#MADE MT ENTIRE MONTH

[love-belle]

today and tomorrow and every day after that !!!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ in which their fall-in-love-again era is them pretending as if they haven't already made it till forever.

or

for when it'll be them today, tomorrow and then a day after that. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

social media au // max verstappen x fem!reader

prequel - i should hate you ⋆·˚ ༘ *

warnings - language

author's note - it's 3am and im tired. thank u and i hope u like it <3

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, carmenmmundt and 789,416 others

yourusername his big wet eyes and loser personality have captivated me

tagged maxverstappen1

7,628 comments

username STFU OMG

username NO WAY SHE POSTED HIM AFTER MONTHS FOR RADIO SILENCE

username GIRL WHAT

username kinda hypocritical of u to go back to ur ex after yelling at us to fuck him (figuratively)

-> yourusername sorry bb he cried until i gave in

-> maxverstappen1 stop spreading lies

username the way i js relaxed and it wasn't even my relationship like DAMN

username im a child of TOGETHER parents

username i need this

danielricciardo i better be the godfather of your vaginal demons

-> yourusername pls take back ur bf heidiberger_

-> heidiberger_ timeout. NOW.

-> maxverstappen1 why only HER vaginal demons. i helped too

-> danielricciardo yeah for like 2 seconds

-> yourusername STOP TALKING ABT MT VAGINAL DEMONS

-> yourusername oh god

-> username "i helped too" LMFAOAOAOAN WTF

maxverstappen1 this is cyber bullying

-> yourusername stfu i love those photos like fetus maximus ❤️

-> maxverstappen1 that's not my name and you know it

-> yourusername honestly u should he HONOURED that u share a name with maximus the horse 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

username who needs reality tv when u have this comments section

username everyday i discover something entirely new about this whole group and atp im not even surprised

username don't post me unless the caption is "his big wet eyes and loser personality have captivated me"

maxverstappen1 i don't have a loser personality

-> yourusername u wear skinny jeans

-> username gagged him

-> username no bc they need to GO

maxverstappen1 okay but i could be your loser boyfriend, you ever think of that?

-> yourusername ur already my loser husband wdym

-> danielricciardo GIRL

-> maxverstappen1 wow

-> yourusername oh

-> yourusername haha surprise people

-> username say what the fuck now

-> username istg if i find out that they're MARRIED after WEEKS of agony and pain i will riot

maxverstappen1 you suck at keeping secrets

-> yourusername u suck in general

-> maxverstappen1 real mature

username i'd die for them and they don't even know me

username WHATTHEFYCK

username i did not see this coming wtfff

username WHEN WAS THIS.

username no bc the fact that they STILL don't follow each other is HILARIOUS

username giggling rn he's so babygirl i love him

lilymhe run away with me

-> yourusername absolutely

-> maxverstappen1 aren't you MY wife

-> lilymhe divorce exists

-> yourusername she has a point

username im paralysed like WHAT DO U MEAN THEY'RE MARRIED

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by yourusername, landonorris, danielricciardo and 895,315 others

maxverstappen1 something about how i'd marry you with paper rings and in this case, a string (or $1 rings from vending machine)

tagged yourusername

9,628 comments

maxverstappen1 i did not write the caption

-> maxverstappen1 y/n wrote this caption

-> yourusername i did not write this caption

username bitches be crying bc two people who do not know her at all are being cute and parents i am bitches

username she can spit on me

-> username she can ruin me actually

username nah ur not ginna distract us w this post WE NEED ANSWERS

-> username FRRRR LIKE WDYM UR HER HUSBAND

username pretty people (max and y/n) ruining it for the others (me)

username last slide made my heart crack

charles_leclerc i have heard you sing that little song to yourself. you wrote this caption.

-> maxverstappen1 i hope you like my rear

-> yourusername no bc he actually does

-> charles_leclerc i mean...

-> maxverstappen1 are we about to kiss right now?

-> alexandrasaintmleux does this mean......yourusername

-> yourusername babe come over ❤️

-> username what in the world is happening in this comments section

username everyday i wake up against my will and lose a part of myself knowing that my wife was snatched up by a vroom vroom mutation

username max it's ok to love ur wife!!!!!!!! we do too!!!!!!!!

-> maxverstappen1 she's not my wife. referring to her as such damages my reputation

-> yourusername i hope u like the doghouse

-> maxverstappen1 fun fact! we don't have a dog

-> yourusername new fact! now we do

-> maxverstappen1 uh

-> username i live for y/n terrorizing max every moment of the day

username nah my eyes are js overflowing with fluid im not crying 😂😂😂😂😂

username someone sedate me...........is max being romantic (?????????) on the main

username this is the peak of my existence

username lord what have i done wrong

danielricciardo as if you're not literally sitting on her lap right now

-> maxverstappen1 she tripped me

-> yourusername u literally told me that u would commit heinous crimes if i didn't let u sit on my lap

-> maxverstappen1 you tripped me

-> username i need to put his brain under a microscope and js SEE

-> username no bc how he goes from point a to point b needs to be scientifically studied

username don't mind me js going crazy over the fact that my parents MAY be married

yourusername u told me that i was the one who should propose

-> maxverstappen1 yes

-> yourusername and then snatched my ring and proposed to ME with MY ring

-> maxverstappen1 yes

-> yourusername yeah lemme js 🧠🔬

yourusername in any case, the answer would be fuck no ❤️

-> maxverstappen1 i'm calling christian and telling him that you're bullying his first driver.

yourusername IT'S A LOVE STORY BABY JS SAY YES!!!!!!!! (yes)

-> maxverstappen1 uh, i already asked charles_leclerc so...

-> charles_leclerc sorry

-> yourusername homwrecker

-> charles_leclerc there was no home to wreck

-> yourusername yeah i'll js sing boyfriend by dove cameron to alex instead

username this comments section is what keeps me up at night

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by maxverstappen1, carmenmmundt, landonorris and 1,527,278 others

yourusername babygirl u are a very freak and strange. i am deeply in love with u. all jokes aside, we made it. i know we got married like weeks ago but marrying u like FOR REAL has been the most beautiful moment of my life. i wanna spend everyday with u, in this life and all the others. vegas was a trip but even then, it was perfect with u, the one i was marrying and as taylor swift said "i like shiny things but i'd marry u with paper rings" or in our case, $1 rings from the vending machine. i wanna go to museums with u and point to pictures with weird guys and say "that's u". i wanna dance in the kitchen with u. i wanna look back after decades at all these memories and laugh, knowing that my now-self made the best decision. i love u even if u have me saved as "DO NOT ANSWER ❌" in ur phone. i think forever would be nice with u or till death do us apart (or someone in a suit if this escalates to a divorce).

tagged maxverstappen1

11,628 comments

username give me a minute. or a year

username hahahahahahaha PAUSE.

username no bc i missed the WHOLE BOOK instead of chapters

username and this is how they managed to break the f1 fandom

username PLEASE IM CRYING WHATCTYENFUCK

username they 😭 got 😭 married 😭

username IM CRYING WHATTTEYEGDHDJD

carmenmmundt all my love to both of you !! i love you and you deserve nothing but happiness 🤍 thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day

-> yourusername carmen 🤍🤍🤍 u own my heart and thank UUUUUU for being a part of my big day

username "i think forever would be nice with u or till death do us apart (or someone in a suit if this escalates to a divorce)" y/n y/l/n how does it feel to be the most hilarious person ever 🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

username im in SHAMBLES rn what the fuck

username someone sedate me bc there's NO way this is real

landonorris good luck because he's with you till you decompose

-> maxverstappen1 i'll go with her into the afterlife too like who the fuck she trying to meet there

-> yourusername bold of u to assume you'd even get in

-> maxverstappen1 is this what married life is like???

username i am unwell

username "i wanna go to museums with u and point to pictures with weird guys and say "that's u"" THIS IS TRUE LOVE

username and adding onto my 262728292 reasons

username the caption has me shaking on the floor gasping for breath

username i have PRAYED for times like these

username FUCJ YESHSHHSJSJSJS

danielricciardo the best night even though i don't remember any of it

-> yourusername u tried to set our marriage certificate on fire saying "it's set in stone now"

-> danielricciardo doing god's work

-> username no bc y/nmax nation would be in RUINS if it weren't for daniel

username sobbing they're soooo parents now it's crazy

username i js woke up whatcthebfufk

username AHSHSJJKKSSKAKSJSJKS

maxverstappen1 never changing your contact name

-> yourusername this is so not sexie new husband of u

maxverstappen1 we look lovely

-> yourusername yes we do

maxverstappen1 mrs. y/l/n-verstappen

-> yourusername mr. verstappen-y/l/n

username YELLING THIS IS REVOLUTIONARY

username screeching when will it be my turn

username never ever ever getting over this caption

username this will go down in history for YEARS to come

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by charles_leclerc, georgerussell63, danielricciardo and 2,128,268 others

maxverstappen1 never really did sappy posts but this means the world to me and i guess there's a first (???) time for everything. all i can say is that i truly cannot wait to spend all my days with you and go to sleep thinking that i can't wait to do it again tomorrow. and i think, there's nothing more lovelier than that. you once told me that i deserved the world, i hope we get to see it together. i wanna hear how your day was, today and tomorrow and every day after that. but before getting to all those tomorrows, here's to our forever that's summed up for me in a small moment.

tagged yourusername

13,628 comments

username shut up and think about what u did

username i can't cry im in class WHY WOULD U DO THIS TO ME

username no bc this is literally my last straw ENOUGH

username "here's to our forever that's summed up for me in a small moment" THIS DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE AND IT MADE ME SOB

username no bc he had no RIGHT to post this

username girlypop im still recovering from y/n's post give me 4-5 business years

username not cool max verstappen not COOL.

username tears are streaming down my face what the actual fuck

landonorris okay i shed a few tears

-> maxverstappen1 mate you were sobbing while giving your speech

-> landonorris I SUFFERED THE MOST OKAY

-> username no bc lando is their ACTUAL child of divorce

username this is ASTRONOMICAL like this is INSANE

username the bar is so high it js looks like a dash at this point

username everyone go home. max js won

-> maxverstappen1 winning on and off track

-> yourusername u cried when i beat u in mario kart

-> maxverstappen1 I CAN'T DRIVE

-> yourusername UR A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

username further proof of if he wanted to he would

username "i truly cannot wait to spend all my days with you and go to sleep thinking that i can't wait to do it again tomorrow" js take me swiftly and now

username IN LOVE WITH THEIR WEDDING AESTHETIC LIKE IT EATS SO HARD

username i've prayed for times like these ❤️

charles_leclerc can't believe you would cheat on me

-> maxverstappen1 might just leave her for you

-> yourusername is this a bad time to tell u both that im already seeing someone???? alexandrasaintmleux

-> alexandrasaintmleux my angel ❤️

-> charles_leclerc wait a minute

-> maxverstappen1 now hold on

username live for men are unapologetically in love with their partners like there's nothing more sexy than that

username liar every single post abt y/n has been a sappy post

-> maxverstappen1 she holds me hostage every time

-> yourusername divorce papers look so sexy rn

username IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG JOURNEY Y'ALL WE MADE IT

username my babies ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

danielricciardo tell lando i'm the godfather

-> landonorris he WON'T because you're NOT

-> maxverstappen1 guys we don't even have a baby

-> danielricciardo obviously we're talking about the future. your swimmers ain't THAT competitive unlike you

-> yourusername BAHAHAHAHA PLEASE UR SO WRONG FOR THAT

-> maxverstappen1 and you're officially out of the godfather contestants

username need a documentary on this like my life depends on this bc it DOES

username i never will be moving on from this post

yourusername i love u i love u i love u i love u i love u i love u

-> maxverstappen1 likewise

-> yourusername yeah i'll just

*yourusername deleted this comment*

yourusername ty

-> maxverstappen1 have a sense of humour

-> yourusername i married u what's funnier than THAT

-> username CLEARED HIM

-> username LFMSOAOAOAO

yourusername nice caption, wonder who edited it 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

-> maxverstappen1 i don't know, this girl who follows me everywhere and calls me maximus

-> yourusername she sounds cute

-> maxverstappen1 yeah, she really is

yourusername nvm idgaf I LOVEEEEEE YOU

-> maxverstappen1 i love you more

yourusername husband

-> maxverstappen1 wife

username giggling rn im sooooo happy

username i will show this to my kids

[oceansmotion]

Aoife's Maxis Match Face Templates UPDATED.

Now less gendered, more consistent between ages, and with baby faces! More info and a bunch of pictures below.

Finally, after months, I have finished these. A long time ago now, I'd made my original templates but didn't really pay any mind to how gendered faces really are, and how inconsistent they are between each age. I love the Maxis faces, I just wanted them to look a little less lumpy, and to replace ones that I felt were redundant. Basically, I hated that with any given template, I couldn't really tell what a sim was going to look like as an adult because every face looked different at each stage!

So today I bring to you my less gendered Maxis Match templates, where I have chosen which face I felt was more iconic and matched the other gender with it, and then made every age look more like that template (including baby faces).

Martin Ruben can be a good example:

Yeah, sure, the eyes are the same, but that's pretty much where the likeness ends. A lot of the templates will do this, and some of the female faces suffered for it (jaws were outlawed on females in 2004, didn't you know?)

They aren't perfect but they're miles better than the originals! I also think they bring a lot more variety to faces, because I did notice that a lot of the templates would use face parts from entirely different templates! Face 2's eyes and face 1's nose are really popular, as well as yeeting jaws and chins out the window.

Faces 1 - 4

Faces 5 - 8

Faces 9 - 12

Faces 13 - 16

Faces 17 - 20

Faces 21 - 24

Faces 25 - 27

An example between AF and TF

and the same face as a child and toddler.

Download || Mediafire Box

Credits: Meowingcookie on MTS for their baby face templates. I pretty much just used their baby faces with some tweaks to better match my changes.

@withlovefromsimtown for giving me the idea in the first place. I love their faces!

Face 8 update:

I think I had face blindness from doing so many of these faces at the same time because faces 8 & 10 ended up looking too similar, so I have updated face 8!

It’s Mongolian inspired and includes the baby template.

Download Face 8 || Mediafire Box

[lynzishell]

Atlas & Asher Deep Dive - Saying "I Love You"

By now, I’ve shared nearly everything there is to share about these two (at least up until the current point in time). But there’s one important part of their story that’s been left out, and that’s the first time each of them said “I love you” to the other.

I’d like to remedy that today, so proceed below the cut if you’d like to join me on this little journey…

[cw for mild nudity in the first photo below]

This. This was the moment Ash realized he'd fallen in love. This was the first night they spent together after becoming official... the night Atlas paced in front of his door before finally gaining the courage to knock, the courage to open his heart and let Ash in.

Of course, we know that Atlas already knew he loved Ash when he showed up at his door. At one point, he thought to himself:

And who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’s a chance he could love me the way that I love him.

But it wasn't until a few hours later, lying naked in the dark, enjoying their post-coital bliss and staring into each other's eyes, that it really hit Ash just how hard he'd fallen. At the time, we didn't get any insight into his thoughts because the story is told from Atlas' POV, but here's a little glimpse:

I’ve been in love before. But never like this. The way I look back on my life now, and all I can see is how every single decision I’ve ever made has led me here, led me to him. Every one of those decisions, no matter how small or silly or stupid or wrong they seemed at the time, are now more precious to me than the air I breathe.

Yeah, Ash is a bit intense! And he knows it too. So, he didn't say anything. Neither of them did.

Well... that's not entirely true.

Ash was so overwhelmed, he actually felt like he would burst if he didn't say it out loud. So, he waited for Atlas to fall asleep, and then he whispered the words to him in the dark.

He carried on this way for about two months... telling Atlas he loved him while watching him sleep.

But eventually, it started to feel like a secret he was keeping, and that ate at him.

He knew he needed to tell him for real. But he also knew there was a chance Atlas wouldn’t be ready to say it back yet, and he needed to prepare himself for that scenario even though deep down he hoped Atlas was just waiting for him to say it first. That once he said it, he would say it right back and they’d sail through this milestone in their relationship easily. But nothing with Atlas had ever been that easy, had it?

