#Trial by Fire Academy

[chiinferno]

Gordon Outfits

Just a little update on Gordon. While writing, I was inspired to design a formal wear suit for him, and it cascaded into me solidifying his design concepts across the series

[nevertheless-moving]

james t kirk walking through the enterprise for his FIRST OFFICIAL ENTERPRISE ASSIGNMENT (his first real (temporary) commission on the ENTERPRISE! baby boy's dream job! second time on this fancy deck EVER!) losing his absolute mind like is this. a thing. that ships do. and no one told me? at ANY point in The Academy??? Or is it just the flagship? I mean they ARE the best, so maybe Pike's on to something? Was that energy pulse a signal? Damn the choreography is impressive — yeah, I suppose I can see this being helpful for emergency drills, or at least morale... and it's just like being on an old Earth ship, which you have to admire. I wonder if they do historic shanties too! Wow! Commander Una really can do anything, is her vocal range also enhanced? Asking is almost definitely a microaggression, come on Jim, be better. ok, it's gotta be just the Enterprise, Farragut never... except, our command officers are somewhat considered killjoys? Maybe its like how some ship cultures tend more pants over skants? no, someone would have told me before now if this was a normal crew activity. But if it's not standard, how is everyone in such perfect harmony that's GOT to take serious practice. Unless its like an old school hazing, trial by fire deal... then I can't be the only one out of the loop on this. Oh shit, what if it's — oh good God I should have taken a music elective — Gary told me straight to my face that my course load was too narrow on command, my career councilor even said that I could benefit from more arts in my schedule! FUCK! They must have taught this in one of those easy credit intro to federation music seminars and everyone who looks at my file knows I'm an uncultured idiot who — oh I am also singing. huh. right yes of course the lyrics are acknowledging the oddity of... guess there's some pathogen or anomaly — thank the lord i haven't been missing something major for — wait no, being compelled to sing in unison is also a problem—

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 26: Gallifrey at War Part 4

TW: classic Gallifrey at War death, destruction, and violation of autonomy

Cass Fermazzi's ship was crashing only because the Time Lords had indiscriminately opened fire on a group of ships.

The War in Heaven had 920 fronts across space and time.

The Twelfth Doctor assisted the General in the War Room while the first thirteen incarnations of the Doctor were working to freeze Gallifrey in a pocket universe.

The Beyond was a place created by the Last Great Time War where overwritten timelines got remembered. While here, Braxiatel was devoured by one of the Ravenous.

This specific Ravenous had once been Zara, a soldier in the Last Great Time War who was being forced to relive the explosion of a star she had gotten caught up in over and over again.

Lehena had Susan go back to 1963 Earth to collect the Hand of Omega. Unfortunately, she had been a Dalek duplicate, and the Daleks wanted to use the Hand to destroy Gallifrey. The Eighth Doctor recognized Lehena as a duplicate of a Time Lord in the year above him at the Academy that he had had a massive crush on.

The Venue Accords were the only attempt at a peace treaty made during the War in Heaven. Negotiations lasted a single picosecond, and they concluded that peace was impossible.

The Tharils, Porfue, and Krajonnu were all forcibly sterilized by Rassilon during the Last Great Time War to ensure that there would be no other time-traveling races to threaten the might of Gallifrey.

The Clock-People were humanoids with clockfaces instead of human ones. They were the remains of members of the Faction Paradox clinging to life after the War in Heaven. They could manipulate and corrupt others' biodata to insert themselves in their timelines.

During Remembrance of the Daleks before stopping at Harry's cafe, the Seventh Doctor was contacted by the same Time Lord messenger from Genesis of the Daleks (by some accounted named Jelpax, Valyes, Ferrain, etc). The Time Lord warned the Doctor of a counterstrike that was being made by the Daleks - part of the Last Great Time War. The Doctor became concerned for the Hand of Omega and ended up electrocuting a Slyther that the Daleks had been using to obtain it.

During the Last Great Time War, the Doctor and the Master were both hit with a degeneration gun, causing them to uncontrollably flick between all their different faces, including ones they hadn't even had yet.

Once Padrac had become a member of the High Council, he discovered that Gallifrey would be destroyed in the future, possibly by time war, invasion, etc. The only projected future where Gallifrey would survive was the future in which only Gallifrey remained, so Padrac set about to destroy the whole universe and convert their life force into regeneration energy to make the Time Lords immortal.

A tour operator took advantage of Gallifrey's fall after the War in Heaven to organize time tourism. They said that since the Time Lords and the Enemy used time travel to pre-empt each other, the War was continuously getting shorter, its climax getting closer and closer to present day.

The Tenth Doctor became embroiled in the Last Great Time War again when the War Master sent him telepathic summons. During this time, both of them were restrained and telepathically contained by the High Vectors (to be put on trial and probably erased), but the Master managed to escape and erase them before this could happen. The Master then retrieved the Doctor, and they parted ways.

Scarlette - one of the many who had at one point married the Doctor - was a child of the Faction Paradox's remembrance tanks in Pompeii.

Two other time wars that predate the Last Great Time War include the Halldon-Eternal skirmish and the Omnicraven Uprising.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

[lively-potter]

— trials of athena ; one

— genre ; enemies to lovers, kinda slow burn, friends to lovers

— warnings ; a hella lot of cursing, some typos ( of course 🙄😬 ), mature themes, smut, athena doesn’t like feelings, fluff, smut, angst, some violence, a teeny bit of blood and gore, JK’s a dick fr

— intro, teaser

— find me on Wattpad ; LivelyPotter

— 2024 © LivelyPotter

— word count ; 2.2k

— taglist ; @ahgasegotarmy116 @jk97bam

— chapter one ; THE FUCKENING

♡

MAY 21st, 2023 EIGHT AM

Today is going to be shit – or at least I came to that conclusion once I realized my day was suspiciously going a little too well.

For one, my family's all happy that we finally have a new neighbor (Mom's cooking up a feast already), my dad Sean finally got a day off (for the first time in what feels like forever), and my other dad Owen finally agreed to allow me to stay at the house on my own (For god's sake, I was nineteen years old and perfectly capable of taking care of myself).

I was confident I wouldn't burn the house down...well as long as I didn't step a toe inside the kitchen.

I inherited my father's gifts, you could say.

I cringed, thinking of the last incident when Mom allowed Dad and I inside the kitchen, unsupervised.

By that time, the entire fire department knew us by name.

Plus, it was Monday (of all days) and you know that saying, 'Happy Monday – let the fuckening commence'.

So yeah, my hopes were now low, and my guard was up.

"Mom," I snickered, "I may act as like I know everything, but I really don't."

My mom, Sang rolled her eyes – an amused grin on her lips as she placed the final touches on her big ass welcome basket. My dad Sean grinned brightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek once he sauntered inside the kitchen.

"Mornin' smartass." Dad lit up the spacious kitchen with his laughter when I swatted his hand out of my hair, that happened to be the exact same shade and texture as his. As in I got his unruly, nappy curls. I gingerly touched my hair, praying he didn't mess it up.

I loathed frizzy hair.

Dad chuckled lowly and pressed a kiss to the top of my curls, "Where's the others?" he asked Mom, pulling out a chair and taking a seat beside me. Mom ran a hand over her chameleon-colored hair and smiled.

"They all left an hour ago to run errands before the trip."

I was left in my own world as Mom and Dad discussed their trip with the others. They were leaving for a couple months to travel around Europe, while also doing a couple of missions for the academy. I, on the other hand, would finally know what it's like to be on my own. Not completely, of course (Gran and Gramps lived across the street), but close enough to where I would have to be independent for a while.

My ears perked up when I heard Mom ask Dad about the new neighbor.

"There's not much to know about him, really." Dad said around a mouthful of his pancakes. My face scrunched in disgust as a piece flew out of his mouth.

"Manners, dude." I put in, laughing. Dad rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at me.

Mom sighed at our banter and shook her head, "What is there to know about him?"

I loved my mom dearly, but she sure was nosey sometimes.

Dad shrugged, "The Johnsons down the street say he's not really approachable, but Liddy Johnson—"

"Linda's daughter?" Mom asked, receiving a nod.

"The very same – well Linda and Joe said Liddy's absolutely infatuated by the man, says this JK dude is the 'hottest man' she's ever seen." He snickered, "The girl has been walking up and down the street hoping to bump into him again."

Huh, that explains why I've been seeing that girl outside so much today.

Mom's eyebrow rose, "Well," she hummed, standing to her feet and smoothing the wrinkles out of her shirt, "Athena?" she said suddenly, a little too sweetly.

I drew back slightly, "...yeah?" I asked suspiciously, eyeing her distrustfully.

What does she have planned this time?

Mom looked like the picture of innocence as she took the basket into arms and set it down in front of me. "I'm entrusting you to take this to our new neighbor."

Uh, what?

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, index finger pointed towards my body.

Mom and Dad traded amused glances, "Yes, you." Mom said decisively. My eyebrows shot up, near my hairline (yes, that's how far they shot up).

"Why me?" I asked, "I don't like new people." And not to mention, I usually make a fool of myself in front of strangers without meaning to.

Mom rolled her eyes, "You have to go out and make friends somehow, Athena...And maybe even a boyfriend. Liddy says he's cute." She wiggled her brows suggestively. My face dropped, along with my shoulders.

"Liddy Johnson thinks any male that makes direct eye contact with her is cute." I spoke. Dad's hand shot up to his mouth to hide his snicker.

"I'm sure that's not true," Mom huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Wanna bet?" I raised a brow, Mom matched my expression and nodded.

"Fine; you remember Jake Roberts?" Mom grimaced instantly, thinking of Greg's (one of her old schoolmates) son. "Well, then I won't have to explain the whole story...but I will say this..." I sighed, "His face gives me nightmares to this day." I cringed, thinking of him hitting on me at one of Lindy's parties back in high school.

"Fine," She sighed, "you have a point. But still, give it a chance. You'll never know if you don't do it. Please?" she said, cradling my face in her hands.

My resolve slowly crumbled, "Fine," I sighed with a small pout, "but I announce that my hopes are low." I mumbled jumping to my feet.

I was nervous – one: is that I was a born introvert and two: what is he was actually attractive? I always and I mean always make a fool of myself in front of cute guys.

One of the reasons why I've never had a boyfriend...or a first kiss.

I'm pathetic, I know. No need to rub it in.

I looked down at my simple oversized black shirt and shorts and shrugged. It looked good enough. Mom handed me my white nike air forces and urged me to put them on.

I sighed and pushed my hair back and tied on my shoes.

"If this goes horribly wrong – I'm blaming both of you."

My words caused them to laugh.

Mom put the basket in my hands and smoothed my curls away from my face.

"You will be fine, Athena. I doubt it will go wrong. Now be nice and smile brightly, okay?"

"Okay." I slumped my shoulders and dragged my feet towards the door, feeling my heartbeat quicken. "If I'm not back in five minutes, call the po-po." I called once I opened the door.

The last thing I heard was their loud, cackling laughter before the door shut.

I took in a trembling breath, "You got this, Athena. Don't be a pussy." I mumbled to myself, carefully taking the steps one by one. I looked at the house next door and swallowed hard.

The new neighbor's house was actually a really nice one, and huge. With a huge wrap around porch, three bay windows side by side on the second floor, and a ginormous pool in the backyard that's hidden away from sight.

If you're wondering how I know about the pool, it's simple.

Last summer, I was bored and snuck over and climbed over the tall ass wooden fence with my best friend Sawyer Weiland. It was in the middle of the night, so...we were lucky as heck not to have had triggered the alarms.

That was the first and the last time I ever had enough nerve to do that. Sawyer called me a pussy, but at least I wasn't a dumb fuck in jail.

