#but also? boning your rivals and rival groups and making art

[insomniac-arrest]

"Humans out-competed other hominids because of tendencies toward violence and domination." Ummmm

(X, X)

Early Man be fishin' (and being eaten)

(X, X)

Wisdom of the Ancestors like: if you have a rival, have you considered kissing them?

[ziracona]

New chapter! Kotarou finally. As per the norm, Tumblr gets it first, but less proofed u know glass half empty, glass half full, but I like to think of it as a nice positive 70-30 split myself.

[Fate/GO AU – The Kid (pt: 1, … 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, ?)] {Some spoilers for original Grand Order run/through Temple of Time}

.

“Alright,” says Doctor Archaman, sliding his hand along the blueprint to flatten it, “Here’s what we’ve got. Now. This is going to be partial—bare bones. Mages are always secretive about their work, so any blueprints beyond the original, observable skeleton from the outside, are going to end up being practically worthless in a corporation like Mercury.”

“Well,” observes Robin Hood, leaning a forearm across the top of a chair and leaning forward over it to see better, “Least it’s smaller than Ur-shanabi.”

“Smaller, yes,” agrees the doctor, glancing at him, “But on high alert, and less predictable. We should move fast, to have our best chance. My guess? Word will be inescapably out that Ur-shanabi was hit, but they’ll be trying to cover how bad the losses are, so there’s a good chance they don’t know the cause was someone freeing the heroic spirits yet. It’s only a matter of time before they get alerted by someone that their own might be at threat, and any time a mage facility in your vicinity is attacked by an unknown source, everyone else goes into lockdown. Speed is our best bet. The quicker we mobilize, the better our chances they’re not prepared for us yet.”

“But, you said we have no idea what they want—I-I mean, what they’re doing, as a company?” pipes up Ritsuka, looking up from her water bottle.

“No,” agrees the doctor, “They’re extremely secretive. But, I can make a few guesses. Just, take them with a grain of salt.”

“Only way I take anything,” says Robin with a smile, and Billy the Kid grins at him.

I’m still not sure what the hell to make of this doctor. Except that he’s highly goddamn suspicious. What honestly throws me off the most is David. He knows something, but he’s not telling the rest of us. At least now Robin’s back to keep an eye out too. This whole situation is exhausting, but I guess it’s turned out surprisingly well so far, all things considered. Which makes me antsy. Things usually don’t go this well, not for anyone. Not for this long.

“Well,” says the doctor slowly, glancing at the group and getting a Go on gesture from David, “Each mage organization tends to have its own focus. Of course they’re all after knowledge and power, in some forms, but you have lineages who focus on combining modernization with magecraft, you have ones focusing on creating familiars, or magecraft through specific genetic modifications, ones interested in research into lost arts, ones trying to find The Root. Defense, offence. Places like Atlas cut off from the rest of the world entirely. Of the organizations in the immediate area,” he takes Ritsuka’s little whiteboard and wipes it clean with an arm, then starts to draw, “we have Ur-shanabi, Mercury, and several families of note. Mercury had much less interest in Ur-shanabi’s research, than gaining a power source, so we at least know they’re not gunning for the same sort of development—unsurprising, as I know they only contacted Chaldea because they knew we were taking a …different approach, to any work with spirits. I think they tried to cut true rivals out entirely.”

“Our director,” he continues, making a note on his little chart, “Animusphere, has had little to do with Mercury, which means they don’t seem to be a threat to our work, and that they don’t have research we need right now. Since Chaldea is focused on research, defense, and observation as areas of study, and Mercury had little interest in Ur-shanabi aside from acquiring a power source, my guess would be they’re developing offensive technology, probably in areas they know would provoke action from the Mage’s Association if it came to light. They also chose Fuuma Kotarou, as the spirit they purchased. There are some options like safety to consider, like uhm—obviously I would never participate in that kind of behavior anyway,” he says nervously, glancing at Cu Chulainn, “But in a hypothetical scenario where I did, I would not have chosen him, because I don’t care what the setup is—the odds of him breaking out and killing everyone would be too high.”

Lancer looks extremely pleased with himself. I can’t exactly say Doctor Archaman is wrong, though. Idiotic to have a spirit like him imprisoned in the first place. They were asking to get ripped to shreds. That would be like expecting long-term containment of a living atom bomb to go well.

“That said though, he’s not the only choice. I don’t mean to be…” he gives up on whatever he’s trying to say politely, makes a hopeless gesture, and just while looking sorry adds, “It’s worth noting that while David, Salieri, and Cu Chulainn would have all been risky choices, they came when Billy the Kid was still in confinement, and he, Robin Hood, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would all have been levels similar to Fuuma Kotarou’s as far as their likelihood of escape. And they still took the assassin.”

Salieri does not seem to appreciate the second comment, even though it’s not about him, while Mozart has little reaction aside from looking like he wishes he wasn’t remembering whatever he’s remembering, Billy looks angered in a quiet way, but not towards the doctor, and Robin has no discernable reaction, but he’s listening intently. God I hate that he keeps doing what I know I would do. I guess it’s a mercy he doesn’t seem to remember me though. It would only fuel bad blood now, and we don’t need that. Still, it’s not exactly bad to have him on the team. As annoying as seeing similarities in someone else can be, they’re useful too, especially under pressure.

“This is based off of one single interaction I had with their staff when they were in Ur-shanabi,” continues the doctor, “but my guess is they chose him out of that list based solely on the visual design of the trap.”

“The visual design?” echoes Ritsuka.

“Yes,” says the doctor, somber, “Out of all three, I think, without going into detail, it would appeal the most to someone with a…military mindset. It was…formal, clean, and absolute. And…cruel.”

“So, if you’re right, we can except heavy resistance,” says David.

“Yes, although I expect in the form of more modernized weapons. Less creativity, and I’d be surprised if they had someone with abilities like Toujou’s on their staff. I’m…sorry, that I don’t have more to go on,” he adds.

Hm.

“Look,” I say, stepping forward from my spot against the wall, and the others turn, “Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate that you’ve reliably done several things to help us at this point, but if we’re going to go into an incredibly fortified mage stronghold, depending on you for information, then before we go on, we should clarify something. So.” I look at David. “Explain. We’ve gone on faith long enough. You know him. You have some reason for thinking he’s trustworthy, clearly, and you have since the moment we saw him in Ur-shanabi. What is it?”

The doctor looks a little taken aback, but David almost looks enthusiastic about the question.

“Oh, have I not said?” he asks innocently, all charisma, moving up to the doctor and clapping an arm forcefully around his shoulder while the man grimaces and then gives him a nervous look.

No. You haven’t, I think, crossing my arms and tilting my head, waiting to hear it.

“I knew him! Before. I know his father very well—I fought for him in a ritual. Very wonderful, dependable man,” says David carelessly, exceedingly pleased, “talented too! I would have explained sooner,” he adds apologetically to Ritsuka, “but I was not sure at first—only that he was familiar. He was quite a bit younger when I saw him last. And he’s changed his name. I didn’t figure everything out until we were heading back from the vault.”

“R-Right,” says Doctor Archaman, looking anxiously from David, to Ritsuka, “it was a long time ago for me too. I wasn’t sure he’d recognize me—spirits don’t always keep their memories after a summons, and if I’d tried, and he hadn’t, it would have made things even worse looking for my trustworthiness.”

A plausible explanation, although while it explains David’s attitude towards the doctor earlier perfectly, it hardly explains Archaman’s towards him. If he’d really been hoping David would recognize him on his own, why was he working overtime to do anything but make eye contact when we ran into him in the lab?

“That’s enough to make you sure?” asks Salieri, following his own logic path, tone hard to read.

“Oh yes,” says David carelessly, letting go of the doctor and waving the concern aside, “You would not understand since you were not there, but I have complete faith in him. It was a bit of a complicated relationship, his father and me, and the time I spent with him, but I can say I am very certain. And haven’t I been right so far?”

Well. That’s true anyway. I still don’t think this is the whole truth, but I don’t think all of that is a lie either. The best lies are always partial truths, and that’s how this feels to me for sure. Well. It’s better than nothing. What kind of relationship with a mage did you have to feel that positively about their kids though? If you saw one after- … …I guess I really shouldn’t talk. Sure, it’s rare enough, but. I can think of more than two mages I myself would probably put a little faith in the children of… Out of some kind of pathetic nostalgia, if nothing else…

I sigh.

I guess it’s enough for now…

Still suspicious, though. All of it. But I get the impression whatever isn’t true, David is very sure of this man, and David seems…maybe not the most reliable man on the planet, but hardly the kind of person who would backstab his master. So I can work with that, for now. There’s always the chance he’s deceived though, I add mentally, eyeing the doctor again.

I just don’t get it. If he gave me some kind of bad feeling, I’d feel a lot safer around him, but he doesn’t. I don’t like feeling like I can’t read someone at all. I guess that’s not exactly how I feel about the doctor, but feeling like the read I get can’t possibly be accurate equates to about the same. Who are you? Why are you like this? And is it genuine, or is this some big act?

He returns my glance a little nervously, which seems to be his default state, but again, it’s not the kind of anxiety that would usually make me suspicious. It’s less…’I don’t want to get caught’ anxiety, and more ‘I’m out of my depth’ social anxiety. The guy gives me a weak, hopeful smile, and it’s unnerving how sincere that reads to me.

Shit, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we’ve just stumbled onto two of the strangest, and nicest currently living members of the mage world. The odds for that have to be almost impossible though, and in 24 hours?

Mozart breaks the silence, asking something about if we should get back to strategy now that that’s all cleared, but I miss the details because for a second I’m hung up on what I just thought. Best currently living mages? Shit, it’s what, 2015? She’s twenty-eight right now. I’m out there somewhere, traveling I think. December?

…I can’t remember. …anymore.

…Fuck!

It isn’t fair. I’ve tried so hard, to hold onto the things most important to me, and it doesn’t matter. The throne takes what it wants. So much is just burned away.

Nothing though? Nothing at all?

Two-Thousand-Fifteen… We. …

I don’t know.

I don’t. It’s gone, now. All of it.

God, that hurts. More than anything I’ve thought about in a while. I fucking hate being summoned to the time I was alive. I always think about it more, at least once or twice, and it feels like this. I bet if I saw her, she’d try to get me to stick around, as horrible as that would be for the me now, and the me I am. What’s worse is she could probably find some terrible way to make that work out.

I smile to myself, even though it hurts. Thinking about that last goodbye on a hilltop. Things that never happened, and the few things I can remember that did.

Are those even my proper memories? It’s hard to know anymore. They weren’t originally, but they are now. Maybe that’s why I’m not allowed to remember them as well, even if they’re my favorites. Part of me still wishes to god I’d killed him. But, I don’t mean that. Not all the way, not anymore.

!

I remember. I remember. One thing, from the end of this year. October…fuck. I can’t even remember what day it was anymore. His birthday. It had been in late October, I know that. She’d taken him…they were overseas, and she’d taken him to a market. They’d had things to do, but she’d done what she always did, and bullied him out of the house, all smiles and unstoppable like a force of nature. The market had been huge, and beautiful, and confusing. And she’d taken him to buy things to cook with, kept asking him…questions, that was right. About what foods were that she didn’t recognize, and what spices were good with what, what different dishes were like, and how they were made. I smile. It hurts.

I don’t even know if you really didn’t know any of the things you asked me about, or if you just wanted to keep me talking about something I loved. Probably a bit of both. It must have been so boring, hearing about spices and ways to use roots, for hours. But he’d been so happy, and he hadn’t even noticed until part way into the afternoon what she’d been doing at all.

Thank you, I think to the slight possibility there’s something out there that shows occasional pity towards me at all. Maybe it’s her, exerting her influence over the universe again, just like old times. For letting me remember something.

Fuck—I’m not paying attention at all!

Struggling to refocus, I turn my attention back to the table, listening.

“Well,” Mozart is saying in response to something I completely missed, “I’m all rested up now and feeling very ready, but what about the rest of you? Miss Fujimaru? You just underwent an operation, right? Are you sure you’re ready to go right back out there? You must be exhausted.”

An unexpectedly fair point from the caster. Especially with the emotional toll from earlier tacked on to everything else? Yeah, the kid’s got to be wiped out.

“I’m okay,” says Ritsuka as convincingly as she can.

“I highly doubt that,” I say, uncrossing my arms to gesture, “You’ve done a frankly dangerous amount of physical exertion already. If we want to be smart about this, we should combine being quick with being practical. Eat a little more, then get at least two hours of sleep. Being rash can get people killed just as easily as hesitating can.”

“He’s got a point,” says Billy, giving Ritsuka a concerned glance, “You ain’t had real rest all night, and you were so tired after rescuing me that you were passed out on the floor. Been through some battle, multiple contracts, and two magic operations since then. Least a little shut-eye seems needed.”

“But. Won’t we run out of time for Fuuma Kotarou?” she asks the doctor worriedly.

He gives her a kind smile and shakes his head. “We shouldn’t wait too long, but a little time to regroup is probably wise. Most of the spirits could probably use it too—certainly Cu Chulainn can.”

I don’t think Lancer enjoys being singled out as in need of R&R, from the look on his face, but I don’t think the doctor is wrong. Healed or not, I doubt even whatever magic the guy was able to pull off is the kind that just lets somebody bounce right back from a spirit core that was about to crack in two.

“Well,” says Ritsuka, looking us all over.

“It’s wise,” I agree, “We could all use a brief rest.”

Salieri seems like his mind is on something else, but he gives a distracted nod of agreement, and Robin gives a more tuned-in one.

“Same for you, Doctor,” says David, clapping a hand on his arm, “I know you’ve had some, but you were nearly dead a few hours ago, and you humans don’t heal the same way we do. Even with the magic I used, you’re going to be exhausted and a little sore—besides, you performed some heavy magic just now yourself.”

“Well, I’m not exactly going to be boots on the ground, but, point taken,” admits the doctor in the manner of someone mostly admitting defeat because they see their opponent is going to crush them if they try and fight it.

“Someone should keep watch,” says Robin Hood, “Obviously. I’m up for it, if the rest of you need some down time. I took the battle pretty well, comparatively.”

“No, I’ll do it,” says Mozart, standing up and stretching, “I already got my sleep, and besides, it’s usually up to the caster to acquire territory and set up defenses, yes? I should get something in place before we leave the doctor here on his own.”

Again, surprised pretty intensely by the level of capability and pragmatism I’m getting from Mozart. He seem—acts—like one of the most carefree and irresponsible spirits I’ve ever met, but I guess he’s not stupid.

“Have you had time to recover yourself?” asks Salieri unwillingly.

“Of course! Did you think I was napping for fun? I can strategize too,” says Mozart proudly, “Go on. I can handle guard duty.”

That I don’t buy—I believe he’s smart enough to suggest this, but no way he’s someone acting with that amount of forethought. Still, I’ll take what I can get.

“Fine. We should all be trying to conserve our magical energy best we can, anyway. Even if she’s got a vast supply, for a mage, she’s already supporting what—seven spirits? Alone?” I say.

“And looking to add an eighth,” chimes in Robin Hood.

“Well, I’m doing pretty okay now, but I guess that’s a good point,” says Ritsuka, standing up, “I’ll put together some more food while Dr. Romani keeps going over strategy, and we can all eat to help you replenish your magical energy too.”

There’s something painfully familiar about that. This little redhead getting up to hurry off to the kitchen to make a meal before battle like it’s the most natural choice in the world. Like looking into an old mirror, and I don’t like it, but at least for once I don’t feel anger. Just sadness.

She isn’t you, I tell myself, It won’t be the same.

“Are you hungry?” she asks the doctor, sticking her head back out from the little kitchenette.

“Oh, uh,” he starts, surprised.

“—Yes!” answers David for him without hesitation, “Thank you!”

The doctor gives him some kind of a look, but just accepts that. I swear, there’s something almost recognizable about their behavior. I guess at least it’s not giving me warning bells.

“Uhm,” comes Ritsuka’s voice from the kitchen, “I know some of you already had the curry, but there’s more if you’re hungry, and I have a lot of snacks! I’ve got chips, and pocky, and some chocolates, if you want something sweet.”

Billy the Kid’s eyes light up with excitement.

“I’ll take whatever you got,” says Lancer with a careless shrug and a grin.

As she gets things together, Doctor Archaman continues his strategy breakdown. There’s not a lot to go on, but he seems pretty sure from the layout that they’re keeping the most important things in the operation about dead-center in the building—most reinforced walls there, and it looks like the best point of entry for us will be from the roof. Shame we’re breaking in to get an assassin, instead of bringing one with us, because getting into places unseen is what they excel at. Can’t be helped, I guess.

After a minute of listening to discussion between the others about how well trained to expect personnel to be, I get up and walk over to the kitchen and glance in.

This poor kid. She’s got a whole row of plates on the tiny counter-top, balanced precariously, doing her best to keep a big pan of curry from burning, while checking ingredients and throwing together what else she can. Guess she was really planning to only be entertaining Billy, and while she over-planned for that, her supplies are looking stretched pretty thin.

“Need a hand?” I ask almost under my breath so the others won’t hear.

She looks up at me in surprise—guess she didn’t hear me coming, and then looks embarrassed, kind of downcast. “I-I guess so…I’m. Not so good at this, huh?”

I smile and move into the small space. “I wouldn’t say that. Looks like you’ve already made the best choice you can with your supplies. You’re running low on powder, it looks like though. I can improvise something with the spices you’ve got.”

“Really? But I have so few,” she says in surprise, moving to give me some room.

I smile to myself, remembering things I haven’t thought of in…years. Things that seem like somebody else’s life. “Not the first time I’ve had to improvise, and you’ve got a lot of onions—that’ll help.” Actually, that’s a shit-ton of onions. Why the hell did she get so many??

Whatever.

“Okay,” she says, almost excited now, “What can I do to help?”

“Just give me a full count of what you’ve got left in the way of meat and vegetables, to start,” I say.

As she counts off potatoes and carrots, I tune back in to the strategy session. Huh. It’s a pretty large amount of soldiers expected, and if they really are a military organization of some kind…

“What about a feint?” asks Robin Hood.

That’s just what I was about to say.

“That could work,” chimes in Billy the Kid, “We have a main group put up a real fight somewhere they’re worried about, and they all come runnin’—meanwhile, one or two of us goes and gets the assassin out.”

“To do that, we’ll have to make them think our objective is something it’s not,” observes Salieri, “But we don’t even know what they’d have to steal.”

“We don’t have to be stealing anything,” says Lancer with conviction, tapping an area on the bare-bones blueprint near the front, “What if we’re just there to destroy them? Mages do that shit—use us to wipe each other off the map. That works on its own.”

“In that case, the frontline should be the spirits they’re least likely to recognize quickly,” says Doctor Archaman, “So not Billy the Kid, Robin Hood, or Mozart.”

“Fine by me,” says Robin Hood with a shrug, “We can take Mmm—Ritsuka, around the long way from the roof. Get the assassin out. Three of us should be more than enough.”

“Mmm, I think I should stay,” says Mozart, “I don’t have the concealment skills an Archer has, and I couldn’t keep up with you two either.”

“Yeah, but you could keep an eye out for traps,” says Billy the Kid.

“I didn’t think about that,” says Mozart.

That is more what I expected from him. Still, seems workable enough for a thrown-together plan.

“I’ve already got the potatoes and the rice done,” says Ritsuka, smiling up at me. She’s sweating and a mess and looks dead-tired, but she looks happy too.

It makes me tired to see her. I really hope the world doesn’t chew her up and spit her back out, but that’s usually what happens to people like this.

“Good,” I say, not showing any of that, because it’s not like it’ll do her any good, and I add my improvised powder to what she had left, and absently summon a blade to slice through some of the extra vegetables.

“Whoa,” she says, “You’re really good at that.”

I guess. Ah, my most useful skill, I think bitterly. Still. Doesn’t exactly feel bad to be doing this again after such a long time.

“How do you do it so neat and so fast?” she asks, trying to push up on the counter to get close enough to see better.

For a beginner? “Here,” I say, passing her a carrot and summoning another chef’s knife for her and passing it over, “Like this.” I hold up my own hand and tilt it, showing the grip. “Take it so you’re holding the back of the knife itself, not the handle, with your thumb and index finger. Better control. If it’s something like a carrot, that will slide around, square it off first-“ I quickly do with my own, removing the edges so it’s blocky, “-Then, off hand grips the thing you’re cutting at an angle, like a claw, so your knuckles are closest to the knife as you slice, not your fingertips. This keeps you from slicing into your hand when you go fast. That, and you don’t really move the tip of the knife off the cutting board. Like this���like—a rocking horse.” Shit, was that really the best metaphor I could come up with? Uhg, no one’s asked me to explain this before. “Tip stays on the board for better control, base is raised above the vegetable to slice in, and after a slice, you move your hand a little closer to your knuckles to get the next slice. This allows you to go quickly with optimal control, and to not take off a finger, because you can’t.”

I demonstrate, letting the back of the knife hit my knuckles as I move it to the side. It’s not raising enough to slice through them, and it’s hitting them and stopping well before it is in reach of my fingertips.

“Give it a go?”

She watches me intently, then cautiously copies the technique—correctly, if a little hesitant, and then, excited by it not blowing up in her face, goes faster, and looks up at me eagerly for approval.

“Not bad,” I say with a nod, trying not to smile.

“Thanks,” she says, “That’s a lot easier.”

“Just don’t miss too much of what they’re saying,” I remind.

She nods, and glances back towards the table for a second, then slices a few more vegetables for me.

“You said you had snacks?” I ask as I work.

Ritsuka nods.

“Go ahead and pass them and some drinks out then, if you want. I can finish this—it’ll give you a chance to rest. I already got some while you were working on getting the crest transferred.”

“Are you sure?” she asks. Man, she looks ready to drop.

“Yes. Here.” I take a bit of the curry I’d thrown together with the vegetables and meat she already had prepared, and add it to one of the plates of waiting rice, “It’ll be a bit before the rest of this is ready, but you can test out the spice mix—see what you think. Then sleep. I know you feel responsible, but you’re keeping all the rest of us up. The most responsible thing you can do is get the proper rest to keep doing that.”

She gives me a very sincere nod, and takes the plate and tries a mouthful of the curry, and her eyes light up. “How?” she says, “It’s even better than the mix was?”

“Trade secret,” I say, indicating the rest of her supplies with my head, “Now go on. I’ll finish up here. Pass things out, make sure there’s nothing you missed about the plan as it stands, then get some sleep.”

Ritsuka nods again and gets an armful of bags, one hand precariously hanging onto her plate, and shoots me a grateful smile. “Thanks, Emiya.”

Still not used to being called that. I wish she’d just stuck with Archer. But I guess it is what it is.

“I’m really glad you were the one who came,” she adds, and then, suddenly embarrassed, hurries off to the rest of the room, where I hear chatter as she passes out snacks. And just for a moment, I don’t mind the sound of it so much.

Only for a moment, though.

I look down at the sizzling food beneath my fingertips, and it’s all too familiar to me. I feel like I’m reliving something terrible, but as an outsider, and for a second I forget to stir. Just look at nothing.

That was strange, I think to myself slowly as I begin to move again. It could have just been me, but I don’t think it was the cooking. I think it was something else in my head, for just a moment there. I felt like I was seeing…

A sky? Why on earth would a night sky make me feel like that? Why do I have a memory of that at all? I’ve never met this girl before.

No, maybe it’s my imagination. I have an old memory of looking up at a sky myself, that made me feel that way. That’s probably all it is. Just. Too much a little too familiar, at once.

Hm, I think with an odd sense of pleasure for an instant, a feeling that’s almost foreign at this point, It’s been a long time I guess, since I cooked for heroic spirits.

Funny it felt so natural to do. I guess old habits die hard.

————————————————-

  I let out a slow breath, turning my head back the way we came from and listening, hand up in a sign of halt for the others in the shadows.

One. Two. Three. Four—

There—in the distance, I hear a thud.

“Okay, let’s move,” I tell the other three mentally, making a motion with my hand.

Billy gives me a nod and falls into step behind me, crouched by the wall, Ritsuka just behind him, Mozart bringing up the rear.

“We should rethink this formation,” I tell Billy mentally as I lift off one of the duct covers and motion the others past me, watching Billy leap in carefully, and then taking Ritsuka as I lower her by the hand. “As much as I’d like you watching my own back, we can’t put Master or the Caster in the back of the group.”

Billy gives a little nod. “You want point, or rear guard?”

I watch Mozart land, and then silently follow suit. Give him a glance. There’s cameras, but I can tell they’re currently deactivated. Emiya sent Salieri to do something he said would give us about four minutes—knocking out the power grid for the whole block. Two, if they’ve got heavy enough backup generators. Which we all expect they do. Still, it’s decent time. Thank god it takes a lot to power something this big. Whatever he did he said should knock out the power with a surge, so it’ll take things longer than normal to reboot, and trigger safety checks in case it was a cyber attack. Still, better hurry.

The place is dark. Eerie. Much wider halls than at Ur-shanabi, I can tell, but somehow it still makes me feel claustrophobic. A very different vibe than that lab was, but it’s not a better one. Least I can safely say Dr. Archaman was right on the money with his military applications guess.

“Rear,” I decide, “We get spotted, they won’t realize I’ve seen them if I stay invisible—might buy us a few seconds. And you’re a quicker draw—point suits you.”

He shoots me a grin, a little nervous, then glances at Mozart too.

Finished his read of the area, the caster glances back at as and mentally says, “There’s no traps near us. A few basic alarm triggers and such, but I should be able to fool them if we don’t go too quick. I can sense several massive concentrations of mana, but there’s only one servant signature.”

“Wait, you can sense him?” asks Ritsuka in surprise, “I thought they’d hide it.”

“I couldn’t pick it up at all from outside,” says Mozart, “But in here, there’s basically no shielding for sensors.”

Over-confident, then. Or criminally inexperienced, and I’m willing to bet it’s the former. Good.

“Let’s move,” I say, giving Billy a nod, and he hurries down the hall going the most in the direction Mozart indicated the servant signature was in, Mozart right behind, and Ritsuka after, me last.

I pop up my hood and vanish as we pick up speed, keeping my eyes open and senses on high alert.

“Just like old times, huh?” says Billy happily inside my head as he checks a corner ahead, then motions us to follow, and we dash.

I smile automatically. “Yeah.” It’s nice, even if I don’t really remember the old times at all, thanks to the throne. I still know this is familiar, and familiar still feels good. “Just missing Geronimo.”

That’s right. I said it without thinking, but of course that’s right. Three of us. There’s supposed—there were—the three of us.

“Yeah,” says Billy, sounding sad and fond at the same time, “Wish the bloodstained warrior could be here too. He’d like Ritsuka a lot, I bet.”

Yeah. Well, who wouldn’t? I sure with every spirit I like could have gotten this kind of summons—it’s practically a vacation compared to what we usually get, even with the constant fighting.

“On the left—one second,” comes Mozart’s voice, cutting off something Billy was starting to say in my head that he couldn’t hear. The halls all look exactly the same, long, square, steel—way too shiny. Gives away how new everything is. No matter how hard you polish, there’s just a level of ‘new’ things never get back to. Makes me feel more confident we’re not dealing with the most experienced group though, so I welcome the sight. There are markers on the halls, numbers and letters, the only indicator of where you are. It would be damn disorienting if I couldn’t sense as well as I can—I mean, it’s still disorienting, just, I don’t feel blind as a bat at least.

There’s a quick pulse as I study the hallway, and I feel Mozart’s energy flash up ahead, and only after he’s done something to it do I sense the panel in the wall up ahead’s sigils.

“Disarmed it?” I check.

“Mmm,” he says like ‘kind of,’ smiling, “Figured that might tip them off, so it’s more like I uh---covered it up? I don’t claim to be the best Caster around, but even for me, it’s not exactly a feat.” He notices Ritsuka watching him with curiosity as we take off again and adds, “You know, uh, in spy movies--when there is a camera and they take a photograph of the scene the camera is viewing, and then just tape the photo to the camera? I did the sigil version of taping a photo. Very poor security on all the traps I’ve seen so far. That’s the first one I’ve even had to slow down to cast over, and I’m not even good at this kind of magic.”