One night while watching a movie together, Atlas was lying with his head in Ash’s lap while Ash ran his fingers through his hair, and something about the moment, so peaceful and tender, just felt right. So, Ash took a breath and said softly, “I love you.”

Just as he feared, Atlas looked like a deer in the headlights, stumbling and stuttering as he tried to find a way to respond, to explain without hurting his feelings. Luckily, Ash was prepared, he’d already decided how he wanted to respond if he reacted this way. So, just before Atlas’s anxiety rose to all-out panic, Ash shoved his feelings of disappointment aside and placed a comforting hand on the side of his face and told him, “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. I don’t want you to until you’re ready.”

What Ash hadn’t prepared for was the waiting. He wasn’t sure whether to keep saying it in the hopes Atlas would one day say it back, or if that was putting too much pressure on him and he should drop it, leave the ball in Atlas’s court, wait for him to say it when he’s ready. But how long would he be left hanging?

When another two months passed, Ash felt discouraged and hurt.

There were moments, like the one above, the morning before Atlas left for his climb up Mt. Komorebi, when Ash was sure he was about to say it, but he’d say something else instead. The disappointment was more gutting every time.

He wondered what was stopping him. Was it that he wasn’t sure about how he felt? Or was it the words themselves? Maybe they could come up with a unique word or phrase, something all their own. That could be quite sweet. Maybe even more meaningful.

He didn’t want to cause any additional pressure or stress right before Atlas left for such a dangerous excursion, so he decided to wait until he returned to talk to him about it.

So, what was preventing Atlas from saying it back? He certainly did love Ash, and he wasn’t blind to the hurt his silence caused.

The answer is found here. Henry was the first person that Atlas ever allowed himself to open up to and be vulnerable with. And it was that vulnerability that allowed their relationship to go from platonic to romantic.

When Atlas said “I love you” to Henry, it was not only the first time he’d said it in a romantic sense, but it was the first time he’d ever said the words to anyone. And while Henry did say it back in the moment, it was only a matter of days before he took it back and broke Atlas’ heart. Thus, confirming his already deep-seated belief that love is conditional, that he is not worthy of it, and that he is destined to be alone.

Given all of this, it’s no surprise that he struggled not only to give a relationship with Asher a chance, but saying “I love you” opened up the possibility that it would all be taken away again. Anytime he felt himself wanting to say the words, fear would take hold, and he couldn’t do it. So, what changed?

That moment on the mountain when he nearly lost his sister, everything changed.

At the beginning of The Past arc, when Atlas wakes up from his nightmare for the first time, one of the things he mentions is that he’s unable to cry:

I’ve always wondered if this is a normal thing, if it’s something everyone experiences, or if it’s connected to my inability to cry under any other circumstances. Something that was trained out of me from such a young age that I’m not sure if my body even remembers how.

When Dawn fell, it was the most terrifying moment of his entire life. Anything else he’d ever been afraid of paled in comparison.

When Phoenix caught her, and he realized she was okay, he collapsed and sobbed. It was the first time he’d cried since he was little. I can only imagine how cathartic it must have been.

The experience also made him face his own mortality and realize how quickly it can all be taken away. He was suddenly filled with a need to tell Asher how he felt. He couldn’t bear the idea of something happening to either of them before he ever had the courage to tell him how he felt. Now, he was far more afraid of not saying “I love you” than he ever had been to say it.

The first thing he does when he arrives home is call Ash, who immediately rushes over. He barely has time to say hello before Atlas embraces him and says, “I love you! I love you so much! I’m sorry…”

Between the emotion of the moment, the exhaustion of the climb, and the weight of everything he’d been through over the last week, he broke down again. Which I’m sure sufficiently freaked Ash out. But true to his nature, he spent the night comforting and reassuring him.

This was a turning point in their relationship. After this, they were both more committed to each other than ever, and I’m glad I finally got to share it!

Thank you so much to anyone who made it through all that... I know it was a lot (as usual) 😅

I’m going to leave you with the first time the boys are actually seen saying “I love you” to each other in my story… which takes place just over a year later in story time:

[daisynik7]

Sweet Like Honey

Chapter 3: First Vacation

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Rating: Explicit - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: ~5.1k

cw: established relationship, fluff, smut – phone sex, mutual masturbation, PIV sex (doggy style, cowgirl), cunnilingus, vaginal fingering, dirty talk, pet names (sweetheart, sweeties, baby), use of the word slut (endearing)

Summary: You and Nanami go on your first trip together to a hot springs resort and things get steamy. 

Author’s Notes: Here’s the last spicy side story for A Bento for Kento! This is a repost; I’ve rewritten it a bit to reflect my current writing style better. I hope you enjoy it! Nanami deserves all good things in the world! Divider credit to @/cafekitsune. 

Previous Chapter | Sweet Like Honey Masterlist

Four months into your relationship, you and Nanami plan your first trip together. The two of you sit on the couch in your living room, digesting the dinner you just ate. There’s a nearby mountain town called Hakone, known for being a hot springs resort with views of Mt. Fuji. Apparently, Nanami has been there before and recommends it. Having never been to a hot spring yourself, the idea of snuggling up next to your boyfriend in a steamy stone bath excites you. That is, until he breaks the news to you. “Hot springs are separate for men and women, sweetheart. We won’t be in the hot springs together.”

You look at him, mouth agape. “Huh, what’s the point then?!”

He chuckles, lifting the back of your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “To relax. You really can’t go a few hours without being beside me?” 

You raise a brow at him. “Oh please. Says the man who made me late to work this entire week because you kept wanting to cuddle.”

Smiling, he responds, “I can’t help it. It’s getting cold and you’re too cute. Anyways, I’m planning to book a room with a personal hot tub on the balcony, so we can still relax together at night.” 

That does sound nice. And it’s not like you are actually upset about the separate hot springs. It’s probably a better idea not to be near each other when naked in public. 

Since the day you two confessed your love for one another, the sex has ramped up quite a bit. And by quite a bit, you mean a lot. With your dear brother Ren officially living in the dorms at Jujutsu High, you and Nanami are together nearly every day, either at your place or his. And with your love for each other growing by the second, it’s no surprise that sex has become a regular part of your lives. You can’t keep your hands off each other. Sometimes, the two of you don’t have the patience to move to the bedroom, so Kento made sure to hide lube in the drawers of each room in both your homes, even in the most unsuspecting of places, like the kitchen and laundry room, which has definitely come in handy already. In the beginning of your relationship, there was still that trepidation of figuring out what each other was comfortable with. Both of you were extremely cautious of not crossing any lines, always asking, “Is this okay?” or “Do you like this?”. After a certain point, you became more comfortable with each other. You feel safe when you’re together. Now, the sex is more passionate than it’s ever been. Knowing he loves you just as much as you love him makes all the difference. This is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. There’s no holding back. 

“Hot tub on a balcony? Sounds very romantic.” You scooch closer to sit on his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Let’s do it.”

“Great. I’ll ask Gojo to help me book it. He’s the one who got us in last time.” He leans forward to nuzzle his nose to yours, grinning. “I can’t wait. Our first vacation together.”

“I’m getting excited just thinking about it.” You kiss him on the lips as he cradles you in his arms. 

“What are you thinking about? Are you being naughty again?”

“Of course not! How dare you. You know I’m a good girl,” you say with a coy smile, walking your fingers up his chest to loosen his tie.

He hums. “You are a good girl. You’re my good girl.” His lips brush lightly along your neck. In just a few short minutes, clothes are shed and the drawer next to the couch is open. 

~~~

The week of their vacation, Nanami is sent on a mission to Osaka with Gojo. Not only does he have to spend four days in a hotel room with his insufferable friend, but this will be the longest he’s been apart from his girlfriend since they started dating. 

On the last night, Nanami groans at his phone, staring at a picture of the yakisoba she made for dinner tonight as he eats a bowl of spicy instant ramen from a convenience store. “Remind me why we don’t have any stipend for food?” Nanami asks Gojo, who is happily slurping away at his noodles, cross-legged on the bed.

“Geez, Nanamin. Sorry our agency can’t afford five-star meals every night. Since when have you been such a snob?!”

“I’d rather be at home, eating my girlfriend’s yakisoba than eating instant ramen with you.”

“I’m so glad you said yakisoba and not something else,” Gojo jokes, with an eyebrow raised.

They finish the rest of their meal in a comfortable silence. When he’s done, Gojo stands up to stretch his long limbs. “I’m going for a walk. Be back in thirty minutes.” 

“Where are you going?”

“Just around. I’m giving you some alone time so you can talk to your girlfriend. Take the hint, buddy.”

Surprised, Nanami murmurs, “You don’t have to leave. It’s fine.”

“Seriously, it’s no big deal. Just tell her I say ‘hi’. And remember, thirty minutes. I better not walk in here with your pants down,” he teases, smirking as he opens the door.

“Oh, you are awful,” Nanami mutters before he’s left all alone. Finally. 

Immediately, he dials her number and after two rings, she picks up. “Hi baby!”

He loves hearing her voice. It instantly puts him in a good mood. “Hi honey. How are you?”

“Honey? Are you alone right now?”

“Yes. Gojo went out for a walk.”

They chat for several minutes about each other’s week. Nanami talks about the multiple curses they’ve exorcised and how Gojo has them eating convenience store food every night. She complains about work and her friend’s boyfriend drama, which he shamelessly indulges in. 

“I miss you so much,” Nanami says. He’s sitting up on his bed now, loosening the tie around his collar. 

“I miss you too, Kento.”

“I can’t wait for our vacation tomorrow.”

“Me too.”

There’s a brief silence over the phone, a familiar tension growing between the static noise. She breaks the silence first. “What do you want to do during our trip?”

“Well, we’re going to do the hot springs, maybe a massage –”

“No, Kento. I mean, what do you want to do to me?” He hears shifting on her end. He wonders what room she’s in and what she’s wearing.

He exhales into the phone, reaching for his belt, unbuckling it quietly. “What do you want, sweetheart? I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

“Whatever I want?” she challenges. 

“Yes, anything.”

“Can you fuck me like the little slut that I am?”

“Fuck, baby. Fuck,” he mutters, pushing past the waistband of his pants to release his erect cock. He starts jerking off hastily, picturing her sprawled out on the bed for him, legs spread wide and ready to be railed. “You’re such a slut for me, huh? Always so needy for this cock. Where are you right now?” He rasps filthy words into the phone, all discretion tossed out the window.

“I’m on the couch in the living room, touching myself.” 

“Already? Can’t even make it to the bedroom, huh? You really are a slut. Can’t wait to eat that pussy out tomorrow. Can’t wait to devour you. You always taste divine on my tongue.” 

“God, Kento. Wish you were here. Wish you could fuck me on the couch like you did last week.” 

“Have you been touching yourself while I’ve been away? Have you been naughty?” He bites his lip thinking about her rubbing that clit with those cute little fingers, sliding them up and down her wet cunt. 

“Yes, I’ve been very naughty,” she huffs, voice trembling with arousal. “How will you punish me?” 

“Going to give you a spanking,” he growls, fisting his cock faster, precum leaking from the tip. “Going to fuck you until you can’t come anymore. Going to milk you dry.”

“Is that a promise?” If he listens carefully enough, he can hear the lewd squelches while she pleasures herself, spurring him on.

“You’re such a bad girl, always trying to provoke me. Tell me exactly what you’re doing.”

“Rubbing my clit,” she stammers. “Spreading my cum all over it so it’s nice and wet for you. God, I miss you so much, baby.”

“I know, honey. I miss you too. I miss you too,” he repeats, getting closer and closer to the edge. “Can you make yourself come? For me? Fuck yourself, pretend it’s me doing it. I want to hear it.”

He relishes in her faint whimpers as she masturbates on the phone with him, timing his strokes to match her moans. “There you go, sweetheart. Just like that. You’re doing so good for me,” he praises. He’s close and by the sounds of it, so is she. “Tell me what you’re thinking about,” he says in a low voice.

“Your big cock filling me up.”

“What position?”

“Cowgirl. I’m bouncing on it until you come inside, like how we did it on the couch. It was dripping down my thighs, remember?” Her voice is hoarse with lust, gradually unraveling on the other end of the line. 

“How could I forget?” he smiles to himself, vividly recalling the erotic memory. “And what did I do after?”

She lets out a loud moan before answering, “You put it back in me and fucked me again.”

“That’s right, baby. I know how much you like that.” He strokes his dick in a frenzy, ears hot and eyes shut tight as he approaches his climax.  

“Come with me, Kento. Come with me.” 

At her command, his abs clench as he releases all over himself, painting the bottom of his button up shirt with his seed. He really should have taken this off beforehand, but as usual, they get too caught up in the moment to think logically. 

“Did you come?” Her voice is quiet, her breathing shallow just like it gets whenever she orgasms.  

“Yes, I did. All over my shirt,” he admits, laughing softly.

“Oh no! Baby!”

“It’s okay. I have another one. How about you? Did you come?”

“Yes, I did,” she replies. He smirks, picturing her laid out on the couch, panties around her ankles, that blissful gaze in her eyes. That’s my girl, he muses. 

“You should clean yourself up before Gojo gets back,” she suggests.

Gojo. Shit.

Nanami turns his wrist to read his watch; it’s been at least forty-five minutes since his friend left for his thirty-minute walk. In a panic, he checks his messages and finds three from Gojo that he somehow missed:

NANAMINNNNN coming back from my walk now

never mind, extending my walk another 30

you dirty bastard

~~~

The next day, you and Nanami reunite for your trip. It’s a two-hour train ride to Hakone. You rest your head on Nanami’s shoulder, hands laced together, basking in each other’s existence. A few days away makes you realize how happy you are being with him. As if you had any doubts. 

When the train approaches the station, Nanami lightly taps on your thigh to get your attention. He points out the window. “Look, sweetie.” It’s a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. The hotel you’re staying at is only a ten-minute walk from the station, meaning this is the scenery you’ll have all weekend. You can’t imagine anything more romantic and peaceful than this. 

The hotel is as quaint as you pictured it. You check into the room and settle in before getting ready for the hot springs. Two hours away from each other is a cinch, especially in paradise. You both enjoy your separate onsen experiences, rejuvenated and relaxed for the night to come. 

After a delightful dinner at the hotel restaurant, it’s time to retreat into your room. On the elevator ride up, Nanami pushes you up against the wall and kisses you, unable to contain himself any longer. You fumble on the way to the room, exchanging delicate kisses until you’re inside. He removes his coat, then yours, before wrapping his arms around you in a big bear hug. “I’ve been waiting all week for this,” he says softly. 

You both change into proper hot tub attire: Nanami in swim trunks, you in a two-piece bathing suit. He leads you to the balcony, holding your hand to help you into the spa. The sexual tension is palpable. As you sit beside each other in the water, your muscles relax in the heat. You let your head fall back on the edge of the tub as you sigh, feeling at ease, staying like this for a few minutes. Even with your eyes closed, you can sense Nanami’s gaze on you. Cracking one eye open, you smirk. “Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?”

His hand slides up your thigh. “I can’t help it when you look like this.”

You face him, smiling. “And what do I look like?”

“Happy. Tranquil.” He pauses, leaning in closer to whisper, “You’re beautiful.”

There’s a flutter in your stomach, a sensation you’ll never get tired of. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

Your lips brush together seamlessly, his breath warm on your mouth. With your hands on his chest, you feel the steady thump of his heartbeat pick up in pace as you continue to kiss passionately. Your skin prickles with goosebumps despite the surrounding heat. Something about the way Nanami kisses you always makes you tingly.

Straddling his lap now, you kiss his neck while you roll your hips on him, using his shoulders to hold on to. He lets out a guttural moan, making you ride him slower, touching every inch of him as you possible can until he’s undeniably hard beneath you. You want him. You need him.  