In no time, I was standing at the neighbor's front door, biting down on my lip. Before I could convince myself to leave, my finger pressed the doorbell. Once the sound rung out, loud barking sounded out from on the other side.

Ah shit.

That didn't sound like a nice dog.

You know, for some reason I never believed my dad when he told me you can tell the difference between the temperament of the dog by the bark (sometimes), but now if I survived leaving this place, I'd apologize to Kota.

I swallowed harshly, pushing back the urge to flee.

"Bam! Shush!" A melodic male voice said on the other side of the door, calming the beast down. My ears perked up at the deep, soothing sound of this stranger's voice.

I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see. I came face to face with the most gorgeous torso covered in tattoos and – holy crackers are those abs? In real life?

Sweet daughter of Zeus!

My eyes slowly trailed off his tattooed covered chest, up his muscular neck – which to no one's surprised, was tattooed, past his perfect sharp jawline, adorable lips – I noted that his bottom lip was plumper than his top and had two silver hoops pierced through it, from his adorable nose, and finally to his dark doe eyes...which were currently dark and glaring right into my very soul.

Holy smokes.

For once in her fuckin' life, Liddy Johnson wasn't overreacting. At all.

This man was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen in my life.

He couldn't be real.

No freaking joke.

I couldn't even lie about it.

I flushed bright red, and flushed more because I knew I was blushing.

(I was a sight to see, when I blushed, anyone from ten feet away could see. I never failed to turn cherry red).

"Um, h-hi." I spluttered, backing away slightly as he glared harder.

This gorgeous being, that I didn't even believe could have come from earth didn't look happy. He just looked downright pissed.

I shrunk back meekly.

Athena Green meek? I'd never been classified as meek a day in my life, but a glare from this man had me losing any ounce of courage and confidence I had in myself.

He was more terrifying than Owen Blackbourne, and that was saying something.

"I-I'm Athena G-Green." I swallowed, "I, uh, I live next door and my mom asked me to d-drop this off to y-you. T-to, uh, welcome you to Sunny V-vale C-court."

I decided the moment I entered my house; I'd beat the fuck out of my face. Why, just why did I have to act like a fool, and mention my mom? Gods, I was so lame.

During my stuttering, the man sighed heavily, looking annoyed and leaned against his doorframe, peering at his nail beds as he waited for me to finish.

"You done?" he asked boredly, in his musical voice.

I flushed heavily and nodded quickly. I had never been so embarrassed in my life.

My hands trembled as I thrust the basket in my arms and waited for him to take it, a sweet wavering smile on my lips.

He raised a dark brow, pursing his lips and stepped away from the door looking hotter than the sun and crossed his arms across his bare torso. He towered over my short stature and bore his glaring eyes into mine.

"Thanks for stopping by." He smiled sarcastically and then shut the door in my face.

My jaw dropped at his audacity.

This motherfuck— I stopped myself mid-thought once a hiss left my lips.

Calm, Athena. Be calm.

I gained control of my emotions and clenched my teeth – seeing Liddy Johnson watching me with a sad smile, as if she understood what I was going through, as if it happened it her, which it probably did.

Anger rose within my chest until the point where I was shaking. I dropped the basket on his welcome mat (internally hoping there was something glass or some legos in the basket so he would step on it barefoot) and stalked away from his door.

"That rude, disrespectful piece of dung." I huffed, hands clenched tightly as I neared my house, bypassing Liddy.

I stormed inside my house and slammed the door shut.

"Athena!" Mom rushed in with a large smile on her face – quickly followed by Dad. They both froze as they took in my twitching eye – a tic that I had ever since I could remember that happened every time I was angry. My red face was another piece of the puzzle.

"I'm taking it didn't go well?" she asked slowly, approaching me with caution.

"It didn't!" I howled loudly, "That piece of dung shut the door in my face when I offered him the basket. Stupid fuckin’ weenier.”

Mom reared back at my anger and tried to smother her smile as Dad openly laughed at my rage.

"Was he good looking, by any chance?" Dad called after me as I stomped up the stairs.

"His ugly personality ruins his face and his body that looks like it was created by the gods!" I seethed, eyes twitching as they laughed once more.

"So...he is?" Mom asked hopefully. Infinity times yes.

I stared at her and shook my head.

"He looks like a dickwad." I retorted dryly.

I knew it was too good to be true; the fuckening had commenced. 

author’s note ; ✨

I love Athena and her personality so much, lmfaoo. This is the start of a “crazy fuckin’ ride”, as Athena would say. Buckle up and delve into Athena’s story!

If you want to be apart of the taglist, just lemme know! Thanks so much for reading!

[m-y-fandoms]

COMMISSION: TW - DRV3 Boys Stop You from Committing Suicide (good endings)

DRV3 SPOILERS INCLUDED IN SOME SECTIONS and unlike the SDR2 version, all sections take place in the killing game/game world and none are in a non-despair AU, though death order/order that the academy floors and new areas are unlocked may be messed with a little.

Word Count: 10K Words

TRIGGER Warnings: DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THESE TYPES OF SCENARIOS. All sections are angst or depressing but end with the character comforting the reader or saving them and the reader’s plan isn’t successful. Self-harm and plans of suicide are discussed and detailed. Themes like cutting, knives, jumping from high places, poison, poor mental health, and more are included. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND DANGANRONPA IS RATED M for 17+ and canonically includes themes of murder and suicide. You are responsible for the media you consume. Keep reading below with these warnings in mind if you so choose.

Kaito Momota:

Kaito wouldn’t normally name patrolling the academy’s grounds and halls late at night as one of his favorite activities, but ever since Ryoma was killed… he felt the need to. You and Shuichi were his sidekicks of course, but a real man needed to give his sidekicks something to look up to, aspire to. He was, of course, avoiding restricted and forbidden nighttime areas, but nonetheless he diligently strutted about, ears and eyes open and ready to catch any questionable behavior.

Ryoma’s trial hit Kaito harder than he was willing to admit. With how much respect and internal admiration he held for the sports prodigy, to see him not only fall so far from grace by giving up on life (the complete opposite of Kaito’s mantra, values and minset), but to see him taken out in such a cruel and humiliating way realy shook Kaito. He kept up the facade of confident, unbothered and brave man, but his closer, more observant friends could tell the whole thing was bothering him. After Kaede, who meant so much to his best friend Shuichi and was an ambitious, positive force for good, and now Ryoma who he’d looked up to, he’d put his foot down: a real man protected his friends. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt, kill, or even take advantage of his friends ever again. He’d decided this after defending his faith in Maki during the second class trial, after consoling Shuichi and yourself, both grieving. It was time to really step it up, even if patrolling at night meant putting himself in danger. A fire had been lit beneath him, and besides, he would be out of the dorms to train and exercise with Shuichi most nights anyway, so might as well do some good for his fellow students while he was out.

While passing by the academy’s pool building, he froze when he heard movement inside, a quiet sort of shuffling and a muffled voice. A shudder - something linked to flashbacks from Ryoma’s horrendous trial mere nights before - ran up his spine and he quickly but quietly moved over to the entrance door, peaking inside to spy on whoever was inside. Why or how anyone could stand going anywhere near the pool after what happened was a mystery to him, so whatever they were doing in there had to be suspicious at best. He was going to find out, and perhaps stop another future blackened in the process.

When he sees you standing on the edge of the pool facing away from him, shoulders slumped and shaking up and down a bit, he slips through the crack in the door and hides behind a huge shelf full of pool supplies nearby silently. From there he merely observed. You of all people, who like Shuichi, was so deeply moved by the graphic execution of Kirumi and the tossing away of Ryoma’s bones like trash, would have more reason that others to stay away from the pool. His mind jumped instantly to the worst-case scenario on instinct: another plot for murder using the pool or gym, but he quickly shook these thoughts off. You were his good friend and he trusted you. Shuichi and even Maki seemed to trust you. You’d never hurt anyone. So why were you here?

Kaito knew just from spending time with you that you could often be melancholy, solitary,  locked up in your room for most hours of the day if not with your small group of select friends. You’d been terrified of just living your life since the very start, what with not having your memories then being suddenly thrown into a killing game. Every death, every unfortunate event, every class trial seemed to erode away at you more and more. He often tried to cheer you up, making apparent your potential and skills, trying to force you to see the positives, giving pep talks, pulling you out of your dorm to socialize, but nothing seemed to stick. You always ended up back at square one mentally, just as upset and closed off as the day before. Less and less progress was made each day, too.

As he pondered the sight before him and observed you, you didn’t seem to be preparing any traps, setting up any schemes, no thought-out plots like Kirumi had done days before. You just… stood there, now facing the pool and looking over the edge. Now he knew why your shoulders were shaking. You were crying. Honestly, he’d seen you cry many times in the last few weeks so he wasn't stirred into action just yet, but as you seemed to sway a little too far forward over the edge of the pool, rocking back and forth on your feet, his concern grew. Entering the pool building was allowed at night, but actually jumping in, touching the water after dark was strictly forbidden. It was punishable by death, and that death would be as agonizing and drawn out as Monokuma chose to make it that day. You were all at his mercy at all times. You knew that, everyone did, and now here you were, dangerously teetering over the water’s edge. How easy it would be for you to just, stumble in, slip and fall…

At this point, Kaito was desperately hoping you were crying because you did in fact have a murder plot guilting your conscience or because you were simply still in mourning over Ryoma and Kirumi. Those two scenarios would be easy to talk you out of, to be there for you like always. He would have plenty of time if that were the case. He was perhaps… a bit overconfident in his abilities. He didn’t even want to consider the third option mulling around in his mind… that on was more… uncomfortable, immediate.

“I’m sorry, mom and dad, wherever you are…” You finally spoke, turning his focus back on you and out of his own head. “I’m sorry Shuichi, Maki, Kaito… I j-just,” you cried, “I can’t do this anymore.”

You took a deep breath, and what would happen next if he didn’t stop you flashed before his eyes: Exisals, tearing you apart, crushing you, the blood, the screams as they appeared and tore you from the pool, the academy-wide blaring alarms, your classmates leaving their beds half-awake and rushing to the pool to discover the gruesome scene.

You leaned forward, tipped off your balance, center of gravity shifted, and he lunged, yelling out your name as he left his position hidden in the corner and bolted with the gift of an adrenaline rush boosting his steps. He grabbed you around the waist, tackling you and throwing you back and away from the pool, and you both crashed onto the hard tile behind you. Before you could process what was happening you found yourself on the ground, Kaito spooning your body and panting heavily into your ear. Where had he even come from?

“Are you nuts?!” Kaito yelled through ragged breaths. The man was quite athletic, out of breath from anxiety and shock, not physical strain. Wrenched back to reality, you were suddenly overcome with a wave of intense embarrassment. No one was supposed to witness your moment of extreme weakness like this, especially not someone you cared about and respected.

“Kaito?! I-”

“I knew you were doing pretty shitty, but I didn’t know it was this bad! Why wouldn’t you come to me, to Shuichi or… somebody? We would’ve talked you out of this stupid idea!” His vice-like grip around your waist was unwavering, as if he couldn’t trust you to govern yourself at present, as if you would leap again if he relented.

“I’m sorry… it was… I wasn’t thinking. It was a last second plan, an impulse. I just… it hurts so bad, I let my thoughts take over.” He could hear the tears returning to your voice, shaking your words and softened his own. He could be passionate, overbearing at times even, but that probably wasn’t what you needed right now. He could be very stubborn, reluctant to change his methods and habits, but this was serious. He grunted in frsutration.