Well, that’s a relief. Nothing as reassuring as your enemy’s own incompetence.

We’re not too far. Not exactly close either, but I’m feeling pretty confident about our odds. I couldn’t sense the other spirit as fast as Mozart, but I can now, faintly, and that level of horrible shielding in here bodes real well for us.

“…Hey, Billy,” I ask after a second, since I feel like I can allow some chatting and still have the focus I need for this particular task. We can all hear the fighting out front, but so far we haven’t seen a living human, and nobody is shadowing us, I’ve made sure. “How much do you remember, about how we met?”

Most people, I wouldn’t ask—wouldn’t care to let on I don’t know, but uh, Billy’s really not the type to be affected by that. And if he remembers more than me, I’d like the secondhand memories back. It would…be nice.

“Huh?” he says, glancing back for a second before refocusing on the goal ahead as we finally hear living people up ahead, and take a couple of corridors out of our way to skirt around them, “Oh—Uh.” He makes a considering grimace. “Not sure, actually? I know that’s a weird answer. But uh, it’s like I remember tons of little things, but I got no clue what we were doin’, y’know? I remember you’n me met pinned down in this tiny town, somewhere on my home turf. Holdin’ out against a whole army, all our own. For days. Geronimo was workin’ with us, and someone else. Don’t remember who—but he dropped by with news and supplies. We really had it rough in a choke point a while. But you’n I held ‘em off until…” He smiles sheepishly and sends another glance my way. “…somethin’ happened. Can’t rightly remember what, but. We did make it! N’ I remember I told you we would when you figured we wouldn’t, and I was real smug about it.”

I grin. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” Pinned down, huh? I remember…A little of that, now that he’s put a name to it. Sometimes things work this way, and it’s a relief. I don’t remember as much as he seems to, but I remember calling out to him over a wooden windowsill. Something joking about how I was sure if he prayed for help, we’d be saved.

“Don’t remember much I take it?” he asks me.

“No,” I sigh, “But I got pieces.”

“Yeah, me too,” he says like it’s a pity, which it is, “Still!” he perks up, “I sure remember you!”

Yeah, me too, I think right back, smiling to myself. “Well, we’re both pretty hard to forget.”

“Sure are!” agrees Billy, “Same for Geronimo.”

“Remember anything else?” I ask him.

He considers. “Mmmm.” His face falls a little, and he looks far away for a second, regretful. “Pretty sure I bit it before you. Think I failed to save Geronimo too.”

Shit. Wouldn’t have asked if I’d remembered that kind of thing. “It’s just how being a heroic spirit is,” I say, “It never really ends happily. You know he knows that too.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, smiling a little weakly, “Wish that made it a lot easier.”

Yeah. Me too.

“So it was America?” I ask, trying to shift his mind to something else.

“Oh—yeah. Out west somewhere. Maybe like, N—”

There’s no sound, but there’s an explosion of mana from back by the main gates, and Ritsuka doesn’t seem to feel a thing, but the rest of us three spirits turn our heads to stare at what we can’t see.

“W-What happened?” asks Ritsuka, noticing us freeze, and skidding to a stop herself.

“Front gate,” I answer without any detail, because, well, there isn’t any to give. She gets it, though.

“Emiya?” she calls mentally, “David, Salieri, Cu Chulainn? Are you okay?”

There’s nothing, then a harried, “Uhhhh yeah,” from Cu Chulainn, which surprises me because I sort of expected any of the other three to answer first. He’s not entirely convincing. “We’re handling it. They’ve just got some. Weird shit out here. Took us by surprise.”

“How weird?” I ask, “Bad enough we should be concerned weird?”

“Uhh.” Emiya this time. Clearly mid-battle from the sound of his voice.

“They’re more…inventive than expected,” comes David’s voice, “And we think we know why they purchased a spirit.”

“Wait, he’s out there?” I ask without thinking, but when I sense, I can still clearly feel a heroic spirit up ahead, and no one but our own towards the gate.

“No, they’re skimming energy off to infuse their weapons. We took a hailstorm of ammunition that shouldn’t have done any real damage, and it almost put a hole through us,” says Emiya.

Interesting. Not actually the most complicated or original idea, but I’ll keep that in mind.

“We should keep moving,” I say out loud to Ritsuka.

She gives a nod, and we start out again.

“You’ll be fine though—you can handle it?” Ritsuka asks as we go.

“Easily,” says Emiya at the same time Cu Chulainn says, “Easy,” and there is a brief, unhappy pause in the second after.

“Be careful, though,” adds Emiya, breaking in, “If they’re using him as a resource beyond a generator, it’s pretty likely they’ve got better security that we initially suspected for the room itself.”

“Thanks for the heads up! Watch each others’ backs and stay safe, okay? And keep me updated if something happens, so I can help,” says Ritsuka.

I grin to myself, dipping deeper into my hood to hide it before I remember my stupid, tired self is invisible right now. She’s doing a pretty good job, though. At being a Master—leader—I mean, I guess. Strategist. I was surprised she had so little problem when the Doctor offered to run support for the frontal assault so she could focus on this, but that seems to be paying off. Guess she’s got decent instincts for what other people can be trusted with—well, that or she’s lucky, and honestly, either one of those abilities is an asset.

“Well, we’re getting close,” whispers Mozart, “so give me a second before we go any further, alright?”

He’s right. We’re almost to the room. This is the most boringly designed building I’ve ever been in—it’s like a warehouse. But for all that, at least it’s easily and quickly navigable. We haven’t even had to blow through walls to save time, like we did in Ur-Shanabi.

Mozart whispers to himself and waves his arms like a conductor, which is the goofiest way I think to date I’ve seen a caster, uh, cast. But hey, gets the job done.

“Anything?” At first I think Billy is asking Mozart, but I realize he means me.

“What, tailing us? No,” I confirm, and he gives a nod. We’re still clear.

“Alright,” Mozart lets out a breath and smiles. “He was right! This is more heavily guarded. It’s…interesting, though. I’d have thought there would be a lot more alarms and guards, but it’s mostly traps.”

“Traps?” echoes Billy.

Mozart nods. “I mean, there are alarms. But not as many more as I expected. It’s weird, isn’t it?” he adds, glancing at us, “I mean. I don’t know what any of you three know about magic, but alarms are more easy to miss and trigger, and they’re more effective if all you need is an alert, because they only take one mistake to work. A trap takes at least two—being set off, and hitting. Traps are also more complex, bulky, and difficult to hide. So it’s odd, isn’t it?”

He doesn’t sound worried, but that kind of made me uncomfortable about this. He’s not exactly wrong. I’m no mage, but I used my fair share of traps and warning systems in life, and sure, traps are a hell of a lot more useful in battle, but if all you need is fair warning, something that makes a sound or alters you some other way is way easier to make, hide, and make a lot of.

“Well…can we take care of the alarms and traps?” asks Ritsuka.

He gives a nod. “I can handle the alarms the way I have been, but the traps are more…tricky.. Honestly, I could try to diffuse or get us past them all, but it might be more efficient just sort of beat down the door and rush, letting them go off just not with us in them, and get out quick. Nobody’s close, right?”

We exchange glances.

“Well…Not that I’ve seen or heard,” says Billy uncertainly.

“Well, we need to get a little closer for me to finish covering the alarms, so we have a minute to think about it,” says Mozart, moving forward again.

Billy thinks for a few seconds as we go, then glances at Ritsuka. “What do you think?”

“I…” she considers. “…think we should be careful, even if it takes a little longer. Emiya said they’re handling it okay, and they haven’t told us we need to speed it way up. If we get inside and it takes longer to free him than we expect, we could be in real trouble.”

“Well,” I say, “You heard the little lady. So, what’s the plan of attack for avoiding traps?”

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to come up with one,” says Mozart with a cheery sigh, “But I guess I will now.”

That inspires confidence…

We hit an area really close to the room I can sense a Servant signature coming from. An assassin would usually be impossible for me to sense unless they wanted me to, but I doubt presence concealment is on his mind. Honestly, if anything, he probably is trying to shine like a beacon on the off chance someone comes to save him. Or put him out of his misery.

How long could a person stay sane like that?

Shit, that’s a thing to consider. Sure, we’ve all been through hell, but Billy and I were both dying in a way that let us go in and out of consciousness. Blood loss isn’t a fun way to go, but it isn’t exactly the worst one on the table either. As much as a bullet wound hurts, it’s not like being halfway to beheaded—whatever that even means. Which is…how Fuuma Kotarou died. Mozart’s setup sounds like it might have been as bad, and Cu Chulainn’s was pretty grisly, but neither of them had been summoned as long. If Kotarou’s been here long enough to have been picked out and sold, that means at least a few weeks. How much of his version of dying can a mind take before it shatters?

I’ve been feeling pretty secure about diverting some of my attention to thinking ahead, because there’s nothing much for me to do while our Caster does his thing with the alarms between us and the last room, but there’s a little burst of static from my ear then, and the communicators we’ve been given so the Doctor back at our home base can contact us in an emergency come on. Which cannot possibly be good.

“Hi, uh—we’ve hit a problem.”

Shit. Figures. This was going too smoothly.

“What happened?” asks Ritsuka into hers.

“Well, uh. Okay—several things,” comes his voice, quick and frazzled, “—we lost the Archer.”

Yeah, that clarifies nothing.

“There’s more than one of us!” calls Billy, voicing my thoughts.

“S-Sorry, uhm—Emiya,” he responds, “David’s alright. Right now. Uh. Sh-shit—Uh—”

“LOST?” asks Ritsuka in horror, and she shuts her eyes to concentrate—Oh right, I can do that too.

I do, feeling for the connection, and it’s still there, so he can’t be dead, but it is fucked. There is some energy coming from it I can’t even really describe, except that it does not feel promising.

“Wait, but he’s still here,” she says, opening her eyes and looking confused and relieved.

“Right—sorry—not dead—Go! Take the left side—it’s narrow!” he adds to someone who is clearly not one of us—I guess one of the other three he’s been trying to help strategize on the frontal assault. “They had something—some kind of weapon. Hidden with their regular rounds. I don’t really have time to explain, but there’s stuff inside a holly grail that corrupts heroic spirts, among many other things, and this wasn’t that, but whatever they used, it has similar energy. I can’t be sure if it’ll wear off. We might need you to get down here and see what you can do with a command seal, but—”

“—Wait, he turned on us??” asks Mozart in confusion, finally breaking concentration on his actual job to glance back at the rest of us.

“Well no—it’s more like it uhhh…It seems to have an effect like a much worse version of a madness enchantment,” comes the frazzled, staticky voice of the doctor, “It’s like it caused him to frenzy. Not for or against anyone, but, a spirit doing that is still a problem.”

Poor Ritsuka’s turned white as a sheet.

“The Lancer’s got it handled for the moment though,” assures the doctor quickly, “That’s not the real problem. Uh—the real problem is that we’re down those two because of it, and we lost Salieri too.”

Mozart’s face goes the color of Ritsuka’s. “He. He got hit too?” he asks in the tiniest voice imaginable. Yeah. I’d be fleeing the country if I was you right now, given even my weak grasp on the situation between you two.

“No—No, he wasn’t hit,” says the doctor, “But when they used their weapon, they hit a lot of their own forces—mostly vengeful spirits—not that powerful, but, a lot of them. Lots of necromancy. Uh—their own undead went into a frenzy too, though—broke formation and are heading towards anything that moves. We lost—David and I lost Salieri in the confusion. He’s tried to talk to him, and so have I, through coms, but no response. He’s still up, though, and he doesn’t seem to have been infected. Just---I-I don’t know. Anyway, the bigger issue is it’s just David with Salieri missing and the other two, uh, indisposed in combat. And the biggest source of ‘things that move’ for all these monsters to target is-“

“-The city!” says Ritsuka with horror.

“R-Right,” says the doctor, “David’s slowing them down well—we’ve got a little time, but if you can spare one or two of the others, we might need that. If the Lancer can’t fix things quickly, or we can’t find Salieri fast enough…”

She’s clearly thinking a million miles an hour, face grave. “Mozart,” she says quickly, “How much is left?”

“Traps?” says Mozart, incredibly anxious himself now, “Uh. About five. Movement sensitive,” he says, indicating an area of hall ahead, then another, “pressure sensitive,” he points to a third, “heat sensitive,” he indicates a fourth right by the door, “and that one senses mana,” he adds last, indicating the area surrounding the room at large. “Uh. If Salieri has lost composure out there, though, and you’re not going, I think I would be more effective going to try and stop-“

“-I know,” agrees Ritsuka with a shaky smile, “You think if Billy and I rush it, we can make it in alone? Like you suggested before?”

“Oh? Uh, yes,” says Mozart, lighting up, at the same time Billy says, “Hell yeah we can!”

Hopping forward to put a hand on her shoulder, Billy tugs Ritsuka closer and gives her a sure grin. God he’s short—hilarious this teenager is taller than him. I can’t help but smile at the fervency though.

“If worst comes to worst, I got an ace up my sleeve to get out of any trap!” declares Billy with a grin, “So don’t even worry—worst happens and we don’t get past one, we’ll still get past it! Promise,” he adds, shooting me a smile too.

I give a nod. “Okay then. Mozart?”

“Right,” says the caster, straightening up, “We should probably run.”

“Yeah, we’re going to,” I say, and I give the other two a nod, and tear off. Over coms, I hear Ritsuka say, “Billy and I are going ahead alone; we’ll meet back up with you out front once we’ve saved Fuuma Kotarou! I’m sending Robin Hood and Mozart on ahead.”

Right.

“Billy,” I call mentally to him and just him.

“Yeah?” he asks in surprise.

“Just, it’ll probably be okay, but the assassin’s been under tremendous mental strain, what with the way he died. It’s possible he…won’t be entirely, uh, there by the time you get to him. Just. Be careful. Make sure M—make sure Ritsuka doesn’t pay for that.”

“You got it,” comes Billy’s cheerful voice, with a note of sincerity to it, “Catch up to you soon.”

Right. I let out a breath as Mozart and I dash through another hall and towards the front of the building, paying no attention to security this time, only the sounds of violence getting louder and louder up ahead, and turn focus to the new task in front of me.

————————————————-

  “’Kay, hang on tight, aright?” I say.

I have an arm around Ritsuka, holding her up, and she wraps one arm around me to stay steady and gives a nod.

Let’s do this, I think, mentally timing out the spaces ahead of me. We’re absolutely getting blasted by whatever the traps are, but if I’m quick enough, it won’t matter. You got this, Billy.

“Ready?” I check, nervous suddenly as I am reminded by the thudding heartbeat I can feel from the chest against mine that I am not responsible for just my own safety, but also safety of someone a lot more frail’n me.

It’s funny, looking at her face, I wouldn’t know she was anxious at all. She looks so ready and serious. Makes me smile. Makes me calmer, too. That steady look on the face of a girl whose heart I can feel knocking around at 100 miles an hour.

“Ready,” she agrees.

I bolt.

The first trap would have killed a normal person. It’s not a trap so much as an execution. The second we move through the hall, the walls slam together, crushing anything not moving fast enough through it to break the sound barrier, into pulp. Luckily, we are. I jump and propel myself off the wall on the right as it tries to crush us, using the force and strength my Servant body gives me to dive through the second motion sensitive trap. I don’t even have time to see what that one does, and I don’t want to, but I can smell the static of electric charge in the air so thick I smell the edges of my clothes and hair burn for just an instant, and then we’re past it, on to the area Mozart said was pressure sensitive. That, I know how to avoid, and I turn in the air and fire off Thunderer for the extra momentum to shoot us the last twenty feet down the hall without touching a single surface, land right by the door, skid on my feet and whip around to fire at the wall and break us through.

I know I got seconds. I can feel the time slip away. This one is mana sensitive, he said, and I’m about to use some, but I’m made of mana—I subsist on it. It ain’t gonna matter. He said two traps, heat sensitive too, so we’ve already tripped both. Come on come on. “I’ll put a bullet right between your eyes!” I call, and the magic rips from my gun barrel, tearing through the wall in a shower of sparks and dust and particles of metal and mana, and I can tell what the first of the two traps is as a canister releases and gas cascades into the hall. Shit!

“Hold your-!” I start to call, and then I can’t. There’s a seal here—a trap, like the one in Ur-shanabi, but weaker, and it lights up around me, reacting to the mana, and I can’t move. Shit-shit! God damn it! Uhg, being a newer spirit sucks—I got the magic resistance of nothing! If I was Emiya, I could probably just jump right through this, but I ain’t designed even with the resistance that would usually go with my class. O-Okay—you were hoping not to have to do this, but it’s fine! We’ll make it! Just gotta use my—

“No wait!”

I stop in surprise, halfway to calling out my second phantasm, and turn to look at Ritsuka as she lets go of me. Huh?

Her face is scrunched up with what must be a big breath of oxygen she sucked in before the poison hit, but I can tell past the puffy face that she’s smiling at me.

“I got this! They expected either humans or something magic like you—not both! Leave this one to me!” she calls in my head, and to my intense surprise she reaches over, grabs me around the waist, grunts, and throws me over a shoulder like it ain’t nothing, then books through the hole I tore in the wall. The second we’re through, I can move again, and still on her shoulder I lean around and fire my gun through the hole again, aiming for the cannisters still shooting gas that I didn’t see before. That’s half the problem solved.

Seeing I can move, Ritsuka lets go, and I hop down and frantically look for anything I can use for the second half of the problem. Gas in the air is gonna go everywhere fast—that’s what gas does, and that ain’t good for Ritsuka! The room we’re in is big and dark—not as in dim, but as in totally unlit—only reason it seems large to me is the echo I hear when I hit the ground. No good options appearing, I panic and shoot around a panel of the ceiling above me as fast as I can, because what else am I gonna do? –snag Ritsuka, hop out of the way as it falls, and then grab it and shove it up over the hole we came through, and kick it so hard it dents outwards, close as I can get to an airtight seal on short notice. Don’t smell much in the air though, so I think it’s okay to breathe.

“Seem okay?” I ask her mentally.

She hesitates, then takes a cautious breath, and then nods and gives me a smile.

“Quick thinkin’” I say appreciatively, shooting her a grin, “You’re pretty strong, too!”

“I’ve done it before,” she replies proudly.

That’s right, guess she has.

There’s a sound like something dying. A gurgle. An incredible unnerving sound to hear come out of anythin alive at all.

It’s coming from deeper in the room, and Ritsuka and I turn as one, but I can’t see, and I’m sure she can’t either. Even with a chunk of ceiling gone, it’s pitch black, because the room above was too, and there’s no cracks to let in light behind us from the hall.

“You got a light?” I ask, surprised to feel nervous. I guess what Robin said is in the back of my head. It’s gonna be real bad if we get to this guy and it’s too late. Won’t be anything we can do, I guess, except put him out his misery, and that ain’t fair. I don’t really wanna see what they done to him, but I guess we gotta.

Ritsuka takes out her phone and turns on a flashlight from it and holds that up. It ain’t much, but I can see pipes. Thick, heavy feeling, running along the ceiling and floor and walls, all to some little boxy shape in the dead center. Side from that, the room’s entirely barren. We hear the awful choked gargling sound again, and it’s coming from there—from the dead center, and we exchange looks and a quick nod and move forward.

“Careful,” I tell her, passing on Robin’s concerns.

She pauses in surprise to give me a worried look.

“You remember how David acted before we could calm him down? This might be like that, but a lot worse. Sometimes you go through too much to be thinkin’ much anymore.” I say, and she gives me a solemn nod.

I move up ahead, hand on my gun, careful, Ritsuka right behind me. It’s a big room, but it still ain’t far.

As we get closer, I can make out enough to tell there’s a body on the ground there, with something near his head. I can tell he hears us, too. He can’t seem to turn his head at all, but he’s twitching, and the sounds increase in franticness and frequency. It’s awful. A bubbling, strangled, wet, agonized sound.

And then we’re close enough I can really see the setup.

It’s simple, kinda like mine was. Just a metal plate the thick metal tubes along the room all seem to hook into, sort of on a very slightly raised dais, but only to about knee height. He’s bolted down to the metal plate—band around his forehead, his chest, stomach, arms and legs in several places. I doubt he can move at all. And it’s so fucking clean it makes me furious. There’s a drain, right beneath his neck, for the blood. And he’s small, like me. Maybe about the same height. Younger looking than I thought too—shit, he could be Ritsuka’s age. Red hair like hers, just a bit darker. Matted to his face with sweat, covering his eyes. He’s so pale he looks like a corpse, and he’s shaking. It’s the only movement—I can’t even tell he’s breathing, though he’s gotta be. And the thing by his head is almost nothing at all. It’s just a stand. A katana stand, with a sword on it. A sword resting so fucking effortlessly and gently, like a trophy display case, only, it’s resting halfway through his mostly severed neck.

Ritsuka sucks in a breath and flinches and almost cries at the sight. She looks like she’s trying not to vomit. Honestly, I about am too.

Fuck—we—we’re off to the side a little—we came from his left and a little behind him, and he’s in our line of sight, but he can’t even tilt his head, so we ain’t in his, and I can see him breathing now, because it’s frantic and shallow. He’s trying so hard to make sounds and failing. Desperate, almost crying sounds through that severed throat and what’s left of his vocal chords. That’s cruel—I didn’t mean to—b-but, to him we could be anything, come to make this worse.

“Hey,” I try, moving before thinkin because being fast seems the most important to me, and I step right up by and in front of him, doing my best to get into his line of sight.

His bangs are long and stuck to his skin, but I can make out part of one eye, dilated pupil finding and fixing itself on me in a barely there panic.

“’S okay,” I promise, spinning my gun into its holster and holding up my hands, palm out, “We ain’t with them—we’re here to save you.”

I…shit, I guess that was the wrong thing to say somehow, because there’s this awful look on his face then, like I’ve just watched the last of his sanity shatter. His pupil expands and constricts and expands rapidly, unnaturally; his breath hitches and stops and then begins frantically again, but the line of his mouth doesn’t move an inch. I-I don’t understand what…

“Hey.” Ritsuka, moving up beside me. I step back a little to make room. She gives me a worried look, then kneels by the spirit. His eyes leave me and go with her, blood seeping out of his neck and neatly into the drain beneath it as he struggles to breathe and chokes. “You’re Fuuma Kotarou, right?”

He stops breathing for a second completely. His expression goes completely blank. I-I freak out for a second and think he’s dead, but then he breathes again, making an awful squelching sound from his throat, and a choked sound like a sob if it could come from your neck instead of your mouth. God, I-I can’t watch this. I will though. Fuck.

“I’m Ritsuka Fujimaru,” says Ritsuka, placing the hand with command seals on her chest. His eye flashes to it and back to her, and I see abject terror in it now.

“It’s okay!” I promise, moving up again, and his frantic eye darts towards me, “She ain’t a real mage. She’s just a kid—she’s helpin us out. I was in a trap like this too, and she broke me free. We’re tryin’ to get everybody.”

Worried, she looks from me to him, and nods. “I-I’m not like the people who did this. He’s right, I-I’m not really a mage either. I can’t even really do any magic, except a little healing. But I want to help.”

Shit, hope I didn’t offend her. ‘Not a mage’ is a compliment around heroic spirits, but not sure she knows that.

Kotarou looks from me to her with the one eye he can see out of, desperate, and then settles on her again. Scared, eye big, but listening. Guess I’d listen to anything too, if I was in his trap.

“I’m gonna try to get you out, okay?” says Ritsuka, and again, he has that look on his face. Like he’s shattered at the words. He’s suddenly looking at her and at nothing, and he makes the worst, wettest weeping sound in his throat I’ve heard yet and sustains it for a few seconds before he seems to come back, but I realize slowly this time I think I was wrong. I think that look is relief. A kind of relief that looks like despair that I don’t quite know how to describe. Relief that came too late maybe, or relief that doesn’t believe in it itself and is terrified to.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I promise, more relived and more worried about him now.

“Right,” agrees Ritsuka, looking grateful, and then her expression falls as she looks over the bolts holding him down, and the sword, then back to me. “W-We. If we move the sword, do you think he…?”

“Almost immediately,” I agree, “It’s the only thing keepin’ the blood from coming out so fast it’s killed him already.”

Frantic, his eye darts from one of us to the other and his breathing becomes so fast it’s hyperventilating, sucking against the sword in the half a throat he has, and I realize he thinks this means we might give up.

“O-Okay,” says Ritsuka before I can say something, looking back at Kotarou, “I’ve only got one idea. You’re hurt really, really bad. We can’t do anything to heal you until the trap you’re in is broken, but as soon as we break it and move the sword, you’ll die. But if. If you form a contract with me, the second we break the trap, I can use a command spell.” She holds up her hand to show him the array, two left. “To heal you. And I think we can do it fast enough, you’ll be okay.”

He stops moving again, blank wide eye fixed on her. He looks so pitiful. He’s gotta be a teenager, the age he was summoned. That’s a cruel thing to do. I guess I’m lucky in a way that I made it to 21 to die. I know he did too, and past, so I can’t imagine what justification the throne gave for sending him back like this. Gotta be worse for Ritsuka too. He could be a classmate in another life. Could be her.

“I promise. I know you don’t know me, but I won’t do anything to hurt you or force you to do anything at all. I just want to help. I-I’m sorry the only way I know how to help is like this. But please, please, if you trust me, I can save you,” begs Ritsuka.

I look at Kotarou. He has no expression at all. He’s staring at her, but nothing changes. He doesn’t move, or make a sound, other than the awful, agonized, sucking breathing coming from his throat. Just blankness. And then, slowly, his eye wells up and spills over down against his cheek, and keeps going. Silent. I don’t know if it’s fear, or misery, or hope, or despair, or things you can only feel in that much pain, but I want to help it stop.

“I promise,” I tell him myself, “I wouldn’t lie to another heroic spirit. Not about a thing like this. We’ll help you.”

He makes an agonized sound, then again, and again, and one like a whimper in his chest. The liquid pouring out of his eye becomes thicker, more, and I realize he has no way to say yes or no. He can’t speak.

“C-Can you move your fingers?” I ask him.

His eyes widen, and immediately, his left hand, trembling, taps its ring finger against the ground.

“Okay. One for no, two for yes,” I say.

He taps twice, fast, then pauses, and taps again, then again, and then he just keeps going and doesn’t stop, the thick liquid seeping out of his eye so fast it’s starting to swell.

“Okay,” promises Ritsuka, desperate too, “yes—we hear you. We’ll do it. It’s gonna be okay.”

He takes an awful, shuddering, squelching breath, and stops tapping. Makes a pained sound best he can.

“Billy?” says Ritsuka, looking at me.

I give a nod and move to the other side and kneel, hand hovering by the handle to the katana. I see Kotarou start to tremble. Hang in there. I know this can’t be doable, forget easy, but you’re almost there.

“Go. I’ll rip it out right when you reach the end. All he has to do is accept, and you can save him,” I promise.

“Are you ready?” she asks Kotarou.

His left hand taps a weak double-tap.

“My soul becomes your will; your spirit becomes my destiny. If you hear my call and accept me, then bind to me, Assassin!” she calls, starting calm and ending almost at a fever pitch in her own desperation. At the name of his class, I rip the katana upwards, and he jerks and makes an awful, headless scream, and in the same instant I see him frantically slamming his fingers against the ground, trying to accept, and I praying to God to please let it work, and it must because Ritsuka raises her hand skyward and shouts, “HEAL!” at the top of her lungs, and I feel a massive surge of power burst out of the command seals and slam into the assassin beside me, and his body jerks and convulses the little it can nailed down, then goes still.

“Kotarou!” calls Rituska, scrambling on her knees to be by his head. His neck is solid again, and I can sense he’s alive, but his eyes are shut. He coughs then, an awful, wet cough, sending blood over Ritsuka’s sleeve, groans, and goes still.

“Billy!”

