#actually they’re not old in the canon either. hm

[rosalinesurvived]

Old men yaoing

[jacksgreysays]

"things you said when we first met" from Things You Said prompts. Sasuke's POV of meeting (getting to know(?)) Shikako

Hi aryaokayfriend!

Hm… for this prompt, do you mean canon!DoS or an AU? Or a Gardens-verse Shikako meeting a different world’s Sasuke?

Because if it’s canon!DoS, that’s just when both of them are 6 years old and in the Academy for the first time and it’s probably not much more than hi, hello, my name is ____.

And maybe Sasuke was bubblier than his, you know, brooding antihero vibes that we have now. But I can’t imagine it’s too wild.

Unless this is a canon divergent AU in which the first thing that comes to Shikako’s mind to say to this soft, smiling 6 year old boy is that his entire family is soon going to be killed by his hero older brother because a creepy old man has weird self esteem issues, bloodlimit envy, and possibly a decades long unresolved crush on either his Uchiha-hating sensei or his Uchiha teammate.

Oops.

In WHICH CASE, that would be both horrifying and funny.

You know what… this COULD be an AU in which… well, maybe I’m in this specific headspace because of one of our previous exchanges and also yesterday’s post

But what if this is the Hail to the Queen: She Who Has Divine Right and it’s because since she could speak, she has been dropping “prophecies” about the future. Like. If it starts when she’s a toddler and she says something like “the Cloud ambassador is a ruse, they’re going to try to kidnap Hinata” to her father, the Jounin Commander, and if he takes it seriously—or at least, seriously enough to either let the Hyuuga know or to increase internal security/patrols—and then they actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT SUCH THAT HINATA ISN’T TRAUMATIZED, HIZASHI DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SACRIFICED FOR NO REASON AND THUS ALSO NEJI ISN’T TRAUMATIZED. Then, yeah--Congratulations, Shikaku, Your Daughter Is A Prophet.

So, okay, telling a 6 year old Sasuke that his entire family is soon going to be killed by his hero older brother because a creepy old man has weird self esteem issues, bloodlimit envy, and possibly a decades long unresolved crush on either his Uchiha-hating sensei or his Uchiha teammate ISN’T GREAT but, also, as long as you heed her words, things can be fixed.

I’m also just wondering how much of this AU becomes… like… well, she’s trapped herself into this role of prophet and it’s true that she knows A LOT of the future. But also, because things keep changing, she knows increasingly less.

You know what would help in making sure she can keep up with information? A spy network. You know who would make good spies? The grateful members of Konoha’s two powerful eye-based blood limits.

[elvenbeard]

Mind Games

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic Summary: Kerry struggles to understand what's going on with V lately, but at the same time he's just as scared of the truth and what lies ahead. Back at the penthouse a difficult conversation awaits them. (Post-Sun-Ending, Chapter 4/?, 6278 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V, warnings for mentions of self-harm, depression, suicidal ideation and similar canon-typical dark stuff!)

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Kerry had to suppress a gasp when V dropped the hospital gown, revealing huge bruises across the side of his chest, ranging in color from reddish yellow over blue to dark purple. There were a few more across his sternum that were suspiciously steering-wheel-shaped, but the ones on the side were a lot more severe. He had the sneaking suspicion that they were not from the accident.

It wasn’t the first time Kerry had seen V beat up after a gig. Hell, he’d seen him in a lot worse states. But it still took him off guard every time it was so viscerally demonstrated to him what this job was doing to his body.

“It’s alright,” V said quietly, as he must have noticed Kerry’s momentary hesitation and stare.

“It’s not, no,” Kerry responded, voice also lowered. He didn’t want to lecture, neither scold or even try to convince V that he couldn’t keep going on like this. He knew, at least at the moment, it would be in vain. V could be horribly stubborn, and in that regard he and Johnny were fully alike, no matter how little V wanted to hear it. Kerry hoped though that the state he was in now would at least slow him down for a while, however terrible that thought was. He needed a break from worrying about V throwing himself from one gig into the next, without stopping to think twice, getting some rest. Not only did he not have to do this anymore, from a merely financial standpoint alone, it also wasn’t helping his cause in any way. At least Kerry couldn’t see how.

Back when Johnny was still around, the Relic’s side effects were worst after V had gone through a lot of stress. Always when he finally had a moment to wind down. Maybe he was hoping, if he’d just never let the stress end, things wouldn’t get worse again?

Kerry carefully reached out, rubbing V’s arms, and pulled him closer just slightly, to make him actually look at him properly. Lately he seemed unable to face him.

“I love you, and I worry about you, and you’ll never stop me from either,” he then said, reminded once again of the messages V had left him yesterday, “And I know you love me, you gonk. Never doubt it.”

The faintest smile appeared on V’s lips. He looked to the floor briefly, then back up at Kerry. He nodded slightly, then flinched, his right hand shooting up to his neck.

“Ow, shit… this whiplash is gonna get old real quick…” he cursed.

“Awww, my poor Vince,” Kerry laughed full of pity, in all actuality sorry for the bad state V was in. Very gently he pulled him into a proper hug, resisting the urge to squeeze him too tightly, and making sure not to put too much pressure on his ribs. Instead, his hands wandered down to his naked butt. So he got something to squeeze at least. V snorted, resting his head against Kerry’s shoulder, leaning into the embrace.

“Y’know, this might not’ve happened if I hadn’t stopped to get you the biggest jar of nasty-ass olives I could find on my way home,” V muttered against his neck.

“No, you didn’t…” Kerry was genuinely surprised, and even though he knew by V’s tone that he was joking, he simultaneously felt a little guilty in this whole affair now.

“Mh-hm,” V hummed, “And now they’re all over my fuckin’ car and I’ll never get rid of the smell again.”

“I’ll get ya a new car.”  

V laughed, but then just groaned in pain again, his body tensing up against Kerry’s.

“’bout time we get you home and into bed,” he decided, reluctantly letting go of V and picking up the clothes he’d brought with him to finally help him get dressed.

V was still rather wobbly on his feet when they walked out of the hospital. Kerry gently guided and supported him down the stairs by the entrance, holding his hand, or putting an arm around his waist or his shoulders all the way to the parking lot, whichever worked better given the terrain. He remotely opened the passenger side door for V and helped him in.

“Who’s the 89-year-old here, I wonder,” V hissed as he sank into the seat, and Kerry chuckled.

“Can give ya a referral to my plastic surgeons. They offer a package deal if ya replace more than two joints at once.”

“Sometimes I wish you were joking when I know you’re not,” V sighed and Kerry laughed, softly stroking V’s cheek once more before he closed the passenger door and walked to the other side of the car.

Home wasn’t far, just down the road quite literally, but they were in no rush. It was just past 10 a.m. by the time they pulled into the private garage that came with the penthouse. Kerry parked his Rayfield in its usual corner, between The Beast and an empty space that would have normally been occupied by the V-Tech. V made a sad face at the spot.

“Got a message from the insurance,” he said, “They’re still waiting for the police report to see how much of the damage they’re gonna cover, if any at all.”

V really loved that car – but he loved all his cars and bikes for various reasons. The V-Tech though was special, even though Kerry hadn’t figured out yet why.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs,” he suggested and went around to the other side to help V back out of the car again. They hobbled to the elevator and finally a sense of relief washed over Kerry when the doors to their penthouse opened.

 V was back home. A little roughed up, yes, but in one piece. Alive. They still had time. And Kerry would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

Once the elevator doors had closed again behind them, Nibbles perked up from her spot on one of the big floor cushions in the living area, got up to stretch, then lazily walked over to them.

“Hey, good girl, how are you?” V asked, and he wanted to bend down to pet her but froze, face once more twisted with pain. Nibbles rubbed against his legs purring and croaking, then went over to greet Kerry, although not nearly as extensively.

“Playin’ favorites again, I see, see… Yeah, fuck off right away,” he complained as she trailed off into the kitchen to her bowl, “But I get it, he’s my favorite person, too.”

“Hey, no fighting, there’s enough of me for both of you…”

V threw a quick smile at Kerry, pushed his shoulder gently, then slipped out of his shoes and walked over to the sofa to sit down. Kerry followed suit after a brief pause, his heart beating faster than before. They sat in silence side by side for a couple of minutes. Kerry kept looking at V, who just stared into the void for a long time at first, probably still processing all that had happened. All that Kerry still didn’t have a single clue about. He began playing with his rings, considered lighting up a smoke.

“Shit, I could really use a shower still,” V eventually said, breaking the silence, and finally meeting Kerry’s questioning gaze.

“Me too,” he smiled, “Wanna go right away?”

V seemed to consider it for a moment, but then he carefully shook his head.

“We need to talk first, or I’ll just keep finding other ways to avoid it all day.”

“Okay, then… I’m all ears,” Kerry said, a little disappointed about the delayed shower time with V, and nervous now about what he was going to tell him. V restlessly fumbled with his cast, a 3D-printed plastic construction that would keep his wrist still while still allowing airflow. Kerry remembered when he broke his arm as a kid and had to wear a thick plaster cast for six weeks in the worst Night City summer heat. It was hell. Not all things were better in the old days.

“I told you I did gigs for government people a couple times, right?” V then slowly started.

“Yeah, I remember,” Kerry nodded, “Specifically that you were pretty adamant about not tellin’ me who and what it all was about.”

“Mostly to keep you out of harm’s way,” V said, looking up from his hands. Kerry shuddered slightly at how serious his expression had gotten all of a sudden.

“I’ve been running this through in my mind over and over,” V said after a short pause, “’cause I still think the less you know the better but… But it’s hard to really explain the scope of this without getting’ into details that’ll eventually give away who it’s about anyway.”

V let out a long sigh, let his head sink slightly. Kerry wished he knew a way to soothe him, wished he could confidently say “don’t need to go into detail if you don’t wanna”, but at the same time he knew he needed to know everything to finally get a sense of where they were at in this whole mess. For a moment the realization scared him… Where were they at in their relationship, really?

“I can handle it,” Kerry said, a lot less confidently than he sounded, “Whatever it is, and wherever it’ll lead… if you think it can help you...”

V looked up at him again with a sad smile. He remained silent for a few more seconds, then he cleared his throat.

“It was… about a month and a half before we met,” he recounted, “I got a call from a woman. Introduced herself as Elizabeth. Said I’d been recommended to her for an important job that required discretion…”

The story that followed sounded like a bad political thriller to Kerry. The kind of stuff he and V would make fun of if it was on TV for being unrealistic. Underground sex-clubs, spiked braindances, and cyberpsychos weaponized against political enemies – the worst kind of intrigues for something as lousy as the title “Mayor of Night City”. But from there on things only got crazier, and not in a fun way either.

V recounted the second meeting with the Peralezes, secret rooms, secret agency bullshit, even Johnny having a bad feeling about it all… that was what concerned Kerry the most out of the whole story so far. Johnny rarely had bad feelings about anything that didn’t have to do with Arasaka directly… at least not the Johnny he remembered.

“You’ve been in the city for longer than anyone else I know,” V wondered, “Did you ever hear anything about ‘the people with glowing blue eyes’ or somethin’ like it?”

Kerry considered it for a moment.

“Not even Rogue has anything on them?” he then asked, and V briefly and again, carefully, shook his head.

“Not even Rogue, neither Viktor, no-one can find anything concrete,” V said, “Lots of gossip and hearsay, and I guess there is probably some truth here and there, but… yeah.”

“Was gonna say, think I maybe heard a rumor at a party now and then, but that’s as deep as it gets. Sorry,” Kerry said.

“Don’t be, was a long shot,” V shrugged, “Johnny guessed they’re some kind of rogue AI. And you know, the longer I think about it, the more plausible it seems.”

He sighed.

“But dunno… there’s so many possibilities really, and none are good.”

Kerry rummaged through his memories for anything that might be useful, something he may have picked up on and disregarded at the time, or someone he knew that might know more or could figure something out. He wondered if this was something Nancy had ever come across or would be interested in working on… He’d have to give her a call later. But right now, something else interested him more.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just accept we don’t really know who these people are or what they want. What does all that have to do with your gig? With savin’ your life?”

Kerry could guess the answer already, but he still hoped to be wrong. He didn’t like where this was going one bit.

“About two weeks after Mikoshi…” V recalled, “I think it was the first night after that we spent at the villa together.”

Kerry immediately remembered the evening he was talking about. It had been a hellish two weeks. The first couple of days after walking out of Arasaka Tower V had been more dead than alive, constantly drifting in and out of consciousness. Once that had improved and he’d started to physically recover from the worst of it all, he’d been out of it mentally. Even more distant than he was now, unable to really speak some days, utterly numb. It had been incredibly painful to watch, for everyone involved at the time. And once V had finally found back to reality again, the news he’d had about his condition, about Alt’s prognosis, had been another heavy blow.

The night V referred to had been the first to feel somewhat normal, all things considered. Vik had been looking into a possible treatment, full of hope to at least stop V’s health from declining now that they didn’t have to actively work against the Relic anymore. V had been slowly finding back to himself again, was smiling, talking like normal, not just staring into the distance without a single emotion in his body. They’d driven out to Kerry’s villa to get some distance to the city, just be themselves and enjoy the silence for a few days, celebrate that Arasaka was in shambles and would be at least for a little while. Appreciate the fact that, against all odds, V was alive.

It had been during that night, when they were both half-asleep on the sofa already, that V got a call he didn’t really want to take. They called again, and again, until he finally picked up just to shut them up. He actually left the room to do so, so Kerry couldn’t listen in. When he came back, paler than before, quieter, he insisted it was nothing and he had no interest in working with whoever had just contacted him, and to leave it at that.

The pit in Kerry’s stomach grew even deeper.

“You lied…” he blurted out, not able to hide his hurt, “You took their offer…”

“No, not that night, I didn’t,” V quickly interrupted him, reaching out with his left, cast-covered hand and put it on Kerry’s right.

“I think that call was them testing the waters, figuring out if my brain was mush or if I’d still be useful,” he then added slowly, as if he’d only just realized it himself. Kerry forced himself to relax his shoulders again.

“What did they want you to do?” he asked.

“No specifics back then,” V said, “Once I realized who was calling, I already didn’t want anything to do with them. Didn’t give me even half the specifics of what I’d needed to even consider accepting a gig anyway. The guy said ‘what a disappointment’ and hung up, and I thought that would be it.”

V shrugged and lowered his head.

“Damn was I wrong.”

Kerry pulled his hand out from under V’s, causing him to look up at him again as he then carefully took and held it. It was awkward with the cast, they couldn’t really lace their fingers, so Kerry just loosely grasped his palm and hoped it was enough to show V he had his back, that they were in this together.

“What next?” he asked, and V thought about it for a little while, then continued his story.

“I think it was the first or second week of July when they tried to get back in touch again,” he said, “Vik’s therapy wasn’t working out, and somehow they knew it, I… still don’t know how.”

Kerry shuddered.

“They started with ‘you have seen what we’re capable of – we might be able to help, if you’re willing to let us…’ whatever.”

“Yeah right,” Kerry laughed dryly, “They’re just gonna help ya out of the good of their hearts.”

“My thoughts exactly then,” V nodded, but he still had his head low, his voice distant and quiet, “But also… I started considering it.”

“They caught you in a weak moment,” Kerry shrugged.

“Honestly, Kerry, I doubt it was a coincidence,” V said sternly, “There is crazy coincidences, like… your dying friend slotting an experimental biochip into your head, and if he hadn’t, your traitorous fixer might have killed you for good. No one saw that coming, not Jackie, not me, not Dex. But there are no coincidences with these people. They didn’t just happen to call me the moment I stepped out of Vik’s clinic with more bad news and no clue on how to go on now. Coincidentally presenting me with the solution to my problems on a chrome platter? I doubt it. That’s not how Night City works.”

Kerry remembered the day now. He hadn’t been able to accompany V to Vik’s, because he’d been stuck with the label bosses and that bastard Kovachek, re-negotiating contracts for hours. It had been a crap day all over, and finally coming home to V all desperate and with more bad news had been the icing on the shit cake.

“Sounds like they were playin’ with ya,” Kerry muttered after processing this new bit of information for a moment.

“Think so, yeah…” V croaked, “But people like that, they leave you no choice but to play along.”

Kerry wanted to disagree, spurred on by the pain in V’s voice, a pain he knew only too well… but he knew V was right. You’re forced to play along, there is no way around or out, and even then, you have no guarantee to even win. Those with enough power played with you like a cat with its prey.

Kerry had long accepted this was part of the deal of surviving Night City. But it had also been what so majorly contributed to his numbness, the sense of pointlessness of it all. If everything was predetermined for you by others, what purpose was there in fighting back and trying to do things your way, when every aspect of your life was in vain, when every move you could make would lead you further away from yourself and the things that mattered?

That was the mindset he’d been stuck in by the time V walked into his life. That he still fell back into now and then, whenever the next shitstorm hit. It had almost pushed him over the edge before, being so completely at his wits end, seeing no way out, no way to continue, nothing to achieve left, and everyone he’d ever loved dead and gone or no longer part of his life.

He could hear his own pain in V’s voice now, could see it in his eyes, his sunken posture, and it was like he was looking at himself on his worst days. He hated seeing him like this.

“I get it,” Kerry said quietly, “I hate it… but I get it.”

He grabbed his hand a little tighter, as tightly as he managed around the cast. V didn’t look up at him, he probably couldn’t – that Kerry understood as well now – but there was a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, for a split-second at least.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Nibbles came strolling back from the kitchen and settled down in front of them on the floor cushion again. She already felt right at home, despite the still unpacked boxes here and there, despite them still rearranging the furniture every other day to make a better use of the space. Making it their home as well. They still spent a lot of time at the villa, but it was so huge, and in some ways so much more impractical than this place. The penthouse felt just right for the two of them. Kerry had almost forgotten how fun it could be to live together with someone – sure, argue sometimes about how to organize the cupboards (or not), about the other making or leaving messes, or what table to get for the dining area, things like that. But it felt so good to make their lives fit together here, occupy the same space, everything beginning to seamlessly blend over, their tastes, their belongings, their movements around each other… It was like he was getting to know V all over again, many new sides of him, too. It was exciting to fall in love with him over all the little things over and over again. And yet…

When they first looked at the place together, V had been so reluctant. Not spelled it out like that, but his worried expression, his undertone had said it all: “What’s the point of getting a place, building a life together, when I’m dead in a few months?”

Yeah… Kerry had asked himself the same question. What if there was no way out of it, what if V only had the time Alt had estimated, and they could find no one that would be able to help before he was too far gone? This place wouldn’t be the same without him, not the penthouse, not the city… nothing, really. Kerry feared what V’s death would do to him, should it come untimely, or even should it come exactly when it was predicted. They’d had a few close calls behind them already, and every time he almost lost his mind right then and there. That couldn’t be healthy, he knew it himself, but also he couldn’t just let go of V like that. Not after everything they’d been through together, good and bad, pretty and ugly, in such a short amount of time. The more he seemed to push him away lately, the tighter Kerry grasped at him.

He refused to just accept there was no way to give them more time together in their little realm here. More time to ask him about why he loved the V-Tech so much, learn more about Jackie, hell, even his time working for Arasaka and how he even ended up there. Get to know all his little quirks and habits that no one else would ever get to see that didn’t wake up in the same bed with him, shared a shower, a kitchen, a sofa with him playing games or watching stupid movies. More time to tell him how much he meant to him, give Kerry the time to let down his walls and his guard a bit more. Let V closer, stop hiding all the uncomfortable truths about his past behind jokes, tell him about his wildest dreams and his dumbest childhood memories. Ask him what he wanted to be when he was still a kid. Show him how rewarding it can be to accept your own culture instead of resenting it, no matter how painful it was going to be in the beginning. Compare scars just how they’d compared tattoos before, share hurt, and joy, and let them go on many more crazy rides and impromptu adventures, wherever life would lead them together.

Let it be just a few months more, or a year. Just a little more time… what Kerry wouldn’t give for that. Hell, he’d happily trade half of what was left of his own life to give it to V, however selfish the thought was. Only enough to have him around for the rest of his own life. Just because the thought of losing him was too much to bear most days.

Regardless he’d egged V on about the penthouse, kept pestering him with all kinds of half-assed reasons, until he finally agreed to sign the lease contract with him. Kerry felt a little guilty about it in hindsight, but he didn’t regret it one bit. Sometimes V needed a decent push to make up his mind. And he got the impression that whoever these blue-eyed people were, they knew that only too well.

“What did they want in return for helpin’ ya?” he eventually dared to ask. V remained silent for a couple more moments, either struggling to find the words, or still reluctant to get Kerry involved by telling him. But then it burst out of him like a waterfall, and he told him the whole story from start to finish, leaving nothing out.

A plan to rob the Crystal Palace of its clients’ data, as crazy a gig as one could imagine. Using Arasaka’s defenseless state to rob them blind of their equipment and resources – Johnny would have loved it. Hell, for all they knew, maybe he’d even helped them from wherever he was now, with Alt, beyond the Blackwall. It would only be fitting, Kerry thought. V told him about how everything had been planned down to the minute, by himself, and with Rogue’s help, with many of the Afterlife veterans, and with the man that finally introduced himself as Mr. B. The man V had been on the holo with exclusively up until a few days ago.

“Believe me, there were times when I just wanted to quit, especially the crazier his demands got about what we’d need. I didn’t know what the actual target was until he said ‘we need a space shuttle’,” V recounted.

“Fuckin’ hell,” was all Kerry managed to say, still trying to digest how long this had been going on without him knowing.

“The actual heist was…” V paused, “With all the preparations we’d made, with my background and experience... It wasn’t that hard to pull off, objectively. The timeframe was narrow, and what really sucked was the overall conditions. Movin’ around in that clunky space suit... But data extractions like this I’ve done dozens of times before. All things considered… it worked out exactly as it should have.”

“What about that bruise on your ribs?” Kerry frowned.

V finally looked up at him again, smiling sheepishly.

