#because the path doubles back on itself before you can reach the slope that allows you to go anywhere else

[actual-corpse]

I'm not afraid of becoming disabled for vanity reasons.

I'm afraid because this world isn't built for disabled people.

I'll be confined to my home because of the lack of public transit. Or I'll be stuck having to trust people to go out of their way to assist me.

Airplanes will destroy my expensive equipment.

I might not be able to use public restrooms.

There's nothing wrong with disability itself...

It's the world around us. It's so hostile.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

To Those Who Wait

Septics Inverted

A JSE Fanfic

I said this one would probably be longer, and it is! By quite a bit, actually. After the end of the last part, we jump right into the action. Jack and Sam are in a mysterious other dimension, looking for Anti. Who is there, but so is someone else...and things back in the main world, or whatever you want to call it, soon reach a head as well. Hope you guys enjoy! This one took a long time to write

Read the intro story: Part One | Part Two

Various other AU-related stuff found here

Taglist: @watermelonsinmyattic @asunachinadoll @a-humble-narcissus @odysseus-is-best-boi @acuriousquail @beerecordings @human-being-kinda @romanticslimecreature @samisabigmess @rachelclutch @septic-nebula-art @toboboby @the-parentheticals @rammypaige @amyxmiaplay @rats-this-username-is-taken @immabethehero @eridangan @bupine @violet--majesty

The air was cool. The silence was deep. Jack opened his eyes, and looked up into a crimson sky. He looked down, and the ground was made of small chips of metal, like discarded circuit boards. Blocks of metal stuck out of the ground at uneven intervals, forming a circle that he was standing in the exact center of. A quiet hissing sound filled the air. “Well...this definitely worked,” Jack muttered.

Something wiggled in his hands, and he remembered he was holding tight to Sam, pressing them to his chest. “Oh, sorry,” he said, looking down and opening his hands. “You okay?”

Sam swished their nerve-tail, and looked up at him. Their glow was...weaker. That was a bit worrying. But they assured him they were fine.

“Uh...okay,” Jack said slowly. “But if you feel, I dunno, sick or something, just tell me.” He looked back up, staring at their surroundings. Beyond the circle, there was nothing. Just an endless plain of metal chips and a red sky above. “Man, no wonder Anti prefers to spend time in the real world.”

Jack started walking, but after he took just a few steps, the ground started to shake, suddenly and violently. He staggered and looked down at the ground, just in time for the metal chips to start falling, the ground collapsing. There wasn’t even time for a proper scream, just a strangled gasp, and then he was tumbling, sliding down the metal waterfall, until suddenly landing on solid ground and immediately fall to his side. He once again held Sam close to his chest and curled around them to shield them from any stray chips still falling.

“Jesus fucking...” He trailed off into muttering, looking down at Sam again. “You okay?” Sam shook themself, and said they were fine. Jack let out a slow breath. “Okay. Good.”

Slowly, he stood up. He was now standing in...a theatre? Yes, that’s what it appeared to be. Looking out, he saw rows and rows of seats, rising, with dangling globes of red light illuminating them. He himself was standing on a stage, complete with curtains. Strange...why would he have suddenly fallen into a theatre? Actually, upon looking up, he couldn’t see any space to have fallen from. Just a bunch of overhead lights and rafters. Weird.

And there was more weird about this theatre, too. The curtains dangling on either side of him were in tatters, looking almost as though they were burned. The stage was made of metal, and pitted with holes. Whole sections of seats looked oddly...melted.

Jack walked over to the edge of the stage and slowly lowered himself to the ground. “Oh, I’m getting a bad feeling about this, Sam,” he muttered, looking closely at one of the melted sections. And that was indeed the best word to describe it, the way the chairs drooped and clumped together. Sam agreed that this was bad news.

Cautiously, Jack walked up the aisle, head darting side to side in case anything happened. Nothing did, but he still felt on edge as he approached a pair of double doors around the edge of the room. “Hang on, Sam,” he muttered, slipping them into his hoodie pocket. They didn’t protest.

The doors swung outwards, revealing more of that crimson sky from before. A path twisted downwards, curling and turning in on itself, a sloping path that rested on nothing. It led down onto what looked like a regular city street, if not for the fact that there were no buildings lining the sides. Jack hesitated before stepping onto the path; it just looked like it was floating. But it did hold his weight. He hurried downward and onto the ground.

Only moments after his shoes hit the pavement, the ground shook.

Jack yelled, but managed to keep his balance. He blinked, and suddenly, there were buildings. It now looked like a regular city, except for the floating path he’d just stepped off that led to an empty double-wide doorway. And except for the red sky and the underlying humming sound. And except for the fact that occasionally the buildings would suddenly start to flicker and glitch crazily. If Jack had any doubt that he’d ended up in Anti’s home world, it quickly vanished.

“Okay, now what?” Jack muttered. He patted his pocket. “Sam? What do you think?”

Sam poked out of the pocket and looked around at the city that had suddenly appeared. They replied that this was all very odd, and honestly it didn’t make them feel too good. They actually felt kinda nauseous.

“What? You’re an eyeball, how can you get nauseous?”

Sam said that they didn’t think they could, until now. But maybe if they followed where these glitches were coming from, they would find Anti?

“That makes sense...” Jack said slowly. He looked more carefully at the glitching buildings. Now that he was paying attention, they did seem to sort of be coming from a direction. It was like a wave of glitches would shake its way down the street. Jack headed in that direction, not noticing how the humming sound was getting louder.

After walking for what felt like a long, long while, Jack stopped. “Wait, Sam, I just realized something. Didn’t we read in the notes—the ones from that spirit, Caedmon—didn’t they say something about time not existing here?” He paused. “Wonder what that meant...”

Sam replied that they didn’t know, but that something felt wrong.

“Wrong?” What do you—” Jack cut himself off. There was something happening...in the distance. He squinted down the street. Something was moving. In fact, a lot of things were moving. Jack’s eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing: the glitches from the buildings were growing in intensity, entire houses shuddering rapidly and multiplying, covered in static. And the glitching was approaching. Quite rapidly. “Fuck—!” Jack turned and bolted.

He wasn’t nearly fast enough. The humming grew louder, turning into electronic screeching that could make anyone’s ears bleed. Soon he was swept off his feet, being thrown around by glitches.

The glitch wave crashed onto the ground. Jack landed hard on his back and stared up into the crimson sky, gasping for breath.

“Oh fuck off with that already!”

Jack felt his heart freeze. He recognized that voice.

“I get it, you can throw the place around! Now stop hiding behind this fucking fake city and actually fight me again!“

He looked in the direction it was coming from. Some ways down the street, pretty far away but still clearly within earshot, was Marvin. He had his back to Jack, thankfully, but was still easily recognizable, his hair wild and his cape in tatters. Jack slowly sat up, never taking his eyes off the lone Void.

“I know you’re heeeere!” Marvin looked from side to side, allowing Jack a glimpse of his purple eyes but luckily not noticing Jack himself. “Where are you?”

The static seemed to rise in the air, and it sounded like laughter. And words. “I͏'vé t͏ol͟d ͡yo͢u͝ béf͟ǫr͟e͠,” it said. “I'̕m̨ e͡very͢.͞.̴.wheŗe.” There was the slightest shift in tone in that last word. The barest hint of surprise, as if the voice had just noticed something strange.

Jack stiffened. He knew that voice. But where was it coming from? It certainly sounded like it was coming from everywhere.

Marvin suddenly screamed. “That’s! Not! Funny!” There was a flash of dark purple, and then a few black orbs dripping with violet spun away from Marvin. Some hit nearby walls and burned into the surface, a few melted deep grooves in the street. Jack ducked as one wild orb flew right over his head.

And then once again, the floor gave out.

Jack cried out, but this fall wasn’t nearly as long. He soon landed on a lumpy, soft surface. Pillows? He didn’t have much time to take note of it, because—

“What are you do̸in͞ģ here?! Wait, how did you even g̀ȩt here?!” Anti appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him over. “Are you h͢ųr̡t? Oh fuck, I can’t look over e͟ve̛ry̸t͟hi̸n̕g all the time! Especially not with this crazy bitch here! If something in here got you—”

“Anti, I’m fine.” Jack shrugged off his grip. “I, uh...are you alright?” He did his own once-over of Anti. He seemed alright. But he definitely looked different. His eye-patch was missing, letting his green eye shine, and so was his scarf. The wound on his neck slowly dripped blood. Glitches and static constantly tore across his body, making him seem less solid.

“What? I’m fi̧n̨e͝. Why wouldn’t I be?” Anti looked a bit confused. He glitched, and was suddenly standing.

“I dunno, I just—I got worried!” Jack climbed to his feet. “You disappeared off the face of the earth three months ago! Last I heard, you were fighting someone who almost killed you! So I...I came to check on you. Well, me and Sam.” He patted his pocket. “They’re not feeling too good, though.”

Anti stared at him silently. “You...came to check on me?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“Well...yeah,” Jack said. He looked down at his feet. “I mean...you seem alright, so I guess it was nothing, but still, it’s been a while, so—”

“No, no, I—it’s g̨re͡at,” Anti hurried to say. “But...still, h͞o̡w did you even get here?”

“Uuuuuh...it’s a long story.” Jack laughed a bit. “So me and Stacy went back to the cabin, and there was a, uh, magician guy who lives there now. So we told him all about you, cause he already seemed to know something was up, and he helped us summon this, like, ghost magician guy. And the ghost guy told us how to get here.”

“There’s a necromancer living in the cabin now?” Anti asked.

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool. I mean, kind of nerdy, but you know,” Jack said. “Apparently his ancestor knew you, which is crazy, right? Anyway, that’s who we talked to, the ghost was some magician with red magic, called Caedmon—”

“Y͡ou ta͞lk͠e͏d to ́Cáedmo͝n͢?̀!” Anti repeated in an utterly shocked tone.

“Yeah. Tiernan—that’s the necromancer—passed out for like twelve hours afterward.”

Anti stared at Jack, eyes wide. Then he laughed. A spasm of glitches ran through his body. “Oh my gods. Jack...you’re...wow.” He calmed down a bit, and his voice softened. “You...really went to all that ef̧for̢t...just to check on me?”

“Course I did,” Jack said. He tried to shrug it off, but just couldn’t. Not when Anti sounded so touched. “I mean...it wasn’t that hard. And you’re...you’re my best friend. I couldn’t just let you possibly die because of this asshole and his stupid Void powers.”

“Oh...” For once, Anti seemed at a loss for words. “Well...thank you.”

Jack nodded. “You’re welcome.” He hesitated. “So...how are you doing? I mean, you said you were fine, but there’s...still a guy out there...who looks pretty pissed...”

Anti laughed. “Marvin? He has n͟ò̧th̴in̶̢g̸ on me h̴er͞ę.” He paused. “Well, no, not nothing. He’s fucking resilient. And quick. I can’t pin him down long enough to try my plan. You said it’s been three months in the other world?” Anti rolled his eyes. “Well, certainly fucking f̶èel̷s like we’ve been fighting for that long.”

“Huh.” Jack hesitated. “Is...is there any way I can help? I mean, I’m already here. Might as well.”

“Hmm...” Anti flickered with static as he thought. “Maybe...if you could distract him, I might be able to get close enough to—only if you’re sure, of course. I’ve tried distractions before, but he’s dead-set on fighting me. But if it was y̷ou̸ as the diversion...”

Jack hesitated. He didn’t really want to face Marvin. But...if this plan of Anti’s went well, then they’d never have to deal with Marvin again. “Alright, I think I can do that.”

Anti grinned. “Ver̵y̕ gǫo̵d. Now, let’s be quick. Eventually Marvin’s going to be over his outburst. This is what I’m thinking...”

- - - - - - - - - -

The makeshift city was silent, except for the strange humming that was ever-present in the air. The buildings were slowly losing their detail, becoming mere black shapes with a white glow where windows and doors were supposed to be. Marvin stalked through the streets, not caring to notice the changes. Anti had to be here somewhere. He’d stopped with the weird glitch waves, which probably meant he was preparing something else. And if he was busy preparing, then he would be vulnerable.

