#but... flow of this chapter... ehhh

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Elastic Heart Ch 7 (Linked Universe story)

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.

(AO3 link)

First

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Hyrule Castle hardly felt like the safest place for any of the Links given most of their adventures, but it was as good a place to regroup and heal as any other. Although the entire group was well aware that the knights were useless, and the whispers of nobility hung close over their shoulders, the queen gave them as much privacy as possible and lent her best healers to their cause.

The next twenty-four hours were a somber affair. The heroes kept vigil at the beds of their fallen friends. When they weren’t fretting over them, they were wandering aimlessly, too forlorn for words and too anxious for rest.

It was late into the night after their return from the desert, and Time was staring into a fire contemplatively, his mind still trying to process everything. Twilight had already eased him out of his armor, which had been silently hidden until it could be cleaned of Sky’s blood. Somehow, despite all his experience, Time still seemed to be the least functional when someone was this injured.

How was it that in the span of four weeks he’d almost lost two of his boys? He still hadn’t figured out what had led to this, why Sky had been so terrified, so insistent that they leave, why he’d been apologizing with his dying breath.

There was just… so much. All of it was too much. The Shadow, Sky, all of it. Why had the Shadow taken his form and then spoken such words about Sky creating him? Was that why Sky had been so concerned with eliminating it himself? Some words about a curse, lies hissed between demonic teeth about how Sky had somehow made this mess?

Goddesses above… what had that thing convinced Sky? No matter what had started this… surely Sky wasn’t blaming himself for it?

That had to be the issue. Sky, sweet and soft, always in the background until he decided it was time to cause a little mischief… the boy had always been the least of Time’s concerns when it came to causing actual trouble. He’d always seemed the calmest, the most put together, the least traumatized, the most normal. Between that and his adoration for a sword Time would rather see at the bottom of Lake Hylia, the boy had never really been someone that Time had to keep a close eye on.

Yet here he’d been, taking on the weight of their journey himself and trying to leave the others behind. He’d nearly gotten himself killed for it.

Time had assumed the position of leader in this group and he’d nearly failed in recognizing when one of its members was in desperate need of help.

How long had Sky been spiraling like this? What had led him to this point? Had the Shadow spoken to him on the night he’d taken watch? Had it started before then? Did he blame himself for Twilight’s injury as well? What else was he hiding? What curse had the Shadow been talking about?

Time heard footsteps, and he turned to see the veteran walking morosely through the room, pointedly ignoring his leader. Twilight stood at the entranceway to the room sectioned off for their two fallen brothers, arms crossed as he watched Legend leave. When Time’s eye met his own, he said, “Finally convinced him to go to bed.”

“How are you holding up?” Time found himself asking before he could stop himself. He was worried for all of them, especially his descendant, who naturally took others’ wellbeing and protection as his own personal responsibility. They were all heroes, they all felt that burden, but his Ordonian made it his life’s mission to protect his loved ones far more than anyone else.

Not to mention Time had been doing a terrible job of checking in on anyone.

Twilight sighed tiredly. “I… would feel better if I were the one in the bed. It’s way worse just being the one helplessly looking on.”

Time would rather not relive the events of a month ago, but he knew what Twilight meant. It was the worst feeling in the world, being a child of destiny, someone who was so used to fixing all the problems, and being stuck in a situation where there was absolutely nothing to do.

“I know,” Time said simply, resting a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“Cap’s still in there,” Twilight said quietly, eyes looking at the ground as his own emotions got the better of him. “I managed to get the rest out. Vet was the last.”

Time hadn’t even been in there since their arrival. Warriors hadn’t left the boys’ side. It was almost as if their positions were reversed from the last time. He wasn’t sure he should be happy about it or not. He felt almost guilty for not hovering the same way, but he’d been fairly useless last time. It would be better if he could actually help the others as Warriors had, but he’d spent the majority of the day in a daze, guided around by Twilight, who had taken the captain’s role in guiding and leading everyone else.

What an insane week this turned out to be.

“Get some sleep,” Time finally said, patting Twilight’s cheek affectionately before lowering his hand.

Twilight watched him uncertainly, biting his lip and nodding. He walked by without another word. The eldest Link took a steadying breath, heading into the room.

It was a fairly small chamber, with both beds’ headboards against the same wall. Time saw Warriors asleep in the chair between the two, scooted a little closer to Hyrule’s bed. The captain was dressed down in his undertunic and pants, scarf and armor set aside in his own quarters. Time pulled an extra blanket that was folded by the bedside and wrapped it gently around his fellow hero. Despite his attempt to be gentle, the captain stirred, one of the lightest sleepers in the group, and turned bleary eyes towards his elder.

“Go to bed,” Time said softly. “I’ll watch them.”

Frazzled and exhausted, Warriors let out a weary exhale, rubbing his face. Time thought better of his dismissal, recalling that the captain had checked in on him in the past, that he himself had just checked in on Twilight. He shouldn’t brush off the man just because he held himself together better than anyone else.

“It’ll… be all right,” he tried to reassure the man hesitantly.

Warriors stiffened, shoulders shaking, much to Time’s alarm. However, instead of sobs, he heard an amused snort. The captain looked up, eyes exhausted but somewhat alight. “You’re really not good at this whole emotional support thing, are you?”

Despite his own mood, Time found himself scowling mildly. “That bad?”

“Your tone isn’t reassuring at all.”

“I’m not used to saying things that…”

“That you don’t believe?” Warriors finished for him. “Me neither. That’s why I try distraction instead.”

Time huffed, looking between the two sleeping boys. They both looked so peaceful now. Not pale, not on death’s door, not desperate or begging for forgiveness.

He sighed heavily as his gaze returned to the captain. Not recognizing he was under scrutiny, Warriors had let his expression be more open, fear and worry pulling at him. He looked so damn tired. He’d seen this too many times. Time himself had seen the expression when Twilight had been dying.

Warriors was far more accustomed to this than any of them. And Time hated that.

The captain shifted to get up, but then he paused, staring at the bed. Time followed his gaze, watching with sudden intensity as their esteemed traveler scrunched his nose and twisted in bed a little, eyes fluttering open.

“Traveler? Link?” Warriors leaned forward alongside Time, his hand gently reaching for Hyrule’s shoulder.

The Hero of Hyrule blinked a few times, seeming to register his surroundings, and then he gasped, practically leaping into a seated position. Time immediately sat on the bed just as Warriors jumped forward, both placing steadying hands on the teenager’s shoulders.

“Sky!” Hyrule immediately exclaimed, squirming under their hold.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Warriors insisted, putting a second hand on the boy’s chest. “He’s here.”

Hyrule paused, panting for air, eyes wide and wild, before they settled on the pair. “He’s okay?”

Time and Warriors exchanged a look before the leader spoke. “He’s here.”

Hyrule huffed, eyes wet, and then he laughed shakily, tucking his knees into his chest. “I—I thought—I thought he—I—”

He laughed again, more nervous than before, entire body trembling. Warriors settled on the mattress beside him, arm wrapping around his shoulders carefully. Hyrule wasn’t the most comfortable with touch and usually didn’t engage in it, and neither Warriors nor Time were particularly cuddly men, but after everything, they all felt the need to stick close to each other. The traveler leaned into the hold, tears trailing down his cheeks as he continued to chuckle, his breaths quickly accelerating into something akin to panic and relief, a conglomeration of emotions crashing out of him in a fashion that he couldn’t control. Warriors held him tighter.

“We’re glad you’re alright,” Time said softly, his thumb tracing across the boy’s collarbone. “You scared us back there.”

“Yeah, what with the Triforce and all,” Warriors piped up, squeezing Hyrule a little more tightly as he smiled. “You sure did have quite the trick up your sleeve.”

Hyrule’s tearful relief evaporated in an instant, eyes widening with alarm. Time felt his own concern rise – did the boy not remember using it?

“It’s okay,” Time assured him. “We’re all heroes here, Traveler. We’ve borne pieces of the Triforce as well. I just didn’t realize one among us had carried the entire sacred relic. That’s quite an honor.”

“R-right,” Hyrule mumbled, looking at his knees.

“How are you feeling?” Warriors asked, brushing past the distressing topic.

“Where’s the Triforce?” Hyrule countered.

The elder pair glanced at each other again before answering honestly. “We… don’t know. It vanished once you’d finished using it.”

Hyrule watched them a moment, still and silent. Then he buried his head into his knees.

“We’ll find it,” Warriors assured him. “One way or another. Such an artifact stretches far beyond our understanding – it might have returned to your era.”

“I—I didn’t want him to die,” Hyrule said in a trembling voice.

“We know,” Time soothed gently, sliding his hand along Hyrule’s back. “We didn’t want that either.”

Hyrule glanced up at him, cheeks stained with tears once more. “He’s okay, right?”

Time swallowed. Sky remained quiet in the other bed. He pushed lightly on the teenager. “Get some sleep, Link.”

XXX

It was the middle of the night when Legend finally gave up on sleeping.

His mind was whirling too much. Watching Sky basically die right in front of him, watching Hyrule nearly kill himself with the effort to wish him back with the Triforce…

It had been entirely too familiar.

He thought he’d gotten passed that. He thought he’d learned to keep moving in spite of the shadows cast over him by his journeys.

Clearly he’d been wrong.

So the young hero, a veteran of more adventures than any of the others individually, found himself incapable of handling the situation. And he hated that.

Legend wandered the castle, ignoring the cold and uninviting stone all around him. His feet guided him back to the room they’d set aside for Hyrule and Sky. The candle in his hand flickered slightly at the draft in the cavernous antechamber, chilled now that the fire in the large hearth had mostly died down.

When he slowly opened the door, he wasn’t surprised to see someone holding vigil. Time glanced up to meet his gaze.

“Just wanted to check on them,” he said dully, not bothering to hide his reasoning. This felt so different from when Twilight had been injured – Hyrule had been in there constantly trying to heal him. They’d avoided the area to let him concentrate. It had been awful, but at least there’d been a thread of hope to work with. It wasn’t as if there weren’t healers here, but the words they’d been given were little comfort.

They’d needed rest. There was nothing else they could do.

No potion could heal someone who couldn’t drink it. No spell could be cast when the one who knew the spells was the one who was unconscious. And so they’d all just done the last thing they could do, the only thing they could do.

They kept them company.

They kept them company, and Legend simmered with grief, guilt, and unresolved emotions from so many years ago that he didn’t even know how to put words to them.

Time pat the empty chair beside him welcomingly. Legend was thankful for the invitation, thankful that there were no questions being asked. He shuffled over to the chair, watching Sky sleep before his eyes drifted to Hyrule next.

“Our traveler woke up earlier,” Time said quietly.

Legend turned to him, eyes wide. “He did?”

“Yes. I think he’ll be alright with some more rest.”

Thank the goddesses, he thought. He didn’t remember the Triforce being so draining, but Hyrule had used it to augment his magic and grant a wish, so perhaps it worked differently than it had for Legend all those years ago.

Time’s words hung in the air, and then there was silence. Legend’s candle held steady against the darkness, illuminating his face, but he had no words to offer. For a moment, as he watched Sky, it felt like he was holding vigil over a body, a mourner lost in time, adrift in a different Hyrule altogether, grieving the loss of someone who was equally displaced and wholly forgotten to this era.

His breath hitched in his throat. He swallowed hard.

The silence seemed suffocating, but he had nothing to say. Time shifted uncomfortably beside him, clearly trying to find the right words. Legend didn’t care.

