#but i picked it with the idea that hes got decent medical skills and would find it useful for whatever reason

[waywardsalt]

linebeck character sheet yippee

excuse the messy screenshots i could not figure out how else to share these while also keeping them comprehensible

[renny-boy-blog]

My Shadow

This is a short story/creepy pasta I wrote based on the traits of the Jeff the Killer types of stories. I also just wanted to try my hand at actually writing since I wanna improve my writing skills so instead of it just wasting away on my pc I decided to post this. So yeah, uhhhhh enjoy my crappy attempt at writing something half decent with the JtK format. Also the images at the bottom are pulled from Picrew, they are not hand drawn by me. I just didn't have time to draw these characters before posting. Also trigger warning I guess for a dark story that does include some child not so happy situations and, as the format of JtK suggests, there is murd3r in this. (idk if tumblr is super ok with those kinds of words yet lolz) So yeah! enjoy this cringy story!

Normally monsters are big, scary creatures with long teeth and sharp claws. Horns and fur and wings. However….. sometimes monsters don’t look like that. Sometimes monsters can blend into society. Sometimes monsters can look like you and me. Sometimes monsters can reside within us. 

This is my story. A retelling of sorts that my therapist suggested I do to talk about my feelings and what led me to be here…. In a mental facility/prison. 

I have a medical condition called DID. Also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. It’s the modern day term for a split personality. How this happened is unclear however my doctor thinks it started back when I was a kid, so I guess that’s where I will start too. 

I was never the brightest kid. Got picked on in school, had about a C or a B average. And never really had the best home life. My mother was an alcoholic and substance abuser. I never knew my father. You see I was a one night stand baby. And you might be able to see where this is headed. My mother always had a new guy over every week. Sometimes multiple a week. She was selling her body to pay for basic things. Fortunately my grandfather would come by to help take care of me when I was a baby and toddler since she never made a whole lot. 

Up until I was about 10 years old this continued. I always saw strange men in the house, my mother was never really coherent enough to take proper care of me, and my grandfather would sometimes teach me how to take a bath or make some toast so I could do things by myself when mother wasn’t home. 

Now my grandfather was quite an older man. When I was 10 he was 87. He passed away from a stroke in his sleep. It was so traumatizing for me as a kid cause he was the only real support I had in my life that wasn’t always flickering. My mother was never really a bad mother. Just…. Missguided by her substance abuse. 

Sure she would throw things if she got angry, or blow puffs of smoke into my face, and on the rare occasion she would verbally harass me if I was too loud coming home from school and she had a hangover. The real harm came from the men she brought home to do business with. 

Most of them were very big muscular guys. Some brought guns, some brought drugs and alcohol. All of them hated me. They hated that I even existed. When mother had men over I would lock myself in the bathroom and play the radio to drown out their sounds. Sometimes the men would need to use the bathroom and get angry at me for locking it up. 

Other times if the men saw me, they would abuse me in both physical and psychological ways. Some of them even sexually assaulted me. And it was constant. Every time a man came over and I was seen, all hell would break loose. They didn’t want their living sex doll having a child around. 

Once I reached age 13 however, things changed a bit. I was taking care of myself more at this point. Cooking for myself, doing the laundry and things of that nature. The men would come over a lot more often since they didn’t get scared away by the idea of a toddler or child in the house anymore. Now I was practically a teenager and my mom could charge more for having me…. Join their antics. 

I don’t blame her. She was under the influence that those demon of substances can cause in people who become dependant on it. I just wish things could have been a lot different. 

This is kinda where the DID comes into play. Sometime after my grandfather died, and age 13, I developed a coping mechanism of sorts. My brain would shut off, and a new person would take over my body while these things were happening so that I eventually wouldn’t have to feel the pain anymore. I dubbed them my shadow since they only ever came out when I was scared or knew the men would be coming over. 

As kids do, I also kept a journal, like the one I’m writing now. Though sometimes pages I don’t remember writing would show up. The writing was messy and scratchy, yet still legible. It seemed that Shadow was the one who would write these after the encounters with men. 

Shadow would write about how it hurt when they touched them and how they felt gross all the time. Thankful for the freedom from a physical body when I was in control. At times I felt bad for this creature who was sharing my skin. I knew the pain they felt since it had happened to me before shadow came to be, however I felt like I shouldn’t try and stop them from taking over when those bad times happened since I was scared to face them myself. 

As the years went on, shadow became more… uncontrollable. They would suddenly take over any time I felt any stress of some kind, leading me to be kicked out of school for the actions shadow would do. Based on the records, it seemed that shadow would attack any adult male in the vicinity and also throw cuss words at the adult females. 

I did go to the doctor on police request after they had escorted me off school property for the last time, however that doctor just threw meds at me and said “bye”. So I never really got treated. Things continued like this until one day, shadow wouldn’t come back. I don’t know how long I was out for, as I never remember what happens when shadow takes over, however I just remember feeling like something wasn’t right when I returned. 

What I returned to, days later according to my moms phone, was a bloody mess. A man had come over a few days before, and thus shadow took over. From the journal it seemed like shadow had enough of the torture and hated whomever was the other soul in this body for making them go through such terrible things. Shadow has killed the man, and my mother when she tried to stop shadow from attacking him. 

Every day for those few days I was out of it, a new man was scheduled to show up and shadow killed them as well. So when I woke up, a good 4 or 5 bodies had piled up in our little apartment at this point. The smell was unbearable and I threw up on the spot. Someone else in the apartment building reported the smell and police arrived a few hours after I had come to. I was thankful they had showed up since I was so traumatized by the scene in front of me I couldn’t speak. 

The police took me into custody and interrogated me for hours. They found my journal, and the fact I was covered in blood and vomit didn’t help them in not suspecting me. Since I was 13 at the time, they couldn’t really throw me in prison for the murders of my mother and those men. However they did send me to juvie and I was finally looked at properly by a competent doctor. 

As I aged I grew out of juvie and into the adult correctional system. Still going to therapy and taking medications though. It took a lot of work, however shadow never comes out anymore. At least when I’m awake anyway. Sometimes shadow will come out when I’m sleeping and write things down about how they hate me still even though the torment is over. 

I’m not 23 and living a relatively normal life. For someone who’s in a mental institution and prison that is. I’ll never be allowed to be released since unless I constantly take my meds and am under supervision, shadow may come back when I get scared and could go on a rampage again. 

I don’t mind that quite so much…. It’s safe here and my therapist actually cares about me. I’ve taken up drawing in my time at this facility so I’ll attach a few drawings I have done of myself and what I believe shadow looks like as well. We are two separate individuals after all. 

So I guess that’s where the story ends? This story may have been a bit rambly cause it’s all from memory and most of this stuff happened 10+ years ago. I guess thanks for reading of you get this far? I honestly don’t know why my therapist wants me to write this… 

Myself:

My depiction of Shadow:

[fallen-in-dreams]

Rumours

Also on AO3. Pairing: Gaara/Sakura. Summary: Sakura overhears a spicy rumour about her relationship with Gaara and their friendship will never be the same again. GaaSaku. Canonish. Prompt: Week 1: Dating. Rated: T. Words: 4,433. Status: Complete.

Author note: My first of the weekly prompts for the tumblr GaaSaku Events. *Cross your fingers that I can do all of the ones I'm trying to finish.* Enjoy. ^_^

Warnings/tags: Just some mild angst and mentions of ShikaTema.

This is for the 2021 GaaSaku Event @gaasaku-fanfests​. I seem to be posting for events late or barely on time this year. Sorry. :)

.

  .:.

“Sometimes your heart sees what your eyes can’t.”

.

  It was supposed to be just another harmless outing. Sakura often took Gaara with her when she went shopping for presents. He was so hopeless at remembering birthdays and holidays like Christmas that she was doing him a favour by dragging him around with her.

And picking out gifts from both of them.

She hadn’t really thought there was anything wrong with that. Or that anyone would read more into it than it really was. Of course, the Kazekage spending time with a foreign kunoichi would get everyone’s attention, but like all exciting new things it would get old, and they’d soon move onto other things.

This was why, all these months on from their first public shopping outing, Sakura was still brushing off the curious glances as she pulled Gaara along, by the sleeve of his work robes. Twelve months she’d been in Suna. Six were spent aiding in a joint training of medical personnel as a part of a healing exchange program to further relations, and then eight weeks as the head of the hospital because Gaara was adamant nobody was doing it better. The last four months had been her lazy months, which consisted of her usual physical training regimen but also acting like a tourist and dragging Gaara along for the ride. So just what she’d been doing before, minus the teaching and hospital visits. Sakura had already achieved what she’d set out to do in this mission, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind to cut her time here short.

And she was finally used to being a constant source of scrutiny for the people of Wind. So here she was, for the second time this week, dragging Gaara out of his office on the rare occasion that he didn’t have either a shit load of paperwork or overdue training of his own to do.

The retailer looked up at them as they stepped into her shop, then smiled and bowed lightly.

“Welcome, Lord Kazekage. Haruno-san.”

“Kitana-san,” Sakura addressed her quickly before tugging on Gaara. He obediently followed and as usual, she did not notice the knowing smile of the elderly woman as she led the redhead around. Her eyes perused the rows of trinkets instead. They were supposed to be getting an engagement present for Temari and Shikamaru. It had been three weeks since the date for their party had been announced and nothing seemed to be good enough.

“Maybe we should get them each a present,” she thought out loud. “What do you think, Gaara?”

His eyes widened slightly. “One from each of us?”

“No, I mean one each from both of us.” He still looked confused. “A total of two presents,” she added, and he nodded. She didn’t remark on how he had stiffened and then relaxed at her words. Gaara was just weird like that.

“Ino got them a weird sex toy,” she said, rubbing her cheek with her finger as Gaara’s face turned pink. “Uh, and I think Hinata said she wanted to get her some wind scrolls.” Her friends’ letters had been all over the place. Everyone was excited that Temari and Shikamaru had finally gotten official and were moving their relationship forward.

“I…uh.” He crossed his arms over his chest, which was actually more of a nervous habit for him these days. “Well… we can do better.”

She giggled and locked arms with him. “Of course. I was thinking,” she said as they moved through the shop slowly. “Temari’s always gotta pretend to be this tough, warrior woman. But I’ve smelled the candles coming from her room. I was thinking of bath salts, but it isn’t a good gift for Shikamaru. But that was before this whole individual gift idea.”

Gaara thought that Shikamaru could use a decent salt bath. They could use it together. The idea of it made him blush and he pointedly avoided eye contact with Sakura as she babbled on about clothes accessories. Apparently, Shikamaru had once confessed to her that he thought belts were interesting.

“Maybe bath salts and candles.” Gaara said, interrupted her gushing about the embroidery on a handmade belt. “His & Hers style.”

Sakura squeezed his arm affectionately. “Brilliant idea.”

She pulled him along gently, not needing to tug too hard because he was fine with following her lead. This shop was mostly popular among young women and older couples. Their wares ranged from scented candles to antique dolls and handmade clothes.

“What do you think about this one?” Sakura asked, taking a strange bust off a shelf. Maybe his mind just went to stationery too quickly, but it just looked like an oversized paper weight to him.

“No good?” She asked when Gaara didn’t respond. He sighed and she tossed it aside. “Okay, next odd little smelly thing.”

He let out a light chuckle at that. Gaara pointed out a few more ideas and they half-heartedly argued over them. They picked up a few bath salts anyway, since Sakura was interested in some for herself, before leaving the story without a present for his sister and future brother-in-law.

“We’ll just have to keep looking,” Sakura said, nodding to herself as they made their way through the crowds of the downtown market. She was oblivious to the interested stares and giggling children.

Truth be told, Gaara was fine with letting Sakura make the decision for him. He hadn’t had to worry about choosing gifts for almost a year and he was happy with that. Growing up with no childhood had ensured he had little experience in the matter, but she was a good teacher when it came to social situations.

They agreed their last chance for a good gift would be the ninja resource store on the edge of the market. Such a place would normally not be in the civilian district, but the proprietors were very good at preventing civilians from buying shinobi utensils. Gaara bought an ornate spear from them two years ago that had been imported from the Land of Iron. He’d started collecting special weapons and suggested to Sakura that they have something ordered in.

It would solve the problem and save time. Not that he wasn’t enjoying himself. Gaara looked forward to these outings more than he was willing to admit out loud.

“Geez.” She hip-butted him. “You’re full of great suggestions today.”

Sakura watched as he blushed and mumbled about looking for something for himself in the shop and as he wandered away, this gave her the perfect time to sneak away. She knew full well he was collecting unique weapons and had one in mind for him. It wasn’t a gift for any special occasion, and she didn’t bother guying things for his siblings unless it was for something in particular, but Sakura couldn’t help herself with Gaara. Her friendship with him was on another level compared with Kankuro and Temari.

When it came to birthdays, Christmas, or just her wanting him to have something special, she’d long ago stopped agonising over the “what does one even buy a kage who doesn’t seem to want anything?” question. Personal gifts that showed she knew him were always well-received. He still had the katana shaped candlestick ornament that she’d bought him for his birthday, sitting in his study. Temari said he never lit it up, which to anyone who knew him, meant he loved it. It would never get used and therefore last.

Sakura kept one eye on where Gaara was in the shop at all times, and the other on the aisle of antique weapons as she perused. That was how she ended up standing in an aisle listening to two gossiping kunoichi. She’d just been minding her own business, looking over a row of ornamental kunai, when the voices carried over to her from the other side of the shelf she was leaning toward.

When she heard her own name being uttered, Sakura peered through the gaps in the shelf. They were a couple of chunin and either had below average sensory skills and didn’t notice her or didn’t care that she was eavesdropping. Sakura didn’t recognise them, so they definitely weren’t a part of the medical units she’d trained, nor did they frequent the hospital. They were also both staring off in the direction that Sakura knew Gaara to be.

The blonde giggled. "Lord Kazekage dotes on Sakura-san, it’s so cute! They just have to be dating!"

The brunette nodded. “Of course. But why haven’t they announced it?”

“Because they’re shy, silly.”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious. Minamo said everyone’s talking about it.”

“He’s probably still innocent I bet.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. It was so weird to hear people claiming she had a romantic relationship with Gaara while discussing whether or not he had sexual experience. But it was just a couple of awe struck chunin (and the claim of some random friend of theirs). She decided to turn away but stilled at the next line out of the blonde’s mouth.

“Maybe Sakura-san took his v-card,” the girl snickered, much to the appreciation of the other chunin. “Can you just imagine?”

Sakura flushed from head to toe, struggling to hold her composure. She didn’t want to imagine that. Her heart might just explode. Sure, Gaara was… attractive. But would she have sex with him? He was her friend. They’d never been anything other than friends.

Not that I would want more, she told herself, holding a hand to her chest.

“I bet he’d be a tender lover,” the other girl said, sighing deeply. “Haruno-san is so lucky.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the blonde said, a devious look on her face. “I think Lord Gaara’s hit the jackpot too. Sakura-san has all that medical knowledge about the body. Imagine what she could do with it.”

“Like what?”

“Get his blood pumping. Warm him up. You know,” the blonde waggled her eyebrows and they both giggled. “She’d have him hard in no time!”

They giggled again and the brunette snorted before covering her mouth, mortified at herself.

Sakura stood there like a stunned mullet as they turned away from watching Gaara and started giggling and whispering among themselves. What the hell had she just heard?

“Sakura.”

She spun on the spot, startled. She hadn’t noticed his approaching chakra, engrossed in the conversation she was overhearing. Sakura turned beet red. He looked concerned when she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. When he made to move toward her, Sakura went into panic mode, charging at him and grabbing his arm. She ushered Gaara away, hoping he hadn’t heard any of that conversation. Knowing him, he wouldn’t even realise what they were talking about.

Gaara leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I found something special for you” and Sakura let out an involuntary sound she’d never heard before.

“Are you okay?”

Am I okay?

Two random chunin had just inserted mental images of her having sex with Gaara into her head. She was not okay. But she nodded anyway, not wanting to explain why her heart was now thumping. Blood rushing to her head. His hand fell to the small of her back. The warmth of his touch had never been more prominent than it was right now as he added a slight pressure to steer her toward the front counter. He wasn’t pushing her. Gaara never pushed her. He was always kind to her. It was so stimulating when he did that.

Feelings she’d kept buried for almost twelve months started bubbling to the surface and Sakura wasn’t prepared for the onslaught. How could she have forgotten this? Suddenly, she remembered the first time his touch had affected her. They’d known each other for years and two weeks into her long-term mission to Suna, she’d been lonely and exhausted when quite suddenly, Sakura realised those warm and fuzzies she’d been feeling were directed at a certain Kazekage. Her twenty-first birthday had come and gone, and she didn’t have any life goals other than revolutionising the medical world. It was a great goal. Professionally.

But after an innocent comment from Hinata about her love life, her birthday had gone from celebrations of “I have my whole life ahead of me” to morose “I’m going to die alone” thoughts, which were reflected in her spending the rest of the night drunk and being shadowed by Ino who was worried she might bring down a building or two, in her destructive angst.

Gaara continued to watch her as she worked through her mental problems but said nothing. He didn’t need to tell her he was concerned. It was written all over his face. It was just another thing she loved about him.

“Let me take you home,” he said. That deep voice of his made her shiver. Sakura felt her body flush again when she heard giggling behind her. (Were those girls following them now?) There was no way they hadn’t heard that.

After a few moments, he started rubbing her back in what he obviously thought was a soothing manner and she blinked heavily at him. Right. She needed to get out of here.

She cleared her throat. “Sure,” she said, her voice a little strained. Out of habit, she wrapped her arm around his. He was a lifeline as she tried to sort out her dysfunctional thoughts. The chunin girls’ conversation had opened a can of worms and she didn’t know how to put them back in.

Sakura glanced backwards in time to catch the women whispering behind their hands and staring at her and Gaara unabashedly. When had her outings with Gaara started such salacious rumours?

And more importantly: why did these people think they were dating?

  .:.

  “Gimme a screaming orgasm!”

Kankuro took the seat next to Sakura as she made her order to the bartender and chuckled.

“You might want to tone that drink down a little,” Kankuro said with a wink. “Gaara might get jealous.”

“Ugh!” Sakura groaned. “Not you too!”

“Whatever do you mean?”

She pointed a finger at him. “You all are talking about me behind my back. Starting rumours and talking about my sex.”

Kankuro snorted. “Your what?”

“I’m a joke, Kankuro-chan.”

“Please don’t call me that.” He grimaced.

She sighed. “What are you doing here?”

Kankuro waved a hand at the bartender. “Another screaming orgasm, please.”

Sakura snorted. “You’re getting more than I am, then.”

He chuckled. “Never delved into the local cuisine since you got here?”

Well, there was this one guy she danced and flirted with the first weekend after she started this mission, but her burgeoning feelings for the Kazekage wouldn’t let her do anything more. She wasn’t a slut and she appreciated that Gaara wasn’t one of those guys that slept around and used their testosterone to excuse it, either. So, she’d been able to settle into routine with him. Friends who gravitated toward each other. Friends who had dinner with each other (alone) quite often. Friends who decided important decisions together instead of alone. Friends who rarely had eyes for anyone else. Friends who didn’t have lives outside of each other...

She groaned and dropped her head on the bar. The awareness of her situation was painful. She wished she could go back to being oblivious. Because it was clear now that Sakura had been accidentally dating Gaara for almost twelve months. Did he know? Or was he as oblivious as her? Everyone had noticed apparently, according to two chunin and their friend. Did Kankuro and Temari know.

“I’m secretly but not secretly dating Gaara,” she mumbled. “And I didn’t know.”

Apparently, even though her face was pressed into the bar, Kankuro had heard her.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”

Sakura groaned again. “We’re not dating!”

“Uh-huh.” He clearly didn’t believe her. “Going back and forth then. You’re in denial.”

“Why are you here?” He didn’t respond and Sakura lifted her head up slowly. “Kankuro?”

“He’s lonely,” he said, staring into his drink thoughtfully. “I know everyone thinks Gaara’s put together and doesn’t need anything more in life than family and friends. But I know that under that oblivious and calm exterior that he’s a romantic at heart. He wants what you two have. But he just doesn’t know how to go about getting it.”

She frowned at him. His seriousness was giving her a bad feeling. Everything had come together so quickly, and she wasn’t even sure what to do with her feelings yet, let alone whatever Gaara might be feeling.

“He’s a bit clueless.”

That was an understatement. Sakura used to think he wasn’t clueless, since he often said things with such confidence that she believed he was more aware than he let on. But then moments like that day in the shop with the chunin girls and Gaara seemed completely oblivious to what was going on. She had no idea what to think of him anymore.

It was why she’d been ignoring him. She couldn’t handle the idea that he might actually return her feelings. She was a coward.

Kankuro put his drink down and patted her on the back. “Just… don’t hurt him, okay?”

Right. Easier said than done.

  .:.

  There were many things Gaara was good at. And so many things he sucked at.

He was proficient with multiple types of weapons and political nuances. But in matters of the heart, he found that he still hadn’t learned anything. He had no idea why Sakura was avoiding him and why his siblings were being more careful about how they talk to him. It felt like it had been back when he housed Shukaku and went on rampages.

The knock on his door startled him and Gaara debated ignoring that chakra signature out of spite but gave in and called her in.

“Gaara?”

He looked up and the slight drop in her smile told him that she’d seen the hurt in his eyes. She’d been avoiding him, and they both knew it.

“I need to tell you something.”

Gaara swallowed heavily and braced himself. Her contract in Suna had only a few weeks left but since the particulars of the mission had already been fulfilled, she was free to leave at any time, if she wanted to. This made his hear race. More than anything he didn’t want her to go. He enjoyed her company and valued her friendship. What he truly wanted from her was more than that and it had taken him months of going along with her intrusion into his life for him to realise what that “more than that” meant for him.

Gaara wanted to date her. He wanted to be doing all the things with her that Temari did with Shikamaru and that Kankuro was currently trying to do with Matsuri. And for that to happen, she had to stay in Suna.

Temari and Shikamaru are dating and he’s still living in Konoha, he begrudgingly reminded himself.

But he didn’t care.

Gaara sat back in his office chair as Sakura closed the door behind herself and shuffled her feet, twiddling her thumbs. She was nervous. And worried about his reaction. He attempted to smile and shift his body language to put her at ease. It seemed to work and before he knew it, she was approaching him with a sad smile and sitting down across the table from him.

“Gaara…”

“Does this have something to do with why you’ve been avoiding me?”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “I, uh… found out something. And kind of overreacted to it, got drunk, and took it out on Kankuro.”

Gaara couldn’t help the snort that accompanied a chuckle. “Story of my life.”

She smiled a little wider now. “It does seem easy to do that.”

“Did you hit him?”

“A little. In the training grounds,” she added quickly. “He’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

She went back to twiddling her thumbs.

“You wanted to tell me something.”

Sakura nodded. “There’s no easy way to say this so I’ll just come right out and say it. The whole village thinks we’re dating.” She paused to see his reaction, but he just stared, stone faced at her. “And uh… we kind of have been.”