“You saw what happened to Ryoma when he gave in… when he gave up on life.” His knuckles tightened, fists tightening into themselves until they turned white. “Are you gonna let that happen to you too, my deputy sidekick?” The pain you gleaned from behind his words only made you sob harder. You felt like you’d let him down, almost caused him to grieve for you like you’d all been grieving for the four you’d already lost. How could you add to your peers’ emotion burden like that? “Hey… geez, come on Y/N… I know we can work through this. Let us help you… let me help. There’s no wound out there that the support of the people that care about you can’t heal!”

Ryoma Hoshi:

You’d been feeling endlessly hopeless lately. The violent nightmares weren’t helping, nor was the attitude of your best friend, Ryoma. A noxious void was swallowing up your will to live piece by piece with each day that passed in this hellhole of an academy, trapped in this killing game. It seemed that your friend was right there with you, and although you couldn’t blame him, knowing he was prone to solemn solidarity already as core part of his personality, his moods only seemed to worsen your own. They bounced off of each other, multiplied when you were together, but he was the only person you cared about or trusted in this prison, so the vicious cycle continued. Any time you were together these days, you were bogged down in an echo chamber of despair. There was a brief period where Ryoma appeared to have a small fire ignited in his heart, a period where he was willing to give life a real honest try, but now the gloom was back in full force ever since those damned motive video Monopads had been introduced into your lives. A few days had passed in a big tizzy about who’s Monopad was where, who watched theirs and most were mixed and matched, sent out to the wrong student, but for some reason… you felt like Ryoma had viewed his own, and he did not like what he had seen. It was almost worse seeing your friend long for death then feeling it inside for yourself. You’d started keeping to yourself to avoid seeing it, selfish as that may be.

On one particularly dismal mental health day, you were in his research lab while he was away, trying to get your mind off of dark thoughts, maybe play tennis with the wall. Bouncing the ball off and hitting with a racket as hard as you could could be therapeutic. Maybe that was how Ryoma blew off steam at times. Miu Iruma was there in the lab with you, paying you no mind, obsessed with the sporting machines and how they functioned. Miu loved tinkering ceaselessly with any electronics and gadgets she could find, both inside her own research lab and around the academy. She rarely asked permission to enter other’s labs to do so. She wanted to know how everything worked and it brought her great joy. Your ominous desires taking over, you began to question her. Interestingly, one of the only times she wasn’t a totally vulgar, aggressive bitch was when she was engrossed in her work. She would still snap here and there and slip in inappropriate jokes, but she was much more sufferable. She loved when others asked her to explain something, any chance she got to flaunt her vast wealth of knowledge. She described some of the basic functions of the ball-launching machines: how to change the velocity, the maximum amount of tennis balls one could pelt in a certain timeframe, how to change its direction, how to use the auto-timer or stop all movement with the press of a button. She didn’t even question why you cared, as long as she got to look like the smartest person in the room. Good, you thought. You didn’t want anyone suspecting a thing when you came later to hopefully put an end to your participation in this killing game for good. You didn’t care what was on your motive video at this point. You didn’t even have the energy to find out who had it. You just wanted… out.

~

Later that night, with your mind in a stupor, body nearly on autopilot, you returned to the research lab, now empty save for yourself, to put the tennis machines on autopilot themselves. Unsurprisingly for a bear as evil and twisted as Monokuma, he’d set up the lab equipment to be able to work at extremely dangerous speeds, speeds powerful and torrential enough to maim or even kill someone. Miu had looked both fascinated and horrified upon discovering this earlier. You used this setting to your advantage, placing a timer and setting the machine to its maximum velocity. You’d loaded up the tennis balls, tons of them, and angled multiple machines to target one specific corner of the room. This would work. Anything to feel something, or die trying. Hopefully all of it, all the pain, would all end tonight.

You stepped back, machines prepped to boundlessly and without hesitation do their dark work. You stood in the corner, counting down in your head, ready for what you’d unleashed on yourself. The machines booted up, beginning to whir with the effort of getting to the input speed. You closed your eyes and prepared for an impact that would never come.

Like a flash, a blur of motion so fast it was near unseeable, Ryoma appeared before you, racket in hand, and knocked the incoming balls away from you with ease. One after the other, with inhuman speed he reflected them back toward the machines with the amount of skill and prowess that earned him the title of the Ultimate Tennis Pro in the first place. It was extraordinary. You were sure only he could manage such a feat. You gasp, opening your eyes at the noise in front of you and startled by the sight. With a grunt of effort, he grabs you with his free hand and throws you with all of his strength out of the corner. He ducks, jumping out of the way and onto the ground beside you. The machines continued to pelt the now empty corner of the room faithfully, just as commanded, the booming repetitive sound echoing off the walls of the research lab.

Eventually, minutes later, all sound ceased as the machines ran out of ammunition and therefore shut themselves off. You both lay splayed across the cold floor, silent as the grave. This was so delicate of a situation now, so severe and tense. What was there to say? How did one begin? Only your inhales and exhales filled the dim room, dozens of yellow fuzzy tennis balls scattered around your still forms. Finally, you spoke:

“Where did you come from?” You whispered, heart thumping wildly in your chest. He sighed in reply.

“It’s late, I always come to my lab around this hour, for some alone time… I came just in time to catch you doing something stupid, it seems…” Silence filled the room once again as you both just sat there soaking in his words, and you valued it, time spent with your best friend where you weren’t absorbing each other’s hopelessness and amplifying it. There was a different mood in the air now, an aura of understanding, of caring about what happens to the person next to you for the first time in weeks, even if it was mixed with guilt and embarassment.

“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke up again when you refused to, “I guess I haven’t given you much to look up to as of late…” He rolled over, facing away from you, staring into the wall in shame. “I’ll set a better example, try harder… if only for your sake.” The deep rumble of his bassy voice filled the room.

His motive video stated quite plainly that there was no one in his life to live for, no one to care about or who cared about him in turn.  When he saw you in front of those death machines your life in peril, he knew that was a lie.

Korekiyo Shinguuji:

Below you were nearly eight floors of priceless, dusty artifacts, research and excavation tools, bones, books. Around you were alcoves and shelves, display cases and crates full of history and knowledge. Korekiyo’s research lab was much like himself: complex, dark and mysterious, vertically blessed and intimidating. It was like when people drew an object as a personified character using the object’s traits; his lab looked like an architect stalked Kiyo for months and modeled a room after the man. Monokuma was many things, but inattentive was not one of them, even if he feigned ignorance at times. This lab, perhaps even more than the others (which were still detailed and impressive in their own right) molded so seamlessly into the character and talents of its owner. Even the color scheme of the room matched his uniform, and the atmosphere matched his energy. The room smelled like an ancient library, a museum. It smelled how Kiyo looked.

You peered down at the eight story drop below you, the many stairs before you daunting and suffocating even in the spacious research lab. It was the largest lab by far, and the fall to the bottom would most likely kill you. Just in case, you’d taken the oppurtunity to place a large pile of whatever sharp and more dangerous items you could find in the lab at the bottom, compiling a makeshift deathtrap to ensure this went as planned. There was a katana, carving tools, ritual knives, tribal spears, needles and more.

You were acutely aware of your own breathing, especially in a echoey, dusty chamber like this. It was quiet and menacing, again like its host, who conveniently was not here at present. You’d chosen a time when Korekiyo seemed to be out and slinking about the academy, unsettling the other students no doubt or lecturing them about human history and traditions. It was a lucky last minute plan. Fate must want this, you thought. This must be the right thing to do… Kiyo had barely left this place since it’d opened, too enraptured by its contents to leave, so for him to not be here at this perfect time for your plan to commence, it must have been a work of fate. Your head felt light, like your body was trying to relax and numb itself, to accept what you were about to do. You closed your eyes, swaying calmly back and forth over the railing.

Suddenly, there was a firm hand on your shoulder. Your eyes flashed open, your blood running cold in your veins. Korekiyo, perhaps Kokichi… it had to be one of those two. You couldn’t think of one other classmate, not one, who could or would sneak in the shadows and reappear unseen and unheard but those two. They were both creeps in their own unique ways. Slowly, you turned to see the face behind the hand, and found it half-covered by a dark mask.

“Kiyo…” You acknowledge him with a nod, as if you weren’t up to something dubious… in his lab… without his permission. You looked into his glowing yellow eyes and found sadness in them, extremely expressive. They often were, they had to be when his jaw, his mouth could never convey his feelings to his peers. Kiyo couldn’t flare his nostrils, clench his teeth to signal to others. Maybe that was part of the mystery, part of what scared others about him. Humans often needed emotions, facial cues, body language to communicate, to feel safe and understood in each other’s presence. WIth Kiyo, much could be left up to interpretation.

“It seems some of my artifacts have been misplaced…” He mused, the bandaged hand on your shoulder moving off to cradle his own chin, as if he were puzzled about the situation. “Hmmm… were you perhaps studying some of them and left that mess down there?” He nodded in the direction of the pile, arms crossing over his chest like the disapproving mother of a child who forgot to clean their room.

“I’m really sorry, Kiyo…” You turned your head back to stare forward blankly at the wall across from you, unable to meet his eyes any longer. You felt embarrassed, ashamed that you’d not only been caught pre-attempt, but that you’d made a mess of items you knew the anthropologist held so dear.

“It’s quite alright. I sometimes get lost in my work and studies, too, even forgetting to sleep some nights. The contents of this lab can lead to endless hours of fun, yes? I know you meant no harm by it, unlike some more mischevious classmates of ours.” He giggled gaily beneath the mask. “Speaking of sleep, it's quite late. I know the quest for knowledge is endless, but you must be exhausted.” He of course knew what you were really planning to do here tonight. He was a highly intelligent young man, and someone would have to be blind to not pick up on your intentions. However, he had no desire to embarrass you further, and frankly wanted this all to end as soon as possible, so this little scenario would be swept under the rug in favor of a story less dismal.

“Y-yeah…” You nod, playing along, expressionless and empty inside.

If it were anyone else, he probably would’ve torn them apart for touching his artifacts without his permission, much less mishandling them and leaving them in a cluttery heap on the floor. Perhaps it was the small friendship you’d gradually formed with him that spared you from this fate. You were always curious about his interests and talent, willing to learn, to listen to him talk for hours. You weren’t judgmental like some, talking about him behind his back, cutting him off mid-explanation because you were bored, obviously creeped out by his presence. Yes, he would let his offense go, if only to justify the belief that you deserved a more beautiful, dignified death later on. This wouldn’t do at all, falling pathetically to your death, not for someone like you. You at least deserved more than that he supposed, and yet, your blood decorating his artifacts, your body splayed out in a contorted position over them… that could’ve been beautiful in its own way, too. He hadn’t decided fully yet…

Taking your hand in his long slender, the scholar began to guide you, dragging your rather heavy feet behind him down the crimson stairs. You passed floor by floor until he guided you to the base level, and you let him. Again, fate must have wanted this, to stop you in time, to allow Korekiyo to interfere.

