#Like I don't want to entertain the thought too much because knowing it'd never happen would just make me sad lol

[moongothic]

May I ask for married lizards head cannons (Dragon x Crocodile)

Unfortunately, honestly, I don't really have Dragodile headcanons at all, mainly because we know so little about Dragon it's kind of hard for me to imagine what he'd be like in a relationship with anyone, let alone with the meanest reptile on the planet

Aside from Dragon being the worst lay Crocodile ever had but to be fair that is at least 38% a joke headcanon

[cactikiki]

GGY headcanons because I've been thinking a little...

==

Greg met Tony and Ellis in September, right at the start of the school year. He was alone and didn't know where to go, but Tony was there like, "Hey, this new kid's lonely. I think we should check on him."

Tony is nice, but also nosy. He likes knowing people, inside and out

Tony finds new kids especially interesting. There's usually more to them being there than others, who just go to the school because they live nearby or thought it was a good school.

This kid, their family, moved here for a reason... Why?

Hurricane doesn't have anything much going for it. While yes, it's the birthplace of Fazbear Entertainment and has the very first, original Pizzaplex, people don't usually move to the town just for that. Parents wouldn't usually do that.

So there's a story there! Everyone has a story.

As for why Gregory's parents moved at all... He has well-off parents who wanted to work with Fazbear Entertainment. Huge economic opportunity. So they moved in from Salt Lake City, you go to Hurricane now my boy

The whole reason Gregory gets glitchtrapped is because of his parents. Karma got them in the end ig....

Gregory is a good friend to both Ellis and Tony. They click immediately, like they've known Greg for years. They know his full name, but Gregory never really went by it back then, sticking with simply Greg (he would've went by 'Gregory' in SB because he forgot he even had that nickname at all.... and while in and out of consciousness before that, even. So Cassie only ever knew him as Gregory)

Rab wasn't around the whole time, lucky for Gregory. He got to know the duo for a few months before that, got close, and clicked super well with them. So he did have a close connection with them before things went wrong, unlike Cassie who he would've gotten less connection with since he didn't really know her (and when he'd met her, he'd just broken free of being controlled for a few hours, with no memory of any events).

Summer came, and Gregory got to test a Freddy's VR game bc of his parents. He would've begged them too, "It's the least you can do for me. You guys don't spend any time with me! Let me come with you to the company building and test the game, pleaseee?"

Something went wrong at the target audience testing. One of the QA testers kept watching him, a blonde woman with green eyes... She was odd, but Gregory brushed the thought away.

That was, until a sharp migraine hit his head, and everything started to go fuzzy from there.

School came back around in September, and GGY happened. Greg acted slightly differently after summer, but it was probably just normal stuff. Right? It's not like there were any stark differences in personality. That's what Tony thought at least, until he dug too deep and... yeah.

To Ellis, his two best friends just went missing. That's all there was, forever, and he just had to deal with that. They were never coming back.

As for Tony, he'd haunt Greg and probably can't quite believe there's life after death

Gregory, at this point, he doesn't remember. So shit falls off shelves, and he hears his name whispered, and he's like, 'huh. must've been the wind... unless, maybe Vanessa's grandma is here? omg Ness, holy shit come here. I think your grandma's ghost is here??"

But it'd get serious when he finds out the truth. When he realises. When he starts getting hurt by this ghost. He tries to communicate (since my Greg is a paranormal believer and Tony owned a DR60 recorder because of him, while Greg owns a REM-pod). Tony is always angry. He's always upset. Gregory finds himself permanently haunted by him.

Rab racked up a few bodies while he was controlling Gregory; therapists, Tony, his parents, and two random kids he didn't even know the name of. Vanny dealt with the rest. Those mostly went to the Tangle, though; Tony was the only one to have a close enough connection to get stuck attached to Greg.

==

That's all I really have rn, idk I wanted to post this somewhere sjhdjbrkfnfm I had thoughts. Many thoughts. I will continue to have thoughts.

[mishkakagehishka]

Hey Korka I saw a thing so of course I have to shu-ify it because it can fit this idiot who never says what he actually thinks unless it's strictly necessary.

Anyway thinking about something going wonky with some thing or other and being able to hear Shu's inner voice... Like getting to hear his actual feelings with a sort of echo effect after he says his usual harsh words... Maybe using that to your advantage to tease him a little bit and fluster him while making it not completely obvious so he doesn't evaporate on the spot

I think we don't have to really use any logic because "Well, we just want to see it happen!!" is enough. For the sake of an argument, let's imagine uhhhhhhh [checks notes] the time and space matter is falling apart because of the perpetual timeloop and it's showing in the fact that Shu's thoughts are now shared with whoever he's speaking to in the moment. We could bring up the idea of a soulmate AU, but I won't torture you tonight.

idk the word count i wrote it directly in post (so no spellchecker! should be fun!!) and i . didn't really plan on doing that.

Shu's usual biting remarks - something that takes lots of getting used to, and even then can hurt quite a lot. It's not like he wants to be mean, but that's how he comes across to most. To most, with a few notable exceptions, to most except to those who, after all, know him.

But it takes practice to know how to translate Shu's words, to know that his "Even a child could do it" doesn't necessarily mean you're stupid so you should be able to do it - it doesn't mean that he considers you on the level of the imaginary child he is mentioning, but that he expects someone of your skills and knowledge to be able to breeze through it. To know that his scoffs and "Don't bother me" and "I'm only doing this because it'd be an inconvenience to me otherwise" are just ways of masking his own care for you. That his scoffs are to hide his smiles, his shooing of you just a way to make sure he's not distracted by wanting to talk to you, that he just cannot come clean about his true intentions - it's not in his nature to show vulnerability.

And one day, all that practice, all that difficulty is just. Gone. And suddenly you have access to Shu's inner thoughts. How? Who knows. The author doesn't particularly care, either. But the reality is that you were left sitting in your seat, listening to Shu berating you for not bringing an umbrella, yet very much hearing the echo of, what would I do if you got sick? Why do you always insist on worrying me like this? And how were you supposed to pair it to "Are you a moron? Do you not check the weather like an adult before leaving the house?!"

Easily. By batting your eyelashes at him, by saying, "Sorry, did I worry you?" He paused in his berating, mid-sentence, mid-calling-you-an-imbecile. Eyes widened, mouth still left half-open. Is that the faintest rosiness of a blush you see on his cheeks? "Don't be ridiculous. Whether you get sick or not is none of my business, but think about the work you'd be pushing onto others because of your lack of care. It is highly irresponsible." Yet the echo was panicking. Panicking! Screaming, is it that obvious? Am I that obvious? I don't look worried, do I? You may have just found your entertainment for today.

"Well, I just forgot my umbrella. I'm sorry, but I don't think I deserve to be called names for it," you defended yourself, just wanting to see if he'd think anything vaguely remorseful. "I'm simply stating facts. Forgetting such a trivial thing makes you seem dumber than you are." - If you feel bad about being called names, then quit behaving so carelessly.

Well, Shu will always be Shu.

I hate making you feel bad, too. I wish you would smile at me." And wasn't that your perfect sign? Your wonderful cue to shoot him the brightest, most blinding smile known to humanity, in such perfect timing. And as if an arrow had struck him, he froze. Even his thoughts - empty. But he was under your effect, that was certain, with that faint blush easily deepening, splashing his cheeks in a far more noticeable way. In a way that was, quite frankly, very taking-advantage-of-able. "Are you okay? You're looking a bit red?" Don't come closer, don't come closer, don't come closer, DON'T- Of course you came closer. Of course you placed your hand on his forehead, pressing ever so lightly. "Do you have a fever?" "NO! I'm fine. Don't touch me!" Though he attempted to swat your hand away, it was clearly rather low-effort, and your hand remained on his forehead. He almost leaned into it, and you could hear words so unfitting of Shu's voice, yet undeniably in his voice. Ah~ Your hand is so soft... I wish time would stop so you would never pull away... It's so warm... What a capricious man.

"You're burning up, Shu! And you scolded me about getting sick..." "I'm not sick, I told you! Let go this instant!" Please don't let go please don't let go please don't let go "Why don't you move away? Nobody's holding you." Really, nobody was. You only kept your hand on his forehead, but he was free to even just take a single step backwards. But you knew the reason. And he knew the reason as well. The blush spread to the tip of his ears, making him look nothing less than like a rose in bloom. Or an embarrassed tomato. "You're not sick? So what's with your face? You're red all over. Could it be you're embarrassed?" You happily watched his composure crumble, his breathing turn uneven, his eyes trembling. What's happening?

Suddenly, his cheeks were cupped, squished until his mouth was stuck in a pout. A most undignified state that had him scrambling, trying to push your hands away, but ultimately it was a fruitless endeavor. What's happening!??!?! "You're so cute." "UNHAND ME!" But, like a puppy, his thoughts just repeated the compliment over and over. I'm cute... I'm cute...? He seemed to enjoy it, his heart pounding in his ears at the words, at your touch, at how close your faces were. "You're adorable. Do you like it when I compliment you like that?" I love it "You do, don't you? So cute."

A loud smooch to his cheek. And his knees buckled. Pathetically. "Wha-what is the meaning of this? You're behaving most inappropriately and-!" "Are you crying?" "I'm NOT!" He was not... technically. The tears that collected in the corners of his eyes were those of frustration with himself, frustration with the situation. I would want for nothing more than to embrace you and kiss you, but... Even his thoughts hadn't a ready excuse. It was simply not something that would be in his nature. But I could never take the lead with such acts.