“That was… stupidity,” he said quietly, “I had to use a different way out than the one I’d taken to get in, to get close to the mainframe. You’ve gotta picture this as this intricate labyrinth of access tunnels, vents, actual airlocks, and whatnot. Like, straight outta your cliché sci-fi movie really.”

“Okay…”

“It was a constant switching back and forth between areas that had artificial gravity, and zero gravity, or something in-between,” V explained, and Kerry began to realize where this was going.

“Oh no…”

“Yeah… I didn’t pay attention, fell, it hurt like fuck. But at least I was close to the exit already and didn’t draw any unwanted attention.”

“Fuckin’ hell, Vince…” Kerry pinched the bridge of his nose, then ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s alright,” V said gently, inching a little closer, “I’m here now. There is so much that could’ve gone wrong, on the way there, while I was there, on the way back… I’ll gladly take a few cracked ribs over the alternatives.”

Kerry looked up at V, but V didn’t meet his gaze, still staring at the floor. He wanted to believe what he was saying, but there was something… off. Again. The whole time he recounted this. Proud of what he’d accomplished, as was his right… But numb still, blind almost, to all the dangers he went through. V was one of the bravest people Kerry knew, a little bit crazy, an adrenaline junkie… but not careless, not reckless to this degree. Throwing himself into this near-suicide mission as if he had nothing left to lose.

“Vince…” he said slowly, “This whole thing was one hell of a risk to take… for a promise of help that these fuckers still have to fulfill by the way.”

He had to muster all his willpower to prevent his leg from bouncing. V must have noticed how clammy his hand was getting by now.

“You threw yourself out there again and again, and they didn’t move a finger yet to actually help you.”

“They helped plan and set everything up…” V said, but Kerry shook his head.

“Not what I mean.”

How to phrase this in a way it wouldn’t hurt V even more, but make him realize how fucked up all of this was? Especially, him being so… accepting of it? So readily keeping this all away from him, leaving him in the dark? He’d never felt this much of a need to “protect” him – it felt more like, these people were trying to protect themselves from something by giving V only half the deets, by only letting him know half the story. By ordering him around like a pet dog who had to obey their demands.

“They did nothin’ but help themselves so far,” he said, heartbeat fast and angry, “Helpin’ you with the preparations also only served their plans. And besides that - …”

He caught himself just in time before blurting out something he might have regretted. But then again… fuck it. He had to get it out, or he’d explode, or worse, start resenting V for it. He took a deep breath.

“Besides that… you knew how risky all of this was, and you went on with it anyway,” he said as calmly as he managed, “Without tellin’ me shit. You could’ve died up there and I’d forever be sittin’ here wondering what the fuck happened. Fuck.”

“Kerry…” V said quietly, looking up at him with big eyes, and his expression hurt Kerry more than the thought of losing him for a moment, “I… had no choice.”

“Yeah, keep tellin’ that yourself,” Kerry said, only half able to swallow his anger, “There’s always a choice. Hell, you keep going on and on to me about how I still have options, I still have choices and opportunities whenever I just wanna quit, whenever I’m tired of the medias and the label and everything. I didn’t have to almost blow my brains out, even though, let’s be completely fuckin’ honest, it wouldn’t have made a difference to anyone that mattered at the time whether I was dead or alive. You made me take matters in my own hands, showed me how I let others use me as their plaything, for their own agenda. And now you’re doing exactly that! Even worse, you have so many people who care about you, not even just me, and you act like you have nothing left to lose? Like you have no choice? I don’t get it!”

The silence that followed was so heavy and all-encompassing, it seemed to push the air out of the room, out of his lungs, drown them in it. V was looking to his feet again, he did not move. Kerry was half tempted to take it all back after thinking it over, he’d been quite harsh in his word choice… But also, not wrong.

V had once told him that so much about his upbringing, his whole life so far really, had been about being used or being useful. But only now he began to understand what he had meant with it. Kerry hated how desperate V must have been this whole time, and what this despair might still drive him to do. But most he hated that he had felt like he couldn’t tell Kerry anything about all this, that he needed to protect him, when what he would have really needed was just open communication for once. Letting him hold his hand and lead him through the darkness, like V had been doing it for him from the very beginning.

 “Sorry, I… I wish you’d just said somethin’. Anythin’,” Kerry stammered eventually, but V shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry…” he said quietly, “To be honest… I don’t get it either. As I said, feels like… I’m not really myself anymore sometimes.”

Another long pause followed, but it felt less tense – or at least tense in a less heavy, devouring way.

Kerry scooched a little closer, their thighs and shoulders touching now, and he let go of V’s hand to put it around his back.

“Ya never told me that you saw Johnny in the mirror sometimes,” he then said.

“… no?”

Kerry shook his head.

More damned silence.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Kerry made sure, “About everything. I can handle it.”

Then he noticed that V was suddenly breathing faster than before… almost as if he was scared.

“Vince?” he asked, reaching over with his left hand to force him to look at him now. Kerry shuddered at the cold sweat beading on V’s forehead, eyes wide and fearful.

“What is it?” he was beginning to panic as well.

“Did I… did you notice anything about me being different?” V then asked breathlessly, “Or… did you have any strangely realistic dreams, had people around you act weirdly?”

“What, no, I…,” Kerry stammered, but he paused to think for a moment. The people at the studio were as normal as studio people could be... And those were really the only ones he’d been around lately, besides V.

“I mean, we had that earlier, you’ve been a little off lately, yeah,” Kerry said, “But that’s to be expected, and I understand it now, if all this has been goin’ on in the background…”

V shook his head, quite vehemently, but not even flinching this time from the pain it must’ve surely caused him.

“No, no, not even like that,” he said, “Did I forget things that I shouldn’t have, did I… Oh, fuck, I think I’m gonna puke…”

“No, no, easy now, just breathe,” Kerry tried to calm him down, still reeling slightly from this sudden shift in his behavior. He was having a proper panic attack. Then it began to dawn on him.

“You’re not thinkin’… they’ve been messing with your head? Like they did with the Peralezes?”

His heart beat hard and fast, he could feel it in his throat, and an icy rush ran down his spine.

“I dunno,” V said, leaning forward now, hands on his head, grasping his hair, “I don’t know anything anymore…”

“Come on, over here,” Kerry said, jumped up, pulled V to his feet quickly but as gently as he managed, then helped him lie down on the floor.

“Flat on your back, okay?”, he instructed, grabbing a pillow from the sofa to put under his head, propped V’s legs up on his own as he knelt down by his side, “Catch your breath first, okay, focus on my voice. Breathe in, and then out, slowly, take it easy…”

He didn’t remember the last time he’d talked someone through a panic attack, if ever… But V did calm down again after a couple of minutes, his breathing normalized, and at least a hint of color returned to his face. He rubbed his eyes with his healthy hand and exhaled deeply.

“What if they did mess with my head…” he said slowly, much calmer now, but his voice still brittle, “What if they tried to drive a wedge between you and me, because it’d be easier to use me on my own? Physically stop me from tellin’ you stuff, prevent me from sayin’ what I wanted to say, makin’ me say things I don’t mean… cause their dirty disgusting corpo-fingers were all over my brain, pokin’ around where they shouldn’t be? Fuck… maybe that’s why they know so much about my past… the car, and the meeting spot…”

His eyes fell shut, but his expression remained pained. Kerry didn’t hesitate any longer and lied down on the floor next to him, scooched up close, just how they’d woken up in the hospital bed together earlier. He squeezed his arm under V to be able to put it around his shoulders, pulled him even closer, his other arm loosely draped around his waist. Almost automatically V shifted, a little more stiffly than usual, but he snuggled up closer as well and pressed his forehead against Kerry’s, their noses touching.

“What if they know so much about me, know what buttons to push, cause my own thoughts and memories are their primary source…”

“I’m not gonna try and sugarcoat it… yeah, maybe, with all you’ve told me,” Kerry said quietly, “Dunno how they would’ve pulled it off though.”

He paused, really considering this option for a moment. Wouldn’t he have noticed? But what if they’d gone about it differently than with the mayor? Was there a way they could have messed with him, too?

“But again, you’ve been goin’ through hell all on your own for quite a while now,” he then said, relativizing, “When we should’ve been doin’ this together.”

Quiet fell over them like a blanket, the only noise the silent whirring of the fridge, the AC, Nibbles gently snoring behind them. The soundproof windows blocked out the noise of the city completely and the sun was high in the sky, bathing them in golden warmth.

“I don’t want you to go through hell again,” V then said, his voice barely more than a breathy whisper. He could’ve stabbed him right in the heart then and there just as well.

“I’ll gladly prop up a fuckin’ tent in hell as long as I’m with ya, gonkbrain,” Kerry responded after a moment, kissing V’s forehead quickly before returning to just holding him, “I told you. I’m not done with you. I’ll be there, ‘til the end. If only you’d let me.”

Ending notes: Thanks so much for reading ♥ I know this was long and sad... I promise the next one's gonna be a bit more light-hearted! Need some fluff (and maybe, if I'm feeilng brave, smut) after all that angst xD

>> Next Chapter

[teenagemutantninjatrauma]

hey so are you telling me everything from season 1-5 happened in 2 YEARS?? ALL OF THAT IN 2 YEARS???? what the fuck actually

GYEAH I FOR SURE AM SAYING THAT. HELP

And y’know if I was lenient and not obsessed with stupid details and hurt/comfort potential, MAYBE I’d go “hm oh well maybe the turtles started their story earlier in life! Or maybe the show runners just wanted a good looking number and five looks best.”

But c’mon. A bit of a stretch to say that the 2k3 ninja turtles started all that bullshit at, say, thirteen years of age, no? Rise Mikey, sure, perhaps. But not these guys.

My theory is they didn’t wanna lose the ‘teenage’ in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ which, if they were around fifteen in 2003, at least Leo would be an adult by 2006, meaning that if they wanted to anchor Fast Forward in a specific time (something you probably wanna do when fucking with time travel), they had to pick a year before 2006. Meaning that we now have another reason to consider Fast Forward somewhat disrespectful to the franchise because it was like “wow guys! Sure were two Busy Busy years huh!” And on one hand they constantly do shit and their life is full of danger and enemies so maybe all of that horrible horrible time could be shoved into two years and that would make for some pretty good angst potential, imagine!

“Mikey, hey, it’s okay! The Shredder’s defeated, we’re legendary across space and time, things will be better now!”

“TWO YEARS, LEO! WE’RE BARELY FUCKING ADULTS! SOMEONE ELSE WILL COME, IT’S HOW OUR LIVES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN! WHAT IF THEY’RE LIKE THIS FOREVER?! what if… what if we just never catch a break again?”

BUT on the other hand it feels, to me, personally, kinda unfair to shove all of it into two years? It feels like.. “let’s shrink all of this drama and trauma and character development into an impossibly short timeframe in the name of keeping the franchise alive.” Just Leo���s absence when he went to get therapy from the Ancient One was said to have lasted several months, and pretty early on we have a Christmas, meaning a year is ending soon, which cuts down our two years to one and maybe a week after Christmas Aliens.

Ah, I’ve pinpointed what frustrates me about this from the storytelling perspective — it makes the characters’ journeys feel too fast in retrospect. While we obviously can’t see every day of the rigorous training with the ninja tribunal, or of Leo’s stay with his crazy old man of a therapist, or the time spent healing at the Jones farm, we assume that it all happens gradually, slowly, that a significant amount of time passes. By shoving Fast Forward so close to all of this previous history, they basically took weight away from all the healing done overtime, from the lessons learned overtime, from the length, trust and weight of April and Casey’s relationship, all of the relationships in fact. And that kinda sucks ass!

A solution to this would’ve maybe been to shove Fast Forward somewhere earlier into the show. It did end up airing before the Ninja Tribunal season, but this wasn’t the original plan (NT season was made to be before this originally, and is now viewed as so, as intended) and they didn’t really try and edit it to happen before the Ninja Tribunal season either, obviously, as evidenced by the FF journal episode mentioning the Ninja Tribunal as though they were already an established and known part of canon. Also, yeeting the turtles into the future and then having them come back and do the Ninja Tribunal season would not have worked at all, it would be so jarring and sorta… a downgrade in danger I feel? Who’s gonna be scared of losing a fight if there’s already an established good future proving that they win, right?

Another solution would’ve been avoiding a set time altogether and just saying they got brought a hundred years into the future. What year is it? [shrug] How old are they? [another shrug] We’re just in the far future bitch. Don’t worry about it lol. That way anyone could bullshit around with the timeline as much as they wanted.

Thank god this show never did anyone’s birthdays as an episode. I think I would explode. [try not to think about how Splinter was never human and so he might not know what birthdays are or how they’re celebrated and so neither do the turtles. It’s not important rn haha]

Sorry for the ramble I am just so abnormal about this now. Because I am so happy for the FF season because we got the Dark Turtles, we got a happy ending for Stockman that I genuinely think he deserves at this point, we got Cody who I think is very fun, just overall so many fun concepts. But also. Fuck, dude! FF and BTTS were both a tad disregarding, a tad disrespectful to the history that came before them.

[makethiscanon]

3, 5, 9, 16, 28, and 29 for the wrapped writer's edition

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

It’s got to be Mistletoe (A Christmas Bakugou x Reader One Shot Collection). Forever and always. I wrote all three short stories in three weeks, right in the middle of busy period at work. 

Idk I guess I’m just really proud of how I wrote Bakugou? I got a really lovely comment that said something like “soft bakugou IN CHARACTER?” and that was just so lovely because I spent time trying to devise how to make a realistic love story with that grump.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Hm. This year, probably Loveless (Genesis x Reader). It’s a fic I wrote back in 2009. The very beginning of my writing journey. But it got a bit of a resurgence on AO3 this year. I guess because of the FFVII: Crisis Core Reunion announcement/release? Either way, I thought that fic was buried, but it was really nice to get some comments on this year. Positive ones, to boot!

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

I mean, it’s always gonna be Ojiro/Reader. But I’ve actually really enjoyed writing a Baji Keisuke/Reader fic (unreleased) this year because it’s been super fun to get to know his character. He’s equal parts arsehat, softie, feral and idiot. So, jumbling all those qualities together has made him a joy to write for.

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

Without a doubt, ‘Fluff’ tops the tags, followed by ‘Hurt/Comfort’, and then either ‘No/Mild Angst’. I like to spread the warm fuzzies.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

Published would have to be A Helping Hand (Ojiro x Reader). It’s full of all the tropes I love. First Meetings, Rescue, Slice of Life Fluff. And it’s an easy introductory fic for those who haven’t read any Ojiro pieces before.

Unpublished, I’ve got to say there is a really fun rewrite I’m working on. A piece I originally wrote in 2009. It was originally a Bleach x Reader fic based at a waterpark but I said hey-ho and threw caution to the wind, and now it’s a chaotic, non-sensical crossover x reader that will never see the light of day, but caters to my every taste, and is the only reason I’m still writing every day. Hehe.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

So this is a snippet (not really a passage, I know) from a Krel x Reader fic I’m writing, but it’s only the canon cast here. It’s meant to be a comedic scene, and I think they’re pretty in character, mannerisms and all. So my big head is saying this one:

‘At the base of the mountain, once everyone had their skiing equipment, they huddled together with a map to decide which course to try.

“Ooo, let’s do this one.” Aja said, pointing at a course that started at the top of the mountain, marked by two black diamonds. Steve wrestled the map away from her, pitching her a loving but ‘are you nuts’ expression.

“You can’t start on a double-black diamond piste.”

“Why not?” She countered with a scowl. Then she smiled. “Aw. Are you worried?”

“A-doy. Double-blacks are expert level. Aja, people die on double-blacks. How about we start on a green course?”

“Imminent death?” Varvatos chortled with glee. “Glorious! Only the most dangerous courses are worthy of Varvatos’s footfall. If today is to be our day, may we crash and burn in snow-blazon glory!”

Passers-by picked up their speed, hoping to get away from the seemingly senile old geezer.

[parasiticjustice]

[RGG Online Translation] Character Story · Kazuki

Summary: Ichiban runs into Kazuki while the latter is having an argument about Stardust with a real estate agent. Upon overhearing that the host is connected to the Tojo Clan somehow, Ichiban decides to prod him for answers. Featured Characters: Ichiban Kasuga (RGGO version), Kazuki, Yuya Spoilers?: This follows up on events from Yakuza 6. It doesn’t actually mention what happened in the game, but you still might be confused about why Kazuki is in the predicament that he is.

On this episode, Kazuki acquires another himbo for his arsenal.

Kazuki and Yuya were launch characters, and most of the stories from back then are a “where are they now?” sort of deal where RGGO Ichiban will run into some of the old guard in modern day Kamurocho. This made me curious about these two, considering where Y6 left them. Having gone through both stories, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re tied into each other. Yuya’s story happens first, and I’ve already posted it here, but they can be enjoyed in either order.

Disclaimer: I'm coming at this with little more than crude Japanese knowledge, a machine translation cocktail, and an insatiable desire for more RGG content. This will by no means be a decent translation, but it should at least be serviceable.

Notes:

This is RGGO Ichiban, which means this story is set in 2018 when he’s fighting against the Omi in Kamurocho instead of getting hustled over to Yokohama like in Y7. Which isn’t to say that this can’t be canon to post-Y6 Kazuki: later character stories would start phasing out Ichiban so they could more neatly fit into the mainline LAD canon.

------------------ CHAPTER #1 ------------------

Scene #1: Kamurocho · Outside Stardust

Real Estate Agent: Give me a break! Kazuki, I can't wait any longer.

Ichiban: ...Hm?

Kazuki: [frown] I’m truly sorry. But for this one time, I must ask you to understand my selfishness.

Real Estate Agent: Even so, this isn’t a charity. If you don’t have the money, I’ll have to sell it to someone else.

Kazuki: Please, I’ll do anything! I must buy back this building, no matter what!

Real Estate Agent: Haah... I give up.

Ichiban: (That guy, he wants to buy the building? He’s begging so desperately... He must have a lot of feelings for it.)

Kazuki: I’ll collect all the money properly, so-

Real Estate Agent: Guess it can’t be helped. We’ve known each other for a long time, so I can make a special allowance.

Kazuki: [surprised] Really? Thank you so much!

Real Estate Agent: You haven’t changed at all, Kazuki. You have this way of taking in and enchanting those around you. With that sort of character, it’s not hard to see why the Tojo Clan boss liked you.

Ichiban: (Wait, Tojo Clan? That guy’s connected to the Tojo Clan?)

Real Estate Agent: Well then, let me know when you’re ready to pay. Thanks in advance.

[he leaves]

Ichiban: (What does that guy have to do with the Tojo Clan? Should I ask him...?)

Ichiban: Hey there. Are you gonna buy this building?

Kazuki: [neutral] ...Hm? You are...?

Ichiban: [smile] Don’t worry, I’m not anyone suspicious. See, that guy mentioned the Tojo Clan earlier, right? I used to be a part of them, so I’m a little curious.

Kazuki: [smile] Ahh, I see, so that’s what it was.

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

Scene #2: Kamurocho · Café Alps

Ichiban: [surprised] ...No protection?

Kazuki: Yes, I am truly indebted to the Kazama group. It’s thanks to them that I can sleep peacefully at night. To tell the truth, there was only one thing I had in mind when I started a host club. [frown] I would never pay protection fees to the yakuza. Because if I did so even once, they would devour us like a parasite. [smile] That’s what the head of the Kazama family understood. He was a very generous man...

Kazuki: That’s why I vowed to cooperate with the Tojo Clan and Kazama family if anything happened. It allowed us to run our business with peace of mind. We all loved this city when it was governed by the Tojo Clan. [scowl] However, Kamurocho is now controlled by the Omi, and everything has changed. I’d be so happy if we could return to the city that I used to know...

Ichiban: ...

Kazuki: [neutral] What’s wrong?

Ichiban: ...Kazuki, was it?

Kazuki: Y-yes...

Ichiban: [smile] Kazuki, you’re damn right! I feel the same way!!

Kazuki: [surprised] Eh?!

Ichiban: I want to run the Omi out of here, and I’ve been looking for people like you who feel the same way. Still, I had no idea there was such a strong connection between the Tojo Clan and the host clubs of this city...

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

Scene #3: Kamurocho · Tenkaichi Street

Kazuki: [frown] My apologies. I feel like I’ve just been complaining.

Ichiban: [smile] Nah, don’t worry about it. I heard what I wanted to hear. Anyway, good luck with that building you want to buy. I can’t offer anything besides encouragement, but I’m rooting for you. When you become the owner again, I’ll come have some fun.

Thug A: Hey, you guys! I just hear you talk about buying a building?

Ichiban: Hah? What about it?

Thug A: If that’s the case, you’ve gotta have a lot of cash.

Thug B: I lost all of mine at pachinko! Leave your cash with me and I’ll let you go.

Ichiban: [fists up] And why do I have to pay for that? Idiots!

Thug B: The hell?! Guess I’ll have to mess you up to make you understand!

Thug A: Let’s do it!

[Battle]

Thug A: Fuck... Let’s get out of here!

Ichiban: [neutral] Sorry about the interruption, Kazuki.

Kazuki: You’re pretty strong, aren’t you? You’re just like him... 

Kasuga: “Him”...?

Kazuki: [smile] No, it’s nothing.

Ichiban: More importantly, Kazuki. Have you got the money prepared?

Kazuki: [frown] No, not yet...

Ichiban: Damn. Well, I can’t lend you the cash, but I’ll let you know if I find someone who can.

Kazuki: [surprised] Really?

Ichiban: [smile] Don’t get your hopes up too much. You’ll need to do your best too, Kazuki!

Kazuki: [smile] Yes, if you’ll excuse me then.

[he leaves]

Ichiban: It’s a place with strong ties to the Tojo Clan... I can’t give up on it so easily. And if the club manages to reopen, they’ll be on our side-

Ichiban: [scratches head] But there’s no way there’s anyone who’ll lend that much money so easily...