Kokichi Ouma:

You didn’t want to be here, tucked under a metal shelf in the Exisal hangar, cramped and uncomfortable for what felt like hours but yet here you were, waiting for Kokichi to come “seek” your “hide” in this stupid, childish game he loved to play. The academy was the perfect setting for an epic game of hide-and-seek you’d admit, with countless areas to hide and not be found for days, but you were in no mood for playing. You’d been rapidly declining, pushed further and further into the recesses of your own depressed mind with each passing day. You just wanted to lay in your dorm room and cry, sulk, sleep. Kokichi knew that, and yet he loved to drag you out and about for his pointless antics or little trickster schemes on the daily. Even now, as he became more and more unhinged after each class trial, he still involved you in his malicious and sometimes even dangerous plans. You tolerated his immature, hyper, selfish, sporadic, volatile personality - which was insufferable to most - because he was your best if not only friend on campus. Even if the others would say they liked you, no one really hung out with you or paid you any mind, never wanted to know you on any level deeper than acquaintances who made polite conversation during free time or cooperated during class trials. You didn’t consider them friends. You considered Kokichi a close friend. You really didn’t know why he was even interested in you in the first place. You found yourself introverted, boring and awkward, but nonetheless you accepted and even secretly cherished his attention and friendship. He was probably just using you for a long con, a means to an end, but still…

No… today you’d had enough, getting angrier and angrier by the second squashed into that little area under the shelf, your spine aching. Being here alone in the silence, it only left you to your dreary thoughts, gave you the opportunity to dwell on the past three class trials, the death and despair that seemed in constant supply here. You decided you could do that in the comfort of your own bed, warm under the duvet in your dorm room and not contorted into a pretzel on the dirty floor. Screw this, your mind spoke to you, making the decision at once. You huffed, standing and brushing off your uniform. You were fed up, tired of waiting on a kid who clearly didn’t care about you. You felt like you were in denial, seeing your connection with Kokichi as “friendship” when he probably was just using you as a toy because no one else would let him use them. You didn’t feel like a priority to him. He was probably bored and had given up on looking for you, again, prone to changes of his mood and plans on a whim. He was really good at seeking, he was good at most things he enjoyed… surely it wasn’t taking this long. He must have abandoned you.

This was the last straw… even your only friend didn’t think you were worth his time, even when you’d clearly been going through some shit mentally. Kokichi was smarter than people gave him credit for. He knew you were in agony inside, and still he’d done this to you?

Before you could make your way back to your room, something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye. A hydraulic press, no doubt used to compress and scrap broken-down and useless Exisals, seemed to glimmer and shine over on the other side of the room. It seemed to be calling to you, begging to be used, honored to be your release from this world. Sighing with the weight of months of desolation on your shoulders, your body seemed to go into some sort of autonomous mode. You were like a zombie, feeling nothing anymore as you made your way over to the control panel up on a platform next to the press. You passed by dirty shelves, oil and paint cans, tons of lined up inactive Exisals on the way there, stepping up the small incline to the panel and looking over it without hesitation or self preservation in mind.

Quickly, you scan the buttons, knobs and latches until you find the safety features. Without a second thought you switched off all automatic safety settings available to you. For good measure you pulled out the thick wires corresponding to the safety features on the control panel. Now, you would be able to manually send the press into closing all the way down, firmly and snugly. The press was designed to cease all movement automatically if it sensed a living being inside, but now, it would keep going regardless unless manually turned off. You flipped a switch and the machine roared to life, slowly beginning its long, crushing descent. You promptly moved the short distance over to the long, flat press and let your back lay flat against the cold, unfeeling metal.

You thought you’d be scared, but you felt nothing still. It felt like laying in your bed like always, mind empty, heart heavy. It was just another night. You thought you’d lose your conviction, chicken out; that’s what a normal person would do. Fear of death was normal. Your lack of emotion just proved even further that this was the best option for you, in your mind at least. You zoned out, pushing out all surrounding smells, sounds, and sights. There was only you and the silver slab above you. You were at peace, or at least your body didn’t protest or work to save itself. Folding your hands over your chest, you closed your eyes and resigned yourself to your fate as the press drew closer to your face.

Your ears perk up when you hear a sudden clicking sound so close by that it breaks through your barrier of dissociation. Your eyes flash open, a bit perturbed at the cease of motion above you. You were positive you turned off the setting correctly, and yet the press was unmoving.

Before you have time to even process the interruption, your left arm is being snatched by the elbow, and not too gently either. A claw-like, unforgiving grip around your arm pulls you sideways off of the press and you groan when your ass hits the solid ground below. You look at your assailant, surprised that someone his size could be that strong. Much like his true intentions or level of intelligence, it might have just been another thing he’s hidden from the world.

“Kokichi?” The petite boy sunk down on the ground next to you like his knees had given out, bawling his eyes out. You look at him in surprise, not having even heard him enter the hangar. By all means you should’ve, with the loud metal door that groans and hisses when it opens. You must’ve been really out of it.

“Yeah… of course it’s me, idiot!” He spat, showing you no mercy. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! This is not how you play hide-and-seek!” He was absolutely furious, face red as a tomato as he yelled in your face.

You’re both limp piles of flesh on the ground, emotional and collapsing into yourselves for different reasons. Kokichi leapt forward, throwing his arms around your shoulders and crumbling into you, his body molding into yours. His weight crashing into you nearly toppled you over, and he clung to you, snotty and sobbing like a little kid. His fingers dug into your back like nails, clutching to you like his life depended on it. You were speechless. You’d never seen such real, raw emotion from Kokichi. He loved to lie, to put on a performance and was good at fake crying, but you could tell this was real. He’d never reacted to the loss of any of your classmates like this. He continued to berate you, showing his fear of losing you in his own… unique way.

I guess he really did care after all.

Rantarou Amami: 

Rantarou often took strolls around the academy grounds at night to clear his head. The air was crisp and refreshing, there were interesting things to see, and if he truly got bored of just walking and looking, he could always hit up the casino for some late-night fun to pass the time. Mostly though, he just needed the quiet time alone to think, to process his thoughts from that day and plan the next.

Passing the dorms and heading toward the entrance to the main building of the academy, he shuffled to a standstill when his eyes caught sight of something strange. Up high on the rooftop, he spotted something that was definitely out of place, not there on his usual nightly walk. He could barely make out the shape of a human form, standing up there all alone. He squinted, trying to focus in on it. The grounds were pretty well lit, but nobody was ever up on the roof to his knowledge, so it made sense that not many lights were installed way up there. Yep, it was definitely a person: not big or wide enough to be an Exisal or small enough to be a bear. Curious almost to a fault, Rantarou decided immediately to check it out. It took a lot of figuring out which stairwell led where, which floor of the academy was blocked off and so on to find the door to the roof. Really, there wasn’t much up there, it was just a flat, levelled surface so there was no appeal, no need for the students to use it. Well… in this killing game, there were probably plenty of uses for the dangerously high-up, rarely visited, unrailed rooftop, but none of them were good.

When he closes the door behind him and sees, now up close, that the human form that was visible from the ground is you, standing on the edge of the roof, he sighs. He was really hoping on his trek up here that it wasn’t going to be you. Unfortunately, his gut said it would be, and that made him rush up to the roof all the quicker. Anyone else might have genuinely been up there for fresh air or the view, but Rantarou knew you… he knew you’d been going a rough time, the whole group knew it. Some of your fellow prisoners at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles made fun of you for being so mopey all the time, calling you emo or a buzzkill. Kokichi teased that you and Shuichi would be a perfect match, that you could “be little bitches together,” crying all day, wearing all black and so on. He was ruthless.

Rantarou knew why you were up there, what could happen to you that night if he didn’t intervene. Preparing himself mentally, he gently approached you, slowly and cautiously as to not spook you off of the ledge.

“H-hey? Um, what’s up Y/N?” The air up there was extra chilly, and that mixed with the apprehension about how the next few moments would go had him throwing his hands into his pockets, immensely uncomfortable. Knowing you were no longer alone, you stepped back from the ledge, wrapping your arms around your middle as you turned to face him. He didn’t miss it when your expression went from a dead-inside indifference to anxious surprise when you saw him.

“Rantarou? Hey…” you spoke unenthusiastically, clearly intending to spend what may have been your last night on Earth alone.

“Stargazing, huh?” He laughed nervously, trying to play off the severity of the potentially dire situation. The goal was to descalate your suicidal thoughts if you indeed had any as he suspected, to let you know you weren’t alone, physically or emotionally. “If so, there are way better places on campus to do it!”

“Oh… yeah,” you replied with a forced, pathetic little laugh. You stepped closer toward him. It seemed like you were already losing conviction in your choice to jump. Good. Those second thoughts were good. Doubts were good. You obviously weren’t too far gone, or you probably would’ve jumped regardless of him watching - not caring, not regretting, not feeling anything.

“Can I chill up here with you? Walkin’ around all alone at night’s gettin’ kinda boring. I mean, I’ve seen everything on campus a million times. It would be a nice change of routine.” He smiled hopefully, pressuring you into accepting. You nod in response and the two of you sat and “stargazed” for a long while, eventually shifting to lay down on the hard, dirty concrete of the rooftop and stare up into the sky.

“You can’t… really see much…” you grumbled after a long silence.

“Hmmm? Oh yeah, the campus is pretty well lit so not many stars are gonna show. It sucks, but I kinda like just laying here. It’s nice: the silence, doing nothing. Our days are pretty stressful, you know?” Oh, you knew. The stress of the killing game, wondering if you were going to die that day, trying to figure out mystery after puzzle, trying to recall memories… it was what sent you into this spiral in the first place.

You let Rantarou carry the conversation from there. He attempted to enthuse you with tales of his travels, trying to make life sound adventurous, the world worth living for. Some of it did in fact entertain you, catching your attention, but mainly what shook you was Rantarou opening up to you freely when he was known by the group to be pleasant but quite secretive about his past, even unintentionally. You’d all lost some of your memories, but he was even more of a mystery than others. You couldn’t help but feel a bit moved, a bit warmed by the fact that he wanted to reveal more of himself to you. He spoke for a long while, telling long stories of his past for the next hour or so before letting the interaction fade into a more comfortable silence. Eventually though, he knew he would have to acknowledge it, to get to the hard part.

“Hey… uh… I just wanna let you know that I’ve been there before… some really rough shit in life, you know?” He turned his head to look directly at you, no longer caring about the stars sprinkled sparsely above. “Don’t do it… It’s never gonna be worth it.” 

Gonta Gokuhara:

“Y/N??? What happen?!” Gonta was kneeling in front of you, a nervous wreck.

This was not how this was supposed to go. How did he… of all people find you??? How could anyone?

You were tucked away in a dark hallway, a few floors up in an area of the academy hardly anyone used. This section was decorated in cobwebs, loose boards, unfinished paint. This floor unlocked because there were some research labs up here, but this in particular was a wing that was a far walk to the other side of the floor and this area was mostly untouched, or rather, abandoned. Monokuma and the Kubs obviously didn’t plan to do anything with it and had even blocked it off lazily with some loose tape. The bears were never seen here, and you thought the first time you broke past the tape that an Exisal or five would show up to crush you for breaking some rule, but when nothing happened, you decided to make this your own little spot for when you just needed a break from it all. This world, the academy, the killing game, it all became far too much very quickly.

This hallway had a high archway and a large round window looking out. There was a beautiful view of the moon from this dramatic looking window, and you wanted it to be your last view. Here in your secret place, you thought, even if someone did discover you in the morning or days from now, you’d be long gone. This was a good spot, but what was happening now was not part of the plan… Here you were, blood trickling and a sharp razor to your arm about to cut deep once again when the large man came stomping through the normally silent hallway seemingly on a mission.

You were pulled back into the moment: Gonta was yelling and you were shushing him, a bit light headed and a super panicked. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be just you, alone and done. Not someone like him… he didn’t deserve to see this. Now this was selfish. Now… you couldn’t finish the job.

You didn’t want to hurt him like this. All he ever wanted to do was help others. Gonta was too good, too pure of heart, too selfless. You didn’t want him to deal with this or to think for even a second that he had any fault in it. God forbid he was too late to stop it and you bled out anyway. He would blame himself forever. You didn’t want to expose him to this. You tried to distract him, which in normal daily conversation proved easy to do.

“Gonta, what are you doing here?” You tossed the razor to the ground and tried to hold your arm somewhat back and out of his direct line of sight, but he kept looking at it regardless, clearly focused on one thing at the moment.