And isn't that all you needed to know to grab his face once more, albeit less like a fussy baby's and more gently now, to cup his jaw and press your lips against his? To cradle his face in your hands, to feel his body tensing up for a mere moment, before his arms caught hold of your shoulders, attempting to ground himself. His breathing evening once more, though his heart continued pounding hard enough that you could feel it against your own chest. And his inner monologue nothing but an unending scream of, what you assumed to be, excitement. It probably wouldn't be horror, else he wouldn't have been kissing back as fervently as he was. Pulling away was equally as entertaining as listening to his inner screaming throughout the kiss, rather, watching him quickly trying to mask his softened features back into a frown, getting ready to scold you, but... No words came out.

"You..! You..! You.....!" He tried his best, he really did. I cannot believe you did that i cannot believe we did that that was so good that was great i want to do that again i never want to be away from you i want to hug you more i want to kiss you more i want to "Me? Me? Me?" You mocked, a victorious smile on your face, knowing you had one over him. Him, who was still out of breath, tried as he did to hide it. "You're that into me, huh?" At this point, he had the bright idea to hide his face. "I already saw how red you are, no use hiding it now. Come kiss me again." Peeking through his fingers, no, glaring through his fingers. He pondered on a response for a second, face still heating up, embarrassment still evident. But, for once, his thoughts and words overlapped, "Can I?"

[professionalakazasimp]

Douma x Reader

Part 6

-Interactive game-

[AFAB reader]

Choice made:

"Agree but insist on knowing what he needs you for"

Warnings: Emotional manipulation, brief mention on corpses, messed up thoughts in general lmao

"I'd like to come with you, but I really need to know where we're going first." Your voice had a hint doubt and suspicion.

"Ah, this is a stubborn one." He thought to himself. He couldn't say he felt upset about it. Heck, he couldn't feel anything about it. Though he was a little amused to see you act all careful while already being his prisoner, his slave.

Though he couldn't just straight up tell you the truth to where he was taking you or what he was going to do to you, that would really make you fussy for sure.

"Aw, dear, but that'll ruin the surprise, will it not?

It really saddens me that even though I've done so much for you, you still don't trust me even a little."

You were dumbstruck, him saying this, it leaves you no choice. If you apologize and still wish to know more, it'd put a bad impression on him and he might even kick you out sooner, but if you do go—

You shake your head, repeating to yourself in your mind that if Douma had any bad intentions, he would've already done them, since you were just a defenseless, injured person at an unknown location.

"Ah sorry, I have trust issues because of past incidents. You don't need to tell me where we're going. I'll come along." You finally respond.

The fly really flew right into the web, huh?

"That's great! And it's okay, I wasn't upset anyway." He replied in a cheerful manner.

"I'll send you some nice clothes to wear soon. Be ready by 9, alright?"

He asked, but left before even hearing your answer. That's okay, you wouldn't have been able to answer him anyway. You were too busy processing what just happened.

~•◇•~

The sun went down, as did Douma down the staircase. He is a demon, and he has his own set of "responsibilities", but he doesn't really care. He wanted to have fun with you instead.

His plan for you was to take you to that one part in the forest he threw all the remains of his meals. It was quite a beautiful spot if you ignored the rows and piles of ribs, skulls and other bones.

He couldn't wait to see your reaction. It'll be so funny and cute, at least for him. It wasn't his fault he found it amusing to do this.

He wondered if you'd be terrified, traumatized, angry or all three.

Well, doesn't matter, all of them are entertaining reactions.

He'd decide whether to eat you, let you live or do something else to you after that and he had quite a few ideas.

~•◇•~

Some time passed and you finally got those clothes he was talking about.

A woman wearing a plain white kimono, with her hair tied into a bun brought it for you. She was weirdly quiet like the rest of the people here, and by "rest", you mean that one man you saw talking to Douna a while ago. There weren't many people here were there? Or maybe there were but you never got to speak to them.

Even after you thanked the woman in a cheerful voice, she simply nodded with her head facing facing downward and left. How strange.

"Woah..." you mumbled while inspecting the clothes sent to you. This was expensive stuff.

It was a red kimono with blue and purple lotus patterns in what seemed like water at the bottom. There was a blue sash with it too. It was really sweet to the eyes.

You wondered again why Douma was doing this for you. Could it be that...he likes you romantically? You really don't have many complaints if that's the case. You're willing to give it a shot.

You look at the clock on the wall, its 8:36 pm. You rush to get ready with what time you had.

~•◇•~

Finally out of the unguarded confines of your room, you walk around the mansion. It was kind of eerie despite being so clean and well kept. It had a few bright lights on the ceiling right above the hall accessible through the double staircase. Other than that, there were a few dim lanterns here and there.

Even though it wasn't wrong for you to be here, you felt like a princess trying to escape her prison in an unknown territory like in the books you often read. Maybe it was like that. You knew absolutely nothing right now. Not even knowing where to go from here or where Douma was.

[bluemoondust]

I know you’re probably really busy with requests but I’m definitely willing to wait. Yandere Korekiyo General Hcs? -🩴🙄

✧General Yandere Headcanons✧— Shinguji Korekiyo

It's all good! I appreciate the patience, so here you go!

Update: I know you said to ignore this request, but if you don't mind, it'd still like to do it since I've grown fond of this guy. (In general I just love the third trial blackens)

Warning(s): Obsessive Behavior/Thinking, Implied Stalking, Delusional Behavior/Thinking, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Bondage (Rope), Implied Sensual Thoughts, Mentions of Sister Shinguji (she's her own trigger warning for obvious reasons, but nothing relating to what happens ingame because yikes...), Hints of Manipulation (towards Korekiyo since Sister Shinguji is not pleasant)

Korekiyo screams obsessive yandere given how he acts in general; with the way he is fascinated by the beauty of humanity. In the beginning, he is not obsessed with you as a person yet. What he is fixated on is the way you work, whether it be how you think, feel and react to certain circumstances. It's all for the sake of studying humanity. At first. It seemed innocent (as much as it can be given how people view him as creepy), but sooner or later the scale tips to more of a sinister side.

Surprisingly, Korekiyo is the type of yandere who will think deeply about what he is feeling. He was curious to what exactly this was and when he eventually got to the conclusion, he chuckles to himself. Unfortunately, he is very aware that these emotions towards you are unhealthy... but to him, that's the best part. This love that is tainted but so passionate and raw intrigues him as he wonders to himself what lengths he'd go to in your name. Of course, this love is seen as forbidden to him, which makes it all the more enticing. Why would he consider it forbidden? Well, mostly due to the fact that many, along with you, would frown upon such an obsession. Korekiyo enjoys the whole ordeal.

Majority of this stems from him never really experiencing a healthy relationship. He obviously thinks there's something wrong with this form of 'love' but at the same time he deems it as normal for him. He basically deludes himself as time goes on, which makes the situation worse when it gets to a point where some things can't be reversed nor taken back. Another thing to point out is the obsession of knowing so much about you. His life revolved around his sister's interests and nothing more, to which he believed it was all he could be and that they were truly things he enjoyed. This applies to you as well when he's grown these feelings for you. Everything you like is something he likes too simply because it's you. Korekiyo feels more connected to you in that way. In turn, he will make sure you share his interests as well.

Even when he is aware of everything, he'll still act the same way around you. Nothing seems to have changed, but looking further into the situation give insight on what lays beneath. Korekiyo continues to observe you, but this aspect is amplified as he want to take note of how you go about your daily life. You'll never notice, of course. The case of reactivity would disappoint him since he'd like to watch you perform tasks as you'd always would.

There are times where Korekiyo likes to drop small hints of his intentions/actions that he has done. It brings a sense of thrill within him to see how'd you react to figuring out that someone feels so intensely for you. How would you feel? What would your response be? If you were horrified by the realization, it'd be absolutely tantalizing as he fully takes in your expression. Even your expression of disgust would be beautiful to him.

He will bring up certain topics with the intention of how many reactions he can get out of you per conversation he has with you. Korekiyo does go into the subject of his talent as he informs you on the aspects of humanity and anthropology. Showing interest/a desire to learn more brings him elation. Of course he will entertain your curiosity. The subject of ropes does come into conversation and that...excites him as he speaks with you. Korekiyo is still his usually calm self as he speaks, but his tone is different. He will admit that you do invade his mind at any chance and he indulges in these thoughts. Unashamed, Korekiyo has fantasized about you in a number of situations; some mundane and others... not so pure. Oh, does he want to play out these fantasies in real life to see what you'd do, what'd you say, how would you look.

In terms of jealousy, it's slightly iffy when it comes to Korekiyo. However, I do believe he's mostly levelheaded on the matter. A person such as themselves will come and soon take their leave, but if they were to persist, he watches to see how'd you respond. Accepting their advances leaves Korekiyo to ponder on what to do, taking enjoyment on the options he has. Killing is a very immediate example and he obviously knows how'd you react. Most people feel the crawling horror upon their person when faced with the scene of death in front of them. Even if he is aware of the reaction you'll have, it would still be a wondrous sight. What will you do when faced with such events?

The thought of kidnapping you has crossed his mind, but the reason he'd do it is not fueled by the typical justification of wanting to protect/control/keep you away. It's merely to see the choices you'd make. He wonders how you'd feel when you see it was him who did this and if you will ask why he would. To be quite honest, your main concern should be what Korekiyo is willing to do with you now that you're in his grasp. There's no one to interfere and he certainly has no need to hide his intentions anymore. He voices his excitement of this to you, simply consumed with delight as he tells you that he can't wait.

