#This is directed @ the yokai watch Fandom

[the12thnightproject]

Title: Help Wanted

Event: Mayday Heyday OC Exchange 2024 organized by @lorei-writes and @olivermorningstar

Giftee: @fighting-and-drawing

OC/Fandom: Thai Bulan / Ikemen Sengoku

Genre: Urban Fantasy AU

Warnings: Very Large Spider, some violence (involving said arachnid)

Word Count: 1500

See notes/dedications at end

As the sun sunk, building shadows elongated, creating patches of darkness on narrow, meandering streets. Parts of the city had been planned; every road numbered and set out in a precise grid. This was not one of those parts. If anyone planned out the Echigo district, they had done so by tossing noodles onto a map and putting the streets where they landed.

Thai was following their progress on a phone app, and wondered if his driver actually knew where to go. At least once the Uber doubled back, taking a longer, indirect route. As a precaution, Thai made an obvious show of texting the driver’s information to “a friend” (his own cloud account).

In truth, there were no friends to wonder or worry if he disappeared into a void, never to return.

Too many things had disappeared for him this year, the most pressing being a promised job, the one he had uprooted his life for. He’d travelled over 1000 miles, only to discover the job no longer existed. The entire company no longer existed – it had fallen victim to a takeover by Oda International, then dismantled. All previous employees were fired, all pending job offers rescinded.

Now trapped in a new country, with unpaid moving expenses, a dwindling bank account, and no solution for either, he was desperate for work… any kind. Having burned his bridges back home, in fact, having firebombed those bridges, he –

Screech!

The Uber slammed to a stop in the middle of the street, nearly garroting Thai with his own seatbelt. “Get out.” The driver flicked the automatic locks. “Now.”

He checked his phone. “We’re nowhere near-“

“Get out, or ride back to the city with me, but this car goes no further. Not here. Not after sunset.” The driver pulled a thick cudgel out from under the seat. “Yokai. It’s not worth my life to drive through the district.”

No use arguing with superstition. Grumbling to himself, Thai climbed out, then leaped for the gutter as the car zoomed away. He was surprised it hadn’t taken his leg off with it when it sped into the night.

The lights and press of the city’s humanity were far behind. Here in this strange neighborhood, the sounds were alien. No traffic hum or buzz of neon, just a steady drip drip drip of thick liquid onto pavement. The road was gritty, he could feel tiny grains of gravel and dirt slipping under his feet. A stench of rotting garbage hung in the air, dense, motionless, as if not even the wind would dare come to this place. Even the graffiti was different: its colors sharper, appearing bioluminescent, glowing talismans against evil.

Or warnings.

No… he was being fanciful. The driver’s obvious fear had gotten into his head. He wasn’t a big man, but he moved with strength and purpose. He wasn’t worth attacking, was not, even in his best interview outfit, dressed in a way that would not suggest wealth. Because there was no wealth. Even less now that most of his remaining funds had just sped away with the Uber. He’d have to walk the rest of the way.

At least he was within walking distance, as confirmed by his smartphone’s GPS. The voice of the AI (“Alex,” programmed with a soothing attractive Australian accent) told him to continue along this road another 500 meters.

Good thing I’m still within view of a satellite.

Plonk.

Something wet dripped on him and he squinted up at the tangle of ivy that covered the wall of a warehouse. Ivy? In the middle of the city? No time to investigate, he was already late for the interview. Besides… there was something sinister about that mass of ivy, as if it hid watching eyes.

When, as Alex directed, he turned left at a street so narrow he’d have hesitated to call it a street at all, something skittered past his leg, something furry and malevolent.

Yokai…

It had been a cat. Or… a very large rat (not that that possibility was reassuring).

Still, with Alex giving him updated directions he felt almost comforted. As if the AI was his friend, a non-judgmental friend who would help him navigate the worst of life’s bumps. If only Alex had told him, “Stay in college. Don’t move to a foreign country, don’t break up with -.”

Crash! Thud. Ooof!

“You have arrived, mate.” The AI went silent.

Arrived where?

The noises were coming from the bar on his left. With late summer humidity streaking the window, he’d missed the sign. Kasugayama. Through the fogged glass, he could see two shapes locked in battle.

Anyone might have been forgiven if they’d performed a 500 meter sprint back to relative safety. But acting on instinct, an instinct that he cursed a moment later, Thai ran into the bar. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting. Expectations and instincts did not generally go together. Still, one might have expected a simple bar fight, or a less simple robbery. And not… a spider the size of a pony.

Yokai…

There was probably a more proper name for a spider demon, but Thai’s language skills temporarily deserted him.

Of all the gin joints…

Spiders… why did it have to be spiders?

Why am I thinking in movie quotations?

Fighting the spider was a man who wielded a pool cue as expertly as a spear. But the spider had a six arm advantage and…

Sproing!!!

Holy fuck… it can jump!

That damn instinct took over again and Thai grabbed a chair and threw it at the spider. This had the stunning effect of breaking the chair and getting the thing’s attention. It charged toward him, then screeched when the other man drove the pool cue into its butt.

Now it’s just pissed off.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Thai flipped himself over the bar top, grabbed a bottle from the speed rail, and smashed it on the edge of the sink. The scent of fermented rice mixed with the aromas of spider goo and blood. The blood belonged to a rather nasty looking slash on the man’s leg. The spider goo was … well, obvious.

At the sound of the breaking glass, the spider scuttled toward him again, a glare of uncanny intelligence in its red eyes. Thai slashed furiously with his improvised weapon, drawing more goo from the spider, and dammit, there was a paring knife right there on the garnish station.

The spider jumped to the bar top, stretching out a spindly leg (arm?) toward him. Thai switched the bottle to his other hand, grabbed the knife, and slammed it down on the arm/leg, severing it at a joint. The limb snapped off with a sickening crunch and slid halfway across the room. The spider emitted a high-pitched shriek, then the other man drove the pool cue through its head.

It twitched three times, then went still.

In the sudden silence, Thai could hear himself and the other man breathing.

Later, he might think back and take in details – the man’s warm brown eyes, the feel of the sticky floor under his feet and the flicker and hum of fluorescent lights. But the instinct that drove him into this place took over again. While the other man retrieved a well-used first aid kit and treated the slash on his leg, Thai soothed his jangled, spider-hating nerves with the ritual of cleaning. Wipe down the bar top. Sterilize the knife. Sweep up the glass…

Noticing the pool cue samurai was eyeing a bottle of iichiko Shochu, Thai poured him a glass, adding blood orange juice, tonic water and ice when prompted.

Finally the other guy spoke. “No idea why you came crashing in like a wild boar, but… thanks.” The blunt speech was softened with a wry smile.

“Job interview? Advertisement for a barback?” Thai unearthed his phone, getting ready to pull up the confirmation email. “I’m Thai Bulan.”

“Oh, shit.” The other man raked his hands through a mop of sweat-soaked brown hair. “It completely went out of my head. Sanada Yukimura.” He bowed. “Any chance you still want the job?”

It had been listed as minimum salary, but it did come with the mention of a studio apartment above the bar. “Um.” Thai indicated the spider. “Is that what happened to the previous barback?”

“No. This… was new. Never seen one those in here before.” Yukimura took a deep breath. “The last guy quit. Kasugayama’s owner is a bit… unique.”

Then, with what might have been called perfect timing, the front door opened and a man with heterochromatic eyes entered and surveyed the scene. He eyed the dead spider. “Good. I was in the mood for takeout.”

He pulled a sword out of the scabbard on his waist and cleanly sliced off a limb. Then, gnawing on it like it was a turkey leg and he was some medieval king, he disappeared into a back office.

Thai took the job.

Thank you @lorei-writes and @olivermorningstar for organizing this event (and it was super organized with check ins and google docs and everything I could ask for. If they ever do another event, jump at the chance to join).

To @fighting-and-drawing , I really hope I have done Thai justice. Heart of The Warrior has been one of my favorite Ikemen Sengoku fanfics (I've read it more than once), and I was thrilled when I learned you were the giftee. I'm not nearly as confident writing fight scenes though, so I hope it made sense. And yes, I was the anon who asked you what Yukimura might order in a modern bar (and then had to figure out whether he would still drink a sweet cocktail after killing a giant spider).

To anyone else reading this, I encourage anyone interested in reading a fantastically well written, well researched Ikesen longfic to read Heart of The Warrior either here or here

[answrs]

This Is A “Give Arthur Kingsmen A Hecking Nap” Propaganda Post

for the @sleepsmackdown​ poll (link here)

spoilers for Mystery Skulls Animated (which is about 18 minutes long in total over 4 animated music videos (with a 5th coming out very soon!) - please watch it and join us in blorbo hell our small but lovely msa fandom)

let me tell you about Arthur Kingsmen. You may know him as “that twink the sexy skeleton guy was chasing back in 2016″. why was this ghost chasing him? Well!

A group of friends and their dog go to investigate a creepy cave. They split up, Lewis (tall, purple, and fluffy) and Arthur (orange beanpole extraordinaire) go to the left fork and wind up at the top of a cliff over a sea of sharp stalagmites.

Then Arthur gets posessed by a demon, who uses his arm to shove his best friend to his death-by-impalement as he visibly fights it for control. Then whoops! Turns out that dog I mentioned, that little terrier looking pup? He’s actually another demon/yokai that transforms and violently RIPS HIS FUCKIN ARM OFF.

Now because of trauma, Arthur cannot remember this, though he experiences severe PTSD whenever he sees Mystery (who is once again hiding as their pet dog). He doesn’t understand *why* though, and is pushing himself to interact normally with said not-really-a-dog

(notice the subconscious gripping of his prosthetic whenever he’s triggered by the sight of said pup for added fun :))

I mentioned Arthur didn’t remember the scene in the cave? Well he ALSO DOESN’T EVEN REALIZE HIS BEST FRIEND IS DEAD. He’s on a futile search for a man he thinks is missing and even worse? His other best friend, Vivi (the girl in blue) physically cannot remember anything about Lewis existing.

Anyway, Lewis, the guy that died? Didn’t realize Arthur was possessed and thinks Arthur murdered him. So he’s out for revenge on a man working himself to the bone trying to find a friend he doesn’t know is even dead. This includes building a murder mansion to chase him through, and when that doesn’t work, stealing a semi-truck and running their van off a cliff and face-first into a brick wall. Then he grabs him from the wreckage and throws him off the same cliff he himself was killed on.

THIS IS LITERALLY THE MOMENT HE REALIZES HIS FRIEND IS ACTUALLY D E A D.

so he gets thrown off the cliff as Lewis’ twisted form of karmic revenge

and only survives because a shotgun blast shorts out the ghost magic moments before impact

and oh yeah, remember that demon that caused all this mess in the first place? It’s been hopping around in Arthur’s severed arm the whole time. And guess what it finds as its next host?

MURDER MC FUCKING MYSTERY

so YEAH I THINK HE NEEDS A FUCKING NAP

in summary, tags courtesy of @nemesis-is-my-middle-name​:

#P L E A S E VOTE FOR MY MAN ARTHUR SLEEPIEST IN EXISTENCE #no amount of being a gifted kid or whatever assclassboy has going on is gonna compare to arties insane bullshit #HE LIVES IN A VAN WITH THE DIRECT SOURCE OF LIKE 50% OF HIS TRAUMA #even if he DID think about sleeping for more than five minutes it wouldnt take

[ace-robot-has-matcha]

Okay I’m gonna talk about the Samurai Rabbit show

So first of all I read a lot of the old comics before I started watching the show. Putting that out there because some people think it’s not valid to analyze an adaptation when they don’t have context of the source material. This is incorrect, but not the point.

I was excited to have an animated series (as we all were). And I'll admit, when I first turned it on, I was kind of turned off. It took me a little while to really get into it. As such, I'll totally understand people who just didn't find it for them. I'm just here to talk about my experience watching (most) of the show. Because I hardly hear anything about this show online; I either see Rise of TMNT crossovers (a much more popular fandom) or see a lot of people really hating this show. Whenever I see that kind of attitude for a reboot/adaptation, I always wonder how much of the backlash is that phenomenon of people hating it on principle and not appreciating its merits. So I'm going to say this:

Did I want a show that captured the epic scale and action of the original? Absolutely.

However, did I still like the show outside of that context? I'd honestly say yes. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the show, and I'd like to discuss them.

The world was pretty fun. I'm a sucker for traditional old timey x cyberpunk aesthetics. It was an interesting direction for Usagi, so it kept my attention. This was also true for the way it reimagined some of the characters. I mourn the loss of Tomoe, but I think the characters they chose for the "main team" made for a diverse group. The same goes for some of the new characters, too. The sentient car and the bird yokai were some standouts. While everyone knows the animation is not stellar, I thought a lot of the character designs were quite nice. If it had been 2d animated with the same designs, it would have looked a lot better. Sometimes the writing was kind of funny, beyond typical "kid show" stuff. It was also surprisingly brutal sometimes, too. Like, they really went with "They'll be cleaning you off the walls when I'm done with you." The lore and story was so wild. I mean "evil aliens from another dimension and we have to fight it with the magic sentient rock" is absolutely crazy. But that's what was fun about it!

So generally, I had a really fun time with this show. Everything about it was so wild and insane (even outside of the context of the comics) that I couldn't not have fun with it. While it wasn't always executed that well, I liked a lot of what they were trying to do and generally enjoyed watching the show. I even thought aspects of the show were genuinely good. It really did remind me of ROTMNT in that way. I can see why they're often compared.

[drawnaghht]

This 2021 SDCC panel is also one of the reasons I couldn't agree with some of the stuff tumblr posts last year had stated... which was mostly made up! ie "Stan didn't actually work on the show" or

Like you can see the joy emanating from their faces when Stan and the cast and other crew explain their parts in the show... I can't believe any of them would hate it, whether this was a promo video or not xD Like... you don't go to a SDCC panel of the show you made if you... absolutely hated working on it. idk, it just doesn't make sense. I get that seeing a show or characters from a fandom lens makes people hate that show/characters make stuff up about the show later (i.e. other fans hating on Yuichi Usagi, just as a concept, bc of the ship/shipping, I get it) but it just seems... so strangely petty. Plus non-shipping fans might have been mad that this was not a direct adaptation.... Again I get it! I've been there with other stuff. But whether a show is good or bad, it seems mean-spirited to just lie about the crew or creators of it. It's okay to admit that you had different expectations about it. Yes, it's aimed at a younger viewership and does not directly adapt the darker aspects of the comic, but, that's wholly because of circumstance (Netflix show) and the show is good despite that. Your view of it can simply depend, well, on your view on spinoffs and animation in general, when you watched, what mood you were in. Whatever opinions fans might have, this panel seems to suggest the cast and crew had a mostly good time on it. Unless everyone here is some sort of pathological liar.

More press coverage of the Samurai Rabbit SDCC 2021 panel:

IGN, Polygon (a few pics), Animation Magazine, Geek Network, AIPTcomics (I'll add any more I find if I find smth new)

Screenrant (announcement of the Comic-Con @ home lineup) longer article on AWN (2022, about the premiere with more pics)

also, Stan's interview with the SDCC blog in 2022

"UBLOG: Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles debuted its first season on Netflix, and has already been renewed. What was it like finally getting to see your characters come to life in that way, and how pleased are you that it was so well received? Sakai: We at Usagi Studios are very pleased with Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles. The protagonist Yuichi is a direct descendant of my Miyamoto Usagi who is featured very prominently and with a twist that I thought was brilliant. We worked very closely with Gaumont and Netflix, approving/adjusting scripts, designs, suggesting voice actors, etc. I even calligraphed (by hand) the logo for the series. Samurai Rabbit expanded on a mini-series I created titled “Senso” inspired by HG Wells’ War of the Worlds wherein the martians invaded feudal Japan instead. Japan took that alien technology and developed it, adding their own cultural elements. Samurai Rabbit takes place in the future with Yuichi a young samurai in training who worships his famous (or infamous) ancestor, Usagi. Like my Usagi stories, Samurai Rabbit is very character driven and the first season tells of Yuichi meeting what is to become his core group of friends as they battle yokai, the haunts and monsters of Japanese folklore. I’m so glad that a second season is coming up."

i cannot imagine Stan Sakai Lying. like. LEGIT i cannot so i don't get why ppl make stuff up abt the show. it hasn't been very egregious so far, just stuff in tags and reblogs, but still. weird. fandom is weird abt stuff like this lol! I also do not get the hate that the show itself and the character of Yuichi Usagi get for basically. Not being what people imagined in their heads of an Usagi Yojimbo spinoff. I kind of get that part, because when Avatar: LOK was previewed in 2011, I imagined such a vast and colorful version of the show based on just 2 art pieces, I was caught a bit off-guard by the 1st season's premiere, and completely let down by the 2nd season. So I get that part at least. Many articles seemed to suggest that this show would be an adaptation, and I am guessing this is where people's expectations rose ten-fold in a similar way to my 2011 self. From interviews, I sense that the crew had similar expectations when they joined: a Usagi aniamted project with Stan Sakai directly involved! I'd be asking to be on the show too if I'd been a Gaumont studios member at the time.