“All the outings and joint gift giving.” Not to mention how he treated her so preciously in public.

Sakura frowned. There was no question in his voice, just his usual factual tone. He wasn’t surprised. “You knew?”

Slowly, he nodded.

“Why… why didn’t you say anything?”

He blinked heavily and lowered his gaze to the table. Parchments were lined neatly across it as he rarely let them fall out of place. The only matter in his life that Gaara let get messy were his relationships. They were inherently messy, so he had no problem dealing with them as such. Which was why he was so anal about everything else.

“Gaara?”

Gaara didn't seem to want to explain himself.

He didn’t want to deny or confirm that he may or may not be dating the Fifth Hokage's protégé, to the public. He let the rumours spread and did nothing to quell them. Gaara had even played up to them which he’d known was wrong but couldn’t help himself. There was no way that admitting this to Sakura would go well for him. Perhaps he could inform her over time, but right now the realisation of what had been going on was too raw for her.

And she could see his hesitation for what it was. Avoidance of setting the record straight. Sakura frowned. Was it because of appearances? Or something more personal? It could be embarrassment. She knew he’d grown up with little human contact, none of which would’ve prepared him for adult relationships. It left him in the lurch for so many important social interactions.

But why wouldn’t he want to fix this? It would look bad for the village if the Kazekage was pretending to date someone. Especially since she was going home in a few weeks. Her heart clenched at that, and she had to close her eyes to stop herself from losing control. Sakura had only just allowed herself to remember and acknowledge that she’d developed feelings for Gaara months ago, she didn’t want to break down in front of him now.

Why didn’t he tell me?

What was he playing at?

Maybe it was because he liked her? Sakura felt her skin flush at that. No. It was probably pride or indolence. Likely, he didn’t fully understand the ramifications.

“He’s a bit clueless.”

Had Kankuro meant that romantically? Or sexually? Or perhaps socially? She bit her bottom lip as Gaara turned his head away. The skin along his neck was tinged pink and his face looked slightly flushed.

All of the above, then.

Maybe he really was too embarrassed to push back at the rumours. Gossip was a poison though. In order to successfully rebuke it, you had to do so fast. And with the truth, not silence or denial on their own. Sakura knew this from experience back when she was still listening to Ino’s ramblings about Sasuke. This rumour had run its full course and nothing short of a very public breakup would get them out of it.

“Is it…” he started slowly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Gaara looked up to catch her gaze. “Is it really so bad?”

Is the idea of us really so horrible?

She heard that unsaid question loud and clear.

Sakura stood up and circled the table to stand in front of him as he swivelled on his chair to face her. “No.”

Gaara smiled. But it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You want this?” She asked.

This was the moment of truth. He could lie and revert their relationship to the way it was before, except with them being more conscious about not appearing to be a couple. Or he could take a hold of her and ask for the one thing that had been plaguing him for months. He swallowed heavily and she watched the way his Adam’s apple bobbed. Was it weird to be turned on by that?

“Yes,” he said huskily.

Desperately, yes.

She didn’t react for a moment, just scanning his face. He held his breath, waiting. Then Sakura leant forward, closing her eyes as his widened. But he didn’t pull away as she pressed her lips to his gently. His hands went to her hips as she rested hers on the arms of his chair, caging him in.

Gaara deepened the kiss, making her gasp and then plundered her mouth. He’d never done this before, that much was obvious to her. So, she took control, slowing their pace and sucking on his lips gently when he tried to hasten her. Sakura fell into his lap, her hands tugging at his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. As she straddled him, she lost herself to the feel of his body beneath hers and Sakura moaned.

The sound broke their reverie and the Kazekage bit her lip. Without pulling out of their kiss, he sent his sand out to lock the door and knocked everything from his desk with no concern for their wellbeing. Fuck caring about that right now.

Sakura grinned into their kiss as he pushed her back onto the table. This had been the right choice after all.

  .:.

  Sometime later, Sakura emerged from the Kazekage's office to find his siblings nearby, like they’d been waiting to find out the result of her talk with Gaara. She knew she needed to reprimand them, but she was too happy right now to care.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at her. She looked dishevelled. Like someone had snogged the crap out of her. He fought to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.

“Sakura?”

She cleared her throat and stared down at him. “You’ll be interested to know that Gaara is no longer clueless.”

Temari groaned as the Leaf kunoichi sauntered out of hallway. Kankuro waited until Sakura was out of earshot and gave his sister a shit eating grin then stuck his hand out expectantly.

“I won,” he said.

She scoffed. “No, you didn’t.”

“Hey! I said they’d end up dating!”

Temari shook her head and took a sip of her drink to hide her smirk, then said, “you said they’d sleep together within an hour of resolving this. They clearly just made out.”

“Temari!” Kankuro pouted.

“Not paying up,” she sung, before following Sakura’s lead and sauntering off.

He huffed. Siblings were evil.

  .:.

[joshslater]

Quarantine & VR

5500-word story, so I used the Keep Reading feature for once. Similar stories and bonus material on my Patreon.

“Are you sure you’re OK with this?”

We were slowly driving through an eerily empty city center from my student flat next to campus on one side of town to Ethan’s flat on the other, with all my belongings stuffed in the back of the U-Haul. Not that I had so much stuff we needed one. I just moved into the state right before the semester started, but it was the cheapest rental we could get. No one is going anywhere with this lockdown in effect. We barely had time to read the syllabus before everything screeched to a halt. You thought we’d know by now how to handle pandemics, but nooo.

“I wouldn’t have helped you clear out your shit if I wasn’t. Bit late to ask now.” “Yeah, but it seemed like the polite thing to do.”

Ethan turned towards me and spoke with a more serious tone. “I’m really happy to have you stay at my place. I think I would go mad staying alone. Go mad or go home, and I don’t think being locked up with the parents would be better.”

He was about as new in the city as I was, but his aunt had moved out of an old apartment last year and his parents had decided to take over the lease. Apparently it was even cheaper than the student apartments and much larger, but further away from campus. Though where it was in the city didn’t really matter as long as this lockdown was going on.

“Someone else is out at least”, I said indicating out the window. Across the street, a police officer with a navy blue face mask followed our truck with his eyes. Or her eyes I guess. Hard to tell in uniform and mask. I don’t know why, but I found it a rather good look. I hate the flimsy paper masks, but these form-fitted ones kind of make you look more badass.

“Do you think he looks sexy like that?” he asked, as if he had the same thought. “It’s a bit dystopian sci-fi, but that’s not to say it doesn’t look good.” “Take next right. The one after is one way.”

The apartment had two bedrooms, a large living room, decent bathroom and kitchen. Ethan’s aunt had left some furniture, but overall there wasn’t that much stuff. Makes sense as he had barely been here a month. That’s how he had a sparsely furnished extra bedroom for me to use. This was only the second time I had been in the apartment. Ethan forced me to have a look in person before he allowed me to agree to stay with him. Now standing there with all my belongings in the truck outside and my student flat lease canceled, I realized we really didn’t know each other. I studied corporate finance and he medical computer science, whatever that meant. When I asked he tried to explain that almost everything in a hospital now has a computer in it, and a ton of work went into things like volumetric renderings of MRI scans and somewhere there I started to tune him out.

There really weren’t any overlapping circles between us, we studied completely different subjects, he was active in computer games and health, I was trying to get into the writing room of the student theatre company and looking to sign up in the cinema club. But both of us had the bright idea to start working in the student pub, and really hit it off during the start of school year party they threw for their workers. We decided to pick the same work schedule and found out we have the same taste in pop culture, music, books, movies.

And now I’m moving in with him.

He had the larger of the bedrooms with a queen-size bed in the middle, a desk with a few computers and screens set up, gaming computer chair, a reading chair. Basically his room was set up so he could live there except for visits to the kitchen and bathroom. My room didn’t have a desk, but a normal bed, an armchair that looked comfortable, and more wardrobe space than I would ever need. He told me that I could basically consider the living room as mine as well. It had two couches in front of a big flat screen. By the balcony door stood a workout bench and weights. Barbell, plates, dumbbells, and that kind of stuff. Apparently it wasn’t Ethan’s but his uncle’s, but that didn’t really make a difference here and now.

Moving my stuff only took a few runs up the stairs, so we were soon back in the truck, returning it to the rental place. Ethan really didn’t have to come with me, but he said that this would probably be the last adventure for a while, and decided to come along.

“You’re supposed to buy pizza and beer for everyone who helps you move, right? What do you fancy?” “I’d like… You know what? We’re not going to get out much, and you don’t look like someone on a strict diet. Oh, no offense!” “None taken.” “How about we both keep healthy macros and workout regimen while locked up. Instead of paying rent you can help me make sure I at least isn’t in worse shape when all this shit ends.” “Macros?” “Diet.” “Sure I can do that, if you show me what to do.” “It’s a deal then. I’d like one with Gorgonzola and ham.” “Come again?” “The pizza topping. I’m allowed one cheat day per pandemic.”

The pizza place was only a block away from the apartment. Just this one time it was great, as we walked back with one quattro formaggi and one bresaola. But it would be so much harder to eat whatever Ethan had in his plans knowing a real wood fire oven pizza was just four minutes walk away.

Unprompted Ethan started to tell his story over pizza. How his father was a successful businessman in Arkansas, but his hometown always felt too small for him. He talked about how he was making synth music in school. How that made him interested in computers. How, since it was such a small town, he had ended up on the football team without any desire or skill to actually play the game. How he had almost by accident found this education program and had looked forward to both leave Arkansas and to study. I too did a year be year recap of my life so far, up to how my girlfriend dumped me just before the summer. In a way that was lucky, because it made me feel free from obligations and actually do what I wanted.

It was 9:21 when I woke up from a knock on the door. I was a bit disoriented for a second until I remembered where I was. I was sleeping in the guest bed left by Ethan’s aunt. After the pizza we did continue to talk over beer all evening, but I didn’t feel any hangover. Just thirsty. It wasn’t that early in the morning anymore on the other hand. “Yep” I called out. “I’m making breakfast,” Ethan called out from the other side of the door. “Coming”.

It literally only took me seconds to get ready. Stand up. Sweatpants. T-shirt. Done. In the kitchen I saw Ethan had a similar fashion sense, but had gone for shorts instead. “Porridge is fine with you? It would be good if it is. Lots of fibers.” I couldn’t really recall if I liked porridge and told him as much. The porridge itself didn’t taste much, but with toppings I could get used to it. “With our schedule in our own hands I think it would be a good idea to start out with breakfast and work out. That way we can get it out of the way.” Sounded sensible enough.

I changed into shorts as well and made myself ready to do my part of becoming Ethan’s gym buddy. At a quick glance we didn’t look that different, Ethan and I. On one hand I never had that big of an appetite, but on the other I had never really done any sports, and had no gym experience, so I let Ethan guide me. He tested different motions and how many times I could do them with weights he selected and noted down the results in a notebook that would log my progress. It wasn’t at all as tiring as I thought it would be. “Oh, you’ll feel it tomorrow for sure.” We each took a shower, and I went back to my room to catch up on my reading.

A few hours later I was starting to think about lunch. More because I was getting tired of reading than actually being hungry, but I thought I should ask Ethan if he had a plan. The door to his room was open, but as I got closer it became apparent it was an oversight on his part. Splayed on the bed was Ethan, naked save for a pair of boxer shorts and a big VR goggles. His right hand was massaging his obviously erect dick through the fabric of his underwear. He must have followed his normal routine and forgotten I had moved in. I’m not a prude and do the occasional tug myself, like any student, so I was more embarrassed than shocked. As on autopilot, my mind decided to ignore Ethan and continue walking to the kitchen to assess the lunch situation, but another part of my brain decided to keep him in sight.

Walking without watching in an apartment I’ve been in for all of 18 hours predictably made me jam my toe into the door frame. In the corner of my eye I could see Ethan’s body spasm and ripping off his VR goggles as I yell out in pain and surprise. He stared right at me, eyes wide open and mouth ajar in an expression that was hard to read. Surprise for sure, but also something else in between horror and delight. Perhaps it was like the smiles and laughter after you have completely made a fool of yourself. My eyes were drawn to his, and I could feel my face twisted in pain. It was like time stood still, waiting for either of us to make the next move. Out of sheer momentum my mind continued ahead as if nothing had changed and blurted out “What’s your plan for lunch?” over whatever Ethan said at the same time.

“What?” and an awkward pause again. “I said would you like to try?” “I… What is it?”

Ethan put down the VR kit on the bed, quickly got up and stepped into his pair of shorts. His erection was still very much apparent. He pressed escape on one of the keyboards and the screen switched from one incomprehensible menu to another.

“It’s a virtual reality system. I’m using an open source environment system to render inputs from an interactive story engine controlled by a GAN AI system. I’ve been experimenting with regenerative NLP feedback loop plugins for it.” “I followed you all the way up to and including virtual reality system.” “It’s like a VR movie that is generated specifically for you. Here.”

He picked up the bulky goggles and held it out to me. It wasn’t just goggles, but a pair of headphones were built in, and there were a few additional sensors glued on. Hesitantly, and with a throbbing toe, I stepped forward and took the headset. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked. I put it on my head and as it settled into place a digital version of Ethan’s room wobbled into place as well. It was remarkably similar. The colors and patterns were all slightly wrong, but the layout of the room and placement of furniture was almost spot on. I assume he had measured everything at one point and put in the data somehow.

“Go lie on the bed.” Ethan told me. I very tentatively stepped towards the bed, and feeling my way there. It was somehow surprised to find a bed where the digital bed was, and although the visuals of the sheets didn’t quite line up with what I felt, if you just moved quick enough the illusion of actually being in the digital room felt very real.

“This is so weird.” “I’ll start a blank session for you.” “A what?”

Almost immediately a guy entered the room through the door frame. This must be some VR video recording or something because he looked completely real. About the same age as Ethan and I but more fit and, I’ll admit, better looking. He looked flush and sweaty, with his french crop unkempt as if he had just ruffled it. He wore a navy blue sweatshirt and sweatpant shorts. I couldn’t see further down from my position. “Fuck, that was so dope! I love getting pump like that, you know what I’m saying” He was stretching his arms in different ways. Then he zoned in on me, like he was actually looking me over. “Fuck, I love how you look, babe. Mind if I join?” I shake my head slowly. He breaks out in a big smile. I notice he has a bit of a sweatpants boner. Carefully he climbs into bed, next to me. There’s no vibrations of course, or heat or smell, but everything I see looks utterly convincing.

“Hey, are you OK?” “What the…”

I’m looking into Ethan’s face as he stands over me. Bewildered I pat my head.

“I removed it once the program stopped. Didn’t shake you from your sleep one bit. I guess it wasn’t that interesting for you.” “It was very convincing. I fell asleep?” “Perhaps moving stressed you more than you knew? Or it could just be, you know, how shit the world is right now.” “Fuck… I only wanted to ask about lunch.” “A bit late for that. It’s like four and something. Let’s wait an hour or two more and have dinner. Ok with you?” “Sounds dope.”

It was like neither of us wanted to talk about what had happened. I certainly had questions. Had I just fallen asleep like that? Perhaps he was right and I had been anxious about the move and how things would work out. And what was up with that program? It wasn’t gay, exactly, and it didn’t mean Ethan was gay, and if he was there wasn’t anything wrong with that. All of it was just so confusing. Perhaps Ethan was right to just pretend it didn’t happen. Poor guy. I walked in on him watching porn, and then I fell asleep when he tried to show his system. Watching the news on how ever more countries were shutting down was probably time better spent.

He had not joked about being sore in the morning. I woke earlier than in weeks feeling stiff as hell. I didn’t want to wake Ethan, but I couldn’t just lie there in agony, so I got up and did some bodyweight repetitions. Squats, push-ups, dips, and stuff like that just to get some blood flowing. It honestly felt great. Me doing morning gymnastics! Who would have guessed that a week ago? When I left my room I found out Ethan was already up, but didn’t want to wake me up.

“Dude, we need to sort that shit out. I’m ok with you making noise when you’re up. You live here.” “You live here too. What if whoever gets up first makes breakfast and wakes the other up.” “Yeah, dope. I’m down with that.”

We quickly worked out the kinks in our schedule. I would typically wake up first, do a quick workout routine in my room. Then set the breakfast and wake up Ethan. Then we would do workout together. We had different weights and number of reps, but we had very quickly settled on the same exercises, though Ethan was still adjusting my form ever so often. Ethan would then shower first while I did stretches. We then kept to ourselves until lunch. Ethan cooked for both of us. Depending on what we felt like and needed we would either go back to study or do something like shopping or that kind of stuff in the afternoon.

It was hard to keep track of time, but I think it was on a Sunday four weeks later when Ethan said during breakfast that he wanted to show me something he had worked on. He moved the workout bench and the barbell stuff to just outside his room and told me to lie down. The bar had no plates on it, and that’s how I’ve used it until two days ago when I started to add extra weight to it. Ethan emerged out of his room with the VR set in hand, and a trail of cables running in into one of his computers. “Here, give this a go.”

I was a bit surprised, given the last time, but I was also curious what he had to show. Once snugly fitted on my head I was transported into a real gym. It wasn’t a very large one, but a few people did their thing around me. He almost scared me, the guy with the french crop, when he called out “Hey, bro!” just to my left. He had the same navy blue sweatpant shorts as the last time, but his upper body was bare, glistening muscles. He took a step back and his eyes were scanning me up and down. “Dude, you look so fucking good! You’ve really been hitting the weights.” I smiled and immediately realized that I was smiling at an avatar that wasn’t actually there and couldn’t see me, but it’s amazing how good some positive reinforcement feels, even if it is from a program. Perhaps that was the surprise from Ethan.

“Here, show me what you got!”

He walked around me, through the couch I knew was there in the real room, and stood behind me. I leaned back fully on the bench and looked up. He stood over me, just behind my head, so all I saw was a navy blue bulge, some abs and pecs, and his face looking down on me. “Go on, I’ve got you.” I could somehow feel him standing over me. Was Ethan spotting me in the real world? Not that it matters with an empty bar. I grabbed it. It felt heavy. “Good. Give me 15.” He started counting as I lifted. “Slower on the way down. Keep control all the way. Ten more” As I was getting to fifteen he upped it a bit. “Come one! Five more!” As I sat the bar back I felt utterly exhausted. “Fucking awesome, dude!”

“You really went all out.” “What?”

I was lying on the workout bench but I wasn’t wearing any VR shit. I sat up and hit my head in the barbell.

“Fuck! Dude, what the hell!” “The idea was for it to be motivational, but you really took it to heart.” “It was fucking dope, bro. I’m so pumped. Guy was kind of cute too.” “You think?” “Fuck, yeah. I wish I had those pecs.” “You better start some supplements then, if you can’t even last a virtual session.” “What you mean, dude?” “It’s already lunch.” “Fuck dammit!”

I rubbed my head where I had hit it and looked around the room. It looked mostly like before, but the sun had clearly moved ahead. Fuck, I really felt pumped to get some reps in hard and really make a difference. Perhaps lunch, and then do my daily sets.

“You ok with shopping without me after lunch?” “Sure. You need anything?” “I… You said supplements.”

Fortunately for me I have a roommate that studies medicine, kind of. Well, he hasn’t actually gone to any of the classes yet, but he has the books, so he picked out some things for me to boost me. Some of it looked like medicine, in small plastic jars with scientific-sounding names that could just as well have been a frat house. Alpha-omega-manganese-BS-whatever. Some of it decidedly did not look like medicine. Enormous containers with lids that looked too fucking small, with names like amazing-gainz-ultra. He set up a regimen for me to follow, basically some stuff with every meal. I started right away that evening with something like a vanilla and chalk milkshake after dinner. I don’t know why, but something made me feel really good drinking it.

I slept fucking fantastic, and despite having done way more lifting the day before than ever I barely felt any soreness or anything. I probably woke up Ethan with my harder than normal pre-breakfast cardio. Lots of burpees and jumping jacks, so I almost felt guilty making breakfast while steaming sweaty, but whatever. Ethan had to remind me what supplements to take. I really should have written that shit down.

I had a strong deja vu while doing weights. It wasn’t until Ethan spotted barbell for me I realized that this was almost exactly what I had seen doing the VR shit. I looked up and saw Ethan standing over me similar to the guy, but Ethan was wearing grey sweatpant shorts and a red tank. I kind of wished he was topless as well, like the other guy.

“You ok down there?” “Fucking dope, bro”

I realized I must have zoned out a bit. What’s worse I could feel I rocked a hard erection out of nowhere. Rather than making a deal out of it, and run to the shower, I decided to pretend like everything is normal. Guys get boners all the times. He’s a guy, so he knows that. I even did a few extra exercises to really drive home that point. While Ethan took his shower I dared to lower my shorts and slowly stroke my dick. I haven’t cummed once since moving in with Ethan, which I realized was longer than I’ve gone in years. The days were blurring together. I hadn’t watched porn either since moving in. I’ve been too preoccupied with the move and everything else going on.

“All yours” Ethan said and closed the door to his room. I just froze. I was sitting on the workout bench, shorts by my ankles and dick in hand. He saw that. There is no way he didn’t see that. I could feel my face getting hot by embarrassment, yet I continued to sit there and stroke my dick. What the fuck is wrong with me. My mind flashed to Ethan, to the guy in the VR, to his bulge just above my eyes, to his abs to the barbell, to the free weights.

No. I got up and took a long shower, trying really hard to not think about anything. Just observing the tiles, the shampoo bottles, the soap. But there were the creeping thoughts that perhaps Ethan will find me a weird creep and kick me out. How would he do it? He’s been far too nice to be direct. Would he bring up this incident or would he just wait a week or something and over one lunch say something vague like we are not as good of a match as he hoped? Fuck. I needed to do something.

I couldn’t concentrate at all on the block on taxation I was supposed to read. Apart from the residual thoughts of unease I was beginning to see what a mistake it was to not cum in the shower. I was very close to surfing porn sites, but decided against it and ended up aimlessly browsing social media. I can’t really explain how, a hundred clicks that trended in that direction perhaps, but I got into the circles of fitness instagram people. Big arms, broad chests, and slinky stringers. Somehow I was hard again. Stealthily I walked back to the bathroom, locked the door, and started to jerk off in the shower. I’d been saving for a week and been hot all day, but somehow it took quite a while to shoot the load. My mind was a soup of barbells, Ethan, sweatpant shorts, vague old porn clips, and more recent instagram models. When I finally came it was like I’ve never orgasmed before in my life. Rope after rope shot out of me, the first few even hit the wall, and my hips involuntary thrust forward for each of them. I felt cleansed in a way, like a weight had been lifted from me. I couldn’t really understand why, though. Nothing had really changed.

I didn’t want to go back to my room and study. I rinsed the shower, got a pad and a pen, and went to the kitchen to get on top of the supplements. I decided to write down all the ingredients from the labels. I had just accepted Ethan’s plan uncritically. It’s probably fine, but I wanted to understand it. That’s where Ethan found me.