“Right!” I call, breaking my own trance, and I rip Thunderer from his holster and blow the restraints off one by one, starting with his head, careful to be precise predicting the angle of the shrapnel.

Soon as he’s free, Ritsuka drags him up and partially onto her lap. “Hey! Are you okay?” She looks frantically at me. “D-Did I do it wrong?”

“No, I don’t-“ I start to reassure, stooping closer, when Kotarou coughs again, a deep, wracking, wet cough, expelling more blood, and then he takes a weak gasp and his eyes half open, dazed and sunken.

“Hey!” calls Ritsuka, relieved, “You’re okay! Oh I was so scared y-“

His eyes weakly move to look up at what he can see of her, and then he closes them and begins to shudder and weep, and she stops. I stop too.

“H-Hey,” she tries after a second, nervously placing her hand gently on his head and when he has no response at all instead of flinching, she tries stroking it to calm him down. “It’s okay. You’re out now. It’s over.”

The teenage spirit keeps crying—starts to have trouble breathing through it, and then suddenly he moves, dragging himself off of her and back, and I panic for a second and get my hand on my gun just in case, but all he does is collapse on his knees with his head against the floor, bowing.

“Thank you, Master,” he manages through crying he hasn’t really been able to stop. It sounds painful to speak, and his voice is shaking like his body. “Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.” The words come out choked, almost a whisper. “I-I’m yours. Anything, ever. I’m yours.”

He’s still crying. I rarely get to feel older than any heroic spirit I’m spendin’ time with, but it hurts to see that, and I do.

“I-I,” Ritsuka falters, overwhelmed, and she looks to me, so I try to give her a reassuring look back. She hesitates again, then scoots closer on her knees and puts a hand on his shoulder. This time he does flinch, but he stays where he is. “It’s okay. You’re welcome, but I’m not your Master. I just want to be your friend.”

From the side, I see his eyes get wide and confused, worried almost. Then she reaches and straightens him up a little on his knees so he’s even with her instead of bowing, face still dirty with blood and tears, and shivering like a leaf.

“You’re your own. But, if you want to stick around for a little bit, we could use the help,” she adds, giving his worried face a tentative smile, “I brought a lot of friends to help break you out, and they’re fighting the people who kept you trapped right now, and it’s going pretty scary right now. You don’t have to. You can run away if you want, or we can take you somewhere safe-“

“-I.” He stops immediately and flinches, realizing he cut her off, but when she waits and just smiles at him, he keeps going. “…I don’t understand,” he manages with his damaged voice.

She cocks her head. “Which part?”

“…W…” He stops, eyes darting a little, frantic and desperate for a second, then looks back at her. “Why are you doing this? You don’t…”

“Uhm…I guess I don’t have a really interesting reason,” she says, flushing a little, and its his turn to cock his head and blink, trying to understand. “I just. Found out this was happening, so I tried to stop it. That’s really all of it there is.”

He looks at her for a few seconds, then me, and I give him a grin. Yeah, this shit never happens to us.

“R-Really?” he asks, sounding more like a kid and more like a normal person for the first time.

She nods.

“W-Well…” He thinks again, worried, then looks up at her. “What do I call you, M-…Uhm.”

Now he looks embarrassed. She smiles. “Ritsuka, i-if you want!”

Ah, her turn again. I forget that first names are kind of a big deal here.

He seems surprised, then cautiously smiles back, and it’s almost painful, the way he looks, to see that. “Okay,” he says softly, “Uh. Then. My Lord Ritsuka, you said…there’s more of you, fighting the people who trapped me here, right now?”

She nods.

Kotarou holds up a hand and concentrates painfully, and a belt with pockets and various kunai and tools strapped to it appears in his outstretched fingertips. Breathing hard, he turns and offers it to her. “I want to help.”

[painttoolyamanaka]

I have so many fic ideas and nothing to show for it so here's an itemized list of things I want to write where most of them are about Sai because I'm obsessed with my zero vibe blorbo:

Road To Ninja au [probably'll be a series]

Sai - centric, as always, but mostly because I want to explore a world where Sai's father is alive and his mother cares about him. Of course, in a way that hurts his growth as a person and emotionally stunts him because it has to be canon connected in some way of course!

Also seeing a Shin-Sai sibling rivalry is intriging to me.

Blue Period au [either a longfic or a series]

Yes, also Sai - centric. At first this started out as an Art Club au but I think Blue Period au fits better. Just... high school student Sai who doesn't know what he wants to do when he's older and always has trouble properly fitting in stumbles into art club and rediscovers his love for art. This could be a main story to my modern au too, specifically after the horrible accident that fucks up Shin's organs and makes Sai lose his memory.

Just, art teacher Konan and genderqueer Deidara, along with art rival Kankuro and just!!!! read Blue Period rn I'm not asking

T4T Choji / Sai [oneshot]

Someone mentioned Choji being trans in the OC server and I was like oh my god t4t Choji / Sai! So yeah, I think they should date and just be the boyfriends ever <3

Yukimi and Sai Road Trip [regular fic]

After the war, Sai is stressed and Yamato sees this so he calls his little sister and they go on a trip around the world to see new places and such, I just think they'd be a neat pair.

Modern au [series]

Root kid - centric, it was at first made as a fluffy au where Kabuto, Urushi, Sai, and Shin were fostered by Nonou (Kabuto and Urushi came first and then Sai and Shin were adopted when Urushi and Kabuto were in high school so they're close but they're like two pairs of siblings living together), and ROOT is just the super secret treehouse group they made when they were younger or smthing, you know how kids are.

Miraculous au [series]

I like the concepts and the main plot of the show, but I hate the directors, writers, and overall how they carried out the show but I'll scrape it to it's bare bones and make my own Miraculous au

Not Sai - centric this time! Who would've thought? :0

Neji / Sai / Sasuke [oneshot of regular fic]

Neji, Sasuke, and Sai are all ppl who were repressed and then rebelled against a hurtful system that they were born and groomed into in canon, with Neji and his self - finding journey, Sasuke with his villain arc, and Sai actively rebelling against ROOT customs. So, ot3, they should kiss and piss off their parents

Silly Hallmark Christmas Fic [oneshot]

Sasuke, being a drama queen, decides to bring the son of the Uchiha's sworn enemy to Christmas dinner. Sai is in it for the drama because he's also a little shit that hates Danzō for his brother's death, and what better to piss of his foster grandpa than to fake date and go to Christmas dinner with his sworn enemies son?

They're both bastards and they should kiss kiss fall in love your honour

Deidara / Sai Fic [oneshot]

Just the adventures of Deidara and Sai [probably a modern au] working together on a big art final and such. There's probably going to be some slam poetry and dark academia and Rio Romeo themed playlists and such because I love those.

TMNT au but it's more of the Nick version because it's more messy au [probably a series]

Team Seven - centric but like. they're turtles :)

Raph - Sasuke Leo - Sakura Donnie - Sai Mikey - Naruto Splinter - Hiruzen

Cardcaptor Sakura au [series or just a fic]

Sakusai - centric and they're also in like high school when this happens, but yeah Sakura is the Cardcaptor and Sai is her rich best friend that loves her a lot and helps her Cardcapture to the best of his ability, like a fun sidekick. It's Sakura - centric though!

One of Those Twitter Template aus but With My Modern au [probably just a bunch of Tumblr posts in a series]

Nonou would post about her kiddos on facebook to share because she loves them

Kabuto would have social media only to keep a portfolio / resume but also to be annoying sometimes and also to have public beef with Anko because she couldn't have his sensei so apparently she's going for his mom

Urushi would be in it to post encouraging messages for his siblings and his blog is full of just him doing fun things with friends

Shin would enjoy just being there to post things he can't say in the moment but people find his weird life funny

Sai runs an entire art student portfolio / blog aesthetic because he enjoys having the coolest twitter [this is modern au Sai, canon Sai wouldn't even change his header]

Fuu also likes just regular posting but most of his blog is dedicated to family gossip / beef so he's got the highest following

Torune has a bug blog to interact with his family who also have bug blogs in which they make a small bug fandom

So yeah, many thoughts head full of niche aus that I enjoy! I have a few more so there might be a part two but feel free to chat to me abt them!

[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.02

10/19/2020

No Lies in a Marriage

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 5,150

Warnings: angst, anxiety, panic attack, language

A/N: As I said in the post earlier today, you’ll probably see updates for this story often right now because it’s at the beginning and I know where I’m going pretty clearly and how to get there and it’s kinda just writing itself for right now. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I love writing this reader with Thor...but I think it’s just because I love writing Thor. haha If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work! xoxo

You sit up most of the night after talking to David, staring out your bedroom window at the small plot of land you call your own.

Your belonging. The only true one you’ve ever had.

It’s a small inheritance, sure but it’s yours. Yours alone. A sanctuary from the feeling of emptiness that you’d once felt wishing for something that felt like home. It’s more than even some will ever have.

You’re lucky.

And now you have to leave it behind?

There’s no denying your own part in this mess. You’d been given a choice and you’d made it, believe this outcome would never come. Yet here you are, betrothed and fated to be Queen of Asgard.

David comes to help you pack because he knows that you’ll be wallowing.

In shock you pack just as asked, essentials only which means for you, only your clothing, your laptop, and a very small collection of books are chosen.

You have no pictures to take with you. No family heirlooms or sentimental possessions. You fit it all into one large suitcase.

Funny. As you pack, you can’t help but imagine the lives your nomadic ancestors had lived. Much like you in these moments as you pack what little you have of your life away; they must have left everything behind over and over in their search for their own belonging.

It only takes you two hours to pack once David arrives and together you lug the suitcase down your little hallway to the front door.

There, a beautiful Asgardian stands waiting, her eyes on your own foggy expression with slight concern as David joins her and they lapse into quiet conversation as you continue to space out, thinking about the life you’re leaving behind.

Really, if you’re honest, it isn’t much of a life.

Yes, you have your routine. This is your house. Your things. But aside from that, there’s nothing here. Nothing but independence and solitude.

That’s enough, some would say. Others would wonder what you do with all your time.

Why hadn’t you found someone to share this life with? Someone who could appreciate the coziness of this place with you.

“Are you ready?” The Asgardian asks, Brunnhilde, her voice smooth but stern, yet not unkind.

You turn to look at her, hair gathered up on her head in a large bun. She’s dressed for the Norwegian weather she’s come from despite it being significantly hotter here.

She’s not bothered by it. Or if she is, she hides it well.

“Would it matter if I said no?”

“No.” She smiles at you, cheek bones so rounded and pretty you almost want to stroke them because you’ve rarely seen anyone so beautiful.

All of the Asgardians are beyond compare when it comes to looks. Even those that are plain radiate a golden aura. Godlike. Thor’s is the strongest and he’s most certainly the most beautiful to look at.

You’d been too afraid to admit it to yourself before because you’d been so decided against marrying him, but Thor is by far the loveliest man you’ve ever seen. Ideal. He’s exquisite.

And you get to marry him. Which doesn’t exactly feel like a bad thing.

Being chosen to marry Thor would be amazing, given the fantasies you’ve allowed yourself to indulge in since the day you met with him, if not for the fact that you know he’s in love with someone else. Someone who won’t marry him. Someone stupid, obviously.

And those fantasies you’d indulged in would never happen with someone else in his heart. So without that, all you have left is duty. Duty to Earth and its people, ensuring their safety and though you honestly don’t think Earth needs it, the assurance from the Asgardians that they will respect humans as the dominant lifeform on the planet.

Yes, the whole Queen of Asgard thing is a little daunting and will probably take over your life, so you can’t blame this mystery woman for not wanting to give up her own pursuits to take care of an entire people. To give up one identity for another? Yours is close enough to blank—your life nearly empty—that for you, this might not be such a great loss and yet, this leaves you wondering what this will do for you career.

Small as it is, you’ve had two books published. Limited releases with not much traction. Still, the accomplishment is your own. One you’re proud of.

Will you have to stop writing?

“There will be a dinner, to introduce you to Thor’s inner circle. Myself, Loki, a few others that serve directly under him.” Brunnhilde is saying, pulling you back to reality.

You look around, having zoned out so thoroughly that you hadn’t even realized you’d boarded a plane and taken off.

“The only one you’ll have to watch out for is Sif. She’s usually pretty nice, but she’s a little miffed about the whole marriage situation. From what I’ve heard, she’s had a thing for Thor since they were children. She’s a fierce warrior. Might want to avoid her altogether if possible. Asgardian women can be a little territorial.”

Lovely, another rival.

“So can human women.” You grumble, already hating the looks of what you suppose will be an onslaught of distractions for your future husband in the forms of beautiful women.

Brunnhilde quirks a brow, raising it high as she considers your words but doesn’t comment further.

“He’s never seen her as more than a comrade in arms. Or so he says.” She sounds unconvinced, but you recognize her attempt to calm you.

You stare, saying nothing more as your world is overturned.

“After dinner, you’ll spend some time with Thor. He wants to talk to you a bit. The wedding will be on Thursday. Thor’s idea. Full of himself, the idiot.” She’s smiling as she insults him, flipping the page of a magazine she’d grabbed from the pocket of the seat in front of her and you realize they must be close friends.

“Did he really pick me?” You wonder, knowing that her personality will only let her answer one way.

Brutally honest.

“Against all our recommendations.” She tells you. “Most of us were pulling for the Hungarian one. She had the schooling and the training. A little too eager for Thor, or so he said. And Loki. Loki was also in favor of you.”

“Loki?!” You gasp, remembering with great detail your chance meeting with the Asgardian prince.

“Oh yeah.”

Why would Loki want Thor to choose you? You weren’t exactly nice to him. Then again, you weren’t really mean either. Just…blunt.

More importantly, after the awkward conversation with Thor and his admission to marrying despite his feelings for someone else, his choice is the most confusing.

“Why did he pick me?” You plead. “Thor.”

“You’ll have to ask him tonight after dinner. I couldn’t tell you other than that he said he wanted someone real. Someone who knew what it’s like to be a normal person. Whatever that means.” Brunnhilde shrugs. “Normal is all relative. Odin, I need a drink.”

The plane ride is over too quickly and the ride to New Asgard even shorter. The village is large but not much larger than the town you’d grown up in. Plenty of houses and public spaces but nothing like a cityscape.

You’re surprised by the more modest choices they’ve made for their homes. Simple houses with wood siding and strong rooftops.

That is, most of the village is modest. Almost at the center of the largest grouping of buildings is a large multi-storied palace.

Just as it did the first time you saw it when you’d been brought for the meeting, you gasp when you see it, admiring the beauty of the structure bathed in afternoon sunlight.

It reminds you of an old Nordic home you’d seen online only on steroids. Four, maybe five stories? All roofs are tall and sharp, parts covered with moss.

Brunnhilde shows you into the main foyer, large and tall room that allows space large enough for people to stand and chat. Here she leaves you and David with a young Asgardian woman. She looks as if she can’t be more than seventeen but from what you know about Asgardian aging, she’s probably hundreds of years old.

She escorts you both to your new room, and you and David gasp at the sight.

Even though it’s smaller than the sitting room you’d been in when you met with Thor before, there’s a large bed immediately to the right, covered in luxurious plum and silver silk sheets. A large dark brown bear skin rug covers the center of the floor. To the left is an extravagant dark oak armoire, beside it a matching vanity with a low cushioned and backless seat.

On the far wall, between two sets of heavy wooden double doors that lead out to a balcony sits a desk and another seat with a black cushion, the same style as the vanity’s chair.

There’s a low hanging chandelier made of intricately twisted wood, reinforced with dark steel. The design of it makes you think there should be candles, but instead you find it furnished with small flame-shaped lightbulbs.

Along each of the walls are beautiful artworks, one of a singular mountain you’ve never seen on Earth. Another a golden palace with a sky of literal space above and behind it. There’s a smaller painting almost right above the bed and the likeness of it is so precise, you gasp again.

David follows your gaze with his mouth hanging open a little but then he chuckles. It’s a throaty sound as he turns away from you and moves further into the room with your bag while you deposit your purse on the bed, eyes glued to the painting.

“These Asgardians seem to be experts at everything.” David says, conversationally. “Their architecture, their music, their wits in battle. It seems even their art is exceptional.”

You’re still too busy staring to reply.

When David speaks again, he’s right beside you, voice dropped in volume.

“It must really look like him, to have you rendered speechless.” He observes.

“Yes.” You agree. “Just like him. Only now he has the eyepatch. He looks the same with two eyes. Less rugged but the same.”

“And he will remain the same, long after you’ve died, I think.” David admits.

“Yeah…” You swallow, looking down at the bottom of the frame.

The thought had only begun to occur to you when you’d been making your way through the city after Brunnhilde had confessed to being over a thousand years older than Thor and Loki.

“For Thor, this marriage will pass in the blink of an eye.” You sigh, feeling a little saddened by truth of that.

You turn around and sit down on the bed, resting your hands on your knees limply as you stare at the floor.

David squats before you, forearms on his knees.

“You’re serving a great purpose.” He tells you. “Ensuring the safety of the human race. You’re the white flag the Asgardians are waving. History will remember you, Y/N. It will not be in vain.”

Your eyes begin to water, and you nod, knowing he’s right.

“I know I just…” Your head gives an involuntary turn towards Thor’s portrait, but you manage to keep yourself from looking. “He’s in love with someone already. And, yeah, I’d never thought about being with someone before. But now that I’m faced with it, now that I know I’ll be his wife—I don’t know that I don’t want him to like me.”

“He may come around.” David consoles. “You’re a pretty girl and nice, even though you bite.”

His teasing draw a small curve of your lips. The levity however is quickly lost at the prospect of your life stretched out before you, never knowing love as your husband covets another woman.

This isn’t what you’d expected. To be fair you hadn’t expected anything, but now the idea of being married to Thor knowing that he’d much prefer if you were someone else hurts you in a way you didn’t know had been possible.

This ache in your chest feels strange and vivid and unbearable.

Your tears flow. David sighs and reaches up to wipe your cheeks, pulling you in for a hug.

Taking his offered comfort, you hide your face against his shoulder, allowing yourself these few moments to really feel the anxiety and sadness this whole thing has brought.

“I’m sorry.” David tells you, his voice steady but sad. “I wish I could give you a better life. I know that this is not what you parents would have wanted.”

You pull back, shaking your head as you gather yourself. “No, David. You’ve been the most supportive person in my life. This is how it’s supposed to be. Otherwise, why would I have the ancestors I have, right?”

David sighs, reaching up to wipe at your cheek.

“Besides, it’s not like I’ll be truly suffering. Not like other people do. I’ll have a good roof over my head, food, money won’t be a worry. How many other people my age can say that?”

David’s gaze becomes skeptical and he purses his thin lips a little. “Is that really how you feel?”

“Fuck no. This whole thing is complete shit.” You argue, then laugh as David chuckles too.

“There’s that fighting spirit. Keep that fire, Princess, and you’ll find a way through this.” He says, and the way the word Princess rolls of his lips makes you feel the way you’d always thought you’d feel had your dad lived to be a part of your life.

“You say that like it’s easy.” You sigh.

Before he can answer, there’s a knock on the door and it opens.

Both you and David shoot up to your feet as Loki walks in.

He’s smiling politely until he sees your face.

“I’m sorry. Am I intruding?” Loki wonders, as you quickly wipe away the tears left on your cheeks.

“No.” You shake your head quickly, voice thicker than when you arrived because of your break down. “No. Of course not. Come in.”

He doesn’t look convinced and his brow is furrowed as he looks you both over then stands with his hands behind his back. He looks neat and exotic wearing a pair of dark pants, a black top with embellishments in stunning emerald, a thin golden chain connecting each side of his high collar to the other.

“I’ve come to make sure that you find the clothing we’ve left for you.” Loki gestures at the armoire.

“I’m-I can’t wear what I brought?” You ask, pressing your hand to your chest, unintentionally sniffing.

“Tonight, you will meet with my brother’s court. It is a formal event that you must attend wearing slightly more traditional Asgardian garb.” Loki replaces his hands behind his back. “Brunnhilde has chosen something she thought would be your color. You have an hour then we’ll send your maid in to fetch you.”

You nod.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Loki asks again.

“You’re surprisingly worried.” You tell him, David moving to open the armoire and get a look at what you’re going to have to wear.

Loki’s face quickly shifts into a smile, his eyes averted as he nods.

“I hear you were the only person other than Thor who chose me.” You sit back down slowly, your hands softly skating over the cool silky sheets. “Why?”

“You were a breath of fresh air.” He admits. “Compared to the other candidates, you seemed the only one with her feet on the ground.”

Looking away from him you pinch the plum sheets.

“Is that why Thor chose me too?” You ask, knowing it isn’t the reason he chose you.

“Whatever the reason,” Loki begins, and his voice is stern enough to draw your gaze. “I’m certain my brother has nothing but honorable intentions. He’s always been the good one.”

“I think that’s true.” You nod, “He has always been the good one, if the stories are to be believed.”

“I make no excuses for who I was.” Loki assures you.

“But I think you and I both know that Thor’s intentions when it comes to me are anything but honorable.” You smile sadly. “I really hate lying. Let’s not lie to each other. We’re family, right? Or will be.”

Loki’s look remains somber, his eyes far away for a moment.

“You’re the right woman for the job. That is the truth.” Loki admits.

“I guess we’ll see.”

Loki nods. “One hour, your highness.”

His words give you a shock, and your left gaping at him as he leaves and shuts the door behind him.

“Well, that sounded strange.” David admits, “But not as strange as this dress. Well, perhaps strange is not the right word.”

You’re still reeling from the your highness as you get and walk to David that it takes your eyes a moment to process the sight before you.

“I am not wearing that.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t breathe in this thing!” You whine, hooking your fingers into the ultra-high neckline of your dress.

It’s more like a cage, this piece that goes around your throat and shoulders. It connects to a slightly see-through bodice with soft split threads lining the length of the dress, underneath the top, silver layer is a soft pink one that stands pretty against your skin. It gives the dress depth and offers a pleasant backdrop for the waterfall skirt as it fans out around your feet.

The lattice neckpiece connects to the dress’s neckline with four stiff wire connectors wrapped in the same silver fabric as the rest of the dress.

Your hair, your maid expertly gathered atop your head, shaping it to look as much like you as it can but also keeping it contained with several silver Celtic knot-looking clips. She’d added very little color to your face, telling you that Thor had requested you look as much like yourself as possible so that his court could see the real you.

Even so, you’re overwhelmed by what you see in the mirror as you pass a particularly large one as you and David make your way to the dining hall.

“Don’t fret.” David tells you, reaching over to stop your wringing hands. “Just be yourself. That’s why he chose you.”

“So, what you’re saying is to not be myself.” You nod. “Got it.”

David pulls you to a stop, turning you to face him. Your maid, Estrid, keeps walking a bit then stops leaving you both some space.

“I want you to remember something, Y/N.” David says, low and quiet so that only you can hear him. Well, he doesn’t know that Asgardians have better than human hearing, but whatever. “These people, they need you. They need you. More than you will ever need them.

“Without you, they might have to leave Earth because Thor will never turn against the human race. I don’t know why. We’re not that great.” David shrugs, and your mouth pops open as you breathe a pained gasp.

In this moment, with David’s helpful words, you’re provided with astounding clarity.

“She’s human.” You realize, eyes watering.

It happens so quickly, your breath catches, brain in a frenzy, hands shaking, sweating, your tears flow freely.

You’ve never cried so much in your life and you understand now that this will be your new state of being because what else can you do when you’ve knowingly given your life to a man who loves another human woman which only means that she will also only live for a short time and that means that Thor doesn’t have a lot of time with her so, of course he’ll want to be with her until the day she dies, because she’s the one he really wants to be with, and you’re just the tool to use so that he can stay here with her.

What kind of life have you fated yourself to?

“Your Highness?” Estrid asks, concern painting her voice as you shake your head, too panicked to speak.

David moves you towards the wall, pressing you against it to lean as Estrid moves closer to peek at you.

“Might I be of assistance?” She offers and David turns a smile on her.

“A glass of water, perhaps?”

Estrid hurries away giving you and David the hallway.

“Y/N?” He says, voice hard. “Breathe.”

You look at him, focus on the streak of white in his hair as it falls forward to hang across his brow.

It helps and you shut your mouth and breathe in deep through your nose.

He reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulls from it a white handkerchief. With gentle fingers, he coaxes your face up so that he can carefully wipe the tear stains from your cheeks. He takes a bit of the blush they’d put on you, but you don’t care, and he doesn’t either.

“What is it that troubles you? Tell me.” He urges you.

“Um…” You begin, chin quivering and making your voice shake a little. “…I-I-I don’t know how I’m going to be married to him when I kn-know that he really wants to be with s-someone else. I don’t know how…how…how…”

David sighs, shaking his head as he caresses yours. “Then you look elsewhere too. If he sees fit to be with someone else while you’re married, then you deserve to experience love too. Take a lover. Be discreet. No one will know and you will both get what you want.”

“Isn’t that wrong?” You half cry. “I mean, aren’t wives and husbands s-supposed to be faithful?”

David smiles, pulling your head down to kiss your forehead. “Then give him a chance to change his mind. If he doesn’t love you by the end of the year, then he’s a bigger fool than I already think he is. A downright dumbass.”

“I don’t like the idea of someone being with me when they don’t want to be.” You admit.

And David doesn’t need you to explain that this stems from living in the school, waiting for adoption only to never be chosen.

You’ve finally been picked, and this is what it’s for?

“Do you want me to come to dinner? I can insist on it.” He promises. “I’ll even make a scene.”

You shut your eyes and sob once, David pulls you against his chest and once more you hide your face against his shoulder.

Both of you hear her steps before you see her and yet, when you turn to accept your water, you’re frozen as you find yourself face to face with Thor.

He’s dressed beautifully, in black leather trousers, stitched with thick visible charcoal colored strips of more leather. His torso is covered in what you’d consider light armor. More leather pieces in deep gold tones except for the arms which are covered in metallic scales that shine under the hallway lights. His shoulders are draped in a floor length cape, black, thinner than the one you’ve seen him wear before.

A more casual cape, you suppose.

Both you and David are absolutely still, confused by Thor’s sudden appearance.

“I uh…” Thor looks uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he gestures behind him with his right hand, in his left a glass of water. “Estrid looked upset. She said you weren’t feeling well?”

There’s genuine concern in his voice and it surprises you enough to wipe away most of your worries for now.

“I’m fine.” You assure him.

David clears his throat. “I should go. I have my own dinner to eat.”

“No, please. Join us.” Thor rushes to invite him, gesturing back towards the dining hall again.

“No, no. Really.” David uses his hand to refuse, then reaches down to give your hand a squeeze. “Can I trust you to escort Y/N to dinner?”

Your heart swells for David, once again, the father you never had.

“Of course.” Thor nods, smiling at David before moving to you, seeing this as permission to move closer maybe? “I take full responsibility.”

There’s a twinge of bitterness in your chest, a rolling in your stomach as you see David narrow his eyes at Thor.

“I’m going to hold you to that, God of Thunder.” He threatens, and Thor seems to realize it’s a threat because he looks startled. However, he smiles and plays it off quickly, nodding. “Have a good dinner, princess.”

David gives your hand one more squeeze before leaving you and Thor to whatever awkward conversation you’re about to have.

Thor waits until you’re both alone in the hallway before he holds out the glass of water he’d brought for you.

“Have you been crying?” He wonders, voice soft and gentle. Deep too, it settles in your chest and makes you feel stupid for liking it.

“Just a little.” You admit.

“Why?”

“I’m nervous.” And that isn’t a lie. “And apprehensive.”

Also, not a lie.

“And I don’t trust you.” You confess, feeling no qualms about the shock that flits across his rugged face.

“What did I do?” He cries.

“You told me you’re in love with someone else who won’t marry you.” You sigh, taking a long drink of your water. “I’m not exactly excited to be marrying someone who already wants to be with someone else.”

Understanding shifts his expression and he nods, reaching up to scratch at the side of his chin.