The mountain is high and it is hard to surpass. When Netflix ordered the show to be about a younger Usagi and gear it for a younger audience too, I find that perhaps the Gaumont and Usagi Studios crew also saw this. In a fan's eyes, almost no one could match Stan Sakai in his storytelling, and the crew are big fans of his work. So it would make sense that they started to see the show they were developing differently. Instead of something like the 2003 adaptation of Miyamoto Usagi, where they make him younger and change his story a bit, the SR crew saw an opportunity. Lets make it about a descendant and a whole different setting, yeah? So the show becomes something quite different, but more manageable now. The mountain seems more like a long trek than an unpassable task.

But it also seems from every interview and official release I've seen that most of the people working on the show really liked what they made and liked working on it, even if it wasn't a direct adaptation of Usagi Yojimbo, something most of the crew were a fan of already themselves.

also, the series was worked on at least since 2018. Yeah, it's aimed at a younger audience, but a lot of effort seems to be put into it anyway, from writing, acting and art aspects all-around, so it just doesn't seem like something that people would feel the need to lie about. it's a good show. It is just not a direct adaptation of the comics, that people have been wanting, or something "style adjacent" to the comics, e.g. what people expect of the comics (that it's only dark and gritty).

A 2019 comicon.com article sharing a facebook photo at Gaumont studios with Stan is the perfect example of this - "This studio is known for their work on the original Redwall animated series. Judging by the key art shown above and Gaumont’s location in Paris, I hope that the animated series will remain faithful to the darker tone of the comics." - of course an article by a reader of the comic would have something like this, but we can see as early as this, the writer is setting themselves up for higher expectations for the series. Which I don't find fault in, who doesn't want a cool animated adaptation of their favourite comic? But comparing a studio now to what the studio was 15-20 years before is like setting the reader up for expectations that are too unrealistic. Redwall is a beautiful adaptation, but each show/series will almost always have a different team of people working on, so from an animation work POV, it just seems like something unrealistic. Animation industry, both western and otherwise, has always been something that can't always cater to all interests.

not-so-hot take but: it's actually good that it's not a direct adaptation!

The expectations people put on any adaptations/projects based on an older thing, is probably also a huge factor in why both younger and older fans (both shppers and the fans of the comic) feel so terse about the series, when in reality, it's possibly the best result we could get for a netflix adaptation (if I look at any anime/manga live-action adaptations for example, netflix has sort of "dropped the ball" on many of these). The series having loose and not-so-loose connections to the comics canon basically ensures that nothing about the comics canon is ever changed much, or that Stan is never obligated to change the comic for the show. The comic and show are allowed to be separate, but the show is also an homage and open fanart to the comic.

This also means that whether viewers hate or love the series, perhaps having a non-adaptation og series based on the comic... means they will actually read the comic itself now. I see this with both liveaction and animated adaptations, but ppl usually don't pick up the og source material based on just one adaptation, and if the adaptation is good or faithful, they still won't - thinking of TMNT 2003 but also Rise series haters who insist Raph doesn't use Tonfa, when that was a og comics reference lol - there's no trust that the animation folk working on your favourite properties adaptation are ALSO FANS of the same thing. So the chances for that might be similar. If people are happy with an adaptation, they might be less likely to seek out more of it. But I just find this series an interesting attempt from that POV. It almost feels similar to what Transmedia Storytelling is explained as a technique - of telling a story across multiple platforms, adding something unique each time.

A direct retelling is different from an original piece or continuation set in the same universe. Imagine that Usagi Yojimbo, the original comic, is like a tentpole that readers gather around. As time grows on, different animated adaptations occur, some tabletop games, a theather play etc. Different media for Usagi to inhabit as a character and a concept. And then comes along Samurai Rabbit, wholly not an adaptation of the comic's stories at all, but something inspired of it, building on it, not changing it much, but still adding to the canon in its own way (the existence of the Ki-Stone in this show). It's different but it's entirely a work made out of love for the comic, and you can see it in the different aspects it adapts from the comic (the 2D sequences, the skull-death-bubbles, the references to the comic, how it shows Miyamoto Usagi) and how it approcahes the characters as a cast.

So because Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles is not a strict retelling of any of the comics narratives, it allows itself room to explore and grow as its own thing, while also loosely adding to the canon in an interesting and unique way.

I hope phrasing the show from that vantage point gives other existing a different view on it.

this show also credits everyone in the production, including even the 3D animation company (a lot of animated shows only credit the company itself, or at least used to do this a lot) so I think that speaks a lot about how the production sees the show itself. The people making the show are valuable and did well, whatever the reception is going to be. And genuinely, I hope it was actually a good experience working on the show for all of the cast and crew.

[gloomyunicornwithouthorn]

In the green hills

Description

Fandom: Harry Potter

Direction: Jen

Rating: R

Warnings: Betrayal, OOC, Fantasy, Change of Identity, Revenge, Faerie, Mythical creatures

Part 3

I woke up to a thousand voices tearing through my head. As I listened, I realized that it was the forest itself talking to me. I could hear every single blade of grass and the whole forest together. It was a delightful feeling. As I thought about it, I realized that I could tell the location of any mind in this forest, I could find any spring. That feeling of oneness was amazing. For the next year I didn't go back to the house. I just walked through the woods and listened to his song. Enjoyed our connection.

Soon I noticed that I didn't need food, water or sleep. But I could still consume food and sleep. It's just not necessary anymore. So the years went by. I communicated with the spirits, the Sidhe and the forest. I was happy.

About ten years later, I heard a bell. It was not loud, but it constantly sounded in the periphery of my consciousness. I focused all my attention on it. It turned out to be a messenger from the Japanese yokai. They were telling me that it was our turn to hold the Wild Hunt.

All the magical peoples of the subtle world have this tradition, but the names are different. In Japan, the hunt is called the Parade of a Hundred Demons, and some legends even call it the Apocalypse. This year the honor fell to us, the spirits of the forbidden forest. This means that things are not going well at all for Britain. Magic itself influences the line of the hunt. We are the so-called punishment.

Well then... Tremble England, the judgment is coming for you.

As night began to fall, all the spirits began to soar above the forest. We formed a gigantic army that would make a man drop dead of fear if he saw it. And I was its leader. One word from me and there would be a bloodbath, a massacre. Now even the peaceful spirits of flowers are ready to tear the throats of the guilty. Let those who have forgotten the old laws flee in fear. The hunt is coming for him.

- LET THE WILD HUNT BEGIN!

As soon as my words were spoken, the whole crowd erupted. The spirits and the magical peoples were avenging a decade of oppression at the hands of the mages. And I just stood there, watching it from the air. I didn't care. I knew no innocents would be hurt today. After all, the fae aren't human. They punish only those who deserve it. Magic itself leads them.

I knew the forest would be livelier tomorrow, because so many people would take their children with them. The unfortunate and lonely ones, the ones who have been abandoned and turned away. It doesn't matter if out loud or somewhere in the back of their minds. Sidhe only take those who have no place there in the human world. After all, children are sacred. Especially for the eternalists, who have one child is incredibly lucky. To hurt a child is the worst crime. It's a shame that the wizards have forgotten that.

But we will make them remember.

They no longer have the right to choose.

The court has already begun.

[goldenspecter]

Cosmo’s TMNT Masterpost

(Rise, 2003, 2012, and others)

Here’s where you can find pretty much everything I’ve ever made for the TMNT fandom! Fanfics here[haven’t gotten the courage to post fanart here yet], hope you guys enjoy my work. Reblogs are appreciated!

Fanfics

1. Finding my way home(and moving forward)

Out of sheer curiosity, Leonardo and Donatello looked up, and there it was.

A portal.

Had the Universe really taken pity on them? Had it really heard his desperate prayers for one more chance?

It was not like the ones they had seen before, it was an irregular circle made up of several shades of blue, completely different from the perfect and symmetrical pink triangles of the Kraang.

Leonardo and Donatello looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, "Should we go in?" Donatello asked, almost shouting, drawing the attention of the others, who quickly turned to the portal and to see each other, then the two brothers in question.

"It's our best bet, and our only chance," replied Leonardo.

Or rather, with the 2012 kids' home gone, they end up in the Rise verse after a strange portal shows up. Therapy is needed, and start the slow process of healing from their trauma.

(Rise/2012, Work in Progress, written with @keeryd​ )

2. Strawberry Cookies:

"Mikey here was just about to tell me what we could do to cheer Raph up while he's sick," Donnie says. "Mikey continue?"

Now that Mikey had both of his older brothers attention, he grins. "I was thinking we make strawberry cookies!" He does his jazz hands as he says this and is met with looks of something that he can only put as disapproval. "What?"

"You do know that everytime that we have tried to make it-" Donnie starts.

"We mess it up and Raph has to come in and save our butts from burning the cookies?" Leo finishes, "What would be different this time?"

Mikey huffs, "We are doing this so we can cheer him up and to prove that we can do something on our own!" he says, "That's what got Raph sick in the first place!"

Or rather, Raph gets sick after helping his brothers recover from the poisoned pizza puffs. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo take a shot at baking cookies for Raph while trying not to burn their kitchen down.

(One shot, complete)

 3. Chicken Fried Rice:

“I only poured in half a pot of rice,” Donnie complained.

Mikey stared at him, really stared at him before he spoke. “You do realize that rice expands when cooked right?” he said, “You do realize that?”

Donnie was silent, looking away from Mikey.

“Donnie!”

Donnie makes chicken fried rice. Mikey watches over. Shenanigans and brotherly fluff ensue.

one shot in which Donnie is in the kitchen, cooking rice and Mikey, Mikey is positive he should have gotten Donnies braincell. 

(One shot, complete)

 4. Tea Time with Hortense and Patty: 

"Sooo," Raph starts. She's always been weird with awkward silences. "Are these grandma kinning hours?"

"Grandma hours!" Mikey exclaims excitedly. "Grandma time!!!"

"Ah, if it isn't our favorite girl and her little brother!" Hortense tilts her head over in their direction slightly. "Are you going to join us? We were just about done arguing," she says.

---

Today is Tea Time. Two old ladies have a tea party, one of them forgets to bring the food, and they are joined by Mikey and Raph. A good time is still had.

(One Shot, Complete)

5. One of those Days

When Donnie woke up this morning, he woke up with the familiar thrum of anger and irritation running through his body with more intensity than normal. Rubbing the crust out of the corners of his sleep-addled eyes, he jerkily grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm. It's one of Those Days, Donnie noted. Those Days where Donnie isn't capable of handling Mikey's over-enthusiastic optimism or Leon's chaotic trickster nature. His safest bet is to hang out with Raph, his calm and mellow demeanor always helped calm down before Donnie went on a rage fest and say anything he couldn't take back.

Or, Donnie and Raph help each other out, balance each other, and make things a little less difficult.

(One Shot, Complete) 

 6. Gift Hunting: 

“It’s Leo. Tiny Leo,” the voice answers. “I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t say until you say yes first,” Leo says. “It’s really important though.”

Angelo is silent, weighing his options. He could say no, he really could-

“Please, Angelo, you’re the only one who can really help me with this,” Leo pleads.

Rather, Angelo and Leonardo go out in the streets of New York to help the blue banded turtle find gifts for his brothers' sixteenth mutation day. Bonding and fluff ensues.

(One Shot, Complete)

 7. Aftermath:

“Raphie bear?” Mikey called out, gently tapping Raph, with relief washing him when Raph turned his head to face him. “What’s the matter teddy bear?”

“Th-thi-this doesn’t feel real.” Raph stuttered out, his voice cracking as a sob broke through. “I’m not really here. Neither are you and everyone else. I’m still alone with Draxum and his minions. No one’s coming to save me because I was stupid enough to get captured and no one wants such a worthless turtle like me.”

In which Raph was kidnapped and tortured by Baron Draxum and his family has to deal with the aftermath of it.

(One Shot, Complete)

 8. To Be the Eldest

Donnie, the second youngest in his family, wishes he was the eldest for once. Then one night, Donnie gets his wish granted and now he was three small turtles in his care.

Donnie adjusts to being the eldest, comes to some realizations, and makes a promise to his (now) younger brothers.

(Work In Progress)

 9. Wanted: Snaggletooth 

Dr. Noel bent down on his knees in front of Raph, a manic smile that showed too many teeth coming about on his face speaking of pain and suffering that has yet to come. He stretched out his hand towards Raph’s face, placing a thumb under his mouth, pressing into his snaggletooth. “Beautiful. Just as I expected,” he crooned, pulling out a syringe and injecting it into Raph’s neck, pushing the contents of the syringe into his system.

Raph’s eyes fluttered as he started losing consciousness, watching through hooded eyes as Dr. Noel's smile grew even wider, with his last thought right as darkness consumed him being that he hoped his family would find him before it was too late.

Post S2 Finale, Dr. Noel remembers Raphael, his snaggletooth, and manages to find and capture the red masked turtle. It doesn't end well for Raphael.

(Work In Progress)

 10. Dimensional Differences:

They bow. Not like one of those pretentious bows like she would do at Yokai parties and not like the ones she would do with her brothers when they hosted tea parties. They bowed deeply, heads stopping at her stomach, one hand closing around their fists. This spoke of respect and honor.

And that unnerved her a little bit. Why are they bowing so deeply?

“Thank you,” they said in unison. It’s unnerving to April and she felt the uneasiness coming from her brothers too.

“Why are you thanking me?” She said finally, voice sounding foreign to her.

“You saved my life?” Baby Leo said slowly, voice tinged with confusion. “That was an honorable thing to do?”

April blinked, “It shouldn’t be considered honorable for doing what any big sister would do,” she said. “That’s not honor, that’s just being a good older sibling.”

In which April, Sunita, Casey, and the turtles end up in the 2012 verse after a mishap with Leo's ōdachi and stay with the 2012 turtles until they can go home. They find out a lot of things that don't quite jive with them. Some things are the same, some things are different and they're not quite sure how to handle those differences.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

 11. Mind Meld Part Deux:

“Oh thank Galileo that you all are back to normal!”

“What do you mean we’re back to normal?” Raph questioned, pulling back from the hug. Mikey and Leo also pulled back to stare at Donnie. “We’ve-we’ve always been like this?”

Donnie went quiet. He shouldn’t have said that.

“Donnie, what did you do?”

The brothers found out about Donnie’s Mental Intelligence Reprogrammulator. Arguments are had, words are said, words that tear a rift between him and his family, and it’s up to Donnie to earn his brothers’ forgiveness. The only thing is, will he get it?

(Work In Progress)

 12. I'm a little kid and so are you(don't you go and grow up before I do):

The 2003 turtles somehow, someway ended up in the Rise verse, with Rise Splinter and his turtle tots, and stay with them while the boys try to figure out their way home. 2003 Raphael got attached to his tiny counterpart the moment he laid eyes on the tot. (Raph centric)

(Rise/2003, Work In Progress)

 13. Dimensional Self-Isolation

Post S2 Finale, Raph finds himself trapped in the 2012 universe and has a difficult time coping with all of the differences that this world has in store for him. From new villains, unfamiliar familiar faces, and the way the 2012 boys and Splinter treat each other and him, Raph has a heavy plate on his hands during his long term stay.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

14. A Collection of Turtle Thoughts

A collection of drabbles and ficlets about Turtles I've been writing since October 2020. Ranges from humor to hurt/comfort, I have it all.

Requests are open. SFW only though.