“Hey, dude. Already hungry?” “Yeah… No… I don’t know, bro.” “You don’t know?” “It’s like… Fuck. You saw, bro.” “Saw what? You jerking off?” He laughed and sat down. “You saw me doing it first.”

He was right, of course. I didn’t know how that could have slipped my mind.

“Was it porn?” I didn’t know why I asked that. I was curious, but it also felt a bit too personal of a question. “Yeah. Wanna see?”

Before I even had time to respond he continued “Let’s fill up your macros first and then I can show you. If past experiences are any indications you’ll take your time.” “Already jacked off today.” Why did I tell him that? “Even better”

Ethan had this ever changing dish where he would chop and fry vegetables like bell pepper, chili, garlic, ginger, onion, peas, and whatever else was around, pour in coconut milk and whatever spices you craved that day green curry or red curry for Thai, madras curry for Indian, Soy and miso for Japanese, anise and szechuan for Chinese, saffron and parmesan for Italian, and so on. Then serve it with pasta or grains or rice. I helped him prepare it, as I always do unless he started making it without telling me. This time however the air was different, filled with tension and awkward anticipation. He made it with chicken, lemon grass, and brown rice this time. We hardly spoke a word while cooking, and then continued to eat in silence. We both knew what was on my mind, and there wasn’t any question on the subject that wouldn’t be awkward. I was weirdly looking forward to trying out whatever it was he wanted me to try. I couldn’t explain why it felt so compelling to me. Just thinking about it made me hard. “You clean up here and I’ll go and set it up for you,” he said as soon as his plate was empty. “Yeah,” was all I could manage, and he left. I finished my plate as well, put the few things we’ve used in the dishwasher and went to his room.

His bed was made and on it was the VR headset and what I first though was a protein drink shaker. “Dude, is that a… fleshlight?” I asked him both with incredulity and genuine curiosity. Curiosity because a cable ran from it to one of the boxes on the floor that connected to his computers, and incredulity because I couldn’t believe he thought I would use one of his sex toys.

“Yes. No. Not exactly. It’s modified to connect into the haptic subsystem.” “Haptic?” “Force feedback” “It’s a vibrator, bro.” “Eh.. No. Well, not only. You’ll see.” “Why do you think I’d touch that, bro?” Though somewhere inside I knew I would. “It’s a brand new inset. You’ll be fine.”

I walked up to the bed and suddenly wasn’t sure what to do. I would need to at least lower my shorts and boxers to get the until-recently-fleshlight on my dick, but Ethan was still in the room. Not only in the room but almost studying me like a lab project.

“I’ll lie down?” “Got to strip first,” he said motioning towards my tenting shorts. He saw me hesitated and continued “Dude, I just saw you jerk off in the living room this morning”. I blushed and pulled down my shorts and boxers, and stepped out of them. “Shirt too,” he said. I removed that as well and stood naked in front of him. “Wow, you are making progress. Ok, on the bed and hook yourself up. Red dot up.” I climbed into the bed, as he told me, and grabbed the cyber-fleshlight and pushed it down on my hard dick with the red dot up towards my head. There was some sort of lubrication in it and it slid on with very little effort. It must have been heated as well, because the lubrication didn’t make it feel cold. I was given a nod from Ethan and put on the helmet over my eyes and ears.

The alternative version of Ethan’s bedroom was already there, waiting for me. I looked around and as far as I could tell everything looked like in the real world, except no Ethan of course. After half a minute, perhaps more, I was almost about to ask if he had started it when the French crop guy jumped in through the doorway, as if he was in a hurry. He was naked except for a pair of white, tight speedos that both highlighted his big package and created a reference point for his deep tan and made it look even deeper. There was a sheen over all his body, like he had been working out hard or oiled himself up, and he was breathing heavy. “Sorry, I’m late. I didn’t expect you so soon,” he panted. I didn’t know what to say. “You want me to help you with that?” he asked and nodded towards my dick. I looked down and saw a massive erection, easily twice my real size. “As an apology…” he continued.

“Yeah, sure bro.”

He made the cutest little jump of joy in response, and caught my smile. He composed himself and locked eyes with me. Then he started some sort of dance where all the movement was in his hips and abs. Then he added more of the upper body, still keeping eye contact. I thought I would hose him down with cum from my monster penis right there, so sexy was it. He smirked and moved closer. Still swaying he leaned forward and licked the head of my dick, which shot pleasure up my spine. He then started to circle the head with his tongue, before taking it into his mouth. The first few times were shallow, but then he stopped teasing and begun to really do down deep on the dick. In addition I could feel him alternate between stroking my hips, the insides of my thighs, and tugging my balls. Just as I was about to nut he stopped working on my dick and started to slowly run his tongue up my faint abs, circling my nipple. I was squirming in horny delight.

He was straddling me now, face to face. I couldn’t resist it any longer and reached to pull him towards me and kiss him on the mouth. There was a loud crack of plastic against plastic as our VR helmets collided. “Dude?” I was looking at the French crop guy who was moving his hands in front of his eyes. “Ethan?” I asked, suddenly realizing what was going on. The French crop guy looked bashful, did a little wave, and answered in not-Ethan’s voice “Yeah.”

“Did you just blow me?” “I wasn’t… No, it’s still the device.” I hesitated, considering briefly what this would mean. “Would you like to?”

[heliosthegriffin]

The Adventures of Shota Jaune, Ep II

Chapter Two

---------

Two Months have passed.

---------

The last couple of months had been absolutely wild for Vernal.

First, the woman she respected the most and thought was the strongest in the world was beaten by three children... and Vernal, after it turned out Raven was a complete psycho bitch. In a moment of sheer panic she had just swore allegiance to the strongest thing in the vicinity. The little aura monster that had knocked her old boss's teeth out.

Jaune Arc aka The Boss

It had been a whirlwind of a week, getting her own room with new clothes and an actual bed, people who seemed to care about her, three meals a day and a completely stocked kitchen and someone to follow that wasn’t a complete psycho.

That was the good stuff, that was what kept her going. That and if she wanted to be the world's strongest Huntress it was probably a good idea to train under a actual huntsman, and who was training the human equivalent of a Fire Dust Bomb. While Vernal didn’t consider herself Branwen anymore, the ideals didn’t fade.

‘Nature has only one rule; The Strong owns the Weak.’ Her old mentor’s words came to her again.

Vernal scowled. ‘So much for being the strongest huntress there is.’

Her time at the Arc House had really opened her eyes toward how big the world actually is. 

Raven was strong, really strong. She was a former Huntress and Beacon Alumni, she was fast, strong, high aura levels and control, along with a versatile semblance that made long distance travel her bitch. All of that, to top of all that, to just further put herself outside of the realms of warriors and huntress and huntsman she had Maiden Powers, fucking magic.

But, she lost, not just, because there's always either a hard counter, or a bigger fish, that wasn’t the only reason. Despite her power, despite her being the most notorious criminal in Mistral, despite her experience, she lost...

Because... because...’ Vernal thought. ‘She’s a coward.’

Vernal had seen her kill before, huntsman, brave civilian, or Grimm, or even other tribes. But, never from anything other than a position of power, she always waited till there was a moment of weakness to strike, less warrior more assassin, and if things got too tough she’d whip out her Maiden Powers.

More often than not, when more than one hunter came after them, Raven would have them move out. Saying, “They're too weak for us to bother with.” Now, Vernal was sure it was just her cowardice… Like her inability to stick around with her real family.

Why she took Vernal in to begin with. 

‘Because, she’s a coward… I’m just a replacement, so she doesn’t have to think about…’

The time with the Arcs had definitely taught her that there was more to strength than fighting ability, and Raven was lacking in conviction, the thing Mr. Arc and The Boss had spades.

The Boss was way stronger than anyone she’d ever met, in terms of Aura and physical strength, yet his sisters, mother, those two lackeys of his, and his own father weren’t the least bit afraid of him.

They had conviction, that they knew their family.

Darkness be damned, those two lackeys could even put up a decent fight with him.

The oldest Arc child, Gris could even match her little brother in raw strength for a little while and even hold him down, even if he got up right afterwards. 

Then there was Mr. Arc, if his son was a dust bomb, an all direction and all consuming blast of destruction, then he was a high powered, high precision plasma beam. Not as powerful, sure, but no less dangerous or devastating when used correctly.

Mr. Arc was still teaching his son and his two lackeys… and Vernal even. His skill, aura manipulation, and physical conditioning was insane. Sure, he didn’t have even a tenth of her Boss’s reserves, but he had more than twice Ravens, and he had the skills to manipulate it like it was just another limb of his body.

He could probably beat Raven if he wanted to, and didn’t lack the courage to stand his ground.

Actually, Vernal was entirely sure he could, considering he was fighting her little monster of a Boss right now, and controlling the fight handily.

Mr. Arc practically danced around his son, as the boy tried to land a hit on him, swinging wildly and kicking up small windstorms as he did so. The boy got nowhere close to landing a hit on his father, as the man anticipated blow after blow, stepping out of his son’s range and enduring the shock-waves his son released with practiced ease.

He stepped into his son’s range and stuck his leg out between his son’s moving feet, tripping him, then shield bashing him in the back and sending him flying into the ground. The Boss bounced off the ground, leaving an indent where he hit it, and landed on his back.

The Boss got back up, his face red, and smashed his practice sword into the ground, breaking the ground where it landed, sending boulder sized clumps of earth into the air, Arthur Arc deflected and evaded the earth as it flew at him. Redirecting the earthen shrapnel back at his son with small controlled bursts of Aura Deflection.

The stones and dirt clumps being flung back at the speed of bullets and pelting The Boss, making a show of light when they hit his aura, the light bursting from his aura and creating ripples on top of it.

Mr. Arc was fast too, he moved from one position to the next like he was teleporting, Vernal couldn’t track his movements, his sword striking precisely into The Boss’s chest faster than Vernal could see, Vernal only being able to track his movement based on how The Boss was being knocked backed and where his Aura was flashing, and then with one last lightning quick slash The Boss was knocked onto his back, Arthur stomping his foot onto The Boss’s chest, putting his blade on the boys neck.

“Another victory for me, son,” Arthur said, smirking. “If you had less aura than you did, I could take your head off.”

Jaune pouted, struggling fiercely under his fathers boot, his own strength only barely lifting his father’s foot. Showing off the man’s immense strength as he barely budged, the strength of a real Hunter, and despite how much strength his son had, it didn’t matter if he couldn’t get any leverage to take advantage of it.

“I’ll beat you one day.” The Boss said, red faced and sweating.

“Yes, I’m sure you will.” Mr. Arc smiled. “But, first you got to land a hit on me.”

Vernal wasn’t sure if that was normal father-son conversation, but her definition of normal had long since been warped.

Arthur took his foot off his son and pulled him up. “Good for another spar, son?”

The blonde boy nodded, and then tried to pull his father into a headbutt, but Arthur didn’t budge and then flipped The Boss over his shoulder into the earth.

Vernal would watch late into the evening as the father-son sparred, taking notes mentally on what worked against The Boss for when she’d have to spar with her boss again. He may be her boss, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t give it her all in trying to surpass him, he deserved nothing less than a subordinate who was useful.

The Arcs told her she was priceless, but the only way Vernal knew that she had value was by proving it, and the only way she could was by fighting.

------

Three Months later.

-----

Three Arcs step off of a bullhead, all immediately throwing up their lunches on the ground.

“The family curse, haaah, it strikes again.” Arthur said, being the first one to recover.

“That it does, that it does father.” A platinum blonde who was nearly as tall as her father said putting her hand on her father’s shoulder for support.

The father and daughter watched as Jaune continued to puke his guts out all over the ground, the curse was particularly bad on the youngest, and it truly was a curse, as neither aura manipulation, meditation, or medication helped in the slightest. It was as though the sky’s and heaven’s had a grudge against the Arcs.

Eventually though, they all recovered.

Arthur grabbed both children by the shoulder. “Alright, I trust you two to remember, why, I brought you two with me on a mission.”

The platinum blonde nodded. “You said, I needed more field experience, especially in foreign environments and learning in person was worth more per hour than a day in class could ever teach…. also I forgot father’s day and this is my way of making up for it.”

“That’s right, Gris.” Arthur said with a smug smile.

Gris looked at her only brother. “Why’s he here?” Pointing at the blonde boy next to her.

Arthur smiled nervously. “Because, if neither of us is home to watch him, we won’t have a home when we get back.”

Jaune was fast asleep on his feet, a small stream of drool leaking from his mouth, and loudly snoring.

Arthur pulled his son into his arms, holding him securely and tossing Gris the boy’s luggage.

Gris nodded. “That is a fair point, but why not take his groupies too?”

“Because, I already have enough to worry about with Jaune, who is more than likely going to put someone else in our family by force before we head home, and those two are enough trouble by themselves and I don’t want them picking fights or causing trouble on a mission. Your mom, with her semblance, can handle them no problem, even less so with Vernal.”

“Fair enough, let's get going… What’s it called again?” Gris said with a tilt of the head.

Arthur hummed. “I think it’s called Kuroyuri, apparently rumors of an abnormal grimm have appeared. Something more than the local Hunter can handle.”

===

It had taken a couple hours of walking, through exotic forests and mountainous trails, but the Arc trio managed to make it to Kuroyuri a little after lunch. The Arc boy still sound asleep during the trip, being swapped between his father and elder sister as the situation demand, even when being carried up sheer cliffs,  when they were fording through shallow rivers, or the many fights between the Grimm, Bandits, and Aura Animals on the way to Kuroyuri, nothing of which way enough to prompt his Aura sense that there was enough danger to wake him up.

The Father and Daughter duo were thoroughly famished, and immediately beelined it to the first restaurant they could see, ending up running over to have lunch at a local tea house, Kazehana or something to that effect, The Arc duo were many things, linguist is not one of them.

The Arc’s sudden entrance to the Tea-house was quite sudden, the waitress quite shocked to see two hunters and a sleeping child look at her with a terrifying hungry expression. Needless to say they were quickly seated and served.

 Arthur and Gris finished their meal, several plates of local noodles, boar meat, and some local plants, letting out a satisfied groan of fullness, looking up while stretching and Arthur making eye contact with one Li Ren, the local hunter who requested a seasoned Huntsman investigate the rumors of an abnormal grimm.

There was a moment of eye contact, Arthur’s mind slowly grinding out the details, before realization sets in. His eyes widen and waves the man over with highly animated gestures, pointing down at an empty seat on the floor.

Li Ren stoically processed the actions before calmly making his way over to the table, taking the empty seat. In a matter of moments they were sitting, discussing the details of the contracts, over a cup of steaming tea, while Gris watched and observed, noting important details her father might miss and studying how her father negotiated and asked questions, weaning information out.

“So how long ago was this Grimm sighted?”

“Two or three months ago, It was sighted in the aftermath of a fallen village to the southeast with a horde of Grimm making its way out of the ruins.”

“Hmm, any possible thoughts on it’s species or is it a aberrant?”

“I have talked with those who have observed it from closer, they have described it as being around fifteen meters tall, with a equine bottom half, resembling a fully formed Uma Sama and Elder Imp like grimm’s torso growing from it’s mid back, the sight being quite… disturbing, it seems quite old having many battle scars and weapons stuck inside of it…. I do not know of any species it might belong too, but its too familiar to be a aberrant, Sir Huntsman.”

Arthur frowned, wrinkles creasing his forehead. “This is quite concerning, have you reported this to Haven?”

Li Ren scowled. “We of Kuroyuri, founded it in an attempt to escape Mistrals… less than savory nature, this did not make many friends or allies when we left, any attempts to have contacted Haven have been met with silence.”

“I’ll contact Beacon when I return, this behavior is unethical and unbecoming of a Huntsman institution.” Arthur said, his facing taking on a dark and stormy expression.

The talks between the two men then fade into the background as two children walk into the establishment, an orange hair girl and a black haired boy walk in, only to see their father talking with a blonde headed man, the orange hair girl sighs then spotting a sleeping blonde next to him her father and zips over to him and starts poking his cheek.

Ren sighs and goes to try and stop her from causing trouble, only for the blonde boy to casually wake up and slap her across the room and outside into the street.

The room goes silent in shock, as Jaune rises up yawning, Ren just stands there horrified, Arthur, Gris and Li all looking shocked for different reasons.

‘Did he do it? Did my son just kill a girl by accident?’

‘If he killed that girl, that means we’re probably going to have to waive the fee, and it’ll probably go on Jaune’s record,’

‘Damn-it Nora, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself!?’

Ren though, while horrified, was also quite awed. Nora was the strongest kid in town, he had never even seen her winded outside of training with dad, and she hit him hard enough to break his aura in just two to three hits, and it took him dozens of hits to just bring her down.

This blonde boy just socked her out of the room!

Nora laid on her back, a manic smile on her face. A tingly numb feeling all across her body, with some kind of scratchy feeling beneath the numbness. Awesome. Her aura never felt so low before, outside of Papa Ren fighting her in training. Nora’s aura felt like it was more than half gone!

Nora's smile didn’t fade as she contemplated the sheer strength behind, it didn’t just knock her around, it sent her flying! How far could he make her fly? 

“Jaune,” Arthur said to his son. “Please go make sure she’s alive?”

Jaune yawns, and rubs his eyes. “Who? Did I hit someone?”

“Yes.”

He nods “Ok.” Then he walks to the person with a damaged aura signature outside.

Nora looks at the boy in awe, as he looks down at her. He knees down and puts a hand on her cheek where he hit her. “Pain pain, go away.” Then a surge of light overtakes Nora, and her aura is completely restored and then some.

“Who are you!” Nora says, grabbing Jaune by the shoulders and putting her faces really close to his making intense eye contact.

“I’m Jaune.” The boy says pushing her away, her breath smelled like syrup, and it was making him hungry.

“I’m Nora and this is my brother Ren!” She said dragging the boy over to her brother who still was processing the fact that his sister had just got slapped out of a building.

Jaune thought they didn’t look anything alike, but then thought about his new adopted sisters. Realizing that Nora must have adopted Ren, he nodded.

“Oh cool, he’s like my sisters.”

Nora nodded. “Yeahs my brother, but not my brother-brother, but we’re blood-brother and sister, because we cut our hands and shook hands!”

Jaune’s eyes widen, and made note of what to do when he got home. He had to make sure his sister were has much of his sisters as possible.

“You’re really strong! Want to be friends? Wait, wait, I have a better idea, you want to be me and Ren’s new blood brother?”

“Sure!” Jaune didn’t really have any friends outside his family, he looked at Ren. “Can we be friends too? I mean blood-brother?” 

Who needs friends when you have family!

Ren looked at his feet nervously, the idea of cutting his hand again didn’t appeal to him, but nodded anyway. Nora hugged them both. “That’s his way of saying, yes!”

The three adults looked at the children in amusement, Li and Arthur sharing a knowing look.

“Feel welcome to stay in my home for the duration of your contract.”

“That would be great.”

Gris couldn’t stop smiling at her little brother and his new friends. “They're so cute!” Taking out her scroll and snatching several photos as Jaune and Nora, plus Ren got to know each other.

Only for the adults to scream once Nora brought out the knife and tried to cut their hands.

------

After the knife incident, and Nora finding out she couldn’t open Jaune’s hand no matter how hard she tried, they finally managed to settle down.

An Ren immediately took a shine to her children’s new friend and easily welcomed the Arcs into her home. Despite the fact the two other Arcs and her husband were scarcely in the house as they went out looking for the abnormal Grimm. Taking the time to spoil Jaune and her children, eventually managing to slip them all into matching Yukuta before letting them slip out to play for the afternoon.

Arthur and Li took several days to locate the Grimm, traveling around Kuroyuri looking for tracks and trails to indicate where it was, Gris traveling on the further outskirts acting as a scout.

During that time Jaune had spent all his time playing with Nora and Ren, investigating all over town, now that they’re dads were gone they were going to explore a mountain near the town.

“Be careful in the mountains. Also don’t stray too far into the forest or the lord of the mountain will eat you!” The old man said as Jaune walked into the forest, Nora and Ren followed him.

Ren and Nora followed behind Jaune, grabbing his long kimono sleeves. The kimono was something his eldest sister and Mrs. Ren and the Village girls managed to force on him in his sleep last night.

“What’s the lord of the mountain?” Jaune said, swinging his practice sword in front of him crushing through the brush and tearing up anything in front of him, but also creating a cool breeze behind him that Nora and Ren took advantage of.

Nora laughed. “It’s just a stupid folktale, beside I heard there’s really tasty peaches out in the forest.”

Ren sighed, tugging on Jaune’s sleeves. “Actually it’s a tale about a dangerous animal that lived on the Mountain centuries ago, long ago a there a enormous wild boar that lived on the mountain, the king of a nearby city wanted  to take the mountain, but no matter how many solider he sent none ever came back, so the king himself went, and came back wounded, he declared no man may ever rule over the mountain, as it had its own Lord. The Lord of the Mountain.

An electric look went through Jaune’s eyes, “Awesome, do you think we can find it?”

Ren looked nervous though. ‘This isn’t going to end well…’

A couple hours passed, as the trio totally wandered around the mountain before somehow ending up at the top of the mountain, which instead of peak it hosted a large depression that sunk several dozen feet into the width of the mountains top, home to only wild grass, boulders, some bushes, a large grove of peach trees. 

Nora elbows Jaune, smirking. “See I told you there were peaches at the top.”

Jaune snorts. “Yeah, but you haven’t proven that they were tasty yet!”

Nora frowns. “Fine, I’ll race you over there, and I’ll show you how tasty they are!”

“Fine!” Jaune said as he sprinted towards the peach trees, with Nora hot on his trail.

Ren however, felt quite nervous, as something was making his Aura sense crawl. This place was weird to him. He walked around, trying to find the source of the weirdness here.

He wadded through the waist high grass, noting the grass that had some large passage through it that neither Jaune or Nora caused. Nature trails all over the top.

Then he found it as he walked over to the grove. 

Skulls and bones, all over the ground, shattered into pieces and fragments, and the roots were all over them. The tree had been eating the bones.

Ren felt his blood turn cold, as he noticed the rusted and shattered weapons all over the top now that he looked closely.

He quickly looked around for Jaune and Nora, seeing them eating peaches from the tree in the center. Despite how happy they were, they had to leave now.

Calmly as he could, somehow managing to make himself feel numb, the world taking on a slightly muted color, he walked over only to feel the ground shake behind him. Dust and dirt falling behind him, and the warm breath of air on his neck, on the high mountain top. His calm disappeared.

“Jaune! Nora! This is the Lord of the Mountain’s lair!”

A scream from behind him, pulled Jaune and Nora out from their fun to see Ren on the ground before a huge boar.

Jaune and Nora stood in awe of it for a moment, before Nora realized the danger and ran to protect Ren, Jaune close behind her.

However, he couldn’t help but be awestruck by the big piggy behind Ren that was absolutely leaking aura, it almost had as much as his dad did!