[that-sims-four-blog]

Oh dear, I started a Sims 4 playthrough.

You know what, "Leeb, Leefuh, Love" sounds like a pretty good sitcom name. I'm going to start naming whatever sitcom-fanfic this playthrough becomes—provided I don't chicken out of documenting This Thing out of cringe.

For starters, Metallica—the three angriest men of the year 2003—decided to move to some random house in Oasis Springs. Why? I don't know. Are they there to find a bassist? Dunno either.

Okay, maybe they aren't so angry.

In fact, James and Lars are coming along pretty well. Since there isn't a way in-game for them to start a thrash metal band, each members are doing mundane jobs!

Lars is a lawyer—looking at you, Napster—while James is an Entertainer, probably a comedian because why not. Kirk's getting a start in the Culinary career.

...Oh, yeah, the Welcome Wagon struck that household, too.

Johnny Zest made a fruitcake. I think they liked it—I can't recall what they thought of it... Kirk's social awkwardness begins to pop up, too, although advice from his totally-bandmates did help a bit.

And yes, that's Makoto Yuuki—from the popular PS2 video game Persona 3 FES—in the background. We'll bother about him in a bit. At least he gets along pretty well with the Metallica household, especially James.

Several hours later, Lars decided to become the new Skrillex, and played around with the music-making-table (I can't remember what they are called).

It's got about as much bass as ...And Justice For All, trust me.

Moving over to that place that the developers designed after the British countryside, not that I remember the world's name, the RBY household moved into a house. Weiss won't fit anywhere between the budding lovers Blake and Yang and the hyperfixative Ruby. She might get created at some point, just outside the hellhole.

So, yeah, there they are, living their lives in the moment.

This is probably my favorite screenshot of them, Blake probably being OOC be damned.

Also, most of the household seems to have fairly... memorable faces, especially Yang's psychotic expressions. I might compile them at some point in the future.

Anyways, so, jobs: Blake writes stuff. Yang is a cop—because I can, and I want her to be as silly as Martin Riggs; so she's stuck in a cop-aganda show. Ruby goes to high school, therefore she's stuck in some teenagers-do-stuff sitcom.

Oh, yeah, Ruby did go to high school, and I have some bits to document.

As pissed off because of some fear about unfulfilled dreams, she seems to have a thing for exercise. It's probably an excuse to offer you one of her goofy-looking faces, though.

There's some random person with the Zelda moon following them, apparently:

And there's also that thing.

I can't kill that Landgraab off for the grievous crime of T-posing?

God fucking damn it.

But aside from that, everything went as normal, and Ruby managed to acquaint herself with Cassandra Goth.

That's good, I suppose. There were two other Sims that she managed to befriend, too, but I forgot their names. No, that Landgraab is not on the list—absolutely not, nuh-uh.

Also, later that day, she decided to bring Ruby to the Hijinks-and-other-things Festival. She went off to the art museum, while Ruby's left on her own. Noooo, that never happened before in the show Ruby was from! haha! But yeah, she joined the Pranksters—mainly because I wanted a silly laugh—but upon finding out that James Hetfield is there, I thought it'd be utterly hilarious for her to prank him.

That's the best image I could capture. No, I'm not giving you the aftermath of the trolling.

So, that's one-half of a thing I'm doing, and I realized that I was capturing too many pictures for comfortable reading. Plus, the default Tumblr layout sucks for this kind of thing, and I have no clue how to code layouts, so... Yeah, the second half coming later on.

[mr-voorhees-husband]

I loved your hc and fic so much, Could I request a short fic of Tssm!Quentin and the reader going on a lil date :D

YES YESYEYSYSEYS

yes. 100% 1000%

Partially for myself because I wanna be Quentin's gossip partner but I can re-write it to be more romantic if you so desire my friend (also this was written on mobile too, so it will be properly formatted later i promise)

Warnings: a lil body horror in Quentin's story?, Reader + Quentin go on a cute date and do.. idk date things (man I'm aroace idk how dates work)

Reader - Mostly gender neutral but Quentin uses masc compliments

"What happened to 'hanging low'?"

Quentin scoffed at your question, dismissing it with one of his signature smirks. For someone who had the smartest person in the city as his bestfriend, he didn't make the smartest decsions sometimes. His ego wouldn't let him and he was lucky you liked that about him. If you didn't, Quentin would be minus a partner. "Please, Mysterio never hides, especially not when it comes to bringing his handsome partner on a date, my love."

"Mhm," You hummed, taking a sip of the expensive champagne he'd bought, "and what will the wonderful Mysterio do if Spider-man happens to crash our date?"

"Ah-" Quentin got a look on his face, an odd flurry of panic and concern. He'd obviously not thought of it, and it had you biting back a smile from the otherside of the table. It'd been his idea, or rather, his insisting that ended you two in this high end restaurant. It really was nice, expensive as all hell, but nice nonetheless. You were lucky you talked him out of going to another one down the street, a semi-formal dress code was much more appealing than a black-tie one. "Well- he'd beat him, and take his date to a much better restaurant."

"You mean like how you beat him last night?" You were teasing, of course. Quentin could tell from a mile away when you had that glint in your eyes that you didn't mean harm. He flushed with a pout, before clearing his throat and sitting up straighter.

"That was Shocker's fault, he shot at me." You nodded at his words, deciding against pointing out how it was in fact Quentin who got in the way of the blast. "Oh- did I tell you about what happened before the fight?"

That was another thing you adored about you villainous actor, he gossiped. So much it wasn't funny, but oh, it was more than just a little entertaining. Being his partner meant you were told everything he knew... which meant you basically knew everything about the Sinister Eleven.

It'd probably be best if you didn't meet them at this point, anyway. You don't think you could look Sandman in the eyes after learning how his clothes work...

"So, Flint, O'hirn, Adrian, and Mason are all in the like.. living room area?" You raised an eyebrow and he waved his hand, something, you learned, he did often. "Not important, anyway. You know how Rhino can take off the chest and pelvis piece, right?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, you told me." You had to think about it for a moment, but he most definitely had told you at some point.

"He'd taken off his chest piece because he needed to cool down, so he's laying on his and Ox's designated area, cooling down." Quentin was in it now, hands moving as he talked. You'd have to start making a list of all the things you liked about him, you realized. How animated he was would definitely be one of the top 5. "Sandman goes over, and says something along the lines of 'do you think i can fit in the rest of the armor?' So of course Alex wants to see if he can."

"Oh god."

"It gets worse." Quentin's smile was on the edge of being sadistic, eyes lit up as if this was the funniest thing in the world. "Sandman slips into the armor, and its all fine and dandy. Until he realizing, he, for some reason, is moving."

"No. Please don't tell me he-?"

"It took them two hours to sort him out of Rhino's tissue." You cringed, the little details given being enough to give you the full picture. Quentin giggled like an insane person, and you couldn't help but chuckle in response. "I mean- why would they even thing that was a good idea?"

"Aren't these the same two guys that Spidey used to beat on a daily basis back before Mysterio?" His nod had you shaking your head in disbelief. "Jesus you'd expect them to know better."

"Exactly!" Quentin's sudden raise in volume had people looking your direction, but you just glared in response. So your boyfriend was loud, so he could be a bit chaotic. So what? That didn't mean they could say anything, especially not while you were here.

A blissful sigh had you looking back at him, your eyes finding his in a stare that had you blushing. Another thing you liked about him, you noted, was how he looked at you. Like you were some kind of deity. It was equal parts embarrassing and adorable. "What?"

"I like it when you get angry for me." Quentin reached over, smirking like the little stuck-up idiot (affectionate) he was, and picking you hand up in his own. "It makes me happy I found someone to brag about."

"Wow," you flushed, chuckling, "that's a hell of a change of pace."

Quentin smiled, pressing a kiss to your knuckles as he downright purred his next words. "Its why you love me."

With a roll of your eyes, despite how your heart was fluttering and your face rivaled the color of a peach, you scoffed.

"That and a couple 100 other reasons," You pulled his own hand to you, flipping the script as you kissed the ring finger knuckle, "my love."

[sugar-omi]

Trying to imagine what kind of conversation Baxter and Frankie would have if they somehow ended up getting a chance to chat (whether he was brought along with Jamie during a visit or they bumped into each other by chance)

Would it be a good thing or a bad thing?

Would Frankie be disappointed and surprised with what Baxter did or would they be more like not so surprised but only disappointed? As you said, Frankie knows Baxter better than Jamie ever could so Frankie knows Baxter wants to be loved. So it'd be like:

"I know you've always wanted to be loved by someone but why did it have to be this why, huh? Why couldn't you guys have dealt with this better?"

mmm, i think the shock is temporary, and its more shock that baxter would disrespect himself like that. and tldr, baxter doesn't have a explanation to frankie's question, even he doesn't know wtf happened honestly. he just broke down because i imagine jamie really wears him down over the course of months of wedding planning and even distances themself from cove on purpose (not giving affection, sleeping in the guest bed or getting in bed after cove "sleeps" (he's definitely been awake once or twice, waiting n crying when jamie just turns their back to him.)) and jamie's effort n begging baxter to understand, to give em a chance

frankie has known baxter many times over, they've angered him and befriended him and loved him. they know every side of baxter, they've got baxter down to a science, just as they do with everyone in golden grove.

somehow they convince baxter to sit down with them. after all, even in all these lives there isn't one where he runs from everyone, you especially if you choose to, and succeeds.

he's awkward and fidgeting, trying to play it off.