There was a door up ahead that hadn’t yet lost its definition. Marvin shot a bolt of black violet towards it. The bolt hissed as it made contact, blasting pieces of the door away and melting what remained into a puddle. Behind the empty doorway, Marvin caught a glimpse of something moving. No, someone.

Marvin laughed. “I seeeee you!” He rushed forward into the building, eyes lighting up bright violet as they dripped black liquid. Splashes of black and purple danced around his hands.

The inside of the building was barren, the walls, floor, and ceiling made of a smooth black material. Red light came from bulbs mounted in the ceiling. There was a single door in the wall, made of metal. Someone was trying to pull it open. Marvin’s eyes immediately locked onto him. “Aaaanti, are you running?”

The person at the door jumped, looking over his shoulder. He managed to get the door open and disappeared inside.

“Wait a second...” This was different. Marvin realized, and he laughed. Anti wouldn’t run. He hadn’t ever run before, not the whole time Marvin had been stuck in this weird other dimension. Retreated, yes. But this wasn’t that. Because this wasn’t Anti. “Jack! How did you get here? Checking in on your glitchy friend, I bet. Where are you going? Come back!”

The door was starting to swing shut, but Marvin caught it, swinging it open with force that it slammed against the other wall. The other side was a long room, walls similarly made of black. It was probably meant to be a hallway, but it was void of any distinguishing features. Marvin glanced down at the other end. There was a staircase, barely distinguishable against the rest of the black room. Jack ran towards it, heading upward. Marvin grinned. “Stop running! I just want to talk! I just want to taaaalk!” He ran after him, heading up the stairs. Yet strangely, it felt like he was heading downward.

The staircase emerged from...a hole in the ground? That was what it looked like, at least. The ground was made of dirt, and the ceiling of the next room up was supported by rafters one might find in a basement. Bare bulbs dangled from chains, lighting up the small room. There were no doors or windows leading out. Jack was pressed against the opposite wall, hands running over the smooth surface. Upon hearing Marvin, he spun around, eyes wide. “No!” He pressed his back against the wall.

Marvin grinned wildly. “Hello Jack. How long’s it been? Feels like forever. I can’t keep track of the time in a place like this.”

“H-hey...back off!” Jack stammered. 

“Why should I?” Marvin laughed, and started approaching. “Are you going to stop me? Couldn’t do much last time, could you?”

Jack flinched. He pressed closer against the wall—and suddenly it spun around. Like an entrance to a secret passage in an old movie, the wall rotated on an axis, and suddenly Jack was gone. Something clicked.

“What?!” Marvin ran forward, pounding against the wall. “Fuck this! Fuck this whole world and its fucking traps and illusions and nothing making sense!” He screamed in frustration, and hurled a blast of dark violet at the wall. The magic slid right off the black material it was made of. “Oh, of fucking course you’ve figured out some fucking way to make it resistant to my magic! Well fuck you! You don’t know the spells I have!” 

Marvin stepped back against the opposite wall. He raised his hands above his head and closed his eyes. Violet magic began to gather, droplets clustering together and running down his arms, becoming a sphere of running purple magic that was black at its center. Marvin shouted, and threw his arms down. The sphere flew across the room at the opposite wall, gaining size as it went. It was almost the size of a person by the time it slammed against the wall, spattering everywhere in a bright violet explosion.

As the magic faded away, Marvin walked up to the wall again. It still looked mostly solid, just with a few dents. Except for near the bottom. It appeared the spell had been concentrated there. A small hole had been blasted through the thick material, smoking at the edges. Much too small for a person to get through, but maybe big enough for something else.

Marvin hesitated for a moment. Was this really worth it? He quickly decided that it was. Jack had somehow slipped away last time he tried to grab him, he wouldn’t let him do so again. Besides, if Jack got in here, maybe he knew a way out. So Marvin took a deep breath, and cast a spell.

Soon, a cat slipped through the hole in the bottom of the wall. A black longhair cat with four white spots on its forehead, its eyes glowing purple. The room beyond was dark, but the cat could see easily. It was a small area, about the size of a closet, and packed with pipes winding around the room, filling the little empty space there was. Jack was huddled in the corner. It wasn’t clear how he’d gotten through all the pipes, but given how this world could change at the flip of a dime, Marvin assumed the pipes had suddenly appeared.

The cat flattened his ears against his head, and started navigating through the pipes, easily squeezing through the small spaces left. What was he going to do once he got close enough? There wasn’t enough room to turn back to human form, and he couldn’t cast most spells in an animal form. But perhaps that had changed, now that he had all this new power. Yes, that made sense. Why would he be limited by shape now? Limits were a thing of the past. He started getting ready for a teleportation spell.

The air in the room started humming, vibrating with a low current of electricity.

Jack looked up, noticing the glowing purple eyes that were getting closer. “Wait, Marvin, let’s talk about this!” He said in a hushed yell.

Marvin purred, amused. Silly Jack. He can’t talk in animal form. He kept getting closer, climbing through a particularly tight gap in the pipes. All he needed was to get close enough to teleport the two of them away.

The electricity increased, causing the fur along Marvin’s tail to stand up. He didn’t notice.

“No no no, wait!” Jack tried to back up, hitting the corner. “Look, I can—I can get you out of here!”

Yes, that was the plan. Marvin lunged through one last hole in the pipes, landing on Jack’s lap. Immediately, he tried to activate the teleportation.

Instead, a strong electric shock ran through his body.

Marvin yowled, jumping backwards—right into a waiting pair of arms. He hissed, claws shooting out as he looked up, right into a glowing green eye.

“He̸͟ļ̀l͏͠o,” Anti grinned.

Green lightning shot through the air. Anti dissolved into shadows and static, yet still held tight to Marvin as he clawed and squirmed. The air was filled with electronic screeching. Jack clamped his hands over his ears. Flashes of green and purple light burst with a snap! and so he closed his eyes too.

All of a sudden, the screeching and flashing stopped. And there was laughter. “You can look n̡o̷w, Jack.”

Jack opened his eyes. Except the room was completely dark. “Uh...no I can’t.”

“What? Oh. Hang on.” The humming sound returned. Suddenly, the room fell apart, opening up like a paper diorama turning back into the two-dimensional plan it was made of. The walls hit the ground silently, seamlessly merging into a plane of blackness, lit up by scarlet light pouring from the sky. Anti grinned. “Here we are.” He chuckled. “Lo̢o͡k a͏t̵ th̛is͏.”

There was a black cat, four white dots on its forehead, lying on the floor. It slowly stood up, shaking its head and looking around. Its eyes were green.

Jack stared, still a little wary. The cat looked up at him and hissed. There was a moment of silence. Then the cat looked back down, turning its head side to side and walking in circles. It seemed confused.

“So it worked then?” Jack asked. “You took his magic?”

“No, I didn’t t̢a͝ke his magic,” Anti said. “Gods, how fucked up would that be? I just locked it away so he can’t use it.”

Jack nodded. “So now he can’t turn back.”

“Exac̀tly̧.͡”

The cat’s—Marvin’s—eyes suddenly widened, almost comically. He let out a loud scream, and turned around and started attacking Anti’s leg. Anti looked unconcerned with this, and merely bent over to pick him up, ignoring the way Marvin struggled and tried to climb out of his arms.

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “And we’re sure this was the best idea?”

Anti nodded. “According to Dark, the options were to kill him or somehow keep him from using magic. Dark might’ve been fine with the former, but it’s always a last resort.” He paused, expression falling. “If we’d kept fighting...”

The unfinished sentence lingered in the air.

Anti shook his head and continued. “And if we left him as a human, he would just find some ǫt͠he͞r way to cause trouble, maybe even unlock his magic again.” He looked down at the squirming cat clawing at his arm. “Wo̢u̢l̷dn't y͢ou?”

Marvin snarled.

Jack nodded slowly. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t glad that Marvin wasn’t able to cause trouble anymore. He just wanted to make sure that they’d made the right choice.

Something squirmed in his pocket, and Sam poked out. They said that this was all well and good, but they were feeling very...bad. Could they please leave this place?

“Oh shit. Yeah, of course.” Jack pulled Sam out, looking them over. Their glow was barely visible. “Anti, we have to get out of here. Sam’s not feeling too good.”

Anti nodded. “Of course.” He bent over. Suddenly, there was a cat carrier sitting on the ground. Anti dumped Marvin through the hole in the top, quickly zipping it up as the cat tried to inch his way out. “We’re bringing this a̷ssho̷l̵e̶,” he muttered. “I’m sick of having him running around here.”

“Understandable, have a nice day,” Jack said.

Anti chuckled tiredly. “Okay, so where did you come into here from? You were in the old cabin?”

“Yeah, in the room off the left hallway. It’s a storage now, for magic shit.”

“Nice.” Anti considered this. “I think I can aim for there.” He reached to the side, and his scarf, his patch, and a roll of bandages suddenly appeared in his hand. “Don’t wanna freak out anyone there,” he explained, wrapping up his neck. “Can you grab the bitch kitty?”

Marvin hissed, and rammed against the side of the cat carrier.

“Got it,” Jack said, picking up the handles of the carrier. “Let’s go. I’m sure the others are worried.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Footsteps sounded down the hall, and Stacy threw the door to the room open. “What happened?! It sounded like a bomb went off! Wait…” Her eyes scanned the area. “Where’s Jack?”

“Um…” Frederick laughed nervously. “He may have…convinced me to do the spell.”

Stacy blinked. “The spell to send him to another dimension? That we couldn’t get him back from?”

Frederick nodded hesitantly.

“What the actual fuck?!”

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment, as if someone pressed pause on real life. All of a sudden, static built up in the corner, the world stuttering. And in an instant—

“Shit!” Jack stumbled as he partially landed on a pile of boxes, which then clattered to the floor. Marvin yowled as he dropped the carrier. Anti, standing next to Jack, helped steady him. Sam wriggled out of Jack’s pocket and flew up, stuttering a bit in flight until they landed in a nearby box. They stopped moving. It was clear they were ready for a long rest.

Stacy’s head snapped toward the corner. She blinked. “...well. I guess he can come back.” She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Hey Jack?”

“Hi Stace,” Jack said, waving.

“What were you thinking?!” Stacy shouted. “You can’t just jump into another dimension!”

“Hey, it worked out!” Jack flashed a smile. “Look, Anti’s here! He’s okay. We even, uh...dealt with the problem. Sorry to worry you. We must’ve been gone a while.”

Frederick, previously gaping blatantly at Anti and the way he glitched, looked over at Jack. “Um...actually, that was about twenty seconds. At most.”

“Wait, what?” Jack asked, confused.

“Time is inconsistent between here and there,” Anti explained idly, looking over Frederick. “So. Are you the magician who lives here now?”

“Me? No, I just stopped by,” Frederick said. “Tiernan lives here, he’s still asleep. I’m Frederick. And you’re Anti?”

Anti nodded. “So you sent Jack to find me.”

“...yes?” Frederick said slowly.

“Well. Thank you,” Anti said shortly. “Hello again, Stacy.”

“Hi, Anti,” Stacy said. “You’re, uh. Alright. That’s good to know.”

Anti didn’t answer, looking around the room. “This place sure has changed,” he muttered.

“Oh boy, you haven’t even seen the rest of the house yet,” Jack chuckled. “C’mon, let’s not stand around in a storage room where we could easily knock over more boxes.”

Back in the living room, Tiernan was still napping on the sofa, and Jackie and Heather were talking quietly. Heather glanced over as the group reentered the room. “Oh hey! What happened?” she asked. “Wait, who’s the new guy? A second Jack? Or maybe a second Jackie, given the eye-patch, haha. Wait, no. I’m an idiot. You’re Anti, aren’t you?”

“An—!” Jackie turned around with so much force that he almost fell off the chair. “Fuck!” He suddenly clutched his side and hissed. “Stupid fucking...” The phrase trailed off as he looked back up at Anti, face wary.

Anti stared at Jackie coldly. “Jack failed to mention you were here.”

“Sorry,” Jack said. “But, uh, it’s fine, he’s...cool.” Jackie flinched a bit at the slight hesitation before the word.

The cat carrier suddenly jolted. Marvin meowed, clawing at the mesh sides, and gave Jackie a look that screamed let me out so I can claw out your other eye.