It was also so cool looking! It’s fur was black and thick and hairy! Like it was made of black iron. With one blood red eye and one milky one with a scar going over it. It had a bunch of scar actually, over its sides and on its neck. Jaune bet it fought a bunch of strong guys and piggies too. And it’s tusks were ginormous! Like instead of growing tusks it grew two clay-mores instead!

Jaune put his hand under his chin. Could he tame it? Only for him to scowl as the foul smell of the boar fell over to him. ‘It needs a bath. Otherwise, mom won’t let me keep him.’

“SQUUUUUEEEELLL!!!” The Lord of the Mountain bellowed at the three children who invaded it’s lair as it stomped the ground and got ready to charge. 

Only for it to take notice of Jaune, it’s eyes further narrowed in rage, it was the one who had been stinking up it’s mountain with his aura, now dared come into its home! The Lord of the mountain bellowed out of rage and challenged the boy in front of it, then charged forward intent on brutalizing the boy who dared leaked it’s smelly aura all over his mountain. The one who dared to wake him with his offensive smell. It’s beady eye then saw the discarded peach pits on the ground.

It snorted in pure wrath, they dared to eat it’s sacred peach! The one’s that granted The Lord his longevity?! He would grind their bones into dust for his grove and rend their flesh off their muscle and have the rain’s dance with their blood!

The pitch black boar’s singular working eye glowed with a diabolical spirit, as then blood-crimson lightning sparked over it’s black fur, as it galloped it legs forward in blinding speed, going ahead like a black missile, barreling at the seven year old with all the force of a runaway train. Jaune in a split second decision grabbed Ren and Nora, tossing them into some nearby bushes as he was hit hard enough to be sent flying away, the impact turning making the sky around them shake, the light exploding around them nearly blinding them as Jaune disappeared.

Nora and Lie Ren watch in horror, shivering silently as the boy they just befriended, their new brother flew into the mountainside impacting it with a blood-chilling crunch. The pair’s eyes went wide as they went into shock.

The rock-face shook, and the pig squealed in triumph as Jaune seemed to have been defeated.

“That was mean mister piggy, I don’t like mean people.” Jaune walked out from the dust and shattered rocks falling around him surrounding his impact sight, the rocks bouncing off his aura, and looking no worse for wear, if anything he looked incredibly angry.

His golden aura burned around him causing his clothes to float on etheric currents. The boar snorted at him and bellowed again, unimpressed, in it’s long, long life, it had defeated many opponents, from aura users, to soldiers and bandits, to warriors and huntsmen, and even centuries ago the king of this valley and his army, what was one child to his many fallen foes?

The Lord of the Mountain snorted again, summoning it’s lightning to coat him, and then shot it at the insolent child.

Jaune saw it all though, the sneer in the animals eyes, and the hostility riding it’s aura, and the deathly intent in the creature's semblance. It was all too easy to read it and step aside from where the red lightning hit next to him.

With a flourish Jaune then unsheathes his training sword holding it defensively, ready to fight the old boar.

The Lord of Mountain’s tusks glimmered menacingly in the evening light.

Nora and Ren held their breaths hoping not to give away their positions.

Clank! Klink! Crack!

The boar charged into Jaune, with Jaune blocking the beast with the flat of his sword, being pushed back several feet. The boar lashing out with it hooves that almost knocked Jaune flat before deflecting the blow, it’s tusks swiping at him only to be ducked under, and finally it tried to bite him in half, only for Jaune to hit’s teeth with his sword in a silver flash.

Bzzzzt!

The boar’s fur began to stick up on end as currents of electricity gathered across its body, collecting between its tusks briefly, then exploded in a blast of lightning at Jaune.

Jaune’s eyes went wide as a column wide blast of lightning was shot at him knocking him onto his back spasming, mere feet from Nora and Ren.

The boar saw an opening and charged at him coated in auric lightning power, Nora saw it all in slow-motion, Ren’s heart seized with fear and tried to stop Nora, but she moved faster than she ever moved before grabbed Jaune to pull him out of the way, the boar only grazing him, but still blasting bolts of electricity as it brushed them, a wayward zap hit Nora, knocking her onto her back, Ren quickly running to her side as his sister was laid out on the ground smoke drifting off of her.

The boar gave a evil look at the children as it turn around and charged at them, only for the boar to be punched in the nose before it could run them over. The huge animal reeling back, as it was knocked back, Jaune then rose up, smoke rising off of him, then he jumped up and socked it. Anger in his eyes, as he grabbed the blade of his sword and hit the boar in it’s head with the hilt, sending it rolling across the ground and into the trees, destroying several in the process, Jaune then chasing fast behind it.

As the Lord of the Mountain and Jaune continued to fight, Ren was trying his best to tend to Nora, only he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her as she kept laughing. “It tickles Ren! It Tickles!” Then jumping up onto her feet, grabbing the largest branch see could find then running at Jaune and the Lord of the Mountain.

The Lord of the Mountain and Jaune had fought from the forest line back into it’s den, leaving a trail of destruction and broken rocks behind them, the boar discharging lightning at him and Jaune summoning orbs of Aura to take the blows instead of him, several bright aura orbs orbiting around him at high speeds.

Lightning collects on the boar again, making the boar too bright to look at, wayward bolt striking everywhere blasting Nora back again, as it disappears behind a veil of electricity, then faster than the children’s eyes could follow, the boar flashes out towards Jaune in a series of brutal hits, only for him to deflect every blow in a shining silver strikes, with is Aura taking the blows he couldn’t deflect. 

Then in a matter of moments the fighters became invisible, until an ear-splitting shriek cut the air in two, as a shock-wave cut the air in two, razor sharp winds shearing across the air, cutting all the around in a twenty foot circle in half.

The Lord of the Mountain was breathing heavily, blood-seeping from it’s mouth and nose, mighty as it was, boar weren’t built for this kind of fighting, while Jaune staggered around erratically as electricity stilled flashed over him, his hair standing on end and smoke waffering off of him. Jaune with as much aura as he has, was just as vulnerable to electricity as any aura-user, especially to one such as the Lord of the Mountain, who had honed it’s semblance in many battles, he could heal yes, but the effects on the body were noticeable and quite damaging.

The fighters met eyes with each other, a brief contact, but one that conveyed the tangible amount of respect they had for another.

The Lord of the Mountain scraped the ground with it’s hooves, gathering more of it’s semblance than it had ever before, collecting the red power into its prized tusks, turning them into glowing red and white sabers of energy that zapped with lightning around them.

Jaune held his sword with both hands in low stance, his sword’s tip pointing at the ground behind him, four aura orbs floating around him then one after the other they circled around the blade faster and smaller, till the blade was obscure in white and gold colors.

The two fighters charged, they met, they clashed.

All was still, all was silent, they froze meeting like a still frame image, the small blonde boy wielding an equally small sword meeting a building sized boar in a charge, clashing together, it would look comical if not for the serious look on boys face and the obvious power being thrown around, and the wrecked environment around them.

The clash held for a scarce moment, then the world caught up, as light overtook the senses, followed by an all encompassing boom that echoed across the providence like thunder, that nearly deafened Ren and Nora. Finally was the bone-cracking snap, as the victor was decided.

For a brief moment Jaune and The Lord of the Mountain became visible, the sword biting into the fangs, the rotating sheath of aura diverting the condensed semblance back into lightning bolts around Jaune digging a foot deep furrow for tens of yards behind him. Then,

KA-CRACK!

As the Lord of the Mountain’s tusks were broken in two. The two ivory natural weapons spun in the air and then stabbed into the earth, still crackling with its power, and blood leaking at the base of the shattered ivory.

The Lord of the Mountain thrashed about wildly as it’s mind was overloaded with pain and phantom sensations.

Jaune frowned sadly at it. His dad’s voice then echoed in his head. ‘Never disrespect your opponent with mercy if they come to kill you, give them the warrior’s end. Its the end they deserve.’

Ren and Nora could only watch in awe as Jaune then ran at the Lord of the Mountain, stopping it’s wildly flailing with a running sideswipe at it’s head, knocking it onto its side. Quickly he grabbed a broken tusk holding it firmly, holding the beast still he aligned his blunt sword with it’s eye with a lightning quick motion he plunged his sword, followed by his entire arm, and then part of his shoulder deep into through its eye into it’s head. Completely obliterating it’s brain, and the top of its spine.

In an instant, he broke its aura, cutting’s life away in one ending move.

The beast shutters weakly in pain, once, twice, and then never again.

Jaune frowns as he puts his foot against the head and kicks off, pulling his arm out in a spray of gore, showering the forest floor in red, pink and grey. He then swipes his sword through the air, in an attempt to remove the boar viscera off the blunt sword.

Nora and Ren looked on at Jaune, unable to take their eyes off of him. HIs movements were like nothing they had ever seen, powerful, without mercy, terrifying, and awe-inspiring. They fell to their knees without hesitation, bowing before the great one before them.

“Teach me, oh great one!” Nora said, suddenly latching onto Jaune’s leg. “Show me the way, so that I might break enemies! Those that would be unworthy of you!”

Ren hugged Jaune’s waist. “Show me the ways to manhood, Great Master!” Looked up at him. “Allow this one to have the power to serve you, and protect those I care for.”

With a casual pat to their heads. “Sure, you’re my brother and sister, right?” He said, with a bright smile and face dripping with blood.

Ren and Nora could only hug tighter in excitement, this would be the beginning of a long, long, and deep bond.

--------

It had taken most of a day to get to the creature’s lair, but it was well worth it.

Arthur had Gris play interception, leaving her to fight any Grimm that tried to attack Arthur and Li as they fought the Nuckaleeve as they found it was called.

Gris watched in amazement, as she finished the last of the fodder grimm, cutting a deathstalker in half with her zweihander, as her father and Mr. Li Ren fought the Nuckaleeve.

While Li Ren did not have much power behind strikes, he could shoot dozens of arrows near instantly, laced with some type of dust or another, and could easily dodge the blows that the Nuckaleeve tried to hit him with.

Her father just kept proving why he was the patriarch of the house, as he matched the monster blow for blow, overpowering it and laying it back as Li Ren froze, burned, and electrocuted it’s limb.

Till Arthur finally knocked it to the ground and sawed off the horse like head off the abomination as Li sniped the head off the top of the thing they called a Nuckaleeve.

Arthur stretched as he popped his body. “What a work out, haven’t fought something that strong in years, even if it was a little disappointing.”

“A little much for me,” Li said, taking a seat. “I would prefer it if I never had to see something like this ever again.”

Arthur shrugs. “To each their own,” He then smiles at the man. “How does it feel to longer have that monster hanging over your head?”

Li gave a wide smile. “Like a boulder has been lifted from my shoulders, ah, it feels like I just regained ten years of my life back. My Ren and Nora, will now be able to grow up in relative peace, hopefully.”

Arthur gave him a pat on the back, nearly knocking the man onto his face. “They will grow up in peace, if you ever have any other trouble, do not hesitate to call the Arcs.”

Li’s eyes started to water, but he quickly rubbed them away. “Then, I suppose there is one thing I have concerns about, in your time here in Kuroyuri, have you heard of the Lord of the Mountain?”

--------

Arthur couldn’t be prouder of his son if he tried as he lugged a two story tall boar through the town square whilst that little girl Nora shouted out a story that would probably fit right in with a Mistralwood movie, the boy Ren giving out details to smooth the story along.

“The Lord is dead, the Lord of the Mountain has died!” An old man shouted.

“It was real?”

“I thought for sure, that the old man was full of shit!”

“I’m not that old! I'm forty five, I just smoke a lot!”

“You should really quit, it’s bad for your health.”

“If I wanted your opinion I’d bloody well ask for it! Anyway the Lord of the Mountain is dead!”

Arthur gave his new friend a sly look. “So, about that problem… I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

Li grabbed his head and shook his head from side to side, a tears of happiness running down his face. “I suppose I do not.”

He rubbed his face dry, then grabbed Arthur by shoulder. “Tonight we party! Kuroyuri is safe again, and these are our champions! Tell the mayor we are celebrating tonight!”

Cheers erupted around the plaza.

--------

The party lasted for several days, as the news made its way around the neighboring villages who went to join and congratulate the Arc’s and the Ren Family.

Positivity at an all time high, fun was had, merriment too, but all good things come to an end.

A Bullhead sat on the outskirts of the village, which was being loaded up with gifts, and some of the remains of the Lord of the Mountain.

Nora and Ren clung fiercely to Jaune, tears running freely down the trios face.

“I don’t want you to leave!” Nora dug onto him tightly

“You’re our brother, don't leave us!” Ren buried his head into the blonde boys shoulder.

Jaune was silent, despite his teary eyes, then he flicked them both on the head. “Quiet! You’re my brother and sister, aren't you going to be strong?”

The two shut up filled with shame.

“This isn’t me leaving, this is me going somewhere else, I’m going to be back and stronger than ever, so don’t think I won’t be back! I would never abandon by brother or sister, so don’t insult me by saying I would leave you forever. So, promise me you two will get stronger, so when I come back we can go on more adventures, promise me!” Jaune looked at them firmly, his eyes still red and puffy.

Nora dried her eyes, and Ren blinked away the tears.

“Yeah! I’m going to get stronger than ever, if you don’t come back I’ll break your legs and bring you back!”

“I’m going to be a real man, Jaune! I’ll show you how strong I can be, so you better come back, or we’ll track you down and bring you back with us for good.”

Jaune looked strong for a moment, then broke down in tears again and hugged them tightly. “I’ll miss you guys.”

Gris looked at them through her scroll, recording the whole thing.

“Couldn’t we, you know, take them with us? We already got the other three groupies, what are two more?”

Arthur swatted her head, “I’m a serial adopter, not serial kidnapper. Anyway, I like Li enough, but not enough to steal his kids, so no, I’m not taking his kids.”

Li gave him a narrowed eye glance. “I’d prefer to keep my children,”

An Ren then carefully puts away a kitchen knife. “I’d cut a bitch, if you tried.” An Ren then smiles. “Anyway, the Arcs are always welcome in our home, you three better come back soon with the rest of your family.”

Arthur gulps, but nods. “Yeah, the misses wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t take her here. So, will come once I get the children settled.”

Gris smiles. “We’ll be back for the junior Mistral Regional Tournament, Dad wants to put Jaune in it. Thinks it’ll be funny.”

Arthur looks off into the distance. “Damn right it will.”

It took some effort, but they separated the children, and loaded up the Bullhead flying home.

------

The three Arc got off the Bullhead onto the Arc Estate, then promptly emptied their stomachs.

The curse striking hard, the one thing the Arc will never defeat.

Airsickness.

[starlightrows]

Living On A Prayer

Pairing: Din x reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Angst

Summary: Down on your luck, and a bit light of funds you try to find a way to help support your little trio

The last few months have not been kind to your little trio. It seemed like there was something going wrong at every turn. Starting with the Crest blowing out an engine and needing a new blast shield processor. You did your best to help Din make the repairs, but this was beyond both of your skills to fix. And it cost a small fortune to have fixed.

Initially Din had hired you to be a caregiver for his son. He treated you well, and paid you decently. The bunk was yours to use and he kept you well fed for the most part. That was well over a year ago. Not a lot changed in that time, except that he was more comfortable with you around now. He enjoyed your company and loved how well you cared for Grogu.

Not too long after those costly repairs, Din made the difficult decision to take a more dangerous bounty farther out in the outer rim than usual. He felt guilty dragging you and Grogu out that far, but it had to be done. Oh what a mistake that had been. Din came back shaking, bloody and delirious from exhaustion. You had one hell of a time trying to treat his wounds without removing the helmet.

You finally caved and flew the ship to the closest med center you could find, draining your personal store of credits saved up from Din paying you for your work, in order to buy a full dose of extra strength bacta shot.

“What were you thinking?” He snapped later the next day

“I was thinking I would have to haul two corpses back to Nevarro instead of one,” you retorted, holding the baby closer to your chest. You and Din didn’t quarrel often, and certainly not in front of the kid if you could help it.

“It’s bad enough I couldn’t bring him in warm,” Din huffed “We’ll be lucky if we get half the reward money now,”

You were both quiet for a long moment, you stroked Grogu’s soft ear between your fingers.

“I couldn’t just let you die,” you said. He took a long time to answer.

“I know,” he finally replied “thank you,”

Since then, he has gotten a few other jobs. But it’s not enough. Between the repairs, the bacta shot and the low paying finders fees he’s been collecting lately, credits are tight.

You didn’t realize how desperate it was getting until you went to inventory your remaining medical supplies and food. Minimal at best, and with less than a quarter of your usual budget to resupply, your heart sank. You’d had rough patches before where he didn’t make as many credits as usual, and you had no problem dipping into your savings to accommodate that. But now, with all of your money spent to save his skin, you were at a loss.

As you packed away the remaining supplies you did some quick math in your head, if you were careful and rationed out a little more from your portion of what’s left you’d be able to stretch what you still have an extra two rotations. With Din still hunting and Grogu still a growing child, they had to come first.

But two days is hardly enough, you’d have to figure out something else to supplement his unstable income. At least for a little while. For one thing, you knew you had to ask him to stop paying you. You’re just putting the money right back into the family so there’s really no point. You began looking through all of your clothes and possessions. Determining which items you could do without, which were absolutely essential, and what would get you the most credits. Your meager pile of items to sell would not be enough, you already didn’t own many frivolous things to begin with.

You sighed, sitting back on your heels. The sound of little feet coming towards you drew you out of your fog. Grogu toddled up to you, clicking his claws indicating he wanted to be held, you indulged him, scooping him up into your arms and tucking him into your side while you continued going through your possessions.

“I don’t suppose you have any marketable skills or a secret stash of luxury items we can sell?” You asked him. He cooed in response “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Thanks anyway, buddy”

After another couple minutes of agonizing over your choices, you gave up and decided it was time to bring Din into this. Tell him of your plan and see if he had any bright ideas on how you could contribute to resolving this money problem. You hitched Grogu up a little higher on your hip and made your way up to the cockpit. Din sat in the pilots seat, pouring over the galaxy map and muttering to himself under his breath.

“Hey,” you started cooly, setting Grogu down in his pram and easing down into the copilot’s seat “I need to talk to you about something if you’ve got a minute,”

The helmet turns towards you, and he presses a button to close the navigational charts. He’s listening.

“I inventoried the food and medical supplies we have left, there’s only got enough to last us about another 9 days if we stretch it. So I’ve been trying to think of ways to get us some extra credits until things start picking back up,” you explain. He nods in assent, so you continue on.

“I was thinking about selling off some of my clothes and old things I don’t need anymore. That should get us a least a little bit of money. I was also thinking maybe I could start making things to sell when we stop on different planets. I’m a pretty fair seamstress, I could make blankets and reusable bags and sell them at the street markets when we stop,” Din continues nodding along, you hope he’s actually listening to you “Oh and it’ll help if we stop separating our money, it’s all going to the same projects and I-“

“What?” He cuts you off

“What?” You respond in confusion

“I’m not going to stop paying you,” he says frankly

“Din, you can’t afford to keep paying me like this. It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re living on a prayer at this point, and we can’t keep this up. We need to put that money into getting the parts to fix the heating coils so we don’t freeze and making sure the baby has enough to eat” you try your best not to belittle him in your words. Because he really is doing everything he can to provide for you and Grogu.

“That isn’t fair to you. I won’t ask you to stay and work without pay,” you can feel the pain in his voice as he says it. But a bolt of pain and confusion hits you as well. Would he really dismiss you after everything you’d been through and everything you’ve built together.

“It’s not about the money Din. It hasn’t been about the money for a long time. I stay for him. I stay for you... I thought you knew that”

“I— I just... I didn’t want to assume...” he stammers

“Let me spell it out for you, no assumptions necessary. I love you. I’m not going anywhere, money or not. We’re gonna work together to get things back on track.” You reach out for him, and take his gloved hand. “We’ll make it through this, together,”

Din Djarin Tag List: @spideysimpossiblegirl

[coffeestainedcamera]

Belle (yeah, the Hosoda one) review

Had a spare $5 lying around in google play cashbacks, so gave it a watch once it hit rental. It was gorgeous and promising and didn't feel like a waste of time, but not a perma-buy for me. Part that dragged it down for me most was the second half, so throwing a cut in.

Well, this movie sure goes places. Anxiety, survivor's guilt, child abuse, creeps that doxx streamers, we really have it all. Not all of it was sensitively handled imo, as I nearly cringed off my bed at "perhaps beast is strong because he survived a ton of trauma", but it tried to be a good portrayal of grief ig.

Some of it worked. Suzu's gradual progression from functionally being silent in flashbacks to doing things like helping a friend confess was a nice arc. The loss of interest in, and even physical reactions to, hobbies previously shared with the dead relative were def realistic.

But I fundamentally disagreed with the "VR tech brings out your biggest strengths" moment, as it smacks of irresponsible talk I heard over the years. Nah, get CPS in here.

Overall, it was otherwise a pretty interesting portrayal of escapism, both good and bad. On one hand, yeah, a virtual singing career with a friend producing arguably helped Suzu get her voice back. On the other hand, yeah, it also cut her off from her peers and the helpful adults to some extent. I still think that the idea that the streamer persona is completely separate was wrong for this particular case, but yeah, this is a very much a case-by-case scenario. Vtubers with completely outlandish personas exist alongside streamers who prioritize at least faking authenticity, after all.

And the strongest point was probably in portrayal of the modern internet. Not just in these gorgeous visuals, but also in the witch hunt for the Beast. Everyone's privacy gets invaded in that search, especially in the case of that baseballer who had to share private medical info just so people would stop claiming he's hiding a violent side. Then internet vigilantes show up, and everything goes to hell even further. At least we haven't gone full Boston marathon of 2013 and Reddit, I guess. Look it up at your peril, it's depressing. Anyways.

"Justin" was honestly a decent antagonist, as he's a mix of a toxic streamer, a wannabe Sherlock, and a self-appointed internet morality police. So, he appointed himself as the judge, jury, and the doxxer based on rules he never quite explained. Then he somehow picked up a ton of sponsors, probably because doxxings draw a ton of gawkers. And he goes mask-off as the sort of guy that would likely harass female streamers first during the interrogation where he tries to doxx Suzu, given lines like "I bet no one would listen to you if they knew what you looked like". That scene made me want to see more of the vigilante conflict, as I think it'd be interesting to explore if self-moderation can ever function for large communities like U.

It'd have also been interesting to explore what made the sponsors drop him. But, well, maybe it got dropped for time. Having spent a while talking with my finance club friends about the toxicity issues of social networks and how they impede the advertising businesses, it's just something of a pet subject for me lol

The portrayal of background trolling was also decent. Hard to explain it, but it felt realistic to me (having grown up in the age of smartphones). It was decent to have an arc about an indie musician, ig, as well.

Overall, the movie was definitely hard-carried by its visuals and sound design, though. The contrast between the fairly subdued light colors of the village and U's corporate grey with some colors is a bit on the nose, but it works due to the technical skills of the entire crew. I also appreciated the quietness of the village during the "daily life" moments, for the same reasons.