“I’ll be honest,” He begins, offering you his arm as you lower your glass. “It was never something I expected either. After watching my parents love each other for many years, their marriage was something I hoped I could experience.”

“Then why didn’t you fight harder for this woman you love? Convince your court! She’s human, right? I’m sure the Earth Ambassadors would be happy to have you marry any human.” You reason, still hoping to get out of this even if the only thing you hate about this now is the fact that he’s in love with someone else.

That fantasy marriage you’d painted for yourself has taken over your inexperienced brain and planted a seed within your heart and you feel like a fool for it.

“They were fine with it. Jane is not ready for marriage and I cannot force her to marry me if she doesn’t want to.” Thor laments, truly sounding sad about her refusal.

“Doesn’t she care that you’re marrying someone else?” You wonder, watching his expression as he begins to lead you towards the dining hall.

“In a way.” Thor nods. “She and I want to be together, but Jane is devoted to her work. She could not make the time for the obligations marrying me would entail.”

“Sounds selfish.” You observe, hating Jane a bit because she has what you didn’t know you wanted. Maybe not exactly Thor himself yet, but the love he has for her.

Thor says nothing for a moment, thinking probably. He stops walking and you stop beside him.

“I would not want her to give up her passions. In marrying me, Jane would lose her identity. Which is too important to her to give up. I could never ask her to do it.”

“Because you love her.” You agree.

“Yes.”

“Which is why you find it so easy to do it to me.” You explain, realizing it as you speak it. “Because you don’t care about me. Therefore, my identity has little value. To you.”

Thor’s speechless, staring at you as your own heart pounds. You don’t know where you conjured the audacity to say the words out loud as they came to you, but they’re true. Truer than even you know.

“I do care.” Thor argues softly, looking at your hand wrapped around his bicep.

“You don’t, Thor.” You shake your head, politely disagreeing.

“Yes, I do!” He argues, this time a little more heated.

“What do I do for a living?” You challenge and he stutters, thinking hard.

He furrows his brow, crinkly creases at the corners of his eyes as he ponders.

You observe it’s loveliness. Truly a creature of perfection even with the gold and black metal patch over his eye. If he cared about you, you might actually fall for him. If he gave two shits, you might be a goner.

“Your family left you an inheritance!” He points out, as if this is what you do.

“You don’t remember?” You ask, knowing the answer. “I told you when we met, though I only mentioned it in passing.”

“How am I expected to remember then? If you were not specific?” He retorts.

“If I’d been Jane, you would have remembered.” You tell him.

“No.” He disagrees. “I’m always this inattentive.”

You laugh once, shocked by his candor. “You’re such a liar.”

“I’m not! Ask anyone once we’re seated. They’ll all tell you that I never pay attention or listen. To anyone!” He insists, and you laugh again because he’s being sincere.

His gaze is slight shock as he looks at you, then it softens, and he chuckles with you.

“Why are you laughing?” You ask him.

“I don’t know.” He chuckles again. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, I suppose.”

This sobers you and your laugh dies off.

“Can I ask a favor?” You look at him, trying to read him like you’ve never tried to do so to anyone before.

“Of course.” He nods.

“I know you don’t love me. And I know that the likelihood of you loving me at any point in our marriage is nonexistent, but I really want to try and make this marriage work. I want it to be as real as possible.

“Which means I want you to be honest with me about everything. I don’t want any secrets. I don’t want to think you’re talking to or meeting Jane because you’re acting suspicious. If you have to see her,” And he seems to understand that you mean, if he feels like he needs to for his own sake, because he loves her. “I want to know that’s what you’re doing. Please, don’t make a fool of me, Thor.”

Thor considers you for a moment, absorbing your words as you wait for his response.

Instead of giving you what you want, he gives you a long head-to-toe. “I was right to choose this gown.”

He chose it?

“You look exquisite. Just as a princess should.” He admires. “Come, let’s go introduce you to my friends.”

As he pulls you towards the dining hall, your heart begins to pound again as nervous energy courses through your veins setting your limbs to white noise again. Tingly.

“They’re all very eager to meet the woman who will be Queen of Asgard.”

“I think I’m gonna throw up.” You worry.

Thor chuckles.

“I’m right there with you.”

[kurokoros]

appetence (part 1) | bakugou katsuki

Rated: M

Words: 4.8K

Pairing: katsuki bakugou x fem!reader

Summary: Appetence: longing or desire. A mission to track down a villain leaves you and Bakugou in a rather… compromising situation. It’s going to be a long twenty-four hours.

AN: I have zero explanations for this one either. I just felt like writing a smutty fic with Bakugou and the reader locked in a building for twenty four hours. Queue the kinky smut. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for future chapters! I’ll try to update once a week, but it depends on how long the chapters get! I’m aiming for 4-5 chapters, but again, we’ll see!

Warnings: smut, language, aphrodisiacs, marathon!sex (future chapters)

XXX

As a Pro Hero, you’re no stranger to potentially hazardous situations. Tracking an A rank criminal isn’t exactly a new experience. In fact, most of these missions go exactly the same way. Mind-numbingly boring stakeouts that can last for hours until you can verify the presence of your target. A sixty second window between verifying the presence of said target and all hell breaking loose. And, of course, the part where all hell breaks loose because no one can understand the concept of a stealth mission. Stakeouts you can handle, for the most part. While boring, at least you aren’t actively being punched, stabbed, or shot at, so you consider it a minor win most of the time. The conversation is never great, but you can deal with that. And, really, you can’t complain about having a six feet wall of solid muscle to back you up.

But why the hell did you have to get stuck with Ground Zero?

You cast a glance at the other Pro out of the corner of your eye, your mouth twisting into a frown when you see his agitated expression. He looks halfway to blowing a gasket already, and you’ve hardly been here for an hour. At this rate, the two of you aren’t going to last until the target slips up.

It’s not that you dislike Bakugou. That’s not it at all. Frankly, you usually enjoy working with the brash, temperamental man. He’s a good Hero: smart, strong, capable. He always watches your back when you need him to—and you can’t deny that he’s some pretty great eye-candy, considering your situation. But he’s also incredibly impatient. And watching him pace around like a caged animal isn’t exactly helping your own irritation at being stuck in a cramped, ram-shackled building, in the rain, waiting to catch a glimpse of a villain that might not even be here.

It’s going to be a very long night.

“Would you sit down?” you snap at him, tearing your eyes from the compound you’re supposed to be staking out once again. He shoots you an irritated look, and you sigh, shifting in your seat. “Please? You’re making me claustrophobic.” It’s like he’s trying to make you antsy. Usually, stakeouts aren’t this bad, but something about the shitty location and the shitty weather--and the fact that he’s close enough for you to feel the heat rolling off him--have you a little on edge.

Something in Bakugou’s eyes shifts, his glare losing it’s bite, but then he snorts. Shuffling back to where you’re sitting near the small window of the hideout, he does as you ask, though he doesn’t look happy about it. Whatever. You’re just glad he doesn’t seem to be in an arguing mood right now. 

“This is fucking stupid,” he grumbles under his breath. You probably wouldn’t have heard him if there wasn’t exactly two inches of space between you. His shoulder brushes against yours as he crosses his arms, firm muscle flexing beneath his costume.

You ignore your little flicker of disappointment over the fact that he’s wearing his winter costume.

Figuring he’s complaining about the waiting, you say, “Regardless, we can’t just go charging in there, Ground Zero.” This time, you keep your gaze locked on the building Cobra is supposed to be in, watching for any signs of movement at all. Nothing. Either Cobra’s being especially careful--something he’s never been before--or you were given faulty Intel. “We don’t even know if Cobra is inside,” you remind your partner. “Dammit, if Omen sent us on a bust mission…” You trail off with a heavy sigh.

Bakugou follows your gaze to the building, regarding it carefully. It’s not particularly large or heavily fortified, but that’s the point. It’s the perfect place for a group of villains to hide and lay low for a while. His jaw clenches and he turns back to you. “What do we know about him?”

You sigh, shooting him another look. “Did you seriously not do any briefing at all?” You shake your head. “Why they put you on this mission instead of Deku is beyond me.” Before he can start bickering, you continue. “Cobra’s quirk allows him to secrete and manipulate toxic fluids created from his body. Gasses too, according to a few sources.”

It’s not too different from Bakugou’s quirk, if you think about it, but you’d take the explosive sweat over toxins rivaling that of a Box Jellyfish any day.

He scoffs. “That all?”

“Reportedly, these toxins can be corrosive enough to burn straight through human tissue and bone in a matter of minutes.” Bakugou doesn’t look the slightest bit impressed by the new information, and you fight the urge to roll your eyes. “If he manages a direct hit on either of us, we’ll have an hour tops to get help before the damage is irreversible. And we don’t have backup,” you remind him.

“Whatever,” he grumbles. Despite his blasé reaction, you’ve known him long enough to recognize the slight furrow of his brow. Clearly, he’s about as enthused as you are about dealing with Cobra. “Any idea how to take him down?”

Pursing your lips, you turn back to the building across the street, scanning the windows for any kind of movement as you contemplate your response. “We’ll have to be careful,” you tell him. He snorts at the obvious advice. “Cobra is fast, and we only have one shot at this. He tends to go underground for long periods of time after a spree like this week.” Two bank robberies and a successful museum heist. He’s getting bolder, smarter--running with a crew now. You need to take him out now or things are only going to continue to escalate. “If we time it right, we should be able to incapacitate him fairly easily if we stick together. He has a strong quirk, but he’s not much of a fighter.”

Bakugou hums in thought, his brows furrowing as he surveys the building as well. “Got a plan, babe?” he asks. There’s a fire in his eyes that wasn’t there just a moment ago, and you can tell he’s just itching for a fight. Clearly, you should have told him about the corrosive, flesh-dissolving poison earlier. 

Bakugou catches your gaze and smirks in a way that does dangerous things to your heart. And then--fuck--he actually licks his lips and a large part of your brain short-circuits for about half a second before you catch yourself. Shit, you need to confirm the target and get some sleep. Obviously, you aren’t thinking straight.

You swallow thickly, mouth a little dry. “Apparently, he’s a talker,” you say, opting not to comment on the pet-name. “If we time it right, I can keep him distracted long enough for you to blast his ass from behind.”

His expression goes from pleased to petulant in a second. “You wanna play bait?” he grinds out from between his teeth. The question comes out akin to a low growl, and you quirk a brow at his apprehension, bristling. A quip burns on your tongue, but any thought of snapping at him for doubting you disappears as soon as you glance at him. There’s a slight grimace on his face, like he’s uncomfortable with the thought of you playing distraction for an occasionally homicidal art thief with a quirk that can eat through flesh like paper. As soon as he realizes you’re watching him, Bakugou’s lips curl back in a sneering grin. “Sure you can handle that?”

“One of us has to,” you say, deciding to ignore whatever just happened. You can worry about that later. You glance at him again, grinning. “And I’m faster.” He still doesn’t look very reassured, so you try a different tactic. “Though, like I said, that’s only if he’s here.”

Of course, that’s when a small explosion goes off in the building across from you.

Bakugou swears under his breath, lunging to his feet. “That proof enough for ya, sweetheart?” he asks, straightening his gauntlets. He flexes his fingers before curling his hands into fists. His roguish grin is back.

“Dammit,” you hiss, scrambling up as well. The explosion might not be big, but it is noticeable. Criminals don’t draw attention to themselves like this unless they don’t plan on sticking around much longer. “Let’s go.”

You practically throw yourself out the window, Bakugou right on your heels as the two of you fall two stories to the ground. Hitting the ground, you roll to your feet. The impact jostles you, but it’s not the biggest fall you’ve had before, and Bakugou’s firm hand on your lower back urges you forward silently.

The two of you run silently across the street, smoke from the explosion offering you cover, so thick you almost can’t see. “Stay close and stick to the plan,” you call towards Bakugou, not waiting for a response as you dash towards the entrance on the side of the building, close to where the explosion came from. If you can cut Cobra off as he’s trying to run, you might be able to end this fight before it really starts. 

Things go wrong the moment you step into the building. 

The smoke is thick and noxious. The smell burns your nose and chokes your throat; your eyes water, stinging, your mask doing little to protect you. Something about it doesn’t feel right, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, goosebumps prickling across your bare arms and legs. The smoke and the smell are disorienting, and you know immediately that you need to get rid of it, but neither of your quirks are practical for this. Bakugou’s would only spread it around. Shit, this isn’t good at all.

Movement to your left draws your attention. Your gaze snaps to the hazy outline of a person racing past you and disappearing around a corner. Bakugou. Swearing under your breath, you take off after him. Of course he would ignore the plan--as vague and half-assed as it was--and run headlong into things like this. You should have expected as much coming from Ground Zero. Hopefully you can catch him before he runs into Cobra.

Careful not to make a sound, you race after him, throwing yourself around the same corner he did. The hallway is empty already, but you can hear faint footsteps coming from the other end. The smoke isn’t as thick here either. You round the corner at the other end of the hallway in time to catch a fleeting glimpse of Bakugou turning another corner. Huffing, you give chase again, picking up the pace now that you can see again.

It’s like a game of cat and mouse. Each time you think you’ve caught up, he manages to stay just out of your reach, much to your frustration. You don’t know what the hell he’s playing at, but when you catch him you’re going to throttle him. Damn stubborn bastard.

You round another corner.

A hand lashes out, purple gas bubbling against a calloused palm.

The reflexes you’ve gained from being a Pro are the only thing that saves you from having your face melted away. “Shit,” you hiss, throwing yourself back against the nearest wall as the blast blows past you. Some of that purple gas brushes the tips of your hair, dangerously close to your nose, and you watch the strands dissolve in front of you.

“Ooh, you’re fast,” the man in front of you compliments. His grin is wide, revealing dangerously sharp canines. He stares at you from behind spiky hair, impressed. “Not many people are able to dodge a point blank hit like that.” His head cocks to one side, his expression smug. “The commission really sent in the pros this time, huh? I’m so flattered.” The toxin he secretes with his quirk liquefies and drips down his fingers. The ground smokes where the droplets land.

“Cobra,” you respond, voice even. Shit. It definitely wasn’t Bakugou earlier. Cobra must have noticed you were there, somehow, and used the smoke to get you separated. Fuck, you’re going to kill Omen later. Tensing, you keep your eyes on Cobra as the man takes a step towards you, relaxed despite his escape being compromised.

Maybe this is what he was waiting for.

You clench your jaw, back straightening as you edge away from the wall--you can’t let him pin you down.

His smile widens. “I see my reputation precedes me.” He looks particularly pleased with himself at your recognition, violet eyes darkening as he looks you over. His fingers flex, purple smoke billowing around his palms. He doesn’t strike at you though, not yet.

If you can keep him distracted for a little longer, maybe Bakugou will be able to find you. You can still make this work. You can fend him off for that long. “How did you know we were here?” you ask, wetting your lips.

If he finds the conversation suspicious, he certainly doesn’t act like it. “Just a hunch,” he tells you, shrugging. “Things were a little too quiet. I figured the commission had to be sending someone.” The corner of his mouth quirks upwards. “Didn’t think it would be you and Ground Zero though. They must be getting desperate, huh?” His drawling tone makes your jaw clench in irritation. When you take too long to respond, Cobra sighs, his mouth curving down in a disappointed sneer. “Well, as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I really don’t feel like going to jail today. So why don’t you make this easy for me and step aside?”

Your hand curls into a fist that doesn’t go unnoticed by the villain in front of you. Channeling your quirk into your feet, you prepare yourself for his next strike.

“No?” Any lingering friendliness disappears in an instant at your silent refusal. “All right, sweetheart, we’ll do things your way.” He throws his arm forward, poisonous gas hurtling towards you.

You’re already moving, springing from your spot as pale blue electricity crackles around you. The impact of your feet against the opposite wall sends a shock-wave through your legs, and you whirl around, keeping your eyes on your target. There’s a hole in the wall where you were just standing, and a jolt of fear strikes you between your ribs.

The next blast comes just as suddenly as the first, and you dive out of the way again. It sets up another game of cat and mouse, but this time you’re the one running, and there’s nowhere for you to hide. You don’t know the building like he does, and Cobra is proving to be nearly as fast as you are, throwing poison gas at you just as quickly as you can dodge it.

He doesn’t let you get close enough to strike at him, and you silently curse your quirk for being ill-suited for long range combat. You’d need to land a direct hit, and in these cramped hallways you can’t surprise him from behind.

Where the hell is Bakugou?

Poison nearly scorches your arm, and you hiss as it burns your skin despite not touching you directly. With your jaw clenched, you throw yourself against the wall to your right. In the split second before he can aim his quirk at you, you change your angle and lunge for him. Cobra’s eyes widen in surprise. Caught off guard, he doesn’t have the time to deflect the electrically charged fist aimed towards his head.

Cobra smirks.

Panic wells in your chest, and you pull your fist back just as Cobra dissolves in front of you. Your knuckles brush against the cloud of violet dust before it disappears. Fire races through your veins.

“Too slow,” a teasing voice calls from behind you. You whirl around on your heel, prepared to strike again, but Cobra is faster. As soon as you catch a glimpse of him, his hand lashes out. Coral colored dust explodes in front of your face, blinding you. The powder sticks to your skin and chokes you, rushing down your nose and throat until you feel like you can’t breathe.

It knocks the breath out of you, throwing off your balance, and suddenly you’re falling to your knees and coughing. Panic swells in your chest, but you’re quick to shove it down. It’ll only make the poison spread faster. You can already feel it burning through your veins, an uncomfortable heat tingling from your fingertips to your abdomen. 

As if he can hear your thoughts, Cobra smirks, all teeth. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, it’s not poison,” he coos, crouching down in front of you. “I couldn’t do that to a face this pretty.” He grasps your chin between his fingers, tilting your head so that you’re forced to look at him. The desire to lash out rushes through you, but your limbs are heavy and you still can’t breathe. Cobra wets his lips. “Though, you might wish I did.”

A hiss escapes through your teeth as you double over, the heat intensifying. “What the hell did you--” You cut off abruptly, crying out as a full-body shiver wracks your frame.

“Such a strong reaction already,” he muses, squeezing your chin a little tighter. “You’d be a fun one to play with. Damn shame I can’t stay to watch the results.” There must be a puzzled expression on your face, because Cobra leans in a little closer, lips hovering an inch away from yours. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, sweetheart. I like to mix a little pleasure with my pain.”

It clicks. “An aphrodisiac,” you gasp. 

He taps your cheek with one finger, and the feather-like touch makes your breath hitch. “Smart girl. Poison works fast, but sometimes it’s fun to watch people squirm a little--until they’re just begging to get fucked.” Cobra’s head cocks to the side. “Bet you can feel it now, right? Heard it’s a bit like liquid fire. And let me tell ya, that itch isn’t just gonna go away by itself.” He chuckles. “I’d give you a hand, but I don’t think your partner would like that very much.”

Cobra releases your chin and lunges to his feet, swinging his arm just in time to send a fistful of that pink powder directly into Bakugou’s face.

“Ground Zero!” you cry out, voice shrill.

A small explosion bursts in front of Bakugou, dissipating most of Cobra’s quirk before it can hit him. He winces as the dust burns his throat.

“Perfect timing,” Cobra murmurs, throwing himself backwards as Bakugou drives his fist into the ground in front of you. 

The floor explodes. You throw your arms up to cover your face, and when you lower them again, Bakugou is standing in front of you, one arm thrown out defensively as he glares at Cobra, sneering. His shoulders are tense beneath his jacket, and in your dazed state you can’t help but appreciate how broad they are.

“Stay the fuck away from her!” Bakugou growls, his fingers sparking. You can feel the tension rolling from him, the hallway sweltering with the heat from his quirk and the drug burning through your veins.

Cobra glances between the two of you, a slow smirk overtaking him. “As you wish,” he says, taking a step back. “You two have fun.” And then he turns around and runs.

Instead of giving chase, Bakugou whirls around and drops to his knees in front of you. His gloved hands cradle your jaw carefully, and you whimper as he touches you. Heat bursts across your skin. Fuck, he needs to stop touching you. “Ground Zero,” you gasp, “you have to--”

“Shut up,” he snaps at you, tilting your chin to the side. His ruby eyes look over you carefully. “That bastard hurt you?” he demands, jaw clenched. The pad of his thumb brushes against your bottom lip.

“I’m fine,” you hiss through your teeth. “He said it wasn’t poison.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. He’s so close that you can smell the caramel scent of his quirk. It curls around you, making you press your thighs together tightly. You shiver as he moves your head to the side again, and you bite the inside of your cheek to stop another soft noise from slipping from your mouth.

Bakugou’s eyes narrow. “And you think he was telling the truth?”

You swallow the lump in your throat. “Yes. Now you need to go after him, I’ll be fine.”

He continues to stare at you, then makes a displeased sound in the back of his throat. “You better be right fucking here when I get back,” he snaps, lurching to his feet and taking off after Cobra.

XXX

Outside of the building, a hooded figure glances up as Cobra comes strolling out of the building, his arms crossed behind his head lazily. “You took too long, Cobra,” he says, voice eerily blank. Blue eyes narrow behind his hood, glowing in the darkness. 

“What can I say?” Cobra grins, winking at his partner. “Good things take time, Diamondback.”

Diamondback's gaze slides to the building curiously. “Did you finish them off?”

Cobra’s smile widens. “Not quite,” he says, waving off the other man’s concern, “but they won’t be following us anytime soon.” 

“You sure about that, bastard?” someone snarls behind them. 

Both men look up, Cobra glancing over his shoulder to see Ground Zero racing towards them, small explosions lighting up the darkness. Cobra’s expression sours, his smile waning. “Seal the exits,” he demands. 

Diamondback is quick to comply. Clear fluid springs from his hands and snakes across the ground to the open doorway. The substance covers the door and hardens just before Ground Zero can reach it, and the Hero slams into the shield feet first. Bakugou grunts at the impact, the glass like structure holding firm beneath his weight. His eyes narrow on the men on the other side, a feral grin spreading across his face as his feet slide back to the floor. “Think that’ll stop me?” he taunts, pressing his palm to the clear wall between them. An explosion rips from his palm, bright light and smoke clouding the room.

When the smoke clears, Bakugou’s eyes widen. 

There isn’t a scratch on the shield.

“Nice try,” Cobra commends him. “Unfortunately, even your power won’t be enough to get you out of there. Diamondback’s shield is stronger than any other substance on this planet.” He steps towards the building and raps his knuckles against the glassy surface. “And I wouldn’t try blasting your way through the walls either. Enhanced, quirk resistant steel walls, and such. All you’re going to do is make that pretty friend of yours inhale more smoke.” When Bakugou bares his teeth, Cobra laughs. “Really, you should be thanking me,” he tells the Hero. “Enjoy the next twenty four hours!” Still laughing, he walks backward, offering Bakugou a salute as Diamondback starts to follow.

Bakugou throws his fist against the surface. “Dammit!”

XXX

Honestly, you didn’t think tonight could get much worse, but seeing Bakugou stomp back into the hallway with Cobra nowhere in sight proved you very wrong.

“Shit,” you groan, head lolling back against the wall as Bakugou inspects your injured knuckles. They don’t hurt much anymore, just sting in a slow, irritating way, but he insisted on looking them over as he explained what happened with Cobra. “Diamondback wasn’t supposed to be here. We aren’t going to be able to bust through.”

Bakugou’s eyes rise to meet yours. “So what the fuck are we supposed to do?”

“Well, the good news is that Diamondback’s shields can only maintain their solidified form for a maximum of twenty four hours. After that, they’ll return to a liquid state and disappear.” He nods in understanding, finally releasing you in favor of helping you to your feet. His hand is hot against your waist, and you swallow down a pleased sound as his touch lingers. Cobra must not have gotten a good shot on him. Or maybe the aphrodisiac isn’t as strong because he’s so much bigger than you are. You quiver at the thought. “Until then, I guess we just… make ourselves at home.” You shrug, glancing around the empty hallway. “They were camped out here for a while, so there should be some place to sleep.”

Sleep would be good. The heat that consumed you before has only spread in the short time Bakugou was gone, and with him so close the feeling has only doubled in intensity. It spreads like water beneath your suit, which suddenly feels almost too tight.

Bakugou nods, but doesn’t say anything as he helps you back to the main room where you came in. The silence would be comfortable, if you couldn’t feel the way your face flushes, your nipples stiff beneath your bra and suit. Each step makes you wince as the fabric scraps across your skin.

“You good?” he asks as you drop down on the couch situated in the main room. A quick glance around the room tells you that your suspicions were correct. There is indeed a bedroom. Singular. Fuck, Cobra was right, you definitely would have preferred flesh melting poison over the steady pulse of heat growing between your legs.

There’s no way you’re going to be able to sleep in the same bed as Bakugou tonight--not without doing something you might regret. Already, the urge to reach down and touch yourself is almost unbearable, and it’s hardly been more than twenty minutes since Cobra hit you with his quirk. You can’t imagine that having Bakugou’s tall, muscular frame pressed up against your back would do you any good. Especially when it would be so easy for him to pin you down and rip off your--

“I’m fine,” you lie, struggling to keep your breathing even. If you sound breathier than usual, he doesn’t notice. “You should get some rest. Aren’t you usually asleep by now?” you try teasing him, grinning. Your thighs rub together subtly, arousal pooling low in your belly as you reach into the secret pocket in your thigh-high boots.

He doesn’t take the bait. “What about you?” he asks, crossing his arms skeptically. His eyes rake down your body slowly, and you feel it like a physical touch.

Your mouth is painfully dry.. “I’m going to stay out here for a while,” you tell him, holding up your phone with a hand that trembles just the slightest. “Someone has to report back to Deku and Red Riot and let them know that Cobra got away. And that Diamondback is with him.” You can see the argument in his eyes before he even opens his mouth, and you hurry to continue. “I can’t sleep in strange places anyway.” You really fucking hope your smile is reassuring and not something closer to a needy wince.

Bakugou stares for a little longer before shrugging. “Your loss,” he says, tossing off his gauntlets and gloves. They land on the other end of the couch. Your fingers dig into your palms as you look at them. “See ya in the mornin’, sweetheart.” Your head snaps up just in time for you to see him strip off his shirt and toss it onto the couch as well. The dark fabric peels from his sweat-slicked skin, and your pussy clenches as you get an eyeful of lean muscle and a soft trail of blond hair that disappears beneath his low slung pants. “Fuck, it’s hot in here,” he grumbles, shaking his head as he strolls toward the bedroom.

The door shuts behind him with a loud click.

Phone forgotten on the table, you aren’t sure how long you sit there in silence before your hand moves down between your thighs without your permission, pressing against the seam of your suit. The fabric is thin, and you have to swallow down a moan as your fingers brush over your clit. The light touch has your legs quivering, and your free hand clamps over your mouth. Fuck, you shouldn’t do this.

Your eyes close, exhaling slowly, and tip your head back against the couch cushions. This is enough. You’re definitely not going to start thinking about the man in the bedroom less than a dozen feet away from you. You will not slip the crotch of your suit to the side, letting your fingers drag through the slick already dripping from your slit.

A shudder rips through you as your hips buck against your hand, two of your fingers slipping inside of you easily.

Cobra’s voice echoes in your head. That itch isn’t just gonna go away by itself.

Fuck, it’s going to be a long twenty-four hours.

[butterflymar]

DAY 2: FAVORITE BL DRAMA

I have quite a few... I can’t choose just one so bare with me lol

Life Senjou No Bokura

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: One day after school, the serious Ito and the child-like Nishi meet by chance, as each endeavors to remain walking  on the sidewalk`s white line. As time goes by, Ito recognizes he is drawn to Nishi in a way that is new to him. Nishi, for his part, is frustrated that they only get to meet on the sidewalk. Ito decides to act upon his feelings and kisses a surprised Nishi, who agrees they need to walk side by side for a change. The sparks between them are undeniable as their relationship blossoms in high school, survives the college years, and matures into adulthood. A deeply moving work that bears witness to loving partners, whose unchanging feelings must co-exist within a world of changing realities.