Jackie stared at it, then suddenly shot to his feet. “Wait a second! I recognize—you—Marvin—!”

“Oh yeah, we turned Marvin into a cat,” Jack said, holding tight to the carrier handles.

Frederick whipped over to look at him. “You did what?!”

“We did not turn him into a cat!” Anti corrected hurriedly. “He turned himself into a cat, then I sealed his magic.”

“You can’t just leave someone as an animal!” Frederick protested.

“Look pretty boy, do you want the Void who burned your hand off running around?!” Anti yelled. “No? I didn’t think so!”

“Wait...” Frederick took a step back. “How do you know Marvin did that?”

“I recognize you,” Anti said, looking Frederick over. “It took me a moment, but I do. I dropped you off at that ABIM hospital. Tricky business, making sure no one saw me, and it could’ve easily ended badly. But it seems it was worth it, since you sent Jack to my home.”

Frederick stared at Anti. “You...did that?”

“Yes, I did. Please keep up.” Anti folded his arms. “I had to take my eyes off the Void to do so, too, who knows what could’ve happened in that time?”

“...oh. Well.” Frederick coughed. “Thank you. They said I would’ve died. If you...if you ever need anything—”

“No, you don’t owe me something,” Anti interrupted. “I didn’t do it in the hopes of getting a favor someday.”

Frederick let out a small breath and smiled. “If you insist.”

Jackie had an odd expression on his face. Without another word, he pushed past the rest of the group, muttering something about needing air. He then headed into the hallway. Frederick stared after him, concerned, and followed.

Jack set the cat carrier on the coffee table. Heather scooted her chair closer, staring at Marvin inside. “Y’know, he’s kind of cute, for an evil magician.”

“Clearly it’s a trick,” Stacy drawled. “Get you to lower your guard.” She glared at Marvin. “So that he can get inside a diner and fight a glitch right in front of you.”

“Huh. That’s an oddly specific example,” Heather said.

“Never mind,” Stacy chuckled. “It’s a long story.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Jackie leaned against the wall, feeling a bit dizzy. Everything was happening so fast. In just this day alone, he’d followed Jameson around Ireland, met up with Jack again, and now Anti and Marvin were here. After three months of being on his own, he was meeting up with everyone from his past in such a short time period...and they all hated him.

But wasn’t that justified? Well, for Jack and Anti, at least. He’d stood by while Jack had been hypnotized, traumatized, for two years. And in that same time period, he’d fought Anti countless times for the crime of just trying to get his friend back and stop the actual criminals in the city...criminals that included Jackie himself.

Of course, Marvin was just an asshole who’d always hated him. But...he’d hated Jackie because Jackie was a do-gooder, right? Who kept getting in his way. And who...kept lying about being a do-gooder...even to himself...when he clearly wasn’t...

Jackie felt hot tears start to gather in his eye. He quickly wiped them away before they could even fall.

“Jackie?”

“Wh—” Jackie spun around. Frederick was in the hallway. “H-hey,” he mumbled. “I’m fine, I just...needed a moment.”

Frederick frowned. “No, you’re not fine.”

Jackie didn’t answer.

“Hey.” Frederick walked up to him. “What’s wrong?”

A lot. A lot was wrong. He felt like he was spiraling out of control, down a pit in his own mind as the foundations he’d built his life on spun out from under him. He was starting to realize he...he didn’t save people. Though he claimed he did, it was a lie. He was now seeing people who really helped others, and interacting with the people he’d wronged and hurt, directly and indirectly. And then Anti...he’d never liked Anti, but here he was, having apparently saved someone’s life for no reason other than it was the right thing to do, even putting his own plan in trouble to do so. Jackie never would’ve done that. “I...” he started to say, choking on the words. “I think I might be a bad person.”

Frederick fell silent for a while. “You’ve made some bad choices,” he said in a soft voice. “You know this now. So...what are you going to do about it?”

Jackie jolted, looking up at Frederick. He wasn’t expecting that. He’d been expecting—seeking—reassurance, but not...that. It...it stung a bit. But...

‘What are you going to do about it?’

Reassurance would’ve done nothing. It wouldn’t have rang true, anyway. But...he could do something about it. He could do something about this realization. Perhaps...now that he’d faced the truth...he could find some way to change.

From the living room, someone shouted.

Frederick’s head snapped back towards the sound. “Heather?!” He looked back at Jackie, and the two of them ran back to the other room.

Heather, Stacy, Jack, and Anti had gathered around the living room window. Upon hearing the others return, Heather looked back over at them. “I-I saw—I saw Yvonne!”

“What?!” Frederick rushed over, pressing against the window with the others. Jackie followed more slowly. Outside looked mostly the same. Except for a few wisps of blue light dancing in the breeze. “That’s her magic,” Frederick recognized. “She’s here!”

“What? Why is she here?” Jackie asked. “Does that mean—”

Heather pushed through the group and ran out the front door.

“Heather! Wait! Shit!” Frederick looked at the others. “If Yvonne is still hypnotized, who knows how she’ll react to seeing her? She could attack!” And without another word, Frederick followed Heather in running outside.

“Who’s this Yvonne?” Anti asked.

“She’s a magician,” Jackie explained. “Heather’s sister, and Frederick’s partner.” He hesitated. “Jameson got to her.”

“Fuck,” Anti cursed, jittering with glitches. “If he got to her, and she’s here, then he’s not far away.” He backed away from the window. “I have to find him.” And he glitched away.

Jack also backed away from the window, dread pooling in his stomach. “Jameson is...here?”

Jackie glanced over at him. “I...Don’t worry, Jack, I’ll go look for him, too.” He took a deep breath, and headed out the front door.

Stacy remained looking out the window. If she pressed her face to the glass and looked to the side, she could barely make out flashes of emerald and sky blue light. She glanced back at Jack. “Should we go help?”

Jack shook his head. “No, I-I don’t think we should. And I...don’t...want to.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “We’ll stay here and make sure Marvin doesn’t get into trouble.

Back on the coffee table, Marvin stopped his efforts to shove the cat carrier onto its side. He meowed, somehow sounding like a spoiled kid caught in the act of stealing from the snack jar.

“Good idea,” Stacy said.

- - - - - - - - - -

Anti zipped around the edge of the clearing in energy form. Jameson, where was Jameson? There was a strange car on the road, partly hidden in the trees. That must be how he and the magician got here.

Speaking of the magician, it seems there was a magician’s duel brewing. Yvonne, hair faded and eyes clouded, was hurling blasts of blue magic at Frederick, who conjured a shield just in time to cover himself and Heather. He sent a rope of green magic around it, wrapping around Yvonne’s waist. She sheared it off, and sent a blue breeze at Frederick’s unprotected legs, knocking him over. Heather ran forward, shouting something, tears in her eyes. Yvonne paused for the slightest moment, then sent a blast at her. It was quickly diverted by a shoot of magic from Frederick.

Jackie was outside, too, heading in the fight’s direction but staying at a safe distance. He scanned the nearby area, perhaps assuming that Jameson would be nearby.

Which he should be, shouldn’t he? He wouldn’t leave his puppet behind. After all, he hated to lose him.

Anti continued his search. Jameson couldn’t be too far.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jack sighed, and took a seat in one of the armchairs. He glanced at the sofa. “Man...Tiernan’s a really heavy sleeper, huh?”

“He’s been exhausted,” Stacy said, shrugging from her position near the window.

“Still, didn’t he wake up for a bit?”

“Yeah, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because I hear a noise or something. Then I fall back asleep, especially if I had a long day.”

Jack nodded. “That makes sense.” He sighed. “Maybe we should go help—”

{/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\}

Stacy collapsed to the floor, landing hard on her side. Jack instinctively tensed, but the gesture was useless, as he slumped back against the chair, unable to move. But his heart was racing. This had happened before. This had happened before. This had—

Footsteps sounded down the hall. Jameson entered the room, looking as proper as ever, watch clutched in his hand. His gaze swept the area. {Well. Isn’t this an interesting sight? It’s been a while, you two, hasn’t it?}

Jack’s eyes locked onto him. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his muscles wouldn’t move. Not again not again not again not—

{I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m not sure how long my distraction will last.} Jameson smiled, returning Jack’s gaze. {Perhaps we could catch up another time. You and I could have a talk.} He looked away, and turned his attention to the cat carrier on the table. Quietly, he walked over to it and leaned over, looking inside.

Marvin backed up, hissing. He turned and once again tried to knock over the carrier, but Jameson reached out and grabbed the handles, righting it at the last moment.

Jack wanted to scream. He wanted to yell for the others to come back, or even to ask what Jameson wanted. But it was impossible.

Jameson tipped his hat. {Until we meet again, farewell.} And, whistling a jaunty tune under his breath, he turned and left the way he came.

Silence filled the house.

Two minutes passed.

Five.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Jack counted them on the clock mounted on the wall, glancing at it every so often. The hands on its face moved steadily, ticking softly. The sound sent panic through his veins.

The front door slammed open. Frederick and Heather stumbled inside, Yvonne draped between them, not unconscious but seeming unresponsive. Her eyes were no longer cloudy. Jackie followed shortly after. “Hey, so we—” Frederick started to say. Then he stopped. “What happened here?!”

Jackie looked at Stacy, who was unmoving on the floor, and Jack, whose eyes darted back and forth. “Jameson was here,” Jackie muttered. “He did this. Wait a moment.” He looked at the coffee table. “Where’s Marvin?!”

The air broke. Anti appeared. “I couldn’t find—” He then looked around the scene, and his expression darkened as he quickly came to the same conclusion as Jackie. “How?! I was looking all over! Constantly!”

“I don’t know!” Jackie said. “But he took Marvin!”

“So he did,” Anti growled. He glitched over to Jack’s side. “I think I can get rid of this. Give me a moment.” After hesitating for a second, Anti’s hand turned into pixels, and he reached into the side of Jack’s head. Jack immediately shuddered, then jerked and bolted upright. “Jack, are you alright?”

Jack didn’t answer, leaning over the arm of the chair and shivering. He held up his hand, asking for a moment. Anti nodded, and glitched over to Stacy, doing the same thing.

Stacy sat up. “Oh god...that was...” She shook her head.

“It was a trap...” Heather muttered. “We got Yvonne back, but...that magician cat...”

“He’s gone,” Frederick finished grimly. “He probably can’t do much while his magic is locked—and he’s, you know, a cat—but that Jameson guy...he probably has a plan.”

“He definitely has a plan,” Anti confirmed. “That’s the kind of person he is. A little schemer.”

“Fuck him!” Jack suddenly shouted. He pounded his fist against the arm of the chair. “Fuck! Him! I hate him! He should just go off and—and—” The words dried up in his throat, and he blinked back tears. He buried his face in the back of the chair.

Anti looked at him and walked over, sitting on the chair’s arm. He put his hand on Jack’s back, leaning closer. “We’ll get rid of him,” he said in a voice low enough for only Jack to hear. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Well...I guess we can’t do anything right now,” Frederick said slowly.

Jackie nodded. “I guess we just...make sure Yvonne is alright, and...and then we can look at what to do next.”

“Yeah...yeah, that’s a good plan,” Heather said. “Fengge, you and I should find Yvonne somewhere to rest, since Tiernan took the couch.”

“There’s a bedroom that way,” Stacy said, pointing down the hall. “Actually, I’ll show you.” She climbed to her feet and headed out, Frederick and Heather following her.

Jackie glanced over at Anti and Jack, then silently also left, heading in the opposite direction the others went. “I...I’m going to...think,” he mumbled.

Soon after the others were gone, Jack took a deep breath, and straightened. “Thanks,” he said, not sure what he was saying thanks for. He fell silent, staring out the living room window. “Anti...” he said slowly. “What did you mean by...get rid of him?”

Anti didn’t answer for a bit. “Jameson is a bit more complicated than Marvin is,” he said quietly. “There are questions there that...I still don’t know the answer to.” He paused, and looked back at Jack. “But he won’t hurt you again.”

Jack nodded. “That...that would be ideal.” He chuckled a bit.

Anti grinned, and started to laugh too. “It would, wouldn’t it?” The smile faded. “Well...we’ll find a way. It’s going to be alright. I promise.”