“W-well, normally Gonta go to his lab at this time every night, check on bugs between sleeping, make sure they’re safe! But… tonight, Kokichi stop Gonta outside Gonta’s lab and say our friend Y/N is in trouble! Gonta had to come right away to help!” Kokichi… that little shit! How did he even know? He seemed to know everything that happened around campus, like he was always lurking about in the shadows. He knew everyone’s secrets, was up in everyone’s business like it was his job. You hadn’t even seen him anywhere near you tonight… Was he truly that far ahead of everyone else? Why would he do this to Gonta, though? You wouldn’t even pretend to know how his twisted little mind worked.

“Oh, well I’m fine, Gonta, honestly…” You pulled down your uniform sleeve, hoping that covering the open wounds would lessen the seriousness of the moment.

“Y/N not fine! Let Gonta help!” Sputtering and an anxious mess, Gonta, who assumed this was all a big misunderstanding, an accident, insisted you follow him to his lab, or he’d even carry you if it hurt too much or you felt too weak. You knew he wasn’t going to simply let this go and walk away, so you sighed and conceded, allowing him to guide you all the way to his bug-filled research lab before he could escalate this to an even louder ruckus that possibly drew others to the scene.

He happily explained that he had some basic first aid and medical supplies in there, that Monokuma adapted a side area to be kind of like the environment Gonta grew up in but in his own… less sophisticated way of speaking. He also had some more advanced first aid tools that he’d collected and stored from the warehouse on the first floor just in case his bugs friends or human friends needed his help (bless his heart). He knew of basic bandaging and wound-cleaning methods from his time growing up in the wilderness. It was survival of the fittest out there.

He dutifully got your arm all fixed up and padded the wound so even if your arm bumped into something lightly while you slept that night, you wouldn’t feel it. He joyfully talked your ear off, never aware of the true intent behind your actions that night. He was simply happy to help, to save his friend at any cost.

Shuichi Saihara:

When you awoke, you found yourself staring at the ceiling of your dorm room, mind groggy and eyes bleary. A pounding headache greeted you along with a tightness in your lungs. A feeling of pins and needles spread through your extremities as you slowly sat up. You were in your bed… Did it not work? Huh? The light above stung your eyes and as you looked around, you finally noticed Shuichi by your bedside. His eyes were red and puffy underneath, like he’d been crying recently.

“Shuichi? Is this real? Why am I-” you began, throat hoarse and raw.

“Alive? I found you on the floor of my research lab… the bottle was nearby.” He looked disappointed, disheartened, exhausted. “I forced the antidote down your throat… anything to get it into your system. Maki helped me carry you here. She’ll be back with food eventually, we were planning on taking shifts…” You started to stutter, to try and make excuses or apologies but he cut you off, nerves obviously fried: “If you knew it was getting this bad, if you felt like this was your only option, you should’ve talked to me, or Maki… or anybody for that matter, anything to prevent this!” His words were breathy, voice giving out as he was starting to get choked up again. He sighed, breath catching in his throat and he held his head in his hands. “Or maybe… we should’ve noticed…” He spoke barely above a whisper, sniffling. A shockwave of guilt and pain shot through your body. You couldn’t let him think that.

“No, Shuichi, this isn’t your fault! This isn’t on anyone but me!” You couldn’t deal with the knowledge that he was feeling in any way guilty about this.

“Poisoning yourself? Do you know how slow that would’ve been, how painful? Did you even read the label on the specific posion you chose? You would’ve gone in and out of consciousness most likely, each time waking up in more pain that the last until your body finally gave out. Monokuma designed this stuff, its tortuous and cruel, Y/N.” You’d rarely heard his voice take on this deep, angry tone. “You would’ve felt your body shutting down, paralyzed and powerless to stop the pain. Can you imagine if I hadn’t found you passed out initially and shoved that antidote down your throat? I bet you’re still feeling some side effects regardless.” He shook his head, unable to meet your gaze with his next words. “... Why would you do this to me…? To see my best friend suffer like that!” The tears, hot and angry began to pour freely from the corners of his eyes, his words spat through clenched teeth. He was trying to even out his breaths, fists balled at this side in the chair beside your bed. Seeing your brows furrow in guilt, the emotional pain twisted into your expression when you were already in physical pain, he tried desperately to reel himself in. “I’m sorry. I shoudn’t be angry at you, it’s selfish of me. I just…” He sighed deeply, steadying his breathing.

No, he was right… he’d lost Kaede, you’d all just lost Kaito - the main event that finally pushed you over an edge you’d already been teetering on. You’d almost caused him more irreversible pain. Everyone else who died crushed his spirit of course, but you, Kaito, Kaede, Maki, you guys were so very dear to him. Losing any of you chipped away at his heart and soul, and he didn’t have many pieces left. There was barely enough Shuichi left to keep going. Each trial drained him like an old machine running out of steam. You cared about him, cherished him immeasurably, and yet you almost contributed directly to the destruction and despair the killing game had wrought inside his heart already.

“For some reason, Monokuma said suicide is a viable death for a class trial if the antidote didn’t take. Said he’s seen suicide work before for a trial,” he spoke again to fill the unpleasant void in the air. “It seemed like he really didn’t want me to administer it to you, but I told him since I literally saw it happen, a trial would be boring. A quick trial would be no fun for him, so he seemed to be mulling it over. You know he’s all about entertaining himself… so sick. I was praying, just hoping the antidote worked. I couldn’t have done it, your trial…” Maki interupted his monologuing, entering with a tray of food and water. 

“Y/N,” Maki nodded her acknowledgment, showing she cared in her own reserved way. He turned to greet her solemnly, then back to you. “Whatever you need to talk about, I’m here, we are here. Please don’t do anything like this ever again.”

K1B0/Kiibo:

You loved Kiibo and really treasured his friendship, but sometimes he just didn’t seem to get more complex or abstract human concepts. Even something like depression, which wasn’t all that complex on the surface level, seemed to make him uncomfortable and revert into a very robotic state of thinking. Kiibo understood sadness of course, even feeling what he described as sadness on multiple occasions, but the deep, irrational, incurable thing that true depression could sometimes be seemed to be less reachable to him. When you vented or explained the concept, he tried to understand and you two were so close that you went to him before anyone else. You trusted him wholly and bonded after many months spent with him. You could see his gears turning (not literally) when he was trying really hard to understand a new idea or emotion, but sometimes you just wanted to vent and be heard while he wanted to offer practical solutions. He’d search his memory banks for psychological reports, comb the internet looking for the smartest answer, the facts, but the human side he wasn’t seeming to get was that the facts weren’t always what someone wanted or needed when they were feeling down. There was barely any warmth from his “comfort,” even when he tried extremely hard. Deep, excruciating depression seemed to be something he just wasn’t programmed to deal with. Maybe his creator thought he’d never encounter it, or you all got locked up in the academy before it could be added to his knowledge bank. You knew Kiibo could learn and adapt even without previous programming, but sometimes it was hard for him. It felt like asking Google how to solve a depressive episode or a panic attack instead of a friend who should know you and your heart.

On one particular evening, Kiibo found himself searching around the academy for you. You were usually on time to meet up with him, and you’d hang out at the same place every night for the past few months. When a good while passed and you didn’t show up, he went looking for you, a bit worried. You were in a killing game after all. He didn’t want to assume the worst but it would be foolish not to consider the possibility. After clearing the outside areas he moved into the main building, up dusty stairs and across lesser used halls until he came upon a restricted section that Monokuma blocked off for “ normal maintenance.” You all knew this was probably a lie, that the bear probably had something far more sinister than maintenance planned for that section of the school, but no one dared cross the yellow tape and warning signs. The Kubs had threatened you all on punishment of death if you broke the rules by ruining the surprise early and entering the closed off wing. Looking over the tape, the loose boards and dimly lit hall, something was willing him to go, pushing him to check past the tape… his inner voice. He’s never ignored it before, and it’s always been the right choice. Finding a courage he didn’t normally have, he stepped cautiously under the tape, being sure not to rip or alter its placement. Creeping down the hall, he stopped dead in his tracks when he rounded a corner and saw you standing yards behind an Exisal. The deadly machine was clearly on autopilot with no Kub inside, likely just set to perform simple maintenance, guard duty, cleaning or building on its own until its owner returned. Regardless, the thing would probably mindlessly kill any signs of human life it encountered in its owner’s stead, programmed by its creator to carry out punishments on rule breakers in this area. Yet another thing that made Kiibo superior to these types of no-intellect, violent piles of scrap metal. If you were caught, you were likely dead on sight, and he knew that, and he knew you had to know that.

Shuffling up to you warily, he grabs onto your shirt firmly and begins to drag you back and away from the Exisal.

“What are you doing?!” He whispers, inching you both away from the machine and back toward the entrance to the blocked off section. You were pulling away from him, struggling with tears beginning to form in the corners of your eyes. You wouldn’t scream, wouldn’t alert the Exisal now for fear of putting Kiibo’s life in danger as well, but if you could just convince him to leave, shake him off, maybe… “You shouldn’t be here!” Now a safer distance away from the Exisal, you began to protest verbally. You were mumbling, something like let me do this, I want to die, and was talking over you, solely concerned with getting you both into the clear where you could talk openly. He didn’t want to hear that word right now either: die, or any variation of it. He felt that anxiety, what humans describe as a tightness in the chest or butterflies flying around where his intestines would be. Was this feeling uniquely human?

His uneasiness lessens a tiny bit once he drags you under the tape and now down an unrestricted hall to a nearby bench, but now the uncomfortable talk had to begin. He hated this part, hated feeling inadequate and inhuman. He takes your rambling head into his hands and forces you to look at him through the tears.

“This is illogical. This is a most… painful way out! Why would you chose this way? It’s unreasonable. Why would you want to die like that, and who knows how long that thing is programmed to drag it out. Monokuma and the Monokubs are cruel to say the least, would dying by a machine they made be a great way to go out?” This was not what you wanted to hear. He was doing it again, another analytical, logical answer. You began to weep even harder, the frustration doubling at his words. You wanted to punch him in the face right now. He didn’t know what to do, eyes bouncing all over your form in confusion and dread like he was looking at a ship that just sprung a leak and was threatening to sink before him. He felt himself overheating like some common computer, ashamed at the useless he felt at that moment.

He didn’t know what to do… he was making it worse! So, he followed his inner voice.

In a panic, before he can think, he simply blurts out:

“I don’t want you to go! I would miss you, and I like having you in my life! I care about you, so please, please don’t do this.” He’s gasping though he doesn’t need to breathe. You find yourself calming down a bit, shaken by his words and quieting down to hear the rest of what he has to say. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you here. You’re my best friend and I have strong feelings for you, ones I never knew I could ever have!” You were shocked. He’d never said anything like this to you before. He takes your hands in his, and it feels right to him, like he’s supposed to do it. “Please, I’m listening. I’ll listen all night if need be.”

[eliavraay]

Question since I really love your comics: How did Scroop join adult Jim's crew and why did he accept?

After his fight with Jim, Scroop was carried away by a cosmic current and weeks later an acturian ship found him barely alive. Since this nation has a very strickt law against pirates, Scroop is sent into one of the arcturian prisons. He spends 5 years here, since the arcturian law dictates, that his EVERY crime must be brought up against him on trial. That way they can call it a fair execution.

During these 5 years, Jim makes a name for himself, graduating the Navy academy and taking part in the Battle of Procyon. He becomes a war hero and he can have his own ship, which he names the "Solar Fire". As he becomes a captain of the Navy, he gets access to their databanks. With a little light of curiosity and wanting some closure, he tries to look up what happened to his father. He learns, that he was part of an expedition, trying to map an uncharted sector of space. The place is called the Scyllian Nebula and is famous about not being mapped, because all tech fails in the cosmic cloud. Nobody knows, what's on the other side, since no ship ever came back. Jim's father disappeared with the last ship going in.