------------------ CHAPTER #2 ------------------

Scene #4: Kamurocho · Outside Stardust

Kazuki: That’s not what you promised last time!

Ichiban: ...Hm?

Real Estate Agent: Sorry, Kazuki... it’s already decided.

Kazuki: [frown] I-It can’t be...

Real Estate Agent: Well, until the end of the month. Best regards.

[he leaves]

Kazuki: [scowl] Ugh... damn it!

Ichiban: (Man, he looks upset. What did the guy say to him? Should I ask...?)

Ichiban: Kazuki! What’s wrong?

Kazuki: [frown] K-Kasuga...

Ichiban: Things aren’t too good, from the looks of it?

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

Scene #5: Kamurocho · Tenkaichi Street

Kazuki: My apologies. I showed you my ugly side back there.

Ichiban: So, what’s going on? That real estate guy said something about the end of the month...

Kazuki: A deadline has been set for me to purchase the building. It’s the end of this month...

Ichiban: [surprised] This month? Uh, let’s see, today is... Ahhh?! There’s only a few days left?!

Kazuki: Yes, that’s right. I don’t know why he suddenly decided on such a deadline. He was so generous to me the other day... Why!?

Ichiban: [neutral] Well, just hating on the guy won’t do us much good. How much cash are you missing?

Kazuki: [frown] T-That’s... 30 million yen.

Ichiban: [surprised] 30 million yen?!

Kazuki: Yes, I worked hard and scraped together millions of yen, but at the end of the day, I’m out of ideas...

Ichiban: [neutral] 30 million in just a few days...

Kazuki: [neutral] Come to think of it, Kasuga, did you find anyone I could borrow money from?

Ichiban: That’s... I-I’m sorry! I wasn’t good enough!

Kazuki: [frown] Is that so...

Omi Yakuza: Oh myyy, you look so gloomy, what’s the matter?

Ichiban: [angry] What are you doing here, Omi?!

Omi Yakuza: We’re inspecting the building that’s gonna be ours from next month. Well, ain’t this a pretty little place!

Ichiban: [neutral] This building...

Kazuki: [scowl] I see, so that’s what’s going on... I was wondering why the real estate agent suddenly changed his mind.

Omi Yakuza: Ahh, that old geezer. He was stubborn at first, but... he was pretty easy to deal with. Once we started piling on the big money, he changed his tune. Hahaha, the world is all about money, money! Oi, Kasuga. Why don’t you come over to our side and we’ll pile the cash on you too?

Ichiban: [smile] Hahaha, heh, you’ll give me money? Great, then bring it! Bring me the cash.

Kazuki: [surprised] Kasuga...?

Ichiban: But you know, I’m not gonna be won over with chump change. If you’re gonna buy me off-

Ichiban: [fists up] Bring me the national budget of Japan!

Omi Yakuza: Damn brat... Blabbering on like some cocky asshole. I was only gonna give a warning today, but now I’m pissed off. Hey, guys, we’re gonna fuck these two up!

[Battle]

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

Scene #6: Kamurocho · Outside Stardust

Omi Yakuza: Ugh... don’t think this is over. This building’s contract is a done deal. If you can’t raise the money, we’ll end up taking it... Don’t you forget, asshole.

[he runs off]

Ichiban: Which one of us is the asshole?! ...Hey, Kazuki?

Kazuki: [frown] ...

Ichiban: [neutral] What’s up?

Kazuki: I think that man was right. In the end, it’s all about collecting money. I used to be able to earn 30 million in a single night... I had no idea how hard it could end up being. I apologize for the inconvenience I’ve caused. But, it’s all right now. I’ll try to get the rest on my own. If you’ll excuse me...

[he leaves]

Ichiban: ...Is that guy really gonna be okay...? Tsk, better to move than stand around worrying. Where can I get money...

------------------ CHAPTER #3 ------------------

Scene #7: Kamurocho · Outside Stardust

Kazuki: [frown] ...

Ichiban: What’s with the scowl, Kazuki?

Kazuki: Oh, Kasuga... Even though today is the last day, I couldn’t collect the money. This shop belongs to the Omi now... I’ve exhausted all means, and now I’m defeated.

Ichiban: [angry] Idiot! You still have one more day! Don’t give up!

Kazuki: But... as expected, my time is already up.

Omi Yakuza: From the looks of it, you don’t have the cash ready. Kehehe, sorry to hear it.

Kazuki: Kuh...

Omi Yakuza: Alright, get on with it!

Contractors: Understood!

Ichiban: [surprised] Wait a minute! Who the hell are those guys?

Omi Yakuza: Construction workers. See, there’s a lot we have to decide on, like the interior and décor and stuff.

Ichiban: [angry] But we still have one more day! If you want to change the place, wait till tomorrow.

Omi Yakuza: Shut it, Kasuga! You don’t have the money, right? Then it doesn’t matter if we do it today or tomorrow!

Ichiban: [neutral] Shit...

Kazuki: [smile] Thank you for everything you’ve done, Kasuga. But it’s okay now...

Ichiban: [angry] Hey! Don’t give up. This is your castle, isn’t it? You should defend it even if it costs your life!

Kazuki: [frown] But... there’s nothing more I can do.

Omi Yakuza: You done? Then let’s get the show on the road!

Ichiban: Dammit, wait!!

???: Oi, that’s enough!

Omi Yakuza: Huh? Who the fuck are you?

Kazuki: [surprised] Yuya!

Yuya: [angry] Sorry, but could you move? Get your filthy feet out of the way!

Omi Yakuza: What the hell? You stupid brat... Stop talking shit!

Yuya: Hey, all you need is some cash, right?

Omi Yakuza: Yeah, I’d take the cash. Or even gold...

Yuya: [smile] Hahaha, then, you guys have no reason to be here anymore. Check this out!

Omi Yakuza: What...? No way?! How’d you get so much...

Ichiban: [smile] That’s what I’m talking about! Now there’s no reason for you Omi to be here. Go on, go home!

Omi Yakuza: Hehe... that’s not happening.

Ichiban: [neutral] Yeah? You still need something?

Omi Yakuza: If I killed you here and took your cash, then that’d be the best of both worlds.

Ichiban: [scratches head] Ehh? You guys never learn, do you...

Omi Yakuza: Let’s go boys! Kill Kasuga! Graaaaah!

[Battle]

Ichiban: [angry] Oi, don’t ever try messing with this building again! You hear me?!

Omi Yakuza: Ugh...Fuck!

[he runs off]

Yuya: [smile] Alright! Now we can finally reopen Stardust!

Kazuki: [scowl] Yuya, what’s with the money? How did you raise such a large amount? I’m not going to spend it if I don’t know where it came from. [frown] It’s probably the money you saved for when you planned to go independent, correct? You know I can’t use such precious savings...

Yuya: [neutral] Nope. This money was made from the trust, respect, and love for Stardust’s owner.

Kazuki: [surprised] What do you mean?

Yuya: [smile] I contacted some of the old Stardust employees, and they were all happy to pitch in, and wanted to help us out if it meant Stardust would reopen, and everyone wanted to work for the owner again...

Kazuki: [surprised] E-Everyone?

Yuya: [neutral] So this is an investment. You’ll have to pay us back with our salaries when we reopen.

Kazuki: [frown] ...

Ichiban: [smile] If everyone’s expecting this much, then you’ve got no choice but to serve them. Right, Kazuki?

Kazuki: [smile] Hmph... those guys are ridiculous. [neutral] Raising so much money for such a pathetic boss... But...

Kazuki: [smile] I love those idiots!!

Yuya: Kazuki...

Kazuki: [neutral] Come on, Yuya, we’re going to be busy from now on! Are you prepared for the reopening?

Yuya: [smile] Of course!

Kasuga: [smile] Kasuga, thank you so much for all your help. Please come visit us when the club opens.

Ichiban: Yeah, looking forward to it!

------END------ ------------------

There’s a fun bit of irony here, regardless of what timeline this is supposed to be. In RGGO, Ichiban is friends with Akiyama, but Aki shut down Sky Finance in response to the Omi takeover, so Ichi probably doesn’t think that he’s loaded. In LAD, meanwhile, our last word on Aki is that he was starting up Sky Finance again... but Ichi and/or Kazuki wouldn’t be acquainted with him, meaning Kazuki was desperately hunting for cash while the solution was probably right across the street. Whomp whomp.

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Athena

So. I have to deal with the virgin goddesses… By mythos, there really shouldn't ever be children of Artemis, Hestia, or Athena (yes, Athena was a virgin goddess). PJ got past that by making it canon that Annabeth and her siblings were born from cracking open Athena's skull (yes, that's also more or less the canon explanation). They gloss over it real quick but I remember, Rick. I've always remembered and that mental image has haunted me for years...

I can't, in good conscience, ignore the history around Athena's worship (call it an academic restraint) but I REFUSE to do the skull thing. So, since I make the rules here, I'm going with magic adoption. They still get magic powers, they're just more human than demigod. Cool? Cool.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena

Lucifer

The human that popped out of the portal seemed to have enough sense not to attack everyone in the room for a change, but even Lucifer could tell that was more of a strategic choice than for lack of ability...

Their very existence was highly unusual… and quite worrisome. He wasn't even aware Athena could have "children" of her own, but apparently she had been taking in some particularly bright humans to raise and train like her own...

Unbeknownst to him, a surprising amount of human scholars, diplomats, and generals have her to thank for their trade… and that alone should speak to the level of intrigue at play here. 

Was this an accident or Athena's attempt to plant an Olympian spy in the Devildom too…? Either way, he didn't trust them from the get go…

Look, Lucifer isn’t stupid. Athena is a goddess of Wisdom and War and war happens on more than just the battlefield… 

Since they've shown up records have been going missing, official documents keep getting misplaced, and he swears that there's some kind of bug in the student council room...!

It's infuriating watching the MC suck up to Diavolo when he's almost certain that they're running their own agenda behind the scenes! And he can't prove any of it!! They cover their tracks too well!

Lucifer has one of those corkboards covered in newspapers and string in a secret wing of the Castle - 100% dedicated to just tracking the MC's activities…. The longer they're there, the more obsessed he becomes...

He swears between Simeon, Solomon, and MC he feels like a shepherd wondering why the sheep are growling… The Devildom has never been in more danger than it is right now... Send help.

Mammon

To be honest, he kind of thought that they were just going to be Satan 2.0 but that's not really true.

They're more than just a book sponge! Though they do read, like a lot. Let’s just say from one schemer to another… Game recognizes Game.

They come up with plans and ideas soooo fast, it’s insane! Honestly, there are times where he has a new money-making plot and he just brings it to the MC first to run it over. 

Nine times out of ten, not only do they sniff out any problems but they have a solution for him in a matter of minutes! His scheme game has been on point since they’ve shown up!!

They’re also even better tutoring than Satan is, so he’s even managed to get a couple A’s for the first time in his life! Lucifer actually told him he was proud (which he secretly recorded and now uses as a ringtone much to his brother’s regret...)

So yeah, he likes them... buuut that doesn’t keep him from thinking they act a little weird sometimes... 

Mammon: *points to a unused tower close to the RAD building* Over there is the Tower of Sorrow. We use it for storage.

MC: Ah. Interesting… *starts writing in a notebook, muttering* It may need a few minor tweaks but the location is defensible...

Mammon: *stops* Ya say somethin’?

MC: *looks back up* Nope! Say, you’ve been to the Castle a lot haven’t you? Do you know any good ways in?

Mammon: Uhm… Why do ya want to know that…? *starts looking around for Lucifer*

MC: In case of emergencies. I like being prepared. 🙂

Mammon: Look, I don’t know what Lucifer might’a told ya…

MC: I’ll pay you a thousand Grimm for it.

Mammon: Well shit, ya want those maps with or without color?

... Yeeeah, that’s pretty weird… But it’s probably fine. I mean, as long as they keep giving him money, who’s he to complain? 🤷‍♀️

Leviathan

Also thought that they’d be a lot more like Satan but was pleasantly surprised that they were into more than books.

What else did they like exactly? Military strategy!!

It’s been a looong time since he’s been able to talk to someone who’s actually interested in all the battles he’s fought, both in the Celestial Realm and the Devildom, and their curiosity is kind of flattering...! Not a lot of people take his strategic prowess all that seriously anymore...

Plus, they are the BEST partner to have any turn-based strategy game. Hands down. He once got stuck on a level of D-COM for weeks until the MC walked in and mopped the floor with the AI!! They have a serious head for probability and tactics.

The House once made the mistake of letting these two be on the same team during a Hell Game and they absolutely demolished the competition. Mammon didn’t even get a single shot off before half his team was lost to a rigged paint grenade… It took a whole day to clean up… 

However, Levi’s also noticed some odd things about the human… He likes that they’re interested in his past but maybe they’re a little… too interested?

Levi: -and that’s how we defeated the Four Horsemen before they escaped from Purgatory. 

MC: Wow, Levi that’s seriously impressive!! *furiously scribbling on a notebook*

Levi: Well t-thanks… 😅 But, uhm... are you writing that down…?

MC: Hm? Oh no, just doodling. *they lift up the notebook to show a bunch of cute little sketches on the page… and not the magic-based invisible ink all over them…*

Levi: Oh you draw too? Can you do fanart???

MC: Eh, sometimes. But say Levi, can you tell me about your naval ranks again? I’m still really curious… *gets the pen ready again with a smile*

Satan

Oh, it's been a long game of cat-and-mouse between these two… and unfortunately, it’s been pretty addicting too.

He honestly had every intention of tricking the human into making a huge mess do he could bother Lucifer, but at every turn they proved just a hair too clever for him...

He once gave them a cursed book to “lend” to Lucifer, but they saw through it the moment they touched it and lifted the spell before handing it over.

He rigged a podium to spray glitter during one of Lucifer's speeches but the MC disconnected the trigger mic before he even got on stage. It was pretty dang frustrating...

At one point he got so desperate that, just as a test, he tried to trap them in the House's Music Room. Fortunately for them, it only took a few minutes to work out an escape. They even passed by him in the hallway with a wink!

It's confounding! It's infuriating!! 

...and it's so damn sexy... He should be furious but he’s just in awe!!

Add on that they know their art, literature, and multiple different crafts thanks to the tutelage of their adopted mother and that’s it. He’s finished. This boy is in love.

Truthfully though, a part of him is 90% sure that they’re also gathering state secrets… Like, they’re watching Barbs and Diavolo far too close for comfort - but he just can't bring himself to care. 🤷‍♀️

The MC could walk into his room one day and say, "Hey, do you want to help overthrow the monarchy with me?" and he dreads it because deep down he knows that he wouldn’t say no…

Take some notes, kids. Some bad influences get you to drink or do drugs. Others pull you into a centuries long conspiracy to destabilize and topple rival realms from within… But he has fallen for their brain hard. Devil help them all…

Asmodeus 

They’re pretty clever, he’ll give them that, but uh… Are they a little off to anybody else?

Asmo is a charmer by birthright so he has a bit of nose for when someone’s just a liiittttle too nice… Not much of a nose mind you, because he can be thrown off by compliments himself, but enough to think that the MC might be a little too… “kind” for their own good...

First off, who wants to spend that much time with Levi?? They don’t even seem that interested in anime! They just keeping asking him for old war stories…

Then all the sucking up they do to Diavolo and Barbatos? Look, he gets it. Diavolo is a delicious piece of man-hunk and his butler could give him a lesson or two in sweet-talk (and he has), but they seem to be just a little too… nosy.

Of course, Asmo’s suspicions disappear pretty quickly after they start to spoil him with spa nights and beauty secrets they picked up from “casual research” into the subject.

And you know, get a little Demonus in Asmo and start massaging his back? Oh, sweetie he’ll sing like a bird!! … with gossip. Singing with gossip.

Asmo: So I’ve heard that Lucifer has been spending more time at RAD than usual… His whole club is talking about it, they think he’s meeting with some witch!

MC: Hm, is that so? *works on a knot near his shoulder blades* What do you think?

Asmo: Ooh~! Right there, MC! *purrs and lays his head on his arms* Well come on, this is Lucifer we’re talking about! I’m sure he’s just working.

Asmo: Hmm... though come to think of it, I think I heard him asking Barbatos for the spare keys to the Tower of Sorrow…

MC: Oh really? Huh. *works out the knot and gets up* I just remembered that I left some papers with Satan... I’ll be right back.

Asmo: You’re going already??

MC: *waves him off quickly* I’ll be right back, Asmo. *hurries out the door to do totally on-the-up-and-up things… surely*

Beelzebub 

Honestly he doesn't like this one… But not for the reasons you'd expect.

He agrees with everyone else that they seem a little shady, but Solomon and Simeon are too so it's not like that's anything new... 🤷‍♀️

No, no. He dislikes them because they're the person who FINALLY figured out how to keep him from eating all the food in the kitchen!!

Turns out that the trick was to put a teleportation charm on the fridge door that would send all the food away if it’s opened after a certain time of night… 

And where does it go? The Purgatory Hall fridge. And where does the Purgatory Hall food go…? The HoL fridge…

It doesn’t sound so bad until you remember that it means half of their fridge is now Solomon’s leftovers…. 🤢

After they put the same kind of spell on the pantry, it was all over… He couldn't get midnight snacks from the House anymore… Everything was contaminated by Solomon…

The MC is a nice enough person, he doesn’t have a lot of complaints about them, but he wants them to leave. Now. This is inexcusable… He’s so hungry… and he doesn’t want to die by “goulash” or whatever Solomon calls his latest culinary catastrophe… He’s still too young for death… 😓

Belphegor 

In a way, he absolutely could not have asked for a better person to help him get out of that attic.

… In another way, he got one of the worst possible people to try and kill... Like. They saw through his scheme sooo fast…

How was he supposed to know that the human had training in body language and sniffing out lies???

Getting the door open was a piece of cake for them. They knew enough magic to undo the seals and just rummaged around Lucifer's stuff long enough to find the key to the door. He could not have found a more competent individual for a break out, really.

It’s just… well he didn’t expect to go from locked in a room like a prisoner to tied up in enchanted rope, still like a prisoner but now mobile. 😑 

They even used his own hug ruse against him! They caught his wrists when they got close and tied him up before he could shake them off...

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the best look for them either - what with walking Belphegor downstairs to the others like a one-man-prison-caravan but they're as silver-tongued as they are sly so they talked their way out of it beautifully… 

And like hell was he going to trust them after that!! And not even Beel liked them so something had to be up...

Well, you want a detective? Look no farther than Belphie (no seriously, it’s in the canon). He can put things together pretty fast when he puts his mind to it and watching the MC for a while gave him enough proof to work off of...

He always knew that, humans were bad news and the MC just proved it to him all over again. They are bad news, bad bad news and they’re going to-!

Overthrow… Diavolo…? Is that what he is getting from them…? Huh…

Wait a second, MC. You might just have him interested… 😏

[gammija]

The final Web!Martin evidence list

Now that canon is done, and we’ve got word of god confirmation that Web!Martin wasn’t complete nonsense, I decided to go back to my lil chronological evidence list and actually clean it up a bit, delete parts that in hindsight weren't all that indicative, and put everything in a slightly more readable format. (Obligatory disclaimer that i don’t and never did believe or advocate for some kind of evil web!martin, and that I'm not intending to connect a moral judgement to martin (or anyone else for that matter) having some of these traits)

So here: The (hopefully, please) final list with Web!Martin Evidence! Presented in order of importance, according to. me

The final (hopefully) Web!Martin evidence list

(In order from most to least obvious)

Spiders

I mean, it’s called the Web. TMA reiterates quite a few times that Martin liked spiders. Sometimes it IS that easy.

MAG022: Martin: "I like spiders. Big ones, at least. Y’know, y’know the ones you can see some fur on; I actually think they’re sort of cute -"

MAG038: | Sasha: "A spider?" Jon: "Yeah. I tried to kill it…" [...] Sasha: [Chuckles] "Well, I won’t tell Martin." Jon: "Oh, god. I don’t think I could stand another lecture on their importance to the ecosystem."

MAG059: Jon: "I have done my best to prevent Martin reading this statement in too much detail. I have no interest in having another argument about spiders."

MAG079: Jon: "Apparently, biologically, his account of the spiders doesn’t make any sense according to Martin."

MAG197: Martin: “What? Because I like spiders? Well, used to.”

Lies and subterfuge

Martin is able to use lying and subterfuge to achieve his goals, and is called manipulative a few times.

Lies:

MAG022: Martin: "[He] became slightly more co-operative after I lied to him and told him that one of the upstairs residents had buzzed me in."

MAG056: Martin: "I lied on my CV."

MAG158: Peter: “But you said –” Martin: “Honestly, I mostly just said what I thought you wanted to hear.”

MAG164: Jon: "You – I actually believed you!"

MAG189: Martin: “Sorry. Sorry, John. Not sure how much everything up there actually understood what was going on. But, y’know, I didn’t want to take any chances so it made sense to… um…” Jon: “Put on a show?” Martin: “Yeah, basically, more or less.”

MAG191: Martin: "That's not true." Arun: "Liar!"

Subterfuge:

The plan in 118, which revolved around convincing Elias that Martin was only “acting out”, to create a distraction for Melanie. (Also compare the way he evades giving a straight answer here with the way Annabelle talks in 196.)

Working with Peter in s4 under false pretenses, to distract him from Jon and eventually try to learn what Peter wanted.

Manipulation accusations:

These, I know, are somewhat contentious, since it’s mostly villains saying this to him. I’m still including them, since

1): From a media analysis standpoint, being mentioned 3 times is a sign to pay attention, even when it may not be the full truth.

2): I only see it as describing Martin’s behaviour in the previous points, not as a moral judgement; Especially since he almost always ‘manipulates’ people in positions of power over him.

Still, if it bothers anyone, feel free to ignore these.

MAG138: Martin: "That’s it? No, no monologue, no mind games? You love manipulating people!" Elias: "That makes two of us."