Jack sighed, and said nothing. The two of them stared out the window and let the time pass.

[eridesolutionsau]

The Ultimate Buying Guide to Dragon Electric Scooters

Practicality is definitely one of the main attractors e-scooters pose. Many people who live in the city have opted to switch to this electric ride for their everyday travels. This is primarily because cars get stuck in traffic, while electric scooters can take them to shortcuts that ease their journey.

When looking for the perfect electric scooter, there are three things that one tends to prioritize—style, price, and quality. Some prefer one over the other, but for most, an all-in-one package sets the deal. Luckily for them, the Australian e-scooter brand Dragon Electric Scooters cater to these specifics—and more.

In this article, we will introduce you to Dragon Electric Scooters, and their line of high-quality but affordable e-scooters.

What To Look for in an Electric Scooter

Deciding which e-scooter to buy may be a burden for some. Luckily, there are online guides which can help you with making up your mind. As we stated in the beginning of this article, style, quality, and price are the prime factors buyers consider when choosing an e-scooter.

However, ultimately, buyers would also consider performance, comfort, safety, and practicality. These are only the tip of the ice berg though.

In this part, we will present more vital physical factors and parts of an e-scooter, and why it’s important to double check on them before making any purchase.

Tyres

First on the list is an essential part of an e-scooter. Without the tyres, there wouldn’t be an electric scooter, of course. Tyres connect you and your scooter to the ground. They give traction, but they also have the ability to shield you from the discomfort of unfavourable and uneven terrains.

Having said this, it’s only important to know more about the e-scooter’s tyres when talking about comfort.

You would typically have 2 choices when it comes to tyres: air-filled tyres and solid tyres. Air tyres are often installed on off-road electric scooters, as they cushion bumps and unexpected protrusions. They are more suitable for handling slippery and rocky surfaces, but may require more maintenance than the latter. Solid tyres, on the other hand, are more on the rugged side. They provide less cushioning and you might feel the jolts unless you ride the scooter on a flatter surface. This kind of tyres is usually installed on city electric scooters usually made for daily commutes.

Whatever you’ll need your electric scooter for, knowing what kind of tyres they come with can be very useful to you.

Suspension

An electric scooter’s suspension system is responsible for smoothing out your ride and keeping the scooter in control. It maximizes friction between the tyres and the ground that you will ride on, which in turn provides stable maneuvering and better handling.

When you have an e-scooter with air-filled tryres, suspension might not be a priority. However, if you often tread bad roads, then a combination of air wheels and suspension can give you the best riding experience. Electric scooter manufacturers like Dragon specialize on models with suspension systems on one wheel, or both. E-scooters with dual suspension can be a little more expensive, but they can also be a lot more comfortable.

Our advice? Choose a scooter that is fitted with a suspension system on at least one wheel. But then again, you can never go wrong with two, right?

Brakes

When it comes to safety, brakes are number one on the list. E-scooter brakes depend on what kind of motor is installed in the electric ride itself. The three kinds of brakes are electric, foot brakes, drum, and disc brakes. Disc brakes are the most common and preferred type, as they are light and have good bite power. Drum brakes are also good, an they require less maintenance than the others.

Electric brakes are considered as the weakest type in the bunch, and they would usually come with another type (often drum brakes) to complete the ensemble. Foot brakes can also work, but because you would have to manually brake the rear tyre with your foot, you’ll be prone to skidding or losing your balance. This might defeat the purpose of observing a safe ride.

When you’re choosing an electric scooter, be sure to ask your manufacturer or distributor what type of brake a model is equipped with, and you can start making your choice from there.

Introducing Dragon Electric Scooters

As the demand for e-scooters grow higher, the same goes for the price range for most of them. As more people discover the wonders of electric scooters, manufacturers scramble on their feet to produce them, and they grow bigger in number as of writing.

So, what does this mean? It’s simple. It means that you, as a buyer, now have hundreds of options on your plate. These options range from cheap e-scooters, to commuter and even off-road ones that might fall on the more expensive spectrum.

Taking all this into consideration, Dragon has made sure to cater to this wide range. They have gained a huge following in the Australian e-scooter community, and continue to produce affordable and high-performing electric scooters suitable for daily use.

Electric Scooters from Dragon Australia

In this part, we will show you the best and most affordable e-scooters from Dragon, and let’s find out why they’re making such huge waves in the Australian electric ride market!

Dragon GT Electric Scooter

Price: Starts at $599.00 (scooter only)

The Dragon GT Electric Scooters is one of Dragon’s first and best-selling e-scooters. The affordable electric scooter is durable, long-lasting, and made for daily use. At a relatively lower price range, it boasts of a suspension system with dual front shocks and solid axle on rear. This means that you can expect nothing but a stable ride, at any given time.

This electric ride is powered by a 500W motor that runs at a street-legal speed of 25km/h, and a 35km/h speed for riding off-road. The compact e-scooter has a range of 30km, and can be easily towed anywhere. It also offers a detachable seat option for those who might have back problems, or difficulty with standing for a long time.

If an affordable and excellent ride for leisure or daily use is what you’re looking for, then the Dragon GT Electric Scooter is the choice for you!

Dragon X1 Electric Scooter

Price: $699.00

Want a fun way to go around? Look no further, because the Dragon X1 is here! The Dragon X1 is an upgrade to the Dragon GT, but with a difference that won’t leave a hole in your pocket. The electric scooter is fitted by a powerful 350W motor that can reach the peaks of a 500W motor! This eco-friendly electric ride reaches a top speed of 25 km/h (street-legal), and travels a max distance of 30km.

It also comes with bright front and rear LED lights that will provide better visibility whenever you ride at night or through foggy paths. With its front shocks and dual fluid-filled rear shocks, the Dragon X1 is sure to provide a stable ride as you get from point A to B. You can also take this on a leisure ride at the park, or to off-road riding with its 8-inch no puncture solid tyres.

With its sleek style, quality, and affordable price, the Dragon X1 ticks off all the boxes!

Dragon Urban X5 Electric Scooters

Price: $699.00

Feast your eyes on one of the most stylish and powerful commuter e-scooters in the market, the Dragon Urban X5 Electric Scooter! This powerful e-ride is one of the lightest portable electric scooters that Dragon has manufactured. This performance electric scooter is fitted with 10-inch pneumatic tyres that maintain traction and provide better acceleration in every ride.

They sleek modern electric scooter is perfect for daily use—in running errands, getting to and from school or work, or taking it for a spin around the local park or any favorite spot during off days. It’s frame is sturdy enough to overcome bumps on the road, and its design makes it able to traverse any kind of terrain.

With its powerful 750W motor, the Dragon Urban X5 is the daily commuter’s ultimate e-scooter dream!

Dragon GTS Electric Scooter

Price: Starts at $999.00

Next on the list is one of Dragon’s Sport Electric Scooters. The Dragon GTS Electric Scooter is an all-around ride that is portable, and powerful at the same time. It comes in two options—the GTS with a single 800W motor, and the GTSV2 with a Dual 1600W motor. The powerful electric scooter is suitable for tackling bumpy terrains, uneven or even rocky paths, making it a very-well-sought-after electric scooter in the Australian market. Just like the Dragon GT, it also offers a detachable seat if you’re looking for extra comfort.

The amazing sport electric scooter has a range of 50KM, and a street-legal speed of 25km/h. It is also fitted with   10-inch air tyres and frint and rear dual shocks that make up for a very stable ride on any kind of terrain.

If you’re up for an exciting daily adventure, then the Dragon GTS Electric Scooter is the one for you.

Dragon GTR Electric Scooter

Price: Starts at $1,299.00

When talking about power performance electric scooters, you cannot bat an eye on the Dragon GTR Electric Scooter. This robust electric scooter is every e-scooter enthusiast’s dream. With its unmatched power over any terrain, it can easily traverse on slopes or any uneven terrain.

More than its high-performance parts, the Dragon GTR come with 2 powerful motor options available for your choosing. One is the GTR with a 1200W motor, and the other is the GTRV2 with a dual 2400W motor. Its suspension is an upgrade of the former, the Dragon GT, with more advanced front and rear systems. Moreover, you can complete your ensemble with accessories like a seat or a waterproof bag that will seal the deal.

With a Dragon GTR, getting from point A to point B will be the least of your problems. Riding through rocky and unfavourable paths won’t be a big deal too!

(Note: With this kind of wattage, it might not be legally allowed to ride the e-scooter in public. In this case, you can always take it for a spin on any private property.)

Dragon The Beast Electric Scooter

Price: $3,299.00

Last but definitely not the least on this roster is Dragon’s most powerful and high-performing e-scooter yet, The Beast Electric Scooter. As its name itself suggests, this beast of an electric ride is sure to give you a riding experience like no other. It boasts of a whopping 3600W motor that provides nothing but pure power and stability with every ride.

The Beast is made specifically for thrill-seekers who are always up for an adventure. It is sturdy enough to take on all kinds of terrain, turning a bumpy ride into an incredibly smooth one. Its speed of 75KM/H is perfect for extreme off-roading, and its range of 75KM is enough to keep your mind at ease about the battery getting drained in the middle of nowhere.

If you are the ultimate off-roader, then you will need a trusty company. No doubt, The Beast is the one for you!

To know more about Australia’s E-ride laws, kindly visit this page: https://www.eridesolutions.com.au/pages/safety

Buy Dragon Electric Scooters from E-Ride Solutions

Home for the best and most affordable electric rides in Australia, E-Ride Solutions has now partnered up with Dragon to provide customers with quality and cost-efficient electric scooters. We are dedicated to make eco-friendly transport alternatives accessible to many, and Dragon Electric Scooters are definitely on top of the list. Our guarantee is to offer the absolute best prices online, and that you get your money’s worth. This is why we make sure that we house only the best and the brightest electric scooters, but in a wide variety.

Interested in other electric rides? Do not hesitate to visit our website at www.eridesolutions.com.au, or contact us at our toll-free number, 1300 617 339.

Don’t miss out on the best deals on all-electric rides from E-Ride Solutions. Make that electric switch today!

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Ookami

Written for the @myyoukaiparade zine / [AO3 Link]

Word Count: 2000+ (oneshot)

Genre: Supernatural/Family

Characters: Todoroki Enji, Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Touya/Dabi, Todoroki Fuyumi

Summary:  Medieval Fantasy AU. In the wake of his eldest son Touya's mysterious death, renowned samurai and war hero Todoroki Enji makes a nighttime journey through the forest. But he is far from alone there, and the spirits who dwell there know his sins and intend to pay him back for them...

Warnings for implied child abuse/murder and animal death. 

~0~

His daughter runs from the other side of the house to warn him not to travel alone after dark. The forest between their estate and the city isn’t home to men. No youkai cares about his rank, she says, and all she cares about is him returning in one piece!

His daughter is a frantic little fool, just like her madwoman mother, just like every other woman he’s ever met. 

He is Todoroki Enji, second favored warrior of the emperor, with the blood of thousands on his spear. He’s left clouds of ash behind him on countless battlefields. A man like him is not afraid of the dark, he snarls at Fuyumi as he mounts his horse.

“Father, please! After what happened to Touya-nii — !”

“Silence! How dare you compare me to that weakling!”

He’d ridden off into the sunset then, like any good hero, and it is long after midnight now. Enji has traveled this path by daylight enough times to know it by heart, even in the weak moonlight. The only sounds are the humming insects in the bushes and the soft clop of his horse’s hooves. Shakunetsu sees no reason to spook, and neither does he. He has faced assassins before, and none of them drew a drop of blood from him before they were killed. 

Almost none, the tiny part of him that speaks the truth reminds him, and the scar on his chest itches.

He shakes his head again. He is Todoroki Enji, glorious, fearless, and invincible. He’s not moved by a ghost story of all —

Something rustles in the bushes just behind him. 

Enji stiffens. His eyes flick back and forth in the dark, searching for spots of light or movement. Humans are clumsy and fallible...but his eyes don’t land on a human. 

His brain tells him that he should breathe a sigh of relief. It’s only a wolf following behind him, just out of reach of Shakunetsu’s skull-shattering kick. A dumb-looking thing, too, with a slavering mouth and bulbous white eyes. A mere animal, especially one without the support of its pack, should be nothing at all to worry about. 