"i'm disappointed in you."

baxter's eyes widen before he drops his brows and tries to mask his shame. "right to the point huh?"

"even though i'm a bit surprised, i'm not. i just thought you had more respect for yourself"

baxter is quiet, and his face is scrunched up as he thinks about if he should leave or let you degrade him.

"they're selfish, baxter."

"you don't know anything about jamie" baxter defends without a second thought

"i know them very well." you smile, its probably sickly sweet to those on the outside and dripping with sarcasm but it's true. no one knows them like you do. in that case jamie would also know you better than anyone else as well...

"you always indulge your lovers, or people you like." you spit the last word. sometimes baxter's "like" for people is founded in having fun before he leaves you in the dust. about getting the most entertainment before the grand finale.

"but to think you'd take someones fiance... you've gotten too desperate."

baxter glares, but he can't say anything to defend himself.

sure he tried to fight at first, he has blocks of text of him trying to convince jamie they're making the biggest mistake of their life...

"..i tried. do you think i like seeing how lonely my spouse is? do you think i like knowing i caused all this?" baxter tries to keep his voice down but he's distraught. "i feel so embarrassed! i don't know why i accepted their confession, i love them so much but i...." baxter chokes up. there's just no reason

frankie just blinks at him. it's daunting how blank their expression is. insulting, like they're staring through him and judging his soul.

"i expected so much better from you, i thought you would've never done this in a million years." frankie states, and it's true. baxter usually found it insulting that anyone would cheat on their lover. what was so different about this life? what made baxter so desperate?

"i know..." baxter mumbles, almost unintelligible from how his breathes the words.

frankie watches baxter, the way he hunches and his face is overwhelmed with shame, embarrassment, and sadness. frankie can't say they haven't done something mean. they've lived many times, and in some of those times they ignored or made enemies of some or all of those in golden grove.

maybe this wasn't as disappointing or as shocking as frankie thought. baxter was always going to break one day, ruined by his own hand.

"oh well, what's done is done. maybe we'll be reincarnated and you can undo your mistakes." frankie chugs the last of their drink, snatching up their things from the table and paying the bill.

"try to be happy baxter. you'll have to live with these choices, so learn to stop beating yourself up and distancing yourself from everyone.

[riftwalker-limbro]

4 for Vince, 11 for Bruiser, 16 for anyone from the Deimos Triad at your choice, 8 for Kali

Piles these upon you for hopefully ample entertainment

Thank You Friend Much Appreciated Essay Incoming >:)))

recap of the rules for me: "Respond from your oc’s point of view! For this ask game, imagine that your oc cannot lie, and feels comfortable explaining themselves to the interviewer." Other context is I'll answer from post-Collective POVs, so after getting the Deimos squad back together and making everything alright there again but before Roach & the New War & everything there happens.

additionally, because i'm finding 'answer something in their voice' an interestingly difficult exercise to get myself to do, everyone's medium of answering will be text post and not speaking/conversation djfbgjhb.

---

4 for Vince: "When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

When I was young, I didn't much think about my future - because I was very absorbed in what I was doing right then, maybe? Never really saw reason to focus on what wasn't, yet. When I started hitting points where I had to choose what subjects to study, I chose mathematics - by then, I was good at it thanks to a few educators with their hearts in the right place, and my family told me it was prestiguous and I was capable, so I might as well. Where I ended up was not planned, but not unexpected either. Well, apart from the whole Helminth thing. That was a surprise.

---

11 for Bruiser: "What does your dream room/house look like? Would you mind showing some inspiration pictures?"

The messiest place you've ever seen. I have a system, but I'm not telling you what it is. That would take out the magic.

Seriously, though: trinkets, reminders, comfort items everywhere. Back when I only had a bunk in a Solaris basement, I had a box of photos of me and my friends: odd jobs we were doing, gags we would pull off, life milestones. It'd be nice to have space to hang them so I could see them without having to open a box and flip through them every time. I don't see the point of trying to hide that you live somewhere if there's no one to hide from.

A whole house is a bit beyond me - I've never needed more than just a room, but if I can just say anything - it'd have so many spare rooms. You never know when you encounter someone in need. Paying it forwards, something like that. If I could still eat, it'd have the biggest kitchen, too - I was a good cook, back in my day, believe it or not!

If I were still human, I'd also need a gym, obviously. But that won't help me much anymore now, so it's whatever.

---

16 for (spins wheel) Verica: "Do you believe in soulmates? Why or why not?"

Good thing you're asking me, because if you asked either of the others, you'd have gotten some sciency bullshit spiel that wouldn't make any sense if you thought about it for one minute. That's not what this question is about.

I don't think soulmates are something that just happen. You've gotta click with someone, and you've gotta work to really cultivate something. This might just sound like the 101 of friendships and relationships in general, but do you think they're much different?

It doesn't have to have a scientific basis to be real, is what Vince and Pule can sometimes forget. Yeah, it's a bit idealist, but what's life without ideas? This is the kind of magic you need to believe in to make it work for you. I wasn't scientifically sure that anyone would come for me after I sealed myself in Suda's cryo-storage, least of all the one I wanted to, but that worked out in the end. And Pule wasn't far away to begin with. Without knowing about each other, we managed to either stick together or find each other again. I choose to see the magic in that.

---

8 for Kali: "What do you like to do for fun?"

Set shit on fire.

When there's nothing that needs a little fire to brighten its day, I'm usually content to just... watch. Love just observing my tribe, pack, family, whatever you want to call it. They're always scurrying around doing things, maybe not minding themselves or their possessions as closely as they should. You can learn a lot about people this way, and this knowledge can be used in a multitude of ways, if you're creative like me.

People or places. Traveling is fun also. Back before everything, we would always get sent somewhere else, always see new sights. The system is a beautiful place if you let it be. You just have to know how to look.

[braineater444]

I know I’ve been real annoying with the whole sanzu cucking the reader but I need closure. LIKE DUDEEEEEE IM SCREAMING WITH THE WHOLE APOLOGY THING?!?!?! AND THEN THE KISS AT THE END?!?!?! THE “Don’t cry.”?!?!?! I was living la vida loca before reading it and now I’m obsessively thinking about the reader making that pink haired bitch pAY WITH HIS GODDAMN LIFE KFKEOLSKWMA why did you have to write that piece so well….

All in favor of sanzu waking up tied to the bed with reader pulling the same shit on him but it’s with someone sanzu can’t kill so he just has to sit back and watch and contemplate his PATHETIC existence-?✋🏻

Ur not annoying pls, it's fun seeing how people react to things, especially that particular little drabble becccauseeee it's so funny how upset people can get over things that aren't truly happening to them.

Unfortunately, revenge fantasies aren't quite my thing, I like to live in pain and make sure other people are right there with me. But... I do like entertaining the thought of revenge lol... or rather dissect why I think it's quite useless.

Now I'm going to get annoying a preachy because I like to talk and a lot of people have flooded my inbox about revenge pertaining to this little story and I want to actually discuss it for once. I'm using this to address all 60-something requests I have for revenge.

"someone sanzu can't kill" would simply be Mikey. I honestly think if you were going to even try to hurt his feelings, your best bet would be the man that he has knelt to and called his king before. It makes the most sense... personally. A lot of people [in my inbox] think that the Haitanis should be the ones, but that's because they have lost their minds, respectfully. It's just that they crave the hottest option, which I get... but be serious. The brothers and Sanzu obviously don't like each other (my longstanding belief that I'm willing in to cannon), but to pretend they'd emotionally affect him on any level outside of mild irritation is naive and the effects of too much horniness. So, to get this off my chest once and for all, Haitani bro requests regarding revenge against Sanzu have never made sense to me and I have been dying to say something for so long.

In the case that you cheated on him with Mikey before his eyes, I don't think you'd have to tie him up at all, he'd simply watch and would probably beat to it in front of you. He wouldn't bat an eye and would even find your attempts at getting back at him amusing.

Honestly, I think men like Sanzu and Co. are loveless. So, if you want revenge... what for? I don't think he'd care. It'd just escalate into a pissing contest to see who can do worse to who. What he did was cruel and unloving; it's ridiculous to go back and forth like your relationship is, was, and has always been some silly game. But I suppose, in the way I wrote him, your relationship is a game to him. Admonish him for his cruelty as you wish and plot all the revenge you want, I think when he gets bored of you and this game he'll end it when he ends you.

Heartbreak over you isn't something that would happen to someone who treats you in such a way.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Do you think HL will ever confirm their long term relationship? I'm not asking if they'll ever come out. Harry can come out on his own while Louis stays in the closet and vice versa. Or lets say they both come out, separately over a spaced out period of time. I don't know how can they can then confirm they've been together for 15, 20 or however many years. This would implicate so many people over the years who've helped closet them. From Simon, to everyone who managed them in 1d. Or the beards they had. Like its one thing for a girl to say that as a friend, they were a beard for their friend to help them out. But how can Taylor swift say that? So much of her career in the beginning has been built around her relationship with Harry. Harry then saying he's been with louis throughout all that, implicates Taylor and everyone around her in being complicit in the lie so she too can sell records about a relationship and break up. So just from a logical standpoint, how will it be possible for HL to ever confirm they've been together since x factor. And if they never say that, and lets say they lie and say they got together as adults, who would ever believe that with all the rumors about them for years. I just don't see how it'd be possible. Which is why I don't think they will confirm their relationship for like 30 or whatever years when they're old and grey and no one cares anymore. Id love to hear your thoughts.