MAG186: Martin: “I can be a real manipulative prick, you know that?” Also Martin: “Oh yeah.”

MAG196: Annabelle: “Because you always managed to get what you wanted through smiles and shrugs and stammerings that weren’t nearly as awkward as they seemed.” [SMALL SOUND OF MARTIN’S CONCESSION TO THE POINT] Martin: “Point taken.”

The Lonely/the Web

The Lonely and the Web sometimes affect Martin to similar degrees.

In season 3, when Martin is getting used to reading statements for the first time, most of them leave him emotionally affected: MAG084, MAG088, MAG090,

MAG095: Martin: “S-S-Statement… done.” [HEAVY BREATHING & TREMBLING AS MARTIN STEADIES HIMSELF] “I don’t like recording these. There. I-I said it.”,

MAG098: Martin: [Panting] “End of statement.” [Deep breath] “I, um, I think I might need to sit down. Oh. Yeah, I am. Right. I don’t, uh, I’m not really sure if these are actually getting easier or harder. I mean I don’t feel –”

Only the last two statements he reads are remarkably easier. This might be a hint that Martin is just getting used to reading them, but the quote from MAG098 seems to contradict that. Either way, it’s likely not a coincidence that those last two happen to be the Lonely and the Web:

MAG108: Martin: “Statement ends.” (exhale) “That wasn’t so bad…”

MAG110: Martin: “Statement ends.” [...] “I mean, I think it sounds like a Jurgen Leitner book. About spiders. Hm. Good John didn’t have to read this one, anyway. I know he’s not a fan. Although, this one wasn’t too bad, actually! I – yeah. Anyway.”

In season 5, there are two powers’ Domains that actually affected Martin mentally, as opposed to only physically: the Lonely’s, in 170 (and arguably 186), and, depending on your interpretation, in 172, when Martin went exploring without knowing why he did so.

Proximity

Martin investigates a lot of the Web statements during season 1 to 3 (in other words, when the archive team still researches statements). The only ones he isn’t mentioned in during this period are MAG019 and MAG020, when he’s being harrassed by worms, and MAG081, which Jon records by himself outside of the institute.

Most notably, he’s the one who discovered the statement in MAG114, ‘Cracked Foundations’, which is the one statement in the entire show that sets up the interdimensional properties of HTR.

The Web!Lighter passed through Martin's hands first, before he gave it to Jon.

Similarly, Annabelle mostly spoke to Martin in season 5, despite most other Avatars usually focusing on Jon.

Aesthetics

Apart from the above obviously Web related areas, there are some other aesthetics which are mentioned in connection to both the Web and Martin, throughout canon.

These are describing the Web;

These are describing Martin.

Tapes:

Martin is the only character to treat the tape recorders as friends - any other character is either indifferent, or treats them as enemies.

MAG039: Martin: "I think the tapes have a sort of… low-fi charm."

MAG154 Martin: “Oh. Hi. Hello again.” … (small laugh) “Sorry pal, false alarm this time.”

MAG156 Martin: “Mm? Oh.” [HE LAUGHS, GENTLY.] “Yeah. (rustling paper) I was going to read one. Hate for you to miss it!” [SHORT, FORCED LAUGH, AS HE FLAPS THE STATEMENT AROUND.]

MAG170 Martin: “Oh. Oh, hello. What’s this? Wow, retro! What are you up to, little buddy; just – listening? That’s okay. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

MAG190 Jon: "[The tapes] seem to like [Martin]."

Retro:

MAG069: Statement: “I only saw Annabelle Cane once during this period. She wasn’t hard to pick out. She dressed like a vintage clothing store exploded on her, and her short bleach-blonde hair stood out sharply against dark skin.”

MAG160: Jon: “Anyways, don’t tell me the phonebox down there doesn’t appeal to your retro aesthetic.” Martin: “It – might. Maybe.”

MAG163: Annabelle/the Web callying Martin via an old payphone: [ A PHONE RINGS. IT’S NOT THE TINNY, ELECTRONIC SOUND OF A CELLPHONE – NO, THIS IS A TRUE, HEAVY, CLASSIC RING.] Martin: “Uh. John? Uh, J, John – the, uh, payphone that’s – here, for some reason – it’s ringing?”

Hatred of burns:

MAG067: Jack Barnabas’ statement: “I looked up and noticed within the corner of the room, where there had been a spider’s web this morning, there was just a faint wisp of smoke.” “Another held a bag that seemed to be full of candles, while a third had a clear plastic container filled with hundreds of tiny spiders.”

MAG139: Statement by member of Cult of the Lightless Flame: “The Mother of Puppets has always suffered at our hand; all the manipulation and subtle venom in the world means nothing against a pure and unrestrained force of destruction and ruin.” Agnes burned down Hilltop Road.

MAG145: The Web ties Gertrude to Agnes, stopping the Desolation’s ritual (the only Power whose ritual the Web is known to have prevented).

MAG167: Gertrude enlists Agnes’/the Desolation’s help in order to burn her assistant Emma, who was Web aligned.

MAG169: Martin: "Look, I just – don’t want to get burned, all right? It’s, it’s like my least favorite pain ever. [...] I, I legitimately hate burns, alright? They’re, they’re awful, and they scar horribly, and they just – it – it just makes me sick; I, I hate it. Hate it!"

Phrasing:

MAG039: Martin: "I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t… move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck. [...] It's just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. We all are, I think."

MAG079: Martin's poem: "The threads of people walking, living, lovi–"

MAG117: Martin: "This last couple of years, I’ve always been running, always hiding, caught in someone else’s trap, but, but now it’s my trap, and, well, I think it’ll work. I know, I know it’s not exactly intricate, but it felt good leaving my own little web. Oh, oh, Christ, I hope John doesn’t actually listen to these. “Good lord, is Martin becoming some sort of spider person?” No, John, it’s an expression, chill out! Besides, spiders are fine. I mean, yes, people are scared of them, obviously, but actual spiders, they just want to help you out with flies."

MAG167: Jon: “Methinks the Spider dost protest too much.” Martin: “Jon –” Jon: “Joking! Just joking.”

Personality:

How applicable these are depends heavily on how you interpret Martin's own personality, so your mileage may vary.

MAG008: Statement: “Nobody ever said a word against Raymond himself, though, who was by all accounts a kind and gentle soul [...]”

MAG123: Jon: "The Web does seem to have a preference for those who prefer not to assert themselves."

MAG147: Annabelles statement: "I discovered a deep and enduring talent inside myself for lying. [...] My manipulations were not intricate, but they were far beyond what was expected of a child my age, and I have always believed that the key to manipulating people is to ensure that they always under- or overestimate you. Never reveal your true abilities or plans."

Word of God and Annabelle

I kinda wanted to ‘prove’ that Web!Martin had quite a bit of evidence to back it up, hence this header being last. But of course, in this post-canon world, there are a few lines that most obviously confirm the theory:

MAG197: Martin is Web enough to be able to read the 'vibrations', like Annabelle, and see Jon and Basira (the latter being especially notable, as he hadn't known she was there beforehand): [CHITTERING, BUZZING AND HIGH-PITCHED SQUEALS CHANGE CADENCE] Martin: "Wait… Wait, hang on, is that him?" Annabelle: "Yes. I guess you’re better with the Web than we thought." Martin: "And – Wait, ha– No, uh… is that… Basira? He – He’s got Basira with him!" Annabelle: "Yes."

Season 5 Q&A part 2: Jonny: “Essentially, it was fascinating looking at the fandom and, like, the Web!Martin believers, because what they were doing was correctly picking up on hints dropped in the early seasons that were later, like, not exactly abandoned, but it was much more like, ‘Well, no, he does have like aspects of The Web to him, but he is moreover The Lonely.’ And that came about very… very organically, really. Because throughout Season 3 and going into Season 4, we had this conversation and we were like, ‘No, actually he's like-” Alex: “‘It can't be, it cannot be, it must be the other way round’ Yeah.”

(Note that they say “throughout season 3 and going into season 4,” which likely means that season 1, season 2, and at least part of season 3, aka half of the entire show, were written with Web!Martin as an intentional possibility.)

If you read all that, thanks so much! Obviously, Web!Martin never really came to fruition, so it's fine if you still don't like it. This is just a post explaining where it was coming from, at least for me and the other theorists I've spoken to.

[titan-fodder]

Prima Vista Part VI

[ previous ]

Rating: E (explicit; mdni) Pairing: Mike Zacharias x fem!reader, Zeke Yeager x fem!reader wc: ~ 11.2k

Warnings:  explicit sexual content, ass play, jealousy, possessive behavior, humiliation, manipulation, OC introduced (read A/N), non-con coming inside, fighting, miscommunication A/N: As I was writing this, I decided to bring original female characters in to play the “bad guys” because I didn’t wanna demonize the canon AoT girls. Just didn’t feel right. So, everyone, meet Rhi. Enjoy~

Mike is extremely fucking aware of you sitting a foot away from him on his couch. You're hunched over and whining about him beating you in Mario Kart again, and honestly, he doesn't know how he's doing it because he is so not focused on the game. 

 You came to the party in tight jeans and a sparkling top, and all Mike can think about is getting you out of them, spreading you out underneath him just like he used to. 

 But, he's not gonna say anything about it, not even gonna allude to it because he feels awful about pushing so hard at the Pike house. He never thought he'd be that type of guy, but he's been known to go a little off the rails when it comes to you. 

 "Have you ever played this with all banana peels?" Mike asks, trying to get his mind off of the heat he thinks he's radiating. 

 "What?" 

 "Like, you set it so all the items are bananas."

 Your eyebrows raise. "That sounds nightmarish."

 "Oh, it is," he agrees. "But you should experience the chaos at least once."

 "Alright, fine. Nanner me up, then." Mike snorts as you sit back against the cushions, examining the Switch controller in your hand and mumbling, "Could they have made these any smaller? My hands are too big. How are you even playing?" 

 "Practice. We played a lot of Don't Drink and Drive my sophomore year."

 He toggles to change the settings, and you both pick characters again. Mike selects Baby Park and grins too widely when you squeak. 

 "This is the worst possible—"

 "It's the best possible track," he corrects you. 

 The next minute or so is spent with Mike swearing and you screeching, but a melody of giggles can be heard in between. 

 He stands up like it'll help him focus, and you follow suit, bouncing and leaning forward until Mike thinks you might lose your balance. It's the only match you actually beat him at, and you raise your arms in victory, acting like the terrible winner you are. You dance and poke him in the chest so that Mike rolls his eyes and shoves you with just enough force (so, not a lot) to make you fall back onto the couch. 

 "Wow, rude!" You exclaim with a little pout.

 Mike stands next to you, a little too close as a retort forms on the tip of his tongue, but the angle is awkward, and he watches your eyes flit from his face to his waist (or what's a little below it) for just a split second, just long enough for him to notice, and he has to fight a smirk as you meet his eyes again. 

 He can imagine your cheeks are feeling pretty warm right now, but Mike doesn't say anything about it, just takes his place beside you. If he's sitting a little closer than before, neither of you mention it. 

 It's nearing one in the morning, and both of you are starting to feel it, eyes and hands too slow to keep playing the video game, so you switch to a movie. Mike doesn't think much of it when he lays down, legs hanging over the armrest, head in your lap. You tense for about two seconds before relaxing into the position you both know so well. 

 The first Jurassic Park plays from the TV, but Mike isn't paying any attention, too busy watching the way you're nibbling on your bottom lip. It's your thinking face, means you're lost in your own brain, just as far away from the film as he is. 

 It's stupid that you're both fighting this. Mike doesn't understand. If he wants it, and you want it, what the fuck is standing in the way? Zeke? That pretentious, clay-stained fuck? You don't even fit well together. In any way. He's too arrogant and philosophical (or so Erwin says). He probably doesn't appreciate your sense of humor (or so Mike says). And, he won't fuck you (so you say). How are you happy with him? 

 "Miche," your voice is quiet, but still loud enough to send a shiver down Mike's spine. 

 "Hm?"

 "Stop staring at my mouth."

 "You looked at my dick earlier."

 "Shut up, no I didn't."

 Mike laughs, turns his head to bury it in your stomach, and you start carding fingers through his hair. It's natural with the two of you. Nothing is forced. It took a while to get back into the groove of your friendship, but now you're here, and Mike is breathing in the smell of your perfume and fabric softener and you, and he wants so badly to just raise your shirt and plant kisses all over your soft skin. 

 Your body rises and falls with a deep breath. Your hand stops at the crown of his head. Then, you whisper the words he wants to hear most: "Just one more night?" 

 Mike sits up so fast, he nearly smacks into your chin with his forehead. He turns to face you again, eyes too round, voice too hopeful as he assures, "Just one more night."

 He knows the only reason you're considering this is because Zeke has you all wound up, but that's okay. Mike will take care of you. He'll scratch that itch and then some—remind you of what you're missing. 

 "Alright, yeah, I—"

 Mike is suddenly standing and taking your hand, leading you to his bedroom as the Jurassic Park theme plays you both out. 

 He knows you'll want to snoop—it's sort of your thing—but he doesn't give you time as he bends and catches you in a kiss, hands holding your face, tilting your head. He feels you curl your fingers into his shirt, using him for leverage as you balance on your tiptoes, and he lets you dance like that for a little while, desperate little ballerina as you open your mouth for him, but as soon as he feels your tongue against his, Mike lifts you clean off the ground. You wrap your legs around his waist, no need for straining muscles now as you both lick and suck and hold on to each other too tightly. 

 Mike paces over to the bed, nearly tripping over the shoes he left in the middle of his room earlier that day, but he’s able to drop you onto the mattress and catch himself above you before any real damage can be done. 

 You laugh out a, “Real smooth, Zacharias,” that he ignores in favor of taking his shirt off. 

 He can’t see well in the darkness which just will not do as you begin stripping, but then he remembers, “Oh,” and leans over you to plug in the string of lights he somehow managed to hang around the flag pinned above his headboard. “Ambience.”

 You crane to look at them, suck your teeth, and say, “Let me guess. Erwin told you to do it.”

 “How’d you know?”

 Another little giggle as you tuck a few strands of hair behind his ear—“Because Erwin is the fairy lights type of motherfucker, but you…” You don’t finish that thought, just shake your head and tell him, “They’re cute. I like ‘em.”

 Mike hums, “Good,” then leans down for another kiss. Several more, actually. 

 He’s missed this so fucking much, the way you taste on his tongue, the way you sigh into him, the way your body moves beneath his. It hurts to think this will be the last time he gets to experience it with you, but he plans to savor every second, never let himself forget and, hopefully, make sure you never forget either. 

 Cheesy or not, the lights cast incredible shadows on your body once it's bared to him. Your silhouette is something he could stare at for hours, days, a lifetime. If he were even slightly artistically inclined, he’d probably try to paint it, but as that’s not the case…

 Starting at your jawline, Mike leaves a trail of little bites, pinching just hard enough to make you gasp. When he reaches your neck, though, he begins sucking, dragging his teeth over new-forming bruises so that you whimper and arch to press your chest to his. He moves slowly, barely even registering your breathy pleas as he holds a patch of skin captive between his incisors and laves over it. 

 A mark on your neck. One on the swell of your breast then on the side of the other. The space between two ribs. Just above your naval. The hollow of your hip bone. And, finally, the insides of both thighs. 

 Last time he did this, on the bed in your old room doused in moonlight, he wasn't trying to be possessive. 

 Tonight he is. 

 “M-Miche, please.” Your voice is catching as if you’re crying—as if Mike is torturing you. He supposes he is. You’re ready for relief, and all he’s doing is winding you tighter and tighter. It’s okay, baby, he thinks to himself, I’ll make it worth it. 

 Swiping his tongue between your folds, Mike groans at how wet you are. He almost feels sorry for you. Now, he’s gonna have to spend even more time drinking you in. 

 You throw your legs over his shoulders with no prompting, letting him sink further into you. Mike licks in long, deep strokes that make your thighs tremble and jump around his head. He sucks your clit into his mouth, slick and swollen against his tongue, and makes sure to move his face just enough to make a mess of the hair on his chin. 

 You’re begging again. For something. For nothing. He isn’t quite sure. But, when Mike moves to lick around your dripping hole and uses a finger to flick over your sensitive little bud, you sing for him, and he realizes just how pent up you are. 

 Oh, he can have fun with this. 

 Pausing to suck more bruises onto your thighs, Mike tries to calm himself down, find a way to ignore the throb between his legs, but that doesn’t seem likely judging by the way you just keep trying to spread yourself further and further, like it’ll get him to move faster. 

 He crawls back up your body, face level with yours as he teases your entrance with a finger. You let out the cutest sounds, brow furrowing like you’re focused as you shift your hips in a silent demand that Mike does not follow. 

 His face is slick with you, and he knows you can taste yourself as he forces you into another long kiss. You let out an honest-to-god sob when he pushes his finger inside of you, throwing your head back and clenching around him while praising, “Yes, yes, yes, fuck, tha—thank you.”

 Mike pumps in and out a few times, finds your spot with ease and massages over it until he sees true tears leaking from your eyes. 

 Then, he pulls out, slaps a hand over your cunt, and warns, “Don’t thank me just yet.”

 Your chest heaves as you stare at the ceiling seemingly in shock. Mike raises to his knees and wipes his chin on his shoulder, glances back just in time to see you sit up and attempt to tackle him back on the bed. 

 Mike snorts, catching you by the wrists and leaning in close. “What do you think you’re gonna do?”

 Your eyes are a little wild, lips kiss-swollen, body marked to hell and back from Mike’s mouth. You just can’t get enough, shamelessly cock hungry, and god, he is so glad he's here to witness it. To be a part of it. Maybe he should send Zeke a gift basket, an edible arrangement or something. Thanks for letting me satisfy your girl since you can’t. 

 It takes no effort to lay you back down, just like it takes no effort to flip you over. Mike raises your hips, enjoys the view of you whining into his pillow for a second, then turns his sights to your ass. He gives it a couple spanks, biting his lip at the way it makes you clench your muscles, then spreads your cheeks and spits. 

 “M-Mi—”

 “‘S’okay,” he tells you before letting more of his saliva drip from his mouth and land on your asshole. “Gonna feel good, I promise.”

 He’s never done this with you before, not that he hasn’t wanted to, but he figures if there’s any night to go all out, it’s this one. 

 The first press of his tongue against your hole has you inhaling sharply, and the first press of his fingers into your pussy has you moaning low in your throat. Just like that, you relax for him. Mike works himself inside of you, opening you up until you’re nothing more than a drooling mess on his bed. You allow him to lick inside of you, to take in every exposed part of you as he rubs your g-spot over and over. 

 “Mm, gonna… gonna…” Your words are thick and wet. Mike isn’t even sure you realize that you’re speaking. He knows what you’re trying to say, though, so with a mischievous smile, he removes his face and hand, admiring his handiwork as you drop back to the bed and whine for him. 

 There’s a bottle of listerine in his nightstand, one he only planned on using when he would wake up in the early morning hours with that dead animal taste in his mouth. Turns out, it has more than one use. Mike takes a swig so that you won’t freak out if he tries to kiss you after eating your ass, swishes it around, then swallows. 

 “Not supposed to drink that,” you slur, already looking much too fucked-out for someone who hasn’t even taken his dick yet. 

 “Harmless in small doses, babe,” he tells you, recapping the bottle and tossing it back into the open drawer. “If I just chugged all of it, it’d be a different story.”

 You let out a little scoff, mumble something he can’t hear, then ask a little louder, “You ready to fuck me yet?”

 Mike smirks, pushes you to roll over again, then strokes a thumb over your face. “I am literally always ready to fuck you. Just trying to draw it out tonight.” 

 It makes you pout, but he thinks your eyes clear a little. Like you understand what he’s feeling. When you pull him down for another kiss, much softer than all of the previous, Mike smiles—another little snapshot he’d like to tuck away. 

 Without any warning, he pulls the pillows your head is resting on out from under you, snickering at the grunt that leaves you. He taps a hip, “Lift,” and shoves them underneath when you do. He should probably ask if you want him to wear a condom, but that’s nothing more than an afterthought as Mike begins to push into you. 

 “Ohh, thank god, thank god, thank god,” you pant, and Mike chuckles, dipping a hand down to gently stroke over the tissue stretching around his cock. 

 Every shallows thrust pushes more slick from you, and he can’t help but gather some on his finger and hold it to your mouth. You’re quick to lick it off, but instead of dropping his hand, Mike moves to press a thumb to your chin and hold your mouth open. You stick your tongue out, and he mumbles a low, “Such a slut,” before spitting on it. 

 As soon as you swallow Mike snaps his hips forward and starts a hard, fast rhythm. The way your face splits into a crooked grin almost has him coming on the spot, so fucking pleased with yourself, but he wants to make sure you’re seeing stars by the time he’s finished with you—wants to make sure you can’t even get out of his bed. 

 You're sucking in air through your teeth, little hisses that could be from either pain or pleasure, but the way you keep raising yourself off the pillows to meet Mike halfway is a pretty good indicator of which one it is. 

 While your voice seems muted at the time being, your sloppy little cunt is not—lewd, wet noises echoing through Mike's room as well as his head. That fucking squelch he hears every time he pushes in, the mirroring suck whenever he pulls out… You always get messy with him, or maybe he always makes a mess out of you—either way, it's one of the many things Mike adores about you. You were shy about it maybe the first two fucks but not anymore. Now, you wrap your legs around Mike and pull him closer, claw down his back and try your hardest to fuck yourself on his cock until he's laughing in your ear. 

 "Here, hold on."

 You whimper when he pulls out, but it's only to flop down in his back and let you climb on top. He expects some kind of break, a single second to breathe, but you just sink down on his length and let your head hang back. 

 "Mmygod," you moan, taking him in as far as you can then rocking back and forth. 

 Mike can feel your thighs break out in goosebumps, traces a finger over your arm to find the same effect and hums. Bracing yourself on his chest, you plant your feet on the mattress and bounce like your life depends on it, that drunken smile back in place as Mike coos, "That's it, baby, take what you need." 