(All Iterations, Work in Progress)

If y’all reblog, read, and share my work, I’d really appreciate that! Anything and everything is appreciated, money or not! Thanks folks 🐢💕

[randomnameless]

what annoys you the most with 3H? The fandom or the missed opportunities from the game?

Oh.

The fandom takes the first place, because while it was funny to craugh seeing those bad takes, 2 years after the release of the game those takes are still endorsed and built upon and it’s just impossible to discuss about FE16 without being sure that the person you’re talking to is talking about the game, or the redshit takes.

Still, I firmly believe fandom wouldn’t be that cesspool of incessant drama if the localised version (especially NoA?) didn’t take wild directions with the game. It’s incomprehensible how a game in its OG version can be saying green but the localised version everyone talks about “corrected” it to “blue”. 

Scripts are more or less the same, but the directions given to the VAs?

rant under the cut about directions, voice acting and people arbitrarly pushing an agenda despite the media they’re supposed to translate/bring to non-jp crowds.

I pointed it in an earlier post (or earlier posts?) but as a french person I grew up with the 4Kids dub, which was infamous for, uh, “translating” things for western audiences, even at the cost of coherency and let’s not even talk about the source material this thing doesn’t exist. Remember the Shadow Realm from YGO? .

I watched a short anime a few years ago about the anime industry (Shirobako?) and I remember a character trying to become hired as a voice actor/seiyuu - she had to learn and to feel the character - she has to know the character as much as the author who created them. 

A few years ago, I didn’t feel as if the dubbing cast worked on their characters as much as the OG!voice actors. For a recet exemples I was rewatching a certain anime with the fr dub - basically a former underling fights against his superior who became a traitor, and even if his superior doesn’t regret turning into a traitor and ultimately became a giant fly, the underling always respected his superior and treated him with proper forms of adress. In the “early 2010 dub” I watched yesterday? Yeah no, guy’s talking to him as if he is talking to his friend in a pub.

Even now, while the quality of the voice acting has improved (and I feel like people take their jobs way more seriously for the dubbing industry) - i was the first surprised with SoV’s VA - we have now directions. Because the manga/anime/game isn’t, uh, good enough or whatever, the dubbing team decides to go off and do its own thing, regardless of coherence or, worse, what was the intent/core of the og game.

I am playing MH:Rise, the game is set up in a more or less traditional “ninja” village, with a lot of old japanese (? feudal? idk) aesthetics. The devs said they wanted to return to the roots of the saga and based new monsters on Yokais, mythological monsters from the japanese folklore. When you meet a new giant monster to hunt, you have small cutscenes to introduce said monster sung with a Noh theater aesthetic (i just looked up on wikipedia i thought it was kabuki but kabuki isn’t the only form of theater whatever the more you know). 

NPCs in the MH series speak their own language, often called the MHese (a bit like the sim language). IDK if it is because this opus has a japanese aesthetic, but you can pick a jp voice acting instead of the MHese (same voice actors but talking in a different language). Or you can pick the US/ENG dub, with, I suppose, US VAs. I’m not complaing about the lack of FR dub, I’m rather happy with it tbf. But, for some reason, despite the aesthetic, the yokais, the pagodas in the background, the samurai flagship cat, the katanas and whatever, I thought the Noh style cutscenes weren’t going to change, or maybe someone would try to sing in English. But it isn’t the case, the US/ENG version of those cutscenes aren’t Noh style sung, they were completely revamped, so no traditionnal songs and instruments in the background, instead have a dude describing the monster you’re about to face in a cheap National Geographic imitation.

Why remove this? Was it because US!Capcom thought the western world wouldn’t understand the Noh references (but could still understand the general “aesthetic”, just, ban on the songs?) or some shit? They couldn’t remove the flagship cat’s samurai armor to swap it for a GI uniform, so they banned the Noh cutscenes? Why?

It is the same shit NoA pulled out with the Fates localisation, Suzukaze became Kaze because... reasons?

Maybe I’m biased because I’m french, and apparently Wonder France is one of the biggest consumer of anime/manga outside japan, but the mere idea that something can be changed because it’s not “western enough so the audience wouldn’t get it” pisses me to no end, and this is why, in the beginnings of Internet (YT videos with 4 parts, megaupload etc etc) everyone I knew who watched anime ditched everything dubbed to watch the very same episode but subbed (one of my friends even worked on her english with subs!).

Back to FE16 because this is your question and I ranted enough, I cannot stress it enough regarding Rhea, but while I do not doubt Cherami Leigh made a great effort and worked her best with the tools given to her (to this day I still cannot fathom how she managed to dub Mae and Rhea, they’re so different or not seiros is genki!rhea if only leigh was given that script) Leigh!Rhea isn’t Inoue!Rhea. NoA (I harp on NoA but I suppose NoA oversaw the dubbint process/effort, NoE is inexistent) had an agenda and a reading of Rhea that isn’t the same as NoJ.

“You worthless piece of garbage” doesn’t exist in the og!script - but more importantly, delivering this, Inoue!Rhea isn’t furious, she is upset and desperate. Leigh!Rhea is furious, Cherami Leigh does an admirable job at conveying NoA!Rhea’s fury - but this is not the same character NoJ wrote. If NoA gave the same directions NoJ gave Kikuko Inoue to Cherami Leigh, I’m pretty sure the “Rhea BaD” crowd, the eating babies takes and whatever shit redshit comes up everyday would be way reduced.

Maybe @nilsh13 has redshit take saved talking about this, but if we’re not talking about the same character, what kind of discussion can even happen? (I’m sure someone someday pulled the “well i played the localised game so i’m not talking about the og script with you but with the localised script” to defend some smelly take)

Missed opportunities can be fuel for fanfics.

Discourse based on fandom drama (at this point NoA itself is part of the fandom with their “religious extremis/zealot” take)? Nothing can salvage it. I genuinely like to talk about FE16 (especially lizards), but since every topic became a landmind because of the fandom drama, even making posts in good faith can be used as a fuel for drama, or completely diverted from their original goal to suit, again, some faction war between lizards and a certain someone.

Tl; dr : Fandom.

[ruddcatha]

GUARDIAN Chapter 14

Thank you again to @heavenin–hell for your inspiration, I hope this story does your work justice.

posted on Ao3: Here / FFN: Here

Guardian has been Nominated for the Feudal Connection  2020 3rd Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards!  Thank you to all the supporters of this story!!  Voting is now open and  runs through August 12, 2020, click here to vote.

Nominated for: Best AU/AR

CHAPTER 14 

Her scent called him. He watched as Kagome walked through the woods, the light and shadows of the setting sun playing against her hair. He was aware of every movement she made, every object she had touched. As he watched, she ran her hand over a leaf, then reached out to touch the trunk of a tree. He moved closer, always staying just out of her range of awareness. He froze as she looked in his direction, he was crouched low to the ground and when still he blended in with the shadows. He waited a heartbeat, two poised in that frozen crouch. When she turned away, he moved silently deeper into the shadows, using dying light to conceal him as he stalked towards her.

Her scent had been changing, something was wrong. Her vanilla and rose scent had taken on a sweet and at the same time sour note, as if the rose were beginning to decay. He growled, his teeth hanging over the edge of his lip in a snarl. He froze and began to lower the volume of this growl, fading it out as he watched her still. She was starting to be aware of him.

That would not do.

He watched her as she started to move further into the forest, patiently waiting until she had moved further out of range before he jumped up into a tree, following her scent as she moved. He used the breeze to mask his movements as he made his way towards her until he was almost on top of her. He smirked as he watched her looking around to try and find him.

She never thought to look up. That was exactly what he had been counting on. A deep rumble began in his chest as he began creeping closer to her, his red eyes never leaving her. His sensitive nose could note every change in her scent, and he couldn't fucking stand it. It was a scent he should never have to smell on her, not Kagome. But he fucking did.

Rage burned through him at the thought. He would make her listen, he would make her tell him what was wrong, he would…

He watched her tilt her neck to the side and all conscious thought faded. His entire focus was locked on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He felt his fangs lengthen even further as his claws sharpened. He licked his lips as anticipation ran through him.

He could tell the moment she realized he was near, the change of her pulse, the quickening of her breath. A dark smile crept across his face as her scent changed and the spicy scent of ginger began to blend with vanilla and rose. He crept closer, his eyes focused on her neck, anticipation building. The smell of decay was almost hidden but continued to assault his senses. He knew that it would only take one bite, just one, for that smell to disappear, and he would never have to worry about it again. The sound of her blood rushing through her veins called him, her pulse whispering his name. He just needed her blood, to feel it rush through him, to taste it. His eyes narrowed on his prey, and with a sharp movement he pounced, his mouth finding her neck as her startled cry broke out. With a snarl he…

Inuyasha woke in a rush, covered in sweat. He could feel his yokai flaring, fighting him, but he didn't know why. His fangs were still elongated, he could feel them against his lips, and he was sure if he looked in a mirror, he would see the same purple marks from the day before.

He had no clue what the hell was happening. In the dream he could swear he had been full yokai, but that didn't seem to make any sense to him, he had never turned in his life. But more concerning to him was his focus on Kagome, how his yokai had stalked her, almost as she were prey to hun…

No. He wasn't going to go there. He refused to finish that thought.

That scent bothered him though, he had been noticing it more and more around Kagome, and he had no clue what it meant. She had been pushing herself to much, that he was sure of. He had hated watching her arms give out while trying to move the weight. And when he realized she hadn't been eating…

Fuck that. With a growl he got out his bed and began to pace the room. A quick look in the mirror confirmed for him that yes, the purple streaks were there, faint, but there. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

He couldn't stop her from running herself ragged, if he tried, he knew she would just get pissed at him and could very well stay away, and that would… he didn't want to think about that. What he could do was make sure she ate, even if it was only one of those meal bars Sango had given him to try one day after a training session.

He felt his canines recede, and with a feeling of relief saw the purple stripes fade entirely. Finally, he felt under control. Time to see what they had in the kitchen, and then bother Miroku to take him to one of those convenience stores to pick up some of those bars so he would always have them on hand to make sure she ate. That was at least something he could do until she asked of his help.

Inuyasha grabbed his phone and shot a text to Miroku to meet him outside in 30 minutes. He didn't stop to think about the time, Miroku had said that he would be available to help at any time, and he was going to hold Miroku to it.

As Inuyasha moved quickly down the hall and into the kitchen he didn't notice two pairs of golden eyes watching from the shadowed entrances to their rooms. Both had felt the flare of Inuyasha's yokai. Sesshomaru watched his brother move, the strength of the yokai flare had been intriguing, but it seemed it was only temporary.

'How disappointing.' He thought as he turned and withdrew into his room.

Toga watched Inuyasha enter the kitchen, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Toga leaned against the door jam, his eyes and heart troubled. Inuyasha's yokai had never felt that … untamed before. There were still several things Toga himself had to learn about raising a hanyou, and this was something he had never encountered before. He was going to need to investigate this and what it meant, thankfully from his conversations with Koga, he knew there was someone he could speak to at the Ookami compound.

Yes, he would need to speak with this Jinenji tomorrow.

The Ookami compound was more than Kagome had expected. She had never dreamed that there was a place like this in Tokyo. The grounds themselves were massive, the moment you entered the compound you were transported into another, much older world. It took them 15 minutes from the moment they passed the gates to drive through the forest that circled the living area, Minka homes connected with covered walkways. In the center stood what she could only describe as a palace. The main Tenshukaku was four stories tall, linked to four other three story buildings, with ornate gables and windows to allow natural light in, the white walls glowing against the blue toned roofing.

How a village could be hidden in Tokyo though, she had no clue. Shippo met them at the gate, his green eyes glowing with laughter as he saw her expression. The tall Kitsune walked over to her and nudged her shoulder.

"It's a Kitsune Charm, like the glamours." He quickly explained. "Come on, let me show you all around."

Kagome couldn't help being nervous as Shippo pointed out various areas to them. Four months ago, she hadn't even known that yokai existed. Now she was standing in one of the most gorgeous places she had ever seen, and she was surrounded by them. Her mind was still processing everything. She was almost envious of, Jaken and Sango and how they were handling everything. Kikyo and Miroku had essentially grown up in this world, but Jaken and Sango were thrust into it just as quickly as she had been, yet they were all following the kitsune without question, and she wasn't able to detect any nervousness from them. She reached back to take Inuyasha's hand, she needed his support to get through this.

Inuyasha immediately closed his hand around Kagome's. He could tell that she was nervous, and frankly, so was he. He didn't like the fact that she...that they were surrounded by wolves. He didn't know what was causing it, but his hackles were up, something was about to happen, and he didn't like it. The only thing that kept him from grabbing her close and getting out of there was his father. Before they left Toga had told him how important this meeting was to their mission, but at that moment… he was almost tempted to say fuck the mission and bring Kagome back to where it... where she... was safe.

Inuyasha snuck a look at his father to find Toga watching him carefully. Shit. His ears lowered in displeasure, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get Kagome back to the university without a fight. He let out a soft growl, too low for the humans in the group to hear but audible to the yokai with them. He released Kagome's hand to take her shoulder and pull her close to him, leaning down to nuzzle her hair to reassure her. With a soft sigh she snuck her arm around his waist and held onto him as they finished the tour.

Shippo brought them to an outcropping of five buildings that were off set off on their own, away from the living area. She could tell that this was the area he was most excited about, and for some reason that concerned her. Shippo turned to face them, his red hair glowing in the sunlight.

"Welcome to our research and development labs."

Shippo was almost prancing as he brought them to the first door.

"This is the health and recovery unit, let me introduce you to the team. They have been developing methods to enhance yokai healing and are currently working on using medical supplies infused with spiritual power to speed up treatment and recovery time for humans. The head scientist, Jinenji, is a hanyou much like yourself Lord Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scoffed. "I ain't no lord Shippo."

Shippo smiled back at him and nodded before continuing. "Using his mixed blood as a catalyst, Jinenji has been looking to isolate the healing properties of yokai blood to utilize it in sprays or medication. His assistant, Rin, is a recent addition to the team, and she has been spearheading the research with reiki."

Shippo pushed open the doors to the medical ward, and Kagome gasped. It looked like a mad scientist's lab, complete with bubbling beakers and centrifuges separating elements of blood based on weight into different vials. A tall figure stood in the middle of the room reading from a clipboard.

He was quite possibly one of the largest beings Kagome had ever seen. He towered over everyone in the room, but it was his profile that captured her attention. His face was elongated, almost like a horse, his black hair was pulled back and secured with a strap. As he turned to face her, his wide bright blue eyes looked at her curiously. Despite his large appearance, Kagome felt completely at ease around him, he radiated an aura of calm energy that eased the tension in the room almost immediately.

"Oh, is this them Jinenji?" A feminine voice said excitedly, the figure completely hidden.

A young woman popped her head around Jinenji, taking in the group of yokai and humans in front of her. A wide grin broke across her face as she stepped to the side and approached the group.

"Hi, I'm Rin." She stated cheerfully as she reached for Kagome's hand. Her black hair hung down around her shoulders and her dark brown eyes danced with excitement. Kagome eased her hold on Inuyasha to take the accepted hand. Rin was a few inches taller than Kagome, and appeared to be in her mid-twenties, she seemed to be young to be the head of the spiritual energy division, but if Kagome had learned anything in the past four months, it was that looks could be deceiving. If she was trusted to run a research team, there was more to Rin than met the eye.

Rin moved to shake the hand of each member of the team to welcome them to the lab. Her smile faded a bit as she held out her hand to Sesshomaru when he made no move to accept her hand. She recovered quickly and her smile took on an impish look as she reached out and grabbed one of his hand with both of hers to shake it, giggling at the look of outraged disdain that he gave her.

"Rin, don't tease them." Shippo chuckled at her antics as he shook his head, well used to her outgoing personality. Rin hadn't met a person or yokai yet that she didn't try to befriend.

"I need to get them over to the weapons lab." Shippo said as he started ushering the group out of the room.

"I wanted to discuss something with Jinenji if he has a moment." Toga stated as he looked over to Jinenji. At the taller man's nod, Toga moved to his side before the two walked away, deep in conversation.