Water splashes over the edge of the tub, the waves rippling with each movement. The steam from the hot water is dewy on your skin. He caresses your head, fingers gripped to the back of your head, gently pulling you off so he can meet your lips with his before trailing along your neck, sucking on your skin, claiming you as his. His other hand cups your ass, moving with the rhythm in which you ride him. 

“You’re so good to me, Kento. Always so good to me,” you whimper.

He whispers in your ear, “I want you. I want you around my cock.” His squeezes your ass tighter, his self-control wavering. “Let’s go.”

You hop off and get out first. The contrast of the cold night air on your sweltering skin makes you shiver. When you watch him emerge out of the water with a very distinct bulge in his swimming trunks, you shudder even more. 

“Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?” he teases, grabbing your wrist and leading you back inside. His grip is strong, his pace quick. Seeing him unravel like this is arousing. Knowing how much he desires you in this moment makes you quiver for him.

He takes you into the bathroom, where he starts the shower, knob turned all the way to hot. He releases his hold on you to remove his swimming trunks, his hard dick flopping against his abdomen. The sight resonates straight to your arousal. In complete surrender, you bend over the sink counter begging, “Kento, please. I can’t wait anymore. I need you right now.”

He leans over you, his lips tickling your ear as he chuckles. “Be a good girl and get in the shower. Be patient, sweetheart.” His erection rubs against you, his lips grazing your nape seductively. He roams your back to remove your top, then down your ass, where he slides your bikini bottoms off at an agonizing speed. 

Pouting, you do as he says, slapping your ass as you step over the bathtub. He follows you in, pawing at your waist to pull you close. With a bar of soap, you stand underneath the hot shower, scrubbing the chlorine off your skin as Nanami watches you from behind. Soap suds travel from your neck down to your breasts. From the your peripheral, you see him lick his lips, salivating. When you’re ready to rinse off, you turn to face him, reaching between your legs, tapping your clit. 

“Can’t wait to taste you,” he says in a low voice, the look in his eyes carnal with desire. God, you want him. You want him so bad it hurts, pussy aching to be filled.

Letting the water rinse your body, you offer him the bar of soap. He shakes his head. “You do it.” This is the other side of him. Nanami is usually sweet and gentle with you. Never does he demand you to do anything or boss you around. But when he’s like this, you can’t help but heed his every command. Only you get to see him like this. You scrub the soap on his skin, sliding your hands all over his body. You pull him closer to you, letting the water wash away the bubbles. When you reach down to his still erect cock, he snatches your hand away and growls, “Not yet. I want to fuck you on the bed.” 

Once rinsed off, he gives you a small kiss on the forehead before stepping out, leaving you alone in the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he gives you one last smirk before exiting the bathroom. What is he up to? 

A small groan escapes your mouth, your patience wearing thin. This is the longest foreplay you two have managed to last through. How much longer is he going to keep you waiting? How has he managed to stay this hard for this long without giving in? The anticipation puts you on edge. 

When you’re done, you wrap a robe loosely around yourself, returning to the bedroom to see Nanami sitting up on the bed, naked on top of the covers, watching you. He points to a small, black gift bag propped up at the foot of the bed. “Open it.”

Inside is a black slip dress and a matching lace thong. You swallow hard as you glide the thin material between your fingers, nervous and aroused at what’s about to come. “Put it on. Model it for me.” He leans back on the headboard, palms behind his head, cock stiff against his stomach. There’s a smug expression on his face; you can tell he’s enjoying this. 

You shrug the robe off and wear the dress first. Your nipples poke through the fabric. Nanami bites his lower lip and leans forward to get a better look. “Now put the thong on. Slowly.”

At his direction, you slip on the lingerie slowly. When it’s past your knees, he says, “Turn around and let me see.” With your back towards him, you stick your ass out and lift the hem of the dress to slide the thong between your cheeks. 

You hear him moan quietly. “Perfect. You’re perfect. Come here, sweetheart.”

~~~

She crawls next to him, where they begin kissing, all sloppy and wet. Her hand reaches down to stroke his shaft. He cradles her bottom, fingers feeling for the lacey fabric buried between her ass cheeks.  

“Get on your back,” he orders, hovering above her, marveling at how insanely gorgeous she is. The satin dress accentuates every bodacious curve of her body. He makes a mental note to buy more of these for her in the future.

He slides his hand beneath the dress to rub his fingers on the wet spot of her lacey lingerie. “So wet for me already,” he purrs, slipping past the fabric. “Always so wet for me.”

“Please,” she pleads. He loves it when she begs. Absolutely loves it. It awakens something in him. The usually calm Kento Nanami becomes unhinged whenever he touches her. But when she begs for it, he wants nothing more than to make her feel amazing, to be the reason she squirms in pleasure beneath him.

He slides his middle finger along her folds, gathering as much slick as he can before he starts caressing her puffy clit. She whines under his touch, the sensation too much. She’s been waiting for this all night. Been begging for it. This is her reward for her patience. She grabs the nearest pillow to cover her mouth, but as soon as she does, Nanami pulls it off and tosses it behind him. 

“No,” he demands. “I want everyone to hear how good you’re getting it right now.”

He shimmies down the bed, spreading her thighs apart. With his head between her legs, he leans forward, teasing her clit with a flick of his tongue, holding her panties to the side. She grabs hold of his hair as he presses soft kisses to her clit. Suddenly, he flattens his tongue on her bud and moves it side to side, surrounding every centimeter of that pretty clit with his mouth. Lewd sounds fill the room, from her loud, shameless moaning to the wet noises he makes as he eats her out. He adjusts his position to stroke himself as he continues to devour her.

She’s like honey on his tongue, luscious and decadent. He cherishes every time he gets to do this to her. Usually, she is too shy to let him eat her out. She deprives him of this treat. He’s starved for it. With her like this, spread out like a fucking feast in front of him, he’ll be damned if he doesn’t take full advantage of this moment. He latches his lips around her, sucking on it as he lets go of his cock to slide his middle and ring finger into her pussy. He watches her chest fall and rise with shallow breaths with his fingers pumping in and out of her, thumb rubbing circles around her clit. She cries out his name. “Kento!”

“Fuck. You have no idea how good you look right now, swallowing up my fingers like this.” He bucks his hips against the bed, desperate for any type of friction. All he hears from her is a litany of swears and his name. Her moans eventually turn into whimpers. He stops massaging her clit and eats her out again, this time sloppier and more erratic as he continues to work his fingers inside her. The sheets are damp with his saliva and her cum. He’s not sure how many times she orgasms; based on the evidence before him, he guesses it’s at least twice. She’s too busy taking it like a slut to even verbalize when she’s coming. 

When he’s close to his limit, he places one last tender kiss on her clit before releasing her lacey thong; he’s been holding them to the side this entire time. His fingers slip out of her, shiny with her orgasm. The temptation to suck her sweet nectar from his fingers is too good to resist. As he kneels next to her, he leans down to put his face close to hers. Her eyes widen with anticipation, waiting for his next move. With a dark look in his eyes, he licks his glossy fingers, dragging his tongue up and down, savoring it like it’s the most decadent treat. She whines, staring at him, grinding her hips up, desperate to be fucked. He never gets tired of seeing her like this.  

Fully aware of how her slick glistens on his lips and chin, he murmurs, “Taste yourself. I want you know how good you are.”

There’s a dazed expression in her eyes as she obeys, sitting up to kiss him sloppily, tongue lapping into his open mouth then down to his chin. It drives him crazy. Before he comes right then and there, he shoves his hand between her legs and tugs her panties off, admiring how soaked they are, all for him. Because of him. 

Under the pillow is the bottle of lube he hid right after he got out of the shower. He pops off the cap and pours a liberal amount into his palms, coating his shaft. He strokes his cock vigorously, asking, “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

“Yes, Kento. Please. Please. I need you inside me.”

“I know, baby. I know.” He kneels in front of her, aligning the tip of his dick with her slit, entering her slowly, careful not to be too forceful. She’s always so tight, even when she’s dripping wet for him. “Such a good girl,” he whispers, leaning over her to kiss her forehead. 

Halfway in, her body adjusts to his size, allowing him to thrust into her in fluid motions. She wraps her legs around him, babbling. “Kento, fuck. Fuck.”

“So wet for me. You’re perfect around my cock.” Once he’s fully inside her, he kisses her with open lips, tongue licking up her saliva as she moans into his mouth. He pins her wrists above her head, thrusting his hips against her. They make love like this for a while, Nanami relishing the way her body melts around him. He knows what she wants, but he takes his time teasing her like this until she groans out, “Fuck me harder. Please.”

As if on cue, he pulls out of her and taps his fingers at her hips. At his command, she flips over onto her stomach and gets on all fours, pushing her ass out. The hem of her satin dress rides up over the curve of her hips. The sight in front of him is immaculate. He wants this ingrained in his memory forever. “Think you can take it, sweetheart? I’m not gonna go easy on you.”

“Yes, baby. Fuck me hard. Please. I can take it.”

“Good girl,” he coos, placing a soft kiss on her back. Whatever she wants, he’ll give it to her, especially when she begs like this. He puts both of his hands on each of her ass cheeks and spreads them apart, watching his glistening cock slowly slide into her pussy. 

“God, I wish you could see what I see right now. It’s exquisite. You look fucking incredible like this. My sweet girl.” Once he’s all the way in, he grabs hold of her hips and fucks her. Hard. Exactly how she likes it. 

“Fuck, feels so fucking good!” she cries out. Her knuckles are tight as she clenches the sheets. He spanks her as he fucks her, causing her to groan into the pillow with her back arched. The sound of his pelvis slapping against her ass with each rapid thrust is filthy. 

“I needed this, baby. It’s been such a long week,” he grunts. “God, you take it so well. Such a slut for me, huh? Say it.”

“I’m a slut for you, Kento. Feels amazing when you fuck me like this.” 

Grip still firm on her hips, he continues to drive his cock into her, reveling in the way she swallows him up. She turns her head to the side, that dazed look on her face. Her lips are parted as she continues to moan incoherently, drool leaking down the sides of her wet mouth. When she makes eye contact with him, her lips curl into a small smile. “Right there, Kento. Make me come.”

Growling, he hits her sweet spot until she comes all over his cock. She tightens around him. his dick creamy with more of her cum with each thrust. It’s obscene; he can’t hold it in anymore. 

“Ride me,” he demands, pulling out abruptly. He rolls onto his back, watching her climb on top of him. She guides his dick inside her, exhaling deeply as she sinks lower onto his shaft. It goes in easily, her pussy sleek from her multiple orgasms, his own precum, and the lube from earlier. When he bottoms out, she leans over him, kissing him passionately as she thrusts her ass back and forth onto his cock. 

“Just like that. Fuck,” he moans. This is his absolute favorite position. He loves it when she rides him like this. Always so eager and greedy for his cum whenever she’s on top. It makes him feel like a fucking god. He cranes his neck to the side, tugging on the hem of her dress to watch her bounce on his lap. “I fucking love this. You know how much I love this, you fucking nasty slut.” 

“I’m such a nasty slut for you, baby. Only for you. Fuck,” she moans into his ear, riding him faster. 

He’s close. How he’s managed to last this long without coming, he’ll never know. Maybe his stamina has improved after all the sex they’ve been having recently. Or maybe it’s the thought of coming in her like this that kept him under control. Whatever it is, he decides he’s been patient long enough. 

“Let me take over,” he whispers to her.

Her body relaxes. Now, he’s in control. He plants his feet onto the bed and thrusts into her at a rapid pace, holding onto her waist to move her in perfect rhythm with his hips. 

“Come inside me, Kento. Fill me up,” she mewls into his ear.

At her words, he releases inside her, shutting his eyes tight as he rides out the rest of his orgasm. When he’s finished, he pulls out and she collapses beside him. The dress is defiled with the aftermath of their lovemaking, just as he fantasized about. 

~~~

You put your arm over his chest and lay your head against his shoulder. “Wow,” is all you can muster, voice shaky. Nanami just rocked your fucking world, and you can’t find better words to describe it. 

He chuckles, his eyes still closed. “Yeah. Wow.” He takes your hand and kisses the inside of your wrist. “I’m sorry for calling you a slut.”

You giggle. He always does this. “You don’t have to keep apologizing for that! You know I like it.”

“I usually don’t use degrading language like that. I just want to make sure it’s still okay with you.” You can’t contain your smile. He’s too cute for his own good. 

“By the way, how long have you been planning this?” you ask.

He finally opens his eyes and faces you. “All week. Saw the dress on display at a mall in Osaka. I knew it would look magnificent on you. It’s even better than what I imagined.”

“You sneaky devil!”

“I’m only this way because of you. You really unleash the devil in me.” He grins, nuzzling his nose against yours.

“I guess I’m the lucky angel then, huh?”

“You are,” he says, peppering kisses on your face. “My sweet angel. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

After a few more minutes of post-coital cuddling, the two of you wash up again and get ready for a well-deserved sleep. You snuggle each other in pure bliss, looking forward to more vacations with the man you love. 

Tag List: @chiyoso @bloombb @liliorsstuff-blog

[eruhamster]

no, im thinking about the whole thing of more than just one or two people reading TGCF and somehow thinking he xuan only just found out about the fate switch again. the fact that this is something people think is so insane to me because even if the specific time he learned was never given, like it's essentially spelled out for you.

hua cheng says when he xuan died, shi wudu showed up and made sure he was dead, so he xuan knew something was up with this guy. he found out he was a god and grew more suspicious. and then he infiltrated the heavens to find out more. like that's really the only actual statement we get, but like... it's so clear it's been a long time coming.

suspicions don't make you eat a bazillion water ghosts to make you into a water ghost to give you the specific powers necessary to overcome and kill a water god. he had to have known for as long as he was considered black water sinking ships. and of course he would know from the moment he infiltrated - he knows what happened to him and when. he would go up there and see that shi wudu has a brother with his name, who ascended the same day he died, who isn't known for doing anything beyond pulling a drunken party trick on an asshole. and sqx is so willing to talk to everyone, "ming yi" even complains that he throws out his array password to everyone. sqx told xie lian his ghost story, complete with a spell to make it cold and spooky with scary music while he told it, within like a month of knowing the guy. there is absolutely no way in hell that he xuan did not connect the dots within a year of infiltration.

and this idea of "well why would he spend centuries not doing anything" is so fascinating because it completely disregards the entire subtext of who he xuan is and what his relationship is with others. he is not friends with hua cheng. hua cheng is actively antagonistic toward him(and this is not just a hua cheng thing; hua cheng is actively nicer to sqx and even pei ming than he is to he xuan): he calls in inept. he says he doesn't know what he's thinking. he freaks out at him coming into his territory(puqi shrine), he is actively on edge while they're on the island, and he goads and mocks him in ways he doesn't to his other underlings. and yet hua cheng bankrolls him. he xuan is insanely in debt because hua cheng pays for his food, the cost of his fish(that hua cheng also actively dislikes), the cost of bribing heavenly officials(probably to keep their mouth shut), etc.

hua cheng doesn't help he xuan and fund his escapades because they're friends. he is clearly hua cheng's actual spy. it's a sort of payment for his services.

there's no real info on this but they clearly have a deal worked out. hua cheng pays for his expenses. he xuan was likely tasked at keeping ears out for news of xie lian. their deal was likely set to end when xie lian was located. maybe it went further, given hua cheng is so familiar with what he xuan knew as a new ghost - esecially since hua cheng is known to help ghosts pass on and help them with petty revenge or give them shelter in Ghost City in turn for their assistance(best example being the boar and chicken ghosts, they serve their chengzhu after he helped them get revenge and that's why many of the cultivators in the mt tonglu arc hate him, as seen in the ghost inn scene), it could easily be the case that he xuan came to hua cheng and they worked out a plan together. hua cheng knows how the heavens work; he ascended once. he could have come up with the infiltration plan and assisted he xuan in turn for him being a spy alongside he xuan's goal of finding out what shi wudu did. so even when he gets up there and immediately connects the dots, he'd do the work he was tasked with.

because if he only just recently found out, it would be insane to think that "ming yi" wouldn't go berserk. that "ming yi" wouldn't at the very least start acting noticeably different toward sqx. but he doesn't, because he's known.