Sky. Sky had… just like…

There was usually something to distract him at this point, some task he had to accomplish that made him move forward despite the emotions dragging him down. But this felt like the end of a journey, after his first one or after Koholint, where there was nothing left but the emptiness in his chest, the fresh wounds on his heart. He had no road to travel on, no home to go back to, no Zelda to talk to.

He just stared at Sky.

“I have confidence that the Triforce healed the worst of it,” Time said. “Though I do not know if he will fully recover—”

“He died,” Legend interrupted.

“Veteran… he’s right here. He’s alive.”

“No,” Legend said firmly, feeling his throat tighten. He swallowed hard to fight it. “No. You don’t get it. None of you gets it. He didn’t just get hurt, he didn’t just fall. He died.”

They didn’t understand. They didn’t realize why they felt the way they did. Even he couldn’t truly comprehend it, but he knew why. He knew because it had happened before.

“The Triforce brought him back,” Legend explained. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he died. He died and none of you get that, he died, he died—”

Legend didn’t know when he’d lost the battle with his voice, when the tears had started to leak out, when the words had devolved into pathetic sobs, an admittance to a grief that he’d carried with him for years, a fresh wound and terror and horror that had ingrained itself into his soul.

Sky was one of his dearest friends. And he’d died.

He couldn’t even be angry at the Shadow, couldn’t even be curious as to what its words had meant, couldn’t even be worried about why Sky had left in the first place. All he felt was utter and absolute grief and loss.

Because Sky had died. They’d had to resurrect him. The others were caught in a confused haze of worry and fear, as if they were just watching an injured brother instead of acknowledging what had actually happened, instead of realizing that they should be mourning too.

Legend’s cries grew louder, inadvertently waking Hyrule. He didn’t notice. He couldn’t see it through his tears, through the darkness that engulfed him when Time pulled him into a hug.

XXX

Sky didn’t wake the next morning when Hyrule did. The others celebrated seeing one of their brothers slowly recovering, but the mood was certainly dampened by a lack of progress from their most injured. Wild found purpose in nourishing Hyrule back to health while Warriors started to fall into a field medic mode of sorts. Sky’s comatose state still necessitated care, though it brought a morbid curiosity in Wild – after all, he’d been in a similar state for a century.

Clearly the Shrine of Resurrection worked its magic to help sustain him. Sky had no such luck. His body still functioned as if he were awake, requiring sustenance, removing waste. He needed to be fed and cleaned, to be moved so he wouldn’t get bed sores, to be prodded to see if there was a reaction. It was a morbid affair, and it made Wild uneasy. He’d only been asleep for two days and it already felt like a century in itself.

Wild found it too disturbing to watch. Instead, he helped the others. He felt like he had to pull his weight somehow, had to blink the images of Sky’s broken body in Time’s arms. Hyrule slowly improving was something they could all latch on to. Warriors never seemed to leave Sky’s room, and Twilight spent a fair amount of time in there as well alongside Time. Occasionally Legend and Four assisted, but Wind was kept away, as well as Hyrule. Wild just couldn’t stomach the sight of the care his beloved friend needed. Whenever any of the boys lamented the situation, however, Legend would firmly and adamantly say that Sky was going to be fine.

It was strange, how confident he was. But with all his experiences, Wild had to wonder if he knew something of the matter. He latched on to the hope nonetheless. It seemed silly not to hope in a recovery, given his own history, but, well… that had taken a while. Sky didn’t have a century.

As the sun set on the second day, however, worry began to hover over them like a cloud heavy laden with an oncoming rain. After all, there was no way they could nourish Sky if he didn’t wake up.

“He’ll wake up,” Legend insisted when Four pointed this out.

“Assuming he does, that still doesn’t address the biggest issue,” Four sighed. “What if… what if when he wakes up, he tries to leave again?”

“He wouldn’t!” Wind argued.

“How do you know?” Four fired back. “He’d been running from us the entire time!”

Wild watched the exchange warily. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t wondered what had caused all of this in the first place, but it honestly hadn’t crossed his mind that it could happen again. He felt Hyrule shift uncomfortably beside him, and he turned his attention to his exhausted brother.

“You don’t think he wanted to leave us, do you?” Hyrule asked him quietly.

Words latched on to the champion’s brain, having first hooked in his mind when he’d heard them two days ago.

You don’t realize how terribly you failed.

This entire journey, Wild had been the failure of the group. Hearing those words had made him think the Shadow had been addressing him when he’d known, he’d known that it had been addressing Sky. But what failure was Sky responsible for? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Unless, of course, the Shadow was simply talking about Sky’s pursuit of it. But… Sky’s frantic attempts to argue, to silence it…

“No,” Wild answered distantly. “I don’t think he wanted to leave us.”

XXX

“It’s been two hours; we should move him.”

“I can do it.”

“No, it’s all right. You carried him last time. I’ll do it.”

What? What was… what?

Link felt impossibly heavy. His half-addled brain wondered if he’d become a sword spirit like Fi, made entirely of metal.

He was lying on something soft, he knew that much. He felt like he was sinking into it so much that he would never be able to get out.

Except he was getting out of it. Or, well, floating out of it. Flying? Was he flying?

Warmth wrapped around his back and shoulders, around the back of his knees. Two grounding forces, holding him steady in a vast expanse of nothing. He felt himself dangling and shifting in rhythmic motions.

Distant voices grew closer as the sound of creaking wood emitted beneath him in shuffles.

“Don’t spill it!”

“Oh, quit your fussing, Vet! Here, Traveler, just drink slowly. We kept it warm for you.”

“Are you guys done arguing? I have a story to finish!”

Grumbles. Sighing.

“Go on, Sailor.” That voice rumbled, buzzing in Sky’s ear with the warmth of a hearth and accompanied by a gentle heartbeat.

“So there I was, thirty bokoblins between me and my goal—”

“Oh boy, they multiplied again,” a voice remarked dryly.

“What are you talking about?”

Sailor. Sailor? What?

Link tried to focus, but he was being lulled back to sleep by gentle sways as if he were laying on a hammock on Skyloft.

“It seems each time you tell it more bokoblins appear.” There was that rumbling tone again, waking Link slightly, relaxing him and drawing him into a trance. It was so familiar…

There was a decidedly annoyed huff in reply. “Hey, I know what I’m talking about! Anyway, so there were fifty bokoblins between me and—”

Link finally pried an eye open. Then he blearily tried to do it with his other eye. Everything was so blurry.

The hammock he was on continued to sway gently. Back and forth. Back and forth.

“That’s impossible and you know it, Sailor!”

“Nuh uh, that’s what happened—”

“Sky?”

The swaying stopped, jostling Link out of his relaxed state a little more. He tried to look up, but he couldn’t muster the strength. However, his perception was finally piecing together an image in his brain, and he belatedly realized he was not, in fact, lying on a hammock.

Someone was carrying him.

Someone was carrying him, and the sailor was here. But not just the sailor. He recognized all their voices.

“Sky, can you hear me?”

The rumbling from before returned. The gentle, steady heartbeat had increased a little. Who was carrying him? Link tried again with all his might to move his head, to tip it back just enough to see above, to identify who was holding him. It definitely wasn’t the captain; the voice was deeper than his. That just left Time and Twilight.

It had to be Twilight, then. The man was freakishly strong, and Time would never—

“Here—move this—put him here, old man.”

Huh?

Link felt his world move as the person carrying him—Time—took a few steps forward. There was scrambling and shuffling of items, hushed whispers and excited laughs. Link felt something somewhat hard and warm rise up to meet his back as he was laid on top of something, and his head settled on someone’s lap.

A hand gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes before settling on his chest, giving it a soft pat. With his head facing towards the ceiling, he saw eight faces slowly come into focus, all encircling him like flower petals around its center.

He drank in the sight, having missed his friends so much. Twilight was the one his head was resting on, the one who had a hand on his chest and a reassuring, gentle smile directly over him. Time stood behind Twilight, a hand on the rancher’s shoulder, also watching him, though his expression was less warm and more concerned. To Link’s left were Legend, who quickly placed a hand on Link’s shoulder, Wind, who was smiling so brightly he outshone the sunlight, and Warriors, who had both hands on Wind’s shoulders as he leaned over to see Link more clearly. Hyrule sat a distance away towards Link’s feet, with Wild directly beside him and holding him steadily in a side hug, his face beaming. To his right, Four’s smile was genuine and trembling, his eyes glistening with tears. Link managed to get the muscles in his face to cooperate, and he gave a weak smile.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and then laughter echoed in the air. Link was bombarded by voices competing for his attention.

“We were so worried—”

“Our Traveler nearly killed himself to get you better, we thought we were going to lose both of you!”

“We missed you so much, Sky—”

“We really thought you were a goner! Like seriously, Vet was crying—”

“I was not crying!!”

“Are you feeling okay?”

Everyone hushed at the question issued by Twilight. Link watched them all, his smile fading alongside his energy. He took a deep breath, trying to piece everything together, his mind still too slow to process it all, and Twilight patted his chest again.

“It’s okay if you’re too tired to talk,” Twilight said softly. “We got you out of bed so you wouldn’t get bed sores, but now that you’re waking up, maybe it’ll be okay?”

Here Twilight directed his attention to Warriors, seeming to ask him if it would, in fact, be all right. The captain ruffled Wind’s hair, making the sailor giggle and step aside, and he drew closer to Link and Twilight. “Mostly. If he’s too weak to move, we’ll still need to do it for him.”

Link could hardly put anything together. But one sentence suddenly burned in his mind, registering and making him try to bolt into a seated position. His body refused to obey, and he barely had curled into his abdomen before his head flopped back on Twilight’s lap with a grunt.

“Easy, Sky,” Twilight soothed gently, pulling Link onto his lap completely with strong grips under his arms. Link settled his head against the elder’s shoulder, gasping for air at the exertion. “It’s okay. We’ll take care of you.”

“T-Traveler…” Link managed to scrape out, his heart racing.

Hyrule shuffled closer, sitting on whatever object Link had just been lying on earlier. He reached a shaking hand out to the Skyloftian, squeezing his upper arm. “I’m here, Sky. You’re okay.”

His grip felt so incredibly weak, even to Link’s addled mind. He felt his stomach drop.

He’d made it worse. Somehow, he’d made it worse. Hyrule had almost died because of him.

“I’m s-sorry,” he stammered, his eyes stinging with tears, his mind berating himself over and over and over.

“Sorry?” Hyrule repeated, confused. “Sorry for what?”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Twilight reassured him, his gentle voice relaxing Link’s body, even if his mind continued to whirl.

“Sky, we’re just happy you’re alive,” Four said quickly. “Please don’t—don’t try to do anything. Just stay here. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“N-no,” Link protested weakly. “I—I need—I—it’s my—I can’t—”

His entire world shifted as Twilight lifted him into his arms and stood. “Shh, it’s okay, Sky. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

Despite his complete exhaustion, Link almost wanted to snap. He wasn’t a child, damn it. He had to tell them, he had to make them realize it was best to leave him here, he could recover on his own and then he could hunt—

Wait.

“Shadow?” he asked quietly.

“He escaped, as he always does,” Time said from somewhere to Twilight’s right. “He’s a coward.”

“Yeah, but the Old Man left him with a pretty good parting gift!” Wind piped in. “Arrow to the chest! And Champion got one in his eye too!”

Link wilted in Twilight’s arms. The Shadow was still alive, and he hadn’t even been able to land any meaningful hits on him. The others had to come rescue him. The others, who bore the brunt of his own stupidity and weakness, and who continued to do so.

He was too tired for this. Too weak to hold back his brittle mind and body’s reaction. Too spent to care that he was suddenly weeping.