Shippo led the rest of the group out of the room and through a series of hallways, ending in what Kagome could only describe as an armory. Weapons of all types hung on three walls of the room; the last wall had targets placed at different heights. It seemed to be an eclectic selection, swords, bows, daggers, guns, and staves were mixed, and for some reason it seemed that each weapon had a presence.

Inuyasha looked like a child in a candy shop, his ears were fully perked and twitching as his eyes darted around the room. Sango seemed to be just as excited. She had trained with many of the weapons in the room, but she had never seen such an impressive collection. A pair of sai's caught her attention, as well as an arm guard with a blade attached. Her fingers itched to touch them, sai's had been her favorite weapon in training with her father, their flexibility, the speed. Sango had been training since she was a child, and she excelled at hand to hand combat, she had always wanted to look her opponent in the face as they fought. She was adept at analyzing her enemy's style quickly, helping her anticipate their movements. She reached out to touch the edges of the blades.

"I wouldn't touch those." She heard Kagome's cousin Kikyo say. Sango turned back to look at Kikyo with a raised eyebrow.

"Those weapons are infused with yokai." Kikyo explained. "I can see their aura radiating off the weapons."

"Excellent." A deep voice said. Kagome looked over to see Koga leaning against a door across the room from them. She saw Shippo move past Koga then appear behind a large window that separated the armory from the next room. Koga unfolded himself and moved towards the group.

"These weapons are all infused with yokai, as Ms. Kikyo has said." Kikyo started in surprise and Koga chuckled.

"Did you think we would allow anyone into the compound without knowing anything about them?" He waited for Kikyo's nod of acknowledgement before he continued.

"We've been studying all of you, learning about you, to identify which weapons would match you. The yokai and hanyou have natural weapons, but we need to enhance them a bit."

Koga walked to one of the walls and grabbed a katana and what looked to be a whip before walking to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. He handed the katana to Inuyasha and the whip to Sesshomaru before he stepped back.

"Merge your yokai with them." Koga instructed.

Sesshomaru raised a brow before looking at the whip in his hand. A light green glow formed around his hand and slowly covered the whip.

Koga looked through the window at Shippo and nodded his head. A moment later Shippo's voice echoed through the room.

"You were right Koga; the whip is infused with poison." Koga gave a harsh smile before turning to Inuyasha.

"Your turn mutt-face."

Inuyasha laughed at the unheated insult. The hand holding the katana began to glow gold but moved no further. Koga frowned.

"I was… not expecting that." His voice grew louder as he yelled out to Shippo. "Hey Ship, what are you picking up?"

"Nothing is registering." Shippo said back.

Koga looked at Inuyasha, frustration visible on his face. "It should have worked."

"Keh." Inuyasha said softly. "I guess my yokai isn't strong enough."

"Nah that isn't it." Koga interrupted him. "We accounted for your yokai level when you walked in the door."

That caused a reaction from the humans and yokai alike. Koga looked at them confused until he realized what was happening.

"We have equipment that can measure your abilities, yokai and spiritual power. It gives us your ability levels, potential power, and helps identify a weapon that would match that ability."

Miroku and Jaken started talking over each other in their excitement, each trying to be louder than the other, but it all jumbled together, and neither could be understood.

"Look, I'll explain it another day." Koga promised, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Just shut up for right now." He looked at Inuyasha.

"Try it again."

The golden glow once again formed around Inuyasha's hand but did not join with the blade. Koga shot a frustrated look back to Shippo who shrugged.

"I can't explain Koga." The kitsune stated. "His power levels are almost equal to his brother's, so I can't explain what's happening. That sword is the most compatible weapon here."

Koga ran his hand through his hair as he thought. Perhaps there was a block, some sort of seal, but the scan would have, should have, shown that.

"Meh. Train with the sword Inuyasha. We will figure out what is going on and try again later. We need to move on."

Koga went around the room, pulling various weapons down as he considered each person. Sango's day was made when she was, in fact, handed the sai's. Her quick look at the arm guard was caught by Koga who just chuckled.

"Not that one. Though we can work on one for you."

Jaken was given a wooden staff with two heads carved into the top, and the room burst out laughing at his cheers.

"YES, I'M A WIZARD!" He crowed.

"Go ahead and test it" Shippo's voice came through the intercom. "Just make sure you aim toward the targets, not us."

Jaken turned and followed Koga's direction to a line on the floor and faced the targets.

"Focus on feeling your energy go through the staff." Koga instructed him before stepping back.

A jet of flame burst out of one of the mouths of the staff.

"HOLY SHIT I'M A FLAME WIZARD THIS ROCKS!" Jaken was almost dancing as he watched the target burn.

"Turn the staff and try again." Shippo's voice directed. Jaken turned the staff and focused his energy again. The staff nearly fell out of his hands when a jet of water burst out and doused the flames.

"The Nintojo, the Human Head Cane." Koga told him as he approached the stunned man. "It was used by another that I knew by the name of Jaken, it came into our collection 400 years ago."

At the words Koga watched Sesshomaru stiffen. He knew that would get a reaction from the cold yokai. Sesshomaru turned to watch Jaken carefully. Jaken had proven to be useful, Sesshomaru had to admit. He almost appreciated the assistance that the human was providing, and his enthusiasm almost reminded him of…the former Jaken. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in consideration. It couldn't be, could it? Sesshomaru knew that question would require further consideration.

"Hey Ship." Koga's voice pulled Sesshomaru out of his contemplation. "Did you get your reading?"

"All good." Came the reply. Koga nodded, and moved to Miroku who was handed a collapsible shakujo, a pilgrim's staff. It was broken down for ease of transport, but quickly assembled to its full length.

"I presume you know how to use one?" was Koga's only question. Miroku smiled and nodded.

"Good." Koga continued. "This will be good for close combat, but you need a long-range weapon." Koga turned to look at Kagome and Kikyo. "The same goes for both of you. Close up you will be able to use your spiritual powers, but you all need a distance weapon, its definitely better if we keep the enemy from getting too close."

Shippo emerged from the side room carrying a box which he brought to Koga before setting it on the floor.

"We have been working on these for the last fifteen years." Shippo said as he opened the box, revealing three firearms nestled in the velvet interior. "In the past, priestesses used bows and arrows to channel their spiritual powers, however in today's era they may be too slow, a bullet can get you before you are able to aim the arrow. So, we modified the concept, using a small pellet as the focus. Instead of firing a purifying arrow, you have a spirit gun."

Shippo chuckled when he saw Jaken's head snap up, his eyes shining. "Yes, we got the idea from Yu Yu Hakusho." Shippo admitted with a sheepish expression.

"Best… Anime… ever…" Jaken's whisper echoed through the room. A quick glare from Sesshomaru had him muttering a quick apology before going quiet.

Kagome's vision narrowed to the three handguns that sat before her as she felt her heart begin to race. Snippets from her dream the night before flashed through her mind, aiming, the gun being knocked out of her hand, Inuyasha's expression as he….

She slowly began to move backward, away from the box. She tensed when her movement was stopped by a warm body. A hand came up to rub her shoulder, it was Inuyasha… but for once his presence didn't bring her comfort, the images in her mind were too fresh.

"What's wrong Kagome?" He whispered as he leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head. She made herself take a deep breath, consciously taking the fear and anxiety and forcing them into a cubby hole in her mind. She couldn't deal with it right then; she couldn't let him know.

Inuyasha felt her tense under his hand; and his nose caught that slight smell of decay that had been driving him crazy for the last few weeks. He subconsciously pulled Kagome closer to him.

"When is the last time you ate Kagome?" he continued, his eyes narrowing. Kagome turned to look up at him with a sheepish expression.

"Last night." She whispered. He grunted at her and shook his head.

"I brought meal bars with me. When we are done, you are eating one." He insisted, his tension easing slightly when she nodded. He hoped that would be enough to help her, to make that scent go away.

He wasn't sure it would though.

Kagome stepped away from Inuyasha and made herself walk back towards the firearms, tamping down her nerves and the last vestiges of the fear. She needed to focus; she couldn't afford to be distracted.

"… of focusing on the arrow, you put your focus into the gun, and it converts your energy into a spirit bullet of sorts and can purify or seal a yokai from a distance."

Kagome shook herself out of her head to catch the last of Shippo's instructions.

"Now, each weapon needs to be attuned to your specific signature so no one else can use the weapon." Kagome let her breath out at Shippo's words, at least that was one fear eased. "So, you won't be taking these with you today. We need to have you fire it at full strength for at least one shot to get a proper power gauge and to register your signature with the binding mechanism we have built into the gun."

Shippo handed a handgun to Miroku and Kikyo before approaching Kagome. When the firearm was placed in her hand, Kagome felt a curious tingling sensation, followed by the sensation of heat flowing up her arm. The weapon scared her. She knew it shouldn't, she had been training now for three and a half months and had become more familiar with using firearms, but the thought of it being hers, of using her spiritual powers… powers she still couldn't control, terrified her.

Kagome watched, slightly dazed as first Miroku and then Kikyo moved to the firing line Koga had pointed out, each aiming down at the targets. As each fired, a soft glow formed around their hands, Miroku's a deep purple, Kikyo's a bright pink, before the color faded into the weapon and released in a burst of light. After each had fired Koga turned to look at Shippo through the window, waiting for a nod and a thumbs up before they could step back to the group. Kagome took another deep breath, closing her eyes and trying desperately to center herself. After a slight hesitation, she made her way to the line.

As she faced the target, the world around her began to shift as she focused inward on herself. She could feel sweat dripping down the back of her neck despite the cool temperature, feel the slight tremor in her arms as she raised the handgun to aim. Her heart started pounding, and she swore she could hear her blood, no her energy, rush through her veins as it moved down towards her hands. They had said to focus as much as she could, and she was starting to feel the same level of energy from the first night when she had helped charge the dagger. Her arms began to glow gold, the light growing as it concentrated around her hands. Unbidden, images from her dream broke through her concentration, the sound of the shot, the jerk of Inuyasha's body, the trickle of blood from his mouth.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream as energy built within her. She stood in the center of a hurricane, her hair dancing in the ebbs and flows as the energy leaked into the air around her. A cry of alarm cut through her senses as the energy absorbed into the handgun and was released with a blinding burst of light.

Kagome's legs collapsed under her and she fell to her knees, the roaring in her ears blocking out all other sounds. She stared at the wall in front of her… all the targets had been destroyed. She turned towards the others and froze in horror. Kikyo and Miroku had jumped in front of the yokai, throwing up two levels of a barrier to shield them from her blast. She watched as Sesshomaru lifted a piece of his hair that had not been protected, the end of the strand burned and smoking. He stared at her with a look of pure hatred, and she felt the vice of fear around her heart.

The doors to the weapons room burst open and Rin and Jinenji ran in, kits in hand, to help any who needed treatment. Snippets of conversation made their way to Kagome.

"…ey were here, that level of power could have purified all of you."

"eed to get her more control, she is too powerful for…"

As soon as the barriers dropped Inuyasha rushed to Kagome, falling to his knees beside her to pull her into his embrace. He could feel the tremors running through her body and knew she could feel his. He… he didn't know what to think… the level of power she released… he had been fucking terrified when she had collapsed. He lowered his head to hers, surrounding her and shielding her from view from the chaos of conversation and panicking behind them.

Koga quickly looked to Shippo to make sure he had been safe in the other room, his eyes going wide when he saw cracks in the bullet proof glass separating the rooms. Shippo looked back, unharmed but clearly shaken.

"Koga." Shippo's voice came through the open door rather than the intercom, too soft for the humans to hear but clear to every yokai and hanyou in the room. "She fried the sensors."

"Who the fuck is she?" Koga's question echoed through the room, causing Inuyasha to growl and draw Kagome deeper into his embrace.

Toga stood outside the room, staring at the chaos and destruction in front of him. There was no question in his mind anymore. He knew that power signature, that strength. He had not felt it for 1000 years, but he had never forgotten the human priestess with the immense spiritual power. Suddenly the prophecy made sense, he now knew what the missing piece was 500 years ago.

Kagome Higurashi, Midoriko's heir.

@willowandfog​  @smmahamazing @clearwillow  @sticky-llama-perfection @alannada @shinidamachu @cstormsinukagblog@superpixie42 @nartista @neutronstarchild​ @i-dream-of-soup​ @hnnwnchstr  @fawn-eyed-girl​ @ all-my-cuffs-have-buttons @liz8080

[kibastray]

Different Anon. You mentioned projects... How many are you working on or... maybe I should ask how many projects do you have? Could you maybe share some with us? Like a list or something?

Oh, oh boy! Did you ask me the wrong question. lol. You want to know what projects I am working on? I’m gonna show you.

Key notes: Free to use = If you like the idea you are free to use it. Just ask about my notes. (Please give credit though) Willing to Share = I would be more than willing to share my notes on the idea and partner up on it with someone if anyone is willing. Not for Sale = Fics/ideas I plan on using and writing myself if it isn’t listed as FtU or WtS then it means that is something dear to me and I want to work on it myself. (these fics/ideas will not be all listed as NfS, so if you don’t see the added tag assume it is NfS) Paragon/Renegade = means good/bad version of the story.  Spin-off = typically a one off of a story already listed and will be listed in a sub-listing of that story. Eh / Da Faq/ Competent Folders = Are all unique and original ideas that I think are either good, meddling, or just plan bad after a second look. 

Each story title will also have a small decryption to go along with it.

With that out of the way my list of projects are under the cut. Enjoy. :3

Side note: I will try and list the fandom things grouped together. I will also try and alphabetize them. 

First up BNHA:

My Hero Academia (most of these can be found in my previously posted BNHA: Fic list) 

Ash Phoenix: An Idea where I ask/answer if OFA is the only quirk that can be merged and be something else entirely. (It will be a bit dark and involve the hidden quirk Izuku and Toga’s quirk combining into something powerful)

Bedlam: A story of Izuku being a combination of Bruce Lee/ Brock Lee. Who needs a quirk when you have martial training that can’t be beat. He is shipped with Momo in this one. (Izuku’s dad is a bastard that dies early and his life insurance helps Inko give Izuku the life he deserves) 

Paragon... Fighting Bedlam: good timeline where Izuku goes to UA, with his girlfriend, Momo like cannon BNHA just without OFA and a lot more confident Izuku with some Midoriya family angst sprinkled in.

Renegade... Hoods of Bedlam: Bad timeline where Izuku and Momo are vigilantes know as Green/Red Hood. They still go to UA but not through the hero coarse. Izuku is in management/business and Momo is in General. This time it is Yaoyororozu family drama that involve Izuku being quirkless. (might also have to do with an surprise pregnancy. This one also has the pair say “f^ck society and it’s rules, we are gonna do what we want”) 

Brain over Brawn: (This one follows a head cannon of mine where Izuku is on a lot of Forms about anything hero) The day he was suppose to grab All-Might’s leg he was just a little to slow and doesn’t get OFA. instead he goes to the Forms shares his impressions of heroes and gets picked up by Nezu. After all what is better the muscle to beat up or a baddy or the knowledge how to? (Free to use)

Champion of Olympus: I give a Fem!Izuku a direct line to the Greek Gods mainly because I want to see a BA Izumi with a bow. It is like Percy Jackson but without the god parents and more Izumi being the first person in generations to interact with the gods.