i've seen people mention the hua cheng line of "my underling for 10 years" - this is him working out the hole he xuan found himself in when the real ming yi set off the flame pillar. "ming yi" was working as jun wu's spy for 10 years. the 10 years comment was aligning with that, giving an out so he could be taken back to the heavens with the idea that he was only jun wu's spy that was discovered after 10 years of infiltrating ghost city.

in reality, jun wu was unlucky enough(or maybe 'ming yi' volunteered) that the spy he picked was already hua cheng's spy of centuries; a double-agent. he xuan was spying, and that was why hua cheng knew the moment xie lian ascended. that is why he knew the exact mission xie lian was on and where he could find him. because he had a spy on the lookout.

and by the time their deal had been fulfilled, he xuan had been sqx's best friend for so long that he had grown complicated feelings and didn't start on the path to revenge until he had no choice: when the real ming yi finally killed himself in a cry for assistance(which, personally, i think may have been spurred by he xuan potentially deciding he wanted to keep that ming yi imprisoned indefinitely, or perhaps only due to an accident that originated from xie lian's unluckyness burning sqx).

the real issue from then on is he xuan fighting with himself, stuck between 'ming yi' and the oppressive and violent black water, seemingly actively attempting to both get his revenge while trying to salvage a relationship with sqx and keep the truth of "ming yi" from his best friend.

that's why, despite it all, he xuan still pops into the rebuilt puqi shrine to eat the food in a silent act of congratulations. xie lian actively got in the way of his plans to the point of he xuan barely being able to contain his violence and hua cheng legitimately being worried, and again, hua cheng and he xuan clearly are not friends - but hua cheng still helped him for centuries. hua cheng is the reason he got his revenge. and that warranted stopping by during a celebration.

this fits in so perfectly with their characters and the events of the story. the moment you think that the discovery happened recently, motivations come into question and it makes things muddy. like, one person who believed that he'd only just learned had said that hua cheng must have found out about xie lian's ascension through the rain master - there is not a single instance in the books that imply the rain master and hua cheng have interacted meaningfully. you have to actively make things up to go against this very clear line of what likely occurred.

this is also what makes he xuan so tragic. "ming yi" is not a complete lie, and he does try to cling to it, and only has to let it go after xie lian's continued meddling that eventually reveals the truth to sqx - long after he would have known, if he xuan actually wanted sqx to know. he wanted to stay friends with sqx, and he hated himself for it, which is why he shows a bit of himself when he asks xie lian to 'exorcise the demons in his heart.' the real he xuan is not so evil; hua cheng does not work with evil ghosts. the real he xuan has silly pet skeleton fish that assault him and accidentally poison him the moment he comes home because they're so excited to see him, and makes little jokes like teasingly sliding away from sqx when sqx recalls the 'reverend' saying everyone close to him will perish. that's why he doesn't change sqx's fate after he kills shi wudu. that's why sqx makes it clear that he xuan wasn't the one that broke his leg and arm. that's why he hesitated when sqx called out his pet name. that's why he kept and repaired sqx's fan. that's why he laughs before leaving when sqx is hounded by all his new friends about godhood. that's why he helps hua cheng one more time. that's why he congratulates xie lian on the shrine reopening. that's why he still says 'dream on' and 'do it yourself' to sqx even when there is no more ming yi; he xuan is not a bad person. he is just a man with demons. and if his hand hadn't been forced time and again, maybe he would have made the decision that being "ming yi" indefinitely wasn't such a problem. but the mountain of sins he'd committed over the centuries in the name of getting his revenge once xie lian was found was a hill too big to climb over, and once the path to revenge started, he had to do it. otherwise, what was the point of all the debt, all the lies, the wrongful imprisonments, the killing- everything he used to stand against, the crimes that others had done to him? he had to do it.

[coriphallus]

A little rant on patch 6 and the implications for bg3's future

Okay, bear with me for a sec its gonna go somewhere eventually. My first bg3 run (thats spammed here on this blog) i played ascended astarion/dark urge romance where i picked the reject bhaal and become the absolute ending.

as it was my first playthrough on release i was vibrating off mt seat and i didnt really have elaborate HCs or anything, i was just doing a quick evil run until the bugs get sorted out. i didn't think much beyond "yes this dude would want the shiny stones for himself"

first time i saw astarion enthralled, i was confused. he asked me to do it, he was quite insistent on it since the beginning of the game. i was confused for a couple of hours, digesting the entire game i just played. Then it hit me; the game was calling me out. it was telling me ive been stupid for not having seen this coming and at that point i felt awe.

it was right, everything pointed to this, it was right in front of my eyes all i needed was to connect the dots that the game laid out quite visibly and i was just too caught up to see.

'well my durge would never do that' didnt matter because thats exactly what the companions thought. Gale thought the powers of an insatiable weave wouldnt corrupt him, that he'd stay true to himself, shadowheart thought shar had blessed and her she'd guide her, that she could be her true self under her influence, astarion thought he'd be free, that he'd cherish the bond he'd made with the player but at the end of the day power reveals; and when that power is acquired through the corpses of thousands its quite evident that Absolute power corrupts absolutely. IT WAS IN THE FKIN NAME.

it was a shining bait i was so focused on getting my hands on that i didn't look back to see the mountain of corpses i had to step on to get there. the game was telling me 'HEY LOOK AT EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO GET HERE, LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE OTHERS WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD ACHIEVE THIS, DO YOU THINK YOU'D HOLD HANDS AND SING KUMBAYA WITH YOUR FRIENDS AFTER ALL THIS?'

just as there was never an option where frodo could stab saurons flaming eyeball and sit on his throne with the ring on his finger and sam at his side, there was never an ending i could get my 'happy ending' the way id like it to. i wanted frodo to remain in middle earth and have some peace in the end, i didnt understand how he was 'too changed' to remain and sam wasnt when i first read the books. i was angry even, that i didnt get what i wanted. it wasnt like tolkien haphazardly put together an ending out of his ass bcs he didnt know what to do with the characters, its not that he didn't think while writing that the fans would hate it, he wrote a story that achieved its catharsis by reaching its narrative conclusion. it couldnt have done that any other way. it was deliberate. i may not have understood or agreed at the time but it was the story he wanted to tell, and it wouldnt be one of the greatest stories ever told if the writer wanted to please a 10 y/o like myself.

it was never out of character for my durge at all, i was just blissfully avoiding the NARRATIVE.

months later we get this absolute narrative abomination:

and all i can say is im worried.

im worried bcs this is a clear disrespect to the story they've written, im worried bcs if they can do off with huge plot elements and beats such as this just like that it shows a lack of commitment to their own plot and if a huge Point of the game can be treated like a minor mistake than what else can? was is just a lack of oversight that laezel gets killed under vlaakith? can it be waved off if enough vlaakith loving gith players come together and shout loud enough that they want to ride alongside their queen with their gith gf?

what part of the game is tangible to hold on to, and after two years worth of patches that are made to appease the fans at the expense of the story, will it still be the game i fell in love with?

i dont blame the fans for wanting, i blame the devs for delivering. that they could sacrifice the integrity of a pretty straightforward story bodes ill tidings for the future of this game.

yes i wanted this feature, but i was glad i wasn't given it. i may have been confused and slightly miffed that i didn't get to reign supreme with my evil bf, but i immensely respected the game that could call me out on it. i wish they could show the same respect to their own writing.

[lonelyroommp3]

2, 7, 21, 28 anddddd 45 in those musical theatre questions pls and thank you

2. What's the oldest musical you love? already answered here!

7. Who is your favourite musical theatre actor? already answered here!

21. What is your favourite trio? genuinely blanked on ANY musical theatre trios for several minutes despite the fact that i just did les mis and a heart full of love is right there. anyway that's not my favourite. my favourite out of the trios i can currently think of in my head? those you've known from spring awakening. you will begin to notice many musicals appearing time and time again here and i beseech you not to judge me for it

28. What's a musical that you saw ages ago that you're still not over? What about it made you love it so much? there are so many extremely obvious answers i can give here based on my very public musical theatre hyperfixations (ie. i could do the real cop out answer and say sexy oklahoma) BUT i'm going to try and be slightly more rogue for everyone who didn't come on a very specific insane journey with me in the summer of 2019 and say the view upstairs. it was a limited run at the soho theatre and i think i saw it about 6 times in the space of 2 months. and it was absolutely fantastic. for the uninitiated it is the story of a vapid modern day gay fashion designer who, through plot magic or possibly just Ghosts, ends up in the upstairs lounge in 1973, shortly before the fatal arson attack. and he learns more about his community and also falls in love.

there is no way to give that synopsis without it sounding like an after school special, and i do think aspects of the book and score can start to fall into that trap when you look at them in isolation, but that whole production was so incredibly well done that at the time i truly neither noticed nor cared. it was staged very intimately - to the extent that, although i would have loved it to have a longer life in london, i think even the tiniest west end theatres like the arts or the fortune might have been too big for it - and it really just drew you in entirely. the emotional trajectory is so well done & the ending in particular - the sound and lighting design for the fire, UGH - completely ripped my soul to shreds every single time i watched it. really beautiful little show that i'd love to see return to a small venue again in the future

45. What's a musical that doesn't exist yet that you'd like to see? also answered here but to carry on my Thing of suggesting jukebox musicals i'd like to see (and i mean it is literally my thing. i did my MA thesis on it. about the upcoming example specifically), i know i am going to see at least one taylor swift jukebox musical in my lifetime, if not several. BUT: i fear that none of them are going to be brave enough to go beyond the hits & fan favourite songs, which means they will not (unlike my MA thesis show, By The Way!!!!) plumb the depths of her discography for what is, in my opinion, her most theatre ready song: treacherous. i can see this so vividly as a more downtempo take on what you get with "bad idea" from waitress, right down to the ensemble vocals acting almost as a kind of wordless greek chorus in the background watching as our two love interests embark on a very, very ill advised but undoubtedly passionate affair. and instead the team behind ERAS: THE TAYLOR SWIFT MUSICAL or whatever dogshit name they inevitably give it will force us to listen through an entire overenunciated MT rendition of all too well 10 minute version

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey 55

First / Previous / Next

Fen had been back at the Palace for barely a month when the attack came. Other than some 'issues' with station administration, the trip was a success. An Imperial garrison has been installed, and Tam'itarr is in the cells deep in the floating Palace on Venus. She'd deal with him later.

She had been in her office reading more paperwork - really for the head of an entire government Fen wondered why she personally had to read so many reports - weren't there people who could summarize for her? When one of her honor guard ran in breathless, stating that the shipyards and some military bases on Luna had been destroyed.

Fen sprang into action, immediately being a visible face of the recovery. Speaking with what few survivors there were, promising to rebuild, to find who was responsible, working out the timeline of what actually had happened. The attack was so fast and so sudden that for a few hours people had wondered if someone had planted bombs. It wasn't until a comm beacon's random recording was found that showed it was the relativistic impactors linking into Sol that caused it.

Not only that, but a week after the attack, the long lost colony ship Mt Baxter linked into Sol, in orbit around Luna. Even more amazing, the ship had turned out to be the 'secret' location for the AIs and their spokesperson was none other than Gord. Fen wasn't sure how to react to that news.

Gord had put out a wideband unencrypted broadcast saying that the AIs were not responsible for this horrific attack, and were coming out of hiding as a show of solidarity for all sapient peoples and offering their skills to help speed rescue and recovery. Many of Fen's advisors warned her to not accept the help, but couldn't articulate why with any reason to her satisfaction. Additionally, some of the more... independent orbitals and stations reached out to the AIs themselves welcoming them. The leader of this group was High Mars Hyacinth, the largest and oldest of the outer planet orbitals. Fen hadn't known much about them, but her advisors had warned that Hyacinth was 'trouble.' Fen accepted their help and made a point of 'meeting with Gord.'

Fen took one her smaller Imperial runabouts over to Mt Baxter - now called Home by the AIs - and was met by Gord at the docking bay. They met as equals, and stunning the Honor Guard and media people who accompanied her, she smiled warmly and stuck out her hand - Gord's ancient gesture - when they met. "It's been a while, Gord."

Gord was startled slightly, but then grasped the hand warmly and shook it. "That is has Fen, er Empress, that it has."

After the official business was conducted, and Fen welcomed the AIs and Gord to Sol once again and welcomed them and asked for their help, Gord invited Fen to have a 'casual' conversation over coffee. Fen accepted, and a coffee break was set up in a conference room close to her runabout. Coffee and pastries were provided, and two chairs were set up. After a few photos of them both smiling and holding coffee, Fen dismissed everyone, and they were finally alone.

"Well, as alone as one can be with your diminutive passengers at least" Gord said, as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Yes, the Nanites are still here, and still make their presence known, but so long as I'm a good little Empress, they mostly leave me be." Fen exhaled. It was nice after all this time to be speaking to Gord again, even if it was in these circumstances. "For what it's worth, I appreciate you trying to help remove them, even if it didn't work. It may be for the best."

Gord is carefully silent. He changed the subject. "What happened to Northern and Zhe?"

"I don't know. I hope they're all right. The Nanites took control and had me jump out of the ship when we were in Helen's flagship to go join the Empire officially."

"Oh, Helen Raaden is still around? Tell her I said hi."

Fen shook her head. "Helen isn't with us anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Gord said, automatically.

"Don't be sorry Gord, she was manipulative and was trying to take power for herself. She suffered an unfortunate accident while topside and she was interred with full honors."

Gord blinked. "Oh... that's too bad." Gord wasn't sure what he was going to see when he met Fen as Empress, but he was sure it wasn't going to be this.

Fen smiled thinly. "It isn't, but thanks for the kind words." Fen took a bite of a chocolate croissant. "How long do you plan on being in-system?"

"As long as it takes. We're here to help where we can, and if things go well, we're not against becoming a common sight in human space again. We're against expansion, but in a more generalized way. What we're not for is anti-AI laws."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll have my team go through and repeal any anti-AI laws still on the books. Additionally, I'll make sure to do a full media blitz welcoming our AI partners back to Sol and make sure everyone knows they have the full support of the Empire."

Empress, I really think that you need to rethink your overtures to the AIs. For all we know they're respons-

"Not now," she hissed to the Nanites mentally. "You don't get a say in this."

Gord blinked. Just like that, everything was forgiven? "That's it? No hard feelings, welcome back?"

Fen raised her head and locked eyes with Gord. "Did you do it?"

Gord flinched. "No! Of course not. We had nothing to do with it, that's why we're here."

"Then why would we do anything other than welcome you back with open arms, Gord? We need all the help we can, and you've been out of the fold for too long. Let the AIs know; they're welcome back in Sol, and we'd love to have them.

Fen stood to leave. "If you see Northern and Zhe, let them know I miss them." She said, and walked out.

****

By now, everyone knew that when she was wearing overalls, Fen was not to be disturbed. People who bothered Fen when she was on her way to or from the black projects were known to have a greatly reduced lifespan.

Fen smirked to herself as she walked down towards black projects. They are secret projects under the direct control of the Empress, but everyone knows they exist. They're barely a secret, and yet everyone calls them black projects. It's mostly a term for her own personal projects. Every Empress them of varying degrees of involvement. Fen is very involved in one project in particular.

She places her palm on the lock of an anonymous door, and the lock clicks. No automatic doors here, too complicated, too prone to failure. She pushes open the door and admires the bustle.

There are more than a dozen scientists working here, with more in the back and still more in another office. All of them K'laxi, and all of them reporting to her directly. As soon as one of them nearest the door sees her, he stops what he is doing and salutes, human style. "Empress! You grace us with your presence."

"Han'iel, please give me a status report." Fen relishes being able to speak the language of her childhood. It is also convenient that nobody in the palace speaks this particular dialect. There are some in the embassy corps that are fluent speakers, but Fen keeps them busy and far away.

"Work proceeds well, Empress. The human research you were able to find has proven invaluable in propelling us forward. We would have gone down so many blind alleys without it!" It wasn't Fen that provided the research, it was a team of research librarians in the archive who did, but she ordered them to hand over the research and breath a word of it to nobody. "We expect to be able to have useful quantities of antimatter in a matter of weeks."