So... Jim just can't help himself and wants to find out, what happened to him. He assembles a very specific crew of individuals the Navy is not too fond of having under their flag and doesn't mind if they disappear. However they do care about the ship and Jim, so the Admirals only allow the expedition, if Jim recruits someone at least vaguely familiar with the way to the nebula. And Scroop is one of three people in the Etherium, who knows that region. The moment Jim sees his name on the list... he just accepts it as fate and rolls with it. Thanks to his heroic efforts as captain, the arcturians release Scroop into his custody.

Of course, Scroop tries to escape immediatelly, but then he faces Jim's crew. And this is the moment this crew starts to shine, since any of them could take on Scroop individually, anytime. They are all dangerous and has their little quirks. Scroop and Jim eventually make a pact, that he won't escape until they reach the destination. Jim also promises him freedom and even some money to start anew, so Scroop accepts. Thou he starts to wonder, what to do with that freedom and money, since he really wants nothing. He tries to avoid the crew, but they are not stopping including him, so... eventually he just accepts them.

[theverybestofbea]

academia films & shows 🩶 🎬

— the holdovers (2023)

a cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go, set in 1971, during christmas time.

— the umbrella academy (2019 - present)

a family of former child heroes, now grown apart, must reunite to continue to protect the world, science fiction meets preppy academia.

— mona lisa smile (2003)

a free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles, gives off a similar vibe to the dead poets society.

— the goldfinch (2019)

a boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the met, in a rush of panic, he steals 'the goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

— dead poets society (1989)

john keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious new england boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.

— a series of unfortunate events (2017 - 2019)

after the loss of their parents in a mysterious fire, the three baudelaire children face trials and tribulations attempting to uncover dark family secrets.

— mary shelley (2017)

life and facts of mary wollstonecraft godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet percy shelley, resulting in the writing of frankenstein.

— tik, tik...boom! (2021)

on the brink of turning thirty, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out, about art students during the 90s.

— the ministry of time (2015 - 2020)

a warrior from the sixteenth century, the first female university student from the nineteenth century, and a paramedic from the twenty–first century join a secret agency to prevent people from changing spanish history using time-traveling doors.

— romeo + juliet (1996)

shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of verona still retaining its original dialogue.

— jane eyre (2011)

amousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.

— little women (2019)

jo march reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the march sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

— the dreamers (2003)

a young american studying in paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a french brother and sister, set against the background of the '68 paris student riots.

— my policeman (2022)

the arrival of patrick into marion and tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

— deadly class (2018; cancelled)

a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of late 1980s counterculture, which follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins.

— shadow and bone (2021 - 2023; cancelled)

dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker alina starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world, at the same time, a group of thieves gather for a new mission.

— kill your darlings (2013)

a murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: allen ginsberg, jack kerouac, and william burroughs.

[vldsideblog]

Part 1 of Trials and Tribulations of Raising a Feral Desert Child.

Not sure how I’ll post this on ao3 since I only have a small part done but I thought I’d post it here for now. Also some of this was in italics but got messed up so yeah, you should still be able to tell.

Tw for small mention of Shiro’s illness Incase that might upset anyone.

—

Keith was an interesting kid to say the least. Shiro had taken him under his wing just weeks ago and he was starting to think he couldn’t handle this by himself.

First off he probably should’ve known he was in over his head when he had to get the kid out of juvie just two hours after meeting. But Shiro had seen the fire in Keith’s eyes. The kid was going to be something great, but only if he got some help. Otherwise he might end up dead in a ditch. Shiro didn’t like that thought so his decision was pretty easy to make. He would make sure Keith stayed out of as much trouble as possible and got the future he wanted. No one else seemed very keen on giving the kid a chance.

Keith had taken him up on the offer of joining the Garrison, and when Shiro first saw him flying the practice simulator he saw the despondent distant kid light up. The kid was born to fly, Shiro could relate.

But Shiro was just one person. A tired, disabled guy with a time limit dangling over his head. Even if he had a few good year’s before he got worse, he needed to make sure Keith was set up for success by that time. Wait, when did I start thinking like a responsible adult.

The moment Shiro realized he actually needed to ask for help, was when the kid unofficially under his care decked another cadet in the middle of school. Definitely not an ideal situation.

Shiro just had a talk with the kid, he believed in him, he really did. But they had to do something about his ‘punch first talk it out later’ behavior, and Shiro thought he had just the right person to ask for help.

-

Adam was skeptical at first about the kid Shiro had taken under his wing. Based on the haphazard way the two met he assumed nothing good would come of this mess. But Shrio looked like an excited puppy whenever he mentioned how the bored and lonely kid lit up while flying. And Adam wasn’t fond of ruining his boyfriends happiness. Even if that meant getting a delinquent thirteen year old into a prestigious space academy.

So when Takashi asked him if he could help Keith control some of his anger, Adam reluctantly agreed. He had his own issue with a fiery temper and figured he could at least give a few solutions.

Takashi had told them both to meet at an outdoor table in an out of the way courtyard on garrison property. The day was hot, the Texas heat still beating down on the state’s population. The lack of clouds or breeze didn’t help.

As he rounded a corner he found the slightly discolored picnic table already occupied. Takashi was standing and talking to a young teen, with a gentle reassurance.

Adam had only ever seen Keith’s Garrison ID picture, so his casual weekend attire was new. The thirteen year old was sitting cross legged on the table, watching Adam with a hawkish suspicion, dark eyes following his every move.

His bandaged fingers were messing with the hem of his sun faded black cargo shorts, they had obviously been mended many times if the extra stitching and occasional patch meant anything.

He wore a loose gray and black striped t-shirt and his black hair was cut into a choppy mullet. Adam wouldn’t be surprised if the kid had cut his hair himself. His other gloved hand was resting on the sun warmed wooden table.

Takashi stopped talking as he noticed Adam’s appearance. “Hey, babe.” He must’ve already mentioned their relationship. “I should be back in around an hour.”

Takashi turned to say something to Keith that Adam couldn’t quite make out then headed around the corner.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Keith.” Adam gave a small smile. He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to sit, with the kid sitting on top of the table instead of at a bench. But he figured he might as well go with it.

Adam pulled up another nearby picnic table and sat on the edge of the tabletop. As much as he tried to show a put together and careful presence. He also liked sitting criss-cross-applesauce like a normal human being.

Keith seemed to find this amusing as he let a small smile grace his recently bandaged face. Though he did stay firmly silent, not answering Adam’s attempt at conversation.

“So Shiro asked me if I could talk to you?” Keith’s face remained blank. Great, this was going to be sooo easy.

“So you got into a bit of trouble, cause you have a bit of a tem—.” “I punched Griffin in the face.” Keith said his name like a bad word, “He deserved it.” Keith’s left hand was drumming against the worn down wood of the table. He looked bored, like he’d had this same conversation more times than he could remember. Based on what he’d heard from Takashi, he probably had.

“Well, yes. You punched another student in the face on school grounds, during a class. Obviously you can’t keep doing that.” Adam tried to make eye contact with Keith to really drive home the message, but Keith didn’t seem keen on eye contact, so Adam just looked at the kid while Keith looked at his hands. This is going fantastic.

“May I ask, why do you think he deserved it?”

Keith’s posture stiffened and his response was short and mumbled, Adam couldn’t hear a word he was saying.

“Could you repeat that?”

Keith cracked his knuckles and for a second Adam thought he was going to be beaten up by a middle schooler. Which would be really embarrassing. But thankfully Keith just repeated himself.

“He said I didn’t deserve to be here.”

“Well, that’s obviously not an okay thing to say, and he should be spoken to about it. But I don’t feel as if that’s worth attacking someone over.”

Keith scoffed, “Well then we don’t seem to agree.”

Teenagers really are nightmares. But it didn’t feel like the full story. Keith was holding something back, something probably important.

“Why are you qualified to talk to me about this anyway?” Keith switched the questions onto him.

Adam sighed, was he really going to tell some brat about his middle school years. “Well, I get the anger for one. I used to have quite the temper when I was younger, I still kind of do.” At this admission Keith perked up a bit.

“When I was a kid I got overwhelmed really easily, I never had a lot of friends cause I would yell at people when I was stressed.” Adam picked at some lint on his shirt hem. “But I was able to get some help, I don’t yell at people anymore.”

“Well that seems ridiculous, how’re you supposed to change a stress response?” Keith side eyed him with cynical skepticism.

“It’s not like I don’t get overwhelmed or frustrated anymore, I’ve just learned better ways to deal with it. Instead of being aggressive about it, I try to be more sarcastic about stuff that stresses me out. That way I still have an outlet, but I’m not taking it out on innocent people.”

Keith nodded a bit as if trying to understand.

Adam continued, pulling a small stress ball out of his bag. “I also carry one of these around with me, so when I notice myself getting upset I can squeeze this and try to let some of the tension out.”

Keith cocked his head to the side almost resembling a cat. “So you’re sarcastic and carry a stress ball?” He gestured to himself, “I don’t think that’s going to fix me.” His eyes were harsh and his voice monotone.

“I’m not trying to fix you kid,” Adam tried to phrase it another way. “But if we can find tools to help you control your anger, then wouldn’t that help you too?”

Keith crossed his arms.

“I just thought that maybe if you had a punching bag, or could listen to some heavy metal it might calm you down.”

“I don’t hate that idea actually.” Finally we’re getting somewhere “Can I tape a picture of Griffin's face to the punching bag?”

“You know what, sure. As long as you refrain from hitting the real guy, go ahead.”

Adam spent the rest of the hour with Keith by showing him some of his favorite stress release music, and giving him directions to the Garrison gym, where a few punching bags resided.

By the time Shiro showed up and the kid left, Adam wasn’t sure how he felt.

He seemed a bit standoffish and bored, but was willing to take some instruction if he got to pitch in.

Maybe Shiro was right about this kid. Or maybe he’s an idiot with a heart too big and inability to leave someone behind.

Adam shouldered his bag and headed back to his and Shiro’s little Garrison issued house.

[inmateofthemind]

Have Some TWST Fan Lore Part 1: The Arcane Exchange

First of all, credit to @cyanide-latte for coming up with the event name because it just sounds so lovely, doesn't it?

Now, the Arcane Exchange itself is a fairly straightforward "what it says on the tin situation"; it's Twisted Wonderland's version of a student exchange program.

For approximately three months a year (my friends & I are currently working off the idea that this begins very shortly after the end of Book 4's events), students from various arcane academies will host each other and participate in certain events meant to strengthen the bond between the schools without it necessarily having to be competitive. After all, one of the last events that happens before the students are sent back to their respective schools is the National Arcane Academy Culture Fair that mainly works as an expo/convention (aside from the SDC, but you know).

There's a fairly substantial number of students from each school that get selected to participate, and then those various groups are semi-randomly split up amongst the other academies. (i.e Night Raven will host only some of the students from the other academies. Meanwhile, the NRC students going abroad for the exchange will be separated among the other schools).

In the case of Night Raven specifically, all visiting students are distributed amongst the seven dorms in a shared learning experience 'like a great big sleepover'. This is met with mixed results most times, but nothing too crazy since there are enough empty beds based on the number of NRC students having gone off to the other academies.

Speaking of, lets get into the schools involved in the Arcane Exchange!

Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy are the obvious picks, but that's also a rather obvious recipe for disaster due to their long-established rivalry...if left on their own, at least. Hence the inclusion of other schools to act as a kind of buffer that actually tends to work due to the neutrality of the other two schools.