Epitaph: Izuku gets the strongest and probably worst combo of his parents quirks. Simply put, on Izuku’s quirk registry he can take the heat from an object or person. In truth his quirk is so much more powerful than that. He has the ability to take the life force or soul of living beings. (Free to Use)

Eri’s Big Brother: An angsty fic where Izuku gets kidnapped at an early age, and no one knows what happens to him. That is until the first day of UA when a small white haired kid Aizawa is watching over asks Bakugou “Are you Kacchan?” (Free to use)

FF7 x BNHA No title yet: A story that finds Izuku transported from his old world into a world of heroes and villains after a bomb that should have killed him launched him across dimensions. Izuku is a member of AVALANCHE and shows the world of heroes what a freedom fighter can do. While also finding out that the world of heroes might be more familiar to him than he originally thought

Future Heroes: This one is a future fic with a whole cast of OCs of mine 

In The Name of LoV: Izuku is a villain and is the Co-leader of LoV with Tomura. Photogenic and maybe a little psychotic Izuku addresses the world in videos saying that him and his friends are villains because they ‘Lov’ the world so much.(Izuku is a sweet&charismatic kid who sees heroes as a problem because all society cares about is strong/flashy quirks) (Free to Use)

Izuku!Nomu no title yet: A fic where Izuku tries to follow Bakugou’s advice but is saved by LoV and turned into a Nomu. We follow a guilt ridden Bakugou perspective after that day all the way to the USJ where he finds and frees an Izuku who may be to damaged to ask forgiveness of. (willing to share)

Jet Set Radio x BNHA no title yet: I give Izuku confidence through the power of roller skates and the street art of graffiti in order not only become a hero, but a hero without a quirk. (I think it would be fun to see Prof. K and Present Mic be rival radio hosts where Mic is a public radio host Prof. K is an underground pirate radio dj)

Killing Bites X BNHA no title yet: (TBH I have watched maybe 10min of Killing Bites and that is it. I really like the look of the characters in the show.) Fem!Izuku is has the same power as the honey bager character from KB. She along with countless other quirkless where kidnapped and tested on. Now free Fem!Izuku isn’t quite human after all the DNA experimentations she has been put through. She along with the other test subjects are part animal and have an instinctive drive to fight. 

Persona x BNHA no title yet: Another fic where I have Izuku taking Bakugou’s advice but gaining a quirk instead of dying. Basically I give Izuku personas to summon because I liked how P3 showed the summons. I also have him move schools to Shiketsu, after winning the Sports Festival, and with his move takes UA’s place as #1 hero school with him to Shiketsu. (not gonna lie this one is a bit crazy)

Sharpening my teeth on the rays of the sun: Izuku has an OP quirk based on his parents. He can pull in and eat fire/energy. He finds inspiration from old Norse mythology as a kid and takes on the mantle of “Skoll the devourer of the sun.” He is going to befriend Tokoyami so hard.

Sheep’s Wool hiding Wolves Teeth: Izuku is smart, too smart. he uses the system to his advantage. Most people think Izuku is an angel but people like Bakugou know the truth. They see Izuku pretending and fooling everyone and see him for the manipulative demon pretending to be human he is. (Izuku lacks empathy/morality, and sees play things where humans should be. He will manipulate everyone he can just for his own amusement) (Free to Use)

Spirit Chaser: The world of heroes and spirits collide with Izuku at the epicenter. Izuku is a shrine priest or priestess if you want to do Fem!Izuku. Quirks mean little when ones faith and mantras are just as amazing. (me using all the priest/priestess powers from other anime/manga to come up with his powers and made a pretty OP quirkless teen who can seal spirits, cure villains of hatred, and fight along side the best heroes with nothing more than his families traditions) (willing to share, free to use)

Soul Resonance: A Soul Eater x BNHA fic. Inspired by Ravenclawoutcast13 fic on Ao3. Izuku is a miester and after moving to Nevada at an early age the the DWMA comes back to UA when it is time to be a hero.

Task Force: Izuku is part of a not so secret task force that deals with villains, criminals, and aggressive heroes. Most members of the task force are quirkless and are like Japan’s SWAT. The Task Force is also an internal affairs for the hero system. Because of their no nonsense way they operate most people fear the Task Force and any person reveled to be apart of it. (Willing to Share)

Web Weaver’s Betrothed: An idea came about from two writing prompts; 1. “What is so dangerous about the forest” and 2. My answer to all the Spiderman crossover fics. This fic is ambitious as it combines BNHA, Spiderman, and Yokai together. (Izuku is spiderman, but his own spiderman. and I add forest spirits in for fun)

What is in a name: My very first BNHA fic idea!! I turn the ‘BNHA name explaining someone’s powers’ up to 11 and give Izuku the power of the forest and fay like creatures. Izuku is the fairy king basically.

Paragon... (no name yet) Izuku is a kid with a powerful quirk that transcends all previous quirk types. Watch this little hero work his hardest to get the title he has longed for. (a nice fic, with Izuku/Bakugou friendship)

Renegade... (no name yet) Only a few know Izuku. No one would guess that he is the ‘Fairy King’ that has saved countless kids from harm these last ten years. (an accident puts Izuku into a coma. that won’t stop his heroic spirit from doing what he was born to do. Toga gets to go to UA, Shoto gets to be a normal kid, and Bakugou might get his butt kicked by the army of people that Izuku has helped)

Yakuza!Izuku: Izuku's dad was a big time Yakuza boss in the past. Izuku has been the head of his family for over five years controlling the underground. Which would be good for the underground world if it was what he wanted. And after a fated conversion gets him thinking more about his place in the world Izuku decides to clean house and become a force for good.

Dishonored:

The Royal Consort Series: A three part series where Jessamine lives but Emily goes missing. Emily isn’t truly missing she grows up in the Golden Cat because she was never found and eventually becomes its owner. She and the girls of the Golden Cat replace Daud and the whalers. She is has the mark of the outsider, a kill count and maybe some resentment at what happened all those years ago.

Miraculous Ladybug: 

There is quite a bit of Maribat just fyi

Bio!Family ideas: (Most of these are one-offs and once their stories are posted, will become free to use)

Bio!Dad Obadiah Stane 

Bio!Dad Zod

Bio!Mom Poison Ivy 

Bio!Sister Ace (from the wild flush gang)

Blood Orchid: Marinette’s family is very powerful on her mother’s side and when the Akumas get too powerful in her parents opinion, she is told she will be moving to China. The stress of not being able to decide thing in her own life gets to Marinette and she is akumatized. (Free to Use)

Bounts of Paris: Bleach x MLB. Truth be told I liked Bleach and even liked the filler Bount arc. This AU would be where Master Fu fled Asia after the Soul Reapers Massacred the most of the Bounts. The Kwami are the ‘half-Bounts’ with special powers. They can live on after the human they are connected to die. and can forge new connections with with new humans creating new ‘true-Bounts.’

Casse-Cou: DareDevil x MLB (the idea is a Gift for miraculous786). This is an AU where Marinette is not a seamstress. Instead she is an aspiring lawyer. This does feature a Blind!Marinette but she is makes do in her own way. With a different destiny before her Marinette gets paired with Plagg and becomes The Cat of the Devil, the DareDevil Casse-Cou 

Death of Gods and Men: WitchBlade x MLB. I stumbled across witchblade’s anime and the crossover sounded like a great idea. I mean listen to the WB intro:::  Sought by the greed of men since the dawn of human kind, but only bestowed upon the women whose fate it forever scars...the Witchblade. Is it the righteous sword of God? Or hand of the Devil himself? Now a new bearer has been chosen. And she must discover the answers for herself. As she stands on the brink of destiny, she is forced to seek the balance between ecstasy and ruin. (How could I not!?! I just need to tone down the fan service because WB is thirsty AF)

Demon Princess In Paris: Inuyasha&Yashahime x MLB. Another Fic where Marinette’s family on her mother’s side is very powerful back in China (and Asia as a whole). Lila planned to ruin Marinette when she came back to school after being gone for a week. Only to find Marinette has connections to a very powerful family in Asia. Stranger still Marinette looks nothing like what she did when she left. Little does Lila, or anyone in Paris, know that Marinette is a half-demon of her demon mother Sabine and her human father Tom, and not to forget she is granddaughter to the great Demon Lord Sesshōmaru

Flower Pot: MariBat. The Justice League have to rush to Paris because some new villain is opening time portals. When they get there the villain is already defeated by teenagers. Stranger still once they get close enough Wonder Woman rushes one of them in a hug with a shout of “Ladybug.” After a moment ‘Ladybug’ asks “Flower Pot, is that you!?!” This AU sends Marinette back in time and to the land of Themiscyra when Diana was a little girl. Chaos ensues both in the present and in the past.

Lantern’s Light: Green Lantern x MLB. Different Maribat AUs where I give Marinette a Power ring.

Star!mari: Marinette gets a ring of the Star Sapphires

Merci!mari: Marinette gets a ring of the Red Lanterns

Duty!mari: Marinette gets a ring of the Green Lanterns

Hope!mari: Marinette gets a ring of the Blue Lanterns

Let’s have fun with Miraculous: all of these are just silly ideas that I thought of late at night or early in the morning and wanted to share. All of them are Free to Use)

idea one is just a silly thing trying to figure out what Marinette might call herself after moving to Gotham as the Guardian of the Miraculous.

idea two is a Timinette ship that has Marinette using the Miraculous to heal Gotham. But because Batman is a control freak, she hides her healing as a three ring circus. (made possible by using the mouse miraculous to the max) Tim becomes smitten with the acrobatic performance.

idea three is just a random MLB idea. An entity convinces Fate to let them mess with destiny. that entity whether it is  Spirit, Demon, Devil, or God is Marinette’s new partner. And while the craziness of the Miraculous Ladybug canon is going on with a different ladybug. Marinette is having her own adventures. She is still undecided if this is a better fate than dealing with all the Miraculous stuff like she was suppose to.

Lost Valkyrie: Thor x MLB. A series covering both Miraculous Ladybug and the entire Thor movies (because my brain hats me). Marinette is a Valkyrie that through wormhole nonsense lands in Paris after their defeat by Hela. Marinette is adopted by Tom and Sabine as their daughter. Marinette has amnesia of her time as a Valkyrie. (This one is crazy too and once I get the idea fully written down I will be glad to give it to someone. Free to use- when it is done)

Miraculous Stitching:  Marinette has been getting some magic power from the natural magic radiating off of Tikki. Mari can imbue things with magic into things through her stitch work. (this one is might not be for the squimish, some body horror)

Price of Life- Purest Wish: (inspired by BAllpointbasic “The Price of Life”) A villain worse than Hawkmoth shows up and decimates Paris. Marinette uses the Miraculous wish and offers her life as payment. She is happy being able to save everyone and not cursing anyone else with the pain of losing someone they care about. With the selfish wish she gets reborn as a Kwami. 

Rise of Arachnid: After getting blinded and unable to be healed during an Akuma fight Marinette has to give up being Ladybug. Marinette ends up talk to Hawkmoth and because of her bleeding heart she offers her help after hearing his story. She becomes a very powerful recurring villain that the new Miraculous team have to deal with on top of the normal Akuma. She has the powers of Spiderman and DareDevil. (another Blind!Marinette)

The Forgetten City- Early Renaissance: (Inspired by multifandomscribette “The Forgotten City” series. It is a Young Justice x MLB crossover) The Team go to Paris following The Riddler’s spree of crime. They are helped by local heroes none of them have heard or met before. Once the villain is dealt with the team and is asked, not to kindly, to leave Paris and never come back. 

Pokémon: 

G1RBY: A silly Picachu DJ story I had. She is a talking Pokémon that I drew once and wanted to make into an ask blog. But the VA I had didn’t feel conformable with the idea of having people hear her voice so it is seelved. (Willing to Share)

Shinny Cubone: Proof that I have always had an angsty edge. This is a story of a Cubone dealing with life after their mother dies. But it is okay as their mother’s old teammates are there to help. A Gastly offering help as well. But is everything as it seems? (this was going to be a art blog. but I got lazy and did not want to redraw all my stuff from paper to comp)

RWBY: 

Grimm Masks: Bleach x RWBY... Kinda. A fic where Ruby presumably dies during a mission. She is later found wearing a grimm mask in the same forest she was killed in and seems to be able to control the grimm that share the same mask as her. (Basically got inspired by Ichigo’s hollow mask and thought to give it to Ruby. then as the story demanded it give a mask to the other girls of team RWBY. This was before the whole maiden thing was cannon)

She-Ra (netflix version)

Innocence of an Enemy Soldier: Magicatra Au idea. Catra is She-Ra and Adora is a Horde Soldier. After all the fighting is done and the Princesses have won. To bad things can’t end happily for Catra. Adora finally learns the truth about the horde being the bad guys after she is captured. With that knowledge she asks to be tried for her crimes. Catra needs to work hard to prove her once friend’s innocence otherwise Adora will be executed.

Dissonant Whispers: Catra meets Corrupted She-Ra and wants to scream to bad Corrupted Adora/She-Ra shushes her with a finger to the lips. (I just want to see Catra being small scared cat with pin-prick pupils seeing a slightly blood splattered She-Ra while being being cornered and her voice failing her when She-Ra puts a finger to her lips just as she was about to scream.)

Shadows make and Shadows break: another Magicatra au. alt title (Shadows make and Light breaks). this idea came about because I rewatched the part of She-Ra when Shadow Weaver adopts Adora. The whole “This one is different. Can’t you feel it? She has power...” “Don’t worry little one, we are going to do great things together.” thing. (I want a magic user Adora, and I only have the looses ideas of what I will do with it so far.) Why isn’t there more magic!adora AUs!?!

Original Ideas: 

/The Squad/: (A colab furry Comic/Radio drama I had planned to do with VAs and everything. Had the pilot printed out and everything. Just didn’t get enough VAs.) Crime has become a spectator sport of cops and robbers. Criminals no longer snatch purses or kill people, instead they are closer to performers robbing banks, stealing from museums, street racing and the like. Criminal and Police Officer alike vie for attention of the crowds and the attention of viewers at home. (willing to share)

Dark Skies: A small story based off a photo a friend of mine took. It won me a short story award way back when. I willing share it with artists to so how they want to draw the scene. (willing to share, if you got the willingness to draw. lol)

Competent Folder: Stories I think are good just haven’t done anything with them yet.

Olympian Noire: a 50s Noire story with Olympian characters and references. (needs some grammar edits and a good reread before it is posted again) (Willing to Share after I rework it a little)

Misgivings about Airships: A start of an actual story I was writing but lost most of the progress I made except the first page I had. (a reminder to save often. will come back to it if I ever get over how much I lost of it)

Marked and Scarred: This is my bread and butter. A short hook for a story. Tells you just enough about the characters and world to grab your attention but leaves enough for you to also add details to it if you want. (willing to share/ free to use)

Gremlins: A dream I written down once about ‘Fairy Folk’ and how much they don’t like someone like me. Probably wont ever be finished because I woke up before the dream ended and most people wont find it as unsettling as I did. 

Dragons: Short story. A warning a dragon gave to a ship and its crew about a dangerous storm, unlike any other, that would devastate their homes if they didn’t prepare for it. The dragon later became a symbol for the port town.

Danger Days: Not so much a story and more of a parody of the My Chemical Romance song “Look alive/ Sunshine” as my own type of intro of sorts. 

Badge of Babylon: A fun Colab I did with other people on Facebook a few years back. A changing POV fic involving an Older Thief, a young Page, and Sylph (fairy). The group fell apart sadly. But I saved our saved notes and could still make a decent story out of it. 

All from a Ring: An entire scene that came to mind from a ring holding a broken gem a friend of mine had. And I am pretty proud of it. (needs a little touch ups but it is complete)

Eh Folder: Stories that aren’t bad but don’t inspire anything in me anymore. They range from bland to me needing to be in a certain mindset to be able to add to them. (all of these are Free to use) 

Caterpillar: a story that takes place in older alt timeline where strange creatures exist and follows the diary/journal entries of a man trying to find one of those creatures. At first he thinks it is a dragon, but eventually finds out that it is a kaiju sized caterpillar that has terrifying Lovecraft elements added to it. 

Spider Junk: Was concocted by me after being sick, sleep deprived, or plain crazy while I wrote down this short story. I have no memory writing this but it is in my own hand writing so... It is a story about how your mind can play tricks on you if your mind is not operating properly. 

Psych session: It is a story about a character talking to his psych doctor about a dream/haunting he had about his dead sister. It is a good idea but I really don’t have any drive to continue it. (I am sure someone else could make something out of it)

Da Faq Folder: a series of stories/ideas that are not worth the light of day or the energy it would take to store in your brain. Worse than needing to be deleted. they serve as a reminder to me that not all ideas are worth it. Sometimes we just need to write them down to get over them, drop them completely, or to get out that little bit of nasty we have that needs to get out in a healthy way. 

Holy f^ck that is 65 different stories! This was a bad idea. Seeing them all listed like this is weird. Normally I have them on Microsoft word, Google Docs, or saved on my Tumblr Drafts.

[thekytchensynk]

The Girl in the Park (Fictober Prompt 25)

Prompt number: 25

Fanfiction Fandom: Natsume’s Book of Friends

Rating: G

Warnings: No Warnings

Read this story on AO3

Is she a yokai?

