurred on by the sight of you in a simple little dress. 

› aone, aran, suna, osamu, kageyama-

can't really articulate what it does to him seeing you in something so pretty, fitting for the hot temperatures while you're sitting outside- happily sipping on cold drinks in the shade. he doesn’t even know you’ve opted for no panties, not until you uncross your legs and reach over for more food- and he slowly feels his world tilt on its axis. it takes no time for him to reach over the food, knocking things out of the way in order to land his hands on you- tugging your body closer, fingers digging into the softness of your body, letting himself tug and pinch and grab at the dress you’ve adorned yourself in. asking you with little humor, ‘what were you thinking, hm?’ before flipping your body over and sliding a thick and heavy cock into your cunt- the same one he caught glimpses of mere seconds ago- puts your body into a pretty little arch, both hands on your ass, grabbing and pushing you down at the same time so he can see his monstrous cock slide in and out of you. mewls and cries coming from your muffled mouth already drooling onto the picnic blanket only spurring him on.

› iwaizumi, ushijima, gao, kyoutani-

doesn't even let you walk out the door- fucks you on the floor of your living room. legs swung up over his shoulders so he can see your body jiggle underneath the dress slowly hitching up your tummy with the way he’s fucked you into a mating press, dead set on cumming inside your tight little cunt so he can see every load run down your legs when he finally does let you walk out of the house. he’s not even undressed, cock tugged out of the waistband of his pants- letting you cream and make a mess of his own clothes with every thrust that meets your wet cunt, chuckling once he’s finally spent after furiously fucking you down onto the floor- small little apologies for ‘acting like an animal’ that are just empty words and its not like you mind- too fucked out and shaking to care. 

[ddingbaragi]

[An Iron Widow drabble where Zetian's sister is alive (can be before canon events or canon divergence, you choose)]

Word count: 228

The Iron Queen, that’s the name that blares on the screen.

Wu Ruiyi can be seen exiting the mecha hand in hand with her partner, smiling proudly for the swarming cameras that want to get a look at the hottest new couple. Zetian watched it all from Yizhi’s tablet, heart swelling with pride at her sister’s success.

“Do you envy her?” The boy asked her.

Zetian looked up from the tablet, smile not fading a bit.

“Why should I be? She’s my sister,” she said proudly. The stream had ended so she turned off the tablet and laid it on her lap. 

“But do you want to be a pilot like her?” 

A pause. Zetian looked at her husband and shook her head.

"I don't think it would be the life for me. Besides, I'm already married to you. I have all the thrill I need here."

The cool breeze on the top of the mountains was calming. The cabin had such a nice view she didn't want to leave it.

She was away from everything

Her family

The chaos

It was just her and Yizhi.

Yizhi smiled and took her hand, lips brushing over it.

"Right you are, my polar star."

An alarm from the tablet broke the peaceful silence. On the screen was a large box of text

BREAKING NEWS: LI SHIMIN HAS ESCAPED FROM PRISON

A/N: i am aware y'all probably aren't a fan of this but think about it. If ruiyi never died Zetian wouldn't have the want to become a pilot to avenge her. Maybe she'd plot on how to grt away from her family via marriage with Yizhi. You never know!

Do i wanna write fugitive shimin running into them? Maybe

@incorrect-ironwidow