My Personal Thoughts: I already wrote a review for this so I am going to re-share some of those thoughts here. This is one that I have watched countless times already. They went by the manga for mostly all of the episodes and I appreciated seeing that. They gave more context for certain details that may have been lost while reading the manga and translated it to screen. I think they depicted the age gaps well too. For 4 episodes only, I feel that they did a great job including the most important aspects. Actually now that I think of it, I would have loved to see more of them in their early 20s depicted on screen because that was like one of there honeymoon phases and I’m a hopeless romantic lol but that’s just a personal preference not complaining. Also, the show stopped at age 40 and they could have gone on throughout there entire lives but I understand why they chose not too. The manga is great as well!!! I think that the main actors depicted beautiful true love very well. They had amazing chemistry. Japanese BL’s have that special spark about them that I love. I also loved that it showed there relationship from high school till there later years. I don’t see that a lot with BL’s. They usually just stick to one time period. The aspect about them being connected by a line in relation to there love was a nice touch as well. I am glad that it has a happy ending as well. This is a pretty quick one to watch and a great one at that!!! If you haven’t watched it yet, I would highly recommend it!!!

I Told Sunset About You 

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Teh and Oh-aew were best friends until a boyhood line of reasoning turned them into rivals. Years later as they're preparing for university admissions, both pursuing interests in the field of Communication Arts, the two meet in a Chinese language class. Their reunion awakens complicated and unstable feelings.

My Personal Thoughts: Same as above, I already wrote a review for this so I am going to re-share some of those thoughts here. This is DEFINITELY one of my top BL shows of the year 2020. This is such a beautiful masterpiece of a show!!! I remember when the preview trailer first came out… I was already hooked!!! I was on the lookout for it and it did not disappoint me one bit when it finally started. I looked forward to seeing it every week. It made me feel all of the emotions. I was up here sitting in my room crying over everything. I don’t think any other BL has made me this emotional before in my life. The two lead actors really DELIVERED!!! I could feel every single stare, every single body movement, and every single touch. You could cut the TENSION with a knife!!! No one couldn’t tell me that there wasn’t a magnetic true love between these two. I know this sounds cliche but it's like they were destined to be together from when they were childhood friends. Also, I would love to see them in future projects!!! The cinematography in this show is TOP FREAKIN NOTCH!!! Every single scene is just so beautifully shot. The cinematography alone makes me want to cry lol I saw somewhere that someone said the filming of the show reminded them of an indie film and I totally agree!!! The writing and directing on this show was impeccable to me!!! No cringy dialogue and every single line served its purpose well. This is movie grade writing. I also wanted to quickly just say that I loved the attention and callback to details throughout like with the tutoring book that Teh made for Oh-aew that was left empty by the end of episode 4, the flower that was supposed to be colored the same as Tan’s garment but Teh colored it red because he was thinking of Oh-aew, the rubbing of Oh-aew’s back when he sniffles, the references to Teh’s favorite actor, and the use of Chinese phrases to get meaning across. I could go on and on but wow I just loved how they really connected all of the details throughout. I can’t wait for Season 2!!!

Theory of Love

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Third is a filmology major and a member of the Savage Team along with his best friends Two, Bone, and Khai, but he has a secret. Third has been secretly in love with Khai for years. For three years, he has kept his secret love in his heart, silently supporting and loving Khai while knowing there is absolutely no future between them since Khai is as straight as a streetlight pole and also an absolute player. To make matters worse, Khai has a "no dating friends" policy. How long can Third love Khai silently while watching Khai bring a different girl home every night? Third has tried to see Khai as just a friend. But has failed time and time again. Because as easy as it is to fall in love, to stop is just as hard.  Maybe even harder. That is until Third learns a secret that breaks his heart completely. But when Third decides to stop, Khai decides to start.

My Personal Thoughts: As sad as this show can make me feel at times, I love rewatching it. I still to this day think that it is one of the most well written BL’s that I have seen. Everything flows nicely and everything connects. Your not left wondering how you got from point A to point B. I thought the show had great character development especially when it came to Khai’s character towards the end of series. I know a lot of people had mixed feelings about his character due to how careless and dare I say stupid he acted at times but if he can make the audience hate him that much as a character... I would say he is doing something right!!! Gun’s acting never fails to amaze me!!! He really is one of the best actors I have seen. I know he had to be drained from all of that crying that he did throughout the show though lol It just goes to show that when you truly love someone you can’t just stop what you are feeling inside that easily no matter how the other person feels about you or treats you. As the old saying goes, love is blind. I also loved the friend group as well and Two and Bones side stories with the teacher and crush from school. They added to the shows greatness and didn’t take away from it. The friendship dynamics throughout the show was I feel something that really kept me engaged. The cast acted well together. There was no awkwardness or hesitation. I feel everyone bought there best for this drama. They incorporated the movie references so cleverly and I love how the title of each episode was the title of a real romance film. Just the overall theme of film was very intriguing to me. This drama left me filled with heartache and a rollercoaster of emotions but the ending is worth it!!!

HIStory3: Make Our Days Count

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: At first glance, high schoolers Xiang Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu appear to be polar opposites: While Xiang Hao Ting is an outgoing, hot-headed extravert and some-time bully, Yu Xi Gu prefers to keep a low profile and focus on his schoolwork. They seem bound for totally different futures – the bookish Yu Xi Gu looks destined for academic success, while life is just a long popularity contest for Xiang Hao Ting. But a quirk of fate – and a crucial intervention by a female schoolmate – results in the two young men’s paths crossing. But there is more to both young men than first meets the eye. Xiang Hao Ting was not always this way. He started out as a perfect student until he discovered the joys of going off the rails. And Yu Xi Gu has a reason for being so aloof and studious: His parents died in a traffic accident while he was younger, and he is being fostered by his aunt. As such, he works hard to get good grades in an effort to win a scholarship and ease the financial burden on his relatives. Yu Xi Gu also works part-time at a convenience store, where his manager Liu Zhi Gang has developed a crush on a man he has met at the gym. Back at school, meanwhile, Yu Xi Gu and Xiang Hao Ting find themselves drawn together, and passions ignite. The former notices that he has the unique ability to bring Yu Xi Gu out of his shell – and becomes intent on melting his cold-as-ice exterior. What will happen when their two worlds collide? And can love be the catalyst that helps bring these two unlikely students together – as their high school days draw to a close?

My Personal Thoughts: I will stand by this notion for all of my days but this show is one of the best shows I have seen PERIOD!!! Not even best BL shows I have seen but just in general. It highkey saddens me that it is rated at an 8.1 right now on MyDramaList due to how it ended when other than that... it’s a top notch show. This was one that I watched as it was airing and I would get excited to see it every week. My clown self should have known by the title “Make Our Days Count” that some mess was about to occur but I didn’t pick up on it. Now, I just disregard the last episode (WE DON’T KNOW HER!!!). You can just tell that they had a great budget for this series. The production was on point. It had great cinematography, great storylines, and it felt realistic too. The main couples acting was OFF THE CHARTS AMAZING. I loved the whole opposites attract thing going on. Although the show was set in high school... it almost didn’t feel like it nor did it have those typical clichés going on. I liked how it dealt with topic of LGBTQ+ acceptance as well. I wasn’t so sure about the side couples relationship at first but I grew to love them as time went on. One last thing I wanted to point out was that even though I am always looking for a happy ending... I learned from this show that not everyone can get a happy ending. That’s not how life works sadly. In real life, there have been a lot of people who were truly in love and lost there partners tragically. Although it may be hard to accept the outcome, it is something that happens in real life. This is a drama that you appreciate even more as time goes on. It truly is a gem of a series!!!

TharnType

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Type Thiwat is a handsome freshman with a passion for football and spicy food. Although he’s a friendly boy, he hates gay people because, in his childhood, he was molested by a man. His life turns upside down when the new academic year of college brings along a charismatic roommate, Tharn Kirigun. Tharn is a gorgeous, compassionate music major, who is also openly gay. When Type learns this, he is determined to make Tharn leave the dorm, as he won't live with a gay person. Tharn is equally determined not to give into Type's homophobic tantrums. With a gay guy and a homophobic guy that have to share a small space together for the rest of the year — what can possibly be the outcome of their story? Hatred? Or maybe love?

My Personal Thoughts: *Goes to hide in a corner* I know this drama is problematic and controversial as hell but it’s like a train wreck that you can’t turn  away from. What truly carries the show I feel is the chemistry between MewGulf. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the series as much if other actors were cast in those roles. They just exude confidence, passion, love, and lust. In terms of the storyline, I found it to be a chaotic occurrence of situations where I just had to know what was going to go on next. Everything that occurred had me intrigued for the next episode and so on and so forth. I loved Type’s character development. One quick thing I want to touch on was I know there were a lot of problematic things that happened which I will touch on at a later date but one thing I wish people were more understanding of was Type’s outbursts, thoughts, and feelings in certain situations. He was a victim of sexual assault so I felt the way he handled certain things was in response to what he had gone through as child and I think some viewers kind of missed that and were almost too harsh on him. Everyone processes and deals with trauma differently. This show went through so many twists and turns and I honestly lived for it especially the shocker towards the end of the series. I didn’t see that one coming at all!!! Despite all of its flaws, this show still holds a special place in my heart.

Honorable Mention:

Cherry Magic: As of today, this show has 4 episodes left and I think I am just going to come out and say that THIS IS MY FAVORITE BL OF THE YEAR!!! It’s a beautiful Japanese BL and I rewatch the old episodes while I wait for new ones to come out alot. It’s such a fluffy, heartwarming, and precious Bl series!!! I love it to pieces!!!

[leather-and-laces]

Stevie A. Nicks Biography × History Predating Stardust Crusaders

NOTE - This bio is a HUGE Work in Progress. Certain things may change, and other bits may seem rushed.

)▬▬ BASIC INFO ▬▬(

• Name: Stevie Annah Nicks

• Nicknames and Aliases: Anna, Savannah

• Species: Human

• Powers: Stand- Isis [Egyptian Goddess Stand]

• Alignment: True Neutral

• Date of Birth: December 13th

• Gender: Female

• Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

• Relatives: Unnamed Father [DECEASED; Died from Brain Cancer], Unnamed Mother [DECEASED; Murdered]

• Occupation: Shipping Company Owner [Former], Gambler [Currently]

• Equipment: Sewing Scissors and Thread

• Status: Alive

▪︎ Part 3 - Age : 33

▪︎ Part 4 - Age : 45

▪︎ Part 5 - Age : 47

▪︎ Part 6 - 56

• Stand Name - Isis

• Stand Power - Red String Manipulation: User can create, shape and manipulate the red string of fate, an invisible conceptual string that bonds souls together. They can create an limitless amount of red strings and extend them at any distance and the strings never tear apart, as it is practically indestructible. They can make the red strings become visible and touchable for others, and also choose to apply changes to anyone’s soul, and as well control the relationship of those bonded by the strings, or even completely remove their bond.

▪︎ Stand Stats

Power - D [Not “Attack” wise; This is catered to the effectiveness of Isis]

Speed - B

Range - A

Durability - D

Precision - A

Potential - B

▬▬ PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ▬▬

• Height: 5’9’’

• Weight: 162 LBs

• Body Shape: Hourglass

• Natural Hair Color: Platinum Blonde

• Dyed Hair Color: N/A

• Eye Color: Blue

• Ethnicity: Japanese American

• Skin Tone: Porcelain

*TOLD IN FIRST PERSON POV ONLY FIR THIS PART.*

▬▬ Back Story ▬▬

My father was a respectable man. A archeologist. And I, a archeologists’ eldest daughter and heir of his company, his golden girl. He not only owned a shipping company, he was a close relative of a museum curator, and also cared for the museum in Alaska– where we were often stayed at in the summer. As his heir, I was expected to learn much and so, I had my own private tutor once I was able to be home schooled.

When summer came to pass, we went back Tokyo. In Tokyo, I saw paintings in an art exhibit. I fell in love with their design, and took up the hobby of painting. I practiced and practiced, giving father and mother small gifts every once in awhile. He made it clear that I should not interact with the outside world all too often, as he believed it’d distract me from my studies after mother had passed away from a hate related crime; I was mixed between Japanese and American, bad blood from the second world war still remained. I, unknowst to him, was using this as a means of coping with grief, with trauma that had sparked my abilities; I always wished to alter the past, to manipulate Fate itself [though I hadn’t known it was fate at that time] to save my mothers life. I was about 6 at the time I first noticed my abilities. All the same, my father would oftentimes sneak out my supplies, leaving my projects vastly unfinished.

He did however, notice I had begun training my eye for the paint right after passing through the store on multiple occasions, and dreading with his daughter would whip up next. I could see things you wouldn’t believe; Red strings connected to every little thing with little dates etched into them, peoples lives… For as long as I could remember, I could see everything of this nature just dangling freely for me and only me to observe. I treasured these moments the most, this innocence in my abilities. Most of my paintings reflected things I saw in people’s lives.

I can remember everything so vividly down to an exact date and exact time in which my marriage that lasted a month or so, was quick to fall apart. I had just gotten into the gambling scene heavily at 24 years old and, undoubtedly so, I had made friends as well as enemies. It was no secret I was a rich mans daughter and heir that simply had too much time and cash on their hands to blow it all so I became a center of attention. My true gambling addiction began to grow from the time I was 16, as my tutor had accumulated a massive debt, and was the man responsible for sparking my true talent. Gambling. What few had tried approaching me in hopes of romantic interest, did so in groups, only interested in my cash or my body; Everyone except for him, or so I thought.

He was charming, handsome even, and he was like a god in my eyes for he made me feel special and loved… So when he proposed, I thought nothing of it and accepted him into my heart immediately. He was eager and I was nervous.

The chapel was empty on my side, save for my old tutor and an old colleague of my fathers, so his friends had spread out evenly.

My body, it was on the floor and it was oh so limp. I could feel it, suffocation as blood clogged every airway possible. So limp, yet I mustered the strength to say one name in hope someone-anyone-would overhear, no matter how faint or weak I sounded.

“Ricardo…?”

“No one is going to find your body, my sweet.”

With that, that Italian bastard left me to die, gagging on my blood. And the fool had the audacity to step over me as I was in the process of dying in my own pool of blood on the floor in the bedroom, blood slipping between my fingers from the wounds peppering my stomach and face from the bat he used to beat me with. Before leaving through the door, he stoked a flame to a scented candle given to us on our wedding… and smiled down at me “Thanks for the inhe…..”

I can remember blacking out and, somehow, by some miracle, I was alive; My ribs were cracked, left hand fractured and I had various damage to my face from the bat which he had chosen to bludgeon me with but… I was alive. It stirred something in me, like I had cheated the inevitable when in actuality a friend of his hand stopped by to drop off a box of camping supplies…

He planned to break my bones and stuff me in a trunk to better hide me in the nearby woods easier.

)▬▬ Stardust Crusaders Biography ▬▬(

A single mother turned thrill seeker, the longtime gamblers travels had landed her in Egypt; She felt seemingly drawn in, called to even, in a casino up in Cario. As a matter of fact, her exploits in gambling her brought her to make an acquaintance of the Elder D'Arby brother. The pair were rivals in the beginning; Stevie aiming to collect his thread of life, and he aiming to collect her soul, the pair would often play various card games together. It was always rather intense, but there was no success in their battles for either party, oftentimes ending in a draw.

These games together brought the pair closer, additionally, causing the duo to pair up to play games against people of interest. This also sparked the interest of Lord DIO, particularly her abilities, involving the alteration of fate on a human soul with the exception of the past; Her abilities complimented the Elder D'Arbys abilities rather well. He offered her money for her efforts, but she merely stated that she was interested in the thrills that accompanied her gambling habits, in exchange that she gets her children tended to with no involvement in this lifestyle she leads. She would oftentimes accompany the Elder D'Arby for his gambling exploits, even if she herself do not play games with him at all times, she ended up using her abilities to compliment his abilities with the soul.

She ended up, eventually, having her fair run in with the Crusaders shortly after the defeat of the Elder D'Arby. With her employ to DIO and the defeat of her friend, she challenged them to her own game of fate, before she was defeated. In a last ditch effort, she attempted to utilize her threads to grab herself a hostage for she knew her failure would ultimately lead to her potential demise. However, Star Platinum was fast, making short work of the woman and shattering all ten of her fingers, rendering her stand completely useless as she has no mobility in her hands. Her fate is ambiguous after this last encounter, but she is to be credited for helping place Anubis on that familiar path in which Chaka acquired the famous sword. Her role is minor in the Glory Gods, and ultimately, apart from complimenting the Elder D'Arbys abilities or her alteration of fate bound to a soul, she has little impact on the grand scheme of things.

She lives her life in shame as much as isolation, having been unable to raise her months old daughter properly, she had to send her child away to a relative in America until her hands recovered from their previous injuries caused by Jotaros encounter.

[whatisgoingonpaul]

Ghost au: First concepts!

I thought I should make this all a text post first, as my art seriously seams to disappear from the tags theres at least 2 recent ones that aren’t there. So anyway take the core beginnings of the au.

Star, ‘19’ -

She seamingly has it all this smoking hot young woman who seams to have no responsiblity in the slightest this total free spirit. Only problem is she’s a bit odd. She talks to herself a lot... except the issue is. She sees and talks to ghosts. About three years ago maybe longer she can’t remember it started happening, she walked so far down the beach she reached this sort of opening to the cave. (Completely now without the graffiti.) it wasn’t a cave ... not completely but the hollowed out remains of a hotel. The hotel, she read about this every spoke on the place how grand it used to be. More importantly the money it brought the place back in the day.

That was when she met them. The boys. This group of the dead, ghosts. She at first was welcoming, though frightened but it soon became clear that they had attached to her. Ghosts aren’t typically one to leave where they died or a place of real emotional importance unless they attach. And they did, they went practically insane seeing the Modern world(... well 1987) she meets Micheal and passes the attachment to him without knowing at first.

- quick note that in this au the Lobby would look completely different, there wouldn’t be the graffiti or the posters and art and items scattered about we all know it for. It would be extremely bare bones; just the remains of the hotel and some barley intact furniture. The candles were added by star.

Micheal -

Himself. A adverage teen with the same story that he had moved with his family here. He was drawn to star unexplainably. He had the same ability at first, completely unknowing that her friends were ghosts until he started to see them more clearly. The blood, the sunken faces- the transparency. He was F R E A K E D until he got to know them. Sam- basically himself and the frog brothers are just paranormal little conspiracy theorists who want to get the lost boys on tape. They desperately just want to know everything about ghosts.

Sam and the frogs-

They themselves don’t change much as charecters, except the frog brothers are more into ghosts. Into the studies and the need for proof, they need to know if the boys are good and if they can’t make them pass on or leave people alone.

David , 18-

His story is about the same. Orphaned at a young age, stealing from pockets as a kid using his charm. He found the boys and they started doing it all together, it went pretty well... though they never did have much street credit. See, adult gangs never had much of a like or respect to these kids messing around - threats were often cast, insults thrown but it never got serious. They never liked calling attention to the police. Though one night a fight went down, the boys were never heavy on weapons- they didn’t have guns like the adult gangs. David had one, but he was a terrible shot and it had proven fatal, he was shot in the gut and ended up dying from his wound.

Particularly pissy more often then not. Wildly protective and territorial. Though out the years it’s not uncommon for jackass teens to stumble across the hotel, some place to party. He scares them off. Poessesion rumored.

Marko, 18-

First of them all to die. He could never control himself, not really. He didn’t have manners, he didn’t want to - he didn’t want to look ‘proper’ or say his graces to the pretty people. Best of them at stealing, small , quick and cute it was easy- though that didn’t always translate. He would get to cocky for himself mess up deals at times. Some people didn’t like that, his attitude, the snarky way in which he spoke. Rival gangs, angry bar patron- he’s not sure. None of them partially good people. He was cornered in a ally and stabbed- a lot.

Particularly clingy, HATES being alone or any sort of seperation.

Paul, 19-

Escaping. From what? From everything. Unpaid tabs , mistakes, botched robbery and his cheating at cards. Cornered. Beach? Water? Somewhere with water. Drowned.

Cannot sit still, cannot leave things be. Fear of water, understandably.

Dwayne , 19-

The big one, 1906. He was in the hotel when it had happened. Unfortunately he was one of those to get stuck in it. Crushed , impaled or worse. He’s not really sure, he doesn’t really remember it or want to.

The one to find and help laddie. He was the one to bring him with them.

Laddie, 11-

Some kid who went missing in the 1970s and wasnt found. No one knows how he died, he does not much either. He doesn’t know a lot. He ‘woke up’ on the side of the road one day and no one quite has the heart to explain to him. He was found by Dwayne, one of the few that didn’t scare the boy- laddie was just estatic that someone isn’t ignoring him. Someone can see him! Before Dwayne found him bye Would wander the boardwalk tugging at women’s sleeves trying to get their attention, they would turn around and scream or turn pale. Terrifed. They couldn’t see him.

Star also felt bad for him; so when she visits she’ll occasionally bring something for him to mess around with; play with. Sometimes ghosts can just barely move objects, one can hear a ball move - it echos around the cave.

Ghosts-

Breif rundown. I’m basing this more off the real (if you believe in such.) sort. So basically no one can really see or hear them except in certain cases or if they manipulate enough. This isn’t Casper they can’t just walk around town or go wherever they want. It’s where they died; a place of emotional importance or if they made a attachment to someone. In cases like laddie where you either don’t remember your death and carry on like normal or just- wander aimlessly.

Also since their ghost the boys haven’t really seen the world since 1906 and are sort of rocked by the modern world of the 1980’s and just. Star and Micheal answer a lot of questions.

*May do art for this, May write something. Depends on what y’all wanna see 👀

[satorisa]

Falling: Chapter 2 - In which Satoshi Actually Gets to School on Time

Rating: T

Summary:  "I wanna forget all this burden in my past."

Alternate Reading: AO3

This is so dialogue heavy it’s kind of ridiculous, but sometimes all you gotta do is talk your feelings out. 

“—tosh—”

“Sa—shi!”

“Satoshi!”

He opened his eyes. Takeshi loomed over him, hair disheveled and eyes wide with concern. Satoshi felt warm until a chill cut through his bones; he was drenched in sweat.

“Bro, you alright?”

“…does it look like I’m alright?” Satoshi croaked. His chapped lips and parched throat made it difficult for him to speak.

“Aight. If you’re giving me attitude, you’re gonna be fine.”

Takeshi’s bedhead disappeared. Satoshi expected his roommate to leave him alone and float back to dreamland, but the door creaked open as Takeshi stomped out. His footsteps crescendoed as he returned, and his gravity-defying hair that rivaled Daisuke’s at the moment popped up by Satoshi’s bedside.

He propped Satoshi up, fluffing his pillow before handing him a bottled water. Takeshi placed a cold compress on Satoshi’s forehead and watched, eyes surprisingly sharp, Satoshi take a sip.

“Bad nightmare?” Takeshi asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do ya remember what it was about?”

“No.”

“Wanna go for a walk?”

“Isn’t it too late for one?”

“So? Do ya wanna go on one or not?”

Satoshi checked his phone. The lock screen read 2:07 AM.

“…yeah. Let’s go for a walk.”

Takeshi helped Satoshi down from the top bunk. They both put on a light jacket before heading downstairs, slipping on their shoes before walking onto the empty streets of Azumano. Satoshi looked at the darkened windows of the houses lining the road before glancing up at the night sky. His eyes then lingered on the street lamps above them before they flitted over at Takeshi.

He had his hands in his pockets. Their eyes met.

Takeshi said nothing.

The muscles in Satoshi’s body relaxed and he focused on the rhythmic count of his footsteps. He noted that Takeshi’s were slightly off from his.

“How long has it been since my last nightmare?” Satoshi asked.

“Truthfully? Last night,” Takeshi answered with nonchalance. “But most nights, you don’t keep me up with all your, um, noise.”

Satoshi didn’t like the hesitation he heard in Takeshi’s response. He bit his lip. “…sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize, bro. Better out than in, I always say.”

They made it to one of the busier streets. A lone sedan passed by as they stood at the intersection, unmoving despite the lack of traffic and the green light for pedestrians.

“You know, I never expected you to be this…”

Takeshi raised his eyebrow.

“Accommodating? Responsible? Understanding?” Satoshi paused, irritated he couldn’t find the right word to express himself. “You never seemed the type.”

Takeshi frowned. “I know I come off a certain way, but that doesn’t mean I’m a douchebag.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”

“There ya go apologizing again!” Takeshi sighed. “Do we have to make one of those jars where ya have to toss in one hundred yen every time ya apologize?”

“Absolutely not,” Satoshi barked.

Takeshi’s laugh echoed before it petered off. His eyes were focused on the sidewalk at the other side of the intersection. Satoshi followed Takeshi’s gaze; there was nothing there. Takeshi sighed next to him.

“Yanno, I had the wrong idea about you for the longest time, too. I thought you had your whole life in order. That you were some stoic hotshot the world couldn’t touch.

“Then I lived with you and, I dunno, bro, I can’t imagine going through the half the shit you went through and are still going through. And I’m not sayin’ that ‘cause I pity you, nothin’ like that, but only now do I see how much you’ve been hiding and struggling with.”

“It’s a little pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Nah. What you’re goin’ through ain’t pathetic. Not at all.”

Another lone sedan passed by.

“Are you just being nice to me because you’re my ‘brother?’”

Takeshi glared at Satoshi. “Bro, do ya really think I’m doin’ this because I’m obligated to?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

Satoshi felt so small under Takeshi’s scowl. He braced himself for Takeshi to scream at him. After all, those weren’t words you just admit to people.

But Takeshi just wrapped his arm around Satoshi’s shoulders and pulled him closer.

“Goddammit, Satoshi, how many times do we have to hammer this shit into your head? Me, Daisuke an’ my parents aren’t doin’ this because we’re obligated to. We’re doin’ this because we care, you dumbass.”

The warmth and physical affection felt so awkward, but Satoshi didn’t hate it. He leaned his head against Takeshi’s, trying to hold back the tears stinging his eyes.

“…because all of you love me?”

Takeshi pulled away, resting his hands on Satoshi’s shoulders and staring at him straight in the eye. He had the biggest grin on his face.

“Damn, straight, Satoshi! It’s because we love you!” Takeshi scooped Satoshi into a hug, skewing Satoshi’s glasses from the sudden ruckus and scaring the sentimentality from the situation. “I love you, you stubborn son of a bitch!”

“Okay! Okay! Let go of me!”

“No!”

Satoshi attempted to fix his glasses while in Takeshi’s vice grip, but he couldn’t and decided to weakly return Takeshi’s hug. Only then did Takeshi let go.

“Wanna grab some ice cream before we head back?” Takeshi asked.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

They ducked into a nearby convenience store and, after an awkward exchange with the cashier, they walked out with their goods: Takeshi had a popsicle, and Satoshi had an ice cream bar. (And they also had a bag of assorted frozen treats to bring home.)

“Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way,” Takeshi began, nibbling on his popsicle as they headed home,” level with me, bro.”

“Yeah?”

“What might’ve caused your terrible nightmare?”

“Why are you asking me that question?”

“Your nightmares were terrifying when you first moved in, but they’re pretty tame now, so I was wonderin’ if somethin’ might’ve triggered it.” Takeshi paused. “Don’t tell me it’s the Dark Mousy portrait!”

Satoshi shrugged. “Maybe? I’ve been working on it for a while though, so I don’t think that’s it.”

“Fair. Then, what—”

“Harada asked me to tell her about Dark.”

Takeshi smacked Satoshi’s arm.

“Hey! What was—”

“Bro, in what world do you think you’re in any position to be doing that right now?”

“She was adamant!”

“Then you should’ve been more adamant!” Takeshi sighed. “Satoshi, I know that it’s something you’re working on, but you really should care more about yourself. Please.”

…

Takeshi and Satoshi never made it to school on time.