Natsume is sitting at a picnic table, listening with half of his attention to Taki as she explains the plot of a movie she watched recently and found utterly enthralling. The other half of his brain is watching the girl, the stranger, out of the corner of his eye. She’s sitting on bench under a nearby tree, reading a small poetry book. She wears a somewhat old fashioned dress -- long skirt, long sleeves, carefully made lace, a western-style dress but not in any modern cut. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a yokai in that sort of clothing -- their clothing tended toward the traditional. But he wasn’t sure he’d seen a dress like that in real life, ever.

“The special effects for the magic were really amazing,” Taki was saying. Next to Natsume, Nishimura was hanging on her every word.

No one was paying attention to the woman, Natsume thought as he sipped on his soda. It could just be that everyone was minding their own business. Or it could be that they couldn’t see her. And honestly, it usually wouldn’t have mattered to him.

Except that every once in a while, she glanced up over her poetry book at their table.

Their eyes had met, the first time he noticed it, and she immediately looked back down to the page, as though trying to pretend she hadn’t been caught looking.

So, if she was a yokai, she wanted something from one of them. Probably him but he’d learned over the years never to count anything out. Should he approach her? Or just leave her alone and deal with her if she came over here?

He wasn’t going to let her ruin this day out with friends.

“Hey, you with us?” asked a voice.

He looked up to see Taki had either finished or interrupted her story, and all three of his friends -- she, Nishimura and Kitamoto -- were staring at him. She was grinning at him, a look of mischief in her face.

“He’s flirting,” Kitamoto said from his spot next to Taki. when that got a reaction out of all three of them, he raised his eyebrow and asked the other two. “You haven’t noticed?”

“No!” Taki sounded both intrigued and scandalized.

Kitamoto tilted his head ever so slightly in the direction of the young woman on the bench. “Guess I can see why. That girl over there. She’s pretty, but a little otherworldly, right? Like she’s some sort of time traveler.”

Taki glanced over, circumspect. Nishimura showed no such restraint until Kitamoto spoke his name in a sharp, quiet tone, as though he were a misbehaving puppy.

“She’s cute,” Taki agreed. A beat later, she added, “And she’s definitely looking over here. You should talk to her.”

Then she looked at him, and something in the sheepish expression seemed to tell her what had happened. Maybe not all of it, but enough. In a less teasing, more gentle tone she added, “People like that are rare, Sometimes you can even see the unusual aura they carry. Anyone would be interested. She kinda looks like some spirit or something. Right?”

She appealed to Kitamoto, who nodded in agreement -- he’d just taken a bite of his fries, and maintained enough of his manners to not talk around them.

And Natsume smiled at her, grateful.” Uh, yeah,” he said. “You know, maybe I will.”

[tumblunni]

Also WOW I’d never actually seen the original nintendo direct announcement trailers for Yokai Watch! I wish I was able to join the fandom back when the game first came out, I feel like i missed out on so much fun!

Was this the same trailer you guys got in america and other parts of europe? Its so oddly high budget so i cant imagine it was only made for one country’s version of the show. Like they made a fully anime style animated version of the title screen just to act as a background??

Man this gets me SO HYPE i wish I’d had this as my first impression instead of that goddamn awful demo. Put me off the series for years! this would have actually shown me what the damn thing was really about!

Also have this COMPLETELY INEXPLICABLE trailer of Satoru Shibata edited into the theme tune and gameplay footage.

And wow, a video that actually explains the battle system better than the demo and even the ingame tutorials! While you jam out to all the cool battle themes! Think I might just link this in my lets play, honestly.

Oh also if you just wanna see a random tv ad. Nothing really unique here, just ‘hey this is what announcers sound like with a british accent’. I swear THIS EXACT MAN does every damn pokemon advert too! And he might have been the guy who mispronounced Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. or else they just have a horde of generic voiced clone men they keep in the nintendo uk basement

Case in point: his ever so slightly more generically accented brother tells us about the toys and manga

Ok thats all the UK adverts i can seem to find on youtube. I’d love to see if other countries got better ones! This is the only american one i know about:

[mysticdragon3md3]

checking out Elegant Yokai Apartment Life & why I like the yokai genre

Belated post. I'm sorry this contains some negativity towards other series.  But I couldn't help some comparisons, and I prioritize using my Tumblr to document my fandom life, even when contrasts between series makes me more aware of some negatives in other series.  So I didn't censor this journal entry much.  Sorry.

8:34 PM 8/31/2017 Trying "Elegant Yokai Apartment Life" episode 1 right now.  I already watched all of Restaurant to Another World, and Katsugeki Touken Ranbu isn't interesting me right now, since I saw it out of order.  The episdoe I skipped goes backward in my mental chronology of the story.  

I was thinking about why I like yokai anime.  I used to also really love the demon-hunting genre.  The demon-hunting genre tended to be full of action and combine modern science with magic, since it would often take place in current times but use passed-down magics.  I think in the West we call that genre "urban fantasy".  But yokai anime tend to be different.  The settings may be the same, modern day with ancient magics but also modern scientific sensibilities, but the tone is drastically different.  It tends to not revolve around action, the yokai aren't just 2-dimensional Evil, and the themes advocate Empathy.  I think because yokai are usually born out of the residual or surrounding emotions of humans and other creatures, being imbued into a place or objects, or just manifesting out of a commonly occurring emotional experience, their conflicts can only be resolved through sympathy and understanding.  Yokai anime tend to be heart-warming, gentle-hearted, and just all that stuff full of heart.  ^-^  They *can* go in the action-y, demon-hunting direction, but more often, they seem to fall into the iyashikei genre.  Which is perfect.  ^___^

9:12 PM 8/31/2017 I like this series.  It's a cute show.  I don't have too much of a sense of the the main protagonist Inaba---maybe because the episode cut before it showed how he deals with conflict.  But he seems like the nice type, since he doesn't want to cause problems for his uncle/aunt.  Though he wants to run away from the friction with his cousin, the opening scene where he and his best friend consider dueling some kind of fun bonding, combined with his masculine, spikey hair, set him up as a Shonen type of character.  So maybe he won't solve the yokai problems with empathy (as most protagonists of iyashikei yokai series), as much as he will act as a stand-in "every man" to gawk at all the weirdness of the yokai.

I was really surprised when the episode ended by revealing Akine as an exorcist in training.  When she made that mudra, I thought she was going to turn around and explain that she was descended from miko or something.  ^o^  But what surprised me was the fact that an exorcist was introduced.  I was going into this series, expecting a warm-toned iyashikei, then suddenly, an exorcist drawing magic circles and expelling evil spirits appeared!  Exorcists in the main regular cast usually give a series a combative tone.  Since they tend to purify evil spirits by simply getting rid of them, they tend to use more force than empathy to solve the conflicts.  I mean, I'm fine with the demon-hunting genre, but I guess I was expecting too much Natsume Yuujinchou.  ^.^;  

(Now I know why people compare Morose Mononokean to Natsume Yuujinchou.  Even though Ashiya is kind of annoying, loud, impulsive, and can be quick to run/scream from yokai who would be better dealt with using empathy, he still eventually shows kindness to even the yokai he's afraid of.  ...You just have to sit through most of the episode of him being an insensitive spaz towards yokai.  -_-; )  

[kythen]

Haikyuu!! - A Day’s Work

Title: A Day’s Work

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Pairing: Kurodai

Summary: Kurodai Weekend Day 1 - Spirits: Shinigami AU / Yokai & Exorcist AU. A day in the life of Sawamura Daichi, professional exorcist and youkai hunter, and Kuroo, professional youkai. Also found here on AO3.

Word count: 2,405

There is nothing like an invigorating sprint through the forest to keep the blood pumping, the body and spirit healthy. But the problem here is that Daichi has been at this for three whole hours now and rather than maintaining a healthy body and spirit, he feels like he might just expire on the spot if they don't get this job over and done with.

"Kuroo," Daichi calls out with his mind, feeling the bond between them hum as he makes the connection. "We have to regroup."

"What, tired already?" Kuroo responds, a teasing lilt in his voice.

"Yes," Daichi replies, not taking the bait. "Not all of us have inhuman stamina like you do. Plus, I'm beginning to think that we're being led on a wild goose chase here, seeing that neither of us have caught up to them after this long."

"I was thinking the same thing," Kuroo admits, "but I lost track of time, or your human definition of time anyway. They're probably splitting us up because it feels like you're getting further away from me."

"Okay, then we definitely need to regroup."

Daichi focuses on the bushy tail a distance before him, which darts around trees and barrels through bushes, forcing Daichi to follow it on a convoluted path through the forest. He doesn't know why he hadn't thought of doing this earlier. All that hectic running must have clogged up his head if hadn't even thought to check if his target was still there or long gone. He throws his senses out in a wide arc before him, catching on the bushy tail and grimacing.

"Daichi?"

"It's gone. I'm chasing an illusion. A really good one."

"Same here. They must have switched out while we were chasing them because I'm sure that they were there at the start."

"Damn tricksters."

"That's kitsune for you."

"Kuroo, are they still in the forest?"

"I can still smell them so they must be nearby. I bet they're just watching us and laughing their tails off," Kuroo growls.

"We shouldn't be making this mistake in the first place. It's a rookie mistake," Daichi sighs, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair.

"Hate yourself later. Let's regroup."

"If we suddenly stop chasing them, they'll suspect that something is up. I'll pretend to stop because I'm out of breath and you come over to where I am."

"You just want a break," Kuroo says accusingly.

"Well, I don't have to pretend to be out of breath because I am out of breath," Daichi says.

"Tsk. Humans. Okay, I'll come get you. Don't get eaten in the meantime."

Daichi slows to a jog then a walk, panting heavily as he watches the bushy tail leap out of sight. He stops in a clearing, resting his hand on a tree trunk to brace his wobbly legs, keeping his senses alert. This would be the best time for the kitsune to launch an attack on him if they were planning to, when Daichi appeared to be at his weakest. If they do, Daichi might actually thank them because it means that he won't have to keep running when he could face them out in the open. He would take a direct confrontation over an endurance run through the forest any day.

The trees around him rustle and Daichi tenses up, then relaxes when he feels the distance between Kuroo and him vanish. Kuroo lands in the clearing neatly, his paws making no sound against the forest floor. Even in the bright noon sun, his massive body is pitch-black, his thick fur stubbornly refusing to absorb any light. His two tails wave jauntily in the air as he heads towards Daichi and regards him with slitted golden eyes.

"You look awful," Kuroo remarks aloud, eyeing Daichi critically.

"Thanks," Daichi says dryly.

"As I thought, they're watching us. There's one near you and the other followed me all the way here," Kuroo tells Daichi through their mental link. "They're careful, but if you strain your senses you can pick up your kitsune shadow."

Daichi rests his back against the tree trunk and says aloud, "Let me rest for a while before we go on."

He shuts his eyes and reaches out with his senses, feeling past the giant presence before him that is Kuroo and locating a smaller, distinctively kitsune-like presence at the very edge of his senses. He can't feel the other kitsune, the one tailing Kuroo, no matter how much he strains and he breaks his concentration in resignation.

"I know where mine is but not yours," Daichi reports.

"That's good enough. I'll take one and you take the other. We'll catch them by surprise."

"Come here for a moment," Daichi says aloud to Kuroo, spreading his arms wide and looking at him balefully.

Kuroo trots over, ducking his head to nuzzle Daichi's neck. Daichi hugs him around the neck, burying a hand in his thick fur and using his other hand to fish out the talismans from his shirt, hiding his movements from sight with Kuroo's bulk.

"On the count of three," Daichi tells him, focusing on his kitsune target. "One, two, three!"

Daichi drops to the ground to slam a barrier talisman into the earth, drawing a pattern around it in a lightning-quick motion and directing his barrier to stretch all the way to where the kitsune is. Kuroo is already gone, no doubt tearing after his own target and scaring the living wits out of it. Daichi feels resistance against his barrier, clawing at its walls and searching for a way out frantically. But his barrier will hold—they are his specialty after all—and Daichi concentrates on shrinking the size of his barrier, pulling the kitsune in towards him rather than going to it and leaving his barrier talisman unprotected.

A hissing blur flies towards him, a kitsune's powerful jaws aiming straight for Daichi's neck. Daichi dodges, letting it sail over his head, and when he turns, the kitsune is on the ground with its claws outstretched over his barrier talisman, ready to destroy it.

"Seal," Daichi whispers, feeling the energy surge from the rest of the talismans he had scattered around his barrier seal. When inactivated, the talismans were mere pieces of paper that youkai wouldn't sense, making them the perfect traps.

The kitsune howls as it freezes in place, unable to move or resort to trickery while within reach of Daichi's trap talismans. It glares at Daichi as he comes close and seals it off, sticking another talisman on its side with a quick chant. Disgruntled, it stays still in Daichi's arms as Daichi clears the talismans on the ground and dispels his spells.

"Daichi!" a familiar voice sings, the sound muffled, and Daichi looks up to see Kuroo trotting back into the clearing triumphantly, holding a slightly singed and equally disgruntled kitsune in his mouth.

---

Daichi makes the trek back to the village on exhausted legs, showing the village head his two captives, the twin kitsune, and receiving his payment in exchange. He asks them for a wicker basket to place the two immobile kitsune in, sealing it with talismans all over the sides and its cover. Then he throws a checkered blanket over it to hide how suspicious it looks to the public eye.

"It almost looks like we're going on a picnic," Kuroo remarks as Daichi leaves the village hall with the cheery-looking basket in tow. He leans against a wall across the street in the form of a tall, lanky man with black hair that looks like it has seen better sleeping positions and hazel eyes that look the slightest bit catlike in the right light.

"I wish," Daichi sighs. "But no, we're going to the Fushimi Inari Shrine to drop off these two troublemakers."

At this odd hour in the afternoon, Daichi manages to grab a seat in the nearly empty train and he sinks gratefully into it, resting the wicker basket in his lap. Kuroo drops into the seat beside him, still looking at the cheerfully covered basket with amusement.

"Hey," one of the kitsune pipes up from within the basket as the train starts moving. "Your line of work seems fun. Instead of going all the way to Fushimi Inari while you're this tired, why not take us on as familiars? I bet we'd be more useful than your cat over there."

"No, thanks," Daichi replies curtly. "I already have my hands full with one."

Kuroo rests his chin on Daichi's shoulder and looks down at the basket, saying smugly, "Sorry, boys, but he's mine."

"Ooh," the kitsune chorus.

"Looks like you like some tail in your men," the first kitsune remarks slyly. "If you give us the chance to transform, we're actually really handsome as men. How about it, exorcist-san?"

"I'm going to take a nap," Daichi says loudly, ignoring the kitsune's comments about his taste in familiars and men. "Kuroo, wake me up when we're there."

"Sure thing. Go to sleep, Daichi," Kuroo leans against him, a warm and steady weight against his side. He blinks down at the basket, smiling pleasantly and showing the kitsune razor-sharp teeth. "I'll watch them and if they get too rowdy, I'll just eat them for you."

---

When Daichi wakes up, his head is pillowed on Kuroo's shoulder and Kuroo has an arm around him to keep him from sliding off his seat.

The kitsune twins titter at him all the way to the shrine.

---

The sun has set by the time Daichi makes it back home and he gropes along the wall for the light switch with one hand, his other hand laden down with groceries. Despite the size of the Sawamura compound, only the sitting room, the kitchen and two rooms are in use, given that Daichi is the only one who lives here now. The place is too big for him but he can't bear to move out and sell his family home, not with all its memories and secrets contained within its walls.

"I'm home," he calls out in the empty house, toeing his shoes off at the entrance.

"Me too," Kuroo choruses, leaping past Daichi on soft feet as an ordinary black housecat.

Kuroo leads the way to the kitchen with his tail raised high, waiting for Daichi to catch up at the doorway. As Daichi enters the kitchen, Kuroo twines around his legs and meows piteously at his feet, nearly tripping him up.

"Fish. Give me the fish. I saw you get the good stuff." Kuroo paws at his thigh.

"Give me a minute, we just got back." Daichi nudges Kuroo away with a foot so that he can place his groceries on the table.

"Grill it please. I like it grilled with salt," Kuroo tells him, licking his chops.