Noble Bell College does participate(probably the least since they seem to be the smallest school in both scope & population), and the group of myself, Cy, @ramshacklerumble, and @simons-twsted-children have even recently discussed an interesting debate on whether Noble Bell is co-ed. This is important due to the final participant of the Arcane Exchange.

Corlux Key Seminary(CKS), a paramilitary arcane institution of my own creation that will be discussed in more detail in a later post. Corlux is explicitly co-ed in both students and staff; the gender distribution is almost perfectly split down the middle if not outright in favor of the female-identifying population. Despite this progressiveness, however, the Arcane Exchange a bit of an interesting sticking point for CKS (& NBC to a certain extent). While the male students can be assigned to whatever institution they like, the female students of both schools are only ever exchanged with each other. In regard to any potential PR nightmare an incident occurring on campus could cause, this makes sense. Doesn't mean it's not a bit sexist though.

The Arcane Exchange is a fairly standard practice that has even fostered some grand shows of academic comradery, though there have been some....memorable moments over the years as well. For instance, the Arcane Exchange that happened the year before TWST canon starts was Not Fun for NRC as hosts because both the RSA & CKS kids were terrible. As in 'it was considered the 'trial by fire' for both Riddle as a freshman-year Housewarden & the OctoTrio as the staff of the newly-opened Mostro Lounge' kind of terrible. As such, none of the Housewardens are particularly excited when the meeting before the start of the canon-year's exchange approaches. And they're about to feel a lot more ill-at-ease when Crowley rather casually drops this little bombshell;

For the first time since the start of this most noble tradition, Night Raven College will be opening its doors to a selection of female students from Corlux as a kind of experiment of 'broadening horizons & relations' between the academies. If this particular Aracne Exchange proves to be successful (meaning nobody does anything to 'embarrass' NRC and/or CKS), then there's the chance of expanding the openings for female students to participate at RSA's end of the Exchange as well as Noble Bell being able to similarly 'branch out' as it were.

Now that begs the question; is Crowley really about to let a relatively small group of girls onto an all-boys campus & just have them shack-up in the dorms? "NO! Absolutely not; I would never do anything so foolish and dangerous to those promising young pupils! As a matter of fact, I have arranged for all of the female participants to have accommodations all to themselves for their comfort and safety. Oh how generous I am; it's almost unnerving!" Now if only Crowley had thought to mention to the host of those accommodations that they're about to find themselves with a LOT more roommates than the usual weasel.

Apologies to one Gia Yugo...

NOT! This is going to be fun~ >:)

Taglist: @cyanide-latte @simons-twsted-children @tixdixl @ramshacklerumble (let me know if you also want to be tagged)

[uh-e-rinnie]

[click/tap images for better quality]

(1/3) of my TSS RPG au, originally posted on IG

Character Details and Backgrounds underneath:

[This was formatted for Instagram!]

Logan

Prodigy turned Professor of the Academy of Knowledge

Character Class: Magician

Weapon Class: Catalyst

Specialization: Time and Space

Associated Titles:

Royal Magician of the Kingdom of Creare

[Text Content]

Character Background [Lore]

There is much praise for Creare's Royal Magician. Despite his cold and icy gaze, Logan has the heart of a humble man, shaped by hardship and trial.

Logan was not born a magician, unlike his peers in the academy. A simple farm boy living with his parents, poor as they may have been, the young boy was determined to pursue a life of knowledge with the support of his guardians through every step. Poverty be damned, the boy held his head up through every step he had to take.

One day, while out staring into the deep blues of the night sky, a star fell into the young boy's hands, and in the blink of an eye, magic bloomed on his palms and through his veins. A case, not unheard of, but extremely rare; A gift from the heavens above, some say, only given to those who are destined for greatness.

Of course, Logan would roll his eyes, and simply state in a monotone voice; Coincidences.

Still, many believe that to be the case; For little farm boy Logan, not having the gold or silver to afford the teachings of skilled magicians, took it upon himself to turn this blessing into a miracle. Stars blooming from tired palms, restless eyes scanning through every word in every book he could find, whatever may help this star shine brighter.

Such hard work was deserving of a reward, and rewarded he was. Why, anyone who catches the eye of the previous royal magicians from the Academy of Knowledge, must be quite the special star, wouldn't you agree?

Role in Party [Position]

Logan is a magician that specializes in space-based magic, heavily on elements of Time and Gravity, as well as common elements that may be associated with space (See: Fire, Electricity, Water, Earth, etc.). He uses a book (Letters from the Universe) passed down onto him by the previous Royal Magician as a catalyst for his magic.

Logan is well equipped in using his magic for combat, making him a good Damage Dealer. His range allows him to fight from up close and from afar, however, it has been observed that the closer he is to the target, the more damage he deals. The father he is, the quicker he is able to cast more combat magic.

Though he is more common with combat magic, he may also serve as a Support magician. With the ability to increase his party members' fight speed, or decrease enemy speed. He may also increase his party member's gravity to increase the weight of their damage, of course, this is only applicable to physical fighters or members' with physical weapons.

Logan also has minor healing abilities, but does not use them often as it is not his speciality. 'Leave it to the Sunshine Frog', he'd say.

Virgil

Odd Magician found on the outskirts of Creare

Character Class: Magician

Weapon Class: Catalyst

Specialization: Unknown - Not Previously Recorded

Associated Titles:

Wanderer to and from nowhere.

Character Background [Lore]

While only few know about this strange wanderer, many have seen him soaring in the sky as he travels from one kingdom to the next, never staring for longer than a week or two. Those who have interacted with the wanderer describes him as quiet, almost docile despite his rough appearance; Speaking in hushed tones and staring at the world around him wide-eyed and curious. For that reason, amongst many others, the wanderer was welcomes as he never seemed like a threat.

What may be even more odd about this wanderer is the question of what he is. Many had mistaken him for one of the beastfolk; of the avian kind, wings and all. Upon being questioned so, the wanderer would shake his head and shrug, before moving onwards on his path, unwilling to continue the conversation.

A particular debate surrounding the wanderer is the color of the feathers on his back, and the mop of hair on his head; Some say it would be a deep dark black, too dark, almost like the shadows beneath his feet. Others would say it would be as pale as the moon's glow.

Currently, the strange wanderer takes rest on the outskirts of the kingdom of Creare, garnering the attention of many of its people. Not just for the strange wanderer's eccentricities and mysteries, but for the new development in the wanderer's routine;

It's been over three months, with no tells of leaving anytime soon. How odd, this wanderer.

Role in Party [Position]

Virgil is a magician that uses a floating crystal (Eye of the Storm) as a magic catalyst in battle, such is a gift from a member of his previous party. He has two forms that he can interchange in battle, with the condition that he must give his previous form time to recharge. His role and range in the party depends heavily on the type of form he's taken.

Flight form is similar to his dormant form at night; His hair and wings turn a bright white, with his wings growing slightly larger than in his other form. His speed increases greatly, but his strength lowers just as much. This is his best form to take role as a Support, as this form consists of magic that can boost the other members.

Fight form is similar to his dormant form at day; His hair and wings turns a deep black, with his wings growing denser and feathers sharper. His speed decreases greatly, but his strength increases just as much. This is his best form to take role as a Damage Dealer, as this form consists of magic that can boost himself.

Changing forms while a form is still partially recharges is dangerous, and thus, not advisable.

Other Concept Stuff

Design: Logan appears tall and lean, with tan skin, dark blue eyes and black, slicked-back, hair. He wears rectangular shaped glasses with golden frames, attached to a golden beaded glasses chain.

He wears a dark blue tunic with gold accents; You may also notice golden planets, moons, stars, orbits as well as a large golden sun with the silhouette of a crescent moon in the middle. There is a noticeable sparkle of glitter surrounding those golden shapes. These golden swirls and shapes are also seen on his sleeves.

Two brown belts, with one connecting to a small pouch, hangs loosely around his waist and over his hips. Two ribbons are connected to one of the belts, a red and cyan crystal hanging from a respective ribbon.

Under his tunic is a black button up shirt and a blue tie.

He wears long fingerless black gloves that take up most of his forearm, with gold lining at the end of the glove and around his wrist. A blue crystal is attached to the glove, below his knuckles.

He wears black pants that are tucked into a pair of brown and white leather high boots that reach a few inches below his knees. These boots are accented with gold and a blue crystal is noticeable above the bridge of his feet.

There is a noticeable pin on the right of his chest, colored gold and shaped like a thing four-pointed star, with arrows and a golden ring around it. Much like a clock or compass.

His weapon is a dark blue floating book, with two dark blue ribbons attached between the pages with golden stars hanging from the tips, serving as a sort of book-mark. There are rings, similar to his pin on the upper right corner and lower left corner of the book.

Design: Virgil is a pale skinned man with a short frame, a short mop of hair on his head, with a noticeable braid of hair starting from his temples. His hair switches between black and white, depending on the time of day.

His ears are slightly pointed, with a black ring helix piercing on his left ear, and a black studded earring with a purple crystal hanging from both.

He has heterochromic eyes, with his right eye being purple and the left being green, with a black/purple ring of color under his eyes.

He wears a cropped hoodie, it is a pale lavender, with three patches of various shades of purple (with two being plaid) sewn together in the hoodie's lower half. The hood is dark purple and plaid, with two dark purple hoodie strings.

He has long gray half gloves, starting from under his shoulder to a few inches over his wrist. The gloves are secured on him through black strings, on his shoulders and wrist. There are three, beads around the string on his left wrist, colored in yellow, green and orange. Similarly to Logan, he has purple crystals on his gloves, under his knuckles.

He wears baggy dark gray pants that hang from his waist, secured by a brown belt, with two long belt straps hanging from it. There is also a gold strap on the same side, with red, blue, and cyan circles on it.

He wears long brown boots with black accents, stopping several inches below his knee.

He has thick wings that switch between black and white together with his hair. Though the wings do look bird-like, feathers and all, none can point out the type of bird it can be associated with.

Virgil also has black long nails with sharp tips.

His weapon is a crystal orb that consistently swirls between the colors black and white, usually towards its center. Floating around the orb are two golden shells shaped like wings turning inwards toward the orb.

this was tiring! but i missed designing characters so yay!

edit: 7/5/22 ID added.

[chiinferno]

Anwar Zain

A mixed-breed Half Elf attending the Ilumvalos Institution. Due to being 25% Orc, 25% Goblin and 50% Elf, he tends to get bullied by the other "pure" Elves, causing him to wish he could have just been born as an ordinary Elf... He's become pretty close friends with Lindra Borgrost and Estelle Aelia.

[winxanity-ii]

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐈 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

╚»★«╝ 𝐉𝐉𝐊 𝐌𝐞𝐧: 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮 x 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐨!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ╚»★«╝

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: semi-angst(?) idk how to categorize this lol😭

‌🇷‌🇦‌🇹‌🇮‌🇳‌🇬‌: non-explicit

🇵‌🇴‌🇻‌: 2nd person; You/Your

🇩‌🇪‌🇸‌🇨‌🇷‌🇮‌🇵‌🇹‌🇮‌🇴‌🇳‌: in which, you stumble across the curse user leading a war against non-sorcerers.

🇼‌🇴‌🇷‌🇩‌ 🇨‌🇴‌🇺‌🇳‌🇹‌: 1.5k

🇦‌/🇳‌‌: Short but moves things along, plus im indulging in geto wanting me lol 😭😭...go to 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐍𝐨. ʲʲᵏ if you want to understand this.