They would always get there right when the gates would close and the teachers on tardy duty would scold Takeshi for keeping Satoshi from punctuality before letting the boys in without any consequences. And, when they would arrive in the classroom, their homeroom teacher would target Takeshi for his rampant tardiness while Satoshi quietly slipped into his seat without much of a fuss.

(In reality, it was actually Satoshi keeping them from getting to school before the first bell. Takeshi learned that Satoshi was a pain in the ass to wake up, so he usually spent his morning at his desk. Whenever Satoshi would meet his eyes while rushing to get ready, he always saw a judgmental smirk on Takeshi’s face.)

But Satoshi, for once, actually got up while Takeshi was getting ready. The two left for school at a reasonable time that morning and bumped into Daisuke and Risa at the school gates.

“Congrats on waking up early!” Daisuke greeted.

Risa giggled next to him.

Satoshi rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Takeshi patted his back. “Bro, this is monumental for you.”

“Shut it.”

Risa and Takeshi began talking about some K-pop song that just dropped. And Daisuke began talking to Satoshi about his plans for the art club.

Satoshi appreciated this distance from Risa. As long as Takeshi and Daisuke were there, he had a safe buffer.

Thank god he wasn’t in the same class as her.

…

Inspector Saehara locked the door behind them. The sun had set a while back, so he and Satoshi stepped onto the evening streets of Azumano. They were on their way to grab fried chicken for dinner before heading home.

Office workers were only just clocking out, so the two passed by commuters in business casual. Passersby were either alone, rushing off someplace, or leisurely strolling about, socializing in groups. Inspector Saehara and Satoshi also passed by students either on their way to cram school or back home.

In the middle of a conversation about stocks, a young woman wearing Azumano High’s uniform bumped into Inspector Saehara. She furiously apologized before rushing off as her pigtails bounced behind her, muttering something under her breath about being late to cram school again.

“Do you wanna go to cram school?” Inspector Saehara asked. “I know your grades are good, but it wouldn’t hurt if you’re aiming for a prestigious high school.”

“I have a Bachelor’s degree, remember?”

“I know,” Inspector Saehara huffed. “It was just a suggestion.”

“Then suggest it to Takeshi. He needs it more than I do.”

“Nah. He’s already decided on going to Azumano High.”

“Why? He’s got the potential to aim for a better school.”

“He wants to stay close to home.”

“That’s a waste.”

“Yanno, there’s more to life than success,” Inspector Saehara said. “I may not show it, but I do miss Ma terribly when she’s overseas, so I appreciate having Takeshi around.”

“And he made that decision because of you?”

“Yeah. He knows he might be at a little disadvantage when applying to universities, but he’s got plans to make up for it.”

“Then why are you and Saehara-san forcing me to stay in school for at least one more year when you’re not pushing Takeshi to try harder?”

Inspector Saehara let out a guffaw at this. His reaction only confused Satoshi more.

“I dunno about you, but it seems a little unfair for me to let a fifteen year old go straight into the workforce, college degree or not.”

“I don’t know about you, but it seems a little unfair to me that you’re forcing me to ‘relearn’ things I already know in the hope that I may want to waste away another three years of my life in high school.”

Inspector Saehara just laughed at Satoshi’s snarky comment.

Satoshi didn’t see his reply as a joke. The Saeharas laughed at the strangest of things and made a big deal over the littlest of things. Even after living with them for a while, their theatrics were still foreign to him.

“I suppose, but Ma and I don’t want you to shoehorn yourself into that path. And who knows? You may change your mind between now and December!”

“I highly doubt it.”

Inspector Saehara laughed again.

Besides, even if Satoshi, for whatever reason, decided he wanted to waste another three years in high school, he had already gone through the college experience once. After high school, he only had two options available to him: work or attend graduate school. He certainly didn’t want to toil through studying again, so the latter option was off the table.

Honestly, Satoshi didn’t understand Inspector Saehara and Mama Saehara’s insistence on him “living his youth.” Were they nostalgic of their own youth? Trying to live vicariously through him? Or was there something here that Satoshi wasn’t understanding but that they, two bona fide adults, did?

Which only then begged the question…

“Why did you and Saehara-san decide to take me in?” Satoshi asked.

They stopped at a crosswalk. Satoshi glanced over at Inspector Saehara, but the older man’s expression showed nothing. It was his usual gruff face, disinterested with the bustle surrounding them.

“I was wonderin’ when you were gonna ask that question,” Inspector Saehara admitted.

“I didn’t think I could. It seemed a little rude to ask after all your hospitality.”

“It ain’t rude. You’re curious, and you have the right to know,” Inspector Saehara said. “I want you to feel comfortable asking us for stuff, yanno. I don’t want you feelin’ like you can’t or shouldn’t.”

“But— ”

“You shouldn’t have to feel responsible for my, or anyone’s, feelings. How I feel is on me. And if somethin’ you ask makes me uncomfortable, I’ll let you know.”

Inspector Saehara ruffled Satoshi’s hair. He looked over at the older man who had the biggest grin on his face. Reassured, Satoshi allowed a small smile to slip.

“As long as you keep your word on that, I’ll try to get more comfortable about asking for stuff.”

“Atta boy.”

The light turned green, and they crossed the street.

“Anyways, uh, Ma and I were already planning on taking you in,” Inspector Saehara answered. “We waited to see if the Niwas wanted to adopt you, since Daisuke’s your friend an’ all, but he said it’d probably be better for you if we took you in.”

“Did he say why?”

“Nope. Figured your close friend would be excited to live with you so, if he had something against it, then he prolly had a reason why.”

“Did you know about it before taking me in?” Satoshi asked.

“About your issues an’ stuff? I had an inkling that something was up, but I only really knew when ya told us about it.”

“…how did you and Saehara-san take it so well?”

Inspector Saehara just smiled. “Honestly, Satoshi, this ain’t Ma’s and my first go around with somethin’ like this.”

The words danced on Satoshi’s tongue. They screamed in his head. He wanted to know what Inspector Saehara meant, to learn about another situation similar to his. Inspector Saehara noticed Satoshi’s face, scrunched in thought, and let out a hearty laugh.

“One day, Ma will tell you about it, alright? It ain’t really my place to share it.”

“…fine.”

“Now then, where should we grab chicken from today?”

…

Yet another art meeting ended. The fangirls that initially joined had long left. In their stead were passionate first-years, crazy about art and simultaneously enamored with Satoshi’s handsome visage and artistic prowess.

The second and third years contended that Satoshi had the personality of a wet block of tofu. They all bickered for a while for a while until Daisuke broke it up.

Satoshi laughed at this. Everyone gasped.

“I think I might need to ban you from smiling for the safety of my club,” Daisuke joked, handing Satoshi a warm black coffee from the vending machine.

Satoshi nestled the drink in his hand, nursing it like a baby chick before looking out the window. He spotted the art club members in a group, arguing about something until they noticed Satoshi looking at them. They waved enthusiastically, and he returned their gesture, albeit calmer, with a small smile, and the group returned to their conversation absolutely giddy.

“Maybe you should,” Satoshi quipped.

Daisuke laughed before pulling off the tarp covering Dark’s portrait. It looked complete to the untrained eye, but Daisuke knew there was still work to be done.

“You’ve made really go progress on this,” Daisuke said. “Are you planning on doing something with it?”

Satoshi shrugged, examining the painting while sipping on his drink. He noted spots he wanted to work on while Daisuke continued to study it.

“Why don’t you give it to me?” Daisuke suggested. “I think my mom might appreciate it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“What else would you do with it?”

“Give it to Harada.”

Daisuke made a face, trying to hold back from saying what was on his mind. He had a way of wording his thoughts as gently as possible, but the facial journey to his decision said everything.

“Whatever you want to say, Takeshi’s already said it but worse,” Satoshi said as he got ready to work, squeezing some paint onto his pallet. “Don’t feel like you need to sugar-coat it for me.”

Daisuke sighed. “I think this is a terrible idea.”

“Thanks,” Satoshi drawled. “I’m aware.”

He glanced over at Daisuke again to see if he could gather anything  from his friend’s expression. Illuminated by the setting sun, he witnessed yet another facial journey: introspective instead of judgmental.

Perhaps Daisuke had something to say about Risa, especially since he was the closest to her out of the trio of boys. Maybe there was something hidden behind her loud screeches whenever Takeshi would hound her about something or the silent, composed smile she had whenever Satoshi found himself alone with her.

But Daisuke just kept it to himself, giving Satoshi a reassuring pat on his back before working on his own painting.

Satoshi knew that telling Risa about Dark was threatening the distance between them. He preferred those smiles compared to her screaming into his ear. As long as Risa behaved herself around him, he knew that she wasn’t comfortable in his presence.

For his sake, he wanted it to stay that way.

…

Satoshi woke up at a reasonable time yet again. To celebrate his achievement, Inspector Saehara gave them some money to buy some nikuman.

And so, they stood in front of the convenience store by the school, watching students pass by while they nibbled on their steamed buns and sipped on their milk.

Takeshi looked down at his phone for a bit, and Satoshi spotted Daisuke and Risa walk by. He nearly called them over when he noticed the exuberance in Risa’s expression: shining, just like how she looked like when she was around Dark.

“…shit.”

…

Satoshi woke up that morning to an empty room. Takeshi planned a team-building event for the newspaper club that day, so he said he would be out for a while.

After stretching, Satoshi headed downstairs. Inspector Saehara stood in front of the stove, focused on the pan of scrambled eggs.

“Good morning, Saehara-san.”

“G’morning, Satoshi,” he greeted. “Yanno, you can call me ‘Pa.’”

“Absolutely not.”

He sighed before turning off the stove, setting the pan of eggs to the side to cool. The rice cooker sang, signaling that the rice had finished cooking, so Satoshi helped Inspector Saehara set the table.

“Saehara-san, do you think me telling Harada-imouto about Dark is a mistake?” Satoshi asked once they both sat down to eat.

“I appreciate you asking me questions an’ all, but do ya have to ask me now?”

“I wanted to ask you when Takeshi wasn’t around.”

“Can we eat first though?”

After saying their thanks, Satoshi gulped his food down. Inspector Saehara watched in awe before shaking his head and digging in. Once he finished, Satoshi had already cleaned up his spot at the table and washed most of the dishes.

“So?” Satoshi started as he finished cleaning up the table.

Inspector Saehara sighed. “Do you think it’s a mistake?”

“Daisuke and Takeshi—”

“I ain’t askin’ about what they think. I’m askin’ about what you think.”

Satoshi didn’t answer. He focused on washing the dishes, feeling the warm water running over his hands, the soap clinging to his skin. The sound of the faucet said everything.

“Satoshi, what do you think?” Inspector Saehara asked again.

He finished rinsing the last dish. Satoshi placed it on the drying rack before turning off the water and facing Inspector Saehara.

“…I don’t know.”

Inspector Saehara got up from the table. “Alright. Let’s go call Ma.”

“No, don’t do that!” Satoshi protested. “It’s late over there and I don’t want to bother her.”

“Yer not botherin’ her.”

“Yes, I am! This whole thing is ridiculous—”

“This ain’t ridiculous.” The stern tone in Inspector Saehara’s voice startled Satoshi. “Whatever problem yer havin’ is a problem so stop trying to minimalize it. ‘sides, Ma’s better at figurin’ out emotions than me.”

Satoshi held back from protesting and silently followed Inspector Saehara to the master bedroom. The older man grabbed his phone and dialed Mama Saehara before lying down on his bed. Satoshi sat next to him, uncomfortable about calling Mama Saehara, when she picked up. Her face appeared on the tiny screen, and she looked drowsy.

“What do you want, Pa?” she asked.

Inspector Saehara handed the phone to Satoshi. Mama Saehara perked up immediately.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Satoshi’s breath hitched. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Saehara-san, but—”

“Honey, no, please don’t apologize. It’s alright.” He heard something move on her end. “What’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath. “Do you think me telling Harada-imouto about Dark is a mistake?”

“Do you think it’s a mistake?” she calmly echoed.

“Daisuke and Takeshi think it is, but I genuinely don’t know. It feels like it is, though.”

“Why do Daisuke and Takeshi think it is? And why do you think it is?”

Her soft tone asked questions Satoshi had difficulty answering. He preferred hearing someone speaking to him, interrupting him, calling him out, explaining things to him, than hear his timid voice struggling to respond to something so simple.

“Daisuke and Satoshi said that I should take care of myself first. And, for me honestly, it scares me.”

Mama Saehara was silent. She pondered for a bit before nodding and responded. “I do have to agree with Daisuke and Takeshi about taking care of yourself but, funnily enough, sometimes facing things that scare you is actually taking care of yourself.”

Satoshi blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Daisuke and Takeshi mean well. They want to protect you from getting hurt, so they’re telling you not to do it. And, if you’re not ready for it, Pa and I would stop you from doing it , too.”

“But I don’t feel ready for it at all!”

The decision felt like taking a step into the woods without a flashlight. Whenever Risa approached him, he felt like he was drowning, terrified that she would ask about Dark. Why did he have to face something he had no strength to acknowledge just because one stubborn, teenage girl wanted to now about her forgotten lover?

“Sometimes, you won’t feel like you’re ready, and that’s okay,” Mama Saehara answered. “But you don’t have to go through this alone anymore. We’re all with you now.”

“At the end of the day, what you do is your decision,” Inspector Saehara said. “If you don’t want to help Harada-imouto, then tell her you can’t help her anymore. And if you want to, like Ma said, we’re with you every step of the way.”

“What type of answer is that?” Satoshi asked. “You two are the adults here. Don’t you have something clearer than that?”

“Sorry, Satoshi, but this isn’t a decision we can make for you,” Mama Saehara answered.

Satoshi wanted to scream. Why did this situation have to be so difficult to deal with? Calculus was no problem; he could derive and integrate equations all day, but this? This whole damn thing made him so uncomfortable, and he hated it.

Daisuke and Takeshi told him this wasn’t a good idea. Inspector and Mama Saehara told him otherwise. How the hell could he make a decision when he didn’t have a unanimous answer?

“You know, Satoshi,” Inspector Saehara began, shaking Satoshi out of his thoughts, “I was in that situation, too. Everyone around me thought that I was making a terrible mistake to the point that I began to second guess my decision.”

“And?”

His expression softened. “I ain’t gonna lie, the whole thing was hell, but it worked out alright in the end.”

“That’s a terrible answer,” Satoshi grumbled.

Inspector Saehara laughed. “I suppose it is.”

Satoshi glanced down at Mama Saehara. She looked lost in a happy thought.

“Saehara-san,” he called, catching Mama Saehara’s attention,” what do you think?”

“I don’t have a personal anecdote like Pa, but I think you should go for it. If you’re able to think about something like that, then you should give it a shot. And, speaking from personal experiences, you’re a lot stronger than you think you are. If the whole thing gets difficult, you can always take a break before jumping back into it.”

Satoshi mulled over her words while looking at Mama Saehara. She was wide awake, comfortably sitting up in the bed by the lamplight. Was that what it looked like to be an adult? Able to take on other’s burdens while giving advice, looking like they’ve been unaffected by the toils of life?

“Thank you, Saehara-san. And sorry again for calling you this late.”

“You’re very welcome, Satoshi. And please don’t apologize. I’m glad you called me for this. She yawned. “Unfortunately, I have a packed schedule waiting for me, so I must now depart. Au revoir, my loves.”

She hung up. Satoshi handed the phone back to Inspector Saehara.

“We’ll be proud of you no matter what decision you make.”

“…why?”

“Because you finally asked for help. Thanks for letting us know.”

Satoshi never understood why the Saeharas celebrated such small things like that. Sometimes, he felt like they treated him like a kid, but the pure elation on their faces whenever he accomplished something said otherwise.

These menial things meant a lot to them, and he couldn’t take that away. Not when their idiosyncrasies began to grow on him, too.

“Let’s go out for some coffee,” Inspector Saehara sad. “You look like you need that pick-me-up.”

“Is that fair to Takeshi?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

…

Takeshi happened to spot them through the window on the way back home from his outing. Risa was with him, and she casually followed Takeshi in while he sauntered over to where Inspector Saehara and Satoshi sat. Satoshi watched, amused, as Takeshi scolded his father for leaving him out of “bonding time with Satoshi.”

Eventually, they settled down before directing their attention towards Risa, begging her to join the Saehara family for an afternoon snack. When she relented, Takeshi and her fell in line to order.

Inspector was busy enjoying the brownie he bought with his coffee. Satoshi was about to return to people-watching when he noticed Takeshi’s familiar expression while joking about something with Risa: radiant with just a touch of gentleness.

…oh.

…

Daisuke and the rest of the club had long left. Satoshi, content with the work he had just finished, began cleaning up. He draped a tarp over his canvas and gathered up the brushes, dumping them into his water cup. Palette in hand, he picked up the cup and was about to leave the room—

Risa opened the door, bathed in the blue glow of the evening.

“Oh!”

Satoshi blinked at her startled reaction. “Hello, Harada. Takeshi keep you long again?”

She shook her head. “Oh, no. Ritsuko just finished something up for the robotics club, so I kept her company.”

“Isn’t she the club president?”

“Yup.” Risa laughed. “I don’t get how she gets that stuff and likes it, but it sure is interesting when you see the final results.” She noticed what Satoshi was holding and stepped out of the way. “Whoops. Sorry about that!”

“No issue, Harada. Did you need something, though?” he asked.

He made his way to the bathroom and Risa followed. “I just figured we could walk home together if you were still here.”

Satoshi raised his eyebrow. “What about Fukuda?”

“She has cram school today, so she rushed out.”

“She’s been busy?”

“Yup. It’s been hard to see her lately.”

They got to the bathroom. Satoshi stepped in and after he finished cleaning everything, he came out to see Risa sipping on a strawberry milk. She handed him a can of black coffee that he accepted, and they headed back to the art room.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to bribe me right now.”

“Maybe.”

He glanced over at her, and she giggled. Satoshi became painfully aware of what this meant to the two of them, and Risa felt so far away from him in that instant. He had to quell the desire to crush the can in his hand.

“Why haven’t you asked about him sooner?” Satoshi asked.

“Mm, I don’t know. I felt like I needed to brace myself for it. And that you needed to prepare yourself for it, too.”

“Was that a hunch of yours?”

“Yup. You’re not very easy to read, Hiwatari-kun.”

They reached the classroom. He let Risa go in before he followed. Satoshi tidied up while Risa busied herself with her phone.

How sharp was Risa’s intuition? Even Daisuke and Takeshi had difficulty seeing past his unexpressive face. Yet, without much effort, Risa could see past everything.

Terrifying.

When Satoshi finished putting away all the art supplies, he looked at Risa. She laughed at something on her phone and, when she noticed Satoshi looking at her, she put her phone away and smiled.

“Ready to head out and talk about my special someone?” she asked with that lilting tone.

“No.”

“Then is there something on my face?”

“No.”

Her amusement gave way to confusion. “Then…?”

Satoshi sighed. He couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer.

“Do you want to see what he looked like?”

Risa’s eyes sparkled. He urged her over to the covered painting and slipped the tarp off, revealing the completed Dark Mousy portrait.

And Satoshi, bathed in the blue flow of the recently set sun, could only stand there and watch as the pure elation in her face gave way to tears.

Dammit.

…

“You’re giving it to me?” she asked after she calmed down.

“Yes. The paint’s still drying, so I’ll let you know when you can take it home.”

Risa sniffled before looking at the painting again.

“What’s his name?”

“Dark Mousy.”

She giggled. “What a silly name!”

“Indeed.”

She continued to admire the work. Her eyes glistened under the fluorescent lights, and her smile wouldn’t leave her face.

“You don’t want to learn more about him?” Satoshi asked.

She looked at him and beamed brighter than the lights above. “Nah. I think this is enough for today. There’s always another time to find out more about him.” Risa slipped off the desk and straightened her skirt. “Anyways, let’s head out now.”

“Yes, we should.”

Satoshi covered the portrait. He took the club room keys out of his pocket and, after turning off the lights, locked the door behind them. They made their way towards the faculty office.

“I’m in the mood for some crepes. Wanna grab some on the way back? My treat.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Aw. You’re no fun.”

[msucallie]

heyo! it’s nice to meet you guys! my name is adri (21+, she/her pronouns, pst tz) and i’m so excited to be here with you all!! i’m sorry that callie’s blog is a mess right now and that i am in no way prepared with a plot page or an official bio whoops-- but! i’ll be sure to write those up soon and reblog this post with the corresponding links when that happens! 

until then, feel free to learn a little bit about callie in her welcome post here and her profile page here. also if you are interested in plotting, feel free to dm me, like this post, and/or hmu on my twt @/ jihyosmom or on discord @/ it's jihyo hours#0293 !! just let me know who you are and we can get to plotting easy!

now under the read more will be some quick facts about callie just so you guys can become a little bit familiar with her muse! again, thank you so much for having me and i hope we can all plot soon!!

callie was born and raised in london, england, coming from a short line of wizards as her parents were both muggle borns making her a second generation witch herself.

she started attending hogwarts at the age of 11 and was sorted into gryffindor. throughout her years there, she was part of gryffindor’s quidditch team as a chaser and was discovered to have a natural tallent for defense against the dark arts and charms which later become both her major and minor respectively when she began attending mokseong.

she is now a junior residing in the suseong house and of course, is one of their chasers for their quidditch team.

callie is an active member in both the dada and dueling clubs though she always politely declines taking up a leadership position.

she’s honestly your typical jock girl -- the only things going through her mind being quidditch and anything to do with martial magic. but she’s naturally fun-loving and a little bit reckless, always somehow inserting herself into situations that make eyes draw towards her without meaning to.

she honestly doesn’t have a mean bone in her body though she does become distressed whenever she sees someone breaking the rules intentionally ( she’s called a hypocrite tbh but she always emphasizes that her situations were accidents! ).

she’s sometimes called a fool because of how much she goes out her way for others. she’s self-sacrificing to a fault and it gets her into trouble most times than not.

she’s really protective when it comes to her friends and loved ones so even though she’s not exactly the most responsible of a group, she can easily be the mom friend if you let her.

a BIG EATER, especially when it comes to sweets. because she’s always moving about and doesn’t have a pause button, she tends to eat whenever she’s able to in order to keep her strength up for the next quidditch match.

wants to become a professional dueler or auror after she graduates, which ever career comes first tbh

callie really has rocks for brains when it comes to romance??? if anybody wants to romance her and teach her what love is, that would be great.

she took a gap year after graduating from hogwarts before applying for mokseong. she used this time to travel europe though she never really said what for.

some connection/plot ideas

some hogwarts friends from back in the days (fellow gryffindors are a plus)

maybe a quidditch rival or two. they play the same position for opposite teams so they always interact on and off the field.

mb an ex from hogwarts??? it was a brief relationship tbh because of how bad callie is at them. it was her first one though so can you blame her?

suseong quidditch team -- where you at thoooo

dada majors -- come thruuuuuu

maybe a potential ship??? probably slow burn if you’re into that kind of thing maybe :’)

a younger dada student or someone from dueling club that callie sort of mentors??? if you can call it that. she can be the bokuto to your hinata for you haikyuu fans out there!!

more ideas to come !! and don’t forget to come and plot with me!!

[astronomicalterror]

NOTE - This bio is a HUGE Work in Progress. Certain things may change, and other bits may seem rushed.

)▬▬ BASIC INFO ▬▬(

• Name: Stevie Annah Nicks

• Nicknames and Aliases: Anna, Savannah

• Species: Human

• Powers: Stand- Isis [Egyptian Goddess Stand]

• Alignment: True Neutral

• Date of Birth: December 13th

• Gender: Female

• Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

• Relatives: Unnamed Father [DECEASED; Died from Brain Cancer], Unnamed Mother [DECEASED; Murdered]

• Occupation: Shipping Company Owner [Former], Gambler [Currently]

• Equipment: Sewing Scissors and Thread

• Status: Alive

▪︎ Part 3 - Age : 33

▪︎ Part 4 - Age : 45

▪︎ Part 5 - Age : 47

▪︎ Part 6 - 56

• Stand Name - Isis

• Stand Power - Red String Manipulation: User can create, shape and manipulate the red string of fate, an invisible conceptual string that bonds souls together. They can create an limitless amount of red strings and extend them at any distance and the strings never tear apart, as it is practically indestructible. They can make the red strings become visible and touchable for others, and also choose to apply changes to anyone’s soul, and as well control the relationship of those bonded by the strings, or even completely remove their bond.

▪︎ Stand Stats

Power - D [Not “Attack” wise; This is catered to the effectiveness of Isis]

Speed - B

Range - A

Durability - D

Precision - A

Potential - B

▬▬ PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ▬▬

• Height: 5’9’’

• Weight: 162 LBs

• Body Shape: Hourglass

• Natural Hair Color: Platinum Blonde

• Dyed Hair Color: N/A

• Eye Color: Blue

• Ethnicity: Japanese American

• Skin Tone: Porcelain

*TOLD IN FIRST PERSON POV ONLY FIR THIS PART.*

▬▬ Back Story ▬▬

My father was a respectable man. A archeologist. And I, a archeologists’ eldest daughter and heir of his company, his golden girl. He not only owned a shipping company, he was a close relative of a museum curator, and also cared for the museum in Alaska– where we were often stayed at in the summer. As his heir, I was expected to learn much and so, I had my own private tutor once I was able to be home schooled.

When summer came to pass, we went back Tokyo. In Tokyo, I saw paintings in an art exhibit. I fell in love with their design, and took up the hobby of painting. I practiced and practiced, giving father and mother small gifts every once in awhile. He made it clear that I should not interact with the outside world all too often, as he believed it'd distract me from my studies after mother had passed away from a hate related crime; I was mixed between Japanese and American, bad blood from the second world war still remained. I, unknowst to him, was using this as a means of coping with grief, with trauma that had sparked my abilities; I always wished to alter the past, to manipulate Fate itself [though I hadn't known it was fate at that time] to save my mothers life. I was about 6 at the time I first noticed my abilities. All the same, my father would oftentimes sneak out my supplies, leaving my projects vastly unfinished.

He did however, notice I had begun training my eye for the paint right after passing through the store on multiple occasions, and dreading with his daughter would whip up next. I could see things you wouldn’t believe; Red strings connected to every little thing with little dates etched into them, peoples lives… For as long as I could remember, I could see everything of this nature just dangling freely for me and only me to observe. I treasured these moments the most, this innocence in my abilities. Most of my paintings reflected things I saw in people's lives.

I can remember everything so vividly down to an exact date and exact time in which my marriage that lasted a month or so, was quick to fall apart. I had just gotten into the gambling scene heavily at 24 years old and, undoubtedly so, I had made friends as well as enemies. It was no secret I was a rich mans daughter and heir that simply had too much time and cash on their hands to blow it all so I became a center of attention. My true gambling addiction began to grow from the time I was 16, as my tutor had accumulated a massive debt, and was the man responsible for sparking my true talent. Gambling. What few had tried approaching me in hopes of romantic interest, did so in groups, only interested in my cash or my body; Everyone except for him, or so I thought.

He was charming, handsome even, and he was like a god in my eyes for he made me feel special and loved… So when he proposed, I thought nothing of it and accepted him into my heart immediately. He was eager and I was nervous.

The chapel was empty on my side, save for my old tutor and an old colleague of my fathers, so his friends had spread out evenly.

My body, it was on the floor and it was oh so limp. I could feel it, suffocation as blood clogged every airway possible. So limp, yet I mustered the strength to say one name in hope someone-anyone-would overhear, no matter how faint or weak I sounded.

"Ricardo...?"

“No one is going to find your body, my sweet.”

With that, that Italian bastard left me to die, gagging on my blood. And the fool had the audacity to step over me as I was in the process of dying in my own pool of blood on the floor in the bedroom, blood slipping between my fingers from the wounds peppering my stomach and face from the bat he used to beat me with. Before leaving through the door, he stoked a flame to a scented candle given to us on our wedding… and smiled down at me “Thanks for the inhe…..”