So, yeah, great technical execution and I'm glad I saw it, even if it felt somewhat surface level and messy.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Decagon: The Supportive Hero Chapter 1

Summary: When Izuku finally accepts that Bakugou is not his friend anymore, he ends up collapsing at home. He discovers that he has had a Quirk all along- the ability to bond with others and increase their Quirks. Izuku fully intends to become a hero still, now with a new Quirk by his side. A new school leads him to new friends and new bonds both Quirked and not, plus his mom finding a new husband has his family increasing and the support he needs keeps coming in. 

Look out world, here comes Decagon!

Pairings: Aizawa Shouta/Midoriya Inko so far. Others TBA

Warnings: Bakugou Faces Consequences. Bakugou critical. But also he ends up getting redeemed like WAY later so... yeah.

Other Tags: Shinsou is Aizawa’s cousin/nephew, Queer Platonic relationships ahead, Izuku has a Quirk.

On AO3

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 People have a limit. Something that pushes them over the edge, something that makes them snap.

  This limit could be related to anything. A movie making you walk out of the theatre for terrible acting.

 Rage quitting a game because of one fight that is impossible to beat for now real reason.

 Having a long day at work, and then coming home to a screaming child it could be a limit.

 For Midoriya Izuku his limit was reached with Bakugou Katsuki.

 -0-

  Izuku grew up around his best friend Bakugou Katsuki. As little kids, they played together often. He called him Kacchan as a friendly little boy.

  Kacchan was a little boy who was a little mean to people. Some little boys are like that. Usually, schools or parents would fix that. For Kacchan, they didn’t.

  The school because he was a skilled kid. He learned to read early, was a bright kid and also got his Quirk a bit early. A very powerful Quirk enabling him to sweat a nitroglycerin-like compound that exploded. Not actual nitroglycerin, but close enough.

  “A future hero.” the teachers would say. The school district was a low-ranking one and was desperate to get recognition.

  Kacchan’s parents tried to correct him when they caught him being mean, but both worked long hours and struggled with trying to figure out when was too much. Both were victims of abuse from their own parents and worried over if it was too much or too little how they raised their son.

  Then there was Izuku.

  The doctor he went to said he was Quirkless. And everyone knew the Quirkless were worthless. No one cared about Izuku compared to Kacchan. But it was okay because while Kacchan was mean he wasn’t cruel.

  Then it all changed. Izuku didn’t know why. He didn’t know why offering his hand to Kacchan made him angry. He didn’t know why Kacchan yelled. He didn’t understand anything.

  Izuku became the joke. The punching bag of Kacchan and soon the rest of the school.

  Freak. Worthless. Useless.

  He felt small and tired and every day he dragged himself home feeling drained of energy. It was hard. It didn’t help that he had health issues. He couldn’t put on a decent weight. His skin often felt like it was burning up. Some days he couldn’t breathe he felt so heavy.

  His mother worried. She was the only bright spot in his life. The only person to care. She fought hard for him.

  When he was eight they tried to claim he was cheating on a test. He had to be, they argued.

  She demanded they investigate properly, including calling in the investigators from the board who all had lie detector Quirks or Quirks that let them be able to tell if people cheated.

  Six kids got caught.

  None of them were Izuku and the school was harshly reprimanded for blaming him.

  They tried to mark down his grades at age nine.

  Inko dragged the board into it again and this time now, they had someone to watch over their marking. An idea from the head of the board given she had a Quirkless daughter herself and knew the patterns from when her daughter was in school.

  Izuku knew she would do anything for him.

  “Bet your mom fucking cries herself to sleep knowing she has a worthless Deku as a son,” Kacchan sneered at Izuku when they were ten. “She probably hates you you freak.”

  They were at the park. Izuku just wanted to play on the swings. Kacchan was there with his friends- or lackeys whichever he preferred. Kacchan was convinced Izuku had followed him, convinced that he was so important to Izuku that he would waste his time like that.

  Izuku was ten. He knew his mother loved him and cared for him deep in his soul and he knew Kacchan was lying. He was saying mean things to hurt Izuku.

  He brought his mother into it.

  Izuku stared at Kacchan… at Bakugou and felt something snap.

  Everyone has a limit.

  Izuku’s was his mother. And Bakugou crossed it.

  It changed everything.

  Izuku stared at Bakugou for a long time, enough that the other boy began feeling uncomfortable before turning and walking away. The single act was enough to startle the other boy, as well as the other two who were with him.

  Bakugou watched Izuku go with wide eyes before scowling.

  “Useless freak,” he grunted. He turned and stopped, suddenly feeling dizzy for a second before shaking his head. Probably didn’t drink enough water again, he figured.

  Izuku walked home in a daze, feeling sick for some reason. He shivered as he tried to grasp the handle of his apartment door, laying his to hot head on the cold door and breathing in.

  Why… why did he feel like that? He was fine. Angry at Bakugou, sure but he was fine earlier… you don’t get sick that fast. It wasn’t possible.

  He managed to get the door open, stumbling into the apartment, his legs too heavy and his arms like lead as he tried to move.

  “Izuku…” he heard his mother speak but he couldn’t respond, his tongue too heavy and a sudden icy cold sweeping through his body as his knees buckled.”IZUKU!”

 -0-

  Inko dropped to her knees, a hand going to her son’s neck and checking his pulse.

  Slow but steady. Good.

  Oh, thank God.

  She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialled for an ambulance. She kept the phone to her ear as she tried to focus on five things she could see.

  The couch. The book she had dropped in her scramble to get to Izuku. The ugly carpet she kept meaning to replace. The stupid wedding photo she kept meaning to throw out now that she caught Hizashi actually cheating thanks to his mistress finding out he was married. Izuku’s red shoes.

  She could not panic. She could not panic.

 Do not Panic! She hissed mentally as the phone connected.

  “What’s your emergency?”

  “My son collapsed. He was at the park and came home, just suddenly dropped when he came in.” Inko said. “His pulse is steady.”

  “Alright,” the operator said soothingly. “And this can’t be his Quirk?”

  “Izuku’s Quirkless. He’s had problems with kids using theirs on him before as a bullying tactic so it might be someone else’s but I don’t think so.” Inko reported. After she had gone after the fourth kid’s family they had stopped. She knew they kept doing so, she wasn’t stupid but Izuku wouldn’t tell her and the school played dumb. At least they stopped trying to charge her for new uniforms when she had also threatened them with demanding a release of all their videotapes, with the help of a friend at the law firm she worked at who had a Quirk that let him get ANYTHING deleted from a system.

  “Shit,” she heard over the phone and sighed in relief.

  Quirkless people were discriminated against. However, it was often in subtle ways most people didn’t think about. Microaggressions, her boss had told her when she came to him and asked for help understanding the laws to protect her son. Outright harm was sadly common as well, but luckily it was improper to do so. You could be an asshole but hurting them? Very improper and Japanese people hated being improper. So Izuku dealt mostly with microaggressions from adults. Children not so much.

  Inko had gotten good at picking up people who would be cruel to him. And from the sounds of it, the operator was not one of them.

  Giving the address, she stayed on the line while sitting next to her son.

  The ambulance came quickly and she opened the door to wave them in. Three of them though only two came up the steps to her apartment. Her building didn’t have an elevator sadly, the building over two hundred years old before the time of Quirks.

  They came into her apartment quickly and checked him over themselves, one of them frowning.

  “... are you sure your son is Quirkless?” Asked a blue-haired female paramedic. Inko blinked.

  “Yes. He was diagnosed at four.”

  “How?” The other woman asked.

  “The doctor said his toe joint-“ both paramedics interrupted her with groans.

  “Ben!” The woman yelled, going to stick her head outside the open door to yell at their driver. “We got a possible unknown Quirk!” She told the man, while Inko stared in confusion before the other paramedic, a brunette man, spoke up.

  “The toe joint theory is false. Got disproven about… five years back? Guess they didn’t call you in for a re-evaluation if your kid never showed signs.” Inko stared at him before she felt a very familiar feeling in her gut.

  Anger. Raw hot anger curled its way up inside of her like a snake, filling her stomach with rage.

  “Oh.” She hissed. “I see.”

  “Well, you’re terrifying.” The man muttered as his partner came back in.

  “My Quirk is Medical Check. I can tell what injuries people have. Your son is suffering extreme Quirk exhaustion. I’m talking probably one of the worst cases I’ve seen.” The woman told her. “He needs fluids, heat packs and the hospital. Now.”

  Inko followed them as they took her son, pausing to lock her door as she ran after them to get into the ambulance. As she drove with them she began texting her law firm.

  She had some things to do. Mostly plan on how to best terrify the doctor's office and potentially sue the doctor who misdiagnosed her son and never called back when the test was proven false. If it was possible anyway.

  When they got to the hospital she put her phone away and ran after the cot when it was transferred to nurses, only being stopped by a nurse who needed her to fill out forms. She did so while her son was being checked over.

  The forms were simple, though do once she ended up writing unknown in the Quirk box, including the words of the paramedic.

  She then got directed to a sterile waiting room filled with magazines, other people and posters of heroes smiling and saying random messages that were supposedly comforting or something.

  She waited quietly, eyes on the clock until a nurse came in.

  “Mrs. Midoriya?” The nurse called and she stood, walking over to her. “Right this way. Your son was stabilized.” Inko followed the nurse who led her to a room where a doctor was looking over a clipboard, her son in a bed with multiple blankets, an IV line and what she thought were heat packs around him. It was a pediatric room, with bright walls and superheroes on them.

  She thought he’d like it when he woke up.

  “Ah, Mrs. Midoriya. I’m Doctor Aizawa.” The man offered his hand and Inko shook it. “Your son is… stable.”

  “But not okay?” She asked.

  “Okay is… harder to describe.” Said the doctor. He frowned, scratching his cheek. He’s handsome, Inko thought. Her worry for her son made her latch on to stupid details such as the man in front of her was handsome. Dark hair, dark eyes. Nice and tall. “Your son is suffering extreme Quirk exhaustion. In fact from his records we have on file it looks like he’s suffered it for years. It just happened to have fully kicked in now.” The doctor motioned to the bed. “His body temperature is extremely low and he shows signs of malnutrition but from what I understand you have been trying to help with that. Various vitamins and diets?”

  “Yes. Are you saying he’s been suffering it for years but no one knew?!?” Inko demanded, heart in her throat and anger still in her gut.

  “Quirk exhaustion can appear as chronic fatigue if it never reaches a serious point.” The doctor replied, looking at his clipboard again. “If the person white the right Quirk never checks it can be missed if the Quirk itself is passive. Like your son’s appears to be.”

  “Do we know what it is?” Inko demanded, turning to look back at her son. He looked so small in the bed, swaddled up in blankets and heat packs. He shivered and her hands clenched. How was he cold, she wondered. How was he cold under so much?

  “Sadly no. My Quirk enables me to stop the usage of Quirks on myself, so I won’t be able to tell.” The doctor said. Inko frowned, glancing at him and waiting for an explanation. “Part of my Quirk is that this way I am able to tell what a person’s Quirk is when they use it on me. I don’t know the full details but I can tell what it does in the basic terms.”

  “And that’s why you’re a doctor?” Inko asked. He looked surprised and she blushed. “Izuku loves Quirks. He’ll probably ask you a million questions when he wakes up and ask to write it all down in a notebook. He loves analyzing.”

  “Ah,” chuckled Dr. Aizawa. “Possible his Quirk deals with other Quirks then, that’s a common side effect. Becoming interested in other Quirks though usually it’s just wanting to know what they do. That was how it was for me and my cousin.”

  “Cousin?” Inko asked.

  “Ah yes. My cousin is a pro-hero. His Quirk enables him to stop other people’s Quirks when they’re working. He can erase all but mutation types. I was going to ask permission to contact him. I often do so in cases like this. As long as it’s not mutation he can tell what your son’s Quirk main purpose is.”

  “Main purpose?”

  “Some Quirks have multipurpose Quirks. For example, Tanaka- the paramedic you met- Medical Check enables her to be able to tell what someone’s medical concern is at the moment, but it also enables her to retain vast amounts of information on medical history and enables her to know what the exact tool needed for a patient is. It’s why she’s such a good paramedic.” Dr. Aizawa informed her. “We can figure out the main purpose and any side effects will then come later.”

  “Thank you, please call him,” Inko replied and the doctor left, leaving Inko to wait by her son’s side, hoping he’d wake up.

  He didn’t by the time a tall dark-haired man in a black jumpsuit stumbled in, a visitor badge on a lanyard around his neck along with a long scarf. Dr. Aizawa followed him, looking annoyed.

  “Hello,” The man in the jumpsuit said in exhaustion. “I’m Aizawa Shouta, the Pro-Hero Eraserhead.”

  “Eraserhead?” Inko asked. “My son knows you.”

  “... what?” The man looked startled. Inko chuckled, unable to help it.

  “My son. He loves heroes, wants to be one. He found out about you and just became obsessed. Said you’re a little like him, fighting with no Quirk.” The man blinked and then coughed, rubbing the back of his head.

  “That’s nice.” He muttered. Dr. Aizawa snickered from behind him and his cousin shot him a nasty glare. “I’m going to use my Quirk to disable your son’s. I should have the basic idea of what it is then.” Inko nodded and watched as the man’s eyes went red and his hair floated up along with his scarf. When his eyes went to her son, she gasped, feeling a sudden dizziness. She stumbled slightly and grabbed the table she was sitting by.

  “Mrs. Midoriya!” Dr. Aizawa cried out, going to check on her. She blinked and let him check her over as the other Aizawa dropped his Quirk and turned to them. “Was this her son’s Quirk?” Dr. Aizawa asked.

  “Yes,” Eraserhead replied. “Her son has a bond type Quirk, meaning he forms bonds with people and I think boosts their Quirk.”

  “Oh, is it drawing too much energy from him?” The doctor asked in worry. “I’ll contact a specialist in bonding Quirks.”

  “Why are you spending so much time on this?” Inko asked the doctor. “I mean I’m happy, don’t get me wrong but… Izuku is just a little boy who had an unknown Quirk.”

  “Bonding Quirks are dangerous,” Eraserhead was the one to reply, facing her. “Bonding Quirks that affect others? More so. There was a villain who had one over fifty years ago. By bonding with people he could heal them by passing the wounds onto others. He killed twenty heroes and over a hundred civilians.”

  “There’s also the chance his bonding with others could be accidental and could have a villain bond to him and increase his Quirk,” Dr. Aizawa told her. “We need to be careful.” Inko nodded her understanding. “Shouta, can you stay on-site for a while? I’ll have to report this and in case a villain is tipped off…”

  “I will.” Eraserhead promised before yawning. “I’ll sleep in the cot if that’s okay?” He asked Inko. “I had a case that had me up for the last few days.” Inko waved him to the spare cot in the room normally meant for parents and he collapsed into it with a groan.

  Dr. Aizawa left to go and make his calls. Inko herself decided to go and get a drink from a machine, leaving the room quietly.

  Walking down the hospital halls, she found her way to a vending machine where she put in some money to get a water bottle. Waiting for it, she heard a familiar voice from behind her. She turned to see a familiar blonde woman scowling at a blonde boy.

  Bakugou Mitsuki and her son, Bakugou Katsuki.

  Inko and Mitsuki used to go to the same high school, and were friends of a sort. Enough that when their kids were younger and they had learned they lived in the same areas, they started hanging out again. But Mitsuki was a model, and her husband a fairly popular fashion designer. Often they were out and about with work, meaning that Inko and Mitsuki were restricted to monthly meet-ups.

  Inko didn’t mind. Mitsuki was a nice enough woman but she was a lot to handle.

  “Calm down brat, the doctors said you were fine!” Mitsuki told her son.

  “What do they know? My explosion was way less powerful than before!”

  Inko suddenly knew. She stood there and watched the two and just knew. She knew deep in her gut what had happened.

  As if in a trance, she walked up to them. Mitsuki saw her first, and a look of concern crossed her face. After all, she was in the pediatric part of the hospital.

  “Inko! Is Izu-chan okay?” the woman asked. Inko didn’t answer, instead staring down Katsuki.

  “Bakugou Katsuki.” she began in a very clear tone, controlling her anger. “What did you say to my son?” He froze, eyes wide before they darted to the side. Mitsuki began scowling.

  “Brat! Didn’t I fucking tell you to leave Izu-chan the fuck alone! What the hell are you thinking, still being mean to your friend?!”

  “They’re not friends,” Inko spoke up, still staring at him. “Izuku is a terrible liar but I can tell when someone explodes his belongings. I just never had proof.”

 Mitsuki paled before her eyes flashed and cheeks reddened. She might have managed to become more affluent and gain a fair amount of money from modelling and fashion, but she grew up like Inko, terrified and constantly trying to make ends meet. Secretaries like Inko, even ones working for a law firm, did not make enough to cover replacing clothes all the time.

  “Bakugou Katsuki,” Mitsuki snarled through her teeth and Katuski actually paled himself, looking at her. “We will have a talk later, young man.” she continued through her teeth.

  The look her son carried told Inko that he knew the anger Mitsuki felt then wasn’t the fireworks or the cherry bomb temper his mother usually had. Loud screaming, and snapping, but then she was done. Got the anger out.

  Her anger then was the colder anger she carried, born from years of abuse and terror she had felt as a kid.

  “What did you say?” Inko asked him again.

  “... Told him you didn’t love him and he was a worthless Deku,” Katsuki admitted. Inko closed her eyes as Mitsuki jerked away from her son, a look of pure anger crossing her face before her fists clenched.

  “Bakugou Katsuki, me and your father WILL be talking about this,” Mitsuki grounded out, the words sounding as if it took everything she had not to scream them. “And expect a very lengthy punishment.” The shocked look Katsuki flashed her made Inko’s heart cold.

  “My son came home from the park and collapsed,” Inko said. “Turns out the doctor used a test on him that was outdated five years back, but we were never called in for a revaluation. He came and collapsed due to Quirk exhaustion.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Mitsuki whispered, her eyes widening. Inko nodded, still looking at the young boy.

  Katsuki looked shocked before a look of pure anger crossed his face. His hands clenched and Inko wanted to shake him. How dare he be angry her son has a Quirk. How dare he look like that.

  She didn’t though. Instead, she kept speaking.

  “It's a bonding Quirk. When he bonds with someone, their Quirk increases, we think.” Her eyes flashed to Mitsuki who made a choked noise at what she said before Inko continued to speak, “A man who could erase Quirks temporarily came in and erased his. I felt dizzy and confused for a second, weaker.”

  “... No,” Katsuki said, it clicking for him too. “No! THAT FUCKING FREAK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY STRENGTH! WITH MY QUIRK!” he screamed at Inko. A few nurses in the halls turned to look their way and a security guard who had been down the hall turned around. Inko didn’t move.

  “If I’m right and he snapped the bond, then you owe him a lot. And you ruined it.” Inko told him before turning around. Katsuki screamed again but his mother moved him away from Inko, grabbing a nurse to speak and keeping a grip on her son as Inko walked away.

  Was it cruel to say that to a ten-year-old? Inko wondered as she walked back to her son’s room.

  Possibly.

  But she didn’t regret it.

 -0-

 Izuku blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light from the ceiling. He closed his eyes again, groaning as his brain felt like it was full of sludge, his mind struggling to understand what was going on. He was cold for some reason, but he could feel blankets on himself.

  “Izuku!” his mother cried out, running to him from the doorway into his room. “You’re okay?”

  “Mom?” Izuku slurred. He shivered, feeling cold, so cold. “Mom where am I?” Izuku asked.

  “The hospital honey,” Inko told him, reaching up to run a hand over his head. “You collapsed after coming home from the park.”

  Izuku hummed and then shivered again, wrapping the blankets around him as if he was a butterfly in a cocoon.

  “I’m cold,” he whined.

  “I know baby,” Inko said. She tucked the blankets in more as a doctor he didn’t recognize came in, along with a guy in a black jumpsuit holding a coffee mug.

  “Ah, he is awake.” the doctor said. He bowed his head and introduced himself as Doctor Aizawa. “And this is my cousin Eraserhead.”

  Izuku blinked at the doctor’s word, trying to understand. His mother looked at him with worry while the doctor walked over to check his temperature and check his vitals.

  “... Eraserhead? THe hero?” Izuku asked, blinking rapidly. “I… I saw your fight with Angel Dust.” Eraserhead frowned.

  “That fight?” he shook his head. “How did you find the stream?”

  “I… I got hit by a classmate’s Quirk. Makes you stay up for days. Couldn’t sleep and found it.” Izuku admitted. The said classmate had actually hit him on accident and felt awful about it. Had been really nice until her family moved. He missed her, she had been one of the few who wasn’t scared off by K… Bakugou. He shivered again and wrapped the blanket tighter around him.

  “Ah.” Eraserhead nodded. He fell silent after that, the doctor instead taking over.

  “Vitals are fine. Core temperature is still low but slowly rising. If your theory is right Mrs. Midoriya, then it is possible part of the bond drew heat from the other boy and losing it dropped his own temperature.” The doctor said, causing Izuku to frown. He looked at the doctor, his head slowly feeling less foggy.

  “Huh?”

  “Izuku… honey. You have a Quirk.”

  He wanted to throw up.

 -0-

  A Quirk.

  He had a Quirk all this time. Every single damn year since he was born, he’d had a Quirk.

  And it was thanks to some stupid doctor who used an outdated test and the doctor’s office who never called he was tormented for years.

  Izuku stayed under his blankets, not wanting to leave as Dr. Aizawa left, saying he had spoken to the specialist and they would come soon.

  His mother left as well, heading out to speak with her boss and to settle things with the school.

  “It sucks.” A voice from Eraserhead startled Izuku who had forgotten he was in the room, laying on the cot. “It sucks this happened to you. If you want to punch someone or scream I’m here.”

  “... if people knew earlier everyone would want to be my friend. They will now.” Izuku voiced. “Like K… Bakugou. Everyone wants to be his friend even though he’s mean cause they think they’ll be cool with him.”

  “Mhmm.” Aizawa hummed. “Me and Minato, your doctor, were in a foster home when I went to UA. When I got into the hero course they suddenly bragged about it, wanted to be around me and be my friend.” He chuckled a little. “I told them no. In unkind terms. Mostly swear words.”

  Izuku snickered at that before falling silent. The two laid in the room together silently for a little while longer.

  “...I don’t want to bond with Bakugou again. But if mom was right and he-”

  “No,” Eraserhead said. He sat up from the cot he had been laying on to go and sit beside Izuku, staring at him. “You don’t owe him a damn thing. If you broke the bond, then it was over something you felt went too far. From what I can tell he’s been bullying you. You do not owe him friendship or respect or anything.” The older man told him, holding his eyes. “No one owes anyone anything.”

  “But he wants to be a hero. And heroes need to be strong.” Izuku said. Eraserhead shook his head at that.