"You know you could very well do this yourself. In a form that has two opposable thumbs," Daichi points out, taking the food items out of their bags. "Then you wouldn't have to wait for me."

"I'm no good with these finicky human chores," Kuroo sniffs, licking a paw delicately. "Besides, I'm more adorable in this form, don't you think?" He rolls over on his back and looks up at Daichi with big, golden eyes.

Daichi snorts as he sets up the portable charcoal grill on the floor. The modern grills built into the stovetop just don't have the same flavour, so Kuroo says. "I've seen you in all your other forms. That doesn't work on me anymore."

"Then how about this one?" Kuroo asks, his voice suddenly in Daichi's ear and not his head. There is a solid warmth at Daichi's back, hands hovering over his waist and sliding down into the pockets of his jeans.

Daichi turns and shoves the bag of fish at Kuroo's chest. "Good. You now have opposable thumbs. Do it yourself, you freeloader."

"Slavedriver," Kuroo mutters, cradling his bag of precious fish in his hands as Daichi steps away to prepare his dinner.

"You don't have to eat," Daichi tell him. "Or you can eat them raw just like in the good old days you keep reminiscing about."

When Daichi turns back around, Kuroo is already crouched over the grill, calling up a flame to light the charcoal. He is sulking and if he had his cat ears and tail, Daichi knows that they would be drooping too. For someone who is supposedly a couple of hundreds years old, Kuroo is surprisingly childish when it comes to things like this. Maybe it comes from being a cat spirit, contrary and free-willed to the end.

But after spending all these years with him, Daichi has grown to find that side of Kuroo strangely endearing, not that he would tell him. He would never hear the end of it if Kuroo knew about Daichi's soft spot for him. Kuroo would never lift a paw again to grill his own fish.

Daichi crouches next to Kuroo, watching Kuroo place each fish reverently on the grill, trying to fit as many pieces as he can on the tiny grill. His eyes are shining as he watches the fish cook on the fire, his hunger showing through.

"Here," Daichi nudges him, breaking him out of his reverie and handing him the salt.

Kuroo sprinkles it on carefully then sits back on his haunches, his eyes never leaving the grill. "I'll give some to you when they're done," he says to Daichi.

"That's surprisingly generous of you."

Kuroo shrugs. "I could probably spare one or two for you."

"That's not even half of what I bought." Daichi scowls.

"I have dibs on all the fish that enters this house," Kuroo informs him loftily. "It's in our contract."

"It is not."

"Maybe you should read it again."

"Nice try but no. I know what I wrote." Daichi stands, going back to preparing ingredients for his dinner.

"You're getting harder to fool," Kuroo complains, finally looking away from his precious fish, following Daichi with his eyes as he crosses the kitchen. "Back in the past, you'd get flustered and start pouring over that old thing immediately. It was adorable."

"It comes from living with you this long, I guess," Daichi replies dryly. "Either I stop taking everything you say so seriously or I go mad."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Kuroo grins, turning back to the grill as his fish begins to smoke.

[saitamart]

Traditional Commissions OPEN

Howdy y'all so my laptop broke and I’m unemployed rn so I’m available to do some traditional art commissions to save up for a new one!

I’m mobile rn so just take a peek at my blog to see examples of my traditional work.

Prices start at $5-10 (USD), and additional characters will be about +$2 and so on.

Things that I’m willing to do: Humans/humanoid, anthro/furry, oc and fandom related content, chibi, robots (depending on complexity), and I can possibly do animals (not furry) though you’ll have to be specific so I can determine if I can draw them accurately.

Fandom things that I love and are happy to draw for you include: Naruto, Death Note, Boku no Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100, Yokai Watch, Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basket, Don’t Starve, TF2, Stardew Valley, and a lot more, just ask me!

Things that I am NOT willing to draw: Pedophillia or pedophillia related content (loli or shota), rape, porn, etc

I may be able to draw gore, blood or nudity but it must be in an artistic viewpoint and not in a fetishizing way.

*PayPal invoices only*. You can contact me via direct messaging. I would prefer to cooperate so that I can keep in touch with you, so please don’t just send a request and never reply back.

♡♡♡

[ruddcatha]

Guardian Chapter 15

SURPRISE, the next chapter is here!

Things are getting intense, can Kagome handle the pressure?

WARNING, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE THEMES IN THIS CHAPTER

Thank you again to @heavenin–hell for your inspiration, I hope this story does your work justice.

posted on Ao3: Here / FFN: Here

Guardian has been Nominated for the Feudal Connection  2020 3rd Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards!  Thank you to all the supporters of this story!!  Voting is now open and  runs through August 12, 2020, click here to vote.

Nominated for: Best AU/AR

Kagome would never forget how she had felt that day as they were ushered out of the weapons lab, Sango, Kikyo, Miroku and Inuyasha circling her, hiding her from the Ookami who lived in the Compound who had come running at the massive surge of energy.  She was grateful she hadn’t hurt anyone, although it had been a close call.  She could see how tired Miroku and Kikyo were, it took a tremendous amount of energy to place a barrier, and they had needed to form large ones… and FAST.

As soon as they reached the cars Inuyasha had bundled her into one of the back seat with him, holding her as closely as he could.  She hadn’t been able to process anything he said to her, between the massive drain of energy and the shock, her mind had gone into shut down.  One thought kept haunting her.

She had nearly hurt Inuyasha.

The tears she had kept at bay broke through the dam and streamed down her face as she began to shake.

“Shhhh, Kagome, I’ve got you.” Inuyasha’s voice broke as he whispered to her, one hand stroking her hair while the other held her to his chest.  “I’ve got you.” 

Kagome felt his yokai surrounding her, gently pulsing around her in a soothing fashion.  Slowly awareness began to seep back in.  She looked out the window and saw Miroku and Kikyo in a heated conversation, well, it looked heated from the way Miroku was moving his hands, Kikyo had gone into priestess mode, showing no expression and staying still, without any errant movements.  Shippo was talking to Jinenji, he seemed to be the only excited by what had happened, she could almost see the young man quivering with excitement.  Rin stood off to the side with her head tilted, watching Kagome through the glass.

Toga, Sesshomaru and Koga stood near the entrance to the weapons facility, deep in discussion.  She saw Koga hand a wrapped package to Toga with a nod before all three looked in her direction. The sheer anger in Sesshomaru’s eyes frightened Kagome and she turned to hide her face against Inuyasha’s neck. 

Toga watched the pair carefully, the sinking feeling of dread growing at what he saw.  Inuyasha’s yokai had enveloped Kagome, surrounding her frantic and spiking energy. 

He had seen the difference in her energy the moment Inuyasha had reached her in the chaos in the weapons lab.  He had watched as their energies had melded together, the golden colors blending and deepening the longer Inuyasha held her and had seen how quickly Kagome’s energy had begun to calm. 

Spiritual energy and yokai should have been incompatible, and with Kagome’s instability Inuyasha’s unconscious actions should have increased the instability, putting them all at risk.

But… it hadn’t.  Kagome’s energy hadn’t rejected Inuyasha’s. 

The implications of what that meant for his son terrified him.  He only knew of one pairing between a powerful priestess and a yokai, Midoriko and her mate Hoshiyomi.  He was one of only a few that knew they had been mated, that Midoriko had needed Hoshiyomi’s yokai to be able to fully control her abilities.

Inuyasha was strong, but as a hanyou, would he be strong enough to be Kagome’s stability? 

Kagome stayed wrapped in Inuyasha’s arms until they were back at the university, and even then, she refused to leave Inuyasha’s arms.  He picked her up and carried her to her room, and sat down with her on her bed, just holding her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.  Sango had entered the room at one point, but Kagome had tuned everything out but Inuyasha.  Every time he moved to leave, she let out a soft whimper and held him closer. 

He lay down on the bed, cradling her in his arms, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead until she fell into a fitful sleep, once again plagued with dreams.  This time, when she woke in terror and reached out for him, he was there to sooth her back to sleep.  With his yokai surrounding her like a cocoon, she finally fell into a dreamless slumber, knowing that Inuyasha was there to protect her.

After that day, the training sessions had become torture.  If she thought Sesshomaru had been hard on her before, it was nothing compared to his cutting and biting remarks now.  He had made her demonstrate move after move, throw after throw, criticizing her form, her technique, her lack of strength, her lack of control.  After the first day Inuyasha had snarled back, but Kagome’s hand on his chest had him backing down.  She couldn’t fault Sesshomaru for his criticism, he was right, and she knew it.

She had taken to isolating herself during breaks, she couldn’t sit still, she just couldn’t.   She didn’t want to feel their stares, hear the whispers.  They all knew now, and of course the yokai were afraid of her.   She had seen the distance they kept during training, surrounding her with human partners to keep the yokai out of range.  So, she had wandered, she knew the living quarter well but only knew the training room on that level.  Exploring gave her something to do, something to focus on.  One room had caught her attention, it was empty except for one item, a light gray vessel with white and black flowers that looked vaguely familiar.  She saw the sutras around the door, whatever the vessel was, it was well protected.

She felt a tinge of guilt, she had been actively avoiding Sango, but she needed to do this, to train, to get stronger, alone.  She knew that Sango would have joined her training sessions, but… Sango was one of her oldest friends, she couldn’t bear to keep disappointing her too.

Inuyasha had insisted on coming over each night with dinner, watching her until she choked some of it down.  She started running every night round the campus, waiting until Inuyasha left her apartment before taking off.  For the past two nights she had run for hours, she could not get the looks of fear, the anger in her ally’s faces, the sheer terror in Inuyasha’s eyes.  She knew realistically the terror had been for her, not of her, but that hadn’t helped her dreams any.  She would stumble home around two in the morning, and every night she jolted awake around four.  Now, instead of seeing a yokai kill Inuyasha in front of her in her dreams, she was the direct cause of his death.  She had watched as she had purified him, or her shot missed its target to strike Inuyasha, both times watching as he turned to ash in front of her.  

She refused to go back to sleep, refused to face that in her dreams.  She was spending her early mornings trying to meditate by Sanshiro Pond as she listened to the world come back to life, the song of the birds strengthening as it moved to the early dawn hours.  Her concentration waned as the song of a new bird caught her attention.

FUCK.

Every single noise distracted her, pulled her focus.  Tears streamed down her face as she curled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  She stared at the lake, barely seeing the majesty of the sunrise around her. 

She had never had a problem focusing on a task before in her life, and now, when it mattered more than ever, that concentration was just… gone.  The past few months, finding out about her spiritual powers, realizing the world was more than just what she saw, that yokai, creatures of myths and legends, walked the earth, went to school with her, that she was quickly falling in love with one, the physical exertion… 

In the middle of all this, she had lost Kagome.

Now she was just the sum of everyone’s expectations.  And she kept fucking letting them down.

She tipped her head back and let out a scream before curling back in on herself. 

She wasn’t some superhuman, she wasn’t a superhero, she was Kagome, just Kagome.  But she didn’t know who Kagome was anymore, and that thought terrified her.

The alarm on her phone broke her concentration, and she pulled it out, the screen blurry through her tears.

Shit. She hadn’t realized it was already Wednesday.  It was her seven am wakeup notification, she had Evolutionary Anthropology at eight thirty, and the professor did NOT like when they were late.  Kagome stood and wiped the tears from her eyes.  With effort she pushed her emotions down, forcing them out of her thoughts.   Thankfully, most of her credits were field study with Totosai, but she had this one physical class for the semester. 

She ran back to her apartment, sighing in relief when she did not hear Sango up and about as she snuck into her bedroom.  She hurried to get ready, as she exited the bathroom Sango handed her a cup of coffee and Kagome pulled the mask of the old Kagome over her, going through the motions of their usual morning routine with a smile on her face. 

It wasn’t until she left the apartment that she allowed the mask to fall, the smile to fade.  She had been getting good over the past month at hiding behind the mask.  She was reminded of a saying she had seen on Facebook, faking a smile is the most painful lie, but it’s the most effective way to hide from all the questions. 

She couldn’t let them know, couldn’t let them see.  If you smile broad enough, no one sees the tears.

She was getting exceptionally good at hiding them. 

She made it to class with minutes to spare, sliding into a seat at the back of the room.  Her classmates had noticed that she had started to draw to the back, but none of them knew her well enough to know how unusual that was.  Sitting in the back allowed her to zone out, to keep her attention on other matters… like saving the world. 

She pulled out her notebook and started making lists, a new habit she had picked up over the past month.  Lists of moves to practice, to do lists around the apartment, lists of places she wanted to show Inuyasha… and the new one, lists of where she had messed things up in her dreams.  That was the most important list to her right now, she had become almost obsessive with analyzing her dreams in detail, focusing on where something had gone wrong, she lost a weapon, she didn’t adjust her weight right, and its correlating list of what to practice to keep that from happening.  Her professor’s voice droned on and on in the background, it quickly became white noise until the words finally registered with Kagome.

“… forget, your final term papers are due this Friday by midnight.  The information is in the syllabus, and I hope you have all been working on them as the semester went on.” 

Kagome’s eyes went wide, and she pulled out the syllabus.  There it was… the research project, 30% of the grade.  Twenty pages in length with at least ten citations to peer reviewed articles and studies, due that Friday. 

She stared at the paper in shock.  She had lost track of time, how… how was it early July already?  She saw the rest of the class packing up and felt panic rise again.

“Kagome, could you see me please?”  Kagome’s head snapped up to see the professor gesturing to her.  Kagome hesitated, then walked to the front of the room.

“Kagome, you haven’t submitted your research topic for approval, I do hope you have been working on it.”  Kagome felt the walls of the room closing in around her as her panic rose.  “You have chosen your topic, correct?”

Kagome took a breath.  “Yes sensei.  My paper is focused on the behavioral changes of the Edo Period of rural settlements as they transitioned from worshiping yokai to Buddhism and Shinto beliefs.”  She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping it would be ok… would maybe Koga and Shippo would be able to help her.

Her professor nodded.  “I look forward to your paper Kagome, that is a fascinating topic.”

‘Now I hope I can do this in the next two days.’ Kagome thought to herself as she rushed to grab her bag and hurry out the door.  She needed to get to the library.

She flew out of the building at a near run, only to come to a stop as she saw Inuyasha leaning against a tree, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. Her eyes lit up at the offering of caffeine.

“My hero.” She cried out, running to him, and taking the offered coffee.

Inuyasha smirked as he watched her down half the cup without stopping. 

“And here I thought you were excited to see me.” He teased.  Kagome shot him a look as she finished the coffee., then leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“I am, I’m just more excited for the caffeine.” 

Inuyasha let out a playful growl at her words, and his arms banded around her waist to pull her against him.  That damn smell of decay was growing stronger, and it was driving him crazy trying to identify what was causing it.  After the visit to the Ookami on Sunday, it had gotten more pronounced, cloying, and overpowering her natural scent.  He cautiously tried to sniff out the location of the scent.

Kagome saw his nostrils flare gently and a shiver went through her.  He was the one person, the one being, she needed to protect.  She quickly rose onto her toes, sealing her mouth against his, her bag dropped to the ground as she tangled her hand into his hair.  She felt his rumble of pleasure go through her as she let all the fear, all the anxiety faded away, losing herself in his kiss. 

He made her feel alive, his arms were the only place she did.  She pressed herself even closer to him, elation running through her as she felt, really felt, his interest in her, the growing pressure against her stomach as he deepened the kiss with a growl.   He lifted her off the ground and pulled her even closer, and she stopped thinking at all.

Inuyasha lost himself in her kiss.  Kagome had been quiet and withdrawn for the past few days, and he had missed her fire, her spirit.  He had missed her, even when they were in the same room, he missed her.  The scent of ginger flooded his nose, drowning out all other scents as he picked her up and held her against him.  He could feel his blood rushing to his lower body, felt himself begin to swell against her and heard her soft moan.  The feel of her pressed against his body, her heat seeping through his clothes, Kami he wanted… more.  He released her lips to press kisses down her neck before licking the junction of her neck and shoulder.  He felt more than heard her gasp as he repeated the movement.  

He felt his teeth lengthen, drawn by the feel of her blood.  Her pulse called to him, and he scraped his fangs against her skin, he growled as she tilted her head to give him better access with a broken whimper, her hand holding his face against her neck.  The taste of her skin was addicting, he needed more of it.  He nipped her skin, not hard enough to break the skin but enough to leave a mark.  He pulled his head back and licked his lips, his eyes never leaving that small section of her skin, the need to bite her nearly overpowered him.