I think this is an interesting question anon - what can be walked back/ignored/assumed that everyone has forgotten about and what can't. (I'll leave aside wider questions of them coming out and the options aside for now).

If they're still together (I think the options are very different if either of them wanted to refer to having been together) and want to tell a version of the truth about themselves - what would the barriers be? Both for them and for the people who might be referred to.

Assuming this is happening in like 5-10 years time, I don't think the people who were in power will be the biggest obstacle. It's very easy to tell stories of oppression and be vague about who is doing the oppression. Lots of people in the entertainment industry have told stories of being treated horrendously, and names don't have to be named (and the fact that Cara Delevingne named Harvey Weinstein as the person who suggested she needed a beard really underscores that dynamic).

My feeling is that Taylor is too good at what she does for anything Harry does to be a problem for her. Taylor is very good at narrating and renarrating her life. Assuming that she'll get plenty of time - she'll know what story she can tell (and if she is also queer, I think there's a lot of potential to explain what was happening).

The other people are either not famous enough (Eleanor or Nadine) or vague enough that with time passing it probably wouldn't matter (Kendall). I'm not sure about Camille, because she was included in the music and he talked about her. But I do think people can take a lot of cognitive dissonance with time.

But I do think Olivia will require the most time and distance. Although neither of them have ever confirmed it, the pictures in Italy are pretty unambiguous. And I think the longer it lasts the more time there will need to be on the other side, before it's even possible to start strategising how to negotiate what happens next.

And that's interesting to me, because it tells us what decisions Harry is making at the moment.

[herelieseverythingillneversay]

Here Lies Everything I'll Never Say

I know I need to stop messaging you, but everything in me simply wants to tell you about every part of my life when it happens.

This is hopefully a space to put everything I wish I could send you, until the time comes where I no longer need it, be it because I've moved on or because I am telling you again. Currently I hope it's the latter, but as time goes on who knows how I'll feel.

I'll also put in some posts from the instagram I made at the start, where I was documenting how I was feeling and my anxieties about the relationship at the beginning. Partly to document them, and maybe because it'll help me realise how much I've grown since then.

Yesterday was 2 weeks since you broke up with me out of the blue, it's been weird and hard since then, and I'm still in the stage of feeling lost and confused and mourning the loss of my close friend, my relationship and the future plans I had for us.

I wish I could tell you just how much I miss you, and have you hold me in your arms again and tell me it'd all be alright.

I know I still love you, and will be waiting for a little while with baited breath in hopes that you change your mind. I don't think you will, at least not in a timeframe that will change things any time soon, but I know you know you've got me on the line still. I'm hooked, and you know you can reel me back in with a look, a touch, a "my love".

I am worried our friends are going to get tired of me being sad all the time and drift towards you because you seem more over it than I am, I know this has hurt you too but you're not very good at showing people your emotions or talking about them, so you play it up as the happy fun guy you've always been, and they fall for it, and they fall in towards you, rather than away.

I've been more sad and angry in the last two weeks than I have been in a long time, and my eating has been so erratic and infrequent that I wasn't able to donate blood because my iron was too low, even though I take an iron supplement.

I've seen so many cute dogs I normally would have sent you pictures of, or described to you, and I just miss waking up with someone to talk to, someone to love, someone to hold me, someone to entertain my stupid thoughts, someone to message who replies quickly, someone who loves me, someone who's there. I feel so alone without you, and I don't know how to fill the hole you've left in my heart.

I want you to have me back, I want you to realise you made a mistake and come and tell me you love me and that you'll cherish our relationship again, but if I'm being honest with myself I don't think you will. I think by the time you realise how good we had it it'll be too late, or you will feel that it is, and you'll never tell me that you changed your mind. Even if you do, I'd need to set some serious boundaries for myself. I was good to you, I know that, and you were good to me but I think there were things I should have spoken up about, or attempted to fix with you. I struggled with the disrespect it felt like you allowed sometimes, both you disrespecting me in front of our friends, or letting other people disrespect me and not speaking up, or worse laughing. That joke James made on our trip up north that you laughed at, Anne speaking to me rudely about quiz night, Kate trying to sleep with you our entire relationship while I was your girlfriend. They made me feel less valued, and like you didn't care how our friends spoke to, or about me, and I felt like the punchline to a joke instead of being included. I would need you to be more affectionate in public, just small things, but the fact that some of our friends told me that they didn't think we were good together because they only saw us in public was heartbreaking to hear. To hear Mel say her perception of us changed fairly dramatically when she and I moved in together because she finally saw how loving and affectionate we were in private, and that was towards the tail end of it too, makes me wish our friends had seem more of you loving me.

When I spoke with Anne last night she said she was so confused when she saw us being friendly on Wednesday, after how upset I'd been about you lying to me about Kate. When I said I couldn't stay mad at you she told me that that was the exact same thing Kate always said, which I think was a bit of a wakeup call that I needed. I can't not stay mad at you simply because I love you, because you fucked up and I am justified in being upset about the situation, however I can choose not to stay mad at you for the sake of my own mental health and wellbeing. I already have so much sadness inside me at the moment that feels unbearable, that I believe holding onto intense anger would drown me. I have to be able to let it go to let you go. I can't let my feelings tether me to you anymore. I have to hold whichever emotions I feel, but not forever, and no longer just because you want me to, or because I think you'd want me to. I have to put myself first, and leave you alone to give myself time to heal.

Both you and I know picking at scabs stops the healing, and picking for long enough leaves scars.

[chocolatte-and-despair]

I really liked your Day 21 yandere stuff with quackity! It'd be rlly cool if you continued it with his secret boyfriends lol

Yandere Wilbur Soot, Yandere Dream, Yandere Technoblade, Yandere Eret, Yandere Karlnap, Yandere jschlatt, Yandere Georgenotfound, Yandere BadBoyHalo & Non-Yandere Quackity

* Quackity is.. What you would call a player. But mind you, he isn't malicious at all. He actually really does love everyone that he is dating, even if they don't know that he is dating multiple people. Quackity is just on a quest to find his true love and on the way, he found Wilbur, Dream, Technoblade, Eret, Karl, Sapnap, Jchlatt, Bad and George! * Yes, the list does seem pretty intimidating, especially when you find out what type of people all of them all. When Quackity started dating each and every one of them, he thought that he found good people that he could fall in love with. But.. He was very wrong, as they were no better than the people Quackity was trying to run away from! * First of all, Wilbur. How can you describe that man? He started off as a very gentle and kind person. He was a Senior and actually the son of the principal. Quackity was very confused on the familial bonds between Wilbur and Fundy and Wilbur explained that Fundy was his nephew. Which, well, it made sense, but still. * Wilbur and Quackity hadn't hit it off fully at the beginning. The two had a frienemy sort of relationship, but as time went on, the two got really close and eventually, decided to start dating. * What Quackity never knew was how masochistic Wilbur was. That started when Wilbur started to anger Quackity to the point of the guy getting violent. Of course, Quackity was horrified with himself, but Wilbur was ecstatic, saying that Quackity shouldn't hide who he really is and that only Wilbur could love a monster like him. * Quackity tried to break up with Wilbur, but after a threat of Wilbur reporting Quackity for abuse appeared, Quackity had no choice but keep playing into Wilbur's sick fantasies. Being a cute couple at school, and outside of school, playing into Wilbur's sick desires. * To try and escape from this, Quackity tried to seek comfort into someone else. Tried to seek comfort, comfort that Eret delivered without a problem. * The two got close really quickly and Eret seemed to actually be very understanding of Quackity's situation. That was until Eret kissed Quackity. It shocked Quackity quite a bit, because hey, he was dating someone, this wasn't exactly cool. * Eret explained that he understood and that he wasn't going to ask Quackity to break up with Wilbur. But that he wanted to be Quackity's secret. That Eret could really give Quackity what Wilbur can't. * Quackity was absolutely disgusted by that and he wanted to try and distance himself from Eret, but Eret started to threaten Quackity. He said that he knew this was going to happen, so he filmed and recorded their conversation. He said he will show this to Wilbur and then the whole school if Quackity didn't accept. * Looks like Quackity had the worse luck, as now he has to entertain two people who don't really care about him that much. Sometimes Quackity cursed how charming he was. Maybe then he wouldn't attract so many creeps. * The next thing that he did was befriend this guy. George was his name and he was someone who had as many charms as Quackity. The two were good friends. I mean, why wouldn't they be? And Quackity understood George's struggle too, seeing as his ex-boyfriend, Dream, was also being a creep towards George. * The two just seemed to fit together so much that... George might or might have not started to have feelings for Quackity, which didn't sit well with Dream, who ended up trying to fight Quackity. * Sadly, Quackity was no whimp. I mean, because of Wilbur and his raising demands, Quackity needed to keep training to becoming stronger and stronger. He had a bit of muscle on himself, even if he looked lean. * It took almost no effort for Quackity to take down Dream and come out victorious out of that situation. Or was he really victorious now that George was sure that he liked Quackity and that something had awakened in Dream. Both an interested in Quackity and love for pain. * George started to stick to Quackity so much that Jealousy started to rise for Eret and Wilbur. The both of them started to threaten Quackity even more,