And yet there is an instinctive chill running deep down his spine, telling him to flee with his tail between his legs, that he must suppress. For gods’ sake, it’s one lone wolf —

No. Not one. Now there’s two, alike enough to be twins, one on each side. 

Enji jolts, and twists around in the saddle to make sure he isn’t seeing double. Once his gaze is focused, it’s clear that he isn’t: there are four wolves trailing behind him, all with identical black coats, misty white eyes, and knife-sharp teeth. His eyes widen, and he hastily kicks Shakunetsu into a brisk canter. They really must be dumb animals, he tells himself, to mistake a predator like himself for prey. No matter; he knows how these things hunt. The mountain pass at the other side of the forest is not far off now, and they will not follow him past there, even in an attempt to outrun a seasoned war horse. 

He hears scrabbling in the dirt behind him, but it’s a few minutes before he looks back and sees the hunger in the wolves’ eyes gleaming even brighter as they keep pace easily with Shakunetsu. It isn’t that that finally breaks Enji’s nerve. It’s the fact that every single eye is fixed directly on his own neck. 

His breath catches, and he gives Shakunetsu a sharp kick. The horse lets out a shrill whine, and charges off down the path in a frantic gallop. Sweat runs down his forehead and the trees rush by in a dark blur, and he hears the barks and howls of the wolves start up behind him as they lope forward to not only match his pace, but overtake it. 

They don’t seem to think of Shakunetsu as anything more than an overlarge elk as they surround him, biting at his legs and leaping up to tear at his rear and flanks. The many claws rend their well-wrought armor as if it were paper. Strips of flesh and steel are flying into the dirt before his eyes. Enji doesn’t waste another second before hefting himself up and jumping clear of his steed, pushing off hard from Shakunetsu’s saddle. 

One last betrayed shriek tears itself from the horse’s throat as it goes down under a torrent of claws and teeth. Enji does not hear it. Blood pounds in his ears as he hits the ground and charges for the soaring cliff at the end of the path. They will follow him up that part, he sees that now, so he leaps to grab the narrow ledges and crags beside it, hauling himself up the steep face. Adrenaline surges and spurs him on, and before he knows it he’s made his way very nearly to the top. He climbs up atop a wide rock, to catch his breath and look back to check for his pursuers, and startles when he sees them scrabbling in a great mass at the cliff base. 

Their baying turns his blood cold; like mist and water, they climb and flow over each other and rise up the cliff face. Fur and blood fly and their blank white eyes bulge, and Enji is frozen with shock as they get closer, and closer, and...

Just as quickly, he bursts into wild laughter. They’re clawing the rock barely a meter from his boots, but they just can’t reach. There must be a thousand of them, but they aren’t enough. 

“Ha! You thought you could destroy me?! Todoroki Enji?! Foolish animals, I’ll wear your pelts on my back for the rest of my life!”

He draws his dao sword with a flourish, but looks down to see a streak of blackness and sparking blue fire rushing up to meet him. He roars and slashes at its eyes, but his blade swings harmlessly through the head as if through smoke. Slavering jaws snap open wider than his head, and there’s a puff of icy breath on Enji’s neck before daggerish fangs sink into them. The two of them tumble down the cliff face, grappling and struggling, until Enji hits the ground spine-first, with a sickening crack. 

Suddenly he cannot move anymore, despite his best attempts. All he can do is stare through spinning vision as the huge shape — the great wolf — stalks towards him, its pack circling around. Its body and face are twisted by scars, lips pulled back in a snarl, and eyes burn with the purest hatred Enji has ever seen —

No. No, that’s not right, Enji realizes, remembering the eyes of that damned boy, the traitor who had stolen his own sword and turned it on him with a broken howl. But he had burned that boy to ashes, erased him from this world!

The wolves all rush him at once, and those blue eyes are the last thing Enji sees before he’s torn to shreds by twenty thousand claws.

~0~

Shouto would like to think that he knows better than his late father. 

For instance, while Fuyumi and Natsuo are quarreling over which of them should go fulfill Enji’s final task in his place, Shouto simply slips out and sets off himself. The sword he takes is older and less easily missed. He leaves through the fire-damaged part of the house, right through the hole that was once a bedroom. Nobody likes to go around there at the best of times. With everyone distracted by the winding-down of his father’s funeral, it’s deserted enough for him to leave entirely unnoticed.

He cannot, however, leave on horseback, or well enough before sunset to avoid traveling by dark. The full golden moon lights Shouto’s way as he walks down the beaten forest path, and he tries to ignore the fact that he’s following in his father’s footsteps. Fortunately, there are more important things grabbing his attention. 

Namely, the distinct sound of padded footsteps right behind him.

Shouto takes another deep breath. He is an avid student of spirituality, a way of clinging to the old stories of their country that his mother used to tell him. If it were mortal wolves stalking behind him, he would have been chased down by now, and the icy feeling of intelligent eyes on his neck would not be there. 

These were youkai in Wolf’s shape, and while he didn’t know what they wanted with him — perhaps only a bite to eat — he knew that he must not provoke them to attack. One did not try to fight or insult a youkai, that was just common sense. Not even the fiercest animal would come nearby now. But if he had read his mother’s scrolls right, it was imperative that he keep his footing at all costs. Should he allow the darkness, the weight of the sack on his back, or the daunting path to trip him up even once, the pack will surely fall on him to devour him alive. 

Because it is a pack, if his ears do not deceive him. The stirring of dirt and occasional clicking of claws on stone and root increase fourfold every moment. He keeps his ears pricked, his eyes on the uneven ground, and his face its usual mask of perfect calm. He must act as if nothing is there at all.

Shouto’s heart pounds a drumbeat in his chest, a frost of fear running over his skin. He is hyperaware of every move he makes, every rustle in the grass. When he passes the river, he dares not glance at however many reflections might be following his own. He trusts in the moon, illuminating the path and the cliff ledge where it ends, to guide him to safety as they both pass through the night.

Still, he’s never wanted to grab his sword so badly in his life, even knowing that respect is his key to survival. He knows his father must have tried to fight off whatever had reduced him to bloodied bone splinters and shreds of armor. He will not meet the same fate. 

He steps out of the trees as the sky begins to pale, taking extra care in ascending the steep mountain path. When he reaches the ledge, and can see the town below the opposite slope, he pauses for a moment to let out his breath. Only then does he turn around, and his heart almost stops.

They’re like a lake reflecting a starry sky: myriad white eyes shining from a mass of deep, rippling darkness. Identical, save for their leader, who stands twice their height and whose body is seared with scars. Shouto thinks for a moment that there’s something familiar in those shimmering blue eyes, in the way he seems to be smiling at Shouto. But no: he must be only looking for something.

As such, Shouto bows deeply to the pack, and addresses them loud and clear. “Thank you very much for seeing me off! You have been very kind!”

He turns on his heel and marches towards town, out of sight in an instant. He does not see how the lead wolf’s prideful eyes linger on the space where he had been, until his second breaks ranks to come and lick his muzzle.

Come, Dabi, it says without words. You have a new pack now.

Dabi’s long-tongued smile lingers. Their father is gone; his mother and siblings are free and safe. He can leave them with no regrets.

So he turns around and runs, and his thousand wolves disappear alongside him into the dawn.

~0~

People bow their heads to Shouto and offer their condolences for his losses as he passes through the city. His family tomb is at the back, so he gives countless people thanks before he reaches its silence.

His brother’s death was recent enough that his ink portrait is still there, joined now by their father’s, which he ignores. No one has lit incense or offered prayers for his brother since he died, burned to death in his own room, and Shouto gets the feeling that he is finally bringing him some kind of peace with his journey now.

“Touya-nii, you’ll never believe what happened on my way here.” He smiles as he lights the incense, imagining the elder warrior’s shining eyes and smile. “You always loved the tales of youkai? Now I have one to tell you...”

[honeymoonjin]

Chapter Three

Summary: When you hear that your recently deceased grandmother left you her property in her will, at first you think that a dinky old cottage in the middle of nowhere isn’t going to mean much for you. But after spending a night there, you discover something far more valuable than the house itself: a hidden door that leads to another time, the same place but over 200 years in the past. In the late 18th Century, there is a king who will die before his 21st birthday unless you can save him. Will you help him, even if it means leaving your own life behind?

A/N: A bonus update because I’m feeling generous! I might start releasing these a little quicker since I’ve got a bit of a backlog, I just can’t wait for you guys to read it! 

You keep on your sneakers, glad they’re not visible beneath the dress, and follow him outside, marveling at the beauty of the landscape. Some things have remained; old, grand trees in your time are still growing fledglings here, and you can see the slope of a gentle hill in the distance where cattle graze. How would the villagers possibly be able to comprehend that in around two hundred and fifty years, a shopping mall has been erected in its place?

The village itself is already bustling. A gentle wash of chatter paints the landscape as people haggle for goods, make conversation and set up shop for the day. Yoongi is on the outskirts of the village, but not wholly removed, and he quickly guides you through the main street, instructing you to lift your skirt just enough that it doesn’t catch under your foot, and to not make eye contact with anyone.

Unlike Yoongi, most of the villagers you blur past are ragged and dirty, sporting clothing similar to yours, with ratty hair and grimy faces, but they seem happy. Although they look at you curiously, it’s nothing more than neutral interest. It seems these people have other things to worry about. In fact, Yoongi gets more looks than you, which you suppose is warranted. His silver hair and piercing look of determination command attention, and unlike the earthy tones around him, his clothes are pitch black; a tunic and leather pants underneath a heavy robe. On his hands are rings, made of bronze, wood and bone. He seems exactly the kind of intimidating presence you’d expect of a wizard. Shaman, you correct yourself.

“How far away is the King?” you ask curiously, having already reached the other side of the village. The path you two wandered now was a worn line of dirt and stone between a field, as you left the houses behind.

He fixes you with an unimpressed look, though you’re too captivated by the scenery to much care. “Take a wild guess, Y/n. What can you see directly in front of us?”

You look up towards the horizon, and sigh at your own stupidity. Ahead of you, nestled between two rocky mountains, is a grand palace. The palace itself is huge, with multiple storeys, wings, towers, the works. Around it is a sprawling plain, some parts closer to the front gates are lush with all breeds of colorful flowers, fountains, and intricately carved stone benches. It’s beautiful, ornate and luxurious, and you feel like an idiot for being too entranced with some sheep that you missed it. “Oh. So, what’s the plan, Yoongi? We just going to rock up to the front door and ask to see the King?”

Yoongi resumes walking. “Yes.”

You turn to him in shock at his perfectly calm response, stumbling to catch up to his brisk pace. “Yes? What, they don’t have security? They just let anyone play footsies with the royal family? No wonder this idiot dies.” You remember Namjoon’s comment from earlier. “How old is he anyway? Pretty young, right?”

“His Royal Majesty is twenty-one years old. He was seventeen when he ascended to the throne. And no, to answer your previous question, the palace does not let just anyone meet with the King. I’ll have you know that I am rather close with the King, and a trusted member of the courts in my role as Shaman. Many a time I have sought counsel from the spirits and given him advice that has improved his reign. It is only because you are with me that you will be able to get close to him.”

“So, that’s why you dress like the richest bitch in town?”

He glances at you sidelong. “Please refrain from using such language in the presence of His Royal Highness.” He clears his throat. “But yes.”

You walk in comfortable enough silence until finally two dudes in fancy brass buttoned uniforms open a set of heavy double doors for the two of you upon seeing Yoongi. The main foyer inside is so large that just the patter of your footsteps on the marble bounces off the high ceilings, and you’re taken aback by the complex arrangement of frescoes on the roof far above you. How did anyone manage to get up there? A butler inside escorts you up a curved stairway lit up by oil lamps embedded in the wall, but it’s clear Yoongi knows his way. He’s practically stepping on the butler’s heels with how impatient he is to get going.

“Yoongi,” you call out nervously, “I don’t really know what we’re going to do. Am I supposed to just hang around until something happens?”

He glances back at you, slowing down until you’re both ascending the same steps, side by side. “I thought you returned to your…home, to do some research? Did you not find sufficient information?”