★·.·´🇯‌🇺‌🇯‌🇺‌🇹‌🇸‌🇺‌ 🇰‌🇦‌🇮‌🇸‌🇪‌🇳‌ 🇲‌🇦‌🇸‌🇹‌🇪‌🇷‌🇱‌🇮‌🇸‌🇹‌`·.·★

Your worn sneakers are practically gliding over the city's uneven concrete as you navigate the midnight labyrinth of Tokyo. The urban hum is a distant symphony, the notes of life vibrating through the air but not quite reaching you. Neon lights flicker from skyscrapers like urban fireflies, casting brief, erratic glows onto the pavement.

As your feet keep up their rhythmic pace, your mind wanders back to earlier in the day. Hana's voice rings clear in your memory, tinged with a playful whine. "You're not around anymore! And why did you have to switch schools in the middle of the year, huh!?" she'd complained, giving you the trademark pout that you've come to associate with your best friend. You remember her face—innocent, oblivious to the dangers you're training to combat, the world you're now part of—and it makes your chest tighten.

You snatch your phone from your pocket; a quick glance assures you that you're making decent time. Yuji texted you to meet up at the subway station for a shared ride back to the Jujutsu Academy.

Even weeks after your return to the alternate past, your classmates and teachers have been more protective than before. They look at you as if you might disappear into thin air at any moment, their eyes filled with a mixture of relief and anxiety. But Gojo, your often enigmatic instructor, is the worst offender.

For him, you were only gone for a mere five minutes—five minutes that seemed to have shifted something inexplicable in the way he views you. For you, however, those "five minutes" stretched into weeks, weeks filled with the experience of knowing a younger Gojo, a version of him unmarred by the years yet already carrying the weight of a world on his shoulders. From watching close friends succumb to tragic fates to moments where he himself teetered on the brink of death, you've seen more than just the flashy, confident sorcerer of the present. You've glimpsed the fires that forged him, the trials and tribulations that shaped him into the man he is today.

Just as you thumb over your phone screen to shoot off a quick, "Almost there!" text to Yuji, your senses sound the alarm.

Your world shifts abruptly as a thick cloud of foul-smelling smoke materializes around you, pulling you off course and into a shadowy alleyway. Your feet barely touch the ground before they come to an abrupt stop, as if anchored by invisible weights. The smog tightens, like it's got a life of its own, looping around your arms and torso in the form of phantom shackles.

A chill runs down your spine, the air thickening with an intensity that's nothing short of menacing. That's when you see him—this shadowy figure draped in dark colors, emanating a vibe that makes your skin crawl.

Then it hits you like a freight train. You've seen this man before...

Geto Suguru.

You don't speak it, but the realization rings loudly in your mind as if you'd screamed it out loud.

Memories from another time—another reality, flash before your eyes. Those days when you were trapped with a younger Gojo, a man not yet hardened by the years, Geto had been there too, different but not entirely. His face from that past had been less haunted, his aura not so steeped in malevolence.

What happened to him? The question burns in your mind, but you swallow it down, keeping your lips sealed.

Your mind's a jumbled mess, reeling from the onslaught of memories and dread. It's like a mental tug-of-war, past and present yanking you in opposite directions. You're suspended between the two, grappling with the man Geto once was and the enigma he's now become. The weight of that unspoken name feels like a heavy stone lodged in your throat.

"It's not every day that one comes across someone like you," Geto says, his voice like velvet over shards of glass. It's the same smooth tone that you remember, yet it drips with an undercurrent of dread that sends shivers cascading down your spine.

The air feels heavier, like it's weighted with unspoken threats, pressing down on you like an invisible force field. As he moves closer, the gnawing smog around you dissipates, but it leaves behind a pervasive sense of unease. His gaze, sharp as ever even in the dim alleyway light, feels like it's peeling back your layers, leaving you exposed and vulnerable.

"Your lineage. Your untapped power. You're quite the anomaly," he says, each word tinged with an allure that's as dangerous as it is captivating. Your thoughts churn, flailing in a storm of confusion and fear.

His hand caresses your cheek, traveling down to rest lightly but firmly on your waist. The contact jolts through you, unsettlingly familiar yet off. Your muscles tense, and for a split second, you feel the absurd temptation to lean into his touch, as if gravity and logic have momentarily ceased to exist.

"Do you enjoy your time at the Jujutsu Academy?" he suddenly asks, derailing your thoughts. "Do you feel like you belong there? With them?"

You blink, your thoughts scattering like a handful of tossed dice. His words, drenched in foreboding, echo in the air like the momentary hush before a violent downpour. You can't escape the feeling that whatever you say next might irrevocably alter the course of...something. Whether it's your life, your soul, or some bigger cosmic puzzle, you're not sure. But it feels monumental.

"I-It's a good place for me to learn...and grow," you stammer out, careful to avoid his probing gaze. Your voice quivers, betraying the uncertainties you've been trying so hard to bury—fitting in, self-worth, the looming question of whether to go deeper into this world that simultaneously fascinates and horrifies you.

Geto's laugh is soft, a ripple in the murky air, but it resonates like the plucking of a tense string in your psyche. "Learning and growing? What quaint ideas. But allow me to broaden the scope of your perception. You are not like them—you're far more, even if they're blind to it. You possess a power that could shift the tides in a conflict as ancient as time itself."

His words hang heavy, pulling you into a vortex of doubt and contemplation. It's as if he's unlocked a forbidden door in your mind, one that leads to a shadowy room of alternatives. A room you've never allowed yourself to explore but now can't look away from. His hand on your waist intensifies its pressure, as if physically grounding the emotional weight of what he's asking you to consider.

"Consider joining me," he murmurs, his eyes plumbing the depths of your own. "Help me forge a world where sorcerers are unshackled from the petty constraints of the non-cursed—a world where your sort of power isn't a mere asset, but a cornerstone."

His hand shifts back to your cheek, the touch oddly soft, thumb grazing your skin in a way that's almost tender. But his eyes, those dark orbs of twisted allure, send a clear message: this is no simple invitation. It's a divergence in your life's path, and one route leads into an abyss.

"Or, if you'd rather not," he adds, his voice becoming a toxic syrup of sweetness and malice, "I'd loathe to see your talents squandered. Even worse would be to see you become... an obstacle." The words hang between you, frost crystallizing in the air, an implicit warning filled with chilling portent.

He inches closer, the heat of his breath mingling with the cool night air, creating a disconcerting contrast. "Your abilities could serve a greater purpose. Don't make me wait too long," he purrs, locking you in a moral and emotional stalemate that threatens to fracture the foundations of what you thought you knew, who you thought you were, and, most frighteningly, who you could become.

"W-Who are you?" you ask, despite already knowing the answer.

"Geto Suguru," he confirms, and just like that, he vanishes, leaving you alone and trembling in a dark alley; your heart pounding as if trying to break free from your chest.

A shaky breath leaves your mouth as your mind flashes to that other time—that other place, where Geto stood alongside a younger Gojo, his energy less malignant, his eyes not hollowed by whatever dark path he's since traveled. That Geto had smiled, had laughed, and you find yourself frantically comparing the two, rattled by the dissonance.

He's still the same man, isn't he? The voice, the eyes, the smile that's a dangerous mix of mockery and sincerity—it's all there, but there's something not right. It's like looking at a photograph that's been altered just enough to make you question its authenticity. You can't shake the thought—this isn't the Geto Suguru you knew, and the nagging feeling ratchets up another notch.

Your phone buzzes again—it's another message from Yuji, growing more concerned by the minute. Shaking off the bewildering encounter, you make your way out of the alley, your steps heavy with the weight of a newfound, ominous decision that you never asked to make.

y'all tbh i almost didn't post today 💀 im deadass beefing with commentors through gmail from ao3 and they are shiesty asf 😭😭😭😭 my first time being threatened because i didn't post fast enough....wheeewww what an experience

Anyways HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEE

TAG LIST: @bontensbabygirl

[chaoticangelharmony]

Honestly,out of all the tua crossover ideas I’ve seen,none would top the chaos of a umbrella academy and merlin crossover

Imagine this

-Five accidentally teleports all his family back in time to the medieval times to the land of Camelot ,they’re all very confused and wander through town where they see a public wizard trial,which tells them magic is a thing in this world.

-Five spends their entire time there trying to keep Luther away from a knight that looks suspiciously similar to him,to avoid the possibility of paradox psychosis and then them fighting eachother to the death.When five gets tired of this,he just proceeds to knock sir Percival out and hide him in a cupboard.

-Luther gets treated very nice around the town as everyone believes him to be a noble.This draws the attention of merlin who was told by the dragon that mysterious travellers have come to Camelot.Merlin find confronts five and a fight ensues,but it ends in merlin learning they mean no harm and just want to go home.Feeling bad for them,merlin agrees to help them and tells five to assemble his family.

-Luther,under the guise of sir Percival,also meets King Arthur who’s fresh off his fathers death,they both talk about their families,how their fathers treated them and have a jousting match,which Luther so badly,it makes Arthur laugh and thank him for playing the fool for him.

-Meanwhile,klaus and Diego go immediately to the tavern to have drinks,where they meet sir gwaine and they all get along relatively well,becoming drinking buddies.This is until a bar fight insues bc they can’t pay their tab and klaus summons ghosts to fend them off.

-This gets him arrested and put in the dungeons for being a wizard,Diego also gets punished and put in the stocks for associating with a wizard (the punishment was meant to be more but Arthur was talked down by Luther and Gwaine),which five uses as an opportunity to pelt him with fruit for getting himself and klaus arrested.

-Allison and Viktor get captured by Lady Morgana,who tries to enlist them after hearing about Allison use their rumour trick to get food at the market.They reluctantly agree and are put on their first mission,to free and enlist a powerful sorcerer who stands trial at Camelot.

-The whole thing comes together as they all arrive at klaus’ public execution,where they try and fail to try him as a wizard,as he is immortal,popping up quite quickly from the execution and terrifying all the crowd and the king

-This distraction,with a little fire and showmanship from merlin,gives them the opportunity to break klaus free,with Diego and five warding off the angry crowd with swords,while Luther distracts the knights in the castle.

-When the crowd get too hard to handle, Viktor knocks them down with their sound wave and Allison then rumours all the town and the king to go home and forget the days events

-They all head to gaisus chambers,and with the help of merlin magic to pinpoint their location,travels them back to 2019

[sunny-pandas]

Can we quickly pour one out for Himawari?

Because Luck has just never really been on this girl's side...

- Naruto misses her Birthday and accidentally ruins her Cake

- Her and Boruto’s arguing accidently leads to her Panda Toy being destroyed

- She gets bullied by Ehou on her Ninja Trial

- Kawaki breaks her Vase

- Her Pet Wolf Jaggy gets killed

- She almost gets Killed by Delta

- She gets attacked by a Fire Bear

- She gets kidnapped and almost trafficked on the Black Market

- She gets attacked by her Academy Teacher

- She will have to watch her Brother Boruto become possessed by Momoshiki and there's nothing she can do about it (as far as we know at least)

- She will have to watch her other Brother Kawaki go completely off the deep end and there's nothing she can do about it (as far as we know at least)

- She will have to deal with not just one but BOTH of her Parents being sent to another Dimension where they are Frozen in time for YEARS by the aforementioned Other Brother Kawaki

- Her Other Brother Kawaki's Rival (Code) is gonna send an ISLAND'S WORTH of Discount Freiza Clones to attack and destroy her Village the moment her Other Brother leaves (which is going to be very soon....)

- And if all of that wasn't bad enough, there's also a high possibility that the current Strongest Character at the moment (Daemon) might end up trying to hunt her down after sensing Power within her and there's nothing she can do to stop him (for now at least)

- And if all of THAT wasn't bad enough, something undeniably Bad is about to happen to her very soon because Boruto's Prophecy insinuates that he must "Lose Everything" which of course includes his precious baby sister 😔

Rough times for this poor Sunflower