 He reaches up to grope your tits, cupping both of them, brushing calloused palms over each nipple. It makes you arch your back and gasp, but the rhythm of your hips doesn't stop. Mike can feel the way your pussy is drooling on him, slick little rivers that add to that filthy, beautiful symphony. He wants to hear it every night on repeat. Most played song of—

 "Oh fuck, oh fuck," you whine, and Mike reaches between your spread legs to press a thumb against your clit, fingertips digging into the meat of your thigh as he rubs in tiny circles. 

 You sit and take it for several seconds before your eyes find his, widen, then roll as you start to come. 

 Mike takes over, lifting and lowering you on his cock as you twitch and cry for him. You're so pretty like this, hair out of place, damp with sweat and tears, thighs painted with your own orgasm. He doesn't want this to end. He doesn't want this to be the last time. 

 With your pussy still spasming around him, Mike switches positions again, lays you down like before and situates his head between your legs to idly lick everything that's dripped out of you. Your legs are shaking, kitten-like mewls meeting his ears. You jump whenever he runs his tongue over your clit, but you never move to stop him or swat him away. 

 Mike waits for you to go boneless before scooping you up and sitting on the edge of the bed. You're clumsy and slow as you straddle his lap, letting him slip inside you once more, but it's nowhere near as frantic as before. 

 He guides with gentle hands under your thighs, coaxes you to uncurl them from underneath you and wrap around his waist instead. Chest to chest, you rise and fall together. Mike breathes heavily into your neck as he hits that unforgiving wall inside of you. It makes you wince, but you don't shy away from him. 

 He's careful after that, makes sure everything he does is slow, tender, and when he sees fresh tears shining in your eyelashes, he knows it isn't from anything he's doing to you. 

 Mike is able to suck a few more bruises onto your neck and shoulders before he feels you nose at his cheek. Your kiss is dream-like, deep and relaxed but so full, and Mike knows he would be able to just do that all night if his orgasm wasn't about to run into him like a train. 

 He breaks away, looks to the ceiling only to have little fingers curl around his jaw and bring him back. You watch him with half-lidded eyes, bottom lip sucked between your teeth, and that expression—that need to see—it makes the cord in Mike's gut snap. He sees a vague twinkle in your gaze as his jaw drops then blackness as his eyes are suddenly facing the back of his god damn skull. 

 Every line of cum he shoots inside you has him groaning, his fingers digging into the swell of your ass as he fills you up. You purposely squeeze him, clenching on his cock to milk him of everything he has until Mike is shuddering and whispering, "Okay, okay, okay."

 "Okay?" You question then squeeze him again, giggling when he grunts and twitches. 

 Lying back on the bed, Mike lets you pull your legs out from under him, but you remain straddling his waist as you lean forward to lay on his chest. It’s quiet for a long time. A different Jurassic Park movie is playing now, the music too intense for the deep, even breaths you’re taking, for the way you’re lightly tapping Mike’s shoulder in time with his heartbeat. 

 His head is beginning to clear again, the lust and excitement ebbing away into those reflective thoughts that always seem to hit him after a mindblowing orgasm. It’s mostly questions: Why are you doing this? Why is he doing this? Why can’t you keep doing this? Why didn’t you pick him? Why don’t you want—

 “Okay, I gotta get up,” you grumble. “I can actually feel your cum dripping out of me.”

 Mike snorts, looking over his nose at you. “Never complained about it before.”

 You push yourself off of him, both of you hissing at the sensation, then Mike watches you stand and glance around, probably trying to figure out which door is for the closet and which is for the bathroom.

 “It’s the one on the left,” he grunts, staring at your ass a little too long and suppressing a groan when he catches sight of white fluid streaming down your thighs. “God dammit.”

 The toilet flushes, the shower starts, and Mike is left to wonder if you need the alone time or if he should treat this like any other time and join you. Are you in there trying to wash him off of you or—

 “You comin’?” You peak out from the door, wet hair dripping, tired smile in place. 

 “Just did,” he shoots back while sitting up. Like every other time. Just keep it casual. 

 The water is hot, but you’re even hotter as you lather your hair in shampoo and soap up your body. Since he’s back to pretending like this is nothing more than your old routine, Mike has no problem pressing himself against you from behind, running his hands up your sides, “helping” in the bathing process by squeezing your tits, feeling the suds get caught in the webs of his fingers. 

 “You’re playing with fire, Zacharias,” you tell him, and he can see your lips pulling into a smirk. “You need to stop unless you wanna go for round two.”

 He nips at your earlobe, uncaring of the soap that gets in his mouth. “Or three, or four.”

 You laugh and turn to face him, but your eyes are shut as you rinse your hair. It gives Mike time to admire all the marks he’s left on you—too many, probably—and he doubts you’ll be very happy with him once you notice, but fuck, you’re so pretty covered in him. 

 The shower ends. Mike expects you to ask for a ride back to the dorms (that he doesn’t understand why you’re still living in), but it turns out you’re not all talk. After sitting on the couch for only a few minutes, trying to make sense of the dinosaur movie you’ve walked in on halfway, you’re crawling into his lap again, teeth dragging over his neck this time as your hand trails down his torso to rub over his rapidly growing cock.

 “Oh, shit, I didn’t actually think you were serious,” he chuckles through a kiss.

 You grind down on him, bite his lower lip, then remind him, “I told you I was frustrated.”

 He smirks, gives your hair a little tug that makes you moan, then makes sure his words just ghost over your mouth when he teases, “Like a bitch in heat.”

 This time he takes you over the armrest of the couch, leaves you swollen and dripping his cum again. 

 Another shower, the steam on top of such vigorous activity has both of you deliriously tired, and Mike is honest when he tells you, “I really shouldn’t drive now. I’m about to pass out.”

 “You and me both.” 

 So, you slip into one of his shirts and crawl into bed with him, but neither of you get more than a couple hours of sleep before the morning sun is shining in through the window. Mike’s grumpy groan very quickly turns to one of interest when he feels you push your ass against his morning wood, and then you’re at it again. He’s never fucked this much in such a short amount of time, and he can’t imagine doing it every day or even every other day. In fact, he thinks he might be a little burnt out for a bit. Unless it’s with you, of course. He’ll always make an exception if it’s you moaning his name and hiking a leg over his hip and milking him dry. He guesses if this is the last time he gets to do this for the foreseeable future, he’s at least made it worth it.

 Back in your little party outfit, you step up into Mike’s Jeep and almost doze off in the short time it takes to get to student housing, but you’re roused when he pulls into the parking lot and steps on the breaks just a little too hard.

 Mike snickers when you jolt forward and grunt, cutting your eyes at him and muttering, “Fucker,” before undoing your seatbelt and leaning over to pull him into another kiss. He cradles the back of your head, holds you there for too long as he tries to make you feel everything he’s feeling through tangled tongues, little nips, and the string of spit that stretches between two bottom lips. 

 He thinks he’s been good at hiding it, but now as you’re about to slip out and away, those words are lodged in Mike’s throat again, and no amount of swallowing will get rid of them. He takes a deep breath and forces one of those horribly insincere smiles, and you can tell because the look you give him is thoughtful and sorry, and your voice comes out as a whisper when you say his name, “Miche.”

 “Hm?”

 “Uh… Thanks.”

 He lets out a humorless laugh and asks, “For last night? This morning?”

 “For everything. I mean, last night and this morning were incredible, like… Incredible. But, it’s more than that. For helping me with everything you have in the last year or so.”

 Mike’s heart drops into his stomach, and he sits back in his seat as his mind starts racing because this doesn’t sound like gratitude; this sounds like goodbye. 

 But, why? He’ll see you on campus in a day or so, at the PKA parties you end up going to. You probably won’t be able to attend a ton of his games, but that’s fine. He understands. Are you just being dramatic—sad that you won’t be able to fuck him anymore?

 He can’t ask any of this, settles with a half-hearted, “Yeah, no problem,” as he fights the confused frown that’s slowly taking over his face. 

 “I’ll see you around,” you tell him.

 Mike nods and watches as you slide out and start walking to the bland building. He doesn’t like how that just ended. It doesn’t sit right in his head or his gut. It could be that you’re already regretting it. It could be that you're fearful of the consequences. It could be that you think this might be the final straw in your friendship. You’d be wrong on that one, though. Mike is willing to let you get away with a lot—too much—before he runs. You can use him in whatever way you need, and he’ll keep coming back. He just can’t help it.  

 *

 That had been a bad idea. A really, really fucking bad idea. The ache in you has been completely satiated, and you loved being able to hang out (and fuck) Mike—wouldn’t really trade it—but as you walk up the stairs to Zeke’s apartment sore as all get out and see his face when he swings the door open, it really hits you—

 That had been a terrible idea. 

 “Why the fuck did Eren say he saw you leave the party with Zacharias?”

 “Alright, I’m just gonna turn around,” you say, pivoting back toward the staircase because you really don’t like the way Zeke’s tone is tying your stomach in knots and making your neck prickle. You haven’t ever been one to be scared of men, but in this moment, you would much prefer to not be anywhere near him. 

 “No, no, let’s talk about this,” he says with a suck of his teeth.

 His grip on your arm is just shy of painful, and you take note of the way he forcefully guides you into the apartment rather than tugs you. 

 You chew on the inside of your cheek, setting your purse down on the counter as you follow him over to the couch. Zeke sits down at the other end facing you, as always, blue eyes narrow behind his glasses. “So, is it true?”

 “Yeah,” you admit before diving headfirst into a lie, “It was just to play videogames, though. Neither of us were diggin’ the party, so—”

 “That so?”

 You nod. “We used to all the time.”

 “And, what else did the two of you used to do?” He mocks, and you keep your mouth shut, bottom jaw sliding as your lower lip starts to quiver. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

 “Thank whatever you want, Zeke. I was just hanging out with my best friend, okay?”

 “Your best friend?” He snaps. “Tell me, sweetheart, just why might you be covered up head to fucking toe, hm?”

 You cringe inwardly, taken back to the debate you’d had with yourself in front of the mirror. Your normal casual wear would show off some of the bruises Mike had littered you with—cold spoons can only do so much—but getting buttoned up would be suspicious. You had opted for the latter, hoping it would escape Zeke’s notice, but of course it didn’t. 

 Now, you’re sweating in your jeans and a fucking turtleneck you’ve never even worn before, and Jesus Christ, you just want to leave. Zeke is hot, but not hot enough to put up with this kind of bullshit.

 “Don’t have a comeback for that one, do ya’?”

 Mental note: kick Eren’s ass next time you see him. You knew that kid rubbed you the wrong way for a reason. 

 You don’t know who to be more upset with, the little brother or yourself. You could be irritated at Mike if you really wanted to—he hadn’t been subtle about wanting you last night, but then again, you hadn’t really expected him to, and you can’t find it in yourself to fault him for his feelings. There’s no way you could actually be mad at him.

 This is your fault. You need to deal with the consequences without bringing anyone else into it.

 “What d’you want me to say, Zeke? What’s the right answer here?” You ask exasperatedly. 

 “The fucking truth!”

 “We hooked up, alright? I fucked him! ‘Cause you don’t wanna fuck me, which would be fine if you’d just tell me why, but you won’t!” You’re starting to breathe a little heavy, voice rising as you continue, “I feel like you’re just waiting to see how long it’ll take for me to lose it, and apparently it was last night, and you know what?” You grin at him, nerves on fire the more you let every frustration fly from your mouth. “It was awesome. It was so fucking good, you don’t even understand.”

 Zeke’s eyebrows are high as he lets your little rant die off, obviously annoyed when he asks, “You finished?”

 “I think I am,” you laugh. 

 “Fantastic. Take your shirt off.”

 You choke on your tongue. “Excuse me?”

 “You heard me. Take. Your shirt. Off.”

 “No!"

 “You just said you wanted me to fuck you, so—”

 “Not right fucking now!” Even if you wanted him to, you wouldn’t be able to take him. You don’t think you’ve ever been so sore after having sex, but that could also have something to do with the multiple rounds of being impaled on Mike’s horse cock. God, you already miss it. 

 “Swear to god, if you don’t take it off right now—”

 “You’ll do what? What’ll you do, Zeke?”

 Your breath gets caught in your throat when he lunges at you, one foot planted on the ground as his other knee digs into the couch in a way that cages you in. His nails scratch against your skin as he pulls roughly at the material, and you hear the sound of threads splitting as you grunt and squirm and try to keep the terror rising in your chest at bay because this is not happening. This is not happening. 

 Zeke manages to rip the turtleneck off of you, and you shiver on the cushions as his eyes trace over every inch of you he can see, icy blue somehow becoming colder and colder. 

 “One,” he growls, shoving a finger into your neck. It smarts the way every bruise does, and you bat his hand away only for him to move it to the skin just beneath your collarbone. “Two.” He shoves your bra up to find hickeys three and four, making you wince as he digs a fingertip into both. “Five,” your ribs. “Six,” your stomach. “Seven,” your hip. 

 Your face is incredibly warm, tears stuck at your waterline as humiliation washes over you in waves. And naturally, it just gets worse. 

 “Are you gonna take your pants off, or will I have to?”

 You aren’t breathing deep enough anymore, and you can feel a burning in your lungs as a result. When you don’t answer quick enough, Zeke threatens, “I’ll rip them if I have to.”

 “They’re denim,” you snark, but that last piece of attitude is stomped out when he unbuttons and unzips your pants and tugs each corner, effectively tearing past the zipper. 

 You let out something frighteningly close to a whimper as he pulls them off, then sits between your legs and starts counting the marks dotted along your thighs. 

 “I’ve gotta hand it to him—Zacharias is a pretty thorough guy.” He pinches you a couple times, chuckling at the way you jump and hiss. “Did you like it when he was treating you like a fucking fire hydrant? Marking his territory like a dog?”

 “Shut up,” you grit, sitting up only to get shoved back down by a hand that curls around your throat. 

 You stare at Zeke with huge eyes, finally letting that fear bloom inside you—what is he about to do? What is he about to do?—and as he leans over you, tears start streaming down the sides of your face.

 He lets out a condescending little, "Oh," then lowers his face to run his lips over your temple and whispers, "Don't be scared. It's okay."

 A gentle kiss, and then he pushes himself up, stands, then disappears into his room. You stay on the couch, trying to catch the breath you didn't realize you'd been holding. Shivering as you sit up, you reach for your close only to find them ruined. 

 Zeke must have known that the moment he ripped them off of you (honestly, you should have known too) because when he returns, he tosses a ball of material at you—an old t-shirt and pajama pants. 

 "I'm gonna throw a pizza in the oven. That okay with you?" 

 You blink at him, unable to respond as he glances over his shoulder and makes a face like he's annoyed. 

 "What, are you stupid on top of slutty now? I asked if that was okay with you."

 "I—Ye—I need to leave," you mumble, quickly slipping the clothes on and standing. "I'm gonna leave."

 "How about you just chill and watch a movie instead?" 

 "Why would I want to—"

 The look Zeke gives you is chilling, mouth downturned, one eyebrow raised. It's a challenge, one you don't have the energy or fight to rise to, so you drop back onto the cushions and sigh. 

 It’s fine. You’re fine. He didn’t go nearly as far as you thought he was about to—just got upset. He had a reason to, right? There were better ways to handle it, a fucking conversation for example, but at least now he’s giving you a little space, cooling down in the kitchen while you gather your thoughts. You could go without the name-calling, though. 

 He just lost his temper, wanted to remind you that it’s him you’re with. You have been for a few months now. And, until now, Zeke has been a nice albeit slightly arrogant guy. He’s personable, he’s smart, he’s funny. Most importantly, he’s level-headed. You probably just pushed him a little too far. It could have been worse. It could be worse.

 You play it over and over in your head as Zeke hands you a plate with a slice of pizza on it. You play it when he sits down and throws an arm around you. Then, you play it when he walks you to your car that evening and kisses you like nothing ever happened.

 Could be worse. Could be worse.

 *

 Mike curls his tongue over his bottom lip and squints at the array of cups on the table across from him, picking one out before tossing the ping pong ball with a flick of his wrist. 

 It bounces off one of the cups' rims, and Nile easily snatches it up and smirks at him. 

 "Dude," Erwin starts, frowning when Mike turns to him. "Why do you suck so much tonight?"

 Mike rolls his eyes. "Man, fuck off."

 "No, I'm serious. What's up with you?"

 "Nothin'. Just having an off night."

 "More like off week," Erwin scoffs. "Month."

 Gelgar sinks his ball into the middle cup, and Mike quickly reaches forward to grab it, extracting the plastic before downing the beer. 

 Erwin is right, but Mike refuses to tell him that. He's been off since the last party a couple weeks ago, the last time he saw you—last time he touched you. He's spotted you around campus several times since, but you're always hanging off Zeke's arm, and Mike isn't about to pry you off him (despite how much he wants to).

 Honestly, he's a little surprised at how close you still are with him, how unaffected your relationship is by the hookup. Maybe Zeke just never found out. Mike has tried to ask you about it, sent more than one text, but they've gone unanswered which is a concern all on its own. Two weeks without talking at all. Mike feels like he's going insane.

 Could it be that you're mad at him, upset that you gave into temptation and you're blaming Mike instead of yourself? He understands the need to scratch that itch, but if you really hadn't wanted to fuck, you could have just said so. 

 Mid-terms are next week, so Mike figures if you still haven't talked to him by then, it's definitely time to worry about the state of the friendship. He's trying not to get himself worked up, but honestly, just the thought of you being upset with him is enough to make his stomach roll. He just needs one text. One everything's fine. That shouldn't be too hard for you, right? 

 Mike misses another shot and swears to himself, sticking a middle finger up at Erwin when he throws his arms out. 

 "It's just beer pong, bro. Calm down."

 The party is like every other—loud music, rowdy college kids, too many girls Mike doesn't care about making eyes at him from across the room. He really just wants to go home, but he can't help but stay in hopes that you might show up. It's highly unlikely, but that slim chance keeps him rooted to the spot, missing cups left and right until Nile and Gelgar win. 

 Erwin is not happy as he drinks his share of the remaining beer. Once he finishes the last, he tells Mike, "You owe me for that pathetic fucking display. Tell me what's going on."

 Mike comes close to just turning his back and walking away, but he can see that even through his irritation, Erwin is worried for him. 

 Running a hand through his hair, Mike just asks if Erwin has heard from you at all recently. "I just can't get ahold of her, and I can't tell if it's 'cause she's busy or ignoring me or what."

 Erwin's thick eyebrows knit together as he shakes his head. "No, I haven't talked to her in a while. Did something happen between the two of you?" 

 "I mean, we hooked up at the last party—"

 "Oh, that ended up happening?" Erwin asks, surprised. 

 Even after making up last semester, Mike has tried to keep the details of his sex life with you to himself and away from Erwin specifically.  After the shit he pulled that drove the rift between them in the first place, Mike isn't willing to be quite as open about you as he previously was, but he did have to break that code at the last party when he was convinced you would end up fucking. Buzzed and excited while still at the house, Mike had asked Erwin if he'd be cool with the two of you using his room (with the promise of cleaning up, of course), before you ended up just retreating to the quietness of Mike's apartment instead. 

 So, Erwin knew the potential that evening had, but Mike never followed up with him until now. 

 "Yeah, it did."

 "Well, what did Zeke think of it?"

 Mike shrugs his shoulders. "Dunno. She hasn't talked to me since then."

 "Shit." Erwin looks genuinely taken aback. "It's been that long?"

 "Yeah. I'm trying not to freak out, but like—"

 "No, I get you. If I end up hearing from her before you do, I'll let you know."

 Mike nods, "Thanks, bro," and forces a smile when Erwin claps him on the back, then breaks away from his friend to mope around somewhere else. 

 What if something happened? What if Zeke had found out and lost his temper with you? Mike will murder him if he finds out that four-eyed fuck put his hands on you. Gruesomely murder.  

 If he could take back what you both shared that night, he would. Things seemed to be getting somewhat back to normal between you—talking and making dumb jokes, like you were actually comfortable around him despite your boyfriend. If Mike had known one last night would fuck that progress up, he wouldn't have ever brought it up. 

 Then again, you had told him. I don't wanna fuck things up with Zeke. And, he had still pushed, tried to get you to give in, and god, that's embarrassing. Mike is glad you called him out on his shit, but looking back on it still makes his face heat. That was fucked up. He fucked up.

 "It's Mike, right?" 

 Mike's eyes snap downward, caught off guard by the girl suddenly standing in front of him, dainty fingers with painted nails clutched around a beer bottle. It's the same kind you would drink only to end up giving it to Mike. 

 "Uh, yeah, that's me."

 The girl smiles at him. He's seen her around the college, events shared between both frats and sororities, and the more Mike looks at her face, the more he recognizes her as one of the chicks who used to hang around the baseball team a lot. In fact, he's pretty sure she's—

 "I'm Rhi. You played really well yesterday. I was watching you."

 "Thanks."

 She bats her eyelashes at him as she returns, "You're welcome," then clicks her tongue and asks, "So, who ya' lookin' for?" in a sing-song voice. 

 "What do you mean?" 

 "I mean, you've been scanning this room for the last, like, fifteen minutes. Looking like you're playing Where's Waldo or something."

 Mike snorts, flipping hair from his face as he lies, "No one in particular." 

 He recognizes the look of satisfaction that blooms on Rhi's face, has seen it many times before on many different girls. It makes him sigh inwardly because he really could not be any less interested. 

 "That's good." Rhi's wide grin shrinks into a smirk before she adds, "I was hoping you'd say that."

 Mike feels his mouth tug up on one side in what he's pretty sure comes off as a sad little smile. 

 Fuck it, though. At least she's pretty. 

 *

 Things don't change all that much between you and Zeke. After spending a day or two rationalizing, you're able to look at him and smile again, to laugh at his jokes and listen to his tangents. He's back to playing with your fingers on the table while you sit face to face for lunch, back to shoving his hand in your back pocket while you walk around campus. It's like nothing ever happened. 