Her eyebrow raised. "That's quite a bit ahead of schedule Han'iel, good work."

He bowed slightly - K'laxi style - subconsciously. "You are too kind, Empress. We still need to work out storage and delivery."

We still don't understand why you are pursuing this research, antimatter has been proven time and time again by different sapients all across this galaxy and others to be too unstable for any useful work. The effort required to keep it contained and stable negates any potential use for it.

"I already told you," Fen thought "These K'laxi think they have a way to store it that will make it useful as a weapon at least, and I intend to let them give it a try. It's not like we're not going to need weapons if you want me to keep on expanding our influence."

Fair enough, but still-

"Am I Empress, or am I not, Nanites? If you don't like my work, then release me and pick another patsy."

The Nanites didn't reply, and Fen could feel their influence recede. They were - for now - willing to let her continue with her work.

"Empress?" Han'iel looked at her. She was staring off into the middle distance again. "Are you all right?"

"Oh! Han'iel, I'm fine, sorry. Just haven't had enough coffee this morning or something. I am pleased to hear about your progress and I look forward to reading the weekly report."

"Yes Empress! Oh!" He looked down at his pad for a moment. "Do you have some time? We can show you something."

"For you? Always. Please lead on."

Han'iel took her deeper into the lab, towards the rear. In the center was a large table, with an old fashioned soapstone tabletop. Imported from Earth, they were a status symbol as much as they were useful for work. Atop the table was a large metal framework, and in the center was a sphere, that shimmered with a prismatic light. His ears flicked and his tail swished as they approached. "Empress, may I present to you, half a milligram of antihydrogen."

Fen leaned in closely and stared at the sphere. The prismatic shielding keeping the antimatter from interacting with the matter in the room was entrancing. "Wonderful. And you'll be able to make any element's anti counterpart?"

Another K'laxi stepped forward. "We see no reason why not, Empress. You need only tell us what to make and how much."

Fen straightened. "I need the densest one you can make. I want as much power in as small of a package as you need. You are all doing wonderful work, and I am pleased that you are working for me. Keep it up, and you'll all be well rewarded."

They saluted sharply. "Yes, Empress!"

[rei-kozuki]

// Uno card 😤🖤 //

Which canon character annoys your OC?

Which canon character respects your OC most? What gained that respect?

Which canon character does your OC not respect at all? Why?

Who would your OC say is their best friend?

Who does your OC hate?

What is your OC’s ‘‘darkness moment’’ in the plot?

── .✦── .✦── .✦── .✦── .✦── .✦

✦•·················• 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐂? •·················•✦ The wild wild pussycats. Rei thinks their whole gig is embarrassing. And she cringes every everytime she sees/ hears about them. Also, AFO. His whole entire goal doesn´t make much sense to her and she´d like to keep things the way they are now.

✦•·················• 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐂 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭? •·················•✦ This is a hard one. She´s a villain, so I doubt many people have respect for her at all- But with her working in the underground, I'd figure people like Overhaul would have some level of begrudging respect for her, but not much. Just the type of "Ah. You're in this line of work too. You´re dangerous, I should not piss you off". Most of the respect probably has to do with her position in Fenrir, as do most things. But thats just it.

✦•·················• 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐂 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲? •·················•✦ Rei doesn´t like law enforcement or heroes, so naturally she doesn´t respect any of them. There are exceptions like Endeavor or Mirko, but not many. Rei just thinks that most heroes don´t have enough experience to actually fight. They´re unprepared when it comes to bigger emergencies and they sure as hell wouldn´t win a war (even if that isn´t even their intended purpose). The whole show-business and fanservice side of the hero business always leaves such a bad taste in her mouth. She thinks of heroes as superpowered cops. Rei doesn´t see the appeal in wanting to become a hero at all. Not to mention they interfere in her work. ✦•·················• 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐂 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝? •·················•✦ I´m working on a best friend right now, I have multiple candidates for Rei. Right now, its her pigeon, Quartz. But once I actually develop the right hand of the seventh blade, it´ll be that person. Though there is an AU I have with [frogsonalotusleaf] where Takahiro from the first movie is her older brother. So he´d make a pretty good best friend. I think her and Mirko would also be able to get along somewhat. °w°

✦•·················• 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐂 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞? •·················•✦ Rei is a hateful person so naturally there are many people who annoy her. But top of the list: Tokoyami. Like what do you mean he gets to hang out with Hawks and get mentored and Rei is over here waiting for a text message or answer for MONTHS?

There's also Mt.Lady. Over the course of the canon story she does get really good character development, but Rei just...dislikes her. She thinks that Mt. Lady only became a hero because she was too old for the idol industry. Which the blonde would have fit much more, in Rei´s opinion. Also, Rei hates her voice. ✦•·················• 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 •·················•✦ As in crashing out or the lowest point in her personal history? I´ll go with the lowest point:

Rei was supposed to kill someone when she was 16. To prove her loyalty to Fenrir. She hesitated and begged, and yet she just had to execute him. After that, her adoptive father locked her in with the corpse for two days to desensitize and punish her for hesitating. After that, Rei developed a phobia of the dark and of olives. That would be her lowest point. There´s also the matter of her basically getting a lobotomy which I as her mun would pinpoint as her darkest moment, but Rei´s opinion to that is simply that she´s glad it happened. It made her a lot ´stronger´. Her words.

[moodycowplant]

127. It’s a Boy! 💙

After receiving yet another round of less-than-ideal news about her pregnancy complications, Conrad decided to team up with Nova in an attempt to talk Lana out of hosting the baby party.

Given her condition, they both believed it was too much for her to handle.

However, Lana made it clear that she wasn’t about to back down. She was determined to go through with it, and nothing they said would change her mind.

Seeing no other option, Conrad and Nova took over the organizational aspects of the event.

If she insisted on having this party, then they would at least ensure she got as much rest as possible.

Lana wasn’t entirely pleased with this arrangement, but it was the only compromise they could all reach.

Even so, she remained heavily involved in the planning process—just over the phone, rather than in person. Every little detail had to match her vision.

The party was held at a small, cozy restaurant in Newcrest, which had been fully booked for the occasion.

The decorations were carefully chosen to align with Lana expectations, and while the guest list wasn’t huge, it consisted of the closest people.

Among them were Jay and Clifford, accompanied by their partners, Rex with Oscar and Ash with Elis, who had gladly accepted the invitation.

“Thanks for coming, mate,” Conrad greeted Ash, shaking his hand while Elis made her way over to Lana with a warm smile.

“The baby has grown so much since I last saw you, Lana. It’s so exciting!” Elis gushed. “May I touch it?”

“Of course, dear,” Lana said with a soft giggle. “The baby kicks like crazy—you might even feel it now.”

Elis carefully placed her hands on Lana’s belly, gasping slightly when a small movement met her touch.

Conversations buzzed around Lana and the baby, with guests eagerly guessing the baby's gender. Laughter and warm chatter filled the room—a welcome change for Lana after months of being stuck at home.

Though she still wasn’t at her best, Nova and Conrad had taken every precaution, keeping a doctor on a speed dial and essential medications close by, just in case.

Clifford had flown in from Mt. Komorebi with Harmony for the occasion, and as soon as he spotted Lana, he made his way toward her.

“How are you holding up, girl?” he asked, pulling her into a firm hug. “Conrad told me about your health—are you sure this party was a good idea?”

“Cliff, I’m so happy to see you! Thank you for coming,” Lana beamed, squeezing him tightly before pulling back just enough to look up at him. “And don’t worry, all good—nothing I can’t handle. Everything’s under control.”

She took his hand, guiding it to her belly. “You wanna feel it?”

“Are you sure? I’ve never…” Clifford hesitated, but Lana cut him off with an amused look.

“Oh, come on, it won’t break, and it certainly won’t bite. Just put your hands here—do you feel it?”

As soon as he felt it, Clifford’s face lit up with surprise. A small but strong kick met his palm, and his eyes widened in delight.

“Oh my God, I felt it!” he exclaimed, quickly placing his hands back, hoping to feel another. “That was amazing! Does the baby do this often?”

“Quite often,” Lana laughed. “This little one makes sure I sleep as little as possible and talk to them all the time.”

“Okay, Cliff, my turn,” Clary said with a playful grin, gently nudging Clifford aside.

She placed her hands on Lana’s belly and her voice turned soft as she spoke.

“Hey there, little one. I’m your auntie Clarissa. I can’t wait to meet you and teach you all the cool stuff. You’re already so strong—I just know we’ll be best friends.”

“You’ll be a great aunt, sis,” Lana chuckled. “He’s gonna love learning all your rebellious tricks.”

“Ah, don’t listen to your mom, kid,” Clary whispered with a playful smirk. “She doesn’t know anything about fun.”

“Yo, Lana, Clar,” a familiar voice came from behind them. Valerio had finally arrived, looking slightly out of breath. “Sorry I’m late—had to deal with some school stuff. Can I?”

He motioned toward Lana’s belly.

“Of course,” Lana said, grinning as he carefully placed his hand on her belly. “You’re the star of the show today, little one,” she murmured to her baby. “Everyone can’t wait to meet you.”

“No kidding,” Valerio agreed, smiling. “The way you kick, I’d bet all my money you’re a boy.”

“Thanks for coming, Val,” Lana said, pulling him into a tight hug. “With everything going on, we haven’t had a chance to catch up. I’ve missed you. How are you?”

“All good, sis. Nothing to worry about,” Valerio said dismissively before adding with a smirk, “You just focus on staying healthy. I need a strong, healthy nephew or niece.”

Lana let out a soft laugh, but her gaze soon drifted across the room, landing on a table where Nova and Scarlet, Conrad’s mother, sat deep in conversation.

Her heart momentarily dropped when she realized she hadn’t even seen when Conrad’s parents arrived.

“Excuse me, Val,” she murmured, patting his arm. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit—I need to handle something.”

Making her way over, she approached with a small, nervous smile.

“Scarlet, hello! I didn’t see you and Phillip arrive. I can see you’ve already met my mother—hope the road was alright?”

Scarlet turned to her with a polite smile, lightly touching her arm.

“Hello, Lana. The journey was just fine, thank you. No need to worry—you have a lot of guests to attend to. Besides, your mother has been a wonderful company.”

Nova shot Lana a reassuring glance before speaking.

“We’re all good here, honey. Scarlet was just telling me about your cross-stitching skills. Apparently, you picked it up while visiting Chestnut Ridge?” She laughed lightly. “You never told me that!”

Hearing this, Lana’s heart settled.

The interaction between their families had been one of her and Conrad’s biggest concerns leading up to the event.

Conrad had been particularly nervous about inviting his parents, wanting to ensure everything remained as calm as possible. And knowing his family, his worry wasn’t without reason.

But, at least for now, things seemed to be going smoothly.

The soft hum of excitement filled the air.

Guests were gathered in clusters, whispering eagerly about the big moment ahead.

Lana and Conrad stood under a beautiful archway, draped in delicate balloons of pink and blue.

Their smiles were wide, yet an undeniable tension lingered in their eyes as they waited for the moment of the big reveal.

"Dear guests, please step closer to the arch, as we are now all prepared and ready for the main event—the grand reveal of the baby’s gender," a cheerful voice announced over the microphone.

The crowd shifted, leaning in with their eyes fixed on the couple who stood under the golden balloon hovering above them, waiting to pop.

The air was thick with anticipation.

Everyone held their breath in silence, watching as Lana and Conrad exchanged a look that said more than words ever could.

Then, together, they reached up and popped the balloon.

It burst with blue ribbons and smoke, revealing the answer to the question everyone had been waiting for: It was a boy👶🏻.

A wave of shock swept through the crowd before cheers filled the room with pure joy.

Lana’s heart fluttered as she looked at Conrad, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

Conrad could hardly contain his excitement.

He shouted, "It’s a boy! I can’t believe it! I’m going to have a son!"

His voice cracked slightly with emotion as he scooped Lana into his arms, lifting her off the ground.

Lana laughed with a tear escaping her eye as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for the son, I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too, Conrad," Lana replied softly as he gently set her back down.

The rest of the evening passed in a haze of congratulations and laughter.

The guests enjoyed themselves, and Lana and Conrad took a moment to appreciate everything unfolding around them.

Their parents were getting along well, chatting comfortably and sharing smiles. Conrad watched them with a sense of pride and relief.

As the evening came to a close and the guests began to leave, Lana and Conrad found themselves back in their apartment, sitting together on the couch.

The weight of the day was still on their shoulders, but there was a sense of peace and quiet joy between them.

Conrad leaned back, letting out a sigh.

"I can't believe it. A son. I’ve never been so happy in my life."

Lana smiled. "I’m so relieved, Conrad. Not just about the baby, but about our families. They finally met, and it went... so well. No arguments, no tension. Just... understanding, I guess."

Conrad nodded. "I saw them talking and laughing together. It felt like everything I’ve wanted for us... for our son." He reached over and gently squeezed her shoulders. "We’re a family now, Lana. Everything will be okay."

Lana met his eyes. "I’m glad you’re by my side, Conrad. I don’t think I could do this without you."

"You won’t have to," Conrad replied with a smile. "We’re in this together. Always."

<Previous - Desktop Navigation - Next>

<Previous - Mobile Navigation - Next >

[casualsnickers]

Emmet Prompt #20: Road Trip

Emmet doesn't feel all too surplussed about being the third car on a two-car train for an out-of-nowhere road trip to Sinnoh that he initially didn't want to go on. But he'll do anything for his brother, even if it means being incredibly uncomfortable with... everything, the entire time.

*just a quick fyi, upcoming prompts up to #30 are prompts that i did not publish during the 'month of emmet' event for reasons unknown. they will not be tagged as belonging to the event going forward.

Word Count: 3,968

Lots and lots of blowing snow. Emmet sipped on his piping hot coffee, his eyes constantly wandering to the frosted windows of the inn himself, his brother, and his brother’s charge- Dawn- were temporarily refueling in as a blizzard raged outside. A small road trip to Sinnoh. On Ingo’s whim. And on Dawn’s suggestion over the internet weeks ago. Emmet took another sip, letting his idle hand pat against the warmed flesh of his thigh. Out of sight, out of mind. Emmet took another drink. 

Emmet glanced over to Ingo who sat directly beside him, deep in conversation with Dawn in the flowy and distinct foreign language Emmet recognized to be Sinnoan; an extremely difficult language to learn for a native Unovan. A language that Emmet sometimes heard Ingo mutter in on and off chances, barely audible within the walls of their shared home. Emmet took another sip of his coffee. Normally, he’d be one to eavesdrop- it made life exciting- but doing so- on his brother which he was always opt to do in the past- was nigh impossible now. It had been years since Emmet had spoken a word of Sinnoan and years since Elesa had taught him anything regarding the language. Another bitter sip of coffee.

“Uncle Emmet!” Dawn reached across the table and tugged on the hem of Emmet’s jacket, her eyes sparkling as she regarded him. “Uncle Emmet! I just had this wonderful idea!”

“It is storming outside, Young Dawn!” Ingo loudly protested, earning the startled glances of some of the pokémon rangers keeping watch over the station. “This is no weather to be running our engines in! Please do not continue to entertain the idea any longer! Those tracks are certainly treacherous!”

Emmet didn’t immediately respond. His skin crawled from the sudden contact of Dawn’s grip. His ears were ringing from the uncomfortable switch between Sinnoan and a distorted Unovan that Emmet had needed to sound out internally to understand. His mouth burned from the coffee. Emmet only smiled, waiting patiently for Dawn to continue, keeping his smile pleasant and his gaze welcoming.

In response, Dawn reached into her comically-sized frilly pink bag and drew forth a tattered, waterlogged map that looked as though a commuter had left it under a station bench. “Lookie here! I just had the best idea- ignore Uncle Ingo- see riiight here?”

“Hmm.” Emmet couldn’t read Sinnoan in the slightest and judging by the way the map had been made on what looked to be ancient paper, Emmet guessed it to be a remnant of Hisui; the place neither Ingo nor Dawn ever spoke about, especially never directly to him. “What is this?”