It just wasn’t fair. Why did they have to suffer for him? Why couldn’t he get this right?! How did he just keep compounding upon his failure?!

“Sky, what’s wrong? It’s okay, we’re all okay, the Shadow didn’t get anyone except for you.” Wild hastily said as Twilight hesitated in lowering him, instead opting to sway back and forth calmingly.

He felt someone card their hand through his hair and wipe the tears from his cheeks. “Hey, it’s okay, Sky. Everyone’s safe, and so are you.”

Warriors’ words were both a blessing and a curse. Link was eternally grateful everyone was fine, but this just wasn’t right.

“I—I s-should’ve—should’ve—”

“Link.”

He snapped out his stuttering, surprised at hearing his own name for the first time in ages. He had long since stopped viewing himself as part of the group, but he’d been remiss to throw his name out for the world to hear when he’d realized he was in Twilight’s Hyrule.

“No one is expecting you to eliminate the Shadow by yourself,” Time said firmly. “We wouldn’t all be here if that was the case. Whatever has convinced you to think you should handle this alone, it’s wrong.”

The room suddenly exploded into sound, cutting off whatever argument Link might have had.

“Wait, you wanted to take on the Shadow alone?!”

“Sky, are you insane, I thought you were one of the smarter ones in our group, what the actual hell—”

“The goddesses wouldn’t bring us all together if we could take the Shadow by ourselves!”

“You could have gotten yourself killed, Sky, what were you thinking?”

“Enough,” Time interrupted the group. “Let him rest.”

Link felt himself being lowered onto the bed, and the blankets were tucked all the way to his chin. He saw the group surrounding the bed worriedly, some looking more annoyed than others, some looking scared, and some hurt and bewildered.

Link sniffled helplessly.

Wind immediately jumped into the bed, kicking off his shoes and snuggling in beside him. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Everyone agreed with words that Link didn’t bother to discern, and he felt Wind tuck himself neatly in between his right side and arm, resting his head on his shoulder. Link suddenly felt sore, but he didn’t protest.

“Aryll loves cuddling when she’s scared or hurting or doesn’t feel good,” Wind whispered with a smile. “I figured you didn’t want to be alone.”

Link couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips. He bit back another apology in lieu of letting the sailor have a chance to help, and he closed his eyes, resting his cheek on Wind’s forehead and closing his eyes.

The world grew warm and heavy. Exhaustion pulled at him, allowing him to settle back into sleep, but just before its gentle embrace could take him, his mind jolted back to—

Bleeding. He was bleeding so much. A bone deep exhaustion dragged his mind away, but he clung desperately. This was a different kind of tired, a far too permanent sleep beckoning him.

“S-Shadow…”

He had to know. He had to be sure.

“He’s gone,” Time said. “He’s gone.”

He… he did it?

He did it. They were safe. They were safe.

He felt tears sting in his eyes, his heart fluttering. His mission was… over.

He’d finally eliminated Demise.

He laughed, he laughed in relief. His brothers would no longer be haunted by that demon. He couldn’t eliminate the wounds of the past, but he could prevent any in the future.

“What were you thinking?” he heard Time whisper.

It didn’t matter now, whether they knew or not. But he still… he still felt obligated to say it. “M-making… amends…”

He could never truly make up for everything. But at least now he could…

He could rest. Goddess, he could rest.

I’m sorry Zelda, he thought. He apologized to her over and over, to Groose and to all his friends on Skyloft.

He knew. In his heart, he knew.

This was his last mission.

“I’m… sorry,” he said aloud before directing the apology at those around him. Because he knew he was leaving them too, and he knew he would never get a chance to truly apologize for all the harm he’d caused. “I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry…

The darkness pulled, and he drowned in it.

Link’s eyes snapped open. He’d—goddess, he’d—how—

Hyrule. He—he must have—

“Why?” he asked quietly, his voice little more than a whine.

“Hm…?” Wind perked up, already groggy, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at Link. “What’s wrong?”

Link couldn’t let this out on their youngest. But he couldn’t stop his raw emotions either, and before he knew it he was crying again. “Why?”

Wind watched him, eyes suddenly far older than they had any right to be. The boy held a gentleness and understanding to him, a sympathy and sorrow that intermingled, and he leaned down to hold him tightly.

“Because we love you, Sky.”

Sky fell apart completely, sobbing in his brother’s shirt.

[scrawnyghstts]

OKAY I finished watching a playthrough of poppy ch4 and I need talk/vent about it because omfg . spoilers under the cut ofc

I am so upset and salty at how little of yarnaby we got and about the doctor's whole sequence. especially sawyer, he's been made such an important part of the lore and on the trailers just looked so cool and seemed like he'd be crucial this chapter and then??? i'm so disappointed T__T honestly, his sequence was so underwhelming, i didn't feel like it had much support in the flow of the story, the maze was ehhh the baba part was even worse imo, and then just killing him ?? for what??? one of your main villains??? like they didn't even, i don't know, left a blink of the eye on one of the hallways monitors as you leave, or better yet, don't kill the guy, freeze him, put him to sleep, electrocute him?? anything!?!? have yarnaby sacrifce himself for sawyer!!!! i'm so upset, and it's not that i want mob to do what I think they should but the story just felt so disjointed! you don't put this much lore importance into a character to kill him in one move ?!!?! like i'm sorry i can't be alone in this

Doey's story was done great though, really heartbreaking and awful but also cool and heart-warming when he was at his best. Clearly the focus went into Doey and that turned out great! but somehow that annoys me even more, that it was seemingly at the cost of other characters. I mean in chp3 everything felt more cohesive and each character was strong in its story I feel like so i guess a lot of me being upset comes from knowing that mob can do better idk

the final sequence had a lot of work put in too, the Ollie reveal was done right. great timing, the sound design too was so peak and the dialogues as well, I'm very impressed with that and ofc huggy coming back is hype, even though I like yarnaby more I get why you'd bring back your statement character for probably the final chapter to come

overall idk what to think about chapter 4 exactly, it didn't sweep me off my feet! that's for sure ;-; I also wished we would've gotten more of the nightmare critters the way we got for the smiling ones, like at leasts some cut outs!! because with how this chapter is I don't feel like it matters what critters are chasing you, it could've been all smiling critters for all i know and the story seemingly would've been the same which sucks imo

but hey I'll still try to polish the idea I have for my own critter because the concept is simply too cool

[thoughtssvt]

jjk manga spoilers for 143, 236, 257

yall know how grandpa itadori was trying to talk to jin about kaori to which jin said "i don't want you to say that stuff in front of yuuji, babies remember more than we think"

and then grandpa itadori was trying to tell yuuji something before he died to which yuuji said he didn't want to hear it. like

WAS "babies remember more than we think" REFERRING TO YUUJI NOT LETTING HIS GRANDPA SPEAK LIKE HIS DAD DID

LET THIS MAN SPEAK. PLEASE. IM NOSY

ehhh so we know that grandpa itadori wanted to tell jin that it's more possible for kaori to come back from the dead by negative means than jin thinks but im waiting for the "remember more than we think" like this has to be a foreshadowing right??? is yuuji going to remember something???

my prediction is also that grandpa itadori wanted to tell yuuji about their family lineage before he died. but how does that tie into his summary of "help even just one person" ...?

i just feel like these itadori family ties have been foreshadowed so much but HOW

like chapter 236 when gojo's talking to geto "then there's that stuff with his dad... well, i asked shoko to handle that" which then geto immediately follows with "how was the fight with the king of curses?"

readers thought gojo was talking about megumi, but the flow of gojo's and geto's conversation??

my half braincell is quivering that conversation couldn't only have been foreshadowing that sukuna is yuuji's uncle. like it has to indicate some hope, some breakthrough of how they win this right??

anyway have this bc this post lead to absolutely nowhere :

[callmeadin]

WHOA HOLY SHIT I'M ON TIME FOR A TREND?????

Here's Tammuz in a bunny suit! Seeing everyone else's lambs in this ,the past few days, have thrown me into making this for six hours straight, my tablet tweaking to hell and back, and then another hour and a half lmao. I'm pretty proud of this one, seeing as I've finally figured out how to draw their anatomy a bit more. Ehhh sort of, I'm very aware the head looks WAY off, but I was having fun creating this so I didn't bother much with that. Same reason for not really shading and what not,

NOW as per usual, you may have to click on the photo to see it in a better quality.

Update on fic progress: Chapter 4 is nearly finished, I just have to revise and edit it, add a few paragraphs in and such. I also plan on going back and changing some things for the first three chapters, too, so that everything makes sense and flows nicely. I will let ya'll know when that happens! o7

[cherry-pyon]

The four seasons of Mankai Company

Synopsis: Thanks to Izumi's stubbornness and your persistence, the demolition was successfully postponed and there could still be a tiny bit of chance to save your father's theater. However, he showed no interest in the performance which you feared would crush the boys' dreams. Much to the yakuza's annoyance, he gave another chance, in exchange for one goal: you must form the four season troupe in a year to pay all the debt.

⚠️Reminder⚠️:

May contain incorrect grammars (English is not my first language)

Will follow the manga, but there will be a lot of changes.

Different flow of story due to two protagonists (you and Izumi)

Reader is 16 while Izumi is 24 (not canon but is considered)

Fem!reader

Long ass series so I won't blame you if you get bored the first time you look at it.

P.s: A3! Characters are legally and respectfully owned by Liber Entertainment Inc. and I do not claim them. I only own the changes in the plot of the story.

| ☆Chapter 1 |

Chapter 11:

Bloom, Little Flower!

'W-what? Isn't that-'

Dark pink hair and eyes with the same color, it's really him! He's the boy who bumped into you on the way here. You didn't have any clue that you'd meet again—it feels like the world has gotten smaller. The play immediately started and the boy began to do his own thing, with you silently watching him in hopes that his performance will go smoothly.

"Hello! My name is Romeo and I have this girl in my class that I really like. Today was supposed to be the day that I'm going to confess to her and I feel nervous!"

Despite his cheery voice, it sounds too tense and loud, it worries you a bit but hey, let's look at the bright side, atleast he looks like he's enjoying it. The story looks great so far but the background place was a school...out of cardboard....the details are badly drawn out but it's a plus for the efforts!

"Ah! This time already!? I have to go and meet her now!" You feel like something's missing, the stage looks really spacious in one's view and you wonder if other actors will come out now.

"Wait for me, Romeo!" A high-pitched voice was heard on stage, trying to find the other actor, you looked around only to find a talking parrot. It flew around and finally landed on the boy's shoulder. The latter smiled and started walking, or rather marched his feet up and down in a way he looked like he was walking away.

'He looks troubled but he's having fun' you thought, slowly feeling a sense of nervousness when Furuichi suddenly cleared his throat while still crossing his arms 'Seems like he wasn't enjoying it..'

You glanced over to your big sister, Izumi wore a pitiful look but she kept a gentle smile, it looks like she's amused even with such a small and simple performance, her eyes are glued to the stage, you can't help but focus on the dark-pink haired boy.

He was cheerful despite the sights of many empty seats left, he's not bothered...in fact, you can see the excitement in him with just being there on the stage; performing and doing his best.

'Why do sweet guys like him have to experience the worst things possible?' you thought 'If I ever became a theater manager, I would love to give him a better stage play performance!' you smiled at yourself at the idea of giving him a better opportunity to reach his dream and go big, a sweet guy like him deserves it after all.