 If anything, you start spending even more time with him. He walks with you to and from class whenever he can, tells you to come watch his practices because the teammates he's closest with—his best friends—want to get to know you better. It's all normal, and you get used to the slight change in routine without a problem. You like the Galliard brothers, Marcel who plays shortstop and Porco, the catcher, so it isn't a chore to hang out with them after games and practice.

 What is a chore is watching Zeke talk with his bubbly ex as he walks with her to the science building you're waiting at. Leaning against the brick wall under an awning, you squint as they approach. Rhi is looking at him with those huge, entranced eyes you know too well, a little too much pep in her step making her tits bounce in a way that's fucking impossible to ignore. 

 You shouldn't be territorial. If anything, you should probably still be mad for the stunt he had pulled with you, but… if he gets to be possessive, so do you. It only makes sense. 

 'Cause that's how healthy relationships work, you think with a snort, pushing yourself off the wall when they both stop in front of you. 

 "Babe, you remember Rhi," Zeke reintroduces her like you haven't been at least a little wary of her for the last couple months. 

 "Yeah," you nod, forcing a smile. "How are you?"

 "I'm great!" She grins, looking at Zeke for one reason or another, like he needs to approve her answer, which is fucking dumb, but you also kind of understand because that's just the effect he has on people. 

 "Glad to hear it." You turn your attention to your boyfriend, content to ignore her from here on out, and ask, "Did you wanna grab something to eat before practice?" 

 “Yeah,” he nods before glancing at Rhi and offering a, “Catch you later,” that sounds too promising for your liking. 

 You don’t glare at the other girl as the two of you leave, but you definitely do not smile, and as Zeke drives you both to your favorite cafe, you whine to Hitch through texts.

 i wouldn’t be too worried about it, she tells you. she’s in my psych class and she’s kinda dumb. i doubt zeke wants to put up with that again. probs why he dumped her in the first place

 You try to appear unbothered through lunch, but you’ve had a pretty shitty day so far—woke up late, probably failed a quiz, got no response from Mike despite texting him three times in rapid succession, and then you had to witness that doe-eyed little brat blatantly pine for—

 “You know, you don’t have any right to be jealous, right?” Zeke asks after swallowing a bite of salad. 

 You blink at him, having to process for a second before you understand what he’s saying. And, why he’s saying it. How can he just read your mind like that? You don’t think you’ll ever understand. 

 “‘M not jealous,” you mumble, stirring soup you really have no intention of eating. 

 Zeke smirks across from you. “No?”

 “I’m just having a bad day. Don’t make assumptions just ‘cause I didn’t smile at your little ex.”

 His expression of self-satisfaction falls into a frown, and he asks what’s going on. When you tell him, you purposely leave out the detail about Mike ignoring you because it would only further Zeke’s point about you having no right to get possessive especially considering how fucking upset you are about the matter. Why the fuck isn’t he talking to you?

 “Want me to help take the edge off?” Zeke asks when you finish venting.

 You look at him with one raised eyebrow, tempted to reply with a smart-aleck ‘only if you plan on seeing it through’, but that sounds like too much of an ultimatum, too manipulative. You’ve made it this long without being a shady bitch, and you have no intention of becoming one. 

 He can see the gears turning in your head, leans forward and grabs your hand before urging, “Come over. Skip your evening class, and we can just… Relax.”

 You snort when he wriggles his eyebrows suggestively, possibly the first time you’ve smiled today. “I really shouldn’t skip. We’re reviewing for our exam next week.”

 “All the more reason to. You’re not getting any new information. You can just go back over it on your own.”

 He has a point. You have all the notes and PowerPoints, and the idea of just lounging and fucking is very tempting since the last time you had sex was the night with Mike.

 And, just like that, your stomach is in knots again. Why won’t he just text back?

 Sighing, you come to the conclusion that a distraction is exactly what you need.

 “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.”

 “Oh, I’ll make sure it’s more than nice.”

 Zeke finishes his meal then asks for a to-go bowl for yours, and after about fifteen minutes, you’re in his apartment. 

 “Let’s watch something while my food settles, and then we can you know…”

 “You know,” you mimic, putting the leftovers up in the fridge then joining him on the couch.

 He turns on some underground horror movie that doesn’t exactly set the mood, but you power through about half of it before all but throwing yourself at Zeke as soon as he pats his lap.

 Chuckling, he helps take your shirt off, kisses your collarbone and murmurs, “Damn, should we just move straight to the bedroom?”

 “I literally could not give less of a fuck. Whatever you wanna do.”

 He grips your thighs and stands, making you hold onto his shoulders for dear life as he walks into the back and drops you on his bed. You immediately kick your pants off, a constant stream of ‘yes yes yes’ running through your mind. You need this. God, you need this. 

 But, when Zeke curls over you, he doesn’t feel broad enough, and when he kisses you, his beard is too thick, and when he trails his hands down your body, they’re barely calloused. 

 You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to turn your brain off—please, just turn off—because you should only be thinking of Zeke. 

 Zeke who circles your nipple with his tongue, who brushes fingers over your bare pussy and groans at how the sensation makes you arch into his mouth. 

 “Can’t wait to stuff this pretty cunt,” he breathes before grazing his teeth over pebbled flesh. 

 His voice isn’t deep enough. His blue eyes have a different shine from the green you're so used to.

 Fuck, fuck, fuck, just let him—

 Shimmying down your body, Zeke spreads you open and pushes spit from his mouth to land on your clit and drip downward. It makes you gasp, and you feel that familiar throb of arousal that grows when he starts rubbing soft circles over the sensitive bundle. 

 “Oh, shit,” you huff.

 Heat pools between your legs as he continues the motion, only stopping to replace his finger with his mouth. 

 You let out a high-pitched moan, thinking to yourself, what about pillows? You can get a better angle with pillows. It doesn’t matter in the long run as he drags his tongue over your entrance, dipping inside for just a second before going back to swirling the muscle around your clit. 

 A finger is pushed into you a little too roughly. It’s not quite long enough, not quite thick enough, but it still feels good, especially once Zeke finds your g-spot and massages it until you’re whimpering and begging for more.

 “You think you’re ready, sweetheart?” He speaks into your thigh, a thigh that was once littered with dark bruises from another mouth. 

 “Yes,” you pant. “Yes, please, please, Zeke.” Even his name feels foreign falling from your lips despite having said it hundreds of times.

 You don’t understand why your mind is sabotaging you like this. You’ve been desperate for Zeke for months now, so why is it that you’re finally getting what you want but can only think about Mike? What is wrong with you?

 He scissors two fingers inside of you, making sure you’re nice and stretched, and you want to tell him to hurry up, that you’ve taken someone substantially longer and thicker, because yeah, Zeke has a nice cock, big enough to be satisfying, flushed pink at the tip and dripping, but it’s doubtful that he’s gonna hurt you. 

 He has a lovely upward curve that drags over your spot as he slides into you, and it makes you groan, eyebrows knitting together as Zeke swears.

 “Fuck, you feel good,” he breathes, giving a few experimental thrusts. 

 You can take him without issue, wet and stretched, and god yes, finally. Finally. His pace quickens, coarse hairs on his pelvis rubbing against your clit and causing your eyes to roll back. Locking your ankles around his waist, you grin at the new angle, and Zeke huffs out an appreciative, “So fucking sexy when you smile for me, baby.” You stick your tongue between your teeth, something between a moan and a laugh leaving your throat, and he coos another, “Feel good?”

 “Ye-es.”

 Your mind is finally cleared—for a few minutes, at least—until Zeke pulls out and tells you to turn over. “Hands and knees.”

 You comply, and when Zeke spreads your cheeks and shoves his cock back into your wet pussy, the memory of Mike’s tongue on your asshole flashes through your brain. 

 “Jesus Christ,” you whine. 

 Zeke’s balls slap your clit with every snap of his hips, the sound of skin on skin ringing through the room. It’s so fucking lewd, the sweat breaking out on both of you only making the noises more obscene. The fingers of one hand are gripping you tightly while Zeke brings his other down on your ass with a little too much force. The burning that follows feels good, makes you hiss and push back against him.

 Pulling out so that only his cockhead is inside you, Zeke stills to focus solely on spanking you, alternating between cheeks as heat radiates from them. You cry and keep moving to the best of your ability, fucking yourself on his length as you get lost in sensation. 

 You lose track of time. Zeke switches between abusing your ass and leaning over you to grope your tits. No matter what he’s doing, you’re moaning, and eventually your own hand travels between your legs to play with your clit, the pressure in your gut becoming too much. You need to come, need that release, and when your back arches and your muscles tense, Zeke growls against your spine, “Fuck yes, come on my cock—just wanna feel you—”

 He lets out a little, “Ha,” when you pulse around him, gushing slick and leaving you overstimulated as he continues to fuck into you harshly. 

 Your arms give out, elbows buckling and sending you falling face first into the pillow. Every noise you make grows in volume but remains muffled. Zeke is relentless in his strokes, but he thankfully doesn’t last much longer, droplets of sweat landing on your back as he curls over you once again, breathing heavily into your ear, “Can I come inside? Lemme come inside you.”

 Before you can realize what you’re doing, you shake your head, turning your cheek to the cushion and panting, “No, don’t.”

 It shouldn’t matter. You’re protected, and you’ve done it before, but…

 You only want to do that for one person. You don’t want to let anyone else.

 “Don’t, Zeke, I—”

 “Did you let him come in you?” He suddenly asks. “Did you let him fill you with cum?”

 He reaches around you to pinch your clit, and you squeal and squirm, trying to get him to drop his hand, but he doesn’t, just holds it with two fingers and taps the swollen bud without mercy. 

 “Did you?”

 “No!” You lie, voice rising. “Fuck, I didn’t let him!”

 Zeke scoffs. “I don’t believe you,” pinching hard enough to make tears spring up in your eyes before letting go. He returns to your hips, blunt fingernails digging into your skin as he gives a few more thrusts and groans, spilling into you then moving you back and forth on his cock, watching his own cum get pushed further into your hole and coat the entirety of his length.

 “God dammit, what the fuck, Zeke?” You speak through gritted teeth, shoving back against him suddenly and with enough force to make him lose his balance and fall backward. You can feel thick fluid dripping down your thighs and turn to glare at him only to find him smirking at you. 

 The space behind your eyes grows hot with tears you refuse to shed in front of him. Instead, you get up and walk to the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it before sitting down on the toilet with your head in your hands. 

 You shouldn’t be as upset as you are, generally like the feeling of guys releasing inside of you. It’s just hot. But, you had not wanted it this time. You weren’t ready for it, and now you can’t help but feel… tainted. 

 You pee then hop into the shower to rinse off, to cleanse yourself and calm down, and once the hot water has drained you of most of your anger, you slip into one of Zeke’s t-shirts and go back outside. He’s in sweatpants, sipping on water as he stares at the TV.

 “Feel better?” He questions without actually looking at you.

 You’re free to roll your eyes, but you think you sound convincing when you answer, “Yeah, a lot.”

 He hums. “Didn’t seem like it.”

 “I mean,” you sigh and move to sit down next to him, one leg tucked under you as you think about how you want to word what’s on your mind. “When I ask you not to do something, I, you know, want you to actually listen."

 Now, he turns to look at you wearing an expression frighteningly similar to the one he'd worn the day he humiliated you on the very couch you're sitting in. 

 "Oh, so you want me to respect your wishes." He doesn't sound at all sympathetic. "Kind of like I wanted you to respect mine before you went and fucked Zacharias."

 "Alright," you drawl. "We're back to this again. Awesome."

 He didn't ever explicitly ask you not to sleep with anyone else. At that point, you don't know if Zeke even saw you as a legitimate girlfriend. And, you understand why he's annoyed by your actions, but you're getting extremely fucking tired of him dangling it over your head. 

 "Uh, yeah, we are."

 Taking a deep breath, you try to keep a level head, to appear collected when you tell him, "Look, I see your frustration. I get it. But, me sleeping with Mike is a little different than—"

 "How?" Zeke cuts you off. "How is it different?"

 "Because what you did in there was against my fucking will. I told you not to come inside me, and you still did."

 Zeke is on his feet in an instant. "Is that a fucking accusation?"

 "No, no," you hold your hands up in defense as you peer up at him. "I'm not trying to say that everything that happened in there was non-consensual—"

 "Sounds a lot like you are."

 You're starting to panic. You don't like how hostile he's getting when he isn't even trying to understand you. 

 "You're trying to fill in blanks that aren't there, Zeke. I'm not trying to accuse you or get you in trouble or anything. I'm trying to explain how fucked up—how scary—it is for someone to ignore your boundaries in the bedroom."

 He makes a little, "Tch," then mutters, "You're blowing it out of proportion." 

 It's about the worst thing he could say to you. Firstly, he's the one getting offended by the situation, and secondly, it completely invalidates you. 

 "You're the one who was so desperate for sex you went and fucked someone else," he adds. 

 You massage your temples, figure you need to remove yourself before saying something you can't take back. 

 Your phone is still on the armrest where you left it before going to the back, and it lights up with a text—Hitch—and displays the time. It's only five. If you wanted, you could still make it to your six o'clock class. 

 "You know what, I'm gonna put a pin in this so we can both simmer down. We can revisit it later."

 Zeke doesn't seem to like that solution, or lack thereof. You grab your shirt off the floor then pad back to the bedroom to change into the clothes you picked out for the day, texting Hitch back while you're hidden. 

 She had asked what you were up to, and you reply with, at Zeke's. Could you by any chance pick me up? I didn't drive and we just got into a spat. 

 on my way 😘

 You waste a little time before deciding to brave your boyfriend again, simply telling him that you're just gonna go to class and that Hitch is coming to get you. 

 "Fine," he dismisses.

 You think about giving him a little peck but decide against it, opting to just grab your backpack and slip on your shoes. 

 "I'll text you," you tell him. 

 He replies with a short, "Sure," and you take that as your cue to leave. 

 It doesn't take long for Hitch to get there and takes even less time for her to ask what happened. 

 At last, you give her the full scoop (barring Zeke's meltdown after originally finding out you slept with Mike). She frowns almost the whole way through, and you expect her to either soothe you or tell you that he's being an asshole, but instead, she clicks her tongue and mutters, "I don't get why you aren't just dating Mike. Like, yeah, Zeke's hot and all, but you and Mike have always had a thing. And, you both obviously like each other so whyyy," she ends in a frustrated whine. 

 "Because Mike and I…" You trail off. You don't really know, honestly, not for a few seconds at least, and when it hits you, it isn't some big epiphany. It's more like a natural thought. "Because Mike is long-term. If we got together it would be, like, the real deal. And, I don't think either of us are ready for that."

 It feels good to admit both to Hitch and to yourself. You never thought about it in depth before, mostly because while you've known about his feelings for you for a good while, you haven't fully accepted your own. 

 But, if the hurt you're feeling at him not texting you back is anything to go on (not to mention how much you thought of him while fucking Zeke), your fondness for him has probably turned into something more, something deeper. 

 "I don't understand what's so bad about the real deal, but whatever. You guys will sort it out in your own time."

 "I don't know about that," you mumble. "He hasn't talked to me since that morning. Just won't reply to any of my texts or calls."

 "That's weird," Hitch thinks out loud as she pulls into the parking lot. "If anything, I thought he'd be fighting even harder now."

 "Yeah, well, that is clearly not the case." You grab your bag out of the backseat, guessing, "He must be mad at me or something."

 "Maybe. Maybe he's just trying to give you space."

 Shrugging, you get out of the car, forcing a smile as you thank your friend for the ride. 

 "Any time. One more thing, though," Hitch stops you." You tilt your head in curiosity as her face grows uncharacteristically serious. "Next time Zeke uses that against you, tell him to fuck off. And, consider dumping him."

 "I mean, I did fuck up by sleeping with Mike."

 "Yeah, but you and Zeke aren't gonna work if he keeps holding that over you. Something like that isn't supposed to be leverage. If he can't handle it, he needs to leave."

 It's rare that Hitch loses her happy go lucky attitude, so seeing her like this is a little jarring. 

 "I'll take it into consideration."

 As you walk into the dorms, you pout about how your shitty day only got shittier. All you want to do is talk to your best friend, but that's obviously not gonna happen. 

[ next ]

[imthepunchlord]

Do you have any thoughts on how the guardian role is handled lore wise? Would you change much about being the guardian?

Oh yes I do and there's so much that I would change up.

The more we see of the Guardians, the dumber they are and the more pointless they are. To a point it's a wonder if they were worth the inclusion as they don't amount to much and are just useless. I'm putting this undercut as I just go off.

- Lore wise, they set it up that adults are naturally more powerful, so why did Fu pick two kids to fight his battles for him? Why not adults? Why did he leave them on their own instead of offering them some means to have an edge over HM?

- Of the Ladybug and Cat, we have yet to see anything unique that the Cat brings to these fights that the other 15 miraculi that Fu has with him couldn't do. You need a distraction that's going to mess up the akuma? Monkey and Fox. You need a protector/aggressor? Bee, Turtle, or Dragon. Ladybug is a must as its the only cleanser so far and has ML to boot, but Cat doesn't need to be out there, and as soon as HM had quite publicly stated that he wants LB and Cat, Fu should've reclaimed the Cat immediately to secure its safety and that HM won't get both. Another or two could go out to replace it.

- Why was picking Adrien a good idea? If Fu had just arrived in Paris, ok, but Backwarder reveals he's been living in Paris for a while. And with that, he's seen Adrien's face everywhere.s Adrien is potentially the most well known kid in Pari. Technically, for Fu's want of secrecy, why pick the most iconic face in Paris to get a miraculous? That sets up one of your heroes to always have attention on him. Fu picking Adrien doesn't make any logical sense.

- Why is Fu ok with endangering one kid but not the other? Why does Marinette get a test set up that risks her life and Fu's if it hadn't gone well and Adrien just helps an old man up, a common decency that most would do. It's like two extreme differences that don't work well in comparison as Marinette gets the risky test and Adrien it looks like he got his miraculous on a silver platter as he got the far easier one that takes the least effort to be a decent human being.

- Fu being a terrible mentor and hero picker in general and the whole shebang with Syren. If Adrien is not meeting his standards or if he doesn't trust Adrien at all, why is Adrien being allowed to continue as a hero? Or if he really wants Adrien to stay, why isn't he doing anything about Adrien? Why isn't he telling Plagg to encourage Adrien to step up and get serious? If he can take on the role of being Adrien's Chinese teacher, why not do that to try and guide Adrien to improvement so he can also be trusted with Guardian secrets too and truly help Marinette out. He's got two options when he doesn't trust Adrien or finds that he's meeting his standards: he takes the miraculous back or he addresses this issue himself.

- I also call big BS about him not doing anything at all when he comes upon Adrien detransformed on the roof with Plagg. Cause he's risking himself going out to find Chat Noir only to find him detransformed. That realistically should raise some brows and concern him. Adrien at least should've gotten a lecture or warning.

- Also the reveal that kwamis aren't allowed to know about their own power. that to me is off putting. It really stresses that kwamis are beneath them, these very ancient and powerful beings that have probably seen a lot. And canon validates it by making them children (which to me is the writers being lazy so they don't have to do complex characters).

- The whole thing with Fu's backstory. Dumbest backstory I've ever heard and it just paints Guardians in a really bad light, and by extension, real life monks. Monks didn't go to people's homes to take children. If they did take kids with them, those kids had nowhere else to go and offered them a place to stay until old enough to be on their own. And that test, omg, wtf. Ok, I can get the idea of a test of temptation, but there are other ways to perform it without starving a kid. Especially leaving said kid alone unsupervised with 19 powerful miraculi two of which have wish granting abilities. How would the Guardians even know if Fu used a miraculous as they left him alone with mriaculi. If Fu wanted to, he could've made a wish to never be picked.

- Fu didn't even do shit when he finally had a chance to face off against HM. He just sat in his damb ball and allowed himself to get knocked around. At least try and roll over him! Be a ping-pong ball! DO SOMETHING. Like, why did you even pick Turtle??? Turtle wasn't able to do anything against Butterfly! I thought it could as Fu had been ready to go in Origins, plus the 5 are based off Wu Xing, by set up, Fox and Turtle should have some sort of an edge over the Butterfly. But I guess that means there could be other options aside form LB and we can't have that, Marinette's miraculous needs to be the only thing to take on the Butterfly to really stress on the fact that it comes down to only her.

- The memory wipe thing that's an apparently must when you retire from being the Guardian. Honestly I think that should've been saved as a last resort if you're ever captured and could be forced to leak info, not when you retire. Doing so removes a valid source of advisement that a new Guardian can rely on. History is there to learn from it and this tradition removes a source of history to learn from, either from having guidance or seeing what the old did and how you want to change things. This also makes me concerned as I see Adrien taking advantage of an amnesiac Marinette.

- I went off about the NY Special revealing there's more Orders here.

- And lastly, Su-Han, the other Guardian to see aside from Fu. And with him, it solidifies how stupid they all are. When the Butterfly is being misused in Paris, why is someone aggressive and judgmental coming to Paris? Why is this guy even working with kids when he doesn't like kids? And the reveal that Guardians don't use miraculi at all. That just makes that test all the dumber with testers being unsupervised. And for Guardians not meant to use miraculi, how come Marinette gets a nice perk as LB that she can pull a miraculous out of her yo-yo? They're probably playing that she's "the first" to do so but realistically, I'm pressing x to doubt. In the long history of miraculi and when Guardians were around, you expect me to believe that Guardians never used miraculi themselves? What if there was no one to turn to, do they just the disaster happen? ...Well, based on how terrible canon is setting them up, I wouldn't be surprised.

SO.

There is a lot I would change up about the Guardians and for this, I'll adjust canon.

- Adrien gets the ring another way, maybe a gift from his mom or aunt or grandparents. Realistically, there's no logical reason for Fu to pick Adrien. He just has too much attention on him and Chat being an unexpected miraculous user can make him wary, adding to him only trusting Marinette.