to the point of Quackity needing to beg George to leave him alone. * George agreed to not be seen together with Quackity ONLY if Quackity dated George in secret. Quackity tried to explain to George that he already had two partners, but George showed no interest and kept pressuring Quackity. * Looks like Quackity now had three demanding boyfriends and his life on the line, with one crazy ex running after Quackity, trying to fight Quackity for George. Or was he? * Dream would get in so many fights with Quackity, it was starting to make Wilbur jealous of the violence that Quackity displayed on Dream. * Why was the situation repeating? Well, Quackity, trying to be nice, tried to explain to Dream his situation and that he didn't really care about George. For a moment, Quackity believed that Dream would be understanding, but that belief soon died when dream leaned in a kiss, after saying that Quackity wouldn't mind someone else joining his little dirty secret group. * With four lunatics as his secret boyfriends, and 6 insane friends, what else could happen? What else could affect him so much that it would break his mind even further? Maybe... MAYBE MORE LUNATICS?? * Bad was a good friend of Quackity's. The two were actually really close and good friends that Quackity relaxed for a moment. He knew this would go wrong somehow, but he wanted to enjoy the few moments of tranquility. * Those moments ended when Bad joined a cult and he ended up believing that Quackity was a god. Yes, you heard me right, Bad joined a cult and started to worship Quackity as a god. * Seriously, Quackity just has the biggest talent of finding the most insane people in the whole world. At least Bad didn't force himself on Quackity like the rest and that was a good enough thing for Quackity at this point. He was going to take his wins. * Now, what happens when Quackity actually falls in love with someone? Charming, smart and rich, what more could Quackity desire? Jschlatt was the man out of his dreams! Probably was, Quackity had a huge group of lunatics who he was 'dating'. What was he going to do? * Quackity tried to help Jschlatt as a friend. He even helped Jschlatt become student council president. Yes, Tubbo was hurt about what Quackity did, but at that moment, Quackity only cared about getting closer to Jschlatt. * Best part was that Jschlatt actually seemed to like Quackity back. That was great, right? Wrong! Jschlatt was an absolute asshole in reality! The moment that Quackity had become less useful, Quackity was used as a punching bag and that felt... painful. Emotionally. * Quackity tried to distance himself from Jschlatt, and the only thing he received was more verbal abuse. Maybe his other boyfriends weren't the greatest, but they at least actually loved him... * With a broken heart, Quackity was prone to do something very stupid. Like having a fling with Wilbur's delinquent brother, Technoblade. * For Quackity, this meant absolutely nothing, but for Technoblade it seemed that this meant the world. The man started to turn up to his class with flowers and giving him stolen lunch money, because he knew how much Quackity loved money. * Knowing how things go, Quackity gave Technoblade an offer. He would accept to date Technoblade, but only in secret, seeing as Technoblade was a delinquent and embarrassed Quackity. * He sort of hoped that Technoblade would get mad, beat him up and would leave him alone, but instead, it seemed that Technoblade was eager to accept this offer, being in complete darkness that he was the sixth boyfriend that Quackity actively had. * Now, out of nowhere, Karl and Sapnap appeared. Two old friends of Quackity's from his old school. Quackity was absolutely ecstatic to have them there, especially when the two were dating and Quackity could ask for advice from the two of them about his other boyfriends. * Karl and Sapnap found it funny the situation that Quackity was in and Sapnap even playfully offered to burn the others if they started to become too annoying for Quackity to handle. * Quackity was

finally happy, until... Quackity started to actually fall for the two. He felt jealous whenever he would see the two showing affection towards one another. It was.. heartbreaking. * That was, until the two noticed that and offered him to join their relationship. Quackity wasn't sure, seeing as he had so many troublesome people loving him, but the two seemed to not mind. * Things seemed fine!... Until... Sapnap started to get into jealous rages over Quackity, fighting his other boyfriends, meanwhile Karl trying to distance his 'friends' from Quackity. * Oh god, he needed to transfer already.

[metayos]

okay guys here's our first big boy: SAKI KONISHI'S DEATH & YOSUKE'S SHADOW

some big honkin spoilers ahead, so if you're not done with P4 for some reason, consider skipping this until you are! i mean it! i very casually mention big things!

Yosuke doesn't know yet at this point that Saki is dead, yet Chie takes one look at him and knows something's up. so what IS up?

now, Saki's been missing for a day at this point. it's strange enough that her family have contacted the police. there's a chance they also stormed into Junes to ask about their daughter, but i think the far more likely scenario is that Yosuke has been trying to get ahold of her.

after the interview -- i'm sure one of the elder Hanamuras watches the news as it airs -- Yosuke would have reached out to make sure she was okay. now, even if Saki managed a reply at the time, chances are good that it would have been lackluster (she would have been upset and not wanted to tell Yosuke), and shortly after, she was accosted by Adachi.

Yosuke hasn't heard from her in a day and a half. weird? well, if we believe that Saki never liked him, it'd be all too likely that she ignored his texts more often than not. however, i don't think that's the case.

i think Saki DID like him. Yosuke was a little brother to her. but we'll return to that in a bit.

immediately upon learning that Saki is gone, Yosuke makes a pained, sad noise, and otherwise doesn't respond. there's a chance he'd entertained the thought, but it would have been a worst-case-scenario idea, albeit becoming slightly more likely as he went longer and longer hearing nothing back. this is a shock, and his response to that is to turn inward, retreat into his metaphorical shell.

Yosuke is loud at times, very outspoken, but he also hides his true feelings well from everyone but Souji, who he genuinely opens up to. this is before that, though, and in this moment i think Yosuke feels alone. as his Shadow tells us, loneliness is one of his biggest fears. Chie may be worried about him, and he knows this, but can she truly understand? can anybody? he's not well-acquainted enough with Naoki to have him to turn to (and at this point he'd be rejected anyway), so Yosuke has realized his fear of being lonely, in this single moment.

he quickly rectifies this by recklessly dragging Chie and Souji into the issue. Yosuke likes Chie. they're friends -- i'd wager Chie was one of his first friends in Inaba, just knowing how she is. but as much as he likes her, they're obviously not close, not yet. yet in this moment, when Yosuke is alone and scared, she and Souji are the closest friends he's got. he experienced the TV world with them, solidifying an otherwise tenuous bond (and Souji pulled him out of a trashcan). this is what he's got, and he's going to pull them under the riptide with him, one way or another.

of course, he can't make them feel grief they don't have a real reason to feel. he can, however, drag them into a reckless endeavor that could very well get him and Souji killed. is he thinking? not much. he's doing, a Yosuke staple.

not to say he doesn't ever think. because no matter what happens:

Yosuke is the first member of the not-yet-existent Investigation Team to figure out what's going on. he's not stupid, not by a long shot. reckless? sometimes, yes. but not stupid.

Yosuke does, as his Shadow says, want something exciting to happen. he wants to be a hero, he wants to be important. Saki's death has shaken him, though, and his response to that is to seek answers. that's not a lie. not a whole truth, either, but not a lie. he needs her death to have meaning -- it can't be random happenstance, it can't be a coincidence. it needs to mean something, because she meant something, and she didn't deserve this.

so in they go, with Yosuke's smart, if ineffective idea to use a lifeline. there's no question of whether he's going to bring Chie or Souji; there's a lot of potential reasons for that, i think, varying from knowing he can trust Chie with the lifeline to having a good gut feeling about his new friend Souji. but, anyway.

another big issue i have with Golden is that Yosuke is always ragging on Teddie. playing vanilla P4, i never got the idea that Yosuke resented or disliked Teddie. in fact, i, like many others, latched onto the Hanamura Bros as a concept. i think Golden forgets that Yosuke doesn't like to be mean. he distresses Teddie by claiming he gets no respect (calling Souji "sensei" versus simply calling Yosuke his given name), and immediately tries to make Teddie feel better. he cares, goddammit!

when they start hearing the voices in and out of the liquor store, Yosuke is notably upset. however, it's worth pointing out that none of this is wholly related to Saki, is it? no, it's Yosuke's perception of Saki's issues.

issues Yosuke was always afraid of. issues he feels deeply upset to find realized like this. he's not mad at Saki; he's mad at his own blindness, his inability to see what was happening right in front of him. yet, for all his righteous indignation, he's doing it again: he's missing what's happening right under his nose.

Saki Konishi may have made this place when she stumbled into the TV, but she's dead now. are her lingering thoughts permeating the liquor store where she likely died?

(crappy youtube screenshot incoming, i forgot to grab one for this line)

dear reader, i posit to you that these are not her thoughts at all, if for no other reason than this line alone.

in this caricature of a liquor store, amidst implications that she hated Yosuke specifically, Yosuke hears her final thoughts... or so he thinks. he doesn't stop to wonder how a dead girl is lamenting her inability to tell him he was an annoying brat to his face. and to be fair, he doesn't yet understand the TV world. maybe it just doesn't occur to him that this makes absolutely no sense.

why didn't we hear voices in Mayumi Yamano's room? why only here, in a place with significance to one of the people present? because they're not real. they're delusions and fears... deep, dark fears. the kind you stuff away because they seem too self-centered, too preposterous.

what i'm saying is: everything that happens here, everything Yosuke sees and hears, is because of himself.

meet our culprit.

Yosuke himself says "Senpai's not like that". and he's right! she's not. but his Shadow knows he's afraid she is; he's afraid she's hated him all along, in secret, only playing nice because he's the manager's kid. his shadow is taking a deep, dark fear and presenting it to the open air, because that's what P4 Shadows do.