  “Then he needed this wake-up call. Bullies don’t last long in hero courses if we can help it. It’s better he learns that his actions have consequences now than later when he’s older and in a hero course but gets removed from said course.” Eraserhead reached out to lay a hand on Izuku’s head. “You do not owe him anything kid. Don’t let him make you think you do.”

  Izuku laid in bed, staring at the ceiling while Eraserhead went back to bed. He felt a sudden deep thought.

  Eraserhead was right.

  He didn’t owe Bakugou a single thing. He didn’t owe him his friendship, his time or his Quirk.

  He was Izuku. He was going to be a hero.

  And he owed him nothing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

This spiralled off a Tumblr ask and I couldn't resist it. It was to much fun. I hope you guys are enjoying this! Also, yes. Tags are right, we get some Bakugou redemption later on though that will take a while. He's a stubborn brat.

The Aizawa/Inko pairing is the only one I have planned and originally it wasn't even planned. Just me kinda playing with a thought and oops, down the rabbit hole.

Little bit on Aizawa and his cousin: Both are related and were kept together due to this. Their parents were killed when Minato was about ten, and Aizawa was about seven. When Aizawa got into the hero course, Minato was just graduating high school. He got custody of Aizawa and the two left the foster home. Minato is the only medical professional OTHER then Recovery Girl that Aizawa trusts to treat him.

Minato will not play a huge role other then as a doctor and Shinsou's dad but you will get references to the man.

[emersonfreepress]

What would the ro's be like in a zombie au?

whyyyyy anon whyyy. I'm actually gonna write this in like.. slightly different terms, you'll see. any time I even briefly think of a zombie au I'm just like

I WANNA WRITE IT SO BADDD

i don't even allow myself to entertain it for very long because getting into that would be the worst thing ever for my productivity with the alpha omg 😂😂 so I'll put like the ideas that pop into my head for writing a zombie au, to work some of that creative frustration out 😆

so in this very general, absolutely noncommittal idea of mine, the main cast are older and the setting is in and around a civilian settlement led by the Emersons.

and as a refresher, i like my zombie aus to have fast zombies and fast infections ^ ^ 28 Days Later/Train to Busan style babyyyy, we the Sprinting Dead up in this bitch 😆

= = =

Gabe is, predictably, looking for what's left of his family. Following rumors of safe havens and bunkers and such. Starts the story as someone who tries to be diplomatic, if not outright pacifist, but as times get tougher and resources dwindle, he'd become one of the most cutthroat motherfuckers in the wasteland. Low-key though, low-key. People won't trust you if they know you’re capable of throwing them to a horde for strategic reasons. Like if Rick turned into Shane (for those of us familiar with early Walking Dead--idk did that happen eventually? i gave up before we even met Negan lol). The end justifies the means :) Damn, I can legit see Gabe going full evil in a zombie au omg 😂😂 i want to write it so fucking bad

Preferred weapon for zed encounters: rifle

Preferred weapon for human encounters: handgun

Faith in humanity: fucking zero

Zombie kill count: plenty; the type to kill every zombie he has spare ammo and time for

Human kill policy: When it benefits him or the people he’s looking after

Survival rating: B+; he can make it out of some pretty dire situations through sheer will to live and ruthlessness

- - -

Kile has arrived--clearly, this is the timeline they belong in. They start their journey with Gabe (and their doggo) and stick to him like glue, even reluctantly so when Gabe eventually has them join the settlement. This can only go one way, though: Kile's just too much of a wildcard for the group and hates being told what to do. (Especially now that society has fallen, wtf) They'd make their exit alone and unannounced aside from a brief head’s up to Gabe. It's slightly bittersweet, but also? They get to loot and hunt and sneak around and kill fucking zombies, all by themself. Kile is a loner, a hiker, and a hunter to begin with so they do beyond fine on their own. However, once the inevitable violent human threat comes for the settlement, Gabe is sent out to convince Kile to come out of isolation, just this once please, to be the camp’s super soldier help defend the camp.

Zed weapon: p much anything they can get their hands on, ranged or melee, blunt or sharp, w/e; improvised weapons

Human weapon: hunting knife

Faith in humanity: never had any to begin with

Zombie kill count: lol infinite?? any zed they come across is double-dead if they have the time for it

Human kill policy: at Gabe’s direction or when provoked enough/threatened

Survival rating: A-; they trust no one, live in isolation, and prioritize survival above all else. only reason it’s not higher is they would risk their life for Gabe or their furbaby and also... their own Rambo-esque antics def attracts the occasional horde lmao

- - -

Jack... this poor boy, he doesn't deserve a zombie au 😂 He's one of those people that first believes zombies are just sick people, too squeamish to keep up with TV news coverage at the onset and too upset to consider anything else. He'd hunker down at home, staying holed up even while his neighbors evacuated, and probably be discovered while the main group is looting the same place as him. When people try to tell him the real state of the world, he'd be in denial until he absolutely couldn't be anymore. idk, probably after Kile shooting a bunch of non-lethal holes thru a zombie to make a point (attracting more in the process lol).

He’d almost immediately join the medical team at the settlement and as word spreads about how easy he is to talk to, he quickly becomes the literal on-site therapist. It's a role he embraces but... idk if it's an emotional burden he can bear. He's very emotionally resilient! But he ain't a professional lol imagine a whole settlement of traumatized zombie survivors seeking you out for counseling, yikes. He also can't say no to a person in need, so instead he quietly spirals into a very private depression while continuing to help others!!

Zed weapon: Oh gosh, do I really have to?

Human weapon: ...Kindness?

Faith in humanity: Unrealistically high

Zombie kill count: Single digit

Human kill policy: Not ever, unless completely unavoidable and to defend the defenseless

Survival rating: C...? idk, that feels generous. D+. To be protected at all costs!!

- - -

Jessie also had the initial reaction of hoping zombies could be saved, but she woke up from that dream swiftly. The science-minded person that she is, esp with her interest in biology, leaves her determined to find anybody who's got the intellect, expertise, and resources to start doing actual work toward a treatment, cure, vaccine—anything. Nothing would get her to finally unabashedly embrace her love of science (and innate leadership skills!!) faster than a zombie apocalypse! In fact, it’s thanks to her that the Emerson settlement’s got a small but growing team of scientists doing as much research as humanly possible to best educate the others on the outbreak and zombie behavior. Def no zombie experimentation going on though lol. ...Not yet, at least.

Zed weapon: rifle

Human weapon: rifle

Faith in humanity: High! We’ll find a solution! Don’t give up hope!

Zombie kill count: Double digits, but less than 30

Human kill policy: Only in unavoidable self-defense or defense of others

Survival rating: B! She has experience with ranged weapons, farming and gardening skills, first aid, camping experience, and a can-do attitude with a healthy dose of realism!

- - -

Rain remains cargo as I said in the last post about this 😆 They'd be very good for keeping clothes repaired and making useful modifications in the settlement, but their life up to this point has been very sheltered and privileged. We're talking somebody with a chauffeur and a personal chef before the outbreak! They would contribute to quality of life and homemaking efforts more than anything—an overlooked aspect of these scenarios tbh! After as many months of dragging their feet as possible and being nigh impossible to track down when you need them, they eventually become involved in meal planning and even help out with medical stuff if they're asked.

Zed weapon: how do you reload this thing again?

Human weapon: switchblade or other concealable sharp-pointy

Faith in humanity: Very low

Zombie kill count: 0! Can you believe it!

Human kill policy: Well if it’s you or me, of course I’m choosing me.

Survival rating: C. Being so tiny helps them find good hiding spots and their self-preservation is high enough to keep them from unnecessary risk-taking. Plus they're very stealthy! Self-defense is a major issue though, so hiding is always their best option.

- - -

Rupan/Rohan scouts for and leads scavenging missions and is Curt's right hand on the recruitment team. The two of them together are the perfect combo of diplomacy, debate, and deception--although R is more honorable about the last one and will only deceive for strategic reasons. When they aren’t looting and recruiting, they’re doing peacekeeping inside the settlement. Most social disputes end up getting brought to them for mediation and they’re pretty dang good at making and enforcing calls. One day they’ll wake up to realize they’ve basically become a sheriff and feel the need to puke their guts up and do something, anything, to reassure themself they’re still punk 😂

Zed weapon: SMG

Human weapon: shotgun

Faith in humanity: Believes in fundamental goodness but knows better than to trust first impressions

Zombie kill count: decent, more than 40; you won’t catch them having a field day tho, they’re trying to gtfo of most zed situations

Human kill policy: Violent threats have to be taken out. And they aren’t, at all, immune to a revenge rampage either...

Survival rating: B-. Can handle themself both with humans and zeds but is vulnerable to hostage situations and truly difficult sentimental/interpersonal decisions!

- - -

Vivian/Vincent manages inventory and stock and they run it so efficiently it’s scary! They're the perfect pick: a hawk-eyed tyrant and tattletale 😂 Despite constantly butting heads with just about everyone on every imaginable thing, they quickly become an important part of the inner circle of decision-makers for the settlement at large. Terrible at stealth, jumpy, and squeamish at the sight of blood and gore, they literally never go on missions unless they're 100% needed for their expertise on a supply run. (They would deny all of these shortcomings are that big a problem, meanwhile R is definitely acting as their bodyguard lol.) When they do tag along, they're prone to becoming the damsel in distress. Seriously, it happens near every fucking time. It's like they just attract only the most improbable and perilous zombie attacks and hostage situations 😆

Zed weapon: shotgun

Human weapon: handgun

Faith in humanity: Medium; seeing people work together at the settlement helps restore it a bit

Zombie kill count: Double digits, under 25

Human kill policy: Violent threats have to be taken out. Well, no, not by me! Get one of the ruffians to do it!

Survival rating: C-. They’d be higher if they weren’t such natural zombie bait.

- - -

Heidi is running the settlement, well-organized to the degree of actually managing to bring bureaucracy to a post-zombie apocalypse settlement 😂 People are free to come and go, but getting in if you don't live there requires trading something of value (fuel, med supplies, food, etc), temporary surrender and registry of firearms and explosives, and you gotta GTFO at the time and date specified upon entry! You can stay long-term if you contribute to the community in a tangible way—and each person admitted is approved by Heidi personally. Yes, every individual. No, she has no free time. And she is not known to be lenient with rule breakers—you want rule bending, you’ll have to go to Curt for that. People kind of hate her, but it can't be denied that she runs a tight ship. She kind of throws herself into the work to avoid the harsher reality at large and hasn't left the settlement in a long time. She's out of touch with how bad things have gotten in the wastes, but she knows better than to take reports at anything less than face value--even when she's skeptical.

Zed weapon: rifle

Human weapon: handgun; dagger

Faith in humanity: Medium. It fluctuates, honestly

Zombie kill count: Double digits, less than 20

Human kill policy: Violent threats must be taken out if they can’t be reasoned with. Spare those who surrender, eradicate those who don't, keep an eye on the newbies. Not tryin’ to nurse any vendettas around here lol

Survival rating: B. She's good with a firearm, masterful at persuasion, and savvy enough to calculate risks appropriately. Also far tougher than her prim exterior and demeanor suggests!

- - -

Curt leads the recruitment and reconnaissance teams! When a new person or group shows up in the area, Curt's the one who stalks watches them, decides if they're worth approaching, and if they should be approached with an invitation, a simple acknowledgment/announcement of their presence, or an outright armed warning to leave the area. He also keeps tabs on morale and general confidence inside the settlement, alongside R. When he isn’t leading those efforts, though, he’s flirting with settlers and squirreling his way out of manual labor and other chores. He’s also secretly growing weed at his place--don’t tell Heidi or Vi ‘cause they’ll wanna yell at him and ration it UGH.

Zed weapon: SMG, explosives

Human weapon: handgun, dagger

Faith in humanity: Pft, sorry, what now?

Zombie kill count: ...way more than you’d expect

Human kill policy: I don’t start confrontations, but I sure as fuck end them.

Survival rating: A! He’s good at playing hapless idiot when it suits him to be underestimated, good with firearms, and capable of being ruthless and decisive in life or death situations! Plus he has no qualms about ditching the settlement if he decides it’s not working out for him. Just don’t tell Heidi lol

[chidoroki]

In Defense of TPN S2

Okay, so before y’all start throwing your salt shakers at me, let me explain. Yes, I’m just as upset and annoyed with how the second season decided to cut out so much content that us manga readers were finally hoping to see: no Yuugo, Goldy Pond arc or GP Resistance, Lucas or Glory Bell escapees, Adam, poachers, or Cuvitidala Search. Since this season also (sort of) reached the 2047 time skip, we were also denied of the Paradise Hideout, Jin, Hayato, Ayshe, the Seven Walls & Imperial Capital Battle arcs and Alex due to the anime’s so-called “original story” idea. While some manga events still took place (B06-32 getting blown up, the trio’s reunion, Norman’s time at Lambda, the cursed blood and the Grace Field raid), they were all significantly changed and barely held the same emotional impact, as we see very little to no build up to these moments. Several volumes were skipped completely and despite others being touched lightly, we unfortunately missed out on major character development for everyone, most notably for Emma, but also the lighter side of things such as chef Ray, medic Anna, Rossi learning morse code, Minerva!Norman, etc. There’s honestly so much of the main story to talk about and I totally understand why we’re all so ticked off, especially since that darn slideshow did absolutely nothing to calm our hearts at the end of ep11.

However.. I’m not gonna stand by and say this season was worthless. Highly disappointing given everything I just mentioned of course, I get it, so don’t curse me out just yet. People can trash talk it all they want and I’ll sympathize 110%, but I personally won’t do so. I love this series too much and that’s a huge reason as to why I didn’t drop this season. Usually whenever I start a new series, it’s because I become interested in a character or two. I find that no matter what happens in that series, whether the story intrigues me or not, I’ll continue it if only to see more of that character. If the story is good, it’s just another plus for me to stay addicted, so while this season totally missed their chance to adapt the wonderful source material of my favorite series, I stayed to watch Emma, Ray and all the other children I’ve grown to love over the past two years. Another reason why I stayed on this train wreck was because of how thought provoking it became as turned into yet another guessing game for me. After first watching the OP and even more after ep3 aired, I kept wondering what would they include or leave out. How would they handle this scene if this and that were already changed? How would they fix this problem if so and so isn’t here? It felt like I was watching season one blind all over again; seeing all these little clues sprinkled everywhere and yet not having any idea on how the story was going to continue or end got me excited. That’s why I came to love this story in the first place, so having the chance to feel that again alongside characters I love so dearly.. it was fun for me (until the slideshow punched me in the face). While many people will look at this season and declare the manga and first season are both superior (which they are, I agree), I’m still sitting over here like “oh look, more content!”

With all that nonsense out of the way, I thought I would go ahead and ramble about everything I believe the second season did well enough, because if I can take any heat off this adaptation then you’re damn right I’m gonna try. So if you’re wondering why on earth a manga reader even mildly enjoyed this season, it’s honestly just the little things such as a decently adapted or improved panel/scene, any new, interesting elements the anime may have included, or other personal favorite moments of mine.. which there were a lot of.

So no negativity past here kiddos, we’re gonna be as optimistic and lively as an orange antenna.

(mild manga spoiler warning, I guess? but I’m sure it’s nothing y’all haven’t heard us readers mention/complain about already)

- If you’ve read any of my reactions to this season, you would know how much love I have for “Identity.” Not only is the song still an absolute banger, but the opening sequence itself is fantastic. From the contrast between human vs demon, the cameos, the symbolism, the match cuts, the build up to the chorus.. just everything. I could talk about it endlessly and watch it several times over and still be impressed.

- Lani’s stupid fall.

- How clearly it shows Emma’s condition becoming progressively worse.

- Her scream.

- Ray’s apology, especially how soft his voice was when saying “sorry, Emma,” and the smile he gives after she tells him not to worry about it.

- And his entire promise to keep everyone in their family safe. Oh I was so happy to finally hear him say that.

- This exchange between Don and Gilda.

- Rossi and those darn faces he gives us. This boy is such a mood.

- How involved the younger kids were so they don’t feel like they were just.. there, which served as a reminder that everyone from Grace Field is smart, not just Emma and Ray.

- How pretty the demon forest looked at night when all those odd creatures started glowing (even those darn goowee).

- So happy with how this panel was adapted. That smirk of his is everything.

- The fact they remembered a small detail such as the bell.

- Knowing now that they cut so much out of the manga, I’m glad we at least got the hug.

- The ending sequence gave us a small look at Sonja and Mujika’s travels by themselves. “Magic” is also so very calming to listen to.

- How the children hug both Emma and Ray, as manga only had our girl receiving the hugs.

- Sonju & Mujika’s voice actors fit them perfectly.

- How impressed Ray was when he first tried their cooking. No wonder he was so eager to learn how to cook.

- Sonju’s story about the demon world from ch46-47 practically adapted word for word.

- While the manga also shows us how frighted the duo is upon learning they’re living in the worst case scenario, it’s seeing them and their hands physically shake that help push this scene a little bit more (not that you can tell this by a still frame but trust me).

- Their synchronized smirks and how well their excitement was not only animated but how genuine and real it sounds too. Emma’s laugh and the fact they made Ray of all people sound hopeful is fantastic.

- They kept the small Ray from this panel and made him better.

- I just love seeing him be optimistic.

- The entire scene when Emma & Ray are both scolded by the younger kids for acting so recklessly is perfect.

- They kept this tiny comment of Nat’s.

- Finally getting chef Ray and hearing how confident he is with his cooking skills already.

- Seeing other children like Dominic pick up archery and be surprisingly good at it.

- Anime pushed Emma’s quick learning ability further with archery by showing us how easily she could land a bullseye even after hitting something midair.

- How well they animated Emma’s first kill, from following the arrow as she pulls it back to when she releases it as it flies towards the bird’s eye.

- The fact that this scene and the next both used a water droplet to symbolize death just like we saw during season one with Conny and Norman’s shipments are so satisfying.

- The gupna scene and how well it emphasized Emma’s reaction to taking a life and how upset/bothered she was in doing so. The addition of a butterfly helps as well, as it’s another way this series tends to convey the idea of death. (you remember how many the OP had, right? tons.)

- I only just noticed that Ray is seen looking at a similar butterfly in the following scene as well.

- The anime doing this panel justice. Ep2 is probably the episode that follows the manga the closest and did real well in regards to that.

- Ray beating Sonju at chess.

- Chris knowing exactly which way to go without using the compass, which makes sense as he was seen mapping out the surrounding area in the previous episode.

- The kid’s adorable little freak out.-

- Giving us a better idea on how large the reference room of the B06-32 shelter truly is.

- Finally being able to hear our boy Nat play the piano. The fact that his first song is named “Nat King Cool” as a possible reference to Nat King Cole is also great.

- Rossi being an accurate representation of the manga readers while watching this episode.

- Chris being his cute self.

- Seeing Ray’s sleeping face after the manga denied us so many times by hiding it.

- It’s.. close enough. We love our chef.

- I love the idea that Nat plays a couple songs before everyone goes to sleep. That’s so precious.

- SHE!! With her hair down!

- Rossi teasing Don and the fact that just mentioning Gilda is enough to scare him.

- It remembered that Gilda has a tendency to count all the children.

- The level of confidence Isabella has in her kids.

- Ray being oh so close to shooting a human with an arrow.

- This hug.

- Chris leading the group through the underground tunnels, which he also does in manga but we learn earlier in this ep it’s due to all the time he’s played down here.

- Because of his extensive knowledge of the shelter’s layout, Chris also guides everyone to one of the secret entrances to escape after he realizes the intruders are only stationed at the main two.

- Ray’s first demon kill is smooth as hell.

- Curse this scene for being so dark because that damn smile Isabella gives us is amazing.

- Since Andrew was cut, Chris and Dominic survive the aftermath of the shelter’s destruction without any injuries.

- Although we weren’t expecting to see their older 2047 selves this soon, they look good okay?

- The emotion in her voice throughout this entire scene (probably the closest we were ever gonna get to Emma doubting herself in ch109/114 too).

- Please just let me enjoy this moment when Ray noticed her negative thoughts and stepped in to help just as I expected.

- Vylk and that goofy smile of his.

- Watching the duo communicate without words during the chase through the demon town.

- Our girl clearing this jump effortlessly.

- Norman’s squishy cheeks.

- Ray’s slap could’ve been better, I know, but at this point I’m happy they still included it.

- The fact we can see Ray’s face during the reunion hug this time.

- And this hug.

- Remembering the small panel of Ray noticing Emma’s bluff.

- Finally hearing this conversation because both voice actors do a wonderful job with it and thankfully the dialogue is on par with the manga as well. Also that one moment when the shadow falls across Emma’s face like that.

- Gilda comforting Alicia after her nightmare.

- The scene is very dear to me so of course I appreciate every little panel we can get.

- How carefree Ray sounded with his “Nopes.”

- How I only realized just now that this panel was also adapted.

- Okay so who’s brilliant idea was it to have the sun rise towards the end of this conversation as Ray helps Emma regain her confidence? I just wanna personally thank them because it was a genius move and I’ll treasure it forever.

- They kept Barbara’s slip-up.

- Like our demon friends, I think the Lambda crew’s voices fit them rather well, although Zazie’s was totally unexpected, like dude you’re 5, why is your voice so low?

- Another “it could’ve been better but at least they included it” moment.

- Vincent’s smile here cracks me up and I don’t know why.

- Barbara’s anger.

- The short snippet we get of the ch126 conversation when the duo was visiting Chris.

- The table from Barbara’s outrage was never magically fixed like it was in manga, so we get this nice shot of Norman reflected in the broken surface.

- The trio’s conversation about the royals and cursed blood follows manga relatively well.

- Anime did this panel better, I’m sorry. Thank you for showing my girl getting angry.

- This frame of Ray.

- This comment of Norman’s that made me wanna slap him.

- How Norman’s face is constantly in the shadows during this scene, which is something his office at the Paradise hideout probably wouldn’t have given us, so hurray for this location instead.

- How he and Emma bicker over how many days their deal should last.

- When the camera shifts in and out of focus during Barbara’s seizure.

- How this scene hid Norman’s face until they revealed the demon the crew killed.

- It really is the small details that make me happy.

- This smile of Don’s.

- I’ll take all the hugs I can get.

- Emma and Gilda’s little headbutt.

- Why does my boy look so grown up and handsome here? Hello??

- I suppose I have to give credit for Peter’s voice actor too hm?

- Actually making Smee a bit more relevant.

- Since the fight against Legravalima was cut, this shot of Zazie is the closest we’re gonna get to seeing him without his paper bag, but it does improve on that one panel of him at the start of ch153.

- Seeing more of Norman’s time at Lambda as well as the aftermath of the explosion.

- While this scene pales in comparison to its manga counterpart, having the sun set behind him while Norman delivers his famous line was still a decent touch. It’s a nice contrast to the sunrise in ep6 and I enjoy it very much.

- Wild demons managing to somehow successful jump scare me not once, not twice, but three times in a single episode.