"Now, let's proceed to talk about the demolition of this building..." Furuichi stood up, his hands in his pockets reflected just how serious he really was. The boy on the stage looked at the three of us with a confused expression on his face, 'This is bad' you bit your thumb in pure frustration.

Your big sister stood up with force, showing no signs of letting him do his own thing, "Ehhh?! Are you a demon?!" She hollered, her voice echoing through the spacious room.

"After seeing him trying his best?!" Izumi reasoned out, pointing at the boy on the stage who looks just as shocked as you are.

"Doing his best?" Furuichi asked, "Exactly!" Izumi replied back.

"He can act well despite being inexperienced" The dark-pink haired boy scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously, he surely didn't expect a small praise at his performance, "Though he lacks experience. I think it would be best if you would just watch a sports match instead, if you want to see someone doing their exact best"

He glared at your big sister the moment he stated those last words, then the room went dead silent; awkwardly silent, you wished the floor could swallow you up.

"Do you think this place will present anything?"

He opened his hand out, letting your big sister roam her eyes around the room.

"This was supposed to be a place to entertain the audience, where pros earn money!" He explained.

"That's right, but if that boy did his best definitely-"

"Nothing can be gained by doing your best alone" those words seem to take a toll on your big sister, you can see her eyes widen and you feel more worried than before.

"I will demolish this agency"

Maybe this is too much for her to handle, there must be some other way that you can help her, it's the least you can do to keep her up. You can't just let all of this hardwork down to waste!

"Eh? T-this agency, will disappear?" You heard the anxious voice of the boy who finally decided to speak up.

You tried to speak up as well, but no voice came out; almost as if you're just there to watch and see how this will turn out.

"But I just moved here! I know I sucked at acting but I love to perform on stage plays!" His voice came out enthusiastically, he didn't mind how loud he is by now, all he can think about is how desperate and determined he is to act and perform, "Please don't demolish this agency"

He waited for a reply, but all the adult could say was a harsh "No" as it echoes, repeatedly ringing through the poor boy's ears.

Then everything went silent, again. You felt hopeless, is this how it's gonna end? You and your sister went all the way here just for nothing? You're on the verge of giving up, you don't know what to do and it's stressing you out. Your sister, however, isn't going to let it slide until she is satisfied.

"Even though he begged you desperately..." Izumi muttered out, loud enough for him to hear, "The demolition has been decided anyway" he was straightforward with it.

Soon, you heard someone run on the stage, it was Mr. Ragged-looking guy!

"Manager!" The dark-pink haired boy's eyes beamed and his expression held out a relieved and hopeful one. The said manager stood in front of him with his arms wide open—ready to defend the boy and save the agency.

"I must protect this agency, no matter what!"

"Matsukawa-san" Furuichi seriously called out—like he's giving him a command to stop and listen to him. "I have given so many chances, there's no need for further negotiations" He added.

"But! There still are a lot of possibilities, just like what we used to be" Matsukawa pleaded out.

"When Yukio-san was here..." Your big sister mumbled to herself, but it seems like it was heard by the manager, "Yukio-san..do you mean Tachibana Yukio?!" Matsukawa exclaimed in surprise, "I..no, my dad received this letter and me and my sister came here to find this place" she took out the letter from her pocket and showed it to him for proof.

"I sent that letter! Where is Yukio-san?" He came closer to check the letter with his eyes full of hope, you and your big sister really hate to break it to him while both of you looked at each other, but it seems like he never knew what happened to your father, "Our dad..hasn't come home for 8 years"

"I see.." Matsukawa looks just as fazed as you both are, "Do you know something about dad's whereabouts, mr.?" You hesitantly asked, although you knew what his answer would be, you still hope there might be some sort of clue or reason as to why your dad ran away. "That day, he suddenly disappeared and never came back, we couldn't even reach him no matter how hard we tried" he claimed, you can see how distressed he is, he just lost the last person he could run for help when everything goes down.

"So you miss your target" Furuichi smirked to himself. Oh how you wish you could just wipe that smirk off but you want to remain respectful towards elders, you felt a vein pop out of you as you glared at him while trying your best not to get caught in act.

"Please don't say that! There must be some other way" Izumi blurted without further thinking about her choice of words, is there really any other way?! 'H-how can you be so sure about that nee-san?!' you decided it's for the best if you could just let the grown-ups fight about it.

"Don't talk as if you know everything about this agency" Furuichi arrogantly stated, "This agency has their own theater, other agencies usually rent a stage to perform but this agency didn't need to. They even have their own dorms which add more costs to maintain" he elucidated. You were left wondering how much money your dad had spent on this agency just for it to crumble like this in the end.

"In their golden age, 8 years ago, there was Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter troupes. Four theaters take turns when it comes to performing every month where they make earnings"

'Wow, he really knows a lot of things from dad's agency, I wonder if they're good friends or something...but I doubt they were, why would he demolish this building if they're on good terms?' you bit your lip, not really believing this theory that you made up 'but what if they were before? And when dad left, Mr. Blonde guy over here got mad and wanted him to go back so he threatened to destroy the agency?' this left you to steal a glance at the older guy—who's now crossing his arms in pure disappointment at your big sister and to Mr. Matsukawa who acts as if they've just learnt something new.

"You only have a single kid as a member, there's no use" he puts his hands in his pockets and decides to turn his back and leave.

"Sakoda, do it-"

"So your main point here is that I have to increase the members and complete the four units?" Izumi's response stopped the man to his tracks, he remained still—as if he's not yet satisfied with her words.

"Then I want you to leave it to me" She presented herself, "Because I will bring together new members of this agency"

"If dad was here, he would say that so himself if this agency needs help, nee-san!" You always admire how strong and independent your big sister is despite the problems, you always hoped that you'd be like her someday when you grow up—where you're not afraid to take on challenges and you're always facing them with a tough look on your face. "Realllyyyyy?!!" Both Matsukawa and the boy were taken back by your words.

"How many members can you get?"

"One, errr...no-"

"Nee-san, two is ok"

"Yes! Two is ok!" She stumbled on whether to put up one finger or two but decided to stick two when you helped her decide, you only hummed in agreement and nod, supporting her decision.

You can feel your heart racing, you're not watching any typical romance dramas or something but your heart thumps so loudly in your chest, you're sure your sister can feel the same as you can feel her grip from your wrist go tight. You just closed your eyes shut and hoped for the best.

"Until the sun sets" you sighed in relief, your sister can only widen her eyes in shock as she was speechless, maybe you both couldn't believe that this would turn out fine, "Bring new members here, until today's sunset" He repeated.

The two male behind you began to celebrate, you smile upon knowing that you're not the only one feeling relieved about this.

"Will you wait for us?" The boy asked excitedly, for a second you thought his eyes had stars that twinkles.

"I won't count for amateurs"

"Yessir!"

"I'll start by demolishing your banner if you fail"

"Yessir!!"

Mr. Blonde guy can only sigh as a reply, as you can feel each and everyone's excitement for a mission—except for him of course.

"Let's goooo!!" "Y-yes!!" Your sister held your wrist as she began to run, both you and your sister are followed by the two males. You didn't process the situation quick enough and tumbled for a second before you caught up to her pace and started running together while clutching your (f/c) sling bag in your right hand.

'Your acting sucks, you're really different from Yukio-san...' his lips form a small smile.

'But your little sister acts just like you' he fixed his glasses that were about to fall from the bridge of his nose as he waited inside the agency until sunset.

[noblechaton]

welcome to the official "Noble rambles about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" post wherein I get annoying about this behemoth of an experience

don't intend to talk much about story stuff here - tho I got a lotta thoughts about it so that might get its own thing later - but consider this a spoiler warning all the same; for gameplay and some story stuff

so just like to set a baseline here I wanna say I think this is a generational game and the biggest leap in quality I've seen a series take from one game to the other since maybe KH1 to KH2 - it's still got the same bones, but they've been rearranged and adjusted to the point of near perfection in a lot of spaces and while gameplay does still carry some flaws - lock on is still miserable, I'd argue they basically ruined Aerith lol - it's so sharp and addictive that I actually popped it back in yesterday to do the superboss stuff (which I think speaks to just how good I feel this game is since that superboss stuff is a real gauntlet lmao)

just about every character - aside from Aerith - feels really fun to play once u get used to them and I'd also say that Aerith is still fun to play with but it took so long to get used to her that I basically stopped using her outright well before the last few chapters lmao. they changed some stuff with her that I simply don't agree with and while there's some cool things in place of what was removed or changed it's just sort of not enough - she takes too long to charge ATB and can't do much without it now so she's kind of useless without a strong support setup around her which made me go "Ehhh. I wanna play as the cat again" or "Sure but what if I was Yuffie instead". I think the biggest thing is they took away the ability to hold the button down for her attack and made that tempest instead, with triangle being given to a ward shift that while neat I just never really used

but again even if she's been kinda nerfed I'd say everyone is just. so much fun. Cloud's still the great all rounder he was in Remake but they fixed the problem where bigger, aerial based enemies were basically gods by giving him proper aerial combat himself. when I first got hit with the tutorial for this in the demo prior to release I could have stood up and clapped that's how badly I'd hoped they'd do something for him

Tifa's still a stagger machine and yet feels even more necessary now thanks to that and just how quick she can be - but then Yuffie's even faster and is borderline broken which honestly rules. Barret's a lil less heavy and that makes him a lot more fun to control - I loved how grounded the cast was in Remake, but that heft just wouldn't work in Rebirth so I'm glad it was adjusted

meanwhile Red XIII is pretty solid - I didn't love him being so dependent on Vengeance Mode but after I'd learned his kit a bit more I'd say he was one of the more fun characters to play as. Cait Sith is really the only other new character u actually get to play as in this one and I can see why some have derided him/his gameplay but I honestly thought he was just as fun to play as as Red or Tifa or anyone else really - save maybe Cloud, who still has just a bit of an edge over everyone else - and I really loved how they integrated the fortune telling, casino style gameplay into his kit

it all just sort of flows really well in Rebirth that even Aerith and those that might be a bit wonky like Cait or Red end up feeling good when ya get into the moment and such. synergy moves are largely a really cool addition - don't think united refocus needed to take up so many slots lol - and I wish there were even more of them. the sidebar synergy stuff is also neat but I slowly stopped using it over the ~100 hours I played as a lot of em were just kinda difficult to properly pull off in combat

beyond just the gameplay - which is flashier than ever and brimming with character and quality alike imo - the game's just. something else to me

the music goes absolutely nuts and if this isn't soundtrack of the year I have no idea what possibly will be. it's visually stunning, the vocal performances are incredible across the board - especially Barret, who cemented himself as one of my favorite Square characters of all time with this one (but then, so did most of the cast tbh). it's so much more grandiose and higher in scale than Remake that I'd grown worried prior to release

so like. in truth I haven't played OG FF7 to this point - I sorta know what happens in that game, up to a certain and very popular point at least, but Remake is a very sentimental game for me for a lot of reasons so while I grew ridiculously hyped for Rebirth I'd wondered if I'd feel the same about it as I ultimately did with Remake - where I felt the game was this stunning, satisfying experience that does almost everything as well as it could with this grounded atmosphere and well threaded narrative with a strong, snappy mix of action and turn based combat. if I could even hope for it to live up to what was one of my favorite games of last gen, and of all time at this point