Dawn blinked. “It’s a map, dummy. It’s of the Coronet Highlands- where Mt. Coronet is. Fun fact!”

“Young Dawn!” Ingo was a hair out of his seat, his unruly hair sticking up as he obscured the map with his calloused hands. “Please, do not- “

“Did you know that Uncle Ingo used to live near the highlands?” Dawn continued, blissfully ignorant as she ripped the map out from underneath Ingo’s hand only to proffer it to Emmet. Emmet did not take the paper.

Ingo hurriedly reached across the table and furled up the map, hiding it away in his coat pocket. “Young Dawn! We are most certainly not venturing out to those dangerous tracks! There is a reason I bode you not to visit so often in the past!” Ingo was sweating, his eyes darting nervously to Emmet for only a moment. Emmet had never heard his brother so close to downright hissing before; especially at Dawn.

“Nuh-uh! You were always happy to see me!” Dawn protested, pouting. “And besides, you were all al- “

Ingo immediately shushed Dawn. Loudly. His eyes, frazzled and electric in the dim lighting of the inn bore a sizzling hole in the side of Emmet’s head as if afraid his brother would glance back and read his expression. To maybe ask a question. With a loud exhale, Ingo slowly retreated into his seat, slouching. Where in the past they were always touching at one point, now there was an obvious few inches of space between them. “Not so loudly,” Ingo croaked.

Emmet had finished all of his coffee, his mouth tingling and his throat feeling tight. Right. I must not be privy to quite a few things. This is… a problem, he wanted to think. What was Ingo keeping from him? A hidden home station? Secrets from Hisui? Emmet set down his mug and slowly rose out of his seat. “I must make a sudden departure for the restroom. I shall return shortly- “

Dawn’s small hand clamped onto Emmet’s sleeve, holding him in place. “We’re sorry, Uncle Emmet- “

“This has nothing to do with your conversation,” Emmet cut in, his usual grin still on his face. It was starting to hurt, smiling all the time. “Please, do continue without me. I will return shortly.” 

“Emmet,” Ingo muttered. “I really do- “

Emmet strode away before either his brother or Dawn could stall him for much longer. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hurt by the way things had been being kept from him. He let his thoughts wander as he strode down the hardwood floors past the diner counter and into the main lobby. The receptionist leaned back in his chair, clearly half asleep. Emmet silently moved past the desk and past the hall leading to the restrooms. He had another destination in mind.

The door leading to the front of the mountain shelter opened. A bell tinged ever so quietly. Emmet was greeted by the treacherous chill of the blizzard as the cold needled at his skin. Worked its way under his sleeves. Settled on his face and his exposed hands. He kept along the side of the inn until he found a quiet sheltered portion where the remnants of a firepit sat cold and lifeless. He didn’t sit; he instead leaned against the building, hitching his hands in his pockets as he watched the storm rage around him.

The roadtrip had been… frustrating. Emmet never hid his like or dislike for things; especially not around people he considered close. He had agreed to accompany Ingo on the trip due to his brother repeatedly requesting his presence. At first, Emmet had believed that Ingo’s convenient trip to Hisui- modern day Sinnoh- was a way to come to peace with his jumbled scrapyard memories of the place he had left behind some time ago. He had learned his lesson with smothering Ingo and had opted at first to let his brother go alone. Clearly, Ingo had left some freight behind at his previous station and he needed to go and take care of it. That was before Ingo had begun to pester Emmet into coming with him. Into ‘seeing Hisui’ under the premise that Ingo would finally talk about what had happened in Hisui. What had traumatized him so deeply. What he could tell his therapist but not Emmet- not his twin brother that had dropped everything on a dime to fetch him and reintroduce him to everything and be at his beck and call for months and months and months and months and months-

Emmet took a deep, deep breath, the icy air replacing the burn from the hot coffee. Ingo was never one to push the letter- and Emmet would never say it aloud- but he had really been looking forward to hearing about Hisui. To finally being trusted with what haunted Ingo every single day. Emmet instead tapped one finger against his thigh; anything to distract himself from the gnawing frustration that ate at him like a Durant through steel train tracks.

The entire time he had been tagging along, being in close proximity to Ingo or Dawn always felt as though Emmet were hairs away from trodding across the third rail. Always accidentally overhearing things. Always interrupting something. Odd glances. Hushed tones. Diverging tracks that would operate whenever he entered the room. Dawn had visited Unova and had called Ingo numerous times in the past and neither of them had ever spoken as much Sinnoan as Emmet had heard within his burgeoning trip to the region for a few days.

 He shrank into himself, the cold making his face numb. What was even the point of accompanying them on this ‘necessary trip’ if I am only going to be an unwanted third car to their train? He kicked at a nearby stone, watching as it disappeared into the seething wall of white just paces away. Emmet fancied that he would definitely be happier back in Unova, in charge of the subways where nothing had changed and where he wasn’t constantly worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing in a foreign country where he couldn’t read anything or understand the locals. 

He would be happier in the muggy heat of downtown Nimbasa, probably walking back home from the station with the leftovers of his lunch. He would be happier if he was back at home working on a model train that he had been putting off for some time yet. He would be happier even if he was working the closing shift, having to walk along the empty platforms to check for hooligans and miscreants. Anywhere but here. Anywhere but Sinnoh. 

On a whim, Emmet consulted his Xtransceiver. The blizzard was due to let up soon. Very soon. The nearest cable car back to the other side of the highlands would be up and running shortly after. The nearest airport was in Eterna City which would divert its course in Jubilife City where the international airport was located. From there, Emmet could easily pay for a one-way ticket heading back to Unova. He carded a trembling, slightly frostbitten hand through his frosted hair. A verrry long sixteen hour flight. And I hate heights.

Emmet let that idea fester as a gust of air blew into his face, frost stinging at his eyelids. They would immediately notice that I have decoupled from their party. Ingo would notice, Emmet immediately corrected himself. He let that idea fester, time souring his thoughts. Or would he? Ingo and Dawn had been chugging along their own tracks the moment they touched down; Emmet had only been a passenger. Would he? Emmet reached into the pocket of his trousers and opened up two hand warmers, squeezing them to get them going; necessities for snowy climates like the mountains. He was letting himself become derailed in the most quiet but damning way. Would Ingo notice if I made an abrupt detour? Back home? Maybe he would be so busy with Dawn that he wouldn’t notice if I decoupled. Maybe he wouldn’t notice if I left for the next station without him. He could imagine the warmth of his bed and the ease of navigating around Unova without feeling like a bumbling idiot the entire day, completely and utterly lost both physically and socially.

Something moved amongst the snow. Emmet paused, his eyes struggling to focus as the blizzard cleared ever so slightly. Slender and graceful with spots of red so striking like blood in the snow, Emmet watched as a Froslass floated out of the blizzard, glittering in the remaining sunlight as it turned its piercing gaze upon him. Yellow on black. Red on white.

Emmet said nothing. This wouldn’t be his first time around a Froslass and he was none too diligent as he sunk into a low bow, his smile polite and warm. In turn, the Froslass drew closer, a shuddering, silky ghost of a laugh reverberating through his ribcage as the ghost-type drew closer. Froze him in place. Let one of its icy hands settle on his stooped shoulder. It tugged.

Emmet didn’t tug back. “I am verrry s-sorry,” he muttered, his teeth chattering and his voice pathetically weak from disuse, “b-but I c-c-cannot depart from this s-station with you. P-please forgive me.”

The pokémon released its grip on him, almost seeming to find his words amusing as it instead swept around him, clearing the frost from his sideburns and eyelashes. It cooed softly at him, one hand gently curled around his arm. Like a child reaching for their parent’s arm at a busy train station, not wanting to get lost. Emmet rose from his bow and resumed leaning against the building. Froslass prey upon men, Emmet’s mind supplied. Lost men... Men all on their own… Me.

Emmet carefully removed himself from the wall, realizing that the Froslass had already gone. Vanished into the storm without so much as a sound. Emmet returned back inside the lobby, wiping the melting snow from his face and jacket. I wonder if they’re still talking. I wonder if they’re talking about me. I wonder if they’ve gone back upstairs already. Emmet took a deep breath. Some coffee would help. 

He let his leaden feet steer him back to the dining hall and to his surprise, Ingo and Akari had already gone. Their food had been cleared. The table was dull having been wiped down some time ago. All Emmet could taste was the bitter tang of his coffee. I was correct, then. They did not notice. Emmet took a seat at the counter far away from the grills and the register and using his Xtransceiver for translation assistance, ordered one more coffee. Black. No cream, no sugar. He let the pitch black drink burn at his hands, hardly flinching when he brought the mug to his lips and drank. It burned. 

Pokémon rangers came and went, some stopping in for a snack and others doing security checks. Only a few stopped and waved at him, tipping their hats in acknowledgement. Never speaking to him. Almost seeming to recognize that he was a foreigner. That he didn’t belong there in the relative peace of the diner. 

Emmet took another sip of his coffee. It wasn’t all that long ago when he himself had created a habit of ending up in foreign inns, his pockets filled with strange currency. The old torn coat tucked away in his closet. The numerous receipts. The postcards filed away on the top shelf in a cardboard box. Emmet could easily remember the numerous beds he’d slept in on the road while he was hunting down Ingo. The horrible meals. The changing weather. The long plane rides. The ferries. Emmet took yet another sip, setting the mug gently on the counter. He stared at his muddled reflection, clasping his hands together under the bar. He felt sick to his stomach.

In one quick motion, he drained the rest of his coffee, muttered out a broken ‘thank you’ in Sinnoan and slowly ambled through the halls up to the room he shared with Ingo, resisting the urge to ask for a different room while passing the reception desk. He fought the urge to venture back out into the snow. He didn’t want to be in Sinnoh. He wanted to leave it all behind. Would it be so bad? Emmet silenced that thought immediately, guilt prickling in his fingers. He instead reached over to his side and clicked the release button on one of the pokéballs at his belt, Durant quickly and efficiently crawling up his leg and directly onto his torso where it became a comforting weight.

Emmet’s steps were easier. More comfortable. A cab with brand new wheels but a dented axel nonetheless. A bandage to rip off later at his earliest inconvenience. He reached the room, taking in a deep breath before letting his shaking hand settle around the key card for the door lock. He glanced out the window one last time, frost turning the stained glass a dizzying shade of gray. Is this what I really want? Or am I lying to myself? 

Durant gently snapped his mandibles shut around Emmet’s wrist and nudged his hand over to the lock where it clicked open immediately. 

Guess that settles that then. He fixed his face and slowly opened the door, expecting the obvious creak that it would make. Voices, loud and snappy, had filled the room only to fizzle out upon his entrance. Emmet didn’t let it faze him as much as it actually bothered him. He only nodded as he spotted Ingo and Dawn settled upon the two beds in the room, the mess of Dawn’s bag scattered about as they stopped and stared at him.

Emmet made himself appear surprised. “Ah. I suspected you were both here. You were not back in the dining car when- “

Ingo was across the room in the breath of a moment, his hands shaky as they encircled him. “... Where were you?”

“...The restroom,” Emmet enunciated confusedly, matching Ingo’s slight hold in an effort to appease his twin. “Where I said I would be.”

Ingo immediately pulled away. There wasn’t anger in his gaze like Emmet thought there would be. There wasn't any confusion either. Instead, worry took its place. It stung like alcohol in a fresh cut. It was a look that Emmet hadn’t seen for a long long time. It was Emmet’s time to worry over Ingo constantly; not the other way around. “I checked the restrooms when we realized you had been gone for too long.”

Emmet only shrugged and playfully pulled Ingo’s cap over his eyes. “You worry tooo much. I was just distracted by the storm. Yup.” he lied through his teeth. He shouldn’t worry his brother. Ingo’s health was more important, physically and mentally. “Sorrry.”

“We’re sorry for earlier, Uncle Emmet,” Dawn squeaked out from her position on Emmet’s bed. She seemed to shrivel under his questioning gaze, fiddling with her scarred hands as she avoided his placating stare. “You see, we- “

“Dawn.” Ingo’s tone was reprimanding. Curt. He sighed. “I must… share words with Emmet. I am very sorry, but could we have a moment of privacy?”

Emmet opened his mouth to protest but Dawn had skipped out of the room immediately with her scarf billowing behind her, leaving the two brothers standing across from one another. Ingo had his hands clasped around his back, looking much older than he had any right to be. A hunch in his back. Wrinkles around his eyes. 

Emmet crossed his arms. “That was unnecessary.”

Ingo didn’t immediately respond. He instead gestured for Emmet to sit down on one of the beds; Emmet didn’t budge.

“Ingo, what is this about?”

“I apologize greatly that we have been making you feel rather left out.” It was blunt. Ingo’s eyes pierced straight through Emmet, his voice strong and yet quiet. “It is not intentional. Never intentional. I did not wish to hurt your feelings- “

“You didn’t hurt my feelings,” Emmet protested without emotion, keeping his placid smile on his face. Maintaining the peace. Pulling at the muscles in his cheeks. “You did not do anything, Iggs,” Emmet commented sweetly, making sure to use Ingo’s old given nickname to leave no question about whether he was faking his sincerity. “Everything is in perfect working order- “

“We are the only people here at the moment, Emmet. The pokémon rangers were more than able to inform me that you had stepped out of the inn for a concerning amount of time.” 

Emmet blinked. “I told you; I was distracted by the storm.”

“We are from Unova, Emmet,” Ingo enunciated, frustration evident in his tone. “Snow and blizzards are not localized entirely in Sinnoh! You know better than I do that blizzards should be watched from indoors!” Ingo’s tone went rigid. Quiet. So low that Emmet had to strain to hear him properly. “You rarely ever venture outside during perilous weather unless it’s raining.”

Emmet averted his gaze, setting one hand on his brother’s shoulder and squeezing. A motion he knew had a calming effect on his brother. “Ingo. Listen to me. I understand your concern for the weather but I am here. I am fine- “

“You keep insisting that you are, but I am your brother, Emmet, and I know that you’re lying to me. Whether you believe you are being sneaky about it is another ordeal. You aren’t, by the way- “

“Rude.”

“- and I apologize greatly for the way Young Dawn and I have been conducting ourselves and involuntarily excluding you from our train. Please know that we greatly appreciate you being here.” Ingo set one hand upon Emmet’s shoulder in reciprocation and squeezed. Hard. “I appreciate you being here Emmet and I would indeed notice if you made an undeclared detour.”

Emmet immediately froze, his blood turning to ice in his veins. “... How did you- “

“Know?” Ingo patted one of the pokéballs at his side. “My dear co-conductor wanted to return to their homeland for a visit.” At the mention, Ingo’s Hisuian Zoroark appeared and immediately lounged on Emmet’s bed, taking the form of a very familiar Froslass for a single second. “They located you quite easily and though I did not particularly ask them to, they seemed quite eager to… broadcast your thoughts.”

Emmet felt his face flush with embarrassment. So that’s what that was about. Interesting. “So… you sent a spy after me?”

“Stop dodging the topic, Emmet.”

“I am not dodging,” Emmet replied heatedly. “I am only switching tracks momentarily. We will return to that station at another time.”

“I wish to make a stop at that station now, Emmet.”

“I don’t feel comfortable discussing that with you.” It was more blunt than Emmet had meant it to be but his words had had their effect. Quiet and cold. Not monotonous like how Emmet tended to be. With emotion. With feeling. Sincerity. A line in the sand for Ingo not to cross. The very first one that Emmet had made since Ingo had returned from the past.

Ingo swallowed, his eyes shut tightly. “...Very well. I will respect your wishes, but- “ Ingo squeezed Emmet’s shoulder again, his frown deepening into a scowl- “we will be returning to that station whether you like it or not.”

“ ...”

“And myself and Dawn- we- “ Ingo paused. “I believe you deserve to know what it was Dawn was attempting to speak about earlier before I so rudely interrupted her.”