- I'd have Fu be more present in Marinette's life, a customer who comes in a lot. This way he can offer advise when needed but not take away from Tikki. And this has him more closely keeping an eye on things.

- I'd change up Fu's backstory. He got separated from his family in a flood, the previous Turtle saved him, tried to help him find his family and with no luck, took him to the Temple, but only the section where other orphans are where they work to help take care of it, oblivious to the miraculous near them. After a year, Fu is one of the few selected to be entrusted with miraculous knowledge. He's surprised but not all that for it as he'd rather go find his family still. Idk how Temple falls but its not that. That was just dumb and avoidable.

- I wouldn't have Adrien meet Fu at all. In truth, it actually could've been cut out entirely as Adrien meeting Fu didn't amount to anything. He doesn't help with Guardian duties, doesn't help pick heroes, hasn't stepped up at all in his role as a partner. And he's not as torn up about Fu's loss as Marinette is. Adrien meeting Fu was pointless in the grand scheme of things. Nothing was progressed or changed from Adrien meeting Fu.

- I'd have HM ONLY getting an edge on Fu because Mayura was there to help him, catching Fu off guard. I want to see the Turtle truly in action, to see what else it can do cause sitting there to be smacked around was just unimpressive. And if Asstruck even did as much research as he could, he'd know that in Chinese mythology, the Turtle is a boss. It's the keeper of history and symbol of immortality, and it's up there with Tiger as an animal that can go toe to toe with the Dragon. And of the Four Symbols (associated with 4 seasons), the Black Turtle is also known as the Black Warrior. There should've been a lot more to Turtle than just sitting in your shell and allowing yourself to be knocked around.

- Su-Han I'd drastically change up. I'd keep in him being critical and stern, but he approaches things smartly and patiently. Before he dives into aggression and accusations, he wants to know what's going on. Why does this 14 yo have the Miracle Box? How was the Butterfly obtained and misused? And what the hell is going on??? How are these people so small and how did they get into this thin glass box?? Computer? What's a computer??? Essentially, have fun with the fact that Su-Han is essentially a time traveler and one great bonding experience to have with Marinette while also offering some good comedy is him learning about the modern time and her acting as his guide. Su-Han can give her guidance that Fu hadn't been able to give, and Marinette can offer her own in a way that Su-Han will need. Which by extension could remove Marinette having a near mental breaking point and revealing herself to Alya, and could avoid some of that drama of what's coming.

- Speaking of which, Adrien. I'd use Su-Han to finally address the issues with Adrien as a hero and partner. Su-Han prioritized Marinette as she has the Miracle Box, but Adrien is someone he'd take the miraculous away from. Adrien would get a very clear warning and call out for his actions and role.

[paperpennies]

Please tell me about your AU idea where Sasha and Milla meet in Brazil as teenagers and basically end up long-distance dating before either of them become Psychonauts ^_^

Oh hey look at that, totally out of nowhere, not prompted by me at all! (@2somethingelseyoumightknow2 and @strawberry-et also asked me about it but it seems redundant to answer three separate asks. I didn’t think three people would actually do it lol. Also sorry for taking 8 years to answer.) This idea came out of just smushing two thoughts together. Then I got weirdly attached. Buckle in; it’s gonna be pretty long.  Under a cut to avoid annoying feed scrolling.

So, AU is: Sasha mom lives, meaning he turns out a lot better emotionally adjusted since he grows up with at least one attentive parent. His dad is better too- still pretty emotionally constipated but not, like, broken the way he is in canon. The family also has 4-5 more kids after Sasha. This does mean they’re pretty poor but they do okay. 

His mother is a schoolteacher, who is somewhat unusual in the time period for working and being a mom of a big family at the same time. She and Sasha are quite close; he gets a lot of his intellectual and curious side from her. In his eyes, he’s much more like her than like his dad (although people who know them both would say he’s a lot more like his father than he thinks). His mother also knows about his psychic powers, having noticed them as soon as they started showing up, but his dad and siblings (probably) don’t. 

The story starts when Sasha is 14-15 years old. He’s getting increasingly bored living in a small rural town with few opportunities related to his interests, and his developing psychic powers (and probable undiagnosed autism) make things even more complicated and difficult for him. His mother gets an opportunity, probably with some kind of charity organization, to go teach German/English and maybe other stuff in Brazil for a while. She decides to take it, and take Sasha with her so he can have some different life experiences. She also takes his youngest sister along, since she’s still very little and dad’s already going to be left alone with three other kids. 

(Also, my assumed age for Sasha and Milla in the games is like mid-30s, which, if the games take place in mid/late 80s, would mean they were born in the mid-50s. That means they would be 14-15 in the late 60s. So that’s the timeline I’m going with here.) 

So they go to Brazil. The school Sasha’s mom is working at is either at or associated with an orphanage- maybe a church that has a school and an orphanage. Of course, Milla is there. I don’t have a lot of the details locked in here. It’s hard because we know nothing about Milla’s family or life before she was working at the orphanage, so I’m really just pulling this out of nowhere to fit in with this AU. For the purposes of this, she has no family and is living at the orphanage and going to the school there (even though that’s sad and I kinda don’t like it. May change it. Hm.)

Anyway, Sasha’s mom is teaching at the school; Sasha is doing basically independent study. I also haven’t decided if Milla is in his mom’s classes, because I haven’t decided what age group(s) she’s teaching. Either Milla’s in her classes or gets employed (or volunteers) to babysit Sasha’s little sister and that’s how she comes to be around. Oh, and also for the purposes of this, Sasha’s mom already spoke Portuguese before this, and Sasha’s been learning it prior to arriving there, so he’s like conversational at least. 

Either way, Sasha and Milla meet. Despite having some initial personality conflict, they find they have a weird connection to each other. Milla is curious about this feeling and interprets it as maybe being a crush, although it feels a little bit different. She decides to try and befriend him to understand it better, and also because that’s just what Milla does. She’s the sort of person who makes people her friends half-against-their-will just by being friendly and caring consistently until they can’t deny that they’re friends.

Sasha, meanwhile, is wary of her and her enthusiasm because he’s not great with the social stuff, especially with the culture and language gaps at play. He’s also wary of the feeling because it seems psychic-related, but he doesn’t know what that means. Plus Milla is like super pretty and nice and he gets tongue-tied and red-faced whenever she talks to him, but he definitely doesn’t like her shut up Mom.

Over time, Milla’s determination prevails, and they become genuine friends. He hides the fact that he’s psychic at first, but eventually does tell her. He asks her if she’s sure she’s not psychic, because she really seems psychic somehow. She doesn’t think she is, but he theorizes she’s probably not quite normal, at least, and that’s where the connection they’ve felt from the beginning comes from.

Since they’re actually perfect for each other, their friendship grows deeper over the months they spend hanging out. By the time Sasha has to leave, they’ve developed real romantic (in a 14-15 year old way) feelings for each other. They don’t ever really talk about it, but promise to write.

And they do. Sasha’s siblings start referring to the girl he writes to as his girlfriend to tease/annoy him, but eventually it sticks. He stops protesting, although he never confirms whether or not it’s true, and it starts being matter-of-fact to them instead of a joke. On Milla’s side, she still talks about him to her friends like he’s still there, and she gets the penpal-boyfriend teasing, too. It doesn’t really bug her, though. They save up money over a few years to go and visit each other, and talk about their relationship enough to be sort of “official”. It’s rough since they rarely get to see each other in person or even talk on the phone, but they keep going. 

Years pass, and some things change and others don’t. Sasha mother dies when he’s in his late teens, and he and his dad start having bigger and bigger issues between them in the wake of greiving. He leaves home as soon as he’s sure his younger siblings will be fine without him around. Out and about in the world, he gets recruited into the Psychonauts within the next few years (the specifics of this don’t matter too much for this AU). Milla goes on to work in her orphanage, the thing she’s most passionate about. They still keep close in touch, and get to see each other a more often now that they’re grown up and Sasha has better access to international travel. They finally decide “okay yes, we really are actually dating” even though it’s still long distance. Sasha’s colleagues 100% do not believe his story about having a beautiful long-distance girlfriend in Brazil, because that would sound fake af even if wasn’t coming from the very serious, not-romantic-at-all Sasha. Even his picture of them together does not convince them.

Then, the thing happens. Milla’s orphanage burns down, and her psychic powers finally fully awaken. Because of her knowledge of psychics, she realizes what’s happening, but it’s still a horrifically traumatic event. Sasha takes a leave period to come and help her, finds that it’s even more serious than he’d expected, and puts her in touch with the Psychonauts directly for some better assistance. He’s too close to her to do more than an initial check-up himself. 

They find Milla has a lot of potential and extend an offer to join the intern program (which at that time spans a larger age range than later on). She rejects the offer at first, tries to go back to her life, but later decides she needs to make a complete change and accepts. Sasha’s colleagues are shocked to find out she is indeed real. She graduates first out of her class, as one of the best levitators the organization has ever seen. Technically, she and Sasha aren’t supposed to be romantically involved as agents, but the Psychonauts have always been pretty loosey-goosey about that rule (given the history of its founders). 

So that was a novel in length. It’s not necessarily that interesting in this form, but there’s the AU. I think the interest would be the specifics of how their relationship would play out as a story, if they met young enough and under the right circumstances to not to get stuck in the hang-ups their relationship has in canon. If you read this far, tell me what you think! Thoughts, feelings, emotional outbursts?

[snellyfish]

May I ask..... what is in your post game V3? I dunno how to ask this without sounding weird.

HM!!!!!!!!! GOOD QUESTION;;

I mostly only have braincells for Kiyo and Angie so not a lot of my thoughts are straying from that unfortunately LMAO, I was able to branch off a bit answering this though so thank you for indirectly helping me develop more!!

But I like to think it's the same scenario as the second game where it was all just a simulation. I know what I fantasize about is a VR AU and that "postgame" tends to refer to the survivors but literally none of my favorites survived so reality can be whatever I want: postgame Shinnaga is so canon it's unreal!! I'm sure there's probably a VR fic for them somewhere out there in the world, I wouldn't know because I suck at reading fhdjfk, but I would love to write my own someday HEH

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

They'd all wake up one by one as they die and end up all in the same facility where they're taken care of by the Danganronpa team, unable to leave until they’re well again due to the contracts they signed prior to playing-- Meaning Angie wakes up, Tenko wakes up a few hours later, Kiyo another few hours later, etc. Angie jumps back pretty quick from things so she'd be already VERY excited to see Kiyo*  after watching the trial, mostly because Angie like immediately caught onto what his sister really was to him (HINT: CONTROLLING AND AWFUL) and yelling at her screen saying "GOD WILL SMITE YOU ALL FOR PICKING ON THE WEAK" at everyone just calling him some incestuous freak during the trial. Angie does have genuinely incredible intuition (thanks god!) so she looks past the fact he murdered her Scarily Fast. Everyone would definitely mistrust and hate Angie even more as she tries to preach to them afterwards about Kiyo and how they need to forgive him since he’s a victim and God (most important opinion) already forgave him, but no one ever listened to her anyway especially postgame so it’s all in vain 😔

*whom might take a bit to wake up and fully acclimate again because...idk this man was boiled alive that's kinda Fucked I think all the executed would take longer to wake up because they went through more lengthy + traumatic deaths I guess? This just means even more time for Angie to sit on her thoughts about what happened to her+Kiyo yuh yuh

Everyone becomes a mix of their pregame selves and the identities they were given, they'd end up being mediocre/average (sometimes bad) at what their handpicked talent was but a lot of them still keep up doing it until they DO become good again. A very small amount of them try to replicate their killing game outfits and kinda live off the high of being what they once were and accomplished in their fake memories, like Miu and Himiko. (this also makes me think about Irumeno a bit more 👀) Pretty much every single one of them in pregame saw themselves as nothing, being disposable enough to be in a killing game (even if it turns out to be virtual), so the new identities would overpower the mix for the most part since they’re the more intensified and dramaticized personality--IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE LOL.

--Angie absolutely never stopped her art and has a less intense view on Religion, since garnering more experiences in life she’s just be less intense in general I'd think; more open with her emotions in that she'd actually cry, but still very manic and bubbly and optimistic nonetheless. After getting help (mostly from Kiyo who deals with the same thing), Angie is able to differentiate her thoughts and desires from “God”’s thoughts and desires, YEA she still has a funky little friend in her head. She's not AS pushy especially not with her equally traumatized fellow killing game participants but she still absolutely gets her moments of intensity and assertiveness now and then if she thinks something God is telling her is absolute truth and for the betterment of everyone: she is still Angie afterall, truly believing everyone would be much happier with her God in their lives but having enough self-restraint to know everyone will just push her away further if she tries to help them in that regard. She has her moments of desperation but most everyone’s too far gone from her already.

--Korekiyo is such a complicated one--I do like to think of pregame Kiyo as transfem/nonbinary and that would partially stick into his postgame identity in some way...killing game Kiyo was Just A Dude but after becoming the mix of the two identities he'd be VERY confused, especially with the influence of his (simulated) sister's influence. (genderfluid time? :)) He'd have varying degrees of when his...sister...alter...thing...comes out, or is present in his head in any regard, she'd be gone or slowly disappearing from his mind for months at a time and he'd initially be extremely unstable about it because he feels extremely isolated and lost when he can’t talk to her, but he's got Angie by his side so he becomes significantly less stressed about it over time, learning to cope with it. Eventually he finds himself no longer dependent on sister and...has to learn a SECOND time to not be unhealthily dependent; on Angie this time. (funky little idea I’ve been wanting to draw/write about sometime...hnnrngm) They’re both miracle workers when it comes to each other’s mental health it’s kinda insane. Of course, after realizing that Sister never really existed, he harbors near-immediate guilt for having murdered Angie and Tenko once he’s alone with his thoughts, not being puppeteered by sister, realizing everything he ever did he did for HER and realizing how fucked it all was pretty quickly--he does crave interacting with his victims in a positive and healing light but he’s sort of traumatized by it all to the point he is TERRIFIED when they’re around him at first.

--Tenko ends up EVEN MORE protective and grudgeful after she wakes up, trying to shield everyone and everything from most of the blackened, absolutely makes Kiyo manage to feel like even worse shit when he's got 1 extremely supportive and loving woman he killed and 1 extremely spiteful woman he killed who might legitimately murder him in return if he’s not careful. Tenko never makes amends with Angie and becomes close with Himiko (who's close with Gonta despite Tenko's wishes (she hates him for killing Miu, local woman)), managing to keep Himiko far far away from Angie, not only for "stealing" Himiko in the Student Council but also for the fact Angie's glued to Kiyo's side--making her the second least trustworthy person to Tenko..

--Himiko is very traumatized after the game due to surviving all the way til the end, likely making her (along with Shuichi+Maki) very disillusioned and lost--unable to decipher anything from fiction or reality--it takes a long time for Himiko to really “accept” anything; tried to cling to both Tenko and Angie but ends up just stuck on Tenko, mourning the loss of her friendship with Angie while doing so. Himiko would probably be shoved away from Gonta at first as well, but Tenko felt a lot more confident in Gonta so after a long while of her aggressively trying to teach him manners and keeping an emotional deathgrip on him whenever he wants to interact with Himiko, they’d end up close friends again. Still thinking about Irumeno-- Also with the whole ~~Survivor Delusions~~ thing, I think that helps play into Himiko’s attachment and insistence to keep up her old magician identity, because she has a very hard time trying to tell what’s real n fake ykno, and it takes her a while to realize she doesn’t have her talent anymore; absolutely ending in tearful breakdowns and unending determination to find herself again by forcibly trying to improve and push herself to her limits.

For the most part Kiyo and Angie are outcasted from everyone else, a lot of that being due to Tenko's preaching but...also everyone just doesn't understand what actually happened to Kiyo and they are all deathly worried about Angie, but not enough to get themselves involved; they're scared of Angie too, afterall, not as much as they're scared of Kiyo but ykno-- They think her naivety and determination to “fix him” is going to get her murdered again, every day they’re just counting down the minutes until it happens again. (spoiler alert: it doesn’t)

I could ABSOLUTELY go off more but I really have to end this at some point so fhdsjkfds--

TLDR;; Angie (and God alter) forgive Kiyo almost immediately. Sister alter likes to disappear sometimes making Kiyo sad and unfortunately dependent on Angie. Both Kiyo + Angie help each other heal and recover from their issues. Tenko hates both Kiyo + Angie with a passion and protectively forbids Himiko from seeing either of them. Himiko is close friends with Tenko and Gonta and Maybe More with Miu.

[tornsuits]

mechs timeline... or something

good evening gender identities! i’ve been thinking about the order the albums might have happened in, chronologically, and how events from some albums might have affected others! and now i have a whole long theory/headcanon about it, because i’m insane. so. here we are!

(obligatory disclaimer that i did make some assumptions about events that happened offscreen, and while they’re all based in actual canon, they are still, y’know, headcanons that shouldn’t just be taken as fact.)

so, typically the assumption is that the albums take place in the same order that they were released (ouatis udad hnoc tbi, with ttbt songs wherever they fit) which is possible (and probably correct tbh)! but this line from ‘ulysses’s will’ caught my attention:

Doesn’t matter there’s nothing beyond the City save the automated colonies that feed it and the empty black.

which could be interpreted a couple different ways, but the most literal being that there really is nothing beyond the city- there are no more habitable planets, & the city has taken over the last planets and is using them for maintaining the city (presumably). which, considering we know that there are many planets and other Things In Space in the mechsverse, probably means that udad is actually the last of the albums to take place, timeline-wise.

the only piece of evidence i could find directly contradicting this is that nastya went Out right before tbi, and was present (though offscreen) during udad. but time travel is an established thing in the mechsverse that we know the mechanisms have access to, so:

yes, udad happened last in linear time, but that doesn’t mean that it happened last in mechs time- in fact, if i were newly immortalized & could travel through time, the last human civilization is probably one of the first places i’d want to go. so the album release order is probably the order that the mechs visited these planets, even if that’s not the order they existed in, like, human history.

anyway! so what order did the albums take place in, then?

i’m gonna go out on a bit of a limb and say that i think tbi actually took place first! i know it’s usually considered to take place last because it was the last album to be released, (+ the thing in out i talked about already). but hear me out!

tbi took place first, after a good portion of, like, other things had already happened. what other things? i don’t know! the mechs probably didn’t write about them because they were actually happy, or unsatisfying, or whatever. so tbi is actually the first step to the destruction of the rest of the universe, and i’ll explain how that might have happened in a moment. (which actually explains why lyf saw notes that the mechs’ technology seems so alien- it was pretty early along in the timeline, compared to the rest of the albums).

so i’m working under the headcanon that the bifrost managed not only to destroy all of the yggdrasil system, but a good portion of the rest of the universe as well. it’s pretty easy to guess how the sudden disappearance of a whole system would lead to people going to investigate, which would lead to more people getting killed by the Rainbow Shit, and if anyone survived they’d probably bring bits of the Rainbow Shit back to their home planets, ect, ect. (also, not to delve too far into forbidden lore, but the void spreads.) so, the bifrost probably wiped out most of the civilizations in the universe.

but a few planets/systems survive- ones far enough away that they weren’t immediately affected, and were able to get word that Maybe Investigating This Is Not The Best Plan. which brings us to ouatis, which i think happened sometime after tbi (possibly around the same time or after as hnoc- i’m putting it first for organizational purposes, but it could go either way).

so the system from ouatis survives, & this is probably how old king cole was able to establish himself as an immortal tyrant, since there was a sudden lack of other governments to keep him in check/send support to citizens starting an uprising. this basically leaves old king cole free to colonize a good portion of the planets that weren’t destroyed by the bifrost. presumably the government collapes after king cole dies, (to quote the fiction, it most likely suffered ‘the most horrendous power vacuum and subsequent bloodshed the universe has ever seen’ which probably killed a good amount of the remaining citizens) and that’s another mass civilization down! fun times.  

which actually ties very neatly into alice. it’s unlikely that the ouatis system (does it have a name? i can’t keep calling it the ouatis system i can’t) was able to completely escape the horrors of the bifrost, and might still have some residual effects in the areas that the void touched. the planet/moon from alice was probably an area heavily touched by the void, which might be why it’s Like That.

and then we get to hnoc, which, again, could have happened at any time around when ouatis was taking place. we know that they were never able to finish building the station, & that contact with the outside world was abruptly cut off in holder of the grail. so it’s not unlikely that the civilization, or at least part of it, was killed by the bifrost. (i mean, the other option is that they just, like, got bored with the station and ghosted an entire colony). the station survived due to previously mentioned lack of contact with the outside world, although this doesn’t last long.

which brings us to udad! unlike fort galfridian, i don’t think it was completely cut off from the rest of the universe- just far enough away, or relatively untouched, enough that it was still habitable. which is probably why it got so crowded- so many people were moving there after their home got destroyed by cosmic horror rainbows. there’s also something to be said about the fact that the city is modeled after the ‘roaring twenties,’ which was a time of innovation and celebration after recovering from disaster, but that might be reading too far into it.

but, while the city was mostly sheltered from the bifrost attack, it probably was still at least slightly touched by bifrost, similar to alice. which might be how we get things like orpheus being able to see the future in his dreams. hm! sounds familiar! it’s almost like someone else also apparently saw the future in their dreams and was connected to the void!

[ODIN] When I first built this train, this snaking engine of change, I could not have guessed that this is where the songs I dreamt of would lead.

haha. yep.

also, taking the epilogue into account and how ashes burned down the acheron, effectively killing the last life in the universe... and how they died at the very end of the universe, briefly the brightest thing in the universe... well. i’m not saying that when ashes died they were cast back forward to when they burned down the acheron for the first time but maybe that’s what i’m saying.

so, to recap: during the bifrost incident, the void leaks through into our world and destroys most of it. fort galfridian and king cole’s empire are some of the few surviors, due to lack of contact, although king cole couldn’t completely escape the bifrost. both of these civilizations fall, leaving the city as the only habitable place left, although also slightly touched by the bifrost. the city also eventually falls into ruin, and with it, the last humans in the known universe. and that’s how the world ends, i guess! woo.

again, don’t take this as canon or whatever- i’m just taking the vague scraps that the canon did give us and turning it into a story that makes sense, at least from my perspective. so, yeah!