- Emma getting back up to protect her family despite her injury. (i mean, it’s no ch93 comeback but oh well)

- Ray getting in another decent shot at a demon.

- This face of his.

- Seeing just how quickly the drug causes the demons to degenerate and all the chaos it causes.

- Actually showing Norman attacking a demon rather than just saying he killed Yverk off panel in ch153.

- Hate me all you want but the anime did this panel better too.

- The ch153 discussion is more or less the same but the fact they added in Norman looking to Ray for help and just having him snap back instead was priceless.

- Sonju’s grin.

- The scene when Norman stops Zazie’s attack may only last like five seconds but it’s wonderfully animated and I find myself replaying it countless times.

- How to make the manga readers and anime-onlys panic with just one sentence:

- Isabella being clever as ever by leaking false info into the radio the escapees have to lure them back to Grace Field.

- I just think Emma looks so mature and pretty here?

- Had Norman actually apologize to the demons.. or was just about to anyways.

- Demon Emma is precious and must be protected.

- The adorable mixup between both Emmas.

- I haven’t a clue on where or how the kids managed to gather all the supplies to create several hot air balloons and explosives.. but they did, somehow, and I’m impressed because I’m assuming that all happened within a day.

- Ma’am, could you be any more smug?

- Simon! And he ends up surviving!

- Having Sonju fight alongside the Lambda crew.

- Which reminds me that this is possible since the Imperial Capital battle didn’t happen (yet, in this timeline), so the three of them never received their injuries from Legravalima either.

- The smoke bombs, only because I remembered how Sonju used them back in ep1 while rescuing Ray so it’s nice to see them being used again.

- Showing Norman actually use a bow and arrow this time. He also hits his target on the first try through a smokescreen.

- Ray having enough strength to knock out two demons with a simple metal pipe. In ch169 he’s seen holding down a grown man so yeah, I can believe this as well.

- Having Jemima, Yvette, Rossi & Mark disguises themselves as shipments in order to rally up the other Grace Field kids. Mark’s face and the noise he makes upon seeing Naila again is also precious.

- Peter actually falling for Vincent’s trap.

- Getting one young child to listen to you is hard enough, but Emma manages to get about 183 of them (yes I counted, give or take the four who also disguised themselves) to follow her orders in no time flat.

- Phil helping with the plan to lead all the children to the elevator.

- It made me nervous upon seeing it but they made the Day & Night ceiling real pretty.

- I knew the reunion was coming and still cried.

- Take all my hell yeahs.

- I could listen to her say this on repeat and be overjoyed every single time.

- She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll point at gun in your face.

- Getting to witness someone shoot at Peter since no one did so in the manga? Wonderful. Having that person be Isabella who literally lands a perfect shot not even a full second after he pulls out that disc? Perfection.

- Mujika and Vylk bringing in hundreds of civilian demons as reinforcements.

- James!

- Those real quick shots of the ancestors because I had given up on thinking we would’ve seen them at all since the Seven Walls arc was skipped.

- I’m actually surprised they kept his death in and it’s as harsh as the manga.

- Ray confronting Isabella with the addition of this line.

- This panel being animated along with Emma’s thoughts from ch177 towards Isabella even though that chapter’s major event didn’t happen.

- I certainly can not forget about this hug.

- At least anime!Emma told the boys her plan before reaching the door, or didn’t keep it a total secret? If not then I’ll praise the boys for accepting her crazy idea regardless.

- Boy, do you know how much I love you and your smirks?

- SHE. STAYS. ALIVE!!!

- Vincent and Norman’s little fist bump.

- Different but close enough. Still cute though.

- The amount of emotions this one shot makes me feel is limitless. Catch me crying tears of joy over it for the rest of my life.

- Having Phil not only getting the chance to see a train but to ride one as well.

- This pretty shot of Gilda.

- As well as this beautiful one with Emma and Mujika.

- They gave us older Phil. Not sure how much older but he’s still adorable.

- Lastly, the goddamn soundtrack! Of course we heard a bunch of the songs from season one, but the new ones such as “The Evil-Blooded Girl” and the Arabic version of “Isabella’s Lullaby” are absolutely fantastic. I still have to listen to full soundtrack but from what little bit I heard of such songs such as “Nat King Ballade,” “Crisis,” “Norman’s Lament,” and “The Temple Ruins,” I’m sure every track is an absolute joy. I’m so happy we had Obata back for this season.

And that’s the end of it, I guess? Of course it’s not a perfect list, as the majority of it was just personal favorites of mine but oh well. (this is just as long as ray’s birthday post too, oh lord)

I’m not gonna be one of those manga readers who continuously nag people to go read the original source material, because that’s annoying and I understand that some people just might not be up for it. They might watch a series, take it all in and then move on to the next one. Others might want to find out about every little detail and invest more time into the story. It’s totally fine to enjoy a series your own way and you shouldn’t feel pressured to continue something you’re only mildly interested in or feel bad that you love something others might despise. Just do whatever makes you happy. If you wanna check out the manga and see why us readers love it to pieces, then I promise it’s worth it, especially if you enjoyed the anime or wish to see more of any character.. or the entire story. If the manga ain’t for you, then I hope the anime did something for you. It definitely could have been better though, I can’t argue with that.

Whether you’re anime-only or manga reader, can we all still hope for a remake? This season had more flaws than any amount of praise I could give, but if years down the line we get the FMA: Brotherhood or Hellsing: Ultimate treatment where the next anime adaptation follows the manga perfectly, you know I’ll be all for it. I’m too deep in this TPN hole and I’ll probably never leave.

[the-trashrat]

So y'all really finna sleep on Toshinko?? Guess I'm gonna make some headcanons to cope.

They're like Overton and Synclaire from Living Single and they make pet names out of anything. "My little cinnamon apple," or "my manly macintosh." Or something as corny as that.

You cannotttt tell me Toshinori didn't start hearing Brick House by the Commodores when he first saw Inko.

She find's his lack of finesse cute.

Izuku is happy for them, but he wishes his mother would stop calling his mentor Big Daddy in front of him.

I feel like All Might can finesse and sweet talk but Toshinori's just really shy and uncoordinated around women.

Nah but it's really easy to get him embarrassed,, I feel like we as a fandom have established that 💀

Toshi loves love loves her curves. He likes how different they look compared to each other.

I feel like Inko would be insecure in herself from her shrinking, and weight gain, and missing husband, and her son going away for school. And Toshinori losing Nighteye, Nana, his only "family" is in America, I think these two lonely mfs were destined to be together.

Y'all already know Toshinori would hype tf out of Inko over literally everything. ("Ommmmggg look @ you,, you're so damn beautiful baby 😩")

Inko is just really sweet on him. She wants to stay angry at him for doing things like forgetting to eat or take certain medication but how can she stay mad at him??

Toshinori is the same way except materialistically. He just brings her little gifts allll the time and the price range is all over the damn place; rolex one day, cute, cheap lil pencils the next. She always tells him to return the expensive gifts though unless it's a special occasion.

Inko's just so soft and small and?? He just loves picking her up and hugging her 😭

Also also belly kisses?? Are you kidding me??? Best kind of kisses between them

Toshinori is verrrry much into roleplay

Inko's not fond of the press because they always ridicule her,, which then gets Toshinori upset because no one talks about his woman.

Just like... What if Toshinori learned how to play the piano in his free time when he's not pro-hero-ing? He just plays for Inko and sings very, very badly.

Inko on the other hand can sing pretty decently so she sings while he plays. (I imagine Inko's singing voice is comparable to Cass Elliot)

Inko is kinda feisty and it may or may not turn Toshinori on occasionally.

This is more of an AU, but, They used to be friends in highschool and when Inko sees Toshi again after 30 something years, she just smiles at him fondly and says, "you look like shit." And they just laugh.

Toshinori cannot cook 💀 he'll try to make dinner once in awhile, it goes a lil something like this:

Toshinori: "baby, you don't like my cooking? :("

Inko: "I love you Toshinori but, your cooking ain't worth a damn."

But that's OKAY because Inko can cook and she still loves him despite his horrendous cooking skills.

When they first started meeting weekly to talk abt Izuku, Inko would occasionally call him "sweetheart" and he wanted to Marry her eye single time she called him that.

Since Inko can and will call Toshinori/All Might Big Daddy in public, All Might calls her mama. I just think that's really cute. It's like when johnny bravo says "hey there sexy mama"

Inko's name on his contacts is 'wifey❤️💍'

Toshinori's name on her contacts is 'hubby💛' but the contact name to All Might's phone when he's @ work is 'daddy😈' (SHE A FREAK LOWKEY 😭😭)

Toshi is realllllly ticklish so you already know ws.

Inko's not as ticklish as him but hey, she still is.

You wouldn't expect it but Inko can and will fight. Toshinori learned quickly she can very much handle herself. ("Nah baby I got this 🥰🥰 KEEP YA COMMENTS TO YA SELF BEFORE YOU GET DEALT WITH 😡"

Omg I was thinking abt 'everyone hates Chris' and how rochelle would say "I don't need this! My man got two jobs!" When she'd get fed up, and Instead, Inko would say "I don't need this! My man is the symbol of peace!" Or "the number one hero of Japan!" 😂😂

Inko is past the need to be jealous. She knows that if Toshinori wanted someone else he'd tell her.

Toshinori on the other hand, is pretty damn jealous. He knows Inko's fine asl and that she has plenty of other options better than himself (even though Inko has told him before he's all the man she needs)

But at the same time he loves showing Inko off in her little black dresses or other much revealing attire whenever he gets the chance.

Even when Inko's in her regular outfits he shows her tf OFF like, "omg YES that's my WIFE and she's ANGELIC"

The idea of a tired Toshinori waking up and kissing Inko to then call her "babygirl" is VERY appealing 😳

Their "song" is "darlin'" by the Beach Boys

After a long day of teaching and dealing with surprise villain attacks, Toshinori just walks through the door, kicks off his shoes, lays down on top of Inko on the couch and buries his face in her boobs while she strokes his hair (The highlight of his day,, he's cried a couple of times at the idea he now has someone to go home to.)

[mollyscribbles]

Owl House rewatch thoughts

* Hard to say from what little we see of her, but I think Luz' mom might have been less worried about her daughter reading fantasy and more about the "multiple incidents of bringing uncontained live animals and explosives to school" thing.

* If Eda considers Luz' Azura book as being only useful as kindling, it means she's not inclined to view human books as something she can make snails on.  Considering how unique her portal to the human realm is treated, where did Amity get her Azura books?  I've seen people suggest the author travels between realms, but if that were the case, Amity would've been able to get the latest volume from a local store rather than needing to borrow Luz' copy.

* Suggestions for other species that escaped from the Boiling Isles: the platypus and peacock mantis shrimp.

* "Weak nerd arms" ok really identifying with Luz here.

* Really love this take on Chosen One stories.  Because yes, there is an appeal in being told you're special, you're unique in the best possible way, but ultimately this is a story about people who aren't "special" so much as outcasts who do their best with the situation they're in.  Which is something that a lot more people can aspire to be.

* The fact that this was a set scheme(as the multiple fake maps would indicate) rather than a trap specifically designed for Luz indicates that even people who've spent their lives on the Boiling Isles would be drawn to the idea of being a magical chosen one. I bet Amity's not the only one to have an interest in fantasy literature around here.

* Oh wow Amity's first appearance outside the credits is . . . something.  It's easy to forget just how far she grew in one season.

* Eda's not a *bad* teacher, so much as she has yet to learn that teaching requires expanding on a concept you introduce and explaining your reasoning.  "Here is what you can learn from tasting snow" instead of just "here, taste these different kinds of snow"

* Hm.  For someone who despairs at the concept of the school teaching blind obedience, her teaching style kinda relies on it.  Bit of a hypocrite there, Eda.

* Gonna be honest, the first time I watched this and King mentioned Eda sneaking a drink of elixir, I thought it was going to turn out to be a magic-looking flask.

* It seems slightly odd that King's apparently known Eda for a while but didn't have any idea of the curse.  Maybe she was just REALLY good about keeping up with her elixirs pre-series.

* Really like the metaphor for a chronic illness that's kept under control by medication.

* If the Emperor's Coven provides access to all forms of magic, you'd think others aspiring for a spot would be permitted a multi-track education at Hexside.  That might be why none of them seem to be that impressive at magic when they're supposed to be the "best of the best" -- even if they have *access* to all forms of magic, they've only had training in one specific field during the bulk of their education.

* lbr, Lilith's cheating was worse because at least Eda told Luz what she was doing.

* You'd think Willow and Gus might have caught on that Luz didn't have permission for them to come over when she told them to hide from Eda.

* It's nice that Eda realizes raising a kid with a "screw the rules" mindset will result in a kid who breaks her rules sometimes.  Cleaning up the mess she caused is really the correct punishment for Luz; directly dealing with the consequences of her actions but otherwise considering it a lesson learned.

* Reading to kids in the library is an A+ way to shift Amity from "Jerk" to "Jerk with a heart of gold" territory.

* Prediction: At some point, Luz will return to the human world (probably only briefly but Eda won't know at the time) and Eda will come across the "Coping with empty nest syndrome" book Luz got her from the library.  She'll cry.  King will cry.  Hooty will cry.  Every viewer will cry.

* Pretty sure that, given what the world is like, if any of them ended up questioned about their actions during the body swap episode, they could just say "Oh yeah I was body swapped that day. What'd I get up to?" and everyone would consider this a perfectly logical explanation for them acting out-of-character.

* HC that Hexside is fully aware some illusion-track students skip class by having an illusion of themselves attend in their place, but they figure a student maintaining a decent replica of themselves for the duration of the class period requires enough effort to count as a form of class participation, so they just let everyone think they're getting away with it.

* Gus and Willow are really ride-or-die friends.  Always nice to have.

* Probably some of the mystery appeal will be gone from the Human Appreciation Society once a legit human is just attending classes on a regular basis; being able to get definitive answers to questions rather than spending your time speculating would cut back on the draw.

* I love all the details they include on this show -- a lot of other shows would just stick in scribbles while panning past pictures instead of writing out all of Eda's incident reports.

* The pallisman is a neat concept; sort of like a mix of a wand and a familiar, a magical control that will have opinions of its own.

* Given Bat Queen apparently has enough of, um, a biological aspect to have kids, I wonder if that means Owlbert is capable of laying eggs.  Or having eggs with another owl/pallisman if the male pronouns are anything to go by.

* I mean even Phineas and Ferb didn't question Perry laying an egg when he uses male pronouns so could go either way in terms of what Disney would allow.

* Reading the book fair signs, it looks like sci-fi is a popular genre in the Boiling Isles.  Makes sense, since what we'd consider Fantasy would be more contemporary/urban fantasy to them.

* Getting the vibe that someone on staff had a less-than-amicable experience co-writing with a friend to inspire this one. And/or experience with shitty contracts.

* The Hexside requirements also required knowledge of basic runes, but given Luz apparently had no issue with that I'm guessing she just picked those up offscreen.

* "I've seen worse" is the ideal admissions response tbh.  Like . . . she pulled off the required spells and the headmaster has seen decades of students' awkward first attempts.  It probably counts as a good day when no one's admissions test resulted in needing to bring in someone from the Construction Track to repair the building.

* It's very reminiscent of D&D that the majority of the cast has the response of "This is clearly a trap.  Let's check it out!"

* You'd think that carnival fortune tellers wouldn't have the same appeal in a world where it's something you study at school.  Unless it's viewed the same way as those "magic" shows they have sometimes where the tricks all involve chemical reactions.

* Kinda surprised a school that teaches kids fire spells doesn't have some kind of fire suppression system in place.

* Hrm.  Guessing the mind guardian went back and undid their own damage offscreen; otherwise they'd have had to go re-do the repairs before leaving.

* Good they had the wifi and charging cable coming through the portal to explain why Luz' phone still has service and the battery's not long dead.

* Luz, how have you survived this long with your instinct for pushing buttons.  The same as the rest of humanity in a world full of buttons, I suppose.

* Probably if they thought about it, the best criteria for picking Grom royalty would be less who's the most skilled at magic and more who has the most low-key fears. . . . nvm, having a Stay-Puft incident would cause them to reasonably scrap that approach.  Maybe appointing someone who obsesses over grades would have better odds of producing a relatively-simple-to-combat exam paper.

* I'm thinking the letters are written by Eda, who doesn't intend anything sinister by it so much as being the type to cover her bases when pulling off a scam and realizing Luz' mother would need some evidence to indicate her daughter was safely at camp.

* The band-aids clearly have some healing spell built-in, considering they've been used to heal inanimate objects.

* someone on the writing staff has a long-standing rant about Quidditch they've been holding back on.

* I know that normally the humor in the cut from "she's finally growing up." to Luz planning the heist would be that she's doing something that sensible adults would consider to be a bad idea, but if Eda saw her just then she'd wipe away a tear of pride and go "Her first self-planned heist! They grow up so fast!"

* Eda's the one who talks about cheating at stuff, but Lilith has a habit of playing *dirty*.

* I would like to say I appreciate them going with a more serious credit sequence because it was disconcerting with Star Vs when a dark ending was followed by "I THINK EARTH'S A REALLY GREAT PLACE"

* Lilith may have made a 30-years-late attempt to redeem herself, but I really don't trust her.  I don't quite want her dead, but she DID spend decades trying to force her sister to join the Emperor's Coven as a prerequisite for curing her curse.

[cordria]

Isolation

Maddie picked up her recorder, thumbing the switch. “Day two of isolation. Things are going… decently. I haven’t killed anyone yet,” she glanced down at the man sleeping on the floor, “although today is a new day.” Letting go of the switch, she sighed and stretched, feeling her back pop into alignment. Although the cot was softer than the floor, it certainly was far from comfortable.

Maneuvering herself off the cot, she stepped over the sleeping form on the ground. She hesitated, debating letting him sleep (and therefore allowing herself some quiet) before deciding the opportunity was too good to pass up. As she walked past towards the bathroom, her foot ‘accidentally’ slammed into his stomach. “Ooh, sorry,” she cooed with a yawn. “I didn’t see you there.”

“No worries,” Vlad groaned, curled up in a ball and awake. “Barely felt it.”

Maddie held back the snort of disbelief. She made it to the tiny bathroom before she rolled her eyes and set herself doing her morning activities. Without access to a shower, there was only so much that could be done, but her teeth were brushed and her hair settled in short order. She took off yesterday’s clothes, rumpled from having slept in them, and changed into a new set. Studying herself in the mirror, she pushed her shoulders back and raised her chin, practicing her posture of aloof indifference. 

Then she sighed and dropped herself onto the toilet seat, chin in hands, and glared down at the ground. Two weeks. Fourteen whole days trapped in a small room with Vlad Masters. Maddie had barely made it through yesterday. She would be a wreck by the end of today.

She had no idea how long she sat there, but eventually there was a soft knock at the door. 

“Mads?” 

The woman tensed, hating when he used Jack’s nickname for her. “What?”

“I… May I use the facilities as well?”

She thought about continuing to sit there. The door was locked - there was little he could do about it - but then scowled and got up. The last thing she needed was for him to be relieving himself somewhere else. Thirteen days of smelling that would add a whole pile of pain on the misery of this experience. The door unlocked and she pushed past him.

“Thank you, my dear,” Vlad said, heading into the bathroom.

Teeth gritted, Maddie headed over to the tiny kitchenette and got herself busy making two cups of coffee. One for her to drink, and one for her to throw on Vlad the second he started doing something inappropriate.

Oh, how she wished she could go back in time and change certain decisions. The experiment he’d set up had been interesting - interesting enough that she’d headed over to his house to help out. Jack had finally set his mind to cleaning the lab, and she’d allowed him to stay home to do that - just her and Vlad running the tests. The first set of results had produced groundbreaking results - groundbreaking enough that she’d set aside the worst of the man’s behavior and stayed to run through the experiment a second time. The instabilities in the testing results had started to grow, but the results were important enough that she’d ignored the issues until it was too late. 

Now she was contaminated. Her and Vlad. Contaminated and trapped under supervised isolation for two weeks. 

Coffee made, she took the two cups over to the small table and set them down. Sipping at the first cup, she picked up some of the paperwork and started looking it over. The results of bioaccumulative ectoplasmic exposure. The first experiment’s data was usable. The second’s was likely garbage, since they’d suffered such a catastrophic collapse towards the end, but Maddie was eager to search through the data to try to identify what had gone wrong.

“Oh, good. Coffee,” Vlad said as he emerged from the bathroom. He sat down and reached for the cup. “Thank you.”

Maddie - noting he’d sat at the other side of the table instead of scooching right next to her like he’d done yesterday - allowed him to take the cup. Perhaps the man could be taught. She hummed a noncommittal response.

“No creamer?” the man asked. “Heathens,” he scoffed.

Maddie didn’t bother glancing up from the paperwork. They were in isolation - the main creature comforts of home were absent. They were lucky to have coffee at all.

“Why are you working so early in the morning?”

“I like working,” Maddie said, leaving unsaid the sentiment that the only other thing she had to do was talk to him - and she certainly wanted to do that as little as possible. “And I’d like to figure out why the second experiment went so wrong.”

“It didn’t go that wrong,” Vlad muttered. “Small miscalculation, I’m sure.”

She disagreed with the sentiment. She’d ended up in isolation with the smarmy man for two weeks. The experiment had gone very wrong, even if it was just a small miscalculation. And they didn’t have any idea of the long term consequences of their exposure. Their genetic structure could be permanently compromised.

It was hard, trying to think through the experiment without talking aloud, especially after twenty years of that being the practice. If Jack were here, she’d babble away. Between the two of them, they would be able to spot the flaw. She glanced up at Vlad with a sigh. In college, she’d thought the man was competent. Not brilliant like Jack, but at least competent. When Jack had rekindled the friendship last year, she’d downgraded the adjective to ‘somewhat skilled’. But as more and more data had racked up about his borrowed, modified, and plain-old stolen technology - Maddie had decided the man was inept, integrating, obsequious, and indolent. 

Would talking aloud help? Or would he be so inclined to interject idiotic and vaguely mysogenistic comments that she wouldn’t be able to keep a thought straight in her head?

Besides, Maddie found it difficult to trust him. He hadn’t looked surprised enough when the experiment had cascaded around them. But certainly he wouldn’t cause potentially devastating ectoplasmic exposure on purpose. 

There was a knock at the door. Maddie looked up and watched someone clothed from head to toe in level 1 hazmat suit enter their room, carrying several trays. The face through the hood looked female, but the voice was deep enough to be a male. “Since you’re both up, the doctors need samples.” 

Maddie’s nose scrunched. “Fine,” she said.

“Has my personal physician checked in yet?” Vlad asked stiffly. 

“Not sure,” the nurse said. 

Vlad crossed his arms and legs. “I am refusing all medical treatment and testing until my physician has approved it.”

The nurse hesitated. “I’ll ask. We’ll get started with you, then, Ms Fenton. I’ve got a couple blood draws, a skin scrape, a urine test, etcetera, etcetera.”