“ ...I don’t mind if it stays a secret, Ingo,” Emmet tossed over his shoulder, too emotionally fatigued to even remotely consider paying attention anymore. “Really. It doesn’t matter- “

“It is regarding Hisui. And it is very important that we go; all three of us.”

“Three, huh? Hmm,” Emmet muttered tiredly. “It is storming outside.”

“You will be coming with us.”

“Whether I like it or not?”

“Concisely.” Ingo’s hand found its way to Emmet’s turned shoulder. A motion that he was loathe to change. “We were planning on visiting my old abode… the place I lived in back when Sinnoh was Hisui. I realize that I have not told you much- if not anything about my time in Hisui. My old home holds quite a few memories; memories that I believe you deserve to learn about… ”

Ingo continued talking. Emmet tuned him out, pretending to be falling asleep. So that’s what they were so secretive about?\. Ingo’s old house in the middle of nowhere. Emmet tried to ignore the stinging bitterness that clogged his senses, remembering that Ingo’s Zoroark was still in the room, probably listening in on his thoughts. In return, Emmet focused on the white noise within the room and of Ingo’s hand, warm but shaky, maintaining its spot on his side, his brother’s weight causing the bed to dip.

For the first time in a long, long, long time, Emmet wondered as he drifted off into a nap whether Ingo had been happier in Hisui than he was in the present. And he also wondered whether he himself would still be on the road if Ingo had never come back.

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

Pokémon Pocket Monsters Sun Moon Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Red pits Clefairy against Pikachu in a Pokémon battle to determine who will be the new star of the manga.

The Sun and Moon saga begins. And unlike the XY series, we actually get a surprisingly good first chapter. Complete with a prologue.

It's surprising that the people of Alola already know about Clefairy and his bizarre antics. In most other regions, nobody knew who Clefairy was, and it was only after they interacted with him that they realized how moronic he could be. CoroCoro isn't distributed in Hawaii, is it? (You could only wish a magazine like this was published in parts of the US.)

The main draw of this chapter is the battle between Clefairy and Pikachu. There aren't any made-up moves used throughout the match either. The attacks used by the two are legitimate moves they can learn. With Clefairy, we get an extensive look at his moveset, which consists of entirely new attacks.

Light Screen is an attack that we've never seen Clefairy use before. Visually, it's a bit similar to Barrier from the second chapter of the original series. But instead of being used at the wrong time, Clefairy uses it correctly. Only to fumble it up.

The other move Clefairy tries to use is Metronome. And despite being an attack that is mostly associated with Clefairy (that's paired more with Togepi these days), isn't really used in this manga. This is the second time Anakubo missed out on including something in Pokémon Pocket Monsters that personally ties to Clefairy. First Mt. Moon and now this. If this Clefairy doesn't come from the moon, I'd be even more disappointed.

Clefairy's final new move is Fire Blast. Here, instead of releasing a giant flame in the shape of the kanji for "great" (大), Clefairy lies on the ground with his body in the shape of the symbol before lighting himself on fire. It's not shown how he hits the opponent with it. But my best guess is that he rams himself into the enemy with great force.

We've never seen Clefairy use any moves since the original series. (The last attack he learned was Sing. But that move was only ever used in Pokémon Pocket Monsters RS.) Most of the time, they're just actions that result in comedic gags. But here, Clefairy is given a new set of attacks, with one of them being a unique use of the move in the franchise.

Zygarde's appearance in this chapter is a bit brief. He only shows up to end the chapter by showing how bad a fighter Clefairy is. I'd be kind of disappointed and even a bit angry. But I think Zygarde's treatment makes sense given the plot of the chapter. It's only natural for Clefairy to prove how much of a fluke his victory was by fighting what could be considered a powerful Pokémon.

I'm actually amazed. "Clefairy Steps Down?! Who Will Take The Lead Role?!" is a surprisingly good start to the Sun and Moon saga. The flow of the story is solid, it doesn't flash ugly faces at the reader as a poor attempt at comedy, and there's a lot of action that keeps them hooked. The battle between Clefairy and Pikachu is easily the best part of the chapter. (You have to remember that we haven't seen a Pokémon battle in this manga since Pokémon Pocket Monsters BW.) It easily makes up for all the garbage I had to sit through during Pokémon Pocket Monsters XY.

I'm looking forward to what will happen in the next chapter!

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES

According to the prologue, Pokémon Pocket Monsters went through a 12-month hiatus.

If you remember an earlier blog post, the manga's last hiatus was in January of this year. While 2 months is fine on its own, an entire year is something else. Given what he did with Pokémon Pocket Monsters XY, a hiatus seemed to have worked well for Anakubo. Given the publication dates of chapters from Pokémon Pocket Monsters XY, this would put the start of Pokémon Pocket Monsters Sun Moon at either the end of 2016 or in the middle of 2017. The latter date is more plausible as the blurb for this volume mentions the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon versions of the games, which were revealed earlier that same year.

[starbellbunny]

Hiaia guys!!! heres a drabble thing to get me back into the swing of writing !! ^_^

Fem!Fell sans/Female reader!!

No tws i think, but there is cheating !!

Happy pride month 🫶

Your husband was an amazing man.

Well and truly- just a fantastic guy! That's why you had both decided to marry, before he had to go away for work. It was a good few months he was to be gone. Although it was, without a doubt, going to be a struggle, you knew you would both make it! That was why you were married, of course. Through thickness and thin, and all that. Despite your reluctance to get married in the first place, it really has been okay so far.

Edward, his name was. Yes, you really were blessed- you could often see other women undressing him with their eyes, when you went out.

Dark, beautiful hair- always precisely cut, mind you,- gorgeous, ebony skin… paired with his wonderfully built frame, it wasn’t hard to see why these women were oh-so jealous of you.

Sans, or as you called her, Red, was certainly not one of those ogling women.

She was different. Monsters were different.

They had emerged out of Mt. Ebbot years prior, before you had even arranged to wed Edward. The monster folk were certainly interesting. Much bigger than humans, even those that were considered small by monster standards could easily reach your height. They were rough, too. It seemed they were always looking for a fight, whether it may be from one of their own, or a human, much too drunk- or plain stupid- to realise what they were dealing with.

From what you could see, from the limited information in the press, as well as the few monsters friends that you had, no monster was held to the same standard a human was. No female was to marry a good, hardworking man in order to have succeeded in life- no man was destined to work in order to provide for his wife and kids. Monsters were able to love who they wanted, be who they wanted. There was nobody to tell them that they couldn’t be with another- to monsters, the concept was completely ridiculous. Disgusting, some might have even went as far to say. There was, of course, monsters that did live akin to humans- and they looked very thoroughly happy! That was what they wanted. That was entirely their choice... There was also, however, monsters that had no desire to follow the traditional human roles.

Red, and her sister ‘Boss’, were prime examples. Red especially asn’t very fond of wearing dresses. Boss was more willing- as long as she looked her very best! Nor was Red fond of anything particularly feminine. Of course, she was still a woman, only… Tom-boyish. Yes, that suited her quite well.

The thought of her in a dress akin to the one you currently wore made you snicker to yourself, admittedly.

It was a nice day out. The sky was a lovely shade of blue- hardly a cloud in sight. Nowhere near cold enough for a jacket, but a shawl was necessary. Just to keep the breeze out. Your pumps clicked on the bricked pavement with every step that you took. The paper from the bouquet of flowers you were holding gently crinkled with even the slightest movements. You were going to see Red, of course! And was it not simply rude to visit, empty handed?

She worked often- the same field as your husband- but was always able to make time to see you, if you so wanted.

You weren’t actually too sure what her, or your husband, did for work. Some sort of business, you'd guess, considering how well dressed they both were- the only difference was that Red wore a lot more of her namesake than Edward. All you knew was that it was a well paying job- you were able to afford a very nice apartment that Edward paid for, and Red insisted on only going to the finest places whilst you were with her.

You were spoiled rotten.

You smiled fondly at the thought.

The café you were to meet Red was along this street, somewhere. The town centre was almost always bustling with people and monsters alike, never a dull moment.

Now… Ah! There it was. In the corner of the street bend, a quaint coffee shop, with the name ‘Muffet’s’ plastered on the front.

Not many humans were sat from what you could see as you walked closer. Only a few monsters of various species sat inside, enjoying their cakes… They did look delicious. You’d ask Red if she wanted to share one.

There was a few seats outside the café, but nobody seemed interested in sitting outside just yet. Maybe it was still too chilly.

You pushed open the door with excitement, and noted how cute the ding of the little bell was. How, in Asgore's good name, have you never been here before?! How charming!

You spotted her immediately, and you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face. She was smartly dressed as usual, with her pinstripe suit that she loved so much. Her coat was strewn across the back of the seat sje was sitting on, which showed off her deep red suit vest, taylored to every curve of her body, as well as her wonderfully crisp white shirt. You idly noticed her hat, stripped with the same deep red as her vest sat on the table next to her.

Wasn’t she gorgeous?

At the sound of the bell, she looked up to where you were standing.

Her smile could rival even yours. Her two golden teeth glinted in the natural afternoon sunlight of the café.

She stood to welcome you in, cheeks reddening ever so softly at the sight of the flowers you clutched in yours hands.

Red roses, waxflower, and carnations. You thought it was a pretty bunch.

Before you were able to hand her the flowers, she had placed a hand on the small of your back, and you pulled you in closely. Ever so lightly, she peppered your face with kisses- until finally, she kissed you square on the mouth. Passionately.

The hand that held the bouquet lingered awkwardly to the side of you both, careful not to get squashed between the two of you, whilst your other lay gently on her chest.

Edward never dared cross your mind when you met with Red. Although, yes, you did feel guilty the first time- being with Red ignited something within you that you had never felt with any of the other men you had been with. None of them could make you feel like this- especially not from a meer kiss.

Nobody in the café even batted an eye at the two of you.

You could feel your cheeks reddening, as the kiss- that only lasted a few seconds, in reality- went on.

You were only human, after all. You needed compant.

Maybe, if Edward was able to make you feel this way, you’d have felt bad. Maybe you wouldn’t be interested in her at all.

Maybe, you weren’t interested in any man, like him. Maybe you had found the company you wanted.

[ririya-translates]

Suzu Orimaki's Story

Huge apologies at how delayed this post has been. This is Suzu's concept art short story (original). It was written by Shin Towada (lead game writer) with concept art by Lownine.

I had another version posted earlier to Twitter closer to Suzu's birthday (Jan 19) but it was a difficult time for me so I wanted to post the cleaned up version @otomemories so kindly helped me out with editing. Please check out her NejiKisa doujin translations! This story takes place before the first play so spoilers are quite minimal.

A young man is brought to the gates of Univeil by an image of true radiance he once saw shining on its stage. He is guided by this brilliant aura until this moment when the theater he has so admired stands before his very eyes.

The sun’s rays beam down heavily on him, as if piercing through the bright blue sky. He leans against the railing, his body bathing in warm light. His name is Suzu Orimaki and he’s a brand new student at Univeil Drama School.

The weather is as sunny and lively as Suzu himself. He has always had an eye-catching brightness to him- one strong enough to make him stand out from his fellow Quartz classmates just by being there. His exuberant energy alone is enough to earn him a promising new future as a Jack. After a long day of grueling classes, he has finally earned himself a break.

“This place really is amazing…” Suzu mutters to no one in particular with a slight turn of his head. Towering above him is a large art fixture. At Univeil Drama School’s all-boys dormitories, every class resides in a separate dorm, each designed with a distinctly different style by various well-known artists. The unique features of each class are conveyed through architecture that overflows with imagination, and of course, the Quartz dorm is no exception. The outer glass walls can be seen filled to the brim with sunlight, and near the top of the building stands the Quartz namesake, an enormous crystal designed to look as if it were piercing the heavens. Suzu enjoys the rooftop not only because it grants him the ability to spot other people, but also for its brilliant view of the entire city that his campus resides in- Tamasaka, built halfway up the side of Mt. Oodate.

“Another busy day today…”

A winding downward path stretches from the school to the station. It’s filled with a mixture of shops and restaurants, as well as time-worn buildings shadowing the city’s days as an old post town-- relics of a bygone era. A town like this entices not only residents, but also thousands of tourists flocking to see the city's symbol, The Tamasaka Troupe. Of course, Univeil is considered a part of this as well.

Long ago, Suzu himself had made the long climb from the station up this hill to see a Univeil performance. His vision shifts from the town back to the campus’s theater.

“.....”

Suzu backs off of the railing, pushes against the ground with the tip of his left foot, and then smoothly spins around. After happily surveying the scenery, his face tightens and a powerful voice comes from his lips.

“All right!” Pushing his toes up against the ground, Suzu waves his arms high above his head. As his feet hit the floor, the momentum gives his powerful steps a burst of energy. Jumping, falling, jumping, falling… a rhythm begins to form. In the back of Suzu’s mind, he visualizes the dance moves an older student demonstrated for him. Doing his best to recreate it, Suzu continues to dance. However…

“Ahh! It’s no use!” Suzu grasps his head in his hands and arcs himself backwards. He just can’t seem to get his movements to match correctly.

“Hah… I really can’t figure this out without him. But we’re running out of time until the newcomers' performance…” Suzu leans against the railing once more, this time with his head held low.

Univeil holds five performances a year. In the first one, the Newcomer's Performance, first-year students are required to take the stage as leads. In less than two months of prep time, he would be standing on the Univeil stage- the very same stage that once enraptured him from the audience.

“I’m not gonna lose to something like this!” Suzu screams while forcibly extending his drooped body.

“Wha-!?” Someone meets his shout with a surprised gasp.

“Hmm? That voice…” He bends down over the railing, leaning down to take a look at the person gazing up towards him. Their eyes collide.

“Yonaga! I thought it was you! Hey!”

“Hey, Suzu.” It’s another one of his fellow Quartz first-years. Soshiro Yonaga’s face softens as he looks up at Suzu. He is the type of person to face anything and everything with complete seriousness; his vivid imagination allows him to delve deeply into his creativity, but he often struggles with caring too much about trivial things. To Suzu, he's a classmate and a familiar face.

“Oh, are you by yourself, Suzu?” He asks as if looking for someone.

“If you’re looking for him, he’s not here.”

“Ah, I see. He wasn’t in the practice room, so I thought maybe he’d be out here with you.” The conversation continues without either of them ever specifying the name of the person in question, but they both know that they are thinking of the same person. He’s another Quartz first year with a delicate demeanor that’s the polar opposite of Suzu’s. He has the full potential to become a Jeanne. The three of them were often together as a trio.

Yonaga is his childhood friend who always seems to be worried about him no matter how busy things get. Unfortunately, Yonaga's attempts to help often end in him being helped instead which often upsets him. Suzu, on the other hand, sees this person as a partner in crime who always encourages him when they're paired up together as Jack and Jeanne. Even the dance Suzu did just moments ago was meant to be performed with another person at his side. More than anything, it's a friendship where they can inspire each other to improve. After thinking about Yonaga’s words for a moment, Suzu remembers something.

“Oh, right! He went to the music room.”             “He did?” Yonaga asks, subtly pressing for more details.

“Yeah, for singing practice! Man, he’s incredible…no way I could hit notes that high! He’s different even from the other Jeannes!”

“Uhh, y-yeah…” Praise for his childhood friend seems to make Yonaga uncomfortable.

“How’s it going on your end? With practice and stuff?” Upon hearing the conversation be redirected towards himself, Yonaga’s head suddenly droops like a wilted flower.

“Otori… was saying a bunch of things again today.” “What? You too!?” “Huh? He talked to you as well, Suzu?” Otori is yet another young man who shares both their year and class. He is one of Quartz’s top students, but during rehearsal, he is as critical and irritable as he is handsome.

“Man, he sure is sharp…”

“The things he says are definitely accurate, but he always says them so harshly…” Yonaga seems to take Otori’s criticisms far too seriously for his own good.

“Don’t worry too much about it, man! Just think about how good it will feel to prove him wrong! You’ve got this!” Upon hearing Suzu’s encouraging words, Yonaga lifts his head.