Rebirth lived up to my hopes and then some. the atompshere isn't the same as Remake's, which I loved, but it feels like the perfect evolution from the narrow, grungy alleyways of Sector 7, the tighter corridors of Shinra's construction, into this sprawling yet not entirely overwhelming open world that's varied so well from place to place that each ends up fairly memorable long before u even get close to finishing it out, every zone feeling both so wide and yet manageable, brimming with character and side content

that does bring me to my main complaint with the game tho - the side content kind of fucking sucks LMAO

the open worlds are gorgeous and carry some incredible musical tracks - Gongaga's a huge favorite of mine - buuuuuuuuut the stuff u actually do in them never really changes and grows pretty dull a good zone or two before the ending. it's a lot of Ubisoft open world stuff - towers, combat challenges, etc., with some variety thrown in via the protorelics (superboss related collectibles) but that's kinda not enough. even the more unique stuff to this game - like the lifespring scanning and the summon crystals - grow really stale and I wish they'd alternated the content from zone to zone a bit more. I think I was in Cosmo Canyon when I realized there'd be another zone and I was actively sort of dreading it lmao, mostly since I was doing just about everything someone could on a first playthrough

and I guess that's kind of not a huge complaint tho since like. ya don't gotta do it lmao. it's side content - but I wish it'd been. y'know. more good. I also wish the minigames weren't largely ass.

box buster's back from Remake and it's actually pretty fun, chocobo racing is solid enough, but most of the rest of the stuff is rough in some way or another - often in the controls, like the g-bike and 3D brawler. even the coliseum tournament stuff largely suffers from the bad difficulty problems that have imo long plagued the industry at this point - there's a few that are just infuriating and poorly designed and I'm unsure why the minigames as a whole were so hellish. as if the testers did too well and now we the casual players must pay the price for their sins (also the final side quest is related to the minigames and as of the most recent patch is bugged so while I've completed it, I haven't actually finished it 🙃)

and honestly for a while I thought all that would hold the game back for me. it's optional, sure, but it also makes up a good chunk of the game, to the point where the game's almost overstuffed with things to do, but it's kind of all shit with a few exceptions - Queen's Blood is crazy btw that needs to be a mobile thing or a real game asap - so that's gotta be a knock on things, yeah? and it totally is, but like. as I made my way through the final dungeon of the game and into the ending, I realized that it just. didn't matter

which would lead me into the story if I were going in depth on it here. I might later but to keep it somewhat vague - I loved it, and felt the pacing, twists and turns all really enjoyable. another solid evolution from things in Remake, with an ending that I genuinely adore even if things are a bit cloudy (I've got my theories - again, perhaps elsewhere). when I say the last few hours of this game shifted my opinion - which was already quite high! - even higher, I mean it. I understand why some don't like the story or the ending in particular, but I love everything they did and set up here and I'm ridiculously excited to see what comes next given just how much they managed to do with this game - tho I will say, if ya ain't onboard with the Remake project by this point I don't know if the narrative will sell ya on it given that it, naturally, does more than Remake did which ik was uh. somewhat controversial. lol

but yeah. I purposefully didn't deep-dive on Rebirth before launch save watching a few trailers due to spoilers and such so I kind of had no idea just how big it was gonna be - and even then, I don't think I could have guessed at how absolutely and utterly stuffed with content this game is. it's the first game of this gen that feels like it earns the increased price tag to me, that's worth the asking price as it's so much bigger and enthralling, so much more than I'd anticipated

which kinda sums up my feelings on Rebirth. that it's this massive game that kept me hooked for days on end, that constantly surprised and satisfied me even as my playtime steadily rose

I really, really enjoyed my near 100 hour playthrough despite the odds and ends bc I feel this is a near immaculate supergame that delivered on almost everything I'd hoped for an then some. it isn't perfect, there's some rough edges, but it does so much so well that it's impossible for me to view it as anything but this generational title that's both ridiculously good at its various peaks and sets up the final game in this trilogy to be another all-timer

so yeah I kinda liked it

[fridayyy-13th]

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

yes absolutely there is, oh man you have no idea. i've been pretty vague about it the few times i've mentioned it, but i've got a TMA WIP called Minutes to Midnight that's just...augh. i've been keeping most of it under wraps, but yknow i figure i can at least talk about how the idea came to me and the general premise of the thing.

so one evening back in 2022, i was playing Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX on my 3DS, specifically the song Cendrillon—my favorite vocaloid song, even before this. i was half zoning out half thinking of an English cover of the song i liked (not necessarily important, but it was this one), and i thought to myself "hey wait a second. the plot of the song ends with the Cinderella character stabbing her prince to death, even though she doesn't want to. TMA ends with Martin stabbing Jon to death, even though he doesn't want to. wait just a second—" and then i proceeded to pull an all-nighter brainstorming ideas for a fic (i would've been up anyway, i had a flight to catch a couple hours later, it's fine lmao).

so it's a TMA/Cendrillon fusion AU! and also angst with a happy ending because i am incapable of smashing two tragedies together and keeping the resulting story a tragedy!! and i'm aware this is probably the sort of AU that's only really gonna appeal to a very niche group of people (namely, me), but dammit if i don't write this thing i'm forever gonna be disappointed in myself. i'm already mildly disappointed that it's taken me this long with hardly anything to show for it, but also there's been enough edits to the story over that time that ehhh, i can't say i'm not glad i've been taking my time on it. the story flows a lot better than it did when i initially thought of it.

(ask game)

[kaitokrush]

My heart is chained to yours; a Junkrat and Roadhog fanfiction

Chapter 3

Preview

Riding my skateboard down to the skate park, wind flows through my hair as I start to put on my helmet. Clipping it on, I push my board faster as I’m already late.

      Before I left home I changed my clothes into something more comfortable, a yellow muscle shirt, grey basketball shorts, and my pair of runners. 

     Pulling down my athletic gloves, I pull my board into the park.

“Ehhh more crowded than usual, some sort of birthday party or what?”

Flipping my board up into my hands, I walk to wear my friend, Witch, usually sits. Wearing a black, midthigh length dress with lace across her collar, she puffs clouds as she enjoys a blunt. Her short fluffy black hair rests on her shoulders while she looks out into the distance. Putting the blunt to her lips, she gets black lipstick on the end as she takes a drag. Sitting on those parking lot concrete blocks, her arm rests on her plus-sized stomach while she leans forward. Tattoos blanket her arm from the tips of her finger, covering her shoulder and wrapping around her breast and shoulder blade.

“Junkrat… JUNKRAT!!!!”

Noticing me, my body tenses up as her sneakers pound the pavement toward me. Grabbing me by the helmet strap, she pulls me down to her level.

“O-ow fuck, I feel like you don’t understand how short you are sometimes.”

Scoffing at me she shakes her head.

“I’m only 5’1” ya cunt, now where the fuck were you?”

“I-i slept over with my new boyfriend.”

Loosening her grip, I’m able to straighten myself out as she looks at me wide-eyed.

“What?”

“Nothing just didn’t know you were gay mate.”

“YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHEN ALL I TALK ABOUT IS MY COWORKER!?!!”

“I THOUGHT HE’S THE ONLY OTHER EMPLOYEE AT YOUR STUPID… JOB, THING!!!”

“I’M A GODDAMN MECHANIC!!!”

“LITERALLY NOT THE POINT, YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND…”

Checking side to side, like anyone cares, she steps to me closer and talks quietly.

“...so who is it?”

“Remember that coworker?”

“YOU PULLED HIM!?!!’

“Well, he pulled me but at least I got him.”

“Did you…”

Making an ‘ok’ sign, she sticks her finger in to symbolize sex.

“NO!!!! A-at least not yet, he did um… rub one outta me this morning.”

“Explains the marks on your neck.”

Instinctively I cover my neck where Mako kissed me.

“WHAT!?!!”

Smiling wide, Witch giggles at me.

“Hehehe, don’t worry it’s not too bad. Guarantee they’ll go away in a few days. I’m sure a couple of hickeys won’t debilitate you.”

Now available on AO3 + Wattpad

[rilamelafin]

20 Questions for Fanfiction Writers

Found this in a tag somewhere and wanted to do it.

1). How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 45 fics. Most of them are oneshots.

2). What's your total AO3 word count?

308,635

3). What are your top five fics by kudos?

You're My End and My Beginning [T] Chat Noir/Ladybug, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng; 868 kudos; 3,265 words; 163 bookmarks - Miraculous Ladybug

Ever the Same [T] Klavier Gavin/Apollo Justice; 565 kudos; 1,796 words; 44 bookmarks - Ace Attorney

What Would I Do Without Your Smart Mouth [T] Klavier Gavin/Apollo Justice; 216 kudos; 831 words; 16 bookmarks - Ace Attorney

Vows Unspoken [T] Rook/Lucanis Dellamorte; 169 kudos; 2,418 words; 28 bookmarks - Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Knight in Shining (Red) Armor [G] Klavier Gavin/Apollo Justice; 159 kudos; 493 words; 9 bookmarks - Ace Attorney

Side note: I've realized that with the exception of Vows Unspoken, all my top-kudos fics are stories I wrote almost a decade ago (if not actually a decade ago). I feel like that somewhat speaks to the current climate that I see other writers discussing. My Ace Attorney fics were all kinkmeme fills, where there was a community.

4). What fandoms do you write for?

I've dabbled all over the place. Wrote for a lot of anime for a while. Now I'm mostly sticking with video games, particularly the Dragon Age fandom.

5). Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

When I can! It makes me SO excited to receive any comments at all, and I love being able to talk with people about my writing.

6). What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ehhh probably She is the Healing, I Am the Pain. It's a Miraculous Ladybug fic that focuses on Chat Noir with the idea of the Ladybug Magic not healing everything. It was a gift-fic I wrote for someone I used to talk to on tumblr.

7). What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh. I like happy endings a lot of the time. There are just so many, honestly. I can't pick one.

8). Do you get hate on fics?

Hasn't happened yet, though I did get some comments at one point that felt a little judgy of my writing style. So now I moderate my comments.

9). Do you write smut?

Sometimes! It depends on the fic and my mood.

10). Do you write crossovers?

I do not. I don't like crossovers in general, personally.

11). Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12). Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. Someone asked if they could once, but I never found out if they actually did.

13). Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Kinda? I was co-writing an original fiction at one point with an online friend that I had met through FFN. But that fell apart. Now, most of my collaborative storytelling is with an RP with one friend that I used to play Dungeons & Dragons with.

14). What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh that's tough. I wrote a lot for Klavier/Apollo for a while there. But I tend to write a lot more OC works (or characters where the MC can be tailored, like Dragon Age or Mass Effect).

One of my favorites to write for has been either Cullen Rutherford/Lavellan, or FemShep/Joker.

15). What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Probably Fate's Triage, if I'm being honest. It's a Modern Girl in Thedas fic. And I started off strong and really enjoying it. But I'm having a hard time getting the energy and words to flow for that one.

16). What are your writing strengths?

I really love digging into characters, and I think I get a good handle on a character's "voice" really well.

17). What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle a lot with the "connective" pieces, which is why I have a lot of trouble writing multi-chapter fics.

18). Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

It depends. If it's a short piece, like a pet name or a commonly-used phrase, then I'll use it and write it in italics to set it apart as obviously different.

But for longer bits, or even a full sentence, it depends on the perspective of the focal character. Does the character whose POV I'm focusing on know the language? Are they familiar enough to understand? Would they even recognize the individual words? If yes, I might write as stated before. If no, then I describe that the character speaking a foreign language says something they didn't catch/understand.

If the POV character is the one using the foreign language, then it gets a little tricky. I'm a huge language nerd. But I also know that not everyone is going to be me and look up the translation for every sentence in another language. I have to be picky and choosy about it.

19). First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto, I think. I was like 12. But I was coming up with ideas for stuff when I was in elementary school for Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon. I just never wrote any of it down.

20). Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Ever?! Oh that's tough.

Real talk, I'm really proud of my current WIP Steal into My Melancholy Heart because I'm exploring some really fun ideas with using magic as a therapy tool in the Dragon Age setting.

But I also really loved writing Something in the Way (you roll your eyes) for NaNo a few years ago and that Arranged Marriage AU with FemShep and Joker just really scratched an itch for me. lol

[ghostmacandcheese]

*quick authors note before we begin*

(Hello! I hope you like this fanfic. It’s going to be six chapters, that way i can put a good amount of detail into the story. It isn’t a Y/N reader, as the main character does have a name, and if it seems strange or annoying the way the conversations flow or the way things are described, sorry, thats just how i think and react to things. While most of the stuff in this is false, obviously, there will be a note at the end of each chapter letting you guys know what was actually real from personal experiences! Hope you all enjoy, i know i had a lot of fun writing this! Also, there’s parts where it seems like the character is talking to herself, and thats because she is, and i had it written in italics originally to differentiate, but tumblr didn’t like that so now you have to figure it out yourself, sorry.)

Summery: you meet Steven in the museum gift shop and become fast friends, and maybe something even more!

Pairing: just Steven x female reader

Warnings: some swearing, being the family disappointment, sleep disorders

Genre: fluff, meet-cute, friends to lovers

Heaven help the fools chapter 1

Chapter 1: strange strangers

I walked up to the gift shop counter of the British Museum, clutching a metal puzzle pyramid, a book on the curse of King Tut, and a plush Taweret, the hippo goddess. The man behind the register looks on the verge of passing out, his eyes barely open, lips slightly parted, curly hair messily resting on his forehead. As I stand there, unsure of what to do now that I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know I'm even standing there, I look at him more closely. He’s got lovely cheekbones and a great facial structure. I'm tempted to pull out my phone to take a reference photo. He’d make a great portrait. Those eyelashes and brows are stunning.

I find myself staring at him, my critical artist's eye going into a frenzy at this absolutely beautiful man standing before me.It takes a second to realize he’s now fully conscious and staring back at me, a quiet curiosity playing in his eyes. Wow, his eyes. They’re so soft. They have such warmth in them like they’re staring into me. Wait… staring-h-he’s awake!! Shit! He just saw me staring at him! Quick, think!

“H-hi! I…um, I didn’t mean to stare, I just… wasn’t sure if you were awake?” God, even I could tell what a terrible lie that was. I really need to stop staring at beautiful people.

“Oh, it's ok. I just feel bad I didn’t know you were there. I've been noddin off all day, haven’t gotten a wink of sleep in the last month, don't know why.” He chuckled to himself, cheeks slightly pink. Hmmm. He gets embarrassed easily. Adorable.

I didn’t really know what to say, so I just stood there, shifting from foot to foot, waiting for him to ring up my items so I could leave and then promptly die from embarrassment. It took me a minute to realize why he was still staring at me until I looked down and saw I had all my stuff still in my arms. Why? Why today of all days do I decide to act like a complete fool? And why is it always in front of men that are totally my type? Can I, for just once, get it together, please? I feel my cheeks turn bright red, and I get even more embarrassed, turning an even brighter red.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to forget to put my things up, I just forgot I was holding them, heh.” You figured he wouldn’t believe you, and just nod along like most people, because how could someone forget they were holding something they just went to pay for? I mean-

“No, it's alright, the other day I had a terrible nightmare and jumped out of bed, forgetting I had my leg restraint on and ended up falling right on my face. My nose was purple for days.” He chuckled to himself again, and then we both sat there in silence for a minute or two, letting that sentence just rest. Then he started turning bright red.

“I-i mean- heh, I don't- ehhh” he looked around frantically, looking for something, anything, to break the awkward silence left by that last statement.

“Hey, don't even think of it. I tell one of my coworkers on a regular basis how easy it would be to kill her and everyone thinks I’m a psychopath when it's really just my way of saying that I care about her, so I guess we're both weird.” I look up and smile at him, watching some of the worry leave his eyes and fill with a slight bit of humor, and a little concern.

“Besides,” I chuckle, picking at one of my nails, “it's not like I have anyone to tell your deep, dark secret to, I have no friends.” He picks up the book, hippo, and pyramid puzzle and places them in the bag, telling me my total.

“Well, I don't have any friends either, so I guess your murderous ways are safe with me as well.” He looks up at me with a small smile, and I can see a hint of mischief in his dark eyes. God, he is beautiful. I smile as I take my bag, telling him to leave the receipt. I turn to walk out, but he catches me before I take another step.

‘Wait, wait... I don't know your name!” he looks worried, like if I walk through the door, he'll never see me again. I smile at the ground, blushing slightly.

“Oh, my name's Ophelia. Ophelia Jane. a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I-I’m steven. With a V. grant. S-steven grant.” he coughs and shuffles his feet, embarrassed.

“Well, Steven with a V, I'll see you around, ya?” I give a small wave.

“Y-yeah, I'll be seeing you I guess.” he laughs nervously and waves back at me one last time before I leave, ready to head home for the day.

I sit in the back row of the bus, only half paying attention to the stops that are made along the way. With my traveling playlist blasting in my ears, I allow my mind to wander, absentmindedly humming along to the songs playing.

As I watch the city flash by through the window, one song fades out and is replaced by the next, Snaggletooth by Vance Joy.

ah, I love this song. My mind travels through all that happened today and stops to rest on Steven. Sweet steven. I don't think I've ever met another person that I've talked to so easily. I could sit and listen to him talk forever. He's got such a gentle voice, and it's so relaxing. And his lips, he's got such a beautiful cupid's bow and great cheekbones. And that five o’clock shadow and curly, unkempt hair. It looks soft, I would love to play with it. God, I bet he smells amazing, like incense and warm sunlight and old books and coffee. Imagine hugging him? Imagine falling asleep next to him? Ooooh, imagine-SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT THIS IS OUR STOP GET OFF QUICK NOW! I quickly scramble my stuff together, muttering to myself as I get off at my stop. “Wow, pervert, you really almost just missed your stop over a man you met ONCE IN A GIFT SHOP! This isn't a freaking fanfic, get it together!” I ran across the street to my building, just missing the rain that was about to fall.

Terry, the building guy, just looked up at me as I walked in, and I hopped in the lift, getting off at the 3rd floor.

Turning to the first door on the right, I pull out my key and swing open the door to survey the kingdom that is my flat.

I flip on the light and put my bags down on my already full table in the kitchen. A crappy place to live, but it's better than nothing. I get a small cooktop, an even smaller fridge, and my incredibly cluttered table in the far right, closest to the door, and in the left corner was my bathroom, with my bed in the back, desk by the window in the back right corner, and small tv and bean bag chairs in the somewhat center of the room. “Home sweet home,” I mutter as I kick off my flats, walking over to the fish tank on my desk.

“Alright, roll call guys, I need to make sure none of you died while I was gone. Let's see here… Morticia, Sally, Lydia, my gothic girls, you’re here, Jester and Harlequin, there you are, Buttercup, got you, Sunshine, still swimming backward like a little freak, hello, and lastly, my beautiful snail queen, pearl. How are all of you? Here,” I get them a sprinkle of food. “You get your dinner, now I get to shower and grab mine.” I go to my wardrobe and grab my favorite leggings and oversized shirt, and take a steaming hot shower, ready to crash from the long day I had.

*end authors not*

And thats the end of chapter one! I hope you guys liked it, i sure had fun writing it! As promised, here are things that are real about me that i put into this story because i can.

1) those fish are my fish, those are all they’re names. They’re now tumblr famous.

2) all the music mentioned, while not much, are songs that I listen to and LOVE.

3) i do indeed threaten my coworker with her own demise, but i do it out of love, and she knows it, so its ok.

4) i do actually talk to myself like this. I find it highly amusing, so i decided to put it in. I don’t care if anyone else finds it funny or not.

5) the only reason i think steven would smell like incense is because I LOVE the smell of incense.

6) i stare at people that i think are pretty because they have aesthetically pleasing faces and want to draw them. I can’t help it.

7) i have actually had stuff in my hands and forgot it was there. I am dory in human form.

[ao3feed-ineffablehusbandz]

Borrowed Heaven

Borrowed Heaven

by Himitsu_no

Crowley struggled to recognize himself these days.

 Saying ‘I love you’ to his angel had been the easiest part; it was well-rehearsed like a name. Had been hanging off his mouth for centuries and millennia, often stuck between his teeth uncomfortably, a painful blister about to burst.

Bitter like poison and licorice-sweet most days.

One small slip of the tongue and it would be swirling in the cold air like steam rising from the overly sweet cups of cocoa he’d make himself sometimes solely for the familiar smell when he couldn’t be around old books and unraveled tartan bowties.

 He’d thought coping with this love- this immense, ever growing, ever flowing, drowning feeling of hellfire and salt water was tough. He’d thought he’d never get used to the molten stones and warm honey in his veins at a mere thought, a mere mention of a name in an empty room. If he’d thought those days were hard, he could’ve never imagined how much harder this would be.

Words: 2600, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens)

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Angst and Feels, God is a cunt, hope she doesn't read this lmao, Non-Explicit Sex, ehhh perhaps just a tiny bit, a bit of a dirty mouth, but it's a lot more about feels

From https://ift.tt/tN7nCpM https://archiveofourown.org/works/47256088

[leaderoffestivals]

Black Cat Rhapsody: Chapter 3

Leo: Oh, you’re here, you’ve shown up! The angel who occasionally reveals his evil, villainous smile!

Grrrrr! What have you done to this innocent child, you Big Bad Guy!

Season: Summer  Author:  Mitsuki Characters: Leo, Madara, Eichi, Keito Proofed by:  Twitter: junsweats (EN)                      Tumblr: ryuseipuka (EN) ohcheckmate (CN)

<ES Meeting Room> 

Leo: Knock knock! Anzu, we’re here! Uchuuuu~☆

Madara: Hahaha! Although we were notified by Anzu-san’s message in advance that you’d be here, I’m still overjoyed that we’re able to meet in person! 

Eichi: Hehe. Are the two of you so involved in greeting only Anzu-chan, that you’re ignoring the rest of the room? The kitten that you’ve been searching so ardently for is in my hands right now. ♪

Leo: Oh, you’re here, you’ve shown up! The angel who occasionally reveals his evil, villainous smile!

Grrrrr! What have you done to this innocent child, you Big Bad Guy!

Eichi: Ahaha, with your bared teeth and flashing claws, Tsukinaga-kun does resemble an infuriated kitty cat indeed! ♪

Madara: …What? Anzu-san is saying that we’ve gotten it all wrong? Eichi-san has been helping to take care of the kitten all this while?

I see! On a closer look, the kitten is safe and unharmed, all sprawled over Eichi-san’s lap and sleeping soundly.

Leo: Oh, it even seems to be snoring, it’s no wonder it’s not moving! Thank you, Tenshi, you’re a good guy after all!

Eichi: Tsukinaga-kun’s criteria for differentiating between “good” and “bad” people is really too simple… Although this can save a lot of unnecessary trouble indeed.

Hmm? Anzu-chan, you’re saying that since everything has been resolved, you should be going now?

Leo: Ehhh, Anzu, don’t leave so soon~! The world won’t end if you stay to talk a while longer with me, you know!

It’s alright… I know that the work of a “Producer” is very demanding, but still, don’t overdo it, alright? If you have time, let’s hang out and play together while I’m still in Japan.