I can remember blacking out and, somehow, by some miracle, I was alive; My ribs were cracked, left hand fractured and I had various damage to my face from the bat which he had chosen to bludgeon me with but… I was alive. It stirred something in me, like I had cheated the inevitable when in actuality a friend of his hand stopped by to drop off a box of camping supplies…

He planned to break my bones and stuff me in a trunk to better hide me in the nearby woods easier.

)▬▬ Stardust Crusaders Biography ▬▬(

A single mother turned thrill seeker, the longtime gamblers travels had landed her in Egypt; She felt seemingly drawn in, called to even, in a casino up in Cario. As a matter of fact, her exploits in gambling her brought her to make an acquaintance of the Elder D'Arby brother. The pair were rivals in the beginning; Stevie aiming to collect his thread of life, and he aiming to collect her soul, the pair would often play various card games together. It was always rather intense, but there was no success in their battles for either party, oftentimes ending in a draw.

These games together brought the pair closer, additionally, causing the duo to pair up to play games against people of interest. This also sparked the interest of Lord DIO, particularly her abilities, involving the alteration of fate on a human soul with the exception of the past; Her abilities complimented the Elder D'Arbys abilities rather well. He offered her money for her efforts, but she merely stated that she was interested in the thrills that accompanied her gambling habits, in exchange that she gets her children tended to with no involvement in this lifestyle she leads. She would oftentimes accompany the Elder D'Arby for his gambling exploits, even if she herself do not play games with him at all times, she ended up using her abilities to compliment his abilities with the soul.

She ended up, eventually, having her fair run in with the Crusaders shortly after the defeat of the Elder D'Arby. With her employ to DIO and the defeat of her friend, she challenged them to her own game of fate, before she was defeated. In a last ditch effort, she attempted to utilize her threads to grab herself a hostage for she knew her failure would ultimately lead to her potential demise. However, Star Platinum was fast, making short work of the woman and shattering all ten of her fingers, rendering her stand completely useless as she has no mobility in her hands. Her fate is ambiguous after this last encounter, but she is to be credited for helping place Anubis on that familiar path in which Chaka acquired the famous sword. Her role is minor in the Glory Gods, and ultimately, apart from complimenting the Elder D'Arbys abilities or her alteration of fate bound to a soul, she has little impact on the grand scheme of things.

She lives her life in shame as much as isolation, having been unable to raise her months old daughter properly, she had to send her children away to a relative in America.

[za3k]

2020 Videogames

In 2020 I’m newly retired, so I’ve had free time. I think it’s fun to do reviews, so without further ado here’s every video game I played in 2020!

I recommend:

(4/5) Among Us – Very fun. It’s only fun with voice chat with friends, so I’ve only gotten to play once or twice. I’ve been watching it more than playing it. Also free to play for mobile gamers–I’m tired of the “everyone buys a copy” model of group gameplay.

(4/5) Brogue. Brogue is an ascii-art roguelike. It’s great, and it has a nice difficulty ramp. It’s a good “quick break” game. I play it in preference to other roguelikes partly because I haven’t done it to death yet, and partly because I don’t need a numpad?

(4/5) Cook Serve Delicious 3. One of the more fun games I played this year. You get really into it, but I had trouble relaxing and paying attention to the real world when I played too much, haha. I own but haven’t played the first two–I gather this is pretty much just a refinement.

(4/5) Green Hell. Price tag is a bit high for the number of hours I got out of it, but I haven’t finished the story. Great graphics, and the BEST map design I’ve seen in a 3D game in a long time. It feels like a real place, with reasonable geography instead of copy-pasted tiles. I love that as you walk along, you can just spot a cultivated area from the rest of the jungle–it feels more like it’s treating me like an adult than most survival games. Everything still gets highlighted if you can pick it up. I played the survival mode, which was okay but gets old quickly. I started the story mode–I think it would be fine, but it has some LONG unskippable scenes at the start, including a very hand-holdy tutorial, that I think they should have cut. I did start getting into the story and was having fun, but I stopped. I might finish the game some time.

(4/5) Hyperrogue. One of my recent favorites. The dev has made a fair number of highly experimental games, most of which are a total miss with me, but this one is fun. I do wish the early game wasn’t quite as repetitive. Failing another solution, I might actually want this not to be permadeath, or to have a save feature? I bought it on steam to support the dev and get achievements, but it’s also available a version or two behind free, which is how I tried it. Constantly getting updates and new worlds.

(4/5) Minecraft – Compact Claustrophobia modpack. Fun idea, nice variety. After one expansion felt a little samey, and it was hard to start with two people. I’d consider finishing this pack.

(4/5) Overcooked 2. Overcooked 2 is just more levels for Overcooked. The foods in the second game is more fun, and it has better controls and less bugs. If you’re considering playing Overcooked, I recommend just starting with the second game, despite very fun levels in the first. I especially appreciate that the second game didn’t just re-use foods from the first.

(4/5) Please Don’t Press Anything. A unique little game where you try to get all the endings. I had a lot of fun with this one, but it could have used some kind of built-in hints like Reventure. Also, it had a lot of red herrings. Got it for $2, which it was well worth.

(5/5) Reventure. Probably the best game new to me this year. It’s a short game where you try to get each of about 100 endings. The art and writing are cute and funny. The level design is INCREDIBLE. One thing I found interesting is the early prototype–if I had played it, I would NOT have imagined it would someday be any fun at all, let alone as amazing as it is. As a game designer I found that interesting! I did 100% complete this one–there’s a nice in-game hint system, but there were still 1-3 “huh” puzzles, especially in the post-game content, one of which I had to look up. It’s still getting updates so I’m hoping those will be swapped for something else.

(5/5) Rimworld. Dwarf fortress, but with good cute graphics, set in the Firefly universe. Only has 1-10 pawns instead of hundreds of dwarves. Basically Dwarf Fortress but with a good UI. I wish you could do a little more in Rimworld, but it’s a fantastic, relaxing game.

(5/5) Slay the Spire. Probably the game I played most this year. A deckbuilding adventure through a series of RPG fights. A bit luck-based, but relaxing and fun. I like that you can play fast or slow. Very, very well-designed UI–you can really learn how things work. My favorite part is that because it’s singleplayer, it’s really designed to let you build a game-breaking deck. That’s how it should be!

(4/5) Stationeers. I had a lot of fun with this one. It’s similar to Space Engineers but… fun. It has better UI by a mile too, even if it’s not perfect. I lost steam after playing with friends and then going back to being alone, as I often do for base-building games. Looks like you can genuinely make some complicated stuff using simple parts. Mining might not be ideal.

(5/5) Spy Party. One of my favorite games. Very fun, and an incredibly high skill ceiling. There’s finally starting to be enough people to play a game with straners sometimes. Bad support for “hot seat”–I want to play with beginners in person, and it got even harder with the introduction of an ELO equivalent and removing the manual switch to use “beginner” gameplay.

(4/5) Telling Lies. A storytelling game. The core mechanic is that you can use a search engine for any phrase, and it will show the top 5 survellance footage results for that. The game internally has transcripts of every video. I didn’t really finish the game, but I had a lot of fun with it. The game was well-made. I felt the video acting didn’t really add a huge amount, and they could have done a text version, but I understand it wouldn’t have had any popular appeal. The acting was decent. There’s some uncomfortable content, on purpose.

(4/5) Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS). Delightful. Very silly, not what you’d expect from the name. What everyone should have been doing with physics engines since they were invented. Imagine that when a caveman attacks, the club moves on its own and the caveman just gets ragdolled along, glued to it. Also the caveman and club have googley eyes. Don’t try to win or it will stop being fun. Learn how to turn on slo-mo and move the camera.

(4/5) We Were Here Together. Lots of fun. I believe the second game out of three. Still some crashes and UI issues. MUCH better puzzles and the grpahics are gorgeous. They need to fix the crashes or improve the autosave, we ended up replaying a lot of both games from crashes. It’s possible I should be recommending the third game but I haven’t played it yet.

The Rest

(3/5) 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel. More fun that it sounds. If you play to mess around and win by accident, it’s pretty good. Definitely play with a second human player, though.

(1.5/5) 7 billion humans. Better than the original, still not fun. Soulless game about a soulless, beige corporation. Just play Zachtronics instead. If you’re on a phone and want to engage your brain, play Euclidea.

(3/5) A Dark Room. Idle game.

(1/5) Amazing Cultivation Simulator. A big disappointment. Bad english voice acting which can’t be turned off, and a long, unskippable tutorial. I didn’t get to actual gameplay. I like Rimworld and cultivation novels so I had high hopes.

(3/5) ADOM (Steam version) – Fun like the original, which I would give 5/5. Developed some major issues on Linux, but I appreciate that there’s a graphical version available, one of my friends will play it now.

(4/5) agar.io – Good, but used to be better. Too difficult to get into games now. Very fun and addictive gameplay.

(3/5) Amorous – Furry dating sim. All of the hot characters are background art you can’t interact with, and the characters you can actually talk to are a bunch of sulky nerds who for some reason came to a nightclub. I think it was free, though.

(0/5) Apis. Alpha game, AFAIK I was the first player. Pretty much no fun right now (to the point of not really being a game yet), but it could potentially become fun if the author puts in work.

(4/5) Autonauts. I played a ton of Autonauts this year, almost finished it, which is rare for me. My main complaint is that it’s fundamentally supposed to be a game about programming robots, but I can’t actually make them do more than about 3 things, even as a professional programmer. Add more programming! It can be optional, that’s fine. They’re adding some kind of tower defense waves instead, which is bullshit. Not recommended because it’s not for everyone.

(3/5) A-Z Inc. Points for having the guts to have a simple game. At first this looked like just the bones of Swarm Simulator, but the more you look at the UI and the ascension system, the worse it actually is. I would regularly reset because I found out an ascension “perk” actually made me worse off.

(5/5) Beat Saber. Great game, and my favorite way to stay in shape early this year. Oculus VR only, if you have VR you already have this game so no need to recommend. Not QUITE worth getting a VR set just to play it at current prices.

(1/5) Big Tall Small. Good idea, but no fun to play. Needed better controls and level design, maybe some art.

(0.5/5) Blush Blush. Boring.

(3/5) Business Shark. I had too much fun with this simple game. All you do is just eat a bunch of office workers.

(3/5) chess.com. Turns out I like chess while I’m high?

(3/5) Circle Empires Rivals. Decent, more fun than the singleplayer original. It shouldn’t really have been a separate game from Circle Empires, and I’m annoyed I couldn’t get it DRM-free like the original.

(3/5) Cross Virus. By Dan-box. Really interesting puzzle mechanics.

(4/5) Cultist Simulator. Really fun to learn how to play–I love games that drop you in with no explanation. Great art and writing, I wish I could have gotten their tarot deck. Probably the best gameplay “ambience” I’ve seen–getting a card that’s labeled “fleeting sense of radiance” that disappears in 5 seconds? Great. Also the core stats are very well thought out for “feel” and real-life accuracy–dread (depression) conquers fascination (mania), etc. It has a few gameplay gotchas, but they’re not too big–layout issues, inability to go back to skipped text, or to put your game in an unwinnable state early on). Unfortunately it’s a “roguelike”, and it’s much too slow-paced and doesn’t have enough replay value, so it becomes a horrible, un-fun grind when you want to actually win. I probably missed the 100% ending but I won’t be going back to get it. I have no idea who would want to play this repeatedly. I’m looking forward to the next game from the same studio though! I recommend playing a friend’s copy instead of buying.

(2/5) Darkest Dungeon. It was fine but I don’t really remember it.

(2/5) Dicey Dungeons. Okay deck-building roguelike gameplay (with an inventory instead of a deck). Really frustrating, unskippably slow difficulty curve at the start. I played it some more this year and liked it better because I had a savegame. I appreciate having several character classes, but they should unlock every difficulty from the start.

(2/5) Diner Bros. Basically just a worse Overcooked. I didn’t like the controls, and it felt too repetitive with only one diner.

(2/5) Don’t Eat My Mind You Stupid Monster. Okay art and idea, the gameplay wasn’t too fun for me.

(2/5) Don’t Starve – I’ve played Don’t Stave maybe 8 different times, and it’s never really gripped me, I always put it back down. It’s slow, a bit grindy, and there’s no bigger goal–all you can do is live.

(3/5) Don’t Starve Together – Confusingly, Don’t Starve Together can be played alone. It’s Don’t Starve, plus a couple of the expansions. This really could be much more clearly explained.

(1/5) Elemental Abyss – A deck-builder, but this time it’s grid-based tactics. Really not all that fun. Just play Into the Abyss instead or something.

(1/5) Else Heart.Break() – I was excited that this might be a version of “Hack N’ Slash” from doublefine that actually delivered and let you goof around with the world. I gave it up in the first ten minutes, because the writing and characters drove me crazy, without getting to hacking the world.

(2/5) Everything is Garbage. Pretty good for a game jam game. Not a bad use of 10 minutes. I do think it’s probably possible to make the game unwinnable, and the ending is just nothing.

(1/5) Evolve. Idle game, not all that fun. I take issue with the mechanic in Sharks, Kittens, and this where buying your 15th fence takes 10^15 wood for some reason.

(4/5) Exapunks. Zachtronics has really been killing it lately, with Exapunks and Opus Magnum. WONDERFUL art and characters during story portions, and much better writing. The gameplay is a little more varied than in TIS-100 or the little I played of ShenZen I/O. My main complaint about Zachtronics games continues to be, that I don’t want to be given a series of resource-limited puzzles (do X, but without using more than 10 programming instructions). Exapunks is the first game where it becomes harder to do something /at all/, rather than with a particular amount of resources, but it’s still not there for me. Like ShenZen, they really go for a variety of hardware, too. Can’t recommend this because it’s really only for programmers.

(1/5) Exception. Programming game written by some money machine mobile games company. Awful.

(4/5) Factorio. Factorio’s great, but for me it doesn’t have that much replay value, even with mods. I do like their recent updates, which included adding blueprints from the start of the game, improving belt sorting, and adding a research queue. We changed movement speed, made things visually always day, and adding a small number of personal construction robots from the start this run. I’m sure if you’d like factorio you’ve played it already.

(3/5) Fall Guys – I got this because it was decently fun to watch. Unfortunately, it’s slightly less fun to play. Overall, there’s WAY too much matchmaking waiting considering the number of players, and the skill ceiling is very low on most of the games, some of which are essentially luck (I’m looking at you, team games).

(3/5) Forager – Decent game. A little too much guesswork in picking upgrades–was probably a bit more fun on my second play because of that. Overall, nice graphics and a cute map, but the gameplay could use a bit of work.

(3/5) Getting Over It – Funny idea, executed well. Pretty sure my friends and I have only gotten through 10% of the game, and all hit about the same wall (the first tunnel)

(3/5) Guild of Dungeoneering – Pretty decent gameplay. I feel like it’s a bit too hard for me, but that’s fine. Overall I think it could use a little more cute/fun art, I never quite felt that motivated.

(1/5) Hardspace: Shipbreakers. Okay, I seriously didn’t get to play this one, but I had GAMEBREAKING issues with my controller, which is a microsoft X-box controller for PC–THE development controller.

(2/5) Helltaker. All right art, meh gameplay. But eh, it’s free!

(3/5) Hot Lava. Decent gameplay. Somehow felt like the place that made this had sucked the souls out of all the devs first–no one cared about the story or characters. It’s a game where the floor is made out of lava, with a saturday morning cartoon open, so that was a really an issue. Admirable lack of bugs, though. I’m a completionist so I played the first world a lot to get all the medals, and didn’t try the later ones.

(3/5) House Flipper – Weird, but I had fun. I wish the gameplay was a little more unified–it felt like a bunch of glued-together minigames.

(2/5) Hydroneer. Utterly uninspiring. I couldn’t care about making progress at all, looked like a terrible grind to no benefit.

(1/5) io. Tiny game, I got it on Steam, also available on phone. Basically a free web flash game, but for money. Not good enough to pay the $1 I paid. Just a bit of a time-killer.

(3/5) Islanders – All you do is place buildings and get points. Not particularly challenging, but relaxing. Overall I liked it.

(3/5) Jackbox – I played this online with a streamer. Jackbox has always felt a little bit soulless money grab to me, but it’s still all right. I like that I can play without having a copy–we need more games using this purchase model.

(3/5) Life is Feudal – Soul-crushingly depressing and grindy, which I knew going in. I thought it was… okay, but I really want an offline play mode (Yes, I know there’s an unsupported single-player game, but it’s buggier and costs money). UI was pretty buggy, and I think hunting might literally be impossible.

(2/5) Minecraft – Antimatter Chemistry. Not particularly fun.

(3/5) Minecraft – ComputerCraft. I played a pack with just ComputerCraft and really nothing else. Was a little slow, would have been more fun with more of an audience. I love the ComputerCraft mod, I just didn’t have a great experience playing my pack I made.

(3/5) Minecraft – Foolcraft 3. Fun, a bit buggy. Honestly I can’t remember it too well.

(1/5) Minecraft – Manufactio. Looked potentially fun, but huge bugs and performance issues, couldn’t play.

(4/5) Minecraft – Tekkit. Tekkit remains one of my favorite Minecraft modpacks.

(3/5) Minecraft – Valhelsia 2. I remember this being fun, but I can’t remember details as much as I’d like. I think it was mostly based around being the latest version of minecraft?

(4/5) Minecraft – Volcano Block. Interesting, designed around some weird mods I hadn’t used. I could have used more storage management or bulk dirt/blocks early in the game–felt quite cramped. Probably got a third of the way through the pack. I got novelty value out of it, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it if I had ever used the plant mod before–it’s a very fixed, linear progression.

(5/5) Minit. This is a weird, small game. I actually had a lot of fun with it. Then I 100% completed it, which was less fun but I still had a good time overall.

(3/5) Monster Box. By Dan-box. One of two Dan-box games I played a lot of. Just visually appealing, the gameplay isn’t amazing. Also, Dan-box does some great programming–this is a game written in 1990 or so, and it can render hundreds of arrows in the air smoothly in a background tab.

(3/5) Monster Train. A relatively fun deckbuilding card game. It can’t run well on my computer, which is UNACCEPTABLE–this is a card game with 2D graphics. My MICROWAVE should run this shit in 2020. Ignoring that, the gameplay style (summon monsters, MTG style) just isn’t my cup of tea.

(2/5) Moonlighter. Felt like it was missing some inspiration, just didn’t have a sense of “fun”. The art was nice. The credits list is surprisingly long.

(2/5) Muse Dash. All right, a basic rhythm game. Not enough variety to the game play, and everything was based around perfect or near-perfect gameplay, which makes things less fun for me.

(3/5) NES games – various. Dr Mario, Ice Climbers. Basically, I got some Chinese handheld “gameboy” that has all the NES games preloaded on it. Overall it was a great purchase.

(2/5) Noita. “The Powder Game” by Dan-Box, as a procedurally generated platformer with guns. Lets you design your own battle spells. Despite the description, you really still can’t screw around as much as I’d like. I also had major performance issues

(3/5) Observation. I haven’t played this one as much as I’d like, I feel like it may get better. Storytelling, 3D game from the point of view of the AI computer on a space station. I think I might have read a book it’s based on, unfortunately.

(2/5) One Step From Eden. This is a deck-building combat tactics game. I thought it was turn-based, but it’s actually realtime. I think if it was turn-based I would have liked it. The characters were a bit uninspired.

(1/5) Orbt XL. Very dull. I paid $0.50 for it, it was worth that.

(4/5) Opus Magnum. Another great game from Zachtronics, along with Exapunks they’re really ramping up. This is the third execution of the same basic concept. I’d like to see Zachtronics treading new ground more as far as gameplay–that said, it is much improved compared to the first two iterations. The art, writing, and story were stellar on the other hand.

(3/5) Out of Space. Fun idea, you clean a spaceship. It’s never that challenging, and it has mechanics such that it gets easier the more you clean, rather than harder. Good but not enough replay value. Fun with friends the first few times. The controls are a little wonky.

(1/5) Outpost (tower defense game). I hate all tower defense.

(3/5) Overcooked. Overcooked is a ton of fun.

(4/5) Powder Game – Dan-box. I played this in reaction to not liking Noita. It’s fairly old at this point. Just a fun little toy.

(1/5) Prime Mover – Very cool art, the gameplay put me to sleep immediately. A “circuit builder” game but somehow missing any challenge or consistency.

(2/5) Quest for Glory I. Older, from 1989. Didn’t really play this much, I couldn’t get into the writing, and the pseudo-photography art was a little jarring.

(4/5) Raft. I played this in beta for free on itch.io, and had a lot of fun. Not enough changed that it was really worth a replay, but it has improved, and I got to play with a second player. Not a hard game, which I think was a good thing. The late game they’ve expanded, but it doesn’t really add much. The original was fun and so was this.

(3/5) Satisfactory. I honestly don’t know how I like this one–I didn’t get too far into it.

(4/5) Scrap Mechanic. I got this on a recommendation from a player who played in creative. I only tried the survival mode–that mode is not well designed, and their focuses for survival are totally wrong. I like the core game, you can actually build stuff. If I play again, I’ll try the creative mode, I think.

(3.5/5) Shapez.io. A weird, abstracted simplification of Factorio. If I hadn’t played factorio and half a dozen copies, I imagine this would have been fun, but it’s just more of the same. Too much waiting–blueprints are too far into the game, too.

(2.5/5) Simmiland. Okay, but short. Used cards for no reason. For a paid game, I wanted more gameplay out of it?

(0.5/5) Snakeybus. The most disappointing game I remember this year. Someone made “Snake” in 3D. There are a million game modes and worlds to play in. I didn’t find anything I tried much fun.

(1/5) Soda Dungeon. A “mobile” (read: not fun) style idle game. Patterned after money-grab games, although I don’t remember if paid progress was actually an option. I think so.

(4/5) Spelunky. The only procedurally generated platformer I’ve ever seen work. Genuinely very fun.

(4/5) Spelunky 2. Fun, more of an upgrade of new content than a new game. Better multiplayer. My computer can’t run later levels at full speed.

(1/5) Stick Ranger 2. Dan-box. Not much fun.

(3/5) Superliminal. Fun game. A bit short for the pricetag.

(3/5) Tabletop Simulator – Aether’s End: Legacy. Interesting, a “campaign” (series of challenge bosses and pre-written encounters) deckbuilding RPG. I like the whole “campaign RPG boardgame” idea. This would have worked better with paper, there were some rough edges in both the game instructions and the port to Tabletop Simulator.

(4/5) Tabletop Simulator – The Captain is Dead. Very fun. I’d love to play with more than 2 people. Tabletop simulator was so-so for this one.

(2/5) Tabletop Simulator – Tiny Epic Mechs. You give your mech a list of instructions, and it does them in order. Arena fight. Fun, but I think I could whip up something at least as good.

(3/5) The Council. One of the only 3D games I finished. It’s a story game, where you investigate what’s going on and make various choices. It’s set in revolutionary france, at the Secret World Council that determines the fate of the world. It had a weak ending, with less choice elements than the rest of the game so far, which was a weird decision. Also, it has an EXCRUTIATINGLY bad opening scene, which was also weird. The middle 95% of the game I enjoyed, although the ending went on a little long. The level of background knowledge expected of the player swung wildly–they seemed to expect me to know who revolutionary French generals were with no explanation, but not Daedalus and the Minotaur. The acting was generally enjoyable–there’s a lot of lying going on in the game and it’s conveyed well. The pricetag is too high to recommend.

(0/5) The Grandma’s Recipe (Unus Annus). This game is unplayably bad–it’s just a random pixel hunt. Maybe it would be fun if you had watched the video it’s based on.

(3/5) The Room. Pretty fun! I think this is really designed for a touchscreen, but I managed to play it on my PC. Played it stoned, which I think helps with popular puzzle games–it has nice visuals but it’s a little too easy.

(3/5) This Call May Be Recorded. Goofy experimental game.

(4/5) TIS-100. Zachtronics. A programming game. I finally got done with the first set of puzzles and into the second this year. I had fun, definitely not for everyone.

(3/5) Trine. I played this 2-player. I think the difficulty was much better 2-player, but it doesn’t manage 2 players getting separated well. Sadly we skipped the story, which seemed like simple nice low-fantasy. Could have used goofier puzzles, it took itself a little too seriously and the levels were a bit same-y.

(2/5) Unrailed. Co-op railroad building game. It was okay but there wasn’t base-building. Overall not my thing. I’d say I would prefer something like Overcooked if it’s going to be timed? Graphics reminded me of autonauts.

(2/5) Vampire Night Shift. Art game. Gameplay could have used a bit of polish. Short but interesting.

(4/5) Wayward. To date, the best survival crafting system I’ve seen. You can use any pointy object and stick-like object, together with glue or twine, to make an arrow. The UI is not great, and there’s a very counter-intuitive difficulty system. You need to do a little too much tutorial reading, and it could use more goals. Overall very fun. Under constant development, so how it plays a given week is a crapshoot. The steam version finally works for me (last time I played it was worse than the free online alpha, now it’s the same or better). I recomend playing the free online version unless you want to support the author.

(1/5) We Need to Go Deeper. Multiplayer exploration game in a sub, with sidescrolling battle. Somehow incredibly unfun, together with high pricetag. Aesthetics reminded me of Don’t Starve somehow.

(2/5) We Were Here. Okay 2-player puzzle game. Crashed frequently, and there were some “huh” puzzles and UI. Free.

(3/5) Yes, your grace. Gorgeous pixel art graphics. The story is supposed to be very player-dependent, but I started getting the feeling that it wasn’t. I didn’t quite finish the game but I think I was well past halfway. Hard to resume after a save, you forget things. I got the feeling I wouldn’t replay it, which is a shame because it’s fun to see how things go differently in a second play with something like this.

These are not all new to me, and very few came out in 2020. I removed any games I don’t remember and couldn’t google (a fair number, I play a lot of game jam games) as well as any with pornographic content.

2020 Videogames was originally published on Optimal Prime

[poemsforpersephone]

The third and final book rec list for fans of The Last Sun!

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen has really cool empathy powers which, although not the two way bond Brand and Rune share, does remind me of the emotion reading aspect in TLS. The m/m relationship in it is also super sweet. 

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. This one I’m recommending because the protagonist is a snarky asshole just like Rune, and the writing style is so well done. It’s m/m and genuinely such a fun and quirky book. Also the cover art is gorgeous!

Silver in the wood by Emily Tesh. This is an LGBT novella where a wild man called Tobias lives in a place called “Greenhollow,” , where, and I quote, “Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.” So im recommending this one simply because of the involvement of secrets and troubled pasts haha. 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. The front cover of this one gives me The Hanged Man vibes like, all the way to the bone, which is initially what prompted me to rec it on this list. But also: “Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.” Idk about the dirty magazines but the rest of it scREAMS Rune. and the main character is a lesbian!!! yay!! 

The Black Veins by Ashia Monet. “In a world where magic thrives in secret city corners, a group of magicians embark on a road trip—and it’s the "no-love-interest", found family adventure you’ve been searching for.” It’s like someone looked into my heart and picked out my deepest desire and then wrote it and gave it life. This book is super diverse and super awesome. 

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a f/f take on Dracula basically. I’m recommending it because the main character and her sister go through a traumatic event similar to the loss of the sun court, when men come and burn their home to the ground along with their people and they’re captured and taken as slaves. It’s about family, friendship and survival, and it’s beautiful. 

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco. An LGBT book where climate change deniers are the villains? ... you have my atttention. 

Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker. This is about a morally questionable exorcist!  It’s a satirical, interesting take on the topic of possession with a kick ass cover. 

The Wishing Heart by J.C Welker. An LGBT fantasy novel where our protag, Rebel, finds a jinni’s vessel and is thus thrust into a whole new world of trying to keep said jinni from everyone else and find a way to free her! The world building is awesome and so are the characters.

Tarnished are the Stars by Rosiee Thor. “A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws.” i have the hardbook version of this and the cover??? is so?? beautiful.

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum. TALKING OF PRETTY COVERS. “Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends.”