Yosuke thinks he's not smart enough to be perceptive, not even towards himself.

and the worst fear of all... that he's not empathetic. that he's selfish, that he wants to do this all for himself. does he, really? partially. but his Shadow is still mocking him, blowing his fears into massive proportions -- Yosuke came here seeking answers. he cares about Saki Konishi. but he does want to be a hero. he craves the kind of excitement you feel when things are happening to you. he wants that, he wants to be important and special. he wants to avenge Saki, or uncover the cause of her death... but he also wants to be the hero who did so. and he's afraid of that, of the idea that he's not 100% noble in this endeavor.

Souji has a few good options here, but i'm partial to the first one. he reminds Yosuke that no matter how he feels deep down, he's still the same person he was walking in here. and while it's hard to accept, and hard to face, Yosuke overcomes those obstacles thanks to Souji's words and his own will to move forward. he is granted his Persona, but as with all S-Links, he has a long way to go before he's well and truly over everything he just witnessed.

above everything else, Yosuke has realized something very important:

he's not alone.

And every time we touch, I get this feeling~

[bill-y]

𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐑𝐄

Peeta Mellark x male reader

[ We all know who Katniss Everdeen is, but what if Primrose hadn’t been chosen but another boy from another unfortunate family? YOUR family. ]

Info: This is basically a reader insert and I’ve changed a few rules, not ground breaking though. The reader is a bit bland for now but I plan for his actions to be different. Because he has different moral grounds from Katniss and such. Would appreciate feedback! FEEL FREE TO POINT OUT TYPOS. GRAMMARLY SOMETIMES DOESN’T DO MY DYSLEXIC ASS JUSTICE

Part three: Click this, Rumtumtugger.

Part four: you're here, jennyanydots

Part five: Clicky dicky here, buddy

Wattpad account: L0calxDumbass

Those words left my mouth without much thought. I wasn't thinking of the damned consequences at the moment.

Behind me was Kunal, an iron grip on my leg, bawling his eyes out. "Y/N! NO! NO! YOU CAN'T GO!" he pleaded, his cries getting louder by the second. 

My hand ruffled his strawberry blonde hair, messing it up. "Let go, Nal," I said in the calmest tone I could muster. He shook his head, tears running down his cheeks, I cleared my dry throat, gulping down nothing. My mouth was dry as if I just ate a handful of salt, which was honestly a luxury.

My face remained stoic, the moment I show a sign of distress I know the people in the Capitol would eat it up like good bread. It entertains them, our suffering entertains them. 

His hands slipped from my leg, gripping on my pants before he was finally taken away from me. "Up you go, Owl eyes," said Gale, his voice trying hard to remain steady. Beside him was Katniss, who was holding Kunal by the shoulders. She nodded, "Good luck, Y/n,"

I nodded, before looking back at the temporary stage. "Oh well, Bravo!" Effie exclaimed. "That's the spirit of the games!"

She was thrilled, finally seeing some action from this district. It made a pit in my stomach, I clenched my jaw. If only the roles were reversed, Capitol people fighting for their lives instead of us.

Oh, how funny that would be.

I strode to the stage, trying my best to look collected. The foreboding feeling in my stomach only grew with each step I took, my hands sweating as if they've just been dipped into water once I finally took my place.

"Do tell us your name," Effie said, her grin widening as she nodded, encouraging me to talk. It took all the will power I had to not strangle her.

"Y/n Greyback," I replied dryly, hoping it would set her off.

“I bet my buttons that was your brother. Don’t want him to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let’s give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!” she trilled, making me clench my fists.

Her words were met with silence. No one clapped, not a noise can be heard. Even the ones who would usually bet on who would wound up as a tribute didn't do anything.

I held back a smile, a surge of hope flowing through me. This was the most rebellious thing they could do without getting punishment of any sort. Silence.

Silence doesn't mean fear or that we're cowards. It meant that we do not accept this, we do not condone.

Just as my father always said, one does not need to shout to make a change.

The next thing that happened was even more of a surprise. Maybe it was because I was a son of a "rebel", maybe they pitied my family or maybe it was because I talked to the mayor's daughter.

Just one, then two, then a group almost all of the crowd put the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.

My tense hands relaxed a sense of calm washing over me. We were united in a strange way, something I thought would only happen in my dreams.

"Look at him! Look at this one!" Hollered Haymitch, throwing an arm around my shoulder. His arm was quite heavy, understandable, he's a wreck. "I like him!"

The scent of alcohol from his breath was strong, or maybe he just smelled of alcohol. "Lots of. . ." He paused, trying to think of a word.

I cringed as he slightly swayed around, trying my best to not touch him. "Spunk!" he declared triumphantly. "More than you!"

He released me, staggering to the front of the stage. "More than you!" He declared once more, pointing towards the camera.

Was he talking to the audience? Or maybe he was addressing the Capitol. I wish it's the latter, that would be funny.

Just as he opened his mouth to continue, he fell down the stage, knocking himself unconscious in the process. I snickered slightly, my face scrunching up right after.

Thankfully, the cameras were all pointed towards him, watching as they whisked him away into a stretcher. I took this moment to glare back into the distance, watching the scenery.

There was the hill that me, Katniss and Gale were just at. It looked so peaceful, contrary to my day.

"What an exciting day!" Effie warbled, trying to fix her tilted wig. It looked ridiculous. Why would Capitol people, no, why would anyone wear that?

It looks ugly, like a beaten up squirrel. Though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't eye-catching, though, beaten up squirrels are also eye-catching. “But more excitement to come! It’s time to choose our next tribute!” she continued, putting one hand to the second bowl.

Her fingertips grab the first slip it encounters. I hoped it wasn't Gale or Katniss. I didn't want to kill them, not that I'd ever stand a chance.

Katniss was extremely skilled with the bow, she could probably shoot my head from miles away. Gale, on the other hand, was strong, compared to him, I had the strength of a broken twig.

"Peeta Mellark," She read. Oh no. Why him? Of all the people in this district. His father just "introduced" me to him this morning, not just that, I knew him.

I watched him make his way up the stage, I had a clear look at him this time. He had a stocky build, medium height,  ashy blonde hair that falls in waves over his forehead. The shock of the situation registered on his face, though you could tell that he was alarmed by the way his blue eyes looked.

Like a prey knowing it'd be hunted.

Despite this, he still manages to climb up the small flight of stairs calmly.

Effie Trinket then asked for volunteers, but no one spoke up. He has two older brothers, I've seen them. But one is probably too old to volunteer, and the other just wouldn't. This was standard family devotion, what I'd done was a radical thing.

The mayor began to say the same old words he always says every reaping day. I couldn't help but think, why him?

I remember it all too well, that day, it was raining up a storm, the wind was howling. My mother and my brother were left at home, I was tasked to find food for us since my mother couldn't bear to show her face to the district.

How could she? Her husband has been executed for rebellion against the Capitol. One of the peacekeepers found weapons under his possession and he was killed. He managed to convince them to spare us, though sometimes I wished it hadn't worked.

Within a week of his death, we began to lose money, and therefore, food. Nobody wanted to help us, nobody wanted to associate with the family of a tyrant.

Shame, the family name bared shame. My mother didn't have the gall to go out and sell any of my father's things, my brother was too young to even understand what was going on.

I was angry. How could they have just taken everything away from us that easy? Who gave them the right to do that?

But at that moment, I couldn't afford to sit still and wallow in my resentment. That was a luxury I couldn't afford. not many could afford it either.

Starvation was a fairly common thing in district 12, though the amount of covering up the peacekeepers do no one a favour and fools no one.

There I was, a boy who wasn't even old enough to be registered into the pile walking around in the harsh weather, stripped away from my dignity and whatever money we had.

I found myself in the Mellark's bakery, being told off by the baker's wife, who was tired of having brats from the Seam paw through her trash. I would've screamed back then, but I didn't want the Peacekeepers called on me.

So I left without another word, sitting at a tree for some sort of cover from the harsh rain.  I remember the snorts of the pigs beside me, and that was when I realized I'm no better than cattle; the people of Panim were no better than cattle.

My knees buckles as I collapsed onto the wet grass, shuddering from the cold and the harsh reality. Maybe I had gone insane then, but I vaguely remember talking to the pigs, ranting to them.

They didn't listen, they were too busy rolling in the mud. Looking back, I find this extremely funny, but maybe that's because I don't want to pity myself.

I didn't even notice a boy until the pigs actually rose to eat the pieces of bread thrown at them. I stared at him for a long while, mainly because of the burnt bread, the crust was scorched black.

But a red mark on his cheekbone caught my attention. Had they hit him for burning the bread? My parents have never hit me, I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like.

He took one look at the bakery as if checking if the coast was clear before he turned back to the pigs. Though instead of feeding the pigs he tossed the loaves of bread to me.

I watched him walk towards the bakery and closing the kitchen door tightly behind him. All I could do was stay silent, before shoving them up to my shirt, muttering a broken thank you as I ran home.

The loaves had cooled by the time I got home, but that didn't matter. We had something to eat. Mother looked at me, relieved I didn't die. She hugged me, apologizing.

I didn't care though, we had food, that's what's important.

And for the first time in weeks, we had a proper meal.

I was thankful, the fact that he'd probably burnt the bread on purpose never occurred to me until I crawled onto the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. An act of kindness, someone still cared.

It was as if spring came overnight, fluffy clouds, blue sky, the warm sweet air. At school, we would always catch each other's gazes. I felt a tad bit bad, his cheek was swollen and his eye had blackened.