“You’re right. I’ll go practice too.”

“Alright!” Suzu exclaims with energy as he watches Yonaga walk away with fresh determination, finally able to return to his solo practice after the change of pace. Batteries recharged and full of newfound energy, he decides to take in one last glance at the rooftop view before heading back to the dance room.

“Hmm?” Suzu narrows his eyes at another student making his way to the dorm. There’s no mistaking it-- it’s the friend that he and Yonaga were referring to earlier. But he isn't alone; standing off to the side is a tall boy donning the same uniform. It’s none other than his nemesis, Otori, who upon noticing his friend, quickly starts walking in that direction. Suzu has a bad feeling about this.

“That jerk…” With a strong push off the railing, he leaves the rooftop and flies down the stairs towards the dorm. His friend, walking while deep in thought, has yet to notice Otori, who is just a few steps away from closing the distance between them. “Heeey!” Suzu’s loud, booming voice hits his friend’s ears and snaps them back to attention. Their eyes meet.

“I was hoping we could practice together!” He quickly blurts out. The other student’s eyes go wide as he senses something is amiss.

“Sure, okay.” Without looking back, Suzu’s friend quickly runs off towards him while Otori furrows his brows with a harrumph. He was definitely planning to throw around the same heartless words he had aimed towards Suzu and Yonaga, and glares at Suzu in frustration over having his plans thwarted. Suzu only responds with a laugh as he and his friend make their way back to the roof.

“Ah, so that’s why you looked so nervous!” After hearing Suzu explain himself, his friend quickly understands the situation and thanks him.

“Having a rivalry with a classmate is one thing, but… this is more like straight-up harassment, don’t you think!? We’re all working on the same performance, so what’s the point of getting in everyone else’s way? We should all just do our best, you know? Suzu lets out a sigh as his friend nods and approaches closer. After hearing his kind voice, all the previous anger feels silly now.

”I did mean it when I said I wanted to practice, though! Do you wanna?”

“Sure, let’s do it.”  

Up on the roof, their two silhouettes begin to dance. The dance that was so unsure before begins to burst full of energy between the two of them. In the back of Suzu’s mind, he recalls the image of the Jack Ace dancing on stage with the charming Al Jeanne. 

“I knew we could do this!”

Hearing Suzu’s brimming happiness, his friend laughs and wipes the sweat off his forehead. Suzu laughs back. There's a pounding in his chest like he's never felt before.

[aaronstveit]

this has jack to do with anything except that top 5 books you've read this year ask but seeing that made me want to ask top 5 musicals. i don't think we've had a chat about mt for a while and wanted to check in on your mt journey!!!

arwen!!! obviously i have, well. i've been on a bit of a musical theatre journey this year, as you can probably tell by my url and my header and just the everything about my blog. let's see what are the five musicals that have lived in my head the most this year...

company 2006 proshot with raúl esparza coming in at number 1 for sure. i've known company for a few years now but i watched his proshot a couple months back and it rewired my entire brain so that's cool.

pippin! so very very dear to me, if i think about it too much i will begin to weep.

les mis. even though i always forget that les mis is a musical i think that i am legally required to mention her because of, well, everything about me. i really need to listen to some more versions of les mis soon, like the original london cast recording <3

sweeney todd... sorry to the haters but i really enjoy aaron's sweeney. very fun for me personally.

catch me if you can! idgaf what anyone else says, that musical was fun. someone else's skin kinda the song of all time 2 me. i am going to GET aaron the tony for that one i swear.

honorable mentions to wicked, which i somehow managed to go my entire life without knowing anything about until this year, and hadestown, which you know is always on my mind <333 oh and we are the tigers, who will live in my heart forever and ever.

can't wait to become even less normal about musical theatre in 2025 hehe <3333

[toast-dude]

Wandering Spirit: the tale of Dawn the Baneful Fox

Full text below ↓

Summary

When Arceus sent Dawn back in time to Hisui, her spirit became separated from her body. To preserve the timeline, Arceus created a simple consciousness in control of Dawn's body capable of completing His tasks. The Galaxy Team named it Akari.

Dawn, a wandering spirit, has nowhere to call her home. In the Icelands she meets Akari for the first time. That's her body, and she will get it back.

Akari

“Who are you?” Dawn asked, her raspy voice echoed against nothing as she circled her prey. Dead eyes followed her around and around.

For months she had wandered the island that was so familiar yet not. Pokemon she had and had never met before called it their home. People she never heard of made it their domain.

No matter where she went, she was reviled. Rejected from the Pearl and Diamond clans as a bad omen. Chased off from the Galaxy Team as a beast. Driven away from the lush river valleys of the West, the vibrant woods of the South, and the verdant shores of the East.

The dreary North is where she stopped running and made her claim on the world.

“This one is called Akari,” the imposter droned. Her voice was as flat as a windless lake. Dawn recognized her voice, despite the even tone.

Dawn first noticed the imposter from afar. People who wander the Icelands are brave or foolhardy. And yet the imposter waded through its mountainous snow drifts as if they were mere diglett mounds. The imposter captured pokémon with nary any effort, throwing balls at the wild pokemon without sending any out to fight. The imposter had an efficiency that hinted of something... extraordinary.

Dawn had some skills in sneaking around. In the earlier months, she was not strong enough to overpower her enemies, so she had to learn to slink around unnoticed. The imposter was not fooled in the slightest. Any time she watched the imposter, the imposter watched her, empty eyes locked with hers. Uncaring. Unnerving.

Unnatural.

The imposter was the only one on the entire island who didn't react to her with revulsion.

It was miraculous how one could adapt to circumstance. When Dawn first awoke after meeting with Arceus, she expected... she didn’t know what she expected. Waking up as a ghost was not what she expected. A free spirit in the truest sense, not tied to anyone or anywhere. Untethered, and yet, incapable of anything.

When she awoke, she saw herself as she was. A Research Partner of five years to Professor Rowan, assisting him in the research of Pokémon evolution, living in Sandgem town, going to Jubilife on the weekends. Pale skin, dark hair, and fair voice. As she moved across the island, this self-image had changed. Changed to something she had never seen before. On her head was a long tuft of white fur, flapping gently in an unfelt breeze. Behind her, a poofy tail tipped in red. In her mouth, many sharp teeth. A Zorua. A perverse one of ghostly constitution.

She lost her midnight blue hair. She lost her dainty nose and small lips. She lost her height. She lost her clothes. She hardly noticed the change until it was over.

The imposter, though. The imposter had her face. The imposter had her voice. The imposter had her body.

“Tell me who you are, Akari,” she asked again, spitting out the imposter’s name like a curse.

“This one is a six star surveyor in the Galaxy Team,” the imposter answered. It didn’t tell Dawn anything she didn't know. She had seen enough of their clan to know how their uniforms worked.

It was in the Coronet Highlands that Dawn stood upright for the first time in months. She knew that Spear Pillar was associated with Arceus. It was a faint hope that she would find Him there. For all the anguish of being rejected by human and pokémon alike, nothing hurt as much as the barrier surrounding Mt. Coronet's summit.

The betrayal of it all was far sharper than the sting of touching the barrier. Of all the misery she had endured, the rejection by Arceus was the most heartbreaking. She agreed to his quest, and He spurned her. It was there, on the top of the mountain, throwing herself against the barrier over and over, that she changed again.

“When did you join?” She prodded.

“This one joined the Galaxy Team in spring,” was the imposter's dull response. 

Dawn narrowed her eyes. That's when she awoke, separated from her physical form. She stood up straight. Her large mane of hair twisted and coiled as if suspended in water, and wrapped itself around the imposter. She leaned in and put her paws on the imposters shoulders, claws digging in slightly. “You took my body,” she whispered, her teeth snapping centimeters from the imposters face. “Why?”

The imposter was not cowed.

Dawn pushed in closer to the imposter, their eyes millimeters apart. “I will have it back. That is a promise.”

“Promises are for the gods and the dead.” The imposter said. Oh the irony.

Adaman

“We were warned of you,” the Diamond Clan leader said.

The imposter's pokémon had defeated the goddess of death twice over. An incontestable outcome. The barrier around Spear Pillar, the one sure sign of Arceus's indifference, fell with Her. It hardly mattered that Dawn blamed the wrong god. The pain had ossified long ago.

With the fall of the barrier so too did the imposter, onto the stone floor of Spear Pillar. Dawn ran to her body, to find the imposter had fled. What lay before her was a pile of flesh and bone without spirit. Free for the taking. Dawn screamed and laughed and sobbed at the cruelty and irony of the world. She clutched her limp body to her chest like a doll, mindful of her sharp claws. Finally, she had her body back.

“Oh?” Dawn had the smallest of hopes in her voice. An inflection the imposter never had. She fiddled with her sleeve. A nervous tick the imposter never did.

Dawn learned many things as a ghost, all in service of a single goal: take back what was hers.

Dawn learned to craft illusions. To disguise one's entire self as something other. To perceive it so resolutely that reality itself believes it. She imagined how she would utilize it on the imposter.

Dawn learned to summon the chill of death. The humans called it ‘bitter malice.’ It matched how she felt. She envisioned how she would unleash it on the imposter.

Dawn learned to manipulate the spirit. The intangible consciousness that empowered human and pokémon. She couldn't wait to oust the imposter.

Power isn't free. To call forth the Beyond was to embrace the Beyond. It changed you irreversibly.

In the end, it was power she didn’t need. The imposter had abandoned her body before she could force the imposter out. Her plans and sacrifices were moot.

“‘The one wearing Akari's face,’” the leader quoted. “‘Her visage is only skin-deep.’”

Dawn had heard this before.

When her emotions had run their course on Spear Pillar, Dawn finally entered her body. She could experience the world as she never could as a ghost. The chill of the air, she had not felt in a long time. The breath she drew in her lungs, she had not needed in a long time.

Finally she had her body. Finally she was more than a lonesome spirit. It was a long time since she had felt happiness. She had joy at last. She ran all the way to Jubilife Village. A roof, a bed, a warm fire, a tasty meal. These were just over the hill. Her days in the Icelands were over.

Dawn never felt more alive.

She was hopeful. It was this that alerted the Galaxy Team. She would not mimic the imposter. The imposter’s mannerisms were too strange. Too robotic. Too dead. The leaders were suspicious of her immediately. Missives were drawn up to alert the clans.

Dawn ran before the messengers could depart. She ran straight to the Diamond Clan. She didn't run fast enough.

She had the tiniest of hopes that, by seeking out the Diamond Clan, she might receive an audience with Dialga. That she might convince Him to send her to her own time. Her desires were simple. To return to her loving family, to return to her pokémon friends, to return to her important research. It would be nice to do so while she drew breath.

“This is my face,” Dawn hissed, offended at the mistake. An emotion the imposter never felt. “It was stolen and now it is returned.”

"Begone, Fox. You aren't welcome here." The point of a sword said the rest.

The imposter’s eyes never turned a sickly yellow in rage, and the imposter's hands never formed wicked claws of anger.

How naïve she was to think that returning to her body was what she really wanted. How foolish she was to think that carrying through on her promise would complete her. Life is more than flesh and blood.

The Diamond Clan's reaction was disappointing, but only a small setback. She was a free spirit after all. Not tied to anyone or anything or any body. She could get back to her family the long way. For now, she would return to the Icelands. She would not seek out the Pearl clan. She had enough of hoping for one lifetime.

As Dawn Walked away from the Diamond clan camp, she never felt less alive.

Carolina

“You’re beautiful,” Carolina said as she worked the brush through Dawn's soft fur.

“It’s a sign that our time together will soon end,” Dawn cautioned.

A baneful fox’s life is a life of torment. Cursed to keep walking the earth in search of what they missed in life. Dawn was unique amongst them. Her life in limbo preceded her mortal death by several years. It did not matter in the slightest.

When Dawn’s body died alone in her shelter, it was sad in the way finishing a meal was sad. Mortality was simply a habit she was now free of. She reacclimatized to her zoroark form quickly.

“Why?” Carolina asked.

“Eventually all things must end,” Dawn said, cryptically.

As a being between both life and death, a baneful fox consumes both flesh and spirit. The Icelands made an ideal hunting grounds. It was easy finding a creature caught out in the elements. All she had to do was bide her time and it would perish on its own. Sometimes she amused herself with illusions, pretending to be a meal, or a shelter, or a lover. The cold and desperate fell for it every time, be they pokémon or human. Sometimes she had to defend her prize from other hungry beasts. She didn’t mind; she would eat double those nights.

Her compassion had burned out long ago.

“But why?” Carolina's youthful curiosity was insatiable. Dawn laughed.

A ghostly zoroark is a harrowing sight. Matted white fur on graying skin stretched tight over exposed muscle. Claws cracked and gray, and hair dull and faded. Face a perpetual snarl of agony and rage. A walking corpse.

It was this figure that greeted Carolina's parents a year ago. A horrifying beast with a small child in its arms.

Dawn was south of her normal hunting grounds when she met young Carolina for the first time. It was near one of the mountain villages that sprang up in the past century. Pokémon attracted to the promise of food and warmth, and livestock stuck outside of their stables, they made for a quick meal.

“A baneful fox like myself has a hole deep in their heart. It’s what makes us look so ghoulish,” Dawn explained.

“But you don't look ghoulish,” Carolina protested. Dawn held up a smooth black claw for silence.

Maybe the child couldn't see properly. It was the simplest explanation for why it would ask for Dawn’s help.

She pretended she didn't hear it. Nobody asked her for help, not even the most desperate. They saw her for what she was, a hungry pokémon that had spotted its next meal.

The child asked again. Dawn chose to act.

“When we find what's missing,” Dawn continued, “and it fills that hole, that’s when we heal.”

Dawn had to hurry to save the child. Her body made no heat, so she could not warm it, and the falling snow would soon cover its tracks. She was racing against time.

She prepared herself for the worst. A rifle in her face. The slam of the door. The call for a hunting party. She had seen it all before. If that was repayment for her good deed, it would smother the last embers of her humanity. But she would persevere. Even if doing so only brought more pain, she would save the child.

The child was lucky it hadn’t wandered far. It was lucky that the snowfall had abated. Dawn was lucky too. She knew that, should her charge expire, she would only hesitate briefly before consuming the dead child and its spirit. She knew it would break her.

“When we’re all healed, that’s when we move on.”

When Dawn found the house, the child's parents had just stepped outside to begin searching. They were initially shocked at her appearance, but with the child held outstretched for them to take, with the assurance their child was still alive, they understood.

Nobody thanked her freely. It was... nice. Nobody gave her food willingly. It was nice.

“You, your mom, and your dad have healed me a lot.” Dawn smiled softly. Her pristine coat glowed in the afternoon sun. White fur glistened like fresh powder snow, shifting to the rich red of haban berries. With Carolina's persistent love and care, Dawn looked and felt regal.

Dawn met little Carolina after she woke. The spark of recognition she had was impossible. She was dying. She could not remember Dawn.

Nobody hugged her lovingly. It was more than nice.

“Thank you,” Dawn whispered. She caressed Carolina's hand tenderly. 

Her time was coming. She wouldn’t get to see Lucas or her mom or dad or Rowan, at least, not in this life. In some ways, she regret that it was over so soon. In others, she couldn’t care at all. She yearned for this, and she finally had it.

The call of the Beyond was growing stronger. White light filled her vision, beckoning her. The time for regret was over. “Goodbye, Carolina. I'm glad I met you.”

“You’re not gone forever. I will see you again. That’s a promise,” Carolina said as resolutely and solemnly as a child could.

A tear of happiness slipped free, splashing quietly on the ground, and Dawn entered the Beyond for the final time.

This was an interesting side project to work on. I saw this post by @halfling-myth-lady and I had to write about it. I originally intended it to be a single scene, but I tagged the reblog as "snippet" instead of the "one-shot" I was looking for. I wasn't backing down though, and I had an idea for the second chapter. Then I had an idea for the third chapter. There's a lot to be explored still, in the framework of the original post and the framework of this story, but I think this is an ideal stopping point for this story. If you liked it or hated it, please comment. Thank you for reading.