Predatory by Brooklyn Ray. WERELEOPARDS FRIENDS!!!! god damn wereleopards im?? so happy. m/m 

The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta. FOUND FAMILY QUEER WITCHES. need i say more. 

Portraits of a Faerie Queen by Tay LaRoi. The fey run amok in this one! f/f with a gorgeous front cover.

Unbroken by Brooklyn Ray. step 1: rent haunted house. step 2: fall in love with witch-turned-demon who inhabits it. step 3: profit???

The High King’s Golden Tongue by Megan Derr. This one is lovely! Nice world building with an emphasis on languages and kingdoms, and a lovely m/m romance that builds from kind-of-enemies-but-not-really to lovers. the audiobook of this is great. 

Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch. SORRY YOUR BOOK IS SET WHERE? MY HOMELAND? MY COUNTRY MY COUNTY MY HEART? we never get any attention imma go cry in the corner. its a historical fantasy m/m romance in YORKSHIRE gosh im here for it. And let me tell you... this is one fantastic book. I really, really enjoyed it.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner. fantasy, m/m, lotsa swords!

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. f/f fantasy with a princess who has fire magic in a kingdom where magic is forbidden! 

Freedom’s Fate by Jennie Taylor. SPAAAAAAACE i love books in space.

Pegasi and Prefects by Eleanor Beresford. “Charley's final year at Fernleigh Manor is complicated by a runaway pegasus, unwanted Games Captainship, a dangerous new rival and, most of all, falling head over heels in love with another girl. What is a reluctant Senior Prefect to do?” catch me while i swoon.

The Necromancers Dance by SJ Himes. m/m vampire/necromancer romance, urban magic and fantasy, very fun and smooth read, a little bit insta love but not totally. 

The Star Host by F.T. Lukens. “Ren grew up listening to his mother tell stories about the Star Hosts – a mythical group of people possessed by the power of the stars.” a m/m fantasy book set to a sci fi fantasy background.

Empty Vessels by Nicholas Williams. “Lucas Mahler babysits clones all day, but he's trapped under the legacy of his body-builder father and his genius girlfriend. When Lucas tries to rise above, he's murdered. Waking up in the body of a clone, Lucas embarks on a mystery full of blood, old friends and lost loves.” idk the whole clone thing in this just always reminds me of lord tower making all the different fake versions of people he knows lmao. 

BOOKS NOT YET OUT

So, the thing is. 2020 is very close friends, and some awesome books are even closer. These below are books I’ve not read yet, since they’re not out and I am a poor ARCless girl, but they’re books you definitely want to keep an eye on.

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer. Bisexual OCD protagonist who is a witch D: its everything i could want. 

Wild Sky by Zaya Feli. LGBT fantasy with dragons! It sounds so, so fun.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust. “A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse...”

The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos. “The Raven Boys meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, about an openly gay high school senior in small-town Georgia.” m/m fantasy which looks super sweet.

Cemetery Boys by Auden Thomas. “Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.” THIS SOUNDS SO COOL oh my god. Yes PLEASE. 

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey. “A sly, witchy dark comedy about four teens whose magic goes wildly awry.” Magic, darkness, comedy, what’s not to love for fans of the tarot sequence??

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune. I absolutely love T.J.  Klune’s writing so I can’t wait to get my hands on this. m/m superheros!! friends!!! get excited!! I think anyone who likes how witty K.D. is will enjoy this writing style. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. YES ANOTHER ONE this looks so good too we are BLESSED. “A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.”

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora. “Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region.” The idea of the Withers kind of reminds me of the westlands.

The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig. UHM im always here for lgbt vampires in young adult fantasy fiction. The author says that “this book is gay and filled with monsters” which also fits the last sun so i figured it belongs on the list lmao. 

Ruinsong by Julia Ember. “In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence is forced to use her power to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen’s bidding.”

[maxmagic]

~Giovanni and (Y/N)~

Giovanni x reader (platonic)

Warning: swearing

Genre : idk honestly

If there are spelling errors let me know

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a clear night sky. Jazz City was quiet , most people by know asleep or spending times with loved ones.

But no , not Giovanni . He was putting the last few finishing touches of his Banzai Blaster uniform . His last mission didnt go as planned and his suit suffered 'cuz of it . It wasn't that bad tho , only a few holes . But Giovanni knew how to knit , but not how to sew. He didnt want to bother Molly so late at night , so he decided to take it upon himself to fix the holes. After some effort and a bit of blood (clumsy boy pricked his finger) he was done .

Just then , he heard his window open . He turned around and it was (Y/N) , his faithful partner in crime and sometimes rival, who was also a Banzai Captain. They slipped in and let out a sigh "Yoo Gio, are you done or what? The night doesnt last forever you know !" "Geez , who put you in a bad mood ? You cant rush art (Y/N) . Sewing is a delicate act that needs a lot of concentration " Giovanni remarked . (Y/N) frowned and put their hands on their hip ."Just... hurry up and get ready, please. I'll be waiting for you on the rooftop with the crew." And with that the felt .

'Ugh , moody...'

Giovanni finally put his suit on and made his way to the roof. The wind blew gently , making his cape flow with the wind , adding extra flare to his long awaited entrance. "Minions and (Y/N) , tonight is a big night !! Tonight we do something so bad and evil , every one in this city will bow before us !!" Giovanni said with so much pride and energy. He stirked a dramatic pose , pointing to the city . "Tonight ... we rob the mall". The Banzai Blasters cheered at their captain , but (Y/N) wasn't having it. "Again Gio?? Didnt you guys get completely busted last time and my team had to get you guys out before the police arrested you all ??" She said , frustrated as memories from a month ago flashed by. To keep it short , it was a disaster. Giovanni stumbles a bit at their sudden remark . They never embarrass him in from on his boys. He quickly picked himself up and said " B-But this time , it's going to be different . Crusher found a way to bypass the security of the main doors , so they'll never see us coming . " "What about the mall cops ?" (Y/N) asked , wanting this to be over and done with. "Pffft , mall cops are nothing ", Giovani disregarded, " it's usually some old grandad with bones made out of toothpicks" . He puts an arm around (Y/N) and grins "Besides ... We are that Banzai Blasters !! Nothing can stop us , especially not the cops". To that , (Y/N) only rolled their eyes . They removed Giovannis hand from their shoulder and starts heading to the mall , carelessly jumping from building to buildings.

Giovanni let out a huff , but then his face softened. Was something the matter ? Were they upset ? He pondered about it for a bit , before brushing it off. I mean , if they were sad they'd tell him... right ?

Some time passes while they got to the mall. Through the whole trip , Giovanni was looking at (Y/N) . Looking up close , they seemed kinda mad . Giovanni felt his stomach turn a bit. He knew something was up , but ... He cant just bring it up out of nowhere! Then they'll be even more mad . Giovanni just signs and opens the door of the mall . While he was sulking , Crusher managed to unlock it and clear the censors . They all made their way in , the big hollow mall quiet and peacefull . Not for long lol. As soon as they entered , the Banzai Blasters rushed through every store and shop . Wrecking things and taking goods. (Y/N) was just sitting a bench , mumbling to themselves . They eminanted a dangerous aura , so thick and deadly someone could easily suffocate in it.

Suddenly they heard a crash and sirens went of . "Jesus Fuck , who sounded the alarms?!?!. They looked around and saw one of Banzai blasters managed to break a window and it sounded the alarms. "Crusher , you bumbass, I though you said you hacked the alarms ?!!"(Y/N) yelled , furious. "I-I only was able to shut of the security on the d-doors. They must h-have added ne-ew ones on the windows " Crusher stuttered out , kiss knees shaking . Giovanni rushed to the group an said "We have to get out of here !! The cops will be here any minute " . As he said that , the doors and windows rattled and a metal curtain dropped . Now they were really fucked . (Y/N) cursed under their breath . "Theres probably a hatch or something to get us out. Crusher , if we get arrest I'm fucking killing you ." They grab two of the Banzai blasters by the collar and drag them to a vent. "Quickly you shits, open the vent before I pummel you to the ground and leave you for the cops" (Y/N) yelled in a manner almost sounded like a lions road.

Thats it. That's the final straw. No one messes with Giovanni's Boys , even if it's a close friend. Giovanni taps (Y/N) on the shoulder and they turn around."Dont talk to my boys that way!! Only I get to do that " he said ,"You've been a real piece of work the whole night , but this is just being a dick . You okay? Did something happen?". Giovannis voice dulled to a more concerned tone ."I've told you before , I'm FINE." they say through gritted teeth. Just then a loud clang is heard. The two Banzai Blasters managed to open the vent . (Y/N) smiled and clapped their hands sarcastically "Great job, now MOVE.". They push away the two Banzai Blasters and make their way towards the vent . The crawl in and suddenly they're dropped at least 15 feet down . "Aw SHIT!" they cry out. That's going to leave a lot of bruises. They managed to fall on some wash cloths tho , so no broken bones. "ARE YOU OKAY" Giovanni yells down the vent. He could hear a quiet groan in return. "Aw hell... listen here boys . That vent must have lead to some painful stuff , so we dont go that way . You find another path and I'll scoop (Y/N) out of there." "But boss, what if you dont get out ? The police wil- "Dont be silly , Crusher . I am the great Giovanni Potage~! Nothing can stop ME" Giovanni strikes a confident pose , before crawling in the vent .

He also dropped the 15 feet and fell on his but. He cringed , but looked around for his friend. He could only see a small bluff in the corner of the small room . Then his heart broke as he heard sobbing . He rushed over to the blur, which of course was (Y/N) , big tears streaming down their face. "Hey hey , are you hurt ? Did the fall break a bone ?" . Giovanni scanned their body for cuts or breaks , but didnt find anything that looked broken. (Y/N) clutched Giovannis suit and sobbed , their face buried in his chest. They said a few words , but they were muffled by sobs and fabric. Giovanni only patted their head and gave them a big hug. For now he wasnt worried about cops or anything . He just wanted to help his friend.

After a while (Y/N) removed their face from Giovanni's chest , which was now stained with tears. Their sobs were now only sniffles and small hiccups. "Do you want to talk about it ? Giovanni said softly . He sat next to them and let his friend rant about their horrible day ..

"How your day must have really sucked, huh?" "Yeah... thanks for letting me went to you. I though I could tough it out for the day but.... guess not " (Y/N) said as they rubbed the back of their neck in shame. Giovanni gave them a side hug , and looked them straight in the eyes. "We've been friends for so long . It's like I've known you my whole life. You know you can always talk to me if you have problems . Besides, you shouldn't keep all your emotions bottled up . That's for chums". Giovanni smiled at the last line ."That's for chums" was a little inside joke they made from their first mission together.

(Y/N) smiled ."Thanks Gio ... really. I'm sorry I acted like such a douche . You're a really good friend ." Giovanni bashfully shrugged "I mean of course I am . I'm the great Giovanni ~ I

Just then they heard loud sirens .That's right. In all their bonding time ,they forgot they were running away from the police.

How will they get out of this situation??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep , got lazy with the ending . Sorry , but hoped you enjoyed

[gwen-of-myth]

A Molded Man, A Better Lover

I am flesh and I am bone

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

I've got fire in my soul

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Like glitter and gold

Like glitter

“Where is he,” Peter rumbles, ready to kill but more than that he is antsy. He is the boss, he should have complete control of everything, and everyone. It’s unsettling to everyone, especially him.

The lackey quivers and stutters but when Peter hears no answer he throws his cigarette on the floor, grinds it with his foot, and picks him up by the shirt.

“Where?!”

His roar echoes, and finally, he gets his answer. Peter throws the human down on the floor and rolls his eyes at the whimpers. What a weak excuse of a human.

With the information he retrieved, him and the rest of the mob are able to find the place pretty easy. Normally he’d send a small group and stay behind, but. It’s personal.

They break down the door and are in an immediate standoff with a rival mob, and in front is none other than the infamous Demon Wolf and next to him, a tied up Stiles.

“You’re dead,” he says, and Deucalion smiles mockingly.

His screams satisfy Peter almost as much as pulling Stiles into his arms does when he is free of the rope.

Despite everything, Stiles appears to be unharmed. It’s probable that Peter got there right before the torture begun, and of that he is grateful. His magnificent Stiles only was subjected to this much because of him and his mob’s rivalry. Peter never wanted to get him involved to begin with, but Stiles is extraordinary.

“I knew you’d come,” Stiles whispers against his throat, and Peter swears in that instant that he will never let anything bad happen to his sweet boy ever again. He swears it on his life.

“Of course I did. You’re mine; I protect my things.”

Stiles rolls his eyes but smiles.

“What, no sappy make out session and love confession? I’m disappointed,” he teases.

Peter’s smile suddenly turns solemn, and he says, “My dear, I could have lost you. You’re my whole world, and I’d do anything for you. From the bottom of my terrible, rotten heart, I truly love you.”

They share a tender kiss and Stiles, being him, starts crying.

“Stop laughing! That was beautiful you asshole!”

Peter brings him back to his penthouse, kisses the rope burn, and cooks Stiles pasta with Parks and Recreation on in the background.

“How’s school?”

Stiles shrugs, biting on a pen. He’s an art major, and his work is gorgeous, but his confidence, like with most creators, is lacking.

“How’s work?”

Peter shrugs, stirring the pot. Stiles has seen glimpses of work before today, men with guns and the hard look in Peter’s eyes after a hard kill. The man isn’t invulnerable, and today showed that Stiles is one of his weak spots, which is...worrying for Stiles.

Dinner is ready after a few moments, and Stiles moans at the taste. The sauce is just the right consistency, and the spices are not too little or too much.

“Y’know, if you ever left your life of crime and stuff you could open a kickass restaurant.”

Peter gives him a soft look,

Do you walk in the valley of kings?

Do you walk in the shadow of men

Who sold their lives to a dream?

Do you ponder the manner of things

In the dark

The dark, the dark, the dark

Sheriff Stilinski, like his son, is no fool. The first thing he did when he met with Peter and Stiles for dinner—who he knew; for many reasons, the man is infamous—is threaten to riddle him with so many bullet holes no one would ever know who the body belonged to if he so much as made his son cry.

But John also knows Stiles is his own person, so, awkwardly, he tries to make peace with Peter.

They show up to John’s house on a Harley, Stiles on the back with a sleek looking helmet and what is probably one of Peter’s jackets.

They have dinner, and tells John about his latest project.

“It’s a mural, like—a big one. Like an entire wall big oh my god Peter where is my phone I need to show him!”

Peter takes his own phone out and in a couple of taps, shows John. There’s pride in Peter’s eyes, and he sees why.

It’s nowhere near finished, some of the brush marks are streaky and paint got on the floor, but even so…

“Peter is gonna invite the guys over when it’s done, so everyone can see it. That’s why it’s in the living room,” Stiles rambles, then steals Peter’s phone and proceeds to describe what he’s planning and where and what colors he’s using.

John notices how Peter watches Stiles, like he’s the most important person on earth. It’s the same way he used to look at Claudia, and then at Stiles when he was born. For the first time since meeting Stiles’s mob boss boyfriend, John knows Peter will take good care of his boy.

(But he still has his shotgun just in case.)

I am flesh and I am bone

Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

I've got fire in my soul

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Like glitter and gold

Like glitter

“Peter!”

“Yes, darling?”

“It’s done!”

When Peter walks into the room, he’s taken aback. The painting is gorgeous, golden and sparkling in the light. But even more so is Stiles. He’s covered in paint nearly head to toe, which is sexier than it has any right to be.

There’s glitter on that tempting smile, and it awakens something primal and powerful inside Peter.

He crashes into Stiles like a tide, destructive and strong and enveloping. He washes over him softly, too, gently pulling off clothes and kissing the skin bared. Paint is rubbing onto him too, a mixture of metallic and matte and vibrant hues that don’t even compare to Stiles in his eyes.

“Do you like it,” Stiles whispers, after they share a tender kiss.

“I love it. I love you.”

Do you walk in the meadow of spring?

Do you talk to the animals?

Do you hold their lives from a string?

Do you ponder the manner of things

In the dark

The dark, the dark, the dark

“Do you trust me?”

It’s a ridiculous question. Of course Peter does—since he got in the family, he’s trusted no other. With his heart, his life, his entire being.

So Peter simply says, “Of course,” and kisses Stiles’s shoulder.

They’re in bed, the windows letting in the moon. Stiles’s eyes sparkle mischievously as he turns over and straddles Peter.

“How much?”

It makes Peter squint at his boy. Questions from him are not new, but…

“I would give you the world, if you asked. I trust you with my life, my men, me—“

Stiles gets off the bed, and Peter sits up.

Stiles is getting on one knee. Peter’s breath hitches when Stiles pulls out a box and opens it, revealing a glittery band.

“Peter, this time with you has been the happiest of my life. No one has ever supported me or my art, or protected me, or cooked for me. No one has ever met my dad like you have, and I want this every day with you. Forever. So...will you marry me?”

Peter pulls Stiles into his lap for a tender kiss.

“Of course I’ll marry you sweetheart. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

I am flesh and I am bone

Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

I've got fire in my soul

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Peter’s cornered. His men are down, bleeding on the cold earth. There’s a gun to his head, and his lies to far to reach.

He doesn’t accept the death he knows comes, but. He accepts he cannot escape it now.

Then there’s a flash and his would be murderer is down, a bullet striking them dead.

“Peter!”

It’s his Stiles, at his side, holding a gun in one hand and pulling Peter up with the other. His leg was injured during the fight, so he relies on Stiles to help him to the Jeep.

“How,” he has to ask. His voice is raspy from yelling.

“I made Boyd tell me. Y’know, for the scariest man in west America, you sure are dumb.”

Peter huffs a laugh, then erupts into a coughing fit.

“Don’t worry,” Stiles murmurs into his ear. “You’re safe.

And for the first time, possibly ever, Peter feels it.

I am flesh and I am bone

Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

I've got fire in my soul

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Peter arrives to the charity event all charm, with Stiles at his side. In the public eye, Peter is a philanthropist businessman, always giving back to the community. As such, he is frequently invited to events.

He usually hates the atmosphere—but something beckons to him one night. The auction is about to start when he arrives.

He ends up purchasing a painting for Stiles to take to his apartment, because he can’t move in until after he finishes school.

Stiles drinks a lot of champagne flutes, and becomes more than a little tipsy as the night progresses.

“You’re hot,” Stiles yells more than once in his ear, “Wanna date?”

Peter pretends to think about it, then shows Stiles the ring. He bursts into tears until Peter explains that, truly, they’ve been together for a long time and are very happy.

When they arrive to his penthouse Peter thanks the driver and picks Stiles up (slowly, so he doesn’t get puked on).

He helps Stiles shed his clothes and crawl into bed. I’m the morning, Peter will make him chocolate chip pancakes and let him complain all about his headache. He hopes he has a lifetime to cherish Stiles even more.

'Cause everybody's in the backroom's

Spinning up

Don't know what you're asking for

And everybody's in the front room's

Tripping out

You left your bottle at the door

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Peter says.

“How’d you become the big honcho anyways? Doesn’t seem like something that just happens overnight, y’know?”

Peter hums in agreement.

“Well, you see...you know about the fire, about losing my family, about the facial reconstruction surgery. After losing everything and everyone and even more to hospital bills, I was desperate. Desperate enough to look for help where I shouldn’t have.”

“Sounds sketchy.”

“It was. They’d have me do things that scared me, but eventually I became used to it. The family became my life, but then the cops found us.”

“Before dad?”

“Before your dad, yes. They threw everyone into jail, but I was new enough they didn’t have anything to hold me with. They let me go and a handful of others. Our leader, however, was murdered in jail.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, everyone was thirsty for blood. But it was anarchy, brother fighting brother, so I stepped in and came up with a plan. My first one was to win over the cops. The second one was killing our old boss’s murderer.”

“Then what?”

“With my leadership, we did both. We donated to charities, even to the cops directly, and managed to bribe one of them to kill one of their own. We dealt among ourselves quietly for years then, but well, new police force got hired.”

Peter looks at Stiles, really looks at him.

“I’m not leaving them. Not for a long while, because, like I needed them, they need me.”

“I know.”

“But I will. For you, I’d do anything.”

Stiles closes his eyes and buries his face into Peter’s neck.

“I know.”

'Cause everybody's in the backroom's

Spinning up

Don't know what you're asking for

And everybody's in the front room's

Tripping out

You left your bong at the door

Peter and some of his men (some of Stiles’s closest friends, by now) are front row during his graduation ceremony. They made little signs with his name on them and everything. Peter is wearing a golden suit, looking smug as hell, and Stiles is so happy.

When his name is finally called he almost trips over his gown from running. He did it! It’s like he’s dreaming. He punches himself just to make sure he isn’t.

After the ceremony is done, Peter drives them to Stiles’s little apartment. They usually stay at Peter’s, because it’s nicer, but Peter wants to spoil Stiles there.

“I ordered your favorite food, it’ll be here any minute.”

A hungry look passed over Peter’s face, and Stiles shivers.

“But until then…”

I am flesh and I am bone

Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

I've got fire in my soul

Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Like glitter and gold

Like glitter

Like glitter and gold

Like glitter

[neko-shinigxmi]

.: Day 1 - F/O February :.

Reverse Self-Ship: You are your F/O’s F/O!!

I’m from a video game series akin to an odd mix of Watch_Dogs and Grand Theft Auto. Things can get a little pervy, hijacking cars is involved, stealth and adventure abound...but so is a bunch of ridiculous, silly things, like a petting minigame that triggers randomly when interacting with my cat.

There’s a single-player mode focused on my background and meeting up with past friends or exes...and is story-based, allowing you to attack and kill them, befriend them again... All sorts of stuff.

Also, the option to adopt more cats and become a crazy cat lady...in spirit.

Shit, romance people if you want! Live life!

Marcus got Wrench (Reggie) the game as a birthday gift. It was mostly a joke, because Reg REALLY thought he wouldn’t like it....and what else do best friends do but give their bffs prank gifts?

Still, Marcus bought it for him new... So Reg boots it up and gives it a chance, anyways.

......holy shit, he actually likes this WAY more than he first thought he would.

First of all, he HATES animals; every one he’s ever met seems to hate him and hurt him, so he’s turned his back on animalkind. However, throughout the game, I’m NOTHING but kind to every animal and suspicious of every person I meet.... Some of which he understands completely. There are some ASSHOLES in this game!!

Also, the way I croon to my cat and get into baby talk... It’s so damn cute to him. Really makes him feel some kinda way, which he flushes over. (Haha, wow that’s embarrassing.)

The point is, he ends up hating animals a little less and starts loving cats a LOT more.

Actually had to put down the controller and walk away from the game when doing a dancing minigame. He could barely focus on the button commands with how cute I was being while doing the dances.

Proceeds to look up people who 100% the dances just so he can save them to his phone. Watch them whenever he wants.

Later deletes them, 100%s them on his own, and THEN saves them onto his phone. Is a lot more happy with them, cause they’re HIS gameplay videos and not someone else’s.

LOVES messing around with outfits. Someone on the staff was either a big fan of cats or just...made that my most out-there personality trait (second only to the games and show in my world that are obviously knock-offs of real-world games), but he’s not complaining. Running around in cat ears and a cat tail? So damn cute.

His personal favorites are the masks I have combined with the matching jackets; it makes me feel more relatable to him...but he’s a greedy man and always eventually takes them off so he can look at my face.

Has SO MANY PICTURES on Facebook of him playing this damn game. Marcus kinda thought he was pranking at first, but now the whole squad knows Reg is a bit of an addict.

They got him the other games on Christmas and he cried. Everyone was....kinda in awe.

Josh got him a t-shirt with my character on it that reads “Bee Paw-sitive~!” on it. He wears it a LOT.

He definitely started up a collection that rivaled....basically no one else in the fandom.

HATES seeing the fandom pairings. And since you can romance anyone due to my sexuality canonly being Panromantic...it’s frustrating.

(Well, he’s Bi, so some of the people he wouldn’t mind sharing with, yeah....but he’s specifically venomous over the people he’s SURE are my friends only. Or are/were super toxic to me in my past. So, so bitter that anyone likes those ships, but holds his tongue only bc he got a figurine of me doing some cutesy pose next to his monitor. It helps him keep his head.)

Literally has a savings account reserved for merchandise. If it exists, he wants to buy it. If it doesn’t, but someone’s commissions are open? He’s gonna buy it.

Has bought art, jumped on art-trades/requests to get MORE art of us together. Has two plushies of me, as well as a body pillow. Continues to seek more things.

Is honestly upset that my size is medium (and so he can’t wear my canonly fitted clothes), BUT that doesn’t stop him from owning a single shirt in my size AND getting items that mimic my wardrobe.

He likes to imagine we can match together....or I can wear HIS version of my fave shirts when mine are dirty~!

Is still debating getting a kitten. Until that day, cat plushes are among the only other plushes he has (aside from mine).

Weird as he felt about it, he later admitted to his friends that he....kinda felt romantically towards me? And was thinking about just being fictoromantic...

Josh was the first one to see no problem with it and fast. People can be hard to work with, so... You do you. (Reg then felt bad about bullying him so much....oop.)

Horatio was also quickly on board. “Hey man, they make you happy. If it helps, it helps.”

Marcus....was a little more confused, but got in the spirit of it, regardless. “man, if I knew you would’ve actually liked it, I woulda got it for you a lot sooner!! Have fun, man.”

Sitara doesn’t quite get it, but.... It sure explains why Reg kept pestering her to tag “Purrfect Anarchy” in certain places and commissioning her for stylized art of him with them.

T-Bone....kinda harasses him about it, but the group stands by Reg. Josh is pretty upset about it, though.

He also follows every piece of news and publicly shares it, after admitting to being ficto. LOTS more pictures like, “Cutie’s got good taste.” [selfie with him sticking out his tongue and wearing one of the replica shirts] “Dinner date with bae!” [screenshot of me looking at the screen of his laptop, dinner and candlelight between us]

Everyone rolled with it more and more over time, so now it’s entirely not uncommon for them to bribe Reg to do things by dragging me into it...

Sitara: Hey, you leaving? Wrench: ...yeah, why? Sitara: Can you get me a coffee while you’re out? Wrench: Wh-? Why should I get you-? Sitara: I bet Rachel would like you doing something like that, y’know. Wrench: .....That’s cruel. You’re cruel. Sitara: I know~! You know how I like it, thank you, and Rachel loves you. Wrench: [sputters audibly and shuffles out the door, muttering to himself, embarrassed]

They don’t do a LOT of crimes anymore, but... Definitely still fuck shit up w/ cops. Reg daydreams a shitton about a masked romance and the anarchy we could commit together... After all, I helped him be braver. So he could help me, too, and then..... So much glorious chaos. Maybe makeouts in his car...

Was literally the type to not give a SHIT about marriage or kids, but now nonstop thinks about our lives together. Anarchy and domestic lifestyle shit can coexist, right? We can be married, have our cute lil’ two story (three, if you count the attic AND a basement), and some kids.....and also go create anarchy and throw bricks at cop cars and cause so much damn trouble..... Right?

He’ll even get a CAT for our home. It’ll be our first kid and not only will he be SO COOL, but they’ll name her (yes, a girl) Princess Leia and I’ll probably cry in happiness!!

Reg is DETERMINED to be the best husband/boyfriend ever. Doesn’t matter which, cause whatever speed I’d like to go at? Hell yeah, he’s down for it. Just as long as he can still hold my hand and gush over how cute I am and-

Has gushed about me and my series before and WILL do so again, prompted or not.

Actually participated in the fandom a little. Mostly does reblogs and such, but has written a few stories (self-inserts are the majority), done some not too shabby art, and prides himself on being the BIGGEST fan of the series with all the merch he has AND commissions bought.

Made a select few friends who also are fans, but... Is constantly anxious about his self-shipping. Either that they might eventually think he’s weird, send more anon hate (he’s gotten some in the past for “being a creep”), or- worst yet- also self-ship with me and he’s still dealing with that idea.

Until then, he’s got a wedding ring he bought cheap at the jewelry section of some store, so.... Coping skills, babey.