You bite your lip at the butler in front of you two as you reach the top of the stairs and follow him down a wide, carpeted hallway. It’s clear with the tilt of his head that he’s listening in. “I know what, but I don’t know how.”

“Then, yes,” Yoongi answers simply, “you’ll just have to find something interesting enough to talk about that the King will let you stay for long enough.”

You sigh. “Yeah, fine, I can do that. So, what, you just told him we were coming by for dinner? When did you get time to come all the way here and back?”

“I didn’t, Y/n, I sent my apprentice ahead of me. I assume he’s informed the King; if not, he must have been killed along the way. These things happen.”

Your mouth drops open and you blink at the shaman with wide eyes.

“I’m joking, Y/n. These aren’t the Dark Ages, you know. We’re civilized enough.”

Suddenly, the butler comes to a stop, and you realize you’re directly in front of another set of doors, these ones with pearls and flecks of silver encrusted into the surface. He knocks, waits for a response, then falls back, turning to the two of you. “I’ll take my leave now, Sir, Madam.” He bows, and swiftly departs back the way he came.

Before you can question Yoongi about the plan again, muffled voices are heard beyond the door, and then with a rather loud groan, they’re swung open to reveal an extremely long room. It’s clearly the throne room; you may not be around here, but the literal throne kinda gives it away. Yoongi grips you tightly by the elbow and leads you forward, hissing, “make sure to bow,” in your ear as you go.

The figure occupying the tall, silver throne with purple velvet upholstery is pretty featureless from such a distance, but even if you wanted to squint at him for more details, Yoongi once again gives you a command, this time to bow your head and not make eye contact until he addresses you.

Heart racing, you focus on not tripping over your skirts, and keep your eyes on the veiny marble you walk across to get to him. The silence is unbearable, and it feels like the longest time until Yoongi finally tugs once on your elbow to stop you. He drops into a deep bow, from the waist, and you follow suit.

“Stand up,” a surprisingly clear voice calls out. You straighten up quickly, but keep your head dipped. “Great Shaman, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Yoongi lifts his head, but taps your shoulder in warning gently, so you remain staring at the floor. “Your Royal Highness, I’ve brought with me a cousin from a neighboring village, Mirefeld. She wishes to apprentice underneath your loyal healer, sir.”

You jerk your head to the side but hear Yoongi shush you ever so quietly. The King hums in interest. “Mirefeld? I was not aware they were training healers in Mirefeld.”

“They aren’t, Your Majesty. That’s why I kindly ask that you allow her to study with your best.”

“She’s unmarried?”

“Of course.” You’re starting to get a little sick of Yoongi and this King speaking about you like you’re not there, but you press your lips together and wait patiently. “Besides, with all due respect, sir, we could use some more healers in Norhaven. I’ve been getting more and more villagers seeking healing, and I fear I do not have time for them all. Norhaven is prospering under your reign, Your Majesty, so we may require more than we currently have.”

“I understand. Maiden, raise your head now. Let me get a good look at you.”

You do as the King commands and just about choke on air. Whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t this. The King is beautiful, more so than the man beside you, and his youthful complexion isn’t tainted by the look of authority and power in his expression. Those piercing eyes run over you languidly, and you can’t help but swallow stiffly.

“What is your name?”

“Y/n, Your Majesty,” you answer, clearing your throat when you hear the way your voice wobbles.

He quirks a smile, and your heart skips a beat at the boyish quality of it. “Do you have a last name?” You freeze, breaking his gaze to question Yoongi with your eyes.

Yoongi calmly reaches out an arm to wrap around your shoulder. “She is a Min like me, sir.”

The King runs his tongue over his lips and sits back, letting his white-clad legs tip open lazily. Rather than a super fancy crown, like you had sort of expected, atop his ink-black hair is a simple golden circlet with a few peaks around its circumference. It’s been delicately carved with patterns of vines and leaves from what you can see, and the hands that clasp the arms of the throne are heavy with gold and jewels, far more luxurious than what Yoongi is sporting.

“Of course,” he answers finally, bringing a hand up to rest his chin on. “Well, Min Y/n, you seem like a decent young girl. I would love nothing more than for you to be in my service.”

You don’t miss the double entendre, but you’re more concerned with eying him up, and looking around the room for anything sharp. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, he stands, startling the guard beside him, who up until this point has stood so still and silent that you’ll admit you didn’t notice him until just now. He’s in black gear, so it’s hard to gain many details, but you can tell easily that he must be dangerous. His dark brown hair falls over one eye, leaving the other one narrowed as he keeps watch. The King turns to him once he stands, patting down his brass-buttoned jacket, and asks for his coat. The guard nods once, hurries calmly but swiftly to a coatrack near the side wall and returns with a large fur coat.

“I shall take you to my personal healer, Seokjin. To ensure my wellbeing, he remains near to the palace at all times. His dwellings is behind the north wing.” King Jeon holds his arms out wordlessly and the guard opens up the coat to slip on the arms. A flash of silver catches your attention and your eyes widen.

“No-!” But it’s too late. The coat slips on, and the king cries out and recoils, clutching his side. Alarmed, the guard opens up the coat to see a blade that has cut through the pocket to stick out on the inner edge of the coat. Spots of blood stain the light grey fur already, and the guard throws the coat far away before bending down over the collapsed king.

TAGLIST Message me or send an ask to be added to the taglist for Sovereign, and never miss a new chapter!

@sonyeonsideupsmile  @sweetcheeksdna (I can’t seem to tag you!)  @hoodiebangtan @mntchcchp 

[leio13]

La Tristesse Sale

A Soukoku Fic

Summary: It had been 3 weeks, 5 hours, 28 minutes, and 32 seconds since Mori requested to see Dazai’s annoying partner, and much to Dazai’s own surprise, he was eager to resume their antagonistic dynamic, but when he returned, Chuuya wasn’t as Dazai remembered. He was cold, without that familiar passion.

For the last 3 weeks, Chuuya had underwent a series of experiments to enhance his ability and create the ultimate killing machine: Corruption.

Relationships: Soukoku (Dazai/Chuuya)

Betaread by the lovely @fraink5! Thanks for continuously supporting me throughout this wild ride!

Chapter 8: Sortir

Sortir- [v.] to go out

Masterpost | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Ao3

“Okay, up and at 'em! Let's go! Time to wake up!" Dazai yanked the sheets off his partner's bed. "Today, we are going to be productive members of society! Now, get up!"

Dazai hopped onto the bed and started jumping, causing it to shake just like he intended. Hopefully, it wouldn't break, but until it did, he'd continue to bounce, waiting for a familiar groan. He looked down. Two blue eyes stared at him with what he thought might have been a bit of malice, or it could just have been a hopeful hallucination.

As Chuuya groggily sat up, Dazai skipped out of the room, singing, before popping his head back in through the doorway. "I hope you haven't forgotten personal hygiene! The bath is yours for the taking!"

Really, if he thinks I'm taking him out when he stinks, he's wrong. And I really need to get him outside, so he'd better take a bath! Dazai monologued to himself about how incompetent and stressful the new Chuuya could be while the redhead prepared himself for whatever strange outing Dazai had planned.

Chuuya followed Dazai around like an obedient dog, never questioning anything until they were standing in the front of the aquarium. “I thought we were going to lunch.”

“Not this early. Besides, you need to go outside more.”

Chuuya stared at Dazai with empty eyes, the hollow blue sea slowly drowning Dazai. Of course, Dazai's smile remained afloat.

Dazai strolled inside, bought two one-day passes, and handed Chuuya a brochure. “Where do you wanna go?”

Chuuya was filled to the brim with ideas, the main idea being silence and the other idea being "this isn’t lunch."

Dazai peered over Chuuya’s shoulder, "How about Fureai Lagoon?"

"Have you ever petted a shark before? I personally haven't and can't wait!" Dazai tapped his foot as Chuuya slowly caught up to him. Observing the lagoon, he noticed something of interest; there were people swimming in it. They were all wearing wet suits and wading about, and splashing with them were slippery white creatures. "Ah, Chuuya! Look! Look! They're swimming with dolphins! I want to do that too!"

"Sharks first." Chuuya eyed Dazai jumping up and down pointing like a child. He sighed.

Dazai ignored the sigh and its implications. Chuuya spoke! That by itself was so amazing that the tone didn't matter at all. Chuuya could have been sad, happy, angry, exhausted, perky, or anything, and Dazai wouldn't have cared so long as his partner spoke voluntarily. Perhaps he should have cared more about its connotations, but he didn't. A huge grin covered his face, “okay!"

Slowly, Dazai reached his hand into the shallow tank. Dark sharks swam in curvy patterns just below his fingertips. If he reached in any further, they would brush against him. Of course, that was the whole point, so Dazai moved his fingers to touch the back of a small shark. The baby shark continued on as if Dazai wasn't there, but, as it swam, Dazai could feel its coarse skin slip through his touch. It was a strange feeling and, sadly, ephemeral. In seconds, the fish was gone, and his hands were empty.

"Chuuya! You try too!" Dazai noticed his partner was fiddling with his glove and did him the favor of yanking it off. Then, he grabbed Chuuya's hand and submerged it into the lukewarm water. Chuuya stared at him, his eyes wide.

"You can't feel them outside the tank." Dazai shrugged and guided Chuuya's hand to the nearest little shark. He stopped applying pressure, allowing for Chuuya's hand to move on its own and make the connection. But Chuuya's hand didn't move. In fact, Chuuya stood still, his eyes looking back and forth between his hand and the fish. Was he afraid of such a small creature?

Impatiently, Dazai pressed Chuuya's hand against the shark. He smirked as the redhead's eyes doubled in size with surprise. Then, they returned to normal, and a strange tranquility drifted through the air. Dazai wished time would freeze, so he could embrace the rare moment of calm, but time continued, uncaring. In an instance, the fish had swam away. Dazai released Chuuya's hand and started using his now-free hand to chase sharks around the tank. "Fun, right?"

Chuuya nodded lethargically. He hadn't moved his hand but instead left it to hang there for the occasional fish to brush against it.

“Chuuya! We’re doing it! We’re going to dive into the pool and vanish! Poof!” Dazai bounced in his seat as much as the large, black seatbelt would allow. His hands strangled the bars in front of his shoulders. His eyes ran up and down the track of Yokohama’s famous vanishing coaster. Meanwhile, his partner wasn’t focused on anything.

“Chuuya! Chuuya! Chuuya! This is it!” The car slowly crept up the first slope. After reaching the peak, the track turned and started to tilt slightly. “Chuuya! We’re tilting! You know what that means?”

Chuuya shook his head. He didn’t want to know what it meant either.

“It’s so the car can turn without losing speed! We’re picking up speed!” After a few more turns, several small drops and endless screaming, Dazai’s voice suddenly became shrill and his knuckles white. “CHUUYA! CHUUYA! IT’S COMING! IT’S COMING!!”

The coaster dived, and Dazai shrieked estatically as the pool grew larger and larger, and it seemed more likely they’d crash into the water. Of course, that was ignoring the clear path of the ride that lead directly into a dark hole in the middle of the pool. Dazai’s breath snagged in his throat, and they were submerged in darkness.

Inside the tunnel was a psychedelic blur. Rainbow lights streaked the walls as the car zoomed past them. It reminded Dazai of cliche, warp-speed movie effects and shooting stars. Make a wish. Dazai wondered if Chuuya was thinking something similar. He turned to his partner. In the racing lights, he thought he saw the hint of a smile. If only this could last a bit longer. Is that too selfish a wish? Then, blinding light. Was this what death was like?

Dazai let go of the air in his chest and screamed as the ride approached its final trick. The track twisted like a tornado, and the car sped down vivaciously until finally coming to a stop.

Dazai was smiling so widely he could have developed wrinkles from this one event. He clutched his stomach and doubled over with laughter the moment the seatbelts were lifted. Eyes squeezed shut, a tear slipped down his cheek.

“I want to get the part where we vanished on camera! Let’s ride it again, okay, Chuuya?”

Chuuya said nothing. In other words, he didn’t say no.