With a grunt he forcibly pulled himself away from her neck to quickly lower her to the ground and turn away from her.  He placed his hand on the tree next to him to ground himself.  His claws tore into the bark of the tree, his breathing broken at the effort to bring himself back under control.

 ‘What… what just… what just happened.’ Kagome felt herself shaking as she stared at Inuyasha’s back.  She didn’t understand why he kept pulling away.

‘What… what am I doing wrong?’ Fear ran through her as tears began to spill down her cheeks.  She wiped at her cheeks, trying desperately to keep him from noticing, even though she knew it was a futile effort.  The salty smell of Kagome’s tears broke through Inuyasha’s desperation, and he pulled his claws out of the tree, shaking it to remove splinters before he turned to her.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.  His ears drooped as he faced her.  Kagome pushed the hurt down, forcing herself to push it to the side to deal with later… when she was alone.  She didn’t want him feeling worse than he obviously already did.  She didn’t need that on top of everything else.  She crossed to him to him and raised a hand to his cheek.

“For what Yash?” she said softly with a smile as he nuzzled his cheek into her hand before turning and giving a soft lick to her palm.  He pulled her close, the lingering scent of her tears blending with the soft smell of decay had him on edge.

“I don’t mean to dishonor you.” He said as he rested his head atop hers.  “I just… I lose my head around you.”

Kagome pulled out of his embrace to tilt her head at him. 

“What do you mean dishonor me?” she demanded, her voice sharpening before she could reign in her confusion.

He sighed.  “I want to court you properly.  To respect you.”

She smiled.  “Oh Yash.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek before taking his hand and pulling him down the path.

“Come on, walk me to the library?”

“The library?” Inuyasha was confused.  “We have training today.”

Kagome pulled away to turn to him.  “I can’t Yash.  I have a paper due Friday that’s a big portion of my grade, I won’t be able to train until its done.” 

He captured her hand again, raising it to place a kiss on the back of it.  “Then let me escort you my lady.” 

Kagome listened to Inuyasha as he talked about Sesshomaru’s latest exasperation with Jaken and Shippo, who had been joining them that week, the mask of old Kagome slipping once more into place as she smiled.

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

The next two days were a blur, Kagome existed in a sea of caffeine.  She could not remember a time when she had had so many cups of coffee, energy drinks, or 5-hour energy shots in such a short period of time. She had not slept in more than forty-eight hours, but she was on page fifteen of the twenty-page paper.  Her bedroom looked like a disaster zone, papers and books covered the floor, clothing was tossed on the bed and towards the hamper.  The only breaks she allowed herself had been a thirty-minute run to clear her head and taking twenty minutes to force down the food that Inuyasha had brought her Wednesday and Thursday evening.  She looked, bleary eyed, at the clock. 

It was seven am on Friday… she had seventeen hours to finish the paper, edit it and create the bibliography. 

She walked to the kitchen and poured herself another cup of coffee.  She downed the cup of coffee in one quick rush and stumbled back to her computer.  Just seventeen more hours….

She could do this.

@willowandfog​  @smmahamazing @clearwillow  @sticky-llama-perfection @alannada @shinidamachu @cstormsinukagblog@superpixie42 @nartista @neutronstarchild​ @i-dream-of-soup​ @hnnwnchstr  @fawn-eyed-girl​ @ all-my-cuffs-have-buttons @liz8080​ @pivora96​

[ruddcatha]

Guardian Chapter 8

Inspired by @heavenin--hell​!

Guardian has been Nominated for the Feudal Connection  2020 3rd Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards!  Thank you to all the supporters of this story!!  Voting will begin on July 29 and run through August 12, 2020.

Nominated for Best AU/AR

Wall of tags, if you would like to be added, please let me know!

@willowandfog​  @smmahamazing @clearwillow  @sticky-llama-perfection @alannada @shinidamachu @cstormsinukagblog @superpixie42 @nartista @neutronstarchild​ @i-dream-of-soup​ @hnnwnchstr

Found on Ao3: Here

Found on FFN: Here

Kagome felt breathless as she watched the… she could only describe it as magical… scene before her. She could feel the ebb and flow of the energy around the room like a heartbeat, the golden light pulsing through the two statues.  At least now she knew she wasn’t insane; this was the same golden light she had seen the first day she had worked in the main room when she touched the wall.  Now the light seemed to sink into the forms, and she swore she saw the red handprints on the chests pulsing before the marks faded. As one, the two forms took a breath and their eyes flashed the same bright gold as Inuyasha’s.  A deep chuckle was heard from the … man… being… god… by the alter of the shrine.

“You did well pup.”  

The deep voice was soft but carried an undeniable tone of command.  This was a being who was used to being in control and obeyed without question.  Both men stepped forward, away from their platforms, towards Inuyasha.    Sango and Kagome held each other’s hand for support, and they heard Miroku’s slight gasp from beside them.

“Kami Kagome” Sango whispered, staring at the three silver haired men standing in the center of the room “you woke up the sex gods.”

Kagome’s eyes went wide as she looked at her friend in mock horror, and she suddenly found herself fighting to hold back a giggle.  

“I’m serious Kagome, look at them.  They are gorgeous… scary but gorgeous.” Sango smirked, then her face turned to shock as three shades of golden eyes turned to them.

“Shit” Sango swore nervously.

Miroku took a steadying breath before bravely stepping forward, turning his left arm to show the glowing tattoo located near his elbow.  He bowed low a few feet away from the three Inu yokai.

“My name is Miroku, my Lords, an apprentice member of the Human/Yokai Council, it is a pleasure to welcome you and pledge the allegiance of the council to your cause.”  Miroku stated clearly in late middle Japanese, completing the formalities of the counsel for the Great General and his sons.  An almost feral smile curved the lips of the tallest man in the group, his silver hair secured at the top of his head cascading down his back.  

“The Inu No Taisho accepts your allegiance and assistance.” His deep voice reverberated through the chamber.  “You may address me as Taisho or Toga.

The figure with the purple crescent moon watched the humans with a cold curiosity.  Toga turned to the silent figure, and Kagome saw a single eyebrow raise.  With a sigh, the last man looked at them and said a single word.

“Sesshomaru.” His voice seemed as cold as his expression.

Sesshomaru turned and focused his attention on Kagome. He made her nervous.  She felt that he was assessing and judging her, and that she had somehow been found wanting in some capacity.  The look of disdain in his light golden eyes made one thing clear, he did not care one way or another that they were there.  As he turned his attention back to Toga and Inuyasha she could not help but shiver slightly.  

Inuyasha began speaking quietly, quickly describing to his father and brother what had happened since he had awoken.

“What is this council and why was there a human and not one of the yokai lords here to greet us?” Toga asked, the plan that he had worked out with the lords did not involve humans.

“From what I have been told, the yokai lords form their own council, Miroku is a member of a second council of humans and yokai alike, to oversee the integration of the two, and were charged by the yokai lords to help when we returned.  All the humans have spiritual powers and are trusted by the lords.”

Kagome watched Inuyasha speaking with the other two Inu’s, seeing his shoulders relax for the first time in the admittedly short time she had known him.  She presumed that he had completed his story when all three turned to face her with different levels of consideration.  Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed as he began to walk towards her, his nose crinkling as if he smelled something distasteful. ‘Kami he can probably smell my fear.’ Kagome suddenly thought, clutching Sango’s hand tighter.  With a soft growl, Inuyasha was suddenly between her and Sesshomaru, and the later stopped.

“Brother” Kagome heard Sesshomaru say to Inuyasha before Sesshomaru turned and moved to the back of the room, away from the humans.  

Toga moved passed Kagome and Sango to move to the left wall, where he crouched down to look at the vessels and urns along the wall.

“Pup.” He growled.

“I know,” Inuyasha responded as he moved to stand next to his father “I saw.”

“What about the other seals?”

Inuyasha shook his head “Unknown.  I have not spoken with any of the keepers.”

“The Ookamis and Kitsunes would have been alerted the moment we were unsealed; I do not anticipate that it will take long for them to join us.” Toga said with confidence.

A shrill ringing sound echoed through the room, and all eyes turned to focus on Miroku.  With a sheepish grin Miroku pulled out his cell phone, making sure to keep it in sight of the two yokai in the room as he answered. After a moment he ended the call and looked to Kagome and Sango.

“Totosai.  He’s on his way with the second jeep.”

Miroku made his way towards Toga and Inuyasha, keenly aware that Sesshomaru was now slowly stalking in their direction.

“My lords” at the title Inuyasha let out a small growl and Toga’s lips quirked “That was Totosai, my mentor.  He will be arriving shortly with a second method of travel and asked me to inform you that the council will meet tomorrow.”

A short time later three silver-haired heads turned as one to the entrance of the shrine, alerting the humans to Totosai’s arrival. As Totosai descended the steps, Kagome, Sango and Miroku moved to meet him, with the Inu’s following slowly behind them.  Totosai paused as he saw the three guardian’s standing before him, Toga towering over his sons, though all three were an impressive height.  With all the courage he could muster, Totosai walked straight to the tallest figure, and gave a slight bow.  Toga looked down at the middle-aged man before him, taking in his balding head with white hair pulled behind him and white goatee.  Totosai’s eyes bugged out slightly at the perusal from the intimidating man before him.  

“Lord Toga” Totosai swallowed to calm his nerves “Please, allow us to escort you and your sons to a safe place to rest. The council will all be arriving tomorrow; I offer you a place to sleep and food to eat for as long as you desire it.”

Toga smiled broadly, the difference between his previous glower of intimidation and the smile was startling.  He threw back his head as he laughed.  Kagome saw Inuyasha watching his father with amusement and noticed that Sesshomaru had a look of pained embarrassment.  As he finished laughing, Toga reached out to clasp Totosai’s shoulder.  

“Thank you, after 500 years, I am starving.”  Toga strode up the stairs as he looked from side to side at the world around him. Inuyasha smirked at the dumbfounded look on the four humans before following Toga.  Sesshomaru was the only one who stayed downstairs, a low growl echoing through the entryway.

___________

It took close to an hour by Kagome’s estimate to get back to campus.  Sesshomaru had taken one look at the vehicles, raised an eyebrow and waited. Totosai quickly scrambled to open the back-seat door, and Sesshomaru lowered himself in the car.   Sango quickly chose to go with Totosai and Sesshomaru.

“I am not sitting in a car alone with that hentai.” She grumbled.

“Technically you wouldn’t be alone.” Kagome reminded her, earning herself a glare from her friend.

“Oh sure, except the ice man who would have no clue what was going on, that helps.”

Kagome just shook her head and moved towards Miroku’s vehicle.  Inuyasha was already sitting in the backseat of the jeep while Toga kept walking around it, his eyes shining like a young kid.  

“Remarkable.” He was amazed, he had anticipated that things would have changed, but not that much. To remove the horses from the carriage… Toga knew that he would enjoy learning more about this new world.    Miroku showed him how to open the doors, and Toga spent the next ten minutes opening and closing the door until Inuyasha growled.

“Kami, you are the parent, start acting like it.”

With a beleaguered sigh, Toga allowed Miroku to close the door.  Once everyone was securely in the jeeps, Totosai and Miroku made their way quickly back to Totosai’s office.  

Kagome learned more about her university on her way back than she had in all her research before joining the archaeology program.  Totosai told her that the university had been founded by one of the yokai lords, and he continued to subsidize it to that day.  The archaeology department was one of the pet projects, fully funded by the lords rather than having to seek grant funding or go through official state procedures for research approval.  That had allowed the archeology program to thrive, and members of the program were asked on every important excavation in Japan.  Totosai explained that it was how they made sure there was always at least one member of either council present on all archaeological projects just in case they came across the guardians.

Totosai’s office building had an underground apartment, one of several secured locations around town.  They did not appear on any maps and were not part of the official university plans or architectural records, and they were protected by complex wards that only allowed members of the councils or their guests through.  The archaeology program was very selective, applicants were screened for spiritual power during the interview process.  Kagome was surprised to learn that the only one in her program that did not have some latent spiritual power was Sango, however Sango was a descendant of what Totosai called the “slayers,” descendants of the original village, trained to fight and prepare to serve the lords who had once protected them.

When they arrived at the campus Totosai drove Kagome to her apartment complex.  She had insisted that she could walk back if he had wanted to get Inuyasha and his family prepared for the next day, but he would not hear of it. Inuyasha watched her silently from the backseat, his eyes never straying from her form as she moved towards the door. Kagome turned back as she reached the door, and she swore she could see the golden color of his eyes, even though she knew it was impossible at that distance.  With a sigh she made her way upstairs to her apartment, and Sango immediately pulled her into a tight hug as soon as the door closed.  The two friends stood there, their arms around each other in silence.

“Well today’s been a fucked-up day hasn’t it?”

Kagome burst out laughing at Sango’s statement, the humor breaking through the tension that she felt.

“Yeah, I say this ranks up there in the top 5 of fucked-up days.” Kagome agreed as she continued to chuckle.   She pulled away from Sango to move to the kitchen.  “And fucked-up days deserve wine.”

“Oh, you won’t get an objection from me on that!” At Sango’s response Kagome pulled down two glasses and took a bottle of white wine out of the fridge.  She poured two glasses and brought them back to hand one to Sango.

“To fucked-up days”

“To fucked-up days”

The girls clinked their glasses together and took the first sip of the wine.  Sango’s eyes took on a mischievous glint.

“To hot silver haired men.”

Kagome’s smile got dreamy as her thoughts went to Inuyasha. “To hot silver haired men and I will raise you with golden eyes that melt you.”

“Ooooh touché!” Sango giggled, drinking to the toast.

Kagome thought for a moment. “To… To dark haired men with blue eyes and a ponytail.”

“To dark haired men with blue eyes and…. Wait, what the fuck Kagome, I am NOT drinking a toast to hentai man!”

Kagome snickered at the indignation in Sango’s voice and on her face.  Sango continued to grumble “waste a perfectly good toast on that jerk.”

“Ah come on Sango, he wasn’t so bad, he’s been quite nice through everything today.  Besides, I saw the way you looked at him.”

Sango’s indignation turned into a blush.  “Shut up Kagome.”

Kagome just stared at her.

Sango sighed “… fine… to dark haired men with blue eyes who made a bad first impression but are still kinda hot anyway, there happy?”  Sango threw back the rest of her wine before glaring jokingly at Kagome.

“Yup.” Kagome smiled broadly as she snickered, the wine helping her to relax after the day.

Sango shook her head at Kagome.  “Alright girl, I’m heading to bed.  Thank god Totosai gave us tomorrow off.”

Kagome quickly finished her wine before taking the two glasses back to the sink to be rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher.  By the time she finished the door to Sango’s bedroom was closed.  Kagome made her way to her room; it was hard for her to believe that just a few hours earlier she had opened the door to find Inuyasha staring at her.  She quickly changed into her night clothes, exhaustion from the day and the wine both hit her at the same time.  Kagome fell against her bed, not even bothering to cover herself with her blanket.

Kagome turned to make herself comfortable, and her eyes passed the mirror on her dresser.  The mirror had taken on a hazy quality, and Kagome noticed that a fog seemed to be creeping through her vision.

‘I must be more tired than I thought.’  As her eyes closed and she began to drift off, she could swear she saw golden eyes in the haze.  A slight smile curved her lips ‘Inuyasha.’

As Kagome fell into a deep sleep, crimson eyes formed in the mirror, staring unblinkingly at her still figure.  Ghostly fingers formed in the mist and reached out towards Kagome.  As they drew nearer, Kagome’s face began show discomfort, and her body twisted, restless.  A golden aura formed around her form, the light blocking the fingers from reaching her body.  They withdrew with a hiss, and the crimson eyes narrowed in rage.  The mist began to swirl violently as the eyes brightened, anger making them burn like fire.  Shadowy shapes reached for Kagome time and time again, repelled each time by the golden glow.  Kagome jolted awake as the mirror cracked and shattered, shards flying through the room. A piece of glass flew past Kagome and cut open her arm.  She stared down with blurry eyes at her arm then turned back to the mirror.

“What... what just happened?”