Then it’s settled!  Bye bye~☆

Keito: Alright, you two. Don’t you think it’s time you’ve explained why you’ve allowed a kitten to run loose in the building?

Madara: Hahaha, so Keito-san is here as well. Don’t be mad, don’t be mad~  Actuallyyy, neither Leo-san nor I are its owner.

We first found the kitten in the Hanging Gardens today, so it was already in the building at the time. As to how it actually got in, we’re just as clueless as you are.

Eichi: Come to think of it, Anzu-chan said that she came across it in the elevator.

Since it already knows how to take the elevator by itself, it should be no big feat for it to slip into the central building when someone else is entering through the main door, too?

Leo: Wait a minute! Don’t rush to a conclusion, let me start up my fantasies, and look for an answer from among the countless wonderful possibilities in this world…!

Ahhh, I’ve got it! Maybe this kitten is actually a cat-shaped organism cast here by aliens, or it’s some sort of shape-shifting demon!

No, it’s possible that there are superpowers involved! Like… poof! It teleported from one space to another!

So close! Just a little bit more, inspiration is about to flow! Sure enough, talking to people every now and then can prove to be even more stimulating!

Madara: Then let’s continue the conversation to expand on this subject, shall we? If it were possible, what kind of superpowers would everyone want to have?

Keito: Wait a minute, Mikejima. Aren’t you changing the topic too quickly? After all, this is just an ordinary cat, so how could it have superpowers—

Eichi: Fufu, so this is what it’s all about. I had heard that Tsukinaga-kun had taken up a commission to compose a soundtrack for a period drama with superpowers, but I would never have thought that even geniuses suffer from composer’s block, too.

Since the meeting is over, and Keito is free for the rest of the day anyway, wouldn’t it be nice for everyone to have a leisurely chat together after so long? ♪

Keito: … … I can't refute the fact that I am very free at the moment.

Leo: Wahaha, then let me be the first to answer! I want the superpower of being able to fly from Earth to outer space with a whoosh!

Wander around all the different planets, meet many different kinds of aliens, and make friends with all of them! Uchuuu~☆

Madara: Hahaha, that idea really is Leo-san’s style indeed. I, too, have a wish that I’ve alwayyys wanted to realize——

And that is to be everyone’s Mama! In order to be able to be at every child’s side, I’d probably need a cloning technique to achieve it, right?

And if there are countless Madara Mikejimas participating in aaall the festivals held in different parts of the world, every day will be a festive holiday beyond compaaare!  Wasshoi wasshoi ☆

Keito: …It’s already noisy enough with one Mikejima in the Starmony Dorms. If that many more appear, I’ll be unable to sleep peacefully at night.

However, superpowers and the like, …they’re common tropes in manga, so it’s not like I haven’t spent any time thinking about them.

If I were still in Yumenosaki, I would probably wish for the ability to control time. After all, I was so busy back then, that I have always felt that there was never enough time.

However, now that I have no student council duties, and Akatsuki has yet to receive any sort of decent idol work, I’ve got way too much free time on my hands, with no idea on how to spend it. 

If I were to determine what truly bothers me, it would be that people are always taking my things without my permission, so I have to hunt high and low for them to no avail.

With this point in mind, having the ability to sense the location of objects would be the most practical choice.

Eichi: Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought it would be something like wanting the ability to create as many different pairs of glasses as you wish. 

Keito: If so, there’d be no joy in collecting them, would there? What’s more, matter cannot be created out of nothing, so if it results in stealing glasses that already belong to others, I wouldn’t want it. 

No, that’s not the point at all… it’s about the ones who make me feel the need to have that kind of superpower in the first place! How incorrigible!

Leo: Hmm~ Although I am the one who got hold of Keito’s glasses, I remember that I properly informed everyone about it on HoldHands before, didn’t I? (1)

But then, I never expected Keito to show up at the airport all red-faced and panting. That was such an interesting scene, I will never forget it! Wahahahaha!

Keito: You had better wipe it from your memory! No, you need to carve it into your memory, so you would never dare do such a thing ever again—

Madara: Hahaha! Oh, my. Keito-san’s expression is just too scary. Fortunately, I’ve never done anything like that before!

But then, I have witnessed someone remove something sneakily from Keito-san’s room, smiling serenely and pretending that nothing was happening all the while, you knowww?

Eichi: …Hmm? Why are all of you looking at me? Oh, is it my turn to share about the superpowers I want? ♪

Although there were many interesting ideas thrown about just now, if it’s a power that can truly be used in reality, then the power that I want to attain the most is the ability to make everything I wish to achieve come true.

Leo: Ehhh~ aren’t you too cunning, Tenshi? Isn’t that the same as being able to achieve everything that our superpowers can do, too? 

Madara: To put it nicely, even though you’re still following the rules, isn’t this cheating in the same way as saying, “My wish is to have three more wishes”?

Keito: —Alright, the idle chatter should end here.

Eichi! You’re an unapologetic cretin for stealing my D (2) at every turn! Be prepared to face an extra long lecture!

And you, Tsukinaga! I have not settled the score with you for kidnapping my glasses for your worldwide trip yeeeet—

Black Kitten: Meow~

Leo: Oh, the kitten is awake and meowing non-stop! It seems to be hungry, right?

Eichi: Yes, yes. You see, Keito? The poor kitten is hungry. I’m going to the resting room to see if there is anything suitable to feed it ♪

Madara: Hahaha, then let's go together! Let's go, let’s go~

Keito: … …

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

Translator’s Notes:

(1) Re: Keito’s Feature Scout 4* story. (2) From Spy: The Mission TLDR: Keito draws doujinshi under a pseudonym, and Eichi often borrows them to read without permission. Keito is embarrassed to say out loud what he’s searching for when he is looking for them, so he refers to the doujinshi as ‘D’; i.e. “I’m looking for my D; give me back my D!” throughout, which sounds as wonky as you think it does.

Chapter 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  | 5 (End) 

[ga-yuu]

~Kurama~Main Story Chapter 16~

Warning!! This chapter contains attempted murder and strong language

Chapter 15

*

*

*

--------Part 1--------

Yoshitsune: “First of all, I apologize because we assume that you might be in danger.”

Yoshino: “Danger...?”

One morning, Yoshitsune-sama visits my room and his first words made me blink.

Yoshino: “Why am I in danger?”

Kurama was also sitting next to Yoshitsune-sama, and he opens his mouth casually.

Kurama: “I’m told there are people in this mansion who wants to assassinate you.”

(Ehhh....)

I felt the blood draining from my face.

Yoshitsune: “Our army is being reinforced in preparation for the first war against the Shogunate. Not a few of the new recruits had a grudge against the Shogunate for one reason or another.” 

Yoshino: “But why would they want to kill me...?”

Yoshitsune: “It’s still unconfirmed but Yoichi is working on it. Until this matter is settled, I want you to stay in this room, just in case.”

Yoshino: “....Okay.”

My voice trembled when I replied.

(I was prepared to put myself in danger on the battlefield one day.)

(But I never thought I’d see the day when my life would be directly threatened in this way.)

(No matter how kind Yoshitsune-sama and the others are....my presence is not interesting to the soldiers of the Rebels)

My fingertips are as cold as if they were immersed in ice water.

Kurama: “Why are you trembling?”

(Kurama...)

Yoshino: “No, no no, I was just surprised. But I’m fine.”

Kurama frowned when he saw me forcing a smile.

Kurama: “......... Take this.”

(Hm?)

I took what was offered to me and it was a whistleblower.

Yoshino: “What’s this for?”

Kurama: “It’s got my spell on it. In this big mansion, I’d be able to hear it from anywhere.”

(Wow! That’s amazing!)

Kurama: “I want you to use it.”

--------Part 2---------

Kurama: “I want you to use it.”

I was stunned when he looked straight at me.

(I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts since that night in the garden with Kurama....)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I’ll do my best.

2. I’ll take good care of it.

3. That’s reassuring.(+4/+4)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoshino: “That’s reassuring.”

Kurama: “I’m giving you that this time because it’s special. I don’t like to be treated as a shikigami used by humans.”

Yoshino: “Ohh, umm....thank you.”

Yoshitsune: “It’s only good for a few days. I want it to be a good luck charm in case of emergency.”

I agreed without a second, but....

.................

......That night.

Yoshino: “Eh, you haven’t caught the killer yet?”

Rebel vessel 1: “No. Although we are still in the middle of our interrogation, Yoshitsune-sama has asked me to report to you urgently before we take our leave.”

Yoshino: “Thank you.”

(Even though he is under interrogation, can I be a little relieved....?)

After the retainer has left, he breathes a sigh of relief.

My body slowly relaxed and I realise that I was more nervous than I thought.

(Yoshitsune-sama probably gave me the report so that I could sleep a little more calmly. I must thank him tomorrow.)

(Let’s read and sleep for the rest of the day.)

I reached for the tabletop to read the history book I had borrowed to review the knowledge Kagetoki-san had taught me.

..............

Yoshino: “Oh, no! I was told I had to return this book by today.”

(I’d forgotten all about it in the assassination fiasco.)

(I thought I’d ask someone to give it back to library.)

Perhaps it was the noise of the assassination attempt, but the vassals passing through the corridor were not in the mood to be approached.

However, I felt bad about calling them all the way.

(Because it would be unpleasant for the Rebels to take up my errands as a member of the Shogunate that everyone hates.)

Yoshino: “....The library is not far, so it should be fine, right?”

My heart ached for the thorn that I could not pull out.

(But something is bugging me----)

(Because I know that the Rebels, like everyone else in the Shogunate, are fighting for their friends and their beliefs.)

I was walking in the corridor while thinking about this, when----

(Nn.......!?)

Suddenly, a hand reaches out and covers my mouth, pulling me hard from behind.

Yoshino: ”Nnn...nnn....”

Man 1: “Shut up!”

I was pushed into a spare room and the sliding door slammed shut roughly.

Yoshino: “Nn....what the!”

Man 2: “How dare you, a member from the Shogunate walking around with her head held high in front of our eyes.”

------Part 3------

Man 2: “How dare you, a member from the Shogunate walking around with her head held high in front of our eyes.”

Man 1: “Yeah, I’ll avenge my comrades who were caught.”

Two men stood in front of me with swords.

(They’re going to kill me-----)

My blood froze with fear and my toes began to tremble.

(So there are two people!?)

They smile mockingly at me as I slowly back away.

(What should I do? I’ll buy some time and then....)

I remembered the whistleblower in my pocket and reach out for it------

Man 2: “...Our former comrades were killed in the war against the Shogunate.”

(If I call Kurama, he’ll surely kill them....)

(But, even I’d hate my enemies if they killed my friends....)

The words came out of my mouth in a rush----

Yoshino: “Look, we can talk this over...okay?”

Man 1: “Huh?”

(....I’m sorry. I know I’m being reckless, but....)

The faces of the two men became increasingly grim.

Yoshino: “Please, I beg you. I won’t tell Yoshitsune-sama and the others about you.....”

Man 2: “Are you kidding me? Woman!”

Yoshino: “No I....”

They held down my body as I tried to escape and I struggled.

Man 1: “Shut up! We’ll finish you off quickly and you won’t feel a thing!”

(NO!!)

I saw the white blade shining brightly while he was on top of me.

Regret and fear nearly overwhelmed me when----

Kurama: “Footsteps and squeaks like rats in the night.”

(Kurama!)

The men stopped moving when they heard a low voice.

Man 1: “Kurama-sama!”

Kurama entered the room and narrowed his eyes coldly at me.

Kurama: “.....What are you doing, Yoshino?”