“Want to go shopping, Chuuya?” Dazai muttered something under his breath about better clothes. Chuuya didn’t respond. “No? Okay, let’s just take a walk then! If you see anything you want, let me know—ah! Of course, you’re paying! But tell me if you see something because I don’t want to accidentally leave you behind” strolling ahead, Dazai spun around “because you’re incompetent~!”

The sun was out to get Dazai. The longer he walked around the warehouse grounds, the more sweat accumulated under his bandages. Gross. Why do I need to go out with Chuuya anyway? Meanwhile, a slight breeze brushed against them, threatening to snatch Chuuya’s stupid hat away—Go ahead. Take the hat—and carrying a sweet scent. “Chuuya! Crepes! Let’s get crepes, okay?”

Holding his hat to his head, Chuuya trudged behind Dazai towards the crepe stand.

“Is chocolate okay?” Dazai asked, but it was a little too late to say no as Dazai was already holding one in Chuuya’s direction. Hesitantly, the redhead took it from Dazai’s bandaged hand. He slowly put the crepe to his lips and nibbled on it, completely aware that Dazai was watching him. Come on! Eat faster! It’s good! Aren’t you enjoying it? Dazai then glanced at the brown dessert in his own hand and frowned. He personally loved chocolate, but maybe it was just him. “Chocolate’s okay, right?”

Suddenly, Chuuya took a large bite. Then, another until he had devoured the whole thing. He swallowed the final bite forcefully to Dazai’s chagrin. Well, at least one of them could properly enjoy the sugary taste.

“Ah, man! I totally need to walk this off now!” Dazai patted his stomach clichely. Why did people do that? It only upset his stomach, not that his partner would ever find out. He kept grinning. Hitting the redhead on the back forcefully, Dazai pushed him along. “You too, Chuuya! Especially given the rate you inhaled that thing. Nobody’s metabolism works that fast!”

They wandered aimlessly around the first brick building, Dazai waving his hands dramatically as random nonsense spewed out of his mouth: animal mating habits, cheesy pick up lines, Freud, how Akutagawa’s hair came to be, the migration of the human species, and of course, suicide. They strolled around the second building, walking along the balcony.

“Chuuya, wanna ring these bells?” Dazai tiptoed up to the two small bells. His hand hovered over the string, controlling them.

“No.”

“Too bad!” Dazai tugged the string, yanking it every which way, and the bells sang. It might have been pretty except Dazai kept shaking the string. Consequently, it did not sound like an angelic choir, but instead a song that kept being rewound every two seconds. Down below, near the port, people glanced up. Some of them looked at each other grinning. Others pointed with a laugh or snapped a few pictures. Dazai didn’t understand what the deal was, so he ignored it.

Meanwhile, the sky had begun to dim, and the malevolent sun started to disappear behind the horizon. Dazai watched the golden shadow of the sun dance on the water until it had vanished almost entirely. The temperature had cooled, and small streams of oceanic breeze slipped through Dazai’s bandages and washed the sweat away. Standing in silence, Dazai’s thoughts were allowed to wander, much to his discomfort. Thankfully, he was saved by his growling hunger. “Say, Chuuya, are you hungry?”

“... a French restaurant?”

Dazai winked, “My treat!”

“Thanks.”

Dazai skipped to the receptionist, humming quietly. Chuuya will be blown away by my French! After all, I spent a couple hours studying last night. By studying, he meant google translate. (In the worst pronunciation possible) “Uh...excusez-moi, mademoiselle. Deux s’il vous plaît. Pour mon petit ami et moi.”

The woman’s face turned from a frown into a smile. “Ah, yes. Follow me.” She whispered to one of the waitresses before guiding them to a secluded table. “A waitress will arrive with the menus in just a moment.”

Why won’t she speak French?!

As promised, a waitress quickly arrived and handed them menus. Before leaving, she lit the candle in the center of the table and dimmed the lights. Dazai smirked, “fancy.”

A couple minutes later, the waitress returned. “May I take your order?”

“Oui. Uh… je vou...voudrais le bisque de crabe.”

“You can speak Japanese, monsieur.”

“Eh? But…”

“Please.”

Dazai sighed before covering it with a smile. “Crab bisque please!”

“And you, monsieur?” The waitress turned towards Chuuya who was for some reason really red in the face.

How rude! My french wasn’t that bad! Too preoccupied with his own weakly supported internal defense, Dazai completely missed what Chuuya ordered. Probably some obscure French food no one with taste has ever heard of nor likes. I bet he butchered the pronunciation too! He looked at Chuuya again who was still blushing furiously. “Something wrong, Chuuya?” Better not be my French.

“Yeah…” Chuuya shifted in his seat. He stared at his lap intensely.

“What is it?”

“‘Petit ami’ doesn’t mean what you think it means…”

Dazai grinned. He was going to have fun with this. “Now, now, Chuuya. I know the truth is hard to accept, but let’s face it: you’re short.”

Dazai expected his partner to strangle him or at least kick him under the table, but this new Chuuya was unpredictable. Instead, the redhead readjusted his position (again) and fingered with the knife on the table . “It… it means” He looked away entirely, no longer trying to be discreet about his embarrassment. “...boyfriend…”

“Eh?” Dazai blinked. “EH?!”

Chuuya fell silent, still facing away.

“Ch-Chuuya!” Dazai didn’t know where to look. Nowhere was safe. Everything mocked his mistake. And the lights, oh god, they thought… Dazai started to feel queasy. “W-Why didn’t you say something?!”

“I didn’t realize you were going to try and speak French.”

Dazai buried his burning face in his heads. “Oh god… this is terrible… Someone kill me… I’m ready to die…”

“Yeah...” Both of them just wanted the conversation to end.

“You don’t understand!” Dazai stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the table. “I need to use the restroom.”

Chuuya said nothing. He only sighed when Dazai was gone.

Meanwhile, Dazai rinsed his face over and over again, hoping to put out the fire behind his cheeks. How am I supposed to face him now? How am I supposed to lead the Mafia when I’m “dating” that hat rack? Dating? No. Out of the question. This misconception needs to die. Tonight.

He returned back to the table, and the two of them spent the remainder of their meal in silence. Neither could eat. “H-How about we take these to go...friend?”

Chuuya’s eyes, which judged Dazai, immediately returned to the floor when Dazai looked his way. “Yeah…”

Everything seemed to be going so well earlier; how did it end this way? Retiring to his apartment, Dazai dreaded the next day when Kouyou would find out what happened, and worse, when he would have to face Chuuya again.

[thevividgreenmoss]

When Swann had said to me in Paris one day when I felt particularly unwell: “You ought to go off to one of those glorious islands in the Pacific; you’d never come back again if you did,” I should have liked to answer: “But then I shall never see your daughter again, I shall be living among people and things she has never seen.” And yet my reason, my better judgment whispered: “What difference can that make, since you won’t be distressed by it? When M. Swann tells you that you won’t come back he means by that that you won’t want to come back, and if you don’t want to that is because you’ll be happier out there.” For my reason was aware that Habit—Habit which was even now setting to work to make me like this unfamiliar lodging, to change the position of the mirror, the shade of the curtains, to stop the clock—undertakes as well to make dear to us the companions whom at first we disliked, to give another appearance to their faces, to make the sound of their voices attractive, to modify the inclinations of their hearts. It is true that these new friendships for places and people are based upon forgetfulness of the old; my reason precisely thought that I could envisage without dread the prospect of a life in which I should be for ever separated from people all memory of whom I should lose, and it was by way of consolation that it offered my heart a promise of oblivion which in fact succeeded only in sharpening the edge of its despair. Not that the heart, too, is not bound in time, when separation is complete, to feel the analgesic effect of habit; but until then it will continue to suffer. And our dread of a future in which we must forgo the sight of faces and the sound of voices which we love and from which today we derive our dearest joy, this dread, far from being dissipated, is intensified, if to the pain of such a privation we feel that there will be added what seems to us now in anticipation more painful still: not to feel it as a pain at all—to remain indifferent; for then our old self would have changed, it would then be not merely the charm of our family, our mistress, our friends that had ceased to environ us, but our affection for them would have been so completely eradicated from our hearts, of which today it is so conspicuous an element, that we should be able to enjoy a life apart from them, the very thought of which today makes us recoil in horror; so that it would be in a real sense the death of the self, a death followed, it is true, by resurrection, but in a different self, to the love of which the elements of the old self that are condemned to die cannot bring themselves to aspire. It is they—even the meanest of them, such as our obscure attachments to the dimensions, to the atmosphere of a bedroom—that take fright and refuse, in acts of rebellion which we must recognise to be a secret, partial, tangible and true aspect of our resistance to death, of the long, desperate, daily resistance to the fragmentary and continuous death that insinuates itself throughout the whole course of our life, detaching from us at each moment a shred of ourself, dead matter on which new cells will multiply and grow. And for a neurotic nature such as mine—one, that is to say, in which the intermediaries, the nerves, perform their functions badly, fail to arrest on its way to the consciousness, allow indeed to reach it, distinct, exhausting, innumerable and distressing, the plaints of the most humble elements of the self which are about to disappear—the anxiety and alarm which I felt as I lay beneath that strange and too lofty ceiling were but the protest of an affection that survived in me for a ceiling that was familiar and low. Doubtless this affection too would disappear, another having taken its place (when death, and then another life, had, in the guise of Habit, performed their double task); but until its annihilation, every night it would suffer afresh, and on this first night especially, confronted with an irreversible future in which there would no longer be any place for it, it rose in revolt, it tortured me with the sound of its lamentations whenever my straining eyes, powerless to turn from what was wounding them, endeavoured to fasten themselves upon that inaccessible ceiling.