[dykeseinfeld]

u asked someone to remind you to post about your pjo dual protagonist thalia/bianca au and i am SO intrigued by this idea please say more

anon asked: hey queen hope your homework went good yesterday 🌸…now what were you saying about thalia and bianca 😳 ?

ok y’all i’m here...the moment almost none of y’all have been waiting for....bianca/thalia protagonists with alternating pov’s au

warning it’s kind of super long and may or may not read like a 2nd grader’s semi-coherent game of pretend so under the cut it goes!

so the main things you need to know about this au are 1. thalia survives and 2. annabeth’s + luke’s ages are a lil diff bc canon is my sandbox 3. i can’t decide if percy exists in this au or not (maybe y’all can help me decide?)

so the first book:

would start a few months after grover brought thalia (12), luke (13), and annabeth (10, not 7)  to camp half blood. they were chased by monsters sent by hades on the way, and thalia almost didn’t survive, but ultimately she got lucky and managed to send a bolt of lightning through her spear for the first time and they made it into camp

it’s been some time so annabeth is happy as a clam in the athena cabin doing her 10-year-old-with-severe-mommy-issues thing and luke is actually pretty popular with the hermes cabin bc he actually Met Their Dad Holy Shit and also he’s getting pretty good with a sword

at the same time, thalia is alone in the zeus cabin. everyone has been freaking out bc they all saw the huge bolt of lightning that incinerated a couple hellhounds as they made their grand entrance and What The Fuck Child Of The Big Three???

she’s also further isolated because chiron will take her for private training sessions sometimes, since she is clearly really powerful already and also Hades Himself was trying to kill her (chiron told her the reason was the big three’s pledge not to have kids, and maybe about the great prophecy? if he tells her that then she’s sworn to secrecy)

once grover leaves on another protector assignment, thalia mostly hangs out with luke, and annabeth. luke + annabeth both will try to eat meals with her at the zeus table but annabeth doesn’t want to get in trouble and luke is genuinely making friends in the hermes cabin so thalia will feel bad sometimes and send him back

kronos, seeing this bitter isolated child of the big three’s dreams: it’s free real estate

MEANWHILE

hades is Pissed that thalia survived and zeus got to break their oath And get the glory of a prophecy child

so he sends someone to take bianca (12) and nico (10) out of the lotus hotel and casino a little early.

grover is still their protector, but since the Stirring hasn’t begun in earnest yet and hades is lowkey determined to keep them safe, they make it back to camp half blood with no escort/incident

bianca + nico are put into the hermes cabin, and luke kinda takes them under his wing bc while he’s not bitter he still needs therapy bc this 14 year old has never met a pre-teen he couldn’t try to parent

luke introduces nico and annabeth since they’re the same age and they become really good friends!! she Loves mythomagic and he thinks her dagger is super cool and they’re both just really excited about camp <3

bianca is more reserved and resistant to the whole thing, and she wanders around alone exploring and runs into thalia in the zeus cabin

at this first meeting they get into a bit of a fight bc bianca is still in shock/denial about the gods being real, but thalia at this point has zero patience for this

anyway after that and maybe another scuffle during capture the flag or something they hit it off and become best friends in the way girls can, especially bonding over how they’ve both had to take on raising annabeth and nico basically on their own at the age of 12

~QUEST TIME~

thalia is given a quest for [unspecific reason] and chooses bianca and luke, they go off leaving annabeth and nico frustrated at home

quest hijinks etc, bianca is trying to figure out her parentage + her weird mysterious powers? and thalia is arguing with luke because he’s settling into camp/hero life really well actually but she’s getting progressively angrier with the gods for trying to kill her and also keeps getting dreams from kronos and doesn’t get why he doesn’t seem to remember all of the shit that the gods have put him through

bianca + thalia have las-vegas-style-heart-to-hearts where thalia shares her tragic backstory about her mother and her brother and how hades tried to kill her and even about the great prophecy and how she’s trying on this quest bc of that and her dad but at the same time these dreams are making her suspicious that he might’ve been responsible for her mom’s death.

bianca then shares her own stuff, about how terrified she was being on her own with nico having to protect him but also not remembering most of her childhood and not remembering her parents or how she ended up in the care of this lawyer and just the absolute mindfuckery that her memories/past are

luke is asleep in those scenes i guess lol 🧍‍♂️

anyway eventually they finish their quest in this massive climactic battle where bianca discovers her powers in a huge-showy-”i’m the ghost prince”-way and is formally claimed by hades which thalia sees as this Massive Betrayal obviously and bianca is horrified too because she knows what hades did to thalia but at the same time she’s just so happy to finally understand at least part of her past

thalia just reaches a breaking point though because everyone around her just doesn’t understand her anger and just when she thought she had found another sympathetic person who understood what she was going through she joins hades??? no. no fucking way. kronos reveals that he’s the one who has been sending her dreams, prob by sending some messenger who he possesses or smthing and when he offers thalia the chance to join him? she does (dun dun dun)

main beats of the rest of the series:

thalia and bianca on opposite sides of the war training to be the prophecy child, they come together a Lot and have like melodramatic fight scenes where they talk out their anger and try to get the other to join them bc they don’t want to kill each other

luke is extremely conflicted/betrayed and there’s a titan’s curse moment prob towards the end of the third book where they’re fighting and thalia is trying to get her to go with him but here he actually does go to join her (gasp!!) and is evil for at least one book but his heart’s not in it and he goes back to the good side eventually

by the point of luke’s betrayal, annabeth and nico are growing and developing and old enough to go on quests w bianca and by the last book they’re a main trio of sorts and their hypothetical character development is already making me emotional

there’s just a lot of general sexiness with foils and inner conflicts and bianca doesn’t even want to be the prophecy child but she needs to for the fate of the world and bianca is so angry at thalia bc thalia is a daughter of zeus and could control her powers and is perfect and just meant to be the prophecy kid, not some daughter of hades who they didn’t even have a cabin for before

hm maybe by either the last or second-to-last book thalia + bianca are close to reconciling or at least their interests are aligned for the moment and they read the text of the prophecy together and things go Wild bc they both think “single choice shall end his days” either is about luke or nico and it turns up the gas to their fighting both of them care about both of them and yeah

and then i can’t decide if there’s romantic arcs at all but if there were it would go like this:

just a dash of thaluke where at first it was luke having a one-sided crush but thalia misses him a Lot after she goes to kronos and wonders if it’s that she misses him or if it’s something More until to get him to defect there’s like a melodramatic moment in the fight where thalia kisses him and they go off to be Evil Together but it ends bc luke doesn’t believe in the cause and only joined her in hopes of getting thalia back to his side

once luke leaves/is kicked out thalia realizes that she didn’t love luke she just wanted a family and also in the second half of the series she realizes she’s a lesbian as a parallel to her redemption arc

bianca meanwhile is unconcerned w romance until she has her botl-hoe-moment where within one book she 1. runs into the hunters on a quest and has a thing with zoe nightshade who tries to get her to join plus tells her about that time she met thalia, 2. she goes to calypso’s island and falls in love w her in the moonlight or w/e and has her what-if moment, and 3. when they meet up that book thalia somehow knew abt zoe + calypso and seems almost angrier abt them  than the war?? weird bc bianca knows that thalia is Totally Straight right??

my main point is that bianca/thalia is our friends-to-enemies-to-lovers endgame thank you i will take my pulitzer now

[sand-worms]

HI EM HIIIII WAVES AT YOU!!!!! Can I please have prosciutto Rohan and Josuke 4 for the ask game?? Sorry if that's too much 🥺

Yeas you may <3

Prosciutto

-Do I like them: What do you think 🤨

-5 good qualities:

1. He’s genuinely caring despite his colder exterior

2. He seems to be very decisive and doesn’t hesitate much in his actions

3. He’s good at picking up on other people’s strengths and pointing them out

4. This is really hard to do because my favorite hobby is to be mean about him but uh hm he’s got a really cool stand. Certified birthday boy.

5. He’s got really good fashion going for him and his nonbinary swag is off the charts.

-3 bad qualities

1. Doesn’t have any qualms about resorting to violence when it’s not really necessary. I love you king but why are you hitting Pesci. Drop dead.

2. Seems to trust his instinct and go with things bases on a gut feeling rather than any real logical explanation which is debatably a bad trait

3. I could talk shit about him endlessly but instead I will just say the fact that he’s dead is a bad quality

-Favorite episode: what am I supposed to say. He shows up like 4 times. Uhhhhhh we’ll go with the Grateful Dead part 1 because it’s epic as fuck when he shoots Mista in the head. He should’ve secured one fucking W for la squadra.

-otp: :)

-Brotp: him and Pesci obviously. Not that they’re like best friends but there’s obviously a reason that they work well together and I think they get along really well typically. Also really like the thought of him and Formaggio being weird sort of friends when they can stand to be around each other. Idk.

-ot3: I don’t have one. I think that stupid old man would be lucky to find one person willing to put up with his ass romantically, let alone two people.

-notp: propesci and brupro. I can’t stand either ship. Also obligated to say it because I did see it one time if you ship him with Trish I’m coming after you with a brick in my purse. Die. I have also seen pros/Diavolo which like. Man what.

-best quote: I’m not taking this one seriously I’m sorry I’m too lazy to like go find one but I do think the anime should’ve kept in the part where he calls Bucciarati a motherfucker. I think it’s funny.

-head canon: what do I even say here I think I’ve shared like every headcanon I have about this bastard at this point. I think he has a hard time viewing Grateful Dead as an extension of himself. GD exists mostly as a tool for him, to be used when he needs it and he sees no purpose in using his stand for more mundane things.

Rohan

-Do I like them: actually yeah I like Rohan a lot he’s fucking insane and he has beef with a 16 year old for like no reason it’s funny as hell.

-5 good qualities:

1. He’s eccentric as fuck. Like he’s a weird little guy.

2. Seems to be driven by some sort of pursuit of knowledge with the goal of making his art better and more enjoyable through realism I think that’s cool.

3. Genuinely do we see him wear the same thing more than once. I don’t think so. King.

4. Despite the fact that he’s a fucking dick he does seem to have enough sense/care to do the right thing in situations where it really matters ie tracking down Reimi’s killer for the safety of Morioh

5. Stop making me say nice things about Rohan he licked a spider uhhhhhhhhh he does proper hand and wrist stretches before he draws. There.

-3 bad qualities:

1. He’s eccentric as fuck. This is a positive and a negative he contains multitudes idk what to tell you.

2. He’s got beef with a 16 year old for no real reason. As funny as it is can we like. Calm down man.

3. There’s so many bad things you can say about Rohan he sucks so much. Uh. His pursuit of knowledge leads him to doing very very stupid things like buying a mountain.

-Favorite episode: I think the highway star arc :) because it’s right after Josuke burns his house down and their arguing is funny also I love Highway Star and my boy Yuya is there!!!

-otp: I don’t really ship him with anyone! Lame ass loser man.

-brotp: his dynamic with Koichi is really funny. Not much else to say about it.

-ot3: nahhh

-notp: if you ship josuhan get off my blog. I don’t really get shipping him with Jotaro either.

-best quote: I don’t remember the things he says. The part where he says he doesn’t care if his house burns down because it’s imperative he knows how Josuke is cheating at dice. Idk.

-head canon: mmmmmmmmm not really a “headcanon” ig so much as like an opinion but I think he’s kind of similar to Melone, character wise. They’re both highly eccentric and a little intense, and driven by a desire for knowledge, just for different reasons. Idk they’re just like the same type of character to me I can’t really explain it.

Josuke

-do I like them: YES!!!! Josuke is my favorite Jojo right along with Giorno!

-5 good qualities:

1. He’s genuinely such a sweet boy! Like idk he really is just a teenager going about his life and getting up to trouble he just kinda ends up involved in stuff he shouldn’t have to!

2. I love that overall his way of dealing with enemy stand users around town is more or less just to befriend them? It’s really cool and shows how caring he is

3. He cares about his mom 🥺

4. The way he shows kindness to Okuyasu unconditionally like immediately after Okuyasu had tried to kill him??? He’s so GOOD and KIND!!!

5. I love that he doesn’t want to kill anyone like he’s very opposed to it. He wants to solve things peacefully if he can. This is just a reiteration of point 2 idc I’m tired.

-3 bad qualities

1. His avoidance of killing people kind of sometimes ends up with him condemning people to fates arguably worse than death on a whim, ie Angelo and Terenosuke.

2. Kind of has a temper especially in regards to his hair obviously.

3. He burned a man’s house down once because he was cheating at dice but I don’t really fault him for that.

-favorite episode: the Nijimura brothers arc :) Ik it’s super early on but I love them becoming friends idc

-otp: Josuyasu but they’re teenagers so don’t be weird about it please

-brotp: josuyasu again >:)

-ot3: naur

-notp: I already said josuhan. Also Josuke/Jotaro if you ship that die.

-best quote: obviously the thing he says about feeling refreshed like he just put on clean underwear on new year’s. Whyd he say that.

-head canon: personally very attached to the headcanon that he would become a paramedic when he got older! I think it fits him very well. Also he’s nonbinary :)

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #32 - Nobody’s Ever Actually Dead in Comic Books

Our band of merry guys-who-weren’t-on-the-Lost-Light-in-issue-#1 approach the shattered husk of the Lost Light, in a gruesome scene that is only slightly marred by the graphic design.

Font doesn’t really suggest danger, does it? Here, for comparison, is something I slapped together in fifteen minutes (including recreation of background) using a font I got off a free font site.

Now, one could say that my version is rather derivative, flat, and arguably cliche, but you know what else it is? Appropriate for the fucking mood of having found a destroyed, hemorrhaging ship after everyone you knew disappeared.

I’m available, IDW! Hit me up.

Theorizing that this is the ship that the Coffin Rodimus came from- remember that? It was a few issues ago- the gang flies in for a closer look. The ship blood is actually something called quantum foam, which allows for quantum space travel to happen. It’s not supposed to be outside of the quantum quills, but the ship’s pretty junked up, so it is.

Because the ship is so very full of holes, the gang can set down for repairs pretty easy. They land in Swerve’s, finding it in less-than-pristine condition. They also find evidence of Crosscut having gotten creative, as a poster for the play he was working on is hung up in the room. Considering he was still writing it when he disappeared, this might seem a bit odd. But then you remember that this is a ship from the future, and it stops being so odd.

Because this is a future ship, with evidence that Crosscut did some stuff, it stands to reason that, at some point, everyone is going to come back from being disappeared.

Just to die.

Which is a bummer, but one crisis at a time.

Megatron disembarks the Rod Pod, with Ravage following, and everyone is just a touch put off by the duo. Everyone but Nautica, who proceeds to commit a microaggression.

Nautica, that’s Soundwave’s father you’re petting like a common animal.

Ravage, angered by this over-familiarity, swats at her. Skids questions letting an active Decepticon roam around, but Megatron brushes off these concerns, saying that finding any still-living crew members is more important. With that, the search begins.

The gang splits up to look for clues, despite Riptide thinking this is a horrible idea. They’re on the clock for this one- the quantum foam is liable to explode if it touches anything, and there’s an awful lot of the stuff floating around right now.

Nightbeat and Nautica leave the rest of the group to their own work, seeing as Nautica has the most appropriate alt-mode for traversing the gaps in the ship.

Man, that’s pretty cool. Wish Nautica hadn’t been regulated to being “girl best friend” for her character arcs, I would have loved to see her do some neat stuff for her own development. Guess that’s what happens when you get introduced as main cast late, and have to compete with all the faves who had dozens of issues to be established and who also don’t have to deal with the whole “token girl character” thing.

The rest of the gang- Megatron, Ravage, Riptide, Skids, and Getaway- start looking in the area they’re already in. Seems a little lopsided, but whatever.

Ravage finds someone almost immediately, identifying Ultra Magnus through smell alone. Only, it isn’t just Ultra Magnus.

The Magnus armor lays not terribly far away, having had its hands cut off to prevent the recall signal from being activated before being gut-murdered.

Gut-murdered wiTH A FUSION CANNON, MEGATRON

Of course, Megatron was forced to destroy his fusion canon after it was decided he would be joining the Lost Light, but you can buy these things off the black market like it’s nothing. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brainstorm had a few stashed in his lab.

As it currently stands, nobody can trust the guy who has a storied past of killing Autobots, on a future ship where the only folks who could stop him are dead. Megatron, at least, has the good sense to not argue this fact, and suggests that the boys lock both Ravage and himself up until they suss out exactly what happened.

Meanwhile, over with Nautica and Nightbeat, we run through all the weird shit that’s happened in the last day or so.

Nautica, you’ve been on this ship for months now. How did you miss the fact that the only couple within 800 miles got annihilated by way of Phase Sixer? I feel like that attack might have come up at some point.

Since they’re on the subject of spouses, Nightbeat asks Nautica if she’s married, or if she has friends. Though noting that such a direct line of questioning might get him slapped with someone else, Nautica reveals that she is single, though she does have a best friend. Nightbeat is also single, probably because he pulls shit like this.

While this conversation is going on, Nautica uses her Sonic Screwdriver wrench to open a door with the literal push of a button. Brainstorm tricked out her wrench so hard it turned into a magic wand, which is good, because they’re going to need all the help they can get now that space is literally warping around them thanks to the quantum foam.

Nautica kicks something on the elevator, and that something turns out to be Brainstorm’s mysterious briefcase. Too bad Swerve is gone, he was so invested in what it contained. Luckily, Nightbeat is just as interested.

Back over on the other side of the ship, it seems as though Megatron kept his word about not resisting, as both he and Ravage have been locked in a cabinet. Wonder how that’s going for them.

Oh, better than I expected.

Ravage is fucking pissed that Megatron joined the Autobots, thereby turning his back on everyone who supported his cause during the last four million years. Despite this grievous betrayal though, the Decepticons haven’t stopped moving. Turns out, Galvatron’s in charge now.

But only if Autobot Megatron isn’t some sort of ploy.

It’s at this point that we learn just why Ravage is here to begin with- to see if Megatron’s truly given up the Decepticons, and if he has, to murder him. But first he’d like to know why this is happening.

Megatron views himself as a monster, having perpetuated a war that ended the lives of billions, destroyed the Cybertronian way of life, ostracized his race from the rest of the universe, and killing just to have something to do. He doesn’t like feeling this way about himself, so he decided to walk away from that life by joining the other team.

Don’t think it’s quite that easy to do, but okay.

Ravage isn’t so sure that this change of heart is going to stick, still convinced that Megatron will snap back to his old self with just a bit more time. Problem is, Megatron may not have a ton of that resource left.

Didn’t they build that body in like an hour so you wouldn’t die? Yeah, no wonder it feels as ill-fitting as a twenty-dollar suit. Thing’s probably made out of pig iron and duct tape.

The lights come on before further self-reflection can be done, and the duo realize that they’ve had guests this whole time.

Someone put the kettle on.

Obviously some fucked up shit happened on this ship. Megatron isn’t so sure that it’s him who did these dirty deeds, however, as he reaches into Ratchet’s mouth and pulls out his brain. Which feels like something that doesn’t really absolve one of guilt, but okay.

Also, ew.

Back with Nautica and Nightbeat, things are getting weird.

Now, this sequence might seem confusing at first blush, but this is because the laws of reality are collapsing around them. Going by clues in the background, we can find the proper, linear progression of time, and thus is conversation. This is what is actually happening:

With the mystery of Brainstorm’s briefcase eluding us once again, we move on to see more graphic aftermaths of violence. Poor Tailgate has been nailed to the wall with a chunk of a metal beam that’s almost as big as he is. The mood lighting for this scene is gorgeous, but I’ve hit my limit for exposing y’all to gore for this issue, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. Then they find something even more interesting.

Who’s ready for Under Cold Blue Stars… 2!

Back over on the opposite side of the ship, Riptide’s found something nasty. It’s a bunch of dead bodies!

Including, uh, Pipes.

Who already died a while ago.

Hm.

All the bodies in this room are in their alts, and it looks like they’ve all been shot and drilled into, for some reason. Skids brings up that he had a friend who could identify the placement of any robot’s brain module just by knowing what they turned into. Then he reaches into a corpse to see what the drill-hole’s all about. It makes him sick, though maybe not for the reason you might think. He gets on the phone with Nightbeat, who’s called to tell them that they’ve found Overlord.

Still locked in his weird body harness.

And decapitated.

Megatron is on the other line, calling because he’s figured out the same thing Skids has. Someone paid a visit to this ship. Someone nasty.

The gang regroups, and Nautica gets the basics on the DJD, because I guess nobody’s mentioned them even in passing in the last six months, either.

God, what do they even talk about on this ship? Certainly not their feelings.

The reason that one room was filled with alt-modes was because of Tarn’s addiction to transforming; t-cogs are easier to remove when they’ve been used recently.

We get a quick 4/5ths-page gore-fest, then it’s back to making it all about Megatron.

Maybe you should have thought about that before you FUCKING DEFECTED, YOU POOL NOODLE.

Nightbeat’s beginning to put two and two together. There’s an Overlord in the basement. That shouldn’t be, because Overlord got exploded by Chromedome when he mercy-killed Rewind. Something is off about the past of this ship.

Before he can establish his MTMTE everybody-lives-but-then-dies AU though, the quantum foam fucks with the ship. These sons of guns need to get the hell out of here, pronto.

Oh god, what now?

Ravage smells someone inside the Magnus armor, someone who isn’t a part of the usual nesting doll lineup. Megatron reaches into the Crackerjack box and pulls out one hell of a prize.

HE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES

Chromedome would be so thrilled, if he still existed.