I couldn't come up to say thank you, instead, I watched him from a distance, contemplating whether I should. When I went to fetch Nal, out eyes met once more, I was about to mouth a thank you until Nal tugged my shirt.

He handed me a dandelion. He's always loved flowers. His love for it made me realize how I would get the food we needed. All that time I and my father spent in the forest won't be for nothing.

To this day, I still feel as if I owe my family's life to him. I had honestly given up, but he gave me something. Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave me bread and the dandelion, both gave me hope.

Maybe if I had said thank you all those years ago I wouldn't be feeling so guilty now. I could always say it but something about thanking him whilst I'm practically holding a knife against his throat seems dishonest.

The mayor finished his speech, telling us to shake hands. His were as warm and firm as those loaves of bread. He squeezed me as if reassuring me. Or maybe those were just nervous spasms.

We turn back to the crowd as the anthem of Panem plays.

There are twenty-four of us fighting in that arena, as grim as it is, let's just hope someone kills him before I'm forced to. I don't wanna kill the reason I've survived all those years.

Word count: 2026

Tags:

@nin3s

Sorry for the late update my exams are next week and im rushing to finish my requirements at school. :"

[merakicharm]

SERENDIPITY

(part - 4)

"Do you think Kageyama will come for practice?" Kindaichi asked, looking at his boyfriend, before he pulled a shirt over his head.

Kunimi shrugged.

"Exchange students have to attend the same clubs they participated in at their schools, so he has to come, right?" Kindaichi persisted.

"I don't know" Kunimi hissed, annoyed. He really didn't want to discuss this. Kageyama was....a touchy topic and he really wished that anyone from Karasuno had been the exchange student, but Kageyama. Heck, even the Shrimp would have been better than this.

The door to the boys locker room opened. The Seijoh Coach strode in, the exchange students behind him.

"Ok boys, this will be your locker room, and you will use the free ones. Feel free to ask me or any other students, in case you have any confusions"

Saying this, he exited the room, leaving the boys to get changed.

Kunimi and Kindaichi watched the crowd curiously, just like the other Seijoh players in the room.

Tsukishima was the first person to separate himself from the crowd and move around, searching for his locker.

Which happened to be right next to the one that Kunimi used. Both gritted their teeth, very much annoyed.

"Kageyama senpai! Our lockers are here!"

Kindaichi turned to his left to see a boy, first year by the looks of it, opening the locker just one place away from his.

"Where's mine...?" the low husky voice, had Kindaichi gasping sharply.

Two places away, Tsukishima smirked.

"Here senpai!" the boy said again, his pale blonde curls flopping over his grey green eyes. He really had too long hair for a boy, it reached almost till the nape of his neck.

As Kindaichi watched, Kageyama emerged from around the corner, his expression somewhat annoyed. He looked to where his junior was pointing.

Even as Kunimi turned around to face the Karasuno ravenette, the boy seemed to have grasped the fact that his locker was right next to his former team mate's.

Heaving a sigh, and looking more irritated, Kageyama spoke.

"Hey Kagari, swap with me"

The boy paused, looking at his senpai. Kageyama's face bore a look of irritation, but when you looked closely, thought Tsukishima, you could clearly see the tinge of despair and fear.

"Well?" Kageyama asked, raising one of his eyebrows in question.

The boy nodded.

"Hai!"

"Thanks Kagari, I appreciate it" he said as he opened his duffel bag, refusing to look into the eyes of his crushes.

Which was good, since Kunimi and Kindaichi's faces were a mixture of emotions.

The real show began when Kageyama took off his shirt. At least for Tsukishima. He saw how Kindaichi's eyes seemed to almost thirstily take in Kageyama's abs and muscular arms. Kunimi had shut his eyes in an attempt, not to do the inevitable and it seemed to be working, albeit with a little too much effort. It was getting difficult for the SaltBottle to refrain from laughing aloud at the antics of the Seijoh players.

"Hey King! Let's go. We're gonna be late"

Kunimi's eyes snapped open in surprise. Kindaichi whipped around to face Tsukishima. They didn't get how he was calling Kageyama 'King' just like that.

Kageyama shrugged. That was what Tsukishima always called him, no matter what. He didn't mind. It'd be weird if he called him by his last name or first name.

Plus, that name reminded him of his faults, reminded him of how he had been, and what he had lost because of his stupidity. It reminded him of his royal cruelty. And right now, it reminded him, that he had no right to fall in love with the two boys standing but one place away from him. Or another pair of setter spiker boys.

Nope. He'd extinguished that hope with his 'King' like attitude and his 'natural talents'.

Sighing heavily at his depressing thoughts, he banged the locker door shut and waited for the first year setter beside him.

Kunimi grabbed Kindaichi by his arm, indicating clearly that he had had enough of this.

"Let's go", he said in his usual quiet voice.

Kindaichi let himself be dragged, not glancing again at the King. But just as Kunimi was about to open the door, someone else opened it from the other side.

A boy with midnight blue hair and black eyes stepped into the room. He was a little shorter than Kindaichi, and as he entered, he almost knocked over Kunimi, who was standing just by the door. Kindaichi supported him, preventing him from falling.

"Warui warui!" the boy spoke up immediately, apologetic. "I really should have been careful. Are you okay?" he looked at Kunimi, concerned.

Kunimi nodded, he'd just been surprised.

Kindaichi fussed over him.

Kageyama, watching all this drama, felt melancholic, knowing well that he would never be the receiver of those caring caresses.

The boy ran his eyes over the room, before he spotted Kageyama. A grin lit his face as he called out his friend's name.

Kageyama looked up.

"Anzai!" he was surprised.

It would entertaining to see the King's former soldiers getting jealous, thought Tsukishima, lips curving into an evil smirk.

"Go ahead with him," he indicated at the bluenette, "we'll follow along"

Kageyama nodded. He was glad of any excuse to escape from the room. He grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him out of the room, hurriedly.

He didn't notice how angry Kindaichi looked or how Kunimi was biting his lip in his attempt to keep his sanity.

Tsukishima was cackling on the inside.

The poor soldiers! They sure don't seem very happy that the King's social skills have improved!

"So? Aren't you supposed to be with swim club?" Kageyama asked his friend.

Whenever he thought of the word, he felt warm tingles go through him. After the incident at Kitagawa, he'd really thought that he was incapable of being friends with anyone.

Yamato was a friend, but then he was Kageyama's childhood friend who knew him inside out. He also had an open mind and inextinguishable optimism, putting up with Kageyama, even when he was at his rudest. He had stuck by him through the whole King of the Court thing, making him precious. But his real best friend was Hinata and Hinata alone.

Or so he had thought.

Until the ginger head and Suga had talked with him seriously about the need to make more friends, from outside of the volleyball club. He'd been reluctant, the old memories resurfacing, and hadn't put any effort into it. That was when Hinata, in a desperate attempt to make him sociable, spilled the beans about his past to his class. He'd been so in shock at the act, that he'd almost gone into one of his panic attacks.

Although his past revelations made his classmates understand him more, and he had made friends with people like Rikka, the class Prez, Mei, Subaru, among others, his best friend remained Hinata.

Up until Anzai arrived.

He introduced himself quickly, quietly, hood covering his head. He sat next to Kageyama and had actually slept through most of their classes. He never spoke to Kageyama, even when he needed something. He just tried to figure it out himself or gave up quickly.

As Kageyama told Hinata, 'it's like I'm sitting next to my own reflection'

Hinata had laughed a lot at that.

"Why don't you try making friends with him then? You'd be quite a pair."

For a while, Kageyama had been silent. Then he'd asked Hinata very seriously, whether he was fed up with their friendship. Although he had spoken calmly, his heart had been beating fast.

Hinata had shaken his head and explained how Kageyama was going to have to get over his fear of making friends or getting close to people. Kageyama had felt touched at how much his friend looked out for him and had decided to follow his advice, although he was doubtful.

The next day he'd tried to talk to Anzai and had been successful, although both of them, it turned out were just very socially awkward.

After four more months, Kageyama, Hinata, Anzai, Yamato, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Yachi, Mei, Kumiko, had become the best of friends.

In that time, Kageyama had discovered that Anzai had a dare devil streak to him, once you got to know him really well. Anzai had discovered that although Kageyama and he had almost the same likes and dislikes, there was a huge difference between their temperaments. Kageyama got crankier faster, to no one's surprise. Anzai was the slightly more cheerful of the two.

Now the pair were really close and had been delighted when they had got assigned to the same school. Kageyama hadn't still told him about his crushes though.

"Hmm? Oh first day so no practice apparently" his 'friend' answered now.

"Wanna try spiking my sets?" Kageyama challenged, smirking.

The swimmer answered with a smirk of his own.

"Sure!"

As the two boys rushed into the gym, Kageyama glanced at the boy, racing beside him, blue wavy locks fluttering in the wind. For a moment, as he squinted, there seemed to be a ginger haired boy running by him.

"Look straight ahead idiot!" Anzai panted out, "or you'll f-fall!"

He looked ahead but he saw faces flash past in the back of his mind.

Hinata, Anzai, Yamato, Yamaguchi, Yachi, Tsukishima, Noya, Tanaka senpai, the two captains, Suga, Asahi, Narita, Kinnoshita, the new first years, Mei, Kumiko.

"I win!!" Anzai pumped his fist in the air.

Uncharacteristically for him, Kageyama nodded. Anzai looked at him, surprised. A soft smile came on Kageyama's lips, as he thought,

I may have lost a race, but I think I'm winning the marathon.