But next morning!—after a servant had come to call me and to bring me hot water, and while I was washing and dressing myself and trying in vain to find the things that I needed in my trunk, from which I extracted, pell-mell, only a lot of things that were of no use whatever, what a joy it was to me, thinking already of the pleasure of lunch and a walk along the shore, to see in the window, and in all the glass fronts of the bookcases, as in the portholes of a ship’s cabin, the open sea, naked, unshadowed, and yet with half of its expanse in shadow, bounded by a thin, fluctuating line, and to follow with my eyes the waves that leapt up one behind another like jumpers on a trampoline. Every other moment, holding in my hand the stiff starched towel with the name of the hotel printed upon it, with which I was making futile efforts to dry myself, I returned to the window to have another look at that vast, dazzling, mountainous amphitheatre, and at the snowy crests of its emerald waves, here and there polished and translucent, which with a placid violence and a leonine frown, to which the sun added a faceless smile, allowed their crumbling slopes to topple down at last. It was at this window that I was later to take up my position every morning, as at the window of a stagecoach in which one has slept, to see whether, during the night, a longed-for mountain range has come nearer or receded—only here it was those hills of the sea which, before they come dancing back towards us, are apt to withdraw so far that often it was only at the end of a long, sandy plain that I would distinguish, far off, their first undulations in a transparent, vaporous, bluish distance, like the glaciers that one sees in the backgrounds of the Tuscan Primitives. On other mornings it was quite close at hand that the sun laughed upon those waters of a green as tender as that preserved in Alpine pastures (among mountains on which the sun displays himself here and there like a giant who may at any moment come leaping gaily down their craggy sides) less by the moisture of the soil than by the liquid mobility of the light. Moreover, in that breach which the shore and the waves open up in the midst of the rest of the world for the passage or the accumulation of light, it is above all the light, according to the direction from which it comes and along which our eyes follow it, it is the light that displaces and situates the undulations of the sea. Diversity of lighting modifies no less the orientation of a place, erects no less before our eyes new goals which it inspires in us the yearning to attain, than would a distance in space actually traversed in the course of a long journey. When, in the morning, the sun came from behind the hotel, disclosing to me the sands bathed in light as far as the first bastions of the sea, it seemed to be showing me another side of the picture, and to be inviting me to pursue, along the winding path of its rays, a motionless but varied journey amid all the fairest scenes of the diversified landscape of the hours. And on this first morning, it pointed out to me far off, with a jovial finger, those blue peaks of the sea which bear no name on any map, until, dizzy with its sublime excursion over the thundering and chaotic surface of their crests and avalanches, it came to take shelter from the wind in my bedroom, lolling across the unmade bed and scattering its riches over the splashed surface of the basin-stand and into my open trunk, where, by its very splendour and misplaced luxury, it added still further to the general impression of disorder. Alas for that sea-wind: an hour later, in the big dining-room—while we were having lunch, and from the leathern gourd of a lemon were sprinkling a few golden drops on to a pair of soles which presently left on our plates the plumes of their picked skeletons, curled like stiff feathers and resonant as citherns—it seemed to my grand-mother a cruel deprivation not to be able to feel its life-giving breath on her cheek, on account of the glass partition, transparent but closed, which, like the front of a glass case in a museum, separated us from the beach while allowing us to look out upon its whole expanse, and into which the sky fitted so completely that its azure had the effect of being the colour of the windows and its white clouds so many flaws in the glass. Imagining that I was “sitting on the mole” or at rest in the “boudoir” of which Baudelaire speaks, I wondered whether his “sun’s rays upon the sea” were not—a very different thing from the evening ray, simple and superficial as a tremulous golden shaft—just what at that moment was scorching the sea topaz-yellow, fermenting it, turning it pale and milky like beer, frothy like milk, while now and then there hovered over it great blue shadows which, for his own amusement, some god seemed to be shifting to and fro by moving a mirror in the sky. Unfortunately, it was not only in its outlook that this dining-room at Balbec—bare-walled, filled with a sunlight green as the water in a pond, while a few feet away from it the high tide and broad daylight erected as though before the gates of the heavenly city an indestructible and mobile rampart of emerald and gold—differed from our dining-room at Combray which gave on to the houses across the street. At Combray, since we were known to everyone, I took heed of no one. In seaside life one does not know one’s neighbours. I was not yet old enough, and was still too sensitive to have outgrown the desire to find favour in the sight of other people and to possess their hearts. Nor had I acquired the more noble indifference which a man of the world would have felt towards the people who were eating in the dining-room or the boys and girls who strolled past the window, with whom I was pained by the thought that I should never be allowed to go on expeditions, though not so pained as if my grandmother, contemptuous of social formalities and concerned only with my health, had gone to them with the request, humiliating for me, that they should consent to allow me to accompany them. Whether they were returning to some villa beyond my ken, or had emerged from one, racquet in hand, on their way to a tennis court, or were riding horses whose hooves trampled my heart, I gazed at them with a passionate curiosity, in that blinding light of the beach by which social distinctions are altered, I followed all their movements through the transparency of that great bay of glass which allowed so much light to flood the room. But it intercepted the wind, and this was a defect in the eyes of my grandmother, who, unable to endure the thought that I was losing the benefit of an hour in the open air, surreptitiously opened a pane and at once sent flying, together with the menus, the newspapers, veils and hats of all the people at the other tables, while she herself, fortified by the celestial draught, remained calm and smiling like Saint Blandina amid the torrent of invective which, increasing my sense of isolation and misery, those contemptuous, dishevelled, furious visitors combined to pour on us.

Marcel Proust, Within a Budding Grove

[breegullbeakreviews]

Summary: When Hat Kid’s collection of magical time pieces ends up strewn across a planet full of deplorable begins, she’ll set out of a quest to take back these powerful pieces before they fall into the wrong hands in a 3D platforming adventure.

Overall: A Hat in Time is a fantastic love letter to the 3D Platformers of old. It’s full of fresh ideas and unlike many other attempts to bring back the genre this year, it knows what worked and what didn’t about the genre and accounted for it. At $30 it’s the best 3D platformer on the PS4 and Xbox One(Banjo Kazooie excluded) and is totally worth the price tag.

*Like with Yooka Laylee, I was a Kick Starter backer of the project backing at the $70 tier and spending an extra $20 to get a PS4 code. 

Controls: While inspired by classics like Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario 64, Hat Kid’s moveset is not particular inspired by either. Hat Kid has no triple jump, but she can do a second jump while in the air as well as a dive. Unlike either the bear, the bird, or the former plumber, Hat Kid will run up a wall when she hits one while not diving and in the air. This allows for some interesting platforming. Instead of always jumping straight across platforms occasionally you’ll need to drop under a barricade, dive and then run up the wall instead.

Hat kid can dive at foes while airborne with a homing attack, but she’ll also get a melee attack early on. Hat kid’s main quirk is her collection of unlockable hats. I don’t want to spoil them all as they’re a lot of fun, but her starting hat will show you your objective when you press L2 or its equivalent on your platform of choice. The first two hats you’ll unlock all for faster movement and a throw able explosive. Switching between hats is rather funny as a gimmick in a world post Odyssey, but this gimmick was planned well in advance of Mario’s return to open world adventures.

Hub: Hat Kid’s ship is a nice hub. It feels like a functional place and it’s just large enough to hold the games 4 chapters and the final showdown. The biggest issue for me is a nitpick, but its shape from the outside is pretty ugly. It isn’t seen from the outside outside of cut scenes, but when it is it’s not a particularly flattering design. Inside is what counts though and while not massive and as memorable as the classics, small and simple works a lot better than Mario’s lack thereof and Yooka Laylee’s mess.

Time Rifts/Customization/Relics: These next three things all are pretty linked. Time Rifts are A Hat in Time’s equivalent to Super Mario Sunshine’s Bonus stages. Hell they even have similar rotating blocks with pegs coming out. You are never stripped of powers when entering these, but four of these are extra special. Before I touch on those we need to cover the Relics. Hidden throughout the game are presents holding Relics and after all of those are collected they hold Rift coins, but we’ll get back to those. These Relics can be combined on platforms in the proper order to not only decorate the Hub, but they’ll also unlock an extra Rift for each chapter.

These Rifts are based around the chapters theme and are much longer. In these as opposed to just reaching the end of the rift, you’ll need to collect special tickets in each area and enough special pons to open the next area as you make your way to the end. These help break up the game as they are the few moments where the game can ignore how a challenge fits into the chapter’s world design and go nuts.

Back to those coins. When you complete a rift or spend three of those coins you get new to spin for new color schemes for Hat kid’s outfit or different appearances for the game’s hats. You get 3 spins each time but you can only take one things. Basically you spin, take what you got or spin again and give up that item unless you roll it again. I have no idea if you can get every customization option in the game, but you can’t spend money to get more coins so I’m fine with this system. I wish it was just the different hats though. I preferred those to the color scheme changes.

Mafia Town: Way back in the day A Hat in Time was sold to me on just this chapter and the promise of a return of 3D Platforming. Mafia Town is the first of four chapters in the game, and it’s incredible how it feels lived in and is still fun to explore. As part of the games narrative you are locked to this chapter for its first four acts before you can head out and explore the other chapters. The fourth act here really set’s the story in motion and is home to the game’s first real boss fight. Despite the game being a 3D platformer, this boss is fought in 2D and I’m not sure what to think about it. It’s a strange fight fitting of the Mafia’s strange vibe, but I’m not a fan of being locked to a 2D plane for just this segment. Maybe if it was used prior it would work better, but as is it’s an okay fight.

The chapter itself is a seas side town built around a volcano shaped geyser that keeps the Mafia bosses club floating high in the sky. Due to the slope of the geyser’s sides, the town has multiple levels of height you’ll be running between as you explore. Oh and the town is run and lived in solely by the Mafia who outside their leader all look the same. The chapter is super sparse on foes. The Mafia won’t attack unless provoked or tied into the act itself. Outside that you’re pretty safe outside fall damage and the strange sleepy raccoons. If this chapter has one issue it’s that due to the vertical nature of the town I never really got a lay of the land. This is an issue for most of the chapters, but unlike others, this one has a single distinct theme throughout so I can’t say I’m in this part of the map and over there is that part of the map very easily.

Dead Bird Studios: Somehow the chapter that feels the least inspired by classic 3D Platformers is my favorite. Dead Bird Studios is home to stealth segments, timed segments, and a conga line of enemies that forces you to keep moving and not double back too quickly. Pretty much all of these are aspects of Super Mario Galaxy which makes this whole thing even funnier since this chapter is set on the moon, despite never being seen. What makes this chapter so great is that every one of these elements is one and done all leading up to what is now one of my favorite boss fights ever. It is perfectly built to and I absolutely refuse to spoil, but it’s safe to say the developers of A Hat in Time are super cynical of the Cinematic Studio System.

Dead Bird Studios starts with Hat kids trying to steal back her Time pieces from the competing directors who plan to use them as props for their upcoming motion pictures. When she is caught she is instead offered to star in the films of two competing directors. From there each act is a movie with its own gimmick. All of these are super linear, but what makes it work is that none of them play the same and none of these gimmicks leave this chapter. All of these fun things are one and done so they never get old.

Subcon Forest: Of all of the chapters, Subcon Forest is the most generic, but how it handles the basic theme of spooky level is done really well. As the first act begins you are quickly forced to make a deal with the Snatcher, a spooky spirit. In exchange for your soul he’ll let you explore his woods as long as you complete tasks for him. While most spooky levels dance around the morbid nature of things, this chapter doesn’t shy away from the darker concepts at play. Magical nooses hang in the woods. The spirts in the woods want to die. It’s a strange setting.

The design of the forest itself is split into distinct areas. Each is key for at least one of the acts, but all of them can be reached from anyone act, except for the boss fight area which is only reachable when needed. This allows for each act to feel distinct. The most annoying part of the chapter is trying to find your way around. While everything is distinct I still never got a sense of which area was next to what other area outside a super select few. Luckily the game will start you facing the right direction and from there the path is pretty obvious. Good luck finding those rifts through.

The star of the show here is the Snatcher. He’s you pretty basic deal making devil but he’s played for laughs in such a way that while he would be terrifying to actually meet in reality, in this games setting he’s silly. He’s always smiling and he’s built like an inflatable tube man. Sadly his boss fight sucks. Because of how it’s built when you die it takes a long time to get back to the point in which you can actually damage him. It also doesn’t help that his attacks are all pretty random and similar enough that knowing how to dodge them doesn’t help much since where things will land is hard to pin down. Also no health was dispensed the whole fight. Snatcher takes the least hits of all the bosses, but he’s the least balanced of these bosses regardless. I’d rather have a lengthy but forgiving fight than a short and insane one.

Alpine Skyline: You know who up until now each chapter was divided into acts? Throw that out the window. This last level is entirely free roam. Hold your goats, it’s not a giant open mountain. The map is made up of various mountain peaks that you’ll zip line between. It’s pretty linear in nature, but you’ll get to choose which of the four acts you’ll tackle first. The Finale sadly can’t be redone due to how it twists the map, but it’s not particularly strong so no huge loss. The acts here are super fun. Twilight Bell and The Windmill are awesome platforming challenges that put your use of hats and platforming to the test. It’s puzzle platforming at its finest.

I’m honestly not sure what else I can say about the penultimate chapter. There is no boss fight and it’s where you obtain the game’s final and arguably game breaking hat. The setting itself is pretty underused and is pretty much just fluff to connect the four harder acts together but those acts are so good it all works out in the end.

Time’s End: The game ends with a final Bowser Castle style level leading into a final boss battle against Mustache girl who after learning that you wouldn’t use the Time Pieces to stop the bad guys decided to use the time pieces to become the judge of who is and isn’t bad. The final battle has Hat kid getting aided by all of the games baddies who just want things to go back to the way they were. It’s a fun final battle that was made super easy by the inclusion of the game’s final hat. I appreciate the interstitial cut scenes that occur throughout that remind me of the good old Paper Mario games.

The course itself is pretty challenging. I’d be lying if I said I got through it unscathed. The whole evil castle above lava is pretty generic, but as a love letter to the 3D platformers of old it’s fine. I think creating some sort of crazy place outside of time would have fit the theme of the game more, but what matters in the end is what’s inside, and what is inside the castle is good.

Story: I mean I pretty much covered the story back there. Hat kid’s time pieces get scattered on this planet. She lands in Mafia town and Mustache girl helps her out until she learns about the power of the pieces and that Hat kid doesn’t want to use the power to stop bad guys. From here you just sort of play the game until you get enough time pieces and Mustache girl comes and steals them triggering the unlocking of the final battle where the above events transpire. It’s a sappy story about power corrupting and that messing with time is bad. It’s a lot more effort than I expected out of this and it left me with a smile on my face.