Yoshino: “I...”

Man 1: “Kurama-sama! Please don’t move!”

The man screams while pointing the sword at my throat.

Kurama: “Who gave you permission to move? I forbid you to move against my will, not even a finger.”

Men: “!”

As soon as they felt the space distorting, their faces were filled with astonishment.

Man 2: “W-What is this?”

Man 1: “I can’t move!”

(Maybe he used Kotodama!?)

Kurama: “If you come in my way again, I’ll block your breathing.”

It was a blizzard of frost and they both lost their blood, their mouths still tightly shut when they should be free.

Kurama(glare): “Yoshino. Answer me. Why didn’t you call me?”

-------Part 4------

Kurama(glare): “Yoshino. Answer me. Why didn’t you call me?”

A stinging, deadly energy emanated silently from Kurama’s body and filled the room.

(....If I give a bad answer, he’ll kill everyone in this room including me.)

Yoshino: “I....I was almost killed.”

Kurama: “Why didn’t you blow the whistle when you knew you were?”

I can’t breathe properly because I feel the mass of air around me has increased so much.

Yoshino: “B-Because.”

I struggled to speak under the cold stare.

Yoshino: “I thought it would only be natural that there are people in this house who hates me because I’m an enemy. So, if we could talk it through....”

Kurama: “Oh. So, you want to die.”

(......!!)

Yoshino: “No, I----”

Kurama: “You already declared right in front of me that you’re on the Shogunate’s side. Then, why are you trying to make peace with these guys? I despise with all my heart anyone who would describe that warmth as kindness.”

The low voice, crushed my rebuttal.

Kurama: “Yoshino---is it horrible to be hated for real by someone who is right in front of you?”

(Ah.......)

I couldn’t even speak because it was so true.

(Yes, I didn’t want to be the bad guy.)

(I’m afraid of the malice directed at me by someone else, so I tried to look away from it.....)

(As a result, I almost lost my life.)

(If I die, I won’t be able to help everyone in the Shogunate anymore, but I made the wrong decision.)

Kurama: “Be proud to be an enemy that someone hates, if that’s what you’re willing to do with your life. If not, you may disperse here and now in disgrace.”

(.....Those serious eyes.)

With all the energy in my body, I looked straight back into Kurama’s eyes.

Yoshino: “-----I don’t want to die. Even if someone hates me.”

Kurama: “If you want to live, you must beg, and you must risk the lives of others.”

---------Part 5---------

Yoshino: “-----I don’t want to die. Even if someone hates me.”

Kurama: “If you want to live, you must beg, and you must risk the lives of others.”

Kurama snapped his fingers high in the air.

Men: “....!”

As if on cue, the bodies of the men escaped from the Kotodama.

Man 1: “Fuck you!”

Yoshino: “!!”

(No, I want to live!)

I pushed the man’s chest and scream as I struggle.

Yoshino: “Help! Kurama----”

Kurama: “That’s right. Beg me from the bottom if your heart.”

Strong wind blew around the room.

Man 2: “What the hell!?”

One of the men winces as he is cut down by an invisible blade of wind.

Man 1: “Ku...”

The other one, who was cutting at me, immediately seized his hand and removed his sword.

Kurama: “Surrendering already? You got no guts at all.”

(Finally....!!)

Man 1: “I-I heard you were a foreigner. Why would you use such great power to protect a woman of the Shogunate?”

Man 2: “Yeah! We’re just trying to avenge our friends.....”

As I sit there stunned, the men screamed at me.

Kurama: “It is the prerogative of the strong to choose where they wield their power. But before you accuse me of being unworthy.....”

The blood colored eyes took the men in their stride for the first time and penetrated deep into them.

Kurama: “You took Yoshino by surprise in a place where its not a battlefield. It seems to be for a great cause, but it’s only a matter of venting your resentment on an entity that you’re sure has the upper hand. What a pathetic petty way to live.”

Men: “Nn...........”

(Kurama.........)

I can’t help but be drawn to the way he says it with such strength and grace.”

(To everyone, Kurama is fair and merciless.)

(But, I’m sure that’s because.... Kurama himself is not ashamed of his life to anyone.)

The tension that I had felt earlier had dissipated, and I could feel the hot blood flowing through my body.

Kurama: “Yoshitsune will be the one to deal with you. It’s stupid, I’m not even interested in your life or death. Don’t ever stand in my line of sight again. Also.......”

(!!)

As if remembering, Kurama grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

Kurama: “This woman belongs to me. If you have a problem with that, you can tell me who owns her.

Chapter 17

[reading-wanderer]

I have over 5k written for the next chapter of marriage sham and I like basically none of it👍

Danny pov is not my favorite and just all of what I have down basically amounts to me getting words on page at this point. Like I know what needs to come up in the conversation with Sam and Tucker, but the current convo is very ehhh as far as like flow? and keeping the mood consistent. Like I need to get them up to date on what’s happened in the other chapters and show off the lovely game of telephone going on with what exactly happened and how that effects how the teens are going to respond to the situation.

The small Maddie pov is okay, but I adjusted it already which means that what I have for the Jack pov needs to be adjusted too. But I also might change it again and if I do end up doing what I’ve been considering, I would have to actually figure out what Vlad wrote in his text, which I was trying to avoid but having Maddie read the text and then react on screen might be better and just hnnnnn

[dr-transparents]

In the last 6ish hours we have gotten 6 asks about Killer Killer and I’m gonna answer them in one post to not spam. The first few answers will be briefer than they should, probably, because my laptop fucking died in the middle of writing this post. Pain

-Mod Firanka

Right, so like Junko was more of a broad inspirational type, the “sweet” while Mukuro was the “ugly” not in looks, but in actions. A genuine danger to Junko’s plans, with more of a lasting influence without even trying. Like Isaac from Castlevania. A willing tool who would raze the world if they figured out they could be the hand holding the knife rather than the knife being wielded. And they really like being a knife. Mukuro was the one who actually did things for Junko. All the murdering, all the butchering, all the violence, and not being brainwashed, not one bit. No regret to her actions, not one bit.

I haven't played Castlevania!

Anyways, that's an interesting POV. Unfortunately I can't remember what I typed here and nothing comes to mind. I sorta agree but I don't have any arguments anymore. Sorry about that.

Firanaka, I must know. What were your thoughts when Killer Killer indicated that Mukuro Ikusaba was still alive / had broken out? Like initially. What were you thinking? At first? After reading that?

I didn't pay a lot of attention to that! I felt like it's gonna be explained soon, so I didn't latch onto the thought. Maybe I considered it a bit weird? But as soon as multiple Mukuros were shown I figured that there must have been some clones or impostors (sus). I didn't really expect her to be actually alive, and I'm glad she wasn't (sorry Mukuro).

Killer Killer is what Danganronpa 3 should have been. It had a more competent writing crew too. Except for the head thing. There was a more creative solution that THAT, certainly.

Ehhh... I have to disagree.

Despite both KK and FA being stories about Future Foundation set after DR2, I think that even though their "setting" niche is similar, their... "purpose" niche? Is different?

I didn't really like FA - it didn't flesh out its new characters well, it bored me a LOT, the plot was hard to follow. The only episode that I even liked was the UDG one, but I feel it didn't fit well within what FA was supposed to be. I wish it was better - but also, it's meant to *be* a sequel to DR1&2. It's meant to be a bit more about characters we know. It's meant to showcase us how Future Foundation operates on a high level (as in, the "ruling" parts).

KK was better written and it gave focus to Misaki, Takumi and the fruity guy I can't remember the name of, it barely had 1&2 characters and they weren't as much. It also made sure to showcase us how FA functions on a *broad* level, instead. It also shows us FF in less of an active crisis (at least until the last few chapters). Similar goes to world as a whole, despite the crime being all time high, there are still idols, for example. It still had its issues, like the chapter where the fruit got introduced felt kinda rushed, the decapitation part felt out-of-place, the fruity guy seemed more fucked up for the sake of being fucked up. Other characters like Mekuru or the pins-in-hair lady also got barely any development, I think.

KK and FA should still coexist. I just wish that FA was better.

And yeah... I didn't pay a lot of attention to the head thing at first, but it didn't really feel that fitting. Danganronpa is very strong on death permanence, and all that. The time flow in that part was also... weird? I wouldn't give all of what happened there a whole 24 hours, it felt more like 3 hours max.

The ending was really satisfying though!

I kept getting the impression in Killer Killer that the girl protagonist would end up being Mukuro secretly alive or someone else, much like how the other novel series kept having someone secretly be ME! Junko Forking Enoshima! The Ultimate Despair!

LOOOOOOL. I haven't thought about that, but that'd be really funny. I actually thought she was Ruruka at first, and I tagged the first Killer Killer post with Ruruka rather than Misaki... I quickly fixed that once I figured that out.

So Killer Killer is Dexter but Gay?

The only Dexter I know is the one from Cartoon Network who had a laboratory and I do not think that Takumi and him were similar. And Takumi feels like a token straight. Unless you mean his fruity childhood friend, but then, he ain't a scientist.

Did you know that Killer Killer is the same individual as Sparkling Justice?

I didn't, and I don't think it's that. The theme of killing criminals is actually pretty popular, lol. Though, there are some hints here and there... hmm... Maybe?

[adhdadulting]

ADHD should really be called Dopamine Deficiency Disorder and not trouble sitting still disease. But you know what gives you dopamine? Rewards! Not long term rewards like “If I study for this I’ll get a good grade”, they don’t work because that’s too far away and we can often really only see Now and Not Now.

So what helps me with this is to give myself rewards for getting things done, eg for finishing that textbook chapter or for doing the laundry or whatever, but for me not all things that people suggest as rewards work, so here’s a list of options to experiment with (feel free to add on!):

Money - eg having a box that you put money in whenever you finish something and have that money go to a specific goal. Doesn’t work great for me, bc I’m too aware that I could just buy the thing anyway and that it’s just my money that I’m moving from place to place but might work for other people. There's also programs that let you pledge actual money towards getting something done which you lose if you don't make it but ehhh that's not for me.

Sweets - “you can have the chocolate once you’ve finished x”, doesn’t work for me bc I’ll probably eat the chocolate anyway in a ridiculouss need to snack. Plus probably be careful about rewarding with food if you have any issues with eating disorders.

Stickers - either have different stickers for different tasks and stick them on your calendar or in your journal or - especially for long projects - have a page specifically for this where you get to stick stickers for every half hour you worked on the thing for example. You could also do different stickers for the amount of time you spend on it - this works amazing for me!

Better than money or sweets bc there’s no incentive to “have the reward anyway” and no guilt over spending money or eating unhealthy food.

(Internet) time - “if you do an hour of x you get 15 minutes of tumblr or youtube time”. I haven’t tried this one much, it’s probably best to push those 15 minutes to the end of the day, rather than get out of the flow and possibly combine it with sitckers or something similar to have an actual immediate reward rather than an end of the day one. I’d probably have problems actually sticking to just the time I’ve “earned” though. Could be done with any other activity you enjoy.

RPG rewards - there’s a number of gamification apps out there, like Habitica or LifeRPG that give your experience or gold or random drops of items for doing your tasks. Works somewhat for me, the problem is I eventually get bored after using it for a while, but if I circle between different apps it helps alleviate that.

Something someone else gives you - apps do that to a degree, but nothing is as effective in my experience as someone else giving you a reward. The actual thing could be any of the above - sweets, money, stickers - or just a “good job” but the great thing is you can’t cheat here. Accountability + positive reinforcement absolutely does it for me.