“I highly recommend you refrain from testing, my dear,” Vlad said from his chair. “My personal physician-”

“Isn’t covered by my insurance,” Maddie said. “And isn’t any better than the wonderful people who have been treating us at this clinic for the last twenty years.” She sat still as the nurse ran her a variety of tests, checked her heart and lungs, drained eight small vials of blood from her arm, samples were taken from her inner cheeks, and a small jar was handed to her for urine. She vanished off into the bathroom, listening through the door as the nurse tried to coax Vlad into at least giving samples.

“My medical history is too complicated,” Vlad said dismissively, “as I’m sure my physician will inform you.”

“That’s fine, but I’m not getting dressed back up in this ensemble for quite some time,” the nurse responded. “Ms Fenton’s results will be back by the time I’m back in here.”

“I’ll live with that,” Vlad said.

Maddie washed her hands, and handed the cup over to the nurse with a smile. “Thank you,” she said politely. 

The nurse smiled back and gestured towards the trays. “Breakfast and lunch. Also a nice, long survey to fill out. Sounds like somebody will be back mid-afternoon, doctor would like it done by then. Need anything else?”

“Cell phone?” Maddie asked hopefully. “I’d love to talk to my kids.”

“I’ll ask about it.” And with that, the nurse was gone. 

Maddie grabbed the trays, sorting out the one that had breakfast on it, and sat down at the table. Vlad joined her - this time, he scooted his chair around the circular table and sat down inches from her. She sent him a meaningful look. He either ignored it or didn’t notice. Maddie picked up her fork, fisted it like she was headed to a knife fight, and held it over Vlad’s leg. She sent him a second meaningful look. This time, he paid attention and scooted away.

The fork clattered as it fell to the floor. Maddie blinked down at it, a bit startled, and reached down to grab it. 

“Clumsy today?” Vlad said with a tone that was almost purring.

She scowled at him, took a bite of her eggs, and picked up a page full of the data from their experiment. If she was really on top of things, it would be close to lunch before she’d need to look at him again.

This was going to be a very long two weeks.

[bexterbex]

A Soul to Mend His Own | Ch. 36

Warning, if it hasn’t been obvious in the movies there is Nazi symbolism within the First Order. I will expand on this much more throughout the story. If this is something that bothers you, please just exit the story. The author does not condone any Nazi ideals, this is just for fictional uses only.

A Kylo Ren x Modern! Reader in a soulmate au with some canon divergence. —————————————SLOWBURN————————————–

He is already the Supreme leader, searching the universe to find you, his Empress. Your name on his wrist has been the only constant in his life, while you have doubts about his existence and his acceptance of you. He isn’t in the database and why did the name Kylo Ren cover Ben Solo?

MASTERLIST

Chapter 36: Woman's Stuff

You woke up, better than the last few times you slept but not a restful sleep. You were beginning to wonder if you needed to take a step out to the medical ward to get a sleeping pill or something.

You made your way to your room, not caring what you wore or how you looked, that really went out the door when you started sleeping like crap. You went about your usual morning; greeting the lieutenant, ordering breakfast and coffee, taking your vitamins…

“Would you like to go over today’s schedule m’lady?”

“Yes, please.”

“This morning and this afternoon you are to be out with Captain Phasma. She has the details of what the Supreme Leader would like you to do. And then you have your lesson with Allegiant General Hux. Tonight you shall be dining with the general and captain in the officers’ lounge.”

“Of course,” the lieutenant seemed to sense the annoyance in your voice.

“Ma’am?”

You let out a large sigh and asked, “where and when are we to meet the captain?”

“In the hangar in 10 minutes. Is something the matter ma’am?”

“Nothing you can fix, lieutenant but thank you.”

You were then off down the hallways to meet with the captain. She greeted you and took you onboard a stormtrooper transport, which was definitely less luxurious than the command shuttle you were used to. You were joined by a rather large number of other ‘troopers. Among their armor, you and the lieutenant seemed to be very out of place.

“Where are we going captain, and more importantly what are we doing,” you asked.

“You shall see when we get there m’lady, it will not be long,” said the chrome warrior.

You were growing more impatient by the minute. You were really sick of not knowing what was going on until the last minute. Would it really kill Kylo to tell you what you were supposed to be doing? What would it really harm, if anything?

You landed and the exit ramp lowered, you allowed the troopers to exit before you, and then you followed. When you got outside you realized where you were.

“Why am I at a mall, more specifically why am I at Harrods in London?”

Certainly the decent to earth didn’t take longer than usual did it?

You were sure your eyes were fooling you until Phasma replied, “Is this not a luxury store on your planet? The Supreme Leader would like you to get new clothes.”

“What is wrong with my clothes?”

“He said and I quote, ‘she needs to look more like an empress.’” Even through the vocoder, you could tell she was telling you in a deadpan way.    

“And he didn’t want to tell me this before?” You were fuming.

“Again he said and I quote, ‘I want you to go with her Phasma because I can’t handle that woman stuff.’” You could tell she wanted to be here as much as you did. You could see out of the corner of your eye that the lieutenant was rather scared.

You turned back towards the mall, “I can’t afford any of this.”

“The Supreme Leader is taking care of it. My suggestion to you m’lady is to have fun with it, at his expense if you feel like it. You might as well make the most of this opportunity.” You could tell that she was trying to make you feel better. She obviously didn’t want to go shopping either but here you were, at one of the greatest malls on the planet and your match was going to pay for everything. You were going to show him.

When your landing party entered the building it was oddly quiet. No other patrons were roaming about so you turned to Phasma who answered before you could ask. “The Supreme Leader requested a private shopping party for you. You have the whole shopping center to yourself.”

“That’s rather unfortunate for the workers. Is there anything we can do for them, like if I am not in that store can we pay for their food bill in the cafeteria?”

You saw a smirk on the lieutenant’s face so you suspect you had said something good, the captain nodded to you and said, “we can most certainly do that ma’am.” She then signaled to one of the ‘troopers who made his way to a concierge desk and spoke to the woman behind the desk.

She spoke to the man next to her and he worked on his computer. She then stepped out from behind the desk and walked towards you. “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am, my name is Olivia-Rose Gordon I shall be assisting you today.”

“Thank you Olivia-Rose, do you know why I am here?”

“We were told that you needed some shopping done.”

“Do you know who I am.”

Before she could answer Phasma stepped in and said, “she doesn’t none of them do and we would like to keep it that way.”

You nodded to her. So you were to remain a secret, but for how long? When were you supposed to take your place as ‘Empress’, if that was still something Kylo wanted.

“Where would you like to start ma’am,” asked Olivia-Rose.

“With anything that Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle would wear. How is that?”

“Are those two your style inspirations ma’am?”

“Yes, but also throw in some Audrey and Katherine Hepburn, some Elizabeth Taylor and especially Grace Kelly and I think we have hit our mark.”

“Then we should start with Chanel. And we shall move on from there.”

You moved about the store, finding a few items here and there, all of the store employees seemed to be very enthusiastic about finding you this piece or that. You then moved on to Dolce & Gabbana which had much more of what you were looking for.

One of the male workers brought you a rather short dress and before you could say you didn’t want it the lieutenant timidly spoke up, “it has expressed that he would not like anything above the knee, anything too low cut, or anything strapless.”

Your eye twitched, “I wasn’t aware that I was buying him dresses.”

You heard a loud snort come from the silver-plated captain. She seemed to have lost her impeccable composure at your comment.

You glanced at the lieutenant who seemed a bit distraught, “I’m sorry lieutenant that was rude of me. Next time I will tell him to his face exactly where he can shove his opinions. Especially when he won’t share them to me himself.” This didn’t quite seem to help the lieutenant, but you watched as Phasma braced herself on a clothing rack. Her laugh was distorted but was still a sound you were glad to hear.  

You turned back to the worker and told him about your new qualifications for your wardrobe. Olivia-Rose seemed to be very helpful throughout the store. She was finding many pieces that you liked, which you were grateful for.

You moved through three more stores before needing food, which you were given the whole selection of the cafeteria and the cafes to choose from. During your lunch was the only time the store’s employees were not allowed to be there as the ‘troopers took off their helmets to join you. You watched as they seemed to enjoy the really delicious food that they were privileged to eat this time around. Like the knights, they seemed to have a soft spot for sweets.

After lunch you spent time in the Hair Salon and spa, all while you were in there various personal shoppers came in asking for your approval on this or that dress, top, skirt, and bottom. They also brought in various accessories and jewelry. Once you were finished with a manicure, pedicure, haircut and facial you mad your trip to the beauty counter picking up all of the different luxurious makeup that interested you. After all, if he was going to be a jerk but was offering to pay why wouldn’t you?

By the time you left, you had 300 some shopping bags filled with this or that. You weren’t sure how much you had spent but you didn’t care, either way, it wasn’t your money and you were taking advantage of it while you could. If he really was the Supreme Leader of the First Order and if he desired for you to be his empresses then no expense was too small right?

“You did better than I expected m’lady,” commented Phasma.

“Well captain I took what you said to heart and I made the most of the opportunity.”

She snorted again, “I would say so.”

You were pleasantly in a better mood than when you got there. You had no idea where you would wear everything you got, but you sure as hell did not care, you now had something for every type of occasion.

You arrived back at the ship and the general greeted you in the hangar. Upon seeing all of the shopping bags his eyebrows raised before you could say anything Phasma spoke up for you. “She heeded my advice.”

A smirk then appeared on his face, “of course she did. Remind me to take your advice more often captain.”

Another snort came from the chrome-gilded amazon, she seemed to be in good spirits.

“Well m’lady your lesson today will be a bit different, the Supreme Leader has requested that you take some diplomacy lessons,” said the redhead.

“Diplomacy lessons?”

“Yes, he has already seen the great work that you have done with the Health Committee and would like you to learn more.” He could see the look of confusion and slight frustration on your face before he expanded, “I believe you will do well m’lady, the Supreme Leader is not known for his diplomacy skills, rather he is known for his lack of them. We are all hoping that you can use your strengths in this area to help the First Order expand to other parts of the galaxy.”

You then followed him through the halls to your usual conference room, the projector had the image of an alien man on screen, he jarringly looked like a human but with blue skin and red eyes.

“Today we will be watching some of the Empire’s Grand Admiral Thrawn, he was brilliant and ruthless, tactical and cunning. Someone you can learn from.”

You watched this man for a few hours. You could see why the general admired him in many ways, you wondered if you could convince the general to watch some former diplomats from your own planet, not just ones from the First Order or the Empire. When you were finished you got up to leave, but before you left the general informed you of something.

“I had someone look into your flowers m’lady. There seemed to be traces of Force energy on them, which is probably the explanation of why they turned black. The Supreme Leader would be better at explaining this, I will let him know that it was a concern to you and he should answer it when he gets back.”

“Do we know when that will be?”

“Not as of yet, m’lady. I do know that they have reached their destination, but as of now they have been comms silent, which isn’t unusual. But do take care in knowing that he is one of the strongest things in this galaxy, so there is no need to worry.”

And with that you did worry, he was one of the strongest things in the galaxy, so what caused the long jagged scar across his face?

When you went back to your chambers you glanced at your wrist for the first time in a while, the name  Ben Solo seemed to be more faded than before. Is that what he was doing? Finding another way to kill that part of himself? You felt sick. So you lied down before dinner knowing that someone would come and get you.

Once more your dreams were filled with blue and red lights, but there was something more this time. There was water, an ocean, you didn’t know where but you could almost smell it and feel the mist on your face.

A/N: In this fic, I will try to never describe the reader's height, weight, etc. So even though these brands don't do plus size, pretend that they do, because you are an "empress" and you get what you want...............

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #390

“i am the enemy, here to save the day!”

When was the last time you woke up in the middle of the night? I do this LITERALLY every night. Do you write? (Songs, poems ect..) RP posts and rarely poetry. What is the easiest type of YouTube video to binge watch? Probably a good let's play of a game I'm really into. Do you color Easter eggs still? I haven't in years. I would if it was offered up, though. Do you prefer to decorate with pastel colors or bright colors for Easter? Pastelllll. Do you own a cross necklace? I did in the past, but I don't now. What color is your favorite pair of shorts? I don’t wear shorts. Do you prefer bright colors, dark colors, or pastel colors? Pastels. What’s something that makes you tired? Socializing. Like it's physically draining to me. Do you like drawing or painting better? Drawing. Do you own any foreign coins? No. Do you prefer soft tacos or hard? I hate tacos. Any recent purchases? My niece's birthday is coming up, so I bought her a Disney version of a board game from my childhood called "Pretty Pretty Princess." She's going to love it. :') Do you ever make mixed CD’s for anyone? I never did, no. Are you into gory movies? Yeah. Have you ever been locked in a room forcefully without anyone knowing? omg no Do you have the same color eyes as your mother? No. Do you know anyone who has overdosed? Me. Though I obviously didn't die. Have you ever been put to sleep for surgery? Twice. What is your favorite online smiley face to you? I think I use (: the most. What is something that freaks you out no matter what? Seeing babies move in their mother's stomach makes me want to shriek and vomit. Do you have any fetishes? No. Do you take a lot of photos? Sigh, not as much as I used to... I just don't know what to photograph anymore. Never leaving home doesn't help. Do you have big ears? No; I actually have very small ears, as has been pointed out to me. Do you have a laptop, desktop or both? A laptop. Have you ever met an online friend in real life? Yes! :') There are more I wanna meet. What would you say is your favorite color, out of them all? Baby pink. Have you ever attempted suicide? Yes. What are you most known for? In my real life, my art "skills." Online, probably my obsession with meerkats. Do you have a problem with body hair? Nope. The stigma of it needs to fucking stop. If you bathe yourself and keep your hair groomed, who the actual fuck cares what YOU do with YOUR body. Have you ever been so depressed, you were put on medication? I've been medicated for depression since the 7th grade. What is one thing you think is gross about the human body? Fluids like pus gross me out. Have you ever witnessed someone being murdered? Jesus, no. o_o At what age do you plan to get married? I'd like to as a young adult, but it's not that big a deal for me because I don't want kids (I wouldn't want kids 'til marriage if I did). Do you have any candles in your room? No, but a wax warmer. Ever make a friendship bracelet for someone? Yeah, as a kid. What have you been made fun of for the most? People love to pick on me always being on the computer, when I REALLY wish they fucking wouldn't. I'm aware it's an issue that I've had before I was even a teenager and it makes me SUPER self-conscious. When you’re visiting a site, do you still type ‘www.’? No; I kinda forgot that was a thing, lol. Can you still read the time if an analogue clock doesn’t have numbers on it? Yeah. To whom will/did you first talk about the first time you’ve had sex? My mom, I think. What is something you didn’t like about being thirteen? Acne lmaooo. What can you hear right now? "Girls" by Marina. It's really been jammed in my head lately. Do you think it’s okay for kids to have cellphones? Depends on the age and the phone, imo. I personally am for the idea of (slightly older) children having some sort of cell phone with limited applications, just because emergencies happen, and if I was a mom, I'd want my child to ALWAYS be able to reach me like if they were at a friend's or something. I'll tell you right now kids don't need extravagant iPhones, though. Again: limited applications, also to prevent addiction. Do you have any siblings? If so which one of them do you get along with the best? I have one brother and technically five sisters, but I know nothing of one of them. I don't really know who I get along with best...? I'm sadly not exceptionally close to any. What’s your favorite TV show? And who’s your favorite character from it? My favorite show of all time is Meerkat Manor, wherein my favorite character was Mozart. What kind of signs do you use when you pose for pictures? I usually don't make any, but I'll sometimes do a peace sign. What math subject is your favorite? Um, none? How about science? Genetics. Do you have a favorite Youtuber? If so, who? And what is your favorite video by them? Markiplier, obviously. :') Favorite video... I think it's gotta be the first video of the Dark route in "A Date With Markiplier." It's, uh, special to me lmfao. What’s your favourite Mexican dish? I just like quesadillas. Have you ever ordered a specially made cake from a cake shop? Yeah. Well I mean, Mom has. What’s the name of your first real boyfriend or girlfriend? Jason. Have you ever dated a model? No. What is your ultimate goal in life? To be happy and satisfied with what I've done. Have you ever visited someone in prison? No. What months were you and your siblings born in? I was born in February, my younger sister in April, and my older sister is a June baby. Do you write down your passwords in a physical place to prevent losing them? No. x_x Do you have any injuries at the moment? No. Are you tall, short or average? Would you change this? Average. Nah. Have you ever taken an acting class? No, not my thing. Have you ever worked in a store while someone shoplifted there? Yikes, no. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to eat? Venison. Basically anything hunted primarily for sport. If you killed something that did not need to be killed to provide for yourself, I'm not touching it. Have you ever lived in university/college campus housing? No. Who was the last person you complimented? I think my mom? She's doing great with her diet, and I can tell she's lost weight. Do you like spring rolls? Yeah, they're decent. What do you live on in terms of a street, road, crescent, place, court etc? Court. What’s your favourite type of curry? I don't know if I've ever tried any. Have you ever had casual sex? No. Not my jam. If your phone rang right now from a number you don’t know, would you answer? Nope. What was your first pet’s name and how did you pick that? My first personal pet was either my guinea pig Squeak or Chinese water dragon Shadow. I could NOT tell you why I named a green lizard "Shadow," but I called Squeak "Squeak" because he, well, squeaked, lol. How tall are your highest heels? Not high at all. What’s your favourite flavour of frosting? Chocolate. Last thing you looked up on Wikipedia? It was a band that needed a Wikipedia link to go on the Silent Hill wiki. Someone pointed out in trivia that Tears of Mankind covered a SH piece. Should guys keep their shirts on at shows? Unless there's a good reason, like you're seriously overheating, I think so. What about girls? The same as guys. I do think women should keep their bras on though mostly for their own protection because people are pigs. Do you have multiple playlists on YouTube? Yes. What is a goal that you have trouble accomplishing? Losing weight, apparently... What color is your Easter basket? I don't have one anymore. My childhood one was a light tan basket with a baby pink frill around it. What do you need to get from the store right now? Mom just got groceries the other day. What is something that you used to feel ashamed of, but now you don’t? I can't think of anything. EVERYTHING embarrasses me, so. What is your favorite part of growing older? Uhhhhhh. Are you hypersensitive? If so, in what ways are you hypersensitive? Yes, to textures in food. What’s a drug that’s made you gain weight? Paxil was the first, but I worked it all off and got in the best shape of my life. Then Abilify absolutely destroyed my body as far as my weight is concerned because my doctor was an absolute, utter fucking idiot that I will never forgive. Is there a piece of jewelry you have your eye on right now? No. Do you believe that people can be asexual? Bro the fuck, of course I do. What color is your Bible, if you have one? I don't have one. When are you at your happiest? When I first wake up and get on the computer. New day, same shit, but don't tell me that. :^) Do you prefer to spend your time indoors or outdoors? I mean, it really depends on my mood as well as the weather, but generally, indoors. Can you honestly say that you love yourself? Nope. Where did you go, the last time you left your house? My sister's house to celebrate her husband's birthday. Do you like your singing voice? Meh, it depends on the song I'm singing, but usually, no. Have you ever done a psychedelic drug? If not, would you ever consider it? No to both.

[onepiecehcs]

(Hopefully this time i didn't misunderstand) So about those languages in One Piece Please share all your hcs because i, too, love the topic! And would love to read aboit it and discuss and share ideas and- (I mean. Only if you want to share them, of course. Sorry for barging in and bothering you tho ^^°)

Alright I checked my notes on this and remembered that I made language hc’s for the The Whole Gang. So this is essentially just me going on a tangent. Also, I didn’t go and make up some languages, this is taking the thought “what if stuff like French existed in the One Piece universe” and running with it.

Robin knows how to say “I apologize on behalf of my crew” in sixteen languages.

Luffys crew ends up picking up Portuguese, since he’s constantly forgetting words in English. None of them are completely fluent, but whenever Ace or Sabo swings on by for a visit they sometimes get lessons, since they’ve got the patience to sit down and teach it, unlike Luffy. (As Luffys brothers they of course speak it fluently.)

Both Ace and Sabo are multilingual.

- Sabo grew up with English and Portuguese, and because of his privileged education he has some French in that mix too. He’s not as good at it though, since he ran away from home very young.

- And since Ace is very dear to me we are politely ignoring that one time he got a burning fist through the tits, which means that the Wb crew are introduced to the Strawhats and Sabo.

- And boy is that a spectacle.

Law is German.

- He and Robin sometimes have lengthy discussions in the language, but it doesn’t get too wordy on Robins side since she’s much better at French and Italian.

- Her German skills get considerably better during the alliance.

Vivi teaches Nami Arabic, and Nami teaches her wife Swedish.

- Namis first language is swedish, but since she grew up traveling a lot she has trained away her accent. But she will probably slip back into it when stressed or mad.

- Luffy thinks it sounds hilarious. (He’s right, it does.)

The inhabitants of Zou have their own native language that is solely spoken there. When they speak English, their accent is some kind of mix between Spanish and. Something else, no one can really tell.

Franky is the only one on the Strawhat crew whose first language is English.

- He also speaks Fishman. Tom taught both him and Iceburg, but both of them have horrendous accents.

Robins Russian accent is only clearly heard if you know it’s there.

- But once in a blue moon she loses her temper, and all the flowing grammar and beautiful pronunciation goes completely out the window.

One of the only instances you can see Luffy cut himself off in the middle of a sentence is when he can’t find the right word for something.

Zoro cannot for the life of him comprehend French.

- Whenever he hears Sanji speaking it he just sorta short circuits.

- “How does a human being make those sounds without choking on their own tongue??”

Thanks to Mihawk Zoro can call someone an imbecile in Spanish, and like, three (3) colours.

- He’s still learning, it’s a work in progress.

Chopper and Ace speak Canadian French, both at different levels of coherency.

- Ace is older, and grew up with Garp teaching him, while Chopper is 15 and focused more on medical studies than language.

- (Don’t ask me to explain my train of thought with that one, I just like the thought of Rouge speaking French ok.)

- Chopper needs some practise, so whenever Ace stops by they speak it as much as possible. Sanji looks on in confusion.

Both Kidd and Killer are Scottish, and Luffy did a double take the first time he met Kidd because he didn’t hear what the fuck he said a first.

Sabo is freakishly good at imitating accents, the Strawhats think it’s the funniest thing.

- Like one of them will say something in their accent, and Sabo can without fail mirror it back.

Whitebeard has an English accent. (I think @chromiwrites can go into more detail, if you wanna know more)

- He does his absolute best to learn as many of his sons languages as he can, so he’s basically a walking dictionary by the time he’s 60.

Marco probably knows Latin.

- His siblings hear him talking something that none of them really know, so it’s definitely a dead language.

The ASL trio know ASL. The fluency differs, but they can all hold a decent conversation.

- Ace, Luffy and Sabo learning about the existence of American Sign Language: !!!

- Robin and Law probably know a bit too.